If Steve Dies

if steve dies… 🔪

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Hi, all!! So after the release of the last two episodes, I decided to reroute the direction of this story. I deleted what I had written (shout out to the brilliant @mitchloveswriting for all of her help and for holding my hand through the last through episodes) and decided to start episode 3 from scratch. That being said, Episode 3 will be released July 11th, and we will resume to our MFW schedule.

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halfway through already GO READ THIS RIGHT NOW

Upside Down Feelings

Chapter Four: The Body

summary: Nancy fills Y/N in on the events that proceeded Barb’s disappearance and go talk to Jonathan.

word count: 2240

“Faceless..?” You whispered, leaning back in your seat as Nancy spoke softly into your ear from the desk behind you. You couldn’t help but be a bit skeptical. Everything she told you about Barb’s disappearance seemed more like the plot of the movies Robin made you watch than something that would happen in the small, safe town of Hawkins. “Maybe it was a mask-“

“It was not a mask,” Nancy frowned, catching the eyes of a few students around you. She sighed before lowering her voice again. “You don’t believe me either, do you?”

“No! It’s not that I don’t believe you,” You shook your head. “It’s just a hard concept to grasp, is all.. Wait- you said you told Steve? What did he have to say about all this?”

“He’s more worried about his parents finding out about the party than about what happened to Barb,” She huffed.

“Shocker..” You muttered under your breath. “I meant did he believe you when you told him about the monster?”

“Wh- I never said it was a monster.”

“A faceless thing that might’ve been the cause of two deaths? I think that qualifies as a monster, Nance,” You said matter of factly.

“Oh my god,” She rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t think he did. He tried to but.. He probably thinks I’m crazy.”

“Yeah, well, that makes two of us,” You smirked, earning a soft punch to the shoulder. “I’m kidding!”

Sort of.

“Nancy Wheeler?” The school secretary called from the doorway, making you both jump away from one another. Everyone’s eyes suddenly shifted to your friend who wore a deer-in-headlights look. “Come with me please.”

She shot you a glance and mouthed Cops. She hesitantly grabbed her bag and following behind the woman. Once class was dismissed, you made a bee line towards her locker. You were only met with the sight of Nancy gathering her things before she walked out of the school with her mother. Must’ve been some talk if her mom checked her before lunch.

You made your way back to your locker, mindlessly unlocking and opening it before you realized there was something out of the ordinary in there. You reached out and grab a piece of paper that read:

Meet me at my house after school. I need your help.

-Pants

“Help?” Robin asked as she peered over your shoulder. You quickly turned around and pressed the note to your chest. “Why does Nancy need your help?”

“Uh, you know, just- um,” You stopped yourself and took a deep breath. “.. Homework?”

“You’re a horrible liar.”

“Yeah, it was worth a shot,” You sighed, making her chuckle. “I don’t think I’m supposed to tell anyone. Trust me, if I could, you’d be the first know.”

“Mm,” She hummed with disapproval.

“Mm?” You echoed. “What do you mean mm?”

“You sure are spending a lot of time with Nancy,” She mumbled, catching the odd look you gave her. “Hey, I’m not trying to get on your case or anything, I just.. I don’t know, dude. Just watch your back. She might be an old friend but that doesn’t make her a good one.”

You nodded, not quite sure how to respond to that as you folded up the piece of paper and shoved it in your bag. You couldn’t help but wonder if what she was saying would still apply if she knew the whole story. She wasn’t wrong, but maybe she was missing too many details to be right.

“Anyways,” She looped her arm around yours before walking towards the cafeteria. “You’ll never guess what happened in band today!”

You loved that about Robin. She was never resentful; the most kindhearted person you’d ever met. Out of all of your friends, she was the only one that could bounce back from a heavy conversation as if nothing happened.

“-And then Emily suck her head in a tuba! It was really funny until we realized we couldn’t get it off. I hear they’re still trying to get it off..”

———

“Hi, Mrs. Wheeler,” You greeted as the door opened to reveal your friend’s beauty queen of a mother. “Is Nancy home? She seemed pretty upset before she left school. I wanted to come check up on her.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you, Y/N! I think that’s exactly what she needs right now,” She smiled, stepping aside to let you in. “She’s in her room.”

You thanked her and made your way upstairs, walking past a the other kids’ bedrooms before you finally arrived at Nancy’s. You could tell things were tense; her door was almost never closed. You brought your hand up and knocked gently.

“Go away, Mom! I already told you I don’t wanna talk!” She shouted from the other side.

“It’s me, you idiot,” You laughed, hearing as she scrambled to her feet before she opened the door.

“I need you to come look at this,” She said, pulling you in and leading you to her room, you tossed your backpack on the ground as you approached her bed. She held out her hand and presented the torn photograph on her bed. “What do you see?”

“Uh.. Barb sitting on a diving board,” You responded, looking back up at her. “Why?”

