Bound in Pain | Steve Harrington
Pairing: Steve Harrington x soulmate!Reader
Word Count: 8.6k
Synopsis: In a world where you can feel your soulmate's pain, y/n gives up hope. That was until Vecna attacked Hawkins.
Warnings: during season 4, fluff, soulmate AU!
I love soulmate au's but they are so rare. Petition for more of these to be written please!
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Y/n didn’t like the soulmate attachment. It seemed weird to her that everyone in the world had someone perfect for them, so perfect, that they could feel each other's pain. A tether that connected souls, meant to help find each other in the sea of other people.
She remembered when she found out. Waking up with bruises covering her, like an artist painting a canvas. A sharp pain pulsated through her arms, as her parents explained why it was happening to her. Why she was feeling pain without cause.
At first she dismissed the constant pain as reckless behavior. But then the small bruises turned into black eyes, scrapes turned into gashes, and she couldn’t wait for the day she could ask her soulmate why.
Most people found their other half around the time they turned 16. No one knew why but it always ended up that way. Why did bond forced people together at such a young age? To prevent them from deviating? To start the rest of their lives?
Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. Y/n woke up on the morning of that birthday with a twinkle in her eyes, a sudden hope that maybe today was the day she would find them. She kept her eyes peeled, watching the movements of everyone around her. But days passed, even months and still there was no sign of her soulmate anywhere.
A majority of the kids in her grade had already found their match and her blood boiled every time she would pass them in the halls. So cute, so perfect together. It was just a reminder that she was still alone. Where could her soulmate be? Was she unlucky? Did they live an unfathomable distance away from her?
After graduating high school, with still no hint as to who her partner could be, Y/n gave up hope. Maybe she was meant to be single forever. Maybe this other person, who was so careless and rash, was meant to stay anonymous.
It wasn’t until the summer of ’85 that she knew she would definitively be alone. During the cold night of Fourth of July, she was waiting in a churro line at the Hawkin’s Fair, accompanied by a friend she knew back in high school. One minute she was moving forward, watching as someone left with their food and the next…it was like a punch in the gut.
Falling over, she slammed into the ground, the coarse dirt digging into her sides. But the pain didn’t stop. Punch after punch, slap after slap, Y/n cried out in pain. It was so intense, unlike anything she had ever felt before.
Her friend had managed to get her home in time for a pulsating sting to go through her neck, knocking her out for the rest of the night. She didn’t hear about the mall until the next day. It was a logical conclusion to say her soulmate died in that fire. After years and years of bruises and punches it all just stopped. No more stubbed toes or bruises on her legs; it was all gone.
For months after, she would stare at the newspaper clipping with the pictures of everyone who died. Somewhere amongst all the fallen faces was her soulmate. Part of her was sad she didn’t get to meet them. That everyone around her got their fairytale ending while she was destined to be alone.
She had already made her peace with never finding them but now it felt permanent. It wasn’t some lie she was telling herself because of the long delay - it was the truth.
On one particular day in March, Y/n got off from work hoping for a pick me up. One of her coworkers who was still in high school had found her soulmate during their shift and she couldn’t stand to be around them.
She walked into her local video store and began perusing the aisles. Maybe something with action? A Mystery? She wasn’t in the mood for anything in particular. Just something to keep her distracted for a few hours ‘till nightfall.
One of the staff rounded the corner, speaking before he could even spot who it was. “Hey, welcome to Family Video what can I-” He smiled when he saw her. “Oh, hey, Y/n.”
She smiled back, “Hey, Steve.”
Steve Harrington, former ruler of Hawkins High, slumped against a shelf and crossed his arms. His “customer helping” voice faded as he eased back into his own personality. Y/n didn’t know Steve well in school, despite being in the same grade. She did, however, become somewhat friends with him over the summer.
Before the mall fire, she had a cushy job as the receptionist at a nail salon right across from the ice scream shop he worked in. Oftentimes, her co-workers would send her over to Scoops Ahoy to get ice cream for everyone, especially when the humid summer air came into effect.
What started as friendly hellos and waves with Steve and Robin soon turned into conversations and hangouts during lunch breaks. They would often sneak her scoop of rocky road when their manager wasn’t there to help her get through the day. In return, she would offer a free nail appointment. It wasn’t much but Robin did take her up on the offer once.
She would like to say they were friends by that point, though they haven’t really talked since the summer. When you spend every day so close to people, it's easy to bond. But when you take that away, it can test the strength of the relationships you’ve built.
“Looking for anything in particular?” Steve asked, slumping further into the shelf. She shook her head, looking back at all the tapes. “How about romance? We just got in Lady Jane.”
“No,” she responded quickly. “No, romance.”
Nodding, he stood up straight, adjusting his green vest. “Okay, no romance, got it. Well…” he trailed off, rounding a corner.
He didn’t even check if she was following. She was; walking closely behind him as he searched for another film. Finally, he eyes fell on one, picking it up and pressing it against his chest. Both his hands encapsulated the case, laying flatly on the top and bottom.
“What about Clue? It’s a murder mystery; based off the game.” The words curled up at the end, almost like an invitation to keep pushing.
Y/n scrunched her face, her mouth closing to a thin line. “Getting closer.”
