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Chapter Twenty-Six: Leather and Lace

Summary: After showing up on his doorstep, Eddie invites you into his trailer so the two of you can talk things out and kiss a lil. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, 6k words)

Warnings: Language, inexperienced!reader, conversations about physical and emotional abuse and death, lil bit of making out, absolutely shameless tooth-rotting fluff (Eddie Munson is my manic pixie dream girl and I’m not sorry 😭)

Tags: @blackbirddaredevil23 @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld

Series Masterlist

October 5th, 1985

You and Eddie stood on his doorstep embracing for what simultaneously felt like an eternity and not nearly long enough. Then he pulled away and looked down at you, cupping your jaw and swiping at your cheek lovingly with his thumb.

“Do you wanna come in so we can talk?” He asked, nodding towards the door behind him.

You swallowed nervously. You had promised him that you would explain yourself if that’s what he wanted, and you at least owed him that. That didn’t make the idea of having to give him half-truths any easier, though, even with Max’s blessing. But you nodded anyways and he stood aside, his back holding open the screen door with his arm outstretched into his entryway. You grinned at him and walked in.

“Probably not what you’re used to,” He said as he closed the door behind the two of you. You could tell by his tone that it was an actual source of discomfort for him, and you immediately wanted to squelch it.

“You’re right,” You shrugged, “Because it feels like… an actual home. It’s really nice.” It was true. It felt warm compared to your cold, overly tidy parents’ house. It felt like people actually lived there. Like it belonged to an actual family. You glanced at Eddie over your shoulder and he nodded kindly, seeming to understand what you meant by the sentiment. Then you turned back around and scanned the room, letting out a little laugh from what you were seeing.

“Very impressive hat collection. Who does that belong to?”

“Those are my uncle’s. Not exactly my style.”

“Ah. Right. And the mugs?”

“That’s a… joint effort, I guess.”

“Very nice.”

You walked back over to a shelf near the front door and tapped a fingernail against one of the mugs.

“This one is my favorite, I think,” You giggled. It was shaped like Garfield the cat. Eddie grinned at you sheepishly.

“Already claiming your stake, huh? Okay. That one can be yours whenever you come over.”

You couldn’t help blushing at the idea of making yourself at home there from then on out. It was exciting.

“Thanks,” You said shyly, then looked over his shoulder to peer down the hallway. “Is that your room down there?”

“Oh. Uh…yeah. Hold on a sec.”

He held up a finger before jogging down the hall and disappearing into his room. He left a few seconds later carrying some bits of trash into the bathroom.

“Everything okay?” You asked with a giggle. “We can stay out here if you want.”

“No, no. It’s fine!” He called before rushing back in to continue his half-assed cleaning. Then he reappeared in the doorway, slightly out of breath, and gestured for you to come in with a little bow. As soon as you walked through, you couldn’t help grinning.

You glanced around at the remaining clutter: clothes strewn around the room, his unmade bed, books and magazines on the floor, a billow of smoke still remaining from a freshly snuffed out cigarette in his nightstand ash tray.

You turned back around to see him leaning against his doorframe with his arms crossed.

“What?” He asked quizzically, studying the amused look on your face.

“You’re such a… boy,” You giggled.

“Yes,” He snorted. “I am. Is that news to you?”

“No. It’s just so… you in here.”

“Is that… a good thing?”

You looked around again. You couldn’t believe you were actually standing in his bedroom, finally part of his world.

“Yeah,” You nodded. “It is. A very good thing.”

He lowered his eyes and scratched the back of his neck shyly, then cleared his throat and rushed forward to his ashtray to make sure the cigarette was fully out before going to open his window.

“Sorry about the smell. I know you don’t approve of my smoking habits.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” You said with a shrug.

You really didn’t. It just smelled like him.

You turned your head to look at the posters on his walls as he stood by his window and watched you. There was a large Corroded Coffin banner next to him, the same jagged font he had scribbled into his notebook that day in class when you couldn’t resist watching him. The first time he spoke to you and you were too nervous to say anything back. The memory made you smile. You’d come such a long way since then.

You stepped away from Eddie towards his dresser that was littered in all kinds of knick knacks. You picked up a red yo-yo that was sitting on one of his amps and heard him take a step towards you from behind your back.

“So, are you gonna tell me what you’ve been hiding from me, or are you just gonna keep snooping around?” He teased.

“I’m not snooping,” You scoffed indignantly, then spun around to look up at him innocently. You were momentarily taken aback by how close he actually was to you. “I’m… observing. You can tell a lot about someone by what they have in their room.”

“Uh huh,” He muttered, taking another step forward so that his face was hovering just above yours and the toes of his sneakers bumped up against your shoes. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

He lifted up the hand you were holding his yo-yo with and took it from your grip, then held your arm as he reached around you to put it back down on his dresser. When he straightened up in front of you again, you smirked up at him.

“What, are you scared I’m gonna figure you out before you can figure me out?” You taunted him.

He snorted but didn’t justify this with a response. He just leaned in to kiss you on the forehead, then sat down on his bed and patted the spot beside him before reaching up for your hand. You sighed and let him hold it as you reluctantly sat next to him.

“What’s going on, Y/N?” He asked gently, smoothing his thumb over the top of your hand comfortingly.

“You’re… gonna have to be more specific.”

“Okay. Who keeps hurting you? Let’s start there.”

You tried to push away the waves of guilt that were threatening to wash over you as he peered into your eyes with worry. You went over the conversation you had with Max in your car to try to convince yourself that you were about to do the right thing, and heard her voice clear as day in your head telling you which stories to share with him. You took a deep breath and hoped to god that your practice with hiding things would pay off with Eddie, despite the fact that he was very good at getting you to open up.

“You remember Billy Hargrove, right? Max’s stepbrother?”

He nodded.

“It was him. He was the one who… hit me last year. He was hurting Steve, he practically almost killed him, and I tried to intervene and got caught in the crossfire. He knocked me out cold without even really trying. I hit my head on a table and got a concussion.”

“Jesus Christ,” He winced, shifting uncomfortably at the image. “That motherfucker. Why would… why was he laying into Steve like that? Were you and Billy… were you guys together at one point or something? Was he jealous?”

You couldn’t help laughing aloud at the idea of that.

“No, no! Absolutely not. He just… he really liked to torture Max. To control her. And Steve and I were just trying to look out for her. To keep him away from her and Lucas. But he didn’t like that, clearly… He was kind of a… terrible person.”

Eddie lowered his eyes, trying to make sense of this answer, then shook his head.

“Sounds familiar,” He mumbled, then took a deep breath and asked, “So… you and Harrington were just looking out for Max and Lucas that night?”

You couldn’t help briefly averting your eyes from him before you lied and answered, “Yes.”

It was technically the truth… just not the complete truth.

“You’re telling me that Steve Harrington got his ass kicked for a couple of kids?”

“…Yes.”

“Steve?” He repeated, his eyebrows raised in shock. It was ironic that the one thing that was fully true was the part he refused to believe.

“He can be… a very surprising person. I tried to tell you. He has his moments.”

“And you got hurt because you threw yourself in the middle of their fight to try to protect him?”

You nodded.

“Now, that part doesn’t surprise me. Not one bit.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Remind me, which one of us likes to rescue people again?” He teased, referencing the last conversation the two of you had in his van. You smiled shyly at him and shrugged, and he gave your hand a little squeeze.

“Why didn’t you just tell me all of that from the start, Y/N?”

“I don’t know. I just… couldn’t.” You hesitated, your breath catching, then decided to continue speaking. “There’s… something else I want to tell you, too, but I don’t really know how to say it.”

He pursed his lips, then nodded in understanding.

“Is it about… what happened at the mall?”

You nodded back, staring down at your hands, and Eddie brought one of them to his lips to try to refocus your attention.

“Take your time,” He murmured against your fist. “I’m not going anywhere.”

You steeled yourself, preparing your half-truths, then took a deep breath.

“Billy, he… attacked me again that night. For the same reason. I was trying to protect… Max. And we… I … saw him die afterwards. In the… fire. I watched it happen.”

His eyes widened in horror, and he blinked a few times as he tried to register this new information and formulate what to say.

“Holy… shit,” He stammered nervously. “That’s… fucking terrible. I’m really sorry you had to see that.”

You lowered your eyes, your forehead scrunching up with guilt and pain over this revelation being shrouded in such a big lie. Perpetuating that stupid mall fire cover-up story made you want to scream, but you didn’t feel like you had any other choice. Eddie reached to smooth out the wrinkle between your brows and put a finger under your chin to lift your head up so he could study your face. You couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Hey,” He said gently, leaning a little closer to you. “What are you thinking? Talk to me.”

You made the mistake of finally looking into his eyes as he scrutinized you, and once again found yourself trapped in them. There was something in them that made you want to give yourself up to him completely. Some kind of curse. It felt like your brain was short-circuiting.

Before you could vomit up every last detail of your absolutely insane year, you closed your eyes and forced yourself to think about Billy again instead, and to think about how you felt talking to Max about him in your car. This mixed with the frustration of not being able to be fully honest with Eddie filled you with a sudden feeling of rage. You sucked in air through your nose and opened your eyes again.

“I really hate him,” You admitted through gritted teeth, then paused to release your breath. “I still hate him, even though he died the way he did. I actually think I hate him more for it. I hate what it did to Max, and I hate that I see his lifeless face at night when I close my eyes. I hate that because of him, I’m scared all the time. And I always feel so fucking ashamed because of it. Not because I didn’t save him, because I don’t think I could have if I had even tried. But about how I’ve handled it with my friends and with you. About how I can’t stop… thinking about it. It’s consuming me. Seeing that happen to someone… seeing someone take their last breath like that… I’m never going to be able to forget or forgive him. And I hate that most of all. Because I want to. I want it to be like he was never here, or to at least be able to forget that I got my face bashed in by him twice. But instead, he had to go out in a way that was just as brutal and unforgettable as how he lived. He had to leave one last scar. One fucking doozy of a scar. That fucking piece of shit…”

Eddie stared at you in shock. You hadn’t meant to say all of that. You didn’t even really know it was how you felt. But Eddie had coaxed it out of you with one gentle look and a simple question, the way he always did.

The conversation suddenly didn’t feel like a ruse anymore. Now it felt like you had revealed too much.

“I’m so sorry. That was really selfish and fucked up of me to say…” You attempted to backtrack, tensing up and backing away from him.

“No. Hey, you can tell me anything, okay?” He reassured you, gripping your arm gently. “I would never judge you. I can’t even imagine how scary that must have been to see someone die like that, let alone somebody you weren’t… very fond of. It must feel really confusing. But… look, I do know what it’s like to hate somebody for hurting you and people you love. And if that person I’m thinking of dropped dead in front of me today, I think I would feel the exact same way you do. Some people just can’t be fully redeemed, no matter what they do or how…how they die. And just because he died, that doesn’t mean you have to forgive him. Okay? It’s okay. That’s nothing to be ashamed about. That shit, that anger… it lingers. And it’s not your fault.”

You relaxed and let out a shaky breath as he rubbed your arm with his thumb. You didn’t know what to say other than, “Thank you.” Once again, he knew just what to say to ease your mind. He dropped his hand to your thigh, resting it there casually like it didn’t make your skin prickle with electricity. You sucked in a breath again.

“For what it’s worth, I hate him, too,” He mumbled, snapping you out of your reverie. “If he were still alive, I’d find him right now and kill him myself for putting his hands on you and those kids.”

“Eddie…”

“I mean it.”

“I know you do,” You said, putting your hand on top of his.

“It makes my skin crawl, thinking about it.”

“Don’t think about it. He’s gone. It doesn’t matter anymore, okay?”

He nodded, but lowered his eyes and clenched his jaw, not entirely willing to let go of it just yet. You couldn’t resist distracting him by asking one of the questions you had been biting back ever since you’d known him. Something you had suspected since the moment he discovered your bruises and made it clear that he knew from experience that a fist had caused them, but you were too afraid to find out the truth until now.

“Did your dad hurt you, Eddie? Is that who you were talking about?”

He looked up at you, slightly surprised, then nodded slowly.

“Me and my mom. Yeah.”

You winced involuntarily and squeezed his hand tighter.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’re right. He’s gone. Could be dead, too, for all I know. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. That’s completely different.”

“He can’t hurt me anymore,” He shrugged.

“Yeah. But he did. And that shit lingers,” You quoted him. He smiled sadly at you and interlocked his fingers with yours.

“Quoting me to me, huh?”

“You can be pretty wise when you want to be.”

He snorted at you and you reached out to brush his hair out of his face, then scooted closer to him.

“I would kill your dad, too, you know. If he showed up here right now, there would be no stopping me.”

“Yeah?” He said, his lips turned up in a half-smile as he looked you up and down.

You traced a finger over his bottom lip and he visibly melted at your touch, his playful demeanor quickly morphing into longing.

“Yeah. Anybody that could truly know you and not treat you the way you deserve - that could hurt you like that - shouldn’t be allowed to walk the earth.”

“And how exactly do I deserve to be treated?” He asked you, trying his best to keep up his typical lighthearted teasing, but the look on his face and the softness in his voice gave him away.

You thought about telling him before you decided to show him instead. You wedged yourself into his lap, closing any gap between the two of you, and kissed him softly on his forehead. “Like this,” You whispered. Then you kissed his nose, and his temple, and his cheek, and along his jaw.

You pulled away to look at him and his eyes were closed, his lips parted slightly in contentment. You smiled and leaned in again to kiss both of his eyelids.

That was what he deserved. Tenderness.

He opened his eyes to look into yours when you brushed your fingertips against his cheek.

“You’re so pretty,” You whispered before you could stop yourself, ruining the moment. He grinned at you and put his hand on the back of your head to pull you into a kiss, then you wrapped your arms around him and nuzzled into the crook of his neck with a loud sigh. He held you around your waist and gave you another kiss on your temple. “And you smell so good. Why do you smell so good?” You groaned in mock frustration, your voice muffled by his mop of hair. You were pressed so tightly to him that you felt his chest heave with laughter.

“It’s called soap,” He joked. You peeled yourself away from him and cocked your head at him.

“Don’t tell me,” You said, holding up a finger. “Violet? It’s violet scented soap, isn’t it?”

“I… don’t know. Maybe? I just use whatever cheap shit Wayne buys. Why?” He paused to raise an eyebrow at you suspiciously. “Have you put a lot of thought into this?”

You diverted your attention to the chain around his neck and rolled it between your fingers in an attempt to appear nonchalant.

“Maybe…” You admitted so quietly that you hoped he wouldn’t hear. But when he tittered at you, you knew he had.

“Wow, you have a giant crush on me. That’s so embarrassing.”

Your mouth fell open and you scoffed derisively, then pushed him firmly by the shoulder.

“Hey! Wait a second… who was the one that admitted to having a crush on me since middle school?”

“Was that me? I don’t recall.”

“I’m pretty sure the word you used to describe me was… magic? Is that ringing any bells?”

He squinted as he pretended to try to recall the conversation, then shook his head.

“Nope. Sorry. Wasn’t me.”

“Okay. Fine. My mistake. I’ll just get out of your hair, then…”

You started to stand up with a barely concealed smirk, and he frantically pulled you back down into his lap by your hips.

“No, no, wait! I remember now. That was me. Sorry, I thought you were somebody else for a second.”

You chortled, raising your eyebrows at him.

“Oh, really? Who? One of your other casual relationships?”

He let out a loud laugh and buried his face in your shoulder in shame.

“Walked right into that one, didn’t I?” He muttered.

You laughed with him and wiggled your shoulder so that he would sit up straight again.

“You’re kind of an asshole, aren’t you?” You teased.

“…Yes,” He shrugged, a shit-eating grin on his face. “I assumed you already knew that about me.”

You draped your arms around his shoulders and crossed them behind his neck, shaking your head.

“Nope. Here I was thinking you were some sweet, sensitive guy.”

“Me?” He snorted. “No. Well… maybe just for you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yup.”

“And why is that?”

He didn’t respond with words. He just grinned and leaned in to kiss you.

He adored you. That was why. But even though you were in his room, on his bed, in his arms, kissing him…you couldn’t actually let yourself believe it. You smirked at him and shook your head, then pecked him a couple more times on his lips for good measure.

“Admit that you also have a giant, embarrassing crush on me and I will forgive you.”

“Alright, fine,” He groaned. “I have a massive, disgusting crush on you. And you are magic. I stand by it. I don’t care if it’s corny. It’s true. Happy now?”

“Extremely,” You nodded.

“Good."

You beamed at him and hugged him tightly to you again, pressing your cheek up against the side of his head. You took a deep breath to relax into him, and inhaled his scent again. An involuntary moan of satisfaction escaped your mouth.

“Will you please remind me to write a thank you note to Wayne sometime for the soap?” You mumbled into his hair.

“Will do,” He said with a laugh, then after a few moments he sighed and whispered, “Thank you for explaining everything to me, Y/N. It means a lot to me.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to fight back the guilt again.

“Thank you for wanting to know. For wanting to be in my life. For letting me into yours.”

He turned his head towards you, his nose brushing your ear, and you could feel his lips turned up in an appreciative smile against your cheek.

“I’m really happy you’re here,” He whispered, his breath against your skin making you shiver. “Which reminds me…”

He gave you a quick kiss on your cheek, then put his hands on your hips again and shifted you off of him so he could stand up. The sudden separation confused (and pained) you.

“Where are you going?” You whined.

“I believe I promised you I’d lend some tapes,” He mumbled as he went to the corner of his room to rummage through a cabinet overflowing with records and cassettes.

“Right now?”

“Yeah. It’s getting dark, and I wanna get as much in as I can while I still have you here.”

He walked back over and threw himself back down roughly beside you, shoving a few cassettes into your hands. “Only the best for you. Guard them with your life.”

“But I don’t have anything for you. I just gave away the only tape I had on me.”

“Well, next time, then. If there’s gonna be a next time.”

He was as afraid as you were that this was just a fluke, but he had more reason than you to be worried. You were the one who wavered so many times. He was probably terrified that you would wake up tomorrow and change your mind again. It made your heart ache.

You put on a smile and answered this non-question by leaning forward to kiss him. He rested his hands on your thighs with a sigh of relief and you set the cassettes aside so you could give his shoulders a little shake.

“There will be a next time. I promise,” You reassured him, looking him directly in the eyes so he would know you meant it. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He nodded and moved his hands to your backside to try to pull you into his lap again, and you happily scooted closer to him so you could wrap your legs around his torso. He playfully kissed you all over your face to reward your for your affirmations, making you giggle.

“Maybe I’ll bring you that Stevie Nicks record I was telling you about,” You blurted out nervously, throwing your head back as he moved his lips to your neck and planted kisses to your throat. He stopped suddenly when you said this, and pulled away to look up at you with a bashful smile.

“What?” You asked anxiously.

“I already listened to it.”

Your eyebrows raised in shock.

“H…how? When?” You stammered.

“I went out and bought it the day after I took you out on our ‘non date'.”

“…You liar.”

He shook his head vehemently.

“I swear to god. Scout’s honor.”

You squinted at him skeptically and unwrapped yourself from him to go over to his music collection. He immediately raced over to stand in front of it, guarding it from you.

“What are you doing?” You protested.

“I can’t let you look in there.”

“What? Why? Because you are lying?”

You tried to push him aside but he stood firm.

“No. I’m sorry. It’s too soon.”

“Too soon? Are you afraid you’re gonna lose your metal head credibility or something?”

He didn’t say anything, and your mouth fell open.

“Oh my god, Eddie, what do you have in there? I gotta see.”

You tried to push him again, but he stuck his arm out to stop you.

“No!”

“Come on!” You begged, stamping your foot like a child. “I promise I will show you all of the records I have that would make you absolutely cringe if you let me look through these right now.”

“Nah uh. I’m not gonna fall for that,” He argued, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “I know exactly what you’re doing. You say you’re gonna show me yours if I show you mine, and then when the time comes you’re gonna flake out on me.”

You stopped fighting him and stared at him, an eyebrow raised. He snorted as he realized what he said. He had basically called you a tease.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I swear I didn’t mean for that to sound dirty,” He joked, putting his hands up, and you tried once again to push him aside with a scoff. He giggled and picked you up effortlessly by your waist as you squealed in surprise, then threw you down on his bed while you laughed uncontrollably. You both stayed there for a while, laughing together as you gazed at each other. Then when you finally settled, he got back up and walked over to pull out a Bella Donna cassette, holding it up to you as proof.

Your mouth fell open in astonishment as you laid there on his bed watching him, propped up on your elbows.

“Oh ye of such little faith,” He joked when he realized how stunned you really were.

Holy shit. He actually did buy it. This guy really was crazy about you. It absolutely rattled you. Then when the initial shock wore off, a wide smirk appeared on your face.

“Oh my god. You really do have a giant crush on me.”

“Mhm. I told you.”

“So embarrassing.”

“So embarrassing,” He agreed.

He put it away and walked back slowly to you, sitting down on the edge of his bed away from you. You didn’t budge. You just stared back at him, willing him to move closer to you. When he received the message, he scooted over and leaned down to kiss you. You struggled to balance on one elbow as your other hand found its way into his hair, so you laid down fully and pulled him down with you. He situated his body on top of yours and you instinctively made space for him between your legs, bending your knees around his hips.

The kiss started to get a little sloppier after a while - a little hungrier - and you found yourself gasping for air. Eddie noticed and pulled away for a minute to give you a chance to breathe, but then quickly moved to your neck instead, only causing you to pant more irregularly. He began to kiss his way down to your chest, his hand gripping your thigh tightly, and you knew then that if you let him continue like that, neither of you would want it to stop.

“Eddie, at the risk of sounding like a tease again,” You quipped breathlessly, referring to his earlier jest about the records, “I, uh, think we should take things slow. Is that okay?”

He lifted his head up to look at you and jokingly let out a groan, then immediately dropped the act and planted a chaste kiss to your cheek.

“I’ll do anything you want me to,” He promised, rolling off of you to lay on his side next to you. Then he smirked and added, “And I do mean anything.”

You rolled over too to face him and squinted at him disapprovingly, even though the way he said ‘anything’ sent a tingle through you.

“Slow, Munson. Slow,” You reminded him.

“Right,” He nodded. “But not as slow as we were moving, I hope…”

“No, definitely not that slow,” You laughed. “But this is nice, right?” You brushed his hair back behind his shoulder and he hummed contentedly, then put his hand on your waist to pull your body a little bit closer to him.

“Yes. This is very nice,” He sighed, closing his eyes. “I really like kissing you.”

“I really like kissing you, too.”

“And to think, it only took us several years to get here,” He teased, giving your hips a playful little shake.

“Hey, that’s a new personal best for me.”

You both laughed at this, but the sad part was that it was actually true. That was a separate conversation, though.

His eyes were still closed and he seemed fully relaxed and peaceful despite your abrupt cutoff of your make-out session, and it made you smile to see him so happy. You liked being the reason for that look of relief on his face. You inched your face closer to his and rubbed your nose against his to get him to open his eyes again. Your attempt was unsuccessful, so you decided to ask him a question instead to capture his attention.

“So, tell me,” You whispered. “What did you think about the record? Which song was the least painful to listen to?”

He smiled and stretched his back like a cat, making a little sound, then finally blinked his eyes open.

“Hm. Well, to be honest… I actually cried a little when I listened to Leather and Lace.”

“You did not,” You said flatly.

“Okay, no I didn’t,” He admitted with a chuckle. “But it did make me feel… something. It made me think of you a little bit.”

Once again, you were shocked and unwilling to believe that he was that perfect.

“You’re so full of shit,” You scoffed. He scrunched up his eyebrows like a pouting child.

“When have I ever lied to you?” He defended himself. You shook your head in disbelief.

“Are you even real?”

“I don’t know. Am I? You tell me.”

You reached out to poke his cheek, and he swatted your hand away with mock aversion.

“You seem to, in fact, be real. But honestly there’s still a very good chance that I’m just crazy.”

“Fuck,” He groaned dramatically in despair. “Two crazy people together? I don’t know if we can do this. How will we balance each other out?”

“We’ll make it work. We’re Leather and Lace, baby.”

His hand was laying in between your face and his, and you reached out to hook your pinky around his. He grinned and reciprocated it, balling his fingers up into a fist and kissing it at the same time as you kissed your own hand.

“Which one am I? Leather or lace?” He asked you.

Before you’d really gotten to know him, before today, you would have said leather. But now that you were laying beside him and he was practically a melted Eddie puddle from just a few minutes of kissing, you realized that he was undeniably soft.

“I think maybe it’s gonna depend on the day,” You finally decided.

He thought about it, then pursed his lips and nodded.

“Fair enough.”

Some days you would be his strength, and some days he would be yours. You liked the idea of that. Of sharing your life with him like that. Of being equal partners. You were ready for the challenge of give and take that came with a relationship. You’d never been in this position before. You’d never let somebody in like this, or wanted to be let in the way he had let you into his life. It was thrilling. Terrifying, but in a good way.

You wrapped your arms around his waist and buried your face in his chest, and the two of you laid together in silence until all of the daylight outside disappeared and you reluctantly decided that it was time for you to go.

“Are you sure you have to leave?” He whined as the two of you said your goodbyes outside.

“Yes. I don’t want to, but I stole one of my parents’ cars again and they’re getting dangerously close to their hatred for me surpassing their desire to control me. I’ll be out on my ass soon if I keep pushing it. I’ve just gotta play it safe for a little while longer until I’m able to afford my own place. Then you can see me anytime you want to.”

He nodded and looked down at your hand, then hooked his pinky around yours again.

“You’re always welcome here, you know,” He shrugged, “If you ever need an escape.”

“Thank you,” You said with a grateful smile, and brushed some of his hair that the evening breeze had blown into his face away from his cheek. “I’m counting on that. Don’t forget, I will be seeing the rest of those records someday, Eddie Munson.”

“Fine. Someday.”

His lips turned up in a smile at that word. Someday. There would be more days like this. It made you happy, too. He wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed you deeply, slowly, and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders.

“So, what am I, like, your boyfriend now?” He barely pulled away to ask it, murmuring it into your lips before pressing another soft kiss to them.

“Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” You asked with a smirk, your fingers stroking the back of his neck. He pulled away fully to smile down at you.

“Yeah. I do.”

“Okay. Good. I wanna be your girlfriend.”

“Well, okay. That was easy,” He snorted. “I like the sound of that. I’ve never called anyone my girlfriend before.”

You were slightly surprised to hear this, but not completely considering the way he had described his past relationships.

“I’ve never called anybody my boyfriend before.”

“Good.”

“Good,” You agreed.

“Bye, girlfriend,” He sighed and let you go.

“Bye, boyfriend. I’ll see you later."

You backed away from him and nearly stumbled down his steps because you were too busy watching him to pay attention to where you were stepping. You did your best to pretend like it didn’t happen, brushing your hair behind your ear timidly before you turned around to walk towards your car.

“I’m gonna be thinking about you tonight,” He called out, his arm up against the door frame as he watched you go.

“You do that,” You spun around momentarily to call back, smiling smugly.

“You gonna think about me?”

“I’m gonna have to to help me get through all of these,” You teased, looking at him over your shoulder while holding up the tapes he gave you. He pretended to stab himself in the heart, this time without the dramatics and with a satisfied smile on his face. It seemed more like Cupid’s arrow than a dagger.

You could feel him watching you as you put your things in the car, and you hesitated for a moment before shamelessly running back to jump on him, wrapping your legs around his torso and your arms around his neck to kiss him again. He seemed to be overjoyed by the display as he let out a gleeful laugh and grinned a toothy, proud grin.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” You asked shyly after he set you back down on his porch gently.

“You can see me anytime you want,” He nodded happily. “That’s what boyfriends are for.”

“Will you pick me up?”

“Lunchtime?”

“Sure.”

“It’s a date.”

You beamed at his unabashed use of the word ‘date’ and pecked him on the lips one more time, then reluctantly peeled your arms away from his neck to leave him. You couldn’t help turning around a couple more times to look at him as you walked back to your car, and he waved at you one last time before he ducked back through his front door.

In the same moment that your hand grabbed for your car door handle, your eyes landed on Max crouched on the ground nearby as she fed one of her neighbor’s dogs through a chainlink fence. You froze as if you were a criminal caught in the act. You were glad it was too dark for her to see the blush that was forming on your cheeks.

She stood up and waved at you, wiggling her fingers with a devious smile on her face. You weren’t sure how much of your public display of affection she had seen.

“Looks like somebody had a good night,” She called.

“Yes. Yes I did, thank you,” You called back, trying your best to keep up a composed, cool demeanor to hide your embarrassment.

“Told you so!” She added smugly, and you couldn’t hold back an eye roll.

As she laughed at you, you stuck your tongue out at her and waved back with a middle finger for good measure before getting into your car. She would definitely be using this moment as ammunition to make fun of you for a very, very long time.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

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This better not awaken anything in me

#too late #wednesday #wednesday addams #netflix

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Gah thank you that’s such a nice compliment 🥺 I love Max so much! Also, couldn’t resist throwing the “running away” line in there… I had to do it I’m so sorry 😭♥️ thank you for reading!!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Moving Day

Summary: After helping the Byers family move, you give Max a ride back to her new home and she talks you into going after Eddie. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, 5.5k words)

Warnings: Mentions of death, grief, and abuse.

A/N: FINALLY the reader makes a decision lol. Thanks for hanging in there so far! But also maybe don’t count Steve Harrington out quite yet shhhh I’m sorry

Tags: @blackbirddaredevil23 @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld

Series Masterlist

October 5th, 1985

The seasons were beginning to reflect the changes in all of your lives. As soon as the first leaves began to turn amber the week prior, you had all gathered to help Max move out of her old house into the Forest Hills Trailer Park. And now, here you were again, repeating the same motions with the Byers family, packing their lives up and putting the boxes into a moving truck.

When you handed one off to Joyce and went back into the house to help Dustin pack up another, you walked in on Max and Lucas taunting him by singing The NeverEnding Story theme.

“What’s going on in here?” You asked with a gleeful chuckle, happy to see your younger friends finding joy on a sad day.

“These assholes won’t even let me mention Suzie without singing this stupid song,” Dustin whined as they continued to sing.

“Wait, did we get that verse right?” Max paused to ask. “It’s ‘unfold behind the clouds’?”

“Yeah, but you’re butchering it, so could you please stop?”

“So then join in Dusty-bun,” Lucas teased him in a squeaky, girly voice and blew him a kiss.

“Yeah, come on Dusty-bun, why don’t you join us?” Max echoed.

“You guys are so funny, you should be on Carson.”

“I cannot believe that I missed out on you and Suzie singing that together,” You chuckled. “I’m not sure I even fully believe it happened.”

“Oh, believe me, it happened,” Lucas said, a giant grin on his face. “And it was amazing.”

Keep reading

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Chapter Twenty-Five: Moving Day

Summary: After helping the Byers family move, you give Max a ride back to her new home and she talks you into going after Eddie. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, 5.5k words)

Warnings: Mentions of death, grief, and abuse.

A/N: FINALLY the reader makes a decision lol. Thanks for hanging in there so far! But also maybe don’t count Steve Harrington out quite yet shhhh I’m sorry

Tags: @blackbirddaredevil23 @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld

Series Masterlist

October 5th, 1985

When you handed one off to Joyce and went back into the house to help Dustin pack up another, you walked in on Max and Lucas taunting him by singing The NeverEnding Story theme.

“What’s going on in here?” You asked with a gleeful chuckle, happy to see your younger friends finding joy on a sad day.

“These assholes won’t even let me mention Suzie without singing this stupid song,” Dustin whined as they continued to sing.

“Wait, did we get that verse right?” Max paused to ask. “It’s ‘unfold behind the clouds’?”

“Yeah, but you’re butchering it, so could you please stop?”

“So then join in Dusty-bun,” Lucas teased him in a squeaky, girly voice and blew him a kiss.

“Yeah, come on Dusty-bun, why don’t you join us?” Max echoed.

“You guys are so funny, you should be on Carson.”

“I cannot believe that I missed out on you and Suzie singing that together,” You chuckled. “I’m not sure I even fully believe it happened.”

“Oh, believe me, it happened,” Lucas said, a giant grin on his face. “And it was amazing.”

“Can’t we just hear your rendition?” Max begged, since she had missed it, too.

“No.”

“Please? Just one verse?”

“No! No way. It’s reserved for Suzie’s ears and Suzie’s ears alone.”

Max and Lucas went silent and gave each other a look, then immediately burst into song again. Dustin begged them to stop, and you waved your hands at them emphatically.

“Come on, guys. Stop!” You yelled.

“Thank you!” Dustin said with a sigh of relief when they listened to you.

You smirked at him before adding, “You gotta sing it more like this…” Then you scrunched up your face and belted out, “IN THEIR FACE, THE MIRROR OF THEIR DREEEEEAAAAMS!”

They joined in with your singing again happily, clapping their hands in rhythm, and Dustin waved his middle finger at the three of you with a completely straight face. You stopped and snorted at him, then walked off to pick up another box as they continued to taunt him despite his pleas for them to shut up. As you walked down the hallway, you passed Mike and Will and couldn’t help eavesdropping on their conversation.

Will dropped his D&D materials into a box, and Mike frantically warned him that it was for donations.

