#stranger things x henderson sister!reader

[ashwhowrites]

Hiiii!!!!

Okay I’ve kinda had this story playing in my mind for a while but we’ve got older sister Henderson who comes back to Hawkins high school for her final year (she was at another school for whatever reason) and she has to pick up Dustin from hellfire. She’s got a stutter and maybe tries to talk to Eddie about dnd because she’s got a crush on him but he thinks she’s pretending or mocking him in some way cause of the stutter (maybe he thinks she’s trying to sound geeky). She gets really upset and goes mute for a while at home and at school and Dustin knows she’s sad but doesn’t know it’s Eddie that made her feel that way. Maybe Dustin invites Eddie over and Eddie is prepared to be mean but Dustin says like “oh she hasn’t talked since someone made fun of her stutter” and Eddie realizes he messed up and she wasn’t lying…. It’s a lot 😅

I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. First fic back after like 2 weeks! Hopefully I'm not rusty. Thank you for requesting 🫶🏻

Stutter

It had been a few years since Y/N Henderson was in Hawkins, but now she had to head back for senior year. Even though she was away, Dustin kept her caught up with everything, including his cute new best friend Eddie Munson.

Y/N grew a slight crush on the stranger through photos and stories that Dustin shared. She felt nervous to see him in person because of her stutter. She didn't have the best control over it when she was nervous, it got the best of her and caused insecurity.

She took a deep breath as she got out of her car. She gave herself a small pep talk as she entered the school. She hadn't been in it for years but barely anything changed. She smoothed down her jeans, giving her outfit one last look in her reflection in the windows. She had no shame in trying to look her best because she knew there was a big chance she would see Eddie.

She made it to the door Dustin directed her to. She knocked on it softly and heard the voices on the inside go silent.

She backed up when the door swung open, and there he was.

Eddie had his hair down, the only way she ever saw it. His eyes were gorgeous in person, so much brighter than the pictures.

"Hi" she breathed, a smile on her face

Eddie shut the door behind him. A suspicious look on his face. He crossed his arms, trying to threaten her but she found it attractive.

"Can I help you?" he asked

"Dustin's sister, Y/N," she said, smiling as she felt proud of herself for not stuttering once. She tried to stay in control of her tongue.

"You are a Henderson?" He asked, she felt her skin burn when he stepped back and looked at her up and down. "Seem too cute to be related to him"

And just like that, it switched

She got so nervous her mind went blank. She couldn't practice the sentence beforehand as he waited for her to speak.

"Dung..eo..eons...and ddddr...ag...on...ons, do yyyou en...jjjjoy plaaa....y..ing...th..a...a..t?"

She wanted to smack herself for how stuttered her sentence was. She felt her body shut down when his eyes snapped into slits like he was glaring at her. She fiddled with her fingers nervously.

"Wouldn't be the master if I didn't." He scoffed, his tone much ruder than before. "If you plan to just stutter and mock me, don't bother talking to me. I'll get Dustin." He snapped, then he opened the door and slammed it.

The wind from the hard slam smacked her in the face. She quickly bit down on her lip to make sure she didn't cry. He sounded much nicer and sweet in Dustin's stories.

