#nancy wheeler x yn

[quixoticall]

This Could Get Ugly Track 6: The Aftermath

Summary: It's 1983 and The Downsides need another lead singer and you just happen to need a band--it's a perfect match. The only issue? You have to pretend to be in a relationship with your bandmate, Steve Harrington, but you can't help but be drawn to the band's broody guitar player.

pairing: s.h. x fem!reader, e.m. x fem!reader, j.b. x n.w.,

warnings: ANGST, drinking, drug use, smut, oral and fingering f receiving, p in v sex, the Harringtons make an appearance.

a/n: It has been a while my loves! I really have no excuse but I am excited to get back into the swing of things! Originally, this was meant to be one chapter but I split it in two, hopefully you don't mind! Also, I kinda rushed towards the end so it's not as neat as the rest of it--I'm sorry! I just really wanted to get this! I'm kinda itching to get to the next installment!

wc: 5.8K

MASTERLIST🎸

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MURRAY: There were doubts about how well the tour would do, especially after all the scandals. But even despite assholes like Chris Palmer—or maybe because of them—the first tour had been way more of a success than anyone had ever imagined. Brenner and his team essentially had dollar signs for eyes by the end of it. They wanted the band to record the second album literally as soon as they got off the tour bus. 

Me and Hopper tried our best to advocate for the kids getting some time off, especially since tensions during the last half of the tour had run hot according to Hopper. The best we could get them was a month. 

Listen, we really, really tried our best for those kids. There were some really nasty fuckers at the label who saw them as nothing more than a product to push, a means to an end but we tried our best to keep them afloat. And sure, part of that is because they were our most lucrative artists, but we also genuinely cared for them and we wanted to help as much as we could. 

Sometimes, though, they made that really hard. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

JUNE 14th, 1984—LOS ANGELES, CA

You’re the last one at Starcourt studios. Everyone’s eyes turn at the sound of you rushing through the lobby door. Everyone looks equally as weary as you feel, having only been back in LA for effectively 48 hours. 

You’re sure you would all rather be anywhere but Starcourt except Murray and Hopper called an urgent meeting that apparently could not wait. 

As you approach the group sitting in the lobby you look around to the tired and anxious faces of your bandmates and eventually you end up meeting Steve’s eyes.

Poor Steve, who showed up at your door the day following his drunken, lovelorn, declaration full of shame and embarrassment that only hangover of an infinite caliber could accompany. He had begged you to forget the whole conversation had ever happened and you agreed readily although the damage had already been done.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

MURRAY: I chose to never have kids because I never wanted to deal with the responsibilities. So, tell me why I was out here parenting a bunch of 20 something’s who were hellbent on ruining their own lives and mine in the process? 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“Here’s the deal,” Murray begins, once all the band members were settled into his office, “the label seems to want the album sooner than we thought. We can’t give you the three months off we had originally agreed on—” this announcement is met with the expected amount of jeers and complaints “—but Hopper and I fought for you all to get a month before we start recording again.”  Murray pauses expectantly but is met with silence. 

“Okay, well, you’re welcome for that, ungrateful little fucks. We will be back here in a month’s time to start,” his gaze focuses in on you and Eddie at this point, “except for the two of you. This dribble you decided to call lyrics is absolutely atrocious and I need new material. I’ve marked everything that is salvageable but the rest is scrap. “ 

Eddie immediately erupts into protests that eventually get cut off by Steve who argues for rewrites to happen together while the others take the opportunity to try to barter for more time off.

You’re far too stunned by Murray’s disparagement to weigh in. Sure, some of the pieces needed work but were they all really that bad? 

“This isn’t meant to be a team effort,” Murray says to Steve, “this is meant to be a punishment for these two for not doing a good enough job.”

“Wow these songs must be terrible,” Robin cuts in, “can we see them at least?” She asks as she makes a grab for the papers which Murray barely manages to dodge. This, once again, causes the room to descend into arguments and chaos, forcing Hopper to take over.  

“Enough!” He bellows, deep and authoritatively. “None of this is up for debate. We’re taking a month off and when we regroup, we’ll have an album’s worth of new material to record that hopefully isn’t terrible. Are we clear?” 

There were murmurs of agreement as the hand began gathering their things before your manager cut you off, “Sit your asses down, I have something else to talk to you about.” 

Hopper then spends twenty minutes reading off a list of every instance of property damage that happened over the tour and how much they cost while the rest of you squirm in your seats under his judgmental stare.  Eventually, mercifully, the meeting is ended, and you dash out of your seat in hopes of making it out without any further uncomfortable conversations but of course, luck is not on your side because before you can even stand, Murray has another request.  

“Minx, Munson, hang back for me while you?” 

You and Eddie awkwardly watch as the resort of the band file out and stand silently waiting and their voices grow more and more distant down the corridor. 

Finally, when it’s certain that it’s just the three of you, Murray speaks. 

“So how long have you two been a thing?” 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

MURRAY: One look at the music they had sent in, and it was clear, there was something going on there. Listen, I don’t usually get involved in the personal lives of my artists but the was a unique circumstance.  For one, it was very obvious what and who the lyrics were about. Songs about edgy, mysterious lovers and wanting someone you can’t have don’t necessarily scream “Happy, functioning, long term relationship”. 

We couldn’t risk the press, or worse, Heart-Eyed Harrington getting wind of that. It would wreck our credibility and break the kid’s heart and that would’ve been curtains for the band. 

So, I pulled the two aside and told them they would have to rewrite their lyrics to be less transparent and also less bad.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“Can you believe he said that?” You ask once the two of you are in the privacy of the studio’s parking lot. 

“Oh well, I dunno, we were definitely phoning it in towards the end. Plus, we could use more cohesion,” Eddie reasons, struggling to keep up with your angry strides. 

“No not that! I’m talking about all the other stuff,” you wave a hand fancifully in the air, “about us having feelings for one another. That’s crazy!” You let out a sharp exhale in place of a laugh. 

“Right,” Eddie trails off, “… and why would that be crazy, again?” 

“Well, for one, you hate everything I stand for, remember?” You laugh as you unlock the front door of your car. 

He peers at you from under his lashes, sunshine weaving through his hair, face stoic.

“You’re right,” he says finally, after consideration, “I do.” 

You nod in agreement and not even a little offended. 

“And that’s why it works so well,” you explain as you lower yourself into the driver's seat, “because we don’t like each other like that.  That’s what Murray doesn’t understand, it’s just sex.”  

“Right,” Eddie echoes, tersely, “it’s just sex.” 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

EDDIE: It wasn’t just sex for me. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

MURRAY: You would think that two Songwriters’ Hall of Fame recipients wouldn’t need to be babysat to, you know, write music but those two were an absolute nightmare to deal with. It was a struggle just to find them a place to get together to write. Her place was constantly getting hounded by paps and Munson refused even to tell HR where he lived. 

A week in, we realized they needed to get out of town which is why I ended up sending them to a property I owned in Ranch Cucamonga just so they could get out of my hair. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

JUNE 22nd, 1984—RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA

“What is this place?” You wonder aloud as Eddie unlocks the front door of a very average-looking split-level suburban home. The house is sparse and humble, lacking all the opulence that Murray’s LA residence had in excess. 

“Probably where he meets up with his girlfriend,” Eddie shrugs.

“Murray has a wife.” 

“Yeah, I know. Why do you think we’re all the way in the Inland Empire?”

You open your mouth to argue but you’re stopped by the realization that Eddie is probably right and instead you grip your bag thingy against your body and with eyes darting around to every piece of furniture in sight, you say, “we should probably disinfect all the surfaces.” 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

EDDIE: It was the perfect spot: quiet, secluded. Plus, we were so grossed out at the idea of hooking up in Murray’s sex pad that we kept it PG and focused.  

MURRAY: It was not a sex pad.  

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“He has a waterbed, Nance,” you relay over the phone later that night, once you and Eddie had settled, “if that doesn’t say ‘sex pad’ I don’t know what does!” 

Nancy gags in response, “Ew, that’s disgusting!” 

You giggle at her exaggerated response, grateful that she answered the phone on the second ring. 

“How’s everything over there?” You inquire, pointer finger coiling around the telephone cord. “How’s…everyone doing?”

“By everyone, do you mean Steve?”

You kick your feet in the air from your perch on the kitchen counter. “Steve is part of everyone, isn’t he?” 

“Well, for starters, I don’t think he’s very happy that Murray sent you off with Eddie.” 

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I can see him in the pool right now. He’s doing laps—butterfly.” 

“Okay? Doesn’t he always swim though?” You were confused.  Back when you were on tour, it was not uncommon to find Steve at the hotel pool in the early mornings.

“He only swims butterfly when something is bothering him,” Nancy explains like it’s obvious. 

“Wow Nance, you sure remember a lot about your ex-boyfriend’s strokes,” you joke.

“And the two of you sure do care a lot about what the other is doing for being in a fake relationship,” she retorts.  “It is still fake, right?” 

“Yes, of course it is.” 

The front door clicks unlocked—Eddie’s back from picking up takeout and you rush to change the subject, “Speaking of relationships, how’s Jonathan?” 

Nancy, mercifully, doesn’t dwell on you and Steve and instead sighs at the mention of her boyfriend.

 “Not great.  Turns out Joyce downplayed Will’s condition while we were on tour. Jonathan’s livid, of course.” 

Even through the static, you can hear the strain in Nancy’s voice as she struggles to keep it steady. 

“Yesterday he got angry with me for trying to get him to talk to her.  Will’s about to go to surgery and it’s not for him to see the two of them fighting.

He’s just so moody and hard to be around. I’m starting to avoid him if I’m honest. Is that bad?” 

 For as long as you’ve known her, Nancy had always been like a well-shot arrow: sharp, steady, and sure of where she was going. It’s strange to hear her at a loss. 

“No, not at all,” you comfort, “things are tough right now and it sounds like you might need space. Maybe you can come by next week? Stay a few days and help us write. It’ll give you both some space.”

 Your eyes find Eddie’s across the kitchen counter where he’s unpacking steaming containers of Chinese food. You can tell he’s been listening in on your conversation because he nods along emphatically at your suggestion. 

“Are you sure?” Nancy asks.

“Yes,” you assure, “I’ve cleared it with Eddie, and he agrees.” 

“I agree!” Eddie shouts in the background and that gets a giggle out of Nancy. 

You bid goodbye to Nancy but not without asking her to seriously consider your offer. 

“Nancy might come and visit,” you announce as you start stacking your plate with food.

“Yeah, I heard,” Eddie responds, mid-noodle slurp. “But just so we’re clear, if Wheeler does come, she’s taking the waterbed.” 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Maybe it’s the change of scenery, or maybe it’s the above-average Chinese food (or maybe it’s the grade-A hydroponic hash that Argyle has passed along as a parting gift) but for the first time in months, you and Eddie are back in your songwriting groove.

The two of you work into the night, sifting through your existing work, parsing out what can be saved. 

You work until your eyes and fingertips burn and you have no choice but to call it a night before heading up to the guest room upstairs. 

“Night, Eds,” you call out over your shoulder as you stumble up the stairs. 

His response is muffled by your yawns. Exhausted, you cannot wait to get into your (non-water) bed and you flop belly-first onto the mattress, ready to succumb to the exhaustion of the day. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

You can’t sleep. You’ve been tossing and turning for an hour and as hard as you will it, you can’t sleep. 

There’s an unfamiliar emptiness settling into the space that you can’t seem to cope with. There are no blaring police sirens or yelling partygoers around to indicate life. As far as you know, you could be the only person on the planet. You balk at the idea and decide to go downstairs in search of life. 

Eddie had decided pretty early on that he preferred sleeping on the couch than on the waterbed in Murray’s room. When he announced his decision earlier over dinner, he had paused, almost as if leaving space for you to invite him to share your bed in the guest room. There was room, after all. But you didn’t make that offer because why would you? The two of you might have been sleeping together on tour but even then, that rarely meant spending the night. Offering to share a bed with him now, with no promise of sex (which you refuse to have for a myriad of reasons including the fact that this was Murray’s sex pad), well, that would seem far too close to what Murray was accusing you of back at the studio and you would rather die than see him be right. 

That’s how Eddie ended up on the couch. He’s still awake when you descend down the stairs, strewn across the sofa joint in hand and bathed in synthetic blue light from the TV. He doesn’t see you at first but when he does, he smiles, slowly and waves a hand lazily. 

“Hey,” he greets as you land at the foot of the stairs. 

“Hey,” you greet back, padding into the kitchen and pouring yourself a glass of water. 

You linger in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, debating whether you should stay. Your initial plan was to just grab a drink and go back upstairs, but that was back when you thought Eddie was asleep.  You chew your lip in indecision. Eddie’s pretending not to watch you. 

“Can’t sleep,” you explain as you drop onto the opposite side of the couch after consideration.

 “Why not?” He asks his eyes completely removed from the TV, the old episode of “Million Dollar Man” he was watching forgotten. 

“Too quiet,” you explain, simply, “I’ve never slept in a place this quiet.” 

“Really?” 

“Well, yeah,” you grow shy under his gaze, pulling your knees to your chest and curling a throw pillow into your chest. 

“Not even when you lived in your fancy mansion on the hill?” You can tell by his tone that he doesn’t mean to poke fun with the question; he’s genuinely curious. 

“No. My parents were always having people over, there was always some party my mom would host or some actors staying with us while my dad filmed and even when there weren’t people over—which was rare—my parents would always be fighting. They would yell a lot.”

“What would they fight about? Who got to drive the Rolls Royce?” Eddie laughs nervously, he’s doing that thing where he makes jokes when he’s uncomfortable. 

“Let’s just say that my dad was not nearly as discreet as Murray is about his extra-curricular activities,” you scoot closer to reach for the joint in his hand. You refuse to be sober while sharing childhood details.  

Eddie leans closer and hands you the joint. Your fingers brush. 

“I get that,” he commiserates, “my pop wasn’t around much, but when he was, he and my ma would really get into it. Yelling, throwing plates, the whole thing.” 

“Shut up!” You exclaim, “my parents would throw plates too!” 

You’re not sure why but throws you into a fit of giggles. Eddie watches you tilting your head back as laughter rips through you.

“What’s so funny?” He asks, half laughing himself. 

“It’s just, that,” you struggle to say through the laughs, “for all the fuss you made about how opposite we are, we’re not that different after all. In the end, we’re just two kids who grew up watching their parents throw plates at one another.” 

He lets out a chuckle at this now, too, as he leans forward to place the joint on the coffee table, “Yeah, I guess you’re kinda right.” 

The two of you laugh a little longer, probably a result of your exhaustion and the joint you’ve now whittled to a nub and then you sink into a comfortable silence, full attention back on the television. 

After a while, during a commercial break, Eddie leans over and says softly, “You know, I don’t hate you, I just hate everything you stand for.” 

Your shoulders are touching as the two of you have gravitated towards the center of the and you’re so mesmerized by the way his Adam’s apple moves as he speaks that it takes you a second to register what he’s said. 

“Thanks,” you respond sarcastically once his words have sunk in, “that makes me feel so good about myself.” 

His cheeks darken and he ducks his head towards his chest in embarrassment. 

“I meant that as a compliment, you know.”

“That’s a shit compliment, Eds,” you deadpan back.

He sighs, “Yeah, I know but I can never get my words out right when I’m talking to you. What I meant to say is that contrary to what you may think, I do like you and I think you’re very talented… and maybe… perhaps, I was wrong about you.” 

You lean forward as he says this, a gloating grin rising on your face. “Why, Edward, I believe that might be the kindest thing you’ve ever said about me.” 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The phone is ringing. 

The early morning sun is burning your closed eyelids, which is annoying but not nearly as annoying as the phone ringing. You know you should get up and answer the phone that simply won’t stop ringing but you can’t will your body to move. 

You nestle further into the warm cocoon you’ve found yourself in this morning and wait for whoever is on the other line to eventually give up. 

The phone does eventually stop ringing, just like you knew it would, but not even three seconds later, it picks up again.

You try to ignore it once more, but it is insistent. You realize you have no choice but to get up. 