“I know,” Will shrugged. “I’ll just use yours when I come back. I mean… if we still wanna play.”

“Yeah, but what if you want to join another party?”

“Not possible.”

They smiled at each other, and Will walked off to get more of his things. You remembered how Mike had mentioned that joining Hellfire had been a point of contention between the two of them, and you were happy to see that they had reached some kind of understanding. You balanced the box you were carrying on your hip so that you could give Mike a supportive pat on his shoulder as you passed by him on your way to the front door. As strong as he appeared to be outwardly, you knew this day was hardest on him. He was about to lose his best friend and girlfriend in one fell swoop.

You set the box down in the truck, and Joyce came up and put a hand on your back.

“Thanks again for helping today, Y/N. We appreciate it.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

She smiled at you and brushed your hair behind your shoulder lovingly before pulling you into a hug. This gesture easily brought tears to your eyes. You hadn’t realized until her last day at Melvald’s how much you had come to rely on her company. How much you wished she could be your mother instead of the one you had. Your own mother had never looked at you the way she had, with so much warmth and adoration.

“It’s not gonna be the same at Melvald’s without you,” You admitted, whispering into her shoulder. She pulled away, her hands gripping your arms, and stuck her bottom lip out as she studied the sad look on your face that you were failing to conceal. She clicked her tongue and stroked your hair again.

“You know, Mr. Melvald is gonna need someone else to fill in as manager now,” She said gently. “I spoke to him, and the position is yours if you want it. He’s gonna talk to you on Monday.”

Your eyebrows raised in shock. With that promotion came a pay raise, which meant you would be able to reach your goal of moving out of your parents’ house much faster than you had planned. You were so touched by this gesture that you had trouble finding words, your mouth hanging open.

“Thank you, Joyce,” You finally said quietly, your voice breaking. “That means a lot to me.”

She nodded, then shook you gently by the shoulders and said, “Hold down the fort here for me, will ya? Keep looking after these kids. They’re gonna need you.”

“I will,” You said, nodding back at her determinedly.

You reached up to squeeze one of her hands before she released her grip on you and blew a puff of air out of the corner of her mouth, trying to ease some of the heaviness she was feeling in her heart.

“Alright,” She sighed. “How many boxes do we have left in there?”

“Just a handful,” You sniffed, turning your head towards the house to wipe away a tear subtly. “I think the boys are just about done packing up their rooms.”

“Okay. Good. I’m gonna go make sure my room is all packed up, too. Would you mind grabbing Jonathan for me so he can help me lift these mattresses into the truck?”

“Sure, no problem.”

You smiled at her and waited for her to go inside the house before you followed. You had to pause to close your eyes and breathe deeply in through your nose first, willing yourself to fight back your emotions.

When you walked down the hallway and made it to Jonathan’s door, you found him and Nancy embracing each other in the middle of his empty room, swaying back and forth. Your heart ached for them. You waited as long as you could, feeling guilty for interrupting such a sweet moment before rapping your knuckles softly on the doorframe. They both lifted their heads to look at you, tears streaking both of their faces.

“I’m sorry,” You said softly. “Jonathan, your mom asked me to come get you. She needs help loading the truck.”

He nodded and wiped his nose and eyes on his shirt collar before pressing a kiss to Nancy’s forehead and brushing past you, patting your shoulder kindly as he passed through the doorway. Nancy turned away from you and wiped her eyes.

“You… okay?” You asked her, even though it was clear that she wasn’t. You weren’t sure what else to say.

“Yeah,” She sniffed, then spun back around, pushing her shoulders back with a little head shake as she fought to steel herself. “I’ll be fine. We should probably go help.”

You nodded and she walked over to you, wiping her eyes one more time. You wrapped an arm around her waist as the two of you walked down the hallway together, and she gratefully reciprocated the gesture by winding her own around your shoulders.

After Jonathan put the last box in the truck and pulled the door down, you all knew that you had reached the end. It was time to say your final goodbyes.

You hugged El first, thanking her for everything she had done to protect you and your friends, and she thanked you for helping her, Mike, and Max at the mall on The Fourth. You silently hoped that now that her powers were gone, she would be able to live her life peacefully without having to carry the enormous burden of everything she had been forced to do with them. Then you hugged Jonathan, who asked you to look after Nancy for him, and you promised him you would before asking him to take care of himself. He had one more sibling to look after now with El, and you knew he was about to do everything in his power to help out his mom and keep them out of trouble. Your biggest wish for him was that this move to California would at least help him feel like he could find some solace, now that they would all be away from the Upside Down and the memories of Will’s suffering that still haunted them. You wished the same for Will, and also that he would finally have the time and space to find himself and his place in the world. You wanted him to find his light again. His joy. You wished he could be the happy little kid you used to babysit again, or at least some version of him.

When you got to him, you couldn’t hold back your tears anymore. He was openly weeping, and seeing him so upset made you a mess. You hugged him tightly, then pulled away and held him by the shoulders.

“Promise me you won’t stop making art, okay? Maybe you can send me some of your stuff sometime.”

“I promise,” He agreed with a nod, and wiped his eyes. “But you have to promise me, too.”

“Okay,” You sniffled, a melancholy smile making a brief appearance on your face. “I promise.”

He sprung forward to hug you again, making you lurch back slightly from the sheer force of it. It made you want to break into a million little pieces.

“You’re gonna be safe now, alright?” You whispered, your voice cracking. “You’re gonna be okay.” You sincerely hoped that it was the truth.

He nodded against your shoulder then reluctantly pulled away for the final time, avoiding eye contact with you as he wiped his nose on his arm and walked over to Lucas to embrace him next.

Joyce clutched at her chest while she watched the kids cry and hug each other tightly one by one, and you went over to her to give her a supportive side hug. You could tell she was feeling a pang of guilt for tearing them apart, but you wanted to make sure she knew that she was making the right choice for her and her family. She rubbed your back lovingly, smiling at you, then sighed and called out to her kids that it was time to go. You all parted from each other as slowly as possible, waving goodbye as Joyce and El got into the truck and Will and Jonathan got into his car.

Everyone stood and watched somberly as they faded into the distance - Max clinging to Lucas’s arm, Nancy resting her head on you after you hooked your arm through hers, and Dustin clapping a hand on Mike’s shoulder as he wore a look of utter devastation on his face. Then without so much as a word you all parted ways, the kids riding away on their bicycles and Nancy giving you a proper hug before getting into her car and driving away. You had taken your parents’ car again without permission and as you drove down the street, you watched as Max separated from the others to go towards the trailer park. You instantly knew why. She wanted to be alone. But you couldn’t resist making another attempt to be there for her.

You flagged her down and stopped the car beside her, then rolled your window down.

“Why don’t you let me give you a ride?” You called.

“I’m fine,” She shrugged.

“I know you are. But Forest Hills is pretty far, and I don’t want you riding all the way out there by yourself.”

“I don’t mind.”

You sighed and leaned over to open the car door.

“Put your bike in the back,” You commanded, nodding to the backseat. She stayed still, staring at you with her brows furrowed, and you raised yours at her impatiently in return. “Come on! Please?” You added, cocking your head.

She rolled her eyes and swung her leg over the bike, then shoved it roughly into the back of your car before getting in beside you and slamming the door.

“Thank you,” You mumbled as you pulled away from the side of the road, but she just folded her arms over her chest and turned to the window. You couldn’t keep yourself from repeatedly glancing over at her as you sat in silence, and in turn, she kept eyeing you uncomfortably.

“So… hard week, huh?” You finally decided on saying, then immediately regretted it. She turned her head just enough to stare back at you with a look of aversion. You did a double take, unsettled by how hard it seemed like she was trying to disintegrate you with her mind.

“What?” You asked defensively.

“You gave me a ride just to try to get me to talk about my feelings, didn’t you?”

Shit. She was too smart for you.

“No,” You said quickly with a scoff that was a bit too unconvincing.

“Jesus,” She muttered, leaning her head against her hand. “I get enough of that from the school guidance counselor. I don’t need it from you, too. I’m sad, but everyone else is sad, too. Okay? It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will be,” You said sadly with a shrug. “I just want you to know that I’m here if you need anything.”

She turned to look at you again, then groaned a little before softening her posture.

“I’m sorry. I’m just sick of people asking me if I’m okay all the time and trying to make me talk about things. I don’t want to think about it.”

“Okay. That’s fair. I won’t bring it up again. But you can at any time, alright?”

She shrugged, lowering her eyes for a moment before glancing over at you with a smirk.

“Whatever. I know the real reason why you wanted to drive me.”

“Huh?” You asked, genuinely confused since she had already figured out your master plan.

“Because Eddie lives next door to me now.”

You turned to her with wide eyes, your mouth opening and closing as you struggled to find words to defend yourself. You certainly weren’t expecting her to say that.

“You didn’t know I knew about that, did you?” She scoffed.

“Knew about what, exactly?”

“You and Eddie. And… Steve.”

“How the hell did you find out about Steve?!” You asked her a little too panicked, and it made her laugh.

“I didn’t. Until just now,” She giggled. “I just took a shot. I knew something weird was going on between you guys, but Lucas wouldn’t believe me.”

You closed your eyes for a moment wearily before you suddenly remembered that you were driving and snapped them open again.

“Oh my god,” You grumbled, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “There’s nothing there… anymore. There may have been. A little. Briefly. But we cleared it up. We’re still just friends. Please, do not tell any of the others. Not even Lucas. Okay?”

“Fine,” She shrugged, a smirk still on her face. “And Eddie?”

“Okay, no. You start talking first,” You protested firmly. “What do you know?”

“I know he couldn’t shut up about you when he drove me to school this week.”

You were stunned silent. You knew he had promised you he’d check in on her, but you hadn’t expected him to still do it after the way you had treated him the last time you spoke. And you certainly hadn’t expected him to do it almost immediately after she moved in.

“He drove you to school?” You asked quietly.

“Yeah. On Monday. I thought it was weird until he started talking about you, and then I realized he was probably just trying to get in your good graces. Never riding with him again, by the way. We almost died in a fiery crash at least ten times.”

Jesus Christ. Even though you refused to answer any of his questions and pushed him away, Eddie was still invested in you and ready to lend a helping hand. The boy was relentless.

“What did he… what did he say about me?”

“I don’t know, just how cool and nice you were, and he kept asking me about you. Like, how I met you and stuff.” She paused, remembering their conversations, then looked at you with her forehead wrinkled in concern. “Wait, he’s not a stalker, is he?”

“No,” You snorted. “No, he’s not. He’s… sweet.”

She raised an eyebrow at you.

“You’re into him, right? Because he’s clearly into you.”

“Doesn’t matter,” You brushed her off quickly. “It wouldn’t work.”

“Why not?”

“I just think… it’d be irresponsible to drag him into my life, considering how… chaotic it is.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes as she immediately realized what you were holding back from saying to try to spare her.

“You mean because of the Upside Down?” She grumbled, and you turned to her, your head tilted apologetically.

“Yeah,” You admitted bashfully. “Exactly.”

“Whether he knows about it or not, it’s still there, Y/N,” She said, shaking her head. “Billy didn’t know about it, and he still died. Maybe if you involved Eddie, then you could actually have a better chance at keeping him safe.”

“No, you don’t know him, Max. If he found out… he would… he would have to be the one to try to keep me safe. To keep all of us safe. No matter the cost.”

“Okay, then… just don’t tell him about it. Tell him enough to get him off your back, and then leave out all of the…crazy shit. That way you can still keep him in the dark and keep an eye on him at the same time in case something happens again.”

You were surprised by how nonchalant she was about the idea of you hiding things from him, and the gate to the Upside Down reopening again.

“But I can’t… I can’t lie to him like that. Right?”

She shrugged, then avoiding your gaze, she mumbled, “I think it’s okay to lie to somebody you care about if you know it’ll protect them. Sometimes, you don’t really have a choice.”

You stared at her in shock but she sat firm, a faraway look on her face. You couldn’t resist prodding her to figure out where her experience with this came from.

“Are you talking about your mom? Or Lucas?” You asked quietly.

“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.”

“Max…”

“Listen, there’s gotta be some excuse you can think of,” She interrupted you. “Anything. Does he know about any of it yet?”

You sighed and rubbed your eyebrow, desperately wanting to move the subject away from Eddie, but her gaze was suddenly unwavering.

“Alright,” You finally said dejectedly. “He was out for blood trying to figure out who gave me my injuries from both of our… Upside Down encounters, but I just told him I was at the mall on The Fourth. He could tell there was something I was hiding, though, and I sort of freaked out and snapped at him because I didn’t know what else to tell him. That’s where we left off. I haven’t spoken to him since.”

She pondered this, then sucked a determined breath through her teeth.

“Okay,” She nodded. “Easy. You can just tell him about Billy, then. Tell him he was the one who hurt you both times, and you saw him die at the mall. That it was hard for you to talk about it. That’s not even a lie.”

You were in disbelief at how easy it was for her to be impartial while talking about this. How willing she was to offer Billy up as a scapegoat.

“But… it… it wasn’t actually Billy who hurt me the second time,” You stammered. “It feels… wrong to blame him for that.”

“I know Billy saved El in the end, but he was still an asshole, Y/N. He still did a lot of bad things in his life. He hurt you - he hurt us - more than once. You can tell Eddie the truth about that. That you were trying to protect us from him. It’s okay.”

You shook your head, once again stunned by her detached demeanor while reliving the events of that night, and her determination for you to find a way to move forward not only with Eddie, but in your life as well. She was an unmovable force.

“You’re insanely strong, you know that?” You couldn’t resist saying. She just snorted.

“It’s not like I have a choice.”

Hearing her say that made you wince, and you couldn’t hold back your worry anymore.

“Look, Max. I appreciate you trying to help me with this, but I promise you there was no part of me that wanted to give you a ride so I could see Eddie. That’s actually the last thing I want right now. I just didn’t want you to be alone today. And I guess… I didn’t want to be alone either.”

She lowered her eyes and rested her head on her hand again as she looked out the window.

“Don’t you ever get sick of being around people that know about the Upside Down? That remind you about everything that happened?” She asked quietly after a brief moment of silence.

You hadn’t thought about that before. Spending time with Robin and Steve had seemed to heal you at first, but maybe another one of the reasons why you and Steve had trouble working things out was because you were both too focused on trying to carry the weight of your traumas.

You weren’t sure if this was a rhetorical question or not and you didn’t know how to respond, so instead you asked, “Do you?”

You wondered if she was still trying to make a case for you to go after Eddie, or if she was actually just making a pointed comment about having to be in the car with you. Maybe she was even thinking about Lucas and the others, too. But she just stayed silent, her eyes still glued to the window so you couldn’t read her face. You remembered your promise to her that you would leave her alone, so you didn’t press her, no matter how badly you wanted to. But after a while the unanswered question hanging in the air and your worry for her began to grate on you.

“Is it okay if I play something?” You blurted, and she nodded without bothering to look at you. You put in a tape and pressed play, turning up the volume dial. A minute or so into the first song, she finally turned back to you.

“What is this?” She asked, and you couldn’t tell if it was in disgust or just genuine curiosity.

“Oh, uh. I just bought it. It’s Kate Bush, Hounds of Love. If you don’t like it, I can turn it off…”

“No,” She said quickly, interrupting you. “It’s fine. I was just wondering.”

She fell silent again, and the two of you let Kate Bush’s voice fill the lull. Then when the song ended, she spoke again.

“It’s… kinda weird.”

“Yeah, I guess it is. Just wait, it gets weirder,” You chuckled. “Is that bad?”

“No. I like it. What was that song called?”

“Running Up That Hill. It’s good, right? Here.”

You reached into the side pocket of your door to pick up the cassette case and handed it to her. You snuck a few peeks at her as she studied it, her eyebrows furrowed.

“My favorite is track five,” You offered, and she nodded, tracing her finger across the plastic until she got to it.

“Cloudbusting,” She read aloud.

“That’s the one.”

“What does that mean?” She chuckled.

“Honestly, no idea. But it makes me cry.”

“And you like that?”

“Yeah. It’s… cathartic. There’s nothing better than a sad song you can have a good, self-pitying cry to.”

She pursed her lips as she pondered this, then nodded and set the cassette down in her lap before turning the volume up louder and relaxing back into her seat. You let her listen in peaceful silence for the remainder of the car ride, glancing over at her every now and then as she watched the passing trees.

When you pulled up to her trailer, she tried to hand the tape case back to you before she got out of the car, but you waved a hand at her and ejected the tape, trying to pass it to her instead.

“Keep it. Consider it a housewarming gift.”

“I can’t keep it,” She said, cocking her head at you impatiently.

“Sure you can. I’ve already played it out, anyways.”

“You said it was new.”

“Yeah, it is. And I’ve been listening to it on repeat for two weeks. You’d be doing me a favor, honestly. I need to get it out of my head.”

She stared at you with her arm still extended, case in hand, and you raised your eyebrows at her and waved the cassette at her again. She scoffed at your refusal to back down.

“Y/N…”

“Max. Take it. Please,” You insisted with a smile, grabbing her free hand to shove the tape into it. She pulled both hands back and stared at each object with a sigh.

“Okay. Thanks,” She shrugged, putting the tape back inside the case, then leaned forward to shove it into her back pocket. As she did, she looked out the window and turned back to you with a smirk.

“Looks like Eddie’s home,” She teased.

You leaned forward to look out her window, too, and saw Eddie’s familiar van directly across the way. You hadn’t expected him to live that close to her.

“Yeah, so?” You mumbled, slumping back against your seat.

“So… are you gonna do something about it?”

You groaned loudly then glared at her, refusing to answer her question.

“Y/N, he hangs out with the boys every day at school, he offers me rides, he’s my neighbor, and you’ve hung out with him multiple times. He’s already in your life. You may as well fully let him in, don’t you think? Especially since it’s clearly what you both want. Just… stop being an idiot. Okay? You know you need this.”

Your mouth opened, but before you could even say anything, she got out of the car to grab her bike from the back. As she wheeled it away, she waved goodbye to you before pointing a demanding finger at Eddie’s trailer.

You let your head fall back against your seat and closed your eyes.

Max clearly wasn’t one to hold back or mince words. You knew that she was telling you the truth. Besides, if your friends moving away had made you realize anything, it was that your future was even more uncertain than before. Robin and Nancy would be graduating soon and would leave Hawkins for college. The kids would all get their driver’s licenses in a year or so and wouldn’t need you for rides anymore. And Steve? Who knew what he would do, but nothing would be keeping him around once everyone else was gone. And then there was Eddie. Maybe he wasn’t so sure he would be leaving Hawkins once he graduated, but you were.

Max was right about everything. Even Steve was right. While Eddie was still here and miraculously still fighting to be in your life for whatever reason, you needed to take the leap. Who knew how much time you would have left together anyways? Maybe he would still opt to leave town, even if you did become a couple. Maybe… maybe if things went well, you could even leave together. And then you would both be safe away from Hawkins and the Upside Down.

But above all else, maybe, just maybe, the danger was actually, finally over. You wanted to believe that more than anything. With El and the Byers family gone and safe, it felt kind of true.

You weren’t completely certain, but your heart wouldn’t stop fighting you. Selfish or not, Max’s comment made you feel like maybe what you really needed to move forward was someone who had no idea about the Upside Down. Someone who could be an escape for you, or a bridge back to reality. Somebody who could help you to see a future away from all of this.

And best of all, without even knowing the full story, Eddie was clearly still willing to be in your life. All he seemed to want was to be there for you.

What you really, really needed was him. It was almost aggravating how intensely you felt it in that moment.

You couldn’t take it anymore. You jumped out of your car and went up to his door before you could talk yourself out of it. You knocked quickly, shaking your leg anxiously as you waited for someone to open it. Then Eddie threw it open, leaving the screen door closed between the two of you. He didn’t say anything at first, too confused about how you had ended up at his door.

“Hi,” You said meekly.

“Y/N? What are you doing here? How did you…?”

“The van,” You interrupted him, pointing your thumb behind you. “Plus, I drove Max home and she said you lived here. We just got back from helping the Byers family move out of their house. They’re moving to California.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I know you were close to them.”

“It’s fine,” You said dissmissively, waving a hand. You weren’t sure why you had said all that. You were just nervous. “Anyways, that’s not why I’m here.”

“So… what did you need?”

You began shaking your leg nervously again, and he raised an eyebrow at you.

“I’m sorry. Can I… can we talk for a second?”

You eyed the screen door, hinting that you wanted him to remove the barrier between you, and he sighed before holding it open with his arm.

“Talk about what?” he asked wearily.

“Did you… did you drive Max to school the other day?”

“Uh…yeah? Why? Is that not okay? I know I’m not the best driver or most reliable babysitter, I just figured… I remembered you said she could use help right now so I just thought…”

You sighed loudly, interrupting him, and shook your head at him.

“I told you to stay away, I practically yelled at you, and then you still turn around and help me take care of my friends? Who does that?”

He scoffed at you, then turned his head away and licked his lips, trying to stop himself from snapping back at you.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I freaked her out, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. I doubt she’ll ever let me drive her anywhere again. Problem solved, ‘kay? Is that all?”

He stood and stared at you as he waited for you to say something or leave, but you just buried your face in your hands with an exasperated laugh before shaking your head at him again.

“God. You’re so… aggravating!” You blurted out, your teeth clenched.

“I’m aggravating? I’m aggravating?” He raised his voice back at you, his eyes wide with astonishment. “You’re standing here at my door yelling at me, looking that pretty, telling me that I’m aggravating? Jesus Chri-”

Before he could finish his sentence, you bolted forward and kissed him on the lips, both of your hands on either side of his face. He was shocked at first, but it didn’t take long for him to remove his arm from the screen door, letting it smack against him so he could wrap it around your waist. Then you pulled away to look at him, your hands still on his cheeks.

“I’m so sorry. I was an idiot,” You began to ramble. “I didn’t mean any of the things I said. I was just scared, and I can explain all of that to you if you want but I don’t need you to save me, Eddie. I don’t want you to. I just… I just need you in my life. Like this. Exactly like this. Because you were right. I don’t want to just be friends either. I want to be with you, so badly. But I know I don’t deserve it, and if this has all been too much for you, if I blew it for the last time, I would completely understand if…”

He shook his head vigorously to silence you, then clamped a hand to the back of your neck to pull you in for another kiss. You couldn’t help smiling against his lips before letting yourself melt back into him.

“No more running away?” He whispered after finally pulling away, his forehead resting against yours and his hand in your hair.

“No more running. I promise,” You said, shaking your head against his. “You’re not gonna be able to get rid of me now. Hope you won’t regret it.”

He pretended to think about it, his lips pursed in mock contemplation before he dropped the act quickly and said, “Yeah. I think I’ll be okay.”

You both grinned, and he wrapped his arms around you to pull you into a tight hug, swaying you back and forth contentedly.

“Nope. I’m definitely never letting you go,” He mumbled and pressed a soft kiss to your temple.

You wanted it to be true so badly.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

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This is genuinely the funniest shit I’ve ever heard in my life

#i was in tears #the commitment to the bit is impeccable #I can’t stop listening to it #off menu podcast #joseph quinn #will byers #stranger things #emily talks

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Heartbreaker

Summary: Robin devises a scheme to get you and Steve to work things out. (Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, 9k words)

Warnings: Mentions of sex, language, shameless TS Midnights lyrical references (Robin is absolutely a Mastermind lol)

Tags: @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Series Masterlist

September 21st, 1985

The day after your second failed outing with Eddie, Robin called you up to ask you to hang out. She could immediately tell by the tone of your voice that something was wrong. You refused to give her details due to your lingering embarrassment, so she insisted on you letting her take you out to cheer you up. You had planned to see Teen Wolf with her and Steve when it came out at the end of August, but thanks to your falling out with him, you never got around to it. So when Robin suggested finally going to see it, you happily accepted.

You walked to the cinema, expecting her to meet you there on foot as well, but after waiting for her for several minutes, you watched as a familiar burgundy BMW pulled up to the curb. Your heart dropped. It was Steve’s car.

You sat on the bench in front of the cinema, frozen, as you watched Robin and Steve bickering in the car. Then eventually, Robin got out and slammed the door behind her, infuriating Steve even more. She rolled her eyes at him and walked over to you, her hands jammed into her jacket pockets.

“Hi,” She said with an innocent smile. You glared up at her from the bench.

“Why didn’t you tell me Steve was coming?” You asked, eliciting another eye roll from her.

“Do you honestly think that I would have voluntarily suggested going to see Teen Wolf? You and Steve were the only ones who wanted to see it. I thought you knew me better than that, Y/N.”

“I assumed you were just trying to be nice because you knew I was sad,” You protested, narrowing your eyes at her.

“Well I wasn’t! I was being devious.”

“What?” You demanded, standing up in front of her. “What does that mean?”

“Did you really think I didn’t notice that there was something weird going on between you and Steve?”

You glanced over her shoulder to get a good look at him still sitting in his car behind her. He was staring at the two of you, and immediately turned his head when he caught you to act like he hadn’t been.

“Honestly… no I didn’t,” You grumbled.

“Well, I did! And it’s been seriously stressing me out, and I cannot handle more stress in my life right now. I already have to worry about graduating, college, a Lovecraftian dimension, and my love life - in no particular order - so I really don’t need whatever petty bullshit you two are fighting about on my plate, too!”

“Oh my god,” You scoffed, crossing your arms. “I’m so sorry that me and Steve not hanging out is so detrimental to your mental well-being, I had no idea that we were making your life so difficult. Thanks for sharing that.”

“Hey! If I have to listen to you whining about Eddie, and Steve whining about you and not going to college, then I think you can stand to listen to me whine for, like, one minute…”

“Whoa, wait!” You interrupted her, putting a hand up. “He’s been whining about me? What has he been saying to you?”

She swallowed nervously and lowered her eyes, then bit her lip.

“… I’ve said too much,” She whispered, and turned around to go back to the car.

“Robin!”

“Just get in the car!” She commanded, her hand on the door handle of the backseat. “I’m officially calling The Lonely Hearts Club to order. We will work this out together, or not at all.”

“Okay, I choose not at all, then,” You snorted.

“I lied! That’s not an option. Now get in the goddamn car!” She yelled loudly, pointing a finger at the passenger-side door like she was a disgruntled mother trying to corral her children. Your eyes widened with shock at her outburst.

“Please,” She added, much softer after gauging your expression. “Do you wanna see this stupid movie or not?”

You rolled your eyes and stomped over towards the car indignantly.

“Fine,” You whined as you pulled on the door handle, then plopped down into the passenger seat roughly before closing the door behind you. Steve looked between you and Robin with wide eyes.

“Am I supposed to just pretend I didn’t notice any of that?” He asked.

“Yes,” You both answered at the same time.

“Okay, then…”

“Alright,” Robin said, leaning forward between the two of you and resting her elbows on each of your seats. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, and I really don’t care. But you are going to figure this out right here and now because I swear to god if I have to be caught in the middle of whatever bullshit this is for one more second…”

“Alright, alright. Easy, Robin. Y/N, I’m sorry,” Steve said with an exasperated shrug, barely bothering to turn and look you in the eye before addressing Robin again. “Are you happy now?”

Robin squinted at him with disdain.

“No! What the hell was that? What is wrong with you two?! Don’t you guys remember how much we’ve been through together this summer? How we literally slayed a giant spider monster? What could be so much bigger than that that you can’t even stand to look at each other anymore?”

Steve eyed you, his eyebrows wrinkled together ever so slightly in a way that made him look completely pathetic, and you turned your face to the window so you wouldn’t have to see it anymore. Robin just kept looking between the two of you as she tried her hardest to read between the lines.

He opened his mouth to say something, and in a moment of panic that he was about to reveal the truth to her, you sat up straight and interrupted him.

“I’m sorry, too. Okay? We’re both sorry, Robin. Can we drop this now?”

She raised an eyebrow at you, then looked back at Steve who was running a hand through his hair frustratedly.

“Why are you both being so goddamn cryptic?!” She groaned, pulling down her eyelids in aggravation. “This is stupid. If you don’t wanna talk about it with me here, then I will wait outside the car. But if I deem that your apologies are disingenuous in any way, shape or form, no Michael J. Fox for either of you! Are we understood?”

“Robin, how exactly do you plan on enforcing this punishment?” Steve complained. She cocked her head at him angrily.

“You really need to start giving me some more credit, Steve. Remind me, who was the one that masterminded this entire Machiavellian scheme to get you two to speak again?”

“…What?” He asked, scrunching his face up in confusion.

“Never mind! Just… talk! Apologize. For real this time! I’ll be outside.”

She got out and slammed the door behind her once again, leaning against the car with her arms crossed as if she was guarding it. Steve looked like he was about to yell at her for it again, but then bit it back and rested his forehead against his steering wheel to calm himself down instead.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment before you sighed loudly and spoke up.

“Thanks for not telling Robin about what happened. I’d appreciate it if we continued to keep it that way… if that’s okay with you. I just don’t want her to make it more awkward than it already is.”

“Sure. Whatever you wanna do,” He shrugged as he leaned back in his seat, staring straight ahead.

You fell silent again, and then heard Robin clear her throat from outside.

“I don’t hear any talking in there!” She yelled, her back still to the both of you. You rolled your eyes, and Steve let out a loud groan.

“Look…” He finally said. “I am sorry. I’m sorry for bringing you to the quarry, I’m sorry for confusing you, I’m sorry for taking your first kiss away from you, and I’m sorry that we got caught. I really am.”

You finally made eye contact with him, and unraveled your arms with another loud sigh.

“No, I’m sorry. I kissed you first and then made a bigger deal about it than I should’ve. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at you, and I’m sorry for being so cold and distant. I just… I’m having a hard time comprehending everything. It’s… weird for me.”

“It’s weird for me, too,” He shrugged. “But it happened.”

“Yeah. Believe me, I know…”

You pushed your hair behind your ear and turned away from him again. You could feel him looking at you still.

“Do you think you’ll ever be able to move on from it? Or are things always going to be like this between us?” He asked solemnly.

“I don’t know,” You admitted to the floor quietly after pondering this for a moment. “I’m really sorry. I’m… trying.”

He sighed and rubbed a finger against the steering wheel absentmindedly.

“Okay, well… can we just pretend for tonight that we’re okay? Just to get Robin off of our backs? I actually do want to see this stupid movie.”

You couldn’t resist smiling a little bit at his admission, and looked over at him with a shrug.

“Me too… Okay. I think I can do that.”

“Okay. Great,” He grumbled, throwing up his hands in a halfhearted celebration. “Let’s go then.”

The two of you got out of the car and stood in front of Robin, side by side. She glanced between both of you a couple of times with her arms crossed, trying to feel out whether or not you had actually settled your disagreement.

“So?” She asked eventually, her chin jutting out impatiently. “Are you guys done fighting or what?”

“For the record, I wouldn’t say we were ever really fighting,” You protested, then turned to Steve and asked, “Right?” quietly when you realized that might not have actually been the case.

“Right,” He confirmed with a nod and an unenthusiastic smile. “But we’re good now, Robin. We promise.”

You nodded back at him, then the two of you stood and waited for Robin’s judgement, staring her down as she glared back at the two of you. She seemed skeptical, but rolled her eyes and grabbed you both by the sleeves of your jackets anyways.

“Fine. Come on,” She mumbled, dragging you both into the cinema. You and Steve couldn’t help smirking at each other behind her back over your shared deception. It was what she deserved for trying to pull one over on the two of you.

Just to ensure that you and Steve were both actually on friendly terms again, Robin made sure that you sat in-between them in the theater. It felt a little awkward at first, especially considering that part of the plot was based around Michael J. Fox’s character trying to decide if he wanted to be with his childhood best friend or not. They even wound up in a closet together as part of a party game. You wondered if Steve noticed the similarities to your real life situation, too. It was making you anxious. But halfway through the movie, when he absentmindedly stuck out his popcorn bucket to you as his eyes stayed glued to the screen, it filled you with a sense of relief.

You missed watching movies with Steve. He always laughed loudly when no one else did and annoyed Robin with his questions about movie plots, and he always made sure to share his popcorn and candy with both of you. The gesture had always meant a lot to you.

You took a couple of pieces and thanked him and he nodded in response. Then he leaned over and whispered, “Is it just me, or is there absolutely no way this girl would be that into him just because he’s a werewolf?”

“That’s your biggest issue with this movie?” You snorted.

He chuckled and shrugged, then went back to shoveling popcorn into his mouth as he happily continued watching the film.

The second the movie was over, Robin sprung out of her seat and began to walk down the stairs. You and Steve gave each other a knowing look. You were about to get an entire lecture on every single thing that was wrong with the movie.

“Uh oh,” He muttered.

“Here we go,” You agreed with a sigh. “Let’s get this over with.”

The two of you found her pouting in the lobby, her arms crossed as she stood and waited. Steve tossed his popcorn bucket in the trash can as if he was shooting a basketball and then cocked his head at her.

“Alright. Out with it Buckley.”

“I cannot believe that you two actually wanted to see that movie!” She blurted before he even fully finished his sentence. “I will never, ever get that hour and a half of my life back again. I am in mourning.”

“Jesus Christ, come on. It was entertaining at least, wasn’t it?” Steve chuckled.

“No! It was horrible.”

