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theladybarnes · 5 months ago

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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER TEN

“Could try sticking together at a different house for a change?”

▸ summary: in another time in another place, there’s time for one more night ▸ characters: steve harrington 🩷, ft. Robin Buckley & Dustin Henderson ▸ word count: 9.5k ▸ warnings: angst, fluff, SMUT MINORS DNI(18+) ▸ series masterlist

The hot water flowed slowly down your back. Washing away all the stress and worries that came from today’s recent search. As you leaned against the cool tile, your mind drifted back to the Creel house. At this point it felt like no matter how hard all of you worked to piece together this puzzle, more questions would be left unanswered.

Pushing your head under the water, you tried to let your mind have a moment’s rest. But the very second you shut down that worry, the look of Steve smiling down at you with cobwebs in his hair came into your head.

This was stupid.

You guys were supposed to be on pause. Thoughts about Steve and his dumb, cute, face could come around later on. When you aren’t trying to evade death by the hands of Vecna. But even if you gave yourself that small break, there was another lingering thought in your head; How was Eddie doing?

It’s been days since any of you have properly spoken to him and a big part of you felt guilty for not thinking about him until now. He was your friend! The one who helped lift your spirits after all the heartbreak from last winter. How could you be such a bad friend? Yes, you were working to help solve this and clear his name, but how could you let yourself get this distracted to not have him cross your mind once all day?

With a sigh, you turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping yourself in a towel. The steam clung to your skin. A temporary warmth against the cold air that seemed to follow you around all day. You caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror, shuddering at the sight.

You were exhausted, both mentally and physically. The worst part was that your body seemed to be taking the major weight of it all. Emerging from the steamy bathroom, the cool air of Steve's house hit you, bringing a slight shiver to coat your body. Lost in your thoughts, you almost didn't see that Steve had been standing there until you nearly collided with him at his bedroom door.

"Whoa, careful there,” he said, a playful smile on his face as he caught your arms. "I hope you left some hot water for me. I know you like to have the water burning your skin practically.”

"It’s not that hot.” you chuckled. His eyes darted over your figure, lingering in a few expected spots until he remembered where his main focus was. You felt as your face grew hot. Cheeks flushed as you adjusted the towel around you tighter. “Thanks again, for letting all of us crash here. I know all of us together can be a lot."

Steve's expression softened, and he leaned against the doorframe, looking at you with those familiar, warm eyes that had your knees nearly buckling under his gaze. "I figured that the Wheeler residence could use a break from the chaos we bring.” he shrugged. “No one’s here anyway. We all could use a good rest for one night. Plus it beats sleeping on the basement floor again.”

“You’re right about that.” you agreed, knowing your back is desperate for some comfort.

“Besides,” he continued, voice a low murmur. “I feel a lot safer having you here in my house. Where I know you’ll be safe.”

His words tugged at your heart. They were both comforting and painful. Mostly because you wanted to dive into the meaning behind them and hear his reasons. But you knew better. It was just hard to suppress the feelings you still had for him, but you pushed them down for now, managing a small smile instead.

"I always feel safe with you around. Doesn’t matter where.”

Something about your reply had him inhaling deeply. For a moment he looked like he was going to say something else, but he didn’t. “Goodnight, Trouble.” He eventually got out with a smile of his own.

“Goodnight, Steve."

You turned to leave, heading towards the hall to his parent’s room, where you’d be sharing with Robin. But as you walked away, you couldn't help but steal one last glance back at him, catching him as he watched you with an unreadable expression.

Once you were inside the spare bedroom and away from his gaze, you wasted no time in getting into fresh clothes. Thankfully, your Aunt did not catch you sneaking in through your bedroom window earlier. If she had, you, Dustin, and probably the others, would surely have been under house arrest. With her paranoia, she’d have cuffed you all together to keep watch of everyone closely.

The previously occupied bathroom popped open suddenly. Robin, who had gotten dibs in the master bath first, was freshly changed and ready for bed. She waltzed into the room with a content smile on her face as she plopped down on the other side of the bed. You noticed right away that her eyes were glinting with a familiar playful mischief as she caught your gaze.

“So,” she started, drawing out the word, “How was your little run-in with Steve?” Her smirk was unmistakable, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, holding back the smile that wanted to fight its way onto your lips.

“Robin,” you warned lightly, but she only grinned wider.

“Oh come on, don’t ‘Robin’ me. I was there in the Creel house. I saw how you two were talking.” she reasoned. “There were sparks flying and all that.” She mimicked an explosion with her hands for emphasis, bringing out a small chuckle from you.

“I can’t do this with you..”

“Why do you think I got dibs on the bathroom first?”

“Because you’re dirty?”

She gave you a small slap to your arm before pointing over towards the door. “I did it on the chance that you two might run into each other in his room and get to talking again!”

“Robin, we’re not together,” you reminded her, shaking your head as you finished drying your hair. “I’m not sure he’s told you yet but we’re pausing even discussing that situation until we get this Vecna stuff sorted out. It’s all very complicated.”

“Yeah, complicated my ass.” Robin snorted. “All week I’ve caught you two a dozen times being a little too close for being just friends. I give it until tomorrow before the two of you are making out in some corner like you’re in the back room of Family Video all over again.”

Your mouth flopped open as you attempted to think of a comeback. For some reason you were unable to conjure up a clever response. Instead, you threw a pillow at her, which she deftly dodged laughing. “We’re not gonna do... ugh, I’m done. I’m going to bed.”

Thankfully, she moved with you to climb under the sheets. Giving you a couple of seconds of silence while you both adjusted under the sheets before Robin turned around to face you again.

Her expression had softened up from the previous smug look she had as she looked down. “I know you’re both sort of stuck on talking things out. But seriously, I think with everything going on... I just don’t want either of you to have any regrets. Or waste time not taking just one second to work something out. Things are getting pretty crazy and I just want to help you both be happy in case something happens..”

Her words instantly hit home. It was one thing for you to be self aware of the possibility of a limited amount of time. But for your friend to see it too just made the whole situation feel even more real. That wasn’t something you wanted Robin or any of them to have to go through. Especially when they were already worried about this whole Vecna mess already. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you gave her a quick nod, hoping it gave off some sort of relief to her.

“Thanks, Robin. We’ll work on it soon.” Your words felt forced, but you smiled at her anyway. “Just give us a chance to work things out before you feel you need to ‘help’ again, okay?”

She gave your shoulder reassuring pat before she flopped onto her back. “Alright, I’ll back off for now, but I’d be more worried about Nancy. She’s more fed up with this weird dance you two are doing than I am.”

“Thanks for that heads up.” You chuckled softly, reaching out from the covers to turn off the lamp. The room fell into darkness, but the warmth of the conversation still lingered in the air.

“Goodnight, Robin,” you whispered.

“Goodnight,” she replied, her voice already drowsy.

As you closed your eyes, your mind drifted back to previous thoughts. There were some things you couldn’t change right away, but Robin was right. Time was precious, and with the threat looming over you all, there’s no room for regret. Something had to change between you and Steve.

But for now, you settled on attempting to get some sleep first.

You huffed again, removing the earbuds from your ears.

It had been two hours since you said goodnight to your friend, and here you were as you listened to the soft sound of Robin’s light snoring. Sleep was not coming for you. No matter how relaxed you attempted to be, your mind was not able to shut off whatsoever.

Looking at the clock on the bedside table, you use the little bit of moonlight that peeked through the room from the curtains to read the time. It was nearing two in the morning. You should be sound asleep like all the others in the house. And yet, you were wide awake.

This wasn’t even a bed you could feel comfortable in. It was too hard and the pillow had a lingering scent aftershave. You glanced at Robin, her face serene and untroubled as she slept. The sight of her peacefulness made your restlessness more unbearable. What you needed was comfort, a sense of safety that only one place could offer.

Biting your lip, you glanced over towards the clock again. Screw complicated.

Slipping out of bed, you gathered your cassette player and headphones as you padded silently to the door, careful not to wake her. The floorboards creaked under your weight, a sound that echoed through the quiet house. Steve’s room was just down the hall, and the thought of being near him sent a shiver down your spine—not from fear, but from the cold that only he seemed to be able to take away.

Pushing the door open a fraction, you peeked inside, hoping to slip into his room without waking him. Over on his bed, he laid on his side, facing towards the door. His chest rising and falling in the rhythm of sleep.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed the door open enough to step inside. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the faint smell of the cotton sheets hit you. Hitting you with a wave of nostalgia. The summer nights where you crept in to spend the night for sleepovers that weren’t allowed. It was the time in both your lives where you guys thought everything would be okay. That all the troubles were over.

You wanted to feel that way again, if just for one night.

Stepping into the room, you were careful not to let the door creak as you closed it behind you. The floor was thankfully covered in carpet, but you still shivered as you approached the side of his bed.

You moved to the empty side about to lift the blanket when you noticed a small photo frame. Picking it up, you used the small light coming from the window to look at it carefully.

It was the half torn photo strip you guys took at the mall last summer. You remember the night he stole this half, leaving you to the one back home. It was still taped to your mirror. But this one, you haven’t seen in such a long time. The smile on Steve’s face still made your heart leap and you couldn’t help but smile at how happy you looked then. “I can’t believe you still have this.” you said softly.

Steve stirred at the sound of your voice and you held your breath. Hoping you didn’t just wake him up. But nothing happened other than him settling back comfortably.

Gently, you lifted the edge of the blanket and slipped underneath, moving slowly so as not to disturb him further. The mattress dipped slightly under your weight as you turned on your side, wanting to face him. The warmth of his body was immediate, comforting in a way you had become desperate for lately.

As you got comfortable, Steve's eyes fluttered open, making you freeze in place. But instead of accidentally scaring him like you thought you might have, he only blinked, sleepily focusing on you.

"Hey," he murmured, his voice thick with sleep. There was no surprise in his tone, just a quiet acceptance that made your heart flutter.

"Hi," you whispered back, barely able to keep the small quiver from your voice. "I couldn't sleep."

He shifted slightly, making room for you to slide closer, his arm coming around you instinctively. It was such a natural, familiar gesture, shared between the two of you.

"Bad dream?" he asked, his voice a soft rumble.

"I’d have to have fallen asleep in the first place to dream," you muttered, nestled closer to him now. His presence was like a soothing balm. The knot that had been building up in your chest loosened up at just the sound of his voice. “Is it okay, I’m here?”

His fingers brushed against your arm, a light touch that sent shivers down your spine. "You’re always welcomed here," he said quietly, keeping up with his soothing touch.

You closed your eyes, letting yourself relax for the first time in days. You couldn’t pinpoint as to why. Maybe it was the bed, or the smell of his cotton sheets, or maybe it was just Steve. All you knew was that you felt safe, away from the world, in this bed, in his arms.

"I missed this," you admitted into the darkness, voice barely audible under the sudden emotions swirling.

His arm tightened around you, and you felt as his breath hitched in reaction to your words. "Me too," he whispered back eventually, his voice low and rough. It was only a little concerning, considering that all day he’s acted so confidently around everyone.

"Steve," you begin, your voice barely above a whisper, "Am I hurting you by being here?"

He sighed, shifting closer. "No, you’re not hurting me. If anything, this is comforting me. I like having you close to me..where I can feel you.”

You reached out, your fingers brushing against his. "I just don’t want to confuse you anymore than I already have.."

His hand closed around yours, warm and reassuring. "You haven’t. Besides, I know we’ll eventually get to talk things out. I’m okay with waiting until then.”

The conviction in his voice is comforting, and for a moment, you almost believed that everything would be okay. But your mind was quick to become frustrated all over again. Not only were you so physically tired from everything, but mentally too. It was as if you were some sappy soap character who couldn’t figure her life out. Everyday was a new brand of guilt and fear and you were sick of it.

A finger brushing against your cheek pulled you out of your rant and focused back on Steve who was watching you carefully. “Your thinking face is on.” he mused softly, “Wanna let me in?”

You moved closer, resting your head on his shoulder. "What if... what if this was just a normal night? No monsters, no curses, just spring break. What would we have done?"

Steve sucked in a sharp breath. Probably not expecting that sort of question. “Well,” he huffed, blowing all the air out of his mouth. “I’d have probably convinced you to hang out with me. Even if it was just friends. Put on some movie you picked from work.”

You smiled at the thought, liking the simplicity of the scenario. "Something you’d pretend to be annoyed by, but secretly love every minute of, right?”

He smiled back, looking at you with such a tenderness that lured you in close. "Yeah, something like that."

The moment stretched out, leaving the air thick with heavy lingering feelings. You leaned in, keeping faces only inches apart. The urge to kiss him was so overwhelming. But you stopped, your eyes searching his face for more answers. "And after that? When the night was done and it was time for me to go home? What would happen?”

For a moment, he didn’t respond, his gaze locked on yours. Then, without a word, he leaned in, closing the distance between you, and kissed you. It was soft and hesitant, but it held some feelings that you were sure he had been holding back. Like always, you melted into the kiss. His hand reached up to cup the side of your face, keeping you close as he finally spoke up.

“That,” he whispered against your lips. “I’d do that.”

You moved to rest your forehead against his, both of you breathing heavily now. “I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow,” you whispered, “But right now, I just..I just want to forget about everything. Even if it’s only tonight.”

He slowly nodded, his eyes glancing down to your lips as you spoke. “Yeah,” he said, gently murmuring his agreement in a quiet tone. “We can forget everything else..."

With his approval, you placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him so that he was flat on his back. His eyes widened a bit and you carefully threw a leg over his waist until you were able to sit on his lap.

Your heart raced as you reached for the hem of your pajama shirt, carefully pulling it over your head until you were revealing your bare chest to Steve.

His breathing hitched as his eyes roamed over your breasts before it all seemed to click for him what you were doing. “Am I dreaming right now?” he asked as he brought his hands up to rest at your hips.

You placed your hands over his, giving him a shy smile as you shook your head to his question.

“This is real.”

He gave your hips a gentle squeeze as a small shy smile pulled at the corner of his lips. “Thank God.” he breathed, shaking his head as he leaned up towards you.

You met him in the middle and pressed your lips onto his, feeling the familiar fire start to ignite inside again. His hands released your hips, grazing up the expanse of your sides until he cupped at your breasts, using the tip of his thumbs to brush over the sensitive pebble.

A wave of heat dropped down between your legs at his touch. Not even a week has passed since you’ve last had sex with Steve but the carnal desire to have every inch of him inside you started to take over. Your hands roamed beneath his shirt. First, only grazing in from his waistline before you broke the kiss to push up the ends, silently urging him to lose the shirt.

You could hear him chuckle as he reached down to tug the material off, tossing it onto the floor before he laid back against the bed, looking up at you expectantly.

The pool lights reflected in through his window, creating spots of blue hues to seep in the room.

It reminded you of all the summer nights you spent here in the house, and how much they used to ease you during your secret sleepovers.

Leaning over, you pressed your lips back onto his as your hands explored. Your nails scratched against his chest, admiring the feel of the hairs that peppered over his pecs. The sensation caused Steve to groan out loud, making the kiss turn hot and opened mouth as you both touched each other.

He pressed you closer to his body, making your chest flushed to his now. That’s when you felt the cold necklace press against your clavicle and you sat back to press a hand to your neck.

You had almost forgotten that you had stolen the necklace from his car the other day. It kept you sane during your trip to Pennhurst. Something you had planned on sneaking back into Steve’s car. But your impatience and needs seemed to ruin that plan now.

He broke his focus from your face, doing a double take as he looked down at your hand, leaning close to inspect what you were holding. “You-..you’re wearing it..” he stated, slightly taken back as his gaze flickered back to your eyes.

“I just wanted to feel right again.” You professed softly, looking down at the gold ‘S’ that sat perfectly over your chest. “I know I should have asked but..” your voice trailed off, unsure how to answer without diving into feelings.

A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips when he slowly reached up to gently touch the necklace. His fingertips gently ran along the chain while you waited patiently to hear what he had to say. “No, you’d never have to ask..” he assured you. “It’s yours. It’s always been yours.”

The tender reassurance caused an ache to spread into your heart. The memory of the night you received the gift bringing in emotions you needed to pause on. Reaching for his hand, you brought his fingertips up to your lips. Placing kisses on each finger lovingly until you pressed it to cup at your cheek. “Are you sure?”

Steve held his breath for a moment, only staring at your face in his hand before he suddenly leaned up towards you. The look in his eyes had turned dark and familiar. Stirring something in the pit of your belly. Then, he slowly began to nod his head, letting his hand slide down to wrap around your neck.

“More than anything.”

You shuddered a bit, finding yourself being flustered by not only Steve’s reassurance, but also from the slight change of hand. Not sure how long you can handle his touch or heated gaze, you took charge and leaned in to press your lips against his again.

Feeling a new confidence in you that made you start to roll your hips on his waist.

A small moan built in your throat as his groin began to press through your pajama pants. Hitting at the spot you were starting to become needy for him to touch. Beneath you, Steve gently groaned into the kiss, moving his body to roll against yours when he felt the direction you were taking things.

Your mind was becoming more hazy at that. More feral. The familiar desperation to reach your orgasm started to spur inside of you. And from the way he began to stiffen up underneath his clothes, you were pretty sure he was starting to feel the same.

“Steve..I need you.”

Your simple whimpered request seemed to encourage Steve as he groaned quietly again, reaching for your hips as he rolled up. “Need you too, Honey. Need you so badly.” he said in short shallow gasps.

Carefully, he wrapped an arm around your side and he pressed you close to his body before he flipped you over so that he was able to hover over you now. You held tightly, staring up in shock as he used his knees to push at your legs and allow him to sit between them.

Reaching your hands down, you rubbed up his sides until they met in the middle of his waist, where you quickly made do with his pajamas. Pushing the waist of his pants and boxers down while you picked your head up to press a kiss to his lips.

He shivered in your hands, only pulling his lips back to hiss down once the palm of your hand made contact with his hardened cock. “Fuck,” he said, licking over his lips. “Keep going.” he begged, hands rubbing up the inner part of your thighs soothingly.

The sight of his stiff cock brought a burning desire to pool between your legs. You thought back to earlier in the week when you last had him and how much you wanted to feel that good again and again and–

“You with me?”

The warm touch to the side of your face pulled you from your dirty thoughts and you gave Steve a small smile. He rubbed the tip of his thumb over your lip, which naturally you pressed a kiss to, knowing how much he always liked it.

And like always, he took charge after that.

Moving his hands to the sides of your waist, he tugged down your bottoms. Exposing the rest of your body to his pleasure as he still hovered above you. The action sparked something inside and you felt yourself losing your composition in order to give into your needs. “I need you, please.”

He shifted before you, making the tip of his cock brush against your thigh. Causing him to groan while he adjusted once more to bring his hand between your inner thighs. “Let me have my fun first, Trouble.” He replied back. Voice husky and low with desire.

It was one just one finger that brushed through your folds and you were already feeling out of your mind. Your body jolted and turned tense as you reached out to grip at his free arm. He used his thumb to circle over your clit, brushing the sensitive bud softly.

“Fuck.” you hissed, feeling both frustrated and turned on by his slow pace. You let go of his arm to go for his neck. Letting your fingers get tangled in the ends of his hair, tugging lightly as he rolled over the sensitive bud again. Oddly, the small ministrations were slowly working you up.

Steve’s eyes looked up at you. He watched you slowly the more you got heated, needing more but still keeping at his pace. He swiped a finger over your clit again, chuckling softly to himself as he bent his head down to you. “Already so close for me? You’re so needy, so perfect, all for me.”

His whisper nearly made you come right there. It was so dirty and so familiar to how things used to be. You didn’t know how much you needed this until now. “Baby, please,” you whimpered, not even sure how desperate you sounded. “More.”

You brought your leg up to wrap around his hip, allowing him better actress between your legs as you slowly began to roll again his touch. Needing to do something to create the friction you wanted.

He cooed amusedly at your impatience. ”I’ll give you anything you want, baby.” he promised, pressing more pressure to your clit with his thumb. “Just keep making pretty noises for me.” he teased, moving his hand down your folds, teasing you slightly until you felt the tip of his fingers at your core.

Your eyes snapped open, looking up at the ceiling as you anticipated his next move.

Little by little he pushed his fingers in, getting you to let out small panting breaths to calm you down until you felt him stop. “Doing so good for me, Honey.” he said, leaning forward to get his face closer to yours. “You’re so wet, just from my hand, it’s so hot.” he said as he pressed a soft kiss to warm your chest.

“So good,” you whispered, loving how you felt his fingers give into some of the desires you wanted. He pumped his fingers in and out rhythmically as you writhed on the bed, becoming so unbearably desperate for more. God, you couldn’t believe how long it’s been since you’ve felt this way. “Fuck, Steve..” you whimpered as your hands found purchase in his hair.

He was being so attentive to you. It was so sweet, sexy, so addicting.

Steve continued to listen to all of your sounds and whines, giving you quiet praises while his fingers curled, hitting at just the right spot as he increased his pace. Trying to get you to the edge you were teetering on. “C’mon,” he grunted, “Come for me, honey..”

Your fingers gripped tighter to Steve’s hair, pulling him close to you. “Baby,” you gasped, sucking in air that was leaving too quickly. “I’m gonna— I’m gonna—ah!”

In one final push of his hand, your body froze and you felt your wave of pleasure hit over you instantly. It was so hot and so quick, you didn’t even have time to keep yourself in check. Only grinding your hips against his hand to ride out the rest of the orgasm.

He had leaned down during your euphoric haze to press kissing against the nape of your neck, Slowly pushing in and out until he gently slipped his fingers out from you “That’s it..just like that..that’s my good girl..” he said, holding onto you until he fell to your side. He reached around to have you closer to him.

You were still trying to catch your breath. Feeling so hot and heavy that you felt your head spin for a moment. “God,” you whispered, turning your head to plant kisses on his chest. “I’ll never get over that.”

Steve hummed happily, seemingly content with having gotten you off. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, sounding pleased by your reaction. “I won’t either..” he said before he reached down for your chin, tilting you up so you were looking at him as he whispered quietly. “You’ve never been so perfect and so sexy for me.”

The whisper of his genuine words only took your breath away again.

Without saying anything, you moved your legs so that you could straddle on top of him. The slight pressure of his still so hard member was pressing lightly against your thighs. You gave a small roll of your hips before looking at him carefully.

He stared up at you once you straddled his waist. Eyes wide before you rolled over him and caused him to groan loudly. “Honey,” he breathed out in a deep whisper. “You don’t have to–”

Bending forward, you pressed your lips against his, letting your kiss distract him from saying anything else as you slowly lifted your hips, kneeling at his sides and reached down between you two. Grabbing hold of his member, you carefully lined him up to your core and slowly eased down.

He pulled away from the kiss as he gasped for air. “God, you’re perfect.”

You’d chuckle at his sweet response if you weren’t too busy feeling the sensation of having him inside of you again. It was like you’ve been waiting all night to feel this full again and you couldn’t help but sigh in contentment from it.

Leaning yourself back, you slowly bottom his member out. Feeling as the tip brushed right at the right spot. A soft moan spilled past your lips and you placed a hand down to rest at his stomach, digging your nails into the skin as you slowly started to roll your hips.

“Fuck, baby, takin’ all of me.” he whimpered. “Like my good girl.”

A smile broke out on your face, loving his attempt to talk dirty through his whimpers. Beneath you, Steve’s whole body started to tense up. Turning as needy as yours did minutes ago for release. His hands up and down your thighs, trying to find something to hold onto before he gently wrapped hands around your hips.

One of your hands reached out to grip at your breast, feeling as the sensitivity ventured all over your body. Steve, who couldn’t help himself, reached out to replace yours. Squeezing and cupping up your breast as he bucked upward into you.

“God damn, honey.” he grunted, thrusting upward again. He pulled himself up to reach your mouth with his. He hungrily kissed you, sucking on your bottom lip before he pulled away for a moment. “You don’t know what you do to me..” he whispered, eyes dark as he looked over your features.

You used his new closeness as a chance to wrap your arms around his neck. Keeping him in place so that you could pick up the pace in your rolls. Hitting that delicious spot every time. The kiss had already taken your breath away, but you ignored it in favor of attacking his neck next.

Pressing loving kisses on all the spots that freckled his skin. “I could say the same.” You said panting against the line of his jaw. “I can’t get you out of my head.”

Steve gasped out in between your kisses on his neck, holding you close as he moved his hand back to your lower back. Holding you steady as he began to buck his hips up to meet your rolls. Thrusting upwards so fast now that you were practically bouncing on top of him.

”I’ve been trying so hard to stick to this whole friend, pausing thing—fuck. But I can’t stop thinking about you like this.” he grunted between short, shallow breaths. “Want you like this all the time.”

His thrusts started to hit directly into all the right places, making your next climax approach faster now. You felt yourself shuddering at his words, holding tightly to him as his confession brought butterflies to your stomach.

“God, Steve.” You whimpered, “All the time?”

“Every, damn, day.” he answered, thrusting up to match each word he managed to get out. You could feel your body react to him, clenching tighter around his cock. Needing to hold onto the feeling of him inside of you before he’d hit you again and have you gasping in pleasure. “God, I could do this all night if you’ll have me.”

His words made you shudder, and you dug your nails into his shoulders. Pushing against him lightly to lie on his back again while you looked down in his eyes. “You’re all mine?” You asked breath ragged as you rolled your hips again. The brink of your climax just nearly there. “Say it.”

“Fuck,” he moaned, staring up at you with wide eyes. You’ve never been this possessive with him before but from his slight grin, you started to think he liked it. “I’m yours.” he nodded quickly, licking over his lips. “You have me, Trouble. All of me.”

Taking his chance, he gripped tightly to your hips, giving you a slight wincing pain but followed with another wave of pleasure as he used all his energy to buck his hips up to yours, going at a much more brutal pace.

From the mix of his responses plus the way his hips kept snapping up in the right places, you could barely roll correctly as you felt your edge coming. “I’m so—God, I’m so close.” You gasped, reaching a hand down between you, rubbing your clit in a quick circle to drive you just enough.

“Come for me,” he hissed, sweat was beading down his forehead but he kept up his speed, not stopping until he got you there. “Come for me, honey..”

Your back arched, curling at his command as a sudden wave of pleasure hit you. Every roll caused your core to tighten around him, giving you that blindingly hot sensation that only your orgasm could give you. Specks of white blurred your vision again and you let out a cry of ecstasy.

Below, Steve held you close, riding out the rest of your orgasm by helping you continue to roll your hips. “Oh God, oh Go–fuck.” he moaned, his body tensing up before finally reaching his release. The sensation of Steve’s cum shooting in you had you shuddering slightly but not as much as the sinful sounds of his moans fought against your whimpers.

There was a solid minute where the two of you were just there, both taking the chance to roll against each other until finally you started to calm your bodies down. You glanced down to look at him, smiling a little at his face. He was still softly moaning, most likely sensitive as you were right now before he felt your gaze on him.

“Hi.” you said softly, just staring at him until you leaned down to place another kiss on his lips.

“Hey.” he whispered back, now sporting a goofy grin. Though you had the power of being on top, it didn’t stop you from feeling shy from his gaze. Looking away, you peeked over your shoulder to stare at the door before down again.

“Do you think the others heard us?”

He glanced over toward the door, face scrunching up a bit before he shook his head. “Doubt it.” he chuckled, returning back to his former position. “Those little shits aren’t afraid to barge in and bother us if we’re disturbing them, so I think I think we’re in the clear.”

Nodding your head, you held onto his arms. Using them as leverage to keep you up as you reached between you two so that you could pull him out. A small hiss escaped at the change of pressure before you carefully climbed off his lap and laid down beside him. “That was intense.” you said softly, placing a hand on your still racing heart.

Steve, who had quickly managed to catch his breath, laid his head down on the pillow. You glanced up to see he was grinning as he stared up at the ceiling. “Intense isn’t the word I’d use..” he shrugged with an amused chuckle. “Now incredible..”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that, gaining his attention. He slowly rolled to rest his head down against your shoulder, gently brushing his fingers up and down your side. You turned over to face him instead. “You’re incredibly cheesy, Harrington.” you smirked, still feeling like you’re on cloud nine from everything.

He gave a fake look of shock, nearly clutching his pearls before he reached out to you. Tucking you against him so he could gently nudge your side with his hand. “Me? Chee—what about you, using cheesy lines on me like ‘you’re all mine’?”

You felt your face heat up.

“Yeah, well, I was just taking a page right out from your book of lines.” You shrugged, trying to keep up with a faux bit of confidence.

That seemed to only amuse him further. Making him let out a light laugh as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to your lips. “Now you’re suddenly keeping note of my go to lines?” he asked with a light, playful, voice as he moved onto peppering small kisses over your face. “Thought you wanted to be a lawyer, not a stenographer.”

“Uhh..” You had a hard time thinking of any clever response as Steve continued his kissing, making you incredibly distracted. He literally just fucked you stupid and thought adding drunkly sweet kisses on top of that would do any good. “..Shut up.” You eventually answered, not even able to combat it at this point.

Again, he laughed at you. Giving you at least a break from his lips as he pulled back to look over at you. “Gotta admit, I kinda liked hearing you talk so possessively to me. Makes me feel all sorts of special.” he whispered teasingly.

You sighed in defeat, figuring that while he was annoying in teasing now, he was kind of right. A small part of you felt alive to be holding such a claim on him. Sappy or not, he felt like he really was yours. But you hated the idea of Steve holding that over you right now with his shit eating grin.

“Shut up.” You said again, slightly teasing, but mostly pouting. The blanket, while a little too warm, helped cover up your slightly sweaty body from the cold that would inevitably take over. You turned yourself to rest on his chest a little, needing to hear his heart while lightly brushing your fingers over his side.

All this was so beautifully domestic. Reminding you of the calmer nights of the early summer you two had where you were actually allowed to be silly teens who didn’t have school worries or problems from the upside down. Just two people enjoying each other’s company.

The thoughts of all tomorrow’s worries instantly came into mind. No matter how much you wished it, and how much Steve gave to you, the doubts would always come back to creep in, and the world would find ways to keep you from getting that happiness back.

Steve adjusted himself to pull you closer to his body, keeping you pressed tight against his chest. Gently letting his hand move to pet over your hair as he softly whispered to you. “I can hear you thinking.”

A small sad smile couldn’t help but tug at your lips. Steve’s familiar intuition kicked in once again and your body reacted so instinctively to him as you curled more into his side. Seeking comfort against him. You gently drew patterns over the sides of his ribs as you fought to get your words out.

“I’m thinking how I’ve messed up my life again..”

He didn’t say anything at first. Only keeping his hold on you before he finally spoke up again. “Why would you think that?” he asked slowly.

“I’ve lied to you guys, I’ve kept things that were important..and all for it to come back and nearly get me killed.”

The reminder of the other day’s events unfortunately seemed to cause a dip in the vibe around the room. Beside you Steve stiffened up, possibly remembering his own emotions from that day. But you couldn’t stop yourself from going on, feeling more guilt pour out of you.

“I’ve been such a bad friend. I’ve neglected Eddie who’s just stuck waiting for us to help him..he doesn’t even know what’s going on and I’ve just been wasting our time keeping things from all of you. I’m sorr–”

“You were scared.” he cut in, not allowing you to finish your apology. “You just wanted to keep us safe and keep us focused on what you thought was important, baby. I know you. Not only are you a good friend, but you’re a good person..I’m so tired of having you put yourself down.” he argued, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “I don’t know what that asshole is making you hear or see in your head..but you aren’t messing up your life.”

You closed your eyes, wanting to believe everything he was saying. But all the months of Vecna feeding pain and hurt into you were still lingering. Even if you used your anger to fight back against him, the weight of his words still hung heavily onto you.

“I can’t unhear his words, Steve. I can’t stop seeing the vision he showed me..”

“Tell me about it.” he said softly, another kiss now to the side of your cheek as he tried to bring you back down from your spiraling. “Let me in..”

Sighing, you reached over to grab for his free hand, bringing it close to your chest as you recalled the events of the past few months. Mentioning the times Vecna had attempted to make you feel alone and guilty over things. Whether it was from Billy’s death, the break up, or even the struggle to maintain the relationships you had with others.

“..it wasn’t until the day he tried to take me..I just knew it was all wrong. Like everything he had been feeding me was just to get me to this point but it wasn’t enough. No one but me got hurt that night. Even as I tried to remember it in detail the only one around was me and the police until my Dad came. But he wanted to use that guilt and feed it into something worse.”

“But he still has a hold over you..” he pointed out, letting his fingers lace with yours.

“I guess, even now it feels sometimes like I’m being lulled into a dream. Which must be a reason why sleep is hard for me tonight.” You moved to place your hand around his waist, feeling the need to hold him again. “What if this is the last night we get to do this? What if I’m pulled in again and can’t get out?..”

It was scary to think about death easily taking over you. The worst part of it, is that you’d know you were about to die and know that it was your loved ones who would see the horrors of what happens when Vecna finally got his claw into you.

Without looking, you could hear as Steve let out a small sigh. He gently kept his hand brushing over your hair, seemingly attempting to soothe you. “Well, I’m not going anywhere,” he said, sounding determined. “Not unless you want me to..and even then, I’m not leaving your side.”