You’re far too peeved to notice at first, but the warm cocoon you’ve been so hesitant to leave isn’t a nest of blankets like you had originally thought, but a pair of arms wrapped around your shoulders and a solid chest where your head once rested: Eddie. 

You blink wearily up at him. He’s completely unfazed by the ringing. Even though you know Eddie to be an annoyingly deep sleeper, you still try to gently extract yourself from his arms. 

You sit up halfway and catch a glimpse of Eddie’s expressionless face, and, in its peace, you’re reminded of his kind words last night. Suddenly, you lean down quickly and peck a kiss on his cheek. You recoil quickly in surprise scrambling off the couch and quickly pad over to the still-ringing phone. 

“Hello?” You snap. 

“Nice of you to finally pick up,” Murray replies.

“What is it, Murray?”

“I wanted to see how it was going.”

You sigh in response, letting him know exactly how little patience you have.  

“Fine. It’s going fine.”

“How’s the writing?”

 “Fine.”

“And the house?”

“Fine.”

“And the waterbed?”

“Gross and untouched. Is that all?”

“You’re no help. Get me Munson.”

You’re about to tell him that Eddie was asleep when a hand snakes around the back of your head and wraps around the receiver in your hand.

A bleary-eyed Eddie gently tugs the phone from your hand and brings it to his ear.

“You’ve got Munson,” Eddie greets through a yawn.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

EDDIE: The Rancho Cucamonga house was like a bubble where the outside world didn’t exist for us. We were finally able to focus on the songwriting without having to work around a tour or press appearances or the rest of the fucking band. We were finally just able to write, and we killed that shit.

 There was something else too, though. I’m not sure how it started… I guess that first night we bonded—shared trauma, you know? And the next morning when I woke up on the couch, she was in my arms. All that time we were fooling around, that had never happened. When I woke up and saw her asleep on my chest, I just closed my eyes and lay there, not wanting to get up. Corny, I know. Eventually, she woke up—Murray’s fault—and she kissed me, on my cheek. She probably thought I was still asleep.

After that, it was like all bets were off. We started being affectionate with each other all of a sudden. We didn’t have sex—somehow it felt like sex would ruin it. But it was like we had entered this alternate universe where we were just, I don’t know, two twenty-somethings that were in love and living together and making good fucking art.

She would do this thing when she wanted my attention and kiss me on the jaw. She would make me breakfast—Eggos, the woman has never been a chef—but it was the thought that counted. I would make her her tea every night, exactly how she liked it. I somehow knew how she liked her tea. I know it sounds so… mundane and small but all the little things added together is what makes something real.

We wouldn’t talk about it. It would’ve ruined it, we both knew.  It was like if we didn’t acknowledge it, we were giving the other person room to back out.

If you asked her how she’d describe that week we spent in the suburbs, I’m not really sure what she’d say, but if you ask me, right now, I would still say it was one of the best weeks of my life.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“Nancy!” you yell across the driveway at the brunette.

The keyboardist turns and waves emphatically before handing her cab driver a few dollar bills for the fare.

You run out towards her, throwing your arms around her neck in delight.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” you breathe out, as your eyes scan over her in assessment. She looked more haggard than before, the bags under her eyes were more prominent. Despite this, her smile is genuine.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she says as you lead her up the front steps while Eddie follows with her small luggage.

You immediately launch into a tour of the house while Eddie, generously, has made himself sparse to give the two of you some privacy and goes out for a smoke.

Nancy, being the gracious guest that she was, had no qualms with taking the waterbed and while you helped get her settled into her new space, she fills you in with what’s been happening in your absence.

“Robin went back home; her younger sister is about to start at Marquette. Argyle went back to Arizona for a few days and Steve went with him.”

Hearing Steve’s name was jarring but even more so was hearing that he had traveled to a whole other state without you knowing about it. That was a silly thought, you knew, after all, you hadn’t spoken to him once since you’d traveled inland. Plus, you had been living the last week in a watercolor haze with Eddie, something that only worked when you pushed Steve to the back of your mind.

“How are things with Jonathan?” You cut in, anxious to be rid of any mention of Steve from the conversation. It’s Nancy who then falters. and grows tense.

“He was very supportive of me coming here,” she divulges, lowly. “He seemed kind of guilty when I told him how this was affecting me. That’s Jonathan for you though, constantly carrying the weight of everyone’s problems on his shoulders.”

“Gee,” you let out a mirthless laugh, “I wonder who he has that in common with?”

Nancy rolls her eyes, but her shoulders relax, a tiny bit, and slowly, the information unspools out of her. She tells you about Jonathan’s family—his worrisome mother, his absent father, and his perpetually sick younger brother who was the reason behind anything he did—and about the nights spent in hospital waiting rooms, hopeful for miracle treatments to finally deliver (they never do).

You felt the weight of burden coming

Nancy rolls her eyes, but her shoulders relax, a tiny bit and slowly, she begins to unfurl.

She tells you about Jonathan’s family—his worrisome mother and his absent father and his perpetually sick younger brother that was the reason behind anything he did—and about the nights spent in hospital waiting rooms, hopeful for miracle treatments to finally deliver (they never do).

 She talks about her own family too, and the mounting pressure to be successful in the face of her parents’ disapproval after she had turned down her university full ride in favor of the band.

She also tells you about the growing tension in the band’s shared house and how she’s pretty sure everyone is sick of living with each other, but no one wants to be the first to admit it.

She’s being pulled taunt in every direction and as you listen to her unload her burdens, for the first time, you feel lucky to only have yourself to answer to.

Later, once Nancy’s heart has been borne, and you’re out on the deck with Eddie, you can’t help but share your discovery with him in between cigarette puffs.

“I dunno,” he shrugs stiffly, “I’d like to think that the right person would be worth any trouble they may bring to your life. She seems to think so too,” he motions towards the sliding glass kitchen doors towards Nancy who is currently on the phone with Jonathan, her brow once again furrowed in worry.

You tilt your head, unconvinced, “Maybe they see it that way, but for me, it just seems like a slippery slope to plate throwing.”

He laughs dryly at this, a quick exhale of smoke that frames him in a momentary halo. He’s leaning with his arms against the deck railing and the smoke mixes prettily with the spackling of stars in the night sky bringing out his fine, aristocratic features and making him look like a painting brought to life.

“Just because our folks were pieces of work that doesn’t mean you should give up on love altogether.”

The statement stuns you for a moment—you were sure that in Eddie you’d find a kindred spirit, a fellow love nihilist.

“I haven’t given up on love,” you backtrack, “ I’m just afraid, I guess.” The last part comes out small but you can’t help it.

This peaks Eddie’s interest, “Afraid? I’ve never seen you afraid of anything. What could you possibly be afraid of?”

You sigh, the conversation having veered out of your control but at this point you’re too caught up to stop it.

“I guess I’m scared that I’ll love someone so much I would lose sight of everything else I really want,” you explain. “Or worse, that I would give it all up if they asked me to,” you confide voice small, “that I would do anything they’d ask me to.”

“That’s kinda what love feels like though,” Eddie lights another cigarette, “like you’d let them do anything to you but trust them not to. Because if they really loved you, they wouldn’t make you give up something that was important to you.”

Then, before you can stop it, the question comes tumbling out, “have you ever been in love like that?”

He looks at you hard, like he’s willing you to know the answer. Finally, after what feels like an eternity he responds, “Yeah, once or twice.”

“How was that?” You croak out awkwardly. What you’re really asking is what did you let them do to you?

He laughs, a little softer this time, a little bird endeared and a little bit incredulous. “You’re asking me how it is to be in love?”

You nod, feeling a little silly.

Eddie takes another puff of his cigarette, mulling over the question carefully.

“It kinda sucks,” he eventually says, “you feel constantly exposed, like a wounded animal. And you hate everything that isn’t them. And you would do anything for them, which is terrifying. And you spend the whole time wondering how it will end—because of course, you never feel worthy of them—and then when it does, it’s like a dull knife. But that’s okay because it’s all worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

You sit with his answer, rolling it back and forth in your mind like a marble on concrete. He watches you, expectantly, once again with that willing expression on his face. You’re trying to read his mind but you’re not sure you can.

Eventually, you say aloud the only thing you can think of, “You should put that in a song.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Having Nancy around is great.

For one, she’s a great songwriting collaborator. Her skill with the piano is unmatched and she has a propensity for ballads that neither you nor Eddie seem to possess.

Also, having her around helps curb whatever was happening with you and Eddie.  Things did not stop, however, they didn’t go further than where they were and you’re certain that if Nancy hadn’t With Nancy around to keep you focused, you’re churning out songs—good quality songs—faster than ever.

Murray asks to see what you have halfway through your stay and you fax him the best of what you’ve written. It’s a struggle between the three of you to get the ancient fax machine in Murray’s home office to actually work but the 30 minutes of cursing on the phone with ‘Murray’s secretary is worth it when later that evening the producers gives you a call to tell you that you’ve finally hit the mark.

“It was like pulling teeth, but you got there. Thank Wheeler for me,” he says over the line and it’s the closest you’ll ever get to a direct compliment from him. He mentions something about sharing the songs with a few others to help with the arrangements and then hangs up without saying a proper goodbye but you barely register that because you’re too relieved.

“He likes it!” you announce and the three of you whoop in celebration. Eddie picks you up and spins you around landing a kiss on your temple that you’re hoping Nancy, by some miracle, missed.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

NANCY: I saw when he kissed her that night, but that was nowhere near the first weird exchange I caught between them that week.

Nothing big, just little couple things, you know? The little minutia that two people in a relationship do like making each other coffee and gentle touches and talking soft and careful to each other.

The type of things Jonathan and I used to do before things got bad.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“What’s going on between you and Eddie?”

Nancy’s tone isn’t accusatory when she asks, just curious.

It’s the night before you are slated to go back to LA and the two of you are on a sunset walk around the neighborhood, it was all very domestic, and you had been enjoying it immensely until Nancy’s curiosity got the best of her.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you respond, airily, “nothing’s going on.”

She cuts you a look that says you know better than to lie to her and you deflate and come clean.

After she bore you all her troubles on the night of her arrival, you feel like you owe her some honesty in return.

So you tell her everything from the beginning.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

NANCY: Frankly, for the entirety of our first tour, I thought something was going on between her and Steve, so when she told me that she and Eddie had been sleeping together during the tour, well that totally took me by surprise.

The craziest part was that they had never talked about it. Well, maybe it’s not that crazy, neither of them is really known for being upfront about their feelings.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

“So are you two in a relationship?”

“No, I don’t think so?”

“So what, you just sleep together and are affectionate with one another and take care of each other? That’s a relationship.” Before you can argue back, Nancy jumps into the next question, “What about Steve? I honestly thought you two had something going on.”

“Steve is great. He’s kind and easy to be around, and so is Steve. But he doesn’t see me for who I am. He expects too much from me, and I know I’m going to let him down. " You feel stupid and dramatic admitting this, but you want Nancy to understand.

“Eddie knows me, he knows what to expect of me. He’s not trying to convince me to buy into this…  fairytale relationship box Steve is trying to put me in. Eddie just kind of takes whatever I can spare when it comes to affection, and he doesn’t ask for more. It’s convenient with him.”

“You both deserve more than convenience and scraps of affection,” Nancy argues.

“Listen,” she pauses on the sidewalk to look at you, eyes as big as the moon under the light of the streetlamp, “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but we both know this thing is a ticking time bomb.

“You need to spend some time figuring out how you really feel and have some honest conversations with both of them before someone gets hurt.”

That’s the last thing she says before walking away.  

PLAY NEXT TRACK🎤

Taglist:

@rexorangecouny , @persophonekarter @mystargirl-interlude @brinleighsstuff @thegaysaretired @nothing2-see @harrysvirgogf @Prior-antidote @stardustofyesterday @buckleyverse @leather-n-velvet @ivoryrebellionmess @Courts-x

@superas1an @promisewellbealright @primroseluna @stardustofyesterday @www-interludeshadow-com

[sp1rit-realm]

༻¨*:· picnic dates with chrissy cunningham ·:*¨༺

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[t-h-i-n-g]

1000 followers celebration!!!

Hi guys!! Im back and with that I brought with me a little fun celebration to celebrate 1000 followers!!! That’s crazy that I even reached that milestone. Ty all sm for all the love and support you’ve given me over the past 10 months it means the world.

Event masterlist

🌿 - question (ask a question, whether it’s pertaining to my account or more personal)

🍄 - send in a character and a prompt. (Once a prompt is used it can’t be used again so first come first serve. Limit to one dialogue and one scenario prompt per ask) and I'll make a small drabble based off it. It'll be about 100-400 words

prompt list

🌳 - request a character and a theme and I'll make a mood board based on it (ex. Max Mayfield x skate date)

🌼 - ship game! send me a fandom (from my list) and some stuff about you and I'll pick a character that I think fits you best

🪻- kmk, hand over three characters and i'll kiss marry kill them

🌴 - song recs, tell me your favorite song(s) and I'll give you some recs that i like based on it

(These are all sfw asks just a heads up.)

Request dead line: June 5th (I will most likely be writing and answering asks past that date but that is when requests are closed)

[bagsybaggins]

Chapter 8: Strange Feelings

[Previous Chapter]

YN opened her eyes, looking up at her ceiling, a sense of something wrong tinting the air. She inhaled softly, turning her head towards her nightstand and looking at the clock. Groaning at the time, she rolled out of her bed and rubbed her eyes. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of Dustin and Mom fawning over Dustin's costume. 

'Dare-'

Opening her eyes she looked up, turning to the end of her bed. She frowned, her fingers curling into her blanket before she shook her head. Standing up from her bed, she yawned as she walked towards her door, opening it and hearing Mom ask to see Dustin's 'pearls.' As she turned towards the living room, she paused as she felt a shiver crawl up her spine. She looked to her left, towards the basement door, an feeling in her brain pulling her towards the door.

"Dare-Bear! Why aren't you ready for school?" Her Mom said, breaking Dare out of her staring match with the door.

"Sorry Mom, woke up late."

---

"No, Nancy-"

Nancy leaned against her locker as she looked at me. "Come on Dare, you can't just not go."

I look at her from the corner of my eyes and raise my brow. She sighs while rolling her eyes.

"I mean you could, but I want you to be there Dare. So you can stop me from doing anything stupid."

I pause for a moment, my hand still on my notebook before I sigh. "I'll think about it, okay?"

She smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but I interrupt her. 

"I mean it, Nance." I close my locker, turning to her with my books in my arms. "I'll think about it, but you know how I feel about parties. If I don't go, you can't be mad at me. It always ends up the same way, with a bunch of drunk people and stupid mistakes."

She stares at me, her smile drifting slowly, and then she nods. "Alright, that's fine. Just give it some thought, and call me when you decide okay?"

I smile and nod my head. "Will do Nance. I'll see you later."

I brush past her and head to my next class, knowing that if I turned to look, she would be watching me with a frown. 

I knew she wasn't mad, but she wasn't happy either. If Barb was here, she would've gone and I would be either at home or with Dustin trick or treating. That's how it always went. And I didn't want to change that.

I sigh heavily as I turn into my next class, my eyes drifting close as I try to calm down my brain. Stopping it from frying with overthinking. From trying to think about what could happen if I went, what could go wrong. About what could happen if I didn't go.

"Shit!" I exclaim as I run into somebody, my nose hurting from hitting their chest.

As I rub my nose, I open my eyes and look at who I had run into.

The new guy, Billy I think his name was, smirked down at me. My eyebrows furrow as I look at him in confusion, before I shake it off.

"Sorry, didn't see you there," I mutter, taking my hand off my nose.

"Course you didn't see me there, you had your eyes closed." He said, crossing his arms and leaning in closer to me.

I raise my right brow before smiling thinly and nodding my head. "Yep, you're right. My bad."

I try to brush past him but he puts his hand on my left shoulder, stopping me. I turn to him and he smiles down at me.

"Sorry, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Billy Hargrove, and you are?" He asks.