“Hey, you were the one that plotted this scheme, remember?” You added. “You’re the reason why we came here to watch it in the first place.”

“Yeah, so…” She mumbled shyly. “And the plan worked. So, I’d do it again. Any day.”

You and Steve smiled at her, then glanced at each other shyly. Robin rolled her eyes at your shared awkwardness and backed away towards the entrance of the cinema.

“Okay. I’m starving. Let’s get pizza,” She announced, then walked out the door without waiting for either of you to agree with her.

“Alright, then…” Steve snorted. “Guess we’re getting pizza. You coming, Y/N?”

You nodded at him with a small smile, then let him hold the door open for you before you followed Robin down the street towards the pizza parlor.

“And I’m sorry, but what the hell was that ending?” Robin continued her rant as the three of you ate your pizza. She had been rambling for a solid ten minutes. “Like, do we really need a heartfelt moral to a story about a teenage werewolf? I thought it was supposed to be a comedy. And by the way, the way they completely glossed over the whole mythical aspect of the werewolf was so stupid. Why didn’t anyone else besides his school care that there was an actual freaking living werewolf in the world?! It would have been a global news story!”

You and Steve laughed at her, then Steve shrugged as he swallowed a bite of his pizza.

“I liked the basketball subplot,” He said with a smirk, knowing it would piss Robin off.

“I think his best friend was funny. A huge douche, but still funny,” You added gleefully. “And I loved Michael J. Fox, of course.”

Robin rolled her eyes and grimaced as she threw her pizza crust back down on her plate.

“You two make me sick.”

“Is there anything you liked about the movie?” Steve asked her. “Anything at all?”

She thought about it, then smiled suspiciously deviously.

“Well, I will say that the only part I didn’t have any complaints about was him ending up with his friend. He was an oblivious idiot for a while there.”

She smirked at you before taking a bite, and in a moment of panic, you wondered if there was more to her scheme than she was letting on. She had laid her jacket beside her so you had to scoot in beside Steve in the booth across from her. Was it intentional? Your face began to flush as you prepared for her to say something more, but thankfully, she immediately changed the subject after eyeing the “help wanted” sign on the window next to her.

“Oh, speaking of idiots… Steve, did you ever figure out what to put on your résumé for the Family Video job?”

He paused mid bite and dropped his pizza onto his plate, glaring at Robin with an unamused expression.

“Ha ha, I get it, I’m stupid. I don’t know how to make a résumé. Very funny.”

“Wait, you didn’t have one for Scoops Ahoy?” You asked him.

“No…my…dad helped me get it. I don’t want his help this time.”

“And we’re very proud of you for that,” Robin added, attempting to backtrack her previous overly harsh jab at him. He glanced up at her, his mouth a thin line, still unamused.

“Whatever…”

“No, seriously. That’s great, Steve. I hope you get the job. Let me know if I can help at all,” You offered.

He smiled at you humbly.

“Wish me luck, too,” Robin said, interrupting your moment. “I’m also applying.”

“So you guys are, like, competing for it?”

“Well, I know the manager from marching band, so… I’m hoping I can get us both a job.”

“Went from using my dad to using Robin…” Steve grumbled. “Can’t even get a stupid Family Video job on my own. Hopeless.”

“Relax, Steve!” Robin protested. “You’re still gonna earn the job. I’m just going to… help you out a little.”

“There’s no shame in that,” You added sincerely.

“Then why do I feel ashamed? It’s Family Video.”

“Hey, I’d be working there, too!” Robin objected, offended.

“That’s different. You’re still in high school.”

“Well, what about me?” You interjected. “I’m working at the general store and I’m a high school graduate. That’s not much different.”

“Yes it is! You’re an artist. What else do I have?”

“You have us!” Robin said, overly gleeful, framing her face with her hands with a toothy grin. “And your boyish good looks.”

“And your car. It’s a very nice car…” You added.

“And you have very beautiful hair.”

Steve sat back in his chair and shook his leg as he waited for the two of you to give up your bit.

“You done?” He asked with an eyebrow raised when you went silent. You and Robin looked at each other, then both shrugged unanimously.

“Yeah.”

“Yup, that’s pretty much it. That’s really all you’ve got going for you,” Robin said, straight faced, then took a bite of her pizza. Steve groaned and leaned forward, hiding his head in his arms on top of the table.

“Relax, we’re joking Steve!” You said, shaking his arm. “You’re only nineteen. You have plenty of time to figure out what you really want to do with your life. And in the meantime…”

“You get to work with your best friend at Family Video!” Robin cheered, adding jazz hands for extra pizazz. “Where I will happily annoy you every waking moment of your life.”

He lifted his head up, resting his chin on his crossed arms, a frown on his face.

“You just love torturing me, don’t you?” He whined.

“Yes,” Robin said with a chortle as if it was the most obvious statement in the world. “It is literally my favorite hobby. I’m going to put it on all of my college applications as an extra curricular.”

“Ha ha ha,” Steve fake laughed and straightened up in his seat, then took a large bite of his pizza. “Good luck getting in anywhere then. Guess you’ll be stuck with me at Family Video for the rest of your life, after all.”

“Gross, don’t talk with your mouth full, dingus!” She scolded him, tossing a napkin at his head that he expertly dodged. They made childish faces at each other, then he bent over to pick it up off of the floor with an amused smirk.

You giggled at them happily. It felt good to be the third musketeer again, teasing each other mercilessly. Maybe things really would be okay, after all.

“So, where are you planning on going to school anyways?” You asked Robin, making Steve groan melodramatically.

“Ugh, no more ‘future' talk, please!”

“Aw,” Robin cooed. “You gonna miss me, Stevie?”

He glared at her then rolled his eyes, and she smirked back at him knowing that the answer was yes.

“Anyways… I’m not sure yet. I’m working on getting some scholarships. Or… just, any scholarships, actually. I’ll take what I can get.”

“Well, if you don’t get any, you can always opt to just run away with…” Steve trailed off, then mouthed the name, “Vickie,” covering his mouth with the wrong hand so that you could still see what he was saying. Robin rolled her eyes and reached out to him, slapping down his hand and grabbing what would have been the correct one to put it up to the other side of his mouth instead. Steve slowly lowered it with gritted teeth and mouthed an apology to her.

“Who’s Vickie?” You asked her with a smirk, leaning forward curiously.

“No one, just… someone from band.”

“Ooooooh, someone from band!” You teased her, and she sat back in the booth to cover her eyes in shame.

“Can you both please stop before I combust?” She hissed. “There is nothing going on, okay? I don’t even know if she likes girls or not. And Steve, for the record, this is the last time I tell you anything.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” He admitted with a shrug.

“Oh, come on, Robin. Relax. I’m sorry. I’m just teasing.”

“Yeah, come on, Robin,” Steve parroted you, “At least she’s a big step up from Tammy Thompson.”

“Tammy Thompson?” You snorted. “You had a thing for Tammy Thompson?”

“A… a long time ago!” She tried to argue, then muttered, “Thanks again, Steve!” Through gritted teeth.

“I sincerely hope Vickie really is a step up, because you can do so much better than Tammy.”

“Right?” Steve agreed with an overly enthusiastic nod. “That’s what I tried to tell her!”

“She was… nice! And pretty. And brave!” Robin squeaked, trying to defend herself.

“Yeah, right, brave… She has to be to try to make it as a singer with that voice of hers.”

You made the mistake of taking a drink at the same time Steve said this, and a little bit of it sprayed out of your mouth as you doubled over in laughter. Robin looked at you in horror, but Steve was amused, joining in on your laughter.

“I’m sorry,” You said, trying to collect yourself, then turned to Steve. “I was just remembering that one time she made us sit and watch her impromptu concert…”

“Oh my god, yes. In her backyard!” He finished your sentence excitedly. “Holy shit, I can’t believe I forgot about that. We were trying so hard not to laugh the entire time.”

Robin couldn’t help smiling a little at your shared memory, clearly pleased that her plan to bring you both together again was working.

“You guys were friends as kids?”

“Oh, yeah. You didn’t know that?” Steve said, genuinely shocked that neither of you had mentioned it before. “Tammy lives across the street from me, and Y/N lives, like, a block away. God, the Thompsons were always so annoying. Y/N broke Tammy’s brother’s hockey stick once because he was being a little dick.”

“No way. Y/N? I don’t believe you,” Robin teased, shaking her head.

“It’s true. I did. And he deserved it, trust me,” You giggled.

“Shit, you really are a badass. Not that I… doubted it,” She added with an unconvincing grin. You rolled your eyes at her with a playful scoff.

“Thank you, Robin. I appreciate that.”

You and Steve looked at each other and laughed again, then your smile began to fade when you remembered how overshadowed your happy childhood memories were with your falling out in middle school. And now, with the complication of your kiss, too. Guess it wasn’t so easy to forget, after all.

“Okay, anyways…” Robin filled the lull in your conversation after swallowing another bite of her pizza, bringing your attention back to the present. “Steve, since you insisted on poking at my love life, why don’t you tell us how your date went last Friday with… what’s her name again?”

You snapped your head up in shock to look at him, and he stared back at you with wide eyes. That was the night he had rescued you from The Hideout.

“You were on a date last weekend?” You asked him, sounding a bit more shaken than you intended.

“Oh, um, yeah. Linda. It was fine. Nothing special, I guess.”

“So does that mean you didn’t get laid?” Robin mocked him, her eyebrow raised deviously.

Steve swallowed nervously, trying to avoid your piercing gaze.

“I… well…” He trailed off and covered his mouth with his hand, trying to conceal his reddening cheeks.

“Holy shit, look at your face!” Robin teased. “You did, didn’t you?”

He turned his head to look at you, unable to resist any longer, then glanced back at Robin and nodded quickly as if he was hoping that neither of you would be able to perceive it. But you both did, and Robin cheered while you continued to stare at him in shock.

“Thank god!” She exclaimed as Steve tried to shush her. “You’ve been such a pill. I think you needed that.”

“Okay, weirdo. I appreciate your concern with my sex life, but can we please change the subject?”

“Alright, alright. Geez. Sorry, since when are you so shy about your romantic endeavors?”

You were the reason why. And also probably the reason why he had been so… frustrated. You knew it, he knew it. The only one who didn’t know it was Robin. You were beginning to feel sick.

“Okay, Y/N. Your turn. What’s got you so bummed out this time?” Robin pried. “I’m gonna take a wild guess and say… Eddie?”

Great. That question certainly wasn’t helping the knot in your stomach. You began to pick apart your leftover pizza crust anxiously.

“It’s nothing.”

“Come on. Steve and I both talked about our love lives, now it’s your turn. Out with it.”

You glanced over at Steve who was actually doing a remarkably good job of playing dumb.

“Okay… I hung out with him. And it didn’t go well. That’s all.”

“Shit. What happened? He didn’t live up to the ridiculously high standards you’ve been building up in your head for, like, five years?” Robin teased.

‘No,’ You thought. ‘More like, I didn’t.’ But you kept this to yourself.

“I don’t know. Maybe we are just too different,” You said instead.

At the end of the day, this wasn’t really a lie. He knew exactly what he wanted, and you were floundering. That was the main difference you couldn’t get past.

You weren’t exactly sure why you were being so withholding. Maybe it was because you were still ashamed by how you acted. Or maybe it was because part of the reason why it had gone poorly was because of Steve (in more ways than one), and you didn’t want to have to dance around it. Either way, you would rather throw yourself into oncoming traffic than talk about it a second longer. Steve must have felt the same, because he cleared his throat and spoke up before Robin could.

“Ease up, Rob. I’m sorry for bringing up Vickie. Don’t take it out on Y/N.”

“I’m not! She sounded so sad on the phone, I just thought she might want to talk about it.”

Steve turned to you, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. You pinched the bridge of your nose in aggravation.

“Guys, I’m fine! Okay? Just… disappointed. That’s all. I’ll get over it. Can we drop it, please?”

He and Robin shared a look, then they both went back to eating their pizza in uncomfortable silence. After a minute or so of this, Robin muttered, “Another brutal defeat for The Lonely Hearts Club…” And took a noisy sip of her soda as she avoided the glares you and Steve were sending her way.

When you all left the pizza place together, Robin and Steve began to walk back to his car, but you hung back. You didn’t like the idea of Steve dropping Robin off before you again. It didn’t feel like a good idea to be left alone in his car with him again, considering that the last two times hadn’t gone so well.

“Hey, guys,” You called to them, and they both spun around to look at you. “I think I’m just gonna walk home. It’s a nice night. Probably the last warm one of the season. I wanna enjoy it.”

You were impressed with how smooth and convincing that lie was. You were becoming an expert.

“Cool, sounds good. I’ll walk with you,” Robin nodded and bounded towards you, stopping beside you. Steve looked between the two of you, hesitating, then walked over towards you as well.

“I’ll come, too, I guess. Why not?”

“But… what about your car?” You asked as he strode past you with Robin.

“It’s fine. A little extra exercise never killed anybody.”

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true,” Robin chuckled, and Steve pushed her playfully before calling out to you over his shoulder, “You coming?”

You paused to look up at the sky disdainfully, silently pleading with whoever was up there to put you out of your misery, then trudged off after them.

Midway through your journeys home, just before you made it to Robin’s street, you pulled her behind Steve and waited for him to walk out of earshot.

“Please don’t leave me alone with him,” You begged her. She rolled her eyes at you melodramatically and stomped her foot like an impatient child.

“Seriously? We’re back to this again?”

“Please, Robin. Can’t I just stay over at your house or something?"

“I have to be up early tomorrow for band!” She hissed back. You closed your eyes with a groan and pulled on the back of her jacket, stopping her from walking away from you.

“Okay, let me put it this way,” You whispered frantically. “I would sooner walk home alone knowing Michael Myers was waiting for me around a corner than walk alone with Steve. That’s how serious I am. Please, help me come up with an excuse. I’m begging you.”

“Jesus Christ, what do you want me to do?! My house is down here. Figure out your own shit! I’m officially washing my hands of this.”

She pulled away and jogged a little down her street before you could protest again.

“Okay, well this was fun, but I’m this way! G’night Steve!” She called loudly, and gave you a frustrated look and nod towards him before she turned to run home.

“Bye,” Steve raised a hand and called back unenthusiastically, not even bothering to watch her go.

You walked far behind him for another couple of blocks or so. The silence was beginning to make you itchy. Then you realized you had already passed the Harrington residence.

“Hey, didn’t we pass your house?” You called to him.

“Yeah,” He shrugged.

You rolled your eyes behind his back.

“You can go home, you know. You don’t need to walk with me.”

“It’s fine,” He mumbled. “Wouldn��t want Freddie Krueger to get you.”

He turned around so that he was walking backwards, a giant smirk on his face. He had heard your exchange with Robin. You blushed and turned to look at the passing trees before speaking up a minute later.

“I said Michael Myers, but point made. Sorry you heard that.”

“I have to go back and get my car anyways,” He shrugged nonchalantly, glossing over your apology.

“You seriously didn’t need to walk with us,” You said with an agitated shake of your head, still avoiding looking at him.

“I know that, Y/N. I guess I just like to torture you.”

His smile faded. Clearly it was beginning to get to him, how sour you had been acting ever since you left the pizza place.

“Nice,” You muttered. “Very nice.”

You didn’t realize that he had stopped walking until you practically ran into him. You froze in front of him and stared up at him.

“What?”

“I know you wanna yell at me, so do it. Yell at me.”

He crossed his arms like he was bracing himself, but you just made a face at him.

“I don’t want to yell at you, Steve.”

“Well, you definitely wanna say something. So say it.”

You crossed your arms to match his defensive stance, then shook your leg nervously before giving in.

“Fine!” You shouted, throwing your hands up in defeat. “Were you ever going to tell me that you were on a date last Friday?”

“I don’t know,” He scoffed, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. “It’s not like it would’ve come up naturally. Especially since you weren’t… speaking to me.”

You sighed. He was right. You weren’t allowed to be mad about it, since you were the one that pushed him away. You lowered your eyes, then looked back up at him shamefully.

“I wouldn’t have called you if I had known,” You said, your tone much softer.

“I know. It’s fine.”

You nodded then started walking again, and he followed. You had another question that you were trying to bite back and he could tell, so he waited patiently for you to find the courage.

“So was she… was it… still going on when I called you?” You finally stammered, staring at your feet as you walked beside him.

“Uh… Yeah. She was over still.”

You looked up at him quickly with wide, mortified eyes.

“Oh my god, Steve, please don’t tell me you made her leave so you could come get me.”

“No, of course not. She was… asleep.”

“So you just left her at your house without telling her where you were going?”

“I… left a note.”

“And how did that go over?” You asked with a snort.

“Didn’t even notice I was gone. She was pretty… tired, I guess,” He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. You gaped at him, and he looked away from you bashfully.

“Steve!” You teased, elbowing his ribs. “Look at you. You’ve still got it. Such a heartbreaker.”

“Please. I am not.”

“Did you… take her to Sattler’s Quarry, too?” You mocked him, and he squeezed his eyes shut with a pained guffaw.

“No. No I did not!” He said loudly, frazzled. “I think I’ve finally learned my lesson with that place.”

You both fell into an awkward silence, and you glanced over at him to study the look on his face. He was holding something back. He caught you looking, knowing that you were silently prodding him to speak, and he shook his head at himself in shame.

“I really am sorry about that, Y/N. I hope you believe me that I wasn’t planning… all of that.”

You could tell he meant it, and you felt a little guilty for believing that there was a chance that he had planned it.

“So, you weren’t trying to move in on me… like a ninja?” You taunted him. His eyes widened, then he closed them and scoffed when he realized where you’d probably heard that.

“Henderson,” He grumbled through clenched teeth.

“Yep,” You nodded with a playful smirk, and he softened slightly when he realized that you weren’t actually mad. Then he suddenly straightened up in panic.

“He doesn’t know about… us, does he?”

“Oh, god no. No,” You chuckled, and he let out a breath of relief. “He was actually…trying to give me advice about Eddie. By regurgitating your shitty advice.”

“Well, I’m sorry about that. Hope that wasn’t what ruined your night.”

“Please. Like I’d be stupid enough to take romantic advice from you after everything,” You teased, making him laugh.

“Well, good. Maybe the two of you can still salvage everything then.”

Your smile dropped. You didn’t quite know how to respond to that considering the previous night.

“What?” Steve asked you when he noticed your sudden change in demeanor.

“Okay… I, uh. I guess I should just tell you. Eddie and I actually hung out again last night, and we… kissed.”

He froze and gaped at you, a blank look on his face.

“Wow,” He eventually said, a wrinkle forming between his brows briefly before it disappeared again. “That’s… good, right? How did that happen?”

“He took me out to a diner and we talked for a little while… and then he kissed me when he drove me home.”

“So, you went on a date?”

“No, it wasn’t… it wasn’t a date,” You stuttered nervously.

“Y/N… that’s the literal definition of a date,” He retorted flatly.

“No, because you have to be part of a couple for it to be a date,” You argued, scratching your brow with a frustrated laugh. “And we are definitely not a couple. I made sure of that.”

“What? What happened? I thought you really liked him.”

“I did. I do. I just…”

He interrupted you by putting his hand out in front of you, slowing his pace.

“Hold on, it’s not because he’s still seeing that girl you were talking about, is it?” He asked you with a grimace.

“No… he said that was just casual.”

He lowered his hand and snorted.

“Right,” He said, shaking his head. You furrowed your eyebrows at him.

“You think he’s lying?”

“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “I don’t know the guy.”

“You have casual relationships… And, I mean, clearly you’re not planning on marrying that girl you spent the night with last weekend, right?”

“No…” He admitted tentatively. “I guess not…”

“So, then, maybe it’s not farfetched that he would have a similar thing with this girl, right?”

He hesitated, thinking about it, then shook his head.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure he’s telling the truth. I’m sorry.”

You tried to study his face to figure out what he was keeping from you, but once again, he was too good at being withholding.

“Steve, if you really are into her, if I was way off base, let me know. It just didn’t seem like you were…”

“Alright, we’re getting off topic,” He interrupted you, waving a hand. “What really happened with you and Eddie, Y/N?”

You scoffed at his quick deflection and stopped walking. That was a loaded question with no easy answers. He froze beside you and turned to you with his brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong?”

You pursed your lips together, your forehead wrinkling at the kind, concerned look on his face. He was so sweet. You wanted to be honest with him, but that also meant having to drudge up your tangled past again, and risking him feeling guilty for something he’d already worked so hard to move past. He refused to look away, and you turned your head with a sigh before forcing yourself to speak.

“Look, I want to tell you something, but I don’t want you to feel bad. Do you promise you won’t feel bad?”

“Uh… okay. Sure,” He agreed tentatively, slightly terrified.

“Okay…” You began, then paused to take a deep breath as you prepared to launch into yet another long rant for him. “I know you know that Carol and Tommy liked to terrorize me, and I know you know I had a crush on you when we were kids… but I don’t think I was completely honest with you about that whole ordeal. I… didn’t just like you, Steve. I really, really liked you. I think I was convinced that I was actually in love with you. And when you stopped talking to me and continued to hang out with Carol and Tommy as they tortured me, my brain filled in all the blanks with the worst possible explanations. And they saw that, and they stoked the fire, and I let them. I let them convince me that I was worthless, and a freak, and that you would never even like me let alone love me because of who I was. And I have been hanging on to that shit… for way too long. I still feel… unlovable. And with Eddie… I probably would have started dating him a long time ago if it wasn’t for that awful voice still in the back of my head. I’ve just been so… terrified. And even though I know that it’s not your fault, I can’t help thinking that a lot of the bad shit that happened to me…wouldn’t have happened if you had just… been there. If you had just noticed what was really going on. And that’s the full truth. I think that’s why I got so weird after we kissed, too. And I’m really sorry. I know that’s not fair to you, because you’ve been so kind and you’ve been there for me through everything we’ve been through, but I’m still… I’m still working on it. On being… trusting. And not necessarily in other people, but in myself. I guess. I don’t know. Did any of that make sense?”

He was frozen, staring at you with his big sad eyes, trying to process everything that you had unloaded onto him. His mouth opened a few times before he was able to speak.

“Y/N… I’m… I’m so…”

“Don’t say sorry!” You interrupted him, pointing a finger up at him. “You promised me you wouldn’t feel bad. You don’t need to apologize for something you didn’t even do. I could have tried to talk to you all that time, too, but I didn’t. It’s my fault.”

“If it’s your fault, then why do I feel like I’ve ruined your life about a hundred times?”

“Steve, that’s not true. Look, I didn’t tell you all that to guilt you. I just wanted you to…understand. Why I was having such a hard time with everything.”

He went quiet, his hand covering his mouth like it was taking everything in him not to vomit out another apology. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore, and turned to you again.

“Can I at least apologize for being so oblivious to everything?” He blurted out.

“I guess. But, I was also oblivious to a lot of shit. So… I’m sorry for that, too, then.”

“Okay, well, then… I’m sorry for breaking your heart when we were kids.”

“That’s the thing, though!” You squeaked out with a weary chuckle. “Did you? I don’t even know that it was heartbreak. Does it count as heartbreak if you never even knew how I felt about you? If you never even…technically, rejected me? It was more just…miscommunication. It’s always just been goddamn miscommunication. And then I just skip right to telling myself that nothing ever works out because there’s something wrong with me and I’m not good enough to be in a real relationship.”

“Well… that’s bullshit,” He scoffed, his eyebrows raised.

“Yeah. It is bullshit, isn’t it?” You agreed with a laugh.

You took a deep breath. It felt good to get all of that off of your chest, and Steve seemed to be taking it well. It seemed like he understood. You truly hoped he didn’t blame himself for your own insecurities.

As if he could read your thoughts, he shook his head at you, then mumbled quietly, “I… I understand feeling unlovable, Y/N. You know that, right?”

You raised your eyebrows at him in shock.

“You do?”

“Yeah, are you kidding?” He chortled.

You thought about this for a minute, then your face softened when you realized who he was talking about.

“Nancy?” You asked him quietly.

“Yeah, Nancy. Among… other things, I guess. Just… you’re not the only one holding onto past heartbreak. Trust me.”

You nodded sadly.

“That… explains a lot.”

“Does it?”

“Yeah. Kinda,” You shrugged. “You’ve seemed sort of…lost. Confused. I don’t know. Is that unfair for me to say?”

“No. I’d say that’s a perfectly fair assessment,” He agreed with a chuckle. You tilted your head at him sympathetically.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so impatient with you, Steve. It just drives me crazy, not being able to tell what’s on your mind sometimes.”

“It’s okay. It pisses me off, too, trust me. I’m working on it.”

“I am, too. Which is why I shouldn’t have been so hard on you about… not knowing what you wanted. Because clearly, I didn’t either.”

He seemed genuinely surprised by this statement, like he was unsure of what you had been trying to decide.

“But… you know now?” He asked.

“I mean… I think so, but that doesn’t mean I can have it.”

He stared at you for a moment, still trying to pick apart your brain.

“You’re talking about Eddie, right? Just so we’re clear.”

You nodded tentatively, and he sucked in a deep breath.

“Right…” He muttered. “I guess I just don’t understand what’s holding you back still. I get the way you’re feeling, I do. But, you guys kissed. That should be the end of it, right? Just talk to him.”

“But… what about the Upside Down?”

He scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, taken aback by this sudden change of subject.

“What about it?”

“Steve, I can’t bring him into this shit. I can’t subject him to all of that after everything he’s been through in his life. It wouldn’t be fair. And I can’t lie to him. I mean, what kind of relationship would it be if I was keeping a secret as big as that? Not to mention, I’d be willingly putting his life in danger. Look at how many people have died already. It would be selfish of me to overlook that.”

“Shit… I honestly didn’t think about that.”

He fell silent, and you shook your head at him impatiently.

“So… what? No advice for me? No opinions?”

“Look,” He sighed. “If you wanna be a martyr and sacrifice something that could be really good just on the off chance that it may possibly keep him out of harms way, that’s your choice. But… I don’t know. If it were me, and I knew the person I wanted felt the same way, I don’t know if I’d be able to hold back. Whether it was selfish or not. Honestly, I think… screw the Upside Down. Screw Carol and Tommy, screw me. That’s my opinion. You can’t just stop living your life because… you’re afraid of what could happen.”

He said the last sentence quietly, his eyebrows pushed together like he was trying to convince himself as well as you. You weren’t about to let that slide.

“And what about you?” You asked him.

“What about me?”

“What are you afraid of?”

He snapped his head up to look at you, a quizzical expression on his face.

“What? Nothing.”

“Steve, I can tell you’re hiding something.”

“Y/N, if there was something I wanted to talk to you about, I would. Okay?” He said a little more harshly than you were expecting.

“Okay! I just… I hope that if there’s something you wouldn’t want to tell me, that you would still tell Robin. Or even Dustin. I don’t know. Just… somebody.”

“Seriously, I’m fine. Alright? I promise,” He snapped. “You can stop worrying about me.”

“Alright. Sorry…” You said quietly, staring at your feet.

You fell into another uncomfortable silence. Then you remembered that there was one secret that you had told Eddie, and felt instantly guilty. You cleared your throat.

“By the way, I may have told Eddie about us,” You admitted, and Steve snorted impatiently.

“What about us?” He asked, shaking his head.

“That we kissed.”

You looked up at him. His lips were pursed like he was trying to stop himself from snapping again, and he took a calming breath before he spoke up.

“So… I can’t tell Robin, our mutual friend, but you can tell Eddie?”

“I’m sorry. He… pried it out of me. And I had just interrogated him about what was going on with him and that girl, so it was only fair. He could tell something was up when you showed up at The Hideout and… threatened him.”

“Jesus,” He sighed, shaking his head. “He’s gonna murder me.”

“No he’s not,” You scoffed.

“What else have you told him?”

You paused to think about it.

“I… told him I wasn’t sure if… if you even still wanted to be my friend because of it,” You trailed off, studying his furrowed brows. “Do you… still want to be my friend?”

He gazed down at you, searching your eyes.

“Do you still want to be my friend?”

You stopped walking again, and he stood beside you, his eyes still glued to yours.

“Yes,” You said firmly. “Of course. You’re my best friend, Steve. I don’t want to lose you.”

He cocked his head shyly, looking down at his feet before he sighed and gazed back at you.

“You’re not gonna lose me, alright?” He said gently. “I don’t wanna lose you either. We’ll just actually pretend like nothing ever happened from now on, like you said. Right? I think I can live with that.”

“So you’re not gonna fall hopelessly in love with me?” You asked him with a smirk. He snorted and shook his head at you playfully.

“No. I won’t. I promise.”

“Good.”

The two of you nodded in agreement, then turned and started walking again, side by side.

“We had a good night tonight, right? Before Robin made it weird?” Steve asked. “It felt… normal.”

“Yeah, it did. God, I can’t believe she has no idea what happened and she still managed to make it awkward, though. How does she do that?”

“I don’t know. I guess she’s more dangerous flying blind.”

“Which reminds me, what exactly have you been complaining to her about if you never told her about what happened with us?”

“Oh, god,” He grumbled and sucked in air through his teeth. “Nothing… specific. Just that you wouldn’t talk to me. I promise.”

“You sure?” You asked him, nudging him with your shoulder.

“I’m sure.”

“Okay. So… we’re good, then? Right? No more weirdness between us?”

“No more weirdness,” He echoed, then leaned over and asked, “It was… it was good, though, right? Our kiss?”

“STEVE!” You reprimanded him, pushing him away from you.

“Sorry! I had to ask!”

“No, you absolutely did not,” You giggled. “What happened to pretending like it never happened?”

“Alright, sorry. I had to make it weird one last time. We’re good, Y/N.” He went quiet for a moment, then added, “And you are going to talk to Eddie.”

“What? No,” You snorted. “I think last night was the final nail in the coffin. The whole thing is just way too complicated. An absolute mess. It’s time for me to admit that it’s over.”

“Bullshit,” He said quickly, shaking his head vehemently. “It’s not over.”

You squinted up at him silently, confused by his determination on the matter, and he sighed before offering up the explanation you would have inevitably asked from him.

“Y/N, I think you both would have given up a long time ago if that were true. The two of you have been pining over each other forever. It’s not over. Trust me. Not on his end, and certainly not on yours. I know you. You’ve gotta see this through, otherwise you’ll never be able to move on. Just, for the love of god, swallow your pride this time and be honest with him about how you feel. Tell him about the Upside Down, don’t tell him. Whatever. Just… don’t let this go on another five years. For the love of god.”

You were taken aback by this speech, especially since you knew that Steve wasn’t exactly supportive of your feelings for Eddie.

“What, so now you approve of him suddenly?” You teased him, unsure what else to say.

“I didn’t say that…” He mumbled staring down at his shoes as he kicked a stone on the road. “I don’t think I’m ever gonna get it, but I meant it when I said I wanted you to be happy. You really do deserve to have everything you want. I know you don’t believe that, but you do.”

You weren’t sure if he was right, but you appreciated how passionately he felt about it. You watched him continue to shuffle his feet, your heart feeling like it was about to overflow with gratitude for his kindness.

“You know I want you to be happy too, Steve, right? That you deserve to be happy?” You asked him, and he peered up at you in surprise. Then he blinked a few times and shrugged, as if he had known it was true all along.

“I do.”

“Okay. Good.”

You smiled kindly at him, and he went back to kicking rocks.

“So are you gonna go after him?” He asked the pavement.

"I’ll… think about it.”

“You’re gonna go after him again, Y/N,” He chuckled. “You know it, I know it…”

“I said I’ll think about it! Smartass.”

He smirked at you and the two of you stopped when you both realized you were in front of your house. You sighed, preparing to say goodbye.

“When’s your interview for Family Video?” You asked him.

“Not for another two weeks.”

“I’m working at the general store tomorrow if you want to stop by so we can look over your résumé. I was serious when I offered to help you.”

His lips turned up in a brief smile, and he put his hands in his pockets shyly.

“Okay. Thanks. Maybe I will.”

“I hope you do,” You shrugged and smiled, coaxing his back out.

“So…I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow,” You promised, and the two of you waved goodbye before he walked back down the street.

This time, you truly meant it.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Stop it ♥️😭 thank youuu

Chapter Twenty: The Lonely Hearts Club

Summary: You and Steve hang out alone for the first time in a while, and your friendship becomes a little more… complicated. (Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, 7.7k words)

Warnings: Things get kinda ~spicy~ towards the end but nothing too crazy lol. Bit of angst also.

A/N: This is the last chapter for ST3! Onto season 4 next - which means a lot more of Eddie, and a lot more angst 😈 also, here’s the link to the Tears for Fears album they listen to in this chapter, in case you wanna play it while you read!

Tags: @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Masterlist

August 23rd, 1985

“Oh my god, Steve. How many times are you going to play this stupid record?!” Robin whined from the passenger seat of Steve’s car.

For the thousandth time that summer, Steve had snuck his Tears for Fears cassette into the stereo and pressed play. It came out months ago, but he was still obsessed with it. Plus he enjoyed pissing you and Robin off.

“Hey, if you don’t like my music selections, then you can find your own ride, okay?!” He yelled back defensively, cranking the music up louder as an act of protest.