“I know you’ll be here, Steve. My worry though is will I be?” You picked up your head and peered up at him, trying to focus on the features of his face. As if you suddenly needed to keep them in your memory to remember him in the future.

“I’m not letting you go.” he frowned, his grip tightening on you. “I know you’re scared, we all are, but there's a fight within us. Okay? We’re not gonna stop until you and Max are safe again. And as far as things between us..they’re far from being done yet. So you can bet I’m not letting anything happen to you.” He let go to reach his hand back to softly cup your face. His thumb gently over your cheek as he kept his eyes locked on yours. “I promise, we’re going to have many nights like this again..”

“Yeah? After we’re done pausing our problems?” You said, feeling a little overwhelmed with reality again. There was just always going to be one problem over the other.

He turned silent, not saying anything for a moment as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to your lips. “You wanted to pretend tonight was different, right?” he said, locking his serious gaze into yours. “Tonight we’re just two teens, both with feelings for each other, both in this bed after having amazing sex. Let’s keep it like that and worry about tomorrow..tomorrow.”

Would there even be a chance tomorrow for all this? Or would the two of you just continue to dance around this subject? You wanted to argue against that, remind him of the truth. But you quickly swallowed that thought down when you saw the slight pain in Steve’s eyes. This was not easy for him either.

“Okay, tomorrow then.”

Though he seemed a little skeptical of your answer, he still smiled at you as he laid his head back down on the pillow. His arm wrapped around you now as he gently brushed his fingers lightly up and down your back. “You want to stay like this for the rest of the night?” he asked softly.

I could stay like this for the rest of my life. You thought. “Yes.”

There was a soft, relieving, sigh as he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of your head. ”Then I won’t move till morning.” he whispered, words sounding more like a promise than just reassurance.

Your body relaxed under him and you found that you were now wishing to fight the sleep you were so desperate for in the beginning. Wanting to bask more in the short amount of time you and Steve had together alone.

“..and maybe a little bit after that?” you asked, more so wished out loud.

Steve listened intently, letting you finish your sleepy words as he reached over behind you to grab the cassette player. Seemingly the only one between the two of you to actually remember the problems outside of your little promise earlier.

Soon enough the soft sounds of Joan Jett began to play in your ear again and he cuddled you closer into his arms. Tugging at the blanket so it covered you better. The last thing you saw before your eyes closed was the smile that crept back on his face.

“..and after that.”

The small click of the tape ending was the first thing that stirred you awake.

It would seem that partaking in the rigorous activities the night before was just what you needed for sleep to eventually come its way to you. Something you were thankful for considering this past week so far, you’ve slept roughly around two to three hours a night.

Unfortunately, that precious sleep time was over now and soon enough, you’d be forced to get out of bed eventually. A task you found to be harder once you felt Steve stir behind you. Without needing to turn around, you could feel that his eyes were on you. He quietly called out your name, trying to find if you were awake or not. When you didn’t answer back, he leaned in to press a kiss to the back of your shoulder.

The tip of hands caressed over the length of your bare leg, admiring the softness before it wrapped around your hips, dragging you back a bit in order to get you closer. After, his hand explored up the expanse of your stomach, curves, and chest until he cupped gently at your face. Again, he pressed kisses to you, only this time to your cheek. That’s when he stiffened up, noticing something, and let you go to reach for the cassette.

There was a click again and it quickly started to rewind. He set it back down as he resumed tending to you. Just as you were about to turn around and give into his affections, the sound of his door bursting open interrupted.

“Steve! Please tell me she’s in–oh God!”

“Whoa! Shh!” Steve hissed. “Jesus Christ, Buckley, you ever heard of knocking?”

“Have you ever heard of wearing clothes?!”

The sound of Robin gagging followed along as Steve attempted to pull the blanket higher over the two of you. The door closed softly, but you could still feel the presence of your friend. You could only assume she had turned around now, keeping her eyes off of the two of you.

"Seriously? Here I was feeling like a bad friend for telling her I’d find you two kissing. But this?” Her voice had that unmistakable mix of exasperation and disgust that reminded you of the summer back in Starcourt. “I nearly had a heart attack, like, five minutes ago and now I think I’m gonna have a bigger one. I almost saw your butt, Steve!”

“Please stop talking.”

“Why is she here? You guys are on break.”

“She couldn’t sleep, okay? She came in, woke me up and–”

“And you took off your clothes?!”

“Shh!” he hissed again. “Can you stop? You'll wake her up." His hold around you tightened, almost as if he were shielding you from the interruption.

Though you couldn’t see it, you could practically feel the eye roll from Robin. “Look, as happy as I am to see you guys making some sort of move in your relationship, we’re gonna have to cut the honeymoon short. The kids are up and we gotta get a move on. Nancy wanted us to meet her back at her house after breakfast. So, you two need to get dressed.”

“Five minutes.” Steve reasoned, not daring to move you anymore. “Give us that and we’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “Five minutes. That’s all you guys have before I’m sending one of the others. Let you two traumatize someone else for once.”

Steve sighed, his voice tired as he quickly agreed. "I'll wake her up, I promise."

You heard Robin grumble a bit as she opened the door. “God, Steve, you are so hairy!” she said in a hushed tone as she closed the door gently behind her. The sounds of her stomps slowly faded away as she finally left to go downstairs.

With the room now quiet again, you finally turned in Steve’s arms to face him. His eyes met yours, and a lazy, contented smile spread across his face. His hair was adorably unruly and you couldn’t help but reach out to run your fingers through it before you brought your hand to rest on his shoulder.

“Morning.” he whispered softly, leaning down to press a kiss against your lips. It was cut too short and he slowly pulled back to look down at you again.

“I see my late night visit got us in trouble.” you whispered back, feeling a little guilty for Robin’s unfortunate timing.

“Sort of.” He chuckled a bit, shaking his head at the interaction. “But, she’ll cool off. I think she was just worried when she didn’t find you in the other room.”

Staring at the door, you hoped that you didn’t worry Robin too much. After her little speech, all she seemed to want was for you and Steve to make up in some sort of way. But after the sex, and confessing to him about your Vecna struggles, you were a little worried you might have pushed that progress even further. “Do you think I’ve just..complicated things with us after last night?”

Steve inhaled deeply, looking at you with the same concerned gaze before he shook his head. “The only thing I feel after last night is amazing.” He pressed a kiss to your cheek, gentle but loving. “Besides, it’s not like you and I aren’t used to complicated, right?”

You nestled closer to Steve, adjusting so that you could rest on top of him while he moved to lie on his back. The warmth from his body and steady rhythm of his breathing helped soothe you. He wrapped his arms around you again, keeping you close to his side as he savored the moment.

As the former silence settled, you focused slowly on Steve’s familiar quick heartbeat. One of his hands moved up to rub up and down your back. Almost as if he were coaxing you back to a peaceful sleep again.

"You know we really should get up," you murmured, though there was no real conviction in your voice. The comforting moment was too tempting to let go of so easily. “She’ll probably try to get us back by sending Dustin.”

He chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest a bit. “God, probably. He’ll never let us hear the end of it.” he agreed, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “I’m sort of just..struggling to let you go right now.”

“Me too.” you whispered, moving a hand up to gently comb through the curls that nestled over his pecs. He brought his other hand up to place over yours, holding it to press against him. From the look in his eyes, you could only see a glint of mischief as he looked down at you.

“Maybe we should stay..”

“We’re supposed to be pausing things again.”

“True.”

It’s quiet again and it’s you this time who feels a spark of mischief come through you. “We do have four more minutes..”

He hummed for a moment and you glanced up again to find that his eyes were closed. He had a small, content, smile on his face, nearly making you reach up to pinch at his cheek. “I know what we could do in four minutes..” he said in a very low, tempting purr.

“You are absolutely ridiculous.” you laughed as you tried to scoot out of his arms before you got caught up in his alluring notions. But he was quick, and held on tighter, turning his gaze back to you so he could press more kisses to your head.

“I’m not hearing a no..”

“No!”

“Make out instead?”

“The night is over, we’re supposed to be just friends again, remember?”

“Friends who occasionally make out?”

You gave him a look, recalling the way you guys got together in the first place. But again, he’s looking at you in such a way, you can’t help but feel your lip turn upright, feeling that spark of desire built up in your stomach.

“..Fine. But now we only have three minutes.”

TEN MINUTES LATER

“Hey Steve, Robin sent me up here to make sure you wer–OH GOD!”

“DUDE, GET OUT!”

“GET OFF MY COUSIN!”

“DUSTIN, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!”

“OH GOD, I’M GONNA THROW UP!”

A/N: So sorry the middle was so long. But!!! I hope you guys like this update. I had to kinda split it up. I just feel like I wanted to give them a chapter dedicated to just them. Sort of like in my season three chapters. They need one night to bone it out, talk feelings, and then have crazy shit to deal with the next day lol.

Thanks for all the nice messages and I hope you guys enjoy it. If not, I’m sorry, another update will be hopefully soon.🩷

TAGGING LIST: @cluz1babe, @starofavolonea, @primroseluna, @siriuslysmoking , @bobo-bush, @summerellaz, @hollandweather - Thank you guys for your patience! (also tried to tag some of you I feel are regulars and might want an update.🩷

#steve harrington smut #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x female reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fic #smut #cac #yeah this is just fun for those who want them to bang basically #but there is fluff!

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theladybarnes · 5 months ago

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UPDATE:

Hey guys! I hope you all are doing well! I'm so sorry that the next update has been taking so long. I've been so busy with work + having some personal problems (not emotional but financial) that I've been trying to work on. I'm hoping with a three day weekend that I'll be able to get a chapter soon. Thanks for all the nice comments on the recent chapter~ Can't wait to finish this new one up and have yall read it. Love ya!

#text post #update

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theladybarnes · 6 months ago

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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER NINE

“I was wrong this whole time. I wasn't cursed. I am the curse.

▸ summary: the nightmare becomes real, but the search for answers continue on ▸ characters: steve harrington, dustin henderson, max mayfield, robin buckley, nancy wheeler, & lucas sinclair ▸ word count: 12.7k ▸ warnings: angst, fluff, canon divergence, & self loathing ▸ series masterlist

“Don’t you know, babydoll? Times up.”

There was nothing else other than the screeching sound of metal against metal that filled the air as the car crashed into another vehicle. The force threw you forward, pressing you against the wheel.

The world slowly began to spin as you gasped out for air. Your vision was blurry and erratic despite several blinks to adjust them. The weight of panic pressed down on your chest, sobs escaping your throat in ragged bursts. Your hands trembled as you struggled to push yourself up from the steering wheel. The sound of your heart pounded wildly in your ears.

You looked outside the cracked window, noticing that some of the area felt familiar to you.

Hadn’t the three of you just escaped Pennhurst? That is until– Wait. Snapping your direction to the right, you were shocked to find that Billy wasn’t beside you anymore. In fact, you weren’t even inside the same car as before. You were in..Billy’s Camaro.

“Help!” you whimpered, turning to the driver’s door. The metal was heavily dented, causing it to concave towards you and unable to open up. This was..no it couldn’t be– But why– What the hell was going on?

No no no. This wasn’t real! You were just in the car with your friends! Not here! Anywhere but here! Suddenly the lights around the car changed. Red and Blue..the police had to be nearby. Surely, they would come in and save you again..

But just as hope began to flicker in the darkness, a hand reached in and grabbed you with a merciless strength. Dragging you out of the wreckage until it slammed your body onto the ground. Shards of glass pushed into your back, causing you to let out a scream.

That’s when Billy flew over you.

His hands reached out for yours and pinned them down. The heavy weight of his knees pressed into your thighs, keeping them in place as he looked down at you. The dark blood oozed out from his wounds. When he noticed your scared expression, he let out a howling laugh. Spraying a bit of the substance over your face.

“What’s the matter? Have a little too much to drink?” he cackled.

The tears began to flood into your vision and the most you could do is close your eyes. Praying that someone or something would wake you up. You couldn’t have fallen into the nightmare now, not when you guys had just saved Max. You never saw any of the visions the others had. You never even saw that damn clock!

“Look at me, babydoll.” you heard him call out. The gravel deep in his voice. When you didn’t open your eyes again, he gripped tighter at your wrists, causing you to cry out again.

“LOOK.AT.ME.”

You quickly complied. Peeking open to see that he was even closer now, inhaling the shaking breath that fell past your lips. “Good.” he grinned, moving to rub his cheek against yours. It was hot and slick from the sweat over his face. He nudged at your cheek until his lips ghosted down to your ear. “Now look at what you’ve done.”

Turning your gaze, you glanced over at the mangled car that you crashed into. But what took your breath away wasn’t the damage to the vehicles. It was the bodies.

Inside, a small family lay motionless. Blood oozing from their eyes, the same way Chrissy’s had. Their limbs twisted as they hung in and out of the car. It was a complete wreck.

“No!” You cried out, tearing your eyes away.

“Yes!” Laughed Billy, trying to get your attention again. “Look at all the chaos you leave around you!”

“NANCY!” you cried out, trying to call out for some help. “ROBIN!”

“They can’t hear you!” he yelled out, trying to bring your focus on him again. “They can’t help you. No one is coming to save you. The only thing you’re meeting..is the end.”

The beat of your heart is erratic and painful. Looking away from his sick gaze, you glanced back at the wreckage. The family inside were void of any real expressions. All they had was fear but..you can’t recall ever seeing them in your life.

In fact, you don’t remember the night of the accident looking like this at all.

“It didn’t happen this way.” you muttered, glancing over to Billy. He narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze between you and the car before raising a brow. You couldn’t help but feel a new emotion surging within you; anger.

“This didn’t happen like this..Billy wasn’t in the car when I crashed..no one died.”

He licked over his lips, letting out a quick huff before he shook his head. “You’re guilty. You wrecked lives.”

“I wrecked mine.” you muttered, feeling a small bit of confidence come in. “I never hurt anyone.”

“You hurt everyone.” he urged, gripping onto you tighter. “It’s all you know how to do.”

“STOP LYING!” you yelled, watching as his eyes went wide.

Suddenly the world around you began to melt. Just like in all your previous nightmares. The dark blue skies changed into a thunderous red lit sky. Booming over a wasted land. Beneath you, the floor changed from cement to what felt like wet ground. There was a worn out, old, deteriorated staircase that was set around you both. Billy reached for the base of your arms, picking you up from the floor to pull you close to his face.

“Had I known you’d be more difficult than Max, I’d have just taken you out ages ago.” he muttered, dropping his hold of you.

He stepped back, allowing his body to shift.

Before you, Billy changed into what you could only describe as a monster. His body, taller than the regular man. Burnt, glistening, and wrinkled with a scar that covered up his whole being. The strangest, most frightening part, was the long clawed hand at his side.

“What the hell are you?” you whispered, staggering back at the sight of the man.

“I am the end.” he said simply, voice deep and eerie.

“It’s not..this isn’t real and you don’t have a hold over me.”

“Don’t I?” he asked calmly, a wave of his hand and he brought forward pillars to gather around you both.

From the two behind him, you could see two familiar haunting faces looking over at you. A sob built up in your chest at the sight of Chrissy and Fred. “You’re evil!” you whispered, trying to hold onto that anger from before.

“I’m benevolent. They were suffering, so I ended it.”

He stepped forward again standing before you. Looking around, you watched as the storms only grew louder. The red land had no signs of an escape. He had you cornered.

“I’m not alone.” you argued, watching as he reached out to grip at your neck. The pressure of his choking nearly had you coughing. You clawed at his raw skin, trying to get out of his grip. “I’m not alone!” you repeated.

“Only a teenage girl can believe in something as insipid as the power of friendship. It may have worked for Max, but I can assure you that I’m not gonna let this happen again..”

You feel yourself getting even more mad because he’s still trying to scare you. He’s trying to make you feel so low and all you can think about is the fact that he’s not only made you feel this way but he’s done this to Chrissy, and Fred, and Max. People who never deserved to feel like this.

“You know, a day ago I’d have been terrified..but right now I’m just really pissed off.”

“Enough of this.” he snarled and raised his clawed hand in the air, you felt your body as it began to lift off the ground when you heard it.

“I want to do everything..What a beautiful feeling..Crimson and clover..”

Were you hearing right? You know those words. You know that song..

“No.” he hissed, snapping his head towards the source of the noise.

Without wasting your chance, you reached over and clawed your nails at his face. Feeling as your fingernail dug into his eye. He dropped his hold of you, reaching to cover himself as you dropped onto the ground. The music grew louder, almost like a beacon of sound to draw you to it. Then suddenly, you hear their voices overlapping with the music. The sounds of your friends calling out to you. Without a look back, you ran.

“This isn’t over.” (Tick)

Don’t look back.

“I still have her.” (Tock)

Keep running.

“And then..I’ll be ready.”

“..Over and over, crimson and clover, over and over—.”

You woke up gasping, clinging onto the nearest thing you can grab, which happened to be Robin. She was wrapped around your waist, shakingly singing along to Crimson and Clover. Glancing behind her, you noticed that she’s halfway into your seat and out the door.

The world was back to normal. The evening sun was fading in, but it was beautiful and void of any red clouds that dared to loom over you.

Behind Robin, you could see that the car had been parked near a phone booth. Nancy, who was inside, slammed the phone down onto the receiver before she pushed her way out to join you guys back at the car.

The three of you stilled there, out of breath, wide eyed and looking amongst each other. From the front seat, you could hear as the song on the radio slowly began to fade out.

“..All right guys, that was Crimson and Clover for Nancy Wheeler. We hope your friend liked the dedication..”

Licking over your lips, you looked between both girls, wondering just how long it’s been since you guys left Pennhurst.

“What the hell just happened?”

It’s night by the time you guys all met over at the Wheeler house again. The three of you were quiet the whole way there. Not quite sure how to approach what just happened with you. In the long driveway, Steve and the three kids stood around his car.

Max was leaning against the door, eyes cast down on the floor with headphones on her ears. Lucas was beside her, keeping an eye on her while Dustin stood on the other side, going through the papers he had kept in his backpack.

Steve sat alone on his hood, head in his hands.

Almost all of them jumped forward when the car finally pulled up. Nancy is the first one to speak. Asking the others first to explain what happened with Max. They spared no details of her attack and it definitely weighed heavily on you. Had it not been for Victor’s last crucial bit of information, you guys could have lost her.

In the midst of Nancy and Robin explaining what happened with you, you ignored the upset glances of the others, and stepped forward to pull Max in for a hug. Not saying anything as you held her tightly against you. She was never supposed to get that far. Never supposed to face the same horrors that Chrissy and Fred did.

“I’m so glad you’re still here.” you whispered only to her, feeling her arms tighten around you.

Dustin's voice was the one to pierce the quiet moment laced with anger and betrayal. "How could you keep something like this from us, huh? We're family, for crying out loud!" he said, turning your body to face him.

There was a bit of red in his eyes and the flushed look of his cheeks almost made it look like he was sick. You haven’t seen him this upset since Starcourt when he helped rescue you from your captivity.

“Dustin..” you sighed, trying to think of how to start. But that’s when surprisingly Max cut in.

Her face still lingered with unshed tears as she frowned at you. "You know how close we are, how much we share.” she accused. The anger and frustration deep in her voice as she took her turn. “Why would you keep this from us? How long have you known?”

"I saw the signs,” Robin interjected. The look of guilt on her face as she nervously picked at her nails. “Back at Pennhurst. I should've said something. But I thought..I just thought that you’d say something if it was true.”

“Guys.” you whispered, stepping back to look at all them. “Please..I didn’t think I was..”

“I felt like I was reliving a nightmare.” Nancy said softly, leaning against her car door as she stared over at you. “For a minute it was like I was failing you like I failed Bar-” the name died off and she quickly cleared her throat.

You don’t hesitate to step over and pull her into an immediate hug. “I’m so sorry, Nance. I didn’t mean to bring up those feelings again.”

“So why wouldn’t you tell us?” she asked, pulling away to look at you.

“Why wouldn’t you just speak up?”

“I swear if we make it through this I’m making sure you get on that flight to California.”

All at once they began to ask more questions and you couldn’t help but feel slightly overwhelmed. It isn’t until you noticed that Steve was still with his face in his hands that you felt like you needed to wrap things up.

“Okay, stop!” you snapped, finally getting their voices to stop. “I didn’t tell any of you because I didn’t think I would actually end up being a target.”

“Why?” Max asked hesitantly.

“My symptoms were different, they were..longer.” you said, trying to place the timeline of things.

Lucas crossed his arms, looking at you curiously. “Longer? How? What made them different?”

“Well, for starters, I never saw that damn clock.” you said, moving to lean against Nancy’s car. “I just heard it..but even then I’ve been hearing it for months now.”

“Months?” Nancy repeated.

You nodded your head slowly. “Yeah. At first, it was only during times people would mention Billy. But eventually..it got worse. It was everything I was doing wrong. Every time the voice..that damn voice wanted me to feel so alone.”

“Voice?” you heard Robin say.

“Yeah, it was like Billy but not..I couldn’t get it out of my head. Eventually some of the other stuff happened like the others, the headaches and the nightmares. But they were such a regular occurrence that I figured it was just my guilt eating me up.”

“What would you have to feel so guilty about?” asked Max.

You felt your breath hitch at the question. Not quite ready to reveal all your life’s problems for everyone. Especially when most of them had to do with your love life. “Just..things in general.” you muttered.

The group collectively looked worried, wondering what new mess that was before you waved your hand.

“I’m the spare.” you reasoned. “When he couldn’t get Max..he went after me. But it was weird. Something about him didn’t scare me. Not the way I thought he would. Once I heard the song and you guys, I managed to get out. I’m not sure what that means for the future.”

”Can’t exactly talk about the future if you’re just going to keep this from us again.” Dustin scoffed, still the most bitter amongst the group.

A part of you wanted to snap at him. Tell him to back off. But the more you thought about it, and the more you glanced amongst the others, the more you realized you might have to bite down on that feeling.

”Look, guys, I’m sorry about keeping this from all of you. I promise you know everything I do now. What we should work on is making sure Max is safe. He’s still planning to go after her.” The redhead crossed her arms, looking down at the ground downheartedly. “We should plan for another attack.”

“And how do we know he won’t attempt to get you again? We can’t ignore that either.” Nancy asked, looking skeptical.

“I don’t know..” you sighed, glancing towards the back again. At the hood of his car, you watched as Steve looked over at you. His naturally downturned eyes looked sadder with the forlorn look on his face. At this point you couldn’t handle his silence anymore. You needed to hear what he had to say. “Do you think you guys could give us a minute?”

The group murmured in confusion before they noticed your gaze over at Steve. Dustin was the only one who seemed to be unaware as he shook his head, coming over to you. “I’m not done with you yet.” he frowned.

“Dustin, please.” you pleaded.

Nancy reached over for his arm, dragging him away from you and towards the front door to her house. “C’mon guys. Let’s get inside, we have to start planning.” she said calmly.

You gave her a thankful nod, watching as each one of them begrudgingly entered inside the home until it was just you and Steve outside. The silence felt so incredibly intimidating. At this point you weren’t sure what he was stewing over while the group talked things out. But if you were being honest, you were a little afraid.

Stepping towards him, you slowly leaned forward to grab at his hands. Which he surprisingly allowed you to weave together with yours. “Steve?” you said softly, trying to get a look at his face. “I’m sor-

“How long?” he cut in, voice gravelly after not speaking for so long. You stayed silent, unsure what he meant. He finally looked over at you, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You said that you’ve been hearing this voice for a while.. How long?”

There was a crack in his voice that felt like a stabbing in your heart.

“A while, Steve..”

“Please, I need to know. I need to know if I—“

“No, baby,” you reassured him, squeezing his hand gently. “I’ve heard it since the start of the school year..before all that.”

“But why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I wasn’t trying to add more problems to our group. I was trying to protect you guys.”

"Protect us?" he scoffed. "By lying to us? By keeping us in the dark while you deal with this shit on your own?"

You let out a small, breathy, laugh. “When have I ever let anyone really know what’s going on with me?” you asked, really trying to think of a memory. “Besides, like I told them, I only figured it out later on. I thought it was just my guilty conscience.”

He sighed, looking down at your hands before he shook his head. “But, guilty over what?”

“Just stuff, Steve.”

You made an attempt to drop his hand, needing to step back but he only pulled you closer, giving you a hard look. “Stop pushing me out. Guilty about what?”

The frustration finally caught up with you, and on top of hearing the pain in Steve’s voice, you couldn’t help but feel the actual guilt make its return viciously. “Guilty over the messes that I keep making!” you said, throwing your hands in the air, letting out a shaky laugh.

For a moment, he could only stare at your sudden outburst. Shocked at the change in tone, but not enough to falter him from trying to reach out for you again. Like before, you quickly stepped back.

“I didn’t save Billy, I didn’t save us,” you choked out, “I can’t even save Max let alone myself…I can’t do anything right, Steve.”

Steve's eyes softened, his heartache evident in his expression. "None of that was your fault. You have to know that you couldn’t have fixed everything yourself.”

“But I could have tried, couldn’t I?” Sniffling, you wiped over your forehead, avoiding his concerning gaze. “Billy could have been saved.. if I had tried harder. If I just..listened to what he was saying the whole time. But I ignored him. I just selfishly ran away rather than dealing with him. And all I did was just cause so many problems of my own after that. I broke up with you, I hurt you, I keep hurting you. God, you wanted to pause and I just..I just made it hard on both of us..I hurt my friends just trying to protect them. I wanted— didn’t want this. I didn’t want to make you guys worried when we have so many more important things to focus on.”

“Wait,” he paused, shaking his head confusedly. “More important?”

“Yes!” you scoffed, tired of repeating yourself. “Max! We have to focus on saving Max and making sure we get rid of–”

“Three minutes and fifteen seconds.”

You paused for a moment, confused by his words before he repeated himself.

“Three minutes and fifteen seconds. That’s all I had to go by in order to know if you were okay or not.”

You felt your heart drop down to your stomach. Feeling the pain and guilt return all over again when you finally realize what he meant. “Steve..” you started but he held up a hand, stepping forward so that he could cup the side of your face.

“You think that you’re protecting us by keeping this a secret? Like we haven’t seen signs of you in pain, or hurt, or tired with barely a response from you about it. You don’t think it hasn’t been killing me since December to know that you’ve been putting most of the blame on yourself for this break up?”

He’s so close to you that you can feel the ache in his voice as his breath fanned over your face. But you don’t move, not when you can feel how much he needs to speak out.

“The moment I heard Robin’s voice call out for me..It was like my world stopped. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t even feel the ground beneath me. All I could do was look down at that stupid radio before Dustin got some sense in me to get to the damn car.”

“You were helping, Max. Imagine if you knew about me on top of everything, it would have been worse.” you sighed, trying to rationalize your own excuse. “The kids..we’ve always said they come first..”

”They do but we don’t put aside everyone else just because they’re older. Do you realize that in trying to protect us, you gave us less of a chance in helping you? What if the girls couldn’t reach us? What if the batteries had died? What if–”

“I get it!” you quickly interjected. “I made a mistake I just..wouldn’t you do the same? Wouldn’t you want the others safe?”

He closed his mouth, lips pursed back in a frown line before he shook his head slowly. “They’re always gonna be looked after. Especially when they’re stuck with me as babysitter..but this time, it’s your turn, Honey. Let us help you..”

He turned your head up, angling it up so he could look down at you carefully. A pained expression flickered across his face. "I should've been there for you," he murmured remorsefully. "I should've fought harder for us."

You nearly broke down there. His admission hit your heavy heart harder than you could imagine. Because how could he still feel this way? After all you’ve done since the breakup and now. But before you could say that, in a voice barely above a whisper, Steve spoke words that shattered the fragile walls you struggled to keep up.

"If I lost you, I wouldn't know what to do with myself," he confessed. "You keep telling me you want to focus on keeping Max safe over yourself, but what if you're the most important thing in my life?"

“I shouldn’t be.” you whispered back, afraid to allow him to continue on. “Not after everything.”

“And yet, it’s still you at the end of the day.”

A sob built up in your throat and you struggled to get out of his grip. Trying to get away from the words you desperately wanted but knew you didn’t deserve to hear. But Steve didn’t allow that, he only moved to wrap his arms around you now, caging you against his chest.

“How could you say all that?” you whimpered, feeling the tears blur your vision. “How could you still feel all that with me, when I just hurt you, and lie, and make things worse! I can’t take it anymore, Steve! I just can’t!”

At this point you’re so overwhelmed by the depth of his words and the intensity of his feelings. You just felt yourself breaking down against him. Tears flowed freely now, unstoppable but cathartic. Steve continued to hold you in his arms, keeping you close while you let out all the pent-up emotions that had been suppressing for so long.

“Why don’t you just push me away?” you whispered, pressing your face to stay buried against his chest. The thump of his heart was wild but calming still. “Just let me go.”

“Because I don’t give up on the people I care about.”

"I don't know what to do anymore, Steve," you confessed, voice muffled against his chest. "Everyone's upset, and I'm just so scared that I've made things worse again."

“It’s like I told you before. You’re not alone, you don’t have to be.” His lips pressed a kiss against your forehead while he rubbed a hand up your back soothingly. “Just let us in, let me in.”

You pulled back to peer up at him. One long look into his eyes and you felt like all the walls you had been working so hard on, were slowly cracking again. At this point you only had a couple of choices, to patch them up or let them down.

“Okay.” You answered, voice barely able to whisper. “I will.”

“You’ll tell us everything from here on out?”

“Everything, I promise.”

Shaking his head, he cupped the side of your face again. Lost in his own thoughts before he leaned down to press his forehead against yours. Soaking in the small relieving moment. Craning your neck, you brushed your lips against his, not fully pressing, but gaining his attention again.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?” he asked, raising a brow. He looked a little distressed but still distracted by how close you were.

"You have to promise me something," you said, voice trembling slightly. What you were going to ask would surely upset him further. But, you had to get this last point across again. "Promise me that you won't be mad if I... if I prioritize keeping Max safe. She's family, and I... I'd do anything to protect her. Even if it means..."

Your words trailed off as Steve's lips met yours in a sudden, desperate kiss. It was as if he was trying to silence your fears, and drown out the words that threatened to take away his happiness.

He pulled back slowly. Keeping his face close to yours, as he searched over the features of your face. "There's no picking between either of you," he said firmly. "We're in this together. We’re gonna beat this creep and save you both. I promise."

There’s no arguing with him after that. You know the two of you aren’t going to agree on this really. But you’d rather have this standing point than fighting.

Steve had already begun to lead you back into the Wheeler house when you stopped him, tugging him back in place to get an answer to one last curious thought.

“There’s one more thing we need to talk about.” you cleared your throat nervously.

“What’s that?” he said, brows furrowed together.

“We’ve been doing a lot of things..kissing and more. And it’s gonna mess with us if we don’t really have an endgame in mind about it.”

You braced yourself for a more cryptic response from him. Seeing as there were so many other crises at hand. But to your surprise, Steve met your gaze with unwavering sincerity.

"I still want the same thing I wanted since the break-up," he said softly, eyes filled with a familiar warmth to them. "I want you. But right now, with all this Vecna crap, and your curse, maybe it's best if we just pause that conversation for a better time."

“Right, pause.” you nodded, getting some sense in his words. But with the two of you, your actions were always a lot different from whatever words were usually spoken. Like right now, he’s holding onto your hand so carefully and close to his side, but continued to think that there was a possibility of pausing what could happen between you guys. “So should we go about this as..friends?”

He followed your gaze, flickering down to your hands before he gave it a gentle squeeze and continued to lead you in anyway. Leaving no room for rebuttals as he said a final conclusion.

"We can try," he said softly, throwing one last look to you. "But we were never really good at being just friends, were we?"

Thankfully the rest of the night didn’t go on with any more drama between you and the others. At this point, there was only one goal in mind for everyone now. Figuring out how to get rid of Vecna.

You were on the floor in between Robin and Steve later on in the night. Trying to write down everything that happened in your nightmare. Going over every bit to see if there was some clue on how you could find Vecna’s weakness. As far as you knew, you were pulled into that physical realm with him. Some version of the Upside Down. Another fact was that you were able to hurt him, not as much as you’d like to, but enough so that escaping was possible.

Figuring out how you managed to get out whatever fear he had been locked on you was pretty easy. It was Max. She and the music were the two keys you used to gain back some control over yourself.

How that would help in the future was the hard part.

Eventually everyone in the basement fell in and out of sleep. A few of the others would wake up now and then, whispering to you if you were okay before they checked on Max. At some point, you were able to fall asleep on the floor.

But it wasn’t long before your sleep turned into the soft lulls of Crimson and Clover. Possibly pulling you out whatever dream you were about to fall into. Blinking your eyes, you noticed the early morning light peeking into the basement. Shining just the faintest light over all the sleeping bodies that stayed close together.

In different circumstances, you’d find it cozy. Like a giant sleepover. If only.

You attempted to stretch out your legs, trying to get comfortable when you noticed just how warm you were. Looking down, you stared hard at the fabric that was over you. It was Steve’s jacket. Something he must have covered you with during the night. And further past that was Nancy, who was using your right leg to rest her head on. Carefully you reached down and helped push her onto a spare pillow.

“Did I wake you?” you heard someone whisper.

Max, who was out of her spot now, pushed the headphones off her ears momentarily, looking worried at you.

