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worth-the-chaos · 3 months

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Adventures in Babysitting - Steve Harrington x female!reader - Chapter 12

Chapter Summary: The evil that you thought you had gotten rid of is still very much lurking within Hawkins. You, your boyfriend, and your friends race against time to try and find Eddie before it’s too late.

Content Warning: swearing, violence, knives and blood, jealous Steve

Word Count: 6.5k

Author’s Note: This chapter is starting to get season 4 going, so that’s pretty epic. I hope you guys enjoy it and thank you so much for reading it <3

Message me to be added to the taglist! Also, send me asks! Tell me shit, ask me questions, y’all are fun to talk to ;)

Series Masterlist | Part 11 | Next Part

***

Your Saturday started out like any normal Saturday. Steve peppered soft kisses to your skin as you woke up from your comfortable slumber wrapped in his arms. You ate breakfast together and got ready before picking up Robin and making your way to Family Video. It had taken a significant amount of convincing to get Keith to let the three of you work together, considering there was really only enough work for two people to do, but he finally agreed to it since, in his own words, “Steve barely even counts.”

You all were reorganizing the shelves as Robin recounted her conversation with Vickie at the basketball game the night prior. “Then Vickie laughed. And it wasn’t like a cheap fake laugh either. It was like…it was a real, genuine laugh!”

“Of course she laughed, Rob. It’s my muppet joke. It’s hilarious,” Steve replied as he restocked the horror section. You rolled your eyes from your perch on the counter, glaring up at him as you stopped sorting out the returned movies.

“My point is that Vickie laughed, and everything was just like…it was perfect! But I’m having this problem where it’s like, I should stop talking. I have said everything I need to say, but then I guess I get nervous and the words keep spilling out, and it’s like my-my brain is moving faster than my mouth or…or rather my-my mouth is moving faster than my brain, and…and it’s like I’m digging this hole for myself, and I want to stop digging and I’m trying to stop digging, but I can’t, and I’m doing it right now, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, you are,” you responded, looking at her with a great deal of sympathy. You knew how she was feeling. You couldn’t even count the amount of times that you had rambled on and on to Steve about something so completely and utterly stupid because you didn’t know when to stop.

“Ugh, I’m hopeless,” Robin backed up against the wall, throwing her head back in exasperation.

“Robin! Don’t say that; you are not hopeless,” you scolded your best friend, “I mean, look. I was completely and utterly hopeless before Steve and I started dating…like if he hadn’t shown up and the planets hadn’t aligned, I’d be single as fuck right now, but everything that the two of us have, started with us just being friends. So, the fact that you’re talking to Vickie and she clearly at least likes you in that capacity is a really damn good sign.”

“I wouldn’t say you would be hopeless, I mean, guys are pretty much throwing themselves at you,” Steve mumbled under his breath, thinking back to how you had interacted with Eddie the night before. You had seemed so comfortable with him and he hated to admit it, but the two of you looked like you belonged together far more than you did with him. Eddie marched to the beat of his own drum. He dressed different, he acted different, he didn’t go with the crowd or hop on the bandwagon. You were exactly the same. Sometimes Steve worried that you would wake up and realize that he was way too stereotypical and boring for you and that you would leave him. He pushed the thought aside as you spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Before Steve could answer, Robin began rushing across the room.

“Oh! I think I found our morning movie!” She held up a copy of Doctor Zhivago.

“Ugh, you know I don’t do double VHS,” Steve groaned, shaking his head as he walked past the counter towards her. You stopped him, smacking him in the chest before he could try and take the tape away from Robin before you spoke up.

“We’d actually love to watch it Robin,” you smiled, your eyes still glaring at Steve. Robin jumped up and down a little bit before turning on the television to get it set up, but all of you paused when the news came on.

“We’re in the Forest Hills trailer park in east Roane County. We don’t have a lot of details now, but we can confirm that the body of a Hawkins High student was discovered early this morning. Police have not yet released the victim’s name…” the reported stated, detailing all the information that was known and released.

“Holy shit,” Steve whispered, his and Robin’s eyes transfixed on the screen. His voice sounded far away as your vision blurred with tears. You could barely breathe as you thought about the only two Hawkins High students you knew that lived there: Max and Eddie. If it was either of them, you weren’t sure what you would do. You weren’t sure how you would be able to live and move on.

You stumbled backwards, and you knocked over a pile of VHS tapes as you blindly grabbed for the edge of the counter, beginning to hyperventilate. Robin and Steve snapped out of the trance the news had put them in, as Steve’s head whipped around towards you just in time as you collapsed to the floor.

“Robin turn that off!” Steve yelled, and she grabbed for the remote, quickly silencing the news. You were in a heap on the floor sobbing, barely able to hear Steve as he quickly sat with you on the floor, rubbing big circles across your back to try and calm you down. “Shhhh, y/n. I’m right here, okay baby….I’m right here with you and I’m not going to go anywhere,” he whispered into your ear, kissing your temple as you cried.

After a while, you finally found the will to calm yourself down, and you had been the one to turn the TV back on. You wanted to know as much as you could. You wanted as much information as possible to rule out the possibility that it was either of your friends. Really the only additional information you got was that it was definitely murder and that the police hadn’t released the names of any suspects, which was a whole lot of nothing to go off of.

You were biting your nails, staring at the screen with furrowed brows, when suddenly the chime of the bell above the door rang out into the otherwise empty store. You jumped, turning around to see Dustin followed by Max Mayfield herself.