You were sitting in the back, shaking your head at them with a smirk as you took a sip of the soda you had just gotten from the drive-thru. The three of you were bored that night, and couldn’t think of anything better to do besides getting fast food for dinner and going for a nighttime drive.

“Thank god I’m almost home,” Robin groaned with an eye roll.

“Yeah, you’re welcome by the way. You know, for driving you literally everywhere,” He grumbled.

“Oh, come on. We all know you love it,” She said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “What would you even do without us?”

He didn’t respond to this because he knew she was right and he hated it. She smirked at him knowingly and got out after he put the car in park, slamming the door behind her.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Honestly… same 😭♥️

Chapter Twenty-Three: Just Friends

Summary: You and Eddie go on a “definitely not a date” date and learn a little bit more about each other, including how you both actually feel for one another. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, 13k words)

Warnings: Language, mentions of abuse and violence, eating (Eddie puts peanut butter on his burger bc he’s weird), reader loves Stevie Nicks? This is just pure flirtation, gentle Eddie fluff, and some more angst at the end of course sorry I love drama lol.

A/N: This one’s a DOOZY lol sorry I did not mean for this to be so long. Got a little carried away! Also, once again, I have an album for you! Look up the lyrics to Leather and Lace and think about Eddie or The Highwayman and think about Steve if you wanna cry 🙃

Tags: @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Series Masterlist

September 20th, 1985

As soon as you got home from your little adventure at the Hideout the week prior, your parents were waiting up for you, ready to scream at you for being out so late. As long as you were still stuck under their roof, you would still have to live by their rules. Their cold-shoulder silent treatment from your decision not to go to college was officially over. You had reawakened the sleeping dragon. Now the little freedom you had gained from their passive-aggressive distance was gone, and there was no way they would let you anywhere near their car again. But that Friday night you had made a promise to see Eddie again and return his jacket to him, and you at least owed him that after the mess you made the week before. So you decided to rebel one last time, and drove to the school to meet him after Hellfire.

You would have joined in, but you felt like you owed him some space, too. So you sat on the floor in the hallway instead and read your book to try to slow your thoughts as you prepared to face him.

Eventually, you heard chatter and laughter as the door opened. You looked up as the boys filed out of the room. Eddie was teasing Dustin, pushing his baseball cap over his eyes. Then he saw you, and his smile dropped.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Chapter Twenty-Three: Just Friends

Tags: @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Series Masterlist

September 20th, 1985

You would have joined in, but you felt like you owed him some space, too. So you sat on the floor in the hallway instead and read your book to try to slow your thoughts as you prepared to face him.

“Hey, Y/N. I didn’t think you were gonna show up,” Dustin said. “Are you good to drive us home?”

“Yeah. Sorry, just felt like reading today,” You replied, holding up your book. It was kind of true, just not the whole truth.

“The Hobbit,” Eddie mumbled. “Is this your first time reading it?”

“Oh, no. I’ve read it a billion times, I just… like to reread it when I need a good escape.”

He nodded solemnly and you lowered your eyes in embarrassment. The other boys looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable from the obvious tension in the air.

“Okay… well, we’ll be in the car, then…” Lucas grumbled and started to walk away. When Dustin and Mike didn’t get the hint, he walked back towards them and pulled them away by the collar of their shirts. Gareth, Jeff, and Freak mumbled their goodbyes to Eddie and awkwardly shuffled away as well.

The two of you stared at each other in uncomfortable silence before you cleared your throat and stood up from the floor, tugging on your shirt anxiously. Then you remembered his jacket. You bent down to pick it up off of the floor and brushed it off, feeling bad that it looked like you weren’t taking proper care of it.

“I, uh, brought you your jacket,” You said wiping it once more for good measure. “Sorry.”

He chuckled.

“No problem. Thanks for bringing it back.”

He put it on and melodramatically fluffed his hair out.

“How’s it look?”

“Great. As always.”

You smiled shyly at each other, then both tried to speak at the same time.

“You go ahead,” You offered.

“I just wanted to say, I’m really sorry about last weekend,” He said earnestly. You couldn’t stop yourself from snorting at him.

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry! I was such a mess. I can’t believe I got drunk. And puked. Oh god, I’m so humiliated. I completely ruined your night.”

You covered your face with your book in shame as the events of the night came back to you. Eddie took a step forward and pushed it down so he could look at you.

“It’s really okay. You didn’t. I’ve just been worried about you, that’s all.”

“That’s really sweet, but despite the embarrassment, I’m fine. I promise.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

He could definitely tell that you were lying, but he didn’t press you.

“Okay. Well… I’ll see you next week then?”

“About that…” You winced, clenching your teeth. “My parents weren’t exactly thrilled that I left their car at a bar all night. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to drive the boys anymore. Or… anywhere, ever again, for that matter. I had to sneak out just to drive here tonight. So… no more Hellfire. At least for a while, until I can get them to forget that I exist again.”

His shoulders slumped, and he looked down at his hands to play with his rings.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about that.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. It’s my fault. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“But… you wouldn’t have even been there if it wasn’t for me.”

“Yeah, maybe, but I wanted to go. And I chose to get drunk. Listen, even though I was a complete disaster, I still would have chosen to go - exactly as it played out - over staying home. It was fun watching you guys play. I’m glad I went. Really.”

“I’m glad you went, too. I wish it would have gone better.”

“Me too,” You sighed.

You stared at each other for a moment before you took a step away from him towards the school’s exit.

“Okay. Well… I guess I’ll see you around?” You said tentatively.

“Sure. See you around.”

You nodded, giving him a sad smile before you walked away. You made it halfway to the door before he called your name, making you spin back around.

“Yeah?”

He hesitated, punching the palm of his other hand anxiously before he walked towards you, avoiding your gaze.

“Alright, fuck it,” He eventually said with a nervous laugh, forcing himself to look at you. “Lemme just ask you before I lose my nerve again. What are you doing tonight?”

Your eyes widened at him and you looked around like you were being pranked, then you turned your head back to him. His gaze was unwavering.

“Nothing?”

“Good. I mean… okay. Would you wanna… can I take you out to get something to eat? Just to hang out. Nothing weird, I swear. Just a redo.”

You stared at him, stunned. Was this actually happening? He still wanted to spend time with you, even after everything that went down the week before?

He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head when you stayed silent for a little too long.

“Again, you can always tell me to fuck off at any time,” He said with a small laugh and smile that immediately disappeared when he realized there was a chance you might actually take him up on that. But you didn’t.

“Okay,” You said simply instead, unable to fight off a little smirk. He grinned back at you.

“Cool.”

“Cool,” You agreed.

He nodded, then stopped suddenly, his smile fading once again.

“Sorry, that was a solid yes, right? Just wanna make sure I’m not an asshole who can’t take a hint.”

You grinned at him.

“Yes. It was a yes.”

“Good.”

He inched ever so slightly closer to you and you felt a sudden pang of panic. Was this a date? You took a step back, brushing your hair behind your ear anxiously.

“Wait, we are just hanging out, right? As… friends?”

He snorted, subtly leaning away from you with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Uh, of course. Yeah. Absolutely. That is what I said. Right.”

He was trying a little too hard to prove to you that this was obvious information.

“Okay…” You paused, narrowing your eyes at him skeptically, then relaxed when he didn’t budge. “I’m paying, by the way. I owe you for last week.”

“You know I’m not gonna let you do that, right?”

You rolled your eyes at him.

“We’ll see about that. So, would you mind picking me up at my place? I can write down the address for you.”

“Of course. No problem."

You rummaged in your bag for a marker, then when you found one and pulled it out, Eddie stuck out his hand before you could rip a piece of paper out of your sketchbook. You eyed him quizzically, and he laughed when he recognized your confusion.

“Just write it on my hand. I won’t lose it that way.”

You raised an eyebrow, but didn’t fight him on it. You bit the marker cap off and held it between your teeth, then took his hand and wrote your address on the back of it. When you dropped it and returned the marker to your bag, he brought his hand up to his face so he could read it. His eyes widened.

“Shit. Nice neighborhood.”

“Yeah… For all intents and purposes, I suppose it is,” You snorted.

“Might get a few disgruntled neighbors. My van can be kinda loud.”

“Good. There’s quite a few people I wouldn’t mind pissing off.”

You hated every single person that lived on your street. It was mostly stuck-up old couples that pretended to be nice to your face but complained about the stupidest little things, or families like yours that hated each other behind closed doors. Families just like the Hagans, and the Perkinses, and the Harringtons.

You were teasing, but Eddie actually seemed kind of nervous about it.

“It’ll be fine,” You reassured him. “I won’t make you wait. I promise. But if you’re really worried, I can totally meet you somewhere. I wouldn’t mind.”

“No, no. It’s cool. I’m not worried if you’re not.”

“Alright. Thanks. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. So… I’ll pick you up in an hour? Or is that too soon?”

“No, that’s perfect. The sooner the better.”

He smirked at you, and you scratched your eyebrow with uneasiness, letting out an anxious chuckle. That sounded a little too eager.

“I meant, because I probably shouldn’t stay out super late after last weekend,” You added, trying to take him down a peg.

“Right. That’s what I thought you meant,” He nodded, but that stupid smirk was still on his face, making you blush.

“Alright, Munson,” You teased, stepping away from him. “I know you’re always fashionably late, but try your best not to keep me waiting.”

“I won’t. Promise,” He called after you, waving the hand you had written your address on.

“And don’t wash that off!” You added with a giggle, opening the door with your back before turning to walk off to your car.

You tried your best not to wait too eagerly after you got home and changed your clothes, but you couldn’t help pacing around your room, checking your watch. On top of being nervous as hell, you were slightly concerned that your parents would have something to say about a noisy van parked in front of their house. You had a plan to get them off of your back, and you wanted to be ready to go as soon as he pulled up, just as you had promised.

Then at ten on the dot, you heard the sound of Eddie’s van’s engine coming down the road. You were pleasantly surprised that he actually was on time.

You immediately put your plan into motion, opening your window and climbing down carefully onto your porch awning, sliding smoothly to the ground. Then you ran over to Eddie’s van and hopped in, trying to hide the fact that you were out of breath.

“Hi,” You said as you panted. He just stared at you.

“Uh… what was that?” He asked with a chuckle.

“What?”

“The acrobatics?”

“Oh. Uh… I thought I’d try something new. My parents can’t get pissed at me if they don’t notice I’m gone, right?”

“Mhm. Right,” He said with a smirk, and pulled away from the curb. He kept looking you up and down out of the corner of his eyes. You clicked your tongue at him.

“What?” You asked again more impatiently.

“You changed,” He pointed out with a smirk, nodding at your fresh top.

“Yeah… so?” You mumbled, looking down at it. “I was in my work shirt when I saw you at the school.”

“Okay. Just saying. It’s a pretty nice top to wear for hanging out with a friend.”

“Well… I didn’t know where you were planning on taking me. Figured I’d dress to be ready for anything.”

“It won’t be anywhere fancy,” He snorted. “Hope that’s okay.”

“Where are we going?”

He squirmed in his seat nervously, leaning forward over the steering wheel.

“Okay, so I have this place in mind, but it’s outside of town a little bit. Is that okay? I kinda want it to be a surprise, but I just don’t want you to think that I’m, like, about to drive you out into a field to murder you or something.”

“Well… I wasn’t thinking that before. But now I’m slightly concerned.”

“I promise I will not murder you,” He laughed. “I sort of like you too much.”

“That’s… good to hear? I guess?”

He paused to look at you before turning back to the road.

“That’s where you’re supposed to say that you like me, too. You know, or whatever.” “Okay… Eddie, I like you too much to murder you, too.”

“Aw,” He cooed, putting a hand on his heart. “You’re sweet.”

Eventually, he pulled off of the road several miles outside of Hawkins into the parking lot of a retro diner.

“Is this the place?” You asked him with a grin.

“Yep. This is it. What do you think?”

“I think… I’m dying for a strawberry milkshake right about now.”

“Then let’s get you a strawberry milkshake,” He said with a nod, unbuckling his seatbelt. You followed suit, and before you could get out of his van, Eddie had already raced around to extend a hand to help you out. You raised an eyebrow at him but took it anyways as you hopped down. He shrugged, picking up on what you were thinking.

“I’m always chivalrous. Doesn’t mean anything,” He argued, dropping your hand.

“Mhm. Right.”

If he could tease you about changing before seeing him, you could tease him about getting the door for you. It was fun pushing each other’s buttons like this, flirting innocently. When you got to the front door of the diner, you made it a point to hold it open for him, which amused him immensely.

As soon as he walked in, an older woman smiled at him from behind the front counter.

“Well if it isn’t little Eddie Munson,” She called, stopping him in his tracks. You froze beside him and looked between the two of them in confusion.

“Hey, Deb. How have you been?” He asked her.

“Same ol’, same ol'. How are you? How’s Wayne? Still at the plant?”

“Yes ma’am, he is. We’re both great, thanks.”

“Glad to hear it. Your usual booth is open if you wanna make your way over, I’ll be there in just a second.”

Eddie nodded and instinctively put his hand over the small of your back to guide you towards the back of the diner, but corrected himself quickly by shoving it into his jeans pocket instead. When you both slid into your seats across from each other, Deb met you over by the table and smiled down at you before glancing back at Eddie.

“Well, who’s this? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” She said kindly, and reached out her hand to shake yours. “How do you know our Eddie?”

“I’m Y/N,” You answered shyly as you shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I, uh… went to school with him.”

You fought back the urge to ask her how the hell she knew Eddie.

“Well, any friend of his is a friend of mine,” She said, patting his shoulder before turning back to you. “So, what can I get you?”

“Could I please get a hamburger and fries…”

“And a strawberry milkshake,” Eddie interrupted with a smirk.

“Yes, thank you, Eddie. And a strawberry milkshake, please.”

“Of course,” Deb said, writing on her notepad. Then she looked up and pointed her pen at Eddie. “The usual for you, dear?”

He tilted his head at her with a wide smile.

“You know me so well, Deb.”

“Well, I suppose I should after all these years of you ordering the same thing,” She teased him, smacking him gently on the shoulder with her notepad. Of course, Eddie couldn’t resist melodramatically pretending that it had wounded him. “I’ll be right back with your food. You kids have fun."

“Thank you,” Eddie turned to call after her, and then smiled back at you.

“Come here often?” You asked him with a smirk.

“Yeah,” He chuckled bashfully. “My uncle’s been bringing me here ever since I moved in with him as a kid, and Deb’s worked here for forever.”

“And what’s this mysterious order you’ve been getting for the past, what, ten years?”

“A Dr. Pepper and a hamburger, well-done. Extra pickles. With a side of… peanut butter.”

“I’m sorry… did you say peanut butter? For what?”

His eyebrows raised so high in surprise that they disappeared behind his bangs.

“You don’t know about peanut butter burgers?”

“Peanut butter what?”

“Peanut butter on hamburgers. It’s amazing.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” You grimaced.

“I’ve never been more serious in my life. You’ve heard of peanut butter and pickles, right? It’s pretty much the same thing. It’s an acquired taste.”

“I’m not sure if my tastebuds are… sophisticated enough for that yet.”

“Oh, you’re gonna try it.”

“I will not.”

“You will,” He shrugged.

“Eddie.”

“Y/N.”

He was grinning at the horrified look on your face. You could tell he wasn’t going to let it go.

“One bite,” You finally said after he successfully stared you down.

“Deal,” He agreed, sticking out his hand to shake on it. You shook your head at him, but stuck your hand out to grip his anyways. He held onto it for a little too long afterwards, looking you straight in the eye before you tried to turn your face away to hide your blush. You pulled your hand back and immediately turned your attention to the little jukebox that was sitting on the booth tabletop.

“This is cute. I’ve never seen one of these before. How does it work?”

“Yeah. That’s half of the appeal of this place. You can pick a song from any table, and eventually it’ll play over the speakers. My little ten-year-old brain almost exploded with excitement the first time my uncle gave me a nickel to pick out a song. Now every time we come here, we always have to pick something.”

You could picture Eddie as a little kid clear as day, easily excitable, and it made you smile.

“Your uncle, his name is Wayne, right?” You asked.

“Yup. Good ol’ Wayne Munson.”

“So you guys are pretty close, huh?”

“Yeah. He’s more my dad than my actual dad, so.”

“He seems like a really good man.”

“He is.”

Eddie became uncharacteristically quiet then, seemingly humbled by this vulnerable admission. You tilted your head at him curiously, but he avoided your gaze and began to fish for change in his pocket, then reached out to try to hand it to you.

“Here. Pick something out. It’s too quiet in here.”

“No, you should do it. It’s your tradition.”

“Well, now it can be yours, too,” He objected, reaching out with his other hand to peel yours off of the table, then pressed the coin into it and closed your fingers around it. “Pick a good one.”

Your face flushed as he released you and you opened your fist to look down at the coin in your hand.

“No pressure,” You mumbled to yourself with a laugh.

“What, do you think I’m a music snob or something?”

“Oh, I know you are,” You teased. “In fact, maybe I’ll try my best to pick something you’ll absolutely hate.”

“Now, hold on a minute,” He scoffed. “What did I do to deserve that?”

“Nothing. I’m just not ready to show you my hand yet. I’ve gotta figure out what your limits are first.”

“My limits? Jesus, what kind of music do you listen to?”

“Nothing weird! Just… definitely not what you’re used to.”

He cocked his head at you and raised an eyebrow.

“I think you’re underestimating me.”

“Well, guess we’ll find out then, won’t we?”

You smirked at him deviously as you made your selection, and he sat back and crossed his arms in waiting, equally amused by your game. When it began to play, you sat back, too, staring him down, willing him to react. It took a minute for him to recognize the song, but when he did, he scrunched his eyes shut and let out a chuckle, then opened one of them to look at you.

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun? Seriously? That cannot be one of your all-time favorite songs.”

“No, you’re right. It’s not. That was a test, and you failed,” You laughed.

“Oh, come on. That’s so not fair. How else was I supposed to react to that?!”

“Alright, alright. Fine. I’ll choose a better one for the next song. On my nickel, don’t even try to give me any more change. Got it?”

He put his hands up in defeat.

“Got it. You’re making the rules now.”

“Damn straight.”

He bit his lip, then leaned forward towards you with his hands clasped over the table as if he was prepared to make you some kind of dubious offer.

“I have a game for you, too, though.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm. I challenge you… to draw me.”

“What?”

“Draw me,” He shrugged. “What? You don’t think I could be a good model?”

He daintily pushed his hair over his shoulder and fluttered his eyelashes at you to showcase his beauty, making you laugh.

“I’m sure you’d be a great model. I just don’t think I’m a good enough artist to capture…” You paused to wave a hand at him in a circular motion. “All that.”

He laughed back at your teasing.

“Are you forgetting that I’ve seen your art? I know what you’re capable of.”

“You seriously want me to draw you? For what?”

“So I can hang it on my wall to remind myself how pretty I am, obviously.”

“Right. Obviously,” You snorted. He stared you down, tapping his finger on the table.

“I am serious, though. Draw me.”

“I… with what? I don’t even have a pencil.”

He smirked at you and turned to flag down Deb, then asked her for a pencil. She took one she had been keeping behind her ear and handed it to him, and he thanked her before holding it out to you. You took it from him reluctantly, glancing between the two of them anxiously. Eddie noticed and looked back at Deb, then explained, “She’s an artist. She’s gonna draw me,” With a pleased grin.

Deb smiled back at him, eyeing you knowingly before shaking her head fondly and walking off. You raised an eyebrow at Eddie as he stared at you expectantly.

“Alright,” You sighed, “I have a better idea. I’ll draw you somebody in this restaurant right now - anybody you choose - and if you like it, then I promise I will draw you.”

He tilted his head at you impatiently, but nodded.

“Fine. You’ve got yourself another deal. You do make the rules, after all.”

“That’s correct. So who do you pick? Choose wisely.”

He draped an arm over the back of the booth and turned his body around to look at the other people in the room, not even bothering to be covert about it. There weren’t too many to choose from. He eventually turned back around and leaned over the table to whisper to you.

“See the guy at the counter? Ten o’clock?”

You leaned a little to the left so you could look over his shoulder.

“The one in head-to-toe camouflage?”

“That’s the one. I pick him.”

“Okay. Challenge accepted. Easy.”

He smiled at your confidence, then grabbed a napkin from the holder beside him to pass it off to you. You snorted and took it from him. It wasn’t the ideal material to draw on, but it would have to do.

“So, what music do you usually pick out when you come here?” You asked as you began your drawing. “The selections aren’t very… metal.”

He chuckled to himself.

“Uh… well, see, that’s an interesting story. It’s actually kind of part of the tradition for me to pick a Woody Guthrie song.”

“What? Like, the guy who wrote This Land Is Your Land?”

“That’s the one,” He admitted with pursed lips and a shrug.

“Very interesting. Where did that come from?”

“Wayne introduced me to him as a kid, and I thought he was a cool dude. I had a little bit of an obsession. Read all these books about him. He’s actually the one that made me wanna play guitar.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I know. It’s shocking, right? I started with acoustic, and then when I discovered AC/DC, that was the end of that story. Wayne saved up for a year to get me my first electric guitar, and, hence, my first foray into the world of rock and roll began.”

“Ah. See, now that makes more sense to me.”

“Right. But they were just a stepping stone, obviously. The music I like now is a little more…”

“Loud?” You interrupted him with a smirk, still focused on your drawing.

“Yes, exactly. Heavier.”

“So who do you listen to now then? Anybody I would know?”

“I don’t know. Iron Maiden? W.A.S.P.? Dio? Metallica? Black Sabbath?”

“Oh, sure. Ozzy Osbourne. The guy that decapitated a bat live on stage. Love that guy,” You teased sarcastically, glancing up at his face to see his reaction. He was smiling sheepishly at you, and it was so cute that it made you want to cry. “I’m teasing. I don’t really know any of those bands, but I’m willing to be educated. You did promise me you would lend me some tapes, remember?”

His face lit up again, and his smile became wider.

“Oh, trust me. I remember.”

“Good.”

You smiled back at him, then returned to your masterpiece before Eddie cleared his throat and tapped a finger against the mini jukebox selector.

“Did you forget something? I shared my favorites, now it’s your turn. Pick something out that you actually like.”

You sighed and set down the napkin you were sketching on in your lap.

“For the record, I do actually like Cyndi Lauper. She’s just not in my top ten.”

“Well, of course you do. It’s criminal not to at least like her a little bit. I’m not a total freak.”

You rolled your eyes at him and crossed your arms discontentedly.

“You’re making fun of me.”

“No, I’m not,” He raised his voice indignantly. “I’m serious. Her shit is catchy.”

“Stop it. Do you want me to finish this drawing or not?”

You set the napkin back on the table and continued, trying your best to ignore Eddie as he leaned forward towards you. Then when he realized he couldn’t get to you, he slumped back into his seat like a pouting child. Just when you thought you had won, he began to hum, and you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing up at him. Then he began to sing quietly when he realized that he had finally caught your attention.

“I come home… in the mornin’ light… my MOther says, ‘Whatcha gonna do with your life?’”

“What are you doing?” You tried to ask him, but he ignored you and began to sing louder, drumming his fingers on the table.

“Oh momma dear, we’re not the fortunate ones. And girls, they wanna have FU-un!”

You shushed him, eyeing the people around you, but it only spurred him on more.

“THAT’S ALL THEY REALLY WAAAANT,” He sang as loudly and passionately as possible, closing his eyes and scrunching up his face. You straightened up in your seat in shock, then reached out to clamp a hand over his mouth without thinking.

“Stop!” You hissed, fighting back a grin so he wouldn’t be tempted to keep it up.

“I’m not gonna stop until you agree to pick out another song,” He mumbled into your hand, tickling your palm. Then he pulled away from it and screeched, “SOME FUUUUUN!” to prove his point.

“Okay, okay!” You yelled, waving your hands at him emphatically to get him to stop before reaching into your bag for change. When you found a nickel, you held it up to him in desperation to prove that you were willing to comply, then kept your eyes locked on his as you put it into the jukebox. “Happy now?”

“Yes,” He said with a shit-eating grin. You rolled your eyes at him, then couldn’t resist looking around at the other people in the diner who were still staring at the two of you.

This is exactly what Robin meant when she said that Eddie would be good at getting you out of your shell. Everybody was looking at you, which normally would have made you shut down, but you couldn’t help smiling. It didn’t feel so threatening when Eddie’s goofiness was the cause of it. It was actually kind of fun.

“You’re a child, you know that?” You grumbled playfully as you turned your attention back to the jukebox to pick out a song.

“I know,” He agreed, resting back into his seat triumphantly. You shook your head at him again.

“I can’t believe you actually know the words to Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

“I told you,” He shrugged. “Catchy.”

Your eyes flicked up at him briefly as you were making your song selection, catching his gaze. You knew exactly what he was doing by playing these games with you. He was softening you up so you would open up to him. Worming his way into your brain, trying to figure you out. Trying to get you to share your favorite things with him. You would have been mad, but recognizing the twinkle in his eyes made it impossible. All he wanted was to get to know you better. How could you be angry about that?

You decided to play nicely and actually picked one of your favorite songs despite the fear that he would judge you for it. After selecting it, you quickly went back to drawing, doing your best to appear nonchalant even though your heart was racing. When the song started playing and you heard a contented sigh from Eddie, you looked up at him again in shock.

“Landslide. Heavy. And not in the way I’m used to,” He joked. “Sad, heavy. But it’s really good.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, hell yeah. Fleetwood Mac was actually… one of my mom’s favorites."

You stopped drawing suddenly and stared up at him, unsure how to react to that bit of information. Judging by the serious look on his face, he wasn’t sure either. But this only lasted for a second before he had his typical, beaming, Eddie smile back, and he quickly cleared his throat and tried to move the topic away from his mom again.

“Stevie Nicks is a total badass. Although, she wasn’t always in the band, right? It’s hard to keep all that straight. They went through a lot of personnel changes over the years, didn’t they?”

“Yeah,” You smiled kindly, trying to ignore the pregnant pause in your conversation. “Although, I really don’t have any interest in them pre-Stevie Nicks. She’s definitely a top ten artist. Top five, even.”

“Understandable. Edge of Seventeen? Great song.”

“Are you kidding?” You scoffed ecstatically. “When that album came out, I listened to it on repeat so much that my record was completely scratched by the end of the summer. I was absolutely obsessed. I probably wouldn’t have survived the start of my freshman year without it.”

He nodded, grinning at you, basking in your joy. He’d gotten you truly excited about something for the first time that night, and he knew it. He was successfully figuring you out. Your cheeks burned red from his gaze. You shook your head and looked back down at your work, trying to pretend that it hadn’t happened.

“You know… you can keep telling me things like that,” He said as gently as possible. “Personal things. I’m not gonna, like, use them against you, or anything. Or make fun of you. Right?”

You weren’t expecting him to say this, and it flustered you.

“I… I know,” You stammered. “I mean… I’m trying.”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to. I just want to make sure you know that. You always seem…embarrassed. I don’t want you to be.”

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s not you. That’s just… my own shit.”

“I get it. Trust me.”

It hadn’t really occurred to you that he would understand. He was so good at pretending like he didn’t care about anything, at being his carefree, happy self, that you almost forgot he had dealt with his fair share of bullshit in his life.

“You can always tell me things, too. I hope you know that,” You added, just in case he didn’t.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“Speaking of…” You were about to ask him more about his mom, but Deb came over and set your plates down in front of you, interrupting you before you could. Maybe it was for the best. You didn’t want to pry too soon. You both said your polite thank you’s to her, and after she walked away, Eddie looked down at the little bowl of peanut butter on his plate, then back up at you. You groaned.

“You’re really gonna make me try that monstrosity?”

“Monstrosity? How dare you. More like masterpiece.”

“Alright, whatever. Let’s just get it over with,” You grumbled, setting your drawing aside to pick up a knife and spread a tiny amount of it onto your burger. You picked it up and stared at it, then glanced up at Eddie for a moment to see him leaning in eagerly, his chin resting on top of his intertwined hands. There was no backing out. You took a hesitant bite and put your hand over your mouth as you chewed, analyzing its bizarre taste profile. After a few moments, you let yourself swallow it and your eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“Surprisingly not horrible,” You admitted.

“You love it.”

“Let’s not get too carried away. It’s… it’s good. Okay?”

He clapped his hands together excitedly, rocking back in his seat.

“I knew it! I knew you’d like it!” He exclaimed loudly and pointed a finger at you, once again drawing attention to himself.

You laughed and shushed him.

“Okay, okay. You were right. Are you happy?”

“You have no idea,” He grinned.

You watched him take the top bun off of his burger and dump the entire bowl of peanut butter on the patty as you took a sip of your milkshake. The boy was weird, and you were enjoying every moment of watching him be himself.

He took a large bite of the burger after reassembling it and then tried to talk to you with his mouth full without thinking.

“What was that?” You chuckled, then took a bite of one of your fries.

He covered his mouth with his fist and swallowed, then smiled at you sheepishly.

“Sorry. I said, are you done with that drawing yet?”

“Oh!” You brushed your hands together to wipe off the crumbs and took the drawing off of the seat beside you to study it. Then you held up a finger and picked up your pencil again. “Just a second, it needs one last touch.”

You scribbled one last detail then held it up, eyeing Eddie as he sat in waiting behind it.

“Okay. I think it’s done.”

He sat up straight in his seat and wiped off his hands with his napkin, then held them out to you in preparation to receive it. You waved it at him then snatched it away playfully, and he reached out and grabbed it from you with a laugh before you could take it away again. It took him a brief moment to analyze it before his face lit up in pure delight.

It was a drawing of the lonely camouflaged man, as requested, but slightly more caricatured with the addition of a little caption that read, “Sometimes I feel like everybody looks right through me.”

“Holy shit,” He said with a boisterous laugh. “That’s fucking amazing.”

He held it up to you to show it off as if you hadn’t just finished drawing it right in front of him less than a minute before. You chuckled at his show of pride in you.

“Why, thank you. Glad you like it.”

“Like it? I’m framing this shit.”

“Alright. Calm down, Munson. It’s just a stupid little joke drawing.”

“No, it’s my stupid little joke drawing and I will cherish it forever,” He argued, clutching it fondly to his chest. “Thank you. I can’t believe you cranked that out so fast. This really is your thing, isn’t it?”

You remembered your conversation at The Hideout about each of your respective talents. His music, your art. Your heart dropped. Seeing the joy your drawing had brought him helped a little, but you still felt like you had all but completely lost that side of yourself.

“Well, about that… I’m not so sure that’s true,” You admitted. “I don’t really know what my thing is anymore.”

“What? Why would you say that?”

“Because I haven’t really been able to make anything new since I graduated. It’s like I’m all dried up. Barely nineteen and I’m already having a mid-life crisis.”

“Dried up?” He scoffed. “Look at what you just did. And what about leaving Hawkins? What happened to your plans?”

He seemed genuinely concerned by your change of heart, and you didn’t really know what to say to him to make him understand what caused it.

“I… don’t know. I just don’t think it’s in the cards for me anymore, you know? Reality kind of whacked me over the head a little bit.”

That was an understatement. And also pretty literal, considering the bruises you received from the battle at Starcourt.

“Maybe it’ll still happen someday, but just… not anytime soon,” You added to ease his worry, even though you didn’t really believe it. He nodded and seemed to relax slightly.

“Well, if you really are going to be sticking around for a while, we could always use your help designing band posters and stuff. Maybe even some new shirts for the Hellfire Club?”

You blinked at him, surprised by this kind offer. He tapped his rings against the table to fill the uncomfortable silence.

“If you’re up for it, I mean. No pressure. We probably couldn’t pay you much, but…”

“I’d love to,” You interrupted him. “Free of charge. Anytime.”

“No, you’ve gotta let me pay you something.”

“Okay, you can take me out to eat again.”

Now it was his turn to be stunned speechless. For some reason, it was a surprise to him that you considered spending time with him valuable.

“That’s all you’ll accept?”

“Yup,” You nodded matter-of-factly.

“Sounds like that’s a bigger payoff for me, but alright.”

You smirked at him, shaking your head. That wasn’t even remotely true.

“I believe you also owe me a portrait of yours truly,” He added. “Don’t forget.”

“Okay, fine. But it’ll cost you an extra meal.”

“I think I can live with that.”

You tried to hide your giddy smile by taking another bite of your burger, and he eyed you over the rim of his soda as he took a sip. Then he set it down quickly and swallowed as he recalled something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. What were you gonna say before our food got here? Something personal, or whatever?”

Shit. He had heard you. You tried to think of something else you could ask him that would be much lighter than the topic of his absent parents.

“Oh… um… I do have a question I’ve been wanting to ask you, actually. Speaking of leaving Hawkins… I’m curious to know what’s in the cards for you when you finish school. Do you have any plans? Or… dreams?”

He raised his eyebrows at you, then reached over to steal a fry from your plate. You glared at him playfully, but didn’t say anything.

“Do I have any plans? Uh… maybe the first two times I was supposed to graduate. But the third? Nah. The plan is just to get the hell out of that school.”

“Okay… Then can I ask you something else?”

He wiped his hands with his napkin again and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms.

“Okay. Shoot.”

“You’re…smart…”

When you paused to think about how best to continue your question, he snorted.

“Is that your question?”

