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inairbinad · 1 year

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I Don't Think It's Contagious

5.3k words, also on ao3

Just some Pre-Season 2 Platonic (obviously) Stobin-centric fluff because they deserved to be friends sooner. With Steddie and Buckingham pining sprinkled in. All part of my magical fairy dust AU where Barb lives. Never Quite as it Seems helps to set this up, but it's not necessary to read first.

Life had gotten weird for Robin in the tail end of her sophomore year at Hawkins High. Weird because not only had she and Barb revived their friendship, but eventually Barb also confided in Robin that she was a lesbian, and dating Nancy Wheeler. It was the first inkling that Robin had ever gotten that she might not be terribly alone in this godforsaken town, which was nice, if not wildly surprising. Then, to top that particularly stunning revelation off and to really make Robin feel like maybe she’d lost her mind, she ended up friends with Steve Harrington, of all people.

The revelation that Steve was capable of caring about people other than himself had come one dragging afternoon in the spring of '84. One minute things were normal; Robin was minding her own business and trying to get her shit from her locker and get out of there as quickly as possible. The mundanity got tossed like a salad, however, when Tommy H and Carol decided they wanted to cause a scene and harass Steve for deigning to talk to Barb. It seemed less about Barb, and more like she was just unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire of the ongoing chill between Steve and his former minions. No one really knew why the three of them were on the outs these days, beyond the fact that back in November, Steve had abruptly started hanging out more with Jonathan Byers than he ever did Tommy H. anymore.

Robin watched the whole exchange while half-hiding behind her locker door, flinching at Carol tossing the d-word around, and then nearly having a stroke as Steve stood up for Barb. Even though Carol had just loudly declared for everyone to hear that she thought Barb had stolen Steve’s girlfriend. Steve shrugged it off, and said he’d rather be friends with Barb than the pair of goons that had followed him around like puppies for as long as Robin could remember.

That night, Robin tried to call Barb for the first time in years just to check on her. Whether what Carol had said was true or not didn’t really matter, and at the time Robin had no idea either way. Regardless, she felt the keen sting of being called out like that in front of a huge crowd of people, feeling the blow hit a little too close to home. Barb hadn’t answered her call, but Robin couldn’t exactly blame her there, either.

Then Steve and Barb had showed up the next morning, blasting We Are Family through the windows of Steve’s fancy car, and the former King had cemented his new reputation. No longer was he known as royalty, or The Hair. No, now he was Steve “Dyke Defender” Harrington, and he apparently wore that badge proudly.

It was enough to make Robin wonder if maybe there was something more to Bagel Crumb Boy.

Eventually, Barb got back to Robin, and they started talking again like no time had passed at all. Not only because eventually Barb admitted to Robin that the rumors about her hadn’t exactly been wrong, but also because Robin hadn’t realized how much she’d missed having Barb to talk to. Even though she hadn’t been brave enough to come out herself, yet, she knew Barb would be in her corner regardless, and that gave Robin a sense of peace she’d never really known before.

————

Now that it was the fall and she was starting her junior year, most mornings Robin woke up trying to make sense of how her life had changed so drastically. After a summer of hanging around each other thanks to the persuasive powers of Barb, somehow Robin had reached the point where she could consider herself Steve Harrington’s friend. That was surprising enough on its own, but she also liked him. He was funny, and they had startlingly similar senses of humor, and he really seemed to give a shit about Robin and her feelings, which was new.

Somehow, by complete accident, she’d ended up in a group of friends that felt like kindred spirits.

Before Robin knew it, she was in a world where she sat next to Steve Harrington at lunch every day, laughing at his corny jokes and watching him try to flirt with whatever girls still liked him, post-dethroning. There were still a lot more of them than Robin thought were strictly warranted, but that might have been her old friend jealousy perking up to say hello.

Today was different, though.

Today Steve was hung up on a boy. Or several, rather.

“Did you and Jonathan have a fight, or something?” Barb asked, following Steve’s gaze to where Jonathan Byers stood in the lunch line. Robin assumed that, like most days, he was only briefly stopping by to grab his food before taking it somewhere he wouldn’t have to interact with people much.

Sometimes Jonathan sat with them, too. But usually he used their lunch break to decompress and go take photos of something before he got thrust back under the fluorescent lights and rigidly dull boredom of a classroom.

It was one of the reasons Robin found Jonathan wildly relatable.

Robin still wasn't sure how exactly the little foursome of Steve, Jonathan, Nancy, and Barb had ended up being the best of friends, seemingly overnight, but she was pretty sure she'd get the whole story eventually.

“What?” Steve asked, startling at the sound of Barb’s voice alone, even though she was nearly talking at a whisper.

“You’re staring,” Barb pointed out. “And looking kind of miserable about it.”

“Oh. Well,” Steve chewed his lip, then quickly glanced around to see if anyone was paying the four of them any attention. They weren’t, because they were largely irrelevant, as far as social circles went. “We didn’t have a fight. I’ve just been having some…thoughts.”

“Dangerous,” Robin quipped, and Steve shot her a half-hearted glare. She took a little bit of pride in watching how the corner of his mouth twitched into a tiny smile all the same.

“What kind of thoughts?” Nancy asked, though she had that look on her face that she got when she already knew the answer.

“The kind that make me wonder if I’ve been hanging around you two too much,” Steve muttered. Robin snorted, knowing exactly where this was going.

“I don’t think it’s contagious, dingus,” she said, patting him on the shoulder. Although, even though Robin wasn’t out to any of the others yet, she did wonder if maybe their collective queerness drew them together like a magnet.

“What is?” Barb asked, not yet up to speed.

That was another thing about Steve—he and Robin seemed to ride the same wavelength at all times. Whenever the two of them thought something was obvious, it usually took an extra explainer for the others.

“I just think he’s cute, is all,” Steve sighed, and Barb’s eyes went wide. Not because they hadn’t talked about Steve’s realization that he was also attracted to boys already. They’d actually spent a good chunk of the summer on that revelation, particularly on rather scorching days spent lounging at the pool while Steve stared agog at most people who walked by. He’d ask Robin, ironically enough, if he was crazy when he found a particular guy attractive. She’d done her best to pretend to have taste in boys, in the name of being supportive while staying safely ensconced in her own closet. Nancy's way of showing support, by contrast, was doing enough research to convince Steve that being bisexual was, indeed, a thing.

Today, Barb merely seemed surprised to hear Jonathan’s name mentioned in the context of Steve's thoroughly examined sexuality crisis.

Nancy started easily nodding along, taking in Jonathan’s profile from afar. Eventually she said, “I can see that."

“You can?” Barb asked her girlfriend, her surprise growing bigger still.

“Yeah,” Nancy shrugged.

Barb stared between Steve, who was absently picking the crust off his sandwich and trying not to make eye contact with anyone, and Nancy, who was obviously trying not to laugh at Barb’s reaction. Finally, Barb landed back on Steve.

“You want to date Jonathan?” she whispered so low that Robin could barely even hear her, despite the fact that they all had their heads bowed together across the width of the lunch table.

“I didn’t say that!” Steve countered quickly. “I just…am noticing more, now, who I think is cute around here. Or letting myself notice, I guess.”

“Who else are we talking?” Robin asked with her eyebrows raised. She was honestly still flabbergasted that this was even something Steve talked with her about at all, given that she wasn’t out to him yet, either. But apparently all of her gay friends seemed to trust Robin to keep their secrets. It was enough to make her wonder if they had some idea about her, anyway.

“I mean, that new guy is hot,” Steve admitted as he leaned back in his chair. “He seems kind of like an asshole, though.”

“Definitely is one,” Barb muttered. “He’s already got Tommy and those guys hanging off him.”

“Right, see?” Steve huffed. “That's why I’m very much in a look but don’t touch mode right now.”

“Really? There’s no one at all you’d want to shove into a locker and make out with?” Barb asked. She had a glint in her eye that let Robin know Barb already had a candidate in mind, and she just wanted Steve to own up to it. The way Steve glared at her before determinedly starting at his sandwich again told Robin that he knew that, too.

“Okay, fine. Maybe this guy in my English class.” Steve mumbled it so thoroughly that it all came out as one syllable, though. Barb and Nancy immediately turned to Robin for her to translate.

“This guy in his English class,” Robin obliged, enunciating to the best of her ability.

“Say it a little louder, Rob,” Steve grumbled at her.

“Okay, dingus. THIS GUY—” she started at an absurd volume, but Steve clapped a hand over her mouth with a truly tortured sounding sigh. It perked Robin up innumerably.

“You should talk to him,” Nancy suggested, cheerfully redirecting them with practiced skill.

Steve was already shaking his head, though. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Barb asked.

Because even if he did, he runs the risk of getting shoved into a locker himself, but in the bad way. And probably much worse, if he’s too obvious about it, Robin thought cynically. She kept her mouth shut, though.

“Because he probably hates me,” Steve said.

Robin rather sourly admitted to herself that this was likely true, too. At least, it probably was if this guy hadn’t already been one of King Steve’s worshipers. And if he was one of those, that likely meant he didn’t deserve the actual Steve that Robin had come to know.

Weird, Robin told herself. She still couldn’t adjust to liking this guy enough to think he deserved the best a boyfriend or girlfriend could give him. But she did.

“Why would he hate you?” Nancy asked.

“Because most smart people around here do,” Steve said glumly. “And he’s really smart.”

“Um,” Barb cleared her throat, then leveled Steve with a stern look. “You’re sitting with possibly three of the smartest people you’ll ever meet, Steve. None of us hate you.”

“But you all used to,” Steve pointed out flatly.

“And now we know you,” Barb argued. “And that changes things. Right, Robin?”

Barb kicked her under the table, and Robin jolted up out of her slouch.

“Right!” Robin agreed. Even though she wasn’t entirely aware of how to deal with this new version of Steve Harrington, she had begrudgingly admitted that she actually liked him a lot quite a while ago. “You’re much less of an asshole than I thought.”

“Thank you,” Steve deadpanned.

“You’re welcome,” Robin said in as chipper a tone she could muster. “They’re right, though.”

“About?”

“The mystery man,” Robin clarified, even though she couldn’t believe she was doing it. This felt like playing with fire, but the funny thing about that was that it still warmed her heart. “If you talk to him, get to know him, he won’t hate you. Maybe he already doesn’t.”

————

After school, Robin was having particular trouble wrestling her bike lock open. She really needed a new one, but she also couldn’t afford it. She was about thirty seconds from giving up and walking when Steve crouched down beside her.

“Need some help?” He asked, flashing that annoyingly charming smile of his at her before he got to work unsticking the lock. He didn’t wait for Robin’s reply, she noticed. She didn’t argue, though, instead choosing to watch the way some of his stupid hair flopped over his forehead while he freed her bike from its prison. The lock finally popped open with a click. “There.”

“Thanks,” Robin said, taking Steve’s offered hand as she dragged herself up off the ground. He held on to her for just a fraction too long, probably aware that Robin took at least an extra two-to-three seconds to get her bearings compared to everyone else.

“No problem,” Steve smiled again, then leaned against the brick wall of the school. Robin tensed. She only ever saw Steve lean against things when he was flirting. “You want a ride? We can go get some ice cream, or something?”

“Um,” She stalled, now seeing his helping hand and the gentle grip on her waist in an entirely different light. Especially when he kept smiling at her like that. “What happened to the guy from English class?”

“What?” Steve asked, pinching his eyebrows together in confusion.

Robin didn’t quite feel like waiting for whatever telepathic thing they had going on to kick in, so she just said it outright.

“Just because I don’t think you’re a douchebag anymore doesn’t mean I think we should date, is all,” Robin managed to get out.

“Um,” Steve scratched his neck and let out a small squeak of a laugh. He looked almost apologetic, and Robin realized she’d probably taken a wayward turn, somewhere. “I wasn’t asking you out. Just thought we could…hang out. Like friends do? Like we do?”

“Oh,” Robin said, feeling like an idiot all of a sudden. She’d gone and had a minor freak out just because Steve leaned against something. She thought maybe the only way to stop the mad awkwardness spreading like a virus through her mind was to tell him the truth, and soon. It was starting to make Robin paranoid, letting people think she was straight. Which was ironic, because it used to be the other way around.

“Yeah,” Steve nodded with a small smile. “Oh.”

Robin shuffled her feet uncomfortably, feeling like maybe she owed him an apology now, but Steve saved her the trouble.

“So. Ice cream?” he asked again, still wanting to hang around her for some reason.

“Sure! Right. But, um,” Robin chewed her bottom lip. “What about my bike?”

“It’ll fit in the trunk,” Steve shrugged, then nodded in the direction of his car, inviting Robin to follow.

“How come I’m the only one you let eat in here?” Robin asked around a mouthful of mint chip, twenty minutes later. They were sitting in Steve’s car in the parking lot of the local ice cream shop, since Steve insisted their cookie dough was better than anything Dairy Queen could come up with. “I’m the clumsiest person you know, waving the messiest thing you can eat around your leather interior.”

“Buffalo wings are the messiest thing you can eat,” Steve corrected her with a grin. “Or maybe crab legs. Not ice cream in a cup.”

“Okay, rich boy,” Robin groaned. “Answer the question.”

Steve rolled his eyes at her and shoved another spoonful of ice cream in his face before he bothered to reply.

“You might be the clumsiest person I know,” he admitted without fanfare, “but I also happen to like you the best.”

“What?” Robin asked, nearly choking. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Steve scoffed like that should have been obvious to Robin. It totally wasn’t, though, especially since he wasn’t trying to hit on her.

“Why?” she blurted.

“You’re cool,” Steve started, but had to pause in light of how loudly Robin snorted. He didn’t argue with her disbelief, though. He just kept going. “You’re funny, you’re crazy smart, you’re always honest, and you don’t fuck around with people’s feelings. I’m always laughing with you, even when no one else gets our jokes. You’re kind of my best friend, Robin.”

Robin really didn’t know what to make of that, except for the fact that she was surprised to find she felt the same way. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t give him some shit for it, though.

“Oh, am I?” She asked, tone teasing.

“Yes,” Steve grumbled. “Am I not yours?”

“Pft,” Robin blew out a puff of air. “Not even close.”

“No?” Steve gasped, putting on a pout now.

“Nope,” Robin said simply.

“Not even top five?”

“Eeeeh,” Robin wobbled her hand midair, like maybe Steve could tip the scales if he tried harder.

“You’re meaner than I thought,” he said flatly, but couldn’t hold a grin off his face for too long. Neither could Robin.

“You’re nicer than I thought,” she countered. Steve chuckled to start, a soft appreciative little laugh. But then they made eye-contact and lost control of themselves. They tumbled into silly, senseless laughter, just spurring each other deeper into whatever they both found so hilarious in that moment. Robin wasn’t even sure that she knew, beyond maybe being on a sugar high. She only knew Steve’s laughter was contagious.

It always made her feel lighter, to be around him like this. So by the time they both calmed down, she decided to be upfront with him.

“I haven’t really had a best friend,” Robin admitted. “Not for a long time, anyway. Maybe not since Barb, the first time around.”

“The last best friend I had was a dickhead, so,” Steve lifted one shoulder in a shrug, “maybe they're overrated.”

“They’re not,” Robin disagreed, hiding a smile by staring down at the spoon in her hand. Eventually she was brave enough to look back up at Steve, to find he looked both confused and hopeful all at once. It was pretty cute, in an overwhelmingly platonic sort of way. “You’re mine, too, dingus.”

Steve’s smile was all-encompassing, taking over his whole face in an instant. Robin still didn’t know how to handle the little bubble of warmth in her chest that it gave her, so she gave him an affectionate punch on the arm, and changed the subject.

“Speaking of which. Do you have notes from Click’s class?” Robin asked of the only class they shared together. For the second year in a row, the powers that be at Hawkins High decided that Steve and Robin were on the same skill level for learning history. Robin wasn’t sure what that said about either of them.

“Um, no?” Steve answered, surprised like it was the first time someone had ever asked him for notes. “No one’s ever asked for my notes, before.”

Robin bit down on a laugh, not wanting him to misconstrue it as her thinking he was stupid when it was really just his voicing her exact thoughts again. They’d only declared each other to be best friends all of a minute ago, but Robin knew Steve was sensitive about that. In fact, she was kind of surprised he didn’t have notes.

“How is that possible?” she asked. “You’re constantly writing in that class!”

“Doodling, mostly,” Steve laughed. “Why don’t you have notes, smarty pants?”

“Oh, I haven’t been paying attention in there all semester,” Robin answered a little too quickly. Now she’d have to come up with a reason for that, because Steve was absolutely pursing his lips to ask.

“Why not?”

“No reason…” Robin hedged. Just because they were best friends didn’t mean she was quite sure how to admit that she liked girls, and that Tammy Thompson so thoroughly distracted Robin that she turned into a bumbling buffoon at every turn. For two semesters running.

Steve could have pressed it, Robin even expected him to, but he took his time finishing his cookie dough before saying another word. Then he surprised her.

“Want to know a secret?” he asked, smiling at Robin conspiratorially.

“Obviously,” Robin said.

“The guy from English? He’s in history with us, too,” Steve admitted, and Robin felt her eyebrows shoot off her forehead and into orbit. She barely had time to squeak before Steve continued with a worried look on his face. “Don’t tell Barb or Nance, though. Barb already suspects who it is and if she finds out for real she’s gonna make me talk to him. Like that would ever go anywhere.”

That was a lot to process, but Robin didn’t really feel the need to make it clear she understood the concept of a secret. Of course she wasn’t going to tell anyone else. Instead, she asked, “Why are you so hellbent on thinking this guy hates you?”

For some reason, Steve’s mouth pinched right after Robin said hellbent, and she thought there might be a clue to suss out there. She started sorting through her mental Rolodex of everyone else that was in that class with them. The problem was she rarely paid attention to anyone but Tammy in those hours, let alone any guys. Usually Robin’s lens of focus was limited to the chain of her staring at Tammy staring at Steve. Apparently she’d have to extend that to see who Steve was staring at, too.

Robin picked at the last dredges of her ice cream and wondered if maybe anyone would ever stare at her.

“It’s not just that,” Steve sighed. “I mean. Even if he doesn’t hate me, and we end up friends? It’s not like I can actually shove him against a locker and make out with him.”

“Well, maybe not with anyone around,” Robin amended.

“What are the odds of him being into dudes, too?” Steve let out a bitter laugh. “I mean, really. This is Hawkins.”

“I wouldn’t make too many assumptions there, Steve,” Robin all but whispered. Even knowing she was about to tell Steve the truth, all of it, and knowing she was safe to, Robin still felt her throat closing up around the words.

“Why not?” Steve asked softly, not missing how her demeanor had changed for a second.

Robin took a deep breath, then let it out in a rush.

“Because apparently there are more of us around than I realized,” Robin said, turning to give Steve a tight smile. She managed to keep her tears from spilling over, which she counted as a win. Robin sat there, holding her breath and waiting, as Steve paused to absorb what she was saying. At first Robin thought she hadn’t been clear enough, but Steve mouthed the word ‘us’ to himself, and his eyes widened as he put the pieces together.

“Oh,” he breathed, before breaking out in another little smile. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Robin nodded. She felt like her whole body was full of pins and needles.

“That’s cool,” Steve mirrored her nod, smiling at Robin like she really was his favorite person. It finally made her relax again.

“Thanks,” Robin chuckled. "I know you're a staunch defender of us lesbians."

"That's me," Steve deadpanned, but offered Robin a wry smile. She reached across the center console to ruffle his hair, relishing the relief of having finally said it aloud to someone flooding through her. Steve made an affronted noise, quickly turning to fix his hair in the mirror, and Robin just laughed at him harder.

“Is there anyone that you want to shove up against a locker?” Steve parried once he felt he had his pride and joy back under control. When Robin’s only response was a groan, his eyes lit up again. “Ooooh! Who!”

“Nope,” Robin rejected this idea on principle, shaking her head furiously as she did.

“Oh, come on,” Steve whined, really pouting now. “I’ll tell you mine!”

“I already know yours,” Robin scoffed, bluffing. To compensate, she rolled down her window and threw her empty ice cream cup into the trash can they were parked next to. Then she folded her arms across her chest and tried to give Steve a stern look.

“Nah,” Steve shook his head after narrowing his eyes at her for a beat. “You don’t know.”

He was right, of course, but Robin was sure she could figure it out if only she gave it enough thought. So she stared Steve down, thinking about the kind of people she already knew he found attractive. Nancy, for one, but that wasn’t entirely helpful considering he tended to like any pretty girl. He did tend to skew towards brunettes, though. Then of course there was the Jonathan revelation, which was interesting. Robin would have assumed Steve liked more polished types, like him. But the new guy, Billy something or other, wasn’t exactly preppy, either. His whole vibe screamed badass, even if it wasn’t necessarily in a good way. There were better options for pretty but with leather in Hawkins, even Robin had to admit.

Then Robin remembered how Steve’s mouth pinched when she’d said hellbent. Almost like he thought she might say hellfire. She broke out in a victorious grin, already knowing she had Steve figured out.

“Eddie Munson?!” she half-shrieked. Even if Robin hadn’t already been sure, the way the tips of Steve’s ears turned pink would have convinced her.

“How did you…?” He didn’t even bother to finish the sentence, opting instead to stare at Robin, mouth agape.

A whole litany of examples of proof came flooding into Robin’s mind at that point, like that bit of information clicking had opened a door to all the shit she must have subconsciously picked up on and filed away when she was wondering what Tammy Thompson’s lip gloss tasted like.

She was happy to list them for Steve’s benefit.

“You stare, for one,” Robin said, ticking off fingers. “You laugh at his obnoxious jokes, even when no one else does. I’ve seen him make you blush, more than once, come to think of it. And you kind of have a type.”

Steve just kept staring at her, without objection. Robin thought maybe she could stun him out of his silence, since that was how she’d put him in it in the first place.

“For what it’s worth? I think you have a shot,” she said. Robin didn’t know much about picking queer men out from a crowd, obviously, but Munson spent a whole lot of his time paying attention to Steve, too.

That only seemed to stun Steve further, though. He grunted, sort of, though it sounded a little bit like a whimper. Then he turned the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot. It didn’t seem like they were headed anywhere in particular, but Robin didn’t mind.

After a few more minutes of silence, Robin was starting to worry that she’d broken his brain when Steve finally spoke again.

“You don’t have to tell me who you like,” Steve said simply, rescinding his earlier demands. It seemed like he was actually starting to drive in the direction of her house, now. “But I am glad that you told me about you.”

“Me too, dingus,” Robin said. It was possible she’d never meant anything more sincerely.

By the time Steve pulled up beside the curb outside her house, Robin threw caution to the wind.

“Tammy Thompson,” she admitted aloud, for the first time ever. Somehow it was more nerve-wracking than telling Steve she was gay at all.