A smile crept on his face. “Okay then, I think I know just the-”
Before he could finish, Robin yelled from across the store, “Hey Dingus! Check this out.”
Sighing, he put down the tape, leaning out of the shelves to see what she needed. “Robs, I’m with a customer,” he told her.
Finally, she turned to look at them, pulling her eyes away from the tv that hung near the reception desk in the middle of the room. “Oh shit sorry- oh it’s just Y/n. Both of you come on!”
“Sorry about this-” Steve told her, walking out of the row of tapes.
Y/n waved a hand to stop him. “It’s okay, I’m not in dire need of a movie right now.”
Chuckling, he looked down at his feet as they approached his co-worker. The static sound of the TV grew as they focused on the reporter's words.
“This just in, a local Hawkins student found murdered at Forest Hills Trailer Park. The police have yet to reveal the identity of the student…”
“Oh shit,” Y/n mumbled to herself. Steve gave a hum of acknowledgment, tilting his head toward her. “That’s where Eddie lives.”
His head whipped over to look at her. “You know Munson?” he asked.
“Yeah, he used to sell me weed in high school. We’d smoke under the bleachers sometimes.” Taking a minute longer to stare at the new broadcast, she finally looked over at a very surprised Steve Harrington. His eyebrows were raised, eyes wide and not closing. “What? Surprised I know him?”
“I mean yeah but…didn’t take you for a smoker.”
She rolled her eyes. “Like you didn’t smoke too. I saw those cigarettes you used to hide on your breaks.”
“Yeah but I didn’t buy them from Eddie Munson.”
“Does that really matter?”
He opened his mouth to respond but the bell of the store dinged loudly, followed by the voice of a young teen. “Hey Steve!”
Y/n watched as he closed his eyes, the muscles of his face contorting into a grimace. Turning, he shouted “What?”
Two young teens came running in, out of breath from whatever journey it took to get there. The one that yelled was a boy with curly hair muffled by a snapback hat. He had on some weird shirt with a devil covered by a patterned button down left open. The other was a girl. A redhead that was dressed relatively normal compared to her friend.
“How many phones do you have?” the boy asked, leaning over the front desk.
“Dustin, can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”
Ignoring the response, he repeated his question. “I don’t care about your flirting, I asked how many phones you have!”
Walking up behind Y/n and Steve, Robin joined the conversation. “Three if you count the phone in the back,” she said.
The two freshmen looked at each other, some sort of silent conversation going on. “That could work,” the girl finally said.
Before anyone could protest, Dustin threw his bag over the counter, jumping over to follow it. There were immediate protests from Steve as the young kid took helm of the computer, the redhead running around the side to join him.
“Woah woah woah!” Steve shouted.
“No time for dilly dallying, we have a man to track down!”
As the boys got into a somewhat heated argument, Y/n figured she wouldn’t be getting a movie any time soon. Leaning over to Robin, she whispered, “I’ll just come back later.”
The girl flashed her sympathetic look. “Are you sure? I could help you out-”
“-It’s all good, you’ve got your hands full.”
“Max, just explain to them what’s going on I’ve got this!” Dustin called out.
“Okay, Jesus, I was getting to that!” the girl responded.
Y/n turned, making her way out from behind the counter and toward the front door empty handed. She tried not to eavesdrop but it was hard with only them in the store.
“We need to find Eddie Munson,” Max began.
She could hear Steve groan. “Everybody with this Eddie Munson shit!”
“You’re just mad about me having an older male friend,” Dustin chimed in.
“No, I don’t, but I do have a problem with you bringing it up every five seconds.”
“I do not bring him up-”
“-Oh you so do.”
“Guys stop!” Max screamed at them. “They think Eddie killed Chrissy.”
“Chrissy Cunningham? The cheerleader? She’s the one they found dead?!” Robin added.
Y/n felt her breath hitch as she grabbed the handle on the front door. She wanted to walk out, to ignore the sad news which seemed to be a constant now in their town. But something urged her to keep listening.
“Yeah,” Max continued. “But he didn’t do it. He ran from his house last night and we just need to find where he is.”
Eddie was in trouble? Why was he with Chrissy Cunningham? Thoughts raced through Y/n’s mind at a rapid pace, but not one of them was to push the door and leave. Something in her felt like she needed to help. She could have a lead, she be useful to them.
Not deliberating any further, she turned around. “I might know where he is,” she announced.
The four teens fell silent, turning to look at her. “You do?” Max asked.
Dustin, swiveling in his chair and asked, “I’m sorry, who are you?”
Y/n opened her mouth to respond but found she didn’t know what to say. Who was she to them? Was she a friend? They’ve barely spoken in months. They weren’t co-workers, never working in the same place before if you don’t count the mall as a whole.
Thankfully, Steve answered for her. “She’s a friend. Dustin, Max, this is Y/n.”
Max gave a small wave which she returned, however, Dustin got right to the point. “You know where Eddie is?”
She nodded. “Maybe. I know where he hangs out. If this is serious he probably went to Rick’s place.”
“Rick?”
“Reefer Rick? It’s where Eddie gets his supply from,” she clarified.
“Do you know where this Reefer Rick lives?” Robin asked.
