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the-case-book-of-fanfiction · 11 months

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Rain-Soaked Kisses

Ship: Steve Harrington x fem!Mayfield!reader

Summary: Steve hates storms but loves the rain—just another oxymoron of his life, like the secret the kids are trying so very hard to dig up.

Word Count: 6,582 words

Warnings: fluff!!!, sappy & romantic Steve, scheming Dustin & Max, healthy Mayfield sibling relationship, Billy mention, lumax sprinkles, secret relationship, friends to lovers, byler sprinkles, jancy sprinkles

Note: Told in part from the perspective of the kids! Written because it's storming where I am, and I love this weather so much.

☟ Continue below the fold ☟

"Who could he possibly be dating? There's not a girl in Hawkins that wants to go out with him!"

"Well, clearly one of them does!"

Dustin sighed, taking in Max's exclamation. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Steve had stopped complaining about bad dates and girls who left quickly; Robin reported he'd completely stopped talking about Leah and Heidi and Helen and the five other girls he'd been on-and-off again with; he walked around with a dopey, happy smile on his face all the time; and he was less and less reliable for rides, instead going on dates with a girl who's name he always pretended to forget.

As impossible as the idea seemed, Dustin had to admit it was a logical conclusion.

But who?

"Robin?" Max suggested.

Dustin shook his head. "Impossible. Steve steadfastedly refuses to date her. It's not Nancy again, is it?"

"Nope—saw her with Jonathan yesterday." Max huffed a sigh. "Maybe we have to...think outside the box more?"

"Who's outside the box? Who hasn't he already tried to date and failed miserably at dating?" Dustin demanded.

Max was silent for a moment too long. Then she said, "Alright, I don't know. I can't think of anyone who would actually go out with him."

"Exactly, neither can I," Dustin said. "We've got to watch him. We need to know who this is."

~❊~

But tracking Steve and his mystery girl down was much, much harder than either Dustin or Max had anticipated.

Without Steve driving them around, getting around town took twice as long as it needed, either in the attempts to find someone to drive them or in walking themselves everywhere. Nancy was either busy or with Jonathan most of the time, which ruled out Jonathan as well, and Robin still didn't have her license.

During yet another slow afternoon of trying and failing to put together the pieces of where Steve was going and with who, the phone rang. Dustin and Max both looked up quickly, scrambling over furniture and Dustin's new cat to beat each other to the phone.

Dustin got to it first. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dustin? It's Robin."

"Yeah, I know it's you, Robin, I can recognize your voice."

"Now's your chance."

"What?"

"Steve just left work—he said he's going on a date. Now's your chance to go find out who he's going out with!"

"Oh, shit!" Dustin turned to Max. "Steve's going on a—"

"I heard," she said. "Does she know where he's going?"

"Where's he going, Robin, did he say?"

"A restaurant, and he changed into a really nice outfit before he left here. And by nice, I mean really nice. Like fanciest restaurant in town kind of nice. Whoever this girl is, he really wants to impress her. And he's obsessed with her, too, he's been smiling all day from excitement."

Dustin scoffed. "And you didn't call us before he left?! Now we have to find out where he's going and how to get there!"

"Well, it's not like I could call you talk about him in front of him! Besides, we do know where he's going. What's the fanciest restaurant in town?"

"Enzo's," Dustin realized. "That's where he's taking her."

"I can guarantee it. If you go to Enzo's, he's going to be there. I'd go myself, but Steve and I'll both get fired if at least one of us isn't at the store right now."

"Thanks, Robin!"

"Good luck, guys!"

Dustin turned around to give Max the details, but she cut him off. "I heard. Enzo's."

"All we have to do is catch them in the middle of their date, and we know exactly who Steve's dating," Dustin said with a grin. "Easy!"

"Yeah, easy," Max snarked. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Dustin paused before he sighed. "Start calling everyone we know with a car, I guess."

Max rolled her eyes. "Like that'll ever work. Nobody's been willing to drive us around so far!"

"Can't hurt to try," Dustin insisted.

"No, Dustin, we'll be wasting time! We should just start walking now!"

But Dustin was already dialing the number to the Wheelers' house. It was answered by Mrs. Wheeler.

"Hello, Karen Wheeler speaking!"

"Hi, Mrs. Wheeler, could I talk to—"

"MIKE!" Dustin flinched at the volume from the other end. Max cringed, hearing the shout from where she stood. "Dustin's on the phone!"

A few seconds later, Dustin heard Mike's voice. "Yeah?"

"Is Nancy there?"

Dustin could see Mike's frown. "What do you want Nancy for?"

"Mike, I don't have time for this—"

"What. For? If this is Keith trying to get a date with her again, I swear that I'll—"

"Oh my God, Mike, no! Steve's going on a date and we need to catch him to figure out who he's going out with! We need Nancy to drive us there."

"Dustin, do you realize how idiotic that sounds? Nancy's not gonna drive you to go spy on her ex and his new girlfriend!" Mike hung up without another word.

Groaning, Dustin tried to call again, but he was met only with the dial tone.

Max rolled her eyes. "I told you it wouldn't work."

"I'm calling the Byers," Dustin grumbled. He dialed the number, but when Joyce picked up, she was talking to someone else in the house and by the time Dustin had gotten out "Is Jonathan there?" he heard the click of the receiver being put back.

"Try my sister," Max said.

Dustin dialed the number to Max's trailer, but no one answered. He shook his head.

"She's probably out running," Max sighed.

"Another run? Isn't that all she does now?" Dustin asked with a frown.

Max shrugged. "She says it helps her...deal with things."

Dustin sensed a can of worms—the kind that most people would avoid, the kind that Max clearly wanted to talk about anyway. So he asked it, when most people wouldn't. "Things?"

Max nodded slowly. "Yeah. You know...the Upside Down, Eddie..." She hesitated. "Billy."

Dustin glanced down at his feet. There was blood associated with all of those memories. He knew they plagued all of them, those who'd survived Vecna and his creatures, and he knew that they all had different ways of coping. Dustin's was research, Max's was music, yours was running.

"She's more like him than she wants to admit," Max said. "At least, she is with the running. Billy, he...he used to exercise to distract himself. She runs."

"Is that a bad thing?" Dustin asked.

"No, it's just... She needs someone in her corner is all. And I don't...I don't think that person is me anymore."

Dustin's heart squeezed in his chest. "Max..."

She shook off his concern. "Come on—we'd better start walking, or we're never going to make it to Enzo's on time!"

~❊~

It started to rain halfway through their walk to Enzo's.

The storm didn't start gently. There was no warning before it started to pour, no flash of lightning or boom of thunder. Just a steady downpour, hard and fast and painful against the skin.

Dustin and Max hid from the weather as much as they could, ducking under store awnings and hiding under outdoor umbrellas as they came across them.

After getting turned around at least twice, they spotted the restaurant's glowing sign. They ran toward it, stopping at the bay windows peering in. They scanned the tables inside. From the parking lot behind them, there was laughter and the slamming of car doors.

"Do you see them?" Dustin hissed. He looked at every face he saw, overanalyzing the back of every head that looked like it might be Steve.

"Are we sure they're still there?" Max said. "It's been, what, almost an hour and a half? Who eats for that long?"

Dustin shrugged. "Enzo's is a fancy place, they've got designated courses and shit. They could still be there."

A car engine revved. "Are you sure?" Max took Dustin by the shoulders and spun him around. "Is it just me, or does that look like—"

"Steve's car!" Dustin hissed. "Shit!"

They raced after it in the rain, Dustin catching sight of Steve through the driver's side window, his hair perfect and a huge grin on his face.

"Is he wearing a suit jacket?" Max asked.

"Did you see who was in the passenger's seat?" Dustin demanded.

Max didn't answer, still staring after the car, her face fixed into confusion.

"Max?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I...I couldn't tell who it was."

Dustin groaned. "Shit! That was our one chance!"

"We'll get another one," Max snapped. "He's been going on dates a lot, right? Robin said so, and he's always gone because he's been on a date. He'll go on another one with her soon."

Dustin sighed. "Good point. Now we just have to wait. Come on—we should call Robin."

~❊~

Max walked home in the rain by herself, hearing her mother fuss that she would get a cold if she kept walking around in the rain without a jacket, but not caring. Louder than her mother's voice was El's: friends don't lie.

Should Max have told Dustin what—who—she saw in Steve's car? Or the fact that she'd seen them going into Steve's burgundy BMW in the parking lot while he'd been focused on the store?

No.

Yes?

It was too late now. Besides, was she absolutely sure of who she'd seen?

Well, yes, she knew you better than anyone. You'd been by her side her entire life. There were pictures hanging in the trailer of Mom in the hospital bed after she'd given birth to Max, but it was you who was holding her, sitting in the plastic chair next to the bed.

The lights of the trailer were on when Max reached it, but only your car was in the driveway.

She pushed the door open. "Hey, I'm home!"

You poked your head out of the door to your bedroom. Your hair was just as drenched and stringy as her own. "Max! There you are, I was worried— Why are you soaking wet?"

"I walked home," she said, shrugging.

You hurried out of your room. "Come on, we need to get you out of those clothes. Mom will kill us both if she finds out we've both been out in the rain in the wrong kind of clothes."

"Where were you?" Max asked as you brought her into the bathroom.

You glanced up at her but didn't meet her eyes. "You couldn't get a ride home?" You left her in the bathroom, running into her room to grab her some dry clothes.

"No—Steve's the only one who will drive us anywhere, and he's unavailable most of the time."

Guilt flashed over your face. Max narrowed her eyes, watching you closely. You didn't seem to notice. "We'll tell Mom we took showers if she gets back before our hair dries." You paused. "You could have called me, you know."

"I did," she said. "You didn't answer."

Your face fell. "Max, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Are you dating Steve?"

The question stopped you in your tracks. "Max, I..."

"Are you?"

You sighed, wiping a a hand over your face. You sighed. "Yeah."

Max sighed. "Hand me a towel, please." You did so silently, taking one of your own to towel-dry your hair. "Why didn't you tell me?"

You shrugged. "At first, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I mean... I knew I liked Steve, but his track record with girls hasn't been good lately, and I..." You sighed. "I wanted reassurance he wouldn't be gone after a week."

"And after that?"

You groaned, putting your head in your hands. "This is...gonna sound stupid, but... Steve has been everything for you guys. For you, for Dustin, for El, everybody. He's saved you countless times, I watched him stand up to our brother to protect us, even though Billy beat him bloody for it. I didn't...I didn't want to feel like I was taking him away from you all, but I also...kind of wanted him to myself sometimes. And he seemed to want time alone for the two of us, too, so..." You looked up at Max. "And I didn't...want you to feel like I was taking away from you. After Billy..." Your voice caught in your throat.

There it was again. The silence that surrounded death.

"Died," Max whispered. "After he died."

You nodded. "After he died, I know Steve kind of...stepped up for you. I didn't want you to feel like he cared less about you just because I was in the picture now." You laughed shakily. "I know that kind of, uh, backfired. I'm sorry to keep him away from you guys for so long."

Max shook her head. "Stop apologizing for wanting someone that's yours." She breathed out a laugh. "I was just telling Dustin that you needed someone in your corner. I should have known it would be Steve. I mean, he's always been there for the rest of us, why wouldn't he be there for you?"

You looked over at Max. "Just how mad is Dustin that I'm dating Steve?"

"He doesn't know," Max said. "We've been trying to figure out who Steve's mystery girl is for months. He won't tell anybody, so Dustin wanted to try and see if we could figure it out ourselves." She glanced at you. "We saw you guys last night. At Enzo's. Or rather, I saw you. Dustin was too busy trying to peer inside the restaurant to even notice Steve's car."

You made a face. "How can you not notice Steve's car? It's a burgundy BMW for Christ's sake."

"I know!" Max giggled.

You laughed with her for a minute. The lightness in her voice—it had been a while since you'd heard her laugh like that.

After a moment, you said, "So...nobody else knows that it's me Steve is dating?"

Max shook her head. "Not even Robin."

You whistled. "I'm surprised Steve's capable of keeping a secret from her. It's gotta be killing him, I just know it." You giggled. "However...we could have some fun with this."

Max raised her eyebrows.

"If Dustin wants to know who's Steve's dating, he can keep digging as much as he wants." You grinned. "That's gotta be amusing, surely?"

~❊~

The storm that had swept in over a week ago had lasted the whole week, turning Hawkins into a mud patch and its roads into rivers. It let up briefly, leaving behind perfect spring days, only to return with a vengeance the next week—randomly on a Thursday afternoon.

Thursdays had become movie nights at Steve's house, and Dustin had concocted a plan to trick Steve into telling him who he was dating.

Max knew it wasn't gonna work. She had been present when you told Steve about Dustin's snooping and the both of you had decided to continue yanking Dustin's chain. Steve had seemed more excited about it than even you had.

While Steve set up his house for the group of rambunctious teenagers for movie night, Dustin explained his plan to Max in whispers.

"So, I'm going to try talking about Suzie for the first few hours," Dustin started, watching Steve like a hawk while he moved about in the kitchen, making popcorn for the group. "Get him thinking about his own relationship, you know? And then you know how he gets—" He cut himself off abruptly when Steve came into the living room with bowls of popcorn, setting them on the coffee table.

"Any idea when your sister's supposed to be here, Max?" Steve asked. "I thought she was driving you."

Max shook her head. "She said she'd come after she got out of work, but I don't remember when her shift ended."

Steve nodded. He disappeared up the stairs in the next moment.

"You know how he gets when it gets late into the movie and its dark and he's focused?" Dustin continued, picking up immediately.

Max frowned. "Like when he's so focused on something you can ask him a question and he'll either go 'huh?' and make you repeat it or he'll just answer without thinking?"

"Exactly like that," Dustin said. "That's when I'm—"

Steve returned with a stack of blankets. "How many of us are there, again? Twelve?"

"Thirteen," Dustin and Max both said.

Steve tossed the blankets onto the couch. "Go grab five more. Up the stairs, closet on the left."

They went up the stairs, Dustin whispering again before they'd even reached the landing. "I'm gonna ask him who he's going out with when he's like that."

Max rolled her eyes. "You don't know that'll work. He could say 'huh?' and make you repeat the question, like I just said."

Dustin shrugged. "Then I'll ask him something different, wait a little bit longer, and then ask again. He can't do that the whole night. Can he?"

"How should I know?" Max picked up the blankets and started back downstairs. Steve was whistling in the kitchen. "This whole plan is so stupid, Dustin. It's hardly a plan!"

"Do you have a better idea?" he hissed.

Max stayed silent. Of course she had better ideas, but those might make Steve actually tell Dustin.

"That's what I thought," Dustin said, clearly on the wrong path. "We'll stick with my plan." He glanced at Steve's back in the kitchen. "Unless your sister knows who he's dating? They're pretty much best friends now, right?"

Max nodded. "Blame Robin for that," she said, praying her poker face held. "I don't think she knows. I can't see Steve telling her if he hasn't told Robin."

"Fair point," Dustin decided. "Even more reason to rely on my plan."

She rolled her eyes. "Your plan is just going to annoy him until he kicks you out of his house."

"He likes me too much," Dustin said, with confidence Max wasn't sure he should possess—not about this, at least.

When they reached the first floor again, Steve was pacing around the living room, double checking he had everything set up. Max had to admit she liked the set up he had for movie night: the coffee table was set up with bowls of popcorn and a drink tray, there was a cooler next to filled with water bottles and soda cans, he had dragged every pillow in the house to the couch and floor, a fluffy winter comforter spread out on the carpet to make the floor more comfortable, and an egregious number of bagged snacks in a wicker basket.

"I think we're all set, guys," Steve said, surveying the room with his hands on his hips.

As if cued by Steve's motherly behavior, the rain outside grew louder, falling fast against the AC unit in the window. Steve winced.

"Looks like we're going to have to have the volume up high to hear the movie over the storm," he said.

"What are we watching?" Dustin asked.

Steve shrugged. "I dunno. We've got a couple choices in that cabinet over there, plus the stuff Robin's bringing. I think Nance had a movie she wanted to suggest, too, but I can't remember what it was..." His eye caught on the stack of blankets, leaning down to count them.

Dustin dug through the movie cabinet. "Come on, Steve, what are these movies? Why are they all romantic comedies?"

"Because they're my mom's favorite, dipshit," Steve said with an affectionate roll of his eyes.