“What?” he half-yelled, twisting around in the driver’s seat to face her. “How? Why?”

“She’s pretty!” Robin defended her taste as much as Tammy. She kind of thought that would have been enough for Steve, but he was still eyeing her skeptically. So she added, “And she can sing.”

“She sounds like a muppet, but okay,” Steve drawled.

“She does not!” Robin exclaimed. Despite her indignation, she couldn’t quite keep the laugh out of her voice. Steve caught it, and laughed with her.

“She totally does,” he chuckled, then tilted his head at her. “I totally thought you were gonna say someone like…I don’t know. Chrissy Cunningham.”

“Chrissy Cunningham doesn’t even know I exist,” Robin said scornfully. “Talk about playing above my league.”

Steve was wildly shaking his head back and forth, though.

“Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope,” he said. “No talk like that in my car. You’re very much worthy of a Chrissy Cunningham. Plus, even if she doesn’t know you now, I bet she’d want to. She likes everybody, as long as you’re not a complete asshole.”

“So does that mean she hates you, then?” Robin opted for the joke instead of continuing to debate the merits of her switching to crushing on everyone’s favorite cheerleader.

“Asshole!” Steve volleyed back at her with a laugh.

“And me too, apparently,” Robin grinned.

————

Robin still didn’t have any notes for Mrs. Click’s class, so she was really trying to focus on anything but Tammy, and Steve, and now Eddie, so she could actually take in some of this crap she had to memorize long enough to repeat it back on a test.

It wasn’t going great, because now she was invested in the Steve and Eddie story line. Particularly since they were passing notes back and forth at the moment. Every time Steve bit his lip or tinted slightly pink, Robin was dying to know what they were saying to each other. But every time she kicked the back of Steve’s chair to try and get his attention, he shooed her off and went back to scribbling out a reply to Eddie.

Eddie, for his part, seemed equally affected by Steve, as he frequently slouched even lower in his chair or hid a smile behind his ever-growing hair whenever he read one of Steve’s replies.

They were almost sickeningly cute. She was happy they were getting along, at the very least, but it seemed like flirting from where she was sitting.

“Oh, you’re asking for it, big boy,” Eddie said then, looking up from whatever Steve had written last with a little bit of astonishment in his eyes.

Robin rolled hers. Definitely flirting.

Even though she was happy for Steve, it still sent a pang of jealousy coursing through her. She wondered if Steve was just abnormally lucky, or if she wasn’t looking in the right places for a crush that might acknowledge her. When she realized she was drifting away from the point of this class again—history, not finding a girlfriend—she gripped her pencil so hard it snapped the tip off.

Groaning aloud over it, Robin leaned over to try and find another one in her bag. Before she got it fully unzipped, though, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Robin looked up to find none other than Chrissy Cunningham smiling down at her over the edge of her desk. Robin stared up at her for half a beat too long, noticing how Chrissy's signature ponytail dangled over her shoulder and gave Robin a lungful of the citrusy smell of her shampoo.

“Here,” she said, offering Robin a spare pencil. Hesitantly—probably too hesitantly—Robin reached up and accepted it. She was pretty sure she was gaping at Chrissy’s having acknowledged her, though, because Chrissy laughed a little nervously.

“Sorry, I was staring a little,” she whispered. Then she paused, eyes widening, and course corrected. “At your bracelet, I mean! It’s really pretty, by the way. Um. So I noticed the—” Chrissy stopped to mime snapping a pencil in half, adding a little cracking noise along with it.

It was adorable enough to be a whole new kind of distracting.

“Right,” Robin managed a smile that she hoped was friendly and not completely creepy. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Chrissy smiled again.

This time, Steve had to kick Robin’s desk to get her to even remember what world she was living in.

#platonic stobin #steddie #buckingham #robin buckley #steve harrington #eddie munson #chrissy cunningham #stranger things #fanfic #dani's drafts #petals!verse

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liesyousoldme · 2 months

Text

like you've known me | rated T | word count ~25k

a @steddiebang fic coming february 29

featuring art by sharkscouts and @vesperalhemlock

Summary:

When the only way to beat the Upside Down is to erase it (and the last three years) from time, Steve Harrington is transported right back to the Fall of his junior year. His biggest problem? Everyone who had died in the last three years fighting inter-dimensional evils has no memory of the events. Suddenly, Steve finds himself with Tommy and Carol at his side and sitting mere feet away from Robin in class, and she has no idea who he is except the douchebag with the good hair that Tammy Thompson has a crush on.

With a little help from Nancy, Jonathan, Dustin, Lucas, and El, Steve will learn to navigate his life, The Right Way, this time. Which friends he wants to keep, who he wants to spend his time with, and if he wants to take notes in class this time around. If that means sometimes he needs a little weed to take the edge of stress off? Well, it's a good thing he knows a good dealer.

As things finally fall into place and Steve begins to re-form the most important relationship in his life, he thinks anything strange is over. Then, Robin starts mentioning weird dreams about ice cream and torture, and Max Mayfield shows up from California with an angry step-brother and a lot of questions. Maybe those memories aren't erased, after all.

Pairings: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington & Robin Buckley, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & Lucas Sinclair Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Tommy Hagan, Carol Perkins, Max Mayfield, Billy Hargrove Tags: Romance, Angst, Friends to Lovers, AU: Time Travel to Pre-Season 1, Post-Season 4, Impermanent Major Character Death, Fix-it, Falling In Love, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington-Centric, First Kiss, Drug Use (Marijuana), Steve Harrington VS Junior Year (Again)

Excerpt (cont. under the cut):

It had been a few weeks in the new timeline when Steve jumped at the sound of the phone ringing through the empty house. He frowned, setting down his fork and walking to the phone. It was Wednesday, Steve was sure of it, and Dustin’s calls always came on Thursdays, so who the hell would be calling?

“Hello?”

“Hi, Steve.” Nancy’s voice was soft and sweet and surprising.

“Oh. Uh, hey, Nance, what’s up?” He asked, heart suddenly starting to race – not because he had feelings for Nancy but because if Nancy was calling then something was wrong. Had something happened? Had their plan not –

“Listen, I don’t have too much time, Mom’s making dinner and I just finished up my homework, but I really wanted to call you,” Nancy said. She wouldn’t start out so calm if something was happening, right? So this was just a social call?

“Um. Why?” He asked, then winced. Since when did he forget how to have a conversation?

He could hear Nancy’s sigh through the phone. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you at school lately, and –“

“Okay, creep,” he joked, lips curling at the corners when Nancy laughed.

“Shut up, I just mean I’ve – Look, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. And like I said, I’ve been watching you in the halls and stuff, and I know you’re eating lunch in the library because Tommy told everyone in the cafeteria one day –“

He what?

“- and I know the whole thing with Robin is hard for you but…”

“But what?” He prompted when she trailed off.

“But you’re moping, Steve. You’re moping all over school, and probably all over your house.”

“I – wha- I mean, that’s not true,” Steve said, frowning.

“Steve, we beat the bad guys and everybody is fine. Everybody’s alive! And you’re moping.”

“Okay, now this just feels like you’re being mean.”

“I’m not trying to be mean, I’m trying to – “ She cut herself off with a frustrated groan. “Do you even know how El is doing?”

“I – what? Is she okay?”

“Yes, she’s okay, Steve, but also, no, she’s not okay, because Hopper is still trying to find Owens since he’s the one that will probably know best if it’s safe for Jane Hopper to suddenly show up in Hawkins and enroll in school. So, she spends her days alone, but everyone always goes to visit her, every Saturday, at the cabin. Everyone except you.”

Steve felt tears prick behind his eyes. “I didn’t know.”

“Yes, you did,” Nancy said, sounding tired. “Dustin said he asked you to come that first weekend, and you said no, so he didn’t ask you again.”

“I don’t – I don’t remember that,” he admitted, feeling dreadful disappointment spread through his veins. “Nancy, I hardly – that first week was –“

“But it wasn’t just the first week, Steve. We’re all trying to get back to our lives but you’re just going through the motions. Even Dustin knows something’s wrong.”

“What? I talk to Dustin every week!”

“Lucas wanted to invite you to the park to play basketball and Dustin told him you probably still weren’t ready.”

Steve’s jaw dropped.

“Dustin knows you, in this timeline probably better than anyone, and he knows something’s wrong but he’s still just a kid, Steve, he doesn’t know how to deal with this.”

“Did Dustin ask you to call me?”

“No, this was my idea,” Nancy said. “I’m just a kid, too, Steve. I don’t know what to do to fix it but I want to help you, and so does Jonathan.”

“Jonathan wants to help me?” He asked, incredulous.

Nancy chuckled. “Honestly, I was as surprised as you are. But he does because despite everything, he cares about you. We all care about you, and it’s way too easy for you to hole up in your house and ignore everyone at school and… mope.”

“I don’t think I like that word anymore,” Steve said, even though it was true. His stomach twisted in knots at the sudden guilt he felt.

“Well I didn’t think you’d like it very much if I accused you of being depressed,” Nancy stated boldly, and Steve winced. “Just meet me and Jonathan at that picnic table outside of school tomorrow morning, okay? Like, twenty minutes before first bell. Can you do that?”

Steve swallowed thickly and fought every instinct in him that wanted to say no.

“Yeah, Nance. I can do that.”

Steve woke with a sense of dread hanging over him. He really didn’t want to show up just for Nancy and Jonathan to chew him out for how selfish he’d been (he could beat himself up for that without their help). But he got in his car twenty-five minutes earlier than he usually would, just to make sure he wouldn’t be late, and laughed to himself when he got to the school. He pulled into the empty spot next to Jonathan’s car. Apparently, they had the same idea.

Steve got out of his car and shouldered his backpack. He looked around; there were a few people milling about, and more cars pulling into the lot than he expected this early.

“Do people always get to school this early?” He asked by way of introduction.

Jonathan laughed and walked over to him. Nancy stepped up behind him and gave him a pointed look. “I think you’ll find that you’re just always late.”

“Yeah, okay,” he conceded. “So, uh… Picnic table?” He suggested, already feeling the stares of their classmates from around them.

Nancy and Jonathan agreed and they made the walk together, quietly taking in each other’s presence. Nancy was in between the two boys but it wasn’t as awkward as Steve expected it to be.

Maybe he really was over Nancy Wheeler, after all.

He choked on a laugh when the picnic table came into view, and they were sighted almost immediately.

“Oh,” Eddie Munson said, grabbing his metal lunchbox and dropping it near his feet. Steve snorted. Eddie huffed. “What?”

“As if we don’t know what’s in your damn lunchbox, Munson,” he said, finding himself immediately falling back into the banter he’d developed with Eddie before –

“I don’t really know what’s going on here,” Eddie admitted with an awkward, nervous laugh. “You three might be the weirdest combination of buyers I’ve ever gotten.”

“Oh, we’re not –“ Nancy started, but Steve interrupted.

“I am,” he said, ignoring the looks from Nancy and Jonathan. He pulled out his wallet and made eye contact with Eddie. “I’ll –“ He paused, unsure of what to say. He’d never done this himself before. “I’ll take some weed. Uh – a joint? Uh. How much?”

Eddie looked at him with a furrowed brow and a frown on his lips. “Are you wearing a wire?”

Steve snorted a laugh. “Dude. What kind of operation do you think is being run in Nowhere fucking Indiana where a 17-year-old is wearing a wire for a drug bust on your tiny fucking lunchkit –“

“Okay! Okay,” Eddie conceded with a barely concealed laugh. Jonathan was openly laughing behind him, and Steve recognized the amused look on Nancy’s face.

Steve sighed when Eddie just kept looking at him like he didn’t believe him. “I’m being serious. If I’m not gonna have a social life anymore at least let me be high for it.”

“Amen,” Jonathan said quietly, and Steve choked down his laugh.

Finally, after a few more moments of silence where Eddie stared at his face, seemingly deciding whether or not to trust him, Eddie sighed and picked up his lunchbox. Steve let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“I’ll sell you a gram for twenty-five bucks. Do you want pre-rolled, or…” Eddie trailed off.

“Uh,” Steve said, unsure. “Yeah, that’ll probably be easier.”

Eddie opened his lunchbox and got to work rolling the joint. “Usually, it’s your friends I sell to,” he said conversationally.

“Not my friends,” Steve corrected, then awkwardly added, “I don’t have any of those.”

“We’re your friends, Steve,” Nancy said, and Steve could hear the pity that coated her voice.

“Didn’t you, like, dump him for him?” Eddie asked her, pointing first and Steve, then at Jonathan. Nancy huffed, took a breath to begin talking but Steve cut her off before she could begin.

"That's not what happened. Tommy and Carol told everyone that because they're pissed off that I don't wanna hang out with them anymore. Me and Nance are fine. Me and Jonathan are fine. Look. I know you're overcharging me so badly right now but I don't care enough to fight you on it. Can you please just sell me the weed?"

Eddie frowned. “Fifteen.”

Steve looked at him incredulously.

"What can I say? You guilt tripped me and I'm a sucker.” Eddie held out the joint. “Just. Take it."

"Thanks, Munson." Steve said, taking it and stuffing it in a zipper inside his backpack.

Eddie closed and shut his lunchbox, then stepped away from the table and gave a little bow. "King Steve."

"Just Steve."

Eddie looked at him through calculating eyes. "Just Steve, then."

The three of them waited until Eddie was far enough away before taking seats at the table.

Nancy started after a short awkward beat. "Look, start hanging out with us at school. I have mutual friends with Robin, somehow we'll get it through her head that you aren't a bad guy and then it's just a matter of winning her over again -"

"It really isn't like that; I’ve told you a million times, she's my best friend.” Steve said. “And I already just started fucking crying in front of her, I think the ship has sailed."

"Don’t say that, man," Jonathan said. "Just… give it time. Let the school get used to the new you. Maybe you can figure out if she's got a job and apply wherever she works and do whatever you did at Starcourt to make her like you."

Steve sighed. He already knew where Robin worked; she'd told him about the job she had before Scoops. "She's working at a hair salon as a receptionist right now."

"Sorry, they let Robin be in charge of answering phones and setting up appointments?" Nancy asked with an incredulous giggle.

"She doesn't last long," Steve admitted with a little laugh.

The bell rang, interrupting them and signaling the start of another day. Steve sighed to himself and stood, following Nancy and Jonathan into the school. At least he had somewhere to sit at lunch now.

And the chance to get high tonight.

#steddie #stranger things #steddie big bang #steddie bang #steddiebang23 #my fic #time travel fic

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elizabethsaige · 2 years

Text

friends helping friends

Steve Harrington x Platonic!Reader, Robin Buckley x Reader

Word Count: 2425

Warnings: homophobia implied (time centric)

A/N: steve and eddie are canon in this, i just needed it after volume 2 :’( also, i just love steve and feel like he's such a redeemable person, i wanna expand on the friendship of reader and steve as much as the relationship of reader and robin

i will be probably making this into a series but i wanted to get the beginning out before i lose motivation

*gif not mine

Family Video was unusually slow on this particular day. No one but the usual few customers have come in and out of the store, browsing the isles filled with basically any movie they could think of. You and Steve were on the schedule for the day. Usually, Robin would have been here but she wasn’t feeling that great so you decided to cover her shift.

Although you just started at Family Video a few weeks ago, you and Steve have gotten to spend a lot of time together. You even considered him one of, if not your best friend, which would not have been the case a few years ago. Luckily for you, he had graduated from his douchebag days and now he was an alright guy.

You’d known Steve since you were about 8 or 9 years old. Back then, you were best friends and never figured you’d be anything less. But around middle school, Steve climbed the social ladder and became popular, leaving you in the dust with all of the other “losers”, as he called them. Then around freshman year, you were unfortunately the subject of Steve, Tommy, and Carol’s bullying. Tommy and Carol, of course, did most of the work, but Steve did his fair share. The Steve you once knew was no more, instead he was someone you didn’t even recognize.

You knew his home situation, how his dad was an asshole through and through. Steve always promised himself that he’d never become like him, but assholery apparently ran in the family.

While he could be a total jerk, Steve really was just angry and the only way he knew how to take it out was on others. Eventually, he was broken up with by Nancy Wheeler and realized he couldn’t be the same person anymore. So, he dumped Tommy and Carol and found a few new good friends, ones that helped him work through his anger and realize he didn’t have to be like his dad anymore.

Soon after that, during junior year, Steve showed up on your front porch with flowers. The gift came with a hefty apology, saying how much he hated himself for being so cruel to you and how you didn’t deserve any of it.

“Steve, what are you doing here?”

“I need to apologize to you, Y/N. I was an asshole to you for the past few years and you don’t have to forgive me, but I need you to know that I regret it more than anything. You were my best friend and I ruined that and I’m so so sorry. You didn’t deserve any of it.”

“Come inside, let’s talk.”

Eventually you forgave him, understanding what peer pressure and a dominating father can do to a person. He had grown and done a lot of thinking, but you still checked him any time he accidentally slipped up and said anything mean. You too had grown and learned to stand up for yourself and other people.

The two of you hung out all the time. Well, when he wasn’t with Robin. Steve made friends with Robin Buckley, who was a “loser” like you, according to the old Steve. But once she and Steve began working together, they were inseparable.

You didn’t really know Robin all that well. You knew she was smart and funny, and pretty, but that’s all you really knew about the girl. Steve tried to get her to hang out with you guys all the time, but Robin would always make up some lame excuse, like having to give her cat a bath. You weren’t even sure she had a cat, but if she did, that was one poor animal, considering how many times Robin had to bathe it.

Truthfully, you figured she didn’t really like you. The few times you did hang out with her were mostly during work, and even then, she’d barely talk to you. She was always a stuttering mess, messing up her words and blushing like crazy before eventually giving up and shutting her mouth for the rest of the shift.

And it didn’t matter how many times you asked her questions or tried to get to know her, it was always the same short answers or words that weren’t actual words. Steve would always say, “Oh, don’t mind Robin. She’s just nervous around pretty girls” to which you would roll your eyes and brush it off.

But again, he did know her better than you, not that you didn’t want to be friends with her. She just didn’t give you the chance.

“Y/N, pass me that tape,” Steve said, reaching his hand to the copy of The Breakfast Club sitting on the counter beside you. You grabbed the tape and lightly tossed it to him, causing him to fumble and drop the movie.

A cackle came out of your mouth before you called him an idiot. “Thank you for that.”

“Oh it was my pleasure, really,” you replied, leaning your back against the counter. Slow days were your favorites because you got to chat with coworkers and watch movies all day long. But this one just seemed to drag by.

Steve came around the counter and took a seat on top of it, his leg hitting your arm. “I forgot to mention, Eddie and I are going to a movie tomorrow, you should come.”

Looking up at him, you rolled your eyes and looked back at the TV screen. “What, so I can be your third wheel? No, thank you.”

“It’s not a third wheel if we’re not dating, Y/N. How many times do I have to tell you?”

Steve was obviously in denial about his feelings for Eddie Munson. I guess it makes sense though, no one in town would approve of two guys getting together, especially not Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson. From the outside, those two were nothing alike. But little did anyone know, they had a lot more in common than what meets the eye.

“And how many times do I have to tell you that he’s into you? I mean, if the heart eyes weren’t an obvious giveaway, he also calls you baby girl,” you teased, making Steve look away with a blush and sputter out a quiet “whatever”.

A few teens came running into the stop, making a B-line to the copies of Sixteen Candles, before running to the counter to get them checked out.

“I think you should go for it, Steve. I mean, what do you have to lose?”

A shush came from the boy, warning you to lower your voice so the customers wouldn’t catch on.

The minute they left, you turned back around to face Steve who had his head down. “You of all people know what I have to lose. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but c’mon. Let’s be real,” he explained while sorting stacks of movies.

Of course you knew what he meant. Hawkins wouldn’t be Hawkins without the homophobic people that resided in it. It was definitely unfortunate that people couldn’t see past their hatred, but you were used to it. You knew that sometimes it just wasn’t worth it to try and prove to other people who were ignorant that you deserved rights just like them.

You nodded slowly, sad for your friend. “I get it, Steve. It’s scary to put yourself out there, but believe me when I say this, it’s so worth it. But I’ll leave it alone if you really want me to.”

“It’s okay, I know you’re just looking out for me. I’ll figure it out some day, but for now, are you coming with us or not? You could bring someone if you want!”

A puzzling look appeared on your face. “And who exactly would I bring? I don’t really have a long list of girls throwing themselves at me”

Steve looked your way and flashed you a knowing smiled. “Bring Robin.”

You scrunched your face in confusion. “Why would I do that? She doesn’t even like me,” you said, questioning your friend’s idea.

Steve let out a laugh before crossing his arms across his chest. “She tell you that?”

“Not directly, but she never talks to me and when she does, it’s always the shortest responses. And she never wants to hang out with me. Believe me, she doesn’t like me. I just..don’t know what I did.”

An even louder laugh came from Steve as he walked over to the horror movie aisle to finish putting away scattered movies. “Okay, well not that you heard this from me, but she definitely doesn’t hate you. Like I told you, she gets nervous around pretty girls.”

Still confused, you rounded the counter and joined him, not to help with the movies, but to question him further. “I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.”

“Are you really that dense, Y/N? She likes you,” Steve said, clearly annoyed that you didn’t connect the dots.

You shook your head, still not believing it. “I - what? No, there’s no way, she doesn’t even speak to me.”

Without turning his head, Steve side-eyed you, looking at the confused expression that he caused. The crease on your forehead was giving him a good laugh, he really thought you knew.

“Well, she speaks of you, a lot. Like 80% of the time, you’re the topic of conversation, it’s getting kind of old honestly, so if you could do me a favor and just ask her out already, that would be great,” Steven finished the conversation before heading behind and through the door to the back room, leaving you standing there like an idiot.

It’s not like you haven’t thought about it before. I mean, Robin is super pretty and like the only out lesbian in your town that you knew of, so the thought has crossed your mind once or twice. But knowing now that she liked you opened up a whole new door of possibilities. Ones you didn’t even know could become a reality for you.

After work, Steve dropped you off at your house since you weren’t planning on needing the car you shared with your brother.

The car pulled up your driveway and came to a stop. “Thanks for the ride.”

Steve nodded a silent “you’re welcome” to you before you opened the door to get out. Once you were out of the car and shut the door, you heard the window roll down and Steve’s voice to get your attention.

“Hey, I was serious about asking Robin out. She really likes you, and I want you to be happy too. Listen to your own advice, what do you have to lose?” He was right, but before you could say anything, he rolled up his window. With that, he backed out of the driveway, but waited at the bottom until you got inside your house.

You replayed his words through your head as you made your way inside and to your room, stopping by the kitchen to say hello to your mom and dad, who were cleaning up from dinner. Your dad let you know there was a plate for you in the microwave, to which you thanked them and said you’d eat in a little bit.