I stare up at him, my nerves buzzing underneath my skin before I sigh. "I'm YN, YN Henderson. You're Max's brother, right?"

He raises his brow before nodding his head, snapping his finger, and pointing at me. "That's right, you're the one who had called out her name our first day here. In the parking lot, right?"

Nodding my head I smile. "Yeah, that's right. She's awesome, kicked my ass at a few of the arcade games."

He pauses for a moment, his smile frozen on his face as he looks down at me. Then he laughs and his smile stretched wider, leaning in towards me. 

"She's always been good things like that. Say, are you going to the party tonight?"

I hesitate to answer as the bell rings, and I chuckle awkwardly. "I'm not a fan of parties actually. But, if I'm there, I guess you'll see me."

And I push past him with a smile. "It was nice talking to you!" And I head towards my seat, him watching me before he left the classroom.

---

Dare sighed as she sat down at the normal table for lunch taking off her hat, crossing her arms on the table, and resting her forehead against them. She closed her eyes, breathing in for a moment and letting herself relax.

"Hey, Dare-Bear."

She huffed as she felt Eddie sit down beside her. "I thought I told you to not call me that."

His laughter caused her to look up and glare at him.

"Just because you tell me to not do it, Sweetheart doesn't mean that I'm not gonna keep doing it." He grins as he leans his head on his hand, looking down at her.

She rolls her eyes, turning her head so she faced him, but didn't lift her head from her arms. "True enough, Edward."

Eddie visibly pulled back, his face scrunched up in a frown of disgust. "Don't call me that, ever again."

She cracked open her eyes, lifting her brow. He sighed and nodded his head. "Fine, no more Dare-Bear."

She smiled.

"But I'm keeping Sweetheart then!" He exclaimed, lifting his index finger as if to make a point.

She sighed and lifted her head. "Fine, I'll allow it."

Eddie grinned before leaning his head back on his hand. "So what's up with the long face Sweets?"

Dare paused, glancing at him before sighing and resting her chin on her hand. "Nancy wants me to come to the party tonight."

Eddie raised his brow, nodding his head. "And I take it that you don't want to?"

Dare huffed before shrugging, leaning back and her hands dropping to her lap. "No, not really. But, I don't want to go trick or treating this year either." She turned to him. "But I also want to make sure Nancy doesn't do anything stupid, like puke in the bushes."

Eddie cringed, agreeing with her with a nod of his head. "Right, right. So what do you plan on doing?"

Dare hesitated before slouching over in her spot. "I guess I'm going to the party. Not like I have anything better to do, you know?"

He shrugged. "I mean, you could always hang out with me."

Dare smiled and grabbed her hat, putting it back on. "True, but how about you come along! We can just hang out there, making sure to disappear so we don't have to get involved with whatever happens."

Eddie paused, his lips thinning as he looks away from her. Dare laughs as she nudges his shoulder with her own.

"Come on Eddie! Who knows, it might not be a shitshow!" She smiles widely as she pokes his side. "Don't leave me to the wolves Eds!"

He groaned, throwing his head back and brushing her hand away. "Fine, FINE! I'll go."

Dare let out a cheerful whoop, her arm slinging around Eddie's neck. "YES!"

Eddie laughed, hugging her back briefly before pulling away, his ears a bright red beneath his hair. 

"Yeah yeah, don't act so excited. I doubt you'll even notice me, I tend to blend into the background." He coughed as he looked back at her.

Dare smiled and shook her head. "Guess I'll just have to go and find you, now won't I."

He grins at her, nodding his head. "Guess you will."

---

"Nancy-"

"No, Dare. You look great like this!" Nancy exclaimed as she put on some eyeliner on me.

I glare up at her before brushing her hand away, looking over at the mirror. I pause before nodding my head and shrugging. "Alright, you're not wrong."

She grinned at me as I stood up and walked to the door. "Steve driving us?" I ask, turning to her as I put on my hat.

"Yes he is, but don't wear the hat-"

I stick out my tongue and turn back around. "Not happening Nance, either the hat stays or you go with Steve without me."

She huffs as she crosses her arms, her brow raised at me. I cross my arms, mimicking her. And soon enough, she folds and rolls her eyes. 

"Fine, you can wear your hat." She looks back at the mirror, fixing her little ribbon. "You do know that this is a costume party, right?"

I hum as I look down at my attire, shrugging quickly. "I'm dressed as Sarah Connor, or at least I tried to dress as her. So I'd say I got my costume as close as I could to the real thing." I look back at her, raising my brow. "And you are?"

She looks at me, but before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door.

"Nancy! Steve's here!" Mrs. Wheeler said through the door, and I sigh.

"Coming!" Nancy called out before giving me a look. "Just try to enjoy tonight, alright?"

I look at her as I nibble on my bottom lip, before nodding. "Alright, I'll try. Just don't do any stupid shit, alright?"

She smiles at me, nodding her head as she hooks her arm around mine. "Of course not."

---

Dare sighs heavily as she finally escapes the heat of the dance floor, going into the backyard that wasn't as crowded as it was inside. She blows a strand of hair out of her face, adjusting her grey jacket so it was rolled up to her elbows. She pulled at the collar of the peach and white tie-dyed shirt, grimacing at the scratching of the tag in the back.

She paused for a moment, looking over the crowd of people in the backyard, drunkenly dancing to the music. She didn't exactly know how long she had been separate from Nancy, but she knew that Steve would keep her safe. Dare frowned again, not seeing any good familiar faces that she had wanted to see. 

Towards the edge of the fence, Eddie stood with his arms crossed. He couldn't believe he was there, but he knew why he was. He sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time before he finally noticed the person he had been searching for. Only, she hadn't noticed him.

He took a moment to focus on her, standing on his toes and moving around people to catch a clearer look at her. He smiled when he realized what she had worn as her costume. He glanced down at himself, the warmth creeping onto his face as he remember what he had decided to wear. And they were matching.

He had gone as, in his own style, Kyle Reese. From the Terminator movie, they had gone to see together almost three days ago. And she was Sarah Connor, but wearing the same hat that she always wore. 

He grinned a little wider as he watched her flip off someone who had obviously bumped into her, her frow visible from there. The feeling in his stomach fluttered again as she crossed her arms, leaning back against the house. He inhaled sharply as her gaze drifted over where he was.

But the butterfly in his stomach started to sink, as her attention was caught by someone else. Billy had approached her, smiling as he recognized her. And she returned it, though not as widely as he had.

"YN, you're here. I'm glad you could make it." Billy said as he leaned his right arm on the house. "I guess you arrived a little late, you weren't there when I was announced the keg king."

Dare laughed and shook her head, her smile thinning. "No, must have just missed it."

Her eyes drifted over the sea of people in the backyard, before Billy leaned in closer and blocked her vision.

"What's on your mind? Can't stand the sight of me?" He laughed, his smile faltering just ever so slightly. 

Dare's eyes widened before she shook her head rapidly. "Oh no! I was just, worried. I couldn't find my friend, and I just wanted to-"

Billy chuckled and nodded. "To look after them, right?"

Dare paused before smiling softly. "Yeah, it's what I do."

Dare flushed a soft pink as Billy leaned in more, a smirk drifting across his lips. "So would you take care of me too?" His hand pushed her cap up from her face.

Her brows twitched downward at his words, confused she asked, "What-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Billy kissed her.

Eddie felt his heart drop to his stomach, hell to his feet. He knew that some part of him wanted to scream, to pull her away from him. But he didn't. He couldn't. His fingers clenched tightly into a fist, his eyes narrowing as he glares at the two. But then he remembers.

She wasn't his. 

Eddie exhaled and turned away from them, walking back towards the gate to leave. He paused for a moment, looking back at the two, before walking out.

Dare leaned back, her eyes wide and her cheeks a bright red as she parted from the sudden kiss.

"Why'd you do that?" She asked softly, her voice in disbelief. 

Billy smiled as he leaned back toward her, his hand cupping her cheek, and his thumb touching her bottom lip. "Because you're adorable."

Dare blinked at him before reaching up and pulling her cap down, stepping out of his reach. "I should go check on my friend."

He laughed as she scrambled towards the door, not missing the redness of her cheeks.

"I'll find you later YN." He called after her, causing her to pause and look back at him. "You still need to take care of me, right?"

Her throat tightened and she looked away from him, trying to blend into the crowd as she tried to go back inside. But as she looked towards the fence, she stared at the back of someone who was walking away. She felt like she knew them, but she couldn't put her finger on it. But she recognized the coat from the movie. Someone had been her Kyle, and she didn't get to meet them.

---

"I don't understand Steve! What the hell happened?" Dare yelled as she followed him to his car.

"What do you want me to say, Dare?" He said as he turned around, looking at her with his eyes slightly red. "She told me she wasn't in love with me. Said that it was bullshit, that I was bullshit."

Dare gaped at him before frowning heavily. "What else happened Steve?" 

Steve shook his head with a scoff, his arms hitting his sides. "Nothing else happened-"

Dare glared at him, her finger poking into his chest as she pointed her finger at him. "I know Nancy, Steve! What set her off, what else happened?"

He paused for a moment before sighing, looking down at the ground. "Barbra's parents, they're selling the house because they need money to try and find Barbra."

Dare's eyes widen as she takes a step back, her shoulders slacking. "Oh."

Steve nodded, not looking up from the ground. "Yeah."

She put her hands on her hip looking back at the house that was still lively, before looking back at Steve. His eyes were red, and his sniffling made her sigh.

"You should head home Steve-" He looked up at her, his eyes darting back to the house for a moment.

"No, I need to take-"

Dare shook her head, putting her hand on his shoulder. "No, Steve. You need to go home, wait until tomorrow when she's sober okay. Then you can talk to her. I saw Jonathan in there, and I'm sure he'd be fine with taking her home. But right now, you need space okay."

Steve frowned heavily, opening his mouth to argue before Dare covered his mouth with her hand. 

"Go home." She glared at him lightly, waiting for him to nod his head.

"Fine, I'll go." He sighed as he pushed her hand away. "Do you need a ride?"

Dare paused, frowning in thought before sighing. "I should get back, or maybe try to find Dustin and them."

Steven nodded his head, sniffing one more time as he wiped the corner of his eyes. "Then, umm, hop in."

---

I sighed softly as I looked out the window as we drove by the many trick-or-treaters. I glanced at Steve from the corner of my eyes, frowning when I see him wipe at his eyes again. I bite the inside of my cheek, before mentally kicking myself. 

"You can drop me off here. They're over there." I say, lying through my teeth.

He turns to me before looking ahead and nodding. "Alright." He said softly. 

I huff and smile as he pulls to the curb. "Thanks, Steve. And, give her time. I'm sure everything will work out eventually." I grin lightly as I open the door and step out.

He nods his head, not looking at me. "Thanks, Dare. You're really nice."

I shrug. "It's only for my friends. Have a good night Steve."

I shut the door after hearing him repeat it back, waving at him as I walk in the opposite direction. He pulled away from the curb, driving off towards his home before I groan and turn around and head towards my house.

I walk through the sea of trick-or-treaters, laughing to myself at some of the silly costumes. Most of them were heading home, their bags full or because of their own curfews. And I knew that the boys were on their way home too. And as I turn the block, not too far from my house, I notice something strange.

I frown as I continue walking down the street, my hands shoved into the pockets of my jacket. As I get close to the edge of my street, the blue figure turned toward me. Hesitating to step forward, I glance around at the nearby trick-or-treaters, noticing how they didn't spare the figure a glance. Swallowing thickly, I push the growing fear down, taking another step towards the figure. 

As I decide to ignore it, pretending that it wasn't there, I feel the fear bubble as it turns and follows me after I had passed it. I didn't look at it, nor did I hear its steps. But I could feel it following me, somehow I did. Turning my head ever so slightly, I try to get a look at it from the corner of my eyes, but a car passes by and the figure is gone.

My nerves are buzzing beneath my skin, and I couldn't ignore the feeling anymore. I turn down my street and run towards my house, ignoring my lungs as I feel them constrict. My feet thumping against the ground, and my heart pounding in my ears doesn't block out the feeling that it was still following me. Watching me.

As I turn to the front door, my hand on the handle, I look back. But there was nothing. I heaved and wheezed as I shuffle into my pants for my inhaler, my eyes glancing around for the blue figure. And even as I manage to calm my asthma down, the figure was gone. And the feeling had faded away.

I sigh heavily, placing my inhaler back in my pocket and opening the door. Relief floods through me as I walk into my house, my eyes drifting to my mother who had fallen asleep on the couch. I smile as I walk toward her, grabbing the remote from the side table and turning the tv off. 

"Taking care of your Mom as always." I hear a voice say, one I hadn't heard in a long time. 

I let the remote fall from my hands as I turn my head towards the sound of the voice. My eyes widen in panic and horror as the blue figure steps out of the kitchen doorway, and into view. 

My father smiles at me, his body a strange see-through blue. Like from Star Wars. His eyes drift to mine, and his smile falters for a moment. His brows furrow as he takes a step closer and points to himself.

"Can you see me, Dare-Bear?" He asks, and I inhale deeply.

And then I turn around and head straight out the door. I ignore him calling my name, jumping down the steps, and grabbing my bike.

"Dare- YN wait! We need to talk if you can see me-"

"I am not talking to a figment of my imagination Dad!" I pause as I look at him, before shaking my head. "This isn't okay."

He calls out for me as I peddle down the street, with only one destination in mind. To the one person who I knew I could count on. Hopper.

---

I had seen his car speed down the street from the road I was about to turn on. And I failed to get him to stop. And after chasing him, for what seemed to be hours, I caught up to him. His car was left on a trail deep in the woods, I could see the cabin not too far from the car. And after I stopped and used the rest of my inhaler, I decided to take my time with actually getting to the door.

"Why is he all the way out here?" I mutter to myself, huffing as I drop my bike next to his car.

As I walk towards the house, I notice a small flash near the ground. I frown before moving my head back and seeing it again.

"Is that a wire, or a spider web?" I ask, before kneeling and putting my hand out.

My eyes widen as I feel the thick wire against my fingertips, and I launch myself backward. I sit on my butt, staring at it in confusion before inhaling deeply. 

"It's probably nothing." I stand up, stepping over the trip wire carefully, and then walk to the house. 

As I walk onto the wooden porch, I hear footsteps on the other side of the wall. I quietly kneel, trying to creep to the door, feeling like something was off. Maybe my gut was just going haywire, but something wasn't right.

Kneeling in front of the door, I listen in on what was going on inside. The tv was playing in another room, but heavy footsteps were moving around in the living room. I frown heavily before I reach into my pocket and get the bobby pins from it. I swallow down the lump in my throat, slide the pins into the door, and slowly try to pick it. I could feel the cold October breeze against the back of my neck and against my cheeks as I heard the audible click, and how it went silent on the inside.

I quickly turn the handle and push the door open, climbing to my feet before raising my hands. 

"WHOA WHOA HOP! IT'S ME!" I yell as I was met with the barrel of the gun. "It's just me Hop, don't shoot."

He stares at me in disbelief, before lowing the gun and putting the safety on. "Jesus Christ Kid. You almost got yourself killed! Why the hell are you here? Did you follow me?"

I slowly drop my hands to my side and shake my head, before nodding. "Yeah, I followed you. But for a good reason! I needed to talk to you about something! I saw-"

"No, Kid you need to go home. You can tell me tomorrow-" And he tried to push me out the door before the door opened behind him. 

We froze as I looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with someone else who I thought was dead, or gone. But she wasn't blue like he was.

"Hopper, what the fuck?" I say slowly, turning to him in disbelief.

---

I cover my eyes as I try to digest what he had just told me. How he had been hiding her for months. How she had been with him for months and didn't tell us shit.

"Look, Kid. I understand that you're upset-"

I scoff and shake my head, lifting my hands from my face. "No Hop, I'm not upset. I'm angry and confused. Because I don't know what is going on with me, and now you’re adding this-"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hey, what do you mean you don't know what's going on with you? What's going on with you?" He asked as he kneeled down in front of me, with Eleven to my right.

