Summary:Billy and reader celebrate the first Christmas with their baby.
Likes, reblogs, comments are all much appreciated. I am German. Sometimes I get the tense wrong or make mistakes. I am useless when it comes to punctuation. Go easy on me, please.
The air is thick and stuffy and Billy feels like every breath takes twice as much effort. There’s screaming, crying children at every corner, snot-nosed and red-faced and headache-inducing.
If anyone had explained hell to him like this, he would be thoroughly inclined to believe every word of it and yet Billy finds himself here on a Friday afternoon of his own free will.
His eyes wander across the crowd standing in line to meet a fat old man with a fake beard as the mall keeps playing cheesy Christmas songs, everyone looks positively miserable.
A shiver runs down his spine as his mind wanders to another day at another mall. His body still bears the scar and sometimes, when life gets hectic and he gets too in his head, he can still feel the sharp sting going through his chest.
The soft touch of a hand against his arm shakes him from his grim thoughts and as he turns his head, he’s greeted by a comforting calm that always seems to rest in (Y/N)’s eyes.
She knows of his scars too, traces them every night when she rests in his arms, safe and warm. Sometimes she kisses them. “They are part of you,” she says. “ They are a sign of your strength. You survived and that’s something to be proud of. “
He doesn’t see it that way but he tries to. It’s a nice thought. That despite everything, a shitty dad, an absent mother, a possession, and a fucking spike through the chest, he came out alive and — and life seems to be gentle on him these days. It lets him find good things, good people, and keep them.
Maybe all of the hardships and pain have led him here and maybe they are worth it.
“ You excited to meet Santa? “ (Y/N) chuckles and looks up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“ So fucking excited, does my face not show it? “
A tut sounds from the woman behind them in line. “There are children here, watch your language. “
There’s a before Billy and an after. Before he was given a second chance and after. Before Billy would’ve replied with a smartass comment, would’ve picked a fight wherever he saw the chance. Fighting was familiar. It was comforting in a way. If he fought other people, his mind would let off and he didn’t have to deal with fighting his own demons.
After Billy sees no point in it. He will fight if he has to, but more than anything else, he wants peace and quiet and to not deal with more shit than he gets on the regular. So he just nods and murmurs a sorry before throwing a smirk at (Y/N) who reciprocates it back to him. For sure, he thinks, they’ll bitch about this lady together later at home.
“ Can you believe it, “ (Y/N) whispers, softly nudging his side. “ There are children here. “
“ I’ll do you one better, “ Billy replies. “ There’s even babies here. “
His eyes lower to her chest where a pair of blue eyes stare back at him from the face of a red-cheeked, smiley little boy. Eyes the same as his. Smile all gums, the two single teeth he has hidden in the back of his mouth.
“You hear that, Jack?” (Y/N) gasps in mock horror and looks down at the 8-month-old strapped to her chest. “There are babies here.”
The little boy lets out one of his cheerful baby laughs, the one that always sends Billy’s heart soaring. When he was younger, Billy promised himself that if he were to ever have a child, there would be no pain and suffering, no wondering if they were good enough, if their father loved them. Every time he sees his own son laugh or smile or even just breathe, an immense sense of happiness and pride fills him. Like everything good in the world lies in the face of his child.
Exactly a year ago he and (Y/N) were standing at this very place watching overworked and stressed-out parents standing in line to take a picture of their kid sitting on Santa’s lap. She was pregnant then, images of their family just a vision on the horizon. A beautiful dream about to come true.
It’s better than he could’ve ever imagined. For so long, Billy felt like there was no place for him in this world. Like all he could do was drift from one disappointment to the next. Heartache to heartache. Trying to stay afloat when anger and pain kept pulling him under. Kept trying to drown him.
Now, he thinks, he is exactly where he’s supposed to be. Maybe if nothing else, he’s meant to be a dad.
Even if he hates the music, the crowds, the other snot-nosed brutes. He loves his son, he loves his girlfriend, he loves spending time with them, making memories with them.
His son deserves to get the life he never had and if that includes cheesy overpriced Mall Santa pictures, Billy would gladly suffer through it with a smile on his face.
“Welcome to Santa’s Workshop. Santa is ready to see you now, what’s this little one’s name?” an overly friendly teenage girl greets them, the bells on her hat and slippers ringing with every move she makes, quickly catching the baby’s attention.
“This is Jack,” (Y/N) answers and takes him from the carrier, holding him up in her arms now.
“Oh hi Jack, are you excited to see Santa?” The teen asks, her voice raised up to a squeaky cheer.
And while Billy doesn’t go looking for trouble anymore and tends to walk away from confrontation these days, he’s still a sarcastic little fuck with a mouth too quick of this brain.
“Eh, we mostly brought him to take the picture of us.” He replies and shrugs his shoulder nonchalantly, earning him a chuckle and a nudge to his side from (Y/N) and a questioning look from the Christmas elf, clearly signaling him that his joke didn’t land with her.
A few seconds later they are led over to meet Santa. The big man sits on a huge red suede chair with gold trimming. Everything is decked out in tinsel and ribbon and garlands. It’s like Hallmark has thrown up in here.
Billy wants to hate it, he really does. Wants to resent every bit of the commercialized crap they put out for desperate parents to relish in.
And yet, when he looks over at his girlfriend holding their child, his child, and sees her smile and the way it matches the one on the baby’s face, he can’t help but feel an unfamiliar warmth spread through his chest.
Maybe love makes you see things differently. Put a different meaning even to the things you can’t stand.
“Does daddy want to be in the picture too?” The elf questions and shakes Billy from his daydream.
Without a second thought, without even a hint of hesitation, he goes to stand by his girl and his baby to take a picture with Santa. If someone had told him years ago that he’d be here, he would have called them crazy.
Every time someone reminds him of the fact that he is a dad now, his heart grows 3 sizes. If there was ever a title Billy was proud to hold, it’s the title of Dad.
This is never something he particularly wished for, never believed he would ever have this, and yet it’s all he could ever ask for.
Sometimes the most wonderful gifts are those you don’t even ask for.
The tree stands tall and proud in the corner of their living room. It is decked out in lights and tinsel and ornaments.
Looking at it transports Billy back to the past. It reminds him of many Christmas trees much like this one. He remembers his dad going out to get it on December 15, always December 15. Mom and he would stay home and watch a Christmas movie and wait for dad to bring the tree so they could decorate it. He loved their tradition. Maybe because it was one of the only times Neil took part in any happy family activities and there was no screaming and throwing plates. Maybe because his mom seemed genuinely at peace then.
Well that went to shit faster than he can remember
When mom left, Neil stopped bothering. There were a few years with no trees and then Susan and Max came along and while with them the trees came back, it was never the same.
This tree in all its kitschy, tinsel-covered glory, brings this feeling of peace and joy back into his heart. Makes him remember the good times.
There’s an ornament on the tree with his mother’s initials on it. She left it behind and for many years it had been stuffed into a box and left in the basement. That was until Billy moved out. It’s one of the few things he owns that belonged to his mom, and while his heart will forever hold some resentment towards her for leaving him behind, she was still his mother and there were good times. Good times he finally wants to remember again.
“He loves the tree,” (Y/N) exclaims as Billy rounds the corner and sits down on the floor next to her and their son. “He’s mesmerized by the lights.”
Billy hands her the mug of hot chocolate before taking a sip of his coffee. No milk but several spoons of sugar. She always makes fun of him for it. He says he likes it sweet, just like his women. It makes her laugh and blush so he’ll never stop saying it.
“You think it’s time for presents?” Billy asks and though their little one has no concept of what that means, he can see the sparkling of excitement and euphoria in (Y/N)’s eyes.
“You ready to see what Santa brought you?” (Y/N) directs the question and the baby who only looks back at his mom with a smile, all gums, no idea what any of her words mean but glad to be involved.
He loves ripping the paper off of the packages and soon enough the 3 of them are surrounded by an ocean of colors and patterns. Swallowed by a wave of wrapping paper.
Billy knows what’s in each of the boxes. When (Y/N) told him she was pregnant he promised himself he’d be that kind of dad. The one who’s involved. The one who knows what their kid is getting for Christmas, who helps buy and wrap the gifts.
“Should’ve just gotten him some rolls of wrapping paper and bows,” (Y/N) jokes once the baby has unwrapped all of the boxes and resorted to playing with the ribbon. They don’t have a lot when it comes to finances. Billy works as a mechanic while (Y/N) splits her time between being a mom and a waitress. Nevertheless, they tried to put as much money aside to make this first Christmas a special one, even if their kid doesn’t know the value of any of these gifts, they do and it is as much for them as it is for Jack.
“You did good. I think he’ll love the toys once he’s done staring at the tree.”
Billy knows that while he’s very vocal about his insecurities when it comes to being a dad, she keeps her fears about being a mom safely hidden inside her chest. They only break out every once in a while. So he tries to take every chance he gets to reassure her of the phenomenal job she’s doing.
“Thank you, baby” she replies and places a soft kiss on his lips. She tastes like hot chocolate and warmth. “I know we said no gifts but uh - I got you a little something”
She pulls a small box from under the tree, cheeks blushed from her confession.
“Well that’s good cause I got something for you too,” he replies and holds out a gift to her in exchange.
“Billy,”she gasps as she pulls the wooden frame from the paper. “I love this!”
It’s a photograph of them 3 at a garden party one of their friends invited them to earlier in the year. Jack is but a few months old, bucket hat and baby sunglasses perched on his head. His parents smiling at each other. Its love captured in a photograph.
“We don’t have a lot of family photos around. Thought maybe we should start. ”
“I love that. I really really do, Billy. And I love you! ”
She grants him another kiss before it’s his turn to unwrap the present.
At first, he’s not even sure what he’s looking at and then he turns it around. It’s a shiny blue Christmas ornament with his initials written on it in delicate calligraphy and the words “world’s best dad” on the other.
“I know you don’t like to talk about it but I see how much your mom’s ornament means to you so I thought maybe you’d like one for you. And you deserve it. You are the world’s best dad - and the world’s best boyfriend.”
It feels like he imagines being struck by lightning feels like. But in a good way. Like a switch has been flipped. Like suddenly everything falls into place right before his very eyes.
This is where he belongs. Where he’s meant to be. If all the hardship and pain have brought him here, he’d live through it all over again.
His next words aren’t planned. He hasn’t thought much about it. He wonders if she has. If so, she hasn’t mentioned it. But it feels right. It feels perfect.
Jack holds in his tiny hands a thin piece of ribbon, shiny and red and perfect.
“Can I have that,” Billy asks the baby, prying the ribbon away from his hands and replacing it with another piece of paper for him to rip up.
“What are you doing?” (Y/N) asks as Billy lifts himself up to one knee.
“I love you. I have loved you from the moment we met. I love you even more since you’ve given me the best present I could’ve ever received. Our baby. You made me a dad and you made me find my place in this world when I felt lost. I’m meant to be here with you and Jack. I’m sorry I don’t have a ring but I’ll get you one, I promise. Will you let me upgrade from best boyfriend to best husband? Will you marry me?”
She doesn’t say yes, not with words, but she doesn’t have to. She says it in many different ways. In the kisses she places all over his face. In the way she nods her head as their lips are connected. In the smile that takes over her lips when he wraps the ribbon around her ring finger.
There’s love in everything she does. There’s a yes in every little thing.
Sometimes the best Christmas gifts are the ones you didn’t even know you wanted. The ones you didn’t ask for but the ones you’ll never give back for anything in the world.
Sometimes the best Christmas gift is the love you receive from the people you love most and the knowledge that you’re right where you’re supposed to be.
Summary: You’re finding it harder and harder to resist Steve.
A/N: Part two ya’ll! I’m pretty proud of how this turned out. I know it’s A LOT shorter than part one but I think I like it like this. I appreciate everyone’s feedback and support - I love hearing from you guys! :D Keep telling me what you guys like or don’t like, I love it.
Not my gif, credit to the owner
Monday morning rolled around and you were still all torn up.
Steve had really screwed everything up, and despite the fact he called to apologize, you were still angry. You were angry at him for not controlling his temper, you were angry at Tommy for being such a jackass, but mostly you were angry at yourself for letting your guard down. You knew better than to let Steve in, to fall for him. Yet here you were, having spent the entire weekend thinking about him, and you felt like someone had ripped your whole body in half.
You found Nancy and Jonathan before class, standing by their lockers. “Hey, Y/N,” Jonathan said. You handed him his coat, which you’d forgotten to give back Saturday night.
“You doing okay?” Nancy placed a hand on your shoulder, and you nodded. “I feel so awful about Saturday- all your hard work.”
They didn’t know about Steve and what almost happened in his car before the dance. “Yeah.” You said, pushing down any feelings you may have had about it. “But it’s fine. It’s over. No use crying over spilled milk.”
“You sound like my grandmother,” Jonathan teased, bumping you in an attempt to cheer you up. You smiled at your friends gratefully.
“Thanks for giving me a ride home, by the way,” you said, holding on to the straps of your backpack.
“Are you kidding? We wouldn’t abandon you at Homecoming from Hell. That’s what friends do, Y/N,” Nancy said, and the two of you smiled at each other.
“Plus, I doubt Steve could even drive. Did you see that black eye Tommy gave him?” Jonathan asked. Nancy smacked his shoulder. “What?” He asked in defense.
“It’s fine,” you said, shaking your head. “I don’t care. He was just a homecoming date, right?”
“The two of you seemed pretty close before everything hit the fan,” Nancy pointed out, debunking your thesis.
Your cheeks got red. You opened your mouth in protest, but you noticed Nancy and Jonathan weren’t looking at you anymore. You followed their gaze, turning around to look at the end of the hallway. There Steve was, walking in through the double doors and looking around. Looking for someone.
Looking for you.
His stupid, idiotic, handsome face was all torn up. He had a black eye, and his upper lip was all busted. A cut on the side of his face. He looked like someone had set him on fire, and you couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Your heart started racing again, like it always did when you saw him.
And then he saw you, across the crowded hallway, and you panicked. And just like Sunday morning, you ran. You darted in between Nancy and Jonathan, and pushed past all the people gossiping, feeling your eyes fill up to the brim with tears because you were so confused, so hurt and angry and fluttery and you hated it. You hated Steve for making you feel this way. You just ran and ran until you went outside, in the cold, not even caring that it was freezing and you didn’t have a coat. You finally stopped under the bleachers by the track to catch your breath.
Breathing heavily and feeling all the panic rise and fall in your chest, you sunk down into the gravel, shoving your backpack off your shoulders and burying your face in your hands. Hot tears fell down your cheeks, and you obsessively wiped them away, refusing. Not admitting they were there.
Why were you so emotional? Why did Steve make you feel so strongly? Why did you constantly feel like you were in an alternate dimension around him, and why did it scare you so much?
You didn’t know how long you’d been sitting there, but you snapped back to the present when you heard footsteps crunching in the gravel. You moved your hands from your face and saw Steve, standing with the sunlight right behind him, holding your coat in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.
“Y/N? Are you okay?” He joined you on the ground, sitting next to you and placing your coat on your shoulders.