The door opened again and Dustin came out with a smile. Immediately talking he told her all about the campaign. She listened quietly as they made their way home. She was stuck in her head and pity. And it hurt to admit just how much Eddie's words hurt her.

~~~

She respected what Eddie said, making sure anytime she ran into him at school she didn't say a word. She didn't say a word to really anyone. She knew her stutter could be annoying and she didn't want to give anyone else a reason to shut her out.

Dustin didn't question her about her silence. She just got back and probably needed time to adjust to everything again. He figured maybe she was overwhelmed. Until he overheard her talking with their mom about someone saying something about her stutter and now she didn't feel comfortable speaking. Dustin's heart hurt for her but he didn't want to invade her privacy.

Y/N never said who so Dustin had no idea the person in the story was Eddie. As a result, Dustin didn't think twice about inviting Eddie to dinner after a long campaign.

"Your sister here?" Eddie asked as Dustin unlocked the door.

"Yeah," Dustin said, taking off his shoes. Eddie followed his movements, slipping out of his dirty sneakers. Eddie cracked his neck, already planning comebacks in his head if she tried something again.

He looked up as Y/N came into view, she offered a small smile and passed her way into the kitchen.

"Don't mind her quietness. She's got this stutter and some asshole made a comment about it so now she's silent. Don't take it personally, once she's warmed up to you she will talk." Dustin said with a smile

Eddie felt his stomach drop as the kid walked into the kitchen. She had a stutter? She didn't purposely stutter in front of Eddie to make him feel like he was being made fun of? Instead, he made fun of her for something she couldn't control. He hung his head in shame as he felt like a true asshole.

He walked into the kitchen, and sat in the familiar seat he sat in every time he was over. He felt uncomfortable when he realized his seat was directly across from hers.

She smiled again, then looked down at her plate.

Eddie coughed and dug into his plate. Dustin and his mom got into a conversation as he kept looking up at Y/N. He hated that he made her silent in her own home.

"So dear, how has the first week back been? Feeling better after that situation?" Mrs. Henderson asked, her attention on Y/N.

Y/N shrunk down in her chair, her eyes avoiding Eddie's at all costs.

"I..I...I'm tttt...trying to practice with my ttt....tapes again." Y/N stuttered out, giving her mom a soft smile before she went back to her plate.

"Good girl," Mrs. Henderson said as she softly touched her hand

Eddie lost his appetite as his stomach twisted with guilt.

The rest of dinner was mostly Dustin talking but that was a relief to everyone at the table.

Everyone was excused and Dustin prepared for bed. Eddie prepared to leave but he knew he needed to apologize. He nervously walked to her bedroom, her name written on the outside in glitter.

He knocked and waited for it to open

She opened the door and was surprised to see Eddie. She stayed silent as she waited for him to speak.

"About last week, you deserve an apology. I'm sorry for being a total dick and treating you like that. I made a horrible first impression, but I'm used to people making fun of me and I thought you were too." Eddie explained

He watched as she took a big breath and opened her mouth

"Ittttt's okkkkay" she stuttered, Eddie smiled as he tried to make her feel comfortable

"Thank you for saying that. Maybe we can start over? Over dinner sometime?" He asked, that flirty tone was back and it made her heart race.

"Yes," she said with a smile, "one thing"

Eddie watched as she walked to her desk and grabbed a pen. She softly grabbed his hand, his heart racing as she wrote on his palm

She clicked the pen, smiled, and softly shut her door.

Eddie smiled to himself as he looked down at his palm, her name and number in black ink.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37 @bellaisswagger @arlxt @ineedmentalhelp123

[andvys]

sooo... I saw that your requests are open so maybe something with Henderson!reader who secretly has a crush on Eddie/Steve (you know I love them both so it's your choice here 🤭) and she has a fight with Dustin and this little shrimp (with all the love Dusty-bun) and his big mouth scream in nerves something about said crush and of course Eddie/Steve hears it, happy ending here pretty please 🥹

of course you don't have to write it if you don't like the idea! no pressure here, hope you have an amazing day Andy 🩷

My only angel E.M.

Warnings: slight angst, mentions of unrequited feelings, mutual pining, happy ending of course, mostly fluff

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Henderson!Reader

Word count: 2.5K

Note: thank you for this request bestie! I loved writing it!

stranger things masterlist

-

You love your brother, you really do but that little shrimp, how Eddie likes to call him, can truly get on your nerves sometimes. You do anything for him, which is probably why he is so insatiable. You always spoiled him, that was probably your first mistake but you love getting him things that he loves so much, whether it���s new comics, books, movies or anything DnD related. A lot of your savings are spent on him, you know it’s not your job to get him all this stuff all the time but he is your little brother and you love seeing that big smile on his face whenever he gets excited about the things you get him. 

You drive him around when Steve is too busy to do it, you cook him lunch and dinner when your mom has no time to do it, you bake things for him and his friends and you let him host movie nights even though you love having the living room to yourself on Friday nights. 

You always say yes to him. 

But not this time. 

“Come on, are you serious?” Dustin exclaims, rolling his eyes at you as he follows you to your locker. 

“Very serious, Dustin!” 

“You can literally do it any other night, y/n!” 

Mike, Will and Lucas are tagging along with him, giving you their best puppy eyes. 

You open your locker, staring into blank space as you take a deep breath before you turn back around to look at the teens. 

“You know what? I’ve been waiting for this night for weeks! Mom is out of town, you were supposed to be at Mike’s place if I remember correctly and I was supposed to have the house to myself!” 

Mike furrows his brows, “why can’t you have your girls night at our place? You can have the basement,” he shrugs. 

“Yeah, the basement is nice!” Will smiles, though he doesn’t look like he wants to be a part of this argument. 

“Yeah, I’m sure Nancy and Robin would be fine with that,” Lucas says, giving you an unsure grin. 

“Exactly!” Dustin rolls his eyes. 

You tilt your head, “why don’t you host your DnD thing in your basement? That’s where you always used to play!” 

Dustin puts his hand on his forehead, “or you can just hang out in your room and we’ll have the living room to ourselves, that way we can all have what we want!”

You laugh, shaking your head in disbelief, “I want the living room, in fact, I want the whole house to myself, for once!” 

Dustin scrunches his face up in confusion, “oh come on, y/n, please!” 

Mike and Lucas nod along, “please, we don’t want any parents around, they aren’t exactly fans of Eddie.” 

Your features soften a little, something that definitely doesn’t go unnoticed by your little brother. 

You sigh, crossing your arms over your chest, you shake your head. You, Nancy and Robin have planned your only girls night for weeks, there is no way that you will let any boys interrupt it. 

“Nope.” 

Dustin’s face grows red, he rolls his eyes and throws his hands up, “son of a bitch,” he mumbles to himself, “is it because of your crush on Eddie? Are you scared that you will embarrass yourself when he’s around the way you always do?”

Your jaw drops and your eyes widen as you look at your brother. 

Mike’s eyes widen as well, he opens his mouth to say something but quickly closes it again when he sees the metalhead behind you, his expression mirroring yours. 

Will looks down, feeling sorry for you. 

Lucas cups his mouth, looking like he’s about to burst into laughter. 

Dustin’s face grows pale, regret flickering in his eyes when he sees the shocked and embarrassed look on your face and the surprised one on Eddie’s. 

“What?!” 

That’s the question you ask yourself, internally. That voice did not belong to you though, this is Eddie’s voice. 

Your blood runs cold and your stomach churns. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath. Oh, how you wish the ground would just swallow you whole. Your cheeks heat up and embarrassment rushes through you. 

Eddie, whose face is more flustered than ever, steps around you, staring at you with wide eyes, “y/n, is that the truth?” 

You can only imagine what he thinks and what he feels, you spare yourself the embarrassment of being rejected. You don’t look at him, you don’t even bother to answer the question, you slam your locker shut, “host your goddamn campaign, Dustin,” you spit before you walk away without sparing any of them a single look. 

Eddie’s big eyes follow you, watching you walk away with your head hung low. His heart skips a beat, butterflies swirling in his stomach. You have a crush on him? The girl he has been pining for, feels the same? 

“Dustin,” Will mumbles, “how can you embarrass your own sister like that?” He shakes his head. 

“Yeah, dude,” Lucas mumbles.

Mike scratches his head and glances at Eddie who looks awestruck.

“Shit,” Dustin mumbles, closing his eyes. 

Eddie finally turns to look at him, putting his hand on the teen’s shoulder, he looks down at him, “Henderson, is that the truth?” Eddie asks, “your sister has a crush on me– on me?” He points to himself in confusion. 

Mike and Lucas share a look, smirking a little. 

Dustin finally opens his eyes, looking nervously up at his dungeon master, he is unsure of what to say, not wanting to embarrass you any further, he shrugs. 

Lucas sighs, rolling his eyes at his friend, “yes, Eddie. She has a crush on you.” 

Mike nods, “yeah, she was actually talking about you with my sister.” 

Eddie looks at them, “really?” 

Dustin squints his eyes, taking in the excited look on Eddie’s face, “wait,” he mumbles, “do you like my sister?” 

Eddie swallows, cheeks growing red.

“Holy shit!” Dustin exclaims as the three teens start smirking at him but before any of them can say anything else, Eddie turns around and runs off just the way you did, leaving them all giggling. 

-

You and Eddie aren’t the closest friends, that is probably because of your huge crush on him. Dustin isn’t wrong, you do tend to embarrass yourself in front of him. 

Whenever he is around, you turn into a blushing mess, you barely manage to form a sentence when he talks to you, all he ever gets are short responses, shy smiles and little waves. The poor guy probably thinks you hate him but he really just makes you incredibly nervous. 

You always had a crush on him, from the first moment you had laid your eyes on him, you had a special place in your heart for the handsome metalhead, not knowing that he feels just the same. 

You never talked much to him, only when you sat next to each other during class or saw him outside of school but you weren’t brave enough to make the move to become his friend or anything more than that. 

When your brother befriended him and he started coming around, stealing your job of driving him around, he always left you a blushing mess. Eddie was always a flirt, throwing random pickup lines at you, gifting you a flower that he picked from your mother’s garden or someone else’s property, holding doors open for you or carrying your books to classes but you never thought much of it, you thought that he’s like that with every girl. 

He is not. 

You fear that, that is over now, that he is weirded out by your crush on him. Thanks to your brother and his big mouth, your day and the rest of your week is ruined. 

All day, you have been avoiding Eddie, trying your best to avoid eye contact. The thought of being confronted and rejected makes you feel both mortified and heartbroken. 

You successfully manage to get through the day without running into him again. Now, you’re alone in your room, sulking, listening to Tears for Fears and glaring at your diary, the one that Dustin must’ve read, how else would he know of your crush and your hopeless feelings for Eddie? 

A knock on your window pulls you out of your thoughts, startling you a little. You throw the ripped out pages on your bed and turn around, eyes widening when you see Eddie who stands in front of your window with a smile on his face, waving at you shyly.

Your heart begins to race, your eyes widen. Nervously, you make your way towards it, he purses his lips, staring at you in excitement. Sliding the window open, you lick your lips and take a deep breath, “h-hi?” You mumble nervously. 

He is not here to reject you is he? 

Eddie smiles and you just now notice the flowers in his hands.

Surely, a guy who is about to reject you, won’t show up with flowers and a smile on his face, right?

“Hello princess,” he grins, looking giddy as he eyes you. 

You blush at the pet name, breaking eye contact, you look down. 

“Can I come in?” 

You nod and step aside to let him in, you dig your nails into your palms, a nervous habit that you have picked up on, years ago. You look down at yourself, growing incredibly flustered when you realize that you’re only wearing a big shirt and underwear. 

He climbs inside and shuts the window before he turns around to face you, he can’t even fight the smile off his face when he sees how nervous you are, “here, these are for you,” he whispers, holding out the flowers for you. 

Your eyes light up, looking up at him, you notice the excitement in his dark eyes, his plump lips are set in a bright smile. 

You reach for the flowers, your fingertips graze his knuckles as you take the flowers from him, “thank you,” you smile, glancing at the pink and yellow flowers, “those are not from mom’s garden,” you giggle. 

Eddie shakes his head, “no, they’re not,” he smiles, “I picked them out just for you, there’s a huge field of flowers close to Lover’s Lake,” he explains. He licks his lips, looking around the room that he has only passed by whenever he came over to pick up Dustin, “maybe I could take you there…. tomorrow? To Lover’s Lake, I mean.” 

Your heart flutters in your chest, excitement bubbling in your stomach. 

“To do what?” You ask, tilting your head, “isn’t that like a popular makeout spot?” 

His eyes widen and he chuckles, “no, according to all the jocks at school, skull rock is a popular makeout spot,” he says, stepping closer to you, he smiles as he watches you smelling the flowers, “but we could always make Lover’s Lake a new makeout spot, just for us, of course.” 

Your eyes widen even more, your cheeks grow incredibly hot. 

Your reaction makes him smirk, a sense of pride rushing through him for being so ‘smooth’. 

You giggle, forgetting all about the embarrassment and the fear you have felt before.

“Just for us?” 

He steps even closer to you, bringing his hand up, he brushes your hair back, tucking it behind your ear, “I wouldn’t want to take any other girl there, sweetheart,” he says, eyes softening, “but you gotta stop running away from me, I’ve been trying to catch you all day.” 

You draw your brows together and look up at him with big eyes, it makes him weak in the knees. 

“Tell me, is that little shrimp telling the truth?” He asks with big and hopeful eyes. 

You blink, your breathing quickens and you grow nervous all over again. 

“If he is, then I’d be the happiest and luckiest man in the world, princess.” 

Your heart leaps to your throat, you can’t believe it. 

“Really?” You breathe. 

He nods with a large smile on his face. 

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m like really obsessed with you,” he admits, cheeks redder than ever. 

“Wait what?” 

He chuckles, shaking his head as he cups your cheek, “I thought, I made it pretty obvious.” 

Not only does Eddie use every opportunity to talk to you, to spend time with you, he also creates DnD characters based on you, he drives around Hawkins, searching for the perfect flowers for you, he picks up Dustin just so he can see you, even if it’s only for one minute, he does anything to see you and to be with you and he explains all that to you, leaving you standing there with a shocked and awestruck look on your face. 

“I-I thought you do that for every girl,” you admit. 

“Never!” Eddie frowns, “I only want one girl,” he says as he reaches for your hand, bringing it up to his lips, he keeps looking into your eyes as he presses a kiss to your knuckles, “I only want you, sweetheart. So, will you take pity on my cynical heart and do me the honor and go on a date with me?” He asks, dramatically and with a teasing look in his eyes. 

Your giggle makes his soul happy.

Eddie is so crazy about you. He loves your beautiful voice, it always makes his heart flutter. He loves your sweet smile. He loves the way you get so flustered whenever he just looks at you. He loves your perfume. He loves the way you make him feel. The way you have always been so good and sweet to him, the way you always make him smile and happy, even on his worst days.

You're his angel.

“I would love to go on a date with you, Eddie Munson,” you smile. 

“Really?” He exclaims happily. 

“Yes!” 

He fist bumps the air before he scoops you up in his arms and twirls you around, giggling at the squeal that leaves your lips as you wrap your arms around his neck, still holding the flowers in your hands. 

“This is the best day of my life,” he whispers when he places you back on the ground, giving you a toothy grin, he can’t even help himself, leaning closer, he kisses your cheek, “can’t believe that your little brother made it the best day.” 

“You should’ve asked me out before,” you whisper. 

“Sweetheart, I didn’t think you were into me, I feel like I’ve been flirting with you for months!” 

“I didn’t think you were flirting!” 

“Wasn’t I obvious?” 

You shrug, “I thought that you were just a flirt!” 

He scoffs, putting his hands on the small of your back, he pulls you tightly against him, “only for you.” 

You smile at him. Raising your hand, you run your fingers through his hair and push it back, reaching for one of the smaller flowers in your little bouquet, you pick it out and tuck the stem behind his ear. 

Eddie chuckles at your action but his heart flutters when you lean in and kiss his cheek. 

“You’re pretty, Eddie.” 

“Yeah?” He asks, blushing. 

You nod. 

“I think you’re prettier,” he whispers, smiling at you, “you’re the prettiest.” 

“No, that’s you.” 

“No, you!” 

Neither of you notice the hushed whispers outside of your door, too busy and focused on each other.

“Oh, they’re so gross already,” Dustin mumbles with a disgusted look on his face. 

Lucas and Mike giggle. 

“I think, they’re super cute,” Will smiles with a happy look on his face. 

“I think Eddie will come over for something other than the campaign this weekend,” Lucas says, wiggling his brows. 

Dustin groans, shaking his head, “ew!” 

[munsonsprincess11111]

The visit

Eddie munson x Henderson!reader

Summary: Suzie comes to visit Dustin which some how wraps you and eddie into the mix.

Laying peacefully in bed. Your head on eddies chest. Naked under the sheets. Skin touching. His arm around you as you lay at his side. Your arms wrapped around his slender waist. The clock reading 1:43 pm. What more could you want? Nothing could ruin the moment. Until...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

On your bedroom door

"We're back with Suzie come say hi don't be rude." Dustin shouts from the other side of the door waking eddie. Then his running footsteps could be heard. Eddie groans rubbing his eyes. You sit up in bed kissing Eddie sweetly. As you pull away he attempts to chase your lips. But gives up throwing himself into the pillows.

"Morning baby." You say stretching before getting up looking for you pyjamas.

"Afternoon more like." Eddie says glancing at the clock. You both slip your pyjamas back on. Eddie hugs you for a moment and sways holding you. "Common let's go meet Dustins not so imaginary girlfriend." Eddie says kissing your head.

He opens the door for you and you both exit. Walking to the living room eddies arm over your shoulders keeping you close to his side. Dustin hears you before he sees you.

"Finally. Suzie this is y/n. Y/n this is... Why is Eddie here?" Dustin completly trails off starring at Eddie.

"Cause he's my boyfriend n it was late. Hi Suzie I'm Dustins sister nice to meet you." You say stretching nearly accidentally hitting Eddie from how close he was stood next to you. You rub his arm in apology.

"Nice to meet you y/n." Suzie smiles giving you a small wave.

"And this is Eddie you know my D&D club leader I told you about." Dustin gestures to Eddie.

"Oh yes Dustin has told me lots about you." She smiles at eddie.

"Nice to uh meet you." Eddie says still half asleep.

Dustin shows Suzie around the small house and you and Eddie head to the kitchen. You sit in the side as he puts the kettle on making you, your mum and himself a coffee as he refuses to let you do it when he's over due to you burning yourself once. "Your so good to me." You say as Eddie steps between yours legs. He burries his face in your neck arms going to your waist.

Dustin and Suzie walk into the kitchen and Eddie untangles himself from you going back to the coffee task. "Did you seriously only just wake up?" Dustin asked sitting at the small table with Suzie next to him.

"Yes n if it was up to me n not your loud mouth we would still be asleep." Eddie complains half for getting Suzie there. But not enough to not make her and Dustin hot coco. "Here." He slides them a cross the table to the too

"Why won't you let y/n do it?" Dustin askes

"Cause I burnt myself once n he won't get over it." You mumble sipping your coffee as Eddie takes your mum hers rolling his eyes. "He can't say I don't try he's just a drama queen."

"First I'm dungeon master it's my thing. Second I'm not being responsible for if u burn yourself again you was a baby last Time." Eddie says kissing your cheek.

"Hey Eddie..." Dustin askes. Eddie turns so he's stood between your legs with his back to you looking at Dustin arms crossed over his chest. Your arm that isn't holding coffee goes around him. "What?" He answers simply.

"Do you wanna I dunno would you mind taking me and Suzie to the arcade I wanna introduce her to Mike will and Lucas... And then back here..." Dustin askes hastily.

"Only if y/n comes so I'm not a total taxi driver." He answers leaning fully back into you. "I'll come." You say sipping your coffee.

"Well there's your answer." Eddie says. You lean a cross and put your mug in the sink. Both your arms going around his neck. His hands to your legs and and slide to his back. "To my bedroom. I gotta get dressed." You say as Eddie walks out the kitchen with you in his back.

"I hope were like them two one day. They seem so happy, and in love and they act like it's just them two in the world." Suzie says smiling at Dustin sipping her drink.

"Once you get to know them more you'll realise were more like them then you think trust me." Dustin says finally holding her hand. Which she blushes and smiles at.

In your room Eddie throws you on to the bed. Jumping in you as you giggle. "Where the black Lacey top and the black leather mini skirt. I'll give you my leather jacket to go with it." Eddie says kissing you.

"Why?" You giggle.

"Cause you look hot in that outfit and I'm going to willingly give you my jacket." He says rolling off of you to find some of the clothes you'd stolen.

You both get dressed and enter the living room.

"Let's go kiddos." Eddie says signalling for the door. Suzie and Dustin walk out hand in hand smiling. Eddie glanced you up and down. "God I love you in that jacket." Eddie says playfully throwing his head back.

"Mmm and I love you in just the demim over vest really shows yours tattoos." You say walking over to him.

"I love you."

"I love you most."

"Come in Romeo's gonna start shouting at Me if I don't hurry." Eddie says gesturing the door for you. As you close the door and look around you see Dustin and Suzie kissing and then pulling away. Eddie takes your hand and walks down to the van.

"Hey babe?" He says opening the sliding door for the two. "Yeah? " you answer as he slams the side door and them opens yours. Which you happily jump into.

"Remember when we was that awkward?" Eddie whispers and giggles.

"Yeah I remember when you first kissed me and you went as red as a tomato and started stuttering." You laugh putting a hand on his cheek.

"Shhh don't tell them." Eddie says kissing you then closing the door.

He gets in the drivers side and starts the van.

"Red as a tomato huh?" Dustin says to Eddie from the back of the van.

"Shut it Henderson or I'll tell the whole club how awkward that kiss you two just shared there was." Eddie half threatens to which Dustin takes his hands.

"Rights let's go." Eddie pulls out of your driveway and rests a hand on your thigh as he drives to the arcade. Dustin and Suzie are talking and blushing. You can't help but remember when it was you and Eddie sat in the back of the van talking, blushing and giggling and you smile, happy that Dustins found what he never thought he would find.

You look over to Eddie to see him with a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. One hand on the steering wheel and the other on your thigh. He glances over at you and smiles. "Love you." He says as he blows the smoke out the window.

"Love you more." You say taking his hand in yours.

"Love you most." He smirks kissing your hand with a loud 'mwah' sound.

"Huh you bitch." You say smirking kissing his stubbly cheek.

"You love it." He smirks

-

A/n: WOULD ANYONE LIKE A PART 2 CAUSE IDK.

[this-blog-needs-a-name]

Stranger Things Fic Recs

This is a list of incredible Stranger Things fanfics I have read either on Tumblr or Ao3 the majority of which are character x reader/oc.

📝 Ongoing/Unfinished

Long Works (>25,000 words)

📝 By My Side - Steve Harrington by Maddie002 Steve Harrington x OFC (74k)

📝 Cardigan by @marwritesgood Steve Harrington x f!reader (36k)

Defiance → s. harrington by wintersxani Steve Harrington x OFC (175k)

📝 Kate Hopper by @stranger-marauders Steve Harrington x OFC (260k)

📝 Project Sunshine by Izzy_sophie_marie Steve Harrington x OFC (262k)

Say I Never Mattered by @restlessmelodrama steve harrington x f!henderson!reader (33.1k)

speed of sound Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 by @lovrily steve harrington x f!reader (28k)

📝steve zombie!au drabbles by @luveline Steve Harrington x f!reader (85.3k)

The Byers Harrington Story by @certifiedlovergirlsstuff steve harrington x female byers!reader (166.5k)

Medium Works (10,000-24,999 words)

Bruises On Another: one - two - three - four - five - six - seven - eight - finale by @justauthoring Steve Harrington x f!reader (16.9k)

darker than amber AU by @harringtown steve harrington x f!reader (12.1k)

have you seen her? by @luveline Steve Harrington x f!reader (10.5k)

Head over Heels by @underoossss steve harrington x f!reader (14.7k)

In Your Dreams, Whatever They Be Part 1 | Part 2 by @sweatervest-obsessed Steve Harrington x f!reader (22.9k)

Super Strange Things Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 by @freefallingforfanfiction Johnathan Byers x f!Winchester!reader (22.9k)

the best days. by @hairringtonsteve Steve Harrignton x f!henderson!reader (14.3k)

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Masterlist

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

Main Masterlist || OC Fan Art || Spotify Playlist

🎲Summary: On the night of November 6th, 1983, Stephanie Henderson decided to take her little brother’s friend, Will, back home. However… they never arrive. Now, Dustin, Mike and Lucas, and soon the exception of the girl’s ex-best friend, Steve, must band together to find out what happened. Meanwhile, Steph and Will must fight for their survival in this nightmarish version of Hawkins, Indiana.

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

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Warnings: At the beginning of each chapter.

🎲Word Count: 88,967 (So far)

🎲Start Date: 3/6/24

🎲 End Date: N/A

🎲 A/N: No Idea what possessed me to write this, but i saw everyone else doing something similar and I said to myself... "Hey, why not?". This can be read as reader-insert if like since OC's hair/eye color will only be mention here and there.

|| INDEX ||

Season One:

Prologue: The Pinky Promise

Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers & Stephanie Henderson

Chapter 2: The Weirdo On Maple Street

Chapter 3: Holly, Jolly Shotgun

Chapter 4: The Bodies

Chapter 5: The Flea & The Acrobat - Part 2

Chapter 6: The Monster

Chapter 7: The Bathtub & The Sacrifice

Chapter 8: The Upside Down

Epilogue 1: The End? The Beginning?

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646 @jinxeee @bookkeeperlove @prozacgooble @goth-baby98 @aainr @luca-random-stuff @catradorapotter @bailees-post @dearabby1990 @savage-aespa @aainr

[yovrnewromantic]

A KING AND A QUEEN —

THE LINE | Memories of An Old Friend

pairings: Steve Harrington x Fem!Henderson!Reader

words: 2.0k

summary: your final homecoming football game in Steve’s POV.

Mac DeMarco — Another one , Joy Ciara (cover) — The One That Got Away

Hawkins Highschool. October 12th, 85’.

Like usual, the Hawkins’ football team was losing. Despite how hard the seniors at Hawkins would pray, their beloved football team would still lose the homecoming football game. But Steve wasn’t there for the football game, he was there for you.

From the bleachers, along with the rest of the student body, Steve watched you from across the field, dressed up in white. All pretty like a princess, or, soon to be, a queen. Even from afar he could see he could see your giddy smile that you were desperately trying to hide.

Steve’s stomach did a back flip when you started walking down the field, mother and brother at your side, the announcer beginning.

“Y/N Henderson, accompanied by her mother, Claudia, and her younger brother, Dustin. After high school, Y/N plans to attend,” Steve couldn’t pronounce the name of your future school if he tried, “college and become an author.”

The announcement of your future was euphoric for you to hear, he could see it on your face, but that didn’t prevent Steve’s stomach from dropping.

He knew you were going to leave eventually, you had too much potential to stay in a silly town like this. Yet, hearing it out loud from someone else’s voice, not your usual sweet voice as you daydreamed with head in your hands on the counter of Family Video as Steve pretended he wasn’t listening, made it feel real.

He wanted to be happy for you, but the thought of you leaving him Hawkins behind made him feel sick.

“Y/N gives special dedication to Heather Hathaway, a friend who recently passed in the Hawkins Mall fire along with town Sheriff, Jim Hopper. May they rest in peace.”

Beside him, Robin shifted, and he’s sure that your little monster hunting group was looking at each other, but Steve couldn’t seem to take his eyes off you.

His eyes never strayed from you, even when you stood between Nancy, his ex girlfriend and your best friend, and Chrissy Cunningham, another one of your friends. You stood in the center of four girls on the homecoming court. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, but he couldn’t so much as spare another girl a glance. They just seemed so insignificant compared to you.

Steve swore he had never seen anything that could compare to the sight of your jaw dropping when the crown was placed on top of your head. Your hand went to grab your tiara, pulling it into your head tightly as you barked an incredulous laugh full of joy.

Applauds followed, but Steve swore he was the loudest, regardless of Lucas and Mike screaming a few bleachers below him.

After quick side hugs to your friends, Steve watched intently as you ran to your Dustin and your mom as swiftly in possible with your heels.

Pictures followed, and after a picture with the court and homecoming king, you were swarmed with a crowd of people. Steve barely made his way through to you, but when he did, he stopped moving, letting the crowd shift around him despite him feeling the world had stopped spinning for a moment.

Billy Hargrove looked at you like you hung the moon, and Steve wanted to rip his arm off your shoulder and replace it with his, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t yours, and you were certainly not his, the mass of teenage boys eager for a picture with you proved that. Steve wasn’t special, and he was delusional if he ever thought he had a chance with you.

Steve didn’t stay long enough to watch your eyes scan the crowd, looking for a familiar face. He hadn’t seen your shoulders sag in disappointment when you couldn’t find him, or the way your eyes brightened at the sight of him walking into the school, hands dipped in his pockets.

—

Steve’s knuckles rasped against where your desk had been last year, the seat next to his in the AP statistic class you had convinced him to take.

He shook his head at the memories of you tutoring him on the car rides to and from school, in the library, each other’s houses. He remembered the days your patience wore thin, the days when he stayed for dinner at your house so he could continue studying with you past six, the days you forced Dustin out of your room so you could get some work done, the days you baked him cookies when passed his tests. He’d survived the class with a C+, thanks to you.

Too focused on reminiscing, Steve hardly heard your heels clacking until you were in the doorway.

“Guess King Steve has been dethroned,” you said, sounding pleased with your own wit. The nickname he only let you call him flowed off your lips with ease.

“Finally,” Steve joked, turning to look at you. “That guy was an asshole.”

Steve watched as you place your bouquet of flowers onto the closest desk to the door before coming towards him, your cheeks looking flushed. He realized you must’ve rushed out to find him.

“Right?” you agreed, teasing. Uncontrollable giggles spilled from your throat.

It felt like a breathe of fresh air to have you this close to him, the closest you had been all day. Steve hadn’t really how much he had missed you. He took the moment to admire you.

Your hair was curled in a bun, strings of frizz framing your face, but not as nicely as the golden tiara on your head did. The tiara was like the final piece of a puzzle, completing your faultless look. You looked perfect, but something about your dress— the way it hugged your curves, how it showed the right amount of cleavage. Your dress made you look divine.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Steve was sure that he’d get to see you in white dress again.

“I thought you left,” you admitted, an arm going to hug yourself. Your fingers brushed against your forearms for comfort, a nervous tick Steve had picked up when you two had gotten close in your junior year of Highschool.

Steve felt ashamed hearing your worried tone. He had thought about it, leaving and going home, prepared to call you later that night, ready to lie and say he had caught food poisoning and didn’t want to spoil your night. He was glad he stayed. If he hadn’t, he would’ve never seen how gorgeous you looked that night.

“Without wishing you congratulations? You think that low of me, Sunshine?” Steve whistled. He tilted his head, lips curved into a smile.

You dipped your head, but Steve could still spot your blissful expression, cheeks full from your smile. Steve swore he saw you blush at the nickname. Then, you looked up at him like he was something worth looking at.

With an ounce of hesitance, you shrugged, “What’d you think?”

“About what?” Steve asked, oblivious as ever.

Playfully, you rolled your eyes. “About me?” you huffed, gesturing your hands to yourself in emphasis.

Steve’s heart raced. The way you looked was setting off a fire deep inside him that he wasn’t sure he could ever put out. You looked godly, and if Aphrodite was real, Steve was sure that you were her favorite child. Steve would fight hundreds of millions of demogorgons, demo-dogs, any monster from the upside down to see you like this. Hell, he’d sacrifice himself to them if this was the sight that would welcome him to heaven.

But before he could say anything, you laughed, your normal snort that reminded him you were the same girl from yesterday; the same girl that almost crashed his car when he tried teaching you how to drive, the same that made him buy her books and milkshakes. The same girl who insulted his taste in movies and music. The same girl who saved his life more times than he could count.

You were the same girl he thought was absolutely perfect despite your, at least he thought they were, breathtaking imperfections.

Smiling, you said, “In all seriousness, Steve, my mom wants a picture of us. Dustin wants to be in it too, says it’s foreshadowing something. I didn’t bother asking what.”

Steve hummed, drawling closer. It’s now or never, he told himself.

“I think they’re going to have to wait.”

You cocked your head in confusion. For once in your entire life, you were the oblivious one. “Why’s that?”

“I want you to myself for a little bit,” Steve shrugged nonchalantly. “Is that too much to ask?”

Steve watched your lips part. You blinked, stunned, before brushing back a strand of frizz behind your hair. “N-no,” you stammered.

“No?” Steve repeated, your bashfulness giving him confidence. He looked down at you, eyes hazy.

“No, it isn’t,” you shook your head lightly. “It isn’t too much to ask. Not at all.”

Smiling down at you, Steve bathed in the way you watched him. He adjusted the crown on your head. “You look like a queen tonight, giggles.”

Mischievously, you rolled your eyes. “Really,” your voice was laced with sultry, “King Steve?”

Steve sucked in a breath. He ignored that nagging voice in his head that told him you were too good for him (you were but that was beside the point). He reached to caress your face, the thumb of his hand brushed your cheek. You leaned into his touch, and Steve watched as your eyes fluttered shut when he slowly started to lean in.

Flash interrupted the two of you.

You bounced away from him, but Steve stayed in his place. He didn’t bother to look away from you, his lips still parted as he watched your chest heave wildly as you looked at Steve’s cockblocker the culprit.

“Mom!” you scolded, rushing toward where your mother stood in the doorway, where you had stood minuted ago.

“Sorry! You two just looked to cute,” your mom apologized, unapologetically, waving the new picture dry. “Dusty had me come looking for you. He really wants that picture.”

You lowered your voice, glancing back at Steve like you didn’t want him to hear you say, “He couldn’t have waited five more minutes?”

Your mother pouted, Steve could see where you got it from, and her voice dipped lower in a whisper so he couldn’t hear. Slightly, your eyes widened and you glanced at the photo, flustered.

Hesitantly, you turned him, cheeks red. “C’mon Steve,” you said gently. “Dusty buns needs a picture.”

Steve chuckled, dropping his head before walking towards you, walking you back to the football field with a hand on your lower back, your bouquet of flowers in his hand.

Dustin gave him a copy of the pictures several weeks later.

There were two photos of you, him, and Dustin; one where you all smiled politely, Dustin on Steve’s right, you on his left, and another where you held an eye roll, arms crossed over your chest and Dustin and Steve argued beside you over something minuscule.

There was one of you two, both of you looking at the camera charismatically, a purple-pink sunset behind you. (He put the picture in his wallet).

The last photo, was slightly blurry, but that didn’t stop Steve from turning to red at the sight of his hand on your cheek, your eyes closed, him leaning in.

Steve hid that photo in a shoebox under his bed. Y'know, for safe keeping. And looking at it now, months later. Without you. He knows one thing.

He should’ve kissed you.

This has been in my drafts for a while and i was meaning to post this after i finished the line series or whatever but i think it it’s good and can’t make myself write sooooo… here! 🩷

[hendersister]

need you tonight

summary: steve sneaks over late at night to see you.