“Max!” You shouted as you hopped over the counter and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. She groaned, not expecting the sudden demonstration of how much you cared before she reciprocated.

“Hello to you too, I guess?”

“I’m just so glad you’re okay,” you breathed out, feeling a sense of relief flood your body, knowing that Max wasn’t the unnamed victim from the news. Max was struck by your words, not really even considering the fact that some of her friends may be led to believe that she had been killed based on the location of the murder.

“Are you guys seeing this?” Steve chimed in, pointing to the TV screen in the back corner of the room.

“How many phones do you have?” Dustin asked suddenly. You looked at him with confusion plastered across your face.

“Someone was just murdered,” Steve replied, annoyed that the boy could be asking about phones at a time like this.

Dustin just slammed his hands on the counter in response, causing you to jump again in your anxious state, before he repeated himself. “How many phones do you have?”

“Two…why?” You spoke up, furrowing your brow.

“Technically three, if you count Keith’s in the back,” Robin corrected you, a similar look flashing across her face.

“Three works,” Max spoke up, looking at Dustin. Dustin paused, looking at Steve and Robin behind the counter before throwing his backpack across and hopping it. You and Max were civilized, walking around the counter to join them while Steve protested.

“My tapes! Dude! What are you doing, man?!” Steve groaned. Dustin had a special talent for making things significantly more difficult for Steve…especially at his place of work.

“Setting up base of operations,” Dustin replied, typing into the computer.

You attempted to shove him to the side, away from your computer, but he swatted your hands away. You glared at him with the might of a thousand suns before hip checking him, causing him to stumble to the side. “What the fuck do you guys need our computer for?”

“To look up Eddie’s friends’ phone numbers,” Dustin retorted as if it was obvious.

“Oh Eddie, your new best friend you think is cooler than me because he plays your nerdy game,” Steve grumbled back, but you were only half paying attention as you made eye contact with Max. Clearly the two kids knew something that you didn’t and you were worried what that meant in conjunction with the shit you were hearing on the news.

“I never said that!” Dustin looked at Steve, and you rolled your eyes.

“Seriously, you guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around, but it’s Saturday. It’s our busiest day,” Robin spoke up, reorganizing the shit that Dustin had knocked off the counter.

“Robin, I totally empathize but this cannot wait,” Dustin sighed as he started writing on a clipboard.

“What because calling all of Eddie’s friends is an emergency?”

“Exactly!”

“Do you want me to strangle him or do you want to?” Steve asked you. The chuckle he was about to let out died in his throat when he saw the look on your face.

“I really think we should hear them out,” your voice was small when you replied. You all looked over at Max and she took a deep breath before she began talking.

“The victim…it’s Chrissy Cunningham,” she started, “I saw her body this morning when the police were leaving. The thing is, I saw her go in Eddie’s trailer and shortly after, my TV started going nuts and the lights started flickering like crazy, which isn’t really super out of the ordinary, my electricity is shit….but then I heard screaming and looked out the window and I saw Eddie leave and—and he looked scared. Like really scared.”

Steve reached for your hand, interlocking his fingers with yours before he spoke up. “So…Eddie killed Chrissy?”

“Steve! No, he fucking didn’t. That’s why we need the phones so that we can find out where he is so that we can prove that he’s innocent,” Dustin glared at your boyfriend, shoving him a bit.

“Just calm down,” you interjected, standing in between the boys. This was all a lot to unpack and you weren’t going to solve anything if they couldn’t stop bickering. When they both grumbled and crossed their arms, you moved around the counter, swiftly moving to the door and flipping the sign to indicate that the store was closed. “Just, you guys can use the phones, okay? But that’s it. We don’t do anything else until we have something solid to go off of. Do you understand?” You looked between Max and Dustin.

They both began to nod and you shook your head. “No, I need to hear you say it. I’m serious, someone was just killed and we are not putting our lives in jeopardy without some serious cause, okay?”

“Yes, we understand,” Max responded. Dustin spoke up in agreement, and you paused to look at them one more time before turning around.

“I’ll get Keith’s phone from the back. You all start making calls.”

You swiftly headed to the back, grabbing the third phone. You were turning around to leave when you about nearly jumped out of your skin, when you were met face to face with your boyfriend.

“Steve! You scared the shit out of me! Don’t fucking do that!” You put a hand on your chest as you tried to catch your breath.

“Y/n, I don’t have a good feeling about this. I mean, the most likely scenario is that Eddie killed that poor girl and now we’re actively trying to find him. He could be fucking dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to you, okay? So, let’s just stop all this bullshit before it’s too late,” he grabbed your hands, rubbing his thumbs along the backs of them as he looked you in the eyes. His brow was furrowed with worry, and you felt a pang in your chest. You knew you had to see this through, if not for Eddie, then for Dustin.

“Steve, I know Eddie. He wouldn’t do something like this. Trust me,” you told Steve, looking him in the eyes with so much conviction that he decided to let it go for now.

You brought the phone out and Hawkins’ Family Video soon became a bustling call center as you all took turns trying to get ahold of anyone who may possibly know where Eddie was. Name after name after name got crossed off your list as you found no answers, and you were beginning to feel hopeless when Max spoke up.

“Hey guys, I might have a lead,” she started, “apparently, Eddie gets drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick, and sometimes Eddie crashes there.”

“Alright, that sounds promising. So where does this Reefer Rick guy live?” Robin asked.

“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?” You spoke up, attempting to find any additional piece of information that you could follow to find Eddie.

“I don’t know that either.”