Y/n nodded. “Okay then!” Dustin announced, getting up from his stool. “Let’s go.”
“What now?” Steve protested. “This is our busiest day, we can't just leave!”
“Steve!” Max shouted at him. “This could be a code red.”
Y/n frowned at the girl's words. Code red? What was a code red? It was clear Steve understood. His demeanor changed, shoulders slumping back as his gaze softened. Looking over at Robin first she only gave a nod. Finally, he looked at Y/n. “Are you okay to show us where he lives?”
“Y-yeah. I’m off for the rest of the day so…”
“Perfect!” Dustin shouted. “Then let’s get going!”
🎬🎬🎬
By the time they were approaching Reefer Rick’s house it was already dark out. The sun had set a while ago, almost blinding her in the back seat of Steve’s car. He had apologized for the seating arrangement when they got in. She was sandwiched between the two freshmen in the back who wouldn’t stop asking her questions on how she was involved.
As she told Steve to turn left down Rick’s street, Dustin asked another question. “Are you Eddie’s soulmate?”
“What? No!” She responded immediately. “We’re just friends and barely at that. He was my dealer.”
“How do you know you aren’t soulmates?” Max asked.
Y/n paused for a moment before responding simply with, “Cause I just know.”
Every time she told people her soulmate died, they would give her sympathetic apologies. It made her sick to her stomach. She was already trying to grapple with the idea of being alone without ever meeting them. She didn’t need the weight of other people’s condolences on her shoulders. Luckily, they turned into the driveway before anyone could ask further questions.
Everyone piled out of the car and Y/n finally felt like she could breathe. She stepped into the crips night air, breathing in like she had gone a week without oxygen. It was so refreshing, a new wave of energy washing over her.
“I don’t see anyone inside,” Robin said, peering into the dark window near the front door.
“What about there?” Steve asked, pointing over to the boat house. “You think it’s open?”
Max shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”
Y/n silently followed the four teens who clearly had more experience with this code red business than her. She wondered what it could be. Up until her junior year of high school, nothing strange had ever occurred in Hawkins. It was just a small, boring town that people were barely aware of. But now… she didn’t know what it was now.
The boat house was unlocked, much to everyone’s surprise, and they all slowly stepped inside. The only light came from the lamp outside which was now seeping through the cracks of the open door.
Quickly, Dustin dug through his bag pulling out multiple flashlights and handing them out. Everyone took one without question, beginning to search around the small room. He held one out for Y/n.
Hesitantly, she took it. “Do you always carry around this many flashlights?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he responded, like it was a normal day for him, walking away he began his search too.
“Sorry about him,” Steve said, coming up behind her. “Sometimes he doesn’t remember that not everyone has done the things that we’ve done.”
Her head tilted at his words. “And what exactly have you done?”
Chuckling, he responded, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He picked up an oar, prodding at the tarp covering the boat.
Stepping closer to him, she responded, “Try me.”
His breath hitched as his eyes flickered down to the small space in between them. She looked down too, noticing how close she had stepped to him. Heat rose to her cheeks as she peered back up at him, his chocolate brown eyes staring back.
Y/n liked to think they had a moment, one where she forgot her soulmate was dead. One where there was still the thrilling possibility he might be her match.
But before she could remind herself of the truth, she was slammed onto the floor, a figure rising from underneath the tarp. There were shouts and screams as something thudded against the wall. Still trying to find her bearings, she felt a hand wrap around her arm.
“Are you okay?” Robin asked, pulling her to her feet.
“Yeah,” she said, letting out of breath. Her throat tingled with a sensation she couldn’t quite palace, a hand coming up to graze her neck. “I-I think so.”
“Eddie, he's not a bad guy!” Dustin yelled.
Y/n and Robin’s attention was brought back to the situation currently at hand. It was Eddie who emerged from the boat, holding a switchblade to Steve’s throat in shock. Steve scurried from underneath the weapon, trying to breath out a response.
“We’re here to help!” Dustin continued, “This is Max, my friend who never wants to play DND.” Max gave a small wave. “And you know Robin, from band right? She plays the trumpet.”
Robin brought up her hands, mimicking a trumpet motion before regretting her decision and shaking her wrists.
“A-and Y/n!” he said, motioning to her in the very back. “You know Y/n right?”
Eddie’s eyes scanned over to her, a sense of recognition in his features. “D-Y/n?” he said in a low grumble.
“Eddie, remember me? We used to smoke under the-”
“I-I remember,” he interrupted, his voice softer than before. Slowly, out of instinct or not, the knife began to lower, a click sounding as it flipped back closed.
Y/n couldn’t stop herself from rushing forward, engulfing him in a hug. His hands tightened around her waist, squeezing her harder than probably intended. “Are you okay? We saw the news.”
She helped him sit back down on an overturned bucket, looking over at her shoulder to make sure Steve was okay. He was, his breaths becoming more regular and Robin soothed his back.
“I didn’t know where else to go…” Eddie told her, trailing off as he instinctively played with the rings on his fingers.
“Well you’re okay now, got it?” He gave a small nod. “Just tell us what happened.”
“Y-you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
The words echoed through her head, the same words Steve had told her just moments before. What had she gotten herself into?