“Look closer,” Nancy pointed at the top right corner. You looked for a moment before shrugging and glancing back at her. “Right there. Look right-“

“Dude, obviously you’re seeing something I’m not. Just tell me what I’m looking at because all I see is a disfigured tree.”

“That’s the faceless man I saw!”

Your eyebrows raised before leaning in, trying to truly take in the picture and find the silhouette of anything else but a tree.

“I don’t see it,” You finally said, making her roll her eyes. “It’s too dark. Who took this picture? Maybe they can brighten it and enlarge it.”

“Jonathan Byres took this the night she disappeared,” Nancy handed you the picture before fetching her bag.

“Oh,” This must’ve been from the same series of pictures that resulted in Steve breaking his camera. And if that were true, this picture was taken moments before she disappeared.

“We need to go find him and talk to him!” She nodded. “Maybe he saw something I didn’t or maybe he can at least confirm that I’m not crazy.”

“Is it bad that I’d rather just believe you’re crazy?” You sighed. “If that thing is real, then..”

“Yeah,” She pursed her lips, looking you in the eyes. “Then it could be the cause of the disappearances.. Look, I totally understand if you don’t wanna come. This is-“

“Are we walking or riding our bikes?” You bent down and slung your bag over your shoulders. She smiled.

———

“Nancy!” You whisper yelled as you followed her through the funeral home. “This is crazy! I don’t think now is the time to ask him for this favor. He’s literally in the middle of..”

Your voice trailed off as you both stumbled upon a room filled with caskets. It suddenly all felt real to you; your missing friend, the death of your brother’s friend. The caskets before you would be their final resting place. You swallowed the knot in your throat, not wanting to make a scene in front of the boy who is burying his baby brother.

“Can you just give me a second?” He asked the mortician.

“Of course.”

“Hey,” Jonathan phrased it as more of a question.

“Hey,” You both muttered before Nancy spoke up. “Your mom, um… She said you’d be here. I just— Can we talk for a second?”

The three of you walked out and took a seat in the chairs that lined the hallway, Nancy separating you both. You pulled out the picture, assuring him you were only asking him about the object in the corner.

“It looks like it could be some kind of perspective distortion, but I wasn’t using the wide angle,” He explained softly. He’d always been a quiet person but you didn’t miss the way that your friend to bring out a more gentle side of the boy. “But I don’t know. It’s weird.”

“And you’re sure you didn’t see anyone else out there?” Nancy asked.

“No,” He said with certainty. “And she was there one second and then.. gone. I figured she bolted.”

“The cops think she ran away,” You added, earning his gaze. “But they don’t know Barb. She’d never do that.”

“Yeah, and I went back to Steve’s, and I thought I-.. saw something. Some weird man or-“ She took a breath before back tracking. “I don’t know what it was.”

You kept your eyes on Jonathan’s face as she spoke, noticing the way his eyes widened as if he recognized the spiel. She only caught a glimpse, mistaking it as rejection.

“I’m sorry,” She said quickly, taking your hand in hers and standing up. “We shouldn’t have come here today. I’m so sorry.”

“Wait,” You placed a hand on her shoulder. “Jonathan, you looked like you had something to say to that. We aren’t here to judge or reject any theories. Just looking for answers is all.”

“Y/N, let’s just g-“

“What’d he look like?“ He spoke up. “This man you saw in the woods.”

“I-I don’t know,” Nancy stammered. “It was almost like he- he didn’t have-“

“Didn’t have a face?” He asked. Your lips part. He did recognize the spiel.

“How did you know that?” She asked.

“I need to show you something,” He stood up. “Follow me.”

He walked quickly, you both had to jog to keep up as he led you to the school. He weaved his way through the hallways until you stumbled upon the dark room that the photography club used to process their film. You didn’t speak, allowing him to set up his station. He seemed to be particularly fond of Nancy, so you kept your distance, hoping it would encourage him to talk comfortably. As he busied his hands, he explained that his mother explained the same creature that Nancy saw.

“Did she say anything else?” She questioned. “Like where it might’ve gone to?”

“No, just that it came out of the wall,” He said as the machine dinged. You took a moment to wander around the room, observing the photos people took, careful not to touch anything.

“How long does this take?” You heard her ask.

“Not long.”

“Have you been.. doing this awhile?”

“What?”

“Photography?”

“Yeah,” He muttered. “I guess I’d rather observe people than, you know..”

“Talk to them?” She smiled up at him. Even in the darkness, you recognized that look in her eyes; the same one she gave Steve.

“I know. It’s weird.”

“No-“

“No, it is,” He stammered. “It’s just, sometimes people don’t really say what they’re thinking. But you capture the right moment, it says more.”

“What was I saying?” She asked. You blinked. Is she flirting?

“What?” Jonathan asked, holding eye contact with her. Is he flirting?

You turned around to hide the smile on your face. You didn’t want to ruin their (weirdly timed) moment.

“When you took my picture.”

“I, uh.. I shouldn’t have taken that,” He whispered. “I’m sorry. It’s just-“

“That’s it,” Nancy’s face fell. You quickly rushed over, peaking over their shoulders. “That’s what I saw.”