“I bet the cops know the last name,” Steve spoke up. He hadn’t been super helpful in calling around, instead choosing to reorganize the store and do some light cleaning. He was reorganizing some tapes with his back to you all and he had said it so nonchalantly.

“What?” You questioned him, irritation settling in your tone.

“I said the cops probably know,” he shot back, “I mean, listen, if this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer, I guarantee you he’s been busted at some point. Means he’s in the system.”

“The cops? Really, Steve? That’s your suggestion?” Dustin asked incredulously.

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

“You think Eddie’s guilty, don’t you?” Dustin stepped forward, but you placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to settle him. You could hear the hurt in his voice and you wished that Steve hadn’t been the one to cause it, but then again, tensions were high with everything that was going on; like the implications of Max’s account of her electricity going haywire around the time that Chrissy would have died.

“Woah, woah, woah, I believe in innocent until proven guilty and all that constitutional shit…I just, you know….I just don’t think we can rule it out,” Steve spoke up, avoiding making eye contact with any of you as he messed with a Rubik’s cube on the counter.

“Steve!” You scolded him. Why can’t he just take a leap of faith and believe you guys?

“That’s precisely what we’re trying to do here, Steve,” Max spoke up, glaring at the boy.

“And maybe we’d have a little bit more luck if you spent less time reorganizing shit that doesn’t need reorganizing and more time trying to find Eddie,” Dustin chimed in.

“Hey, someone’s gotta make sure things are in order here. Do you see how many fucking movies we have? It can be overwhelming for the average customer,” Steve tried to defend himself.

Suddenly an idea popped into your head, as you darted over to the computer, typing away into the system. “What are you doing?” Max asked.

“Maybe we don’t need a last name,” you started as you pressed enter on the keyboard. “Twelve Ricks already have accounts here…now it’s just a matter of narrowing it down.”

***

After determining the Rick most likely to be the Reefer Rick, you waited until it got dark to go scope the place out. You decided that you’d be more inconspicuous at night, not wanting to draw any attention to yourselves while you tracked down a potential murder suspect.

You were all piled in Steve’s BMW as he pulled into the driveway of one Rick Lipton. You felt nerves settle in your stomach as you tried to take a deep breath, Dustin quickly getting out of the car and ringing the doorbell. No one answered and after Dustin pressed the button repeatedly, Steve put a hand on his shoulder to pull him away from the door.

“Okay. Well, that’s settled, I guess he’s not here,” Steve spoke up. This did nothing to stop Dustin from continuing to pound on the door, yelling for the boy to answer. So much for being inconspicuous, you thought as you walked around the side of the house. Your hands trembled a bit, being a tad anxious about being out here at night, when your flashlight finally caught sight of a boathouse on the lake.

“Hey guys?” You called out. Steve was quick to join you, followed by the rest of the gang as you cautiously approached the metal lined shed. There was no real signs of life in there as you entered, and it seemed just as abandoned as Rick’s house. “Hello? Is anyone home?” You shouted into the darkness as you took a hesitant step inside.

“What a dump,” Steve muttered, taking in the sight of all of the clutter. In his mind, there was no way in hell that Eddie was here, so though he was taking all of this seriously, he wasn’t too committed to really inspecting the place with great detail.

You grabbed an oar off of the wall, walking over to the small boat docked in the center of the room as you shoved at the tarps with it, not wanting to get close just in case something was awry.

“What are you doing?!” Dustin whisper-shouted at you, perplexed by your actions.

“He might be in there,” you answered simply.

“Then take the tarp off!”

“If you’re so brave, you take the tarp off!” You whisper-shouted back at him, though when Dustin moved forward to do just that, you and Steve both yanked him back by his shoulders. You continued to poke at the tarp, and Steve placed a gentle but nervous hand on the small of your back, not wanting to stray too far from you.

Max suddenly spoke up from across the room, pointing her flashlight at some odds and ends on a small table. “Hey, guys. Someone was here.”

“Maybe he heard us? Got spooked and ran?” Robin suggested, joining Robin to inspect the items before her.

“Don’t worry. Y/n will get him with her oar…isn’t that right y/n?” Dustin spoke to you sarcastically. You were glad you had the self control to not swing it at the infuriating child beside you as Steve moved away from you to pull Dustin aside. He didn’t need the two of you arguing with each other. You two bickered like siblings and now wasn’t the time for a pseudo-familial spat.

“I know you think you’re being funny, Henderson,” you started, continuing to jab at the tarps, “but considering the fact that everyone in this room has nearly died about a hundred times, personally, I don’t find it funny in the slight—“

Your words were cut off as a figure under the tarp sprung to life, grabbing you around the shoulders and pushing you against the wall. You heard the familiar flick of a pocket knife, feeling the sharp tip of the metal press against your throat. The boathouse erupted into a chorus of shrieks and screams, as you leaned your head back, unable to breathe as you stared wide-eyed at the boy you were tutoring for physics.

“Woah, woah, woah! Eddie! Eddie, stop!” Dustin shouted. He took a step closer and Eddie pushed you back farther into the wall, letting you all know that he wasn’t playing games. Steve felt like his whole world was crashing down around him. To Steve, Eddie’s actions confirmed that he was dangerous, that he had likely killed Chrissy, and that he was about to do the same thing to you. Steve’s mind was working double time trying to figure out how to get you away from the freak, as he started to take a huge step towards you when Robin roughly grabbed his arm, preventing him from getting any closer.

“Robin let go of me!” He shouted at her, trying to shake out of her grip.

