#Nancy wheeler I wanna study you like a bug

[findafight]

Jonathan’s line about Steve in vol 2 was so…. I don’t know. I mean yeah it straight up confirms that Nancy and Jonathan make fun of Steve behind his back, and like I get that I have never been in Nancy’s situation so obviously it seems more mortifying to me, but I would have felt so guilty in her place. I can’t imagine not shutting Jonathan up if he started shit talking about Steve. Like Steve would have been straight up unmentionable if I was Nancy. Idk.

I get that Duffers don’t treat their characters emotional lives seriously, but like. That’s why Robin being kind to Nancy in s5 despite Nancy’s uh.. well frankly appalling attitude towards Robin, makes zero sense to me. I really wanted Nancy to struggle being in Steve’s group. Not in the “she deserves it bhahaha” way, but like… Steve dumped his friends for her (which was good for him), and her expecting to get the same treatment and meeting Robin instead? Who actively dislikes her and for a good reason? Who is smart and cool and kind? That’s way more interesting than people kissing Nancy’s ass the whole season, while she is actively putting Max’s life in danger. Like, yeah in high school she is the chief editor of the newspaper, and at home she is the eldest sister, and with Jon she makes fun of Steve, and now none of these people are here, but Steve is here and so is his bestie. And Steve is as kind as always, but Robin dislikes her, and it is not just prejudice

Nancy Wheeler you wild girl! She has no guilt lmao She's like yeah steve was dumb and annoying and didn't enable my investigation, and jon goes yep, what an idiot. All while Steve is just like. bumpin around making friends with little nerds haha. Minding his own business blaming himself for the end of their relationship. You're right, it's kinda bonkers because even if we take the stance that Nancy didn't cheat (which I believe she did) like. she still had him as her second choice and as soon as he pushed back a bit and didn't give her the kind of support she wasn't telling him she needed (until talking about exposing the lab in the library where anyone could hear) she jumped ship and ran to Jonathan. Why would she want to talk about Steve? Why wouldn't she want to try to forget he ever existed as anything other than Mike's friend Dustin's older friend? Is that not weird for her?

(i think you might mean s4? but i can work with s5 too haha) It's so much more compelling to me to have Nancy and Robin at odds with each other because Robin is like a little guard chihuahua holding a grudge for Steve. She holds grudges so well let her do it more!! like jesus give him someone in his corner! And also for herself! She got so nervous and tried to explain and defend herself, and Nancy only really started to listen once they got into the hospital. Nancy has a not great plan that puts one of the kids in danger, one of the kids Steve is close to. (Max wrote him a letter!!) I think Robin would really see Steve's people as her people, even if she wasn't personally close to them she'd still feel comfortable around the younger teens because Steve is? Let robin be critical of this plan. Let her call it out or something. Give Nancy someone to push against, it's no fun if there's no resistance! I want Nancy to be the one wanting friendship with Robin, and Robin not being receptive to it. Nancy not having a relationship handed to her would be refreshing and I want to see how she'd try to win Robin's friendship.

Let Robin not want to work with Nancy because she's heard the rumours about how her and Steve ended, even though he only mentioned that he wasn't a good boyfriend ans wasn't what she needed so it didn't work out. Robin saw that one week Steve and Nancy had a fight, and a day later she was ditching with Jonathan? yeah something is fishy there to even the most socially oblivious person. Let Robin know Steve well enough that she knew he at least thought he was telling the truth but that there must have been more. Let Robin decide she was going to do the most cliche best friend thing and not be very nice to the ex that broke her bestie's heart.

ooooh anon what you're saying is so interesting because, yeah. Steve dumped Tommy and Carol for Nancy, and that was good for him, and then Nancy got with Jonathan who doesn't really have any friends in Hawkins. So she's always been her boyfriend's main person of similar age they're close to. But now Steve's got Robin. Who is funny and kind and weird and loyal and smart and sarcastic. Who is obsessed with Steve and who Steve is also obsessed with. And that, from a s5 stancy pov, is so interesting because now Nancy is now competing (in her mind) for her boyfriend/potential bf's attention with his best friend. Like Jonathan was focused on his family, obviously (and this caused strain for them too) but it's not the same socially as a best friend taking priority. Steve would still hold those relationships, because they're good for him and good for the others, and there's zero reason for him to abandon them this time.

I think Nancy would hate it. Like Steve would obviously give her tonnes of attention, but with him having actual close friendships not just with Robin but Dustin and Max (at least) too, she'd still feel like she was bartering for time with him. That is suuuuch a fun potential dynamic between nancy and steve and also nancy and steve's friends.

#findaanswers #Anonymous #I think an interesting thing about Nancy is she absolutely HATES when her romo partner doesn't back up her crazy schemes #we see it in s2 and s3 it's so interesting to me but I don't really see it talked about. #Nancy wheeler I wanna study you like a bug #stranger things #stranger things meta #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #robin buckley #stobin #sorta? yeah I talk about them enough it counts #stancy #I guess. more fail stancy than not but also just potential dynamic #finda's rambles

[ghostspideys-moved]

All For The Best

Chapter Five

A/N: So, tumblr is being a little bit of a bitch, but I finally managed to get this chapter posted.

Word Count: 2.7k

Pairings: Steve Harrington x OC, Nancy Wheeler x Jonathan Byers x OC

Summary: Getting trapped in a Russian elevator is about as fun as it sounds, and River doesn't quite know what to make of it.

With so much happening in the short time River had been back in Hawkins, she hadn’t really taken much time to worry about her basic needs. A habit she fell into more often than she’d like to admit. She felt it was safe to assume the rest of her friends had done much better than her. 

Naturally, she offered to get everyone food while they talked out their plan, if they even had one. She figured it might be a good opportunity for her to think and have a moment to herself. Deciding it would be quicker, she headed over to Burger King, knowing it was pretty close to Scoops Ahoy, and brought back enough food for everyone. 

The four of them sat in the break room, eating and putting together whatever intel Dustin had after his own personal stakeout earlier today. Supposedly, he’d spotted a keycard, which would be a good way to get in. Except trying to take something like that was a suicide mission.