You wiped your face again. By this time your tears had stopped. You looked at him - god, Tommy had really done a number on him. It made you angry to think of someone hurting Steve’s face like that. Steve’s face was like a precious piece of art. To see it all torn up was… heart wrenching.
Instead of answering his question, you asked him one. “Does it hurt?” Your voice was small and soft and vulnerable. And you hated it but you were too tired to care.
Steve shrugged. “It did at first, but now not so much. Only stings when someone touches it. Killer headache, though. Like, absolutely killer.”
You tangled your hand in your hair, biting your lip for a second. You didn’t say anything.
Steve presented the bouquet of flowers to you. “These are for you.” Petunias and baby’s breath. “I’m really sorry, Y/N. About everything.”
You took the flowers, and looked at them for a few moments, contemplating your options. Your eyes flickered from the flowers to Steve, then back again. You were tired of all this inner conflict, arguing with yourself and giving yourself reasons not to give in. It was okay not to have self-control sometimes, right?
You took in a deep breath, and looked at Steve again. He was staring at you, waiting for you to do something- say anything. “I never asked you to defend me.” You said quietly, running your fingers over the petunia petals.
“I-I know,” Steve said, inching closer so your hips touched his. He was warm and his body was magnetic. “I know you didn’t. But I… I had to. Tommy was being such an asshole, and he pissed me off, and-“
“Why do you care what people say about me?” You cut him off, your voice still quiet. You didn’t sound angry, just confused. “I know we had that… that moment in the car, but you don’t know me. Your Nancy’s ex-boyfriend. You’re a popular senior on the basketball team with a big reputation and-“
“I like you, Y/N,” Steve cut you off, chuckling slightly. “Why does it have to be more complicated than that? I think you’re smart and beautiful and really cool, and maybe I don’t know you very well, but I know enough.”
You stopped, realizing your breathing was heavy again. “But Nancy…?”
“Nancy and I are fine. We’re friends. We had a relationship and it was an important part of my life, but it’s been two months and I don’t miss it. I’ve moved on, and so has she. Can’t you just give in a little? I know you feel something too.”
He was right, and you hated that he was able to read you so well.
You felt this big lump in your throat. You knew that if you tried to talk, you’d just burst into tears again. So instead you moved, shaking the gravel, and buried your head in Steve’s chest. His arm wrapped around your shoulders and you felt warm and safe, and all that panic faded away. “You’re right,” you said, speaking into his chest, your voice muffled like on a bad radio. “I do feel something.” You lifted your head slightly to look at him, and so he could hear you better. “I do, and it scares the shit out of me, Steve.”
“What are you so scared of?” He asked quietly, his other hand brushing your hair out of your eyes.
“I-I don’t know,” you mumbled. “Getting hurt, I guess. Screwing things up with Nancy. Falling for you and you turning out to be exactly like they said you were.”
“I’m not that guy anymore,” Steve said, looking into your eyes. “I’m different now, and for the better. We’ll take things slow, if that calms your nerves.” You nodded, and a small smile rose to his lips. “Yeah? So you want to…? You want to give this a shot?”
You nodded again, and the smile on his face grew twice in size. “I promise we’ll take it slow then, yeah?” he reassured you.
You bit your lip, sitting up so your head was parallel with his. “Maybe not too slow.” You whispered, leaning forward and finished what you started Saturday night. Your lips met his, soft and slow, and your arms wrapped around his torso. The two of you held each other and kissed for a few moments, breathing each other’s air and letting your hearts beat as one. Finally you pulled away, an inevitable and unstoppable grin on your face.
“Wow,” Steve said, breathless. You nodded.
“Yeah,” you agreed.
A/N: If anyone wants to draw that last scene I would LOVE to see it. I have no artistic ability but I want to see your interpretations. What are your favorite lines from this and part one? I love hearing stuff like that and fan art would be amazing! Also, if you want me to tag you in any future parts, inbox me! I will ONLY be tagging people who inbox me on it.
Summary: You’re in charge of homecoming but you don’t have a date.
A/N: OK, honestly I’m so proud of this you guys. It was like ten pages on a google docs. I hope you like it. I know a lot of people want a part 2 to twist of fate, and that will most likely happen pretty soon! But I want to do this as a series as well so we’ll see. Anyway, hope you all like it. I love the feedback, by the way, so tell me what you think!
Gif is not mine, belongs to the owner.
The sound of the phone ringing woke you up. Startled, you ran a hand through your hair and looked around before registering where you were. Home. In bed. Things were normal again, right?
Wrong. It was two a.m and the phone was ringing. Why did your parents agree to get you your own line? You quickly flicked on your bedside lamp and then picked up the receiver. “Hello?” You mumbled barely coherently, slowly sitting up in bed.
“Y/N?” It was Steve. You could tell by the way he pronounced your name. Just slightly different than everyone else did. Like it had more meaning coming from his mouth.
You let out a long yawn. “Yeah, Steve. It’s me. What’s going on? Why are you calling me at-“ you glanced over at the clock on your night stand. “Two thirteen in the morning?”
“I haven’t been able to sleep at all,” he said, and you could hear the tiredness in his voice, all groggy and deeper than usual. “Let me apologize. Let me make it up to you. I fucked up, okay-“
“Fucked up is putting it lightly,” you cut him off, your words sharp like daggers. “I don’t want to talk to you about it. Especially not now.”
Steve sighed on the other line. You could almost picture him running a hand through his hair. You hated that you knew him that well. “Go to sleep, Harrington,” You said, and didn’t wait for a response before hanging up the phone.
You tried to go back to sleep but your mind kept drifting back to a few days ago, when everything starting going to shit.
It had started on Monday.
You had been sitting at lunch with your two best friends, Jonathan and Nancy. You and Nancy had been really good friends since you moved to Hawkins back in November. When she started going out with Jonathan and you got to know him, the two of you started getting along really well - in a platonic way, of course. It was always the three of you, and though you knew Jonathan and Nancy liked have couple alone time, they also enjoyed hanging out with you. It was nice not being the third wheel even though you totally were the third wheel.
“So you’re telling me that you think Cyndi Lauper is better than Joy Division?” Jonathan asked, looking at you in disbelief, and, frankly, disgust.
“No, that’s not at all what I’m saying,” you said, sharing a glance with Nancy. “I’m saying that I think kids at the homecoming dance will like Cyndi Lauper better than Joy Division. I personally love Joy Division. But it’s an acquired taste, Jonathan. You have to admit that.”
You had all sorts of papers sprawled out on the table in front of you. You were in charge of planning the homecoming dance this year, and the set list was one of the most important aspects. You had to make sure to play stuff everyone would want to dance to. Otherwise they would just leave the dance. And while you loved Jonathan’s taste in music, it was not the same stuff everyone else liked.
“I thought you weren’t going to go,” Nancy pointed out. You nodded in agreement.
“Well I wasn’t. But I started to maybe consider it if Y/N was going to play Joy Division,” Jonathan defended himself.
“One song,” you said, scribbling something down on your list. “And you have to stay until the end.”
“Five songs,” Jonathan tried to negotiate.
“I have to play what everyone else wants to hear, Jonathan,” you rolled your eyes. “Two songs. Final offer.”
Jonathan just rolled his eyes and frustratedly stabbed a green bean through his fork. “Whatever,” he mumbled as he shoved the food in his mouth. Nancy hit him on the shoulder.
“Be nice,” she said, and he made a face at her. “And we’re going to the dance. Y/N is putting in a lot of hard work to make it fun. Plus, you look cute all dressed up.”
“God, you guys are adorable,” you said sarcastically. “Like really, my heart can’t take it anymore.”
Jonathan swallowed and shook his head. “Whatever, Y/N. You’re gonna be in an even mushier relationship someday, and you know what? I’m going to make fun of youwhen that happens.”
In response, you mimed shaking a magic eight ball, and turned it over to see the answer. “Hmm, outlook not so good, Byers.”
Nancy snickered.
“Why do I always feel like the two of gang up on me?” He asked even though all three of you knew the answer.
The subject of you not having a boyfriend was not addressed again until later that week, on Wednesday. You and Nancy were on your way to biology II, admiring the posters you spent all last night slaving over to advertise for homecoming.
“They really do look great,” Nancy said, smiling over at you.
You were proud. They did look great. People were paying attention to them. Your hard work was paying off. As you walked into bio, you passed a poster that said Do you have a date yet?
“Do you?” Asked Nancy as you set your books on the desk.
“Do I what?” You asked, not picking up on it.
“Do you have a date yet?” She quoted the sign, sliding down into the desk.
You shook your head. “No,“ you said casually, shrugging your shoulders. “I was just going to go by myself.”
Nancy looked at you like you were an idiot. “What?” You asked, furrowing your brows.
“Unacceptable!” She exclaimed, banging her hand on the desk for emphasis. It was then your turn to look at her like she was an idiot.
“It’s perfectly acceptable,” You retorted, opening your textbook to the chapter you were on. “Girls go to dances alone now, it’s fine.”
“No, I want you to have a date- hey, what about Steve?”
“Steve Harrington?” You said, nearly choking on your own saliva. “As in your ex-boyfriendSteve Harrington?”
Nancy scoffed. “We ended on good terms. We’re still friends.” She waved off the detail like it was nothing.
You didn’t feel the same way.
“I can’t do that. That’s too weird.” You hadn’t actually met Steve before- seeing as you moved to Hawkins just after he and Nancy broke up. You had seen him before, and knew abouthim, but never held a conversation. He was in the grade above you, and sporty and popular. He wasn’t in your circle and you certainly weren’t in his. Plus, he was your best friend’s ex - talk about weird. And he-
“I can see the gears turning in your head, Y/N,” Nancy interrupted your thoughts, and you snapped back into reality. “It’s not like you’re getting married to him. It’s just homecoming.”
“How do you even know he needs a date?” You asked, hoping that point would end the conversation.
“He told me he wasn’t going because he didn’t have one.” Nancy said, and when you looked at her weird, added. “We’re still friends. We talk every once in a while. What? Is that weird?”
“DoesJonathan know about this?” You asked, hoping to switch subjects. Nancy caught you in the act.
“Yes he does, and he’s fine with it. He and Steve are on relatively good terms, too, so stop trying the change the subject. You’re going to the dance. With Steve.”
And before you could protest any longer, the bell rang and class began.
You were hoping that Nancy would just forget that whole discussion never happened, but by the time lunch rolled around that same day, it was still the hot topic.
“So you’re going to the dance with Steve?” Jonathan asked, a teasing smile on his face.
“No, I never agreed to th-“
“Yeah, she is,” Nancy said, cutting you off. She looked at you sternly. “You’re not going to homecoming without a date, Y/N. That’s lame.”
“How do you even know he wants to go with me?” You asked, crunching down on a baby carrot in frustration.
“I guess I don’t,” Nancy said, biting her lip. She looked around the cafeteria. “But there he is now-“ she pointed, then shouted her next words, “Hey, Steve!”
The long-locked king of the basketball court whipped around, raising a brow in Nancy’s direction. He finally spotted Nancy waving him down, and sauntered over to the table, a cheeseburger from the lunch line in one hand. “Hey Nance, Byers.” He greeted each of your friends, then looked at you. “New girl.”
“This is Y/N,” Nancy said, nudging your foot under the table. “She started in like November, right?”
“Yep. November,” you said, nodding in agreement.
“Well, then I wish you a two-month late welcome to Hawkins,” Steve said, smiling at you in a friendly manner. You met his smile, but yours was awkward and forced, not charming and natural like his. He took a bite of his burger.
“Thanks,” You said, smiling. He was nice, but you didn’t want to go to homecoming with him. First of all you barely knew him, and secondly, no matter how many times Nancy insisted it was alright, it was still weird to you.
Nancy jumped in after a few moments of deafening, painful silence. “So anyway, Y/N needs a date to homecoming. You said you needed one too, right Steve?”
You gave Steve pleading eyes, as if you were begging him not to go along with this. You had accepted the fact that Nancy had weaseled her way into the situation and there was nothing you could do to stop it. But maybe there was something Steve could do.
Steve didn’t catch on to your hints. “Yeah, I do need one.” He looked from Nancy to you. “Did you want to go with me? Just as friends, of course.”
“Yeah, as friends,” Nancy added.
Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve all stared at you and you definitely felt the peer pressure. After a sharp inhale, you smiled unwillingly at Nancy. “Fine.” You looked back up at Steve, who was mid-burger right then. “Sure. Yes. I will go with you. As friends.”
So the plan was made. The homecoming game was Friday night, and the dance was Saturday night in the gym. While most girls in Hawkins would be spending Saturday getting their hair done, doing their nails, and last minute touch ups on their dresses, you would be helping decorate the gym and coordinating everyone else who was helping out. The dance started at seven, and you planned on being done decorating at five, which gave you a solid hour to get ready before dinner with Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan at six. Steve was going to pick you up and take you home. Talk about stressful.
While you were kind of irritated with Nancy, you also felt rather grateful towards her. She found you a date for homecoming, and she had been right. Girls who went alone were lame.
You spent all Saturday stressing out about streamers and balloons, and then sped home to get ready for the dance. The boys’ basketball team had won the game the night before, thanks to Steve, the team captain. You had gone to the game with Nancy (Jonathan had stayed home because he was a loser), and you remembered watching Steve running down the court. Once or twice, you could have sworn he looked right at you after making a basket. Why did your heart race when that happened?
Anyway, after decorating Saturday morning and afternoon, you went home and got ready, curling your hair as fast as you possibly could and rushing through your makeup routine. You had this gorgeous dark blue dress with black polka dots on the bottom hem and shoulder pads, you felt so cool with it on. So you wore that and some cute shoes. Seeing as it was January and freezing outside, you also slid on a coat.
Steve pulled up to your house at six on the dot, and rang the doorbell. You ran past your dad, who insisted on answering, and cut in front of him to open the door. “Hi,” You said, slightly out of breath. Steve looked really nice. Sport coat, dress pants. Your heart was racing again and you begged it to stop.
He opened the car door for you and brought you flowers, and was a total gentleman during dinner. It was so strange. From what you knew of Steve, he was a good guy, but Nancy must have been leaving out some kind of detail. Though she claimed she only broke up with him because she loved Jonathan more, you knew there had to be something wrong with him. So you were cautious and you looked for it. So far, nothing.
“So you were working on the decorations pretty much all day, huh?” Steve asked. You were in the car with him now, driving from the steakhouse to the school.
You nodded, fiddling with your wrist corsage. “Yeah, it was a miracle we got done before five. But it looks really good, I think. I’m excited to see it in full effect.”
“You like stuff like that? Planning events and organizing and decorating?” He asked, turning the radio down to a low hum so that the two of you could talk.
“Yeah,” you said, smiling at the thought. “Yeah, I do. I’m not a hundred percent sure yet, but I think I want to be a party planner or an event coordinator when I graduate. Could be fun.” You were both quiet for a beat. “What do you want to do?”
“After I graduate?”
“Yeah, you’re a senior, right? Do you have any ideas?”