“No, I’m trying to say… you’re really smart, and certainly smart enough to graduate. So how have you been held back so many times?”

He sighed loudly, and blew a puff of air out of his lips.

“Takes a certain special talent, I guess. It was actually sort of hard to do. No, actually, the answer depends on who you ask. If you ask my teachers, they would say it’s because I have an inability to focus in class. If you ask principal Higgins, he would say that I’m a degenerate who cares more about getting into trouble than succeeding in anything. And if you ask the guidance counselor, she would tell you that my unwillingness to move forward in life is due to a ‘fear of the unknown,’ and a direct result of my ‘rocky upbringing.’”

“And if I were to ask you?” You asked, cocking your head.

He took a pause to think about it, sipping his soda again. When the answer came to him, he traced a finger over the tabletop’s pattern absentmindedly.

“I would tell you that it’s because I can’t force myself to give a shit. About any of it.”

He looked sad as he continued to stare down at the table, and you wanted nothing more than to make him smile again.

“Would it be awful for me to say that I’m glad you flunked?” You teased, leaning forward to catch his attention. “Because we probably wouldn’t be here right now if you graduated when you were supposed to. Or last year, either, actually.”

He looked up at you, the first signs of a smile appearing on his face.

“What, do you think I would have actually gone anywhere if I had graduated?”

“Absolutely. Are you kidding?”

“I think the guidance counselor would disagree with you.”

“Well, the guidance counselor can kiss my ass. You are way too good for this town, Eddie Munson. And you are going to graduate this year. I know you will.”

You could tell he wanted to object, but the look on your face was warning him not to. He chuckled with a little shake of his head.

“Alright, how about we make one more deal then? I work hard and actually graduate, and you get the hell out of this town like you planned. Sound fair?”

“Fine. I guess that is fair,” You reluctantly agreed. “But only if you agree to get out of this town, too.”

He nodded and looked down at his hands that were resting flat on the table, then reached to twist the rings on his left hand nervously. You could tell there was something else on his mind.

“Okay. Now can I…ask you something now? Something personal?”

Uh oh.

“Sure?” You agreed tentatively.

“You said something at The Hideout last weekend… while you were…”

“Drunk?” You interrupted him, squeezing your eyes shut in humiliation.

“Yeah. So I don’t know if you really meant it or not, but… you said something about…how you’re a ‘ticking time bomb,’ I believe were the exact words you used? And that I…deserved somebody… ‘good, like me?’”

“Shit,” You muttered, reaching up to rub at your eyebrow. “Yeah, I remember. I wish I could lie and say I don’t, but I wasn’t that drunk. Unfortunately…”

“Right. So my question is… what the fuck was that about?” He paused to raise an eyebrow at you, then added pointedly, “Friend?”

It took everything in you not to slide down in the booth onto the floor and crawl outside, straight into traffic.

“Fuck… I’m so sorry. I was hoping you didn’t hear that part of my rambling…”

“Yeah, sorry,” He scoffed. “Not a chance.”

“I’m so embarrassed… Look, clearly, I… I was having some… confusing thoughts. About… well, I saw you with… with Jo. And I think it just made me feel kinda lonely.”

“Jo? Oh shit… I forgot you met her.”

He forgot? You spent all summer thinking about the two of them together, and he forgot?

“Well… I did,” You said a little too aggressively. “At the movies. In June. Your date with her?”

“No, yeah… I remember,” He said, fighting back a smile at your frustration with him. “But it wasn’t really… a date, date. I don’t think.”

“Oh? Really? Then what was all that then, at The Hideout?”

“What?” He laughed, unable to fight it back any longer. You snorted at him.

“‘Oh, Eddie,’” You mocked her, reaching out to grab his arm while pretending to fawn over him. “‘You looked so hot up there with your guitar. Marry me?’”

He laughed at you openly this time, clearly enjoying how worked up you had gotten. He’d never actually seen you act like this around him. You’d teased him before, but not like this. Not in a way that almost matched his own special brand of charisma.

“Was that supposed to be Jo or you?” He countered.

“Her, obviously!”

“So you didn’t think I was hot?”

You rolled your eyes at him.

“Don’t change the subject, Munson. What’s going on between the two of you?”

“Alright, alright. She came to see my band at the start of the summer, and she was nice and asked me to… hang out a… a couple times. Just casually. And I… I’m sorry, are these still friendly questions? Because I feel like I’m being interrogated a little bit.”

You didn’t like how he was anxiously dancing around the subject. Clearly, there was something about the two of them that he didn’t want you to know.

“I’m not interrogating you,” You argued. “I think I’m asking valid questions. You never mentioned her before.”

“Well, then, can I ask you about Steve?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, annoyed by his quick deflection.

“What about Steve?”

“Is that why you called him to come get you? Because seeing me with Jo made you feel…” He trailed off, then held up air quotes with his fingers. “‘Lonely?’”

“What? No. I… I called Steve, because nobody else would have been able to come get me. He was my only option.”

“Right. Besides… me,” He said indignantly, pointing a thumb to himself. “Who was already there, and completely ready and willing to drive you.”

“Please. That would have been… humiliating.”

“More humiliating than Steve “The Hair” Harrington threatening to kick my ass outside of a bar?”

You covered your eyes in shame. You had almost forgotten that part.

“Fuck… I am so sorry about that. If it helps at all, we fought over it.”

He eased up a bit when he saw how mortified you truly were over your decision to call Steve, relaxing back into his seat with a sigh.

“So what’s really going on there? Honestly?” He asked. “Because I’ve gotta say, the way he tried to defend your honor like that… didn’t seem very friend-like.”

You leaned forward, pushing your plate out of the way so you could cross your arms over the table, readying yourself for a vulnerable admission. It was the first time you would be speaking about what happened between you and Steve with somebody other than him, and it felt strange. It made it feel more real. Especially since it was Eddie.

“Okay…” You began, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what you were thinking last year with all of the rumors about us, but… I swear we were just friends. Things didn’t become more… complicated… until recently. Over the summer.”

“Oh. The summer. Right.”

You could tell what he was thinking. He knew something changed in you that summer, and he was making an assumption that Steve was the cause of it. You wanted to tell him he was wrong, that it was so much more than that, but you knew you couldn’t. You sighed, and decided to at least give him the full, honest truth about one thing.

“We… we kissed. Once. At the end of August. And it kind of messed everything up. That’s all. I don’t even know if we’re friends anymore because we haven’t really talked since…but that’s what happened.”

“So… you guys aren’t, like… seeing each other causally or anything like that?”

“Like you and Jo, you mean?” You scoffed.

By now, you had pieced together what he meant by “casual,” and it didn’t exactly align with what you considered it to be. It was obvious that he had more romantic experience than you.

“Yeah… I guess,” He shrugged.

“No. We are definitely not.”

He seemed to perk up slightly at this revelation, but didn’t say anything. He just nodded and went back to fidgeting with his hands. You sighed loudly.

“Are you still seeing Jo?” You asked, then added, “Casually?” With an eye roll.

“No. It was just a fun, summer thing. We both knew it wasn’t going anywhere. We’re just friends.”

“Are you sure she knows that? Because she seemed very into you last weekend.”

“She’s just… flirtatious like that. It didn’t mean anything.”

He tilted his head to study you as you nodded slowly with your lips pursed together and stirred your milkshake with your straw.

“Are you pissed at me?” He asked you, his voice pitching up slightly in confusion.

“No. Of course not. Why would I be pissed?”

“I don’t know. Why would you be?”

“Well, I don’t know. Because I’m not pissed.”

Your eyebrows were raised as you took a drink of your milkshake and stared at him the whole time, and he scoffed at you in frustration. You set your glass down and began ripping up your straw wrapper anxiously as an awkward silence filled the air around you, and you couldn’t resist prodding him further to ease the burden of it.

“How many… how many people… have you been with? Casually or… otherwise?”

“Is that a question friends ask each other?”

You glared up at him.

“…Yes. You don’t have to answer it. I was just curious.”

“Not many,” He shrugged. “Two. Three, actually, I guess.”

You sat quietly for a minute to let that sink in. It wasn’t outrageous, but not really what you wanted to hear.

“Can I ask you the same question?” He asked.

You felt your cheeks turn red. Did Steve count as one? Or was he asking about how many you’d slept with? Wait, was three his number for people he’d slept with, or just done… other stuff with? Your head was starting to hurt and you regretted asking him the question in the first place. You looked up at him pleadingly, and he shook his head.

“Never mind, I don’t want to know,” He said with a chuckle, and you sighed gratefully, going back to ripping up the wrapper until it was nothing more than little white paper flakes.

“So… have you ever brought her here?” You asked quietly, staring at the shredded remains of your wrapper. You hadn’t learned your lesson from your previous question. You were dying to know.

“Who, Jo? No. I’ve never been here with anybody before, besides Wayne. It’s kind of, like… my little secret.”

“Then why did you bring me?”

“I don’t know,” He shrugged. “I just thought… maybe you’d appreciate it.”

He’d never brought anybody else there before. Maybe he had been with other girls, but at least there were some things he hadn’t done with them before that he wanted to do with you. It made you feel special. Not that you had a right to feel that way, since it wasn’t a real date, after all.

“I do appreciate it,” You said, barely above a whisper. “Thank you for bringing me.”

You smiled softly at each other, then your eyes drifted to Eddie’s digital watch.

“Oh, shit!” You yelled and reached out to grab his wrist to make sure you were reading the time correctly. He jumped slightly, his eyes widening in shock at your sudden outburst. It was almost midnight. “Is that the time? I should probably go… just in case my secret agent plan didn’t work on my parents.”

He studied your face, tapping his fingers on the table, and let out a disappointed sigh.

“Alright,” He agreed, then paused to take one last bite of his burger. “Let’s get you home, then. Wouldn’t want you turning into a pumpkin or something."

After the two of you went back and forth on who would pay and eventually agreed on just paying for your own meals, Eddie drove you home. You asked him to park down the street just in case your parents really had realized you were gone.

“Thanks again. For driving me,” You said with a contented sigh after he switched off his ignition and turned to you.

“Anytime.”

You knew you should have gotten out and left then, but you didn’t want the night to end yet. Instead, you turned back to him and asked, “Do you have a long drive home?”

“Not too long. I live out at… Forest Hills,” He admitted reluctantly. “You know it?”

“No shit! That’s where I’m helping my friend Max move in next weekend.”

He was taken aback by your excitement, and chuckled a little bit.

“Oh, yeah. Sinclair’s girlfriend. I’ve heard all about her, trust me. She was also… Billy Hargrove’s sister, right?”

It sent a jolt through you, hearing his name. You’d almost forgotten about him for the first time in months that night.

“Stepsister. Yeah,” You corrected him, looking down at your lap. “His asshole dad just ran out on her mom, left them with nothing. Max doesn’t really talk to me about it, but I know she’s struggling.”

You fell silent and he seemed to pick up on your distress instantly.

“I can help keep an eye out for her if you want, if you’re worried about her,” He offered quickly.

You turned your head against the headrest of your seat to look at him. He had a kind, warm smile that made you feel like melting into your seat.

“That would be amazing. Thank you, Eddie.”

He nodded and then rested his head against the back of his seat, too, that smile still on his face as he watched you. He was so kind. So good. Your heart ached.

“Can I ask you something before I go?” You said quietly. He nodded again, his eyes still fixated on you.

“What’s inside of you that compels you to do that? To help people like that?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, his brows furrowed.

“You let the boys sit with you on their first day of school because they had nowhere else to sit. You’re offering to help Max, who you’ve never even met. And… you helped me. Last year. When Carol and Tommy were being assholes in the hallway. You almost got into a fight for me. What drives you to do those things?”

“I… I don’t know. Well, first of all, I helped you with Carol and Tommy because I owed you for the cigarettes, remember?” He chuckled. You weren’t amused.

“Eddie. We both know that’s bullshit. You just can’t help yourself, can you? No matter who it is, whether you know them or not, you just can’t help being the protector. Throwing yourself over the grenade. I need to know what it is that compels you to do that. I have to know where that comes from.”

He blinked at you in the dark blue midnight light, confused by your urgency, unsure how to respond. Then after a few moments, he took a deep breath and began to speak so uncharacteristically quietly that you had to lean in closer to hear.

“Maybe it’s just because… I know what it’s like. I’m sure it’s hard to imagine now, but I was a scared kid once, too. I got beaten up all the time before I met Jeff and the others. And after, too, a little bit, but not as bad. Then when I got to high school and we found Hellfire, it became a little easier to be my loud, obnoxious self once I found other people that liked the same weird shit as me. And I felt some power in that. But I also drew some negative attention from it, obviously.”

He trailed off and looked at you, and you nodded, willing him to say what he was holding back. He bit his lip anxiously, but took a deep breath and continued anyways.

“It did a pretty good job keeping me out of trouble for a while, but when I was 14, I kinda snapped and lost it on this kid who just would not let up. It was terrifying. It was like, I didn’t even have control over myself. I pretty much beat him within an inch of his life before my friends could pull me off of him.”

He stopped to look over at you, and seemed to clock the horror on your face that you were failing to conceal.

“Did you know about that?” He asked, grimacing.

You shook your head no.

“I thought maybe you did. I mean, everybody and their mother heard about it. That’s pretty much when I became the town pariah. The “Freak." I assumed that was why you tried to stay away from me for so long.”

“No. I… I had no idea.”

“Well, the cops got involved, but thanks to my uncle, they didn’t press charges. I don’t know what he did, but I know he saved me. And after, he sat me down, and he told me that I had to make a choice. I had to decide if I wanted to hold onto all the anger and implode like everybody else in my family had, or I could just… let it go. The idea of being anything like my old man really did the trick. So I let it go. I chose to start laughing at all the bullshit instead of getting mad over it. And it wasn’t easy at first, pretending not to care. But eventually I got used to it, and people stopped messing with me. Mostly because they were scared of me, but also because they realized they couldn’t get to me anymore. It just makes life a whole lot easier when you don’t take it seriously. A lot less painful. And after a while I started trying really hard to use that superpower for good, you know?” He paused, laughing at himself a little. “I figured, if people are gonna be scared of me, I may as well use that to help out people like me. Protect the people who need it. People who… who don’t have anybody to sit with at lunch. Like you and me. I don’t know. It’s the least I could do.”

You found yourself suddenly struggling to hold back tears. You knew he hadn’t had an easy life, but hearing these details struck you deeply. He was absolutely remarkable, and much stronger than you could have ever imagined. For him to make it through that and still be the soft, gentle, goofy person he was? He had to be a real-life fucking superhero. He was incredible. And you didn’t even know his full story yet.

“But, how do you keep that up?” You asked, your voice cracking. “I mean, don’t you get tired of pretending not to care? Don’t you ever feeling like exploding?”

“Yeah. All the time. But, you know, I have my outlets. Weed helps. Weed helps a lot. And other… nondescript drugs.”

“Eddie, I’m serious.”

“So am I. Drugs. And music. My band, my friends, my uncle, Hellfire. And… talking to you tonight. That helped… quite a bit.”

You looked away from him and sniffled, trying to pretend like it wasn’t taking everything in you to hold it together.

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” You said, your voice raspy.

He didn’t respond. His glassy eyes just searched you in the dark.

“I really like hanging out with you,” He said instead.

“I do, too.”

“I mean, I really like hanging out with you.”

“Eddie…” You said pleadingly, still looking down at your hands.

“What?”

“We’re… we’re just friends. Remember?”

“Right. Yeah. Friends. Because friends get jealous about the people their friends have dated.”

You turned your head back to him to glare at him.

“What?”

“I didn’t like hearing about Harrington kissing you, Y/N. And I know you didn’t like seeing me with Jo last weekend.”

Your mouth fell open, and you scoffed at him reproachfully.

“I… Why would you even be interested in me Eddie?” You deflected, because you knew you couldn’t argue with the fact that you were jealous of Jo. “After everything? After all the shit I’ve put you through?”

“Are you serious? You mean besides the fact that we had a great night and you’re insanely pretty?”

“Eddie… don’t. I mean… why did tonight even happen? Why do you keep… trying? I really don’t know if I’m worth all of this.”

“Don’t say that. Please don’t say that. That’s not true.”

“It is true. I’m a fucking mess, Eddie. And you’re… you. I may have been drunk when I said what I said last weekend, but I still meant it. You’re good, and you deserve somebody good and easy that sees the world like you do…”

“You wanna know what I see in you? What I’ve always seen in you?” He interrupted you quickly. “I remember you from middle school. You know that?”

You blinked at him, your mouth hanging open.

“You do?”

“Yeah. You were… so cool. So tough. Even though you were younger than me, you used to scare the shit out of me, honestly. You had me shaking in my little Reeboks. But I was also completely entranced by you. You just had this… I don’t know what to call it. Light? Just absolutely fucking radiating from you all the time, blinding me. And I noticed when… when things changed in you. Like, something was fighting inside of you to snuff it out. When Harrington and the others dropped you and you started sitting alone at lunch. And I wanted to go sit by you so badly. Just to talk to you, just to see that light in you again. But for some reason, I kept talking myself out of it. I think I was just scared, you know? That you would tell me to fuck off, or you would hate me. And that honestly probably would have killed me. So I just stayed away. And then when you got to high school… I almost went up to you. I should have. But every time I tried to talk to you I couldn’t tell if you wanted me to or not. So I tried to give you your space. But I couldn’t stop wondering… if maybe that light was still there. And each time I talked to you again I kept getting little glimpses of it, and I wanted more. So I kept trying, year after year, rejection after rejection. And then tonight… fuck. Now I know it’s still there. It’s still fighting to get out, despite all the shit you’ve gone through. I just had to earn it. And I gotta say, it’s definitely worth all the effort. Because, I swear… you’re fucking magic, Y/N. There’s nobody like you.”

You couldn’t fight the tears back anymore. It was too much. He was too perfect, too kind. Nobody had ever, ever said anything remotely like that about you before. He had noticed you the whole time, before you even noticed him. He called you magic. Him.

You tried and failed to hide your emotions from him, and as soon as he noticed, he immediately turned his whole body towards you in preparation to comfort you.

“I’m sorry, did I say something to upset you? Did I freak you out?”

“No, it’s nothing,” You said quickly, waving a hand. “I’m sorry.”

“Obviously it’s not nothing. If I scared you away… I understand. I know I’m a lot, trust me.”

You shook your head as you tried to stop your tears.

“No, no. Definitely not. I just can’t believe… I think you’re just a really amazing person, Eddie. Maybe even the best I’ve ever met,” You admitted quietly. “And I wish I’d gotten to know you better so much sooner.”

His face changed from concern to shock, then to something that looked a whole lot like longing, all in one split second.

“Me too. The second you got to high school and you pierced me with those eyes of yours from across the cafeteria while I was acting like an idiot… I wish I’d walked over and asked you out right then and there. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“It’s my fault,” You sniffled, shaking your head. “I’m always running away. I wish I could stop running away.”

He reached out to wipe one of your tears away, and you shamelessly kept your eyes locked on him the entire time. He let his ring-clad fingers linger on your cheek, and your eyelids fluttered from the shock of the cool sensation of metal against your skin.

“I wanna kiss you,” He said plainly. You were taken aback by his honesty. Nobody had ever said that to you so plainly before.

“You do?”

He nodded, his thumb still brushing your cheek as his eyes darted around your face. If he could be honest, you could, too.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted that,” You whispered.

He leaned forward towards you, and you stayed completely still as you watched and waited for him, wanting to take in every single moment. Then his lips were finally against yours, pulling you into a kiss so soft and gentle that it made you want to cry all over again.

The only comparison you had was your kiss with Steve, but you instantly knew that this was what it was really supposed to feel like. It wasn’t fumbling, or rushed, or too heavy. It was perfect. It felt like a thousand tiny little shockwaves being sent through your body.

You recognized the feeling immediately. Electricity. And not just that, but something else, too. Something purer. It was laced with complete adoration and trust. He had been nothing but gentle and honest with you the entire time he’d known you, from the very first time you spoke with him. But this also made you realize that you hadn’t been so truthful. There was a large part of your life that you had been keeping from him. You suddenly felt like a fraud. That you weren’t actually the person he thought you were.

And if you were honest with him, what would happen then? Would he believe you? Would he think you were insane? If he did believe you, would that mean that he would be in danger the next time something inevitably happened? What if something bad happened to him? The intrusive image of Max sobbing over Billy’s body reentered your brain, and you pulled away from him quickly, turning your head. He backed away slightly in surprise, but kept his hand on your cheek as concern reappeared on his face.

“What’s wrong?” He asked with furrowed brows, trying to get you to look at him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… I can’t… we can’t… do this.”

When you said this, he immediately removed his hand from you and sat back in his seat, trying to hide the look of dejection on his face. You watched him as he turned his head away from you to look out the window, clamping a hand to his mouth. It pained you seeing him so shut down.

“Eddie… I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, then turned back to face out the windshield, still trying his hardest to avoid eye contact with you.

“I can’t figure you out, Y/N. You gotta help me out here. Because I’ve been bending over backwards trying to figure out what you want from me for far too long. I’m trying really hard to be patient, because I understand. I really do. And I know I’m not… the best option for you. So if you really want me to leave you alone, it’s fine, but you’ve gotta tell me now. Once and for all. Because I can’t keep doing this.”

“Eddie, it’s not that. I swear to you, it has nothing to do with you. You’re… perfect. I just have… a lot of shit I need to work out. Trust me, I’m the problem here. Can’t we just… can’t we just be friends? Like we agreed?”

He cocked his head at you impatiently.

“You know I don’t want that, right? You’ve gotta know that. I want more than that. I want to spend time with you exactly like this, exactly like tonight, but I want to be able to call it a date, and I want to be able to kiss you again. I don’t want to have to hold back with this. I want to be with you.”

It still shocked you how straightforward he was being, despite the fact that he’d never been anything other than that. It felt strange to have someone fight for you like this.

“I’m sorry. I want all that, too…”

“Then what is it? I don’t understand.”

You leaned forward in your seat to put your head in your hands. You didn’t even know where to begin. He waited for an answer as long as he could before he let out a deep breath.

“Is this about whatever’s keeping you stuck in this town?” He asked, then after another breath, he added more quietly, “Whoever keeps bruising up your face?”

“What?” You gasped in shock, straightening yourself up to look at him again.

“I went by the general store while you were working back in July, and I saw the bruises on your face. I would have walked in right then and there and tried to find out whoever did it, I wanted to more than anything, but I… didn’t think I had the right to. If that person is still in your life now, though, if you need help, I’ll do anything. I swear. I’ll kill them myself…”

“Eddie!” You interrupted him, gripping his arm tightly. “Slow down, it’s not… it’s not like that, I promise! I’m fine now. I’m okay. That person’s not…” you trailed off, thinking about Billy’s lifeless, blood-covered face on the floor of the mall once again, and removed your hand from him quickly. “That person can’t hurt me anymore,” You concluded weakly. Eddie could tell right away from your voice that there was more to the story, though.

“Look, I know you told me nothing is going on between you and Steve anymore, but if he was hurting you…”

“It really wasn’t Steve. Okay? I know he was an asshole once - and you probably still think that he is - but even back then, he never would have done that to me. Ever. Please believe me.”

“Then… please, can you just… can you just tell me what’s really going on?” He begged you wearily. You swallowed, trying to come to terms with some portion of the truth that you could share with him.

“In July… it was… I was there. At the mall, on The Fourth. During the…fire.” It physically pained you to lie to him like that, but that was as close to honest as you could get.

His face softened as he studied the tortured look on your face.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“I know. It’s fine,” You said quickly, trying to brush it off. He fell quiet, and then after a moment, he couldn’t resist pressing you further.

“Is that what you’re trying to save me from? From whatever happened at the mall?”

“Eddie, please,” You groaned, squeezing your eyes shut in exasperation.

“Listen, I’m sorry, but I know there’s more to the story there. And if it’s something you know about, something I can help you with… I want to help.”

When he said this, your fear intensified. He was closer to figuring out the truth than you realized, and if he did figure it out, he would most likely do everything in his power to protect you. Even if it meant putting himself in harm’s way. He could never resist throwing himself on a grenade, after all.

Eddie was amazing. He said all the right things, and he made you laugh, and he made you feel safe and comfortable in your skin. It had been an amazing night. But it was selfish of you to bring him into your messy life. You had roped him in when he had no idea how high the stakes really were.

You couldn’t let him end up like Billy. Or Bob. Or Barbara. Or Hopper. Each person you had to watch your friends lose was a lesson, and it would be thoughtless to ignore it.

He could never really know about what you’d been through. You wouldn’t have it. You wouldn’t take his freedom away from him. His future. It wasn’t right. He’d been through so much already. You couldn’t let him get involved.

You knew instantly what you had to do. You had to push him away one last time.

“You’ve just been dying to save me from myself this whole time, haven’t you?” You snapped. “To rescue me, just like you try to rescue everybody else.”

“What? No. I want to help you, but it’s not like that. It’s… I don’t know. Maybe I thought…”

“Thought what?”

“That… you could save me, too. That we could save each other.”

When he said this, it felt like a punch in the gut. Little did he know that this was your chance to be selfless, like him. Pushing him away was saving him, even if it hurt him. Even though you wanted nothing more than to be the one he could always confide in.

“Eddie… I can’t save you, and you can’t save me. This isn’t some… fantasy novel or D&D. This is real life shit, and it’s… look, if you don’t want to stay friends, then I think we need to move on. This is me officially asking you to leave me alone. Okay? Thank you for tonight. I’m… I’m sorry.”

He didn’t argue. He just frowned at you, his face screwed up tightly as if he was in physical pain. You’d never seen him look so sad or confused in your entire life. It took everything in you to turn away from him, to fight more tears back as you unbuckled your seatbelt and got out of his van. You walked briskly away and didn’t stop until you made it up to your room and shut the door quietly, falling face down on your bed. After several minutes of a decent, self-pitying cry, you got the urge to pull out your Walkman and listen to something that might soothe you. When you shuffled through your tapes, you paused when you got to Bella Donna - the album you had talked to Eddie about at the diner - and decided to play it for old-time’s sake. You collapsed back onto your bed and shut your eyes, letting Stevie Nicks take you back to where it all started. You began to feel a little better until Leather and Lace started to play, and the lyrics were like a knife to the heart. You had listened to it a million times before, but now it suddenly felt like it was written for you and Eddie. You began to bawl all over again.

He was the strong, outgoing one who had the ability to bring you to life, and you wanted nothing more than to let him open up to you again the way he had before you’d gotten spooked.

Maybe now it was your involvement with the supernatural keeping the two of you apart, but this wasn’t a new feeling. There was something there already, all this time, keeping you from him. Something that Eddie had clearly noticed as well. Otherwise, you would have gone to see Corroded Coffin the very first time he asked when you were seventeen. You probably would have already been a couple. Maybe you wouldn’t have even wound up in that junkyard last November. But something had always been in the way, keeping him at a distance, and now it was too late.

The problem was that your heart had been broken long before you met him. You didn’t even realize it until then, but listening to the record again as it stirred up old emotions in you, it was apparent that it hadn’t actually ever healed. You remembered how you used to sob every time the final track of the album played. “The Highwayman.” You, in your infinite pre-teen wisdom, believed Steve to be your highwayman. The one who valued glory over your love for him when he suddenly stopped speaking to you and became the most popular boy in school.

“And still, they try again.”

Maybe that’s why you were so mad at Steve about your kiss. Maybe it brought up all of those repressed memories of betrayal the same way your record was now. Maybe you were actually still angry about what you thought had happened between the two of you in middle school, even though you believed you were past it after finding out the truth. You had never been fully honest with him about how much it had shattered you. You assumed it didn’t matter anymore, but if it really didn’t, then you probably would have told him about it. You were still clearly wounded, left with the lingering bitterness of unworthiness and shame. And you really only had yourself to blame.

Sure, Carol and Tommy had done their fair share of filling your head with insecurities, but it was you who believed them and held onto every word. You were still holding on. The lovelorn, anxiety-rattled thirteen-year-old in you was still there, still unsure of how to mend what had never actually been broken by somebody else. Because Steve had never really broken your heart. He never even knew how you felt about him. You broke it all on your own, and you had to figure out how to heal it on your own, too.

You just really, really had to get your shit together.

How was it even possible that in less than a year, you had discovered another dimension beneath Hawkins and kissed two different boys that you had only ever dreamed about getting close to? No wonder you were so messed up.

You started the tape over again and got under your covers with your clothes still on, eventually crying yourself to sleep.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Omigosh thank you so much 🥹 a resolution with lots of fluff is coming very soon lol don’t worry!!

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Hideout

Summary: You get an invitation to see Corroded Coffin at the Hideout, but the night doesn’t exactly go according to plan. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader/Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, 6.7k words)

Warnings: Underage drinking (don’t do it kids!!!), brief mention of puking, swearing, ANGST

Tags: @blackbirddaredevil23 @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld

(if you asked to be added to my taglist for this series and it’s not notifying you, I’m sorry! it’s very possible that I could be doing something wrong but I have no idea what lol 😭 let me know!)

A/N: Happy Halloween! Sorry this isn’t a Halloween chapter, but it does take place on Friday the 13th, so… close enough? Lmao

(PS - did I shamelessly wear my hellfire club tee today? Yes. Yes I did.)

Masterlist

September 13th, 1985

That Friday, you finally made good on your promise to join Hellfire, and afterwards you told the kids to go ahead and wait in the car while you helped Eddie pack up for the night.

“You didn’t have to do that,” He said, taking the dice out of your hands to put them away. When his fingers brushed yours, you unintentionally drew back in shock, then cleared your throat to pretend you hadn’t.

“Uh, I know. I just figured I’d make myself useful somehow, since I’ve just been loitering around this whole time.”

He laughed at you, shaking his head in amusement.

“You can join in, you know. Maybe one of the freshmen could help you get started. Or, ya know… I always could, too.”

“I appreciate that. But to be honest… I really don’t think I’m smart enough to wrap my head around all of this.”

He scrunched his nose up at you in surprise, tilting his head a little.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m dead serious. I don’t know how you guys store all of this information in your brains. It’s impressive, honestly. But I really love watching you all play. I’d imagine it’s how people who like sports feel when they watch a game.”

“I wouldn’t know,” He chuckled. “But if that’s what you’d prefer to do, I’m cool with it. Maybe we could use a spectator section. Boost moral.”

“Yeah, they’re gonna need it since you keep coming for their lives.”

“Oh, if you think it’s brutal now, just wait. It’s about to get much worse.”

“Can’t wait,” You said with a devious smirk as you took one of his boxes out of his hands without asking. You knew that if you had, he would have just refused your help again. He smiled gratefully at you as you turned to leave the room, then you walked beside him out to his van where Jeff was waiting for him.

Keep reading

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Hideout

Summary: You get an invitation to see Corroded Coffin at the Hideout, but the night doesn’t exactly go according to plan. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader/Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, 6.7k words)

Warnings: Underage drinking (don’t do it kids!!!), brief mention of puking, swearing, ANGST

Tags: @blackbirddaredevil23 @princesseddie @dessxoxsworld

A/N: Happy Halloween! Sorry this isn’t a Halloween chapter, but it does take place on Friday the 13th, so… close enough? Lmao

(PS - did I shamelessly wear my hellfire club tee today? Yes. Yes I did.)

Masterlist

September 13th, 1985

That Friday, you finally made good on your promise to join Hellfire, and afterwards you told the kids to go ahead and wait in the car while you helped Eddie pack up for the night.

“Uh, I know. I just figured I’d make myself useful somehow, since I’ve just been loitering around this whole time.”

He laughed at you, shaking his head in amusement.

“You can join in, you know. Maybe one of the freshmen could help you get started. Or, ya know… I always could, too.”

“I appreciate that. But to be honest… I really don’t think I’m smart enough to wrap my head around all of this.”

He scrunched his nose up at you in surprise, tilting his head a little.

“You’re joking, right?”

“I wouldn’t know,” He chuckled. “But if that’s what you’d prefer to do, I’m cool with it. Maybe we could use a spectator section. Boost moral.”

“Yeah, they’re gonna need it since you keep coming for their lives.”

“Oh, if you think it’s brutal now, just wait. It’s about to get much worse.”

“Hey, man, I’m sorry to ask, but my ride fell through. Would you mind giving me a lift home?”

“Sure, no problem,” He said as he opened up the back doors of his van to put his things in.

“Awesome, thanks,” Jeff replied, then his eyes drifted over to you when Eddie took the other box out of your hands. “Hey, Y/N,” He added with a polite nod.

“Hey, Jeff. Good call tonight, choosing to cast foresight to warn Mordenkainen about the Cult of Vecna.”

He seemed slightly taken aback by this, and Eddie turned to look at you, too, after closing the van doors.

“Oh, thanks. You gonna join in next time?”

Eddie scoffed and crossed his arms, shaking his head at you.

“Nope, she said she’s too dumb to play,” He mocked you.

You smacked his arm playfully in protest.

“I didn’t say that! I just… don’t want to drag you guys down. I wouldn’t know what I’m doing half the time.”

“Maybe Eddie could give you private lessons,” Jeff teased, making your cheeks turn red. Eddie shot him a look.

“Alright, we should probably go,” He said, quickly changing the subject as he tried to back away to the driver’s side of the van. “Are you gonna need a ride to The Hideout tonight, too, Jeff?”