“What?!” You squeaked, running over to see the picture. That was definitely not a tree.

“My mom. I thought she was crazy. ‘Cause she said that’s not Will’s body. That he’s alive.”

“And if he’s alive,” You breathed, looking up at them.

“Then Barbara is too,” Nancy finished.

———

“You can’t tell anyone,” Nancy told you as you walked up to her house. “About what we saw. Not even Robin.”

“I can’t tell anyone that there’s some sort of faceless murderer running around Hawkins?!” You scoffed.

“We don’t know that it’s killing anyone-“

“We need to tell the cops, Nancy!”

“They won’t believe us!” She shook her head before placing a hand on your shoulder. “You’ve heard the way people talk about Joyce- the way they look at her. Everyone thinks she’s crazy. Especially the cops! Look, we just need to find out a little more and gather more proof before we go to the cops or else we’re the new town loonies.”

“I’d rather be labeled as a loonie than watch someone else go missing,” You protested.

“Please,” She breathed. “Just another week, okay? If someone else goes missing or if we collect enough evidence by then, we’ll go to the cops, alright? Just.. Just trust me on this.”

“Trust you?” You scoffed, not meaning for it to come out quite as rude. You almost didn’t process your tone until she dropped her hand from your shoulder. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-.. Okay, fine. I’ll trust you. But the second someone else goes missing, we are going to the police, promise?”

“Yeah,” She nodded, keeping her gaze lowered. “I promise.”

“Why do I get the feeling we are in way over our heads?” You mumbled.

“Because there’s a big possibility that we are,” She pursed her lips. “Call me when you get home so I know you made it.”

“Okay,” You breathed, looking at your friend. You hesitated for a moment before reaching out and wrapping your arms around her. She naturally did the same.

“Be careful,” She whispered, holding you a bit tighter before you let go and went your own way.

Chapter 5 ->

—

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I’m accepting name ideas for this series!! I’m stumpeddd

a/n: I apologize for the short chapters in season one of this series. My vision for Y/N in this season is to show her background with other characters/how she fits into the show. I really want her to feel as though she’s been in the show from the get-go. I want to build her as her own character; independent, capable, and strong. Think of S1 as more of a prequel to the rest of the series.

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Upside Down Feelings

Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak

summary: Y/N and Steve try to talk Nancy out of a dangerous idea. Jonathan convinces Y/N to go to the Tina’s Halloween party.

word count: 5300 ish

tw: didn't have the time to fully edit :(

“Mom,” You groaned, checking your wristwatch. “We need to go! We’re going to be late.”

“One second, sweetheart,” She frowned before grinning at your brother. “Oh! I want to see those pearls. Yeah!”

Dustin smiled genuinely as he posed for your mother’s pictures, pointing the fake proton blaster at the camera.

“Mom!”

“Who you gonna call?” She squealed as she began singing the Ghostbusters song. “YOU ARE SO CUTE!”

“You know what else he is?” You smiled, taking his arm as your mother continued to snap pictures. “Late!“

“You go ahead,” He looked up at you. “I promised the boys I’d ride my bike with them to school this morning.”

“Say no more,” You bent down, posing for a quick picture before grabbing your stuff and heading to school.

The school day was fairly uneventful besides the whispered rumors of another girl losing her virginity. You hated this school. More specifically, you hated just how awful the girls were treated after news spread of their deflowering. You whipped the corner and made a bee line for your locker. Just as you reached out, a warm hand gently grabbed your upper arm.

“Come with me,” Steve said. You furrowed your brows, looking down at the hand he touched you with with an unamused look. You did not want him touching you, especially after the weird moment you shared the night prior. He let go and slowly pulled away. “Sorry. But it’s Nancy. Something’s wrong. She’s been off for a couple of weeks- I know you’ve noticed it too.”

“I kind of figured it was the Harrington effect,” You smiled sarcastically, making him frown. “I mean, I get quiet and annoyed when I’m around you too so-“

“Ha. Funny. I think it’s about Barb, smart ass. And she won’t talk to me so please just come with me,” He rolled his eyes. You huffed, stuffing some books in your locker before turning around, instructing him to lead the way with your hand.

You followed him into the library to see Nancy staring blankly at something as she sharpened a pencil. You both called her name a few times, only grabbing her attention when Steve touched her shoulder.

“What’s going on?” He asked gently. “You okay?”

You’d followed her gaze to reveal it was fixated on a woman with similar features to Barb. You sighed, realizing Steve was right. She pulled you both away into a back room before elaborating on her despondent behavior as of late.

“I can’t keep doing this,” She muttered.

“Doing what?” Steve questioned.

“Pretending like everything’s okay,” She sighed. “It’s like everyone forgot about Barbara. It’s like nobody cares except for her parents.”

“Nance,” You whispered empathetically. “Hey, that’s not true-“

“And now they’re selling their house and they’re going to spend the rest of their lives looking for her!” She continued, completely ignoring the fact that you spoke up. “It’s destroying them.”

