#streve harrington

[aroadcalledsobriety]

Here's to Us | A Stranger Things FanFiction

Chapter 2

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Flickering lights and a blonde with a nose bleed sends Joan Destiny back in time to 1985 as Joan Agatha, supposedly her aunt whose existence she had never heard about before. A fan of Back to the Future and Doctor Who, Joan knows how changing the course of the future could end for her, so she decides to act the part - no matter how hard it can be. Between Russians, drug dealers, and interdimensional monsters Joan is left with one question...

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴏᴀɴ ᴀɢᴀᴛʜᴀ? ¿ɐɥʇɐɓ∀ uɐoſ oʇ pǝuǝddɐɥ ʇɐɥM

24 May 1985 Hawkins, Indiana

When Joan woke up the first thing that hit her was the headache.

The second thing was the blinding realization that oh my god she's alive followed by a spaz-attack where she grabbed every part of her body and then finished at her throat, sighing a relief that she was fully intact and fell back on the grassy ground to calm down with the warmth of the sun on her skin.

Only to sit back up again in a panic.

Joan was almost positive that Hawkins had been nearing winter when she had last been awake with crunchy leaves already on the ground and dozens of assignments piling up amongst her classes. Anxiously, the girl stood up and brushed off her skirt, scowling that of all the days for something weird to go down she had to look so stupidly proper.

"Joan? Joan?!" 

"Grandma?" Joan asked in confusion looking behind her at the voice and pushing herself off the ground to trek over. The familiar home from the 70's on a hill filled her vision within a few seconds and she frowned, pausing with a weird feeling crawling up her back. "Where are her roses...?"

The screened back door quickly slammed open and Joan's eyes widened in shock at the woman who eyed her in relief. "Oh, good heavens Joan! You gave me a scare. You know I don't like you hanging in those woods alone."

Her mouth bobbed open and closed, but Joan could speak no words. The woman in front of her looked just like her dad's mom but from, like, 30 years ago! 

"O-oh, what the fuck." Joan whispered in horror, taking a step back and looking at her grandma stare at her in concern. "T-this is really trippy."

"Joan Henderson, are you high right now?!"

"Woah, Joan's high? I want to see, I want to see!" Out from behind Joan's grandma pushed out a face that Joan had only seen in pictures. A chubby face and curly hair that she was always envious of and mischievous eyes that never changed throughout the decades...

"Dad?!"

There was a silence at the exclamation and the two familiar yet unfamiliar Henderson's stared wide eyed at the teen girl as if she had sprouted wings ands started flying. Dustin, her dad, broke first as a wide grin filled his face and he pointed over at the girl.

"Holy shit, you're high as a fucking kite, Jo'!"

"What the fuck, no I'm not!"

"Uh, yeah the fuck you are!"

"Dustin Joseph Henderson and Joan Agatha Henderson!" The matriarch screeched out, appalled at the language and behavior from the two teens. Both of them flinched at the sound and looked back at the woman apologetically.

"S-sorry, mom."

"Sorry, uh-?" Joan trailed off, unsure what to say because there was no way in hell this was her dad... at least not yet, right? What the fuck was going on?!

"You two... I swear..." Mrs. Henderson huffed angrily, pointing inside with a manicure finger and glaring at both teens harshly. "Inside, both of you. Dinner is ready and the table is set..." 

Joan followed Dustin inside hesitantly, quickly catching up to her dad(?) who nudged her as soon as they were inside and away from the woman. She frowned down at the mischievous grin, not sure what he was up to. What was she supposed to call him?! "What... do you want?"

"Was it weed?"

"What?"

"Did you smoke weed?" Dustin asked again, this time finishing his sentence by grabbing a fistful of the girl's cardigan and pulling it to his nose with a rather aggressive sniff. He frowned, looking at the fabric in confusion. "You don't smell like weed..." He went in for another sniff, but the fabric was ripped from his grip by a scowling Joan.

"Jesus- stop that!" Joan hissed out, pushing her -whoever the fuck he was- away from her. Whoever this kid was to her... he was not her dad and she didn't care if it was the Queen as a kid... all kids were little shits. "What grade are you in again, third?!"

"Eighth, actually." Dustin responded matter-of-factly with a little lisp, unbothered by the act of aggression and rolling his eyes at the question. Joan nodded, storing the information in her head for later while wiping her nose with her sleeve.

Dustin frowned, stopping in front of his usual chair at the table and staring over at Joan with narrowed eyes, examining her with a wickedly familiar gaze that she'd get whenever her dad was deep in thought, before gasping in horror.

"What?! Is there a spider or something?!"

"Cocaine!"

"What?!" Joan cried out in shock, pausing her search to stare across the table incredulously at the little shit that would one day be her dad. "Cocaine?!"

"Oh sweet Jesus, my sisters a drug addict." Dustin's eyes were still wide, but his voice was even as he grabbed his head and shook it in disbelief. "I shouldn't be shocked, but I am. Why am I shocked?"

"Why are you-?! Shouldn't be shocked? Sister-?!" Joan's brain whirled around quickly, the new information almost overwhelming her as the word sister bounced around in here mind and she stared at her brother? Dad didn't have a sister... right? "Hold on.. drug addict?!"

"And she's still denying that she has a problem... this is an absolute tragedy equivalent to Hamlet."

"Hold on, pause, back it up... what did you just say?"

Dustin cleared his throat and raised his voice, slowing his words down to a point where Joan's eye twitched in annoyance. "You... are... sad... like... Hamlet... which is a play about-."

"Yes, I know what Hamlet is about!"

"Brevity is the soul of wit." Dustin responded with a shrug of his shoulders and Joan scowled, her fist clenching in anger. 

"Did you just call me stupid?! From a Shakespeare play?!"

"No, I said-"

"Enough you two." Their mother snapped as she joined the table and patted the wooden surface. Both teens immediately shut their mouths and looked at each other, slowly taking their seats and silently passed the food around.