“Steve,” she warned, and the way that she said it made him stop to reevaluate the situation, realizing the closer he got to you, the more he was putting your life in peril. A small cry escaped your lips as you tried to blink back tears, and Steve’s heart sank in his chest. He felt his hands trembling at his sides, wanting nothing more than to hold you and to tell you that everything was going to be okay, but watching as the knife threatened to break the skin of your neck, he wasn’t so sure he even believed the sentiment.

“It’s me, Dustin. This is y/n,” Dustin continued, gesturing to you, “she’s not going to hurt you, right, y/n?”

“Right, yeah,” you barely were able to whisper, the muscles in your neck all tensed as you tried to get as far away from the knife as possible. Your chest heaved as you swallowed and breathed out a shaky breath.

“Y/n, why don’t you drop the oar,” Dustin cautioned. You hadn’t even realized you were still holding it, barely even being able to feel the white knuckled grip you had on the handle. You willed your fingers to let go and as the oar crashed to the floor, the sudden sound caused Eddie to jump, leaning in farther and nicking your neck a bit in the process. You yelped in pain, and Steve started to freak out, unable to control his breathing. Robin continued to try and calm him down, but it wasn’t working super well.

“She’s cool, she’s cool!” Dustin reminded Eddie, still trying to talk him off of a cliff. Steve wished he had trusted his intuition earlier and kept you all far away from Eddie the freak Munson.

“I’m cool, man, I’m cool,” you spoke up, your voice shaky, “I’m helping you in Ms. O’Donell’s class, remember?”

“What are you doing here?” Eddie asked, his eyes wild as he refused to let you go.

“We’re looking for you, we’re here to help,” Dustin spoke up, “Eddie, these are my friends. You know Robin, from band. This is my friend Max, the one who never wants to play D&D. And obviously that’s Steve; I know you know him because you hate him, okay? Eddie, we are on your side. I swear on my mother, right guys?” He looked to the three of your friends behind him who all desperately nodded in agreement.

“Yes, yes, we swear!” Robin agree.

“Yeah, on Dustin’s mother,” you squeaked out. Eddie looked at you and you could tell he was acting out of fear. You knew this wasn’t him. That still didn’t quell the fear in your own chest as you spoke up once more to whisper, “please.”

Eddie paused, his eyes searching yours to try and determine your intention. He knew that you were a good person. Hell, you’d been helping him through fucking physics which wasn’t exactly a cake walk. Seeing the terror across your face as you whimpered, however, was what finally broke Eddie, as he finally let you go.

You let out a small cry as the tears you had been attempting to blink back finally spilled down your face while you crumpled to the floor. Steve rushed to your side, sitting on the floor with you, not unlike he had earlier in Family Video when the news came on. Your hand clutched at your neck. Even though Eddie had only just slightly nicked you, your blood had dripped enough to stain the collar of your shirt, and began to seep through your fingers as you held pressure to the cut. It stung like a bitch, but you were more scared than hurt.

“Hey, hey, hey, let me see, okay baby? Can you do that for me?” Steve asked softly, as one of his hands wrapped around the nape of your neck and the other gently tugged on your wrist. You obliged, trembling fingers dropping from your neck as you shook in Steve’s arms.

He used the sleeve of his jacket to put pressure on the cut to attempt to get it to stop bleeding. You took several deep breaths, wiping the tears away from your face as you began to finally calm down. It helped that you knew that Eddie wouldn’t hurt you on purpose. In your mind, he wasn’t a threat in the slightest, just a boy that was scared and needed some comforting.

“Eddie, we just want to talk,” you heard Dustin’s voice ring out in the empty boathouse. Eddie looked like a mess as he sat in a heap on the floor, looking equal parts defeated and terrified. Dustin tried to take the knife away from him, but Eddie tightened his grip so Dustin relented.

“We just want to know what happened,” you breathed out, your voice still shaky as you continued to calm down.

“You won’t believe me,” Eddie sniffled. You moved out of Steve’s grasp despite his protests, putting a gentle hand on Eddie’s shoulder. He tensed up but soon relaxed into your touch.

“Try us,” you replied. Eddie wasn’t sure if it was the look on your face or the sincerity in your voice, but he decided in that moment that he could trust you guys.

He began by explaining that she was at his house so that he could sell to her, discussing how everything had been fine and normal…until it very much wasn’t.

“…her body just, like, lifted up into the air and, uh…and she just, like, hung there. And her bones…uh, she…her bones started to snap. Her eyes, man…it-it was like there was something inside her head pulling,” he whimpered with a faraway look in his eyes, “I…I-I didn’t know what to do, so I…I ran away…I-I left her there,” he scoffed, “you all think I’m crazy, right?”

“No, we don’t think you’re crazy,” Dustin began to assure him, but Eddie quickly cut him off.

“Don’t bullshit me, man! I know how this sounds!”

You moved in between Eddie and Dustin, pushing Dusting behind you protectively. “Hey, we’re not bullshitting you,” you started, your tone leaning on frustrated, “we believe you and we’re probably the only people who fucking will, so I would suggest you find a way to calm down and shut the fuck up because what I’m about to tell you might be difficult to take.”

“Okay,” Eddie finally said. No one was really expecting you to be that blunt about things, but it needed to be said.

“You know how people say Hawkins is…cursed?” You started, trying to find the right words. Eddie nodded. “They’re not…way off. There’s another world; a world hidden beneath Hawkins. Sometimes it bleeds into ours,” your hand subconsciously went to the cut on your neck, the bleeding having finally trickled to a stop.