"There's nothing of value here!"

"Well, I'm not watching Star Wars again, so—"

"It was Star Trek last week!"

"Even worse." Steve looked up at Max and waved her over. She glanced at Dustin, but he was too busy judging Mrs. Harrington's taste in rom-coms to notice her get up.

"Would it be too obvious if I gave your sister my blanket? I miscounted and we're short one."

Max bit back a laugh. "I think Nancy might notice, Robin would definitely notice, but Dustin's still a little too oblivious for that."

Steve huffed a sigh. "Can't have one of them letting it slip. Alright, fine, I'll use mine and give her a different one." He glanced at his watch. "Her shift ended almost an hour ago, she should be here any minute."

Max frowned. "Why do you know her work schedule better than I do?"

He shrugged. "In case she needs a ride to or from work. Can't leave her stranded if her car breaks down again."

A knock sounded at the door. Steve grinned at Max, both of them knowing you had arrived. He rushed to the door, slowing down only when he was within Dustin's sightline again.

You were hugging your arms when he opened the door, your hair wet and stringy, your clothes soaked through. "What took you so long, Stevie?!" you demanded, hurrying through the door. Max pointed to Dustin before you could kiss Steve's cheek.

"Jesus, you're soaked," Steve said, taking in your more than damp appearance. "Did you walk here?"

"No," you said, pointing out the still-open door to your car. "It's just raining hard enough that I got drenched on the run from my car to your door."

Steve slammed the door shut before more water could get inside. "Uh, okay, come on, I think I've got something for you to change into."

You blinked at him, gaze flicking briefly to Dustin. "Oh, no, that's alright, I'll just—"

"I'm not letting you stay uncomfortable and catch a cold in these clothes," Steve insisted. You nodded, all too ready to curl up in one of Steve's sweaters. "Come on—you two, we'll only be a minute. Answer the door if anyone else comes while we're gone."

Steve ushered you upstairs. Max waited a few minutes before telling Dustin she'd be right back, using the bathroom as her excuse, wanting to keep an eye on the two of you and stop you from any funny business. She followed the damp footprints you'd left behind, slipping into the bathroom across from Steve's room and peering around the door. She smiled at what she saw.

You had ditched your wet pants and shirt and were pulling on a pair of Steve's jeans. Steve had his back turned as he dug through his dresser.

"Um...do you need a different bra? I'm pretty sure you left one here last time..." Steve glanced back at you and smiled. "God, you look cute."

You looked up at him, cheeks pink. "You're just saying that because I'm half-naked in your bedroom and the clothes I'm wearing are yours."

Steve shook his head, still smiling. "I'm sayin' it 'cause you're cute." He walked over to you, sweater in hand, and kissed your nose. "You are beautiful, Miss Mayfield." He brushed your wet hair out of your face. "Arms up, honey."

You lifted your arms for him and he tugged his sweater over your head. He pulled you to his chest as soon as it was on, holding you like it was the last time he ever would. Max watched your hand go into his hair, pulling a soft sigh from him.

"Kiss me, Stevie," you whispered, coaxing his head toward your own with your hand.

Eyes closed, Steve obeyed, kissing you softly, chastely. Max heard the movie-perfect sound of your lips parting before you tugged him back down for a second kiss, deeper than the first.

"I love you," he whispered.

"And I love you," you said back. The two of you smiled at each other, sickeningly sweet, and Max wondered if the look on your face was the same one on hers whenever she was with Lucas.

Steve adjusted his sweater on your body one more time. "We should get back downstairs," he said. "Dustin might get suspicious."

You fell back into his arms for another hug. "Okay."

Steve took your hand and slowly lead you out of his bedroom, though he seemed just as reluctant as you to have to let go and pretend to just be friends. "Your sister thought it would be too much to give you my blanket during the movie, but I think I like having you in my clothes more."

You smiled. "If it's anything scary, I'll jump a lot and cling to you and we can blame it on the movie."

Steve grinned. "Let's hope Robin brings a good scary movie, and that Eddie wins the vote tonight, then."

Max shut the door before you could see it was open, making sure it closed quietly, quickly flushed the toilet, and turned on the sink and made a show of opening the door to see the two of you. She glanced pointedly at your hands.

"I thought we were still making Dustin guess," she said.

Steve sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He brought your joined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of your hand before letting you go. "Alright, I'm done now."

The three of you headed back downstairs, Max at the lead and you just behind. Max knew Steve had let you go down the stairs first just so he could watch you prance around in his clothes and run his gaze over you again, but she'd give him a pass, just this once. You did look rather at home in his clothes.

Max watched you while you made yourself at home in your usual spot, in the middle cushion on the Harringtons' couch. In fact, she realized, you looked more like yourself, the happiest you'd been, since Billy had died—maybe even since you'd left California.

Credit where credit was due, Max would have to thank Steve somehow (without it seeming like she was thanking him for bringing you back).

"You want anything?" Steve asked you, tossing you one of the blankets. He set his down on the cushion next to you, then the blanket Robin had claimed on your other side.

"I'm all set," you promised. "Anyone else here yet, Dusty?"

Dustin rolled over onto his back from the place on the floor he'd claimed as his several months back, which he said was the best place to watch the movie from, but Max knew was his spot because it was still close enough to Steve, too. The middle, which was hers, was definitely a better view than Dustin's righthand side.

"Not yet," he said. "Hi."

You smiled. "Hi. Find a good movie?"

"No," Dustin said. "Steve's taste sucks."

Steve narrowed his eyes, picking up a piece of popcorn and throwing it at him. "For the last time, it's my mom's rom-com collection!"

~❊~

Max lay in her spot between Lucas and Dustin, Erica on the other side of Lucas, only half-paying attention to the movie while she braided El's hair, Will and Mike snuggling on the opposite side of Dustin. Max was sure Dustin felt singled out, being boarded by two couples, plus Nancy and Jonathan sharing a blanket and a lounge chair just behind him. Eddie had curled himself up on the chair on Steve's opposite side, covering himself in his blanket to protect himself from the blow of the AC unit.

Robin had managed to snag a new release that had just arrived at Family Video—Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, a movie that had only been out for a few months in the theaters. The kids on the floor had propped themselves up on their elbows, drinks and half-eaten bowls of popcorn in front of them.

Every so often, Max faked a yawn to duck her head back to glance at her sister and Steve. Robin was stretched out across both your laps, and the two of you had leaned together to share both of your blankets after Steve had muttered something about the AC being too cold, only for the others to shout for him not to touch it.

And judging from the way you and Steve occasionally exchanged a look, Max guessed you were holding hands beneath the blanket.

Max turned her attention back to the movie, lifting a small handful of popcorn to her mouth. Not so subtly, Lucas fake-stretched and laid his arm over her shoulders. Giggling quietly, Max snuggled into his side. She heard your amused hum behind from behind her, followed by a small chuckle of Steve's.

As it had the entire movie, thunder crashed outside. While the rain had lightened up enough not to be distracting, the flash of lightning visible through the curtains and the boom of thunder had been frequent and often made the room's occupants jump in fear.

Another boom of thunder announced the power flickering.

Dustin looked back at Steve. "Uh, Steve?"

"We've got a generator," Steve said, but he had sat up straighter and had pulled away from you, his face uneasy.

With the next flicker of lightning and crash of thunder, the power went out.

The group of thirteen sat in the pitch-black room in silence. Lightning illuminated faces briefly, showing Max that Robin had sat up, and that you, Steve, and Eddie were all on your feet.

"There are candles in the study," Steve said, breaking the silence. His voice was wavering, and Max remembered you saying something about cutting a date short due to the storm earlier that week. Was Steve...afraid of storms?

"I'll get them," you said.

"Matches in the drawer next to the sink and lanterns in the sunroom storage cabinet," he continued. "Eds, come on, let's go see if we can get the power back to the fridge and a few lights, yeah?"

"After you," Eddie said and followed Steve out the front door. The pattering rain grew louder as the door opened, revealing a world in grey scale, but still lighter than the inside of the house.

Dustin sat up. "Candles? Why not just use flashlights?"

"Steve only has two flashlights," Robin said. "Working ones, at least. But candles? The Harringtons have plenty of those."

Max followed you around the house, lighting the lanterns as you found them and helping you carry the candles back to the living room.

With the room now illuminated by flickering flame, it was easy to see the worry on people's faces.

"Do you think the whole town's out?" Mike asked.

"No, it can't be," Nancy said, but she didn't sound sure.

Will wriggled out from under his blanket. The look he exchanged with Jonathan was concerned.

"Everybody keep calm," you said, setting a lantern down on the floor at the center of the group. "Steve and Eddie will get the generator running in no time."

Silence fell, still and eerie. You sat beside Max and Lucas, and Max laid her head in your lap, trying to smile up at you. It only took a look for her to know you were lost in your head, in memories of the night Billy went AWOL and had been controlled by the Mind Flayer.

Max took your hand in hers. "It's okay," she promised.

"Mmm," you hummed, but your gaze was fixed on the door; you wouldn't relax until you saw Steve walk back in, unscathed.

The AC kicked back on. A few lights flickered to life and the low hum of the refrigerator filled the room.

Relief filled the room with the sound of an audible sigh. Moments later, the door opened and a waterlogged Steve and Eddie stepped back in.

"Did it work?" Steve asked. Then he heard the AC. "Alright, good." He looked around. "Turn the lights back off—the candles will do until power really comes back."

"Steve, you're drenched," Nancy said, "you're going to catch—"

"A cold, I know," he sighed, glancing over at you. You fought a smile. "Sorry about movie night, guys."

Dustin shrugged. "It was only a matter of time before we lost power. The size of the storm—"

"Oh, shut up, nerd," Erica said, rolling her eyes.

Dustin leaned around Lucas. "Do I need to remind you of the vents?" he hissed.

Erica narrowed her eyes at him.

"Children, children," Eddie admonished with a shit-eating grin that said he knew his chiding was only going to rile them up more.

"Eds," Steve warned, opening the curtains to look outside.

Eleven craned her neck to peer outside. In a small voice, she asked, "Can...can we dance in the rain?"

Nancy hesitated, then said, "I'm not sure that's the best idea, the weather isn't exactly kind at the moment."

Steve looked back outside again. "It's not raining too heavily right now."

El wrung her hands. "Joyce says it's...fun and romantic to dance in the rain."

Robin leaned forward, gasping. "You've never danced in the rain before?"

El shook her head. "Only biked in it."

"We have to go dance in the rain!" Robin insisted, jumping to her feet and pulling Eleven up with her. "It's a...a...a cognitive milestone!"

"I don't think that's the right phrase, Robin," you laughed, but you were also getting up. "Still, I think it's a good idea. Good way to pass the time until the power comes back."

"Come on, Nancy," Jonathan said softly. "Let her have fun. Mom's right. It's fun in the rain."

You took one of Robin's hands and one of Steve's and dragged them into the rain. Robin created a chain by grabbing El, who grabbed Max, who grabbed Lucas. The small group raced out into the street, running through puddles and spinning through the falling rain.

Dustin appeared at Max's side, his hair matted to his face. "It's like the time they were drugged by the Russians," he said, staring at Steve and Robin, the latter of whom was trying to taste the rain.

Max did a doubletake. "When they were what?"

"Don't ask," Erica suggested.

Laughter filled the air as the group danced around each other, twirling each other and splashing through the current of water at the side of the road. Steve tripped through puddles with Robin; Jonathan convinced Nancy to dance in the driveway; Will and Mike splashed each other in the puddles.

"May I have this dance?" Lucas asked, holding his hand out to Max and trying his best to look gentlemanly, which was ruined by the water running into his eyes and making him squint.

"You dork," Max laughed, but she took his hand anyway and let him pull her close, guiding her in a slow dance through the rain. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched as you went over to Steve and Robin.

Steve stopped his fooling around, watching you approach with a dopey, lovesick smile. He held out his hands to you and you took them; he twirled you in the rain, catching you and pulling you close before you could fall in the wet road.

"Careful there," he laughed. Even with his hair plastered to his head, his clothes heavy and hanging off him, you were still looking at him like he was the most beautiful creature you'd ever seen.

Max watched the time slow around the pair of you. She knew you were both completely oblivious, cut off from the company around you, even from Robin's stare as she took in the way the two of you gazed at each other.

Steve swayed you, getting himself lost in your eyes. He cupped your face with one hand, running his thumb over your cheekbone.

Lost in your bubble, neither of you noticed that the others had all stopped to watch, unable to speak and break the spell—not even Dustin, whose mouth hung agape.

You were lost in Steve, Max could tell. Close enough to the pair of you now, she could see you drinking in every detail: the water droplets hanging off Steve's hair and eyelashes, the amazed curve of his open mouth, the gentle swipe of his thumb, the lovestruck look in his eyes, his rosy cheeks so stark against his otherwise pale, cold, and wet skin, the reassuring hold of his arm around your waist.

Max knew what Steve was going to do before it happened, before even you had caught up. He bent his head, slotting your lips together.

Like some magic, divine will, the rain fell a little faster, distant thunder boomed, and lightning splintered through the sky, lighting up the clouds above you and Steve, a dramatic backdrop to a kiss so similar to a first kiss.

Robin whooped first. You and Steve smiled into each other, but neither pulled away, and Max realized you had been aware of your audience the entire time; but keeping it a secret hadn't been worth skipping out on a spectacular rain-soaked kiss.

Mixed in with the cheering was Dustin's incredulous cries of "What?! Max, did you know?!" that she pointedly ignored.

Steve swayed you while the kiss continued, embarrassingly long but adorably sweet. When it finally broke, Steve pressed his forehead against yours.

"I love you," he said, loud enough to be heard over the storm. (Robin shrieked.)

"I love you, too," you giggled. (Robin shrieked louder.)

Steve pushed your wet hair behind your ear and kissed your forehead, then shoved his hand through his own hair to get it out of his face.

"Not what you were expecting, huh, Henderson?" he said with a cheeky grin.

Dustin looked flabbergasted. "How did you know I was— MAX!"

You and Steve burst into a fit of giggles. You snuggled into his chest.

"How is that comfortable? I'm soaked!" Steve asked you.

"Yeah, but it's you," you said. A soft, sweet smile pulled at his lips, barely distracting you from his quiet moan of relief. He squeezed you tight.

"You're going to need to borrow more of my clothes," he said.

You grinned up at him. "I'll happily live in your clothes, Stevie."

A few feet away, Mike sneezed violently.

"Alright, back inside," Steve decided. "That's enough rain for today. I don't need you all getting sick and still needing me to drive you everywhere."

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Are you actually gonna drive us again?"

"If you give my girl the front seat and behave when she's in the car with us," Steve said. "Inside, come on. Go, shoo."

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, watching the others flee to the safety of his house, then following them in with you. You kissed his cheek as you walked. Max hung back with Lucas, wanting to know what you said about the sudden rain kiss.

"You are perfect, Steve Harrington," you whispered. His cheeks darkened.

"Says you," he said, nuzzling his nose into your hair. "Hey, um... You wanna stay the night?"

"Gotta take Max home," you said. "But...I can come back?"

"I...I'd like that," Steve said. Max wondered if he'd ever been this shy with a girl before.

"Me too," you whispered. Steve squeezed your hip.

Dustin rolled his eyes from the doorway. "Get a room," he groaned.

"Oh, shut up," Max teased. "You're just annoyed you couldn't figure it out!"

Dustin scowled. "You knew! You knew and you were hiding it from me!"

Max shrugged, fighting a giggle.

Steve passed out towels with a warning not to let them get close to an open flame. Halfway through his warning, the power flickered back on—and so did the movie.

The group cheered, but Max watched you and Steve sneak upstairs and come down a few minutes later in dry clothes, hand in hand. She smiled before shaking her head and turning back to the ending of the movie.

And if—no, when—Steve asked her for advice on how to propose to you, Max was going to tell him to do it in the rain.

☞ ❊ ☜

Stranger Things // Steve Harrington

Taglist: {comment and let me know if you'd like to be added to the S.H. taglist!} @ohatropa@nix-rose@live-the-fangirl-life

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chucky-vs-the-giant-tortoise · 16 days

Text

snow ball

Billy Hargrove x sister!reader

summary: Billy tries, to the best of his ability, to cheer up his sister on the night of the Hawkins Middle School’s annual Snow Ball.

warning(s): negative self talk, mention of parental neglect

a/n: sorry it’s so long i just love platonic billy hargrove lol.

