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gravedigginbbydoll · 1 year

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pencil shavings and shared smiles {pt.2}

Fem! Teacher Reader x Teacher! Eddie

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AN: I’m honestly so grateful to find people who enjoy my writing :) This started as a bit of fun aside from my current WIP that I’m DETERMINED to not immediately trash, so I wanted to practice some writing on the side, and hey, it’s been a while since I’ve done fanfiction (like, over 6 years…. I think my last fanfic was at age 16! I'm now 23.) so I figured why not? Anyways, I hope you enjoy this next bit (I’ll be honest, I was struggling with it, but the next chapters will be better, I swear!) I don’t have an exact plan for how many parts this will be, but I’m excited to see where it’s headed!

WARNINGS AND CONTENT: Minors DNI!!!, Noncanon, Hawkins AU, Normal Hawkins, Rumors about Eddie, Eventual Smut, Very fluffy, Outcasts and Bullying, Mentions of Loneliness, Flirting, Fem!Reader, use of Y/N, older! Eddie, short-haired Eddie, 1995/1996 Hawkins, F! Reader has a dark past, angst.

Summary: You settle into Hawkins, looking for a way to spruce up your place, and bump into a familiar face. You maybe even meet some new friends. Things are looking up.

The next few days following your encounter with Eddie, you throw yourself into trying to get settled in and getting to know the town. You had been there for a few days before coming to the school but still had boxes piled high and needed some items.

You focused on moving all the boxes into their designated spaces. But then, you realized you didn’t have much when it came down to it. You had work clothes, plates and bowls, cutlery, basic toiletries, cleaning supplies, and three makeup items.

In your rush to leave the city, you left so much behind you hadn’t realized. As a result, your apartment looks abandoned in its barren state, and the hideous peeling pink floral wallpaper from the 70s makes your skin crawl.

That’s what led you to this moment. A shopping spree throughout Hawkins. You’re determined to make the “blink, and you miss it” town feel cozy and like home. It is home now, after all. Though you may need a blanket to cover the ugly cracked green leather couch that came with the place.

You’re piling up blankets, knick-knacks, and even plants to busy the place. By the time you get to the antique store, you’re sure you’ve burned a hole in your savings. You look around, admiring old furniture with history you wish you knew. You see a large wooden bookshelf, probably older than you, and bite your lip, picturing the perfect reading nook in your large window, a chair with too many pillows, and a table to set your favorite cup of coffee on. You did just buy some new mugs, after all.

In your daydreaming, you barely notice the presence creeping toward you.

“As lovely as that little vintage piece is, I heard it’s haunted.”

You jump a bit, startled by the sudden speaking. When you turn, you feel that familiar creeping of heat across your skin, your stomach twists with nerves while your heart thumps a loud, steady beat. Eddie. He’s wearing a super distressed band shirt with the sleeves cut off, his slightly muscular inked biceps on display. Your thighs tighten at the display, and you mentally scold yourself.

Now is not the time! Get a hold of yourself.

His brown eyes twinkle with mischief as he tilts his head at you, sticking his thumbs in his jeans pockets. You are instantly reminded of a puppy and feel your insides practically melt. Your heart is thumping embarrassingly loud. You hope to god the cute metalhead in front of you doesn’t somehow have super senses.

“You redecorating?”

You shrug, a shy smile gracing your lips. “You could say that, I guess.”

He nods and looks back at the bookcase with intrigue. His expression is thoughtful yet almost solemn as he speaks softly, his words barely reaching you. “Seriously though, that bookcase is bad luck. Belonged to a notorious killer. Henry Creel. Killed his whole family when he was like 9.”

You feel a chill go up your spine, the sense of fear deep in your belly. But, of course, you knew the old trope of sleepy towns never really being sleepy. Still, the last thing you would’ve guessed to happen in Hawkins was premeditated murder. You peek over at Eddie, who looks at you; his eyes are almost sorrowful as he rubs your shoulder comfortingly. You feel an electric current shoot through you at his touch, and goosebumps shoot up your neck. A flutter in your stomach reminds you that you are far too emotional about this man, despite barely knowing him.

“Sorry,” He rasps. “I sometimes ramble and forget what I’m saying. I didn’t mean to spook you. It was ages ago. He’s in jail now.” He pulls away his warm touch, and you almost find yourself leaning back for more.

You shake your head. “It’s fine. Everyone has skeletons in the closet, don’t they?” You remark jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Eddie’s eyes don’t sparkle as they usually do, and he looks a bit more guarded as he smiles softly. “Yeah.”

You feel a tug at your heart and remember the encounter between the grouchy bookstore owner and Eddie. It’s clear he has a past, but you won’t bring it up. After all, you’re the last person who should be digging through someone’s history.

“Hey, so a few friends and I are headed to a bar called The Hideout; tonight to bid adieu to summer. I was just wondering…if you’d like to join?” Eddie says shyly, scratching the back of his neck as his cheeks flush. “Of course, I understand if not; I just figured since you’re new here, it may help you get more acclimated and maybe even meet some people-”

You cut off his rambling with a hand, your lips fighting the urge to smile so vast your jaw may break. “Eddie, I’d love to. What time?”

He grins, his signature dimples appearing and making your stomach flutter. “Great. Around 7 pm tonight. First drink on me.”

You feel your cheeks heat once again as you nod, tucking some hair behind your ear. “Can’t wait.”

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Later on in the evening, you are stressed and pacing. You remember dancing and singing to calm anxiety as a young teen and get the bright idea to turn on the radio to your favorite rock station.

Now, you're dancing around your living room as You Oughta Know by Alanis Morrisette plays on your radio. You’re dressed in a black slip dress, the satin fabric accentuating your figure. Maybe you’re dressed a little too nice for a bar. Who cares? Dr. Martens on your feet create a more casual look but also possibly causes a noise complaint from your neighbors as you stomp and sing, applying makeup.

“AND I’M HERE! TO REMIND YOU! OF THE MESS YOU LEFT WHEN YOU WENT AWAY!”

You scream into your hairbrush, jumping around.

The singing calms your nerves a bit, and by the end of the song, you’re panting and thinking maybe you should try to hit the gym more.

You glance at the clock and realize the time is flashing a red and angry 7:30 pm.

“Shit shit shit shit shit!” You scramble, tripping over your feet, quickly putting on earrings and a choker, trying to rush out the door.

Fucking Alanis Morissette.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You arrive at the bar, hoping to pass off as fashionably late. You look around before spotting Eddie, his back to you in a well-loved leather jacket. He’s at a booth with some friends, a dark stout in his hand.

You tremble slightly as you walk over, your body thrumming with nervousness, and tap him on the shoulder. He turns, lighting up the minute he sees you. “Hey! You made it! Come on and sit down.”

You feel embarrassment sink into your skin, hands nervously fiddling as you sit beside him. He introduces the rest of the table, practically making your head spin. There’s Nancy, a petite and beautiful brunette who works as a Chief Editor for the local paper. Steve, a handsome man with an impressive head of hair, works as a coach at Hawkins Middle and High Schools. Robin a talkative and nervous blonde who works as a band teacher at Hawkins High. According to Eddie, this wasn’t everyone in their circle, just the ones he could fit in a booth. You laugh, nerves wracking your stomach as you hope to make a good impression.

A few minutes in, you’re laughing and practically snorting at a story Steve is telling about Eddie accidentally flashing everyone in a Romeo and Juliet drama production, where he insisted to the drama teacher that they swap the actors and actresses. Eddie had been playing a side character, a plain maiden, when he tripped over his dress and - “Absolutely ate shit! He landed with his head between his legs, and everyone could see his Garfield boxers!”

You can’t stop laughing at the image of a smaller and younger Eddie, his loud personality causing so much chaos on the stage. You were glad he had gone to buy your drink, seeing as you had laughed so hard you were sure tears had fallen from your eyes. You wiped your eyes and sighed, taking a breath in.

Eddie returned at that exact moment with your drink, settling it down while playfully glaring at Steve. “Harrington, you better not be talking shit.”

Steve flicks a paper straw wrapper at Eddie and scoffs. “Can it, Munson. I could kick your ass any day.”

Eddie immediately leaps into action and pulls Steve into a headlock, tousling his hair while laughing. Steve yells, trying to fight off the taller man and protect his hair. Robin laughs and rolls her eyes while Nancy softly smiles, shaking her head.

“Knock it off, you two. You’re letting on that you’re both children way too early. I need new friends,” Robin whines, covering her face in embarrassment.

You feel sheepish, smiling. You’re not used to the attention. Not this much, anyway. But you’re having fun. Eddie’s friends are vibrant, loud, and the most genuine people you’ve ever met.

Eddie lets Steve go, Steve grumbling about his hair and sitting back next to Robin, who smirks at him while she messes his hair up even more. Eddie then takes his spot next to you, sliding in, and due to the small booth, your thighs touch. You can’t help but feel warmth creeping across your insides from the alcohol and Eddie’s clothed leg pressing against yours, which is bare. You ignore the heat pooling between your thighs at the contact and the ever-so-sinful thoughts about his ringed and masculine hands.

Eddie leans over to you, his blinding grin causing your stomach to join in on the anatomy shuffle currently happening in your body, fluttering to the point that you think you may have swallowed a bird.

“Sorry if we’re a bit much. But, now you’ll have a few familiar faces, right?”

You nod, smiling softly. “Yeah. Thanks, Eddie.”

He nods, and you almost swear you see his eyes dart toward your lips before he turns back towards the group, all arguing about what the next movie night should be. You feel your heart skip a beat. You can’t help but be grateful for this introduction and even the awkwardness it brought. You now felt a little less of a stranger in Hawkins. A sense of relief rushes through you. Maybe, things won’t have to be so lonely.

Eddie interrupts your thoughts once more when he leans over towards you. You almost feel drunk on the scent of tobacco, vanilla, rum, and something spicy like cloves and cinnamon. Your thighs tighten, and you curse your brain for instantly thinking dirty thoughts. You’re in no state to have a physical or romantic relationship. Your throat tightens as you push down the ideas and look at Eddie.