“No,” you murmured back, getting up from the floor. You hung the jacket to carefully cover your shoulders, leaving your arms free but keeping that heat in. “I’m starting to think two hours is my quota on sleep these days.” There was a soft snore over from Lucas that had you both freezing. When he didn’t stir,or fall off from his place beside the tv, you both let out a small sigh of relief.

“Let’s go up.” you whispered, pointing towards the stairs.

She quickly agreed and moved around the others, you glanced over to find that Steve managed to curl himself up in a chair. He was tired from what you could tell and the talk last night definitely didn’t help. Leaning down, you pressed a friendly kiss to his cheek before joining Max at the stairs.

The two of you quietly made an exit up to the kitchen, careful not to wake the others. It was lucky any of them found sleep in the positions they were in but if they could catch a few moments of sleep, you’d leave them be. At this point you two weren’t the only ones who were looking a little too tired.

Opening up the door, you peeked inside to find a yawning Karen Wheeler. She was already dressed for the day and setting up the coffee pot. It wasn’t until you and Max entered fully into the kitchen that she finally noticed you both.

“Good morning, girls.” she said, greeting you both with a warmth in her tone.

“Morning.” you both waved.

Max turned to you, unsure how to work around the woman considering this was her second time meeting her properly. “Mind if we hang up here for a bit? We don’t wanna wake the others.” you asked, already pushing Max to join Holly at the table.

“Of course!” she nodded. “Breakfast should be ready soon.”

Giving her a big smile, you joined the other two girls at the table, reaching over for one of the newspapers that had just come in that morning. There was nothing but grim coverage on the investigation. But maybe there was something hopeful you could–

“I understand that Nancy has invited..all of you to join us this week. But if you don’t mind, I’d like a chance to read the paper first.”

You glanced from the table only to be met with a very irritated Ted Wheeler. He always had such a disdain towards most of you, but for some reason it always felt a little more personal with you.

“Good morning, Mr. Wheeler!” you chirped, making sure to add to his annoyance. “You’re cheerful today.” you cooed, passing the paper over to him.

He muttered something under his breath, earning a stern call out from his wife. She merely pointed over to one of the chairs by the island and raised a brow at him. Not wanting to hear more of his morning commentary, you slipped on your headphones, urging Max to do the same.

“What’s with the music?” he frowned, still not having moved yet. “You’re in the kitchen. Talk. Is that something too cool for you kids to do nowadays?”

You carefully clasped your hands together, tilting your head at Ted. “We’re very enthusiastic about music these days, Mr. Wheeler. It’s almost as if our lives depend on it.. Besides, it’ll give you guys a little peace and quiet, right?”

He scoffed a bit, giving a shrug. “At least.”

“Ted!” Karen hissed, pointing again to his new seat.

You smugly watched as he did what was ordered. Turning around, you reached out for one of the magazines that Karen had one the shelf behind you. It was thankfully a Vogue magazine. Something to get your brain off Vecna/Curses for just a little bit.

Max murmured something to Holly, getting the girl to nod her head to your friend before racing out of the room. When you were about to ask what she was doing, the blonde quickly returned back with papers and crayons. Offering them kindly to Max.

“Coloring?” you asked softly, holding out one side of your headphone to listen.

“I’m trying to see if I can draw what I saw in..my dream.”

You mouthed an ‘o’, thinking it was probably a lot more helpful if she was able to draw out what you guys had seen. Better than you just writing out how creepy everything felt to you.

The peace continued for another thirty minutes. Max had already shredded through a couple of papers when you noticed two figures coming in hot from the basement.

Both Nancy and Dustin looked completely panicked until they noticed you guys over at the table. You meekly waved at them, taking off your headphones in time to catch what they were talking about to Karen.

“..Yeah, everything’s okay.” Nancy exhaled.

“I think it’s so sweet that you guys are sticking together like this.” She cooed to Nancy.

“Could try sticking together at a different house for a change.” Ted added, looking through the edges of his paper to the other two. Nancy simply ignored her Father, coming to join you guys at the table. Dustin, very much like you, seemed to naturally move on to egging the man on.

Ignoring that tit for tat, you turned to Nancy as she sat down between you and Max. The other girl clicked on the side of her tape player, sliding the headphones off as she greeted Nancy softly.

“Hey.” she said to you guys. “You guys okay?”

Max shrugged, eyes casting down to the table briefly as she mulled her thoughts together. “Just couldn’t sleep.” she explained simply. “People kept blasting music in my ears, for some reason.”

Nancy chuckled at that before she nodded to you.

“Well, I was never one to sleep in on vacations. Figures this one wouldn’t be different.” She raised a brow at your sarcasm, almost ready to chastise you about what you just promised the night before. You quickly stopped that and waved your hands. “The music kept pulling me out.” you sighed, looking away from your friend.

“But,” Max interjected. “Henderson got something new to read other than Vecna lore and Holly let me borrow some of her crayons. We’ve been having fun, right, Holly?”

The little girl didn’t look away from her Light Bright, merely humming a response back to Max.

Nancy slowly reached out for the various papers that Max had colored in. All of them were glimpses into what you guys had seen. Most of the parts looked familiar, like the bodies of Fred and Chrissy, and one particular door that reminded you of something.

“Is this what you guys saw last night?”

“I mean, it’s supposed to be.” Max sighed, “I thought it’d be easier to draw it out than to explain it, but..not so much.”

“It’s better than what I did.” you snorted, reaching into your jeans to pull out the folded up pieces of paper. “I wrote for two hours last night and barely wrote down the place I saw. This..” you said waving around the pile of papers. “This is the best thing we’ve got so far.”

Nancy hesitantly reached over for one paper in particular. “Is that..?”

The reminding image of the very accurate drawing of Fred and Chrissy pulled a shudder from you. It was already daunting to have the memory of seeing the girl up in the air in your mind. But seeing her presented in such a horrifying way ended up feeling worse.

“It was like they were on display or something…and then there was this red fog everywhere.” Max said softly, visible discomfort returning to her face as she talked over her work. “It was like a dream. A nightmare.”

“Do you think Vecna’s just trying to scare you?” Nancy asked, trying to work a clue in her mind.

“With Billy? Yeah. But when I made it here..I dunno, something was different. He seemed surprised, almost. Like he didn’t want me there.” she glanced over at you, waiting for your confirmation.

“It was different for me.” you said, glancing as Dustin joined the table next. “I think he was grasping at straws at that point. He tried to change my memories. Make them seem worse than what they were. It was easy to spot the difference..after that I sort of stopped being afraid. I was just angry.”

The three of them looked at you worried but you simply shook your head.

“I wasn’t there as long as Max. Or at least it felt like it. It didn’t take long for Nance and Robin to pull me out.”

“Doesn’t explain how you both got there.” Nancy volleyed, still trying to work it together.

“Maybe you guys infiltrated his mind.” Dustin offered, joining in finally. “He invaded your minds, right? Is it that big a leap to suggest you somehow wound up in his?” he glanced back at you. “Especially you. After dealing with Max’s failed attempt, he was already panicking like you said.”

“That sounds..improbable.” you yawned, reaching your hands up to cover your tired face.

“It’s like Freddy Krueger’s boiler room.” he went on excitedly.

“Freddy Krueger?” Holly asked, face contorting a bit at the name.

“He’s a super burned-up dude with razors for fingers.” Dustin explained casually, despite your attempt to shake your head at him. “And he kills you in your dreams.”

“Dustin! Seriously?” Nancy interjected, looking at Dustin with wide eyes. It took only one worried glance at the small girl before he got the hint.

“Sorry. It’s a movie. It’s not real.” he said quickly before going back to the main subject. “Just..think about it. What if you somehow unlocked a backdoor to Vecna’s world? Like, maybe the answer we’re looking for is somewhere in this incredibly vague drawing.” You leaned over to peak over at the photo, recalling the familiar flower on the door. “God, we need Will.”

“No, shit.” Max said frustratedly. “But I tried them again this morning and it’s the same busy signal.”

“What the hell, Creep.” you muttered, not liking the idea of still having no contact with the others. At this point you were willing to go into credit card debt if it meant getting all of them on the next flight out back in Hawkins to help with this mess.

“Is this a window?” Nancy asked, holding the photo up.

“Yeah.”

“Stained glass with roses.” she continued on.

“Yeah. See? I’m not so terrible after all.” Max said towards Dustin. He gave a skeptical face before continuing to eat more of his breakfast.

“Yeah, well, it helps that I’ve seen it before.” Nancy said, looking intently into the paper.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Nancy Drew?” you asked carefully, watching as she literally began to pick apart all the papers.

It was like an art to see as she began to fold the papers in different directions. Placing them out in positions that were seemingly the right place in her mind. You couldn’t help but get up from your seat to stand behind her, watching her literally put the puzzle together before your eyes.

She reached over for a sharpie next, beginning to connect the photos with a thick black line. You couldn’t help but gasp at why that door felt so familiar.

“It’s pieces of a house.” Max guessed, looking at the drawing.

“Not just any house.” Nancy said, finishing up her final touch. The flower door was placed directly in the middle of the puzzle. Completing her work. “It’s Victor Creel’s house.”

You helped gather up the pieces of paper, wordlessly following her towards the basement. Dustin and Max were still sitting at the table, confused by everything that just happened.

“Where are you guys going?” he asked, mouth full.

“Waking the others.”

“I just don’t see it.”

“How can you not see it?”

You were sitting between Dustin and Steve in the back of Nancy’s car, eyes closed as you listened in to their conversation that had originally started as clue building, but turned into Dustin trying to convince Steve on a more fictional theory.

“Well, it just doesn’t match the rules of the movie is all.” Steve muttered. You didn’t even need to take a look at him to know he was already pouting.

“Think about it, man. Freddy is attacking teens in their sleep, which results in them being killed in the real world!

“Right, right. But in this case, most of the victims haven’t even been asleep when they’ve fallen into a Vecna attack.”

“Regardless, both of them use the brain as an access into getting into their victims minds.”

You finally opened your eyes to look over at them. “Hey guys?” Both boys snapped their heads in your direction. “Can you shut up? For like one minute?”

They waved you off, returning to their conversation in a lower volume thankfully and you finally got some relaxation for the rest of the ride. You were already anxious about where you guys were heading, and their small bickering was only adding to that.

“Allright,” you heard Nancy say from up front. “We’re here.”

The car came to a hard brake, causing the three of you in the back to fall over each other. There was a bit of struggle to sit back up, but Lucas eventually pulled the door open, allowing you guys to pile out. You could hear Steve mutter something about bad driving under his breath before he turned around to give you a helping hand.

He waited patiently until you were correctly on the ground again to adjust your headphones that had started to fall off from moving around so much. It was doting and sweet enough that you couldn’t resist teasing him.

“It’s not on right now, your highness.” you mentioned, watching as he continued to silently fuss over getting pieces to place right.

“No harm in keeping it ready.” he shrugged, shooting you a small smile.

You chuckled at his mothering, nodding your head a little before moving forward to join the others.

The sight of the grand house is daunting. It’s from a part of town you’ve never visited and you’re shocked to see that it hasn’t been condemned and destroyed yet. “Yeah, that’s not creepy.” you heard Steve comment behind you.

Nancy led the others towards the door, reaching over to Robin to take one of the hammers she brought from her garage. Steve quickly took the other one and moved to the other side and began to pull out the nails that held the wooden cover up.

“What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?” he asked, pulling out another nail.

“We’re not sure.” Nancy replied honestly. “We just know this house is important to Vecna.”

“Because Max and Trouble saw it in Vecna’s red soup mind world?”

“Basically.”

“Great.”

You crossed your arms, wondering if you should tell them it was mostly just bits of the house in said soup world, but considering Max was definitely in there a lot longer than you, you’d have to take her word on it.

“Maybe it holds a clue to where Vecna is. Why he’s back, why he’s killed the Creels, and how to stop him before he comes back for these two.” Dustin said, pointing between you and Max. From the side you could see as Lucas grew weary.

“We..don’t think he’s in here, do we?” he asked hesitantly.

It was a beat of silence before Max gave off the only acceptable answer.

“Guess we’ll find out.”

All of you took a step back, allowing Nancy and Steve to allow the wooden slab to fall against the floor. Dust and leaves filled the air a bit and you let out a small cough before looking over to the reveal of the front door. Just like in Max’s drawing, the rose was stained right on the front door.

Steve reached over to try and open the door. Looking frustrated already before he glanced back to everyone. “It’s locked. Should I knock, see if anybody’s home?” he called out sarcastically.

“Yeah, well, no shit it’s locked it’s condemned.” you sighed, looking at the door carefully. “I’m surprised the door is still standing by the looks of this place.”

“Obviously, I know that, Henderson.” he frowned, looking over his shoulder. “You and Nancy were the ones who came rushing in to tell us this is where we needed to go. How do you expect me to get us in? Call a locksmith?”

“No need.”

All of you turned around to spot Robin standing with a small smug look on her face. She simply raised her hand, revealing a thick, coppery, brick in her hand.

“I’ve found a key.”

You had to close your eyes after watching as Steve stepped over to take the brick from her hands. Assuming he launched it right through the decorative flower. The confirming sound of glass shattering perked in your ears.

Peeking an eye open, you saw as Steve carefully reached in through the hole and opened up the door from the inside.

From just the doorway you could tell that the house was far worse on the inside. Life had stopped existing here decades ago, and from the cobwebs and stale stench, you figured not even looters took interest in it.

A flashlight was pushed into your hands by Dustin and you quickly turned it on to get a better view of the place. “You know, it’s kinda funny,” you said, moving to glance into the first room on your left. “I was sent here for getting in trouble with the law, but I’m pretty sure I’ve broken more since coming to Hawkins.”

“No way..” Dustin said, looking at you skeptically. “How many we talking?”

“Well, we had an unlicensed gun back at Jonathan’s house and were all minors so that’s probably a misdemeanor.” You pointed over to Nancy, which she nodded. “Then I allowed a kid to drive a car, so that’s probably child endangerment.” Max was the next one to give confirmation. “Then I did that again in Starcourt with you and Erica, plus trespassing. Now I’m doing that again, plus breaking and entering.”

Steve had paused his searching to look over at you. Face scrunched in shock as he took in all the criminal work that’s managed to pile up this whole time.

“Wait a minute, I was with you at some of those..”

“From what I remember, you were with me during all of them.”

He shook his head, turning back to face the stairs again. “Shit.” he muttered softly.

Waving him off, the group continued to peer around. From your right, you watched as Lucas attempted to turn on one of the lamps. It weakly gave off a few clicks before he gave up. “Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill.”

Dustin clicked his flashlight, giving a small soundless agreement. The rest of the group followed the same, turning on theirs as they slowly ventured towards different directions.

“Where’d everyone get those?” Steve asked, a slight disappointment in his tone.

For some reason, that seemed to irk Dustin as he turned to his friend, giving him a look before he gave a curt response. “Do you need to be told everything? You’re not a child.”

Steve simply stared back at him. Holding back a surge of anger that you knew could easily come out when talking to your cousin. That tone was all too familiar at home. But unlike you, Steve could not easily just break out in violence and attack Dustin. Instead, all he could do was merely give him a disapproving look.

“Thank you.” he huffed back.

“Mhm.” he said, slipping off the backpack to push in his hands. “Back pocket.”

The two of you watched as he walked away, leaving behind Steve, as he reached in the bag for the last flashlight. He was shaking his head to himself when he glanced over at you. “Can you believe this guy?” he asked incredulously, dropping the bag down on the ground.

“I know,” you agreed, shaking your head. “I keep telling my Aunt. She really needs to knuckle down on getting rid of that damn attitude of his.”

“Seriously!” Steve said, holding a hand out in Dustin’s direction. “She’s got three more years of dealing with that. The kid’s gonna give her an ulcer.”

You chuckled a little at that, earning a small smile from him before nodding back to what you guys were supposed to be doing.

“Hey guys?”

Max quickly caught your attention, bringing all of you to focus on what she was staring at.

“You all see that, right?”

At first you weren’t sure what she was looking at until your light flashed over the clock. Instantly there was a loud tick that ran through you. Causing you to stumble back slightly. “Holy shit.” you whispered, hand gripping onto the bannister to keep yourself in place.

“Is this what you saw in your visions?” Nancy asked.

Max only nodded her head, keeping her gaze glued to the object that seemed to still be ticking. Or was that in your head? You quickly shook out that thought, reaching over for Dustin, who was now watching you carefully.

“I mean, it’s..just a clock.” Robin said, leaning over towards Max. “Right?”

She made it a point to walk over to the clock. Rubbing her hand over the glass and wiping away some of the dust. “Like a normal old clock.” she continued, looking over to the group again. You let go of Dustin to rub at your forehead.

“Why’s this wizard obsessed with clocks?” Steve said, slowly putting together his thoughts. “Maybe he’s, like, a clockmaker or something?”

“I think you cracked the case, Steve.” Dustin replied sarcastically, earning another unamused look from Steve. You leaned in this time to give your cousin a light shove on the shoulder, tired of him picking on the poor guy for trying to help.

“Clockmaker might be off, but the guy is definitely obsessed with time.” you retorted.

“All I know is the answers are here..somewhere.” Nancy said, bringing back the focus from the three of you. “Okay, everyone stay in groups. Robin, upstairs.” she said, pointing to the girl to follow after her. Robin gave off a salute, winked over at you, and quickly moved to join after her.

Max rushed over to grab onto Lucas, dragging him with her towards the living room. Leaving the three of you standing in the foyer. It was inevitable that the others would leave you guys behind. With the amount of bickering that had been building up today. Still, you were only a little bit hurt to basically be the last one picked on a team.

Steve, who was still annoyed, reached down to lace your hand into his free one. Sighing as he led the two of you past Dustin towards the stairs. The boy stayed below, shocked at the sound his friend just made.

“Was that a sigh?” Dustin asked, taken back.

“No, I did not sigh.”

“I’m pretty sure he sighed.” you teased, earning a squeeze to your hand.

“Please don’t help.” he muttered to you, making you giggle a little. “Don’t do that either.”

“Why’d you sigh?”

“I didn’t sigh. Just come on, dude.”

Already you could tell how this part of the search party was going to go, but considering the amount of stress and theatrics that have been going on between the group these past couple of days. The normalcy of bickering with these two brought a small sense of comfort.

“I heard you. So did she!”

“Well we’re just always partners, okay?” Steve tried, making the answer so much worse. You stole a look down, watching as Dustin attempted to catch up. Eyes narrowed at Steve’s back.

“What, you have a problem with that?”

“Yeah Steve, do you hate us or something?” He gave you a look, hopeful for you egging on to stop but you can’t stop yourself.

“No! It’d just be nice to, I don’t know, mix it up a bit.”

“I’m boring you? Is that it?”

“No, the opposite!”

At the top of the steps, you carefully unlaced your hand from Steve’s. Watching as a small pout formed on his lips. “And what about me? Should I go look by myself? Since you’re so interested in trying to mix things up. I figure working with just Dustin should be fine.”

“Okay, no, that’s not–”

“I’ll leave you two to settle on things.”

Patting at his arm, you playfully pushed past him and made your way to take the charge down the hall. Not far enough that you’d abandoned the two, but enough so that you could only hear their bickering at a much quieter tone.

Sometime later you eventually did wander around the top floor by yourself. Not too far from the others, but close enough that you only needed to be a room ahead. The soft sounds of the music eased you as you looked through drawers and tables for anything that might feel important.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be very little clue on anything in this house, other than that damn clock downstairs. You were just about to enter the bathroom across the room you were in when suddenly the sound of a glass shattering cut through the end of the song. Steve burst out from the middle of the room, yelping as he wiped across his arms quickly.

He accidentally collided into you, which nearly made you crash backwards into Nancy, who caught you two from falling.

“Whoa, whoa! What’s wrong?” she asked, looking concerned.

“There was a spider. It’s a black widow.” he clarified, which instantly made you panic, rushing to pat away all over your body. You paused the tape, ready to look over him when you realized that he’d also just bumped into you.

“Ew Steve! So you brought it over to get it on me?” you hissed, ripping off the headphones from your head, feeling suddenly like there were spiders all over you.

“No, no, you’re fine!” he said quickly, trying to stop you from flailing around. He used one hand to hold onto yours while reaching over with the other to close up the bathroom quickly. “Uh..don’t go in there.”

“Okay.” Nancy said slowly before she caught something at the back of his head. “Oh oh, wait just..”

“What? Is there something? Shit.” he panicked, rushing to a mirror to check his hair.

“Wait, stop moving!” Nancy ordered as she glanced over at you. “Keep him still, I got it. I got it.” Quickly, you grabbed his arms now, holding him in place so that she could take out whatever was stuck in his hair.

“Thank you.” he breathed out, still slightly panicked before he gazed down at you. “And you too.”

“Shouldn’t Nance be thanking me?” you chuckled a little.

“If there’s a spider, you’re never gonna find it till it lays eggs and the babies spill out.”

You peeked over his shoulder to see Robin smiling down the hall. Ever ready to get in a jab at her friend. Steve couldn’t help but go back to being slightly exasperated at his friend as she snickered past the three of you.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, genuine hurt in his voice. “Robin, seriously!”

“Just ignore her like I like to do sometimes.” you urged, trying to regain his focus so that he didn’t go after her just to tell her off with cobwebs still in his hair.

He looked a little tired but still chuckled a bit. “She’s got problems.”

“Tell me about it.” Nancy commented, still tending to her work on the big mess that was his hair. Lord knows she’d be there forever if he didn’t get somewhat of a haircut recently.

“It’s cool you guys are all friends now.” he mentioned, “Maybe after we find Vecna, kill him, save the world and stuff, maybe we can all go out.”

You liked the casual way he pulled out the list of problems ahead of you guys. Glancing over his shoulder, you noticed that Nancy seemed to share the same sentiment as she smiled, a hint of mirth on her lips.

“You know? Me, you guys, Robin, Jonathan, when he’s back.”

He’s trying to bring things back to normal. Keep it friendly like you two had planned. But there’s something endearing about him casually planning a group outing after dealing with such impossible forces that had you feeling another way.

“Yeah? All of us squeezed into your Jalopy on the way to Pop’s Diner?” you asked, letting go of him to casually pat over the front of his jacket. Trying to stop yourself from resting your hand on his heart like usual. He chuckled a little, nodding his hand as his hands moved to rub lightly at your arms.

“I’ll even buy everyone milkshakes.” he shrugged.

From the side of your eye, you caught Nancy as she gave you an approving nod. Seeming to like where the conversation was going.

“Sounds kinda nice.”

“Yeah, it’s like a friend thing. You know? It’s not like a date. I’m not dating, you’re not dating. Robin and I are definitely not. You know that right?” he stuttered a bit.

That pulled a small chuckle out of you, making you want to tease him a little more for being so nervous. Instead, you tried to keep the mood light with him and nodded your head in agreement.

“Definitely not dating, right Nance?”

“Yup. She made that very clear.” Nancy said, pointing over to the girl in question.

“Platonic with a capital P.” Robin confirmed from down the hall.

“Yep! Thank you.” he called out to her. He glanced over his shoulder to Nancy, giving her a quick thanks too, before his eyes returned to look at you.

Peeking over his shoulder, you gave Nancy a small nod, giving her the go now that she was finished helping fix out his hair so that you two had a moment to yourselves. Steve waited until she was back in another room with Robin before he leaned down closer.

“I’m surprised Dustin hasn’t tried to sway you into dating her, actually. Seems like something he’d do.”

“I would date her, it’s just the fact she’s..well, not yo–, no, well, it’s just that she really isn’t the person I’m into at that moment.” he got out finally, reaching a hand up so that he could tuck a stray hair away from your face.

He seemed to be stumbling more than usual, and you wondered if it was because something else was bothering him or just his poor attempt at keeping things friendly. Which, should have been a sign for you to back off, but you weren’t so sure you had the heart to do that just yet. Not when you haven’t had a normal moment since this damn spring break started.

“Right, not into her. ” you murmured softly, using a free hand to fix the small bangs over his forehead. “Glad we established that.”

Steve closed his eyes for a second, reveling in your touch before he snapped back to reality. Clearing his throat a bit as he gestured towards the hall. “Guess we should, uh, get back to the investigation.”

“Right, clues and all that.” you said softly, letting your hands fall back to your sides. You stepped to the side, ready to go when Steve spoke up again.

“The obvious things are not what people observe.” he said carefully, face slowly turning in pain as he tried to get whatever quote was on his mind. “Or Do..Don’t observe. Or…Sherlock Holmes.”

It was so unbelievably cute, so charming, that you couldn’t stop as a grin spread over your lips. Not thinking much about the mess up, you leaned up to press a kiss against his cheeks. Needing to convey some sort of affection to him before you lost it and kissed him silly.

“Elementary, my dear Watson.” you said, using your best English accent. “Lead the way?”

He shook his head, a shy, embarrassed smile on his face as he held your hand again to lead you down the hall. Leaving the two of you to miss out on a pair of girls very amused from the other side.

The search eventually led everyone to reconvene back in the foyer. The sight of the room’s light fixture seemed to catch everyone’s attention. It was glowing in and out. Like heart beating. It felt oddly familiar.

“It’s like the Christmas lights.” Nancy whispered, on the same mindset as you apparently.

“The Christmas lights?” Robin asked, voice just as hushed as hers.

“Yeah, when Will was in the Upside down, the lights..came to life.”

“The same thing happened in Eddie’s trailer..” you added, not able to tear your eyes off it.

“Vecna’s here.” Lucas said next, “In this house. Just on the other side.”

But just as sudden as Lucas’ conclusion came, the light died down. Darkening the room as if it just heard Lucas’ accusation. “I think he just left the room.” you heard Robin say.

“Did he hear us?” Max asked, glancing at you.

“He would have made that known a while ago, wouldn’t he?” you said back, turning to see Steve frown.

“Can he see us?” he said, sounding a bit worried.

“Headphones, guys.” Lucas urged, the redhead beside you was quick to place hers back on. Right as you were about to put yours on, another pair of hands came and pulled them back up to yours and pressed play on the tape player.

You turned to find Robin giving you a friendly smile as she patted your back supportively.

“Wait, wait.” Nancy said, sounding a little muffled amongst the song. “Everyone, turn off your flashlights and spread out.”

Nodding your head, you watched as the others listened to her orders and dispersed quickly from the room. You gave Steve a small wave at his confused face before going in a different direction.

Most of the rooms continued to stay dark. No signs of Vecna or any lights he might be trying to talk through. You were only a little thankful to have to listen to music, thinking it might be creepier to search through the place in the dark with just the ambient sounds that came from old homes. But being alone did send a small chill up your spine now and then.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long until you heard the sounds of a breakthrough from Robin.

“I GOT HIM!”

Everyone followed to the source of the noise, finding Robin with a flashlight pointed up to the ceiling. But very quickly did her light die out.

“Uh- I had him.”

Just as fast, it moved onto Steve’s next. Lighting up at the next host.

“Oh, whoa.” he muttered, looking down at his hand. “Oh, I think he’s moving. He’s moving! He’s moving!” The rest of you quickly stalked after him like baby ducks following their Mother. Past the foyer, up the stairs until it suddenly stopped again.

“Shit,” he sighed. “I lost him.”

“No, you didn’t.” Max corrected him, moving past the group towards a door. From beneath the wood, a small light seeped through. Opening up, she revealed another flight of stairs that led to the attic. An orangey glow that breathed just like the light from down below.

All of you squeezed together, peering up the steps as Max and Steve took the lead. You held in your breath, not quite ready for what creepy sight you might find up there.

“It’s an attic. Of course it’s an attic.” Robin sighed, weary of the venture up. You gave her back a pat, moving to follow after next.

“Hold up, guys. What if he’s leading us into a trap?” Dustin called, still at the bottom of the steps. But no one seemed to pay that notion any attention as you piled out into the room. You could hear the small curses from your cousin as he quickly ran up.

The light started to turn more erratic. Pulsating at a much faster speed than before.

“Flashlights.” Dustin called out.

Everyone glanced down to their hands. Noticing just now how they all started to come to life. But what did it mean? Was he coming closer? Was he there now? Was he getting stronger? All questions that you wanted answers to.

The group formed a circle around the main light, pointing their flashlights towards the source and watched as it seemed to get an even bigger surge of power.

“Okay, what’s happening?” you heard Steve ask.

It was almost as if his inquiry triggered a response. One by one the flashlights all began to burst. Shattering before each of you as the room began to darken. A chill ran down your back and you felt your heartbeat quicken until finally the fixture on top of you all blew up.

In the distance, you thought for a moment that you could hear the familiar sound of the clock ticking again. “What the hell was that?” Robin whispered, coming up beside you. You stepped forward, peering up at the broken bulb as the small wiring of metal began to die out.

“No idea.” you said to her, slipping your headphones back on. “But I feel like something’s just happened..”

A/N: Going through Stancy scenes was a bit rough. I really did not know how to rewrite it to keep it canon but also not lol. But, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I admit I feel it’s a bit back and forth on feelings. But I didn’t want it to be stuck in such a melodrama the whole time. Plus, it’s a lot of stuff to work in so please be kind~

TAGGING LIST:

@cluz1babe, @starofavolonea, @primroseluna, & @siriuslysmoking

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x female reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x henderson reader #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #cac #fluff #angst

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theladybarnes · 6 months ago

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SPOILER/TEST:

So I'm still writing my next update while working on my side projects. This is a sort of plot I've wanted to do for a bit but I can't make up stories without a little world building. So tell me how we feel about this:

(this is super vague since it's technically an ending to a chapter but I wanna know if the vibes and stuff are there.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Billy scoffed, his gaze flicking between us. "What's it to you, Harrington? You sweet on this little freak? I thought that was what Wheeler was here for.”

Steve's jaw clenched, his usual charming demeanor replaced by a steely glare. You on the other hand, bristled at the insult. But before you could respond, Steve interjected with a sneer of his own.

"Please. I couldn't care less about her. But she happens to be the Chief's niece, and I'd rather not have him breathing down my neck for causing her trouble. So, freak or not, leave her alone. There’s plenty of other girls willing to warm you up right now.” he finished, nodding for him to move on.

Billy's expression darkened, but he reluctantly backed off, muttering something unintelligible as he disappeared into the crowd.

Everyone dispersed after that. Displeased and muttering while you stayed backed up against the wooden gate. It wasn’t until you heard a throat clearing that you picked your gaze again to see that Steve and Nancy were still there.

“You okay?” Steve asked gruffly, looking at you carefully.

“I’m fine.” you muttered, looking away from the two.

“You sure? Billy’s just an asshole, so don’t worry about him.” he said, taking a step forward. That’s when you flinched back, not quite sure why you were so shaken up. It wasn’t like anything was going to happen. It couldn’t have, not with the amount of people at the party.

“Let me get her friend, I think I saw him somewhere inside.” Nancy said, leaving Steve’s side to venture back to the house. The music worked hard to keep out the awkward silence between the two of you. That is, until Steve felt the need to speak up.

“You’re welcome, by the way.”

Snapping your head up, you watched as Steve ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said you’re welcome,” he repeated, taking a step forward anyway. “For the whole thing with Billy just now. You could at least be thankful.”

Something about his tone had you scoffing at his audacity. “Yeah, totally.” you said, forcing a relieving laugh. “I mean, how can I ever repay you for both calling me a freak and apparently fragile since I’m the Chief’s niece.”

Steve's expression darkened, his jaw tightening again. "It's not like that," he protested, his voice strained. "I was just... trying to get that asshole off your back. I mean, it’s a party..we should just all have fun, right?”

“Well, I am having such a great time, Steve.” you saluted, pushing yourself off the fence finally.

“Ace!”

Over Steve’s shoulder, you watched as Jonathan made a dash through the crowd of people, making it around the pool carefully before he was able to get to where you two were.

“Whoa, hey, Nancy told me that stuff went down. You okay?”

“She’s alright.” Steve answered for you. “But I think she’s had her fill of fun for the night.”

Jonathan frowned at Steve’s words. Seemingly confused as to why not only was Steve speaking for you, but apparently dismissing you. Little did he know that it was more insulting than either of you let on.

“Um, did you wanna go?” he asked wearily.

“Yeah, he’s right.” you nodded, reaching to tug your friend to your side. “I’m done.”

A part of you really wanted to bite back at Steve. Make him feel bad for everything, but with a simple raised brow, defeat already felt so imminent.

“Good.” Was all he said before he turned on his heels and returned back to his hosting duties.

Quietly, Jonathan led you back to the gate, choosing the back exit of the house in order to leave. And while you were relieved, you couldn’t help but feel the twist in your gut still lingering around.

In the end, Steve Harrington may have saved you from Billy Hargrove, but he couldn't erase the sting of his words—or the realization that, despite the brief moment, you were still nothing more than a Freak to the King.

#sr #I kinda need more reception

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theladybarnes · 6 months ago

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omg i love that snippet you just posted THE LAST LINEEEE

Ahh! I'm glad you liked it!!! I'm trying to work out how this fic could work because it's a lot of facts I actually have to look up for it to work. But, it'd be like a mini series so not like 10 chapters probably 6/7(I really just wanna show a brief love) and it is based off a couple of movies blended together. But yay~ Let's see if anyone else likes it.