Of all the things Billy had imagined himself doing on a Friday night, driving his sisters to some stupid middle school dance was nowhere on that list.

He leant against the front door, already dressed in his leather jacket and carpenter boots as he fidgeted with an unlit cigarette he’d been holding for what seemed like goddamned years at that point. He knew chicks tended to take their time in getting ready for these kinds of things—Hell, even he might spare a few extra minutes making sure he looked good for a party—but this was getting ridiculous.

After another long stretch of time spent listening to the ticking of the wall clock and slowly losing what remained of his patience, Billy had finally had enough. It was bad enough that Neil had personally appointed him as his sisters’ chauffeur for the evening—he wouldn’t wait for them all goddamned night.

“Y/N!” He called, knocking at the closed door of the hall bathroom. Max and Susan were busy in the master, leaving Y/N to get ready on her own. “You better be out here in the next minute or I’m leaving without you, you got that?”

“Alright, alright! I’m coming!” she replied.

“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled. “About fucking time.”

Y/N finished fluffing up her hair in the mirror, nodding at her reflection before opening the bathroom door. She was faced with the flat expression of her big brother, who just barely regarded her as she sauntered into the hallway.

“How do I look?” She asked expectantly, a hopeful smile plastered on her young face. Billy snorted to himself.

“Like a geek.”

And though he would never admit it, he almost regretted his words as his sister’s lips pulled into a frown.

“You got a jacket?” He asked, his cigarette now carefully balanced between his lips. He was itching to light it, and cursed Susan for whatever stupid rules she’d come up with about smoking in the house. She claimed she could smell it on her curtains.

Y/N kicked her feet with a shrug, purposely avoiding his eyes as her cheeks flushed. Suddenly she felt incredibly overdressed for the occasion. “We’re gonna be inside.”

“It’s December in goddamned Indiana. Get a jacket.”

Y/N huffed, running off towards her bedroom. Meanwhile, Max finally finished up with her mother and came out of their parents’ bedroom with a blank look on her face, Susan trailing behind her. Her typically unruly red of hair was straightened out and braided at the front, and to the untrained eye she came across as a proper young woman.

Yeah, right.

“Doesn’t she look lovely, Billy?” Susan cooed, positively beaming, and Max gave him a pointed look that doubled as a warning.

“Precious,” Billy deadpanned, and Max glared as her mother giggled, clearly not clued in on her step-brother’s most obvious sarcasm. Y/N returned wearing one of Max’s old hand me down coats, and before they knew it Susan was rushing the girls to force exaggerated smiles as she snapped some photos with her polaroid. Billy hung back out of frame.

Billy almost sighed with relief as Susan wrapped up and his sisters joined him in the entryway, but before the three could slip out the front door, she caught Max by the shoulders.

“You look so beautiful, baby,” she said with a smile.

“Mom—”

“Oh, don’t you worry. I won’t get sappy. I just . . . I want you to have so much fun tonight, okay? Both of you.” She spared Y/N a glance, and Y/N offered her step-mother a tight-lipped smile despite the pain in her chest.

For as long as she could remember, Y/N had wanted a mother more than anything else. She’d been a toddler by the time her and Billy’s mom had left, and everyday after that she felt like a piece of her was missing. She wished for her on every birthday candle and every Christmas night; she spoke to every God she knew, praying that she would one day return with open arms, ready to whisk her and her brother away from Neil and his iron fist.

After years and years of painful disappointment, Y/N finally learned that some dreams were better off forgotten.

“Hurry up unless you wanna be late,” Billy called over his shoulder as he strolled out door, and Susan waved as the Hargrove-Mayfield siblings made their way toward Billy’s Camaro.

Y/N scoffed. Max wasn’t even wearing a jacket.

The ride to the middle school was silent, save for Billy’s music blasting from the stereo. Y/N spent it fidgeting with her hands in her lap, looking down at her nails that Max had painted the night before. She’d been so excited for this only hours ago, and now all she felt was unloved and unwanted, haunted by the hole in her heart that her mother had carved all those years ago.

Max was out of the car as soon as Billy pulled into a parking spot, anxious to see Lucas and wanting to avoid whatever crude comments Billy was planning to make before she stepped out. “Out by nine!” Billy yelled after her, and Max didn’t falter in her stride as she flipped him the bird and kept walking.

“Little shit,” Billy mumbled.

Y/N was a lot less eager to get inside, now unsure whether she even wanted to go at all. She felt stupid in her best dress shoes and ironed skirt, the glittery shadow she’d applied to her eyelids only minutes earlier now heavy on her skin. No matter how much she dressed up she was still the same child her mother decided she was better off without.

“You getting out or what?” Billy drawled, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he watched her through the rearview mirror. Y/N sighed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

“No, I think . . . let’s just go back.” Billy pulled a face, turning in his seat to meet her eyes.

“The Hell do you mean? You’ve been blabbing about going to this shitty dance for weeks, Y/N.”

“Yeah, well. I changed my mind,” Y/N mumbled, and Billy scoffed, turning back to stare out at the kids crowding the school’s entrance. Kids with their mothers wishing them well and fathers watching proudly as their children prepared for what Billy imagined would be the absolute lamest excuse of a ball that the world would ever see.

He took another greedy drag, running his hands through his hair. “Is it ‘cause I called you a geek?”

“No.”

“‘Cause if it is you oughtta stop being such a baby.”

“I said it wasn’t!” Y/N snapped. She paused, expecting her brother to go off on some power trip about her attitude, but Billy didn’t even twitch in the driver’s seat as he nursed his Marlboro Red. She sighed. “Let’s just go, okay? Please.”

But he didn’t. In fact, Billy made a point of making himself comfortable, carrying on smoking without a care in the world.

“Billy?” He ignored her, taking another long drag followed by another exhale, and repeating the pattern. “Billy!”

“Shut up,” He spat, and she begrudgingly resumed waiting in silence as her brother smoked. It took several minutes before he got to the end of the cig, and Y/N watched as he stepped out of the Camaro, slamming the door behind him and crushing the bud beneath his heel.

“Get out,” he said simply. Y/N only sat, frozen in her confusion. “What, are you deaf? I said get out.”

“What are you doing?”

“Goddamn it, Y/N, get out of the car!”

She sighed, obeying her brother with an aggravated look on her face. Billy didn’t wait for her as he started on his walk across the parking lot. He only swivelled on his heels when he realized that she wasn’t following him, and was in fact still planted next to the Camaro with furrowed brows. Billy made a big show of rolling his eyes. “Jesus Christ, do I need to hold your goddamned hand or what? Get a move on, shithead.”

“Wha—Billy!” He continued to walk, avoiding her as she yelled after him. “Ugh!” Y/N groaned, relenting as she speed-walked behind him in attempts not to draw too much attention to herself. Passerbyers were already starting to give her strange looks when she yelled for him, and the last thing she wanted right now were people's eyes on her.

“Billy what are you doing? I already told you I don’t wanna go in!” Y/N started as soon as she was close enough, though not fully caught up to him. Her brother’s legs were much longer than hers, which made one of his strides maybe three of hers. “Will you just stop? I said I w—”

“You look cute, alright?”

His words threw Y/N for a loop. She paused mid-step, considering whether that really just came out of her brother’s mouth or if she’d only hallucinated it. The honk of a car trying get past her was what wound up pulling Y/N from her trance, and Billy groaned as he grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her up onto the sidewalk next to him.

“Christ, Y/N. Can you use your fucking head for a second?”

“What did you just say?” Y/N asked softly, ignoring his crude comment and searching his eyes for something Billy couldn’t place. He shoved his hands in his pockets, deeply uncomfortable in his current position.

“You heard me,” He said after a moment, and Y/N was surprised that he even acknowledged what he’d said. Billy Hargrove wasn’t one to give compliments—especially not to his shitty little sister. “‘M not gonna say it again.”

“Did you mean it?”

“If I knew you were gonna harp on it so much I wouldn’t’ve said shit, alright?” He scratched awkwardly at his neck, casually avoiding his sister’s large eyes as she stared at him like he was someone she’d never met before. “Look, Y/N. I waited for you to get ready for this thing for a goddamned hour. If you’re telling me I did that shit just to take you right back home I’m gonna be pissed.”

“I . . . I don’t know if I should—”

“I do,” Billy said, pointing at the opened doors of her school. “Go. But I’d better see your ass on the curb by nine, you got that?”

Y/N felt herself smiling, even as Billy fixed her with yet another one of his bored stares. You look cute. She couldn’t shake the words from her head, nor the sincerity with which he'd said them.

“Got it.” Billy only nodded before starting on his way back to the Camaro, car keys in hand. “Hey, Billy?” She called after him just as he crossed the street, and he fixed her with a glare.

“What is it now?”

“Thank you,” Y/N said sweetly. Billy scoffed, averting his gaze and mumbling a whatever under his breath.

・❥・

Y/N looked around in wonder at the gymnasium, taking in the many decorations strung around what served as the ‘dance floor’ and navigating her way through groups of her dancing peers.

She found the Party near the snack table (figures) and blushed as the boys stood slack-jawed and wide eyed as she approached them.

“Hey guys,” She greeted. Max rolled her eyes at the boys’ reaction, smacking Dustin upside the head before the kid started to drool.

"Ow!" Max ignored him, shooting a smile Y/N's way.

“Hey, Y/N.” Y/N shoved in next to her step-sister at the snack table, grabbing herself a solo cup and filling it up with punch. “What took you so long? Was Billy being an asshole again?”

Yeah, she thought, he was. He was being an asshole just like he always was, but even more than that, he was being her big brother. The same big brother who beat up her bullies, and who bandaged her wounds, and who wouldn’t let her miss out on something he knew she’d been excited for.

He was an asshole, and he cared about her. That much he could never deny.

“Something like that,” Y/N responded, and Max gave her a confused look as she smiled.

#billy hargrove #billy hargove x reader #billy hargove imagine #stranger things #stranger things x reader #billy hargrove x sister!reader #max mayfield #billy hargrove x sister reader #hargrove!reader #stranger things s2 #billy hargrove fluff #platonic billy hargrove #max mayfield x sister!reader

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ornii · 5 months

Text

Mad Max: Coins of Rage!

This was a request from @ab1nsur

I decided to throw a little spin on it. Hopefully it’s still passable as decent.

It hasn’t been long since you’ve been working at the arcade. The job was open and since it’s Halloween, kids are enjoying more festivities, so they had to hire more support than usual. Look no further to you, Dustin’s older cousin who he tries to ignore due to your playful teasing. It was your average Thursday afternoon, sitting at the desk you propped yourself up, reading the latest comic book. Your eyes focus on the Issue 7 of the Uncanny X-Men comic, watching the always beautiful Jean Grey. What took you off the comic was a brush of Red hair walking past you. The Most off putting part was the length, boys this young shouldn’t have hair that long.

Slowly lowering your comic book right below your eyelids you peer over to the fairly calming ruckus, while it was full of kids laughing and having fun. There was a certain, natural calmness about it, since it hasn’t been calm in Hawkins for a while. Your eyes dart around and spot the red hair, right at the dig dug machine. That hair was attached to a redhead, no surprise there, but it was, a girl.

Sneakers, Jeans, and a Red Track jacket, she definitely wasn’t the definition of a “Girl” that everyone else thinks. Your eyes focus on the screen in front of her to see her score going higher and higher, until she loses, but broke the high school. From the small reflection in the glass you could see a smile, but it slowly faded as she got her stuff and left. You shrugged it off, letting it go for the time being.

It wasn’t until the next Day that you got an earful of the truth, working another shift; reading another comic, this time the Silver Hawks. But your enjoyment was suddenly cut off by the inappropriate cough of someone you knew to get your attention. You slowly lower your comic and see a trio of Boys at your counter, you knew them too well. Dustin, Will, and Your Cousin Lucas.

“(Y/n), this is an emergency.” Dustin says, placing his hands on the desk, you squint at him to inquire more.

“Okay? What’s the issue?” You ask.

“We need to find Mad Max.” Lucas said, you stared at him for what seemed to be forever.

“…Who?” You ask, and the boys drag you over to the Dig Dug game, and see that the top score was replaced by a Title: Mad Max. Their high score got blown out of the water by this Mad Max.

“I can’t believe someone got higher than me.” Dustin says, and you shook your head “A real tragedy.”

“You know who Mad Max? He has to be cheating.” Will said, Lucas nods, “Nobody gets that high without breaking the system.”

“I don’t think she was breaking the system.” You said, which was a major fuck up.

“She?” The boys say together, and you sigh.

“Yeah, she.” In less than a minute you were accosted by the boys asking questions about this Mad Max Girl.

“There’s no way! What does she look like?”

“Is she Elizabeth Taylor hot?!”

“Is she totally rad?”

You shut them down by being louder than you wanted. “Hey!” You said, “im not letting you wackos stalk a girl, you want your score back at the top? Beat hers.” You said and walk back to your counter, the trio were obviously miffed by it but didn’t push any further. You thought that this was finally the end of the Mad Max Saga, returning back to your comic and enjoying your reading. Subsequently, the boys couldn’t surpass Mad Max, losing their quarters in the war.

They didn’t return the next day, probably reeling from their defeat from Mad Max, and it was Friday, so it was even more odd they didn’t show up. She did of course, Mad Max, you’re inside one of the old machines, cleaning our cobwebs and changing fuses. Pulling your head from inside the back of the machine you see from the window Mad Max exit a fine car, argue with some blonde guy and he speeds off. She flips him off and storms inside. Guess things aren’t always so good for Mad Max. Her first stop was Dig Dug, guess to best her own score. You finish emptying the machine and decide it’s probably best to warn her. You casually approach, hands in your pocket as you approach, She vaguely sees your reflection in the mirror.

“I didn’t do anything.” She said in a huff.

“I know you didn’t, just wanted to ask you.. are you Mad Max?” You said, you already knew the answer, but she didn’t know how much you did. “Who’s asking?” She replies.

“Just asking.” You reply, and she keeps playing, her silence basically answering your question. “Look I just.. want to apologize for my cousin and his weird ass friends.” You said, she Turns to you.

“Cousin?” She said, “Yeah, Lucas, really annoying, Dustin and Will are okay..” my bad for them being creeps.

“They were pretty weird as school.” She said, which made your eyebrows rise. “They did it at school too?” You groan, “my reputation is gonna be in shambles.” You said, obviously being sarcastic which got a dry chuckle from max. She’s already back at her game and you decide to place a sack of quarters at the center of the console. She looks at it, and then back to you.

“As an apology for my cousin and friends, they’re mad you beat their High Score or whatever.” You explain.

“So, why are you sticking up for some creeps?” She said, and you shrugged. “Lucas is family, he’s got Dustin, Mike and Will. They’ve been friends since they were born, far as I’m concerned they’re family too.” You said, Max looks at you and for a moment you saw a hint of sadness, but she quickly buries it down and shrugs and takes the quarters. “If they have any more high scores you let me know.” She said with sarcasm. You give a small smirk and nod.

“Yeah, I’ll be Seeing You, Max.”

#male reader #netflix #stranger things x y/n #stranger things x reader #stranger things #stranger things x male reader #max mayfeild x reader #max mayfield x male reader #max mayfield #platonic relationship

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siriuslysmoking · 1 year

Text

(Updates every Sunday @ 11 am CDT)

ON PAUSE

Series Warning: blood, death, gore, murder, PTSD, anxiety, depression, different mental illnesses, alcohol, drugs, eventual smut, mentions of torture, mentions of being drugged, (Updated when new trigger may appear.)

Wanna read the OC version? AO3 | Wattpad

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"I'm trying my absolute hardest to see this from your perspective but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass." "Nice one, L/n."

Y/n L/n, she never really fit with the people she hung out with, never truly getting the feeling that she was welcomed. And to be honest she couldn’t care less, she was very much not a people person on the inside but on the outside she was the most extroverted person you’d ever meet. She had high anxiety which somehow always made sure she was second guessing herself. The thinking of, why are they looking at me? Even the thought of getting out of bed most days was hard for her. But no one knew that of course, she was a happy person.