“Hey, so we're goin' to hang out at the Palace Arcade. It’s usually super packed, but tonight they’re having a party there, so no one under 21. You wanna join?” His eyes sparkle with mischief and something you may be misreading as hope.

You bite your lip, thinking that maybe you’re too deep and should head to the comfort and quiet of home. You haven’t been to an arcade in years. Much less a party. Sour memories threaten to come up, but you push them down and set your resolve. You are just a woman in her mid-twenties trying to have fun. You deserve that, at least. Even if it’s really a lie.

You smile at Eddie, nodding. “Sure, I’ll tag along. I haven’t been to an arcade in years.”

Eddie grins, his dimples flashing. “Great. You can meet the band.”

You perk up, looking at Eddie quizzically. “Band?”

He nods but puts his finger to his lips and winks, signifying it’s a secret. You furrow your brows and feel your stomach flutter as the ever prominent question wracks your brain again.

Who the hell is this man?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist: @bebe07011 @corrodedcoffincumslut @kurdtbean @nerdflash

#eddie munson #stranger things #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson smut #eddie stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie munson x y/n #pencils shavings and shared smiles #teacher! eddie #teacher! em #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #stranger things x reader #eddie munson au

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aemiron-main · 1 year

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the creels’ disappearing door and magic, colour-changing wallpaper

So, we’re not only seeing two different versions of the Creel murders in Dear Billy and The Massacre at Hawkins Lab- we’re also seeing two different Creel houses entirely. In chatting with @henrysglock, there’s some noticeable differences, but specifically, one room.

See that room in front of “Henry”? The one with the white door in it and the green wallpaper?

Yeah, that’s this room:

They are 100%, absolutely, undeniably, the same room in the same part of the house. The Creel house can be a maze sometimes, but this part of the layout is undeniable.

But if those are the same room, then where did the door go? And why did the walls change from green to red?

I would be willing to bet that the UD version of the Creel house has green wallpaper in that room, with a white door. As well, Max and Lucas are in the timeline where Victor talked about Henry, and are also in the timeline where the wallpaper is red.

Meaning that this guy, whose house has the green wallpaper:

Is Edward.

There’s also something rattling in my brain about Henry/Edward having two almost identical cardigans, the only difference being that one is red and one is green.

Max and Lucas also talk about a door to a secret lair when they’re in that room- a room that just happens to have a door that disappeared. A door, that interestingly enough, would have led to Victor’s study.

And when we see the UD version of the Creel house, the entry to that room is conveniently hidden every time.

Here it is, cut JUST out of view by the camera angle:

Here it is again, it’s hidden by Nancy’s head this time:

#stranger things #edward creel #henry creel #st creel timeline weirdness #creel family #st set design

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erikiara80 · 1 month

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March 22nd and all the birthday references in ST

Will's birthday has always been important.

A birthday mug in episode 1

Same mug in Mike's basement. We see it in scenes with El in S1 and Will in S2. Yeah, I think birthdaygate could be about her, too. Will is the only character whose birthday was used to literally save him and the whole town. And we've seen El's birth and birth certificate, but we still don't know when she was born? Strange

The I forgot your birthday card in Will's room in S1

But in S2 we only see it when Joyce looks at the Will the Wise drawing. In all the other shots the card is not there, and the drawing is on another wall. This could be a hint at different timelines (of a timeloop?) More screenshots here

Basically, I have two theories about Will's birthday: either people really forgot it in S4, or the Will who was born on March 22 is the brown-eyed Will in the Missing poster, in the timeline we see in the shed scene, and not the hazel-eyed Will we see in the rest of the show. Maybe they hid the truth in plain sight, they let people believe that his eyes were different because he was possessed. But then in S3 they show that Billy's eye color never changes (here) Can't wait to see what this means

No birthday card in these shots

Lesbianmindflayer found a video posted on the official IG account in August 2017. At the time, they had already filmed S2, they knew there was an important scene about Will's birthday, so why posting the wrong date? Is it actually a mistake, or that's really his birthday in another timeline? We'll see!

The amazing shed scene. One of my favorite! Joyce talks about Will's 8th birthday. That was in 1979, the year of the massacre. She also mentions his rainbowship, a hint at his queerness, but also a reference to the lab. And I think there's a connection to the "rainbow rocket" near Creel House, and the ship of Brenner's father, who was involved with Project Rainbow, and the first man to wind up in Dimension X. This scene is so important!

Will drawing a spaceship could also be a parallel to Olivia Dunham (Fringe), who drew what she saw in another universe. A Zeppelin

Olivia's drawing (Byler-Polivia parallel and Subject 13)

3x03. Happy Birthday and '76 on the poster. The lifeguard is talking to El and Max here. My theory about what this could mean and what might have happened in 1976 here and here

The original title of episode 3x06 was The Birthday. There is no birthday in that episode, but after the intro, the song that plays is Stand up and Meet your brother, and then El meets the Mind Flayer/Vecna (as a lab kid, Henry is kinda her brother), who is possessing a boy named William. A surfer boy.

Episode 3x08, posters of Firestarter and Sixteen Candles. Will is associated with fire, and in Sixteen Candles a girl hopeful thar her 16th birthday is the beginning of a great year, is shocked when her family forgets it because her sister is getting married the next day.

Sixteen Candles and a boy's 16th birthday are also mentioned in S4, and it is likely that S5 is set in 1987, after the time-jump, when Will is 16.

S4. There are so many mentions of birthdays in this season, it's crazy to think that the writers forgot Will's birthday.

Mentions of birthday and stolen thoughts in the opening scene.

Birthday party at Rink-o-mania. I could be wrong, but it looks like a party for two people, to me. And there's a hidden reference to the massacre. The game Asteroids was released in 1979 (here)

The scene that made many people believe that the writers forgot Will's birthday.

March 22. The Rink-o-mania scene is a parallel to the lab scenes, Asteroids was released in 1979, and the day of the massacre El remembered her birth. Maybe a hint that her birthday is also on March 22?

They call her little baby, and two of the bullies are twins.

Murray says that a one-year-old won't remember their birthday

Also, the wallpaper reminds me of these birds we see in his house, when Alexei explains how the two keys open a gate

Murray says that his "son" is almost 16

Mention of Sixteen Candles

Mike's Happy Birthday mug

At Suzie's, Will mentions Dustin's birthday

Yeah, I think something will happen to Will in 1987, when he's 16. And it won't be funny, lol. But he'll get his happy ending.

Happy birthday, Will!

#birthdaygate #will byers #march 22 #el hopper #mike wheeler #the first shadow spoilers #st analysis #st theory #timeloop theory #stranger things

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ai-luni · 2 years

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You are everything good in this world - Part 2.2

Peter Ballard/Henry Creel/001 x fem!reader

Series Masterlist

Word count: 6.5k

Summary: You knew something wasn’t right, you knew it all linked up but you just didn’t want to admit it. When you finally see him again, you let yourself be selfish and ignore it.

Warnings: Vecna/Peter Himself, follows season 4 plotline, Smut 18+, very dubious consent, Angst, bad writing, cliff hanger

A/N: I couldn’t help myself, I really want to flesh out the aftermath of Vecna taking you and the kids finding out and everything along vol 2. Also I’m not a writer, my writing is not the greatest, some scenes if you can’t tell may be more boring than others for which I’m sorry. I’m gonna dip now :)

Across the street from an abandoned park was a rundown blue house you were currently standing in front of with a bunch of school kids. Only two days ago if someone had told you this was how you were going to spend your weekend, you would’ve laughed. But now you are completely invested in looking after and helping these kids and you’d be damned if you let anything happen to them under your watch.

Steve and Nancy undid the boarded door while you stood next to Robin watching on from off the porch.

“It’s locked. Should I knock, see if anybody’s home?” Steve rattled the door handle a little more while you looked around with a little plan of your own.

“No need.” Robin spoke out to the team once she caught on to your plan. You handed her a brick from off the ground, “We found a key!”

Smashing the stain glass window on the door, the group of you ventured into the house. Dustin handed you a torch from his backpack while giving you a suspicious side eye to which you replied with ”What? I was a kid once too, you know.” and shared a small smile.

Everyone was spread out across the little entry hallway, you looking into a dusty front parlour room next to the door before Max spoke up and gathered the group together.

“Hey, guys... You all see that right?” Her flashlight was pointed towards an old grandfather clock.

“Is this what you saw,” Your face dropped in realisation and deep down in this moment you were so impressed at these kids' abilities to draw clues together, “In your visions?”

Max nodded wearily and tensed up completely. You dragged her gently back to your side with a hand on her shoulder. You looked to Lucas who was by her other side in only a matter of moments.

“I mean, It’s… just a clock.” Robin stepped forward to examine the clock, “Like a normal old clock.”

“Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks? Maybe he’s, like, a clockmaker or something?” Steve let out, you couldn’t help the smile that creeped its way onto your face that you tried to suppress.

“Think you cracked the case Steve.” Dustin wiped him out. Your hand covered your mouth to stifle a chuckle and stay serious.

“All I know is, the answers are right here, somewhere.” By this point, you trusted Nancy’s instincts. She was a smart girl and this time, you could feel it too. There was something about this place that didn’t feel right.

“Okay, everyone stay in groups of two.” She looked over the group, mentally pairing everyone then turned to you. You shook your head with your hand out, you were okay looking alone - you were the sensible choice to be the one alone but you also felt something deep down calling you. There was something about this place that dug down within you, and you know you had to challenge it alone. Nancy nodded, “Robin, upstairs.”

You walked to the back of the house behind the stairs, there was a bedroom downstairs and you made your way in. There was something familiar about this room, you couldn’t place it for the dear life of you. Maybe it was the pattern of the wallpaper, or layout of the house, maybe it reminded you of your middle school days with friends or the smell of the dust and rotting wood. You couldn’t put a finger on it and you felt a little selfish for leaving the kids behind for it but you had to know.

