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harringtonstilinski · 9 months ago

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Always The Babysitter - Chapter Twenty-Three: E Pluribus Unum

Author: @harringtonstilinski Characters: Steve Harrington x Olivia Henderson(OC) Word Count: 1,757 (short chapter this week) Warnings: angsty Smut: no | yes; A/N: Hi, friends! We get a lot of Dustin and Erica in this chapter <3 Also, no Steve gif this chapter! We're getting a Dustin one 'cause of this iconic line!! If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

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Dustin looked up at me - well, past me to look at Steve, both of them saying, “The gate.”

I backed up from between them making my way back down the steps. “Ya’know, Dustin, I really hate being doubted.”

“I don’t understand,” Robin said. “You’ve seen this before?”

“Not exactly,” Steve said.

“Then what, exactly?”

“Trust me when I say it’s really bad,” I said.

“It’s really bad,” Steve added.

“Just said that, babe.”

“Like end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad,” Dustin said.

“And you know about this how?” Robin asked.

“It’s a long story,” I said.

“Uhm, Steve,” Erica said. “Where’s your Russian friend?”

I turned around to look at the ground behind me, seeing that the guy was indeed gone. “Sweet shit.”

Next noise to hit our ears was the alarm blaring, Steve rushing to the door to open it and look out into the hub space we sneaked through moments earlier. I heard “Halt! Halt!” before Steve closed the door, saying, “Shit!”

We ran through a couple of doors that led us straight to the control room, all of our feet stopping when the men turned to face us. Looking to my left, I saw another flight of stairs, running towards them.

“Come on!” I yelled, hearing Steve’s voice repeating the word go. I ran down a walkway, screaming as I pushed one of the hazmat suit guys out of the way, stopping once I reached the end, almost falling to my untimely demise.

I felt Dustin’s arms around me, pulling me back, both of us repeating, “Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!”

I breathed in deep before I screamed out, “Holy shit!”

“Guards! Go!” Erica said.

I turned around to face the rest of the group, my arm being tugged by Dustin as Steve yelled, “This way!” and led us down another set of stairs, pushing a guy out of the way before pushing a set of barrels towards some more guards.

I rushed towards him, running past him and to another door, leaving it open for the rest of our group to run through. Hearing it close, I turned back around, seeing Steve and Robin leaning against it to keep some weight on it.

Dustin and Erica went to a vent cover, opening it, Erica yelling out for us to come on. I looked between my brother and boyfriend, wanting to protect both of them, but knowing I’d have to leave one.

“Liv, go with Dustin!” Steve yelled.

“I– I–” I stammered.

“I’ll find you,” he said. “Go!”

“Steve–”

“Go, get out of here! Go get some help!”

I wanted to rush to him, to plant my lips upon his, but knowing I couldn’t against his struggle on the door. Feeling myself being pulled up the stairs, I kept my eyes locked on Steve before I had to look away, almost falling into the vent shaft. Looking back at Steve, I yelled, “I love you!”

“I love you!” Steve replied before I ducked into the shaft, closing the cover as I heard Robin yelling out, guns being cocked.

“He better not die,” I muttered, following after Dustin and Erica down this vent shaft.

~~~

Sitting in front of a giant fan, Dustin explained to Erica what happened that first year when Will went missing and then explained what happened a few months ago with Dart and the demodogs.

“And now, for some insane reason, these Russian assholes want to reopen it, for God knows what reason,” I said, using my hand to fan myself… even though we were by that giant ass fan. “Destroys everything we’ve risked our lives for.”

“By we, you’re including Lucas?” Erica said.

“Yes. Even Lucas was there. Matter of fact, everyone was there, aside from our mom, your parents and Mike’s parents.”

“So, all that shit he told me, Lucas was there?” Erica asked.

“Yes, Erica, he was there.”

“My brother, Lucas Charles Sinclair?”

“Yes!” Dustin and I exclaimed.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Wait, wait, hold up,” I said, sitting up a little and facing the young girl. “You mean to tell me that you believe everything about El and the gate and Dart, but you don’t believe the fact that Lucas was there helping us protect Hawkins?”

“That’s correct.” She looked from me to Dustin before she asked, “You need help with that?”

“No,” Dustin replied.

“Well, I mean, it’s taking a while, so–”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.”

“Dustin Wade!” I exclaimed.

“Alright,” Erica said. “So, if we don’t find a more efficient method to stop these fans, we’re never gonna find help, and your ice cream buddies, slash boyfriend and best friend, are screwed.”

“Yeah, with that attitude, they are,” Dustin and I said.

“Jee-zus,” Dustin added.

“I’m just being realistic,” Erica said. Looking at her watch, she said, “I mean, we’ve made it about point-three miles in nine hours. Then we had to walk three hours down that tunnel, so I’d estimate ten miles back to the elevator, which should take us approximately twelve-and-a-half days.”

I looked at her with a stunned expression as she did all that math that quickly. “Holy shit. You just did all that… in your head?”

“I’m good with numbers,” she deadpanned.

“Holy shit,” Dustin said.

“You’re a nerd!” we exclaimed.

“Come again?” Erica scoffed.

“You,” Dustin said.

“Are.” Me.

“A.” Dustin.

“Nerd,” we both ended.

Pointing her finger between the both of us, Erica said, “Okay, you better take that back, nerds.”

“Can’t put that truth back in the box,” I smiled.

“But it’s not the truth.”

“Okay, let’s examine the facts,” I said, scooting a little closer, holding my fingers out while I counted the facts. “Fact One: You’re apparently a math whiz.”

“Pretty straightforward equation.”

“Fact Two: you’re a 10 year old political junkie.”

“Just because I don’t agree with Communism as an ideology–”

“Fact Three: you love My Little Pony,” I said, grabbing her backpack and turning it to face her.

“And what does My Little Pony have to do with this?” she asked.

“Ah, let’s recall the ponies’ latest adventure, shall we?” Dustin said, which caused a confused look to come from me. “The evil centaur team and Tirek turns Applejack into a dragon at Midnight Castle, and then Megan and the other ponies have to use Moochick’s magic to defeat his rainbow of darkness, saving them from a lifetime of enslavement. All the pink in the world can’t disguise the irrefutable fact that centaurs and castles and dragons and magic are all standard nerd tropes. Ergo, My Little Pony is nerdy. Ergo, you, Erica, are a nerd.”

“Bro, what the fuck?” I murmured.

“And how do you know so much about My Little Pony?” Erica asked.

“Because I’m… a nerd,” Dustin said, taking the panel off the wall that he unscrewed during his little rant. He pulled the wires from their slots, the fan next to us powering down. “Let’s go… nerds.”

~~~

After we crawled through the blades of the fan, we made our way down the vent shaft. Whenever I spotted holes above us, I started feeling around for a loose square. Once I found it, I pushed it up and out of the way, climbing out of the shaft and onto the floor that we were crawling beneath, seeing a whole bunch of that green stuff they were putting into, what I’m calling, a gate drill.

“Jackpot,” I said, helping Erica and Dustin out of the shaft.

Spotting what seemed like a golf cart, I smiled and made my way towards it. “Hell yes!” “Do you even know how to drive?” Erica asked.

“Of course,” I said. “I’ve been driving on my own for a year. Damn it. There’s no keys.”

“You seriously thought they’d just leave keys in there?”

“There’s always a spare,” I said, more to myself. I started looking around, hearing Dustin’s rustles as he helped me look.

“Hey, Hendersons,” Erica said.

“Yeah,” Dustin and I said, getting out of the golf cart to look around more.

“How big did you say that Demogorgon was?”

“Huge,” I said.

“Nine feet or so,” Dustin said.

“Why?” we both asked.

Dustin moved to another panel box, using his screwdriver to open it, grabbing a key to the vehicle inside. “Found ‘em.”

“Dustin,” I said. “Look.”

What I was looking at was a crate, big enough for a Demogorgon.

“Ah, shit,” I said.

“Erica?” Dustin and I said, jumping at the sound of a loud zapping noise.

“What the fuck?” I breathed, holding my hand to my chest.

“What the hell is that?!” Dustin yelled.

“A deadly weapon,” Erica said, almost like she was in love with it. “Could be useful.” She zapped it again, Dustin and I jumping once more.

“For what?”

“What do you think? Taking down Commies, saving your friends.”

“Thought you were more realistic than that, nerd?”

I took the keys from him, not wanting to hear anymore of their banter for the moment. As I got behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition, I said, “We don’t even know where they are, and even if we did, there’s a million guards up there with way deadlier weapons. The best thing we can do is get out of here and find help.”

“Easy with that,” Dustin said. “Our chance of surviving, and theirs, rises substantially. Just trust us on this. Please?”

~~~

Stopping at a certain point, I got out of the cart and looked in the back, seeing boxes of that green goop sitting in it. Grabbing a couple of them, I walked a few feet in front of the cart, taking a deep breath. “Steve… this is for you.” Slamming the glass containers on the ground, I watched as they shattered, the green stuff once again eating away at the floor.

I quickly made my way back behind the wheel, trying my best to speed off. Stopping a few feet from a door, I told Dustin to charge in with that laser thing, to which he immediately did.

I charged in after Erica, standing in between her and Dustin and watching as an evil looking doctor fell to the ground. I turned to face Steve, seeing his eye bruised and swollen.

“Hey! Henderson!” Steve said, excitedly. “That’s… crazy, I was just talking about you.”

Sighing, I undid the bonds that were around his arms, hands and legs before putting my hand on his cheek. “What happened to you?”

“Oh, my god,” Robin said.

“Get ready to run!”

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

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~~~

A/N 2: hi, friends! pls be kind and reblog! it really helps us content creators out <3

Additional Note: i absolutely love it when gaten screams shit. it's the best thing ever, lol