Steve was silent. You looked up at him and saw he was shaking his head. “No, I really don’t. To tell you the truth, I’m kind of freaking out about it, too, because I… I have to figure something out, like, now, right?”
You could tell it was a touchy subject. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt,” You offered him a playful smile. “But you’ve still got some time.”
“We graduate in June.”
“Yeah, but you could take a year off. Do some travelling, self-discovery. Figure out who you are and what you want. No one is saying you have to know right away.”
“My dad is,” Steve said, turning into the school parking lot. “He wants me to have a plan, to know exactly what I want to do and where I want to go to college and where I want to live and who I want to marry and where I want my dead body buried. He’s nuts.”
You frowned slightly, and noticed that he was getting worked up over it. He put the car in park, and you placed your hand on his on the center console. Sparks shot through your veins, and you turned your head to look into his eyes. They were this deep, endless brown. Like a forest you could get lost in forever. You couldn’t help yourself. You wanted to get lost forever.
“Y/N…” Steve’s voice was low and unsure, and you could feel it. You felt the same way- unsure. But at the same time…
It felt so right.
“Steve…” Your voice paralleled his, and you felt his breath on your skin. Goosebumps. You leaned in slightly, knowing what was about to happen, and letting it.
His lips touched yours for half a second before there was a loud BANG on the windshield. Instinctively, you pulled away, looking through the glass to see Tommy H, supposedly one of Steve’s friends, laughing at the two of you’s startled expressions. Like, cackling. Ridiculously.
Your face turned bright red, and you all of a sudden felt really embarrassed and uncomfortable. So you took in a sharp breath, and opened the car door despite Steve’s protests. “Jesus Christ, Steve. If you’re gonna put the moves on a girl you should do it somewhere more private!” Tommy was shouting as you got out of the car. You felt red-hot humiliation light up your face, and turned on your heel to go inside.
“Tommy, why are you such an asshole?” You heard Steve say, but you didn’t turn back. You heard the car door shut and footsteps running towards you.
Steve had caught up with you. “Y/N, I’m sorry, okay? He’s just an idiot, and I-I didn’t mean for-”
“I know,” you stopped walking, turning to face him in the freezing cold. You’d left your coat in his car. “I know you didn’t mean to. It’s fine, okay? I’m just embarrassed, and I’m freezing, and I want to go inside, okay?” Your voice was shaky and on the verge of tears. You couldn’t believe Tommy had seen the two of you, and your almost moment. He was going to tell everyone about it, wasn’t he? God.
“Okay, yeah. Let’s go in.”
The gym looked amazing. You were so proud of all your hard work. The theme was Starry Night, so there were silver streamers and balloons all over the place. The art club had worked on a really pretty backdrop for the pictures, and it all just looked so good. Everyone seemed to already be dancing, and you could help but feel happy, despite all that drama in the parking lot, that people were having a good time.
“Wow, Y/N, this looks incredible,” You heard Steve say as you walked in. He placed a hand on the small of your back, and you let him.
“Thank you,” You felt the mood change, and you were grateful for it. Steve was really sweet, and you wanted to enjoy this night with him and your friends. This whole night was your baby- you’d organized and coordinated the whole thing and you really wanted people to enjoy it.
You spent the next hour or so dancing with him and Nancy, dragging Jonathan in as well. It was fun, and for once in your life you started to feel accepted, like you belonged there, on that technicolor dance floor with these people. Your friends. You were actually a part of this little group, and you liked it. For a moment, you even imagined what it would be like to be with Steve. It made you feel all warm and happy.
A slow song came on, and Steve asked you to dance. You nodded, and his hands found your hips. Your two bodies melted into one, swaying in time to the music. You were breathing the same air as him and you had no complaints. You closed your eyes and took it all in. Nothing could ruin this. Nothing at all.
“Looks like good ol’ King Steve found himself a new whore.”
Well, maybe that could.
You opened your eyes to see Tommy H and his girlfriend, Carol, pointing at the two of you and laughing. Your face got bright red and you took a step away from Steve, frowning.
“Hey, shut up, Tommy. Why can’t you just stay out of it?” Steve retorted, his face growing hard and stern.
“We just wanted to see you and the New Nancy,” Carol chimed in, and Tommy laughed. It was clear they were buzzed.
People were starting the stare, and you felt a lump start to grow in your throat.
“Just go away, before I have to do something we’ll both regret.” Steve threatened.
You jumped in, stretching an arm to block him from doing God knows what. “Steve, it’s fine-“
“No, it’s not fine,” Steve interrupted, looking down at you then back at Tommy. “He’s an asshole and he needs to learn his lesson.”
By this point everyone on the dance floor was staring, watching with anticipation.
“What are you gonna do ‘bout it, Harrington? You’re too big of a pussy to defend your new little slut.” Tommy taunted. “Hell, I-“
That was when Steve launched himself at Tommy, tackling him to the ground and throwing a hard punch. The crowd gasped, and all of a sudden kids started cheering “Fight! Fight!”
Tommy and Steve rolled around on the ground, each throwing punches and kicks and shouting at each other, and you stood there, heart racing. What were you supposed to do? You didn’t ask Steve to defend you- you weren’t his girlfriend.
They rolled around and eventually ran into the snack table, knocking the whole thing over. Punch and cake slices and chips flew everywhere, and some kids even cheered. The snack table collided with a cardboard pole holding up a bunch of streamers, and soon all your pretty stars began raining down, until your Starry Night turned into a meteor shower.
Two teachers eventually broke the fight up, and dragged both Steve and Tommy away to be lectured or punished or whatever.
“Oh, my god,” you muttered, watching all your hard work crumble around you. You were filled with absolute rage. Your eyes filled with red-hot tears, stinging as they ran down your face.
Nancy and Jonathan found you in all the chaos, and dragged you out of there before you screamed at someone. You were outside, walking with them towards Jonathan’s car, silently crying.
“Where’s your coat?” Nancy asked, an arm around you comfortingly.
“Steve’s car,” you managed to sniffle out, running a hand over your face. You were shivering, so Jonathan took his off and gave it to you. Thank god you had your friends, because you probably wouldn’t have been able to make it home.
Jonathan and Nancy drove you home and you sat in bed, still in your dress, staring at the wall and replaying all the events of the evening. You and Steve almost kissed. You and Steve dancing and holding hands, and he was so sweet until he ruined everything. You’d never asked him to defend you, never asked him for anything. He was trouble and you knew it the whole time. Why couldn’t you have just listened to your instincts? Because now here you were, sobbing and screaming into a pillow because you couldn’t decide if you were angry or heartbroken
It was six a.m. You had only slept a little. Forgiving Steve was on your mind, but you couldn’t decide if you wanted to forgive him or if you just wanted to go back to the car, and kiss him for real.
You threw on some tennis shoes, sweatpants and a hoodie, and snuck out the back door. You needed to do something- laying in bed crying about it wasn’t helping a damn thing. So you jogged down the street and when that didn’t help, you kept going. Your hair was still curled and your makeup all smudged - you looked like a melted clown - but you didn’t care. You just needed to think.
So you ran, and you kept running. Most people were in church or at an early breakfast or even still asleep, and you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You just kept running.
Finally, you stopped to catch your breath, in front of some random house. You took in the scenery for a moment, and realized you recognized the car in the driveway. Steve’s. And for a moment you thought maybe you were supposed to end up here.
But you shook the stupid thought away and you kept running.
Synopsis: A reader insert where the reader is Mike’s oldest sister, who has already graduated and works at the police station. She has always been infatuated with Hopper, and he seems to be quite taken with her as well. This part takes place in season 1 episode 5
Word count: 4.2k+
Warnings: swearing probably. Talk of funerals and dead bodies. A character learns how to shoot a gun, in probably too much depth. My bad writing/different writing styles from different times I added to the chapter. Age gap relationship. And eventual Stranger Things canon gore.
A/n: It has been a very long two years since my last update. I was honestly so uninspired because the show wasn’t on and I wasn’t getting any new content. Besides that, I was busy with school and life, as well as not knowing how to end this chapter. But here it is. Let me know if you no longer want to be tagged in this, or if you’re new and want to be added to the taglist. I’m already a few paragraphs into part 5.
After a restless night, I barely slept a wink because I was too busy thinking about the Byers’ and Hop, my alarm goes off informing me that it’s time to get ready for the funeral. Will’s funeral. A part of me keeps thinking that he’s not actually dead, especially since Mike seems more anxious than upset as he fidgets at the breakfast table.
I put on my black dress and heels in a blur, not even registering that I’m going through the motions until I’m standing fully dressed in front of my mirror. Mike comes in a few minutes later and asks me for help with his tie; dad was choking him and he says it still doesn’t look right. Very few words are exchanged throughout the family this morning, everyone is just going through the motions.
The funeral is a bit better, I have to help Jonathan with his tie too. I stand behind his seat, hand resting on his shoulder as the Priest speaks, and I glare at Lonnie as he tries to act sad that Will is ‘dead.’ Mike, Dustin, and Lucas are whispering amongst themselves, further fueling my theory that they know something about Will that they aren’t telling me.
As the service continues I start to glance around the crowd in hopes to find Hop, we didn’t part on good terms last night but he said he’d be here. As much as I hate to admit it, especially if all of this is fake and Will is still alive somewhere, I need Hop. I need him by my side, intertwined pinkies, or wrapped up in his side as he speaks soothing words, even if he doesn’t believe what he’s saying and just reiterating the fake reassurances that my mom has told me a thousand times already.
He’s still not here by the end of the service, making me extremely anxious that something did in fact go wrong last night. The nerves in the pit of my stomach are wound so tight that I feel like I’m going to vomit. After the line of people telling the Byers’ the cookie cutter ‘I’m sorry’s,’ and the ‘if there’s anything I can do’s,’ I walk over to Joyce and Jonathan to see if they’ve talked to Hop at all.
“Have you guys seen Hop?” I ask Jonathan and Joyce quietly, trying my hardest to ignore Lonnie.
“Hopper is a no good drunk, you’d do better without him in this town,” the man I was attempting to avoid rolls his eyes at me.
“Oh fuck off Lonnie!” everyone still at the gravesite turns to look at me with shocked expressions, except Jonathan who’s trying not to laugh. “Go back to your cheap whore.”
“(Y/N) (Y/M/N) Wheeler!” mom says sharply from behind me, Mike is audibly laughing.
“We were all thinking it!” I defend, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Someones got a crush on Jim, huh?” he gives me a sickening, sleazy, smile that I just want to slap right off his face. “I thought my son would have found some courage and asked you out by now, no other reason to keep you around.”
“Hopper is my boss, I work with him at the station,” I’m seething. Who does this man think he is talking to me like that? “Jim Hopper is a surprisingly thoughtful boss who is good at his job, and someone I respect very much. And, for your information, Jonathan and I are best friends. Neither of us has ever felt anything more for the other. And Lonnie, we both know that whenever you get whatever it is that you want, you’ll be tearing out of Hawkins with no regard for Joyce or Jonathan, so quit acting holier than thou and just leave.”
I swiftly turn on my heel and head to the car, thankful that I drove seperate from my parents this morning; I took my mother’s car and the other five took my father’s. My heart is pounding, I can hear the blood pulsating in my ears as I start to drive away from Lonnie, from a possibly fake body, and away from Jonathan without properly talking to him. I can always go see the latter later tonight and talk with him then. I’m racing down the streets of Hawkins like a bat out of Hell, finally coming to the edge of town where Hop’s trailer is located.
Pulling up to his trailer I’m shocked to see him outside looking around in circles, the barrel of his gun pointed towards the sky. He looks like hell; messed up hair like he just rolled out of bed, his cream colored henley has sweat stains around the collar, in his armpits, and down the back. He has a crazed look in his eyes, he looks traumatized.
I jump out of the car with no regard for my well-being, he isn’t right in the head at the moment and he could very well shoot me thinking I’m the bad guy. Lonnie’s words are still fresh in my mind; maybe Hopper went to bed drunk and high on too many of his pills. No! Snap out of it, he’s not like that. He hears my footfalls crunching on the gravel; he whips around pointing his gun at me.
My hands immediately go up in the air in surrender, I need to be careful about my next actions. My eyes widen as he keeps the gun up longer than I thought he would. All of a sudden he seems to snap out of it realizing it’s me and not some threat. He looks at me guilty as he lowers the weapon.
“(Y/N)?” he asks, his eyes and voice telling me that he’s unsure that I’m actually real.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I try to soothe him like I would a wild animal. My voice is soft and I slowly step closer to him, hands outstretched and palms facing towards him so he knows I won’t attack. “You weren’t at the funeral, I came to make sure you were okay.”
“I missed the funeral?” he asks, still confused and disoriented. I slowly, gently, reach forward and take the gun from his hand. He doesn’t protest, pushing the weapon into my palm once he realizes what I’m doing.
“Yeah you did,” I take a careful step back, heels sinking into the dirt under my feet. “I was worried because of where you went after you dropped me off last night. I was scared you were hurt, or worse…” I trail off at the end, not wanting to admit out loud that deep down I was worried that Hop got killed last night.
My words seem to remind him of why he was outside with a gun in the first place, he takes off running back inside without a word. I follow him in confusion, he’s tearing apart the living room as I walk through the door.
“Hopper, what are you doing?” I ask in horror, Lonnie’s words run through my head yet again. Is it possible that Hop was on a bender before he went to sleep and he was still drunk when he woke up?
Instead of responding verbally, Hop takes two long strides across the entire living room area to get to me, putting his hand over my mouth so I can’t talk again. He puts the index finger from his free hand to his lips as a sign for me to stay quiet, before pointing around the room. I frown as he leaves his hand on my face for a few seconds too long.
I watch as he finally pulls back, observing him tearing apart the cushions for his couch and pulling his phone apart piece by piece. I glance around the room, noticing the spilled pills on his coffee table. Frowning, I set Hop’s gun on the table and put his pills back in the bottle as well as tidy up the empty beer cans strewn on it.
Hop rushes to the bathroom as I start to tidy up the mess he created in the living room. I can hear him taking apart the light fixtures in there and my worry for his sanity starts to grow. I sigh and sink down onto the ground, the living room is a mess and I don’t have the heart nor the energy to continue cleaning. First we bury Will, or whatever that was, and now Hop’s losing it, how can this day get any worse? I bury my head in my hands as I hear him rush from room to room, tearing them all apart.
Hop comes back into the living room like a hurricane, tearing apart anything he missed the first time around. I let out a squeak as he throws a light bulb to the ground, it smashes into a million pieces less than a foot away from me. I don’t want to make it worse and get in the way; but I also don’t want him to hurt himself as he destroys his home.
The last thing untouched in his entire house is the ceiling light in his living room. His shoulders are tense as he unscrews the bolt to take off the glass covering the bulbs. My eyes widen in shock as he pulls down a listening device, or more commonly known as a bug. What the hell did Hop get himself into last night? Hop grits his teeth in an angry sneer before grabbing a book he threw from his room, and smashing the bug repeatedly until there was no way it was still functional.