“I know, I know. Okay? I get it, but,” Steve spoke up. “Listen, there’s nothing we can do about it..”

“He’s right,” You nodded.

“We could tell them the truth!” She breathed.

“Well, you know that we can’t do that-“ Steve began in a soft and understanding tone.

“Jesus, not this shit again,” You muttered, already annoyed. You couldn’t even count how many times she’s brought this topic up in the last two months. And time after time, you were the one talking her out of it. At least Steve was around to help you out this time.

“We don’t have to tell them everything.”

“This isn’t some game, Nance,” Steve spoke in a harsher tone. “If they found out that we told any-“

You watched as he walked over to the window to close the blinds before shutting the door and continuing.

“They could put us in jail, okay?” He whispered. “Or worse, they could destroy our families.”

“They could do anything they want,” You agreed.“Look, just think about what you’re saying. What it could cause you- us! It’s insane!”

“Oh, my God,” She shook her head, trying to blink away the tears. “You always do this. You hate each other except for when it comes to proving me wrong. Y/N, she was your friend too!”

“Yes, Nancy. I’m well aware,” You pursed your lips. You didn’t have to reminded of that. You spent most of your days trying to push the memory of her away to no avail. There were nights you’d still cry yourself to sleep.

“How can you just pretend she’s not dead? Like she never even existed?” She frowned. “You never want to go eat with her parents, you never want to talk about her. It’s like you never even cared for-“

“I’m going to stop you right there,” You snapped before lowering your tone. “Don’t you dare accuse me of never caring. Have you ever wondered why I can’t do that stuff? Huh? Maybe it’s because I can’t keep sitting at that table we grew up playing board games at. I can’t keep going to these dinners with her parents because it kills me to pretend not to know what happened. I can’t talk about her because it hurts too damn bad.”

“Oh, please,” She scoffed. “Don’t give me that bullshit! You sit there and act like you care, but you never cried for her the way I did-“

“Yeah, maybe because I wasn’t the fucking reason she-..”

You paused, realizing that the next thing that was going to fall from your mouth was from a place of raw, unadulterated emotions that you hadn’t fully processed yet. But it was too late. You saw the way her face fell. She knew exactly what you were going to say; you weren’t the reason Barbara died.

“What? Finish your sentence,” She hissed, making every ounce of guilt you had only the moment before melt away. You hated when she spoke to you in that condescending tone. “You weren’t the reason she what? Tell me how you really feel!”

“Hey, maybe we should just take a step back and breathe,” Steve finally stepped in, watching as the girls in front of him shot daggers at one another with their gazes.

“You’re telling me that I almost sacrificed my life for you only for you-“

“We all sacrificed our fucking lives that night, Nancy! What do you want? A fucking sparky, gold star sticker?!” You rolled your eyes. “You know what? Fuck you. I’m done talking you off the fucking ledge. You wanna go tell her parents what actually happened? Then do it. But leave me out of your attention-seeking plans.” You began to mimic her voice, “Oh, Y/N, drop everything to come talk me out of this idiotic idea! Steve, let me take up all of your time so you can comfort me-“

“Are you calling me an attention whore?” She stepped toward you.

“If the shoe fits,” You took another step towards her, looking directly into her eyes, before Steve finally physically inserted himself between the two of you.

“Woah! Woah! Let’s just take a breather, yeah?” He chuckled nervously, placing his hands on Nancy’s shoulders and pushing her away from you. “Can we just-“

“Shut up, Steve!” You both snapped before you spun on your heels and hastily marched out of the room and back to your locker.

———

“Come on,” You muttered as your engine sputtered, trying its hardest to come to life, leaning forward with dedication. “Come on, baby. Don’t do this to me today. You got it… just-“

“Are you talking to your car?” You heard a smug voice ask from beside you. You suddenly regretted leaving your window open, looking over to see the new boy standing beside you with a smug smile.

“Can I help you?” You scoffed. Something about the mullet and jean jacket gave you the feeling that he probably never stopped talking about whatever fast muscle car he drove.

“Oh, she’s feisty,” He chuckled, voice smooth as aged whiskey. “And here I was about to offer you some help.”

“Look, Benny, it it?”

“Billy,” He said with an entertained smile.

“Whatever,” You grumbled. “I don’t need your help. I happen to know a thing or two about cars.”

“Is that why you’ve been trying to coax this baby with words instead of actions?” He tilted his head. You rolled your eyes. “Oh, that’s not an insult. I happen to have a thing for women who are all talk no do.”

“Okay, well, how’s this for all talk, and I’ll say it slowly just in case you’re a little light headed from the amount of cologne you have on,” You began, making him grab at his chest with a chuckle. “Fuck. Off. I don’t need your help. Nice meeting you, Benny.”

“Billy.”

“Whatever.”

He grinned, placing his tongue in between his left canines and looking you up and down before heading back to his car.