~~~

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

Steve Harrington Taglist: @madaboutjoe

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

~~~

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

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

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

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

Posted on April 2, 2024

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roanofarcc · 9 months ago

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PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX → THE SNOWBALL

summary: steve harrington x oc | on ao3

when another product of Hawkins National Laboratory escaped a long-survived nightmare alongside her sister, she crashed into one unsuspecting teenage boy and dragged him deeper into the dark mysteries that made up their hometown.

word count. 3.7k || masterlist

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

previous chapter ← → next chapter

a/n: a little double update for you all on this fine saturday. steve and sunshine are confirmed to be the cutest (I may be a little biased). and we only have one chapter left until season 3! thank you all for reading <3

Inside a little cabin, tucked away in the woods, three children hid from the prying eyes of anyone who lingered from their past. But, for one night, they were allowed to venture beyond the tree line. The cabin was live with the smell of cotton candy perfume, streaks of pink and blue eyeshadow, a quick tutorial on how to tie a tie, and soft music from old records.

Sunshine sat on the edge of El’s bed and rubbed blush across the younger girl’s cheeks. She didn’t know what she was doing exactly, but she had watched her mother do her makeup a few times.

“Okay,” she said. “You’re all done.”

Standing up, Sunshine took extra care to check her dress for any rouge makeup smudges. She ran her hands along the velvet fabric, smiling to herself. The dark blue dress had once belonged to her mom but had been packed away in the attic for years. It was beautiful, and her mom was excited for Sunshine to wear it to her first school dance. The skirt fell just below her knees, it had flowy long sleeves, and the entire thing was covered in little golden stars that glittered in the light. Her mom had pulled back her hair with golden pins, and Sunshine did her makeup as practice before doing El and Leia’s.

The girls spun around their room in the dresses Hopper and Joyce had picked out, excitedly chattering about the dance in preparation.

A knock came from the doorframe, and Luke peeked his head inside. “Sunshine, can I talk to you for a second?”

Sunshine let the girls finish getting ready as she stepped out into the living room with Luke. The place was a comfortable mess of things that kept the kids occupied while they spent the majority of their time in the cabin, with frequent visits from the party. Coloring books, paints, comic books, rented movies, and newer records were all scattered around in a sweet chaos.

Luke was dressed for the dance as well, in a pair of slacks and a polka-dot button-up shirt. Hopper even dug out one of his old ties for him. Sunshine couldn’t believe how grown up the twins looked. It still shocked her, even after the couple of weeks she had been spending with them getting reacquainted. Their buzzcuts had long grown out. Luke kept his curls on the shorter side and Leia reached just below her shoulder blades. They both were tall, almost as tall as Sunshine; she feared by the end of next summer, all of the kids would be taller than her. But above everything, they looked happy and healthy, and that was all she could ever ask for.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Luke asked with a curious scrunch of his nose.

“You look grown up, that’s all.”

Luke smiled for a moment before a sigh slipped from his lips and he slumped down onto the couch. “Do you remember when we were trying to get out of tunnels?” Sunshine had tried to avoid thinking about that night, but she knew that was impossible. She didn’t expect that to be Luke’s mind, though, not at that moment, anyway. She nodded and let him continue. “And do you remember how, when we were climbing out, I grabbed Max’s hand?”

She had forgotten about that part. In the whirlwind of things, her memories bled together a little too well. “You saw something, didn’t you?” When he had any skin-to-skin contact with someone, he was forced to see their future. Sometimes there was nothing major, but other times Luke saw something that would haunt him.

“I saw a lot of things,” Luke said with a frown that brought an air of unease around them. “It was just a lot of colors. First, there was this bright light, blinding almost. Then, it was dark, so dark it felt suffocating. The feeling of the darkness, it stayed but the vision turned red. It was like it was dripping into the darkness, slowly at first, then everything became red and filled with screams from…from someone, but I couldn’t see anyone there, not even Max. I didn’t like how it felt, Sunshine. I’ve never felt anything like that before. It was awful and heavy, really heavy. Whatever it is it’s not good.”

Sunshine chewed down on her lower lip, thinking for a moment. It was Max they were talking about. She had some trouble in her life, but she was surrounded by people who cared for her. It couldn’t be something they couldn’t handle. The Gate was closed and their Upside-Down troubles behind them.

“Did you tell Max anything?”

“No. Ivy used to say it’s better if people don’t know their future.”

Ivy’s name caught Sunshine off guard. She braced herself, curling her fingernails into her palms. She didn’t know when hearing Ivy’s name aloud would stop causing her pain and grief.

“She did?” It didn’t line up with the last conversation Sunshine recalled Luke and Ivy having, where she demanded to know what Luke saw in his vision after he touched Sunshine’s arm.

Luke met her eyes. “Yeah, after I told her what I saw in yours.”

A dull pain came from her palms as she dug her nails into them a little harder. “Oh,” she muttered. She probably didn’t want to know what awaited her. Maybe it was different now that she was out of the Lab. She had a new life in Hawkins, maybe Luke’s original vision didn’t account for that.

Luke helped ease her fears. “It’s not for sure going to happen, any of it,” he said. “There’s always a chance something you did changed the outcome. But with Max…I don’t know. I can’t get it out of my head. But I know there’s nothing we can really do. It just sucks.”

That was another thing about Luke’s abilities, he could see the future, but he was never guaranteed to change it. You couldn’t do anything until the moment was upon them.

“All we can do right now is keep an eye on things, right?” She rolled her shoulders back and flexed her fingers. She didn’t like to show the kids her worry when she was supposed to be the older sister they came to and relied on. “We’ll look out for Max, make sure she’s okay.” Maybe that would be enough.

“Okay. I think we can do that.” Luke held up his hands in front of his face and sighed. “I think I can be a normal, non-future-seer for one night. But it’s gonna be hard if I have to make sure I don’t touch anyone while I’m there.”

“We have that covered!” Leia's voice shot through the living room as she and El slipped out of their bedroom. There was a glossy smile on their lips and sweet ballet flats on their feet. “Gloves!” She presented a pair of gloves dramatically to her brother. They were simple, black gloves that matched Luke’s slacks and shiny dress shoes.

He took them carefully from her hands and looked them over. “Isn’t that weird? Aren’t people going to think I’m weird if I’m wearing gloves indoors?”

“Who cares what anyone thinks of you,” Sunshine said. “You all deserve a fun night. So, put on the gloves and dance with your friends, okay?”

“Yeah! And if anyone says anything nasty, I’ll shock ‘em,” Leia offered, wiggling her fingers and making the living room lights flicker.

Their plan was swiftly shut down by Hopper, who entered the room with a shake of his head. “No. None of that in public; you know the rules.” He sounded tired, but a good tired. He wasn’t exhausted from keeping the town afloat and hiding his pocket full of secrets. Instead, he was a tired dad to three superpowered children who kept him on his toes.

Sunshine had a moment, a couple of days after the Gate was closed, where her anger at Hopper exploded when she came to visit the kids at the cabin. Her emotions got the better of her, and being lied to for nearly a year didn’t sit well with her. It felt like Hopper believed he had all the authority over El, but after some more time, she realized he was just trying to keep them all safe. He did what thought was best; Sunshine thought he should have told her. But neither one of them could go back in time. Sunshine refused to be apart from her siblings; therefore, she and Hopper had slowly begun to understand each other again. He was trying, really trying, and she was thankful for that.

“Are you guys almost ready?” he asked. The kids all nodded eagerly. “Good. I want to get a picture before we leave.” He waved around a Polaroid camera, which caused the kids to figure out how they wanted to pose, giving Sunshine the chance to speak to Hopper.

“Hey, Hop?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“I don’t think I ever thanked you for taking all of them in. You know, between the yelling and crying.” She hadn't gone about talking to Hopper about everything in the most mature way, but she was freshly seventeen and believed she deserved some grace. After everything, her brother and sisters were safe, in a warm home with someone who took care of them. When Hopper originally took El in, he told her he knew he couldn’t make everyone happy and keep them safe; she understood that.

He chuckled softly. “I get it. I would have done the same thing if I was you. But I am sorry I lied; it was the only way I knew how to keep both of you girls safe. I just…” he sighed deeply. “I should have gone about it better.”

“Maybe.” Sunshine shrugged. “But, if you had, the twins probably wouldn’t have found their way here. So, I guess it all kind of worked out.”

“Come on, we’re gonna be late!” Leia shouted, grabbing their attention. Hopper nudged Sunshine’s shoulder and pushed her toward the trio of kids to join their photo. All four of them, dressed up and radiating a newfound happiness, smiled for the camera. For one night, they were nothing more than normal kids attending a school dance with their friends, and they couldn’t wait.

→←

Steve parked his car outside Hawkins Middle just as it started to snow. In the passenger’s seat, Dustin combed his hair for the hundredth time and checked his appearance in the rearview mirror. Steve had to bite back a laugh at the kid’s nervousness.

“All right, buddy. Here we are.” They had spent the whole afternoon going over how Dustin was going to absolutely kill it at his first school dance. None of the kids went to the Snowball the year before because they spent the time with a recovering Will. That only added to the kid’s nerves. Steve and Dustin’s mother, who insisted on feeding Steve dinner, tried to reassure Dustin that everything would be fine, especially with the group of friends he had. “Remember, once you get in there-”

“Pretend like I don’t care,” Dustin repeated the advice Steve had given him. His hands reached back up to his styled hair, but Steve swatted his hand away.

“Hey, you look great. You’re going to go in, looking like a million bucks, and you’re going to slay ‘em dead.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” Dustin let out a deep breath before opening the car door.

“Good luck!” Steve was ready to spend his night alone, waiting to pick Dustin up and listen to how Steve had been right. Hell, maybe Dustin would even dance with a girl or play some epic prank on one of his teachers. Steve just wanted the kid to enjoy himself.

However, Dustin paused halfway out of the car. “Actually, you know what? You should come inside.”

“What?” Steve scrunched up his face. He didn’t have many fond memories of middle school or more like they were a blur of boring days followed by basketball practices. He didn’t want to step foot back inside Hawkins Middle, and Dustin was a big kid, he didn’t need Steve to walk him inside. “It’s a middle school dance, dude. I’m not going in there.”

Dustin tapped his fingers against the roof of the car, looking between Steve and something outside. Steve went to peer out his window at what the kid was looking at, but Dustin spoke again. “No! I know that, but still, you should. Trust me.”

“I’ll pass.” Steve had grown somewhat accustomed to his quiet nights alone at home. It wasn’t like he had a girlfriend anymore and Sunshine spent most of her time with her long-lost siblings, which he couldn’t complain about because she was undeniably much happier than she had been the past year with everyone safe and sound and in arms reach. Steve started to enjoy his own company, sprinkled in with visits from Dustin and catching Sunshine at her mother’s store on the weekends.

“I’ll pick you up when this thing is over and you can tell me all about it, okay?”

Dustin was relentless. “Come on. You’re not scared to walk past your ex-girlfriend, are you?”

That was another thing; Nancy was working the dance along with Jonathan. It didn’t feel unreasonable that Steve didn’t want to hang out at the same event with his ex and the guy she liked. Steve wasn’t on bad terms with Nancy or Jonathan, but he already saw enough of them at school, he didn’t need to see them on weekends too.

“No,” Steve lied. “I’m not scared, dipshit. I’m just…I don’t need to be here. I’m not chaperoning.”

“Steve,” Dustin’s face grew serious, and he leaned further into the car. “I am doing this for you. Come inside. Five minutes; five minutes, that’s all I’m asking.”

“You’re not taking no for an answer, are you?” Dustin shook his head. With a groan, Steve removed his keys and left his car. “Fine. Five minutes, Henderson, then I’m leaving.”

There was a glint of something Steve couldn’t place in Dustin’s eyes, but he didn’t have time to question it before the kid dragged him inside the decorated gym. Steve was sure they reused the same decoration from his Snowball. It looked nearly the same, but the kids looked younger than he remembered and the teachers older.

Dustin led them through the masses of kids until they reached a familiar group surrounding one of the tables lining the back wall.

“What the hell happened to you?” Was the first thing said to Dustin. Everyone stared at Dustin’s styled hair and gaped. Max reached up to touch it, but Dustin lightly smacked her hand away.

“Your hair!” Will smiled, looking more alive than he had in a while. His cheeks were flushed and there was no trace of what he’d been through on his face. Will had always been a smaller kid, bony and skinny like Jonathan, but at least he looked to a little taller and held his head up a little higher.

“Pretty sweet, huh?”

One of the newest members of the group, Leia, nodded in approval. “Totally sweet.”

The click of heels sounded from behind them, and Dustin whipped his head around. A mischievous smile twisted up on Dustin’s lips as he said, “Oh, hi Sunshine.”

Steve spun around quickly, maybe a little too quickly. Sunshine approached them with a little wave. She was dressed up like everyone else at the dance, in a dress that sparkled in the warm light of the string lights overhead. Even without the use of her powers, she still managed to glow brightly.

“Dustin! You look amazing!” The kid blushed at Sunshine’s compliment.

“Thanks. We’re all gonna go raid the snack table. Have fun!” Dustin rushed out in one breath before he ushered the entire party off toward the table full of homemade sweets from the PTA, and left Steve confused and alone with Sunshine.

That little shit, Steve thought.

Sunshine didn’t seem phased that the kids left, probably because she wasn’t dragged inside and then abandoned. He didn’t know why he felt unprepared to be there or to talk to Sunshine. Steve talked to Sunshine all of the time; they were friends after all. But there was something that felt odd. Maybe it was the childhood nostalgia that hit him being back in the middle school gym. Maybe it was the way Sunshine smiled at him with makeup that prettily glittered on the face.

He cleared his throat, disrupting his thoughts. “You look nice,” he said. The words were clunky coming out and he was suddenly hyper-aware of every movement he had and word he said. His hands smoothed down the fabric of his red sweater that he’d found on his floor that afternoon. He silently cursed at himself for not spending a little longer fixing his hair or making sure his jeans didn’t have holes in them.

Though, his worries were quelled as Sunshine said, “Thank you. You look nice, too.” Steve let out a small breath. “What’re you doing here?”

“Honestly? I don’t really know.” Steve gazed over at Dustin, who was tossing pieces of candy into Leia and Luke’s mouths before one of the teachers scolded them. “Dustin made me come in here and then ditched me. What about you?” From the dress and heels she wore, Steve wondered if she was helping chaperon with Nancy.

“Hopper let the kids have a night out of the cabin and since I’ve never been to a Snowball before, he said I should come too. I wanted to keep an eye on them.”

It continued to shock Steve at how many things Sunshine had yet to experience. Little things he never thought twice about, like school dances, meant more than he could understand to Sunshine and her siblings. They had unfairly missed out on so much.

“This is your first school dance.” Steve whistled lowly. “Man, I remember my first Snowball. A week before the dance, my dad made me get a buzz cut.” Sunshine gasped. “I know, it’s hard to picture me without my best feature.”

Sunshine laughed, and Steve felt almost triumphant. When she laughed, her teeth showed, and little creases formed by the corners of her eyes.

“But it’s true,” he continued. “My mom picked out this awful blue suit for me to wear and I spent most of the night on those very bleachers. It was pretty miserable until Tommy H. offered me a cigarette. We spent the rest of the dance smoking out back and making fun of everyone in our grade until our parents showed up. It wasn’t the best night of my life, but I guess not the worst either.” Tommy H. had never been the best of friends, but he had once been a comfortable constant in Steve’s life. Steve didn’t necessarily miss Tommy’s asshole-ery, but he did miss having a friend who knew him as well as Tommy had.

“I watched school dances in movies, but this isn’t exactly what I thought it’d be like,” she admitted, toying with the sleeves of her dress.

“What did you expect?”

“Less middle schoolers.”

Steve looked around at the sea of short, awkward, middle schoolers swaying at arm's length from one another when an idea sprouted in his head. His heart beat a little quicker in his chest, stupidly, like he was suddenly a middle schooler himself standing in front of a pretty girl. Steve Harrington didn’t get nervous, he reminded himself.

“Since it’s your first school dance, you should probably dance with someone who’s taller than you and has a legal driver's license.”

Sunshine furrowed her brows. “What?”

“Do you want to dance?” He held out his hand, and for one horrible moment, he feared he completely embarrassed himself. His fear was quickly washed away when her eyes lit up and she took his hand in hers. He found a spot in the gym near the back of the dance floor where it was less crowded.

She looked around, concentrating on the kids around them like she was looking for something. Steve quickly realized she was trying to figure out how to dance.

“It’s easy,” Steve said, earning her attention. “Dancing. It’s easy. Give me your other hand.” She placed her other hand in his. “Your hands go here.” He lifted her hands to his shoulders, and she stepped a little closer. Her deep golden eyes peered into him, making him a little more nervous than he expected.

“And mine go here.” Steve hesitated, holding his hands just above the fabric of her dress that covered his hips. “Um, is this okay?” he asked, voice quiet as they stood close enough that he could make out the little white scar on the corner of her mouth from a couple of weeks ago.

Sunshine nodded and he rested his hands on her hips. To the slow beat of the music, they swayed together. The light twinkled above them like stars, and there was a sweet kind of innocence that settled over them. Steve felt less heavy, and he could almost pretend that he was back in middle school in a world where Sunshine never disappeared, and they were never apart. Maybe he would have asked her to the Snowball when they were fourteen, all awkward limbs and shy smiles. He wondered how different things would have been if the world hadn’t been so unfair.

Steve liked to think that moment was the universe’s way of apologizing to all of them. From that point on, hearts would be mended, kids would return to the playground, and everyone would be free from the darkness that was shut out of Hawkins.

But, as they danced in the warm gymnasium, darkness still lingered in their world, stirring in the brisk winter air. Up in the mayor of Hawkins’s office, stale coffee remained untouched on top of newly purchased land deeds and left rings on top of fine print that the man didn’t read closely enough. What was he to worry about? The small town needed a change; he’d go down as a hero, he was sure of it.

A couple state away, a man pulled his hood up and kept his head down. All he had was the coat on his back and a crinkled picture of his wife and son in his pocket.

Blood was washed from the floor of Hawkins National Laboratory and the door was locked for good.

And across the world, a plan was set into motion. Destination: Hawkins, Indiana.

uʍouʞu∩ :uoᴉʇɐuᴉʇsǝp

Tag List. @sattlersquarry , @leptitlu , @echoing-oursong

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington x original character #steve harrington x reader #stranger things 2 #stranger things fanfiction #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #el hopper #jim hopper #mike wheeler #will byers #max mayfield #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers

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werdlewrites · 5 months ago

Text

masterlist - ao3 - twitter @ djomamma

summary: “So, that’s where they keep the monsters.” It’s not a question, but rather, a statement. Focus lingering on the structure until it disappears behind the dense woods. She doesn’t sense the look to fall on her. Confusion was written in the other's expression, waiting in anticipation for her explanation. “That thing and me.” wc: 2,444 warnings: therapy, abandonment, lack of parental figure

To surrender is to admit defeat. To admit you’ve struggled, and that you cannot face the world on your own. You stomp out your pride to accept a helping hand, letting everyone see your weakness. Beaten down by a never-ending storm, so you’re left with no other options. Vulnerability is something worn on the sleeve. A fragile heart is easily broken until it can no longer repair itself. Other times, it’s a well-kept treasure hidden behind towering walls. It’s something to fight for - even if the wall only chips away little by little.

“I know how you must feel. Lost and frightened. Just like you were all of those years ago. And now, you’re desperate.”

Desperation seemed like such a far-off term. Autumn wasn’t desperate - she was dying. It was slow and agonizing, feeling every seam of sanity rip and tear even as she fell into Steve’s tight embrace, holding her pieces together. He had sighed out in relief when she came back to him that night, while she remained frozen under his kind touch with fresh tears in her eyes. No one could understand, even if they tried to.

But the man behind his desk promises he can follow her down the darkest path without fear. Ready to illuminate and give clarity on what she can’t understand. He says she may find peace. She may feel more alive, though despise him for the journey needed to get there.

Dr. Owens is all smiles the moment they reconnect. Busying himself as he organizes notebooks across his desk before facing her with pen in hand. “Why don’t we start somewhere simple? How’s your day going?”

There’s a look of confusion etched into the teenager's face, perhaps even some irritation. She had spent hours predicting how their sessions would go, and something so mundane was not on her list of topics. “S’okay, I guess. It’s Winter Break, so, I guess that’s nice.”

He makes a few notes, still smiling down at the paper as he does so. “I always loved Winter Break. Christmas, the New Year. Lots of fun. Lots of getting up to no good, too.” The girl's fingers tap along the armrest, anxiously chewing away at her gum with a drawn-out, “Yep,” in response.

“Do you like school? Do you have any favorite classes? Favorite teachers-”

Hidden from his stare, Autumn casts a bizarre look toward the only other man in the room; Hopper. He sits in total silence, slouched in a chair up against the wall with an intense gaze. A deal had been struck where he would never leave the girl. Not unless she forced him out that door, closing it at his back. Blue eyes meet her halfway, seeming on the same level as her - annoyed.

“S’alright,” she says in a minty sigh. “I like being busy.”

There’s a light chuckle radiating from him, eyes beaming up at her from the scribbled notes. She suddenly feels small under his gaze, palms running back and forth until the sleeves crumple up to her wrists. “You and me both, kid.”

Her avoidant stare falls on him, narrowed with fingers now tight around one another. He speaks with less formality, something more casual. As if knows her. Knew her. A level of undeserved comfort, letting his own walls down to welcome her in. But she won’t step beyond that threshold. Not yet.

“Meet anyone new at school?” He’s unshaken by the stern expression on her features, still holding a gentle smile in hopes it will warm a frigid heart. But it’s slow to thaw. Never shifting safe for the rise of a curious brow, clearly confused. “Any boyfriends? Or…other interests?”

She can’t help but scoff, posture slouching until she’s nearly one with the chair. Knees spread and up against the desk. “Sorry, but, what does my love life have t’do with anything?”

Dr. Owens seems caught off guard by the sudden tone and question. Eyes wide for a second as he processes.“Well, we’re building a connection.” He begins. He seems honest and remains strong against the force of teenage angst. All bottled up and ready to burst like a volcano. “A sense of trust, which…I’m sure you may find difficult. Given what’s happened.”

“Oh, you mean like, my dad leaving me for dead? Someone trying to kidnap me?”

He was warned of her sarcasm. The way she turns on a mocking smile out of spite, before snapping like a viper. It could be chopped up to the twist and turn of hormones as she morphed into someone new. But her bite only grew sharper by the end of that night. When she fully began to understand that she had been left behind. It was a defense.

“Do you want to talk about that? About what happened that night?”

It’s the one question that douses the flames of her spirit. A yearning for more - for truth. What was his purpose as he crept down darkened hallways? What would he have done? Would she ever live to see the light of day again as his hostage? Would she wish for death instead?

But something screams loud enough to drown out the need for clarity. Something unseen telling her to keep the door shut. Lock him out and keep him there where she couldn’t see. A piece of her seeking protection from the reality. It was a painful existence. Voices pulling her back and forth on what she wanted versus what was needed.

Her tongue clicks against the roof of her mouth. “No.” Is her quick response, arms now moving to cross over her chest. Another barrier kept up between her and the doctor. And he accepts her answer with a small nod, agreeing in silence to go at her pace. Uncover what she was ready for.

“How about before that? What life was like.”

The final school bell rings for the day, and she follows their lead like a lost sheep. Everything was packed away, nice and neat. Her small frame vanishes in the sea of children as they pile out into the hallway - a once quiet space overwhelmed by their high-pitched voices and laughter. Others move in the opposite direction - toward the office. It’s far from the double doors set alight by the afternoon sun. A beacon, begging for them to bask in its warmth as parents envelop their children in love. Hours spent apart felt like a lifetime to some. A look of pure wonder and devotion as their child fumbles over how the day went.

Then, they vanish. One by one, they pile into their family cars and pull out of the small parking lot. One by one, the world around the child becomes a little more empty, while she stands patiently at the curb for that familiar Marina. The boy named Steve says goodbye with a frantic wave, following after his mother. She can feel the tension in her fingers as they threaten to mirror his gesture, but they remain firm at her sides.

She wonders what it feels like.

To be so free.

She sits in a cold chair inside of that office - waiting in total silence, with a faint murmur of gossip in the distance. They talk about her father. Some pitied the struggles of living as a single parent, while others spit on his name for leaving his only child behind.

He arrives with a promise it’ll never happen again. Work had him staying too late - traffic was a nightmare. Any excuse he could find to smooth the rough edges. And when they reunite, his smile fails to match the brilliance of the sun, unlike so many others she had seen.

“It’s different for everyone, isn’t it? Everyone-” A heavy sigh escapes her lungs. Unaware of the bruises she afflicts on her skin from a tightened grip. “Everyone has their normal.”

Dr. Owens nods along with her words, leaving the pen abandoned in the fold of his book, choosing to focus on her words, instead. “But what was it like for you?”

She stands prideful in the den of their home. Toes wiggling inside thick socks, twisting up the loose threads with excitement until the knots come free. The girl studies his face in silence, watching as it shifts from aggravation to something more bright. A lost spark glistens in his eye as he reads over the report card. He says nothing at first, encouraging quiet anxiety to rise and spill across the threshold. “I can get an ‘A’ if I do extra credit. I brought the packet home-”

But he doesn’t sing a song of praise. He doesn’t announce the pride he feels in having such a hardworking daughter. Someone so determined to make something of themselves. Ian wears a mask of joy - congratulating his girl with a warm embrace. He promises a celebration that never comes. Too engulfed in a world much bigger than her. Something she couldn’t understand as she stood at his closed door, eagerly waiting for his approval.

“I don’t know if he cared.” Tense shoulders are now relaxed. Skin littered with unseen goosebumps and a familiar heat in her cheeks. Soon, her vision blurs. Filled with the flow of heartache. The dam is breaking - letting the tides rise and consume. The girl wipes a soft sleeve across her cheek, averting her gaze to an empty wall, where no one could see the broken structure. “Not the way others do.”

“You don’t think he loved you?”

“N-no, I-I think he loved me. Just…in his own way. I used t'think he had the wrong kid.”

“Maybe it’s too late. Because when I actually needed you, you weren’t fucking there. I had t’beg you t’look for him. And when he showed up - when I needed somebody, you were busy working on your goddamn projects, which is clearly more important than ‘family.’”

The man across from her says nothing, catching the interest of the girl as she spares a watery glance in his direction. His smile is tight. Forced. A pained look in his eye as the pressure of all he wants to say, grows. It builds and presses at his insides, and yet his teeth clamp hard enough to keep it all at bay, rather than ridding himself of the silent burden. He holds her pain for now, like a wounded bird, waiting to grow strong and take flight. But her wings are still delicate, unlike her spirit. She searches for freedom, now. He protects her from the fatal fall by simply nodding along, and adding notes to the paper.

The sessions only last an hour, though it feels like time has stretched on forever. He says this is only the beginning - and that in time, she may find days where she won’t want to leave. Autumn doubts that. Her throat is dry and her mind is filled with only static. Exhausted from the life she had to re-live with a semi-present father, and absent mother as the supernatural spilled out from her veins.

Her body is slouched in the passenger seat, eyes locked on the building that grows smaller with the distance added. Just like the morning, there was a sensation of nausea as it loomed above like a dark cloud. Something threatening, but without a clear reason for why. Autumn hated this place, but Hopper stood at her side in support. It gave her enough courage so she could face this unknown fear.

And it seems so far from this evil, menacing thing. The rooms are set alight by the sun, curtains pulled back for life to sweep through. The staff wears only smiles - though timid as they quickly turn away from only a girl. There are secrets buried in this place. Jonathan’s warning sounded off like a siren about the creature that came crawling through dimensions.

“So, that’s where they keep the monsters.” It’s not a question, but rather, a statement. Focus lingering on the structure until it disappears behind the dense woods. She doesn’t sense the look to fall on her. Confusion was written in the other's expression, waiting in anticipation for her explanation. “That thing and me.”

The truck suddenly lurches forward as his foot slams on the brake, the seatbelt digging into her skin from the force. Hopper acts without thought, hastily putting the Chevy into park before turning to fully face her, no matter the strangle of the belt that confines him. “You listen t’me,” he begins. Face stern and leaving the girl to shrink away under his stare. “You’re no monster. You’re just a kid.”

The pressure builds and she’s unable to keep eye contact, her gaze shifting towards the window as a familiar warmth dusts along her skin. The feeling of vulnerability as he pries open a weakened shell - if only just enough for her to hear his plea.

“You didn’t ask for this t’happen t’you. These - these things are just a part of you, and you deserve t’find some sort of…comfort.”

The word tastes like poison. It’s soaked his tongue and drips down his throat - scorched and burning as it eats him up from the inside. Dr. Owens says he’ll take things slow and base it all on her responses before unveiling the truth. Pulling back the curtain that hides away her past. There is no peace within the shadows - only clarity, accompanied by the heavy burden of knowledge.

“Tell me you don’t see something worthy of less.”

The girl at his side is lost in silence. Unable to speak with honesty for fear of the heartbreak it would cause. Unable to confess her reflection only held memories of trauma. From the mocking voices dancing through school halls - to the whispers in her mind that keep her awake through the night. A slumbering demon was rising from a long rest, clawing its way out now that she’d opened the door. It was too late, now. Succumbing to the death it brings and unable to close it off.

She twists at the stone around her neck; Tigers Eye. One of the few remaining in the loss of her home - her life. A kiss laid to its surface from relief - hoping it would bring power as she walked through those doors. Steal away her anxieties and clear her mind from a haze. Trembling fingers fiddle until the thread is tight against her neck, pinching at the skin. A steadying breath fills her chest, and cascades like a waterfall - all pressure leaving her chest and releasing the necklace to lay flat beneath her palm.

“I want t’see Jonathan.”

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strangerficsxx · 6 months ago

Text

Chapter Nine: The Gate

story: Midnight Rain wc: 5.4k after eleven reunites with everyone, she plans on closing the gate as her and hopper escape to hawkins lab. secondly joyce, jonathan and nancy take will and try to fight the mind flayer within as jennifer and steve babysit her brother and his friends until trouble shows up.

[a/n: all characters, plot, etc. are not mine. The only thing I own is my original character. credit to gif owner.]

{ November 4-5, 1984 }

Mike's lips part as he stood there, inching a step closer to Eleven.

"Eleven," He spoke softly.

"Mike,"

She grabbed him as the two kids started crying.

“Is that?” Max asked. Lucas and Dustin nodded in response.

“I never gave up on you.” Mike said. “I called you every night. Every night for-“

“Three-hundred, fifty-three days”. Eleven smiled. “I heard.” Jennifer watches, her smile delicate as she held onto Steve’s hand.

“Why did you tell me that you were there? That you were okay?”

“Because I wouldn’t let her.” Hopper spoke, causing Mike to turn and look at him.

He stepped forward to pull El into a hug. “What the hell is this? Where have you been?”

“Where have you been?” She asked, agitated.

“You’ve been hiding her.” Mike spoke, putting the pieces together. “You’ve been hiding her this whole time!” He shoved at the chief.

“Hey!” Hopper turned and grabbed Mike’s jacket. “Let’s talk. Alone.” He and Mike went down the hall to Will’s room.

Jennifer heard the door close, staying in her spot before looking back at everyone greeting Eleven. She hugs Dustin and Lucas. Eleven studies Dustin, reaching out and touching his front teeth but he pulls back quickly, grinning wide as a quick purr slips out. The brunette was still holding onto Steve's hand, and rolled her eyes at her younger brother. Max steps forward, extending one hand as the other holds her skateboard under her arm. But Eleven ignores the friendly gesture, brushing past as she enters Jennifer’s embrace, hugging her tightly. She hugs Eleven back.

“Hey, Kiddo.” Jennifer says before they pull apart, resting her hand on the child's head, ruffling her hair in a playful way as she giggles. "I missed you like crazy."

"Me too," She responded.

Eleven and Jennifer smile warmly at each other before the girl eyes Jennifer's pants closely, sadness forming on her face.

"Blood? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, just got caught in something that's all."

Eleven nods, bringing Jennifer in for another hug before she begins walking towards Joyce. She wraps her arms around Eleven, greeting the child.

——

In the kitchen, everyone huddled around the kitchen like earlier. Out of habit, she stood beside her boyfriend and Jonathan as he leaned on the chair below them.

“It’s not like it was before. It’s grown.” Hopper sighs. “A lot. That’s considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs.

“Demo-dogs,” Dustin corrects.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, Demo-dogs. Like demogorgon and dogs. You put them together, it sounds pretty badass—”

“How is this important right now?”

“It’s not. I’m sorry.”

On the opposite end, Elven spoke. “I can do it.”

“You're not hearing me.”

“I’m hearing you. I can do it.”

“Even if El can, there's still another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies. But if we’re right about this… I mean if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer’s army…”

“Will’s a part of that army.”

“Closing the gate will kill him.”

As the other’s wore discouraged looks, a pensive expression washes over Joyce’s face. Now, she leads everyone to Will who is laid on Jonathan’s bed. The curtains flutter in front of the open window, She closes the window,

“We keep giving it what it wants.”

“If this is a virus, and Will’s the host, then…” Nancy trails off.

“Then we need to make the host inhabitable.”

They look at Will’s unconscious body.

“If he likes it cold,” Jennifer begins.

“We need to burn it out of him.” Joyce finishes.

“We have to do it somewhere he doesn’t know this time.”

“Somewhere far away.”

In the backyard, Jennifer, Steve, and Nancy rummage through the pile with flashlights. She stayed silent, searching the pile of junk that was once in Joyce's shed, overhearing Steve clear his throat as he begins speaking to Nancy.

“You should go with him.”

"What?"

“With Jonathan.”

“No, I’m… I’m not just gonna leave Mike.”

“No one’s leaving anyone,” Jennifer says, attempting to reassure Nancy.

Jennifer lifts a fan as Steve retrieves a space heater, shining his light on it as they make eye contact before looking at Nancy, offering the heater. She takes it with reluctance and gazes at Steve contritely. Steve and Jennifer leave as Nancy stares at him, leaving her in the foggy backyard. The moonlight shines over, reflecting on the vehicles in front of them. Jennifer and Steve stood beside the children, staring at Eleven, Hopper, and Jonathan.

Nervous, Jennifer unconsciously grabs Steve's hand, hoping the plan works. Max, Lucas and Dustin stand in front of the two older teens as Nancy says goodbye to her younger brother before he steps onto the shaded front porch. Eleven climbs into Hopper’s SUV as headlights blaze from Jonathan’s car as Nancy enters the passenger seat. Joyce sits in the backseat with Will, pulling out as Hopper follows behind. Standing on the porch Steve and Jennifer stand with the kids as they view the receding cars, helplessly staring at the vehicles.

They go back inside. Jennifer kneels down and has a sheet in her hands as she grabs the dead demo-dog and wraps it up, pulling it towards the kitchen and grunts with each step. Steve walks toward his girlfriend and helps her hold it, waiting impatiently for Dustin to hurry. The younger male makes a clearing as he tosses the fridges' contents aside, making room for the creature as Steve scoops it in his arms, walking toward the kitchen. “Alright. It should fit now.”

“Is this really necessary?”

“Yes it is! Okay! This is a ground-breaking, scientific discovery. We can’t just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It’s not a dog!”

“Alright. Alright. But you’re explaining this to Mrs. Byers.”

He shoves the dog in but struggles. Jennifer steps in and grapples the body, pushing half the monster inside as the backend hangs in Steve's arms. The head of the demodog head falls to the side as Jennifer swears under her breath. They slam the door shut, earning a glance from him as he mouths a silent thank you. She smiles back at him before enter the living room.

In the living room, Mike paces as Lucas cleans up broken glass, arguing about the laboratory and the roaming demodogs.

“You weren’t in there- okay Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs.”

“Demodogs!” Dustin yelled.

"Oh, my god, Dustin. Give it up, OK?!" She shouted.

“The Chief will take care of her!” Lucas shouted.

“Like she needs protection.” Max shook her head.

Steve walked up to Mike. “Listen dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line: you execute it. Alright?” He says, wiping his hands off with a hand towel.

"Why the hell are you using sports analogies, Steve? They are not going to understand."

Steve ignored Jennifer, staring toward Mike.

"Okay, first of all, this isn’t some stupid sports game. And second, we’re not even in the game -- we’re on the bench.” Mike rolled his eyes.

Steve stammers. “So my point is… Right, yeah, we’re on the bench, so there’s nothing we can do.”

He sighed, handing Jennifer the hand towel as she wiped her hands.

“That's not entirely true.” Dustin says, the other’s looking back at him. “I mean, these Demodogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away. “

“If we get their attention…”

“Maybe we can draw them from the lab.” Jennifer spoke.

“And clear them from the gate.”

“Then we all die!” Steve said, his tone was a little louder. "Jennifer, who's side are you on? Don't encourage them."

Jennifer rolled her eyes, taking a step back as she kept her eyes on Steve.

“No, that's not a point of view, man, that's a fact.”

Mike rushes past them. "I got it!" He shouted, pointing to a spot on the map drawing. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnels. So here, right here, this is like a hub."

He walked to where all the drawings led to one big circle on the floor. “So you’ve got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire--"

"Oh yeah, that's a no!" Jennifer stared at them, attempting to gain their attention.

They ignored her.

“The Mind Flayer would call away his army.” Dustin said.

“They’d all come to stop us!” Lucas spoke.

“Hey!” Steve said.

“Then we circle back to the exit.” Mike rambled on.

“Guys!” He grew louder.

“By the time they realize we’re gone-“

