#steve harrington x hopper!fem reader

[damn-stark]

Ch.18 Comin’ home baby

Chapter 18 of Strange

A/N- I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS GOING TO BE THE LAST CHAPTER FOR A WHILE!!! I do plan on adding other scenes that didn’t make it in the chapters! Thank you to everyone for all the love!! ILY

Warning- ANGST!!!!, swearing, FLUFF!!!, talks of death and Injury, LONG CHAPTER.

Pairing- Steve Harrington x Hopper!fem-reader

Episode- 4x09

(Let me know if you wanna be tagged)

————

To, Y/N,

This letter might be a little strange, mostly because you’re not expecting it. But I needed to write one for you too because there’s things you need to know, and it’s hard for me to really say what I feel when it comes to expressing myself in an emotional way. So, you get this.

Now, I know we aren’t best friends or anything, but I appreciate you, y/n. Truth is you and Eleven are like the sisters I never had—

A shaky breath leaves past your lips and tears sting your eyes. You swallow thickly to try and get rid of the lump formed in your throat, and avert your eyes from Max’s letter to avoid crying and staining the paper with your tears.

“Hey,” Steve interjects from his seat. “I thought you weren’t allowed to read that.”

You sigh deeply and look back at the letter to respond to Steve. “Well, it seems fit—”

“But she’s not gone,” he interrupts you.

Max’s survival still baffles you; sure it’s been only a few minutes since you left her in an ambulance with Lucas and Erica so Steve and you could find the others in Jason’s car, but the how behind her survival is all you can think about it—You are glad she’s alive; she might’ve not woken up after her heart began to beat again, but you’re happy that she came back to life.

“No,” you mutter. “But I couldn’t wait, okay? I had it with me so I had to read it. Besides, reading it distracts me from my worry. The anxiety is making me nauseous.”

Steve sighs and nods. “I get what you mean, but I’m sure Eddie and Dustin are okay. I mean…they got to be.”

You lose yourself in a blank space in the letter to think of Dustin and Eddie. More so, that vision that Vecna showed you—it didn’t look good at all, sure there’s a possibility it might not be real, but you found Steve and the other two in the same way Vecna showed you in that vision, so there's some truth behind Eddie’s vision, and that scares you.

No matter if your friendship only just started, this adventure connected you. It connected all of you. Knowing that any of the people you’re fighting alongside with are in danger, or on the brink of death is just as upsetting.

“Are you sure you’re okay driving?” You ask Steve so you can distract yourself away from the letter and your current concern. “I can drive the rest of the way there.” You look over at him and he shakes his head and briefly meets your gaze since he has to keep his eyes on the road.

“Nah, we’re close, besides you must be tired, I’m okay. You can finish the letter.”

You sigh and drop your eyes back on the letter. “It’s actually very hard reading it, since she’s there unconscious and I’m here.”

“In a car?” Steve tries to be lighthearted.

You sigh and find no amusement behind his comment. “Conscious.” You deadpan.

Steve’s eyes flicker over to you and when he sees how sad you truly are, he sighs and reaches to grab your hand. “Come here,” he mumbles. And without needing an explanation you drag yourself as close as you could be to him so you can let him wrap his arm around your shoulders, and you could rest your head on his shoulder.

“She’s going to wake up okay? Her mind was probably just exhausted.” He presses a kiss on the top of your head and focuses back on the road to continue comforting you. “I’m sure by tomorrow morning she’s going to be awake and mean mugging us.”

You scoff in amusement and even if you were full of doubt, you nod since he could be right. You want him to be right anyway. “Yeah, you’re right.” You say and look over at him to smile. “Do you think I can spend the night at your place today? Or should I get my things and have a girls night with my girl?”

Steve's eyes narrow and he immediately turns that down. “No, you can stay with me. You’re staying with me. I don’t have a lot of time with you anymore, I’m not letting you go any time soon.”

You smile and snuggle your head on his shoulder and yawn. “I am pretty tired.”

“We’ll go home soon, okay?” He says “I mean…if my house is still standing that is….” He pauses and his hand stiffens. “You think my parents are okay?”

You look up at him and want to assure him that they are, but you didn’t know that answer to that. The earthquake that happened as the gate opened most likely left the town in chaos. You haven’t seen most of anything since the Creel house is close to the mobile home park and surrounded by woods, but all that you have seen while on your way to the Creel house is ambulances and police cars. It’s not hard to gather why they’re so panicked and busy all of a sudden.

“I hope so,” you try to assure him the best way you can. “I don’t think the gate cut through where you live.”

Steve exhales deeply and nods. “I hope so.” He swallows thickly and leaves the car silent for a little while before he finds himself breaking that short silence. “Are you going to finish reading that letter? I mean you already started it so you might as well finish the thing.”

You scoff and lift the letter in front of you again. “I won’t read it out loud,” you add. “It’s a personal letter.”

“Then I won’t show you mine.”

You shift your head and narrow your eyes on him. “What?” You scoff. “Come on,” you whine.

“Read me yours and I’ll read you mine.” He puts out with smugness. “I know you’re curious.”

You clench your jaw and huff out before you drop your head back on his shoulder and begin reading the rest of the letter out loud.

“…It felt nice having a big sister. A older sibling in general who actually taught me things, who had patience and did stupid bonding stuff with me, instead of yelling at me and avoiding me. So thanks.

And if you have to know, sometimes I did wish Billy and you would somehow get back together. I know he was an asshole, but it would’ve been an excuse to actually see you. To have someone decent around and not have some ditz hanging around him. At least then he would’ve been tolerable.

But I’m glad you didn’t end up lasting long. You deserved a lot better, so maybe Steve and you aren’t that gross together. But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t disgusted by you guys being all lovey dovey all the time.

And if Steve ever does hurt you just punch him in the face, I’m sure you can beat him in a fight too.”

You scoff in amusement and can’t help but let your tears run down your cheeks while your smile widens.

“With that said. Thank you for checking up on me after you left, y/n. I might’ve not sounded like I appreciated it, but I did, so thank you.

By the way, I think you’re cool. Your taste in music isn’t bad. Your skating could use help, but you’re cool. If I somehow end up living, maybe you can teach me how to ride a motorcycle!

From, Max.”

You lower the letter and pull away from Steve to wipe the tears off your face.

Max is alive, but reading her letter and knowing how she was , made that guilt grow tenfold. Now, there was a small part of you that wishes that you would’ve stayed behind to be the bait instead of Max.

“I should’ve waited,” you mutter to try and be lighthearted.

“Told ya so,” Steve quips.

You exhale deeply and fold the letter to put it back in one of the pockets in your vest, to then look out the front window and watch the road and the passing cars in a comfortable yet tense anxious silence. When you drift your eyes up the window you notice that the stars were covered by clouds of smoke that made the night here even darker. You try not to, but when you look out at the woods you were driving by, you can’t help but feel that chill again. That same cold chill you felt in The Upside Down that made you think something bad lurked in every corner.

The gates were closed now and this wasn’t the Upside Down, but that fear still clung onto you and made you tense, and has you traumatized. So much so that when Steve suddenly hit the brakes you let out a yelp and dug your nails in his hand while you clung your other hand into the armrest beside you.

“Ow,” he murmurs, but doesn’t focus long on what you did since he quickly parks on the side of the road to point back. “The RV, that was the RV!”

You let go of Steve’s arm and look back to see just that making a U-turn to park behind you.

As soon as it stops, you unbuckle yourself and throw the door open to climb out of the car and race towards the RV. Steve quickly gets ahead of you, and only picks up his pace more when he sees Dustin climb out of the RV.

“Henderson!” Steve exclaims.

Yet, Dustin doesn’t return the same energy, he offers Steve a smile, but it’s faint; he doesn’t even meet Steve halfway like you thought he would, he leaves Steve hanging. He actually looked upset, but you can’t tell why he was so gloomy right away. You know that even if he was tired he would’ve reacted the same way as soon as he saw Steve, but not this time.

And when you got closer to him, when you noticed how red and puffy his eyes were, and when failed to see his partner following him, you began to piece together why he looked so glum.

You hoped that you were just panicking, that the guilt and your fear were just getting the best of you—he was probably still inside, he wouldn’t run out to greet Steve and you. But when you reached Dustin, when he looked at Steve and you with tears gleaming his eyes, and a trembling frown, that hope, that delusion quickly began to crack.

It wasn’t until Robin walked out to the last step of the RV with a familiar look in her eyes, that all that hope you tried to hold onto completely broke away. After all, you knew that look, that heartbroken, pained, guilty, and knowing look. It was the same look Joyce gave you after Hopper didn’t walk out of the mall with her, the look that spoke the truth words couldn’t. Perhaps this time, you didn’t feel that same pain as that day, but it wasn’t easy this time around either.

Eddie was a friend. New, perhaps, mysterious due to the fact that you barely got to know him, but he was still a friend due to the circumstances you faced together. Knowing that he didn’t make it was a punch to the gut. Now the guilt you held intensified and punctured your heart, making that heartache much more insufferable.

“Eddie,” Dustin’s voice quivers even though you saw how he was trying to remain strong. “He tried to help me. H-he didn’t run and…got swarmed by bats…” he pauses and swallows thickly. “He…he didn’t…make it.”

Steve and you look at each other as you process the news you piece together, and because you saw how much Eddie meant to Dustin, is why it made it hard to come up with something comforting to say. Truthfully there was nothing you could really say that would make his pain hurt less. All you could offer him was an embrace in hopes that the gesture was enough to let him know you were both here for him.

Which, matter of fact, right as Steve and you secured Dustin in your arms, that strength he tried so hard to project crumbled and he broke down into a sob as he held onto Steve and you. It made you hug onto him tighter while you pressed your cheek against his head as a form of comfort. You didn’t want to but you had to cry with him.

After a while passed, you were the first one to let go while Steve stayed with him for a longer time. He only let go when Dustin was ready and grew too tired of standing on his feet.

When Dustin did break away is when he shared that he had hurt his leg, and that they couldn’t pull Eddie’s body out from the Upside Down so he had to leave him behind. Besides that, Dustin didn’t share much of anything else anymore, either from exhaustion or just grief and sadness, but he stayed quiet. Everyone did.

After that there was nothing else to do but go home.

The further you drove into the town though, the more destruction you saw; some houses were split in half, some were broken in different ways, streets were cracked, some telephone lines were down, the electricity flickered and the ambulance, police and firefighters all swarmed around every street. Their cars' cries sang for hours on end, the clamoring from people even traveled inside Steve’s house when you got home.

Besides what you were dealing with already, all the chaos that was happening outside made it hard to fall asleep, and only came when your body and mind couldn’t stand being awake a moment longer and knocked you out instead.

Or so you thought.

“I forgive you, you know that dad,” you swallow thickly and muster a wobbly smile. “I was scared I’d never see either of you again today, I can’t go on not telling you. I’m sorry for being so mean, I’m sorry for being such a bad daughter.” You cry and he quickly hugs you tightly.

“Don’t cry,” he says softly by your ear and tightens his embrace. “It’s okay.” He rubs your back and moves one of his arms behind your neck and keeps tightening his hold until it gets hard to breathe.

“Dad,” you groan and pat his back. “Daddy, I can’t…I can’t breathe.”

“I left you because I never truly loved you,” he begins to reveal bluntly. “It was a lot easier without you here. Eleven and I were happier.”

You begin to squirm around in his hold and begin to hit his back while you try to catch at least a small amount of air.

“You are the curse that broke my family apart. Your mother and I were doing fine until you came along. You ruined everything.”

He never said this. This isn’t true. He’d never say any of it. This is…this is fake, it’s all fake. Just a bad dream.

“First Sara, your mother, and me…”

No. No.

“Now Max and Eddie.”

With the strength you can muster you knee his groin and manage to make him loosen his hold enough to be able to push him away. But the moment you’re away from him and gasping for air, you glance up and instantly feel your breath hitch as you see that half of his body is burnt and the other half is covered in bruises and blood; he looks exactly the same he did in that vision Vecna showed you of his dead body.

“You did this to me!” He shouts. Only it’s not his voice, but Vecna’s. “You! You’re pathetic. You’re just a stupid accident that was never meant to be born! Your mother should’ve never had you.”

He begins to storm over to you and you quickly begin to back away. Yet, before you can get far, a slimy vine wraps around your throat. You try to scream, but it tightens its hold and cuts off the breath you were going to take and yanks you back to the ground.

Except, instead of hitting the gravel, the parking lot scenery suddenly disappears and you’re transported into a dark abyss the moment you hit the ground.

The vine around your throat then proceeds to unravel and slithers away, letting you push yourself to your feet and search for any sign of your father who is now suddenly gone.

“It’s just a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare,” you mutter to yourself and hold your head whilst you shut your eyes. “It’s just a nightmare. Wake up, wake up.”

“Y/N?”

Eleven?

No. It’s just a nightmare, she’s not here.

“Y/N? Please, I need help.”

No.

You begin hitting your head and keep your eyes shut.

“Help me! Y/N!” Eleven keeps crying out. “Help me!”

You shake your head and keep telling yourself to wake up.

“OPEN YOUR EYES!” Vecna bellows.

And from one second to the next your eyes are forced open and you’re forced to see Eleven in front of you with a vine around her throat.

“This isn’t real,” you keep insisting.

“Isn’t it?” Vecna rebuttals. “How do you know what’s real and what’s not? For all you know, all that you have lived through since I pulled you away from the Creel House, has been fake.”

You shake your head in denial and try not to cry and give into what he wants. You can’t fear him anymore.

“You really thought you could escape me?”

“No,” you sneer. “This is all fake!”

“Is it!” He counters loudly and then pulls Eleven away from you to tie her to a pillar. “Aren’t you going to save her? Are you going to let Eleven die?”

Eleven reaches out for you as she groans and squirms. And even if this was a nightmare, you instinctively begin to run towards her while your surroundings begin to turn red and the debris of the Creel house begins to appear around you; as if you were back in Vecna’s mind lair.

“Just hold on!” You yell out to Eleven. “I’m coming!”

Albeit, just before you can reach her, the sound of Steve’s voice stops you.

“Y/N? What’s going on?”

You blink, and hold your breath whilst you slowly turn around, noticing that your surroundings begin to change once again. Only this time you’re brought back to Steve’s room, this time he’s in the same pajama pants he wore before you went to bed. This time you’re in bed.

“Are you okay?”

It takes you a second to warm up to him, but he’s such a relief to see that you quickly throw yourself on him and cry into his shoulder. “It was just a nightmare,” you whisper.

Steve hums and holds you tight.

A few minutes pass before you’re good enough to pull away from him. “I’m okay,” you whisper.

Steve offers you a tired smile and pulls back to lay back down. But as he’s trying, a vine suddenly wraps around his throat and begins to choke him before he gets yanked away from you.

“Steve!” You cry out and reach out for him as he reaches out for you.

Once again your surroundings change and you’re returned to Vecna’s lair. This time though, you see both Eleven and Steve tied to pillars by the same vines that captured you.

“Choose one to save,” Vecna suddenly whispers by your ear, causing you to tense up and feel goosebumps as his breath unfurls by your ear. “You can only choose one. Your sister or the man you love.”

You shake your head and take a step back. “No,” you mumble under your breath. “This..this is all fake.” You turn around to face Vecna, but the moment you do, he’s not there, there’s nothing in front of you but darkness and the same fog that had filled the upside down.

The emptiness leaves you breathing in heavily and causes you to turn back around. However, just as you catch a glimpse of Eleven and Steve, your feet are suddenly restrained by vines that quickly pull you to the ground and drag you back, ripping you away from your sister and boyfriend, and making you scream.

When the vines let you go, the only thing you see is more darkness and fog. You suspect Vecna to show up, but there's nothing. Absolutely nothing but yourself and darkness, so you push yourself to your feet.

Nevertheless, that turns out to be a mistake since the moment you’re standing on your feet, large shards of glass begin to fall around you to cage you in and just reflect you.

For a while you waited for Vecna to show up and stare straight at you, but he doesn’t come nor does his voice break the silence, all you actually see are reflections of yourself. It leaves you confused and more terrified. Every step and movement you make, your reflection mirrors. Nothing sinister hid behind the reflections.

Their lips however, that’s the only thing that moved even if you yourself didn’t open your mouth.

“It’s your fault. It’s your fault,” they begin to taunt quietly at first, but gradually begin to get louder and louder until they’re screaming at you. “It’s your fault! Your fault! Your fault!”

You step back and shake your head to deny them, but they keep throwing accusations until suddenly they break into a sprint and charge at you. You want to run away, but you stay trapped within the mirror cage and instead end up falling to your knees to hold your head and crumble towards the ground.

Their screams get louder so you begin to cry out of fear and panic. “Stop! Stop! STOP!”

You squeeze your eyes shut and the moment you do, you feel arms wrap around you and pull you back while you even begin to hear your name being uttered.

“Y/N. Y/N—”

“Let me go,” you plead. “Let me go! Let me go!” You try to squirm, but their hold tightens and their voice sounds quieter and a lot more soother, instead of loud and rough.

“Y/N, it’s me. It’s me. It’s Steve. Open your eyes. You’re okay. It’s just a nightmare.”

You shut your mouth, but don’t open your eyes or let your body go from that tense hold.

“Y/N, baby you’re okay,” he keeps comforting you as he keeps his arms around you. “He’s gone. He can’t get you anymore.”

Your breaths are labored and your cheeks are dry even if tears threaten to fall.

“You’re home.”

Very slowly and cautiously you pull your eyes open and see Steve’s room lit by a light beside his side of the bed. It takes you a moment to really come to terms that what you’re seeing and living through is actually real. You actually wait to be pulled away or for everything to change around you again.

“I’m real,” he whispers. “I’m right here. I got you. This is all real. I’m here, I got you.” He presses a kiss on the side of your head and holds you closer.

“Steve,” you croak out and lift your hands to grab his arms secured around your neck.

“I know,” he interjects softly. “I know, baby. I’m here. I’m here.”

——

*THE NEXT DAY*

“…and at the last moment the oldest sister jumped, hopped and ran in front of the evil wizard's spell to save her youngest sister from the cruel fate. And in doing so, due to the sister's bravery, the wizard’s hand froze, his entire body than began to slowly freeze too until all that moved was the beating of his heart. Thump. Thump. And then, nothing.”

You sigh and turn the page of the book.

“The Wizard had suddenly succumbed to a fate of death. His reign came to an end and brought the land safety and joy once more. The dark cloud that loomed over the kingdom began to fade and brought the beaming and warm sun. But what’s meant to be a moment to rejoice and celebrate was far from it due to the fact that the sister's heart had also stopped the moment the spell hit her.”

Once again you stop to turn the page and continue reading to Max.

“But how, the other sister cried, how could she have died. Why did she save me? Why can’t I go too? She cried and her heart broke. Maybe, the prince proposed. Maybe there is one thing. A true love's kiss. For our love was grande. He didn’t fret to fall beside her body and didn’t hesitate to press a single kiss on her lips. Yet, her heart didn’t beat again, her breathing didn’t start and her eyes didn’t open to reveal their life and light. Such a cruel outcome made the sister pick her sister's body up in her arms to press her against her and cradle her sister once more.”

You flip the page and draw in a deep breath to slowly exhale as you continue to read the last page.

“She wept and cried for her sister. The tears she released, ran a trail down her cheek, they slipped down her jaw and hit the sister's cheek. And due to such unintentional actions, life restarted the sisters heart and breath once again began to circulate in her lungs, making her gasp, and alarming the sister of her presence. Sister, the waking sister spoke with a smile. For it wasn’t the prince's love that they needed, but the pure and deep love of sisters that was the salvation. The end.”

You close the book and smile at your hands as you begin to speak to Max. “It was corny, I know, but it was Sara’s favorite book.” You huff and slowly drift your eyes up to see that Max lay in her exact same position, she gave no reaction, her eyes remained closed. She almost looked dead.

If it wasn’t for the machine next to her telling you the opposite, you’d think she was dead.

Morning passed and she hasn’t waken up, the doctors mended her broken arms and her broken leg. They gave a solution for that, but they gave no solution for when she’d wake up again. They did say she was healthy, but…her brain was just…considered to be dead. They say it’s because her heart stopped beating for too long, but it isn’t true.

Of course you knew the truth, you all did, but they couldn’t know and there’s no way to explain that this monster from this other dimension cursed her and left her, so you had to leave it at that and hope she’d wake up soon.

“Maybe tomorrow I’ll start reading you Little Women,” you continue to say with a faint smile. “Or I’ll just bore you with my life story. It’s very exciting. Or maybe I’ll teach you Russian. That way we can talk shit and no one will know what we’re talking about,” you scoff and let your eyes linger on her as ou expect her to react or say something snarky back, but nothing happens, that makes your smile fall and makes you drop your eyes to let out a deep and shaky breath.

“I’ll put on some music now,” you mutter and push yourself off the seat beside her bed to walk over and turn on the boombox to start the song that had been playing previously.

“Maybe next time we can read something more entertaining,” Dustin remarks as you sit between Steve and Robin.

“Like?” You ask.

“Lord of the rings,” he suggests.

Steve scoffs. “You really think Max would want to hear that? What a snooze fest.”

“Like children books are any better,” Dustin rebuttals, making you scoff and snap back.

“It was just this one book!” You shoot him a glare and continue. “Why don’t you try reading something next time then!”

“I will.”

You roll your eyes and cross your arms over your chest before you rest your head back on the hard couch and slowly let your head fall on Robin’s shoulder.

“Who will save me from this masculinity if not you,” she says and rests her head on yours. “I really wish you didn’t have to go so soon.”

You sigh. “You and I both. But I have to go home. I have to graduate or my mothers ghost will come and haunt me.” You then begin to smile. “But hey, you have Nancy now.” You snicker. “I’m sure she’ll keep you company.”

Robin scoffs and pushes you away, only making you laugh until the door opens and Lucas walks in with Erica.

“Sorry,” he breaks the sudden silence. “It’s hard to get here with all the chaos happening around town.”

“Don’t worry,” Dustin assures him. “We don’t mind keeping her company. Besides, y/n was reading her a very fun book,” he adds with sarcasm.

You shoot Dustin a glare and just roll your eyes and keep quiet.

“Well,” Lucas sighs and sits beside Max. “You guys can go now. Thank you.”

“It’s okay,” Steve interjects. “We’ll stay a bit longer. We have nothing to do anyway.”

“Besides,” Dustin adds. “We should discuss…” he pauses and lets out a deep breath. “When we’ll have Eddie’s funeral. His body might not be with us, but I still want to have one for him.”

You grow uneasy and feel your jaw clench as the atmosphere only feels heavier.

“As we all know y/n’s leaving soon, so maybe tomorrow?” He asks and looks at Steve and you. “Unless you guys have something to do?”

You swallow thickly and let your hands fall to your lap as you give him an answer. “Well, considering the town is currently in shambles, there isn’t much to do, so no, we don’t have plans anymore.”

“Yeah,” Steve scoffs. “We’re free tomorrow. Robin?”

“Yeah,” she answers right away. “No, I’m free, I mean we don’t have any shifts at work so yes, I’m free.”

“Okay,” Dustin nods. “Good. I talked to Nancy already, she’s onboard. Tomorrow evening it is.”

You let your eyes fall to your lap and let a deep sigh escape out of your nose.

So much for a good spring break.

*LATER*

The only good thing about this spring break was confessing to Steve. It might’ve been under shitty circumstances, but that’s the only thing that came out of this spring break. The rest…well the rest has been full of pain, more grief and guilt beyond what you can handle.

Eddie…

And Max…

Eddie might’ve died from the blood loss due to the fucking bats, and Max went to a coma because of Vecna, but there’s something in you, some cruel and pestering voice that keeps telling you that you’re somehow responsible for their outcomes.

You’re the curse…

“If…” whisper to yourself as you pull your knees to your chest and lift your arms out of the bath water to gather soap bubbles in your palms. “I was faster…” You trail off and sigh as you pull your hands apart to let the bubbles go. “I’m sorry.”

You slouch and press your forehead against your knees. You don’t cry, or turn on the music that sat beside you, you don’t don’t say anything else, you just sit in the silence that covers the bathroom. It’s lonely; Steve said he was going to prepare some sandwiches since there wasn’t anywhere you could go out to, besides you wanted time to yourself…you didn’t like it, but it gave you a minute to just wallow.

It was dangerous really. Your mind just spun and spun crazy different things, but it’s only when you’re alone when you can think of how it all felt like you were the one to blame, like maybe it should’ve been you instead of Max and Eddie.

Maybe.

“Y/N?” Steve’s voice breaks that silence before he knocks on the door.

You sigh and lift your head to wipe your face and muster a smile before you answer. “Come in.”

The knob turns and slowly the door pushes open before Steve pokes his head inside to share what he needed to say. “Someone’s on the phone for you. Can you talk now, or do you want to do it later?”

You perk up and slip a hand on the bathtub to lean forward and wave him inside—“is it Joyce?” You ask with hope.

Steve shakes his head and steps inside to close the door behind him before walking in to hand you the phone. “It’s someone else. A…friend,” he says with a little disdain while he sets down a plate on the counter beside the tub

You narrow your eyes and hesitantly take the phone to slowly press it by your ear and cautiously speak. “Hello?”

“Y/N?” A familiar boyish voice you haven’t heard in a while spoke. “Oh my gosh! Oh my fucking god!”

You narrow your gaze further and furrow your eyebrows to ask, “Dylan?”

“We saw what happened in Hawkins! We’ve been fucking worried!” He kept speaking. “A-are you okay? We haven’t been able to get a hold of you! We tried California but no one answers the phone! Nita then said to try your friend, the girl! That girl! Uh, your friend! Rosin. Ro…well, whatever! But she didn’t answer so we called your aunt and…”

How…how does he know you’re here?

“Dylan,” you cut him sharply. “I’m fine. I’m…okay.” You look up at Steve as you see him undressing. “How did you get my boyfriend's number? Actually how did you know I was here?”

The other line goes silent for a few seconds before he answers a bit cautiously. “Well…your aunt,” he coughs and laughs nervously. “She had this number. And well…she might’ve known where you’ve been because of…well—okay! Don’t say I told you, okay?! Nita will kill me, but she said that your aunt and the woman you stay with talk to keep your aunt updated about you since you don’t call anymore! So that lady told your aunt, your aunt told Nita, and Nita told Aylen, and Aylen told me.” He exhales and waits for you to respond next.

However, you’re a bit distracted by Steve naked beside you to respond right away.

“Y/N? You still with me?” Dylan cuts in, causing you to part your lips to try and speak, but you stay distracted by Steve until he practically jumps in the water and causes a wave of water and bubbles to splash out of the tub and also hit you.

“Oh, amazing,” you mutter and cover your face a bit too late.

“Huh?”

You clear your throat and focus back on the phone. “Uh, well that’s great you know, Dylan, I love that little chain you guys have going on.”

Thanks Joyce.

“Well,” Dylan continues slowly. “You don’t call so this is the only way we can reach you now. Which it isn’t your fault, your dad died, we get that, but you know we’re here. Your friends. Just ‘cause you have a boyfriend and you live somewhere else doesn’t mean that you don’t have us.” He sighs and his voice softens. “We’ve been worried.”

A deep sigh escapes your lips and as you drop your head, Steve leans forward to try and listen in, but you cover his face with your hand and push him away with your foot.

“Yeah…I’m sorry. It’s..it’s been…” you hesitate to actually give him an answer. But you decide that you need to. “…tough, an even tougher week. I’m trying to do better.” You share quietly and begin to smile softly. “Are you guys okay? I..I’ve missed you guys.”

“School is kicking our asses, but we’re hanging in there—Wait! You know who’s been asking about you?” You can practically see his smirk from where you are.

“Who?” You sigh whilst Steve grabs your foot and pulls you towards him, making you yelp.

“You okay?” Dylan interjects.

“Yes!” You exclaim and splash water to Steve, but he just blocks the water with his hand and snickers.

“Oh, well it’s Danny! You remember him right?”

Oh. Nice.

“He came back to visit! And he asked about you! Did you know he’s in the Military now! He’s a pilot.”

You raise your eyebrows and spare a glance at Steve who keeps trying to listen in. This time he actually caught the sound of the name Dylan uttered. Because of course he did.

“Well, that’s nice,” you say with a bit of spite. “But I do have a boyfriend. Did you tell him that?”

“No, it slipped my mind. But it’s not like you’re going to see Danny, now are you?”

“No.” You deadpan.

“Then? Nothing to worry about.”

You roll your eyes and catch Steve’s gaze as he reaches for your arm now to pull you closer to him.

“True…” you hesitate and want to end that conversation there, but there was one piece of information that was bugging you. “So, do you know if Danny is still with that slut Arianna?” You sit up and wait in anticipation.

“No actually they broke up before he entered Boot Camp.”

You slap your hand against the tub and squeal. “Haha! That’s what that bitch gets!” You grin but when you remember Steve’s with you, you clear your throat and slouch again.

“Look Dylan, thank you for reaching out. You shouldn’t have, but thank you. I’m glad you did.” You share sweetly and begin fiddling with Steve’s hand. “I’m okay. I…came out of that…earthquake unscathed.” You swallow thickly and begin to frown and grow upset again. “I’ve really missed you guys, and I promise to start calling again, okay?”

“Or I’ll call you again.” He says, making you scoff softly.

You nod and mutter, “sounds good. I’ll leave you for now, I don’t have much time left with Steve so I’m trying to enjoy the time I have. I’ll call the girls soon though. Bye.”

“Bye, y/n. Bye Steve!” He shouts out loud enough that you have to pull the phone away from your ear, while Steve grows still with surprise. “Bye.”

“Bye,” you say one last time before you hang up the phone and leave the line in silence, something that lets you put the phone on a dry spot on the ground to then focus on Steve.

He averts his gaze though and holds this tightlipped half smile. “So Danny huh?” He rolls out slowly with a slow nod.

You roll your eyes and shake your head to assure him. “Don’t worry about him, okay? He's a thing of the past, Dylan just doesn’t know when to shut up.” You proceed to grab his other hand while you rest your chin on your knees to offer him a sweet smile. “I love you.”

Steve rolls his eyes and huffs. “Don’t sweet talk me, Hopper.”

Your smile widens, making your eyes squint together. “I love you,” you say again.

Steve rolls his head to the side and drifts his eyes back to you whilst he tries to hold back his smile. “I….love you,” he groans.

You beam at him and scoot yourself closer to him to have both of your legs secured beside each other’s sides.

“How are you feeling?” He asks and miraculously drops the other subject. “Better? Refreshed?”

You part your lips and slowly lower your gaze to nod. “I’m refreshed.” You pull your hands away from his and begin playing with the bubbles. “I’m okay.”

Steve huffs and leans his face closer to you to talk softer. “What’s up? I mean it’s weird that you wanted to take a bath alone. And I saw your face as I came in. You have me worried.”

You hesitate. You don’t want to bring the mood down. You don’t want to just keep dumping everything on him.

But you also can’t keep things from him when he wants to know. It’s so easy to do that and just store everything inside.

But you can’t keep doing that unless you want to lose him. And that…it’s a fate worse than death.

“I…” you mutter. “I can’t stop thinking about Max. About what happened.” You shake your head and stop playing with the bubbles to hold your knees instead. “And Eddie…” you pause and swallow thickly as a lump begins to form in your throat, and tears begin to sting your eyes against your will. “Especially Max, I mean she…hasn’t woken up, and seeing her today…I don’t know.” You look up at Steve and catch his own frown; it’s a lot more faint, but it’s there, as is his own sadness.

“If I had been faster trying to get out of the trance maybe I could’ve helped her,” you continue in a shaky voice as you point to yourself. “Or maybe if I was with her, I could’ve stopped it.” You lower your gaze to focus on the floating bubbles formed on the body of water. “I could’ve saved her,” you cry. “Or maybe it could’ve been me. Not her.”

Tears escape past your eyes and roll down your cheeks.

“But now,” you croak. “I feel like it’s on me.”

“Why though?” Steve rebuttals quietly but with no quiver in his voice. “You weren’t the one that cursed her. You didn’t break her bones or put her in that coma—”

“But I couldn’t save her,” you cut him off. “He showed me what everyone was going through when I got stuck in my trance and I still couldn’t save her. I—”

“We,” Steve interjects sharply, pulling your eyes to him. “We didn’t save her. You aren’t the only one to blame in this situation either. We were the ones that were supposed to stop him before he could do anything, but we didn’t. I’m supposed to be the babysitter and I couldn’t help her so it’s not just your fault.”

“Or yours,” you quickly defend him. “You were tangled by those vines, you fought for her and everyone else. Don’t blame yourself please.” You grab his cheeks and caress his warm skin. “You tried your best, going to confront Vecna, was you being the babysitter. You threw the first Molotov, you. You helped in the best way you could, you took care of them, you always do.” You exhale and notice that a few tears escape out of his eyes as you provide him with comfort he didn’t want to admit he needed so he could be strong for you. “You were the hero. So please don’t blame yourself. It was me, I—”

“Stop,” he interrupts you again. “Just stop. We’re just going to go in circles here. It wasn’t anyone's fault but Vecna’s. He hurt her. Not us. We tried our best. We stuck to the plan. It was him, okay? You don't have powers like your sister did so don’t blame yourself. We all tried our best, that’s what counts, you know that’s what she’d tell you.”

You draw in a deep shaky breath and slowly lower your hands and avert his gaze as you offer him a small nod and slowly exhale.

Albeit, Steve wasn’t at all convinced by your response so he continues to stress his comment. “Do you understand me, y/n? It’s not your fault. Max and Eddie wouldn’t blame you. You tried your best, we all did, we all knew the consequences. None of it is your fault, so please stop beating yourself up, understand?” He grabs your cheeks with his hands to lift your face. “Look at me and tell me you understand. None of it was your fault. It isn’t your fault. Do you understand?”

You frown deepens and tears keep gleaming your eyes. You want to argue against him, tell him it is, but you had to recognize there is some truth behind his statement. Even if it’s hard not to keep blaming yourself, you knew he was right.

To some degree.

“I understand,” you mumble.

“Huh?”

You roll your eyes and sigh before repeating yourself louder. “I said, I understand.”

Steve sighs and drops his hands from your cheeks to push your knees down and pull you closer to his chest to continue the conversation. “Believe me it’s hard seeing Max like that, but the best thing we can do is try to be…I don’t know, positive. For them. For the kids. They need it.”

You snuggle your head against his chest and let him stroke your shoulder with his hand, whilst he let the other hand lazily hang off the tub.

“Yeah,” you agree. “You’re right.” You sigh and look up at him. “You'll visit her for me, yeah? I would love to keep her company, but I need to go home. Eleven needs me too.”

Steve nods without hesitance. “Of course. I’ll try to go before work. And on my days off.”

You nod in agreement and stay quiet after that.

Steve proceeds to press a kiss on the top of your head, causing you to tilt your head back so he could press another on your lips.

“I love you,” you murmur against his lips.

Steve smiles and lifts his hand to stroke your cheek. “I love you too,” he repeats softly. “So much…It may sound selfish, but I’m happy you survived.”

You smile at him and slide your hand up to his jaw to share your truth. “I’m selfish too then because I’m glad you made it out too.” You lean in and share a more passionate kiss before you break away and lower your head to continue sadly. “I’m going to miss you. I hate leaving,” you groan and feel his hand stiffen before he begins to pull away.

“About leaving,” he rolls out slowly and a bit awkwardly. “I have something for you.” He pulls away from you so he can climb out of the tub and make his way to the door, leaving behind a slippery trail, but making you smirk.

“Nice ass, Harrington,” you throw at him as you watch him leave the bathroom.

Steve looks back and shoots you a smirk before he disappears into his room. He doesn't take long at all though, but he does return a few seconds later with a wooden shelf from his drawer. “This is for you.”

You straighten up and watch him climb back in the tub to then comment on said object. “Ah. A drawer? Well, I hate to say it but that won’t fit in my luggage sweetie.”

Steve shoots you a glare before he brushes his hair back with his fingers and turns the drawer to explain himself. “This will stay here, but it’s special. You know why? Because it’s yours. For you.”

You bite the inside of your cheek and just blink in confusion, causing Steve to sigh deeply and become impatient. “What I’m asking since you don’t seem to understand is if you want to move in with me? Hence the drawer. It’s for your clothes.”

“Hence?” You chuckle nervously even if you were really, truly dying on the inside. “Ha.”

“What?” He rebuttals. “Are we moving too fast? Because if we are, all that shit I said about the six nuggets was because I thought I was going to die. We don’t have to have them. We—”

You cut Steve off by covering his mouth so you can assure him. “No. That’s fine, I’m,” you giggle. “I’m just surprised you know? I didn’t expect it.” You lower your hand and begin to frown as you share your only concern. “What about Eleven though? I can’t leave her.”

“She can move in with us, I’m saving up money to buy a place of my own so we don’t have to live with my parents, and so Eleven has a room of her own. I’m not asking you to leave her behind, I wouldn't ask that, ever. Unless I want your dad to come haunt me forever.”

You snort and giggle. “That’d be bad,” you mutter nervously since butterflies were fluttering like crazy in your stomach and your heart beat at a speed you thought impossible.

“Of course it’d be after you graduate,” he continues to explain. “You could, I don't know, go to college close by. Or start your police academy in the city since it’s something you want to do. I’m going to get a better job that pays more. Eleven could start school with Mike, Dustin and Lucas.” He shrugs. “But it’s up to you. If it’s easier being in California, that’s okay too. I just wanted to ask, and well…I almost lost you once, I don’t want to risk that again.”

A deep breath furls in through your nose and you hold that in your chest while you progress his words.

It’s not that you didn’t want to, all he said sounded perfect. He just took you by surprise, that's all.

“I,” you stammer and slowly meet his gaze. “I do want to.” You grin and nod. “Yes. That sounds good! I mean I’d have to talk to my sister, so I’ll have to give you a definite answer then, but I’m sure she’d be okay with it.” You hold his gaze for a second before you throw your arms around him to hug him tightly. “I don’t think we’re moving too fast. I mean, I feel like it’s all good! Perfect!”

Steve drops the drawer and returns your embrace to press a kiss on your forehead and smile down at you with this soft loving look in his eyes. “Yeah, exactly!”

You squeal and hug him tighter. “I love you,” you share happily. “I do, I love you.”

Steve chuckles and lifts your head to press a kiss on your lips. “I’m in love with you.”

You beam at him and scoff. “I’m in love with you.”

“Yeah, I’ll never get tired of hearing that,” he says honestly.

“Good, I’ll never stop saying it,” you retort and rest your head back on his arm while you keep grinning at him.

Steve then tilts his head and smirks. “I thought of a name,” he begins to change the subject as he reaches over for the plate with two sandwiches. “First name, Tony. Middle name, Montana. Tony Montana Harrington.” He bounces his eyebrows and hands you your sandwich. “Cool, right?”

You feign a smile and nod to make him believe it was a good name. But he saw straight through you and immediately rebutted against it. “You chose Leia and Luke. I get this.”

He’s right….of course.

You groan and give in. “Fine. Fine, but one thing,” you clear your throat and pull your hand off him to make a finger gun. “Who you think you fucking with?” You quote in the character's accent. “I’m Tony Montana! You fuck with me you fucking with the best.”

Steve’s smile falls, but slowly he breaks into a teasing laugh. “You’re a dork,” he teases you in between laughs. “You’re lucky I love you.” He hugs you tighter and leans down to press kisses on your face, making you break into a genuine and hearty laugh.

Thanks to him the trouble you rested on your shoulders lifted, and for a while, just for a little while you were carefree and happy.

*THE NEXT DAY*

“…So wherever you might be I hope you see Sara and give her a hug for me, tell her how much I miss her and that I’ll never forget her, like I’ll never forget you.

Love, your Little Valentine.” You sigh and fold your letter to then sit in silence.

Birds fly by, the sound of Steve’s engine sounds nearby, and the whisperings of Dustin, Steve and Robin echoe quietly.

“I’ll take care of Eleven. You know I will,” you speak to the grave beside you. “I know that she’s been MIA lately, and I’m sorry for that, but I try my best. I hope you understand.” You turn your head to look at your fathers grave. “I also hope you’re not mad that I might be moving too fast with Steve. I just…I love him and I can’t see myself with anyone else. He makes me happy.” You press your hand on the cold stone and smile.

“I miss you every time I wake up,” you continue. “I always will.” You swallow thickly and lean forward to press your forehead against the grave. “I love you dad. I’ll try to be better.” You close your eyes and exhale deeply.

Silence lingers for a little while as you keep your forehead pressed against the stone. You expected to cry for your visit, but surprisingly you weren’t in tears, you weren’t happy either though, but little by little you’re actually beginning to grieve for him now. It's sad not having him anymore, but you’re feeling a bit better about his death.

“I’ll visit again,” you say as you pull away to stand back on your feet and return to the car.

“Okay,” you direct at your friends with a faint smile. “I’m done, we can go.”

Robin steps forward and offers you a sweet smile. “All better?”

You smile at her and exhale deeply. “A bit.”

Once you’re close to the car, Steve grabs your shoulder to rub it as a form of consolation. You offer him a sweet smile and let his hand slide off your shoulder while you walk to the passenger side since you couldn’t linger outside the car because you already agreed to help Nancy donate some things to those currently in need.

However, right before you could reach your door, Dustin runs past you to reach the passenger door first.

“Shotgun!” He yells, causing Steve to stop as he was going to open his door, and causing Robin and you to also stop in your tracks to look over at your child friend. “I call shotgun!”

“No!” Steve quickly counters. “No. Children ride in the back.”

“I’m not a child Steve,” Dustin rebuttals in a serious voice. “I’m sure you can survive without having your girlfriend riding beside you for one drive.”

Steve’s eyes narrow, whilst Robin and you actually find amusement in this little banter—“Rules are rules. When y/n is here, her seat is the passenger seat.”

“Unless I drive,” you interject with a smile. But they ignore you.

“Well,” Dustin scoffs. “If someone calls shotgun that actually comes before stupid girlfriend rules.”

“Hey,” you exclaim as you throw your hands out.

Steve props his arm on the car’s hood and keeps arguing. “My car, my rules. Go. Back.”

Robin and you share an annoyed look now, but this time instead of interjecting you step back and turn to skip once and then run to snatch Steve’s keys from his hand. “Mommy’s driving now, children. And Robin’s riding shotgun.”

Robin grins and strolls over to the passenger door whilst Steve tries to argue with you now. Albeit, you just gently push him aside and climb into the seat to quickly close the door in his face and shoot him a smile.

Steve then tries to open the door, but you quickly slam the lock down and smile wider.

“Y/N,” Steve protests as he keeps pulling the handle. “You’re not driving.”

You hold his gaze and struggle to put the key in the hole, but once you do, you start the car and smirk.

“I’ll go slow,” you assure him and bat your eyelashes. “Promise.”

Steve challenges you for a few more seconds, but ultimately decides to give in and sit in the back. Dustin on the other hand struggled for a few seconds, he wants to keep arguing, but he gives up this time and just shows his annoyance by groaning and climbing in the back too.

“Can I be in charge of the music?” Robin asks after she puts on her seatbelt.

You look over at her and nod. “Of course sweetheart.” You then put on your sunglasses and look back at Dustin to tell him one last thing. “Tighten your seatbelt, we don’t have a booster seat for you.” You smirk and he glares at you before he flips you off. His reaction just makes you snicker while you turn away to change the gear and begin driving out of the cemetery.

“Maybe we can check out your rock cassettes?” Robin teases you while she flips through the music you had in the stereo.