“Huh,” You muttered to yourself as you got out of your vehicle. “A black muscle car. Shocker.”

You caught a glimpse of Jonathan walking towards his own car before you looked back at your sweet, baby blue girl and placed an apologetic pat on the steering wheel. You jumped out, locked it, and jogged to catch up with your friend.

“Hey,” He greeted before smiling. “Oh, I know that look. Did the Bronco break down again?”

“Yes,” You huffed. “You know, she might sexy and all terrain but that bitch breaks down like no other.”

“Get in,” He chuckled. “Is Dustin coming?”

“No, he insisted on riding his bike.”

You both took your respective seats and sat in a comfortable silence. You took out a book you’d been reading and he mumbled along to the music that played lightly through his speakers as he looked through his collection of cassettes to replace the one that was currently playing.

You liked being around Jonathan. He was like a breath of fresh air. Unlike all of your other friends, you never felt obligated to make small talk or uncomfortable sitting in silence. It was never awkward with him, he simply accepted you as you came, and you did the same.

“Oh, sorry,” Will gasped as he opened the passenger’s door. “I didn’t know you were here. I’ll go to the back.”

He gently closed the door, making you smile at his sweet disposition. You sometimes wished your brother would take a page from Will’s book, but Dustin was almost the complete opposite; argumentative, quick witted, loud, and obnoxious. But his heart was just as big as his personality, so you learned to deal with it.

“So,” Jonathan smiled at his little brother as he reversed out of the parking spot. “How was your day?”

“I don’t know..”

“You don’t know?” Jonathan furrowed his brows. “Did something happen?”

“No, no.. It’s just..” Will sighed before sitting forward to rant. “No one else wore their costumes to school.”

“What?” You asked, suddenly feeling really bad as you watched your little brother get into his bike with his friends. Not another costume in sight besides their own. “We dressed up for Halloween up until we started high school. Since when did that change?”

“This year, apparently,” He mumbled.

“Well, they’re all losers who are too focused on fitting in and growing up too fast,” Jonathan shrugged.

“Amen,” You agreed before turning back to look at the boy in the back. “I think your costumes this year were the coolest ones I’ve ever seen.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah!” You nodded. “All our friends agreed, right Jonathan?”

“Yeah, Nancy loved them!”

“So did Robin.”

“Are those your only friends?” Will giggled after the moment of silence

“Pretty much.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, Steve also said something about liking the costumes,” You smiled. “But he’s not our friend. He’s more like…”

“A friend by association?” Jonathan offered. You snapped and pointed in confirmation, making him chuckle.

———

“Hi, honey!” Joyce smiled, pulling you in for a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “How’ve you been?”

“Uh,” Confused. Upset. Fucking exhausted from the lack of sleep due to the Demogorgan that haunted your dreams. “Great! And you? I see you have a new boyfriend.”

“Bob? Oh, yeah. He is my boyfriend, isn’t he? I feel like a teenager when I say that,” She giggled.

“He’s great!” You looked over as he taught Jonathan how to work the video camera. “I’m happy for you.”

“What about you? Got a special someone in your life?”

“Fortunately not. I see how Nancy and Steve get on. I feel like I’m dodging a bullet in all honesty,” You chuckled dryly. “No. Nope, no commitment for me. Pass.”

“Well, maybe they’re just with the wrong people,” She smiled knowingly. You furrowed your brows curiously before you heard Jonathan call your name.

“Y/N, Will, you ready?” He smiled. You all made your exit and walked towards the car.

“Be safe!”

“I hope it doesn’t suuuck.”

You smiled and waved before you loaded into the car. Jonathan messed with the radio for a moment before taking off towards Nancy’s house.

“I just don’t get what he sees in him!” He huffed.

“Oh, Jonathan, he’s a sweet guy!” You said, earning an annoyed look. “But you’re right. She’s so out of his league.”

“At least he doesn’t treat me different,” Will muttered. “I mean, I can’t even go trick-or-treating by myself. It’s lame.”

“Wh- You think I’m lame?” Jonathan smirked.

“No, but it’s not like Nancy’s coming to watch over Mike, you know?”

“Ouch,” You chuckled, holding your chest as if you get your heart break on the spot.

“No offense,” He smiled.

“Offense taken, asshole,” You laughed.

“Don’t say asshole in front of him,” Jonathan smiled, nudging your shoulder gently.

“Why can’t I say asshole in front of him?” You looked back at Will and winked, inviting him to join in on the teasing.

“Hey! I said-“

“Yeah, Jonathan, why can’t she say asshole in front of me?” Will giggled.

“Don’t say asshole!”

You both stayed silent for a moment before you looked at each other with shit eating grins and said, “Asshole.”

The whole car erupted into a fit of laughter as Jonathan pulled into a familiar street. You all continued to chat for a couple minutes before Will inevitably brought back to topic of trick-or-treating by himself.

“I agree,” You began. “The concept of having an older sibling watch over you while you trick-or-treat is lame.”