Joan stole glances at her... brother-dad? she winced at the title, trying to rid herself of the thought as a distant tune of Sweet Home Alabama played in her mind. God, what did Kaleigh do to her? She paused her scooping of carrots in horror as she thought about the fate of the others that were with her. 

Did they escape? Were they here with her? Were her children okay?!

"Joan!" Joan jolted up in her seat at the call of her name, snapping over with wide eyes to look at her suspicious, yet worried mother staring at her. "Are you going to pass the carrots or continue staring at them like they're going to jump out at you and eat your face?"

The teen swallowed thickly and passed the carrots in response, her mother's frown deepening and her eyes narrowing. "Are you sure you're not under the influence, Joan because I swear-!"

"She hath more hair than wit." Dustin snickered under his breathe as he scooped a spoonful of food into his mouth and stared over at his sister with dancing eyes. His joy didn't last for too long as a kick to his legs caused him to wince and let out a painful, "Oh, shit!"

"I'll beat thee, but I would infect my hands." Joan hissed out, causing Dustin to look over at his sister with a snarky grin. 

"I told you you were a nerd too!"

A nerd, too?! 

"What does that mean, you twerp?!"

Dustin waved his hands in the air mockingly, his voice going up a horrendous amount of octaves to imitate Joan's voice. "Oh look at me, I'm Joan Henderson. I'm a cheerleader and I'm too cool to do D anymore. Instead I wave pompoms and pretend like I don't have Lord of the Rings quotes all over my walls. And apparently do drugs! Bleh bleh."

"I'm not a vampire you dork." Joan snorted, even though the imitation was supposed to be an insult, it was hilarious to watch a young version of her dad pretend to be a cheerleader. Plus, it gave her much need information about who his sister was... who she was? "What was the bleh bleh for?"

"You know, when you guys have the dumb shaky things and go bleh bleh before you guys turn into violent monsters, and suck the life and fun out of everyone."

"That's kind of... violent."

"Well, cheerleaders are a different species."

Joan's head shot back as she let out a huge laugh, thinking about what Brynnyn would say to that comment. The brunette agree full heartedly, but the raven-haired girl would have shot out of her seat to passionately rant about the sport of cheerleading.

"Alright you two, settle down and finish your dinner." Their mother rolled her eyes fondly, enjoying the light atmosphere with a smile on her face. "Joan, honey, would you make sure to get a new bag of cat food from the garage?"

"Why can't Dustin do it?" Because I have no idea where it would be!

"Because its Dusty's turn to do dishes."

"Oh, come on!" Dustin wined loudly, hitting his head on the table in disappointment. The boy was quickly reprimanded and then the dinner table was relatively calm and relaxed while Joan tried not let herself freak out on the outside as much as was on the inside. 

Each question she asked was crafted to get as much information out as possible, disguised as lightly versed insults, concerned daughter, and/or genuinely curious. It was hard, so when Joan made it to the garage alone with the door shut, she lifted a hand over her pounding heart and swallowed thickly. 

"To recap." She started slowly while pacing behind her mother's car in tune with the racing thump thump thump inside her chest. "I am Joan Agatha Henderson. Not Joan Destiny Henderson. My brother is now my dad and is significantly younger... my mother is my grandmother. I've travelled in time somehow to Hawkins in the 80's back when all that shit went down."

A pause. Joan's face went white at another terrible feeling.

Her dad never mentioned a sister. Her grandmother never mentioned a daughter. Joan was named Joan after someone significant in her dad's childhood, but that was all the information she was given to the point she was almost positive she was named after Joan Jett. 

Worst of all she was a cheerleader, a species she was unfamiliar with besides her interactions with Brynnyn who if it wasn't for her talents would probably not be on the team for social reasons alone. 

"I'm going crazy." Joan decided with a nod, looking over the shelves for the cat food. "I fell asleep drink chocolate milk again. There's no way I'm actually here in the 80's with my dad for a brother and possibly possessing a body that isn't mine."

The nail in the coffin was the moment Joan stepped into her bedroom she was going to be sick. The walls were a Pepto Bismal disaster with posters of artists she didn't know and Polaroids of people that she didn't recognize. Glancing over at the only familiar decorations being the aforementioned book quotes, she walked over to her desk to see if there were any more clues on who Joan Agatha Henderson was. Swallowing thickly, Joan grabbed a lose Polaroid on her desk and stared at the cheek-kissed individual, her stomach dropped and eyes widened comically at the image. 

Oh my God, was that her and Uncle Steve?!

[awawun]

steddie sillies because I love them

[amethyst-crowns]

thigh people rise up

[lazaruscorpse]

don't mind me

just gonna cry over steve being taken in by joyce byers and claudia henderson when his own parents rather forget about him

[theunboundmeg]

Nefarious (Chapter Two)

Summary: Tina’s Halloween Bash is the most talked about party of the season! Getting “Sheet Faced” seems to be the “in” thing to do, and Y/N plans on doing just that. With her mom out of town for the weekend and Nancy and Steve finally convincing her to go with them (it really didn’t take much, since she’d already decided), it’s time to party. Only problem? Billy is probably going to be there...which means it’s likely to get heated.And what’s with all of the farmers complaining about their crops dying?

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Y/N (Reader)

Word Count: 4,192 Words

Rating: 18+ (For the Future)

Warnings: Cussing, insinuation, angsty angst! Also, drinking, smoking, and some weird situations!

Other: Please note, this story takes place at the beginning of Season Two and actually follows to the storyline. I thought it would be interesting to write from a different perspective of the main story and see what happened to one of our favorite characters while the others were off fighting the demodogs! Enjoy this and if you guys like this chapter, I’ll probably write more! <3 Also note that there is no planned amount of chapters for this yet. I will write this story until it just naturally folds up. So…look forward to MANY more to come!