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!sister reader

title 🎵: need you tonight by inxs

a/n: this is super short & sweet ❤️

It’s late at night. You’re home in your room, getting ready for bed, when-

TAP, TAP, TAP

You turn and see your boyfriend Steve standing right outside your window. Your eyes widen in excitement. Steve smiles when you notice him. 

You go over to the window and open it. Steve climbs inside and looks around.

“So this is your bedroom, huh?”

This is the first time a boy other than your little brother has been in your room.

“Steve! What are you doing here?!” you ask. 

“I needed to see you. I missed you,” Steve says softly as he wraps his arms around you.

Your heart melts. You pull him closer to you and give him a kiss.

“I missed you too.”

After a little moment, you and Steve pull away from each other. He sits down on your bed.

“So, uh, I didn’t see your mom’s car in the driveway…” your boyfriend comments.

“Yeah. She’s working the overnight shift,” you tell him.

Steve nods.

“And what about Dustin? Is he here?” Steve asks.

You shake your head.

“He’s sleeping over Mike’s tonight.”

Steve’s face perks up.

“Oh yeah?” he smirks, looking you up and down.

You inhale deeply, checking out your boyfriend. Damn, he’s so hot! You bite the bottom of your lip and slowly nod.

“Yeah. I have the place all to myself tonight,” you coyly reply.

Steve stands to his feet. He sighs, shaking his head while he approaches you.

“I don’t know, Y/N. I can’t have you spending the night here all alone…”

Steve wraps his arms around your waist. He pulls you closer to him. You raise your eyebrow. 

“Hmm really? Then what are you gonna do about it?” you ask suggestively. 

“I think I need to spend the night here and make sure you don’t get lonely,” your boyfriend tells you.

You nod and wrap your arms around Steve’s shoulders.

“I like that plan,” you smile.

[chelseeebe]

and i never (saw you coming)

summary: coming back from college for the summer, you never would have expected to meet someone in your tiny town. and you most definitely would not have expected that someone to be steve fucking harrington.

a.n: so this is a henderson!readerxsteve BUT there are absolutely zero descriptors and no mention of being blood relatives or anything so please take the sibling relationship however you would like!! this is also a part one to a lil two part thing. set in s4 but i've changed it to be summer break rather than spring and i am finally writing canon material wherein the UD exists (part two) shout out to miss swift for the title xx

wc: 6k+

no smut but there may be in part two and as a baseline, i am an 18+ blog so please respect that. mentions of weed, drinking and sex. no use of y/n!

‎♡‧₊˚

Steve doesn’t usually make the effort to get out of his car to collect Dustin. But he had honked his damn horn five times now and was getting frankly sick of waiting for the petulant boy. 

He races up the gravel path, cursing under his breath about not being a fucking taxi and how he shouldn’t take him for granted. Steve’s sure there’s smoke coming out of his ears as he pounds on the door, prepared to give the boy an earful. 

His mouth is open when the door creaks open, “Dustin I have told you-,” it’s only then that he realises that Dustin isn’t the one behind the door. It’s you. 

“Excuse me?” you start, frowning at this apparent grown man who seemed to have a problem with your younger brother. As much as he got on your last nerve, you’d defend him to the moon and back. 

“You’re not- um, is Dustin home?” he asks sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in utter shame. Dustin had mentioned you a few times and he was sure he remembered you from school but never really took much notice. 

“Why?” you ask pointedly, scowling at the man. He was from school, you knew that much. One of the basketball players that absolutely would have sniggered about you in the halls. 

“I’m giving him a ride to uh- to the movies,” he nods, realising that he sounded like an utter weirdo. 

“Aren’t you a little old to be hanging out with my brother?” 

Steve hesitates because yes, he probably was too old to admit that your little brother was his friend. Let alone the fact he considered him a best friend. 

“Uh.. I could see why you think that but mentally I’m probably more his age than mine,” smiling at you, genuinely not seeing an issue with his statement. 

Your eyes narrow, brows knitted together. You knew he wasn’t some dodgy old pervert but he had absolutely not helped his case there. “Right.. well, no. He’s not back yet so…” 

“Oh, well I’ll just.. wait in my car,” he nods, slowly turning to jump back into his car. Eager to not make himself look any stupider in front of you. 

You sigh, “you can wait inside,” opening the door wider for him, you wouldn’t hear the end of it from Dustin if you made his dear friend wait outside. 

He tiptoes into the house, eyeing the quirky decorations your mom had covered the house in. It was clear now why Dustin was so.. eccentric. He’s like a stray dog, hovering around the couch, too scared to sit down. 

You resume your spot, attempting to pay attention to whatever movie is on the TV but struggling knowing he’s still just standing awkwardly above you. 

“You can sit down, you know?” you bark, not bothering to look at him. 

He does almost immediately, running his sweaty palms along his knees. God, why was this making him so flustered? 

“You’re Dustin’s sister then?” the words falling out of his mouth without much thought. He wants to fall into the floor. Obviously you were his sister. Fuck. 

“Yup.” 

“Cool.. I haven’t really seen you before.. I’m uh-,” sticking his hand out for you to shake, “Steve.. Steve Harrington,” smiling as you glance at his outstretched hand, hesitantly shaking it. 

The mention of his name makes everything click into place. This is the infamous Steve that Dustin didn’t shut up about. You were in the same grade at school and had shared a few classes but had never really spoken. That might’ve been something to do with him being a gigantic prick the entire five years you were in school. 

“Oh,” you nod, trying to mask your apprehensions, “I remember you,” hoping that didn’t give too much of your distaste away. 

“Yeah.. I’m not like.. that anymore,” picking up on your obvious distrust. It’s not surprising that so many people still hold reservations about him, even he could admit that he wasn’t exactly a saint. 

You hum in response. You can mostly believe him because there was no way in hell Dustin would’ve ever become friends with someone like King Steve. In fact, knowing your little brother, he probably would’ve detested the kind of boy he was in school. 

“So.. you go to college?” he asks, trying desperately to change the subject. 

“Yeah.. uh, Chicago, I didn’t wanna go too far yanno?” not that you really could’ve. College was a last minute, fuck it kind of decision and you hadn’t really even planned on staying past the first week. But you had, and had even found yourself liking it. 

“That’s cool.. what do ya’ do? If you don’t mind me asking,” shifting in his seat, eyes dead set on you. 

“Language studies, it’s not cool or exciting at all but I enjoy it,” shrugging as you pick at the loose thread on your shorts, avoiding any direct eye contact. 

Despite Steve Harrington being a changed man, he still made you incredibly nervous and you felt like suddenly you were back in high school. He just had this aura to him and the way he carries himself, even now, was just intimidating. 

“No, that is cool? I wish I was smart enough for college,” chuckling nervously, “I bet it’s crazy out there.” 

Your definition of a crazy night meant smoking with Julia, your roommate, and eating a stupid amount of shit food. His definition of crazy definitely included some frat party and hooking up with some stranger in a crowded house. 

“Hah.. not really, I think maybe we have different definitions of crazy.” 

“Well, what’s your idea of crazy then?” 

You look around on the off chance Dustin and your mom had somehow snuck into the house completely silently, “getting high and eating a bunch of junk food.. not exactly the kinda shit you imagined.” 

“How d’you know what I imagined? Maybe I think that’s a crazy night too,” laughing at your assumptions, evidently he was still hanging onto that King Steve persona. 

“Nah.. you’re thinking of getting black out drunk at some party and then having sex with some girl you’ll never speak to again,” raising your brows, smug that you’d sussed him out completely. 

“Is that what you think of me?” jokingly placing his hand over his heart, shaking his head, “I don’t even like parties that much anymore and actually I think you’re right, that would be a crazy night,” smiling to himself. 

Because to him that did sound like a great night, and he’d kill to be able to do that with Robin and if it wasn’t for the fact that she got so intensely paranoid that one time they’d smoked together, they’d probably do it more often. 

“Oh, well.. you’ve surprised me,” giving him a small smile. You still had your reservations about him, but if he was good enough for Dustin, you were sure you could come to perhaps tolerate him. 

“Yeah, I do a lotta that nowadays.” 

“Well are you surp-,” you’re cut off by Dustin barging through the front door, nearly taking the damn thing off its hinges. 

“Steve? We’re gonna be late! C’mon!” he yells into the living room as if he wasn’t the one who had shown up fifteen minutes late. He’s huffing and puffing with his hands on his hips, clearly something inherited from your mother. 

“Woah dude, chill out,” he looks at his watch and jumps up out of his seat, “okay shit- sorry uh, oops let’s go,” rushing over to Dustin. He turns at the last second, waving at you over his shoulder, “it was nice to meet you,” a genuine grin on his face. 

“You too,” you call back, watching as your brother drags him out of the house. Muffled voices arguing over what time the movie started and how dare Steve enter his house without him present. 

Dustin’s still going on in the car after much push back from Steve that actually he was early and Dustin was the one who was late. 

“Your sister’s pretty cool,” Steve blurts out, driving along the bumpy road. He wants to rescind his sentence almost immediately after Dustin glares at him from the passenger’s seat. 

“Absolutely not. No, Steve. No.” 

“What?” flabbergasted that Dustin had so brazenly assumed he had some ulterior motive. He hadn’t even said anything. Not yet anyway. 

“Just no. I know you and I know what you’re thinking and I’m putting a stop to it now,” Dustin cringes, mentally perturbed by the thought of you and Steve even speaking. 

“Wha- dude, I was just saying.. you barely speak about her.. that’s all,” tapping on the leather steering wheel, playing it off rather smoothly, he thinks. 

“I know my sister’s cool.. way too cool for you, okay? So you should forget about it because it will never ever happen.” 

“I wasn’t even gonna.. you’re a real pain in the ass, you know that?” 

-

Steve’s sat in the booth, opposite what must be the worst date of his life. Dear God, Tammy Thompson was hot but holy shit was she annoying. Her voice agitating his ear drums with every word, irritating and nasally as she rambled on about her singing ‘career’. It wasn’t much of a career, Steve thought. Singing the national anthem in your high school gym was hardly a career. He thought it was quite sad actually. 

He nods along to her bullshit, maybe she would sound better when he got her into the back of his beemer. Well, he was hoping anyway. 

“You guys finished?” the familiar voice rings out across the table, his eyes darting from Tammy to find you standing at the end of the table with a fake grin plastered on your face. 

“I didn’t know you worked here,” he sounds confused, attention fully shifted from the blonde in front of him to you. Surely Dustin could’ve had the courtesy to let him know that you worked at his favourite date spot. 

“Uh.. yup, so you’re done?” still in customer service mode, trying desperately to ignore the awkwardness. 

“Oh, yeah.. thank you,” he smiles, pushing the empty plates toward you “how long have you worked here.. I’ve never seen you,” positively baffled but happy nonetheless. 

You shrug, “like sophomore year,” confused why he seemed to care so much, “I’m just doing part time over the summer..” stacking the plates as quickly as possible, wanting nothing more than to get far away from the awkward date you had stumbled upon. 

“That’s cool, I mean, I’m here a lot so..” 

Both you and Tammy flash him a look, granted hers was far more annoyed than yours. You mutter a small nice before scurrying off to the kitchen, relieved to be far from the impending disaster that was waiting to implode. 

-

Something’s not right. 

Even with Tammy practically climbing over the centre console to get to him, fully willing and eager.. he’s just not feeling it. Something or someone rather stuck in his head. They had been since last week and no matter how much he’d tried to shake it.. nadda. 

He pulls away from Tammy, sighing pathetically, “I’m sorry.. d’you mind if I just take you home? I don’t feel great..” he hopes it’s at least half-convincing. 

“Are you fucking serious Steve?” Tammy whines, staring across the car in utter disbelief.  

He offers an apologetic smile, shuffling in his seat to get away from her, “yeah.. must be something I ate.. sorry,” grimacing at this incredibly awkward moment. He couldn’t exactly tell her the truth, could he? 

“Whatever,” crossing her arms over her chest, frowning as she re-buckles her seatbelt, starting straight ahead. 

He starts the car with a sigh. She was a nice enough girl, but she just wasn’t.. well, she just wasn’t Dustin Henderson’s mysterious older sister who just hadn’t let this mind since you’d met last week. That was the problem. 

She doesn’t say a word as she gets out of the car, making sure to slam the door in his face when he leans over to say goodnight. He’s sure she’ll tell all her bitchpack friends who’ll vow to ignore him until he smiles at them over the Family Video counter and they’ll forget all about it. 

Why couldn’t that just work on you? 

-

You don’t see Steve for another week. Dustin normally runs out of the house the second he hears Steve’s car in the driveway meaning you don’t cross paths.

But now he’s sat in the exact same booth as last week, this time alone with a half empty cup of coffee in front of him. 

Your legs sort of work on their own, carrying your body over to the booth. It’s only when you’re stood at the end of the table do you realise you have no idea what you should even say to him. 

“Who’s the unlucky lady this week?” your mouth blurts out without second thought, startling him from staring out the window. His lips curling into a smile the second he realises it’s you. 

“No lady this week, flying solo,” internally dying from his choice of words. Yeah, that totally made him look cool. 

“Oh,” pulling the dirtied plate across the table, “Tammy Thompson didn’t work out then?” Why are you even asking? You shouldn’t care about who he dates. 

“Nah.. we didn’t really..” he mashes his hands together, “vibe,” smiling up at you from the seat. He obviously wasn’t heartbroken over it. 

“Well if it’s any consolation, I always thought she was a massive bitch,” and she was. One of those girls that prowled the halls waiting for somebody to humiliate. Bare in mind, Steve was too, he just picked on the weird boys rather than the girls. 

Steve chuckles, “yeah, she was.. or is.. I don’t know,” he’s sure that in her opinion, he was the bitch that didn’t want to hook up with her because his ‘stomach hurt’, and really that was a fair enough assertion. 

You give him a quick smile before picking up the plate, beginning to walk away when his voice calls out from behind, “what time do you get off?” 

“Nine.. why?” apprehensive as you answer. Spinning on your heel to face him. 

“I can give you a ride home? I mean, if you want?” 

You pause just before you reach the counter. It seriously would beat walking home in the summer heat. Dustin would certainly have a few choice words when you showed up at home in Steve’s BMW, but who cares? 

“Okay, yeah that’d be great.. thanks,” giving him a tight lipped smile, “you gonna sit there for the whole four hours?” 

“I- wh.. no,” laughing awkwardly because he hadn’t exactly planned what he was going to do until nine but he had assumed it’d be fine if just hung out here. “I’ve gotta go uh.. pick Robin up from work,” lie. He and Robin had worked the morning shift and she was off at some family dinner she had complained about all week. 

“Robin Buckley?” you ask, slightly confused as to how the two of them even knew each other. 

“You know her?” he perks up. 

“Eh.. kinda, we were in band together.. how do you know her?”

He’d love to tell you that they had become inseparable after nearly dying in a Russian basement with your little brother last summer. But he doesn’t. Because you, like the majority of Hawkin’s residents, were still blissfully unaware of the weird underworld that lived beneath your town. 

“We worked together last summer and now we’re best friends I guess,” it sounded far too simple as he said it out loud. 

He was an asshole in school and was well aware of that fact, someone like him would never have become friends with someone like Robin if it weren’t for the Upside Down. But he was grateful nonetheless, and telling you the shortened story was much easier than opening the can of worms that was the Upside Down. 

“Oh..” you nod slowly, “you really have changed, huh?” thinking back to Dustin’s constant appraisal of the new Steve and how you didn’t really believe any of it. 

“Yeah.. I don’t..” he clears his throat, “I don’t know if I was an asshole to you in school but if I was then.. I’m sorry,” looking sheepish as his head hangs low. In all honesty, he couldn’t really remember you ever being at Hawkins High but felt an apology was due either way. 

You nod, accepting the apology though the worst he’d ever done to you was the time he sat there and cackled as Carol Perkins knocked the pile of books out of your arm. 

“You want another cup of coffee or d’you have to go?” still clutching onto his dirty plate. 

He checks his watch, not that the time actually mattered as he’d leave here and probably end up driving around until it was socially acceptable to come back in. “I could do one more.. thank you,” grinning softly. 

You slip into the kitchen, questioning the warm, fuzzy feeling that had settled in your chest. Convincing yourself that it was only because he was being nice to you. Nothing more. 

-

Steve strolls in again at 8:40 after driving around the entire town, ending up parking in town and just watching the tiny clock in his dash until it turned 8:30 and he could slowly make his way back to the diner. 

It’s empty, has been pretty much all night bar the few regulars that seemed to spend their lives here. You’re sat behind the counter flicking through the Hawkins Post someone had left behind, reading about the upcoming bake sale. Riveting stuff, really. 

“You’re early,” you point out, looking at the clock that had moved incredibly slow all day. 

“I had nothing else to do so thought I’d try and squeeze one more cup of coffee from you,” he grins cheekily, testing the boundaries of this incredibly new.. friendship?

You roll your eyes, motioning over to the pot, “help yourself,” sending one of the clean coffee mugs over the counter so he could do your job for you. 

The clock slowly ticks over to nine and you do one last check around the place to make sure you’d done everything needed. Javie, the cook, had gone home already, thankfully cleaning the kitchen before disappearing. Begging you not to tell Kevin he’d slipped off early with a promise of whatever you wanted to eat on your next shift. 

You turn the key in the door as Steve stands behind with his hands shoved in his pockets, “are you normally the only one in there at this time?” walking beside you to his car. 

“No, Javie normally finishes when I do but he had a date or some shit so he left early,” shaking your head. It would’ve been useless to make him stay anyway. 

Steve jumps in front of you, grabbing the handle before you got the chance, pulling the door open, “Oh.. good, yeah that’s good,” closing the door and clambering into his own side. He wants to believe that he’s not sure why the mention of Javie’s name made him feel so funny.  

“You sound disappointed.. were you planning on robbing me?” chuckling to yourself. 

“No! No.. what? It just seems unsafe for you to be there on your own so late..” 

“It’s nine pm Steve.” 

“Yeah I know but.. there are a lotta weirdos in Hawkins yanno?” starting the car as quick as possible, not wanting to stick his foot in his mouth any further. 

You smile, it was very kind of him to look out for you after all. “Yeah.. I’m in the car with one right now,” glancing at him with a shit eating grin. 

“Oh ha ha.. you’re so funny,” rolling his eyes in jest though his lips twitch into a small smile. 

“I know that actually,” turning to watch the trees as they disappear behind you. The air is perfect, reminiscent of the summers you had here as a child. 

Steve takes the opportunity to look over at you admiring the night sky. Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, this was going to be the death of him. 

Well, you were. 

-

Steve’s itching to just ask him, get it out while he’s driving so Dustin can’t run away. 

“So.. I have a question for you,” testing the waters before fully committing. 

“Uhh.. what could you possibly have to ask me?” Dustin asks, curious. 

“Well.. I need you to ask your sister if she’d maybe wanna come to the movies with me,” he holds up his hand to preemptively stop Dustin’s inevitable reaction, “I accidentally bought two tickets and I don’t wanna let it go to waste, so don’t start.” 

“Steve, I already told you that that is not happening.” 

“It’s not a date Dustin,” Steve hisses, “you said she liked horror movies so.. I thought she might wanna come.. that’s all.” 

Dustin looks incredulous, “since when do you like horror movies?” 

“Uh.. since forever?” lying through his teeth. Steve hated horror. Would point blank refuse to watch anything even remotely scary when Robin suggested it. 

“You’re a bad liar,” Dustin frowns, he’d had many of his own movie suggestions shot down by Steve for being inappropriate and too scary. 

He rounds the corner, pulling up onto your drive. He was running out of time to convince Dustin to do this for him. And see, he’d do it himself but that would mean he’d undoubtedly end up a bumbling idiot in front of you and that was not what he was aiming for. 

“Can you- will you please just ask her?” he begs, pleads even. 

“Fine,” Dustin rolls his eyes, sliding out of the car. His feet dragging along the pavement as he walks into your house, not bothering to give his usual wave to an idling Steve. 

He slinks up the stairs, banging on your bedroom door. Get it out of the way and then he could mourn the loss of both his sister and his best friend as quickly as possible. 

“Yeah come in,” you call from the other side, closing the notebook. 

“Steve asked me to ask you if you wanted to go and see some movie with him, he also wants me to tell you that he accidentally bought two tickets instead of one but I think you and I are both smart enough to know that isn’t true,” your brother rolls his eyes, perched in your doorway. 

You smile to yourself, rolling your eyes. It was childish but admittedly endearing, “tell him to ask me himself and I’ll think about it.” 

Dustin nods, frowning as he walks over to your bedroom window, leaning out of it to holler at Steve who was still sat in his car awaiting your answer, “she told me to tell you to ask her yourself,” sticking his middle finger up at him before storming off into his own room. 

You watch him leave, open mouthed before going to the window to find Steve looking up to your window. He points towards the door, shrugging. This really wasn’t how he’d have liked this to go. 

The door swings open and you blink at him, allowing him the opportunity to go first. This was his question after all. 

“D’you wanna come to the movies with me? I- Dustin mentioned that you like horror movies and I don’t wanna waste this ticket.. it’s cool if not,” Christ, he really needed to stop hanging around Robin so much. She had a knack for being completely defeatist before even receiving her answer and it was clearly starting to rub off on him. 

“Yes, I’ll go to the movies with you,” smiling softly at him. He really was light years away from the dickhead you once despised, now just some shy guy trying to ask someone out on not-date-date. 

“Okay,” he responds with far too much enthusiasm, “great.. Friday! I mean- I’ll pick you up on Friday.. eight o’clock,” cheesing as he walks back to his car. Throwing up a thumbs up before realising how stupid he looked and rushing to get into his car. Heart fluttering out of his chest. 

-

You’re shitting it. 

It wasn’t a date. No really, it wasn’t. 

But you couldn’t help the nerves bubbling up in your stomach as you wait for him to pick you up. 

“I think this is disgusting by the way,” Dustin pipes up, scowling as he paces the hallway. Desperately trying to conjure up a plan to stop you from going. He couldn’t think of anything worse than his sister and his best friend dating. He shudders at the mere thought of it. 

“Well it’s a good thing I didn’t ask for your opinion,” rolling your eyes, peering out of the window to see if his car had pulled up yet.  

“Why can’t you date any of the other losers in this town? Or someone at college? Why does it have to be Steve?” his shoulders slump, frown evident as he skulks into the living room. 

“Oh my God Dustin, stop it. Yanno, the more you complain about it, the more I’m going to make sure it happens,” letting go of the blind and giving him a smug smirk. For his sake, it probably would just be a movie. 

You weren’t exactly Steve’s usual type so you were certain that the second someone from school spotted you together he’d probably get embarrassed and drop this little crush. But hey, you could entertain the idea for the summer and perhaps you also had a tiny, smidgen of a crush on him too.

The doorbell rings out and Dustin lets out a ghastly wail, rushing to answer the door before you could. “You never come to the door for me!” he pouts, glaring at Steve who stood nervously on the front porch. 

“Because I don’t like you,” Steve jokes, attention quickly pulled from your younger brother as you appear behind him. “You look.. nice,” smiling as Dustin’s eyes ping pong between the two of you. 

“Thank you.. so do you,” barging past Dustin who looks positively distraught, “don’t cry too hard,” you call out, walking down the path beside Steve. The door slams when you reach his car and you share a look with Steve, giggling as he opens the door for you. 

The second you sit, the nerves come spilling over. This was no longer just a silly thing you could tease Dustin about anymore, it was actually happening and you were here and he was here and you were about to go on a not-date-kinda-date. 

You’re both fairly quiet on the ride to the cinema, exchanging small talk about your days and the movie you were about to watch. It was fairly obvious that he’d bought these tickets specifically with you in mind, because Steve Harrington would not willingly watch Friday the 13th, especially not on his own. 

“So you accidentally got two tickets, huh?” eyeing him from across the car. 

His cheeks flush, bottom lip trembling as he attempts to come up with something to explain his bullshit story, “I- fuck, no.. I didn’t,” looking bashful as he pulls into the parking lot, “I didn’t actually think you’d say yes.” 

“Why?” 

Steve sighs as he turns off the ignition, “I don’t know.. you’re like cool and in college and I’m just some loser from high school,” shrugging half-heartedly, finally meeting your eyes. 

“You’re not a loser.. you were a loser but, I think you’re pretty cool now.” 

His eyes widen, his smile fighting to come out, “I think most people would say the opposite,” he certainly didn’t hold the same level of prestige he had in school anymore. In fact, he’d sorta lost it in senior year when he’d decided that people like Tommy H and Carol were not the type he wanted to associate with. 

And it wasn’t like he’d lost it all, girls still fawned over him and the basketball team would still get excited to see him but he had kinda just slipped into the background. Another guy who had peaked in high school that was destined to stay in this dead end town with a dead end job and a wife he’d grow to loathe. At least, that’s what he had always pictured. 

“Yeah well, I’m not most people,” climbing out of the car. Not once in your life had you ever thought you would be telling Steve Harrington that you thought he was cool. Much less getting out of his car to go see a movie together. 

You’re met with a genuine smile from over the roof of the car, he doesn’t need to speak for you to know that he appreciates your words. 

For a moment you forget where you are until his eyes linger a little too long and your heart begins to pound again. Pulling your own gaze away and mumbling something about missing the trailers. 

-

It’s unfortunate and a little sickening but you can hardly focus on the film and even though it’s dark, you can feel his eyes shift to your face every few minutes, distracting you from the movie. You don’t look back of course, keeping your eyes firmly glued to the screen. 

His hand shifts suspiciously close to your knee, stopping just before he makes contact. You’re trying your hardest not to overthink it.  He’s just.. moving his hand. That’s all. 

Fuck. 

You were fucked. 

Your hands are practically trembling as you sit there. Finally gaining enough courage to look back at him the next time his eyes wander. 

Steve’s not like you, see. He’s a little nervous of course but he’s had years of experience with girls, knows all the tricks in the book to get them falling for him. And when it really came down to it, he could unleash his moves to have you right where he wanted. His eyes don’t flicker back to the screen, they lower, gazing at your lips instead. He wants to do it. He does. Urging himself to just lunge forward and close the distance between you. 

But you’re not like that. You wouldn’t have even looked at him twice in high school, immediately and rightfully passing him off as the dickhead that he was. These tricks were futile on you. 

“Watch the movie,” you whisper despite not watching it yourself, blinking rapidly as you feel your cheeks heat up. Praying that the dark of the cinema would shroud your flushed face. 

His lips twitch before slowly pulling his eyes away, nodding to himself as an acknowledgement to be on his best behaviour. 

It takes every single fibre of your very being to get through the rest of the movie without looking at him again. 

“Well I actually enjoyed that,” he professes loudly, walking out of the theatre a few paces behind you. 

“Oh? I’m surprised you actually saw any of it,” walking to his car in the pitch black parking lot. 

“I wasn’t talking about the movie,” grinning as he lays on that signature charm. It’s shameless and you feel like a fool for even falling for it. 

“Shut up,” you mutter, pulling on the door handle as his car remains locked. He sidles up to the passenger side, one side of his mouth curled into a small smile. 

“How tired are you on a scale of one to ten?” mere inches from your face. 

“Hmm.. a five.” 

“Great, get in,” leaning closer to open the door for you, outstretched arm keeping you between his body and the car. You swallow harshly, slipping past him and into the car.

You’re not sure if you like this version of Steve, the one that had the confidence to make you a bumbling fool for him.  

“Where are we going?” you eventually pipe up, bewildered that you had just let this boy drive you to this mysterious location without any contest. 

“You’ll see.” 

The very second he turns onto the darkened road you groan, knowing exactly where he had taken you, his motivations becoming increasingly clear. 

“Fucking skull rock?” you exclaim. Everyone had heard the rumours in school, this was his spot and girls were to be extremely appreciative if he brought them here. You should’ve known really, he hadn’t changed a bit. 

“Well yes, but that’s not why we’re here.. I swear,” only now realising how scummy this looked but the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind until it had yours. 

Your arms wrap over your chest, jutting your bottom lip out, “then why are we here?” you sounded disgusted with him. How could you have been so stupid? 

“Because I-,” the car stops in the tiny lookout spot, “wait, get out of the car,” he instructs, hopping out of his side. 

You don’t move a muscle, refusing to fall for his tricks once again. So he walks around the car, opening up your door, “look, I wanna show you something,” his tone is desperate and it makes you ever so slightly believe him. 

There was no chance he was that eager to make out with you surely. 

Your nostrils flare as you get out of the car, immediately wrapping your arms back around yourself. “What? What could you possibly have to show me out here?” 

“Just look,” pointing towards the sky. It was littered with stars, bright and twinkling with the view of Hawkins in the distance. It was breathtakingly beautiful, a sight you couldn’t even begin to comprehend. 

He chuckles, “I come here sometimes.. just to think and stuff,” scuffing his shoes on the loose stones, “I thought you’d appreciate something like this,” hands shoved into his pockets, gazing at you as you gaze at the sky. 

“Wow.. you can see everything from here,” still marvelling in the absolute beauty, blissfully unaware that he was doing the same, just not at the same beauty you were seeing. 

“I thought you’d like it,” dragging his feet along to the bonnet of his car, leaning back against the maroon metal. “I’m a little offended that you just assumed that I was tryna get you here for any other reason though,” laughing softly, what more could he do to prove that he was no longer that meathead jock from school? 

You finally break your gaze, looking at him as you join him on the bonnet. Heart pounding as your elbow brushes against his as you shuffle further up the car. It’s so silly, you feel like a fool, trying your hardest to contain your flushing cheeks. 

“I’m sorry..” admitting that perhaps you were a little harsh, “but can you blame me? We’ve all heard the stories,” purposely knocking your elbow into his arm, wiggling your brows. Turning your attention back to the picturesque view in front of you. 

“Yeah yeah.. that was a long time ago, I told you, I’m not like that anymore..” it’s only a tiny lie. He still made out with girls in his car and took them to darkened corners of your tiny town. But see, the difference was that he was actually trying to date these girls, mindless sex was no longer his goal. 

“Yeah I can see that now..” your shoulders slump, relaxing as your guard comes down, “thank you, this is a really cool spot and I’m grateful you chose to share that with.. me,” smiling softly. 

“You’re like the second girl I’ve ever shown this to.. by the way.” 

“Second?” poking fun at him. 

“Robin came first, obviously,” choosing to ignore your little dig. 

You had wondered why he wasn’t just dating Robin, he was a changed man now and obviously the pair got on like a house on fire so why wouldn’t he have tried it with her? Maybe he had and she’d shut him down. She seemed cool enough in band, definitely not someone that would ever be interested in Steve, no matter how much he had changed. 

“Ahh.. obviously,” trying desperately not to sound jealous. 

“So you like it?” watching your face instead of the sky once again. 

When you pull your eyes away from the sky to look at him, you’re taken aback to find him already staring back. “I love it,” the way the moon illuminated his face left you breathless, struggling to contain your heart in your chest. 

“Good..” he smiles before descending into some ramble about the stars and how he had discovered it. 

You weren’t interested. Focused on one thing and one thing only. Deciding against your better judgement to just do it. It was utterly reckless and someday you might live to regret it but you’d regret it tomorrow if you didn’t. 

Pressing your lips to his, quietening his little tangent. It takes him a moment to register what was happening and you doubt yourself, wanting to pull away and run through the woods hoping to never see him again. But it finally clicks and he springs into action, masterful hand snaking its way through your hair, resting on the back of your head. Keeping you right there, pressed to him just like this forever. 

Your hand nervously finds his cheek, brushing over the slight stubble that adorned his jaw. There’s no urgency, no ulterior motives. Pure and simple, only a desperate need to stay like this forever. 

You pull away, lips still lingering over his. A small giggle erupts from your throat, crumbling under his stare. “Sorry..” you mutter, still trying to catch your breath, “you were saying something..” 

“Sorry?” he exclaims, keeping his hand intertwined in your hair, “don’t ever be sorry for doing that.. like ever,” the stars reflecting off of his chestnut eyes back into yours, his features intricately lit up by the sky. 

“Okay..” laughing slightly, “okay.. I’ll keep that in mind,” shying away from his eyes, dipping your head. 

There was not one part of you that would have ever guessed that you would be the one to make a move on him first. Or that he could ever be so sweet, so kind and thoughtful and you feel awful for ever just assuming the worst of him without even giving him a chance. 

You’re pulled out of your head when his head dips down to match yours, “can we do that again?” thumb tracing back and forth along your neck. You nod quickly, chest bubbling with excitement as his lips connect with yours once more. 

It must’ve been gone three by the time you sneak back into your house. Praying that Dustin is already asleep as you sneak back up the creaking stairs. 

It’s too late. You’ve been caught. 

“Come here,” he whispers harshly, peeking out of his bedroom door, his brows furrowed. 

You oblige, slipping into his room and shutting the door quietly, “you gonna give me a lecture?” 

“No,” he sits cross-legged on his bed, “I was going to ask if you had a good time,” willing to put his pride behind him for the sake of his dear sister's happiness. 

Your frown turns into a grin, joining him on his bed, “I did.. he’s really nice, Dusty,” moving the deconstructed lego set from his duvet so you could scoot closer. “If you really don’t like it.. I can tell him that we can just be friends,” smiling earnestly at your little brother, it would suck but after all, he was Steve’s friend first.  

He sighs, swallowing his disgust, “you don’t have to do that..” this is hard for him to even get out, “if you’re happy then.. I’m happy,” giving you his brotherly blessing. 

You beam at him, “but, I have some rules that you’re both gonna have to agree to,” setting his boundaries for your budding relationship. 

“Shut up,” you giggle, ruffling his mop of curls before collapsing back onto his bed. 

You’re happy. Genuinely happy and you’re not sure anything could happen to change that. 

[jasontoddsmommyissues]

Let’s Give ‘Em Something to Talk About

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Femme!Henderson!Reader

Summary: Y/N Henderson’s relationship with Eddie puts her at odds with Jason Carver and co.

Warnings: Reader uses she/her pronouns, bullying/harassment, slut shaming, allusions to sexual content (nothing sexual actually happens), Jason being a prick, swearing, Reader is Dustin’s sister but no physical descriptions are used and you can read it as an adopted sibling if you want, I think that’s it but let me know if I missed something

A/N: Alright, this is the first Fic I’ve ever posted on here. I’m honestly a little nervous, but hopefully you enjoy. I’ll probably end up posting this on my Ao3 too so I’ll link that at some point.

My Master List | Ao3

—

“I’m gonna miss you”, Eddie whines as he leans against the locker next to yours.

“It’s one class”, you reply as you swap out your English textbook for history, “that’s, what, an hour?”

“Actually I have Davis’s class next so it feels more like three hours”, Eddie says.

You snort. Mr. Davis has probably been around since the dinosaur era, and if there were to be a competition for most boring teacher at Hawkins High, he would win it hands down.