You gathered it may have been a kid’s room. The now broken and weathered bed was single and there were little gadgets and nick nacks around that a little kid might own. You looked through the bookshelf and found mostly books about bugs and spiders in particular. And in the dresser - that you took a good while to talk yourself into actually touching for the sake of curiosity - you found little button up shirts of various patterns. You were certain this was the room of Henry Creel, the son.

You got a chill at the thought of being in the room of a little dead boy, touching the clothes of a little dead boy. A dead boy?

None of the articles mentioned Henry died, it was a triple homicide and Henry was sent into a coma. Henry never died. You were mindlessly rummaging through the shirts in the dresser as you let your thoughts run wild until you lifted one shirt up and screamed falling backwards and dropping the shirt back in the drawer to cover the black ugly spider that was hiding underneath.

Spiders. SPIDERS. FOR FUCK SAKE THE SPIDERS, THE VISIONS, THE COMA, WHERE DID THAT BOY GO, 001.

You were on your ass in the middle of the room, huffing and puffing in thought. Your mind was absolutely scattered and you knew there was a commonality amongst it all but your mind was too scrambled to properly bring it to the forefront of your mind. You knew and maybe you just didn’t want to admit it but deep down you knew.

Your thoughts were interrupted by Max and soon after Lucas ran into the room. Max kneeled beside you, helping you to your feet as she asked if you were alright.

“We heard you scream and,” Lucas left his sentence unfinished as he helped Max help you up. You let out a little sheepish chuckle at how pathetic your reasoning was going to sound.

“Yeah there was just a spider that scared me.” You laughed out and Max and Lucas joined in, mostly laughing in relief but it was a calm moment either way.

The light in the middle of the room flicked. You stopped laughing immediately looking at Max and Lucas to see if they saw it as well. They nodded and it flickered once more before you walked out of the room. The light beside the stairs flicked, then the entry hallway light.

Little did you know on the other side, a large slimy man labelled as Vecna heard a scream of someone he once knew. He checked the room it came from and found no one. He knew it was you, he was just unsure if he had heard your voice once more in his mind or if it was really you this time. He had to check every time and was disappointed every time.

“Guys!” Max called, gathering everyone back to the entryway. The thought of this creature and Peter put on the back burner of your mind but still lingered. You agreed with yourself to not tell the others yet.

“It’s like the Christmas lights.” Nancy whispered.

“The Christmas lights?” Robin asked, you remember Dustin mentioning christmas lights the other say however still felt just as confused as Robin.

“Yeah, when Will was upside down, the lights came to life.”

“Vecna’s here. In this house.” Lucas said and a child ran down your back. Could he tell you were there? You had so many questions, Lucas finished, “But just on the other side.”

“I think he just left the room.” Robin said once the lights stopped flickering.

“Did he hear us?” “Could he see us?” Questions circled around the room, Lucas looked to Max telling her to put her headphones on and Nancy stepped forward taking charge again.

“Wait, wait. Everyone turn off your flashlights and spread out.” You did as she said and soon Robin called out, her flashlight flickering.

“I GOT IT! I GOT HIM!” The light died down, “Or at least I got him..?”

The light transferred to Steve’s flashlight, we followed it up the stairs and eventually found our way through a little door in the wall to the attic. In a circle in the middle of the attic, all of your flashlights overheated and exploded. You ushered the lot of them out of the room and back to the car.

The kids turned on the courtesy lights on inside the car when getting in, Dustin in the backseat held up the last torch left in the car for you to grab your first aid kit out of the trunk of the car. You guided them to the food you brought and advised them to eat, you’ve been in that house through the sunset and had a long drive back in the dark. Nancy was slumped in the front seat in pure disbelief. We all knew that the surge was definitely caused by Vecna.

You sat in the driver's seat and took a moment to recollect yourself, the group of you settled down, ate snacks and after about half an hour Steve was ducked next to the open door of the driver's seat negotiating the plan to drive back to Hawkins. You would drive first then swap with Steve through the night. Nancy will drive in the morning to Eddie’s hideout. Then it was ‘go’ time.

It was as boring as it sounded, Robin sat in the passenger seat as you drove, Steve and Nancy were asleep in the back and Dustin was squished in the middle window seat as Max fell asleep on Lucas next to him. You didn’t want to turn the music on and disturb the kids in the back so Robin just looked through your tapes and made fun of your taste in music. She joked with you and though couldn’t help yawning every now and then, promised to keep talking to keep you awake.

You talked about your favourite movies and finally in your last hour talked about the new movie Top Gun. You mostly bonded over how good looking a couple Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis were, however that turned quickly into whether they should make a sequel. You were adamant there should be a sequel where Maverick teaches Goose’s son as a pilot. Robin thought it was a ridiculous idea.

Soon enough you swapped with Steve and fell asleep in the back of the car. There was no traffic and the ride was much quicker than it was getting to the house during the day. You suggested they head back to your house and sleep for a couple hours at least. There was a minor protest amongst mostly Dustin but you were the adult in the car and the power of your pointed finger and a little “Uh ah.” was enough to shut up anyone in this car and do as you say. It was the one power you enjoyed greatly.

They did that, the boys were sprawled out on your living room seats, robin collapsed on your living room rug. You sent Max back to the guest room, Nancy followed and got comfortable on a reading chair because she was adamant you should sleep in your bed for once, as thank you for all the help you’ve given them. Wow and how you missed your comfortable bed.

The lot of you slept for about 4-6 hours - some waking up sorer than others - and planned to head to the store to pick up supplies for Eddie. You picked up food for the kids and coffee for yourself, enjoying that cup more than you ever thought you could enjoy a cup of coffee while sitting in the passenger seat as Nancy drove.

“Can I sit in the car for this visit ‘cause this is gonna totally and royally suck.” Robin said sitting behind Nancy, her hands rested on the shoulders of her seat.

“It’ll be fine.” She said.

“I just can’t stand to see those dull eyes of Eddie’s break again. I really really can’t.” You would’ve laughed at her tone but you knew she was actually being serious.

“At least he can drink himself into feeling better.” Steve piped up from the very back, waving the six pack around. Your head fell into your hands, moment ruined.

“That’s what my mom does.” Max said nonchalantly, staring straight out the windscreen.

“Why don’t we just give it a trial run. Hey Eddie, uh, good news first this time. We got you some Dustin approved junk food and that six-pack you requested. Oh yeah! And we found Vecna only the bad news is that he’s in that other, darker, much scarier dimension, and the gate’s closed, so we have no way of getting to him. Like, he’s entirely shut off to us, so you’re basically screwed.” Robin kept going and the energy in the car was dropping rapidly, “and, no no, I know you were already screwed, but now you’re like, doubly, triply screwed.”

“Woah woah okay... Maybe we just don’t put it like that.” Lucas said, getting concerned.

“We’re one step closer to finding Vecna. That's what we say. That's what's important.”

“See Robin, positive spin can make all the difference.” Once again Steve and Robin started to bicker again before you spoke. Your face dropping instantly as the sight.

“Oh Shit.” Everyone shut up and poked up to see what was happening. As Nancy pulled around the corner, you saw a crowd of cars, reporters and police surrounding the house. You all got out of the car and snuck around the reporter's van.

The police talked about a homicide on the lake, one of the kids on the basketball team. It was after he finished speaking that Eddie finally contacted Dustin’s walkie.

“Eddie. Holy Shit, are you okay?” Dustin spoke into the thing, trying to shield it from the crowd.

“Nah man. Pretty… Pretty goddam far from okay.”

“Where are you?” Dustin asked into it again.

“Skull rock. Do you know it.?” All the kids nodded, Dustin started to point it out but Steve took over, leading up into the trees.

“Hold tight, we’re coming.”

You followed in a little group behind Steve and Dustin. Steve was absolutely certain Dustin was leading them in the wrong direction by his compass and turned us around.

“Okay, so apparently we’re going this way now? I swear to god, if they get us lost…” Max spoke to Lucas, he didn’t respond and she asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

You walked in front, letting them have their moment and joined Robin and Nancy as they walked.

“Does that make us friends? I mean… officially?” You heard Nancy say.

“Uh yeah. I mean, right?” Robin replied, a stutter in her voice you picked up.

“Right.” Nancy smiled and joined their side.

“You guys weren’t friends before?” You piped in.

“Nope. Uh… nah.” Nancy said, almost self conscious of the fact.

“It wasn’t until all this happened and I had to prove to her there was nothing going on between Steve and I before she could trust me.” Robin said, slowly getting more playful again as she spoke. You let out a voiceless ‘Oh’ with the nod of your head now understanding, a large knowing smile growing on your face.

“What’s with you two anyway? … If you don’t mind me asking.” You asked without even really thinking. You figured she might be uncomfortable talking about it with you but she actually answered.

“Nothing. Nothings going on, I… I have a boyfriend. Jonathan Byers,” you smiled to yourself at the name Byers as Nancy continued, “He’s just in California right now and things are happening and…”

“And what about those two?” You asked, head pointing behind you when Nancy trailed off. You got the vibe she didn’t want to talk about Jonathan at this moment.

“Yea, they’ve been together for a while, I’m pretty sure.” Nancy answered, focusing on her step. You smile though, glancing behind you as you walk. They made a good pair.

“What about you Y/n? Do you have anyone?” Robin asked, Nancy quickly giving her a distasteful look.

“You don’t have to answer that.” Nancy said but you shook your head.

“It’s okay. I did, a good while ago now.” The two girl’s faces dropped with apologetic faces until you looked at them with a reassuring smile, “His name was Peter and we met at the lab but you know. It’s okay really.”

You finally made it to Skull rock, stopping to catch your breath for a moment.

“Me too man… Me too.” You heard Eddie say when he saw you, face painted with confusion. “Is that… Nurse Y/n?”

“Why yes, yes it is.” Robin replied for you with a cheeky smile.

Eddie explained his situation to the gang, eating and drinking like he’d been starved all day because he likely was. You leaned against one of the rocks just resting your feet.