“Like ghosts and shit?” Eddie asked hesitantly.

“There are some things worse than ghosts,” Max spoke up quietly, and you felt a chill creep up your spine as she said it.

“These monsters from this other world,” Dustin continued, “we thought that they were gone, but they’ve come back before and that’s why we needed to find you.”

“If they’re back again, we need to know,” you emphasized.

“That night, did you see anything?” Robin questioned. You all waited with bated breath for Eddie’s answer. You were afraid of what he might say and Steve stepped forward and grabbed your hand, sensing your anxiety.

“No, man, there was nothing you could see or, uh…touch,” Eddie responded, “you know, I tried to wake her man, but she couldn’t move. It was like she was…she was in a trance or something.”

“Or under a spell…Vecna’s curse,” Dustin whispered.

“Who’s Vecna?” Steve asked, pulling you into his chest. He needed something to hold onto.

“An undead creature of great power,” Dustin answered and you shuddered thinking about it. You had thought you got rid of whatever entity was calling the shots from the Upside Down, but maybe you were wrong.

Maybe everything that had happened before was merely the beginning.

***

You all had taken turns recounting the last two years worth of events to Eddie as he sat there in silence trying to take it all in. After everything that he had seen, he really had no choice but to believe you guys, glad that you were all on his side. You promised the boy that you would be back with supplies in the morning, swiftly piling back into Steve’s car.

“Hey, you know when we had that really sweet convertible and I had you drive it up that big ass hill so we could use my radio?” Dustin suddenly spoke up.

“Yeah?” Steve responded, not quite sure where the boy was going with this.

“Well, bad news is we’re gonna need to go use it again before we all go home because I have an idea, but good news is that it’s at my house now so that’s cool.”

Steve sighed and you all silently made your way to Dustin’s house. There wasn’t much to talk about. You tiptoed through his kitchen to avoid waking his mother as you all crept up to his bedroom. He started messing with all his radio equipment as you sat on his bed. While he was searching for the right frequency, Steve darted out of the bedroom and into the hall bathroom, opening the cabinet under the sink and rifling through it. He found what he was looking for and quietly slipped back into Dustin’s bedroom.

“Here,” he said as he sat down next to you. You looked at him confused until you saw that he had a first aid kit in his hands. He took out an alcohol wipe and started cleaning up the dried blood on your neck. You hissed when the wipe touched your cut, the alcohol burning as he disinfected it. He put some antibiotic ointment on a band aid and placed it gingerly over the cut. He noticed some of the hickies he had left on your neck the night before, quickly moving your hair to make them more inconspicuous. “There. All better.”

You couldn’t help but flush with how sweet Steve was being. Even if the world was undoubtedly ending, at least you knew that he was going to be there for you. You could tell that he was on edge, probably more so given how Eddie had reacted, and you just appreciated that he wasn’t overreacting…yet.

Suddenly, Dustin’s Cerebro came to life, and you heard the distinctive sound of police chatter over the radio as you were clued into what the Hawkins police department knew of Eddie’s involvement in Chrissy’s death. Unfortunately, though not released to the public yet, Eddie was prime suspect number one.

“Shit!” Dustin exclaimed. “Fuck!”

“Woah, woah, whoa, calm down Dustin. We’re gonna figure all of this out okay? Freaking out isn’t going to make any of this shit easier, so we might as well all stay calm,” your voice was remarkably even as you said it and it was starting to freak the rest of your friends out. Of everyone here, you should by all accounts be the most freaked out.

“Look, I don’t think that we should split up, given everything that’s going on,” Steve spoke. “My parents aren’t home, so how about everyone spends the night at my house? You can all call your parents and make arrangements when we get there.”

Everyone agreed with Steve, and you all made your way out to his car, Dustin leaving a note to let his mom know he would be gone before he left. “Y/n? Are you, like, okay?” Max asked hesitantly. Your mind flashed back to what it felt like to have a knife held up to your throat.

“I’m fine, Max. I promise,” you said, but it didn’t sound very convincing. You were honestly more worried about the kids. You thought about the fact that they were deprived a normal childhood, and you couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. You were the babysitter, you were supposed to be the one to make sure that they were okay and safe and happy.

Steve finally pulled into his driveway, leading everyone inside and showing them around. “You all can sleep wherever. There’s a guest bedroom upstairs or you could sleep in the family room. I don’t care,” he sighed, just ready to go to sleep. Everyone got comfortable, Max and Robin choosing to sleep on the couches and Dustin taking the guest bedroom. You and Steve went to his room and you collapsed onto his bed.

“This can’t be happening again,” you spoke up as exhaustion from the day’s events settled in your bones.

“Yeah, I can’t quite believe it either,” Steve said, flopping down on the bed next to you. “Y/n, you have to promise me something okay?”

“What?”

“That if this all gets to be too much again, we call it quits. We get the kids out, we get Robin out, we get the hell out.”

“Steve,” you looked at him, trying to read his expression, “I can’t make that promise.”

“Y/n, everything has been escalating. First it was just one demogorgon, then it was a fuck ton of demo-dogs, then it was Russians and a giant flesh monster…I don’t know how we can handle anything worse, I mean we barely handled everything last summer!” He exclaimed, shaking his head at you. You could tell he was getting more irate, anger seeping into his tone.