“Hop?” I finally dare to ask, raising from the floor carefully avoiding the broken lightbulb. “What happened last night?”
“I went back to the morgue,” Hop runs his fingers through his hair, pulling briefly on the ends. “I-I cut into the body, and it wasn’t real. It was stuffed just like a teddy bear, or some shit.”
“Oh my god,” I murmur under my breath, not expecting to get a response from the man in front of me.
“So then I snuck into Hawkins lab, got pretty far too,” he continues with his story like I didn’t interrupt. His eyes keep darting around the room like he’s expecting something to hop out at him. “I found a room with a stuffed animal and a kid’s drawing on the wall. The basement- the basement had weird white things floating in the air, there were vines growing out of a glowing hole in the wall. I was surrounded by men in white hazmat suits, next thing I know I’m waking up on the couch; my pills are spilled on the table with lots of empty beer cans that I didn’t drink.”
“Will’s still out there, probably in that glowy viney thing,” I cover my mouth, suppressing a sob. I’m not sure what’s worse; Will being dead, or him still being out there and being held somewhere in Hawkins lab. “We’ve gotta save him Hop, and I’m not letting you do anything by yourself again. I’m not having you die on my watch, not when I can be there to help you.”
Hop is opening his mouth to protest you helping him, you can tell by the scrunch of his face he’s not thrilled with your idea, but tires on the dirt path outside stop him. He yanks me away from the window, grabbing his gun off the coffee table, he pushes me behind him and away from danger. Two pairs of footsteps clomp down on the stairs leading to the front door, and Hop rips the door open before the people can knock.
“Hello? Whoa! - Hey!” Callahan exclaims when Hop steps out of his trailer, gun in hand.
“Jesus, Chief,” Powell looks at Hopper warily. “You all right?”
“What are you doing here?” Hop’s body is positioned just so that someone would have to be looking intently into the trailer to notice me behind his back.
“We tried calling but,” Powell’s voice trails off at the end.
“Yeah, phones dead,” Hops voice is gruff and his answer clipped. I can tell he wants the two idiots on his front porch to leave, so he can continue to talk to me about what happened and where to go from here.
“Whoa, (Y/N), what are you doing here?” a shiver crawls up my spine as Callahan gives me a once over. Hop subconsciously- or consciously, I’m not quite sure which- moves in front of me completely to block Callahan’s pervy gaze.
“Hop wasn’t at Will’s funeral, so I came by to check on him,” I push Hop out of the way and step beside him on the small porch, shutting the front door behind me. It would look a lot worse, and far more suggestive, if Hop was hiding me from view. This way it looks like we aren’t hiding anything- hiding me being there- well, except hiding the torn apart living room from the two doofuses.
Both Callahan and Powell give me disbelieving looks, Powell more so because he saw the way I was with the librarian who slept with Hop the other day, but neither of them voice their opinions on the matter. Instead Callahan starts telling Hop why they showed up in the first place, two more people in town are missing. The naive men in front of us think that everyone’s on edge because of Will’s death, but Hop and I are both thinking that it has to do with whatever is happening at the lab.
“You go back to the station,” Hop tells the men to go back to the station once he finds out that the men went hunting near Mirkwood. My heart stuttered a bit hearing Hop himself call it that, it makes me wonder if I’m rubbing off on him, or just the boys and this case. “(Y/N) and I will look into this.”
“Are you sure?” Callahan looks awkwardly between Hop and me. I assume he’s unsure if he wants to leave me alone with Hop, especially with how wild and out of it the Chief looks to an outsider.
“Yeah, leave it,” Hop insists, pushing me slightly as a way of telling me to open the door.
“Oh, hey. Uh, they found Barbara’s car,” Callahan continues before I can open the door.
“What?” Hop and I ask at the same time, blood draining from my face.
“Barbara Holland’s car, seems she ran away after all,” Powell adds, finishing the revelation for his partner. “Staties found it late last night at a bus station.”
“Funny, right?” Callahan adds, almost seeming to catch on that something is majorly off. “They keep doing our job for us.”
“Funny, right,” Hop and I say at the same time, this time he’s more forceful with shoving me towards the door. I quickly open it and he guides me inside, slamming the door shut behind him, putting distance between us and the prying eyes of our dense coworkers.
Once the door shuts I start to clean up the living room again, sighing at the knife made rips in the apoulster of his couch, too long for me to even consider sewing back up for him. I know he was freaking out, but there’s literally a zipper right there in the back, he could have used that instead of stabbing them. While I sweep up the broken light bulbs and try to salvage anything he threw across the room earlier, Hop focuses on fixing his phone, even going as far as to duct tape the mouthpiece back together.
Once the living room is clean, or as clean as I can get it at this particular moment, I head to the bathroom to clean that up too. I avoid his bedroom though, I know how private and personal someone’s bedroom is, that’s why I threaten Nancy and Mike anytime they go snooping through mine. By the time I’m finished in the bathroom Hop has the phone fixed and is using it to call someone. Normally I wouldn’t snoop, he deserves his privacy, but my feet feel frozen in place when I hear a woman’s voice coming from the other side of the line.
“I know, I know, I know I shouldn’t be calling you,” Hopper sighs into the phone, playing with the bracelet he made from Sara’s hair ties. “I just wanted to…I just wanted to say that, um…even after everything that happened, I don’t…I don’t regret any of it. And those seven years, they were…everything to me.”
My heart breaks at his words, and it continues to break for him when his ex wife asks if he’s been drinking again. I didn’t know my heart could ache for him anymore than it already did, not until I see Hop’s body tense when he hears a baby start crying from the other end. She’s moved on and he hasn’t. She gets a second chance at that happily ever after bullshit, and Hopper is the Chief of Police in a small town that seems to be overtaken by some crazy powerful and dangerous outside enemy that isn’t afraid to kill anyone in it’s way.
“You know what, actually, I have been drinking, I’m sorry,” I frown as he starts to shut her out, it’s like I can see the walls he’s built over the years start to be reinforced. “Just take care of yourself, okay? Say hi to Bill for me.” Hop slams the receiver down, hanging up on his ex wife before she can respond, setting the phone on the coffee table in front of him.
“Hop,” I sigh, holding my dress in place as I slide down the dividing wall between his kitchen and living room next to him.
As soon as my butt touches the ground his phone starts to ring, I glance between him and the aforementioned phone wondering if he’ll pick it up. He doesn’t, he makes no move to answer it, just letting it ring. He does, however, slide his left hand across the floor and close to my right one. Hops left pinky lifts off the ground, hooks around my right one, our hands resting on the floor with our pinky’s tightly entwined. We sit like that for what feels like a long while, at least twenty or thirty minutes. I start to wonder how many times Hop’s ex wife would have called had he not ripped the phone from the wall after the second unanswered one.
“How ‘bout I teach you to shoot,” Hop turns to me, I can’t quite read the emotion in his blue eyes, but it’s almost like they’re pleading with me to say yes. I nod back and he stands, pulling me from my seated position.
“Should I take my heels off?” I glance down at by black pumps while Hop digs the empty beer cans, the ones the people from Hawkins lab left strewn about his coffee table, out of the trash.
“Yeah, you’ll need good balance,” Hop heads for the door, beer cans cradled in his left arm, grabbing his firearm off the coffee table with his right hand as he passes it.
I take off my heels as I start to head towards the door, tossing them carelessly behind me in the general direction of the ruined couch. Rushing in front of Hopper, now barefoot, I open the door for him so he doesn’t have to worry about shifting the beer cans around and possibly dropping any. I follow him out the door, towards the back of his trailer and the pond behind it. Hop drops the beer cans on the grass, grabbing one and setting it on a stump of wood, the gashes on the top of the wood lead me to believe that he uses this stump to chop wood.
Hop hands me his police issued handgun, stepping behind me once I take it. Instinctually I wrap both of my hands around the handle, my dominant hand resting slightly higher, trigger finger on the side of the barrel. I have this much knowledge of holding a gun from observing Hop, for far too long, any time he has his weapon drawn. Hop gently kicks my right foot out so my feet are shoulder width apart, I move my dominant foot forward a tad, raising my arms in front of me.
“‘Kay, now use the little bump out on the top as a guide,” his hands rest on my shoulders, before sliding down slightly to help me aim. “Line it up with the beer can and pull the trigger.”
I take a deep breath, anchoring myself to the ground for the blowback, pointer finger moving to the trigger and pulling it. I didn’t anchor myself well enough, falling back into Hop’s chest slightly. I’m too embarrassed from this new position to hear the sound of metal ripping through tin.
“You did great kid,” Hop whispers into my ear, sending an involuntary shiver up my spine, a shiver I can’t hide from him since we’re still pressed together. Hop slides his hands from my upper arms to my forearms, pushing slightly to lower the gun towards the ground.
“Oh my god! I did it!” I screech louder than intended when I look up to the empty stump. The can is behind the wood, a bullet embedded in the center of the logo, I hit the target on my first try!
I set the gun on the ground, turning, and jumping into Hop’s arms. My arms are tightly wrap around his neck, and his easily slide around my waist. He holds me close for longer than necessary, but not nearly long enough for my liking: every touch from Hopper is like an itch that can’t be scratched, every time I think I’ll be satisfied but it always leaves me wanting more.
Once Hop unwraps himself from my hold, he moves to put another beer can on the stump. This time he stays off to the side, I’m left wondering if the hug is the cause of the new position or if Hop just wants me to try alone. We go through ten more empty beer cans, I hit every single one on the first try. Hop also teaches me how to load the clip and the gun, as well as unclip it and put the safety on.
After Hop finishes teaching me how to protect myself, he grabs my heels when he goes inside to grab one of his coats and hat, and I grab his police department jacket from my car to wear. After grabbing the aforementioned things we get into his truck to warn Joyce that her house may be bugged too, and to let her n\know that Will is probably alive somewhere lost and confused.. Hop keeps glancing my way the entire car ride, and I just nervously play with the hem of my dress. I really don’t want to see Lonnie again, and I especially don’t want him to see Hop. If Lonnie says one bad thing to Hopper in front of me, I may just deck him.
Once we pull up to Joyce’s house, Hop finds an old takeout menu in his car and grabs the pen sticking out of my jacket pocket to write a note telling Joyce to be quiet. Hop finally opens his door and I practically sprint out of my side of the car, having forgone putting on my shoes, and up to the Byers front porch. I’m pounding on the door before Hop has closed his own car door.
“Go away Lonnie!” I hear Joyce yell from inside the house. I wonder if Joyce has kicked Lonnie to the curb again, finally, as I continue to aggressively pound on the door. Hop joins me on the front porch just as Joyce rips the front door open. “Seriously? I am going to murder-”
Hop and I hold our fingers to our lips to shush an ax wielding Joyce, in Hop’s other hand he’s holding up the old take out menu with the message written on it. Joyce looks confused and a little scared at our random appearance on her doorstep, but she doesn’t fight us when Hop pushes his way into the house.
“Oh Jesus,” Hop grumbles while I let out a quiet ‘shit’ at all of the Christmas lights hanging in the Byers’ house.
Hop and I get to quickly unscrew every christmas light, thank God he’s being a lot more calm about it here than at his own place. After what feels like hours Hop unscrews the last light bulb only to find that there were no bugs planted in the Byers’ house. The two of us let out a large sigh as we plop down right next to each other on Joyce’s couch. Hop’s knee rubbing up against mine is all I can think about as he explains what happened to him the night before. I do start to tune back into the conversation when Hop tells Joyce that she was right all along.
I don’t think I have ever seen Joyce more happy than she is at this moment, at least two people believe her and now there’s undeniable proof, at least to the three of us, that Will is still alive. Joyce pulls me up from the couch and into a bone crushing hug, the hope and joy she’s radiating is infectious.
Steve Harrington x Reader. Season 3 finale spoilers.
The floor was cold, the atmosphere chaotic. The screams of your friends were drowned out by the fireworks and snarls of the mindflayer. Despite the noise, you clearly heard Billy, or the Mindflayer rather, whisper, “Stay still, it will all be over soon,“ his words sent ice through your veins. You struggled against his grasp, but it was no use. Realizing the imminence of your demise, you felt an overwhelming sadness, not even for yourself, but for Steve Harrington, the first and apparently last love of your life. As the “flaying” began, he was the only thing on your mind. You hoped that he would survive this, that he would get out of Hawkins, that he would be happy. You hoped-
“Y/N!” Steve screamed as he blew his cover to run to your side.
This caught the attention of Eleven, who managed to use her powers to throw Billy away from you. She fell back against Mike. The rest of the kids were still blasting the mind flayer with fireworks. Steve used the opportunity to pick you up and carry you away from the action.
“Y/n? Can you hear me? You gotta wake up okay? I did not survive being tortured by Russians only to have you be flayed before I could even-” his voice broke, and before he could continue, he was rounding the corner to where Dustin was.
“Shit. Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. Billy - the mind flayer- how do we know if she? What if she was?” Steve tried, but his heart couldn’t even handle the idea of you being lost to him.
“She wasn’t flayed.”
“How do you know?” Steve asked reluctant to be relieved.
“The hive mind is activated, she would be awake and trying to kill us if she was,” Dustin explained.
“Then why isn’t she waking up?”
“I don’t know Steve, but we have bigger problems right now,” he said gesturing to the fact that they were almost out of Fireworks.
Steve hesitantly left your side to help the others and watched in absolute shock as Billy sacrificed himself. It was only moments later that the mind flayer collapsed. It was over. Jonathan hugged Nancy, Mike went to Eleven, Lucas held Max as she cried, and both Steve and Dustin turned towards you.
“Y/n wake up!” Steve tried shaking your shoulders. He lowered his head to your chest to hear your heart beating and feel your breathing, “Y/n, c’mon, I need you to wake up,” he tried again, sounding more desperate.
Before he could continue, the FBI came running in and they were all escorted out. Steve barely managed to convince the EMT to let him ride with you. He was stuck in the waiting room for what seemed like forever, shrugging off the nurses who offered to check out his injuries. Dustin, Mike, Nancy, and Jonathon came in, gathering in silence waiting for any news. The worst part for Steve was when your mother showed up, he had never felt more guilty than when he lied to her about what happened.
Eventually, the doctor came out with a flustered look on his face. He asked for your mom, and Steve quickly stood to join them. The doctor protested, but your mom assured him that Steve should come with her.
“So, I don’t know how to tell you this, but as far as we can tell there is nothing physically wrong with your daughter. She is seemingly in a coma with no cause. As such, there is nothing medically we can do other than sustain her condition if you choose to do so,” he then turned to Steve, “Can you run me through what happened again?” Steve managed to recount his story, trying to ignore your mother’s sobs. As soon as he finished, he exited the room in shock, he sunk down to the floor, struggling to breathe, replaying the doctor’s words over and over again in his head. His chest was filled with immense pain at the thought of losing you.
He sat there a while trying to calm himself down before forcing himself off the wall and back to the waiting room, where Will, Mrs. Byers, and Eleven had joined the others. All eyes went to him expectantly, but with one look at him Dustin said what they were all thinking, “Shit…”
Steve repeated what the doctor had said, Nancy pulled him into a comforting hug. While the others started brainstorming. There was an hour of outrageous theories until finally, Will realized something, “She wasn’t completely flayed, but the process was definitely initiated.”
