Stranger Things Fanfiction - Blog Posts

Sleepy Cuddles

Masterlist

Type: fluff

Requested by: @tripthlightfantastic

Request: i’d die for eddie cuddling reader when they can’t sleep (i have the worst insomnia lol)

A/N: Thank you for requesting! (It takes me ages to fall asleep as well lol so I know the feeling.) I actually really enjoyed writing this, it was really cute. It did end up being shorter than I thought it would be, but I hope you enjoy! If you do, keep in mind that my requests are open!

Warnings: none

Word Count: 436

»»————-　♡　————-««

With a sigh, you turned over for what felt like the hundredth time since you’d laid down a few hours prior. As an insomniac, the experience wasn’t exactly uncommon - just incredibly unwelcome. You turned your head, checking the clock which read 3:26 in big bright red letters. Huffing out another exasperated breath, you turned again, this time facing the other figure in the bed, who, unlike yourself, had fallen asleep hours ago.

For as long as you’d been staying over at his trailer, Eddie had never had any trouble falling asleep quickly. He knew about your sleeping problems, sure, and he always vowed to stay up and try to help you fall asleep to no avail. But sometimes, like tonight, you’d see him stir in his sleep from one too many movements on your behalf. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a couple times before noticing your soft e/c eyes watching him.

“Can’t sleep?” He murmured softly, sleep still lacing his voice as he tried desperately to wake himself up a bit more for your sake. You nodded, knowing you didn’t have to explain yourself. He just understood. Without a word, he lifted his arm towards you, gesturing for you to come closer. You flipped yourself around and shifted closer, your back pressed against his chest, letting him be the big spoon tonight. He let his arm drop once you were situated, resting it across your waist and letting his other arm snake around your chest, pulling you closely against him. You felt him bury his face in your hair, his light breaths tickling the back of your neck and making you giggle, which in turn, made a lazy smile grace his lips.

You were so grateful for Eddie. You both knew the only way you could get to sleep at this point was if you were in his arms, and him being the fidgety person he was, he never stayed in one position very long whilst sleeping. However, for you, he was willing to lay in the same way for hours just to let you get a little bit of sleep.

You heard him yawn from behind you, and you knew he was barely keeping his eyes open, but he was trying for you. As your eyes finally began to droop, you felt him place a gentle kiss to the back of your neck, followed by a barely audible “I love you.” “Mmm, love you too,” you whispered back, nestling your body back into his and finally allowing yourself to drift off into a peaceful slumber with the love of your life beside you.

Stargirl

Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Summary- It’s just some other hick town, but it’s where your father grew up. Albeit returning to his hometown is not for pleasure, even if his half brother resides here, he’s been sent to Hawkins on a mission from work and of course you’re tagging along. You never leave his side, wherever his work sends him no matter how far across the globe he goes you’re with him, it’s for that reason that much of the world is new to you; school, people your age, boys. However, you still want to leave…at first, but Hawkins, as rural as it is compared to the other places you’ve been to, grows on you, the adventure….a guy. But can your father say the same? Will he finally find a home here now that you’ve grown attached, or will his mission be more important?

Season 2

Chapter 1 Who’s that girl?

Chapter 2 For the first time

Chapter 3 Stupid teenagers

Chapter 4 One rule

Chapter 4 coming soon…

So... I'm writing a fic. It's been sitting on my drafts for over six months, that's why I think it's time to post it even though I barely have anything more written.

Maybe now that it's published I'll have more motivation, anyways; here it is:

Erlking. / (ˈɜːlˌkɪŋ) / noun. German myth: a malevolent spirit who carries children off to death.

Jonathan just wanted to find his brother and was looking wherever he could, and if 'wherever' meant Harrington's backyard, he would look at it.

It was just that Jonathan was expecting to find his brother. Not... King Steve and Eddie 'The Freak' Munson having a pretty enthusiastic make up session.

Or. Stranger things through out the seasons with established steddie, Steve being friends with everyone, Hopper and Wayne being surrogate fathers and death lurking at every corner of Steve's life.

Archive Warnings:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death (temporary).

Categories: Gen, M/M

Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Relationships:

Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Jonathan Byers & Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers & Steve Harrington & Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington & The Party, Steve Harrington & Wayne Munson, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington & Everyone, Minor or Background Relationship(s)

Additional Tags:

Steve Harrington-centric, Queer Steve Harrington, Queer Eddie Munson, Canon Rewrite, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Secret Relationship, Jonathan Byers & Steve Harrington Friendship, The Party as Family (Stranger Things), Steve Harrington Acting as The Party's Big Brother, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Steve Harrington Has Absent Parents, Platonic Soulmates Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Protective Eddie MunsonProtective Wayne Munson, Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper, Found Family, Everyone Loves Steve Harrington, Final Boss Vecna, Death, Temporary Character Death, Major Character Undeath, Talks About Death, Body Horror, Torture, Suicidal Thoughts, Grief/Mourning, POV Multiple, POV Outsider, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, Gratuitous use of italics, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Graphic Description, Tag – Freeform.

Dustin moved to the window by Steve’s front door and pressed his face to it.

"Robin. . .why is Steve talking to Santa?" Dustin asked and turned to look at her.

"Oh, he knows him very personally. He called him over for you guys," Robin said.

"Steve knows Santa?!" Dustin shrieked. "He never said!"

"Okay, do you still bel - ," Robin started to say.

"WHY IS STEVE KISSING SANTA?!" Dustin yelled, his face pressed to the glass.

"Oh, well, Steve’s been a very bad boy this year, and he's trying to work his way back onto the nice list," she replied.

"BY SEDUCING SANTA?!" Dustin yelled. "That's not how you do it!"

Mike, Lucas, Max, Will, and El entered the hallway.

"What's going on?" Max asked.

"Steve knows Santa! He called him over, and now he's cheating on Steve with him!" Dustin yelled.

"What? Is he trying to get on the nice list or naughty list?" Mike asked.

"Fuck this," Max swore.

They all spilled out onto the front lawn with Robin following after them.

"You guys do know that Santa isn't - "

"STEVE!" Dustin yelled.

"Oh, goddamn it," Steve cursed as he pulled away from Santa. "I've ruined - "

"Are you cheating on Eddie?!" Dustin yelled, his hands on his hips. "You're my brother, and I love you, but if you ruin this relationship with Eddie, I'll never forgive you!"

"That's sweet, Henderson, but completely unnecessary," Santa said and pulled his beard down to reveal Eddie. "Surprise!"

"Oh my god!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Don't beat yourself up, Dustin, it's an easy mistake to make!" Eddie said cheerfully.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" He asked.

"Uh, well, Steve wanted to keep it a surprise, and I thought you were old enough to know," Eddie said.

"It makes sense now, Eddie wasn't here last Christmas!" Mike exclaimed.

"And it makes sense why his wounds healed so quickly," Lucas said.

"And why he can drive so fast," El said.

"And why he is so good with animals," Max said.

"And kids," Dustin said.

"He's great with kids and storytelling!" Will exclaimed.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Eddie asked.

"I don't know," Steve frowned.

"He loves elves and Lord of the Rings!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Oh my god! Eddie's Santa Claus!" Dustin yelled.

"I have to call Nancy!" Mike yelled.

"We have to call the rest of the party!" Dustin yelled.

Robin, Steve, and Eddie watched dumbfounded as the kids ran back inside.

"Do they still believe in Santa?" Eddie asked.

"This is the first time I'm fucking hearing about it and we've known them longer than you," Steve said.

"Maybe since they know that the Upside Down exists, they think other things like the North Pole exists," Robin said.

"Makes sense," Steve frowned.

"I am NOT telling them that I'm not Santa," Eddie said, crossing his arms. "You do it, Steve!"

"I'm not doing it!" Steve yelled.

"I'll do it!" Robin yelled and then paused. "After everything they've been through. . .don't they deserve to believe in a little bit of magic?"

"I don't know. . .we would be lying to them, Robin," Eddie said.

Meanwhile, the kids were watching them argue from the window.

"So, how long do you think it'll take them to realize that we don't actually believe in Santa Claus?" Max asked.

"A while," Mike snickered.

"Eddie should have done a better job at hiding the Santa costume," Max said.

As Robin, Steve, and Eddie fought on the front lawn, the kids watched with freshly made hot chocolate and Christmas music playing in the background. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, dancing around to land on the ground.

"The mood is right. The spirit's up. We're here tonight, and that's enough. Simply having a wonderful Christmastime. . ."

How the Night Changes

Summary: Based on the premise that having a threesome with Steve and Nancy would have saved Barb's life.

18+ MINORS DNI

"This isn't you, Nance," Barb sighed like she usually did.

Nancy looked at her like she always did when she was about to get herself into trouble. It's been like that since they were kids. Nancy would see something she'd want, and she'd go for it with reckless abandon. Barb always had to be there for her afterward and clean up the mess whenever it went wrong. Sometimes, it didn't. Sometimes, it worked out. She wasn't sure about this time. This was different than anything she had done. What if Nancy got hurt?

"Well, if you're so worried about me, then why don't you come up here and make sure I stay out of trouble?" Nancy smirked.

That was how Barb found herself in Steve Harrington's bedroom.

"Oh my God! My eyes!" Barb exclaimed.

"Barb!" Nancy exclaimed.

"It's a crime! Plaid on plaid and then, of course, there's the sad little picture of that car," Barb said. "Who decorates their room like this?"

"My mother," Steve said as he entered. "Yeah, she has terrible taste. I didn't have the heart to tell her at first that it was awful. My dad tells her things like that all the time just make her feel bad, and I didn't want to do that. She figured it out, though, and I tried to insist that it wasn't that bad. I put up that car picture to try and pull the room together. I was trying desperately to make my mom feel good about herself, but all it did was make it look more sad. We both thought it was so utterly ridiculous, and we ended up laughing so hard. . .so I don't keep it up because I think it looks good, it's just. . ."

"You keep it up because you love your mother," Nancy said.

"Yeah, Steve Harrington is a mama's boy," Steve said.

"I think it's actually sweet now that I know the story behind it," Barb said. "Sorry."

"Nah, your intention wasn't to make me feel bad," Steve shrugged. "And it is shocking the first time you see it."

Damn it, Barb cursed mentally. She was starting to like this guy.

"It's not too bad," Barb said, and he smiled.

"Here. I found you some clothes," Steve said and handed them to Nancy. "I'll leave you to it."

Barb recognized the look in Nancy's eyes. She had seen it many times when they had sleepovers, and she wanted to forgo their pajamas completely.

"Steve," Nancy called out.

Yep, there she goes. Steve turned and ran his hands through his hair. Okay, that was kind of cute. Wait, cute? She didn't find him cute, did she? No, she was strictly into girls, wasn't she? Suddenly, Nancy was taking off her shirt. Steve looked pleasantly surprised at the turn of events and he smiled.

"You're beautiful," Steve said and then looked at Barb. "What's happening here?"

"Well, Barb is here to make sure I don't get into trouble," Nancy said, smirking. "To look out for me. . .be my guardian."

"Well, she's a very good friend," Steve said smiling, and he moved closer to them.

"She is. . .we do everything together, but if you're not okay with that - " Nancy said.

"Oh, I'm definitely okay with that," Steve said.

Steve kissed Nancy. He was a lot more gentle than Barb thought he would be. Every touch said that he didn't want to hurt Nancy. A warm feeling began to stir within Barb as Steve kissed Nancy gently. He broke the kiss, and he turned to Barb, raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Barb?" Nancy asked.

"Well, I guess we really do everything together," Barb said with a sigh, and then she kissed Steve.

She could feel Steve smiling against her lips, and a giggle slipped out at what she had said. Okay, yeah, she liked kissing Steve. Almost as much as she liked kissing Nancy. Maybe it didn't matter to her what was on the outside, maybe it was what on the inside that sparked her attraction. It wasn't until that tidbit about his mother that Barb started to feel something. Barb cupped the back of Steve's head and deepened the kiss and loved the way that Steve kissed her back just as softly as he did with Nancy. He wanted to make sure that they were both safe and comfortable. Steve broke the kiss.

"If you guys want to stop this at any time, I would be happy to just hang out," Steve said.

"That's sweet, Steve," Barb said. "But we definitely want to do this. Right, Nance?"

"Definitely," Nancy said.

Nancy took off Barb's glasses and set them on the nightstand. She moved to the to the other side of Steve. Together, Nancy and Barb peeled off Steve's sweater, dropping it to the floor. Barb took off her jacket and sweater, dropping them amongst their clothes.

"I hope you don't mind - ," Barb said shyly.

"You're beautiful, too," Steve said, and he kissed her before stepping back to let Nancy in.

"Of course, you're beautiful," Nancy said, and she kissed Barb.

"Well, I already know that you don't mind," Barb said, rolling her eyes affectionately. "Just making sure that Steve doesn't."

"Oh, so, you've already been together. . .?" Steve asked.

"Well, not all the way," Nancy said.

"To be honest, I've never done it with two other people at the same time," Steve said, bashfully.

"Really?" Nancy and Barb asked.

"Why are you so surprised?" Steve scoffed. "Because I've slept with a few women?"

"I'm sorry," Nancy said.

"I kind of assumed Tommy and Carol," Barb said, sheepishly.

"Well, I mean, they tried," Steve said and he screwed up his face. "I heard what they're like when they have sex. No thank you."

Barb giggled. He was just as judgmental as she was. As hard as she tried not to be, she could be a little catty.

"So, I guess this is the first for all of us," Barb said.

Steve was just as gentle with them when he was kissing them. Nancy and Barb couldn't help but share a look when Steve wanted to hold both of their hands. It was proven to be true that he thought they were both beautiful when they shed all of their clothing, and his eyes were just as dark when he looked at either one of them. Everything had fallen out of her head. All she could think about was Steve and Nancy. Barb had even forgotten to mention something to Steve. Oh, right.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that Nancy likes to - "

"OW!"

" - bite."

"Do it again."

It had started out awkward at first but once they found a rhythm, it felt beautiful to Barb to do this with both of them. Barb could tell that Steve was trying to hold off a long as possible but judging by the noise he made and the feeling between her legs, he had finished. He had satisfied them both pretty well, but Barb wasn't surprised when Steve rolled out of bed to clean himself off and throw away the condom and Nancy climbed on top of her. Nancy had kissed her harshly before sliding between her legs with her own, pressing herself up against her. She knew how randy Nancy could get. Even after all of that, she always wanted more. She loved being overstimulated.

When Steve came back, he had a rag and a couple of bottles of water. He got to watch them go all the way with each other, and Barb made eye contact with him when Nancy rolled off her, collapsing onto the bed. At some point, he had slipped his boxers back on. Steve climbed into the bed and cleaned them both off before offering them both a bottle of water. Nancy slipped on a sweater of Steve’s, kissed him, and went to the bathroom. Right, you were supposed to use the bathroom after you had sex? Barb had been a little too fucked out to think clearly but she remembered that much. Barb pulled on her sweater and underwear, hurrying after Nancy to do the same.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked after they crawled back into bed.

"We feel really good," Barb said. "You didn't hurt us at all."

"Well, not in a bad way, anyway," Nancy smiled.

"I'm tired, but my brain feels like it's on fire at the same time," Barb said. "I'm glad I decided not to sit outside and pout while Nancy had all the fun."

"I'm glad you didn't either," Steve said and kissed her cheek, resting his head on her shoulder.

"So, what did you mean when you said that Tommy and Carol tried?" Barb asked.

"Well, they attempted to seduce me, but they had a video camera, so I don't think their intentions were all that pure," Steve said. "I turned them down."

"You know, you seem nicer than I thought you'd be. I think I assumed you would be an asshole because of Tommy and Carol," Barb said. "Why do you hang out with them?"

"I'm curious to know myself," Nancy said.

"Well, Tommy didn't used to be so bad, not until Carol came along. He was my friend since I was eight, and I just hope that at some point, he will turn back to the Tommy that I used to know. I just can't seem to walk away from that," Steve said, and he paused, cursing. "Oh my God! I'm my mom!"

"What?" Nancy asked.

"No, my mom definitely deserves better, and she knows that, but she can't seem to walk away from my asshole of a father," Steve said, and then he scoffed. "I'm a kid that wants his parents to get a divorced."

"You're not alone with that," Nancy said as she ran her hand through his hair. "I want my parents to get divorced, too. I love them both, but I think they're just holding onto something that's never been there."

"I'm sorry," Steve said.

"I'm sorry, too," Nancy said.

"You know, my father expects a lot from me. He wants what's best for the image on his family, not what's best for me. It's the complete opposite of my mother," Steve sighed. "I'm tired of trying to be perfect all the time."

"Maybe you don't have to be with us," Barb said. "What do you say, Nancy? Should we keep him?"

"Oh, definitely," Nancy said.

"You know, now that you belong to us," Barb said, and Steve smirked. "Whatever decision you make about Tommy and Carol, we'll support it even if it's the stupid decision to stay with them."

"Thanks," Steve said fondly.

Nancy pushed him back, kissed him, and curled up against him. Barb laid down, kissed him as well, and threw an arm over the both of them.

"We should probably call our parents and tell them we're spending the night at each other's houses," Barb said.

"Oh, right, good idea!" Nancy exclaimed.

After calling their parents, they crawled back into bed and started to drift off to sleep.

BANG!

"What the hell was that?" Steve asked, sitting up.

"It sounded like it came from outside," Nancy said.

Barb, who was closer to the window, rolled out of bed and looked out onto the pool in the backyard. There was a rather large, deformed looking animal banging out the lawn chairs by the pool. It was sniffing rather frantically as though it was looking for something.

"What the fuck is that?" Barb gasped and grabbed her glasses, putting them on. "FUCK!"

Steve and Nancy rushed to the window. The deformed looking animal looked up, revealing that it didn't have a face. It wasn't an animal that Barb had ever seen before. Steve and Nancy gasped as it's face opened up, revealing several rows of teeth.

"Shit!" Steve exclaimed.

The monster rolled out its tongue and started lapping up something on the concrete.

"What's it doing?" Nancy whispered.

That was where Barb had been standing when she sliced her thumb with the knife. She glanced down at her hand.

"Licking my blood," Barb said. "It's hungry."

The monster stopped what it was doing and sniffed the air. Its head snapped in their direction, almost as if it heard Barb. She quickly yanked them both down under the window and grabbed their hands in hers. The only sound they could hear was their own shaky breathing. It seemed like forever had passed but really it had only been minutes when they heard a loud splashing sound and a screech. Nancy peered over the windowsill.

"Nance!" Barb hissed.

"It fell into the pool," Nancy whispered. "It doesn't not like it. It's burning its skin. It must be the chlorine. It's out, it's running away."

There was a pregnant pause as Steve and Barb looked out the window with Nancy.

"It's gone," Steve whispered. "Yeah, I'm not fucking sleeping tonight."

"Me neither," Barb and Nancy said.

Barb struggled to find anything to say or to think about other than the monster. There was one fact that Barb couldn't get out of her head, and it was the stupidest thing in the world to think about.

"If I had been out there, it would have gotten me," Barb breathed out shakily.

"But it didn't, you're here," Nancy said and squeezing her hand.

"Fucking you and Steve saved my life," Barb said.

She looked at Steve and together, they burst into laughter. Nancy eventually followed suite.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Nancy exclaimed.

"I know, but it's true!" Barb giggled.

Once the laughter died down, the horror of what just happened continued to hover over them. They said that they wouldn't fall asleep but the three of them ended up falling asleep, curled up on the floor.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Barb, Steve, and Nancy woke up with a jolt to the sound of Steve’s alarm clock. They jumped up, ready to fight. Barb groaned and rubbed her back.

"Yeah, falling asleep on the floor was a terrible accident," Barb said.

"Did that really happen last night?" Steve asked as he rubbed Barb's back.

"Yes, you did get to see the amazing secrets that I hold underneath my sweater," Barb said.

"No, not that," Steve snorted. "No. . .I mean. . .the monster. . . "

"Yeah," Barb said softly. "That was real."

"Well, going to the police seems stupid. I doubt they would believe us about what we saw," Nancy said.

"Okay, but shouldn't we tell someone?" Barb asked.

"Who would we tell?" Steve asked.

"I think our only option is to go to school and just act like nothing is wrong until we can come up with a plan," Nancy said. "We need proof."

Barb dropped Nancy off at home and then back to hers so they could get ready. The image of the monster floated into her head, and she couldn't get the fact that she could have died out it. Somehow, at the same time, she was also wondering where she stood with Steve and Nancy. Everything changed that night. Nancy and Barb could no longer deny that there was something between them. They always played it off as practicing but now that they went all the way with each other and also with Steve. Does that mean that Steve is her boyfriend and Nancy was her girlfriend? She couldn't help but giggle at the thought. She always figured that she would never have a boyfriend but now, maybe, she did. It was Steve Harrington of all people.

"Hey," Nancy said shyly as she slid into her car.

After getting ready, she went to pick Nancy up again. The car ride was silent until Nancy told her to stop.

"Nancy, what - "

She was cut off by Nancy kissing her. Barb was surprised for a moment, but she eagerly kissed her back. God, she wanted to pull her into her lap, and just - Nancy pulled away with a gasp.

"I just wanted to make sure that no one saw us," Nancy said.

Barb smiled at her as she took her hand and drove off. They ended up parking behind Eddie Munson's van, and a few minutes later, Steve found them. He made sure no one was watching before popping his head through the window to give Barb a kiss and then Nancy before letting them get out of the car. Steve shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I ditched Tommy and Carol," he said.

"Really?" Barb asked.

"Well, life is too short for me to be dragged down by those two idiots. I found something better for me, I think," Steve said. "Honestly, after what happened last night, it seems dumb to worry about popularity and all that when there's a monster out there."

"Well, it's good you got some perspective," Barb said. "And honestly, you're not the only one who's ever worried about that shit. There was a small part of me who wished that some of those people would acknowledge me a little."

"Really?" Steve and Nancy asked.

"Don't be so surprised," Barb said. "Come on, I don't want to be late for class."

"Great, and during lunch, we can talk about what to do about the monster with a flower for a head and teeth like a shark," Steve said. "Can't believe those words came out of my mouth."

"Well, it hates chlorine. That's one thing we know about it," Barb said.

As the three of them walked away, a confused Eddie Munson popped his head out of his van.

"Did Steve Harrington give up his crown to play D&D?" Eddie asked. "What the fuck kind of monster is he talking about? No, no, I'm hearing things again."

It was a tame sort of day compared to last night. It was still sort of an out of body experience to be hanging out with Steve knowing what they did. It made Barb blush when Steve and Nancy thought about it, too, sending her soft, knowing smiles her way. Tommy and Carol were petty bitches, trying to get under their skin all day but they ignored them. . .for the most part.

"So, Wheeler," Tommy said, slamming his hands onto the cafeteria table. "What is your ideal of a perfect date?"

"Watching you get hit by a bus," Nancy said.

Barb and Steve nearly choked on their milk. They cleared their throats, looking amused as Tommy's face started to turn different shades of red. Carol glared at her.

"How pathetic - ," Tommy started to say.

"I don't know, Tommy, how pathetic are you?" Barb asked. "I mean, I assume that's what you were going to say considering that you are being pathetic."

"You little - "

"Don't you finish that sentence," Nancy glared at him.

"You think you're so much better than us, but considering how easy it was to spread your legs for Stevie here last night, you're not really," Carol told Nancy.

"At least we actually like Steve. Do you even like spending time with him or listening to anything he has to say, or do you just like what he does for your image?" Barbara asked. "You can't stand on your own, so you use Steve like a crutch."