“El would be at the gate.” Max finished.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Steve clapped at them. “This is not happening.”

“But--"

“No, no, no, no, no. No “buts”! I promised I’d keep you shitheads safe and that’s exactly what we plan on doing."

"Were staying here. On the bench. And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job? Does everybody understand?" Jennifer spoke, now folding her arms across her chest.

“This isn’t a stupid sports game!” Mike yelled back.

“I said, does everybody understand?” She waved the dish towel at them. “I need a yes!”

A sigh escapes her lips as she feels herself getting emotional before exiting the house. Her voice breaking. "I need some air, Steve. I'll be right back."

They make eye contact as Jennifer walks over to the front door, opening it then closes it behind her. Tears well up as she takes a seat on one of the chairs, sitting on Joyce's front porch. She leans down, cupping her face, sobbing. The cold breeze hitting her ever so lightly whilst chills ran up her spine. She tried keeping her sobs quiet, unaware that Steve had slipped out the door. Jennifer cranes her neck up, seeing her boyfriend as her face was turning the brightest shade of red. The tip of her nose was pink from her tears along with the cold, but she didn't care.

Steve knelt in front of her, holding her hands in his, staring into her eyes sadly but lovingly. Jennifer sniffles.

"Jen, I hate seeing you upset. What's wrong?" He questions with soft eyes.

"I just... I miss Wilhelmina. She should be here with us, not dead in the junkyard somewhere." She choked through her tears. "I just need to know why she did what she did."

"I know, I know." He lets her lay her head on his shoulder as she begins sobbing once more. Steve rests a soothing hand on her back, rubbing circles.

The silence between them was short-lived as the sound of a loud engine roared, inching closer with each passing second. They pull apart, staring at each other. Jennifer furrowed her brows, leaning to the side as headlights shined brightly in front of her and down the Byers' driveway. The vehicle stopped precipitously, turned off the lights as the door swings open. Stepping out was none other than Billy Hargrove. Jennifer sighed, not wanting to deal with the man who basically cheated on her at Tina's Halloween party a few days ago. He stood beside his vehicle as Steve turned to look, almost annoyed.

Billy took a drag of his cigarette then smiled. "Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?"

Steve stood, standing in his spot with his arms crossed as he stared Billy down. “Yeah it’s me don’t cream your pants.”

"And Jennifer, you still crying over me?"

"No," She denies. "I'm done crying over you. You are the least of my worries now."

"You serious? It sure does look like you've been crying." He spoke, taking another drag of his cigarette.

"Yes, I am, Hargrove. I'm taken now. So whatever you think about me, you can take that opinion and shove it right up your ass!"

He chuckled, taking yet another puff as he stepped closer. "Jennifer Henderson -- dating King Steve? Wow, should've known you were a slut. Jumping from male to male."

"Actually, I'm not. You're the slut around here, Billy. Always going from one bitch to another."

Billy looked at her, annoyance prominent in his face. He chuckled.

Jennifer could tell Steve was agitated, but kept his cool as she rolled her eyes, standing her ground as she folded her arms across her chest. In front of her, Billy held this cigarette in between his lips, removing his jacket in a few seconds. Steve stepped off the porch to meet him halfway.

"What are you doing here, amigo?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Amigo.”

“Looking for my stepsister. A little birdie told me she was here.”

“Huh, that’s weird. Jennifer is the only one here.” Steve turned to look at her.

Jennifer waved politely.

“Really? Are you sure? She’s small. Redhead. Bit of a bitch.”

Billy wasn’t buying it and Jennifer knew deep down something was gonna happen. However, she kept a straight face, staring toward the two males.

“Doesn’t ring a bell. Sorry buddy.”

Billy removed the cigarette from his mouth. “You know, I don’t know, this-” he sighed. “This whole situation, Harrington, I don’t know. It’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“My thirteen-year-old sister goes missing all day. And then I find her, with you, at a stranger’s house. And you lie to me about it.”

Steve shook his head. “Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what? I don’t understand what you don’t understand about what I just said. She’s not here.”

“Then who is that?” Billy pointed to the window with his cigarette.

Steve and Jennifer turned to see Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Max rushing away from the window. "Jesus."

Before Steve could get any other words out Billy pushed him to the ground. "I told you to plant your feet." He then kicked him in his gut.

With fear and anger coursing through her veins, Jennifer didn't have much time to whip up a plan as she watched Billy heading her way. He stalked up the driveway to meet her on the porch.

He tried to walk past her, but she stood in front of the door. "Come on, Jen, don't be like your boy toy -- just move."

"No," She crossed her arms, brows knitted. "I'm not moving an inch. You're not touching her, if you do, I'll kill you myself."

"Well, look who stiffened up. What made you so tough?"

"Getting over you,"

"Eh, whatever. You're just another bitch anyway," He declared, pushing her to the side, a little too hard as it takes her by surprise, losing her footing.

The male barges through the door, trying to shut it but Jennifer stops it from closing as she stepped in abruptly as she slammed the door shut behind her. The kids stood in a line, in the space connecting the hallway, kitchen and living room. "Well, well, well. Lucas Sinclair, what a surprise."

“I thought I told you to stay away from him Max.” He stared at her.

“Billy - go away.”

“You disobeyed me. And you know what happens when you disobey me.”

“Billy--"

"I break things." He turned to grab Lucas by the shoulders, pushing him into the kitchen and against the wall.

"Billy, stop it!" Jennifer shouted. "Hey! Hey!"

A sudden sound of loud indistinct yelling at the male by Max, Dustin and Mike. Jennifer was rigid, not knowing what to do next.

"Since Maxine won’t listen to me, maybe you will - you stay away from her. Stay away from her! Do you hear me?”

“I said get off!” Lucas brought us knee up to kick Billy in the groin.

Billy groaned, stumbling backwards. Jennifer stepped in to stand in front of Lucas. "You are so dead Sinclaire. You're dead."

Suddenly Steve appeared out of nowhere, only to grab Billy's shoulder and spun him around.

"No, you are."

Steve swung back and threw his fist into Billy's face. Jennifer guided Lucas around the two fighting to stand back with the other kids. She stepped between them, glaring at the long haired male. "You need to get out, right now. Get out!"

He clenched his jaw and shoved her away, rough enough that as she wasn't able to catch herself, she fell to the floor, smacking her head on the table along the way. She groaned. Jennifer lifted her hand, bringing it to her head, feeling something warm as she pulled her hand to look at her fingers. They were covered in blood before looking at the kids. She didn't care about herself, all she cared about was the kid's safety.

Billy laughs as the kids bring Lucas into their arms. His nose bleeds, getting in the other man’s face. Steve uses two fingers to gently push him away. He ducks as Billy swings then lands his own punch.

Steve hits Billy into the kitchen counter where he grabs a plate and smashes it into Steve’s head, earning a pained groan. Max shouts her brother's name, hoping he’ll stop. It doesn't. Dustin moves away as Billy swings toward Steve again, pushing him towards the living room. Billy headbutts Steve to the floor. He straddles the male, throwing a barrage of punches at him. The kids scream as Jennifer tries to calm them, making them leave the room but they wouldn’t budge while she continued shouting at the two males to knock it off. Billy doesn’t stop as Jennifer notices a syringe, grabbing it off the corner of a sewing table.

She takes the cap off before pushing past Lucas and Mike. As Billy continues to wail on Steve’s bloody face, Jennifer jams the needle into his neck. Billy staggers to his feet, confusedly, facing her, Max and the boys as fear washes over her face. Yanking the syringe out, he glances at it then at his ex. He falls backwards onto the floor, laughing as Max grabs the bat and stands above her step-brother.

“From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?” She says.

“Screw you.”

Max slams the bat on the floor between his legs then raises it again. Jennifer rushes toward Steve, grabbing his battered face before looking up at Max.

“Say you understand. Say it! Say it!”

“I understand.”

Billy’s eyes close as Max drops the bat, she turns and walks away as the boys stare at her. She walks around Billy and fixes his keys from his pocket, holding it up to her friends. A proud smile forms on her face. Jennifer glances at the redhead, tilting her head to the side annoyed and in pain.

“No, no. No. You are not driving. I’ll drive. Give me the keys.” Jennifer sternly says as Max hands her the keys defeated. “Now, find some bandages and gauze, something to put over his wounds.”

The kids scramble to look for something as Jennifer looks down at Steve’s unconscious body, frowning. Her head was pounding and blood dripped from her wound, painting her hairline in crimson. She uses her strength and grabs him under his arms, dragging him towards the sofa, leaning him against it. His head rolls to the side as she holds it in place with her dry, bloodied hand. Max brings out a box of bandaids as Jennifer grabs them, taping each one to his face. They were a bit girly, but she didn’t care. The faster she gets his wounds covered, the faster they can leave.

Once done, she and the kids load Steve’s insensible body into the back of the camaro. The kids pile in as she takes a seat in front of the wheel. On the way and in the back, Steve stirs, face battered and bruised as dried blood sits under his swollen nose. Panicking, he asks what’s going on and freaks out.

“Everybody, shut up!” Jennifer shouts, looking at an erratic Steve in the mirror above.

“Make a left, here!”

Jennifer yanks the wheel hard, crashing into a mailbox before speeding down the road. Parked in the field of rotted pumpkins, everyone piles out of the car as Steve falls out of the Camaro and onto the ground as the kids pull on goggles and put bandanas over their mouths.

Steve was conscious, staring at Jennifer as he started understanding what was happening. She glanced at him, knowing that this was the right thing to so, and she was also a bad influence. Steve leans against the car. Dustin and Steve started to bicker as he begrudgingly takes the backpack. Jennifer chimes in and manages to tell him that this was the right things to do, so they can try and help save Will.

The blood on Jennifer's forehead began to dry as Steve noticed, rushing toward her and trying to examine it while she pushed his hands away.

"I'm okay, Steve."

"No, you're not. You're bleeding."

"Steve..."

Steve made eye contact with her once again. "I remember him pushing you to the side as you fell and hit your head. You are not okay, you're injured."

"Steve, I said I'm okay. Now, are we gonna do this, or not?"

Steve sighed, annoyed beyond words still going against the idea of going in the tunnels.

"Come on, Steve." Dustin encourages.

Jennifer thought long and hard until an idea came to mind. "If we get through tonight, and make it to tomorrow, we can spend time with each other and..." She trailed off, not wanting to say the rest in front of the kids.

It took Steve a couple minutes, considering he got his brain battered prior. But he got the idea.

"Oh, oh! Yes, come on." He said almost immediately.

Now, Steve and Jennifer enter behind the kids, dropping in the hole. White particles float around them as Mike reads a hand drawn map. Jennifer curses under her breath, feeling like she had just stepped in mud but worse.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s this way.”

“You’re pretty sure, or you’re certain?” Dustin asks.

“I’m 100% sure. Follow me and you’ll know.”

“Hey, hey, I don’t think so. Alright? If any of you little shits die down here, we’re getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?” Jennifer spoke in annoyance, standing in front of Mike.

“From here on out, me and Jennifer are leading the way. Come on, let’s go.” Steve shouts.

They enter deeper and deeper through the tunnel, Steve eyeing the drawn map. Max, Lucas, Dustin and Mike are in front of Jennifer as Steve guides them. In her hand, she holds a gas can. The group forges on as Dusin stops. Suddenly, there’s a scream behind the group. Jennifer, Steve, and the kids approach him.

“What happened?” Steve asks, panicked.

“It's in my mouth! Some got in my mouth! Shit!” Dustin yells, wipering.

He pulls the bandana down as he heaves on all fours before looking at everyone else. They point their flashlights as Dustin tells them he’s alright. Everyone groans and continues on while Jennifer's little brother follows behind. Steve flashes his light on the map as he comes to a stop.

“Alright, Wheeler. I think we found your hub.”

Jennifer, Steve and the kids flash their lights at the seven tunnels around them. White orbs float around helplessly, the tunnel dim with a blue tint. Vines stretch from across the ground as the group spread out. Lucas stands, spraying with a weed sprayer on the walls as the other’s pour out gasoline along the vines below. Jennifer tips her can of gas over, walking backward as she wets the rest of the vines.

In the chamber, Jennifer and Steve hold back with the kids behind him as he chucks a lighter into the gas soaked tunnel as it’s set ablaze. The fire spreads as they cover their faces from the heat. They flee from the tunnel, Jennifer is behind the kids until Mike falls behind, a vine wraps around his leg and traps him to the floor. Jennifer stops and rushes back as Steve follows and raises the spiked bat, severing the vine as it retreats from Mike’s leg. They get him up as they quickly exit the cave but get stopped when a Demo-dog approaches. Jennifer freezes as Dustin stands in front of the group, the other’s gawking at him to not approach. He does anyway, crouching down to the creature.

Dart flares his face flaps as Dustin continues talking to it. He sets down a half piece of Three Musketeers before waving everyone forward as they, including Jennifer sneak past the creature. The small group stop in their path. Dustin takes the other half of the candy bar before trudging on, saddened. Dustin and the other’s move on. Running this time, the tunnel quakes as everyone loses their footing, toppling over on one another. Jennifer's arms wrap around Steve with the kids near by. A monster roars, turning and see shadows approaching before rushing toward the hole above, rope hanging. Steve hoists Max through the opening as she pulls herself out of the hole.

Jennifer and Steve then help Lucas out next, Steve lifts Mike as Lucas and Max help him up. He cups his hands together as Jennifer steps on his hands, grabbing the rope and pulls herself up and out. Max, Lucas, and Mike help her out as well, dirt rubbing against her Beatles band t-shirt she got from Wilhelmina's closet. They look down as Steve steps slightly in front of Dustin. A pack of demo-dogs turn their way. He covers his face before the dogs run past the two. Steve holds Dustin in one arm.

Soon, they stand above the hole. Jennifer wraps her arms around her brother. Suddenly the lights brighten as everyone covers their eyes from the beaming light before it dims. They open their eyes. She sighs in relief, glancing at her boyfriend , who stood beside her and the kids with a neutral look on his face.

It was over once again.

——

One Month later.

A week before Barbara Holland's funeral, Jennifer decided to tell Joyce what happened a month ago on the fateful November 4. She approached the Byers' front door, hesitant but knocked lightly. A couple seconds go by before someone opens the door. It's Joyce.

"Hi, Jennifer."

"Hi," She greeted with a soft smile. "I, uh, came by to tell you something. Are you busy at the moment?"

"I'm not, what brings you here?" Joyce says, letting the brunette inside.

"Did Jonathan tell you anything about last month on November 4th?"

She shook her head and her wrinkled brows knitted together in confusion.

"Something happened that night, and since I was there first-hand, I thought it would best that it came from me."

"Okay," Joyce nodded.

"When me, Steve, Wilhelmina and the kids were at the junkyard, attracting the demo-dogs to us, so you all were safe. However, when we were about to head toward you all, Wilhelmina -- I don't know what was going on in her mind -- ran off."

"Ran off?"

"In fear, maybe? Like Will when he vanished last year. Same as in that."

"Okay?"

"Wilhelmina... she, uh, she was scared. And, she ran away from us and a, uh, demo-dog went after her ...killing her in the process."

Those words hit Joyce like a brick as shock became visible on her wrinkled appearance. She turned away as tears began to stream down Joyce's cheek. Jennifer had tears clouding her vision, so she could barely make out the rest of Joyce's feelings.

"Did-- Did you see her? Talk to her?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yeah, I did. I was there when she died. She told me that she loved you and her brothers as well as me, but there was too much damage, so nothing could be done."

Joyce stepped back, taking a mere few seconds to continue processing the situation. It was hard for Jennifer to comprehend what Joyce was feeling since she just lost her child. The older woman fell to her knees sobbing. Her hands buried in her hands, and her body started shaking. Jennifer knelt down, wrapping her arms around Joyce's shoulders, holding her and sobbing together on the floor in front of the front door.

The following day, she attente Barbara's funeral, emotional yet distance from the Wheeler child also known as Nancy Wheeler. It was tough, yes. But did Jennifer really want to attend a funeral of someone who she barely knew? No. Was she going to support fellow acquaintance? Yes.

Wilhelmina's funeral arrived faster than Jennifer could comprehend as she dreaded dearly. Not that she hated her best friend, it was just . She's wears a black lace dress with her hair pinned back and wore short black heels. Jennifer peers down at the closed coffin. Since Wilhelmina's body was nowhere to be found, her parents — Lonnie and Joyce — decided on a closed casket. They stood there, heads lowered as the older female sobbed.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held the booklet in one hand and a red rose in the other (Wilhelmina's favorite flower). Jonathan and Will stood there too with tears streaming down their cheeks. Jennifer's boyfriend, Steve, stood beside her. He held her close with his arm wrapped securely around the shoulders, letting her head lean on his chest. Jennifer wept,

In front of them, the headstone read Wilhelmina Jordan Byers, Born October 24, 1966 — Died November 4, 1984.

That night, Jennifer sits in the passenger seat in Steve’s car, needing a distraction as she leans in. She runs her fingers through his hair as their lips touch. He rests his hand on her waist, trying to bring her closer until he pulls away.

“What? Everything okay?” Jennifer questions.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine. We gotta pick up your brother for the dance.”

“Okay. Then after, can we go somewhere private and continue?”

“Yes,”

Settling in the seat beside him, they buckle up as he starts the car and pulls out of the high school parking lot. He drives toward the Henderson house. Jennifer moves to the back as Steve exits the car, walking towards the door and rings the bell. Soon, Dustin walks out dressed up. They enter the car as he greets Jennifer.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was with Steve, but we came to pick your ass up and take you to the snowball.”

“I could’ve asked you, Jennifer, but you were gone earlier.”

She gives him a look in the mirror as he sticks out his tongue. Later, Steve pulls up to the middle school entrance as a banner reads Snowball '84. Steve looks over at Dustin, who sits in the passenger seat as his hair is styled into a bouffant.

“Alright buddy, here we are.” Steve says. “So, remember, once you get in there…”

“Pretend like I don’t care,”

“You don't care.”

“I don’t care,”

Dustin looks in the mirror as Steve compliments him.

“Good luck, bud.” Jennifer says.

He clasps his hand with Steve’s before exiting, closing the door behind him. Jennifer slides to the passenger seat and buckles up, driving off. On the road, Steve parks in the carport of her house, entering as they greet her mom before entering her room. He sits on the bed as Jennifer closes the door, locking it before she removes her shirt. She walks toward him, crawling on the bed. He stared at her bare chest, almost amused by the sight.

Jennifer straddles his hips, pressing her lips against his. She pulls away and sees the passion in Steve’s eyes as he grabs her waist gently throwing her on the mattress below, bringing her close as he sits up long enough to pull off his shirt, cupping Jennifer's face.

After, they lay together as the sounds of the news play from the other room. She lays her head on his chest, relaxing once his ars was placed securely around her shoulder.

“Laying here with you and enjoying the night of no kids, or monsters trying to take over the world is the best.”

“Honestly, let’s stay here. You can sleep here tonight. My mom won't notice. She'll be asleep in no time, but we do need to pick up my brother around ten.”

“Okay,”

She moves onto her stomach and gazes into Steve’s eyes, closing them as their lips press against each other. He plants another kiss or two before they pull apart, laying there and forgetting about everything else at the moment.

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blkgirlsreadfanfic2 · 9 months ago

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a little sneak peek...

Jasmine Sinclair closed the door to her parents’ home in Hawkins, Indiana. 15-years-old and the oldest child of Charles and Sue Sinclair, Jasmine (or “Jaz”), carried herself with confidence. Her brown curly hair was pulled into a pineapple updo, and her tattered AC/DC shirt fell loosely over her shoulder. It was a Tuesday night, and while her brother Lucas was playing D&D at Mike Wheeler’s house, she was hosting band practice with her best friends, Amelia Rose and Katherine Brown. (excerpt from "who you gon call?" chapter one: the vanishing of will byers)

this is just a sneak peek of a series i'm working on! it's a Steve Harrington x Black!Fem!Sinclair!OC that's a slow burn with a slight enemies to lovers plotline. it would span across the entire stranger things series with each chapter corresponding to an episode of the show.

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berryflavouredkoolaid · 4 months ago

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Meredith Gibson - Stranger Things OC

~ General ~

Full Name: Meredith Adeline Gibson

Nicknames: Mer (By friends)

Born: October 3rd, 1968

Residence: Hawkins, Indiana

~ Physical Appearance~

Hair Colour: Brown

Eye Colour: Brown

Skin Tone: Light

Height: 5’7

Misc: a detailed cross necklace, green stains from cheap jewelry, bitten lips, chipped nail polish

~ Schooling/Career ~

Best Class: English

Worst Class: PE

Job(s):

Hawkins Arcade (1983-1984)

Starcourt Cinemas (1985)

Family Video (1985-)

~ Personality & Traits ~

Personality: Described by most as a prickly, rude individual, Meredith exudes an air of irritation. Defensive, cynical and even mean, Meredith is reluctant to let people in past her walls. Despite her closed off nature, Meredith places great trust and care in those she trusts. Her love is hard won but loyal and nearly unbreakable. Meredith is a loner, and prefers to spend most of her time alone. She rarely shows her emotions, and reacts in anger when people catch a glimpse.

Priorities: Her friends safety as well as her own

Strengths: Tough, strong, quick thinker

Weaknesses: Often pushes people away, holds grudges, can be mean

Fatal Flaw: Her distrust of others

Likes: rolling her own cigarettes, cold pizza, milk chocolate, silver jewelry, horror movies, horror novels (especially Steven King), pop rocks

Dislikes: Blood, liars, peanut butter, cola gummies, dogs, cheesy music and movies, beer, store bought cigarettes

Hobbies: Reading, photography, smoking, watching movies, sleeping

~ Family/Backstory ~

Meredith’s family history is fraught with incident. When Meredith’s mother became pregnant, her heavily religious parents kicked her out. Kathleen and Adam, Meredith’s father, were left to fend for themselves. They had to drop out of school and get jobs to afford a trailer in Forest Hills Trailer Park. Following Meredith’s birth, Kathleen struggled with severe depression. Adam, as the sole breadwinner and caretaker for Meredith, struggled under the strain. Until he killed himself when Meredith was 3. Kathleen quickly fell into drugs and alcohol.

When Meredith was 14, her mother died of an overdose. She was sent to live with her grandparents, but their conflicting views and Meredith’s agnostic and independent nature caused them to butt heads almost daily.

She was kicked out after a particularly explosive argument in October 1983 that ended with her grandmother slapping her and telling her to leave and never come back. With nowhere to go, she called Jonathan, who picked her up and convinced his mother to let her stay with them for a couple months.

~ Relationships ~

Family:

Adam Gibson (Father) (D.1971)

Kathleen Gibson (Mother) (D.1982)

Dorothy Booker (Grandmother) (Estranged)

Martin Booker (Grandfather) (Estranged)

Best Friend(s):

Jonathan Byers (Formerly)

Robin Buckley

Friends:

Will Byers

Nancy Wheeler

Dustin Henderson

Max Mayfield

Lover(s):

Jonathan Byers (Formerly)

Steve Harrington

Enemies:

Billy Hargrove

Carol Perkins

Tommy Hagan

~ Misc and Notes ~

Mer has semi-adopted a stray cat who comes by her apartment, she calls him Mister and feeds him. He comes and goes from her apartment.

Growing up, Meredith was often bullied for her cheap, secondhand clothing.

She used one of her first pay checks to buy herself a camera.

She likes cold pizza more than hot pizza and often has a box she eats out of for a couple days at a time.

She graduated high school a year early but condensing her junior and senior years into one.

When Adam died, her mother bought a gun incase of intruders. When Meredith was 12, Kathleen tried to shoot her while on a bender, thinking she was an intruder. Meredith buried the gun in the backyard when her mom passed out.

She found her record player in a dumpster behind her apartment and fixed it up with steve’s help.

{remade her! i just wasn’t very happen with the look of my old one lol and i’m loving this new format haha}

#oc: meredith gibson #original character #stranger things x oc #stranger things 1 #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things oc #stranger things #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington #jonathan byers x oc

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genuinerio · 1 year ago

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CHAPTER II. The Weirdo On Maple Street.

She’s A Rainbow ↠ 「 STEVE HARRINGTON 」

PAIRINGS: Steve Harrington (eventual love interest), Jonathan Byers x sibling!OC, Joyce Byers x daughter!OC.

WARNINGS: the following mentions of both the usage and talk of drugs.

WORDS: 7, 203.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the gifs used nor original plot lines of Stranger Things however, I do own the storylines of my OC, Nadine. Italics are both Nadine’s thoughts and memories and third chapter for “Oh, Darling,” is in the works, thank you everyone for being patient. Also, I am extremely sorry for such a long wait as I had been very conflicted on a particular storyline of Nadine’s that happens in this chapter but since I could no longer decide on the storyline, I decided to scrap the whole thing and start over. Another thing is when it comes to my writing, I can be quite a perfectionist. Happy Stranger Things Day! Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading!

Monday, November 7th 1983.

WAKING UP TO A THROBBING SENSATION OF AN AWOKEN HEADACHE, Nadine who was stretching out her arms while she remained sitting up in bed, had begun to notice her picture frame; a picture containing of her and her family. It wasn’t Jonathan nor Joyce that she had noticed in particular but of her dear little brother, Will that her face immediately fell into glumness. Getting out of bed, Nadine grabbed a bottle of painkillers and carried on with getting ready for a new day. Looking around her bedroom, she had glanced at her Norman Whiteside poster, who was one of her favorite soccer players that she had received as a gift from her brothers and to whom was quite cute had she added. As she kept glancing away, she noticed her portraits, majority of them having her family as the subject for her artwork, her family being her biggest support whether it was with her art, her soccer team or simply grades. But this particular art piece, irked Nadine because it was one of Will that she had painted of him as he had modeled for her to paint.

While changing out of her previous clothing and into new clothes, Nadine had kept thinking about her brother and where exactly he had gone. She couldn’t help but feel immense guilt based on the fact that if she hadn’t been busy that night, he wouldn’t had been missing.

This is all your fault, Nadine. Will is missing because of you and everything is all of your fault.

Trying to shake the toxic thoughts in her mind, Nadine had begun to carry on going downstairs only to foresee her mother and Jonathan sitting down to eat breakfast, “All right, Mom. Breakfast is ready.”

“What? No, be careful of the poster.” A distraught Joyce had commented to Jonathan. As Nadine carefully walked into the kitchen, understandingly not wanting to be there, she couldn’t help but feel awful for her mother’s current mental state.

“Yeah, okay. All right.” Jonathan had placed the breakfast plates in front of Joyce, “I can’t eat.” Jonathan had attempted to get his mother to eat, “I just need you to eat, Mom.”

“Listen. Listen, the Xerox place opens in, like, 30 minutes.” Her mother mentioned sniffling as Nadine sat down at the table. “Yeah.”

“And I don’t want you to go alone and I don’t think Nadine will be able to go with you since she has soccer practice.” Joyce had mentioned as Nadine forced herself to remain silent but nodded in acceptance, “No, we know. We told you, we got it.” Jonathan had mentioned as he and Nadine were aware of Joyce’s fear.

“So, I’m gonna have Karen take you, ‘cause I should be here.” Joyce had informed Jonathan as Nadine nodded her head, “Actually, I think I can go, instead. I’ll just explain to my coach that I have something else going on.”

“But Nadine, this game is really important for the team.” Joyce had tried to explain but Nadine cut her off trying to reason with her mother, “Yeah, but finding Will is way more important for us, for me.”

“Okay.”

“We need to make, what, 200, 300 copies? How much is a copy?” Joyce had asked both of her children, “Yeah, okay. Okay, Mom. Mom.”

“Ten cents? If we... ten cents-“ Joyce had begun to stammer as Nadine and Jonathan tried to calm her down, “Mom. Mom. Mom!”

“You can’t get like this okay?” Jonathan had advised as him and Nadine had comforted their mother as she begun to stutter, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“No? It’s okay.” Both Jonathan and Nadine had stated, only for a knock on the door to remove them from the comforting of their mother, “We’ve been waiting six hours.”

“I know. I came as soon as I could.” Nadine immediately recognized that voice once she heard it, Hopper. “Six hours.”

“A little bit of trust here, alright?” Hopper had motioned as he shut the door once Nadine had walked carefully into the living room trying to get information but not being assumed to be eavesdropping. “We’ve been searching all night. Went all the to Cartersville.”

“And?” Her mother had asked, looking at least a little grimmer of hope that Will would be found, “Nothing.” The word that had caused Nadine to drop her head down in a complete distressed state.

“God.”

“Flo says you got a phone call?” Hopper had commented, trying to place Joyce’s mind on newfound faith, “Oh yeah.” Joyce had remembered throughout her sniffles as all four of them walked to the wallphone in the living room.

“Storm barbecued this pretty good.” Hopper had discussed as he held onto the burnt phone, “The storm?” Joyce had asked, believing the cause to be completely different. “What else?”

“You’re saying that, that’s not weird?”

“No, it’s weird.” Hopper had freely admitted, “Can we, like, trace who made the call?” Jonathan had asked as Nadine joined in, “Contact the provider? Or something-“

“No, it doesn’t work like that. Now, uh, you’re sure it was Will? Because Flo said you just heard some breathing.” Hopper had suggested but Joyce stood her ground and insisted as her voice began to break, “No. it was him. It was Will. And he was scared. And then something-“ Nadine and Jonathan both immediately began to comfort their mother.

“It was probably just a prank call. It was somebody trying to scare you.”

“Who would do that?” Jonathan had wondered, “Well, this things been on TV. It brings out all the crazies, you know. False leads, prank calls, uh...”

“No, Hopper, it was not a prank. It was him.” Joyce declared, believing she knew exactly what she heard but unfortunately, Hopper didn’t believe so, “Joyce.”

“Come on, how about a little trust here?” Joyce demanded of Hopper, “What, you think I’m...I’m making this up?”

“I’m not saying that you’re making it up. All I’m saying is it’s an emotional time for you.”

“And you think I don’t know my own son’s breathing? Wouldn’t you know your own daughter’s?” Joyce had declared in a fit of protest, something that had irked something in Hopper as Joyce continued to sniffle.

“You hear from, uh, Lonnie yet?” Hopper had asked in a moment of tension as he began to move into another position of the room, “No.”

“It’s been long enough. I’m having him checked out.” Hopper mentioned as he placed his sheriff’s hat on his head and began to walk outside, “Oh, come on! You’re wasting your time.” Joyce reacted as she sighed.

Nadine had swept her mother into a hug as she began to mumble comforting words and the fact that Will will be found soon as Jonathan followed Hopper outside, “Hey, Hopper. Hopper. Let me go.” Jonathan began panting walking up to Hopper’s police truck.

“I’m sorry?”

“To Lonnie’s. Nadine could overhear Jonathan’s plea as she heard his conversation with Hopper, “You know, if Will’s there, it means he ran away. And if he sees the cops, he’ll think he’s in trouble. He’ll.:. He’ll hide. You know, he’s good at hiding.”

“Yeah? Well cops are good at finding. Okay? Stay here with your mom and Nadine. She needs you, she needs both of you.”

As Jonathan had walked back into the house, Nadine had walked towards him, “Jonathan? Are you going to visit Lonnie?” Something that she immediately knew was true and despite the trauma that Loonie had put her through, she loved her dear brother and was willing to suck it up and find him at all costs.

“Yeah, want to come?” A nod of Nadine giving Jonathan a yes of confirmation because despite the two not being as close, Jonathan still believed that he should include Nadine in any searchings for Will because he is both their little brother and they care deeply for him.

As both Jonathan and Joyce had left for school and work, Nadine had opened the cabinet found within the kitchen only to find multiple bottles of medication. One in particular, her ADHD medication, something Nadine had been diagnosed with since she was a young girl considering her hyperactivity, easily distraction and infamously, her exaggerated emotional responses.

Despite advised not to over do it, Nadine when the girl ran out of various of drugs, like heroin or speed, she would turn towards popping multiple tablets of her ADHD medication as an exception of an excuse for a drug induced high.

Eventually, grabbing her backpack, Nadine had left to attend school; something that she had admitted to being awfully early to this particular morning than most of other times. Arriving to Hawkins high school, she was immediately greeted by her closest friends, Steve whom with being the kind friend he is had often walked her to her first period class considering the fact that he wanted to make sure she was alright.

Sitting throughout her first period class, Nadine couldn’t help but feel so overwhelmed with thoughts about Will and the guilt she placed over herself. This is all your fault, if you had stayed home that night, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere. Trying her best to control her mind to think about a different topic, she just couldn’t. The girl couldn’t help the heartbreak within herself as she processed the theories on where she and Jonathan could find, where they could possibly find him.

The ringing of the school bell had echoed throughout her brain had awoken her back to reality. “Nadine, I need to talk to you.” Gulping her breath at Mr. Carter’s words, Nadine slowly walked up to his desk, the girl hoped that it wasn’t anything nerve wracking because she was already going through so much as it was already.

“Nadine, you’re failing my class and I need you to begin to put the effort into your work.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Carter. I’ve just had been going through a lot, with my family and my brother’s disappearance with soccer practice...I-.” Trying to explain her reasoning of failing his class, Nadine was cut off.

“Nadine, now, I understand. Tell you what, I’ll give you an exception but please, catch up. Alright?”

His words had comforted her and she deeply needed this opportunity because she couldn’t let her family down. Her family was already going through so much and she didn’t want to put more stress on them than there already was.

“I have soccer practice after school and then after that, work but I guess, I could tell my coach that I need to take the time to study. I’m sure he’ll understand.” She was indeed correct, Particularly, Nadine’s coach was an understanding man and someone who Nadine had valued as a father figure besides Hopper of course, considering they were more like her father than Loonie ever was.

Attempting to wash her worries away, Nadine had started to play with her fingers as she walked into the school’s hallway. Walking towards her friendship circle but in a slower manner to collect her thoughts, she could overhear Steve mention to Nancy, “My dad has left town on a conference and my mom’s gone with him, ‘cause you know, she doesn’t trust him.”

“Good call.”

“So are you in?” Steve had asked to a confused Nancy, “In for what?”

“No parents? Big house.” Carol informed to Nancy, “A party?” A gullible Nancy questioned which had caused Nadine to want to stop and facepalm right in the middle of the school hallway.

“Ding! ding, ding!” Carol teasingly mocked as Tommy chuckled at the joke.

“It’s Tuesday.”

With Steve trying to convince Nancy to attend his house party despite her unawareness that they don’t care that it’s a weekday to throw a party. “It’s Tuesday! Oh my god.” She could hear Tommy mocking Nancy’s remark.

“Come on. It’ll be low key. It’ll just be us. What do you say? Are you in or are you out?” It was clear that Nancy would need to think about this situation a bit more.

Finding her friends including Nancy and Barb in the hallway, Nadine had quickly been alerted of a house party that Steve would host whenever his parents were out of town which was a lot. “Dean, Steve is throwing a party tonight since his parents aren’t home, you coming?” Carol had mentioned, calling Nadine out by her nickname that her closest loved ones would call her.

“Definitely!” Nadine was known to be quite the socialist, quite opposite to her twin brother who was a very introverted boy. Most people were surprised to find out that they were twins nor even related because their differences overpowered their similarities the two had shared. “But wait. I just realised I can’t!”

“What? Why not?” Both Steve and Carol questioned in unison, “I have ‘work shift’ tonight and I can’t call it off because my family and I really need the money. Even if my boss is a a fucking asshole.” Nadine applying air quotes to the words of the work shift because it wasn’t always a work shift but rather, her own personal hell but she couldn’t pass this up either unfortunately.

“Nadine. Your boss is full of shit, why do that to yourself? I’m sure that it won’t matter if you miss one shift. Besides, your boss is not really giving you a work shift but rather, his only way to take advantage because he likes to take advantage.” Tommy advised, which caused Nadine to roll her eyes. She was no doubt aware of this but she didn’t want to put anymore stress on her family than there already was already.

“Wow! Thanks Tommy, for such comforting words. Besides I know that, if my family finds out though, then I’m so screwed. My family is going through enough as it is.” Nadine’s sarcastic comment failed to give her a grimmer of comfort like it always had this time at least.

“I think I can attend afterwards but can we please talk about something else, please?” With those words, her wish was granted as Carol looked beyond her, “Oh, God. Look.”

A phrase that caused Nadine and her friends to turn around only to see that her friends were now placing all their attention into watching Jonathan as he plastered the “find Will” posters that him and Nadine had spent the previous night creating.

“Oh god. That’s depressing.” Nadine pressed her tongue to her cheek in a fit of anger. Despite her friend’s treatment to Jonathan, Nadine had vowed to never treat her brother in the way her friends do because despite them being at complete odds and regardless, he is still in fact her brother and that’s something that will never change whatsoever.

“Should we say something?” Nancy asks while giving a quick glance at Nadine, “I don’t think he speaks.” Shaking her head at the annoyance, Nadine mentioned to Carol, “Fuck off.”

“How much you want to bet he killed him?” Tommy’s words is what immediately enraged Nadine as she clenched her jaw but tries to remain silent in a calming manner but that does not stop her from speaking in a furious state, “Shut up!” Steve motioned.

“Fuck you Tommy, I will beat the shit out of you if another word comes out of your mouth like that again!” Her words causing Tommy to raise his hands up.

A tensed up and protective Nadine had mentioned, something that her friends may have not gotten an answer to but Nancy was surely aware of that statement considering she was aware of the girl being a Byers child as Tommy raised his hand in a supposed defenceless manner.

Despite her strained relationship with her twin brother, Nadine no doubt still cared deeply for her family and still defended them too particularly Jonathan whom her friends would pick on.

Holding her binders in her arms, Nadine had decided to ditch her friends in order to help her brother in posting find me posters onto every place and every wall they can find only to notice that Nancy was following closely behind her.

Standing close by to Jonathan, she took some posters of Will and assisted him in plastering them as she heard Nancy, “Hey.”

“Oh, hey.”

As Nadine could overhear Nancy trying to make conversation with Jonathan, she couldn’t help but think that despite her dislike of Nancy, this would make Jonathan’s day especially since he’s harbored a crush on her since childhood, “I just…I wanted to say, you know, um…I’m sorry about everything.” As Jonathan and Nancy glanced back at Steve, Carol, Tommy and Barb.

“Everyone’s thinking about you. You too, Nadine.” As much as Nancy tried to make nice with her words, Nadine despised pity and constant sympathy and would rather just ignore it altogether despite people deeming her as heartless and not caring about anyone but herself.

“It sucks.”

“Yeah.” Jonathan sadly said as him and Nancy stared at one another.

“I’m sure he’s fine. He’s a smart kid. She could overhear Nancy reassure Jonathan alongside herself but the conversation between the two was interrupted by the school bell ringing.

“I have to go. Chemistry test.” Nancy had chuckled in explanation.

“Yeah.”