“Do you know what time this was? The attack?” Nancy asked.

“Yeah no, I… I know exactly what time it was.” Eddie replied, taking off his watch, “My walking wasn’t the only thing that got soaked.”

“9:27.” Nancy read out.

“Same time our flashlights went kablooey.”

“Which means what, exactly?”The genius Steve was asked.

“That, that surge of energy was Vecna attacking Patrick.” Nancy explained.

“Well, we’re one step closer - we know how Vecna attacks.” You butt in, trying to make the situation feel a little brighter.

“And where he attacks from.” Lucas added on.

“So we just need to sneak into his lair in the upside down and drive a stake through his heart.” Max added sarcastically but you honestly just thought about how you didn’t want to have to go all the way back to that house again. They continued to talk about Vecna and then El came up in the conversation and you started to withdraw a little.

“Hey, uh, Henderson’s not, uh, cursed, is he?” Eddie called out and Lucas gave you a little thumbs up by his side to check on you at the mention of El. You smiled at the sweet gesture and nodded.

Dustin stopped pacing and out of nowhere…

“BOOM!” You jumped a little where you stood, “Badda… Badda… boom. I was right. Skull rock was north.”

“Seriously? You’re serious. This is Skull Rock, Okay! You’re totally, absolutely, 100% wrong. Right now!” Steve was arguing back with Dustin and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes and let out a little chuckle. They just couldn’t help themselves.

“Yes. And no. This compass worked correctly when we left the Wheeler’s. It was correct when we got in the car on Curly but it started to slip the further east we went. NOW it’s waaay off. When I was leading us here, I wasn’t wrong. The compass was wrong.” Dustin explains.

“So you were using faulty equipment. You’re still wrong!” Steve retorted. You never thought you’d admit you were actually intrigued about a story of a compass. Dustin continued explaining his theory.

“Except it isn’t faulty. Lucas, remember what can affect a compass?”

Any electromagnetic field.” Lucas answered with a look of realisation on his face.

“Yep. In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards that power. So either there's some super big magnet around here, or…” Everyone tensed up, slowly but surely starting to understand themselves.

“There's a gate.” Lucas finished Dustin's answer and you caught a glance with Nancy.

“We’re nowhere near the lab.” She said wearily.

“What if, somehow, there’s another gate? A gate that we don’t know about. It’d have to be smaller. Way less powerful.”

“How, why?” Steve asked.

“No idea, all I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we’ve seen anything like it, it was a gate.” Dustin continued, you stop for a moment and your eyes widened as Dustin kept talking, “And I hope it is because then we’d have a way to Vecna. And a shot at freeing Max from this curse.”

“The lake?” You muttered under your breath once Dustin finished talking. The two of you shared a knowing look and he flashed his compass at you before you both started walking back down.

“Where are you going? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Eddie’s still a wanted man. We can’t just take a hike into the woods.” Steve yelled.

“This little steel capsule might be the key to saving both Max and Eddie. What say you, Eddie the Banished?” Dustin stopped, turning to Eddie.

“I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I’m being totally straight with you, I think is a really bad idea. But, uh, the Shire... The Shire is burning.” Eddie stood up, “So Mordor it is.”

Surly enough you Followed Dustin back down to the lake where the compass led. Shortly after, the lot of you devised a plan, using Eddie’s boat to go out and actually see if the attack from last night left a gate.

Eddie and Steve pulled the boat off the shore and helped Robin in to pass supplies. Nancy pulled you aside and asked if you could look after the kids if they went out there and in a serious moment, you swallowed the guilt and feeling of being selfish shaking your head.

“I need to see this gate.” The whole day, ever since you stood in the middle of Henry Creel’s room, you knew in the back of your mind that Vecna had something to do with Peter. You had to know what happened to him. Nancy stood still as you started to walk back to the boat, her jaw hanging open. You followed along this whole time for the sole purpose of looking after those kids and she just didn’t understand why all of sudden you had a change of heart.

“But -” She stuttered and it caught the attention of everyone else for a moment.

“I… I can’t explain how or why I know this. Not right now but, I know Vecna has something to do with Peter. And the lab and El and… I need to go.” You looked to Lucas, quickly side-eying Max and nodded to him as a silent ask to look after her. He nodded back to you. The group was silent, only most of them knew the whole story of Peter but no one had the guts to question you.

“Who is Peter?” The only words that broke the silence as you got on the boat was a confused Eddie whispering to Robin.

“Hey, hey, hey, you trying to sink us? This thing holds four people tops, okay.” Dustin moved to get on the boat and Eddie stopped him.

“It’s better this way.” Nancy tried to justify it to Dustin, “Look out for Max and keep an eye out for trouble.”

“You keep an eye out.” Dustin retorted and you let out a snort, mouthing a silent ‘good one’ at him, “It’s my goddamn theory!”

“You heard Nance.” Robin said.

“WHO PUT HER IN CHARGE.”

“I did.” You said moving to the end of the boat towards Dustin

“Look, there’s more snacks in my bag and… I can’t believe I’m doing this. Here, take these alright” You threw your house keys towards him to which you let out a sigh of relief when he caught them. You kept your hand out towards him, “Compass.”

Dustin let out a whine and threw you the compass then stepped back to let Steve push the boat into the water. Steve jumped on the boat before he could get his feet wet.

“YOU SAID FOUR!” Dustin yelled, unhappy again and Steve only replied by mouthing a ‘sorry’ to him.

“Bedtime at nine, kiddos!” Robin yelled and you let out a laugh before yelling out after a “Please be careful!”

You only made it a good few metres out there before you stopped. The compass in your hand was completely freaking out like you’ve never seen before. Steve started to stand up and prepare himself to dive into the lake.

“Somebody's gotta go down and check this out. Unless one of you four can top being a Hawkins high swim co captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then… It’s gotta be me. No complaints, all right?” We let him have it. He took his shoes and shirt off, Eddie and I tied a flashlight in a plastic bag for him and he got ready.

“Good luck.” Eddie said, handing Steve the bag.

“Thanks.” With that, he dived in. Placed a comforting hand on Nancy’s shoulder. And she didn’t reject it. We watched the light sink and sink until it was too faded. Nancy started counting the second on her watch.

“Where are we at, Wheeler.” An anxious Robin asked.

“Closing in on a minute.” An anxious Nancy replied.

The boat fell into silence again. And for a moment, you tried your best not to let your heart sink before Steve did. But the boat rocked before you saw him back above water.

“Oh thank god.” you muttered.

“It’s more of a snack sized gate than the mama gate bit still, it’s pretty damn big.” Steve let out breathless before being dragged back into the water.

“STEVE!” All four of us yelled out in pure shock. Nancy was the first to jump in, without hesitation she started taking her shoes off and dove in. The rest of you followed off the boat, Eddie being last of course.

You’d never seen a place like it, the upside down. Especially after swimming to the bottom of that lake with a first aid kit in your hand, the place was freezing and smelt funny. Worse than any ointment you’ve encountered.

None of that matter when you caught the sight of Steve on the ground being attacked by massive bats. Nancy charged at him with the ore of the row boat in her hand. The rest of us followed and continued fighting for our dear little lives.

You dragged Steve away from the scene to look after his wounds, the others following soon after. Your brain was completely foggy and the only thing you remember form that moment was Robin rambling something about Steve getting rabies.

“Guys...” Nancy warned the group, movements stunned. You looked up and saw a large figure just on the horizon. Your stomach sunk, you assumed it was Vecna. Surely. There was no one else in the upside down that we knew of right?

“Holy shit. HOLY SHIT.” Eddie started to freak out, not to say you weren’t either but he vocalised it for you. He was pacing back and forth and letting out the most nervous, fearful laughter you’ve ever heard, “there’s no way, this is RIDICULOUS.”

“We’re gonna die.” Robin muttered.

“We gotta go.” Nancy said, finally coming to her sense, “GUYS WE HAVE TO GO.”

The lot of you were trying to get up, Nancy and Eddie helping Steve to his feet and Robin helping you pack up your supplies. The lot of you frantic until you heard a voice.

“Y/n.” It called your name in its deep, scratchy voice. There was a hint of confusion in his voice. All five of you turned to face the creature when you heard it, so taken aback to hear him speak out of its scary confident, manipulative tone.

You stood up to face it, hoping you might be able to stall for the kids to make run away, this gestured by your hand flicking away down by your side. They caught on soon enough, scurrying to gather their things. In the meantime you walked closer to the thing. You figured at this moment you had little to live for except to look after these kids. That was until you looked into its eyes and you realised why you needed to be here.

“Peter.” You breathed out. His state was so intense but so familiar. you were so sure of it. “Peter?”

He watched you; he missed watching your every thought play out on your face. You’re face played out complete shock to complete terror and concerned. He wasn’t the same person you knew, he was never someone you knew.

You stepped closer to him. The four teenagers behind you planning to run had stopped to watch for a moment. Three of them held a face completely drained of colour, out of fear or sympathy or whatever, whatever it was, Eddie couldn’t match it. Instead he watched on as this insane person was willing walking towards the most terrifying creature he’s ever seen, calling him Peter and sounding almost relieved. Nancy had to usher him away, promising to explain later.

“Y/n.” He repeats in his calm tone. You reached your arm out to him and instinctively he did too in return. With little to no hesitation, you placed your hand on his. His touch was slimy and textured and cold. What you could barely call skin was crawling under you.

You met eyes with him again swallowing all your pride and almost a decade of trying to get over him deep down. He was much taller than you remembered but reaching up on your tippy toes, you coaxed him into placing a soft kiss on what was left of his lips to which he bent down for. In an uncanny way, his kiss hadn’t changed, despite his appearance and everything that had happened, the kiss felt like nothing normal but for what it was, it felt like the Peter you knew. Memories started to cloud your mind of him again.

“I missed you.” It was all you could find the mind to say. A foul tasting residue from his skin dripping down your neck.

“I know.”