“Obviously,” Dustin chimed in.
“But what is flaying? It’s like your identity being ripped away from you and replaced with the host mentality,” Will continued.
“So maybe Y/n’s soul or whatever was separated. Nothing medically wrong with her, because that’s not a physical connection” Mike added.
“So in other words, we have to jumpstart the connection again,” Lucas agreed, and then all eyes shifted to El.
“Do you think you could try to find her? Like you did Billy or Heather?” Mike asked.
“I can try,” El nodded.
Dustin walked over to where Steve was laying with his head in Mrs. Byers’ lap. She ran her fingers through his hair like she had for her sons so many times, mind wandering to Hopper. Steve looked so broke, like he had given up any hope.
“We need to get into Y/n’s room, we think we know how to fix her,” Dustin announced.
It was like that swiped a switch in Steve, and he popped up at once, “What do you mean?”
Dustin explained everything to Steve and Mrs. Byers, and then again in layman’s terms. From there the whole group formed a plan. Mrs. Byers and Nancy would go distract your mom. Dustin, Mike, and Will would distract the nurses. Steve and El would sneak into your room, while Jonathon kept watch. For once, everything went smoothly.
El was searching the cabinets for something to cover her eyes with, and Steve handed her the red ascot from his Scoops uniform. She went to your side and took your hand, instantly being transported into your consciousness.
It was dark, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Every step she took was echoing, the entire reality was glitching in and out, but there was no sign of you.
“Y/n?” she called out.
The blackness would flash to a scene of you and then back to the nothingness, “Y/n, can you hear me?” El tried again, “I need you to focus on my voice, and I can bring you back. I’ll bring you back home, back to Steve.”
At the mention of Steve, the glitching stopped and El could see you know for the first time, you laid on the ground folded into yourself. You were pale and shaking, looking only a moment away from death. As she got closer she could hear you softly repeating, “Please don’t, I’m sorry.” There was no indication that you knew she was there. She touched you lightly on the shoulder, but it didn’t phase you.
“Y/n? We need to get out of here, I need your help,” she tried, again receiving no response. The glitching started again, each time putting more and more distance between the two of you. El knew that you wouldn’t survive it much longer.
In the hospital room, Steve watched as blood trickled down Eleven’s face. He didn’t know why it was taking so long. He tried to get an idea of what was happening through the one-sided conversation that he was hearing, but even that was being drowned out by his fear of losing you, What if this didn’t work? The lights started flickering, the machines in the room going nuts, and then suddenly Eleven called his name, “I need you to talk to her, to bring her back.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Steve, we don’t have time, just talk to her!”
“Okay….Uhm…Y/n? It’s Steve. Your boyfriend,” he started, feeling extremely uncomfortable, before his emotions took over. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m here now though, and I need you to come back to me. I need you to wake up, cause you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don’t want to lose you. Not now, not ever. Please Y/n. I love you so much, please wake up.“ As he finished, everything went black, the entire hospital lost power.
In your head, every nightmare you had ever had was playing through your mind. You were cold and afraid, feeling lost beyond anything you have ever felt. Whatever was happening to you it was killing you, you could feel it draining you. A strange numbness started to overtake you. You weren’t giving up, you were running out of fight. Just as you were trying to prepare yourself for whatever would come next, you heard a familiar voice, “Okay….Uhm…Y/n? It’s Steve. Your boyfriend.” Hearing his voice made everything stop. A warmth filled you, and you forced your eyes open, seeing Eleven.
"El?” you asked weakly.
“You’re going to be fine, I’m here,” she reassured, moving towards you and taking your hand.
The next thing you remember was hearing Steve’s voice, “Are you okay?” he asked, you forced your eyes open to see who he was talking to.
“I’ll be fine,” Eleven reassured him, wiping her nose.
“Everything was going crazy in here and then the power went out…Is she okay now?“
Suddenly Eleven’s face lit up, “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
You had never seen Steve turn around so quickly in his life, a wide smile on his face as he practically dove onto your bed holding you like his life depended on it. “Nice to see you too,” you laughed. God did he love that laugh, and that smile, and you.
“I am so glad that you are okay,” he sighed, allowing himself to relax a little for the first time since he had found out about the Russian code from Dustin.
“Are you okay?” you asked running your finger lightly across his cheek. His eye was swollen and undoubtedly painful. His lip was busted and his nose was also bruised and swollen. In other words, he looked like he got into a fight with his hands tied behind his back.
He put his hand over yours and pulled it down to his chest over his heart as he had done so many times before, “It’s worse than it looks, I promise. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
You were going to ask him what happened but were interrupted by the kids coming in excitedly. They were vividly telling you everything that happened after you were “Semi-flayed” as Will had coined it. You listened to every word, happy to know that it was all over. Their commotion gained the attention of the nurse, who proceeded to kick everyone out. Well, everyone but Steve who was practically glued to your side.
She went back to find the doctor and notify your mother, promising to bring back the ice that you requested for Steve’s eye. There were more happy reunions, followed by another round of tests, and finally, you were discharged. Joyce took Will, Jonathan, Dustin, and Lucas home. Nancy took Mike and Eleven back to her house. Your mom went back to your house and you went with Steve to his.
You both were exhausted but found it hard to sleep.
“What happens now?” you asked innocently.
“What do you mean?”
“How do we move forward from this? I mean nothing can ever really be the same can it?”
Steve thought for a moment, “I think we grieve and heal, then we start looking for the little victories again until this is nothing more than a memory.”
You nodded, “I love you, Steve Harrington,” you spoke softly.
You missed the grin that spread across his face before he kissed your forehead, “I love you too.”
You laid like that for a while, it didn’t take Steve long to fall asleep. You thought about what he said. Tomorrow would be hard, and the day after that too, but eventually your life would become some type of normal again. You shifted to look at his face, careful not to wake him. You felt a sense of relief, knowing that as long as the two of you had each other, you could work through the rest.
This is my first Stranger Things imagine, it is Steve Harrington x reader. It’s a concept I might flush out into a mini-series, maybe… For more of my writing check out my masterlist here.
It was just a little fall, you were hanging up a welcome home poster for Dustin who was finally returning from his camp when you lost your footing and bumped your head. It was no big deal and honestly, if his mom hadn’t come out to check on the noise you made, you probably would have just iced it and called it a day. But she insisted on taking you to the hospital in case you had a concussion. She called your parents and your mom was going to meet you there. You didn’t even want her to do that, but at least she agreed to let you tell the boys.
While in the waiting room, you used a payphone to call Will and let him know you’d miss the surprise. He asked if you were okay, and you gave him a purposely vague answer not wanting to have the party freaking out about nothing. You were about to call Steve when the nurse called your name. You were slightly relieved, you knew that Steve would feel obligated to come make sure you were okay even though he absolutely hated hospitals.
It was just a little fall, you explained to the nurse. But regardless, she was running rounds of tests to make sure that there wasn’t any brain trauma or other hidden injuries. What should have been treated with a bag of frozen peas was now turning into a whole ordeal. You were really starting to understand why Steve disliked hospitals.
It was just a little fall, you whispered as the doctor told you and your mom that they had found something far more serious through your scans. As to the what and the how, you didn’t hear any of what the doctor was saying. Once the words terminal and nothing we can do, came out of his mouth your brain shut off. The next thing you heard was “months, if she’s really lucky, a year.” Your eyes shifted up to your mom’s which was a mistake because seeing her completely breakdown was not helping you at all.
“Okay, so are we done here?” you spoke calmly.
“Y/n, I know this is a lot to process. I can get a psychologist in here to help you talk through things. We can-”
“I mean you said that I am dying and that there is nothing to be done about it, so what else is there to talk about?”
“Y/n-” your mom tried.
That was enough of that for you, you had to get out of there. You ignored your mom calling after you and made your way out to the front. Now the question was where to go from here. You could head to Steve’s, to the mall, to see the Party. All you knew was that there was absolutely no way you were going home.
You started walking towards Steve’s house, knowing that he was working and his parents were out of town for the weekend. You hoped that you’d be able to keep your head down and try to figure out the best way to tell him and the rest of your friends the news. However, you saw your mom’s car on the next street over and quickly changed your mind ducking into the Henderson’s house, glad to see that Dustin’s mom wasn’t home.
“Hey Henderson, how was camp?” you greeted.
“It was great! I met this girl, she’s totally awesome and we are doing long distance. We are actually heading to set up a satellite to talk to her now. Do you want to come with?”
“Of course I do,” you agreed, allowing Dustin to fill you in on everything else that had happened in the last month.
“Sounds like you had a good time,” you add, trying to focus on the conversation and not everything else that was on your mind.
You allowed your mind to drift, until Will’s voice brought you out of your thoughts, “Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just been a weird day,” you answer.
“You know you could talk to me, I mean any of us really, if something was wrong?” he asked.
“Of course I do. And you can talk to me about anything.”
Will knew that there was something that you were hiding, but he decided to let it rest for now. The two of you made it up to the top of the hill and started helping Dustin set up Cerebro. He tried to contact Suzie, but it was radio silence on her end. El and Mike left claiming that El had a curfew. Max and Lucas left shortly after to catch a movie. That left you, Will, and Dustin. Will stayed for a while and the two boys talked about new DnD campaign possibilities. But soon even he left. Dustin was clearly upset both about Suzie not answering him and his friends leaving so easily.
“Hey, it’s okay, she probably went out to eat with her family or something. And things will get back to normal with the Party in no time,” you assured him, “Why don’t we call it a night and go see Steve, we can all watch a movie together and you can stay the night or I’ll drive you home after.”
Dustin’s face lit up, and he started packing up so the two of you could leave. The two of you started talking carelessly and for a shining moment, you almost forgot that the first half of your day had even existed. The two of you stopped by his house so he could get a movie, you also had him leave his mom a note telling her his plans and to call Steve’s house if she needed him. You had almost made it out when the phone rang. Dustin was quick to pick it up.
“Hey Mrs. Y/l/n, yeah Y/n is-” your eyes went wide and you shook your head wildly at Dustin. Luckily he caught on, “I haven’t seen her since she stopped by earlier. I’ll let you know if she comes back, but she is probably just staying the night at a friend’s house. It is a Friday night. Bye,” he said quickly before hanging up the phone, “Are you going to tell me why I just lied to your mother?” he questioned.
“I- I’m - It’s just that-” you tried, but the words were lost on you. How were you supposed to tell him that a little fall had turned into you finding out that you were dying? As in no more Y/f/n Y/l/n. For the first time since that little fall took place only hours ago, tears escaped your eyes. And just like that every shred of calm and collective, of unaffected and indifferent, melted away. You were crying uncontrollably in front of one of your best friends, truly feeling the implication of the doctor’s words for the first time.
Dustin was at a loss for words, in the entirety of your friendship he couldn’t remember ever seeing you cry. He decided to pick the phone back up and call Steve.
The phone barely rang twice before Steve answered, “Hey man, Y/n’s mom just came to my house. Apparently, something happened and they haven’t seen or heard from her. Her mom’s a wreck, I’m on my way out to look for her, do you think you could walkie-talkie the Party and see if any of them have seen her? If not I thought I’d pick you up and we could go check some of her favorite spots. I don’t know what’s going on but it’s apparently really serious. I’m freaking out.”
“She’s here. But she doesn’t want her parents to know. Whatever happened, it’s bad man,” Dustin replied.
“How bad?”
“She’s bawling her eyes out on the couch, avoiding her parents, and hasn’t said a word about it, so I’d guess it’s pretty bad.”
“I’ll be there in 5,” he said before hanging up. He grabbed his keys and left without another thought. For the entire time that the two of you have been dating, hell, for the entirety of your friendship he couldn’t remember seeing you cry. And you adored your parents. His internal freak out was escalating as he pushed harder on the gas pedal. He needed to get the Henderson’s house and get you in his arms, where he could keep you safe from whatever this big bad terrible thing was.
Dustin went to you and put his arms around you trying his best to comfort you, “It’s okay Y/n, whatever happened we’ll figure it out. Steve’s on his way, just try to calm down and breathe.” He was wondering what the hell could have happened to upset you so badly. He was extremely thankful when Steve came through the door. He excused himself debating whether or not he should alert the rest of the Party. Ultimately, he decided that he needed to fully access the situation before getting them involved.
He wandered back downstairs to see Steve repositioning himself behind you on the couch and wrapping his arms around you. He was honestly a little afraid of what could have happened to make you this upset. But no matter what it was, it was going to be okay. You would get through it and he would be by your side every step of the way. Hell, whatever this was, it probably would be easier to survive than demogorgons, mindflayers, and the upside down and you both made it through that.
“Y/n, I love you and everything’s going to be okay. Just calm down, focus on my voice and try to take deep breaths. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere, I promise. Shhhh, it’s okay just to breathe in and out. I love you so much,” he spoke softly.
“It was…only a…fall,” you muttered in between sobs, “I don’t…I can’t…It was…I barely fell…”
“Y/n? Are you hurt? Did you fall and hurt yourself?” Steve asked softly, making eye contact with Dustin who shook his head.
“I was hanging up the poster…I fell and… Mrs. Henderson wanted to… make sure I didn’t have a concussion. The hospital…But then the tests…and my mom wasn’t helping… The doctor said that I…but it was only a fall…” you explained miserably as tears rolled down your cheeks, your breathing starting to return to a less alarming pace..
That was definitely not cohesive enough for Steve to figure out what happened, but Dustin was starting to piece it together. Steve refocused on trying to calm you down when Dustin stepped forward, “Y/n, what did the doctor say?”
Instead of answering you started crying harder again. Steve shot Dustin a death glare before it clicked in his head what he just asked you and his stomach dropped. He just wrapped his arms around you tighter hoping to god that his idea was way off-base.
Eventually, you calmed down enough to talk. Steve moved so that he could look you in the face, Dustin offered you some tissues before sitting down beside the two of you. “Y/n, what happened at the hospital?” Steve asked softly.
“The doctor told me that I’m sick. I’m sick and I’m not going to get better and there’s nothing they can do about it,” you explained defeatedly, avoiding eye contact with either of them, “months maybe a year if I’m lucky,” you answered Dustin’s question before he even asked it. There were so many more questions that he had, but a look from Steve told him that now was not the time. You got up to go to the bathroom, leaving the two boys sitting in disbelief.
“Dustin, what time will your mom be home?” you asked, breaking the silence upon returning.
“Shit! Literally any minute.”
“Okay, Steve, can I crash at your place?” you asked, already knowing the answer.
“Of course. Dustin, do you want to come too?” he asked.
“I think I should stay here, call Y/n’s parents and let them know she’s okay, being vague about her whereabouts, etc.”
“Understandable, just do me a favor and don’t tell the Party. Not yet, I just need a little time to process everything and then I’ll tell them myself, I promise.”
“Of course, scouts honor,” he replied causing you to smile before Steve all but ushered you out the door.