“That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately, the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun,” Dustin explained as he paced. “Whatever’s in this room, whatever’s in those boxes, they really don’t want anybody finding it.”

River sighed. “So, we’re back to square one basically.”

“But there’s gotta be a way in,” Robin insisted.

“Well, you know, I could just take him out.” For a brief moment, River thought Steve was joking. The serious look on his face said otherwise.

“Take who out?” Robin asked. She was glad she was not the only one concerned with his plan.

“The Russian guard.”

River scoffed and shook her head. “Yeah, if you wanna get yourself killed.”

“What? It’s not that hard. I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard,” Steve insisted. “It’s easy.”

“Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?” 

“Yes, Dustin, I did. That’s why I would be sneaking.”

“Well please, tell me this, and be honest. Have you ever actually won a fight?”

River easily recalled how terrible of a beating Steve took after his fight with Billy, not that she’d been much help herself. But after that, there was no way he could take an armed Russian guard all by himself.

“Okay, that was one time.”

“Twice. Jonathan, year prior.”

“Listen, that doesn’t count.”

“Why wouldn’t it? Because it looks like he beat the shit out of you.”

“Sorry, Steve, but Dustin has a point,” River agreed. “You got the shit beat out of you too many times.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. Dude, I hate to break it to you, but you don’t have a winning streak, and adding a gun into the mix is probably just going to get you killed.”

“Wait. why can’t you do it?” Dustin asked.

River’s eyes widened. “Wait, why me?”

“You’ve got powers and shit. Can’t you use them to take the keycard?”

Steve shook his head. He was not having that idea. “Okay, woah. Not happening.” 

“Why?”

“Because, Dustin. It’s just a bad idea.”

“It’s better than your plan.”

“What? So, risking River’s life instead of mine is better?”

“No, but she could do it without anyone knowing.”

“That’s way too risky, and I’m not letting her get hurt-”

It was very hard for River to get a word in edgewise, but before she could really question that last part, Robin was taking off, grabbing whatever was in the tip jar.

“Hey, Robin. What are you doing?” Steve was up the moment he noticed her leaving.

“I need cash,” Robin said, as if it was obvious.

“Well, half of that’s mine. Where are you going?”

“To find us a way into that room. A safe way.”

River sighed in relief. It was a good thing someone in this group had the brains. Robin left them to look over the shop in the meantime. Hopefully she’d come back with a much better plan.

Steve sighed and tried to keep up with the workload by himself in the meantime. River and Dustin kept him company, especially once things slowed down enough for him to get bored. 

“Where do you think Robin went?” he asked. 

River shrugged, leaning against the back counter. “Where she said she was going. To find us a way in,” she said. “Better than either of us getting ourselves killed.”

She couldn’t help thinking back to what he’d said earlier before cutting himself off. From what she could tell, he was thinking about it just as much as her. He even seemed a bit antsy, busying himself to distract himself.

“Did you mean what you said?” she asked. 

Steve didn’t look up from the spot of the counter he was cleaning meticulously for no reason at all. “Which part?”

“The part about not wanting me to get hurt.” River knew he was just trying to avoid it, and she couldn’t really tell why. But clearly it was bugging him just as much, and she felt it needed to be addressed. 

“Well, yeah. Of course I did.” Steve finally set down the rag and turned to her. “You’re my friend, and after you almost died trying to save me last year? The last thing I want is for you to needlessly injure yourself more than you have already, if not worse.”

He sounded so sincere, as he always did. It was hard to ignore the fact that her heart skipped a beat at his words, but she tried not to think about it. For as good as that was doing her so far, she felt it was probably for the best.

“Well, someone had to keep you from becoming Demodog food,” she joked, lightly nudging him. 

Steve laughed. Somehow, River never quite noticed just how nice his laugh was. Even if he never ended up reciprocating her feelings, making him laugh felt like a worthy mission on its own. Especially while they waited for Robin’s return. The rest of their time was spent messing around as much as possible without making a mess or getting Steve in trouble. Somewhere along the line, Dustin joined in. She noticed the way he would give them weird looks every now and then, though she waved it off. As long as she wasn’t being obvious.

Robin didn’t take nearly as long as River had anticipated. What they hadn’t expected was for her to bring a friend along. Dustin, of course, had some complaints. 

“The whole town is going to know by the end of the week,” he mumbled. 

River was just glad to have another familiar face to keep her company in this chaos. If they were going to bring anyone into the loop, Annie Hardwick was probably the best person for it. They’d messed around in class together enough times to be considered friends, she supposed. 

“Well, she helped me get this, so she can help all she wants.” Robin waved a roll of paper in his face before she laid it out on the table. A map. “This is Starcourt Mall. The complete blueprints.”

Dustin looked genuinely impressed. “Not bad.” Maybe he would change his mind about Annie yet.

Robin grinned and pointed out a spot on the map. “This is us. Scoops.” She pointed to where the storage unit should be. “And this is where we want to go.”

“I mean, I don’t really see a way in,” Steve pointed out.

River couldn’t make out any visible entrances either, unfortunately. “Yeah, it looks like the only way in is past the guard,” she agreed. “There’s no way in.”

“There’s not, if you’re talking exclusively about doors.” Robin peeled away the map and revealed one that looked similar, though it looked like it was marking the vents.

“Air ducts,” River and Dustin said simultaneously. They were so lucky Robin was actually thinking all of this through more than them. 

“Exactly. Turns out this secret room needs air just like any old room.” Robin continued, grabbing a marker. “And these air ducts,” she said, drawing a path to Scoops Ahoy, “lead all the way here.”

She circled the store, and they turned to vent high up on the wall. Steve was quick to grab a ladder, and River handed him a screwdriver as he climbed up. Even as he was taking it apart, she had a feeling it might be too small to crawl through, even for Dustin.

Steve moved the flashlight around the entrance and shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t know, man. I don’t know if you can fit in here,” he said. “It’s, like, super tight.”

Just as she feared. 

“I’ll fit,” Dustin insisted. “Trust me. No collar bones, remember?”

River raised an eyebrow.

Robin seemed just as confused. “Uh, excuse me?” 