As you entered your bedroom, you flipped the light switch on, illuminating your dark bedroom. Setting your things down on the floor, you sat down on your bed and reached for your landline phone that was on the nightstand.

The perks of having a job is that your parents let you have a landline in your bedroom, as they knew how much you worked and wanted to reward you.

Your shaking hands grabbed your notebook and flipped to the page filled with all of your friend’s phone numbers, your finger sliding down the page until you found Robin’s.

A deep sigh in and out came from you as you contemplated not giving the girl a call.

“She really likes you, and I want you to be happy too.”

Steve really was right, what did you have to lose?

You dialed her number and waited as the phone rang on the line. Every ring was agonizing, you getting more nervous the longer you had to wait.

Finally, the line clicked as someone picked up the phone. “Buckley household, what can I do for you?”

A smile came to your face as you heard the raspy voice of the girl you were trying to reach.

“Robin! Hi, it’s Y/N!”

“Y/N? Hey, what’s up? I mean, how are you?”

You chuckled, clutching the cord of the phone and sitting back against your pillows. “I’m good, I just wanted to ask you something, if that’s okay?”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Robin said, you could tell by her voice that she was nervous.

“So, Steve, Eddie, and I are going to the movies on Friday. Would you want to come with me so I don’t have to be their awkward third wheel?”

The silence on the other end of the line made you sweat, worrying that you said something wrong. “Robin, are you there?”

“Yes! Yes, sorry, I’m still here, I just had to make sure I heard you right.”

Nodding to yourself, you sat up and hugged your knees, resting your chin on top of them. Your thumb came to your mouth as you chewed on the finger nail nervously.

“So, what do you say?”

“Absolutely, I - I’d love to! But, is this like a date?”

“I’d like it to be, yeah.” You could hear her smiling on the other end, if that is even possible. You yourself were cautiously grinning, hoping she’d want it to be a date too.

“Really? I mean, yes, I’d love to go with you!” Your cheeks rose as your smile got wider, amused by her enthusiasm.

“Cool, then it’s a date. I’ll pick you up at 6,” you said confidently, standing up from your bed.

“Rad,” was all she said before hanging up. You smiled to yourself as you put the phone back on the nightstand.

Hearing how cute she sounded on the phone and how excited she seemed made you feel giddy, like a little kid who just asked their crush out for the first time.

An excited feeling bubbled in your stomach as you looked at yourself in your mirror, surprised at the deep blush that had crept up on your cheeks. I made you feel silly, but also really happy.

God, wait until Steve hears about this.

#robin buckley #robin buckley x reader #robin buckley fanfics #robin buckley x y/n #steve harrington #steve harrington x platonic!reader #steve harrington fanfics #stranger things #stranger things 2 #stranger things 3 #stranger things 4 #stranger things volume 2

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harringtonlovers · 4 months

Text

just what i needed

a stancy fanfiction

ao3

chapters

* third person, steve & nancy centric!

summary: nancy wheeler finally felt herself at peace, adjusted to the busy lifestyle of a college student at Emerson College. All while balancing her junior year and a job, Nancy figured things were starting to look up. That was until Steve Harrington, one of her first friends at Emerson, comes back after finishing his first tour with his rock band, Gold Rush. The only problem? Nancy despises everything about Steve. Now, challenged to have Steve back in her circle, Nancy is brought back to her freshman year at Emerson. Letting her guard down would be the last thing she did. At least, that’s what she tells herself. It is extremely difficult when Steve is irresistible. He knows just how to push Nancy’s buttons, and charm her pants off with his music and alluring smile.

tags: angst galore; friends to enemies to lovers; steve harrington is a rockstar; nancy works at a record store!; long fic; stancy :)

“ I don't mind you comin' here, and wastin' all my time, time. 'Cause when you're standin' oh so near, I kinda lose my mind, ”

- just what i needed, the cars.

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ao3feed-byeler · 4 years

Text

Single father

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2OZa6AT

by Lilyintin89

Billy Hargrove has a hard time expressing his feelings towards Steve, it's their junior year of high school and Steve just wants to get better grades so then he can graduate and go off into college, the mind flayer has other plans for billy, but it's summer, and Steve has a job now since he knows that he needs to make money so then he can support him and the baby, it's a hard life working as a single father with an unborn child, especially when the baby's father is possessed by some weird monster and usually never there for you.

Words: 1070, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Will Byers, Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Lucas Sinclair, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Dustin Henderson, Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Kali Prasad, Erica Sinclair, Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington, Joyce Byers, Steve Harrington's Parents, Billy Hargrove's Mother, Neil Hargrove, Susan Hargrove, Karen Wheeler, Ted Wheeler, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Holly Wheeler, Martin Brenner, Sam Owens (Stranger Things), Robin Buckley, Alexei (Stranger Things), Murray Bauman, Barbara "Barb" Holland, Bob Newby

Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers/Tommy H., Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair/Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Mike Wheeler, Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Carol & Barbara "Barb" Holland, Carol/Tommy H. (Stranger Things), Carol/Tommy H./Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove/Heather Holloway, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Joyce Byers/Terry Ives, Karen Wheeler/Ted Wheeler, Barbara "Barb" Holland/Nancy Wheeler, Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler, Dustin Henderson/Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson/Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson/Lucas Sinclair/Suzie, Joyce Byers/Bob Newby, Joyce Byers/Lonnie Byers, Will Byers/Dustin Henderson, Carol & Tommy H. & Steve Harrington

Additional Tags: Abduction, Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Action/Adventure, Mpreg, Steve Harrington-centric, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Shadow Monster | Mind Flayer Possessing Billy Hargrove, Awkward Dates, Blood and Gore, Billy Hargrove Is Bad at Feelings, Bisexual Jonathan Byers, Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Related, Sad, Mental Health Issues, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Character Death, Character Study, Flashbacks, Unplanned Pregnancy, Love, Fluff and Humor, Light-Hearted, Feels, Porn with Feelings, Feelings, Gay Will Byers, Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler, Pain, Porn, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, Gay Male Character, Polyamory, Alexei (Stranger Things) Lives, References to Depression, Secrets, Secret Relationship, Billy Hargrove Deserves Better, Billy Hargrove Tries to Be a Better Sibling, Sexual Content, Tumblr Prompt, Smut

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2OZa6AT

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #byeler

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trnstlanticism · 6 years

Text

why can’t i have that?

hey i wrote a really quick henclair thing. i meant for this to be fluff but it became more dustin centric and introspective than i originally intended. sorry - the henclair is there at the end! but it’s mostly dustin centric, him being emo about dying alone, with side byeler bc i’m predictable. there’s mention of underage drinking and they’re all aged up to be 17 in here. this is my first time writing Dramatic Dustin so i hope it wasn’t too terrible...

Dustin wakes up with his head aching which immediately puts him in a bad mood. He grumbles sleepily from his place on Mike’s basement floor, the pain too much to simply ignore and go back to sleep. Last night had been just the guys - rewatching Star Wars and eating junk food, and then taking sips of the whiskey Mike had stolen from his father’s cabinet. It had been disgusting and Dustin was ready to spit it out but watching the way Lucas chugged it down, smirking at all of them after he’d finished, bolstered his competitive spirit and he immediately chugged down several sips.

Now, he was paying the price for it.

He’s considering the pros and cons of waking up and dragging his sorry hungover - over barely a glass of whiskey?! Seriously!? Alcohol was such bullshit - self up the stairs for a glass of water and Advil, and hopefully Mrs. Wheeler’s cooking. Then he remembers that she’s out for the weekend - the only reason they’d been able to drink alcohol in the first place, and feels despair so acute in his gut, he could throw up.

There’s a soft groaning from the couch and he cranes his neck a little to see Will sitting up with a disgruntled expression, his eyes squinting. Dustin’s about to ask him if he feels the after-effects of the whiskey as well when two gangly arms come out of nowhere, wrap around Will’s waist, and pull him back down against the couch. Will squirms a little. “Mike,” he says with fond exasperation and now Dustin is definitely going to throw up.

So… yeah. That was a thing. Mike and Will, not officially “together” by any means but pretty much definitely “together” in every sense of the word - now they slept together on the couch or even retreated up to Mike’s bedroom on sleepover nights, held hands whenever they went out to the party, and Dustin had seen Will’s swollen lips and Mike’s self-satisfied smile too many times. He’s happy for his friends, he really is, but it reminds him of how Mike and El and Lucas and Max were back in the beginning of high school - happy couple holding hands and shit, painfully reminding Dustin of his single status and how at this rate he was going to die alone.

Dustin wasn’t… lonely by the standard definition of lonely but it sure would be nice to have someone to cuddle in the morning. Not that he wanted to cuddle Will or Mike - judging by Mike’s soft voice and Will’s motherfucking giggles, he was going to kill them if they engaged in any public displays of affection right in front of him. Like, seriously how dare they? Didn’t they care about his feelings?

He turns his head back to his other companion on the floor. “Lucas are you seeing this shit?” But there’s no Lucas in his sleeping bag, beside him, where they fell asleep last night. He blinks. “Hey guys stop making out for a second - where’s Lucas?”

Mike groans out loud. “We weren’t making out!” Yet, Dustin thinks miserably.

Will sticks his head out to where he is with a sheepish smile. “Oh you’re awake,” he says, way too chipper for someone who most definitely has a hangover. “Well, he’s probably upstairs. Do you wanna go check and see?”

Will does this thing with his voice where he’s not exactly asking you to do something but he might as well be with his large hazel doe-like eyes. Dustin has never wanted to punch his friend so much.

“Fine,” he grumbles as he stands, making sure to look as unhappy as possible. His headache has increased exponentially - a certain consequence from being exposed to his friends happy gay vibes. Will is smiling, pleased, and Mike isn’t even looking at Dustin, running his hands up Will’s sides and kissing his ear. Dustin makes a disgusted noise before he climbs up the stairs, making sure to step down on each one particularly hard, even though it makes his ears ring something awful.

“How dare you,” is how he greets Lucas. Lucas, who’s in the kitchen looking perfectly fine, cooking eggs on the stove, a plate of warm toast already on the table.

Lucas raises his eyebrows at him. “Good morning to you too, asshole,” he says cheerfully.

Dustin practically throws himself onto the chair with a whine. “How could you leave me down there with the lovebirds?! They’re in their honeymoon stage - it’s disgusting!”

“It’s cute,” Lucas corrects him with a laugh. He grabs a glass, fills it with water, and hands it to Dustin. “Here. Drink this, you look like shit.”

“Still look better than you,” Dustin mumbles back, before chugging the water down gratefully. “I mean seriously, don’t they have any shame? I swear, Mike was going to eat Will right in front of me! Like come on!”

“At least they’re happy?” Lucas puts a plate in front of him, eggs a little runny just the way he likes it, so that he can dip his toast into it. “I mean… you remember sophomore year.” Dustin cringes. Yeah, he remembers sophomore year. Mike and El’s messy breakup, Will’s obvious and tragic pining - yeah it was bad. Really bad. “Make sure you eat some toast, then take some Advil,” Lucas gestures for him to eat. “You have a headache right?”

Dustin sinks in his seat, flashing back to the way Lucas had so easily drank last night. “No, I don’t,” he lies. Lucas isn’t with Max anymore either, the two of them amicably breaking up last summer but Lucas has still drifted from him in a way Dustin didn’t like thinking about. He’d joined the track and field team at his dad’s urging and by junior year he was a star player of the team. Doing sports did good things for your reputation and Lucas had been elevated to “cool kid.” He still hung out with them but he also hung out with a lot more people - not the art kids like Will knew or the theater nerds Mike hung out with. Certainly not anyone on the school decathalon team like Dustin was. Lucas was smart, athletic, popular, and probably went to tons of parties were he learned how to drink whiskey like that.

Yeah, Dustin definitely didn’t want to think about that.

Lucas stares at him, his dark eyes seeing right through him. “Just eat, Henderson.”

So Dustin does, moodily chewing his eggs and toast, his mood too foul to properly enjoy them even though they’re exactly the kind of pick me up he needed after last night. He’s feeling weird - frustrated over Will and Mike’s easy affection, jealous that he can’t have any of that for his own, and Lucas standing there in front of him with his patient eyes and sly smile isn’t helping him at all. Lucas hands him the pills after he’s eaten most of his breakfast. “Drink.”

“Whatever,” Dustin mumbles as he does so. Lucas’s smile is gone, replaced with a concerned frown.

“Hey man, are you okay? You’re like, moodier than normal.” His voice goes quiet. “Mike didn’t really - “

“No!” Dustin’s head is throbbing. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just. It’s so stupid. Relationships, love.” He sighs, pushing his plate away, and putting his head down on the table. “It’s all bullshit.”

Lucas doesn’t say anything but after a beat of silence, Dustin feels a hand in his hair, slowly stroking his curls. Dustin hates that Lucas knows how much this calms him down - he wants to stay angry god damn it - but the tension in his body slowly starts to seep out, as Lucas’s touch somehow magically massages his headache away.

After all, Dustin knows it’s not bullshit. He wants that - he wants soft looks in the morning, tender touches in the afternoon, and a warm body to curl up with at night. He wants to feel love and be loved in return. It doesn’t seem like it should be so hard, considering most of his friends have been with someone at least once. Dustin wants to call up Steve and tell him that his advice was full of shit but it’s not like Dustin every laid moves on someone he actually wanted to be with. He didn’t want to just date someone for the experience. He wanted someone that he could talk to about the recent discoveries in gene therapy and have them actually listen instead of having their eyes glaze over. He wanted someone who would listen to him when he cried about New Zealand’s kakapos becoming an endangered species because of what it could mean for other similar species.

He wanted someone like Lucas, who did all of that and more. But Lucas had so much more going for him so there was no way Dustin could find someone to replace him. It was impossible.

“Are you falling asleep Dustin?” Lucas hasn’t stopped petting his hair, but he definitely sounds amused. Dustin groans into the table, insistently bumping his head against Lucas’s hand.

“Don’t stop,” he mumbles, eyes shutting close. Maybe he was getting a little sleepy. “Don’t stop, or I’ll die.”

“You’re so dramatic.” Lucas hums a little, a tune Dustin vaguely recognizes as a song that Will keeps playing in Mike’s car. It’s always Will in the passenger seat, holding Mike’s hand across the dash, while Dustin and Lucas are pressed close together in the back. It’s always been like that.

“Hey Dustin?” Lucas’s voice is serious and Dustin tries to listen even though dreamland is dragging him back into blissful sleep. “It’s not bullshit, you know. Love and all that. I promise, it isn’t.”

Easy for you to say asshole, Dustin wants to reply but he’s already asleep. He doesn’t know it, but Lucas keeps stroking his hair, staring at him with longing, intense eyes, words that remain unspoken getting swallowed in the lukewarm morning air.

#henclair #basically dustin being emo about being alone #but also being emo about lucas #without realizing that he's in love with lucas #and lucas is definitely in love with him #i should follow up on this one day!!!!!#sorry for making mike and will so domestic that's my agenda and y'all know it #fic stuff

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ao3feed-mileven · 6 years

Text

to be young

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2zJSFv6

by richietrashmouthtozier

Will Byers just wants someone to love him as much as he loves them, and fate is a funny thing.

Or Will dealing with his sexuality, growing apart from his friends, falling out of love, and falling again even harder.

Words: 986, Chapters: 1/6, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016), IT (2017), IT - Stephen King

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Will Byers, Richie Tozier, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Eleven (Stranger Things), Maxine "Max" Mayfield

Relationships: Will Byers/Richie Tozier, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Eleven/Mike Wheeler

Additional Tags: Unrequited Crush, Mike is kind of an ass i'm sorry, Gay Will Byers, Sexuality Crisis, Coming Out, Will-centric, Aged-Up Character(s), They're juniors in high school, no pennywise either fuck that guy, minor homophobia, It was the 80s after all, richie curses a lot, Richie Tozier and Mike Wheeler Are Cousins, Richie just loves a lot, it's emo at the beginning but i promise it's not all like that, Sad Will Byers, Fluff and Angst, Bisexual Richie Tozier, richie moves to hawkins, someone finally loves will like he deserves to be loved

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2zJSFv6

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #mileven #eleven/mike wheeler

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ao3feed-strangerthings · 4 years

Text

Single father

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2OZa6AT

by Lilyintin89

Words: 1070, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2OZa6AT

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #fanfiction #stranger things

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barclaysangel · 2 years

Text

Bells in Santa Fe: Chapter 4~ “You Won’t Even Notice Me Depart”

Here's the new chapter! Posting this right at the beginning of my first morning class at university because I have no chill and just want this out. Also since I'm in class, I might not respond to PMs and I apologize for that. If I have a lot of messages, I won't respond just yet because I won't be fully involved since my head is at school and this fic, but I'll do my best to respond by the weekend. I hope you'll enjoy reading this fic, please comment to let me know what you think because comments help fuel my motivation! Thank you and enjoy! :)

Tags: @arthurpendragonlove @teoandtommy @streets-in-paradise @lostgirluver @tiffany-lee-ray (if you want to be tagged in future chapters for this story, please let me know and I will do so!)

Word count: 4.2K

Summary: But James was an expert at distracting him from his conflicting feelings. Just like he was doing now, wanting Junior to tell him about himself. What the fuck was he supposed to say?

Junior had been awake for two weeks, exactly fourteen days, when his uncle asked him a question.

“Brandon, how would you feel if I asked you to live with us?”

A question that might as well have been a bomb.

Junior dropped his fork onto the plate, the sound clattering loudly. He quickly picking it back up as he tried to keep himself composed. “I…I…I don’t know. I never…I never thought about it…” he murmured truthfully, stabbing a small piece of chicken and pushing it into his mouth.

While the teenager tried to look calm, he could tell that his uncle wasn’t buying it and spoke his next words carefully. “I mean, your doctor said that you might be able to leave in about a week. So I thought we might want to have a conversation on where you want to go.”

Junior’s jaw moved automatically as he chewed until he swallowed the food, his appetite long gone but he didn’t want to draw anymore attention to himself. “I-I guess. I really haven’t thought about it at all.”

James raised an eyebrow. “Well, besides Jake, I’m your last living family member. You really haven’t thought about where you’ll go?”

“I honestly didn’t think I’d make it this far. I figured that a cardiac arrest triggered by a nightmare would take me out eventually. I’ve had some close calls, it’s really only a matter of time.”

The man closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath before opening his eyes again. “I’m gonna let that slide because I’ve realized that humor is a coping mechanism for you,” he started and his nephew wanted to deny it but knew that it was right, “but I think it’s something you need to think about. There’s…there’s really nowhere else for you to go. Foster homes aren’t normally ideal and…and I know that my wife and kids would love to have someone else join the family.”

There was a feeling inside of Junior that he couldn’t shake. Fear. Panic. Something of the sort. It terrified him.

But it wasn’t at the thought of not knowing where he could go.

It was at the thought of James’ family somehow wanting Junior to be in their home.

And the thought that he could have a new family. The realization hit him like a ton or bricks that that was something he surely wasn’t ready for at all.

Junior didn’t say anything, fidgeting with his fork and gave up on trying to eat anything else. His stomach was churning and he was certain that one more bite would make him physically sick. “I…I need to think about it.”

It was a ridiculous response, the teenager knew that. He had nowhere else to go.

He could end up in the foster care system under a fake name. But they could find information about it, they’ll find out that he really isn’t Brandon, that he is Junior Wheeler. The coward that ran away because he couldn’t process his trauma the normal way and wanted nothing to do with his past.

Or he could go with his uncle. Live with him, his wife, and three children all the way in Seattle, Washington. Over two thousand miles away from Hackensack, it would be the perfect place to start over and forget Junior Wheeler ever existed.

But he knew that could go awry very quickly. Junior could still be hostile. He still bottled up his emotions to the point where he could explode at any given moment. He had nightmares almost every night. He was also a liability because of his new heart condition.

They could easily change their minds and realize that they have burdened themselves with a traumatized coward who committed patricide and send him away. Then he’ll end up in foster care and he would be back to square one.

It seemed like a lose-lose situation in his eyes. But it also seemed like the most obvious answer was just to say yes to his uncle.

Unfortunately, the teenager didn’t have the balls for that and decided that he would just need to delay his response for as long as he could.

But James smiled as if his nephew did have a choice, nodding his head. “Of course, Brandon. I understand that this isn’t easy for you, so…take good time. We got plenty of it.”

If Junior had a dollar for every time his uncle told him to ‘take his time’, he’d be a fucking millionaire.

He appreciated it, truly, but he was most likely leaving the hospital in a week. It’s not like he had a lot of time left in his hands. Time was running out, and quickly. It wouldn’t be long before he would be forced to make a decision.

Junior was quiet, pushing his food around with his fork but still not eating. “Do you…do you think your family would even…you know…like me? If-if I did decide to live with you, that is…” he questioned hesitantly and kept his eyes on his plate instead of having to look at his uncle.

“Of course they would,” James replied quickly and Junior could practically hear his smile, “whenever they call, they ask about you more than they ask about me.” He told him with a chuckle.

James’ family do call everyday and each time before picking up, he would ask his nephew if he wanted to talk to them. Each time, Junior would say no. He couldn’t. He just…he fucking couldn’t. He wasn’t ready and he wasn’t sure if he ever would be.

Now that the teenager thought it about it, he wondered if it made him look rude. He was sure he did, actually. Turning down every opportunity to talk to the family of the man that hasn’t left his side since before he even woke up.

“They don’t even know me.” Junior murmured under his breath, finally putting down his fork.

How could they like me if they knew everything? If they knew that I’m a murderer, a bully, a coward? He thought to himself.

“No, they don’t know you, but I know that they’d like to meet you very much.” James told him in a gentle voice, making his nephew finally look at him. “Believe me, Brandon. If I like you, then they will too.”

You’re stupid if you actually like me and the pain in the ass I’ve been to you and everyone else in my life. Junior nearly said it out loud but he physically bit his tongue.

God, the teenager felt like such a fraud sometimes. His uncle didn’t even know who he truly was. He just saw the broken piece of what his nephew used to be.

But the man didn’t know that Junior murdered his own father and didn’t regret it.

He didn’t know that the teenager worked with two serial killers willingly.

And he certainly didn’t know that Junior considered killing his best friend and ex-girlfriend just to prove his worth to a fucking psychotic doll.

He didn’t know any of that. And if James did, he would toss his nephew aside and want nothing to do with him.

As he should.

Along with that, the teenager just had…guilt. So much guilt that was writhing inside of him, begging for a release. Most of it was from his past, his past that was still so recent because it had only been a couple weeks. But some of it was present too.

James was always with Junior. As soon as he would wake up, James would be there all the way until visiting hours were over. And even then, he would sometimes stay past then until a nurse would have to tell his uncle that it was time for him to leave.