Once the two of you were alone in the car and far enough away from the Henderson’s house not to worry about running into Mrs. Henderson, he turned to you, “Do you wanna talk about it?”
“I think I’m all talked out for tonight,” you answered honestly.
He nodded understandingly. It was a few more minutes before you arrived at his house. You both wordlessly made your way up to his room where you took out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that you had left there, making your way to the bathroom to change. You didn’t waste any time climbing into bed where Steve soon joined you. He wrapped his arms around you a little tighter than normal, as if he were afraid that you might slip away from him. You didn’t mind though, you enjoyed his warmth and presence. You dreaded the next day and all that you knew would come with it. Instead, you tried to focus on the solace you found with Steve. This, you thought, is what I’m going to miss the most. A single tear made its way down your check before your exhaustion took over and you fell asleep.
This is my first Stranger Things imagine, it is Steve Harrington x reader. It’s a concept I might flush out into a mini-series, maybe… For more of my writing check out my masterlist here.
It was just a little fall, you were hanging up a welcome home poster for Dustin who was finally returning from his camp when you lost your footing and bumped your head. It was no big deal and honestly, if his mom hadn’t come out to check on the noise you made, you probably would have just iced it and called it a day. But she insisted on taking you to the hospital in case you had a concussion. She called your parents and your mom was going to meet you there. You didn’t even want her to do that, but at least she agreed to let you tell the boys.
While in the waiting room, you used a payphone to call Will and let him know you’d miss the surprise. He asked if you were okay, and you gave him a purposely vague answer not wanting to have the party freaking out about nothing. You were about to call Steve when the nurse called your name. You were slightly relieved, you knew that Steve would feel obligated to come make sure you were okay even though he absolutely hated hospitals.
It was just a little fall, you explained to the nurse. But regardless, she was running rounds of tests to make sure that there wasn’t any brain trauma or other hidden injuries. What should have been treated with a bag of frozen peas was now turning into a whole ordeal. You were really starting to understand why Steve disliked hospitals.
It was just a little fall, you whispered as the doctor told you and your mom that they had found something far more serious through your scans. As to the what and the how, you didn’t hear any of what the doctor was saying. Once the words terminal and nothing we can do, came out of his mouth your brain shut off. The next thing you heard was “months, if she’s really lucky, a year.” Your eyes shifted up to your mom’s which was a mistake because seeing her completely breakdown was not helping you at all.
“Okay, so are we done here?” you spoke calmly.
“Y/n, I know this is a lot to process. I can get a psychologist in here to help you talk through things. We can-”
“I mean you said that I am dying and that there is nothing to be done about it, so what else is there to talk about?”
“Y/n-” your mom tried.
That was enough of that for you, you had to get out of there. You ignored your mom calling after you and made your way out to the front. Now the question was where to go from here. You could head to Steve’s, to the mall, to see the Party. All you knew was that there was absolutely no way you were going home.
You started walking towards Steve’s house, knowing that he was working and his parents were out of town for the weekend. You hoped that you’d be able to keep your head down and try to figure out the best way to tell him and the rest of your friends the news. However, you saw your mom’s car on the next street over and quickly changed your mind ducking into the Henderson’s house, glad to see that Dustin’s mom wasn’t home.
“Hey Henderson, how was camp?” you greeted.
“It was great! I met this girl, she’s totally awesome and we are doing long distance. We are actually heading to set up a satellite to talk to her now. Do you want to come with?”
“Of course I do,” you agreed, allowing Dustin to fill you in on everything else that had happened in the last month.
“Sounds like you had a good time,” you add, trying to focus on the conversation and not everything else that was on your mind.
You allowed your mind to drift, until Will’s voice brought you out of your thoughts, “Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just been a weird day,” you answer.
“You know you could talk to me, I mean any of us really, if something was wrong?” he asked.
“Of course I do. And you can talk to me about anything.”
Will knew that there was something that you were hiding, but he decided to let it rest for now. The two of you made it up to the top of the hill and started helping Dustin set up Cerebro. He tried to contact Suzie, but it was radio silence on her end. El and Mike left claiming that El had a curfew. Max and Lucas left shortly after to catch a movie. That left you, Will, and Dustin. Will stayed for a while and the two boys talked about new DnD campaign possibilities. But soon even he left. Dustin was clearly upset both about Suzie not answering him and his friends leaving so easily.
“Hey, it’s okay, she probably went out to eat with her family or something. And things will get back to normal with the Party in no time,” you assured him, “Why don’t we call it a night and go see Steve, we can all watch a movie together and you can stay the night or I’ll drive you home after.”
Dustin’s face lit up, and he started packing up so the two of you could leave. The two of you started talking carelessly and for a shining moment, you almost forgot that the first half of your day had even existed. The two of you stopped by his house so he could get a movie, you also had him leave his mom a note telling her his plans and to call Steve’s house if she needed him. You had almost made it out when the phone rang. Dustin was quick to pick it up.
“Hey Mrs. Y/l/n, yeah Y/n is-” your eyes went wide and you shook your head wildly at Dustin. Luckily he caught on, “I haven’t seen her since she stopped by earlier. I’ll let you know if she comes back, but she is probably just staying the night at a friend’s house. It is a Friday night. Bye,” he said quickly before hanging up the phone, “Are you going to tell me why I just lied to your mother?” he questioned.
“I- I’m - It’s just that-” you tried, but the words were lost on you. How were you supposed to tell him that a little fall had turned into you finding out that you were dying? As in no more Y/f/n Y/l/n. For the first time since that little fall took place only hours ago, tears escaped your eyes. And just like that every shred of calm and collective, of unaffected and indifferent, melted away. You were crying uncontrollably in front of one of your best friends, truly feeling the implication of the doctor’s words for the first time.
Dustin was at a loss for words, in the entirety of your friendship he couldn’t remember ever seeing you cry. He decided to pick the phone back up and call Steve.
The phone barely rang twice before Steve answered, “Hey man, Y/n’s mom just came to my house. Apparently, something happened and they haven’t seen or heard from her. Her mom’s a wreck, I’m on my way out to look for her, do you think you could walkie-talkie the Party and see if any of them have seen her? If not I thought I’d pick you up and we could go check some of her favorite spots. I don’t know what’s going on but it’s apparently really serious. I’m freaking out.”
“She’s here. But she doesn’t want her parents to know. Whatever happened, it’s bad man,” Dustin replied.
“How bad?”
“She’s bawling her eyes out on the couch, avoiding her parents, and hasn’t said a word about it, so I’d guess it’s pretty bad.”
“I’ll be there in 5,” he said before hanging up. He grabbed his keys and left without another thought. For the entire time that the two of you have been dating, hell, for the entirety of your friendship he couldn’t remember seeing you cry. And you adored your parents. His internal freak out was escalating as he pushed harder on the gas pedal. He needed to get the Henderson’s house and get you in his arms, where he could keep you safe from whatever this big bad terrible thing was.
Dustin went to you and put his arms around you trying his best to comfort you, “It’s okay Y/n, whatever happened we’ll figure it out. Steve’s on his way, just try to calm down and breathe.” He was wondering what the hell could have happened to upset you so badly. He was extremely thankful when Steve came through the door. He excused himself debating whether or not he should alert the rest of the Party. Ultimately, he decided that he needed to fully access the situation before getting them involved.
He wandered back downstairs to see Steve repositioning himself behind you on the couch and wrapping his arms around you. He was honestly a little afraid of what could have happened to make you this upset. But no matter what it was, it was going to be okay. You would get through it and he would be by your side every step of the way. Hell, whatever this was, it probably would be easier to survive than demogorgons, mindflayers, and the upside down and you both made it through that.
“Y/n, I love you and everything’s going to be okay. Just calm down, focus on my voice and try to take deep breaths. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere, I promise. Shhhh, it’s okay just to breathe in and out. I love you so much,” he spoke softly.
“It was…only a…fall,” you muttered in between sobs, “I don’t…I can’t…It was…I barely fell…”
“Y/n? Are you hurt? Did you fall and hurt yourself?” Steve asked softly, making eye contact with Dustin who shook his head.
“I was hanging up the poster…I fell and… Mrs. Henderson wanted to… make sure I didn’t have a concussion. The hospital…But then the tests…and my mom wasn’t helping… The doctor said that I…but it was only a fall…” you explained miserably as tears rolled down your cheeks, your breathing starting to return to a less alarming pace..
That was definitely not cohesive enough for Steve to figure out what happened, but Dustin was starting to piece it together. Steve refocused on trying to calm you down when Dustin stepped forward, “Y/n, what did the doctor say?”
Instead of answering you started crying harder again. Steve shot Dustin a death glare before it clicked in his head what he just asked you and his stomach dropped. He just wrapped his arms around you tighter hoping to god that his idea was way off-base.
Eventually, you calmed down enough to talk. Steve moved so that he could look you in the face, Dustin offered you some tissues before sitting down beside the two of you. “Y/n, what happened at the hospital?” Steve asked softly.
“The doctor told me that I’m sick. I’m sick and I’m not going to get better and there’s nothing they can do about it,” you explained defeatedly, avoiding eye contact with either of them, “months maybe a year if I’m lucky,” you answered Dustin’s question before he even asked it. There were so many more questions that he had, but a look from Steve told him that now was not the time. You got up to go to the bathroom, leaving the two boys sitting in disbelief.
“Dustin, what time will your mom be home?” you asked, breaking the silence upon returning.
“Shit! Literally any minute.”
“Okay, Steve, can I crash at your place?” you asked, already knowing the answer.
“Of course. Dustin, do you want to come too?” he asked.
“I think I should stay here, call Y/n’s parents and let them know she’s okay, being vague about her whereabouts, etc.”
“Understandable, just do me a favor and don’t tell the Party. Not yet, I just need a little time to process everything and then I’ll tell them myself, I promise.”
“Of course, scouts honor,” he replied causing you to smile before Steve all but ushered you out the door.
Once the two of you were alone in the car and far enough away from the Henderson’s house not to worry about running into Mrs. Henderson, he turned to you, “Do you wanna talk about it?”
“I think I’m all talked out for tonight,” you answered honestly.
He nodded understandingly. It was a few more minutes before you arrived at his house. You both wordlessly made your way up to his room where you took out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that you had left there, making your way to the bathroom to change. You didn’t waste any time climbing into bed where Steve soon joined you. He wrapped his arms around you a little tighter than normal, as if he were afraid that you might slip away from him. You didn’t mind though, you enjoyed his warmth and presence. You dreaded the next day and all that you knew would come with it. Instead, you tried to focus on the solace you found with Steve. This, you thought, is what I’m going to miss the most. A single tear made its way down your check before your exhaustion took over and you fell asleep.
A/N- This is the first chapter and my first Stranger things rewrite!! I really hope you guys liked this chapter because I’m actually happy how this came out!!
Warning- LONG chapter, swearing, mentions of drinking, SLOW BURN!!
Pairing- Steve Harrington x Hopper!reader, Billy Hargrove x Hopper!reader (you’ll see)
Episodes- 2x01, 2x02
(Let me know if you want to be tagged)
—
Hawkins, Indiana
Shit place, okay people. As far as you can remember anyway; the only person you really like is your best friend Jonathan Byers, he’s the only person you’ve spoken to over the years after you left, which has been long.
The last time you came here was for a visit, not a pleasant one at all though, it had been for your step sister’s funeral. You didn’t know her much but you knew her enough to know you loved her. Even if you and her weren’t all that close thanks to the distance that kept the two of you apart.
Now, after her death, there wasn’t any desire or want in your mind to come live at Hawkins. You didn’t want to be the new kid at school now that you were already a Junior in high school.
It was a silly reason, stupid really, but it was one of them.
The curtains over his window barely did anything to keep the Sunday morning glow out of his room. They fluttered in the light breeze that climbed through his window, unobstructed golden light flickering over your fingers as they rose and fell with his chest.
Your fingertips brushed lightly over his skin, which was soft as you’d ever imagined it. His breaths were deep and steady. In… and out. And you let this mesmerise you, almost meditating with the movement.
You brought your knee up to rest on his bare thigh, the slight ache from the night’s activities only satisfying in this afterglow, tilting your body a little to fit tighter against his. His forearm rested beneath your shoulders, propping you up on the pillow beside him, and his breathing was a gentle constant that soothed your mind.
You trailed your gaze over his face. His dark lashes, his sweet lips that devoured you last night. You couldn’t wait to have them on yours again, but you wouldn’t wake him just yet. You turned your face towards his neck, breathing in deeply, gently. His permed locks tapped against your nose as you inhaled and his summery scent swirled in your mind. He simply smelled warm, with the faintest hint of chlorine. And you could swear he still smelled of sand, though the nearest beach was miles away.
You basked in his closeness, his skin against yours, your nose to his jaw and your forehead to his cheek, both your feet caught up in the blanket together.
You could get used to this. A tender smile lifted the corners of your lips and you sighed lightly, contentedly.
The arm beneath your shoulders tensed and the space between his eyebrows creased as he began to stir. His legs stretched out straight and a low groan rumbled in his throat, his head turned towards you. His arm curled around your shoulders a little more securely and he pulled you towards him, burying his nose in your hair.
You looked up at him when he pulled back, ready to greet him. But he didn’t even open his eyes to look at you before he retracted his arm from around you and instead used it to nudge you an inch from where you lay, turning his back to you.
Summary:After moving from New York to Hawkins, your life is changed by a handsome police chief, a mysterious girl and a realm that is beyond the boundaries of normality.
Warnings:some angst
A/N:Sorry it’s been forever but thank you all for being patient! I hope you enjoy! ❤️
You sauntered into the kitchen “Mmm…smells good,” you tiredly groaned and hugged Jim from behind while he cooked breakfast. He made a start on it while you changed out of your pyjamas and into your clothes for work which today consisted of a black dress, a witch hat and black and purple striped tights. Jim glanced behind to look at you and let out a small snort of laughter at your hat “What?” You took it off and casually tossed it on the couch “I’m just enthusiastic about Halloween!”
Jim hummed and you went to pour out a cup of coffee for you both. “Oh, Jesus!” He softly jumped and you turned around. You smiled seeing El standing with a white bed sheet over her head with eyes cut out.
“Ghost.”
“Yeah,” Jim replied “I see that.”
“I love your costume sweetie! Are we going out trick or treating later?” You asked and she took off the sheet to look at Jim with pleading eyes.
“No,” he replied without a hint of compassion “Go wash your hands for breakfast.” El stormed off huffing and you furrowed your eyebrows while glaring at Jim from behind. He plated up the French toast and took it to the table “What?” He asked when he noticed you glaring.
“Why did you say no to trick or treating?” You asked sitting next to him at the table.
“Because it’s not safe for her to go out,” you opened your mouth to argue that no one would recognise her if she dressed as a ghost but Jim cut in before you had the chance. “Regardless of what she’s wearing.”