You scoff. “Yeah, I kind of destroyed those a long time ago.” You sigh deeply and keep your eyes on the road.

“Too hardcore?”

You shake your head. “Just…” You clear your throat and whisper. “Ex reasons.”

Robin looks over at you and grins. “You dated a rockstar, Hopper?” She says loudly.

“No,” you retort. “He was not a rock star, he liked rock but he was no rockstar.”

Robin looks over her shoulder and shoots Steve a smirk before looking back at you. “Wow. Who would’ve thought you were into bad boys. You would’ve loved The Hair Harrington over there in his prime years in high school then.”

“Prime years?” Steve remarks.

You scoff and shake your head in disapproval. “Please, from what you and Jonathan have told me, I would’ve hated Steve in his, “prime years”,” you say as you air quote with your fingers. “No offense or anything, Steve.”

“I wouldn't blame you,” Steve quickly replies.

“Anyway!” You exclaim. “Danny wasn’t a bad boy. The only bad boy I dated was Billy, but that was mostly to get back at my dad.”

“So it is Danny!” Steve interjects.

You ignore Steve and reach for your bag to rummage through the cassettes you carry. “We can listen to uh, I don’t know, Come And Get Your Love, since you can’t pick a song.”

Robin huffs and lolls her head to the side in annoyance. “You’re only suggesting that song ‘cause you’re in love.”

“What?” You chuckle. “It’s a good song!”

Robin leans over and changes the songs until she gets to the one you want. “I hate failed romances.”

“Don’t give up, they’ll be better people out there, if not just have fun. Mess around.” You glance back at her and offer her a smile. “You’re young, smart, beautiful and cool.”

Robin exhales deeply and just slouches in her seat. “If that’s what you say,” she grumbles.

You steal one last glance at her and smirk as an idea pops into your mind.

Once you’re out of the cemetery and turn to the big street, you smirk deeper and press on the gas, and don’t keep your promise to Steve.

And of course he begins to freak out. “Hey! Hey! Slow down!”

You grin and ignore him while Robin begins to giggle since Steve is freaking out. You actually end up ignoring Steve for a few miles until your fun is forced to a stop since you do face traffic.

At least it was a nice distraction for a while.

“You’re not driving my car ever again,” Steve throws at you once you arrive at Nancy’s house.

You shut the door and smile as you skip towards him to wrap your arms around his waist and whisper. “Admit it, you had fun. I’m a cool driver.”

“Hardly,” he rebuttals and stays with you as Robin goes to let Nancy know you’re here. “This isn’t another one of your dirt bikes, you know that.”

You hum in agreement. “Can I drive for the rest of the day?” You disregard his comment.

Steve draws in a deep breath and looks back at you to meet your gaze. “Yeah, fine,” he breathes out. “Just this once.”

You grin and press a kiss on his back. “I love you,” you share.

A faint smile tugs on his lips, but he plays cool by sighing. “I love you.”

You pull away and stay by the trunk to wait for the girl you’re here to help. And once Nancy does walk out of her house, you all begin to help her load boxes of stuff inside the car right away.

“By the way before I leave I think it’s important that we girls have a talk.”

Robin pulls her head back to look at you. “About?” She probes.

You set the book down in the box and smile. “Stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?” Steve queries.

Robin and you look at him and you shoot him a pointed glare. “Girl stuff,” you clarify as you cross your arms over your chest. “Sorry no boys allowed.”

“Really?” Nancy asks.

You scoff. “Yeah, I mean I can’t tell my boyfriend everything. Besides…” you lean towards her and whisper. “I'm going to talk about him. Something he said.”

“No,” she huffs. “I mean are you sure you want to talk to me?”

You look at her puzzled and nod. “Why not? Unless you don’t want to. Which is fine.”

Sure, trusting her completely is going to take time, but well, after what you’ve faced together, after spending time with her you actually want to keep her as a friend. Not just because she and Jonathan are dating and it’d be awkward, but because you really want to now. She’s cool.

Nancy smiles at the thing in her hand and nods. “No I do. I just wasn’t sure. Thank you.”

You offer her a smile and continue to look through her things and change the subject. “Hopefully you’re not donating your Tom Cruise poster,” you smile while Steve hands you stuff so you can pass it to Dustin. “Because if you are, I can find it a home.”

Nancy looks up at you and scoffs in amusement, whilst Steve just shakes his head in disapproval. She was actually going to add something, but just before she can, her mom cuts her off. “Hey, Nance! I found some more of your old stuff in the attic.”

Nancy turns away to walk to her mom, letting you continue to just look through her stuff.

“You don’t need a Tom Cruise poster,” Steve adds. “You have me. You can look at me all the time when we move in together.”

Robin begins to chuckle and adds a remark to his comment. “Excuse me, what?”

You lean forward and shoot her a dismissive whisper. “We’ll talk later.”

“Oh…Oh!”

You snicker softly and finally address Steve’s comment. “It’s for Eleven. Maybe if she stares at it long enough, her taste in guys will change. She’ll move on from you know, and lay her eyes on someone…well someone else.”

“Hey!” Dustin is quick to defend Mike.

“That’s not fair,” Robin interjects. “She could say the same about you.”

“Hey, what?” Steve interjects sharply while he fixes the boxes inside the trunk. “Eleven loves me, okay?”

You catch Nancy coming over and just leave the subject alone for now—you didn’t hate Mike, he’s okay, he’s good with your sister, but well let’s just say your annoyance towards him hasn't really disappeared.

“Here’s another one,” Nancy adds as she walks over to hand you the box.

You take it and hand it to Steve, whilst you ignore the tire screeches happening in the street to keep focusing on what you’re doing.

However, Mrs. Wheeler does end up distracting you and everyone else. “Did someone order a pizza?”

“Pizza?” Dustin asks and looks back while you and others do the same the moment a horn blares.

And once you do look back, you immediately recognize the pizza van and know right away who it belongs to before you actually spot the familiar faces.

“Oh,” you gasp breathlessly.

For once, Argyle was actually a sight for sore eyes.

“It's them,” you mutter with a growing smile.

When the van stops in the driveway and the doors open, the first people to walk out are Argyle and Jonathan. Mike and Will follow to walk out from the back, and behind them all though, is the one person who brings you tears, joy and relief to see.

Eleven.

She was okay. She…she looked different, but she was safe and okay. She was there. She was okay.

Furthermore, the moment Eleven's eyes fall on you, her smile begins to tremble and she doesn’t hesitate even for a second to break into a sprint towards you.

Without hesitation of your own, you break into your own sprint and meet her halfway to throw your arms around each other.

“You’re okay,” she instantly says. “You’re okay.”

Happy tears break out of your eyes and you nod eagerly. “I’m okay. I’m here. You,” cry and pull away to cup her cheeks so you can look at her shaved head. “What happened?” You slide your hand up and stroke the side of her head. “What happened?”

“Papa,” she shares. “He happened. But it’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Okay?”

You frown and sniffle. “I’m sorry,” you say. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I tried calling, but no one answered. I’m sorry.”

Eleven shakes her head and lifts her eyes away from the scars around your throat that the bats left, to assure you sweetly. “But you did help with One. That’s what matters. You helped me and the others.” Her smile falters and her voice proceeds to break. “I was scared I lost you,” she begins to cry. “He showed me you in a trance. He said you…died….he showed me…” she pauses since she can’t even finish her sentence.

“But I’m here,” you comfort her. “I escaped. Once thanks to Steve and the others, and the second time because he was busy with Max, and you I assume. But I’m here.” You wipe the tears off her face and whisper. “I’m here.”

Eleven nods and then hugs you again.

“I love you Eleven,” you finally share. “I was scared I was going to lose you. I’m glad I didn’t. I love you, sis.”

Eleven’s hands clutch onto you and she giggles. “I love you too.”

You grin and pull away, letting her continue to speak. “You’ll tell me what happened later? Because I have something to tell you too.”

“Yeah,” you nod. “We can talk later because…” you pause and smile a bit shyly. “I need to tell you something too.”

“Okay,” she agrees and looks beside you as she catches Steve walking over.

“Hey. You’re okay,” he tells her.

You step away to let her step towards him. “Yeah,” she says with a smile. “You are too. Good.”

Steve scoffs and nods. “Yeah, I’ll say.”

Eleven giggles and walks over to Steve to hug him. It takes him by complete surprise but he hugs her back.

“Thank you,” you hear her say. “For taking care of my sister. For saving her too. I’m happy she has you.”

“It was all her,” he replies with a soft smile. “She saved me actually.”

Your smile widens into a grin as you can’t help but feel your heart skipping with joy as you see your favorite people interact.

“Thank you, anyway,” she says anyway before she pulls away to then walk over to Dustin.

You turn as well to look for Jonathan and Will. And they’re not so hard to spot since they were both busy talking with someone else. But when they do notice you’re finally free they both walk over to you at the same time.

“Hey, guys,” you greet happily and meet them halfway to take them in for an embrace. “You guys are okay,” you whisper with relief

“So are you,” Will says.

“Are you?” Jonathan asks.

You nod and feel your heart at ease now. ��Yeah, I’m okay. I am now.” You all pull away but stay in front of each other. “You guys look like shit,” you giggle.

Jonathan scoffs and nods. “We’ve been through hell for the past couple of days.”

“Yeah,” you scoff. “Me too. One of those reasons is because you guys wouldn’t answer or call. I’ve been worried to say the least.”

“Sorry,” Will interjects as he scratches the back of his neck. “We haven’t been able to call. When we did try, our calls wouldn’t go in.”

You exhale and assure them. “It’s okay. You’re here now that’s what matters….I’ve missed you guys.”

Jonathan smiles at the ground and Will is the one that answers. “We’ve missed you too. We needed you actually.”

“Really?” You query with a growing grin. “Nice,” you huff and lick your lips to continue more seriously. “Anyway. We need to have a family meeting as soon as possible. I heard from a little bird that something happened that neither of you bothered to share.”

Jonathan and Will look at each other to share a quick concerned look before they nod in agreement and then quickly break away to return to the people they had been talking with before to avoid your anger, letting Argyle walk up to you now. “Y/N!”

You look over at him and smile. “Argyle. You know,” you sigh. “I don’t want to ask how you got mixed into all this. I’m glad you’re okay though.”

“Don’t ask,” he chuckles. “You won’t believe it. I hardly do.” He looks past you and his smile widens. “Steve! Hey my man!”

Said man walks over and offers Argyle a tightlipped smile and a stiff nod. “Hey.”

You bite the inside of your cheek and huff in amusement. Argyle then wants to add something else, but the sound of Eleven's voice cuts him off. “Y/N.”

You turn around to face her, Dustin, Will and Mike. “Yes?” You ask.

“We’re going to go visit Max, is that okay?”

You nod but begin to frown. “Of course. I’m going to go with Steve to drop some things off, we can meet you there after.”

“No,” Mike quickly interjects, pulling your eyes to him. “We can’t. She can’t.”

You narrow your eyes on him and quirk a brow to question him without the need to actually ask.

“I have my powers back,” Eleven continues for Mike. “But bad men are looking for me.”

Now your eyebrows begin to furrow and you quickly deadpan. “Explain. Now.”

“Later,” Will says. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Just don’t pack,” Dustin adds with a teasing smirk.

No one laughs or smiles, Steve just gets confused and Eleven ignores him to add something else. “For now just meet at home after you are done. I will be there.”

You sigh deeply and just nod since all you can do is agree even if you have a lot to ask. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the cabin then.”

The boys and Argyle begin to leave towards Nancy and Jonathan, but Eleven stays to ask one more thing. “Can I have some money? I want to buy Max something.”

Without hesitance, you agree. “Yeah, you can,” you nod and then try to walk back to Steve’s car to get your purse, but he actually catches you by surprise first.

“How much do you want?” He asks her, causing your jaw to drop.

“Steve,” you try to stop him with a whisper. “It’s okay. I have money.”

Steve ignores you and takes out his wallet, while Eleven is a bit off guard too. She actually first looks over at you to check in.

“Just here,” Steve continues and pulls out a twenty. “You can keep the change.”

“Steve,” you whisper with an awestruck look now painted on your features.

He looks over at you and offers you a sweet smile. “It’s okay,” he adds. “I got her.”

Your heart begins to race and an admiring and loving smile grows on your features. “Thank you,” you mumble.

His smile widens and turns softer as he holds your gaze. “You’re my girl. I got you. I got the both of you.”

God. He needs to be kissed right now.

“Well,” Eleven interrupts your moment. “Thank you, Steve.” Her eyes drift to you and she offers you a teasing smile before she begins to walk back. “I’ll see you later.”

You nod quickly and wave at her. Once she turns away you clear your throat and address Steve. “Again,” you say as you turn to walk back to Steve’s car. “Thank you, I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t,” he quickly rebuttals. “It’s okay, really. I told you I want you in my life. She’s important to you so she’s important to me too. That means I’m looking out for her too.” He throws his arm around your shoulder and smirks. “Besides, I like the cool points.”

You roll your eyes and scoff as you counter back. “If she loves you already, how come you need cool points then?”

“Don’t be jealous. You’re still my favorite girl.”

“Okay,” you scoff. “But I’m not jealous.”

——

*LATER*

“Oh god,” you mutter in disbelief as all you see as you walk in the high school is all the displaced people due to the gates ripping apart the town.

It’s so sad seeing the town you still consider home be so torn apart because of something they didn’t even know happened. Seeing all the missing people posters lost to the gates opening is just so depressing, especially because you could see the desperation of all the people waiting for an answer.

What got you the most though was Eddie’s poster. One, because jackasses vandalized it, two, because his uncle is still hopeful he’s around. Even after all the lies that have come out, he’s still hopeful. He’s still looking for Eddie; a man no one will know died a hero to help this town that hated him.

And that knowledge, and the anger that boiled within you is what makes you storm over to the missing persons board to rip Eddie’s vandalized poster off to crumble it up, and throw it in the trash.

“Good riddance,” the cop quickly commented after he caught you.

You snap your head towards him and shoot him a nasty glare. “Watch your mouth,” you snap.

“Excuse me?” He sneers as he looks at you up and down and then focuses on your face with a scowl.

You huff and tilt your head since you don’t back down. “You heard me. Watch your mouth and have some respect.”

The cop parts his lips to argue back immediately, but something seems to go off that makes him step back and dismiss you. “Move along.”

Now you look at him up and down to shoot him one more glare before you turn on your heels and rejoin your group and ignore Steve and Robin’s impressed faces.

“Thank you,” Dustin whispers as you continue towards the donation table.

You look over at him and smile softly. “Of course,” you comfort him.

“Hi,” you hear Robin greet the volunteer girl.

When you stop between her and Dustin you set your box down and catch the girl's reply. “Hi.”

“Uh, so these are blankets and sheets,” Robin shares while she points to the boxes you all brought in. “And some…some clothes and…and some kid’ toys.”

“Wow. It’s already so organized.” The girl huffs and smiles. “We appreciate that. Do you want a tax receipt for it?”

Robin, Steve and you share a confused look that gives Robin the answer to say. “Uh, no. I don’t think that we need one. Thank you, though.”

“But,” you interject and lean in towards the table. “Is there anything else that we can do to help?”

The girl puts her pen down on the clipboard and looks at the four of you with a relieved smile before she sends Steve and you off to the clothing section, while Robin gets sent to the cafeteria, and Dustin gets sent to help the people.

“We take from these piles of clothes and then we sort by age. We got infants, girls, boys, men, women,” the volunteer lady lets you know as she points to the different sections. “Oh, if anything is in too bad shape we really don’t want that.”

“Okay,” you say as you follow her with a pile of clothes she had already given you. “Sounds easy.”

The lady suddenly turns around, causing you to take a big step back. “Thank you so much, we appreciate the help.”

You offer her a smile and a nod. “Of course.”

She mirrors the smile before she walks away to let you work.

“This is easy,” you whisper to yourself and put down the pile of clothes to begin sorting them in their right places.

It isn’t hard at all.

But, when you do get to your last piece of clothing you couldn’t help but pout out of awe. “Oh my god!” You exclaim and lift the little dress up and beam at it.

“What? What?” Steve asks in concern.

You turn and face him to show off the little clothes. “Look! Look how tiny it is. Isn’t it so cute?”

Steve ignores the worried glances you got and exhales. “Yeah. Well it is baby clothes, so.”

“How a person can fit in this is beyond me,” you giggle and lower your hands, but keep admiring the little yellow sundress. “It’s so adorable.” You look over at him and smile. “Imagine, little Sara, or little Leia in this. Aw.” You turn away to place the dress where it needs to go, but in doing so you miss the soft smile tugged on his lips and the love struck look in his eyes.

You actually don’t look over at him for a while since you’re concentrating on your task. It isn’t until he returns to your side and nudges your arm that you pay attention to him again. “What?”

“Look. Robin, six o’clock.”

You look back and he quickly snaps back. “No other way!”

“You said six,” you complain and follow his line of gaze only to spot Robin and the girl Vickie smiling, giggling, and talking with each other.

You’d say you’re proud and happy, but after what happened the other day you’re more bothered than happy—no, you’re happy Robin can talk to her crush, but well, she can do a lot better.

The green flags are just not waving for you.

“Meh,” you add and focus back on your task in hand.

Steve blinks and rips his eyes away from your mutual friend to comment on your response. “Meh?”

You shrug and place a piece of clothes down. “She can do better.”

“Better than the girl she likes?” He adds and follows you.

You nod. “Yes.” You glance over at Robin and Vickie and see the girl rambling while Robin seems to also add into that. “It’s just the green flags aren’t waving. She can do better.”

Steve scoffs and rebuttals. “She’s the girl we’ve been pushing her with. Fast times girl?”

“So?” You retort. “Look, Vickie is pretty, sure. She’s into girls, obviously, but I don’t know…they’re too alike.”

“You haven’t met her.”

“So? Look Steve, it’s just—”

“You’re jealous?” He cuts you off, causing you to stop what you’re doing. “You’re scared Vickie is going to take your friend away.” He shoots you a cocky smirk, but you huff and deny his claims.

“No….I am not. Why should I not want the happiness of my friend? Why would I not want her love life to succeed?” You press and continue to work alongside him.

“Because,” Steve continues to explain as he grabs the clothes you hand him to fold it. “Robin has been attached to you ever since you met her, you don’t want her to have another girl friend. You don’t want to be replaced.”

He’s…he’s only partially true. Partially.

“It’s not that,” you keep stubbornly insisting. “I’m just looking out for my friend. I don’t want her to get hurt. Okay? That’s all.” You drift your eyes to the side and catch his gaze on you already, so you just shrug and hand him the last piece of clothes in your hand. “Anyway! I need to go check on Eleven, she should be at the cabin already. Can you take me?”

Steve puts the shirt down in the right place and nods. “Yeah, but I won’t be able to stay, I’m going to need to come back for these two.”

“That’s fine,” you assure him as you both walk away from the table.

“Hey,” Steve interjects as he grabs your hand to stop you in your path towards Robin. “You aren’t going to stay in that broken down cabin are you?”

You shrug. “I’ll tell Jonathan to help me patch up the holes. Our furniture is still dusty but it'll work after I clean it.”

“What about food?”

“I’ll buy some,” you give him an immediate solution. “After all, from what they said, I think my stay here is going to be permanent now, so we’ll need it. At least until we can talk to Joyce to figure things out.”

Steve begins to scratch the back of his head and looks away for a second before he clears his throat to continue. “Why don’t Eleven and you stay with me? I know we said later on, but you can just come stay with me for a while. There’s spare rooms. Jonathan and Will can stay with the Wheeler’s. Because I mean, if the bad men are after your sister, then they’re probably after them and you too. You’ll be safe with me, my parents won’t snitch. At least until Joyce comes, or at least until the cabin is fixed a bit better.”

A smile slowly tugs on your lips and you don’t need time to decide for yourself, but now that Eleven’s here you do need to talk to her first. “I’d love to stay with you, but I’ll need to ask Eleven first. Okay? I’ll talk to her when I get there. And I’ll also ask her about the other moving in thing. Promise.”

Steve sighs in relief and nods before he puts his hand on your back to turn you to head back towards Robin.

The moment you do reach her, both her and Vickie look over at you.

“Robin, I’m going to drop y/n off at her cabin,” Steve explains. “I’ll come back for Dustin and you.”

Robin nods eagerly and then glances at Vickie before dropping her butter knife and pointing at her. “Guys, this is Vickie. Vickie, these are my best friends, y/n and Steve.”

Vickie grins at the both of you and stretches out her hand to greet you, but she then quickly pulls it back and giggles nervously. “Sorry, gloves. I can’t get them dirty. I mean they’re going to get dirty, but I mean germ dirty.” She scoff and shakes her head to continue. “But hi! I’m Vickie. I knew you guys from school, ha. Chief’s princess,” she points at you and then looks at Steve. “And you know, The Hair Harrington,” she exhales. “Oh god, I’m sorry it’s just nicknames from school. You know—I’m sorry.”

Steve and you share a look, and you want to tell him you told him so and just laugh really, but you hold yourself back and smile sweetly. “Well, Vickie, it's nice meeting you.” You look over at Robin and shoot her a smirk. “Take care of Robin, yeah?” You step back and turn to walk away.

Once Steve catches up to you and you’re outside of the school you both burst out laughing.

“I told you!” You exclaim and clap. “Alike!”

“Yeah, no you’re right. Wow.” He looks over at you to point at you. “So? Green flags?”

You shrug with a small smile. “I’ll see.”

*A FEW MINUTES LATER*

“I’ll be back in about two hours,” Steve informs you when he parked the car a bit away from the cabin.

You lean in to kiss him, but when you grasp what he said you pull back to comment on it. “Two hours? We agreed in three hours.”

Steve shrugs. “So? I’m going to miss you.”

The smile on your lips slowly begins to widen but you instead counter against his comment. “Well, it seems that I’m coming back so you’ll have enough of me. You’ll get tired of me.”

Steve smiles and shakes his head. “Impossible.” He leans in and presses a tender kiss on your lips before pulling back to continue quieter. “I’ll be back in an hour with food. I’ll miss you.”

He just keeps changing it. Good.

“It’ll just be one hour.” You mutter and glance at his lips.

“Tell me about it,” he whispers and shows off a charming half grin before he grabs your face and pulls you in for a deeper kiss that you immediately return.

The kiss was so fervent and desperate, yet passionate and tender at the same time. He made time become irrelevant, and provided a fire to your heart that made it race but weakened you at the same time. It was even hard to breathe normally, the both of you were practically hyperventilating since neither of you could pull away from the taste of each other’s lips.

“Steve,” you groan to try and say something, but he just pulls you in and this time he slips his tongue to swipe on your bottom lip. The feeling makes you melt and feel all tingly, while you could feel your stomach twist with desperation and desire.

For that moment you let him take complete control, you forgot where you were and why you came exactly. All you could focus on was on Steve, on how smooth his skin was as you slowly slid your hands up his face to tug on his hair. When he did this deep throaty groan all you felt was your own need for him now more than ever.

But you couldn’t. You can’t now.

But he’s making it so hard to leave.

“Steve,” you mumble as you manage to pull away. “I need to go.” You pant and wipe his bottom lip with your thumb. “I’ll see you in thirty minutes.”

Steve's eyes bounce from your lips to your eyes and he nods and whispers. “Thirty. Got it. Thirty.”

You smile and press another kiss on his lips. “I love you.”

Steve smirks and grabs you by the back of your neck to pull you in for a deep kiss again.

“Steve, baby,” you say between the kiss. “You’re making it hard to go.”

“Then don’t. Let’s go home,” he suggests between the kiss. “We’ll come back in three hours.”

You pull away and keep your hands on his chest. “Later. Promise. When we have time. People are expecting us.”

Steve sighs and nods with discontent. “Yeah, yeah, okay. It’s not fair though.”

You grin at him as he averts his gaze and assure him as you drag yourself back to open the door. “Thirty minutes.”

Steve lifts a little off his seat and just as you were going to fully exit the car he basically throws himself over to you to grab your wrist to stop you.

“Steve,” you protest. “I really need to go. Eleven’s waiting for me.”

“Look,” he mutters and points forward.

You shift your eyes to where he points to and search in between the woods to find what he pointed out, but for a few seconds all you saw was just trees.

“The car,” he points out and pulls you in so you can finally spot it parked near the cabin. “It has dark windows. You recognize it?”

You squint your eyes and lean forward to gasp. “No. I don’t.”

Without question Steve lets you go to unbuckle himself and open his car door to climb out of the car and begin to carefully trudge forward. You quickly follow after him and keep your guard up, you don’t keep your mind open to the possibility that it might be someone you knew, you expect the worst due to all that’s happened and the fact that Eleven is currently wanted by bad men.

You’re basically ready to fight if the occasion arose. How? And with what weapons? Well you didn’t know, but you were ready the moment you reached the mysterious car.

Even if you could see nothing inside because of the tinted windows.

“I can't see shit,” Steve whispers and crouches to try and look harder. “Maybe they’re in your house.”

You move past him to go walk inside, but you come to a quick and hard stop when you spot Joyce hugging Will and Jonathan.

After that your concern just flew past your head.

“Joyce,” you call with emotions already building up.

Said woman looks over at you and a warmer smile decorates her features, she pulls away from her sons and takes one step forward so you could run to her and greet her with a hug.

“Hi, sweetie,” she greets sweetly.

You exhale deeply out of relief and just hold onto her tighter, because seeing her, feeling her arms around you felt the same way as when you had Hopper; safe.

“You’re okay,” you croak. “You’re okay.”

“I am,” she assures you. “I am. I’m sorry I couldn’t call. I’m sorry I wouldn't answer calls.”

You shake your head and pull away to face her and let her cup your face to wipe your tears away. “You were busy, I understand. It’s just…things happened here and I was just worried about you. That’s all.”

Joyce huffs and nods while she seems to grow rather weird. “I was busy,” she says and meets your gaze, and doesn’t drop her smile. “But I’m okay. Are you okay?”

You nod and assure her. “I’m okay.”

“Your surprise is inside,” she reveals and points to the cabin.

You scoff with amusement and glance at the front door before returning your eyes to hers. “Really? I thought it was a joke. What is it?”

“I can't say,” she says with a shrug and pulls away to dig her hands in her pants pockets. “You’ll have to go inside and see.”

You grin at her now and squeal. “I’m excited!”

“You should be!”

You giggle and step back to grab Steve’s hand and pull him inside with you.

“Careful,” Steve comments when you’re running on the wooden front porch. “I wouldn’t want you to fall in through the porch.”

“Ha, so funny,” you retort and let go of his hand when you’re inside. “Eleven? I’m here.” You walk in further and search the house for your surprise, but all you see is just dust and old furniture.

Eleven walks out of the room slowly and right away you notice how her eyes are gleaming, and that her cheeks have tear marks on them.

“Hey,” you begin to query. “What’s—”

However, you end up cutting yourself and gasping when you see…your father walking out of the room too.

“Oh, shit,” Steve gasps.

This. This had to be some dream. This can’t be real. He’s dead.

“No,” you whisper and shake your head as you stumble back, but keep your eyes on him; on his rather thin face and body, on his shaved head. “This…” you trail off and turn to Steve with a trembling frown and tear clouded eyes. “He’s here. Real or not real?” You ask for reassurance.

Steve turns to you and spares a glance at the man cautiously waiting with Eleven in front of the room—“real,” Steve assures you. “It’s real I swear.”

You draw in a deep breath and look back at Hopper to let your eyes search his face one more time thoroughly.

It’s not that you didn’t want him to not be here, but you can’t help but fear that this is some cruel vision, an even crueler nightmare.

He didn’t look like he did in the visions or your dreams, but this could still be a trick.

“It’s Hop,” Eleven says to try and comfort you, making you release a shaky breath.

Yet the only person you can look at for a clarification is Steve; he notices right away the look in your eyes, the need for an answer, and he doesn’t hesitate to assure you. “It’s real. It’s all real.” He cups your cheek and nods. “He’s here.”

“Y/N,” you hear Hopper say.

Tears roll down your cheeks and you slowly turn your head at the sound of his voice.

Hopper slowly steps forward, making you pull away from Steve and take only one step towards your father.

“It’s me. I’m here.”

More tears cloud your eyes and you slowly begin to walk towards him to meet halfway just a few inches in front him.

He doesn’t move or try anything, he lets you take your time to make sure that he wasn’t a dream, he watches you quietly as you lift your hand to slowly cup his cheek to feel his warm flesh for yourself.

“Dad,” you say breathlessly and carefully begin to caress his cheek.

Hopper smiles and cups your hand as tears of his own trial down his cheeks.

“Hi, baby,” his says in a quivering voice.

You sniffle and use your hand to cup his other cheek since he did feel real, his face did feel warm to the touch. He felt real. He looked it too.

“Dad,” you cry and try to smile, but your bottom lip trembles too much to let that actually show.

With his other hand he cups your cheek to gently begin caressing it, making you lean into his touch and smile before you pull each other into an embrace.

Now all you could do was ball the fabric of his shirt in your hands so he wouldn’t vanish like last time. You closed your eyes and dug your head into the crook of his neck to take in his small; he didn’t smell great, but you didn’t care, he smelled real, he felt real. He was real and with you, that’s all you cared about.

“My baby girl,” he whispers and presses a kiss on your head and hugs you tighter. “I missed you so much,” he whispers while he rubs your back and caresses the back of your head as he cries quietly. “There was never a moment that I didn’t think of you and your sister.”

“I missed you too,” your voice sounds muffled. “So so much. Dad,” you pause and pull away, but keep your hands on his face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Hopper sighs and cups your face to quickly rebuttal against your apology. “What are you sorry for?”

“Everything.”

He huffs and shakes his head, “you did nothing wrong,” he corrects you. “Nothing.”

You swallow thickly and huff out to smile at him and try to whisper what you haven’t told him. “I forgave you. A long time ago, I wanted to tell you, but you…you didn’t come back.” You sniffle and grin. “I love you dad.”

Your father scoffs and shows off his grin before he pulls Eleven and you into an embrace. “My little Valentine’s,” he whispers and presses a kiss on the top of your heads.

You exhale shaily and hold onto them tightly.

Now.

Now your heart was really at ease and content.

You proceed to pull away again to look up at his head and then back at his face to tease him. “You stole her look.”

Hopper and Eleven chuckle before he answers. “That’s what I said.”

“It looks good,” you compliment him and then go a bit serious though. “But how did you make it out?”

“It was the Russian’s,” he scoffs. “But it’s a long story. I’ll tell it later okay?”

You nod and let out another breathless chuckle before you clear your throat and glance over at Steve wandering the living room, and then focus back on your dad to continue speaking. Albeit this time in Russian. “<How terrible was prison?>”

Hopper blinks and parts his lips from surprise and bafflement, while Eleven giggles and Steve just rolls his eyes from where he stood.

You on the other hand notice your fathers confusion and scoff in amusement before continuing. “<Can’t say I blame you, but you don’t understand me do you?>”

Your father sighs and chuckles. “What? When the hell did you learn Russian?”

You scoff and don’t hesitate to show off. “I said how terrible was prison and I asked if you understood. And well it’s been eight months, I was bored most of the time in California so I just said why not.”

“And because you wanted to be a show off,” Steve interjects.

You scoff but smile. “I am fluent now. Almost.”

Hopper huffs out but can’t help his proud smile, before he comments on the man standing in the far end of the room. “So Harrington, are you just going to awkwardly stand over there?”

You all look over at your boyfriend while he slowly turns around to face the three of you with a nervous look. “Just given you guys time.” He swallows thickly and meets your gaze before he makes his way towards you to greet your father. “It’s nice to have you back, Chief.”

Your fathers eyes narrow and his hands slip off yours and Eleven’s shoulders. “I’m not a Chief anymore.” He scoffs and goes serious. “Joyce told me about you and my daughter.”

Steve goes stiff and nods. “Yeah, yeah, me and y/n are together,” he reveals, making you smile.

“So you grew the balls to ask,” your father chuckles, snapping your eyes up to him and making Steve stammer.

“Wh-what?”

Hopper steps away from Eleven and you, to step toward Steve and offer him his hand.

Steve looks at you and then at your fathers hand before he meets his gaze and shakes it.

“Thank you,” your father says and leaves you stunned. “Joyce told me a lot. Thank you for looking out for my girls.”

Steve scoffs and they both pull their hands away. “Of course. I love y/n,” he says without fear. “She’s important to me. She needed me, I was there. Always.”

You walk over to Steve’s side to just look at your father’s face. And you’re surprised to see him smiling.

“Well, thank you,” your father says again.

Steve sighs with relief and nods, letting Hopper share one last scoff before he grabs Eleven by the shoulders and walks her outside, whilst you face Steve and can’t help but show off your growing smile.

“You won’t be able to stay over anymore will you?” Steve asks and sighs.

You shake your head. “I don’t think so, but,” you swallow thickly. “If you still want, once I graduate, we can still move in together. Sound good? I’ll talk to my dad after all these emotions of him being alive pass.”

Steve smiles and nods in agreement. “Yeah. That sounds good. Now let’s get outside, he likes me, I don't want to get on his bad side already.”

“Maybe I get to be the ninja now,” you laugh while you walk out. “Hmm?”

Steve rolls his eyes but he doesn’t turn down your suggestion. “Okay. I’ll pick you up.”

“Sounds good. Twelve thirty?” You ask discreetly.

“Yep.” He whispers and nods.

Steve and you walk out of the cabin, and you instantly head towards your father when he pulls away from his embrace with Mike.

“I should thank Joyce for going on her business trip,” you say as you watch Eleven and Joyce talking.

Your father nods and draws in a deep breath. “About her,” he exhales and looks over at you. “We need to talk.”

You look over at him and nod slowly. “Okay. Well there’s a lot we need to talk about actually.”

“Yeah,” he agrees and then goes serious when he catches the scars around your neck. “What happened?”

You draw in and deep breath and part your lips to add something, but all you let out is your breath of air since the sound of thunder rumbling in the sky cuts you off.

You wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but then some white particles begin to fall from the sky. When you reach your hand out to catch one, you notice that it doesn’t melt in your hand.

“What,” you mouth and then look up at the sky to see that the dark clouds that suddenly began to invade the sky seemed to be coming from somewhere.

Everyone noticed that and without saying anything, you all walked out of the forest that surrounded the cabin to walk out to the grass hills.

And that’s when you saw it, the black clouds, and black smoke that rose from the ground and brought red lightning. You saw glowing red gates in the distance that cracked the ground, and the dead grass and flowers that lay beyond you.

But…it’s supposed to be gone. Max is alive, this can’t be happening again.

How is it happening again?

You let out a shaky breath and share a concerned look with Steve, as you slowly interlace your fingers together to grab ahold of each other’s hands for comfort from the tragedy brewing before you.

“I told you,” a familiar evil voice suddenly sounds in your head. “Y/N. You can’t run away from me.”

.

.

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.

A/N- BAHHH!!! I can’t believe we have to wait again!!! Thank you though! Thanks to everyone who kept up with this series! Thank you and I love all of you! The next season is still a long ways away but I hope, I really do hope I get to finish this series! Thank you again, bye for now! ❤️❤️

Tagged- @felicityofbakerstreet @mserynlarsen @m-blasterrr @lookalivesunshine-x @slvtherinseeker​ @mochminnie​ @beepbeephargrove​ @peterwandaparker​ @train-wrecc​ @truthdaze​ @ioonatv @leahseclipse @preciousbabypeter @cevans-winchester @criminalyetminimal @ttae-yong @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol @geeksareunique @addisonnie @khaylin27 @seolaseoul @tomspidertingle @tye-dyemango @hehehehannahthings @gyros-cum-sock @the-local-toast @goldenvespa @naughty-koala07 @whore-for-murdock @jallerentrags @honey-with-tea @milkiane @roseabelle21 @obesesseddd @walkin-in-hawkins @ilovewomen711 @lqveharrington @thepowerstoner @guichu @reymaybe @earthtostory @xstormiii @a-vvenger @f-artsmella @hawkeyeharrington @holymusicalmothman @hcloangcls @mortallyspookyglitter @a-avengerparker @mxltifxnd0m @natrualartesianmemes @pissbabybitchboy @bethii1

#strange #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #fanfiction #damn-stark #chapter 18 #steve harrington fanfiction #Steve harrington #steve harrington series #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic #fanfic #stranger things season 4 #stranger things series #steve harrington x hopper!fem reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x hopper!reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #Steve harrington x y/n #Robin Buckley #eleven #eleven x hopper!reader (platonic) #Nancy wheeler #Joyce Byers #Jim hopper #jim hopper x daughter!reader #will Byers #jonathan byers #dustin henderson

[munsonson]

𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏『••✎••』

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯/𝘍𝘦𝘮!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯/𝘍𝘦𝘮!𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.4

This shouldn’t hurt as much as it does. 

Things could’ve ended far worse than they actually did. Hell, most of the couples in their school tended to make breakups as dramatic as possible, normally painting one half of the relationship as some kind if irredeemable monster, if not to paint them as this sympathetic martyr, than just to save face that it actually hurt. 

In her case, Eddie Munson told her they just weren’t a good match and he wanted to be friends again instead. That was as healthy as they could possibly get. And in the best case scenario, too, she’d still be able to have him be a part of her life. She didn’t think she could stand the thought of seeing him in the halls and not being able to acknowledge him. 

She’d fallen hard and fast for Eddie, embarrassingly so. 

Given the heavy duty of designated driver for the little hooligans she’d somehow decided to adopt with Steve Harrington, she’d gotten accustomed to waiting in the high school parking lot, her nose pressed into the creases of her current novel while she waited for them to finish their important campaigns, all procured from the brilliant mind of Eddie Munson. 

She’d known him before then, too, but only in passing. He’d often make a big spectacle of himself in the cafeteria just to bug the other students, and he held the record as super senior. But she’d never even talked to him until she saw him walk the boys out after a seemingly successful campaign, his arms wrapped tightly around Dustin and Lucas’ shoulders as he praised them.

He’d acknowledged her when he got to her car. 

“My fair maiden,” he’d said, “I apologize for the delay.”

She’d blubbered out some kind of half-hearted response, good enough to make him laugh, and that made her heart go a million miles a minute. 

It didn’t take long before she’d gotten the courage to ask him out, even if it was just for coffee. He was surprised, but he agreed. 

It had been nice, he even drove her home after. She probably should’ve seen the signs then because he didn’t suggest a second meet up, she had instead. And he’d agreed.

It was about a month before they made themselves official, in Hawkins High language, practically married. But it really just meant she got to hold his hand between classes and get quick kisses goodbye when it was time to separate, somehow always on her cheek than her lips. 

She’d thought their dates were fun; it was a lot of pressure since he always left it up to her, never having any other idea than lounging about her home and just watching TV. But she was the one who thought of renting movies for horror marathons, figuring it was up his alley. She thought of bowling and drive-in theaters and picnicking near the quarry for its desolate atmosphere, another thing she figured was right up his alley. 

But things came to an underwhelming end when Eddie approached her at her locker on some random Thursday to tell her things just weren’t working out and he wanted to stay as friends. Despite how much even that had hurt, she agreed. She didn’t want to make him do anything he regretted. 

She could still be friends with him, happily so. That meant she could still sit with him at lunch, hear his outlandish tales, and be able to admire him from afar, even if she was no longer able to touch him and hold his hand. 

“Be honest,” she’d heard Gareth say as she approached with her tray, “what really happened? You know, most guys woulda killed to be able to take her out, the fact she stuck around for months is surprising enough.”

Eddie shrugs, chewing absentmindedly on a pretzel he’d brought. She would pack him lunches when they were together since he always forgot and resorted to eating prepackaged things instead. Since they broke up, it seemed like old habits really did die hard. 

“To tell you the truth,” he starts rather dramatically, “no substance. Pretty face, nice voice, real sweet, but God, boring as all hell.” He runs a hand down his face. The other boys seemed surprised. Dustin and Mike share a look, but say nothing, clearly waiting to hear more. Because there was no way it could be just that. There had to be more. They knew her better than anyone, had been through so much with her. What could be the real reason Eddie broke things off?

“And?” Dustin coaxes.

“And what?”

“Dude, seriously?” Mike scoffs. “She wasn’t interesting enough for you?”

Eddie shakes his head. “Look, she’s a great gal. And I know you guys are super close, which is awesome, but we just weren’t the best match. And I felt like shit that she was putting in all of the effort when I wasn’t interested. Now she’s free to...I dunno...find someone boring, too.” He sniggers, elbowing Jeff beside him trying to get him to laugh, too, but he could see how upset Dustin and Mike were. 

Luckily, for her sake, they didn’t notice her standing there, having overheard everything. Spinning right back around, she’d ditched her tray onto one of the trash bins before leaving the cafeteria completely before there was a chance anyone could see her tears. 

God, it shouldn’t hurt as much as it does, she thinks again. He was more than welcome to have his own opinion, but why did it have to be something like that? 

He was right, she wasn’t exactly Chrissy Cunningham or Heather Holloway, being this huge spectacle that made every new day more exciting than the last. All things considered, sometimes too much excitement frightened her. Having risked her life at least once a year for nearly four years now made her yearn for the more simple things. It was stupid of her to think Eddie would want the same. Eddie Munson, who liked to make scenes in the cafeteria and rock out in a bar with his band. He didn’t crave the simplicity of life like she did.

She didn’t go back into that cafeteria for the remaining of the lunch period. In fact, she’d decided to skip the rest of the day completely, knowing she shared three periods with Eddie and right now she really didn’t want to see him. She just wanted to get away, leave herself to her own thoughts to try to calm down. 

Well, that really only lasted for ten minutes because she found herself pulling into the small parking lot into Family Video. She spots Steve’s car at the far end and knows he’s inside. It was childish of her to go running and crying to Steve Harrington, who she knew would take her side and say all the cruel things about Eddie that she couldn’t bring herself to because she really just needed someone on her side right now. Aside from Dustin and Mike, of course. She wouldn’t forget how they jumped to her defense. 

The little bell rings at the top of the door as she walks in, startling Steve into consciousness, who seemed to be snoozing on the edge of the counter, drool pooled across his forearm. He wipes feverishly at his face and blinks unfocused in her direction, trying to situate himself quickly into his customer service face.

“Welcome to Fam-Jesus, you scared me,” he cuts himself off when he at last realizes it’s her. Confused, he turns to glance at the clock hung up on the wall. “Don’t tell me school’s out already? You beat Robin here.”

“No, I’m playing hooky,” she shakes her head, unsteadily moving towards the counter. 

“What? You? I’m sorry, am I still dreaming?” Steve asks dramatically. “Since when do you, of all people, ever skip class? I’d sooner believe Nancy doing it than you.”

“Just...needed a break s’all,” she says with a shrug, looking around. “Keith not here?”

“Nah, he’s off today. Something about a new graphic novel he’s been dying to get. Says he’d have to wait overnight just to get one of the first editions. I don’t know, I don’t really listen to him unless he’s handing over my check,” Steve said. She leans up against the counter, trying to act casual. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t things be okay?”

“Well, for one, having to clarify that things are supposed to be okay when asked if everything’s okay is a pretty big indicator that things aren’t, in fact, okay.” Steve says with a laugh. “So everything’s not okay, then?”

“Everything’s okay,” she lies. “I just...can I ask you something?”

“Yeah?”

She isn’t sure how to come out and say it without sounding stupid. Better, she can’t figure out a way to come out and say it without sounding completely pathetic. But this was Steve, he was the king of asking her embarrassing things. He even called her once at three in the morning to ask how long you were supposed to leave cookies in the oven for. The follow up question was how to get the burnt smell out before his mom came home. 