The only person James has seen within the last two weeks was his nephew. It’s not like he knew anyone else in New Jersey. He almost never left the hospital and would probably have to be physically removed if he tried to stay any longer.

Junior just didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve all of the time his uncle has put into taking care of him when he knew that he wasn’t a very good patient. But James kept trying and trying, ever since patiently, and it made his heart ache.

Besides, his uncle should be spending time with his real family. He had a loving wife and three kids to go home to. And to make things worse, James wasn’t there to spend Thanksgiving a few days ago with his family. He was stuck with his shitty excuse of a nephew instead.

Of course, James reassured him that it was okay. “I’ve had plenty of Thanksgivings with them. I’ll have plenty more, kiddo. Besides, I’m glad to spend this Thanksgiving with you.” He had told the teenager that day, with a smile that was full of night and reminiscent of his mother’s.

His uncle shouldn’t have done that, shouldn’t have kept doing it, but he did it anyway. He stayed by Junior’s side even in moments where he tried to push him away. He was patient and understanding and his nephew just didn’t understand why.

“Brandon? You okay?” James’ voice pulled the teenager out of his dark mind.

The latter gave him a small false smile and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m just…thinking, I guess. It’s…it’s a lot too think about it.”

His uncle smiled lightly, reaching over to pat Junior’s hand that was resting on his bed. “I know. I mean, I know that this isn’t easy for you. I can’t even begin to fathom what you’ve been through and-and seen recently. I understand why you’re hesitant to want to live with us.”

Junior nodded stiffly, wanting so badly to argue or even fight, but he was trying to change. He was trying to be a better person. He needed to make different decisions. “I know, it’s just…I…I can’t explain it,” he started speaking, pausing a few times, “I don’t know if I’m…ready for something like that but…I don’t have much of a choice.”

“Brandon, you always have a choice.” His uncle told him with serious but kind eyes. “I’m not forcing you to move all the way to Seattle. We’d like it if you did, yes, but it’s still your choice and we’ll understand if that’s not what you want. I just want the best for you and…and I want you to be okay.”

I will never be okay. Yet again, words the teenager wanted to say but he held them in.

He didn’t need to keep concerning his newfound uncle and make him realize just how mentally unstable his nephew really was.

But Junior kept himself composed, merely smiling a tiny bit at James. “Yeah, I…I guess you’re right. It’s a nice offer, really, it is. I just…I have to think about it.” Because I don’t think I’m ready or deserving to have a new family.

James gave his nephew’s hand a light squeeze. “Of course, Brandon,” he said before deciding to change the subject, “want me to get you some more Fritos? Because I honestly don’t blame you if the hospital chicken is making you lose your appetite.” He joked and chuckled.

The teenager giggled under his breath and nodded, his uncle getting up and leaving the room. Finally, he was alone and dropped his calm demeanor, immediately holding onto his blankets in a death grip as his breathing grew heavier.

He didn’t like this feeling, the panic that was rising in his throat and his heart rate picking up. He tried to distract himself to avoid the cardiac arrest that could show up at any given moment, placing one hand on his chest and he could feel how fast his own fragile heart was beating.

He needed to calm down right now.

“S-see the people wal-walking down the street, fall in-in line just watching all their feet…” Junior began muttering his favorite song, “We Got the Beat”, under his breath, stammering through it at the beginning until he began getting further and further into the song.

Eventually, his heart began to slow down and he could feel the anxiety ebb away, leaving him alone with numbness now.

How the hell was the teenager supposed to get used to this? Being on the brink of a panic attack, there would be a cardiac arrest almost around the corner just waiting to catch him off guard and kill him.

What if his kid cousins wanted to play with him? Would he just drop dead from his heart exploding?

That’s one way to traumatize some children.

Then again, a serial killer possessing a three foot doll would probably be more terrifying and traumatizing…so maybe a teenager dying out of nowhere wasn’t so bad.

“I’m back!” James announced as soon as he entered the room, blissfully unaware that his nephew was minutes away from a cardiac arrest.

But Junior made himself smile and sit up a little, taking the bag of Fritos that his uncle offered him. “Thanks.” He said quietly and ignored how his hands trembled slightly when he ripped open the bag.

And with that, they are their snacks in silence as the teenager was left with the thought of what he should do with his new life.

__________

“Tell me about yourself.”

“What are you talking about? You know basically everything about me.”

“No, I only know what I remember from when you were a kid. It’s been nine years, I want to know get to know the fourteen year old you.”

It had been three days since James had asked Junior to come live with him. His uncle hadn’t pressed on the issue recently and the teenager was thankful for it. He was still thinking it over and over again even though his doctor told him that he would be released from the hospital in five days.

He just didn’t know what to do.

But James was an expert at distracting him from his conflicting feelings. Just like he was doing now, wanting Junior to tell him about himself.

What the fuck was he supposed to say?

“I think you know plenty,” the teenager insisted while being seated up and moving his legs off his bed, not wanting to walk but just wanting to stretch them out, “I’m riddled with trauma and a heart that’ll give out on me at any second. And I have daddy issues.”

James sighed but his nephew spotted a ghost of a smile on his lips anyway. “Yeah, okay, I know that. But that’s still not enough, Brandon. I want to get to know you. I’ve talked about myself and your mother for the past couple weeks. Now it’s your turn.”

Junior went quiet, not knowing what he even was supposed to talk about. “I…I don’t know what you want to know about me.” He said almost shyly while shrugging his shoulders up and down.

“Anything, really. Even the most trivial things! Like…” his uncle thought about it before snapping his fingers, “what’s your favorite color?”

“Green.” It was an automatic response that came out-one that his father had ingrained in his mind for years-before the teenager could think about it, making him freeze and then shake his head. “Wait, no it’s not…” oh son of a bitch, what was his favorite color?

He sat there, wracking his brain for at least a solid minute while trying not to break into a panic attack in the process-how could he not know his own favorite color?!-before it hit him. “Red. It’s…I think it’s red.”

Junior remembered liking the color red when he was younger. It could be bright or dark, he didn’t care. He liked it.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t mind having his father’s maroon colored blood splatters decorating his face and hoodie like some kind of fallen angel.

“Red’s a really good color.” James replied with a reassuring smile, pausing as he thought another name. “How about your favorite song?”

Junior hesitated bashfully, biting his bottom lip before sighing. “Don’t laugh. I’m serious, don’t.”

“I won’t! Promise!” His uncle said quickly, putting a hand to his chest like he was swearing a vow.

The teenager remained quiet until he spoke. “‘We Got the Beat’ by the The Go-Go’s.” He muttered, barely able to hear himself but James did because he immediately started smiling and a chuckle slipped past his lips. “I said don’t laugh!”

“I’m not laughing!” His uncle said and chuckled again, making his nephew narrow his eyes dangerously at him. “I’m just-your mom used to sing that song all the time! She was so obsessed with that song! It’s just bringing me back, that’s all!”

Junior relaxed a little before nodding, a fond smile growing on his face. “Yeah, she…she introduced me to that song years ago. And I guess I just…got attached. I always sing it when I need to calm myself down or hype myself up.”

His uncle raised his eyebrows and smiled more. “You still sing?”

His nephew paused, shrugging his shoulders. “Not really. Only when I’m alone. Like…completely alone. But even then, I hardly sing at all.”

“You used to love singing when you were a kid,” the man pointed out, “it didn’t matter where you were, you would always be singing and dancing to Disney songs.”

“Yeah, well, that was a long time ago.” Junior reminded him. “I don’t do that anymore.”

Hell, he couldn’t even remember when it was the last time he actually sang in front of someone. Now just the mere thought of singing with other people around made his stomach churn and his anxiety grow.

Wow, I really have changed since then, hasn’t I?

“I guess you’re right. But I bet that you’re still a good singer.” James said with a playful smile.

“And this conversation is over, next question.” Junior said with a straight face, crossing his arms carefully over his chest.

His uncle snorted and rolled his eyes, but silently agreed to change the subject. “Okay, fine…favorite type of food?”

The teenager didn’t say anything, thinking about it before giving up and shrugged his shoulders again. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve had anything I just…really loved for years, you know? I’ve always had to stick to my diet.” He admitted as casually as he could, like it was normal to be ‘dieting’ to the point where he was underweight.

His newfound uncle, certainly, did not look like he found the comment casual. “How…how long have you been…on that diet?” He asks, sounding like he was trying to not get angry.

Junior swallowed nervously and resumed his fidgeting on his own hospital gown. “I don’t know…five years…give or take.”

James nodded, his jaw clenched and even though his nephew knew that the anger wasn’t placed toward him, he still couldn’t shake off the uneasiness inside of him.

“You’re mad.” Junior stated cautiously, watching the man carefully.

“Not at you,” his uncle quickly reassured him and took a deep breath to relax his demeanor, “definitely not at you. It’s just…you’re a kid. You-you shouldn’t have been on a diet or be forced to do anything you don’t want to do. You can do whatever you want, eat whatever you want. I mean it.”

The teenager figured he was talking about if he decided to live with his uncle. Just a hint of a question that Junior hasn’t answered, but at least he knew that James didn’t forget. He was just giving him some space and was greatly appreciative of it.

“Thanks.” Junior said with a small smile and decided to let this subject drop. He didn’t want to talk anymore about food, he supposed it was still a touchy topic for him.

After being silent for a minute, wrestling with his own thoughts, he spoke again. “I’m not saying yes,” he started off without needing to explain what he was about to talk about, “but if I…hypothetically did…are you sure it wouldn’t be too…much on your family? I don’t want to just, like, barge in and fuck everything up with my presence.” The last part was meant to sound like a joke, even chuckling, but he genuinely meant it.

“You will not fuck anything up,” James told him seriously, obviously noticing that his nephew wasn’t joking, “I’ve talked about this with my wife and she’d love to have you with us. Markus and Sofia have talked about you a lot and want to meet you. Daniel too, I know he does, he just loves meeting new people even if he doesn’t understand the situation. You wouldn’t be in the way if you decided to live with us, I promise. But it’s all your choice, Brandon.”

Junior relaxed slightly and nodded, his shoulders losing the tension despite the small amount of apprehension he still felt. It was one thing to say that now but if he did make the decision to go through with this, James’ words could still change. They still could realize that it was a burden to take on such a troubled kid, he knew that it would happen.

He just needed to prepare himself for when the inevitable downfall occurs.

“Ask me something else.” The teenager told him and then James did. His nephew answered as honestly as he could until visiting hours were over. But, of course, his uncle stayed a little longer anyway, still checking up to make sure Junior was alright.

And in that moment, growing tired from his day of questions with his uncle standing beside him and once again mentioning that he looked so much like his mom, he made his choice.

“James…I’d like to live with you,” Junior spoke hesitantly but he meant what he said, staring up at his uncle, “if-if it’s still okay with you and your family.”

James blinked before he began smiling widely, reaching out and gently stroking his nephew’s hair back. “You have no fuckin’ idea how happy that makes me to hear.” He said with a soft chuckle, looking both ecstatic and relieved. “Try and sleep now, okay? We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”

Junior’s heart skipped a beat, whether it was from the happiness he was experiencing or his condition, he wasn’t sure. But it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep after his uncle left and by the time morning came, they were both in a good mood.

“I got you some things.” James said while holding a bag, a big smile on his face.

“Isn’t it a little too early for gifts?” The teenager joked, covering his mouth with one hand as he yawned since he had just woken up and then put his hand down.

“Actually, no. I’m behind about nine years worth of birthday and Christmas presents, but we’ll unpack all of that later.” His uncle chuckled before reaching into the bag and pulled out a phone, handing it to his nephew. “Why don’t we start with this?”

Junior sat up a little more and took the phone in his hands with a bashful smile. “You got me a phone?”

“Of course, how else am I supposed to keep in touch with you when I go back to work?” James replied with a playful smile, nudging the teenager’s shoulder with the back of his hand before reaching back into the bag.

“You could’ve just gotten me a flip phone, you didn’t need to spend so much on an iPhone…” Junior started to say while chuckling before pausing and dropping the phone on his lap when he saw what the man was holding in front of him, “is…is that…?”

“It’s your new birth certificate.” His uncle told him as his nephew carefully took the important piece of paper. His birthday was still the same but his name was different. It was Brandon Reyes. “I know we never talked about if you want to have a different last name, but you said you didn’t want to be Junior Wheeler anymore. So I hope you don’t mind being a Reyes instead.”

There was something building up inside Junior. He wasn’t sure what it was but it made him want to cry. “How did you get this?” He asked after clearing his throat and trying to keep himself composed.

“I have some friends.” James replied with a smile, ruffling his nephew’s hair with one hand. “Are you okay? With-with being a Reyes? ‘Cause I can get it changed if you don’t want—!”

“I’m happy!” Junior quickly said, blinking several times to will the tears away as he looked up at the man. “I…I’m a Reyes. Like you…like my mom. So…thank you.”

His uncle smiled more at him. “Of course, Brandon. You’re family. This is what family does.”

The teenager didn’t know what would happen in four days once he would move to Seattle. But right now, he felt happy. Happy for the first time in such a long time. Maybe everything could get better once he was far away from New Jersey and his old life. He could finally start fresh and discover who he really is.

And right now, all Junior could hope for is that he made the right decision.

#Luna talks #admin #Chucky #Chucky tv series #Chucky 2021 #Junior Wheeler #Junior Wheeler is alive #Au #alternate universe #original characters #James Reyes #Junior Wheeler centric #Fanfiction #fanfic #fic #Bells in Santa Fe #Archive of our own #ao3

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barclaysangel · 2 years

Text

Bells in Santa Fe: Chapter 3~ “Maybe I Could Hold You in the Dark”

Here’s the new chapter! I finished this on Friday afternoon but I decided to wait until today to publish it. Hopefully my activity stays the same because I start my first semester of university tomorrow! Wish me luck! And please comment what you think of this story and whatever ideas you come up with, comments help fuel my motivation! Thank you and enjoy! :)

Tags: @arthurpendragonlove @teoandtommy @streets-in-paradise @lostgirluver @tiffany-lee-ray (if you want to be tagged in future chapters for this story, please let me know and I will do so!)

Word count: 4K

Summary: There was something in his uncle’s voice that Junior recognized. It was the same thing hidden in his whenever he spoke of his past. There was regret, maybe even guilt. James didn’t need to say it out loud, but his nephew knew that he regretted not being there for his sister all these years.

Thirteen days in the hospital, ten of them awake, and Junior slowly but surely began to trust his uncle.

James spent the last few days telling his nephew stories of his mother. Some of them that Junior had a hard time believing because she seemed so different back then. Nothing like how he knew her his entire life.

“Okay, you’re totally lying!” Junior exclaimed, his smile wide with amusement while being seated up on his bed.

“I’m not, swear to god!” James replied quickly and put a hand to his chest. “Bree and I spent a whole night in the woods to see if we can survive it without telling our parents. She was, like, your age too. She was barely fourteen but hell, she was determined. Your mother wanted to do it by herself but there was no way in hell I was letting her do that on her own. Someone had to make sure she didn’t get eaten by wolves!”

The teenager started laughing, trying to contain his laughter the most he could without ripping open his heart. He put a hand on his chest to ease the uncomfortable tightness growing there, still giggling through his pain.

“You okay, Juni?” His uncle asked, catching onto his nephew’s wounded laughter and the way he held onto his chest.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” he reassured him after a few seconds, “my body’s not used to me laughing, that’s all. Actually, that just might only be my chest. I guess getting stabbed with a butcher knife can be painful in the long run.” Junior chuckled at his own joke but James didn’t. “Oh, c’mon. That was funny, James.”

The older man raised an eyebrow, most certainly not amused by the teenager. “Yeah, super funny to hear about how my fourteen year old nephew nearly died because of a serial killer.”

“But I didn’t die,” Junior pointed out with a casual shrug of his shoulders, “it’s not my fault that god and the devil didn’t want me there yet.” Yet another joke that earned another deadpanned stare. “Really? I thought that was a pretty good one…”

His uncle put his hands together and took a deep breath. “Juni…you almost died nearly two weeks ago. I think dead jokes are a little bit too soon.”

“Soooo should I wait another week?” Junior asked, fighting down the urge to start smiling teasingly.

This time, he caught a glint of humor in James’ eyes. “How about another month? Can you do that instead?” The man offered up as a playful compromise to his nephew.

The teenager snorted quietly, trying to ignore how the sound made his chest ache. “Yeah, okay, I think I can give it a month.” He said lightly and was quiet for a moment. “I just still can’t believe that my mom actually wanted to spend a night in the woods alone. Why would she even want to do that?”

“No idea,” James laughed while shaking his head, “Bree just wanted to do it. I guess it was to challenge herself to see if she could make it.”

“Did she even bring the right supplies to ‘survive a night’ in the woods?” Junior asked curiously, his head tilted to the side just a little.

His uncle made direct eye contact with his nephew. “A sleeping bag. She only brought a sleeping bag. I was the one to bring snacks, water, flashlights, jackets, and a first aid kit.”

Junior couldn’t take it anymore and started laughing, one hand on his chest and the other hanging onto the blanket draped over him. The older man began laughing as well for a few minutes, the uncle and nephew nearly out of breath.

“Yeah, she…she usually never fully thought out her last minute plans. She was always just in the moment.” James said once his laughter began to die down.

The teenager was still giggling, wincing a few times from the pain in his chest but he didn’t care. “I never would’ve thought that she’d do something like that. She seemed so…fun.”

His uncle nodded, smiling fondly of whatever memory that was spinning in his mind. “Oh yeah, she was fun. She was adventurous and carefree. She wanted to travel the world.”

Junior wanted to ask why she didn’t do that but then remembered that it most likely because she met his father. What would’ve been different if his mom never met him?

Would she have been happier?

Would she have travelled?

Would she have kept her free and independent spirit?

He knew that he never would’ve been born, but he didn’t care. That was a sacrifice he was willing to make if it meant his mom’s happiness.

Besides, Junior wasn’t afraid of death. Even now, he still craved it when he was alone before he would fall asleep. He’d hope that he didn’t wake up just so he can see his mom again instead of in his nightmares.

His uncle didn’t know of his nephew’s inner desires and he planned to keep it that way.

“Did she…did she ever want kids?” The teenager asked the adult man after a moment of silence.

James smiled and nodded. “Yes, she did. Bree wanted kids ever since she was really young. She might have wanted to travel but she still wanted a family. A big one too, your mom wanted a lot of kids. I’ll be honest, I was surprised she only had you.”

Yet another thing he didn’t know. It wasn’t like Junior ever asked for siblings. He was content being an only child even though a part of him knew now that he would’ve loved to have had a younger sibling. But when he was young, he didn’t need one, because he had—

“Wait, you have a cousin, right? From your father’s side? Oh, damnit, what was his name…” James snapped his finger a few times before he suddenly remembered, “Jake! Right, his name’s Jake! You two were practically inseparable when you were kids! You’d call yourselves twins even though you were cousins.” He chuckled, reminiscing about a past that was long gone.

Junior’s smile slowly faded away, casting his eyes downward in shame. “I…yeah…ummm…I burnt that bridge a long time ago. Last time I checked, he hates me and…and I made him believe that I hated him first. So…yeah.”

He didn’t need to look at his uncle to know that he was staring at the teenager, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Juni, what do you mean?”

Junior never talked about it. Even when his mother tried to gently pry and find out why he was suddenly so mean to his cousin, he never told her. He never told anyone the truth for over five years.

He was quiet, fidgeting with his blanket and swallowed a few times before speaking finally. “Dad started to put more pressure on me when I was almost nine, I think. I was…upset. And I just…I took it out on him. Every time. I took it out on Jake.”

He had to pause because the guilt was rising inside of him the more he talked. “I treated him like shit just for being himself.” Because I wasn’t allowed to be myself like he was. “I said terrible things to him that I-I didn’t even mean. I ruined everything. I pushed him away and made him hate me.” And that’s exactly what I deserved and more. “That’s it. End of story.”

James didn’t say anything and Junior understood why. His uncle was realizing what a piece of shit his nephew became. It was only time before he finally saw that and he wouldn’t be surprised if the man decided to leave right then and there.

“Is…is that why you haven’t asked the hospital to contact Jake? Because you think that he hates you?” His uncle asked after at least a minute of silence.

“He does hate me,” the teenager answered with certainty and finally looked back at the man, “after everything I’ve done the last few years? I know he does. He has every right to hate me. He’s better off thinking I’m dead.”

James looked at him with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. “Juni, he’s your cousin.”

“Yeah, and Logan was my father.” Junior scoffed.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He paused, biting his tongue for a second before he could accidentally tell the truth of how his father really died. “It-it means that family isn’t always good. Even if we’re related. I was a dick to Jake, okay? For years. I’m not…I’m not the same kid you knew when I was five. He’s long gone.”

“So is this your plan ever since you woke up at the hospital? To pretend that you’re dead to everyone who knew you?” James questioned him, almost sounding bewildered.

“Yeah, pretty much.” He replied without hesitating, crossing his arms over his stomach since the center of his chest was still too sensitive.

Now his uncle looked bewildered too. “Kid, you can’t just do that. What about your friends? What will they think?”

“I don’t have friends anymore.” Junior snapped and it pained him to say it out loud. “Those were more bridges I burned before I almost died. I ruined everything with Devon, my best friend since I was almost six years old. I ruined everything with Lexy, my gi…my ex-girlfriend.”

The pain was growing in his chest and he looked down to the ground. The teenager needed to stop talking but the words were spilling out, too fast for him to control and hold back. “I’m like King Midas. Except everything I touch doesn’t turn to gold. I destroy it. I can’t have anything good without breaking it. It’s the only thing I’m good at.”

His voice had gone quiet during the last few sentences and was barely able to hear himself, but he knew James could understand him. He could feel the pity, the sadness his uncle was harboring to him and he didn’t fucking deserve that.

There were tears starting to push into Junior’s eyes but he fought them back. He’d be damned if he started actually crying like a pathetic pussy in front of the older man. He’d rather die than have that happen.

He pulled himself together and spoke again, still quiet. “I…I don’t want to be Junior anymore. I want Junior Wheeler to be dead. Bury him in the past and let everyone mourn and then forget him. Jake, Lexy, Devon…they might feel bad for what happened to me but eventually…they’ll move on. They’ll go on with their lives and be happy…without me. I know it. It’s what they deserve. To be happy. That’s all I want for them.”

The silence in the room was deafening. Why did the teenager say so much? His uncle must’ve realized how terrible Junior was, that’s why. A terrible coward. What other explanation was there?

Finally, after so long that the teenager wanted to scream to fill the void, James stood up. His nephew expected him to walk out the door but instead he put his hand on Junior’s shoulder, causing him to finally look up at him.