“See?” Will grinned over at his brother.

“You think we should let him go on his own?” Jonathan smiled over at you.

“I don’t care either way. That’s your call,” You shrugged as he pulled up to the Wheeler’s house. He parked the car and turned around to face his brother.

“If I let you go on your own, you promise to stay in the neighborhood?”

“Yeah! Yeah, yeah, totally!” Will sat up with excitement.

“And be back at Mike’s by 9:00.”

“9:30?”

“9:00. Deal?”

“Yeah! Yeah, deal!”

“Hey, Will!” He called as his little brother began scooting out to leave and handed him the video camera. “Don’t let any of your spazzy friends use this, all right!?”

“Okay!”

“I hope it doesn’t suuuuck,” Jonathan called in his Dracula voice, making you laugh.

“You’re a really good brother, you know that?” You smiled.

“We’re both good siblings,” He said as he reached into his pocket. “Which is why, I think we should go take the night off and go to Nancy’s party.”

“Pass,” You grumbled. It was now his turn to laugh at the way you crossed your arms and slumped into your seat. You looked like an angry child.

“Why? Robin canceled on us anyway!”

“Nancy and I got into a fight,” You sighed.

“Well, you aren’t going with Nancy. You’re going with me,” He said.

“Jonathan, I can already tell you how we’d spend our Halloween,” You frowned. “We’ll be following her and Steve around all night, watching them make out and get drunk while we stand there awkwardly. Plus, we’ll be in a crowed room full of mouth breathers in slutty costumes.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” He said, a bit disheartened by your rejection. Your heart dropped at the sight. “It was a stupid idea.”

You wanted to stand your ground. You really did. But seeing him sadly fold up that orange piece of paper and purse his lips as he put it into the cup holder, you knew that you stood no chance in hell at telling him no.

“Fine,” You groaned. “Let’s go..”

“Really?” He perked up with a grin.

“Yes,” You grumbled. “Now, drive before I change my mind.”

———

“You sure this is a good idea?” You scrunched your nose as you watched one of the football players puke into a bush.

“I mean, we made it this far, right?” He sighed, looking over at you. “You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” You huffed, hesitantly putting on your devil horn headband as he got out. You followed him into the party. As soon as the front door opened, you caught a glimpse of the crowd of drunk teenagers; some were dancing, others were making out, and the rest were submerged into conversation with their friend groups. “Of course they’re playing Journey..”

“I like your costume,” A girl said to Jonathan. That tone told you that she wanted him alone so you continued to made a beeline to the kitchen. You grabbed a red solo cup and filled it with whatever cheap liquor infused punch sat on the counter before you saw a very drunk Nancy make her way to you.

“Move,” She grumbled, shoving you aside slightly to refill her drink.

“Woah, woah, I think you’re drunk enough,” You said, placing your hand over the bowl.

“Hey!” She frowned, tossing your hand off of the bowl. This girl had a way of getting under your skin, especially when she was drunk.

“No, no, no, Nancy!” Steve said, pulling her back and shooting you an apologetic look.

“Get off!” She whined.

“No, you’ve had enough, okay?” You had no idea how he put up with her. He was so patient with her. It almost broke your heart to see the way she took advantage of that.

“Screw you!” She yanked her arm out of his hand before running to refill the cup.

“Nance, I’m serious,” He continued to try to pull her away before you finally stepped in, slapping the cup out of her hand and into the punch bowl.

“What is your fucking problem?!” She slurred angrily.

“Dude, enough is enough. No one likes a sloppy drunk,” You furrowed your brows. She looked you dead in the eye with a smile as she grabbed at your own cup out of your hand and took a sip.

“You two always do this! It’s always Steve and Y/N versus Nancy,” She huffed, waving her hands for dramatic effect. “Now that I think of it, you two act like more of a couple than we do!”

“Nancy,” Steve sighed. You could just how tired he was from babysitting her. God knows how long she’s been like this. “I’ve told you-“

“You know why you think that?” You interrupted. “Because we are constantly babysitting you. We are like your fucking parents at this point because you keep putting yourself in childish situations. Like right now. Put the cup down.”

“Fuck off, Mom,” She raised the cup up to her lips again before Steve caught her arm and pulled it down.

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop,” Steve stepped in again. “Put it down.”

“No!”

“Nance, put it down.”

“Steve! Stop!” She shouted before slipping out of his grip and spilling the red punch on her white shirt. Everyone around you reacted, and looked at her. You might’ve been mad, but you couldn’t help but to feel bad for her at that moment. She looked up at Steve before stomping off to the bathroom.

“Nance,” He called before looking back at you. “You comin’?”

“No, thanks. I think I’ve dealt with enough angry drunks for one lifetime,” You shook your head, making his face fall slightly. He knew exactly what you meant by that: Your birth father. He nodded and walked off behind his girlfriend, leaving you standing alone at the punch bowl again. After seeing Nancy, you no longer had any desire to drink. So you set the cup down and scanned through the crowd in hopes of finding Jonathan so he could take you home.