“Am I boring?”

Steve tilts his head. “Huh?”

“Am I boring, Steve? Am I boring?”

“No? Who gave you that idea?” Steve snorts, like he thinks it was a foolish thing to ask. “Whoever it is clearly hasn’t seen you handle a crowbar.” He was referencing when she’d nabbed a crowbar from the junkyard lot to fend off the demodogs with him, all to protect the little ones in the bus. She doesn’t want to remember that right now, not when it makes her feel cold inside. 

“Nobody, I just...I dunno, I just think that maybe I’m not as exciting as, like...you o-or Rob or Nancy or, hell, even Jonathan.” 

“Nonsense, you’re a badass! True story, you know I wouldn’t say that about just any...” Steve trails off, finally really looking at her. “Hey...hey, why are you really askin’ me that? Something happen? Someone say something to you?”

“No, Steve, I was just asking.”

“You’re lying,” he accuses. “Who was it, was it Byers? Nancy? Not Robin...”

“No! No, Steve, they didn’t say anything, please just drop it. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Steve’s face eventually relaxes, having realized he knew exactly who she was talking about.

“Munson.”

She shakes her head. “Stop it, Steve.”

“What did he say? I thought he just wanted to be friends, where’s all this coming from?” he asked. There were too many questions being thrown at her. She doesn’t want to cry, especially not in front of him, but as soon as she feels her cheek dampen that was it. Soon she was burying her face in her hands and trying to stop the little whimpers from coming out.

She doesn’t notice Steve leap easily over the counter. He pulls her close, shushing her quietly. 

“Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset,” he says. She sniffles, wrapping her arms around him. He’s petting her hair, kissing the crown of her head, trying his damndest to get her to calm down and talk to him. He was the perfect person to come to, she now realizes. Her subconscious knew Steve was the answer.

When she finally stopped crying, he at last let her go, giving her some space.

She rubs the tears from her eyes and wipes the tears on her jeans.

“Want me to kill him?” he asks jokingly. She laughs. He smiles again. “What happened? Can you tell me now?”

She told him what Eddie had said, the real reason he’d broken up with her and how she ran from the cafeteria and came here. Steve was reasonably upset, but he didn’t want to make it all about pounding Eddie into a pulp, he knew she needed her friend right now and he was prepared to be just that.

“Hey, screw him,” Steve scoffs, throwing an arm over her shoulders and pulling her back into his chest. “You’re far from boring, believe me, and honestly if you ask me you could do so much better than Eddie Munson. The guy picks his nose. I saw him once. It was gnarly.”

She’s laughing again, playfully hitting him. 

“Thank you, Steve,” she says, “I’m sorry to dump all this on you, I just needed someone to talk to, you know?” 

“Well, you came to the right guy. I can’t tell you it gets much better from public humiliation, but I can tell you that you find much better shit to focus on. Like this obviously stellar job. Robin. My new stereo I saved up for. And...well, you.” He playfully flicks her nose. She wrinkles her nose and swats his hand away. “Eddie doesn’t know what he’s talkin’ about. But I know he’s gonna kick himself in the ass when he realizes he lost a girl like you.”

“Yeah, you’re just saying that ‘cause you’re my friend.” 

“Not true, I also wanna bug you for your famous cookies.” Steve winks.

“I can bring them to you tonight, then.” she said, patting his arm. “I should get going. Um...you clearly are very busy and I don’t wanna keep you from doing your job.”

“I know, such a bad influence. The gateway rebellion was skipping class. Now it’s job defiance,” Steve chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hey, um...if you want, when you come by tonight, maybe you could stick around? Was gonna rifle through the back, borrow some flicks to waste my evening away. Free to join me if you want? Robin flaked out on me, says she’s doing some band practice with Vicky. Didn’t ask for details.”

She thinks about it and smiles. “Sounds like fun. Girls’ night.”

“Invitation rescinded!” Steve shouts, turning away. 

“No, I’m kidding, I’m kidding, stop!” she protests, giggling. “I’ll bring cookies and pizza, Steve. I’ll be there.”

“Alright, then,” Steve said. “Um...hey, don’t worry about Eddie, alright? He’s just being a dick. And honestly, apart from his relationship with the rugrats, he’s still gonna be a dick. He missed out on a girl like you. Clearly he’s a martian.”

“Doesn’t mean much when I’m from Hawkins. But thank you, Steve. I’ll see you tonight,” she says, squeezing his hand and finally leaving the store back to her car. She left feeling much lighter than she had going in. He was right. Forget Eddie. If he thought she was so boring he clearly didn’t need her around him. She had other friends, friends like Steve.

Smiling to herself, she climbs into the driver’s seat and turns the key into the ignition, hearing the engine roar to life.

Things would be just fine. 

#stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson angst #steve harrington angst #jane hopper #eleven #max mayfield #jonathan byers #series

[unamused-boss]

Lipstick Stains

Billy Hargrove x Harrington FemReader

Summary: There has been some new gossip floating through Hawkins High. The gossip being that Billy has a lipstick stain that just so happens to match a certain girl's iconic shade.

....................................................................

You were a Harrington. You had a certain standing that you had to keep cause of the expectations of your parents. One of those expectations were not making out with Billy Hargrove in his car in the back of the school parking lot during lunch. But your parents were never home so you didn't really give a damn.

"Billy we have to go back into the school at some point." You said releasing your lips from his. As you tried to pull back he pulled you in for another quick kiss.

"Oh come on, we don't have to." He smirked to you.

"Listen Mr. Bad Boy, I know you don't like school but I have a test." You said to him. He gave you a small pout at your response to which you just laughed at him. "You also messed up my lipstick." You said as you flipped the visor down to use the mirror to reapply your dark red lipstick.

"That's not the only thing I can mess up." He joked. You just gave him the look, he knew the look. It didn't need a name.

"Well Hargrove I have to get going." You brought yourself close to kiss his neck then up to the apple of his freckled cheeks. You collected you things to go back into the school before the bell. Before you shut the door you look back at Billy to see the two kiss marks that you left on him. You just smiled at him.

"Love ya, see you later." You said then shut the door to go to the school.

Billy continued with his day like usual. Thinking that nothing would go out of the ordinary. He knew he was hot shit so people were staring at him as perusal but he didn't know what they were staring at. In each class he had stares his way, to which he had to tell some off for looking too long.

"Nice job man." Tommy Hagan laughed as he patted his back. Billy was just confused about what he was talking about but he continued as nothing was wrong. The bell rang through the halls to signal that the school day was over. Billy made his way to the doors top the parking lot to leave when he saw a certain Steve Harrington staring him down from his locker.

"You got a problem Harrington?" He asked.

"Yeah, not with you though." Steve replied slamming his locker shut to go find a certain sister of his. Billy didn't know that, he was just confused and thought nothing of it. He finally was able to make it to his Camaro to wait for Max. Students around him were still looking at him. Some girls looking in distaste, not at him but at the kiss marks on his cheeks. Some guys were just laugh in congrats to him. Billy just wanted to get the hell out and get Max home so he can go see his girlfriend. Billy looked over to see a certain red head making her way over to his car.

"Get in shit-bird, I got places to be." He said as he got in the drivers seat while Max got in the passenger seat. She just stared at him, more than she would usually. Which is not at all. Billy glanced at her a few times.

"What?" He asked annoyed with her staring.

"What's on your face?" She asked. Billy was confused until he thought back to lunch. He grabbed his sun visor to look himself in the mirror to see the two kiss marks on him. Just as he thought, one on his cheek and the other on his neck. He just laughed what he was looking at.

"Well that explains a Lot." He sighed starting his car to drive away.

Later that day Billy was able to make it to the Harrington house hold. Instead of parking down the street, he parked in the driveway. Instead of climbing through the window of his girlfriends bedroom, he simply knocked the front door of her house. Which, unfortunately, the other Harrington answered. He and Steve just stared at one another for a moment.

"Hargrove."

"Harrington."

"What are you doing here?"

"I think you know why exactly I'm here, or you don't."

"I do know why you're here." Steve stated sternly.

"Then tell me, why am I here?" Billy gabbed at him with a smirk playing on his face.

"Can you guys stop having a dick measuring contest for once." Your voice was heard in a very much over it tone. "Get out of here Steve."

"But-" You stopped him from continuing.

"Eh, I don't wanna hear any more then I already have. You're being a Buttface." You sassed at him. "Now I would like to talk to my boyfriend."

Steve just rolled his eyes and sighed. Walking away from his enemy and his sister in the same door way. You turn your head back to Billy with a grin on your face.

"So what are you doing here, handsome."

"Well, I am here to see my girlfriend that I have to have a small chat about." His voice going a slight octave lower. Something that you loved.

"And what do you have to chat about?" You stilled teased at him.

"Well I made out with this gorgeous woman at lunch, and after I thought my day would go by like usual. But I had people staring at me all day. I didn't know why until I looked into the mirror to find that the exact pretty girl I was kissing left some marks on me." He explained to you. "Now I am at said pretty girls house to get a reason why she did that."

"Well I think she just wanted to have a bit of fun with you, if you ask me."

"Well as much as I love that, I think I would love to have some fun with her right now."

"Well you'er gonna have to wait on that, handsome." You said." Big Bro ain't to happy with me, I've been getting an ear full for the past hour."

"I can wait." He reassured. "I will always wait for you, gorgeous." You just smiled at him and dragged him into your house.

"Is he staying long?" Steve's distant voice was heard.

"Shut up Steve." You yelled out to him. "Like I said, ear full all day."

You and Billy just laughed at the situation. But at least you both can enjoy each others company in the end.

...................................................................

I hope y'all enjoyed this. Sorry if it is short. I know I haven't been to active, writing wise, lately. I'm trying to get through school right now.

I will try to get more out for Boots and Trumpets, and Practically Magic later.

Thank you for reading.

#billy hargrove #stranger things #billy hargove imagine #fanfiction #steve harrington #billy hargrove x fem reader #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #dustin henderson #eddie munson #eleven hopper #max mayfield #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove fanfiction #stranger things billy #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove imagine #demogorgon

[mrsjellymunson]

KNOCK AT THE CABIN | Part One

READ THE PROLOGUE HERE

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Written for @bettyfrommars , @allthingsjoeq and @somnambulic-thing ’s excellent Stranger Prompts event.

Series Summary: After the events of the previous months, everyone is shocked by the unexpected return of an old friend. But is it really him?

Chapter summary: It’s all hands on deck to try and help your unexpected visitor. You come up with an effective, if unexpectedly intimate, solution.

WC: ~4.41k

C/W: 🔞 18+, MDNI, NSFW, series CW for eventual Eddie Munson x fem!reader smut. Post-S4, Upside Down exists, dark/supernatural themes, descriptions of minor injuries, allusions to hypothermia.

A/N: This series contains a lot of themes and scenarios that I haven’t written for before, so I’d love to know what you think! Please comment and reblog, it means the world to writers, and reblogs mean work gets seen. This series has a taglist so if you’d like to be on either it, or my general list, just comment, ask or message, I’d love to have you on board 🙏💗 Also, I proofed this as much as I could but my brain isn’t braining very well at the moment so if you spot any errors please let me know 💙

My masterlist

Prologue

PART ONE

There, hunched, shivering, soaked and covered in mud, is your friend. The one who’d died saving the town. The one they’d buried only a few days ago, after he’d been lying on a slab in a lab somewhere for weeks.

Eddie.

The increasingly noisy wind blows leaves and the now-driving rain horizontally across the stoop. Inside the hallway, there’s silence.

You all stand at the door, mouths agape. Initially, none of you move.

You take in your visitor’s appearance. His hair is lank, wet with mud and rain and full of twigs and leaves. He stands, shoulders sagging, in filthy, soaked clothes, the wet material seeming to drag his frame down even further.

You glance down and notice he’s barefoot, his feet the same mid-brown mud colour as most of his clothing, other than where thin rivulets of scarlet run down his skin.

His cheeks are gaunt, his lips grey, not the plush, rosy pink that they always were. He looks thinner than you remember, and his skin was always pale, but it seems even lighter now, almost translucent.

His face is downcast, and he doesn’t make eye contact with any of you.

Dustin shoulders his way between you and Steve and takes his first good look at the strange visitor. At first he’s confused, incredulous, but this rapidly gives way to pure astonishment, as he yells over the sound of the rain, “Eddie? EDDIE!”

He starts to rush forwards, but Steve puts an arm out to stop him, protecting Eddie’s obviously frail and vulnerable state.

There’s murmuring and chattering and quiet squeals as everyone processes the sight before them.

None of you consider what events or twists of fate have brought him here, all of you only caring in this moment that he’s here. He's here! He’s here!

Eddie finally lifts his eyes to you all. They’re sunken, red-rimmed, and have lost their usual sparkle. They don’t seem to focus on anything in particular, and before any of you can work to bring him inside, he mumbles something that sounds a little like your name, sways a little and collapses, his knees connecting with the wood of the front stoop with a hollow thump.

Steve reacts first, stopping Eddie from falling sideways as he rushes forward, yelling, “Get him inside. Now!”

You hurry outside to help Steve whilst Robin opens the door fully and shoos the teens out of the way. Steve instructs you to grab under Eddie’s arm, and you both drag him inside.

You don’t have Steve’s lifeguarding or athletic skills and you’re not used to manhandling people, and you stumble over the threshold and flop backwards into the hallway. You end up sitting on your ass with Eddie half over your lap.

There’s a cacophony of confusion and the kids want to help, but they end up crowding you both. They want to touch Eddie, see if it’s really him, see what’s wrong.

The only ones who hang back are Will and Jane, you assume because although they’ve heard so much about him they don’t really know him. No one notices their somewhat tense demeanour, or the way they subtly keep glancing at one another.

Robin closes the door to keep out the weather, and out of the corner of your eye you see her covering her mouth with both hands.

You run a hand over Eddie’s form, checking for any obvious injuries. You spot his arms and hands are in a similar state to his feet, utterly filthy, with cracked and split nails and torn, bloody skin.

He’s bedraggled and shivering, has curled in on himself and is practically convulsing.

You speak above the clamour.

“Steve, he’s freezing! What do we do??”

Steve panics a little, pacing the hallway with one hand on his hip and raking the other through his hair. He makes a few incomprehensible noises before he remembers something, stopping suddenly and turning to face you. Clicking his fingers and pointing, he reminds you,

“Wait, didn’t you go on some outdoor survival course once, or something? At a summer camp? You told me about it when you got back. Something about how to help people who’ve fallen out of canoes into icy rivers? I remember because you were really sarcastic about it and said, ‘It was sooooo useful. I mean, I go kayaking all the time, right?’”

“Shit, you’re right. Fuck, fuck!”

Slowly, some of the information comes back to you.

“Okay, we have to warm him up, but it has to be gradual, though. There was something about too much heat too fast maybe causing shock?”

You start to panic, screwing up your face and trying to remember all the things they taught you. ”Oh fuck, think, think!”

Robin puts an arm around your shoulders as Steve says your name, softly, reassuring you that you’re doing great and that anything you can remember will be better than the absolutely nothing that any of the rest of them know. Give him a swimmer in difficulty or someone choking on a gumball at the video store and he’s in his element, but any of this outdoorsy stuff is way out of his comfort zone.

Suddenly and from nowhere your brain kicks into high gear. You remember some of the training, and start barking orders.

“Will, get blankets, lots of blankets. I remember something about hot, sweet drinks…” Eyes wide and flicking between the stunned people standing around you, you ask, “Which of you makes the best hot chocolate??”

Mike and Lucas state in unison, “Dustin!”

“Okay. Dustin, Jane, you go make hot chocolate. Make a lot of it, and make it really sweet”, figuring you could all use some, and that there’s likely to be more than one person suffering from shock this evening.

Turning to her, you say, “Robin, help me take his jacket off and hang it in the kitchen by the stove. Mike, help Will with the blankets. Steve, Lucas, help me get him into the living room, in front of the fire. And anybody and everybody, go get more wood!”

Robin crouches next to you, helping you to ease Eddie’s jacket from his trembling shoulders, glancing at you as she does so. You’re guessing your concerned expression is mirroring hers, but you don’t want the kids to see so you keep it between you.

She gets up and moves to the small kitchen, placing his sodden jacket over the back of a dining chair and setting it in front of the old but functional wood-fired oven (one place in the house that’s almost always warm).

Steve and Lucas help you move Eddie into the living room, where the open fire gets stacked high with fresh wood.

Robin brings a bowl of warm water and some washcloths, and you sit eddie between you, both cleaning mud from his face and gently bathing his damaged hands and feet.

Jane sits on the floor behind you. Initially reticent and hanging back, she’s now sitting nearer to Eddie, carefully removing some of the twigs from his hair with characteristic diligence and gentleness.

You make Eddie take sips of Dustin’s (frankly, excellent) hot chocolate, and make sure all the kids have got some before asking Dustin to bring mugs for you, Steve and Robin.

Once he’s a bit cleaner and has had almost a full cup of Dustin’s healing brew, you all gather cushions and lay Eddie down on his side, facing the fire. You try to get as much heat on his front as you can, but it doesn’t seem to be helping. He’s still trembling and his skin is blue and icy to the touch, and he seems to be getting drowsy. You can’t remember much more of your basic emergency training, but it’s enough to worry you. Something about sleeping or going unconscious being a Very Bad Thing…

He’s wrapped in the blankets Will and Mike brought, but you fear the wet clothes he’s still wearing may well be hampering your efforts.

You have another idea, not sure whether it’s the done thing or if you’ll be able to convince any of the others to help you but willing to try anything at this point. You say, to no one in particular, “This isn’t working. Can we get him into the bathtub?”

Your eyes look up and scan the room, flicking mainly between Robin and Steve, and to your immense relief you see everyone nodding, trying to figure out how to make this work.

Dustin’s the first to stand, and you hear his voice crack a little as he tries to say with confidence,

“Tell us what you need us to do.”

You nod at him, once, before beginning,

“Dustin, Will, can you run a bath? Make it warm, but definitely not hot. Mike, Lucas, get towels. Hurry!”

After a few minutes, Dustin and Will return, letting you know they’ve filled the tub with warm, but not hot, water. Steve and Lucas reprise their roles as patient transport, and start to move Eddie towards the small bathroom.

As you follow them and traverse the narrow hallway you glance at the weather hammering outside the window of the back door. Something seems off, and it’s only after a few moments of consideration that you realise the leaves and rain are travelling in the opposite direction to those at the front door. This doesn’t make sense - surely the storm should be pushing them all the same way? It’s almost like you’re currently somehow in the centre of a swirling storm…

You don’t have time to dwell on this as Steve calls to you, asking what they should do now. You hurry to the bathroom and see that Steve has balanced Eddie’s butt on the side of the tub.

You reply,

“We need to get him out of these wet things.”

Grunting as he shifts position, Steve nods once and barks to Lucas, “Hold him up.”

Lucas does his best to stabilise your almost-unconscious friend. Kneeling in front of him, Steve fusses with Eddie’s waistband, grunting, “Sorry, buddy, it’s for the best”, as he unceremoniously yanks off Eddie’s jeans. New-looking, unripped, black 501 jeans.

Relieved to see he’s wearing boxers, they both balance Eddie as they work to remove his shirt. His Hellfire shirt. He only had two. Okay, this is officially getting weird…

As Steve and Lucas work you start to strip off your clothes, ending up in just your underwear and bra. You don’t even care that they’re in the room, reasoning that not only have they all seen you in your bathing suit before, but also that this was definitely not the time for bashfulness or self-consciousness.

Steve asks you what you’re doing, and you explain that you’re getting in the bath with Eddie, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

“Steve, he’s practically unconscious. You want him to slip under the surface and drown? Come on, let’s get him in here.”

Without waiting for any replies, you step into the water, relieved that the younger boys heeded your instructions and it is indeed warm, but not too hot. You wave your hands in vertical circles, as if it would bring Eddie closer faster.

The old bath is short, but wide, and you’re pretty sure you’ll both fit.

As the boys manhandle him you’re momentarily stunned as you see the outlines of Eddie’s ribs and shoulder blades brought into stark relief by the harsh lights of the room. But you’re jolted back to reality as you hear Steve grunting a little as he starts to manoeuvre Eddie’s legs into the water.

You help Steve and Lucas to get Eddie in, slowly lowering him in case even this is too much of a shock. You slide down behind him and sit with him between your legs, supporting him with his back against your chest. You rub his arms gently, and murmur, “Oh fuck, oh fuck. Please warm up, Eddie. Please.”

Gesturing to your now-muddy garb and Eddie’s discarded garments, you ask, to nobody in particular, “Can someone get these clothes in the washer?”

Lucas bundles them up in his arms and heads towards the door, calling for Robin’s assistance. Steve thanks him as he leaves and closes the door, staying in with you and Eddie.

The water comes up around your mid torso. You use your hand to slosh the warm water around Eddie’s upper chest, but eventually decide that’s not enough.

You use a small jug that you and Robin use for hair washing to run warm water over Eddie’s skin, gently trying to warm him, but also carefully working to remove what mud and detritus that you can. He still feels cold to the touch, but after quite a few nerve wracking minutes he appears to be shivering less.

You and Steve share concerned glances, and Steve comforts you as you comfort Eddie, crouching down and reaching over the side of the tub to stroke your shoulder, reassuring you, telling you that you’re doing good, that this is helping.

Eddie sighs a little as you run water through his hair and down his torso, picking out the leaves left from Jane’s efforts and throwing them onto the floor.

Though it’s still cool, and preternaturally pale, Eddie’s skin seems to have warmed a little.

Hearing chattering and commotions outside, Steve stands, and you can tell he wants to check on what chaos might be transpiring in the rest of the house.

“I’m gonna go check on the others. Will you be okay here for a few minutes?”

“Of course. I’ll call if I need anything.”

“Okay, good. Just make sure you do. I’ll be back soon.”

Steve gives you a small smile as he exits, leaving you two alone in the tub.

After the door closes you allow yourself a moment of pure self-indulgence and close your eyes, enjoying the feeling of Eddie’s body pressed against your own. His back nestles against your chest, his spine between your breasts. His pelvis is slotted between your thighs, and you can feel the jut of his hips and his coolness on the delicate skin there. There’s a subtle pressure on your centre, but you try your best to ignore it.

You tilt your head forward a little, just enough to rest your nose amongst Eddie’s wet tresses, and run your hands gently down the outside of his arms. Not necessarily to clean or warm them this time, but just to feel them. To feel him.

The circumstances are so far from ideal, but part of you can’t help but revel in this proximity, this intimacy. You always wanted to be like this with Eddie, to have this closeness, but you didn’t think he’d ever want the same with you. You indulge yourself further and start to daydream, imagining it’s just you and him, that it’s a lazy weekend, and you’re enjoying a bath together just for the fun of it. Maybe you’re in your own shared apartment, the sun is bright outside and the scent of summer flowers is drifting in through your open window. No worries, no dramas, just you and Eddie, and the only thing on your minds is the promise of a romantic evening together.

A noise outside the room, possibly something clattering in the kitchen, breaks your trance. Taking a deep breath and looking up again, you shake yourself out of your reverie. Wanting to take full advantage of the warm water whilst you still can, you take a chance and lean back against the sloped end of the bathtub, taking Eddie with you, submerging you both a little more. You continue to use one hand to scoop warm water over Eddie’s shoulders and collarbones, occasionally running your fingers over his chest and throat.

You use your other hand to run your fingers through his wet hair, and as you stroke him he turns his head to one side and nuzzles ever so slightly under your chin. His breathing is regulating, and he’s even humming a little. The physical pressure of his body resting between your legs is increased, but you manage to keep your focus on the matter at hand.

After a few more minutes Eddie’s hands seem to warm and regain a little function. He stills the movements of your hand on his chest and clumsily interlaces his fingers with yours, gripping as tightly as he’s able as a couple of fat tears run down his cheeks. He’s still not able to talk, but just by his actions he’s telling you so much.

You hum into the top of his head,

“It’s okay, Eddie. I’m here. You’re with us now. You’re safe.”

You feel him relax a tiny bit more.

You sit in stillness for a few more long minutes, and, using the opportunity to observe him further, you notice more changes.

He was always wiry, but his muscles had a soft bulk beneath his ivory skin. Now, they’re solid and taut, and you can almost see striations running their length. The skin stretched over them is thinner, and the healthy layer of subcutaneous fat is completely gone.

As well as his altered skin tone and skinnier, but somehow also more muscled, physique, you notice the angry silver and red marks in his skin. Sharp, starburst patterns that look like chunks of his flesh have been ripped out of him.

Of course, they were.

You shudder at the memory of the altercation with the demobats, watching Eddie bleed out, dragging him through the gate but none of you able to do anything to save him.

You so want to know what happened to him after you were all whisked away in ambulances and trucks and black SUVs. You’re sure you saw him bundled into a black body bag, lifted into one of the Hawkins National Laboratory vans, but where he went after that you had no idea.

Wanting to be closer to him, and inveterately curious, carefully, so carefully, you run a fingertip over one of the scars on his neck.

He tenses, and flinches slightly.

Okay, we’re not doing that just yet.

You both sit in the stillness for another little while, and the bath water begins to cool. Before you could call him for help, Steve comes back in to check on you both.

When he’s satisfied that neither of you have drowned, you check in and ask how everyone else is doing. Usually, when they stay over, the kids sleep on the floor in the living room in their sleeping bags. Steve lets you know that for tonight, Robin’s decided to sleep on the sofa in there with them. She says it’s for company, or reassurance, or whatever, definitely not because she’s at all freaked out and not wanting to sleep alone. He tells you the kids have enthusiastically agreed, that Robin’s calming them, placating their rampant questions and desires to see Eddie, and is managing to get them to at least lie down, even if they don’t sleep. You and Steve are supremely grateful.

As confident as you both can be that the immediate emergency is tackled, and with the bath water continuing to cool around you, you’re aware that you and Steve need to think about practicalities, and discuss quite what you’re going to do next.

Steve’s the first to broach the subject, drumming his fingers lightly on the side of the bath as he checks Eddie over once more and says,

“So, uh, what’re we gonna do with him now?”

Remembering more of your rudimentary training, you decide to make another unusual request.

“Well, uh… This is probably gonna sound kinda weird, but…”

“What? What is it?”

“Well, I remember something from the training that said body heat is the best thing for warming someone up. Like, consistent, reliable body heat.”

You pause to assess Steve’s response. His brow is slightly furrowed and he’s looking a little pensive, but he nods for you to continue.

“And there was something about how skin to skin contact is even better. So, I mean I totally get it if you don’t wanna do this, but I thought I’d we could maybe get him into a bed and then sleep either side of him. Like maybe even spoon him or something… I dunno, I guess this sounds pretty crazy…”

You shake your head and look down into the tub, noticing that your fingers are still laced with Eddie’s, and he’s gripping your hand like he doesn’t want to let go.

“No, uh…” Steve clears his throat. “Y’know, I can totally see how that would work. Uh, okay, uh yeah, I guess we could do that.”

He gives you a half smile, his other hand running down his cheek, as he processes what he’s just agreed to.

The one-storey cabin has three bedrooms. A single, one with a double bed and one with a king. Steve, the tallest out of the three of you and, apparently, the most likely to starfish, got the king, whilst Robin opted for the coziness of the single (the one with the good view), leaving you with the double. The only sources of heating in the cabin, other than the open fire and the stove, are two clunky old electric heaters, which you try not to use too often, and if you're honest are a little scared of. Steve runs hot so he insisted you and Robin had one each in your rooms.

After a few more moments of deliberation Steve seems to have made a plan in his head. Nodding to himself, he stands, and says,

“Well, my bed’s the biggest, so I guess we’ll go in there. I’ll get the boys to move the electric heater from your room for extra warmth. And don’t even think about telling me no. I’m fine to overheat for one night if it helps Eddie, okay?”

He gives you a kind smile as he goes to leave the room, and you give him a relieved one in return. That was actually far less awkward than you thought it was going to be, and you’re thankful that you and Steve now have a plan.

You dislodge the plug with your foot and start to drain the bath, sluicing as much of the mud and detritus down the plug hole as you can, and Steve returns to help Eddie to stand and get out. You both dry him off, wet boxers notwithstanding, and do what you can to blot some of the dampness from his hair. While Steve holds Eddie up, you give a cursory wipe to your shoulders and feet and wrap a large towel around your middle, figuring the most pressing matter now is getting Eddie into bed.

Eddie shuffles from the bathroom to Steve’s room, supported between the two of you. He’s still not speaking, and can only manage a few moans and whimpers as you manoeuvre him. You see the kids peering intently at you all from the living room, and they seem comforted by the fact that Eddie’s at least upright and making noises.

You sit him on the edge of Steve’s bed, and as Steve bustles around the room getting the heater set up you examine Eddie’s injuries again. The scrapes and cuts on his hands and feet look raw and painful, but not deep, and they’ve stopped bleeding. And you’re relieved to see that he doesn’t seem to have any other injuries. Not fresh ones, at least…

You ask Steve if he can loan Eddie some dry clothes for the morning, and he chooses a few things from the drawers across the room.

You help Eddie to lie down in the middle of the mattress, whilst Steve lifts his legs onto the bed and pulls a sheet over him. Brandishing the clean boxers he’s retrieved, Steve says, in his best Team Captain voice, “Okay, we need to change these. Sorry again, buddy, but it’s for the best.”

Steve manages to change Eddie’s underwear under the covers, explaining it’s for his modesty, as Eddie grumbles but doesn’t resist.

Steve turns around whilst you dry off and change into the fresh underwear Robin delivered for you, and you slide under the covers and sit at the headboard as Steve does the same on the other side.

Eddie’s breathing is more regular, and he’s no longer shivering, so you feel safer now letting him drift into sleep. You move some strands of drying hair from his cheeks, and gently stroke the side of his face. Steve gives you a moment before pulling the comforter up and placing extra blankets on top of you all.

In the quiet, you notice that the wind and rain have died down, leaving only the hum of the heater and the delicate, rhythmic patter of drizzle on the window as the soundtrack to your evening. It’s oddly comforting.

You move down under the covers, and as the two of you organise the blankets and start to settle around Eddie, you say in a low voice,

“Thanks, Steve. You’re a true friend.”

He responds, kindly,

“Hey, I’m not the one who just got into a muddy bath with him and pulled half a tree out of that jungle he calls his hair. I think that title most definitely belongs to you.”

You snort quietly at Steve’s observation as you snuggle into the bed. You both encourage Eddie to turn so his front is against your back, feeling his cool skin down the length of you, as Steve slots himself around his back, pulling up the covers and turning off the bedside lamp as he goes.

In the darkness you reach behind you and pull one of Eddie’s arms across your torso. You clutch his hand to your chest, wrapping both of yours around it, telling yourself it’s to warm him up, but knowing deep down it’s because you desperately want to feel him around you, and imagine he’s holding you.

You feel his breathing regulate, puffing rhythmic exhales against your neck. As exhausted as you are, a million questions still run through your mind. So many unknowns, whats, whys and hows.

What happened? Where’s he been? Why is he dressed in the clothes you guys picked out to bury him in? Does Owens know about this? What the fuck is going on?

All you know for sure is two things:

One, you’d do anything to keep Eddie safe.

And two, tomorrow is going to be a very, very interesting day…

ICYMI, the Prologue is here

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this part.

Comments and reblogs keep writers writing, I’d love to hear from you.

My masterlist

I now have taglists for ‘everything’ and for each of my ongoing series, let me know if you’d like to be included!

Taglist (open): @joejoequinnquinn @jamdoughnutmagician @ali-r3n @eddiemunsonshandcuffs @jasminelafleur @corrodedcoffincumslut @kthomps914 @iletmytittiestitty-russ @findmeincorneliastreet @tlclick73 @sapphire4082 @razzeith @cupid-club @storiesbyrhi @eris-rose-86 @micheledawn1975 @bl0ssomanddie @veemoon @sunshinepeachx @writinginthetwilight @curlyjoequinn @madaboutmunson @airen256

Extra tags: I’ve rather presumptuously tagged everyone who enjoyed or reblogged previous parts, just let me know if you’d rather I didn’t! @nicolothy @mmunsonsstuff @songforeddiemunson @kookygranger @lovingonthemoon @elegantkoalapaper @fanfics-i-find-here @the-unforgivenn

#knock at the cabin #eddie munson #strangerprompts #eddie munson x reader #supernatural Eddie Munson fic #dark fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #S4 fix it #dark fanfic #Eddie lives #steve harrington #dustin henderson #robin buckley #lucas sinclair #jane hopper #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fic #stranger things #KATC #post S4 #post s4 fic #Mike wheeler #the party #stranger things S4 #stranger things S4 fanfic #hypothermia

[strangererotica]

EXPLICIT CONTENT | MINORS DNI

Perv!Dark!Jim Hopper x fem!reader | This is a very long chapter!!! | I don’t even know the word count, but it’s a LOT…

PART ONE | PART TWO

The previous night had been one of the worst in Jim Hopper’s life. He’d endured the long hours till morning with the company of cigarettes and alcohol, ruminating on the way he’d potentially ruined his life the night before. How could he have allowed his obsession with you to sink this low? To the point of revealing his secret in the most damning way possible, literally caught with his pants down (or at least, undone). Hopper had gone to your home last night with the plan of seeing you and your boyfriend, Steve Harrington. To satisfy his curiosity about the relationship the two of you had together. Was Steve really as perfect as he seemed? Were you genuinely happy with him? Or, more pressing on Hopper’s mind, was Steve Harrington able to satisfy you?

Hopper had gotten more answers than he’d expected however, when he’d accidentally stumbled upon you and Steve sharing an intimate moment together. Nothing, especially Hopper’s barely existent sense of shame, could have stopped him from watching. He’d certainly felt shame after being caught, however. The expression in your eyes when you’d spotted him was…impossible for Hopper to read. You hadn’t looked embarrassed, or horrified, or even surprised, at least as Hopper had perceived. It’s possible, he told himself, that you were exceptionally good at hiding your emotions. Or maybe…maybe you’d known that Hopper was watching all along…?

The thought had occurred to him at some point during the night, after yet another failed attempt at sleep. Hopper stared up at the ceiling of his trailer, naked and drunkenly sprawled on his couch. He was surrounded by empty beer cans, a cigarette burning down between his lips. He watched the smoke rise to the ceiling, coiling above him in an almost hypnotic spiral, at least to his alcohol-soaked perception. The image above Hopper perfectly mirrored his life spiraling-out-of-control, and he chuckled darkly at the irony of it. Hopper thought again of your eyes, their expression which completely eluded him. And then…a new possibility occurred to him. What if you hadn’t been shocked at all by his behavior, Hopper wondered? What if the secret of his obsession was something you already knew about? Had you realized Hopper wasn’t what he seemed, that Hawkins’ Chief of Police was actually less a servant of the community, and more a slave to his own perverted impulses?

Hopper found a sick sort of comfort in this new theory, in the idea that you might have already known his secret. If you’d known he was watching you last night, along with the reason why, perhaps you’d have less reason to be shocked at his indecent behavior? Your expression had appeared so vague to Hopper, maybe because you’d known he was there watching all along? Hopper lay on his couch, wondering…if maybe you’d left your curtains pulled on purpose? Had you wanted Hopper to see your boyfriend fuck you?

The character profile Hopper had constructed of you was of an innocent girl yet to be corrupted. If he’d been wrong all this time, and you were actually as deviant as he was, then the possibility of Hopper having you became more real to him. Maybe you liked the idea of being watched, of being obsessed over? Had your innocent behavior around Hopper been an act this whole time, a game you were playing at his expense? Did you get off on knowing he wanted you, but couldn’t have you?

The sun was rising, reminding Hopper of the time. He checked his watch, realizing he’d have to leave for the station soon. Facing you would be much easier if his theory about you was right. Part of him knew it was a long shot, but fuck, Hopper needed this fantasy, the hope that you secretly liked his lusting after you, that you wanted to be wanted by him…?

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The drive to the station was relatively easy for Hopper, considering the fact that he’d had zero sleep the night before and his hangover was getting progressively worse. Regardless of how awful he felt, Hopper was impatient to receive some kind of feedback from you, whether negative or positive. Not knowing how you were feeling about last night was tying a knot in Hopper’s stomach. And as soon as he entered the station, that knot in his stomach tightened.

A young woman Hopper didn’t recognize was seated at your desk. He stopped in his tracks, surprised and growing increasingly worried. Where the hell were you?

Hopper approached the secretarial desk. “Uh, hey,” he began tentatively. “Where’s (y/n)?”

The young woman smiled back at Hopper, and in spite of his anxiety, he couldn’t help but notice how attractive she was.

“(y/n) called in sick this morning,” the young woman replied. Hopper took a deep breath; his fantasy that you’d be alright with his deviant behavior was more than likely only that: a fantasy. You probably thought Hopper was the lowest scum on Earth, and couldn’t bear the thought of coming into work today and having to interact with him.

“Did she-uh-.” Hopper paused, clearing his throat. “Did she say what’s wrong, exactly? Anything specific?”

“No, but maybe she caught the flu?” the young woman replied. “I mean, her voice sounded okay over the phone. But you never know with the flu; it could be affecting her stomach-.” She looked away awkwardly, flustered and embarrassed for rambling.

Hopper took a few seconds to consider the new layer of shit he found himself in. At this point, he was sure you’d told Steve what had happened. Because, after all, Steve was your boyfriend. Why wouldn’t you tell him?

Then again, if you had told Steve, why wasn’t he at the station right now kicking Hopper’s ass? Maybe you’d begged Steve not to tell anyone, afraid you’d put your job in jeopardy?

The temporary secretary cleared her throat to get Hopper’s attention. Her big, expressive eyes drifted up and down his body, a curious smile on her face. Hopper tried to focus on her smile and not his anxiety, grateful for the distraction when she extended a pretty hand to him. “We haven’t met before,” the young woman said. “I’m Mary.”

Hopper took her hand, which disappeared in his. “Jim,” he said, adding, “Mary. That’s a beautiful name, Mary.”

She dropped her eyes bashfully, a light pink blush coloring her cheeks. Hopper already knew Mary wanted him to fuck her; it was more than obvious. Having her would be easy for several reasons. Mary was obviously young, likely nineteen or twenty, Hopper guessed. And from experience, he knew that younger women were easier conquests, because they tended to be inexperienced and therefore, attracted to someone mature and in a position of authority like Hopper.

One of the reasons Hopper was so enchanted by you was the fact that you were the exact opposite of a girl like Mary. You were young, but not so young that you automatically came with the prepackaged naïveté Hopper had grown so bored with after years of fucking women barely old enough to drink. Women who’d maybe had one or two partners, if any. Virgins were easy for Hopper to fuck, but they bored him. He needed a woman who would let him do unspeakable things to her body, not teach her how to fuck in the first place. He was too lazy for that, too selfish. Hopper wanted you, a woman who looked sweet and innocent in public, but could handle the dicking-down he intended to give you in private…

Hopper realized his thoughts were drifting again, so he forced himself to focus on the distraction in front of him: Mary. Secretary Mary. The fact that her name rhymed with her job might help him remember it for a change, Hopper realized. Usually, he didn’t waste time cataloging information about the women he fucked; it was too much of an effort for Hopper to keep track of them all.

He’d likely never see Mary again, after today. You’d be back at the station tomorrow, and Hopper could make things right with you…at least, he hoped you’d come back. The possibility of never seeing you again was something Hopper couldn’t handle right now. He needed to see you, to talk about what happened.

Mary’s pleasant voice pulled Hopper from his thoughts. “It’s nice to meet you, Jim,” she said, and he knew she meant it. “If you need anything…” Mary held the pause in her statement long enough to make sure Hopper understood the full extent of her meaning. “…You know where to find me.”

Hopper nodded politely. He knew he’d have her in the backseat of his Blazer by lunch.

“Likewise, Mary,” Hopper smiled, his voice soft and authoritative, laying the charm on thick. Mary’s subtle change in posture, the way her shoulders went back slightly, accentuating her breasts in the most innocent way possible, confirmed Hopper’s suspicions. He leaned forward, narrowing the space between them. Mary’s breathing changed instantly; Hopper could practically hear her pulse quicken. “Hey,” he whispered, a friendly grin on his lips. “I take my lunch at eleven; you wanna get out of here for awhile?”

Mary’s answer, predictably, was yes.

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Hopper had assumed correctly that Mary-the-Secretary was a virgin. She’d blurted it out as soon as he touched her, as if confessing something. Hopper didn’t react, because of course he’d already known. And he may have been compulsive when it came to sex, but he wasn’t a monster; Hopper never planned on putting his dick inside Mary. He knew she wasn’t ready for that, and he had no desire to make her first time a painful one. His only purpose in doing anything with Mary, or any woman at this point, was to use her body as a substitute for yours…

Mary had a pretty pussy and tasted sweet, so it was easy for Hopper to pretend she was you. He ate her for twenty minutes or so, and didn’t pull her panties back up for her till she’d come twice. He looked at his watch, noting that his lunch break was nearly over. Hopper gave Mary’s thigh a hearty pat and informed her it was “time to head back,” walking around to the front of the car and waiting for Mary to do the same. She of course took a bit longer than Hopper, being unsteady on her feet. Climbing into the passenger side, she closed her eyes and leaned to rest her head against Hopper’s shoulder. He grimaced, frowning at the road ahead, but Mary didn’t see his expression.

Another problem with virgins, Hopper was reminded: They get too attached and usually, right away. Especially the younger ones, who seemed to demand a dual role of Hopper that he wasn’t willing to waste time or effort to play: the role of a father figure as well as a lover. There was nothing about any of these girls that Hopper wanted to nurture, and he tried to convey that message early on with his behavior. But sometimes, the message wasn’t received, and Hopper had a broken heart on his hands that he’d never meant to break. He didn’t mind the slight guilt it caused his conscience this time, because Hopper knew he’d probably never see Mary again. Broken-hearted girls were easy to ignore when Hopper could avoid interacting with them.

He caught a glimpse of Mary’s face in the passenger side mirror. She was positively beaming, glowing… Hopper realized she’d probably never had an orgasm before today. He sighed to himself; she was definitely attached. Hopper didn’t want a puppy, but he seemed to now have one on his heels. Mary tried to get Hopper’s attention all day after lunch, making frequent trips into his office with one excuse or another, cheeks flushed rosy, giddy with excitement at just being near him. By the time Hopper got off duty, he was more than happy to be parting ways with Mary. She saw him leaving and trotted after Hopper to his car, asking if she could see him later tonight.

Rather than give her illusions of anything further happening between them, Hopper decided to rip the emotional bandage off quickly, and be done with it. “No, Mary,” he said over a cigarette. She watched him turn his key in the ignition, her smile softly fading. “I can’t see you tonight,” Hopper continued flatly. “I have a date.”

Mary’s sweet features melted into a look of sorrow that Hopper was familiar with. He didn’t enjoy hurting young women, but delivering a well-intentioned lie was better than handing out false hope. He backed out of the parking lot and onto the main road that ran through downtown Hawkins. It would take less than three minutes for Hopper to get to your house. He was tempted. The urge to know what was going through your head right now was eating him up inside.

As usual when it came to Hopper, temptation did get the better of him. He began to feel angry at you for denying him a response. How could you not let him know where your mind was at, after what happened last night? The anxiety of not knowing was making Hopper miserable, emotionally sick. His dick had barely gotten hard when he was eating out the temporary secretary, even though he’d mentally replaced her with you.