I fiddle with my fingers before I look at him again. 

"It's crazy Hop. I think I might be going crazy." I whisper, my voice breaking as I feel my emotions starting to boil over.

He frowns and shakes his head. "You're not crazy, why would you think you're crazy Kid?" 

I exhale deeply before sniffing slightly. "I saw Dad."

He paused, his face frozen in confusion and disbelief before he frowned again. 'What do you mean, you saw your Dad?"

I inhale deeply as I cross my arms and lean back against the couch. "I was on my way home, from the party. And I saw him, on my street. I didn't recognize him because I didn't get close to him. I felt like I was being watched, so I ran home. And when I walked in, he was in the kitchen so I didn't notice him." I pause as I look back at Hopper. "But then he said, 'Taking care of your Mom as always.' And I just froze."

Hopper rubbed his hand over his mouth, nodding his head. 

"And then, we made eye contact. And he asked me if I could see him. And I just ran, Hop. I just ran away, because I was scared. I was remembering that night when I had- had found his body. And I just kept remembering that he was dead, and gone. He's gone-" I blink as my eyes begin to sting and tear up, and Hopper quickly brings me into his arms. 

"He's dead, so why am I seeing him, Hop? I shouldn't- I can't." I sob as he comforts me, his hand on my back as he tries to calm me. I could feel El's hand on my shoulder as he patted my back.

"It's alright Kid. Calm down, it's alright. You're safe. Just calm down, take deep breaths." He inhales, and I struggle to copy him. "In and out Kid."

I close my eyes and focus on breathing in slowly, hearing him count down from three. And then we exhale before he nods his head. And we just breathe for a minute or two.

"Better?" He asks, and I nod my head pulling back and wiping my cheeks. 

"Yeah. Thanks." I whisper before he nods his head.

"What did he look like exactly Kid? Can you tell me if anything was off about him?" Hopper questioned, no doubt wanting to figure out what was happening. 

I nod my head. "He was blue and see-through. Like a Star Wars ghost. And he," I paused as I frowned, trying to remember how he looked. "He looked like the way he did before he died. No bullet wound, no blood. He looked normal."

Hopper sighed while nodding his head, standing up. He rubbed his chin in thought before I stood up.

"Hopper is there a chance-"

He shakes his head. "I don't know Kid. But if you see him again. Tell me, alright? I want you to call me."

I slowly nod my head before crossing my arms. "Can I stay here with El? Just for tonight?"

He stares at me before nodding his head with a huff. "Fine, alright. But be sure to not tell anyone, alright? We can't have them learning that she's still alive."

Looking down at El, I nod my head. "Alright, will do Hop."

---

Dare yawned as she opened her eyes, the new day arriving, and a feeling of dread settling into her stomach. As she sat up on the makeshift bed on the floor beside El, she looked over at the girl who was sleeping peacefully. She sighed and slowly got to her feet and opened the door. Hopper was already awake, and he turned to her as she walked out, shutting the door behind her.

"Morning Kid."

She smiled thinly before nodding. "Morning Hop."

He looked at her as he popped some Eggos into the toaster before he place some on a plate in front of her. With a frown, she shook her head and pushed the plate an inch away from her. 

"No thanks, Hop. I'm not hungry." She muttered before clearing her throat. "Can you take me home? I need to get ready for school, and check on Dustin."

Hopper stared at her for a moment before nodding with a sigh. "Alright Kid."

---

I inhaled deeply as I stepped out of Hopper's car, waving him goodbye before he stopped me.

"Remember what we talked about."

I nod my head before turning back towards the front door. As I push my keys in, Mom swings the door open and pulls me into a hug.

"Oh, Dare-Bear! I was so worried about you! I almost called the Wheelers to see if you were staying at Nancy's!" She exclaimed loudly in my ear and I force a thin smile onto my face.

"I did Mom, just didn't feel good so I headed home," I say as I pull back from her hug, my eyes drifting towards the figure I had seen the night before.

"You ready to talk?" He asked gently, his arms crossed as he looked at me.

I sigh and push past Mom. "I think I'll stay home today Mom. I'm not feeling well still."

"Oh alright- Would you like me to make some soup?"

I shake my head. "No, I just want to rest Mom."

I walk into the hall, looking back at Dad before Dustin opens his door.

"Dare! You won't believe what I found-"

I close my eyes as I open my door. "Not now Dustin, please."

And I close the door behind me before collapsing on my bed and closing my eyes. 

I inhale deeply and open my eyes, noticing Dad standing in front of the door.

"Alright," I say as I sit up, crossing my legs and turning to him. "What the hell is going on Dad?"

[pappydaddy]

surprised (n.w.)

a/n: wow, there are not a lot of tags for nancy! also, ngl, i am hoping you lovelies like this one bc i think i could have done a lot better so sorry if it's not the best!

tv show/movie: stranger things | pairing: nancy wheeler x fem!reader

requested by the lovely @echos-scomplink as part of my 900/1k follower celebration (thank you so much lovely!!) i hope you enjoy it💛!

synopsis: y/n's girlfriend and friends have been acting weird, she just can't figure out why

taglist:  @rottenstyx | @boxofsilentwords | @badass-yn | @Lexi-2004 | @i-always-come-back-xoxo | @rootbeerfaygo | @savagemickey03 | @spongebob-in-the-upsidedown | @eichenhouseproperty *line through your user means i could not tag you lovelies!

warnings: fluff | secrets being kept | anxiety

navigation | masterlist | taglist sign-up

  Her friends had been acting odd, which really wasn’t that surprising when she really thought about it since they were oddballs to start out. What really made her step back and be suspicious was her girlfriend starting to act odd. Nancy was usually very straight-forward, blunt, goal-oriented. She stressed the importance of communication in the relationship, was an open-book with her, and never-ever strayed far from her routine unless it involved two things: something very very dangerous and important or anything to do with her job as a journalist. 

  But, this wasn’t anything to do with her job as that’s usually breaking news coverage where a story breaks and she needs to start a deep dive of investigation (which earned her the name Nancy Drew with their friend group). But, Nancy isn’t running off to the archives, the library, or the office in the early hours of the morning and spending all day there right now so it couldn't be work. And, as far as Y/N knew, there wasn’t any type of Upside Down creature threatening the town right now so it couldn’t be that. 

  She was truly stumped and it was bugging her. Not because she was insecure in her relationship and thought Nancy was cheating. There would be definite signs of that. But because she didn’t know what was going on and she didn’t like that. Y/N is an incredibly perceptive person, a trait she often cursed especially in times like this where she overthinks everything. Because of her perceptiveness, she needed to know what was going on at all times and if she didn’t, she spiralled. 

  “Hey, what’s going on up there?” Y/N was pulled out of her thoughts by her friend, Robin. Robin stood in front of her as she sat at the cafe table - their mutually agreed upon meeting point. Y/N blinked, a little stunned by the sudden intrusion. 

  “Oh, um,” She hummed, gathering her purse as she stood up. “Nothing. Just thinking really.” Y/N shrugged it off. If there was something going on, her girlfriend was going through great lengths to hide it because it took Y/N this long to notice two months worth of odd behaviour. So, obviously, Nancy has either become incredibly lax in her secret keeping, or whatever it was, Nancy was getting ready to reveal it. 

  “I bet it’s about the new job you’re starting,” Robin theorised about what had her friend so distracted. “You’re nervous, a perfectly normal human reaction to this situation, but of course, it’s you so you’ve probably thought yourself into a tizzy meaning you were in the middle of an overthinking spiral.” She determined, talking a mile a minute as they started to walk towards a random location. 

  Y/N really wasn’t sure what Robin had planned for today, all she knew was that she had asked her to hang out for the day. Y/N had agreed, knowing that she and Robin were interested in the same things meaning whatever Robin had in mind, Y/N probably liked. “You know me so well,” Y/N shook her head. Technically, Robin did get the overthinking spiral part right. “And I thought Steve was joining us?” She asked, her brows furrowed at their missing friend. 

  Robin waved her off. “He suddenly had ‘plans’,” She put air quotes around the word ‘plans’ with an exaggerated eye roll. “Something about some party for some girl. You know how he is, any chance at getting a date.” 

  “I see.” Y/N hummed, narrowing her eyes at her best friend. While Robin might be an oddball, she was an oddball Y/N knew since freshman year. An oddball who knew Robin’s deepest, darkest secrets. An oddball who hid in isolation with her throughout high school in fear that someone would find out that they liked girls. So she knew Robin. Which means, she knows that she knows something she’s not telling her. 

  “But I am sure you will see him later, he’ll come running back to us with his tail between his legs when they all shoot him down.” Robin shrugged as Y/N followed her lead. 

  “I see.” Y/N hummed again, earning a look from Robin. The way her blue eyes flicked nervously confirmed it. Robin knew something that she was supposed to keep a secret - one of her biggest inabilities. It was only a matter of time before the secret came spilling from her friend’s chapped lips. 

  Robin cleared her throat, eyes darting to look in front of them before they widened. “You know what,” She asked suddenly, her hand shoving Y/N towards the building next to them. “I think we should go in here!” 

  “Robin, this is an event hall-” She was cut off by her friend, shoving her towards it again. “Ugh,” She groaned, stumbling away from Robin’s hands as they reached out to shove her again. “Fine, I am going! I am going!” She relented, walking up the concrete stairs to the hall, eying Robin suspiciously as she brushed past her to lead the way. 

  As her friend opened the door, she could hear the echoes of Nancy’s voice instructing people to keep quiet and warmth bloomed in her chest. A surprise. It wasn’t a secret per se, but a surprise. “Come, this way.” Robin waved to her to follow her. 

  Smiling to herself, Y/N decided to play along, not wanting her girlfriend or friends to know the surprise was spoiled. “What are we doing here, Robin? We didn’t book a room out.” She asked, sounding slightly stressed to try to sell the part. Silence filled the hall other than the soft creaks of the floorboards when the hidden friends shifted. 

  “I just wanna see something in this room-” Robin waved her off, walking into one of the event rooms, flicking on the lights. Once the light turned on, everyone jumped out, yelling “surprise”. Even though she was expecting it, Y/N jumped slightly, looking around the now lit room with all her friends and family there. 

  Nancy stood right in front of her, a cardboard party hat (that matched everyone else's) on her head and a wide smile on her face. A large banner was hung on the far wall spelling out a hand painted “congratulations” in Y/N’s favourite colour. “Congratulations on your big job! We’re so excited for you!” Nancy beamed, nearly tackling her girlfriend in a hug. 

  Instantly, Y/N wrapped her arms around her as well, stumbling back from the force of the hug as Robin clapped happily beside them - mostly proud of herself for keeping the secret and pulling off the plan. “You really didn’t have to do all of this, Nancy! This must have taken you months and a load of money!” She gushed, looking around the room in awe, taking in everything. All Y/N’s favourite party foods laid out perfectly, several different drinks (some homemade and some store bought) on another table, each decoration handmade or picked out with the keen eye of her girlfriend. 

  “Nonsense! This is a big deal, Y/N. You deserve to be fussed over,” Nancy playfully scolded her. Y/N nodded, knowing it appeared playful, but Nancy meant it. She had made it her personal mission when they first started going out to make sure Y/N knew that she deserved the whole world and nothing short of it. She was the reason Y/N even applied for this job - without Nancy she probably would have just passed on the opportunity with a shrug and a muttered “like I’d ever get that job”.  “And I made it a surprise party! Were you surprised? You looked it! I actually think I got you this time!” 

  Y/N smiled sweetly, nodding. “I was definitely not expecting this, I love it.” She confirmed her surprise, pulling Nancy in to her by their conjoined hands, pressing a sweet kiss on her lips, earning another round of celebrating cheers from their friends and family. 

  “Good,” Nancy smiled at her once they pulled away, eyes alight and dancing with joyfulness and pure love. “Gives me more practice when I surprise you with a ring.” She winked, her finger softly playing with Y/N’s left ring finger causing a trail of goosebumps to travel up her arm. It was decided (informally) that Nancy would be the one to ask Y/N to marry her at some point in their relationship and both of them just ran with it. 

  “I can’t wait to be surprised again.” Y/N whispered back. Not to hide their love, but because her heart was so light and happy that she was scared to ruin this elated feeling by talking any louder.

[strangerthingsfan-fics]

Everyone found out quick steve Harrington x Fem!henderson reader

Warnings-kissing,swearing

You and Steve have been trying to keep your relationship on the down low like secret make out sessions at school sneaking out secret dates when you drop dustin off at the wheelers for the night but one night everyone was sat in a circle playing point to the person who ____ and it was a really fun game dustin was defo ready to put you both so was everyone else so they was making the game sound normal

“Point to the person who loves dnd the most” Mike said

They all pointed at will and Eddie

“Point to the person that won’t ask out a girl even though she returns fast times at 53 mins and 15 seconds” Steve laughs

“Right fuck off harrington” Robin groans as everyone points at her

You was sat next to Steve with your hands very very very close and Dustin noticed doing a little guys look with his eyes and Dustin was so excited to put you guys he was the one doing it dustin smirked so bad and now the time has come to out you and Steve that you guys are dating Steve’s just given you his hoodie because you was shivering so now was the time

“Point to who loves yn the most” dustin smirks proudly at himself

Everyone pointed at Steve and Steve acted clueless until

“Right fuck it I love yn henderson the most” he shouts out pointing at himself

“I love you more Harrington” you smile

“Your make out sessions arnt exactly quite Harrington” dustin points out

“Oh steve I love you oh Steve” Nancy points out

Steve kissses you and you kiss him back turning into dustin shouting to split it up

[sanguineterrain]

hii i absolutely adore your writing!!!! are you taking requests?? if so …could you write steve harrington x newby!reader one? where after yn finally after months grieving her dad’s death, she starts working with robin and steve in scoops ahoy and maybe she’s little jealous how steve always tries to “impress” and flirting with the girl costumers and she’s been through a tough time since her dad bob the superhero died but ofc steve helped her though all this but she’s still sometimes quiet and sad and not really her usual self. she lost both of her parents, she probably won’t be her usual self ever again but she has steve but she has these nightmares about steve dying in upside down and she’s been acting weird ever since she had those nightmares. (she was always has been the shy, introverted girl but when she’s around her few friends she can be her self). she loves him so much it hurts and she’s scared bc he’s also her first boyfriend and she never thought she would’ve love someone like this and she knows about his history with nancy wheeler. robin has enough and she has steve what is going on with yn and steve makes it right. also i thought it would be cool if yn lived with the byers family after bob died?

Hi nonnie, I'm only accepting requests for dc characters right now! I hope you find someone who'll write your prompt 🥰❤️

[quixoticall]

This Could Get Ugly Masterlist

18+ mdni

Part 1 of Look At Us Now

Now: Everybody knows famous 80s pop rock band, The Downsides, but no one knows the reason behind their mysterious breakup at the height of their success. Rumors of love triangles, infidelity, drug addiction and more than one onstage fight have swirled around for years following the band’s split in 1989. Years later, one determined journalist is uncovering it all through a series of interviews that will finally reveal the truth.

Then: It's 1983 and The Downsides need another lead singer and you just happen to need a band--it's a perfect match. The only issue? You have to pretend to be in a relationship with your bandmate, Steve Harrington, but you can't help but be drawn to the band's broody guitar player.

pairing: s.h. x fem!reader, e.m. x fem!reader, j.b. x n.w

warnings: It's the Daisy Jones and the Six!AU, Enemies to friends to lovers, Love triangles, sex, drugs, rock and roll, etc., fake relationships, slow-burn, pining, ANGST, bad parents all around (this is going to be long and messy), smut in later chapters, slow burn, enemies to fwb to lovers, miscommunication trope

Each chapter will also have individual warnings per chapter.