________________________________________________________________

Chapter Two: Let’s Get Sheet Faced (Y/N Perspective)

  My fingers drifted over the various dresses, all hung up in a row. The thrift shop in town wasn’t exactly the most notable place to buy a costume from, but it was more likely to have something that the other girls wouldn’t be wearing. I could hear Steve and Nancy giggling in the next row of clothing. Jonathan moved over to stand next to me, pulling out a gaudy, silver dress that hung to his knees. 

“What do you think?” he asked, grinning at me knowingly.

“I think you’d be the prettiest one there.” I replied, nodding at him. 

  He snorted and put the dress back on the rack. I pulled out a small, form fitting red dress and frowned. I put it back and promptly pulled out another, though this one was black and...quite shorter. But it was in my size. I paused, opening my mouth to ask Jonathan what he thought, only to catch him gazing over towards Steve and Nancy. My fingers clutched tightly to the dress and I moved over to close the gap between us, nudging him gently.

“Stop with the puppy dog eyes...” I warned him.

 He shook his head and looked back at me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he replied, suddenly going on the defensive.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” 

  I cleared my throat and turned on my heel. Heading off towards the dressing room, I couldn’t help but be partially relieved to leave Jonathan to his thoughts. The guy was hopelessly in love with Nancy, but Nancy was with Steve. Such was the circle of life. Jonathan wasn’t really hard on the eyes. I felt pity for him, in a way. If I hadn’t sworn off dating (for the most part), I probably would have taken a crack at him, myself.

“Y/N!” 

  Nancy’s voice rang out, just as I was about to close the door to the dressing room. 

“What do you think?” she asked, holding up the white shirt and black skirt.

   I shrugged and closed the door.

“Honestly Nance, you’d look good in a paper bag. That is perfect though. Try it on!” I called, starting to pull off my shirt and jeans. 

  The minute the dress was on, I sucked in a breath. Sleeveless and above the knees. That was extremely bold, even for me. But some tights and maybe even a small sweater as a fail safe would be perfect. Depending on how cold it would be tonight, anyway. I opened the door slowly. Nancy was spinning in front of Steve, laughing and Jonathan was pulling out a jean jacket similar to the one he already had on.

“What do you guys think? Too much?” I asked, cringing an d preparing.

  Nancy sucked in a breath and Steve whistled.

“If I wasn’t a taken man, I’d have to hit on you, Y/N.” Steve said, grinning broadly.

“Be careful in that tonight. You might put a spell on someone.” he continued.

  I pulled the pair of cat ears out of a bag from the other store we’d been to earlier today and put them on. Turning, I looked at myself in the mirror and shook my head. This wasn’t something I would normally catch myself in, but for some reason it seemed like it was the right outfit for tonight. Why not, right? Mom wasn’t home and as long as I wore tights, I wouldn’t be too bad off. A short dress with tights was pretty safe, after all. A moment longer of staring at myself and I was back in the dressing room, rolling my eyes as I listened to Steve saying something and Nancy whispering. Poor Jonathan. He probably never even stood a chance. I considered asking him if I could ride with him to the party, but by the time I’d exited the dressing room, he was waving goodbye and fleeing faster than I’d ever seen anyone do so before. So much for that plan.

___

Ten o’clock hit and by the time we were in the car and heading to Tina’s, I was already regretting this decision. Nancy and Steve had had some sort of argument beforehand, so the air in the car was so still, you could hear a mouse sneeze. I cleared my throat and looked in my compact one more time, just to make sure all of the makeup was just right. I had no idea why it was so important for me to look as good as I did, but I was trying. That’s what being in the King and Queen’s clique did to you. You worked your ass off to look like one of the best. As long as you looked like them, you were one of them. Right? My cat ears protruded from my done hair and I couldn’t help but grin wickedly. Okay, I looked pretty damn good. The dress fit like a glove and the tights were the perfect shade of black. And those boots I’d found? My god. Mom had been holding out on me. Then again, if she’d seen me like this, I would have been grounded so fast my head would have spun.

“Nancy...it’s going to be fine. You look fine...” came Steve’s voice from the front of the car.

“Let’s just get to this damn party and for ONE night...act like stupid teenagers, okay?” replied his girlfriend, shaking her head and looking as if she had no urge to be there at all. 

  Something had changed, and I couldn’t quite figure it out. But I didn’t really have time to dwell on that. That second, Steve was pulling up at Tina’s. And oh, what a sight the place already was. A few teens littered the lawn here and there. Most of them were in costume, and a few were well beyond drunk already. The lower crowd, I guessed. After all, no one from Carol or our crew arrived at a party earlier than ten. It was high school etiquette, or something stupid like that.I opened my door and waited not a second longer to get away from the quarreling couple. I just wanted to get some drinks in me and get some dancing done. Outside, a few guys were ushering people over to try their luck at a keg stand, and a couple of girls were standing close enough to watch, no doubt calling shots on who they would want to get their claws into by the end of the night. What a time to be alive! I opened the front door and scanned the crowd. People dancing, people laughing, and even more people gathered around a punch bowl, dipping their cups in and drinking heartily. Fuck.

“Y/N!” 

  I looked over and saw Carol skipping over, her tiny work out leotard revealing way more than I thought was even possible. Though, Carol didn’t seem to mind. She giggled and wiggled a little in front of a few guys before wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“Come! You HAVE to try the punch!” she cried, dragging me along.

  Ever since she and Tommy had broken up, she’d definitely become a more open young lady. She flirted with nearly everything that walked and called itself a male. Though, with the way she was treating me, I’d no doubt gotten away with my comment from earlier to Billy. Or maybe he just hadn’t gotten to her yet to spill the beans on what I actually thought about the girl.

“Here.” she said, smacking her gum and shoving a cup into my hands, “I love your costume by the way. Super cute.”