#anonymous #answered #i'm glad you liked that last line because i was worried it was cheesy

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theladybarnes · 6 months ago

Text

SPOILER/TEST:

(this is super vague since it's technically an ending to a chapter but I wanna know if the vibes and stuff are there.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Billy scoffed, his gaze flicking between us. "What's it to you, Harrington? You sweet on this little freak? I thought that was what Wheeler was here for.”

Steve's jaw clenched, his usual charming demeanor replaced by a steely glare. You on the other hand, bristled at the insult. But before you could respond, Steve interjected with a sneer of his own.

Billy's expression darkened, but he reluctantly backed off, muttering something unintelligible as he disappeared into the crowd.

“You okay?” Steve asked gruffly, looking at you carefully.

“I’m fine.” you muttered, looking away from the two.

“You’re welcome, by the way.”

Snapping your head up, you watched as Steve ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said you’re welcome,” he repeated, taking a step forward anyway. “For the whole thing with Billy just now. You could at least be thankful.”

“Well, I am having such a great time, Steve.” you saluted, pushing yourself off the fence finally.

“Ace!”

Over Steve’s shoulder, you watched as Jonathan made a dash through the crowd of people, making it around the pool carefully before he was able to get to where you two were.

“Whoa, hey, Nancy told me that stuff went down. You okay?”

“She’s alright.” Steve answered for you. “But I think she’s had her fill of fun for the night.”

“Um, did you wanna go?” he asked wearily.

“Yeah, he’s right.” you nodded, reaching to tug your friend to your side. “I’m done.”

A part of you really wanted to bite back at Steve. Make him feel bad for everything, but with a simple raised brow, defeat already felt so imminent.

“Good.” Was all he said before he turned on his heels and returned back to his hosting duties.

#text post #test run #ca #this is gonna be ANGSTY and fluff(ish) and romanceee??#idk #depends on how yall feel about it

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theladybarnes · 6 months ago

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UPDATE:

Hello everyone! Hope you’re all doing well. Just wanna update here.

The next chapter should hopefully be done soon. I know a lot of you are excited for what comes next so I’m just making sure it’s good~

I also noticed a small new batch of followers so thank you to them for giving my page a chance! I really appreciate it. 🩷🩷🩷

Also I might be starting something..but idk if I should spoil or just start it up and throw it at you guys randomly.

#text post #I’ll give a clue #🏝️

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theladybarnes · 7 months ago

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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER EIGHT

“I told you, I'm fine. Okay? I mean, as fine as someone who's hurtling towards a gruesome death can be.”

▸ summary: the group splits off again and a breaking theory comes your way ▸ characters: steve harrington, dustin henderson, max mayfield, robin buckley, nancy wheeler, & lucas sinclair ▸ word count: 12.7k ▸ warnings: angst, fluff, mentions of death, slight canon divergence, & trauma ▸ series masterlist

“It was here..right here!”

“A grandfather clock?”

“It was so real.”

You watched carefully from the back of the group as Max explained what happened once she had snapped out of her brief frozen state. Time had not ran out and it was only a few seconds into your panicking that she gasped before you guys, waking up.

“..And then, when I got closer, suddenly I just..I woke up.”

“It was like she was in a trance or something.” Dustin chimed in, looking over to the rest of you. “Exactly what you and Eddie said happened to Chrissy.”

You met his gaze with a small nod, unsure what to think next. Chrissy never woke up to the sound of you and Eddie calling out to her. And while Max didn’t either, she still snapped out of it.

Turning around to the group, Max couldn’t help but dive into more information. “That’s not even the bad part.” she started before she led all of you back to Ms.Kelley’s office. Surrounding the stack of files, she shared a couple between Robin and Nancy, setting up the base of what you guys gathered.

“Fred and Chrissy, they both came to Ms.Kelley for help..they both were having headaches, bad headaches that just wouldn’t go away. And then..then the nightmares..trouble sleeping. They’d wake up in a cold sweat. Then they started seeing things..bad things..from their pasts. In these visions, they just, they kept on getting worse and worse, until eventually..everything ended.”

“Vecna’s curse.” Robin clarified.

Curse. You thought.

Stomach churning at the idea of not only yourself being cursed, but Max too. How could she be hit with any more hardship than she already has? Even as she had explained everything as perfectly as she could, there was still a heavy terror in her voice. One that hit you harder than you expected.

But what could you do? How could you be of any help when you were going through the same afflictions that her and the others have? The only difference in the patterns were the visions. Instead, you were tormented by a voice. A dreadful voice that seemed to know all your insecurities and dump them into your mind at the worst times.

You glanced around at your friends, their faces etched with sad, sombering looks as they listened to what Max had to say.

“There’s still time to figure things out,” you said, speaking up finally. “No one is giving up just yet.”

Max slowly shook her head. Her bright eyes still lingered with a few unshed tears as she tried to reason with you.

“Chrissy’s headache started a week ago, Fred’s, six days ago. I’ve been having them for five days.”

Your heart dropped at that, unsure what you could even say to help make things better for her. But to your dismay, she went on. Even through her own body betraying her regular strength, she couldn’t help but crumble at her conclusion.

“I don’t know how long I have. All I know is that, for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than twenty-four hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock!..So..” her breath was shaky as she stepped towards the desk. Gripping at the chair while she looked at everyone. “..it looks like I’m gonna die tomorrow.”

There’s a loud clang in the distance. Causing the group to jump a bit and pause the conversation. Steve doesn’t hesitate to step up, turning to the others with a frown on his face. “Stay here.” he ordered calmly, and turned to leave the room. But not without grabbing a nearby lamp to use as a weapon.

It took only a couple of seconds of him leaving the room before you quietly muttered to the others. “Yeah, screw that.”

Trailing after him, you made sure to check the hall behind you guys before following in close after him. Without having to look back, you could hear as the others quietly did the same. Sticking close behind Steve as well as he ventured out to the source of the noise.

Steve barely glanced over his shoulder and noticed you all before he sighed disappointedly. “You gotta be kidding me.” he muttered to you.

“Like you aren’t used to us not listening.” you whispered back. “Besides, you’re using a damn lamp. It’s not like you’re ready to fight either.”

“It’s the best thing I got!” he hissed, trying to keep quiet. The sound of clattering stirred up again, shutting you both up.

In the distance you could hear the sound of feet running begin to pick up, creating an anxious chill to run down your back.

All around the rest of the group grew tense, waiting behind to see what would be coming into the view. Steve raised up the lamp, ready to take his aim on the target when suddenly a familiar face jumped into the hall.

Steve and Lucas began to yell once coming to head with each other, causing everyone to let out a panicked cry as they staggered back.

“IT’S ME!” Lucas cried out, holding his hands out before him defensively.

“Lucas?!” Nancy called out, flashing another light on his face.

“It’s me!” he cried again.

“JESUS, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU SINCLAIR?” Steve yelled, looking flushed as the panic came over him.

“I’m sorry!”

“I could’ve taken you out with this lamp!” he chided dramatically. You reached over for his arm and pulled him away from Lucas to rest back and give the kid some obvious air since he was panting particularly hard.

“Easy there, he-man.” you patted his arm, earning yourself an annoyed look from him.

“I’m sorry, guys, sorry! I was..I was biking for eight miles.” he held up a finger, holding onto the front of his gut. “Give me a second, shit.” he said before remembering what he really wanted to say. “We’ve got a code red!”

“What?” Steve asked, confused all over again.

“Dustin,” He said as he staggered over to your cousin, still panting as he laid out more crap for the group to worry about now. “I’ve been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy, and they’ve gone like totally off the rails! They’re trying to capture Eddie, and they think you know where he is. You’re in terrible danger!”

Dustin, while taken back by this, still can’t help but keep the main problem at focus. “All right, Yeah, that definitely sucks.” he agreed. “But we’ve got bigger problems than Jason right now.”

You could only watch as Lucas slowly glanced over at Max. The two locked eyes and you could just see the pain in Max’s face. Without even realizing it, you’ve instinctively reached out for Steve’s hand. And thankfully, he doesn’t say anything but squeeze back.

“We wouldn’t be able to access the program for it here. The family computer isn’t exactly gonna cut it.” sighed Nancy, downing the rest of her water. “Besides, I’m not even sure how to write up the kind of files we’d need to pass as real.”

“There’s always a chance the library could have some examples.” you threw out, leaning against the counter to look at the two girls. “If we head there early enough, we could be the first ones in, type it out, and get it done by early morning.”

“We can try that, but there’s always a chance it might not work. Hawkins doesn’t really have the newest resources. Even today we had to dig pretty deep to find the newspaper headlines.” Robin countered, crossing her arms as she stood beside you.

The three of you had been in the kitchen for a good few minutes discussing what you guys could do.

After leaving the school, it was pretty easy to just collect everyone and keep watch of each other in the safety of the Wheeler basement. Especially with Max’s countdown recently coming into light to hang over the rest of you.

“Well,” Nancy piped up, “there was a rumor I heard at school..” You and Robin shared a confused look before nodding at her to continue.

“Jordan Wallis. He’s in the A.V. Club. They said his older brother Nick used to help create fake IDs and permits for a certain price..”

“Wasn’t his brother also sent to a Military school for getting caught?” Robin asked, looking a little skeptical.

“He was.” she nodded, scrunching her nose at the fact. “But, I’ve heard that Jordan and a few of his buddies have taken on the family business. They might know a thing or two about forging documents. Some of them are in the newspaper so I might have a way in if we need to talk to him.”

The three of you mulled it over for a minute. Contemplating how much this idea could work.

Nancy let out a long sigh, sounding tired as she set down the cup in the kitchen sink. “It’s a long shot in the dark, but–”

“It’s the best we got.” you finished for her, watching as she nodded her head. “I say we do it.”

Robin silently agreed with a shrug, looking over to Nancy. “Do you think you can reach them in time tonight?” she asked, scratching nervously at her cheek. “We’d have to leave first thing in the morning.”

She turned her watch over, noting the time before she offered a tight lip smile. “It’s not too late. I can make a couple of calls.”

“Then let’s get to it.”

Robin left the two of you to join the others downstairs, possibly giving Steve some sort of relief from ‘babysitting’ while you and Nancy ventured up her stairs. It was easier to conceal the type of phone calls you guys were making from her parents in the privacy of the room. And after about ten minutes, three different conversations, and one sweet minute of pleading, there was a plan made to get the files.

You waited until everything was set and ready for the next day to ask Nancy if you could use her phone for a moment alone. She seemed a little worried, but gave a small smile and quietly left the room.

Reaching for her phone, you stared down at the receiver, wondering what was suddenly coming over you as you pressed in the familiar number. A glance at your watch and you were thankful for once for the time difference.

“The number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again at a later time.”

Frowning, you tried dialing it again.

“The number you are trying to reach is un–”

Ending the call, you tried to figure out just what could be holding the line. Since reaching Jonathan seemed out of play, you dialed the next person you needed to speak to.

It only took one ring for her to pick it up.

“Hello?”

“Mom?”

“Oh, Duckie!” your mother gasped. “I was hoping I’d hear from you soon!”

The sudden joy in your Mother’s voice brought a blooming happiness over you. It had been a couple of weeks since you had the chance to properly speak with her, and hearing her chirpy tone now felt like just what you needed.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting for so long..”

“I would wait forever if it meant to get a call from you.” she cooed teasingly. “How are you, Duckie? Are you guys finally on Spring Break?”

“Yeah, just started on Friday. Are you and Dad at the beach house?”

“Yes! We just arrived the other night. We’re definitely missing you here. The Johnsons brought their little Dune Buggy that you liked to ride on the shore line.”

The memories of spending breaks over at the seaside home came flooding in. If you were living there now you’d find yourself spending the evening with your parents getting ready for a lush dinner. Not currently dwelling over what you were going to do to save a friend from the fate that you might very much fall into as well.

“Duckie?”

“Sorry,” you coughed, feeling your throat tighten up from your thoughts. “I’m just out of it today. Kinda tired.”

“Well it’s a good thing you’re on break! You’ll get to go out with your friends, have fun date nights with Steve–By the way! How is he? It’s been so long since you’ve told us about you guys. We’ve got that picture of you two from his graduation in the drawing room. It’s too cute!”

Instantly you’re covering your face up. Not sure how you could even dive into explaining everything that was going on with Steve. Especially when right at this moment, you’re pretty sure you’re the last person whom he’d want talking about how well he is.

“Oh, uh, Steve’s fine.” you stuttered a bit. “He’s just been working really hard.”

“Hopefully not too hard. I know how much you two are in love~ Must be going crazy with seeing each other all the time..” she teased, nearly making you groan out in pain.

“Yeah, we’re..inseparable.” Balling your hand up in a fist, you lightly punched at your thigh, trying to keep it together. "How are you and Dad doing?"

"We're doing just fine," she sighed, her answer comforting you a little. "Your father's been trying to cut back hours in the firm, he wants to get some vacation time.. I’ve just finished designing a showroom for Margaret Chandler. She’s redone her whole home since her daughter graduated. But, mostly, we miss you. It's not the same without you around."

You swallowed hard, trying to push down the surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm you at the endearing words you’ve been needing to hear lately. "I miss you too, Mom. It’s kind of late here..um, I’ll try to call again soon, okay?”

“Okay, Duckie. Don’t wait too long this time. I wanna hear all that you’re up to, okay?”

“Yeah.” you managed to choke out. “I love you..so much.”

She let out a light laugh, possibly thinking you’re in a loving mood tonight. “I love you too! Talk to you soon.”

You waited until the line disconnected before slowly putting the phone back down. The silence of the room suddenly became so overwhelming.

Covering your face, you tried to control your breathing, reminding yourself to calm down before you went and join the others. But the tears still welled up in your eyes and your vision blurred.

Would that be your last conversation with your Mother? Should you attempt to reach Jonathan again? What protocols would one have to follow when dealing with a curse?

There was a dip on the bed next to you and suddenly you were being engulfed into a pair of arms. They were so warm, so familiar, you don’t even have to open your eyes as you pushed your way into his chest.

“It’s okay,” Steve whispered as his hands rubbed at your back. “You’re okay.”

You don’t cry as much as you’d like to. Not when you knew you had to be around the others in just a few moments. But you allow the escape of Steve’s hug to give you a few moments of peace until you were pulling back.

“I’m sorry.” you sniffled. “I just..I just...”

The words died right off your tongue and you watched as he merely brought a hand up. Rubbing the pad of his thumb across the tears that stained your cheeks. His warm eyes looked over your face as he slowly shook his head. “You don’t have to explain yourself, baby. I just wanna be here for you.”

His words nearly made you break down all over again and you can’t help but push your face back into his chest once more. Resting against his pecs while listening to the sounds of his comforting heartbeat. He placed his head gently on top of yours, simply holding you close while you took the chance to calm down.

The interaction between the two of you was very much the opposite of what you guys had just a couple of hours ago. When you both tried ways to jab at each other. But to your dismay, like all other fights, Steve would always come to comfort you when you felt you least deserved it.

“Hey do you think you guys can go–”

The sudden voice of Robin booming into the doorway caused you both to pull back from each other. Her blue eyes went wide at the sight of you two before slowly turning into a small grin. “Am I interrupting anything?” she asked teasingly, until she noticed the leftover tears in your eyes. “Shit, am I?”

“Robin,” Steve sighed, letting go of you so he could get up from the bed. He stepped towards the door and closed it enough that it was only him that Robin could see. Giving you the chance to fix yourself up. “What were you gonna ask us?”

“Sorry,” she chuckled nervously. “Do you think you guys could maybe get us some pizza? We’re all kinda starved and don’t wanna bother Mrs. Wheeler or anything.”

“Oh, I’m not sure that’s a good thing right now..” Steve said, most likely thinking you needed a minute. But the idea of stepping out for a moment sounded a lot more pleasing when you really thought it over. “Maybe we could just-”

“We can go get it.” you said softly.

The two peeked turned at your voice, watching as you got off the bed, wiped your cheeks and made your way to the door. You reached around Steve to open it up again, allowing Robin to get a better look of you again.

“Are you sure?” she asked, moving to place a hand on your shoulder. “If you guys need a second it’ll be fine. I can try and heat us some frozen waffles or something.”

“It’s fine, Robs.” you reassured her, attempting to shoot her a small smile. “We can go.” Turning to glance at Steve, you give him a hopeful look. “If you’re up for it?”

His eyes were skeptical as he took in your question. Most likely because he probably didn’t believe your sudden change in demeanor from moments ago on the bed. But to your surprise, he’s not against it and slowly nodded his head. “Let’s go.”

As Steve drove down the winding path toward town, the tension in the car was slightly nerve wracking.

Quietly you sat beside him, trying to keep your composure together. Not wanting to go back to how you were not five minutes ago in Nancy’s room. But there’s no denying what was bound to happen. The moment Steve came into the room and overheard you, you knew what he was going to ask. If not now, then eventually.

The problem was, were you willing to tell him the truth?

From just a glance you could see as his eyes focused on the road ahead. Jaw clenched and lips pursed in a tight line. He was most likely running ideas about how to approach this with you. Not that you had any clue on how he could. It made the guilt return back quickly.

The whole fight earlier felt petty now.

Max was now closer to falling into Vecna’s curse, and there was a possibility that you might be next. How could you even care about stupid things like exes and kisses? Not that he was aware of the severity. All he knew was that his ex girlfriend was acting out of normal for a couple of weeks now. But in reality, you were far into this web of problems that you weren’t sure you had it in you to trap him in it with you.

How could you drag him in when you weren’t sure how to get out?

Carefully, he veered off the main road into the quiet woods, just outside of the main parts of town. You could feel your heartbeat quicken. How many times could you lie to Steve and tell him you were okay? Would he easily see through your lie again and call out the bullshit? There was no way he could attempt to unravel the myriad of problems surrounding you.

But like always, despite all your best efforts to push him away, he just came back with a force.

The car came to a slow stop and he turned off the engine. Cutting off the only noise left between the two of you. Outside the chilly spring night brought a blue hue over the woods. It was the same way it looked the other night when you were left to find your way back home.

You must have been shivering at the memory because suddenly Steve was slipping off his jacket and placing it over you. His eyes stayed focused on making sure you were covered up before he leaned back in his seat with a sigh. The smell of his cologne still lingered over his jacket and you can’t help but allow the heat of the fabric to comfort you briefly, giving you a small relief before you cleared your throat to speak up finally.

“So,” you said lamely, pointing out towards the field. “Chilly night isn’t it?”

He stared quietly, raising a brow at you like he was expecting some sort of breakdown.

“I, for one, think that it is too cold for Spring. Back home, Spring nights felt crisp but still nice enough for a walk.”

"So you’re just gonna act like what happened in Nancy’s room didn’t happen?" he frowned, his voice laced with worry.

You shook your head, trying not to dive into that as you plastered on a smile, hoping it would be enough to deflect his concern. "Nothing happened. That was just me being homesick.."

“Homesick? You’re kidding me..”

“It’s the truth! I haven’t been away from home in so long. It’s complicated. Not to mention, it’s been a long day and I’m a little tired.”

He scoffed lightly, his hand reaching out to grip onto the wheel tightly. "Bullshit, Trouble. You look like you haven't slept in days, you’re crying after a phone call home, you were just in an accident the same night you saw a girl die from some curse. When are you going to finally be honest with me, here?”

“I’m fine.” you replied, voice a little too forced. "Just... worried about Max too, you know? With everything that's been happening. It’s a lot.”

Steve's brow furrowed, his gaze lingering for a moment too long. He could always see right through you. Always sensing when something was off. It was both a blessing and a curse, especially now when you were desperately trying to keep your own secret buried.

"Look, we’re all worried, but I know there’s more. You're not just worried about Max, are you?" His voice was soft, though laced with a hint of hurt.

You swallowed hard, your throat suddenly dry as you tried to ignore the guilt coming back in your stomach again. "What do you mean?"

"It’s him too?" has asked carefully, his eyes never leaving yours. "You’re worried about Eddie too. I mean..that kiss..”

“Well, I am worried he might get attacked by a mob of evangelicals. But that kiss, it was just..it was nothing.” you said quickly, “He does it all the time. It’s more so to annoy me than to mean anything else.”

“That’s not what it looked like to me.” he mumbled, glancing out the window.

A lump formed in your throat. Trying to push out any sort of excuse that could ease him of the hurt he had over what transpired earlier. All this time, Eddie was the only thing that helped distract you from Steve. He didn’t care about making anything deep, and neither did you. It was perfect.

But now Steve was here, and he was trying to help you, and all you could think was to apologize for making things worse.

"I'm sorry, Steve," you whispered, reaching out to gently place a hand on his arm. "I want to say that it’s nothing, because it is nothing to me. I’m not even thinking about that. Right now I just want to work on making sure Max is okay."

“There’s more you’re not telling me.”

“I‘ve said all that I need to say—“

"No, nope. I’m not letting you avoid this," Steve said firmly, turning to face his body towards you. "We don’t lie to each other, okay? Even when you’re mad you always eventually tell me what’s wrong. But now? You’re just..”

“I’m just trying to keep focus, Steve.”

He quickly shook his head, frowning now. “You can't keep shutting me out, pretending like everything's okay when it's clearly not. I'm not going to stand by and watch you keep whatever it is that’s eating you up inside! I’ve made that mistake before and I won’t do it again.”

You wanted to protest, to tell him it wasn’t anything he should be concerned over, but the words caught in your throat. How else could you fail in keeping him safe when even keeping him out of the loop caused him to feel this hurt?

But before you could think of anything to say to him, his voice softened, his eyes searching yours as if the answers were right there. "I just want to help you, honey..I lo— I care about you, And it's killing me to see you like this. I made a promise to you a long time ago and all I do is keep breaking it.”

“Promise?” you whispered, leaning in close to him. “What promise?”

He reached out to cup the side of your face. Warming your cheek with the palm of his hand as he came in to rest his forehead against yours. “Last summer. Back in my room, I said no one was ever going to hurt you again. Because no one was going to look out for you better than me.” he whispered back. You stayed quiet, trying to take in those words again. Steve nervously licked over his lips, scared to push the limit of the conversation. “Do you remember why?”

The memory hit you instantly. The way you two looked over each other, trying to make sense of all the pain and suffering you both endured after Billy and being captured by the Russians. You never wanted to see Steve hurt again. You still don’t. His words, however, came back to your mind and you found your eyes slightly prickling with tears.

“..because I’m your girl.”

“That’s right.” he sighed, “You’re my girl..”

Without saying anything, he pulled you into his arms. Holding you so tightly, as if his arms could shield you from the world and all the doom that wanted to make its way in. And truthfully, in that moment, it really felt like they could.

“Can we just..forget about everything? Just for right now?” you asked, keeping your face pressed into his chest. “I don’t want to talk or think about breakups, exes, fighting, or curses. I just..want this right now. Just us.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, pulling back so he could hold your face in his hands. “We can do that.”

There’s a little disappointment in his eyes. Probably from the lack of progress in the conversation. But you’re grateful for the pause. Needing to be selfish just once more with Steve, and focus on the kindness and sincerity of his words that made the ache in your chest lighter.

“Can you say it again?” you asked, leaning close to his face. The faint brush of his breath flushed over your skin and you reached out to place a hand over his chest. Basking in his closeness to you.

A small, pleased sort of smile, pulled at his lips as he nodded his head slowly. He reached out to push a hair away from your face before he finally spoke again.

“You’re my girl.” A kiss to your forehead.

“You’re my girl.” A kiss to your cheek.

He took his time leaning down, only brushing his lips briefly over yours, affectionately. “My girl.” he breathed before he sealed the moment with one last kiss.

The night thankfully didn’t result in more crying. After the two of you allowed yourselves just a little bit of time to just forget everything, you remembered that you had a whole group of people to feed. Some who were kind enough not to point out how long it took for you guys to receive the food.

Eventually the full bellies led for some to go in and out of falling asleep. You took the chance of having a quieter basement go over everything. Sleep, as much as it called to you, did not sound like a good idea. Not when every night now it’s led to another nightmare.

You managed to keep yourself busy, going over all the files again as well as taking in the new information about this Victor Creel guy. Now and then you’d peek over and watch Max over at the desk. She had grown quiet after eating, only asking Nancy for a pen, paper, and envelopes before settling into the back of the room.

It was hard not to want to pester her with worrisome questions. You knew better than to poke her with that kind of approach. But it didn’t help ease you at all. Not when you knew she was probably scared out of her mind.

Eventually the night passed and it wasn’t until morning came that Nancy and Robin left to go try and reach one of the boys who Nancy had called the night before. You offered to join them but they pressed for you to stay back when they noticed your tiredness. It was decided you’d stay back and attempt a bit of a nap.

After a brief hour or two spent up in Nancy’s quiet room, you made your way down to the basement again after downing two pain relief pills. The dreaded headache only turned worse after the reveal of symptoms. But now you were up again and seeking out the company of the others.

You had just sat down beside Dustin, relaxing against the cushion when the other two boys decided to venture into the small pile of information left for them to read over again. It wasn’t until Steve’s grumbling that you peeked an eye open to look over at them.

“Okay, be honest. Uh, you guys understand any of this?”

“No.” Lucas sighed defeatedly.

“Pretty straightforward.”

“Pretty much all of it.”

You and Dustin looked over at each other approvingly before casting a glance over at Steve who was frowning over at the two of you now.

“Oh, straightforward, really?” Steve asked, perplexed, eyes shifting between the two of you.

“Well, what’s confusing to you?” Dustin sighed, tiredly. “So far, everyone Vecna cursed has died, except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found. He’s the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse, it’s him.”

“Exactly,” you chimed in. “Which is why he’s our best lead on this.”

“Yeah, that’s assuming he was cursed, Hendersons, which we don’t even know.” Steve muttered, a hard frown on his face. “God, How can Vecna have existed in the fifties? It doesn’t make sense.”

“As far as we know, Eleven didn’t create the Upside Down. She opened a gate to it.”

“Jonathan and I asked Will about this before, he mentioned that the Upside Down looked sort of out of time. Like everything was aged. But that was only from the area surrounding his house, not sure about the whole town..” you said, trying to remember if Nancy had ever mentioned anything. Dustin seemed to agree with your direction, snapping a finger at you.

“The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions. I wouldn’t be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs.”

Steve couldn’t help but grow even more frustrated at that. Waving his arms over in a crossing motion. “Dinosaurs? What are we–”

“Okay! Okay!” Lucas intervened. “But if a gate didn’t exist in the fifties, how did Vecna get through?”

“Oh! And how’s he getting through now?” Steve threw in, pointing to Lucas.

“And why now?”

“And why then? Just pops out in the fifties, kills one family, and he's like, ‘Yeah, I’m good!’ and poof, he just disappears. Just..gone?” You watched carefully as Steve put together his own idea, waving his fingers in the air dramatically. “Then only to return thirty years later and start killing some random teens? No, I don’t buy it.”

He glared down at the newspaper again before starting up again. “Straight forward my ass.” he mumbled, turning to go over to his seat. “You know what? Honestly, Hendersons, a little humility now and then, it wouldn’t hurt you guys.”

Dustin is quick to apologize. Muttering out a ‘sorry’ while he allowed Steve the small win.

The man looked over at you next, raising a brow questionably, but all you could do is chuckle at his reaction. Holding your hands up defeatedly before settling back into a resting position. With a flick to the paper and cross of his legs, Steve finally seemed to relax again.

It was only a few more seconds of silence before Dustin changed the subject.

“Any idea what she’s writing?” The four of you slowly diverted your attention to the girl in the back. She was still quiet, working at the desk like she did late into the night. “Did she sleep?”

“No,” you answered softly, trying not to speak so loud and clue her in on your guys' tactless conversation about her.

“I mean, would you?” Lucas asked.

“I wouldn’t.” you answered honestly. That earned you a worried glance from Steve. Thankfully, before any questions could come out from that, the loud shut of the basement door cut into the room.

Nancy and Robin quickly came down the stairs, a small approving look on their faces as they held onto the folders you had been patiently waiting for.

“Okay, so, we have a plan.” Nancy announced, mostly to those unaware of last night’s conversation. The files were given to the others, allowing them a clue in while Robin explained where they had gone that morning.

“Thanks to Nancy’s minions, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame.”

“Ugh, Notre Dame?” you asked, earning a small amused look from your friends before they passed you the last folder. Apparently you’d be joining them this time.

“I’m now Ruth.”

“And I’m Rose.”

“Ruth?” Steve asked amusedly. You would have joined in on the silly name, if your eyes had not landed over the name at the top of your page.

“Rhonda?!” you gaped, eyes flickering between the paper and your two friends. “Of all the names–”

“The Beach Boys happened to be playing on the radio when we couldn’t think of another name.” Robin excused quickly, waving her hand to point over to the student status card. “Look at your pretty extracurriculars.”

Dustin leaned over to glance at your file. “You guys do have nice GPAs.” he said, throwing in some positive feedback.

“Thanks.” Nancy said cheerfully before explaining further. “So we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them we’d like to speak with Victor Creel for a thesis we’re co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics–”

“To which they said no.” Robin threw in, adding some reality into the plans.

“But, we landed a three o’clock with the director.”

“Now all we have to do is charm him and convince him to let us talk to Victor.”

“Then maybe we can rid Max of this curse.” Nancy finished, hopefulness in her voice.

“All easy things, of course.” you muttered sarcastically, handing your file out to the small rotation that was happening with the boys.

“Yeah, about that.” Steve joined in, “We’ve been doing our Victor Creel homework, and, uh, we got some questions.”

“Lots of questions.” Lucas emphasized.

“So do we,” Nancy agreed. “Hopefully, Victor has the answers.”

“Wait, wait, wait a second.” You all looked over to Steve as he confusedly looked over the papers before him. “Where’s mine?”

It was only a matter of seconds into Nancy’s room that Steve went into a mini tantrum.

“Nancy, you’re outta your mind if you think I’m babysitting again.”

“Okay, first of all, they’re not babies anymore. And Max is in real danger. She needs people around her.” she turned to open her closet before stopping. “Also, It wasn’t just my idea, you know.” she said to him, throwing a glance over at you.

Steve looked at you with wide eyes.

“Way to throw me under the bus.” you muttered, making your way to lie down on her perfectly made bed. Thankfully he didn’t let that part of the conversation linger and returned back to the main focus.

“I know she needs people. But why does it always have to be me?”

“Oh my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster!” Robin gushed as she came into the room now. The excitement on her face is so opposite of Steve’s annoyed one that you can’t help but be entertained from your spot. “You have a Tom Cruise poster~.”

“That’s old!” Nancy replied, trying to justify her previous celebrity crush.

“You act like you’ve never been in a girl’s room before.” you chuckled to your friend, watching her go through Nancy’s tapes next.

“This is Nancy’s room, It’s like a whole new personality to find out.”

“Can you please not touch anything?” she tried telling Robin. Again, Steve is left to try and bring the focus back onto him and his current agenda.

Leaving the babysitting business.

“I just-I just- I can’t do anything here, Nance. Maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude. I don’t know. I could turn on my..my charm.”

“Not the charm we need.” she shut down kindly, still hurting his ego in the process.

“Ouch,” he turned before he caught you watching comfortably from the bed. “Well, why does she get to go?” he pouted, pointing over at you

“Hey!” you frowned, sitting up now. “What are you trying to say?”

“Nothing! Just that if I’m stuck babysitting again then so should you.”

“We need her.” Nancy butt in, poking her head out from the closet. “Not only is she Ivy League type, but some of her assets might be what we need to convince them if all else fails.”

“What assets?” you and Steve asked at the same time.

“She means your boobs.” Robin said plainly, holding onto one of Nancy’s sunglasses from her dresser. “Let’s be real, she’s as hot as she is smart so it’ll be of use when we need to get through.”

You couldn’t help but glance down at your chest, frowning at the ‘assets’ in question before your eyes landed back on Steve for his reaction. He’s unfortunately looking at the same thing as you were, nodding his head despite the frustrated frown still on his face.

“I’d like to make a note that her confidence is good enough to convince anyone she belongs in a room.” Nancy threw in, giving you a sympathetic smile. “Plus, she can charm the pants off pretty much any guy that comes her way.”

“I suddenly feel dirty.” you scoffed, rolling off the bed. “But I suppose I have no other choice but to play the role of femme fatale.”

“I can charm.” he grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve charmed the charmer.” he pointed out, looking at you again.

Nancy looked over at him with a sad smile as she tried to reassure him of things again. “I just– Look, I did a little digging last night, and it turns out this Dr. Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay? This is a lifelong student of the world. And if we’re gonna win him over, we’re gonna have to convince him that we are too. That, like him, we are true academic scholars.”

“Holy shit.” Robin whispered while playing the music box loudly. “There’s a little ballerina in here.”

It’s comically quiet for a second while the three of you gaped over at her. Steve can’t help but look at Nancy dumbfoundedly.

“Academic scholar?” he asked, using his hand to point attention to his friend. “She’s giving you an academic scholar vibe? Yeah..”

“No,” Nancy replied honestly. “But, she will.”

You all cast your eyes over the frilly pink shirt Nancy had been rummaging for her in the closet for. It’s a lovely top you’ve seen your friend wear before. But for someone like Robin, whom you’re pretty sure you haven’t even seen in a skirt before, it must have been a frilly nightmare.