“Bronco!” Someone called from behind you. “You made it!”

“Billy,” You rolled your eyes, turning around with the world’s fakest smile. “Unfortunately, I did.”

“Oh, so you do know my name?” He smirked down at you. “I don’t think I ever caught yours.”

“Y/N.”

“Y/N,” He nodded slowly as his eyes scanned your face in the same way a lion might eye its prey. “I like that. I also like your little get up. What are you supposed to be?”

“Isn’t it pretty self explanatory?” You pointed at your devil horns. “I’m a tiger.”

“You’re funny,” He let out a laugh. “Are you just as naughty as those horns?”

“Ew,” You laughed, making him bite his lip to hold back a grin. “Was that supposed to be a pick up line?”

“That depends,” He shrugged. “Did it work?”

“No.”

“Then it was just a joke,” He said nonchalantly, making you laugh and roll your eyes.

This boy was incredibly handsome, but something about him felt off. You had a feeling there was much more to him than the charismatic flirt standing before you, and not in a good way.

“Can I pour you a drink?” He smiled, reaching past you to grab a cup.

“No thanks.”

“Oh, come on!” He chuckled, dipping it into the red liquid.

“I’m not much of a drinker,” You watched as he grabbed a cup and poured the red liquid into it. “Really, I’m good.”

“What’s one drink, right?” He chuckled, handing it to you.

“I said,” You smiled, looking him in the eyes as you poured it back into the bowl. He blinked, showing you the annoyance behind his eyes. “I’m good.”

“That was rude,” He grabbed your wrist, a little harder than you expected him to. You gasped, feeling a burst of anxiety fill your chest. He dipped your wrist, making you fill the cup up again before bringing it up to you lips. “Seems like you need to be taught a lesson in manners. I think what you meant to say was thank you. Now drink.”

“Hey! No means no, asshole!” You heard Steve say from behind you before he grabbed your arm and pulled you back. You set the drink down on the counter next to you.

“Oh, look at lover boy here!” Billy laughed. “Babysitting both of your girlfriends tonight? Huh, pal? Failed at keeping one sober and now you try again with the other one!”

“Come on, Y/N. Let’s get out of here,” Steve pulled you away, you turned around as you left the house, locking eyes with Jonathan.

What the fuck? He mouthed. You barely managed to shrug before Steve pulled you out of sight.

“Steve? Where are we going? Steve?” You questioned as he marched you to the front yard. He continued to pull you in silence. “Steve!”

Nothing. He refused to turn towards you and refused to stop walking. He was on a mission and you could sense just how upset he was.

“Look, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate your help but I would really like to know what the hell is going on,” You planted your feet, stopping him in his tracks. “Where’s Nancy? Why are we leaving-“

“Did you know?” He finally turned around, giving you a chance to see his teary eyes.

“Woah, hey, what’s going on? Know what?” You said in a softer tone, one filled with concern. “What happened in there? You can tell me.”

“Did you know Nancy didn’t love me?” His voice cracked. You felt your heart sink into your stomach at the sight of the broken boy.

You’ve known Nancy for well over ten years. You knew her so well that, truth be told, you’d sensed it. She never talked about him the way she used to. She seemed aloof when she was at his side. Hell, with the way she’d always go out of her way searching for Jonathan or to find any excuse to be around him, you’re surprised Steve hasn’t caught on. You’ve heard love is blind, but he almost made you wonder if it was deaf too.

“What makes you think she doesn’t love you?” You swerved the question. It wasn’t your secret to tell. He scoffed, looking away to wipe his tears. “Steve, if it’s something she said to you in the bathroom, you have to realize that she’s piss ass drunk and mad. Don’t take anything she says-“

“She looked me dead in the eyes and said I was bullshit, Y/N. That we’re acting like everything is okay and like..” He ran his hand through his hair before he shook his head. “Like we’re in love.”

“She’s drunk. I don’t think she intended for it to come out like that.”

“You know what she said to me when I asked her to clarify? She said it’s bullshit. I asked her if she loved me, Y/N, and she said it’s bullshit!” His voice quivered before he let out a breathy sob.

“Oh, Steve,” You whispered, before he crumbled into your arms. You blinked in surprise at the boy that wrapped himself around you, taking a moment before you wrapped your arms around his waist hesitantly. You let him hug you tightly and cry it out, not minding the fact that your shoulder was now drenched with his tears. You simply rubbed his back for a few minutes.

“Hey, it’s alright. I got you,” You whispered, feeling his right hand move up and hold you by the back of your neck to pull you even closer. You’d never been pressed against him like this; almost every part of you was touching ever part of him.

You hated how that seemed to awake the swarm of dormant butterflies in your stomach. It seemed as if they were reserved strictly for Steve, seeing as they never happened with anyone else. His warm and shaky breath on your neck made chills shoot down your spine. The way he held onto you as if his life depended on it only made your heart pound so hard that you were positive that he felt it too.