"Steve doesn't need you, but you need Steve," Nancy said. "And now that Steve doesn't want anything to do with you, you think that you can come over here and try to fuck with us until we leave."

"Well, we're not fucking leaving so find someone else's ass to bury your nose in," Barb said.

"Whatever," Tommy said. "Stevie-boy, running away like a fucking coward like always. You can't even stand up for yourself. You have to have these ugly bitches to protect you. You're not going to find anything better than us, and when you eventually get bored with them, we're not going to be here to save your sorry ass."

"They're better than you'll ever be, and if you think I'm ashamed of them fighting for me, then you're as stupid as you look. I know what it's like for people to really have your back, to care. . .one day, you're going to wake up and realize that you've cared about all the wrong things. You're going to look even more pathetic and stupid than you do right now. You'll be as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside. You'll look in the mirror and realize that you had your chance but you fucked it up. I'm tired of waiting for you to be the old Tommy that I used to know, the one who actually gave a damn. Being friends with these two, I have better odds at not hating myself in the future than you do. What are your odds, Tommy?" Steve snapped.

Tommy scowled at him, his face bright red, and angry tears filled his eyes. He didn't have anything else left to say, so he stormed off, dragging Carol with him.

"That was hot," Barb said.

"That really was," Nancy agreed.

They nudged their feet with Steve’s and he smiled at them.

"You two weren't so bad yourselves," Steve grinned, and the smile slipped from his face. "I don't really feel like going to the game this afternoon. I don't know if I can go home either knowing what might be waiting for me."

"Well, maybe we can go over to my house this evening. My brother could use some company. And if you're scared of going home, maybe Mom will let me keep you in my basement," Nancy joked.

"I always did like the idea of being a kept man," Steve said.

"Eddie Munson is staring at you," Barb said.

"Probably wondering how I got so lucky with you two," Steve said with a charming smile.

"No need to strain yourself, Steve," Barb teased. "You've got us."

They moved on to discussing what they were going to do about the monster and whether or not it wasn't just a shared delusion between them. It was decided that it wasn't. The rest of the day moved rather quickly, still without a plan for the creature that haunted all of them. When the end of the day came, they moved sluggishly out into the parking lot. All three of them were exhausted from not getting much sleep last night. They almost didn't notice Nicole approaching them.

"Nancy, Barb, I'm so glad I found you," Nicole said. "I want you to know, first off, that I'm not going to say anything. I have a cousin who's like that, and I would never say a word."

"What are you talking about?" Nancy asked.

"Were you aware that Jonathan Byers was at your house last night?" Nicole asked Steve.

"What? No," Steve said.

"Well, I went into the dark room, and Jonathan was developing photos of your house. You and Tommy were in the pool with Carol and Nancy. Then there was a picture taken of your bedroom. Nancy was taking off her shirt, and so was Barb. You were kissing."

Barb felt her stomach plummet. Her worst nightmare and Nancy's. Well, one of them, anyway. Fuck. Normally, she wouldn't care about what others think, but this was different. If this got out, it could be dangerous for her and Nancy.

"Son of a bitch!" Steve yelled and then he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Thanks for telling us, Nicole."

Barb turned to Nancy, who was quiet, her eyes downcast as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was clearly uncomfortable by the thought of what Jonathan did and Barb hated him for it.

"Yeah, thank you, Nicole. We'll take care of it," Barb said.

Nicole smiled sympathetically at Nancy and walked away.

"You know how many times I defended Jonathan to Tommy whenever they had something shitty to say about Jonathan and his family?" Steve asked, his jaw clenched.

"Yeah, I figured that out when you told Tommy off yesterday when he was saying all that shit about his missing brother," Barb said and then muttered, "I thought he was a nice guy."

"Okay, one problem at a time!" Nancy exclaimed, and then she paused. "Wait, the photos. . . What else do you think he got a picture of?"

"I don't know. . .Tommy and Carol going at it in my parents' bed?" Steve asked.

"No, think again," Nancy said.

"The monster!" Barb and Steve gasped.

"Let's go find the creep," Nancy said.

It didn't long to find him making his way to his car. He looked startled to see all three of them together.

"Where are the pictures you took last night?" Nancy asked, her arms still crossed.

Barb knew how much Steve wanted to step in. She wanted to as well, but she felt like Nancy needed to handle this herself. She took his hand, squeezing it affectionately. God, his hands were huge. Suddenly, she recalled the way they squeezed her thighs last night. Right, focus.

"What photos?" Jonathan asked, his face turning a paler shade of white.

"You know exactly what photos that I am talking about, asshole," Nancy spat.

Nancy had that fire still inside her from earlier, and she was using it now.

"I didn't - " Jonathan stuttered as he held his bag closer to him.

Before Jonathan knew it, Nancy had yanked the bag from him. She rifled through it and pulled out the photos victoriously. Nancy shoved the bag at him and started looking through the pictures. Barb peered over her should and paled at the sight of herself shirtless as she kissed Nancy. Now, she was uncomfortable. She felt Steve squeeze her hand.

"I - I was looking for my brother," Jonathan stuttered.

"No, this is called stalking," Steve said, looking at him in disbelief.

"I'm sure that it started out like that," Barb scoffed at Jonathan.

"Do you know how stupid it was that you developed these on school property? I mean, you could have locked the fucking door or something?!" Nancy asked furiously. "What would have happened if this had gotten out?"

Barb suddenly realized what Nancy was doing. She was protecting Barb this time instead of the other way around.

"I didn't think about that," Jonathan said.

"Clearly," Nancy scoffed.

"I just thought it was a good picture," he said meekly. "There was this girl who was trying to be someone else."

"That's bullshit!" Nancy and Barb exclaimed.

"You know, I thought that once, too. I thought Nancy was trying to be someone she wasn't. I realized that I was wrong. The simple fact is that she wanted to sleep with Steve, and eventually, I realized that I wanted to as well. I realized how exciting it was to explore a side of yourself that you didn't know was there. There's nothing artistic about the pictures that you took. You fucked up so you're trying to say anything to make you feel better about what you did. Steve didn't make us do anything that we didn't want to," Barb said. "I thought you were the kind of guy who would never do something like this."

"I'm sorry," Jonathan said.

"Well, I'm taking these photos," Nancy said and paused before snatching his camera as well. "I'm also taking this, and I will think about giving it back to you when I feel like you earned it."

"You want me to write an essay, too?" Jonathan scoffed.

"Come to think, yeah, you definitely should," Barb said. "Write until your fingers bleed. I want an in-depth analysis of why you thought it was okay to do that. . .I mean, after you find your brother safe and sound because I do get that you're going through something."

The three of them walked back to Barb's car with the camera and the photos in Nancy's hand.

"God, I wanted to smash his camera," Steve said.

"Yeah, so did I. Do you think he understands how close he came to outing us?" Barb asked.

"I mean, he did out us, but thankfully, Nicole is a decent person," Nancy said. "And I kind of wanted to smash it, too."

"Do you think we should tell him we're probably not going to bring the photos to the police?" Barb asked. "His mother has been through enough."

"Nah, let him sweat and think we are," Steve said grinning.

"Thank you for letting us handle that," Nancy said to Steve.

"Well, I thought about what Barb said about supporting my decision with Tommy and Carol. . .thought maybe I should do the same," Steve said, blushing.

"Oh, you're cute," Barb said.

"Yeah, how cute am I?" Steve asked.

"Get in the car, and I'll show you how cute I think you are," Barb said.

"Really?" Nancy asked, smiling at the two of them.

"Totally your fault, Nance, you showed me a new side of myself, and I like it," Barb said. "I like Steve."

"I like you, too," Steve said.

"Okay, well, let's focus on the photos," Nancy said and slapped the photo on the hood of Barb's car. "We got our proof."

There, in the photo, was the monster sniffing around the lawn chairs. It was hard to tell from the photo that Jonathan clearly accidentally took, but it was there.

"So, now, what?" Steve asked.

"Go home, and come up with a plan," Nancy said.

They jumped when they heard someone approaching them, and they whirled around, covering the photo. It was just Eddie Munson.

"We're not doing anything illegal!" Steve blurted out.

"Right," Eddie grinned. "I'm not a cop, you know."

"Obviously," Steve scoffed.

"Or maybe I am. Might be an undercover cop," Eddie said, twirling his keys in his hand. "Might have to arrest you on suspicion alone."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Steve replied. "And I might have believed that if I didn't remember you from middle school and just so you know, I'm really good at getting myself out of cuffs."

"Yeah, I bet you are, big boy," Eddie said, winking, got into his van, and drove off.

Barb and Nancy looked at Steve, scoffing.

"Really?"

"What?" Steve asked.

"Flirting with someone else right in front of us," Barb said.

"Classy, Steve," Nancy said.

"What? No! He means nothing to me!" Steve exclaimed. "And I didn't even know I was flirting with him! . . . You guys are messing with me, aren't you?"

Nancy and Barb giggled as they got into her car.

"Classy!"

Steve pulled up behind Barb in Nancy's driveway and followed after them into the house. Mrs. Wheeler greeted them at the door, chasing after Holly.

"Oh, hey, Barb, does your parents know you're here?" Mrs. Wheeler asked.

"I let them know before we left school," Barb said.

"And who is this?" Karen asked.

"Larry!" Holly exclaimed, hugging her leg.

"Oh, honey, I'm sure he came with his own name," Karen said. "He's not a stray cat."

"I'm Steve Harrington," he smiled. "But Holly can call me whatever she wants to."

"Larry!" She yelled. "I like your hair."

"I like yours, too," Steve said.

Holly giggled and ran off towards her room.

"Steve, is it?" Mrs. Wheeler asked. "Hm, that name sounds familiar."

"I'm sorry, mom," Nancy said. "I totally lied to you. Steve is my boyfriend. We just started dating, I didn't want to freak him out by introducing him to you so soon."

"You've got amazing daughters, Mrs. Wheeler," Steve said. "And Nancy's been treating me really great. Very respectful. I like her a lot."

"We like her too," Mrs. Wheeler said. "Well, sometimes."

"Mom!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Nancy, you didn't tell me your mom was so funny!" Steve laughed.

"She likes to think she is," Nancy muttered.

"No, Mrs. Wheeler is definitely hilarious," Barb said.

"Thank you, Barbara," Mrs. Wheeler said.

"They offered to help me study, I'm having difficulty in Chemistry," Steve said.

"Oh, well, you definitely came to the right people," Mrs. Wheeler said. "Do your parents know where you are?"

"Well, uh, my parents are out of town," Steve said. "I couldn't get a hold of them earlier."

"And is anyone staying with you?" Mrs. Wheeler asked with a frown.

"Just me," Steve said.

"Give me their number, I'll call them," Mrs. Wheeler said. "I'll also call Claudia Henderson and see if she'll be happy to take you in. I'm sure she will be."

Barb knew that look. It was the same determined look that Nancy had. She tried not to laugh when Steve immediately gave her the number. Nancy rolled her eyes at Steve's dumbfounded look before dragging them upstairs.

"What is she going to say to parents?" Steve asked.

"You probably don't want to know," Barb replied.

Steve threw himself onto Nancy's bed and grabbed the teddy bear on her bed, holding it to his chest.

"You really like that bear," Nancy said as she closed her door.

"It reminds me of the one I used to have. My grandfather gave it to me," Steve said.

"You don't have it anymore?" Barb asked.

"Nah, my dad gave it away because he said I was too old for it," Steve said.

"The more I hear about your dad. . .," Barb trailed off.

"The more you want to smash his camera?" Steve asked and Barb laughed.

She crawled onto the bed and leaned her back against the headboard. She pulled Steve to her chest and Steve sighed happily as he snuggled into her. Nancy laid down next to Barb.

"Okay, what's our plan?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know, I can't really think right now," Steve said. "I'm suddenly very sleepy."

"Well, we didn't get very much sleep last night," Barb smirked.

"We definitely didn't," Steve said.

"We have to come up with a plan, there's a monster out there," Nancy said. "We need to keep ourselves awake."

"I thought I was a lesbian," Barb said. "Until last night. Kind of thought Nancy was too."

"I thought I was too," Nancy giggled.

"Maybe we are lesbians but we're also stevesexual," Barb said.

"Oh, you're definitely stevesexual," Steve replied.

"That is NOT a word," Nancy laughed.

"Newsflash, Nance, all words are made up," Barb replied. "Lesbians existed before the word existed."

"You're definitely tired, Barbara," Nancy replied.

"No, no, she's onto something. I mean, you can call yourself anything," Steve said.

"I could call myself a pineapple if I wanted to," Barb teased.

"You can't!" Nancy giggled.

"Why the hell not?" Barb asked.

"Because I hate pineapples and I definitely don't hate you," she said.

"Hm, I guess I can't call myself a pineapple," Barb said and kissed Nancy. "I guess I only care about what's on the inside."

"Me too," Nancy said.

"You both have sexy hearts," Barb said, yawning.

"Yeah, we definitely need a nap," Nancy said.

"A real nap?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, a real nap, Steven."

When they woke up, it was dark outside, and Nancy's bedroom door was wide open. Mrs. Wheeler had been in here. The three of them wandered downstairs to find Mrs. Wheeler standing in the entryway, hugging Mike as he cried.

"Mom? Did they find Will?" Nancy asked and Mike's sobs grew louder.

The next morning was a somber affair, and the three of them stood in the parking lot before school once again.

"I had hoped that they wouldn't have found him like that," Barb said.

"Yeah, me too," Steve said.

"I should have stayed, but Mike insisted that he was fine and that I should go to school," Nancy said. "I feel weird being here knowing how upset he is."

"Well, you want to skip, and we can go check on him?" Steve asked.

"That's a sweet offer, but I want to respect his space, too," Nancy said. "He'll come to me if he needs me. I let him know that I'll be there for him when he's ready."

"I never know what to say in situations like this. Everything feels like it's - " Steve started to say.

"Like it's not enough?" Barb asked.

"Yeah," Nancy said.

"Didn't your dad offer to do the same thing?" Barb asked.

"He did, according to mom. He's still dad," Nancy smiled.

"What does that mean?" Steve asked.

"Lately, he's been stuck in his chair and a lot more lethargic. I'm worried that he might have a tumor or something," Nancy said.

"Or maybe he's having a hard time at work," Barb suggested.

"Maybe," Nancy sighed. "So this monster. . .I'm starting to think that it might have something to do with Will's disappearance. I know they said he fell into the quarry, and maybe he did. . .or maybe he was chased into the quarry by something."

"Like the monster, you mean?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Nancy said.

"Yeah, I can see that," Steve said. "I don't see us approaching Will's mom about this so. . ."

"That leaves Jonathan," Barb said, rolling her eyes. "This is so going to be so awkward. So, Steve, how was it staying with the Hendersons?"

"Well, Claudia is amazing. Dustin's a little shit but somehow, at the same time, it's endearing," Steve said, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Congratulations, Steve, you just got yourself a bouncing baby brother," Nancy said. "It's both wonderful and stressful at the same time. You're going to love it."

When they did find Jonathan, he was picking out caskets for his brother. So, yeah, it's very awkward. She still hated him for what he did, but she was a big enough person to also feel sympathy for the situation that he was in. They pulled him into the entryway where Nancy showed him a picture of the monster.

"I thought my mom was crazy," Jonathan said. "She kept going on about a monster without a face, a monster in the walls, and I - I didn't believe her."

"You didn't know," Nancy said softly.

"All three of you saw it?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, it was definitely gunning for Barb's blood," Steve said.

"Well, that's disturbing," Jonathan said.

Barb bit back a retort. He would know what's disturbing, wouldn't he?

"Okay, so, what do we do? Do we tell someone or try to kill it ourselves?" Barb asked.

"How would we kill it?" Jonathan asked. "We don't have anything. I mean, my dad has a Smith & Wesson."

"Well, we know Chlorine hurts the fucker. Fire generally kills most things," Barb said.

"I don't know if I can do this right now," Jonathan muttered.

"Well, that's understandable," Nancy said. "We can figure it out later."

"Do you mind - ?" Jonathan asked.

"Of course. Just let us know if you need anything," Nancy said.

"Thanks," Jonathan said. "I can do this by myself."

Nancy squeezed his arm and exited the funeral home with her partners.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Steve said to Nancy. "Even after everything he's done, you're still willing to help him."

"It's nothing," Nancy said, bashfully.

"You're a bigger person than I am," Barb grinned. "You and that sexy heart of yours."

"Okay, so, after the funeral tomorrow we gather the supplies and we hunt this fucker down," Nancy said. "Hopefully, we can get the gun from Jonathan."

"You're really determined to take this monster down," Barb said.

"It came after my brother's friend, and then it tried to come after you," Nancy said. "I want to kill it."

"I love you," Barb said.

The next day, Barb was getting dressed for Will's funeral when her mother entered her bedroom.

"So, you and Nancy have been hanging out with Steve Harrington lately," her mother said.

"Where are you going with this, mom?" Barb asked.

"Well, you've complained a lot about him in the past," she said.

"Turns out Tommy and Carol were the assholes," Barb said. "I made a snap judgment of him. He wasn't who I thought he was. . .in a good way, though."

"Well, we all sort of do it," she said.

"He dumped his supposed friends for us," Barb beamed.

"Well, I'm glad," she said.

"Okay, mom, what's this all about?" Barb asked.

"You know you can talk to us about anything, right?" She asked. "We'll always love you, no matter what. I'm not trying to push you into talking about anything. I just want you to know we're here for you whenever you're ready."

"Okay, mom, what do you know?" Barb asked.

"What? Me? I don't know anything," she said innocently.

"Mom! Do you know about me, Steve, and Nancy?" Barb asked.

"Oh, well, yes," She said.

"It's only been like three days!" Barb exclaimed.

"And you were very obvious, dear," she said. "With the way you talked about them. We've known about you and Nancy even longer, and we were alright with it. I mean, we figured you girls would share everything, although we never expected an entire person."

"So, what? Like half a person, then?" Barb asked sarcastically.

"Barbara!" She chuckled.

"Why are you saying this now?" Barb asked.

"Well, we wanted to wait and give you time to come to us on your own, but with Will dying. . .you never know how much time you have left with your children. We both wanted you to feel accepted," She said.

"Oh, mommy," she said softly. "I love you so much. . .where's dad?"

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry!" Her father's voice floated in from the hallway.

"He started crying before we even came in here," she said. "He loves you so much."

"This was supposed to be all about you, I did not want to make it about myself again!" Her father sobbed.

"Daddy, get in here!" Barb laughed.

Her father shuffled in, his face red from crying. She smiled and hugged her father tightly. God, she had the best parents in the world. Her mother clapped and quickly joined the hug. She shouldn't be this happy going to a funeral, especially for a kid. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Steve and Nancy. She quickly made herself look sad, though, as she stood beside them. She looked at Joyce and Jonathan. God, they looked so heartbroken. . .so lost. Joyce was glaring at the casket as if she didn't believe what was in there. Maybe it wasn't Will. Maybe somehow he was still alive somewhere, maybe it was a fake body lying in that coffin. Barb wanted it to he true for Joyce's sake.

"I want to kill it," Jonathan said.

They had gathered together after the funeral to talk about what they were going to do. Nancy had brought a map to look to track where the monster might be going.

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

"Yes," Jonathan said.

"What about your mom?" Barb asked.

"I'll tell her after this thing is dead," Jonathan said.

After the funeral, they all got dressed and ran off to gather more supplies. Jonathan had managed to steal his father's gun, but they still needed a bigger arsenal. Nancy managed to bring her bat from home, and Barb managed to swipe a couple of knives from her mother's collection.

"Your mother likes knives?" Steve asked Barb.

"Oh, yeah," Nancy laughed. "It's impressive, actually."

"So, you better not break my heart or Nancy's," Barb whispered.

"Noted," Steve laughed, and they moved through the aisle. "So, why aren't we telling an adult about this again?"

"My mom's not in the right headspace," Jonathan said.

"Are you in the right headspace?" Steve asked.

"I have to be," Jonathan said.

"Hm, I've had Dustin Henderson as a sort of brother for like five seconds, but I think I'd kill for him," Steve said. "I don't what it's like to have a brother, though I've always wanted one. I can imagine that it must be nice."

"How come you don't have a brother?" Jonathan asked.

"I asked my dad that once when I was like eight, and he said my gigantic head ruined my mother for him," Steve said.

"Jesus," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not that big," Steve said.

"I'm talking about your dad. What an asshole," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, I never got why she's still with him," Steve said.

"Never really understood why my mom stayed with my dad for so long either," Jonathan said. "She's always said that sometimes good things come out of bad situations."

"Like you and your brother?" Steve asked.

"Oh, yeah, I guess she was talking about us," Jonathan said.

Barbara smiled at them, glad that Steve was making a better friend in Jonathan who actually seemed genuinely sorry that he took those photos. Still, he had a lot to prove. Once they got to the counter, the guy there looked at them funny.

"What are you guys planning to do with all this?" He asked.

"Monster hunting," Nancy replied.

Luckily, the guy thought it was a joke. . .or he really didn't want to know. Either way, they managed to get out of there without any more questions and quickly loaded it in the back of Steve’s car.

"It's weird. Just a few days ago, Barb and I were shopping to find a sweater that I thought that Steve would like," Nancy said.

"Really?" Steve asked.

"Oh, I told her that you probably wouldn't care," Barb said.

"Anything purple or pink, really," Steve said, and they looked at him. "It just seems like it's your favorite color. You like beam more when you wear them."

"Blue's one of my favorites, too," Nancy replied.

"So, what's the weirdest part about all of this? The monster hunting or hanging out with me?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, definitely, you," Nancy, Barb, and Steve all laughed.

Jonathan was about to reply when someone drove by and stuck their head out the window to yell at them.

"Hey, Nance, I can't wait to see your movie!" And they didn't wait for a response.

"What the hell?" Steve asked.

They followed Nancy to the Hawk. Spray painted on the theater under "All the Right Moves" were the words written in spray paint: starring Nancy "the slut" Wheeler.

"Oh, someone's going to be dead," Barb scowled. "Or at least they wish they were."

They followed the sound of spray paints and laughter to the alleyway beside the theater. Of course, it was Tommy and Carol.

"Hey, assholes!" Steve yelled.

Things did not get better after that. Nancy slapped Tommy, Tommy said words to both Jonathan and Steve while Barb yelled at Carol for words she said about Nancy. Jonathan had thrown the first punch at Tommy, who swung back and knocked him on his ass before turning on Steve. He had Steve on the ground, who fought well, but Tommy fought harder. He kept hitting Steve even when Steve could barely get a word in. Nancy and Barb screamed, trying to get Tommy off of Steve. Jonathan managed to get back up and pulled Tommy off of Steve. He hit him and kept hitting him until Tommy was the one on his back. Jonathan didn't even notice that the cops had shown up, and he accidentally hit one. That's how they all ended up at the police station.

"Steve, are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Barb asked as she held ice to his eye.

"I'm fine, really," Steve said. "I just want to make sure that Jonathan doesn't go to jail."

"Thanks, man, but you don't have to do that," Jonathan said.

"Nah, I'm good," Steve said. "Really."

"That lady doesn't know what she's talking about," Nancy told Jonathan as she did the same with his eye.

"Yeah, you punched the douche because he was insulting your family," Steve said, and then he frowned. "I wonder if that would have been me, you know, if things hadn't changed, you know, if I hadn't walked away from them. . ."

"You can't think of the what ifs, Steve," Barb said. "They'll eat you alive, but you would have gotten there eventually, and you wouldn't have been nearly as cruel as Tommy."

"I do have to admit that you're a good guy," Jonathan mumbled.