“Try us,” Max spoke out.
He glanced at her for a moment, then around the room and everyone's eyes were suddenly on him.
“Chrissy came to me after school yesterday, wanting to try some of my supply. Then, she tripped over a log and scraped her knee….she…. She was my soulmate.”
He stopped for a moment, gaging the small reactions throughout the room. “Trust me, I couldn’t believe it either. We talked a little, she wanted to try some stronger stuff so I took her back to my place after the game.
I was searching in my room for it but when I came out she was…it was like she wasn’t there? Her eyes were blank and she wasn’t responding to anything I was saying. The lights began to flicker all around us and she….she started to float. Shit, like right out of a horror movie ya know? And then… a-and then…fuck.”
He began to stutter, whatever happened next clearly frightening him more than what he had already told them. Y/n leaned forward, rubbing a hand on top of his.
“It’s okay,” she soothed. “What happened next?”
Looking up at her, he found the strength to continue. “H-her back slammed into the roof and her limbs…her limbs starting to break in ways that shouldn’t be possible. Then her jaw, and then her eyes…I ran out of there after she fell to the ground.”
The room was silent, nothing but the small waves echoing throughout the room. Y/n was trying to process what he was saying. Trying to find a logical explanation for what Eddie had saw.
“You all think I’m crazy,” he said, curling back.
“No, we don’t,” Y/n said first. “But there has to be a reasonable explanation for all of this. I mean, maybe she was-”
“-there is,” Dustin interrupted her. She turned back to look at him. “W-what I’m about to tell you guys, might be… a little difficult to take.”
“Okay,” Y/n said, her attention fully on him.
“You know how people say that Hawkins is cursed? Well, they’re not that far off…There’s another world. A world hidden beneath Hawkins.”
“B-beneath Haw- What are you talking about?” Y/n asked, confused.
“This world is like ours, but darker, and sometimes it bleeds into ours.”
“What like ghosts and shit?” Eddie asked.
Max let out a heavy sigh, “There are somethings worse than ghosts…”
🎬🎬🎬
The last day and a half had been utter chaos. Two more people were dead and it’s all thanks to this Vecna creature - Y/n still didn’t fully understand it.
They teamed up with even more people on their trek to Lover’s Lake and had another awkward conversation as to why Y/n was there. She even got to properly meet Steve’s ex girlfriend which was…interesting to say the least.
As she made her way through the woods, she felt someone walk up next to her. It was Max, poor Max who had been playing Kate Bush in her headphones ever since they went to the cemetery.
Y/n gave her a smile. “How are you holding up?” she asked.
The young girl shrugged. “As good as I can be I guess…”
“That’s good…”
They fell into a silent walk, Dustin leading the group ahead with some of the older teens lagging behind. “Can I ask you something?” Max said suddenly.
“Yeah sure, what’s up?”
“How do you know Steve? He said you’re friends but I thought we were his only friends.”
“Oh…well, we went to high school together,” Y/n began but changed her mind. “But we didn’t really know each other. I worked across from him and Robin in the mall. Kind of became work buddies.”
Max nodded along. “Is he your soulmate?”
She whipped her head toward her. “What’s with you guys and my soulmate?”
“Just curious,” she mumbled, stepping over a log.
“No, he’s not my soulmate…”
“Did you ask him?” Y/n shook her head. “Then how do you know it’s not him? Cause like statistically you should’ve found them by now. I mean, I have- had Lucas…I’m not sure he believes in all this soulmate stuff anymore.”
She looked up in the distance where her ex boyfriend was walking with Dustin. Their eyes were glued to the compass in Dustin’s hand.
Y/n followed her gaze to the boys, mumbling, “I’m not sure I do either.”
Max furrowed her brows looking back at her. She debated leaving it at that. So many people had asked about her soulmate and every time she refused to discuss the subject further. But this felt different, being with these people, she felt like she could trust them.
“My soulmates’ dead,” she blurted out.
It took a moment for Max to think of a response. “Oh…how do you know?”
“The night of the mall fire…I felt this intense pain, worse than I’ve ever felt before and then…” she shrugged. “Nothing. All those years of bruises and cuts gone in an instant…I haven’t felt anything since that night so, I figured they died in the fire.”
She looked next to her, watching as Max interpreted the information. She couldn’t remember the last person she told about her soulmate. So many sorries and my condolences…Max was staying quiet, it was unlike any reaction she had seen. Something deeper was going on.
“You okay over there?” she asked.
“It…it wasn’t a mall fire…” Max said in almost a whisper.
Y/n felt her heart drop. “What?”
“It wasn’t a fire…it was the-” Max stopped herself, trying to rephrase. “Last year, one of the monsters came out of the Upside Down. It absorbed a bunch of people to get bigger and headed to the mall. We all fought it there.”
“So the pain I was feeling-”
“Was probably them being absorbed into the Mind Flayer… I’m sorry Y/n. If we stopped it the first time-”
“Hey don’t do that,” she interrupted, placing a hand on the girl's arm. They both stopped, facing each other. “It’s not your fault. It’s not any of your faults. I’ll find someone someday. It might not be my soulmate but I’ll still be happy....”