  She winked and made her way off, flouncing the whole way as she walked. Fuck, if I leaned that way, I’d hit on Carol myself. I watched her a moment longer before taking a sip of the punch. It took ALL of my strength to not throw that drink away immediately. The punch was good, but the vodka was so prominent, I felt like I was inhaling gasoline in the process. It was just going to be one of those drinks where I drank carefully and tried not to enjoy it after a while. The more you drank, the more the vodka taste disappeared...and that was when it got dangerous. I took another sip and wasted no time hitting the dance floor. By then, Steve and Nancy had found their way inside and were standing near me, talking briefly. The one thing I had on both of them was that I was social enough to acclimate to a party almost immediately. Probably one of the few talents I had that would eventually be useful later on in life. Extremely social, as mom tended to call me.

“BILLY! BILLY! BILLY!”

  I stopped dancing and moved to stand over near Nancy and Steve, looking towards the back door with them. The shouts only grew louder as a pack of guys moved in, one of them no doubt Billy, wearing a leather jacket and jeans...no shirt. I pursed my lips and knocked back the rest of the punch, wincing slightly at the burn as it moved down my throat. Of course he’d show up looking like that. A guy like that? He knew he looked good...and he owned it. Cheers rose from the crowd as they moved inside. Bodies became denser and the dancing picked up. Everyone was slowly making their way to buzzville. 

“Got ourselves a new King of the Keg, Harrington!” Tommy called, clapping Billy on the shoulder as they stood directly in front of us. 

  I looked down at my cup and swirled the nonexistent, acting as though the males in front of me didn’t exist. Nancy scoffed, turned heel, and made her way off towards the kitchen. It was then I looked up and saw Steve looking after her, longing...or worried. I couldn’t tell which. Before Billy could step in front of him, I swallowed my pride and ran interference.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be? Some girl to be rubbing up on?” I asked, hand on my hip.

  If Big Dick Energy had existed in this timeframe, it would have been used to perfectly describe the scene. Tommy seemed taken aback and began to laugh. Billy’s eyebrows shot way up as he realized just who he was looking at. It wasn’t long and those eyes were roaming over me again, drinking in every bit of my appearance. And for some reason, whether it was the drink making its’ way through my system or something else rising up within me, I didn’t seem to mind. I lifted my chin slightly, that defiant look coming across nice and clear. Steve took that moment to touch my shoulder and make his way off after Nancy. No doubt he’d be trying to puppy up to her or keep an eye on her drink intake. Nancy wasn’t my problem. These guys were...and I didn’t seem to mind standing up to them alone.

“Tommy, Carol’s over there. Maybe you should go pull her off of that guy and try to reconcile.” I said, nodding over towards the woman, now dancing on some guy from Junior Year. 

  Tommy’s face began to fume and he stormed off. Break up the couple, but you could never quite break up the feelings. That was the good thing about alcohol. I took one last look at Billy and turned heel. I wasn’t about to stick around and wait for him to make some comment about my outfit. The fact that I’d given in to the cat idea was already a strike against me, and he knew it. Nope. I wasn’t giving it to him.

“Cat Ears!” he called, apparently sticking with the nickname he’d called me earlier.

  I shook my head and continued over to the punch bowl, dipping my cup in and taking a good chug from it. Fuck it, right? A second passed and there he was, leaning up against the counter and looking at me again.

“I told you you’d look good in them.” he said, nodding to the ears, then staring at me.

  I tried to keep my gaze trained on his and NOT let it roam downwards towards his bare chest. The fact that it was peaking out from beneath the jacket was actually a sight. And the more I drank? The more I found myself liking it. And I didn’t like THAT. I swallowed a bit more of the drink and pointed at him.

“Don’t start. You could have the pick of the room. Anyone in here, you could torment. Instead, you’re actually going to choose me?” I asked, frowning.

  He laughed and shook his head. 

“Are you serious right now? You still sore about yesterday? All I did was ask if you wanted to explore a little.”

“You were cocky!”

“And you liked it.”

  I wrinkled my nose. He knew how to argue...and that got under my skin in a way I couldn’t quite describe.

“I think you just like it when a girl gives you a challenge.” I retorted, turning and starting to walk off again, taking a long drink from my cup.

“Run kitten! Let’s see how far you get before you come back!”

  I flipped him the bird over my shoulder, not even bothering to look back as I walked. The fuzzy feeling from the vodka was starting to take hold of me already. That’s how strong the drinks had been. I didn’t walk far and I nearly found myself slamming into Jonathan...who was not in costume.

“What in the hell?” I asked, looking him over.

“You realize this is a costume party, right?”

  He grinned and shook his head. “I don’t come to parties, remember?”

“Well, you’re at this one.” I replied, shaking my drink a bit at him. “Want a taste?”

  He took the cup from me and took a sip...and promptly began to cough. I laughed happily and took the Solo cup back from him.

“My god! What is that shit?” he asked, wincing as he forced the punch down.

“Something, something...pure fuel.” 

  He coughed more and I reached for his arm. A second of begging and he was convinced, being dragged over to the punch bowl. I didn’t expect him to drink much, if any...but it was still worth a shot, right? When in Rome, after all. We stood there for a while, people watching and cracking jokes at a few of the costumes that caught our eyes. Every so often, I caught him looking over towards Nancy and Steve and I shook my head.

“Jonathan. Go dance with another girl...it’ll make you feel better.” I said.

  He let out a short laugh, but did nor said anything beyond that. He hated that I was right, but just couldn’t get past it. He probably never would. I shrugged my shoulders and patted him on the arm. I mentioned something about dancing, and was off in my slightly intoxicated state...off to find some poor soul to dance with my uncoordinated ass. I didn’t mind though. In this state? I could do anything. I could fly if I really wanted to. Holy shit, that vodka was strong.