“Oh, please, tell me that you’re joking.” muttered Robin, horrified.

You made a mental note that while you were more than happy to be a team player, you weren’t going to be walking around a mental asylum cinched into Nancy’s clothes. “I’m going to shop over at the Karen Wheeler selection.”

Leaving the room, you quickly made your way over to Nancy’s parents room. Thankful that the other members of the Wheeler family had set out for a busy day to give you the chance to sneak in. It was only a second later that Steve came in after you. Frown still on his face but attitude slowly disappeared when he noticed you started to change.

“I don’t think I need any help here, Steve.” you said playfully, reaching for one of Karen’s two piece suits.

It was a pastel green peplum top with a nicely fitted blazer skirt. The pastel color wasn’t your thing but it was paired up with a silky white button shirt. It made the whole ensemble look mature with the small bit of sultriness you needed. “Props to you, Karen.” you mused, squeezing inside the skirt.

You were about to reach over for the top next when Steve suddenly took your hands. “Trouble, we need to talk.” he said softly, stopping you from continuing getting dressed.

“You talk, I’ll get dressed.”

"I don't like this," Steve said while he watched you reach back for the top again. "You guys don't even know what you're walking into. And you’re doing it alone"

“How can three people be alone?” You asked, letting out a long sigh before buttoning up your shirt. “Also, we know what we’re walking into. A guarded asylum, run by staff who we’re hopefully going to trick into letting us interview one of their high risk schizophrenics patients.” you said simply, reaching over for the blazer next. “Kinda, straightforward.”

That earned you a tired look.

"Are you sure about this, Trouble?" His voice was laced with worry, his eyes searching yours for some sort of reassurance.

“Look, we’re just going to ask some questions and hopefully get out of there with something useful.”

“But what if something happens? What if you guys get caught?”

“Then you’ll get to be that brave Knight in white Nikes, again, right?” You teased, reaching out to cup the side of his face. He let out a heavy sigh, resting his hand on top of yours as he leaned in closer.

“Trouble, you know what I me—”

You pressed your lips against his, kissing him gently and stopping him from running into more scenarios. “We have each other, we’ll be safe.” You promised, pecking his lips once more before you pulled back to look at him.

Steve's concern persisted, his gaze searching yours for any sign of hesitation. "I just don't want anything to happen to you," he murmured.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me.” You said softly, rubbing your thumb across his cheek. “Worst case scenario is we get arrested for false documents and that’ll just be a phone call to my Dad. Which Dustin or Max will help get for you.”

He nodded his head slowly and you gave a small pat to his cheek before letting go to switch out for some cute pumps Karen had hidden in the back of her closet. The outfit looked good, but was it enough for what you guys needed to do?

“All right,” you sighed, grabbing his attention again while you fixed your hair. Hoping it was still fine after having such a restless night. “How do I look?”

Steve, for the first time, didn’t seem to be bothered now that he was watching as you turned in spot to give him an overall view. His hands reached out to grab at your hips as he pulled you closer. Letting his height tower over you while he gave you a small smirk.

“Like a scholar,” he murmured. “A very pretty scholar, who uses her kisses to try to make me forget how worried I am about her.”

Your heart beats a little fast, but you find yourself almost pressing up to him. “And is it working?”

“Sorta.”

Nancy suddenly called out your name from down the hall, cutting the conversation short.

Or so you thought.

Steve waited until you were walking toward the door before he reached for your hand and tugged you back into his arms. You’re about to ask what he was doing when he leaned in to press his lips against yours again.

The kiss is deeper this time. More needy and hot than the sweet calming one you gave to him. Instantly, your body fell for it and tried to mold against his. There were always going to be unsettled feelings between the two of you, but the physical ones never seemed to be the problem.

It’s not until Robin called out your name, more aggravated than the way Nancy did, that he reluctantly pulled back. His eyes were warm, and looking at you in a way that made your cheeks burn a bit. "Just... be careful, okay, Rhonda?" he pleaded, his knuckles brushing lightly against your cheek.

The simple touch sent a shiver down your spine and you nodded meekly before offering a faint smile. “We will,” you reassured him. “Mr. Charmer.”

He shot back a beautiful smile as he finally let you go. From down the hall you could see as he picked up your discarded clothes while he whistled a familiar tune that tugged at your heart. It wasn’t until you were at the bottom of the stairs that you noticed your slightly disgruntled friends.

Nancy was rubbing the side of her head while Robin awkwardly kept adjusting at her bra. You open your mouth to tease her about her being dressed up as a Nancy clone, when she held up a hand before you could make any comment. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” she grunted before stalking to the front door.

Nancy and you were left rushing after her until you were all outside. The other two led the way towards Nancy’s station wagon when you stopped and noticed Steve’s car parked nearby. The front windows were down a bit, giving you a look inside to something you’ve been aching to see again.

Running to the door, you reached your hand in and carefully tugged on the sun visor until you were able to pull the metal out. Not wanting the other girls to catch you, you ran back towards the car and quickly climbed into the back seat.

It’s not until the drive over had begun that you finally opened up your palm and stared down at the item. The sun perfectly illuminated the shining S, giving you something of comfort to have it in your possession again. You quickly pushed the necklace into the pocket of your jacket, feeling it relax your silently anxious nerves.

“So what did you steal from his car?” Nancy asked, looking out the front window as she pulled out of her driveway onto the street. Her blue eyes flickered over to you in the rear view mirror, almost like she already knew.

“Just...something for luck.”

The three of you arrive at Pennhurst in a good amount of time. There was still time left in the day to get what you needed and hopefully return to Max before the twenty-four hours were up.

As you all exited the car, you couldn’t help but watch as Robin struggled to balance herself in the very low heels that Nancy had her in. “I feel like I’m watching a newborn deer walk.” you said with a sly grin.

The girl bobbed her head over at you, giving you a glare as she adjusted her footing again.

“Do not test me, Henderson. I can’t breathe in this thing, and I’m itchy. I’m itching all over!” she huffed.

“It’s not all about comfort.” Nancy retorted. “Okay? We’re academics.”

“Who are evidently coming straight from Easter brunch.” Robin hissed, stumbling once more before she gripped at the side of her underarms. “Also, this bra that you gave me is really pinching my boobs!”

“We’re also college girls and college girls definitely don’t say boobs. Not to mention, they know how to handle wearing heels. Especially measly one inch heels, Robs.”

“Oh, I hope you get rotten eggs in your basket this year.” she swore, giving you a small glare as she tugged at the sides again. Nancy let out a small, tired, exhale and turned to look over at the two of you.

“Okay. Could you two just let me do the talking? If that’s even possible?” she asked, sounding overwhelmed.

“It’s not only possible, it’s inevitable.” Robin threw back. “Because shortly, I’ll be dead from strangulation.”

Somehow you three managed to cover up the discomfort between the three of you in order to enter inside and get in for the meeting with Dr. Hatch.

It’s a wasted few short minutes of him overgoing all three files while you guys patiently sat around his desk. Robin somehow, got between the two of you, and started to itch again. Nearly getting the attention from the man now and then.

“Three point nine GPAs.” He mused offhandedly. “The three of you…impressive.”

“And this is a recommendation from Professor Brantley.” Nancy added in, offering the man one of the other letters written up from the Newspaper lackeys.

“Yeah, I know Larry. Quite well, actually.” The director replied, making all three of you sit up a bit straighter. His eyes looked from the paper as he gave off a small teasing smile. “Eh, you know what they say, ‘Those who can’t do, teach.’”

The other two girls give off an encouraging chuckle, while you can’t help but open your mouth at this guy’s slightly patronizing behavior.

“I always felt Aristotle said it better,” you pointed out, leaning forward to throw off one of your more charming smiles. “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”

The other two girls nervously glanced your way, raising a brow at your sudden opinion. Over at the desk, sat Hatch as he took in the words you said. Only letting out an amused chuckle before he nodded his head. “That is a positive way of looking at it.”

“That’s actually why we’re here.” Nancy spoke up. “I mean, we can only learn so much in a classroom.”

“Mm. And I’m sympathetic to your struggle, truly. But there is a protocol to visiting a patient like Victor. You have to put in a request, and then you have to undergo a screening process, at which point the board will make a decision.”

You felt frustrated hearing his reply. All those were logical reasons that you three did not have time for. Glancing to your right, you watched as Robin began to squirm in her seat. Adjusting the collar and edges of her skirt over and over as she tried not to scratch. You reached out to grab at her hand, giving her a warning look that only caused her to pout at you.

“I can see you’re disappointed. But I’m more than happy to give you a tour of our facility. Perhaps you can even speak to some patients in our low-security wing.”

“And we’d..we would love that.” Nancy said, looking over at you guys to nod in agreement. “It’s just that, um..our thesis is due next month.”

“And you’re out of time.” he figured.

“Unfortunately, yes.” you sighed, trying to sound a little guilty about it. “Things got a little pushed back–”

“Whose fault is that?” he asked sharply, nearly making you throw him a glare. From the side you watched Nancy’s eyes widen a bit as she attempted to throw in a bit of damage control.

“Ours. Absolutely. And I do apologize–”

“Don’t apologize, Ruth. Screw that!” Robin interrupted. “The fact of the matter is, we did put in a request months ago and were denied. And then we reapplied and were denied again. And coming here was our last-ditch effort to save our thesis. And I really..I can’t breathe in this thing!” she said, turning to glance at Nancy.

“Well, Rose, maybe you’d like to go outside and get some air. I think Rhonda and I can handle this.” she insisted, giving Robin a pleading look.”

“Maybe I should, Ruth!” she said, slapping at the arms of her chair before she got up from her seat. “Because I’m starting to think this whole thing is a colossal mistake. I’m breaking out in a rash. My boobs hurt. And I’ll tell you the truth, Anthony. May I call you Anthony? These aren’t actually my clothes. I borrowed them because I wanted you to take us seriously. Because nobody takes girls seriously in this field. They just don’t.”

From your seat you can’t help but gape at your friend because either she’s been taking acting lessons without your knowledge or that shirt was really so torturous that it was giving her the best ending speech of her life.

“We don’t look the part or whatever. But can I tell you a story? 1978, I was at summer camp. And my counselor Drew told me and everyone in Cabin C, the true story of the Victor Creel Massacre. And little Petey McHew..You know Petey, right, Ruth, Rhonda?”

“Of..of course.” Nancy stuttered.

“Totally!” you chuckled nervously, wondering where this was going to go.

“Yeah. Little Petey McHew started sobbing right there on the spot. Full-on hyperventilating. And all the other campers, they couldn’t sleep for weeks. And I couldn’t sleep either but not because I was scared. Because I was obsessed with the question, ‘What would drive a human being to commit such unimaginable acts?’ Other kids, they wanted to be astronauts, basketball players, rockstars. But I wanted to be you! I wanted to be you. So, forgive me if I’ll now try anything in my power, including wearing this ridiculous outfit, if I might get to speak to the man that ignited my passion and learn a little bit more about how his twisted, but let’s face it, totally fascinating mind works. So, yes, we don’t have the official paperwork, but don’t tell me that cry-baby Petey McHew wouldn’t have gotten an audience with Victor in a matter of moments if he’d asked politely, because you and I both know that he would.”

A beat of pause and you were practically glued to the edge of your seat. Glancing between a very red faced Robin and what looked like a suddenly moved Hatch.

“So..ten minutes with Victor. That’s all I ask.”

It felt like forever as the three of you stared over at the man with bated breath.

“Follow me, girls.”

Without question, you all shot out from your seats and quickly followed the man out. Robin stood proudly between the two of you, allowing Hatch to lead the way while she held her palms out for you both. Nancy and you happily gave her a pleased smirk before pulling your hands out and giving Robin the well deserved high-five.

By the time you guys were walking the grounds of Pennhurst, the sun had died even more. Throwing the whole yard into an overcast gray as the four of you made the way to Creel’s holding.

“These are our gardens.” Hatch announced. “Beautiful aren’t they? We allow them two hours of outside time a day.”

“Can’t they just escape?” Robin asked, glancing at one of the patients waving nearby.

“They could. But the vast majority choose to be here. They like it here.”

“And they’ve said this themselves?” you muttered, worriedly glancing over to a particular woman near a flower bed. Something about this place didn’t feel right to you and his indifferent tone wasn’t helping you feel any better about it.

The three of you are led into a building. The soft sounds of music could be heard from outside the room before you guys walked in.

“This is one of our more popular areas. The listening room.” Hatch said in a much quieter voice. “We found that music has a particularly calming effect on the broken mind. The right song, particularly one which holds some personal meaning, can prove a salient stimulus.”

The right song..

That sparked an interest within you. Recalling how just the other night, Eddie managed to calm down your bad dream with the simple strum of the familiar tune.

Hatch straightened up as he led you girls towards a room in the back. Voice turned eerie as he went on. “But there are those who are beyond a cure.”

Down the stairs, what looked like a basement floor, stood a lonely guard. Curiously glancing at the four of you guys while you made your descent.

“Uh, Dr. Hatch, do you think it might be possible for us to speak to Victor alone?”

He paused at that, casting a shocked glance at her question. “Alone?” he asked, walking back over. You perked up, offering him a kind smile as you tried to help make the idea sound not as crazy as it really was.

“I have to second that request. I think it’d be beneficial for the three of us to gain hands-on experience in this.”

Robin nervously nodded along with you, throwing in her piece.

“I-I think that we would just love the challenge of speaking with Victor without the safety net of an expert such as yourself. Then we could really rub it in Professor Bradley’s face. When we get back to campu–”

“Professor Bradley?” he interrupted. “I don’t believe I know a Professor Bradley.”

“Brantley!” Nancy corrected, trying to fix Robin's slip up. “She..she meant to say Brantley.”

“Didn’t I say Brantley? What did I say?”

“You keep messing up today!” you playfully chided, forcing a giggle to come out as you lightly slapped the back of her hand.

“Sorry, silly me. Words, letters.” she chuckled nervously. “Guess I’m just nervous..I mean, excited. SO excited to speak with Victor. Preferably, as they mentioned, alone?”

Much to your dismay, the suspicion never left his eyes as he watched over the three of you quietly. You’re beginning to think that this whole plan has failed and that you three would be leaving with nothing. But soon enough his stoic face broke as he spoke.

“Yes,” he said, smiling over his frown now. “Why not? You’ve caught me in a rebellious mood.”

You forced a chuckle with the others, hopefully sounding enthralled with his humor enough that he’ll return back to trying to be charming once more.

“There’s something rather urgent I need to check on anyway, so.. Sure.” he said before looking towards the guard. “Keep a close eye on them.”

With that, he quickly made his leave to the stairs. All of you shot off thanks to him as he made his exit before following the guard into the area.

It’s an ominous hall of cells. Clamoring and groaning with other patients that seemingly weren’t allowed the freedom of wandering the lawns of the asylum. You can feel your heartbeat in your throat with every step after the guard, not daring looking into the cells of the patients you walked past while the guard laid out some rules.

“Do not startle him. Do not touch him. Do not pass him anything. Stand five feet away from the bars at all times. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.” the three of you said together.

He approached the last cell of the block, using his baton to hit against the metal bars to the patient inside.

“Victor!” he sang out. “Today’s your lucky day! You got visitors…real pretty ones.”

There’s an echoing scratching noise that had you wincing slightly. Victor said nothing, keeping his back to you guys.

“Must be in one of his moods.” shrugged the guard. “Have fun.”

Without another taunt, he left down the hall from where you came from. Leaving the three of you to get started on the work finally. Nancy is the first one confident enough to speak out to the man, ignoring the fact that he was quietly snarling to himself in the chair.

“Victor?” she called out gently. “My name is Nancy. Nancy Wheeler. And these are my friends.”

You and Robin quickly tell him your names, careful with how loudly you spoke out to him.

“Um, we have some questions.” Robin added, voice higher with nerves.

“I don’t talk to reporters.” Victor spat out. “Hatch knows that.”

“We’re not reporters.” Nancy quickly, but gently, corrected. “We’re here because..we believe you. And because..we need your help.”

Robin took her turn, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. “Whatever killed your family, we think it’s back.”

Silence hung heavy in the air as you three waited for a response. When none came, you sucked in a sharp breath, summoning every ounce of courage your friends had to come to you. "And we're not leaving until we get some answers, Victor.."

All your words must have sparked something of an interest to the man, causing him to pull away from the desk and emerge from the shadows. Revealing an older man. Worn down by years of torment that must have come from that night. But the most haunting part of his appearance were his eyes. Swollen eyes shut by some previous stab wound.

But even with that in mind, there was something about his gaze that felt off. As if he was staring right through you.

“..When he attacks, our friend described it as a trance. Like a waking nightmare. That’s why we think he’s coming for her next. Does any of this, anything we’ve told you, sound like what happened to your family?”

From your spot you could hear as Victor’s breath began to shake. Almost fearfully.

“Victor.” Nancy spoke out again. “I know this is hard–”

“You don’t know anything!” he bellowed.

His voice echoed throughout the hall. Almost shutting up any other noise around you guys.

“You’re right.” Nancy nodded slowly. “We don’t know. That’s why we’re here. To learn, to understand.”

“We need to know how you survived that night.” Robin added, earning a disbelieving laugh from the man.

“Survived?” he asked sardonically. “Is that what you call this? Did I survive?” He slowly approached the bars, almost as if he knew where to direct his growing anger towards. The three of you pressed closer to each other. Keeping a safe space back as he spoke again. “No, I assure you, I am still very much in hell.”

Surprisingly, that did not stop Victor from beginning his story.

The return home from war, the new fortune that fell into his family’s lives, and the promise of a new chapter in their lives. The reminiscence in his voice almost sounded..loving, far beyond the tone of a man who had murdered those he spoke of.

“It was a magnificent home. Alice said it looked like it was from a fairy tale.”

He spoke of the name so fondly, almost like sighing her name brought relief to him.

“Alice. Was this your daughter?” Nancy asked.

“Mhm, Yeah. But Henry, my boy, he was a sensitive child..and I could see he felt something was wrong.” His voice turned low for his other child. Sort sombering to his previous mood. “We had one month of peace in that house. And then it began..”

He shook his head slowly. Memories seemingly coming to his mind.

“Dead animals, mutilated, tortured, began to appear near our home. Rabbits, squirrels, chickens, even dogs. The police chief blamed the attacks on a wildcat. This..” He paused to let out another feigned laugh. “This was no wildcat. This was an evil. An evil neither animal nor human.”

He walked towards the bars again as he whispered out next words.

“This was a spawn of Satan. A demon. And it was even closer than I realized.”

You felt a shiver run down your spine. Trying to picture out what it was that could have been attacking their home. But like the night you saw Chrissy die, you knew that force was unseeable. That its fury came with no warning.

“My family began to have encounters conjured by this demon. Nightmares. Waking, living nightmares. This demon, it seemed to take pleasure in tormenting us. Even poor, innocent Alice.”

So this curse spared no one. You couldn’t help but think. If his daughter wasn’t safe from it, neither would Max. And that made your stomach turn even more. You pushed your hand into your pocket, squeezing around the metal of the necklace. It brought a moment of comfort until you listened to more of Victor’s story.

“It wasn’t long before I began to have encounters of my own.” he recalled, turning away from you all. “I suppose all evil must have a home. And though I had not a rational explanation for it, I..I could sense this demon..always close. I became convinced it was hiding, nesting, somewhere within the shadows of our home.”

You can’t help but think about this presence. This sense of dread, always creeping up on you these days. Like it was haunting you.

“It had cursed our town. It had cursed our home..It had cursed us.”

A hand reached out for your arm and you glanced down to see Nancy gripping onto you while her face stared hard at Victor. Quietly, you gave you a small reassuring pat before watching as Victor flopped down onto his bed defeatedly.

“It took Virginia first.”

The flashback of Chrissy’s body being twisted and pulled into different directions came to mind. You barely knew her and it shocked you to your core. You couldn’t imagine the horrors if you had to see it happen to someone you loved. Someone like St–

“I tried to get the children out, to save them!” he exclaimed, pulling back your attention. “..But I was back to France, back in the war..It..it was a memory. I had thought German soldiers were inside. I ordered its shelling. I was wrong.”

Victor physically started to become tormented by his own words. The very words that must have been half the torture as whatever was going through his mind. You felt yourself being pulled in, wishing to help this poor man, but you had to hear it all.

“This demon, it was taunting me. And I was sure it would take me, just as he’d taken my Virginia. But then..I heard..another voice. At first, I believed it was an angel. And I..I followed her, only to find myself in a nightmare far worse…While I was away, the demon took my children. Henry slipped into a coma shortly after that. A week later, he died.”

Without realizing it, you pressed against the metal bars. Listening to what you thought might be the very future you were to face. But even with that new fear in you, you couldn’t help but seek out one missing piece.

“Did you hear it?” you whispered.

“Hear what?” he muttered back.

“The ticking..”

He turned his whole body around, facing in your direction calmly before he nodded his head.

“Yes..it was there..it was always there.”

You staggered back, hope fleeting quickly as you came to realize that even with your small difference in things. Your fate would end the same. From the side you could feel Nancy and Robin cast you a worried look before Victor spoke up again.

“I tried to join them…I tried!” His voice sounded almost like a small child, pleading for forgiveness to his upset Mother. He raised up two fists and pressed them to his eyes. It weighed down on your already heavy heart.

“Hatch stopped the bleeding.” he sobbed. “He wouldn’t let me join them!”

The three of you watched as he slowly lied down on the bed. Reaching up to his pillow to hold close to his face for comfort.

“The angel you followed, who was she?” asked Nancy gently.

He didn't answer as he swayed gently. Only humming out the best that he could in his distress state. It sounded familiar. Something you’ve heard long ago. But you couldn’t quite recall it now.

“Victor?..Victor!”

“Is he everything you hoped he would be?”

You guys jumped at the booming voice, turning around to glance down the hall. Hatch, along with two security guards behind him, were making their way over now.

“I just had a very interesting conversation with Professor Brantley! Perhaps we should discuss in my office while we wait for the police.”

The three of you were quickly rushed out of the holding cells. Pushing impatiently through the stairs until you were back in the listening room. Nancy raced after Hatch, trying to plead out to him.

“You’re not listening. Our friend is in danger!”

“Do you really expect me to believe anything you have to say at this point?”

“It’s the truth!”

“You are free to tell your sob story to the police.”

You clung close to Robin’s side since leaving the cell. Victor’s words still echoed in your mind as you guys weaved through the tables of people. Every now and then a guard would give your shoulder a shove and you’d have to step faster to keep close to the other two.

Once you guys were back outside, Robin gripped at your arm and pushed you close to Nancy as she leaned in to speak to you two better.

“Victor said the night of the attack, everything went on in the house, but he made specific mention of music.”

You nodded your head a little. “The night at Eddie’s trailer. The only reason I knew something was up was because of the lights outside. But there wasn’t any music..”

“Right, but that might have been the key difference!” she pointed out. “He said music was playing. And then, when we asked him about the angel, he started to hum.”

She hummed the tune a bit before singing out the lyrics. “Say nighty-night and kiss me. Hold me tight..”

“Dream a Little Dream of Me!” Nancy caught on.

“Yeah, Ella Fitzgerald.”

“The voice of an angel!” you and Nancy gasped.

“Hatch said that music can reach parts of the brain that words can’t. So maybe that’s the key, a lifeline.”

“A lifeline back to reality.” Nancy added.

“Something to ground them.” you muttered, mostly to yourself. But would that have really worked at the stage when you and Eddie were calling out to Chrissy? It wasn’t just a trance she was in, she was being lifted off the Earth. You were so lost in thought, you almost missed catching your friends checking over their shoulders.

“You’re gonna have to lose those.” Nancy muttered towards your feet as she stole one more glance.

“Lose them?” you asked confused, looking from your feet to the guards behind you three.

“I think we can beat him.” Nancy whispered. This time it was Robin’s turn to be confused.

“What?”

“To the car.”

Robin’s face paled a bit at the idea.

“Okay. I’m warning you right now, I have terrible coordination. Like it took me six months longer to walk than all the other babies.”

“Yeah, I’m not really any better.” you sighed, feeling the rush already start to climb up your body. “Last time I tried running off I got caught.”

“She’s right.” Robin nodded. “Those Russian guards caught her in seconds.”

Nancy gave you two both exasperated looks before she sternly turned towards the way she wanted you three to go. “Just follow my lead.”

“No, my God!” Robin panicked.

In a split second the three of you sprinted off in the lawn. Shoes flying off feet as you ran through the grounds, past the orderly and patients that covered the large lawn. The guards continued to call out for the three of you to stop but you guys pushed through.

Behind you Robin was panicking, and you were trying to control the dry heave that wanted to come out of your throat as you attempted to follow Nancy. You could hear one of the patients call out as you all zoomed past him.

“Cinderella, you dropped your shoe!”

You were definitely gonna have to buy Karen Wheeler a nice pair of pumps after this.

Somehow you guys managed to make it to the front of the Asylum. The air burned your lungs and you let out a tired cry at the sight of the station wagon. All of you quickly climbed inside, shutting the doors in record timing. Nancy’s hands were barely on the wheel before the guards began to pound at the windows.

“GOGOGOGOGO!” Robin babbled, panicked at the sight of the men.

The tires screeched loudly as Nancy shot out of the parking spot. It’s a mess of emotions as you let out a small thankful whine while Robin continued to panic.

“Holy shit! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!”

“You really are a weird runner!” Nancy said to Robin, earning an annoyed look from the girl. Dustin’s voice perked up from the radio, cutting into the quick celebration.

“Robin, where the hell are you? This is a code red. I repeat, a code red!”

“Max!” you gasped, allowing Robin’s steady hand to take the radio from you.

“Dustin, it’s Robin. We copy!”

“Holy shit, finally! Please, please tell me you guys have this figured out!”

“It’s music! She needs to hear music as a lifeline. Use a song she’s connected with to bring her back!”

The line went painfully quiet.

“Oh God.” you gasped, feeling the tears spring to your eyes. Not Max. It couldn’t happen to her. Not the small girl who sparked such a fiery personality. The one who offered you nothing but a genuine friendship back home. The only person who understood what it was like dealing with the real Billy. She was your friend, she was like family at this point. And despite the current rifts that hit your current relationship, you still deeply cared for her.

If she was going through what Chrissy and Fred did—you weren’t ready for that reality.

“Please not her.”

Robin could only reach forward to grip at your hand while Nancy pressed harder on the gas. Jerking the car a bit as she sped back towards town. You quickly began to hyperventilate, wondering if you’ve just lost your dear friend when suddenly Dustin’s voice broke through again.

“We got her! Shit..She’s back, it worked!”

All three of you let out a sigh of relief together.

“Thank God.” you heard Robin whisper.

The beat of your heart is still erratic and you cover your face to take a second and catch your breath. It wasn’t over yet. You guys still had time.

“Time?” said a familiar deep voice beside you.

Slowly, you pulled your hands away from your face. Around you the world began to shift, turning into the dark middle of the night as it took you into a different reality. You were driving suddenly. Holding onto the large wheel of the car that seemed so familiar.

“No.” you whispered, shaking your head, this couldn’t be real. You were..you were just in the station wagon. Turning your head, you were shocked to find Billy sitting on the seat beside you. Mouth still oozing from the dark blood as he threw you a smirk.

“Don’t you know, babydoll?” he asked playfully. “Times up.”

You were so shocked, so stunned to see Billy outside of a dream, that you never really noticed the headlights that were coming your way…

“DUSTIN! STEVE! WE NEED HELP! – OH SHIT, SHE’S CURSED GUYS, HOLY SHIT! — GODDAMNIT, ONE OF YOU BASTARDS ANSWER ME. – WHAT’S THE SONG!? – STEVE! WHAT’S HER FAVORITE SONG!?”

A/N: Hey guys! This chapter was a bit lengthy, but I could not find it in myself to skip out on Victor’s story. The actor, gives off such great emotion and I’ve been a fan of his when he was back playing Freddy~ ANYWAY, I tried to include some scenes I hope you guys love. Please excuse any mistakes and let me know what you think! Would love some feedback~

TAGGING LIST: k @cluz1babe, @starofavolonea, @primroseluna, & @siriuslysmoking

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x female reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x henderson reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x you #cac #angst #fluff #stranger things fic

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theladybarnes · 7 months ago

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hi! i just recently binge-read crimson & clover series and it’s soooo good. i love how you write the dynamics of the reader’s character. it’s been so long since i have read a fanfic where the reader’s character has so much depth. i totally love how the reader and steve interact with each other. it’s got so much tension and it shows how much they’re yearning and pining with each other even though they’ve basically broken up.

thank you for writing, honestly. you’re such an amazing writer. i look forward to your future updates and it’s okay if it will totally take some time. have a nice day!! <3

You seriously do not know how much this message means to me, holy crap. First off, I'm glad you have been enjoying CAC! It's literally taking a lot in me to write it these days and knowing that my effort is being liked is just giving me so much relief. I'm glad that you guys have been enjoying it and enjoy the reader character! I feel like I've said this countless of times, but I truly wanted to write someone that ppl would root for, or even just be interested in finding out what happens.

The relationship with Steve is so scary to write out sometimes. I fear I may make him too ooc or have her easily change her mind too often. But you guys really do help me feel better about it. I hope that by the end of the seasons (sob, ill probably die after s5), you guys like their ending and just enjoy the series for a fun journey in the fandom.

Writing has always just been such a hobby for me, and I never thought I'd have this kind of feedback from people who don't know me personally. Thank you so much for saying this, it just really made my night and I can't stop kicking my feet right now. I hope you're having an amazing day/night. 💗

#anonymous #answered #love tag #i can't believe i get to have messages like this #im so grateful

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theladybarnes · 7 months ago

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“.. I’m sort of annoyed with all of you.” “Aw, you’re breaking my heart, Princess. I think I’m gonna go home and cry about it.”

a mood board for the stanger verse series.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x henderson reader #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fic #stanger verse #just wanted to make more of these since i had it in mind a while ago #an update will be coming soon~

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theladybarnes · 7 months ago

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Ok since no one responded to that post I deleted it for now 😓 was not expecting that kinda of reception lol

#text post #for now I guess expect an update eventually

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theladybarnes · 7 months ago

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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER SEVEN

“What if I'm not good? What if I'm the monster?”

▸ summary: things get messy between the group and you feel as if you’re out of luck (&time) ▸ characters: steve harrington, eddie munson,dustin henderson, robin buckley, max mayfield, & nancy wheeler ▸ word count: 10k ▸ warnings: angst, semi-fluff, mentions of death, slight canon divergence ▸ series masterlist

“I guess the old man taught me well, huh?”

The sudden weight of falling down into the cold street hit you harder than you expected. Forcing you to reach out and grip onto the blue car behind you. Wait, you know this car.

“What?..” you whispered, taking a step back. It was Billy’s blue Camaro, still warm from being recently used. But you weren’t anywhere near his car– Your thoughts are cut off when you suddenly take in your dim reflection from the car window.

The entirety of your right eye was black and teary. Instead of being trapped in the mall again, you’re suddenly back from having just left the tunnels that had run beneath Hawkins. But if you're by Billy’s car then..

Turning around, you nearly gasped at the sight of Billy. He’s healthier than the last time you saw him. No Flayer tentacles stuck in his chest. No dead look in his eyes. He was back to the regular asshole you knew before. The sight of his former appearance has you taken back.

“Billy..” you croaked, unsure what to say. “I-...”

“She’s speechless.” Billy laughed, taking a step towards you. “What a nice change.”

Every part of you is aware that this isn’t real, but seeing him before you is leaving your mind puzzled. “You should go inside, Billy.” you got out eventually, gesturing toward his home, but the moment you glanced over, you noticed it was gone. The land stripped down to just the gutted floor of the house. Only the lawn had been laid intact.

“I don’t have a home anymore. I don’t have anything.” he said slowly, voice dark as he inched closer. You tried to step back, but something about his tone had your feet frozen in place. He took the chance to stand behind you now, wrapping his arms around you in order to pull you close.

He was ice cold.

“All because of you..” he said into your ear, tickling your skin with his cold breath.

“I didn’t..I didn’t do anything to you, Billy.”

“Exactly,” he agreed. “You didn’t help me..you didn’t save me. You let me die, you let the flayer get me.”

His grip got tighter, causing you to wince out in pain. You had to get out of this. “Let me go.” you said calmly despite the chill that was now coming up your spine. “Billy, let me GO.”

“It’s sad when you consider what’s happened,” he continued on, pressing his face against the side of yours. “Billy said that he loved you, tried to get back together with you, and you left him in the dust for a guy that wouldn’t even consider leaving town for you.”

There were so many alarms going off in your head but you couldn’t help but focus on one in particular.

“Billy? You mean yourself, right?” you asked, trying to turn your face to look at him. But he simply reached one of his cold arms up to pinch at your cheeks, forcing you to look at the empty lot in front of you.

“No one is ever going to pick you, you know? At the end of the day it’ll always be someone better, someone worth sticking around you. There’s no happy ending for you.” His lips ghosted around the base of your neck before he chuckled lightly against you. “No happy ending for us..”

You shook your head, trying to get his daunting words out of your head. “I’m nothing like you..”