Max stared at her, not fully convinced. “I’ll be fine, trust me.” Ahead of them, the younger friends started giggling. “Go with your friends and listen to Kate Bush.”
She gave her a smile, urging the redhead to not worry about it anymore. The girl did so, walking off to join the conversation. It wasn’t long before another person took her place next to Y/n.
“Girl problems?” Steve asked, falling into the rhythm of her walking.
She rolled her eyes, “Oh yeah we were talking about our periods.” His eyes widened, trying not to comment on the topic. “Oh my god I was joking.”
“Oh,” he said, letting out a long breath. “Okay good I didn’t know what to say.”
Y/n chuckled at his awkwardness. When did he become like this? The Steve she saw in school was a smooth talker. A person who knew how to make everyone fall in love with him. But now, as they were searching for a multi-dimensional gate surrounded by freshmen…it gave him some humility.
“She was asking me about my soulmate again,” Y/n informed him.
Nodding, he asked, “So, about your soulmate…have you found them yet?”
“No, uh…Max was telling me about the Mind Flayer last year? Pretty sure they died during all of that.”
“Oh…” Steve fell silent, not knowing how to react. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, not your fault. I’ve made my peace with it.”
She looked over to him, trying to reassure him that the party’s antics weren’t the cause of her soulmate’s demise. But as she did so, she missed a root sticking out of the ground. Wobbling forward, she felt as Steve reached out, wrapping his arms around her torso. He pulled her up against him, trying quickly to help her regain her balance.
Breathlessly, she looked back up at him and said, “Thanks.”
“No problem,” he responded, backing up slightly as he became aware of how close they had gotten. His hands lingered on her back, not too eager to let go. Slowly, she began to step away, pulling both of them back to reality.
“So…do you have a soulmate? - I mean have you found them?” She fell back into a slow walking pace, Steve still staying close.
“No, not yet. My soulmate doesn’t really feel a lot of pain so it’s been hard to pinpoint who it is. The occasional paper cut doesn’t really help ya know?” Y/n nodded in agreement. “I thought it was Nancy at first… but then she and Jonathan cut their hands to fight the Demogorgon and found each other so, clearly I was wrong.”
“Oh…well that’s-”
“-yeah…so, still looking,” he said, trying to put optimism in his tone. It was clear he didn’t believe it.
As they approached the edge of the lake, Nancy and Robin working to grab a boat, she turned to him.
“I hope you find your soulmate Steve,” she said sincerely. “You deserve someone.”
A small smile formed on his lips and he couldn’t stop himself from looking down to shake it away. “T-thanks.”
“Alright dingus, come on!” Shouted Robin.
The two of them looked over to see Nancy and Eddie already on the boat, Robin holding out her hand for the two teens.
Putting an arm out, Steve said, “Lady’s first.”
Smiling, Y/n grabbed Robin’s arm, tumbling into the boat where Eddie helped her down. She watched as Steve climbed on, yelling at Dustin for them to stay on shore before they began to float out onto the water.
Nancy was quick to take control of the oars, though no matter how much stability to applied, the boat still rocked. Y/n could feel her brain begin to get fuzzy, the constant movement making her slightly sick.
“You okay?” Eddie asked, placing a hand on her arm.
Nodding, she tried to steady herself. “Yeah…a little too late to ask that question.”
“Oh my god what are you doing?” Robin asked, pulling the two of them out of their conversation.
Confused, Y/n looked up to see Steve tossing off his yellow sweater. Someone shined a flashlight up at him and she could clearly see the mess of curls across his chest. He was fit, but not in an overly ripped kind of way. More like someone who was born with a fast metabolism and it took a lot of effort for her not to stare.
“What are you doing?” Nancy asked.
Steve ran a hand through his hair, leaning over the side of the boat. “Well someone has to check to see if that thing is down there.”
“Just-” Eddie began, reaching down to put a flashlight in a plastic bag, handing it to him. “Here.”
He thanked him quickly, ready to dive into the water when Y/n had the sudden urge to reach out to him. “Wait,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. He turned back, catching her eyes. “Be careful, okay? If you don’t see anything, come right back up.”
“Don’t worry I will,” he reassured her before turning and diving under.
The boat shook as he left and Robin hurled herself toward Nancy in an effort to not get wet. Slowly, as it began to settle, they waited. There was a tightness in her chest, a tension that wouldn’t go away until she knew Steve was okay.
Almost a minute and a had passed and she was growing more anxious.
“Where is he?” she asked no one in particular.
“He should have come up by now,” Nancy said, checking her watch.
“That’s it I’m going after-”
Steve bursted out of the water before she could finish her sentence. Gasping for breath, he reached for the side of the boat. Feeling breathless as well Y/n reached forward, guiding him to a steady grip.
“It’s down there alright,” he said.
Eddie sighed in relief, “Okay then dude get back up here.”
“Okay,” he said as Y/n began to pull him up.
Abruptly, she stopped. There was some feeling, something tugging at her and she could tell Steve felt so too. “What are you waiting for?” Robin exclaimed.
“I-I don’t know,” Y/n began. “Steve, we have to hurry.”