“I…I don’t agree with you not wanting to tell your friends,” James started and the teenager wanted to argue that they weren’t his friends anymore, but he kept his mouth shut, “but I won’t force you to tell them. If you want Junior Wheeler to be dead…then he’ll be dead.” Junior couldn’t help but to feel a rush of relief at his uncle’s words. “I just wanted to ask you one more thing. If you don’t want to be Junior…then who do you want to be?”

Junior didn’t have an answer. He sat there, racking his brain, before giving up and shrugging his shoulders. “I…I don’t know. I don’t know yet. I just…the only thing I know is that I wanna be…better. I wanna be a better person and make all the right decisions for once. I want to be anyone that isn’t the old Junior but I…I don’t know who that is quite yet.”

His uncle shot him a gentle smile, his eyes soft and reassuring. “Well, that’s something. Being better is good. It’s a really good start, Juni. You can figure the rest out over time.”

The teenager wished he could explain why that made him feel relieved. He was so used to needing to have the answers all the time that being told that he could wait was like a breath of fresh air.

But he still wasn’t filled with ease.

“Are you…mad at me? That…that I was an asshole to Jake and ruined everything between us for no reason?” Junior asked nervously, hesitation laced in his voice.

James smiled sadly and shook his head, reaching up to ruffle his nephew’s hair lightly in a way that resembled his mother’s touch so fiercely that he almost broke right then and there. “No, I’m not mad at you, kiddo. I’m not very happy, but…I’m not angry at all with you.”

The teenager scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “Why not?”

“Because you’re a kid. A kid who screwed up and made some not good decisions. Happens to the best of us,” his uncle said with kindness in his voice, “besides, you said something else that caught my attention. You said that your father started pressuring you and that’s why you took it out on Jake. Was he…pressuring you into doing cross-country?”

“How-how did you know about that?”

“Your mother mentioned you doing cross-country in some of her letters to me, like what your father used to do,” James explained, “sent some photos also. But even though you were smiling, you never…looked happy.” His warm eyes met Junior’s again. “Did he…pressure you into doing cross-country?”

The teenager didn’t say anything, his hands curling tightly around his blanket before he finally found it in him to nod stiffly. His uncle looked like he was trying to hide anger from his eyes, but his nephew could tell that the anger wasn’t directed toward him. It was to his father.

“Do you…want to talk about it?”

“No.” Junior replied quickly, wanting this whole thing to end before he lost it.

“That’s alright, we don’t have to talk about it.” James reassured, still standing beside his nephew before talking again calmly. “But you were wrong about something. You don’t destroy everything you touch, Juni. You don’t. You might not believe that now after everything that’s happened…but I hope someday that you will.”

His uncle was right, he didn’t believe it and he was certain that he never will. How could he? Every single moment of his life proved that Junior was the curse, not his cousin. He was the problem. He ruined everything he laid his hands on. It was only a matter of time before the older man saw it too.

“Can we talk about something else please?” The teenager requested softly, just wanting this whole thing to end before he got too overwhelmed.

“Yeah, of course.” James accepted, sitting back down in his chair. They were both quiet for a minute before his uncle looked at him and cracked a small smile. “Do you wanna hear about the time your mom cut herself bangs with safety scissors when she was ten years old?”

Finally, Junior’s eyes lit up and he nodded quickly. “Absolutely.”

__________

It was the next day when Junior started to feel at ease. The whole conversation the day before had him with his guard up, feeling that he said too much and that his uncle would leave after visiting hours was over and never come back.

But James came back at the same time the next morning, already sitting in his usual chair before the teenager woke up.

It filled him with peace to know that he didn’t lose the last person he had left in his life yet.

It was also the same day that his doctor approved for Junior to be walking around on his own more rather than having help from a nurse.

The teenager had to struggle not to snicker like the troublemaker that he was at James trying to keep a straight face, as if they hadn’t been sneaking around to walk by themselves over the last few days.

And that’s what they were doing, walking around the hospital while talking. Well, his uncle was doing most of the talking. Junior preferred to just listen and chime in every now and then.

Besides, walking still wasn’t very easy for the teenager. It tired him out out quickly and it still filled him with frustration because he still felt weak to walk as slowly as he did now.

“Do you need to sit down?” James asked him when Junior gave into his exhaustion and stopped walking to lean into a wall.

He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “No, I’m okay…but if my knees give out on me, you have my full permission to say ‘I told you so’ to me.” The teenager replied with a ghost of a smile on his lips, opening his eyes again.

The man snorted under his breath and rolled his eyes. “I’d rather not get to that point at all, kid. But if you’re so sure, then you can keep standing.” He told his nephew, moving to stand beside the younger boy and also leaned his back to the wall.

While his uncle’s posture was casual, the teenager was certain that he was beside him to make sure that he could catch him if he actually did collapse.

Junior smiled a little, going quiet until he spoke again. “How much older are…were you to my mom?”

“Two years,” James responded, smiling a little but his nephew could tell that the smile didn’t reach his eyes, “but I always felt so much older than her. I guess I just…felt like I had to protect her.”

There was something in his uncle’s voice that Junior recognized. It was the same thing hidden in his whenever he spoke of his past. There was regret, maybe even guilt.

James didn’t need to say it out loud, but his nephew knew that he regretted not being there for his sister all these years.

“You did protect her,” Junior said without thinking, “you know, the most you could. Before dad banned you from seeing us. And…and I’m sure mom knew that. That’s why she kept in contact with you. Mom wouldn’t have done that if she agreed with my dad.” He looked at his uncle seriously yet genuinely. “She knew, James.”

The teenager was never the best at comforting people. He never knew the right words to say but this time, he could see that his words worked. He spotted tears that shone in James’ eyes, but not of sadness. It was more of relief and comfort to know that his mom still trusted her brother even after not seeing him for almost a decade.

His uncle smiled softly at him, reaching out to ruffle Junior’s hair messily. “You’re a really wise kid, you know that?”

Junior tried to fix his hair with one hand, huffing a laugh out. “Well, I think all of my trauma matured me quite a bit.”

James gave him a deadpanned stare. “I thought we agreed no jokes about that until at least a month.”

“We agreed on no jokes about me almost dying for a month. You didn’t say anything about overall trauma in general.” The teenager shrugged his shoulders up and down, smirking teasingly. “Should’ve been more specific, I guess.”

His uncle nudged his nephew’s shoulder lightly, sending him a faux glare before chuckling. “You may be wise but you’re also a sneaky little shit, I swear.”

Junior giggled quietly. “Maybe that’s the reason you think I’m so wise. I’m actually just being sneaky and making you think that. It’s all an illusion.”

“Well, that’s certainly one way to put it.” James said with a laugh, obviously entertained by the antics of his slightly mischievous nephew.

The teenager smiled, thinking for a moment in silence before asking something that had been in his mind. “Did my mom ever say how many children she wanted to have?”

His uncle shook his head. “No, but I suspect quite a few. She loved children and I’m sure she’s always wanted more,” he paused before smiling, “Bree did tell me that if she had a boy first, she would name him Brandon.”

The name sparked recognition inside Junior and his eyes lit up. “That’s my middle name!” He said loudly, too loudly, and he quickly closed his mouth as his cheeks flushed with bashfulness.

But James seemed unfazed by the volume and just chuckled. “Yeah, at least she got to choose your middle name. It always suited you anyway.”

The teenager smiled but the name was circling his head. He had small memories, practically blips of a dream, of his mother calling him her “little Brandon” when he was a child. Eventually, the nickname transitioned into “Jun-Jun”.

While Junior adored being called “Jun-Jun” and it filled him with agony to know that no one would ever call him by that nickname ever again, there was something about Brandon that refused to leave his mind.

He wasn’t sure what was so fascinating about Brandon. Maybe it was because it was a name that his mother chose. Or maybe it was because it was similar to her name. The names only shared the first two letters, but Bree and Brandon were so damn close, making them impossible for the teenager to ignore.

Why did he want that name so badly?

Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon, Brandon—

“Hey, you wanna go back to your room? You look tired, Juni.” His uncle told him, breaking his nephew out of his trance.

“Hm? Yeah, yeah, okay.” Junior muttered and carefully pushed himself off of the wall, starting to walk in the direction of his room with James by his side.

The teenager was quiet as they walked, his uncle talking about his words went in one ear and out the other. He couldn’t focus on anything but he didn’t know why. How could that name cause so much distraction?

And that’s when it occurred to him. How for almost two weeks, he didn’t want to be called Junior. He settled on Juni for the time being, but this name…this was the one.

“James…” Junior quietly said the man’s name, stopping just before going into his room with one hand lightly holding onto James’ sleeve, “I…ummm…I…I want…can…”

Now this was embarrassing.

Why was asking for something he wanted so fucking hard for him?

“Hey, take your time,” James told him gently and put his hand over his nephew’s with a reassuring smile, “you can tell or ask me anything, okay? Just take a deep breath, Juni.”

The teenager listened and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself so he could speak properly. The words still weren’t forming the way that he wanted but he couldn’t take it anymore. So he ripped the bandaid off.

“I…I want to be called Brandon.” The younger boy finally blurred out loud before he could back out and not say it out loud. “That’s what I want my name to be. Brandon. I don’t want to be Junior. I want to be Brandon.”

James’ smile grew and he squeezed his nephew’s hand lightly. “Okay. Then you’re Brandon from now on. Great choice, Brandon.” He said with a chuckle and the teenager’s heart nearly exploded when his uncle called him by that new name.

He couldn’t explain the feeling of being called something he always desired to be called. It didn’t make any sense but god, he felt almost…whole. Not completely, but just enough for him to no longer grimace at being a reminder of his father’s name.

Brandon. I’m Brandon now. The name my mom always wanted for me. Brandon. Junior thought to himself, unable to stop smiling as he walked into his room knowing that this was the beginning of something new.

#Luna talks #admin #Chucky #Chucky tv series #Chucky 2021 #Junior Wheeler #Junior Wheeler is alive #Original characters #James Reyes #Junior Wheeler centric #Fanfiction #fanfic #Bells in Santa Fe #archive of our own #ao3

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barclaysangel · 2 years

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Bells in Santa Fe: Chapter 2~ “Watch as I Slip Away For Your Sake”

Okay, I wrote this chapter WAY too fast. But screw it, it’s coming out on a Tuesday instead of a Sunday, I got too excited! I’m just gonna write as quickly as possible and start posting as fast as I can as well. Thank you for reading and if you like it, please comment what you think! I am extremely motivated by comments! Thanks again and enjoy!

Tags: @arthurpendragonlove @teoandtommy @streets-in-paradise @lostgirluver @tiffany-lee-ray (if you want to be tagged in future chapters for this story, please let me know and I will do so!)

Word count: 3.7K

Summary: How the fuck was the teenager supposed to live the rest of his life knowing that something as simple as a nightmare of a traumatic memory could actually kill him? What kind of Freddy Krueger bullshit was this?

That night, Junior had a nightmare.

Nightmares were still a new thing for him. Sure he would have unpleasant dreams, but never nightmares.

Not until he and his friends almost died in a fire.

And definitely not until his mom’s corpse landed on the windshield of their car.

The latter was a nightmare that never left. It haunted him even when he was awake.

But the nightmare was the same one Junior always had, of his mother’s death. He used to wake up crying and would force himself to stop and pull himself together. However, recovering from being stabbed and staying at the hospital, it was different.

Because this time, he woke up gasping for air, nearly choking on his tears, with his heart rate monitor going haywire.

The teenager barely remembered what happened that night. Everything was happening too fast and it was a blur. Junior had vague memories of hands pinning him down to the bed, his chest feeling like it was about to explode, and a needle going into his arm before he passed out. It wasn’t until the next morning when his doctor told him what happened.

Apparently, the intense chest pain and being almost unable to breathe was him about to go into cardiac arrest.

A fucking nightmare triggered his heart to nearly give out.

How the fuck was the teenager supposed to live the rest of his life knowing that something as simple as a nightmare of a traumatic memory could actually kill him?

What kind of Freddy Krueger bullshit was this?

Junior thought that he could manage his new heart condition. He just had to keep himself calm, not let his anger get the best of him, and not try to run as fast as he could anymore. It would be easy.

Well, it seemed that he overestimated just how fragile his heart was now.

“I’m fine.”

“Oh, sure, of course you’re fine. It’s absolutely normal to wake up at two in the morning from a nightmare that causes a cardiac arrest.”

“If you plan on sticking around a bit longer, I’m sure you’ll find it normal.” Junior grumbled, fidgeting with the blanket over him and looking everywhere but at his uncle.

Ever since he woke up the morning after his episode, James had been concerned. Even moreconcerned than usual. The teenager wasn’t used to it and he tried his hardest to shut down the conversation. But it seemed this time that the adult man wasn’t budging.

He could feel James staring at him, almost like he was trying to dig deep into his soul to find out what was going on. “What was it about?”

“What?”

“Your nightmare…what was it about, Juni?” His uncle asked again, his voice gentle.

Junior didn’t want to deal with this. He didn’t want to answer, he didn’t want to acknowledge anything. He just wanted to forget everything happened.

But something was burbling inside of his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was the sign of another cardiac arrest that was just around the corner, but he couldn’t keep it inside of him. Before the teenager could stop himself, he started speaking.

“I saw her die.” He started to say. “Did you know that? I saw…I saw my mom die,” Junior swallowed a few times and tried to force down the lump in his throat, “she landed on the car…right in front of me. I was right there and she was…dead. So…I…I see her die. Almost every night.”

He didn’t need to look at his uncle to know that it pained him to hear how his nephew witnessed his own mother die. The teenager could practically feel his sympathy and pity.

He hated it. He wanted it to stop.

“Juni…Juni, I’m so sor—”

“I’m done talking about it now.” Junior interrupted with a hardened voice, yet again shutting down another conversation which would result in him being vulnerable. It’s the only good thing that he was good at at this point. Avoiding everything. He had been doing it for years so why stop?

He looked at his uncle for a brief moment to see James opening his mouth before closing it. Once again, he granted his asshole of a nephew’s request without asking anything more.

Junior felt a brief moment of relief before a nurse came in with his breakfast. This time it was chicken noodle soup and he fought the urge to wrinkle his nose in distaste. He was tired of hospital food but he needed to get his weight up, he supposed.

He just wish that the damn hospital served better food if he was being forced to eat three meals every fucking day.

The teenager didn’t say anything when the nurse placed the soup on a tray that was over his lap, only quietly thanking her when she finished. Then it was just him and his uncle again with silence filling the air.

Junior should say something. Should explain why he doesn’t want to talk about anything because he always felt like he was one wrong stop from a mental breakdown. But he doesn’t say a word. He can’t. It has only been three days since he woke up and he still didn’t know his uncle. As kind as he was, he couldn’t trust James.

It was nothing personal, really. But he was tired of trusting people who let him down or betrayed him. His father, Chucky, even his own mother-because how could she look into my eyes, say that she loved me, and then kill herself?

If he kept his concrete wall up, he’ll be safe.

When Junior lifted his hand to grab the spoon, it began trembling. He wasn’t sure if it was the remnants of his nightmare that lingered in his mind, the cardiac arrest he nearly had, or the medication he had to take to stop his heart from erupting. Perhaps it was all of that combined, but his hand wouldn’t stop shaking.

He took a deep breath, almost glaring at his hand to try and force the trembling to stop but was unsuccessful. Even as he scooped up some of the soup into the spoon, his hand kept shaking. If he tried moving his hand anymore, he would spill scalding liquid on himself, that much he knew.

The teenager could ask for help. He knew he could. He could feel his uncle staring at him the entire time but no one said anything. Over the last few days, James would ask if Junior needed help but the latter would shut the former down forceful and fast before he could even finish his sentence.

He wasn’t a child. He didn’t need help, fuck that.

But he was exhausted. His hand was shaking like a leaf and it was making the teenager grow frustrated. Fuck, he hated feeling this useless.

God, why was it so impossible for him to just…admit that he needed help? Why couldn’t he do something as simple as that?

Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Can…can…I…can you…?”

Good fucking god, the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. He was barely speaking above a whisper, Junior could barely even hear his own voice and he couldn’t even talk. He never asked for help, even when he desperately needed it, and that was more obvious than ever.

How horrible are you? How fucked up are you? How stupid are you? How pathetic are you? How—

“Do you need help?” James’ voice was tentative but reassuring, cutting his nephew’s self-deprecating thoughts. He sounded so soothing that it reminded him of his mother.

Junior was quiet, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks from embarrassment. It was genuinely humiliating, but he had no choice. So finally, he gave up the last of his dignity and nodded stiffly.

His uncle got up and sat down on the bed beside him, carefully taking the spoon from the teenager so he wouldn’t drop it into the bowl. Junior lowered his hand and both of them clenched around his blanket, in an attempt to not lash out from how exposed he felt at the moment. If James noticed, he didn’t give indication that he did. The man just gave him a soft smile before holding the spoon to his lips, the teenager drinking from it after a small pause.

This was mortifying. Absolutely mortifying. Junior hated how much help he needed. He couldn’t even walk to the bathroom by himself, his nurse would have to help him-because he’d be damned if he needed help from his long lost uncle. But here he was, being hand fed like he was so broken and fragile. Jesus, he couldn’t even look at James without wanting to die of shame.

“I feel like a baby.” He admitted quietly once he was halfway through the soup, his eyes glued to the tray under his meal rather than his own uncle.

James paused briefly. “Hey, Juni,” he said his name, causing his nephew’s eyes to finally meet his uncle’s comforting ones, “you’re not being a baby, okay? You’ve recently gone through something traumatic and barely survived. It’s okay to need some help.”

It took a second for the teenager to realize that this was the first time someone’s told him that it was okay to get help. Well, his mother had told him before. But his father…never. Men don’t ask for help. That’s what his father always told him. And he just…agreed. He never asked for help.

Maybe that’s why asking for help now made Junior want to die instead.

The teenager didn’t say anything, unable to shake the embarrassed feeling away, but his uncle continued talking. “I don’t mind helping you, Juni. Everyone needs help, it’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“Even if it’s something like being hand fed soup?” Junior asked softly, his voice hesitant but relaxed just a little when he earned a quiet chuckle from his uncle.

“Yes, even as simple as that,” James told him before holding another spoonful of noodles to his nephew’s mouth. “I have three kids, so this certainly isn’t my first rodeo.”

Junior chewed on the noodles a few times as realization from his uncle’s words set in. He swallowed before speaking. “I didn’t know you have kids.”

“I wasn’t sure when to bring it up,” James replied truthfully, “I wanted to spend the past few days focusing on you. It didn’t seem like a good time to start talking about myself.”

For a moment, Junior felt guilty. He never once asked his uncle about himself. He’s only known him for three days but he never tried to make an effort to get to know him. He just kept pushing him away and wouldn’t even open himself up to the older man.

The teenager ate another spoonful of soup and then he found the courage to talk. “Can you…tell me about them? I’d…I’d like to know about your family.”

This brought a smile to James’ face and he nodded. He began speaking while continuing to feed Junior all about his family. His uncle talked about his wife, Elise, that he’s been married to for fifteen years. Together, they had three children.

Markus was nine years old and spent most of his time in front of their house, trying to do new tricks on his skateboard that resulted in him falling most of the time, but he never gave up.

Sofia was five and a little firecracker. She was wild, enjoyed running around and could hardly sit still unless she was watching Star Wars or Marvel movies.

And then there was Daniel, two years old but turning three in February, a carbon copy of his mother, liked climbing on top of people if he felt that he wasn’t getting enough attention, and his current obsession was race cars.

It was so strange for Junior to find out that he had little cousins, all younger than him. It made him remember Jake, being so close in age but Junior was just a few weeks older. And then the thought of Jake made his heart clench, memories of being an asshole cousin to him flowing in.

But Junior wasn’t always a shithead to him. There was a time where everything was great. Where they loved each other and hung out almost everyday. Then Junior ruined that because his father’s pressure became too much and he took it out on Jake. And then…they hated each other.

If the teenager could take it all back, he’d do it in a heartbeat. Hopefully Jake wasn’t mourning his “death” too much. If his cousin really hated him, then he would feel relieved that his bully was dead.

But as Junior listened to his uncle talk about his children, he formed a silent promise in his head. If he ever met his little cousins, he would do things differently. He’d be a good big cousin to them and never make them feel the way he made Jake did.

There wasn’t a time machine to fix the broken relationship between him and Jake. But he can still make things right with his newfound cousins.

__________

“I can’t take this anymore.”

“What do you mean, Juni?”

Junior had been in the hospital for ten days, awake for seven, and he was absolutely restless. Staying in bed unless he needed to go to the bathroom and even then, he had to have a nurse help him.

It was too fucking much. He needed to get out before he lost his mind completely.

The teenager forced himself up into a more seated position, trying his hardest not to grimace in pain when his chest protested the movement, and looked at his uncle. “I need to go for a walk.”

James raised an eyebrow slightly before nodding. “Okay, let me go get a nurse—”

“No, I don’t want a nurse. I wanna walk on my own and I need your help.”

“Wait, Juni, I don’t know about this—”

“I’m getting up one way or another. If I go down, I’d like to have someone to catch me just in case. It could be you or the ground breaking my fall.” Junior was speaking sternly, not breaking eye contact with his uncle. “So are you going to help me or not?”

James stared at him, not saying anything for a moment before he let out a quiet chuckle. “God, you’re just like your mother.” He said and stood up from his chair.

Junior’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion but before he could ask what his uncle meant by that, the latter held his hands out to his nephew. The teenager took them after a moment, using his support to pull his legs off of the bed. His chest was aching with each movement but he couldn’t stop, not after getting this far.

“Do you need a minute?” James asked, most likely noticing his nephew’s pained expression and Junior nodded. They both waited for a minute, then two, then three, before the teenager told his uncle that he was ready and James gently helped him stand up.

Junior’s bare feet touched the cold linoleum, feeling himself relax. He was standing up, not on his own but still. He took a step forward and James took one back. His legs were shaking a bit but not enough for him to lose control, and his chest was still hurting.

Damn that stupid stab wound, protected by a thick bandage to ensure that the stitches wouldn’t rip open.

Junior was walking slowly, taking a few steps every minute with the support of his uncle. James was patient with him, even muttering reassurances to his nephew with each step he took.

It was weird, to hear how good of a job he was doing just by walking. But it kind of was nice to hear. He wasn’t sure anymore.

Eventually, they made it just outside the room when Junior felt confident to continue by himself. “I-I’d like to try to walk on my own now, please.” He spoke politely, his uncle listening and carefully letting go of his hands.

The teenager started walking by himself with slow steps, James walking beside him with his arms outstretched a little bit in case he needed to catch his nephew. But Junior kept walking, feeling pride well up inside of him whenever his uncle told him that he was doing good.

He knew that he craved approval from others but god, he hadn’t realized that it was this bad before.

But Junior felt almost out of breath now from the walking, spotting a vending machine that was near him and walked closer slowly until he was leaning on it. “I just need a little bit of a break, I’m okay.”