“It’s not funny”, Eddie teasingly pouts, “I might actually die of boredom.”

“As much as I would hate for that to happen, I’ve got my own class to get to, so unfortunately you’re on your own for now,” you reply.

“Alright well, please tell the rest of Hellfire I’m going to miss them”, he tells you, “and feel free to wear that black skirt of yours to the funeral. The tight one. It’s what I would’ve wanted.”

You roll your eyes affectionately before pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

“You’re so dramatic”, you say, “I’ll see you later.”

“If I survive that long”, he calls. You shake your head before turning the corner and heading into your history classroom.

“Okay, class”, your teacher, Mr. Price announces once the bell rings, “I’ve written some questions on the board. You’ll find the answers in Chapter 5 of your textbook. Write them down and turn them in by the end of class. You may work with a partner if you’d like.”

You pull your textbook out of your bag and flip to a clean sheet in your notebook. You don’t have any friends in this class, so you figure you may as well just do it yourself and get it over with. That is, until a voice startles you as you’re about to start reading the first page of the chapter.

“Hey, Y/N. Do you wanna work together?”

You blink up at the source of the voice and are pretty sure you must be hallucinating. That’s the only explanation you can think of as to why Jason Carver would be asking you to be his partner.

The two of you have been in the same grade since Kindergarten and you can't think of a single time in all those years that he’s directly acknowledged your existence. The closest thing you have to a connection with him is that your little brother is friends with one of his new Basketball recruits, but you kind of doubt he even knows or cares about that. There’s a few members of his little posse he could be asking to work with him, so you have no clue why he’d be asking you of all people. But, you don’t have anyone else, so you shrug.

“Sure, I guess”, you say.

“Great”, he smiles, moving to sit down next to you.

“I’ll get started on number 1”, you suggest, “maybe you can do number 2 and we’ll compare?”

“Sure”, he says sweetly. You’re honestly getting a little freaked out by how friendly he’s being.

You both do your agreed upon work, and then switch off to show each other your answers.

“So?” you ask when he’s finished reading yours, “does that seem right?”

“Yeah”, he replies, “you’re good at this. You ever thought about being a tutor?”

“Oh, no, not really”, you say.

“See, I just ask because our youth group has this program where some of us older members help the younger kids out after school and stuff.”

“Oh, that’s cool”, you tell him, not really engaged the conversation. It all sounds well and good, but you really aren’t interested in being a tutor at the moment.

“You know, the church has a lot of great programs”, Jason continues, and you’re not sure what any of this has to do with the Byzantine empire, which is what you’re supposed to be discussing.

“Okay”, you say.

“They do a lot of outreach, a lot of stuff to help people who have lost their way.”

“Lost their way?” you inquire, a small part of you beginning to understand what’s actually going on.

“Yeah. You know. Made bad choices, got mixed up with the wrong people.”

“Um, I think we should just get back to the assignment”, you suggest, uncomfortable with the discussion and not wanting it to go any further.

“Look”, Jason sighs, “what I’m trying to say is, I don’t know you very well, but you seem like a nice girl. I’d hate to see you go down a bad path.”

Okay. You get it now, and it’s starting to piss you off.

“Thank you, but I’m doing just fine”, you insist.

“You’ve been hanging around with Eddie Munson”, Jason says, as if it’s some scandalous secret and not just you spending time with your boyfriend, “you really shouldn’t do that, you know…”

You stare at him, a little dumbfounded he would just up and say such a thing to you.

“You can’t be serious…”, you say.

Jason leans in to you, a deadly serious expression on his face.

“I’ve heard about guys like him before”, he tells you, “I know the stuff they’re into.”

Yeah, so do you. It’s tabletop role playing games, which is about the least nefarious activity you could possibly think of. Jason clearly doesn’t see it that way, though, because he’s still going on.

“And I know they like to lure innocent people like you into their little organizations. I’m telling you, Munson is bad news. You should stay away before you get hurt.”

You seriously have to hold yourself back from laughing right in Jason’s face. You’re not sure what reality he’s living in, but it clearly isn’t the same one you are. Last weekend, you and Eddie had watched Terms of Endearment and he’d started to cry (well started tearing up at least, even sniffled a little, though he vehemently denied it). There’s not a single situation in which you can ever imagine him causing you intentional harm.

“Okay, you know what”, you say, “I think I’m gonna finish the rest of the assignment alone, thanks.”

Jason grabs your arm gently but firmly. “I’m serious, Y/N. He’s dangerous. Stay away from him before you end up hurt or killed.”

You’re really not sure what the most offensive part of all this is. It’s either that Jason thinks that somehow Eddie Munson, your lovable dork of a boyfriend,is secretly an evil Satanist cult leader, or that you’re apparently too stupid or naive to make that kind of judgment for yourself. Maybe it’s that he volunteered to work with you on an assignment and acted all friendly with you just so he could get this opportunity to preach to you about your supposedly “dangerous” lifestyle. He’s never given you the time of day before, after all.

“I don’t know what it is you think you see in him, but I promise you it’s not going to end well.”

You snort. Is he, what, jealous or something? He’s got a girlfriend, after all, and plenty of other girls who’d be willing to take her place if she were to leave him. It’s kind of sad that he’s apparently so insecure that the mere thought of Eddie Munson getting female attention is enough to have him losing his shit like this.

“Whatever”, you spit, “just leave me alone.”

He glares at you, but ultimately turns his attention to his textbook and doesn’t speak to you for the rest of the class.

-

You happily shove the encounter out of your mind once the bell rings. You’re perfectly content with the social circle you keep, and you’re not going to let some jock with an inflated sense of self importance change that.

Jason apparently doesn’t do the same because he spends lunch glaring at you from his table. Granted, him shooting disgusted looks in the general direction of the Hellfire Club is a regular occurance, but today he’s making it obvious his ire is directed specifically at you.

“What the fuck is his problem?” Eddie asks.

“I dunno”, you shrug, “he’s just an asshole.”

Eddie peers at him for a moment and you can see a familiar glint of mischief twinkle in his eye. Before you can comment, he’s dramatically pushing himself to his feet and sauntering over to Jason and company.

“What do you want?” Jason demands.

“Couldn’t help but notice you staring”, Eddie says, “just wanted to let you know that I’m flattered, but unfortunately you aren’t really my type. Sorry.”

“Fuck off”, Jason barks, “disgusting freak.”

“Don’t take it too hard”, Eddie says, giving him a joking pat on the shoulder before making his way back over to you. You stifle a laugh at the indignant look plastered on Jason’s face. Eddie shoots you a proud grin and you shake your head affectionately. Jason clearly doesn’t know shit about “guys like Eddie.”

-

The next few days pass by uneventfully. Jason doesn’t try talking to you again, which you’re thankful for. Wednesday starts out normally, you go to history, and Jason roundly ignores your presence. Then you have to go to your next class, which is gym.

Definitely not a favorite of yours, and you don’t even have Eddie in your class to ease the pain. You make it through your warm ups, and then the coach has you split up to practice your volleyball serves. Everything’s going well until Andy, one of Jason’s buddies, approaches you out of nowhere.

“Hey, Henderson”, he says, a smirk on his face, “you think you could score me some weed?”

You look at him, confused. You don’t get involved in Eddie’s side hustle, so you’re not sure why he’d ask you.

“What?”

“Oh, I just figured you probably get a good discount”, he goes on, “I mean, that’s why you let Munson fuck you, right?”

You freeze in shock, your cheeks starting to grow hot. You can’t say you’re used to people making comments about your sex life, especially not to your face.

“I mean, I gotta say”, Andy continues, a cruel glint in his eye, “I didn’t take you for a slut. But come on. Spreading your legs for that freak? Jesus, that’s sad. You know, I’d be happy to show you a good time, since you’re so desperate for it.”

You can only stand there, mouth agape. Sure, you’ve gotten a gross comment or two from a male classmate before, but nothing like this. You certainly have never been called a slut before. You try to formulate a response, but you can’t come up with one. It doesn’t matter anyway, because the coach’s whistle rings out, signaling for you all to hit the changing rooms. You dash out of the gym, more than pleased to be away from Andy.

You hop in the shower in the locker room, take a few moments to shake off the discomfort of the interaction. You’re not entirely successful in that endeavor, because it keeps playing in your mind even after you’re dressed and making your way back into the hallways.

You have no idea where the hell Andy came up with all of that. At this point, it’s common knowledge that you and Eddie are dating, but you don’t know where this idea that you’re sleeping with him for drugs came from. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Hey, Beautiful”, you’re distracted from your thoughts by Eddie, who comes happily bounding over to you. His face falls when he sees the look on your face though.

“You okay?” he asks.

“I’m fine”, you say. Something about the idea of telling Eddie about what happened leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It’s embarrassing, and you definitely don’t want him to feel like it’s somehow his fault that Jason and Andy are giving you a hard time.

Besides, it doesn’t matter. Once again, nothing they say about you or Eddie is true. You can’t let some stupid jocks get to you.

-

Honestly, you probably could’ve been okay, if that was the end of it. Unfortunately, things only get worse the next day.

As you make your way to your seat in history, you catch sight of Amber and Samantha, two cheerleaders who like to hang around Jason and the others, whispering as you walk by.

You ignore them, figuring you’re being paranoid and they probably aren’t even talking about you, but when you sit down, Amber turns and looks you right in the eye.

She raises her voice then, clearly intending for you to hear what she’s saying.

“I hope she’s gotten tested”, she tells Samantha, “I can’t imagine what nasty shit the Freak is passing on to her.”

You take a deep breath, turning away from her.

It doesn’t matter, you tell yourself, it’s not true.

“I hope the drugs are worth it,” Samantha says.

You clench your jaw as you slip into your seat. It shouldn’t bother you so much. It's not true, and even if it were, who cares what Amber and Samantha have to say about it?

You’re dating Eddie because you like him. You like the way he’s always joking around and making you laugh, you like that he makes a point of looking out for Dustin and his friends, you like the way he looks at you with those big puppy dog eyes and flashes that mischievous grin. Cheap access to his drugs has never even crossed your mind.

You shouldn’t concern yourself with what they say, you know that, but hearing your name in connection with “slut” grinds at you.

-

During gym class, you do your best to avoid Andy, because everytime he notices you looking at him, he’s making some suggestive gesture at you. You don’t bother telling anyone about it, since Andy’s on the basketball team and the coach would probably take his side.

In the hallway, you accidentally bump into Patrick from the basketball team. You mutter an apology, which he accepts, but his girlfriend gives you the dirtiest look you’ve ever seen.

“Don’t talk to her”, you hear her tell him as you walk away, “she’s a slut.”

-

All of the gossip has put you in a foul mood by the time you get to your second to last period of the day, which happens to be study hall.

Like always, it’s in the cafeteria, with you and a bunch of other students of varying grade levels all sitting around doing your homework. Technically, you’re not supposed to talk, but the teacher in charge is way too underpaid to worry about enforcing that, so you can usually get away with conversation as long as things don’t get too rowdy.

You’re not taking advantage of that today, rather trying your best to distract yourself by actually doing your homework. You’re halfway through summarizing Act 3 of Hamlet when you hear someone say your name.

“Hey, Y/N…”

You’re confused when you look up to find Lucas standing there. Technically, you’ve known him for years, but it’s not like you’ve ever associated with him outside the time he spends with Dustin.

“What?” you ask, a little meaner than you mean to.

“I just thought you should know that…well, I think Jason has been going around saying things about you.”

Of course. You should’ve known Jason was behind this. Jason fucking Carver. Captain of the Basketball Team. Active member of the local church. Son of one of the most respected families in Hawkins. He’s clearly used to people listening to whatever he has to say. Apparently, his ego couldn’t handle you dismissing his comments about your relationship with Eddie.

Jesus, you’d always known he was a bit of an asshole, but this is a level of pettiness you’d never expected, even from him.

“Don’t tell him I told you”, Lucas adds, “but I just thought you should know.”

“Thank you”, you say. You’re definitely glad to have that piece of information.

-

The next day, you storm into Mr. Price’s classroom with righteous fury coursing through your veins. You bypass your desk and instead march straight up to Jason.

He pauses his conversation with Andy and Samantha when he sees you approach.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” You demand.

“Excuse me?” Jason asks.

“I know you’ve been starting rumors about me”, you tell him, “what exactly is your problem, Jason?”

“Me? I don’t have a problem”, Jason insists, “I just think it’s fair the men of Hawkins High get a warning about your ‘extracurricular’ activities.”

You can feel heat flood your cheeks.

“You’re a dick, Jason!” you hiss.

“You know, Y/N”, Jason retorts, “I actually feel bad for you. I mean, no decent man is ever going to want you when they find out you’ve been giving it up to some trailer trash freak.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about”, you snap.

“Believe me, I know exactly what happens to girls who hang around with filthy, Satan-worshiping scumbags”, he says, “and you know what? I’m not going to feel sorry for you when they’re finding your body dumped in the woods.”

“Get over yourself!”

“Whatever”, Jason shakes his head, “I’m not gonna take the attitude from some little slut.”

You’re not fully in control of yourself during what happens next. One second you’re standing there listening to Jason degrade you, the next your fist is connecting with his face.

He stands there, stunned for a moment, before opening his mouth to say something. He doesn’t get the chance though, because Mr. Price gets to it first.

“Ms. Henderson”, he gasps, “Mr. Carver, what on earth is going on here?”

“She punched me in the face”, Jason spits accusingly.

“I-I…I’m sorry I…”

“Enough”, Mr. Price sighs, “I want both of you going to the principal’s office right now!”

-

You’re in deep shit. That much is immediately clear. You punched Jason Carver in the face. It’s not like you even claim it was self defense, since he didn’t do anything physical to you.

“So”, Principal Higgins sighs, “tell me what happened again?”

“She punched me in the face”, Jason hisses.

“Is that true?”

“Yes”, you sigh, “but he called me a slut.”

Principal Higgins rubs his temple, processing the information. Meanwhile, Jason’s gaze is fixed firmly on you, his eyes full of hatred.

“Mr. Carver”, Higgins says finally, “that is not appropriate language to use in regards to another student. You may go back to class, but I better not hear about something like this again.”

Jason stands and marches out of the office, as if he has a right to be pissed about Higgins’ scolding. You suppress the urge to roll your eyes. Of course he gets a slap on the wrist. Nobody wants to punish the star basketball player. You’re certain that if it were anyone else, Eddie or Dustin or one of the other Hellfire Club members, they definitely wouldn’t be getting off so easily.

“Now, as for you Ms. Henderson”, Higgins says, “we do not allow for any sort of violence in this school. However, in all your years at this school, you have never had to receive any form of discipline. So I’m willing to be flexible here. Normally, something like this could be grounds for suspension, but since this is your first time, I say it’s two weeks detention after school starting next Monday. Does that sound fair to you?”

Not really, no, but you can’t say that.

“Yes”, you reply instead.

“Alright. Good. Now go back to class. And Ms. Henderson, I sincerely hope I won’t have to see you in my office again.”

-

You’re in a bad mood when Mr. Price’s class finally ends. You’ve gone your entire high school career without getting a detention and now you’ve ruined that over some pompous dick bag. Speaking of, Jason has been staring daggers at you since you returned to class, and is continuing to do so even now as you’re leaving.

There’s a tense, awkward moment where you both stand there in the hallway, glaring at each other, but it’s broken when the force of a body colliding with your back almost takes you off your feet. Jason is forgotten when a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind.

“Eddie”, you huff playfully.

“How’d you know it was me?” he asks as you turn around to face him.

“Cause you can’t keep your hands to yourself, Munson”, you reply.

“Don’t blame me”, he replies, “you know I’m powerless to resist your charms.”

Before you can reply he’s pulling you close and beginning to press kisses to your cheek. You know the two of you are making a scene, and on any other day you might be a little self conscious about it, but today you’re just glad to have him around.

His kisses stop suddenly and you realize he’s stopped because he’s finally noticed Jason’s hateful glaring. Unfazed as always, he just flashes a cocky smile and gives Jason a mocking impression of a friendly wave. Jason makes a face like he’s wishing for both you and Eddie’s violent deaths.

“Geez”, Eddie comments, “he looks pissed.”

“Um, yeah, probably because I punched him in the face”, you mutter.

Eddie’s eyes widen in obvious surprise.

“He had it coming”, you add, “he was being a Dick.”

You know you don’t have to defend yourself to Eddie. He knows better than anyone how nasty Jason can be.

“My, my, Fair Lady Henderson”, he smiles, “I dare say that was very Metal of you.”

“Yeah, well, Higgins didn’t think so”, you reply, “I got two weeks detention for it.”

“Ol’ Higgins never did have a sense of humor”, Eddie says, “but from where I’m standing, you’re basically a hero.”

“Really?”

“Hell yeah”, Eddie tells you, “Jason and his goons have been making our lives miserable for years.”

You can’t help but smile at that. You’re definitely not happy with the day’s events, but knowing Eddie’s on your side makes it a little more bearable.

-

On Monday you begrudgingly make your way to Mrs. Cline’s room for your first day of detention.

“Ms. Henderson?” she asks when you walk in.

“Yeah”, you say, a little embarrassed.

“Wonderful”, she says, checking your name off of a list in front of her, “please take a seat.”

There’s only two other people in there with you, so you just pick a seat as far from them as possible and sit down.

“Alright”, Mrs. Cline says, “looks like everyone’s here except…”

“I’m here.”

You look up in surprise to see Eddie come walking into the room.

“Ah, yes, Mr. Munson”, Mrs. Cline says dryly, “what a surprise. Please take a seat.”

You know that Eddie isn’t a stranger to detention, but it’s weird that he didn’t mention anything to you when you’d told him about it. He walks over to the desk next to yours, looking way too pleased for someone who’s about to serve a stint in detention.

“What are you doing here?” you ask.

“Oh, you know, got caught vandalizing the boy’s locker room during free period”, he tells you.

“What? When?”

“Friday”, he says with a satisfied smirk.

You frown. This must’ve happened after the whole Jason thing on Friday which means…

Which means Eddie did it knowing that you were also going to be in detention.

“Eddie”, you say, “did you get detention just because I did?”

“I couldn’t let you have all the fun, could I?” he grins.

You can’t help but smile along with him.

“Mr. Munson, Ms. Henderson”, Mrs. Cline calls from her desk, “no talking during detention.”

Eddie mimes zipping his lips and waits until Mrs. Cline looks away before giving you a playful wink. You stifle a giggle.

You don’t know Jason all that well, but you’re pretty sure he would never dream of landing himself in detention just to keep his girlfriend company. You’ve never seen him make a scene in the middle of the hallways to get her to smile. That’s the thing about this that really gets under your skin. Jason and the others don’t know shit. They think that just because Eddie doesn’t fall into their narrow definition of “acceptable”, he must be scary and dangerous. They think that just because you’re not afraid of him, you must be dirty and corrupted. They’re too close-minded to look closer and see that Eddie is the sweetest boyfriend you could ever imagine, that you spend time with him because he makes you happy. They’d rather write him off as a freak and you off as a slut than accept that maybe their perception is wrong.

You’re far from being a violent person, but you can’t say you regret what you did. Jason deserved to be put in his place, and it’s not like you did any serious damage to him anyway. You’re glad you stood up for yourself, for Eddie. You’ve probably tacked “psycho bitch” onto your already unflattering “whore” reputation, but at this point, you’re not sure you care. If being a freak means you get to spend your days with the love of your life, you will gladly accept that label.

-

After the designated two hours are up, Mrs. Cline dismisses you all.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad”, you say as you and Eddie start making your way through the hall.

“Nah”, he replies, “I mean it’s boring but it’s not bad.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not planning on having to do this again”, you continue, “but it’s bearable.”

Eddie nods.

“I’m sorry, by the way”, he adds.

“For what?”

“Jason and the others. They’ve been giving you a hard time, right?”

“Yeah”, you shrug, “it is what it is. Not your fault.”

“I mean it kind of is”, Eddie replies, “they’re only doing it because you’re dating me.”

“Eddie”, you say, “Jason’s an asshole, okay? That’s not on you. If he can’t handle our relationship, then fuck him.”

That gets a grin out of Eddie.

“You know, you’re getting to be quite a rabble rouser, Henderson”, he jokes.

“I’m learning from the best”, you tease back.

Eddie’s smile widens. He follows you out to your car and then presses a soft kiss to your lips.

“See you tomorrow, Sweetheart”, he says and then heads off to his van. You watch him go, butterflies still lingering in your tummy from the contact.

If you’d actually had any doubts about Eddie, they would’ve disappeared in that moment. That feeling, it’s a one of a kind thing. No one’s ever managed to give it to you before, and you’re not sure anyone else ever will. You love Eddie. He loves you. He’s sweet, and silly and he treats you right. If your peers want to believe a bunch of bullshit about you two, then let them. You know what you have, and you’re not going to let them ruin it for you.

Grinning to yourself, you hop in your car, put the Black Sabbath tape you borrowed from Eddie into the player and head home.

[zaynmirrors]

A/N: Back again with another chapter, I have a playlist if you guys are interested! If you wanna be tagged in the next chapter let me know! Also unsure if if this will have the upside down cause I feel like it's hard with Jovie. Taglist is open!

Eddie Munson x Mom! Reader.

TW: Children

Chapter 2

When Eddie awoke, he noted the missing weight on his chest but wasn’t concerned figuring her mother had taken her from him sometime in the night, or at this point: morning.

He didn’t hear the quiet padding on the carpet as Jovie made her way back to him. Eddie had easily become her next favorite person. He was something new, she liked new.

She stared at him as Eddie lay with his eyes still closed. “Leave him be Jovie,” y/n said softly, careful to not wake Eddie who unbeknownst to her was already awake.

“Mama, make breakfast?” The tiny being asked, not at all quiet. Eddie heard y/n snort and found it to be the most adorable sound. She answered the child too quietly for Eddie’s ears to pick up but heard them or at least y/n retreat into the kitchen.

“Dude get up,” Mike said nudging Eddie’s feet. Eddie quickly flipped off the wheeler boy and opened his eyes, wincing when the light hit them. Mike was flipping Eddie off as he sat up. “Very nice Wheeler,” Eddie says rolling eyes.

Jovie gasped as she heard his voice, and padded her way over to him leaving her mother in the kitchen. “Like breakfast?” She asked him, grabbing his attention with her broken speech.

He smiled at her. Taking in her pigtails and almost too-long tee. “Oh man I love breakfast” Eddie wasn’t sure where this came from: The sudden knowledge of how to say things to the tiny being.

Jovie held out her hand, and Eddie offered his much larger one. Her small hand wrapped around just two of his fingers and pulled on him. This action only barely jerked his arm instead of pulling him up like she had planned.

Eddie stood, letting her lead the way. Y/n stood at the counter whisking what looked to be eggs with a fork in a large porcelain blue bowl. "Help yourselves" she spoke not looking up from her task of whisking.

Eddie grabbed a plate and made one for Jovie seeing as the other teens were piling food on their own plates, not bothering to leave enough for the child. Once he piled food onto her plate he then stared at the plastic baby blue highchair. "How the f-" he stopped himself short, "How does she get in this thing" he asked, terrified to break the foreign technology.

y/n came and slipped the child in as if it were nothing then just resumed making breakfast for the ravenous teen boys. "Thank you for feeding her" She offered Eddie a smile that sent a fuzzy feeling into his stomach.

"She probably wouldn't get to eat otherwise" Eddie joked, y/n laughed. He prayed to any god that she wouldn’t see the blush that spread across his face.

“You’re probably right” she smiled. Her smile quickly faltered as she concentrated, mind mulling over her next words. Her lips pursed as she spoke, “I have an extra ticket to go see this band, would you consider going?” He blinks, taken aback but she just continues before he can speak “My friend flaked and you look like you would enjoy Crusader”

“Wait, you have tickets to see Crusader?” He asks, more in awe that she even knew who Crusader was, she definitely wasn’t that type of girl, at least he thought she wasn’t.

“Yes, I just asked you to go with me” she shot back. Even her sarcasm was attractive to him, “can you hear under all that hair?” This was a tease, one that got him to smile.

“When is it?” He asked. He then learned it was Saturday at seven. He felt like this was an easy decision. Eddie had been dying to see this band. "Works for me"

They talked details, deciding y/n was going to drive. She’d also pick him up being as she would already be out dropping Jovie off with the babysitter. Eddie was very excited for this Saturday.

-

“Hey, are you ready to have some fun?” Steve asked the tiny girl who stood in front of him unamused at his overly excited tone. He glances up at y/n and says, “tough crowd”

The joke caused a snort to sound from y/n. “I don't know how fun she’ll be, she didn’t sleep well.” Steve offers a sympathetic smile and holds out hands to pick up the tiny human.

Jovie waddles her way into his arms, he squeezes her to him and lifts her into the air. Steve’s careful to sling her on his hip. Once she was settled he held his free arm out for the diaper bag. Which y/n placed on his shoulder.

“Have fun, y/n, you deserve it” he says, offering her a small smile while bouncing the child on his hip.

“I’ll see you tomorrow” she said to both Steve and her child but going to give her child a kiss on the cheek. “Bye Steve!” She called as she walked out the door and to her car.

She sat a moment in the car contemplating this excursion. Y/n did not want to be away from her baby, in fact this was the first time she’d be leaving her. It was not sitting well.

Y/n turned the key, igniting the ignition and back out of the parking spot. If only she hadn’t promised Eddie a ticket. She’d turn right back around.

The drive to pick up Eddie was short, he had waited on her at the edge of the road. Not wanting the embarrassment of her seeing where he lived, though he guessed everyone knew.

“Hey!” She beamed as he got into the passenger side of the car. “You excited?”

“Hell yeah!” He was beyond excited. This band was a local legend. He aspired to follow in their footsteps. “Let’s go” Pulling off the side of the road, they began their journey.

Chapter 3

[biancadjarin]

ʚ Send Me an Angel ɞ

- pairing: mean!eddie munson x bratty!henderson older sister!female reader

- content warning: 18+ nothing too graphic, but I prefer no minors on my blog, thankssss

- a/n: idk what this is lol, I just love fem/bratty reader and intimidating/mean Eddie <3

“Ugh why do your weird nerdy friends have to come here Dusty??” you pout at your little brother as you lay on your stomach on your bed, him staring at you from your doorway.

“I told you, the drama kids are putting on a play or some shit so we can’t play D&D in there.” He says to you like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Just stay in here, my friends don’t wanna listen to your stupid shows on the TV or watch you dance around to your girly music.” He slams your door shut and your head shoots up off a pillow, shocked at how rude he can be. You scoff and roll onto your back, eyes growing heavy and leading you into your after school nap.

You’re rudely awakened by loud laughter and yelling. You look at the pink clock on your wall. 6:05pm. Their little game has only been going for 5 minutes and you’re already annoyed. You get up and head to your door, swinging it open and heading towards the bathroom for a quick shower before you go make yourself some dinner.

“C’mon Eddie, I wanna cast a spell, hurry up and roll!” you hear Mike Wheeler yell. Little twerp just like your brother. Always running into the house, tracking in dirt, leaving their bikes in the drivew… Wait. Eddie. Eddie���s here. In your dining room. You’ve had a crush on Eddie all year and while you two have talked here and there, you’d be lying if you said his harsh leather metal head look didn’t scare you a bit. You’re all soft edges, pink backpack, frilly white socks rolled over your reeboks, soft hair swaying. You’re not perfect, certainly no Phoebe Cates. But you know you’re pretty, plush lips over straight teeth, cute perky boobs and a butt that jiggles when you walk.

You’ve felt Eddie’s eyes on you at school. Once he even bumped into you when you stopped short to tie your shoe. “Walk much?” Eddie said to you with a glare. “Oh!” You’d said as you spun around, surprised at his proximity. “S-sorry.” You said sweetly, his big brown eyes stared at you and made your tummy flutter in the most amazing way. Your tummy isn’t flat and perfect but that’s ok. You like cookies too much, is that a crime?!

“Actually since you’re here, can you hold my books while I tie my shoes?” you’d asked, voice smooth and sweet like syrup. Eddie stared at you for a second then put out his hands. You assumed that meant yes so you handed him your heavy textbooks. You turned and bent forward, ass almost grazing his crotch. The way the fabric of your white jeans stretched across your cute little butt made him stop breathing. Eddie’s mind went blank, mouth going dry and fingers going numb from the weight. Your textbooks slipped out of his hands and hit the floor with a slam. You squeaked a scared little scream and stood back up quickly. “Shit are you okay?” Eddie asks you as he drops down and picks the books back up, placing them gently into your small hands. “I’m fine. Was just loud. Scared me.” He chuckled, eyes narrowed and and flickered with mischief, making you wonder if he did that on purpose. “I’m sorry angel… I mean-” Your reaction to his nickname for you got cut short when you jumped for the second time in the last two minutes thanks to the class bell ringing. “Gotta go.” Eddie said with a wink before racing past you, your face red with embarrassment.

You giggle at the memory as you exit the shower. Quickly running back to your room to get ready, you think to yourself: How can I get Eddie’s attention but not let him know he has mine? I think he likes me but I don’t wanna look too desperate. Gotta tease him a bit… You curl your lashes and put on your sparkly pink lipgloss. You open your closet and weigh your options… tight jeans?… but you want Eddie to see your panties. A dress? that’s a little too obvious… your fingers reach for your soft pink frilly mini skirt that has a matching jacket that your friend borrowed and never gave back. You slip it on, white and pink lace panties underneath with a scalloped edge that hug your ass just right. A simple white T shirt that’s slightly see through over a matching pink and white lace bra and a couple sparkly silver necklaces finish your outfit. Barefoot you begin to creep downstairs, the sounds of boys whooping and dice hitting your wooden dining room table growing louder as you ascend.

“So uh, where’s your sister D?” you hear one of the boys ask. You stop on the second to last step, leaning in to listen. It’s not Eddie’s voice, but too deep to be Mike or Lucas’s. “Up in her room, she’s so annoying.” You roll your eyes. “Maybe..” Gareth grumbles. “But I certainly don’t mind lookin’ at her.” Everyone busts out into laughter except your brother. “Ew dude gross! Shut up, it’s your turn.” “Yeah G,” you finally hear Eddie’s voice, it sounds deep and tight like he’s clenching his jaw. “Roll the dice before I write you out of this whole campaign.” “Jeez fine. I got a 12.” “Not enough, you lose 18 hit points.” “What the fuck man!”

As the game continues you saunter past the table, only turning your head once to smile and wave politely at the group. You feel Eddie’s eyes follow you all the way to the kitchen. Their conversation continues on, sounding further away now. You begin to warm up some rice and leftover chicken, mixing up a strawberry lemonade while the microwave whirs. As you watch the yellow drink turn pink you feel a warmth encroach your space, the smell of weed and cinnamon gum filling your nostrils.

“Hey y/n.. didn’t know you were here.” Eddie says as he stands behind you. Closer than what would be considered normal. You spin around, big doe eyes looking up and meeting his, small silver spoon that you were mixing with coming up to your lips and sucking, savoring the tangy powder. His eyes fall to your mouth, half hooded, eyebrows raising slightly. You pull it out slowly and lick the tip of it with your tongue, before saying “I live here. Where else would I be?” in your bratty tone.

He shrugs his shoulders, “Friday night, thought maybe you’d be on a date.” He says with a crooked smile. Does he think about me going on dates? He crowds closer into your space, you feel the countertop at your back as you lean against it. “Nope. No date. Maybe you can set me up with one of your friends?” you say as you look past him, over his shoulder towards where Hellfire is. “My friends? You wanna date one of us?” “I don’t know.. maybe. You think they’d be interested?” you ask him confidently but your heart is beating so fast, your breath uneven, chest rising with every shaky inhale. BEEEEEP. The microwave signals behind you. “Eddie! You done in the bathroom yet?!” you hear your brother yell from down the hall. “Sounds like you’re needed out there.” You say to him, beginning to slide past him. His hand shoots up to grab your hip and maneuver you back. Caged in by him.

“Yeah, gimme five minutes!” He yells over his shoulder. You stare up at him, unsure what he’s going to do. He reaches behind you picking up your pink lemonade and drinks the whole thing in one long sip. You watch as his neck stretches back and his adams apple bobs when he swallows. The pale smooth skin of his neck looking irresistibly bite-able. “Sweet. Like you.” He says, low and gravelly. He puts the glass down and drops his chin to his chest, looking at the small space between your bodies. “Is this a skirt or a belt? So fuckin’ short I thought I saw some ass when you walked by.” “Maybe I wanted your friend to see. What’s his name? With the curls… Gareth?” Eddie snorts and throws his head back with a mock laugh. “Gareth wouldn’t know what to do with you.” His eyes sweep down your neck, your chest and stop at where the thin fabric of your shirt and lace bra are barely doing anything to cover the pebbled peaks of your nipples. “Oh and you know what to do with me?” you ask, eyebrows raising condescendingly. He exhales a low growl before reaching to grab the back of your squishy thighs and lifting you up onto the counter.

“I’d have a lot of fun finding out-” he leans forward, hands softly grasping the back of your calves, thumbs rubbing up and down the smooth skin as he guides them to rest around his thighs. “Angel.” he says with a wink. You feel a shudder go through you, ending at your core and making you ache between your legs. Eddie’s standing between your spread thighs, the rough fabric of his black jeans rubbing against your legs as he talks. Everything about him feels so warm. “Listen to me real good now.” He says, lips brushing the shell of your ear causing goosebumps to erupt down the whole left side of your body. “You’re going to eat your little snack. Then go back upstairs to your room and wait for me. Think you can do that?” He doesn’t wait for you to respond before he’s backing away and walking back down the hallway. “EDDIE COME OOON!” Gareth yells. “Comin’!” He says back, wide smirk dancing on his lips.

You’re left in the kitchen wondering what just happened and what you just got yourself into…

Part 2 HERE

Masterlist HERE

——————Thanks for reading!—————

[farmergirlimagines]

Prelude: June 15th 1977

Masterlist ~ Through Static and Shock

>>>Thank you for reading! Please comment and let me know if you want to be tagged in future updates of this story. I post a new chapter each Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

 See you all next update!

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

The Hendersons' house buzzed with childhood energy, and the high-pitched laughter of the two six-year-olds echoing from room to room. Dustin Henderson, a heavier set boy with tight, springy curls that seemed to have a life of their own, darted across the living room in his dinosaur-patterned pajamas, clutching a half-inflated balloon. His gap-toothed grin widened as he whipped it into the air, his movements brimming with the endless energy of youth.

Across from him, Mike Wheeler, taller, lanky, and with straight, dark hair that constantly flopped into his wide, curious eyes, scrambled to catch the balloon before it hit the floor. His cheeks were flushed from laughter, and his striped socks slid comically on the hardwood floor as he dove for the prize.

The faint clinking of dishes came from the kitchen, where Claudia Henderson hummed a tune over the sink, the sound blending with the chaos of the living room. Another balloon POPPED with a sharp crack, causing both boys to freeze for a split second before erupting into uncontrollable giggles, their laughter filling the house with a pure, unrestrained joy.