"Coming from Jonathan Byers, that's a compliment," Steve smiled. "I think, anyway. . .you're not entirely bad yourself."

"I really am sorry about the photos, you know, and my reaction to taking them. . .there's really no excuse," Jonathan said.

"Well, you really proved yourself back there," Nancy said.

"You totally did," Barb said.

"Saved my ass, man," Steve said.

"Does that mean that I'll get my camera back?" He asked.

"You still have an essay to write," Nancy said.

"You're serious about that?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah," Barb and Nancy said, giggling.

"Why is my son in cuffs?!" They heard Joyce Byers yell. "Take them off!"

"He assaulted a police officer, ma'am," Callahan said.

"Take them off! Now!" Joyce yelled at them, Chief Hopper coming in behind her.

"You heard her, take them off," Hopper said.

Callahan sighed and took the cuffs off of Jonathan.

"There's something you should see, Chief," Powell said.

Barb shared a look with the others. Shit, they were going to look in the trunk. Powell led Hopper outside, and a moment later, they came back, looking even more serious.

"Care to explain why you have all of that?" Hopper asked Jonathan.

"You won't believe us," he said.

"Why don't you give us a try?" Hopper asked.

Barb, Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan squeezed into the chief's office, away from prying eyes. Hopper was looking at the photo of the monster.

"And this thing is drawn to blood?" Hopper asked.

"Well, that's the theory," Nancy said. "Not really a theory, I guess, because it smelled Barb's blood and tried to go after her. It would have, too, if it hadn't fallen into the pool."

"And if I hadn't been hanging out with Steve and Nancy inside," Barb said.

"Is this the only photo?" Hopper asked.

"The only photo of the monster," Nancy replied as she shoved Jonathan's camera and the other photos into her bag.

"Why does Nancy have your camera?" Joyce asked.

"I'm letting her borrow it for a school project," Jonathan said, blushing, and Joyce looked at him doubtfully.

"Let's go talk in the hallway," Joyce said and pulled him out of the room.

"You do realize that it was unbelievable dangerous to try and go after this thing by yourselves?" Hopper asked.

"Yeah, we always knew that, but it didn't seem like anyone was trying to stop this thing, and honestly, I wanted to get it before it got me or anyone else I cared about," Barb said.

"I definitely wasn't going to let it get Barb," Nancy said.

"Me neither. . .also, there is no way that I was going to be able to sleep in that empty house with that thing on the loose," Steve said.

"Empty? Where are your parents?" Hopper asked.

"Oh, out of town," Steve said.

"Did they say when they'll be back?" He asked.

"I don't know. That kind of depends on whether my dad cheats on my mom again," Steve said. "If he does, they usually stay longer."

"Are you expecting a call from them anytime soon?" Hopper asked.

"When they can remember to, they'll call, so no," Steve said, and Hopper clenched his fists. "Did I say something wrong?"

Hopper sighed, unclenched his fists, and squeezed Steve’s shoulders gently.

"No, kid, you didn't," Hopper said.

"We should definitely make you staying with Claudia a permanent thing," Nancy said.

"I'm definitely going to look into that," Hopper said.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the monster?" Steve asked, blushing.

It wasn't hard to figure out that the girl with the powers that Joyce and Hopper had been looking for was with Nancy's brother and his friends. When they showed up to Nancy's house, there were tons of vans parked out front and people in suits searching the place. Nancy moved towards her house, but Barb and Steve grabbed her hands.

"That's my house!" Nancy exclaimed.

"They haven't found him yet," Steve said.

"That's true. Look, Nance," Barb said, pointing at the helicopters. "They're still looking for him.

"They're right," Hopper said.

"All that's for Mike?" Nancy asked, stunned.

"Do you have any idea where they might go?" Joyce asked them.

"No," Jonathan said. "But I know how we might find out."

Barb and Nancy went with Steve in his car while Jonathan went off with his parents. Jonathan might as well call Hopper his dad, Barb thought. Jonathan looked at Hopper like he was the first man who came through for him in his entire life, and he was doing it all to help his family. It was a shock when they showed up to the Byer home to find it a complete mess with a hole in the wall and Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. Joyce had been really desperate to find her son. Not that Barb had blamed her, considering the lengths that Nancy was going to in order to keep her safe. They managed to make contact with the kids, and the rest of them stayed behind while Hopper went to pick up the kids. When they finally returned, night had fallen. Barb watched with a smile as Nancy ran out to greet her brother.

"Steve!" Dustin exclaimed and ran to him, hugging him as tightly as Nancy hugged Mike.

"Looks like someone made an impression," Barb teased Steve and then turned to Dustin. "And if you're lucky, you might get to keep him."

"Cool! I always wanted an older brother! What happened to your face?" Dustin asked.

"My former friend Tommy didn't like that I started hanging out with people who are cooler than he is," Steve said.

"What a mouth breather," Dustin scowled.

"You said it," Steve grinned and placed his hand on his head. "Glad you're okay."

They all moved into the house where the boys explained to them about the Upside Down and how El was able to get a glimpse into the other world with her powers. It angered Barb to no end that this girl had been raised in a lab her entire life and experimented on. That was the only life she had ever known, and she had been taken from her mother in order to be turned into a weapon. As a babysitter and a human being, she couldn't understand how people could do that. . .use children as a weapon for their own cruel reasons. The difference here, with them using El, was that they made sure El knew what she was getting into and that it was her choice to do this. It was how they ended up at the middle school, preparing a homemade deprivation tank for El's power.

"It's crazy what you kids went through," Steve said to Mike as he went with him, Nancy, and Barb to grab the hoses. "I would have been terrified. How high does your IQ have to be to have outrun those suits?"

"It was a group effort," Mike shrugged.

"No, you're definitely smart," Barb said. "But you also got lucky like we did. We could have definitely used you on our team."

Barb could feel Nancy smiling at both her and Steve. She just wanted to let Mike know that he should probably contact them next time without telling out right that he needed a babysitter.

"I thought you hated Steve, Barb," Mike said.

"Well, I just didn't know him," Barb said. "Plus, there's nothing like a nine foot tall monster with a flower face to really bring you together."

And there really wasn't. Oh, she wished Mike wasn't looking so she could kiss both Steve and Nancy. Nancy picked up a rock and smashed open the lock to the shed. Using a wheelbarrow, they pushed the hoses up back to the school.

"So, do you like El now?" Nancy asked.

"What?! Ew! No, gross!" Mike scowled and Steve laughed. "Do you like Jonathan now?"

"What?! No! We-I'm dating Steve," Nancy said.

Barb shared an amused smile with Steve. It was going to come out eventually, but maybe now wasn't the best time. Barb knew how much Nancy cared about Mike and his friends. They had spent many occasions babysitting them together. She remembered when Nancy had dressed up for their D&D game once. She had remembered it so vividly because she remembered the way Mike's eyes shined when his big sister, whom he looked up to, did that for him. Mike and Nancy were so different but also so alike in so many ways. Barb could see that Steve was starting to pick up on the fact that Nancy cared about these kids. She could see it in Steve's eyes: the admiration for the drive and the compassion that Nancy had. The fact that he could also see that she wasn't perfect either and that she tried to be. In that aspect, Nancy and Steve were alike. Barb couldn't help but watch Steve look at Nancy so fondly.

"Do I have something on my face?" Steve asked, and she glanced away for a moment.

"Skin, moles," Barb replied. "Lots of moles."

"Haha, hilarious," Steve said.

"You're good," Barb smiled.

Steve smiled and brushed his shoulder against hers, letting their fingers touch for a moment. They walked back into the gym and helped set up the tank. Barb sat down in between Steve and Nancy, watching as El was lowered down into the pool. Barb squeezed both of their hands as they awaited to see what El found. She hoped they found that little boy, and Barb chose to focus on that rather than the fact it could have been her in there as well. The lights flickered as El continued to search for the boy and even more so when she found him alive, but barely hanging on. It was a rush for Chief Hopper and Joyce to run off towards the lab to enter the gate through the Upside Down. Jonathan had tried to go with them, but Joyce had pleaded with them to stay.

Barb had wandered back into the gym to find the kids huddled up together on the bleachers. Barb smiled at the sight of El resting her head on Mike's shoulder while Lucas patted her back, making sure the towel was secure around her shoulders, while Dustin reached over to squeeze her knee. It looked like El was going to get to some great friends out of this and maybe even a family, too. Judging by the way that Hopper and Joyce had guided her, Barb had a feeling that they were somehow going to end up as El's parents. She wandered over to them.

"How are you guys holding up?" Barb asked.

"You are Barbara," El said.

"Yeah, but you can call me Barb," she replied.

"Barb," she said, and then she pointed at herself. "El."

"I know, it was pretty cool what you did back there. You did a very good thing even though you didn't have to," Barb said.

"I had to," El said.

"Nancy said the demogorgon almost came after you," Mike said.

"Well, I cut my hand, and I guess some of it dropped by the pool," Barb frowned. "It was drawn by that tiny drop. I'm just thankful it fell in the pool."

"And that you were hanging out with Steve and Nancy. What were you guys doing, anyway?" Mike asked.

"Oh, you know, speaking of Steve and Nancy. I, uh, I'm going to see what they're doing," Barb said, blushing. "I'll be back."

Bullet dodged. Hopefully, they'll forget that question when she gets back. She wandered towards the entrance of the gym, where she found Nancy talking with Jonathan and Steve.

"What did I miss?" Barb asked.

"Nancy wants to finish off the demogorgon," Steve replied.

"It needs to die. Even if we can't kill it, we can at least distract it so it doesn't go after Hopper and Joyce in the Upside Down," Nancy replied.

"Yeah, okay, but what about the kids? They can't stay here by themselves. Those assholes could come back for them at any time," Steve said.

"Well, it's Jonathan's house, so maybe I should go with Jonathan and Steve if you want to stay here with the kids. . .yeah, they definitely need someone looking out for them," Nancy said.

"And Steve will need help looking after the kids. I'll stay here," Barb said.

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

"About as sure as you are about killing this thing," Barb said.

"It came after you, Barbara, I'm not going to let it do it again," Nancy said.

Barb smiled and kissed her. Nancy smiled against her lips and wrapped her arms around her neck, deepening the kiss. Barb pulled her in closer, her hands gripping Nancy's waist. She tried not to cry and tried not to think that this might be their last kiss. They pulled away, and Nancy leaned her forehead against Barb's for a moment before pulling her out of her arms. They gave Steve the baseball bat and the box of nails with a hammer.

"We got more and another bat in the trunk. Go nuts," Jonathan said.

Steve grinned and nodded at him. Nancy moved in front of him.

"Be careful, look after each other," Nancy said.

"You, too," Steve said.

Nancy kissed him as desperately as she kissed Barb, and Steve nearly dropped the stuff in his arms. He managed to kiss her back. Nancy pulled away before climbing into the car with Jonathan. Barb stood next to Steve as they watched him drive away. Barb turned to him.

"It was really great that you were worried about the kids," Barb said.

"Well, they shouldn't have to go through this alone," Steve said.

Barb studied him. She imagined a young Steve home by himself, wondering when his parents would remember to call. . .wondering when they would decide to be there for him.

"No, they shouldn't," Barb said.

She took the stuff out of his arms and set them on the floor. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him just as deeply as she kissed Nancy. Steve pulled back and pressed his forehead against Barb's.

"She's going to be okay," Steve said.

"I know," Barb whispered.

"Oh my god! You guys really do share everything!" They heard Mike yell, and they both laughed.

Barb ushered Mike inside with the other kids. Steve immediately went to work hammering in the nails in the bat. The kids had crowded around Steve, watching him work. Steve held up the bat when he was finished.

"What do you think?" Steve asked.

"Awesome!" Lucas, Mike, and Dustin exclaimed.

"Yeah, awesome," El breathed.

Steve moved away from them, twirled the bat, and started practicing his swinging. He started doing all sorts of things with it. He dove, he dodged, and weaved as though he was fighting off an invisible force. The kids clapped and cheered when he rolled across the gym floor, jumping up to swing the bat like the demogorgon was there. Steve came to a stop, leaned on his bat, and winked at Barb. She rolled her eyes, smiling. He was clearly showing off for the kids.

"I'm not impressed," Barb teased. "You're such a dork."

"What? No, Barb! That was totally cool!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Don't you think Steve’s a douchebag?" Mike asked Lucas.

"Not anymore," Lucas said.

"Anyone could do that," Mike rolled his eyes.

"Bullshit, Mike! You couldn't do that!" Dustin exclaimed. "Just admit that it was cool. He's a total paladin."

"Okay, I'd admit that it was cool, but I'm not going to call him a paladin," Mike said.

"You guys are hilarious," Steve said. "Definitely a lot cooler than I am."

The kids ended up dragging Steve and Barb into the cafeteria to pilfer the pudding the lunch lady had been hoarding.

"You're not going to tell on us?" Dustin asked Barb.

"Why would I?" Barb asked as she swiped a pudding cup. "If we're going to die, might as well die with pudding in our stomachs."

"That's the spirit," Dustin grinned. "I keep telling Mike you're the coolest babysitter ever. He's such a pessimist."

"Nancy can be a little pessimist herself," Barb smiled.

"Steve, if you really want to learn how to be a really cool babysitter, Barb knows," Dustin said and walked off.

"Did you hear that? You're a really cool babysitter," Steve said bumping her hip with his.

"You're not so bad yourself. You'll get there with a little help," Barb grinned.

They had only a moment of peace before the assholes from the lab found them. They dropped the pudding cups, and Barb led the kids down the hallway with Steve behind them all. She had her knives out, prepared to stab anyone in case they decided to come after the kids. Steve had his trusty bat in his hands. They got as far as they could, but the bad men had them covered on either side of the hallway. They had guns. Barb and Steve stood on either side of the kids, back to back practically. A woman moved forward and Barb didn't hestitate to take a slice off that bitch. The woman didn't hesitate to pistol whip Barb, knocking her glasses off of her face.

"Barb!" Steve hollered.

El moved forward, focusing on the agents, and the lights flickered over head. Blood trickled from El's nose at the same time that blood started pouring the bad mens' eyes, noses, and mouths. Their necks snapped at the same time, and they fell to the ground in unison. Head still ringing, Barb quickly picked up her glasses and put them back on her face as El collapsed.

"El!" Barb exclaimed and moved to her side.

That's when he showed up. A man with white hair who was tall and very forboding. A chill shot down Barb's back at the sight of him. He was just as terrifying as the demogorgon. Steve rushed to Barb's side but was grabbed and held by an agent at the same time that Barb was grabbed by another one. They fought hard against their grips as they took Barb's knives and held Steve's bat. Barb noted with a smile that one of their leg's was bleeding heavily. Steve had gotten one of them with the bat. The white-haired man approached El and cradled her in his arms.

"Papa," El muttered.

"Let her go, you son of a bitch! She's not your property. She's a human being, and she doesn't deserve to be treated ~," Barb started to say but was pistol whipped again.

"Don't you fucking hurt her!" Steve yelled and he was given the same treatment.

Barb could feel blood drip down from her forehead as Steve spat blood from his mouth. She yelled and yanked her head backward, butting the person in the face with it. He yelled, letting go of one of her arms, and she elbowed him in the stomach, making him let go of her other arm. She pulled the knives out of his belt and thrust it into his neck. He dropped to the ground just as another agent tried to grab for her but he froze when they all heard a loud growling sound. The agents let the kids and Steve go to pull out their guns. The white haired guy dropped El as the demogorgon appeared.

"Oh, shit," Steve yelled and grabbed his bat. "RUN!"

Steve hit the strange man in the leg and picked up El before he could, handing off the bat to Barb, who took it gladly. The kids took off ahead of them, and they ran into an empty classroom, slamming the door behind them to hide. Barb stood protectively in front of the kids and Steve as the demogorgon caught up with them. El wiggled out of Steve's arms and moved towards the monster, Mike screaming her name. She held out her hand and pushed the monster back with her powers, slamming it into the chalkboard. They watched as El destroyed the monster along with herself, nothing left behind but dark ash. Mike stood there, stunned as he looked at the disfigured chalkboard.

"Mike," Barb said softly as she stood up.

Mike threw himself into her arms, crying. El was dead, but so was the monster. Barb held Mike tightly, pressing her cheek into his hair as his entire body shook with sobs. Steve tentively walked up beside her, Dustin curled up against his side, and he placed a hand on Mike's shoulder. Lucas patted Mike on the back, sniffling as well.

"Physically. . . is everyone okay?" Steve asked.

"Better than you and Barb," Lucas said.

They moved through the school, making their way past the dead, bloody bodies, and out into the fresh air. Barb held Mike to her side, gripping Steve's bat in her hand. They weren't sure who had called them, but the ambulances and the cops had shown up pretty quickly. It wasn't long before their parents had shown up. . .well, everyone except Steve's.

"Barbara!" her mother shrieked. "Oh, look at you!"

Her parents hugged her tightly as Mike's parents did the same with him. Barb couldn't explain to her parents what had happened. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to explain anything except for the fact that Steve had helped save their lives.

"Barb! Where's Nancy?!" Karen asked and she snapped out of it.

"Jonathan's house," Barb replied.

"Dusty!" she could recognize Claudia Henderson's shriek from anywhere and then: "Steve!"

To Steve's surprise, Claudia had pulled him into a hug along with Dustin. Barb smirked. It looked like Steve was going to have a family that he always secretly wished he had. Barb frowned. That should be El, too, with Hopper and the Byers. . .did they find Will?

LATER. . .IN THE HOSPITAL. . .

Barb and the others met everyone there, including Nancy. Barb had pulled Nancy into a hug along with Steve while Jonathan stood off to the side.

"Hey! You, too! You're not getting out of this," Steve said to Jonathan.

"Me?" Jonathan asked.

Barb laughed as Steve rolled his eyes before pulling Jonathan into the group hug. Joyce laughed at the look on her son's face.

"The doctors are looking over Will now. It's probably going to be a while, so if you guys want to go home. . ." Joyce said.

"Nonsense, Joyce," Karen said. "We'll be here as long as you need us."

Nancy quickly pulled Steve, Jonathan, and Barb off to the side.

"Barb. . .your eye and forehead. . ." Nancy whispered.

"Oh, I totally killed that guy," Barb said.

"Yeah, no, she really killed him," Steve said, nodding at the look on Nancy's face.

"In other news, Mom's letting me keep her knives," Barb said.

"You totally pull them off," Steve muttered.

"And so, El is for sure. . ." Nancy trailed off.

"Yeah," Barb said, glancing at Mike. "It was awful."

"Poor Mike, she was the first girl he liked, I can't imagine watching that," Nancy said.

"He's going to need a lot of help," Steve said.

"Yeah," Jonathan said as they all looked at the kids. "We all are. . .uh, if you don't mind, I'm going to wait with my mom."

"Well, we'll be here," Barb said.

"Does this - does this mean we're friends?" Jonathan asked.

Barb studied him for a moment. She could see it in his eyes, how desperately he was trying to hide the hope he was feeling.

"Yeah, it does," Barb said.

"All of us," Steve said.

"We're still expecting that essay," Nancy said, her eyes twinkling.

"Whenever you're ready," Barb said.

Jonathan walked over to his mother and sat down next to her, holding her hand. Barb, Nancy, and Steve sat in the corner of the waiting room near Nancy's parents. Nancy and Barb leaned as close to Steve as possible, discreetly brushing their pinkies up against Steve’s. Barb glanced over at Nancy, who was resting her head on Steve’s shoulder. It's crazy how things changed. . . It was crazy how that image would have annoyed her, but now all it did was give her warm fuzzy feelings in her stomach. . .

SUMMER OF '84

Barb was sprawled out in Jonathan's room, Steve between her legs with his back to her chest, and his head tucked underneath her head. Nancy was holding his hand while Barb stroked his nose with her finger. It was a complete accident that they discovered that you could calm Steve Harrington down if you just stroked his nose. It also helped to look at the blanket that hung on Jonathan's wall. Something to do with the colors. Steve was peculiar, as it turns out, like they were. Jonathan walked into the room and handed him a glass of water.

"You know, my mom did these breathing exercises when she was giving birth to Will, if you need help with your own delivery," Jonathan said in amusement.

"Shut up, Byers," Steve said as he took a drink of water.

"With your legs spred like that, it does look like you're giving birth," Barb said with a giggle.

"Nancy, tell our girlfriend that she's supposed to be helping me," Steve said.

"Sorry," Nancy said.

"Some friends you are," Steve said and smiled. "I don't even know why I'm freaking out. My parents are getting divorced so, what?! I mean, this is what I wanted, right?"

"Well, change can be scary even if it's what you wanted," Nancy said. "I mean, you must have been scared when you finally dumped Tommy and Carol."

"That's true," Jonathan said. "I mean, even though I wanted Lonnie gone and out of the house, it wasn't like he was totally useless. He did bring some things to the table, and it was scary that we were being left with this vaccum that we didn't know how to fill. We did manage to find a way to work around it, though."

"I just don't want what I have now to disappear, you know. I want to keep living with Claudia and Dustin," Steve said.

"Does your mom seem like the kind of person to take you away from them?" Nancy asked.

"No, in fact, she likes coming over now, and it's totally weird having her around all the time," Steve said. "And I guess I just don't want to get my hopes up that she'll stay."

"Well, it's not crazy to worry about that either," Nancy said. "I'm sure it's an adjustment."

"I'm sure it's going to work out and if your mom does try to take you away, we'll just kidnap you and bring you back," Barb said.

"Aw, you'll break the law for me?" Steve said.

"I think all of us would," Nancy said.

"Tommy and Carol never would have broken the law for me," Steve said.

"Their loss is our gain," Barb said.

Barb actually liked him like this, just utterly and completely melting into their arms. No one but them knew what Steve Harrington was really like, not even Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins. Steve wanted to be soft and small. He never really wanted the attention. He just didn't want to be alone. Jonathan was similar, but he had pushed people away rather than surround himself by the wrong people. He had his graded essay hung up on the wall to remind himself what kind of person, of what kind of photogropher that he wanted to be along with pictures of his new friends.

"I guess I don't have anything to worry about," Steve said. "Thanks for letting me freak out. Tommy would have just told me to stop being a crybaby."

"You really like reminding us that we're better for you than Tommy and Carol, huh?" Nancy teased.

"Oh, yeah," Steve said. "You all are."

"Well, you've been there enough of all of our freak outs," Jonathan said. "We've promised to be there for each other so. . .we're here."

"Oh, speaking of my mother coming over all the time," Steve said. "She's also been talking to Claudia a lot."

"Well, we figured," Nancy said. "So, what did Claudia say to make Maggie realize she should have probably divorced that jackass a long time ago?"

"Maybe it was Claudia," Barb said. "Or maybe it was the fact that she had come home and realized that her son had moved out?"

"Maybe it was both," Steve said. "Anyway, Dustin told me that he saw something the other night that made him think that there might be something between my mom and his."

"Oh, that would be perfect," Nancy gasped. "You both would get two wonderful mothers, and maybe your mom would move in there!"

"It would be great, wouldn't it?" Steve asked.

"So, what was it that Dustin saw exactly?" Barb asked as she wrapped her arms around Steve.

"Well, he said it was the way they looked at each other," Steve said. "I think he just wants to have two mothers."

"And to keep his favorite brother around," Barb said.

"Maybe," Steve grinned. "So, right before school ended, I overheard a couple of jocks whispering about Eddie Munson. Apparently, it's a possibility that Higgins blackmailed Munson into dropping out, and that's why the jocks have been out for him as well as Hellfire."