___

  Another two hours passed and midnight had hit. The party was still raging, but it was at the point where one of two things was happening. People were either getting sick, or peaking at their “best” drunken state. I had most definitely...peaked. I was dancing with someone, who I didn’t even seem to know, and having a GREAT fucking time. I laughed and spun around, holding my cup in the air as I did so. Okay, so maybe I’d gone past the peaking point. But still, I couldn’t tell the difference. I distantly heard a familiar arguing duo and glanced up only briefly to see Nancy and Steve rushing out of the room and towards the bathroom. I half expected them to make up in there...and that was when I decided I needed air as well. Fuck it...it was stuffy.

“I need air!” I yelled over the music to the guy I was dancing with.

  He understood, nodding curtly and reaching for my arm. Squeezing past the rocking bodies, we eventually made it outside and rounded the corner. It was much more private here...and I could finally catch my breath.

“Jesus...it’s ACTUALLY been a great party!” I panted, laughing again and reaching up to fix my cat ears.

“No doubt.” the guy replied, moving closer towards me, and eventually pinning me up against the wall.

  He captured my lips in a rough kiss, bringing a grunt of surprise from me. It took a second for it all to register in my head. And the minute it did? I was reaching to try and push him off of me.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, grimacing, “I don’t-”

“Well, I thought you did...so...”

  He tried to kiss me again and I turned my head away, shoving this time.

“I said STOP!” 

  I hardly had time to react before a fist was flying towards the guy, landing square in his temple. He fell backwards, slamming into the ground and yelping loudly. My eyes widened as I turned to see Billy standing there, fist withdrawing and chest heaving.

“Hey dickhead! Next time you put your hands on her, I’m going to make sure to BREAK your hands. Fucking hear me?” he asked, clearly seeing red.

  The guy nodded his head fervently, scrambling to get up and run from the scene. I stood there, trying to calm my breathing...and take in the whole situation in my intoxicated state. I stared at Billy a bit longer, then began walking towards the front of the house.

“Cat Ears!” he yelled, the sound of jogging footsteps growing closer behind me.

“No.” I said, shaking my head.

“Y/N!” 

  I stopped dead and turned around. He moved closer and reached out for me.

“You’re drunk. You want a ride home or something?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Not from you.” I replied, stubborn as ever, “I can walk home.”

“I’m sober!” he exclaimed, the exasperation clear in his tone, “You need a ride home! You’re drunk and you can barely walk properly! What happens if someone jumps you? Kidnaps you?” 

“Billy! Shut up. No one gets kidnapped in Hawkins, okay?” 

  I snorted and rolled my eyes after saying it, then began off again towards the cars. I heard the jingle of keys and the footsteps as he fell in step next to me.

“Y/N. Let me take you home, okay? I’ll drop you off and you won’t hear from me for the rest of the night? Not even at school, if I can help it. Okay?”

  I paused and considered him, narrowing my gaze. It was then I realized...my only chance of a ride was gone anyway. Steve’s car was gone, as was Jonathan’s. What in the hell had happened between me leaving the party and walking up towards the front of the house? Holy shit. I sucked in a breath and considered my options. Fine. Fucking fine.

“Alright. But JUST this once.” 

  He grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards his car. Everything seemed to blur as I walked. Maybe it was a good idea I was getting a ride, after all. And shit...he looked so good. No. Quit. Not this one. Not Billy. I glanced back towards the front of Tina’s house, only to catch Carol and Co standing outside, sharing a cigarette and laughing. Carol was the only one that seemed to be paying attention and the minute we locked eyes, I knew. Fuck. It was going to be everywhere. Everyone would know...Billy and I had left together. He closed the door for me on the passenger side and I sat back, waiting for him to get in as well.

“You okay?” he asked, getting in and firing up the engine to the Camaro. 

  I nodded again, glancing over towards him. I took in the sight, breath catching in my throat. There was something about Billy that no other guy seemed to have. It wasn’t the arrogance or devilishly handsome charm. No...there was something else there that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I hated that. Reading people was a skill of mine, and I just couldn’t seem to read this guy right off the bat. I hated it. He stared back at me, then grinned mischievously. 

“She’s my baby, you know?” he asked, patting the dashboard before revving the engine again and taking off.

  I held on to the side handle as he drove, taking directions from me the entire way. Billy didn’t drive with reckless abandon, but he did drive like he didn’t have a care in the world. That was...kind of attractive too. Fuck, I was drunk. And when we finally pulled up at my house, I could feel myself swirling even more into the uninhibited vortex,

“You’re not as much of an asshole as I thought, I guess.” I said as he helped me out of the car and up towards the front door of the house.

  He laughed and opened the door for me after I unlocked it.

  “I’m not always a dick to pretty girls.” he said, making his way through the dark house with me, “Which reminds me...you want me to leave you on the couch or in your room?”

  I shrugged.

“Doesn’t fucking matter.”

  He helped me up the stairs towards my room, snorting with laughter as we BOTH tripped on the last step up. I tugged him towards my bedroom and when we finally breached the threshold, he let go of me and stayed still.

“I want to make sure you sober up safely, okay?” he asked, pushing his hands into his jean pockets, “Mind if I use your couch for a few hours? I’ll be out before the sun comes up.”

“Don’t bother,” I replied, “Mom’s out of town. Sleep in if you want to.”

 I pulled off my cat ears and began unhooking my dress. It was then I realized he was actually still standing there, staring in disbelief. 

“You’re...”

“What? You’ve never seen a girl undress before?”

“You’re drunk...” he breathed.

“Yeah, you said that already.” I shot back, shrugging.

  Something about this state was making me bold...too bold. I wasn’t sure how I liked it.But...I did. I stared at him and then...made my way over.

“I don’t like assholes...” I whispered, leaning in towards him, “But you’re trying to make me like you...aren’t you?”

  It was as if it was some sort of conspiracy. Maybe he was working against me to try and prove me wrong. The game...this game. I had to win. I reached out, my hand planting firmly against his bare chest, fingernails digging into the skin slightly. Billy hissed in response, leaning back against the doorframe...not moving.