"Did you see that?!" Dustin exclaimed, doubling over as he clutched his sides.

"Yeah! You totally exploded it!" Mike gasped between laughs, collapsing onto the carpet with a dramatic flair. The two rolled around like puppies, their joy uncontainable, the balloon forgotten as their attention was pulled to the front door creaking open, and the sound of Joyce Byers’ cheerful voice filled the Hendersons’ house. “We’re here! Sorry we’re late—the car wouldn’t start again!” she called, ushering her children inside. She carried a brightly wrapped gift under one arm and balanced a plate of brownies in the other.

Trailing behind her were Jonathan and Joanna, both ten but strikingly different in presence. Jonathan hung back slightly, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he clutched a Polaroid camera close to his chest. He surveyed the lively scene with quiet curiosity, already composing shots in his mind. Joanna, on the other hand, burst through the doorway like a firecracker, her wild curls bouncing with every step. Her untied shoelaces slapped against the floor as she waved a handmade card in the air.

“Where’s the birthday girl?!” Joanna shouted, her voice carrying easily over the chaos. Without waiting for an answer, she charged into the living room, nearly colliding with Mike and Dustin. Will, sticking close to Jonathan’s side, smiled shyly at his friends before letting go of his brother’s hand and running to join them.

In the kitchen, Claudia greeted Joyce with a warm hug, while Donna peeked in from the living room. “Happy birthday, Donna!” Joyce said brightly, setting the plate of brownies on the counter. Donna smiled, her hands clasped behind her back, her charm on full display even at ten. “Thanks, Mrs. Byers!” she chirped, her eyes darting toward the gift Joyce had brought.

Nancy Wheeler, already perched at the edge of the couch in a neatly pressed floral dress, gave Joanna a raised eyebrow as her friend skidded to a stop beside her. “You’re going to trip and break your neck one day,” Nancy said matter-of-factly, smoothing the skirt of her dress.

“Only if I’m lucky!” Joanna shot back with a mischievous grin, flopping down next to Nancy and immediately yanking the neatly arranged throw pillows onto the floor.

Barb Holland, sitting cross-legged on the carpet with a book in her lap, glanced up from her reading. “Donna, is this going to be another one of those parties where Joanna gets us all in trouble?” she asked, her skepticism evident even at four years old.

Donna laughed, plopping down between Nancy and Joanna, her mustard yellow cardigan slipping off one shoulder. “Always. That’s what makes it fun.” She tugged Joanna’s curls playfully. “And we love her for it. Right, Nancy?”

Nancy sighed dramatically, but a small smile tugged at her lips. “I guess.”

As the four girls sat together, their differences became as clear as their bond was strong. Donna, with her quick wit and magnetic energy, effortlessly drew them all in. Joanna, with her bold and impulsive nature, kept them on their toes. Nancy’s steady, practical demeanor grounded the group, while Barb’s quiet wisdom and thoughtful observations added depth beyond their years.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Jonathan had slipped off to take pictures, snapping candid shots of Dustin and Will trying to outdo each other with balloon tricks. He lingered near the edge of the room, content to observe from a distance while Joanna’s laughter rang out like a bell, loud and uninhibited.

Joyce, watching from the kitchen, exchanged a knowing look with Claudia. “It’s funny, isn’t it?” Joyce said, smiling softly. “How they’re all so different, but they just click.”

Claudia nodded, her gaze lingering on Donna as she leaned into the group of girls, her birthday crown slightly askew on top of her head as her two uneven pig-tails held shield her tight brown curls from her face. “Yeah. They balance each other out. Just like siblings, in a way.”

It was a modest celebration, but to Donna, it felt like the world had come together just for her. Yellow and pink streamers crisscrossed the ceiling in a haphazard pattern—a collaborative effort by Dustin and her father,  Robert that somehow added to the charm. The centerpiece of the room was the birthday cake, a slightly lopsided chocolate creation with “Happy Birthday, Donna!” written in bright green frosting by Claudia. In the corner, a cluster of balloons bobbed gently, one shaped like a dancer mid-leap drawing her attention to it all afternoon.

“Okay, next up: musical chairs!” Robert’s booming voice announced as he clapped his hands.

The kids scrambled to set up the chairs, their energy infectious. Jonathan Byers quietly stepped in, adjusting the arrangement with the precision of someone determined to avoid any mishaps. Nancy hovered nearby, already calculating her best strategy, her mind hard at work. Joanna, meanwhile, was too excited to plan, practically bouncing in place as she urged everyone to hurry up.

The record player crackled to life, filling the room with the upbeat rhythms of ABBA’s Dancing Queen.

The kids circled the chairs, their faces a mixture of focus and playfulness. Joanna danced with exaggerated Broadway-style flair, her arms outstretched dramatically. Dustin and Will were giggling uncontrollably, their movements clumsy as they tried to keep up.

Barb hung back hesitantly, her practicality telling her this might not be her game. Donna wouldn’t have it. She grabbed Barb’s hand and pulled her into the circle. “Come on, Barb! It’s fun!”

The first round ended with a dramatic flop from Mike, who missed a chair and landed on the floor with a theatrical groan. “I’ve been betrayed by my legs!” he cried, earning laughter from everyone, including a rare chuckle from Jonathan.

The music started again. Dustin, ever the joker, decided to turn the game into his own performance. He wiggled his hips dramatically, throwing in a few exaggerated spins. Donna and Will couldn’t stop laughing at his antics, but his theatrics proved to be his downfall. When the music stopped, Dustin froze mid-pose, realizing too late that he was out of reach.

“Nooo!” he cried, collapsing to the floor in mock defeat.

Will patted him on the back, ever the peacekeeper. “You almost had it, Dustin.”

Dustin grinned, brushing it off. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be your personal cheerleader now!”

Jonathan, more deliberate than the others, moved steadily around the circle. But his lack of aggression cost him. When the music stopped, he was just a step too far from the nearest chair.

He shrugged, offering a small smile. “Guess I’m out.”

Joanna threw her hands in the air, teasing him. “Jonathan, where’s your fire? You’ve gotta want it!”

He chuckled softly, retreating to the sidelines. “I’ll leave the glory to you.”

As the circle tightened, Barb moved cautiously, staying close to the chairs with calculated steps. Joanna, in contrast, leapt and twirled like she was performing for a packed theater. The music stopped, and chaos erupted. Barb hesitated just a fraction too long, and Joanna slid into the last chair with a victorious grin.

“Sorry, Barb!” Joanna exclaimed, though her grin made it clear she wasn’t sorry at all.

Barb laughed softly, shaking her head. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this game anyway.

The final three—Nancy, Joanna, and Donna—circled the last two chairs. Nancy moved with sharp precision, her steps deliberate and controlled. Joanna, ever the firecracker, was unpredictable, bouncing and twirling like a whirlwind. Donna found herself weaving between their two extremes, her movements graceful and fluid.

When the music stopped, Donna found herself just a second too slow. She laughed, stepping back. “I’ll cheer for you guys!”

Nancy and Joanna faced off, the room buzzing with excitement. Joanna’s energy was electric, her eyes fixed on the prize. Nancy remained calm and collected, her every step measured.

The music started, and they began circling the last chair. Joanna threw in dramatic spins, her arms flaring out like a star on stage, while Nancy moved with quiet focus.

When the music stopped, it was almost too close to call. Joanna dove for the chair, nearly knocking it over, but Nancy was quicker. She slid into place with practiced ease, adjusting the skirt of her dress as if the win had been inevitable.

Joanna threw her hands up in mock outrage. “Nooo! I was so close!”

Nancy smirked, tilting her head playfully. “Close, but not close enough.”

The room erupted in cheers. Dustin ran up to Nancy, bowing dramatically. “All hail the Queen of Chairs!”

Joanna laughed, shaking her head. “Rematch next year. I’ll take the crown!”

Nancy rolled her eyes, a rare grin spreading across her face. “We’ll see.”

Donna stood back, clapping for her friends as a wave of warmth washed over her. The house was filled with life, the kind of joy that lingered long after the music stopped. This wasn’t just a game—it was a memory, one they’d all carry with them, tucked away like a cherished keepsake.

While the lively sounds of Dancing Queen and the children’s laughter filled the living room, the kitchen was a world apart. Claudia leaned against the counter, arms crossed, her eyes following the movement of her hands as they idly traced patterns on the edge of a dish towel. The faint hum of the refrigerator and the occasional burst of laughter from the party were the only sounds accompanying her.

Robert entered quietly, the small velvet box tucked discreetly in his hand. He glanced at Claudia and hesitated for a moment before stepping closer.

“You’ve been hiding out,” he said softly, his tone teasing but gentle.

Claudia glanced up, offering a tired but warm smile. “Just taking a breather. It’s a good party.” Her gaze flicked toward the doorway, where the sound of Donna’s laugh spilled into the room. “She’s happy. That’s what matters.”

Robert leaned against the counter beside her, the easy camaraderie of years of shared experience settling between them. “She’s more than happy. She’s glowing.” He paused, looking at Claudia. “That’s because of you, you know.”

Claudia scoffed lightly, shaking her head. “Don’t give me all the credit. You’re the one who went overboard with the balloons.”

He grinned. “Hey, every party needs a little pizzazz. Besides,” he added, lifting the small box into view, “I still have my ace in the hole.”

Claudia’s expression softened as she eyed the box, her hands falling still. “You’re really giving it to her today?”

Robert nodded, his grin fading into something more thoughtful. “She’s old enough now. And I want her to have it while it still feels like... a gift, not a memory.”

Claudia swallowed hard, her arms tightening across her chest. Her smile wavered, and for a moment, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “She’s going to love it.” Her voice was steady but thick with emotion.

“I hope so,” Robert said, opening the box just enough for Claudia to glimpse the delicate silver chain and the tiny ballerina pendant. The charm sparkled faintly in the warm kitchen light.

Claudia reached out, brushing a finger over the pendant. “She’ll treasure it. She always treasures what you give her.”

Robert closed the box gently and turned to face Claudia fully. “You know,” he began, his voice dropping to a quieter, more intimate tone, “I couldn’t do this without you. You’ve held everything together—Donna, Dustin, this house, me.”

Claudia laughed softly, the sound equal parts humor and disbelief. “You’re giving me too much credit. Half the time, I’m just winging it.”

“Yeah, well,” Robert said with a lopsided smile, “you’re a pretty good wingman.” He reached out, squeezing her hand briefly.

For a moment, they stood in silence, the sounds of the party washing over them like a distant tide. It was a rare moment of stillness in their busy, complicated lives—a reminder that even in the chaos of parenthood and the challenges of the day to day, they still had these fleeting moments of partnership.

Claudia exhaled deeply and straightened, her smile returning with more certainty. “You better get back out there before they wonder where you are.”

Robert nodded, holding up the box. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need it,” Claudia said, her voice warm. “She’s going to remember this forever.”

As Robert walked back into the living room, Claudia lingered for a moment longer. She wiped at her eyes quickly, then turned to the sink, letting the sound of the children’s laughter fill the quiet once more. The sound of Robert’s footsteps faded and the joyful clamor of the living room grew louder, as Claudia stayed rooted to the spot, her fingers clutching the edge of the countertop. The laughter filtering through the walls was bright and warm, but it couldn’t quite drown out the hum of her own thoughts.

She let out a shaky breath, brushing a stray curl from her face as her gaze fell on the sink full of dishes. It wasn’t that the task was daunting; it was that it felt so normal, so mundane, against the weight of the day.

Her mind wandered to Donna, who was somewhere in the other room, likely glowing under the adoration of her friends and the excitement of the party. Claudia smiled softly, though it was tinged with sadness. Donna was growing up so fast—too fast.

Ten years old already, Claudia thought, her heart tightening. It feels like just yesterday she was toddling around, holding onto my legs while I tried to cook dinner.

She thought of Robert’s words: You’ve held everything together. It had felt like a compliment, but it also felt like a mirror held up to all the ways she hadn’t. She tried her best every single day, but there were nights she lay awake, wondering if her best would ever be enough.

The necklace Robert was about to give Donna brought a lump to her throat. She could still remember the day he’d bought it—how he’d come home from work with a mischievous smile, holding the little velvet box behind his back like he was hiding a secret.

“Just a little something,” he’d said then, “for when she’s older and ready for it.”

It had seemed so far away at the time. Claudia had teased him about being sentimental, but now she wished she’d held onto that moment a little longer. Life had seemed so steady then, so solid. She hadn’t known how quickly the ground could shift beneath her feet.

Claudia blinked quickly, brushing away the tears that threatened to spill. She couldn’t let herself go there—not today, not on Donna’s birthday. This day was for her, and she deserved every ounce of happiness.

She straightened her posture, forcing herself to take a deep breath. She looked toward the doorway, where the laughter seemed to pulse with life.

You’re doing okay, she told herself, the words more of a plea than a reassurance. They’re happy. That’s what matters. 

Claudia closed her eyes and let the ache wash over her, just for a moment.

When she opened them again, the sounds of the party pulled her back. Donna’s laugh rang out above the others, pure and bright, and Claudia couldn’t help but smile.

“She’s happy,” she whispered to herself, as if saying it aloud might make it feel more real. She grabbed the dishrag and wiped her hands, composing herself before stepping back into the dining room. The party wasn’t over yet, and there was still so much joy to be shared.

Sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains of the Hendersons’ home. The faint scent of freshly baked cake lingered in the air as Donna sat cross-legged on the carpet, a rainbow of wrapping paper scattered around her as she eagerly unwrapped her birthday gifts. At ten years old, she was the picture of joy—her wavy hair clamped beneath a birthday crown and tied into two uneven pigtails with bright yellow ribbons that matched her sunny smile, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Dustin was beside her, clutching a box he was clearly dying to open himself.

Around her were her best friends—Nancy, Joanna, and Barb—all giggling and whispering to each other as they watched her unwrap another gift. Dustin bursting with energy beside her, tugging on his best friend Will's sleeve and whispering secrets. Mike was busy trying to poke holes into the balloon animal Nancy had carefully crafted earlier, much to her irritation.

Jonathan stood off to the side near the record player, isolating himself from all the commotion quietly flipping through the Hendersons’ modest vinyl collection.

Robert was seated on the couch, cradling the small velvet box in his hands. His smile was soft, the kind of smile that held the weight of the moment in a way only a parent could understand. Claudia, ever the multitasking mother, moved in and out of the kitchen, chatting with Karen Wheeler and Joyce while keeping an eye on the kids.

“Alright, Donna,” Robert said, leaning forward. “Time for the final gift. This one’s special.”

He looked at her with a warmth that could have melted the hardest heart.

Donna’s eyes widened as she took the box. She opened it carefully, her fingers trembling with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. Inside was a delicate silver necklace, the charm of a dancer mid-spin catching the light like a tiny star.

Her jaw dropped. "Dad, it’s beautiful!"

Robert grinned, his expression a mixture of pride and tenderness. "I saw it in a shop downtown. You’ve been working so hard in dance class, Donna. I thought you deserved something special to remind you how proud I am of you." He gestured to the charm. "Whenever you wear this, remember that I’m always cheering for you, no matter what."

Donna felt her chest swell with happiness as she gently lifted the necklace out of the box. "Can I wear it now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Robert replied, standing up to fasten it around her neck. "There. Perfect."

Donna jumped up as her father fastened the necklace around her neck, the charm resting lightly against her collarbone. She twirled in the middle of the room, the delicate dancer charm catching the sunlight with every spin.

“It’s perfect for you, Donna,” Nancy said, stepping closer. Her sharp eye immediately noticed the intricate details on the charm. She leaned in, her expression thoughtful. “The engraving is so precise. It’s like a tiny work of art.” She smiled, a little shyly, but her admiration was genuine. “It’s beautiful. Just like your dancing.”

Joanna standing beside Nancy, bounced on her toes radiating excitement. “Ugh, I’m jealous! That is so cool, Donna!” she exclaimed, reaching out but stopping just short of touching it. “It’s like... when you’re famous one day and performing in New York or something, you’ll wear this on stage, and we can all say we were there when it all started!” She grinned, her enthusiasm so infectious that Donna couldn’t help but laugh.

Barb Holland hung back for a moment, her caution making her hesitate. But then she stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the charm. “It’s really special,” she said softly, her voice steady and sincere. She met Donna’s gaze, her lips curving into a rare smile. “Your dad knows you so well. It’s not just pretty—it’s you.”

Nancy nodded in agreement, ever practical. “You should keep it safe, though. Don’t wear it when we’re outside playing or something.”

Joanna groaned dramatically. “Nance, she just got it! Let her show it off!”

Barb chuckled quietly, the corners of her mouth lifting. “She has a point, though. But maybe don’t listen to us right now. It’s your birthday, after all.”

Donna’s heart swelled as she looked at her friends, each of their words weaving a moment she knew she’d treasure forever. She fingered the charm lightly and grinned. “Thanks, guys. I’m never taking it off.”

Joanna gasped, throwing her hands in the air. “Never ever? Even in the shower?”

Nancy rolled her eyes, muttering, “Joanna, that’s not what she means.”

Barb shook her head with a quiet laugh. “Some things never change.”

From the kitchen doorway, Claudia paused her conversation, a faint smile playing on her lips. But her eyes flickered with something deeper—an unspoken worry, a weight only she carried.

Jonathan adjusted the record player, and soft music began to play. Nancy and Joanna grabbed Donna’s hands, pulling her into an impromptu dance while the boys watched, laughing at their dramatic spins. Dustin and Will tried to mimic their movements but quickly dissolved into a pile of giggles. Even Barb was coaxed into joining, a rare and fleeting moment of carefreeness.

The house was filled with laughter, music, and the lighthearted joy of childhood.

“Promise me one thing,” Robert said as Donna’s spinning slowed. He knelt in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “No matter what happens, keep dancing. Never stop.”

Donna beamed, her energy radiating confidence and certainty. “I promise!”

“Alright, everyone! Gather around!” Robert’s voice cut through the chatter, carrying a playful edge that immediately drew the kids’ attention. His grin was wide and full of mischief, promising something exciting. “It’s time for the talent show challenge!”

Donna’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands in delight. “Yes! I’ve been waiting for this!” Her feet practically bounced off the floor as her enthusiasm radiated through the room.

The kids shuffled into the living room, jostling each other with friendly elbows and nudges as they arranged themselves in a semi-circle around the makeshift stage. It was nothing more than a cleared space in the middle of the room, outlined with brightly colored masking tape, but to them, it felt like a real performance hall.

Nancy stood with her arms crossed, skepticism written across her face. “Do we have to?” she asked, her tone laced with mock reluctance. But there was a telltale gleam of curiosity in her eyes.

“Yes!” Donna replied dramatically, pointing a finger at her friend. “Participation is mandatory. House rules.”

Claudia appeared in the doorway with a tray of juice boxes, her soft smile framed by a mix of exhaustion and affection. “Don’t look at me. This one’s all Robert.”

Robert chuckled as he held up a small notepad, his energy infectious. “Here’s how it works: each of you will perform a talent—anything you like! Singing, dancing, magic tricks, impressions... whatever. The rest of us will vote for our favorite. No pressure, just fun.”

Joanna shot up like a firework. “I’m first!”

“Not fair!” Dustin groaned, flopping backward onto the carpet in protest. “You’re always first!”

Joanna stuck out her tongue, then strutted into the “spotlight,” bowing theatrically. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she declared, tossing imaginary rose petals, “prepare to be amazed!”

She launched into a whirlwind of a Broadway-style routine, belting out ‘Tomorrow’ from the movie, Annie,  as she spun and leapt across the room. Her moves were exuberant and a little uncoordinated, but her sheer confidence had everyone grinning. She ended with an exaggerated flourish, one hand on her hip and the other stretched toward the ceiling.

The room erupted in cheers and applause. “Ten out of ten!” Donna announced, clapping enthusiastically.

“Thank you, thank you,” Joanna said, bowing deeply. “Your turn, peasants.”

Dustin and Will Byers huddled together, whispering furiously before stepping forward. “We present... Dustin the Magnificent and his assistant, Will!” Dustin declared, miming the placement of a top hat on his head.

Their performance was a glorious disaster. Dustin fumbled through a card trick with dramatic flair, while Will attempted to “levitate” a balloon by subtly blowing it upward. Trying and failing to make Mike disappear behind a raised blanket. The result was chaotic and hilarious, leaving the audience clutching their sides with laughter. Even Barb let out a rare, full-bellied giggle.

Nancy reluctantly stood when her name was called. “Fine,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll show you my talent.”

With a surprising air of composure, she recited a poem from memory. Her voice was steady, her delivery heartfelt, and as her words flowed, even the usually restless Joanna stilled.

“Didn’t know you had that in you, Wheeler,” Jonathan said with a small nod of approval as the applause faded.

Nancy smirked, her cheeks slightly pink. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Byers.”

Barb hesitated when it was her turn, her hands twisting nervously. “I don’t really... I mean, I’m not good at...”

“Anything counts, Barb!” Donna encouraged warmly, her tone inviting.

After a long pause, Barb stepped forward and launched into a surprisingly accurate impression of one of their strictest teachers, Ms. Pritchett. Her exaggerated frown and high-pitched scolding voice had the room howling with laughter, and Barb couldn’t help but smile as she returned to her seat.

Jonathan, as always, tried to fade into the background, but Donna was having none of it. She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him to the front.

“Fine,” he muttered, reaching for Robert’s acoustic guitar resting in the corner.

The room fell silent as he strummed a soft melody, the gentle tune weaving through the air. Jonathan’s fingers moved with quiet confidence, and though the song was simple, it carried a depth of feeling that left everyone in awe.

“That was amazing!” Donna exclaimed, her smile radiant as the applause thundered.

Finally, it was Donna’s turn. She stepped into the center, her excitement palpable. “This one’s for all of you,” she said, giving a playful bow.

With practiced grace, she began her ballet routine. Her movements flowed effortlessly, every step a testament to years of dedication and passion. The crowded living room faded away as Donna danced, her expression radiant with joy.

When she finished, the room erupted into cheers, Robert leading with a standing ovation. “And the winner is... Donna!” he declared, though the others immediately began protesting.

“No way!” Joanna shouted. “I demand a recount!”

“Clearly, I should’ve won,” Dustin said, crossing his arms in mock indignation.

Donna laughed as she looked around at the lively group, her heart swelling. “How about this,” she said, her voice full of warmth. “We all won.”

Dustin groaned, tossing a couch cushion at her. “Cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard!”

But despite the teasing, the glow in the room was undeniable. The talent show had turned into more than just a game—it was a moment of shared happiness, one that would linger in their hearts long after the night was over. The talent show’s laughter and applause had faded, replaced by the quieter hum of goodbyes. Claudia, moving with the practiced grace of a seasoned hostess, ushered the departing guests toward their coats and shoes, her smile warm but tinged with the exhaustion of a long day.

Near the front door, Jonathan held Will’s coat draped over one arm, his stance relaxed but attentive. He bent slightly to meet Donna’s gaze, offering a small, genuine smile. “Happy birthday, Donna,” he said, his voice soft, almost shy.

Donna beamed up at him, her cheeks still flushed from the excitement of the evening. “Thanks, Jonathan! Bye, Will! Bye, Mike!” she called, waving enthusiastically as the boys shuffled out into the cool night.

Dustin lingered, his overnight bag slung haphazardly over one shoulder. He bounded toward Donna, wrapping her in a quick hug that carried the familiar scent of outdoors and sugary treats. “See ya tomorrow, sis!” he said with a grin before darting after Will and Jonathan, his laughter fading as the door clicked shut behind him.

The house felt larger as the crowd thinned, leaving behind a trail of streamers, confetti, and the faint scent of frosting. Only Nancy, Joanna, and Barb remained, their presence a quieter echo of the party’s earlier chaos.

Nancy leaned against the couch, her posture casual but her expression carrying the quiet thrill of possibility. “Looks like it’s just us,” she said, adjusting her sleeve with a graceful flick of her wrist.

Joanna, ever dramatic, threw an arm around Donna’s shoulders and grinned. “Sleepover time!” she proclaimed, her voice bright and full of mischief.

Barb, perched near the remnants of the cake, cast a skeptical glance at the scattered decorations. “Should we even bother cleaning up?” she asked, her tone practical but tinged with hope for a reprieve.

From the kitchen, Claudia’s voice floated over the clinking of dishes. “Leave it,” she said, waving them off with a motherly warmth. “It’s Donna’s special day. You girls go have fun.”

Robert appeared, balancing a tray of leftover cake slices with theatrical precision. “Just remember,” he said, his grin mischievous, “no staying up too late, and no scary stories that’ll have you waking us up at 2 a.m.”

Joanna shot him a mock salute. “No promises!” she called as the girls retreated to Donna’s room, their giggles trailing behind them like a ribbon.

Donna’s room was a treasure trove of childhood whimsy. Posters of ballerinas twirled across the walls, their delicate forms caught mid-dance, while fantastical landscapes hinted at faraway adventures. Stuffed animals crowded the corners like a soft, silent audience. Joanna wasted no time claiming the bed, flopping onto it with theatrical flair and pulling a plush unicorn into her lap.

“So,” she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief, “what’s the first order of sleepover business?”

Nancy perched gracefully on the edge of the bed, her fingers idly smoothing the hem of her dress. “We could play a game or do makeovers,” she suggested, her voice calm but inviting. “Something fun but not too messy.”

Joanna groaned, dramatically rolling her eyes. “Makeovers are so boring. Let’s tell ghost stories!”

Barb, sitting cross-legged on the rug, shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe we could just... talk?” she suggested, her voice hesitant but hopeful. “About normal stuff?”

Donna, glowing from the day’s excitement, settled beside Barb on the floor. “We can do a little of everything,” she offered with a warm smile, her excitement contagious.

They began with “Truth or Dare,” the game quickly descending into laughter as Joanna repeatedly chose “dare,” resulting in an impromptu silly dance, a drawn-on mustache, and a hilariously failed attempt at braiding Donna’s hair. Nancy, ever composed, stuck to “truth,” revealing a carefully guarded crush on Jonathan that left Donna squealing in delight and Joanna in theatrical disgust. Barb, after much coaxing, dared to sing her favorite song, her shy voice faltering but earnest, earning an eruption of applause.

Later, with the lights dimmed and flashlights in hand, Joanna took center stage. She angled her flashlight under her chin, casting eerie shadows across her face, and launched into an exaggerated ghost story about a haunted forest. Her voice rose and fell with practiced suspense, her words weaving an atmosphere so vivid that Donna clutched her blanket tighter, her wide eyes flicking toward the window.

“That’s not real... right?” Donna whispered, her voice barely audible.

“Of course not,” Nancy said, her tone confident, though her gaze darted to the darkened corners of the room.

Barb, visibly uneasy, glanced at the door. “Can we talk about something else now?”

Sensing her friend’s discomfort, Donna leaned forward. “How about a friendship pact instead?” she suggested, her voice warm and inviting.

Joanna groaned but couldn’t resist a smile. “Fine. What’s the pact?”

Donna flipped open the purple glittery notebook, its pages already filled with fragments of her childhood—stickers, doodles, and notes from past adventures. She smoothed the page, her fingers trailing over the faint sparkle of the cover.

“Okay,” she said, her voice steady but tinged with excitement, “let’s each write a promise, something we’ll always do for each other, no matter what.” She handed the pen to Joanna, who snatched it eagerly.

Joanna’s tongue poked out in concentration as she bent over the page. Her handwriting was messy, the letters leaning into each other as if impatient to escape the pen. “I promise to always make you laugh, even when things feel hopeless,” she wrote. She added a dramatic flourish at the end and then surrounded her words with tiny stars.

“Because what’s life without laughter?” she said, grinning as she passed the notebook to Nancy.

Nancy held the pen delicately, her expression serious. She paused for a moment, her brows furrowed in thought. Then, in her neat, precise cursive, she wrote, “I promise to always tell the truth, even when it’s hard.” She underlined the word truth twice, her hand lingering over the page before she passed the notebook along.

“I think honesty is the most important thing in a friendship,” she said softly, looking at each of them in turn. “No secrets.”

Barb took the notebook next, her hands hesitating over the glittery cover. She held the pen tightly, as though the promise carried great weight. In careful, blocky letters, she wrote, “I promise to listen when you need someone to talk to.” She added a small heart at the bottom of her words, her cheeks pink as she looked up.

“Sometimes,” she said, her voice quiet but firm, “you just need someone to be there. No advice, no judgment. Just... someone.”

Finally, it was Donna’s turn. She held the pen with both hands, her eyes sparkling as she thought. In large, looping letters, she wrote, “I promise to always believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself.” She surrounded her words with little doodles of diamonds and hearts, her artistic flair spilling across the page.

“I think that’s what friends are for,” she said, her voice warm. “To remind you how amazing you are, even when you forget.”

Each girl contributed to the page, their personalities shining through. Joanna doodled stars around the edges, Nancy wrote in precise, neat looping cursive, and Barb added a small heart near the bottom. The notebook, now brimming with promises, was a kaleidoscope of their personalities—Joanna’s bold humor, Nancy’s steadfast honesty, Barb’s quiet empathy, and Donna’s unwavering optimism.

They huddled closer, their fingers brushing as they admired the page. “We’ll keep this forever,” Donna said, her voice filled with conviction. “Whenever we feel lost or scared, we can look at this and remember—no matter what, we’ve got each other.”

Joanna smirked but didn’t argue. “Okay, but we still need to seal it. Like, for real.”

“Secret handshake?” Donna suggested.

“Too easy,” Joanna said, grinning. “How about... a blood oath?”

Barb’s eyes widened. “Absolutely not.”

Nancy rolled her eyes. “We’re not doing that.”

They settled on their over-complicated handshake—part slapstick, part choreography. By the end, their laughter had them collapsing onto their sleeping bags, the notebook safely tucked away like a treasure. And in that moment, their promises didn’t feel like just words on a page—they felt like a bond that nothing could break.

As the night continued on, The room had grown still, save for the occasional rustle of a sleeping bag or the faint sigh of someone shifting into a more comfortable position. The glow-in-the-dark stars on Donna’s ceiling cast a soft, otherworldly light, their faint shimmer matching the quiet hum of contentment in the air.

Donna lay on her back, staring up at the tiny, glowing constellations she’d carefully placed months ago. Her heart felt full—too full, almost—as if it couldn’t quite contain the joy and love that had filled her tenth birthday.

Beside her, Joanna muttered something in her sleep, one arm draped dramatically over her face. Nancy’s soft, even breathing came from the other side of the room, her hair spilling over the pillow. Barb, closest to Donna, clutched a stuffed bear to her chest, her expression serene.

Donna closed her eyes and smiled to herself. The promises they’d made that night weren’t just words—they were threads weaving them together, stronger than any ribbon or bow.

Somewhere in the distance, a clock chimed faintly, marking the arrival of a new day.

Her last thought before sleep claimed her was a quiet, fervent wish: that this moment—this feeling of being understood and surrounded by love—would last forever.

And with that, the house slipped into silence, carrying the echoes of laughter, whispered dreams, and promises into the stillness of the night.

[munsonsprincess11111]

Awkward situation

Eddie munson x Henderson!reader

Summary: your dating Eddie munson your brothers best friend. Even though it annoys the he'll out of Dustin he can't exactly stop you both. Eddie stays at your place after a d&d campaign that went on to long with the rest of hellfire.

D&D was a success last night for thr group. Though it rolled to early hours of the morning. So with permission of mother Henderson the boys stayed in the basement. Everyone left early the next morning besides Eddie. Mother Henderson didn't mind him staying longer though as she liked the positivity he brought to Dustin.

Eddie was leaning on the kitchen counter talking to Dustin as he finished the dishes from the night before. Eddie had taken out the trash bag they filled up and the one that was in the kitchen.

"I'm thinking the next campaign I'll work in a few less monsters keep it short and sweet after the one last night." Eddie says to Dustin

"Yeah give us a small recovery break" Dustin laughs and Eddie laughs along. The boys continue to talk Eddie helping Dustin dry the dishes and put them away. As they finish up you finally wake up and come walking into the living room to say good morning to your mom. Then to the kitchen.

Dustin and Eddie turn when they hear someone enter. Dustin scoffs and Eddie can't help but smirk. Your wearing one of the band tees Eddie gave you that was way to big and a pair of your more slutty panties. It isn't lacey at the front and covers some of your ass with the help of Eddie's tee shirt but Dustin still scoffs.

"Jesus y/n put your ass away for once we have company." Dustin says. He doesn't tend to care how you walk around the house infact he walks around in his underwear when no guests are there. But he does care when his friend is stood there.

You gasp and look up to see who it is and see a very smug looking Eddie. You let out a breath and step to Eddie. "I think your forgetting your company is my boyfriend." You say as you step forward into Eddie. His arms go around you as he smiles. You hug him around his middle putting your face in his chest.

Dustin makes fake gagging noises and Eddie frowns at him. You bring your face out of his chest and look up at Eddie. "Morning beautiful." Eddie laughs slightly looking at you with your messy hair and goofy smile.

"Morning eds. How comes your here?" You ask genuinely curious.

"I stayed the night. Campaign wrapped up late so everyone crashed here but the others left I stayed to help Dustin tidy and see you." HE smiles kissing you. You melt into him finally getting a hello kiss.

"Why didn't you come get in bed with me if you was here?" You ask frowning.

"Cause it wouldn't be fair that I came here to see my friends and then ditched at 2 am cause I want to sleep in your bed." Eddie chuckles. You nod kissing him again.

"OK I'm here to and eddies here to see me right now y/n so shoo." Dustin says pointing to the door at the kitchen. You groan and pull away from Eddie's warm embrace. "Here" Eddie says giving you his hoodie he had on the kitchen side. You smile and kiss his cheek and take it happily before exiting the kitchen.

"And stay out!" Dustin calls behind you. Eddie looks over at him "what?" HE askes Eddie noticing his disapproving look.

"She's still my girlfriend even when I hang out with you." Eddie says raising his brows.

Dustin scoffs again "Common let's go to my room I wanna show you my new comics." Dustin says guiding Eddie out of the kitchen. Eddie nods and follows Dustin. Walking to Dustins room Eddie sees your bedroom door open and peaks in. Your sat at your desk drawing something.

"Whatcha drawing?" Eddie askes curiously making you jump.

"Jesus Eddie you scared me." You says calming yourself " 'm drawing a window but it's open ans the curtains are flying outside n the windows like smashed n stuff." You answer his question. Eddie nods and smiles at you.

"You my boyfriend again yet or still one of dustins sad little friends?" You ask smirking. Before he can answer Dustin calls his name.

"That should answer your question." HE chuckles walking away from your room to dustins.

-

"Yes well I have to see my girlfriend now." Eddie says approaching your room.

"But why she's so boring." Dustin protests.