An ugly sense of rage began to boil in Hopper’s gut. How dare you avoid him…how dare you pretend that everything was okay, that the world wasn’t caving in, making up some absurd excuse about being sick to avoid Hopper? His grip on the steering wheel had tightened to the point of discomfort, but as with his obsession, Hopper couldn’t. let. go.

The sun was setting as Hopper pulled down your street. It reminded him of where he’d been exactly twenty-four hours ago, driving from Steve’s house to yours, and how everything about his life had changed in the hour following. Hopper saw Steve’s car in your driveway, but that didn’t stop him. He was determined to get an answer, to get some kind of reassurance from you that everything last night was real, and not the result of a drug-induced dream his subconscious had conjured up. Hopper knew he had to control himself, to stuff his rage deeper lest it take hold of him and guide his mind in a direction that would cause even more harm than he already had.

Hopper pulled to a stop in your driveway, rather than parking further down the street like he had last night. What was the point? Hopper planned on being confrontational, on getting the answers he was owed. A thin line of sweat dripped down his chest as he put the Blazer in park. Hopper’s deep blue eyes were darker than usual when he checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. He was reminded briefly of those cheesy horror movies where a character in the film becomes possessed. Their eyes were always depicted as changing color, going a darker shade, as if the demon that had overtaken them was seeping through the very windows of their soul. Hopper’s reflection was slightly jarring. He wondered what was possessing him? His answer came easily; Hopper was possessed by you.

He threw open the driver’s side door and slammed it shut. Hopper wiped the sweat from his forehead, then reached into his pocket for a cigarette, quickly deciding against it. He didn’t want anything distracting him, not even a cigarette. Hopper decided he could smoke after he’d handled you. He could have rang the doorbell, but opted for the more aggressive option, banging his fist against the door in three firm, thudding knocks. A muffled voice from behind the door called out, “just a sec,” and Hopper cursed under his breath. It was Steve.

The front door pulled back and Hopper found himself once again in the presence of “King Steve,” Harrington. “What an honor,” Hopper sarcastically muttered. Steve didn’t hear, as he was too busy adjusting the t-shirt he’d obviously pulled on in a hurry to answer the door. It was on backwards, tag visible on the neckline. Steve looked less like a king and more like a pauper at the moment, his shorts crooked and hair a mess. Hopper took in the sight of the younger man, the rapid pace of his breathing, perspiration glistening on the end of Steve’s nose.

Except, it wasn’t sweat. Hopper could smell sex all over Steve, and he swallowed, hard. That was you…your sweet scent radiating from Steve’s body, covering his face and neck. Steve must have realized he looked a mess, because he quickly pulled up the bottom of his shirt and wiped his face, and ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to fix it. “Uh-hey Chief,” Steve said distractedly. “What’re you doing here?”

Hopper chewed his tongue so hard it hurt. How he wanted to end Steve Harrington, to shove past him and into your house. Hopper would find you and finish the job for Steve. And he’d do it better, too…

Hopper realized you must not have told Steve about last night, and that the time to confront you was not now. He took a deep breath before speaking. “I heard (y/n) called in sick today,” Hopper said quietly, then cleared his throat to speak more clearly. “Just checking to make sure she’s okay.”

Steve leaned an elbow against the doorway, nodding quickly and assuring Hopper in a flurry of words that you were “fine-just fine,” and “I’ll let her know you uh-you stopped by-.” And then, the door closed in Hopper’s face…

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Hours passed.

Hopper drank.

The Hideaway stayed open till three AM on Mondays. It was a clever business move designed to entice customers in after what was typically the most stressful work day of the week. Right now, Hopper was just grateful to have a drink in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. The location didn’t matter; he would have gladly laid his cash and self respect on the bar of any nearby watering hole. Luckily for Hopper, The Hideaway was only a few minutes drive from your house, which made it the perfect place to kill time.

He checked his watch more often than he needed, drinking shot after shot of whatever contained the highest percentage of alcohol. After his encounter with Steve that evening, Hopper needed this. If he was angry before, he was furious now. That bastard had literally been fucking you in the next room right before answering the door. Hopper threw back another shot of vodka, sucking the last of it from the glass. The bartender had been watching him for some time now, taking note of how much alcohol Hopper was consuming. He’d known Hopper long before he was ever an officer, or an adult for that matter. Randy had known Hopper his entire life. He understood the pain Hopper had endured, from his time in Vietnam to the death of his daughter, and the eventual breakdown of his marriage. Randy understood how a man like Hopper could be motivated to drink in excess, turning to alcohol to quiet the memories that haunted him, like so many others who visited the bar. Although Hopper was an adult now, Randy still kept an eye on how much alcohol he had while in his establishment. It was one small way Randy could still take care of him. And he decided that Hopper had had enough.

“Hey Jimmy,” the old man said, approaching Hopper from behind the bar. He had a glass in one hand and a towel in the other, drying it as he spoke. “You driving tonight?”

Hopper shook his head ‘no,’ and then laughed. Why should he lie? He was the Chief of Police, after all. But to spare the old man any worry, Hopper didn’t retract his lie. Instead, he doubled down on it, telling Randy through a series of slurred words that he’d walked there tonight, and planned on walking home. Randy wasn’t convinced; he knew Hopper’s trailer was all the way out by Lover’s Lake. Too far for anyone to choose walking into town over driving. But there was nothing else the old man could do besides refuse Hopper anymore alcohol. “Regardless,” Randy said. “I think it’s time for you to call it a night, Jimmy.”

Hopper groaned, rising from his barstool. He opened his wallet and removed more than enough money to pay his tab, leaving it on the bar. “Keep th’change, Randy,” he drawled, adding “Thanks for always lookin’ out for me.” Hopper staggered to the front door, leaning on it for support as he pushed it open. The night was beautiful; the cloudless sky an inky canvas, sprinkled with stars that were easily visible. Hopper stood in place but swayed on his feet, staring up at the moon. He wondered if your bedroom curtain was open tonight, letting the moonlight in? Hopper decided to find out for himself…

──────────────────

You’d said goodnight to Steve around eleven that evening. After a long bath, you’d climbed into bed with a good book, read for awhile, then switched off your bedside lamp to go to sleep. Your mind, however, had different plans for you.

It had been nearly impossible to stop thinking about Hopper since last night. He’d been on your mind so often throughout the day, you’d swear he’d taken up residence inside your head. You knew he’d stopped by earlier that afternoon, claiming he wanted to make sure you were feeling better, or something to that effect. But you knew the real reason Hopper had shown up at your door, and that he was also worried you’d told Steve, maybe everyone, about last night. Your absence at work must have confirmed Hopper’s worry.

The truth, however, was much more complicated. You knew Hopper was sick. You’d known for awhile now. You’d seen the way he looked at you, sensed the energy coming from him. You’d recently become aware of Hopper’s compulsive masturbation in his office, ever since you’d taken his trash liner out (as you did with all the bins at the station before clocking out every night). At first, you’d been shocked by your discovery…but you quickly became intrigued. You wondered why Hopper needed to come so often…if maybe the way he looked at you was an indication of where his need was coming from?

The possibility of Chief Jim Hopper wanting you that desperately was…intoxicating. You’d had a crush on him from the moment you met, and in spite of your relationship with Steve, your crush had flourished into a kind of obsession. You knew exactly which cigarettes Hopper smoked (Camel’s, that was his preferred brand) how he liked his coffee (black with a spoonful of honey on the side), that his beer of choice was Schlitz. You’d purchased an aftershave that smelled like Hopper and made Steve use it. You’d snuck a peek at the tag on the navy jacket Hopper wore, and purchased one for yourself.

A favorite ritual of yours was to lay in bed wearing Hopper’s jacket and nothing else. You’d sprinkle a few drops of his aftershave onto your chest, and touch yourself. It wasn’t the same as having Hopper, but…it was enough to get you through the nights when Steve couldn’t satisfy you. Of course, your boyfriend made you come, and often. Steve was amazing in bed, and the sex you had with him was nearly perfect. The one fault you had with Steve (and it was major) was his sex drive. He simply didn’t need sex as much as you did, as often or as rough. Sometimes, you’d convince Steve to play rougher and he would, but not without asking a million times afterwards if he’d hurt you, if he’d made you feel cheap or used, or unloved? Steve was sweet, but his sweetness often got in the way of pursuing rougher intimacy, the kind you craved.

Like last night…Spitting into your mouth, and fucking you in the ass, were acts Steve never would have initiated himself. He preferred gentle, tender sex over anything. While Steve was content to be making love, you needed to be fucked. You wanted a man like Hopper to hurt you and not apologize for it. You wanted him to pump and dump you, leave you split in half and covered in his cum, and to never once say sorry…

You knew Hopper was sick, and you didn’t judge him for it. Because what no one else knew, not even Steve, was that you were sick, too. You couldn’t get enough sex, and Steve wasn’t meeting your needs. You’d kept your crush on Hopper a secret, resigning yourself to good, not great, sex.

When you saw Hopper standing outside your house last night, you made the spontaneous decision to dance for him. And when Steve appeared in the doorway, you realized an even better opportunity to ‘perform,’ for Hopper had presented itself.

Making sure to stand directly in front of the window where you knew Hopper could see everything, you’d let Steve fuck you. Knowing that Hopper was watching in secret made you unbelievably aroused. Seeing him coming all over himself afterwards was the confirmation you needed that Hopper wanted you. The visit he’d made to your home earlier had only been the beginning. You knew that if Jim Hopper wanted to fuck you…he’d be back.

The sound of your front door being unlocked startled you. It must be Steve, of course, since your boyfriend is the only other person with a key to your house. At least, that’s what you thought…

“Steve?”

The door slammed shut. Footsteps on the stairs told you immediately that this was not Steve. You knew his gait, the sound of his walk. You’d heard your boyfriend go up and down those stairs dozens of times. These steps were heavy, uneven. The intruder paused at the sound of your voice, when you called out “who’s there?”

Hopper stepped through your bedroom doorway, making you jump. “S’okay, it’s alright,” he said, lifting his hands to show you he meant no harm. “I just wanna talk, okay? We need to fuckin’ talk…” Hopper sat on the end of your bed, his weight shifting the mattress under you.

“I don’t want to talk,” you told him, to which Hopper immediately replied, “I understand. You’re probably very confused about last night, but you don’t have to be embarrassed.” You tried to interrupt, but Hopper wouldn’t let you get a word in. “I just wish you would have fucking talked to me.” His voice was intense, darker. “You don’t show up at work- What am I supposed to think?!” Hopper slammed his fist against your bed, making you jump. “That my life is over? That I’m never gonna see you again?” Hopper’s speech was slurred, but you understood exactly what he was saying.

He was staring you down, his eyes lingering over the sheet concealing you. Hopper wanted so badly to rip the fabric back and see your body beneath it. All of his strength was focused on controlling himself, because despite the alcohol slurring Hopper’s words, he was very much aware of what was happening, and where he was. He was sitting on your bed, the most intimate place in your home. The place where you laid your head each night and dreamed, where you likely touched yourself. You were so vulnerable like this, Hopper realized. If he lost control right now, and let his darker impulses take hold of him, he might do something even worse than he’d done last night…

“I don’t want to talk,” you repeated, and Hopper laughed darkly. “Well that’s just fine, because I AM gonna talk and you’re gonna fucking LISTEN-.” Hopper grit his teeth, his jaw tensed. He wanted to punish you right now so badly, for making him endure the torture of your silence, your absence. You sat forward in bed, the sheet concealing your body falling aside. Hopper’s features softened, his lips parting slightly, eyes fixed on your exposed breasts. You watched as Hopper’s body language shifted, the muscles in his neck contracting as he swallowed. He was obviously aroused by your nakedness, and for the first time all night, Hopper was at a loss for words.

Taking his hand, you placed his palm over your breast. Hopper drew in a deep breath, staring at his hand cupping your tit, feeling your nipple harden against his palm. You repeated the same words, but slower. This time, Hopper knew precisely their meaning: “…I don’t…want…to TALK…” Hopper understood. You weren’t interested in talking. You wanted him to fuck you.

Hopper’s lips replaced his hand over your breast. Latching onto your nipple, he pressed the tip of his tongue against it before circling and sucking. Your surprised whimper at his intensity made Hopper’s cock stiffen, throbbing against the confines of his jeans. He sank his teeth lightly into your breast, grunting into your tit when a low moan escaped your lips. The sounds you made were divine, even prettier than Hopper had imagined.

His hands gripped the flesh at your hips, groping along your belly to your thighs. His lips crushed against yours as he used his hands to spread your thighs wide open. Hopper felt your cum on his fingers, and put them to his lips. His tongue swept over your slick once, twice, three times, because to Hopper, you tasted like God. The scent of you hadn’t done justice to the divinity of your taste. Hopper sucked his fingers clean before grabbing your legs and tugging your ass down the bed toward him. You gasped, smiling, that smile Hopper could never get tired of seeing, all innocence and corruption at the very same time; a smile that looked angelic on a mouth built for nothing but sin…

Nestling between your legs, Hopper rested his cheek against your inner thigh. He wanted to savor these sensations…your cum slicking his cheek where it rested against your thigh…your scent vanilla sweet, just inches from his nose…the view of your soaked pussy glistening wet and warm…

Hopper lowered his face and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to your clit. Your skin tasted so sweet, like a ripe peach waiting to be bitten. Hopper couldn’t go a second longer without your cunt in his mouth. With his big hands clenching your hips, Hopper pulled your cunt over his lips. Your back arched as Hopper flexed his tongue inside you, curving it around your g-spot.

Your fingers latched onto Hopper shoulders, bracing yourself as your body shivered. No one had ever licked your cunt like this, eating you from the inside out. You twisted and writhed, your lower back lifting off the mattress. If your hips hadn’t been anchored down by Hopper’s hands, you were convinced you’d be floating by now. It already felt like you were. Hopper was licking places so deep inside you, he forgot to breathe. His nose was pressed flush to your clit, his chin rutting against the curve of your ass. Hopper never wanted to leave the warmth of your cunt, not even for air. He pressed two fingers inside you and with an almost hypnotic pace, Hopper expertly fingered your cunt. He spread your slippery lips apart with his tongue, honing in on your clit. Wrapping his mouth over the raised pink bud, Hopper sucked in time with the thrusts of his fingers inside you.

Your eyes were on the ceiling, but you didn’t see it. You were floating, melting, dissolving under Hopper’s lips and around his fingers. The sopping wetness of you sprayed over Hopper’s face, your pillowy walls sucking and contracting around his fingers as you came. Hopper lapped at your cunt like a thirsty animal; he’d never been so drunk on a pussy that he’d blacked out like this, lost track of time and space and everything in between. Your cunt in Hopper’s mouth was like a strong hit of the best drug he’d ever tried. He was addicted instantly. No other pussy would be able to satisfy Hopper after this; he was sure of it. Hopper rubbed his face into your cunt, smearing your cum all over his face. He knew now why Steve was always covered in you; Hopper understood completely. Your cum smelled like every good pussy Hopper had ever had, combined.

As your hips stilled, Hopper lifted his face to look at you. Your eyes were glossy, a thin sheen of sweat coloring your cheeks ruddy, eyebrows cinched together. Your voice was weak, but you managed to softly whimper “more…” and pressed Hopper’s face into your cunt again. He took another hit, another drag, another shot of you. That euphoric bliss went straight to Hopper’s cock, and his climax took him by surprise, filling the crotch of his jeans with cum. You came harder this time, losing yourself for a moment in a black pool of pleasure, your eyes on the ceiling but not in this world anymore.

Hopper rose up from between your thighs, cum dripping off his chin as he hovered over your body. He smacked his palm against your pussy and you choked back a sob, a pain that Hopper was as quick to rub away as he was to dole out. He alternated between spanking your pussy with a force so brutal it shook the bed frame and made you cry, then rubbing his palm against your abused cunt till you were crying in pleasure. Hopper forced three fingers from one hand inside your sopping cunt and hooked them around your insides, ramming into your pussy as hard and as deep as he could, his knuckles disappearing inside you, fingertips nudging your cervix. All throughout this beautiful torture of your insides, Hopper continued to spank his other palm against your cunt. Your lips were already swollen but now, they were twice as puffy and twice as tempting to suck. Hopper removed his fingers from you and pushed his face between your legs again, growling into your plump heat, his spent cock stiffening again inside his cum-soaked jeans.

He pulled your lips between his, suckling at their pillowy softness. Hopper gulped your cum as you squirted again, sealing his open mouth over your pussy so he wouldn’t miss a drop. His stomach was full of cum, his tongue thick and heavy, and Hopper had never been a happier man. You pressed his shoulders back, and he let you climb on top of him. You rubbed yourself against Hopper’s crotch, the bulge in his jeans wet with both his cum and now yours. Speeding your lips around the outline of his cock, you humped Hopper through his jeans. The weight of you on top of his cock made Hopper groan, the rocking of your hips as you rutted over and over again along his clothed erection pushing Hopper over the edge. He came inside his jeans again, grunting through his climax as you never stopped humping him, as you drained every drop from Hopper’s cock and refused to climb off till you’d come again, too.

Despite the fact that he’d already come twice, Hopper couldn’t stop getting hard again within five minutes of coming. He pulled his cock from his jeans, shaking it by the base, letting his cum fall off his dick and onto your stomach. Hopper grabbed your hips and flipped you over, spitting on your asshole and rubbing his fat tip against it. Without warning, he buried himself inside you, splitting you open just like you wanted. You yelped in pain; Hopper’s hand found your mouth, cupping around your face from behind. “Bite down,” he ordered, shoving his fingers between your lips. Hopper fucked you harder as your teeth sank into his skin. The pain in your asshole began to subside as you braced your teeth around Hopper’s fingers. His cock was stretching your asshole beyond its capacity to hold him; but with every punch of your guts, the pain got easier and easier to take.

“I’m gonna come-,” Hopper panted over your back. “I’m gonna come again-FUCK!” Hopper emptied his third load inside you, painting your asshole with semen. His body shivered, trembling, and you felt the vibration through his cock, still hard as a diamond in your ass. Sweat dripped from Hopper’s chest onto your back. He pulled his fingers from your mouth, sucking the small bit of blood off of them. Hopper lazily humped the soft curves of your ass, pushing his cum deeper as his cock softened inside you. “You did so good,” Hopper murmured against your ear. “Such a good fucking girl…”

You tilted your head back, lips parted in a contented smile. Your hair was drenched in sweat, wispy strands sticking to your forehead. Hopper took his time kissing each one, letting his cock linger inside you, making sure every single drop of his cum was deposited there. When he did pull out, Hopper trailed kisses along the curve of your back, gently removing his cock from inside you.

“Is there a mess?” you asked, and Hopper smirked, looking down at his dick.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he replied, reaching for a tissue box on your nightstand and using them to wipe his cock clean. You realized the sun would be coming up soon, and that you’d both have to get ready for work. “How about a shower and some breakfast?” you asked, and Hopper smiled. “I’d like that,” he said.

After showering, you showed Hopper where the kitchen was and he made you both scrambled eggs and toast. He needed to leave a little early to go home and change into his uniform. You kissed Hopper goodbye and watched him walk to his vehicle through your front doorway. And it occurred to you that this…all of this…was absolutely going to happen again.

@mrshopper84

#stranger things #stranger things smut #dark!hopper #hopper smut #hopper x fem reader #hopper x reader #hopper x y/n #hopper x you #jim hopper #david harbour #jim hopper x fem!reader #jim hopper x y/n #jim hopper x you #jim hopper x reader #Steve Harrington #joe keery #stranger things angst #jim hopper smut #jim hopper stranger things #steve harrington x reader #steve stranger things #steve Harrington smut #steve harrington x y/n smut #steve harrington x you smut #hopper stranger things #hopper angst #hopper x y/n smut #perv!jim hopper #perv!hopper #dark!jim hopper

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

the wall between us

kinktober, day sixteen

a/n: ...yeah, this one is weird, but also kinda wild

summary: pov, you live in a cult where there is an impregnation ritual on your 18th birthday

warnings: steve harrington x reader, smut, cult au (they are both members), cult leader!jim hopper, weird birthday impregnation ritual, public sex, fem gloryhole, breed kink, fingering, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, forbidden romance

word count: 773

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

masterlist | join my taglist | kinktober 2023

“Always a blessed day when a flower blooms and becomes ready to expand on our wonderful family,” you heard Jim, your charismatic and adorn leader boast from the other side of the thin wooden wall, “now, gentlemen, let us bow our heads and pray, please, grant me the power to deduce who will bless this girl with a babe….” after a moment of dead silence, Hopper broke it with a loud, “ah! I can see it!” the others in the audience rumbled as he finally revealed, “it is you!”

“Me, sire?” a voice in the crowd cut through, sounding completely taken aback. 

“Yes, you bear the seed she needs, my child,” his proclamation prompted the other members to cheer loudly as you heard footsteps near. 

Laying on your back, legs resting up against the wall, you felt a gust of wind kiss your bottom that stuck out of the meticulous cut-out, indicating that a person had stepped up.  

“Hi,” he greeted in a hushed tone, the crowd still bustling from behind him. 

“Hello,” your fingers apprehensively fiddled with the fabric of your white dress, crumbled and gathered at your waist. 

“Uh, happy birthday.”

“Oh,” you blinked a second, surprised by his demeanour, “thank you.”

“Can I ask you something?” his low voice was clear, though his touch hadn’t found you yet.

“Sure.” 

“Are you nervous?” 

“A little, yeah,” you gnawed at your bottom lip, “I’ve just waited for this for a very long time… are you?”

“I know I shouldn’t be, but he’s just never picked me before, so…” he admitted, staying quiet a moment before checking, “is it alright if I begin?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” you rushed to say, adrenalin pumping through your veins. You sucked in a sharp breath as you felt his touch ghost over your skin, just your hip, the exposed part of you that was the furthest away from your core. Your fingers tightened their grip on your dress as his gentle touch slowly fluttered closer to your presented pussy, “is it strange that I wish I could see you?”

“Not at all,” he nearly chuckled, “I feel the same way,” his broad thumb came up to brush over your glistening folds, his touch staying ever so light as he tickled your clit. 

Just then, you heard a heavy pair of boots come near, “come on, son,” you heard Jim whisper into the man’s ear, “you haven’t got all day,” a threatening aura laced his tone, “complete the ritual,” a callused hand suddenly crept over your skin, “look,” and without warning, a finger plunged into you causing you to gasp, “she’s practically begging for you to pump her full,” momentarily curving his digit, he tickled a spot inside of you that made you shiver, “don’t make me pick somebody else,” though his controlling touch then faltered, parting ways by swiftly landing a sharp slap across your bottom, a hushed yelp bubbling from your lips. 

“I’m sorry, sire,” the man quickly apologised, hastily rushing to bury himself in you. 

Turning his attention back towards the crowd, Jim then roared, “and the ceremony has officially begun!” boisterous cheers promptly erupted, “soon we will be blessed with more abundance!” 

Keeping his voice low, you heard the man whisper as he bucked into you, “I’m sorry, I really wanted to do this differently, take our time…”

“It’s alright,” you breathed, “it’s how it's done…” your whole body rocked with each of his efforts to fulfil his duty. Planting your palm on the wood parting you two, where you presumed his visage was, you couldn’t help but imagine what he looked like… exactly the way his hips snapped into you… had his hair fluttered down to obscure his vision? Was he looking at you and you alone? Because if he looked anything like how he sounded or how he felt, then you couldn’t even begin to comprehend what that could mean, but what you did know was that it enticed you in a way you’d never felt before, “…maybe one day we’ll meet again and there won’t be a wall between us. Will you show me then how you had wished to do it?”

With a low and strangled moan, you felt him twitch inside of you and his movements quickly slow as he filled you up. 

“What’s your name?” he asked breathlessly. 

“Y/n,” you felt your heart flutter as you stared at the wall, “and yours?”

“Steve,” he whispered, his touch warm as his fingers fluttered over your goosebump-ridden flesh, “I’ll find you, Y/n. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but I promise I won’t stop till I do.”

© 2023 thyme-in-a-bubble 

#lea’s writing #kinktober 2023 #steve harrington smut #jim hopper smut #stranger things smut #steve harrington x reader #dark!jim hopper #stranger things imagine #dark!steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington drabble #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n smut #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x fem!reader #cult leader!jim hopper #cult member!steve harrington

[persage]

CAN YOU STAY WITH ME TONIGHT?- S. HARRINGTON

Summary: It's a rainy night when Steve Harrington knocks on your door for help. This time, however, it has nothing to do with the upside down and its monsters but that doesn't make things any easier.

Steve Harrington x Hopper!Reader

Words Count: 2.5k

Warnings: None, just Steve's shitty parents, some angst with comfort and the breakdown our boy deserves. Hopper!Reader. Let's pretend Hopper never "dies" at the end of season 3. (set between s3/4)

He can see it in the distance, warm and familiar. At every step the Hopper house is closer and you with it. In the dark of the night Steve Harrington needs you like never before. The rain beats quickly against his jacket as he runs fast, regretting not having taken the car and having decided to run away on foot, like an unconscious stupid child. If he lived in a normal city, he might  be afraid of catching a cold or a fever at most, but he lives in Hawkins since and November 6th 1983, the day Will Byers disappeared, he has much more to fear. He knows that rationally nothing has happened for months, that you are theoretically safe, that you have overcome the Russians and the Mind Flayer, but every time something terrible has been thrown at you it has been when you felt the safest. He trembles. He should have at least taken the bat, which he keeps under the bed, but he ran away from that hell of the house without thinking and immediately found himself running to you, like an unstoppable impulse.

To say you've had a hell of a night would be an understatement. His tear soaked face is red and puffed, his hair disheveled and even if he's been running he's cold, lips chapped and he just wanna stop moving and sleep. It seems like an eternity goes by before reaching the familiar doorstep. Though the hour, he knocks at the door and it doesn't even occur to him that the Chief Hopper can open it in your place. Also he is ashemed of being seen this way by you,  but by your dad ... It would much more embarrassing.

Luckily what he sees after a few minutes and a few reminders is your sleepy and confused face.

"Steve? What's wrong?" You ask as you open the door. You haven't looked at him well yet, not enough to realize he just cried, you rub your eyes to wipe out sleep, your hair is unkempt, the pajama you are wearing is turned upside down and you seem to have the pillow still glued to your face . Guilt grips Steve's heart.

I shouldn't have come. He thinks. He needs to go away, is nothing important.

Sorry y/n, it is nothing, I'm going home. But what comes out of his lips is something else. "Can I stay here, tonight?" He asks, his voice trembling. Idiot Steve.

Your brows knit together with concern as you let the door open fully. "Of course. My dad is working late so it's just us. What happened?" You look him up and down, resting yout hand on his chest once the door is shut. You finally notice his eyes swollen with tears, despite the rain you can clearly distinguish his tears. Something between his chest and stomach tightens. A lump rises in your throat.

You never saw Steve cry, not when Billy beat him, not when Nancy left him, not when he was tortured by the Russians. Something very serious must have happened and you are afraid to know it, because the person in front of you, even if he does not know it, is the human  you care about most in the world. The same one you were willing to die for so many times. When you stood between him and Billy, when you stood by his side in the tunnels, when you offered to take his place during the you never managed to stop him from hurting himself.

And now, again, something has already happened to him and you are here, helpless. You can only listen to him.

"I.. I shouldn't... I didn't know and... I just. It's raining." He avoids eye contact as his voice shakes as well as his hands. You grab them, squeezing them with both of yours. They are cold and wet. "You're all wet Stevie, you're gonna catch a cold." You say in the sweetest tone. He lets out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have come".

"No, no don't say that. We're gonna get you into some dry clothes and get that cut cleaned up, alright?" You rub your thumb over his cheek, pulling it away to show the trail of crimson liquid. Steve haven't even noticed he was hurt, he is just so used to it.

Even if you are shorter then him, you awkwardly try to put an arm around his shoulders to warm him. Steve lets out a little laugh and you let an arm slide along his side and bring him closer to you as if you need him to have both hands on him in fear that if you let go, he'll fall completely apart.

You walk him to your room signing him to be quiet for El who is sleeping in the near room. You pick out a red sweatshirt that he lent you once and you never gave him back and some unlikely basketball shorts that must have belonged to your dad when he was young  and they certainly won't fit him well but as they are but it's your best option. Steve doesn't know how to describe the feeling while he hold the clothes in his arms waiting for you to leave him, it is just that they make him feel safe. They have your scent.

"You change and I'll get some stuff to clean the cut, yeah?" You say, gently caressing his face and regretting it a second later. Sometimes your releshionship confuses you: he's not your boyfriend, not even near to be, but you are way more tan friends. And he ran to you. In the moment of need he ran to you, it must mean something. But on the other hand then there's Robin ans this symbiotic relationship that she and Steve share that you don't understand and it scares you, also because she's awesome in so many ways and you really really like her. You don't wanna be jealous, you just  can't help it.

Steve nods and watches you leave hesitantly. He knows he must have scared you, showing up out of nowhere, late at night, and he knows you must have understood something is very wrong. Steve feels weak near you, like he doesn't need to hide his fears anymore, like he can finally break down and that's what worries him the most. He doesn't want to be a burden and he doesn't want you to change your mind about him. When you return Steve is sitting shyly on your bed, twiddling with his fingers.

"Alright, here we go." You state, walking back into the room with hands full of band-aids, gauze, hydrogen peroxide

"What happened Stevie?" You ask sitting beside him, so close you can feel his still cold skin against yours.

He takes a deep breath and remains silent.

"I am ready to challenge my father's wrath and let you stay tonight and you know he will kill me for it but you must confide in me, please. You can trust me." You continue while with dedication you cleanse his cheek of stale blood.

"I hit a mirror. And I broke it." He explains in a low voice, finally finding the courage to look into your eyes.

"Yeah" You hold stare back at him, his eyes full of shame, fear, a broken heart. "And how did you hit a mirror with your pretty face Steve? "

He clears his throat to stop the trembling of his voice. "I had a fight with my father"

When will you grow up?

When will you work for real?

You make me regret having you, stupid boy.

You're useless

You're a shame for the Harrington name.

" He ... He found out that I'm not going to leave Family Video soon and ... He freaked out. You know my, my cousin Trent  has just graduated he'll have to take care of the family business and I... I'm just too stupid for this shit."

"What did he do to you?" You struggle to control the anger in your voice and squeeze the gauze  too tightly. This time it's Steve grabbing yours hands to calm you down.

"He didn't do anything to me. He didn't beat me Y/N if that's what you are thinking, he never did and he never would"

"But you hit a mirror" Your voice holds pieces of breaking heart and anger.

"He pushed me, I slipped. I swear to you"

"It's not that better anyway. He pushed you, he makes you feel stupid, he... Doesn't even try to understand you Steve. This is not fair, you deserve better" Your voice goes up an octave, you just want to scream at Steve's parents, to make them see how wonderful thier son is. You always knew that his family never protected, loved or valued Steve as he deserves but seeing him in this state annihilates you.

" You're the only one who thinks that y/N. Sometimes I've got the feeling that you don't actually see me for who I am" Steve chuckles, but behind that sound there is nothing happy, just a lot of loneliness. "Steve we all believe you deserve the world. Robin, Dustin, the kids. Me. I've seen you fight monsters, Russians, I've seen you save everyone. I know you, I've seen you take care of Dustin and the others and be the most generous and courageous person in the world. You don't want to run a company, and that's okay so it doesn't make you any less important, less strong or valuable. Please, please believe me "

"I can't" He murmors voice breaking. He brings his hands to his face to calm down. He feels like crying.

"I can't y/n" You hang your head slightly with disappointment, while caressing his soft hair.

"He kicked me out of the house." He adds, whispering.

His chin wrinkles, his eyes burn ready for tears to start streaming as your heart falls with his.

His pain is yours.

You no longer care about keeping appearances and distances. You throw yourself on Steve stepping him in the tightest of hugs, tying your arms around his neck and resting your head on his, kissing his hair while Steve Harrington lets himself go against your chest, collapsing into a cry that has been held back for years. He cries for Barb, for Nancy, for himself and the little boy he was. He cries for the blows he took, for the mistakes he made, for Jonathan with whom he was an asshole, for the mistakes he has not forgiven himself. For high school Robin. For the Russians, for Billy and Max, poor little Max. He cries because the weight of the world is on his shoulders and he is not even able to be a worthy son, to be strong and now he throws it all on you. He cries for you, because he knows that now he can do nothing to keep you away from him, to give you better. You love him, otherwise you would have already kicked him out, you would see his flaws. Like his father you would find him useless.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He whispers against your body, sobbing his heart out.

"No, no, no don't be. Ever.

We'll find a solution I swear my Dad will help us"

"I don't want ... I don't want Chief Hopper to get in the way ... I don't want ..."

"Steve my father adores you and is grateful to you and will be happy to help you. You have saved my life a thousand times. You save me every day to be fair"

You move away wiping his tears with your thumb, looking at him with admiration, as if he were the most precious thing on earth. Steve lets himself be lulled into this unknown sensation. "We will talk about it tomorrow with my father and we will solve everything"

"Yeah." He agrees softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you y/n. Thank you"

"Don't ." Your voice is soft but scratchy. "Don't ever thank me for this Harrington. This is what we do. We're there for each other, no matter what."

He nods once as you hold his head in your hands

"And listen to me, please. You are worth, you are precious and you deserve the world"

"It's you, you are precious" he leans to you, his forehead now touching yours.

Your voice shakes "You are loved" You murmor as you help him lay down on your bed, arms wrapped around him, hugging him tightly. "Now sleep, you need it Stevie boy"

"If your father finds us like this he'll kills us"

"Oh Harrington I'd be ready to die for a night with you"

You answer ironically. Or maybe not.

"I left him a note on the door. He'll know you're here and you need us." You continue.

"y/n"

"Yes Steve"

"You are loved too."

He smiles while closing his eyes,  letting himself go to the peace you give him. He loves you, he really does.

You make him feel better even if he still has a dad outside who hates him and a mother who can't stand up for him and even if his problems are not gonna disappear this night, for a few hours with your breath against his skin and your hands on him the seem to weight less on his shoulders and he he feels a little less useless and unworthy. You're his saving grace and the light of his life and maybe one day he will be able to tell properly.

#stranger things #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #stranger things 4 #steve harrington angst #st4 #jim hopper #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin and steve #steve x reader #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x fem!oc #steve stranger things #stranger things x you #stranger things x reader #stranger things x y/n #stranger things fanfiction #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fanfic

[eddiemunsons80sbaby]

Never Say Never

Chapter 20

Pairing: SingleDad!StevexReader

Summary: You are a 32 year old single mother, raising your seven year old son on your own. After being widowed at 30 and going out on awful dates with disgusting men for the past month, you have decided that you're giving up. You already had your great love. One person can't possibly get lucky enough to have two in their lifetime. But then your son starts playing baseball and the coach might just change your mind about that.

No posting schedule.

18+ only for eventual smut

Word Count: 3.5K

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Two Years Later

Indianapolis in the summer was hot and humid. You tugged at the cotton of your shirt, pulling the material away from your wet, sticky body. All you wanted right now was to lie on your couch, your feet propped up, enjoying the air conditioning and an iced coffee. But coffee was limited to you these days and decaf just didn’t bring the same joy. What was the point? And no matter what anyone said, it did not taste the same.

The bookstore was packed with people, the air conditioner not doing much amidst the radiating body heat of the crowd, books cradled in their arms, waiting to meet the author. Mike sat at a table in the center, smiling up at a customer as he signed the copy of his latest book, Paladin of the Dead Kingdom, a sequel to his debut novel which had raced up the charts to number one on the New York Times bestseller list, shocking everyone but probably him mostly. 

Releasing a long slow breath, you pressed your hand against the base of your back in an attempt to soothe the ache that had settled low in your spine. Rolling your shoulders, you moved forward, continuing to browse the selection of books on the shelf in front of you. With as much time as you'd been spending with your feet up every night, you'd been getting a lot of reading done. A few new additions to your quickly dwindling pile would be good.

Your fingers trailed over the spines as you read, waiting for something to catch your eye, the sun shining in the window hitting the diamond on your left hand with a shimmering sparkle. A soft smile crossed your lips as you flashed back to last year, you and Steve under a trellis of flowers that the girls had put together in your backyard. 

It had been a small ceremony, held on the anniversary of the day you had met each other the previous year. Your closest family and friends had gathered around as you vowed to love each other until death parted you. A slight twinge of panic had raced up your spine at those words but you had pushed it down, refusing to believe that life could be that cruel twice. No. You had been lucky enough to find him and you would be allowed to keep him. You had to believe that.

Everything with the two of you had moved pretty fast. You'd bought your house, with the wraparound porch you’d always dreamed of and the pool in the backyard that you couldn’t get the boys out of during the summer, only a few months after meeting. Steve had proposed two months after that. Seven months later you were married. From first sighting to wedding rings in the span of a year but you wouldn’t change a single thing. It didn’t matter how quickly it moved when you were certain you’d found the one that was meant for you.

“Mike is eating all this attention up,” El groaned, approaching with little Max on her hip. He’d just turned one last week and you could not get enough of his full little cheeks, dimples appearing as he grinned widely at you, drool slipping out of his mouth as he chewed at the teether El was trying to soothe him with. “But I’m so proud of him. He never thought his book would go anywhere, let alone be an instant bestseller.”

“Yeah. Well, there’s a lot of nerds in the world,” Dustin said, stepping up and holding out his arms. Baby Max leapt right into them. “The nerds far outnumber the non-nerds and he wrote something that appealed to every single one of them. Didn’t he, Max?” He grinned, bouncing his hip, Max giggling. “That’s right. Daddy did good. Huh, Max?”

“While I appreciate you naming your child after me,” Max interrupted, leaning against the side of the bookcase. “It is highly creepy to hear Dustin say my name in that baby voice.”

“Oh, Auntie Max is such a downer, isn’t she? She’s as grouchy as Oscar. We just need to find her a trash can,” Dustin cooed. “Come on little Max. I saw some cookies on the table in the back. Let’s get you one.”

“Dustin, not too much sugar, please,” El called but he was already gone and she sighed, tossing her hands in the air. “He’s going to let him have way too many cookies, isn’t he?”

“Oh yeah,” you grinned. “Not to mention punch. There’s fruit punch back there and cupcakes. Max will be all sugared up.”

“Great. At least the hotel has a pool. He can swim it out before bed.���

Robin and June walked up, hand in hand, and you smiled. Sometime within the last year, Robin has stopped being so self conscious about being affectionate with her girlfriend in public. She’d stopped worrying about what other people thought or what their reaction would be. She just let herself be happy. Even better, the two hadn’t encountered too much ignorance, choosing to ignore the side eyes or wrinkled noses. If anyone had anything to say, you would be more than happy to put them in their place.

Robin had moved out of her apartment when the lease was up last August and moved in with June. The two were now running the coffee shop together. Business was booming with all of Robin’s ideas. They had things going on every single night and the town was eager to come in, not only for the coffee and sandwiches anymore, but for all the extras. People waited anxiously to hear what the next read was for book club or to see the sign advertising what new musician would be playing. Local artists and poets signed up on a waiting list that was six months long to be able to come in and feature their work. 

“This is one hell of a turnout,” June commented, eyes wide as she took in the crowd packed into the bookstore. 

“Isn’t it amazing? It really means a lot to Mike that you all came to support him,” El told them with a smile. 

“Of course we did,” Jonathan said, him and Nancy walking up. “Plus, it gave us a nice little getaway. We’re all going to take the boys to the Indianapolis Zoo tomorrow and to a baseball game on Sunday. They can’t wait. Jere is so excited to see his first professional game.”

Nancy laughed, “Well, the guys are going to take the boys to the baseball game. Y/N and I have appointments at the spa.”

You smiled, inhaling and exhaling deeply, “You have no idea how much I am looking forward to that. My feet could use some serious pampering right now.”

“Everything could use some pampering right about now,” Nancy said, waving her hand up and down to indicate your whole body. “Why do you think Steve booked it?”

Every time you thought Steve couldn’t get anymore perfect, he managed to prove you wrong, to do something to surprise you. When talk of this trip to support Mike’s book release came up, he’d instantly suggested you should turn it into a little vacation for all of you. You were all for the idea, excited to show him the Indianapolis Zoo that you’d enjoyed so much five years ago when Justin had brought you. You fully intended on replacing your broken coffee mug on this trip. 

Then last week, he dropped a brochure on your lap. It was for a spa in the city. He’d booked you the Ultimate Package. It included a massage, a facial, manicure, pedicure, a hair wash, and style. You’d argued with him, telling him it was too much, but he’d insisted. Then he’d tempted you even more by telling you that Nancy was going with you. 

You and Nancy had grown exceptionally close over the last couple of years. The woman you’d been so terrified of had turned out to be one of the most exceptional people you’d ever met. She’d welcomed you into their little family from the moment she’d met you and she had supported you and Steve every step of the way. Janice had been your maid of honor but Nancy had stood right next to her, a beautiful bridesmaid, her eyes shining with tears of joy as you and Steve had promised to love one another forever. 

The bell above the door rang lightly, barely heard over the chatter of conversation within the four walls. Eli and Jeremiah came racing in, darting straight for their moms, red faced, shiny with sweat, and beaming from ear to ear. 

“We pet a dog!” Eli yelled. “He was so big, mommy, like way bigger than me. Even bigger than Miles!”

Steve trailed behind them, clearly out of breath from trying to keep up with the boys. He stopped in front of you, hands on his hips, chest rising and falling deeply. 

“Great Dane,” he muttered. 

He’d offered to take the boys for a walk to get them out of everybody’s hair for a minute. They had been bursting with energy and sitting or standing nicely in the bookshop was not cutting it at the moment. You had been nervous they were going to cause a commotion if they didn’t get out of there for a bit.

“And we went to a playground!” Jeremiah added. “You should have seen it! It had everything and the monkey bars were so high but I did them anyway! I wasn’t even scared!”

“Yeah! And they had this swing that two people could sit on! It was like a circle and we sat on it and Daddy pushed us and we went so high!” Eli yelled.

“Wow, that’s incredible,” Jonathan replied, leaning down, hands on his knees. “How about we go get you both a cookie and some punch and you can pick out a book and sit and rest for a bit. I bet you could use some rest after all that excitement.”

“I sure could,” grumbled Steve, but his smile didn’t match his tone. The man might grumble and moan but he loved those boys with everything he had. And nothing made him happier than spending time with them. 

“Aww,” you cooed, running your fingers through his hair, damp at the base of his neck from the heat and exertion, “did the boys wear you out, baby?”

“A bit,” he nodded. “They never stop, those two. They just have endless energy. I wish I could bottle up a fraction of it. It’s hard keeping up with them.”

“Well, you better get to training then,” Nancy teased, her eyes dropping to your stomach and then back up to Steve. “You’ve only got a couple months to get ready for an all new one. You think they’re exhausting now, do you remember Jeremiah at one and two and three?”

Yes, Eli was getting the sibling that you had always hoped for him to have but hadn’t expected to happen. After you were married, you had stopped birth control, the two of you deciding that if it happened, it happened. You weren’t stressing it. You would be content either way but when you realized in February that your period was a month late and that stick had shown two pink lines, you'd both been elated. 

The idea of a little person that was a mixture of the two of you, a living, breathing testament to the love you shared, filled you both with more joy than you'd expected. It felt like a symbol of not only your relationship, but the blending of your two families into one. Beautiful splashes of color that collided to create the most beautiful piece of art. Because there was no doubt in your mind that this baby would be beautiful, especially if she got her dad’s lashes and that head of full, thick hair. 