“Careful.” he breathed, staring down at me, “Be very careful.”

“No...you be careful.” I said, leaning up towards him.

  Why be a king, when you could be a god? And who said God had to be a man? I was going to win this powerstruggle between the two of us. If it was the last thing I did, I was going to do SOMETHING to win over him. And for some reason? In my mind? This was the way to do it. That, and curiosity. My lips planted against his and I was overwhelmed. The smell of sweat, beer, and cologne intermingled between us and I couldn’t help myself. I kissed him harder, causing him to lurch slightly in surprise. But, he didn’t pull away. It felt like an eternity passed and his hands were suddenly on my hips, pulling me around and pressing me against the wall. Slowly, carefully, fingers trailed up along my sides, exploring every inch of me they could. It wasn’t long and one hand was in my hair, fingers tangling into my done locks. His other hand planted itself back on my side, holding me steady. 

  I kissed him hungrily, as if I was needy for it. I did need it. My arms wrapped around him, my own hands burying into his hair and tugging eventually. He groaned and let me pull his head back a bit. The grin on his face said it all. He liked it. Maybe I had won after all? And then it all stopped. He pulled away and shook his head slowly. 

“You’re drunk. And I’m not doing this with you while you’re drunk and I’m sober. If I’m going to have you, it’s going to be a time I don’t want you to EVER forget.” he whispered, that stare nearly overwhelming me. Shit.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed away from him, heading over towards my bed. Fuck changing. Fuck even making sure he found the couch or saw his way out. I just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. I’d kissed Billy Hargrove...and now I was never going to live it down.

“See you in the morning, Cat Ears...” his voice drawled out towards me as I drifted off.

________________________________________________________________

<Chapter One   Chapter Three>

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 @ john-benderr @ salemlysi @ boundtomyfate @ ccidk @ drrramaaaqweeen @ asheseiler

[miwtual]

why did i struggle spelling steve harringtons name just now

[joaquinwhorres]

Good Friends (Steve Harrington x Reader)

Alternatively titled, Good Deeds - Part 3

< Read Part 2 | Read Part 4 >

Summary: You return to school after winter break to find Billy Hargrove looking for you and your friends constantly pestering you about just what kind of relationship you have with Steve Harrington, anyway.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Word Count: 3,151

Author’s Note: I thought that it would only take three parts to tell this story, but this part was getting so long that I ended it. I'm thinking that it'll be four parts and the fourth part will have the ultimate conclusion + a small epilogue-y scene.

Warnings: Language. Some small incidents of sexual harassment, but nothing explicit.

"Y/N!"  You closed your locker door to look at Tiffany. "You'll never guess who was asking about you in the parking lot."

Your stomach did a small flip. You hated it when it did that. Ever since The Party (as you now called it in your head), every time someone even mentioned Steve–hell, if there was even a possibility that they could be mentioning Steve, your body reacted in weird ways. Sometimes it was a stomach flip. Sometimes your heart beat faster. Sometimes your breath caught in your throat. Sometimes you felt the overwhelming urge to giggle or squeal.

Geeze, you hated yourself.

"Who?" Becky asked, closing her locker, and eagerly joining your conversation. The three of you turned from your lockers, heading towards your first class of the day.

"Billy. Hargrove," Tiffany announced, grinning at you, and nudging your shoulder with hers. Your stomach dropped. Partially out of disappointment and partially out of dread. You would have thought the week and a half would be enough time for him to get over the fact that you'd kicked him in the balls and run out of the party with Steve Harrington. Billy seemed like the type who cast a wide net and if a fish happened to wriggle free than so be it, there were plenty left.

"Why?" you asked, furrowing your brow in confusion for good measure.

"Oh come on, Y/N, I saw you two at the party," Tiffany poked.

"What are you talking about?" And now you really were confused.

"He had his arms around you, and you were standing real close, and he was kissing down your neck," Tiffany described, putting on her most sultry voice. You couldn't keep the disgust from showing on your face, and she laughed at you, misinterpreting the look. "Hey, I'm just describing what I saw. You  were the one getting down and dirty with Billy Hargrove."

"Funny, I didn't think Billy was your type," Becky said, thoughtfully.

"He's not!" You blurted out. "Whatever you saw at the party was not what it looked like."

"Suuuure," Tiffany shared a look with Becky, and you could feel yourself growing frustrated and flustered.

"It wasn't! And how would you know what happened, you were too busy sucking face with Jeff," you snapped.

Tiffany didn't even have the decency to turn red. Instead she just laughed it off. "Then were'd you go? Both of you disappeared right afterwards?"

And that explained why Tiffany hadn't even bothered to call to make sure she'd gotten home ok.

"Steve Harrington took me home," you shrugged, defensively.

Becky raised her eyebrows at this. While she was on considerably better terms with Steve than Amy, she still had her opinions on him. "Steve Harrington took you home?"

"He dropped me off on his way home." It was an exaggeration, but the last thing you needed was them thinking there was some sort of love triangle between you, Steve, and Billy. Or to just assume you had any sort of relationship to Steve. Because you didn't. He didn't like you like that. He was just a good friend. And you were just his good friend. And even that was a stretch.

Becky opened her mouth to say something, but both of you caught Tiffany's look and her smug smile as you approached the door to your English class.

Outside of it stood Billy Hargrove.

Well, fuck.

"Tiffany, Becky, " he greeted, giving each of your friends a nod from where he leaned up against the wall. "Y/N." His eyes stopped on you, and it was hard to breathe. Your whole body seemed to tense up under his gaze, it was as if needles were pricking at your hands from the anxiety. All you wanted to do was run into the classroom and away from him.

"Hi, Billy," Tiffany greeted in a sing-song voice before entering the classroom with Becky. She paused for a second in the doorway. "Don't make her too late for class." She smiled and then waved goodbye.