“Oh, he’s, uh, got some disease.” Steve climbed down and let Dustin take a shot at squeezing in the air duct. “Chry...Chrydo, um…something. He’s missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo.”

“You mean Gumby.”

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s Gumbo.”

River wasn’t really sure where this act of his was coming from, but she knew better. In the short time they’d spent studying together, he’d proven pretty quickly that he was by no means an idiot.

“Steve, just shut up and push me!”

“Okay!”

Steve sighed and climbed back up the ladder where half of Dustin’s body stuck out.

“So, these are your friends?” Annie asked.

River shrugged. “Yeah, unfortunately.” Though, she wouldn’t change any of this for the world. 

In the background, Steve was trying his best to push Dustin in as much as possible, to no avail. 

“Not my feet, dumbass. Push my ass.”

“What?”

“Touch my butt! I don’t care!”

Annie laughed at the two of them. “Quite the bunch,” she teased.

“Yeah, sorry you had to meet them this way,” River snorted.

So far, it looked like Steve and Dustin weren’t having any success, which meant they’d have to come up with a plan B. She might have offered to try it herself, seeing as she was the smallest one, unfortunately, except she was claustrophobic and would rather she didn’t have to try. Thankfully, Robin seemed to have another plan. 

Convincing Erica to help was going about as well as River would have expected. Which was to say, not very well at all. She could already tell Steve was annoyed, and she couldn’t blame him. Erica sent back practically everything he brought her.

Robin was trying her best to talk Erica into helping them, which wasn’t going any better. Because, yeah, Erica wasn’t wrong. Their plan was pretty half-baked. 

Dustin’s attempt didn’t go over much better.

“Know what I love most about this country? Capitalism.”

An odd statement, River realized, from someone who had been mooching off the free sample system this whole time. She couldn’t help thinking about it as Erica went on.

“Hate to break it to you, kid, but this is the opposite of capitalism,” River pointed out, gesturing at all the ice cream laid out on the table for her.

“Look, it seems to me that my ability to fit in that little vent is very, very valuable to you all,” Erica said. “So, you want my help? This USS Butterscotch better be the first of many.”

River sighed and shared a defeated look with the rest of her friends. “And I’m talking free ice cream. For life.”

It seemed like a miracle that they even managed to get Erica in on this. Robin had a walkie-talkie out to talk to Erica while they kept watch. 

They were so much closer to getting into that secret room, and the idea made her both nervous and excited all at once. There were so many ways all of this could go terribly wrong.

Steve seemed to sense her nerves and turned to her while Robin and Erica went back and forth.

“You okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

River offered a smile and nodded. “Just fine.”

“You know, you don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”

Sure, this was probably going to be really dangerous, but she couldn’t imagine leaving them on their own. She’d feel terrible, and to say she wasn’t curious herself would be a lie.

“No, I want to,” she assured him. “You guys might need my help, anyways.”

It would probably be pretty beneficial to have a non-evil Russian with them, she figured. Steve hesitated for a moment before nodding. She’d been worried he might think it was far too dangerous and risky for her given his reaction the last time she tried to save him. 

River turned the moment Erica walked through the doors, the five of them sharing a shocked look. She laughed and shared a high five with Annie. 

They didn’t waste any time in rushing down to meet Erica. As she’d confirmed, the room was full of the boxes they’d seen the night before. Steve quickly cut one open as they gathered around to take a look. He revealed a metal container of sorts, which he opened with some slight apprehension. 

“Maybe you guys should stand back.”

Normally, she might argue, but there was no telling what was in that container. Dustin, however, was less willing to obey orders this time around.

“No.”

“Just step back, okay?”

“No.”

“Step back, seriously.”

“No! If you die, I die.”

Steve gave up trying to stop him and pulled out something...strange looking. River wasn’t even totally sure what she was looking at, but it was green and looked like it was some sort of liquid. Whatever it was, it didn’t look good.

“What is that?” Robin asked.

River shook her head, and before any of them could come up with a guess, the room jerked unexpectedly.

“Was that just me, or did the room move?” Dustin asked, looking around.

“No, it definitely moved” River agreed.

Erica glanced between them. “Booby traps.”

Robin quickly grabbed the weird goo, River and Annie rushing around to help her take what they needed. Dustin was struggling to open the door, and Steve wasn’t having any more success. 

“Just open the door!” the girls exclaimed as they finished packing up.

None of the buttons were doing anything, and suddenly the room moved again. River scrambled to hold onto something as they suddenly plummeted with the rest of the room. The room was a goddamn elevator.

There was so much screaming around her, and River was definitely contributing to the chaos herself. The elevator was dropping alarmingly fast, and no amount of button mashing was doing them any good. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the elevator stopped, and River lost her footing. She fell back, landing on her hands. Steve fell close to her, a box landing on him. She groaned and shook off her pain before she went to move the box off of him with Dustin’s help.

“Is everyone okay?” Robin asked, rubbing her head where she hit it.

Steve got up, clearly agitated. “Yeah, I’m great now that I know that Russians can’t design elevators!” he exclaimed.

“Gee, thanks. I’m right here,” River huffed.

Steve pushed past her and Dustin before pressing all of the buttons frantically.

“I think we’ve clearly established that those buttons don’t work,” Robin said.

“They’re buttons, they have to do something!”

“Yeah, if we had a keycard.”

“A What?”

“It’s an electronic lock. Same as the loading dock door. If we don’t have a keycard, it won’t operate, meaning-”

“We’re stuck in here.”

River sighed and slid down against the wall. “Great. Who knows how long we’ll be in here.”

“Just so you nerds are aware, I’m supposed to be spending the night at Tina’s,” Erica said. “And Tina always covers for me. But if I’m not home for Uncle Jack’s part tomorrow, and my mom finds out you guys are responsible, she’s gonna hunt you down one by one and slit your throat.”

River rolled her eyes and rested her head in her hands. That wasn’t happening any time soon.

Steve seemed just as fed up as the rest of them were. “I don’t care about Tina! Or Uncle Jack’s party! You’re mom’s not gonna be able to find us if we’re dead in a Russian elevator.”