"Well, apparently, he failed because Eddie's coming back next year," Jonathan said.

"Really?" Nancy asked. "And how do you know that?"

"I just know," Jonathan blushed.

"It has nothing to do with the weed that fell out of your bag earlier?" Steve asked.

"Okay, so maybe Eddie's been selling me weed, and we've been talking," Jonathan said.

"So, you're friends?" Nancy asked.

"He defended my brother against some mouthbreathers and took a baseball that was meant for him," Jonathan said, his face turning a deeper red.

"Oh, so, you want to be more than friends," Barb teased.

"I mean, maybe, he is cute," Jonathan said.

"And it definitely doesn't hurt that he stuck up for your brother," Steve said.

"It's a huge plus," he said.

"Well, it sounds like Higgins has it out for your boyfriend," Steve said.

"We should definitely do something about that," Nancy said.

"Ooh, does this sound like a case for the monster hunting squad?" Barb asked.

"Ooh, I love Nancy Drew," Steve said. "It's perfect. Jonathan and Nancy are already on the paper. Maybe we should join, too, Barb?"

"And what would you do on the paper?" Barb teased.

"Hey, I could learn to be a sports writer," Steve said.

"That's true," Barb said thoughtfully.

"That could work," Nancy said. "Especially, when you start asking questions in the locker room."

Nancy got up and grabbed a journal off of Jonathan's desk. She plopped down in between Steve's leg and leaned against his chest.

"Alright. . .let's get to work, we have a mystery to solve. . ."

Part One

Eddie walked through the door of Robin's bedroom cautiously.

"I don't know why I assumed that you'd be taking me to your house when you said that you're taking me home," Eddie said. "Silly me."

"I did tell you that house was my parents' house," Steve said, following him in.

"So, why aren't we there?" He asked.

"Because the bios are in town," Robin said.

"Bios?" Eddie asked.

"My biological parents," Steve replied.

"Yeah, I was wondering about them. I was starting to think they don't exist," Eddie said.

"They basically don't," Robin said and pointed to a pile of pillows by the window. "Especially in Steve's life."

"That sucks," Eddie said as he plopped onto the pillows with Robin and Steve.

"Their loss. Our gain," Robin grinned.

Melissa Buckley popped her head through the door. Eddie had met her at the door. She was very mellow and sweet. She didn't even give him the stink eye when he walked in. Instead, she hugged him and welcomed him right into her home.

"Oh, does anyone need any snacks?" Melissa asked.

"Oh, no, we're good, Mombie, thank you," Robin said.

"Oh, Steve, your room is still all set up, but I'm afraid Snuffles has been occupying it lately," she replied.

"Thanks, Mombie," Steve said.

"Are you alright with us being in here?" Eddie asked.

"Of course, I am," she laughed.

"Oh, she now knows all about me being a lesbian," Robin said.

"You're -"

"I don't know why she was so worried. She knows we're all about the love," Melissa said. "And the fact that in the early days of our marriages, we branched out with other people."

"You never said it was men and women, mother!" Robin exclaimed, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Oh, your uncle should know, Eddie," Melissa said. "He was one of my lovers."

"What?!" Eddie shrieked.

"Oh, and he was excellent, too," Melisss sighed. "Really good with his hands - "

"Gah!" Eddie yelped and plugged his ears with his fingers. "Lalalalalala! I'm not listening!"

"You're scarring, Eddie, mombie," Robin said.

"Oh, I'll let you three to it, then," Melissa said and closed the door behind her.

"Okay, what the hell?" Eddie asked. "You know, I was okay with assuming that my uncle was basically a monk."

"How prude of you, Eddie," Robin cooed.

"You're a lesbian?" Eddie asked.

"Hm, I thought you knew," Robin said.

"Nope!" Eddie exclaimed.

"So, you don't know about either one of us?" Steve asked.

"You're a lesbian, too?" Eddie grinned.

"No, bisexual," Steve scoffed.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"I like men and women," Steve said, and then he turned to Robin. "I was pretty sure that he knew."

"Maybe the woman at the bar was wrong about flagging," Robin replied.

"I don't know. She seemed to know what she was talking about," Steve replied. "And I thought for sure that Eddie was flirting with me."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Eddie asked. "By the way, I'm cool with it all. . ."

"There's no way. . .no one calls someone "big boy" like that, and they're not flirting," Robin said.

"Maybe it's one of those situations," Steve whispered. "We should probably stop talking about it."

"Oh, hey, since it's your first time here, you get to pick the music," Robin said, pointing to her cassettes.

"Ooh, don't mind if I do," Eddie said and pulled the box closer to him. "Ooh. You got Bob Dylan. My mom was a fan."

"She had great tastes," Robin said and smiled when Eddie popped it in.

"Okay, what next?" Eddie asked.

Steve grinned and moved to his feet. He slowly began to untie Eddie's shoes before moving just as slowly to take them off. He kept the same pace when he took his socks off, keeping eye contact with Eddie.

"Seriously?" Robin sighed.

"What are you guys going to do to me?" Eddie asked, swallowing.

Robin rolled her eyes and pulled out a box.

"Pick a color, dingus," Robin said.

"Oh! You're painting my toenails," Eddie said.

"Well, you said that you wanted to know what we did when it's just the two of us," Robin said.

"Okay, can I do red and black?" Eddie asked.

"Of course," Steve said and began work on Eddie's feet.

"So, you two consider yourself like brother and sister?" Eddie asked as he took a magazine from Robin.

"Oh, no, that would ruin the plan," Robin said.

"We're basically platonic fiancées," Steve said.

"Well, almost fiancées," Robin said. "We're going to slowly manipulate Steve’s dad into giving us money for a wedding. We're going to take the money and give it to a worthy cause. We might just end up getting married for the hell of it, platonically, of course, but it's going to be the cheapest wedding ever. His dad would hate it."

"Mombie was against the plan at first," Steve said.

"And then she met his parents," Robin said. "Both of my parents are on board."

"As well as Claudia and Sue," Steve said.

"They meet up to discuss it, but they mostly just drink sangrias," Robin said. "And talk about. . .well, I don't know what they talk about."

"Jesus, are your parents really that bad?" Eddie asked as he flipped through the magazine.

"Yes," Steve and Robin said.

"Well, if you need any help, I'm your man," Eddie said, flashing his dimples.

"You know what would make your doe eyes pop?" Robin asked. "Eyeliner."

Eddie looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging.

"Alright."

"Yes!" Robin exclaimed and began to apply it.

"This magazine is really informative. Hey, Steve, do you mind me asking how you knew you were bisexual?" Eddie asked.

Robin had to stop applying the eyeliner because she suddenly started shaking with giggles.

"I don't mind it all - Robin, stop laughing!" Steve yelled and then sighed. "Well, apparently, it's just not very straight to practice kissing and practice having sex with a guy friend."

"Okay, well, I get the sex thing, but practice kissing with friends. . .doesn't everyone do that?" Eddie asked.

"No, and also like it? Also, no," Steve said.

"Oh, well. . ." Eddie said and looked away, thoughtfully, blushing, then he grinned. "Hell, I think I might be like you after all, big boy."

"One of us, one of us, one of us!" Robin and Steve chanted.

"You guys are freaks, I love it," Eddie laughed.

"Oh, Edward, you have no idea," Robin said.

"Should we?" Steve asked.

"Oh, I think we should," Robin said. "Eddie, do you want to be initiated into our coven?"

"Coven?" Eddie asked.

"We're wiccans," Steve grinned.

"Yeah, sure, why the fuck not?" Eddie laughed.

"Ooh! I get to try out my spell!" Robin exclaimed, clapping her hands. "And your potions and runes, Steven!"

The next thing, Eddie knew he was kneeling in the middle of Robin's room, surrounded by candles and very shirtless. Robin and Steve were both wearing black robes. Steve was kneeling in front of Eddie, painting runes on Eddie's chest and arms.

"We're kind of just making this shit up as we go along," Steve told Eddie.

"Obviously, that's clearly a dick you just painted," Eddie said, and Steve giggled.

The door opened, and Robert Buckley entered the room. Robin, Steve, and Eddie stared at him. He stared back. He set a fire extinguisher on Robin's desk.

"I thought I smelled smoke," Robert said. "Have fun."

"Thanks, Daddy," Robin and Steve said.

Just before he closed the door, Snuffles the orange tabby slipped onto the room.

"What's a Wiccan initiation without a cat?" Eddie asked with a grin.

Steve pulled out his potion. He pulled Eddie's hair back into a bun and started dabbing the potion behind his ears and on his throat. It smelled like heaven. He paused and glanced at Eddie's lips. Steve grinned before putting the potion on his own lips. Eddie stared at him in confusion. Steve cupped his face and kissed him, spreading the potion onto Eddie's lips. It also tasted like heaven. Steve tasted like heaven. Eddie let out a noise of disappointment as Steve pulled back.

"Woah! Head rush. Was that you or the potion?" Eddie asked. "What is that stuff?"

"You have to be a higher level to unlock that information," Steve said.

"Damn."

"That was completely unnecessary," Robin said and then grinned. "I can't wait until we're platonically married so I can call Eddie a whore for sleeping with my husband. It's going to be so dramatic."

Steve stood next to Robin as she opened her notebook, and they took each other's hands. Together, they started chanting in Latin. And when it was done, Steve happily wiped off the runes off Eddie's chest before presenting him with a temporary robe with promises of taking him out to pick out his own. In the meantime, Eddie was wearing Steve’s pink bathrobe. The three of them sat on Robin's window sill, hanging their feet outside. Robin and Steve sat on either side of Eddie.

"Do you think there are a lot more people like us out there in Hawkins?" Eddie asked.

"Definitely," Steve and Robin said, looking at him.

Eddie laid his head on Steve’s shoulder and intertwined their fingers. There came a sudden breeze, whipping through their hair. They smiled. They definitely felt magic in the air.

Jonathan was walking ahead of Nancy and Steve, trying to make their way back to Steve’s car in the heavy fog. Steve couldn't help but smile as he watched Jonathan walk. He had such a specific walk that Steve now knew he found cute. His eyes landed on his backside. Yeah, that was also very cute. Steve was quickly taking it all in stride now that he knew that it wasn't just Nancy he was mad for. He felt curious eyes on him, and he looked at Nancy, who was smiling at him in amusement.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Nothing," Nancy smiled.

"No, it's something," Steve said.

"It just looked like you were checking out my boyfriend's ass," Nancy said.

"Maybe I was. It's cute," Steve shrugged. "Never noticed how cute it was before."

"It is cute," Nancy agreed.

Jonathan spun around so fast that he would have fallen if Steve hadn't caught him. Steve grinned.

"Hey, looks like you've fallen for me," Steve said.

"Get off," Jonathan scoffed, but Steve noticed he was smiling. "I would never."

"You'd be lucky, I'm an excellent cook, so whenever you don't want to cook, I'm your man," Steve winked. "Can't say the same about Nancy."

"Oh, God, she tried to cook for you, too?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm not that bad," Nancy laughed.

"Yes, you are," Jonathan and Steve said before grinning at each other.

"It's the thought that counts, Nance," Steve said.

"I have to agree with Steve on this one," Jonathan said. "You can't be good at everything."

"I can try," Nancy said.

"I also happen to give a mean foot rub," Steve said.

"I can attest to that," Nancy said.

"Are you trying to convince me that it's a great idea to fall for you or remind Nancy why she fell for you?" Jonathan asked with a scowl.

"Who says it can't be both?" Steve asked.

"What?" Jonathan asked in surprise.

"Hey, I found my car! Come on, It'd be a terrible idea to drive in this, but we can wait it out inside my car," Steve said.

Jonathan and Nancy slid into the backseat after putting the bags in the trunk while Steve took the driver's seat. Jonathan leaned forward.

"Both of us?" Jonathan asked.

Steve turned sideways in his seat to look at Jonathan.

"I assume that Nancy told you about my little dream with the RV," Steve said.

"Yeah, she did," Jonathan said.

"Well, a few weeks ago, I had another little dream. It's pretty much the same thing with Nancy there, and we're all loaded in the RV ready to go on an adventure, but there was another added detail that I just didn't want to admit has always been there. It's just as important as Nancy being there. . .you were there, too, Jonathan," Steve said.

"Me?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, I think you were there for a long time. When Nancy and I were together, I wanted you there, too. I thought it was just me doing it for Nancy, you know, that I wanted you to be my friend so badly that I even tried to invite you to go on dates with us," Steve said.

"I thought you were just messing with me," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, I thought I was, too," Steve said and paused. "I just don't think that I'm ever that lucky to have both Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler fall for me. . .just do me a favor and at least give it some thought before you reject me."

"Uh. . .yeah," Jonathan said softly, sitting back.

There was a long stretch of silence, and then Steve could hear Nancy whispering to Jonathan in the back.

"Well, this is awkward," Steve said as he tapped his fingers on the wheel. "Maybe I should have waited for the fog to lift to say anything."

Jonathan moved forward again.

"So, when Nancy gave you a back rub, did it also always turn into sex?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes! Sometimes a guy just wants a back rub, you know!" Steve exclaimed.

"Excuse me!" Nancy yelled, laughing.

"I know," Jonathan laughed. "What's wrong, Nance? I thought you wanted us to get along."

"Not at my expense, Jonathan!" Nancy said and hit him playfully.

"I just wanted to make it less awkward," he said and Steve laughed.

"Well, it's awkward for me now!" She said.

Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve fell into an easy, playful conversation. Jonathan and Steve continued to team up against Nancy to tease her while she pretended like she wasn't loving it. Eventually, the fog lifted and managed to drive them back to the radio station. They walked into the station with grocery bags in hand and set them on the table by the couch. Joyce and the others spilled into the room.

"Oh, we got back before you did," Joyce said and hugged Jonathan.

"Yeah, your mom was about to send out a search party," Hopper said.

"Oh, we got caught in the fog," Jonathan said.

"That's what I told her," Hopper said. "She kept coming up with awful scenarios."

"Where's Robin?" Steve asked Dustin.

"Bathroom," Dustin said. "How awkward was it - Steve?"

He ignored Dustin, clapping him on his shoulder, and went down the back hallway. He could feel Nancy and Jonathan's eyes on him as he disappeared into the back. Steve followed the hallway all the way to the end and knocked on the bathroom with the special knock he had with Robin.

"Entrevue!" Robin said, and then there was a giggle.

"Doesn't that mean interview?" He heard Vickie ask.

"It does, but it sounds like enter," Robin said.

Steve rolled his eyes affectionately and entered the bathroom. Vickie was sitting on the counter with Robin in between her legs as she braided Robin's hair. Judging by their very pink mouths, they had just been making out. Steve winced.

"I can come back," Steve said.

"We stopped right before you knocked," Robin said. "I know that look, you need to spill your guts. What happened with you, Jonathan, and Nancy? I knew it was going to be awkward. I should have fought harder to go with you. Vickie, my love, you're a beautiful distraction but a distraction none the less."

"You're blaming this on me?" Vickie asked with a giggle.

"Yes, absolutely," Robin said. "It's nice to have someone to blame things on. Let me have it."

"Well," Steve said, closing the door behind him and leaning against the wall. "I told Jonathan that I was just as in love with him as I am with Nancy."

"What?! Why the hell would you do that?! To make it even more uncomfortable than it already is?!" Robin asked, with a shriek.

"I wanted to be honest with him," he explained to her.

"Honest?! Honest with him?! Are you telling me that you're in love with Jonathan Byers?" Robin asked.

"Oh, I see what this is. Are you getting me back for the Tammy Thompson thing?" he asked.

"Tammy Thompson?" Vickie asked, and Robin waved her hand at her dismissively.

"No, this is me asking if you, Steve Harrington, are in love with a man?" she asked.

"Why are you so surprised?" Steve asked. "I told you about my feelings for Jonathan after I had that dream."

"What dream?!" she shrieked.

"Robin, babe, blood pressure," Vickie said and kissed her throat.

"She cares about my health," Robin said as she took a break from her freak out. "She wants to keep me alive."

"Why are you acting so surprised about the dream I had about Jonathan being in the RV with me and Nancy?" Steve asked and then frowned. "I think I might have dreamed about telling you."

Robin ran a hand through her hair, messing up the braids Vickie put in. She took a deep breath as Vickie rubbed her shoulders.

"Alright, so you love Jonathan and Nancy?" Robin asked. "Okay, your poor taste in men aside. . .what did they say?"

"Well, they seemed surprised, but they didn't seem to hate me for the revelation. I just asked them to give it some thought before making any final decisions. So, I have no clue what they think about me wanting to be with both of them," Steve said, looking down at his feet.

"Hey, this could turn out to be a really good thing, you know," Robin said, softly.

"I'm trying not to get my hopes up," Steve replied with a shrug. "But there was this moment, in the car, when we were waiting for the fog to go away, and it was just the three of us. . . It was just really nice and they were both laughing because of me. . .so, even if nothing romantic comes from me being honest with them, I think something good already did. Jonathan certainly doesn't look at me the way he used to, which is good. . ."

"That's a really great way to look at it," Vickie said, beaming. "And welcome to the club."

"Is it a nice club?" Steve asked.

"Oh, yeah, we like to meet twice a month," Vickie said. "And we like to bake. At least, I do!"

"Me, too," Steve grinned.

Vickie hopped off the counter and hugged Steve. Robin let them have their moment before squealing and joining in on the hug. They jumped at the loud banging on the door.

"I don't know what the hell is going on in there, but I've got to piss!" Dustin yelled. "Hello?!"

After that, Steve waited patiently for a response from Jonathan and Nancy. It was too important to rush, he knew, and they both deserved to give it the proper consideration. Meanwhile, they talked, and they didn't stop him from flirting with them. He even thought that they might have been flirting back. It made him absolutely giggle when they both smiled at him at the same time, Nancy's blue eyes twinkling and Jonathan flashing his dimples, dimples that he just wanted to press his thumb into. . . Yeah, okay, he was definitely a freak. Would Jonathan let him do that?

"Jonathan!" Steve yelled.

The three of them had gotten partnered a lot more frequently. Steve wasn't sure if it was random circumstances or if someone was trying to throw them together on purpose. Steve wasn't complaining, especially when they were all three looking after Dustin, who was now possibly starting to pick up on the way Steve looked at the both of them. That's why they were here now, running away from a demogorgon. It always seems like the three of them were running away from those creatures. The woods offered little to no protection, but the demogorgon had cut them off from Steve's car. Now, the thing had separated Jonathan from Steve and Nancy. Steve and Nancy scrambled around the dark for their weapons, but they couldn't wait because the demogorgon had Jonathan trapped underneath him. Steve stood up and ran at the demogorgon, throwing his entire body on top of it, knocking it off Jonathan.

"Steve!" Jonathan yelled.

Steve used everything he had to pin the demogorgon to the ground, but the monster was stronger than he was. Its claws dug into Steve's forearm, and the other one dug into his side. Scraping was the more accurate term. It was still pretty painful. He heard the click of the lighter that Nancy had managed to find, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blaze of fire. As the demogorgon flipped him on his back and opened his face, Nancy jammed the flaming bat into its mouth. The demogorgon screamed, jumping off of Steve, and tried to pull the bat out, but its nails had sunk into its flesh very deep. It ran off, running into the trees as it tried to pull it out.

"Steve!" Nancy and Jonathan screamed.

"Our bat!" Steve yelled.

"I'll make us a new one," Jonathan asked as he wrapped an arm around him, pulling him up.

"What else can you do with your hands?" Steve mumbled.

"Let's get you to the station, and you'll find out," Nancy said and wrapped her arm around his other side.

"Why is it always me?" Steve asked and snorted. "I'm lucky, I guess."

Jonathan and Nancy got Steve into the backseat of his car. They quickly put temporary bandages on his wounds before digging into his pants' pockets to fish out his keys. Just as Nancy slipped in the driver's seat while Jonathan held onto Steve, they heard the sound of the soldiers off in the distance, taking out the demogorgon. Nancy quickly drove off towards the radio station. When they got there, no one else had arrived yet. Steve guessed they were still at the hospital. With their help, Steve pulled off his backpack, jacket, and shirt. They yanked him down onto the couch, grabbing the first aid kit.

"Jesus," Jonathan said.

"Oh, this isn't that bad. You should have seen the bat bites and road rashes during spring break. I don't think I'm going to need stitches," Steve said. "Just stop the bleeding and clean the wound, then wrap it."

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

"Uh, yeah," Steve said and then he frowned. "Did Robin and I not tell you that we're studying to become paramedics?"

"No," Nancy and Jonathan said.

"Uh, yeah, I figured that since I was getting hurt a lot and we both wanted to find a way to help people," he said. "I'm not even sure that I'm going to get it."

"You're going to do great, man," Jonathan said.

Nancy wrapped Steve's torn shirt around his arm while Jonathan pressed a piece of cloth to his side.

"I can't believe you tackled a demogorgon," Nancy said.

"It was nothing," Steve said.

"Are you seriously being modest about full body tackling a nine foot tall demogorgon? It was impressive, and you know it, asshole," Jonathan said. "I couldn't believe you did that either."

"Couldn't let you die," Steve said.

Jonathan blushed and focused on fixing up his wounds.

"Thank you," Jonathan whispered.

Steve used his free hand to brush Jonathan's hair out of his eyes. He watched as Jonathan's expressions changed as they finished wrapping him up. He looked angry.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked.

Jonathan jumped up and began to pace. Finally, he turned on Steve, his hands on his hips.

"That was completely stupid of you to do that! It was a fucking demogorgon and you went after it like you were playing football! Did you even think about Robin or Dustin or the other kids? You know they care about you?!" Jonathan yelled.

"Like mother, like son, right?" Steve asked Nancy and she snorted.

"Tell me about it," she said.

"Hey! I'm being serious here!" Jonathan yelled.

"I'm getting hints of Hopper now," Steve said.

"Like father, like son," Nancy teased.

"You threw yourself at a demogorgon like it meant nothing. . .like your life meant nothing, and you always do this! I mean, I thought you wanted a future!" Jonathan yelled.

"I do! That's what we're fighting for here," Steve said, bewildered.

"Then act like it! You want the RV, don't you?!" He asked.

"Yeah!"

"I want the RV, too! We want the RV, but we can't have the RV if you're dead!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"What?" Steve asked, looking at him softly.

"I want the RV!" Jonathan yelled, throwing up his hands. "Okay, I want the RV."

Steve and Jonathan stared at each other, Jonathan breathing heavily. Jonathan threw himself onto Steve, pressing him back against the couch. He cupped Steve’s face and crashed his lips to his. Steve responded to the kiss eagerly, running his hands up Jonathan's back and smiling when he felt Nancy's hand join his in tracing a path down Jonathan's spine. Steve broke the kiss, smiling.

"I just want to point out that we can't have the RV without you either," Steve said. "And we're all equally reckless, so I don't know why I'm the one getting yelled at. . ."

"Asshole," Jonathan laughed.

Nancy grabbed Steve’s chin and forced him to look at her.

"You do not have our permission to die, got it?" Nancy asked.

"Got it," Steve laughed.

Nancy kissed him, just as enthusiastically as Jonathan. God. He missed kissing her, and it seemed like she did, too. Their kiss didn't last long before they heard the front door to the radio station bang open loudly. The three of them sprang apart really quickly. The rest of their party all filtered in at once.

"Oh my god! Is that blood?!" Joyce yelled.

"It's not mine, it's Steve’s!" Jonathan said quickly.

"Steve! Why does this keep happening to you?!" Dustin exclaimed.

"He does this to himself," Jonathan said, smiling. "He wouldn't have to do it if it I hadn't needed saving."