Prologue

TRACKLIST🎸

Track 1: Before the Beginning

Track 2: The Beginning

Track 3: The Upside Down Tour

Track 4: The End of the Beginning

Track 5: The Beginning of the End

Track 6: The Aftermath

Track 7: Unintended Consequences (coming soon)

THE PLAYLIST 🎵

BREAKING NEWS! 📰

Saubrosa--October 9, 1983

The Upside Down Tour Poster—1984

Join the TAGLIST

[burgundybmw]

You Belong With Me

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Nancy Wheeler x Fem!Henderson!Reader , Nancy Wheeler x Jonathan Byers (Temporarily)

Word Count: 7,334

Warnings: Love Triangle, Jonathan slander (I love him as Will's brother, but hate him as Nancy's boyfriend), and I think that's it?

Summary: Barbara Holland, Nancy Wheeler, and Y/N Henderson were the closest of friends growing up. They had sleepovers, braided each others hair, and spent hours talking and giggling on the phone. Y/N loved Barbara, and so did Nancy, but the two girls always had a rather intense friendship beyond the trio. That all changed when Barbara died, and it only got worse when Nancy started dating Jonathan. You see, Y/N Henderson was in love with Nancy Wheeler, and seeing her with Jonathan Byers ate her up inside. Their friendship was doomed from the moment she saw how she looked at him.

Over a year passes and Y/N makes new friends, tries to forget about the girl she spent years dreaming about. She gets a job at the ice cream shop in the mall alongside her new best friend Robin, a girl who understands what's she's going through, and Steve, the ex-boyfriend of the love of her life. Y/N wishes that was the strangest thing that happened to her that summer, but Hawkins always has a bad habit of bringing back stranger things.

Author's Note: I saw a trend on TikTok where you use a bunch of filters and write a fic based on what you get. Here were my results: Sibling- Dustin Henderson/ Love Interest- Nancy Wheeler / Best Friend- Robin Buckley / Rival- Upside Down Monsters / Trope- Love Triangle / Other Person In Love Triangle- Jonathan Byers / Random AO3 Tag- Hurt/Comfort / Random Quote- “he always had been, and always will be, somewhat of a menace to society” / Taylor Swift Song Inspo- You Belong With Me /

This is the fic that resulted in those filters, hope you guys enjoy! Also I'm an idiot and accidentally deleted the original post, whoops! Thankfully I saved it on Word!

Scoops Ahoy wasn't a terrible summer job. There were some good benefits, like free ice cream, and getting paid to hang out with her best friend. There were some not so good benefits, like dealing with rude customers, and wearing that stupid sailor hat. However, the one thing that Y/N Henderson thought about the most was seeing Nancy Wheeler with her boyfriend Jonathan Byers, pointedly avoiding looking into the mall's frozen confectionery joint. Whether that was a benefit or not was still up for debate.

The thing was, Y/N hadn't spoken to Nancy in eight months. If you were to ask her two years ago, she'd tell you that you were crazy. Y/N and Nancy were best friends, closer than blood, but that wasn't the case anymore. They stopped being that close after Barb died, and they stopped speaking all together when Nancy told her she was dating Jonathan. Y/N could remember the fight like it was yesterday, the day her heart shattered in a million tiny pieces.

"What the hell are you talking about?! I thought you were dating Steve! When did this happen?!" Y/N was so confused, Nancy had been giving her radio silence since Halloween. They had gotten into a brief argument when Y/N said she wanted to go to Trina's Halloween party. Nancy had thrown a fit, told her not to go. She didn't understand why she was so upset. It was just a lame high school party. Nancy said the last time she went to a party with a friend Barb died, and that shut her up real quick. Both girls held onto the guilt of their friend's death. Nancy for hooking up with Steve and asking Barb to leave, and Y/N for refusing to go in the first place. This fight wasn't like the last one, this felt more personal to Y/N.

"I don't see why you're so mad. Why do you even care that I'm dating Jonathan now?" Nancy replied, rolling her big doe eyes at her. They were in Nancy's room, she asked Y/N to come over that morning to talk. She didn't know what she was walking into when she crossed the threshold of the Wheeler house, but this certainly wasn't it.

"Um, maybe because he took creepy pictures of you half naked?! I mean holy shit Nancy, that's so wrong!" Steve might have been a tool, but he wasn't a creepy stalker. Y/N remembers watching Steve break Jonathan's camera after he found out about the pictures. Nancy got so mad at him for it, and for the life of her Y/N didn't stand why. If Nancy was her girlfriend she would have punched Jonathan square in the face for invading her privacy like that, but Nancy wasn't her girlfriend, and never would be.

"He apologized for that..." Nancy started before Y/N interrupted her.

"Ugh, barely! And you forgave him way too quickly for it. That was such gross boy behavior I can't even begin to tell you. Also, pretty sure it's very fucking illegal." Y/N really should have known better. Nancy had been giving hints about Jonathan for the past year, telling her he wasn't so bad. It didn't matter, she would never forgive him for what he did. The only reason she forgave Steve was because he didn't actually spray paint that garbage on the theater, and cleaned it up himself after dropping Tommy H and Carol as friends. The fact that he let her punch him in the face too helped.

"He wasn't trying to take naked pictures of me, he was trying to find his brother." She was still trying to defend it, like that was a totally reasonable thing to do.

"He still did it though! And he developed the photos anyway! How can you not only justify that, but defend it! Besides, when did you even break up with Steve, I thought you guys were fine?" Y/N didn't want Nancy with either of them, but if she had to pick at least Steve was somewhat decent. Dustin idolized him, and Y/N couldn't hate someone her brother loved so much.

"Halloween... I think." Nancy murmured, she was fiddling with the end of her sweater, something she only did when she was nervous or lying. Y/N knew all of her tells, she knew Nancy like the back of her hand. She smelled shit, and Nancy was full of it.

"You think. How do you not know when you broke up with the boyfriend that you've been dating for a year?!" This wasn't like Nancy. The Nancy she knew was confident, so sure of herself and everything she did. This Nancy was timid and shy. It bothered Y/N to the core.

"Well, we didn't really formally break up. It was more like we fought and just decided to not be together anymore. It was an unspoken thing." Unspoken. How the hell do you break up with someone unspokenly.

"Was that before or after you hooked up with Jonathan." Y/N couldn't control the venom in her voice. She knew it was wrong to throw that in her face, to imply what she did, but in the moment she didn't care. How the hell did Jonathan Byers earn Nancy's affections when he didn't even fucking know her, and she couldn't.

That was the root of the whole thing. Y/N could never be objective when it came to Nancy's relationships, not when she wanted to be with her instead. Y/N Henderson had been in love with her since they were kids. She fell in love with Nancy when she still wore her hair in pigtails, and hadn't stopped since then.

No one knew she was gay. She never told a soul. Not even Dustin, who she shared everything with. She used to feel bad about keeping the secret, until she noticed Dustin keeping secrets from her too. Ever since Will disappeared, and then come back 10 days later seemingly back from the dead, everyone Y/N cared about started keeping secrets from her. It was starting to get on her last nerve.

"Oh don't you judge me Y/N. You don't even know what it's like!" Nancy yelled, getting the same pissy attitude her brother had.

"I don't know what it's like? Really, Nancy? I know that I would never go out with a boy who did something like that!" Y/N was yelling at her. She hated yelling at Nancy, but she just wasn't listening to her.

"Oh it's so easy for you to say that Y/N! So easy for you to talk out of your ass about how boys are!" Nancy's voice was louder now, getting right in her face with it. She hated it, she hated Nancy looking at her like she was being ridiculous. Nancy was in the wrong, not her.

"How boys are?! Christ Nancy do you even hear yourself! How the hell wouldn't I know! That's all you've been talking about for the past two years!" She was so sick and tired of hearing about this stupid shit. Sick of arguing over it. It was all so stupid.

"Well it's not my fault you don't like boys!" Nancy screamed, and then it was silence. So quiet you could hear a pin drop. She hit the nail right on the head with that one. Threw the one thing in Y/N's face that she'd been terrified about herself for as long as she could remember. Y/N couldn't look at her, couldn't speak to her. She just walked right out of Nancy's door, slamming it shut behind her. They hadn't spoken since.

After that fight, Y/N started walking home in the rain. She was too afraid to call her mom to her pick her up, she didn't want to explain to her what happened. She walked in the rain until she crashed into someone on a bike, they were whipping around a corner as she was crossing the street. It was Robin Buckley, a girl she was in band with. They didn't speak that often, but knew of each other's existence.

When she crashed into Y/N, she started rattling off apologies, telling her she was trying to pick up maple syrup for her french toast but got caught in the rain. Robin noticed that she was crying, and when she asked her what was wrong, Y/N let the floodgates loose. Right there in the middle of the street. Nobody around to hear her confession in the storm. Y/N told Robin everything, that she was gay, in love with her best friend, how said best friend just broke her heart, and even though she was heart broken, she knew that she would never stop loving Nancy Wheeler.

After she was done, the panic settled in. The weight of what she just said to a near stranger paralyzing her with fear. Until the unexpected happened, Robin laughed. Not a cruel laugh, or a making fun of her laugh. It sounded like relief. That's when Robin told her that she was gay too, that she didn't think she'd ever meet another gay person in all of Hawkins in a million years, and yet she literally crashed into one. Both girls laughed in the rain, before Robin asked if she wanted to come over her house for french toast. Y/N agreed, and they've been best friends ever since.

They spent the rest of the school year glued to the hip. Robin would wax poetic about Tammy Thompson and Vickie from band, and Y/N would vent about Nancy Wheeler. They'd stand next to each other on the bleachers with their ridiculous band uniforms on, whispering to each other between music numbers. She would watch Jonathan and Nancy take pictures of the cheerleading squad, and Y/N would dream about the day that Nancy realized that he wasn't good for her. That she would wake up from whatever fantasy she made up with him, and find that Y/N was the person she was really looking for. The one who had been there for her the entire time. Who knew her better than she knew herself. She knew it was just a fantasy, you can't make someone love you. Especially another girl.

When the school year ended, Robin and Y/N decided to look for summer jobs together. They both applied to the new ice cream shop in the mall, and on the first day they both realized that they weren't working alone. Steve Harrington also got a job at Scoops Ahoy, and when he saw her he was instantly relieved that he was working with a familiar face. Y/N was surprised he was so excited to see her, considering what she did a year prior. Steve had told her that he deserved it, and to let bygones be bygones. Robin wasn't too thrilled at first, but both girls couldn't help but enjoy working with Steve.

She got to know him better those first couple of weeks, and he kept begging her to tell him about what Dustin was up to at camp. It was sweet, how much he cared about her brother. That's what really sold Steve to her. She saw how much he changed over the past year. He was still a bit full of himself, but he wasn't the tool she made him out to be. The only fuck up he made was when he asked why she wasn't hanging out with Nancy anymore, but kept his mouth shut when she gave him the iciest glare she could muster, colder than the ice cream freezer they used daily.

Today, Y/N was up at the front counter reorganizing the to go cups, when she heard a ding from the bell behind her.

"Ahoy! My name is..." Y/N started before she realized who was standing there. Nancy Wheeler, alone, in all of her glory. Her heart was pounding in her chest, Nancy was the last person she expected to walk into Scoops Ahoy. The words were caught in her throat, as she stared helplessly at the girl in front of her.

"Hi Y/N..." Nancy sounded awkward, unsure of herself. A similar tone she had the last time they spoke all those months ago. Y/N didn't like it then, and she didn't like it now.

"Uh hi, um, what are you doing here?" Y/N asked, there were plenty of other ice cream shops in Hawkins. She knew that Nancy purposefully avoided this one, she saw her speed walk past the entrance every time she came to the mall.

"To get ice cream?" Nancy replied lamely, she was fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. Lie.

"We both know that's not the real reason..." She really wished Robin and Steve would come back from their breaks soon. She didn't want to be alone with Nancy.

"Look," Nancy sighed, "I just wanted to, um, talk to you? If that was okay?" Y/N couldn't wrap her head around why. It had been months of radio silence, walking around school like they were strangers, why now? Before she could respond, Robin walked into the front door of the ice cream shop, completely oblivious to the girl at the counter.

"Y/N you would not believe who I just saw fall flat on their face in the food court!" Robin began before realizing they weren't alone. She looked between Nancy and her, raising her eyebrow as a silent question: Are you okay?

"Hey Robin, would you mind running the counter for a bit? I'm gonna go on break now." She had already taken her break, but she hoped Robin would understand what she really meant to say.

"Are you sure you wanna go now? You usually take them later?" Robin was giving her an out, knowing all the complicated details of her relationship with Nancy, she was such a good friend to her.

"Yea I'm good thanks." Y/N replied as she took the sailor hat off of her head. Robin nodded and switched spots with her behind the counter. Y/N started walking towards the door, Nancy following closely behind. Once they made it out, Y/N lead Nancy to the employee's only hallway of the mall, she wanted privacy for the conversation they were about to have.

"Okay, so what did you want to talk about?" Y/N asked, trying to present herself as calm as a cucumber, but inside she was a nervous wreck.

"I wanted to apologize... What we fought about, God, it was so stupid. You were right, and I was being a shitty friend." Nancy's eyes were glassy as she spoke to her, the threat of unshed tears just over the horizon. Y/N couldn't stand it when Nancy cried, it always broke her heart a little bit each time.

"Yea, you were being a shitty friend," Y/N began, "but so was I. I shouldn't have thrown what happened with Jonathan in your face like that. It was wrong, and I'm sorry..." Instant relief flooded her veins. It was as if a massive weight was lifted off of her shoulders. She didn't want to be angry with Nancy anymore, not for something she couldn't change. It wasn't right.

"You weren't wrong though... What happened between Steve, Jonathan, and I was messy. I was just insecure about it and lashed out at you..." Nancy took a deep breath, willing the tears to stay back. "You're my best friend, and I pushed you away. I've been so lost since Barb died, and I didn't even consider your feelings too. I was so selfish. I saw you walk in the halls and ignored you because I was too afraid to talk to you. I thought I broke us..." Y/N didn't know when he brain made the decision to hug her, but her body moved to do it as soon as she heard the first sniffle. She hugged Nancy tight, the smell of her floral shampoo an old comfort she had nearly forgotten about.

"You didn't break us. You know I'll always be here for you Nancy. We had a bad fight, but it's going to be okay" Y/N ran her fingers through her friends hair, the soft curls wrapping themselves between each digit. She could feel Nancy sink into her, not an inch between them.

"I missed you so much Jellybean..." Y/N's heart soared at the old nickname. Nancy started calling her that in kindergarten after she got a jellybean stuck in her ear. She didn't remember how it got there in the first place, but the nickname stuck too.

"I missed you too Fancy Nancy..." She could feel her giggles against her chest, and as much as it ached, she knew everything was going to be okay. Whatever happened in the future, she knew that she wouldn't leave Nancy's side, never again.

Weeks went by as the girls picked up right where they left off. Like it was easy. Nancy would come by Scoops Ahoy on her days off and update her on what was going on in her life. What Mike and the kids were up too, how her relationship with Jonathan was going, and her new job at the Hawkins Post. Y/N hated that they weren't taking her seriously, and told her as such.

"Those stupid man-boys wouldn't know a good story if it flew right under their nose. You're way too good to be dealing with that shit, I'm sorry they suck" Nancy chuckled over her vanilla ice cream, always with rainbow sprinkles.

"Yea, but it's a good job to put on a resume. Thank you for saying that though, Jonathan just doesn't get it when I talk to him about it" Y/N had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She hated the dull look on her face when she would talk about how the men at the post treated her, or when Jonathan disappointed her.

"He's a guy. Of course he doesn't get it," Y/N began before she could tell her mouth to shut up before she reveals too much, "you know, you have a smile that could light up all of Hawkins, and I haven't seen it since you started working at the post with Jonathan."

"I'm fine Jellybean, promise" But she knew Nancy better than that. She wasn't fine, and Y/N didn't know what she was doing with men like that. Men who didn't listen to her, or understand where she was coming from. She didn't deserve it.

"Whatever you say Nancy..." And that was the end of it. Nancy changed the subject, and Y/N had to pretend that her heart wasn't pounding in her chest. When Nancy walked out the door, Y/N turned around to see Robin's concerned face. Steve wasn't back on break yet, he always took it when Nancy came to visit, so they were alone in the store. Not a nosy customer in sight.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked as she filled a small cup with S'mores Galore, her personal favorite.