“Fine! We can take her to the next town over. It’s like twenty to thirty minutes away in the car. No one would have clue it’s her!” You tried fighting her cause as best as you could but Jim wasn’t having any of it. You loudly sighed “She’s a young girl and kids her age have to socialise and develop people skills- her more than anyone. El needs it. She needs to start living a normal teenage life and start having some sort of childhood. Something she has been denied her whole life.” You gently took his hand and squeezed it pleadingly “Don’t deny her it when she has the chance.”
El joined you both at the table and you let go of Jim’s hand. You all began eating in silence before he spoke up “Hey kid,” You and El slowly looked at Jim “How about I get off early, and I buy us a bunch of candy, and we can sit around and get fat, and we can all watch scary movies?” You took a bit of French toast, pulling the fork from your mouth with a small smile on your lips. “How’s that for a compromise?”
“C-compromise?” El repeated.
“C-o-m-promise. Compromise. How about we make that your word for the day?” You knew he was trying his best to keep her happy. Even if he was tough about it. “It’s kinda like something in-between. It’s like halfway happy.”
“By 5-1-5?” She asked.
“Yeah, 5:15.”
“Promise?” She asked and you glanced up to Jim. You both knew how valuable a promise was to El.
“Yes. I promise.”
She lightly smiled at Jim “Halfway happy.”
Jim leaned over and playfully ruffled her hair that had grew in tight brown curls. “Y/N can be here a little earlier maybe?”
He turned to you and you sent El a smile “Sure! I can be! I get out of school at three, I can pick up some candy too and walk from the store. It will take me like 45 minutes tops and I sure could do with a walk in the fresh air before consuming my body weight in candy,” you joked and El chuckled. “It’s going to be great!” You warmly smiled and gently pinched her cheek.
You felt Jim’s hand on your knee, he gave it a soft squeeze- enough to capture your attention. He looked at you for a sign of approval. You nodded and placed your hand on top of his before finishing breakfast. You and Jim left at the same time, El handed you your pointy witch hat before you left while Jim took your bags out to the car. “Have a nice day,” she said as you gave her a hug before leaving.
“You too! Let me know how you get on with reading the first three chapters of ‘Peter Pan’ and remember write down any words you aren’t sure of and we can go over them.” You gave her a final wave as you stepped out of the cabin. That what you and El did ever since you had first read to her. Whilst reading ’Alice in Wonderland’ she had countless of questions and queries about words so you taught her. You were teacher after all. You taught her everything and anything she wanted to know. “You better keep your promise, Jim.” You warned as he pulled up to the school.
“I will,” he leaned over and captured your lips with his “See you later.”
“5:15!” You warned him again with a pointed finger as you grabbed your bags. He nodded and stuck his thumb up for good measure. He watched you disappear into the school with a small smile on his face.
•••
“Okay everybody! Take a piece of candy from the bucket on the way out and have a great Halloween! I hope you all get lots of goodies!” You shook around the candy in the bucket and each student took a piece with a grin on their face.
“Is this a bribe for us to not egg where you live?” Dustin asked, grabbing a tootsie roll.
You let out a laugh “Kinda…I don’t think my brother would appreciate my students trashing his place.”
“If we can take two pieces it’s a deal,” Will grinned.
“Yeah, two pieces and we’ll just egg Steve instead!” Mike added and you burst into a fit of giggles.
“For that comment alone I feel the need to give you twenty pieces! Love the costumes by the way, Ghostbusters is an awesome film!” You let them choose the rest of their candy and waved them off. You quickly grabbed your things before heading out the classroom. You made your way out to the car park and noticed Steve and Nancy chatting by his car “Hey you two!” You greeted them “Any plans for tonight?”
“Yeah, we’re going to a party as Lana and Joel from Risky Business,” Nancy replied with a smile as she clutched onto her books tightly “We have costumes that are pretty much identical to what they wear in the film!”
“Aww that’s cute!” You gushed and Steve let out an embarrassed groan “Oh shut up Steve. I hope you both have a great time! I’ll be at Jim’s tonight so I’ll see you at some point tomorrow.”
“Okay,” he replied and opened the car door “Mom and dad are out of town until Monday so-”
“-So I’ll be keeping my eye on you! Anyway, have fun tonight, I’ll see you guys later.” You waved them off and made your way to Bradley’s Big Buy and bought a bunch of candy before heading to the pizza place and picking up one for dinner. You’d keep a few slices by for Jim so he could heat them up when he arrived back at the cabin. You walked for miles, building a sweat before eventually arriving at the cabin. You knocked on the door and it opened, El got up off the couch to help you with your bags “Hey sweetie, I picked us up some pizza for dinner. I’ll put it on a plate and after we can start watching some classic Halloween movies!”
“Sounds good,” she replied with a timid smile before gasping when she saw a packet of eggos in your shopping bag.
“I had an idea,” you began and pulled out a few packets of candy “We could have a chocolate fondue!”
“Fondue?” El questioned with a furrowed brow.
“It’s when you take either cheese or chocolate, in this case chocolate, and melt it. Then you can take stuff like eggos or marshmallows and dip it into the chocolate. How does that sound?”
“Can we have it now?” She asked and you loudly laughed.
“Dinner first!” You giggled and served her a few slices of pizza and sat at the table. You grabbed homework you had to grade from your bag and made a start on it while eating dinner. You glanced up and noticed El watching you. You motioned her to sit by you. She brought her plate and placed it beside yours and watched with curious eyes at what you were doing. “I’m showing the person if they have got the questions right or not. If it’s right they get a tick,” you ticked an answer “If it’s wrong they get a cross,” you crossed an answer in red pen and scribbled down why it was wrong. “I write that to tell them what is wrong so they can learn from their mistake.” El watched you with curious eyes as you continued marking the papers. You flipped one over and hesitated seeing the name 'Micheal Wheeler’ scribbled at the top. You glanced down to El and noticed her face light up. “Do you…do you want to put a tick there?” You quietly asked.
She nodded and you handed her the pen. El marked next to the sentence he had written with a tick and a soft smile on her face. You gently grinned as she handed you back the pen and you quickly finished off grading his homework. “Thank you,” El hugged your side as you flipped over Mike’s homework to correct the last paper.
You smiled down at her and ruffled her curly hair “I know you miss him. He misses you too.” You said with a sigh.
When you both finished dinner and once you had put away all the marked homework in your bag with your change of clothes, you melted the chocolate in a bowl and grabbed a few other small bowls, placing candy and pieces of toasted, cut up eggos and fruit in them.
You glanced over to the clock and noticed it was five, Jim would be home soon. You settled on the sofa with El who dived into dipping the eggos into melted chocolate. “Good,” she stuck her thumbs up with chocolate all over her lips.
You chuckled and playfully ruffled her hair before you both settled down to watch a movie. The pair of you were so engrossed watching Ghostbusters that you didn’t realise it was six thirty. Jim was over an hour late. You let out a loud sigh and El caught on, looking at you slightly concerned. Jim promised. “It’s fine, he’s probably on his way right now!” You smiled and El nodded with a crestfallen expression before leaning against your side and getting comfortable for the next movie. You wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gently squeezed it. The movie was playing but your eye was constantly on the clock.
It was well passed nine at night when there was a buzz from the radio. El rushed over to it, referring to the code above it to spell out what Jim was saying. “Late,” she disappointingly huffed and turned back to you “Late.”
You gaze fell to the floor momentarily “I’m sorry, honey. Why don’t I get you tucked into bed and we can read a few chapters of 'Peter Pan’?”
El shifted her gaze from the tv to you “Can I find Mike?”
It took a few seconds for you to reply, El could tell you were internally debating with yourself. Jim discouraged any contact with the gang- especially Mike. You bit the inside of your cheek before eventually giving in “Okay,” you quietly spoke “We can move the tv into your room. We don’t tell Hop about it, okay?” El had a huge grin on her face and wrapped her arms around you before pulling back to let you push the tv into her room. “I’m right here if you need me,” you sat down on the bed and watched her place the blindfold over her eyes. Moments later, a trickle of red blood streamed out her nose.
You jumped and yelped hearing banging on the door followed by Jim’s voice. “I know,” he dismally spoke to the door “I’m late. I’m sorry. Just open up. Is Y/N there?”
El pulled down the blindfold and you let out a huff “I’ll get it.” You stood up and closed over El’s bedroom door, making your way to the front door that was being banged on by Jim. You opened up, instantly sending him a disappointed glare.
“I know I’m a little late-”
You sharply cut him off “A little late?! It’s been hours, Jim!” You didn’t mean to yell so loud and took a deep breath. “El was looking forward to tonight, all of us spending time together and doing something to make up for the fact that she couldn’t go out trick or treating.”
Jim rubbed his face “Where is she? In her room?” You nodded. Jim’s eyes locked on to the wire traveling into her room “You let her find Mike?”
You let out an unamused bark of laughter “Are you for real? It’s the least she deserves! God, Jim! She was so upset!”
“That doesn’t mean you should let her try and find him!” He snapped back.
You held up your hands “I’m not arguing with you,” you headed back to El’s room before stopping in your tracks and turning back to him again “Where did you get the candy?”
“I went to the store!” He threw himself down on the couch. You raised an eyebrow at him and he cracked “Fine!I bribed a kid! But I can-”
Jim was cut off by a door slamming. He let out a loud sigh and began to begrudgingly eat the candy.
He knew he messed up. Big time.
——————
Tags are open! Just let me know if you’d like to be tagged or not!
Summary:After moving from New York to Hawkins, your life is changed by a handsome police chief, a mysterious girl and a realm that is beyond the boundaries of normality.
Warnings:like one swear
A/N:Sorry this part has taken me a little while to post and is a little short but I’d like to thank you all for your responses and lovely comments! ❤️The blocks of italic font are flashbacks! Enjoy!
The soft sound of pencils against paper filled your classroom while you were at the chalkboard writing down pages and questions that corresponded with those pages for your students to do. A knock at the door distracted you and captured the attention of your students. You put down the piece of chalk and went to the door “Principal Coleman,” you greeted him and noticed a girl with hair redder than a raging fire by his side “Hello there!”
“Miss Harrington, this is Maxine Mayfield, a new student here at Hawkins Elementary.” Coleman introduced you to her.
“Hi Maxine, we’re happy to have you here!”
“Just Max- I prefer Max.” She spoke up.
You smiled “Okay, thank you Principal Coleman.” He curtly nodded and walked off “Alright Max, let me introduce you to the class.” You motioned her to go in and you followed behind her “Class,” they all looked up, brows crinkling slightly at the sight of someone new “This is Maxine Mayfield, however, she prefers to be called Max. I’m sure you’ll all make her very welcome here at Hawkins Elementary and help her out should she need any.” You smiled down at her “Here’s a textbook,” you reached across and grabbed one from your desk “The pages are up on the board but if you have any questions- just ask! Take a seat anywhere you’d like.”
She uttered a quiet ‘thanks’ before grabbing a seat at the back of your class. You noticed Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will all look back to her before their heads snapped back around when she caught them looking.
The day flew in and when the bell rang, students were leaping out of their seats to get out the classroom to get home. You watched them leave and shut the door behind you. It was the day before Halloween and you had brought in decorations to decorate the classroom with. You pulled out one of your bags that was under your desk, the other one contained pyjamas, a change of clothes and all your essentials. You were going to stay the night at the cabin with Jim and El, something you did a few nights a week.
•••
“She came back the night she disappeared?” You quietly confirmed with Jim from where you were standing in the kitchenette, El was watching the tv. It had been an hour since you arrived at the cabin.
“That’s what she told me,” he said glancing over to her “She said there was an opening at the school and came back. I found her the night after the Christmas party at the station. I brought her here, I knew she’d be safe here. We established some ground rules and made it like a fortress.”
“She’s been here all this time…” you whispered.
Jim let out a guilty sigh, there was plenty of times he wanted to tell you but just couldn’t. He knew the more people that knew El was back, the more danger she would be in. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just wanted to keep her safe.”
Jim felt your arms wrap around him “I understand,” you mumbled into his uniform. He smiled and hugged you back, placing a soft kiss to your forehead before releasing you.
“Are you staying?” A soft voice appeared from behind you and you turned around.
“Yeah, I can stay a little while before Jim takes me home,” you smiled at El and looked behind your shoulder to Jim “Maybe tomorrow I could bring my pyjamas and stay the night?”
Jim nodded and sent you a wink before El dragged you to her bedroom, almost begging you to read one of the books Jim had stored in the cabin. “Alright,” you tucked her in and pulled over a chair to the bedside “Chapter one- Down the rabbit hole.”
•••
After decorating tables with fake cobwebs and spiders and sticking up decorations on the walls, you grabbed a chair from one of the desks and pulled it to the window to hang a garland from it that had witches and bats dangling down. You stood in the middle and stretched to either side of the frame, just about reaching the left hand side before attempting the right. You completely ignored the fact that your foot was on the very edge of the chair until you came tumbling off it with a shriek.
You braced yourself to land face first on the floor. But you never. You came into contact with something soft. You looked up and saw Jim smirking down at you, his arms holding you up by your armpits while one foot was on the floor and the other was on the chair. “Hoo boy, I knew you fell for me but you don’t have to do it every time I walk into the room!”
“Ha ha, very funny,” you grumbled and stabled yourself on solid ground “Well at least I managed to hang it up,” you pointed to the garland. Jim breathed out a low whistle.
“You’ve went all out decorating the place,” he said admiring your decorative skills.
“Yeah, and I have candy for the kids too. We’re gonna have a fun day tomorrow, do some ghoulish geography and menacing maths,” you playfully wiggled your fingers “before having a little Halloween party. They’ve worked hard and deserve a treat.”
“You’re such a good teacher,” he placed his hands on your waist “The kids are lucky to have you teaching them.” You bashfully smiled and waved off his comment, Jim always said you were too modest. “You got your stuff?” He asked and you nodded. He pecked the side of your head and grabbed your overnight bag while you finished off adding bits and bobs to your desk and quickly drew a ghost on the chalkboard.
You dusted off your hands “Okay, that’s me,” you and Jim walked out together and he opened the car door for you before placing your bag in the back. “I forgot to tell you yesterday, when Steve and I were in the car park heading to his car, this asshole came from out of no where! I think the driver thought they were in a race car.”
Jim’s brows crinkled “Seriously?! Did you get a look at the person or what car it was? Registration number? Anything?”
“No,” you sighed out “I only noticed that it was a blue car before it sped off. I know it’s not much to go on.”
Jim shook his head “It’s alright, I’ll make sure to let the guys know so they can keep an eye out. As long as you’re alright…and Steve.” The corner of your lip tugged upwards. You adored how much he cared. Your hand found his and you tightly held on to it, quickly bringing the back of his hand to your lips before resting it on your lap and placing your other hand over the top of his. “What was that for?” Jim asked, pleasantly surprised by your affectionate actions.
“Does there have to be a reason? Can’t I just adore you and kiss and hold your hand?” You teased ever so slightly. It made Jim blush.
He pulled up near the cabin and grabbed your things for you. You took the lead and knocked on the door. Jim told El that there would only be two people who knew the secret knock- himself and you. After knocking on the door and being let in by El, you engulfed her in a hug. You could hear Jim loudly sigh from behind you “How many times have I got to tell you? No Eggos before dinner.” He spotted one half eaten on the dining table.