“Good luck.” The girl had hoped for them both.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, Nadine!” Overhearing and recognizing the voice of one of her teammates on the school’s soccer team, Marlee which caused the blonde to turn her head.

“Hey, Marlee! What’s up?” Marlee was a teammate and classmate that Nadine was close with and among the nicest of their team, some were also nice but not as much as Marlee.

“We’re going to meet at the gym, this time at 3:30. Don’t be late because coach Johnson will be scolding.” Her teammate had teased but Nadine had just remembered, “Shit! I can’t! I have something to do today plus work.”

“But, what about our big game? You’re one of our best players and among coaches favorites plus practice means a lot to the team.” Marlee had tried to get Nadine to reconsider to no avail.

“I know, but, what I have to do is more important. I tried to telling him but could you because I couldn’t find him?”

“Yeah, sure.” Marlee nodded as the two shared a hug in reassuring, “Thanks! You’re the best.”

Glancing at Marlee and Nancy walking away, she noticed Steve was waiting for her, “Come on, Nadine!”

“I can’t, I got to go.” She could tell Steve didn’t quite understand what she meant, “Don’t worry. I’ll see you later!”

As she turned back to Jonathan and overhearing over the intercom, “At 8:00 pm. tonight, there will be an assembly on the football field. In support of Will Byers and his family. All are encouraged to attend. Volunteer sign-ups for search parties are still available in the office.”

Hearing that caused Nadine to subtly shake her head, as much as she loved her brother, she hated the once again feeling over people constantly comforting her. Her and Jonathan left the school and went on their way to their estranged father, Lonnie’s household.

Silence within sitting in the car with Jonathan on their destination to Lonnie’s as she fiddled with the radio felt uncomfortable to Nadine, the eldest Byers children didn’t have much in common like they used to nor discussed greatly either, the two were simply on completely different pages and paths now. Despite how badly, Jonathan wanted to deny, he felt Nadine was now, one of those jerks that consisted of Steve and their shared friends.

Looking up and glancing at one another before staring down as the song, “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” began to play on the car’s stereo. The song from The Clash had embarked a shared sweet memory between the two and their little brother. A bittersweet feeling of reminiscing about said memory brought a smile to Nadine’s lips.

She remembered, walking inside her home after a long tiresome shift and on her way to her bedroom, Nadine felt she was over it. Since, her room was after Will’s he noticed her heading towards it but called out as he was listening to a song with Jonathan. “Nadine, over here.”

The lyrics from the song echoing throughout the hallway, “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”

Will had called out as him and Jonathan were listening to “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” And he wanted his sister to join them. “What’s up?”

“Listen to the song with us.” As much as she was exhausted from her shift, she still enjoyed hanging out with her family, especially Will as they were all very close family. In doing this, she joined.

Walking into and sitting in his room, she noticed Will and Jonathan bobbing their heads, a clear sign of them enjoying the song. Jonathan questioned, “You like it?”

“Yeah, it’s cool.” Will had confirmed, “What do you think, Dean?”

“It’s one of my favorites. Definitely.”

Responding back to their brother, “All right, you can keep the mix if you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. All the best stuff’s on there. Joy Division, Bowie, Television, The Smiths. It’ll totally change your life.”

“Totally.”

Nadine had agreed as she pointed out, “Bowie and Joy Division are the best though. You’ll enjoy them in particular among the others too.”

In an uncomfortable position, they could overhear their mother faintly, “Where the hell are you, Lonnie?”

Joyce muttered indistinctly, “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear it.”

Noticing her brother’s sad expression, she sat on his bed and attempted to comfort him, “Don’t be sad.” She had motioned for Jonathan to shut the door, “This is ridiculous! I’m so sick of your excuses.”

The music continued to play but as they stayed inside, Jonathan lowered the volume. “He’s not coming, is he?” Will’s questioning of them both caused Nadine and Jonathan to share a glance, “Um, let’s not talk about that.”

“Do you even like baseball?”

Will had denied, “No, but… I don’t know. It’s fun to go with him sometimes.”

Nadine had asked, “Come on. Has he ever done anything with you that you actually like?” Jonathan had added on, “Yeah, you know, like the arcade or something?”

Will tried to recall, “I don’t know.”

Nadine had insisted, “No, all right? He hasn’t. He’s trying to force you to like normal things.” In stating this, Jonathan had added on advising, “And you shouldn’t like things because people tell you you’re supposed to. Okay?” A nod in agreement had pointed towards Nadine’s similar thought, “Especially not him.”

“And Will, there’s nothing wrong with liking the games at the arcade or playing Dungeons and Dragons.” Nadine had encouraged, “And hey. I’ll play it with you once I get home. I may not be as good as you or Mike, Lucas and Dustin though.” She could tell Will had appreciated her offer and could see him taking up the possible offer at some point.

Turning the conversation, Nadine had asked, “But you like The Clash? For real.”

“For real. Definitely.” Will’s confirmation had made Nadine smile, another thing that they’d all enjoy together as siblings. Raising the volume of the stereo, they all started listening and enjoying the music once again.

Removing themselves from the memory was the time, they finally arrived at Lonnie’s neighborhood. “You see his house anywhere?” Breaking the silence, Jonathan had asked as they glanced out of the car window in search of his home, “Not yet.”

Stopping on the side of the road, they made it to their father’s home. Nadine couldn’t help but feel a tad overwhelmed, she no longer had a somewhat good relationship with Lonnie anymore and was a bit nervous to see him, This is it. She had thought. With the two walking up to his front door, Jonathan had peeked into the front room as they could overhear music playing, echoing through the house. Sharing a gaze, Nadine had knocked.

They could hear footsteps walking towards them and a voice, “Yeah?” Opening the front door, the woman noticed the two, “Can I help you?”

“Uh, yeah. Is Lonnie around?” Nadine replied first, “Yeah, he’s out back. What do you guys want?”

“To look around.” Not caring about approval and just wanting to look for their little brother, the two stormed inside, “Hey, what do you guys think you’re doing? Hey!”

“We’ll be fast.”

“You take this side, I’ll take this one.” Nadine told Jonathan as they searched calling out, “Hey, Will? Will!”

“Will, you here? Will!” Banging on the door and searching every room in the hallway, Nadine was surprised when hearing a grunt. Jonathan was held against the wall with Lonnie near by. “Get off!”

“Damn, you’ve gotten stronger.” In a realization, Lonnie had observed not only that Jonathan wasn’t as easy to push around but also, that his little girl, Nadine was there. With perceiving him coming towards her, Nadine denied, “Don’t touch me.”

Wanting answers between all three, the woman asked, “Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?”

Lonnie had announced in introducing, “Jonathan, Nadine, Cynthia. Cynthia, this is Jonathan and Nadine. My two oldest.”

“Come here.” Her father tried in an attempt with a hug but she nor Jonathan were having it, “Get off us, man.”

Wondering around Lonnie’s new home, she took a look at all these he had in the living, the stereo, the photographs and the alcohol. Besides a huge amount of usuals within drugs, there were many times that Nadine also had drank alcohol especially with her friends, seeing most times as an alternative substitute when she ran out of drugs.

“Jonathan, Nadine, let me show you something.” Lonnie called out, the two were both a bit unsure with following him but did so, nonetheless. He showed them his new car, “Take a look at this beaut. Should’ve seen it when I got it. Took me a year, but it’s almost done.”

Once Lonnie caught a glimpse at Jonathan opening his trunk, he asked, “Really? Want to look up my ass, too?” Rolling her eyes, Nadine understood Jonathan’s reasoning to do so, “There’s no harm in looking, is there?”

“I told you both, the same thing as I told those cops, he’s not here and he never has been.”

“Then why didn’t you call Mom back?”

“I don’t know, I just… I assumed she just forgot where he was. You know, he was lost or something.” Scoffing as his excuse, “Bullshit! Mom would never forget where any of us where.”

Ignoring his daughter’s response, Lonnie told, “That boy never was very good at taking care of himself.”

“This isn’t some joke, alright?” Jonathan pointed out, “Yeah, I mean, there are search parties, reporters.”

“Hopper’s not still chief, is he?”

“Tell your mother, she’s gotta get you both out of that hellhole. Come out here to the city. People are more real here, you know? And then, I could see you both more.”

Neither of them believed any of Lonnie’s words, he didn’t give two shits about either, “What, you think I don’t want to see either of you?”

“We know you don’t.”

“See, that’s your mother talking right there. Does she even know both of you are here?” Their silence confirmed his suspicions, “Oh great. So one kid goes missing, the other two run wild? I believe that about Nadine, but not you, Jonathan. But that’s some real fine parenting right there.”

“You know what, fuck you! Since when do you suddenly care about us and about being a fine parent, anyway?” Nadine suggested as she mockingly chuckled to which Lonnie heard, “Look, all, I’m saying is, maybe I’m not the asshole, all right?”

“Here! In case you forgot what he looks like.” Nadine shoved a have you seen me poster of Will to Lonnie’s chest, “Let’s go, Dean.”

On the car ride back to Hawkins, Nadine numerous thoughts throughout it all. The blonde haired with hazel eyes girl had felt like her past and mistakes overall were coming back to haunt her. She hadn’t mentioned this to anyone but the past few days that Will had been missing, she had been dreaming of him.

“Nadine, Nadine!” The Byers girl felt a shake which snapped her out of her head’s mind. A confused glance on her face proved to Jonathan how engrossed she was in her thoughts, her own little world, “Huh?”

“We’re here.” She fluttered her eyes while raising her head as Jonathan pointed to the building of her workplace. Letting out a groan, remembering that her shift starts in just minutes from now.

Huffing in annoyance when the thought of her boss came up as she stared at the sign that read, Bradley’s Big Buy which was a supermarket in the small town of Hawkins. As much as she appreciated the money that she received from this particular job since it not only would help her mother and the rest of her family but support her addiction and supply her with drugs. However, she hated her coworkers, specifically the male ones since they were so grossly disgusting.

“Let me know if you need a ride home.”

Nodding at Jonathan’s words, she took her bag, turned around and walked inside as Jonathan drove off. The coworkers had acknowledged her presence, “Hey Nadine.” But the girl paid no mind as she wanted to finish her work shift and make it to Steve’s party in time. After working for an hour with stocking items, a coworker to which Nadine remembered his name was Thomas was standing in front of her holding a broom.

“Here.” Handing her the broom as she stopped, “You sweep the floor. This is a women’s job, anyway.” The tone in his voice let alone his sexist words left such a sour taste in Nadine’s mouth that resulted in a clear disgusted reaction, “You can do something else to clear your time. With me, doll.”

“I’ll pass.” Feeling defeated, Nadine accepted her fate. She didn’t even want to work today but she knew it was the best thing, her family needed the money let alone the fact that they were going through such a devastating time and it distracted her from the disappearance of Will.

Eventually with noticing the clock ticking and getting closer to the time of Steve’s party as well as the sun going down, she realized that her shift was coming to a close. Nadine headed to the back room as she prepared to grab her things before realizing that Thomas’s backpack was open as well as the fact that his wallet was there in an open area for anyone to take.

Well, just do it! Payback for what he did.

In his wallet was a two hundred dollars, she knew that it would help get her another supply of drugs. In no more hesitation, Nadine took the money and put it immediately in her bag as she turned around, said her goodbyes for the day and walked outside.

Outside was a pay phone near by to the store and with remembering Jonathan’s words, she called to no unfortunate avail with a huff, Nadine thought of another person to call. Steve.

Dialling the numbers and tapping her foot on the concrete, she hoped that he would answer and after a few rings, he did. Thank god.

“Hello?” An uncertain tone in his voice as he was unsure who was calling, “Hey, Steve.”

“Oh hey, Dean. What’s up?” Steve felt more comfortable in his response considering he knew who he was exactly talking to now. “Nothing much. Um, I was wondering, could you give me a ride?”

“Yeah, sure. Where are you?” The boy agreed with no second thought.

“I’m outside of Bradley’s Big Buy.”

“Alright, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He assured, “Sorry, my brother and I carpooled today and he has the car.” Nadine began, “He’s not answering and I don’t know where he is.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Steve was a very understanding and sweet friend when it came to Nadine as he would help her with whichever problem she had and would consistently come to her defense, everyone would typically tease him with nicknaming her as her knight in shining armour.

The two were always believed to be more than what they actually were and for the first time that year, the people might’ve actually been correct as Steve and Nadine had shared a kiss which ultimately led to questions, assumptions and eventually denial.

In realizing that their accidental romantic interaction was a pure mistake, Nadine had decided to ignore it and pretend it never happened which perhaps hurt Steve more than he led on considering their unexplained feelings for each other. He had chose that the best choice for himself was to move on which he had by engaging in a relationship with goody two shoes, Nancy Wheeler.

To say that Nadine wasn’t as equally disappointed with Steve’s decision would be a lie but the girl was able to hide her feelings more easily and in pretending that she wasn’t badly affected by his choice. She was hesitant of Nancy but still remained a supportive friend.

Nadine decided to make a quick stop to the local store nearby in order to distract herself as she waited for Steve. Strolling along through the lonely aisles, she grabbed herself a pack of cigarettes and a beer while also making a short conversation. Because, she was known to be a frequent customer and the guy who owned the store liked her, he had no issues with her purchasing substances despite the high chance risk it could cause.

By the time that she was done, Nadine had noticed Steve’s car in the street. Immediately thanking him for giving her a ride as they headed towards his to hangout along with their mutual friends, “Thanks, Steve. I owe you. I just.”

Nadine had tried to explain her train of thoughts but it felt too hard to explain, “My brother said he’d give me a ride once I called but nobody’s answering back home.”

“Don’t worry about it. Hey, how come I’ve never met your brother before?”

Trust me, Steve. You’ve met him, alright!

Her eyes had widen, the girl felt so trapped. What was she going to say? Yeah, it’s Jonathan, the guy you and Tommy constantly tease.

“Oh, um.” Nadine hoped that she could find a way out of this conversation and to come up with an excuse but eventually deciding upon a half truth. “We’re not that very close.” To be fair, it wasn’t a lie considering her and Jonathan were no longer that close like everyone refuses to accept especially their mother.

Before Steve could answer any more questions, Nadine was thankful to point out that they finally arrived at Steve’s home in which Nadine ran outside to greet her other friends. In the backyard, she could overhear rock music playing.

Grabbing a beer, she headed outside to Steve’s backyard to catch up with her friends despite it only being a few hours since school, “Hey, Nadine!”

In trying to rid herself of the guilt and shame that she felt towards herself because Nadine couldn’t help in blaming Will’s disappearance upon herself. She truly felt like if she had been there that night, nothing would have happened.

The sound of Carol shrieking as Tommy carried her above the pool, teasing her as if he was going to drop her in while he counted, “One! Two!” Had removed her from her thoughts, “Dean! I need some help here! Should I drop her in?”

Tommy had asked Nadine before he continued on to which she playfully smirked, jokingly saying, “Why not?”

“Nadine!”

“Three!” With a chuckle, Tommy carried on as Carol warned, “Stop it, Tommy, no! Don’t!”

Tommy laughed, “You’re such an asshole, Tommy.” Carol had mentioned as she pushed him. “And you.” Carol pointed towards Nadine, “You shouldn’t have told him!”

Nadine had raised her hands in an apologetic manner despite her and Tommy sharing a laugh in unison over the manner.

Seeing Steve opening a can of beer, she alluded to him, “I’m going to need more than one, Steve. I had the worst shift.”

“Yeah, coming up.” Steve went back inside, bringing more cans of beer out.

“Your boss giving you problems?” Carol had asked, initiating an all too familiar topic, “When is he not?”

“Why don’t you just quit?”

“I can’t.” Nadine struggled to find the words, “Even if I wanted to, it’s just not a good time. My family is going through a lot right now.” A statement to which only Nancy was well aware in what she meant.

Thankfully, Steve had brought Nadine her beer by this point. She watched him as he quickly drank his beer to the neck in which she noticed seemed to make Barb uncomfortable. Nancy, however was impressed.

“Harrington, let’s make a challenge.” Something that surely got Carol and Tommy all riled up, “Uh, I don’t know.”

Steve was uncertain, Nadine teased him, “Why? Pussy?” The girl’s words an attempt to get him interested as Steve shrugged, not caring about her words. Nadine was someone who could at times be very competitive when she wanted to be and this was her moment.

Nancy nor Barb didn’t notice the flirtatious behavior between the two but Tommy and Carol, whom were both good friends with the pair definitely did.

“Fine.” Guilted into the peer pressure of his friends, Tommy and Carol tracked them once the two each got a can of beer. “And I win!”

Steve exhaled as he came into second place, Nadine laughed as she sat down on the chair next to Steve’s, “Is that supposed to impress me?” Nancy had asked Steve as he sat down with his cigarette in his lips, “You’re not?”

“You are a cliché, you do realize that?” Nancy had remarked in a response. “You are a cliché.” Noting as Steve continued while lighting his cigarette, “What with your grades, and your band practice.”

With a laugh, “I’m so not in band.”

“Okay, party girl. Why don’t you just, uh, show us how it’s done, then?” Once Steve placed his lighter down, Nadine grabbed it to light her own cigarette as she mumbled, this is exactly what I needed to herself.

Steve handed the knife to Nancy as she agreed to prove upon him, “Okay.” Standing up, he had preceded to give her directions, “You gotta make a little hole right in.” Not giving him a chance to finish his sentence, Nancy cut him off, “I got it.”

“Yeah, she’s smart, you douche!” Tommy, who was cuddling Carol had said in defending Nancy as she cut a hole, Nadine was surprised that Nancy was at this party, let alone chugging a beer despite her relationship with Steve as she was always someone who was a “good girl.”

“Chug, chug, chug.” They all chanted, the friends all laughing and whooping in unison as Nancy threw the beer she just finished. Nancy just barely noticing her deserted friend had asked her, “Barb, you wanna try?”

“What? No.” The wary redhead denied, instantly. Nadine understood since she always saw Barb as very introverted, “No, I don’t want to. Thanks.”

“Come on.” Trying her best to convince her friend, Steve joined in, “Yeah. Come on. Yeah.”

“Nance, I don’t want to.”

“It’s fun! Just give it a.” Barbara cut her off, “Nance.” But despite how many times she’d deny, Nancy still tried, “Just… Just give it a shot.” Giving her a beer can, “Okay.”

Barb stood up, holding the knife and preparing to cut a hole, “So, you just…” Tommy had chuckled, “Gnarly.” In which Nadine mumbled, “Shut up.”

“Are you okay?” Nancy questioned as Barb had accidentally cut herself with the knife, “Do you need us to bandage that up?”

“Yeah.” Barb excused the cut, in what Nadine believed was a way to make it seem as not bad of an issue, “Barb, you’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine. Where’s your bathroom?”

“Oh, it’s… it’s uh, down past the kitchen, to the left.”

Steve showing Barbara inside on where to go, “Okay, thanks.”

Nadine brought her cigarette to her lips as her friends chuckled, as if this wasn’t a big deal, “Oh.”

The smoke from her cigarette exhaling throughout her mouth, she recalled, “This is the good life.” The girl was at a high chance of being intoxicated but she didn’t want anyone knowing that.

Carol and Tommy chuckled at her words before Tommy randomly pushed Carol who was standing by the pool nearby in as she screamed.

“Oh my god! What the hell, Tommy?”

Nancy and Nadine both couldn’t help themselves in laughing as Carol continued to yell, “No!” Once Tommy jumped in.

Nancy shrieked as Steve pushed her in, “Whoo!”

“Dean, you’re next!” Nadine pleaded with Steve as she tried to convince him otherwise as he tried to trick her into thinking he wouldn’t but yet he did push her in, “Steve!”

Jumping in himself, Tommy laughed. Nadine laughed as Steve came near, pretending to give him a piggyback ride while in the pool.

Eventually, after some time in the pool, they all decided to leave the pool and head inside as Steve handed Nadine a towel as she shudders, “I’m freezing.” Carol noted, “Me too.”

“Hmm… well, I hear his mom’s room has a fireplace.” Tommy remembered as he walked upstairs, “Are you kidding?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Okay, well, you know, you are cleaning the sheets.” Steve had advised the two. “You both all right?”

“Yeah.” Her and Nancy said in unison. “Steve, you mind if I take a shower?”

Steve shook his head no to inform Nadine that he had no issues, “Come on, let’s get you some dry clothes. You can borrow some too, Dean.”

Mumbling a thanks, Nadine headed upstairs but despite no longer being around them, she could still overhear the conversation between Nancy and Barb. “Nance.”

“Barb. I’m fine.”

The words that struck her is when Barb told Nancy, “This isn’t you.” Those words were burned into her mind, she could remember the time when Jonathan said those words to her. He always believed that Steve was the time she became someone new, someone he didn’t recognize especially considering they were so close as children.

She let the water run over herself, Nadine had various things running through her mind, Will being the main one. The girl hoped this party would distract her from her troubles but she isn’t so sure and as of now as she stares in the mirror, she’s unsure if she recognizes the person that she is.

Changing into Steve’s hoodie and sweatpants, Nadine decides to leave earlier than usually. Not wanting to cause a scene or interrupt, Nadine heads out back to which she comes across Barb. A mysterious noise that sounded like the mixture of a growl and shriek echoes throughout the backyard to which Nadine wonders, “Where’s Barb?”

Maybe, she just went home.

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puddygeeks · 2 years ago

Text

Wᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ Dᴇᴀᴅ Oʀ Aʟɪᴠᴇ - Sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ Tʜɪɴɢs, Eᴅᴅɪᴇ Mᴜɴsᴏɴ/OC - Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 5: Iᴍᴘᴜʟsᴇs

Masterlist

Episode: Pre season 4

Rating: Mature

Summary: Since she was five years old, Marcie Bell and Eddie Munson have been inseparable. There was never one without the other. That is, a near death experience with the Mind Flayer changed everything. Now, Marcie must navigate her newly realised feelings for Eddie, whilst facing down the Upside Down all over again. Whoever said love was easy?!

Fix it fic. There will be absolutely no Eddie Munson death here!

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC

Status: Ongoing

My writing is entirely fueled by coffee! If you enjoy my work, feel free to donate toward my caffeine dependency: will work for coffee

Warnings: 𝑀𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐷𝑟𝑢𝑔/𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑜ℎ𝑜𝑙 𝑢𝑠𝑒, 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑡/𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡, ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡, 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛, 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑎, ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑎, 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑈𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝐷𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑦.

Taglist: @toobsessedsstuff

A/N: I am so sorry for the massive delay in getting this published. It was a real struggle to make this chapter work and took many edits, but we got there in the end! As for my posting schedule, I actually just had my first baby a couple of weeks ago so life is complete chaos right now. I still absolutely plan to write when I can but I have no idea when that will be. Thanks for sticking with me anyway. Every kudos and comment means the world to me <3

♫ ♠ ♫

Chapter 5

Robin and Steve looked equally uneasy as they followed Marcie into the dive bar. Their feet stuck to the floors as they walked, residue of spilt drinks or other substances that didn’t bear thinking about now decorating the soles of their shoes. Though there was a gig planned, it was surprisingly quiet with only around 10 drunks hanging around by the bar. However, they could only shake their heads in bemusement at the way Marcie strolled in and waved at several of the audience as if she was in her element.

Marcie approached the bar with confidence, chuckling at how lost her friends looked behind her. Despite being underage, she knew all of the tricks to a good night out at this venue and simply ordered three colas, planning to top hers up from the flask that was hidden in the back of her jeans. She gestured for the other two to come take their glasses when she caught the eye of a familiar older customer who sat on a stool nearby.

“I was starting to wonder where you were.” Terry called as he wandered over to her side with a teasing smile. “Your boy’s playing tonight. He was looking nervous without you.”

“He’s not my boy, Terence.” Marcie scolded lightly, her words making as little impact on the clearly drunk man as usual.

“Sure he’s not and I’m stone cold sober.” He laughed, before turning to nod toward the others. “You bought friends? Almost enough to count as an actual audience here now. Let me know if any of you want a beer. My treat.”

“Thanks for the offer, but you know I always have my own supply. Besides, I think I’m the only alcoholic in my crew.” Marcie winked, breaking away from the well meaning bad influence to rejoin her friends who seemed utterly horrified by the interaction.

“You hang out with a lot of creepy old men who like to get teens drunk?” Steve questioned whilst she pulled out her flask to mix a drink.

“Yes, actually. This is the Corroded Coffin fan club. Welcome.” She teased, breaking into a laugh at the way that Steve’s brows shot up. “You should really learn not to judge a book by its cover, Harrington. Terry used to babysit my mom. He’s one of the good ones. He’s still pretty well known for keeping an eye on the youngsters here. I got spiked a couple years ago and he took care of me until he could hand me over to Eddie.”

“By buying underage kids alcohol?” He questioned, noticing that even Robin was slipping her the side eye for this.

“As if you never drank underage.” She scoffed, before rolling her eyes at his judgement. “Terry’s policy is simply that it’s better to allow people to break the rules in a safe way, by getting weak, unspiked drinks from someone who will ensure they don’t get wasted, than to leave them to get taken advantage of by trying to find their own way.”

Clearly not entirely convinced by this story, Steve simply shook his head and glanced at Robin, who made a concerted effort to disguise how uncomfortable she was. Marcie shrugged it off as she led them closer to the stage ready for the show. After years of hanging out with Robin, she’d got used to having to remind herself that not everyone grew up in the same white trash environment that she and Eddie did. Things that seemed mundane to them were shocking to others and she had learned that most times it was easier to agree to disagree.

“I do appreciate you guys coming with me tonight. I know this isn’t really your scene.” She remarked, flashing them both a smile that seemed to at least partially calm them. “This place gets a bad rep, but it’s really fine. Most of the sketchy people won’t arrive until much later. And if at any point it gets too weird for you, we’ll leave. Okay?”

“I’d still rather if either of you wanted a beer you asked me.” Steve pointed out, earning a sceptical look from both girls. “You’re right. I’ve been drinking for years, but not through creepy old guys. I have a fake ID.”

“Okay, Mom.” Robin groaned, easily earning a snigger from Marcie.

The unexpected comment eased the tension in the group, and in little time at all Robin and Steve had already engaged in one of their usual spats. Marcie was content to sip on her drink, only half listening to their conversation as she watched the empty stage.

There was a far stronger feeling of apprehension in her stomach tonight as she waited for the band to appear. As well as she had done until now, she was painfully aware that there was no time more challenging for keeping her attraction under control than when watching Eddie perform. No matter how badly she wanted to be here for him, there was something about him playing guitar that drove her absolutely wild every time.

A couple of drunken cheers echoed around the draughty space, announcing the arrival of the band and as her friends finally stopped bickering to position themselves on either side of her, Marcie steeled herself.

From the moment that Eddie stepped foot on the stage, he began scanning the area with a nervous expression. It only faded to a relieved smile when his gaze landed on her face. In an instant, she knew that she had made the correct decision by pushing herself to attend and couldn’t even bring herself to imagine how crushed he would’ve been if she’d missed it.

With his confidence restored, Eddie moved to the front of the stage to get the crowd hyped up. It wasn’t long before the usual band of drunks were cheering together to the songs and even Robin and Steve found a way to enjoy themselves, as he returned from the bar with beers for the two of them whilst he nursed another cola.

Marcie finished her drink rather quickly as a result of repeatedly catching Eddie’s eyes and being unable to withstand feeling as if he was singing directly to her. There was no denying that she would find the man attractive if he was wearing a garbage bag, but whilst dressed in his ripped jeans and shirt, his hair thrashing in the dim backlighting of the stage, she could have fallen in love with him all over again.

Eddie strutted the stage with a confidence befitting any rockstar, his husky voice blasting from the speakers and sending shivers down Marcie’s back. Just as she felt as if she could hardly keep her thoughts clean, he descended into an epic guitar solo that drew her attention to his hands. Watching the way that he worked the strings, the spotlights reflecting off his signature rings, she found herself biting her lip.

By half way through the set, she gave up on mixing drinks and instead took sips directly from the flask in an effort to suffocate the rising desire in her chest. Between songs, Robin bumped into her side and flashed her a concerned expression.

“I don’t want to kill your buzz, but you might want to slow down on the drinks, Marce.” She fretted, glancing to Steve for backup. “I know you can hold your liquor, but I’m starting to fear for your liver.”

“My liver has been well trained. Believe me, it can handle it.” Marcie insisted. “Besides, it’s all part of my tactic. I’m having a drink every time that I think of non-friendship thoughts. It’s helping me to bury them.”

“Actually, I think it might be bringing them out.” Steve argued and she turned to face him with confusion. “You’re totally giving him bedroom eyes.” He added, his accusation supported by Robin snorting with laughter.

“I am not!” Marcie gasped, whipping her head between the pair of them in horror.

“You kinda are.” Robin choked out between breaths. “You look like you want to climb up there and devour him. Why do you think he keeps looking at you?” She cackled as she necked the last of her drink and put the empty glass aside as if she didn’t ever want to touch alcohol again.

“It’s okay, Robin. We’re clearly imagining it.” Steve interrupted with an equally amused smile. “Just like the little bit of drool you’ve got right there.” He continued, pointing to the corner of Marcie’s lips.

“Where? Right here?” She crooned mockingly, before reaching out to punch him in the arm. “You two suck.”

♫ ♠ ♫

Eddie struggled to concentrate during the cleanup of their set. Though he’d been delighted to find that Marcie had attended tonight, he couldn’t deny the fact that her bringing Harrington along had gotten under his skin. Sure, it added to their usually sparse audience, but he couldn’t stand the thought that she might use one of their gigs as an opportunity for a date.

Then again, if that was the case then Harrington had absolutely failed to get her attention throughout the night. He held a smug satisfaction for the way that Marcie’s gaze had been glued to him during the entire set. Now that he thought about it, perhaps that had been the cause of his distraction. He felt somewhat strange for thinking it, but he could’ve sworn there was something different in her eyes tonight, something strangely resembling desire.

Eddie shook his head to dislodge the thought before it could settle, rushing to finish the job so that he could assess the dynamic between the pair for himself. It took longer than usual to pack up without his head in the game, but eventually they finished loading the van and he was able to re-enter the bar. He pushed through the crowd that had begun to gather for the next act looking for any sign of the trio, but was only able to find Marcie and Robin near the door.

Robin was standing protectively by Marcie, who was half sat, half leaned against a bar stool clutching her ankle. They both seemed in high spirits still, talking loudly and laughing together, but something seemed off about his friend that caused him to rush over to join them.

“Hey, Marce. Are you alright?” He blurted the moment that he reached them and Robin startled as if she hadn’t noticed him coming.

“Eddie!” Marcie breezed, turning to him with a familiar sense of delight that indicated she had been drinking rather heavily. “I’m totally fine. I might’ve just missed the step coming out of the restrooms and given my ankle a little roll. Fortunately, the whiskey has numbed all pain.”

“Unfortunately, she’s walking like a wounded animal.” Robin cut in, throwing her a long suffering look that hinted she had been the one to force her into a seat. “She’s sprained it, but apparently doesn’t think that should stop her from dancing. We’re gonna take her home before she really hurts herself.”

Eddie chuckled at her enthusiasm, especially when she stuck out her tongue at Robin. It was exactly the kind of behaviour he would expect from drunk Marcie. She was the kind of person who wouldn’t let anything ruin a great night, but judging from the heaviness of her blinks and the slight sway in her position, they were correct in deciding that the time had come to remove her.

“Getting high of your own supply again, Hells Bells?” He teased, a fond smile filling his lips.

“You know it.” She answered with a devious expression, opening her jacket to reveal the trusty flask he’d bought for her last Christmas. “You guys were great tonight. You really tapped into your rockstar performance. The way you handled that guitar-”

“-Had girls swooning. Other girls!” Robin interjected.

Eddie raised his brows in surprise at her flirtatious attitude, wondering exactly what she would’ve said if not interrupted. Robin made a conscious effort to catch her friend's attention, her eyes wide in warning as if silently instructing her to keep quiet. Marcie giggled to herself, amused by her antics.

Eddie opened his mouth to question how they were getting home, when the answer rushed through the door. Harrington seemed flustered as he jogged to Robin’s side, barely even noticing Eddie’s presence as he turned his concern to Marcie.

“I’ve moved the car out front, but security is only giving me a couple of minutes so we need to be quick.” He explained, looking sceptical of her speed when she stood and immediately winced. “Okay. You know what? Hold on.”

Without warning, he crouched to lift Marcie and threw her gracelessly over his shoulder.

“Steve!” She squealed in shock, before releasing a slurred laugh as she dangled over his back. Eddie felt his temper rising at how casually he handled her and when Robin moved to wave goodbye, he couldn’t prevent the words from escaping.

“Woah! Hold on a second.” He spat, grabbing Harrington’s arm to hold him in place. “What’s your plan here? You can’t take her home like that. Her mom will freak.”

Whilst Harrington focused on analysing him, Robin appeared as if she had only just considered this problem. Eddie held his rival’s gaze, struggling to contain the need to rip Marcie out of his grip as he willed himself to use his words instead. His hands clenched at his sides as he forced his attention away from the places that Harrington was gripping her.

“He’s right. Her mom is cool with most things, but she’ll be pissed that she got drunk enough to injure herself. She at least needs some time to sober up.” Robin conceded, drawing the attention of Harrington who observed her with confusion. “I could take her back to mine?”

“Yeah? Your parent’s cool with your friends getting too wasted to walk?” Eddie questioned, waiting a few moments for Robin to shake her head in a defeated manner.

“I’m fine!” Marcie slurred, attempting to fidget out of the tight hold. “And perfectly capable of my own choices, thank you. Put me down, Steve!”

“She can crash at mine.” Harrington suggested, ignoring the squirming of the girl on his shoulder despite Robin’s obvious disapproval. “I’ve got a spare room and my parents are away. I’ll drive her home in the morning. No harm, no foul.”

“Absolutely not!” Eddie growled, his voice filled with an intensity that caused both of the people before him to flinch. “Look, I’m the one who lives closest. I’ll drive her back to mine, she can put her foot on ice, hang until she’s sobered up and walk back when she’s ready.”

Marcie’s friends turned to face him with scepticism, as if they were aware of something that he was not. They didn’t answer this suggestion for a few moments, instead peering at each other in silent conversation, until Marcie gagged from being held on her stomach and Robin grew tired of watching Harrington hold her captive.

“Steve, put her down before she pukes all over you.” She warned, reaching out to assist him in lowering her to the ground delicately so that she wouldn’t fall. “I can tell my parents I’m staying at Marcie’s and come back with you. You’ve still got a few movies from the store to catch up on. We can make it into a sleepover. What do you think, Marce?”

There was something about the way that Robin pushed this idea on her friend, gripping her shoulders to focus her attention, that didn’t sit right with Eddie. Behind her, Harrington gave her a meaningful look too, as if they were both encouraging her toward the decision. Though he was sure that their intentions were good, he couldn’t deny the feeling that she wasn’t being given a choice and couldn’t understand why they would blatantly ignore his offer.

“Guys, as much as I love your company between work and school, I think I’ve seen quite enough of you lately.” Marcie answered, her words bleeding into each other from the effects of the whiskey. “I want to go with Eddie. He’ll take care of me.”

For a few moments, Eddie faltered as she turned her half lidded gaze to him with a dozy smile. His heart skipped a beat, hardly able to believe that she had so clearly chosen him and he couldn’t help returning her smile.

“If that’s what you want, then I’d be happy to have you.” He offered, relishing the way that her eyes lit up at his words. “She can take my bed if needed. It’s only a short walk home and Wayne’s working tonight so no one even has to know that she was there.”

“Oh, I’m sure her mom would love that.” Robin grumbled, her arms crossed over her chest as she seemed to struggle to decide whether she was more annoyed by his behaviour, or Marcie’s.

“Actually, she’s pretty cool about her staying out, as long as she’s kept updated. Just pass a message that she’s staying at yours. Her mom won’t even care.” He countered, noticing that Robin didn’t seem convinced. “She slept at mine when she got spiked, too. I know how to cover for her. It’ll just sound better coming from you.”

Harrington nudged her side, quirking his brow in silent question and Robin sighed in defeat as she noticed that her friend was still smiling at Eddie in delight.

“It’s her decision. She trusts him, she said she wants to go with him, so we should respect that.” Harrington muttered, barely loud enough for Eddie to hear as he leaned closer to check on Marcie.

“I parked at the back to load up the equipment. You gonna be okay to walk that far?” He asked in a hushed tone, and she rolled her eyes.

“I only sprained my ankle, Eddie.” She chuckled, shaking her head at his concern. “It might take me a bit longer than usual, but the fresh air will do me some good anyway.”

“If you say so. I just didn’t want anyone accusing me of not treating a lady in the way that I should.” He teased, winking at her and noticing that a rosy blush spread across her cheeks.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with a lady, even if you found one.” She retorted, issuing a challenge without even realising it.

“Fine. She’s all yours.” Robin announced, turning back from whispering with her conspirator and Eddie couldn’t prevent a smug smile from spreading across his face.

“Alright, my lady. Your chariot awaits!” He announced, dipping down to meet her before she could protest.

When he lifted her from the ground he made a point of demonstrating that his treatment of her was far more careful than Harrington’s had been. He balanced her in a bridal style carry, pausing for a moment to reestablish his balance from the additional weight before navigating only slightly clumsily out of the door.

“You’re a nutcase, Munson!” Marcie giggled in his embrace.

Her arms came to rest around his shoulders and her head nuzzled into his neck, as if she were hiding from the cold of the nighttime air. It was strangely nostalgic to have her this close to him, but he knew that he couldn’t show too much joy for this situation as he felt her two friends following closely behind.

When he reached the van, he lowered her into the passenger seat, taking extra care to ensure that he didn’t bump her injured foot and turned to find Robin lurking behind him as if she was waiting to check on her. In a bid to keep the peace, he stepped aside to allow them to catch up whilst Harrington seized the opportunity to grill him on everything he’d had to drink tonight to prove that he was safe to drive.