You didn’t even think to check but the four teens behind you had only just started running after seeing the scene that just unfolded behind you. There was no time for questions but there will certainly need to be answers later. Answer none of them knew if you’d be alive to give.

“What happened?”

“I was set free.” He said it was a matter of factly, trying to fix the cracks in his mannerisms you’d started to break.

“The missing children. Everything… Was it all you?” He transformed into Peter. The Peter you used to know and a single tear started to fall from your eye. His gentle, warm human touch pulled your head to his chest. His touch was still slimy and foul but if you let go of your mind enough, it felt like it once did.

“It is the most freedom I have ever known and I do not expect you to understand.” Your heart audibly cracked into two. “But I know you will try. I have lived many lives y/n. And very little has made a difference to what I truly am. Your presence has only played a small role in my being. I am not the Peter you thought of me as.”

Your tears were pooling in your eyes so that every blink would send out a new drop down your cheek. You couldn’t find any words to say so you said the words you wished to say to him ever since, “I know. And I still love you.”

“Sweet y/n.” He caressed your hair. Somehow he couldn’t let you go, just not now at least. “You are and will always be the purest specimen I’ve found yet.”

He held your waist, so light the way you swore you remember it. You thought about this moment every single night that it was less of a memory and became a fantasy once more. Your gaze was exactly as he remembered it.

He did think about you, often. Too often. Being with you was the most powerful he’d ever felt, even to this day and yet the most like an equal he;s ever felt to anyone. While brewing in his solitude and hatred, he cringes thinking back to the side you brought out in him. But now, having you back, that side seems to bubble back up to the surface like nothing ever changed. And he wanted to be your Peter again.

“I’m not the Peter you think I am.” He repeated, his voice softened.

“I know.” He wiped the tears from your cheek and left his hand on your jaw. And he kissed you once more. You cried into his lips and gripped him tight. For a short moment you let yourself forget and let it believe you’d gotten him back. Maybe it was selfish, but you wanted to ignore everything you found out he’s done and just have him back.

You gave him love that his inner child so greatly craved, so badly he desired you that not even his greater conscience could keep it together. And then he remembered how he left you and he aches for you. Your soft delicate hands on this human skin in your mind reminded him how good you felt and all the feelings flooding back again.

His hands landed on the button of your jeans and you let him take them off you. Lifting you up, legs around his hips and pressing you up against the nearest surface. He worked on his own pants now and you just watched him. You know the deeper you let this go, the harder it’ll be to return to reality.

Your eyes were closed in thought but the moment he entered you, you returned to reality. You weren’t ready for it, it was rough but there was no turning back now.

He was moving like there was no tomorrow, hands steadied on the wall your back was up against and head hanging low. He seemed as though he needed this more than you.

The tears were still spilling from your eyes but you were more composed than you were moments before. With a tight grip to the back of his shirt you called out for him.

“Peter!” It wasn’t a call of pleasure by any means and he whipped his head up to look at you. His eyes were frantic, so desperate that they searched your face, deep into your eyes for any sign of pleasure. Something was different, something was wrong. It wasn’t like the last time, this was wrong but he didn’t know what.

You placed your hands on his jaw, asking him to stop moving to which he listened. You took in a deep breath, then let it go.

You took in another deep breath - rubbing small circles on his cheek with your thumb - then let it go again. Your eyes were soft and forgiving and never once leaving his. He took the next breath in with you, his chest rising against you and letting go together.

“Good… Peter.” He heard your slight hesitation before Peter fell off his lips, you knew there was more to him then what you knew but right now he wanted to just be your Peter. Out of all the lives he lived, he always felt Peter was the weakest. But right now, it was the only version of himself he could feel. Not Henry, not 001, not Vecna. You made him Peter and Peter was desperate. Peter was desperate for validation, Peter was desperate to heal his inner child and Peter was at your mercy in pleasure and temptation that he knew no other version of himself would give into.

“I want to be your Peter.” He was breathing deeply like you coached him too. He let his forehead rest against yours.

“Go. My Peter.” And he did, slowly this time. You were ready this time and less afraid. You relaxed around him. This time brought a new meaning then the last time he experienced this with you. But he missed your hums and moans, and the way your eyelid fluttered. It all felt easier with you.

His hands found your warm, soft waist again. His fingers were burning to the touch as much as his gaze along your jaw. It wasn’t long before he was pulling gentle moans out of you and himself likewise. His thumb trailed to your clit like you once taught him and you let out a particularly long sigh at the feeling.

“You’re a quick learner.” You couldn’t hold back your chuckle at this whole situation. He let out a chuckle too, a genuine little laugh that was entirely involuntary and unplanned. Something within him snapped at that moment.

Deep within his thoughts, he rutted into you. The further he ventured, the rougher his movement built. You made him laugh, he could laugh. It’s been a decade of ingenuous emotion and feelings, and this person makes him laugh like it’s nothing. He knew he had to keep you this time. The Peter in him was slowly mixing with Vecna, as though one version of himself had taught the other how to feel pleasure and sympathy. He thought of the way he left you and hurt you the way he was hurt and he knew he couldn’t leave you again. The Vecna he was now desired you as much as Peter did.

“Ooah!” You let out with a particularly hard thrust, hand steady on his shoulder.

“I shouldn’t have left you there alone.” He admitted in a completely bitter spit of his tongue. “I won’t leave you again.”

“I sh-“ he pounded into you, “couldn’t” again, “of left,” again, “you.”

There was no rhythm or pattern to his thrust, the man was desperate.

“It’s okay Peter.” He covered your mouth with his hand and he stopped moving. You fell onto his shoulder, panting and desperate to catch your breath.

“I was never your Peter but I am your Henry now.” You looked at him, hesitant and a little afraid at his sudden change. You woke up in that moment, he was no longer this human vision he hid from you as he was the creature you’d seen before holding you, inside of you. He watched your face intensely. He wanted you to face reality and stay with him, he wanted you by his side.

“H- HenryYOAgh” you stuttered in mild hesitation until he rammed into again. That was all he needed to hear from you.

“I need you,” “stay with me,” “I can’t lose you again,” “I can’t lose this feeling,” “I can’t let them ruin you,”

“It’s okay, Henry.” You were afraid but melted into him. Him like this truly made you feel guilty, that you’d give in so easily like you have no morals but you did in fact consider for a moment doing anything he asked of you. But he was right, he wasn’t the Peter you knew.

“I have to set you free y/n.” “I have to keep you with me always.”

He was slamming into you, ripping scream after scream from you. His voice was husky and he smelt absolutely foul but you gripped him like there was no tomorrow.

Your hands were slipping down his arms and before you could even register what was going on, you undid completed.

“Just like that Y/n.” He repeated, holding you and taking you through your climax. Once satisfied, he carried you in his arms bridal style, coaxing you to sleep in his arms, enjoying the feeling of your complete and utter trust.

Tags

@nightless @spookyconsultingcriminal @zaggprincess @mrskatpotter

#stranger things #stranger things fic #Peter Ballard #Peter Ballard x reader #henry creel #henry creel x reader #001 #001 x reader #Vecna #vecna x reader

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peachy-ash · 2 years

Photo

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

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henrysglock · 10 months

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hey so how much awareness do the alt timelines have of each other?? I'm assuming that Edward and Brenner(both) are obviously aware of multiple timelines, but like...is El??will??Henry?? When the timeline switch happens, is it like a swap of places or just, like, possession?? Also also, in s4, it's implied that henward did not have the ability to open gates until he absorbed El's powers in s3....so then, his version of the ud did not breach in the real world until then, but then, are there different dimensions that are all being referred to as the ud, or different sections of it?? Or is Edward responsible for the changes in the atmosphere of the ud in each season?? I would love to hear your theories cause i find that you're able to analyse these things in such an accessible way that it is easier to take as a well thought out canon interpretation :)

All good questions, Nonnie!!

Brenner, at the very least, is aware of both. He's got a whole Dr. Who thing going on, which heroesbyler has talked about before. Edward, if we're correct in our who's-who in the Creel house flashbacks, is aware of the timelines via his powers/time exploration. Henry, in NINA, talks about spending years with 001 in the Rainbow Room, as if 001 is separate from himself (001 being Edward, later Vecna). So yes, I'd say that by the time we hit 1979, they're all aware of each other.

As for El, she doesn't seem quite awake yet, One might say (god that was bad haha). She's definitely confused re: the events of NINA, but I don't think she's put it together that there's something weirder going on than just one man having a violent psychotic break because of Brenner.

Will, though...that depends on what he experienced in the UD in 1983. He doesn't seem to be outwardly aware of any time differences, but then again...El didn't even know Henry existed until she was reminded of him. So there's definitely a nugget in his 1983 memories.

In regard to timeline swaps: if we're talking about swaps in present/80s canon...it's hard to say. There are some dead giveaways, like Scott randomly changing houses, Will's eye color changing from being listed as brown to clearly being green, Hopper randomly forgetting that Scott exists at all in ST3 when he met him firsthand in ST1...the list goes on. It's hard to match up which timeline goes with which season, though. It does seem like we're currently in the Henry timeline, given the layout of the Creel house (door in the chess room vs no door/wallpaper color swaps in that same room), but it's difficult to track outside of that.

If we're talking timeline collisions, that's a bit different. I'm of the opinion that certain dates are pinch-points, where the timelines meet and things get messed up. The 1959 murders, the 1979 massacre, Will's vanishing/El (supposedly) opening the gate in 1983, the Russian key of 1985, and now in 1986...all seem to be these pinch-points. They're moments where a version of Henward screws things up in an attempt to break free of whatever prison he currently finds himself trapped in, and by the time we get to 1986...everything is messed up.

It's a bit easier to track in NINA (though not by much I'll admit). At least there we can track hairstyles, handedness, formality, speech patterns, inconsistencies in dialogue, etc...and we're consistently swapping between which of the two timelines we/El are viewing.