Eddie Munson, he was different. He was not afraid of being known, announcing himself to the entire school, jumping on tables and shouting at someone across the room. Eddie’s life wasn’t the simplest, he sold drugs, to put it blatantly, he was the drug dealer of Hawkins. He lived in a trailer park with his uncle and he even had his own club, Hellfire. It was a Dungeons and Dragons fantasy game, according to the news it was a satanic ritual for the devil himself which was a bunch of bull shit.

Both Eddie and Y/n live in Hawkins, Indiana, a small town that strange things happen to. And ever since Will Byers went missing three years ago nothing’s been the same. Murders being covered up by the government, mall fires -that Y/n knew wasn’t a mall fire-, Russian bases underneath the same shopping center. Missing Kids, creepy dogs roaming around with no faces, and now horrific deaths of Hawkin’s High students. And it all started with Chrissy Cunningham.

Chapter Index

(includes all planned/written parts meaning not all parts until stated complete)

Break The Chain

No One Was Saved

Wait For You?

The Blues

Living In Devotion

The Sky Is Gray

Timeless Flight

As The World Falls Down

I'm Only Falling Apart

Wandering Very Far

Dream a Little Dream

No Time Left to Start Again

#eddie x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson imagines #eddie munson x plus size reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #steve harrington #steve harrigton x reader #robin buckley #dustin henderson #max mayfield #billy hargrove #stranger things s4 #stranger things 4 #stanger things #eddie stranger things #stranger things 3 #platonic stobin

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animalistic0 · 2 years

Text

Your Voice

Steve Harrington x ReaderHenderson + little brother Dustin

Original made up quote that inspired this “It’s your voice. It’s music to my ears. It’s my favorite music.”

Plot: Reader is cursed and it’s up to Dustin and Steve to save them. (Also the song that is used, I created)

Gn reader (if any mistakes are spotted let me know please!)

Warnings: mild Suicidal Thoughts, death, trauma, Season Four Stranger Things, think that’s all, pure fluff at the end

It’s been edited and more has been added! Reader and Steve have an adorable moment at the end 💖

Word Count: 3.1k+

It had been eight months. Eight long grueling exhausting mouths. Eight months ago the mysterious fire at Starcourt occurred, but you knew the truth. Hell you were there and so was your best friend Cecilia. While you had lived she had died. It was a brutal and painful death but in her last moments she had let you know that it was worth it. That she didn’t regret saving you, your little brother, and all your friends. You weren’t the only one that had lost a loved one. Max had lost Billy, Eleven and Joyce had lost Hopper. Only three of you had the unfortunate experience of watching a loved one die.

The experience had brought Max and you closer. While you were a couple years older than her you both felt the survivors guilt of living while Billy and Cecilia had died. You both also stuck together at school, even though she was a freshman and you were a senior. It brought you both peace to have someone as deeply affected and shared trauma to lean on. While Max took to distancing from everyone but you, you had become more quiet, anxious and reserved. Only speaking to your little brother Dustin, his girlfriend Suzie, Lucas, Mike, Max, Nancy, Robin, and Steve. Granted Steve, Dustin, Suzie, and Max were the two that heard the most words out of you.

In fact if it wasn’t for your friends you would have given up. However you just couldn’t bring yourself to leave them, they needed you just as much as you needed them. Dustin was also your light and you had vowed when you first met and held him that you would always be there for him, that you would always protect and love him. With everything that had happened and continues to happen you couldn’t leave him and you wouldn’t, unless you were protecting him like Cecilia had done for you.

While Dustin and his friends were little siblings to you, Nancy and Robin were your friends, your best friends besides Cecilia who even in death was still you bestest friend who you spoke to like she was still present. Nancy had been your friend from childhood, you had met her after Cecilia but you both became close especially since your brothers had become best friends. Cecilia was indifferent towards Nancy just as Barb was indifferent to you. Only you and Nancy had liked hanging out and usually would when Dustin and his party hung out. As for Robin you met her and bonded with her when you would come to visit Steve at Scoops Ahoy. You both had bonded exceptionally well, and Cecilia liked hanging out with Robin. In fact you would carpool Cecilia, Dustin and his party if they wanted the ride, to the mall where y’all would split up after that. Mostly Cecilia and you would hangout at Scoops Ahoy and have a great time with Steve and Robin until they got off.

Steve Harrington was both your friend and boyfriend. You had always had a little crush on him, but when he was with Nancy you were happy for them both and respected them. You weren’t gonna wreck a relationship just because you wanted the guy or girl. Plus you were friends with Nancy and she was genuinely happy for the first part. It was after she had lost her best friend Barb their relationship went downhill. You had been there for both of them, had given them advice and reassured them both about the situation. You had seen Nancy move on and grew more in love with Steve. Especially when he fought Billy, and even more so when he helped Dustin and gave him advice. Your heart had soared and you saw the king Harrington in a new and brighter light.

It was the death of Cecilia that had taken apart of your soul. Even with your family and loved ones you couldn’t help the empty feeling that suffocated and ate away at you. It had been your fault. If Cecilia knew what she was walking into, if she knew all the stuff you did and not just the half rushed thrown together summary maybe she would have lived. She had died protecting you from being impaled by the Mind Flare. You had helplessly watched as your friend Cecilia, had taken the blow meant for you. You had held her as she died, and she had asked and pleaded with her final breathes for you to live, thrive, and tell her about all your adventures when you both met again.

It was because of her death, and the guilt that suffocated you that Vecna was able to secure a hold over you. It was about two days after Max had started having nightmares and nosebleeds that you were plagued by them. Dustin being the only one to help you get a decent amount of sleep or Steve if you had stayed over at his place or he yours. When your friends had put together the symptoms of being affected by Vecna, you and Max knew y’all were screwed. You both had to reluctantly come to terms with the idea. Yes you had wanted to die, but you also wanted to live. You needed to live, for your friends, for Dustin, for Steve, for Cecilia, and for yourself. But everyone so far that had been cursed didn’t survive. So Max and yourself took precautions and wrote letters to everyone you loved and cared for.

However hope had struck when Nancy and Robin figured out music could bring a victim back to reality and loosen the hold on Vecna. Max was the one who the theory was tested on, simply due to the fact she was afflicted earlier than yourself. Luckily Lucas and yourself had known her favorite song and were able to help her. The mind rendering terror in the moments that you had to wait to see if it worked had seemed to make you age fifty years. Luckily she had survived and no one could have been happier, but the waiting game started again, when would Vecna come for you?

They had all asked you what your favorite song was but you simply didn’t know. You had too many but at the same time you didn’t have any. This had caused a panic and everyone, mostly Dustin, had been forcing you to listen to songs around the clock. It was both annoying and wholesome. You knew they cared but they were over doing it. Even as going as far to create shifts so someone was always watching you and Max. Mostly the boys failed their watches especially at night but no one could be mad. It was tiresome and incredibly frustrating and heart wrenching.

You were cursed. Not just by Vecna but by some higher power because when Vecna had come for you it had been a terrible time, almost like he knew it. Vecna had metaphorically wrapped his tentacles around you entrapping you in a hallucination of the upside down and his home.

Steve had led the group to Skull Rock after Dustin and his compass failed to due the job. It was there that the group rekindled while Dustin and you spoke. Collectively you both had come to the conclusion that the compass was leading towards another gate and it was Dustin that had decided to announce this to the group.

However, as you went to celebrate this small win with your friends the surrounding familiar area disappeared and you were back in Starcourt. Not just any Starcourt the upside down version of the mall. Your breathing hitched in paralyzing fear as you frantically swirled around. Your hazel eyes blown wide as your hands began to shake. Anywhere but here you begged and pleaded inside you mind.

“You can’t run away from this. It’s your fault.” It was when the dark guttural voice spoke taunting you that a shattered sob had left your trembling lips. Your head shaking as implausible pleas left your lips. It was when Cecilia’s decomposed slimy body appeared out of no where when a sob had racked through your body sending you tumbling against the fountain wall. Your hands weakly placed in front of you as you pleaded for her to go away, as you pleaded for none of this to be real even if it felt so bone shattering real.

Max was the first to notice your perturbation and was quick to alert the others. Her voice held a desperate tone as she alerted everyone. Dustin was the first to make it to your side with Max, who was then followed by Steve and everyone else. Dustin was quick to put his hands on your shoulders and gently call to you. Only to inhale sharply as his siblings once bright hazel eyes were gone and replaced by the whites of your eyes. Dustin looked towards Steve almost immediately and begged the older male to help his sibling.

Dustin adored and looked up to you. He thought you were the coolest and most badass person there was. Of course he had seen you at your lowest a few times but you were always there for him and his party. You would always play D&D with the party whenever they needed an extra person, and you didn’t just play, you brought life into whatever role you were given. You would also bake snacks and bring them to the party when they had long campaigns. You would drive him and his friends around, no questions asked. You had helped Steve fight Billy that night he came for Max. You had been through all the upside down stuff with him and always listened to his ideas. He felt heard and seen with you, he felt safe and loved, and most importantly he felt like a kid when you were near. Dustin wouldn’t be able to make it without you. Out of everyone you were the first to always believe in him, to always listen and be there for him. You were the first person to believe in Suzie without even having talked to the young girl. While his friends doubted him, you believed him with your whole heart. And now, Dustin had to believe with his whole heart that you would come back to him.

Steve had ultimately lost his cool and panicked. The person who he loved, who he adored and cared for was currently being cursed by a being that none of them could see or stop at the moment. Out of everything you both had been through Steve felt truly weak and worried. There was no physical being he could beat up or fight, in fact there was nothing he could really do. You had to fight, and you had to face Vecna alone. While he just stood doing nothing. His heart clenched when Dustin had looked at him with wide eyes and a defeated and broken look.

Without thinking he began to speak to you, hoping his voice would reach you. It was when you had started to levitate that Steve knew just talking wasn’t enough and so he looked at Dustin before looking back at you. Even though his voice was scratchy and rough with anxiety and terror he hoped the song Dustin, you, and himself created would reach and bring you back to them.

It was the first glance. The glance I knew that I had fallen in love with you.

It was like a whisper. In your panicked state and with Vecna taunting you it was hard to hear. But you knew the words that you were able to pinpoint. It was the song Dustin, Steve and you had created one night a few months back during a date night that Dustin had so proudly crashed. A weak but hopeful smile grew on your lips.

It was the first time I held you. The hold tethering me to earth.

Dustin had quickly picked up on what Steve was doing and wasted no time in joining his brother figure. If music is what saved someone from the curse then this song that you had created with Steve and himself had to save you. Tears prickled his eyes as your body seemed to hover above them. Dustin wiped them away as Lucas and Max laid there hands on his shoulders. They didn’t know the words but they were there for their friends. In fact Max even started humming a melody which Lucas quickly joined in humming. Robin had moved towards Steve and interwove their hands as she also picked up humming. Nancy and Eddie also joined in, both of them panicked, as Eddie’s mind flooded with flashbacks of Chrissy but he did his best to hold it together.

It was your voice. The voice that gave me hope.

By the third verse you were able to hear both Steve and your little brother along with soft humming. Your friends were trying to get you back. They were doing the best they could to make the fight between Vecna and yourself easier. Closing your eyes you focused on Dustin’s and Steve’s voices while you put on a brave front.

Oh darling you are my light, my sun to the moon. The ocean to my sand. The rain to my clouds. And the lightning to my thunder.

The deep voice spoke as Cecilia disintegrated and their voices got louder. “They can’t save you. And you can’t save yourself isn’t that why your in this predicament?” Vecna was right but he was also incredibly wrong. Your friends couldn’t physically save you but they could offer you the tool that would help save you. Eight months ago you hadn’t been able to save yourself but people change and you were going to save yourself this time. Vecna was going to fail because he had underestimated you and that was to be his downfall.

If I could glance into your eyes for the rest of eternity than my dove I’d be set for life.

At the entrance of the upside down mall you were able to see yourself levitating and your friends and family surrounding you trying to bring you back. It was Dustin’s and Steve’s face that both broke and built you up. Turning to face Vecna you glared at him before joining your family in singing. Your eyes cold with hate and disgust for the being before you.

If I could hold you forever in my arms. Then my dove I’d be set forever.

A flinch rang through you as Vecna laughed. “You won’t be escaping me today and if you do next time I won’t be merciful. You’ll watch all the ones you love die a painful death before you die.” You halted and froze but as their voices reached and surround you it was like a shield had formed around you. A glare settled onto your face as you stared at the being. “I will kill you. I will watch you die and feel nothing but joy as myself and friends will be free from your torture.” With those swift, cold, calculating, but honest words you turned and ran.

I need you like a human needs air, like fire needs oxygen, like a pool needs water.

As you turned and booked it to the entrance of Starcourt it seemed like it was much farther away than it truly was. As you ran you focused on Dustin and Steve’s faces. Memories clouding your mind and only making your motivation stronger to get back to them.

Memories of dressing up for Dustin and his party for a D&D campaign. Dressing up and going trick or treating with them. Making them lunch, dinner, and snacks for overly long campaigns. Memories of Dustin and yourself playing board games, of laughing at breakfast until the drinks you both were drinking came spewing out of your noses. Staying up late reading comics together. Memories of Lucas and yourself doing target practice with the slingshot, baking a forgive me cake for Max, laughing together at a joke Dustin had said. Memories of Max and yourself venting to one another, crying and laughing about life, Max teaching you how to skateboard, doing each other’s hair.

You are my raft. My air. My hopes and dreams. You are my best friend.

You had blinked tears filling your eyes as you were thrown to the side as a piece of debris had landed next to you. Glancing behind you Vecna stared you down. On pure adrenaline and hope of seeing your family and friends again you pushed yourself up and started running again. Dodging debris as more memories began driving you even harder.

Memories of Nancy and yourself spying on the boys, of reading to one another, of doing each other’s hair, of sleepovers, and cooking meals for the boys. Memories of Robin and yourself eating ice cream, laughing at Steve, of Robin coming out to you and you to her, of watching corny movies together. Memories of Steve and yourself watching movies, babysitting the kids, watching Steve and Dustin, cuddles and kisses, driving around town, swimming in lovers lake, having a picnic at Skull Rock, falling asleep together, fighting Billy together, protecting the kids together. It make your heart swell reliving your favorite memories, and it only pushed you harder.

And my dove I need you more than ever. Please heed my words and treasure them. For I love you. Yes I love you.

Your hazel eyes widen as your hand reached out and touched the seemingly fabric tear of reality. Your hand had effortlessly went through and was followed by a bright golden light. The last words of the song filled your ears like the boys were feet away from you, and they were. As quickly as you had open you eyes you shut them with a gasp falling to the ground. You landed in a heap to exhausted to pick yourself up. You had began to hyperventilate because of the overwhelming emotions. Steve and Dustin were quick to grab you and hold you close. Both speaking to you. Dustin in an worried and anxious tone while Steve’s was a calm and soothing tone.

You had instinctively reach out and gripped their arms wanting to anchor yourself to this world. As Dustin’s words of confusion but excitement reached your ears, “How did that work? I mean I hoped it would work but-“ A breathless laugh left you as you caressed his face speaking softly and breathlessly, “It’s yours and Steve’s voice. It’s music to my ears. It’s my favorite music.”

Dustin gave a toothy smile feeling proud of himself, as much as his sibling was his anchor he was theirs too. Leaning back on his knees he stared happily at Steve and his sibling and the love that flowed between them.

Steve pulled you into a tight embrace as he buried his head in your neck breathing in your scent and feeling the rise and fall of you chest. The sound of your breath never offering him more peace than in that moment. Pulling back he caressed your cheek with so much love. “I thought I was gonna lose you. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

You smiled gently at him, as you held his cheeks. Before pulling him into a soft and tender kiss. “Next time Vecna curses me, I’ll make sure to tell him he can’t keep me because my boyfriend doesn’t support it.” A light smile graced your lips as a smile fought its way on Steve’s beautiful face. “You’re crazy y/n. My type of crazy.” You both leaned your foreheads against one another and went in for another kiss of pure bliss.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #dustin henderson #dustin henderson x sister!reader #dustin henderson x reader #steve and dustin #stranger things imagine #stranger things 4 #st4 #dustin henderson platonic imagine #max mayfield #eddie munson #nancy wheeler #robin stranger things #lucas sinclair

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billyhargrovesslut · 1 year

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The MaxEleven Duo

Imagine: yandere max and eleven being platonically in love with you and gushing to everyone how your such a good sister.