James nodded, standing near him. “Alright, take a breather. You did a really great job, Juni, I mean it.” He told him with a smile and the teenager couldn’t help but to smile back.

His uncle looked at the vending machine and then back at his nephew. “You want a snack?” He asked and Junior nodded. “Okay, you still like Fritos, right?”

Junior blinked in surprise before smiling a little and nodding. “Yeah…yeah, I do. How’d you know that?”

“Because they were your favorite when you were a kid,” James told him with a chuckle while pulling out his wallet, “if you were left alone with a huge bag of Fritos, you would’ve scarfed the entire thing down in minutes.”

Junior giggled quietly under his breath at the thought, remembering how much he did enjoy those chips. He watched his uncle putting the money into the vending machine before he remembered what James said earlier.

“Ummm…what did you mean? Before I started walking? About…about how I was like my mom?” The teenager asked him, still leaning on the vending machine and one hand fidgeting with his hospital gown.

“Oh, your mother was very stubborn,” James replied with a fond smile, “she would to do whatever she wanted. If Bree knew she was gonna do something risky, she would still do it but ask for my help. I always did help her because someone had to be there for her to make sure she didn’t get caught.”

The teenager wasn’t quite sure what he expected his uncle to say, but that certainly wasn’t it. “Wait, what?” He let out a startled chuckle.

“Yeah, she was a wild card.” James replied while smiling, picking up the two bags of Fritos that fell out of the vending machine. “She was free and full of light. Wouldn’t stay still and had a bad habit of sneaking out in the middle of the night, either to go to a party or start her own adventure.”

Junior shook his head, not believing it. “You’re totally making that up.”

His uncle quickly shook his head in disagreement. “I’m being honest, truly. She used to be so independent and mischievous.”

The teenager was quiet for a moment, thinking for a moment. “I-I never knew her to be like that.”

James paused for a few seconds before speaking again. “Well…when she married your father, she…changed. I guess some people could say that she matured or grew up, but…it didn’t feel like that at all to me.”

His uncle didn’t need to explain himself because Junior knew what he meant. He had adapted and molded himself to be whatever his father wanted, to fit the perfect box his father created for him.

He knew.

“He made her change who she was, didn’t he?” The teenager asked, his voice quiet and hesitant, hoping that he was wrong but knowing that he wasn’t.

James paused again and sighed under his breath. “Whenever I asked Bree, she would insist that that wasn’t the case. But…I knew my sister. Like the back of my hand. I knew whenever she was lying to me. So…yes. I think he did make her change.”

Junior never liked his father. Sometimes he bounced between disliking him but then he would understand why his father was the way that she was. But knowing that he changed his mother, snuffing out her light to the point where Junior felt like he didn’t even know who his mom was…he felt anger boiling inside of him.

He fucking hated his father.

Junior’s jaw clenched, one hand curling on the vending machine and his nails almost scratched it in the process. “Wish I could say I’m surprised…but he was always good at changing people and making them be however he wanted them to. He was fucking great at it.” He managed to say, trying to keep the rage from his voice but he didn’t think he was very successful.

If his uncle looked into his eyes, could he see that he was the one to kill his own father? And that the teenager didn’t regret it one bit?

James was staring at him, Junior knew that, and then the former stepped closer to his nephew. “He can’t do that anymore. He can’t change anyone else…including you.” God was it that obvious that my own father could easily control and change me? “I want you to know that. You’re free.”

Was he? He didn’t even know. It didn’t feel that way at times. His father’s words lingered in his brain every time he ate, during every moment where he was lying in bed instead of running. Sometimes even right before going to sleep.

He was haunted. Not because he was his father’s killer, but because of everything his father did to him.

His uncle was quiet before handing him one of the bags of Fritos. The teenager took it, taking a deep breath and relaxing a little as his other hand uncurled.

“I’m sorry, Juni, I shouldn’t have said anything…”

“No, I needed to know. I’m tired of the secrets, I just…I want to know everything.” Junior told him truthfully, fiddling with the bag of Fritos in one hand as he looked at James.

His uncle looked like he was thinking of what to say next to ease the tension before smiling lightly. “You know, I’ve got tons of stories about shit your mom and I used to do together. I can tell you all about them once we get back to your room. I don’t want your doctor finding out that I let you walk, you’ll get me in trouble.” James said lightheartedly, holding out his free hand to his nephew.

The teenager smiled at his uncle, nodding. He pushed himself away from the vending machine and took James’ hand. Together, they walked back to Junior’s hospital room, where he started to get to know his mother.

#Luna talks #admin #Chucky #Chucky 2021 #Chucky tv series #Junior Wheeler #Junior Wheeler is alive #Original characters #James Reyes #Junior Wheeler centric #Fanfiction #fanfic #Bells in Santa Fe #archive of our own #ao3

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barclaysangel · 2 years

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Bells in Santa Fe: Chapter 5~ "Secondhand Thread With a Secondhand Bed"

I know. I know. It took AGES for me to write this chapter. I broke my schedule. I'm genuinely disappointed in myself but once school started, I lost all energy and motivation to write. But I gathered enough strength to finish this chapter and so far, it's the longest one in this fic even though it feels boring to me. The new season of Chucky comes out in October so my goal is still to finish this before or a week or two after season 2 is released. I'm gonna do something new by writing every single chapter and then release it every other day, so it might be another month till this gets updated. I am hoping to join a sorority and this weekend is basically rush week, so I won't have time to update once or twice a week like before. Hopefully you all won't forget about this story. Thanks for hanging on for so long! I'll respond to PMs later when I'm not in school. Please let me know what you think of this chapter, comments help motivate me! Thank you and enjoy :)

Tags: @arthurpendragonlove @teoandtommy @streets-in-paradise @lostgirluver @tiffany-lee-ray (if you want to be tagged in future chapters for this story, please let me know and I will do so!)

Word count: 4.8K

Summary: He was sure that James noticed his nervousness but didn’t say anything. He tried to start up a conversation but when he was only answered with nods or shakes of his head, he gave up and must’ve known that his nephew was too apprehensive to respond. Junior knew that he agreed to this. He said ‘yes’ to go to Seattle, to leave everything he knew behind and embrace something new. But that didn’t stop the fear from dwelling inside of him, the thought that everything was just going to go wrong. He wouldn’t be surprised if it did. Nothing good stayed in his life.

Junior spent twenty-four days in the hospital, twenty-two of them awake, when he was finally released.

It was the first week of December and it felt strange for him to know that he spent nearly all of November inside of a hospital. At first time felt like it went by so slow, but now he was wondering where it all went.

There was just a sliver of him that was excited for him to leave. He was growing restless and so tired of seeing the same four white walls around him, even walking around the hospital wasn’t enough for him anymore. So it was a relief to get the hell out of there and never look back.

But then the anxiety kicked in. There was the kind of terror that made his blood turn ice cold. He was leaving New Jersey to go to Washington and live with his newfound uncle’s family.

Fuck, why did I agree to this?

“Brandon? You doing alright?” James asked him that morning when they were getting ready to leave, most likely noticing how silent his nephew has been. “You’re looking a little…pale. Do you need a minute?”

Maybe the nervousness was a lot more obvious than he realized.

“Of course I’m pale, I lost a lot of blood, remember?” Junior tried to joke, fidgeting with the sleeves of his hoodie.

His uncle had bought him some new clothes the day before, taking into consideration of things that his nephew liked and felt comfortable in. Knowing that he would be in a long airplane ride, Junior dressed as comfortably as he could in gray sweatpants, sneakers, and a black Marvel shirt that was hidden by a bright red hoodie.

Said hoodie was big on him, almost swallowing him whole, but he felt almost safe in it. Like he could disappear and no one would notice.

“We’ll go shopping once we settle back in Seattle. You’re going to need a lot more clothes rather than just a few outfits. And you can choose whatever you want, I promise.” James reassured him at the time, providing great relief to know that he can decide what he wanted to wear for once.

As for right now, his uncle merely raised an eyebrow at his nephew’s pathetic excuse of a joke. “I’m pretty sure you got all the blood back inside of your body now, B,” he told him lightheartedly before his eyes turned genuine, “it’s okay to feel nervous, kiddo. This will be a big change for you. But I want you to know that you can come back here anytime you want.”

At that, the teenager seemed to pale more and he shook his head. “No. No. I’m not coming back here. Ever.”

“Brandon—”

“I’m not kidding, James. I’m not going back to Hackensack. Never again.” Junior told him seriously, determination in his voice.

James didn’t look like he agreed very much with his nephew’s plan before sighing. “You know I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do,” he told him gently, “but I do hope that one day you’ll come back to get the closure you and your friends need.”

He would not get that closure. His friends hopefully would once they forgot about him and got over his “death”. But Junior didn’t need closure. People like him didn’t deserve that.

“Yeah, sure.” The teenager muttered under his breath, not making eye contact with his uncle while gently rubbing the scar on his chest with one hand.

The doctor recently took off his bandage and stitches just a few days ago. Junior could barely even look at the scar, feeling a chill of dread go down his spine even when he so much as thought about it. But sometimes when he was alone, he’d pull down the top of his hospital gown enough to catch a glimpse of the damage.

A long, angry pink scar that would forever be a permanent reminder of what Chucky did to him and how he was supposed to die.

He stopped looking after that or trying to touch it. But the teenager seemed to forget the latter whenever he was upset or nervous or just needing to calm his racing heart, a habit he had somehow developed over the past three weeks.

James looked at him carefully before sending him a gentle smile, reaching out to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You ready to go now, Brandon? Or do you need some more time to relax?”

Junior rubbed his chest still, the motions light because if he pressed too hard, it would hurt. He took a few deep breaths before forcing a small smile. “Yeah. I’m ready. Get me the fuck out of New Jersey.”

The drive to the airport felt painfully long.

The teenager didn’t say a word during the whole ride, sitting beside his uncle in the backseat of an Uber. Instead he kept chewing on his fingernails, right down to the skin but he didn’t care. Anxiety was twisting inside his stomach and he couldn’t calm himself down no matter how hard he tried.

He was sure that James noticed his nervousness but didn’t say anything. He tried to start up a conversation but when he was only answered with nods or shakes of his head, he gave up and must’ve known that his nephew was too apprehensive to respond.

Junior knew that he agreed to this. He said ‘yes’ to go to Seattle, to leave everything he knew behind and embrace something new. But that didn’t stop the fear from dwelling inside of him, the thought that everything was just going to go wrong. He wouldn’t be surprised if it did. Nothing good stayed in his life.

He just didn’t know what to expect even when they arrived. How his aunt and cousins would treat him. It could be entirely different from his uncle. They could decide they hated him just by taking one look at him and knowing that he was nothing but trouble. Children could sense things, couldn’t they? Maybe they’ll sense what an asshole their new cousin was.

That wouldn’t be a surprise to the teenager if that was possible. But he didn’t say anything about his doubt or worries, he bottled all of that shit inside. But with the concerned glances he was receiving from his uncle, it made him wonder if those doubts and worries were thatnoticeable.

Junior always thought that he was good at keeping his emotions at bay externally. To never show his stress. Either he forgot that skill or everyone else was really good at ignoring how the teenager truly felt.

When they got out of the car, walking into the airport, he couldn’t calm his racing heart. His heart already beat a little bit faster than before and right now, it felt like it might burst from his chest. The last thing he needed was to go into cardiac arrest right before going into a fucking airplane.

Junior tried taking deep breaths, holding onto his bag that only contained clothes and a new pair of shoes, keeping his head down and attempting to avoid suspicion. He must’ve looked like he was on drugs or smuggling something, but he managed to get through customs undetected despite the growing anxiety that was bound to trigger a heart attack.

The teenager placed a hand to his chest as he and his uncle walked, trying to will the pain to go away. Eventually, the tightening feeling in his chest started to loosen enough that he noticed the nausea growing in his stomach. It churned and churned menacingly, saliva filling his mouth until there was only one thing clear in his mind.

He might not go into cardiac arrest but he was absolutely going to be sick.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” The words spilled out of Junior’s mouth rapidly, the first thing being said after over half an hour.

James looked at him, his eyes filled with concern. “Oka—are you okay, Brandon?”

His nephew pushed his bag quickly into the man’s arms, nodding. “I just—need the bathroom, be right back.” He could barely speak in a proper sentence before turning on his heels and walking as fast as his legs and fragile heart could take him toward the bathroom.

Junior barely made it into the first open bathroom stall before losing the small amount of breakfast he ate into the toilet bowl.

Fuck, I’d rather have my heart give out on me than to deal with this shit.

He was shaking once he finished, having to stay on his hands and knees. He didn’t even know how long he was there, just trying to recover until he was certain that his body wasn’t about to give out on him. Finally, he flushed the toilet and shakily stood up, making his way over to the sink to look at the mess in front of the mirror.

His eyes were tinged with red and there were tear streaks down his cheeks from how hard he had been heaving, and his skin looked so pale he was almost translucent.

God, you look like fucking pathetic.

The teenager turned on the faucet and cupped some water in both of his hands, putting it to his mouth and swishing the water around to make the god awful taste go away before spitting it out. He gathered more water to splash onto his face so the evidence of tears would disappear. He even slapped his cheek a few times so they could regain some color, running a hand through his hair.

He didn’t look too bad now. He could pull it off, that he just had to take a piss and look like he didn’t just vomit. He could make it work.

Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s had to do something like that.

“Are you alright, young man?” Junior jumped when he heard an elderly man’s voice near him, having been so distracted and not realizing that he wasn’t the only person in there.

He quickly looked over at the man who must’ve been in his seventies, white beard and all, and forced a smile. “I-I’m fine,” he replied, trying not to wince from how raw his throat sounded and felt, “just some pre-flight jitters, that’s all.” The teenager muttered while wiping the leftover water from his hands on his hoodie.

The old man still looked concerned, making the teenager look away. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” His voice hardened but he tried to calm down and gave the man a tiny fake smile before he quickly walked out of the bathroom.

He didn’t want to deal with anymore conversation, especially from a stranger.

When Junior left, he immediately spotted his uncle next to the entrance of the bathroom. He was leaning against the wall and gave his nephew a small smile. “Hey, you alright, kiddo?”

The teenager smiled as falsely as he could, nodding. “Yeah, I’m good. I just really had to use the bathroom, that’s all.” He lied right to his uncle, taking his bag back from him.

James merely nodded before holding out a pack of bubblegum to him with a knowing look. “I figured you might want some.”

Junior paused before sighing under his breath. Well, that was a failed mission. “Jesus, was it really that obvious?” He asked but accepted the bubblegum, opening the package and shoving a stick of gum into his mouth.

His uncle raised an eyebrow slightly. “I have three kids, Brandon. I’m practically an expert at knowing when one of them’s about to puke.” He explained and smiled gently at his nephew. “Besides, you were basically turning turning green ever since we got here, so it was a little bit obvious. I just figured you’d want to be alone in the bathroom.”

“Thanks…” Junior mumbled and leaned against the wall beside James, feeling a bit embarrassed but he was grateful that his uncle didn’t try to go into the bathroom with him to make sure he was okay. It was mortifying enough that he became so anxious that he threw up rather than go into cardiac arrest, he didn’t need to have an audience as well.

“So if I ask you again if you’re alright, are you going to lie to me again?” James asked him, his tone light.

“Most likely, yes.” That was Junior’s quick response and didn’t say anything else, just chewing his gum and enjoying the flavor of watermelon exploding in his mouth.

His reply did earn a quiet chuckle from his uncle before he looked at the teenager seriously. “It’s okay to feel nervous. I know that…that this isn’t easy for you. I get it. I might not understand what’s going on in that head of yours, but I’m trying to. I want to help you, B.”

Junior knew that James just wanted to help. That’s all he had been doing the past three weeks. Trying to help his nephew that refused help almost every single time.

Why did it have to be so hard for him to be open with how he was feeling?

The teenager didn’t say anything for a moment, still chewing the gum until he finally spoke again. “I-I know you want to help. And I-I guess I am nervous. And anxious. And honestly…I’m afraid too.”

James looked at him in concern. “What are you afraid of, kid?”

That I’m going to fuck this all up. That I’m going to make you all hate me. That you all will regret taking me in because I’m a burden and kick me out without another thought, making me lose yet another person I care about.

All of those words wanted to spill out of Junior’s lips. Instead, he just said three words instead.

“I don’t know.”

It wasn’t a good answer, he knew that. But what the fuck else was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to be honest? To admit that he truly was afraid of everything going wrong by his own hand?

He couldn’t. He didn’t have the balls for it. He really was just a coward.

James smiled sadly at him before it transitioned into a hopeful smile, putting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder and gently squeezing. The motion reminded him for just a brief second of what his father used to do, tight grasp, firm and unwavering to make sure that the teenager didn’t stray from the script, sometimes leaving bruises of his fingers on his skin. But this one was different. It was light and almost comforting instead.

It was kind of…nice.

“You don’t have anything to be afraid of,” his uncle told him, “you’ll be safe with us, I promise. No one’s gonna hurt you.”

Did James think that Junior was worried about the ‘mysterious’ serial killer? Maybe. It wouldn’t be surprising if that was the case. He nearly died and was still dealing with the repercussions of that.

He would let the man believe whatever he wanted to. It’s not like he planned on ever telling the truth about what was lurking inside his mind.

Junior fidgeted with his sleeves, still chewing on his gum silently before nodding. “Yeah, I-I guess so…” he muttered before looking at his uncle and shooting him a small smile, “thanks anyway. For…you know…everything.”

James smiled at him and nodded, playfully ruffling his nephew’s hair which made the latter swat at his uncle’s hand. “Yeah, it’s no problem, kiddo, really.” He told him before pausing. “We should probably get ready, our flight will be taking off soon. You want to snack on something before you go?”

The teenager groaned and scrunched his nose up in disgust. “Please don’t mention food to me again until we at least land in Seattle, I don’t even want to think about eating something.”

His uncle chuckled and held his hands up in mock surrender. “Fine, I won’t mention anything relating to food for now.” He said with an amused tone before his eyes turned gentle. “So…are you ready to go on your next adventure?”

Junior didn’t say anything, looking like he was thinking about it until he blew a decent sized pink bubble and then it popped. “Sure. Let’s see where the hell this leads me.” He replied with a slight smirk, as if he was prepared when he sure the fuck wasn’t.

Please don’t let this be a mistake.

The teenager knew that there was no backing out now, especially once they were inside of the airplane. He was chewing on what was left of his fingernails, his bubblegum long forgotten and not caring that he was practically gnawing on skin at this point. His chest was tightening slightly and his stomach twisting, he needed a distraction.

“You’re starting to turn green again.” His uncle remarked, pulling the younger boy out of his thoughts.

“No ‘m not.” He insisted without a second thought, putting his hand down.

“Let me know if I should get you a bag before you upchuck.”

“Fuck you,” Junior replied dryly, hearing the man let out a huff of a chuckle from the seat beside him, “that was a one time thing. A fluke. I’m not a nervous puker…I think. I better fucking not be. It’s bad enough I have a shitty heart, I don’t need a shitty stomach either.”

“You don’t have a shitty heart, Brandon,” James responded and his nephew didn’t need to look at him to know that he was smiling, “but really, you’re gonna be okay.” He suddenly paused as if he came to a realization to something. “Wait, have you ever been on an airplane before?”

The teenager paused before shaking his head. “No…I haven’t. I hardly ever left Hackensack let alone New Jersey.”

“Huh…that explains yet another reason why you’re so nervous.” His uncle mused out loud. “It’s alright though. First airplane trips are going to be fun, there’s nothing to worry about. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

“If you start giving me statistics on the likelihood of this plane crashing, I will get up and leave right now.” Junior told him in a serious tone, turning his head to look at the man who chuckled again.

“Okay, that’s fair, I won’t be doing that.” He told him lightly and leaned back against his seat. “I can try to understand your concerns though. Not just about the plane but…about everything. I know this isn’t easy and I want to help make this new transition better for you. But you have to let me in so I can do that, B.”

Junior knew he was right. He couldn’t say much but he had to at least say something. To let his uncle know that he was trying his best to open up and be a better person.

Would he ever be able to open up and be a better person? Now, that was completely up for debate but it most likely wouldn’t happen. Although, he could still release some of his thoughts and try to be a nicer teenager to his newfound family.

“It’s not…easy for me to say what’s on my mind,” the teenager started, once again fidgeting with his sleeves, “I’m not used to being honest. It…kind of freaks me out, to be completely fair.”

“I understand,” James said with a comforting smile, “you don’t have to be a hundred percent honest with me, especially about your past. But if you do a little bit, even if it’s just a sliver, that’s enough for me, kiddo.”

Junior smiled slightly at his uncle while still fidgeting. “Thanks for understanding. It’s just…complicated. Everything’s complicated. I…I tend to mess things up. I don’t mean to, I just…I panic and ruin everything good. I’m…” he paused, one hand moving up to start rubbing his chest lightly, “I’m scared I’m going to do it again…” he confessed quietly, his voice barely able to be heard by himself. But just like always, James heard it.

The man reached out to place his hand over his nephew’s, the one that wasn’t on his chest. “You’re not going to mess this up,” he reassured him, “you won’t. It doesn’t matter what you do. You’re family. And family doesn’t up on each other, especially after all they’ve been through. We’re going to be here for you no matter what. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Junior said without thinking, but he meant it. He couldn’t afford anymore broken promises in his life, from others and himself.

“I’m not breaking this promise, Brandon, I mean it.” James said seriously, looking so deeply that Junior felt that he was staring into his soul. “We’re gonna be here for you. Through thick and thin.”

The teenager didn’t understand why his uncle just had to be so nice. Why? He didn’t deserve it. He knew he had been kind of an asshole to him when they first met. He refused any help. Junior was getting better at it now, but that still didn’t change things. James really didn’t know how much of a monster his nephew really was.

If he knew, then he would’ve left the teenager to rot at the hospital and let some poor unfortunate family take care of him once he was in the foster system.

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Junior decided to say, not being in the mood to argue about how that promise will end up being broken anyway. Especially when the plane started to move and he immediately gripped onto the armrests until his knuckles turned white. “Oh god…”

“Hey, you’re gonna be fine,” his uncle quickly reassured him, “just think of something cheerful. Something that’ll calm you down.”

The teenager squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his heart that was beginning to border close to a cardiac arrest and began to do what he always did when he got to relax himself.

“See the people walking down the street, fall in line just watching all their feet.” He muttered the lyrics under his breath, trying to stay as quiet as he could to avoid further embarrassment.

But by now, he should’ve known that his uncle had insanely good ears.

“They don't know where they want to go, but they're walking in time.” James completed the next two lines, a smile starting to grow on the teenager’s face. “THEY GOT THE BEAT!”