“Yeah, oka-”
Before their very eyes, Steve was pulled under water, his grasp quickly leaving hers. Everyone was calling out to him, but it all felt like a distant echo as Y/n dove in after him. It was so sudden she didn’t even remember making the decision as she swam down, trying to grab a hold of her friend.
The water was making her vision blurry but she could see the outline of him being pulled further and further toward a giant red hole at the bottom of the ocean. She kept pushing through the water with all her might as she saw him disappear through the gate. Determination kept her going, knowing that wherever Steve went, she’d be going after him.
She was almost there, the slimy vines just out of reach as a pain seared through her neck. She curled up, instinctively, feeling something strong closing her air pipe. Reaching her hands out, she tried to pull it away but there was nothing there. Nothing but skin touched her fingertips as she tried to relieve herself of the pain.
Was her soulmate alive? Was this their doing?
Then, something sharp attacked her side. It felt like something was being ripped out of her, seeking teeth into both her sides. She cried out under the water, her supply of oxygen decreasing faster by the second.
She tried to swim forward, to make it the extra inch to the gate but the pain made her writhe, floating aimlessly in the lake. Is this how she was going to die? At the hands of her soulmate under Lover’s Lake?
In her peripheral vision, she saw something pass her. Then, arms wrapped around her waist, stinging as they collided with the pain. They pulled her down, pushing her until she was taken in by the current of the gate.
Y/n felt as she was flipped upside down, finding herself tumbling toward a hard surface. Air finally reentered her lungs, just enough through the choking feeling that still clawed at her throat. The pain in her sides hadn’t stopped either, forcing her to roll on her knees.
Someone knelt next to her, a hand placed on her back. “Y/n, woah, are you okay? What’s happening?”
“Munson, we need help over here?” Nancy yelled.
“Give me a second we have another problem going on!”
Y/n stretched her neck as much as she could to see where Nancy was calling from. A few feet away, lying on the floor in pain was Steve Harrington. There was some bat-like creature chewing into his side as Robin tried to swat it away. Nancy was working on another one, its tail roped around Steve’s neck.
She could barely put two thoughts together as pain soared through her. But what she could see was that her friend was in pain, in the same spots her soulmate was injured in. Whatever strength she had left was depleted as she rolled onto her back.
“Y/n, honey, you gotta tell me what to do? What happened?” Eddie shouted at her.
Through her raggedy breaths she managed to say, “H-help them.”
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Go!”
With one deep breath he stood up looking around him. Grabbing an oar, he ran towards his friend. “Wheeler! Try this!”
Tossing the wooden paddle, Nancy caught it with ease. She took it with both hands, snapping it over her knee as using the now shard wood to stab into the bat on Steve’s neck. It collapsed on impact, loosening its grip around his throat.
As Steve gasped for air across the deserted lake, Y/n did too. Eddie was the only one who clocked the similarity, giving her a strange look as she sat up, letting all the air she could enter her lungs.
Turning back to the group, he helped the girls grab the other two bats, pulling them out of Steve’s abdomen. Sudden energy surged through Y/n as the pains in her sides began to subside. She looked up to the group fighting off the remaining bats. She knew what all this meant. What it meant about her and him.
But for now, it could wait. She ran, helping take down the rest of the bats swarming around them. Nancy and Robin made quick work of one while Eddie and her grabbed the other. They ran in opposite directions, ripping it in half. As her piece of the creature fell to the floor, she looked back up, ready to help with the next one. But there was only one left and it didn’t look like Steve needed any help.
He slammed it into the ground over and over again, the guts of the creature spilling like candy out of a piñata. Using his teeth, he ripped off the head, letting its decapitated body fall to the ground. Nancy and Robin were quick to run to his sides, giving him support to lean on as he began to collapse.
Y/n tried to move toward him too, finding herself tripping over her own feet. She definitely hadn’t recovered from almost drowning, still feeling the tingle of water stuck in her esophagus. Eddie was quick to catch her. “Hey, I’m here, don’t worry,” he soothed.
“Guys,” Nancy called out. “We gotta move.” Pointing behind them, they watched as a giant swarm of bats was heading straight toward them.
Eddie leaned into Y/n’s side. “Can you walk?” She nodded. “Okay, let’s get going.”
Everyone was right when they said the Upside Down was an exact replica of Hawkins. You know, just a little dirtier and full of alien creatures.
They were able to find Skull Rock in a reasonable amount of time, using it as a stopping point to patch up everyone’s wounds. Though, most of the patching would go towards Steve who was still bleeding from his stomach.
Nancy helped lean him against a rock, using part of her shirt to make a bandage since he dove in shirtless. Meanwhile Eddie helped her sit down on the one log they could find with no vines wrapping around it while Robin paced between all of them.
She lifted her shirt up carefully to find a very bruised stomach. Soulmate marks couldn’t cut as deep as the real one but they did always leave something behind. She glanced up at Steve, wounds matching the placement of her injuries.
“You have to tell him,” Eddie said quietly.
Y/n pulled her shirt back down. “Not now.”
“We might all die here. I think now is as good as time as any.”
“I thought my soulmate was dead,” she mumbled, looking down at the ground still in shock. “And this whole time he’s been in the back of my algebra class. Working across from me at the mall…”
Eddie pulled her attention back to the present. “Listen, Chrissy died less than 24 hours after we found out. I didn’t get time, just make sure you do.”