That only made him even more amused, raising a laugh out of his chest. “We’re a lot alike, actually.” he hummed, “We use people for pleasure and toss them aside when they decide to go against what we want.”

“I don’t do that.” you said, turning around enough to face him. He looked at you with a smirk before he pinched at your cheek. “I would never do that to anyone.” you added, swatting his hand away.

“So you didn’t dump Steve for saying no to the big move?” he gasped, feigning shock. “Or better yet, you’re not ditching your poor Eddie after he left you alone to wander the forest? I mean, you didn’t even bother to let him speak. He’s probably beating himself up but you don’t care. Not when Stevie is giving you the ol’ love and attention you need. Which, let’s be honest, babydoll, is pretty shitty of you to use him for a quick fuck instead of talking things out. Thought that’s the sort of shit girls like to do.”

His words cut through you like knives, dredging up thoughts you tried to bury deep down. But then, something shifted. Billy mentioned Eddie, someone he couldn't possibly have known about. Their paths never crossed once if you thought hard about it.

"You don't know Eddie," you said slowly, voice struggling between sounding calm and trembling. "How could you possibly know what I’ve done with him if you’re dead..”

A sinister smile twisted Billy's lips as his grip tightened, sending searing pain coursing through your body. "He’s been watching you," he confessed, his voice dripping with malice. "And boy does he have plans for all of you..”

The world around you began to fall apart. The dark sky falling apart like fabric unraveling to reveal a dark crimson sky. The distance etched with bursts of lightning to light up a world in an ominous glow.

“This isn’t happening..” you promised yourself, eyes squeezed shut, desperately trying to convince yourself that this was just a dream, that none of it was real.

“Oh babydoll, did you still think this was just a dream?” (tick)

The arms around you felt different, and you opened your eyes in time to see Billy back to looking like the night of mall fire. His eyes glistened with tears and smile oozed with the dark bloody liquid that seeped from all over his wounds.

“Time for a wake up call.” (tock)

Before you could react, he shoved you with a force that sent you crashing to the ground. Landing hard on the unforgiving concrete that shot your body in instant pain. Just as you began to process what had just happened, a deafening roar filled the air.

To your right, the blinding headlights of an oncoming car came into your vision, hurtling toward you at a terrifying speed. You barely managed to get your hands up to cover your face right as it was about to hit you.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, you woke up.

Gasping for air, you sat bolt upright in bed, heart racing with adrenaline. Sweat soaked your skin, and a sense of lingering dread clung onto you like a heavy cloak. The warm glowing light of the sun peeked through your curtains. Nothing like the red haunting sky that was in your dream. New day, new nightmare. You thought.

“Hey, are you awake?”

Dustin burst into the room, nearly sending you back into panic mode as you scrambled to get out of the bed. Defensive position ready for the attack. The younger boy held onto the door knob in shock, holding a hand out too in case you were about to strike him.

“Whoa,” he chuckled nervously, looking at you carefully. “You okay? You’re all sweaty.”

You licked over your lips, pushing back the hair away from your face. “I’m fine.” you nodded, trying to calm yourself down. “Just got spooked.”

“Right,” he said slowly, skeptically, even. “Well, Steve called. Said he was going to head over here if you wanna shower or something before leaving.”

Turning away from your cousin, you tried to gain some sort of control over yourself as you trudged over to your dresser. Picking out some clothes you could change into after your shower. But from behind you could feel Dustin lingering at the door, a familiar worry still in the air.

“I’m fine, Dustin.” you said, before he could ask. You focused on the clothes before you gathered for your shower. “It was just a bad sleep.”

“You sure? Because..we’d all get if it you needed a day to jump back into–”

“I said I’m fine!” you snapped, turning around finally. The glare on your face is enough to have him take a step back. As if your words were a slap to his face. Guilt quickly filled into your gut and you rubbed a hand over your tired face. “I’m sorry I’m just tired.”

“I get it.” he cleared his throat, “I’ll be in the living room.”

Without another word, he turned on his heels and made his exit. Not two minutes into the day and you were already messing things up again.

“Time for a wake up call.”

You shuddered at the words that repeated in your head and quickly left the room. Hoping for the shower to wash away the remnants of your latest nightmare and give you a chance to start the day fresh.

The car ride to the supermarket was spent mostly with Dustin yammering to Steve about the plans for today while you sat quietly in the back. The nightmare that pulled you out of your sleep still left you frazzled. Even with the help of a hot shower that tried to wash away the haunting memory. So while Steve kept checking over you now and then, you managed to keep to yourself until you guys arrived at the market.

Instantly Dustin wandered off in search of snacks for Eddie once inside. Leaving you and Steve to navigate the supermarket aisles together as a small awkward tension lingered in the air. You focused on gathering supplies, your mind preoccupied with thoughts of what would be enough to last Eddie for the unforeseeable future.

"Hey," Steve's voice broke through the silence, causing you to glance up from the decorated can of the Smurf’s Beef Ravioli you were inspecting. His curious gaze met yours, and you couldn't help but notice the worry etched into his features.

"You look exhausted," he remarked softly, his tone filled with genuine concern.

You wanted to sigh.

Of course Steve would be the first one today to distinctly look past all the makeup you expertly applied this morning to notice the exhaustion you were feeling. After the harsh nightmare, the bags in your eyes seemed to take a permanent residence. Offering a weary smile, you attempted to brush past his observation in order to change the mood. “Is that your subtle way of saying I look terrible?”

His eyes widened, worried for a second that you were being serious. “Of course not!” he scoffed, moving closer to you. “You’re gorgeous..but I can tell you look exhausted.”

You watched him carefully, waiting to see if he’d crack from the line of questioning, but when he tilted his head at you, keeping a worried gaze, you let out the withheld sigh, giving in a little bit. “I had a pretty harsh nightmare, don’t think I really slept well the whole night.”

The palm of his hand met your cheek gently. Thumb rubbing against the soft skin before he reached over to push a piece of hair away from your face. "That bad, huh?" he murmured, looking at your features. "Why don't you let me stay over tonight? Just a friendly sleepover. You can wake me up if things get too intense."

You couldn't help but chuckle at his offer. Recalling the past summer filled with nights of him on the pretense of just sleeping. "A sleepover, really? With just the two of us?"

He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's not like it's the first time I've slept over at your place."

You raised an eyebrow, unable to suppress a teasing grin from tugging on your face. “Well, if I recall correctly, we didn’t really sleep at those either.”

A faint blush crept up Steve's cheeks, and he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Okay, fair point," he admitted, a hint of embarrassment coloring his voice. "But seriously, I just want to help. You don't have to go through this alone."

It would be so easy to say yes. Give in to that natural urge that always wanted the company of the man before you. To have him by your side and give you all the attention and care you know he would willingly give to you. But your nightmare played in your mind again and you couldn’t help but feel the familiar twist of guilt form in your stomach again.

You opened your mouth to decline the offer when a case of YooHoos was placed quickly into the cart. An out of breath Dustin wiped over the sweat from his forehead, looking between the two of you expectantly. “It’s almost ten and we still have to pick up the others. Let’s go.”

Steve looked over still waiting on an answer from you but all you could do is offer a meek smile. “All right,” you nodded to Dustin. “Let’s head out.” Without looking back, you made your way towards the registers. Stomach twisting more than ever now.

Thankfully picking up Robin and Max turned out to be quicker than expected. Max had taken the bus to the other girl’s house, making the trips cut down less after Dustin explained you’d also have to make a stop at the hilltop to use his Cerebro. And after some unsettling updates from the Hawkins police department, you all were able to finally make the drive over to the Lipton boat house.

A part of you was slightly nervous to face Eddie again after yesterday. You never really felt the best after chewing out people you cared about. But add the hurt from the day before, plus the predicament with Steve, and the newest bit of information, your body was slowly aching in all sorts of places as you tried to navigate each feeling.

“The streets should be busy today, most of Hawkins are probably over their hangovers from Friday and have to go back to shopping for the week. We’ll have time to look for clues around the trailer later.” you heard Dustin say to everyone as he and Max took the lead towards the boat house.

“God,” you said suddenly, stopping in place. The days quickly calculated in your mind and you couldn’t help but feel another worry. Robin and Steve both turned at your voice, looking at you curiously before you wiped your hands over your face. “I was supposed to work with Keith today..”

The two of them looked at each other for a second before letting out amused chuckles.

“What’s so funny?” you frowned.

“Honey, Robin and I closed up the store at seven o’clock last night so we could all go find Eddie.” Steve cleared up.

“Not to mention Steve was gone a whole hour before that to go find you.” she snorted, trudging over with the groceries still in hand as she draped an arm over your shoulder. “We’re totally fired.”

“Fired?” you gaped, slightly worried by how easily over it they seemed to be. “B-but you guys needed the jobs!”

“There’s thousands of other part time jobs in Hawkins, kid.” Robin sighed, giving you a tight lipped smile. “We’ll just have to update our resumes..again.”

She left with that, leaving the two of you behind to join the others down the hill. Glancing at Steve, you opened your mouth, ready to apologize about his likely termination, but he quickly leaned over to press a finger to your lips.

“Don’t even think about apologizing.” he said sternly. “Because no one in the whole world could have stopped me from leaving. Not when it comes to you.”

Again, you’re left speechless by the man before you.

There couldn’t be any proper explanation as to why Steve continuously gave you more than you deserved. Not one that you would believe in anyway. You’ve hurt him, pushed him, and left him with no reason to do things for you. And off he’d go, ditching his life’s responsibilities just to look out for your well being.

It’s all so overwhelming and you find you’re stumped enough that it’s taking a second longer to think of a reply.

“Trouble..” he said after a second of your silence.

You quickly scrambled together a response good enough to divert the seriousness that he seemed to be leading things to lately. Something you know he’ll grow tired of eventually and confront you about. But for now, you’d stick with easing the already harsh day as best as you could.

“I was just going to say I’m glad we won’t have to wear that vest anymore.”

“Right.” he said, sucking in a sharp breath. Then suddenly, he leaned over enough that he could look at your face closely. “Are you..okay?”

Okay seemed to be the last word you’d use to describe yourself. Especially after this morning’s nightmare. But considering the man lost his job to help you out the last time, you figure you should cut this worrisome question short.

“I have a lot on my mind.” You shrugged. “Just..girl problems.”

His brows were knitted tightly together, skeptical of your response. But before he could throw in a follow up question, the sound of Robin calling out to you guys put a stop to that.

“We should go..” he said eventually.

Not wanting to lag behind any longer, you dashed down the hill to the others, catching a glance back to see Steve rub at his face until he remembered to follow after you. The two of you joined just in time to open the door into the boat house.

There’s a slightly yelp sound and the five of you watched as a frightened Eddie looked over at the doorway with wide eyes. Apparently he didn’t notice or hear any of you approaching at all.

“Delivery service!” Dustin exclaimed, a wide grin on his face as he lifted up the grocery bags.

Apparently, you weren’t the only one whose morning was off to a rough start.

The five of you gathered around Eddie, giving him a few minutes to calm down. But that calmness quickly left the moment Dustin gave him the box of Honeycomb. All there was after that was the crazy amount of crunching as Eddie stuffed as many as he could into his mouth.

“So we got, uh, some good news and some bad news.” Dustin started hesitantly. “How do you prefer it?”

“Bad news first, always.” Eddie said as if there’d be any other way.

“All right, bad news. We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with our Cerebro, and they’re definitely looking for you.” he said before blinking hard, forgetting the last important fact. “Also, they’re, uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy.”

“Like, one hundred percent kind of convinced.” Max said next, looking at him solemnly.

“And the good news?” Eddie asked, perplexed.

Robin looked down at him with a familiar gaze to Max’s as she spoke up next. “Your name hasn’t gone public yet. But if we found out about you, it’s a matter of time before others do too. And once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother is gonna be gunning out for you.”

You can’t help but feel worse hearing everyone lay out the information than from the dispatch. From where you stood behind Dustin, you could see as Eddie’s face paled at the truth.

“Hunt the freak, right?”

“Exactly.” Robin confirmed.

The memory of the crash came to mind from his words. Freak of the town. Now it was going to be a man hunt with him as the prey. Dustin before you held a hand out, piping in with what he figured would be words of encouragement.

“So, before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.”

“That’s all, Dustin? That’s all?”

“Yeah, no, that’s pretty much it.”

You can’t help but snort at Dustin’s reply. Feeling the pessimism seeping into your mood. There were too many variables to this idea that made it almost impossible to complete. And while you didn’t want to join in on adding salt to Eddie’s wounds, you couldn’t help but shake your head.

“And after all this we’ll have you back home in time for dinner.” you said offhandedly, keeping your eyes down at your nails. Steve and Dustin turned their gazes over their shoulders to look over at you questionably, making you sheepishly wave them off as you stepped closer towards the group.

“Listen, Eddie,” piped Robin as she attempted to lift up his spirits. “I know everything Dustin is saying sounds totally delusional, but we’ve actually been through this before. I mean, they have a..a few times,” she said gesturing to the three of you. Steve confirmed her words with a reassuring nod as she went on. “And..and I have once. Mine was more human-flesh-based, and theirs was more smoke-related, but bottom line is, collectively, I really feel we got this.”

“Yeah, see, we usually rely on this girl who has super powers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so uh..” Steve said quickly, adding a true fact that you felt didn’t really help much considering El wasn’t even in town in the first place.

“So, we’re technically in more of the–” Robin volleyed in.

“Kinda..”

“Brainstorming phase.” Max finished, seeming to conclude where Robin and Steve were going with their words.

“There..There’s nothing to worry about.” Dustin spluttered, attempting to bring the group in together.

Eddie was rightfully stunned at everyone, tilting his head in shock as he stared at his friend in disbelief. But he’s soon after glancing over to you finally. Looking for what you had to say. In fact, everyone glanced over at you, almost waiting for you to say otherwise.

And while you parents always said they admired your candor, not everyone around you reacted the best to it.

So, you shot him a small tight lipped smile, nodding your head to everyone. “We’re gonna help you, Ed.” you said honestly. “Just..hopefully without any more..complications.”

As if the universe was waiting for their cue, the sounds of sirens cut through the silence of the group. Grabbing all the attention off of you as everyone quickly reacted to the new possible threat.

“Tarp.” Robin pointed out. “Tarp!”

Eddie quickly concealed himself underneath the fabric while the rest of you dashed over to the windows. Peering out through the dirty glass in time to watch as police cars and ambulances zipped past the front of the house.

“Where the hell are they going?” you heard Dustin mutter under his breath. His gaze shifted up to you curiously.

“I don’t know, but we need to go find out.”

As the group dispersed from the boat house, you felt a hand gently grab at your arm, halting your exit. Turning around, you found Eddie out from the safety of his tarp. Looking at you with remorse in his eyes. You could practically feel how nervous he was.

"Hey," he began softly, "I need to talk to you for a sec."

Sensing where this conversation was going to go, you almost wanted to reject him. You weren’t sure how many tense conversations you could handle for the day. But seeing as you weren’t certain of when you’d actually see Eddie again, you nodded your head and stayed in place.

"I wanted to apologize," he continued, his voice tinged with regret. "For that shit back at the van, the woods, all of it. I know it was messed up,..I never meant for any of that to happen."

His words stirred conflicting emotions within you. Anger, frustration, but also a bit of understanding.

At this point, you knew Eddie. He was the same guy who’d get annoyed with your lectures about his fashion taste, or who’d try and kiss you whenever you had a bad day at work, and who would bring out that ridiculous Mick Jagger impression that made you laugh before the first bell rang. He was impulsive, but never malicious.

Still, the wounds still lingered inside of you.

"I was terrified, Eddie," you admitted, voice barely rising above a whisper despite the anger behind it. "Being lost in those woods...I had no idea where I was going or what was around me. I just saw Chrissy die and woke up to a world of mess."

His expression softened, and you could see the heavy remorse returned back to his features. "I'm so sorry, Princess.” he croaked, hands reached out to grip onto your arms. “I promise I'll make it up to you, however I can. I won't let you down again."

You pushed away remaining doubt that wanted to linger behind. Wanting to believe that there were still ways to turn things around. At least in terms of your friendship with Eddie. He was there for you through your shitty moments, it was time you took your turn in being there for him.

In this case, his moment being a murder case.

“Well, let’s make a habit out of not ditching each other in the woods then.” you said finally.

He snorted excitedly, chuckling a bit at your reaction before he pulled you in a tight hug that had you patting his back just to calm him down. “Sounds reasonable to me.”

“Good.” you laughed, giving him a final pat to release you out of his tight hold. “Uhh, Eddie? Kinda need to go work on saving your ass now.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, loosening up his grip. “I was just kinda worried we’d stop being friends..”

You pulled back to look up at him, searching his eyes for a moment before you nodded your head. “We’re still friends..”

“Good, because now that we’re square again, I really gotta say, you look like shit.”

“What is it with you guys today? I mean, I am tired, but seriously what the fu–” your words are cut off when Eddie leaned in to press his lips against yours. It wasn’t the most unusual reaction from him. There had been many times he’d say something to annoy you and cut off your anger with a sloppy kiss. But at the current time you couldn’t help but think about the last kiss you had from a freakout. And many other things you did with the man who gave it to you.

"Eddie, I..." you trailed off, unable to find the right words to explain the complexity of problems you had going on. Especially the ones in your love life.

He quickly retreated, a sheepish smile playing on his lips. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

Suddenly, a throat cleared from behind, cutting into the moment. Instantly your heart plummeted as you turned to see Steve standing under the threshold of the door. Expression unreadable. How much did he see? How much did he hear?

"We’re ready to go," he stated curtly, avoiding your gaze. “If you two are done.”

Without waiting for you to reply, he quickly turned and left the doorway to join the others back up where the car was. You let out a tired sigh, unsure how you were going to even explain anything of what he just witnessed. All you knew was this was slowly turning from a bad morning to a crappy day.

“Did I just make things worse?” you heard Eddie chuckle behind you.

“No, Ed, I think I did.”

Despite the awkwardness of your late entrance to the car, the group made it just in time to catch the location of where the cops were heading to. It was towards the main road that led over to Forest Hills.

Everyone slowly began to murmur out curious questions as to what it could be. Chrissy’s body had already been covered, what could have happened in just a day?

The car came to a slow stop and the group slowly made an exit out of the car. Looking around what looked like a scene of a crime. Amongst the cars surrounding the area was one that caught your attention quickly. Coroner. But before you could mention that, the sight of a brightly colored skirt caught your attention.

Talking close to the newly appointed Sheriff Powell stood Nancy.

You stepped out on the road, ready to make your way over to join her when a hand tugged on your elbow. Steve, who despite still held some difference towards you since the boathouse, did not want you going forward. Only cocking his chin in the direction of the girl.

She looked relieved to see you guys but you could tell from the furrow in her brow that she was more than upset. Looking close to crying. Still, she held up a weak hand, waving over at the group with a pained expression.

“Shit.” you heard Max whisper. She pointed over towards the side of the road. On the floor, just past your friend, was another body, covered up in a white sheet.

Vecna’s second victim.

Picking at your nails had seemed to be a new habit of yours now. Previously used to keep you busy from conversations slowly turned into you using it to distract yourself from the reality of things. Like right now, as the group gathered around one of the lunch tables just outside of Eddie’s trailer, listening to Nancy explain what the police had found, you were currently tearing at the side of your hangnail.

Fred was gone. Just the same as Chrissy. Meaning that Dustin was right about this not being the last of Vecna’s attacks. But the idea of it being people you all knew seemed to make this whole thing more sickening.

It was eerie to be back in the trailer park. You made it a point to sit at the side of the table facing the Munson home. Needing to keep your eyes locked on the place again in case of anything odd happening. At one point you felt a hand slowly pat over at your leg, making you jump a bit before glancing to your left.

Steve stared at you expectantly before he shook his head in confusion. “You with us?” he asked softly, voice with the familiar tinge of worry.

Nodding your head, you tucked your hands down into your lap, looking at the three girls across from you.

“So, you’re saying that this thing that killed Fred and Chrissy, it’s from the Upside Down?”

“If the shoe fits,” Steve said simply before he looked at you again. “Right?”

“Well, considering the lights blinked like usual before the attack happened. I’d say yes.”

“Our working theory is that he attacks with a spell or a curse.” Dustin added. “Now, whether or not he’s doing the bidding of the Mind Flayer or just loves killing teens, we don’t know.”

“All we know is that this is something different.” Max joined in, a frown etched on her face as she glanced amongst everyone. “Something new.”

“Doesn’t make sense.” Nancy muttered, shaking her head.

You reached over to place a hand towards her, gaining her attention to you. “Has anything about the Upside Down ever made sense?” you asked honestly, “Besides, this is still a work in progress.”

“She’s right, it’s only a theory.” Dustin said after you.

“No, Fred and Chrissy don’t make sense.” Nancy explained, putting together something in her head. “I mean, why them?”

“Maybe they were just in the wrong place. “ Dustin tried. “They were both at the game.”

Max nodded her head, following the pieces coming together. “And near the trailer park.”

“We’re at the trailer park.” Steve pointed out slowly. “Uhh, should we maybe not be here?”

You sucked in a slow breath before leaning back to look around the area. It looked the same as when you’d come to visit Eddie. Max’s trailer was still just across the way, and the sound of wind chimes still echoed in the distance. But one glance back to the Munson trailer and you felt your stomach dip.

“There is something about this place.” Nancy said after a second. “Fred started acting weird the second we got here.”

Robin looked over at Nancy curiously. “Acting weird as in..?”

“Scared, on edge, upset.”

It completely bothered you how similar you felt to that right now. But you could practically feel worried glances from some of the people at the table, so you bottled down speaking up on that in favor of hearing what Dustin had to say next.

“Max said Chrissy was upset too.”

“Yeah, but not here.” she shook her head. “She was crying in the bathroom at school.”

For a second you couldn’t help but feel a twist in your stomach at the idea of Chrissy. She was so nice in the van that night. Wanting to take the special K just to get through the night without feeling overwhelmed. But her troubles were vastly bigger than she laid out for you and you couldn’t help but feel bad for not reaching out more when you had the chance.

“Serial killers stalk their prey before they strike, right?” Robin asked, cutting into silence. “So, maybe Fred and Chrissy saw this Vecman–”

“Vecna.” Dustin quickly corrected.

“I don’t know about you guys but if I saw some freaky wizard monster, I would mention it to someone.” Steve said. His eyes looked to you, almost like he was expecting you to agree with him. And while the logical side of you did, something deep inside was stopping you entirely from speaking out.

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

“Your shrink.” Robin concluded.

The idea of Fred and Chrissy having a connection through Ms. Kelley did little to ease your growing anxiety. Especially when you remembered that amongst the few students that happened to be stuck in her counseling sessions, was you.

Not wanting to waste the day, the group quickly left the bench to head over to the next destination. Hopefully Max could find her way into getting out some information about the others from Ms. Kelley.

You’re walking close beside Nancy when she elbowed your side, raising a brow to you before nodding towards the direction of her car. You almost wanted to ask her what she had meant when she gave you a familiar look. Quickly getting the hint that she had something else in mind, you casually turned towards the car. That is until the group’s den mother seemed to take notice.

“Whoa, whoa, HEY! HEY!” Steve said, jogging after the two of you. “Where are you guys going?”

“Oh, there’s just something I wanna check on first.” she explained simply, nudging at your side quickly.

“I’m gonna go with her, you know Nancy Drew needs Bess Marvin and all that.” you waved, trying to make a turn for the car again.

“Something you guys wanna share with the rest of us?” Dustin asked, slightly offended.

“I don’t wanna waste your time. It’s a real shot in the dark.” she said shyly, kicking at the dirt for a second. You nodded your head, looking over at the rest of the group with a small smile.

“If she’s got a hunch, it might be worth checking out guys. We’ll be back soon.” you reassured them.

“Hey, you can’t just ditch us.” Dustin scoffed. “Besides, it’s better to keep an eye on you if you’re suddenly turned into a suspect and we need to hide you up with Eddie.”

Max looked over at Dustin before she nodded her head, agreeing. “There’s still a chance your name could come up. If we can’t reach you then we wouldn’t be able to help you on time.”

Something told you that there might be another reason Dustin and Max wanted you to stay and while you were sure nothing would happen while going with Nancy, you also didn’t want to make things harder on anyone. Especially with these two out of all them showing concern openly.

“Looks like I’m with the kids.” you sighed, turning defeatedly to Nancy. “Think you’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be an hour or two tops.” she nodded. “We’ll regroup after that.”

“Yeah okay. Are you guys out of your mind?” Steve asked, looking at you two a little perplexed. “Flying solo with this Vecna creep on the loose? No, it’s too dangerous. You need..you need someone to..” His face turned hard with a sudden frustration as he looked at Nancy worriedly. Your stomach caught onto that tension quicker than your brain and twisted slightly at a growing feeling you haven’t felt in a while. Steve didn’t seem to notice as he turned to toss his keys over to Robin.

“Here you go. I’ll stick with Nance.” he said quickly. “You guys take the car, check out the shrink.”

The girl caught the keys awkwardly, giving Steve a confused look as she pointed over to the car. “Don’t think you want me driving your car.” she said wearily.

“Didn’t think he let anyone drive the car.” you scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest. “Last time he nearly had a heart attack and that was just driving in the streets.”

Steve blinked over at you confused before he turned back to Robin. “Why?” he asked, ignoring your jab.

“I don’t have a license.”

“Why don’t you have a license?” he asked frustratedly.

“I’m poor.” she reasoned with a shrug.

“I can drive.” Max offered, only adding fuel to Steve’s emotions.

“No, No! Never again. Please. Anybody but you. NO.” he argued.

Dustin, ever with his perfect timing, looked at Steve with his arms out. As if he were ready to take on the responsibility that no one on the team could take. From behind Steve you could see as his body deflated at his choices.

“No chance.”

“Come on!”

Nancy looked a little uncomfortable at Steve’s persistence, only casting you an apologetic look. You on the other hand could not stop the familiar green monster from trying to crawl its way up from the depths of your soul. Unsure where Steve’s need to be around Nancy came from just yet. But you knew by now that it wasn’t the best idea to act on those feelings just yet.

Finally Steve glanced back to you, raising a brow questionably.

Bastard.

“Fine,” you said calmly, earning a small shock from the group. As if they expected some other reaction from you. Taking a step towards him, you held out your hand, giving Steve a sweet smile. “I’ll take your car.”

Steve nervously licked over his lips. Eyes shifting from your hand, then to Nancy, and then back at you. “No,” he gulped, shaking his head lightly. “I sense I made a mistake of some kind.”

Fed up with everything, Robin reached for the walkie in Dustin’s bag and stepped in. “All right, okay. This is stupid. Us ladies will stick together.” she confirmed, putting the keys back into Steve’s hands. Her eyes gave him a warning look before she marched over to join Nancy’s side. “Unless you think we need you to protect us?” she said with a humorous chuckle.

The two of you didn’t move from your spot. Only watching as Robin made her way towards Nancy’s car. Taking the lead for their exit. Nancy gave you both a sympathetic shrug before she mouthed an apology to you before turning on her heels to catch up with the other girl.

“Be careful!” he called out, Robin turned around, shooting out a peace sign before she glanced at you.

“Should be saying that to yourself!” she laughed, giving you a wink.

From the corner of your eye you can feel as Steve nervously looked over at you. His previous annoyance went away when he noticed your change in demeanor. Without another thought you walked towards his car, avoiding his gaze as you made your way towards the car doors. He quickly rushed over, moving to open up the passenger door for you, a small tight lip smile on his face.

Ignoring that offer, you carefully opened up the backseat and slipped in beside Max. Avoiding his gaze as you slammed the door shut. From the outside you could hear Dustin chortle at his friend as he moved to take the free spot. “Nice one,” he said to Steve. “You just gonna stand there and gawk?”

“Dude, shut up.”

“Why don’t we go? Okay?” he said teasingly.

“Shut up and get in the car.” he ordered. “Wipe your feet.”

You watched as Dustin carelessly began to wipe his feet inside the car. Almost comically as he patted the shoe against the clean interior floor, earning another explosive reaction from Steve.

“On the outside, not the inside!”

There was a bit more huffing between the two as they finally got into their seats. Leaving the car in a second of silence. Steve glanced back at you, opening his mouth to say something. But instead of giving him the chance to say anything, you turned in your seat, facing your direction to look out the window. Giving you the chance to give him a bit of the silent treatment.

“Always the babysitter.” Steve muttered angrily, turning on the engine of the car. “Always the GODDAMN babysitter!”

You watched carefully from your side of the car as Max entered inside Ms. Kelley’s home. Only looking back at you guys once before the door closed up behind her. Hopefully the whole thing wouldn’t take as long and the four of you could make your way back to others and give you space away from Steve.

“So..we gonna talk about..it?”

Glancing to your right, you looked into the passenger mirror to find Dustin looking at Steve. He seemed to have purposely left his window open enough that you were able to eavesdrop into their conversation.

“Huh? Sorry, talk about what?” Steve asked, barely paying attention.

“Your temporary insanity earlier today when you basically threw yourself at Nance? And in front of my cousin of all people.”

It took everything in you not to react to what you just heard. Your cousin’s words basically confirm the worries that hit you in the trailer park. The little green monster inside was practically dancing as it festered on the negative energy building up inside of you.

“Okay, first of all, that’s not what happened.” Steve said defensively.

“Pretty sure that’s what happened.” he countered. “It was public, there were like, a lot of witnesses. The prime one being at the back of your car right now.”

He made it a point to glance at you through the mirror, catching your glaring gaze. He looked like he was about to change things up from his expression but you quickly shook your head, nodding in the direction of Steve’s side of the car for him to continue.

“Uh-Are you implying I still have a thing for Nance? Really? Me?”

“No, I’m not implying.” he said, shaking his head. “I’m stating. And, as it relates to your current break up leaving you to go on various dates, it’s pretty much the only logical explanation.”

“That’s not the only one.” Steve denied quickly. “You know what I’ve been going through. What I’ve been thinking. And as for Nance, I was just trying to protect a friend.”

From the mirror you could see Dustin’s face turned amused, like he was beyond believing that statement in the slightest way. You let out a small sigh, glancing down at the ground almost..defeatedly.

This wasn’t even something you had the right to be angry about. If anything, the only reason you had room to speak on the situation was the fact that Nancy was currently dating your best friend and you couldn’t just let Steve of all people step in on that.

God, that thought alone made you feel sick.

“A friend, Henderson. Okay?” Steve said after noticing Dustin’s silence.

“Okay.”

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

Dustin let out an amused giggle. “You’re bright red in the face right now!”

Not having it in your stomach to listen to anything else, you stomped away from the car. Trying not to let the stinging tears in your eyes slip out. Your mind viciously shoots you into a memory from the first fall when Billy arrived. His terrorizing had slowly come to an end that night but not without some parting words to you.

“He’ll never get over Wheeler. It’s that first love shit that chicks are so keen for. He’ll never get away from that feeling. Trust me, I’d know.”

Back then you convinced yourself that he wasn’t telling the truth. That he took your weakness that night to try and get under your skin. But now? Now your mind is so frazzled and so broken lately that everything is turning into doubt.

“Get in the car.”

You turned around to find Max rushing over to the car door, giving you a wide look before she entered inside. Quickly, you joined in after her, closing up the door in time to catch her giving Steve an order to drive. He’s quick to start up the car, setting all of you to hit against the seats as he sped away from the house.

Eventually Max briefly explained what happened inside and stated that the best way to get more information would be in Ms. Kelley’s office at the school. You tried to explain it’d be a lot harder to break in due to the break but she simply held up a pair of office keys.

Suddenly the walkie in Dustin’s lap let out a loud squawk before a voice suddenly spoke through.

“Dustin. It’s Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin.”

The sudden sound of your friend’s voice had you and Max quickly leaning over your seats, trying to listen in on the incoming message.

“Lucas? Where the hell have you been?” Dustin asked into the walkie.

“Just listen.” Lucas pleaded. “Are you guys looking for Eddie?”

“Yeah and we found him, no thanks to you.” he chided back.

“You found him?”

“He’s at a boathouse on Coal Mill Road. Don’t worry, he’s safe.”

“You guys know he killed Chrissy, right?” Lucas asked worriedly. The car seemed to grow tense at that. Now the teens at the school surely knew he was the main suspect. Time was beginning to run out.

“That’s bullshit. Eddie tried to save Chrissy. My cousin was there!”

“She was there too?! Wait, then why do all the cops say he did it?”

Max, having had enough, reached over for the walkie. “Lucas, you’re so behind it’s ridiculous, okay? Just meet us at the school. We’ll explain later.”

“I..I can’t. I think some real bad shit’s about to go down.”

“What are you talking about? What bad shit?” she asked, but there was no response back. Almost as if the connection was lost. “Lucas? Lucas?”

“Line got cut off.” Dustin said, reaching back for the walkie. “What do you think he meant?”

“I’m not sure.” Steve said, gripping the wheel tightly. “Let’s just get to the school.”

It was dark by the time the four of you arrived at Hawkins. The air held an eerie atmosphere as you guys parked discreetly in the back of the school. Couldn’t exactly have anyone checking by to see there was someone at the school this time of night.

Your cousin was thankfully prepared for the night again and quickly passed around a couple of flashlights, giving you guys some light to venture through the creepy halls with.