He let that sink in. 

Dustin pointed up to the roof of the elevator. “Hey. What if we climbed out?”

//

Taglist: @charmedtenderness @nxncywheeler​ @musicalytrashpanda​

#steve harrington #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington x original character #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington one shot #jonathan byers x oc #jonathan byers x reader #jonathan byers x original character #nancy wheeler x oc #nancy wheeler x original character #nancy wheeler x reader #stranger things #stranger things 2 #stranger things 3 #stranger things fic

[hopewritcs]

dancing in the kitchen. seven.

pairing: romantic steve x reader, familial dustin x reader, friendship nancy x reader

word count: 3.3k

summary: without giving too much away: the reader is Y/N Henderson, Dustin’s older cousin who’s staying in town, due to some family issues. takes place soon after s2.

note: finally chapter seven!! i had a lot of fun in this chapter, delving into both y/n’s thoughts and steve’s!! 

other chapters: masterlist

tag list: @stevieboyharrington, @lola-winston-harrington, @fuckthatfeeling​,@thekidsofneibolt, @labgeek, @tyedyedstars, @samisimportant, @madhatterweasley, @pity-mee, @l4life, @veryweirdintrovert, @restlessmelodrama,@darkuserboxes,@princessnancy, @hipsmcgee, @wtf-richarddd (if you wanna be added to the tag list, let me know!!)

Y/N had made sure everyone was asleep before she went to bed.  Dustin had elected to stay downstairs in the living room with the other kids, all of them in sleeping bags with a dozen or so pillows between the group of them.  They were all around each other, sitting up so they could watch the movie while the older teens had been on the couch.  

But by the time they got around to picking a second movie, everyone was exhausted.  Dustin was the first to fall asleep, though Y/N knew that the next morning he would deny that.  The younger teens followed suit, falling asleep soon after.  Y/N snuck between the sleeping bags to turn the television off.  

Y/N was sharing her room that night with Nancy and Dustin offered his room up to Steve and Jonathan.  So the older teens got settled in for the night before getting ready for bed.  Y/N and Nancy were on the former’s bed, pillows in their laps as they caught up on school gossip.  They were giggling, but trying to keep their voices down to keep from waking up the whole house.  

A knock startled the pair out of their conversation and they turned to look to see who was entering the room.  Seeing Claudia, both Y/N and Nancy giggled loudly before stopping themselves and smiling, saying hello Y/N’s aunt.  

“Just checking in before going to bed.  I’ll be gone before you kids wake up in the morning.  I wanted to make sure you handled everything today.  How were Dusty and his friends?  Good, I hope.” Claudia stood in the doorway to the bedroom with a smile on her face, despite looking exhausted herself.  

“Everything was great, Aunt C!  Don’t worry about us.” Y/N said with a wave of her hands and a bright smile.  “Go get some sleep.  I’ve got all the munchkins under control.  Me and Nance can fight them off if they get annoying.”  At that comment Nancy laughed but nodded her head in agreement with her friend.  

“Goodnight Mrs. Henderson.  Thanks for letting us all stay over.”  Nancy smiled appreciatively at her friend’s aunt. 

“Oh it’s my pleasure, girls.  I love having all you kids here.  The house feels full and happy.”  Claudia explained with a smile.  “Well, goodnight.  Don’t stay up too late.”  Claudia walked into the room, leaning over to kiss both girls on the forehead.  “I love you both.  Sleep tight.”  she waved, her hand hovering over the light switch (which she wound up leaving on) before closing the door behind them.  

“On that note, I’m going to go brush my teeth and hair.”  Y/N laughed, tossing her pillow at Nancy with a smile and leaving to go to the bathroom.  

Hours later, Y/N was tossing in her bed.  She had a restless couple hours of sleep, often finding herself waking up just staring up at the ceiling.  She had so many thoughts on her mind.  Maybe Nancy was right.  Everyone has a past, and maybe hers wasn’t as bad as she’d been working it up in her mind.  She’d been a classic “mean girl”, but she was better than that.  ...Wasn’t she?  She liked to think so.  

Back when she was younger, Y/N spent hours running around with Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas.  She would “babysit” them and make sure none of them got into trouble.  Usually that meant following them around at the park for a couple of hours.  For the most part Nancy would often hang out with her when she could.  

And somehow as she got older, and moved around, and went from school to school and place to place, Y/N felt herself distancing from that kind person she felt inside.  Maybe it was because she hit puberty, she’d grown taller.  Didn’t feel as gawky as she had in her pre-teen years.  Or maybe it was the group of friend’s Y/N had fallen in with at her last school.  She couldn’t exactly admit to being the typical mean girl to everyone she knew in Hawkins.  Fanning the rumour mill with her whispers and giggles in the hallway.  

Hell, Y/N didn’t even recognize that girl.  

She fell from that high horse, hard.  And she never wanted to go back to it.  

After realizing she wasn’t going to get much sleep, Y/N got up and got out of bed.  She pulled a sweater on over her head, closing the door behind her and leaving Nancy to sleep for a few hours more.  She just knew she wasn’t going to fall back asleep herself, and she quietly padded down the stairs, yawning as she hit the ground below.  

A figure startled her, someone who was rummaging through the fridge.  When the person found what they were looking for, they turned around and nearly dropped the container upon seeing Y/N there too.  

“Make a sound or something next time.” the gruff voice hummed, doing his best to keep his voice down (there was still a handful of kids asleep in the living room a couple feet away from them).  

Y/N covered her face, shaking her head with a small chuckle before she spoke.  “I didn’t mean to scare you, Steve.”  she explained, walking more into the kitchen.  “Midnight snack?”  she asked, an eyebrow raised as she turned to look at the clock on the counter.  “Or...six fifteen am snack?” she corrected herself.  

“Want some?” he offered her the tupperware as he opened it.  “I didn’t expect anyone else to be awake cause normal people are usually sound asleep before eight am.”  