Re: Vecna's ability to open gates vs the UD discrepancies...I'd agree with you. The up-down UD, the literal upside-down, has not breached into the RSU until ST4. Before that, all we see are right-left doorways.

Within the right-left UD, there is a distinct biome. The right-left UD has the demogorgon(s) and demodogs, wherease we see none of those in the up-down UD. We also see no demobats in the right-left UD, which are the sole creatures in the up-down UD. They're distinctly different spaces, and seem to be completely separate from each other.

(This is furthered by the distinct separation between Vecna and the Mindflayer, which...we never see the two of them together. Vecna never uses the Shadow, and he's a different person entirely from the guy we see shaping the Shadow. It stands to reason that, at least in ST1-2, they are separate. ST3 is a weird situation with the possessed Billy-Heather pair, with Billy acting distinctly like Edward despite Vecna's UD not being open. There's also a matter of Billy's vision, which is distinctly different from Will's shadow-walking pre-possession. Billy's is closer to a true Vecna vision, which makes me wonder if ST3 isn't Vecna and Mindflayer guy working in tandem. It would explain the change in flaying method, which is distinctly Vecna, and it would tie up the plot hole of how Vecna got El's powers if he's separate from Mindflayer guy.)

At this point, the different versions of the UD are just being referred to as a whole...and that is a telltale sign of our characters lacking the realization that they're entirely different guys in entirely different spaces.

That would neatly explain many of the atmosphere changes/added mental components/etc. that we see between ST1-3 and ST4.

#i hope this answered your questions nonnie pls lemme know if it doesn't because my brain is absolutely melting rn #asks

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penmansparadise · 2 years

Text

Steve Harrington ~ A Sweet Redemption

*I DO NOT OWN THIS GIF* *CREDIT TO GIF OWNER*

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings: S4 SPOILERS. Mentions of blood.

a/n: Here it is! Part two of A Sweet Distraction. This is the longest piece I have written, so we can just ignore the word count, okay? Anyway, I had to mess with the storyline from the show a little to write this one, so don't crucify me if some things are a little out of order. I mentioned "The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley in this one which was actually covered by The Ataris in 2003. It's a good song, and you should definitely give it a listen if you don't already know it. My first song pick for this one was "The Final Countdown," but after listening to it a few times, I was like....that does not fit the vibe lol. I did my best to wrap this one up because I don't want to write a part three, so I hope you all enjoy it. My next post will be a Henry Creel one shot, so be on the lookout for that! As always, thanks for the support!!

Your eyes shot open. The muffled sounds of the television from downstairs echoed in your room. You didn’t get up right away. Instead, you looked around at the familiar room. Your posters hung on the wall, covering almost every inch of hideous flower wallpaper your mother had picked for you when you were a little girl. Your bookshelf stood in the farthest corner next to your desk. It was all the way it should be. You pushed the duvet off your body and threw your legs over your bed, but when you stood, you froze. Your door was cracked, letting in a little sliver of light from the hallway. You never left your door open. Every night, you made sure it was shut before climbing into bed. An unsettling feeling filled your stomach, but you pushed it away. Maybe your mom had just forgotten to shut it after she came in and checked on you. She did that sometimes, right?

You walked to the door and opened it the rest of the way, peeking into the hall. Nothing was out of the ordinary. All the photos of you and Mike through the years were still hanging on the wall. You made your way down the stairs with caution until you were standing in the living room. The television was much louder now, but your father wasn’t sitting in his usual spot.

“Dad?” You called out but got no answer.

You turned and began walking toward the dining room. When you entered the little room and rounded the corner, you saw your father sitting at the table in the kitchen. His back was to you, and he was hunched over something. You leaned to the side a little and noticed your math textbook and homework papers strewn all over the table. The unsettling feeling from before was back, and you swallowed the acid that was climbing up your throat. You took a few hesitant steps toward your father’s back.

“Dad?”

“Y/N,” he said cheerily, “you finally decided to join me.”

You stood frozen in the archway that led toward where your father was sitting. There was something wrong.

“W-what are you doing?”

“I’ve been waiting on you so we can work on your math.”

Your forehead creased.

“But-”

Before you could get another word out, the lights above the table began to flicker.

“Why don’t you just have a seat?” Your dad asked, his voice low and distorted.

He turned in his chair, and when you saw his face, you jumped back. Where there used to be smooth skin, there were wrinkles and shadows. His eyes were burned and black, and his teeth looked like tar when he smiled. You stepped back.

“Oh, no.”

Your dad slowly pushed himself out of his chair, but before he could get close to you, you turned and ran. It was a short journey back to the living room, and when you reached the small room, your mom was standing by the couch with her back to you.

“Mom!” You shouted as you ran up to her and grabbed her arm. “Mom, please. You have to-”

When your mother turned to face you, her mouth and eyes were sewn shut with blood streaming down her cheeks. Her mouth was moving as muffled screams erupted from her. You let go of her and fell back onto the floor with a yelp.

“Y/N,” an all too familiar low voice said.

You turned toward the sound only to see the monster walking down your stairs. He looked like a man, but you knew he wasn’t. Instead of flesh, there were slimy black vines covering his body. He lifted up his arm to expose a claw instead of a hand. Your heart was racing, and your breathing was labored, but you couldn’t move. All you could do was sit there and watch as the monster slowly descended your stairs. The sound of a grandfather clock echoed throughout the house.

“Your time is almost up,” he said just before your mother and father started to attack you.

Your screams rang in your ears as you tried to swat your way out of their grasp until you shot awake in your bed. Sweat beaded on your forehead and your chest heaved with every breath you took. Your eyes immediately went to your bedroom door, and when you noticed it was closed, you knew you weren’t dreaming. A sigh fell from your lips. Then a knock came from your door, earning a yelp from you. The door pushed open just slightly, and your mother peeked her head in.

“Oh,” you said, relaxing into your pillows, “it’s just you.”

She held the phone up with a smile.

“The phone is for you. It sounds…urgent.”

Your mom took a few steps into your room to hand you the large phone before exiting, shutting the door behind her. Once it was just you again, you could hear Dustin’s voice from the little speaker.

“Well, maybe this wouldn’t be a red alert had you come to me sooner.”

“I just found out yesterday!” Steve’s voice rang out.

“You said she’d been looking rough for five days, Steve!”

Your eyebrows furrowed, and you put the phone up to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Shut up!” Dustin shouted. “Shut up. Your girlfriend’s on the phone. Hey, Y/N.”

You let out a huff of air.

“Hi, Dustin. Mike isn’t here. He’s in California.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that.”

Your brow raised at that.

“Then why are you calling my house on a Saturday morning?”

“Well,” he said with a little laugh, “funny you should ask. You see, Steve has come to me because he said you have a bit of a problem.”

You sat up a little straighter at his comment.

“I-what?”

“I don’t want to discuss this over the phone,” he said, and you could almost see him shaking his head, his curls bouncing around his cheeks. “Steve and I will be at your house in five to pick you up.”

Before you could object, the line went dead, and you knew you had no other choice but to get ready to go. So, you quickly got cleaned up, and just as you were walking out the front door, Steve was pulling into your driveway. You hopped into the passenger seat, and Steve gave you a tight-lipped smile and an awkward wave.

“Hey,” he said before gesturing to you, “you look-um, you look good.”

You tried to hide the little smile that was pulling at your lips, but you knew you were failing epically.

“Thanks.”

He ran a hand through his hair, and suddenly the dials on his dash became very interesting to him.

“I didn’t, um, say you looked rough,” he said, looking back at you. “You know? From earlier?”

The smile you were trying to hide blossomed onto your face but before you could retort, Dustin leaned forward onto the center console.

“Yes, you did,” he said, looking at Steve.

Steve let out a low groan.

“Dustin, no, I didn’t.”

“Yeah, you did.”

Dustin gave him a dumb look.

“Your exact words were, ‘For five days, she’s looked a little rough.’ You said that.”

A little chuckle fell from your lips at the awful impression Dustin just gave, and Steve just rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t mean,” Steve pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Never mind. Let’s just go.”

Then, without saying another word, Steve backed out of the driveway and took off. At first, you didn’t say anything. But the farther you got from the middle of Hawkins, you finally got curious.

“Where are we going again?”

Steve looked at you briefly before nodding toward the trailer park sign you were approaching and said, “Max’s house.”

When the car came to a stop, you got out and followed Dustin and Steve inside. Much to your surprise, it wasn’t only Max who was waiting on you when you entered. Robin was pacing the living room, and Lucas was sitting next to Max on the couch. It was already tense in the house, but once they realized you were there, the tension only grew. They were all staring at you, but no one said anything. Your eyes traveled from one person to the next, waiting on them to speak, but they didn’t. Finally, you turned and looked at Steve.

“What’s going on?”

But Steve didn’t respond. Instead, Robin took your arm and guided you to the couch.

“You might want to sit down for this.”

The confusion was evident on your face, but you followed her directions and sat. And you were glad you did. Dustin stood in front of you and began to describe things you thought were only real in horror and sci-fi movies. Things about monsters with no faces and thousands of sharp teeth. Stuff about gates to other dimensions that look exactly like ours but are evil and dark. At first, you thought he was joking. That they were all just pulling some massive prank on you. But then Dustin started to describe what you were going through, and you knew he was telling the truth. He said the monster had a name – Vecna – and how Chrissy and Fred’s fight with him ended with their demise. Your eyes widened as you stared at Dustin.

“Great,” you said, throwing your arms in the air, “so I’m gonna die.”

Steve moved toward you, hands on his hips.

“That’s not what he said.”

“You’re right,” you snapped. “What he said was everyone else who’s dealt with this died. Those are some great odds for me considering the fact that I’m next, Steve.”

Steve’s mouth opened and closed, but he didn’t say anything. You shook your head when Max tossed a Walkman at you. You picked it up and turned it over in your hands before looking up at the girl.

“What is this for?”

“It’s your first line of defense.”

You rolled your eyes.

“And you know this how?”

Max pointed at the headphones that were strung around her neck.