#stranger things #stranger things x reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader imagine #yandere stranger things #yandere stranger things x reader #platonic yandere #platonic yandere stranger things #platonic yandere stranger things x reader #yandere eleven x reader #eleven #eleven x reader #max mayfield #max mayfeild x reader #yandere max mayfield x reader #yandere max x reader x yandere eleven

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cubicle-eyes · 2 years

Text

Pants

Max , m!reader

PLATONIC

Reader is implied to be Robin's brother, but might as well be Max's in this fic lol

Y/N is graduated.

Max probably knows him through Steve and/or Billy.

Y/N's house = second home

Platonic cuddling and Y/N just pets her hair 🥺

A/N: spelling errors because I'm DYING.

TW: Literally About Periods, so be a man and deal with it.

Summary: Max had an inncident and shows up at your house for a solution, and your happy to help.

"SHIT, Y/N!"

"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Y/N cried. He flung open the door. Max was standing on the front porch, and she despretly shoved her way inside. It wasn't uncommon, since Y/N lived very close to the highschool, but Max never dropped by so.. violently.

"Do you have an extra pair of pants?" She pleaded. Y/N, suddenly understanding, relaxed.

"Damnit, Max! I thought you were injured or someone was dying! Shit! Had me all worried over some pants."

"Well it's not my fault I bled through them!"

"Yeah, yeah. Do you use tampons? I only have pads but I can go grab some if you want."

"Why do you even have-"

"Robin."

"Oh. I can use a pad until I get home."

"Good. How bad was it?"

"Not that bad."

Max followed Y/N like a lost puppy as Y/N glanced at her pants and back to his dresser.

"I have a pair VERY similar to those that Robin left here, so change into these. Want a pair of underwear too? It'll be boxers but I have an unopened pack."

"That would be great."

Her voice was suddenly small as Y/N handed her the pants. He grabbed the bag of boxers, opening it. He shrugged, handing them to her.

"They might be a little big and if they are you can wear my belt and look like a pimp with your undies hanging out your pants."

"Y/N!"

She laughed, starting for his bathroom. Y/N waited for her, to make sure she didn't have any trouble. She cracked the door after awhile.

"Belt."

"Yep."

Y/N turned, grabbing the belt he had hanging in his room and jogging back to the bathroom door, handing it to her. She thanked him, shutting the door again. She came back out after awhile, awkwardly holding her pants in a bundle, and Y/N assumed her underwear was in there.

"You want to stay awhile, Maxine? I'll make you a snack, wash your pants."

"Sure. Thank you."

"No problem. Steve may be the babysitter, but only because I'm the brother."

Y/N chuckled to himself, taking her clothes. He could tell Max thought it was odd he was so.. okay with the mention of her monthly. To Y/N, a man didn't care, and a boy would squirm and complain. He threw the clothes in the washer, and head back to the living room. Max had made herself comfortable, spread out on Y/N's couch as she flicked through the channels.

"Earth to Max, what do you want to eat?"

"You got crackers?"

"Yep. Want anything with them or are you a basic bitch?"

"I will smack you with the power of God if you call me 'basic' or 'bitch' ever again."

"Still."

"You got pickles?"

".. No, no cheese, no meat nothing? Pickles and crackers?"

"Yep."

"..Do you want me to cut one into slices for you?"

"Yes please."

She grinned dramatically, blinking her eyes and trying to sway Y/N with her innocence. Y/N turned, flipping her off as he grabbed a pack of crackers and the pickle jar. She scoffed.

"If you were looking I'd flip you off so hard."

"Well I'm not. Resort to your worst, Maxi-pad."

"You. Did. Not."

She bust into laughter, and soon Y/N was bringing the wheezing girl her snack. She sat up, and Y/N sat next to her. Max dug into the snack, subconciously leaning her body against the older boy. Y/N grinned to himself.

"Hey Max, whenever you're done with your snack you should head home. Just swing by tomorrow for your clothes."

"M'kay. Thanks again."

"For such a little shit," Y/N muttered, playing with Max's ponytail, "You are really nice."

"I'm not."

"Are too."

"'m not!"

"Are too!"

Max laughed, wiggling around to get more comfy againt Y/N. He rolled his eyes, taking the remote and flicking through the channels. Max would head home soon, but for now, they were content existing with each other.

#platonic #stranger things #stranger things x male reader #stranger things x you #stranger things x reader #writing #max mayfield #max mayfield x reader #max mayfield x male reader #comfort #fanfiction

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spring-picnics · 2 years

Text

𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐈𝐈

the back of your knees by @baby-bearie

he confesses his love for you. eddie munson x reader

verus amor by @/baby-bearie

an incredible soulmate!au. mcu!peter parker x reader

blurb by @lesbiansforwillbyers

accurate stranger things headcanons. stranger things headcanons

spending autumn weekends with mike wheeler by @honeydenbrough

autumn fluff. mike wheeler x reader

blurb by @daintylovers

modern mike headcanons. mike wheeler x reader

blurb by @robin-buck1ey

post coma max and her parents. ronance x max mayfield

shot in the dark by @loserforeddie

eddie thinks you asked him out as a joke. eddie munson x reader

his scent all over by @thehalfbloodedwitch

ron rants to you about his detention. ron weasley x reader

must’ve been a deadly kiss by @ur-local-geek-fest

enemies to lovers. steve harrington x reader

i wanna be yours by @lurkymurker

he wants to be yours. steve harrington x reader

tornado warnings by @marvelsswansong

eddie falls for jason's girlfriend. eddie munson x reader

safe by @loeyparker

best friends to enemies to lovers. eddie munson x reader

ditch the books by @desireav

steve tries to get you to stop studying. steve harrington x reader

last spring by @syddidy

mike played with your heart. mike wheeler x reader

blurb by @/daintylovers

mike tried to keep you safe. he thought that would keep you apart from all of this, but it broke you. mike wheeler x reader

blurb by @aeipathiess

modern stranger things characters. stranger things x reader

blurb by @luveline

dad eddie fluff. eddie munson x reader

what it’s like to max's dumb smart gf by @gabbimunson

being in a relationship with max. max mayfield x reader

do you have the soup? by @hannuhbee

he wants the soup. steve harrington x reader

the way I loved you by @/lurkymurker

a life changing exes to lovers. steve harrington x reader

dating mike wheeler headcanons by @strangerthingsxreader

how he is in a relationship. mike wheeler x reader

the guessing game by @/desireav

eddie tries to guess your crush out of his jealousy. eddie munson x reader

el headcanons by @prettylikestars

my pretty baby el. eleven hopper

blurb by @bigboysteveharrington

robin getting vecna'd while my heart got broken. platonic!stobin

blurb by @rat-n-crow

will and el make art. platonic!will x el

foes to fond by @/thehalfbloodedwitch

an angsty fight leads to a lovely confession. mattheo riddle x reader

blurb by @ddejavvu

forcing eddie to wear winter clothes. eddie munson x reader

blurb by @evilkaeya

the fruity four tricking dustin. fruity four

blurb by @peterbenjiparker

peter playing video games and loving you. mcu!peter parker x reader

blurb by @appocalipse

steve apologising to you. steve harrington x reader

the season of sticks by @harringtown

vecna steals your memories. steve harrington x reader

soldier, poet, king by @starbxcks

theatre kid!enemies to lovers. eddie munson x reader

blind date with the freak by @hawkins-losers

your friends try to trick you, but the jokes' on them. eddie munson x reader

my girlfriend’s brother by @withlovemark

dustin trying to get a ride out of you and steve. steve harrington x reader

blurb by @loeyparker

max hearing eddie break your heart. eddie munson x reader

hot for teacher by @yesloverboy

tutoring eddie. eddie munson x reader

all because I liked a boy by @thxliaaa

the group hate you for dating steve. steve harrington x reader

puppy love by @h0neydewmoon

exes to lovers where you can't trust sirius. sirius black x reader

dead channels by @robiin-buckley

you tune in to a dead channel waiting to hear the boy on the other side. eddie munson x reader

blurb by @whynotimtired

mike wheeler needs advice. byler, willel

@spring-picnics

#sunnys.fic.recs #sunnys.favs #eddie munson x reader #mcu!peter parker x reader #stranger things head canons #mike wheeler x reader #ronance #max mayfield #ron weasley x reader #steve harrington x reader #stranger things x reader #eleven hopper #platonic!stobin #mattheo riddle x reader #fruity four #byler #sirius black x reader #cold autumn nights 2022

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cosmicck · 2 years

Text

My fav Stranger things characters reaction to being ignored🥲

My girl Robin is platonic, all the boys are romantic love, and the rest of the girls can be seen as romantic or platonic doesn't matter.

My fav Stranger things characters x Male/Gn reader

Warning!suggstetive(?)

Edit idea by @gaybitchfx👇🏾

Robin

•She would be like so confused like my bby would just be trying to talk to you.

•But after a while, she'll just leave you alone and give you a bit of space just in case your dealing with some shit.

•BUT if you take to long to talk she will always bother you and ask why your ignoring her🥲🥲

"I'm really sorry if I did something! Could you please forgive me?? Am I being annoying?? I'll stop if u want..."

Max

•Bro what happened??

•Ya'll were besties/dating yesterday?? What happened??

•What'd she do?? Did she do something wrong??

•Would be sad/mad the whole day enough for her brother to notice.

•idk she might start to cry because shes never really dated/had a friend before so she would prob just start breaking down.

•My poor bby🥲🥲🥲

"I'm sorry...can you please talk to me??"

Argyle

•This high ass mf wont even know wtf is going on??

•Will just continue to reapeat your pet name till you answer him.

•But he's just confused asf.

"Baby, baby, baaaaaby, bae, baeeeeeeby, baaaaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeeeeee-"

Steve

•Boi would be bribing you with ice cream(it works except if ur like me, lactose and tolerant, or ur still like me and dgaf even if you throw up after.)

•Would just be giving you ice cream each time of the day for you to at least look his way.

"Baby...baby*slides cup of ice cream over* there we are, why are you ignoring me??"

Eddie

•Would be giving you his puppy eyes and constant nagging bro.

•Will like continue to cling to you, until you answer him, kiss you all over anything.

•Just starts to follow you around, the whole school qnd after school, even skips hellfire man.

•Calling you different nicknames man🥲🥲🥲

"Sweetheart, pretty boy, baby...darling?? No?? Pleaseee talk to meee!!"

Billy

•Mf is mad

•Like what the fuck did he do to you!?!?

•Will tug on you and you pull away?? Aw hell no you in trouble now bitch...u in trouble now.

•Might beat some bitches out of anger bitch.

"Now I dont know what the fuck is wrong with you today but tonight, you'll regret it after round one sweetheart."

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chervbs · 2 years

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hold on tight — s. harrington

pairings: platonic!steve harrington x gn!reader

word count: 1.7k

synopsis: steve finds out that you’ve been asked out on a date and you realize he’s the big brother you never had, but always needed.

warnings: overprotective big brother steve aka nothing romantic in this one! reader wears makeup but their gender is never specified, reader also has a romantic interest whose gender is not specified (no explicitly stated sexuality), reader was a hawkins lab experiment like el, mostly just platonic fluff <3

a/n: I love love love platonic fics and there’s very little i’ve found for ST so if you know of any send them my way! I also adore big brother/parent steve and I hope I did him at least a little bit of justice. gif isn’t mine.

“You’re going on a what?”

You made eye contact with both Eleven and Max, the three of you simultaneously rolling your eyes.

The gang had all gathered at Steve’s for one last hurrah before the summer ended. Robin, Nancy and Eddie had finally graduated, a feat thought near impossible after the defeat of Vecna. But everyone had survived and had been relishing in the last three months of summer.

While the kids were preparing to start their sophomore year, you were prepping for your senior year.

You had escaped Hawkins Lab by Elevens side back in 1983, and had helped defeat the monsters of the Upside Down with your friends. Being a few years older than the kids had put you at a disadvantage when it came to the friendships that started as alliances, but your powers were much more developed than your younger sister.

“A date, Steve.” You replied calmly, somewhat expecting this type of reaction from him.

The man in question sputtered like you’d said the most atrocious sentence he’d ever heard. “With who? Who asked you on a date?”

The way he asks puts an emphasis on the wrong side of the question. This catches Max’s attention, the red head answering before you could. “And why do you say it like that, Steve? You think it’s so impossible that someone would wanna go on a date with our lovely friend?”

You know, and you know Max knows, that he didn’t mean it like that. But the red that tints his cheeks and the panic that sets into his eyes is just too funny.

“W-what? Of course not, I just meant-“ His eyes find her mischievous smirk and they narrow at her, focusing his attention solely on you. “I didn’t mean it like that. Now–who asked you out?”

His stern expression and the hands on his hips remind you of Hopper. The man you considered your father had yet to find out about this date, but you can imagine he’ll have a similar, albeit slightly more violent, reaction.

You roll your eyes again. Steve snaps his fingers, index finger pointing angrily at your face. “Hey, don’t roll your eyes at me. I just need to know who it is. For safety reasons.” He gives a one shouldered shrug, as if that would help in getting you to believe him.

A sigh escapes your lips. “If you must know, it’s a kid that was in my chemistry class last year and they work at the record store on main.”

“Lighten up, dingus!” Another voice calls. Robin emerges from the pool, taking the towel held out by Nancy and joining you by the pool chairs. “Y/N hasn’t shut up about this kid for weeks. Let ‘em have some fun.”

Ignoring your now flustered state at the girls words, Steve’s glare turns to the blonde. “You knew about this?”

You can’t help the groan that leaves your lips, head falling back in exasperation. “Steve!” You whine. “What is your problem?”

His arms maneuver to fold across his chest and he stares at you like you’ve offended him. “Well, excuse me for being concerned about you.” His tone is all sass, and if you were growing increasingly annoyed, you probably would’ve laughed. “How do we know his kid is trustworthy, huh? I don’t know if it’s slipped your mind, but we’ve literally been to hell, and I don’t know about you but I’m not willing to take any risks.”

“And I don’t know if it slipped your mind, but I have some very special abilities.” You remind him, mentally reveling in the way he’s pouting. “Even if his intentions weren’t good, I would know.”

You possessed a few telekinetic related powers just like El, but your main ability was foresight. You didn’t have visions and you couldn’t see years into the future, but you were able to know what would happen in the next minute. It allowed you to have impossibly fast reflexes and you usually knew what people were going to say before they did.

Steve struggled to come up with a rebuttal, and you sent him a knowing look. “Steve. I’ll be fine. I’ve known them for over a year now, and I really like them.”

When El had left with the Byers’ to California, you’d been able to stay in Hawkins and were residing in the Harrington household. Steve’s parents were gone ninety-nine percent of the time, and anytime they did pop back into town, you’d have a sleepover with Robin or Nancy.

Over the years, the former jock had become something of a brother to you. Like Dustin, you’d gravitated towards Steve, desperate to bond with an older role model that didn’t feel like a parent. He understood you better than Hopper but cared just as much. And after spending so much time taking care of Eleven and helping her grow into herself, it was nice to have someone be that person for you.

You could practically see the thoughts running through his head, and for a moment you feel almost bad about bringing up the topic around your friends rather than telling him in private.

It was a well known fact that he also saw you and the little sister he never got. Even after Hopper came back and the Byers moved back to Hawkins to live as one, big, happy family, you stayed with Steve. Of course you had a room there, but you assured hopper and Joyce that you were perfecting content with your living situation.

Hopper had been a little suspicious at the start that your “brother/sister” relationship with Steve was some kind of cover up. But he was quick to learn that that wasn’t the case.

You knew Steve was just being over protective. The two of you shared a bond that was different than even the one he had with Dustin. He wanted to keep you safe at all costs, and you couldn’t fault him for it.

Finally, under the pressuring stares of all of your friends, Steve sighed in defeat. “Fine. I guess, you can go on your date. But be careful. Please.”

A triumphant grin with a hint of fondness grew on your face. “I wasn’t looking for your permission, Stevie. But I’m glad I have your support.”

The smug grin was quickly wiped off your face, a squeal escaping your lips when he lunged for you, your body flying through the air and into the pool before you could blink.

“And…all done.” Nancy smiled in satisfaction, swiping the last little bit of lip gloss across your bottom lip. You looked over at the Max, El, and Robin nervously.

“How do I look?” All you received were bright smiles and gestures to look towards the mirror.