“I guess I had a lot on my mind.  Couldn’t sleep very well.  Figured I’d come down here and sit on the back porch for a bit.” Y/N explained with a shrug, going to grab a couple of forks from the drawer and handed one over to Steve while she grabbed a forkful of leftovers.  “Why are you up?” she asked, going into the fridge and grabbing the pitcher of iced tea.  While Y/N grabbed two glasses and filled them with ice, Steve dug into the leftovers and replied to her question.  

“Same as you.”  He shrugged, doing his best to sound like it wasn’t a big deal.  Because it wasn’t.  Anymore, at least.  Okay, fine, Steve had a nightmare and he didn’t want to tell Y/N about it.  How could he do that without explaining everything that had happened in Hawkins.  “Restless night.  Bad dreams or something.  Can’t remember a thing.”  He elaborated on it, since he did feel bad lying to Y/N.  Or, not telling her the truth.  He’d mentioned it to Dustin one day when he picked the middle schooler up after school.  

Steve had volunteered to pick Dustin up from school.  Nancy, Jonathan, and Y/N had gone ahead to the Byers house to study for a quiz.  But Dustin needed a ride to the Wheeler’s place.  Since Steve had driven him and Y/N to school, it was only fair he also took him over to Nancy and Mike’s later too.  Steve offered to take Y/N too, but she politely declined.  She had to stay after school for a meeting with her English teacher and Jonathan had offered her a ride home.  So that left Steve and Dustin alone.  

“Christ, shithead, take any longer and I’ll be an old man.”  Steve complained, groaning as Dustin got in the car.  It was their usual banter, so he knew that Dustin wouldn’t bug him about the complaint.  

“You already are an old man, dude.” Dustin laughed, shaking his head as he took off his baseball cap.  He ran a hand through his hair, then put the cap back on top of his head.  

“And you’re a pain in the ass.”  Steve said, pulling away from the middle school parking lot.  

“Am not.” Dustin huffed under his breath.  

The two boys were silent for a moment, but when they hit the first stop light on their route Steve turned to look at Dustin.  He was trying to figure out the right way to ask the question he wanted to ask without Dustin getting all Dustin on him.  

“Why are you looking at me like that Steve?”  

Steve rolled his eyes, driving down the street and clearing his throat before he spoke.  “So does your cousin--does Y/N know about everything that happened here?  About Dart?  The lab?”  

Dustin shook his head, eyes wide and staring at Steve as he shifted in his seat.  “No.  Why would she know that?”

“Cause she’s living here now?  What if that shit happens again?”  Steve asked.  He didn’t want to say that out loud, but given how he’d been having nightmares--thinking about that night for weeks on end--he needed to say it.  “Not that I think it’s going to.  But...she should know.” 

“Oh, yeah. One night after dinner I’ll just come out with it like, Hey Y/N, I know you’re getting settled in here and dealing with some bullshit of your own that mom won’t tell me, but remember when you asked if Mews had run away?  Yeah, a demodog ate her.  His name was Dart.  Good animal.  Liked nougat.  No fucking way am I telling her that.”  Dustin hit Steve’s shoulder as he shook his head, settling back into his seat.  Glancing back at Steve, Dustin spoke again, “Do you really think it could happen again?”

“What?  No.  No.  I’m just...worst case scenario dude.  What if something happens.  Something unnatural.  And Y/N’s involved.  Shouldn’t she know?” 

Dustin had left the car after that, since they’d pulled up at the Wheeler residence and he left Steve hanging without an answer. 

Steve knew that Dustin wouldn’t tell Y/N.  But he hoped he could convince the younger Henderson to do so.  Keeping a secret so big from someone who was now so involved in their lives was just wrong.  

At least that was the rational thought to it.  

The irrational, impulsive side was trying to get Steve to open up to Y/N.  She was the first person since Nancy that Steve was feeling like he could actually open up to.  She had a voice of her own.  But was also so kind and seemed to take care of her younger cousin.  And had the maturity to make a whole meal for everyone and make sure they were all settled in and enjoying themselves too.  

But, Steve wasn’t listening to that part right then.  

Y/N on the other hand was staring at Steve, eyes half worried and half sleepy as she studied him.  Attempting to believe if he actually didn’t remember the dreams.  But she decided to drop the subject, grabbing a throw blanket she’d taken from the linen closet last night and left on the counter.  

“Let’s go outside.  So we don’t wake them up.”  Y/N suggested.  Before Steve could answer Y/N already had the two drinks and blanket balanced in her hands and managed to open up the sliding back door without needing a hand leaving Steve to follow behind her and close the door.  

Y/N was sitting on the bench outside, legs curled up beside her but she left enough room for Steve to sit beside her.  On the small table she’d put the two drinks before opening up the blanket.  She held one end of it up to Steve who took a moment before sitting down beside her, happily taking the blanket.  It was a crisp December morning.  Cold enough to see your breath in the air.  

Y/N grabbed her glass of iced tea and smiled.  “I would have made coffee, but the machine might have woken the kids up.  I don’t know if any of them are light sleepers.  Dustin isn’t, he could sleep through the end of the world.  But I wouldn’t want to risk waking anyone up.”  

They were finally able to speak at a normal volume.  Steve shook his head.  “It’s fine.  Though coffee would be nice.”  he laughed lightly as he took a forkful of the food.  “This is still really good.”

Y/N had cut him off before he could continue his thought.  “Well good to know food doesn’t spoil overnight.” 

Steve rolled his eyes, “I mean it’s really good, Y/N.  Leftovers or not.”  Steve said with a shrug.  “You gonna cook pancakes this morning for everyone?”  

“I don’t think Dustin would have it any other way.”  Y/N put down her glass, rubbing her hands together to get them warmed up.  Seeing her struggle to get warm, Steve pulled the blanket up toward her, covering Y/N up to her chin.  Y/N leaned a little closer to him under the blanket, her legs shifting to face Steve as she rested her chin on his shoulder.  “Sorry.” she explained, hiding her face in the fluffy blanket while she spoke.  “I don’t think ice in the glass when we’re outside was a good idea.”  Y/N giggled.  

Steve put an arm around her, shrugging his shoulders.  “Probably not the best idea.  But I don’t mind.”  