"I will be. It's nothing new, I'd rather have her be in my life talking about her dumb boyfriend than out of it" She knew she was being a bit unfair towards Jonathan. He might not be her favorite person in the world, but she couldn't say he was all bad. Y/N knew what it was like to be an older sibling without a second parent in the house; it was hard and you had to grow up much faster than other kids. Jonathan was an excellent brother to Will, and a great son to Joyce. He just made shitty choices and decided to date the love of her life, so she allowed herself to hate him just a little bit.

"Yea I guess... but you know I'm always here to talk if you need to. It can't be easy hearing the person you love talk about loving someone else. I only had a crush on Tammy and it nearly destroyed me watching her look at Steve the way she did, I can't even imagine what it must be like for you. Sounds like pure torture." Y/N loved Robin's honesty, but sometimes her comments hit a little too close for comfort. It could be torture, but a torture she could endure.

"It is what it is. Who knows, maybe when I go to college I'll find a girl who actually likes other girls... I could finally move on from her..." Deep down she was afraid nobody would hold a candle to her best friend, that she would have to settle for second best. The thought kept her up at night.

"You and me both sister" Robin chuckled. A part of her wished she could have fallen in love with Robin instead, a girl who could actually love her in return. They tried kissing once many months ago, it was the first kiss either of them ever had. At first it was a peck, and then they tried making out a bit to see if anything would happen. Both girls decided that it just wasn't right for them, that they didn't feel any type of spark. They both decided to stay platonic best friends, with a capital P as Robin so lovingly referred to it. No awkwardness followed the kiss, something Y/N appreciated whole heartedly. She didn't know what she would've done if the kiss ruined their friendship. One friendship break up was enough for a life time.

"What are you girls talking about?" Steve asked as he walked into the front doors of Scoops Ahoy.

"Nothing you need to worry about, dingus" Steve rolled his eyes at the familiar nickname and got back to work. Completely oblivious to the conversation they had before. It was better that way, Y/N didn't know how he would react if he knew the truth. That not only was Y/N Henderson gay, she was in love with his ex girlfriend.

"Oh by the way Steve, Dustin comes home from camp tomorrow." A massive smile spread across his face as he bombarded her with questions about her brother. She neglected to tell him that he was coming by the shop the next day, Dustin had told her he wanted to surprise him. She didn't know how and when her brother and Steve got so close, but you would never hear any complaints from her.

Y/N was sitting on the couch in her sailor uniform when she heard a pounding at the door. She didn't have to be at Scoops Ahoy for another couple hours, and she had the house to herself. Dustin was at the mall with Steve, a place he spent most of his days recently, and her mom was out running errands. At first she thought it was her brother, probably freaking out because he lost his house keys again, but to her surprise it was Nancy at the door. Her eyes filled with tears and smudged mascara.

"Oh my god Nancy what happened?" Y/N didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her friend. She hadn't seen her this upset in years, not since Barb died.

"I think I just broke up with Jonathan..." Nancy sobbed. She hated the brief flash of joy she felt when Nancy spoke, it wasn't fair to her. Y/N nodded and held her hand as they walked up to her bedroom. Once she sat Nancy down on her bed she ran downstairs to get her a glass of water and box of tissues. When she finally got upstairs she found Nancy looking at the picture of the two of them right before High School started on the nightstand. Barb had taken the picture, and it was one of her most prized possessions. Y/N ignored the flutter in her chest, Nancy looked at that photo with such fondness it nearly tore her apart.

"Tell me what happened..." Y/N said as she rubbed circles on her friend's back, doing as much as she could to comfort her.

"We got in a fight... I got us both fired from the Hawkins Post because of a lead I had. I know it's a good story Jellybean, but they just wouldn't listen. Jonathan was upset because he needed the job, and he basically called me spoiled for not understanding why he was upset. As if I'm stupid..." Y/N knew about the Byers financial situation, and it definitely wasn't easy, but she wasn't about to tell Nancy that.

"Like I get it, his family doesn't have a lot of money, but he could always get another job. I will stuck being belittled because I'm a woman for the rest of my life. He basically defended how they treated me because they got him a job! Like he didn't even care how I was feeling! And when I told him how humiliated I was, he just told me that the real worlds sucks! That I just had to deal with it!"

"Are you fucking serious?!" Y/N was fuming now. It was one thing to be ignorant of how Nancy was treated at her job, it was another thing to be complacent and tell her to lay down and take it.

"Yes! He sounded just like the assholes at work! And god, when I told him I shouldn't have even bothered venting to him in the first place, and should have gone to you instead, he nearly lost it!" Y/N's chest felt tight, frustration, aggravation, pride, and lovesickness swirled inside of her.

"What did he say?" She whispered, not trusting her mouth at the moment.

"That's the crazy part, he just told me I should just date you instead if you're the only thing I talk about! He kept saying that I was obsessed with you! That during our entire relationship all I cared about was Y/N Henderson! I mean, Jesus, he accused me of being secretly in love with you!" Nancy rambled, and Y/N swore her heart stopped. Hope bloomed inside of her, that maybe her feelings weren't unrequited after all. She was scared, terrified of letting herself feel that hope. It was a dangerous thing.

"Why, uh, why would he say that?" She swore her tongue tripled in size, it was nearly impossible to speak.

"Hell if I know! Of course I love you! You're my best friend! That's totally normal! I even told him that, I said it wasn't my fault that he didn't have a friendship like ours!" Nancy rambled, her mouth running a mile a minute, "Like of course I want to be with you all the time, especially after our fight! God Jellybean, you don't even know, all those months of silence nearly killed me. It felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I cried myself to sleep almost every night. I didn't cry that much after Steve and I broke up, or in the car on my way here. When I said it felt like I broke our friendship, it's because it broke me. That was more of a break up than any relationship I've ever had!"

Y/N didn't know what possessed her to do what she did. Every fiber of her being was lit up like an electrical storm. She didn't think, didn't hesitate for a second, before she pressed her lips against Nancy's. Y/N could taste the strawberry chapstick she always wore over her lipstick, could feel the soft curls of her hair as she gently held her face. This was the feeling she was looking for when she kissed Robin, the instant fireworks, the spark. It was everything she ever wanted it to be, until she realized Nancy wasn't kissing her back, and then reality sank in. She pulled back to see her best friend, the love of her life, look at her like she was a stranger. Her eyes were wide, eyebrows shot up to her hairline, and her mouth was wide open in shock.

"Oh my God... Holy shit Nancy, I'm so sorry. I, I, I don't know what came over me! I'm sorry, please don't hate me!" Y/N pleaded, but Nancy just continued to stare at her. The silence was deafening, and she couldn't take it. So Y/N did what felt best, and ran right out the door. She grabbed the keys to her car and drove right to Scoops Ahoy, nausea and fear nearly consuming her. She had kissed her best friend. Nancy knew she liked girls. It felt like the end of the world.

As it would turn out, her kiss with Nancy wasn't the worst thing to happen to Y/N Henderson that day. In fact, it wasn't even in the same ballpark. When she rushed into Scoops Ahoy, she found her brother, Steve, Robin, and Lucas' little sister Erica forming a plan to defeat Russian spies that broke into Starcourt Mall. Dustin yelled at his sister for getting involved, something he desperately wanted to avoid. Y/N yelled at him for keeping secrets, and Steve told them both to shut up while they were stuck in some secret elevator underneath the mall.

Hours passed like that, the five of them in the elevator. Y/N forced her brother to tell her everything, that she wouldn't allow anymore secrets between them, and he did. He told her about this girl named Eleven who had psychic powers and came from Hawkins Lab. He told her about the monsters that came out of this alternate dimension they called the Upside Down. He told her about how Will was trapped there for 10 days, and how they all got him back. He told her how this Eleven girl had closed the gate, and that apparently Russians were plotting something underneath Starcourt mall. Her brain was overloading with information, and it took her almost an hour to come to terms with it. Robin had made a joke and said she was just as clueless as she was, but she didn't feel like laughing. Once she figured it all out, she smacked her brother on the back of the head for lying to her, and hugged him so tight with the fear of potentially losing him.

Y/N Henderson had started her morning like any other day, but it ended in a nightmare of kissing Nancy Wheeler and getting drugged by Russian spies. Dustin and Erica had helped them escape, but Y/N was too delirious to be of much help. They sat them down in the movie theater, until Steve thought of the brilliant idea of leaving. Now, the three of them were puking their guts out in the Starcourt bathroom.

"The room stopped spinning for me, is it still spinning for you guys?" Robin asked in the other stall.

"Holy shit. No." Steve replied.

"All good over here sailor scout!" Y/N shouted from the last stall.

"Do you think we puked it all up?" She certainly hoped so, puking was never fun.

"One way to find out, hey Steve?" Y/N asked.

"Yea Miss. Henderson?" She chuckled at the nickname.

"Ask me a question, let's play honesty hour." Steve took a moment to think of something before he spoke.

"When was the last time you peed your pants?" Normally, Y/N would have been grossed out by the question, but she couldn't care less in that moment.

"I almost peed my pants today when I kissed Nancy, does that count?" The bathroom became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. She knew she should have been terrified by what she revealed, but the Russian truth serum's euphoria remained in her system. Robin slowly dragged herself over to the stall, her eyes wide with surprise. She knew the depth of what she had just revealed, and was afraid for her. Steve crawled underneath the stall wall to sit next to her by the toilet, a matching surprised look on his face.

"You kissed Nance?" Y/N couldn't stop the words coming out of her mouth even if she wanted to, a bastardized confession inside the ceramic walls of the mall bathroom.

"Yea, I did. Her and Jonathan broke up and he accused her of being secretly in love with me. I was so psyched because duh, I've been in love with her since we were like 5, and so I kissed her like an idiot. Nancy didn't look as happy as I was, and I think I totally destroyed our friendship beyond repair. All because I fell in love with my best friend, who's a girl, a very pretty girl, but you know that Steve. You dated her. Also, I hated you a bit when you dated Nancy, but if it makes you feel better I hate Jonathan more. He sucks. He always had been, and always will be, somewhat of a menace to society. He took pictures of her half naked like a weirdo, and I wanted to punch him in the face. I still want to punch him in the face. I know he's like half way decent, but I still want to punch him in his very punchable face. All because he managed to snag Nancy Wheeler and I can't, because I was born a girl, who's gay, in fucking Indiana. It totally sucks. I wish I could have fallen in love with Robin, and I'm sorry Robs, but kissing Nancy was wayyyyyyyy better than kissing you. Not that you're a bad kisser! It was objectively a nice kiss, but it's because I only love you like a friend and I love Nancy in a I want to marry you and carry your children kind of way. I know that's impossible, and it makes me sad. I think we'd have cute babies. I'd hope they'd have curly hair and Nancy's nose, but my eyes and smile. But hey, I would even settle for her not telling the world I'm in love with her and completely destroying my life. Small miracles and all that jazz..." When Y/N stopped speaking, Robin thought it was a good idea to add her own word vomit confession too. She was such a good friend, and super fucking awesome for not leaving her alone with all of that.

"Do you guys remember what I said about Click's class? About me being jealous, and like, obsessed? It wasn't because I had a crush on Steve. It's because she wouldn't stop staring at him..."

"Mrs. Click?" Steve interrupted, but Robin smoothly continued.

"Tammy Thompson. I wanted her to look at me. But... she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair. And I didn't understand, because Steve would get bagel crumbs all over the floor. And he would ask dumb questions. And he was a douchebag. And- and you didn't even like her... and I would go home, and just scream into my pillow..."

"Oh..." Steve replied softly, "Holy shit"

"Holy shit" Robin and Y/N said at the same time. Steve took a moment to think, his eyes focused on the wall behind Y/N's head. Both girls waited with bated breath to hear what he had to say, the nerves finally sinking into them.

"I'm sorry I sort of stole both of the girls you guys liked. I get Nancy, Y/N, she's a total package. But Tammy Thompson? Seriously Robin? I mean, she's cute and all, but she's a total dud" Steve scoffed.

"She is not"

"Yea, she is. She wants to be, like, a singer. She wants to move to like, Nashville and shit" Y/N giggled to herself at the banter between Steve and Robin, instant relief flooding through her. Steve wasn't mad, or upset, or hateful. He was cracking jokes, just like he always did. She knew why Dustin adored him so much, and now she sort of adored him too. They were all laughing together, making fun of Tammy Thompson and her muppet voice, when Dustin and Erica busted into the bathroom.

"Okay. What the hell?"

They all tried to sneakily escape from the Russian spies, but it was no use. They were heavily armed and trained to dispose of them. The happy-go-lucky feeling was long gone, pure fear and anxiety replacing it. It was all of blur, one second they tried to sneak out the front doors of the mall, and the next they were all hiding behind one of the food court stands. That's when they heard the sound of a car crash, and looked up to see a young teenage girl Y/N didn't recognize and the rest of Dustin's friends. Then she noticed that Jonathan and Nancy where there. Her brother was overjoyed to see everyone, but she couldn't join him with the celebration. When she first made eye contact with Nancy, she couldn't discern the look on her face. It only made her panic more.

They all started talking about Russians and monsters, but Y/N was numb to it all. She was laser focused on Nancy, who was pointedly ignoring her again. Pure, unadulterated heartbreak devoured her soul. She went back to Jonathan, the kiss meant nothing, that had to be what had happened after she ran away. Y/N couldn't focus too much on her own feelings before the young girl, who she now knew as Eleven, collapsed onto the ground. That was the beginning of the end of Starcourt mall.

Y/N watched as the place she used to work caught aflame. The paramedics were attending to her wounds, but she was numb to all of it. She witnessed first hand of the monster that lived inside the Upside Down. It would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. They all fought it with fireworks and flames, anything to help Eleven defeat it. It was pure chaos, and filled with death. Chief Hopper and Max's brother Billy perished at the hands of the Mind Flayer, the name of the monster Dustin had supplied earlier. Y/N hadn't spoken to Nancy throughout the fight, too preoccupied with the task at hand, but now all she could do was watch as Nancy and Jonathan spoke in the distance. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could feel her heart break more when she watched him hug her. The paramedic placed the last bandage on her and told her she was all set to go. Y/N jumped at the opportunity to run away, she couldn't stand seeing anymore of Jonathan Byers rekindling his flame with Nancy. She didn't get too far before she heard Nancy shout her name. Y/N kept walking, ignoring the siren's call, before she felt a firm grip on her arm.

"Don't run away from me again" Nancy reprimanded, her eyes lit up from the fire a short distance away. Y/N refused to speak, she had enough truth telling that night to last a lifetime. Nancy waited a moment, waiting for her to say something, before she sighed and let go of her arm. It took every ounce of Y/N's strength not to run away.

"I'm driving you home" It sounded like a command, and she knew better than to argue with her, so she nodded and made her way over to Nancy's car.

The girls drove in silence as they made their way through Hawkins. Y/N was barely paying attention to the road, too focused on calming herself down. A million and one thoughts ran through her head. Why was Nancy driving her home? Did she not hate her? Was she taking her to Lover's Lake to dump her body? That last one was far fetched, Nancy wasn't a murderer, but she did see her wield a gun like she was born too. Crazier things have happened. Y/N was lost in her own head, and didn't notice when Nancy parked the car. She finally looked up from her lap to take in her surroundings, they were in the parking lot of a playground. Y/N didn't know why Nancy had taken her there instead of her house, but she didn't think she was gonna kill her anymore. Burying a body at a park was a bad idea, and Nancy was too smart for that.

"Do you remember the day we met?" Nancy asked, finally breaking the tense silence.

"Yea... it was here..."

"We were 4 years old. I had fallen off the swings and hurt my knee. You ran up to me and asked if I was okay, and I could barely answer you because I was crying so hard," Nancy chuckled, a fond smile on her face, "You got down on your knees, the denim overalls cushioning the wood chips on the ground, and kissed both of my knees. You said your Mom did it whenever you had a boo boo, and that love makes the pain go away..." Y/N was shocked she remembered all of that, they were both so young. The memories were old and blurry, but they were still there in her mind, and they were apparently crystal clear in Nancy's.