"He's fine for someone who full body tackled a nine foot tall demogorgon," Nancy said.

"You tackled a demogorgon?!" Lucas, Mike, and Dustin yelled.

"Yeah, I did do that," Steve said.

"You dingus," Robin said.

"Totally worth it, though," Steve said. "And Jonathan already yelled at me for being reckless."

"Yeah, I thought I heard him yelling," Will grinned.

"Just like his mom," Hopper said. "What was that about an RV?"

"You heard that?" Steve asked.

"It's the only thing we heard. Why does Jonathan want an RV?" Will asked.

"Oh my god! He said he wants the RV?" Robin asked, and then he turned to Jonathan. "You said you wanted the RV?!"

"Yeah, I'm guessing you know what that means?" Jonathan asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, I know what that means!" Robin squealed, jumping up and down. "Vick, he he said he wanted the RV!"

"I heard!" Vickie squealed and started jumping with her girlfriend.

"We both want the RV," Nancy said in amusement.

"They both want the RV!" Robin and Vickie squealed.

"What the hell is this?" Hopper asked.

"Jonathan?" Joyce asked in amusement.

"Oh! I think I know what this is about," Dustin said.

"You do?" Steve asked. "Was I that obvious?"

"Jonathan was so jealous that we stole an RV that he wants to steal one himself," Dustin said, snapping his fingers.

"Jonathan, honey, why do you want to steal an RV?" Joyce asked.

"Yeah, I don't think that's what this is," Hopper said, squinting his eyes at Jonathan. "Son, something you want to tell us?"

"It's nothing bad. We'll tell you later," Jonathan said, blushing. "Let's just get Steve something to eat."

"Yeah, me and Vickie went shopping this time, so you're in luck, Stevie," Robin said.

"Okay, but while we eat, can we please cover up Steve’s tits? No one wants to see that!" Mike exclaimed.

Steve and Jonathan shared a smile with Nancy as Jonathan collapsed on the couch next to Steve. They curled up together as they ate, enjoying the moment of happiness during all this hell. Steve glanced at Jonathan, who was leaning against his arm as he told everyone about how Steve saved him. Oh, how far they've come.

Eddie seemed to have zero impulse control when he's not actively thinking about it. After Vecna Eddie moved in with Steve because he and Wayne didn't have a new place yet, plus, Wayne was living out of a motel. It was not a place for someone with wounds like his. Also, he was still waiting to be cleared of all charges. Steve was well enough to take care of Eddie. The metalhead was still in a lot of pain and on as many painkillers as he was allowed the first time that it happened. Steve was leaning over to fluff his pillows, and his lips were close to Eddie's face. It was all Steve’s fault, really. Eddie was thinking about how pretty his lips were when he decided to grab Steve by the back of the neck.

"What are - MMHH!"

Eddie brought his lips to his, and it was the sweetest kiss that Steve had ever experienced. It had left his lips feeling all tingly. Steve could easily pass it off on the fact that Eddie was high, and that was exactly what he did do. He never brought it up or told anyone about it. . .not even Robin. He really couldn't ignore it, though, when it happened a second time.

Eddie was feeling a lot better and could move around the house a lot more. Steve had finally been able to cook dinner for the both of them after living off other people's cooking and takeout while they both healed. They had finished eating when Eddie lumbered over to him and spun him around, cupping his face.

"That was the best home-cooked meal I've ever eaten - MUAH!" Eddie exclaimed, kissing him square on the mouth. "You go settle down. I'll handle the clean-up, big boy."

Steve had frozen a little. Surely, Eddie knew what he was doing? Since he hadn't brought it up, Steve decided not to bring it up either. . .except when it happened a third time. Eddie was completely healed, and he was able to be let out of the house since he was he officially cleared of all charges. He wanted to meet up with Corroded Coffin at Gareth's since they refused to come over to Steve's house despite the fact that Steve had told them they were welcome anytime. Even though he understood where they were coming from, it still stung that they refused to even try to get to know him. Anyways, Eddie was on his way out the door except for the fact that his keys were lying on the counter.

"Hey, did you forget something?" Steve asked.

"Oh, right," Eddie said, twirled around and kissed him while scooping up the keys. Then he was gone.

Okay, he really couldn't ignore it this time. Steve really needed to talk to someone about the kisses and about how much he liked them. He needed to know what that meant, and he knew exactly what kind of conversation this would turn out to be.

"Eddie keeps kissing me," Steve said as soon as Robin got in the car.

"I'm sorry, what?" Robin said, blinking.

"You know how Eddie's really affectionate," Steve replied. "Does it bother you when he kisses you?"

"Oh, you mean like kissing on the forehead and the cheek? No, I think it's sweet, actually," Robin said and rolled her eyes. "Are you feeling a little insecure in your masculinity because a man is getting a little affectionate with you?"

"What?! No, I don't mind getting affection from a man, Robin. You know I hug Argyle all the time," Steve said. "I'm just wondering why Eddie kisses me on the mouth and he doesn't do that with anyone else."

"Stop the car!" Robin screamed, and Steve pulled over the side, parking the car.

"Jesus, Robin!" Steve exclaimed.

"Eddie's been kissing you on the MOUTH?!" Robin asked.

"Yeah. He doesn't do that with you?" Steve asked.

"No, I think that's a treat only for you," Robin said.

"But why? We're both straight," Steve said. "I mean, I'm not trying to complain or anything, it's nice but why is he doing it?"

"You like it when he kisses you?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Steve shrugged. "If I were into men, I'd be asking him on a date, but I'm not gay, Robin. . .well, maybe just for Eddie. Is it possible to be gay just for one person?"

"I mean, maybe, but I doubt that it's the case here," Robin said. "Usually, I would probably let you figure this out for yourself, but considering how long you kept it hidden that you like Nancy Drew, it might just take a while. . .do I have permission to rip off the band-aid?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess," Steve asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, how the hell were you so sure about Vickie and completely clueless about yourself?" Robin asked.

"Are you still on it that I totally called it about Vickie being a lesbian before you did?" Steve asked.

"She's not a lesbian, dingus," Robun said.

"Okay, I was pretty sure that you two were dating. Robin, she's clearly into you, so I'm pretty sure you have a shot," Steve said.

"Yeah, we are dating but she's not a lesbian," she said.

"I'm so confused," Steve said.

"In more ways than one," Robin said.

"Robin, we're going to be late for work," Steve said.

"Vickie is a bisexual," Robin said. "She likes more than one gender."

"Oh. . .oh, like David Bowie!" Steve exclaimed. "Right?!"

"Right," Robin said.

"Oh my god!" Steve said. "My Tom Cruise obsession suddenly makes sense - I didn't want to be him - "

"Not to mention, all those times you've stared openly at Eddie along with his posters of Eddie Van Halen and Kirt Hammel. . . "

"Kirk Hammett, Robin," Steve scoffed. "Eddie would rip you a new one for getting that one wrong."

"But you knew it because Eddie did," Robin said.

"I like him," Steve said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, buddy. Are you going to need a minute?" Robin said.

"Nah, I'm fine. I actually feel really good about it," Steve grinned.

"Not even a little freak out?" She asked.

"Nope!"

"Lucky bitch," Robin muttered.

"I'm sorry, the next time I have a realization about myself, I'll make sure to give you the freak out that you deserve," Steve said.

"That's all I'm asking," Robin said.

They spent the morning shift talking about Eddie and what he'd say to him once he got home. Steve debated on giving him flowers or not, or a stuff animal. He decided on a stuffed animal because that was more permanent, as Robin had pointed out. They were just about to take their break for lunch when Eddie strolled in.

"Hey," Steve said brightly. "I was just thinking about you."

"Yeah?" Eddie asked and leaned against the counter. "That's good to know."

Eddie leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. This time, Steve responded to it, cupping Eddie's face as he deepened the kiss. He could feel Eddie smile against his lips. Steve heard Robin scrambling to lock the front door and close the newly installed blinds. Eddie wrapped his arms around him, nearly climbing over the counter to do it. Finally, Robin coughed loudly and they broke apart.

"Hi," Steve said breathlessly.

"Hi," Eddie said. "I got something for you."

He climbed over the counter and sat down in front of him. He pulled out a rock and handed it to Steve.

"It looks like a guitar pick," Steve said with a grin.

"I thought you could use it for good luck," Eddie said.

"That's very sweet, thank you," Steve said, blushing. "I'm going to keep it forever."

"So, your boyfriend did good?" Eddie asked.

"Boyfriend?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I know we're taking things slow, but I was hoping that you'd consider me being your boyfriend," Eddie said.

"Yeah, uh, it's just - it might be the concussions, but I don't remember asking you out or you asking me out," Steve said.

"Oh, you definitely asked me out," Eddie said.

"Oh, God, Robin. The doctor said if I started having memory problems - " Steve said with wide eyes. "I'd definitely remember asking you out."

"Honey! I'm sure it's fine!" Eddie exclaimed. "Robin was there, she'll tell you!"

"I was NOT!" Robin yelled, her eyes going wide. "Or was I? Oh, god, what if I hit my head and I don't remember?! I'd remember my best friend asking out a man!"

"Okay, don't panic, Robin, we'll call Hopper - " Steve started to say.

"You really don't remember?!" Eddie shrieked.

"No!" Robin and Steve yelled.

"Seriously, Robin, you were there, and you turned into a giant duck which, by the way, is rude because you know about my fear of ducks!" Eddie yelled.

"Oh, Eddie, goddamnit, was this a dream?" Steve asked.

"You know what? Now that I'm thinking about it, I think it might have been a dream," Eddie said.

"Okay, those looks you've been giving me make a lot more sense," Robin said. "Have you been living in fear of me randomly turning into a duck, like I'm some sort of. . .wereduck?"

"I don't know, your name's Robin, and we've all been through crazy shit. . .anything is possible," Eddie said.

"Aww, and you've hugged me even though you're scared of ducks," Robin cooed.

"Well, it's my fear, my responsibility. It's not your fault," Eddie said and then looked at her. "But you're not, though, right?"

"No, Eddie," she said softly and then affectionately, "You dingus."

"This whole time. . .," Eddie trailed off. "We haven't actually been dating. You never asked me out."

Eddie started to scramble off of the counter when Steve grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Let's fix that. . .Eddie Munson, do you want to be my boyfriend?" Steve asked.

"Fuck yeah, I do," Eddie grinned.

He grabbed the back of Steve’s head and crashed their lips together. Eddie sighed and leaned his forehead against Steve’s.

"No one better fucking wake me up," Eddie breathed and Steve laughed.

"Oh God! I think my nose is turning into a bill - quack, quack!"

"Robin!"

Stranger Things Fic Rec Masterlist

Masterlists

Masterlist @belokhvostikova

Steve Harrington

Come Back to Me @crappymixtape

Eddie Munson

If you’d taken an arrow (and run it right through me) @iliaclwrites

Everybody’s talkin up a storm (act like they don’t notice) @iliaclwrites

My girlfriend from Canada @dropletscarlet

Cruel Confessions @hellfirewhxre

Second Chances First Times @msgexymunson

Sauron's Secret @emeritusemeritus

Liar, Liar @elegantpaperoperatormaker

Robin Buckley

The girl of her dreams @slightly-smarter-nat

Lucas Sinclair

Little Misunderstanding @refiwrites

Eddie x Reader x Steve

welcome to the dungeon... @bimbobaggins69

/ᐠ-˕-マ~ master list for...

𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 !

《 ♡ 》 𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫

nothing here yet :(

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧

nothing here yet :(

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫

nothing here yet :(

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧

nothing here yet :(

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦

nothing here yet :(

──────────────

《 ♡ 》 𝐦𝐚𝐱 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝

nothing here yet :(

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 : [active] [hiatus] [offline]

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 : [open] [closed]

───────── 《 .°•♡•°. 》 ──────────

𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫 :

I'm a firm believer of two things. a) eleven is not ready to be in any romantic relationships. b) billy hargrove, yes, even before possession by vecna, was a racist, abusive, asshole, and no, trauma is not an and does not excuse that behavior.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ...𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞

A Moment Of Peace

Characters: Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper

Warnings: some swearing, brief references to blood and canonical minor character death

Summary: after Eleven closes the Hawkins gate, Hopper tries his best to take care of Joyce. A missing scene from the Season 2 finale.

Author’s Notes: this is my contribution to @crimetimecrow’s spring break ST exchange, a gift for my exchange partner @autisticjoyce / @whats-a-terrarium (I do sincerely apologize for the delay. Turns out finals season coinciding perfectly with multiple family health difficulties halfway across the country really drains my creativity. who knew!) Although it’s my first time writing ST fic, I hope that you enjoy the Joyce/Hopper content! I know it’s not quite hurt/comfort like you asked for but I did try for fluff with a side of angst

Words: 1.8k

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Hopper isn’t entirely sure how they both ended up here, with blood and dirt and other unpleasant substances staining their clothes and caked into the soles of their shoes, tracking grime over the scuffed linoleum. He’s been scrambling around houses and sheds and forests and a damn nightmare of a lab for what feels like years, riding an adrenaline high the entire time. He’s barely had time to wash most of the blood and grime off his face and hands, much less change.

But here he is, Joyce Byers at his side, standing in front of a reach-in refrigerator full of frozen waffles.

It feels surreal.

It is surreal. This whole thing feels like the fever dream production of some Hollywood director tripping on acid, not real life.

Except it is, and he’s gone from shooting desperately at a horde of those—what had the curly-haired kid called ‘em again?—demon-dogs or something like that—to browsing the local grocery in the space of two hours.

“How many do you think we should get?”

Her voice is subdued, almost as monotone as the low hum of the refrigerator. Her arms are folded over her chest, a tightness lingering in her shoulders as she taps her fingers absentmindedly against her bicep.

He clears his throat. “Uh, maybe four boxes? Five? Do your kids normally eat a lot?”

Not that this is a normal situation, exactly, but Joyce would know the kids’ habits better than him, and that’s a good place to start.

She shrugs, turning her head to look up at him. There’s a quizzical wrinkle in her forehead, for once a question and not a sign of worry. It’s been a while since he’s seen her…not anxious.

“We’ll just put the leftovers in the fridge. I’m not keeping that…that thing.”

Hopper remembers jerking around at the startled scream, whipping out his pistol in case something that gone horribly wrong and the dog monsters were back, only to see Joyce staring wide-eyed at the slimy corpse sliding to the kitchen floor with a wet slunk, wrapped in a blanket that’s probably stained to hell now.

He doesn’t have a clue why Dustin had wanted to keep that thing around. Once the feds come through tomorrow—today, whatever—there won’t be any traces of what really happened. No way they’d let some kid keep evidence of such a major fuck-up, after all. Not if they’re smart, and willing to commit a few regulatory violations. He’s found that they’re often lacking in the first department but a little too committed in the second.

“Anyway.” Joyce clears her throat. “There’ll be space.”

He pulls the fridge door open. “Sure. Let’s just say six boxes then.”

The cashier—some new kid they must’ve recently hired on and had decided to put on the earliest shift for some reason—stares openly, slowly chewing a mouthful of gum.

“Long night?” She asks.

“Yeah, you could say that,” Hopper answers, wishing she’d just check them out faster so he and Joyce could get back to their kids—their respective kids, anyway. Jonathan, Nancy Wheeler, and the Harrington boy are taking care of the other kids, but Hopper would rather keep close to them for a little while, at least until the government shows up and starts patching up their own mess.

Then again, he isn’t exactly looking forward to all the paperwork waiting for him. The bullshit with the unconscious (drugged!!) Hargrove kid, the stolen car, the many parents he was going to have to explain shit too, the scrutiny of a whole town that was going to fall on this incident one way or another—sure, most of it wasn’t his problem (the kids had a real bad habit of recklessly endangering themselves but he was the one responsible for them, because Joyce was just trying to protect her boy and he understands that, really, but it’s just so much to smooth over—)

But he’s an adult and he can take responsibility. Hopefully later, when the headache pulsing behind his eyes has worn off.

He doesn’t realize that the cashier is asking him to pay, more flatly bored than irritated, until she raps her knuckles on the cash register.

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, reaching for his wallet on autopilot.

It’s like that the whole way back to Joyce’s house, too. Scattered. Distracted. Fidgety. Like his thoughts are all jumbled up in his head and he can’t get them sorted out properly.

The roads are empty and dark. Quiet. He doesn’t start up conversation, and neither does Joyce, a stack of yellow boxes cradled in her arms. She’s got that look again—like she’s staring straight through the forest, through the sky, through the whole universe, and for all that, sees nothing at all.

She’s right next to him, curled up in the passenger’s seat, but it feels like he could reach over and his hand would go straight through her.

He wants to say something, but he doesn’t know what he needs to say that hasn’t already been said. She’d volunteered to go with him so he wouldn’t be on his own—just in case. And he appreciates it, obviously, but he wonders if she’d be happier with her kids, now that Will’s…better, and everything’s finally calmed down and everyone is…okay.

Except for Bob Newby.

Black hole, he thinks, then no. They’re okay now. We got most of them out, and we’ll get through the fallout together too.

“You can only ever take life one step at a time.”

His hands tighten on the wheel. He can’t think of Diane right now. What good would it do him, or Joyce, or the kids?

But yeah, she was right. And right now, the next step is getting the kids to eat.

Not like that’s hard, either. He and Joyce had only left the others because Eleven—El—Jane, whatever she wanted to be called now after her…trip—asked him for Eggos.

What else was he supposed to do? He’d carried her off the elevator, mechanically climbed the stairs, guided her face into his shoulder so she didn’t have to see all the destruction and the blood, gotten her safely out of the cloying smell of rot that infused the lab’s every hallway, and bundled her into the car as the first federal agents finally showed up. Slumped behind the wheel, not-so-silently cursing bureaucracy, he’d flinched when Eleven put her hand weakly over his.

Ignoring the officer rapping on the window, she’d met Hopper’s eyes, bloody tears drying against her cheeks, and whispered, “Home.”

And that was what really mattered in the end, not barely restraining himself from yelling at the officers, not seeing a motionless Dr. Owens carried out on a stretcher, not the stench of blood seeping from the open doors. He can’t change any of that.

Hopper had wanted to take Eleven to the hospital after the abbreviated interrogation was over, unsure if she had internal bleeding or had inhaled toxic fumes or some shit like that, but she had been adamant to avoid it. So instead, he’d broken multiple traffic safety laws to get Eleven back to the Byers’ house to check on the other kids, spent a head-splitting half hour on the phone with his deputies…and then taken an impromptu trip to the grocery.

Totally normal.

God, maybe he really is going crazy.

But standing by a table with too few chairs and watching the kids dig enthusiastically into their waffles, he feels the most normal that he’s felt in a while now. The kids chatter quietly amongst themselves, and the teens have already taken down most of the drawings plastered to the walls of the kitchen and living room areas, so it really feels…normal. Safe.

It’s…pleasant.

Except for the fact that Joyce is wrapped in a blanket in the living room, gazing dazedly into the mug of tea in her hands, and Hopper doesn’t know how to help her.

The couch creaks when he sits down next to her.

“How are you holding up?” He murmurs, half question, half simple desire to break the silence.

Joyce shrugs a little. “I’ll be okay.” She scrubs a palm over her eyes, then sighs. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

It’s definitely not all, but he won’t push.

“Well.” Hopper pauses awkwardly. “You know that if you need anything, I’m around.”

She sniffs. “I know, Jim.”

“Uh. Yeah.” He stares down at his hands, washed clean and bandaged. But there’s still dirt under his fingernails. Probably some worse things, too.

My watch is broken, he thinks dully. Frozen at a quarter to three. It’s more like…seven, maybe, no—earlier. Six thirty or something.

Neither of them are going to get any sleep just yet. And soon, they’re going to have to give statements to the officers whenever they decide to show up and swarm the house for evidence (to cover it all up, of course). He’s going to have to talk the Hargroves down after both their kids went missing for a whole night. He’s going to have to do so much paperwork that his headache pulses harder just thinking about it.

But for now…

“Hey, uh, Joyce,” he says, coughing midway through when his throat closes up. “It’s almost sunrise.”

She blinks up at him. “Okay?”

Hopper stands and holds out his hand. “Wanna sit on the roof and watch it with me?”

There’s a very long pause, and then her hand slides into his. “Sure, Jim.” Her voice wobbles a little.

-

It’s peaceful up there, sitting side by side, wrapped in blankets in the early morning chill.

“You know,” he starts, eyes fixed on the edge of the horizon where the sun is starting to lighten the sky. “I always thought you were…cool.”

Her clothes rustle softly as she turns her head towards him.

“Maybe not in the, uh…not ‘cool’ cool like Eleven’s new look, but just…cool.”

God, that sounded pathetic.

But when he turns to look at her, Joyce is smiling. Just barely, but it’s still a smile.

So maybe she gets what he was trying to say.

“Yeah?”

Hopper swallows. “Yeah. You’re determined, and strong, and a great mom. You never just give up, and you’re—you’re fuckin’ brave. Always have been.”

The smile widens, tears glittering in her eyes. “Thanks, Jim.”

“Yeah,” he breathes again. “No problem.”

After a moment, she slides closer to him, and when she leans her head on his shoulder, he wraps his arm around her.

He’s never really been one for the whole “poetic symbolism,” “new-beginnings-fresh-starts-light-means-hope” mumbo jumbo. A sunrise is just a sunrise. It’s a normal part of a normal life, that’s all.

But his kid did just stitch up a hole in the fabric of the universe with just her mind.

So maybe, just for today, a sunrise can mean that they’re going to be alright.

-

Got Something of Mine, Harrington?

Billy Hargrove X Reader x Steve Harrington

You decide to take Steve up on his offer to hang out in hopes that you can rekindle the part of you that still believed in love. What happens when your ex decides to show up and claim you're his?

⚠️ Warnings: mentions of blood, swearing, possessive behavior, toxic relationships, insecurity, past trauma, sexual innuendos, and angst ⚠️

(This is a choose your own adventure type layout, so whether you're rooting for Steve or Billy, you'll be able to read what joining their side would ensue)

It was only supposed to be a fun night with Steve. He had asked you to hang at his place once he saw that you had finally broken up with that shitty boyfriend of yours, trying to provide you with comfort and a good time. Steve was handsome, sure. But he had made his move a bit too fast after things had gone south with Billy. His charming smile and light touches had drawn you into all that he had to offer and who could say no to how sweet he had been? Exchanged glances from opposite ends of the room and notes passed back and forth, it was only a matter of time before Steve waltzed into your life and tried to sweep you off your feet. You only wished the circumstances could've been different.

Steve lived in the upper end of Hawkins; the richer and snobbier folks in town who listened to baseball games on the radio and held monthly barbeques. The houses were all lined up in a nice row with a patch of grass in between them with white picket fences and gardens that belonged on the front pages of magazines. Steve's house was further down the cul-de-sac and was the only one that had a lawn so big that a fence would look obnoxious around it. A bright blue house with white shudders and a white door to match, it looked picturesque and almost fake as though it were made out of clay. Apparently, the Harringtons had big hair and even bigger egos.

Knocking on his front door, you nervously tap your shoes against each other as you wait for him to open it and let you in. You took a couple glances around the perimeter of his house, still not fully used to being out on your own. Your dress was slightly provocative, but it was one of your favorites. Your ex had refused you the right to show it off to anyone other than him, one of the many bullets on the long list of his red flags chalked up in your mind. You had never been able to wear it out before, so this would be the first time anyone had seen it. The thought of Steve complimenting you on it filled your stomach with butterflies- dating again was going to be fun.