You braced yourself before twisting at the waist. The person staring back at you was almost unrecognizable. The makeup, the hair, the clothes were all foreign concepts to you, which is why you had the girls here to help you get ready. Without them you would have had no idea where to start, and you really wanted to impress your date.

When as much as expressed to your friends, they were quick to assure your that you’d look amazing wearing a trash bag, and if your date didn’t think so then they weren’t the one for you.

But they knew, and you knew that deep down, it was also partially for you. For the little kid that never got to experience these kinds of things growing up and who for once in your crazy life, just wanted to feel normal. Steve also knew this, he had to have, or else your not sure how he’s been able to behave this entire time.

You could hear him pacing downstairs and you almost rolled your eyes at his dramatics. He was just worried, you knew that, so you let him be.

Until the doorbell rang, and your abilities informed you of what could happen next. “Don’t your open that door, Steven!” You shot up from the vanity and launched yourself out of the bedroom, the girls hot on your heels as you ran downstairs.

Steve was inches from the door before an invisible force stopped him in his tracks. You looked back and found El with her hand outstretched and holding back a grin.

Sending her a silent thank you, you looked back at Steve, who was glaring back at the group of you. “Real funny.”

“Sorry, Harrington, we can’t have you scaring off the poor kid before the first date.” Max remarked, leaning against Eleven’s shoulder.

Nancy spun you by your shoulders, smoothing out and wrinkles in your clothes and any flyaway hairs that escaped in your haste to beat Steve to the door. “Okay, you’re all set.” She beamed. “Don’t be nervous, you’ll be fine.“ She assured, seeing the hesitance in your eyes.

You took a deep breath, facing the door and Steve, still stuck in his spot. “At ease, El.” You joked. She got the hint and freed Steve from his confinement, the man stumbling slightly.

Steve didn’t reach for the door again, only stared at you with a mixture of concern and acceptance. Without a word, he pulled you into him, embracing you with the hope that it expressed everything he wasn’t able to say. “Be careful, okay?” He mumbled.

You squeezed your arms around his torso. “I will.”

Robin handed you your purse that the girls had packed with all your essentials. A compact mirror, a travel sized makeup kit for touch ups, tissues and some pepper stray, just for safety. Not that you’d need it, but it helped put everyone’s mind at ease.

The group watched you pause in front of the door before you pulled it open. They only caught a glimpse of your date before it closed behind you. As soon as it shut, they were all pressed up against the window. You were already beaming at your date, tucking a hair shyly behind your ear when they opened the passenger side door for you.

Robin rested her head on Steve’s shoulder. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

She was joking, but Steve nodded. “Yeah. They do.”

And if Steve saw the quick kiss you shared while waiting for you to get home safely, he’d wait till the morning to tease you about it.

general taglist:

@teenwolfbitches28

stranger things taglist:

@m-rae23

add yourself to my taglist

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #platonic steve harrington #big brother!steve harrington #platonic stranger things #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #max mayfield #eleven hopper #eleven #gn reader

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yurtletheturtlehenderson · 2 years

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me finishing st4 in one sitting & running headlong into pre-planning to make my fic even gayer:

#m!cosmic #will byers x male!reader #gn!cosmic #will byers x gn!reader #f!cosmic #will byers x fem!platonic!reader #will byers x platonic!reader #max mayfield x fem!reader #el hopper x fem!reader #which one will it be teehee im not telling yet #is it even between these two??#okay probably but wHicH oNe?#stranger things #cosmic #stranger things x reader #stranger things 4 #cosmic 4

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zo-inks · 2 years

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Eleven and Max with older fem! Reader as a sister figure.

(Reader owns a rat)

(Works at scoops ahoy)

Helping Eleven understand more vocabulary

Telling hopper that she’s growing up, meaning he’s gonna have to let her go sometimes.

Helping max with Billy even though he doesn’t like you.

^means taking fully responsibility on why she’s late

Helping them with the break up situation

“Are you sure you wanna spy on them” they deserve some privacy too

“Does it matter [Y/n{ ?” You roll your eyes

Leaving them to go to work,

Steve is here to drive me, so don’t cause to much trouble while I’m gone.

They spy when you’re not there

Showing them your pet rat named after Teenage Mutan Ninja turtles. splinter

Freaking them out

They get use to it

They try to figure out who you like.

You tease them about it.

Max asking for free ice cream, Eleven asking for waffle cones.

“Again, El it’s not the same things as Eggo waffles.

Being there for max when Billy is gone.

Crying when Eleven moves away.

“You need to call me everyday.”

Being apart of the Cali group with Mike and Will

Watching Will cry about Mike

Almost Beating up Eleven’s bully

“Hey freak-” *cue you standing behind Eleven with your arms crossed”

You getting high with Jonathan and Argyle when Eleven goes missing again.

Debating if pineapple goes on pizza with Eleven.

#stanger things #Stanger things x reader #eleven #Eleven x reader #max mayfield #max x reader #platonic #mad max #mike stranger things #steve stranger things #jonathan stranger things

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siriuslysmoking · 1 year

Text

The Blues | chapter 4

(The Year Everything Flipped Upside Down Masterlist)

—You know you can't hold me forever I didn't sign up with you I'm not a present for your friends to open This boy's too young to be singing The blues, ah, ah— -Elton John

“Hey, Steve.” Dustin and Max walk into Family Video. She’s alive. They’re storming in, looking like they’re on a mission

“Did you see this?” Steve questions.

“How many phones do you have?” Dustin says back.

“Someone was murdered.”

“How many phones do you have!” He pushes, raising his voice.

“Two, why?”

“Technically three, if you count Kieth’s in the back.” Robin adds.

“Yeah, three works.” Max finally speaks. Dustin swings his backpack off his shoulder and over the counter.

“What are you doing?” Steve says plainly, already knowing. Dustin pushes to his tummy on the counter twisting and sliding over the counter. “No, no, no, my tapes, Dude! What are you doing man?”

“Setting up base of operations here.” Dustin slides into the chair in front of the computer, quickly starting to type.

“Base of operations?” Robin inquiries

“What shit are you two in now?” Y/n spoke as Max walked around her, she didn’t notice that the redhead had walked around the counter -the proper way to get around the counter.

“Get off.” Steve motions to the computer Dustin’s still typing on, it looks as though he’s looking for customer data.

“I need it.” Dustin replies, not looking away from the screen.

“For what?” Steve questions.

“Eddie’s friends’ phone numbers.”

“Shouldn't you know his friends since they’re in the club with you?” Y/n butts in.

“Oh, Eddie, your new best friend you think is cooler because he plays your nerdy game.” Steve actually looks sad Dustin’s found another older friend.

“Yeah, we’re cooler, we’ve actually killed those things in your games, can he do that?” Y/n asks, “No? Didn’t think so.”

Dustin shakes his head, “Yes.” and then pauses, “I never said that.” he says in disbelief.

“Seriously, if you guys came on a monday you can play around here like toddlers, but it’s a saturday.” Robin’s cleaning up all the tapes Dustin’s feet had knocked over. “It’s our busiest day.”

“Look, Robin I totally empathize, but this cannot wait until monday.” Dustin’s now writing data on a clipboard.

“Oh my god.” Steve mutters, running his hands over his face.

“What calling all of Eddie’s friends is an emergency?” Robin asks, still putting the front counter back together.

“Correct!” Dustin raises his voice.

“Uh, Do you want me to strangle him or do you wanna do it?” Steve asks standing next to Robin but still in ear shot for Y/n to hear.

“We could take turns.” Robin speaks cheerfully.

“Can you fill them in while I do this?” Dustin speaks to max. She turns the trio behind them both.

“Fill us in on what?” Robin asks, turning to face the two younger kids. The sound of Dustin’s fingers hitting the keyboard is the only sound as Max goes quiet.

“Last night I went outside and I saw Eddie Munson, walking into his trailer with Chrissy Cunningham.”

“And that has something to do with us… how?” Y/n asks quietly.

“Later that night I heard screaming, it was Eddie, I looked out and saw him get in his van and drive away but when he opened his door to his trailer, I saw a body on the ground”

“He killed Chrissy?” Steve asks in disbelief. Y/n is quiet, she listens while she stares blankly at the wall.

“That's the thing, he was scared, terrified.”

“Cause he’d just killed someone.” Steve points out obviously.

“I don’t think so.” Max sighs, “If you had killed someone would you run away screaming and leave the body?”

“Well Eddie probably left the body because-” Steve was cut off.

“Not just body, Chrissy’s body.” Y/n doesn’t move her gaze from the chipping paint spot on the wall. “Chrissy’s dead? That’s what you’re telling us?”

Max pauses as she sees a small wobble in Y/n’s bottom lip as she speaks. “Yes. I believe so.”

“Oh.” she sniffles, “Okay.”

She doesn't say anything else as she quickly hops off the counter as she heads towards the staff bathroom, she almost doesn’t make it, the burning down her throat as she lowerss to her knees bending over the toilet and letting go of her breakfast this morning, so much for the toast.

Steve’s hot on her trail, pushing stray hairs away from her face, slowly rubbing circles into her back. He’s always been the first to comfort her.

Y/n is laying in bed, wide awake, she’s tossed and turned all night. It’s two in the morning when she gets a call from her phone on her night stand.

She rolls over and lazily pulls the phone to her ear. She waits for someone to speak.

–Y/n?

“Steve?” Y/n seems to sober up from her sleep quickly. “Are you okay?”

–Yeah, can’t sleep.

There’s a pregnant pause, she hears him sigh.

–did I wake you up?

“Nah, I couldn't sleep either.” she thinks for a moment “Do you wanna go for a drive?”

–yeah, I’ll be over in ten.

“See you then.” She hangs up and slips tennis shoes on, grabs her bag, and writes a note just in case someone wakes up and wonders where she is. She leaves it on her pillow and heads down the stairs.

She’s sitting on the porch’s steps by the time Steve rolls up into the neighborhood. She stubs out her cigarette on the pavement of the driveway before standing.

She see’s Steve lean over to unlock the passenger’s door as she draws closer.

“Milkshakes?” He asks as he starts to drive.

“Milkshakes.” Y/n hums in agreement. As Steve starts to drive to the 24-hour diner, Y/n starts to look through his cassettes, finding her favorite, Never for Ever by Kate Bush. Steve had bought it just for her on their late night drives, he wasn’t as into music as she was but he agreed with her that ‘Babooshka’ was a good song. Maybe not his favorite but definitely hers. The two of them could both agree on their love for ABBA and their songs, those were the most frequent songs played.

“Have you heard from Eddie recently?” Dustin asks on the phone, that’s the first thing she hears once she’s walked back into the main room, finally calmed down enough to walk. The TV’s playing Doctor Zhivago instead of the news, definitely Robin’s doing. “When’s the last time you talked to him?”

“Eddie Munson.” Max’s head’s in her hands as she’s pacing back and forth with the phone to her ear. “Have you seen him?”

“Okay.” Dustin sighs in defeat. “Sorry to bother you.” He crosses off a line on a white board he’d written on with different names and numbers. All three, Robin, Max, and Dustin are on the three phones they have in the store.

“Reefer Rick?” Max questions to the phone. “No. Does thetis Reefer Rick have a last name? I mean it’s kind of…”

Y/n’s attention falls onto Steve who’s the only one doing his job, by the looks of it. But his pathetic attempt to flirt and pick up a girl looks as though it’s in vain, as he says “See you later… Alligator.”

Y/n just rolls her eyes as she sits down at the swivel chair behind the counter, fidgeting with her hands.

“Hey guys, I might have a lead.” Maax hangs up her phone, talking to the group, knocking Y/n out of her head. Robin hangs up her phone as Dustin swivels to look at Max from his position at the computer.

“Seriously?” He asks, smiling.

“Yeah.” She pauses, “Apparently Eddie gets his drugs from some guy Reefer Rick and sometimes Eddie crashes there.”

“That sounds promising.” Robin says, “Where does this Reefer Rick guy live?”

“See that’s the thing, no one knows. He’s more of a legend than someone that people actually know.”

“What about a last name?” Dustin questions.

“I don’t know that either.”

“Bet the cops know.” Steve butts in. Max asks what he means, “Cops. I mean if this Refer Rick guy is actually a drug dealer I guarantee you he’s been busted at some point.” Steve leans across the counter, looking at them all. “Means he’s in the system

“The cops?” Dustin asks in disbelief. “Really, Steve, that's your suggestion?”

“I mean I think at this point they should probably be filled in on what we know, what’s going on.”

“You think Eddie’s guilty don’t you?” Dustin gets defensive.

“W’whoa, I believe innocent until proven guilty, all the constitutional shit.” Max looks concerned for Steve. “I just don't think we should rule it out.”

“That’s precisely what we’re trying to do here to Steve.” Max counters

“And maybe we’d have a little bit more luck if you’d spent less time trying to find a girlfriend and more time trying to find Eddie.”

“Well someone has to attend to the customers.” Steve points out, motioning ton the store around them.

“Especially if they’re babes, right?” Robin winks at him.

“Hey, not fair, I attend to all customers equally, babes and non-babes alike. We’ve got a big selection in here, it can be super overwhelming for people.”

“Wait, Steve was right.” Y/n finally speaks.

“Thank you!” Steve laughs, “About what?”

“Rick being in the system.”

“We’re not going to the cops!” Dustin pleas.

“No.” Y/n stands and walks toward the computer, “He’s probably in their system but he might be in ours.”

“What?” Robin asks.

“I’m guessing drug dealers also enjoy a good movie.” she starts to type in ‘Rick’ in their data system. “Twelve Ricks, have accounts here.”

“That’s a lot of Ricks.” Max speaks.

“So let's narrow it down.” Robin speaks from behind Y/n, typing in something over Y/n’s shoulder. “Rick Alderman’s latest rentals are Annie and Dumbo.” She looks towards Max and Dustin. “Chance our drug dealer has a family.”

“Not likely.” Max shakes her head.

“All right. Rick Conroy.” Robin scrolls. “Sixteen Candles, Teen Wolf, Romancing the Stone.”

“No.” Max, Dustin, and Steve all say at the same time.

“Okay, Rick Joiner. Mask, Footloose, and Grease.” Y/n speaks this time.

“Nah.” they say again.

“Rick Kimbrough, The Blue Lagoon and Splash.

“Definitely not.” Steve laughs.

Y/n clicks on the next one, “Rick Lipton, Fast Times, Cheech and Chong's Next Movie, Cheech and Chong’s Nice Dreams, Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke.”

They all laugh and look at each other as Dustin says, “Bingo.”

“Lipton?” Max asks.

“Spelled like the tea.” Robin says, reading the screen. “2121 Holland Road.”

“That’s out by Lover’s Lake.” Dustin says

“Middle of nowhere” Max points out.

“Perfect place to hide.” Robin speaks next.

“Looks like we found our Rick.” Y/n high fives Robin, they all grab their bags, rushing out the door, all packing into Steve’s BMW as Robin quickly locks up the store. The five of them headed up to Lover’s Lake.

—

I hope you enjoyed the 4th chapter! Reposts, comment, and likes are super appreciated! Updates every sunday!

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theodorelore · 1 year

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𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

❊ eleven

❊ max mayfield

❊ will byers

❊ steve harrington

❊ dustin henderson

❊ mike wheeler

❊ eddie munson

❊ nancy wheeler

❊ jim hopper

❊ robin buckley

❊ lucas sinclair

❊ jonathan byers

❊ argyle

#platonic x reader #x male reader #eleven x reader #max mayfield x reader #will byers x reader #steve harrington x reader #dustin henderson x reader #mike wheeler x reader #eddie munson x reader #nancy wheeler x reader #jim hopper x reader #robin buckley x reader #lucas sinclair x reader #jonathan byers x reader #argyle x reader

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marvelslut16 · 2 years

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Grief

Pairing: Billy x reader (technically) but it's mainly Max x platonic!Reader

Synopsis: The reader helps Max through her confusing grief after Billy's death by reveling bits and pieces of her own twisted relationship with him.

Word count: 1.7k+

Warnings: Swearing probably. A lot of talk bout death. Wishing death upon someone. Toxic abusive relationship. Angst. Some fluff. But I mean mainly angst. Grief.

A/N: I've had this idea since the end of the third season, but since the fourth season dealt a lot with Max's grief it helped me flesh out this one shot. I'm embarrassed to admit that I cried while writing this. Also I had this fic finished for like two months but didn't know what to name it so it's just been sitting in my drafts, I decided to give it a shitty name before second guessed the entire thing and never posted it.