"Yea... Why are you bringing this up?" Y/N wondered, unsure where Nancy was going with her line of questioning.

"I think it was then..." Nancy paused, taking a moment to catch her breath, "I think that's the moment I realized I was different. I went home to my Mom and Dad and told them I met Y/N Henderson on the playground with Grandma... I told them that you loved me and how I wanted to marry you..." The nausea in her stomach was replaced with butterflies, that feeling of hope rushing through her. What Nancy was telling her, it sounded all too close to a confession.

"My Dad immediately shot me down of course, said girls can't marry other girls, that it was wrong. My Mom just told him I was confused, that it was just how little girls are. My Dad was satisfied with that, and I was too. I mean, parents aren't supposed to lie to their kids right? I was just confused?" Nancy turned to face Y/N, her eyes focused and sure, "I lived by that for years. Every time I looked at you a little too long to be normal, I just wrote it off as that's just how girls are. That it was normal to love your best friend like that, but it's not isn't it?" Y/N shook her head, no it wasn't, there was nothing normal about it.

"I liked boys too, still do, and thought I was satisfied with that. I thought I was satisfied with Steve, satisfied with Jonathan, and I very well could have been... If I never met you" Nancy reached for Y/N's hand and squeezed it tight. She was shaking, but her face was strong and determined. She didn't realize how much she missed that look on her best friends face until that moment.

"I always compared the boys I dated to you, Jellybean, and none of them could compare. You're the one that makes me laugh, even when I'm about to cry. You know my favorite songs, and you know all of my dreams for the future, and you were the one who was there all along. I was confused for so long, until the moment you kissed me. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. I realized that it was something we could do, that it was something I wanted. I'm sorry I made you wait so long for me to catch up to what you already knew, but now I know for sure..." Nancy leaned over towards Y/N's seat, inches away from her face, and spoke the words she's wanted to hear for over a decade, "I belong with you Y/N Henderson"

Nancy leaned in and kissed her. She kissed her like she was finally coming up from air after she was drowning for so long. She kissed her like she was something to savor, slow, soft, and sweet. Y/N could feel her toes curl, her body singing with every moment of her lips against Nancy's. They kissed each other in that old playground parking lot like they had all the time in the world.

It was pure bliss, like something out of a love long.

A song Y/N never wanted to stop listening too.

[t-h-i-n-g]

nancy with the 21st prompt. i don't know, i just find the idea of her begging (not in a strage manner lol) to the one she loves to kiss her so cute. love my baby so much. also thanks in advance, and if you don't want to do it that's fine hehe, don't worry. have a nice day!

a/m: i love this sm. ty for requesting, sorry it took me a hot minute to make it </3

word count: 500+

200 followers event masterlist

21.“Just kiss me once!”

"Stop it, Y/n," the girl whined

"I don't know what you're talking about, Nance," you responded in a fit of giggles. Nancy grumbled next to you.

"You're being weird," she pouted, leaning into your embrace. “Just let me…” she trailed off, moving closer. Which you then leaned further into the cushions.

“Let you what?” You quirked a brow. Her own furrowed. You knew what she wanted. And she knew that you knew. And you knew she knew that you knew. So why the hell were you making this so complicated?

“Nevermind,” she muttered, turning away. Falling back into the bed’s pillows and crossing her arms while you laughed.

You just wanted to make her miserable. Deny her with love and affection. The only thing she’s ever asked for (not really). You propped yourself on an elbow, facing her now on your side. Amusement was shown behind your eyes as your face said otherwise. Faking a confused expression.

“Come on, just tell me what you want. How am I supposed to know what it is if you don’t tell me?” you questioned. She rolled her eyes. Obviously you knew. She could tell by the way your lip lightly curled up at the edge. Nancy pushed your head away causing you to be shoved onto your back. A cackle left your mouth as she took a spot on top of your hips.

“You’ve been pushing me away all day. It’s not funny, Y/n,” she uttered. 

“It’s a little funny,” you joked back. Which might have been a mistake for the fact you were then met with a pillow to your face. You gasped and grabbed the cushion from her. “Nancy! How-”

“Just kiss me once!” she practically begged. “You’ve been starving me of your love. Just a little one even. Ill be okay with anything.” You shrugged.

“Well what did I say? All you had to do was ask.” “Usually I don't have to ask,” she mumbled, pushing some fallen hair out of your eyes. You bit your lip, trying to hide your beaming smile. Silence embraced between you as Nancy cupped your chin while you placed your hands over her waist. Tracing the over her skin from above her shirt.

“Its just fun seeing you get all needy,” you whispered against her lips as they grew near. Instantly she pulled back, mouth opening to protests, but before she could speak you shot up. Nearly crashing your teeth into hers you connected her lips to yours. Almost reflexively she relaxed. Her body untensing as she moved to cup your face once more. You pulled her to you by her shirt. Closing the space between you. Slowly the two of you broke away as you left a trail of pecks across her nose down to her jawline.

“I’m not needy,” she muttered, playing with the hairs at the top of your neck while you continued to litter her with your much needed affection. Nancy felt your lips turn into a smile as your teeth brushed against her neck.

“You are a little bit.”

[bagsybaggins]

Chapter 7: MadMax

[Previous Chapter]

YN groaned as she rubbed her eyes, leaning back in her chair as Eddie sat on her bed and wrote in his notebook.

"Should I add in the wrathful king to this game?" He blurted out, turning to her.

Instead of turning around, she leaned her head back and looked at him upside down. 

"What's his reason for being wrathful?" She asked, raising her brow.

He looked back at his notebook, flipping a few pages back before stopping. "His wife had been possessed and cursed. And she sacrificed her life to protect them all from dying."

YN hummed before nodding. "Yeah, sure. Maybe even add in her ghost. Like it's not her, but a twisted projection of her to manipulate the King even more."

Eddie grins and nods his head, grabbing his pencil and scratching it into his notebook.

A knock on her door interrupted the silence, and she turned towards it as it opened. 

"Dare-" Dustin paused as he saw Eddie on the bed, before shaking his head. "Do you have any money? We're hitting the arcade later on tonight and I don't have any quarters."

YN blinked before lifting her left arm and looking at her watch. She sighed when it read 5:24 pm. 

"I'll spare a little, but I'm going to head out later so I can't give you everything." She muttered before sitting up and opening her right drawer.

Dustin grinned and held out his hand as she gave him 3 dollars. "Who's that?" He whispered to her as she put her hand on the door.

"It's my friend, Eds. Now move it ya twerp." She closed the door in front of him before turning around. 

Eddie grinned up at her bed as he stuck his pencil behind his ear. "We're friends?"

She rolled her eyes as a smile crossed her lips, her hand pushing his shoulder. "Shut up Ed. You know we're friends. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

He nodded his head in agreement before looking back at his notebook. "True, true."

She sighed and fell back into her chair, glancing at her unfinished homework with a frown.

"Wanna go to the arcade?" She blurted out as she looked back at Eddie who had the eraser of his pencil in between his teeth.

---

YN kicked the machine as she died, again. All her money was almost gone.

"Another loss for little miss geek." Eddie grinned from his place to her left. His eyes moved up from the game over the screen to look at her.

She glared at him shaking her head. "Shut up Ed, you know these games are just rigged to get your money."

He snickered as she brushed past him. "Sure, says another loser who can't play games well."

She whirled around, walking backward, and flipped him off. "I can too play! I just-"

"Suck?"

"No, I'm just off my game." At Eddie's raised brow she scoffed. "Shut up."

As she passed one of the games, she noticed the score in the right corner and gaped. She leaned in next to the player, not paying attention to who it was. 

"HOLY SHIT! You beat my little brother's High Score! He's gonna be pissed!" YN exclaimed, shocking the person who had been playing.

They jumped slightly, not expecting anyone to basically yell in their ear, causing their hand to jiggle. The game screen changed, reading 'Game over.' 

"Oh shit, my bad-" YN looked over at the red-haired girl with a grimace. "Didn't mean to make ya lose."

The girl shook her head, looking away from YN. "No, it's fine-"

YN dug into her pocket, pulling out her last few coins. "How about I give you this, as payment."

The girl shook her head as she moved the joystick to type in her name in the game. "No, it's cool. I would've died anyway."

Dare raised a brow at the girl, glancing at the name before grinning. "Mad Max huh. Well Max, how about I challenge you to that game right over there?"

Max turned towards where Dare was pointing, noticing the two-player shooting game. She turned to Dare and raised her brow.

"Why?"

Dare shrugged. "I think I wanna get to know the one who beat the shit out of my brother's high score. Plus you seem cool."

Max stared at her for a moment, before nodding her head. "Alright. I'll play."

Eddie spoke up from behind Dare. "You'll kick her ass, Max, she isn't too good at games."

Max looked up at him from over Dare's shoulder before Dare pushed him. "Shut up."

Max smiled lightly before heading over to the game, Dare, and Eddie following behind her. Dare glared at Eddie as he pushed his shoulder against hers, nearly making her tumble into an arcade machine. She rubbed her shoulder before throwing her shoulder into him, knocking him into another person. 

She laughed as she ran towards Max, who looked over at them with her brows raised.

"Ready?" Dare smiled as she stepped up beside her, pulling the money out of her pocket.

Max nodded her head, and Dare shoved the quarters into the machine. As the game started up, Eddie walked up behind them, glaring lightly at Dare, who smirked at him before turning back to the screen.

As criminal characters popped up on the screen, they pointed their guns at the screen and shot them. Max cursed as she missed one of them, casting a quick glance at Dare's side of the screen. Her eyes widened as she noticed how Dare hadn't missed any of them, how Dare's face was focused. 

A voice narrated 'Game Over' as Max's character died, due to her not focusing. Dare grinned as she twirled the gun in her hand, pausing to blow on the fake barrel. 

"How did you do that?" Eddie gasped as he noticed her high score.

Max looked over at her before her eyes widened at the High scoreboard. All of them said Dare.

"I'm a good shot, Ed."

Eddie gaped at her. "Dare, what the fuck."

"I feel like I was lead into a trap," Max said as she crossed her arms, a small grin on her face. 

YN laughed and shook her head. "Nah, just wanted to see if your skills were the real deal or not."

Max raised her brow in confusion. "And did you?"

YN grinned. "Yeah. I did. I'm impressed, Max."

Max nodded her head, looking at the ground. "Thanks, I guess."

YN nudged Max's shoulder, "Yeah, no problem. Wanna go again? Get your skills to grow?"

Max paused, looking at the clock before nodding her head. "Sure. I can play a game or two."

---

I grin to myself as I push past the boys, going up to the high school.

"Later Boys!" I yell.

"Bye Dare!" "Tell me if you find out who Max is!" 

I shake my head slightly pulling to a stop at the bike rack. I sigh as I kick the stand up, turning around and looking for Nancy. When I notice Steve's car a little further down the lot, I groan and adjust my bag on my shoulder. I walk over towards the car, making sure to flip off Carol and her two friends. As she rolls her eyes at me, I turn back to the car that I was approaching. 

I knock on the window, breaking them out of their lover's gaze. 

"Move it, Harrington! She's got Algebra for first class." I grin as Nancy glares at me. 

As she opened the door, the sound of tires screeching causes me to turn around. I watch as a car pulls into the parking lot, a familiar face in the passenger seat. I grin as the car parks, the driver getting out of the car. But I ignore them as Max steps out of the car. 

"Hey, Max!" 

Max turns to me, along with the driver, and I wave at her. She smiles thinly and nods her head at me, before throwing her skateboard down. I smile before looking over at Nancy who gave me a confused look. 

"What, I met her at the Arcade. She beat Dustin's score, I had to get to know her." 

Nancy shook her head as she shut the car door, smiling at me. "Of course, you manage to become friends with someone that you don't even know."

I chuckle and walk towards the school. "Of course Nance. It's my thing."

I glance over at the car, noticing the driver still looking at me. I raise a brow at him before he smirks and walks towards the school.

[Next Chapter]

[harringtonspolaroids]

Hi hi! I was wondering if you could write something for Nancy based off the line "I don't care how complicated this gets, I still want you" or something along those lines. With possibly the reader being jealous of how Steve and Nancy have been acting- set in season 4. Fem!reader btw Ty ty :))

a/n: hi! im sorry this took so long to answer but i’m literally going through the biggest writing block rn so if this isnt up to par with my usual work im sorry 😵‍💫😵‍💫 anyways, hopefully i can answer more requests this week

word count: 606

warnings: cursing, some slight angst but it gets resolved quickly, probs bad writing im sry, not proofread

𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 | 𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫

Your eyes burned into the back of Steve’s head, as you watched your girlfriend wrap bandages around the brunettes rib cage.

“Hey, are you done?” You nodded towards Nancy, who was still holding the bandages around Steve’s waist.

“Oh, yeah, I’m done.” Nancy tried to give you a warm smile, but you ignored it, turning around to head after Robin.

To say you were jealous was an understatement. All this stupid trip it had been Steve and Nancy, Nancy and Steve. When Nancy had jumped after Steve in the lake, you had followed after her. When Nancy had nearly gotten attacked by the demobats trying to save Harrington, you got involved immediately and almost risked your life too. You had been trying everything to keep your girlfriend safe in the upside down, but Steve seemed to want to be her own personal bodyguard.

Minutes after, you heard Nancy’s footsteps follow after you. “Are you mad at me?”

You still avoided Nancy’s gaze, trying to act unbothered. “I’m fine.”

“You sure? You don’t look fine.”

“I’m totally okay. Shouldn’t you be checking after Steve?” You scoffed.

Robin seemed to notice the tension between the two of you, and started to slow down, giving you and Nancy space to talk as she headed back towards Steve and Eddie.

“Y/N, is this what this is about? Steve?”

“No shit,” you snapped. “How do you think it feels to watch your girlfriend hang around her ex, who clearly still has feelings for her?”

Nancy shook her head, “Steve doesn’t have feelings for me!”

“Yes he does! He keeps following you around like a lost dog-”

“Because we’re in the middle of nowhere in an alternate dimension”

“He keeps looking for any excuse to be around you, and he keeps trying to start a relationship with you, Nance. And I know you loved him once, so what if this is what finally makes you realize that I am not good enough for you and that you’d be better off with him.” You had finally gotten your feelings off your chest, and now it felt like you had somehow spoken everything into existence, as you watched Nancy's eyes start to worry.

“Hey, hey, don’t say that.” Nancy reached out to hold your hand. “You know you’re the only one I want to be with.”

“Am I really?” You looked into Nancy’s eyes. “Because it doesn’t feel that way sometimes. Sometimes you act like- like you’d rather be with anyone but me.”

“Look at me.” Nancy squeezed your hand, “I don’t care about anyone else. Steve is barely a friend. You are the only one who I want to be with, and I don’t care what’s going on or what type of bullshit is going on in the world, I only want to be with you because I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Nancy shot you a warm smile.

“So, are we good?”

You nodded. “We are. I still don’t want Steve being that close to you, though.”

Nancy laughed, “If it makes you feel better, I’ll tell him to cut it out, okay?”

“Thank you,” you leaned into her, resting your head on her shoulder as you continued to walk.

Steve later continued to watch you and Nancy practically hold each other for the rest of the trip. He motioned towards the two of you as he trailed behind, "Those two are such good friends! I’m glad that Nancy has someone else to look out for her."

Robin stared at Steve, who was utterly clueless about the relationship you had. “You have no idea.”

[rollinggirl1980]

Send me your ideal date and I'll tell you with stranger things character will take you on it.