“Steve, we either do nothing and die when the whole fucking world ends, or we do something and maybe die trying, or better yet, we fix the fucking problem and never have to worry about it again,” you replied, sitting up, slightly irritated with his tone. He stood up, looking down at you with a furrowed brow as he continued.

“You’re not understanding, y/n. Look, someone died. Unexplainably, just up and died in the most gruesome fucking way. We don’t know anything about how it happened or why or if it will happen again, and I’ll be damned if it happens to one of us, okay. Just promise me.”

“Steve, I can’t, and you know I can’t.”

Steve scoffed, trying to find the right words. He felt anxiety creep up in his chest as he decided that now was as good a time as any to get really fucking real with you. “Y/n. I want a future with you. We can’t fucking have that if one of us is dead.”

“We can’t have a future if the world fucking ends either. I have a massive fucking headache and I just want to go to bed, okay?” You got up and began changing into pajamas, and you heard Steve sigh behind you. He remembered his pinky promise to you in the woods that you were in this together. If you couldn’t make a promise to him, the best he could do was uphold his.

“Fine. But I’m not gonna be able to live with myself if something happens to you,” he warned as he crawled into bed, scooting towards you to spoon you. It was odd how casually you two could have a conversation like this, about the end of the world and the possibility of losing each other at any given moment.

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” you replied, turning in his arms and placing a kiss to his chest. You willed the words to be true as you drifted off to sleep in his arms.

***

Dustin threw the door open to the boathouse and you rolled your eyes, knowing it would likely scare the shit out of Eddie. You seemed to be right as you heard him shout from across the room, finally making it into the shed to see him pressed up against the back wall, knife extended out in front of him.

“Delivery service,” Dustin smiled at his friend. You waved sheepishly at Eddie, hoping that he could find it in his heart to forgive you guys for nearly giving him a heart attack…twice.

You all moved to stand around the boat as Eddie sat down in it, tearing into a box of cereal and eating it as if he hadn’t had a meal in days…which to be fair he probably hadn’t.

“So we have some good news and some bad news. How do you prefer it?” Dustin cut to the chase.

“Bad news first, always,” Eddie spoke through a mouthful of food. Your nose scrunched up in disgust as you scanned the room, noticing similar expressions painted on Robin and Max’s faces.

“We tapped into the Hawkins PD dispatch with Dustin’s Cerebro, and they’re definitely looking for you,” you quickly spoke up as you gave the boy a sympathetic look.

“Also, they’re uh, pretty convinced you killed Chrissy,” Dustin chimed in.

“Like, 100% kind of convinced,” Max agreed. You rolled your eyes. So much for breaking the news softly.

“And the good news?”

“Your name hasn’t gone public yet. But if we found out about you, it’s only a matter of time before others do too, and once that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mother will be gunning for you,” Robin spoke up.

“Hunt the freak, right?” Eddie clarified, his eyes staring off, unfocused.

“Exactly,” Robin breathed out.

“So before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence,” Dustin outlined.

“That’s all, Dustin? That’s all?” Eddie fumed. Sure he loved the Henderson kid, but the boy got on his damn nerves like all the time, and this was one of those moments.

“Believe it or not, we’ve been through this kind of thing before…a few times actually,” you reassured Eddie, hoping that your words would calm his nerves but that was definitely a bit of a stretch.

“You’re telling me that you, Ms. 4.0, have been off fighting monsters while maintaining a perfect GPA?” Eddie asked in disbelief. “Bullshit.”

“I know, it’s pretty impressive,” Steve spoke up, throwing an arm around you, “we usually rely on this girl with super powers but, uh, those went bye-bye.”

“So we’re kind of in more of the brainstorming phase,” Robin spoke up and you all nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, you really have nothing to worry about,” Dustin reassured Eddie, but all of you knew that that was far from the truth. There was definitely a shit ton of stuff to worry about. Before Eddie could ask anymore questions, you all heard sirens wailing in the distance. He quickly covered up with the tarp as you all ran to the window, watching as several emergency vehicles passed right by Reefer Rick’s house.

A sinking feeling settled in your stomach as you concluded that there must be another body. You all raced to Steve’s car again, following the waling sound of sirens, afraid of what you’d find.

***

a/n: thanks for reading people of tumblr! If you wanted to reblog, I promise I wouldn’t be mad ;)

taglist:

@season4steve @sassyheroneckgiant @tangledinthegreatxscape @maeve-wileyy @palachannie @chaerfull @usaguisenpaisblog @emilieluckwood @sabrinadelreyy @mochminnie @xprloki @kitdjarin1 @kissmxcheek @daemonskitty @bethsvrse @aheadfullofsteverogers

#stranger things #steve harrington #joe keery #steve harrington fanfic #netflix #friends to lovers #steve harrington friends to lovers #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington stranger things #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fluff #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #steve harrington angst #steve harrington x you

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strangermerrick · 1 year

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hands to yourself, harrington! [steve h.]

🖤 A/N: Thank you so much for the love you showed my Billy fic! I hadn't realized how much fun I would have by posting my work, so thank you for giving me the outlet to do so! I hope you all enjoy this one as well! 😋

🖤 Warnings: suggestive language, Steve's tight ass, complete fluff!

🖤 Summary: “i’m putting a ring on it tomorrow,” he announces, throwing his hands in the air as he finishes off the garlic bread. “it’s so good.”

🖤 Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

the pasta sauce simmered on the stovetop and you were hurriedly trying to grab the garlic bread out of the oven without burning your fingers on the aluminum pan.