“Have you guys finally picked out a name?” questioned Robin for what had to be the twentieth time. “You know, I keep telling you that Robin is a pretty great name.”

“I would offer up Max but that’s already taken,” the red head shrugged. “Not that you couldn’t also name your child after me. I mean, I am obviously the coolest one here.”

El laughed, “While I agree, it would be very challenging to have two little ones running around with the same name. It’s already hard with you and my son.”

“Besides, Robin is the obvious choice,” Robin cut in.

“Why is Robin the obvious choice? Why not June?” her girlfriend asked. “I think it’s a very pretty name.”

“It’s a beautiful name for the most beautiful girl,” Robin said, “but I have been friends with Steve for fourteen years.”

“Well, if we’re going by the longest time knowing someone, then I should win,” Nancy argued. “I’ve known Steve for sixteen years and I am the mother of his other child. I think that gives me bonus points. Maybe the baby should be called Nancy.”

“I don’t know that Jere would want his little sister to be named the same thing as his mom,” Steve mused. 

“Why not? Guys name their kids after themselves all the time.”

“While that is true,” you began, cutting off the conversation, “we have already settled on a name. She will be Peyton Robin Harrington.”

“Ohh!” El’s eyes went wide, her hands clasped to her chest. “I love Peyton. That’s such a cute name.”

“Yeah, and it doesn’t lend itself to any weird nicknames,” Steve said, his arms coming around you, hands covering your round belly. “That was one of my biggest concerns. I didn’t want to pick anything that could be turned into something awful.”

“Like Pey?” offered Lucas, earning a glare from Steve.

“Oh! Peyday!” Max grinned.

“Or PeyPey,” teased Robin.

Nancy snorted, “How about Ton? Come here little Ton!”

“You all suck,” Steve snapped, rolling his eyes. “None of you will be calling my beautiful little girl any of those awful names.”

“I don’t know,” you joked. “Peyday has a certain ring to it.”

“Don’t you start, too,” groaned Steve.

“Oh! Or Peycheck!” 

“Honey, seriously…”

“Peyroll! No! I got it. Peypaya.”

Steve’s hands rested on his hips, his face so unamused that you couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You guys are so funny. Leave my daughter alone.”

“Hey,” you protested, winding your arms around his waist, feeling him melt against you, his hands leaving his hips to come around you. “She’s my daughter too.”

“So stop trying to start off her life by traumatizing her. She’ll never live down a name like Peypaya.”

“While I think Robin should have been her first name, I guess I am willing to accept the middle name,” the blond huffed, folding her arms and rolling her eyes. “I guess it’s still a little recognition of how neither of you could function without me.”

“We really couldn’t,” you agreed. “I mean, who would keep this one in line for me?” You nodded your head toward Steve and he snorted, shaking his head. 

“Seriously. This dingus thought doing the whole baby room without you as a surprise while you were visiting your parents would be a good idea.”

“Hey! I thought it would be nice for her to come home to a finished nursery. I was just trying to save my wife from extra work.”

“Yeah and then she wouldn’t have had a say in any of it. She would have smiled and thanked you and secretly hated it every single time she walked into the room and it wasn’t what she’d envisioned,” Max told him. “Robin was right. You cannot do home renovations without your wife’s opinion.”

“I asked Janice for input. She knows her better than anyone.”

It was true. Janice knew exactly what you would want. The sage green nursery, photos of zoo animals that your friend had taken for you adorning the walls, soft pastel orange bedding and pillows, cuddly stuffed animals propped throughout. It was perfect and Janice would have guided Steve to do exactly that.

The two of you had been ecstatic when you'd found out that you were having a girl. Janice’s daughter, Olive, was only eighteen months so the girls would be close in age. Both of you hoped your girls would be just as inseparable as their moms were, a built in life-long friend. 

Max relented, “Okay. I mean, asking her best friend was a solid plan. If anyone would know what she wanted, it was her.”

“Exactly and what she told me is exactly what my wife wanted anyway. I could have done it and then she wouldn’t have had to stress.”

“Either way, the nursery is perfect. The boys had the best time helping us get everything ready. They even each picked out an animal for the room. Eli wanted an elephant because it starts with ‘e’ and Jeremiah went with giraffe because it has the same sound as his name, even if the letters are different. His words, not mine.” You laughed, remembering how excited the boys had been running through the baby store, helping you pick out things for the room. 

“They were a little bummed that we didn’t go with a superhero theme,” Steve added.

“Well, of course,” chuckled Lucas. “What little girl wouldn’t want Batman and Superman?”

Max shrugged, “I mean, you could have gone with Catwoman and Wonder Woman. That would have been pretty kickass.”

Mike stumbled over into their aisle, looking exhausted but happy, a wide smile stretching his face. He leaned down to kiss El and then dropped down to the floor dramatically in front of the bookshelf. 

“My hand is going to wither and fall off,” he groaned, shaking his fingers. “I don’t even know how many books I signed.”

“Oh please. You love it,” Lucas told him. 

Mike grinned, “I do. I never thought this would actually be me. I mean, nothing Mike Wheeler, kid who was picked on by the assholes all through school, now a bestselling author. People actually line up just to meet me and get me to slap my signature on something I wrote. It’s insane, man, but so damn cool.”

“Dada!”

Little Max came racing over, Dustin rushing behind him, clearly having lost control of the situation. The little guy flung himself into Mike’s open arms and the guy who’d looked terrified at the thought of being a father, scooped him up, kissing the top of his hair that was the shade of midnight, just like his dad’s. 

“Hey buddy.”

Max held up the cookie he currently had in his hand, the whole thing a mushy wet mess from where he’d been gnawing at it. He tried to put it in Mike’s mouth and he grimaced, shaking his head. 

“No thank you. That’s Max’s cookie. You eat it, buddy.”

“And how many cookies is that, Dustin?” inquired El, the girl already having the mom look down, currently giving it to Dustin. 

The boy shrugged, curls spilling out from under his ballcap, “I don’t know. Not too many…I mean…” He ran his hand over his mouth, mumbling, “Four.”

“Four! Did you say four?” El groaned, her head dropping back. “Dustin, seriously. I am going to make you deal with him when he’s running up and down the hallways of the hotel and refusing to go to sleep.”

“Okay. I don’t mind hanging out with the little dude.”

El’s eyes rolled up into her head as the adult Max patted her shoulder gently.

“Well, while he’s had four cookies, I’ve had nothing for the last three hours and I am starving,” Mike announced, one arm around his son as he rose up to his feet. “What do you all say we head out and get some dinner?”

“You buying?” asked Nancy. 

“Yeah, with that big advance, you can afford it, right?” Lucas agreed. 

Robin placed an arm on his shoulder, grinning, “Mr. Big Bucks over here these days.”

“Oh! If Mike’s buying, I am getting all the drinks,” June said. 

“And dessert,” Max added. “Maybe we should order every dessert on the menu. You know, so we can taste everything.” 

“Don’t forget appetizers,” Will stated.

Nolan nodded, “Yeah. I love to taste test things at other restaurants. Give me ideas for new recipes. I bet we could manage to order one of everything on the menu, for research, you know?”

“You guys are jerks,” Mike huffed.

“What, with that fancy Range Rover you drive now, I assumed you must have lots of expendable cash,” Jonathan said as he and the boys joined them. 

“I mean, I’m doing okay,” Mike shrugged, his ears turning bright red. “I wouldn’t say I’m rolling in cash but I can buy dinner.”

They all whooped and cheered, heading out of the bookshop and onto the streets of Indy. 

“But not one of everything on the menu!” he yelled after them.

“What?” Robin bellowed. “Sorry. Can’t hear you!”

“Yeah!” Lucas yelled. “Too busy imagining all the food I’m going to eat!”

Steve rolled his eyes at the group, his arm coming around your shoulder as you trailed behind everybody. His mouth dropped to your ear, lips brushing over the tender skin as he whispered, “Regretting getting mixed up with this crew? Rethinking your choices?”

“Never,” you said, and you meant it, because this guy right here and everyone that came along with him were the best choice you’d ever made. Two years ago you’d said you would never find something this amazing again. But never say never.

Taglist: @katethetank@roxiehorrorshow@sapphire4082@bakugouswh0r3@frostandflamesfanfic @mix-matchsocks @mushy-mushroom04 @palmtreesx3 @littlebookworm86 @eddies-trailer-babe @cheesewritings @emilyj444 @daisyhollyxox @angelbabyivy @the-fairy-anon @loritate7311 @k-k0129 @antiquecultist

And this brings this story to an end. Endings are always bittersweet for me. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my little story! 😊 And replies and reblogs are always appreciated if you enjoy it. I love to hear what you think! ❤️❤️❤️

#dad steve harrington #steve harrington #singledad!steveharrington #steve harrington single dad #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fic #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington imagine #fluff #smut #fluff and smut #romance #second chance romance #second chance at love #widow #divorced dad steve harrington #slow burn #robin buckley #robin and steve #dustin henderson #max mayfield #mike wheeler #eleven hopper

[eufezco]

WE – Seeing your dad, Jim Hopper, for the first time after thinking he was gone forever.

Hopper!fem!reader x Steve Harrington

english isn't my first language

"Where's Steve?" You were so sorry to interrupt the conversation Robin and her crush were having, but you needed to find him. Robin's eyes opened wide and her hands stopped working on the peanut butter sandwich when she noticed how desperate you looked. If it wasn't because of that, she would've stabbed you with the knife covered in peanut butter right at that moment. Vicki was surprised to say the least thanks to your sudden interruption. "Robin!" You bit down your lower lip as you waited for her answer, starting to feel the metallic taste of blood coming right from where your teeth were sinking. Your friend shook her head, coming back to herself and looking to where she saw Steve for the last time. "He's–" Robin didn't get to finish because your eyes followed hers and you left quickly without saying anything else.

"We need to leave." Steve stopped folding the laundry when you appeared in front of him. "Shit, you're bleeding." Steve frowned, noticing the blood on your lower lip. You sucked on the tiny wound making it stop bleeding. "We need to leave." You repeated, grabbing his arm and starting to walk towards the door of the gym. Steve and Robin shared a look and Steve shrugged his shoulders to her, not knowing what was going on either. "Wait y/n, what happens?" He noticed that your hands were shaking yet your grip on his sweater sleeve was strong as he let you drag him out of there. "Please Steve, we need to leave. Now." You turned to look at him, Steve nodded once he saw your face. "I need you to tell me at least where are we going." You both got into his car, your legs bouncing non-stop and you playing with your own hands while Steve started the car. "You remember the cabin in which we used to live with El?" Steve nodded, not needing you to say anything else to start driving there.

The drive was silent, anything that involved you being quiet scared the shit out of Steve because you were always talking. He hoped nothing bad had happened. Once you got there, there were two cars already parked: the yellow pizza van, which you expected to be there because you knew El and the rest of your friends would be getting the cabin ready and one black car you didn't recognize. You almost jumped off Steve's car before he finished parking and he was forced to do the same to not leave you alone.

"Okay y/n, you need to tell me what's going–" You were so determined to go into the cabin that the only thing Steve could do was to follow you.

"Oh my god..." You mumbled as you stopped walking all of a sudden when you saw who was coming out of the house. Your eyes filled with tears as one of your hands went to cover your mouth in disbelief.

"Holy shit..." Steve said, both of his hands went to the back of his head. Also in disbelief.

You ran to your father's arm, hugging him and making him have to take a few steps backwards to not fall. Hopper smiled, his eyes also with tears. His big arms wrapped you up as his head rested on top of yours when you suddenly pushed him away. "Are you–? Is this–?" You squeezed his cheeks and ran your hands down his arms, Hopper nodded, the big smile never leaving his lips as he went to kiss your forehead. You were still in denial, eyes wide open and quickened breathing. You've dreamed so many times of being in between your dad's arms again that you needed to feel the warmth of his body and his arms around you to believe it. When Jonathan called the gym asking for you to get on the phone, you couldn't believe what you were hearing from him, resulting in you almost insulting your brother and hanging up the phone. But Jonathan wasn't a man of jokes. You didn't see Joyce coming out of the cabin to go and hug Steve because you were so lost sobbing in your dad's arms.

Steve couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. He understood at that moment why you were in such a hurry. Joyce came out of the house after Hopper and went immediately to hug him. Steve hugged the woman back, they could not hide how happy they were to see each other again. The last time they did, you were also a sobbing mess, not ready to leave for California, not ready to accept that your dad was gone, and not ready to separate from Steve.

"It's okay, baby. It's fine." Hopper made you separate from him to wipe your tears using his thumbs. "No! It's not okay, I thought– I thought you– I thought I lost you." You smacked his arms, hot tears still rolling down your cheeks. You went through a whole grief during these last eight months, thinking you'd never see him again, thinking he was gone forever. Out of Joyce and El, you were the most hopeless. "I thought I lost you too, baby." Hopper confessed, pulling you into another hug as you sobbed uncontrollably against his chest again. "But we are together again, and this time I'm not leaving." He let you hide in his arms for a couple of seconds more, caressing your back and kissing your head until you came down. Then, he cupped both of your cheeks and wiped your tears once more.

"You promise?"

Hopper nodded. You noticed his glossy eyes were focusing on someone else behind you so you turned to find who it was.

"Thank you, thank you so much." You went to hug Joyce, the woman hugging you back tightly and caressing your back. "There's nothing to thank, sweetheart."

"It's good to see you." Steve confessed, and Hopper showed him a little smile. Should Steve shake his hand? Should he–? It was too late because Hopper already pulled him into a hug. "Thank you for taking care of her." Steve hugged him as well as your dad patted your boyfriend's back. He shook his head. "I'd do it all again."

Hopper raised his eyebrows. "You mean, the part where I die too?"

"No! I–" Jim bursted out laughing. Steve did too out of nervousness, thinking that he had already screwed up. Their relationship before all the russian thing happened wasn't the best and you had not yet formalized your relationship at that time, but he caught you and Steve kissing once and that was when your dad didn't want to have anything to do with your boyfriend even before he was your boyfriend. Avoiding Steve when he was home, the door open three inches thing and only talking to him when it was strictly necessary. But he never hated Steve, he was just scared of you getting hurt. It was so comforting to see them hugging.

Steve threw one of his arms over your shoulder and pulled you closer to kiss your forehead, you closed your eyes and snuggled into the side of his body.

"Have you something to tell me?" Hopper looked at Steve by your side. You arched your eyebrows. "Have you something to tell me?" You pointed with your head at how your dad's arm hugged Joyce's waist, making the woman you were not afraid to call mom blush.

You realized that the rest of your friends were looking at the scene from the porch of the house with big smiles on their faces, especially El who did not waste a second more to approach you along with Jonathan and Will. You hugged the girl against your body while Steve hugged you. As you tried to relax, enjoying Steve's arm around you and getting your sister closer to you with your arm over her shoulders if possible, you noticed your dad's weight loss, not wanting to point it out because you could imagine the hell he had gone through. His mustache was also gone, so no more tickles in the good night kisses. And he was wearing a cap. Wow. A cap? You swore it was the first time in your whole life you saw him wearing a cap, and when he took it off, your mouth hung open. "Wow! Is this some type of Hopper family haircut? Should I go bald too?" Your hand went to ruffle El's shorthair and you all laughed.

This was your we. Two brothers that came out of nowhere but you loved as if you shared blood with them. A loving mom who loved you and took care of you as if you came out of her womb. The best boyfriend in the entire world who was everything you ever asked for. Your sister with whom you shared a feeling of mutual admiration for each other. And of course, your dad, that above everyone else, was your person.

#stranger things #stranger things fluff #stranger things angst #stranger things smut #stranger things imagine #stranger things headcanons #stranger things x fem!reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things x hopper!reader #steve harrington #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington smut #steve harrington angst #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington headcanon #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x hopper!reader #jim hopper angst #jim hopper imagine #jim hopper fluff #hopper fluff #hopper angst #hopper smut

[damn-stark]

Ch.16 We Belong Together

Chapter 16 of Strange

A/N- ANGSTY CHAPTER AFTER ANGSTY CHAPTER. Enjoy friends :)

Warning- ANGST!!!!, swearing, FLUFF I REPEAT FLUFF, talks of weapons and death, blood and Injury, grief, LONG CHAPTER.

Pairing- Steve Harrington x Hopper!fem-reader

Episode- 4x07-4x08

(Let me know if you wanna be tagged)

————

Sure, the time to confess your unspoken feelings to Steve right now was pretty horrible considering where you currently are, but after what happened just now, after fearing that you almost lost him, you can’t hold back anymore. He needs to know.

Besides, if your own death is near at least he needs to be assured that the time he dedicated to you was never wasted, it was always and will forever be cherished.

“I…” you swallow thickly and speak softly. “I love you, more than anything. More than you know.”

Steve’s lips part, he blinks in surprise, and the only thing he can respond with in that moment is something witty. “That’s not what I thought you’d say.”

A soft scoff escapes your lips, and as you caress his cheeks with your thumbs his lips slowly break into a soft smile before he opens his mouth again in attempts to add something. “I—”

“Sorry to break the beautiful moment,” Robin cuts Steve off, “but do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies?”

Steve and you share a concerned look before you both look at Robin with the same confused and concerned faces.

“What?” Steve queries.

“It’s just that rabies are, like, my number one greatest fear. And I think we should probably get you to a doctor like, really soon….”

You slowly slip your hands off Steve’s face and your confused and concerned faces shift to slightly annoyed and perplexed

expressions. Just slightly.

“…because once symptoms set in,” Robin continues to ramble. “It’s too late. You’re already like, dead.”

You part your lips and draw in a small breath to talk back, but the sound of a bat chittering in the distance cuts you off and makes Robin, Eddie and Nancy get near Steve and you to watch as they begin to huddle around the gate.

“All right,” Steve says and lifts his arm to put it out in front of you for protection. “There’s not that many. We can take ‘em. Right?”

You glance at your makeshift weapon disregarded just a few inches in front of you after you were mesmerized by Steve killing that bat, and then glance up at the bats to agree with Steve. Yet, right when you were going to do so, more bats began to approach.

“You were saying?” Robin said.

“I vote run,” you voice your change of opinion now that more trouble than you can handle loomed. “There’s too many and it seems like they’re just…” you pause and narrow your eyes. “Protecting the gate?”

“The woods,” Nancy cuts in loudly. “Come on!”

Before anyone could debate her choice, she’s already taken a head start and forces you all to follow her through the woods for a few miles until you found the Upside Downs Skull Rock to take cover from the bats that kept flying above. It was actually very fucking terrifying hearing them overheard, knowing that at any second they could just dive down and attack.

Even when there was a minute of relief where it seemed that most passed, you couldn't help but stay on guard and tense.

“Oh…” Robin whispered as she poked her head out from under the rock. “Okay. That was close.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agrees in between pants. “Too close.”

You stand up straight and slowly walk out just far enough to see the sky better. “We aren’t out of the woods yet.” You mumble also in between exhausted pants.

“Hilarious,” Eddie quipped dryly.

You look over at him and shoot him a small smile and a wink. However, your amusement falls instantly the moment you catch Steve stumbling towards the wall and groaning breathlessly. “Oh, sh…shit.”

“Steve?” You call and rush to his side. “Hey…” you trail off the moment you notice the blood running out of his wounds.

“I’m fine,” he tried to assure you. “I’m fine.”

It can’t..it can’t be happening again. You didn’t even notice all the blood because you were running, but now that you do see it, you can’t help but actually grow nervous and petrified for his well-being. He looked and sounded bad and you didn’t even notice…It’s just…it can’t be a coincidence. After you told him you loved him.

“Y/N, I’m fine,” Steve said again after he noticed you were more afraid than he was.

You blink and look up at him to slowly shake your head before your words come out. “No, no, no. You’re not.” Your hands hover over his wounds while tears fill your eyes. “You’re losing blood.” You look behind him for a brief moment before you look at his wounds again and grab his shoulder to slowly guide him down. “Come on, sit, okay?”

Steve grunts and you instantly apologize as if it’s your fault. “I’m sorry. I'm sorry.” You pull your hands away from him and look down at yourself to check if you could use any part of your own clothes to use as some form of bandage, but you had left your skirt on the damn boat.

“Oh…” Robin whispers.

You snap your eyes towards her and watch her approach Steve all cautiously until Nancy pats your shoulder to point out the piece of fabric she was cutting off from her shirt. “Here. This will help for now.”

You nod. “Yeah, thanks.” You try to offer her a smile, but the corner of your lips just twitch since your concern latched onto you hard.

“So the good news is I’m pretty sure wooziness is not a common symptom of rabies.” Robin begins to say beside you and Steve, causing you to try and not to focus on her rabies topic as it didn’t sound outlandish now that Steve was weak and losing blood. “But if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms, or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me or something, then you should totally let me know.”

You get it, she’s worried too, but you can’t handle her rambling right now that you’re worried and scared for Steve. The sound of your heart pounding in your ears, the memories that forced themselves to your head was all already bothersome enough, and adding Robin’s rambling to the mix made you feel more overwhelmed.

“Robin,” Steve cut in.

“Yeah?”

“I kinda wanna punch you.”

Robin lets out a nervous laugh and says, “sense of humor’s still intact. That’s a good sign.”

Steve nods and whispers, “yeah,” whilst you take Nancy's piece of fabric that she finally hands you.

“Thanks,” you repeat and let out a shaky breath before turning back to face Steve. “Okay, I’m sorry I don’t have anything else, you know like water, or alcohol, a good bandage, but this will work. It’ll stop your bleeding,” you say in hopes that it would. “You’ll be okay.”

Steve leans towards you and begins to watch you while you begin to bandage his torso as those memories play a lot more vividly in your mind now; the last time you told Sara you loved her and the moment they told you she passed. The first time you told your father you loved him after a long time and that exact moment Joyce told you without the need of any words that he didn’t make it.

You tried not to be negative now, it was just a little blood, but it was happening again after you told him that you loved him. Seeing how bad he’s hurt after he got attacked, hearing him in pain and having those memories play back just had a way to wound you so deep that it currently felt like someone was clutching your heart in their fist to get ready to just squish it at moments notice, your chest felt so tight that it felt hard to even breathe. You were the one supposed to be comforting Steve, but he’s the one assuring you.

“Hey, y/n, this kind of reminds me of when I helped you out, remember? Your first week in Hawkins?”

You finish wrapping the bandage and slowly let your eyes drift up to him to question him with just your look alone.

“After—”

“You almost ran me over,” you finish for him with a breathless chuckle. “Yeah.” You scoff and look back down to tighten the bandage.

The corner of Steve’s lip pull up after seeing you smile.

“Too tight?” You ask and once again drift your eyes up to him.

“No, that’s good.”

You nod and look down to draw in a breath and keep it trapped in your chest as you tie the ends of the fabric together. “All right,” you breathe out. “You’ll be okay,” you try to assure him again while you let yourself meet his gaze to say it again, but this time to assure yourself. “You’ll be okay.”

“I know, I will be,” he whispers as he holds your gaze. “Thanks.”

Even after confessing what you felt, you could still feel the same tension between the both of you; there's just so much you still needed to tell him. Things to assure him over, and strengthen your confession since you knew he was still somewhat unsure; you can see it in the way he looks at you, you can feel it too, it’s so obvious.

“And,” Steve continues with that smile. “I didn't almost run you over. Let’s get that clear.”

You keep your hands on his torso and smile wider. “You did. That’s what it is after someone swerves away from a body—”

“On the road,” he snaps. “You were in the road, on my road.”

“Public road. And I was on my skateboard, you were the one distracted,” you argue.

“Wait,” Robin interjects with an entertained smile. “You ran y/n over?”

Steve’s head snaps towards her and he points at her but immediately puts his hand down since it hurts his side. “No! Almost!”

“Aha!” You exclaim. “See. Told ya so.” You shoot him a smirk and end up sharing a longing look until Eddie’s voice interrupts the moment.

“So, uh, this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?”

You slip your hand off Steve’s torso and grab his arm to swing it over your shoulder so you can help him out from under the rock, while Nancy answers Eddie. “Pretty much.”

“You okay?” You whisper up to Steve.

Steve nods and leans towards your ear to whisper. “Let’s talk later…if we get out that is—We will though.”

“Yeah,” you agree. “I was going to say the same thing.”

“Wait,” you hear Nancy say. “Watch out for the vines. It’s all a hive mind.”

“It’s all a what?” Eddie asks while he’s balancing himself on a rock.

“All the creepy crawlies around here, they’re, like, one or something. You step on a vine, you’re stepping on a bat, you’re stepping on Vecna.”

“Shit.” Eddie hisses.

“But everything from our world is still here, right?” Robin adds to Eddie’s question. “Except people? Obviously.”

Nancy continues to answer for the group. “As far as I understand it, yeah.”

“So, theoretically, we can go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate.”

“Yeah,” Steve remarks to Robin’s comment. “I highly doubt Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah sure.”

You scoff and shake your head. “No, Hawkins PD is all the way downtown, it’s way too far to just walk out there. I mean who knows what else is out here, we need to find weapons somewhere else. I’m sure there's a house that has at least one gun or two. I mean my grandpa's cabin has a shotgun, and a hunting rifle, we can go there.”

Nancy looks over at you and shakes her head. “No, we don’t have to go all the way downtown or to your dad's cabin for guns. I have guns in my bedroom.”

Hm. Cool. Badass.

“You,” Eddie says as he hops down from the rock. “Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom?”

“Full of surprises, isn’t she?” Robin says with awe.

You sigh. “I mean with what we’ve dealt with, why wouldn’t she own guns? It’s smart. Good thinking, Nance.”

Nancy smiles at you and then continues with her comment. “I have a Russian Makarov and a revolver.”

“Yeah,” Steve scoffs and nudges you. “She almost shot me with that one.”

You blink and look over at him to question him. “Really?”

“Yeah, he almost deserved it.” Nancy adds in her defense, making you snicker until you’re cut off as Eddie throws his vest at Steve.

“For your modesty, dude.”

You smirk and part your lips to add something about keeping Steve shirtless, but Robin catches you right away and shuts you up. “No, don’t say a word.”

“Aw, sweetheart. Come on.” You try to be a bit lighthearted to try and calm down your nerves and shut up that fear that was poisoning your mind.

Robin shakes her head and makes you smirk deeper while you also feel Steve pull his arms away from your shoulder to begin putting on the vest. Yet, right when he was trying the ground suddenly began to shake, causing you to stumble back but keep balanced long enough to grab Nancy and keep her in your arms while the ground kept shaking.

“Oh, fuck,” you whisper through pants whilst you tighten your hold around Nancy and feel her hold on to your arm.

And of course, as if on cue, right as the ground stopped moving, those creatures are heard again, leaving a more tense silence and feeding that fear you all had.

“Yeah,” Eddie breaks the silence. “So, guns seem like a pretty idea to me.”

“Yeah,” Robin agrees. “Me too.”

Nancy pulls away from you and you walk back and turn away from the group to try and take in a few deep breaths, but Steve cuts in, “So what are we waiting for?” He pulls out his flashlight and turns it on to begin leading the group further into the woods.

——

“…and at the last moment the oldest sister jumped, hopped and ran in front of the evil wizards spell to save her youngest sister from the cruel fate—”

“Y/N.”

You look up from the book in your hands and see your mother barging in the hospital room with your father chasing after her. “Hey wait—”

“Momma?” You call in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Your mother fixes her purse over her shoulder and doesn’t even glance at Diane in the corner, or at the little girl on the hospital bed beside you, her eyes are set strictly on you as her hand is extended towards you.

“It’s time to go. Now.”

You glance at Diane in the corner and then at your father behind your mother and hesitate since you still had another week to be here with Sara. Your mother came a week early.

“But momma—”

“No, buts y/n, it’s time to go. Now,” she insisted, causing your father to try and grab her arm to pull her out of the room to talk, but she just pulled her arm away from his grasp and looked back to whisper something you didn’t catch, but something that made him look over at you and your sister before he sighed and stepped inside the room to talk to you.

“Look, your mom is going to take you home now, okay?” He caresses your cheek and tries to smile. “We’ll call okay? Everyday. I’ll pick you up after Sarah is done with this round of chemo, okay? And we'll go to the beach together.”

You set the book down and frown, you want to argue, you want to cry against your mothers wishes, but you wanted to be strong for Sara, you didn’t want her to see you crying or fighting with your mother, so instead you nod slowly in agreement.

“Okay, you promise you’ll call?” You ask and meet his gaze.

Your father nods and places a kiss on the top of your head and whispers, “I love you. Say goodbye to your sister.” He pulls away to let you slide off your chair and get on the bed to do just as he said.

“I’m going to go with my mom now, okay, Sara? I’ll be back soon.” You assure her in a soft voice, and with a sweet smile on your face.

“Promise?” She asked quietly.

The smile on your face widens and your voice turns softer. “Pinky promise.”

Sarah beams at you and lets you wrap her in a gentle embrace that lets you share simple yet meanfigul and truthful words. “I love you so much, Sara.”

Said girl tightens her hold around you and giggles before she repeats your words with ease. “I love you too, sis.”

You stay in the embrace for a few more seconds before you have to pull away to slowly get off the bed and say goodbye to your father and Diane before your mother quickly whisks you out of the room as if in a rush, making Sara be the last thing you saw before the door shut behind you.

Unknowingly though, that would be the last thing you saw of her; that glimpse of the small wave, and her small happy smile that decorated her pale features before the door shut behind you. That I love you would be the last thing you’d ever tell her because just a few days later after no contact your father did call like he said he would, but not to talk to you, it was to talk to your mother in fact.

Right away you knew the call was strange, when they talked there was no arguing back and forth, the call was short, unbelievably so since they always tended to argue for a long time when he called.

“Momma,” you slowly call her out after you see her put the phone down and stay completely and utterly still. “Was it my dad?”

Your mother lets out a deep breath and stays with her back agaisnt you for a few more minutes until you begin to approach her to check if she’s okay. “Momma?”

“Y/N, my sweet girl…” she pauses, and then turns around to crouch in front of you to get to your eye level and hold your shoulders with this sad look in her eyes that makes her eyes gleam. “I have to tell you something.” She swallows thickly and sighs before she continues. “It’s Sara, she…she passed away….”

The rest of what she told you was lost, you failed to grasp anything else after her announcement. The days after that were a blur, you couldn’t recall most of the funeral anymore, all you could remember was those emotions you now recognized as grief and heartbreak. Most importantly, what was the most vivid memory was that last moment you shared with your sister.

What once was an endearing moment, has now turned sour and traumatizing because you solely poisoned such a sweet memory with your crippling fear and paranoia. But it was unintentionally done, and in your mind choosing to let the memory turn heart aching rather than letting it be comforting and happy was reasonable, in your own mind.

And now that you’ve told Steve what you felt, now that he’s wounded and in danger of dying, that same poison that tainted Sara’s memory and your fathers, was beginning to corrupt that little bit of happiness in a place surrounded by horror.

No matter how much you tried convincing yourself that he’d be fine now that you patched him up, you couldn’t help yourself from getting lost in that fear that fogged up your mind. It left you quiet while you made your way to Nancy’s house, or correction, the Upside Down version of her house. That same silence killed Robin, she wanted to wait for a better time but she couldn’t help herself anymore.

“So are we going to talk about it?” She asked as she fell to your side and let Nancy guide the way by herself.

You blink and slide your eyes over to her to question her with a quirked brow.

“What you told, Steve?” She explained herself and fianlly let you in on what she was referencing. “I mean from what I could grasp in your emotional letter to your dad, that was the thorn in your relationship, right?”

Wow.

“Uh,” you breathe out and nod stiffly as you’re left a bit baffled. “Yes.” You cross your arms over your chest and scoff. “You know, for someone who says she has trouble grasping some things, it was easy for you to figure out my relationship problems.”

Robin shrugs and smiles. “You guys are my friends, I have been rooting for the two of you since before you and I were even friends, I need this relationship to work. Having you guys fighting is like seeing my own parents fight, it’s traumatizing.”

You can’t help the amused smile that tugs on your lips after you scoff. Alas, that gesture gets tainted by those stupid dark feelings too and it just brings out your negatitvty. “I told him what I felt but at what cost? He’s hurt, I—”

“Shut up,” Robin blurts. “Shut up with that. The only curse here is Vecna. You, Y/N Hopper are not a curse, you are just a girl, a simple curseless girl, you hear me?” She meets your gaze as you keep walking after Nancy. “Your sister died because of that vicious cancer, you didn’t curse her. You father died being a hero, you didn’t curse him. The only thing you’ll curse is yourself if you keep thinking that way! And take it from someone who can’t help but take a negative spin on things!” She throws out her arms and exclaims, making you shush her so the others wouldn’t hear your conversation.

“Steve is walking on both feet, he’s alive thanks to you taking that jump,” she continues to tell you…or lecture you? You can’t tell her with her voice sounding almost angry and nervous at the same time.

“I mean, all you did was save him. So please stop, or else Vecna will use that against you, I mean he uses trauma against you, right?” Her voice turns a lot rougher this time. “He already has you as a potential victim, so if you keep thinking that way you’ll just be an easier target, I mean think about your sister! Do you really want her to attend another funeral? And I for one can’t stand thinking that I might lose you because you can’t get out of these stupid fake claims about yourself. I’m being serious, y/n, I can’t lose you, so please stop. Get your shit together, or I will slap you.”

Robin takes one last look at you and chooses to walk ahead to once again join Nancy, leaving you completely and utterly speechless—you never thought you’d get lectured by Robin out of all people. It was…well, it was kind of scary.

More scarier than the earthquake that hit only minutes after Robin walked off.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” you curse under your breath and hold onto a tree while the ground kept trembling.

“Okay,” Robin began to comment while she was holding herself steady on the ground. “Second on my list of least favorite things, earthquakes. Seriously, I’m unsteady enough as it is.”

You groan and dig your nails into the tree bark to try and keep yourself standing as the shaking ground threatens to knock you down.

Well, at least you keep yourself steady until you watch Nancy walk off while the ground continues to shake, after that you push yourself off the tree and follow her until she's stopped just outside of the tree line.

“Nancy! Y/N!” Robin calls until she and the other two join Nancy and you to watch her house standing just across the field, surrounded by broken down transmission towers and a dark empty field of grass.

“Come on,” Nancy urged the group forward and continued to guide the group towards the eerie lonely house casted by dark clouds that produce loud red lightning strikes.

As you did follow, the group stayed clustered together just for a little while but everyone then broke away to walk at their own pace since all you’ve done for the past hours has just been walking, it provided a strain nobody complained about, but did feel.

The good thing was that the house wasn’t far anymore, but throughout that short walk you were left with a chance to find an excuse to talk with Steve since he was walking just a bit behind you.

“How are you holding up?” You ask whilst you wait for him to catch up to you so you can continue forward.

“Hurts a little less, but it’s still painful,” he shares and lets you push back part of the vest to check if he had bled more.

Which luckily he wasn’t.

“Well,” you sigh. “It doesn’t seem like you’re bleeding anymore, but let’s not add any strain or you know bump into it, ‘kay?” You look up at his neck and frown deeper at how deep the bat's tail had embedded in his skin. “This hurt?”

When you don’t receive an immediate answer you look up at him and catch that he’s already looking at you.

This look unlike the ones before was soft, not filled with any hostility after the arguments and misunderstanding you’ve had, this look still seeked something from you, but you could make out that twinkle in his eyes as he kept looking at you. And that slight change makes your heart skip a beat, it has you looking away all nervously, and has you letting go of his side.

“She talked to you? Robin, I mean?” He utters quietly so she wouldn’t hear. “I saw you guys deep in conversation just a bit ago.”

You draw out a deep breath and nod. “More like she lectured me about some stuff, it was scary, like, I have never actually seen her mad before.”

“You?” Steve probes. “Made her mad? What did you do to her?”

You shrug. “I think I annoyed her, like, I was really surprised.” You shake your head and meet his gaze to laugh. “It was really scary. I’m not lying, don’t make her mad.”

Steve scoffs and nods along. “Got it.” He proceeds to let out a sigh and slows down his pace just a bit since you’re closer to Nancy's house—“we’re good right? I mean we have things to talk about, but we’re good right?”

Without an ounce of hesitation you nod. “Yeah. I mean, are we?” You stop in your steps and only take a small glimpse of the others as they walk inside, before you return your gaze back to Steve as he stops in front of you too.

“I mean after you just saved me back there, yes we are.” He begins to smile. “It’s not everyday I see you stabbing a bat with a broken oar to save me, I mean that was fucking badass.” He grins now and makes you begin to smile and get all hot and nervous as if he’s never complimented you before. “I mean, baby, I was impressed, maybe a little turned on too. And that flip you did with the oar, it was cool as hell.”

You drop your head and bite the inside of your cheek before you perk up and beam at him “I made that bat my bitch!”

Steve snorts and wants to judge your choice of words, but he’s too amused to say anything. “You definitely made that bat your bitch.”

“What can I say?” You say all smugly and then hit right back with some compliments of your own. “Let’s not leave you out because damn! I mean, you don’t need a laser watch when you have brute strength, I mean, it was hot, the way you just swung it and then smacked it on the ground. That was amazing.”

Steve shrugs with nonchalance and answers all cockily. “What can I say? I was being the hero the group needed.”

“Total American hero,” you sweet talk him, making him break into a soft chuckle as he nods in agreement with his hands on hips.

“If Dustin could see us now. Total American heroes.” He licks his lips and holds your gaze in that silence that follows to lean in and lift one hand to reach for your face, but just when he was close he pulled it back to brush his hair back instead. “Are you doing okay?”

Slowly your smile begins to fall at the sound of his question, and the weight it carried returned to your chest. You thought of lying to assure him, but you remembered what Robin said, what Nancy said and what…Miss Vasquez said as well and decided to lean towards the truth. Especially because he’s still here after you confessed.

“Just a bit scared,” you sigh and hold his gaze. “But besides that, yes, I’m okay. You’ll let me know if you’re feeling anything else, right?” You ask and glance at his bandage. “Any symptoms that are out of the ordinary.”

Steve nods. “I will, but don’t worry, I’m good. I’m all good.”

You draw in a deep breath and nod even if you carry the concern and doubt on your face.

“You’ll let me know if you feel anything Vecna related, right?” He also asks, letting you slowly exhale.

“I will,” you agree. “I mean if not you’ll definitely know right?” You snicker.

Steve’s eyes narrow to shoot you a pointed glare before he shakes his head. “No, no, not funny.” He pulls away and turns to walk inside the house with you trailing right behind him and contradicting him.

“It’s a little funny. I mean get it cause I’ll—”

“Shh.” Steve cuts you off, causing your face to contort to express annoyance and discontent.

“Wh—”

“Shh, you hear that?” Steve whispers and points his flash towards the dark vines that decorated the inside of Nancy’s house, whilst he kept slowly treading forward.

You try to strain your ears while you cautiously follow after him, but you still don’t catch anything….

Is it his rabies?

“Steve, I don’t hear shit, maybe try to tell me what we’re hearing so I can know. Unless it’s what Robin said you’d feel.”

Steve peers back at you and flashes his light on your face, making you shield your eyes and miss that complete shocked look on his face as he finally let you in. “It’s Dustin.” He flashes his light away and continues to walk around.

At first, you still couldn’t catch a thing, it made you worry heighten, to the point you were going to sit him down and try and do something about it, but just then, right when you approached Steve and opened your mouth, you heard Dustin. He sounded far though, a bit muffled, as if he was at the other side of some room. You can’t lie and say it isn’t relieving to hear his voice.

“Dustin!” Steve called loudly. “Dustin!”

You look around in the hopes you’d find a way to communicate back without sounding a bit crazy like Steve next to you, but there was literally nothing but vines and useless junk.

“Du—Hello? Hel…Hello?”

“Y/N?” You hear Nancy call you from behind.

When you look back you see her and the other two watching Steve trying to communicate with his young child friend with concern.

“What’s going on? Is he okay?”

You smile and sound just as crazy as Steve. “We can hear Dustin’s voice from the other side.” You sigh at Steve’s continuous attempts. “We’re trying to talk back, but well…” you trail off and look back at Steve.

“Steve, what are you doing?” Nancy asked and gained his attention.

“He’s here,” he shared and spins around to point his flashlight at the group. “Henderson, that little shit, he’s here. He’s like…he’s in the wall or something. Just listen.” He then goes quiet for a bit and puts his hand behind his ear—“It’s Dustin.”

“It’s true, the little fucker is here.” You say in support of his claims and shoot them a smile that just receives more strange looks.

“You guys are a strange couple,” Eddie mutters with his eyebrows furrowed.

You scoff and get ready to snap back, but Steve continues to yell so it forces you to turn and instead address him. “Steve, he won’t hear you, try something else! And be careful with the vines!” You continue to follow Steve to try and find something while he continues to yell.

When the others finally hear the voices, they begin to try and get Dustin’s attention too.

But they also get nothing.

“All right, either this kid can’t hear us or he’s being a total douchebag,” Steve grumbles.

You blink and part your lips to gasp as a thought suddenly barges out from the depths of your head. “Will found a way.”

Steve and Nancy look over at you and he questions you. “What?”

You drift your eyes over to them and continue. “Joyce told me what happened, she said Will found a way to speak to her through the lights!” You then focus on Nancy to ask for reassurance. “Right? I’ve been trying to remember, but I didn’t get it ‘till now!”

The look on Nancy’s face turns from perplexed to surprised and a bit excited. “Exactly!” She exclaims and then runs towards a lamp to try and turn it on, but it wouldn’t work, not even when she tried the switch.

“It’s not working.”

You turn and look around again until Steve’s voice made you turn to face him. “Guys? You seeing this?” He keeps his flashlight pointed ahead of him which causes you to look over at his target. Which turned out to be…just a chandelier.

A chandelier that’s dimly lit.

“No way,” you muse with an impressed smile before you slowly step towards the light to see that there was some type of sparkling hue that blanketed the chandelier. It was sort of…pretty, mesmerizing, not enough to stick your fingers in it, but Nancy did anyway, luckily nothing bad happened to her hand. She just kept waving it around and actually made it tempting to you and the others too.

Even if you were a bit skeptical considering this was the Upside down, you slowly let your hand get pulled towards the light just as the others tried to touch that hue too. And instead of feeling a heat like you thought you would, you felt that….well whatever substance that covered the light softly tickle your fingers.

“It…tickles,” Steve mused what you had in mind.

“It kinda of feels good,” you voice out instead.

“Does anyone know Morse code?” Nancy suddenly asks the group.

You slowly lower your gaze from the light and look over at her to nod. “Yes. I do.” You lower your hand and feel everyone’s stares on you now. “What?” You quip. “My dad taught me a long time ago.”

Eddie scoffs and lifts his hands when you look over at him. “We didn’t say anything, it’s cool that’s all. Really, I’m being honest, it’s cool.”

You look away from him and glance at the light before letting your eyes go from face to face before you speak. “We should keep the message short and sweet so it’s easier to pass. Any ideas?”

“How about SOS?” Eddie suggests.

“Yeah,” you agree right away. “It works.”

Before wasting more time you lift your hand again to tap your fingers through the hue to send out the message. With each second that passes though, the more you grow frustrated when you wouldn't get a response. Not because your hand was getting tired of being extended for a long period of time, but because you could hear Dustin’s voice and got nothing.

A few minutes pass with nothing and it only aggravates you more, until finally you catch the right commotion.