"Hey! There you are!" Steve opened up the door and smiled. The warm yellow light streamed down from the foyer and onto the front steps you were standing on. Almost immediately, the night felt more inviting and friendly as you basked in it, taking note of how wonderfully it shone onto the pavement below. Only when Steve shifted towards the frame to lean against it did you notice how he looked tonight. He was wearing a nice black button up with dark jeans. His hair had been tossed into a perfect spiral and you could smell the fresh products he'd used to style it. He looked really nice. A happy feeling took root in the pit of your stomach and encouraged you to follow him inside.

"Hey!" You said, throwing the enthusiasm back at him. As he led you towards the kitchen, you noticed just how nice the interior of the Harrington household was. It totally matched the modern exterior as there were abstract looking paintings hanging everywhere and the walls were painted grey. His floors were freshly cleaned too, sparkling tiles that refracted the light throughout the room. The entryway connected to the very yellow kitchen that was decorated with floral paraphernalia. Stepping further you noticed a picture of Steve hanging on the wall from middle school and you suppressed a laugh at how ridiculous it looked.

"Oh no! I forgot to take that down." Steve laughed and covered up the picture with his hands, giving you a dorky apologetic look. You laughed too, finding his impulsive embarrassment to be cute.

"It's okay, I think little Steve would be pleased to know that his hair gets better once he hits highschool." You said, earning another laugh from the boy in front of you. He pushed his hands into his pockets and a wave of expensive and good-smelling cologne filled your senses. If you had any doubts about being out tonight, they were gone now as you realized the awkwardness was mutual.

"May I set your jacket down somewhere?" He asked, reaching for the leather that rested upon your shoulders. You smiled, shrugging the heavier fabric off and allowing for him to grab it.

"Woah." He said, taking in the dress you were wearing.

Instant panic filled your vision as you realized you probably went overboard with the outfit. He was dressed so casually yet so elegant that you forgot that you went straight for something a little more formal than what one would wear drinking a couple of beers and sitting by the edge of a backyard pool. "Oh! Sorry, I know it's a lot I just haven't done this in a while and I got excit-"

"-Its perfect." He said, looking at you from top to bottom and then back to your eyes as the corner of his mouth turned up in a suggestive but polite way.

There was an unusual but comfortable silence for a moment before he cleared his throat and motioned his head towards the back. "The pool is behind the house. If you still wanted to go swimming."

You held out your hand for Steve to take and gave him a quick nod. "Absolutely."

He grinned at you and allowed you to lead him outside the kitchen door towards the inground pool. Night had fallen not too long ago and the stars shimmered down on the water below them, the lights from the inside of it reflected the small waves all over the deck. It was pretty and calming and you couldn't help but run your hand through it a couple of times, testing out the temperature. It was fairly warm considering how the night had started to cool down.

"I'm going to grab a couple beers. Would you like one?" Your date asks, smiling down at what you were preoccupied with. You looked back up at him and noticed how pleased he was with your sudden infatuation with the water grazing your fingertips. His eyes were bright and happy and his posture was awkward but confident and you were unsure how those adjectives could exist at the same time for the same human.

"Yes, please." You said, going back to the water and waving your hand around. Once Steve had left, you decided to take off your dress and shoes since your swimsuit was underneath. You had chosen a red bikini for this particular occasion, grinning at the mischievous idea now that Steve had confirmed your dress wasn't too revealing. You decided to wait with your feet in the pool and allowed yourself to take a deep breath and enjoy the silence of Hawkins. The crickets chirping and the cicadas were the only thing to be heard for miles and it was perfect. You could get used to this.

Except you wouldn't be able to. You tried so hard to let things go and to do what's best for you only for that plan to backfire every time you put your mental health first. It was impossible to let yourself go and enjoy just one night free of anxiety and intrusive thoughts. You knew from the moment you heard the Camaro pull up to the front of the house that everything would be ruined; of course you couldn't have started a relationship with anyone new when Billy still believed you belonged to him.

Jumping up and sprinting towards the door, you run inside to see Steve standing with two beers. "Uh is everything okay?" He asked, staring at you with concern. He seemed shocked to see you run in only for him to become somewhat lost when he looked at what it was you were wearing. "Damn...uh...okay we can go there." He said, not taking the cue from you that your rush to the kitchen was because you wanted to warn him what- or rather who- was coming. Your eyes widened in fear and you looked to the front door which was abruptly opened by the devil himself.

Swinging on its hinges and hitting the wall with a forceful hit, the front door was thrown back so harshly that if there was any confusion about who was visiting so late at night it was gone now. Dark red button up with a similar leather jacket to the one you came in with and black jeans, he looked just as terrifying and handsome as you remembered. A cigarette was placed between his lips and an earring shone from his left ear. He smiled that horrible shit-eating grin as he leaned against the doorframe and took a drag of his cigarette before stomping it out on Steve's pretty floor tiles. "Got something of mine, Harrington?" He asked in his gruff and raspy voice that was all too familiar to you.

You looked at Steve in fear and saw that his eyebrows had furrowed and his jaw clenched. He set down the beers on the island before crossing his arms and looking to you and then to Billy. "What the hell's going on here?" He asked, moving to your side; his stance instantly became defensive.

Billy, however, stood calm as ever as if he didn't just barge into a classmate's house at almost midnight. His hair had been slicked back on the sides into the mullet he usually wore it in and his sunglasses were among the mess of golden curly locks as they sat atop his head. He checked you out and whistled before turning to your date with a disgusted look. "Getting naked for another man, baby?" He asked, taking notice of the suimsuit you had on. Your blood boiled. It wasn't fair for him to do this. Not after how he had treated you by forcing you to go to parties of people you hated just so you could sit on his arm and look pretty. Not after he had denied your attempts at trying to love him via physical affection and only wanting you when he felt like it. Not after you had seen just how horribly he treated the kids Steve loved so dearly.

Standing next to Steve, you felt him pull you behind him as he moved to stand in front of you. He rolled up the sleeves to his shirt and looked Billy dead in the eyes. "Got a problem with that Hargrove?" He asked. The minute the words left his mouth you knew he was dead. Not only that, but he had just paid the bill for his coffin and nailed it shut.

Billy laughed and placed his hands in his jeans. "Yeah, I've got a fucking problem with that."

It was as if a switch had been flipped and Billy's confident and fake friendly demeanor changed as he charged towards Steve, pushing his chest forcefully offering to fight over you. Steve pushed back and spit down at the floor.

"Guys. Stop. Billy, you broke up with me a week ago. Fuck off." You said, now becoming more confident and standing in front of Steve to try and save him from your ex.

"So? That was last week. I say you're mine this week." He smiled and shoved you to the ground, pushing you into the picture of Steve. The glass frame shattered and you tried to brace your fall with your hands. This turned into being the worst course of action possible and you were left with deep open gashes along your arms and hands.

"Look what you fucking did to my girl, Harrington." Billy said, walking over to the island and taking a swig of one of the beers. Steve shoved himself into the intruder, punching his face with all of his might and a crack resounded throughout the echoey hallways of the Harrington residence. Billy recoiled slightly, putting his hands up as a trickle of blood ran down from his now broken nose.

"Looks like you've got some fire in you after all, King Steve." Billy said with another fake smile before throwing Steve to the ground and stomping on his hand. You heard his fingers crunch under Billy's boots and he winced in pain, yelling out a curse word before forcing himself back up, clutching his bruised fingers and staring daggers into Billy's eyes.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Steve angrily shouted and grabbed a decorative plate out of one of the cabinets in the kitchen, holding it ready at his side to chuck at Billy's head if he needed to.

"What's wrong with me is the fact that you're trying to fuck my girlfriend." He said, moving in towards Steve and wiping his blood on the back of his arm. He put on his tough guy persona with a stance that would instantly turn away even the best of fighters.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Girlfriend." You said, standing up. In the time that Steve and Billy had been arguing, you had enough time to evaluate that your wounds weren't horrible. You had a couple cuts on your feet to match the ones on your hands and arms but other than that, you were fine. You would tell Billy off even with detrimental wounds if it meant saving Steve.

"What was that?" Billy asked, putting a hand behind his ear and pretending as though he couldn't hear what it was you were trying to tell him. So, you told him again.

"I said that I'm not your fucking girlfriend."

Nodding and pursing his lips, he grabs Steve by the collar and throws a punch to his stomach which sends him hurtling to the floor. He grabbed at his abdomen in pain before picking up the plate and chucking it at your ex. It hit him square in the head and you saw a gash starting to form above his eye. Blood dripped down from said gash, travelling down his temple and working its way towards his neck.

"Whoo!" He said, feeling the rush of adrenaline that came with fighting for you. When he had broken up with you -although he would never admit it- it was because he felt as though he wasn't good enough for you. Every word his father had told him had started to take root in his mind and swayed his decisions over whom he felt he was worthy of. But oh, he loved you so much. He wanted the best for you but he never knew how to express it. He wanted more nights like the one where he first opened up to you while the two of you were in his bed, staring up at the posters on the ceiling. He wanted to hold your hands again and remind you of all the reasons he saw you to be the most beautiful human being. It wasn't fair that you had to put up with him, he knew. But there was no way on earth he would ever let you end up with a guy like Harrington.

"Billy, Stop!" You yelled, trying to grab onto his arm only to be shoved out of the way once more. Steve had gotten another plate and threw it, this time missing Billy and sending it hurtling towards the wall behind the two of you. The ceramic shattered and joined the mess of the picture frame.

"I'll stop if you agree to come with me." Billy said, holding Steve by the shirt again with his head facing towards you. He couldn't lose you again. Not this time. Even with all of the thoughts that had driven him away from continuing to be with you, he knew that you were his only solace. And he knew he needed that back more than anything else.

...

(At this point in the story, there are two alternate endings, one where you side with Steve and one where you side with Billy.)

...

Choice one: Billy

You glanced towards Steve with the best apologetic look you could muster. It wasn't his fault that he had ended up in this situation and he had tried his best to defend you. It wasn't fair to him for this fight to continue so you did the best thing you could do to avoid the situation from getting more out of hand. Even if it meant Steve would hate you.

"Okay." You said, agreeing to your now boyfriend again.

"That's what I like to hear." He said, removing his hands from Steve and sauntering towards you, harshly grabbed your arms so he could see how badly you were hurt. He did a once-over before he took off his shirt and wrapped it around the arm that was bleeding heavier than the other one. Then, without a word he snaked his arm around your waist and led you out the front door towards his car that was parked haphazardly out front.

You turned your head slightly to see if Steve would follow you but he didn't. Part of you was thankful that he didn't since it would only lead to another unnecessary fight. The other part of you wished he would.

"Don't look back at him." Billy said, tone firm but less harsh as before. "You're mine."

Everything felt like it was crumbling around you. The night you spent with Steve and the relationship you were thrown back into was enough to get your heart racing even faster than before. You could feel some sort of anxiety attack take over every other emotion of yours as you tried your best to push it down and not to show Billy. His shirt was still wrapped around your cut and you could feel some of the blood start to soak through the fabric, trying to keep your mind on the sensation and not the events of tonight.

Getting into the car, you take your usual place in the passenger seat, eyes downwards. You let everything play through your head over and over until it was just too much and you could feel tears threatening to spill out over your cheeks.

"Hey." You heard your boyfriend say, placing his hand on your thigh when he saw that you were crying. His entire demeanor changed once again and it was starting to play tricks on your mind as you didn't know what side of him was real and what was for show. He was always like this.

"Hm?" Was all you were able to respond with, shoulders slumped.

"I love you. You know that, right? I wouldn't let you end up with some shitty playboy like him." He said, running his hand alongside your face and collecting your tears as he went. He was being so gentle now, you wondered if you had made up the entirety of your date.

"He-He's not like that."

Revving his engine, Billy puts one hand on the wheel and places the other around the back of your seat.

"Sure." Is all he says as he pulls out of the driveway and down the road to his house where he knows he'll be able to watch you. Just as you were about to turn the corner to leave the cul-de-sac, you caught a glimpse of Steve Harrington- former King of Hawkins High -standing outside on his front doorstep with a beer in one hand and an ice pack in the other.

Oh how you wished you could've stayed with him.

...

Choice Two: Steve

"In your fucking dreams, Hargrove." You said confidently, grabbing a knife off the counter and pointing it towards him in a threatening manner. "I'll slit your throat if you touch him again."

Billy grinned and let Steve fall to the floor as the boy clutched his stomach in pain. Walking towards you, he smiled with an antagonizing gaze. "Oh yeah? Is that a promise, girly?"

"Call me that one more time and I'll run you over in that shitty Camaro of yours." Not knowing where this spunk was hidden within you all this time, you held up the blade to your ex boyfriend in a menacing way, looking towards Steve who was still wounded on the floor. 

"Damn!" Billy said, leaning against the wall and watching your date on the ground taking his deep breaths to alleviate some of the pain. "You're feisty today."

"You fucking ruined my date. What did you expect? A kiss on the lips and full compliance?"

He glared down at you with such intensity you thought he was going to kill you. You'd only ever seen that look once and that was when he had the fight with his dad in front of you. That day you had seen what Billy truly lived through and that memory alone was what allowed you to keep persevering through your relationship, convincing yourself that anything he did to wrong you was because he didn't know any better. Because he had gone through so much pain. Crawling over to Steve, you lift him up off the ground ever so slightly as you pull him into your lap to assess the damage. He wasn’t in horrible shape, but he definitely couldn’t take another hit to the abdomen and still feel well enough to attend classes the next day. 

“(Y/N). Move away from him please. You’re only making things more difficult.” Billy said, leaning down to your level and staring you directly in the eyes. Things were different this time. His usual puppy dog gaze wasn’t enough to get you to fold and bend under his will, giving into whatever he so desired. The times when you would hold his face in between your hands and whisper sweet nothings into his ear even after he had treated you with a disrespect you didn’t think to be possible. The last time you would ever see this side of him again would be tonight. 

In a firm but stern voice you glare at him with the same unshakable intensity. 

“No.”

And with that, Billy nodded and placed his hands in his jean pockets, getting up and straightening himself out. He looked sad in a way, seeing you on the floor with Harrington whom he’d hated so much until this moment. Billy didn’t lose easily, but he trusted you. If you decided this guy was enough to satisfy you in the ways he never could, he would finally leave you be.

“I loved you, (Y/N).” 

You felt frozen in time, not able to say anything else to the man before you. He was just a stranger who held a lot of memories, someone whom you would always share stories with but someone whom you would forget as the days dragged on. You wanted so badly to reach out for his arm and to urge him to stay, to allow him to come waltzing back into your life. But you knew you deserved better. You knew he deserved better. 

“Thank you.” You said, as you heard Steve’s door slam shut for the last time that night. Then, you attended to Steve’s wounds as you wondered what would’ve happened had you rekindled the relationship you had with Billy. 

And you knew deep down that you made the right choice. 

Ever So Slightly.

Steve Harrington X Reader

⚠️ Warnings: this one is very PG-13 with a bit of angst ⚠️

Harrington fondly thinks back to his car... And your lips.

His BMW 733i was parked outside of Hawkins Highschool, the soft screeching of tires as he put his foot on the brake and eased it into a parking space. There wasn't a soul for miles, the only brightness coming from the singular streetlight in the middle of the lot, shining down on the two students who had made their way to the familiar building after hours. Both windows rolled up halfway and feet placed on the dash. The night was calm and quiet with the exception of cicadas chirping their songs and filling the void with something other than the nothingness of the quiet town. Stars shone overhead and created patterns of light across the sky, however, not enough for illumination of any sort. Just darkness for miles.

He looked so lovely. His eyes glanced up and down over your frame but not in a way other than pure and utter admiration. He felt just as calm as the world around him, not feeling a care in the world at what everyone else had gotten up to tonight. The party at Tommy Hagan's house that he had been expected to show up at. The Dungeons and Dragons campaign at the Wheeler's. The movie showing at the theatre in town. None of it mattered. The only thing that he could care about in this moment was your soft touch on his arm or the delicate breaths you took as you explored every inch of his mouth further. Your hands gliding up his face and fingers intertwining in his hair. The content state of your heartbeat pulsating calmly and the way your shirt felt under the palms of Steve's hands. Everything about you was so perfect, so- meticulous- that Steve assumed the universe placed you in Hawkins for the sole purpose of being his.

Cherry chapstick colliding with the taste of Steve's last cigarette, you had to say you felt the same. His manly but beautiful frame beneath you digging deeper into the seat with every kiss placed with intention and passion. Your hands running over the top of his jeans and hooking into the belt loops. He was your solace, your brain suddenly blank from all the intrusive and desolate thoughts from earlier. His lips guiding you to the freedom from pain and offering you a home to wander into; a blanket and a a cup of warm tea at the entryway of peace.

His hair felt so soft under the callouses of your fingers and the strands ran through like silk, slipping away from your grasp only for you to collide with them again. A slight pull of his hair left Steve in a state of frustration as he wanted to melt further into you and not to be pulled away. This longing wasn't a sexual one but more of a sensual one; wanting to envelop himself within you as close as humanly possible, wanting to flow through your veins and seep through your chest until the two of you were one. Pulling you back in, his cheeks are flushed and soft noise of fondness escapes your lips as you allowed him to know how he was making you feel.

"Hey," you said, breaking the quiet. It seemed forbidden to speak with how serene everything was even though your voice was just barely above a whisper. Steve looked down at you in confusion with furrowed brows, wondering what you were going to say. "We should put on some music or something."

Steve smiled. Of course you wanted music. It was your favorite thing in the entire world and he was pretty sure that he was a close second. Reaching around your frame to turn on the stereo, he shifts through the channels until he finds something suitable. A dark and low synth song starts to play through his speakers, perfecting the aesthetic of the night.

"This okay?" He asks, turning back to you and seeing your eyes light up.

"Absolutely."

.

Walking through the hallway on the last day of school was tiresome. Seeing all of the places that held memories that were good and bad filled your vision and your mind as you truly realized this was the last time you would be here. The green and orange tiles and the posters with tigers on them seemed to mock you as you continued your path towards the rows and rows of lockers for clean-out day.

Your shoes scuffed against the floor as you lost yourself in thought. Nothing would ever be the same again. Sure, it was a new chapter in your life but part of you would miss this old one. Riding around the block with your friends and singing your favorite songs. Staying up late drinking and coming into school high the next day. Sharing pencils with the weird kids in class who insisted they draw all over your notebook which you didn't mind. You felt like a collection of different thoughts and times just like the drawings that filled those pages.

Turning the corner you thought back to everyone you've met. The good and the bad and the in-between which was reserved for one person in particular- Steve Harrington himself. Leaning against one of the lockers wearing a dark yellow sweater and blue jeans looking as ethereal as ever. His hair had grown quite a bit from the last time you'd seen him and it made you laugh at the memory of how much Farrah Faucet hairspray he would put in it. Now, it was unkempt and a bit ridiculous.

His gaze went to yours and he faltered ever so slightly. You were still beautiful. Still you. Headphones dangling around your neck and a baggy shirt. Your lips were still stained with that cherry chapstick he'd tasted so many times before Nancy's strawberry one. You seemed quite surprised to see him after so long and you offered up a slight smile. He didn't know what you were thinking in that moment, but he was sure it was the night you two spent in the car, hiding away from the rest of the world.

He remembered when it was the two of you against the world before the mess of the Upside Down. Before the world became more than basketball games and parties. Before the world went crazy. Before he fell in love with someone else.

He felt a slight pang in his chest from how much he had loved you long ago. And to his surprise he smiled back at you. Ever so slightly.

Okay Panko Shrimps-

How would we feel about an angsty fight between Billy Hargrove and Steve Harrington over the reader? Except it's a choose your own adventure so y'all would get to pick a side and the story would change based on who you ended up with?

Or would we prefer more fluffy fics? I can't help but write Billy and Steve into the most heartfelt sweet things because they are the bees knees.

It's late and I drank an entire thing of butterbeer so I might just be going crazy with the Steve and Billy thoughts rn, but I just want your input!

Also, thank you guys for the love on the Stranger Things fics, the amount of support I've received from them is astronomical. 🥹 I love you.

Thank you!

💛🦐

Let Me In

Steve Harrington X Eddie Munson

Eddie wants so badly to tell Steve the pressing matters on his mind. So much so that he's willing to bike all the way in the rain to show him just how he feels.

⚠️ Warnings: Slight Angst, mentions of scars, kinda sexual wording?⚠️

The rain poured and poured nonstop outside of the Family Video Store. It was dark and dreary, but when it was matched with the most spontaneous bike ride and a Walkman that played Iron Maiden, it was just perfect. The puddles splashed around as the new droplets of water joined the ground, making short tapping noises almost as if the sky was speaking in Morose Code. The night was just starting to fall which meant that the sky was a dark and hazy blue-grey, a calming and pretty sight to passersby. The stars were just starting to peek out as they twinkled onto the dark pavement below. The only thing that lit up the lot was the Family Video Store fluorescent lighting which shone on the cracks and pebbles of the pavement Eddie rode on, bike wheels slightly scuffing up the earth. His curly brown hair was now down to his shoulders since it was wet beyond belief and his clothes were equally soaked. His Hellfire Club shirt stuck to his midsection and his black ripped jeans became ten times heavier with the weight of the water holding him down. Still, he pushed through as he caught a glimpse of the writing on his shoes, urging him to go on. In the whitest parts of the soles Steve had written him little phrases. The little doodles of stars and smiley faces added to the butterflies starting to form in the pit of Eddie's chest as he knew what he was about to do.

The bike made a scraping noise as he came to an immediate halt the moment he made it to the front doors. He couldn't wait until he could exchange it for a motorbike of sorts, once he graduated highschool once and for all that is. Until then, the red chipped paint and the handlebars that locked up with every given chance would have to suffice. Throwing the transportation device onto the sidewalk, Eddie gave himself a slight pep talk before he went into the store. The movie posters that had been printed on the windows added to the feeling of excitement when he noticed one of them was The Evil Dead. Fiddling with the rings on one of his hands, he shook his wrist as the anxiety of the situation finally hit him. Still raining, he knew his slight eyeliner must've run down his face and would most likely cause a scene once he was inside the familiar store. Hopefully, since it was just closing, Eddie would be able to get in undetected via lack of customers.

Pushing open the doors, a bell resounds throughout the entirety of the small building, signifying the presence of someone entering. The carpet looked the same as he remembered, dirty and printed with that horrid triangular design exclusive to the 80's. However, even though the front desk stayed the same, the rest of the displays had been moved around expertly to accommodate all of the vhs tapes that littered the shelves. Eddie pushed on further inside, starting to regret his decision until his eyes made direct contact with Steve "The Hair" Harrington, wearing the most ridiculous green vest.

It felt as though time itself had stopped as if Eddie and Steve were the only beings in the world. Steve's hair was everywhere which told the metalhead that he had been stressed and ripping at his hair again. His light blue polo underneath the horrendous work attire brought out the phenomenal golden color of his skin and his dark brown eyes looked Eddie up and down. From the tips of his toes to the hair on his head, Steve took everything in and drank it into his memory, keeping it there as if he needed to remember every minute detail about Eddie and his physicality. The leather jacket under his patched up denim and his ridiculous perm that seemed to be exclusive to the music nerds of Hawkins High. The bats that were hidden under Eddie's clothing called out to Steve in an odd way, as if his fingers burned from the possibility of being able to graze over that portion of Eddie's skin.

Eddie offered up a slight smile to which the other boy returned, a grin that had melted the hearts of many and offered a sort of solace for the kids Eddie played D&D with. Steve was very handsome, he thought. It made him want to melt into the floor everytime he got to see the smile that showed off his brilliant teeth.