“I gotta say, didn’t think I’d be coming back here anytime soon.” Steve muttered to you, smacking at the side of his flashlight before it fully turned on.

“It’s definitely not the way I wanted to spend my Spring Break.” you nodded, flashing towards one of the classrooms.

There’s an awkward building tension between the two of you. A part of you wanted to squash down that anger from before, use it to keep focus on the problems at hand. But there was a bigger part inside that was gleefully ready to make a mess out of things.

Per usual.

“Didn’t think I’d spend the day like this.” he chuckled lightly, looking over at you. “Kind of a bad way to end the weekend don’t you think?”

Something in his words, while innocent, just irked you. Making your whole body shift as you finally let free some of the venom that had been building up since the trailer park.

“Yeah, you must be having a pretty bad day considering you’re stuck babysitting with me instead of chumming it up with Robin or looking out for Nancy.”

Steve looked almost as if your words were a slap to the face, staggering back a second before his expression quickly changed to annoyance. He reached a hand out to stop you from walking.

“Where’s that coming from?” he asked slowly.

“Seriously?” you laughed, raising a brow at him. “Did you suddenly forget that little show you gave back in Forest Hills?” You made an effort to dramatically reenact tossing invisible car keys. “Here you go. I’ll stick with Nance.” you said in a dramatically deep voice.

He was unamused by that, pressing his lips together before he scratched at his hair. A nervous tick he got whenever something got under his skin. “I’m sorry I’m a little particular with who I hang out with at the moment. I figured you’d feel the same way considering you probably wanted to stick around with Eddie so you guys could make out and weirdly flirt again.”

Sometimes you forget that Steve’s as much of a former bitch as you were. Making his bite hurt particularly bad right now. Still, you weren’t one to back down from a verbal fight.

“Wow, I’m not really surprised you noticed everything I’m doing considering how you’ve been trying to figure out ways to keep me at home.” Tilting your head you step closer to look up at Steve. “Was worrying about me too much for you now that you want to display your macho-man persona to Nancy again?”

“You’re pulling that out of nowhere.” he scoffed, shaking his head at you. “I mean, really, how is me wanting you to stay home because I’m worried about how tired you look, suddenly turn into me trying to get back with Nancy?”

“Oh, so now it’s suddenly trying get back with Nancy?”

“No, you just said–”

“I said you were showing off!”

He let out a long sigh, rubbing a hand over his face before he turned to look at you seriously. “All I offered was to go with Nancy so that she wasn’t alone. Her friend just died the same way Chrissy did and I didn’t want her to end up the same way. I was just trying to be a comforting friend.”

“So you wanted to comfort her? Well, that’s great to hear considering we both know how you like to comfort people through their crisis, don’t we?”

“I-It was different with you, okay?” He stuttered a bit, before he held his hands up, looking annoyed again. “You’re the one who is kissing some other guy and it’s me that’s trying to get with someone?”

“As always, you always take one part of the picture to paint the story, your highness.” you sighed, pushing a hair out of your face. “But don’t worry, I’m sure Robin will put in a good word for you with Nancy since you’re so keen on chivalry.”

“That’s not fair. That is not what I want.” he spat. “Look, I know that you two have a thing okay? I’m not going to step in on it but that doesn’t mean I have to be nice about it either. So, quit using the friendly friendship I have with Nance to compare your beneficial one with Eddie.”

“There isn't a thing. God, Steve.” you frowned. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Eddie kissed me. I didn’t ask him to, nor to hold me, or anything. He’s just a friend..and I pulled back.”

“That’s not the only thing you two have done, quit acting like it’s just some innocent friendship.”

“If you can’t seem to remember, the only person around here that I’ve willingly done anything with in the past twenty-four hours, is you, so..” you said as a matter of fact. “Also I think it’s unfair that you get mad at Eddie for kissing me but quickly go around to play the brave knight in shining white Adidas to Nance.”

“They’re Nikes!” he countered weakly.

You could only scoff at him in disbelief. “This conversation isn’t going anywhere. I’m sorry I’m not the one you want to be around right now, let’s just leave things at that.”

Taking a step to leave him you made an effort to follow after the two kids when Steve reached forward to grip at your arm. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t want you around. But I know you’re not okay right now. And the more you try and push yourself in this, the more I can tell that something else is bothering you.”

He’s staring down at you with the familiar look of worry he’s been doing these past few days. Something that would have comforted you the other day, but not with how you were feeling right now.

“You’re right.” you said softly, reaching up to gently pat at his hand. “There is something bothering me.”

From the tone of your voice, Steve could easily tell where this was going to go, only giving you a pleading look as he tried to diffuse the comeback you were about to give him.

“Don’t say it’s me-

“It’s you.”

Without a sparing glance, you pushed out of his grip and brushed and brushed past a nosy, lingering, Dustin in order to join Max at the front of the search. Her gaze stayed ahead, looking away from you, but from the corner of your eye you could see as she shook her head. A small smirk on her lips.

“Well that was really nice.”

“Oh, shut up.” You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. “Like you have any room to talk about niceties.”

“I don’t?” She asked amusedly.

“Well considering your on and off history with Lucas, I’d think it’s fair to say you’re just as good with dealing with exes as I am.”

She frowned for a moment, seeming to think it over before she shrugged. “Guess we’re both kinda messed up.”

A part of you wanted to argue. Say how she’s wrong and that aside from what was currently going on, you were fine. But considering the dramatic fight you just shared for the two kids, you figured she wasn’t entirely wrong. “It’s kinda nice.” you said eventually, nudging her side playfully.

“It’s nice that we’re messed up?” She chuckled, looking a little taken back.

“No,” you hummed lightly, “it’s nice we’re messed up together.”

She finally glanced over at you, giving you a weird look before laughing. “You’re so weird.” she said, nudging you back.

With that small bit of comfort, the two of you silently led the other boys the rest of the way to Ms. Kelley’s office.

The familiar lingering scent of her relaxing lavender candle hit your senses quickly once you entered inside. Which you were thankful for considering the small stress you seemed to be adding onto yourself. You were happy to finally have a moment where all you guys had to do was focus on the clues needed to progress your theories and not your current problems.

“It’s like a mini-Watergate or something.” Dustin said behind you. “Hawkinsgate.”

“Wait a second, didn’t those guys get caught?” asked Steve.

You made your way over towards the desk, looking over the papers laid out neatly at the center of the table while Max peeked through the cabinet for the files.

“Holy shit.” she said suddenly.

“You found it?” Steve asked, as the rest of you gathered around her.

“Yeah, and not just Chrissy’s file. Fred was seeing Ms. Kelley too.” Her hand reached back into the cabinet, pulling out one more manila envelope before she turned over to face you. Her eyes focused on you intently as she held the file up in the air. “And so were you.”

Even with your eyes looking down at your file, you could feel the intense stare from Steve’s eyes. He hasn’t stopped looking at you ever since Max revealed your file to everyone. You couldn’t help but find it all worthless to bring up. To you, it was just your regular file. There was the first meeting recorded, the goals she wanted you to have for the next couple of years. Nothing out of the ordinary until this year. When she began to take notice of your reaction towards Billy’s death.

“God,” you scoffed, looking down at her words. “Behavioral avoidance? What a load of crap.”

You carefully threw the file onto the desk, plopping down in her chair to look over at what Max had been reading across from you.

The folder containing Chrissy’s sessions quickly caught your eye. Making you curious to know what the girl truly had been going through before her untimely death.

“Can I see Fred’s file?” she asked suddenly.

“Yeah,” Steve said, passing the folder over to her. She quickly laid it out before her, flipping through the papers to collect whatever information caught her attention. From the side you could see as Steve carefully tried to reach out for your file. You made it a point to move away from him on the other side of the desk.

Leaning over, you reached over for Chrissy’s file, looking over the small details listed on her last session. Headaches, nosebleeds, nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, trauma.. All things that made sense but..oddly familiar. Moving closer, you peered over to look down at Fred’s notes that Max had stopped at.

..They were almost similar to Chrissy’s.

But that didn’t make sense. It couldn’t. Because if that were the few connecting signs to what made Vecna attack Chrissy and Fred then what did that mean about you? Glancing back at your folder, you pushed through the notes again, trying to figure out if there was anything similar to what was on the other two folders. But there was nothing.

Only the small note written at the corner of your last session.

Might benefit if suggested with a group therapy. Perhaps with Max M. Both suffer from related trauma.

Related trauma? You thought.

Glancing up from the papers, you peered over at Max worriedly. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think she looked a lot like how you felt at the moment. But this couldn’t be right. You never voiced to Ms. Kelley any of these things. You weren’t seeing any weird Vecna monster or dealing with trauma. You were-

“Perfectly fine?” (tick)

You felt a cold shiver run down your back and glanced up in the room. Almost expecting to see if anyone else had heard that. There’s a heavy weight suddenly over you and you feel as if the air in the room was slowly being sucked out. This couldn’t be happening. You weren’t like the others. You weren’t going through these struggles you weren’t–

“Going crazy? (tock)

“Max! MAX!”

The sounds of Dustin and Steve calling out to Max instantly pulled you out from you haunting thoughts. Before you was a frozen Max, still frozen in place. “Max?” you called out, getting out from your seat to kneel beside her.

Steve’s hand rested on your shoulders, concern on his face as he began to breathe heavily. “What’s going on?” he asked, voice uneasy. “What do we do?”

“She’s just..I don’t know!” you panicked, shaking at her shoulders. “Max, c’mon. Talk to me!” But as you gazed into her vacant eyes, a chilling thought swept right through you.

Did you guys just run out of time?

A/N: okay so this chapter is kinda messy. Reader is seriously losing her mind but I promise that trouble is gonna get her head on screwed right soon enough. Maybe after she remembers that Nancy is in love with Jonathan and Steve practically dropped everything to go to her. I blame Vecna tbh. And Billy from the afterlife.

TAGGING LIST: @cluz1babe , @starofavolonea , @darlingimafangirl (won’t let me tag), @primroseluna, & @siriuslysmoking

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x henderson reader #steve harrington x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x henderson reader #cac #angst

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theladybarnes · 8 months ago

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Hellooo how are you? I was just wondering if you were going to update your bucky story it's been so long.

Hi anon! It has been a long time since I’ve updated the scout universe. If you could help me, I’ve been contemplating. Do you think it’s better to revamp the series and write it out again (meaning add new details and change a couple of things), or just keep going?

I’m only wanting to redo it for the sole purpose of making it more inclusive. For some reason my dummy head didn’t think that having it be a stark siblings would be exclusive. 😅 so I think I wanna redo it for that. OR I could just finish the story at Endgame. Idk! Let me know…help me 😔

#anonymous #answered #meanwhile I’m gonna go work on cac’s next chaoter

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theladybarnes · 8 months ago

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CRIMSON AND CLOVER: CHAPTER SIX

"Got me stressed out. It's not even my girlfriend.”

▸ summary: it’s a mental game to get out of woods, and you need help bringing yourself back to earth. ▸ characters: steve harrington, eddie munson,dustin henderson, ft. robin buckley & max mayfield ▸ word count: 12.6k ▸ warnings: angst, semi-fluff, SMUT (MINORS DNI +18), mentions of death ▸ series masterlist

“Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!”

Your surroundings blurred as you stumbled against the railing in front of you. The air was thick with bitter smoke, and the distant cracking of fireworks reverberated through the air. You’ve been here before. This was Starcourt Mall.

The night you all faced the Mind Flayer.

In disbelief, you watched as your friends frantically threw fireworks at the colossal creature on the ground floor. Their faces etched with determination and words filled with anger. The Mind Flayer writhed and snarled from below. Whipping its gaze at all the directions the attacks were coming from.

A surge of confusion swept over you. How the hell were you back here? Was this a dream? It had to be. The mall, the flayer– it all felt too surreal to be real. Yet, the vividness of the moment, the heat of the fireworks, and the urgency in your friends' voices made it impossible to dismiss as just imagination.

There was a lull in the attack that you were able to hear your name being called out.

The voice was unmistakable. Billy.

His desperate cries echoed through the chaos, adding to the overwhelming sense of dread. Slowly, you approached the edge of the railing to peer down below.

"Help me! Babydoll, please!” His desperate pleas cut through the chaos. “Don't let it get me!"

Your gaze locked onto the unfolding horror below as one of the Mind Flayer's tendril arms snaked around Billy, pulling him helplessly toward its gaping mouth. Billy's terrified screams resonated through the air, pleading for salvation. Your heart pounded in your chest, urging you to move quickly. But an invisible force seemed to paralyze you, rendering you powerless to intervene.

As the monstrous entity snarled at Billy, the scene descended into a nightmarish mess. Walls turning dark red with the light slowly fading to the center of the room. Unable to witness his gruesome fate again, you fell backward in fear, the world around spiraling into darkness.

However, the horror didn't end there.

Your friends, done with their attack to the flayer, all slowly crowded towards you. Surrounding you in a circle of their judgmental gazes before they pointed down to you. Shouting out their accusing cries. "WHY WON’T YOU SAVE HIM?" they demanded in a chorus of eerie, distorted voices. The weight of their accusations pressed upon you, suffocating you with guilt and terror that kept you on the floor. It gave them a better chance to close in on you as they shouted out more claims.

“HE LOVED YOU!”

“HE WANTED YOU!”

HE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!”

Your jaw slacked at their words. Confusion in the mix of your fear as you tried to reach out to them. Hands shaking as you pleaded for them to realize the truth. “I didn’t want him to die! I don’t want anyone to die!”

Surely your friends would never think that about you. They had to know!

Amidst the continuing cries, was one familiar voice shouting at you. Steve, who was silent until now, emerged from the nightmarish crowd, his face contorted with anguish as he kneeled down beside you.

"Why won't you save us?" He asked desperately, hands cupping around your shoulders. “You’re leaving us to die!”

When you didn’t say anything back he began to glare at you, words coming out in a spit as he gripped hard against you. “WHY WON’T YOU SAVE US?” His final yell echoed across the whole mall and in a final surge of terror, the world around you collapsed.

You jolted awake, gasping for breath as you forward. The world around me blurred as you slapped down against the dashboard. It took you a second to realize that you weren’t just sitting on the mall floor but in a moving car.

“Thank God!”

Eddie, who looked as sick as you felt, was behind the wheel, driving erratically as if the police were hot on your heels. Chrissy's contorted body flashed in your thoughts, reminding you of the horror you had just witnessed in the trailer.

"Jesus Christ, slow down, Eddie!" you croaked out, voice tinged with a mix of fear and anger. "What the hell happened? Where are we?"

Eddie's eyes darted toward you for a moment, his hands white as he held on the steering wheel tightly. "We didn’t have a choice, okay? We needed to get out of there before whatever killed Chrissy came for us too!”

“B-but she’s back there!” you cried out, heart torn between the urgency of escape and the idea of abandoning Chrissy alone. “We can't just leave her there alone like that!"

"We can't get caught up in this," Eddie insisted, frustration etched across his face. "You think anyone will believe I didn't have anything to do with it? Freak of the town, ring a bell?!"

The reality of the situation hit you like a punch to the gut. But that was slowly pushed back when you realize just how far out of the main part of town you guys are at. You reached out to Eddie’s arm, tugging at it quickly.

“Eddie, tell me you’re not leaving town.”

“All right, I’m not leaving town.” he said sarcastically, pressing down harder onto the pedal. The road began to blur and you could feel the anxiety grow in the pit of your stomach.

“We cannot leave town, Eddie! Turn back!” you urged.

His gaze shifted away, guilt and fear written all over his face. "Look, I know it’s bad. But I–we can’t risk it. Not when we don’t even know what the hell happened!”

“It doesn’t matter! Turn back now!” The two of you are so busy glaring at each other that you both failed to notice the van veering off the road. "Shit, watch out!" you shouted as you finally registered what was about to happen.

Eddie tried his best to press down on the brake and slow down the speed of the van, but to your horror, it only skidded over the long grass of Hawkin’s massive forest. Panic surged through you as the van rushed towards a tree, and you braced for impact.

The world blurred as the van crashed through the underbrush, the sound of crunching metal and snapping branches deafening. In the midst of the chaos, you clung to your seat, desperate for it to stop. It wasn’t until one final forward thrust that the van finally stopped. Leaving you gasping for air again.

The scene felt oddly familiar to your own car accident years ago. But there’s no flashing lights, and your father wasn’t on his way to help you. The only thing waiting for you was the looming dark forest that swallowed up the lights from the headlights.

"Shit," Eddie's voice trembled with fear as he finally released his tight grip from the wheel. "Someone’s gonna see this. Come on, we can't stay here."

He threw open the door, while you stumbled out. The world spun wildly and it took you a minute to control the overstimulating thoughts and memories flooding your brain to register that Eddie was in front of you now. “I-I can’t..” you whimpered, hands reaching out to him.

You closed your eyes, feeling his hands cup around the sides of your face as he waited for you to calm down. It was only a second later that you opened them again to see the look of concern on his face. “I’m sorry,” he breathed, shaking his head. “We still have to go.”

Reaching down for your hands, he made sure to lace them together before he led the two of you away from the van towards the trees. “Wait, shouldn’t we go back on the road?” you asked, trying to keep up with his pace. The uneven forest floor beneath your feet felt foreign and slippery. Making it hard to try and keep up with your friend who had now moved on to mumbling to himself.

"Eddie, slow down! I don't know these woods!" you cried out, breath catching in your throat.

He didn't hear you, or maybe he didn't care. Eddie was on a mission, leading the two of you deeper into the wilderness. "I know a safe place, just keep up!"

But the dense foliage and the unfamiliar terrain took on your already unsteady balance. You stumbled over a protruding root, hands reaching out to break the fall. The grass was moist beneath your fingers and you took a second to close your eyes to stop the world from spinning again. Eddie continued on without noticing, his footsteps fading in the distance while you struggled to regain footing.

"Eddie! Wait!" you called out. The only response was the eerie silence of the woods. Taking a few long strides in, you called out for your friend again, hoping your voice was loud enough to break through the trees.

“EDDIE!”

It’s only a matter of seconds before you’re lost, alone, and terrified. Still, you picked yourself up, desperately searching through the thicket for any sign of your friend. The trees loomed like shadows, and panic clung to you like a suffocating shroud. He couldn’t have just left you behind right? But the more you walked, the louder you called out, the more you were hit with the realization.

You were stranded in a place you didn’t know, alone without your friend, and cold from the night sky. But the worst part of all, was the light echoes of a ticking clock in the distance.

Exhausted and disoriented, you stumbled into the main street of town as the evening sun began to break through the trees. Your clothes were damp, feet sore from your terrible choice in shoes, and body shivering from the cold night in the woods.

It’s not like you had any choice. With the road being too dangerous at that time of night to hitchhike, your only other safe solution was to tough the walk through the woods and hope you’d find the outskirts of town soon enough.

You’re embarrassed to say that despite your usual sense of direction, you managed to circle around the woods a few times. Making your arrival into town at a much later time than you’d have preferred. But at least you were back. Better than another night trying to ignore the various noises and whispers the woods had to offer to you.

It wasn’t like you had any help at all considering that at no point in the night did Eddie try and find you.

Still, you pulled through and despite the sleepiness, the hunger, and the aches, you were determined to get yourself home. But that plan seemed to come with a few complications.

With every store you passed, every street corner, the townspeople of Hawkins seemed to be highly aware of how out of place you looked right now. One glance at the hardware store window and you were shocked to find just how disheveled and weary you looked, confirming your guesses to their curious gazes.

You had to get home. You needed to get Dustin and figure out what to do about this mess.

So without wasting time, you made your way towards the bus stop that stopped nearest to your house. But just as you were about to ask around for some possible bus fare, there was a loud honk that caught your attention.

“Honey!?”

You turned on your heel, scanning through the small group of passengers to try to find the familiar voice calling out to you. Around the corner of the block stood Steve. Your eyes met and you could see that along with the worrisome look on his face was a bit of shock. Possibly from your appearance.

The two of you don’t waste a second to make your way to each other. Steve even went as far to run over to you before he stood before you.

"What the hell happened to you? Dustin told me he hasn’t seen you since yesterday. Are you okay?" His eyes scanned over your figure, possibly trying to find an injury that matched with your current state of appearance. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled you into his arms, letting his hand cradle the back of your head as he pressed your face into his chest.

You couldn’t help it as you allowed yourself to hug him back. Seeking comfort in his arms after the night you had. The scent of his cologne and heat from his chest felt amazing against your cold skin and it wasn't until he pulled back that you realized you were shaking from the weather.

He quickly shed off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders, providing a better warmth over your shivering arms. He was still waiting for you to answer, only raising a brow to you as he cupped the side of your cheek gently.

There’s a weak attempt at trying to smile. To let him know that you were okay. But you weren’t. At least mentally you weren’t. Not when you couldn’t stop replaying the events that happened just last night. It only felt even more overwhelming now that you had Steve of all people worried over you again. “I’m sorry.” you croaked, unable to stop the guilt from coming through. “We got in an accident and then we–I got lost in the woods."

Steve's eyes widened in disbelief. "Accident? Lost in the woods? What were you doing out there? Are you hurt?" He glanced around, noticing that there were a few people eavesdropping into the conversation. He carefully pulled you away from the bus stop towards the other direction. “Did he do this? Did Eddie do this?”

"No,” you answered right away, not needing for that vine to tangle up in this mess. “I can't explain everything right now. It's complicated," you replied, voice shaky from exhaustion. "Please..I just need to get home.."

For a moment he looked even more worried if possible, but instead of pressing on, he merely rubbed his thumb against the apple of your cheek before nodding his head.

"Alright, Honey.” Steve said more softly now, gesturing towards his car. “Let’s get you home." His concern was genuine, and despite the awkwardness that should be between the two of you, the only thing you could feel from Steve now was comfort.

And that was all you’d focus on right now.

It didn’t take long for Steve to get you home. In fact, you’re pretty sure he broke the speed limit a couple of times on the road. Not that you’d press him about it right now. All you wanted was to get inside your house. Where you could hopefully recollect yourself into a person again.

Despite being in the comforts of being around Steve, you were still finding it hard to come back down from the overwhelming anxiety that still ached inside of you. It was almost like you were stuck on autopilot as you exited the car.

Steve was quick to return to your side. Gentle like before as he wrapped an arm to lead you towards the front door. A glance up and you can see him sporting his frustrated frown despite the kind voice he used with you.

A step to the front door and you could hear the phone ringing inside, blaring loudly into the empty home “My key.” you whispered softly to yourself, trying to check over the pockets of your dirty dress. But all your things were gone. You’re not even sure when or where you’ve managed to lose everything.

“It’s okay.” Steve reassured you, carefully letting go to walk over to the potted plants your Aunt had placed this past summer. “The spare’s right here.”

You watched quietly as Steve moved over a ceramic frog to reveal the hidden key. It was just a couple of months ago, before the end of Summer, that you had revealed its secret spot to him. Telling him he was more than welcomed to use it any time he needed to.

He had joked that you might get tired of his surprise visits if he had a way in every time. You happily told him that it’d be impossible, but if he really wanted to surprise you, there was always your bedroom window.

“Come on,” he said, pulling you out of the memory. “Let’s get you warmed up.”

As the two of you entered the home, you glanced around with uncertainty. Unsure of where you should even start on your previous night considering the heavy load it came with. But before either of you could even touch on the subject, the shrill ring of the phone interrupted the silence again.

Steve held a hand up, quietly offering to take the call as he picked up the phone from the small table.

He muttered out a half greeting before sighing deeply. “Yeah, she’s here.” he said calmly to the receiver. "Yeah, I found her near Main… No, she's not hurt, I think, just shaken up… I don't know what happened, man. She hasn’t had a second to really explain..”

You could hear the muffled voice of Dustin on the other end, bombarding Steve with questions you’re sure he doesn't have many answers to. Steve glanced over his shoulder, noting you quietly observing him before he motioned for you to go clean up. “Go ahead, I’ll be here when you get out.” he whispered.

With that reassurance, you gave him a quick nod, grateful for his patience, and headed towards the bathroom. Once you closed the door and undressed yourself, you finally got the chance to really check over your appearance. The mirror reflected a face unfamiliar to you. One that wasn’t its usual confident self, but of someone who was scared.

You didn’t like looking at that face.

Shielding your gaze away from the mirror, you quickly stepped in started up the shower.

The hot water felt good as it cascaded over you. Washing away any dirt and grime that clung to your skin from the long night in the woods. That and the loofah you were scrubbing hard against your skin. Every swipe of sudsy soap would reveal a red burning skin that let you know it was fresh and clean.

“Chrissy! Wake up! CHRISSY!”

You nearly dropped the bottle of body wash from your hands as your mind flashed over the haunting images from before. The harsh, supernatural force that took Chrissy’s body so effortlessly as she hung in the air like a puppet. The sounds of her bones breaking echoed above the noisy shower.

Eddie’s screams came into your mind, almost like speakers pressed against your ears and you dropped everything to cover them up. Muttering for them to just go away. But it won’t stop. Every attempt to focus was met with the flashbacks that persisted. Each replay was more vivid than the last. The flash image of Chrissy's contorted body, the way her eyes sunk into her head, it all made you feel trapped in a nightmare from which there was no escaping.

You gotta get out.

You have to leave.

You need to RUN.

“Honey?”

The clear sound of Steve’s voice brought everything to halt. Your eyes snapped open to watch as a hand reached past the shower curtain to turn off the water, cutting off the remaining sound in the room. Hesitantly you pulled back the plastic curtain a bit to peek out.

Steve was standing there, concern etched on his face again, but this time with his eyes cast down to avoid your naked form while he held up a towel.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. There’s a vulnerability in his voice that was unexpected, and you nodded as you reached out for the towel to wrap around yourself.

Finally he glanced back at you, giving you a once over as his hand extended out for you while carefully helping you exit the shower. With a small gesture towards the door, he helped usher you over to your bedroom.

The amount of patience and kindness that Steve was giving you today had your emotions turning erratic again. The mixture of your previous fear along with the current gratitude and embarrassment that came from having him see you like this.

Once in the room, he let go of you, almost turning to leave before he sighed and returned back before you. Having had enough of the uneasy silence.

"I need to know what’s going on, Trouble. I know you were there in the trailer. What happened?”

His eyes searched at yours for answers. But you found yourself hesitating, unsure of how to put it into words. Despite Steve being completely aware of things such as the upside down, hell, even your past, this was the one time it felt..unreal.

"I don’t know if you’ll believe me, Steve. It’s..unlike anything we’ve seen.” you stammered, voice barely above a whisper. His concern deepened, and he urged you to continue with a light nod.

"Chrissy... she..." You struggled to find the right words, your mind still clouded with only flashes of what you had witnessed. "She was taken by this force, this... I don't even know how to describe it. It just pulled her in the air..it twisted her, Steve. It was so fast..in mere seconds she was gone and crumpled to the ground. I've never been so terrified in my life."

You didn’t even realize you were crying until Steve had stepped over to wipe at your cheeks. His face was even more grave than before as he looked down at you. He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving yours, and said, "You’re safe now. You’re not there anymore.”

“But safe from what, Steve? We don’t even know how or why it happened!” you whispered, feeling your throat choke up as the emotions you had been holding finally poured out. “One minute she’s just there inside with Eddie, and the next I hear screaming and she’s not talking! She was here but gone at the same time.”

Steve moved to wrap his arms around you, pulling you back into his chest to stop from shaking. “Did he say anything?..Do you know if he?..”

“No, Eddie didn’t do this, Steve!” you pulled back from the hug to look up. “He was just as terrified as I was..it wasn’t him. I-I swear!”

“I believe you, it’s okay.” he said quickly, noticing your sudden panic. But it's too late and you’re feeling the air around you turn thick, unable to get it in your lungs.

“I can’t breathe, Steve!” You gasped, moving your hands to grip tightly at his arms. His presence alone was keeping you grounded before, but everything seemed to be crashing down at this moment. Your attempts to breathe mixing with crying only made things worse.

“Breathe with me.” He shushed, pushing his forehead to press against yours. The palms of his warm hands wrapped around your shoulders and he tugged you closer to keep you from getting any colder.

But the fear persisted, and your sobs grew louder. It was then that Steve cupped at your face and planted a soft but deep kiss to your lips. Catching you off guard enough that your mind frazzled into focusing only on the touch of his skin to yours before he pulled back.

"Why did you..." you began to ask, voice trailing off.

"I just needed to help bring you back down to me," Steve whispered, his eyes searching yours. Almost as if he were afraid he had crossed a line. The two of you silently shared a moment of silence before you gave a quick nod.

"Right," you managed to say, still grateful despite the unconventional method.

Steve remained close to you. "Are you?" he asked calmly.

“Am I what?”

“Here with me?”

When you don’t answer, he sighed softly, enveloping you in his arms. The natural heat of his body called out to you and you reached out to hold onto him desperately. Seeking all the familiar comforts that came with Steve. The scent of his cologne, the warmth of his skin, the cotton of his shirt. It was impossible for you not to inhale all of it.

He rested his chin against the side of your head, holding you tightly as his arms traced soothing patterns across the bare skin that peeked on the top of the towel. Something inside you is sparked and any sane conscious thought is out the window.

You don’t want to feel this fear anymore. You just want to feel like yourself again.

Even if just for a moment.

Pulling away, you reached up, brought his face close and kissed him.

It was nothing like the shared kiss you had moments before. It was intense. Needy. All the emotions that the two of you seemed to share as you both clung onto one another.

His hands trailed down from your back to rest at your hips. The tip of his fingers dug lightly as he attempted to control whatever urge he had. Your own hands had the same problem as they crawled up to tangle in the ends of his soft hair. Tugging hard enough that caused him to groan against your lips. He broke the kiss apart to pull back.

“We’re being stupid right now, aren’t we?” he asked, hot breath fanning over you.

“Yeah,” you breathed, eyes flicking down to his pink lips. “Incredibly stupid.”

Reaching down between your bodies, you pulled the towel off from your skin, giving him a full view of yourself.

He sucked in a sharp breath at the sight, eyes scanning down your body that had you flushed. Nodding his head to himself, he reached and grabbed your face with both hands and kissed you again.

Frantically, his own desperation kicked in and he doesn’t even give himself a second to properly shed off his own clothing. Making you have to be the one to pull back and help strip him down. Once he was down to nothing, he resumed pressing his lips against yours. Using one of his hands to cradle the back of your head and the other to press your body against his.

The contrast of your cold body to his hot one had you both shivering as you stumbled backwards towards the bed. It wasn’t until the back of your legs hit the edge of the bed that he carefully pushed you to lay down.

Your back met with the comforter of your bed quickly and you gazed up to watch as Steve slowly came onto the bed, kneeling just before your legs. Though you’re both naked and practically panting with want, there’s a small flicker of concern on his face again.

“Say it,” he begged, voice slightly cracked from being out of breath and from the hurt that lingered in his tone. “Say that you want this too.”

“I want this.” you nodded, spreading your legs open for him. His eyes widened at the sight of you. His hand instantly reached out to rub down the expanse of your bare thigh. Your heart began to beat rapidly at the dark desire that flickered in his gaze. “I want you, Steve.”

He groaned at that, leaning down so that he could lay on top of you. His lips were back onto yours once again, tracing his tongue at your lips until you parted yours and allowed him the chance to swirl it against yours. The sensation had you feeling lightheaded. Your hands wrapped around his shoulders, fingers digging lightly into his bare skin.

The light graze of his hardened cock brushing lightly against your inner thigh had you jumping back in surprise. Pulling back from his kiss, you looked down between the two of you, reaching down and taking hold of his member in your hands.

“Fuck, honey.” Steve whimpered, “It’s been so long.”

The tip of his cock was already red, aching to be touched and dripping with excitement. The pad of your thumb swirled over the glaze of precum. You used its slickness to help glide your hand over the base of his member. Jerking it up and down lightly while you watched Steve’s face for his reaction.

He emitted a sweet moan that had you biting down on your lip to keep from joining him. His hips jerked with every tug you gave and you knew it wouldn’t be long for him to take control again. So you enjoyed your time, leaning down his neck to kiss at his hot skin while you worked him to a full erection.

“I’ve missed this.” you muttered softly, kissing up the line of freckles and moles that adorned his neck.

“Me too.” he gritted, hands now gripped at your hips to control himself from thrusting into your fingers. “But I’ve missed something else even more.”

One of his hands pulled away from your side so that he could release himself from your hold and slide down until they reached your aching core. The slick glaze of your arousal spread quickly over his fingers, giving him the chance to swirl around your folds.

“Steve,” you whimpered, feeling already so sensitive and desperate for release. Any more of the simple touches and you were embarrassed to say you’d come undone easily. “I need you.”

“You have me.” he promised, as. he brought the tips of his fingers up to his mouth, sucking any bit of you that was left on them. “All of me.”

With that he reached between you and easily guided his aching erection to glide against your slick folds. Teasing not only himself but you in the process as he worked you two up. You leaned up on your elbow to pull him down again, pressing your lips together as your hips instinctively thrust upward to him.

He didn’t break the kiss, but he did stop his hips in time to finally press the tip of his cock at your entrance and slowly thrust in. The walls of your pussy reacted instantly to his member again. Tightening around his long thick size until he was fully sheathed inside of you.