“It’s working.” Robin points out what was becoming known.

You continue nonetheless until finally there's a response. “Just hold on!”

You sigh in relief and let a small grin tug on your lips.

“Tell them to get my sisters Lite Brite, we can communicate that way.” Nancy ordered.

You nod immediately and pass the message by just spelling out the object to keep the message short.

“Right!” You hear Dustin’s muffled response seconds after. “Right! Go to Nancy’s room!”

Without waiting anymore Nancy runs over to get the Lite Brite and then you continue to run to her room to wait for the others to communicate back. Which in their defense didn’t take that long, but you were getting impatient to see if this plan would work so it felt like an eternity when it was just mere minutes.

“Come on. come on,” Steve whispered beside your ear.

You exhale deeply and clench your jaw until the moment a dim light finally glows from the Lite Brite, and Dustin’s voice follows to echo out. “You guys seeing this?”

Slowly you let your jaw loosen from its tight hold and can’t help but let out a breathless and relieved laugh while Nancy waved her hand over the light as a response that earns a recognizable happy chuckle for an answer.

“We’re not moving it,” Dustin’s voice continues to sound out. “But we’re gonna unplug it. Stand by….yank it.”

The light lost its hue, but the plan to communicate continued. “Okay, try it now!” Dustin shouts.

Nancy nods and whispers, “Okay,” and proceeds to focus on the object in front of her to first spell out ‘Hi’, and then leave the group waiting for something to be said back.

“Okay, come on,” you mumble and clasps your hands together as you wait impatiently. “Come on.”

Just moments after your comment, there's a confirmation, “that worked!”

Your lips break into a grin once more and out of excitement you grab Nancy's shoulders and shake her to celebrate your small win.

Yet, no one could be fully relieved yet, there was still more to say in order to get help to get out.

“Okay, uh, uhm,” Nancy muttered after the excitement between the five of you faded away so you could concentrate on the plan in hand again.

This time Nancy spelled out, “Stuck,” and an answer was quickly given.

“Stuck!”

“Yes,” Steve agreed.

“We are,” Robin added, whilst Eddie hummed and nodded, and you smiled softly out of happiness and couldn’t help but clasp your hands together to press the side of your knuckle against your lips since you were also very anxious.

“Uh,” Dustin begins to speak again. “You can’t get back through Watergate?”

Your eyebrows scrunch together at the name of the gate and you share a confused look with Eddie since he was beside you.

“What the hell’s Watergate?” Steve voiced the question you and Eddie had in mind.

“‘Cause it’s in water and its gate,” Robin surprisingly is the one to explain the logic.

You scoff and compliment her rather than Dustin’s name of choice. “Nice.”

“Oh.”

“That’s cute,” Eddie says too.

Steve nods. “Right.”

“Uh, no,” Nancy denies Dustin outloud before she spells out, “GUARDED.”

“Uh, okay. Uh, Watergate’s guarded.” Dustin pieced it together and earned more responses and supportive reactions—“I think we have a theory that can help with that!” Dustin continues to say.

“Genius child,” Robin whispered.

“I’m telling you!” You exclaim out of genuine pride.

“We think Watergate isn’t only the gate. That there’s a gate at every murder site.” Dustin finishes his commmnt, causing Nancy to let out a confused reaction.

“Does anybody understand what he’s talking about?”

You fix your posture and lean towards her to try and explain what you were understanding as it was getting shared. “Maybe everytime Vecna finished a kill, a gate was left where the curse was completed, I mean where the body was left. No? It’d make sense.”

There were more stares directed at you, so you shrug and doubt yourself. “Just a theory.”

“Maybe,” Nancy says before she draws a question mark just in case you’d be wrong.

“Okay!” Dustin exclaimed with an attuitde that was easily detected. “How many times do I have to be right on the money before you guys just trust me?!”

You scoff and shake your head at his tone.

“Jesus Christ,” Steve remarks on Dustin. “This kids gotta get his ego checked.”

“It’s his tone, right?” Eddie adds.

You lean forward to nod quickly and agree with the boys. “Yes! I know, huh!”

“Okay, so…” Nancy changes the subject back to the problem. “So how far is your trailer?”

“Seven miles,” Eddie quickly answered.

They should’ve listened to you. You were right! You were right!

“Nancy?” Robin calls out. “Uh, I know your house here is, like, weirdly, creepily frozen in time and shit, but haven’t you always had bikes?”

A knowing look is shared between all of you before Nancy tells Dustin about going to Eddie’s house as the last message before you went for the bikes in the garage.

“I told you guys,” you gloat while you get on a bike. “I told you guys that’s what it was, no one ever listens to me.”

Robin climbs on hers and huffs. “Sorry,” she says. “We should’ve known. I'm sorry for the lack of belief.”

Steve opens the garage before he climbs on his bike, while you shoot Robin a smirk before you face the dark eerie outside.

“Okay,” Nancy says after a deep shaky breath. “We stay together, don't fall behind and don’t go off on your own. Whatever you might see signal out to the group, got it?”

Without the need to share another word everyone shares an agreeing and knowing look before you face the outside again, and hesitate.

No matter how different you all were, what your relationships currently were to each other, the one thing you knew you all felt was fear. No one could hide that, not even the bravest of the group, not even if it’s what everyone tried to express, fear is a shared and understanding feeling, no one judged each other for that, like no one judged each other for hesitating to leave.

In any case it’s that shared fear that actually made you all braver in ways, since you knew that you all felt the same, you knew that you had one another to rely on. That fear bonded you in some ways too. Rather than letting it paralyze and get to you, you let it move you forward towards your destination, it lets you try to accomplish your plan to get out.

The one thing that could’ve actually stopped you was the seven miles you had to bike without any breaks. It was a fucking killer on your legs no matter how much you tried to exercise. It made arriving at Eddie's house a fucking pleasure.

“That’s gotta be a Guinness World Record.” Robin somehow had enough breath to say after you all got off your bikes. “Most miles traveled interdimensionally.”

Your breaths are deep and fast, and your heart is pulsing unbelievably fast.

“Just inhaled a bunch of that crap,” Steve shared and then coughed. “It’s stuck in my throat.”

You gasp for air and accidentally do the same as he did.

“Oh, fuck,” you groan and then begin coughing too.

“Did you not hear what I just said?” Steve snapped at you while you made your way inside. “Careful!” He proceeds to hit your back so it would be easier to cough out what you inhaled. “Jesus.”

You hit your chest and clear your throat to try and get it wet after your cough dried you out. “Never doing that again. We should’ve worn a mouth cover, we know this.”

“Yeah except it, like, makes it hard to breathe,” Steve says and you actually couldn’t help but agree, except you didn’t get the chance to voice it since the sight of the glowing red gate on Eddie’s ceiling left you speechless.

“Goddamn,” Steve says in a change of tone before he turns off his flashlight since the red glowing gate provided enough light.

“This is where Chrissy died,” Eddie shares without giving a hint of any emotion he could feel at the memory of what he saw. “Like, right where she died.”

The gate began to make this wet squelching noise that makes your nose scrunch out of disgust, but has you inching closer to Steve out of intensifying fear.

“I think there’s something in there,” Robin pointed out.

The noise gets louder and now something slowly begins to bulge out of the gate—“What the hell is that?” You remark and hold onto Steve’s hand as the thing suddenly stops moving, leaving you in a tense silence until the moment the thing that lurked at the other side broke through since you all screamed out of surprise while you backed away at the same time.

Now, however, that bright red hue the gate provided was gone and a bright white light beamed down. Rather than waiting for something more to happen, you slowly began to approach it with your group and your hand clutching onto Steve’s arm.

You of course didn’t walk too close out of caution, but Steve did. Of course. “Wait,” you whisper to him as he begins to step away, making your hand begin to slide down his arm the further he gets. “Steve, just wait.”

Said man holds onto your hand once your hand slides down and pulls you with him towards the gate while the others slowly follow behind. And since Steve was the one ahead he’s the one that caught what was on the other side first.

“No way,” he voiced out the shock he now felt.

Once you made your way under the gate you were relieved to see Dustin, Max, Lucas and Erica just on the other side.

“Hi there,” Dustin greeted after his chuckle.

The fear you felt subsided and a relieved and happy smile decorates your features now at the sight of your friends.

“Hi,” you greet back with a small wave, just like the others did.

“Holy shit,” Robin muses. “This is trippy.”

“Tell me about it,” you say breathlessly while you slowly let go of Steve’s hand.

“Bada. Bada-Boom!” Dustin exclaimed.

Now that you were here, what followed was getting to the other side. It seemed like it would be difficult since the gate was tricky to get through since it was on the ceiling, yet it turned out you were wrong, or really, Dustin tried to contradict your doubt; he said he planned something, but he only vaguely shared it and just left you guys to watch glimpses of from the other side instead.

The only real hint you had was when Lucas and Max returned with a mattress to leave on the floor just under the gate.

“We’re going to have to jump on that dirty mattress aren't we?” You mumble to yourself.

“Those stains are, uh,” Eddie interjects before Steve could comment on your question. “I dunno what those stains are.”

You glance back at the mattress and scrunch your nose in disgust when you spot how big they actually are; and there's so many of them too.

Gross.

“Mmm,” Robin groans.

Since you’re left in anticipation you stay quiet and just grow impatient as you always do. You wait and wait and wait, until finally Dustin appears under the gate and gets on the mattress with a rope in his hand made out of tied up sheets.

“I’m not sure how these are going to work, but uh,” you can hear him say before he hurls the rope of sheets through the gate.

And instead of falling back after he lets it go, the rope stays hanging down and steady.

“What a fucking genius,” you say in awe.

“All right,” he directs at your group, “pull on it! See if it holds!”

You all share a quick look before Robin pulls on the rope to confirm its efficiency.

“Okay,” you say and look between your group. “Who wants the honors of going first?”

A silence passes where no one moves or says anything, looks are the only things that’s passed until Robin is the first one to step forward. “Guess I’m the guinea pig.”

You draw in a deep breath and offer her an assuring smile. “Be careful,” you breathe out before you begin to watch her pull herself up the rope.

She struggles at first, but when she successfully makes it through the other side she lets gravity pull her down to the mattress without a scratch on her.

“Good,” you whisper after you see her get pulled off the mattress, letting Eddie go next, and then leaving you with the same relief once you see him land successfully too. After that Nancy looked at you and Steve and pushed you to go next.

Yet you declined. “No, I’ll stay back with Steve, you go next. I’ll follow.”

Nancy doesn’t argue back and makes sure to share one last thing to Steve and you. “See you on the other side.”

“On the other side,” Steve responded and left you to wait for her to grab the rope to climb out.

However, instead of moving, Nancy suddenly went incredibly still, it almost looked like she even stopped breathing, you couldn’t understand why she stood so frozen until you saw her eyes roll back.

“Nancy!” You call out loudly and rush to her to grip onto her shoulders so you could shake her. “Nancy! Hey, hey!”

Steve falls by your side and tries to shake her too whilst he also tries to reach her with his voice too. “Stay with us. Nancy! Hey! Nancy, wake up!

“Nancy!” You cry with a crack in your voice “Nancy!” You look over at Steve with your eyes wide and gleaming with tears formed out of panic and more fear. “Steve, tell them to give us music! Do you know what she likes?!”

Steve parts his lips and gapes like a fish before he blurts. “I don’t know!“

“You dated her!” You snap.

Steve shrugs and spats. “A long time ago!”

You roll your eyes and just spat back. “Then just get whatever! Anything! Just get music!”

Quickly Steve steps back to yell out what you needed, only to see that some of the others were already trying to do just that.

“Nancy!” You keep trying to snap her out of the trance. “Come on! Please! Nancy!” You grab the sides of her head and continue to shake her. “Nancy!” You bellow. “Come on!”

“Whatever you guys are doing, hurry up!” Steve continued to yell out.

You swallow thickly and move your hands back to her shoulders before peering back at Steve. “Try, maybe you can—”

“Do what?!” Steve exclaimed, “sing her awake!”

You thought that maybe hearing his voice would help, but no he decided to have an attitude about it!

“Never mind,” you huff and look back at Nancy. This time though, you catch her gasp and see her eyes return to normal. “Nancy!”

Said girl begins to fall down and Steve secures his hands on her shoulders to go down with her.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” you assure while you fall by her side too. “It’s okay, you’re okay. We’re here. We’re right here.”

Steve and you give Nancy a moment to catch her breath before Steve continues to help her up the rope again. This time you catch your breath until you see her actually land on the mattress on the other side. “Oh, thank goodness,” you breathe out and finally take your turn. “See you,”

“On the other side,” Steve finished for you and then helped you up the rope so you could climb out.

Once you break through the gate, it feels like a pressure weighing you down, everything and everyone in the bright and vineless room was flipped upside down until you let go to fall on the mattress.

“Oh,” you breathe out. “I’m okay.” You glance up and see Dustin offer you his hand to pull you up so Steve could finally get out too.

“Thanks buddy,” you thank Dustin with a small smile once you have your feet on the floor.

Not long after, Steve fell on the mattress too and got rid of that single worry that knotted your stomach, because it would be impossible to rid you of all the worry that currently held you captive. At least seeing that you were all out of the Upside Down shifted some of that weight off your body. At least for a little while.

Morning came not so long after you made it out of the upside down, and while the sun slowly rolled out of its own slumber you took the chance to take a short nap on the couch. However, just like the last time you slept, your father didn’t return to your dreams, you hoped you’d feel a sort of happiness amongst all the chaos, but no, Hopper didn't visit this time.

Was that Vecna’s attempts at providing you with nightmares? Because it’s working.

At least you didn’t wake up alone today. Not like seeing everyone’s tired and haunted faces was a good thing to wake up to though. It was especially devastating when you saw how petrified Nancy continued to look, it’s why you saved her for last when you checked in on everyone.

“Hey,” you whisper and take a seat beside her.

Nancy slowly lifts her eyes and just offers you a feigned smile as a response.

“I’d ask how you’re holding up, but I know better than to ask that, so, here,” you say and offer a glass of water and a poptart. “Drink and eat. Gotta stay strong, right?”

Nancy looks over at everyone to check that they each have their own pop tart and drink in hand before she takes it from you to take a small bite, and a sip from her drink. At least it was something.

“Can I ask if you felt anything before? Symptoms?”

Nancy's chest rises and slowly falls back down before she answers. “No…I didn’t feel or see anything before. He just got me.”

You swallow thickly and loop your headphones string around your finger and hum as a response.

“Thank you,” Nancy said and pulled your drifting attention back to her. “For checking up on me, I mean since I know how you feel about me.”

You scoff and glance at Steve dusting the crumbs off his pants before looking back at Nancy and attempting to assure her. “Yeah, well, I was wrong. I’m sorry.” You smile softly. “I was insecure because of all the shit I’m dealing with so I’m sorry.”

Nancy mirrors that smile and then takes another bite of her poptart, letting you continue. “No one’s going to force you to say what you saw, so don’t worry about that. Just…take it one step at a time. Whenever you feel it’s right.”

There's a short silence that lets you shift back in your seat and space off on the ceiling to focus your worry on Eleven—she must be worried, you haven’t been able to call her. You wonder if she’s doing okay after the incident, you hope she knows that you aren’t ashamed of her, or angry.

There is times where you wish she was here, it’d make dealing with all this shit so much easier, but there's a majority of times where you’re actually glad that she’s home and currently out of contact, it did provide more trouble but at least she was safe. Even if she's in trouble herself, at least she’s not risking her life, she’s safe, that’s all you could ask for so you wouldn’t lose her too.

“Okay,” you hear Nancy mutter, causing you to break from your train of thought. “I’m ready to share what I heard, or what he showed me.” She pauses and breathes out shakily before she continues to say Vecna’s life story, how he came to be, how he was the one that murdered his family, how he got to be the first ever test subject for Hawkins lab.

Nancy told everyone what he had told her, how he met eleven and tried to persuade her to join him, how he was the one that killed all the other kids like Eleven. She said how Eleven was the one that casted him out to the Upside down. He then told her something else, something so tragic and horrifying that Nancy had to take a break to gather her thoughts before she could continue.

“He showed me,” she continues in a hoarse voice. “Things that haven’t happened yet. The most awful things. I saw a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. And this…giant creature with…a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn’t alone.”

Your breath shutters and your stomach once again begins to knot together.

“There were so many monsters,” Nancy continued to tell. “An army. And they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighborhoods. Our homes…”

You let out a deep sigh and hang your head low. You might not live here anymore, but this place was special, Steve lived here, Robin, Dustin, Max and all your other friends lived here too. Hawkins in ways was still your home too. It was scary to hear her words, it was hard to process every horrible word.

“…and then…he showed me my mom…and Holly. Mike. And they…they were all…” Nancy stops and her breath continues to tremble, she doesn’t cry from what you could tell, but you could hear the heartbreak in her voice.

“Okay, but,” Steve spoke up. “He’s just trying to scare you, Nancy. Right? I mean…I mean it’s not real.”

“Not yet,” Nancy retorted in a sad tone. “But there…there was something else. He showed me gates. Four gates. Spreading across Hawkins. And these gates, they looked like the one outside of Eddie’s trailer, but they didn’t stop growing. And this wasn’t the Upside down Hawkins. This was our Hawkins. Our home.”

You blink repeatedly in disbelief and rub your face before you drop your hands and look up with a gleam in your eyes.

“Four chimes,” Max interjected. “Vecna’s clock. It always chimes four times. Four exactly.”

“I heard them too,” Nancy mentioned.

“He’s been telling us his plan this whole time.”

“Four kills,” Lucas mutters after Max. “Four gates. End of the world.”

“If that’s true he’s only one kill away.” Dustin points out, making your breath hitch, making you feel a deafening silence surround you, and feel everyone’s stares pierce into your skin.

Maybe instead of losing Eleven and Steve, they’re going to lose you.

That knowledge slammed into you now more harder than ever before. It felt almost impossible before when there was more hope, but now, now that Nancy has shared this, now that you realize what’s to come, you break all over again; quietly this time.

“Oh Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ.” Eddie panicked.

“Y/N,” Steve says. “Try ‘em again. Try ‘em again.”

You nod and walk over to the house to try and call home.

But of course the line fucking rang and no answer. It makes you slam the phone back on the wall.

“Anything?” Dustin queried.

You shake your head and huff. “No. It rang a few times, then went to busy signal. Again,” you grumble.

“Maybe you punched it in wrong.” Steve countered. “Try again.”

Your face twists and you shoot him a glare before you rebut his comment. “I think I’d know my own home number, Steve.”

Steve shrugs and argues back. “Well, I don’t know—”

“I think she knows how to use a phone,” Dustin adds to your defense.

“I’m just saying, she could’ve typed it in wrong.” Steve countered.

You roll your eyes and try calling again, but once again, nothing.

“Same shit,” you make it known before you return to your seat.

“How is that possible?” Lucas questioned, causing you to shrug and drop your head in your hands.

“I told you Joyce has this telemarketer job. She’s always on the phone. Mike won’t stop whining about it.”

“Okay, yeah,” Max adds her own thoughts. “But the phone’s been busy for, what, three days now?”

“Yes,” you mumble.

“It's not Joyce,” Max finishes. “No way. Somethings wrong.”

You pick up your head and nod in agreement even if you didn’t like to admit it. “She’s right, it can’t be just a coincidence. I mean,” your voice trembles. “I want it to be, but it can’t be.”

“Whatever’s happening in Lenora,” Nancy interjects, “is connected to all of this. I’m sure of it. But Vecna can’t hurt them. Not if he’s dead. We have to go back in there. Back to the Upside Down.”

Your eyebrows furrow together slowly and your eyes widen, whilst your lips part open in surprise to her sudden change in tone and demeanor.

“Whoa, whoa, no, no, no. What?” Steve protests.

“Nope,” Eddie also says whilst Steve stands up and walks over to Nancy to try and talk her out of it.

“Let’s think this through.”

“What is there to think through?” Nancy remarked.

“We barely made it out of there in one piece. And y/n—”

“Yeah, because we weren’t prepared,” Nancy cuts him off. “But this time, we will be. We’ll get weapons and protection. We’ll go through the gate, we’ll find his lair, and we’ll kill him.”

“Or he'll kill us,” Steve snapped back. “The only reason you survived is because he wanted you to.”

“What about y/n?!” Nancy threw out, making you want to add something, but Steve snapped right back.

“That’s not fair, and you know it!”

“You’re going to let him take her too!” Nancy argued. “If we don’t stop him he’ll kill her too! He’s her last target!”

A scowl grows on Steve’s face and he takes a threatening step towards Nancy to keep fighting. “Which is why I won’t put her at risk! We’ll find another way. He’s not scared of us.”

“And for good reason,” Robin stood up to also add in the conversation. “We were wrong about Vecna. Henry. One. Sorry, what are we calling him now?”

Everyone chimes in with their own thoughts that don’t agree on one name, leaving Robin to just ramble on. “Right. We’ve learned something new, about Vecna, slash Henry, slash one. He’s a number like Eleven, only a sick, evil child-murder Iike version of her with really bad skin. But my…my point is, he’s super powerful, he could turn us inside out with a snap of his fingers. It’s not a fair fight.”

“Then why fight fair?” Dustin suggests. “You’re right. He’s like Eleven. But that gives us an upper hand. We know Eleven’s strengths. And weaknesses.” He points out.

“Weaknesses?” Erica repeats sassily.

“When El remote-travels, she goes into this sort of trance-like state. I bet that’s true with Vecna.”

Slowly you shut your mouth and begin to narrow your eyes on him and then Lucas as he bounces in too. “That would explain what he was doing in that attic.“

“Exactly.” Dustin points at Lucas. “When he attacks his next victim, I’ll bet you he’s back in the attic, physical body defenseless.”

“Defenseless?” Steve remarks. “What about the army of bats?” He traces out the scar around his neck.

“True,” Dustin deadpanned. “We’ll have to find a way past them. Distract them somehow.”

Eddie leans forward from his seat to also throw in his own doubt. “And, uh, how do we do that, exactly?”

Dustin shakes his head. “No idea. But once they’re gone, he doesn’t stand a chance. It’ll be like slaying sleeping Dracula in his coffin.”

“That all sounds good in theory,” Robin comments, “but there is no pattern to Vecna’s killings. I mean, at least, not one that I can decipher. We don’t know when he’s going to attack next.”

“Yes we do,” you interject and stand up. “I’m down to my third day. He’s going to attack me next.”

“Y/N,” Steve protests softly. “No, whatever you’re planning, no.”

You look over at him and sigh. “We know who he is, how he got to where is, what kind of sister would I be if I didn’t risk myself to help my sister from this monster? Who would I be to let my home perish? If I let him come back for Max? I’ll be the bait. As far as we know he hasn’t hurt Eleven yet, I don’t want to make that a possibility. I agree with Nancy with this plan.”

“Y/N,” Steve calls again and walks over to you. “What kind of sister would you be if you’re gone? She needs you….” he pauses and leaves his lips parted and formed into the next word he’s going to say, he leaves you waiting to hear what he was going to say.

But alas he looked at everyone around him and lowered his gaze to keep those words trapped within him instead.

In any case Max did interrupt.

“We don’t have time to wait, we can use me. I’m still marked….”

Your breath gets trapped in your throat and your eyes pierce into her.

“…Cursed. I ditch Kate Bush. I draw his focus back to me.”

“Max,” Lucas tried to protest agasint her too. “You can’t. He’ll kill you.”

“I survived before,” Max argues in an attempt to assure him. “I can survive again. I just need to keep him busy long enough so that you guys can get into that attic. Then you can chop his head off. Stab him in heart. Blow him up with some explosives Dustin cooks up. I honestly, I don’t care how you put this asshole in his grave. Just…whatever It is…whatever you do….try not miss.”

A short sullen silence follows, but you can’t stand being quiet with what Max wants to do. “No. I will not let you risk your life. You’ve been through it once, you survived, you won’t go through it again. I won’t let you. I’ll just be the bait.”

Max scoffs and doesn’t hold back. “We can’t wait. We don’t know when Vecna might attack you. It could be in two days or now. We can’t put that at risk, at least with me we know he’ll attack again.”

You shake your head and continue. “No. No! Max you can’t—”

“I’m making my own choices, you can make sure to finish him off before he kills me or something, I don’t know. But Steve’s right, Eleven needs her sister, I’ll be the bait and that’s final.”

“But—”

Max quickly cuts you off more aggressively this time. “No. I told you it happens tonight. No buts. It’s my choice that I’ll live with, or else I’ll make sure to break your legs myself.”

You close your mouth and get stunned by her threat.

“Okay, well,” Steve groans. “Where did get these weapons? Our local armory?”

Eddie slowly stands up and shakes his head. “No,” he begins to share. “I know a place we can go. Red, give me the yellow pages.”

——

In theory going to some place called the War Zone should be a bad idea to buy weapons from. It’s just who in their right minds would sell a bunch of weapons to a group of minors and busted up looking adults.

And! Why would you risk yourselves going there when there's people after Eddie?!

It isn’t a good idea.

Yet here you were on your way there with a stolen RV. Yet another crime to add to Eddie’s list.

“Come on, come on,” you mumble impatiently while you search the cabinets for any kind of edible food. “There has to be some—ah,” you breathe out when you see a pack of closed crackers. “Here you go.” You take the pack and beam at the cracker when you take it out.

“I wouldn’t eat that,” Eddie butts in, making you jump slightly.

You close the cabinet and put the cracker in your mouth with a smug smile, causing him to prop a hand on the counter and begin to watch you as you chewed the food a lot longer than usual. “How is it?”

You swallow the dry cracker down your throat and nod slowly before you hoarsely answer. “Stale.” You clear your throat and turn to lean back on the counter and offer him one.

Eddie takes one regardless and then points at you to talk with his mouth full. “A little birdy told me you graduate this year. Says that he’s surprised considering you spend half of your time flirting with your boy toy. True?”

You nod and take a bite from another cracker. “Yeah. I do with a three point six and with honors, I heard you’re, uhm getting held back another year, true?” You tease him.

Eddie scoffs. “No, today is my year princess, my future currently looks bleak but,” he says with a smug pride. “I am going to walk on that stage and throw the bird…” he flips off the air. “…at everyone that doubted my efforts.”

You chuckle softly and throw in the other half of the cracker. “That’s how you do it exactly. It’s a nice plan. What’s your plan after highschool?” You smile. “You going to join a band of misfits and travel the world with your guitar?”

Eddie scoffs and smiles at the ground. “That doesn’t sound half bad actually. Just me and my guitar. What about you?”

You scoff and shrug. “I have a sister to take care of, but maybe I don’t know, maybe I’ll enter the police academy, or join the military like my dad and my mom, just to upstage all those men and show them who’s boss like my mom did. Or I’ll show my sister the world.” You smile at him and steal a glance at Steve driving. “Just me, my sister, and my man.”

Eddie nods along with the smile still decorating his face. “I see that. I actually see you bossing men around. I mean I’m kind of scared of you now.”

You snort and shake your head. “That’s stupid, I’m not mean. Is that what Dustin says about me?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “He says something about you being a badass. Like I mean, I swear that man looks up to Steve and you. I can’t say shit about either of you or he’ll jump in your defense.”

You exhale deeply as you feel your heart swell at his words. “Really?” You ask with a softer smile. “That’s nice.” You look up and grin slowly. “Or maybe we can join a band together.” You clap and jump away from the counter. “I can be your drummer! I know a cool stick trick and imagine all the money we’d get!”

Eddie squints his eyes and waits before shaking his head at you with his lips pressed together in a disapproving frown.

His reaction makes your face fall into an annoyed look. “Boo.” You snap at him and begin to walk back and throw him a thumbs down. “Boo. Your loss Munson. Boo.” You spin around and stomp back to the passenger seat to sink down in your seat with another cracker in your mouth.

Steve quickly notices your mood and after a few stolen glances comments on it. “You doing okay?”

“Eddie won’t let me join his band.” You grumble.

“His band?“ Steve repeats slowly. “Why would you want that?”

“I’m killer on the drums.” You smirk and place the crackers down. “I had a rock phase, I learned to play the drums, just a little,” you say and pinch your fingers together.

Steve nods and then looks at you for a while before he breaks into a laugh. “I'd like to see that actually. You playing the drums.”

You scoff and tilt your head to the side. “I wouldn’t want to blow you away, but if you insist, I’ll give you a private show.” You drag your feet up to the dash, but instantly get your feet swatted away—“Hey.”

“Off the dash, you animal.” Steve complains.

Slowly you drag your feet off the dash but rather than letting them fall to the floor you pull your feet up on the seat and pull them to your chest. From the corner of your eye you could tell Steve wanted to add something about it too but you interjected first. “How’s it handle, hmm?”

“Not half bad. Considering that this is a…house.”

You scoff and nod slowly whilst you sort of lose the amusement you initially returned to your seat with.

“Uh….remember when you asked me about how my future house would look like?” Steve brings up almost hesitantly, causing you to drift your eyes back to him to nod to let him answer. “Well…I actually have an answer,” he clears his throat. “It’s silly…but I…I’ve actually…uhm I always had this dream that I’d have this really…really big family. I’m talking, like, uh, a full brood of Harringtons. Like, five, six kids.”

A soft admiring smile slowly tugs on your lips and you part your lips to query with amusement. “Six? Six kids?”

“Yeah,” Steve nods. “Six little nuggets. Three girls, three boys.” He laughs and keeps his eyes on the road whilst you keep your eyes on him and actually feel an ache with how hard you’re smiling. “And…and every summer, I figured all of us Harringtons, we would pack into something like this and just see the country.” He glances over at you and you continue to smile; this time a bit softer. “You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone. End up in some beachside town in California. Spend a week parked in the sand…..learn how to surf or something.”

You swallow thickly and answer in a soft voice. “That sounds nice. Very nice.”

Steve looks over at you to meet your gaze with this soft, heartwarming look to question your comment in this tender voice. “Yeah?”

You hold his gaze and nod to whisper back in the same tone. “Yeah.”

A longer silence follows, it’s full of tension, but not the bad kind, this tension is the kind that has your heart doing somersaults in the best way possible, it makes you smile at him sweetly and grow this need to just grab him and kiss him. That’s the type of tension this was. Even when you broke it, the tension was still there.

“I mean the six-kid part, wow,” you chuckle nervously and look at the road. “That sounds chaotic.”

“If only I had some practice,” Steve points back to the children you carried with you.

You chuckle and nod. “Yeah. Fair. That’s fair. But, I mean six little kids with your personality?” You suck in air through your teeth. “I feel sorry for you.”

Steve snaps his head towards you and quips. “What about you? With your stubbornness and anger issues. The kids will be scary.”

You scoff and point at your chest, whilst your heart races and butterflies flutter in your stomach. “I don’t have anger issues, ‘Kay? I grow impatient. That’s all.”

Steve huffs and keeps his eyes on the road. “Yeah, do you think patience comes when you become a parent?“

You roll your head his way and shrug. “I don’t know.”

“Guess,” he whispers. “We’ll have to wait and see, right?” He meets your gaze and waits again. Waits for your answer that carried a weight.

“Right,” you agree without hesitance.

Steve exhales deeply and smiles at the road before he softly adds, “I mean, we won’t be able to live in a sandcastle, but I think I can manage a blue roof.”

You roll your eyes and scoff before you assure him. “I’m sure Stevie, Jim, Luke, Sara, Rose, and Leia will help with the sandcastle, don’t you think so?”

Steve chuckles and nods along. “Yeah,” he agrees with a soft smile. “I’m sure they will. After you teach ‘em to surf.”

“Yeah, no, definetly, I mean,” you suck in air. “Imagine paying for surfing classes for six kids?” You shake your head and giggle. “That'd be a nightmare. It’s a good thing that you were a co-Captain in your swim team, ‘cause that saves us from swimming classes too.”

“Just no cliff diving,” he adds with a serious expression.

“Tsk,” you click your tongue out. “We’ll see.”

“And,” he begins to laugh. “Luke and Leia? Really?”

You shrug. “It’s cute. And imagine if they’re twins!” You exclaim happily, making him beam at you. “Ugh, that’d be so cute! We better have twins!” You drag your feet off the seat and lean towards him with a teasing smile on your face. “What about Tammy then? Tammy Kermie. Get it? Kermit?”

Steve scrunches his nose and shakes his head slowly. “No, god no. Luke and Leia, is fine, just no Stevie. We’ll work on that one.”

You lick your lips and nod as you sit back in your seat and grow a little more sad as someone comes to mind. “A big family is nice…I always wanted a big family…but well my mom never married after my dad, said men are all shit. And my dad, well after Sara he just lost himself.” You sigh and let your eyes flicker down. “A family in general sounds nice, a functional one. I mean, I know no one’s perfect but to end up like my parents, that’s my worst fear. They hated each other, they couldn’t stand being close to each other or actually stand hearing each other’s name. The only thing that they found common ground in was me…but even then they found a way to argue.” You exhale and feel your breath tremble.

“I wouldn't want that for my life, I want my kids to be disgusted by how much their parents love eachother,” you huff and feel his stare. “Sure there’s arguments, but I never want them to live what I did. Is that silly?”

Steve sighs and shakes his head before he answers seriously. “No, not at all, I mean, my mom doesn’t even trust my dad enough to let him go on business trips alone,” he scoffs. “Says he might cheat on her. So I understand having messed up parents. I want something good too, I want to bicker over stupid stuff like how you build a bookshelf or how I’m lost on our way to camp even if I say I’m not.” He holds your gaze and offers you a soft smile.

Perhaps the only thing that was silly was talking about your future when you still had a conversation pending and apologies to give him. But that’s it, you never actually thought of him as some short time thing. Your future may not be written on stone, but every time you thought of your future, Steve was there, from the moment you started dating, from the moment he didn’t give up because you had just lost your dad that same day he confessed his feelings to you.

You feared he’d leave you because you were grieving, but he never did, he was always there, he even spent nights with you because he said he didn’t want you to be alone. Even if you denied actually grieving at that time, having him check up on you, and even being so caring with Eleven was special. It let you know that you loved him right away, just days into dating.

“You know what I always wanted,” you bring up one last thing with a growing smile. “I always dreamed of having a relationship with my kids like the one I had with my own dad. Before he you know, he left me.” You breathe out deeply and feel tears instantly sting your eyes. “I mean, he was my best friend when I was a little kid, I loved my dad.” You laugh a breathless laugh and your smile begins to falter. “He always tried his best to raise me, from bedtime stories to playing with ugly dolls, to dressing up and tea parties, to forts and sandcastles, make believe, and cleaning my scrapes and helping when I was sick. I want that, I want to see that too with…well…with you.” You glance at him and catch him looking at you with this loving look that makes his brown doe eyes bright.

“I’m sure I can make that work,” he assures you. “As long as I have you with me.” His breath shutters but he makes sure to sound assuring and confident. “I’m going to save you from Vecna, okay? I won’t lose you.”

Your breath trembles and you nod with tears rolling down your cheeks. “Yeah, I know. Can we talk after we get out of the store? I just don’t want to have others listening in. Is that possible?”

Steve nods in agreement without hesitance. “We will for sure. After.”

You nod and wipe the tears off your cheeks, Steve then reaches out his hand and you’re quick to take it. The seats might be a bit far apart, but you manage to hook your fingers together.

“Why don’t you change the music,” Steve suggests when he looks back at the road. “That should cheer you up.”

You sniffle and pull your hand away from his to take your cassette out of your Walkman. “Cool mixtape,” you show off to him with a smirk.

“It is a cool mixtape,” he says proudly and watches you lean toward the stereo to insert your cassette and play the first song that you were going to listen to before you had to stop your Walkman, ‘Rubberband Man’—“oh!” You turn up the music and pull out your sunglasses to begin bopping your head along to the beat.

Once the singing starts you roll your head to the side to grab Steve’s hand and begin mouthing the words that played, and when the right words begin to play you point at him and then at you to mouth along to them, “you and me we’re goin’ out, catch the latest sounds.”

Steve watches you and shakes his head in disapproval, but before long he begins mouthing along to the words of the song too. It makes you laugh, and then you both begin moving your heads to the music.

Without knowing, Robin begins slowly moving her head to the music and whispering the words under her breath. Dustin smiles and begins moving his head and tapping his hand against the seat. A few seconds pass and Lucas and Max join in too, leaving Eddie to watch the interaction with a bit of interest, whilst Nancy watches in confusion.

“What’s going on?” Eddie mouthed to Nancy.

Nancy shrugs, “I don’t know,” but she can’t help but smile while Erica judges everyone from her seat.

*MOMENTS LATER*

No, yeah, you can’t say you’re relaxed and not checking your six every second that you’re in the store, but at least being here lets you get prepared and changed from the matching set Steve chose for you to wear….

Well that’s just an excuse to buy something cool to wear, even if it might be your last outfit ever, but hey, it’s battle appropriate at least.

“Black leather Jacket or black vest?” You talk to yourself and press each item against the green flight suit they surprisingly sold at the store. “Hmm…” you squint your eyes and keep pulling up each item, but you’re too indecisive so you leave the mirror and lift your head to search for Steve or Robin.

Luckily, you found the both of them just down the aisle. So with a bit more pep in your step you rush over to them with the question you had immediately getting thrown out of your mouth. “Hey, guys, which one, the leather jacket or the…”

From one moment to the next you cut yourself off when Robin suddenly turns around and storms off. When you look over at what she had been looking at previously, you just see a red head and some blond guy looking over at Steve and you from the other end.

“That’s Vickie,” Steve whispers before he turns on his heels to run after Robin. “Robin! Robin!”

You tilt your head down to take a look at her over your sunglasses and see that she’s as pretty as Robin said, she has this…dorky, but cute girly look about her. But she’s in a relationship.

Damn.

After one last look at her you push your sunglasses up and scoff before you turn on your heels and run after your friends, seeing them just two aisles down. “Robin, hey—”

“No, look it’s okay,” she cuts you off with a very fake smile. “I expected it already, so there's nothing to be upset about, okay?” She looks at Steve and you and runs her hands through her hair before widening that fake smile. “I’ll get over it.”

“But,” you interject and take off your sunglasses. “It’s okay, you liked her, it’s okay to be uspet.”

Robin focuses on you and draws in a deep breath and makes her smile genunine before she exhales and addresses your comment. “Yeah, I know. But regardless, even if I am, there's no time now, right? Let’s finish getting what we need and get out of here.” She offers Steve that same smile before she turns and walks away.

“Fuck,” you breathe out under your breath. “I feel bad.”

Steve turns and takes the cart from your hands to push it forward with a sigh meant at Robin's situation. “Yeah. Second time. Must be crushing.”

You throw the flightsuit inside and nod. “Yeah,” you agree. “what should we do?”

Steve shrugs. “Give her space for now.” He scratches the back of his neck and glances back. “We can try to cheer her up after all this shit.”

You hum in agreement but add, “I wish we could do something about it now. That must’ve been heartbreaking.”

“I do too, but I don’t think we can do much now, unfortunately.”

“You’re right,” you huff out and continue walking in a silence that doesn’t last long.

“What you got there?” Steve points to the items in your hands.

“Well,” you answer a bit enthusiastically. “This here is a thigh holster,” you show it off to him. “It can carry a gun and little knives.” You point to the knives you picked out and the gun they let you carry in the cart. “Like—-”

“The Kate Bush outfit,” Steve finishes for you and leans forward while he has his arm resting on the cart handle. “Yeah,” he adds with a smirk. “I get it. Too bad you can’t wear the outfit, I mean it’s battle appropriate…” he trails off and bounces his eyebrows, causing you to slowly knot your eyebrows together in concern.

“Uh,” you breathe out and close your mouth to shake your head.

“What?” He quips. “It is! It’s like…like a warrior outfit!”

“It’s a bikini babe.”

Steve scoffs and shrugs. “A sexy bikini. A sexy warrior bikini.”

You narrow your eyes and press your lips together to continue shaking your head.

“True, true, I mean then Dustin would get mad. He’d be like what are you wearing? You loon.”

You snort and chuckle. “Yeah. He’d get mad. I mean,” you laugh and nudge his shoulder. “I can't even wear a skirt.”

Steve chuckles and his eyes widen. “You sure you can even be with me? What will he say?”

You cover your mouth and laugh louder. “What a dad.”

“Here I thought I was the daddy.”

You stop laughing and look over at Steve to look at him seriously. That reaction gets you an immediate confused reaction before you burst out laughing again.

“You’re unbelievable.” He grumbles.

You gasp for air and throw the jacket and the vest inside the cart before you wrap your arm around his bicep and beam at him. “You’re still my daddy,” you say through stifled laughter.

Steve leans towards you and smirks while he whispers, “yeah?”

Before you could respond, suddenly someone gags behind you. When you look back you see Erica with her own stuff, and a disgusted face expression. “I will pretend I didn't hear that. For my sake. We got to go. Now! Jason and his friends are here, he was talking with Nancy, so let’s go!”

Steve and you share a look before you begin to rush down the aisle and wave Robin and Max over so you could pay what you had, whilst you held your breaths and kept looking back to see if Jason, or any of his goons were looking at you or following you.

After the cashier finally checked everything out, Steve basically threw out his money and let them keep the change so you could all rush out of the store with Nancy making sure to follow after she paid her stuff.

The exact moment you were all out the front doors you all broke into a sprint towards the RV—“What happened?” Lucas immediately asked once Steve rushed inside.

“We gotta go,” Steve threw out and returned to the driver seat.

“Your old friends are here,” Erica shared with the group after she got in too.

“Shit!” Lucas breathed out and then instantly got cut off by Dustin screaming.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”

You shut the door behind you and rush over to basically throw yourself in your seat.

“I’m going! I’m going! Sit down!” Steve yelled back and then started the car to step on the gas the furthest it could go to drive out of the parking lot as fast he could, only adding more stress to your already stressed out mind.

They’re lucky that you’re over your fear of cars.

——

“Vest and jacket,” you mumble under your breath and step back to pin the rainbow pin over your jacket. “Nice.” You smile at yourself before you spin on your heels and hop out of the RV.

“…it just doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense?” You probe Steve and join him and Robin pouring gas into empty glass bottles.

Steve glances at you and then at Robin to answer. “That was Dan Shelter. He graduated, like, two years ago.”

“So?” Robin questions.

“So,” Steve explains. “He’s in college. Which means he was visiting on spring break. Fast Times was returned, like, I don’t know, a week ago? Right?”

You cross your arms over your chest and spare a glance at Robin and notice her slightly bothered face expression.

“Unless,” Steve continues. “She’s got some hot dog brother we don’t know about. Which is possible. Or she’s just really into Judge Reinhold?”

“Steve,” Robin interjects.

You shake your head and chime in, “nah.”

Said man looks over at Robin and questions her. “What?”

“I don’t care.”

You sigh and share a glance with Steve before you both return your gaze to Robin as she continues. “I don’t understand why you guys do either with everything that’s going on. Honestly, this feels like a perfect time for that little pull of the rug because…in the face of the world ending, the stakes of my love life feel spectacularly low.”

Steve sighs. “I mean possibly, but I don’t think you should let that bring you down. We might still make it out right? I still have hope.” Steve hands Robin the bottle and she takes it to put it down and continue.

“Not everything has a happy ending.”

You sigh and look at the ground beneath your boots while Robin keeps talking.

“I just, I have this terrible, gnawing feeling that…” Robin pauses and stops pouring the gas to look up Steve and you. “It might not work out for us this time.”

“You think we shouldn’t be doing this?” Steve asks, whilst you swallowed thickly and felt your stomach twist.