"Ahoy!- er- shit that was my last job, sorry." Steve chuckled and pushed the hair that was falling into his eyes away from his face, tucking a strand of it behind his ear as he leant on the red desk from behind. The telephone on the right of his arm was just as red as the counter and presumably Eddie's cheeks by this point. Thinking about Harrington was one thing, seeing him in the flesh was another.

"Ah it's okay, I didn't come to rent a movie." Eddie put one of his feet in front of the other, gently tapping the sole to the tip of the shoe in an anxious manner. He tried to look at anything but the beautiful boy in front of him, finding it excruciatingly hard for him to think about anything else. The ceiling tiles, the movies, the floor, the telephone, everything was so disinteresting compared to the radiance of Steve Harrington. Eddie was torn from his thoughts the moment he saw the pen lettering on his shoe.

'Never change, Munson.'

Steve had written that with a borrowed pen from Robin at one of Eddie's Corroded Coffin shows. He had played a total of two songs and there were about ten people who showed, but Steve was one of them. Eddie wouldn't have had it any other way; watching the popular boy glance at him over his guitar, tongue slightly escaping his lips as he glanced at Eddie's hands which were put to work on the strings, playing the familiar Metallica tune.

"What can I do for you then, Eddie? ...Did you bike here?" Steve asked, voice laced with slight concern. It never failed to make Eddie's insides twist and turn into something one could only describe as pure and utter admiration for another human being.

"I-I-" He began, but got lost in the words. How would he come clean about his feelings? How would he possibly be able to put into words the exact way he felt whenever Steve drove him to school or when he would smile at him from afar? How would he be able to get Steve to comprehend how he felt when he came to one of his shows? How would Eddie put into words how badly he wanted to touch Steve beyond the friendly handshakes and fist bumps?

"I think I might have a sweater lying around somewhere in the back if you want some dry clothes." Steve started to flip up the corner of the desk so he could walk out to the break room. He was wearing those stupid khakis that were so exclusive to the father community of Hawkins that Eddie would've had to suppress a laugh if he wasn't so invigorated with the current task at hand. Moving towards him, he threw all caution to the wind as he grabbed the other boy's hand, stopping him from moving any further and replacing the comfortable expression on his face with one of confusion. Steve's brows were furrowed but his hands and face were hot unbeknownst to the metalhead. This was the closest they had been in proximity by themselves, without the familiar screaming of the kids or the incessant nagging from Robin and Nancy. Just pure and utter silence and two boys looking for the right words to say.

"Steve."

"Eddie."

Eddie shifted in his spot, moving his jacket up with his shoulders and uncomfortably being awkward. Suddenly the store seemed hot and suffocating, the walls closing in on the two of them in his mind. Yet even with this sense of claustrophobia, he wanted to get even closer to Steve and to feel his hot breath exhaling against his skin and to feel the heat of him flush against his chest. To play with the hair that was always freshly sprayed with Farrah Faucet and the trace over the imperfections on his skin. Every scar, freckle, and mole on his body yearned to be touched by Steve's lips and the thought alone made him shudder in excitement. He knew he had to say this now before he was never able to again.

"I think-"

"Think what?" Steve harmlessly glanced at his face once more, trying to pick out what it was he was feeling.

"I think I feel more towards you than just a friend." Eddie finally let the words roll off his tongue and into the open air, surrounding the two of them as though they were music notes, echoing inside his mind and bouncing off the body of the boy in front of him. For a moment, Eddie felt relieved but quickly composed himself as he awaited a response.

Steve felt very very weird. He had never felt this type of way in his life, being at an indecision of what to do. He didn't know whether to freak out and shun away the thoughts he knew he had about Eddie months prior to his confession, or to accept it and let the boy know he felt the same. This would change everything and yet, it would change nothing. Eddie was so gorgeous. His hair was still dripping onto the floor that Steve was supposed to clean up after his shift, which ended twenty minutes ago. The chains and patches loosely placed onto his jeans and jacket made Steve's insides go wild at the thought of tracing over them with his hands, cautiously wondering what they would feel like under his tongue. But- despite all this- he remained expressionless, glued to his spot and not saying anything.

Eddie felt his heart break. He felt every inch of his chest erupt into fire, killing the butterflies that stemmed from his admiration and longing and anxiousness. It was all too much for him to handle. The worst part was knowing that he would have to go on as though nothing ever happened between him and the King of Hawkins High. As if every aching of his heart wasn't pointed in the direction of the one person on earth he'd wanted to be his lover since day one.

Turning around, he walked out of Family Video. The sky was now fully dark and the rain still beat against the windows, his bike now fully wet with the water that sloshed down from the gutters on the roof and the water that filled the puddles in the pavement. His heart felt similar to that in a way- just an open cavity slowly drowning from the inside out.

"Eddie!" Steve shouted from the door, but Eddie didn't want to hear it. He mounted his bike with tears in his eyes, mixing with the rain that fell from the clouds overhead. He paid no mind to Steve, who was now in the rain with him. It wasn't until he started to ride off that Steve knew he couldn't let him go. He couldn't just allow him to think that he didn't feel the same longing as he did. As if he didn't think about loving him in every extremity. Running faster, Steve managed to stand in Eddie's direction with his arms held out in an attempt to stop him from going any further. The tears threatening to spill from eyes became too much as Steve allowed them to fall, an emotion he didn't portray often.

"Eddie. I think about you that way too!"

The metalhead hopped off the bike. Standing just a few feet apart from the boy he'd grown to love, he felt the water escaping his lungs as the universe allowed him to breathe again. It was as if someone had conducted a surgery on his heart and fixed him and all the spontaneity he held within him before. All because Steve said the three words that he'd thought walking into the video store tonight.

"I love you."

And there it was. Rain still pouring relentlessly and both boys with cheeks so red you'd think they'd gotten a sunburn in the middle of autumn, there it was. The raw and beautiful emotion of two lovers who had been torn apart by society but still found a way back to one another. A couple of hesitant footsteps in front of them and the soft sobs that could be heard from Steve pushed the couple closer and closer until eventually the thoughts of tasting one another became actions. The thoughts of love and emotion became words and the intensity of their attraction became feverish as they allowed themselves to consume each other in their grasp under the harsh rain.

"I wish you hadn't waited so long to tell me that, Harrington. Otherwise, I would've been right here this whole time." Eddie said, wiping a stray tear away from his face once they broke away. A slight chuckle left him as he took in Steve's flustered but beautiful state. His hair was flatter than a pancake against his head and it made Eddie love him even more knowing that he willingly followed him out in the rain even at the expense of his hair.

"May I kiss you again?" Steve asked ever so softly, finally allowing him to voice the emotions he'd been feeling for so long.

"Of course." Eddie said, smiling and leaning in for another one.

The sky crackled above with a beautiful blue and purple lightning, shining down over the lovers who felt just as electric as the weather.

Glimpse of Us

Steve Harrington X Eddie Munson

⚠️ Warnings: this whole thing is just painful ⚠️

"You fill my lungs with sweetness, and you fill my head with you..."

The unfamiliar song started to play softly through the speakers of Steve Harrington's car, leaving him with a feeling of dread and sorrow. It was a foggy afternoon and the trees surrounding the town of Hawkins were tall and provided shade from the very little sun that poked through the clouds. It was darker than usual, a reflection of how Steve felt inside. The soft smell of petrichor filled his senses as he rolled the window down in an attempt to catch the air as he drove by. He was by himself today. No Henderson from the backseat to shout and cheer at the latest adventure they had. No Robin in the passenger side fixing her mascara and droning on about her love of Vickie. No one but the crisp cool air and soft rain starting to fall from the sky, so soft one might miss it if they weren't actively feeling rainy inside. Steve tousled his hair and wiped at his face as he continued down the path to the familiar clearing in the woods; somewhere he would be completely isolated and alone.

Pulling up alongside the road, he put his car in park and slumped against the wheel. His head hurt from the night before as he had stayed up later than normal, drinking an endless amount of coffee to get him through work and then through home. His cardigan felt heavier than usual as he wrapped it around himself quickly, trying to trap in any warmth before turning off the car and walking outside.

The King of Hawkins High now had a slight limp in his walk ever since the battle for his home. His hair was starting to lighten up at the roots and he had lost a couple pounds. Chiseled jawline and sad eyes completed the forlorn look he now wore with contemptness. Vecna was a thing of the past, but the pain the monster left him was far greater than anything that could truly heal over time. Today was full of nostalgia for him so he decided to release his emotions in the only way he knew how to; talking to Eddie.

The trees eventually opened up into the bright and beautiful field he had known all too well; the grassy meadow was a bright yellow in contrast to the darkness of the rest of the world which Steve figured was his friend's doing. Such a happy corner of the universe but such a sad day it held within its corners. 1986.

Eddie looked lovely today. The birds were flying overhead in intricate but beautiful patterns in the sky, keeping a watchful eye on everything happening down below. They paid no mind to Steve as he frequented this place often. Besides from Dustin, he was the only other human to walk this place with the knowledge of what it truly meant. Visions of Eddie running around with Dustin himself, bright eyed and beaming grins as they pranced about the meadow with their makeshift swords and shields. Robin and Steve had sat alongside the outside as they shaped spears using what they had gathered. Erica and Lucas fighting over the binoculars as they playfully expressed that they cared for each other. The last time when things were truly perfect, Steve thought to himself as he sunk to his knees by the site where Eddie rested now.

"Eddie Munson. The Hero of Hawkins."

The inscription was clear even though the rest of the grave had been worn away after quite some time. It was small so it would've been glanced over if you weren't on the lookout for the home of the Hellfire Club leader. There were a few sprouts of miscellaneous plants growing out from some of the sides and around the lot. The dead rose from the last time Steve came to visit laid atop, waiting to be replaced with another flower. He fished into his cardigan and pulled out another rose similar to the other one, although this one was very much alive. The petals were vibrant and dewey, matching the surroundings of the meadow and the sky overhead.

"Hey Eddie." Steve said, getting comfortable on the ground and fiddling with the grass. "It's been a while."

"Nancy and I will have to visit with the kids someday soon." He began, working towards trying to have the confidence speaking out in the open like this. A faint smile appeared on his face as he said his next lines.

"The meadow looks beautiful as ever, Eddie. I can see all the work you've put into it. Your aura was always a contagious one."

Steve swallowed back a tear as he ran his fingers over the inscription he had paid for himself. Eddie would always be known as the hero, even if it was only to a few people who resided in Indiana. Funny how your world can be comprised of a few science kids and a couple college friends. Or how it used to be, anyways. Before everyone grew up.

"We named our oldest after you. Ironically, he's very into Metallica. You would be so proud of your namesake." Steve said, feeling proud for a moment at the mention of his son. Him and Nancy had gotten married in the summer of '99. She had worn a plain and simple wedding dress but she looked beautiful as ever in it, hair pinned to the top of her head and a pearl necklace around her neck. Her smile had beamed so brightly that day and Steve felt like the luckiest man in the world.

"Robin apparently still visits Hawkins from time to time. She moved to Washington not long after everything went down in Hawkins. She said she couldn't take it anymore. We had a party for her and then she left the next day. I haven't heard from her since." The mention of his best friend made him crinkle his nose in fondness, remembering the night they spent drugged in the bathroom of the Starcourt Mall and her coming out to him as a lesbian.

"I know Henderson comes to see you with his family sometimes. He's almost always over at our place. He keeps me updated on everything happening in his household. Turns out, he's a great babysitter too. He tells Eddie all about you and about how great you were."

"Lucas became a professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers. He's quite good, it turns out that he's found his people and his talent. He and Max still have some unfinished business, but as far as I know she lives alone after her mother passed not too long ago. She's doing better now since she woke up from that coma, volunteering at the local hospital. She went back to college to get a degree in nursing."

Steve tried his best to explain everything he knew. Eddie was the glue that seemed to hold their group together. After his passing, everyone went their separate ways and Steve felt very isolated. He missed his kids and the way it used to be sometimes, especially on days like today. But the same part of him that yearned for their reunion was the same part of him that was ever so pleased they all ended up okay. He couldn't be anything but proud of them after they all worked so hard to get where they were.

"The Byers still live in Lenora. Hopper went with them and he got married to Joyce. Jonathan went off with Argyle and started their own clothing line. It's pretty ridiculous, but I've heard that they're making a ton of money from it. Eleven is still with Mike. They visit us sometimes too when they can. They're still distraught over Joyce and her death not long after they had gotten married themselves. Nance and I went up to see them and it was almost as if the whole gang was back together. You would've loved it!"

Steve was laughing now as he explained their wedding even further. It was a shame that Joyce had contracted an illness but she didn't go down without a fight. Hopper visits her grave all the time when he's not too busy working for the post office. He still takes care of Eleven and adopted her the moment he was able to.

"Will is working as a librarian and he got married but that's about all I know. He's the one kiddo that hardly keeps in contact anymore. I heard he's a published author, but I don't know the titles of any of his works."

Steve stopped his rambling and stared down at the plants poking out from the grave. It was refreshing to see some new flowers popping up here and there, a contrast from the yellowing of the meadow grass. It was now starting to rain harder and he could feel the water droplets hitting his head, almost like the ticking of a clock telling him that his time with Eddie was almost up. He composed himself from his slight moment of fondness and looked down at the shining stone beneath his feet.

"Eddie." He said, moving towards the top of the gravestone and petting it in the same way he used to pet his long curly brown hair that was always mischievously framing his face and flying about. Eddie would smoke cigarettes while Steve played with it as he laid on top of his friend and played some of his Corroded Coffin guitar solos. His smile would light up Steve's entire room as the eccentric metalhead boy would sit on the end of the bed and laugh with him about their music tastes and the typical drama of the day. Eddie's Hellfire notebook would be sprawled out on the floor as he placed back and forth while he talked about what was to be expected from their next campaign while Steve listened intently. He would tilt his head if Steve had any ideas to offer and would jump up and down if something he had said would be added to the exciting fun of DND. Munson would run around in Steve's bomber jacket when it was cold. He would hold his hands when he wanted him to know something important so that he would have Steve's undivided attention. Eddie would prance around the field with Black Sabbath blasting through his Walkman. He would yell up at the night sky and ask for the universe to lift the curse that held him to Hawkins.

"I never stopped loving you." Steve admitted. Before he headed back towards the warmth of his car, he took off his cardigan and placed it atop Eddie's final resting place and smiled. "So you don't get cold, is all." He said.

Steve didn't believe in God or any particular religion, but he knew that somewhere somehow, Eddie heard every word.

Hello my Panko Shrimps!

I'm sorry to all of you who are here for other fanfictions, it might take a while since I'm on a bit of a Stranger Things kick!

Seriously though, I am a writing machine this week. I need to read more of Dune before I start on part four of that, but people have been asking and they shall receive.

I love you all and I hope you're having a wonderful day/night wherever you are. Send me asks if there's any ideas you come up with or if you just want to say hi!!

💛🦐

F I R E C R A C K E R S

STEVE HARRINGTON X READER

He's loved you since the beginning. It's a shame you had to be taken from him so quickly.

⚠️ Warnings: angst!!!! Blood, death ⚠️

Steve held the firecrackers to his chest as he waited for the perfect time to throw it at the demon threatening the lives of his favorite people in Hawkins. The Mind Flayer- also known as the mysterious rat creature- had tormented everyone it came across. Now, as it finally stood inside the Starcourt Mall, it awaited its death in a valiant effort to fight back. Steve counted in his head the seconds before he would have to throw the fiery device at the creature created from the depths of the Upside Down.

"One, Two, Three, Four-" Steve heard Robin count before she threw her firecracker from the balcony. Her short hair flew with the thrust of her arm, hitting the back of the demon and watching a portion of its arm erupting into flames. She looked determined with a fierce glare that she directed at the Mind Flayer; eyes squinted and face contorted into one of complete and utter concentration. Steve had never seen her so focused.

And then, there was you. Watching the creature from the bottom of where you stood, feeling the agonizing burns of the firecrackers yourself. Connected to the monster, it was impossible for the group to make sure you stayed safe while they went for the kill. Your skin was ashen grey and the veins on your body shone black with the poison of the universe which ran parallel to Hawkins. You looked like a shell of the person Steve once knew you to be; the bright and happy (Y/N) that he loved so much and found so much in common with. The (Y/N) who went to all his basketball games and laughed with him in his car while The Police were softly playing from the speakers. The (Y/N) that always knew what to say to cheer him up after a bad day. The (Y/N) that he had asked out on that particularly cold winter day when he realized that seeing you wearing his scarf was a sight he didn't want to lose. You were still that person, of course, but now you were tainted with the horrible curse of the town Steve sought to run away from since the beginning of all this madness. You were still beautiful even though you weren't entirely yourself. And you were still his. Something he considered worth fighting for.

He counted down from ten before releasing the same firecracker into the direction of the monster which took you. He saw your eyes burn and your hands flail around until they reached your face, pulling at your eyes and dragging your fingers across your skin showing the pain you felt on the inside. The veins seemed to sear across your skin like black tendrils; vines opening up and crawling on every inch of your body. He felt a pang in his chest watching you being forced to suffer like this. He wanted nothing more than to have the old you back in his arms playing with your hair after the two of you woke up from another night spent at Steve's. It seemed like a millennia ago.

You screamed in pain and dropped to the ground just as the monster shifted in place, shrinking up against one of the walls towards the kids on the other side of the balcony: Lucas and Max trying their best to ward off the Mind Flayer.

Steve's maternal instincts kicked in and he ran towards the kids, much to Robin's avail. Her arm flung out in an attempt to grab her co-worker and friend as he raced towards the two fifteen-year-olds with their walkies in hand, firecrackers in the other.

"Steve!" Robin yelled, running after him as he tackled the kids into a protective hug just as the monster swung out and crashed its arm into the place they once stood. He held them close and squinted his eyes to try and block out the surroundings. This was all too much too fast. Robin joined him on the other side, holding Lucas close to her as she wrapped her arms around him protectively. He had a single tear threatening to spill down his cheeks and Max looked equally horrified.

You screaming once more brought Steve's attention back to what was happening below. Eleven had joined you in the fight with her arm outstretched in the air as she tried to push you back towards the monster and away from her friends. You floated just a few inches above the linoleum tiles, still in pain from your previous feat. Eleven looked deadly as she threw you to the ground.

"Stop!" Steve yelled before he even got a grasp of what it was he was saying. The guilt of you potentially being killed hit him like a train as he realized how this scenario was bound to play out. He had been too stupid, agreeing to fighting the Mind Flayer in hopes of getting you back, cutting you off from the demon permanently. The kids knew and Robin knew that it just wasn't possible.

"Don't kill (Y/N)!" He said, much more confident in his words and in more pain than he thought imaginable. Eleven turned to look at him with sorrowful eyes and an apologetic glance as blood dripped from her nostril above her lip.

"It has to happen!" She stated with utmost certainty. She knew this was the only way and as much as she hated the idea of losing you, she wanted to keep her friends safe. She remembered the times where you offered the kids rides from school and when you gave her advice about boys. You were so close to her, to lose you would be one of the worst things she would have to experience. But she couldn't lose Mike.

"But- I-I love her!" Steve finally let the reality of the situation hit him, his eyes spilling tears all over and his bottom lip quivering in fear and hurt. His heart shattered and his stomach felt as though someone were pushing a knife into him over and over, turning the blade every which way to deepen the wound. His head burned and his hands ached as he pressed his fingernails into the floor, blood starting to form from the tips of them. He had been scratched up pretty badly and the burning of his wounded eye was hardly anything compared to what he felt on the inside.

Steve's words caught your attention. Your mind an empty space of blackness finally felt as though it were opening up. You had no control over your movements prior to this moment and all you could feel was the searing of your flesh coming into contact with the burning sensation of the firecrackers. Running around aimlessly in the void that was your possessed body, you finally felt yourself able to take control- even if just for a moment. You turned to Steve and felt time stop as you looked into his tear-filled eyes knowing it was you that caused him that pain.

You smiled ever so slightly as another firecracker was thrown by Mike, bringing you back to the fight at hand. You winced in pain and felt the demon you were attached to move hastily towards Eleven, who had been knocked to the ground after her previous attempt at killing you. You were going to save her from this if it was the last thing you did. Running to her small body on the ground, you threw yourself on top of her and blocked out the monster's attack, feeling yourself ripping in two. Eyes wide and crying, Eleven looked down at the thing which stabbed you, the leg of the Mind Flayer itself, lodged into your chest.

And in that moment you thought back to the time Steve had asked you to be his. You had stolen his scarf when it was snowing, the falling pieces of sky finding themselves gently tapping your hair and leaving it in a small blanket of white. Your cheeks were rosy and your hands hurt from the cold but Steve's scarf had kept you warm. He was wearing his signature blue jeans and polo shirt with he letterman jacket from the basketball team at Hawkins High. His hair was also coated in snow and even though the two of you were practically freezing to death, he looked happier than ever.

"(Y/N)," he had said that day, "Will you be with me? Like- with me with me?"

You had smiled so much from his cute anxiousness and placed your hand in his. "Of course." You said, the happiest girl on earth.

You looked at Eleven underneath you and smiled the same way you did on the day Steve lent you his scarf.

"Tell Steve I love him too. Please." Were the last words you said before everything you knew faded to black.

...

A/N: I hope this is okay, I don't usually write angst but I was listening to Little Freak by Harry Styles and I'm all out of cookies. Enjoy :) 💛🦐

Dusty Bun and the Vomit Ploy

Eddie Munson X Steve Harrington X Reader

This isn't proofread, please forgive me it's been a long week

⚠️ Warnings: swearing, crack ⚠️

Eddie held onto your hand tightly as you made your way through the hallways of Hawkins High; class was still in session so the two of you had to be somewhat quiet as you snuck your way out the front doors. You were in Chemistry when Eddie had brought up the proposition by waving his hands frantically on the other side of the small window on the door, motioning for you to join him and leave once again. You had looked over to your friend and waited for them to push their books off their desk so you could manage to sneak out. The professor had been too invested in what had happened to notice you slip out the door and into your boyfriend's arms.

You and Eddie had done this many times before, loving the feeling of adrenaline coursing through your entire body as excitement took hold over you, whipping past open doorways and teachers roaming the halls. Giggling, you watched your boyfriend run in front of you with his long and curly hair flowing about his face as the wrinkles around his eyes became more and more prominent with every smile he sent in your direction. His Hellfire Club T-shirt taunted you from afar and his metalhead denim jacket rattled with the weight of his various band pins and patches. He looked absolutely beautiful in this moment.

Noticing one of the classrooms approaching, you hurriedly pulled him back from the open doorway, taking shelter against the wall to try and stay out of view of every student within it. Trying your best to peer in undetected, you noticed that the teacher was on the opposite side of the room. Just then, you locked eyes with a concerned Dustin who was twiddling a pencil in between his fingers and staring at you with a "not this shit again" look. His baseball cap was slightly lopsided and a grin threatened to show on his face when he realized Eddie was with you.

You sent him a salute and then pulled Eddie behind you as fast as you could to escape the eyes of Dustin's classroom. It seemed as though you would make it out without suspicion but Eddie had to hit one of the lockers with his foot, which led to him falling to the floor and laughing.

"Eddie!" You whisper-shouted as you tried to show some form of discontent, but you were laughing too hard with him for it to come across as angry as you would've liked.

"Munson? What are you doing out of class?" Dustin's teacher appeared from her classroom as she took in the sight of the rocker on the ground holding his foot as a stream of giggly curse words left his lips. Standing up as fast as humanly possible, Eddie straightened his shoulders and put on the best serious face he could muster.