Stepping closer to the van, Robin leaned against the door to examine her clearly incapacitated friend. Although she knew that she had promised not to hold her responsible for the events of the evening, she couldn’t help feeling as if she had somehow let her down by allowing her to end up in Eddie’s care and for her own peace of mind, she needed to confirm one final time that this was the correct decision.

“Are you sure you’re good with this, Marcie?” She asked quietly, her brows knitting together in concern. “I thought you didn’t want to be alone with Eddie?” She questioned, noticing that in her current state Marcie seemed thoroughly confused at this suggestion.

“Eddie will look after me! Eddie always looks after me.” She stated in a tone of minor offence, but seeming to notice the worry in her friend’s face, she flashed her an understanding smile. “I’ll be fine, Robs. I promise. I’m just having a moment of weakness. This isn’t your fault. I’m not mad at you and I won’t be tomorrow. You can go home.”

Though reassured by her surprisingly clear consent, Robin hesitated for a few moments longer until she noticed Eddie making his way around to the driver's side. She quickly checked her friend's seatbelt, then faced her with a forced smile.

“Alright, Marce. You deserve a night off from your heartbreak.” She breathed, despite a tightening in her chest. “But if he does anything to upset you, I’m going to take a page from your book and come after him with a baseball bat. Capiche?”

“Capiche.” Marcie laughed. “Night, Robs.”

♫ ♠ ♫

Eddie had his hands literally full with attempting to coordinate unlocking the door to his trailer, whilst also keeping Marcie upright. With only one hand available to grip her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and clung to her hip as she sagged against him, mentally willing the door to give him a break.

Unfortunately for him, the fresh air had only caused the alcohol in her system to take further effect and she seemed significantly more drunk than she had at the bar. Now he had her complete lack of inhibitions to contend with alongside her injury.

Without warning, the door swung open and they practically fell inside, Eddie barely managing to catch Marcie before she face-planted the floor. He paused to prop her against a wall, instructing her not to move before turning back to lock up for the night.

He was so distracted with the task that he failed to even notice her moving around behind him. In fact, he was practically completely lost in his own thoughts on his next move as he seemed to only just have considered how strange this situation was after she had been avoiding him for weeks.

It occurred to him now that he might have scored the perfect opportunity to ply the truth from her, but a small, niggling part of him wondered if the truth was really something that he wanted to hear. Not fully present in the moment, Eddie turned slowly toward the living room and slid off his denim jacket, followed by his leather jacket, throwing them both onto the couch where he realised he would likely be sleeping tonight.

It was only when he spun back to where Marcie had been standing that it dawned on him something was wrong, something he never would have imagined in a million years would happen to him. He froze to the spot, his eyes widening to an extent that he was sure they hadn’t ever before.

In the time that she’d been unsupervised, Marcie had dropped her jeans to the ground and stepped out of them. Her t-shirt was already making its way over her head, thankfully giving way to a tight silk camisole that protected at least some of her modesty. However, the length of this garment failed to cover the very small pair of black lace panties that were currently on display to him, cutting over her perfect ass in a way that made his mouth fall open.

Eddie wanted to speak, to say anything to interrupt her, but the words seemed to fail him. He stuttered the syllables, desperate to prove to himself that he wasn’t a creep, but no sound emerged. Instead, he found himself staring as she threaded her hands under the delicate straps of her cami to fish out a bra that matched the panties, throwing it onto a dining chair in a mind blowing method that somehow kept her breasts covered the entire time.

Unable to allow this to continue any further, Eddie suddenly sprung into action as he leapt forward to grab her arms before she could remove anything else.

“Woah, woah!” He cried as he hurried into her space and she startled as if she had only just realised that he was present. “Christ, stop! What are you doing?”

“Eddie!” She gasped in surprise. “Don’t be a perv! Get out of my room.” She slurred her words, but the annoyance in her face cracked some of the tension between them.

“You’re in my trailer, Marce.” He chuckled, before his gaze was drawn downward by her attempting to cross her arms over herself despite her complete lack of coordination.

Through the thin fabric of the cami, Eddie caught sight of something he knew he absolutely should not have seen. The smallest sparkle of silver was visible on either side of her chest, its placement easily translating to Eddie who had spent more than his fair share of time staring at alternative models in magazines.

Eddie’s mouth rapidly became dry and he struggled to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat. He willed himself not to stare, already noticing that his pants seemed tighter and he shifted his grip on Marcie to hold her slightly further from him. He strained to think about anything other than the undeniable nipple piercings she had that were wreaking havoc on his mind, tearing his gaze from her altogether before he could say or do anything that he would later regret.

“Fuck me.” He cursed under his breath as he released her to search the room for anything that could remove the distraction.

At the bottom of a pile of old clothes, he managed to find a practically vintage trucker t-shirt of Wayne’s that was several sizes too big. Throwing it roughly over Marcie’s head, he was relieved to find that it covered both the piercings and her panties, the length coming down to her knees on her thin frame.

“Better.” He choked out in a voice that was obviously strained, but Marcie seemed entirely too inebriated to notice. “Come on. You need some sleep.”

“M’not tired.” She grumbled, rubbing at her eyes and spreading an exceptional amount of black eye shadow all over the back of her hand.

Despite already being stained with more substances than Eddie cared to name, he worried how his sheets would fare against this amount of dark makeup. Unsure what he would be able to supply to assist in properly removing it, he decided that it was better for her to discover tomorrow morning that he’d at least tried to meet her needs.

With a heavy sigh, he wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her toward the bathroom. Squeezing into the tight space, he leaned her against the counter and busied himself with searching for a clean washcloth. After soaking it under the tap, he returned his attention to her face as he attempted to push aside her unruly locks.

“You have so much hair.” He remarked, pushing as much as he could behind her ears to prevent drenching her.

“Rich coming from you.” She scoffed and he could only smile at this entirely fair retaliation.

“Alright. Sit still. I need to get some of this war paint off.”

Marcie attempted to argue with him, but was quickly silenced when he pushed the cloth to her face. Regardless of his best efforts to be delicate, he couldn’t help some degree of clumsiness in his movements. The more that he wiped at her skin, the more the makeup seemed to simply push around and when he rinsed the cloth under the water, he chuckled under his breath at the state of her.

Instead of revealing clean skin as he’d hoped, she now resembled a child who had been wearing face paint in the hot summer sun. Concentrating his energy on the black eyeshadow and dark lipstick that would undoubtedly get everywhere, he managed to remove a reasonable amount, but eventually had to accept that soap and water couldn’t hold up against the staining under her eyes.

When he finished, he rinsed the cloth again of the murky water, before he was distracted at the sight of the only hair tie that he owned. He spun Marcie around to face the mirror so that he could go to battle against her waist length locks.

“Eddie! What did you do?” She slurred, leaning closer to the mirror whilst he gently yanked her back by her hair. “I look like a panda!”

“Pandas are cute.” He chuckled, but the moment he removed his grip on her when he finished his task, she whipped around to flash him an annoyed pout. “Only so much I can do with soap and water. I don’t exactly have many lady visitors, Marce. You can’t say I didn’t try.”

Marcie moved to storm out of the bathroom, but lost her balance almost immediately and Eddie shook his head as he swooped her into his arms again.

“Easy, Sweetheart. Let’s get you to bed.”

It was a challenge to navigate the narrow halls of the trailer with her laid across his chest, but he stuck with it anyway, knowing that it would take far longer to herd her back toward the bedroom. He almost tripped over the mess of clothes on the floor, barging his way over to the bed where he lowered her down as if she was made of glass.

Finally tired enough to stop fighting him, Marcie sank into place as he lifted the covers over her in satisfaction. Her eyelids began to flutter closed from the moment that her head hit the pillow and he couldn’t resist hesitating for a moment, gently stroking the hair back from her face. However, when he turned to leave, she startled awake.

“Where are you going?” She gasped, gripping onto his wrist with as much strength as she could muster and he spun back around to face her with a fond smile.

“The couch.” He stated in a nonchalant manner. “You can have the bed, my lady.”

“No. I don’t want you to go.” She slurred, causing Eddie to freeze to the spot for the second time tonight.

Her brows were furrowed together with stubbornness, as if she hadn’t imagined for a second that he would leave her until now. By stark contrast, he had been deadly serious when he advised her friends of the sleeping arrangements. Sure, they had shared a bed before, but things were different nowadays. He hadn’t considered doing that again tonight at all and the very thought caused him to gulp.

“I’m not gonna be far, Marce. Just the other side of the trailer.” He chuckled awkwardly, but her expression was unmoved. “You’re really drunk and I’m trying to respect your space. I really don’t mind the couch.”

“But…I don’t want to be alone.” She admitted, her determination giving way to a vulnerability that caused his breath to catch in his throat. “Please stay with me, Eddie. Like old times.”

Eddie’s stomach flipped at her words, his mind struggling to decide what the moral thing was to do. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been in this exact situation with her in the past. He’d slept at her side when she got spiked, despite being sober himself, but that was mostly because he was afraid she might choke to death during the night. Then there was the night when the power went out and she ran to his trailer in fear of the storm. She’d demonstrated that she was comfortable with this arrangement before, but since she’d been avoiding him, he was unsure whether she would regret it in the morning.

He fidgeted on the spot as he agonised over the decision, but when his eyes met hers again, he felt his resolve begin to crumble. There was a sadness in them that he hadn’t seen before, something deep and hidden that made it almost impossible to deny her. He glanced back toward the couch again, before a defeated sigh left his lips.

“Alright. You win.” He mumbled, watching as visible relief washed over her.

Eddie switched off the light then removed his jeans, leaving his T-shirt on. He nudged Marcie to move her over so that he could climb in beside her, and was careful to ensure that he left plenty of space between them. It felt strange to stay so far apart, when they had spent the night snuggled into each other for warmth one winter when they couldn’t afford to heat the trailers.

In the silence of the night, he stared at the ceiling unable to sleep. Where this would previously have been comfortable, he found himself feeling self conscious, worrying that he might have overstepped by bringing her to his home at all. The only sound to distract his wandering mind was Marcie’s breathing that grew steadily deeper and slower.

Eddie couldn’t be sure how long they had laid there, when she shuffled closer to his side. Delicately, she leaned her head against his shoulder, one of her hands wrapping around his upper arm in a reserved embrace. Without thinking, he leaned his head toward her too, his jaw coming to rest on the top of her head and allowing him to breathe in the sweet scent of her hair.

“I miss this.” She whispered, her voice barely even registering against the crushing silence of his bedroom.

“Me too.”

The confession escaped before he could stop himself, relieved when he felt her smile against him. Her breathing grew heavier still, indicating that she was battling against sleep and he debated whether it would be taking advantage of her condition to ask why she had been avoiding him.

“I wish it could be like this all the time.” She admitted in a slow, sleepy voice and Eddie couldn’t resist the opportunity that she had presented him with.

“It can.” He muttered. “I don’t know why it ever changed.”

“Because of the secret.” She slurred between deep sighs that almost sounded as if she was talking in her sleep.

“What?” He questioned, his stomach dropping with nerves. “What secret?”

After a few moments without a response, he lifted his head to glance down at her, only to find that she had finally succumbed to her alcohol driven exhaustion. Eddie cursed under his breath. If he had thought that he was going to struggle to sleep before, he had no idea how energised this teasing comment would make him.

He looked down at her dozing off, her face tucked into him as if it was the most comfortable place that she could be. It was the longest that he’d ever been able to stare at her, especially this close. Even with her hair messed up and eyeliner smeared down her face, he couldn’t help thinking how beautiful she was. It took a few more moments of admiring her before he acknowledged that a fleeting thought of kissing her at the back of his mind had grown to be all consuming.

Wait. Shit!

This was Marcie he was thinking about. The same girl who had given him wedgies when they were kids; the one who stuck chopsticks in her mouth and did walrus impressions; who almost got arrested with him one summer for a ridiculous firework prank and got sick on the waltzers at the last fair. She was his best friend, his partner in crime. He couldn’t ever risk doing anything to jeopardise what they had.

However, he couldn’t deny what he felt as he noticed how peaceful she looked sleeping on his shoulder. He wanted to kiss her.

Now that he considered it, it wasn’t the first time this thought had occurred to him. There had been numerous moments in the last few years where he had found himself wondering what it would be like to cross the boundary of friendship. Each time they had come close, it had been harder to pull himself back from the edge. The last time she slept over, he’d had to put himself through a cold shower after she left to try to clear his head.

As hard as he tried to deny that anything had changed between them, he supposed it wasn’t unreasonable for him to have doubts. She was arguably the only person who he had allowed to get close to him in his entire life. She knew his darkest secrets, and he knew hers. They had comforted each other during the worst times, celebrated together during the best. It was inevitable that she would become important to him and it was only natural that he might wonder at the nature of their bond. It didn’t have to mean that he wanted more.

Marcie shuffled closer in her sleep, her arm draping across his waist and he lifted his arm to allow her to snuggle into his chest. At this angle her head tilted slightly toward him, positioning her face exactly into the moonlight that streamed in through the window.

In the dim light of the room, Eddie found himself utterly fixated on her lips. He was consumed by the thought of kissing her, acutely aware of every part where their bodies touched. Delicately, he reached out to tuck her fuzzy hair behind her ear, lingering his touch for a few seconds on her jaw.

Her lips parted for a moment, a drunken mutter escaping that he couldn’t quite make out. His heart leapt into his throat as he replayed the sound in his mind and was almost able to convince himself that she had said his name. He watched as her lashes fluttered indicating that she was dreaming, only finding himself hoping that it was about him.

Regardless of what he might tell himself, one thing was clear to Eddie at that moment: he had already passed the boundary of friendship a long time ago.

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blackkatskauldron · 2 years ago

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Pic from Pinterest and edited in Canva (if you can't tell, Stevie Nicks is a huge inspo in this story)

Chapter 3: The Bargain Store

Summary: Who would have thought that a Freak would give a Superhero her humanity.

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snarkwrites · 4 years ago

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summer sizzle | surrender - jonathan byers [m]

PROMPTS USED:

Making your partner whimper + chair + opposites sex ( switch who takes the lead ) + squirm + “Don’t stop.” + “You have no idea what you do to me.” + “I bet you can’t make me cum.” [ i will have to find the lists I used to come up with these and link later, all apologies ]

AUTHORS NOTES:

Okay, look... This has been in the works for 3 days now. 3 whole days. I really struggled with the whole submissive role and making it seem natural while also trying to keep in mind that sex at this age is oft clumsy and occasionally awkward. So, hopefully, it turned out okay. HOPEFULLY. Also, I hope it’s not off putting but I just find writing everything in first person to be so much smoother in the long run. Apologies if it is.

Huuuge special thanks go out to @rampagewriting & @schizoauthoress because you guys really, really, really... helped this thing come together. And I love ya’ll.

PAIRING / FANDOM:

Jonathan Byers x OFC, Briar - Stranger Things Fandom.

WARNINGS:

18+only, naturally submissive character ( male ) , oral ( male recieving), protected sex. MATURE. STAY OUTTA HERE KIDS.

OTHER WORKS USING OFC :

should’ve been a better shot |

THE SQUAD:

@rampagewriting | @chasingeverybreakingwave | psst.. if anyone wants to be on my multifandom tag list, pls go add yourself to the doc I’m going to link below.

OTHER LINKS:

[ multifandom tag list doc | four seasons of smut | ]

-- surrender, jonathan byers x ofc.

The door to his bedroom shut behind us with a soft thud and I reached back, turning the lock as I held his gaze the entire time.

“We’re finally alone.” my voice was a quiet purr as my hands raised, hooking in the front of his denim jacket, carefully tugging it down his shoulders. It settled on the carpeted floor with a quiet rustle and I stepped a little closer. I’d been teasing him relentlessly all night, pouring on the flirt. Now it was time to make my move. To show Jonathan Byers exactly how much he was wanted by me.

“Finally.” Jonathan answered, his eyes locked on mine and a soft smile as he closed the distance between us. His hand raised, gingerly resting against my cheek as he went in for a kiss.

I kissed back eagerly, my hands fisting at the front of his gray tee shirt as the kiss grew deeper and my breath got shorter and came in heavy pants. “Jonathan.” I murmured the word against his neck as my lips broke from his and started to trail down the side. When my body rubbed against his, his fingertips dug into my sides and he pulled back to stare down at me. “Yeah?” his breathing hitched and I felt him shiver a little as my lips continued to trail over his neck, moving upward this time.

“Mmm.”he gave a soft sigh and his eyes fluttered open then shut and I gave a soft giggle, just barely grazing my teeth against skin as I muttered quietly, “You like that, hm?”

“Mhm.” he muttered huskily, pouting a little when he tried to steer my mouth back to his but instead, I started to move it down the front of his throat as I walked him backwards, towards the chair that sat at his desk.The back of his knees hit the seat of the chair and I gently shoved him down to sit in it, lowering myself onto his lap and taking his face in my hands, allowing him a kiss on the lips again at last.

His fingers were digging even harder into my ass by now and he wrapped his arm around me to keep me from falling out of his lap and off the chair. I bit my lip, an electric tingle racing through my body at the way those hands felt on me.I pulled back and we worked on catching our breath, staring at each other in a daze as I trailed the tip of my finger over his bottom lip.

“You have no idea what you do to me.. Fuck.” I whimpered softly as my head fell back and I rocked in place against his lap as my hands raised, fingers digging into his shoulders. Jonathan sucked in a ragged breath and he stammered out quietly, “ Briar?” as he stared up at me, in a daze.

Swallowing hard, he squirmed in his seat when I rocked against him all over again, harder this time and I leaned in really close, taking his face in my hands.

A whimper rose and bubbled out of me when I felt him starting to strain against his blue jeans and I gave him a wink as I mumbled against the shell of his ear, “But I know exactly what I’m doing to you right now… And I like it. Do you like it, Jon?”

“Fuck. Y-yeah, baby. Don’t stop.” he practically whimpers the words, his hands leaving where they splayed across my lower back to grip my hips as he really started to squirm in the seat, rubbing against me carefully. His mouth met mine again gingerly and our teeth bumped together, the quiet scrape making me giggle.

I rocked myself against him again, bearing down a little harder. He bucked in the chair, leaning into me to press his forehead against mine as he chuckled quietly, “What has gotten into you, Briar?”Hungrily, I nipped at his lower lip, wasting no time in going for another deep and steady kiss. There wasn’t a truly clear answer to the question he’d asked me. I just wanted him. I wanted him so bad I could taste it.

“ I just want you. So bad.” the answer forced it’s way out of my mouth as his teeth clenched my bottom lip, tugging as the kiss grew even deeper and I started to really rock myself over the bulge strained at his jeans. His hands were all over me now, slow and cautious in their exploration and I shivered, my head falling back as whimpers left my lips. It felt so good.So good that I almost completely forgot for a second that I was the one in control here. But as soon as I remembered, oh boy…

I took his face in my hands, licking my lips at the way his mouth was swollen and deep pink, starting to bruise from the kisses so far. My forehead against his, I mumbled brazenly against his mouth, “Let me take care of you, hm?” as my hand lowered, going straight for the hem of his gray t-shirt. Working it up and over his head, I let it land on the floor.

He swallowed hard, biting his lip, bucking himself against me just a little, desperate like me to keep the friction building. I exhaled sharply and bore down harder, riding the bulge strained at his jeans and making him whimper, panting for breath as he bucked into me clumsily. Lust blown brown eyes fixed on me, almost glimmering in the dim lights of his bedroom. He eyed my shirt and I leaned in, mumbling against his lips with a soft giggle, “Want me to show you what to do with those hands, Jon?” despite the fact that I was pretty sure he knew exactly what to do.

I think it got me just a little more hot that he was willing to let me take over like this most of the time. I enjoy it. The way his eyes flutter open and closed when I start to trail my lips down his abdomen.. That hitch in his breathing when I go for the button on his jeans and stop, looking back up at him… Watching him come apart below me while I ride out my own bliss. One day I suppose I’ll push until he takes over, but for right now, I’m just too into being the one to take over. To please him. Because he pleases me enough, just being in love with him.

He nodded and I took his hands, guiding them down to the hem of my shirt. He gripped the hem of my shirt, the tug upward almost sheer torture. Between the feel of his hands against my skin, rough in texture but oh so gentle in touch, and the clumsy slow pace he took in pulling my shirt off, I was rocking against him even faster, my cunt practically throbbing with need by now.

As soon as my shirt hit the floor and he gave another louder whimper, his hands moving back up my midriff, lingering at my chest to push it together, my head fell back and I rocked against him with more urgency. Between the anticipation of what I knew was coming and the way his hands felt on my body, it took everything in me not to just rush headfirst into it all.

But I wanted to take my time with him.I took hold of his hand, lowering it to my core, biting my lip. He growled quietly, that followed by another series of whimpers when I rocked myself into his hand and moaned his name, panting for breath. “Jonathan.”

A soft smirk came and lingered on kiss swollen lips at the way I moaned for him and he bucked himself against me a little harder, a little bolder.

“Does that feel good, princess?” the question was him, honestly wanting to know if he was making me feel good and I smiled against his lips, muttering into another slow and deep kiss, “God yes. Don’t stop.” and gingerly, he cupped me through my favorite skintight jeans, biting his lip when my whimpers grew in volume, shattering the quiet around us.

I raised my hand to my mouth, giggling a little, cheeks heating up because as much as tonight was about me, making him feel good, it was about me… exploring another side of myself.I pulled away from the kiss, sliding out of his lap a little, down to my knees where I pushed his legs open, centering myself between them, giving him a teasing little wink as I brushed my lips delicately over smooth pale skin. I felt his abs flex under my lips and I smirked as I grazed my teeth over patches of skin erratically. “Does that feel good?” I stopped to lock eyes with him just as I got to the strip of skin above the waistband of his jeans. I could see the bulge twitching, growing. I swallowed hard and licked my lips, repeating my question.

Jonathan answered in a daze, “So good. S-so good baby.” as his hand rested gingerly on top of my head. I worked the button free to his jeans and I felt his stomach tense a little, felt his cock twitching a little more. I stopped to gaze up at him, biting my lip and glancing down at his lap. He licked his lips and nodded, taking a deep breath. “Go on, princess.” he uttered the words softly, his voice edged with lust.

I nodded and answered quietly, “Pull my hair a little, baby. Feels good.” as I worked the zipper to his jeans down and then raised my hands, tugging his jeans so that they fell down to his ankles.He tensed even more and a low growl rose, ripping out of his mouth as he breathed heavily and I felt his thighs tense in anticipation. Carefully, his fingers tangled in my hair, giving a little tug as I moved my mouth over the dark colored fabric of his boxers, sending a shiver through his body.

I could feel his toes digging into the carpet and the fact that I was the one making him do all this only made me bolder. I rolled my tongue over the fabric covered bulge to tease a little more and he hissed urgently, bucking his hips upward clumsily, another tug at my hair.

“Briar.” my name was moaned in a tone slightly above a whisper, a needy whimper following close on the heels of it.My fingers hooked in the waistband of his underwear and slowly, I started to work those down his legs, whimpering almost helplessly myself as his cock sprang free and I got a glimpse of the size and girth of it.

He was.. Definitely packing more in his jeans than Tommy H had been. I swallowed hard and gave a soft giggle when he shifted around a little to make it easier to get his underwear completely off. They settled at his ankles with his jeans and I rose up to steal another kiss, muttering against his mouth, “Are you ready to let me make you feel good, baby?”

“Fuck.” he gasped, his back arching slightly as he bucked against the hand I’d curled around his length when it started to slowly pump up and down with gentle and lazy strokes. I sank back down to my knees, a lust blown gaze up at him as my tongue rolled over the tip of his cock. If I thought he was squirming before, it was nothing compared to the way he squirmed at the feel of my warm wet tongue trailing over every thick inch of his cock. His other hand settled on my shoulder, finger tips digging in to grip and I took him in my mouth, head bobbing up and down and then down and up slowly.“Briar, shit.. Baby.” his whines were getting louder, more needy.

“C’mon, baby.” I urged, pressing little kitten licks against the side of his cock before taking him in my mouth again. “I told you to pull my hair.”

He gave my hair a slightly harder tug as asked when his cock brushed against the back of my throat and I stopped long enough to mumble the question, “Do you want to see me touch myself, Jonathan?”

He nodded, biting his lip as he stared down at me. I switched hands, the hand that had been wrapped around his cock drifting down, over my breasts, lingering a second or two. He was really starting to squirm in the chair now, his whimpers and groans getting louder with each one that fell from his lips. Lust blown brown eyes fixed on me and he licked his lips, attempting to lean forward in the chair a little, probably to go in for a kiss. My hand moved lower, fingertips dancing over my midriff.

“Briar.” his voice was almost pleading, he was digging his toes into the floor to an extent that had his thighs shaking slightly. His hands rested on his thighs, fingers opening and closing like he was desperate to grab hold of something. I licked my lips and my gaze settled on his cock again, standing at attention.As I lowered my mouth all over again, I lowered my hand, letting it settle between my thighs, my fingers ghosting over my dripping slit. My tongue rolled over the tip of his cock, little kitten licks that made him squirm and buck.

His hand found it’s way to my hair again and he groaned out hoarsely, “I wanna see you.. Touch yourself. Please?”I wrapped my mouth around him, letting his cock hit the back of my throat and he tugged at my hair, carefully bucking upward. “Is that okay?” he murmured in a voice thick with need, staring down at me as I worked my mouth back upward, my lips softly popping as I raised my head, licking my lips, groaning at the taste of him in my mouth.

“I’m not made of glass, baby.” I mumbled in a daze, my hands wandering again, this time, I sat up straighter on my knees, giving him a better view as my hand drifted down my body again, fingers toying with my dripping slit, circling my clit as I bit my lip and whimpered his name, my head falling back and my eyes fluttering open and shut.The sound of him groaning and his quiet growl at the end of the groaning caused me to open my eyes and he was staring at me, biting his lip. He nodded to his lap and I swallowed hard, my eyes settling on his cock, standing at attention.

I was literally aching for it by this point, all squirmy, dripping and ready. “Are you trying to say something, baby?” I asked the question in a tone of feigned innocence, just to push a little.

He leaned in, his hand catching hold of my chin, pulling my lips against his almost desperately. “I’m saying I want you, princess. Now, please?” he groaned against my mouth as I pulled myself up from the floor. His hands raised, settling on my hips as he nodded to his nightstand. “In the drawer, love.” he gasped as I lowered myself just a little, teasing his length between my dripping folds.

I slunk over to the nightstand after a minute or two of grinding against him and opened the drawer, digging around until I found the condom tossed carelessly in the corner of the drawer.

Right on top of a picture of me that I had no idea he’d taken or even when he might have taken it. It was taped back together. I bit my lip, smiling to myself just a little.

I slunk back over to the chair and lowered myself, sitting on the edge of his lap as I tore open the wrapper, stopping to catch his gaze. “You’re.. Sure… right?” I asked the question in a quiet whisper, leaning in to press a gentle kiss against his mouth. He deepened the kiss, his hand over mine as I worked the rubber down over his cock. “Now, please?” he practically whimpered the words, moving his hand from mine to grasp my hips again gently, pulling me closer in his lap. I raised up, sinking down on his cock slowly, carefully.

“Fuck.” I gasped out, my head falling back as he stretched and filled me. I leaned against him, a hand on either side of his face, my thumbs rolling across lightly stubbled jaws as my mouth dove in and crashed against his and I rocked myself around a little, trying to get used to the size of him.

He caught my gaze, eyeing me in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Mhm.” I hummed, starting to rock my hips a little faster. His hands glided softly all over my body, drifting down, gripping hold of my ass as he bucked into me from below, his breath warm against the shell of my ear as he muttered quietly, “Feels so good. Does it feel good to you?”

“God.” I whimpered out, riding him a little faster, my breath catching in my throat. My head fell back slightly and I bit back another louder whimper, “Amazing, Jonathan. Don’t stop, please? Just like that.” My lips left his lips and moved down his neck, teeth catching here and there on skin, leaving little marks behind. His head fell back a little, exposing more of his neck to me and I took it as an invite to lean in, my hips switching from just straight out rocking back and forth to rolling, a figure 8 as I danced on his cock slowly and my mouth latched on, gently leaving an even bigger mark behind.

His hands gripped me tighter and his thrusts sped up even more, his cock bottoming out and making me whine and moan against his neck. “Ugh, Briar.. That feels so good baby. C’mon.” he pleaded, continuing to thrust into me from below, the sloppy wet sounds each time his cock sank in deeper almost driving me straight into one hell of an orgasm.

For someone who probably hadn’t ever done this before, he definitely knew what the fuck he was doing. Clumsy and gentle slow touches, the way his mouth danced over my throat, leaving little tentative marks against my skin, his teeth barely grazing my collarbones until he latched on to leave a mark of his own against my skin.

“I’m..” I panted, barely keeping my moans and whimpers quiet now, “I’m so close, baby. I bet you can’t make me cum.” I teased gently, giving him a soft kiss. He seemed to take the challenge, thrusting even deeper and bottoming out all over again, his cock striking against that one magic spot over and over until all I wanted to do was scream his name.

I almost did at one point but he quickly crashed his lips against mine, muffling the loud moan, groaning himself when I bounced a little faster up and down on his cock. His hands gripped my body tight, probably tight enough to leave light bruising behind and I could feel myself dancing closer to the orgasm that had been building, clinging to him, my arms around his neck and my mouth against his, our lips meeting almost perfectly, my lips latching onto his top lip.

“Can’t stop… fuck.” we both moaned into the kiss at nearly the same time and I felt my orgasm shatter through me, sending a shiver racing through my body as my finger tips dug into his back lightly, Jonathan continuing to plow into me from below, muttering lazily against my throat, “So wet, baby. So good.Shit.” a loving gaze as he fixed his eyes on me and bit his lip, raising his hand to catch at the side of my face, his thumb rolling carefully over my bruised lips, hissing softly in concern.I giggled and clung to him, my head resting against the space between his neck and shoulder as we both worked our way back down from the high of our orgasm.

“I’m not made of glass. It doesn’t hurt.” I reassured him as our eyes met.

I didn’t want to move from his lap and honestly, I wasn’t sure I could if I tried.

Jonathan stood, carrying me over to his bed, leaning down and pulling me into another kiss.

“I’ll be back in a second, princess. Just going to get something to clean us up.”

“And some water please?” I propped on my elbows and called out behind him, letting out a quiet whistle as I watched him disappear into the bathroom.

#jonathan byers x original character fanfiction #jonathan byers fanfiction #jonathan byers smut #jonathan byers x original character smut #jonathan byers fanfic #jonathan byers x original character fanfic #jonathan byers imagine #jonathan byers x original character imagine #// 18+ only #// i mean this. this is mature content.#// no kids.

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aprilludgate357 · 2 months ago

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chapter four: the body

steve harrington x gracie williams(eventually) word count: 7463 summary: will was dead... or was he. in what wasn't her finest moment, gracie finds oddly finds comfort in an uexpected someone. everything wasn't making any sense anymore but gracie was willing to blindly hope that both barb and will were still alive. its funny what a little hope, some christmas lights, and a girl who can telepathically communicate through a radio can do.

GRACIE HADN'T YET COME TO TERMS WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED THE DAY BEFORE. It was the day after Will had been found in Lover's Lake, the same day Barbara disappeared. She’d been unable to sleep the entire night, plagued by the image of Will lying pale and motionless. Her mother had tried to get her to talk, but Gracie refused, retreating inward. She’d barely said a word to anyone since last night, and she had no intention of remedying that anytime soon.

While Gracie had planned to skip school and continue mourning, the police had called her down to the high school, wanting to interview both her and Nancy at the same time.

So that's how she found herself in the empty school cafeteria, sitting next to her mother, Nancy, and Mrs. Wheeler, with two officers seated across from them.

"This argument you and Barbara had—what exactly was it about?" asked Officer Powell, a man Gracie had never seen before.

He held a notepad, diligently writing down everything Nancy and Gracie told them. Except Nancy had done most of the talking since Gracie hadn’t even been there the night Barb went missing.

"It wasn’t really an argument," Nancy explained. "Barb just wanted to leave. I didn’t, so I... I told her to just go home."

"And then what?" Powell prompted.

"Then I went upstairs to put on some dry clothes," Nancy said, carefully omitting the fact that she stayed the night.

"And the next day, you both went back and... saw a bear, you’re thinking?" asked Officer Callahan, who sat next to Powell. Gracie recognized him as the officer who had accompanied Jim when they interrogated the boys about Will's disappearance.

"I don’t know what it was," Nancy admitted, her voice wavering slightly.

The officers turned their attention to Gracie. "Did you see it?" Callahan asked.

"No, but I trust Nancy. What she saw—it wasn't like anything in this world. But... we think it took Barb," Gracie explained, hoping they would take her seriously.

But the officers exchanged a glance, their disbelief evident. "But you didn't see it," Callahan repeated, making Gracie's frown deepen as he scribbled something down on his notepad.

Trying to make their story more plausible, Gracie added, "But we saw the track marks, like she’d been dragged off into the woods."

"You need to check behind Steve’s house—" Nancy urged, desperation creeping into her voice.

"We did," Powell replied monotonously. "There’s nothing there. No sign of a bear. And no car."

"What?" Gracie straightened in her seat, her confusion growing. The car had definitely been there when she and Nancy had gone back.

"We figure that Barbara came back last night and then took off, went somewhere else. Has she ever talked to either of you about running off? Leaving town, maybe?" Callahan asked.

"No!" Both girls answered in unison, their voices firm with conviction.

"No, Barb wouldn’t do that, ever," Nancy insisted, as Gracie looked at the officers, disgusted by their suggestion that Barb would just run away.

"We're telling you, that thing took her," Gracie repeated, her voice trembling with frustration, but her words were once again met with skepticism.

"She wasn’t maybe upset about the fact that you were spending time with this boy?" Powell asked, now addressing Nancy directly. "Uh, Steve Harrington?"

"What? No!" Nancy exclaimed, her eyes widening at the mention of Steve. This revelation also caught the attention of Mrs. Wheeler, who looked at her daughter in surprise. Gracie had almost forgotten that Nancy had yet to tell her mom about her boyfriend.

A few weeks ago, telling her mom about Steve had seemed like the biggest problem Nancy had. Gracie would give anything for it to be like that again.

"Maybe she was jealous because she saw you go up to Steve’s room?" Callahan pressed, continuing to prod.

"It wasn’t like that," Nancy quickly assured him. "Steve and I are... we're just friends. We... we just talked."

Gracie looked up at her friend, wondering why Nancy wasn't telling the police the whole truth. Was hiding her relationship from her mother more important than giving the police the information they needed to find Barb?

Gracie didn't say anything, but she could feel a fire slowly building up inside her. This entire situation was infuriating. She was angry at Nancy for not being honest with the police. She was angry at the police for not taking their claims about Barb being taken seriously. But most of all, she was angry at herself because somehow, she'd failed Will as a babysitter and Barbara as a friend. She was angry because not only had she lost them, but she couldn't save them either.

Standing up from her chair, Gracie could feel her breathing growing heavier, her chest tightening with rage. The abrupt sound of her chair scraping the floor caused everyone to look up at her as she glared at Powell and Callahan.

"So that's the best you got, huh? That Barbara was a jealous bitch who was petty enough to run away? That's how you're gonna let people remember her? What you're gonna tell her parents?" Gracie asked, her voice shaking with anger.

"Gracie!" her mother yelled, but Gracie didn’t care. Tears began to blur her vision as her rage boiled over.

"You don't care about Barb. Neither of you do," she sneered. "As long as the case is closed, you don't care if you find her at the bottom of the lake just like Will! If you did, you'd listen to me when I told you that she was taken. That thing took her, and if you don't believe me, then good luck following your useless leads."

Gracie didn’t wait for a response. She turned on her heel and ran out of the cafeteria, her mother’s profuse apologies to the officers fading into the background as she bolted down the hallway, wanting to get as far away from them as possible.

The empty halls were a blessing; she didn’t want anyone to see her like this. Her only focus was reaching her locker as soon as possible. Quickly unlocking it, Gracie grabbed a pack of cigarettes, quickly going behind the school avidly avoiding the yard where P.E was taking place.

Leaning against the brick wall, Gracie took out a the pack, lighting one before quickly placing it between her lips. Gracie wasn't proud of the habit she had acquired, in fact, she barely did it. But in moments where she was so upset, she couldn't help but allow herself some leeway.

Taking a deep puff, Gracie closed her eyes, allowing herself to be overtaken with her anger and despair over Barb.

So lost in her own thoughts, Gracie didn't even hear footsteps approaching her until she heard a familiar voice that forced her to open her eyes.

"Smoking kills you know." Steve said, dressed in his P.E uniform and a towel around his neck.

"Did I ask?" Gracie asked, taking a puff as she looked momentarily at the boy before turning to look at the front again.

Laughing at the girl's response, Steve didn't expect anything less than a biting response from the girl. "Rough day?"

Dryly laughing, Gracie looked down. "Yeah, you could say."

Steve stayed quiet for a second, and Gracie thought that he had finally gone away, closing her eyes to enjoy her time alone.

"Mind spotting me one?"