Billy pushed himself off of the wall, walking closer to you, right into your personal space. Your books lightly rested against his chest. He was too close, but you weren't about to step back. "You ran off so quick the other night," he started, a small smirk growing on his lips. "I didn't get the chance to say goodnight."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Your voice was anything but sorry.

"What do you say we give it another try," Billy asked, moving even closer so you could feel his breath on your face. Your stomach squirmed, and you looked over his shoulder into the classroom wanting desperately to be in the safety of your assigned seat. "Tonight? I can give you a ride home from school?"

"I–" you opened your mouth to reject him when another voice cut across you.

"Billy, where are you supposed to be?"

Billy turned around to face your English teacher who stood in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Sorry, Mr. Bailey," Billy apologized, throwing on a charming smile for your teacher. "I was just asking Y/N for directions to Ms. Wood's class. I keep getting lost, you know," Billy's smile slipped into a smirk. "Since I'm new."

"Go on," Mr. Bailey nodded in the direction of Ms. Wood's class.

"Yes, sir," Billy said, stepping away from you and walking down the hall to class. He turned over his shoulder and threw you a wink.

"Y/N," Mr. Bailey motioned into his class, and you flushed, quickly scurrying into class and to your seat.

It was a miracle that you managed to avoid Billy for the rest of the day.

You were not so lucky in dodging your friends' comments about his pursuit of you or on the fact that Steve Harrington had driven you home from the party. Speculation on love triangles were growing fast. Even after you'd spent your lunch period telling Becky and Tiffany what had really happened at the party, they still didn't believe you that nothing was going on between you and two of Hawkins' hottest bachelors. Neither of them felt as if you had told them the complete truth, and they were sort of right. You glossed over Billy's aggression maybe more than you should have, decided it wasn't important for them to know that you had punched Steve, and you would die before you let them know that you'd been alone with Steve Harrington in your house. You loved your friends, but you did not trust them with this sort of sensitive information.

It was the end of the day, and you were in the middle of explaining once again why you'd asked Steve an not Tiffany to drive you home when Darlene joined your group at your lockers.

"Oh, we're talking about Y/N and Steve?" Darlene asked, leaning on the locker next to Tiffany's.

"So there is something going on between you two," Becky jumped at this.

"No," you said, exasperatedly.

Darlene gave you a skeptical look, and you looked back with pleading eyes. Tiffany, as she did, caught wind of this immediately.

"Whatdoyouknow?" she demanded, the sentence coming out as one word.

"Nothing," Darlene said, innocently and your shoulders dropped in relief as you internally thanked her. "We just ran into him over Christmas break, and he obviously has a thing for her."

And just like that, you hated Darlene.

"You ran into Steve over break?" Tiffany turned to you, accusingly. "Convenient detail to leave out."

"It was nothing. He was at the New Benny's at the same time as us," you shook your head. But even as you did that, your heart beat quickened, and not in the same way it did whenever you saw Billy. Your mind drifted back to moment you'd run into each other, making good on his prediction that you'd see each other around over break.

You and Darlene had just finished spending the last of your Christmas money and had decided to go out for lunch before heading home. At the end of your meal, you'd gone for one last bathroom trip, and Darlene had headed out to wait in the car for you. It was on your way out the door that you'd run into him.

"Y/N!" A voice called out, and you whipped your head around, looking over to Steve who was sitting across from a middle school aged boy with wildly curly hair. Steve had raised himself off of the booth's seat to wave at you, and the boy across the table from him was looking between the two of you with his eyebrows raised. You felt a smile tug at your lips as you took a step closer to his table.

"Hey," you greeted, and you couldn't help it. Your eyes were drawn straight to the yellow-ish brown mark on Steve's face. An odd mixture of guilt and butterflies crept up on you at the sight of his face.

"How are you?" Steve asked. He was smiling, and fuck he was good looking. Even with the ugly bruise, he just seemed to exude this effortless charm and handsomeness.

"Good," you nodded, taking a breath and hoping it would help you settle down into some semblance of your usual calm, pulled together self. "Having a good break?"

"Yeah, it's alright," Steve shrugged.  You turned slightly to the kid, shooting Steve a questioning look. And then it caught up with you. Babysitting. You had caught Steve in the act of babysitting. He wasn't just bullshitting you. "This is Dustin," he introduced, and you extended your hand to the younger boy.

"Y/N," you introduced yourself, shaking his hand.

"Y/N?" Dustin repeated, shooting a glance at Steve with a sly grin, as he let your hand go. There was a tense pause between the three of you as you looked at the grinning Dustin and Steve whose had the same "So help me God" look that your mother got sometimes when she was frustrated with you. Dustin knew something. And you weren't supposed to know that. Which meant it could only be one thing…

"He knows I punched you in the face?" you guessed, looking over at Steve. His face fell from warning to slight horror.

"YOU WHAT?" Dustin shouted, jumping up and earning looks from all of the nearby customers. "Sorry!" he called out, holding up pacifying hands before lowering his voice slightly. "You were the one who punched Steve in the face?"

"I, uh," you muttered, trying to backpedal your way out of having Steve be made fun of by a middle schooler.

"I can't believe it was you!" Dustin looked like he'd been given a second Christmas.

"Shut up, you little shithead," Steve hissed, throwing a sugar packet at him. Dustin didn't even flinch when it hit him in the arm.

"Oh my GOD, that's great!" Dustin laughed, leaning his head down on the table and pounding the table with a hand as he laughed.

"I'm so sorry," you apologized to Steve, and he shook his head. "I'll head out before I make things worse."

"Don't worry about him, I have loads of stuff on him that'll make him shut right up." Dustin was laughing too hard to hear the threat.

You shook your head. "It's fine. I have to go anyway, Darlene's my ride and she's waiting outside," you pointed out the door.