"Alright dude I was here from 6 pm yesterday playing d&d n I didn't speak to her once. I stayed still didn't. At 12 pm she woke up and I spoke to her. Then you got her to go. Then when I was talking to her 5 minutes later you summond me again. Its now 5:30 pm and I wanna see my girlfriend. I'll hang with you inna bit or tomorrow OK?" Eddie answers as calmly as he can

He loves Dustin but he just couldn't talk to you. You walked to dustins room to see if he or Eddie wanted a drink as you was making yourself a coffee and dustin told you to get out.

"OK fine but you have to watch scream with me." Dustin says. Eddie nods knocking on your bedroom door. You open it and smile at the sight of Eddie.

"You finally been set free?" You ask giggling.

"God I'm still stood here." Dustin says stomping off. You roll your eyes and let Eddie Into your room. He flops onto your bed and you crawl up him kissing him sweetly when you Reach his lips then laying next to him.

"I don't see why Dustin hates me. All I do is try." You say putting your head on Eddie's chest. Eddie knows it upsets you when Dustin treats you like crap. You're his older sister and do a lot for him, but Eddie will admit he does treat you like shit sometimes.

You and Eddie have spoke about it before when it's been bothering you so you know you can talk to him now. Eddie kisses your head. "Honestly babe I think it's purely because we're dating. He will get over it eventually. Like I said just give him time." Eddie says closing his eyes relaxing.

"Yeah your right." You mumble back. You lay like that for a while as you both drift off into sleep. Eddie's arm around you. Your head on the side of his chest his heart is and your arm across his chest. Your legs entangled at the bottom of the bed.

-

Dustin bursts into your room without knocking making Eddie jump out of his peaceful sleep. Only to throw his head back when he sees Dustin stood in the doorway.

"Yes Dustin?" Eddie askes whipping his hand over his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Dustin askes Eddie frowning

"Well I was cuddled up with your sister asleep but now I'm awake talking to you. What's up?" Eddie askes again wanting to know what Dustin needed to urgently.

"Wanted to put the movie on common I've got our snacks out and stuff." Dustin says bouncing on his feet. Eddie lays on your bed in slight defeat. He either goes with Dustin leaving you and when you wake up you'll be upset or he can tell Dustin he can't resulting in an annoyed Dustin.

"What if I wake y/n up and see if she wants to watch it with us?" HE askes dustin

"What no you said YOU would watch it with my all you two will do is make out and its bro time not hoe time." Dustin says crossing his arms.

"Don't call your sister a hoe." Eddie says running his hand up your back. Eddie slips himself away from your sleeping body not wanting to wake you and goes into the living room with Dustin. Dustins buzzing he puts the movie on and sits next to Eddie opening the popcorn.

-

30 minutes later you wake up and notice Eddie isn't by your side. You frown and rub your eyes walking out of your bedroom. You walk to the bathroom and the doors wide open. You use the bathroom and wash your hands then you hear the TV. You walk into the living room seeing scream on the TV and both the boys on the couch.

"Eds?" You say quietly behind them. Both there heads turn to you. Eddie smiles and dustin rolls his eyes. "Whyd you leave?" You ask stretching your arms up.

"Cause he wanted to watch the movie with me." Dustin answers for Eddie. "You should've woken me up I would've came and watched it with you guys." You say crossing your arms looking at the boys with a soft expression.

"We wanted to watch the movie not you sit there making out with Eddie. It's bro time." Dustin says shoving his mouth full of popcorn. Eddie's head turns to you. He sees the look of hurt in your face. Your bottom lip wobbles and you nod. "Kay ill um ill go." You say hugging yourself as you walk off.

"Good." Dustin says through his mouthful of food. Eddie's pissed he was annoyed before but now he's pissed.

"To far." Eddie says looking at dustin

"What?" Dustin says confused

"To fucking far. I get she's your sister and I'm your friend but she's still my girlfriend. I've been dating her longer then I've properly known you Henderson. You've been in hellfire 7 months I've been dating your sister nearly 2 years. I get its annoying but if you don't like it you shouldn't have become as close with me as you have. We wouldn't of made out the hole time. She could've come and sat with us. She could've stayed in the kitchen with us. She could've come to see your comics to. I'm sure she would love that. But you treat her like shit. I've been nice you know cause I Dont want you to hate me cause you are my friend. And I don't want your mum to think bad of me. But she's my girlfriend n I don't let my other friends talk about her like that so you don't either. I'm gonna go make sure she's OK cause I'm gonna go with you didn't see her upset when she walked off." Eddie snapped at Dustin before he got up and walked to your bedroom.

Dustin was slightly shocked by eddies outburst. But Eddie didn't care he walked to your room. He said hello to your mun who was in the kitchen on his walk room.

"I'm sorry for snapping at Dustin aswell I'm justa little annoyed at how much he snaps at y/n." Eddie says not wanting your mum to suddenly hate him.

"Your fine Eddie just go make sure she's OK ill talk to dusty." She says smiling Eddie nods and goes to your room. He knocks and doesn't get an answer so he knocks again. "Go away." You mumble from the otherside of the door.

"Babe let me in. Don't make me climb through your window. I'll do it no hesitation." Eddie half jokes just wanting you to open the door. Which you do so he succeeded. You smile smally at him. "Want a hug?" HE askes hugging you. You nod and cling to him. He holds you just as tight as you cry slightly.

"Baby why are you crying?" Eddie askes kissing your head. You pull your face away from him slightly smiling at him. "Cause I heard what you said to Dustin. N i loved that you defended me even though you didn't need to. N then you apologised to my mum. N i was like. Holy shit I love him so much." You cried smiling as Eddie pulled you back in.

"Don't care. No one speaks to my girl infront of me like that don't care who they are." Eddie says. You stay holding eachother for a few before Eddie takes you to the living room.

"Let's clear this up. You don't be mean to her no more. Sure have your sibling banter or whatever but don't talk to her like you was or imma disown you. And you, you need to stop just walking off when he upsets you and tell him. OK right. New plan. Dustin if I'm here for D&D I'm here for you if I stay over after I stay with you I help you tidy up and whatever you wanna do with me we do then cause once I'm with y/n I'm not gonna stop hanging out with my girlfriend ok? Unless its like a movie or something we can all watch it even your mum can join. You need to stop being weird about the whole us dating thing it didn't effect you until you joined hellfire. Now let's all sit down and finish the movie." Eddie says as he pulls you to sit next to him.

"I didn't know I was upsetting you y/n I'm really sorry" Dustin says with sincerity in his voice.

"It's OK Dustin. I get its weird that me and Eddie are dating cause he's your friend but we've Been together a while you know so you just gotta deal with it really." You giggle sitting up. You hug Dustin for a second so he knows everything is OK.

Then you lay into Eddie's side as he wraps and arms around you kissing your head. "I love you." HE mumbles into your head. "I love you too." You smile up at him.

-

Once movie finished you and Eddie went to dustins room so he could show YOU all his new comics and stuff. Eventually he let you and Eddie go free. Your mom said Eddie could stay over again as he was respectful (to her atleast) so you both headed to your room and crawled and your duvets cuddling eachother.

"Missed my girl." HE mumbles.

"Missed you too babe." You hum back.

"Hopefully its all better now." Eddie says kissing your neck.

"Trust me I think its better all ready." You smile at his kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"Edward you actual bitch."

"Is someone to sleepy for the I love you battle."

"Yes now cuddle me and show me how you love me more."

And he does just that until your both out cold.

-

Safe to say Eddie's little speech worked cause you woke the next day to Eddie and dustin in the kitchen and as you enter Dustin smiled at you and said nothing about you being immediately clingy with Eddie. You'd woken up just in need of his skin contact so you hugged him for a while even while he made your coffee.

That day you all went to the arcade and actually had fun with Dustin for the first time in a while. You held Eddie's hand with no gagging noises and you were happy.

"I love you." You kiss Eddie as Dustin plays whatever game he's playing. It breaks Eddie's focus on the game and it goes straight to you. He then kisses you back. "I love you too." HE says, snaking a hand around your waist eyes, going back on the game Dustins playing.

"I love you more." You smirk.

"OH you getting revenge for last night huh?" HE turns back to you smiling and you nod smirking. "Mk let's stay at the trailer tonight n ill show you how much more I love you." HE whispers in your ear. Your haw drops as Eddie smirks looking back at dustins game telling him to do something.

You stood shocked as Eddie's hand squeezed your hip he was still smirking....

Boy were you excited for tonight.

[skyfallslayer]

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

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

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: A frantic Jonathan, Hopper and Joyce look for Nancy in the darkness before uncovering the truth about the lab’s experiments. Steve starts accepting his babysitting role. Steph and Will are running out of time.

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

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 15,845

🎲Date: 12/13/24

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; References To Broken Friendship; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Talks of Mental Health Issues; Bullying of All Kinds; Physical Fighting; Lying; "Death" and Talks of Death; Brief Mention of Corpses; Gun Use; Implied Unloving Parents; Implied Child Abuse; Implied Drug Abuse; Blood & Gore; Arson & Alcohol; Will & Steph's Mental Strain - Joyce's Too; Hopper Being a Great Cop & A Total Mess; Dustin Being a Slight Asshole; Steve's 'Asshole Era'; Steve's Emotional Damage. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: I am sooooo sorry this took so long! It was never my intention to have neglected it for this long, but here it is. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations. Also, small heads up, I've only re-read this over a few times, so hopefully everything makes sense and looks good. Thank you for your patience ❤️. Enjoy!

You know what they say… Curiosity kills the cat. Or in this instance…

Curiosity kills the Wheeler.

Now she was staring at something truly horrifying, something that was like out of a Stephan King novel or out of an exorcist movie. This… thing was huge. When she first caught a glance of it at Steve’s house she never pictured it that big. An eight foot, lanky, twisted limb individual that was feasting on a poor deer. Her breath was caught in her throat, its munching sounds found its way into her ears rocking her to her core; Her dying flashlight was shaking in her hand.

She needs to leave, go back through the tree before this thing decides it wants desert. Yet, luck was not on her side, as soon as she took a step backwards something crackled beneath her feet. On cue the monster turns around with a shriek, causing her to drop everything and run.

“Jonathan!” She screams, hoping that he – someone – would hear. Then her heart skipped a beat when she got a reply. “JONATHAN!!”

“Nancy!”

She twisted around the trees, the beast right on her tail–

“I’m right here! Nancy! Just follow my voice!”

Follow his voice. Follow his voice. Follow his voice. Follow his– The thing decided to lunge, which she manages to get out of the way in the nick of time, running in a new direction.

“Follow my voice, Nancy, I’m right here! Nancy?!”

She pulls herself to a halt, clinging onto a tree and taking a breather. She hears him but she just can’t see him! Everything was starting to blur and look the same to the point she doesn’t even know where the damn entrance is!

“Jonathan…?” She whispers, and chokes down a sob as she hears the beast growling and lurking around somewhere behind. Is this it? Is this how her life was going to end? In a place that people probably won’t even believe exists? She shook to her core, the beast footsteps starting to fade, but what good would that be if she didn’t know where she was going?

But something must have answered her prayers as a hand suddenly covers her mouth, startling her as someone quietly and quickly shushes beside her ear. Her stomach dropped to her ankles, as she fearfully followed the hand to… she couldn’t even finish the thought she was so taken back. She was completely baffled to find it belonged to the Police Chief of Hawkins.

The Police Chief? She thought, her mind of course strolling to the dread and the worst of it all. Did her parents call because she was gone? Did Hopper get abducted like poor Will and Stephanie? What could it–

Once he registers that he has her attention (mostly), he silently tells her to follow him. Obliging, she stays close, following him right back to where she came through.

Relief fell through her, then once again horror when that growling came back at full force. The two parties stop, frozen as the beast returns a few paces behind them; Then… 

It charged. The next few seconds were a blur for Nancy– 

Barely remembering how he grabbed her and held her close–

Barely registering him taking out his firearm and taking shots–

Barely recalling as he yanked them both backwards into a tree–

.

.

.

Both Jonathan and Joyce let out a scream when someone’s hand shot through the bubble.

“HELP!!!” It shouts, their eyes widened.

“Hang on!!” Joyce yells, as her and her son use a death grip on his hand, planting their feet into the Earth and pulling with all their might. All it took was their faces to turn bloodshot red before finally seeing the upper half of Hopper’s body. “Ugh– COME ON!!”

And one more large yank from the both of them sent them flying across the forest floor, and Hopper crashed flat on his back with Nancy in his hold.

Hopper immediately squeezed the sobbing girl comfortably, reassuring her softly. “It’s okay. I got you. I got you…”

“Nancy!” Jonathan sighs with relief, him and Joyce crawling over to see them. He helped them sit up, the two of them covered in a weird goo, both looking like they had just seen hell and survived. 

As the four of them tried to process the last few minutes, they gazed upon the tree that was slowly closing itself back up. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Eleven!” Her name erupted his throat for the thousandth time tonight. Steve’s not quite sure what time it was, but it was definitely dark and freezing cold, yet he refuses to give up. “Eleven!”

Once he was completely sure his mother was dead asleep it was easy enough to slip out again. Dressed as warmly as he could, flashlight in hand, baseball bat in the other with a backpack full of supplies for anything that he might need along the way. He even brought an extra jacket to sling around the kid when he found her. He was left circling around the junkyard and the area around it; And of course it had to be all wooded, the perfect place to hide.

“Eleven!” He shouts again, then sighs, his breath could be seen in the air. “Look, kid, I… I don’t know if you can hear this, but if you can, I’m not mad about what happened. Frankly, I’m more worried about you. And that’s the god’s honest truth, I swear, I just…” Another sigh. “It’s cold, and I don’t want you freezing. I just… I-I just want you to be alright, kiddo. Okay?”

Of course he was expecting an answer, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to get a reply which was correct. Instead, he was met with a heavy wind blow that sent a chill through his body.

Shit… He frowns. “Listen, if I don’t see you in the next few hours or you don’t want to approach me, just… please consider going back to Mike’s place, or… you can even come to mine.”

Then he mentally slapped himself. Of course she wouldn’t know his place! “Um, if– if you remember where Will’s house is, I’m not too far from there. The woods across the street just take that straight through. The walk’s about… forty minutes, and uh, my house has a big pool in the backyard and… I’ll be waiting for you. Um…”

It kind of hurts that he’s not getting an answer.

“I’ll probably have to repeat what I just said in a few hours but–” His face morphs into something warm and greeting. “I really hope you heard what I said. And please consider.”

Nothing again, and Steve prays that she hears him, I mean, that’s all he can do as he starts his walk back up again; Shouting her name over and over until the sun starts to rise.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

She felt him pull the blanket around them closer before snuggling against her side – not just for warmth this time, but for comfort, something they both desperately needed now. Steph and Will found themselves sitting inside Castle Byers, both trying to stay snug, both trying to process what had happened in the last few hours, those…

Those hours that they couldn’t even believe just happen. 

“So…” Steph begins, fiddling with the walkman in her hands, the one that apparently saved her from the nightmare she was in. “You just played music?”

“Uh, huh.” Will said, nodding.

“And…” Her hands shook at the slightest. Just thinking about it made her skin crawl. “How did you know how to do that?”

“I didn’t.” He frowns, visibly upset. “Like I said earlier, when I accidently turned on the boombox, the music was scaring the monster away. So I thought, maybe, whatever had a hold on you would have the same effect.”

“Well it worked.” She lays the device in her lap, sighing into her hands, thinking. “Listen, Will, I’m going to be blunt.” She meets his worried gaze. “I don’t think we’re going to make it.”

Steph hated how easily those words slipped out, how easily it was to admit that they were stuck in a rut. Her fingers clawed at her thighs as she continued, “I mean, I have faith in your mom, I really do, but we’re running out of time here. And who knows if she’s even figured out a way to get to us, if she knows where we are. We’re both…” She swallows. “We’re both physically and mentally tired, we’re starving and cold too. I mean, if that thing doesn’t kill us, then the cold certainly will. Look at us, we’re shaking and we have layers upon layers of clothes that slowly are not doing much for us. We’re slowly dying at this point.”

Will says nothing knowing she’s right. He’s lost count how many pairs of socks were on his feet, or sweaters he has under his jacket. “Then… what do we do?”

She sighs again, rubbing her forehead (and putting her brain into overdrive). “Alright let’s stop and really think. We obviously weren’t the only ones brought here, right? Remember the girl from Steve’s pool?”

“Yeah.” He straightens up a bit, catching on what she was trying to explain. “From the looks of it, that thing caught her off guard.”

“See, that’s what I was thinking. What if that thing–” She shakes her head. “You know what, we got to give it a name. Can’t keep calling it ‘thing’ or ‘beast’, it’s confusing. Um…”

Will suddenly recalls what started all this indirectly. “...I got beaten by the Demogorgon.”

“Huh?”

“I rolled a seven, and I needed to roll a ten, so I ended up getting beaten by the Demogorgon.” He locks eyes with her again. “We got beaten by the Demogorgon.”

She clenches her jaw. “The Demogorgon. That’s what is hunting us.” Steph says, while nodding. “Okay. Okay. Alright, so what I was thinking is that Demogorgon is like a wolf. It kills its prey, and drags it back to the den, its home, this place, to feast.”

“So… it’s hungry, and this whole place is its home?”

“Correct. The thing is, who knows if we are even the Demogorgon’s first victims? There could have been plenty of people before us that got dragged here. There’s probably been more people than the girl at the pool we saw.”

“So if it’s dragging people here, then it’s somehow able to travel between here and Hawkins. Like it’s using a gateway.”

“Correct. But I don’t think it’s using one gateway, I think there’s somehow more than one.”

He tilts his head, curious. “How so?”

“Remember what you said? The girl looked like she was caught off guard. But–” How does she phrase this? “But she was scared like we were scared when we first saw that thing. Now, I mean we’re still scared anytime we come across the Demogorgon, but not like the first meeting, right?”

“Yeah.” Will said, after taking a second to process it. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“See? Every time we encounter it, it comes out of nowhere.”

“Like it portal-hops, almost.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“So out there…” He starts looking more hopeful. “There’s at least a few gateways. So all we have to do is find one, and maybe it’ll take us home.”

Steph nods before frowning. “There’s only one problem about that. Every time we try doing something to help us get out of here, the Demogorgon shows up. I mean, this evil version of Hawkins is still Hawkins. It’s huge. We’ll never be able to search around without having to worry about it showing up.”

“We have to do something then.”

“Yeah. I mean–” She shrugs. “What can we do? Music and guns seemed to only stun it.”

“Unless, we figure out a way to not stun it. What if…” Will couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth next–

.

.

.

“What if we kill it?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hopper let himself close his eyes as he rested at the table, sitting in nothing but his boxer briefs and undershirt. His (dry clean only) uniform had been shoved into the wash in an attempt to get the sticky goo off as he’s second in line for the shower. He was still trying to process what he just went through in the last hour. Another world, real monsters, the lab, the Staties, the fake bodies, everything. It was way too much for the forty-two year old man to wrap his head around. Way too much for any sane human being.

My god… what have I gotten myself into? He was pulled from his thoughts when someone rattled the table as they sat down.

“Look, we gotta go through this again.” Joyce pushed eagerly, hands flat against the news articles Hopper brought over.

The Police Chief looks at her tiredly. “I told you everything that I saw.” He replies, then takes a puff of smoke from his cigarette. 

“Oh, my gosh.” She rolls her eyes. “Tell me again.”

Just before Hopper could continue, her son came into the room, looking mentally and physically exhausted. “Is she alright?” He asked, getting a nod.

“Yeah.” Jonathan said, nervously fiddling with his hands as he took a seat with them. “She’s showering right now.”

“That’s good.” Joyce said, before turning her attention back on the other adult. “Continue.”

“Upstairs or downstairs?” He asks, softly. 

“Upstairs.”

“There was a laboratory. It was where they must do experiments or something, and then there was… there was this kid’s room–”

“How do you know it was a kid’s room?”

“It’s.. M-More like a prison.”

“So why would you think it was a kid’s room, then?”

Hopper inhales sharply. “Because, I told you, the size of the bed, there was a drawing, there was a stuffed animal–”

Joyce perks up. “You didn’t say there was a drawing.”

“Yeah, there was a drawing of a... an adult and a child. It said ‘Eleven’ on it.”

“Was it good?” Both Joyce and Jonathan said in unison, both having the same idea.

Hopper looks between the two, confused. “It was a kid’s drawing. It was stick figures.”

Joyce then sighs herself, getting up quickly to fetch something before slamming it down in front of him. “Wasn’t Will.” She clarifies, as he takes in the skillful drawing, confusion going away instantly.

Although that went away, something else took its place.

His eyes widened. “Earl…” Hopper mutters, setting the drawing aside to grab the news articles, shifting them around to find something he just thought of. “The night that Benny died, Earl said he saw some kid with a shaved head with Benny. Now, I pressed him, he said it might be Will, but maybe…”

“Maybe, it wasn’t?” Jonathan asked, him and his mother leaning in closer to what the cop was digging around for. 

“Look…” He flashes the piece of paper at them, a woman plastered on the front of it all. “This woman, Terry Ives, she claims to have lost her daughter, Jane. She sued Brenner, she sued the government… Now, the claims came to nothing, but what if…” A look of horror crosses his face. “I mean, what if this whole time I’ve been… I’ve been looking for Will… I’ve been chasing after some other kid? What if this goes so much deeper than we thought?”

“So you’re saying that, maybe this Brenner guy is taking kids for some… experiment?” Joyce asked, trying to get some clarity. 

“Maybe yes, maybe no.” He replies, his fingers subtly twitching against the table. “But I know in my gut that the lab has something to do with your son’s disappearance. It has to. There’s too many paths crossing for them not to be.”

“Okay, but if that is the case, why Will? And where does Stephanie fit into this?” Jonathan asked.

“Here’s the thing about Stephanie, with all the evidence we have, I think she simply was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I think Will was always the main target, she just happened to be there when they decided to move in.” Hopper sighs. “Where is she now? I don’t know. But they must have crossed paths with her once if they managed to make a fake corpse that looks like her.”

The teenager took a moment to think everything over, before shaking his head. “This is getting… insane. Really insane.”

“Tell me about it, kid. I know.”

“Then what’s the next step? Where do we go from here?” Joyce asks, but before she got an answer, Nancy had entered the room. Semi-damp towel wrapped around her neck, and dressed in clothes she was given, she comes in with a distant look that she tries to play off.

“Thank you for the clothes, and shower, Ms. Byers.” 

“Oh, no need to thank me. Um…” Joyce takes a step towards her with a warm smile. “Listen, it’s late. How about you stay the night?”

“Are you sure?” Nancy asked, surprised. 

“Yes, I’m sure. Just… call your mother. I wouldn’t want her to worry. Uh, Jonathan–” She gets her son’s attention. “Why don’t you show her where the phone is and get the extra blankets and pillows out?” She awaits for them to disappear from sight before turning back to Hopper and asking,  “So what’s the next step?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It wasn’t until she had to get Joyce on the phone to confirm she really was at the Byers Household that Nancy was allowed to stay. They came up with some excuse that Nancy was helping Jonathan with some homework and it went later than expected. Luckily, Karen bought it, and now her daughter was wondering how she was even going to get any sleep. Every time she closes her eyes… she sees that thing. That monster stalked her like prey, and was this close to snagging her and the Police Chief and ending their lives.

This. Freaking. Close.

I mean… how would Jonathan and his mother explain to her family what happened? To explain how she was eaten/killed by a beast with no eyes?  Speaking of…

“You feel better?” Jonathan asks, as he looks up from fixing up his bed when enters the room. 

“Yeah.” She said, nodding. 

“That’s good. Um…” He shifts nervously on the balls of his feet, gesturing to the object at hand. “I-Is my bed okay? Do you need another blanket? Or–”

Nancy shakes her head. “I-I can’t take your bed.”

“Trust me, my mom will kill me if I offer you the couch.” He chuckles. “Just take it. I’ll sleep in Will’s room.”

“You sure?” She asks, and he nods. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He repeats, and starts making his way to leave, but–

“It’s just, um…” Her hands squeeze together tightly. “I… I don’t wanna be alone, so….” She adverts her eyes. “Can you, like, stay with me tonight?”

“S-Stay?” He slurs, surprised.

She shakes her head slowly as she sits down on the bed. “Yeah…”

“Uh, y-yeah. I-I’ll stay. Um–” He looks around the room. “Just let me get–”

“Can you just come sit? Uh, you can… take half the bed if you want or…” She groans quietly into her hands, before shuttering visibly. “Jesus…”

Jonathan immediately sits down as well, taking in how scared she is and tries to find the right words. “You know, it… it can’t get us in here.”

“We don’t know that.” Nancy whispers, looking at him “Every time I close my eyes, I just… keep seeing that... thing. Wherever I was, that place… I think that it lives there. It was feeding there. Feeding on that deer.”

“Hey, I won’t let it get you.”

“But it got everyone else? That means that if… if Will, Stephanie and Barbara…”

“Hey.” He wraps an arm around her shoulder, giving her a side hug. “My mom said she talked to Will. Talked to Stephanie. If they’re alive, there’s a chance Barbara is, too. That means that she’s… trapped in that place. We just have to find it again.”

She gives him a puzzled look. “You wanna go back out there?”

“I don’t know.” He frowns. “I’ll see what my Mom and the Police Chief say tomorrow, then I’ll make a decision.” 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin springs up and off the couch when he hears the front door open and shut. Walking the direction of where it was, he was nearly bulldozed over by his big sister, whose arms were crossed and had a sour look upon her face.

“Where have you been?” He asked, following her closely behind. “You didn’t walk me home from school, and you’ve been gone for six hours now. Mom’s worried sick and is looking for you.”

“Well I’m fine. I just wanted to clear my head.” She mutters, heading for her room.

“You could have cleared your head when you came home. You could have just told mom you wanted some time alone. You didn’t have to freaking disappear on us.” What will their mom say? She’s been freaking out and fearing the worst and his sister’s acting like it’s nothing! What’s her deal? “Phanie? Phanie you listening? Phanie–”

“Jesus, Dustin–” She turns around to face him, stopping in the middle of her doorway. Her sour expression had faded into a certain sadness he couldn’t pinpoint. “Just– I’ll explain to mom what happened, I just… I just want to be left alone.”

His shoulders slack at her tone. “Okay. That’s fine. It’s just, we were just worried, you know? You normally don’t disappear like that. We… should I call Steve to let you know you’re fine? I’m sure he’s worried–”

“I don’t want to talk about Steve. I don’t want you to, or mom, I don’t even want to see him again.”

“Phanie…?”

“I don’t–” She laughs quietly on the verge of tears. “I shouldn’t even be crying. It’s not like he cares, or that he wants to be my friend anymore, or… h-he acts like he doesn’t so… fuck–”

“Stephanie–”

“Just leave me alone!”

Then she slams the door in his face without a warning or word. 

.

.

.

That was over two years ago, and he still doesn’t know the full story (and even doubts that he ever will). His sister told their mother they had a bit of a disagreement that led to their falling out, ending all discussions and/or thoughts about the boy; Everything she had that held any memory of him was long stored away. Or so he thought.

Dustin still couldn’t wrap his head around why she was still wearing this damn necklace he gave her. Out of everything that they gave one another, he would think that this gift was the most sentimental of them all, so why keep it?

He examines in his palm almost wanting to chuck in the trash, but another part of him wants to wait until he gets his sister back to ask her, ‘Why? Just why?’. 

Phanie. I just don’t get it. Is there something I’m missing? But his thoughts were abruptly stopped when his walkie fired up with feedback. He sets it aside and grabs the walkie, pulling up the antenna to listen.

[ ‘Dustin, you copy?’ ]

“Yeah, Mike. I copy. What’s up?”

[ ‘Meet me at my place. We got to go over a few things.’ ]

“Copy that. Over and out.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Will couldn’t believe where all the confidence suddenly came from, especially given their situation. But for some reason, it all felt so right to say.

Stephanie stares at the boy with her big blue eyes, a little bit shocked by what he said. “You want to kill it?” She asked, to confirm.

“Yeah.” He says, adrenaline pumping his veins. “What if we kill the Demogorgon? If we kill it, it might be our only shot at finding a gate unscathed.”

She blinks. “That’s… that’s not the most terrible idea I’ve heard. But how does one kill a thing like that?”

Will hums, brows pushed together in concentration. “Music?”

“Music could work.” She nods. “However, from what you told me, one boombox seemed to just scare it off. There’s no electricity, it’s not like we can broadcast a song over the radio, we’re going to need a lot more boxes. Plus, who knows if we have to play the same song on all of them. There’s no way everyone in town has the same cassettes.”

“True.” He bites his lip. “Guns? We can go get more.”

“Guns could do the job. But when you faced it back at the house? Did it look injured at all? I shot after we talked with your mom.”

“Hmm.” He stops to rack his brain again. Did it? “I think it was injured, but it surely didn’t stop it from coming after me.”

“Okay. So if we use guns, I mean we’re going to have to rapidly fire after rapid fire.”

“That’s going to be too hard.”

“Yeah.”

“So what do we do?”

Stephanie stops to think for herself, pulling the blanket close when she gets a chill. And that’s when the lightbulb went off. “Cold.” She gasps quietly. “This place is cold. It must like the cold. If it likes the cold, then–”

“It hates the heat.” Will perks up excitedly. “Heat is the weakness, then–”

“We can kill the Demogorgon with it.” She couldn’t help but smile at the revelation. “Alright, quickly. What is stuff that’s flammable?”

“Flammable? Um, matches, gasoline, lighter fluid–”

“Alcohol.” She replies. “If we can get all those things, find a good place to set up a trap, overload the shit out of it with everything it hates, and we kill it then…”

“We might be able to go home.”

Their gazes lock again, and suddenly they felt like they were finally on the same level, save wavelength with their thinking. They finally found something that could bribe them into not losing their will to live.

“Then let’s go shopping.” Steph said, grinning. Her words kickstarted them to pack everything up and crawl out of the hideout. Before they took off, she stares down at the walkman again, thinking. “You know, just thought of something.”

“What?” Will asks, looking up at her.

“Remember when we said that maybe we could hear people if they were only thinking negatively?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, they say when playing your favorite music, your brain releases dopamine, giving you a sense of euphoria. What if playing the music keeps all the bad things away?”

“That makes sense. You did say when you were trapped in that place, it got all brighter when the song was playing.”

“Yeah. It did.” She looks down at it again, fascinated by how such a basic thing saved her life. 

“Maybe you should wear it while we walk there.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. Better safe than sorry, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She sighs. “Okay, I will. But listen–” She makes sure she has his full attention. “If you start feeling weird, or you get a headache, or your nose starts to bleed, or anything unusual, you need to tell me and I’ll hand it over. Capish?” He nods. “Good. Got ‘The Clash’ cassette?”

“Yep.” He nods, patting his pocket.

“Alright. Let’s go.” She slides on the headsets and starts the song before taking his hand.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce was nervously fiddling with the cigarette in her mouth as she waited for Hopper to get off the phone with some kind of news. She hopes it’s good news, she hopes that he’s able to use his connections to get some kind of push in the right direction.

Come on, Hop. Don’t let me down. She soon watches him hang the phone on the receiver, and turns her way. “Did you get it?” 

“I got it.” Hopper replies, waving the piece of paper around. 

“Got what?” Jonathan interrupted as he entered the kitchen. “Mom?”

“Um–” She briefly looks over at the Police Chief. “We found out where that Terry Ives woman lives. We’re going to pay her a visit.”

“Oh.” He looks between them for a second. “Just the two of you?”

“Listen–” She places her hands on his shoulder. “It would be best if just me and Hopper went alone.”

“Mom–”

“She’s right, son.” Hopper cuts in. “Something big is going on, and it would be best and safe if you and Nancy stay behind.”

“But, Chief–”

“If the lab is really behind this, then it’s better that they don’t know the two of you are involved in solving this, alright?”

As much as he hated to admit it, Jonathan knew he had a point. “Alright.”

“Just… make sure Nancy gets home safe, and stays out of trouble.” Hopper glances over at Joyce. “I’ll get the car started up.”

“Okay.” She says, watching him leave. “Listen–” She pats her son’s chest to make sure he’s paying attention. “If you want to, you can stalk up on ammo for our guns, that’s fine with me. However that’s not an invitation to be going after that thing we saw. Guns are emergencies only. Alright?”

He cracks a small smile. “Alright.”

“Good. And only if Nancy feels up to it. But I have a feeling that she’s not leaving until she gets some answers too.”

“Okay, mom. I got it. We’ll be good.”

“Good.” She says, just before Hopper honked his horn and shouted something incoherently. “Okay. I got to go. Love you, and be safe.”

“I will.” He squeezes her hand real quick. “You too. Be safe.” He anxiously watches her leave, and that’s with him knowing how skilled Hopper is. He knows she’s in safe hands, but still. They still haven’t puzzled all the pieces together yet. Who knows what is still missing and awaits. 

“Where did they run off to?” Nancy asked upon entering. She was dressed in her old clothes from yesterday, freshly cleaned, and her brown locks tied back in a ponytail. 

“Actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Jonathan says, all business now. “They figured out something last night. Something about the lab and having a connection in all this.”

“The Hawkins Lab?” She gives him a strange look. “What does a research lab have to do with all this?”

He sighs. “I think it’s time to get you up to speed.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Strange.

The forty year old science teacher at Hawkins Middle school surely wasn’t expecting any kind of guest today. Nor someone so special like the woman before him. Dressed very nicely, hair done perfectly, and with a bright smile she shared with him why she’s here with much excitement.

“-and we’re making a newsletter, which we’ll send out monthly.” She continues as she hands him over a pamphlet that says: ‘The Indiana AV Club’. “It’ll showcase all the latest equipment, as well as how-to articles, which the kids write themselves.”

His face lights up as he reads. “Oh, that’s neat.”

“What we’re really trying to do here, Mr. Clarke–”

“Uh, please, call me Scott.”

“Scott.” She tests, her smile growing bigger. “What we’re trying to do here, Scott, is to connect kids from all over the state and give them the support and encouragement to pursue careers in technology. We feel these are the kinds of kids that are going to make Indiana proud.”

“I agree, yes.” He nods. “Completely.”

Hook.

“So, you know any kids you think might wanna participate?”

Line.

“Oh, I have a few in mind.”

Sinker.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin is this close to shoving his friend’s head into a wall. He swears, out of all his friends, both Mike and Lucas are constantly fighting for the title of ‘Most Hot Headed/Overexaggerator’. Will was too quiet to ever play peace-keeper, so naturally this role fell on him. But man… after knowing them both for so long, it was really hard to keep the ‘peace’ part of the role up.

“I just... I can’t believe she didn’t come back.” Mike repeated and paced around the basement once more.

“She’s gotta be close.” Dustin tries again to reassure. 