“So whatcha’ listenin’ to?” you ask the redhead as you plop down on the edge of the picnic table.

You aren't surprised when she doesn’t respond, instead turning her body away from where you're sitting. You sigh, shifting to lay across the length of the tabletop, you may as well try and get some sun while you sit with Max. The redhead continues to ignore you until you hear her walkman click, signaling that it’s time to flip the cassette.

“Why are you here?” she finally asks.

“Because your friends are worried about you, I’m worried about you,” you sit back up, leaning your forearms on your legs, feet resting atop the bench next to Max. “It’s been over two months Max, and you aren’t talking to anyone.”

“Well I still don’t want to talk,” she states matter of factly, rewinding her cassette. You can hear two songs play through her headphones before she sighs and looks back at you. “What will it take for you to leave me alone?”

“Tell me what you’re listening to,” you hope that she’ll be more likely to talk if you don’t start by asking her how she is.

“Kate Bush, running up that hill is my favorite song,” you hum looking down at your hands.

“Ya know, my friend has that same cassette. She played that song for me the other day, it immediately made me think of him.”

“How could you move on? How are you so okay?” her voice equal parts desperation and anger, you can’t bring yourself to look at her when you respond, afraid she’ll be able to see how much you’re hurting.

“I’m not okay, and I haven’t moved on. My friend thought I was crazy because I immediately burst into tears at the song. I haven’t been back to the pool since he died. I buy his cigarettes and light them, I never smoke them, I just want to smell them-smell him. I wear his earring everyday, and I go to bed every night clutching his stupid jean jacket. I’m not okay, and that’s normal, but I can’t spend every moment wallowing because it won’t change anything,” you don’t even realize your crying, not until tears are falling out your forearms.

“I hated him,” Max admits, reaching over to hold your hand.

“I know,” you laugh wetly, you’d grown close to the girl over the year you had dated Billy, and she wasn’t good at hiding how she really felt. “He treated you like shit, it makes sense.”

“You don’t get it! He loved you while he made my life a living hell, it’s different. There were times when I wanted him to die, and I just feel so guilty.”

“Max, there’s nothing wrong with feeling like that, he was horrible to you and you just wanted him to leave you alone.”

“I wanted him dead, and now he is! What kind of person does that make me?” she pulls her hand away from yours, throwing it in the air in exaggeration.

“New Year's Eve. Some Senior was having a big party to ring in the new year. I didn’t want to go, I had begged Billy to just stay home, we could pop Jiffy pop and ring in the new year with you since your mom and Neil were going out. But he forced me to go, so I got all dressed up for him and he ignored me almost the entire time we were there. Tommy H. and Carol stole him away the moment we walked into the house, none of them even tried to involve me in their conversation.

I ended up spending three hours leaning up against the wall in the living room before some guy from my history class came over to talk to me. I spent the next few hours talking to the guy since we were both alone, and some gorgeous leggy brunette was flirting with Billy. And he was flirting right back. Right before midnight Billy finally noticed I wasn't hanging all over him and waiting for him to give me attention anymore. He saw that I was talking to a guy and would have beat him to a pulp for it had I not stood in between them.

Instead of starting the new year off with a kiss, we started it with a huge fight. He calmly pulled me out of the house, but as soon as we were in his car and driving away he was screaming at me. He was berating me for flirting with some other guy, even though I wasn’t the one flirting at that party, he was. He just kept going on and on about how I embarrassed him by talking to the guy and thow I defended him, when all I was trying to do was keep Billy from a useless fight that could land him in jail.

I remember, vividly, wishing the alcohol would get to him and he would swerve off the road and into a tree. I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want him to die, I just wanted him to shut up. I thought that if he hit a tree he would just stop yelling at me for a little bit, and hopefully forget about how mad he was.

If you think you're a bad person for having normal thoughts, then I must be the world's worst person.”

“That actually happened?” Max’s expression is unreadable.

“I wish it hadn’t” you reach up to and anxiously run your fingers over Billy’s spiked earring that’s dangling from your ear. “To this day I feel guilty for thinking that, because I never thought he’d actually die, not this young. I figured I’d never feel this much guilt for thinking those things because we’d be broken up long before he’d die. But it’s normal for both of us to feel guilty about our thoughts we had in horrible moments with him, and it’s okay that we both feel those things. So long as we never act on them.”

“Thank you,” Max squeezes your hand, and you can tell by the look in her eyes that what you had said actually helped her.

“I should be the one thanking you, I just got a lot off my chest,” she laughs lightly, starting to look guilty again.

“You really don’t think I’m horrible?”

“If anyone was horrible, it was Billy. He treated you like shit most of the time, he liked to beat people up, he almost cheated on me multiple times, and he was a little racist,” you grab her hands and wait until she looks you in the eye. “It really is okay for you to have had those thoughts, and it makes sense that you’re conflicted and you feel guilty now. But you are honestly the furthest thing from a horrible person, Max.”

“Thank you,” tears start to prick at the corner of her eyes as she pulls you in for a hug, hiding her face in your neck.

“And for what it’s worth, he cared about you more than he’d ever like to admit. Yeah he despised you at first because he blamed you for the move and for how Neil treated you so much better than he treated him. But Billy grew to care for you, and he wanted to protect you. First night of summer break you were late coming home, you lost track of time with Lucas, Billy was so pissed when you got back at the house, but it was because he was a nervous wreck when you were late, he was worried something had happened to you. That obviously wasn’t the right way to express his feelings, but he was never good at that.”

“He loved you,” Max responds, voice breaking from her tears.

“I’m not sure he could love, I don’t think he’d ever let his walls down enough for that.” you pull away, giving Max a watery smile. “But he did probably hate me less than he hated most people.”

“Stay right here,” Max frowns before running off to her trailer. Standing awkwardly in the middle of the trailer park you look around, Aerosmith is coming from the Munson’s trailer, but the rest are silent. Everyone else is either at work or, more than likely, passed out drunk somewhere in their respective trailers.

Max comes running out of her trailer a few minutes later with a little white box clutched in her hands. When she gets back to where you’re standing she thrusts said box into your hands.

“What’s this?” you look at her in confusion, fingers playing with a torn corner of the box.

“I found it in Billy’s room before we moved. It was under a stack of Playboys, he probably knew you wouldn’t look under there,” you let out a little laugh, because Max was right, that probably was Billy’s thought process.

You gasp when your eyes land on what's inside the box, gold wiring twisting to spell out Billy attached to a matching gold chain. You had told him once, aftering seeing some freshman with her boyfriend's name on a necklace, how badly you wanted one, even if it was disgustingly cheesy and over the top. “I can’t believe he remembered,” you murmur. More to yourself than to Max.

Taking out the cardboard piece the necklace is resting on you notice a polaroid below it. Billy’s boxers are sitting low on his hips, barely even on him, his happy trail is gone and in its place is a fresh tattoo of your first and middle names running across his pelvic bone. The polaroid is dated 6/28/85. You think back to the week before he died, when he refused to swim, didn’t try to get in your pants once, and told you he had something to show you, something he never got around to doing.

It hits you like a freight train, Billy loved you, in his own twisted way. He would never say those words to you, but he got your name permanently inked on his skin to let you know that he felt the same. Your knees buckle as the weight of the realization comes crashing down on you, you're thankful that you're still standing so close to the picnic table that you slam onto the seat and not the ground. It’s Max’s turn to comfort you as you let out a sob, a new wave of grief washing over you as you realize just how much you meant to him and what you truly lost.

#stranger things #stranger things imagine #billy x reader #billy hargove x reader #billy hargove imagine #max x platonic!reader #max mayfield x platonic!reader

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dadsbongos · 2 years

Text

halloween

Stranger Things x Horror Movie Collection

American Psycho / Halloween / Scream / Friday the 13th / Fear Street / Jennifer’s Body

4.9K words

warnings - descriptions of wounds/violence (blood n gore n such), halloween au

summary - On Halloween night, you’re stuck babysitting a gaggle of nerds when the phone rings. The person on the other end, however, isn’t eager to answer.

“I’m about to drop dead,” Chrissy mumbles, eyes straying to the ceiling.

“As opposed to what?” you glance at the kitchen when you hear a giggly shout, “Levitate dead?”

“So funny,” she gasps mockingly, “Have you ever considered being a comedian? You could be a regular Elayne Boosler.”

Dustin leans out of the doorframe, hands up as if to beg forgiveness, mouthing a ‘sorry’ before running back in.

“I wish I was there, I think our kids would have fun,” Chrissy has been babysitting Layla Loomis since the redhead was a newborn, but even that close bond can be tiring, “I also just want to get out of this damn house. They’ve got weird clown paintings.”

“Just take the paintings down, dumbass,” your eyes stick to the kitchen door frame, where muffled, joyous conversation is trapped, “Also, Layla is nine, I dunno how well they’d actually get along.”

“Isn’t Erica Sinclair eleven?”

“Spiritually, she’s - like - nineteen with addiction withdrawals. The mean symptoms, not the shaky ones," you shrug, "She's kind of a bitch."

Chrissy gasps genuinely this time, your name slipping out like a hiss, "You can't call her that! She's a kid!"

"You've never met her, have you?"

She confirms your suspicion with silence.

“Yeah, I figure,” you look out the window and across the street when a house’s light flickers, “S-O-S, very funny, Annie.”

Chrissy giggles, “Aw, she’s just sad I was pissy with her when she dropped Benny off.”

“Why’re you watching Benny?”

She sighs out the answer you should’ve been expecting, “Her boyfriend’s visiting.”

“Ew,” you fold your arms as the flickering gets quicker. S-O-S to simple violent flashes. The living room’s overhead stays on for a long while, “I gotta go. Talk to you later.”

“Alright,” she groans overdramatically, “Happy Halloween.”

You return the phrase and hang up.

The living room light cuts now, and no other lights are turned on.

Annie’s always been melodramatic, this isn’t anything extremely new. So you pull the drawstring of the blinds and walk away to the kitchen where your group of nerds is herded.

“Are you dum-dumbs done?” you lean your hip into a counter while Erica and Max seem to be competing over who can throw more popped kernels into Lucas’ mouth.

“You seemed busy,” Dustin grabs the big plastic bowl of popcorn and shoots you a look as he passes, “Are you done with your phone call?”

“Yes, actually, I am,” you flick the back of Dustin’s neck as he leads the way to the living room.

Ten minutes into the horror movie Max practically strong-armed you into getting for the group, there’s the screeching of Annie’s dear boyfriend’s, Johnny Traimer’s, car through a sunset road - one not yet cluttered with kids.

Three minutes later, the phone rings. Erica pauses the film and you lean to the couch’s side table to answer, “Sinclair residence- "

The opportunity to finish your greeting is killed when you hear a deep groan, right from the barrel of someone’s throat. Then another, then a gasp and strangled yelp.

“Oh, gross, you two!” this was bad, even for Annie’s standards. The phone shakes as you slam it down and you sit on your knees to look through the blinds.

Still no light in the house.

Erica plays the movie when you don’t speak further.

Your head feels light - you’re left falling in and out of sleep even despite the screams and bright, flashing TV lights. Despite the popcorn that flies in front of your face, and despite the fully-fledged teenager clinging to your arm like a child. Only when there’s a sharp synth spike and a scream on screen (and subsequently in your ears by three adolescents), are you woken up.

You jump, eyes flying open to see a topless young actress slaughtered by a hulking, masked figure with a kitchen knife.

“We can change the movie, you know?” you yawn, sitting up straighter on the couch, “Just ‘cuz it’s Halloween doesn’t mean you freaks have to watch a slasher.”

“No, no, no, no,” Dustin shakes his head vigorously, squeezing you tight by the arm, “We wanna watch.”

Erica buries half her face into your shoulder, one eye peeking at the screen, “Yeah, we wanna watch.”

You glance down at the floor, where Lucas and Max are huddled up beside your leg. Lucas’ hand is tightly wound in Max’s - his brows furrowed and lips pressing tightly in anticipation.

Sighing, you sit back and give in, “Alright, but nobody’s mom hears about this, right?”

A chorus of “right!”s follow suit.

Honestly, sometimes you think the only reason the kids request you as a babysitter is because you’re not hesitant about renting R-rated movies for them. For the most part, anyway - you refuse to get them even a morsel from the X section, for obvious reasons.

The camera lingers over the killer’s shoulder as he moves down a hall - another poor girl, screaming and big-breasted, runs ahead of him. It’s quiet except for a simmering chase theme, though even that is dim. Erica and Dustin tense beside you, their nails digging into your skin harshly. Shallow crescents left in their wake.

Briiiing!

Dustin jumps, squeezing your arm so harshly he nearly cuts off blood circulation, and Erica’s hands fly over her ears. Lucas backs into your leg with a gasp and Max just laughs, a finger pointing right in his petrified face.

It’s just the phone, for God’s sake.

“Oh my God,” you stand with a huff and pause the movie, “No more. Lucas, grab Cheech & Chong, I’m cutting you all off.”

“Aw, boo!” Max cups her hands over her mouth as she turns to the couch, just to really twist the knife in Dustin and Erica.

The phone rings again and you shoot a silencing glare at the teenagers before answering, “Sinclair residence - Charles and Sue are out at the moment but I can take a message.”

There’s a sharp laugh and you roll your eyes at the sound, “Jeez, don’t you sound positively chipper?”

“Bite it, Steve,” you slide to sit on the arm of the couch, sensing Dustin loom over you at the name of his impromptu brother, “What do you want? Thought you were with Nance.”

He hums - testy and hollow of his usual amusement, “About that. We sort of broke up.”

“Sort of?”

“It’s a long story,” he sighs and you can practically see him run a hand through his stupid hair, “Can I just come over?”

“Oh my God, hanging out with kids on Halloween? How far the mighty have fallen, Harrington,” you look over at where the four kids are staring at you like the titular kids in Children of the Corn, “Yeah, hurry up. And get us food on your way.”

“What am I? The milking cow?”

“Yup,” you slam the phone down and turn to the awaiting faces before you, “Hair’s on his way.”

Erica raises her brows at you.

“Yes, he’s bringing stuff to eat.”

She nods assuredly and leans back into the couch with folded arms.

You nudge your chin towards the Sinclair’s television, “Seriously, if I hear a peep about this from your parents, I’ll throttle you all.”

Max nods boredly, head tossing onto the couch cushions while Lucas settles in beside her. Dustin sits wide-eyed at the TV in wonder with Erica trying (and miserably failing) to keep her cool at watching a movie her parents loudly protested the opening of.

But before you can christen the night and let the stoner comedy play, the phone rings again. You smack Dustin in the shoulder for laughing when you flinch and pick up the receiver,

“Hello, Sinclair residence - Sue and Charles are out but I can take a message,” you sit and wait.

And wait.

You get up from the arm of the couch, brows knitting, “Hello?”

You feel the childrens’ eyes on you and pointedly ignore them. This time, when you really press your ear to the phone, you can hear faint breathing. Faint, but hefty. Like the person had just finished slinging weights.

“Billy, I know you might not know how to breathe through your nose yet, but can you at least say something?” you turn, coiling a finger into the phone cord.

Max tenses and you see it in your peripherals, Lucas grabs her hand and the two share a look.

“It’s a sleepover, Hargrove. She’s allowed to be here.”

And she is. Susan herself got the okay from Neil and gave Max the okay under the impression it would only be you and Erica while Lucas and Dustin were out with Will and Mike.

The breathing continues - slowly growing more ragged, slowly increasing in volume. You shuffle away from the children and as far from them as the phone cord will allow.

“Alright, listen, asshole, I get Halloween is the time for pranks, but just forget it. I’m wrist-deep in bullshit with babysitting, so take this house off whatever damn list you have.”

You hang up and sit on the edge of the couch. Erica leans into your side, though not nearly enough to wrongfully be accused of being scared and needing her babysitter. Still, though, you throw your arm over the back of the couch and let her fall into the gap left at your side.

Erica’s too big to admit she’s still shaking from some cheesy horror movie, so she doesn’t, and if it comes down to it - you’ll go ahead and claim to be the one shaking.

The phone rings again.

“That better be Steve,” Lucas sits up on his knees, still clutching Max’s hand.