“ow, ow, ouch!” you yelp as you let go at the last second, listening to the pan crash against the stove. sucking in a quick breath, you wipe your hands on the floral-printed dish towel and rubbed your face.

today was friday. every friday, you and your boyfriend steve had date night. most nights, it consisted of you two going out to the movies and grabbing a bite to eat at one of the diners, maybe even sharing a milkshake which steve practically begged for the cherries from.

those were always fun because they normally ended with you two curled up in your bed together, gazing at one another like two hopeless teenagers in love who were against the world in every aspect.

and maybe that was true. maybe that’s how it was. whichever fairytale you made yourself believe, it didn’t take away from the fact that date nights with your steve were your favorite.

but tonight you insisted on something different, something more intimate. you wanted to cook your boyfriend a meal and spend the night in together. essentially, you wanted to skip the movie and diner, and combine it with dinner at home. you had plenty of vhs tapes to go through of movies you two had seen numerous times before with risky business being the top choice. steve loved to make you laugh when he stripped to his underwear and button down, put his sunglasses on, and danced to old time rock n roll as he slid over your floors, nearly crashing into something nearby.

“honey! i’m homeeeee!” steve’s sweet voice calls out. your front door swings open and your heart races in your chest.

you quickly grabbed the wooden spoon and stirred your red sauce as the pasta began to boil on the back burner.

“in the kitchen, stevie!” you call out.

moments later, you’re met with his familiar face. dark brown hair that was always flowing and pushed back framed his face, and black sunglasses hung on the inside of his white tee. pretty brown eyes danced through yours and across the stove to where the food was, his eyes illuminating when he saw bread.

“all this for me, baby?” steve laughs as he walks over and picks up a very hot piece of garlic bread. “ow! shit!” he hisses, shaking his fingers and bringing them to his lips where he sucked before replacing his reddening digit with the garlic bread. “oh, that’s the good stuff.”

swatting his shoulder, you roll your eyes. “that’s supposed to be for dinner.” you scold him.

“but i haven’t eaten anything. i was waiting all day for this.” he playfully argues, a hand wrapping around your waist. he kisses your neck after swallowing and takes another bite out of the bread. “bread tastes awesome,”

rolling your eyes again, you look over your shoulder at him. “well, since you’re munching early on the bread, do you mind tasting this?” you point your head down at the sauce.

“what kind of man would i be if i said no?” he chuckles, resting his hand on the edge of the counter and leaning back.

a soft smile finds your face as you dip the spoon into the pan and bring it to his lips. steve’s eyes sparkle in yours and he opens his mouth, keeping his gaze firmly held on your face. accepting the sauce into his mouth, you waited patiently for any sort of sign that it tasted good.

the way his eyes rolled into the back of his head confirmed your thoughts. a sigh of relief escapes you as steve wags his finger, asking for more.

“please?” he ensures to add. nodding your head, you spoon-feed him another bite and this time he moans. “damn,” he groans.

“that good?” you laugh.

“i’m putting a ring on it tomorrow,” he announces, throwing his hands in the air as he finishes off the garlic bread. “it’s so good.”

you laugh and feel him wrap his arms around you from behind, nuzzling his nose into the back of your neck. you can’t help but feel right at home when he holds your waist and lays gentle kisses over your soft skin. “if the date continues to go this well, i may have to try my hand next week with dinner at my place.”

you gasp, staring at him as you turn the stove off and prepare to drain your pasta.

“steve harrington cooks for me? am i dreaming?”

steve watches you break away from his hold and carry the piping hot of boiling water to the stove where you pour the pasta into the metal colander.

“think i can’t?” he tempts you as he sways back and forth to the ABBA song playing on your stereo. jonathan had very so kindly made a mixtape with just their music since he knew they were your favorite group. waterloo fills the kitchen and steve dances awkwardly in time, but enough to have you laughing.

“i never said that, sweetheart.” you shoot him a wink. “now move that tight little ass, i don’t want to burn you.” you shoo him away from the pot.

steve’s eyes widen. “so you do think my ass is tight?” he checks behind himself.

scoffing, you pour the angel hair pasta into the pot and begin to stir. “hand me the cheese from over there, babe?” you point to the bowl filled with parmesan. steve hands it to you kindly and steals another kiss from the corner of your mouth.

“my ass?” steve chuckles, attempting to steal another piece of bread, but this time you swat his hand.

“hands to yourself, harrington!” you wag your finger in his face. “fill up on bread and you won’t have room for dessert. and yes, your ass is tight. i mean you can’t help but stare when you wear those.” you point to the blue jeans clinging to his lower half.

steve trails his eyes below and stifles a laugh. but then he remembered. dessert.

“what’s on the dessert menu?” he asks, dropping his voice an octave. his flirtatious nature kicks itself into its highest gear as he leans seductively against the countertop.

“ice cream,” you don’t tear your eyes from him. “brownies are in the oven too.”

“oh.” steve exhales.

you couldn’t help but smile, biting your lip. “annnnnnnd me… only if you’re good.”

steve sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. “good? do you remember who you’re talking to, baby?” he slips his hands around your hips and pulls you forward, tearing you away from the almost finished dish.

gasping, a laugh cuts through the air as you focus on his lips. “i do,” you nod your head.

steve smirks and leans down, tucking his fingertips underneath your chin and tilting your head back so he can observe you. “you’re so pretty.” he says through a breathy sigh.

wrapping your arms securely around his waist, you lean up and kiss him tenderly. steve melts against your mouth the moment your lips touch, and your mind suddenly forgoes the thought of food. the only source of nutrition you needed was standing right here in front of you wearing those tight little skinnies with his perfect brown hair and his warm touch that would have you mesmerized for days.