So that's how Gracie found her self side to side by Steve on the brick wall, each taking a puff of smoke.

"They just don't care you know?" Gracie said, venting her emotions to the last person she'd thought she ever would. "I mean, its just so stupid to think that Barb ran away. I mean, you knew her... kinda, and I mean, do you think she'd run away?"

"Definitely not." Steve immediately answered with complete honesty, "She's way to boring for that."

Giving him a slight shove, Gracie rolled her eyes, "She's not boring okay?"

"Right sorry." Steve apologized immediately regretting his choice of words. "You know, I'm sure she's fine. I mean, its Hawkins you know? Nothing bad happens around here."

At that, Gracie had to hold in her laugh, knowing the exact opposite to be true due to the most recent events that had occurred so far. Still, he found his menial attempt to still be somewhat comforting.

"Thanks Harrington." Gracie said, with a small smile on her face.

"For what?" Harrington asked laughing, "For taking your cigarette?"

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Gracie dropped her cigarette to the ground, smothering it with her foot. "For not being a complete ass for once."

Cocking his head to the side, Steve let out a smile once again not expecting any other response from the girl, "Any time Williams."

Before Gracie could even respond, they suddenly heard a thundering voice from the across the school yard. "Harrington, Williams, is that you guys? You better not be smoking on school grounds!"

"Oh shit." Steve mumbled, quick to put out his cigarette too before quickly following Gracie who had already started running away from the school P.E teacher.

------

Gracie decided to skip the rest of school after her unexpected run-in with Steve. While she wanted nothing more than to seek solace in her bed, she couldn’t bring herself to go home, knowing her mother was probably waiting there to berate her for being so rude to the policemen. She thought about heading over to the Wheelers to see Nancy or Mike, but neither seemed like a good option—Nancy and her mother were likely fighting about Steve, and Mike was still mourning Will.

Thinking about Mike and the rest of the party, Gracie wondered how they were all coping. She had told them yesterday to call her if they needed anything, but she hadn’t heard from any of them since. In fact, for the first time in forever, her walkie-talkie had gone completely silent after they demanded she meet them at Lover’s Lake. Gracie assumed they all needed individual time to process their grief, just like her.

With nowhere else to go, Gracie decided to head into town, busying herself with a few errands to keep her mind off everything. She went to the library, the pharmacy, and now the local grocery store, stocking up on Eggos—Eleven’s favorite food. After grabbing a box of ice cream pops, she made her way to the cashier, when she suddenly overheard a commotion from outside.

Recognizing the voices, Gracie walked to the front of the store and peered out the window, her eyes widening when she saw Joyce and Jonathan Byers screaming at each other on the sidewalk. Telling the cashier to keep the change, Gracie grabbed her Eggos and ice cream, quickly making her way over to the Byers.

Just as Gracie walked out of the store, she heard Jonathan frantically throw his hands in the air, yelling, "Do you even hear yourself?"

"I know it sounds crazy," Joyce shot back fiercely, a wild look in her eyes, "I sound crazy! You think I don’t know that? It is crazy! But I heard him, Jonathan. He talked to me! Will is—he’s calling to me!"

By this point, a small crowd had formed around the two, but Gracie didn’t even notice, Joyce’s words echoing in her head. She didn’t know if it was denial, grief, or just pure madness, but it couldn’t be possible. Gracie was done trying to believe that a miracle had occurred and that Will wasn’t dead. She had foolishly let herself believe that with Eleven, and she wasn’t going to do it again—not when she’d seen Will’s dead body herself.

Joyce’s loud voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The woman was still ferociously yelling, "And he’s out there, and he’s alone, and he’s scared, and I... I don’t care if anyone believes me! I am not going to stop looking for him until I find him and bring him home. I am going to bring him home!"

With that, Joyce stormed off, leaving Jonathan behind. "Yeah, well, while you’re talking to the lights, the rest of us are having a funeral for Will! I’m not letting him sit in that freezer another day!" As his mother’s figure retreated, Jonathan suddenly became too aware of the crowd that had formed around him.

"All right, show’s over," he announced coldly, about to storm off when he spotted Gracie. Embarrassed, Jonathan didn’t know what to say after what the girl had just witnessed.

Gracie was at a loss for words too. For a moment, the two just stared at each other, neither sure how to react after seeing Jonathan, who had always been so reserved, go completely ballistic alongside his mother.

Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck, breaking the silence. "Gracie, I uh, I didn’t see you there."

Gracie awkwardly held out the box of ice cream pops. "I was just in the grocery store when I heard the, uh... yelling."

Wincing at her choice of words, she kicked herself, unsure of what else to say. After a moment, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Jonathan shook his head with a dry laugh. "Never better, actually."

"Stupid question. Sorry," Gracie quickly apologized, mentally kicking herself again. Of course, he wasn’t "okay." His brother had just been found dead. None of them were okay.

Jonathan sighed, guilt creeping into his voice. "No, I’m sorry. You were just trying to be nice. It’s just my mom—she’s really not taking this well. She’s not taking it at all, actually."

"Yeah, I heard," Gracie admitted. "She thinks she can communicate with him through lights?"

"Basically, yeah." Jonathan nodded, looking exasperated. "I know it sounds crazy."

Gracie shook her head, letting out a small laugh. "Surprisingly, it sounds pretty normal compared to some things that have happened recently."

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows. "So you believe her, then?"

Gracie paused for a second before admitting, "I—I don’t know. Sometimes it’s nice to just believe. It makes things easier."

"We found his body," Jonathan argued firmly, unable to take another person feeding into what he saw as nonsense. He already thought Hopper had entertained his mother too much.

"I know," Gracie sighed, unable to look past the undeniable proof of Will’s demise. "Look, just give her time. Everyone grieves differently, and she’s probably just in denial."

"This has been going on even before they found the body," Jonathan said, wishing his mother’s behavior was simply part of the five stages of grief. "I mean, she’s created this entire narrative with this monster taking Will, walls opening and closing, the lights, I mean—"

But Gracie had stopped listening, freezing in the middle of his sentence. "Wait, what did you just say?"

------

Quickly leaving a thoroughly confused Jonathan behind, Gracie wasted no time hopping back on her bike, rushing straight to the Wheeler's house.

As soon as she reached their front lawn, she jumped off her bike, leaving it on the sidewalk, and quickly ran up to the door. She wasn't even going to bother knocking, about to barge in when the door suddenly opened, revealing Nancy, who also seemed to be in a rush.

"Gracie!" Nancy exclaimed, surprised but relieved to see her. Stepping outside, she quickly closed the door, not wanting her parents to overhear. "I was just about to go see you—I need to tell you something."

"Me too," Gracie cut in, sure that whatever she had to say took precedence. "Let me go first."

As quickly and precisely as she could, Gracie recounted her conversation with Jonathan, up to the point where he mentioned his mother seeing a faceless monster.

"I mean, she said it took Will. And if it’s the same creature you saw, maybe—"

"It took Barb," Nancy finished, shock evident in her eyes. "We were right. I mean, it can't be a coincidence."

"That's what I said," Gracie agreed. "Jonathan said he was going to look at caskets, so if we wanted, we could meet him there to talk."

Nancy laughed, unable to believe the irony of the entire situation. What were the odds that both of them had found evidence that Barb was taken? Confused, Gracie asked, "What's so funny?"

Shaking her head, Nancy assured her, "No, it's not that. It's just... seeing Jonathan is exactly what I was going to suggest." Instead of explaining further, Nancy took out a taped picture from her bag. Gracie quickly recognized it as the complete picture of Barb sitting by the pool that Carol had previously ripped.

"What—"

"Just look at the side," Nancy cut her off. Gracie's eyes immediately widened. There in the corner was a black blur, faintly shaped like a creature.

"I just taped the picture together, and I mean—what if it's the creature?" Nancy explained. "What if this is it?"

Folding the picture back up, Gracie demanded, "We need to go see Jonathan right now."

Nodding, the girls were about to step off the front porch and rush to the car when the door suddenly swung open, revealing a very annoyed Lucas, Dustin, and Mike.

"Gracie, where the hell have you been?" Dustin asked, shocking Gracie with his presence. She had thought they were all mourning separately today, as she hadn’t received any calls on her walkie-talkie.

"What—"

"We've been calling you all day!" Mike interrupted, not even letting Gracie finish. "What the hell?"

"I didn’t get anything!" Gracie defended herself, quickly taking her walkie-talkie out of her backpack. Upon further inspection, she took out the batteries, shrugging. "The batteries must have died."

"Oh, the batteries just died!" Dustin said in mocking sarcastic tone. Turning back to Lucas and Mike he repeated, "Did you guys hear that? Well then that's okay, it isn't like we called a code red. Let’s go." He finished, tugging her back into the basement where Eleven was already waiting.

Looking at Nancy, Gracie turned back to the boys. "Look, I’m kind of in the middle of something—"

"It's fine," Nancy quickly assured her, noticing the desperate looks in her brother and his friends' eyes. "I can go see Jonathan myself. I’ll come back later to tell you about it."

"Are you sure?" Gracie asked after a moment of hesitation.

Nodding, Nancy smiled. "Yeah, don’t worry about me. You have a job to do."

"Did she just call us a job?"

Ignoring Lucas, Mike jumped between the two girls before Gracie could respond, pushing the girl back into the house. "Okay, you heard her. She’s good by herself. See you, Nancy!"

"Mike, what the hell—"

But the boys didn’t give her time to finish, slamming the door the second they got her inside. "No time to explain," Lucas said, quickly dragging her down to the basement with Mike and Dustin close behind.

"Also, where does Nancy keep her makeup?" Dustin said from behind her.

Gracie barely had time to process what was happening as the boys hurried her down to the basement. The intensity of the situation with Jonathan and Nancy's discovery was still fresh in her mind, but the urgency in Mike, Lucas, and Dustin's voices made it clear something serious was going on with them too.

As they reached the basement, Gracie caught sight of Eleven sitting on the couch, her expression distant but determined. The tension in the room was palpable, and Gracie’s anxiety spiked.

"Okay, seriously, what’s going on?" Gracie asked, glancing between the boys and Eleven.

"Will’s alive," Mike blurted out, eyes wide with a mix of fear and hope, “Look I know it sounds super crazy but you just gotta-“

“I know.” Gracie cut off, suprised but not at the idea that Will was alive but how the boys had come to that conclusion too, "I-I mean I don't know know, but I believe it."

“How do you already know?” Dustin asked, all four boys confused as to how Gracie had known what they had only found out this morning.

Shaking her head, Gracie didn’t want to concern her friends with Barb, who they hardly even knew, “Long story. How do you know?” She asked still confused.

Lucas held up a walkie-talkie. "We heard him, Gracie. He called out to us through this. It’s real. He’s out there."

Gracie’s mind raced, the pieces slowly coming together. First, Jonathan's mention of the monster, then Nancy's picture, and now this. It was all connected somehow, but the how still eluded her.

“You heard him talk?” Gracie asked her head spinning, “He picked up his walkie talkie?”

“Well not exactly.” Mike explained, “Eleven was playing around with the walkie talkie, and somehow she picked up on him breathing.”

“Are you sure you weren’t just on the wrong channel or something?” Gracie asked, having yet to see Eleven’s powers yet, still skeptical to it all.

“It was Will! Look, right now she can only pick up on his breathing but earlier he was singing that stupid song he always does.” Mike exclaimed, Gracie immediately knowing what he was referring to. Will had shown her the song right after Jonathan introduced it to him, Should I Stay or Should I Go. Even thought Gracie already knew the song she pretended not to, seeing how happy Will was to show her something knew.

“It’s not about the channel.” Lucas continued, “It’s almost like she was channeling him.”

“Like Professor X.” Dustin added on, the boys nodding their heads at the analogy.

Looking towards Eleven, who was still sitting on the couch Gracie asked, “Can she do it again?”

“The signal or something is too weak.” Mike said shaking his head, “We need to get her to a stronger radio.”

Gracie’s heart pounded in her chest. "Okay, so what’s the plan? How do we find him?"

"Well if you replaced your damn batteries and picked up one of our thousand calls you would know.” Lucas scorned, Gracie waving her hand in dismissal at the his grumbling

“I’ve got a plan, but it’s a bit unconventional." Dustin cut in, knowing that they didn’t have time to place blame

Gracie raised an eyebrow. "Unconventional how?"

“Mr. Clarke’s Heathkit Ham Shack.” Dustin answered with a proud grin at his idea, “That's why I asked about the makeup. We need to make her look… normal and sneak her into the middle school. So are you in?”

Looking over at Eleven, Gracie looked back at the boys with determination. What was another leap of blind faith anyway. "Okay," Gracie said, taking a deep breath. "Let’s do this.”

------

The group quickly sprang into action, with Gracie leading Mike and Eleven upstairs to search for Nancy's makeup. As Gracie opened Nancy’s vanity drawer, she found the familiar makeup box nestled inside. Meanwhile, Mike and Eleven had made themselves comfortable by the window, quietly chatting. Gracie pulled out the box and called over her shoulder, "Alright, nothing too fancy—just a bit of blush should do."

But when she turned around, she noticed neither of them was paying attention. Instead, they were absorbed in their own conversation. Mike was speaking softly, while Eleven listened with intensity.

The sight brought a smile to Gracie’s face. She had always known that Mike had a soft spot for Eleven, but it wasn’t until now that she truly saw the connection they were building. It was as if, in the midst of all the chaos and danger, they had found something precious—a bond that went beyond just friendship.

Gracie had never really considered the possibility of any of the boys having crushes. To her, they were still the same kids who would rather spend their afternoons playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement than engaging in anything as mundane as a romance. But now, seeing the way Mike’s face lit up whenever Eleven smiled, she realized how much they had all grown through this ordeal. It was sweet, in a way that tugged at her heart.

Deciding to give them a moment alone, Gracie quietly placed the makeup box between them. "I’ll head back downstairs with Lucas and Dustin to find some clothes. Mike, you got this?"

Mike nodded, his eyes darting nervously from the makeup box to Eleven. He wasn’t exactly confident in his makeup skills, but the chance to spend a few more minutes alone with Eleven was worth the challenge. As Gracie left the room, she shot him a teasing wink, and she didn’t miss the way his cheeks flushed pink in response.

Down in the basement, Gracie found Dustin and Lucas huddled in the corner, rummaging through boxes of the Wheeler family’s old clothes. The basement was dimly lit, with the faint smell of dust and old cardboard filling the air. The boys had already pulled out several items, tossing aside anything that wasn’t useful.

"Any luck?" Gracie asked, kneeling beside them to join the search.

"Not yet," Lucas replied, frustration edging his voice. "But we found a wig. Dustin, show her."

Dustin held up a blonde wig with a flourish, and Gracie’s eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, that’s Nancy’s old Cinderella wig! She wore it for Halloween when we were kids. I was Belle."

Gracie smiled at the memory, recalling how she, Nancy, and Barb had dressed as princesses for Halloween year after year. Nancy had always been Cinderella, with her blonde wig and sparkling dress. Gracie had chosen Belle, with her brown hair and yellow gown. And Barb…

The smile faltered on Gracie’s face as she remembered Barb, who had always insisted on being Merida from Brave, with her natural red hair cascading down her back. Barb had worn that costume for years, loving the fierce independence of the character.

The memory hit Gracie like a punch to the gut, but she fought back the tears that threatened to spill over. If there was even a chance that Will was alive, then Barb could be too. She had to believe that. She had to hold on to that hope.

Gracie was snapped out of her thoughts by Lucas, who triumphantly held up a dress he’d found at the bottom of a box. "Gracie! How about this?"

She looked up to see Lucas holding a pink long-sleeve dress, one that she instantly recognized as one of Nancy’s old ones. Lucas held it up to his chest, striking a ridiculous pose as if he were modeling it. The sight made all three of them burst into laughter.

"That’s perfect," Gracie said, still chuckling.

They brought the dress upstairs to Eleven, who quickly disappeared into the bathroom to change. The hallway outside the bathroom was quiet, the kind of stillness that only comes in the calm before a storm. Gracie leaned against the wall, her mind racing with everything that had happened that day.

"Do you think this is going to work? Any of this?" Lucas asked, breaking the silence. His voice was laced with doubt, his usual skepticism coming through. Out of all of them, Lucas had always been the most cautious, the one who questioned everything. He had been the most hesitant to believe in Eleven’s abilities, the most reluctant to accept that there might be another explanation for Will’s disappearance.

Gracie took a deep breath, her thoughts heavy. "It has to."

Before they could say anything more, the bathroom door creaked open, and Eleven stepped out. The transformation was stunning. Dressed in the pink outfit and wearing the blonde wig, she looked almost unrecognizable.

"Wow," Dustin whispered, his eyes wide. They all stared, amazed at how different Eleven looked.

"She looks—"

"Pretty," Mike finished for Lucas, his voice soft with admiration. The word seemed to hang in the air, drawing a shy blush from Eleven and knowing smiles from the others. Realizing he’d spoken out loud, Mike quickly added, "Good. I mean, you look pretty good."

Despite the correction, Eleven’s face lit up with happiness. She walked over to the nearest mirror, taking in her reflection with a mixture of surprise and delight. Mike followed her, staying close as if he couldn’t bear to be apart from her for even a moment.

As Dustin and Lucas exchanged amused glances, Gracie playfully swatted the back of their heads. "Cut it out. I think they’re cute."

"No way," Lucas grumbled, crossing his arms in defiance.

"Yeah, girls are gross," Dustin chimed in, and the two boys fist-bumped in solidarity.

Rolling her eyes, Gracie crossed her arms over her chest. "One day, you two will have crushes too, and you won’t think it’s so gross."

The boys responded with exaggerated gagging noises, making Gracie laugh. She left them to their antics and walked over to join Mike and Eleven, who were still admiring Eleven’s new look in the mirror.

Standing behind Eleven, Gracie couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the girl’s happiness. It was a rare moment of joy in the midst of everything they were facing, and it warmed her heart to see Eleven so pleased.

"Pretty," Eleven murmured quietly, her eyes still fixed on the mirror. Then, she glanced at Mike’s reflection and added, "Good."

Gracie shook her head fondly and knelt down beside Eleven, their faces close as they both looked into the mirror. Gently adjusting the wig, Gracie smiled and corrected her softly, "No. Just pretty."

------

Gracie was stunned by how much had happened in such a short span of time. Before the school day had even ended, she had been interviewed by the police, had a startling conversation with Jonathan, confirmed everything with Nancy, and now found herself sneaking back into Hawkins Middle School with the party to find a radio so Eleven could try to contact Will.

As they crept through the dimly lit hallways toward the AV room, the loudspeaker crackled to life above them. "Attention, students," the principal's voice echoed, "there will be an assembly to honor Will Byers in the gymnasium now. Do not go to fourth period."

Gracie felt a pang in her chest. It was heartening to know that the community was mourning Will, but all she could hope was that their efforts today would prove that the assembly wasn’t necessary—that Will was still alive somewhere out there.

"Remember, if anyone sees us, look sad," Mike instructed, the rest of the group nodding as they remembered they were supposed to be mourning their missing friend. They finally reached the AV room, but when Mike tried the handle, it wouldn’t budge.

"It’s locked," Mike sighed, causing a chorus of groans from the others.

Dustin turned to Eleven with a hopeful grin. "Hey, do you think you can open it? With your powers?"

Before Eleven could respond, Mr. Clarke appeared around the corner, catching them off guard. "Boys? The assembly is about to start," he said, eyeing the group suspiciously as they tried to play it cool.

"Gracie?" Mr. Clarke asked, puzzled when he noticed her with the boys. "Shouldn’t you be at the high school?"

Caught off guard, Gracie quickly scrambled for an explanation. "Oh, h-hi, Mr. Clarke!" she stammered, giving him a sheepish smile. "I’m their babysitter, and their parents wanted me to stay with them all day because, you know... we’re just so sad about Will."

"So sad," Lucas echoed, quickly swapping his grin for a frown in an attempt to sell the story.

Fortunately, Mr. Clarke seemed to buy their less-than-convincing act. "That’s really kind of you," he said, smiling warmly at Gracie. "You’re a good babysitter." Gracie mumbled a quiet thank you, relieved that he hadn’t caught on to their deception. "Well, the assembly is about to start," he continued, turning back to the boys.

"We know," Mike replied, his tone appropriately somber. "We just need some time alone."

"T-to cry," Dustin added, stumbling over his words.

Mr. Clarke nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I get it. I know how hard this is, but let’s just be there for Will, okay? And then... the Heathkit is all yours for the rest of the day. What do you say?"

With a wink, Mr. Clarke tossed Gracie the keys to the AV room. The group exchanged triumphant grins, nodding eagerly at the arrangement.

That’s when Mr. Clarke’s eyes landed on Eleven, and he cocked his head curiously. "I don’t believe we’ve met. What’s your name?"

"Eleven—"

"Eleanor!" Mike quickly interrupted, cutting off the confused girl. "She’s, uh, she’s—"

"His cousin," Gracie chimed in, seeing Mike struggle to come up with a lie.

"Second cousin," Dustin added, as if that somehow made it more believable.

Regaining his composure, Mike continued, "She’s here for Will’s funeral."

Mr. Clarke’s expression softened as he looked at Eleven. "Ah, well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor. I just wish you were here under better circumstances." Eleven mumbled a small thank you, but Mr. Clarke pressed on, "Where are you from exactly?"

"Bad place—"

"Sweden!" Gracie exclaimed, once again cutting off Eleven. "Mike’s got a lot of Swedish family," she explained, with Mike nodding fervently in agreement.

"She hates it there," Dustin chimed in, and suddenly everyone was talking over each other, trying to make the story stick.

"Cold!" Lucas added, eager to join in.

"Subzero," Dustin affirmed.

A bit surprised by their frantic explanations, Mr. Clarke simply shrugged and smiled. "Shall we?"

The five of them quickly followed Mr. Clarke toward the gym, eager to escape what had felt like an interrogation. As they approached, Gracie could already hear the principal droning on with his speech. His words were as generic and uninspired as she had feared: "At times like these, it is important that we come together as a community. We come—"

Suddenly, Dustin pushed open the gym doors, and the five of them were met with hundreds of eyes staring directly at them. The entire student body and faculty were seated, their faces a mix of sorrow and confusion as they turned to see who had interrupted the solemn event. It was like one of those nightmares where you suddenly find yourself in front of a crowd in your underwear—only this time, it wasn’t a dream, and it was just as awkward.

"Abort," Dustin whispered urgently, he and Lucas instinctively stepping back, but Gracie grabbed the backs of their shirts, preventing them from retreating.

With a deep breath, she steered them into the gym, walking through the rows of seated students until they found an empty spot. The principal continued his uninspiring speech as if nothing had happened, but Gracie could hardly focus on his words. "We come together to heal... we come together to grieve..."

This was going to be pure agony.

------

"...Will Byers’ death is an unimaginable tragedy. Will was an exceptional student and a wonderful friend to all of us."

Gracie could hardly believe the principal was still droning on. It felt like an eternity had passed, and yet he was nowhere near finished. Sure, she appreciated the gesture of the assembly—at least on the surface. But it was hard to take seriously, knowing that many of the same people now shedding tears had ignored Will and the boys' complaints about bullies at lunch. This whole assembly felt like a performance, a way for the school to pretend they cared when, in reality, they hadn't done much for Will when he was still here.

As Gracie scanned the faces of the students around her, all she saw were expressions of boredom and indifference. It made her stomach churn.

Mike, clearly just as fed up, muttered under his breath, "Look at these fakers."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "They probably didn’t even know his name until today."

Suddenly, laughter broke out from a group to their left. All five of them turned to see who could be so disrespectful during the assembly. Gracie immediately recognized them—Troy and his friend, the same boys she’d had to reprimand more than once for bullying her kids.

"Who cares about this? This is so stupid," one of them mocked.

"Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..." the other joined in, their snickering growing louder.

Gracie felt bile rise in her throat, but she kept her composure, refusing to make a scene again. Eleven, however, muttered under her breath, "Mouth breather," earning nods and murmurs of approval from the rest of the party.

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the assembly. The students and teachers wasted no time jumping to their feet, confirming to Gracie that their concern for Will was little more than a façade.

Before she could fully process what was happening, Mike stormed over to Troy, his face red with anger. "Hey, Troy! You... you think this is funny?"

Troy turned to Mike, unfazed and smirking. "What’d you say, Wheeler?"

Mike’s confidence faltered for a second, but he quickly found his voice again. "I saw you guys laughing over there. And I think that’s a really messed-up thing to do."

Gracie and the rest of the party caught up with Mike, standing by his side. She didn’t stop him, proud that he was standing up for Will without resorting to violence—yet.

But Troy and his friend only sneered, the larger boy scoffing, "Didn’t you listen to the counselor, Wheeler? Grief shows itself in funny ways."

Troy, ever the taunter, added, "Besides, what’s there to be sad about, anyway? Will’s in fairyland now, right? Flying around with all the other little fairies. All happy and gay!"

Gracie had to physically restrain herself from doing something she’d regret. As a high schooler, getting into a fight with a middle schooler wouldn’t end well, no matter how deserved it was.

But Mike wasn’t bound by the same restrictions. He glanced at Gracie, almost as if seeking her approval. She gave him a nod, and that was all Mike needed. He marched up to Troy and shoved him hard, knocking him to the ground.

"Yeah, kick his ass, Mike!" Gracie cheered, but she should have known that a push was about all Mike had in him. Troy quickly scrambled to his feet, eyes blazing with fury. "You’re dead, Wheeler! Dead!"

Gracie stepped forward, ready to handle the situation. "Now listen here, you little shi—"

But her words caught in her throat as Troy suddenly froze in mid-stride, his eyes wide with confusion and something else—fear.

Everyone around them went still, the crowd of students that had gathered unsure of what was happening. Gracie’s eyes widened in realization as she noticed a dark stain spreading down the front of Troy’s pants.

"Dude, Troy peed himself!" someone from the crowd snickered, and that was all it took for everyone to burst into laughter.

Even Gracie couldn’t help but join in, along with the rest of the party. Dustin chortled, "Holy shit!" Gracie didn’t even have the heart to scold him for his language, too busy glancing at Eleven, who was wiping her nose with a satisfied smile.

Gracie realized that this was the first time she'd actually seen Eleven use her powers. Uptil then she had simply taken the boys' words for her abilities but not only what she had done been funny as hell, but it also installed faith and hope to the possibility of truly finding Will and Barb.

Still chuckling, Gracie grabbed Mike’s hand. "Let’s get out of here." She quickly gathered the boys, pulling them out of the gym before any adults could intervene. While it had been fun to watch Troy get what he deserved, they had more important things to focus on now.

Now, they were going to find Will.

------

As quickly as they could, the party rushed back to the AV room. Gracie, familiar with the space from countless afternoons spent with the boys, quickly found the light switch. She’d been in this room more times than she could count, but today felt different—today was going to trump all those other times by a milestone.

The group gathered around Eleven, who sat in front of the Heathkit. Mike immediately started adjusting the radio, tuning the frequencies with an intensity that kept the rest of them silent.

“Now what?” Dustin asked, breaking the silence, his confusion mirrored by the others, except for Mike, who seemed to know exactly what was supposed to happen.

“She’s gonna find him,” Mike answered, still focused on the radio. “Right, El?”

Eleven didn’t respond. Instead, she leaned forward, closing her eyes. The boys instinctively took a step back, giving her space as the room filled with static from the radio. For a moment, nothing happened—just the crackling hum of static filling the tense air.

Then, suddenly, the static grew louder, the frequency shifting erratically. The party unconsciously leaned closer, eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear. “She’s doing it,” Mike grinned, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and disbelief. “She’s finding him!”

“This is crazy,” Dustin breathed, echoing the astonishment on Gracie’s face. She was too stunned to speak.

Lucas, however, remained skeptical. “Calm down. She just closed her eyes.”

But before Lucas could finish, the light above them flickered and sparked before going out with a sharp hiss, plunging the room into semi-darkness. Everyone gasped, the suddenness of it making Gracie’s heart race.

"Holy..." Dustin whispered, as Gracie placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm her pounding heart. In the eerie quiet that followed, a strange clanging sound emerged from the radio, pulling everyone’s attention back to the device.

The clanging grew louder, rhythmic, like heavy footsteps echoing through an empty space. Gracie’s mind raced—what could it be? Was it... something stomping?

“What is that?” Dustin asked, but no one could answer, all of them equally transfixed and terrified by the sound.

Then, cutting through the clanging, a child’s whimper echoed from the radio. Gracie’s heart leaped to her throat. She knew that voice—she would recognize it anywhere. It was the same sound Will made when he fell off his bike last year.

“Mom?”

There was no doubt in her mind now. The voice belonged to Will Byers.

Lucas, finally convinced, gasped, "No way!"

“Mom... Mom!” Will’s voice trembled through the speakers, and the entire group sprang into action, their initial shock replaced by a desperate need to communicate.

“Will!” Mike called out, leaning closer to the radio. “Will, it’s us! Are you there?”

“Can you hear us?” Lucas shouted, desperation lacing his voice. “We’re here!”

But there was no response from Will—just more frantic pleas. “Hello? Mom?”

“Why can’t he hear us?” Gracie asked, her voice trembling with fear. The terror in Will’s voice twisted her stomach into knots.

“I don’t know!” Mike cried, just as distraught.

Will’s voice grew more frantic, “Mom, it’s coming!” The urgency in his tone sent a cold shiver down Gracie’s spine. She remembered the faceless monster Nancy had described. Was that what was after Will?

“Mom! It’s like home, but it’s so dark... It’s so dark and empty. And it’s cold!” Will’s voice echoed through the small room, each word a dagger to Gracie’s heart. Dustin, visibly shaking, clung to Gracie’s side, and she quickly wrapped an arm around him, trying to provide some comfort even as her own fear mounted.

Suddenly, a low growling sound began to accompany the clanging, growing louder and more menacing by the second. It was followed by a screech that made Gracie clap her hand over her mouth, tears spilling down her face. Whatever it was, it was alive, and it was after Will.

Run, Will, run! Gracie thought desperately, but the words refused to leave her lips.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly as they listened to Will’s terrified pleas. Then, with a sudden, sharp crack, the radio’s circuitry shorted out, the device bursting into flames. The boys yelped in shock, but Gracie was quick to react, grabbing the nearby fire extinguisher and dousing the flames. The Heathkit was ruined, but that was the least of their concerns.

The fire alarm blared above them, and Gracie knew they had to get out before anyone caught them. Turning back to the boys, she saw them huddled around Eleven, who had passed out from the exertion.

“El, are you okay?” Mike asked, his voice thick with worry, but there was no response.

“Here, help me get her up,” Gracie ordered. Mike carefully lifted the small girl from the chair. Gracie took Eleven from him, throwing her over her shoulder. She moved quickly, ushering the boys out of the AV room and into the hallway, the fire alarm still wailing.

As they made their way out of the school, Gracie’s mind raced. She was overwhelmed with emotions—relief that Will was alive, but also a deep, gnawing fear. Whatever had been making those horrible noises was with Will. And if Will was trapped with it, was Barb trapped with it as well?

One thing was clear: Neither of them were safe. And while Will might be alive now, their time to save him or Barb was running out.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington x original character #mike wheeler #stranger things #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #will byers #jim hopper #eleven hopper #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #joyce byers #robin buckley #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things series

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harringtonstilinski · 8 months ago

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Always The Babysitter - Chapter Thirty-One: The Dive

Author: @harringtonstilinski Characters: Steve Harrington x Olivia Henderson(OC) Word Count: Warnings: fluff, angst, olivia being protective & having conflicted feelings (it's not what you think, don't worry), steve and liv almost getting caught, Smut: no | yes; 18+ MINORS DNI: oral (f receiving), protected m + f A/N: Hi, friends! We getting Eddie in this chapter!! I'm so freaking excited, lol. If you like this chapter, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

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After we left the Creel house and picked up Steve’s car from the Wheeler’s, we dropped Dustin off at home before we went back to Steve’s, finally having a night to ourselves. Only information that was handed to us before we left was that we needed to be back at the Wheeler’s in the morning.

Steve and I finally had the chance to take individual showers, at his request. I was a little bummed, but decided not to argue against it. When he came out of the bathroom with his hair all damp and sleeping shorts on his hips, I was instantly wet.

I mean, can you blame me? It’d been a few days since we last slapped skin and, dammit, I wanted him! I think he knew it, too, because the chuckle he gave with the smirk on his face had me laying somewhat seductively on the bed.

“What are you laughing at, Steve?” I asked.

“You,” he answered, simply. “You’re always so…”

“So what?” I asked, crawling off the bed to walk toward him. “So needy?”

Without missing a beat, he turned to me, hands on my cheeks. “Horny,” he answered before kissing me right on the mouth.

I moaned into the kiss, relishing in the feeling of his lips on mine in something more than just a mere chaste kiss. The kiss we were sharing was hungry, needy, passionate. I felt myself being lifted off the ground, my legs going around Steve’s waist before feeling my back meet the mattress a moment later.

As I bounced on the mattress, Steve hovered over me, his lips meeting my jaw, then my neck before reaching the swell of my breasts. I had removed my shirt and shorts as he got in the shower.

With a skilled hand, he reached behind my back, quickly unclasping my bra and taking it off, tossing beside him to the floor just as his tongue met my hardened bud, his fingers gently playing with my other.

I moaned, loudly, as my hand threaded through his dampened strands. “Oh, my god. Steve.”

Letting my hardened peak go with a soft pop, he looked at me with hooded eyes. “That’s right, baby. Say my name. Say my name, Olivia.” He switched breasts, giving my right nipple the same amount of love he gave to my left.

“Fuuuuuuuuuck, Steve,” I moaned, arching my back just the slightest. As he shifted his mouth from my breast to my stomach, I could feel his hardened erection on my thigh, as well as see it through his shorts. “Damn, Stevie. Seems like you’re a little needy, too.”

Kissing the top of my panties, he mumbled, “Always for you, baby.” As he kissed the tops of my thighs, he slid my panties down my legs, silently asking with the tap of his fingers on my thighs to lift my ass up off the bed, to which I did.

He tossed those off to the side, as well, before wrapping his arms under my thighs, diving into my slick folds with his tongue and licking a long stripe up my core.

“OH. MY. GOD,” I moaned, the back of my head digging into the pillow while my right hand gently sat on the top of his head. “Fuck, Steve, right there.” Feeling him wrap his lips around my sensitive bud, I chuckled out in pleasure, closing my eyes. “Fuck.”

Steve pulled away, pulling one of his arms from under my leg to gently rub circles onto my clit. “That’s it, baby. Moan for me. Scream for–”

Our heads turned towards his bedroom door, hearing the front door close before his mom’s voice rang out, “Steve?”

“Shit,” we whispered.

I looked at him, fear in my eyes. “I thought they weren’t supposed to be home?”

He shrugged. “She never called.”

“Steven!” said his father’s booming voice.

“Yeah, I’m up in my room,” Steve called. He looked at me, a wicked look in his eyes as he smirked that devilish smirk of his as he started circling lightly on my clit. I had to put my hand over my mouth to conceal the moan that wanted to come out.

His mother’s voice sounded closer as she said, “I just wanted to let you know that we’re gonna be home for the night then we’re heading out tomorrow morning, early.” She turned the doorknob as Steve protested.

“Don’t come in, I’m naked!” he said, diving down to give my clit a couple of kitten licks before addressing his mother again. “Okay. Well… you guys have a good night.”

“Is Olivia here?” she asked.

Keeping my hand over my mouth, I tried not to moan when Steve’s mouth covered my core as I said, “Hi, Mrs. Harrington!”

I could hear her sigh on the other side of the door before she said, “You two be safe–”

“No funny business!” Mr. Harrington said.

“Charles!” Mrs. Harrington chastised. “Leave them alone.”

They quarreled as they walked away, the last thing I heard from Steve’s dad being, “He’s not ready to be a father!”

I sighed as I felt Steve pull away and crawl back up my body. He laid on top of me, head resting between my bare breasts. Feeling a tear hit my skin, I ran my fingers through the back of his hair. “For what it’s worth,” I whispered. “You’re gonna be a better father than he is one day. I know it.”

He turned his head to place a kiss between my breasts, looking me in the eyes. “I’m still very much hard.”

I laughed out loud at his statement before going quiet with my words, “I’m still very much wet for you.”

Placing a kiss to my lips, he pulled his shorts down a little bit on his thighs before he reached up to grab a condom from his drawer.

“We don’t have to,” I said, cupping his cheeks.

“You’re going to be ovulating soon,” he whispered, ripping the packet open with his teeth.

Scrunching my brows, I asked, “You help keep track of my cycles?”

He nodded before rolling the protection on his length. “Why do you think we use condoms a few days during the month?”

I smiled at him before I leaned up to kiss him. He kissed me back as he gently pushed his way into my slick entrance. Once he was fully sheathed inside of me, he went still for a moment before slowly moving in and out.

We kissed, passionately, his forearms trapping my head as I cupped his cheeks. His thrusts weren’t slow, but they weren’t fast. They were just right, perfect. I wrapped my arms around his neck lightly and bent my legs to give him more access, the top of his shaft lightly rubbing clit.

“Oh, fuck, right there,” I whispered. “Fuck, Steve, I’m gonna cum. Don’t stop.” I quietly groaned, bringing my hands down to the junction of his neck and shoulders. “Please, don’t stop, baby.” Three more thrusts and we were both done, spent.

We laid there a moment, letting our breaths slow down before he pulled out gently and grabbed my hands. He led me to the bathroom, where he removed his condom and ran the water until it reached the perfect temperature. He sat in the bathroom while I showered, I guess not wanting to be away from me.

Once I was done, he helped me out of the shower and helped to dry me off, putting one of his shirts on me as well as sliding a pair of my panties up my legs to sit on my hips. Once we laid in the bed, I whispered, “You didn’t have to do all that.”

Running his hand up and down my arm, he whispered back, “I wanted to.”

“How an amazing guy like you could have parents like yours, I’ll never know.” I tilted my head back to look at him. “You’re such an amazing guy, Steve. And I love you so fucking much. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he retorted. “I can’t imagine doing life without you.”

I cupped his cheek, rubbing my thumb against it. “I love you, Steven Anthony.”

“I love you, Olivia Frances.”

He leaned his head down just as I did my best to lean my head up to meet his lips with mine. Our lips moved in sync in a sweet, sweet kiss before we broke apart, caused by my yawning.

“Let’s get some sleep,” was the very last thing I heard before I fell into a deep and comfortable slumber.