“Most likely. That okay?”

“Why not,” He muttered through clenched teeth, then turned to you. “Guess I’m designated babysitter, too.”

You would have laughed at his attempt at an inside joke with you, but when he brought up The Hideout it shook a memory loose in your head.

“Wait, isn’t that where your band plays?” You asked, eyebrow raised.

“Uh, yeah. That’s right,” He said, stopping his attempted escape and taking a step back towards you. He was once again surprised that you had remembered something he’d mentioned to you.

“Are you in it, too, Jeff?”

“Yep. I play rhythm guitar, Freak plays bass, Gareth is on drums, and Eddie’s on lead guitar and vocals.”

Vocals? He sang, too? Your heart skipped a beat at the thought.

“That’s so cool. I didn’t realize you were all in it. I hope I get to see you guys play sometime.”

“Then you should come tonight,” Jeff offered with a knowing smile, ignoring the glare Eddie was sending his way that was begging him to stop.

“Really? Thanks. I’d love to.”

Eddie turned his head back towards you, his eyes wide with shock that you had agreed so easily.

“You would?” He asked, and Jeff gave him a look like he was an idiot for being surprised.

“Yeah,” You shrugged. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Y-yeah,” He stammered. “Of course. We go on at eleven.”

Shit. You were slightly worried your parents would call the cops on you for having their car out that late, but it was too late to back out now.

“Okay. I think I can make that work.”

Eddie just continued to stare at you in surprise, and Jeff was looking between the two of you with an amused smile on his face. Then the three of you jumped when you heard a car horn from across the parking lot. You looked over to see Dustin leaning into the driver’s seat of your car, his hand laying on your horn. You rolled your eyes and turned back to give Eddie and Jeff an apologetic look.

“Sorry, guys. I guess that’s my cue. A babysitter’s job is never done, right Eddie?”

He nodded, his lips spread into a wide smirk. Jeff scoffed.

“You know I’m only two years younger than you, right?” He protested.

Eddie reached out to pinch his cheek mockingly, and Jeff swatted his hand away with a scornful glare. Eddie just giggled at himself like a little kid.

“Alright, I’m getting in the car,” Jeff muttered as he walked past you to the passenger side of the van. “See you tonight, Y/N?”

“Yeah, see you later!” You agreed, then he got in and shut the door, leaving you and Eddie alone again.

“You sure you don’t mind me coming tonight?” You asked him.

“Not at all. But I am surprised you want to, to be honest. I think I vaguely remember asking you to come a few years back, and you didn’t seem very into it. If I’m recalling that correctly.”

His tone was light, but you could tell there was genuine confusion behind it.

“That’s not true! I wanted to go, I was just terrified. Still am, if I’m being honest.”

“Terrified? Of what?”

“It’d be quicker if I told you what I wasn’t afraid of,” You snorted.

“Okay, well… whatever it is… I promise I’ll look out for you. Deal?”

You smiled at him, even though you knew the biggest thing you were scared of was making yourself look like an idiot in front of him, and that was something he couldn’t save you from.

Dustin honked your horn impatiently again, this time leaning on it for a solid thirty seconds, refusing to let up even when you waved your arms at him to stop.

“Alright! Jesus, I’m coming!” You yelled when the noise finally ceased, then started making your way to your car. Eddie chuckled at you.

“So, I’ll see you tonight? At eleven?” He called after you.

“I’ll see you then!” You spun around to call back, then skipped off excitedly to your car. You couldn’t help yourself.

It required a little bit of encouraging self-talk to get yourself to commit to actually going later that night, but after changing your outfit multiple times, doing your best to sneak out of your house without alerting your parents, and sitting in the parking lot of The Hideout for twenty minutes, you finally made it. When you walked in, you only had to stand in the doorway for a few awkward moments before Eddie met your eye-line from the small stage across the room. As soon as he recognized you, a wide grin appeared on his face and he paused setting up to hop down and make his way over to you. He stopped a few feet away from you, his arms outstretched as he looked you up and down. Then he crossed them over his chest and took a few bashful steps closer to you.

“Holy shit. Are you actually here or am I hallucinating?”

“I told you I’d be here, didn’t I?” You giggled.

“Yeah, but… I’ve heard that before,” He muttered with a smirk. You scoffed indignantly in response.

“Hey! That was one time!”

“Yeah, yeah. Alright. I’m sorry. I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Me too. I can’t wait to see you guys play.”

“Well, forewarning… we’re not the best.”

“I seriously doubt that. But if we’re really being honest here, I should tell you that I’m not the biggest fan of heavy metal music, so I probably won’t be able to tell either way.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to stab himself in the heart, then started to fall backwards before you grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him back up.

“I’m sorry!” You squealed. “Please don’t hate me.”

“Hate you? Never. Just heartbroken.”

“Well, I guess you’ll just have to convert me, then.”

His lips turned up in a devious smile when you said this.

“I’ll take that challenge. It’s probably not gonna happen here tonight, but I already know which records I wanna play for you.”

Your heart fluttered. You wondered if he actually meant it, or if he was just being nice. Either way, you really liked the sound of it.

“Yo, Eddie! Sound check!” Jeff called from the stage, and you waved politely back at him as Eddie tried to brush him off.

“Better go,” You said with a laugh. “I don’t wanna get you in trouble.”

“Yeah, alright,” He agreed reluctantly, beginning to back away from you. “Make yourself comfortable. The owner is cool, and he pretty much only pays us in free booze, so feel free to get yourself something to drink while you wait. Just put it on my tab.”

You almost declined his offer, but you were so nervous that a beer was actually sounding pretty good to you.

“Thanks. I’ll be over at the bar, then. Break a leg.”

He gave you a shy smile and an awkward salute before sauntering back to the stage. You got your beer and chose a table near the back so you could disappear. You hoped Eddie wouldn’t mind.

When they started playing, there weren’t many people paying attention. Just a few drunks at the bar bobbing their heads and a small group of people around your age hanging out at a table close to the stage.

Whether you liked heavy metal or not, you couldn’t deny that they were great. You knew that he was just being modest when he kept trying to convince you that they weren’t any good, but you didn’t expect them to be this good. Especially Eddie. You could tell how passionate he was about playing music, and the raspy tone in his voice as he sang was incredibly compelling. You rested your head in your hand and watched, absentmindedly drinking your beer. You weren’t even listening to the music anymore, just following Eddie as he moved around the stage. The way he bit his lip and poked his tongue out as he concentrated on playing the right chords. His arm muscles tightening as he played. The way his hair moved. The complete and utter joy on his face, same as when he was playing D&D with his friends. It was all incredibly attractive.

You were so busy focusing on him that you hadn’t realized how fast you chugged your beer until you felt the buzz behind your eyes.

Shit. You were already tipsy. And it only took one drink.

After they were done playing their set, you watched as Eddie spoke to his bandmates, debating whether you should wait for him to find you or go up to him yourself. Thankfully he met your eyes again from across the room so you didn’t have to decide, and held up a finger to tell you to stay put. Then he hopped off the stage towards the bar before making his way over to you with two more beers in his hand. He threw himself down in the seat across from you and slid one of them towards you. You knew you shouldn’t start another one since you had already been adequately affected by the first one, but you appreciated the gesture and didn’t want to be rude. You thanked him with a shy smile and he nodded back at you, then you stared down at the tabletop before he leaned closer to you to try to capture your attention again.

“So… what did you think? Have you been converted yet?” He joked.

“Pretty close, I’d say. You guys were really good. Seriously. You’re so talented.”

“Aw, shucks. You’re too kind.”

He smirked and sat back in his chair again, pausing your conversation to lift the collar of his tee shirt up to his forehead and wipe the beads of sweat left over from his performance away. You tried not to stare at the small bit of his torso that appeared when he did it, or to focus too hard on the fact that his dewy skin was glistening kind of sort of beautifully in the dim lights of the bar. When he lowered his shirt again, you blinked and took a quick swig of your drink, doing your best to pretend like nothing had happened. You nearly choked but played it off like you were just clearing your throat before you spoke up again.

“How do you do even do that?” You croaked as you failed to hold back one more cough. If he noticed, he didn’t give you any indication he had. He just raised an eyebrow at you in confusion.

“Do what? Play guitar? Well, step one was having no friends as a kid, and step two was doing nothing else besides practicing it for, like… ten years straight.”

“No,” you giggled. “Not the guitar playing. Although, that is extremely impressive in and of itself. But, no, I meant… performing in front of people. Where do get the confidence to do that?”

“Shit, I don’t know. Where do you get the confidence to show your art?”

“That’s…not the same thing,” You scoffed.

“Isn’t it?”

“No. I do all of the hard work in private.”

“Yeah, but… sharing it with people sure takes a hell of a lot of courage,” He mumbled, raising his eyebrows at you as he took a sip of his beer.

You tilted your head at him impatiently.

“You’re deflecting.”

“I’m not,” He chuckled. “I swear. Look, I honestly don’t know how I do it. It took a lot of work to get over how initially terrifying it was, I guess. I wasn’t always this totally badass heavy metal rockstar, you know.”

“Oh really? I assumed you came straight out of the womb like that. The hair, the tattoos and all. Guitar in hand.”

“I wish. But nope. It was a long and painfully awkward road to get here, unfortunately.”

You rested your chin on top of your clasped hands, preparing for a story.

“Do tell,” You said, fluttering your eyelids at him, and he grinned at your interest.

“Well… I was a scared shitless little kid who got bullied constantly, and then I met Jeff and he liked all of the same weird stuff as me. And after that we met Gareth and Freak and decided we all wanted to be professional rockstars at the ripe old age of… twelve. So we started Corroded Coffin. The first time we played in public was actually for the Hawkins Middle School talent show, and we were… awful. Terrible. I’d only been playing for, like, a year and we made absolute asses of ourselves.”

You pictured a little version of Eddie trying to play to a crowd for the first time, and it was hopelessly cute.

“Ouch,” You giggled. “How’d you guys bounce back from that?”

“I don’t know. For some reason we just stuck with it. Spent all of our time in Gareth’s garage practicing until we got better, and then one day we just decided to go for it for real. We harassed the owner until he let us play for him, and then he liked us enough to let us perform here. That’s pretty much it, I guess. More or less. Honestly, I think we just had too much fun together to quit.”

“That’s really nice. I’m sorry you had a rough start, but I’m glad you found the things you love so young. And your people.”

He tried to hide a shy smile by pausing to drink, but you still caught it.

“Yeah. Well, what about you?” He asked, deflecting again. “Art’s your thing. Have you found your people?”

You really didn’t think art was your thing anymore considering you hadn’t actually made anything since before graduation. Maybe getting caught up in world-ending events was your thing now. That seemed more appropriate considering recent circumstances. But you brushed over these thoughts to answer his question.

“I… think so. Kind of? We didn’t really find each other, we were more… thrust together, I guess? It’s not really the same. I love them, I would do anything for them, but we didn’t exactly choose each other, you know? We don’t actually have too much in common.”

“Oh, you don’t have a lot in common with a bunch of fourteen-year-old boys? Never would have expected that,” He replied sarcastically with a smirk.

“Actually, sadly enough, they’re the ones I have the most in common with. It’s the friends my age I have trouble understanding sometimes.”

“How come?”

Because Nancy would’ve rather spent time with Jonathan or working on the school paper, Robin was so smart and her thoughts moved so quickly that most of the time it exhausted you trying to keep up with her, and Steve couldn’t seem to make up his mind about whether he wanted to be your friend or…more than that?

“I don’t know. Maybe I just haven’t fully grown up yet,” You said instead. That was also true. He snorted at you.

“You are preaching to the choir, here. Look at me, I’m almost twenty and still in high school. I spend half of my Friday nights playing D&D with a bunch of freshmen. Clearly, I haven’t done a lot of growing up.”

“That’s not true. But believe me, I get the appeal of D&D. Really, I do. Up until recently, I spent most of my time daydreaming about a world that was pretty much exactly like some of the storylines in your campaign, actually. Full of fantasy, full of adventure, and quests, and… fighting monsters.”

You trailed off after this and took a long drink, hoping to god that he didn’t realize the hesitation in your voice and ask you to elaborate further. You had also conveniently left out the fact that you daydreamed a lot about romance all throughout high school. Specifically with him.

“And now?” He asked, tilting his head curiously. You set the bottle back down on the table and began peeling at the label anxiously as you thought up an answer.

“And now… be careful what you wish for, I guess,” You mumbled with a sad chuckle. You weren’t sure what else to say. It was a heavy question. A lot had changed since the last time you had spent any time daydreaming in your room. Life had become much crazier than anything you could have ever dreamt up.

You didn’t know what you wanted your ideal life to be anymore, other than the fact that you were pretty certain you still wanted Eddie to be part of it. Clearly, there were some things you were still trying to work out.

You also really didn’t know why you felt the need to even share any of that about yourself. There was just something about him that made you want to spill your guts out. You hated it and loved it at the same time. The alcohol certainly wasn’t helping you either.

He squinted at you, trying to figure out what you really meant before someone called out to him from across the bar. He turned to see for a moment before looking back at you apologetically, and you waved a hand at him.

“It’s okay. Go. I’m gonna wait here.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. No worries. Your fan club needs you,” You teased.

“Ha ha. Right. Just… hold that thought. I’ll be right back, I promise.”

He got up and walked away and you let your cheek fall hard against your hand as you took another very long drink of your beer. You couldn’t help watching him from across the room, and you noticed one of the people he was speaking to getting particularly cozy with him. She put a hand on his shoulder, throwing her head back in laughter at something he had said. As soon as her face came into focus, you realized who it was. It was Jo. Pretty, nice, perfect Jo. Of course she would be there. With all the excitement about seeing Eddie again and finally being able to hang out alone with him, you’d forgotten all about her. And now there she was, wrapping her arm around him. A cruel reminder that you weren’t, in fact, in your dream world, and that there was a very real possibility that Eddie already belonged to somebody else.

You suddenly felt like you were an intruder in his world. Like you weren’t meant to be there that night. What were you doing? This wasn’t you. You didn’t go to metal concerts at shitty dive bars and get drunk. You’d never even stayed out past eleven before.

You weren’t really sure what this was anymore, or what you were doing. You had spent all of high school dreaming about being with Eddie, just getting the chance to spend any time with him at all, and now it was actually happening. And it just felt… strange. Your fantasizing was always misleading you. All of that time building it up in your head had ruined it. He wasn’t just a daydream anymore, he was a real person. And he was across the room with another girl. It felt like you just didn’t fit.

You finished your beer quickly and got up to get a couple more. You waited for a little while longer, watching as Jo continued to touch him flirtatiously before the jealousy finally got the best of you and you escaped the bar to sit outside.

You leaned against the brick wall and looked up at the clear night sky. It was another pretty night. It made you think about Steve again. It made you miss your friends. It made you feel really fucking lonely. Maybe you didn’t have much in common with them, but they had always been there for you without fail. Until, of course, you had to go and mess things up with Steve. You wished you could take that night back more than anything. Now everything was ruined. You weren’t sure how long you were left alone with your rambling thoughts before Eddie joined you.

“Hey, what are you doing out here by yourself?”

He took off his leather jacket and placed it over your shoulders. You didn’t answer him or bother turning away from the sky.

“I’m… sorry I took so long,” He offered, probably picking up on your distress. “I tried to get away, but those assholes like to talk."

You saw him tilt his head to try to get a better look at your face out of the corner of your eye.

“You…okay?” He asked tentatively.

“You’re so good. You know that right?” You responded, completely ignoring his question. He squinted at you quizzically.

“I… thanks? Are you… drunk? How much have you had to drink?”

You held up four fingers and he couldn’t resist laughing at you a little bit.

“Wow. Somebody’s a lightweight. That’s actually really impressive.”

“Yep. I am. You know why? Because I don’t do this. I don’t drink, I don’t go to bars to watch metal bands. I’m not like you, Eddie. We’re so different. I’m not brave, or confident. I’m soooo… hopeless. You deserve somebody good like you. Somebody that knows exactly what they want and isn’t a ticking time bomb.”

“What are you talking about? Hey, look at me for a second.”

He turned his body towards you, inching so closely to you that his knees were touching yours. You lowered your head to look at him like he had asked, blinking as your eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden movement of your head. It felt like your brain was lagging. You felt dizzy, and not just because Eddie was sitting so closely to you.

“You are absolutely insane if you think that I’m somehow better than you. You need to know how completely fascinating I think you are. You’re, like, the coolest girl I’ve ever met. You’re the brave one.”

“Bullshit.”

“No, not bullshit.”

“Yes, bullshit.”

“Well… I think you’re wrong.”

You let out a weary string of laughs and he stared at you with his brows furrowed.

“What’s so funny?”

“If you even knew the half of it… I don’t think you’d think I’m very brave. You probably wouldn’t even like me at all.”

You laughed again, but his shoulders slumped with worry.

“Y/N… what’s going on? What happened to you this summer? What monsters have you been fighting?”

You weren’t sure if it was a combination of remembering the events of the summer and him interrogating you or just your four beers finally getting to you, but before you could even think about a response to his questions, you leaned away from him and promptly vomited onto the sidewalk.

“Whoa, whoa, shit. Are you okay?” He asked, not even wasting a second before he was holding your hair back for you. After the nausea passed, you straightened yourself and wiped your mouth before turning to look up at him.

“Can you please pretend that didn’t just happen?” You groaned.

He just gave you a pitying look that made your stomach churn again, and put a comforting hand on your back to hold you steady.

“Seriously, are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m just a lightweight, like you said. My pride, however… may never recover. I should probably call it a night.”

“Okay, let me take you home.”

This was sweet, but the thought of getting in a car with him made you feel green again. Partly because you would be trapped in a small space with him and forced to talk, and partly because you knew how recklessly he drove.

“It’s okay. I don’t want you to abandon your friends. Plus, you’ve been drinking, too. I’ll just call somebody to come get me.”

He raised an eyebrow at you.

“Y/N… it’s really fine…”

“Eddie,” You interrupted him more harshly than you intended. “Seriously. I’m just going to call someone.”

You were just exhausted, pissed at yourself for looking like an idiot, and still slightly upset about Jo flirting with him. But you could tell by the wounded look on Eddie’s face that he had taken your chilly tone to heart.

“Okay. If that’s what you want. Can I at least give you change for the payphone?”

You nodded and thanked him, then let him walk with you to the phone. He leaned up against the wall nearby with his arms crossed, trying his best to give you some distance and privacy.

It was well past midnight at that point, and you honestly weren’t sure who to call. Your parents certainly weren’t an option, Joyce had enough to deal with already, Nancy didn’t have her own phone line so her parents would have most likely picked up, and Robin didn’t even have a driver’s license. That really only left you with one option.

You dialed the number to Steve’s house, praying that his parents had left him home alone for another one of their weekend getaways. It took a while before anyone answered, but you breathed a sigh of relief when someone finally did and it was Steve’s impatient voice on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Steve? This is… Y/N.”

Eddie turned his head when he heard you say Steve’s name.

“Y/N? What’s going on? Are you okay? It’s almost one in the morning.”

“I’m okay. I just… look, I’m really sorry to ask, but would you be able to pick me up at The Hideout?”

There was a brief pause. You snuck a peek at Eddie, who was still at attention.

“I’ll be there in ten,” Steve replied without any follow-up questions, then hung up before you could even say thank you. You placed the phone back on the hook and Eddie took a hesitant step towards you.

“Is he coming?”

You nodded, and he seemed disappointed by this.

“Can I wait with you until he gets here?”

“Of course. Thank you.”

You sat on the sidewalk together again in silence for what felt like forever. You tried to give his jacket back to him but he put up his hands to stop you.

“Keep it. You can bring it back to me when you pick up the boys next week.”

“Thanks,” You smiled meekly. The nights were finally beginning to get a crisp, autumnal bite to them, and you were grateful for the extra warmth. Plus, it smelled like him.

“Are you feeling any better?” He asked.

“A little.”

“Good. That’s… good,” He said awkwardly, rubbing his palms over his pant legs nervously.

You wanted to say something to reassure him that the disaster the night had turned into wasn’t his fault, that you were just a wreck around him, but the words caught in your throat. Then he spoke up again before you could.

“Can I say something really quick before you go? You don’t even have to listen, but I think it has to be said.”

You nodded reluctantly, and he sucked in a breath.

“Look, I have no idea what’s been going on with you this past year and you don’t ever need to tell me. And I don’t wanna assume anything or project my own shit, so feel free to tell me to fuck off at any time, but whatever it is or was… I can tell it’s taken you a lot of strength to get through it. And I really don’t know why you don’t see that because it’s been very obvious to me, even from a distance. Maybe it’s just gonna take you some more time to figure things out. To get used to living with it, whatever it is. And you will, I know you will. I think you’re closer than you think you are. And maybe it feels like it right now, but it’s not going to hurt you forever. Because you are strong, and you are brave, and you’re never going to be able to convince me otherwise. You’re never going to be able to… make me not like you. Whatever happens. I think that after all this time, you should at least know that’s true.”

The longer he spoke, the quicker your breathing became as you fought to hold back tears. Even from the outside, even without knowing a single thing about the Upside Down or what you’d been through, it was like he could still see you. You’d never felt so understood in your entire life. It shocked the shit out of you, but now you realized that for once your gut instincts hadn’t mislead you. There was a reason why you were so drawn to Eddie all of these years. And the way he was looking at you… it was beginning to make your stomach churn for very different reasons. You stared at him, speechless, and he opened his mouth to speak again.

“I also just want to say… I’m really sorry…”

Before he could finish, a pair of headlights diverted your attention. When Steve parked and got out of the car, slamming his door behind him, you and Eddie stood up in unison.

“You ready to go?” He called out to you.

You turned to Eddie.

“Thank you, for saying all of that. I’m really sorry about tonight. I’ll see you next Friday, okay?”

He nodded and smiled as you walked away and Steve opened and closed the car door for you.

“Hey, man. Thanks for coming to get her. I’m sorry about this.” You heard Eddie say to Steve through the open window on the driver’s side of the car.

Steve walked over to him and tried to speak quietly enough that you couldn’t hear, but you did.

“I don’t know what you did to her or why she needed me to come get her, but if you hurt her in any way, I swear to god, man, you better watch your back.”

You could tell Eddie was taken aback by this and wanted to defend himself, but all he did was cross his arms and say, “Understood.”

Steve backed away and got into the car, still glaring at Eddie. You stared at him in shock. Eddie just stood frozen as you drove away.

“Steve? What the fuck was that?”

“What?” He spat, his eyes still on the road.

“Was threatening him really necessary?!”

“I don’t know, you tell me. What did that asshole do to you?”

“Do to me? Steve, he didn’t do anything! I just drank too much and got sick. I was embarrassed!”

“You what?” He stared at you, completely surprised by this. “This is so not like you, Y/N,” He muttered. “What is going on with you?”

You glared at him, mouth gaping open.

“Oh my god. Now you care about what’s going on with me. Wow, thanks for that.”

“What are you talking about?! You’re the one who completely shut me out and then called me in the middle of the night to come pick you up!”

You knew he was right, but you couldn’t stand to admit it. You were too nauseous and exhausted to fight. You squeezed your eyes shut and pinched the bridge of your nose in an attempt to stop yourself from exploding, but you couldn’t take it anymore.

“Alright, you know what, fuck this. Pull over,” You demanded.

“Excuse me?”

“PULL OVER,” You bellowed, loud enough that it made Steve jump.

“Jesus, alright!” He yelled back.

The car barely stopped before you opened the door and got out, slamming it behind you.

“Hey!” Steve called after you as you stomped down the road. “What the hell are you doing?!”

He got out and chased after you, putting a hand on your shoulder to stop you. You spun around and smacked it away.

“I’m sorry, Steve!” You began to scream, and he immediately drew back in shock. “I’m so sorry that I was so fucking humiliated by the fact that I nearly vomited on Eddie Munson’s shoes that I would have rather sat in a car with my friend that I made out with and haven’t spoken to since because I was absolutely mortified. The choices weren’t great, but I did my absolute best with what I had, and maybe it wasn’t the correct one but fuck me if I wasn’t gonna sit there and make myself look like an asshole for one more minute. Because he wasn’t the one who ruined the night, Steve. He didn’t do anything. He was perfect. I was a fucking mess, and my brain ruined everything the way it always does. The way it ruined our friendship, and blew up all of my plans, and possessed me to get drunk tonight, and keeps telling me to push Eddie as far away as possible. You wanna know what’s going on with me, Steve? Well, so do I! Because I certainly didn’t plan for any of this! So, I hope you’ll forgive me for losing my fucking mind, because clearly I’m not equipped to deal with any of it. We did just watch somebody die by mind flayer this summer, after all. Or have you forgotten already? Because I definitely haven’t! And the best part about it is, I can’t tell anybody about it, especially Eddie. So, yeah. Fuck me I guess. I’ll just slowly rot from the inside out trying to hold all of this in. No problem. I’m cool.”

You finally stopped your rant, panting, as Steve stared back at you in stunned silence. Then you abruptly plopped yourself into the grass and curled up your legs, hiding your head in your arms. After a minute or so, you heard the crunch of Steve’s sneakers coming toward you, and felt him sit down beside you. He didn’t say anything. He just waited. You turned your head away from him, still resting it on top of your knees, and began to cry quietly.

“How do you even know this isn’t who I am, Steve?” You sniffled. “How could you know? I don’t even know anymore. I thought that figuring out all this shit about Hawkins and the Upside Down would put things into perspective, you know? Give me some kind of bullshit purpose. Make everything else seem smaller. But then Billy died and what happened between us happened and now everything is…too much. Too loud. And I’m so…I’m so lost. What am I supposed to do with the rest of my life now? How am I supposed to just go on pretending like none of it happened? How do you do it? I feel like I’m losing my goddamn mind.”

You continued to cry quietly, and eventually felt Steve put a hand on your shoulder. Then he stood up, and you looked up at him through your tears to see him holding out his hand. You just stared up at him, confused.

“Come on. Just let me take you home.”

You thought about walking the rest of the way instead, but after realizing you definitely weren’t in a good state of mind to do that, you reluctantly took his hand and let him pull you off of the ground. You watched him as he opened the passenger-side door and waited for you to get in, then walked over slowly and got in, eyeing him suspiciously the whole time.

You didn’t speak the entire way to your house. It wasn’t until you began unbuckling your seatbelt to get out of his car that he felt compelled to turn and talk to you.

“Y/N, you’re not the only one freaking out, okay? I need you to know that. We’ve just all gotten really good at hiding it.”

You stared back at him for a moment, trying and failing to read him, then shook your head wearily.

“And that’s exactly the problem,” You said with a definitive shrug as you reached for the door handle. “Good night, Steve. Thanks for the ride.”

You were so sick of pushing everything down. You tried to do it, but obviously it wasn’t something you could handle anymore. That was very clear from your humiliating outburst, which Steve had barely even bothered to react to.

How did he keep everything so tightly wound inside himself? He was so completely shut down that it stressed you out to be anywhere near him. It was actually kind of terrifying.

Maybe it was your fault. Maybe what happened between the two of you had permanently put an end to the closeness you once shared. But you couldn’t take any of it back, so there was nothing else you could do or say. Maybe the only thing to do now was move on.

You walked to your front door and shut it quickly behind you, this time stopping yourself from acting on the urge to turn around and watch Steve as he drove away.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Note

Just binge read your entire stranger things fic series. Was wondering if I could be added to the tag list. Need to find out what happens with Eddie and Steve!

Absolutely!! Thank you for reading ♥️

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Chapter Twenty-One: Welcome to Hellfire

Summary: When you rope yourself into picking Dustin and the others up from an after-school activity, you have no idea that the new club they’ve joined is Hellfire, which brings you face to face with Eddie Munson once again. (Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, 4.7k words)

Warnings: Just that I know literally nothing about D&D so please forgive me I tried so hard lmao

A/N: The Byers don’t canonically move until October 1985, so the next few chapters are actually gonna be a blend of the ST3 and ST4 plot lines. Then I’m really gonna diverge from canon for a while to fill in the eight months that the show skips over between seasons which will mostly be about Eddie 😉

Tags: @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Masterlist

September 6th, 1985

It had been two weeks since that night in Steve’s car. Two weeks since you’d seen or heard from him. That was longer than you’d gone without talking for months. It almost felt like you had a limb missing.

You’d seen Robin a few times, but since she and Steve were the ones without jobs, she spent most of her last week of summer break with him before starting her senior year. Luckily, thanks to her being distracted about school starting up again, she didn’t really seem to question the separation. You wondered what Steve had told her. Judging by the way she acted around you, as if nothing had changed, it wasn’t the truth.

That Friday night, Mrs. Henderson had stopped in at the general store while you were working, begging Joyce to pick Dustin and the others up from school that night because they had an after-school activity and she was going to be busy. After the Fourth, she was anxious about him riding his bike home by himself in the dark. The funny thing was that she definitely did have reason to be anxious, even though she would probably never know the full extent of the danger in Hawkins. You could tell that Joyce was about to reluctantly agree even though she really didn’t have the energy to do it. Every time she showed up to work, she was already tired. You could tell she was having a really hard time dealing with Hopper’s death, and you wanted to be helpful to her. So you butted into their conversation and offered yourself up instead. Both mothers tried to argue with you, insisting that a teenage girl like you probably had much better things to do on a Friday night, but you didn’t give up. The honest truth was that it was the best result for everyone. Mrs. Henderson and Joyce could relax (because they clearly needed to), Dustin and the other boys would be safe, and you would have the perfect excuse to turn Robin down when she inevitably called to ask you to hang out with her and Steve. It was a win-win-win.

When you got off work, you immediately drove to the school and parked outside, pulling out a book to read while you waited for the boys to walk out. After a while, you checked your watch impatiently. Mrs. Henderson had said that they would be done by nine, but it was steadily approaching half-past. A lump formed in your throat. You couldn’t help it. Every time something didn’t go according to plan now, you had to assume the worst. You jumped out of your car and marched into the school, looking for someone to ask if they had seen any of the four boys. Eventually you found somebody in the hallway and stopped them to ask, and they directed you towards the drama club prop room with a disapproving scoff. You ignored their reproachful tone and walked off towards it.

You absentmindedly threw open the door, not even thinking to knock before going in, and froze when you saw a dozen pairs of eyes staring back at you in the dimly lit room. Most obvious to you were the big brown eyes of Eddie Munson directly across from you at the end of a large table. Your heart stopped.

All of the pieces suddenly connected in your brain. The prop room. This was where The Hellfire Club met. Of course that was the club that the boys had joined. You were pissed at yourself for not mentally preparing to come face-to-face with Eddie once again. He was staring at you like he was trying to figure out if you were real or not.

“Can we help you?” You heard a voice interrogate you defensively.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” One of your friends asked, but you were too busy staring at Eddie to hear who it was.

“Uh…” You finally peeled your eyes away from him and scanned the room until you found Dustin. “Sorry. Dustin, your mom asked me to drive you guys home.”

The other boys began to snicker at this announcement. Dustin gave you a look like you had ruined his life, and you mouthed an apology to him with a wince.

“Well, boys, we better hurry this up. Henderson’s mommy is expecting him,” Eddie teased.

He looked at you to gauge your reaction to his joke. You felt guilty for being the cause of this ridicule. Eddie must have noticed this because he softened immediately.

“Just messing with you, man,” He said, pushing Dustin by the shoulder playfully. Then he turned back to you with a smirk. “Y/N. Fancy seeing you here. Care to join us while we finish up?”

The other boys around the table looked at him in confusion, and one tried to question him before Eddie held up a finger sternly to silence him. Dustin, Lucas, and Mike kept looking between the two of you with their eyebrows raised, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“Uh… I… sure? If you guys don’t mind,” You stammered.

The boy that tried to say something previously opened his mouth, but Eddie shot him a warning glare and he closed it immediately.

“We don’t mind,” Eddie said with a smile, and hopped up enthusiastically to grab you a chair from the corner of the room. He set it down right between his chair and Dustin’s.

“Here. Have a seat,” He said as he held the back of it, one arm in front of his torso as he gestured to it like a gentlemen straight out of the regency era.

“Thanks,” You said quietly and walked over to join them, even though your brain was screaming at you to run away.

When you sat down, Eddie introduced you to the three boys you didn’t know by name: Gareth, Jeff, and someone they lovingly called, “Freak”. Then he leaned over the arm of his chair closer to you. You stopped breathing.

“Feel free to speak up any time if you have any suggestions. These assholes could use all the help they can get,” He whispered with a smirk.

You didn’t know what to say back, so you just smiled stupidly. You barely even heard him because of how close he was to you. His face was an inch from yours, and he smelled like nicotine and… was that violet soap? Whatever it was, it was a curious and intoxicating scent combination. Eddie broke eye contact first to address the boys, and you blinked like you had just been freed from a trance.

“Alright, gentlemen,” He said, plopping himself back into his chair. Then he turned to you for a moment and added, “Milady,” With a wink that made you blush. “Where were we?”

Gareth raised an eyebrow at him.

“The burial mound?”

Eddie waved a hand dismissively at his obvious agitation.

“Right, right. When you make your way to the edge of town, you come across a mysterious burial mound. What do you want to do?”