Junior’s eyes snapped open when his uncle began belting out the lyrics out of nowhere, his face flushing a dark shade of pink as he whipped his head toward him in complete shock. “Oh my god, shut up!”

His uncle, in fact, did not shut up. “THEY GOT THE BEAT, THEY GOT THE BEAT! YEAH! THEY GOT THE BEAT!”

Eyes were on them, far too many, but the teenager made direct eye contact with an older woman that was seated across from them. “I’ve literally never seen this man in my entire life.”

“I’m his uncle!” James interrupted his own singing to declare loudly.

“Allegedly,” Junior said with a straight face, “there’s no DNA test proving that.”

The man snorted and rolled his eyes, nudging his elbow lightly against his nephew’s. “Whatever, kiddo. You relaxed now?”

The teenager wouldn’t admit it, but his uncle’s little ‘performance’ surely made him forget about his anxiety and the fact that the plane was now cruising calmly across the sky. “…yes.” He said quietly, still blushing faintly while also rolling his eyes. “Now please, for the love of god, never do that again. I think my ears are bleeding.”

“Fine, I’ll stop.” James said with an amused smile. “But you have to admit…that was pretty cool.”

“No it wasn’t.” He replied quickly, struggling to keep a smile off his face.

While it had been embarrassing to hear his uncle shrieking his favorite song, he was also entertained.

Was it possible to be embarrassed and entertained at the same time?

God, it felt like he was learning new things everyday.

Junior’s heart was calm now as the flight continued for the next half hour, his eyes growing heavier and heavier. “What are the chances I’ll wake up with a severe neck pain if I fall asleep right now?”

“Pretty high.” James responded in a playful tone but gave his nephew a soft smile. “You should still try to sleep though. It’s gonna be a long day.”

The teenager nodded, smiling slightly back at his uncle, and leaned his head back. He turned to look out the window, watching the fluffy white clouds as if it was a sign of something wonderful to come, before the motion of the plane slowly lulled him to sleep.

__________

Junior was back in the theater, on top of Chucky with a butcher knife buried into his chest. He felt almost out of breath at the moment, feeling nothing but anger and a wave of protectiveness flowing through him. All he knew was that he had to keep Lexy safe.

“Leave her alone…she isn’t like us.” He nearly snarled to Chucky, watching the doll cough up blood.

“I…think I’m gonna be…sick…” he groaned before he died, causing the teenager to move away until he noticed a pain in his chest.

A knife was protruding from him, almost in the exact same position as the knife in Chucky’s chest.

Fuck. The son of a bitch had gotten him.

“Lexy…” he whispered her name before collapsing to the cold floor.

“No!” Lexy yelled out, quickly grabbing him and pulling him into her arms. “Junior, Junior it’s gonna be okay—!”

“Tell the others…I’m sorry.” Junior whispered to her, feeling himself fading away and stopped moving.

But he didn’t fall into the darkness, not like before. It was like he was…stuck. He couldn’t move, breathe, or see anything…but he could hear her. He could still hear Lexy.

“Junior! Please, please don’t go! We need you! I need you! Don’t leave us! We can’t do this without you! Junior, please! Junior! Junior! Brandon!”

Wait what?

Brandon?

How did she—?

“Brandon!” Junior’s eyes opened and he gasped quietly, his head snapping up as he was brought back into consciousness. He blinked a few times, trying to wake himself up more before his uncle spoke again. “Brandon, are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, ‘m fine…” the teenager mumbled, rubbing his face with one hand as he looked at the older man, “why are you asking?”

“You were mumbling in your sleep,” James started to explain, “I don’t know what you were saying, but you sounded almost…scared. Or sad. Maybe both.” He paused momentarily. “I never pegged you for a sleep-talker.”

“Piss off.” Was Junior’s deadpanned response before realizing that that might’ve sound offensive. His uncle didn’t take it as an offense, thankfully, because he heard him chuckle. “I don’t sleep-talk. At least I don’t think I do. I was just…dreaming, I guess.”

“Was it a nightmare?” The man asked with an eyebrow raised.

The teen shook his head. “No. Well…I guess. It was a memory. A nightmarish memory but it wasn’t necessarily a nightmare. I’ve had worse,” he halted, remembering the dream and touched the scar on his chest, “it was just…different. It happened but there were things that were said that I didn’t hear before.”

“Do you think it was real? Or just part of the dream?” James asked, looking almost curious.

In all honesty, Junior wasn’t sure. Maybe it was his subconscious that somehow heard what Lexy was saying when he passed out, now reminding him of those very words.

Or maybe it was something else. A warning to not leave Hackensack…

No, that was ridiculous. It didn’t matter how scared and urgent and distraught Lexy sounded, it was just a dream. It didn’t mean anything, he was just thinking too much about it.

“I don’t know,” was all the teenager said after a long pause, running a hand through his hair and leaned back again, “do you know how much longer until we’re back down to earth?”

His uncle chuckled lightly. “Another hour, I think. Just try to relax for now, okay? And maybe keep your sleep-talking down to a minimum.”

Junior’s only response was to hold up a single middle finger to the older man, prompting him to laugh in amusement.

He was quiet for the rest of the flight, occasionally speaking up to converse with his uncle, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lexy, about how heartbroken she looked as he nearly died in her arms, the tears that streamed down her face. Maybe she would miss him the most out of everyone else.

Please let her be okay. Let her move on and be happy with her life and find someone who could treat her the way she deserved to be treated. I don’t care what she’s done. She deserves to be happy. He prayed silently to himself, repeating it over and over until the plane finally landed safely.

Oh shit. The plane landed.

His new life was about to begin.

The anxiety was coming back and he inhaled a hesitant breath before exhaling it shakily.

The beginning of Junior’s new life was here.

#Luna talks #admin #Chucky #Chucky tv series #Chucky 2021 #Junior Wheeler #Junior Wheeler is alive #AU #alternate universe #original characters #James Reyes #Lexy Cross #Junior Wheeler centric #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #Bells in Santa Fe #archive of our own #ao3

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barclaysangel · 2 years

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“Smells Like Teen Spirit”; Chapter 5: I’m Worst At What I Do Best

Here’s the fifth chapter!

It definitely doesn’t feel like my best work, even though it somehow came out to be 4.3K words, but I tried my best.

We are officially 25% done with this fic and I find that completely insane. I seriously can’t wait to write the rest! Even though I’m starting to lose ideas, feel free to recommend ideas to me for the core four either on here or AO3!

Please comment what you think so far of the best Junior Wheeler fic I’ve ever written :)

Junior wasn’t sure how long they were hugging.

It was going on for a while, but he made no move to pull away. He really wasn’t used to physical affection, especially hugs. Even though he had gotten plenty from Tiffany and was having one right now from Lexy, it still was taking some time getting used to.

Did he seriously crave for hugs this much and was starting to realize it?

“I-I can’t believe your alive!” Lexy laughed wetly, hugging him for a little bit longer and then pulled away, the doll trying to ignore how cold he suddenly felt. “I don’t understand…how is this possible?”

“Long story short…I was dying in the hospital, Tiffany, Chucky’s ex, brought a Good Guy doll and taught me the spell to transfer my soul inside the doll, I did it just before I did, then there was thunder and lightning struck and the next thing I knew, my body died and I was inside the doll.” Junior said all of this quickly, rambling because he absolutely didn’t want to keep repeating this story.

He said before looking at all three of them. “Any questions?”

Devon was the first one to speak up. “Tiffany? As in the blonde lady that was helping the army of Chuckys before decapitating one of them with a nail filer and then bombing Charles Lee Ray’s old house?”

Junior blinked before nodding. “Yup. Her. She’s actually pretty cool and really nice once you get to know her.”

“She’s a serial killer.” Devon pointed out.

“Yeah, and I’m a killer.” Junior reminded him with a casual shrug. He was greeted with silence. “What? It’s true, I’m not going to deny it. Besides, what are you guys gonna do? Turn me into the police?” He snorted and the others did nod in understanding.

“Wait, so you’ve been alive for almost two weeks?” Lexy asked before suddenly looking angry. “Where the hell have you been?!”

Junior gulped and took a few steps back, hitting Devon’s legs. “I was with Tiffany and Nica—”

“Were you ever going to let us know that you were alive?!” Lexy threw in her next question, still looking like she was five seconds away from drop kicking the doll.

“No-I mean, yes-well, uhhh…sorta?” Junior wasn’t even sure what to say anymore, he just kept backing up until he was hidden behind Devon’s legs.

Thankfully, Devon didn’t bother to move. Probably because he was worried that Lexy was going to lunge at him from how mad she was, so he decided to make himself a barrier.

“Were you though?” Jake piped up, most likely to instigate some shit.

Junior turned his head to glare up at his cousin and pointed a tiny finger menacingly at him. “Shut. Your. Fucking. Mouth.”

“Seriously Junior?” Lexy still sounded upset but also sad this time. “You were willing to let us think you were dead for the rest of our lives?”

“Lexy, I’m not exactly living my best life right now,” Junior pointed out and gestured with his hands to his body, “I’m a copycat of Chucky. This isn’t fun for me. And I just figured…you guys were better off without me in your lives.”

This…might not have been the smartest thing to say. Because immediately afterwards, all three of them were shouting. Some in anger, some in disbelief, some in all of the above. He didn’t know but it was far too much noise than what he liked.

So Junior did what any totally sane person would’ve done.

He started yelling.

No words, just…full on yelling, loud enough to overpower their voices. The trio stopped as soon as he began, but he kept going for almost a minute for good measure.

And because deep down, Junior truly wanted to scream from the top of his lungs because of everything that’s happened but was clearly holding himself back.

“Stop! Just stop!” Junior exclaimed with words this time. “Okay, it wasn’t the best decision to make. I thought it was for the best but judging by your reactions, I might’ve been wrong.”

“Might?” Jake raised an eyebrow but quickly dropped it when Junior glared at him again.

“This has been a very long thirteen days. Actually, a very long two months. All I want is to make amends. I want to make amends and apologize for…everything. That’s it. Okay?” Junior finished speaking, taking a deep breath and exhaling to relax himself.

Silence filled the air for a long moment but it was Lexy that broke it. “Juni…you have nothing to apologize for.”

Junior couldn’t help but to scoff. “Are you kidding me? I almost killed you,” he looked at Devon, “and you,” then he turned his head to Jake, “and I certainly thought of killing you too.”

Jake didn’t say anything but definitely looked perturbed by that revelation before Lexy spoke again. “But you didn’t. Because you’re not that kind of person. You’re not what Chucky tried to make you to be. You saved me, Junior. Do you remember that?“

He did remember. It was hard not to. Holding the knife, Chucky telling him to kill her. He didn’t know what to do. All he knew, is that he couldn’t hurt her, let alone kill her.

So Junior stabbed Chucky.

Then Chucky stabbed him.

And he was dead.

“Yeah. I did. But that doesn’t change anything.” Junior said with a shake of his head.

“Yes, it does!” Devon said quickly but the doll shook his head again.

“I left you in that house to die,” Junior reminded him as he winced at the memory, “how the hell you guys even are talking to me and acting like you care is fucking beyond me! I almost killed you guys! Even though you were such-such-such…” he fought to find the right words, something that wasn’t too mean, before he gave it up entirely, “assholes, it was still wrong!”

“Assholes?” Jake sounded both confused and bewildered. “How the fuck were we—?”

“You pushed me away! You all did!” Junior snap and he tried desperately to hold himself back, to not blow up the more he thought about his loneliness. “You ignored me when I tried to reach out without giving me any reasons. Of course, it took meeting a killer doll to find out that he was the reason for that!”

“We wanted to protect you!” Lexy blurted out, tears starting to shine through her eyes again.

“Protect me?” Junior laughed coldly. “Keeping me in the dark about Chucky was not protection. The exact opposite, in fact. Because when my mom…when she died, do you know who I had beside me?” He tilted his head to the side mockingly. “No one. Not one. Single. Fucking. Person. I was…completely alone. And Chucky found me. He used me. Wrapped me around his tiny fucking fingers. Chucky was all I had because my friends, even my cousin, weren’t there for me after I watched my mother’s corpse land inches from my face.”

Junior should stop, he knew he should, this was going too far. But the words were tumbling out of his mouth now with no filter and the asshole part of him didn’t care that they were hurting. He could see in all of their eyes, the guilt and remorse.

He needed to stop.

But he had to dig one more time, the final shot.

Had to make them hurt the way he did when he was suddenly cast aside.

“Your protection didn’t do shit. Chucky got me because of all of you.”

The anger that was inside Junior started to fizzle down now, but he wished that he could’ve swallowed down his own words. He lowered his head, not wanting to look at the trio because he knew his words hurt them. He wanted them to hurt but regretted it now.

He would never change, could he? No matter how much he apologized, he was always going to be the piece of shit that hurt people when he was angry because he didn’t want to be alone in his pain.

“I-I’m sorry…” Junior apologized anyway after a moment, nearly choking on the words because he still wasn’t used to apologizing for his own actions, “I didn’t…I didn’t mean what I said, I…I just…”

“I think we all need to sit down and talk this over.” Devon spoke calmly, taking the initiative and sitting down right on the floor. Lexy was still on her knees but sat down properly as well, Jake following soon after.

Junior didn’t have to look up to know that there were three pairs of eyes on him. Finally, he sat down in between Devon and Lexy-and try not to think about how tiny he felt next to them-but kept his head pointed to the ground.

He didn’t want to speak anymore because he knew that he ruined this. Whatever they were building up was now completely broken because of him.

He couldn’t just keep his mouth shut, could he?

“Junior…you were right.” Jake spoke up after a whole minute of silence. “We should’ve told you. We thought you wouldn’t have believed us, maybe you wouldn’t…but he should’ve. Devon wanted to tell you but we thought keeping this from you would protect you.”

Junior blinked in surprise, lifting his head slightly to look at Devon. He shouldn’t be too shocked, it would be in Devon’s nature to want Junior to know the truth about Chucky.

Devon gave him a small smile filled with melancholy. “It’s true. I wanted you to know. I should’ve argued more or-or told you anyway…I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Jake added in, “I should’ve at least been there for you when…when your mom died,” for a moment, it felt like Junior was getting stabbed in the chest again and he fought away tears, “even though we weren’t friends, I should’ve been there to support you. So I’m sorry.”

Lexy was next to speak. “Me too. I-I know I apologized at the theater, but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t…I wasn’t a good girlfriend to you. Not even a good friend. I was the one who told Jake and Devon not to tell you about Chucky and I was wrong. I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I should’ve stayed by your side. I’m really, really sorry, Juni.”

Junior took a few deep breathe to push away the urge to cry, fiddling with his fingers. While he almost never apologized for the shit he’s done, he wasn’t sure if anyone had ever apologized to him too. This might’ve been the first time.

He remembered sometimes fantasizing about his dad waking up one day and realizing that he was putting too much pressure on Junior. That he would go to his son and apologize for everything, cut the strings off Junior’s back and allow the boy to finally be himself. Let him quit cross-country and follow his own dreams with the support of his father. Allow him to finally breathe and be a kid rather than a legacy.

But Junior knew deep down, that those dreams would never come true. And with his father now six-feet under, he knew for certain that it wouldn’t happen now.

It didn’t hit him until now about how much he truly need to hear an apology.

“I…I’m sorry,” Junior said as he managed to to get himself under control and looked at Jake, “I’m sorry for being a…horrible cousin. I’m sorry for never being there for you and for pushing you away when we were kids.”

Junior turned his head to look at Devon. “I’m sorry for leaving you there at that house. I’m sorry for even considering for a second to kill you. I never should’ve left you there to die.”

Then, he looked at Lexy and ignored how his heart raced just a little faster. “I’m sorry for trying to make you join me and Chucky. I’m sorry for almost killing you. I…I’m sorry for not being the-the…boyfriend you wanted me to be. I’m sorry.”

Junior and Lexy made themselves to be the perfect couple. It was what their parents would’ve wanted. But they just…weren’t good people. Or maybe they weren’t compatible. He didn’t quite know.

Junior could be quite soft and it was something she used to tease him about. Sometimes Lexy wanted to go further than just kissing or making out, and he could never bring himself to do that. It terrified him and he just didn’t want to. They never did go further, and it was something that he knew most likely bothered Lexy.

He wished that that part of him was wired differently and he could’ve been like other teenage boys at his age who wanted more. Lexy was beautiful, yes. He was-maybe still is-attracted to her. But he wasn’t attracted to her or anyone else in that way.

Why did Junior have to be so fucking broken?

Why couldn’t he ever just be good enough?

A couple tears slipped from Lexy’s eyes and Junior wanted to reach out to wipe them away, but kept his doll-like hands at his sides instead.

She smiled at him, both sadly and happily. “You’re…you were the best boyfriend. I just didn’t realize it until it was too late.” He noticed how she caught herself. They weren’t together anymore. Probably never will again.

What kind of fucked up romance story would a human and a doll be?

Junior gave her a tiny smile, not knowing entirely of what to say. This was all just too much emotion and he wasn’t used to opening up like this.

“Okay, that’s enough of all this sappy shit.” He ended up saying after clearing his throat so it wouldn’t be obvious that he was nearly about to cry.

“Oh please, Junior, you’re such a sap too.” Lexy said in a teasing yet soft tone and giggled fondly.

Junior shook his head quickly, most certainly not wanting to get into how much of a sap he was when they were dating because he knew Lexy would spill the beans, so he quickly changed the subject.

“I just realized that we’re the only ones here.” He said as he looked around the house. It was quiet and with all the yelling and noise from the three human teenagers and a doll, it certainly would’ve gathered the attention of Lexy’s family.

What a terribly awkward sight that would’ve been.

“Yeah, my mom went out with Caroline.” Lexy responded and he tilted his head slightly.

“Where’s your dad?” Junior asked and suddenly there was silence. He squinted slightly in confusion, not knowing what was going on before Lexy spoke again.

“He…he’s dead, Junior,” her voice cracked just a bit when she spoke and his eyes widened in surprise, “Chucky…he…” she didn’t continue and she didn’t need to, because he already knew what she was going to say.

Junior knew Nathan Cross. And unlike Michelle, who exuded false kindness to the point where Junior could choke, Nathan was a nice guy. He seemed genuine.

It felt almost like a slap to the face to find out that he was dead by Chucky’s hands. Why was he even surprised by now? Chucky’s a serial killer. He was sure that he killed Uncle Lucas and Devon’s mother. Of course he’d kill Lexy’s father as well.

Chucky really wanted to make some orphans apparently.

Except that Junior made himself an orphan. His mother ended her own life and then he ended his father’s life with the help of Chucky. But still.

“I-I’m sorry Lexy, I didn’t…I didn’t know…” Junior truly hadn’t known or even suspected Nathan’s death. He hated the news and made sure that whenever the tv was on, it wasn’t on the news. He didn’t want reminders of his death and all the other deaths that Chucky caused.

“It’s okay, Juni,” Lexy responded, trying to give him a small reassuring smile, “it’s…it’s been hard but…I’ll be okay. That night at the theater, I thought I lost two people I loved…I’m glad I was wrong.”

It took Junior nearly five seconds to fully process what she had said.

The L-word.

The fuck?

That was a word they never said to each other and hearing it now just made Junior completely speechless.

Did she mean it as romantic love?

Platonic?

Something else that was somewhere in the middle?

He didn’t know, but it felt like his head was spinning as he stared at her, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

Thankfully, Devon seemed to catch onto his friend’s inner dilemma and shifted the subject onto something else. “Wait, you mentioned that you were staying with Tiffany and Nica…Nica as in, Nica Pierce? The one who escaped Harrogate Psychiatric Hospital?”

Junior turned to Devon and gave him a thankful smile, grateful for the distraction. “Yeah, her. I didn’t know she escaped from a psychiatric hospital…but then again, it most likely wasn’t her. Chucky’s been possessing her for god knows how long.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “Wait, Chucky is possessing her? Like…still possessing her?”

“Mhm, last time I checked,” Junior replied casually, “he hasn’t really been in control since I’ve been there. Tiff’s working on a way to get him out so Nica can finally have her body back.”

“Aren’t you worried?” Lexy asked this time. “Like, she could be Nica one moment and Chucky the next…if he finds out that you’re still alive, he could kill you. Actually, he will kill you.”

Junior shrugged. “I mean, yeah. It’s a gamble. But Tiff will protect me, I know she will. She already has by making sure I stay in another room when Chucky does get control.”

Devon raised an eyebrow at him. “Junior…she’s literally a serial killer.”

“I trust her,” the doll insisted, “she had no reason to save my life because she barely knew me for a day. But she chose to, and chose to give me a home. She has given me no reason to not trust her. Tiffany may be a psychotic murderer, but she’s like…really sweet. Super cool and fun too.”

Junior resisted the urge to mention how she acts like a mom. Tiffany has always always been so maternal with him and he couldn’t help but to see her as a mother figure.

But it made him feel like shit, like he was trying to replace his own mom. He certainly wasn’t trying to, not at all. No one could replace Bree Wheeler. He loved her and no one could compare to the amazing woman that she was. But that didn’t change the way his brain made him feel, like a fucking traitor.

“You’re not gonna go back so soon, right?” Jake questioned. “I mean…you just got here. We just found out that you’re alive. I…I’d like it if you…you know…stayed for a while.”

“Wait, I, wanted Junior to stay here!” Lexy whined loudly, almost pouting.

“I asked first.”

“That’s not fair!”

They started to argue, Junior sitting there in silence for a moment before exhaling loudly through his nose and then speaking up.

“Guys, I am not a doll that you can just pass around whenever you feel like it like it’s show and tell!”

Junior immediately knew that that wasn’t the best thing to say. Because they all were staring at him, giving him knowing looks and struggling to say something so he put a hand up.

“Okay, wrong term. Let me rephrase that: I am not a piece of property that you can just pass around whenever you feel like it like it’s show and tell. Despite my current physical appearance, I still possess what is left of my soul and have emotions. Please take that into account because I’d rather not feel like I am owned by someone again just because I resemble a children’s toy. Thank you.”

It was quiet for a moment, a semblance of guilt in Jake and Lexy’s eyes before Devon chuckled under his breath. “Dude…you sound like a fifty-five year old man at some board meeting.”

Laughter erupted from his ex-girlfriend and cousin, with Devon laughing louder after them. Junior glared at them all but a smile was tugging on his lips from how much they were laughing. Finally, he gave up and joined them, nearly tipping himself backward from how hard he was laughing.

When was the last time he laughed like this? He wasn’t sure, couldn’t even remember. But even now with his hands over his mouth to stifle the series of snorts escaping him from his laughter, he had to admit…it was nice to laugh with his friends. Real, genuine laughter.

He hoped this could last.

“Okay, okay, first of all…” Junior managed to speak up after a moment once he was done chortling and pointed a finger at Devon, “fuck you. Second of all…yeah, I got nothing, you were pretty accurate.”