Shocked, you gasped and looked up at him, eyes clouded with a familiar desire. It had been quite some time since you’ve felt this full and with every small nudge, Steve managed to bottom his way in. “God, you’re so tight,” he shuddered, bucking his hips for a moment before he wrapped an arm around the side of your waist. “So hot and tight for me.”

“Steve,” you whimpered, hips rolling on their own accord before you forced your body to relax. “I need, fuck, I need–” you begged, practically desperate for him to make any movement now.

“Need what, honey?” he said, moving his hands to place down at your hips, a small thrust to get you moving a little. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

“Move.” you said finally, nails digging into his shoulders now.

That was all he needed to hear before he began to move again. He slid out- and back in, with more force this time, causing you to shudder beneath him. The pleasure was strong this time, possibly with how desperate you’ve become since entering the room. You leaned up, clinging around his arms to hold him close.

Every part of his warm body felt like a cover from the world. A cover from the dread that wanted to eat at you that only he seemed to be able to pull you out of. It was all you wanted to focus on, all you could focus on.

Steve dropped his face into your neck, murmuring something against your skin before he kissed at the flesh gently. “Yours.” he said eventually, another thrust back. He picked his head back up to look down at you. One arm had you pressed close to his body, making you feel every part of him while the other leaned on his elbow to give him a chance to look down at you. “I’m yours.”

You gazed up into his eyes, one hand letting go of his shoulders to cup at his cheek. “Mine.” you agreed, pressing your lips to his.

His pace quickened up at that, goading him into another set of emotions.

You wrapped legs around his waist. Keeping yourself from moving away from him as his quick thrusts that pushed you higher up in the bed. His name fell past your lips in a long moan, unable to think of any other words. It was like all you could do was think and speak his name.

Whether it be from your shifting feelings, or the fact that Steve was going at such a fast pace, the two of you seemed to be closer to your release than expected. He dropped his head down, pressing a few loving kisses to the apex of your breasts. He groaned your name against the pebble of your breast, nipping at the sensitive bud before he returned back to your face. Kissing your lips and cheeks over and over until he had to pull back to breathe again.

“I can’t hold on much longer, baby.” you warned, leaning up to press a kiss to his shoulder.

“Me either.” he nodded, taking a quick pause to look down at you. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but settled with dropping down to meld your lips once again. One of his hands let go of your waist to slip between the two of you, and you soon felt the familiar pad of Steve’s thumb press against your clit.

Without a wasted second, he began to roll the sensitive bud in a circular motion while thrusting into you at a more brutal pace.

The whole world is gone and all you could feel now was the intense orgasm as it washed over your body. Back arching up to him as you cried out in ecstasy against his lips. Your palms clasped his back, pressing yourself even more if possible to meet up with his final thrusts.

He whimpered into your lips, pulling back to allow his face to fall against your neck and catch his breath while he shot his cum into your core. The thrusts slowed down and soon enough you only rolled your hips lightly against him to ride out the rest of the euphoria with him.

It was only a second that the two of you said nothing. Both of you seemingly unsure how to process the intensity that the sex brought.

His head lifted back up, looking down at you intently before gently pulling himself out of you. The sudden pressure change had you let out a small whimper and Steve returned to leaning back on his knees. His gaze was locked over your figure and you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed to look so wrecked.

But Steve doesn’t seem to think the same thing as he gently reached down, caressing the skin of your thighs. “You’re beautiful.” he said aloud, “So damn beautiful.”

Something sparked inside of you. Maybe the sincerity of his words, or the selfish need to be taken out of that deep sinking feeling that had its grip on you lately. Or maybe it was just because you wanted Steve and to ignore the reality that was outside the doors.

“Steve?” you asked softly, leaning up on your elbows.

“Yeah?” he whispered back, looking at you with a small bit of concern again.

“I’m still not here..”

A small smile tugged at his lips before he nodded his head at you, crawling back up to climb over your body again. One of his hands crawled up this time to cup around your breast, kneading the muscle gently.

“Okay, honey. Let me try again.”

It’s embarrassing to say you two go for it another two times before you’re both satisfied. The sun was set even more into the evening and you glanced at the clock in time to see you’ve been here for over an hour.

You collapsed forward, sagging into his arms. Your chest nearly heaving as you struggled to catch your breath after all the vigorous movements you two just did. He pressed his lips to your cheek, and it burned. Like a reminder of his presence there being nothing but a burning comfort to you.

Holding your heavy breath, you stopped moving around. Allowing his arms to wrap around your body and give you the chance to savor the moment for your memory. To use it when you needed a reminder of a time you felt this content.

Eventually he helped lift your tired body up enough that he was able to pull himself out of you, hissing a bit at the cold air before he laid you to return to resting on top of him. Grabbing your bare leg, he draped over his hips and kept you close to his side so that he could use your warm skin as a cover. You gently placed your head against his chest, hand up so that you could gently run your fingers through the curls that covered his pecs. The sound of his heart beat, your favorite sound, thumped lightly in your ears.

“Talk to me.” he said before he kissed the smooth skin between your brows.

You lifted your head up to watch him. Not answering right away to gauge his reaction. He’s pretty calm considering what you two were just finished doing. Not hurt like you almost expected for him to be after having just used him. In fact, he was just looking down at you patiently, bringing a hand up to caress the side of your face while he waited.

Resting your chin on his chest, you sighed softly, not sure what to say next.

“I’m sorry.” you said hesitantly. “I know you were trying to calm me down. But I didn’t mean to just use you to make myself feel better. It was shitty of–”

“I wanted it.” he interrupted you, a firmness in his voice. You glanced back to his gaze, noting the calm was replaced with a serious look. As if he were about to lose it if you went further on with your sentence. “I needed it, actually.”

This was all so overwhelming.

The very idea that after pushing Steve away, practically forcing him and yourself to move on with others, the two of you still relied on each other to feel good in the end. You’ve never had this feeling with anyone before. It was scary. It was too real.

You opened your mouth, ready to set him up with another disappointing apology when he sprung forward to kiss you. Ceasing any words from making it past your lips as he captured the moment. Again you don’t fight against it. At this point you don’t think you can.

Down the hall, the phone sprung to life again, pulling you both back to reality. The kiss had you breathless, staring up at Steve with wide eyes because he was doing it again. He was making you question every choice you’ve ever made.

“It doesn’t have to mean anything. This whole thing could be nothing..” he said, looking at you with such fondness. “It’s just us helping each other. That’s it.”

“But it isn’t nothing.” you whispered back, unable to hide the truth. “It never is with us.”

He doesn’t say anything. Only taking a glance down the hall at the phone that’s still ringing. Reaching up, you cupped at the side of his face and made him look back at you, but all that does is create a pained look on his face. Like he was torn about something.

“It’s probably Dustin.” he said eventually, reaching up to pull your hand away. “We’ve been here longer than expected. They’re probably waiting for us.”

“They?” you asked, releasing him fully from his hold so that he could climb out of the bed to gather up his scattered clothes from the floor.

“Robin, Max, and Dustin were trying to figure out where Eddie could be hiding before I left.” he said, watching you while he dressed himself. “Max saw Eddie running to his van last night in a panic. We’re gonna try and figure this out. Get his side of the story.”

The mention of Eddie brought a sad dip to your stomach. It’s been hours since the two of you had lost each other and you weren’t sure if he was okay or not. Not to mention it had been hours and he didn’t exactly seek out to find you either..

A glance up and you watched as Steve quickly fixed himself enough to look presentable. This time the guilt rolled in when you thought of the idea of Steve wasting precious time he could have been using to help with Eddie just to go out and try and find you.

“Right,” you nodded, climbing out of the bed. “We should probably go.”

He didn’t say anything at first as you began to dress yourself, pulling on underwear and a bra. But it isn’t until you’re about to reach for a shirt that he stepped over and reached out to gently grab your hand.

“No one would be upset if you wanted to sit this one out, Trouble.” he said softly, turning you to face him again. “After everything you saw and been through..we can figure something out by ourselves”

“Are you trying to say you don’t want my help?” you ask a little guarded. In all this time you two had been dealing with the kids and the upside down, Steve has never once been the one to push you out of things. Even last summer with the Russian’s invasion, he was insisting on you joining. What was different now?

“I always want you and your help.” he said as matter of fact. “But I’m not gonna be selfish and force you to come out and join us when I know there’s something going on with you.”

Just like the night before, Steve’s intuitive mind was working double time on you. But there isn’t much time left in the day to dive into that discussion and you’re worried about wasting more time by having Steve stand around and be concerned about you.

“I wanna come.” you explained calmly, trying to sound more confident than you felt. “I need to help figure this out too.”

Steve’s eyes watched you carefully, almost like he was waiting for you to crack. But when you continued to hold your gaze, he must have sensed you wouldn’t be cracking down any time. “I’ll wait in the car.” he said eventually, leaning forward to press a kiss to your cheek.

After that, he left you to finish getting dressed and also give you a moment to collect yourself in preparation for facing the others.

If Steve was worried enough to venture out for you, and Dustin enough to be calling the house this much, then surely the others would be just the same. And while a part of you wanted to allow them in, even just a little, there were other important things now.

Like finding where Eddie was, and figuring out just what killed Chrissy.

So with that determination, you quickly finished dressing and locked up the house on your way out. The air was chilly again and you shivered a bit as you made your way over to Steve’s car. He was adjusting the radio when you entered inside. Fiddling out with the knobs for a station that he liked.

Thankfully the heater was already on. Helping thaw out your cold bones as you buckled in. Right away your eyes caught sight of something you didn’t seem to notice before in your dazed out mind.

Wrapped around the left side of the driver’s visor, was the gold necklace. The ‘S’ dangled just enough to shine in the bit of light that was left outside. You couldn’t help but watch it quietly, not sure what to think about him still having it. Steve didn’t seem to notice where your attention was as he turned to face you.

“Ready to go?” he asked, settling on a soft rock station. You nodded your head slowly, forcing your eyes to look out towards the window.

“As I’ll ever be.”

There is no real reunion when you finally get to picking up the others. Mostly, it was Robin taking control of the line of questioning. Which you were a little bit troubled with answering right away. Mostly because you needed to hear Eddie’s half to put all the pieces together.

The rest of the car ride was spent being spooked by the empty lot that led over to Rick Lipton’s house. You recognized some of the area from the road. Recalling coming to part of town the past summer with Steve so he could show you lover’s lake.

It was bizarre to think you were supposedly near this house just last night and wound up walking all the way back into town. It added to the bitter feeling inside of you when you remembered the events again.

But there were questions that needed answers and pouting about being left behind would have to be done later.

The car was parked in the dark driveway of the Lipton house and flashlights were slowly passed around before you all made an exit of the car. Steve was quick to make his way to your door, opening it up for you and extending a hand out to help pull you out.

The moment is sweet and you squeeze his hand lightly in a silent thank you. Over his shoulder, you spot a gawking Robin who didn’t even bother to conceal the small shock on her face.

Nodding for Steve to go ahead, you hang back a moment to let Robin make her way over to you.

“So,” she chirped, “that was a pretty nice moment I saw there.”

“Yes,” you agreed, looking at her from the side of your eyes. “Steve’s been really nice to me since he found me.”

She hummed playfully, giving you a small wink. “I see. And I’m guessing he was really nice to you when you guys were at your house for over an hour.”

You hoped that your poker face didn’t crack over Robin’s comment. On top of everything going on, you didn’t need to have her teasing either one of you for what may have happened in your house. Even if she was on the right track.

“I think it was mostly me needing a minute to process everything.” you said slowly, thankful that you were able to be truthful. “Steve’s just kind enough not to rush.”

Her eyes glanced over the guy, watching as he held the flash light over towards the side of the house, inspecting the area before he sensed the pair of eyes watching his back. Turning, he glanced between the two of you. Eyes shifting worriedly before he settled with putting an awkwardly forced smile on his face.

“Dingus is something else, that’s for sure.” Robin muttered with a head shake. “Sorry if I’m pushy. Just looked like something might be sparking between you guys again.”

Guilt spread over yourself at the idea of giving another person in your life false hope over something you weren’t sure of yet. Especially Robin, who most likely just wanted her close friends to get back together again.

“We’re always gonna be close.” you tried, hoping not to sound like your feelings were swinging in any kind of way. “I’m thankful that he’s always willing to help me, even when I don’t think he should.”

“He cares about you.” She said calmly, like a reminder.

Your lips pursed and you dropped your gaze to the flashlight in your hands. “He cares about all of us, Robs.”

“Yeah, but we know it’s different with you.” she shrugged, “Enough so that he’s willing to just drop everything he's doing to leave work and find you.”

Dustin called out to the two of you to hurry up, leaving you without a chance to give out a proper response. Quickly, you both followed up behind the others to the door. All holding up a flashlight to brighten up the area.

The first ring of the doorbell was met with an awkward silence. Then the second, then the third, then fourth, and finally fifth.

You couldn't help but think that neither Rick nor Eddie would be the type of person who would happily open the door that was being rung this late at night. But, you figured vocalizing that might not help with Dustin’s current frustrations. Steve on the other hand..

“Okay. Well, that’s settled. I guess he’s not here.”

Like you expected, Steve’s skepticism only frustrated your cousin further. Causing him to change the ringing into banging. Yelling out for Eddie in hopes that his friend would come out to a friendlier voice.

“Look, we just wanna talk, okay? No cops, I swear! We just wanna help!”

To your left, you watched as Max and Robin began to scale the side of the house. Trying their best to peer into the windows of the closed off home.

“EDDIE!” Dustin continued to yell, mixing his knocking with ringing again. “RICK!...REEFER RICK!”

“Don’t scream that!” Steve chided, making you slightly amused before you moved closer to try and look through the window. The house from what you could see looked completely abandoned. Eddie considered this place to be a shelter from all the mess that had happened. So why did it seem like the place had been abandoned for a while now?

“Hey guys?” Max called out, bringing the group to leave the house and follow to where she stood.

Down her line of vision was a boat house. Eerily the only thing in the area other than the street lights to have a light on. Something in the back of your mind warned you about its creepy appearance, but considering that everything lately was getting to you, it’d be something you’d have to ignore.

So down the hill the rest of you went. Lights flashing at the dingy building as you all approached its doors slowly.

Robin took the lead this time, pushing at the door slowly as she peeked her head in. “Hello?” she called out, not fully yet stepping in. “Is anyone home?”

One by one the rest of you filed in after her. Lights aiming in different directions to showcase the inside of the place. It smelled like rusted metal, wet wood, and something else you couldn’t decipher. Forcing you to tuck your nose into the collar of your jacket to breathe in your perfume.

“What a dump.” Steve called out, a light disdain in his tone.

“Did you really expect pristine conditions from a guy called Reefer Rick?” you asked, giving him a small look. He huffed amusedly before turning around to reach over for an ore on the wall. You’re about to ask what he was planning on doing with that when he suddenly began to stab the ore into the tarp covered boat. Making you and Dustin jump a bit from the rapid movement.

“What are you doing?” Dustin gaped.

“He might be in here.” Steve answered simply, continuing with his jabbing.

“And you plan on turning him into a skewer?” you frowned, taking a step back to observe from a safe distance.

Dustin shook his head, pointing over to the boat with his hand. “Take the tarp off!”

“If you’re so brave, you take the tarp off.” Steve countered, still poking around the edges. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at their cowardice.

“Don’t you think he’d have popped out by now if he was hiding in there? You’ve practically poked a hole in the tarp.” you said, crossing your arms.

“Hey, look over here.” you heard Max call out. From the other side you watched Robin and her approach a table. Fiddling with some that had been thrown on top. “Someone was here.” she continued.

“Maybe he heard us. Got spooked and ran.” Robin suggested.

“Don’t worry,” Dustin cut in. “Steve will get him with his oar.”

You chuckled at that, finding the whole thing ridiculous while Steve went on with his work.

“I know you think you’re being funny, Henderson, but considering the fact that everyone in this room has nearly died about a hundred times, personally, I don’t find it funny in the slight–”

As if he were waiting for the right moment, Eddie suddenly popped out from beneath the tarp, causing everyone in the group to jump back in fear. He shot himself forward and grabbed onto a shocked Steve and pushed them backwards until the two of them were pressed against the wall.

All of you are too shocked to react right away. It wasn’t until Dustin was pleading out to Eddie to stop that you noticed he was holding up a broken glass bottle to Steve’s neck. A flashback of Steve’s bloodied face after dealing with the Russian’s came into your mind and you found yourself panicking over his safety.

Without even a second thought you picked up one of the other oars and gripped on it tightly, sizing up behind an unknowing Eddie. Dustin called out to you next, holding a hand up as he tried to take control of the situation.

“Eddie! Eddie! It’s me! It’s Dustin!” he called out, gaining the attention of the boy. “This is Steve. He’s not gonna hurt you, right, Steve?”

You glanced over Eddie’s shoulder to watch as Steve nervously tried to respond. “Right, yeah.” he whispered, almost afraid to speak up.

“Steve, why don't you drop the oar?”

Right away he let go of the wooden piece, causing a small clanging noise to fill up the tense room. Eddie is slightly triggered by that, pinching the glass a little more against Steve’s neck and causing him to groan out. You glared at the back of Eddie’s head, ready to swing against your own friend when Dustin held a hand out to you again.

“He’s cool! He’s cool!”

“I’m cool, man. I’m cool.” he agreed in a whisper to Eddie. His eyes flickered behind the guy towards you, widening as he barely realized your attacking stance.

“What are you doing here?” Eddie grunted, never looking away from Steve.

“We’re looking for you.” Dustin answered, trying again to gain his friend’s attention.

“We’re here to help.” Robin joined in, trying to calm the tension that had risen. Eddie glanced back, probably just realizing the two girls behind Dustin now.

“Eddie, these are my friends.” he pleaded, “You know Robin, from band.” he said, gesturing to the girl behind him. Robin, while awkward, imitated the sound of her trumpet playfully. He turned to his other side and pointed over to Max. “This is my friend Max. The one who never wants to play D&D.” Max offered up her best wave, despite the nervousness that appeared on her face.

Dustin nodded over towards your direction, gulping a bit when he noticed you still were ready for the attack. “And you already know my lovely cousin,” he said, clearing his throat.

Eddie barely now registered your presence, glancing over his shoulder finally to meet your eyes. He’s shocked at your position, but still unwilling to let go of Steve right away. You made it a point to take a step closer, glaring at him as you finally spoke up. “Hiya, Ed. Remember me?”

“Eddie,” Dustin cut in, trying to bring the calmness back. “We’re on your side.” There was a flicker of hesitation on his face, making you and Dustin turn slightly more desperate the longer he held onto Steve.

“I swear on my Mother! Right guys?”

The other three shootout similar answers while you remained silent. Ready for anything.

A long heartbeat passed before he pushed away from Steve, letting him fall back against the wall with a small grunt. You tossed aside the oar and made your way to check on him when Eddie gripped at your hand.

The two of you hold eye contact and you’re unsure how to react to him calmly.

His eyes alone showed there was a lingering fear. Hell, you just saw the same eyes in your own mirror hours ago. But the mixed emotions that were going through when it came to Eddie, made it a little hard to figure out how you wanted to react.

“You’re.. okay.” he whispered, almost like he was afraid to speak aloud.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” you nodded, a frown still hard on your face. “No thanks to you.”

Tugging your hand out from his grip, you finally stepped away, ignoring the hurt look on his face as you joined Steve at his side. He was hunched over, hand rubbing lightly at his neck. You leaned down, getting close enough to inspect his neck yourself. The skin was red with a slight little nip against the spot under his jawline.

Steve smiled slightly, reaching out to place his hand on top of yours. “I’m okay.” he reassured.

“Eddie..” you heard Dustin behind you. “We just want to talk.” The two of you turned your heads to watch as Dustin lowered down to squat before Eddie. He was closing himself off to the rest of you, hand still clutching onto the bottle as he kept his gaze away.

You couldn’t help but feel guilty knowing that Eddie was probably beyond freaked out about all this. There was still such anger and hurt flowing through you. But deep down you knew you felt for Eddie too. He was still the guy who had been your friend this whole time.

Dustin tried to reach out for Eddie’s hand to take the bottle, causing him to flinch and grip onto it tighter. Robin slowly approached next, trying Dustin’s docile method as she lowered down to his eye level.

“We want to know what happened.” she said calmly. “To the both of you.”

Max glanced over at you, worry still flickered over her pale face before she glanced back to Eddie with the same expression. Steve reached out to place a hand on your back, soothingly as he nodded at you to go forward. “Tell ‘em.” he said softly to you.

Eddie sniffled a bit. “You won’t believe me.” he said, voice cracking a bit. His gaze turned to look up now and you let out a shudder at the sight of his teary eyes.

Max stood closer, giving him a light shrug as she calmly said a simple “Try us.”

Eddie was the first one to go up and recall the events of the night before. The pain, evident in his voice as he tried to describe everything in detail. Immediately your mind is plagued with the images you had seen with your own eyes. Following each part of the story that Eddie cleared out.

“..Things only got worse when I looked over to see Henderson passed out on the ground.” he said, pulling you out of your thoughts. “I..I didn’t know what to do, so I grabbed her and just..ran. I ran away. We left her– I left her there.”

Your face contorted at the painful reminder. The memory of leaving her behind still brought a heavy guilt on you that ached in your chest. Tears pinched in your eyes and you turned away from everyone to control yourself.

“But what happened to you?” Max asked when she noticed your sudden change. “How did you get separated? Steve said he found you in town by yourself.”

“I was lost all night.” you clarified, wiping the tears out from your eyes to face them. “I came to in the van when we were nearly out of town.” Eddie looked down in his hands ashamed, not meeting your gaze. “I had begged Eddie to turn back. To go someplace where we could call for help. I tried to remind him how things would be worse if he made a break for out of the state.. But that’s when we crashed.”

“Crashed?” Dustin interjected, his eyes were wide as he looked over your appearance for any scars he must have missed out on before. Steve shifted slightly beside you, eyes turning dark as he took in the new information.

“We made a break for the clearing,” you went on, anger still focused on Eddie. “I could barely grasp what had just happened, let alone follow Eddie, so it didn’t take long for me to lose him in the trees.”

“I’m sorry,” he started, hands clasped together as he shook his head. “I thought you were behind me the whole time–”

“You weren’t thinking about anything but getting yourself to safety.” you accused him, pointing a finger in his direction as you stepped forward. “I told you I didn’t know those woods at all and you just kept going!”

Eddie lifted his head up to meet your fiery gaze. “I-I didn’t mean to..I was just–”

“You were afraid?” you asked curtly, “Well so was I! I don’t have any idea what the hell killed Chrissy and the next thing I know is my friend just ditched me without even looking back!” You shook your head, feeling tears gradually make their return. “Did you even look for me?”

The room was filled with a painful silence and you had to turn your face away from Eddie before you took out more anger on him. You nearly left the room entirely, needing to get some fresh air, when you felt a hand slip into yours, stopping yourself from leaving.

“Don’t go.” Steve said gently to you. “Just take a breath.”

It felt easier said than done. But all Steve did was give you a knowing look and you settled with leaning against his side. Eyes cast down to the ground while you sucked in a sharp breath. His presence was a little calming, but you were still struggling internally.

During that bit, you could hear Eddie scoff in frustration. “Look, I can’t explain everything that I did, okay? All I can say is what I saw..it was something freaky, man.” There’s a beat of silence that had Eddie recoiling away from the group again. “You all think I’m crazy, right?”

“No. We don’t think you’re crazy at all.” Dustin reassured gently.

“Don’t bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds.” Eddie cried out, voice cracking in frustration.

Max leaned forward, keeping her voice calm and steady. “We’re not bullshitting you.”

“We believe you just like how we believe her.” Robin added, pointing a finger over at you. But it does little to relieve Eddie’s shaken state. Finally, Dustin took the lead on explaining everything.

“Look, what I’m about to tell you might be a little..difficult to take.” he started.

“..okay.”

“You know how people say Hawkins is..cursed? They’re not way off. There’s another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours.”

“Like ghosts and shit?” Eddie asked.

“There are some things worse than ghosts.” Max followed, trying to help pin it together for him.

“These monsters from his other world, we thought they were gone. But they’ve come back before and that’s why we needed to find you.”

Max nodded her head, glancing back at you briefly before she looked back at Eddie. “If they’re back again, we need to know.”

Dustin’s words brought a painful reminder of all the times the group has faced different monsters these past few years. From the Byers’ demogorgon, Dart and his pack of demodogs, and recently the Mind Flayer. All things that came when all of you were finally trying to get life back to normal. It wasn’t fair.

“That night, did you guys see anything?” Robin asked.

“Dark particles, maybe?”

You tried to think back, recalling the only odd rememberable thing to be the flickering lights. But just like that night, you never saw the familiar monster that broke through walls, or the growling noise of the creatures that surrounded the house, or even the thuds of a monster in the distance. It was like nothing was there and yet it killed Chrissy.

“It would almost look like dust, swirling dust.” said Dustin to Eddie, hopeful for his memory to be better than yours. But all his friend did was shake his head.

“No, man, there was nothing you could see or, uh, or touch.” he explained, looking up at you. “It was just us in there.”

You sighed frustratedly, finally giving Eddie a sparing glance. “He’s right..aside from the lights flickering it was like..she was pulled up in the air like a puppet. As if by magic.”

“We tried to wake her, man. She couldn’t move.” he added after you. “It was like she..she was in a trance or something.”

“Or under a spell.” Dustin countered.

Some sort of realization flickered over Eddie’s face. “A curse.” he said next.

“Vecna’s curse.”

Beside you, you could see Steve’s head tilted at the name. “Who’s Vecna?” he asked Dustin. Your cousin doesn’t look back to you guys, but from your spot you could see the sudden shift in his demeanor.

“An undead creature of great power.”

“A spell caster.” Eddie added, voice soft in disbelief.

“..a dark wizard.” Dustin finished off.

Suddenly, the room began to feel smaller, and the weight of this new threat pressed down on everyone. You couldn't shake the feeling that this time, it was different – that Hawkins was about to face a threat unlike anything you’ve encountered before.

The mood between everyone didn’t get much better after you and Eddie finished retelling everything.

The others took their turn in recapping all the news coverage they had been hearing throughout the day. While it was safe to say you were clear as a suspect, it didn’t mean you were out of the woods just yet. Most likely, those closest to Eddie would be next on the public’s radar. Which seemed like the easier thing to worry about considering there was this ominous Vecna to focus on.

But since things were clear for now, the rest of the group urged Eddie to continue hiding in the boat house. Promising to return the following day. It wouldn’t be safe to move him around just yet. An unfortunate circumstance that he’d have to understand for now. The only time you saw him look a little more comfortable with the idea was when Dustin promised to provide him with food the following day.

Soon after you were all back in the comforts of Steve’s car.

The two of you back in the front seat while the three in the back talked about what could be going on and where they can start tomorrow. You’d answer one of their questions now and then, but weren’t able to fully bring yourself in just yet. Considering no one wanted to be in your line of anger like in the boat house, they were very minimal in what questions they’d call out to you.

Steve, on the other hand, was silent. Still visibly stressed from the boathouse conversations. In fact, you were pretty sure he was upset with the way his jaw would clench now and then. Ever since the mini spat with Eddie, plus the reveal of what happened, he hasn’t been the same. But even then, he set aside his emotions to still offer up a ride to the others. Making sure everyone got home safely.

You watched him carefully, wondering what was going through his mind.

Today was..definitely not what he probably had planned. Especially after everything that was said the night before, then in your bedroom, and then the boat house. It wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t crack under the pressure he seemed to be under. You wished you could help alleviate this new worry, but all you’ve done lately is add to it.

The only solid concentration he seemed to have at the moment though was driving and keeping hold of your hand.

“Okay, Steve. We’ll meet up early tomorrow. I think Eddie’s gonna need a lot of food if he’s gonna hide this out. We’ll have to go to the market before we pick up everyone.” Dustin said from the back with a yawn.

The others were already dropped off. Mumbling out tired goodnights before Steve had finally made the return back to your driveway. The engine was off and the three of you had been quiet until Dustin broke the silence.

“Sounds good, man.” he confirmed, speaking up for the first time in an hour.

With a clap to Steve’s shoulder, Dustin quickly made his leave for the car. Calling out for you to hurry up before he used his key to enter the house. Neither of you made any motion to follow through on Dustin’s warning. Only watching in silence as he entered the home.

It wasn’t until he saw the switch of the living room light on that Steve finally turned to look at you. His eyes scanned over the features of your face before he leaned in to push a hair away from your face. “You doing okay?” he asked softly.

You’re almost taken back by his quick concern. How despite all that’s happened and been said, his first question is to ask about your well being.

“I’m here.” Was the best answer you could think of at the moment. You were still pretty upset about earlier. Especially the fact that you allowed yourself to get so angry at Eddie who was clearly unfamiliar with this type of horror. But it was hard to control anything going on with you right now. A glance down and you noted how he hasn’t dropped your hand yet. “Are you? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you be so..quiet before. Feels weird.”

He huffed amusedly through his nose before he shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve had a lot on my mind today. And honestly..I’m tired.”

You use your free hand to reach over and cup the side of his face. Unable to contain yourself from helping provide Steve the comfort you know he needs.

His eyes slipped close and he leaned forward enough to rest against the palm of your hand while you gently caressed. He looked as tired as he sounded, and you wanted to help provide him with the ease of a good night’s sleep.

“I never thanked you.” you murmured, watching as he peeked his eyes open to look at you. “Today you..you helped me in more ways than one.”

“I think you sort of showed me thanks already.” he countered, a little bit teasing in his tone.

“Us having sex was not my way of showing thanks.” you scoffed, only slightly amused by his words. “I mostly meant you bringing me home..and then back in the boat house. You helped calm me down.”

He reached up for your hand to bring them together before him, squeezing them lightly until he pulled them up to press a kiss to the front of your finger tips. Keeping his gaze at you until he settled them back into his lap.

“I’m always gonna be here for you, you know that right?”

The never failing sincerity of his words had you shyly averting your gaze away from his. Unsure how to deal with your own emotions as well as the ones that Steve kept bringing back. But he didn’t seem to want to wait for you to come up with an answer as he used the grip on your hands to pull you in and meet you in the middle of the console. There’s only a small space for you to decide to pull back but you ignored that thought as you pressed your lips against his.

The kiss, while breathtaking, was a lot sweeter than the ones you guys had shared today. Almost like a reassuring gesture to help ease you into ending the conversation.

“You need to get some sleep.” he urged when he pulled back for air. His plump lips were ghosting over yours now, enticing you back in despite his words saying otherwise. “After everything we need you back in shape tomorrow.”

“Okay,” you agreed, not quite moving just yet. “Promise you’ll get some rest too?”

He nodded his head, pulling himself further back so he could meet your eyes. “I’ll be here as early as I can.” Sighing heavily, you take your hands out of Steve’s grip and reach for the door handle, sparing him one last look before you exited the car.

The sound of his engine starting up cut through the silence as you made your way towards the front door of the house. You got the chance to watch as he pulled out of the driveway, waving to you before he fully pulled away and made his turn down the street.

Exhaustion covered your whole body as you turned to enter the house. You were more than ready to pass out on your bed for a couple of hours. However, there was one more person waiting to talk.

Sat down on the chair beside the couch, was a nervous Dustin. Looking over at you expectantly as he waited for you to finally make your way towards him. He’s barely talked to you today and while you’re sure he was still annoyed with the previous fight you guys had, you could easily tell something else, something deeper was on his mind.

“Dustin?” you called out slowly. “Are you–”

“A lot happened yesterday.” he blurted out. Though his words were clipped, there was the familiar hint of Dustin’s sincerity that lingered through. “We could have talked things out but..I just got annoyed and pushed you away.”

You blinked at that, trying not to think of the day again. “It’s fine, Dustin.”

“It’s not..I didn't know where you were all day. A girl is dead.” he stood up, moving before you. “You were with Eddie when it happened..it could’ve been..”

The words died off from his mouth but you feel you already know what he wanted to say. Taking a step forward, you reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. Trying not to downplay his worry while also attempting to reassure him. “It could’ve been me, but it wasn’t. Okay?”

“I just can’t shake the feeling that all of this isn’t gonna stop with just Chrissy.” he whispered, almost afraid to speak the words out loud. “It’s never just one attack for us. Vecna..he’s powerful. I don’t know what I’ll do if it’s you or anyone else.”

“It’s not gonna be any of us.” you reassured him.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because, we have people like you on our side.” He tried to appear confident at that, but the lingering worry still lingered on his face. He was on the verge of freaking out. “We’re gonna figure this out, okay?”

“..I hope you’re right.” he mumbled, pulling out of your grip with a sigh. “Let’s get to bed, we have a lot of work tomorrow.”

With that, he quickly turned to walk away. Leaving you alone in the dimly lit living room with his words echoed in your mind. The worry about this ‘evil wizard’ hung in the air, and the unsettling reality that someone you cared about could be the next target scared you down to your core.

Things were different this time and most of the party has been split off. All you could hope for was to hold back the fear that wanted to consume you whole.

A/N: Sorry it’s taken so long for another update! I was so busy and sick over these past few weeks. I really hope you guys enjoyed this update. I’m hoping to get this next chapter out sooner. Let me know what you guys think! xoxo

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