“She said it wasn’t safe. She just messed up the compasses because she wanted to protect us. She didn’t betray us–”

Dustin bites his lip. “Mike, calm down.”

“I shouldn’t have yelled at her. I never should’ve done that.”

“Mike, this isn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, it’s Lucas’.”

“It wasn’t his fault, either.”

That got the Wheeler to stop moving around and give a stern glare. “It wasn’t his fault?”

“No.” Dustin said, standing his ground.

“So you’re saying he wasn’t way out of line?”

“Totally, but so were you!”

“What?” Mike scoffs.

“And so was Eleven.”

“Oh, give me a break!”

“No, Mike, you give me a break!” The Henderson jabbed his finger at him. “All three of you were being a bunch of little assholes. I was the only reasonable one. Shit, hate to admit it, but even fucking Steve Harrington was being reasonable. The bottom line is... you pushed first. And you know the rule. You draw first blood…”

Mike shakes his head and throws his hands in the air. “No! No way! I’m not shaking his hand.”

“You’re shaking his hand!” 

“No, I’m not.”

“This isn’t a discussion. This is the rule of law. Obey or be banished from the party. Do you wanna be banished?”

Mike crosses his arms and looks away. “No.” He whispers.

“Good.”

“Kids, that boy Steve’s here.” Karen yells from above, the boys perking up with a bit of hope. They waited (im)patiently for him to come down as he strolled in with a new layer of Fall clothes and a tired face.

“Well?” Mike asked, nervously.

“I’m sorry.” Steve said, making them frown. “I walked around those woods for six hours, and then I even waited to see if she would show up at my place. Nothing.” 

“Shit…” Dustin mutters.

“Well, thanks for looking.” Mike said, genuinely. 

Steve nods in reply, shifting his weight around on his throbbing feet before asking, “How’s Sinclair?”

“We were just about to go check.” Dustin answers first, moving around them both to grab his backpack.

“We are?” Mike asked, confused. 

“Yes, Mike. We’re doing this now. We’re going to get Lucas. And then we’re gonna find Eleven. Alright?” He sighs, before looking at the oldest teen. “Steve, thank you for looking, we’ll take it from here.”

Steve straightens out his posture immediately as the kid starts trying to leave without. “Hey, hey, hey–” He maneuvers in front of him, blocking him from the stairs. “This wasn’t a one time thing. I’m staying with you guys.”

“Dustin, come on, man, we talked about this.” Mike said, turning their roles around. His friend’s shoulder sagged and he muttered something under his breath. 

Steve takes a quiet inhale before addressing him. “Look, Henderson, I know you hate me, you have every right to hate me, but right now you need all the help you can get.” His jaw tightens. “Not to mention, whoever’s responsible for all this doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty. They’re not going to care that you guys are twelve year old boys. You need me, whether you like it or not.”

Dustin lets out a long, angry exhale as Mike locks his gaze with the older boy.

“Now, let’s go get Lucas, let’s find Eleven, find the gate, and pray that it leads to your sister and Will.” Steve finishes, and the curly haired kid exhales again.

“Fine.” He huffs.

“Good. We’ll take my car. Will go to Lucas’ and then I’ll take us to the woods. Capish?”

“Capish.” They say, as they follow him out of the basement. 

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

Will looked around the store wondering where they even began. His big doe eyes then turned to the teenager who pushed a shopping cart over to him. “What do we grab?”

“Whatever we can.” Steph says, grabbing a cart of her own with a smirk. “And obviously you don’t have to worry about the price.”

That got him to laugh as they migrated around the store, filling up with stuff they talked about. The teenager found herself starting with certain alcohol that she knew could be considered “flammable”. Some of the numbers were… extremely high and made her question people’s choices (And she thought the whiskey Steve and her drank at the Snow Ball was strong).

Thank god I never drank imported Vodka. She keeps filling her cart up, just as Will comes around the corner with something.

“Hey, hairspray’s flammable, right?” He asks, holding up a can.

“Uh, yeah. It is.”

He hums, taking the cap off and harmlessly spraying the air. “Huh. That’s probably not going to do much though.”

“Probably not.” She says, making him nod and was about to leave when an idea struck her. “Wait.” He stops. “I’m actually getting an idea. Whatever hairspray you can fit in that cart, do it.”

“You know how to build the trap?” He asked, hopeful.

“If I’m picturing this all out correctly, I know this is going to work. But we’re going to need a shit ton of stuff if it’s going to cover the whole place.”

“And where’s that place?”

“Remember that old building with the broken clock tower I took you to?” He nods. “I know that place like the back of my hand. If I’m picturing the trap right I think I know exactly how to set everything up.”

“And we’re going to need a lot?” 

“A hell lot.” She hopes her imagination won’t let her down on this one. She starts pushing her cart towards him and heads off for a new one while saying, “Keep grabbing everything flammable, I’m going to get some tools.”

“What kind of tools?” He asked, curiously.

“Basic tools. Hammer, screwdrivers, saw–”

“Saw?”

“Yeah. Saw.” 

“What’s the saw for?”

“‘Cause–” She turns around with a smirk. “It’s completely illegal, but a sawing off the front of a shotgun makes the impact more intense, right?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve stayed a few steps behind the boys as they knocked on the door and awaited their fate; Which seemed dreary when Lucas saw who it was. 

“What do you want?” He snapped, and it wasn’t until Dustin slapped Mike in the arm he finally got his answer.

“I drew first blood, so…” He holds out his hand, Lucas’ eyes scanning him head to toe for any signs of a lie. 

The Sinclair sighs, thinking it over. “Okay, I’ll shake. On one condition.” He crosses his arms and stands tall. “We forget the weirdo and go straight to the gate.”

“Then the deal’s off!” Mike scoffs, and turns around to leave.

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

“No, no, not fine!” Dustin said, stopping Lucas from closing the door.

“Guys, seriously?” Steve said, blocking Mike from taking another step. “Stop acting like you’re six, and talk it out like your age.”

“Come on!” Dustin claps his hands together, tackling this head on. “Do you even remember what happened on the Bloodstone Pass?” He watches his friends stare in confusion and sighs. “We couldn’t agree on what path to take, so we split up the party and those trolls took us out one by one. And it all went to shit. And we were all disabled! So we stick together, no matter what!”

His little speech managed to knock some sense into them, and all seemed hopeful till…

“Yeah, I agree.” Lucas said, and gestured to everyone. “But this is the party, right here. The three of us.”

“El is one of us now.” Mike said, as he got an eye roll for a reply.

“Um, no, she’s not. Not even close! Never will be. She’s a liar, a traitor–”

“She was just trying to keep us safe! She didn’t mean to hurt you. It was an accident!”

He scoffs. “An accident?”

“All right, accident or not… admit it, it was a little awesome.” Dustin said, unintentionally digging a bigger hole in the ground for them.

Lucas blinks (with Steve face palming in the background). “Awesome?”

“Yeah, she threw you in the air with her mind!”

“I could have been killed!”

“Which is exactly why we need her. She’s a weapon!” Mike explains. “Do you seriously wanna fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket? That’s like R2-D2 going to fight Darth Vader. We’re no use to Will and Steph if we’re dead.”

Lucas shakes his head, clearly frustrated, clearly fed up. “If you two and Steve wanna waste your time looking for a traitor, go ahead, ’cause I’m not spending my time on her anymore. No way! I’m going to the gate. I’m gonna find them.”

And the door slams shut.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

It took a bit to get up to Bloomington but they made it; That’s all that matters. Hopper parked his car on the gravel driveway, him and Joyce getting out and cautiously moving towards the front door of the residence. It took several knocks until a petite blonde woman answered. She seemed on her toes just like they were.

“Can I help you?” 

“Hi, we’re looking for Terry Ives. Does she live here?” Hopper asks.

Her brown eyes darted between them. “Who’s asking?”

“The Hawkins chief of police.” He flashes her his badge long enough to give her a good look.

“And… you want to talk to my sister?”

“Well, if your sister’s Terry Ives, then, yeah, we do.”

She frowns, looking a bit apologetic. “Okay, well, you can come in, but if you want Terry to tell you anything, you’re about five years too late.” She lets him and guides them to the living room. “Terry, you have some visitors.”

Joyce presence herself in front of the woman in the rocking chair, the similarities in their features were enough to tell the Byers that these two were definitely sisters. 

“Hello. My name’s Joyce Byers. Uh, this is Hopper.” She begins, the woman turning her distant gaze off the TV towards them. “We drove over from Hawkins. Um, you see, uh, my son… he’s been missing for almost a week now, and, um, we were wondering if we could talk to you about your daughter, Jane? If there’s anything that you could tell us about when she was taken…”

“What was your relationship with Dr. Brenner? You guys keep in touch?” Hopper asked, observing from the doorway carefully.

Joyce fumbles with trying to unfold the picture for a second. “This is, uh... this is him. This is Will. Uh, you may have seen him on... on the news. Uh…”

Hopper casts his gaze to the relative, confused/concerned. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I told you, you’re wasting your time.” She replies, sadly.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

The four shopping carts rolled inside with ease, the duo looking around the place, that long been abandoned in their world, that they found use for. Stephanie nods after a while, the trap she thought of earlier was now fully registered.

“Yep. This is the place.” She said, while slinging the guns off her shoulders and putting them to the side.

“Where do we set it up?” Will asked, still not picturing it like she is.

“Everywhere. Let’s leave no square inch untouched.” She locks eyes with him. “And then we’re going to practice, over and over so we don’t get caught in them. Alright?”

“Right.”

“Good. Let’s get everything out. There’s no telling when the Demogorgon will return.” They’re both running out of time. For their sake, their sanity, they have to find a way out soon or they’re done for. So, thus starts the grueling process of trap making.

Will made sure to listen carefully as she explained what needed to be where – where to pour the gasoline, where to stick the trip wire, where to hide, etc. And they did practice like she said, in one area that was a pool of alcohol and gasoline just below where the broken bell tower stood, she showed him where to step on the bricks in order to not get any liquid on them. It was hard, especially when he knows they’re going to be running instead of walking when the Demogorgon does show up, but damn it to hell! He will not mess this up. He’s going to stay calm and stick to the plan that he wholeheartedly believes is going to work. 

Will finds himself setting aside another Molotov cocktail, before looking over at his companion. She was in the zone trying to saw their shotguns in half, which is a very hefty task on hand. The silence was starting to get to him a bit though, and there was still a… lingering question that was bothering him and wanted to ask, but should he? Or was it safer to make something else up? He ponders as he grabs an empty bottle before deciding to just come out and say it. What’s the worst she can do? Say no?

“Hey, Steph?”

“Yeah?” She said, eyes still trained on what’s in her hands.

“I have to ask again, but…” Should he back out? Should he–

“What is it?”

Well, here goes nothing. He takes a deep, quiet breath and says, “What happened between you and Steve?” She immediately pauses her actions, making him shrink quickly, like he was flinching away from someone’s attack. “You don’t have to tell me, I know it’s a touchy–”

“It’s fine. Really.” She meets his gaze. “I think I probably should talk about it with someone. Especially after the whole… floating-mind game I was in. I saw… a lot of memories of him.”

He fiddles with his hands nervously, curiously. “So…”

Stephanie sighs, her face flashing with pain. “I don’t know. One day he just pretended he didn’t know me.”

He blinks. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes grow distant as she recalls everything. “I remember that day clearly. We would always meet up in the doorways at school, and he wasn’t there that day. Mind you, we were both getting older, more responsibilities were being added onto us; And it was around the same time Steve was really getting into sports, so I thought maybe he was talking to one of his coaches.”

Another sigh before continuing, “Eventually, I found him, ran up to him, and I noticed he looked a bit sad so I asked him if he was okay. He told me he didn’t know who I was.” She catches the boy starting to look as hurt as she was. “I thought at first, maybe he was upset at me over something, so I tried all day to ask him what was up, and when the school day ended he just told me he has no idea who I am and why I’m bothering him and… left. We’ve never spoken again after that. Our… ten years of friendship ended just like that.”

Well…

Jesus H. Christ.

Will had no idea how to respond to this.

“Wow. What a…” He shook his head. “What a douchebag.”

She chuckles dryly. “Yeah, well, he wasn’t always like that. He’s not like what he is now. Trust me.” Then there was a bit of anger in her next words. “I suspected his parents might have threatened him with something to break our friendship. But I don’t know. Could be wrong about that.”

Will gives her a confused look. “What do you mean by that?”

She frowns, but it wasn’t directed at the said teenager. “Let me tell you a bit about Steve. He comes from a line of… rich people. Generational wealth. And due to this they have certain standards. Standards that Steve has to follow to the T.”

He blinks again, thinking. “But…” Another head shake. “But Mike’s family is not like that. I mean I know they’re not as rich as Steve’s, but still.”

“Well, a lot has to do with how Mike’s parents were raised. Not to mention, even though it might not seem like it sometimes, Karen and Ted do love each other in some way. And they really love their kids, and want nothing but the best for them. Tough and nurturing, in a healthy way.” Steph’s frown deepens. “But as for Steve’s, that nurturing and toughness goes a bit differently. Not exactly healthy.”

“How so?” Will asked, on the edge but invested in this tale.

Steph gives it some thought on how she should move forward. She had really only one story that would make sense of it all (or at least it wasn’t as violent as some of the other ones). She sets her stuff down, giving him her full attention now.

“I might have mentioned it to Dustin, or you guys, how I met Steve. Right?” She asks, waiting to confirm.

“Yeah. You said it was school.”

“But I never told anyone the full story. Not even Dustin or my mom knows.” She bites her lip and adverts her eyes for a split second. “Not even Steve knows.”

He tilts his head. “How does that work?”

She takes a deep breath. “It was probably a few weeks before the school year ended, and my class was to make cards to celebrate Mother’s day that was coming up. I remember being really excited about it. I drew my card, school ended and now I had to wait to be picked up. My mom mentioned earlier she might run behind because of work, but no biggie, I didn’t mind waiting.”

She could still picture it, holding her card close and humming a tune to herself as she waited and waited outside in front of the entrance of the Elementary school (The good old days, she calls it).

Stephanie was fiddling with her own hands now as she continued, “Kids started leaving one-by-one, and soon as I was the only one left. Or so I thought. I… suddenly heard this arguing, it was very loud, very terrible sounding, and… curiously I went to check it out, and there he was. Him and his mom. And… she’s yelling at him, telling him how crappy the card was, and how it should’ve been better, or this what he should have done, etc. And–” She swallows, hands tightening together. “Steve’s on the verge of tears, and he’s trying to come up with an explanation for her, and he promises he’ll do better and… um…”

“What?” He says, a bit scared for what was next. Especially when he saw the haunting look on her face.

“She… slaps him. Right across the face. And it was one of those slaps you know it hurt just by the sound of it.” His eyes widened. “Then, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the car.” She sighs and shifts in her seat. “I was so shocked by it, ‘cause I never witnessed something like that before, so…”  She shakes her head with a small groan. “God. I think at first I… I befriended him because it was out of pity, but that soon went away quickly. We became two peas in the pod in just one day. Never, ever alone.”

“That’s…” He was lost for words. “That’s so awful– So wrong. W-Why would they think that’ll make things better?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“But…” His fingers clenched his pants legs like a nervous tick. “D-Did they do anything else? We’re they always like that?”

Stephanie’s face morphed into total sadness now. “Listen, there’s a lot of stories I can’t tell you about his parents. They’re not exactly… kid friendly, to put it lightly. But yeah, they’ve done a lot of that, and a hell lot more.”

“Jesus.”

“But that’s why we worked together so well, Will. We complimented each other. He had shitty parents, and I was dealing with a shitty dad. We both helped each other navigate around that.” And ain’t that the truth. “But, besides all that negative stuff, he was a great kid. Me? I was a quiet kid, like you. I kept to myself most of the time, but Steve helped me come out of my shell. As for Steve? I helped him live a little, I helped him have a life that his parents never wanted him to have.”

“T-Then they should be grateful!” He says, sitting up straighter, more lively in his seat. “Y-You befriended their son. You were always there for him.”

“Will–”

“You helped him. Why should they be so upset about all this?”

She gives him a pitiful look for his sweet little heart he had. “Because I wasn’t perfect.” Her throat suddenly felt like it wanted to close up. “I wasn’t rich, I was a wild card. I had a sad, workaholic mother who was trying to keep us afloat, and a father that gambling 24/7 to the point we almost went bankrupt. There were a lot of cons in their eyes compared to the pros, which is probably zero.”

Despite the reasons, Will still couldn’t understand. She did nothing wrong! They should be mad at her. “But you were their son’s friend. That shouldn’t matter.”

She smiles just a tad and says, “You’re so sweet. I wish more people in the world could be like you. That’s why…” How does she cheer him up? “You gotta marry someone who is as kind hearted as you. So the legacy lives on.”

He snorts (Bingo!). “You sound like my mom.”

“Well, she’s not wrong.” She smirks. “But… I’ll tell you something funny about Steve. Maybe you can use it against him since he’s dating Mike’s sister.”

“And what’s that?” He asks, skeptical. 

“Guess what his middle name is?”

“Mmm… I don’t know. What?”

She grins. “Steven Grant Harrington.”

“Steven Grant–” He gasps. “Captain America!”

“Yep.” Steph chuckles. “Captain America. I remember when Steve told me his name, I started laughing. He was confused and I told him the truth. At first he was a little mad, but when I explained who Captain America was he seemed cool with it.”

“That’s awesome.”

“If you ever want to tease him, just call him Grant.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely remember that.” He finds himself smiling too and picking back up the empty bottle to continue his work. “My name’s Jacob.”

She perks up. “Jacob?”

“Named after my mom’s father.”

“That’s sweet. I’m Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth?”

“My mom is a huge Elizabeth Taylor fan. I’m honestly surprised that wasn’t my first name.”

“Where does Stephanie come from?”

“Grandmother. At least that’s what she told me. But who knows? Knowing my mom… she got it off some cheesy magazine about cats.”

That seemed to do the trick for cheering him up because Will broke into a belly laugh that she hasn’t heard in a while. To her, besides “Separate Ways”, this was probably the best music she’s heard in a long time.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“This is weird without Lucas.” Dustin finally said after a long period of silence in the car. It felt weird, super weird not having all of his friends together at once. It already felt weird when Will disappeared, but now there’s no Lucas? Not much of a group anymore.

“He should’ve shaken my hand.” Mike said, just as Steve scolded him not to put his feet on his dashboard.

“He’s just jealous.”

Mike’s face morphed into confusion as he turned his whole body around to look in the backseat. “What are you talking about?” 

Dustin sighs. “Sometimes, your total obliviousness just blows my mind. He’s your best friend, right?”

“Yeah... I mean, I-I don’t know.”

“It’s fine. I get it. I didn’t start going to our school until the fourth grade.” He looks away, not wanting Mike to see the hurt in his eyes. Except Steve did. He caught his gaze in the rearview mirror and frowned. 

Damn it.

He forgot Steve knew the reason he didn’t go to public school right away thanks to his sister. 

He tries to act tough and tell him off. “I don’t need your pity Harrington, alright?” The tone made Steve break away and Mike give him the strangest look ever again.

Damn.

Damn this situation. 

Dustin sighs. “He had the advantage of living next door. But none of that matters. What matters is that he is your best friend.” He swallows. “And then this girl shows up and starts living in your basement, and all you ever want to do is pay attention to her.”

“That’s not true.” Mike reassures him. 

“Yes, it is. And you know it. And he knows it. But no one ever says anything until you both start punching and yelling at each other like goblins with intelligence scores of zero. Now everything’s weird.”

“He’s not my best friend.”

Dustin laughs. “Yeah, right.”

Mike sighs, reaching over to tap in the arm to get his attention. “I mean, he is, but so are you. And so is Will.”

“Can’t have more than one best friend.”

“Says who?”

“Says logic.”

“Well, I call bull on your logic, because you’re my best friend, too.”

Dustin notices his genuine expression and smiles, satisfied with the reply. “Okay.”

“Okay.” 

“Uh, hey, guys.” Steve interrupts, slowing the car down a little as the past pays a local grocery store. All eyes were on the front, spotting how the automatic doors were shattered and there were boxes of food laying around the parking lot filled with men in blue. “So… I’m assuming that might be…?”

Mike nods. “Uh... definitely. We’re going in the right direction then.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The sister, Becky, brought them to the kitchen table, offering them cigarettes and some water while promising to explain. “She was a part of some study in college.”

“MK Ultra?” Hopper asks, getting a nod.

“Yeah, that’s the one.” She sighs. “Was, uh, started in the ’50s. By the time Terry got involved, it was supposed to be ramping down, but the drugs just got crazier. Messed her up good.”

“This was the CIA that ran this?”

Becky stared at for a second before a small smirk bestowed on her face. “You and Terry would’ve gotten along. ‘The Man’, with a big capital ‘M’.” Another sigh. “They’d pay... you know, a couple hundred bucks to people like my sister, give ’em drugs, psychedelics. LSD, mostly. And then they’d strip her naked and put her in these isolation tanks.”

“Isolation tanks?” Joyce asked after sparing a look with Hopper.

“Yeah.” She nods and stares explaining with her hands. “These big bathtubs, basically, filled with salt water, so you can float around in there. You lose any sense of, uh… sense and feel nothing, see nothing. They wanted to expand the boundaries of the mind. Real hippie crap. I... I mean, it’s not like they were forcing her to do any of this stuff. The thing is, though, is that she didn’t know she was pregnant at the time.”

“Jane.” Joyce whispers, getting another nod. She takes in a sharp inhale and asks, “Do you have any pictures of her?”

Becky paled and made sure they were both listening carefully. “I don’t think you guys understand. Terry miscarried in the third trimester.” Her words were like a knife to their heart, catching them both completely off guard.

“What?” Hopper said without realizing it at first.

“Come.” She says, standing up and making them follow. She takes them to a bedroom, a baby room, filled with a crib, toys, and anything else a newborn needs. “She keeps all of this up. Been doing it for 12 years.” She takes a seat, allowing them to walk around and observe. “Terry, uh, pretends like Jane is real, like she’s gonna come home someday. Says she’s special. Born with ‘abilities’.”

“Abilities?” Joyce asked, confused.

“You read any Stephen King?” Becky asks, surprising them again. She laughs. “You guys look scared, actually. I mean, it’s all make-believe.”

“What... what kind of abilities?”

“Telepathy, telekinesis… You know, shit you can do with your mind. That’s why the big, bad Man stole Jane away. Her baby’s a weapon, off fighting the commies.” She takes a long puff of her cigarette, frowning. “You know, the doctors all say it’s a coping mechanism. You know, to deal with the guilt.”

Joyce locks eyes with Hopper again before continuing, “Do you think there is any chance she could be telling the truth? Ab-About having had the kid.”

“There is no birth certificate, nothing from the hospital. Doctors and nurses all confirm that she miscarried.”

“Yeah, but that could’ve been covered up.” Hopper says, straightening up. “Right?”

Becky smirks again. “Like I said, you and Terry would’ve gotten along.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After Jonathan explained what Hopper had found to Nancy, sure enough, his mother’s hunch was right. The eldest Wheeler needed some answers, and wasn’t going home until she got them. So he took up his mother’s suggestion and decided to stock up on ammo, getting ready for whatever comes next. 

“Monster Hunting?” He teased, as they came out of the store with a few boxes. He was poking fun at her response to the clerk asking why they were buying so much, and could help but laugh.

Nancy cracks a smile as she pops the trunk. “You know, last week… I was shopping for a new top I thought Steve might like. It took me and Barb all weekend. It seemed like life or death, you know? And... and now–”

“You’re shopping for shotgun shells with Jonathan Byers.”

“Yeah.” She chuckles.

“What’s the weirdest part? Me or the ammo?”

She gives him a playful look and says, “You. It’s definitely you.” Then their little moment was immediately ruined when someone honked their horn and rolled their window down to shout:

“Hey, Nance! Can’t wait to see your movie.” 

The highschoolers laughed as they drove off quicker, stunning them both.

“What the hell was that?” Jonathan asked, as she shrugged. But then it hit her. “What?” She suddenly takes off. “Wait! Where are you going? Nancy!”

It didn’t take long for him to catch up, finding her staring up at the local theater sign. The movie that was playing was called: “ALL THE RIGHT MOVES”, and was followed by a very unpleasant word mixed into her name that was written in bright red spray paint. 

“Oh, Jesus.” He mutters, but before he could apply any comfort, she stormed off again. “Nancy!” He followed her again, this time down an alleyway where he saw all the douchebags of high school were standing around and giggling. 

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Nancy yells, getting their attention. 

Tommy, the one who had the spray paint can, takes center stage with a cocky look and attitude. “Well if isn’t the star of the show.” His eyes then trail to Jonathan. “And the devil himself. How we all doing?”

Nancy grits her teeth and smacks him across the face, the crowd ‘ooh-ing’ as he takes it like a champ. “What the fuck are you doing? Why would you write that?”

“‘Cause it’s the truth. You… have one fight with your Boyfriend and suddenly he’s not good enough for you, huh?”

“What?”

“What did you say to him? What was so bad that he suddenly isn’t showing up to school anymore? Or…” He jerks his thumb in Jonathan’s way. “How you just decided that the weirdo is better than the King? Come on.”

“Seriously?” Nancy scoffs. “You think I’m the reason that Steve’s not showing up at school? Unlike you, I’ve actually called him and even went to his house, to which he told me specifically that he was fine. Why hasn’t he been showing up? I don’t know! Maybe because he had to attend an old friend’s funeral yesterday?”

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

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

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

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

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

Then they all started laughing at the cruel joke it was, and Nancy was ready to go off when Jonathan took her by the arm and started stringing her away.

“Let’s go.” He says, calmly, but the bullies weren’t done yet.

“You know what, Byers? I’m actually kind of impressed.” Tommy says, trailing them. “I always took you for a queer, but I guess you’re just a screw up like your father.” He shoves him forward. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, that fucking house full of screw-ups. You know, we shouldn’t be surprised. A bunch of screw-ups in your family.”

“Tommy, stop.” Nancy hisses, as he shoves Jonathan again.

“I mean, your mom– I’m not even surprised what happened to your brother.”

“Tommy! Shut up!”

“I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you, but the Byers, their family, it’s a disgrace to the entire–”

And that was the final straw as Jonathan turns around and sucker punches Tommy in the face. It took a brief second for him to recognize he got hit before all hell broke loose. So much so…

That this day ended with one of them in handcuffs.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The leaves crushed beneath their feets as they continue their trek along the train tracks, occasionally yelling the girl’s name. From where the trashed grocery store was, it laid directly near the forest that they’ve been wandering for a while now – staying in the direction they think she went. It shouldn’t be that hard then, right? Wrong. Going in one freaking direction didn’t seem that bad, but the tall trees didn’t seem to end any time soon. And what if she broke off? What if she went some other way? Then what? How many days will it take for them to comb the area until they find something? 

This all feels so… pointless. Steve admits in his thought. I mean, he probably combed at least nothing less than a quarter of forest last night, and he didn’t find anything! Nothing to point him in the right direction. And now, he and the boys actually had a lead and… nothing. Nothing at all. As much as the tiny voice in his head telling him to stop and go home, he knows Eleven’s the only way of finding their loved ones. 

And that is if she wants to help us after all this. He frowns, thinking about that. What if they find her and she blows them off? Then what? Do they just truly forget about her and move on? Nah… 

He knows that’s not the right answer either. But what if–

“Should we split up?” Mike asked, knocking the teenager back into reality.

“Absolutely not.” Steve immediately says, as they all slow down to talk. “Like I told you guys, whoever’s involved in this is not afraid to get their hands dirty.”

The kid sighs, remembering. “Yeah. You’re right. I forgot…”

“But what if we do?” Dustin said, shrugging.

Steve squares up and stands his ground quickly, prepared for an argument again. “Henderson–”

“No, seriously. What if we do? We can get it done quicker.”

“No. No splitting up.”

“We’ll get done–”

“I don’t care if it’ll get done quicker. We’re staying together. End of story.” Steve finishes, as he starts walking again alongside Mike.

“Then what do you expect us to do, Steve?” Dustin snaps, stopping them all once more.

“What?”

“You said it yourself, you checked the woods last night and didn’t find a thing! And that was just around the junkyard.”

“And your point being?”

“Yeah, man. What’s this about?” Mike asked, confused.

“This place is huge!” The curly haired boy yelled, throwing his arms out. “And you think just the three of us are going to cover it all today?”

Steve blinks, more puzzled by the question than the attitude. “Well… no. Of course not–”

“Then we should split up! Cover more ground.”

“Henderson–”

“Look, it’ll be easy. You continued this way, Mike goes left, I go right, and then–”

“Oh, my god– we are NOT splitting up!” Steve explodes, silencing him. “You can argue with me all you want, but it’s not going to happen. We are going to keep looking together, or you can march your butt straight back to the car and we’re done. Got it?!”

The boys stay quiet, Steve’s flushed face turning normal before walking away, Mike on his heels once more.

Dustin chuckles dryly under his breath. “You’re so useless…”

“What was that?” Steve perked up, slowing down again.

“You’re useless. Here I am having a solution to our problem, and you don’t want to take it.”

The eldest scoffed. “I am not useless. And only turned down your ‘solution’ because it’s too dangerous.”

“So what if it’s dangerous? This whole thing has been dangerous since the beginning!” The boy yells, throwing his hands in the air. “Will and Phanie taking a gun, a girl with real life superpowers, fake bodies, other worlds leaking into ours– this whole thing has been dangerous! So we might as well continue dipping our toes into it!”

Mike cuts in quickly after noticing the tension in the teenager’s form. “Dustin, I know you determined to find Stephanie, but maybe–”

“No, Mike! No ‘Maybes’! We should be taking risks at this point! I mean–” Dustin groans. “God!” He points at the oldest. “You’re so fucking stupid! I-I don’t know how or why my sister ever cared for you. I don’t know why she still cares for you! It’s so… fucking bizarre!”

“Dude…”

His response made Steve scoff again, trying to play it cool. “What are you even talking about? She doesn’t care about me.”

“Oh, yeah?” Dustin said, hands on his hips to look stern. “Well… news flash Harrington, she does. Even after what you did, she still gave a damn about you.”

“I…” What is he going on about? “That’s… that’s not possible.”

“Well, here then!” He digs around into his pocket, and fiercely tosses something at him. “Is that enough proof for you?” 

Steve manages to catch it before it hits him in the chest. Expecting something completely different, of course that gold chain with a red pendant catches him off guard. A gift he gave to her many years ago for her birthday… one that she still had.

She… kept this? He was so surprised he didn’t notice Dustin moving past him, beckoning for his friend to follow. Mike hesitates for a second, feeling empathy towards the older teen before he ends up leaving with his head hung low. His thumb brushes over the initials, swallowing hard as his heart clenches at the memories.

“Oh, yeah?” He shouts, turning around in their direction bitterly. “I’m still going to look for Eleven, you shitheads! And you’re going to regret going off on your own!” He doesn’t know why he half expected them to stop and turn around, but it was enough to make him cuss and go another way.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Joyce closed the car door a little more than she should have before covering her face with her trembling hands. This did… not go as planned as they thought.

“Hey…” Hopper interrupts her thoughts, softly. 

She sniffles. “What?”

“We’re gonna find him.”

“Yeah, like Terry found her daughter?”

He swallows, subtly, trying to keep it together – to be the strong one right now. “We’re close.”

She shakes her head. “B-But Tw-Twelve years? Twelve years she’s been looking for her and– oh god. Stephanie. W-We… we have to look for her too, and–”

“And then Jane shows up at Benny’s five nights ago, which means we’ve got a chance.” He inhales. “You know what I would give? For a chance? You know what I would give?”

“Hop–”

She was cut off by the sound of his walkie’s static, followed by Callahan’s voice. 

[ ‘Hey, Chief, you there? Hey, Chief?’ ]

He fishes it from his side, hitting the button. “Yeah, go ahead.”

[ ‘Yeah, a fight broke out here and–’ ]

Hopper bites his lip. “Cal, I don’t have time for this–”

[ ‘It’s Jonathan Byers.’ ]

Well that stopped him from hanging up. Him and Joyce both froze and looked at each other with confusion. 

[ ‘Uh, you haven’t seen Joyce, have you?’ ]

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

After shouting her name for a while, Mike nervously decided to ask, “Don’t you think that was a bit harsh?”

“What?” Dustin glances at him. “Do you think it was?”

“Uh… yeah.” He shrugs. “A little.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“Dude–” Mike stops them both. “Listen, I get it. You’re upset ‘cause he hurt your sister. But you don’t think it’s weird he’s helping us then?”

Dustin tilts his head, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” How does he put this? “I mean, have you ever wondered why he stopped being friends with your sister? Like… did he have a reason for it?”

“Mike–” The warning starts.

“Here me out.” He holds his hands up. “What if he had to? What if he didn’t want to stop being friends but he had too? I mean, if he just broke the friendship because he hated her, then why is he here helping us? Have you ever thought of that?”

Well…

Of course not. 

His eyes widened at it, at the slim possibility that there may have been a reason for all this. But just as he says his friend’s name, Mike froze at a sound.

“Do you hear that?”

“What?”

“El!” Mike looks around, hopefully. “El!” 

But as the leaves kept rustling around, the sound getting closer, he had waited for the girl to come out from behind the trees and…

Totally not a pissed off Troy and James.

“Hey, there, Frogface.” Troy hissed, popping open his switchblade.

“Toothless.” James grinned maliciously. 

“Shit!” Dustin screams, hitting his friend in the arm to make him go. “Run, Mike! Run! Come on!”

The bullies take off after them yelling, “You’re dead, Wheeler. You’re dead, Henderson! DEAD!!”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, back at the police station, Nancy was waiting impatiently (Both wanting to leave, and wanting the front desk lady take forever to make an ice pack).

“Do you think we’ll be out of here soon?” She finally asked.

“You, yes. Him, no. He assaulted a police officer.” Flo explained, her reply was unsatisfying.

“Well, how long are you gonna keep him?”

“You and your boyfriend have big plans, do you?”

Nancy shakes her head and laughs. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Flo gives her a look. “I think you better tell him that.”

“What?”

“Only love makes you that crazy, sweetheart.” Flo hands her the homemade ice pack. “And that damn stupid.”

When she leaves the words lingered in her head more than she thought they would have. She has a boyfriend for Christ’s sake! They shouldn’t be making her think too much about her and Jonathan’s relationship…

Right?

“Found some ice.” Nancy says, as she walks up to where he’s sitting – handcuffed to one of the officer’s desks. She smiles, trying to hide the thoughts as he locks eyes with her.

“Thanks.” He says, leaning into the ice pack as she holds up to his bruised side. It doesn’t take a genius to know that something was bothering her, prompting him to ask, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She reassures him, reassures herself. “Everything’s fine.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE OTHER SIDE ||

“Everything okay?” Will asks, as he finishes loading the last of the ammo up when Stephanie reenters the building.