She looked up to meet his gaze. It was softer than she was used to seeing him. He was always so stern, so broody. These doe eyes suited him.
“I will,” she told him. “Let’s just get out of here first.”
🎬🎬🎬
Poor Robin. Poor, poor Robin.
They had been walking through the army surplus store, gathering supplies to trek back to the upside down when they stumbled upon Vickie Sullivan.
More specifically, Vickie Sullivan and her boyfriend.
Robin had gone back to the trailer before Y/n could even protest, telling her it probably wasn’t her soulmate. Loads of people dated before finding their other half. But she wouldn’t listen.
“She just needs some time,” Steve said, picking up another gallon of gasoline.
“Yeah, I know…” she responded, pushing the cart.
With Robin gone, this was the first time they had been alone since she walked into Family Video days before. It had only been a few days but so much had changed.
Steve loaded another gallon into the cart, and Y/n absentmindedly pushed the it again, right into his side. He stumbled forward, using the cart to balance himself.
“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed.
“No it’s alright. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Deep in thought?”
Steve crossed his hands, coming around to stand next to her. “Yeah, something like that… Hey, I just wanted to say thank you.”
She tilted her head. “Thank me? For what?”
“Robin told me you were the first one to dive into the lake when I went under. That was pretty heroic.”
“Oh it was nothing,” she said, leaning toward him slightly, their shoulders grazing.
“No it wasn’t,” he insisted, turning to face her. As she looked up at him, Y/n became acutely aware of how close they were standing. “It was really brave.”
As the words left his mouth, Steve made no move to back up. She could feel his breath on her skin, see the stubble of his mustache. He looked so calm, so unlike how they had all been feeling the past few hours…If she’d let herself, she would get lost in his eyes.
“I have to tell you something-” she began to say, before there was an interruption.
“We gotta move,” said a voice, moving closer to them. Y/n stepped away first, willing herself to look anywhere but him. Her eyes landed on Nancy. “Jason is here.”
That got them moving. Steve took the cart, taking it to the front to pay as she followed Nancy back to the trailer. Everybody else was already inside, clamoring back to the seats they had taken earlier.
Only this time, Nancy moved to the back, motioning for her to take the driver’s side seat. She did so, confused, before Steve came running back to them and started the car without a second to waist.
Y/n gave one last look back at Nancy who flashed her a smile of recognition. Maybe she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she originally thought.
🎬🎬🎬
Being back in the Upside Down was the last place Y/n wanted to be. But if it meant stopping all of the disasters for good? She’d do anything.
“If they get too close, go, okay? Don’t try to be the heroes,” Steve said, his attention directed at Eddie and Dustin who were staying back at the gate.
“We will,” Dustin said, standing up straighter with pride.
Giving a nod, Steve turned back to her, Robin and Nancy, ready to begin their trek to the Creel House. They were about to leave when Eddie called out for her. She turned back, walking a foot or two to meet him halfway.
“Tell him,” he whispered, which only made her roll her eyes. “This might be your last chance.”
“I will if we survive,” she rebutted. “Promise.”
Giving a curt nod, he backed up, letting her return to her group. “What was that about?” Robin asked.
“Nothing,” Y/n dismissed, and no one questioned her further.
The walk to Upside Down Creel House was a lot easier when you were equipped with the right things. Thick combat boots were laced over her feet; dry clothes covering every inch of her body.
As they approached the front door, the three girls let Steve enter first, paving a path through the vines that laced the floor. As he hoped over one, Y/n would follow, mimicking his movements. She held out a hand behind her, helping Robin and Nancy who were close to follow. The stairs proved to be more tricky then the rest, the living roots moving faster as they inched closer to Vecna.
Steve was the first to make it up the first flight okay, helping pull Y/n, and arm wrapped around hers. Just as she was reaching for the last step, something erupted in the distance. They both paused and she could feel Nancy grab on to the bag she had thrown across her back. The sound began to soften, echoing away as a rumble took its place. Not before long the entire ground started to shake, loosening her grip.
In a series of quick thinking, Steve yanked on her arm, pulling her up the stairs to stand behind him as he reached for Nancy, then Robin. By the time shaking had subsided, all four of them were safe on the landing. Y/n took a deep breath, silently thanking that everyone was okay.
The celebration, however, was short lived. The vines reached for her ankle first, slithering up her leg until it wrapped around her waist. Another shot out of the wall, taking her wrist and pulling her flat against the surface.
“Y/n!” Steve yelled.
Nancy and Robin were quick to her side, already pulling at the vines as she cried out. Steve rose his axe, ready to strike down as another vine wrapped around her neck. As she gasped for air, her eyes bulging out, she saw Steve’s step falter.
The axe dropped to the floor with a clang. Hands reached up to grab at his throat, wheezing at the sensation he was being choked. Slowly, he looked back up at Y/n, realization setting in. He fell to his knees gasping for a breath.
“Steve?” Nancy said, looking down at him, then back up at Y/n.
Robin looked down too, registering what was happening quicker. “Holy shit watch out!”