You groan and move, leaning over the arm of the couch and feeling it dig into your ribs as you answer the phone, “Hello?” when nobody replies, you roll your eyes, “Sinclair residence.”

Erica takes your free hand, hidden from the others’ view, “Who is it?”

Shrugging, you settle the phone between cheek and shoulder, “Seriously, I’ve had it. If there’s something you want, just spit it out, sicko.”

But no. It remains silent. Then the breathing. Slowly growing louder - you stand, releasing Erica’s hand, and shake your head.

“C’mon, just hang up,” Dustin removes his cap to run a hand through his curls, “They’re gonna keep calling.”

But there’s something in your gut that tells you to stay on the line.

“Yeah, let’s go, this is enough,” Max huffs in her brave front, eyes narrowing, “It’s just some asshole. Get it over with.”

But even so. You move towards the window, index and middle finger parting two of the slats. The breathing heavies.

The street is bustling with kids - ranging from babbling babes being pushed in strollers to kids you recognize from the halls of Hawkins High - most in monster costumes. Typical vampires and witches and zombies and ghosts. A couple of kids - the older ones - have thrown on a bloodied hockey mask and called it a costume. Parents are scarce, pretty exclusively with the children who can’t talk for themselves.

Jack O’ lanterns dot houses on the other side of the street and a handful of parked cars are visible on the edge of the road. Candlelight is swamped out by street lamps that bathe the concrete sidewalk in sickly orange. Sickly, pale, and spotty.

But one body towers above the others - one body strays behind a car longer than the others.

“Okay, can you just leave it alone? I can see right through you,” you glare at the figure, heart thundering into your ribs and honestly you’re hoping that the shape can’t see you, “Two-people scams are so out, it’s unfair. Get over yourselves and leave us alone.”

The shape persists. The breathing heavies.

Your hand shakes around the phone but you don’t let down. Lucas stands at your side now, fists clenched as if you’re gonna let his child-self fight whoever it is that’s on the phone. A kid runs into the shape and it still refuses to move.

“Now you’re just being a dick,” you hate the way your spine tingles - fear. Hot and heavy and lathering your arms in prickled flesh.

The breathing heavies. Like he’s growing closer. Ever closer. Like he’s behind you - breath on your neck and in your ear. Like you should run.

Heavy knocks thud on the door but the shape persists. The breathing heavies.

You jump as the knocking continues, a scream you cut short is released and even Max flinches. Dustin huddles to Erica and Erica won’t admit that she huddles right back. Lucas holds up a hand as if to take the phone from you and right when he does, you hear it.

Loud, obnoxious, screeching laughter. A hand slaps a knee as the person on the other side heaves in giggles.

“Oh my God!” you wrench yourself back from the window, “Fuck you, Munson! Who’s out there?”

Of course, only Eddie would try and terrorize his own friends with a Michael Myers mask.

“Just Harrington, sweetheart, be a doll and let him in, will ya?”

“Dick,” you huff but gesture Lucas towards the front door, “‘s just Steve.”

Not a minute later, Steve Harrington is barreling through the door with a small stack of pizzas on one arm. Stupid big grin on his face.

You peek back out through the slats and see the shape trapped in a thicker crowd of trick-or-treaters than before. As you wave to local puppy-boy Steve, you speak into the phone again, “Alright, Munson, you can come in now.”

The shape is still there, though. You look away as someone pops through the kitchen - Eddie’s hands are on his hips proudly. He shoots you a wink and takes Dustin into his arms, squeezing the boy to his chest dramatically, “You should really lock all the doors and windows when you’re home alone, Laurie Strode, never know who has the balls to break in,” he pouts, “My freshmen disciples in your care and you can’t even lock a door.”

Steve ‘tsk’s as Erica storms to the food in his hold.

But you couldn’t care any less.

You hook the phone and hold your stare on Eddie, “You were…?”

“Outside,” Dustin shoves himself out of Eddie’s grasp, the latter nudges his head towards the kitchen side door, “I didn’t fuck with anything.”

“No, it’s- “ you peek out the window, the shape is missing.

Children pass by freely.

“You okay, Chunk?” Eddie steps forward.

Erica quirks a brow, glaring at the metalhead, “No food or references - Goonies or otherwise - for you until we can trust you’ve washed your hands,” she points down the hall, “Bathroom.”

“No,” you snap at the boy, “Did either of you see a guy on the other side of the street?”

“A guy?” Steve ‘hmph’s, “Figured it was a shitty Myers stand.”

You shake your head, peeking through the slats again, “He’s gone.”

And the doors are unlocked.

“The doors are unlocked,” you blurt, pointing at the other two older teenagers, “Doors and windows - check and lock them.”

Lucas goes to follow you upstairs while Eddie takes the basement and Steve stays on the first floor. His face is earnest, worry-wrung, “I wanna help.”

“No,” you keep him back with a stiff arm, “You stay down here and look after the others, alright? I’ll be right back.”

You can see it in the twist of his lips, his knitted brows, “I want to help.”

Both hands settle on his shoulders and you smile at the poor boy, “You can help plenty by just making sure the others are safe. Alright?”

He shakes his head but finds his way back to the group so you can go upstairs. You hate to say it, but as you come upon the landing, you sort of wish you’d taken up the chance of company. The quiet is eerie and drawn out - like you should be waiting for the other shoe to drop - like the still before a storm. Darkness pervades. Not quite inky, more flashes. Moonlight and street lamps illuminate the upstairs through thin curtains and slotted blinds.

Distantly, you hear the sounds of children screaming and giggling in Halloween delight. A single floorboard creaks and you could throw yourself over the banister at how pathetic you feel jumping from the sound.

This is ridiculous, you think - you’ve got kids to take care of, you can’t stay upstairs all night.

So you rush down the hall to Erica’s room and get to work locking her windows. You like Erica’s room, it’s got D&D miniatures sat out on a desk and a nice lavender bedspread. It’s more comforting than Lucas’ room, of no fault to him. Sports memorabilia and pictures of Max and even more intense D&D decor. It just reminds you of high school boys’ rooms you’ve been in and subsequently hated.

The window right above Lucas’ bed is jammed halfway and no matter how hard you press, it refuses to budge. It’s not nearly enough to sneak through, but even so, it could be opened. You leave his piggy bank at the sill in case someone does creep in and move on.

A kid shrieks from outside and you hurry to the master bedroom.

Neat and tidied, nobody has been in this room since Charles and Sue Sinclair left five hours ago. But there’s the chill of a Hawkins fall night that blows through and their pristine white curtains billow in the breeze. Your skin chills and you close the big window to the right of Sue’s antique dresser - it shutters and you think for a moment that the very glass shakes. You click the lock into place and continue.

When the upstairs is squared, you return to the group. There’s a gaping splotch in the gaggle of teenagers.

“Where’s Munson?”

“Thought he found you,” Steve shrugs.

“Why would- “ you cut yourself off, “Whatever.”

There’s a crash upstairs. Glass cracking and a thud like a full furniture set being dropped.

Dustin blanches at you, “I thought you locked the windows!”

“I did!” you huff but race to the kitchen, grabbing a knife. But one of the knives is already missing.

Oh.

Steve follows you, one hand going to your shoulder and his head tilting in a silent question.

“Get the kids out and go, go to a neighbor and call the cops,” your heart is thundering.

But come on, you’ve fought Hawkins’ demons and survived - you can handle a douchebag with a knife, right? Right! Of course.

Of course.

You run upstairs before Steve can ask further questions. He’s reluctant but follows your orders, herding your kids out the front door like the good shepherd he is while you check each room.

The knife glints in fractured moonlight, shaking in your hand as you peek through the doorways. Slow at first, sticking to the walls before carefully moving inside. The house creaks and you try to keep your breathing quiet. Footsteps still. You wait with bated breath.

For the other shoe to drop. For the storm to commence.

For a man to burst through the closet.

There’s no man - you cut through the rooms and find nothing but a tumbled full-body mirror now shattered in Erica’s room. You creep close and find no explanation for its sudden fall.

You’re almost excited to get back downstairs. Your hands speed to the couch-side phone and dart over the numbers to the house Chrissy is sitting. Just to warn her before it’s too late. Unless it already is.

The phone is ringing but Chrissy won’t answer. She never lets the phone ring long. You press your ear closer, hoping desperately for some - any - response aside from this mechanical tone. It rings. And rings. And you can’t hear the man behind you.

Steve turns to look at the Sinclair house once the children are out, he goes to step inside but Erica snags him by the shirt.

She isn’t one for verbally expressing her concern unless it was a quip, she isn’t prone to vulnerability that way; whether it be because of her young age or a result of their Hawkins’ trauma, he doesn’t know and he doesn’t care much. But now, he can see it in her eyes - rich with anxiety.

“You better not be thinking about going back in there, just wait for the cops. She’ll come back out,” Erica squeezes her hand in the material of Steve’s shirt, “She’ll come out.”

“I can’t take the chance,” Steve grins down at her, “We’ll be okay - we’re a good team, Sinclair.”

Steve detaches from the girl and runs back into the house. No plan, no ideas, just him and his typical inability to win a fight.

And he sees you struggling in the middle of the Sinclair’s living room. Eyes bugging, legs kicking, and hands ripping at the cord wrapped around your throat - a hulking, masked figure dragging you back into his chest.

Steve is quick at what he does best and what he does best is running into fights. He throws his body into the man’s, tackling him at the side. You’re dropped to the floor, knees burning against the rug while you heave for air. Your fingers drag across the indents forming from the spiraled cord.

“Keep him…” a thick sputter and cough rags through your sore throat, “inside…!”

The man in the Myers mask lifts Steve by the collar of his shirt, almost laughable in its visible simplicity for him. You don’t laugh though, not when your heart is thrumming like a jackrabbit and not when you can hear Steve’s fists land on the man’s chest like it’s a thick wall.

Scrambling, your hands pat blindly under the couch for the knife that’d fallen from your hand during the altercation. Handle meets palm and you drag the blade out as Steve kicks in the man’s hold. You turn, armed, and stab the man’s calf - it takes muscle, force, more than you use for anything in your typical life. More than you’re comfortable with. Cloth and skin rip around your blade and Steve is dropped. His body hits the floor like dead weight and the figure buckles.

You wretch back the knife and crawl away, shaky, to Steve’s side. You grab him by the sleeve and drag him closer to the door.

The man collapses, his hand smacking on the glass table hard enough to crack it.

Coming to your feet, you hurriedly tug Steve onto his own - knife still in hand.

The man rises, his head tilting. Something so reminiscent of a movie that you can’t help the “oh, fuck you!” that comes out. Steve takes the knife from your hand and pushes you behind him. His hands are shaking worse than yours.

“We need to keep him inside,” your eyes stay on the figure as you whisper to Steve.

The sirens are faint but they grow closer.

“Keep him inside,” Steve nods, “Got it.”

Steve slowly moves closer and you hesitate to grab him. On one hand, you know it’s foolish of him to approach, but if the man reciprocates and you’re holding Steve back then you’re both fucked. So you watch, back to the door, and legs jelly as Steve attempts to go toe-to-toe with the Michael Myers wannabe.

The sirens grow louder and you can see the man’s shoulders tense. He charges Steve.

And despite the knife quickly lodged in his side, the man throws Steve right back to where you are. His body hits your legs and you barely have the time to snatch the knife from his limp hand before you’re being cinched by the neck.

Hands shake with how hard he’s squeezing, you can feel your throat forcibly tighten. His fingers dig into your skin and you try to gasp through his hands. You take the knife to his forearm, slashing at his skin and breaking through his jumpsuit sleeve. He hisses and jumps when you manage to stab his shoulder but when he leans forward and jams you between himself and the door, you’re left with his hands locked around your throat.

His chest locks yours in place and you tear the knife through his rib, as far as your arms can possibly stretch while your vision spots. Yellow to blue to black splotches decorate the room and hot tears scorch your cheeks. Shallow, you wheeze and beat at his arms with both a fist and knife. Still, he leans and twists his clenched hands around your throat.

You try calling Steve’s name but all that manages to escape is a coughed grunt. Your muscles give, vision dark, the knife tumbles and hits the tiled flooring with a tink, your arms fall. Legs twitch.

The sirens grow quiet.

Your head lulls back.

Glass shatters and you drop to the doorstep like a sack of cement. Sputtering and gasping and clawing at the raw skin of your neck blindly. Your eyes don’t adjust well at first, hazy and blurred but enough to see that Steve is the one that smashed a vase against the back of the shape’s head.

Quickly, the sirens return to their previous volume - no, louder. Nearer. Steve manages to get the man on the ground. Kids scream outside but this isn’t the overjoyed cheer of trick or treaters - it’s terror and panic and urgency. It’s your kids.

You collapse back onto the ground as you wheeze through a crushed windpipe.

The door bursts open as the man grabs the knife, raising it above his head while Steve screams. Through the gap of the doorway, you see your kids screaming. Dustin is bright red in the face and Max and Lucas are clinging to one another. Erica is wide-eyed and frozen on the lawn. They blur and darken as your eyes flutter.

Your head feels light - you’re left falling in and out of sleep even despite the screams and bright flashing lights. Despite the police and sirens that cry in front of your face, and despite the fully-fledged teenager clinging to your arm like a child.

Only when you’re in the back of an ambulance with Max and Erica at your side, are you woken up.

Carefully, you tilt your head to check your vitals. When your head is facing forward, you can see the girls looking at you - at your neck.

It aches and burns at the back of your throat, but you swallow the saliva stuck there. Voice ragged and thin as you croak, “How bad is it?”

“Pretty bad,” Max is entirely honest, brows furrowed, “You’re gonna have a fuck-awful bruise.”

“Battle scars,” you cringe at the sound of your roughened voice and the pain that comes with using it.

“That was stupid,” Erica glares at you, lashes narrow and brows knitted, “Capital ‘S’ stupid.”

You shrug and her disdain grows harsher.

“Stupid.”

If protecting your kids makes you stupid, then you’ll gladly play the fool every single time.

You peek around the space just to ensure nobody else is listening, “We’ve seen worse.”

But none of those previous times have you come quite so close - quite so immediate - to death. Never before had you actually had your vision go black and feel the body-trembling fear of genuinely being about to die. It almost makes you miss when the only thing to make you break a sweat was a drooly, toothy screech in your face. Almost.

The ambulance doors are tossed open, Steve standing outside with Dustin and Lucas on either side. His lips are pressed and he nudges his head for the other girls to get out.

Steve takes their place, his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip.

“You look like you have to puke.”

“I do,” he’s quiet. Uncharacteristically, “They found Eddie. And Chrissy. And Annie. And Johnny.”

You grunt, uncomfortably shifting so you’re upright, a new thud pittering your heart. You can’t find yourself to speak, though. Stomach frilling and chest aching.

Something stirs. Sickens. Rots.

You just stare. It’s all you can do.

You don’t even want to ask.

Where?

How?

Are they…?

You don’t have to ask.

“Dead,” Steve grabs your hand when your muscles freeze, he squeezes, “All dead.”

He wasn’t told the details, but he saw Eddie. Pinned to the wall of the Sinclair’s basement - chest to brick - with a kitchen knife. The blade sat deep in the metalhead’s chest, only the handle was visible. Eddie’s head was turned directly right, chin to shoulder, eyes wide in terror.

He overheard from the officers in passing - brief flashes of gore. Of Chrissy’s neck slashed until it was hanging by threads of muscle. Of Annie’s face bashed into the counter until her jaw was mere pieces. Of Johnny’s throat rubbed red and bloody and raw by a phone cord.

“What about the kids? The ones they were babysitting?”

Steve remains silent. Your stomach lurches.

“And him?”

The shape.

Steve squeezes your hand again.

Children chatter outside and you can hear officers telling citizens to back away. There’s nothing to see here.

You swallow thickly, an ice chill crawling along your skin. Your flesh prickles.

“Steve,” you feel twisted, wrenched, “What happened to him?”

He releases your hand and peeks through the small, square windows on the ambulance’s back doors, “The guy…”

You wait with bated breath.

“Myers.”

For the other shoe to drop. For the storm to commence.

“He got out of the cuffs.”

For a man to burst through a closet.

“They can’t find him anywhere.”

#eddie munson x reader #steve harrington x reader #the party x reader #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #erica sinclair #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things x reader #stranger things x you #stranger things fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #steve harrington x you #dustin henderson x reader #lucas sinclair x reader #platonic duh!

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