You rolled your eyes “Oh Jim! She’s allowed a little afternoon pick me up!”
Jim sent you a deadpanned glare “One- you’re too soft and two-” He went to the freezer and pulled out the box “It’s more than an 'afternoon pick me up’! She’s ate half the box!”
“Well, I will make a start on dinner and while I do that, she’ll build up an appetite,” you smiled and tapped his chest “You can be my sous chef.” Jim followed you to the kitchen and grabbed a beer for both you and himself, he also grabbed El a can of soda while he was in there. You made mac and cheese- a favourite of El’s. Since you saw her a few months ago you had been cooking new things for her to try. She never had much choice when she was in the lab and you wanted to let her try new things. That also included putting a bunch of candy, ice cream and whipped cream on a stack of eggos and almost making the both of you sick. You were pretty sure Jim said 'I told you that would happen’ at least fifty times.
You were halfway through grating the cheese when Jim came up behind you and placed his hands on your waist and placed his chin on your shoulder. You sighed with a smile and relaxed into him a little while still grating, he began humming the tune of 'Uptown Girl’ in your ear while letting his lips dance over your neck. You loved moments like this. You almost felt as if you were a family.
“Jim?” You glanced to the stovetop.
“Hmmm?” He lazily hummed.
“Pot’s boiling over…”
“Oh shit!” He quickly let you go and pulled the pot off the stovetop. “Ah damnit!” He turned down the heat and put it back on the stove “You’re too distracting,” he muttered and you let out a snort of laughter, playfully nudging his arm.
“Do you need any help?” You both looked over and saw ask standing there.
“Why don’t you set the table?” Jim suggested and El happily went to work. “Why are you so smiley?” He asked, you had barely noticed how much you had been smiling.
You shrugged a shoulder “I’m happy.”
Jim leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to your temple “Me too.”
•••
“'Will they reach the nursery in time? If so, how delightful for them, and we shall all breathe a sigh of relief, but there will be no story. On the other hand, if they are not in time, I solemnly promise that it will all come right in the end.’” You glanced down to El and noticed her eyes growing heavy. “'They would have reached the nursery in time had it not been that the little stars were watching them.’” Her eyes shut and then opened again, she was fighting to stay awake to hear the end of the chapter. “'Once again the stars blew the window open, and that smallest star of all called out: 'Cave, Peter!”“ Your voice grew quieter with each word as you gently lulled her into a sleep as you reached the end of chapter three of Peter Pan. ”'Then Peter knew that there was not a moment to lose. 'Come,’ he cried imperiously, and soared out at once into the night, followed by John and Michael and Wendy. Mr. and Mrs. Darling and Nana rushed into the nursery too late. The birds were flown.’“ You looked up to a sleeping El and gently shut over the book, placing a piece of card between the pages to mark your spot.
You looked to the door and noticed Jim leaning against the doorframe of El’s room. You smiled and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead "Sweet dreams,” you whispered, turned off the light and left the room.
Jim softly shut the door behind you “You’re really good with her…” you picked up your pyjamas off the bed and went into the bathroom, Jim followed you in.
You both grabbed your toothbrushes and went to work on brushing your teeth “You’re good with her too,” you looked at him via the mirror “We’re both in this together. We make a great team.”
“I can’t help but feel like we’re good cop/ bad cop- me being the bad cop.” He lowly chuckled “I think it’s because you’d let her have as many eggos as she wants at any time of the day.”
You shrugged a shoulder “Hey, life is short! Now shoo!” You practically kicked him out the bathroom so you could change “I gotta get ready for bed.”
“I could always…” he bit his lower lip and suggestively wiggled his brows “Help you?”
You smirked and shook your head, pushing him back by the chest “No! We both agreed!” You couldn’t help but giggle “Not here! Anyway you have to get ready for bed too.”
He quickly pecked your lips with a boyish grin before shutting the door, trying his luck by leaving a gap- which you clearly noticed and then shut it over completely. When you were changed you emerged from the bathroom with your clothes in your arm. Jim was already in bed, you placed your pile of clothes on top of the bag you had brought with you before climbing in beside Jim and huddling together with him under the duvet. You shut your eyes and felt him run his fingers over your hairline, eventually soothing you to sleep.
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Tags are open! Just let me know if you’d like to be tagged or not!
Summary:After moving from New York to Hawkins, your life is changed by a handsome police chief, a mysterious girl and a realm that is beyond the boundaries of normality.
Warnings:none!
A/N:So we are now onto where season two would be in the story! The blocks of italic font are flashbacks! I hope you enjoy! ❤️
“And that’s it for today class! Remember homework is due tomorrow and I will burn every paper I receive that has the ending ‘And then I woke up’ or'It was all a dream’. All of you keep ending your fictitious work like that. Those endings are banned!” You laughed and so did your class “Alright, class dismissed.”
You watched students rush out the door while you sat at your desk. “Have a good night, Miss Harrington,” Dustin and Lucas chimed. You looked up and smiled, Mike was with them staying silent, Will had left an hour before everyone else to go to the lab for an appointment.
“Thanks boys, you too.” You waved them off but called back Mike just before he stepped out the door. “You alright?”
He shrugged a shoulder “Just thinking…”
“About El?”
Mike sighed “Yeah…I miss her.” You knew Mike would feel the impact of not having El by his side. He wasn’t dealing with it as well as the others.
An idea popped into your head “Hey, why don’t you write a letter to her?”
He looked at you with confusion masking his face “Where would I sent it to?”
You softly smiled “You don’t have to send it anywhere. You could leave in your desk, leave it under your pillow. You could write a whole bunch of letters about…oh I don’t know…your day? What you’ve been doing, what you’ve been feeling, if you’ve played any new games recently or got a new toy. Something you’d tell, or would like to tell, El. Write anything.”
He remained silent for a moment “Will she ever read them?” His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
“I don’t know,” you walked over to him and kneeled to his level, placing a hand on his shoulder “But you should always have hope.”
“Thanks, Miss Harrington. See you tomorrow!” You waved him off with a thin smile. When he shut the door you let out a loud sigh, guilt forking through your veins. You wish you could tell him that she was alright, that she was still in Hawkins but you couldn’t. Not until it was safe.
•••
“I gotta go…” Jim hummed against your skin and pulled back, adjusting himself slightly and running a hand through his tousled hair.
You whined and pulled him back by his open belt “Stay,” you kissed him again “Stu and Deb are out of town, Steve is at a party and then staying at a friends house. We can have some time to ourselves!” You were on the verge of begging. It was late July, the sun was still lighting the sky at ten thirty at night and it was constantly hot. Since you and Jim kissed at Christmas, the two of you had been going steady but he would never stay. At a certain time he’d leave.
“I wish I could, Y/N, but-”
You cut him off with a sigh “-But you need to get home. I know, Jim.” You gently pushed him off you and sat up on the bed and watched him buckle up his belt and put on his shoes. “Do you want me Jim?”
“What?” He was taken aback by what you had said.
“Do you like me? Am I doing something wrong? Do you like someone else?” You rambled.
Jim put his hands up “Hey, hey, hey! Where is all this coming from?” He sat down beside you on the bed and gently clasped your hands “Of course I like you!” He smiled and brushed his thumbs over the tops of your hands “You’re not doing anything wrong and there is certainly isn’t anyone else that I have feelings for.”
You looked up to him with glossy eyes “Then why don’t you stay?”
Jim sighed and pulled you up off the bed as he stood “I’ll show you.” You furrowed your brows and grabbed your shoes as well as you jacket, fingering through your disheveled hair to tame it a bit before following him downstairs to his car, locking the front door before leaving.
“Where are we going?” You asked, stepping into the car. He didn’t say a thing, he just kept driving and driving until he pulled into the wood and stopped the car. “Uh…are you going to kill me?” You joked, making Jim smirk.
“No,” he grabbed a flashlight “Follow me.” You walked over to Jim’s side and he held your hand, helping you through the thick foliage under your feet. “Watch your step,” he shone the light at a tripwire, he kept hold of your hand as you stepped over it. You narrowed your eyes at the cabin in front of you, a soft yellowish glow pouring through the gaps of the curtains.
“What is this place? What happened to your trailer?” You asked following him up the steps.
“Still got the trailer,” he knocked twice, then once, then three times. “This used to be my grandads place,” locks on the other side of the door began to open. “I used to use it for storage but now…” he opened the door and placed his hand on the bottom of your back to lead you in.
You gasped and brought your hands to your mouth “Oh my god…”
El glanced up from where she was lying watching tv on the couch, her face instantly lighting up upon seeing you. “Y/N!” She jumped up off the couch and ran over to you, you kneeled down and engulfed her in a hug.
You glanced up to Jim with watery eyes and whispered; “How did this happen?”
•••
“Hey,” you snapped out your trance and glanced over to the classroom door, Steve was standing there “You ready to go?”
“Yeah,” you grabbed your things. It was a regular occurrence that Steve would walk over from the high school and drive you both home. Especially since you still hadn’t got your licence yet. “How was school today?”
“Shi-” he cut himself off when you sent him a glare “Shi-mazing! Shi-mazing…all the kids are saying it these days.”
You smirked and rolled your eyes “Sure they are…” you placed books in your bag and put on your coat “Okay! I’m ready.” You followed Steve out and bumped into principal Coleman on the way out.
“Harrington,” He lightly glared at Steve “Your nephew gave me some amount of grief.”
“He can be an angel sometimes!” You grinned and embarrassed him “Literally! One Christmas when he was five he dressed up as an angel and sang Christmas songs. He was so adorable!”
Steve laughed with out a hint of emotion “Ha ha…yeah…we should be going,” he grabbed your upper arms and practically pushed you out the door. The two of you walked through the car park, chatting away like you usually did. That was until a blue car came zooming passed you both and you pushed Steve back a little so he didn’t get hit by it. “Jesus! Who was that asshole?!” He snapped.
You both watched the car speed off into the distance “I don’t know, doesn’t matter now. Let’s go home.”
“I’m guessing Chief Hopper will be over for dinner tonight?” Steve made conversation while driving.
“Yup, he’ll be over after work. Why? You haven’t been involved in any illegal activity I don’t know about have you?” You joked and Steve let out a snort of laughter “But yeah, Jim will be over.”
“Do you love him?” He asked out the blue and if you were driving the car you would have probably crashed it.
“Do you love Nancy?” You asked.
“Yeah, I think I do…I answered your question but you didn’t answer mine,” he turned and pursed his lips at you almost chidingly.
You smirked “Love at my age and love at your age are two very different concepts. I think you and everyone else that’s in love at your age have this idealism that love is like the stories you’ve had read to you or the movies you’ve watched.”
A moment of silence passed before Steve spoke up “That is such an old person answer!” You turned to face him with a deadly glare “Uhhh…you probably heard that from grandma though. Thanks for that insightful speech.”
You pursed your lips and proudly nodded “Good save.” A beat passed “To kinda answer your question- We’ve been together for a few months but I really like Jim. Really, really, really like him. Neither of us want to rush what we have, we’ll know when the time is right for us.”
Steve nodded “I understand that. I’ll postpone my suit dry-cleaning.” You both let out a laugh before playfully nudging his arm.
•••
You could hear Deb from the kitchen gush over Jim arriving with some wine before she told him that you were in the kitchen. You wiped your hands off your apron and spun around to greet him.
“Hey!” You gave him a small peck “Thanks for coming.”
“Smells good,” he placed his hands on your waist and you placed yours on his shoulders “What’s for dinner anyway?”
“Deb made meatloaf and I’ve done some sides,” You moved your mouth towards his ear and whispered into it “I’ll pack up some leftovers…” you kissed the space between his cheek and ear before you pulled back.
“Thank you,” he gave your waist a light squeeze before leaning in and kissing you. After a few seconds his lips were still on yours, he wasn’t pulling back and you were both encouraging each other to keep kissing for as long as you possibly could. You couldn’t help but let out a small grunt when he picked you back and the bottom of your back hit against the kitchen counter. He smirked and nipped at your lips, you brushed your tongue over his and he let out a breathy groan.
“Jeez can’t I get some soda without the gross PDA?!”
You felt Jim’s lips slowly leave yours, you rolled your lips into a thin line and let out an irritated huff “Jeez I don’t know? Maybe when I stop walking in on you and Nancy practically eating each other’s faces off in the living room then I’ll stop.”
Jim stifled a laugh and Steve let out an embarrassed groan, muttering profanities and curses under his breath. “He’s gonna steal your car keys and drive off with that beaut outside since you don’t drive it.”
You rolled your eyes “Yanno I can drive it! I just don’t have a licence yet.” You spun around and got the stuff out the oven.
“Why don’t you take a seat at the table, Jim?” Deb walked in with a smile on her face “We’ll bring the stuff through.”
“You sure?” He asked “I don’t mind helping.”
Deb waved her hand “You’re our guest! Plus we Harrington women can handle just about anything! Isn’t that right Y/N?”
“Sure is!” You turned and faced Jim again with a small smirk on your face “But he already knew that, didn’t you Jim?”
A large grin formed on his face “I sure did, hon.” He surprised you and himself by giving you a nickname. It was the first time he did something like that since the two of you got together. It was a pleasant surprise and from what Jim saw, he knew he could call you that more often.
After dinner and coffee, you walked Jim outside and stood with him on the porch for a few minutes, tightly wrapping your cardigan around you. “Oh,” you felt something hard against your side “Before I forget.” You placed your copy of 'Peter Pan’ on top of the Tupperware that contained leftovers for him and El. “We’ve now finished Alice in Wonderland so, if you wanna make a start on it tonight you can.”
“I think we can wait until you’re over tomorrow, she prefers it when you read to her, you can teach her a lot better than I can,” he softly smiled “Thank you for this. Everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Jim.” You brushed a hand over his cheek and let your lips linger on his for a minute or two. You pulled back and nuzzled your nose against his “You better get going…hon.”
Jim smirked and licked his lips “You say it cuter than I do,” he kissed you again “I’ll see you tomorrow. I can pick you up after school is finished.”
“Sure, see you then,” with one final kiss you watched him get into his car and drive off before going back into the comforting warmth of the house.
Steve was standing there facing you before turning around and roaming his hands up and down his back and waist while making kissing noises- as if he was making out with someone. “Oh Jim!” He put on a dramatic, high-pitched voice to mock you “Oh Jim! Oh hon! Oh I love you, Jim! Kiss me Jim!”
You narrowed your eyes and gritted your teeth together, your jaw squaring slightly. “You have three seconds to get up those stairs before I kick your ass!”
——————
Tags are open! Just let me know if you’d like to be tagged or not!
- Hopper just can’t be dead, like I know that he has to be alive somewhere otherwise I can’t watch another season without him
- Eleven finally found someone, like a parent figure who cares about her and protects her at all cost and you can’t just take that away from her
- Also Billy dying is such a waste!? Of course he was an asshole at the beginning, but we found out why he acted the way he acted, that he didn’t have it easy in his life, so he would have deserved something better in the end