“I know. Trust me, I know from first hand experience just how bitchy she can be. I can’t even tell you the amount of times I’ve had to hold myself back from tackling her on the spot,” You said, making his chuckle softly and loosen his grip on you. “Don’t let her break your heart with drunk words, okay? You two can talk this through tomorrow.“

You pulled away and wiped his stray tears with your thumbs.

“I feel like a kid when you do that,” He chuckled softly.

“You kinda look like one. You have the saddest puppy dog eyes when you cry,” You smiled, making him chuckle again.

Maybe it was how the moonlight hit his damp face or the way his big, watery eyes danced across your own face, but he looked bone achingly pretty in that moment. You struggled to look away, to find any other excuse to distract you from just how magnetic his presence was.

“In the meantime, let me drive you home,” You broke eye contact and reached into his hand to grab his keys but he tightened his grip on them.

“What are you doing?” He sniffled.

“You might not be as drunk, but you reek of alcohol,” You said, lifting his hand by his wrist and plucking the keys out. “Friends don’t let friends drink and drive. Where’d you park?”

“Friends?” He smiled softly.

“Yeah, I figured I’d give that one to you tonight,” You shrugged, making him laugh. “Lead the way.”

“How exactly do you plan on getting home if you’re driving me home?” He blinked.

“I can walk.”

“Like hell I’m going to let you walk next to those woods!” He scoffed. “Either you’re staying at my place or I’m staying at yours.”

“You wanna have a sleep over?” You smirked. “You wanna braid each other’s hair and make friendship bracelets while we’re at it?”

“You’re seriously giving me shit right now? My cheeks aren’t even dry yet and you’re already being a dick,” He rolled his eyes as you walked past him to find his car.

“We’ve been friends all but two minutes and you already wanna have a slumber party, Harrington?” You continued to tease.

“I parked over there,” He pointed in the opposite direction.

“Right..” You pursed your lips, spinning on your heels and walking towards the direction of his car. He laughed at the fact that his comment made you fall silent.

———

“Hey, Dustin?” You knocked on his door with your pillow under your arm. No response. You knocked harder. “Dustin! I’m not gonna stop knocking until you-“

“What?!” He hissed, cracking his door just enough to peak into the hallway.

“I need to sleep in your room tonight.”

“What? Why?” He asked a little too quickly.

“Because Steve is tipsy and I offered him to stay in my bed. Now let me in-“

“Sounds like a you problem,” He said.

“Dustin! Don’t you dare shut this-“ The door slammed. “Door… You fucking asshole!”

You scoffed before walking back to your room. Steve looked up at you with confusion as he began getting under your covers.

“I’ll take the floor,” You sighed, throwing your pillow down and walked to your closet to find blankets.

“What? No, I’ll take the floor. This is your room.”

“And you’re the guest.”

“Okay. Well, this is a queen sized bed. It’s big enough for the both of us,” He said. You blinked, looking at the bed and back at him. You weren’t oblivious to your chemistry, and up until that night, you’d done a phenomenal job at avoiding him like the plague out of respect for your friend. You couldn’t even begin to imagine just how angry she’d be if she found out he slept in the same bed as you.

“Yeah, I’ll stick with the floor,” You pursed your lips before turning towards your closet again. You heard your bed squeak before you felt his presence behind you. He grabbed the arm you were using to search with and pulled it down, turning you towards him.

Dear God, he was only mere inches away from you. You cursed the swarm of butterflies for exciting at the way he grabbed your arm.

“Look, I won’t try anything if that’s what you’re worried about,” He said firmly. “I won’t tell Nancy, and I’ll never bring it up again. We can even put some pillows between us if it makes you feel better.”

You sighed, looking at the bed in thought. He was right, you both respected Nancy and each other far too much to try anything. It was just sleeping next to one another. It wasn’t any different than the sleep overs you’ve had with Nancy, Barb, and Robin. What’s the worst that could happen?

“Fine. But you get the spot next to the wall,” You sighed.

“Deal,” He chuckled before crawling back into the bed.

The moment you’d gotten home, Steve asked to borrow warmer clothing since your mother liked to keep the house at an arctic climate. You gave him your step father’s old Indiana State University hoodie and sweatpants. You hadn’t really seen him in anything other than his yuppie jeans and jackets. This was a nice change of pace for him.

You grabbed your pillow and set it into its proper spot before reaching over and turning out the lights.

“Goodnight, Steve,” You said, turning away from him.

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

———

PLEASE CHECK IN EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY AT 9:00 PM CTD FOR NEW CHAPTERS! (TAGLIST IS NOW CLOSED)

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a/n: pft, what’s the worst that could happen? i am having MAJOR writer’s block for the next few chapters. i promise i’ll have them up on friday HOWEVER, i completely forgot that i have a 10 page essay over Russian Geography due on July 8th so i’ll let you all know whether or not i will be taking the week off next week to focus on the paper :( thank you for all of your support and patience!! it means the world to me 🥺💕

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