Y/N found herself leaning against Steve.  Maybe for warmth.  Maybe for comfort.  “I love the cold weather.  But I think coming outside before the sun’s fully up is a mistake.”  she giggled.  

“What, seeing your breath in the air isn’t a good thing?” 

“I meant having to curl up under the blanket.  I definitely should have also grabbed gloves or a coat too.”  

Steve thought about the position they were in.  His arm around her, her head on his shoulder. He wanted to help her, but didn’t actually know how to help keep her warm.  “I guess you’ll know better for next time.” 

“You offering to sit outside in the cold morning air with me another morning too?” Y/N asked, nudging Steve’s arm.  

“I wouldn’t mind it.”  

And it was an honest answer.  An answer that hung in the cool December air between the two of them.  Y/N had turned to face him fully at that moment and he was looking back at her.  Their breath visible in the air, mingling together due to how they were seated.  Both of them looked like they were about to say something else.  Do something else, maybe.  But neither of them spoke or moved.  They just sat there.  After what felt like hours of stillness, both teens were startled when they heard a noise.  The sliding glass door opening.  

“Y/N?”  Nancy’s voice called out.  “I know you like cold and possible snowy weather, but if you’re outside in just your pajamas i’m going to drag you back in before you get frostbite.”  Nancy poked her head out of the sliding glass door, stepping out in a jacket and some slippers.  She turned her gaze and saw Steve and Y/N on the bench--both of whom seemed to be taking in a deep breath and looked like they couldn’t get farther away from each other on the bench.  Nancy just laughed as she trotted toward them.  “Am I interrupting something?” 

“No!”  Y/N’s voice was way more high pitched than normal as she stood up.  She was barefooted, still in her pajamas, and freezing now that she didn’t have the warmth of he blanket surrounding her (or Steve’s embrace).  Y/N gathered the stuff from the table and began walking toward the kitchen, stealing a glance back at Steve, who was giving the two girls distance as he folded the blanket back up.  

“So, you and Steve were sitting at opposite ends of the bench for no reason whatsoever?”  Nancy side-eyed her best friend once they were inside.  

“You just startled us is all.  What if it had been Dustin or one of the other kids?”  

Nancy stopped short, covering her mouth as she gasped.  “So something did happen!”

Y/N shushed her friend.  “Be quiet.” she scolded, eyes darting back and forth.  Y/N emptied out the drinks and turned to Nancy, making sure to keep her voice low.  “I think we might have kissed.  If you hadn’t surprised us.  I don’t know, though.  Maybe that was just in my head.”  Y/N wiped her hands dry on her shirt and moved to the cabinet.  It was getting close to a normal hour now, she could see some movement in the living room too, so she figured it would be a good time to start making pancakes.  

“Well shit Y/N, I’m sorry.”  Nancy sighed, shaking her head as she leaned back on the counter.  

“Don’t.”  Y/N said with a small smile, looking up at her friend as she gathered the ingredients.  “It was nothing.”  

“Do you want some help?”  Y/N and Nancy both turned to look at the voice, Steve had put the blanket back in the closet and then came into the kitchen.  

“You can cook?” Nancy asked, raising an eyebrow at him.  

“Not well.  But I can set a table and get coffee going.”  Steve shoved his hands into his pajama pants pockets as he swayed on the balls of his feet.  

“That would be great Steve.  Thank you.”  

And the group in the kitchen went about their business.  Steve grabbed enough plates for everyone, setting the bigger dining room table with plates and silverware.  Nancy was getting other things for the table--bread and some fruit.  

Y/N was focused on making the pancakes and sides for the pancakes.  She even decided, since she hadn’t seen the kids wake up yet, to make some home made whipped cream for the toppings too.  

The first kid to pop his head up was Mike, who immediately started shouting for everyone to wake up.  “Guys! Y/N’s making pancakes!  Wake up!”  And he ran into the kitchen, standing next to Y/N and watching as she flipped the pancakes in the pan over.  

“Morning Mikey.”  Y/N said, glancing at him.  “Can you take the cinnamon, syrup, and whipped cream to the table for me?”  He nodded, gathering everything she’d asked and started walking toward the dining room table.  “Thank you.” she called after him.  

And soon enough, everyone was up and heading into the dining room to eat.  They began doling out sides and toppings for their pancakes.  But with ten mouths to feed, it was going to take a while before she was done.  For the first couple minutes she told them she could bring in the ones she had done, and they should start eating without her.  But they all refused.  Or, Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan had convinced them to all refuse.  

Y/N took the tray out of the oven and walked into the dining room, placing it down on the table.  “Dig in.”  she exclaimed, taking the seat that Nancy had saved for her.  

The whole table lit up with conversation as they all continued to stack their plates with food.  Everyone was talking, laughing, enjoying the meal.  Y/N had been surprised with a cup of coffee put by her plate.  She put in the amount of sugar that she liked and took a sip.  She figured it had been Steve to put the cup in front of her and when she looked up at him, the smile gave it away.  Thank you, she mouthed at him.  

After breakfast, Y/N began clearing the table as she usually did when Steve and Nancy both stood up to stop her.  “You made breakfast, Y/N.”  Steve said, shaking his head as if disapproving of the girl for going right to clean things up when they had all finished.  

Nancy put her hands on Y/N’s shoulders and began walking her out of the room.  “You should go shower and relax.  We will take care of cleaning.”  

Y/N stopped at the foot of the stairs and glanced toward the group of kids at the table.  “We?”  

“We.”  Nancy laughed, nudging her friend up the stairs and then turning toward the group.  “Okay.  We’re all pitching in to clean up.”  She clapped her hands together and as Y/N got up the stairs she heard Nancy giving out some clean up duties.  Y/N could only smile.  

#steve harrington x reader #stranger things fanfic #stranger things x reader #dustin henderson x reader #steve harrington fanfic #dancing in the kitchen

[boxoftheskyking]

Stranger things: Steve holds a pot luck fourth of July barbeque for the gang, everyone forgets to bring something except Jonathan, and El/Jane, who brings a shit ton of eggos. Jonathan and Steve finally reconcile, the party™ man the grill and somehow only burn half the things, and pizza is ordered by the only responsible person there. Star wars: Rose and the people she tazed before Finn got to her. Or the five times Leia was impressively patient and diplomatic, and the one time she wasn't.