They looked around at each other, and then all nodded when they seemed to come to a silent agreement.

“We’re going to investigate,” Jeff announced.

Eddie didn’t immediately respond. You looked between him and the others, then did a double take when you realized he was watching you.

“What?” You whispered. He shrugged back at you.

“What do you think?”

“Seriously, Eddie?” Gareth objected. “She doesn’t even know what’s going on!”

“I’m just asking for her opinion, you don’t have to take it” He argued with his teeth clenched, then he turned back to you with a softened expression. “Y/N?”

Your mouth fell open and you looked around the table at everyone. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas were staring you down, pleading for you to answer how they wanted you to.

“I… I mean, I’m sure they’re right. They should just investigate it,” You shrugged. “They would know better than me.”

Gareth put his hand out exasperatedly, waiting for Eddie to accept your response. But he just kept staring you down.

“Really?” He pressed, studying your expression.

The truth was that you actually did have an opinion, and you knew it wasn’t what everybody wanted to hear. How he even knew that, you weren’t sure. You were also a little annoyed with him that he wouldn’t just let it go. Everyone was clearly unhappy with you being there already, and you didn’t want to make things worse. You swallowed anxiously. Eddie refused to let up.

“Um… Okay, I know I don’t know the full story, but I actually think that maybe… you guys should be more cautious. Usually in fantasy novels and films when there’s some mysterious burial mound, you don’t just unearth it without consequences. There’s booby traps, or a curse, or something.”

Their eyes widened when you mentioned a curse, and they looked around at each other in shock.

“No. It couldn’t be. The campaign just started,” Gareth argued, shaking his head profusely.

“Can we really take that chance?” Dustin countered.

They looked at you, and you shrugged.

“What did I say?”

“Vecna.” Dustin explained. “His seven cursed artifacts. One of them could be in there. Maybe even more than one. Maybe even something worse.”

“Whose cursed artifacts?”

“This is stupid. We should just investigate!” Gareth argued again, ignoring your question.

“Or we could summon a troop to investigate for us, just to be safe,” Lucas suggested.

“Is that really necessary?” Jeff asked him.

“If you wanna be sure that we’re not going to die, then yes.”

“But Gareth’s right, we just started. I really don’t think the stakes are that high.”

“I think Lucas is right. I think we should summon another troop,” Dustin agreed.

Mike agreed with Lucas and Dustin, and “Freak” agreed with Gareth and Jeff, naturally. They couldn’t come to a decision, so they all turned to look at you, and you felt the color leave your face.

“I… agree with summoning another troop. I guess,” You said quietly.

The three older boys looked at each other, then reluctantly agreed. They were outnumbered.

They performed the appropriate actions, and Eddie turned to look at you for a moment before the corner of his lips turned up in a smirk. Then he stood up suddenly and slammed his palms down on the table, causing all of you to jump back in your chairs. He swiped away a few of the game pawns that were on the table top and sent them flying across the room. All of the boys lost their minds at this, standing up from their chairs with their hands in the air and on their heads. You just froze, eyes wide as you watched them while you stayed seated.

“What just happened?” You asked Dustin fearfully. “Was that bad or good?”

“You just saved our asses!” He shouted gleefully, clapping a hand on your shoulder and shaking you excitedly.

“I did?”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen!” Eddie yelled, trying to get everyone to calm down and listen to him. They all silenced immediately and turned their wide gazes to him so he could continue.

“When your soldiers investigate the burial mound, there’s a man inside: the warlord, Halmadar the Cruel, who was buried alive. And in his possession… the Hand and Eye of Vecna! With these, he immediately discovers your soldiers’ weaknesses and decimates the entire army. He raises up out of the tomb, coming towards you… and that… is where I leave you tonight. For now, you all live to see another day, thanks to our new friend, Y/N.”

He bowed then, and everybody cheered and embraced in victory.

“Good work,” He said as he was bent over the table in front of you, and sent you another wink. You smiled bashfully back at him, your cheeks burning red. With the way everyone around you was celebrating and the look on Eddie’s face, you couldn’t help feeling proud of yourself.

“Holy shit, that was awesome!” Dustin giggled with glee as the four of you walked out of the school together. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“Me either. That was fun,” You admitted with a smile.

“This campaign is going to be absolutely insane!”

“Yeah, seems like it, if Eddie is already trying to kill you all off,” You chuckled.

He raised an eyebrow at you, probably detecting a bit of fondness in your tone.

“He must like you. He doesn’t have patience for anybody. And he definitely never lets anybody interrupt Hellfire.”

“Really? Weird…” You trailed off trying to brush it off so they wouldn’t figure out your true feelings. Then you changed the subject as quickly as possible, just in case, after realizing that one of the boys was missing. “Hey, where’s Will? I thought he was supposed to be here, too.”

“He was, but he went home right after school,” Mike grumbled.

“And you’re sure he’s actually at home?”

“I’m not sure, sure. But I’m pretty sure. It’s fine.”

You stopped walking and glared at him, and he stopped beside you with an exasperated expression.

“It’s actually not fine, because I’m responsible for you shitheads tonight,” You argued. “So if he did go home I need to make sure that he’s actually home.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. If you wanna call their house and make sure, be my guest. I’ll be in the car.”

It wasn’t like Mike to back down instead of biting back. Something must have been upsetting him.

“Okay…” You muttered as he trudged back to the car. You looked to Dustin and Lucas for an explanation, but they just shrugged.

“He’s been like that ever since he talked to Will,” Lucas explained. “We don’t know what happened.”

“Alright, well. You guys get in the car, too. I’ll be right back.”

They nodded and followed after Mike, and you made your way to the payphone outside of the school. After you called and Joyce picked up to confirm that Will was with her, you exhaled a breath of relief and hung up.

“Hey, stranger,” You heard a voice from behind you and jumped with a pathetic yelp. You turned to see Eddie with his signature smirk.

“Jesus Christ, why are you always sneaking up on me?” You teased with a little laugh, clutching your chest.

“Sorry,” He shrugged. “Although, you’re the one who snuck up on me first tonight.”

“Yeah… sorry about that,” You winced, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear nervously. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. But I had fun. It was cool seeing you in the zone like that.”

“Well, it was cool to finally see you there. Sorry for calling you out in front of everybody, though. I could just tell you had something to say.”

“Are you kidding? That was great. I’m like, a hero now.”

He smiled at you and you blushed profusely, then his eyes drifted to the payphone and he nodded towards it.

“Who ya calling?”

“Oh, I was just… babysitting stuff.” You pointed to your car and let out a weird chuckle that immediately made you wish you would spontaneously combust. He looked over at the kids all piled in your car, who were watching the both of you intently, then smiled back at you.

“Right. What are you, like, their paid chauffeur now or something?” He teased.

“Something like that. No, we’re… sort of friends. But, yeah, they can’t drive yet. So… that’s where I come in.”

“Hm,” He nodded. “I would make fun of you for hanging out with a bunch of freshmen, but I don’t really have a leg to stand on. I’m kinda friends with them, too… so.”

You tilted your head in surprise when he said this. He considered them friends, too? It intrigued you that your two worlds had found a connection without you.

“Oh? You’re their friend? Is that why you were taunting Dustin?” You ridiculed him playfully.

“Hey, I only give them shit because I care.”

“Right,” You smirked at him.

He was carrying some of his D&D supplies in his hands, trying to pretend like the weight of it all wasn’t getting to him as he stood and spoke to you. You pointed to them and asked, “Can I help you carry anything?”

“Uh, no, it’s cool. I got it. Thanks, though.”

“Well, can I at least help you get it into your car?”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks, I’m just…” He gestured towards his van, but you were already making your way towards it.

“The van. Yeah, I remember,” You said with an embarrassed giggle.

When you made your way over to it, Eddie shuffled his things awkwardly as he tried to get a hand free, then pursed his lips with a little muttered, “Shit…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, my keys are in my jacket pocket. Sorry, could you…?”

“Oh. Uh, sure…”

He lifted up the boxes in his hands and stuck out his hip so you could reach into his leather jacket. You snapped your hand back quickly as soon as your fingers wrapped around them, and held them up with a shy smile and an awkwardly mumbled, “Got ‘em,” before you turned away from him to unlock the back doors of his van. You shut your eyes and silently cursed yourself as you turned the key in the lock. It was mortifying how red your cheeks were just from being that close to him. From your hand being anywhere near him. You opened the doors and stood aside so he could put his things down, trying to avoid eye contact with him as he gazed directly at you. Then he closed the doors and leaned against them, smirking at you as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Thanks again,” He said.

“You’re welcome,” You replied with a little shrug and a sheepish smile as you finally willed yourself to look at him.

You stood in silence for a moment, Eddie fidgeting with his rings and you picking at a hang nail before he spoke up.

“Um…” He trailed off after studying your nervous expression, then laughed a little at himself before he scratched his arm in discomfort and shook his head. “Never mind. Forget it.”

You knew right away what he was about to say. He was going to ask you if you wanted to come to Hellfire again next week, but you knew that all the times you’d turned him down before stopped him from asking it. He was tired of trying. If you wanted to see him again, you would have to be the one to make the effort this time.

“Could I join again next week?” You blurted out. He raised his eyebrows at you from beneath his unruly bangs.

“Really?” He asked in disbelief, smiling at you with all of his teeth.

“Yeah, I mean, if it’s okay. I’ll probably have to pick these guys up again anyways, so why not? Right?”

“Uh… Yeah. Of course. You know I’ve been trying to get you to join a campaign for forever.”

“Well… I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. Maybe I could just… watch? Learn how to play?”

“I mean, it’s not really a spectator sport,” He scoffed, scratching his cheek. “And I think you more than proved yourself tonight. But if you’re more comfortable with that, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Cool, thanks. And the others would be okay with it? You guys seem to take this pretty seriously. You were really kind to let me join today, but I don’t wanna be a nuisance.”

“Sure they will. And if not… well they don’t really have a choice because I’m DM.”

“DM?”

“…Dungeon Master.”

“Oh,” You giggled.

“Yeah… it’s dumb, but it’s fun.”

“No, no. It’s not dumb at all. Especially since it’s something you love.”

A twinkle appeared in his eyes when you said this. He looked you up and down, and you started to get more flustered.

“You sure it’d be okay?” You asked him again.

“I’m sure.”

“Okay. Then I’ll be there. For real this time. I promise.”

“Cool. Good. See you next week, then.”

He nodded at you, clapping his hands behind his back, then took a couple of slow steps away before turning on his heel with a little skip to get into his van. You waved and turned slowly, too, a giant grin on your face. You couldn’t help it. When you started walking back to your car, you saw all three of the boys smirking at you knowingly. Your smile fell immediately and you glared at them and waved a hand to try to get them to stop being so obvious, but this just spurred them on more. Lucas turned around in the backseat and wrapped his arms around himself, pretending that he was making out with someone. Mike and Dustin laughed at this hysterically, but you were mortified. You ran quickly towards your car and got in, reaching into the backseat to push him by the shoulder to get him to stop.

“Real mature. Thanks for that,” You muttered as you started up your car. They were still laughing loudly, completely amused with themselves.

“What the hell was that about?” Dustin asked from the passenger seat, his voice cracking from holding back a giggle.

“What was what?” You snapped.

“That conversation! Did you guys know each other before tonight?”

“Yeah… A little.”

“I’m sorry, how do you know him?” Mike asked, gaining a little bit of his snark back after Lucas’s mockery of you cheered him up a little.

“Just… from school. I don’t know him that well. Why?”

“Because he’s… cool.”

You glared at him in your rearview with a scoff.

“What Mike is trying to say is, you guys are pretty… different,” Lucas added, trying to make you feel better.

“Yeah, I know exactly what Mike was trying to say…” You grumbled under your breath, then turned your head to the backseat. “How did you guys meet him anyways?”

“He let us sit with him on the first day of school,” Mike explained.

“Yeah, he’s the only one who would…” Lucas complained. Dustin ignored him and continued the explanation.

“Then he told us about Hellfire and asked us if we wanted to join. We’ve been eating lunch with him ever since. He’s awesome.”

Typical. He was still constantly trying to rescue people and make them feel like they belonged, like a real-life knight in shining armor. You sighed loudly before you could stop yourself.

“Well, that definitely sounds like Eddie,” You murmured.

You saw Lucas and Mike give each other a look in the rearview mirror.

“I thought you said you didn’t know him that well,” Mike interrogated you.

“Look, I don’t, okay?” You replied defensively. “We’ve only talked a handful of times.”

“Could have fooled me…” Dustin muttered, and you turned your head to glare at him. “Electricity,” He explained simply with an apologetic shrug.

“Electricity?” You repeated quizzically.

“Yeah. It’s just… something Steve said.”

The color left your face at the mention of his name.

“What exactly did Steve say?”

“That when you like somebody, there’s electricity. You can’t see it, but you can feel it. Like, before a storm. I saw it with Max and Lucas before they even did. That’s how I felt when I met Suzie. And you and Eddie definitely had it, too.”

You stared silently at the road, contemplating this. Then you sighed and turned back to Dustin.

“What else did he say?”

“I don’t know. A lot of things. He told me that if I like a girl, I should act like I don’t care to drive her crazy.”

“He told me that, too,” Lucas added. You scoffed at them.

“And that worked for you guys?”

Dustin shrugged.

“I didn’t have to do that with Suzie.”

“Lucas? Did that work on Max?”

“When she gets mad at me, absolutely. I just wait it out and she always comes back… eventually.”

You chortled loudly at this.

“Bullshit,” You said through a giggle. “There’s no way she falls for that. That’s the worst advice I’ve ever heard.”

“He also said that some girls want you to be more aggressive,” Dustin added, “And others like it when you’re slow and stealthy.”

“Like a ninja,” Lucas said, holding his hands up as if he was practicing a karate stance.

“Oh my god,” You groaned.

Is that what he was doing at Sattler’s Quarry that night? Moving in on you stealthily, like a fucking ninja? You cursed yourself for falling for his stupid tricks.

“His advice is sound, trust me,” Dustin shrugged. “Maybe he could help you out with Eddie, too.”

You clenched your jaw, your fists tightening around your steering wheel.

“I don’t need his help,” You snapped a little too harshly. Dustin looked at you quizzically, and you cleared your throat to pretend like the animosity in your tone was a fluke. “Neither do you guys,” You added, your tone much softer. “Trust me, his love life is an absolute mess. You shouldn’t be listening to him.”

“Isn’t yours, too?” Mike sneered.

You wanted to be mad, but he wasn’t wrong. Plus he had been suspiciously quiet for this conversation, especially since taunting Steve was one of his favorite past-times. It was probably because his relationship with El was still on the rocks. You decided to take it easy on him.

“I… okay, smartass. First of all, how would you even know that? And secondly, why are we still talking about this? I’m changing the subject. Can somebody explain to me what exactly happened with Will? He doesn’t wanna play D&D anymore?”

You eyed Mike, but he was watching out the window quietly, his arms crossed. Dustin turned around to look at Lucas, and Lucas shrugged back at him.

“Alright… never mind then,” You muttered, and continued the ride in awkward silence.

You dropped off Lucas first, then stopped at Dustin’s house.

“Do you have everything this time?” You asked him as he gathered his belongings and unbuckled his seatbelt.

“I think so. Thanks for the ride.”

He got out and leaned into the car before he shut the door.

“By the way, we may have been making fun of you, but I do think it would be cool if you and Eddie got together.”

You smiled at him.

“Thanks, Dustin.”

He shut the door and waved as he walked away.

“See you same time next week!” He called. You scoffed at this. He knew as well as you did that you would be using them as an excuse to make Hellfire a weekly visit to spend time with Eddie. After you pulled away, you eyed Mike once again in the backseat.

“You’ve been awfully quiet tonight. That’s unlike you. Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay. Guess we’ll just continue to sit in awkward silence while you mope around, then.”

He rolled his eyes and shook his head at you, his arms still crossed defiantly. Then eventually, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Will’s moving to California,” He whispered. You jerked your head around to try to look at him out of the corner of your eye.

“What?” You asked incredulously.

“He didn’t want to come tonight because his mom is moving them to California next month and he was upset that we’re going to be part of a new party without him. That’s what he was telling me today, after school.”

Your eyebrows knitted together sadly. So Joyce had decided to move away after all. You weren’t necessarily surprised, considering how miserable she seemed, but it was still a shock. She held out as long as she could.

“The others don’t know?” You asked him quietly, unsure what else to say.

“No. Not yet.”

You couldn’t believe it. You were certain that their party would have been tied together for life. You had promised Will as much. But now that suddenly wasn’t a guarantee anymore. It was a crushing blow, especially for Mike. He had been carrying the weight of being the only one of his friends who knew all night. No wonder he was so upset.

“I’m sorry, Mike,” You said gently. It was the only thing left to say.

“Yeah. I know,” He sighed. “Me too.”

Then a hush fell over the car, and the two of you sat in melancholy silence for the rest of the ride to Mike’s house.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

That’s a really cool idea! Hmmm… guess we’ll have to wait and see though 😏 lol thanks so much for reading and commenting ♥️♥️♥️

Chapter Twenty: The Lonely Hearts Club

Summary: You and Steve hang out alone for the first time in a while, and your friendship becomes a little more… complicated. (Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, 7.7k words)

Warnings: Things get kinda ~spicy~ towards the end but nothing too crazy lol. Bit of angst also.

Tags: @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Masterlist

August 23rd, 1985

“Oh my god, Steve. How many times are you going to play this stupid record?!” Robin whined from the passenger seat of Steve’s car.

“Hey, if you don’t like my music selections, then you can find your own ride, okay?!” He yelled back defensively, cranking the music up louder as an act of protest.

“Thank god I’m almost home,” Robin groaned with an eye roll.

“Yeah, you’re welcome by the way. You know, for driving you literally everywhere,” He grumbled.

“Oh, come on. We all know you love it,” She said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “What would you even do without us?”

He didn’t respond to this because he knew she was right and he hated it. She smirked at him knowingly and got out after he put the car in park, slamming the door behind her.

Keep reading

124 notes · View notes

spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Chapter Twenty: The Lonely Hearts Club

Summary: You and Steve hang out alone for the first time in a while, and your friendship becomes a little more… complicated. (Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, 7.7k words)

Warnings: Things get kinda ~spicy~ towards the end but nothing too crazy lol. Bit of angst also.

Tags: @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Masterlist

August 23rd, 1985

“Oh my god, Steve. How many times are you going to play this stupid record?!” Robin whined from the passenger seat of Steve’s car.

“Hey, if you don’t like my music selections, then you can find your own ride, okay?!” He yelled back defensively, cranking the music up louder as an act of protest.

“Thank god I’m almost home,” Robin groaned with an eye roll.

“Yeah, you’re welcome by the way. You know, for driving you literally everywhere,” He grumbled.

“Oh, come on. We all know you love it,” She said as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “What would you even do without us?”

He didn’t respond to this because he knew she was right and he hated it. She smirked at him knowingly and got out after he put the car in park, slamming the door behind her.

“Hey! Take it easy!” He rolled down the window and yelled at her. She waved her hand back at him dismissively.

“Yeah, yeah. Bye, Stevie! Bye, Y/N! See you tomorrow!”

“Bye, Robin!” You called back as she skipped up to her house. Then Steve raised his head to look at you in his rearview.

“You coming up?” He asked, patting the passenger seat. You nodded after taking another sip of your drink, then climbed up and ungracefully wriggled your way into the seat beside him instead of opting to get out of the car and back in. You accidentally bumped his elbow and apologized as he rubbed it.

“Ow! Geez, watch it. You spill that in here, you’re paying to clean my car.”

“God, you’re obsessed,” You complained, taking the lid off to show him that you had finished the rest of it so he wouldn’t have to worry anymore.

“How many times do I have to remind you two that without this car we’d all be stranded with no transportation? It’s a miracle my parents even let me drive it still.”

“Okay, I’m sorry! I’ll be careful.”

“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

He put the car in drive and pulled back out onto the road towards your house. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a while before Everybody Wants to Rule the World started playing, and you closed your eyes with a contented hum.

“Don’t tell Robin, but no matter how many times you play this song, I’m never gonna get sick of it,” You admitted.

“I knew it,” He chuckled at you. “How can anybody not love it?”

“In all fairness to her, I think she did like it before you played it about a billion times.”

He scoffed at this, shaking his head dismissively before reluctantly agreeing that you were right.

“Okay, fine. But you don’t mind?”

“No,” You said, your eyes still closed happily. “I don’t mind.”

It was the perfect song for a perfect summer night spent with friends. You wished that autumn would never have to come. You could ride around town with Steve and Robin doing absolutely nothing for the rest of your life.

You rolled down the window and stuck your head out, letting the wind blow your hair around your face. Then you twisted in your seat so that your face was pointed towards the sky, and you looked up at the stars. They were remarkably still as the rest of the world sped around you. It made you dizzy, but you couldn’t help yourself. It was too pretty.

You thought you heard Steve’s voice but couldn’t make it out over the wind in your ears, so you pulled yourself back in and tried to smooth out your unruly hair.

“Did you say something?” You asked him. He smiled at you, shaking his head in amusement.

“I said, if you keep sticking your head out the window like that, it’s probably gonna get sliced off by a tree branch or something.”

“Wow, very nice,” You chuckled. “Thanks for that. I was just trying to see the sky.”

“Predictable is preventable. The stars are really pretty tonight, though. I know a good stargazing spot. We should go sometime.”

You paused for a second, unsure of what to say.

That sounded… romantic.

“Uh, you know, with Robin, too,” He quickly added.

Was Steve Harrington suddenly bashful? You couldn’t contain the smile that began to spread on your face. It sounded kind of nice, actually. Peaceful.

“We could go now, if you want to. I wouldn’t mind a little stargazing tonight.”

He hesitated to respond, suddenly seeming reluctant to go.

“Actually… I don’t know. We probably shouldn’t. It’s private property. We could get caught.”

“That’s okay,” You shrugged. “Sounds like a fun adventure to me.”

He looked slightly surprised to hear this, but also pleased. He hadn’t expected you to be okay with breaking the law. It did make you nervous, but you also really wanted a chance to catch up with him, just the two of you. You thought it might be nice to get some one-on-one time to get him to talk about how he was doing with everything that had happened.

“Well, alright then,” He agreed. “But before I turn around I feel like I should warn you, the place I’m thinking of is Sattler’s Quarry.”

You scrunched up your face at him.

“Sattler’s Quarry? Like, where they pulled Will’s fake body out of the lake? You think it’s pretty there?”

“Uh, yup,” He laughed. “That’s the place. I started hanging out there way before all the government cover-up shit happened. Still wanna go?”

You paused to think about it, then nodded. You couldn’t help your curiosity.

“Alright then,” He sighed, then put on his turn signal to turn around. “Let’s go.”

When you pulled up about ten minutes later and Steve turned off his headlights, you understood immediately why he liked to go there. It was insanely scenic.

“You wanna get out and look?” He asked you. You shook your head and leaned back into your seat.

“Nah. I… I wanna listen to the music,” You admitted reluctantly, knowing full well how pleased with himself he would be after hearing it. You snuck a peek at him out of the corner of your eyes and he had a smirk on his face, just as you had expected.

“Don’t say it,” You warned him.

He put his hands up defensively.

“Wasn’t gonna.”

You both got comfortable, and you let out a satisfied sigh.

“You were right. This view is insane.”

“Told you,” He chuckled. “Pretty enough to paint. Or draw.”

“Hm. Yeah. Don’t remind me. I’ve been a terrible artist lately. Just haven’t been inspired.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something soon.”

You nodded, but you weren’t so sure. The truth was that what you had experienced in July had left you blocked off. You needed to be able to daydream to make art, and with a reality as insane and terrifying as yours, you were finding it hard to escape it.

“Speaking of which…” Steve said, interrupting your thoughts. “I really wish I could have seen your stuff at the senior art exhibition.”

You snapped your head towards him in shock. You weren’t expecting that.

“I… didn’t know you knew about that,” You said quietly.

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” He teased. “Why didn’t you invite me?”

“I don’t know… I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

He furrowed his eyebrows at you.

“Why would you think that?”

“I wasn’t sure how close we were. I didn’t wanna be weird.”

“Inviting me to see your art, which you’re planning on making a living off of someday, would have been weird?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s…” You trailed off, rubbing your eyebrow anxiously. You didn’t want to tell him the truth, but there was no better explanation you could give him. You inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly as you prepared yourself to be vulnerable with him.

“Steve, if you had said you were busy, it would have absolutely crushed me. That’s why. You were my only friend at the time. At least, my only friend my age. It was a lot of pressure.”

He lowered his eyes, trying to comprehend this.

“Oh… I didn’t realize. But, for the record… even if I did have plans… I would have cancelled them to be there.”

You lowered your head in shame. You felt like a jerk.

“I’m sorry. I should have invited you. I was just a coward.”

He could sense that you felt guilty, and immediately changed his demeanor to make you feel better about it, giving you a smile.

“It’s okay. I’ll get another chance someday, when you become a big shot artist in New York.”

“Yeah. Right,” You scoffed, shaking your head. “I don’t think I’m ever getting out of this town now.”

“Why?” He asked, shocked by this admission. The last time you talked about it, you were still feeling confident about getting out of Hawkins. But that was before the gate reopened.

“Steve, how can I leave after everything we’ve been through? What if it happens again?”

He hesitated, then shook his head at you.

“Maybe that’s exactly why you should leave,” He murmured.

“If it was just me, I would. But I can’t leave you guys.”

A strange look came over his face when you said this. You were having trouble figuring out what it meant. Maybe he was feeling the same way, but didn’t want to admit it to you.

“Well… that’s really selfless of you. But we’d be okay. You don’t have to worry about us. You should do what you need to do.”

You let your head fall back against the headrest of your seat in frustration. As you stared at the night sky reflecting in the water, you felt every emotion you had been holding in all summer bubbling up to the surface. Maybe now was a good time to confess, while it was just you, Steve, and the stars.

“Can I tell you something?” You whispered.

“Of course.”

You heard the squeak of his leather seat as he turned his body to face you.

“On the Fourth of July, when I ran into you guys at the theater…” You trailed off, then willed yourself to look over at him. He laid his head against his headrest, too, watching you patiently as you gained the courage to continue. “I… I was trying to get away. I watched that disgusting monster almost eat Nancy at the hospital the night before, and it scared the shit out of me. I used work as an excuse to try to get out of fighting it. I don’t ever wanna be that person again. If I go to New York, I’m worried it’ll just be the same thing. That I’ll be running from my parents and this town and my stupid problems. And I don’t want to run away anymore. From anything.”

He let out a deep sigh when you finished speaking, as if he felt every word with his whole chest.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” He murmured. “You stayed and fought when we needed you. That’s what matters.”

You studied his expression. You could tell that he really did understand the way you were feeling by the way he was looking at you, and you wanted to know more.

“Do you… do you ever have nightmares? About the monsters?” You asked him. He snorted and turned his body back to face the windshield again, staring out at the quarry as he spoke to you.

“Oh yeah. Are you kidding? All the time. Demogorgons, mind flayers, evil Russian soldiers. You name it… I’ve woken up in a cold sweat over it.”

He said this lightheartedly, but you knew the weight of it was heavier than he was letting on.

“I can’t believe you were drugged and tortured by Russians.”

“Believe it. I still get headaches from the shiner those bastards gave me.”

“I’m sorry,” You said with a wince.

“It’s okay. Dustin told you I got a good shot in first though, right? That I knocked one of them out? Because I need that to be on record.”

“Yes, don’t worry. He was very proud.”

“Good.”

Dustin had excitedly gone over the entire ordeal of how Steve knocked out a Russian guard and won a fight for the first time in his life, but you remembered seeing Steve’s face from across the room. He had a look of pure exhaustion that you had never seen before. It still haunted you. No matter how much he tried to play it off like it was a fun adventure, what he had been through took a heavy toll on him. Physically and emotionally.

“Seriously though. I’m sorry you had to go through that, Steve,” You said quietly, knowing instantly that he wouldn’t accept it.

“Eh,” He brushed it off, as predicted. “Guess I should have listened to you, right? Shouldn’t have meddled in their business.”

You sat up in your chair, shaking your head profusely.

“No way. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t have beaten the Mind Flayer.”

He smirked at you.

“So you’re saying that I should never listen to you ever again?”

You rolled your eyes and fell back against your seat, crossing your arms indignantly.

“Okay, don’t push it, Harrington.”

You both smiled at each other, and then his fell when something new seemed to cross his mind. You braced yourself.

“How have you been doing with everything though? With Hopper and…Billy?”

Ah. The inevitable question. You clenched your teeth as you tried to think of the least concerning way to answer it.

“It’s been hard,” You admitted. “I mean, the worst part is watching Joyce go through that pain again. I could tell how much they cared about each other, every time he visited her at the general store. She’s been through so much shit. I think she wants to move away, which I completely understand, but I worry about what that will do to Will. And El, too, Jesus. That poor girl. It’s just so unfair. Hopper was a really good man.”

“He was,” Steve chimed in with a sigh, nodding patiently as he waited for you to continue your rant.

“And Billy… I mean, you know how I felt about him. And I know how you feel about him, too. But I never wanted him die. Especially like that. Especially in front of Max. I know she hated him, too, but… she grew up with him. And seeing that at her age… she’s been really brave but I know it’s messing her up inside.”

“Yeah,” He agreed. “I mean, I wanted to kill him myself for what he did to us last year. But that was just…brutal.”

“I know. I just wanna be there for Max the best I can. I haven’t been able to get her to talk about it, but maybe that’s what she needs. I don’t know.”

Steve stayed quiet as you finally trailed off, watching you, and you turned your head to try to see what he was thinking.

“What?” You asked him when you couldn’t figure him out.

“It’s really kind of you to be so worried about everybody else right now. Not that I’m surprised.”

“Well… of, of course.” You stammered. “I mean, I’m sure it’s much harder on them than it is on me.”

“But I asked how you were doing. I know you had a hard time when we first found out about the Russians. I just wanna make sure you’re okay now. You said it messed Max up seeing Billy die, but what about you? It couldn’t have been easy for you either, seeing that up close.”

You blinked at him. He was figuring you out, and you didn’t like it. The original plan was to get him to open up to you, and there you were, pouring your guts out to him. You had said far too much.

“I’m… okay. And you?”

“Okay,” He echoed with a nod. It was clear from your deflection back onto him that you didn’t want to talk about yourself anymore, so he changed the subject instead of fighting you further on it. “You know, I probably wouldn’t have befriended Robin if we hadn’t been subjected to torture together,” He said.

You snorted, unable to stop yourself.

“Wow, did you just turn something negative into a positive? Are you ill?”

“Ha ha,” He said dryly.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. That’s a good way to look at it.”

“That’s the way I feel about you, too, you know,” He added, looking you in the eye. It made your cheeks flush. “I’m glad you stumbled into the junkyard that night and almost got eaten by demodogs with all of us, even though I’m sure you regret it by now.”

“I don’t,” You said quickly. “How could I? We wouldn’t be sitting here right now if I hadn’t shown up that night. I wouldn’t have gotten to know all of you. And what a shitty life that would be.”

You smiled at each other, and then he let out a chuckle.

“Wow. You’re insane.”

“I know,” You nodded, a pleased smile on your face. “But so are you.”

There was a quiet moment where the two of you stared at each other, then Steve’s attention was captured by the next song starting up on his car stereo. He let out a little gasp of excitement and his hand reached for the volume knob.

“Fuck, this is a good one,” He mumbled, and you laughed at him. He started bobbing his head, and then suddenly began belting out the lyrics to Head Over Heels so loudly that it made you jump. Your eyes widened as you watched him, his face all scrunched up as he sang passionately, but very, very badly.

“See, insane! Told you!” You shouted at him and pushed on his shoulder, trying to get him to quiet down. He took the hint and stopped singing, grinning at you.

“I can’t help it. It’s too perfect. This song is like… my life story,” He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“Yeah, rejected twice in one year? That is pretty harsh,” You teased him with a laugh, then immediately squeezed your lips shut, eyes wide as you realized that you weren’t supposed to know about the second time with Robin. He eyed you and you knew that the jig was already up, but you avoided eye contact with him anyways.

“Y/N?”

“Hm?” You said, feigning innocence.

“Did Robin tell you about our conversation in the bathroom?” He asked, an eyebrow raised. You scratched the back of your neck uncomfortably.

“Uh…yeah. She may have mentioned something about that,” You admitted sheepishly.

“I knew it. She told you I confessed my love for her, like an idiot? That I actually thought she was into me?”

“Maybe…” You tried to hold back a laugh, and he folded his arms on top of the steering wheel and let his head fall into them in embarrassment. “I’m sorry! I’m not laughing at you, I just feel bad.”

“Please. I bet you guys had a real good laugh about it. Typical Harrington, right? Completely oblivious,” He mumbled into his arms.

“No, Steve, it wasn’t like that! I swear. She only told me because I was asking her if there was anything going on between the two of you.”

“Well, obviously there’s not,” He grumbled.

“Obviously,” You repeated with a snort.

He raised his head and squinted skeptically at this response.

“Did she mention… anything else? Any, uh… reasons why we don’t have anything romantic between us?”

“You mean because she’s gay?”