“You sure you aren’t actually a fifty-five year old business man that was stuck in a fourteen year old’s body and is now inside a doll?” Jake asked in a teasing tone, looking like he was a few seconds away from bursting out laughing again.

“There is literally nothing that could surprise me anymore, so I wouldn’t even be shocked if that was the case.” Junior replied with a shrug of his shoulders, smiling in amusement.

It took Lexy a little longer to stop her giggles but she managed to talk once she did regain composure. “Well, even if that’s a case, you did make a good point, Juni. I’m sorry if I made you feel like a doll.”

Junior gave her a reassuring smile and leaned to the side to nudge her arm with his shoulder. “It’s okay, Lex, I forgive you.”

They smiled at each other for a moment before Junior turned to look at his cousin. “As for your offer…I-I mean…I guess I could stay. For a while. If-if you guys don’t mind…”

Devon smiled at him. “Of course we wouldn’t mind. It’ll be fun!”

“Besides, it’s not like you’re gonna take up a lot of room in our house anyway.” Jake joked, causing Junior to smile sarcastically and then hold up his middle finger toward his cousin.

Jake was just absolutely infuriating. Was this payback for the years of bullying Junior put him through?

Probably. But it could be worse. At least it made him feel like a little kid again, the constant bickering.

So maybe he didn’t mind so much.

“I hate to break up this…very interesting reunion party, but mom and Caroline will be back soon and I’d rather not have Care become obsessed with another Good Guy doll.” Lexy spoke up after a moment and Junior put his finger down.

“Yeah, I get it, no worries.” He replied with a little smile as they all got up to their feet, Junior being a bit faster than the others due to his new short stature.

Lexy looked down at him, biting her bottom lip for a moment. “You’ll see me tomorrow, right?”

Junior smiled and nodded quickly. “Yeah, of course I will. Pinky promise.” He said, holding up his pinky and tried not to think about how tiny it was now compared to how it used to be.

Lexy giggled softly but leaned down to wrap her much larger pinky around his. “You better, Juni.” She said in an amusing tone, making him chuckle before she stood up fully again.

Junior turned to Devon, holding his arms up. “Carry me please so the neighbors won’t see a walking doll.” Devon laughed but did anyway, carefully picking him up and holding him to his chest.

Jake stared at him for a few seconds and huffed. “You’re still gonna let Devon hold you and not me?”

“Absolutely.” Junior replied without hesitation. “Without a doubt. I’d rather die again than to let you hold me.”

His response earned looks of mild concern from Lexy and Devon but Jake merely rolled his eyes and snorted under his breath in amusement from Junior’s dramatic statement.

“Have they been like this all day since they met again?” Lexy asked his best friend with an eyebrow raised.

Devon looked at her with complete exhaustion in his eyes. “They’ve been bickering like toddlers fighting over a stuffed teddy bear nonstop. I don’t get paid enough for their shit. Actually, I don’t get paid at all.”

Junior snorted and patted Devon’s shoulder a couple times. “You’ll be fine, Dev. Besides, it’s not like Jake and I are trying to kill each other yet!”

“Yet?!” Lexy, Devon, and Jake nearly exclaimed with wide eyes, but they were merely met with Junior’s innocent smile.

God, he enjoyed teasing them all.

“Lexy, if you don’t hear from me tomorrow, Junior killed me in my sleep.” Jake told her in an almost serious voice.

“Ah, I see that it’s genetic for the Wheeler’s to be dramatic.” Devon stated flatly, causing Lexy to laugh while the cousins scowled at Devon.

Well, he may have been right about that, but still.

After they all said their goodbyes, Lexy looked at Junior again with a soft look in her eyes that he wasn’t used to seeing. He wished that she had looked at him like that when they were dating. “Juni…I’m really happy you’re alive.”

Junior wanted to agree. He wanted to feel happy that he was alive…but he didn’t know how he truly felt. This wasn’t living. To be inside of a doll that was identical to his killer wasn’t ideal. Right now, he was just trying to get by day by day.

But he still gave her a smile and nodded. “Yeah…I know.” Those were the only words he managed to say that he felt were true before the three of them walked out of the door.

He was quiet as they walked out the door before his eyes landed on the bikes. “Wait…please don’t tell me we’re gonna take the bikes again.”

Neither Devon nor Jake had the heart to say anything. At least Devon looked a little sympathetic while Jake was obviously trying not to laugh, the son of a bitch knowing that this was going to suck for his cousin.

Junior sighed loudly. “Fuck my life.”

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barclaysangel · 2 years

Text

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”; Chapter 7: Our Little Group Has Always Been

New chapter is here!

I know, I know. “Luna, you said you’re gonna update every Sunday!” Yeah, I did…then I did the math and figured out if I was consistent to update once a week on Sunday, the fic wouldn’t be finished until JUNE! And that’s just too long for me and the people who read this. So I decided to TRY and update twice a week, Wednesday’s and Sunday’s.

This chapter feels kinda meh to me and is at 3.9K words, thankfully it didn’t go past 4K. But I hope you guys still like this so please comment to let me know what you think, either on here or AO3! :)

The next few days went by without a hitch.

When Jake and Devon were in school, Junior stayed behind at the house. It wasn’t too bad, because Devon let him borrow his laptop. So he binge watched different shows and movies, and helped himself to food around the house.

And while his cousin and best friend ate dinner with Miss Fairchild, Junior would use Jake’s phone to call Tiffany. He liked talking with her and still wanted to keep her updated on what was going on. The others had no idea that Junior was still in contact with her and he didn’t bother to tell them. He knew that they didn’t trust her, so what they didn’t know wouldn’t kill them.

All in all, it’s been…nice. Really nice. To just hang out with his cousin and friends, opening up himself a little more to them. It was so different than what he was used to, but he liked it. He liked being around them.

But Junior would be stupid to ignore how Jake and Devon sometimes flinch or jump when they see him. Even Lexy. He knew it wasn’t their fault, having had far too much trauma because of Chucky. But he was identical to him now. They always relaxed when they remembered it was just him, but it didn’t exactly make him feel better.

He tried not to dwell too much on it though, or else it would eat him up inside. So he tried to focus on the good things instead.

It was Friday night now and Junior, Jake, Devon, and Lexy were all having a sleepover in Jake’s room. Junior was grateful to spend more time with Lexy, even if it was just being by her side and watching TikToks with her. They were all sitting on the floor in the center of the room, different conversations going around.

“I totally failed that English test,” he heard Jake complain, “I know it. I can feel it in my gut.”

“That’s what you get for not studying.” Junior replied without even looking away from Lexy’s phone, quietly awing at the sight of puppy getting its fur brushed.

“Fuck you, asshole!” Jake snapped back but there wasn’t a lot of venom in his voice for Junior to care or worry about, so he merely just chuckled.

“I’ll help you study next time, how about that?” Junior offered and turned his head just slightly to look at his cousin.

Jake was quiet, pretending to think about it before nodding. “Yeah, okay, I guess that’ll work.”

“Just don’t ask him for help in math.” Devon retorted with a laugh.

Junior shuddered. “God, I’m so glad I died so I don’t have to keep doing math.”

His response earned a quick but light slap to the top of his head. He jumped before scowling at Lexy, the one who hit him. “What was that for?!”

“Too soon.” She said with a stare that seemed to dig deep into his soul.

“I mean…it’s been two and a half weeks…” Junior tried to argue.

“Too soon!” Three voices rang out in the room alongside three pairs of intense eyes on him, making the doll give up and hold his hands up in surrender.

“Okay, okay, too soon…Jesus.” He muttered, definitely not thinking his joke was too soon. But maybe he really was using humor as a coping mechanism, just like Nica said.

It was quiet for a moment before Devon held up a bowl of popcorn that was on the middle of the floor. “Anyone want anymore?”

Lexy and Junior both accepted the offer, taking a handful in their hands. Well, two handfuls for Junior, which was only about three or four pieces in each hand because they were so small.

“What exactly do you do all day while we’re at school?” Lexy asked curiously, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

Junior finished chewing the popcorn that was inside his mouth, shrugging. “Not much. Just watch movies, eat, relax.” Call Tiffany and then delete the evidence before Jake gets his phone back. “I also like to snoop through Jake’s things.”

“Asshole,” Jake grumbled while rolling his eyes, “good thing I hid my diary from you.”

“It’s under your mattress.” Junior said without any hesitation. “Not the best hiding spot for it. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone through it…” he paused for dramatic effect and smirked, “…or have I?”

He truly hadn’t, even though he did find where it was. He just liked keeping his cousin on his toes and to always expect the unexpected.

Jake glared at him while the doll continued smirking. “I hate you.”

“Aw, I hate you too.” Junior said with a smirk that shifted into a sweet smile.

Lexy turned her head to look at Devon. “They still haven’t stopped bickering?”

“I’ve accepted the fact that they’re not going to stop.” Devon said in a deadpanned voice before taking a long sip from his water bottle.

“Hey, you wanted us to get along. This is how we get along.” Junior insisted as he shrugged his shoulders.

As if to prove how well they “get along” now compared to before, Jake grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it at Junior. Some of it got stuck in his hair but he merely picked the pieces out.

“Jokes on you, fucker, you just gave me more popcorn from your portion!” Junior stuck his tongue out childishly before shoving the pieces of popcorn into his mouth.

Jake paused, coming to that realization. “Shit, you’re right…give ‘em back!”

Junior then proceeded to shove as much of the popcorn in his mouth, holding up both of his middle fingers. “Never!” He exclaimed with his mouth full.

“Good god, you two act like children.” Lexy said with an eye roll and she and Devon laughed. The cousins wanted argue but knew it would be futile, so they ended up laughing as well.

It was like this for a few more hours, talking about everything and nothing, until the conversations started to slow down and the yawns grew more and more consistent.

“Guys, it’s like…two in the morning.” Devon said, having his head resting on Jake’s shoulder and rubbed his eyes.

“Yeah, it is.” Junior yawned, lying down on the floor and made sure his head was on the pillow. “Lex, stay in between me and Jake, I’m tired of waking up to him cuddling me.”

“You asshole, I can’t control how I sleep.” Jake grumbled and even though he wasn’t looking at him, Junior knew that he was glaring at him.

“And you still snore, I can’t even catch a break.” Junior lied face first onto his pillow, hearing Lexy laugh at Jake as she lied down beside the doll.

“You better not keep me awake with your snoring, Jake, I need my beauty sleep.” Lexy told him, making Junior smile.

“Oh shut up, I don’t even snore that bad!” Jake insisted but Junior didn’t care to keep listening and just closed his eyes. He could hear their voices, playfully bickering and teasing, and it was a reassuring sound. Along with the feeling of Lexy pulling a blanket up and carefully draping it over him.

He was warm and felt safe. Like nothing could hurt him. So he let their voices lull him to sleep.

But he should’ve known that he’d never be safe from the nightmares.

They hadn’t been as bad since he started staying with Jake and Devon. Sure they were enough to hurt him, but he was more aware of them. He knew he was dreaming and would make sure he didn’t start screaming, just leave himself to cry in his dream instead.

But this time, it wasn’t like that.

This time he was fully reliving his mother’s death. Every moment of it. To her parking the car outside her therapist’s office, them talking about how he was her favorite topic of conversation, hugging, saying she loved him.

It was lovely until he remembered what happened after that.

I’ve been havin’ dreams, jumpin’ on a trampoline.

Junior’s blood turned ice cold when he heard that song, wanting so desperately to rip his earbuds out.

No, please, please no, please I don’t want to see this again, please! He begged but not one listened. His own body wouldn’t move despite his heavy breathing, stayed in the same spot as if he was oblivious to what would happen next.

When I dream of dying, I never feel so loved.

His mother’s body dropped on the car and there was nothing left for him to do but to stare forward, looking at her bloody face and lifeless eyes.

Junior couldn’t get out of the car like he did before. He was frozen inside his own body, trying to scream as loud as he could but his voice wouldn’t work.

The dream shifted out of nowhere and Junior hit the ground. He wasn’t himself though, he was the doll. He was the copycat of Chucky. The only thing that stayed the same was that he couldn’t move. Couldn’t blink, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, nothing.

But he could see the others, Jake, Devon and Lexy. There were there staring down at him, eyes filled with fear. They looked at him in horror, like he was a monster from their worst nightmares.

Then Junior remembered that he was. He was a monster. He was identical to one. They had every reason to be scared of him. He wanted to say something, to tell them that he would never hurt them, but he couldn’t. Nothing would come out of his mouth, not even the high-pitched doll voice that gave him chills.

He was just forced to stare up at their terrified eyes and accept that they will never truly trust him.

Suddenly there were hands on him that he couldn’t see, saying his name, shaking him slightly and telling him to wake up. Wake up? What did they mean…?

“Please, Junior, you need to wake up!”

Junior gasped loudly and his eyes snapped open, shooting upright. He couldn’t focus on anything else except to try and breathe, but he could feel something wet running down his face. Through the tears in his eyes, he could barely see three different faces staring at him. Lexy was the closest, her hands on his shoulders and concern written all over her face.

“Juni, shhh, it’s okay, just breathe. It was just a nightmare, it’s okay.” Lexy tried to soothe him in a soft voice, reached up to try and wipe away his tears but the doll jerked himself away from her.

“No…no, it-it wasn’t a nightmare, it was…it was real…” Junior managed to say, lowering his head and was unable to look at any of them.

He was still breathing heavily and pulled his knees to his chest, not allowing himself to be touched by anyone. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Devon leave the room. Probably to make sure Miss Fairchild didn’t come in and wonder why there was a creepy looking doll having a panic attack in the middle of the bedroom, so he felt at least a little thankful for that.

Lexy didn’t make an effort to touch him again, probably afraid that he would hurt her if she tried, but she stayed in front of him. Her eyes looked sad and he couldn’t bare to look at her while she stared at him with so much pity.

He could see Jake move closer to him and the doll instinctively pulled himself away. “Junior, you gotta let us help you, okay?” He was speaking quietly, like he was trying to reassure him.

Junior tried to control himself, tried to hold it down, but he couldn’t. “Why do you care?” He whispered, keeping his head down.

“What?” Jake questioned.

“How could you care after everything I’ve done?” He asked almost in disbelief.

“We talked about this, Juni, we already forgave each other.” Lexy said to him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Devon came back into the room, going on his knees like the other to approach Junior, but he just moved away from all of them.

“You’re afraid of me…” Junior could just hardly hear his own voice, “I-I see how you guys act…you flinch and move away from me before remembering…you’re afraid of me…”

“No, no we aren’t,” Devon quickly said, “it’s just—”

“I’m him!” The doll interrupted, his voice raising and finally looked up at the others. “Every time you see me, you see him. You see Chucky and you don’t see me!”

They all stared at him sympathetically, Jake lightly touching his shoulder but Junior pulled away again, so he retracted his hand. “Junior, that doesn’t mean anything. We know it’s you. You’re our Junior, no matter what body you’re in.”

Junior shook his head quickly, the tears starting to spill again as he reached up and began pulling at his ginger hair that he would never get used to. He pulled them as tightly as he could in his fists, not caring if he ripped any out, he just wanted to try and stabilize himself.

“No, no, no, no, no…” he mumbled repeatedly, his breathing picking back up, “I hate looking like this, I don’t want to be like this, I just wish I let myself die instead of being exactly like my killer!”

The last part…he truly didn’t mean to say. It spilled out before he could even stop himself. He should’ve bitten his tongue and never said anything. He heard the others gasp and he couldn’t look at them anymore. Couldn’t face anymore pity, he didn’t want it. He squeezed his eyes shut instead and just started sobbing.

No one moved for a while, maybe for about ten seconds before he felt Lexy wrap her arms around him and pull him close to her body. She was hugging him so gently like he was a baby, humming a song that sounded familiar under her breath and rubbing his back with one hand.

Junior’s hands moved from his hair to Lexy’s hoodie-well, actually his hoodie, he recognized it as one of the ones she stole when they were still dating but decided not to say anything about it-and continued crying into her shoulder. Soon enough, he felt Devon and Jake move closer until they were somewhat hugging him from behind as well, their hands on his arms.

Had he never realized how badly he wanted to be held until now? Maybe he didn’t. But with all of them surrounding him, no words spoke but an air of gentle calmness around the room, he needed it.

He needed to be held. He hadn’t been held like that since his mother. He never thought it would happen again. And the doll didn’t have it in him to care that he was being comforted like a fussy infant because he just wanted to be held.

His cries started to slow down, his breathing evening out and he could faintly hear Lexy singing so quietly in his ear. “Don’t fear the reaper…baby, take my hand, don’t fear the reaper…”

Junior remembered hearing Lexy sing for the first time, that very song to Caroline. He remembered it like it was yesterday even though it had been just a few weeks ago. It was something he stored away in his memory of one of the rare times where Lexy let her guard down and allowed herself to be soft for her younger sister. It was sweet, genuinely. Even though she threatened to kill him if he told anyone. He didn’t care because he knew she wouldn’t and she had such a pretty voice.

He wished he could get to hear it more often.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, all holding him with only gentle singing and quiet reassurances being whispered until he finally fell asleep again.

The next time Junior woke up, the sun was shining on his face. It made him turn his face closer to something warm to block out the light and calm his pounding head. He was used to waking up with headaches that would go away after a few hours, always occurring when he had nightmares but it was easy for him to ignore. This time, however, he felt warm. Perhaps too warm.

The doll forced himself to open his eyes, noticing almost immediately that he was placed on top of Lexy’s chest. He had had his face in her shoulder and her arms were around him, like a child holding a teddy bear in their sleep.

Junior turned his head more in the direction of the snoring, seeing Jake lying down beside Lexy with his hand on the doll’s back. He felt another hand on his ankle and sat upright enough to see Devon sleeping just below his feet.

They had all slept touching him in some way, to keep comforting him even as he slept.

That was…sweet, he supposed. Extremely mortifying to the point where he wanted to die again, but also kind of sweet.

Despite the kind sentiment, it triggered Junior fight or flight response. And right now, he was going for the latter.

He started to move, trying to carefully shift his way out of all of their limbs, but especially Lexy’s arms, without waking anyone up. But his efforts proved to be futile when the blonde stretched slightly and her eyes opened.

“Juni…” Lexy smiled softly at him and he fought hard to ignore how his heart raced because how could someone look so pretty after just waking up? “How are you?”

“I’m great.” Junior lied right through his teeth because he was good at it. He spoke quietly, to try to make sure that the boys wouldn’t wake up. It was another failed mission because their voices caused the others to stir and slip into consciousness.

Jesus, this wasn’t what he wanted. He was about to face some kind of intervention and he didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with it, he seriously didn’t.

Devon sat up, rubbing his eyes and looking exhausted. It was Junior’s fault, of course, for keeping them all awake just because of his stupid nightmare and stupid mental breakdown. “Hey Junior.” He said with a smile.

“Hi.” Junior merely replied with an almost awkward smile. Kill me now please.

Jake pulled his hand away as he sat up as well, his curls a bigger mess than what it usually was. If he had any energy, Junior would absolutely tease him over it and compare his head to a rat’s nest. “Jun, we need to talk.”

“No we don’t,” Junior was quick to respond this time, pushing himself out of Lexy’s arms and standing up on the floor, “last night was…a moment of weakness and vulnerability. Which will never again, so let’s just put this whole thing behind us and pretend it never happened.”

“Absolutely not, we are not going to ignore this.” Lexy said while sitting upright too quickly for someone who just woke up.

Junior started walking away, being careful not to step on Devon. “Yes, we are, we’re ignoring this, so drop it.” His voice grew a bit more hostile, thinking that maybe if they thought he was getting angry, they would leave him alone.

“Junior, do you really think you’re the only one who gets nightmares?” Devon questioned softly to him, raising an eyebrow.

The doll started fidgeting, desperately wanting to get out of this situation. “No, I just…I don’t want to talk about this, okay? Please just let this go.”

“It’s okay, Junior, really,” Jake said before pausing for a moment and then speaking again, “you know how you keep saying that I ‘cuddle’ you when I sleep?” His cousin used air quotes with his fingers. “It’s because you sometimes cry in your sleep. The only way you calm down is if I hold you. You don’t have to hide how you’re feeling from us.”

If he wasn’t embarrassed before, he sure as well as now. He knew that he was still having nightmares while staying with Jake and Devon, but he thought he had it under control and wasn’t showing it externally.

How did he never realize that he was this touch starved?

It took a minute before Junior looked at his cousin. “Jake…remember when you threatened to throw me out the window? I am begging you to do it now.”

Lexy got up before kneeling down in front of Junior, gently stroking his hair. He stiffened slightly before relaxing under her touch and soft gaze. “Jun-Jun, I need you to listen to me and listen good,” the next part she spoke slowly as if he would understand better, “we. Are. Not. Afraid. Of. You.”

“But—”

“No buts!” Devon interrupted, smiling lightly. “This whole thing is…weird. It’s different. Sometimes, we do get startled when we see you. But that doesn’t mean that we’re scared of you.“

“Look, I get how hard it is for you to open up to us,” Jake started, “but you don’t have to hide the fact that you have nightmares or try to ignore it. We get them too. We just want to help you, Junior.”

He really didn’t want this kind of intervention. He was feeling too vulnerable again, rocking on the balls of his feet. The doll supposed that this was something he needed to hear…he didn’t want to, but he probably needed to hear it anyway.

Lexy took his much smaller hand in hers and it took everything in him to push away the negative thoughts about how strange it was to be so little next to her. “Juni, I had nightmares every night of you dying. I had to relive you passing out in my arms and…and not being able to change that.”

She looked sorrowful at the memory before giving him a hopeful smile. “But then I found out that you’re alive, and it stopped. I was happy. I’ve been so happy since you came back. I don’t care that you look like Chucky, you’re still our Junior.”

Junior bit his bottom lip for a moment, trying to reassure them that everything was fine and to forget about it. Eventually, he gave up. “I…I don’t feel like Junior. I feel like Chucky. I look like him. I hate seeing my own reflection because I just see him. All I see is Chucky. And honestly…I don’t even really know who Junior is. I don’t even know what I like or-of who I want to be…I just hate looking like serial killer.” He chuckled quietly, trying to make this conversation lighthearted.

He was met with more sympathetic looks and he didn’t blame them. There wasn’t anything for them to do, they couldn’t do anything to change how Junior looked identical to a monster who caused them all so much trauma. He would just need to figure out how to get over it.

But suddenly, Lexy gasped and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. The doll remembered seeing that look in her eyes before and it usually didn’t end good for whoever her victim of the day was.

“Oh god…what are you plotting?” He asked her wearily with a painted eyebrow raised.

Lexy grinned almost mischievously, looking at Jake and Devon before her hazel eyes landed on Junior again.

“I have a great idea!”

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