“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” She says, nodding. “Alright, the wire is set around the building. Whatever direction the Demogorgon comes from we’ll know. That should give us a good starting point towards a gate.”

“Right.” Just as he said that, their little decoy light flickered on and off rather quickly. They locked eyes with each other, the girl mouthing, ‘Be Ready.’

“I’m going to check a trap real quick.” Steph says the code word, before disappearing.

“Sounds good.” Will takes a deep breath, reminding himself to stay strong and not stray from their plan. We got this. We got this. It’s going to work, and we’re going home.

He turns away from the open space of the room, facing the wall. His eyes trail to the shotgun hidden by his feet, the light flickering again, telling him to start kneeling to the floor. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stick up, a low growl from somewhere behind him as he acts like he’s fixing the light to stay on. He felt the presence move closer and closer, he could hear the boney fingers cracking open, its face slowly doing the same. Just when he notices the shadow looming overing him, he shouts,

“STEPHANIE!”

The girl suddenly comes out of her hiding spot and slashes the nearest hand clean off. A shriek erupted from the beast, and just before it could retaliate, Will took a shot with the gun – officially starting their trap. Will took shot after shot, while Steph swung the axe into places she could get, ultimately backing the beast into some wiring, evidently knocking it over temporarily. 

“Let’s go!” She shouted, and they were off on a run… and soon was the Demogorgon. 

Just like they had practiced, they ran across the stepping stones with ease, heading for the stairs as the beast bathed itself in a concoction of liquid death. About a quarter of the way up, she swung the axe high and skillfully hacked some rope in half, her and Will covering their heads with their elbows to protect themselves from the raining shards of glass and nail from the tarp they put up. The Demogorgon shrills again and tries to navigate through the sharp storm.

Will takes a good look back at the girl and asks, “You ready?”

“Yep. Let’s finish this.” She replies, getting a nod and a flash of determination as they continue to run all the way to the top. 

The Demogorgon was met with Molotov cocktail after Molotov cocktail, courtesy of the Byers boy, bidding enough time for Steph to slip by to the other side of the tower without falling. With the rope in her hand, she signals the boy she’s done, and switches roles with him. Dropping the axe and taking the hand gun from her side and starts firing. Will takes this chance to move away, grabbing the other end of the rope and begin entangling it.

Their plan was to trip it over the edge, falling back below to the toxic pool – but I guess cutting off its hand seemed to fuel its rage as the tripping technique doesn’t seem to be effecting it like they hope. The Demogoron thrashed its good arm around, managing to nick Will in the bicep.

“Will!” Steph shouts, her worries making her loosen her grip. She almost gets sliced as well, having just enough to react and jump backwards. The rope slips from her hands, her body stumbling into the wall, the beast taking an opportunity to charge. She scramblings out of the way, running to the other corner to scoop up the shotgun they placed there, and fires away.

“Stephanie!” Will yells, scaredly. No. This wasn’t the plan. They need to get that thing to fall or they can’t finish it off. But how? Their tripping plan didn’t work? Come on, come on, come on! Think! What else?

His eyes frantically looked around, they had weapons, they had rope, what else? And that’s when he finally noticed it. 

The bell! He mentally gasps, getting an idea. “Stephanie!!” He shouts her name, and starts running to scoop up the discarded axe. “Get as close to the edge as you can!!”

Steph didn’t question it, knowing she didn’t have many options left in store. She starts aiming directly at the face, hoping her shots make it as she stands her ground. If she gets hurt by the Demogorgon, she gets hurt. Trusting her little partner in crime, she kept pelting it until she noticed where its footing was, and took another shot in its mouth. Then, using all the strength she could, she uses the butt of the gun to strike it, its heels dipping right over the edge–

Will lets out a yell of frustration as he swings the axe right into the rope that was holding the bell up. Snapping and dropping almost immediately, it manages to clip the Demogorgon, sending it free falling to the floor. It screams all the way down, the two of them meeting to look at their results. The pair watches as the beast tries clawing the broken bell of its lower half – splashing the alcohol and gasoline around, re-bathing itself in it.

Without muttering a word to one another, Stephanie digs out a lighter, switching it on; No hesitation as she lets it slip out of her fingers. The impact of the lighter caused the place to shake a little, the heat from the flames were so intense that she ended up shielding the boy’s face when it landed. 

Its scream turned up by a hundred as they made it down the stairs, carefully avoiding the flames until they came to a safe spot. Sure enough, the Demogorgon was definitely Barbequing now. They could smell the burnt flesh, its discolored blood spilling out, and becoming weaker and weaker, all as they watched with disgust on their faces.

Fill with unexplained rage, Stephanie, who had one last load in the chamber, takes a step forward. Then another… then another… then another, the flames itching to get her too. The Demogorgon’s hand flopped around on the ground in its poor attempts to get her, its mouth opening for one last weak scream–

She sticks the short barrel in the center of it, the shells doing its job as the trigger pops. 

Droplets doused her face, letting the gun fall along with its head, the creature officially not moving anymore.

Now they’re outside, the flames still could be seen through the murky stained glass window. The two of them just stared at it, dirty clothes and tired eyes, stomach grumbling from their worked up appetite. However, they weren’t done just yet.

“Just in case?” Will broke the ice first, looking at her with a blank expression that she returns.

“Just in case.” She repeats, before fishing out another lighter. “Care to do the honors?”

He takes it with his bruised hand, flickering it on and watching it for a second before throwing it at the foot of the building. The line of gasoline they poured around it erupted like fireworks, like…

Like it was their grand finale. A big old ‘Fuck You’ to this shitty place.

But despite the wave of emotions, the one of disgust, then nothingness… It soon ended with them laughing and crying of pure relief that they could finally breathe in a place like this.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve was this close to picking a fight with a freaking oak tree. He knew he shouldn’t get mad, I mean… Dustin did have a point about splitting up, but he knew he couldn’t risk that. He saw whomever these people were not afraid to get their hands dirty, and couldn’t risk anything happening to these kids but…

Jesus.

Dustin was really pissing him off. But he also wasn’t pissed off? The necklace he threw at him, the very one he gifted to the older Henderson all those years ago, the one he was for sure had been thrown in the trash at this point, was now in the palm of his hand, was fucking taunting him now?! I mean, Steve kept a box of things that he got on his and Steph’s adventures, but that was him. He thought after breaking her heart at school, he was sure that she would have trashed everything he’s given her over the years.

I guess he was wrong about that.

He rubbed his face with his hands, biting his lip as guilt started creeping back. It was guilt about their friendship, but there was also some that came from the boys he decided to freaking abandon moments ago.

Abandon. He just abandoned those kids because he was mad! Them being assholes or not, he should’ve been the grown up here and stood his ground despite if it meant potentially strangling Henderson. I mean what if something happens to them? How the hell would he explain that to their parents?

He completely stops, mentally slapping himself. “God. What the fuck am I thinking?”

Just as Steve was about to turn around and go looking, he heard something. He carefully looks around, starting to think he imagines it until he swears there was a person like shadow casting out from behind a nearby tree.

“Eleven?” He takes a hopeful small step forward. “I know that’s you. I can see your shadow.” That statement was enough to confirm it when the shadow moved slightly and the leaves rustled quietly. “Hey, can you come out? I just want to talk.”

But what did he expect? Just for her to come out and run into his arms? No. Of course not. However she was right there, just four steps ahead, and he’s not losing her this time.

“Listen, I’m not mad, okay? And I’m not just saying that so you can come out. I mean it. And…” How does he word this? “I don’t know why you chose to mess up the compass, you clearly had a reason, a reason I kind of agree with Wheeler, I think you wanted to protect us. Why? From? I don’t know, but I want to know. You have to tell me, you have to tell us.”

Please say something. Or move a bit so I know you’re acknowledging me. But neither of that happens, so he keeps going.

“I promise you, none of us are going to be angry. But you have to understand, time is of the essence right now, we have to find Stephanie, we have to find Will. So…” He knows his voice trembled at the end, but who cares. Maybe the honesty will help his case. “Please. Will you come out? Come out and talk to me? Please, Eleven?”

It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Or in this case…

Screaming.

Steve’s head snapped in the direction of where he just came from, the familiarity of the screams made his stomach drop.

“Shit.” He mutters, looking one last time at the tree before taking off, hoping he isn’t too late for whatever reason they’re screaming for. Him running away was the missing chance of him seeing the girl’s gaze on him with a frightful face, wondering too what is happening to her friends.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The boys were running out of steam fast. It didn’t take long until their bullies had surrounded them, just off a trail that wraps around the whole quarry. With their stomach turning, and their hearts pounding in their ears, they scooped up any “weapons” they could find for defense.

“Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” Mike said, before chucking a rock at James.

The bully laughed at the terrible aim. “Nice throw, numbnuts.”

Dustin, in one last attempt to fight them off, comes full swinging at Troy with his stick – a complete fail too. Now, he was struggling to break free from his hold, as the switchblade was placed just under his chin, causing him to freak out.

“Let him go!” Mike yells, urgently. “Let him go!”

“Stay back, or I cut him!” Troy snaps.

“What do you want?!”

“I want to know how you did it!”

“How I did what?”

“I know you did something to me. Some nerdy science shit to make me do that!”

Mike almost rolled his eyes at the statement. “You mean piss your pants?”

Dustin, being Dustin, replies with, “Our friend has superpowers, and she squeezed your tiny bladder with her mind.”

“Shut up!” Troy grits his teeth, bringing the blade closer to his face. “I think I should save Toothless here a trip to the dentist. Help him lose the rest of his baby teeth.”

“Let him go.” Mike says again. “Let him go!”

“I’ll let him go, sure. But first... it’s your turn.”

“My turn for what?”

“Wet yourself.”

“What?”

“Jump…” Troy’s eyes gesture to the open water below. “Or Toothless here gets an early trip to the dentist.”

“NO!!” Dustin shouts, shaking his head, trying to wiggle out of the hold. “Stop! No! No!”

“Or I’ll cut him right now!” He continues, the blade now resting right on his lips, causing his hostage to whimper.

Mike shook with anger, but he had no choice. He didn’t want to be the cause of his friend getting hurt. “All right, just hold on!” He says, looking between the bullies as he starts walking away. “Hold on!”

“Mike, don’t do it. I don’t need my baby teeth, Mike! Mike, seriously, don’t!” His friend pleas, but he’s not listening as he gets closer and closer to the edge, stopping just as his toes went past the line.

With his big brown eyes he looks down at the blue water and wonders what hitting that would feel like. The fall was what? 50 feet? 70? Maybe a hundred? Would he even survive this? Would he never see any of his friends or family again? He hears Dustin pleading with him once more, and almost takes a step back, a step back to maybe striking up a deal with Troy; But would he even listen? Maybe jumping really was the only option here, so…

“Troy, I don’t think this is a good idea, man.” James says, a bit scared at the idea, yet his friend blows him off.

“Mike, don’t!” Dustin screams, as Mike takes a deep breath and starts closing his eyes, bracing himself for whatever awaits him below.

“Dentist’s office opens in five–”

This is for Dustin.

“Four!”

I’m sorry everyone.

“Three!”

Say Hi to Will and Steph for me.

“Two!”

Dustin yells his name.

“One!”

Just as Mike lets his foot slip down for the descent he felt himself get yanked backwards by his collar…

Someone else using the momentum to take his place.

He had enough time to stop himself from tumbling to see him plummeting into the Quarry.

“STEVE!!” Mike yells at the top of his lungs, everyone else staring in shock before running over to the edge. Now, everyone present expected to find the teenager’s body crashing into the water, or hear some kind of scream on the way down, yet instead…

They see the teenager panicking at how he found himself stopping in mid air like he could suddenly fly.

“Holy shit.” Dustin said, blue orbs blown wide just seconds before Steve started floating back towards them.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” The Harrington spewed, limbs frantically moving. He continued his descent up and up, right over the four boys and landing semi-gently on the ground.

“Steve?!” Mike said, surprised (and relief blooming onto his face).

He shot straight up in the sitting position, his hair a mess, his eyes big like saucers, his heart pounding like a never ending drum. What the heck just happened? “How the hell did I…?”

And right on cue, like you could hear boss music play as Eleven was storming over, her red wig gone and dirtied face full of rage. She quickly blew James off his feet, and snapped Troy’s arm like a twig. The boy cried and El told them to go. The two bullies waste no time to leave, their tails tucked between their legs as Dustin eggs them on.

“Yeah, that’s right! You better run!” He yells, a shit eating grin blooming onto his face. “She’s our friend and she’s crazy! You come back here and she’ll kill you! You hear me? She’ll kill you, you sons of bitches. She’ll kill you!”

“You think she would?” Mike asked, half rhetorical, half serious. 

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe? I was just saying that to scare them.”

“I wouldn’t let that get that far, alright?” Steve says, looking at them with amusement also. “You guys okay?”

“Okay?” Mike says, helping him get up. “Dude, you took my place!”

“Yeah, well, I would do it again if I–” He trails off, just as he notices Eleven’s knees buckling. “Hey– Hey! Eleven!” The boys rush over to the unconscious girl. “Eleven?”

“Is she okay? Why did she faint?”

“She might have overdid it. Eleven? Hey? Can you hear us? El?”

Eventually, She cracks her lids open slowly, finding all the boys hovering over her like she was made of glass. Glass. They shouldn’t be looking at her like that. Not after everything she’s done.

“El, are you okay? El?” Mike said, worriedly.

“Mike...” She sobbed, lip quivering. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“The gate… I opened it. I’m the monster.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “No, El, you’re not the monster.”

“You saved us.” Steve said, with a smile. “You saved me. Do you understand? You saved me. Whatever you did in the past, that’s all said and done. All that matters now is what you do in the future. Okay?”

“Okay…” She sniffles and nods. “Okay.”

“Okay.” His expression grows as he sits her up. “Come here.” 

She allows herself to grab a hold of him, burying her head in his chest for a sense of comfort. Steve keeps her close, relieved that she’s here, relieved that she’s fine, relieved that she saved their lives. Whatever she’d done is done, now they must move forward and save their loved ones. But for now, they were allowed this one sentimental moment. He soon felt Mike wrapped his arms around them, just before Dustin did it too. 

Steve locks eyes with him, Dustin sharing a small smile while mouthing the words ‘Thank You’. Probably for the fact that he swapped places with Mike (Or was there something else beside that?). Whatever it was, Steve copies his expression before ruffling the top of his hat before continuing with the hug.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Lucas found himself hidden in a tree, watching with his binoculars as he spotted the suspiciously familiar vans behind the fence. It took him a moment to realize where he saw those vans. Realizing that he saw one parked outside his house when he left a while ago, he put two and two together right before this situation got worse. He watches as Men in uniform stroll out of the lab, guns in hand and pouring into the vehicles that made their way into the main roads.

His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat.

“Oh, fuck.”

(TBC)

A/N: Only three more chapters to go for this season! This next one should be a "fun" ride for you all 😈

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl @olivewisp

@emsownuniverse @unspecifiedvisitor @smaryamsstuff @kitty49646 @jinxeee @bookkeeperlove @prozacgooble @goth-baby98 @aainr @luca-random-stuff @catradorapotter @bailees-post @dearabby1990

[musings-of-a-college-dork]

The College Letter... Eddie Munson x Fem!Henderson Reader

Fem!Henderson Reader x Eddie Munson

Word count -2K

Y/N gets into her dream college...but what does that mean for her and her boyfriend?

Fluffy soooooo fluffy and sweet and so very self-indulgent! Part of a longer OC work but I've adapted it for y/n! No warnings, just cute fluff!

“Y/N!” Claudia yelled as y/n lay on her bed, working on club plans for the spring. Being the president of a brand new club was so hard. Her VP was incredible and so she didn’t want to burden him with doing the paperwork, especially not during midterms week so she had taken it upon herself to knock out these travel plans to Cali in order for them to do a club meet up with other high schools. It may or may not be an added bonus that she was going to get to see and hang out with Johnathan, Will, Mike, and El the whole time she was there.

“y/n m/n HENDERSON!”

“What?” y/n yelled back as her mom opened her door, “Mom-”

“It’s here!” 

“What’s-” The words died on y/n’s lips as she looked at the letter held in her mom’s hands, the [dream college] Logo boldly emblazoned along with her name. 

“Holy-”

“y/n, watch your language!” Claudia scolded before breaking into a smile, “but holy shit indeed.” 

“Can I open it now?” Y/n bounced out of bed, taking the letter from her mom as her club work was long forgotten, “Is Dustin home?”

“No,” her mother shook her head, “He’s over at Eddie’s for D&D stuff-”

“Dang it!” y/n said as she let out a sigh, “I wanted to wait until Dustin was home, I mean this is the big one!”

“That’s very thoughtful, sweetie,” Claudia said as she beamed that her children had such a wonderful relationship, “Well why don’t you radio him? Ask him when he’s coming home? Hell you can tell him to bring Eddie over too if you want him to be here when you open it!”

“But what if I don’t get in?” y/n suddenly felt the dread sink into her stomach, “What if they say no? What if everyone says no-”

“Now, now young lady, none of that,” Claudia walked over and brought y/n the radio that lived on her nightstand, a small gift from Dustin which he had bought her after she had run her old one completely down with late night chats to Eddie. “Give your brother a call, I’ll be downstairs.” y/n beamed at her mom and gave her a quick hug as her mom closed the door, leaving y/n alone with her radio. She quickly turned it on and turned it to the channel Dustin generally was on. 

“Dustin, it’s y/n, do you copy? Over.” Silence. 

“Dustin, it’s y/n,” she repeated, “Do you copy? Over.” Again, silence. With a sigh, she flipped it to a different channel and the same pattern repeated. 

“Dustin, it’s y/n, do you copy? Over.” Silence. Finally as a last resort, she returned the walkie to the channel it had previously been on and spoke. 

“Eddie, it’s y/n, do you copy? Over.” She waited for a moment, finger ready to switch the channel when she heard-

“Y/n! Hey! I wasn’t expecting you to call! What’s up pretty girl? Over.” She giggled before remembering why she was calling and she pressed the button again.

“Is Dustin with you? Over.”

“Ah, I should have known. You’d never call me unless you were looking for your kid brother,” The dramatics in his tone was evident as always, “I see how it is, Henderson. Over.” 

“Eddie please this is serious! Over.”

“Yeah, he’s here. Why, what’s up? Over.”

“It came. Over.” She didn’t have to say more than that for Eddie to light up, a combination of elation and dread running through his system.

“Is that y/n?” Dustin asked from where he sat on the couch.

“Yeah!” Eddie said as he walked into the living room with a beaming smile on his face, “It’s here.”

“Holy shit.”

“I know.”

“HOLY SHIT!”

“I KNOW!” 

“Has she opened it?”

“I don’t think so,” Eddie said as he picked back up the walkie, “Y/n have you opened it? Over.”

“No,” came her reply, “I wanted to wait until everyone was home to open it since Dustin and mom helped me along through the whole application process. So I wanted to know when he’d be home. Over.”

“Right now!” Dustin said as he raced to the door to put on his shoes, “Sorry Eddie but D&D will have to wait!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Eddie said as he was already grabbing his keys to drive Dustin home, “And you know I never say that, ever about D&D.” 

“I’m not sure I like the effect my sister is having on you,” Dustin said with a shake of his head as he finished tying his shoes, “Not good for the health of the party-”

“Uh Eddie, you there? Over.” 

“Shit,” Eddie swore as he grabbed the walkie and slipped on shoes, “Yeah baby we’re on our way! I’ll drop Dustin off so you all can open that letter together. Over.”

“Eddie…if you want,” y/n started, “You can stay too and be there when I open it. Over.” Eddie felt his heart soar at the idea.

“Really?” He asked, trying to keep his tone even despite his heart rate having sped up exponentially, “You really want me there? Over.” 

“Of course I do!” Y/n’s cheerful reply came, “Good news, or bad. I’d love to have you here. Over.” Eddie melted, his heart singing as he clutched the walkie to his chest. 

“Hey less swooning, more moving!” Dustin said as he was already in the van. 

“Right, right,” Eddie yelled as he raced over to Wayne’s room and banged on the door. “Wayne! y/n got her [dream college] letter so I’m taking Dustin home!”

“Oh that’s wonderful!” Wayne yelled, “I hope she gets in! Go….whatever the [dream college] Mascot is!” Eddie laughed aloud as he let out a little whoop, running to get in the van.

“On our way over, baby! Eta is 20 minutes!”

“Fifteen!” Dustin interjected into the walkie, “Eddie drives like a maniac! Over!”

“Oh don’t I know it,” y/n laughed through the walkie as Eddie started the car, “Please don’t crash. Over.”

“And miss you opening your college letter? Never! Over!” With that, Eddie sped off, music on blast. 

Y/n paced back and forth as she waited for the boys to arrive. She had already let her mom know and Claudia was sitting on the couch in her ‘[dream college] Mom’ shirt. 

“It’s for good luck,” she had said as she came down in it, holding up y/n’s sweatshirt they had bought her while touring and had coaxed her daughter to put it on. Only the sound of Ozzy Osbourne blaring so loud she knew the neighbors would complain made her troubles ease for a moment. 

“They’re here!” Claudia beamed as she got up and pulled the plate of cookies she had made off the counter. 

“Oh thank god,” y/n laughed to ease her tension as she watched her brother and boyfriend climb out of Eddie’s van and make a sprint towards the house, “if I had to wait another second, I would just have ripped it open and told them later.” 

“Well, wait no longer,” Claudia said as she opened the door with a beaming smile just as the boys hit the steps. 

“Hi Mom,” Dustin said quickly, side-stepping his mother and running over to y/n. 

“Dusty! No shoes in the house!” Claudia scolded briefly before turning her attention to Eddie who was in the process of kicking off his shoes before even crossing the threshold, “Hello Edward. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I made cookies if you’d like one!”

“Thank you, Ms.Henderson,” Eddie said as he took one and beamed at Claudia, walking into the house and taking a seat on the couch with the utmost caution to not mess up the cushions. Y/n turned to smile at him, mouthing a little thank you as she looked at Dustin.

“I’m going to open it right now! Let Mom sit down!”

“But-”

“Sorry about them Edward,” she said as she set the cookies down on the coffee table before taking a seat, “They’re just excited that’s all.”

“Oh don’t worry,” Eddie laughed, “You should see Dustin when he talks about Suzie! He’s at least four times more excited and that’s saying something-”

“Hey!” 

“He’s right,” y/n teased her brother as she sat down opposite her mom and her boyfriend, “You are!” 

“Dusty, come sit down and let your sister open her letter,” Claudia offered, patting the free spot in between her and Eddie on the couch. Dustin took it with a little grumble that quickly vanished as y/n’s focus went to the letter. 

Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out, y/n thought as she opened it up and began to read. 

Dear Y/n Henderson,

Y/n read for a moment and then went silent, her expression completely dropping. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop as the three on the couch held their breath. 

“I got in.” y/n said, a small smile coming to her face as she looked at all three of them, “I got in!” The whole house filled instantly with cheers and hugs and a bit of swearing from Dustin which Claudia allowed considering it was a special occasion. As soon as the main celebration died down, Claudia gave y/n a hug and said “I have to make some calls! So many people will be so proud of you!” 

“Thanks mom,” y/n said as her mom pressed a kiss to her forehead and headed into the other room with a quick, “Edward, honey, feel free to stick around ok? You’re always welcome in this house!” 

“Thank you Ms.Henderson!” He called back as he continued to beam at y/n. Dustin gave his sister one last hug before turning to Eddie. 

“Ok! Let’s go!”

“Dude,” Eddie said with a laugh as he crossed his arms, “do I not get to congratulate your sister?” 

“You already did-“

“Bud give me five minutes and I’ll be right out,” Eddie said, knowing it was a lost cause to try and argue with Dustin over anything. “Here,” he threw the keys to the van, “go get her started for me.” 

“Fine,” Dustin said as he looked between the pair, “but keep the sexual electricity to a lower voltage-“

“Dustin!” y/n called as Dustin was already out the front door. y/n and Eddie looked at each other for a moment before the pair burst into laughter.

“I’m so sorry about him,” y/n said quickly with a smile at her boyfriend, his hands naturally wrapping around her waist as her hands came to rest on his chest, “He is such a little twerp.”

“But we love him anyway,” Eddie teased with a smile. He looked down at her and could not stop beaming, “Holy shit. Now I am dating Hawkin’s it-girl, smarty pants, [dream college] admitted, beauty queen. Damn, the best of those bastards better be jealous as hell. No one in this fucking town can top that!” y/n beamed back at him but he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Baby what is it?”

“It’s not-”

“Uh uh uh,” He tutted as he tickled her sides just a bit, “You can’t lie to me pretty baby, I see right through all that. I’ve got high insight checks, remember,” This got a little giggle out of her, “So…”

“So I just…” y/n let out a sigh as she relaxed in his arms, “[dream college] is hours from here. And am I super excited I got in, yes! I mean it’s been my dream school forever! It’s just that…”

“You’re going to be far away,” Eddie nodded, “From you friends and your family and-”

“And you,” y/n concluded, “And…I really appreciate you being excited for me but it’d totally understand if you were worried too-”

“Woah woah woah,” Eddie let go of her to take her hands into his, “First off baby, flattered that you think so much about me-”

“OF course I do I love you-”

“And I love you too but,” He continued on, “This is your dream! This has been your dream and you’ve worked so damn hard for it and now you’ve gotten it! And you’re really not allowing yourself to celebrate because maybe I’ll be sad about it?” y/n pouted for a second before nodding.

“Well it sounds silly when you say it-”

“No it’s sweet,” he kissed her cheek, “And thoughtful,” the other cheek, “And considerate,” He kissed her forehead before looking at her, “But I don’t want you to worry about it a second longer. We’ve got a whole spring semester of high school together still and then the summer and then if I graduate-”

“Which you will-”

“Which I will,” he repeated back, remembering her long lecture on manifestation when they had taken a break from tutoring one night, “Then we’ve got the whole summer to get up to God knows what.” She giggled as memories of last summer came back to her, “And then I’m gonna work for a bit, save up big, take some community college classes,” He made a fake gag to make her chuckle as she swatted at his chest, “And then when the boys are all out of school we’re gonna tour the band, make it big, and at that point I’ll have enough to do that stupid drive as much as I want to baby. Hell, maybe we’ll get so big I’ll have my own goddamn plane.” y/n beamed at him, a soft giggle falling from her. “How do you like that? The idea of your boyfriend flying in his private jet to see you at college. Maybe we’ll play a concert for [dream college] if those college snobs actually have good taste in music.”

“Some of them will,” y/n pointed to herself making them both giggle, “But just remember you can’t forget about me when you’re a big time rock star, ok? I know the drugs and the groupies are tempting but remember you’ve got a sweetheart who loves you very much-” y/n was cut off by Eddie picking her up in his arms making her shriek with laughter.

“Are you kidding me?” He teased as he carried her over his shoulder, “First off, you know I’m clean and second, you’ve gotta be crazy if you think I’d ever choose some groupie over you! You act like you won’t star in all of our music videos,” He set her down and at this point she was a fit of giggles as was he. The pair just held each other, enjoying the sheer joy of the moment as y/n finally allowed herself to bask in the joy-

The sound of a loud car horn broke the couple from their moment.

“Damn that little twerp,” Eddie swore as he looked at y/n, “Gotta go baby but seriously, congrats. I’m so fucking proud of you and don’t worry about me for a second! I could not be more over the moon and if you think a long ass drive is all it takes to get rid of me,” he kissed her so fiercely before pulling away to whisper against her lips, “Then you’ve got another thing coming, Henderson.”

“EDDIE! LET’S GO!” Dustin shouted so loudly that it could be heard through the open house window. 

“ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!” He yelled before he pressed one last kiss to y/n’s lips. “Still on for movie night tonight? Mine?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “You drop Dustin off and pick me up?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” He said as he smiled at her. The pair walked to the door hand in hand Eddie refusing to let go even to attempt to relace his combat boots.

“Baby, I think that’s a two handed endeavor-”

“Y/n Henderson,” He said, his free hand coming to his heart in mock pain, “Are you seriously questioning my boot lacing skills?”

“Yes,” She nodded and he broke character, the pair of them laughing as he pulled his hand from hers.

“Well as usual, you’re right,” He quickly laced up his boots and pressed a kiss to her forehead one more time as Dustin continued to complain. “See you in a bit.”

“Drive safe!” y/n called as she watched her boyfriend race to his van/

“Only for you!” He called back as he jumped into the driver’s seat and took off, speeding down the road with Ozzy on blast.

Eeekkk anyway! I hope y'all liked it! Reblogs and comments are always appreciated especially if you're interested in seeing more from this fic!

[hendersister]

our house

summary: when you and steve move in together, your house becomes a regular hangout spot for dustin and his friends.

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!sister reader

title 🎵: our house by madness

You and Steve have started living together. You’re renting a house in Hawkins, not far from your mom and Dustin. You and Steve stayed in town because you wanted to clean up the mess that Vecna made after opening the gates. You both want to be here to help defeat Vecna and close off the gate to the Upside Down once and for all.

The house you're renting is pretty nice. It has 3 bedrooms, including a master bedroom with a private bathroom for you and Steve. You were able to rent the house very cheap because so many people had fled Hawkins after Vecna opened the gate.

Since moving in, Dustin and his friends have started coming over almost on a daily basis. Your house, along with the Wheelers’ basement, has become one of the official hangouts for the party. You and Steve don’t mind. Besides stopping Vecna, another reason you remained in Hawkins was so you could stay close to your friends and family - especially your little brother. You and Steve actually kind of like providing a safe space for the kids to hangout. 

Sometimes the kids crash for the night in one of the spare rooms or on the couch. Tonight happens to be one of those nights… Dustin, Erica and Lucas are all staying over. The three kids ended up at your place for different reasons. 

Dustin came over because your mom is working the overnight shift and you didn’t want your little brother to spend the night home alone. He’s at your house so often that he basically has his own room already.

Erica showed up unannounced. She got into a stupid fight with her mom and needed some space to cool off. Erica told her parents that she was spending the night at her friend Tina’s but she went over to your house because Tina doesn’t have Duck Hunt. 

Lucas asked if he could crash at your place because he was staying late at the hospital to visit Max again and he didn’t want his parents to know. Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair are trying to get Lucas to stop visiting Max all the time. They want him to move on from what happened but he can’t. Lucas loves Max and he will visit her in the hospital every day until she wakes up. So to avoid getting into an argument, Lucas lied to his parents. He told them he was spending the night at Dustin’s. Luckily his parents didn’t question it. 

Truth be told, Lucas actually prefers spending time with his friends after visiting Max. You guys know what really happened to her and what’s going on in Hawkins. Lucas loves his parents but sometimes they just don’t understand.

It was a pretty lowkey, quiet night in the Henderson/Harrington household. Erica set the table while you got dinner ready. You made a casserole. The recipe was given to you by Mrs. Wheeler. After dinner, Steve and Dustin cleaned the dishes. You read a book on the couch and Erica played Duck Hunt until Lucas arrived from the hospital. Then you all hung out in the living room and watched a movie that Steve brought home from the video store.

Now it’s getting late. Dustin went to sleep in his room, Erica took the other guest room and Lucas is crashing on the couch. You and Steve are in your room, getting ready for bed.

“Good call getting The Goonies for movie night! I think the kids really loved it,” you smile.

“They better have loved it! It was the last copy at the store. I had to lie to like five different customers that asked about it,” Steve tells you.

“Are you serious?!” you laugh.

Steve nods. You look at your boyfriend with heart eyes.

“That’s actually kinda sweet,” you say softly.

Steve smirks, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah?”

You nod your head, about to reply back, when-

BOOM

Suddenly the entire house starts to violently shake. Earthquakes have been more frequent in Hawkins since Vecna opened the gate, but they are still something that you’re not used to. This is one of the bigger earthquakes you’ve experienced. The force is so strong that you fall to the ground.

“Y/N!”

Steve stumbles to get to you. He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you up to your feet. You stay by his side, clutching onto each other for support. 

And then, just as abruptly as it started, the earthquake stops. You and Steve stay silent for a beat, bracing yourselves for any aftershock. The room remains still.

“Is it over?” you ask, uneasy.

“I think so,” Steve cautiously replies under his breath.

You and Steve let go of each other. A million thoughts are racing through your head, but the most important-

“We need to check on the kids,” you say with a quiet urgency in your voice.

“Yeah,” your boyfriend nods in agreement. You both feel like concerned parents right now.

You and Steve leave your room to find Erica standing by her doorway. 

“So you all felt that too? I’m not crazy!” Erica exclaims.

Steve sighs, shaking his head. You quickly look Erica up and down to make sure she isn’t injured.

“Are you okay?” you ask.

“I’m fine,” Erica tells you, “But we should probably go check on Lucas downstairs.”

You and your boyfriend exchange eye contact, silently communicating. You already know what the other is thinking. He’ll go downstairs with Erica to make sure Lucas is ok while you check up on your little brother.

“Let’s go,” Steve nods to Erica.

Steve and Erica head towards the stairs and you continue down the hall to Dustin’s room.

KNOCK, KNOCK

“Hey Dusty! Are you alright?”

You wait a beat. No response. You take a deep breath and try again.

KNOCK, KNOCK

“Dustin!”

Still no response. Now you’re worried. You attempt to open the door but it’s stuck.

“Shit!” you curse to yourself.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

“C’mon Dustin! Open the door! Dustin?!”

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

You’re frantically knocking at your brother’s door when Steve comes back upstairs. He can tell something is wrong and rushes over to you.

“Y/N! What’s going on?” your boyfriend asks.

“Dustin isn’t responding,” you anxiously reply.

Steve tries opening the door but it won’t budge.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

“Hey Henderson! C’mon man, open up!”  

No response. Steve shrugs.

“All right, that’s it! I’m gonna kick the door open,” he tells you.

Steve takes a deep breath, mentally readying himself to kick down the door, when-

CREAK

The door opens a crack and Dustin squeezes his way out. 

“Dustin! Are you okay?!” 

You pull your little brother into a big hug.

“You scared the shit out of me, dork!”

Steve lets out a sigh of relief. He stands back to let you have a moment with your brother. 

“Oh, uh, sorry. I’m okay. I couldn’t get out because the bureau fell over and is blocking the door,” Dustin explains. He was able to move the bureau over enough to get out of the room but it’s too heavy for him to lift by himself.

“Do you need help moving it out of the way?” Steve offers.

Dustin nods.

Your boyfriend and brother squeeze through the door to get back into Dustin’s room. Together, they lift up the bureau and move it back to where it was before the earthquake hit. After they’re done pushing the bureau out of the way, Steve pats Dustin on the head. He’s just relieved that the kid is alright.