~~~

We did as asked the next morning by making it the Wheeler’s early with Dustin, Lucas, Max and Robin in tow. How we fit all six of us in Steve’s little BMW, I’ll never know.

Nancy had apparently gone to the store beforehand, stashing everything in the back of the car with a few extras for us to snack on during our journey.

“Not to be wimp, but can I maybe sit in the car for this visit?” Robin asked from the front seat. “ ‘Cause this is gonna totally and royally suck.” “It’ll be… fine,” Nancy said, a little more emphasis on the word fine.

“I just can’t stand to see those doe eyes of Eddie’s break again, I really, really can’t.”

Holding up a six-pack from the back of the car Steve, myself and Dustin were occupying, I said, “Hey, at least he can drink himself into feeling better.” Setting it down, I reached into the Pringles can Steve was holding, taking a chip from the can to place into my mouth. “Fuck, these are good.”

“Liv,” Nancy said, looking at me in the rearview mirror. “Could we maybe tone the language down?”

Chewing on the chip, I just stared back at her, feeling a little bit of hostility coming from her. “No.”

“Why?”

After I swallowed the chip, I said, “Have you met me?”

“Drinking’s what my mom does,” Max said from the seat in front of me, Lucas sitting next to her.

“Why don’t we give it a trial run?” Robin said. “Hey, Eddie. Uh, good news first this time. We got you some Henderson-approved junk food and that six-pack you requested. Oh, yeah, and we found Venca, only bad news is that he’s in that other, darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about, and the gate’s closed, so we have no way of getting to him, like, he’s entirely shut off to us, so basically you’re screwed. And, no, no, I know that you were already screwed, but now you’re, like, doubly, triplely, screwed.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Lucas said. “Maybe we don’t put it like that.”

“We’re one step closer to finding Vecna,” Nancy said. “That’s what we say, that’s what’s important.”

“See, Robin?” Steve said. “Positive spin can make all the difference.”

“Uh-huh,” she said.

“Oh, shit,” Nancy said.

A shit ton of cars at Reefer Rick’s house… with the police. Oh shit is right. Dustin, Steve and I quickly piled out of the car, as did the other four before the seven of us hid behind a news van as Captain Powell gave a small press conference.

“As many of you know by now, the Roane County line received a call a little after midnight reporting a homicide out here on the lake,” Powell said. “Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene. Uh, we made our way to the shore of Lover’s Lake, about ten yards from that house you see behind me. Uh, it was there that we found the victim, an 18 year old Senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney.”

I looked at Lucas, seeing his demeanor shrink a little at the mention of one of his basketball buddies. Resting my hand on his shoulder, I only hoped he could sense my comfort for him.

“His limbs, his body, it was disfigured,” Powell continued. “There was an eyewitness on the scene. We have also identified a person of interest.” He held up a picture, saying, “Eddie Munson. We encourage anyone with information to please come forward.” “Oh man,” Steve said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“Damn,” I whispered.

“This is not good,” he said. “This is really not good.”

“You’ve got a lot of questions, and I’m going to answer as many as I can,” Powell said. “Two o’clock at town hall, where anyone from the Hawkins community is welcome. But for right now, I’ve got some work to do, and I appreciate your understanding.”

“Is Eddie still in Hawkins?” a reporter asked.

I shook my head at Powell’s retreating form. “He should be keeping this quiet, not putting it out there to scare everyone. I mean, Hop kept shit quiet.”

“Dustin, can you hear me? Wheeler?” Eddie’s voice said through Dustin’s walkie talkie.

He took the walkie from his backpack, all of us turning around to walk a few steps to the back of the news van. “Eddie. Holy shit,” he said into the mouthpiece. “Are you okay?” “Nah, man. Pretty–pretty goddamn far from okay.”

“Where is he?” Robin asked.

“Where are you?” Dustin repeated.

“Skull Rock. Do you know it?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s near, uh, Cornwallis and–”

“Garrett,” Steve said. “Yeah, I know where that is.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me along to follow him.

“Hold tight. We’re coming. We’re coming.”

~~~

As we were making our way through the woods, Steve’s hand was clutched in mine, our fingers laced. To be honest, I was a little annoyed at the fact that he and Dustin were arguing the whole freaking time.

“Dude, I’m telling you,” Steve said. “You’re taking us the wrong way.”

Looking down at his compass, Dustin said, “It’s North. I’m positive. I checked the map.”

“You do realize that Skull Rock, it’s, like, a super popular make-out spot?” “Yeah. Liv used to tell me all the time about her coming here and for me not to tell Mom.” “Dustin,” I hissed.

Steve and I locked eyes as he asked, “You used to come here?”

“Steve, yes. Dustin, it wasn’t popular until we made it popular.”

“What do you mean we?” Steve asked.

“You think you were the only one that brought someone here to makeout? It was only made popular by you because of your popularity.”

“Nope. I practically invented it. We’re heading in the wrong direction.” “Steve,” Dustin and I said.

“Where are you going? Steve!” Dustin said.

Since Steve still had my hand in his, he practically pulled me along with him, holding our hands up a tiny bit to keep us both balanced on the small hill we were on as he turned back to Dustin saying, “Stop whining! Let’s go. Come on. Trust me.”

We walked for what felt like hours, but it was only a few more minutes when Steve said, “Oh, boom! Bada bing, bada boom. There she is, Henderson. Skull Rock.” He went through a couple bushes, leaving me and Dustin standing on the other side of them.

I sighed, grabbing his shirt sleeve, saying, “Come on.” Somehow, I made it through with minimal struggle, Dustin right behind me.

“In your face, man. In your stupid, cocky little face.” Steve turned to look at me for a moment before holding his arm out to me, beckoning me to him with that smile that I loved oh so much.

As I walked into Steve’s side, wrapping my arms around his middle, Dustin said, “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve said, opening and closing his hand in a talking motion. “Even with it staring you in the face, you can’t admit it. You just can’t admit that you’re wrong, you little butthead.”

“Hey,” I said, gently shoving him. “Only I can–” I jumped at the sound of feet hitting the leaves behind us.

“I concur,” Eddie said. “You, Dustin, are a… total butthead.”

“Okay, you two stop throwing insults at my brother,” I said, turning to face Dustin and Eddie. “Only I can do that.”

��Jesus, we thought you were a goner,” Dustin said, walking to Eddie, hugging him.

“Yeah, me, too, man,” Eddie replied, looking at Steve and I. “Me, too.”

Dustin walked back over to us as Steve put his hands on his hips, giving Eddie a tightlipped smile.

“Oh, my god,” I breathed, walking to Eddie, giving him one of my special hugs. “Hey, Eddie.”

“Hey, Liv,” he replied, squeezing me back.

I pulled back, keeping my hands on his shoulders. “There’s a manhunt for you. We need to keep you safe. You’re my brother’s other best friend. Which means you’re my best friend, and I protect those in my friend group.”

Nancy and the others walked up just then before I tapped his shoulders with my hands, walking back to Steve and Dustin.

~~~

Eddie told us what had happened the night before at Lover’s Lake where they found Patrick’s body. “When I got to the shore,” he said, opening a canteen. “I tried calling you guys, but, uhh…” He took a sip of the water. “My walkie was busted, man. Drenched. So, uhh, I did the thing that I do now, apparently.” He set down the canteen, smiling, “I ran,” before chuckling a little.

“Do you know what… time this was? The attack?” Nancy asked.

My eyes were on Dustin as he paced back and forth, looking up and down from his compass.

“Yeah, no, I… I know exactly what time it was,” Eddie answered Nancy. I looked back at him as he messed with the watch on his wrist. “My walkie wasn’t the only thing that got soaked. Henderson, female.”

I raised my brows right before he threw his watch at me. Catching it, I closed my eyes with surprise, looking down at it after a moment. “9:27.”

“Same time our flashlights with kablooey,” Robin said.

“Which means what, exactly?” Steve asked.

“That that surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick,” Nancy answered.

Robin sighed. “Well, we’re one step closer. We know how Vecna attacks.”

“And where he attacks from,” Lucas added.

“So, all we have to do is sneak into the Upside Down, and drive a stake through his heart,” Max said.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, waving my hands in front of me. “No one is sneaking into the Upside Down.”

“Why not? It’s the only way to kill Vecna.”

“We don’t even know if he has a heart.”

“A stake? Is he like a vamp? Is he a vampire?” Steve asked.

“Oh my god,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You’re lucky you’re handsome.”

“It was a metaphor,” Max said.

“A bullet should work on him, right?” Eddie asked.

“I say we chop his head off,” Lucas said.

“Yeah, I’d say all of the above, but we can’t do any of that until we find a way into the Upside Down,” Nancy said.

“No one is going into the Upside Down,” I said.

“We need El to get her powers back,” Max said.

“Everything was like wayyyyyyy easier,” Steve said. He turned to Eddie to explain who El was while my brother was pacing back and forth, looking between his compass and the woods.

“Superpowers. Yeah, you mentioned her. Hey, male Henderson isn’t cursed, is he?” Eddie asked.

“Cursed? No, no, no, no, he’s fine.”

“Mental, abso-fucking-lutely,” I added.

“BOOM!” Dustin yelled, causing a few of us to jump.

“My god, Dustin, don’t do that,” I said, grabbing at my chest and bending a little.

Pointing at Steve, Dustin whispered, “Bada… bada… boom.” At both mine and Steve’s confused look, he went on to say, “I was right.”

“Oh, my god, Dustin,” I whispered.

“Skull Rock was North.”

“Seriously?” Steve said. “You’re serious?”

“Mhmm,” Dustin said, happily.

“This is Skull Rock, okay!” Steve gestured to the big rock behind us with his hands. “You’re totally, absolutely, 100% wrong. Right now!”

“Yes. And no.”

“What the hell, Dustin?” I groaned. Looking at Steve, I said, “You’re seriously gonna argue with a 14 year old!?”

“This worked correctly when we left the Wheeler’s,” Dustin said, holding up his compass. “It was correct when we got in the car on Kerley, but it started to slip the further East we went. Now, it’s way off. When I was leading us here, I wasn’t wrong. The compass was.” “So, you’re using faulty equipment,” Steve said. “Dude, you’re still wrong.”

“Steve, shut up,” I said, looking at the ground with furrowed eyebrows.

“Liv?” Robin asked.

“Babe, what are you–” Steve said.

Gasping deeply, I widened my eyes, looking at Dustin, who looked at me with a big smile. “Dustin, you’re a fucking genius.”

“Liv,” Steve said, sternly.

“There’s another fucking gate nearby!”

“Correct, dear sister,” Dustin said.

“But we’re nowhere near the lab,” Nancy said.

“It’s in a different location,” I said, a smile forming on my face. “What if – and this is just for shits and giggles – there’s a gate where all the murders happened? If we go to one of the three that’s happened, which we won’t, we’d have a way to Vecna–”

“And a way to free Max from this curse,” Dustin said, turning around and walking back through the woods.

“Where are you going?” Steve said. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.”

“Eddie’s still a wanted man,” I said. “We can’t just go for a hike in the woods!”

Holding up his compass, Dustin said, “This little steel capsule might be the key in saving both Max and Eddie.” Looking at Eddie, he asked, “What say you, Eddie the Banished?”

“I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor, which if I’m totally straight with you, I think it’s a really bad idea,” Eddie said. “But, uh, the Shire… the Shire is burning.” He stood up, looking dead at my bouncing brother. “So, Mordor it is.”

Everyone started following after Dustin and Eddie, Steve and I staying behind for a moment as he asked, “What is Mordor?”

I looked from him to Skull Rock then back to him, smirking a little. “What would you say to leaving them for a moment to relieve some separate high school memories?”

“As fun as that sounds,” Steve said, putting his arm around my shoulders. “We have one of our friend’s lives to save.”

“Two,” I corrected. Watching Eddie run past us from the corner of my eye, I said, “Eddie, get your stuff!”

“On it, Henderson,” he said, grabbing my shirt sleeve on his way back, pulling me along with him, my hand reaching back for Steve.

~~~

It was nighttime by the time we reached the woods at Lover’s Lake, Dustin leading the way. He stopped for a moment, looking at his compass before looking back up in front of him. “Something’s happening,” he said. I could hear the smile even being behind him.

Eddie caught up to him, saying, “Dustin. Will you slow down? Dustin!”

I passed by Max and Lucas, catching up to Eddie and Dustin as my brother turned around and said, “I think we’re getting close!” Basically having to jump to grab his jacket, I stopped him from going into the water, Eddie helping me.

“Watch your step, big guy,” he said, patting my brother on the shoulder.

“Oh, man!” Steve said, coming on my right. “You gotta be shittin’ me.”

“Yeah.”

“I knew these woods looked familiar,” I said, crossing my arms. Raising my brow, I added, “Lover’s Lake.”

“This is… confounding,” Dustin said.

“There’s a gate in Lover’s Lake?” Max asked.

“Whenever the Demogorgon attacked,” Nancy said. “It always left an opening.”

Pointing in the direction of her voice, I said, “You are absolutely correct, Nancy Wheeler.” Shrugging, I said, “Maybe Vecna’s the same way.”

“Yeah, only one way to find out,” Steve said.

“What, are we gonna swim to the middle of the lake?”

“Nope,” Eddie said. I followed his voice, seeing him standing next to a covered boat.

The seven of us walked over to him right before he took the cover off… revealing a boat. I looked between Eddie and Steve, waiting for one of them to make a move. “Well, get it into the water!”

They both jumped into action, Steve saying to put into the water easily while Eddie put it in… harshly, I guess would be the word.

“Easy,” Steve said. “I-I said easy, man.”

“Sorry, dude,” Eddie replied.

They squatted at the back of the boat, Steve put his hand out to help us in, Robin stepping forward to use their heads as support while she stepped into the boat, saying, “Yeah, I’m just gonna do that. Thank you.”

“Yeah, that works, too,” Steve said.

Eddie got in next, turning to help Nancy in as Steve said, “Good, you got her.”

Steve turned to me, asking, “You coming?”

“What? Why?” Dustin asked, putting his hand on my shoulder to stop me from moving.

“I can’t leave my best girl behind.”

My brother tried stepping onto the boat, but Eddie pushed him back by his head, saying, “Hey, hey, hey, you trying to sink us? This thing holds four people, tops, okay?”

“It’s better this way, okay?” Nancy said. “You guys stay here with Max. Keep an eye out for trouble.”

“You keep an eye out,” Dustin said.

I looked at Nance as she gave an excuse me look before I looked back at my brother, seeing him give her that mocking, sarcastic look he always gives me. “It’s my goddamn theory!”

“Uhm, no,” I said, crossing my arms, turning to look at him. “It’s my goddamn theory.”

“You heard Nance,” Robin said.

“And which Henderson are you speaking to?”

“Male.”

“Who put her in charge?” Dustin and I asked.

“I did.”

Nancy reached her hand out, asking for Dustin’s compass, which he begrudgingly gave to her.

He started to back up as Steve stood up, tossing him a backpack. “Hey, here ya go.” He grabbed my elbow and pulled me onto the boat with him and the other three older teens.

“You said four!” Dustin said as the boat started its journey on the water.

“Sorry,” Steve whispered.

When we got a little further into the water, Robin said, “Bedtime at nine, kiddos!”

I could see Dustin giving us the middle finger from my position in the boat. And when I say in, I mean I’m literally sitting on the bottom of the boat.

A little while later, I was starting to get uncomfortable. “Well, this is just fucking peachy.”

~~~

“My ass is numb!” I exclaim, leaning my head against Steve’s knees. “How much farther?”

About a minute later, Nancy said,“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, guys, slow down,” making me jump.

“Fucking A, Wheeler,” I breathed.

Robin and Eddie stopped their paddling, looking over their shoulders at Dustin’s compass. I could hear it spinning like crazy from here.

“Whoa,” Steve said.

“What?” I said, turning to the side and sitting on my knees to see that arrow spinning like crazy like I had heard.

“Guys, what’s going on?” Dustin asked through his walkie. “Come on, guys, talk to me. What’s going on?”

I grabbed the other walkie, pressing the button and saying into the mouthpiece, “Your compass’s needle is spinning like fucking crazy.” Looking next to me, I watched as Steve started to take off his socks and shoes. “Steve, what the fuck are you doing?” Anxiety, fear, worry and all those emotions were starting to seep out of my body.

“Somebody’s gotta go down there and check this out, baby,” he said. “Unless one of them three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then… it’s gonna be me. No complaints, alright?”

“Uhm, one of them four, dingus,” Robin said.

“No, no. I know what I said.”

“He can beat me by a minute,” I said, directing my words towards Robin, but I was looking at Steve, watching as he stood up.

“Hey,” Eddie said. “I’m not complaining. I do not wanna go down there.”

I heard rustling before hearing thuds hit the bottom of the boat, not being able to take my eyes off Steve as he removed his shirt. I stood up, careful not to tip the boat over as I placed a hand on his bare back.

Steve turned to look at me… before looking past me. I turned around, seeing Nancy giving off bedroom eyes.

“Nancy, look away,” I said. “He’s not your eye candy anymore.” Turning back to Steve, I looked at him with what I was hoping was soft eyes. “Please be careful down there, even though I don’t want you going down there.”

He put a hand on my cheek that I leaned into. “I’m always careful, but it has to be me.”

“No more putting yourself in danger after this, okay?” My eyes danced between his, tears welling in my own. My voice was a soft whisper as I said, “Please don’t go.”

“Hey, it’s okay, baby,” he said, voice just as soft. “I’m gonna be fine. I’m gonna come back.”

I nodded, turning my face into his cheek, kissing his palm before he fixed his hand back on my cheek. He went to say something, but Eddie interrupted him, giving him the flashlight wrapped in a plastic bag, telling him good luck.

Steve looked back at me, forehead resting against mine as I rested my hands on his neck. With the soft voice he spoke with before, he said, “I love you, Liv.”

With a voice just as soft, I said, “I love you, too, Stevie.”

He placed his lips on mine, giving me the sweetest kiss we’ve ever shared before we pulled apart. He looked me in the eyes, saying, “I love you,” again before he dove into the water.

I sat down in the spot he was occupying before, feeling hands on my knee and my back.

“He’ll be fine,” Robin said.

Sniffling, I wiped the tears that had fallen. “Uhm, we should time him. He can hold his breath for five minutes, but I’m wracked with anxiety right now.”

Nancy looked at her watch before Robin asked, “Where are we at, Wheeler?”

“Closing in on a minute,” Nancy said.

“Okay.”

Looking down at the water, I whispered, “Come on, baby, come on.”

Another minute went by before water splashing in my face had me exclaiming, “Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!” like Dustin does.

“Liv, it’s fine! It’s Steve!” Robin said.

I looked over at him, relief flooding me as I saw him floating on the water as he breathlessly said, “I found it.”

“You found it?” Nancy asked, without missing a beat.

“I found it. Yeah, I found it.” He pulled himself to the boat, grabbing onto the side, wiping the water from his face.

“I’m a goddamn genius,” I said.

“Dustin, your hot as hell sister is goddamn Einstein,” Robin said. “Steve found the gate!”

“It’s pretty wild,” Steve said, resting his right arm on the side of the boat, putting his wet hand on my thigh. “It’s more of a snack-size gate than the mama gate, but still, it’s pretty damn big.” He was back under the water for a moment before coming back up.

“Babe?” I said.

He looked back at the water before being dragged under by something unknown.

“Steve!” I yelled. We were all yelling his name like that was gonna do something, so I stood, taking off my own coat that was my least favorite of all, and tossing it to the side.

“What the hell was that, man?” Eddie yelled.

“Nancy, really, what happened?” Robin asked.

“Jesus!”

I put my foot on the side of the boat, getting ready to dive in just like Steve did before Eddie stopped me, asking, “Henderson, you’re not going in there are you?”

“He’s the love of my life. I can’t just sit here and hope that he’ll come back to me. Just… wait here,” I said right before diving into the water.

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

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Posted on May 29, 2024

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roanofarcc · 9 months ago

Text

PROJECT SUNSHINE CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE → THE COME DOWN

summary: steve harrington x oc | on ao3

word count. 4.7k || masterlist

warnings: cannon typical violence, child abuse, horror, gore, and depictions of mental illness. parts of this story were written pre-season 4 release. cannon divergence.

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The instant Steve pulled the stolen car into the Byers driveway, every ounce of adrenaline disappeared. It hit him all at once after he threw open the car door and stumbled out, falling to his knees in the grass. The world spun too quickly for him to stomach. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to pass out, throw up, or both. The only thing he could get his body to do was close his eyes.

A hand shook his shoulder lightly and a soft voice sounded in his ears. “Steve?” Sunshine called his name.

He swallowed down his nausea and peeled his eyes open. “I’m good. I’m just-”

“Beat to hell?” Dustin finished Steve's sentence, standing over him with arms crossed. “You look awful, dude.”

“Thanks, bud,” Steve muttered. With a groan, he struggled to his feet and attempted to move toward the front door, but pain clouded his mind and halted his movements. He swayed forward but was caught by both Sunshine and Dustin.

Before they could walk up the driveway, a loud “Fuck!” echoed through the quiet night, and their attention was pulled back to the car where Mike sat halfway out with one foot in the driveway and the other hovering slightly in the air.

“What’s wrong?” Sunshine asked.

The kid, as irritatingly stubborn as the rest of them, shook his head and tried to stand again, but the second he tried to stand on both feet, he fell back into the seat. “It’s my ankle,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Max, Lucas, help Mike inside and we’ll get Steve,” Sunshine directed.

They all made it inside. Sunshine and Dustin exchanged words that Steve missed; he was more focused on not falling face-first to the ground. The pain in his face let him know whatever Hargrove had done wasn’t pretty, and he didn’t need to mess himself up anymore. Besides the pain in his face, his knuckles stung, his vision was a little blurry, and he was certain a rib or two was bruised because it hurt every time he inhaled.

He was led into the bathroom and all but collapsed on top of the closed toilet seat. Dustin left and Sunshine quietly rummaged through the cabinets until she found a small basket of medical supplies.

He felt terrible, but he didn’t want to admit that. It felt a little unfair of him to do so, when Sunshine saved their asses multiple times that night and also looked beat up because of it. Steve felt like he deserved to mull over his mistakes with the dried blood around his cuts and thundering headache.

“Sunshine, I’m fine-”

She shot him a look that cut him off. He pressed his split lips into a thin line as he gazed into her golden eyes. “Just let me help.”

He was too tired to argue, so he sighed in defeat and stayed quiet as Sunshine wet a washcloth and pressed his against the cuts on his face. She tried to be as gentle as possible, but Steve couldn’t help but wince each time the washcloth touched one of his deep scrapes either from shards of broken glass or Billy’s knuckles.

The pain was a lot, so he tried to distract himself from it. He focused on Sunshine, who leaned down close to his face. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Fresh red and purple bruises had grown along the bridge of her nose and spread out across the apples of her cheeks. Blood stained the skin between her nose and upper lip, and it was smeared across the corner of her mouth in a way he hadn’t noticed before. It stared for another moment before he realized the blood had come from a nasty split along the corner of her mouth that he was sure wasn’t there before.

He wasn’t fully aware of what he was doing before his thumb brushed across the skin just under the split, wiping away some of the dried blood. “What happened?” he asked. It was stupid, in the grand scheme of things. The number of injuries they all had accumulated throughout the past day and night was staggering, but something about the cut didn’t sit right with him.

Sunshine paused and backed away from him to gaze at herself in the mirror. She was quiet for a moment like she was trying to remember how she managed to get that cut throughout their hellish night. Then, she shook her head and discarded the bloody rag in the sink before she grabbed a box of band-aids.

“Billy,” she replied, simply, and started to cover his face in the color band-aids that Steve assumed were Will’s because they had pictures of characters Steve didn’t know.

“He hit you?” He didn’t know what happened after Billy knocked him out; the last thing he remembered was a plate being smashed over his head and then hitting the ground. The next thing he knew, he was in the backseat of a car being driven by a child. But the thought of Billy hurting Sunshine or any one of the kids caused anger and guilt to rise steadily inside of him.

“Well, I did try to blind him.” There was a light humor to her voice, but Steve didn’t find it funny. He wanted to believe his fight with Jonathan last fall was a fluke; his mind had been all over the place and that threw him off his game. But, failing to stop Billy from getting inside and causing damage just confirmed that he was not a fighter. He got himself beat up, Sunshine got hurt, and who knew what else happened while he was miserably knocked out.

“I’m sorry," Steve sighed.

Sunshine stopped what she was doing and peered at him quizzically. “For what?”

“For not stopping that asshole from getting inside or hurting you. And God only knows what would have happened to the kids if you weren’t there. I…I’m sorry.”