"I was showing (Y/N) where the bathrooms were." He said, trying to come up with an excuse on the fly.

"That was the same excuse you used last time I caught you out here."

Eddie struggled to try and come up with something else but then Dustin came running out of the room clutching his stomach and screaming.

"Mrs. Mundy! I'm going to throw up on- on- uh- everything!!!" Dustin screamed, grabbing onto her arm and puffing out his cheeks.

"Dustin! Do you need to see the nurse?!" Mrs. Mundy questioned with concern at her student.

You silently thanked Dustin and grabbed onto Eddie's shoulder, taking the distraction and running in the opposite direction towards the doors where Steve would be waiting with his car for the two of you.

"Actually I think I'm fine, it must've been a spur-of-the-moment thingy." Dustin said, shrugging his shoulders the minute you were out of sight.

You held Eddie's hand as you pushed past the doors and made your way to the familiar blue car parked out front with a familiar looking guy with big hair. He stuck his arm out the window, motioning for you two to run faster. And run faster you did. Jumping up the stairs to the parking lot and hopping in the car, you see principal Higgins walking outside, trying his best to catch up to the two of you.

"You can't leave! School's not over!" He shouted but to no avail as Steve readied his car and drove off so fast you thought the doors might fly off. Eddie was situated in the backseat while you were on the passenger side. Rolling down his window, Eddie flipped the principal off and laughed maniacally.

"Thanks for picking us up, Steve." You said, face beaming.

"Of course, I have to look out for my two little shits." He said, looking in his rearview mirror and watching the school fade into the distance.

"You got any Metallica on that stereo of yours?" Eddie piped in from the back with a hopeful grin.

"Always." Steve said, and put in a tape. The Smiths started blasting through the sound system of the car and he drummed his fingers rhythmically to the beat.

"You motherfucker I asked for Metallica!!" Eddie pouted and hit Steve playfully on the arm over and over again as he threw a little temper tantrum in the backseat.

Steve turned the volume up even higher and yelled over Morrissey, "I can't hear you!"

You propped your feet up against the dash and watched as your boyfriends argued over the radio. Oh well, it was better than sitting through another boring Chemistry lesson.

💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

Count the Ways // S.H.

Request: could you do a steve imagine where they’re a couple and they go to a party together but y/n gets really drunk and steve starts to get nervous because of what happened with nancy but then she just starts telling him how much she loves her and he feels better? it would be so cute - anon

A/N: Such a cute request! Thank you so much for sending it in. I hope you like it and that I have done it justice. I wrote this in an hour and it isn’t edited the best, I’m really sorry but I’m so busy this week that I wanted to get something out for you all!

Warnings: alcohol, underage drinking (American laws), drunk reader, drunkenness, fluff, happy, cute.

Word count: 1.6k

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It's Okay to Not be Okay

Billy Hargrove X Reader

You finally open up to your boyfriend about how you've been feeling and you're met with a side of him you didn't realize existed.

⚠️ Warnings: MENTIONS OF AN ED, slight angst, slight swearing? Affectionate Billy ⚠️

Sitting outside on the steps to your boyfriend's house, you felt a pit in your stomach as you contemplated what words to use next. In the grand scheme of things, you didn't think your eating habits would be something to worry about with the Upside Down existing, but your boyfriend had you sit down to explain to him what exactly was going on. You supposed that it wasn't fair to keep him out of the loop like this, but you just really didn't want him to worry. You were doing a good job at concealing it for the most part until you had fainted earlier that evening.

"Hey." Billy said, coming out from the house with a bottle of water in his hands. He gently set the drink by you and joined you on the stairs while you looked up at the night sky. It was pretty but you would've enjoyed it more if you weren't about to have the conversation you were going to.

"Hey." Was all you said, not turning to look at him for fear of what he might do or say. Billy had always been somewhat of a menace to others and had been known to be forceful when things didn't go his way. You were usually met with his softer side, or what you supposed would be softer actions. You wondered if that would hold through to tonight. He didn't seem angry when he placed his hand on your leg, gently rubbing the spot and chewing on his lip in concentration. He was at a loss for words.

When he finally figured out exactly how he wanted to go about the situation, he spoke up, "(Y/N), Are you okay? Please don't just say yes because you feel you have to."

Your eyes started to feel droopy with oncoming tears but you pushed them down. It wasn't all the time that you were emotional with him but when he treated you as though you were the whole world, it was hard for you not to be.

Your eyes met his and you noticed how stern but worried he looked. His expression wasn't one you were expecting, to say the least. It was a nice surprise however and you felt your bones become heavy as you let yourself sink into his arms.

"Billy." You said, in between sobs as you finally let go of the words you had been wanting to say for so long.

"(Y/N)."

"I'm having a hard time eating." You said, feeling the words slip off your tongue into reality. It never felt real or like a necessity to talk about until this very moment as your lover stared you in the eyes. You felt him stiffen as you let go into his chest and as one weight lifted, another one fell.

"I know." Was what he replied with, moving his arms to wrap around you and push your hair back behind your ears. This only made you sob harder into his chest. "I've known this whole time but I didn't want to treat you as though you weren't capable of handling yourself. I should've said something sooner."

Getting up from his chest, you tried to wipe the tears off your face in a haste to stop this emotion from taking over. Surprising you with his actions once more, he held your hands gently to stop you from wiping them.

"Don't." He said, rubbing small circles onto your skin. "Let them fall. It's okay."

Billy let you cry some more in his arms as he lit a cigarette. He took a drag and then handed it to you, allowing for you to calm yourself down with the drug. Thanking him silently, you move in closer to his touch and allow for his arms to consume you entirely like the depressive episode you were having. Of course Billy had known. The more you thought about it, the more it made sense. The nights you would go to bed without eating anything he made for the two of you and all of the times you would pass up dinner dates. The breakfasts you spent together where you would insist that a stick of gum was plenty enough to hold you over until lunch and then not meeting him in the cafeteria. He had known all along, but he didn't know how to help you when you didn't know how to help yourself. He wanted to save your ego.

You started to laugh a little bit as you handed the cigarette back up to Billy to which he placed between his fingers and let a small smile loose.

"I missed that noise, where had you been hiding it all this time?" He asked, gently poking you in the sides to try and get another laugh out.

"You were trying to boost my ego." You said, turning up to look at him. That was when you saw a small tear threatening to slip out of his eyes. He was too concentrated on the stars above as he took another drag and listened to what you had to say. You didn't want him to know that you had seen the tear, so you adverted your gaze back to its original position. Now you were the one who was saving his ego.

"No. I just didn't want you to think that I would treat you like you weren't the badass I know and love." He said, passing the cigarette back over to you.

"Would I still be that badass if I asked for a little help every now and then?" You asked, trying to state your insecurity to him in a way that would be a bit playful in fear that you were dropping too much on him. He smiled at you with those beautiful eyes that you fell in love with time and time again.

"Of course." He said with absolute certainty before leaning over and placing a hand on the side of your cheek.

The stars may have been beautiful tonight, but Billy was more beautiful.

Sorry I'm Late, Sweetheart.

Eddie Munson X Reader

When your four friends decide on their plan to defeat Vecna, you're instantly aware of how dangerous this mission will be. It's more difficult than slashing a Demogorgon or hiding from the Mind Flayer and you're unsure whether you'll get out safely. After Nancy is taken, the only thing you can do is lay your life on the line.....and play the most badass rock show the world has ever known.

⚠️ Warnings: swearing, blood and gore⚠️

The cold dark air rushed all around the five of you, snagging at your clothes and brushing your hair every which way. The ashen sky fell with literal ash and painted your clothes with the grey color, almost as a warning of how intertwined with the universe you were to be as you continued on with your weapons in hand. Your shoes scuffed up the ground of the once familiar Hawkins and the vines at your feet made it difficult to navigate without the fear of falling or becoming entangled in them. It was a dark day indeed, and everyone knew it. No one had the comfort of knowing they would make it out of this alive and that resonated with the silence that hung in the air and clawed at your skin; your bones becoming heavier and heavier as you trudged on with tears starting to form in your eyes- wondering if this was the last moment the five of you would share.

Your clothes and everyone else's had been tattered with the previous encounter of Demobats: pesky little things that would be the equivalent of a small demon dog. It had bit Eddie and Robin before they had been slashed by Steve and his axe which he had brought along with him in preparation for this fight. Steve had saved you guys many times, tonight wasn't an exception. He looked older now, a stark contrast from when he was the seventeen-year-old you had first met with his cute haircut and bright eyes. Now, he was filled with a sadness that seeped through his skin and wore out his features, his face a permanent expression of exhaustion and worry. Nancy wasn't too far behind, her face had worn itself out as well and bags were starting to form under her eyes. She was worried about the outcome of today and about Jonathan whom's safety she was always unsure of. Robin's lips were formed into a permanent frown and Eddie....Eddie was the most determined one out of all of you. Lines on his face creased with nervousness and fear as to what came next, but his eyes shone with a passion you had never seen in your life. He was ready. Ready to defend himself and his friends.

You slowly progressed up to where Eddie was walking leading the group and slipped your cold hand in his warm one. He didn't turn to look at you for fear that he would burst into tears at the idea of losing you, but he gave your hand a squeeze to which you did back to him. It was a calming gesture of sorts, and you could feel the confidence slowly coming back to you with having him by your side. His Hellfire shirt seemed like a tease at a life you missed so much: one that was filled with friends and mysticism that only existed in board games. You craved to have that sense of normalcy back; a time where you weren't forced to be a hero.

"Everything will be okay." You whispered, enough for him to hear you. His hair swayed softly with the wind and he chewed on his bottom lip.

"In case it isn't," he began, finally turning to you and you could see a single tear falling from his eyes, "I love you."

You felt your heart shatter. You were just a bunch of kids trying to make it in this world. It wasn't fair for your youth to be stripped away.

And suddenly, everything that was slightly calming about the situation completely evaporated the minute you turned around to check on everyone else. Eyes rolled back into her head and feet floating off the ground, Nancy was staring up at the cursed sky with her mouth slightly agape.

"Nancy!" You yelled, catching the attention of everyone else around you. Steve was the first to react by rushing over to Nancy and trying his best to bring her back down to the earth. Robin followed suit and grabbed one of her legs as she continued to ascend into the air. You and Eddie were at a loss for words or action. Steve had looked at you and almost in slow motion, he gave you the look of a panicked boyfriend even though him and Nancy had broken up long ago. He was terrified. And to make matters worse, there was no Walkman in sight.

"Music! What's her favorite song?!" You yelled, turning to Eddie for help only to realize that where he once stood was empty and he was rushing in the opposite direction. "Eddie!"

Eddie screamed out "I'm getting my guitar!"

With his shoes kicking up the strange otherworldly dirt and nearly tripping over seven vines, he ran faster than he ever had towards the trailer park in which him and his uncle lived. It seemed like a millennia ago, waiting for his uncle to come home from work and listen to Ozzy with him on the record player they shared. It was a fond memory, one of the only ones he had of his uncle that he liked to look back on, but he found this memory to be what continued to push him towards his house and to his guitar. Starting to sweat as he dawned the familiar woods that he used to smoke weed and hang out with you in, he threw off his denim jacket and pushed up his sleeves getting closer and closer to his fated destiny.

He threw open the door and practically fell into the trailer, slipping on the carpet that his uncle had insisted on keeping by the door so as not to track mud into his place. If only his uncle could see the mess now.

Eddie could see the portal back to his universe on the ceiling from where Chrissy had been taken. The vines surrounding the hole overgrown and cascading down all sides of the small living room and through to the bedroom and kitchen. They almost seemed to breathe, as if the entire trailer was alive rather than teeming with life. It was definitely a spectacle. The metal head thought to himself for a moment as he contemplated what it would be like to just jump back through the portal and be far away from here. To rid himself of anything Hawkins related and to relocate somewhere where he would never be found. It would be so much easier just to run away, to not have to be the hero everyone counted on him being.

But then he thought to you. And he quickly recollected himself.

Running to the bedroom, he saw his prized possession hanging up in front of his bedroom mirror, the only thing that wasn't touched by the strangeness of the Upside Down. The cheetah print red shine of the body called out to him and gave him a sense of purpose and time. The familiar strings he had played so many times brushed under his fingers and let out the softest hum of music. It was in tune. Just as he had left it.

"Sorry I'm late, sweetheart." He said, thinking back to the same words he had said when Chrissy was in his presence. He would've loved to be friends with her.

He grabbed the guitar and swung it over his shoulder, quickly finding the amps and power cords he had around his room. It was no easy task, but he moved everything to the roof of the trailer where he knew he would be able to play. He never imagined his first gig since leaving Corroded Coffin to be in another dimension, but he was totally digging the vibe. Cords, cords, and more cords were plugged in as he prepared himself to do the only thing he knew best.

Play music.

....

Nancy didn't have much time. The red sky loomed overhead which was a complete contrast from the familiar blue that she had just left. Everything that wasn't touched by the unsettling blood color was black. The vines, the trees, the ground. Victor Creel's house.

The mansion stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the chaos of floating rubble. Its towers reached the sky, scraping it with its haphazard rooftops and shingles. The attic window was brightly lit while the rest of the house was pitch black, signifying where Vecna committed his acts of violence: terrorizing the town and dooming young teens to their deaths for what, Nancy wasn't certain. She remembers the lifeless corpse of Fred with his eyes sunken in and his limbs bent every which way. His scar was like a warning as it marked his face and his fate.

Nancy did a once-over and made sure she was okay. Her ribs hurt but it was presumably the fall that led to it. Her eyes burned and her veins jolted with the fear she felt in her entire body, matched by the adrenaline of the fight.

Suddenly, a figure loomed to her left as it joined her in staring at the front of the house. She didn't bother to look at it; to let it know that she was frightened. She wanted to put on a brave front. The figure was almost a foot taller than she was and she could feel the vines pushing out of the way for this being to walk. It's hot breath met her ear.

"It was such a lovely house." It said, making itself known. Nancy gulped back some of the fear she felt and allowed her fingers to nervously drum against the sides of her thighs. It was torturous just to be in the presence of Vecna as she knew how it was going to play out if the others didn't save her. Her body joining Fred and Chrissy, six feet under with a torso so bent out of shape they would have to create a custom coffin. The very thought chilled her to the bone.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, sounding more scared than she meant to.

Vecna turned to look at her and moved towards the front of the stairs, backing her into a corner. It was such an odd juxtaposition; an evil entity with all the power in the world being so calm towards her, as if this wasn't her death he was about to bring onto her.

"I will end all your suffering." He said, slowly lifting up his arm which was adorned with long claws attached to even longer fingers, moving to touch her face ever so gently but piercing into her skin. She closed her eyes and thought back to the night she was at Jonathan's house.

The alphabet was horribly drawn into the yellowing wallpaper, Christmas lights surrounding the entirety of the house and illuminating the living room and writing. The lights were going off one by one as Will tried to contact them, using the letters to form short words and sentences. Steve had been there too, a bat with nails in it and a black eye from his fight with Jonathan. The two boys looked at each other and then at her as they awaited what was to happen next. Nancy held the weight of a gun in her hands.

When the wall broke in and a Demogorgon appeared, it had been Steve that had acted first. With his bat in hand and baseball stance, he had struck the demon over and over again, watching it bleed out into the ground from whence it came. Even then, he continued to strike the beast over and over just in an attempt to protect Nancy.

He had saved her then, and he would save her now. Nancy was sure of it.

"It's the final countdown."

All of a sudden, her thoughts were interrupted by a song that was so familiar and overplayed she wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness and throw up with the fear at the same time. Her mouth contorted into something of a smile as Vecna released his grip on her skull, forcing Nancy to the ground as she looked towards the red sky that was now blue towards the far right of the house.

Turning back on the ground and taking one last glance at Vecna, she locked eyes with the creature that looked more angry than anything else.

"Fuck you." She said, and started running towards the blue light.

The ground felt like water as she tried to run the fastest she could away from Vecna. The floating debris of the house started raining down on her, trying to stray her from her path. One from the right and then one from the left, sending her onto the ground only for her to get right back up again and run even faster than before.

"We're heading for Venus..."

Nancy followed the song and followed the light, losing her slip on shoes in the process. Barefoot, she raced towards the end of this nightmarish hell, bracing herself for impact if she were to fall again. Catching a quick glimpse from behind her, she saw the beast wasn't too far behind.

"And still we stand tall..."

The silly tune guided her to the end of the light where she finally made out of the red portal and back into her body. Feeling a surge of motion sickness, she felt herself fill her body once again, feeling like the little pills with sponge dinosaurs once they hit water.

Dropping from the sky, she fell back into the arms of Steve, who was ready to catch her from the beginning. He held her closely, brushing stray strands of hair from her face and taking in her frazzled state. She was covered in dirt and there were scratches on the sides of her face that he swore hadn't been there before.

"Cause maybe they've seen us...and welcome us all, yeah..."

Eddie's music blared on from the woods, louder than anything they've ever heard. The Demobats started to fill the sky in search of the sound, rushing through the sky and towards the trees. You stood frozen in place as you watched them head towards your boyfriend. Looking towards Robin, she gave you a smile and tilted her head in Eddie's direction.

"Go save him." She said with absolute certainty and you felt yourself running towards your boyfriend before she even finished getting the words out. Your shoes made heavy stomping noises as you ran faster than you ever had in your life in hopes of making it in time to warn Eddie and beat the swarm together.

As you neared the woods, you saw his jacket lying on the ground and you picked it up, throwing it over your shoulders and running up to his residence, seeing him shredding his guitar and head banging like you had so many times when seeing him play for Corroded Coffin.

"Eddie!" You screamed, jumping up the ladder and racing to his side. He was so lost in the song, he didn't even notice you had joined him up on the roof until you grabbed one of the other guitars he had brought up there.

"Hey! What are you planning on doing with that?!" He asked over the music.

"Oh shut up! You have another one at home!" You said, preparing the guitar like a bat.

"You're such a badass!" He said as he finally gave you a smile since getting mixed up in the affairs of the Upside Down. The Final Countdown ended and Eddie took a look at his guitar, his most precious thing in the universe after you, of course. Giving a swift kiss to the body, he held it out in front of him and mumbled an "I love you" before he readied it like a baseball bat, same as you.

"Here they come!" You said, watching the Demobats fill the night sky and coming rushing down towards the two of you.

"This is the most heavy metal thing I've ever done!" Eddie yelled and then the two of you started beating the bats with the guitars, throwing them down onto the ground and the roof as you hit them over and over and stabbed them with the broken pieces. Eddie dropped his guitar and bit off the head of one, watching the blood spurt out onto the equipment that was now useless. You crushed one of the bats in between two of the amps and watched the blood spurt out and fly everywhere, coating your clothes in it. It would be a miracle if Eddie would be able to wear his Hellfire Club shirt again after this. Just then, two more bats came your way at full speed.

Eddie moved in towards you after finishing with his bat and pushed you off the trailer, holding you in his arms to stop the fall. He watched the bats get confused and continue to fly forwards in search of you as he pulled you up off the ground and rushed you into his house.

Locking the door and barricading it with everything in his sight, you both sat on the ground next to the couch to keep out of sight from the windows and to catch your breaths. Everything happened so fast, it was surprising that you two had made it out of that situation alive. Looking at your boyfriend you saw a couple cuts along his face and arms and you grazed his skin gently.

"Eddie. I saw you bit the head off a bat. You totally had your Ozzy Osbourne moment." You said, giggling slightly.

"(Y/N). That was singlehandedly the coolest moment of my life." He said.

The two of you made out on the floor of course.

They Don't Deserve You.

Steve Harrington X Reader

When you ask your friend to go to prom for fun and they decide to leave you, someone far better and more interesting appears and sweeps you off your feet.

⚠️ Warnings: Swearing ⚠️

(Just a short little drabble!)

The lights and music blaring from the venue hid you from the watchful eyes as you were a complete and utter mess. The sky started to darken allowing for a cover as you tried your hardest not to cry, sniffling from the banister leading into the event. Your shoes were scuffed and your wrist hurt from the once pretty corsage and your makeup felt much too heavy on your face. You had tried so hard to make everything about tonight fun since this year truly hadn't been the best. It's supposed to be the night of the year but of course it just ended the same way your previous ones had; you were alone and unhappy.

Your "date's" words rang through your head as you remembered how blatantly rude they had been to you and your friends. Deciding to up and leave the prom entirely, they had walked in with you for the approval of everyone else and left the minute they didn't have a use for you anymore. It wasn't fair. A part of you didn't blame them though. Why would you have expected them to want to stay?

The doors were announced to be closing from the main entryway which you were standing directly outside of. You needed to feel the wind to calm yourself down after today, so you opted to remain right where you were standing beside the railing and hoping for your date to realize they had made a mistake and come driving back to you.

Of course this didn't happen though, and after a couple more moments you picked up your dress so as not to step on it as you walked back towards the horde of other students in sparkly attire and smiling faces. It was going to be hard to meander back into the rest of society after being out here for so long, but you were sure that after a few drinks later this entire school event will be long forgotten.

"Hey!" You heard from under the stair railing. The entire venue had been elevated due to it being on a hill so there was a blind spot out of sight from the teachers roaming around. Looking behind you, you contemplated walking back to your original spot to scope things out but decided it was probably your imagination. Until you heard the voice again.

"("Y/N")!"

It was louder this time, but still a whisper of sorts. Going back towards the banister, you look down and see the most brilliant head of hair. Bright eyes and a shining smile, your friend Steve Harrington stood below you in a black suit and red button up. He had come with a different girl, but he was alone now. Alone with the most excited look on his face.

"Harrington?" You called and tried your best to hide the fact that you'd been crying. Wiping your face with the back of your hands, you put on the best smile you could possibly muster with the sinking feeling in your stomach.

"You look beautiful." He said, coming up to your level from his secret hiding spot. With him standing this close to you, the height difference was apparent as he stood at 6ft. Well, add a couple inches for the hair.

"Thank you." You said, even though you didn't believe it. If you had looked prettier then maybe you wouldn't have been left outside from the party by yourself.

Steve offers his hand out to you and motions his head towards the road. "Wanna get out of here?" He asks, slipping his other hand into his pants pocket.

Confusion dawning your face, you looked for Steve's date. He couldn't just up and leave her, could he?

"What about-"

"My date?" He began, smiling even wider, "She left with yours."

"Oh." Was all you could say, shocked at the idea of your friend leaving because of someone else. You felt the pain in your chest tighten just a little bit more as jealousy filled you. What wasn't envy was self-doubt. Why had things turned out the way they did? And who on earth would leave Steve Harrington when he looks this goddamn good?

"It's really okay! Fuck them." He laughed, placing his hand in yours. You caught a whiff of his deliciously intoxicating cologne and stared at the rest of his outfit. He looked really nice. Too nice to be by himself tonight. Little did you know, he thought the exact same thing about you.

"You know what? Yeah. Fuck them." You said, wiping the stray tear that fell from your cheek as you took off your shoes and followed Harrington into the night towards his car. Running through the grass, you heard one of Kate Bush's popular songs playing, urging you to run faster. Laughing, you allow yourself to feel free and happy being with someone who didn't take you for granted. The way it should've been.

"They don't deserve you!" Steve called out to you over the music, trying his best to be heard over the intensive bass.

"What?!"

"I said, they don't deserve you!"

And just like that, you and Steve drove away into the night, a whole new flood of possibilities overwhelming you and leaving you with the happiest feeling within the pit of your stomach. You silently thanked that asshole for leaving you since someone far cooler with much bigger hair was able to sweep you off your feet.