His eyes widened at you before your mouth turned up in a smile. Then he let out a breath of relief and relaxed back into his seat. This was one secret he was overjoyed that you now knew about, and that you were as accepting of as he was.

“She told you.”

You nodded with the smile still on your face, sharing in his happiness.

“Good. I’m glad.”

“Me too. I’m happy she had you to confide in, though, before I knew. You’re a really good friend, Steve. To both of us.”

He hadn’t been expecting you to say that. He scratched his head and turned away from you bashfully.

“Eh. Well… I try my best.”

You grinned at his embarrassment, then it faded when you thought about how he might actually be feeling behind the humor.

“Are you…do you actually want to be with her though? I mean, those feelings don’t just go away when you find out you don’t have a chance.”

You hoped it wasn’t obvious to him that you were speaking from experience. It didn’t take him very long to decide on an answer.

“No. I think I was just hearing Dustin’s stupid voice in the back of my head telling me we were perfect for each other.”

“Ha!” You chortled. “He said that? Guess I’m not surprised. He is kind of obsessed with her.”

“Yeah. You know… he said the same thing about you when we first started hanging out again.”

Your eyebrows raised. No matter how many times people talked about you and Steve like this, it never failed to surprise you.

“Really?”

“Yeah. The night we all watched Star Wars together and you got up to get popcorn from the kitchen, he leaned over to me and whispered, ‘Now’s your chance. Make a move. Just pretend we’re not here.’”

“What?!” You snorted loudly.

“It’s true, I swear.”

“Well, what did you say?”

“What do you think I said? I said, ‘Absolutely not, weirdo.’ Like I would ever try to make a move on someone while hanging out with a bunch of thirteen-year-olds.”

“Oh my god, that kid is nuts,” You snickered.

“I know. He brought it up again another time and I just told him that you had a thing for someone else to shut him up for good. Don’t worry, though, I refused to go into the specifics.”

You processed this, then took a second to contemplate whether or not you should share what Robin had said about the two of you as well. You eventually decided that it was safe.

“Robin actually said something to me, too, when I was asking her about you two. While you guys were in the restroom and you were trying to confess your feelings for her, she thought you were talking about me instead of her at first.”

His eyes widened, confirming your suspicions that Robin had failed to share that with him.

“Really? That’s… weird. What did you say to that?”

“That it was ridiculous,” You shrugged. He nodded back at you, suspiciously quiet. He was probably trying to remember what he said that would make her think that.

“Interesting.”

You cleared your throat, interrupting the uncomfortable silence.

“Come to think of it, Max and Nancy also assumed we were dating,” You giggled.

“Jesus,” He said, throwing his hands up in the air melodramatically. “Can’t a guy and girl just be friends?”

“Apparently not,” You laughed. “But, I mean, everybody at school thought we were a couple, too. It’s nothing new.”

“Yeah, but, none of those other people actually knew us, so their opinions don’t matter.”

You tilted your head at him.

“So you think we should be listening to our friends? Is that what you’re saying?” You teased.

“I, I mean… theoretically,” He stammered nervously.

“Theoretically?”

“Yeah. Theoretically, their opinions are the only ones we should focus on. For any number of…things.”

“Uh huh. Right,” You chuckled, amused by how flustered he was.

He had a strange look on his face again, and you almost prodded him to speak before he beat you to it.

“Did Nancy… did she seem jealous?” He asked tentatively.

You blinked at him in surprise. You weren’t expecting that question.

“Uh… I don’t think so. She said she would be okay with it if we were together. Why? Do you want her to be jealous?”

“I don’t know… maybe,” He confessed quietly.

“I think she was mostly just worried that you hated her.”

His eyes widened in shock.

“What? That’s crazy.”

“I know. Don’t worry, I set her straight.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

He went quiet again after a small sigh, once again thinking about something that you were dying to know about. You figured you may as well jump right to the chase with the tough questions.

“Do you… think you still love her? I know it was really hard for you, getting over her.”

His face scrunched up as he stared out his windshield, agitated that you were making him think about her again.

“…No. I don’t think I do anymore. What about Eddie? You still in love with him?”

You narrowed your eyes at him. This was an expert deflection on his part.

“Oh, great. You remembered that, huh?” You groaned, avoiding answering the question. If he could dance around the truth, you could, too.

“Of course I remember,” He scoffed. “I actually forgot to tell you, I saw him at the mall back in July. So if you still want my help getting that date with him, I’m available. God knows I don’t have anything else going on.”

You sighed with exasperation, closing your eyes and letting your head fall back against the seat again.

“About that… I didn’t wanna tell you because I was kind of embarrassed, but he showed up with a date while I was working at the theater, and it was incredibly awkward. So that’s a no go.”

“Shit,” He said with a pitying grimace. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t meant to be, I guess,” You shrugged.

“God, we’re hopeless, aren’t we?”

“The Lonely Hearts Club,” You muttered without thinking, remembering how Robin had described the three of you when she spent the night earlier that month.

“The what?” He asked you, an eyebrow raised curiously. With all the time the three of you spent together, you had forgotten that he wasn’t actually there for that conversation.

“Uh… it’s just something Robin said a while ago. That we’re like The Lonely Hearts Club. Just three lost causes keeping each other company.”

“Huh,” He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess she’s right.”

You both fell quiet, and then he interrupted it with another laugh as he rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, as if he had come to some kind of ridiculous realization.

“What?” You asked him.

“Nothing. Just… honestly, it’d probably be easier if we really did just date like everybody expects us to.”

You stared at him as he continued to laugh at the idea of this.

“Don’t worry, I’m just joking. I know you’d never be into me,” He added dismissively.

You kept staring at him, and your cheeks began to burn red as you remembered a past version of yourself that was, in fact, very into him. Now it was his turn to try to figure out what was on your mind.

“What?”

You thought about changing the subject, but apparently this was already a night of confessions, so you rolled with it. What was one more deep, dark secret anyways?

“Do you remember when you asked why Carol would think I wanted you to ask me out in the eighth grade?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s because I had a massive crush on you the entire time we were friends and she knew it.”

He didn’t react. He just looked like a deer in headlights. You squirmed in your seat anxiously at his unwavering gaze.

“You’re joking,” He finally said with a completely straight face.

“No. I swear, I thought you knew until you asked me that. It was so obvious. Plus, I assumed Carol would have told you.”

“I, I mean… she did,” He stuttered, “The summer after seventh grade. But I just assumed she was being an asshole. Making fun of me.”

“Well, she was. But it was also true.”

“Holy shit.”

He straightened up against the back of his seat, staring into space with his mouth agape. You hadn’t expected this reaction. You assumed he would just tease you. Then you realized that he had said he thought that Carol was making fun of him, not you.

“Wait, why would Carol be making fun of you?”

He closed his eyes and swallowed nervously, then turned his head towards you.

“Uh… because… I sort of had a massive crush on you, too. I didn’t tell anybody, but I just assumed she figured it out. I actually kind of thought that was why you stopped wanting to hang out with me. Because you found out, too, and got freaked out.”

Now your mouth was hanging open, absolutely stupefied.

“Okay, now you’re joking,” You protested, convinced that he was truly messing with you.

“I’m not. I swear to god,” He said with a stunned laugh.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. Holy shit.”

You stared at each other again, and then you turned away to lean back against your seat, looking up at the stars as you contemplated this. You wondered how different life would have been if you had both been honest with each other about your feelings.

“I wonder what would have happened if we found out sooner,” Steve said, as if he read your mind.

You snapped your head back towards him, slightly taken aback that he had the courage to say this aloud. His eyes were studying your face, and you swore he was looking right at your lips. You realized suddenly that with all your talk about your friends trying to push the two of you together, he never made it clear that he disagreed with them. You didn’t know how to feel anymore.

“Me too,” You said quietly, unable to resist eyeing his mouth as well. The wounds he had sustained from the Russian soldiers left a little scar across his bottom lip, and you had the sudden urge to reach out and stroke it. To comfort him in a way you hadn’t thought to before.

“You know…” He said, interrupting your thoughts and bringing your attention back to reality. “When we were at that graduation party and I offered to kiss you…I wasn’t really joking. I actually always imagined I’d be your first kiss.”

At first, you were too stunned to even react to this. If it wasn’t clear before, it certainly was now: he wanted to kiss you. The cassette began to play its outro - a slow, hauntingly beautiful tune - and in that moment of pure insanity, you felt like you owed it to your younger self to see it through.

Honestly, it just felt really good to be wanted. And Steve really wanted you. That was pretty clear when you lurched forward quickly and pecked him awkwardly on the lips, eyes wide as you pulled away and realized what you’d done, and he pulled you back in to keep it going.

All of your anxious thoughts melted away the longer his lips were against yours. He was safe, and familiar, and a really, really good kisser. It felt like you were thirteen again, getting a fresh start. All of your insecurities from the past five years didn’t seem to matter suddenly. Nothing did. Not the Upside Down, not the fact that your friendship would be forever changed, not even Eddie. You were completely swept away.

It surprised both of you how quickly you attempted to take control. You struggled to position yourself in his lap in the driver’s seat, banging your knee on the steering wheel and muttering an agitated, “Ow.”

“Careful, Bruiser,” He teased, laughing at you before moving his seat back in a swift motion that made you gasp and fall into him. “Better?” He helped you to steady yourself, swiping a strand of your hair behind your ear.

He was looking into your eyes as if the question he really wanted to ask was, ‘is this okay?’ You responded by leaning down to kiss him again. Your brain was screaming at you to stop, but every single glance and touch from him made you want to keep going.

You were fully straddling his waist now, your thighs wrapped tightly around him. His hands traveled from your hips to your back, ghosting the hem of your top respectfully, and you reached to push them up the back of it. His fingertips brushing over your bare skin gave you goosebumps.

You couldn’t believe that you had waited this long to kiss someone like this. It felt so good that you never wanted it to stop.

You arched your back more, pressing harder into him and making him let out a noise that sent a tingle up your spine. His hands slid down your backside to your thighs and up to your waist again, then he rested his forehead against yours before pulling away again to look up at you, his fingertips fidgeting with the button of your shorts. You could tell that he was looking for permission to take things a step further. You pondered it for a minute as you looked down at him. His pupils were huge with lust, but the expression on his face was surprisingly tender. Trying to resist wasn’t an option. You could practically feel yourself melting into him already. You wanted to feel more. Needed to after all the time you’d spent waiting for something exactly like this to happen. You nodded to let him know that it was okay, putting your hand over his as he worked to undo your button. Then at the same moment you bent down for another soft kiss, you heard a loud clacking noise against the window. You both jumped and shouted in fear, then pulled away from each other in shock to see a bright light shining through the glass. You tried to block it from blinding you with your hand, and Steve moved his body in front of yours to shield you as you separated yourself from him.

You could only make out the reflection off of the rims of a pair of glasses. It was officer Callahan.

“Fuck,” Steve muttered under his breath. “Alright, let’s go kids! Out of the car,” Callahan yelled, tapping the window again.

You looked at Steve with a panicked expression as you made yourself decent.

“It’s okay, just let me handle it,” He reassured you.

He opened the car door and helped you out. Callahan rolled his eyes when he saw Steve.

“Harrington? You again? Really? How many times have I told you to stay away from here? It’s private property and it’s dangerous.”

“I’m sorry, sir. We just came here for the view, honest.”

“Right. Is that what you and the other girls I’ve caught you in your car with were doing, too? Enjoying the view?”

You raised your eyebrows. He had brought other girls here?

You glared at Steve as he looked back at you with shame. He opened his mouth to speak, but you interrupted him.

“It was my idea, officer. He warned me we could get in trouble but I convinced him to come anyways.”

“You really expect me to believe that?” He scoffed.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s an idiot. But it really was my idea this time. I swear.”

Callahan hesitated, putting his hands on his hips.

“Alright, fine. But this is the final warning. I mean it this time, Harrington. You too…” He trailed off when he realized he had no idea who you were.

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Right. Whatever. I catch you here again and you’re spending a night in lock-up. Now get out of here.”

Callahan got back into his car and Steve turned to you to try to talk again. You held up your hand to silence him.

“Save it,” You snapped, and walked to the passenger side of the car. “Take me home. Now.”

You were both quiet for a long time on the way to your house. You felt Steve looking at you, but you kept your eyes on the trees passing by.

You couldn’t stop thinking about his lips on yours, his hands on your bare skin under your shirt, and what would have happened if you hadn’t been interrupted. You closed your eyes to try to silence your brain. “You didn’t have to tell him it was your idea,” Steve finally said. “But thanks.”

You didn’t reply.

“Y/N… I think we need to talk about what happened.”

You rolled your eyes and turned towards him.

“Okay. Let’s talk. When was the last time you brought a girl there?”

“Y/N…”

“Steve.”

He sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly to brace himself for an argument.

“After prom,” He admitted through clenched teeth.

You remembered how you sat home alone on your prom night. You were suddenly filled with rage at the thought of him in the back of his car with another girl while you cried yourself to sleep that night. And so, so stupid that you didn’t think anything of the spot in the first place. Of course he brought girls there. Was he planning this as soon as he suggested going there? Did he even really care about you, or was he just using you? Was that story about him having a crush on you even true? You felt like you couldn’t trust him anymore.

“I can’t believe I fell for that shit,” You muttered angrily.

“What shit?” He asked defensively.

“‘Oh, you know, Robin and Dustin think we would be soooo good together. Isn’t that so stupid? How wrong are they?’ You used reverse psychology on me so I would want to make out with you, just because you’re… you’re… horny!”

“Oh my god, please. Thats not even true!”

“So you weren’t just horny?”

“Please stop saying horny! And no! That’s not what happened. I mean, I don’t really know what happened. But I certainly didn’t have some, some master plan to get in your pants.”

“Ugh, gross, don’t say it like that…” You mumbled, hiding your face in your hands. He literally had tried to get in your pants.

“Well, that’s what you were thinking, right?”

You turned and rested your forehead against the cool window.

“God, I’m so stupid,” You whispered.

“You’re not stupid,” He said quickly, trying to keep your from spiraling inward. “I’m stupid, remember? This was my fault.”

You turned to him and shook your head at his attempt to be the martyr.

“That was my first kiss, Steve. My first…everything.”

“Not… everything…” He tried to joke. You glared at him to let him know that none of this was a laughing matter.

“You know what I mean,” You snapped.

“I know. I’m sorry, okay?”

You pressed your fingertips into the bridge of your nose as if you were silently praying, begging for god to beam you up and out of that car as soon as possible.

“Can we just…pretend it didn’t happen?” You squeaked, your voice cracking.

He stiffened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed and set his jaw.

“If that’s what you want.”

You rolled your eyes at him impatiently.

“Well, what do you want?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Exactly. You don’t know,” You huffed, throwing your hands up. “You need to figure out your shit, Harrington.”

“Well, obviously, I’m trying to…”

“You wanna know what I think?”

“I think you’ve been making it perfectly clear what you think already…”

“I think you can’t tell the difference between platonic love and romantic love,” You interrupted his grumbling. "Just because I’m a girl and you care about me, that doesn’t mean you’re attracted to me.”

He narrowed his eyes at the road, refusing to look directly at you.

“I think I know when I’m attracted to somebody. That’s never been a problem for me. Attraction is not the issue here.”

“Oh, really? Because a month ago you thought you were falling in love with Robin. Robin!”

“Okay, well that was just a fluke.”

“So, what? Are you attracted to me then? Or was this a fluke, too?”

He paused from this rapid fire back and forth to run a hand through his hair as he thought about it, then propped his elbow up against his window and rested his hand against his cheek while he steered with one hand. It was clear that he was exhausted, but you weren’t ready to let up yet.

“I don’t know…” He admitted exasperatedly. “I mean, yeah. Obviously. I guess. I must be. I kissed you back, didn’t I?”

“Goddammit, Steve,” You hissed through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying my best to be honest!” He raised his voice at you, lifting his head out of his hand so he could gesture with it in frustration.

“Well can you try a little harder, please? Because I’m seriously confused here and you’re really pissing me off.”

He snapped his head around to look at you for the first time since you’d started your argument, his expression hardening with aggravation that he couldn’t hold back anymore.

“You’re confused?! You’re the one that kissed me first!” He yelled.

“Oh, spare me!” You spat back. “As if your eyes weren’t begging me to, and you didn’t just try to shove your hands down my-”

“You know what, fine,” He interrupted you loudly, waving a hand in the air to silence you. “I told you it was my fault. I’m a douchebag! I’m sorry. I don’t wanna talk about this anymore.”

After a long pause, when you began to feel your anger simmer down, you took a deep breath and made sure your voice was at a lower, less ferocious volume when you spoke again.

“Steve.”

He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t resist responding in an equally quieter but more frazzled tone.

“What?”

“I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”

“Well, it’s not your fault, either,” He shrugged, his eyes glued to the road.

“I know. Look, we’re not thirteen anymore. You don’t actually like me, Steve. Maybe you did when we were kids, but we’re different people now. We’re friends. You’re just lonely, and trying to cope with what happened.”

He scoffed at this explanation of his side of things, then tried to play it off like he didn’t.

“Okay, well, what about you? Why did you kiss me then?”

“For the same reasons. It was a good distraction, and you made me feel safe for a minute. And also because… I can’t have who I really want.”

He fell silent, the only sound in the car the soft hum of the engine and his fingers tapping anxiously against his steering wheel. Then he sighed deeply.

“You really want to just forget about this then?”

He looked over at you, and you nodded slowly.

“Yeah. I think I do. Don’t you?”

He gave you a small half smile, then returned his gaze to the road.

“Sure I do.”

“Good.”

You crossed your arms over your torso and relaxed back into your seat, watching out the window for the rest of the ride. The stars really were pretty. Too bad the two of you didn’t really do any actual stargazing.

When he pulled up to your house and put the car in park, you hesitated before unbuckling your seatbelt, waiting for him to speak. But he stayed quiet, eyes lowered as you gathered your things. You sighed as you opened the car door and got out, making sure to pay close attention to how gently you closed the door so he wouldn’t have another reason to be angry with you. You began to walk away when you heard him roll down the window.

“Hey!” He called, and you spun around to face him.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll… see you tomorrow?”

He was straining to meet your eye line as you stood over him in front of the window, his brown eyes big like a sad puppy.

“Yeah, Steve. I’ll see you tomorrow,” You assured him with a forced smile, then gave him a little wave before leaving him to walk up to your house.

You snuck a peek at him through the crack in your door before you closed it behind you. His head was hung low as he clutched the steering wheel with both of his hands tightly, then when he composed himself he started his car up again and drove off. You shut the door and let your forehead fall against it.

‘See you tomorrow.’

You both knew the words were a lie as soon as they left your lips, but it felt better to pretend. As much as you may try to forget, you knew it wouldn’t work.

You had just had your first kiss (and then some) with Steve Harrington. Not Eddie, like you’d been planning since you were fourteen. Steve. Your best friend, Steve. How were you supposed to forget that? How were you supposed to hang out with him again like nothing had happened? You couldn’t. Even if you kept it between the two of you… and Officer Callahan.

Jesus Christ.

Your summer escapades with Steve and Robin may have already been coming to an end, but the events that transpired that night were the final nail in the coffin. The summertime bliss was officially gone.

You banged your forehead against the door a little too hard, then muttered, “Ouch,” as you rubbed it with your hand and trudged up the stairs to your bedroom. Maybe it wasn’t possible in the long run, but for the night, you would have to do your best to pretend that nothing happened so you could try to get some sleep for once.

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spiderking-of-queens · 2 years

Text

Chapter Nineteen: Rebel Robin

Summary: After an evening with Robin and Steve, Robin spends the night and the two of you swap secrets. (Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader/Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, BestFriend!Robin Buckley x Fem!Reader, 3k words)

Warnings: Robin comes out to the reader and she feels uncomfortable at first but then it gets fluffy and sweet :)

A/N: Okay, this is THE Robin chapter. the title is based off of a really good podcast about her called Rebel Robin. If you haven’t listened (I was over a year late in finding it lol), I highly recommend! It’s a quick listen and it gives a lot of background to Robin’s character. Plus the few Steve references in it had me openly weeping lmao. Their friendship means everything to me 😭

Tags: @dessxoxsworld @blackbirddaredevil23

Masterlist

August 3rd, 1985

About a month after the events at the mall, you were spending another night with Robin and Steve. The three of you had become inseparable. Now that they were both unemployed, they spent most of their time waiting for you to get off of work, bothering you at the general store and constantly complaining about the fact that you still had a job when they didn’t. As soon as you would clock out, Steve was always ready to cart the two of you around town. Sometimes it was the movies, sometimes his house, sometimes out to eat. It didn’t matter where you went. As long as you were all together, you were happy. They were your best friends, and a perfect distraction from thinking about the carnage you had witnessed and the two funerals you had to attend that summer. They were some of the only people who understood what you had been through, and you felt completely safe whenever they were around.

That Saturday night, Steve had forced the two of you to see Weird Science with him at the cinema, and then dropped both of you off at your house afterwards. You had convinced Robin to spend the night since she wasn’t getting along with her mother and you were still having a hard time sleeping.

“Sorry, no boys allowed, Little Stevie!” Robin taunted him before he drove away. “Too bad, too, because we were gonna put on our nighties and have lots and lots of pillow fights. You’re really missing out!”

He rolled his eyes and yelled, “Have fun with that!” before driving away. She flipped him off as he went, a giant smirk on her face.

“You’re so wrong for teasing him like that,” You scolded her, but couldn’t help laughing. You had a feeling that something happened between them when you left them alone in the bathroom on the fourth, but you didn’t know what. You still weren’t sure what the nature of their relationship was.

“He loves it,” She shrugged, and followed you into your house.

Later that evening, she was sitting on your bed in one of your tees and sleep shorts, looking through the Wonder Woman comic that Max had lent you. You were trying to pick out music that she would find acceptable.

“I cannot believe that Wonder Woman is from an island full of women, no men whatsoever. Can you imagine? God, I wish that was me,” She groaned, shutting her eyes and leaning her head back against the pillow.

“Tell me about it,” You muttered.

She opened one eye, raising her eyebrow at you over the top of the comic book, and snorted.

“Having some romantic troubles there, Y/N?”

You sighed and held up a U2 cassette for her consideration. She pursed her lips and hesitated, unsure at first, then nodded after she deemed it acceptable.

“I wouldn’t say that, necessarily,” You admitted as you put the tape into your stereo and pushed play. “Gotta have some romance first to have romantic problems.”

“Ah. So the lack of romance is the problem.”

“Exactly.”

“Is this about the guy you told me about at the start of the summer?”

You plopped down beside her, your arms crossed over your stomach and your head sinking into your pillow.

“…Maybe?” You admitted. “I don’t know. Maybe not. I don’t know why I can’t stop thinking about him, it’s not like I actually even really know him. Maybe I’m just lonely.”

“Hm. Right. Can I… ask who exactly it is that you’re pining over?”

Her head was turned to you, waiting patiently as you stared at the ceiling.

“Eddie Munson,” You mumbled quickly.

You sighed and closed your eyes, ready for a reaction similar to the one Steve had given you when you confessed this to him.

She began laughing immediately and you smacked her in the face with your pillow, making her jump.

“Hey!” She yelped. “I’m sorry, okay! I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’m too much of a goody two-shoes for him, right?”

“I wasn’t gonna say that! In fact, I think it could actually work. Opposites attract, right?”

“Whatever,” You said as you rolled your eyes at her and covered your face with your arms.

“I’m serious, I could see it. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times. I think you could be good for each other. He’d get you out of your shell, you’d get him to calm down a little. It’s a match made in heaven.”

“You’re just saying that,” You whined. “It doesn’t matter, anyways. It’s never gonna happen. He has a girlfriend, remember?”

“Still? Shit. I’m sorry. God, we all make quite the trio don’t we? We’re like The Lonely Hearts Club. Just a bunch of lost causes.”

You eyed her without moving your head as she continued flipping through the comic book.

“Is there… anyone you have your eyes on?” You asked her hesitantly.

“Uh… nope.”

She said this suspiciously dismissively. Was that actually true, or was something secretive going on between her and Steve? You sat up beside her to confront her, and her eyebrows raised when she noticed the serious expression on your face.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’ve gotta ask. Are you and Steve… together? Romantically?”

She immediately stuck her tongue out in disgust.

“Oh my god, no! Gross. Seriously, gag me with a spoon.” She stuck her finger in her mouth and made a heaving noise for good measure.

“Really?”

“Never gonna happen. Trust me.”

“I’m sorry. I just saw you guys up on the roof when we were spying on those Russian guards. When you grabbed each other’s hands. Plus you’ve just been so attached at the hip... I don’t know.”

She snorted and threw the comic book to the floor.

“Okay, I will admit… god, he’s probably going to kill me. But, when we were on drugs, Steve may or may not have said that he wanted to be with me.”

Your mouth fell open and you smacked her playfully with your pillow again.

“I knew it! I knew something happened in that bathroom. That’s why you tease him so much!”

“I mean, that’s not the only reason why. It’s also just really fun,” She scoffed, tossing the pillow back at you.

“So… he likes you.”

“Well, I don’t think he feels that way anymore. At least… I hope he doesn’t,” She said with a small chuckle. “Ya know, before he got into the specifics, I actually sort of thought he was describing you.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he was saying all this mysterious crap about how he regretted not hanging out with ‘this girl’ the whole time he was in high school. That he’d never laughed so much, and that she was way smarter than him. It wasn’t until he mentioned me cracking the Russian codes that I figured out he was actually talking about me. I almost started vomiting again when I realized it.”

You didn’t know what to say to this. You just stared at her, speechless.

“I… that’s ridiculous, Robin. He would never say all that about me.”

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure you were the one making him laugh all summer while I was spending all my time torturing him.”

“Well… I just figured you tortured him so much because you liked him.”

“Now that’s ridiculous,” she chuckled. “I tortured him because I thought he was an asshole at first. Then when I realized he wasn’t it was just because he made it so damn easy.”

You snickered at this.

“So you really don’t like him back?”

“That’s a big, N.O.”

“And there’s no other guys that you’re interested in?”

“No. No… guys…”

She sucked in a breath, and you furrowed your eyebrows at her.

“What?”

She stared at you, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say.

“Look, it’s not just that I don’t like… Steve…”

She trailed off. Something seemed to be weighing very heavily on her.

“Okay? What is it then?”

She sighed and sat up beside you, unable to look you in the eye.

“Okay. Maybe this isn’t the best time, but I guess I may as well just get this over with now. It’s not that I don’t like Steve, Y/N. It’s that I don’t like… any guys.

She cocked her head at you, waiting for you to get it, but you just blinked at her and waited for further elaboration.

“It’s that I don’t like… guys,” She repeated, trying to lay it out as simply as possible for you. Then she looked down at her hands to pick at her nail polish.

Your brain took a minute to process this. But when it finally did, your eyes opened wide.

“Oh. Oh. Do you… you like… girls?”

She nodded and lifted her head, willing herself to look directly at you.

“Yes. I’m gay.”

You could tell by the look on her face and the way she hesitated to finish the sentence that this wasn’t something she was used to saying out loud. Maybe even in her head, too. You could both feel the intense weight of it now hanging in the air. All you could think to say was, “Right. Okay,” nodding profusely.

“Steve knows, too,” She added quickly, nodding back at you. Her voice began to quicken from her nerves, something you had only seen happen once before at the mall when she was panicking about El’s injuries. “I didn’t really have any other choice but to tell him. He was confessing his love for me. It was extremely embarrassing. Plus I think I was still a little high on Russian truth serum, so… it… it just kind of happened.”

You nodded more slowly as you processed that information. So Steve knew and fully accepted her, even after he had been rejected by her. You weren’t necessarily surprised by this, but still grateful to him for being such a good friend to her. He could have easily let it slip to you, but he loved and respected her enough to keep it between the two of them. This was all the proof you needed to solidify your beliefs that he really had changed into a gentler, more caring person.

Robin was wringing her fingers together nervously now, staring down at her rings as she played with them. You were taking too long trying to think of the right thing to say.

“Look,” She said quietly. “If you’re not comfortable with me sleeping here now, I get it. if you want me to leave…”

She started to stand up from your bed in shame. Your eyes widened in horror at what she was saying, and without thinking, you threw your arms around her and pulled her back down into a hug. She stopped speaking immediately, frozen in shock.

“I don’t want you to leave,” You murmured into her shoulder. “I want you here. You’re one of my best friends, Robin. And I love everything about you.”

You knew that she wasn’t one to go for any kind of physical affection, but you couldn’t help yourself. This was also the first time you had admitted that she was your best friend. You didn’t know if these were the right words, but it was all true. You needed her to know how loved and needed she was. How perfect she was to you exactly the way she was. She was your first true female friend since before middle school, and her being in your life meant the world to you.

She hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around you, too.

“Back at you,” She replied quietly, tapping har hand against your back. She was still surprised by this response, but couldn’t help being moved.

The two of you sat there for a minute, letting each other feel comforted by one another before pulling away.

“Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me,” You said bashfully. “It means a lot to me.”

“Thank you for not being an asshole about it, I guess,” She shrugged, giving you a small smile.

You squeezed her knee. You knew this couldn’t have been easy for her, but you were grateful to share the moment nonetheless. You felt closer than ever to her now.

“You know, Steve was right about one thing,” You admitted with a chuckle. “I wish I had started hanging out with you in high school, too.”

“Me too,” She agreed. “Although, I think the way we actually bonded is a much better story. ‘Monster hunters in arms’ has a much better ring to it than ‘friends from high school,’ don’t you think?”

“True. Although there were plenty of monsters in high school, too. They just weren’t as obvious. Or physically dangerous.”

“Honestly, I prefer the more dangerous ones,” She scoffed.

“Me too.”

There was a pause as you both thought about this. Then you studied her expression as she zoned out on your window, her brain clearly somewhere else.

“Speaking of monsters… how have you been dealing with everything? You know, with what you saw at the mall? At least my first brush with the Upside Down was a little… I don’t know, less insane? It couldn’t have been easy for you to take all of that in.”

“Yeah…” She shrugged. “I mean, to be honest, it still kind of feels like I dreamt it. One minute we’re searching for Russians and the next there’s a girl with superpowers and a giant spidery flesh monster? It really does seem like something only my brain could cook up. Sometimes I think about it and I have to convince myself that I’m not insane. I never, ever would have expected Hawkins to be ground zero for an inter-dimensional breech.”

“Trust me, I understand. My mom has always been afraid that I’ll crack one day, and after I saw the demogorgons in that junkyard, I actually believed her. If it weren’t for the others, I don’t think I would have been able to get through it.”

“I see why you guys are all so close, now. Why you help those kids out so much.”

“Well… they help me, too. We help each other. You’ll see. It’s nice, actually, knowing they’ll always be there. That there’s always somebody around who will understand what you’ve been through.”

She went quiet, and you looked over at her to see if she was okay. She was fighting back tears.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry, is it something I said?”

“No, no. I’m sorry. I’m so stupid. It’s just that…”

“What?”

“I’ve just never been… I’ve never had… never felt…”

She couldn’t say it aloud, but she didn’t have to. You knew. You felt the same way.

She felt like she belonged for the first time in her life. She felt like there was finally a purpose to the madness. That even though absolutely nothing made sense anymore, everything still felt a little bit clearer somehow. A little bit more bearable. And it was all because she was no longer alone. And not just with all of the monster stuff, but with who she was, too. She didn’t have to hide anymore. At least not when she was with you and Steve. And for now, that felt enough. It was already far more than she had ever hoped for.

“It’s okay,” You said, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. “I know.”

She chuckled at herself and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

“Okay. Bleh.” She shook her head, pulling her bottom eyelids down after she wiped her eyes. “Enough talking. Can we watch a movie or something now?”

“Of course,” You agreed and immediately stood up to go over to your VHS collection. “Thought you’d never ask.”

You picked up two that you thought she might go for, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Vertigo. She scrunched up her nose at Vertigo and chose Breakfast at Tiffany’s. You were surprised by this.

“You don’t like Vertigo?! I could have sworn you’d choose it.”

“It’s fine, I guess. It’s just so… I don’t know…”

“So, what?”

You could tell she was trying to hold back a rant. You raised an eyebrow to goad her on.

“Okay, fine. It’s not the movie, necessarily. It’s just all Hitchcock films. Every time I watch one I can’t get past the fact that he has to cast the same skinny blonde woman and torture her over and over again. It’s totally creepy.”

“I hear you, I do, but that is exactly why Vertigo stands out above all his other films! It’s basically a commentary about his own issues with controlling the actresses in his films to fit his fantasies. I mean, the entire thing is littered with self-criticism. It’s so fascinating. It’s like watching the inner workings of his brain on acid. It’s the type of art I wish I could make, if I had that level of self-awareness.”

She seemed slightly surprised by your explanation, and overjoyed that you had challenged her.

“I didn’t know you were such a film buff.”

You shrugged.

“I wouldn’t say that… I just watch a lot of movies. And I enjoy indulging in the occasional critical film analysis. You know, just for fun.”

“Right. Just for fun,” She agreed. “Okay, fine. I’ll give it one more shot.”

“That’s all I ask,” You mumbled as you put the tape into your TV and pressed play. Then you sat beside her on your bed, the two of you settling into your pillows in a comfortable silence as you watched it.

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