"I can give you a ride home if you want to stay for a bit," Steve offered. You blinked. Dustin stopped laughing and picked his head up off of the table.

"I–"

"Y/N?" Darlene approached, and that was the end of that. You couldn't make up an excuse to stay anymore. "Steve." Darlene identified, coming up to the table. "Hey."

"Darlene," Steve nodded in greeting. You couldn't help but notice Dustin look at Darlene appreciatively. Hopefully, you hid your smile.

"Sorry, I'm ready to go," you said, and she nodded, still looking between the two of you before turning to leave and shooting you a look.

"I'll see you at school," you said to Steve before turning to the other boy. "It was nice to meet you Dustin."

They both waved you goodbye as you exited.

Darlene was waiting for you at the door. "So,"  she started, and you knew were this was going even as you groaned and climbed into her car. "You have a thing for Steve Harrington."

"You should have seen the way he looked at her," Darlene remarked.

"He looked at me in the way good friends look at each other."

"Oh, so you're good friends with Steve now?" Becky asked, raising her eyebrows.

You let out a frustrated sigh as you pushed the doors to the school open, heading up to the parking lot. "Can we talk about Tiffany and Jeff yet?" you asked.

"Yeah, how come Becky and I had to find our own rides home from the party?" Darlene asked, tilting your head, and you breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry, girls, I don't kiss and tell," Tiffany flipped her hair, and the rest of you groaned at this blatant lie. "But speaking of rides, I'm going over Jeff's after school, so I can't take you home. Sorry!" Tiffany said, stopping at her car.

Becky had a few choice words to say over this, to which Tiffany flipped her off and climbed in her car. You all backed away from it to let her pull out.

"I'm tutoring at the middle school anyway," Darlene shrugged as she waved Tiffany goodbye "I'll see you tomorrow." She took off across the parking lot, heading to Hawkins Middle.

"I can see if Ally can take us home if you want," Becky offered.

"I think I'll just walk," you answered, and Becky nodded before heading off towards Ally's car.

"I guess that means you're free," a voice spoke from the side, and your head whipped around to face the person talking. Somehow you'd missed seeing Billy Hargrove leaning up against his car, right behind Tiffany's. Of. Course. He tossed his cigarette on the ground before walking over closer to you.

"So, you coming over?" he asked, his smoldering smirk back. You shook your head.

"I'm just going to walk home," you protested.

"Come on," Billy took a step closer, leaning down to whisper in your ear. "My parents aren't home, and I like a girl who's got…fire in her."

"No. Thank you," you moved to push past him, and he grabbed your wrist.

"Hey, let her go," a voice called out, and your heart stopped before picking up at full speed. You turned your head to see Steve Harrington striding across the parking lot–almost running–towards the two of you. A smile crept up on Billy's lips as his hand released your wrist and instead he moved towards Steve.

This could not be happening.

"Shoulda known you'd come running Harrington. Here to steal her away again?" Billy asked, getting as close to Steve as he had been to you.

This could not be happening.

"Look, why don't you just leave her alone. She's not into you. Find someone else," Steve shook his head.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Billy asked, poking Steve in the chest as he said it. Steve brushed off his hand and glared up at Billy. The question sent a shiver down your spine.

A crowd began to gather around the two boys, just waiting for what would happen next.

"I swear to God, you lay a hand on her again, and you're dead." The threat came out as a dangerous whisper that made your heart speed up. You weren't sure if it was in the good way or the bad way.

This could not be happening.

Billy came even closer to Steve. "Is this that King Steve again? Or are you just putting on a little show so she doesn't know you've gone bitch?" Steve clenched his fists, and Billy let out a dark chuckle. "But look, if she really means that much to you, you can have the bitch. Once I'm done."

And that was when Steve punched him.

You gasped, as you watched Billy take a step back before letting out a snort of laughter and then lunging at Steve. Steve was too quick and ducked, skirting around Billy before swinging another punch at him. This one missed and allowed Billy the room to sink one into Steve's side. You winced. The crowd began to cheer, taking sides between Billy and Steve. This caught the attention of more students who quickly made their way over to witness the fight that everyone had been waiting for.  Hell, you had even been waiting for this fight. Everyone knew it was just a matter of time. But what you hadn't expected was for Billy to be quite this vicious. He kicked Steve, sending him stumbling back towards you, and in a moment of thoughtfulness, you reached forward to help steady him. In the next second, he flung himself back up and towards Billy, his shoulder pushing you out of the way and sending you flying onto the ground.

It was as if the earth stopped rotating.

Everyone in the parking lot seemed to turn and watch you as you fell. You could see them, almost as if it were in slow motion. Steve and Billy both seemed to stop their wrestling with each other and turned to look at you. Billy looked surprised. Steve looked horrified. And then you hit the ground hard.

Steve pushed away from Billy and was next to you in a second. "Shit, Y/N. Are you ok? I'm so sorry," he sputtered. You slowly sat up, Steve moving back to give you some more room. You watched as Billy exited the circle of people, pushing past them with his shoulder to get to his car.

"I just…want to go home," you mumbled, trying to push down all feelings of annoyance and embarrassment. You heard the roar of the Camaro as Billy tore out of the parking lot. Asshole.

"Can I drive you?" Steve asked, and you turned to look at him. His hair was a bit disheveled from the fight and his brow was furrowed in concern. He looked like he wanted to do something but didn't know what to do. As upset as you were…it was kind of cute.

"Yeah, ok," you agreed. Steve stood up, offering you a hand, and you took it, allowing him to pull you up, one handed.

The crowd parted to allow the two of you two Steve's car, and you could feel their eyes boring into your backs. You looked at Steve from the corner of your eye. He still had the same look on his face, and even though you had been the one who was thrown down to the ground, you felt bad for the boy.

"Well," you said, as you reached his car. "At least we're even now."

< Read Part 2 | Read Part 4 >

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