But she was too slow. They watched as a vine extended from the opposite wall, wrapping around him. Y/n was already in pain, already writhing from the tightness around herself. But feeling Steve’s pain on top of that…it was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
As Steve was pulled flush against the wall, his gaze never left hers. It was a silent cry for help, one look saying everything she needed to know. Did she know? How long? Get me out of these damn vines!
Nancy and Robin were soon pulled back as well, placed on either side of her. All she could do was hope her death would be swift.
She didn’t know how much time passed. It could have been minutes but with the lack of oxygen it felt like hours. Steve had closed his eyes after a period of time, the pain being too much to take. As she started to accept her fate, to fade into the darkness forever, the unthinkable happened.
The vines let go.
She dropped to the floor, her knees scraping against the hard wood as Robin collided into her. They were all breathing heavily, trying to take in as much air as possible. After getting back to a reasonable breathing pattern, she looked up at Steve. He was staring right back, taking in deep gulps of air as they all slowly stood up.
There was no mention of what happened. No acknowledgment that the pair of soulmates had finally found each other after so many years of waiting. Just a simple nod before continuing up the stairs.
🎬🎬🎬
It wasn’t until much later, that they spoke again. After they killed Vecna, after the silent walk back to the gate. After Eddie and Dustin helped everyone climb back through.
Y/n was about to walk into the trailer, following close behind with tired feet and too much dirt on her face when Steve grabbed her hand.
She turned back to face him, already knowing what this was about.
“We can talk after we get through the gate okay?” she told him.
“No, I-I can’t wait, just…” He pulled her to the side, out of earshot from a certain young teen. “Did you know? Have you always known?”
“Not until you got attacked by those bats,” she replied softly. “I told you, I thought my soulmate died.”
“If this what you were trying to talk to me about in the army store?”
She nodded. “You have a lot of explaining to do. I’ve gotten punched a lot.”
He chuckled, head drooping down for a moment. “Well, we got all the time in the world now.”
“Are you mad?”
Picking his head back up, he scrunched his brows. “Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“That it’s me…listen, not all soulmates stay together. If you don’t like me like that then-”
He brought his hands up swiftly, cupping her cheeks. They were warm under his callous touch, so soft and gentle but it still sucked all the breath from her.
He spoke slowly, finding the words as they tumbled out of his mouth. “I’ve…wanted to kiss you since the moment you walked into Scoops last summer….So no, I’m not mad that its you.”
Y/n’s breath hitched as he said those words, his eyes never leaving hers. She blushed under the touch of his thumb, slowly, caressing her cheek as he continued to hold her close. Bringing her arms, up, she let them rest on his extended arms. For a moment, everything else faded away and she could almost forget they were standing in an alternate dimension.
He moved closer to her, barely an inch separating their camouflage-covered bodies. “Is…is this okay?” he asked, his head drooping down slightly.
And for the first time in what felt like ever, Y/n let herself be happy. “Yes,” she responded. “It’s more than okay.”
A smile crept of his lips as he guided them down to meet hers. His lips were soft against hers, he sensation multiplied as she felt not only her senses, but his as well. She never thought she’d get to experience this side of her life. To have someone that in such a short time of knowing her, could pledge their loyalty as her partner in life.
His breath was heavy in her mouth as he let out a groan. He let his arms drift from her cheeks down her shoulders and wrap around her waist. Being held in his arms, the carefulness of his touch - it felt like heroin.
Y/n reached up, letting her fingers get lost in his hair as he changed his angle, pressing them closer than she thought was possible. His grip tightened on her waist, pressing into a curve that made her giggle in delight.
He pulled back slightly, letting his eyes drift over her figure. She looked back at him, not hiding her smile as she relished in how flushed she had made him.
“What?” he asked, surprised by the sudden our burst of laughter.
“Nothing,” she replied, looking down for a moment to gain her composure. “Just a little ticklish.”
He rested he forehead against hers, mouth ghosting over hers at the temptation of kissing again. “I really like kissing you.”
Her smile returned. “I like kissing you two.”
Before either of them could lean back in for another kiss, Eddie’s voice rang out, echoing as the trailer door opened with flourish.
“How can you two spend another second in this shit hole-“ he paused when he saw them.
Y/n jumped at the noise, placing a hand on Steve’s chest as he instinctively an arm around her. Realizing it was just Eddie, she let herself relax in his touch with a sigh.
“Oh…” Eddie began again, drawing a logical conclusion. “As happy as I am for you two lovebirds, those bats could comeback any minute.”
“Alright, Munson, we’re coming,” Steve said, annoyed at the interruption - even though he was right.
“Good, cause we don’t need any upside down babies anytime soon!”
Eddie sprinted back inside, knowing if he stuck around longer, he would get both of their wraths. “Munson I swear to god!” Steve yelled leaving her embrace to run after him.
He swung the door wide open to reveal their friend already climbing up the rope. Eddie gave a salute as he let gravity do it’s work, pulling him through. Y/n couldn’t help but laugh at Steve’s sudden urge to protect her, though they both knew Eddie could do no real harm.
“You ready?” Steve said, bringing her attention back to him. She lifted her head to see him extended his hand to her.
With a nod, she took it, ready to start the next chapter of her life.
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