“You’re not the only one Vecna is after.”

Your lips parted, but you just swallowed your words. You looked at the Walkman in your hands, and when you looked back up, Steve was in front of you. He held out a cassette, and you recognized it immediately – “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley. You took the little piece of plastic from him, and he shrugged.

“I remember Mike saying this was your favorite song. He said you wouldn’t stop playing it for a week when the album was released.”

Your heart fluttered a little at his statement. Even though you had barely spoken to him in all the years you knew him, he still somehow remembered such an insignificant detail about you. You could feel your cheeks grow warm as you looked at him. The faintest smile played on his lips, and your stomach did a flip.

“Thank you,” you whispered before putting the cassette into the Walkman.

You stared at the piece of equipment for a moment, then turned your attention to the rest of the group.

“Okay, so what now?”

You looked at everyone for a second before Robin finally spoke.

“You all head back to Y/N’s house. I, on the other hand, have a date with a serial killer at Penhurst.”

She grabbed one of the walkie-talkies off the coffee table and exited the house. But it wasn’t long after she left that you, Max, Lucas, Dustin, and Steve all piled into Steve’s BMW. The car ride was quiet, and before you knew it, you were all walking down to the basement of your house. Max grabbed some paper and sulked off to the table in the corner of the room, and you followed suit. You slid your headphones on and found a home on one of the bean bags against the wall on the opposite corner. Don Henley’s voice poured from the headphones as you fiddled with the tag on the bag. This is what your life had come to, and you didn’t even know how it had gotten to this point. You let out a sigh when someone plopped down next to you. Even though you were feeling anything but happy, you couldn’t help the smile that spread across your lips. You paused the music and turned to face Steve.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

Steve’s fingers messed with the laces on his sneakers as he spoke.

“How are you holding up?”

You let out a dry laugh and shrugged.

“As best as I can be. You know, since there’s some otherworldly monster haunting me.”

Steve finally looked at you, and when he noticed you were smiling, he chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

He didn’t look away after he said that. Instead, he held your stare for a moment. You never noticed how soft his facial features were. In all the time you’ve known him, you never truly got to look at him until this moment. His eyes were so soft and brown, like a smooth glass of whiskey. You could get drunk from his stare.

“Y/N?” Steve whispered.

“Yes?”

Your voices were low, and you were afraid if either of you spoke too loudly, the moment you were sharing would be destroyed. So, you held your breath when Steve started talking again.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”

You shut your eyes and let out a puff of air.

“Steve,” you began dropping your head, “I don’t think we have much control over what happens.”

The sudden warmth of Steve’s finger touching just under your chin sent a jolt through your body. You didn’t resist when he guided your eyes back to his. His stare was much harder now.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?” He said sternly.

You just nodded and whispered back, “Okay.”

Although you believed that you were right, there was nothing any of them could do; you still trusted Steve. Even through all this mess, you knew he would keep you safe. The two of you held the other’s gaze, Steve’s fingers still on your face, when two brown envelopes fell at your feet. Steve jumped away from you, putting a little space between the two of you as you picked up the envelope with your name on it. When you looked up, Max was standing there, arms crossed.

“What’s this?” Steve asked as he turned the envelope over in his hands a few times.

“It’s for later. Now let’s go.”

“I’m sorry?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows at the girl.

She just rolled her eyes and moved to gather her bag.

“We’re going to East Hawkins.”

Steve stood and immediately put his hands on his hips.

“What? No, we’re not.” He said, using the envelope in his hand to point at Max.

But his rejection wasn’t stopping her. She zipped up her bag and exited the basement without even a second glance back. Lucas and Dustin were the first to rush off after her. You and Steve looked at one another for a second before scrambling off after the kids.

Steve ran to be in step with Max, but you stayed back with Lucas and Dustin.

“Max,” Steve called before raising his voice and shouting, “Max, seriously.”

She wasn’t slowing down as she marched toward Steve’s car. Steve kept up pace with her, though.

“Seriously, I’m not joking, okay? I’m not driving you anywhere.”

You watched as he argued with the girl and your forehead creased.

“Where does she want to go in East Hawkins?” You asked, looking between Dustin and Lucas.

Dustin shrugged. He was just as lost as you, but when you turned to Lucas, he sighed.

“It’s the cemetery,” he stated before bringing his solemn eyes to meet yours, “where Billy is buried.”

Your heart jumped to your throat, and your chest tightened. Max wanted to go see her stepbrother’s grave. When you finally made it to the car, Max was jiggling the door handle.

“Open the door.”

Steve scoffed.

“Uh, no.”

You walked up the passenger side door and said Steve’s name, earning his attention. He looked torn, and you knew he was trying to do the right thing by keeping the kids safe, but you also knew that going to see Billy was important to Max. You, of all people, understood exactly why she wrote the letters. And you were going to make sure she got to tell her deceased stepbrother whatever she needed to say. So you gave a small nod to Steve and said, “Open the door.”

He didn’t move right away, and you thought he wasn’t going to listen to you. But then he groaned and unlocked the doors.

“Henderson,” he said as he climbed into the driver’s seat, “that super walkie of yours better reach Penhurst.”

Everyone got into the vehicle, and soon you were driving toward East Hawkins. The kids were squished in the backseat, but no one was talking. The usual banter and childlike play they indulged in was gone. Instead, there was a heavy tension weighing on everyone’s shoulders. You turned a little to see Max staring out the window while the boys fidgeted with whatever they could occupy their nervous fingers with. When you turned back, you sent a glance in Steve’s direction, and he just gave a weak smile. Your hand rested on the center console, and you watched the road ahead go by in a blur. You didn’t realize Steve had moved his right hand to be next to yours until you felt the tiniest brush of his fingers on yours. Your heart leaped in your chest, and you inched your hand just a little closer to his. His fingers grazed the tops of yours until you carefully flipped your hand over, allowing him to intertwine your hands. You could feel the heat creeping up your neck and the goosebumps that pricked your skin at his touch. But you didn’t move. And that’s how your hands stayed for the rest of the ride to the cemetery.

When you arrived, Max didn’t waste any time hopping out and making her way toward the headstones. Lucas slid out after her and jogged to stop her. The three of you sat in the car and watched. You couldn’t hear what they were saying, but you could tell that Lucas was pleading with Max. When she waved him off and stomped away, you knew the conversation didn’t go well. Lucas sulked back to the vehicle and got back inside, slouching into the seat.

“She won’t talk to me anymore,” he choked out, and you could feel your heart breaking at his strained words. “She just keeps pushing me away, and-and I don’t know what to do.”

You looked at the boy and sighed. You weren’t sure exactly what happened with their relationship, but you knew that Lucas still loved Max, and he was scared.

“Let me go talk to her,” you said, unbuckling your seatbelt.

Steve straightened next to you as he franticly watched you about to exit the car.

“What? No.”

You let go of the door handle and rolled your eyes.

“Steve.”

“No,” he began, shaking his head, “I can’t-”

He stopped short, his eyes wild with fear.

“You can’t what?” You whispered.

Steve looked back at Lucas and Dustin, who were staring at the two of you, and he lowered his voice.

“What if something happens?”

You picked your Walkman up and gave it a little shake.

“I’ve got this bad boy, remember? Don’t worry.”

You didn’t give Steve a chance to say anything back to you before you opened the door and got out. Max was sitting in front of the grave, but as you got closer, you noticed her shoulders shaking just slightly. Her hands clutched another brown envelope, and you could hear her little sobs.

“Max?”

When she heard you say her name, she bowed her head and started wiping her eyes.

“What are you doing?” She asked, her voice thick with tears.

You didn’t move any closer. Instead, you just stood a few feet from her sobbing figure and shrugged.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed a little rattled when you got out of the car.”

Max didn’t say anything in response. Her shoulders were stiff now as she stared at the gravestone. “William Hargrove. Gone but not forgotten,” was engraved on it. You looked back at Max, who hadn’t moved, and you swallowed your nerves.

“Is it alright if I sit with you?”

She nodded without a word, so you carefully made your way up to the plot and sat next to her. It was quiet at first, neither of you speaking, just looking at Billy’s grave. But then you finally turned to look at Max and asked, “Do you come here often?”

“No,” she mumbled. “I don’t.”

Your eyes fell to the folded-up paper in her hand, and you nodded toward it.

“Is that for him?”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. She didn’t answer your question right away, and you noticed her eyes growing watery again. Finally, she coughed and gripped the letter a little tighter.

“Yeah,” she said gruffly. “I thought,” she dropped her head for a beat, the paper crumpling under her clenched fist, “I thought I owed him an apology. For everything, you know?” She lifted to look at the gravestone again, “Before it’s too late.”

Her stare was hard as if she had lived a million lives full of hardship. Your heart ached at the sight. You looked down at the grass in front of you and started plucking at the little green strands.

“Max,” you said softly, “whatever happened to Billy wasn’t your fault.”

You didn’t raise your eyes to look at her. Instead, you continued to play with the grass as a dry chuckle escaped you.

“But writing letters? That’s a pretty good idea. I wish I would have thought of that.”

You finally lifted your head toward Max with a tired smile and said, “I guess it’s not too late, though, huh?”

But your face fell when she wasn’t sitting next to you anymore. You quickly turned to look in the other direction, but she was gone. The once blue sky started to turn black, and thunder rumbled overhead. Your pulse began to thrum faster as you continued to look around, hoping it was all a big joke and Max would jump out at you any second.

“Max?” You hollered out into the darkness.

“Max isn’t here, Y/N,” the deep voice that had been haunting you for five days bellowed.

Your breath caught in your throat, and you could feel your fear welling in your eyes as you stumbled to your feet. Your head was on a swivel as you desperately tried to find Vecna. The sound of the old grandfather clock chimed, and your heart began to race even faster.

“No,” you uttered, “not again. Not here.”

Then you heard the squishing sounds of Vecna’s slow approaching steps. You turned and saw the monster from your dream. Tall with slimy tendrils coiling all over his body. His one arm hung at his side while the other exposed his giant claw, fingers wiggling slowly with each step.