“I think we’re mad fools, the lot of us, but…” she pauses and sighs while she looks up at the group ahead of you doing their own thing to get battle ready. “…if we don’t stop him, who will? We have to try, right?”

You look up at the same time Steve looks at Robin too—“yeah,” Steve agrees before he lifts the glass and does a toast. “To killing Vecna.”

Robin grabs a bottle and push it towards Steve’s to add, “Slash Henry.”

You huff and drop your hands to pick up the third bottle and push it towards them to add the final name. “Slash One.”

After that you guys clink the glasses together with faint smiles on your faces.

“So, dear y/n, what are you wearing there?” Robin brings up while you put the bottles down.

You push back your jacket to smile at your outfit. “Battle outfit, you see flight suit,” you point at the green flight suit you showed off as you slide the jacket off your shoulders. “Black vest,” you point with a smile. “And it has, like, a lot of pockets, like here,” you point with a giddy smile. “Knife? No, stale cracker. Snack pocket.” You say and pull out said object to take a bite and continue showing off your cool outfit. “In case I get hungry, or one of the kids, or Steve needs it.”

Robin and Steve share an amused look before she props her elbow on her knee to rest her chin and smile at you.

“It’s a bit tight, but that’s how it goes. And, and,” you shift your feet to slide a leg forward and point at the holster you had on both legs. “This holds a gun and little knives, like the Kate Bush outfit!” You grin and raise your eyebrows. “And finally,” you say and pull your jacket back on. “My jacket, look,” you look down and point at your pin. “The pin.” You look up at the pair and beam at them. “Like it?”

Robin licks her lips and nods while she holds back a giggle, making Steve smirk and nod to actually add his thoughts. “I like it, I mean the flight suit accentuates your butt, like the bottom half makes you look good.”

You tilt your head and narrow your eyes on him to keep smiling.

“I think you look badass.”

“Don’t I? Like I feel like, a, I don’t know, like, some cool black ops soldier or, I don’t know, someone cool.”

“You guys also have matching jackets, you notice that?” Robin points out. “Is that like a new thing you guys are doing before we all die.”

Your smile falls and your lips part as your jaw drops slightly in shock to her negativity.

“It was unintentionally done,” Steve clarifies. “And we’re matching, so what? I think we look cool.”

You sigh and step towards him to rest your hand on his shoulder and nod along. “I agree, besides Steve, I think that jacket makes you look like Tom Cruise from Top Gun.”

Steve looks up at you and grins smugly. “A man in uniform,” he nods. “I picked it out just for you. Like it?”

You smile at him all shyly as if you were a little girl with a school crush, and nod. “I love it.”

Steve scoffs lightheartedly and grabs your chin to pull you towards him, causing you to giggle and have to hold onto both of his shoulders so you wouldn’t fall on him.

“I love you.”

Your smile widens and you part your lips to say it back this time since he was still here. It’s been hours since he got hurt and you patched him up and he’s still here. “I—”

However, you end up cutting yourself off when you catch a flash go off at your side. It makes Steve and you pull away to look over at Robin since that’s where it came from. And that’s when you notice she's lowering some busted up looking camera to take out the polaroid.

“Where did you get that from?” You ask, ending up pulling her attention away from the developing picture.

“Inside, when I was snooping.” She smirks. “So I take it you guys made up already? Just ‘cause my love life is doomed doesn’t mean yours has to.”

Steve scoffs and stands up. “It’s not,” he assures her and takes your hand. “And we're halfway there actually.” He begins to walk away with you and snatches the picture from Robin's hand. “I’ll take that.”

As you’re walking away from Robin you look back at her and catch her already watching you guys leave, so you throw her a small smile that she hits back with a wink.

Once you’re far from the RV and from all the others, you grow serious and only slightly tense, the moment Steve stops walking ahead, you avert your gaze and begin gnawing on your cheek.

Apologies never came easy, you don’t know why, but they’re just hard. They shouldn’t be, this one shouldn’t be, but you couldn’t help but feel like you couldn’t speak. And this time Steve didn’t talk first to help you, he waited for you.

You probably look like you’re dreading this talk. Which is not true, but it just doesn’t come easy.

Good thing Miss Vasquez wasn’t here now, she’d probably take a damn note. She’d probably be proud though, “it’s a step towards the right direction, y/n,”, she’d say. “I’m proud of you.”.

Fuck, why is this so hard?!

You wipe your nose and slowly lift your eyes to see Steve with his hands on hips and his eyes on you.

Fuck…

“I’m sorry,” you blurt out and sigh, but feel a thicker ball of emotions stuck in your throat. “I’m sorry for acting the way I did. I’m sorry for not considering how you would feel. I’m sorry for pretending I was strong when I…I wasn’t,” you breath shutters and you have to look down briefly to keep from crying. “I wanted to be, I wanted to be strong, but throughout pretending I didn’t realize how much that affected you too. You didn’t deserve to be shut out because I was prideful, because I was scared I'd hurt you…like I thought I hurt Sara and my dad.”

Steve’s hands slide off his hips and he looks at you slightly confused. “What do you mean by that?”

Tears stream down your face and your voice trembles just like your exhale. “Before Sara died I told her I loved her, that’s the last thing I ever told her. One of the last things I told my dad was that I loved him, I thought that if I said that to you I’d lose you too.” You shrug and chuckle. “It’s stupid, I know, it sounds stupid, but I was hurting, even if I didn’t want to admit it to myself, and I thought I’d curse you if I said it. It’s not because I want to be someone else, or ‘cause I’m just wasting your time, it’s not, I was just…I was just stuck in my head. I’m sorry. Steve, I’m sorry.”

You exhale and finally feel that ball of emotions out of your throat, you felt your shoulders and chest light now too.

“Oh, baby,” Steve whispers and closes the gap between you with a heartwarming embrace. “I’m here. I’m right here.”

You sob and tighten your hold around him before you nod and whisper. “I know. I know.”

Steve pulls away to cup your face and smile softly at you as he began to reassure you. “It may sound stupid, but it’s not, I mean, you thought that because you lost your dad, you thought it was a coincidence but you were just hurting and couldn’t find a way to, well, I guess express it. But it’s not stupid. Why didn’t you just tell me?”

You shrug and whisper. “I was scared you’d judge me, I was full of pride and didn’t want you to look at me the way everyone else did, like they’re the ones who killed my dad. I just, I was scared you’d leave me because I was grieving. I mean we got together that day, so I was scared you’d like, know how I feel and run away. So it was easier keeping that from you.” You meet his gaze and breathe out. “It’s stupid, I know.”

Steve scoffs and a faint smile grows on his face as he nods. “It is stupid because I would never do that. If I wanted to run away I would’ve before actually, like, that time the Chief went out to clean his shotgun in the living room when we were watching that movie with Eleven. I mean I almost died that night. He was scary.”

You snort and laugh. “Yeah, no, that was, he was out of line for that.”

Steve shrugs and whispers back. “I wouldnt have run away, and we’re partners, I wouldn’t have judged you, maybe look at you guilty, but that’s only because I care, because it hurts seeing you sad, because I know that there's nothing I can do to stop you from missing your dad. But I would have been there for you. Like, you’d do for me, right?”

You nod. “Yes.”

“See?” He shrugs.

You draw in a deep breath and exhale to continue with your apology. “I’m also sorry I was being jealous, you had history with Nancy, I can’t take that way. And well, I was also scared you’d replace me. I know it’s not true from what you told me outside of her house, and well because since then I have talked to her, and I have had talks with other people, and I had this self-discovery moment, so yes, I’m okay now.”

Steve smiles in amusement but sighs. “I’m sorry that I got jealous too. I’m sorry I said all that stuff to you, I was upset you wouldn’t talk, I thought that you didn’t care for me so, I just got angry, I’m sorry.”

“All forgiven,” you assure him and cup his hands to smile at him.

“I forgive you too,” he says. “Now we know that we should talk, like, partners.”

“Yeah,” you scoff. “Yeah,” you pause and your smile widens, and your voice turns softer. “I love you Steve Harrington, I have loved you since the moment we fought demo-dogs together. After everytime you laugh at my stupid jokes, when you tolerate every cheesy romantic movie with me. I love you everytime you join my embarrassing jam session, when you listen to endless talks about stupid girl stuff. I loved you everyday you were with me after Hopper died. I love you every time you’re sweet to my sister and all the other kids, everytime you tolerate me when I’m upset.” You cry and smile as he grins at you. “I'm in love with you Steve, you are a half of my soul, I’m happy I got to meet you. I love you.”

Steve presses his forehead against yours and just smiles, but shows off such a sweet and happy smile that just makes your heart burst, and regret not having the balls to tell him before. Hearing your words makes him so happy, it makes his eyes brighter, it actually turns that soft loving look much softer and sweeter.

You could keep giving off descriptions, but he then pulled you in for a deep passionate kiss. He was so tender and sweet even if you know he had been longing for one for a while. He took your lips with his, and made your heart pound, and that fluttering in your stomach intensify. It felt like it was just you and him, and for that moment while he kissed you none of that Vecna shit existed. It was just you and him and passion, burning passion that made you slide your hands to the side of his head to dig your fingers in his hair and moan in the kiss.

Steve pulled you closer and pulled away to smirk before he pulled you once again and caught your breath. This time you felt weak, if it wasn’t for him grabbing you by your cheeks you would've fallen. This wave of warmth washed over you and burned your body. Kissing him was addicting.

But, yet, unfortunately you had to pull away.

“I love you,” he whispered a bit smugly since he heard how he made you feel. “I’m in love with you, I mean, I fucking love you. It’s been you all along, I never thought it was possible to love someone so much. You, y/n, are the best thing that has happened to me. I’m glad you came into my life. I want a future with you, I mean, all I see when I think about my future is you. If you don’t want the six nuggets that’s fine, I just want to be with you.”

You laugh softly and assure him. “I want the six nuggets. I do. With you. I want a life with you.”

Steve grins and nods. “You’re my girl,” he tells you. “My favorite girl. We’ve been through hell together, we will stick together, I mean…” he clears his throat and then continues, “…you’re just to be good to be true, can’t take my eyes off you, you’d be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much.”

Your eyebrows slightly furrow and you leave your lips parted in amusement and confusion, but that’s when you recognize what he’s quoting, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” by Frankie Valli. The song you showed him that day on the bus when you were waiting for Dart to take the bait

“…At long last love has arrived, and I thank god I’m alive…”

You laugh but cry at the same time. That reaction makes him shush you though, “I’m not done,” he quickly interjected. “The best part is coming.” He then continues while he keeps holding your gaze with the same loving look.

“You’re just too good to be true, can’t take my eyes off you. Pardon the way that I stare, there’s nothing else to compare, the sight of you leaves me weak…” he begins to mumble and hum before he continues when he gets to a certain part of the song. “I love you baby! And if it’s quite alright I need you, baby….”

You grin at him before you continue to giggle, this time he finally reacts by rolling his eyes and pushing you back.

“Oh come on, Steve, it's cute! It was cute!” You chase after him and turn him around to cup his face and coo at him. “I loved it. I loved your singing.”

Steve grabs your wrist and can’t help his smile, and can’t help but getting smug. “I can continue, y’know, just for you.”

You scoff. “Really?” You begin mumbling to mock how he did, causing him to pull away again to shake his head at you. This time you pull him back and begin pressing kisses on his lips. “I love you.”

Steve tilts his head and shoots you a charming half grin. “I love you too,” he says right back and leans in to press one last kiss on your lips before you had to return to your group. However, the moment he parted his lips, he began clearing his throat and stumbling back.

At first you’re a bit confused since it out of nowhere, but once he begins coughing out blood your heart drops—“Steve,” you call with a crack in your voice. “Steve, what’s wrong?” You walk over to him and he begins to cough out black blood. “Steve?”

Said man looks up at you and wants to talk but he then stumbles and loses his balance. Of course you fall by his side and grab his face before you catch the blood that leaked through his clothes.

“Oh my god,” you whisper and pull your hands down to pull his shirt over his wound, immediately noticing that the bandage was covered in thick black blood.

“I’ll be okay,” he assured you hoarsely. “I will.”

It can’t be happening again. He was okay, he was okay.

“You need the hospital,” you stammer. “You need—Robin! Dustin!” You lift your eyes and begin adding pressure to his wound. “You’ll be fine, just don’t close your eyes okay, my love? Just keep talking. Robin!”

Steve nods but frowns when he sees the tears begin rolling out. “Come on, don't cry.”

You offer him the best smile you can muster before looking back to see if any of your friends were coming. When you didn’t see any of them you called again, this time with more desperation in your voice. “Robin! Dustin! Please come! Nancy! Eddie! Please help me.” You sniffle and look back at Steve. “We’re going to get you help, okay? I just can’t carry you by myself.”

“They’ll come. They will.” He muttered and took your hand to give it a squeeze. “Just keep…Keep calm.” His breaths begin to turn shallow and he keeps blinking as if fighting sleep.

“Steve,” you cry. “Don’t. Stay. Please don’t leave me. Please don’t you dare leave me too.” You look back and call again. “Robin! Eddie!”

But no one came.

“Nancy! Please! I need help! Please.” You look back at Steve and notice that his eyes are unmoving, frozen on you, when you look at his chest you don’t see that it’s moving up and down anymore, it’s still, frighteningly so. “Steve,” you call and move your hands to cup his cheeks with your blood covered hands. “Hey, baby, come on. Hey, please, don’t do this to me, please…” you pause and drop your head on his chest. “Steve?”

The air lays still, the song of the roaming birds goes silent, and in your ears you feel your own heart break, you feel every painful tear, and see every color drown out of the earth and everything that surrounds you. And then there it was, the sound of four chimes broke through the silence, making you freeze and snap your eyes open.

It’s just a mind game you need to remind yourself. It’s just a mind game.

“Y/N,” you hear a deep husky and bone chilling voice call out to you from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. “Do you see what you did? You cursed Steve the same way you cursed Sara and your dad. You see.”

You shake your head and squeeze your eyes shut to begin murmuring to yourself that this was just in your mind, you could snap out of it. It was all fake.

“Open your eyes,” he sneers right by your ear, causing you to stiffen and cover your ears with your hands. “Y/N, you can’t hide from me. Open your eyes!”

“Shut the hell up!” You snap back as you keep yourself balled up. “My friends will save me, I’ll get out.”

A moment of silence follows, but now you felt a cold chill, and you could hear the sound of your pounding heart hammering agasint your chest. You could actually feel every muscle clenching around your bones. He felt near, but far at the same time.

“Y/N,” his voice broke through the deafening silence. “You wanted to see him didn't you? One last time? Your father.”

You shake your head and keep your eyes closed. “No, it’s fake. This is all in my head.”

“If it was fake would he be here? Would you witness his last moments before his dying breath?” Vecna continued to try and persuade you. “All you have to do is open your eyes and I’ll show you. Open your eyes y/n. Open them!” He screamed right in your ear, making you jump and scream.

This time instead of waiting, suddenly your eyes are forced open and you’re yanked to your feet. Now instead of seeing the sky and Steve, you see flashing red lights, metal pathways, walls, burnt bodies and that machine that you saw in the Russian hideout.

You were in the base now. In front of where the gate once was.

But it’s fake, it’s all in your head, he can’t trick you. You can’t let him get to you.

“Just stay away! Stay away!”

“Look at him,” Vecna continued. “Look down at your father, y/n. Look at what you did!”

You keep your eyes off the ground and begin to back up slowly before you spin on your heels and break into a sprint to run out of the room. You push past doors and more doors, you turn halls until you reach the hall that leads to the elevator.

“Where are you going, y/n? There’s nowhere to run to.”

You quicken your pace down the long hall and ignore him.

Nevertheless, out of sudden you feel something wrap around your ankle and pull you down to hit your chin against the floor and pull you back. You try to squirm, and then you turn back to get the tentacle off, you try to punch it, before you think of the knife you had in your holster and pull that out to stab it.

Luckily, after you jabbed it, the tentacle pulled itself off your ankle, letting you push yourself to your feet to continue running. Now though, when you run, you’re suddenly snapped back to the previous room; there’s red flashing lights and smoke coming out of the machine.

“Look at him,” Vecna kept insisting.

“Go to hell,” you sneer.

Without having to tell you again, your head is forced down and the first thing you catch is Hopper; his chest still moved slowly, but his clothes, the one that reminded you of Miami Vice, was half burnt, along with half of his body, his face, his skin.

It can’t be true. It’s not.

“Stop,” you begin to plead. “Please stop.”

“This is what you did,” Vecna said in a low voice. “Because you couldn’t leave him alone. Because you went back to his life, he was better off without you.” He gets close and now you see his slimy and horrifying face from the corner of your eye. “You’re the curse. You’re a plague. He already had a daughter, he didn’t even think of you until you forced yourself there.”

Your lip begins to quiver but you keep trying to reject him.

“My dad loved me,” you whisper in a quivering voice. “He loved me.”

“Empty words. He didn’t want you. No one does. That’s why even Steve wants to replace you…he has replaced you.”

“Quiet,” you hiss and keep your eyes locked on Hopper.

“Will you curse Eleven the same way you cursed Hopper?”

You shake your head and yell out as you break down, “I’m not the curse. I’m not! I’m not! I’m not!” You fall to your knees and hold your head in your hands.

“Is that what your fathers dead body says?” He kept antagonizing you. “Look at him as he takes his last breath. That was you. Your fault.”

Warm tears stream down the curve of your cheeks and leave you unable to see.

“You left Eleven without a father.”

“No,” you sob. “No. Quiet.”

“You left her weak,” he snapped, “vulnerable. What will you do? She was better without you. She needs her father.”

Slowly you lift your head out off hands and crawl towards your father to touch his chest to check if it would move. When it didn’t you slowly slid your hand up his burnt skin to cup his cheeks and slowly press your forehead against his.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you cry against his cold body. “I’m so sorry.”

You shut your eyes and begin caressing his cheek before you move your hands to lift the upper half of his body so you could hug him against you. “I’m sorry,” you cry against his cold shoulder. “It was my fault, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Vecna breaks his silence. “I’ll end your suffering.”

.

.

.

A/N- I hope Steve and y/n have their twins, imagine they do and one of them suffer the same fate as Padme 😗

Tagged- @felicityofbakerstreet @deepdownangel @mserynlarsen @m-blasterrr @lookalivesunshine-x @slvtherinseeker​ @mochminnie​ @beepbeephargrove​ @peterwandaparker​ @train-wrecc​ @truthdaze​ @ioonatv @leahseclipse @preciousbabypeter @cevans-winchester @criminalyetminimal @ttae-yong @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol @geeksareunique @addisonnie @khaylin27 @seolaseoul @tomspidertingle @tye-dyemango @hehehehannahthings @gyros-cum-sock @the-local-toast @goldenvespa @naughty-koala07 @whore-for-murdock @jallerentrags @honey-with-tea @milkiane @roseabelle21 @obesesseddd @walkin-in-hawkins @ilovewomen711 @lqveharrington @thepowerstoner @guichu @reymaybe @earthtostory @xstormiii @a-vvenger @f-artsmella @hawkeyeharrington @holymusicalmothman @hcloangcls @mortallyspookyglitter

#Strange #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #fanfiction #damn-stark #chapter 16 #Steve harrington #steve harrington x hopper!reader #steve harrington x hopper!fem reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington series #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic #robin buckley #Nancy wheeler #vecna stranger things #dustin henderson #eddie munson #lucas sinclair #erica sinclair #jim hopper x daughter!reader #Jim hopper #fanfic

[wtfsteveharrington]

masterlist for my masterlists ♡

my old masterlist was getting a little too long for my liking so i've condensed everything a bit. welcome to the new masterlist!

please be mindful of your media consumption. warnings are included on all fics.

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minors dni | request guide

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fic masterlists

stranger things

includes steve harrington, robin buckley, eddie munson, and chief hopper.

the bear

includes carmen berzatto & more coming.

#will keep updating :) #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington x you #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x robin buckley x you #steve harrington x gn!reader #robin buckley #robin buckley x fem!reader #robin buckley x fem #robin buckley smut #robin buckley x y/n #robin buckley x reader #robin buckley x you #jim hopper x y/n #jim hopper x you #jim hopper x fem!reader #jim hopper smut #chief hopper smut #chief hopper x y/n #chief hopper x you #jim hopper #chief hopper #stranger things masterlist #eddie munson

[unamused-boss]

California Dreaming

Another Billy Hargrove fanfic... yes I know what a surprise...

Billy Hargrove x reader

Summary: Max and Billy could only agree on one thing in common.... and that was you. You were their neighbor when the lived in California and Billy had the biggest crush on you. Plus it helped that you babysat, more like hangout with, Max. You were his California dream.

Part 2 is out! Go to my page pls

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When Max and Billy were moved to Hawkins Indiana they knew they were loosing one of the few best things they ever had. You. Ever since Max moved into Billy's home in California, she had the pleasure of having you as her neighbor. From what started as a babysitting gig turned into a friendship.

Billy on the other hand. Having lived next to you for a majority of his life was absolutely in love. He'll admit love is a strong word but you were just breathtaking to him. When his mom was still around she always tried to get him to talk to you. Finding it absolutely adorable watching him try to talk to you at the nervous age of eleven. As he grew up, and more handsome, he found it much easier to talk to you. Still fumbling here and there though. Now in Indiana all Billy could think about was you.

"So you guys are really moving." You said. You and Billy were currently sitting on your front porch over looking the street.

"Yeah... to some shit hole in Indiana." Billy spit out.

"Hey it won't be that bad." You comforted. "Once you graduate you can come here with me." Hearing you say those words made Billy's heart leap. You've done so much for him.

"You mean that." He smiled.

"Definitely." You replied. Having grown up with Billy you have seen many fazes of his life. You remember how sweet he was, well he's still sweet but only to you, and how he got flustered over small things sometimes. You saw the destruction that his dad had caused upon not only him but also his sister. There is so much you wish you could do. Now Billy and Max is being taken away from you.

"What am I going to do with out you?" Billy questioned. "I don't like anyone else as much as I like you."

"You'll make new friends B." You laughed. Billy just rolled his eyes at you.

"With who cows? Rednecks?" Billy stated. "I wanna stay here so bad."

"I know you do Billy but things happen." You rubbed his arm.

"Well it feels like shitty things only happen to me." He retorted. You knew Billy had a short fuse. It came with his vulnerability and constant state of survival.

"Shitty things don't happen to you." You reassured. "Plus does that make me being one of the shitty things in your life." You tried to joke with him. He chuckled lightly at the attempt.

"No you're not. You are the greatest thing to ever happen to me."

"Well don't give me to big of a head Hargrove." You giggled. "Enjoy what you got right now Billy, you leave in a week. And I don't know when I'll see you next after you move." You scoot closer to Billy. Looking out at the pink and orange sky as the sun set. It was like a dream.

Your words had stuck with Billy. After next week he will never see you again. He'll be on the other side of the country, you'll be gone. Your smile will be gone, your laugh, the conversations, coming over to "watch Max", movie nights, all of it. He can't just leave you. He has to tell you how much he cares about you. At least take you on a date. You've seen him with multiple girl as he's you with guys. Which he hated. If being your boyfriend will only last for one week he will grab that opportunity by the balls.

Billy stood up abruptly to face you, you look to hime with confusion and shock. He took a deep breath in and "Y/N. I have known you my entire life, and you are by far the most beautiful person I know. I have been to chicken shit to tell you but I like you. Damn... maybe even love you. But even if it only for a week I would love to take you out on a date and be your boyfriend." It was done. He said it. Billy Hargrove finally confessed his feelings to you. You sat still for a minute then... you laughed? Oh no, you think he's a joke now don't you. 'Good job pussy, now she thinks you're an idiot' Billy thought embarrassingly.

"I would love to Billy." You said.

"What?" Billy snapped his head to you.

"I said yes." You said once more." Jeez, I thought you were proposing for a moment."

"Oh, well it might have been much." Billy felt the heat on his cheeks rise. Just then you stood and walked over to Billy. Placing your hand on his shoulder; leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek.

"How about tomorrow at seven." You said.

"I would love that, we can get dinner then go to a drive in if you want." Billy suggested.

"I would love that. Don't be late." You said as you walked up and into your house. Billy has never been more happy. He probably would have skipped home from excitement. When he entered his house Max saw the smile on his face. Well everyone in the house could, it was not like it was going away anytime soon.

"Did you do it?" Max asked.

"What?"

"Did you ask Y/n out or not?" Max said, elaborating.

"Shut up Max." Billy said before going off to his box filled bedroom.

"I am taking that as a yes." Max concluded. She was happy for him, but sad at the same time. He just told his crush his feelings then has to leave them. She is going to miss watching Billy fumble in front of you at times. At least he'll be a bit nicer to her in the next week. 'I'm gonna miss Y/N...' Max thought sadly.

Now being in Indiana, Billy was right it is a shit hole. His dad has been more on his case about watching Max and everything else in his life. The kids at school already cling to him; from being both new and from California. As Billy pulled into the high school parking lot for him and Max to get out at, he looked to Max.

"Alright shit-bird. Be out buy 3:45 or you're on your own." Billy pointed to her. She rolled her eyes to him.

"Fine." Max sassed to him as she got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Billy looked to his watch and saw he had a few minutes before he had to go in. He pulled his cigarettes out to take a quick drag. With said cigarette hanging from his lips Billy hastily looked for a lighter. Looking everywhere, then grabbing his sun visor in hopes he stashed it up there. Once the visor was flipped down and out something hell out of it. A polaroid. Not just any but the Polaroid you took on your first date with Billy. You took as many as you could in the week you and him had together. This polaroid being the only one he took with him when he moved. It was a picture of you and him in a booth at the restaurant he took you too with you giving him a kiss on the cheek. He remembers it like it was yesterday. You asked your waitress to take the photo for you; as Billy stood for the photo you grabbed his collar and placed the kiss on his cheek. The act causing both of you to bust in a fit of laughter right after. Billy wonders what you're doing right now. He wishes he was with you. Billy didn't realize that he was staring at the photo for to long till the first bell rang for school. Billy huffed carefully put the picture back into place, put his cigarette away got out of his car to make his way to school.

You'll always be his California dream.

#billy hargrove #billy hargove x reader #billy hargrove x fem reader #billy hargrove x gn!reader #steve harrington #robin buckley #stranger things #nancy wheeler #dustin henderson #billy hargove imagine #netflix #eddie munson #johnathan byers #vecna stranger things #fanfiction #max mayfield #eleven hopper #hawkins #childhood friends #troupe

[mrsjellymunson]

KNOCK AT THE CABIN | Prologue

Written for @bettyfrommars, @allthingsjoeq and @somnambulic-thing’s Stranger Prompts, Prompt 1. He shows up at your house covered in mud in the rain, but the problem is, he died two months ago.

Series Summary: After the events of the previous months, everyone is shocked by the unexpected return of an old friend. But is it really him?

Chapter Summary: On a stormy night, an unexpected visitor arrives.

WC: 1.14k

Series C/W: 🔞 18+, MDNI, NSFW. I mean it, if you’re under 18, git! Post-S4, Upside Down exists, dark/supernatural themes. Eventual Eddie Munson x fem!reader smut. Swearing. Not much to caution about in this part, unless you don’t like rain, or bad decor.

A/N: This series contains a lot of things I haven’t written for before, so I’d love to know what you think! Please comment and reblog, it means the world to writers, and reblogs mean work gets seen. This series has a taglist so if you’d like to be on either it, or my general list, lemme know in a comment, ask or message 🙏💗

Skip to Part One

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You’re holed up in an old farmhouse on the outskirts of Hawkins. It’s not exactly remote, but the nearest building is little more than a speck on the horizon so you feel pretty isolated. Owens organised it, explaining it would be a good idea for the older members of the party to lay low for a little while. Nancy had put forward an excellent argument for remaining with her family, but you, Robin and Steve had reluctantly packed up some of your belongings and relocated here. For how long, you don’t know.

It’s no palace. The wood-built building is certainly past its best, the yellowing 50s kitchen barely functional and the faded decor not to anyone's taste. But it’s (mostly) warm, (usually) dry, and most importantly, it feels safe. Which is something you all need after the events of the past few months.

You’re all acutely aware of the obvious gap in your merry band. Owens had insisted that the three of you didn’t attend the funeral, but he’d involved you as much as he could, ferrying messages between you and the kids and Wayne, discussing what he would’ve wanted to wear (you all agreed on his spare Hellfire shirt and leather jacket, knowing he’d never want to be separated from either, plus a brand new, government-funded pair of black 501s), and sneaking mementoes to you with Wayne’s approval.

Mike and Will have taken charge of his D&D paraphernalia, Dustin got his wallet chain (and wears it with literally everything, even his Weird Al shirts and colourful shorts), and Lucas opted for a small pocket knife. You, Steve and Robin each have one of his rings. Steve and Robin keep theirs in their rooms, but you wear the silver skull every day. It’s too big for your fingers, and is even a little loose on your thumb, but that’s where you keep it, spinning it to ease your anxiety, and smoothing the pads of your fingers over its bumpy surface to remind you of the friend you’ve lost. Rueing the fact that you always wanted him to be more than that, but never had the chance to find out whether he felt the same.

The kids visit periodically, even staying over sometimes, nobody expecting anyone to be watching the comings and goings of a bunch of nerdy teens. Nancy drops them off, sometimes staying, sometimes not. On this occasion she’d dropped and run, explaining that she was going to visit Max in the hospital tomorrow, spending some quality girly time with her. Lucas, who usually spent every spare moment by her bedside, was going to spend the weekend here, after Max, still seriously ill but now well enough to communicate, insisted that he needed to spend at least a bit of time with his old friends.

Tonight, you’d had a movie marathon, Keith developing an uncharacteristically generous side since everything kicked off and periodically dropping off and collecting piles of VHS tapes. Not quite generous enough to bring you any brand new releases, but even things you’ve seen before are better than the ‘sweet FA’ you’d have available given the nonexistent TV reception around here.

Popcorn litters the floor and the saggy furniture, as do gangly boys and a long-haired girl. Jane has commandeered the sole armchair, sitting in it cross-legged, and you, Steve and Robin are squashed onto the sofa with an equally squashed Dustin, the latter insisting that there was definitely room for one more.

Mike and Will are on the floor between the sofa and the old, battered coffee table. Mike’s hunched over a bowl of chips that he’s shovelling in, and Will is leaning against your legs, you stroking his hair in a way you know he finds comforting. Lucas is lounging on the floor at the side of the table, his long body stretched out and his head supported on threadbare throw pillows.

The gentle patter of drizzly rain against the windows and roof, and the crackle of the open fire, one of your only sources of heating, gives the evening a cosy feel, though you hope the rain doesn’t get any heavier as you don’t entirely trust the roof over the rear extension to cope with much more meteorological abuse.

You’ve just finished Raiders Of the Lost Ark and Steve has got up to swap it out for The Stuff, when there’s a strong gust of wind and the rainfall picks up significantly. Great, you think, the weather gods definitely weren’t listening to your silent pleas.

None of you notice Jane stiffening in her seat and shifting uncomfortably.

Under the lashing of the wind and rain there’s a sudden noise at the front door. Not urgent, not loud, just two soft thuds. If the kids had been roughhousing or the film had been on you may even have missed them.

You all look at each other, instantly and equally on edge, and all hoping that somebody, anybody, will provide a simple explanation for this.

Steve’s the first to speak. Jaw slack and brow furrowed, he asks the room, “Uhh, did anyone order takeout?”

There’s a cacophony of ‘no’s’ and shaken heads, before another soft thud is heard, just one this time.

Steve steels himself, not for the first time realising that it’s his responsibility to investigate the possibly terrifying, and potentially life-threatening, situation. He stands from his position by the video player and moves towards the door, fingertips skimming the top of the bat that’s always to the side of it, before closing his hand softly around the handle.

He pulls back the sliding bolts before twisting the lock and pulling the door open just a crack, leaving the chain on. The noise of the weather increases in volume, but other than that there’s no indication of what’s on the other side.

Steve has his back to you so you don’t see his eyes go wide, but you do hear a soft, “Wh- What the fuck?”

Robin being Robin, and perpetually thinking about her stomach, she says,

“What is it, doofus? Pleeease tell me it’s Jonathon and Argyle dropping by from Cali with some delicious Surfer Boy pizza??”

“Uh, no, it’s, uh- You know what? Maybe you should just come and see for yourself. Wait, scratch that, just the adults.”

Knowing this will unwittingly pique the interest of the kids more than if he’d just allowed everyone to come look, you and Robin glance at each other before quickly rising and moving to the door.

Steve closes it and takes off the chain, opening it wide as the three of you arrive, the kids following close behind and trying to look between you.

There, hunched, shivering, soaking wet and covered in mud, is your friend. The one who’d died saving the town. The one they’d buried only a few days ago, after he’d been lying on a slab in a lab somewhere for weeks.

Eddie.

.

Continue to Part One

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Thanks so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this. Lemme know if you’d like to be tagged in future parts.

Extra tags: @jamdoughnutmagician @joejoequinnquinn

#eddie munson #strangerprompts #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson smut #post S4 #upside down #Eddie lives #my first time writing anything supernatural #I hope I don’t fck it up #steve harrington #robin buckley #eddie munson imagine #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #will byers #mike wheeler #eleven hopper #Jane hopper #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson x you #Eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x fem!reader smut #The Party #ST S4 canon #my first time writing canon #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic

[strangererotica]

EXPLICIT CONTENT | MINORS DNI

Perv!dark!Jim Hopper x fem!reader x Steve Harrington • This is a very long chapter • But it’s worth the read, I promise! The cliffhanger at the end is… 😱🤯😯

PART ONE

Jim Hopper woke up with a headache so intense, he wasn’t sure he could open his eyes. He did anyway, cursing under his breath at the sunlight streaming through his bedroom curtains, despising it. He lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the morning’s intrusion, yet his splitting headache persisted. He’d consumed far too much alcohol the night before, more than he usually did most evenings. As the fuzzy events of the past eight hours rose to his consciousness, he felt a wave of dread and vomit battling in his stomach.

What had he gotten himself into, Hopper wondered? The sound of footsteps echoed from the bedroom doorway. Hopper turned to see the woman he’d apparently brought home last night, smiling at him and carrying two mugs from his kitchen, steamy and smelling of fresh coffee. “Morning, handsome.”

She appeared to be naked except for one of his plaid flannel shirts, which she’d (obviously intentionally) left unbuttoned most of the way down her body.

Hopper felt nothing in regards to this woman at the moment besides annoyed. Her neon pink lipstick was missing, but her smile and demeanor still held that pathetic desperation which made Hopper’s skin crawl. She was standing there, waiting for Hopper to say something.

“Well?” she started, her tone slightly bothered as if expecting a compliment of some kind. “I thought maybe you could use this.” She walked closer and gently handed Hopper one of the mugs. “I know I sure can. Last night was…” She tilted her head, attempting flirtatiousness but it fell flat. Hopper watched her silently, waiting for a description of the night before, as he was genuinely in the dark. He realized he must have been blackout drunk, a state Hopper had somehow managed to avoid for the majority of his years drinking.

The woman sighed wistfully, and playfully tapped her mug to Hopper’s. The sound of the ceramic clinking together pierced Hopper’s ears through the filter of his hangover. She sat down on the bed beside him, snuggling close. “Cheers,” she said, and at this proximity, Hopper could now see the residue of neon pink staining the corners of her lips. Hopper grimaced. He watched her take a sip, then place the mug on his nightstand. Her hands began to wander over him, massaging his shoulders, moving along his back. Her right hand lingered below Hopper’s waist, and he realized what was happening. She wanted him to fuck her.

As Hopper expected, the woman’s cheaply manicured fingers slid beneath the sheet over Hopper’s waist, finding his cock. She bit her lower lip, eyes flashing up at Hopper expectantly. A new worry itched at his brain, and the roiling in his stomach returned. Had he fucked this woman last night? He couldn’t remember. And Hopper hoped that if he’d come inside her, it hadn’t been in her pussy. The last thing he needed was another pregnancy scare to add to his list of irresponsible sexual behavior.

“Remember what you said?” the woman asked, gently stroking Hopper under the sheet. His eyebrow lifted. “Refresh my memory?” he murmured, his voice gravelly with fatigue. Hopper turned from her, reaching for a cigarette on the nightstand.

She paused, slightly irritated, before answering. “You said you’d make it up to me.” Hopper glanced down at his semi-soft cock, which refused to fully harden even as she continued to work her hand around him. He took a drag from his cigarette, and cleared his throat. “Make what up to you?” he asked.

She forced a polite, playful smile. “When you fell asleep, silly.” Her grip around Hopper’s cock tightened, pulling a deep, lazy groan from his chest. “You said you’d make it up to me in the morning…” Her eyes were cast downward, the disappointment in her voice poorly masked. “…That you’d make up for not fucking me…”

Hopper sighed heavily, both in relief and at the pleasurable sensation tugging in his belly as the woman pumped him in her hand. He was fully hard now, that familiar, aching throb in his cock attempting to eclipse the throbbing in his head.

Hopper had a busy day ahead of him. He didn’t have much time to waste before diving deep into learning every single thing he could about Steve fucking Harrington, the only thing standing in his way of having you. But for now, Hopper decided he might as well take advantage of the hand around his cock, regardless of how little he regarded the woman the hand was attached to.

Hopper smiled slightly, giving her the impression he was interested in her continuing. She needed little motivation from him, dipping her head to take his tip between her lips. Hopper’s chest dipped slowly as he exhaled. He knew he was using this woman, whose name he couldn’t even recall. Hopper had no intention of fucking her. He’d come down her throat and then tell her to take off his shirt, and get out. It was simple as that; a one way transaction. And he never wanted to see her or her disgusting neon pink lips again once he was done using them.

She could take Hopper deeper at this angle than she’d been able to sucking him off in his car. Hopper closed his eyes and mentally replaced her with you. As his fantasy deepened, Hopper’s hand at the back of her head closed tighter. The soft sucking sounds she made on his cock shifted to deep, guttural grunts as he forced himself further down her throat. Hopper steadily rocked his hips upward, fucking against the back of her throat. With every thick, chortled sound he forced out of her, Hopper’s fantasy of you in her place grew stronger, more intense.

He felt himself already getting close. Hopper clamped his hand around the back of her neck, shoving her as far down his shaft as he could without breaking her. God how he wanted to throat-fuck you like this. The image in Hopper’s mind of you on your knees before him was intoxicating, your eyes weeping mascara down puffy, reddened cheeks, his hands firmly clutching fistfuls of your hair, skull-fucking every thought out of your pretty little head…

The woman whimpered uncomfortably on Hopper’s cock, attempting to pull away as he locked her mouth in place, her nose pressed into the wiry hair of his bush. Her hand smacked Hopper’s thigh in protest, as warm streams of cum shot against the back of her throat. Hopper groaned deeply before releasing her neck, his eyes still closed. In Hopper’s fantasy, you were licking your lips up at him, thanking him. In reality, the woman in his bed was coughing and looking at Hopper with nothing but contempt.

Her palm striking his cheek brought Hopper out of his fantasy, his eyes flashing open. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she spat, her voice thick, eyes red and tearful. Hopper reached beside him for his cigarette, then stared at her blankly before mumbling “…too rough?”

The woman’s eyes widened, but she composed herself quickly. Shuffling off the side of Hopper’s bed, she hastily pulled his shirt off over her head, and threw it at him, a little disappointed when he barely flinched. “You know, I’d heard a lot of rumors about you,” she said, picking her own clothes off the ground. Hopper watched her dress herself, enjoying his cigarette in silence. A light sheen of sweat covered forehead and chest, rising and falling slower as his breathing returned to normal. At this point, the only thing he wanted from the woman standing in front of him was her absence.

“That you’re a real piece of shit,” she continued, her voice like acid. “That you use women; fuck one and then move on to the next best thing, I guess.”

Hopper exhaled a cloud of smoke in her direction as she stared him down, defiant. “You know what I’ve heard some of the women in town call you, Hopper?” she asked, and he shrugged disinterestedly.

“Hop on and Hop off, that’s what they call you,” she replied. “Because that’s what you do. Like I said-.” She tucked her shirt into her pants aggressively. “-A real piece of shit. And now-.” Her fingers dug through her purse, finding her car keys which she removed and held onto. “-I know all the rumors are true.” She turned on her heel and left Hopper sitting in his bed, his cock softening against his thigh.

Hopper showered and had something to eat before leaving for the station. He wasn’t on duty today, not officially, at least. But he certainly was going to be working, albeit on a private case opened exclusively by him. He intended to learn everything he could about Steve Harrington, the man you’d introduced yesterday as your boyfriend. The man who was allowed to fuck you, whose too-happy smile and boyish charm had irritated Hopper beyond measure.

Hopper had experience as a detective from his years spent in New York. He’d returned home to Hawkins of course, after the death of his daughter and subsequent breakdown of his marriage. Those years felt like a lifetime ago now, but Hopper planned on putting the skills he’d learned as a detective to good use in his investigation of Steve Harrington. As Hopper pulled up to the station, it occurred to him that his craving for you was about to descend even further into obsession. But it was your fault, he reasoned, for introducing him to Steve in the first place…for dangling that relationship in Hopper’s face, unwittingly playing a role in strengthening his need to have you…

────────────────────

Hopper made a generic excuse to those at the station about coming in while off duty to finish some paperwork he’d neglected the previous week. He entered his office and got straight to work, using every resource at his (ample) disposal to learn everything he could about your boyfriend. And by the end of the day, when the sun was beginning to set warm and amber over Hawkins, Hopper knew Steve Harrington’s life story by heart. The profile he’d compiled of Steve was depressingly positive. Steve was a good kid, rebellious at times but he’d never been in any serious trouble with law enforcement. No arrests, no charges, a basically spotless record with few indications that your boyfriend was anything less than…perfect.

Hopper grit his teeth behind his lips. He stared down at the considerable information in front of him, notes he’d compiled from interviews conducted via phone to everyone Steve knew and had known, spanning his entire life. Nearly everyone in Hawkins was fond of Steve, and the Harrington family in general. Steve’s mother in particular was a very respected member of the community, mainly due to her work with various local charities. The Harrington’s were wealthy, and used their prosperity to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Steve had worked as a lifeguard at the Hawkins Community Pool, and his coworkers had fond memories of their time knowing him. The only people who did seem to have any grievances with Steve were some of the former students he’d interacted with in high school, who said he could be a bit of a bully at times, if you rubbed either Steve or his group of friends the wrong way. He’d apparently been christened the obnoxious title “King Steve,” during his time at Hawkins High; but otherwise, Steve seemed to have completed school without much fanfare. In total, all of Hopper’s evidence painted a picture of Steve Harrington as a good hearted young man with a bright future ahead of him. And Hopper would have approved of Steve, could maybe even have been fond of him, if only Steve hadn’t had you. Hopper leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head. The hours he’d spent sitting behind his desk had left him cramped and fatigued, a cruel reminder of his age and that a young man like Steve Harrington probably never experienced these sorts of aches and pains that Hopper occasionally found himself victim of.

He looked behind him through the office window, noting the sunset. A thought occurred to Hopper, and maybe he should have squashed it as soon as it appeared, but…he didn’t. Instead of leaving it, Hopper let the thought roll around in his brain, and it didn’t take long for him to be consumed by it…

It was a Sunday night. You were very likely with Steve right now. If Hopper was lucky, he could probably find the two of you together, and…Hopper wasn’t sure where he’d go from there. But he needed to see you, needed to know how you interacted with Steve when no one else was watching. If you were really, truly happy with the boy…?