Thank you for the prompt! As always I am going to take a teaspoon of it and then run into an entirely different direction, with much love and affection for you.

Here’s some Stranger Things, Steve POV, OT3

—-

Steve, if pressed, would say that they are fine. Him, Nancy, and Jonathan. He’d say they’d reached an understanding, and he isn’t angry and he doesn’t get acid reflux when he sees her kiss Jonathan’s cheek at his locker before heading off the class. He’s eating and sleeping just fine.

Not that anyone would press, as he doesn’t really have, well. Friends. Anymore. Besides the two of them and their gaggle of almost-freshman disasters.

A few weeks after the Whole Thing (the Will-is-Possessed, Dustin-Has-a-Pet-Monster, Dustin-is-Surprisingly-Okay, Eleven-is-Back, Mad-Max-is-Almost-Eleven-Level-Scary, The-World-Almost-Ended Thing), Jonathan cornered him outside the bathroom and said, “Look, man, I’m sorry about how it all went down.”

Steve had blinked at him and said, “I think it all went remarkably well, considering. Miraculous, some might say. Straight up Deus Ex Madonna or whatever—”

“No, I—” Jonathan cut him off, then looked down at his feet like he regretted it. “Machina. I’m not talking about all the, the that, I mean me and Nancy.”

Steve’s stomach lurched up, sending that burning feeling up behind his ribs.

“Oh. Right.”

“We should have talked to you. Or Nancy should have and then I should have waited. It’s just with everything—You know. It was kind of a now or never thing and then—”

“I really don’t need to hear this,” Steve said quickly, and Jonathan flinched. “I mean, it’s fine. You don’t owe me anything. I’d say treat her well, but I know you will, and if you don’t she’s perfectly capable of, you know.” He mimed a shotgun, making a dumb little pew sound. It sounded more like a Star Wars blaster than a shotgun, and he felt ridiculous. 

“Okay. Yeah.” Jonathan jerked a little, almost like he was putting out his hand to shake, but didn’t complete the action.

“Yeah.” 

They stared at each other for a minute, and then Jonathan started to turn away. Possessed by God knew what, Steve said, “It’s probably for the best, anyway. I should be focusing on school. Stuff. School stuff.”

Jonathan looked confused, but he wasn’t walking away.

“I’m not doing well.” He had no idea why he was still talking. “Like, at all. So. More time to study.”

After about a hundred years of Jonathan staring wordlessly at him, Steve finally turned on his heel.

“Great, okay, bye.”

“Hey!” 

Steve stopped but didn’t turn around.

“You can study with us, if you want. Sometime.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah.”

And then Steve had fled.

It had turned into the occasional study session in the library, followed by a more regular meeting at the Byers house. After everything they’d gone through there, it was surprisingly comfortable, and he didn’t feel suffocated by their—whatever. Relationship. Love. Chemistry. Whatever. Not all the time, anyway.

Surprising himself—but not Nancy—he didn’t graduate at the very bottom of his class. He got in to Roane County Tech— “Everyone gets in, Nance.” “That is not true, Steve, and you should be proud of yourself” —which means he can still live in town and work for his dad while taking care of his generals. That’s the plan anyway.

And now the summer’s started and he’s feeling like he has to do something to memorialize the end of the most fucked up chapter of his young life. Hopefully.

So, a Fourth of July barbecue. Two years ago, it would have been the event of the summer, everyone who was everyone from Hawkins High, including alum, would have come out, and there’d be people from towns up to an hour away.

And now it’s Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, and the kids. There isn’t any spiked punch, just sodas and iced tea and a shit ton of Cheetos. 

Jonathan has brought nothing but his camera, though Steve saw him tuck a brown bag away beneath his chair. Mrs. Wheeler sent Nancy and Mike with a pan of hot dish which looks like death but mostly tastes like cheese and gravy. 

Dustin is helping Eleven cook Eggos on the grill, because that’s what normal looks like these days. Lucas tried to fight him for the role of “Grill Master” when it came to burgers and hot dogs, but Max had snatched the tongs away at the last second and proven herself to be more than competent. 

(About a month ago, Steve had a run in with Billy in the school parking lot that he thought was going to turn ugly. Before any blood was spilled, Max had zoomed up, kicked her skateboard up into her hands and glared her brother down. “Steve counts as one of my friends, asshole,” she’d growled, and Billy had spit on Steve’s shoes and taken off.

“Still scared of you, huh?”

Max looked around, then leaned in and said quietly, “Wanna know how I do it?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Every time he starts acting like too much of an asswipe, I wait til he gets really drunk and passes out, and then I sneak into his bedroom and I stand at the end of his bed with my hair all—” she shakes her head so her face is mostly hidden— “and I just point at him and stand super still. And then, Mike gave me this toy he has, this really sick raptor, and when you pull on it’s leg it screeches. So I do that so he wakes up and go all uggghhhhh.” She twists her head and bugs out her eyes, and Steve has to admit it’s creepy as hell.

“That’s fucking disturbing,” he says.

She grins. “He thinks it’s a nightmare. He’s had night terrors for ages.”

Steve wonders if the rest of the kids appreciate how lucky they are to have her on their side.)

Will and Mike are playing some variation of rock-paper-scissors that involves a weird amount of hopping around on one foot and yelling.

Every time he loses, Will gives a delighted little giggle that carries all the way into the house. It makes Steve grin every time. He doesn’t know the little guy very well, but it sure is nice to hear him sounding like a normal thirteen year old.

It’s also nice to see Jonathan’s private little smile every time he hears it.

Steve catches Nancy’s eye just then, and there’s something in her face that tells him she’s noticed him noticing Jonathan. She’s cocks her head thoughtfully, and Steve strategically retreats to the kitchen. He takes a few minutes with his head in the freezer before opening the fridge to grab a beer.

“Whatcha doing?” Dustin asks, and Steve just about throws his beer across the room.

“Jesus Christ!”

“Sorry. Whatcha doing? Can I have one?”