“No, no, no,” you muttered to yourself as you began running in the opposite direction.

You could still hear him. Every step he took echoed through the darkness. But he never ran. Instead, he took slow, calculated steps because he knew you couldn’t escape him. And you knew it too. Panic was a wild thing inside you as you sprinted through the dark cemetery.

“Steve!” You shouted, hoping that in some way he would hear you and save you from this nightmare. “Steve, please help me! Steve!”

You stopped and looked around. Your chest was heaving, and you could feel the terror thrumming through your veins. Through the shadows, Vecna’s menacing figure emerged, and you let out a whimper. There was nowhere to go. You started running again, and soon the normalcy of the cemetery turned into something more ominous. The same slimy tendrils that were all over Vecna appeared all around you. The trees were no longer green and full but rather bare and skeleton-like. It was like a darker eviler version of the world you knew. But you didn’t have time to think about that. Instead, you ran until you couldn’t breathe and found a tree to hide behind. It felt like your lungs were on fire as you leaned against the tree. You shut your eyes, hoping that you would wake up and this would all be over. But then the grandfather clock chimed again, and you opened your eyes. Standing in front of you was Vecna.

“Do you think you can hide from me?”

You turned to run again, but before you could get very far, a vine wrapped around your ankle, and you slammed into the ground.

“No!” You yelled as you tried to grasp at anything you could to prevent the vine from dragging you any closer to Vecna. “No, let go of me!”

The tendril dragged you until you were pinned up against the tree. Two more sprang up, grabbing your wrists and restraining your arms. Then another slid around your neck, cutting off your oxygen. You gasped for air and started whimpering as you thrashed against the restraints. Tears streamed down your face, and you let out a little sob when, suddenly, the familiar sound of Don Henley’s guitar filled your ears. You looked up to the lightening filled sky, and the clouds parted to expose the cemetery. You could see yourself surrounded by the kids and Steve.

“Y/N! We’re here. Just wake up!” Steve said, his words laced with desperation.

Dustin shook your shoulders, and Lucas clapped his hands. Max held the headphones over your ears, willing the song to work like it was supposed to.

“Come on, Y/N,” Dustin said.

You could see Steve gripping your hand, his face ridden with fear.

“Please,” he begged, “you have to wake up.”

You watched through the little hole in the clouds as the vine around your neck tightened and Vecna blocked your view.

“They can’t help you, Y/N. You’re here for a reason.”

You bucked against the vines again to no avail.

“What do you want from me?”

Vecna’s claw came up, and one of his long sharp nails trailed down your cheek.

“I want you to tell your friends that they cannot stop me. It’s too late. I have already won.”

“No,” you said, voice strained, “you haven’t. I’m still alive. I already know your plan is to kill me.”

A low chuckle vibrated from him.

“No, Y/N. I don’t want you. I want Max.”

Your jaw went slack.

“I will get her,” he said, stepping closer to you, “and I will be set free.”

“What? No.”

Vecna’s claw opened wide and cupped your face.

“Let me show you, Y/N.”

Your eyes started to roll into the back of your head as flashes of images flooded your mind. Hawkins was in shambles, and the town was being swallowed up into the ground. A gate of some sort was bursting open, and monsters of all types were being set free into Hawkins. And Max was in the hospital with casts all over her body. It was too much, but he wasn’t stopping. So, you forced your eyes open and saw the parted clouds again. You thought of all the good memories you could muster. You thought about teaching Mike to ride a bike for the first time and the way he smiled at you when he did it on his own. The feeling of pride you had for him at that moment. You thought about the first time you met Robin and how quickly the two of you became friends. You remembered all the nights you spent with her and the times you visited her at Scoops Ahoy. You thought about seeing Steve in school and how sweet he was to you every day, always making sure he sat next to you in classes you shared. And you remembered kissing him on his cheek yesterday after he took you to get ice cream and took care of you.

It was the last thought that gave you the strength to look at Vecna, reach forward, grab one of the tendrils on his neck, and rip it off. He let out a guttural grunt just before the vines gave way, and you fell to the ground. You scrambled to your feet and started running toward the opening in the sky. Don Henley’s voice continued to ring out, urging you to keep going. You pushed yourself to run even faster when tree branches started to snap and fall onto you. Your breathing was labored, but you kept going, dodging everything Vecna was throwing at you. The sound of “The Boys of Summer” mixed with your heavy beating heart was all you could hear. The opening was getting closer. You shut your eyes as you ran faster and faster until your eyes shot open, and you took in a gulp of air.

You were floating for only a split second before you went careening toward the ground. When you smacked into the grass, you let out a yelp and then frantically grabbed for Steve. You weren’t sure if you were still dreaming or if it was real, but you didn’t care. Steve’s arms wrapped around you, and you melted into him. Your breathing was ragged from hyperventilating, and your face was wet from tears. You clutched onto the fabric of Steve’s Members Only jacket as he shushed you.

“It’s okay,” he reassured you, “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Your eyes were wide as you finally took in your surroundings. Max was standing behind Steve with Lucas’ arm around her, and Dustin was still crouched next to you. They were all there. Every single one of them. Your breathing evened just slightly, and you burrowed into Steve’s chest. The smell of sandalwood and vanilla washed over you like a wave, and you let out a sob. You weren’t dreaming. He was actually there. It was real.

When you pulled away from Steve, they were all looking at you.

“What happened?” Dustin asked, his voice a little shrill. “Did you see Vecna? Did he say anything? Did he do anything?”

Your mind was still reeling from the encounter you just had, and Dustin’s questions only overwhelmed you even more. You shook your head and leaned into Steve’s chest again.

“It’s Max.”

They all stopped, and the air went still.

“He’s not after me,” you said, “he’s after Max.”

Dustin, Lucas, and Max all started talking simultaneously, throwing questions at you that all seemed to jumble together. Your eyes flitted from one kid to the next, but you couldn’t focus on what they were saying. You could feel the panic from before creeping into your gut, and your breathing grew shallow. The kids kept talking over one another until Steve put his hands up and shouted, “Okay!”

It went silent.

“Okay. Clearly, Y/N is still a little shaken up. We can figure out what happened later.” He looked down at you. “She needs time to calm down. So, let’s just go.”

And with that, Steve helped you to your feet and guided you back to his car, his arm still firmly wrapped around you. The kids followed behind, and soon you were all in the car again, driving back toward Hawkins. Steve dropped the kids off one by one. Max, then Lucas, then Dustin. Before long, he was pulling into your driveway and shutting the engine off. The lights were off, and you knew your parents weren’t home.

When you got out of the car, Steve followed you. He walked you all the way to the front door, and when you went to go inside, he held the door open and went in too. You didn’t even bother asking why or what he was doing. You knew just as well as he did that this was his way of making sure you got to your room safely. Steve walked behind you until you entered your room and sat on the edge of your bed. You put your head in your hands, letting the silence fall over you like a blanket. When you sat up, Steve was leaning against the door frame.

“I should probably get going,” he said, using his thumb to point behind him, “you know before your parents get home.”

He didn’t wait for you to respond before turning to leave. But you quickly stood and said, “Wait,” causing him to stop and look at you. He looked as tired as you felt, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep alone in the house after what happened. So, you took a small step forward and stopped just short of him.

“C-can you stay?”

He turned until his body was fully facing you.

“What about your parents?”

You waved his question off.

“I’ll deal with them tomorrow. So? Will you?”

Steve ran a hand through his hair and nodded.

“Um, yeah. I-I can stay.”

You stood there for another beat before moving to your bed and crawling under the comforter. You didn’t care to get cleaned up. All you wanted was to melt into the one place you actually felt safe, and that was in Steve’s arms. The bed dipped as Steve slid in behind you. You scooted closer to him until your back was flush against his chest. He let his arm hang loosely around your waist, and you could feel his head land on your pillow. His short puffs of breath tickled the back of your neck, making the hairs back there stand up. You could feel his chest rising and falling, and you shut your eyes. You weren’t expecting him to say anything, so when he finally broke the silence, you were wide awake.

“I thought I lost you back there,” he mumbled.

“Yeah.”

You could hear him take in a shaky breath.

“I can’t lose you, Y/N.”

Your chest tightened as you rolled over to face him. His arm tightened around your waist, pulling you just a little closer than before. You lifted your hand and rested it on his cheek, rubbing your thumb over the little stubble he had.

“I’m safe now.”

Steve let out a puff of air through his nose before leaning forward and placing his forehead against yours. His soft hair fell over your face with the motion. You could see that his eyes were closed, and you could tell that something was bothering him.

“I’ve known you a long time, Y/N.”

“I know.”

His eyes opened again.

“There’s something I’ve never told you that I probably should have said a really long time ago.”

Your heart started to beat faster as you swallowed.

“And what’s that?”

His breathing was steady, but you could feel his quickening pulse under your hand. His tongue poked out and slid over his bottom lip, agonizingly slow.

“I love you, Y/N.”

Butterflies erupted in your stomach, and it felt like your whole body was buzzing. But before you could reciprocate your feelings, Steve started to ramble.

“I know this may not be the best time, but I really thought you were gone earlier. You-you just started floating, and you wouldn’t wake up, so I thought,” he let out a long breath, “never mind. I just needed you to know how I feel, okay?”

You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth for a brief second, ran your fingers through Steve’s velvet soft hair, then planted the softest kiss on his lips. His hand gripped your hip before relaxing and pulling you even closer to his body. Every nerve in your body was humming as Steve’s lips captured yours, turning the gentle kiss a little more frantic. Finally, when you pulled back, you placed your forehead back onto his and smiled.

“I love you too, Steve.”

He let out a quiet laugh, then pressed his lips against yours once more. You rested your head on his chest, letting the soft thump of his heart lull you to sleep. You were safe. Now all you had to do was make sure Max was safe too. But for now, you just wanted to enjoy the feeling of Steve’s protective arms wrapped around your frame.

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