[strangerthingsfan-fics]

Date night and morning after steve Harrington x Fem!henderson reader

Warnings-kissing,sleeping together NOT EXTREMLY DETAILED,swearing,one marked neck,smoking and drinking,if there’s anymore tell me

You was at the wheelers nancy was helping you get nice clothes for your date to wear and Dustin was playing DND with the party nancy was making you wear so much different clothes and the clothes she picked was a leather skirt black heels and a nice shirt it’s showing all your body’s curves and Steve will love it (maybe a bit too much) the door got knocked on and Nancy answered it while you was walking down stairs and Steve couldn’t take his arms off you

“Holy shit yn you look so unbelievably sexy” Steve babbled our eyes wandering your body

You smiled and walked to him and he straight away kissed you

“You too have fun I’ll look after Dustin for the night” Nancy joked

You got in Steve’s car and Steve went on and on about how hot you look

you got to Steve’s and was sat in his back yard with music on cigarettes and alcohol you and Steve was sat in the same chair he was not letting you out his touch not tonight 😉

“Yn you look so hot like if we went out somewhere crazy everyone would be trying to get in your pants” steve said

“You’d beat them up the get in my pants afterwards when we’re back at yours I know you mr harrington” you chuckle

Steve kissed you and you could not stop giggling

“Keep it in your pants I’ve not finished my cigarette or drink” you laugh

Steve knocks your drink on the ground and puts your cigarette out and takes you to his room

All you can remember is Steve pushing you on the bed and him kissing your neck all you know is that you slept with him you woke up under the covers with no clothes on you was under Steve’s arm

“Hey lovley” Steve turned over to you

“Hey” you smiled kissing him

You got in a pair of his clothes and looked in the mirror at your neck and saw a mark on it it looked like a bruise but you know what it was

“How we gonna hide this one from Dustin then” you show your neck

“Or we don’t hide it” steve says

“Hahaha very funny I’ll get murdered” you respond

“Well you got any make up”Steve says

“No because somebody threw it out saying I’m way to hot to use it” you look at him

“Oopsies” Steve chuckled

“It’s fine I’ll ask Nancy for it” you reply

You get to the wheelers and take Nancys makeup and put it on your neck and boom it’s invisible

[hellfireseddie]

Y'all know what time it is?

It's time to give love to the authors again, to the authors out there in whichever fandom you're in, you're loved, you're appreciated, your work is admired and your writing is someone's safe space.

Whether it's a short one or a multi chapter, it made someone feel better today, yesterday, a week ago, or a week from now.

Don't give up, when you're feeling down on your work, know someone out there reads it over and over and over again, cries with tears of joy, laughs at parts that are funny, blushes at certain parts.

We readers love you. We readers appreciate you.

[prophetwithaz]

chlorine (e. m.)

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

warnings: smut, 18+ minors dni!!! unprotected p in v sex, swearing, drug/alcohol use/mentions, kinda sad/angsty in the beginning, lots of plot

summary: you and eddie are talking about your time in the upside down, and he distracts you with a swim in steve's pool and a warm shower after. eddie ended up alive despite the odds, but both of you are still dealing with the aftermath.

word count: 2.9k

notes: i really love this, and it's roughly based on swimming when i was young to take my mind off a lot of crappy stuff. it also had me thinking about eddie and how the upside down probably isn't any good for someone's psyche. there is a lot of plot before the smut so if you like slightly angsty fluff, this is for you. i'm also reposting this a second time bc i think the tags last time made the algorithm do a fucky wucky.

tag list: @depressedstressedlemonzest

do not copy, rewrite, translate or post my work online. that is stealing. i put a lot of time into my work, and i do not appreciate people taking credit for my work. thanks!

enjoy babes! - bee

---

Ever since Steve had his first scuffle with the Upside Down, he wasn’t as much of a party person. If he was going to die, he wasn’t going to die doing some stupid shit starting with him saying, “hold my beer!” However, he still enjoyed a good kickback with his friends, if you could call it that. Your current friend group was the definition of chaos. You and Steve were joined by Robin, Nancy, and Eddie Munson. He was sort of adopted into the group after you were all traumatized in the Upside Down. When you do that kind of stuff, you’re kind of bonded for life. I mean, who else would believe you?

You had always found Eddie endearing, even before your experiences together. It seemed strange that despite everything you had heard about him and everything that happened to him growing up, he still didn’t give a damn what anyone thought about him. His style was less than conventional, but that made him all the more exciting. He was new and different compared to all of the others you grew up with in Hawkins. 

Aside from the new dimension Eddie brought to your friend group, he also brought a handful of new experiences, and by a handful of experience, he definitely meant handfuls of weed. He wasn’t dealing nearly as much once his name was cleared since all eyes were on him, but that left him with a lot of excess that he couldn’t finish by himself. Which is how the two of you ended up high at Steve Harrington’s house, all of you stoned, shooting the shit until the early hours of the morning.

“No fucking way, Ed!” Steve laughed. “You could not take a Demogorgon by yourself. It took three of us!”

“Okay, but like… Consider, a flamethrower?” Eddie said. As much as you wanted to laugh, you could tell he was dead serious. You and Eddie had a higher tolerance, so you were both significantly less high than everyone else at the house. Robin was super giggly, and Nancy was absolutely destroying Eddie’s argument.

“Logistically speaking, yes,” Nancy said. “But you don’t even know how to use a flamethrower. You didn’t even believe me when I told you I had guns.”

“Ah yes,” Eddie sighed. “Nancy ‘Guns, Plural’ Wheeler.”

You all laughed this off, all of you getting a bit tired, especially the ones who were still pretty high. Steve ditched first, saying he was going to bed, then Nancy, then Robin, all going to their respective guest rooms for the night. Steve had a huge house, so Nancy and Robin were sharing a room, Steve was staying in his room, you were in the guest room, and Eddie was taking the couch. Generally, you guys rotated who got stuck with the couch, but it was ridiculously comfortable regardless. Eventually, you and Eddie were the only ones still awake, still not very tired. Both of you were still having trouble sleeping after defeating Vecna. Nancy told you that you never sleep well after your first time, but you hadn’t really believed her until now. It was a month after saving Hawkins, and you still couldn’t close your eyes without seeing a sobbing Dustin Henderson and a barely alive Eddie Munson. You couldn’t tell how phased Eddie was by this; you didn’t even know how much he remembered. Eventually, after some time just chatting about life post-Vecna, Eddie asks you the burning question.

“So are you having trouble sleeping, too?” He asks. You just nod. You don’t want to tell him what you see when you close your eyes. “I figured. I don’t want to sleep either. I just remember telling Henderson to take care of the new kids for me. I think I remember the rest of you guys yelling but I’m not sure. Scares the shit out of me to know I could have died down there.”

“I know what you mean,” you said. “It’s terrifying to go like that. You never think it can kill you until it does, or almost does. Vecna reached his hand out to me as Robin and I threw Molotovs at him, and I knew right then that if this didn’t work, I was done for. So I said a prayer and threw it.”

“Do you have that thing where you see the same thing when you close your eyes? It feels like you’re watching it as a movie. It doesn’t feel like you, but its not not you, you know?”

You had never heard it all described so clearly before. It was like he had it all figured out, even though you knew there was really no way for any of you to have any of this really figured out. You sighed, “Yes. That’s exactly how it is. I feel like I can’t get it to leave me alone. Like the scene just has to play through to the end.” You paused a moment, “I thought you were dead, Eddie.”

Both of you sat in an uncomfortable silence a moment. It was true. Everyone thought he was dead, even Eddie. Miraculously, he made it, and that was what everyone chose to talk about, but no one ever wanted to talk about the horrors of the “after”, the post-Vecna, whatever you wanted to call it. It was almost as if choosing to live in the past forever would keep you safe from what came next. What’s one more time? 

“We should step out for some fresh air,” Eddie said. You quietly followed him behind the house to Steve’s pool. The lights were on out back, giving the pool an inviting blue glow. Eddie started stripping out of his clothes next to you.

“What are you doing?” you said, confused.

“Doing what I always do when I start thinking about this shit: literally anything else.”

Eddie strips down to just his boxers and takes a running start into the pool, the smell of chlorine rushing up to hit your nose as he splashes into the water. His method, albeit somewhat avoidant and unhealthy, sounded good in the moment. “You should join me. The water’s not too cold.”

Hesitantly, you agree. You weren’t keen on the idea of getting naked in front of your friend, but honestly, anything to push the thoughts out of your head sounded pretty damn good at the moment. You took off your tee shirt and jeans leaving only your bra and underwear still on. “Pink? Nice,” Eddie said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood. You walk back about as far as you can go, and take a running leap. You were submerged in the cool water as your feet touched the bottom. As you rise to the surface, you push your hair out of your face and take a big breath of fresh air. You look over at Eddie, his wet face shining in the moonlight. His hair was now slicked back aside from his bangs sticking to his forehead. “Feel a little better?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” you were surprised by how quickly it had cleared the thoughts out of your mind. 

“I told you so,” Eddie said. “You’re safe here. We’re both safe. Nothing is going to happen to us.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” you asked.

“Well to be honest, I’m not sure. But I know what it’s like now. The others have done this even more than we have and made it out alive every time. I will be there to protect you. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon,” Eddie said. His voice sounded shaky, but not afraid. You couldn’t put your finger on the emotion in his voice. “You will always be safe with me.”

You didn’t exactly know how to process that. You really liked Eddie, but you never knew he cared about you like that. Maybe it was just the trauma, or living through the after, but something drew the two of you together that you couldn’t place. The two of you got off the subject quickly, talking about music and movies and your friends, about how ‘86 was finally you and Eddie’s year, regardless of how difficult it was. 

“You wanna race?” you ask Eddie.

“What?”

“Do you want to race from one end of the pool to the other?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s fun?”

“Fine, but I have the clear physical advantage,” Eddie says sarcastically. He flexes his arm jokingly, but he looked stronger than he thought. 

You both line up at the edge of the pool and count off from three. About halfway down the pool, you notice Eddie is ahead of you, so you try to grab his feet to pull him back. That pull pushed you forward just enough to beat him to the other side.

“What the fuck!” Eddie yelled. “That was so unfair!”

“I was simply using my resources,” you said. Eddie gets an idea, as evidenced by the devilish grin on his face. He begins to chase you around, eventually grabbing you and throwing you over his shoulder. By this point, both of you are laughing uncontrollably, and Eddie sets you down on the side of the pool. 

“You know, you’re more fun than I thought you’d be,” he said.

“What, did you think I was gonna be mean and scary?”

“Well, I always pegged you to be more like Nancy since you guys are pretty close,” Eddie said. “You’re a lot more laid back.”

You looked at each other. There were no words but you felt like you could read his mind. His wet skin was soft and his shaggy hair hung around his shoulders, and his smile was still the biggest thing you were focusing on. “Come here,” he said. You obliged and hopped down. Eddie then wrapped you in the biggest bear hug you could imagine. The kind that pushes all your broken pieces back together. When he finally let you go, he gave you a quick kiss on the top of your head. “Nothing will ever hurt you again.”

You looked up at the man you had previously thought was impossible to know, realizing that all alone, he was keeping you out of the loop to keep you safe. You were both free. Nothing was stopping you anymore. You place a soft kiss to his cheek, testing the waters. Eddie hoists you up on to hips, wrapping your legs around his waist as he kisses you for the first time. He tastes like chlorine and salt, but none of that mattered right then. Both of you were safe.

As you pulled apart, the pool water had you both a bit sticky. You both decided it was about time to get out of the pool, grabbing towels from a bin just outside the door. As Eddie climbed out of the pool, his boxers clung to his skin, showing off his legs and leaving little to the imagination. The man was hung, confirming your suspicions. You dried off your hair, scrunching it up to try to get the water out, which only left your hair dry and frizzy. “I think I need to take a shower. I forgot how nasty pools can make your hair.”

“You’re telling me,” Eddie said. “Mind if I join you?” You stumble over your words a minute, not sure if he was joking. 

“Uh sure? Why not?”

“Don’t be nervous, sweetheart. Nothing I wasn’t trying to see anyways.”

As Eddie followed you to the upstairs bathroom, you both tried to keep your footsteps light to not wake the others. It was almost three in the morning, but the two of you were still very awake. As soon as you shut the door, Eddie lifts you on to the countertop, placing his hands firmly on your waist. “Promise that this is what you want?”

“Absolutely,” you said. It felt like a switch in you just flipped as you start kissing him again, slowly slipping your tongue into his mouth. He starts to rub your sides, sinking the pads of his fingers into your flesh. You move his hands lower on to your thighs, and then further in between your legs.

“Are you sure?” he said.

“Quit being such a gentleman.”

That statement lit a fire under Eddie, gripping your thighs as he aggressively made out with you, eventually moving his hands up to grab your tits. He slips your bra off quickly and starts kissing up your body to your neck. You let out a quick whine, which was quickly silenced by a hand lightly wrapped around your throat. “Shhh, gotta be quiet, darling. Everyone’s still asleep.” You obliged as he kept making you squirm, fighting every urge to cry out. Eddie continued kissing along your neck and collarbones, loosening his grip on your neck as you settled down. He kept moving lower, kissing your breasts, the your stomach, ending with a soft bite on your upper thighs. “You’re so wet for me, sweetheart,” Eddie said as he pulled off your already soaked underwear. The whole bathroom reeked of sex and pool water, and you weren’t complaining. You also had a relatively quick and sudden understanding why Eddie may have handcuffs hanging in his bedroom. He pulled you down from the bathroom counter where you were no longer at eye level. Looking down at you, he let out a soft sigh. “I knew you were gorgeous, but this is almost too much.”

“So are you, Ed,” you exhale. “I didn’t expect you to be so good at all this.”

“I’m a nerd, not a virgin,” he chuckled. “Are you sure you’re good with all this? You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to.”

Eddie put his hand on your cheek, lifting your head up to meet his gaze. Despite you thinking this was just a hookup, you were both stone cold sober by now, and his eyes were all love. “So?” he asked.

You gave him a quick kiss and muttered out a soft, “please.”

“‘Atta girl,” he said, bending you over the counter. You could see him behind you in the mirror, fiddling with his boxers, pushing them down, and then looking at you in the mirror. The thought of being inside of you had him dripping. You felt him tease your entrance. “So fucking beautiful,” he says in barely a whisper. Eddie pushed into you, his length being more than you expected. You bite down on the palm of your hand to stifle the sounds coming out of you. Eddie chuckles, “so fucking good for me. Stay quiet, darling.”

He starts thrusting into you at a quicker pace, and you find it harder and harder to keep quiet as he reaches around your wait to play with your clit. “Please, Eddie. Don’t stop, please,” you say as quietly as you can. You feel a warm sensation pooling in your stomach as he presses the pad of his finger against your needy clit, stifling a moan as you come. After this, he takes away his hand as he continues to fuck you, grabbing your hair to make you look in the mirror. “Look how pretty you are when I fuck you,” Eddie said.

As he kept going, his thrusts grew more and more uneven, hips stuttering as he pulled out to come on your hips, groaning softly to avoid waking the others. As he grabbed the counter to steady himself, you stayed bent over the counter, knowing you were going to be about as graceful as Bambi after that. Eddie grabbed a hand towel and wet it in the sink, and then used it to clean up your back. He then helped hold you up, seeing as your legs were still a bit shaky. “How about that shower?” he asked innocently.

You just chuckled, “sure, Munson.”

Eddie ran the water in the shower and guided you in. While he washed your hair, he asked, “So, how was it?”

“How do you think?” Eddie looked at you awaiting a response. “Good! Like, really good! Context clues, Ed, god.”

“Oh, I know. Just wanted to hear you say it,” he said as he continued to rub the shampoo into your scalp, then rinsing it (and the crazy amounts of chlorine) out. He grabbed the conditioner and did the same, trying to comb out the knots with his fingers. “Pool water is so bad for your hair,” he says.

“And how would you know that?”

“Sweetheart- and I mean this in all honesty- do you think I don’t take care of my hair?”

“To be honest, I thought you were like every other man I know and used 2-in1.”

“Lies! Slander!” he laughs. You both finish your shower, and he leaves to grab your overnight bag so that you can both get ready for bed.

By the time you were finally getting ready for bed, you didn’t know what time it was anymore or much else for that matter. What you did know was that you no longer saw terrifying things when you closed your eyes. And that no one was sleeping on the couch that night, as Eddie pressed your head into his bare chest. And wordlessly, you both fell asleep easy for the first time in months.