Steve couldn’t read the expression Sunshine wore, but there was something about the gaze in her eyes that was overwhelming. Her eyes were red, probably from whatever kind of toxic air was inside the tunnels they were in, but the little illuminated flecks of gold intensified her gaze.

“The kids are okay. I’m okay. You, on the other hand, are not.”

With a half-hearted shrug, he replied, “I’m just a little banged up.”

Sunshine dropped what she had been doing and sucked in a shuttered breath. “I thought he was going to kill you.” The lowness of her voice startled him; it was twisted with emotion. It almost sounded like she was on the verge of tears, and he couldn’t wrap his brain around why. “He wouldn’t stop. A-And you just…I was so scared, Steve.”

Her words took him aback. She stared at him with such an intensity in her eyes that it nearly took his breath away. He was sure no one had ever looked at him like that before; he wasn’t sure anyone had ever seemed to care that much about him before. Steve didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about it, besides confused. His head hurt too much to think about it.

Clearing his throat, Steve tried to reel himself back in. “I’m fine. It’s gonna take a lot more than some mullet-wearing-asshole to kill me, okay?”

A small and tired smile pulled at the corners of her lips. “Promise?”

Steve returned the smile. “Promise. Unfortunately, that means you're going to be stuck with me for a while.” The world wasn’t going to end that night; they had time.

“I’m okay with that,” she replied and continued placing band-aids across his face. Once she was done, she leaned back against the wall and let out a breathy sigh. “There’s medicine in the kitchen that should help with the pain. We can-”

“Yeah, I’ll get some later. But now, it’s your turn.” He stood up, ignoring the pain in his muscles as he moved, and gestured to the seat. “Sit.”

She looked ready to protest, but he turned away in search of more first aid supplies. He heard her huff before she sat down. Comfortable silence engulfed them. He cleaned the blood off her face and was careful not to disturb the angry bruises from using her powers any more than they already were. There wasn’t much either one of them could do with the supplies Ms. Byers had. In her defense, she probably wasn’t prepared for her home to become the home base for a monster-infested night.

Steve changed the gauze that covered Sunshine’s tattoo and winced when he saw the bruises the vines left behind. If her wrists were already black and blue, he could only imagine what Mike’s ankle looked like; no wonder the kid could hardly walk on it.

Once they both were in slightly better-looking shape, voices rose from the living room that indicated the others were back. They wordlessly left the bathroom and found the Byers clan and Nancy in the living room.

The newly arrived group turned at the sound of Steve and Sunshine’s footsteps. Nancy rushed towards them, sweaty and disheveled. "Jesus! What happened to you guys?"

In the mess of feelings and pain that had a hold of his body and mind, Steve had almost forgotten that he and Nancy had officially broken up just hours prior. Almost.

“Long story,” Steve said, brushing off her concern.

Sunshine pushed the attention away from them quickly, not necessarily wanting them to know they did exactly what they were instructed not to do. “How is he?” she asked, looking at Will who was fast asleep in Jonathan’s arms. The kid looked just as bad as he had when they left, but noticeable calmness to his slumber. They had gotten the Mind Flyer out of him, thank God.

“He’ll be okay, I think,” Jonathan said.

Joyce approached them after she had checked on the kids, who were scatted around the living room. Dark circles hung under the woman’s eyes, but there was a sense of ease in her shoulders. Steve couldn’t fathom what she felt like after all she and her family had been through. She had nearly lost her son again. Yet, somehow Steve knew Joyce would never give up home on her sons, no matter what kind of otherworldly dangers they had to face.

Steve wondered what it was like to have a mother as devoted and determined as Joyce. She had fought monsters and entered another dimension to save Will, all while everyone in town called her crazy. Steve loved his mother, but he didn’t believe she’d go through all of that to get him back. Joyce was unlike most parents in Hawkins, as were Sunshine’s parents. Most were shitty, absent, or indifferent. But Steve was glad that the kids who had been through the most had good parents to fall back on. If anyone deserved that, it was them.

Joyce’s face scrunched up in concern when her eyes landed on him and Sunshine. “What happened? Are you two okay?”

Steve nodded his head. “We’re okay, Ms. Byers.”

She didn’t seem to believe his words, but she didn’t say anything else about it.

“Listen, everyone’s staying here tonight,” she said to everyone. “You can call your parents in the morning, but I don’t want anyone leaving tonight.”

No one argued. Dustin and Lucas gathered pillows and blankets from around the house and piled them in the living room. Max and Luke finished sweeping the glass up off the floor, and Mike iced his ankle.

Jonathan put Will to bed, and Joyce followed her boys.

When they were alone, Nancy turned back to them with her arms crossed over her chest. “Alright, what actually happened? You two look a lot worse than when we left. And don’t say nothing.”

They didn’t get the chance to say anything before the front door was swung open and a young girl stumbled inside. Leia’s hair was matted to the sides of her head and blood stained underneath her nose in a nearly identical fashion to Sunshine's. Behind her trailed Hopper, who carried a passed-out El in his arms.

“El!” Mike shouted and tried to stand up from his seat. “Ow,” he grumbled but didn’t let his messed-up ankle keep him from El. He grabbed a hold of her limp hand and squeezed it sweetly. “El?”

The girl was out cold, though, and didn’t so much as stir in Hopper’s arms.

Joyce peaked out from Will’s bedroom at the commotion. “You can put her in my room, Hop,” she said. Hopper nodded and headed off in the direction of Joyce’s room, with Mike right behind him. Steve had a feeling that the kid wasn’t going to leave El’s side for the rest of the night, and it didn’t seem like Hopper had the heart to shoo him off.

Bounding up to Sunshine, Leia smiled up at her sister despite the tiredness that was clear on her pale face. Sunshine was quick to look over Leia for any injuries, but she seemed okay under their circumstances.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sunshine asked, brushing a couple of knotted pieces of bright blonde hair behind Leia’s ear.

“I’m sure, just a little tired.” Leia smiled as Hopper and Joyce returned from tucking their kids into bed. “She did it. El closed the Gate!”

“And she’ll be okay?” Joyce asked the chief.

He nodded. “She will be. And Will?”

“I hope so.”

Just when Steve thought they’d all be free to pass out on Joyce’s floor, Hopper turned to him and Sunshine with furrowed brows. “What the hell happened to you two?” Steve didn’t think they looked that bad. He didn’t think they looked bad enough to warrant so many looks of concern.

Everyone had gathered together in the living room and all attention was placed on Steve and Sunshine, much to Steve's discomfort.

Dustin chuckled awkwardly under his breath. “It’s a funny story, actually. Well…okay. It’s not funny, per se, but-” he was cut off by a quick slap on the arm by Lucas. “Uh, yeah. Sorry. Nothing happened here. Nothing…at all.” Subtle, Steve thought. Dustin was about as subtle as an earthquake.

Hopper was a cop and knew how to see through bullshit better than most. So, when he turned to Steve and Sunshine, Steve knew he couldn’t bullshit his way out of that one. “Somebody talk, now.” If anyone was going to get in trouble, Steve knew he rather it be him than Sunshine, even if both of them were technically kidnapped by the gaggle of middle schoolers.

He was about to explain what had happened, but Max cut him off, much to his surprise.

“It’s my fault!” she rushed out. “I sort of snuck out of my house earlier with Lucas, so my mom sent my stepbrother to look for me. But he’s an asshole. He found us here and…” She trailed off for a second and looked over her shoulder at where Lucas stared at her. Max’s face was pinched with guilt that didn’t seem fair. “He tried to hurt Lucas, but Steve and Sunshine stopped him. But then Billy kind of beat the shit out of them.”

Hopper was quiet for a moment before he raised his brows at the teens. “Is that true?” Steve and Sunshine nodded. With a deep sigh, Hopper ran his hands down the length of his face. “Jesus. Okay, well, where is he now? I can call whoever’s on duty-”

“No,” Steve cut him off. He didn’t want to explain to the Hawkins P.D. that while, yes, Billy did beat the shit out of them and threatened a child, they did steal his car. “Really, it’s fine. We’re good.”

“Yeah, besides, Max took care of him,” Dustin said, earning himself a look from Hopper that told him he better elaborate. “He kind of was about to kill them and probably us. So, Max stuck him with whatever was in those syringes you gave to knock Will out.” Steve didn’t know that part. He looked to Max, whose cheeks were tinted red, and eyes were glassy.

Hopper blinked, probably trying to process that information on top of everything else that had occurred that night. A few curse words were muttered under his breath before he asked, “Where is he now?”

“It wore off, but he was still pretty out of it and just left. He left his car too.” Lucas was the better liar. It probably was what happened, just while they were away in the tunnels because Billy was gone when they returned, and Steve was grateful for that.

“Okay, I think that’s more than enough questions for tonight,” Joyce said, much to Steve’s relief. “We’ll talk more tomorrow. Everyone, make yourselves comfortable. And I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee.” Joyce gave Hopper’s arm a light squeeze, prompting him to follow her into the kitchen, and leaving everyone else to make up their sleeping arrangements in the living room.

“Max,” Steve called out, beckoning the redhead over. She stepped into the hall, just out of earshot of everyone else. “You know Billy and I’s fight wasn’t your fault, right?”

His words seemed to throw her off. She turned her gaze onto her shoes and shrugged. “I mean, it kind of is. I’m the reason he came here in the first place.”

Steve felt awful. Not only was Max thrown into an impossibly terrifying situation with monsters that nearly killed them three times over, but she also had to live with that ragging asshole. If Billy was willing to beat up some kid he hardly knew, what did that mean for Max? It was a shitty situation that Steve knew he couldn’t fix, but the least he could do was make sure Max didn’t feel like what had happened was her fault.

“It’s not your fault. Billy’s been looking for a fight since you guys moved here. We would have fought sooner or later, and that’s not on you.”

Max was quiet for a moment before she said, "I’m still sorry about your face and stuff.” Her jaw clenched in anger, but her eyes were still glassy. “Billy, he’s just…he’s so angry all of the time, and I-” she cut herself abruptly. “I’m just sorry, okay? I’m sorry he came here. But thanks for at least kicking his ass a little. He deserved it.”

“Any time, kid. And if he ever tries to mess with you or Lucas again, I’ll let you borrow my bat.”

A small smile formed on her face, and Steve counted that a win. “Thanks,” she said and tossed a look over her shoulder for a moment before she looked back at him with a little bit of fire back in her eyes. “But I think I’ll just borrow your girlfriend, instead.” With that, she turned on her heel and rejoined the rest of her friends, leaving Steve confused as to what she was talking about. His hurt still hurt, and he thought maybe he had just misheard her.

He felt heavy on his feet and made his way over to the couch, falling beside Sunshine. She greeted him with a bump of her shoulder. “Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Sunshine replied with a quiet hum and leaned her head against the back of the couch, closing her eyes. Steve followed suit, letting his exhaustion overtake him. His body sank comfortably into the couch, below the broken window that was hastily covered with a tarp to keep some of the cold air out. Someone spread a blanket across them, and he felt himself begin to drift off, but a weight fell onto his side, and he peered through half-open eyes to see Sunshine’s head resting on his shoulder.

Sleep was quick to overtake his body, a body that was finally able to rest for what was no doubt the longest night of his life.

That night, Mike slept on the floor of El’s bedside with his ankle iced and his affection toward the girl overpowering any pain. Nancy sat upright in Will’s desk chair, not daring to close her eyes as she watched over Will and Jonathan’s sleeping figures. Joyce and Hopper shared a cigarette and hushed conversations over hot cups of coffee. Lucas slept curled up on the ground in a sleeping bag he was close to outgrowing, with his lucky bandana still wrapped around his forehead and his wrist rocket within arm's reach. Luke slept in the armchair with his knees pulled into his chest and his face scrunched up. Max and Leia shared an air mattress, too tired to care they were strangers. And Dustin camped out right in front of the couch where two people he had grown a fondness for sleep.

All of Hawkins slept soundly through the night, once again saved by unsung heroes.

→←

“Should we wake them up?

“I don’t know, they look peaceful. Maybe we should let them sleep?”

“But what if they can’t wake up? Oh, God! What if they’re dead?”

“Uh, no. They’re definitely breathing.”

Sunshine groaned as a swarm of voices assaulted her ears. She rubbed her eyes and winced as her fingers met the settled bruises on her skin. Each little movement of her body ached dully, which she knew was payback for pushing herself.

“Oh, shit. I think we woke them up.”

Sunshine forced her eyes open and was met with a series of faces that leaned in too close, startling her into a more awake state. She sat up and yawned. “What’s going on?”

Dustin smiled at her and pointed toward the kitchen. “Hopper made waffles.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Eggos. He put Eggos in the toaster.”

Beside him, El nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! They are very good.”

At the sight of her sister, Sunshine’s flooded with relief. “You’re awake.”

“Yes,” El replied. She narrowed her eyes, which were freed from the dark makeup that covered them before and studied Sunshine for a moment. “Are you okay?” All things considered, Sunshine was fine. She was alive, Will was monster-free, and her three siblings were back in her life.

“Good!” Leia said, excitedly and loud enough that it woke Steve up. She grabbed Sunshine’s hand and pulled her off the couch. “Because we have so much to tell you!”

They all took a seat at the table, with a groggy Steve trailing behind them, chuckling softly at the energetic kids. A plate of waffles sat on the table and steaming mugs of coffee were already laid out on the counter for them; Joyce had made them moments ago, according to the kids, before she went to check on Will.

It wasn’t until Sunshine took a bite that she realized how hungry she was. They all ate waffle after waffle until they were stuffed.

Once the waffles were gone, coffee was drunk, and certain doom had completely been washed away, they could properly catch up.

“This isn’t what I thought would be waiting for us back in Hawkins,” Luke said, curled up on one of the chairs with his knees pulled up to his chest, but he seemed a little less tense than he had last night. “I guess the monsters and stuff make sense, but I didn’t think you’d still be here. Why did you stay?” he asked Sunshine.

The question caught her by surprise. It was crazy how fast her attitude on the town changed. Before she and El escaped, she had been hellbent on running as far away as they could and never looking back. But she had found a home within the people of Hawkins. Her parents remained and so did she. That was her answer, but she felt guilty when she explained it to Luke and Leia. She had a home to return to, and Luke and Leia did not. Maybe they were out there somewhere, and maybe Sunshine could help them find each other.

Leia smiled brightly with a mouth full of waffles. “Really? You found your parents? That’s awesome! What are they like? Are you nice? Do you have your own room? Oh, man! I wish I had my own room. I had to share with Luke, and he snores.”

“I don’t snore!” Luke protested. “Would you’ve rather shared a room with Dottie? Or Axel? Hmm? No, I don’t think so.”

In all of the chaos that had ensured, Sunshine didn’t have much time to think about the fact that there was another child of the Lab out there in the world. “Eight. Kali. Why didn’t she come back with you?”

A somber look crossed all three kids’ faces. El answered, vaguely, “She said no one here could help us.” Sunshine found that strange. If Kali knew the wonderful people who lived in Hawkins, who had helped her and El, she’d have to change her mind. Kali could have a home with them. But Sunshine did understand the appeal of being anywhere but Hawkins. Without the people she had grown to love, Hawkins was a town packed full of bad memories. The lingering ghost of the Lab shadowed them, and some days were more overwhelming than others. But Sunshine believed Steve when he said no one would let her or her siblings end up back there.

“She’s scared,” said Luke. “She’ll never admit it, but she’s scared to come back. We were too, but we needed to find you. And we did.”

Leia grabbed a hold of Sunshine’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “And we’re not leaving you, again. I don’t know how, but we’ll figure out a way to stay here. All that matters is that we’re together.”

“You can live with me and Hopper,” El suggested. Sunshine also hadn’t fully grasped the idea that El had been in Hawkins the whole time, hidden by Hopper who had spent the last year lying to her. She was mad, but she was grateful someone cared for El. It was complicated, too complicated to think about at that moment.

“You guys could join our party, like El!” Dustin practically bounced up in his seat with enthusiasm a bit too bright for the morning hour. “Of course, we’ll have to ask Will and take a vote, but…oh. First, you guys will have to meet Will, when he feels better. But I think he’ll be cool with it.”

Under her breath, Max mumbled, “Unbelievable.”

Beside her, Mike rolled his eyes dramatically. “Relax, Zoomer. You’re in.”

“Whoa, wait. Really?” She tried to hide the excitement on her face, but it was impossible to miss.

“Sure, whatever.” Sunshine saw right through Mike’s ‘I don’t care’ attitude. He was morphing back into his old self with his best friend safe and El back in his life. Maybe everything would return to a new normal; Sunshine hoped so.

“How’s your ankle?” Sunshine asked Mike. His ankle was still wrapped, and she noticed a slight limp in his walk, but he seemed less miserable than last night.

Mike shrugged. “Fine. It’s not broken, I’m pretty sure. How’re your guys’ faces?” He looked between Sunshine and Steve. The latter had remained quiet, leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee in his hands. The colorful band-aids on his face helped make his injuries look less awful, but the bruises started to form overnight, and it would be a while before he was back to normal. Sunshine knew school for Steve would be rough come Monday, but she hoped Billy left him alone, at least. At least she only had to answer her worried parents’ questions, not the whole student body’s.

“I feel about how I look,” Steve replied.

“So, awful?” Mike smirked.

A playful glare narrowed in Steve’s eyes. “You’re a little shit, you know that, Wheeler?”

The kids all erupted in laughter; it was a welcomed sound. After their hellish night, she should almost pretend they all had woken up from a normal sleepover. She glanced over at Steve, who was already looking at her.

“We’ll be okay,” she said, though it was lost to the kids' ears as they found themselves engrossed in another conversation.

Steve smiled softly and replied, “Yeah.”

The air of dread fled, and the sun rose in the cloudless sky above Hawkins. Nothing was normal by any means, but things felt like they were on the right track. Sunshine felt that things would be okay after all; they would be okay after all.

Tag List. @sattlersquarry , @leptitlu , @echoing-oursong

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington x original character #steve harrington x reader #max mayfield #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #will byers #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #joyce byers #jim hopper #stranger things 2 #stranger things fanfiction

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werdlewrites · 10 months ago

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masterlist - ao3 - twitter @ djomamma

summary: For someone so young, the vacancy speaks - if not screams for concern. A soul to live through more than one lifetime. Experienced and damaged from it. Never knowing peace with darkened skin just beneath her eyes from a lack of rest. “What is this?” She asks no one in particular, more so, the universe. It’s a call for help. A demand from the Heavens above to provide clarity, or a plea from the depths of Hell to wipe this image clean from her mind. warnings: parental abandonment, hallucination wc: 2,949

Snow has begun to fall all across Indiana. The winter air bites at your skin like a thousand needles, leaving cheeks blotchy as heavily covered arms wrap tighter around your torso. Her fingers ache without gloves and every step feels like she’s run a mile. The boots are borrowed and too big. Too clunky but perfect in dire times when she’s forgotten her old pair back home. She’s unable to distinguish if her socks are dampened from such a loose fit, or if her flesh has just gone cold from exposure. Either way, she moves with purpose and determination. Forcing each step forward no matter how badly she wants to retreat. The gravel is frozen, unmoving as the shoes scuff along the path. His car was left chilled and untouched, refusing to seek out the joys a weekend had to offer. Instead, finding solace in the quiet shelter of his home.

No lights beam out through parted curtains, instead using the glow of nature to fill the spaces with life. Autumn stands on his porch, kicking at the wooden boards to dust away the heavy snow that’s gathered at her feet, and that’s all she manages to do for a moment. Chewing at her cheek with an unsteady posture, continuously looking elsewhere. Prey looking for an escape as if the door had shown teeth, ready to kill.

Autumn has whispered unspoken conversations to herself during the drive. How she would tell him and then predict his response. Every scenario is prepared for, but that doesn't ease her nerves as she knocks at the Byers front door. Maybe he would still be sound asleep. Grasping at the shredded strings of peace so that he can finally find some rest. Maybe, just maybe, she was lucky enough to be left out in the cold with no other option than to turn her back on the silent home. But footsteps crush that dream as they inch closer, and she has to remind herself that this is what she wants. What they both want. No more lies. No more secrets.

Jonathan is suddenly squinting from the bright assault against his eyes like he hadn’t seen sunlight for days, or planned to for that matter. His hair was disheveled and his clothes a mess, just barely out of his pajamas into something casual. The disturbance leaves him disgruntled for a moment before he drinks in the sight of her and relaxes. “Oh, hey,” he says with a heavy yawn.

“Did I wake you?” Autumn teased with a small smirk on her face.

“Hm? No, no. I, uh, I’m supposed t’be up. I’ve got work soon and I accidentally slept in.” Jonathan laughs despite the joy in her eyes flickering out.

The girl’s shoulders sag and the smile falters, now understanding his chaotic state as he frantically dresses for a shift. “Oh.”

Maybe, just maybe she would be unlucky enough to have worked herself up to this very moment, only to be left disappointed. But she feigns a smile, laughing away the grip on her heart. “Duh. Have t’get back t’real life, and shit.”

An uneasy grin shines from the boy for only a moment, before settling as he wears a look of concern. “Is everything okay?”

Confusion washes in, still forcing a lie to the front. “Yeah, of course. I-I just thought we could hang out. I forgot people have jobs,” she jokes. A hard swallow slithers its way down to burn up her insides.

“Well, what about later? I could call-”

“Don’t!” Autumn interrupts all too quickly, her friend's eyes full of surprise. “I-I mean, our phone - it’s broken.” She rolls her eyes, hoping to further convince him of this false reality. “I’ll be busy, anyway, later. I’m going…out of town.”

Fuck.

“With my dad,” she continues, no matter the sudden pressure of now coming up with another lie. “I just thought we could do something before I go. But, I’ll see you at school! We can make plans, yeah?”

Jonathan seems less certain. His grip tightens on the door, rocking on his heels anxiously as he looks her up and down. He doesn’t buy it, and she can tell. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Her fingers clench inside deep pockets, fidgeting and pulling at the lint. Autumn would scream if she could. She would fall at his feet and let the world know of all that’s happened in such a short time. All she had lost and all she had gained. Her cries would echo the agony, and she would succumb to exhaustion in his hold. A final relief from the weight she carries. But her back straightens in preparation for another load, feet firmly planted as hasty words spill forward. “I’m fine, honestly.” She’s already falling away from her friend. One step after another carrying her backward down the short steps and onto the gravel. “Enjoy being berated by customers!” She calls out, just before turning on her heel to hastily make her way back toward the Jeep.

She knows he’s watching. She can feel his tired eyes dig into her back like claws to rip out the truth. But he finally surrenders to the cold winds and the tick of the clock, and then there’s the sound of the front door finally closing.

It’s all a blur after that. The exit from his home is a forced calm. She even wears a small smile in case the boy happens to look out the window to watch her leave. But as the girl fades from sight, a held-in-breath passes and her body slumps against the seat. Her fingers white-knuckled over the steering wheel, driving aimlessly until the nerves finally get to her. She’s parked on the side of the street, keys abandoned on the dash as she focuses on steadying breaths. There’s no blame in Jonathan for trying to slip back into his old life, and who was she to drag him back out into the chaos? She would tell him someday, sure. He was bound to hear the news through gossip as Hopper escorted her to the front desk of the school's office, going over legal documentation. Bound to stumble upon her front step and find that no one was home.

She’d tell him first. Someday soon.

It just wouldn’t be today.

Gathered slush is pushed aside as a car peacefully roams through the neighborhood. The sudden movement is enough to pull her from a daze, watching as it moves down the winding street toward a home in the distance. Autumn finds herself in a familiar setting, yet not at all comforting as acid degrades her from the inside out. She’s parked a few feet down from her old sanctuary, without his car in sight. There’s a silent debate about whether to turn her back on it. Like he did to her. But there’s an undeniable pull, and it’s almost embarrassing how quickly she gives in to it. Letting those unseen hands pull her along the sidewalk and up the empty driveway. She’s only released the moment she finds something…off. The front door now has a different shade of white, something no one would notice unless you saw it every day for the last 16 years. The print of Hopper’s boot is gone, along with the splintered wood.

Someone else had been here.

She reacts without thought. Fingers tight around the handle in an attempt to pry it open, though it doesn’t budge. Frantically, she digs through the contents of her bag, searching for the key only to find it no longer fits the lock. Panic sets in, eyes blown wide as she catapults across the yard to prove herself wrong. The curtains are pulled shut in the long stretch of living room windows, keeping secrecy buried within the shadows. She pushes on. Nearly tripping over heavy footsteps as her attention is stolen away by newly replaced windows. No shattered glass or cracked lines. Like nothing had ever happened. The sliding door in the back is sealed shut, too. Once finicky and easy to pry open if you angled it a certain way, but now locked in place.

Trembling hands cup against the glass to shield her from the shocking glare, giving her access to an empty home. The long stretch of the hallway had been stripped of framed photographs. No table to collect the junk mail or keys. The dining room still holds the table she once sat at, but it’s newly polished to hide away any scuff marks gained through time. It’s almost as if she never existed, and that thought leaves her knees weakened.

She can see the railing of a staircase, feeling a phantom pain just at her fingertips as nails once clawed their way down the wood. The place where he followed; that man. The stranger that crept through the halls undetected until she found him. Had he expected her, somehow? Standing among her father's dedicated work, waiting for the girl to stumble upon him. Would things have gone worse if Steve was the one to wake first? Did he know she wasn’t alone and simply did not care? Willing to risk it, no matter the price.

A heavy breath fogs the chilled glass. A ghost to dance along its surface and distort her vision. A near blessing to hide the new emptiness of her old home. But as it fades, something else eases into her view. A recognizable smile paired with sweet blue eyes to hide his malice. He stands in the reflection. Tall and threatening just at her back, waiting with great patience.

She turns with haste, nearly slipping and seeking support against the door as she takes him in and this place of nightmares he stands at the center of. Her world has shifted. The glow of sunlight against fallen snow is now replaced by fluorescent fixtures in the ceiling. Her home has morphed into a long stretch of tiled walls, encapsulating the once soft ground she stood upon. It’s all familiar and for all of the wrong reasons. It holds a feeling of dread as her heart threatens to give out and succumb to the end. Thin lips are moving but there’s no voice heard. No words of promise laced with something sickening and evil. A single hand pries itself free from the confines of a coat pocket, reaching out to her as he takes a small step forward. Autumn is gone before he can take hold. Finding enough strength in trembling knees to carry herself around him in a full sprint. She won’t dare to look back. The only focus was to put as much distance between them as she could. The hallway seems never-ending.

Doors are mirrored across from one another, bolted shut and unmoving as she forces her weight against them. The girl rounds a corner with haste, dampened boots gliding across the polished flooring and ultimately forcing her body to collapse. She feels the pressure of the cold surface against her, but no throb of pain. She looks then, finding the man in a casual stride, yet closing the distance with ease. Autumn scrambles to stand, pushing herself further down the hall and toward the double doors. She’s uncertain if they’ll give way or remain solid like the others, but she still charges forward, eyes tightly shut as she throws herself against them.

Quickened steps react in panic. They skid and separate to balance out the weight shift, her focus now locked on the eerie space. The rainbow screams loud against perfectly painted walls, bleeding out into the flooring. But it’s not the room that holds her attention, or the chess board with scattered pieces, the players having just left. It’s not the roll of crayons as they fall from the nearby tables, or the fear of fire flickering just beneath the furthest door.

A figure waits for her in the mirror; short and dressed in gray-toned sweats. From afar, Autumn could swear it was the same girl that once invaded her mind, somehow finding her again to seek help. The teen chances a glance just over her shoulder, finding the space empty and free of threat. No footsteps to echo down the hall or soul-piercing eyes to strip away her life. With that minimal comfort, she advances. And the child does the same. The same foot with the same pace, and it leaves her frozen on the spot. It’s a trick of the mind - it’s all a part of the illusion she’s trapped within. But every motion is mimicked. Step after step, they grow closer to the mirror's surface. At first, she believes it to be that unnamed child. Then, a boy. The hair buzzed down to soft fuzz with no real defining facial features. It isn’t until Autumn takes in the color of their eyes as they stare up at her, expression unreadable, that things become more alarming. She recognizes the girl. The marks along her skin and the hue in empty eyes. Younger than she remembers. Never seen in photographs but easy to picture as her face morphs through time.

She stares back at an unknown version of herself, only more hollow.

For someone so young, the vacancy speaks - if not screams for concern. A soul to live through more than one lifetime. Experienced and damaged from it. Never knowing peace with darkened skin just beneath her eyes from a lack of rest. “What is this?” She asks no one in particular, more so, the universe. It’s a call for help. A demand from the Heavens above to provide clarity, or a plea from the depths of Hell to wipe this image clean from her mind. Their lips move in sync, though such a frail voice remains unheard from behind the shining barricade. But there is a voice. Not of a child, or of her. Not of the man lingering down the hall. Autumn’s name echoes through the room, pulling the child's attention away to instead look toward the double doors at her back. They swing and he emerges from the shadows, standing proud in the glimmering light with eyes locked on the child. Now feeling his presence creep in like a predator, Autumn turns to meet him with blood frozen in her veins. She can feel the small hairs rise beneath her layered tops, her chest aching and releasing a hazy cloud as a hard exhale turns to mist.

It’s a stark contrast to the eerie hallways she raced through. Her eyes were forced to squint from the pain of brilliant light, shocking her back into reality. She stands on the same snow-covered concrete slab, hands and back pressed firmly to the new glass door, slowly slipping as her knees shake from tension. The rushing currents of blood fill her ears with a sharp ring, gaze unfocused as she struggles to settle. It’s hard to know if anything was real. If she only surrenders to familiar surroundings, letting her guard down to be thrown back into darkness.

She waits.

A muffled noise somehow breaks through the deafening barrier, only becoming more clear with every call. Autumn follows the noise with hesitance, finding a neighbor leaning further into her view to gain some attention. The elderly woman raises a hand in greeting, wearing a timid smile. The sight of her brings a sudden awareness - a jolt to the body as she pushes herself away from the surface. Lips tremble as they try to mimic the other woman. “M-morning, Mrs. Collins.”

At the sound of her name, her shoulders fall to rest and there’s less concern in her eyes. Now more gentle, yet curious. “You’ll catch a cold out here,” she states. Her arms crossed tight over her chest, bundling up her husband's jacket as she inches closer with care. “D’you leave something behind?”

The question lingers in the air. Heard, but not fully registered and her mouth hangs agape in search for a stupefying response. But the woman fills the space between them with ease, a small chuckle heard as she moves through every memory made. “I used t’leave things behind after every move. The rush of it all leaves your mind so frazzled, you barely know what’s happening.”

She’s lost within her own world, while Autumn stands without guidance in a vacant field. The horizon stretches on forever, never giving closure or providing answers. She’s simply lost, though Mrs. Collins does all she can to pave a rocky path. “I didn’t think I would get the chance to say ‘Goodbye.’ Your father was in such a hurry. He barely spoke a word t’me. I even tried t’offer up my grandson t’help load up the trucks. Awfully stubborn, your father.” She waits a moment, eyes fixated on the empty dining room that once echoed with laughter. The glow from within breaking through closed curtains, allowing silhouettes to dance along the ground. “I had no idea you were even moving. It’s so exciting, isn’t it? Making new memories.”

Winter has stolen life from more than vivid nature. It snuck inside - silent and without warning as it filled the girl's chest. The unseen reaper, casting out pieces of her collected soul with every breath. Left as a shell. Without thought and unfeeling, picturing her father loading up their entire life so that he could vanish into the night. Autumn could hardly find the strength to hate him. To loathe or pity him and this unknown story he writes out for himself. There’s only a wilted smile, uttering a soft, “Goodbye, Mrs. Collins,” before closing this chapter in her own story, leaving it behind for good, so that she can begin another.

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington x original character #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington fanfic #fanfiction #steve harrington fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #steve harrington slow burn #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things ff #steve harrington ff #jonathan byers #steve harrigtton x ofc #steve harringtn x original female character #slow burn #angst #archive of our own #ao3

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