“No, you can’t have a beer.”

“Aw, come on, it’s not like I’m driving.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “No, dumbass.”

Dustin sighs. “Fine. I hope you’re prepared for a bunch of really sugared up and caffeinated kids, though. Because I for one have had six Diet Cokes and I’m not ready to quit.”

“If you have to puke, use the bathroom.”

Steve ruffles his hair and heads back out to the pool.

“Alcohol is a depressant, Steve! You’ll be wishing I was drunk in about an hour, mark my words.”

“Alcohol?” Jonathan is suddenly right at his elbow, and he just about has a heart attack for the second time in as many minutes. Jonathan doesn’t seem to notice, instead snapping a picture of Eleven tripping Lucas into the pool.

“Want a beer?”

Jonathan grins at him. “I can do you one better,” he says. “Think the kids will be okay for a while?”

Steve looks over the group, catching Nancy’s eye and jerking his head towards the house. 

“Hey, little shits!” he yells. “Adults are going inside. No drowning, no wandering in the woods, no setting shit on fire.”

“Okay!” Will shouts back before cannon ball-ing into the pool.

“El,” Steve says. “You’re in charge. Any nonsense, you come find us. Deal?”

She nods seriously at him, and he can’t not smile and give her a little salute.

What Jonathan has is a bottle of Vodka and one of club soda.

“It’s from that Baumann guy. The reporter who broke the story about Barbara. Well, the fake story.”

“Hey, man, I look no horses in the mouth.” Internally, he kicks himself. There’s something about Jonathan Byers that turns him into a complete idiot.

Nancy comes into the den with three glasses and sets herself down beside them, the last corner of their weirdo triangle.

They toast each other wordlessly, grinning at each other after the first burning sip.

“Damn, Wheeler. You make ‘em strong.”

Nancy blushes, but then takes a long swallow without breaking eye contact. Steve’s brain misses a step, free falls.

As Steve is pouring each of them a second drink, he notices Nancy and Jonathan having some kind of wordless conversation. The beer and vodka mix with the acid in his stomach and he doesn’t look up at them after handing back the glasses. He’s about to say something about checking on the kids when Nancy reaches out and puts a hand on his knee.

“Hey, Steve.”

“Hey, Nancy,” he says, and waves, because he is an idiot.

“We were thinking. And talking. Have been talking. For a while.”

“A long while,” Jonathan pipes up. 

Steve looks down at Nancy’s hands. He knows how long they’ve been talking, because he knows how long they’ve been dating, and he really doesn’t need to hear about it.

“Something isn’t right,” Nancy says, and that makes him look up.

“What, like with Will? Eleven? Is that fucking—” he doesn’t realize he’s halfway to his feet until he feels Jonathan’s hand wrap around his wrist and tug him back down.

“No, man, nothing like that. Sorry. That’s not what she means.”

“I mean with us. There’s something not right with me and Jonathan.”

Steve stares at her. There’s no way they’re coming to him for relationship advice. Nancy’s reckless and Jonathan’s a spaz but they’re not cruel, they’ve never been intentionally hurtful. He can’t think of a thing to say, but he must get his point across because Nancy’s face crumples.

“I’m doing it all wrong. I’m saying it wrong. Jonathan, say something.”

Steve suddenly realizes that Jonathan hasn’t let go of his wrist. He looks up, and Jonathan is staring at him, brows furrowed, like he’s trying to read his mind, or figure out some kind of code, or maybe like he’s taking a photo in his head, taking note of the light and shadow and the way Steve’s heart has started bleeding out through his eyes. 

Jonathan doesn’t say anything, but he shifts his hand down to clasp Steve’s fingers. Steve looks down at it, dumbly. Jonathan shifts again, sliding his fingers in between Steve’s, locking them together, palm to palm.

“Is this okay?” he asks, and his voice is dry and scratchy.

“I— Um, okay,” Steve says. 

Nancy moves her hand up from his knee, flattening her palm over his thigh. He looks up at her, then over at Jonathan, then down at both their hands.

“Wait. What?” He feels like he’s on the precipice of something, like he’s taking a timed exam and he knows he could figure out the answer if he just had more time, if he could just be in a quiet room by himself, not listening to twenty-five pencils scratching and the clock ticking and the teacher tapping her heel against the leg of her chair. 

Nancy takes a deep breath and slides her hand up to his hip, then up under his shirt. He stops breathing.

“Okay?” she asks.

“I— I’m not hurt.” He’s not sure why he says it. But he can’t think of a reason for her to— for them to— unless. “I’m fine. Guys, you don’t have to worry about me, I’m—”

Nancy lurches forward and kisses him.

For the first and only time in his life, he doesn’t kiss Nancy Wheeler back. She pulls away and her face is burning red. 

“Do you want—” she starts, then turns to Jonathan. 

Jonathan’s mouth is open, gaping, and his tongue darts out to wet his lower lip and Steve suddenly has something wrapped around his lungs. Maybe the monsters are back, maybe something’s behind him and has just punctured through the center of him, maybe he’s been dead for months and is only just getting the memo.

And then Jonathan is kissing him, and is still holding his hand, and he tastes like vodka and ketchup and something suddenly, finally, slots into place. Steve opens his mouth, probably to say something stupid like “Aha,” or maybe “Eureka” or “Holy goddamn shit,” but Jonathan slips his tongue into his mouth and he can’t say anything but a groan in the back of his throat.

When they break apart, Steve is pretty sure he’s having a heart attack. He can’t seem to catch his breath, and his mouth feels wet and warm and Nancy is smiling at him so widely and simply, no disappointment and no secrets and no shame at all, just happiness. 

And Steve says, broken and quiet and way too exposed, “Really?”

And Nancy tackles him to the ground, kissing his cheek and his neck and giggling into his ear, “Yes, yes, Steve, yes.” And Jonathan still has his hand, and he let’s himself be pulled down next to them, laughing, with his hair in his eyes. And somehow Steve has an armful of each of them and he shuts his eyes and breathes in, full and healthy and strong, it feels like, for the very first time.

#assorted writings #stranger things #fic #nancy x steve x jonathan