Hopper left the station with a spring in his step. He felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise fruitless day. Sliding behind the wheel of his Blazer, Hopper decided to begin by visiting the two places you were most likely to be this evening: Steve’s house, and yours. His visit to the Harrington home proved unhelpful, as neither your car or Steve’s were there. Hopper drove through downtown and found your house easily. He’d never been there personally, but he of course knew the address. Your car and a vehicle with plates matching Steve’s were parked in the driveway. Hopper slowed the Blazer quietly to a stop a couple of houses down, and peered through the windshield, hoping for even a glimpse of you.

Unfortunately for Hopper, he couldn’t see anything from such a distance. So he left his vehicle and walked closer to your house. Hopper was grateful for the darkness concealing him now, the dull streetlight allowing him coverage while he (admittedly) stalked you and Steve. Hopper waited beside a tree in your front yard, hoping it would further conceal him. Growing restless and frustrated, Hopper was considering walking back to his car and leaving for home. But movement in one of the upstairs windows gave him pause. With no curtains and a light illuminating the room from inside, it was easy for Hopper to notice if that light was interrupted. If someone walked between the light and the window, Hopper would be able to tell; and someone did…you. Wearing an adorable sundress, you were obviously dancing to a melody Hopper couldn’t hear from his place outside. You were…enchanting. Hopper found himself smiling while he watched you, twirling and moving your lips to the lyrics, looking so sweet and happy. Hopper noticed the shift in light again, and how your eyes seemed to focus on something else in the room. Your smile shifted, becoming flirtatious, your teeth settling over your bottom lip. Teasing. Seductive.

Hopper tried to see around the edge of the window who you were looking at, although he already knew it was Steve. As if proving him right, your boyfriend entered the frame through which Hopper was viewing you, and gently pulled you in for a kiss.

Hopper’s jaw tensed, the knot in his stomach tightening. The scene in front of him was supposed to be private; but Hopper had no intention of turning away. He’d never seen you so…exposed. The soft curve of your shoulders in that dress, the way they trembled slightly as Steve gently removed the straps…Nuzzling his nose against the soft skin revealed there, Steve pressed his lips to your shoulder in another, more intimate, kiss. Hopper swallowed, a conflicted mix of jealousy and arousal stirring within him. He realized he’d inadvertently placed his wrist against the growing tent in his jeans. Hopper pressed himself against his wrist, testing the feeling. Would he be able to come watching another man fuck you? A man that wasn’t him?

His breath was shallow, lips pressed firm in a tight line as watched. Watching…that’s all Hopper was doing. While Steve’s hands and lips explored your shoulders, your neck, the only person Hopper was able to touch was himself. Pathetically, frustrated, he reached for his zipper and tugged it down. The moment Hopper’s palm wrapped around his cock was also the moment Steve went to his knees before you…

From Hopper’s vantage point, he couldn’t see Steve’s face, only the back of his head and hair, which your fingers had laced through tenderly. Steve’s face was pressed between your thighs, his head bobbing rhythmically as he ate you. Hopper exhaled deeply, a heavy breath leaving his chest. How he longed to taste you, to feel your sweet, ripe cunt gliding up and down along his tongue. Hopper imagined what you must taste like, how wet you became when you were being licked, if you got off like this? His cock twitched in his fist, a pearlescent bead of precum blooming at the tip. Hopper’s eyes were drinking you in as Steve drank at your cunt.

Your head tipped back, the soft smile on your lips replaced by concentration, your eyebrows knitting together in pleasure. Steve’s big hands groped up your thighs, lifting the back of your dress, giving Hopper a full view of your ass. Hopper groaned low in his chest at the sight of you, exposed for him, so vulnerable yet unaware of your vulnerability. You’d never guess your boss was watching you right now, tugging his cock in the darkness, behaving like an animal and not like a man worthy of the power and position he held.

Steve’s face appeared from between your thighs, his chin slick with cum. Hopper swore he could taste you on his tongue, the warm heat of you, candied maple sweet. You shook your head at Steve and the boy grinned, saying what Hopper interpreted to be “more, baby?” And you nodded, your hands going to Steve’s shoulders as you leaned into him. Hopper’s cock pulsed against his palm as he imagined you requesting more from him, more of his tongue, licking places inside you no other man ever had. His knees felt weak, his stomach knotting at the scene unfolding before him.

Your right leg was wrapped around Steve’s face now, fully obscuring him from Hopper’s view, which Hopper was grateful for. Your body trembled, the muscles in your thigh tensing where you had draped your leg over Steve’s shoulder. Your fingers gripped the fabric of Steve’s shirt, clenching it in fistfuls. How Hopper wished he could hear the sounds you were making as you came. He groaned watching your body shiver and convulse through your climax, the way you curled your hips upward and humped Steve’s face as hard as you could, the way your mouth opened in a perfect O as you uttered what Hopper could only imagine were the prettiest moans to ever spill from any woman’s lips…

Steve remained on his knees a moment longer, letting you grind and rut against him till you were fully sated. He then rose to his feet and took you in his arms, letting you melt against him, your legs weak and mind gone soft. Hopper watched as Steve kissed the top of your head, your hair sticking to the sides of his face. Steve was completely soaked in you, from his forehead to the neckline of his shirt. Hopper wanted to be drenched in you, for you to rub your cunt on his uniform so he could have your scent with him all day long. He seethed inwardly with jealousy, longing to know what the room smelled like right now, with your cunt so wet and dripping down your thighs. Steve took your chin in his hand and gently tipped your face to his. “Open,” he said, and you parted your lips obediently. Hopper felt himself edging closer as he watched you accept your own cum from Steve’s mouth as he spit it into yours.

“Fuck yes,” Hopper growled softly in the darkness. “Take it, baby, take your own cum like a good little girl…”

Steve took advantage of your mouth being open for him, pressing his tongue between your lips. Hopper watched the muscles in your face and Steve’s move as you explored each other, tongues wrestling together as deeply as possible in the deepest, dirtiest kiss Hopper had ever witnessed. He watched as you sucked the tip of Steve’s tongue, not letting him go, and the mischievous grin that pulled your lips. Steve said something to the effect of playfully scolding you, likely for being greedy, Hopper imagined.

Steve whipped you around by your shoulders and bent you over at the waist in front of him. Steve’s cock was visible now, long and thick, his tip wet and ruddy. Hopper was relieved to see that he and Steve were similarly equipped; you’d be able to take a dick as big as Hopper’s without the discomfort he’d been afraid of potentially causing you. Steve placed one hand on your back, forcing your head down, obscuring your face from Hopper’s view. Since he could no longer see your face, Hopper watched your ass, the way Steve spread your cheeks apart and spit between them. Steve held his cock at the base and rubbed it up and down between your thighs, spreading your slick over your hole. And when he penetrated you, sinking into your ass, Hopper swore he could feel you gripping him, too.

Steve rocked his hips back and forth gently at first, gliding in and out slowly to adjust your hole to fit him. When he’d opened you up sufficiently, Steve’s thrusts came harder. Hopper’s forehead creased, a grunt of pleasure falling from his lips as he increased the speed at which he was fucking his fist, keeping in time with Steve’s thrusts. God he wanted you, needed you. Hopper imagined your ass bouncing back against him, his heavy balls slapping your cunt while he took you from behind. He wanted to fuck you every single way Steve ever had, just to do it better.

Steve’s fingers dug into your hips, leaving indentations in your flesh that Hopper wanted to soothe away with his tongue. Steve stilled inside you just long enough to remove his shirt, pulling it over his head and discarding it to the floor before resuming his pace. The perspiration whetting Steve’s tanned skin shimmered in the darkness, matting the thick nest of hair covering his chest. He reached forward and grabbed a fistful of your hair, arching your back, tilting your chin toward his. “Open,” Steve ordered again, spitting into your mouth before releasing your hair and letting your head fall forward.

Hopper felt weak as he watched you, the way you behaved so well. He wondered if Steve was a good master to you, if he rewarded you often for being so submissive and obedient? Hopper knew that he would give you whatever you wanted, for being such a good girl, for accepting his cock in your ass and his spit down your throat like the dirty little whore you were…

The tension in Steve’s face increased, his lips parting. Hopper watched your ass bounce against Steve as he slammed into you with a few final thrusts that had him fully buried inside you. As Steve ejaculated up your ass, Hopper came all over his hand. Cum dripped down Hopper’s fingers and slipped between them, and he couldn’t stop. The burn of overstimulation should have forced his hand away, but Hopper was still hard somehow, the cum covering his fist only facilitating his need to keep going. Hopper’s eyes were heavy-lidded, vision hazy, his mind completely awash in the sensation of his over-stimulated cock in his hand. He watched through bleary eyes as Steve pulled out of your asshole, cum dripping from his tip and between your cheeks, down the backs of your thighs as you rose to a standing position. Hopper’s cock ached, angry, hurting and yet still he needed to fuck himself, drunk on the image of you, your tits hanging out over your sundress, your hair a disheveled mess framing your face, the sweet and sinful expression of pleasure spreading your lips into the most beautiful smile Hopper had ever seen…

His cock was red and taut in his fist, slick with cum as he used it like lube to fuck himself. Hopper came again, growling into his teeth, spilling more cum onto his fist and the ground beneath him. Gasping for air, he fell against the tree beside him, releasing his spent cock, finally satisfied, from the white-knuckled grip he’d had on it for the past thirty minutes. Hopper panted against the tree, grateful for the cool night air that filled his lungs, replenishing him. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and pulled a pack of Camel’s from his pocket. Removing a cigarette, Hopper placed it between his lips and prepared to light it, his eyes casually flicking up to the window again. He was hoping to see your body one more time before putting his cock away, and having his cigarette on the drive back home.

But Hopper’s stomach dropped when he looked up at the window, his heart thudding to a brief standstill when he saw you, looking down at him. Your chest was still bare, still peppered with sweat and heaving softly from sex. Your eyes were wide but not alarmed. Hopper tried to read your expression beyond that, but…after all, how could he possibly guess what you were thinking in a moment like this?

What even was this moment, Hopper wondered? How could he face you at the station tomorrow morning, knowing that you were aware of his secret? That he’d watched you getting fucked in the ass through your bedroom window? How long had you known he was there, Hopper wondered? Were you aware that he’d just come all over himself because of you, that his semen was beaded on the grass in your lawn?

Glancing past you briefly, checking for your boyfriend, Hopper was grateful at least that Steve wasn’t there. Backing away, Hopper readjusted himself into his jeans, forcing his eyes away from yours and that impossible-to-read expression they carried. He practically ran to his car, lurching himself inside and speeding away as fast as possible, not caring how much noise he made. Hopper just needed to get out of there, away from your house, your street, your eyes, NOW.

He drove home recklessly, shame chewing at his gut. Hopper wondered if you’d tell Steve, if you’d tell everyone in Hawkins? He questioned if life as he knew it was over?

Hopper stepped inside the shower and turned the water pressure as hard as it would go, and as hot as he could stand it. Letting the water wash over him, Hopper imagined he was melting away the sin he’d committed. But in reality, he couldn’t wash away what he’d done. He’d have to face you tomorrow, look you in the eyes…and accept whatever fate you presented him…

PART THREE

#stranger things #stranger things smut #jim hopper x fem!reader #jim hopper x you #jim hopper x y/n #jim hopper smut #jim hopper x reader #jim hopper #steve harrington x you smut #Steve Harrington #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x reader smut #perv!jim hopper #perv!hopper #dark!hopper #steve harrington x you #steve harrington smut #hopper x reader #hopper smut #hopper x fem reader #steve harrington x y/n smut #hopper x y/n #hopper x you #steve x reader #steve x you #hopper x reader x Steve #steve harrington x fem!reader smut #joe keery #david harbour

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

snowed in

A/N: i literally got the idea for this fic last summer... and I know I could have written a whole long thing, but I just wanted the smut and the vibes.

summary: “who the hell are you? what are you doing here?”

warnings: Steve Harrington x Hopper's niece!reader, smut, forced proximity, being snowed in, very light enemies to lovers vibes, kissing, fingering, handjob, brief pussyjob, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, dirty talk, thigh riding, somno adjacent, multiple orgasms

word count: 3465

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Finally, after what had felt like the longest car ride of your life, you stepped out of your vehicle and stretched your legs. 

Even with the sun as just a simple memory at this point, the plump piles of snow still illuminated the forest you now found yourself in. Sticking your head back into the car, you grabbed the small duffle bag you’d hastily packed this morning and turned to approach the small, secluded cabin. 

This was exactly what you needed. A few days away from everyone. Just you and nobody else.

Upon entering the rustic home, the bag in your hand almost instantly fell from your freezing fingers, being so exhausted from the long travel that you didn’t bother setting it down properly. 

Just then, after you’d stepped out of your snow-covered boots, shredded your thick coat and the other winter essentials you wore in order to fight the cold, the bathroom door in the seemingly abandoned home swung open and gave you such a big fright that you nearly sprinted out the front door, clad now in entirely too little to even joke about such a thing.

Your scream pierced the cabin walls as a young man appeared and nearly jumped out of his skin as well.

“Jesus christ!” he held an arm out in alarm, “who the hell are you? What are you doing here?”

It was first now that your buzzing vision focused in on the stranger and noticed that he was in fact only dressed in a towel hung dangerously low on his hips. 

“Who am I? Who are you?” you shrieked, trying not to let your eyes explore his exposed skin, still glistening from the shower. 

“I asked you first.”

“I’m Y/n Y/l/n, Hopper’s niece! Now tell me who you are before I call my uncle and have him arrest you for trespassing!”

“My name is Steve, and just for the record, princess, Hopper let me stay here this weekend.” 

“He did?” damn it… you should have called first instead of just grabbing the spare key and heading all the way there without a single word. “Are-… are you sure?”

“Am I-,” he repeated, sounding offended that you even asked, “yes, I’m sure!”

“Shit… I drove all day to get down here…”

“…and you didn’t bother to call ahead first?” he furrowed his brows and crossed his arms over his broad fuzzy chest. 

“Oh, shut up, Stephen!” you wallowed in your misery. 

“It’s Steve.”

“Yeah, whatever dude,” you huffed, glumly peeking back out the frosty window at your car, “you’re not the one who has to drive all night in order to get back home,” you muttered dramatically, “it’s not like I can just pull over and sleep in my car when it’s minus-, ugh, I don’t know, a lot outside,” you let your head slump forward and collide gently with the freezing windowpane, hiding none of your despair. “You know what, on second thought, the freezing-to-death option doesn’t seem half bad in comparison to going back home…” you joked against the glass, then quickly added when you glanced over your shoulder to see his face filled with horror, “I’m kidding, though I might fall asleep at the wheel, we’ll see.” 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Steve uncrossed his arms to gesture to the living room area, “take the couch.”

“Really?” you gasped. 

“But just till the sun comes up, you got it?” he pointed his finger at you in warning. 

Waking up from what must have been one of the most uncomfortable nights of sleep you’d ever experienced, you clawed your way out of the mountain of blankets you’d piled on top of you in hopes that it would help remedy your unwavering chill. You’d even hopped in just about all the clothes you’d brought with you, but it still wasn’t enough to make your shiver stop. 

Gathering yourself as quickly as you could, you kept up your part of the deal and exited the cabin first thing. Or rather, you tried. 

Attempting again and again, the front door just wouldn’t budge. Putting your shoulder into it, you finally managed to shove it open just a few inches revealing the blinding white sight of a mount of snow pilled up directly against the door, nearly coming up to your hip. 

“Oh my god,” you sighed, quickly moving to one of the frost-covered windows to get a better view of your obscured car, completely buried under a huge pile of snow, “you’ve got to be kidding me…”

Emerging out of the small bedroom, Steve greeted, “morning, princess. You on your way out?”

Turning your head to look at him, you caught the chill that went up his spine as the small sliver out to the aftermath of the blizzard was just enough to penetrate him to his bones. “Apparently not,” you gestured to the state the cabin’s porch was in.

“Oh, shit,” the sight woke him up more effectively than coffee. 

“What do I do? Do you think I could get rid of the snow near the door enough to get out?”

“Maybe, but even if you did manage to dig your way out, that car is first of all completely buried and second of all would in no way be able to drive in this weather.” 

“Well, what if I walked? Hawkins can’t be that far.”

“If you could drive then yeah it wouldn’t be too bad. What, do you think you could walk all day in 4 feet, if not more, of snow? You would get hypothermia if you just stepped out on the porch with the way you’re dressed.”

“Oh, I’m sorry that I didn’t have time to pack any blizzard-appropriated clothes, you dick!” you snapped at the striking stranger, “what do you want me to do, huh?” 

“There isn’t really anything to do except wait it out,” he stated, then moved to open a small cabinet and rummaged through it a bit. 

“Wait…” you echoed, glancing back out the window and letting your unfortunate circumstances sink in. 

“Here,” he tossed a thick woollen sweater directly in your face. It was big and undoubtedly your uncle’s, “so you don’t freeze to death.”

“What?” your hands froze in their preparation of the small couch for yet another chilly night of sleep. 

Glancing up at Steve in pure shock, he continued with a small eye roll, “jesus, I’m not asking you to marry me, I just don’t wanna wake up to find your frozen corpse on the couch.”

“It’s not that bad…”

“Princess, I could hear your clambering teeth through the walls all the way in the bedroom last night,” he cocked his head a moment, then clarified with a sigh, “just, you stay on your side, I’ll stay on mine, it will just feel like we’re sleeping in the same room.”

“Except it is the same bed,” you blinked up at him, “you want me to sleep in the same bed as you? Seriously?”

“Well, I’m sorry for trying to keep you alive, keep you warm. It’s not my fault the only fireplace is in the bedroom and doesn’t do shit for the rest of the cabin!”

And after a long moment of squinting at him suspiciously, you then said, “…fine. But I swear if this is just some cheap trick for you to try something-”

“Oh my god, no,” he cut you off with a laugh, “have you met you? You’re absolutely infuriating.”

Alright, he didn’t have to say it like that… “Well, good, because if you try anything I’ll stick my uncle on you as soon as I get out of here.”

You had no idea how you ended up like this. You hadn’t started out like this last night but somehow, at some point during the restful night, you and Steve had become rather entangled. 

His face was pressed into the side of your hair, and it wasn’t just his strong arm that was draped across your torso, one of his thick thighs was stuffed in between yours as well. It was almost as if he had just rolled over and clicked into place against you. 

You could tell by his slow breathing that he was still asleep, although your own got caught in your throat as it dawned on you what exactly it was that was poking your side. The mixture of his morning wood and his thigh pressing up against your panties made your mind suddenly recall not the specific details of the dream you’d just woken from, but the theme it had was now as crystal clear in your mind as the arousal that still dripped down onto the cotton of your underwear and surely soaked Steve’s thigh. 

You weren’t completely awake yet, still hazy, clinging to that fleeting memory of your liquid dream. And without even realising it, you began to rock your hips down against his leg, breathing out a soft sigh as your eyes fluttered closed again. His gentle breath seeped directly into your ear and acted as a gentle soundtrack lulling you deeper into that drowsy dawn desire. 

You didn’t even realise how deep you had sunk, how long you had grinded your soaked panties over his thigh, it wasn’t till you neared the edge and let out a needy sound, loud enough to burst your own bubble, that you woke you up completely with a jolt, jumping under the duvet and scampering away from Steve.

Swiftly trying to play it off as just a loud yawn, you faked one as you felt Steve stir behind you. 

Your body still very much entwined with his own, it didn’t take long for him to notice how his morning excitement was poking you and let out a gravely curse underneath his breath. 

“Fuck,” he quickly worked to distance himself from you, the now missing warmth sending a shiver down your spine, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” you squeaked, hiding your still-flushed cheeks in the pillow, “you have nothing to apologise for, it’s a totally natural thing.”

“Yeah,” he breathed beside you, his morning voice making you suck in a deep breath in order not to get all worked up again, “totally natural…”

“Stop shaking,” Steve grumbled in the bed beside you, “you’re making my teeth rattle.” 

Yet another night had bloomed outside the cabin you continued to be snowed inside of with a man who had over the past day or so moved on from being a complete stranger to something more akin to a forced acquaintance. An acquaintance who had made your pulse spike all day since what happened this morning… 

“I-I’m sorry,” you shivered, “how are you not freezing?”

“Guess my body is just more used to the cold than yours.” 

Then, without warning, Steve made a split decision and rolled over, wrapping his long arms around you, and drawing you in close. “What are you doing?” you protested, planting a hand on his chest and glaring up at him with wide eyes. 

“Would you just shut up and let me help?” his hands tightened their hold on your trembling form, fingers digging into the borrowed woollen sweater that you still adorned, “I won’t get any sleep if you don’t warm up soon.” 

Slowly, you let your body relax in his embrace, feeling your bare legs press up against the soft fabric of his pyjama bottoms, and how his whole body radiated heat, making you feel as if you could melt right into his chest. 

“Thank you,” you averted your gaze from his entrancing chocolaty ones, bowing your head gently and over time letting your forehead drop into his chest, right under his chin. Eventually, you felt his fingers begin to dance along your spine, drawing soothing patterns, probably in an effort to draw you closer to sleep, but his soft touch only succeeded in the complete opposite, igniting little sparks that travelled through your body and ended at your core. 

Your breathing notably changed as you lied there, scared to move in case it would prompt him to halt his touch. As you felt his fingertips begin to occasionally dip down under the hem of your sweater, briefly caressing your bare skin, you buried your face even deeper into his shirt and dug your fingers into the material, breathing in his scent and trying to stay silent. 

It didn’t take more than the tiniest turn of his own hip for them to come into contact with yours, within seconds you let out a muffled gasp as you felt the palpable tent in his pants, pressing against you and standing proud in search of your warmth. 

Absentmindedly you wiggled your hips gently against his, eyes screwing shut as you heard the prominent exhale that he let out right above your head. One of Steve’s hands instinctively slid down to grasp your hip, though not in an effort to stop them, just holding them steady as he gently attempted a rock of his own against your centre. 

“Steve,” you breathed, tightening your fists in his shirt. 

“Do you want me to stop?” his fingers slowly curved around your bottom, palming your ass lightly through the thin cotton of your panties. 

“No, don’t-, please, don’t stop,” you pleaded into his chest. 

Feeling one of his hands glide up to grasp your cheek, he tilted your head back and searched your dark eyes, “you sure?”

“I’m sure, I’m so fucking sure, Steve, please-” your hazy sentence was abruptly cut short as he crashed his lips into yours, seizing you quickly, though when he had landed, he surprised you by slowing down, your own mouth needing a moment to catch up to the unexpectedly leisurely pace, though in no time you found yourself whimpering against his lips as he kissed you like if he had all the time in the world, enjoying every second as he flicked his tongue teasingly over your lips and lapped up your blissful smile. 

Your brows furrowed as his fingers found your soaked panties, playing with your clit through the fabric, “you sure you don’t just want my thigh again, princess?” he purred, catching off guard, “just pick up where you left off this morning?”

“You-,” you reeled back breathlessly, both your hands still holding on to either side of his face, “you were awake?”

“Sure was,” he smirked, hooking a finger in your underwear, and pulling them to the side. 

“How long?” your chin rose in a silent gasp as you felt him explore your wet petals.

“Every single second,” he gently dipped a finger inside your leaking hole, “fuck, do you know how hard it was to keep my hands off of you all day?” his digit pumped in and out of you slowly, making your hips angle towards him for more, “I’ve never been that turned on during a game of scrabble as I was today.”

“Should have just pushed the game aside then,” you slid your right hand down from his cheek to the bulge straining in his pants. 

Dipping your fingers down below the waistband, you grasped his hard cock, “oh yeah? Is that what you wanted me to do? Just make the pieces go flying and bury my face between your thighs?” 

“I don’t think I need to answer that question,” you uttered as the noises of your slick heat join in and mixed with the crackling flames still dancing in the fireplace in the corner of the room. 

“Have you just been this wet all day, princess?” he joined an additional finger in beside the other one. 

Your impatience only grew after you gave his girth a few needy tugs, “well I didn’t get to finish this morning, so yeah,” you pulled his pants down just enough to free his stiff length, the waistband coming to rest just beneath his heavy sack. 

“Poor you…” he withdrew a moment in order to yank your panties down your goosebump-ridden legs, “you want me to help you? You wanna cum?”

Not giving his fingers a chance to return, you angled his dick and swiped the bulbous head through your folds, nudging it especially against your little swollen pearl, “please.”

“You wanna cum on my cock, is that it?” he pulled your left leg up to rest upon his hip, spreading your pussy for him and giving him more room to play. 

“Yes,” flowed past your lips like a breathy prayer. 

Grabbing onto the base himself, he overpowered your hold, “tell me you want it,” he nudged the tip rudely against your clit. 

“I want it,” your answers were quick and desperate.  

“Tell me you wanna cum on my cock,” he flowed down to tease your entrance. 

“I wanna cum on your cock, please, please, please,” you pleaded, turning into complete puddy in his hands. 

Thrusting his hips forward, he purposely only gave you the tip at first, slowly, with every unhurried thrust giving you more and more till he was buried to the hilt inside you, balls pressing against your sticky skin. Once he had given you everything he had, his slow movements came to a complete standstill as you found each other’s eyes and as one reeled in the sensation together, catching your breaths a moment before diving into a hungry kiss. 

Lips locked, his movements began again, keeping the thrusts long and slow, dragging out nearly all the way, and occasionally truly all the way, before filling you back up in a manner that was both so slow but also hard, a manoeuvre that managed to take your breath away completely every time. 

Before you knew it, sneaking up on you unexpectedly like a thief in the night, your body began to tremble again in his embrace, though this time it wasn’t from the cold. Not changing his pace one bit, he fucked you through your orgasm, kissing your cheeks as your eyes rolled back in overwhelming ecstasy. 

Still under the covers, pushing through the overstimulating pleasure he gave to you, Steve suddenly grabbed your ass and in one fell swoop manhandled your trembling form, rolling over so you could be on top of him. 

“So fucking pretty,” he readjusted the duvet around your shoulders, then slid his large palms down your body, “come on, don’t stop now,” you felt his hand come down upon your immobile ass, your fuzzy brain not yet caught up to the fact that the pace was now in your control, “you can do it, princess,” he fingers dug into your hips, kickstarting their movements, “keep going for me.”

You tried to bounce in his lap, you really did, but with your thighs as shaky as they still were and your walls still clambering down on his dick from your intense high, the result ended up looking rather clumsy, though you didn’t care as you slowly rode out your sensitivity and gathered up the strength for more.

With your face completely buried in his neck, panting against his pulse, you moaned in his ear, “please,” trying to keep up your light rocking.

“What?” his fingertips danced over your spine, “can you not do it yourself? Has my dick made you go so dumb that you don’t even know how to ride it anymore?”

“Steve,” you pouted, smooching your face deeper into his skin.

“It’s okay, princess,” his fingers slid down towards your hips again and grasped them tight, holding them in place, “I don’t mind doing all the work,” your upper body melted into his skin even more, “you just lay here and keep making those beautiful noises for me, yeah?”

“Mhm,” you felt yourself begin to drool as he started to buck up into you. 

Completely losing himself to the rhythm, Steve's ever-flowing groans evolved into the most earthshattering moans you’d ever heard, the sound alone making you feel dizzy, although the ridiculous pace he had worked himself up to was more than enough to get your screams to bounce off of the cold cabin walls.

Jerking violently in his arms as your second peak washed over you, the sensation almost being too much to bear, he held you against him, not letting you go till you were more than done and your throbbing pussy had milked him off all of his worth. 

Plastered against each other under the toasty duvet, his softening girth still split you apart as his sticky load slowly leaked out and painted his pyjama pants, you murmured weakly into his skin, “so when do you think the snow will melt?”

“I don’t know, I think spring might be a pretty safe bet.”

Peaking up at him, you asked, “are you still in a hurry to get rid of me?”

Glancing blissfully down at you in his arms, he smiled, “I think I could manage if you stayed a little longer.”

© 2023 thyme-in-a-bubble 

#lea’s writing #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x hopper's niece!reader #steve harrington x reader #hopper's niece!reader #stranger things #steve harrington imagine #stranger things smut #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #steve harrington drabble #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x hopper!reader #steve harrington x y/n #winter fic #steve harrington #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington headcanon #steve harrington hc #steve harrington headcanons #steve harrington hcs

[persage]

My Best Gift - S. HARRINGTON

I wanted to post it on Christmas - yes, it's a silly fluffy Christmas story- but it was a busy time and now here we are a little late but I still hope you enjoy it.

Summary: Steve is resigned to spend Christmas alone. He certainly doesn't imagine that Robin has planned a surprise for him, much less seeing someone he honestly believed he would never see again and that he misses more than he cares to admit.

Words Count: 3.5 k

Tags: none, just some Fluff I needed on Christmas time. It's silly but I promise it's cute

Steve Harrington is ready to spend a serene and peaceful Christmas, just him, his father's good whiskey and a good action movie. A calm evening, for the first time in a long time without family dramas, parents in quarrels, embarrassing silences or equally embarrassing reproaches. Also without Nancy and her family, but Steve prefers not to think about it. With them he spent the first happy Christmas with a family of his entire life, then he just lost them. Being alone on Christmas day is not sad and it is not pathetic and he has no intention of indulging in excessive thinking, he will enjoy the peace like a grown man.

Like a Harrington.

After wishing Dustin and Rob and everyone else happy holidays, reassuring an unspecified number of people that "No, I won't be alone", giving Robin and the kids his presents, now Steve clutches the remote in his hands and think back to Joyce Byers' unexpected invitation and the way in which for a moment, just one, he has risked calling her mom. He feels pathetic now.

Dinner time approaches, but he has no desire to start cooking, so he shrugs, concentrating on the colorful images that pass before him on TV. He takes a gulp of warm alcohol down his throat, which burns like pure fire and he is about to light a cigarette when the doorbell rings and for a moment he lets himself be taken by the stupid fantasy that it could be his parents, that they have come home  to surprise him and he runs towards the door without even realizing it, like a child who hopes to be able to see Santa. His heart sinks into an abyss, a dark place that he didn't even know he owned, when opening the door he finds nothing but darkness and silence waiting for him. He wants to cry to be honest, like a stupid little boy.

But before he can slam the door as hard as he is able, Robin's face peeks out. He doesn't have the chance to say anything because a pair of arms tighten around his neck and he immediately catches a scent that he knows well and calms him down. "Dingus!" Robin exclaimes happily, pulling away.

"Rob? What are you doing here? I thought... "

"Did you really think we'd let you celebrate Christmas alone?"

He raises his eyebrows in defiance, spreading his arms to make room for a series of all too familiar heads and faces and this time Steve has to use all his strength not to be moved and start crying for real, because his real family is here and for the first time he is not alone."Merry Christmas Steve"  Nancy says, making her way with Jonathan,  a turkey in her hands. She places a kiss on Steve's cheek standing up on her toes and Jonathan squeezes his shoulder and after all that has happened this is enough for him to know that everything is okay, that they are friends, that they can be together without embarrassment or resentment.

"I'll put this in the kitchen" she shouts, smiling at him. Steve lets his gaze slide over Robin, her open jacket, her red sweater and a Christmas hat identical to Max's one, who wears it with a much less happy expression than Buckley. Envelopes of every shape and color protrude from her feet.

"What are you waiting? Will you let us in?" Dustin asks, in a fake annoyed tone, actually smiling to the point that Steve fears his cheeks might come off.

"And your families?" He asks shyly, still fearful that now they might leave again. They enter the house one by one, greeting him, some with a nod, some with a hug. "They'll understand" Max replies, trying not to show satisfaction in seeing Steve so excited.

"You don't get rid of us, man." Lucas continues, bypassing him and entering the house, where Nancy is already beginning to dictate orders. One by one Dustin, Robin, Max and Lucas, even Will, Mike (who would rather be anywhere else) and El file past him. He can't deny it, this is a surprise, more like a Christmas miracle... And for a moment he feels different, lighter, more carefree. Steve Harrington feels happy. He is not used to that feeling during Cristhmas. He looks down at the ground and shakes his head, unable, however, to stop smiling. When he thinks that parade of his people is over and that there are no more intruders to let into the house, he gently pushes the door with a wave of his arm, and turns towards the living room. Before he hears the door close, however, he senses someone coughing lightly, and a voice comes clear and distinct.

"You won't let me in?"

Steve's eyes widen, because he's sure he knows who this voice belongs to and up until now he's been sure he won't be hearing it again any time soon. His breath catches in his chest. In a second he turns back towards the entrance, where the toe of a black shoes block the door from closing.

"Y/n?" He mumbles before meeting your face again. He hurries to open the door all the way back and immediately freezes to the spot. In front of him, wrapped in a black coat,  hair scattered around your face and eyes brighter than the stars exactly as he remembered them, you star at him with a faintly hinted smile on your face.

"Oh my god y/n" his voice shakes  more than he wants to, so he fakes a  a cough, while Robin looks at him knowingly and a sly smile. You star at him for a few more moments, just a fraction of a second, before dropping the envelope and purse on the floor and throwing yourself into his arms. After all it's been a while since you last saw him, before your parents forced you to leave Hawkins and move.

Hardest experience of your life.

You still remember the day of departure, passing in front of your friends' houses, you have flooded your clothes with tears and thought about everything you left behind and the things you never had the courage to say and do. And all these things are now here, in front of you and they are looking at you with the biggest eyes in the world.

Incredulous.

Because Steve Harrington has always been your biggest regret and your only desire.

"Steve." You sigh against his skin, so happy to finally be here that you almost shiver. When Robin Buckley has called you to ask you to join her in Hawkins, she really thought you couldn't do it, given the short time in which she had organized the surprise for Steve. "You'll be his Christmas present!" And you had thought of a joke and you had anxiety until you had Robin in front of you and she smiled and embraced you happily, as if your presence could really be a gift. Yet here you are, with the boy you thought you hated so much as a child, only to discover that you felt everything for him except hate, that never really felt anything but love.

"What... What are you doing here? You should... Be on the other side of the world. I haven't seen you in..." He strokes your hair lightly, then he grabs your face in his big hands and squeezes it tightly to check if you are real. "One Year and Three Months Stevie" And after saying that he squeezes it a little tighter, because he probably just realizes right now how much time has actually passed. You are one of the things Steve tries not to think about, filed away in a corner of his heart where your absence can't hurt him. You wrote to each other in the beginning, even quite often, but then it just became too difficult. He moves away a little, just enough to look you in the eye, and none of you try to hide the surprise and the smiles. Somewhere deep down there are  regret and the fear too.

"You are... Changed." he says, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear. You've gotten slightly taller and your cheeks have taken on color and are fuller than the last time he saw you, when the upside-down chores were slowly draining you. You seem healthier, calmer and happier, safer than you will ever be here. With him.

"You too Harrington look...Grown up. A man"

He doesn't answer and you continue. "I guess being a hero makes you grow up fast" You burst into a nervous laugh and look down at the toes of your boots.

"Sorry, it's just that... I'm nervous" He shakes his head.

"Don't be y/n, this is still your home." You observe him, the words get caught on your tongue, stumble and never come out right.

I love you. I miss you. I wished I was here.

And instead all you can say is "I know things have happened...Bad. Difficult. I.." Steve closes his eyes, trying to erase the images of StarCourt, of the Russians, of Billy. Hopper. You have lost so many things but honestly he is happy about it. When he opens them you're watching him worried, his fingers reach your cheek again, gently brushing it

"Yes but I'm glad you weren't there. I prefer to know you're safe"

You smile, softly, placing your hand on his still firm on your skin. You're about to reply that you wish you were here just to keep him safe but Dustin's voice cuts you off.

"Lovebirds, would you do us the favor of coming here?" Stepping back, he coughs lightly as a blush spreads across his cheeks. "Come on, before someone destroys my house." He leans in towards you, reaching out to close the door behind you, and for a tiny instant, you were numb by the scent of him. The moment soon vanishes as he takes you by the hand and leads you to the room where all the voices come from.

"Steve, you haven't even decorated the tree!"

Nancy says shocked. When her eyes lock on your clasped hands, she just smiles at you sweetly.

"It's not like I exactly expected to spend Christmas like this." He tries to justify himself, earning a series of insults and "You're terrible!" from the rest of the company. "As if you mind," Dustin teases. "I'm the one who minds being here actually" Mike mutters slyly.

An hour later Steve is leaning over the dining table, a glass of white wine in his hands and watches as Lucas and Will attempt to scramble over each other to position the three topper. Robin and Jonathan burst into laugh after noticing they brought the same kind of decorations. You and El are trying in every way to whiten the tips of the tree to simulate snow. Right now, while looking at his friends, Steve again perceives this feeling: pure joy. It's has nothing to do with food, gifts or Christmas lights.

It is more a warmth,  something that objects can't bring people. He feels it again, this damned wonderful overwhelming happiness, when, having puffed and abandoned the hard work you've been doing, you look up at him and smile at him from across the hall.

You are here.

You're here, for real and Steve already feels the pain of having to let you go again. But you're here and he can hold you,  kiss your hair, talk to you. It's the best gift ever. He still remembers so distinctly the moment he met you, you were just a little thing, so small you looked like a doll running around the garden of his house and rolling with him among the flowers that his mother cared for more than her own son and Steve hated to death. He remembers your little hand hanging a drawing of the two of you on his bedroom wall. He rembers you throwing your head back and laughing by the sea when Tommy and Carol dragged you for a weekend away from the city routine and then you hiding your tears at Barbara Holland's funeral, trying to be strong and breaking down anyway, shattered in front of an empty coffin, devoured by guilt. There is no memory of his childhood or adolescence that does not involve you, or that he cannot be traced back to you. Even after your departure in every memory you are, a distant thought. Now that you're here everything seems to be back exactly as before. And even if he doesn't even know what heaven is, Steve Harrington feels very close to it. The dinner is not as perfect as Robin planned it, but no less exciting. As she studies her best friend sitting next to you, she still can't believe she haa managed to bring you home. You laugh with Nance and Jonathan. Dustin, Will and the boys are chatting across the table. Robin feels like a little girl waiting for her presents and always leaving a plate of cookies and a glass of milk by the fireplace.

In the imperfection of her life and the difficulties that her family has to face, she has managed to do something great for Steve and this is the most precious gift in the world. If everything they've been through has brought them here, Robin is ready to face it all again. There is nothing  she could want more then her dingus being in peace. You wake up abruptly, still upside down from the jet leg, in the living room, lit only by the tree surrounded by colored lights.

You must have collapsed just a few hours ago, curled up on Steve's couch - specifically next to him, surrounded by his perfume - and now you see your friends curled up in their sleeping bags scattered around the room, each too tired to even notice they're asleep on the floor. Shifting the blanket someone must have wrapped you in after you fell asleep, you decide to use it to cover Max, lying on the other side of the sofa clutching one of the large pillows to her chest, her hand left dangling down to where Lucas promptly reached out to squeeze it . With all the delicacy of which you are capable, you place your feet on the floor and try to get around the various sleeping bags scattered along the room. Luckily, you manage to make it to the kitchen without waking anyone – not that they could have woken up anyway – but noticing a light on.

Before you can even think anything, your eyes met the figure of Steve who has his back at you, wrapped in a burgundy sweatshirt and wearing a pair of shorts. You've missed seeing him so calm, so relaxed. You just missed him to tell the truth, more than you expected.

"What are you doing up?" You ask in a low voice, leaning an arm against the counter and waiting for him to turn around.When he does, he runs a hand through his messy hair and smiles at you.

"I can't sleep" he explains to you, placing a cup on the counter. You catch the movement and narrow your eyes. "By chance is that...?"

"You caught me." He raises his hands in surrender.

"Hot chocolate. Oh, God... You shouldn't have done it without me it's pur thing Steve!" You scold him, silently approaching and trying to suppress a grin. Chocolate has always been their ritual during the endless study afternoons, spent doing everything but study.

"I am sorry... "

"Now, my dear Harrington, I shall be forced to take serious measures."

You threaten. Before he can do anything, you've gotten very close and managed to grab onto his hips. You begin to tickle him when he tries to move, but you're faster and let your hands slide under the sweatshirt, on the abdomen and Steve is shaken by a series of irrepressible laughter. "I give up, I give up!" He almost screams, grabbing your wrists and finally managing to stop you.

"What do you have to say in your defense?" You lift your chin to him, closer than you've ever been all evening, and your smile fades as you notice Steve's eyes roaming over your lips tracing them with his gaze. Just do it. Please . But don't speak, in fact your breath catches in your chest. Everything is exactly like in the good old days.

Immediately he releases your wrists.

"Steve" You mumble confused by whatever is going on, this is enough to bring him back from the trance he seems to have fallen into. Steve turns and leans towards the top right locker where he keeps his cups, with his back to you. "A cup of hot chocolate on the way." He mutters, you try to suppress the sigh you feel growing in the center of her chest. "I missed you, you know?" You confess with a half smile, going to sit on the opposite counter, continuing to observe his back. It's nothing new, you know what there is between you, affection, Devotion but sometimes it's feels like it could be so much more it actually hurts.

"I would have liked to keep in touch, to contact you more often..." He starts.

" I know it. It looked wrong. ridiculous. I get it, really." you interrupt him. He still won't look at you. "I'm glad you're okay." You continue."I'm glad you're okay too. Thank God you are safe. I would die if everything ever happens to you Steve." Only now  he turns around, hitting you with the intensity of his gaze "I missed you too. You don't know how much, princess" As soon as you hear that nickname, that stupid nickname he gave you years and years ago, your heart skips a beat. And you blame the memories, you blame Christmas and the distance, for what you do afterwards. While Steve walks up to you carrying the hot cup, it's easy to take it out of his hand and place it behind you. It's easy to grab hold of his fingers that you know as your own and bring him close, just as it's easy to stare at him from below without letting go. The easiest thing, however, is to close your eyes. Close your eyes and wait, as you have done since you were twelve, when you finally understood that there is no person in the world more similar to you, more suited to you than stupid Steve Harrington. And that's why, in the end, you fell in love with him hard.

The long-awaited kiss reaches you,  the only light that remains is the sensation of this moment, imperfect as it has always been between you two, but nothing less than exceptional. You sense the initial awkwardness, which, of course, has nothing to do with inexperience– Steve seems born to kiss ypu and make it seem like the simplest thing in the whole universe. It's an embarrassment that says "you've been my best friend since before I even remotely looked like a girl, but now you want me and I want you and here we are" and likewise you feel it fade, giving way to an ease you haven't felt with anyone else.

The romantic side of your mind suggests it's because he knows you better than any other guy.

Steve, who has leaned over your legs stretching his neck towards your face as if a natural thing, moves his left hand towards his side, and only now  you suddenly realize you want him closer, you need him. Therefore you surround his waist with your legs and cling to the collar of his sweatshirt, devouring his mouth in a need that has been ignited since he held you in his arms in front of the door. Despite the desire, however, you are  this is Steve you are kissing now and you must know what the hell it means to him before doing something you could regret. In the same moment in which Steve starts to move away slightly, you do it  too and finally open your eyes.

"I wish I hadn't waited a year to be able to do it." He whispers softly, letting the fingers of his right hand get lost behind your neck, in your soft hair. And it's enough for you, for him and for everything you've never said.

For now, that's enough.

"You've always been slow Harrington"you scold him, trying with all your strength not to smile at him, "Give me a good reason to stay Steve" He leans down once more to kiss you.This time, you both smile.

This time you will never leave.

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