“stevie,” you whine his nickname. you did want to finish this date. “d-dinner,” you gasp as his mouth falls to your neck. he quickly kisses over the sweet spot on your throat, his tongue darting out to wet the muscle of your neck as his teeth gently bite into the flesh, not too hard, but enough to feel you jump against him.

“but dessert sounded so good,” he whispers, however, he knows you spent a lot of time preparing this. so he willingly pulls back but not without pressing his tongue to yours for one more deep kiss that has your head spinning. “i’ll be good.” he promises, throwing his hands up as a means of waving his white flag of surrender.

smiling harder, you turn your eyes back to the pasta that was currently soaking up the sauce.

“grab us a drink from the fridge while i plate everything up?” you ask sweetly.

“of course, baby.” steve grins, shooting you a wink and walks to the fridge.

friday nights spent inside the house would soon become your favorite date nights with steve harrington.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x female!reader #steve harrington x female reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington imagine #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader

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tyrantisterror · 3 months

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My Personal History with My Good Friend, Satan

My first encounter with The Devil - that I can remember, at least - came when I was about three or so. My mom liked to borrow VHS tapes from libraries to show me and my siblings a lot, and one of the libraries she used was the one at our church. It was a small and obviously very religion-centric collection, but it left a notable mark on me - like, that's where I saw this weird, kinda shitty cartoon version of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe which might be responsible for irreconcilably fucking up my taste in women? I just have this distinct memory of watching the scene where Edmund is tempted by the White Witch and thinking, "Yeah, he's making the right call." If anything I was frustrated that he hesitated - three year old me was already simping for this woman. Just imagine a child channeling Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters and growling, "When a terrifying and beautiful woman offers you candy and a private sleigh ride, you say YES!" and that's basically me as a kid.

Where was I? Right, Satan. So, the other video from that library I remember was this cartoon retelling of Bible stories, and really I just remember the Adam and Eve part. The temptation scene had this huge, super gnarly-looking demonic red snake in it, and he was so cool and badass and I was already predisposed to like snakes anyway, so of course he was my instant favorite. But, like almost all media featuring reptiles that captured my little child heart, he turned out to be the bad guy - literally The Devil, in this case - and was punished at the end of the story. And that pissed me off.

Sometime shortly thereafter - or at least that's how I remember it, this was over thirty years ago so things might be smushed closer together than they really were by the fog of ages - some of the kids in my preschool chastised me for liking snakes. "Don't you know the devil is a snake? Snakes are evil!" I remembered the movie, and it made me angry.

Because snakes aren't evil, and as a kid I knew that because my parents taught me it. Snakes were just animals, they don't know right from wrong, and to call them evil it to judge them for what they are, not what they do. That experience taught me a very important lesson: The Devil is a tool to make people hate the innocent. And as I'd later learn, snakes were far from the only innocents people would vilify because of a demonic association.

The second time I met the devil came a few years later, when I was six or seven or so. My Grampa and Grams liked to take us up North to Mackinac City and the Upper Peninsula each summer, and I have a lot of fond memories of those trips, but there was one in particular that's relevant to this discussion. We saw a sign for a "laser light show" in the shopping district, and I got to stay up late to see it with my family. The show in question was basically a cartoon projected into the night sky adapting the song The Devil Went Down to Georgia. It was super primitive and hokey and cornball and terrible and I loved every second of it. I was enchanted, absolutely delighted with the spectacle and the silly song where the devil was less a force of evil and more a comically bumbling inept supervillain - one of my favorite archetypes, even back then. So that's the second lesson about the devil I learned: The Devil can be fun sometimes.

Now, Godzilla, one of the few reptile characters I encountered as a kid who didn't end up a villain (at least not in the first movie of his I saw, Godzilla vs. Megalon), had already set me on the path to loving monsters of all stripes and, by extension, horror fiction in general, so as I grew up I had many more encounters with the devil. But while I warmed up quickly to most monster archetypes, like vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc., I always felt dismissive of demons. It kind of coincided with me becoming disillusioned with Christianity as a whole, in fact. A story about fighting evil, Christian-style demons is ultimately an allegory for fighting evil as defined by Christianity, and Christianity's definition of what evil is, well, sucks. It's bad! They got some things right, but some things horribly wrong. The devil is the tool Christianity uses to make you hate the innocent, and I struggled to enjoy a lot of demon stories because of that. Still do with some, in fact.

There were exceptions, of course - I loved The Evil Dead series as soon as I saw it at too-early-of-an-age, but then, the demons in it aren't super Christian. They aren't repelled by holy water or crucifixes or prayer, and in fact God and Jesus barely get mentioned in the series and never come up as a potential solution. They're kind of secular as demons go, and maybe that made them easier to stomach. But overall, demons ranked pretty low in the hierarchy of monsters to me - they were too tainted by the religion that spawned them for me to enjoy.

Until college, anyway. I quietly renounced my faith during my Freshmen year, and then, as if seeking one last chance at redemption in my eyes, the devil came to me again the following year. That's when I had a class on Medieval literature, and was exposed to far older devil stories than I had ever seen before. And Medieval devils kick ass. They have so much more personality and variety than I had come to expect, and some are downright affable, even sympathetic to a degree. It was one of many moments in college when I realized there was much more to a topic I'd previously written off as boring and trite.

This is when I read Dante's The Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost and Marlowe's Faust and Ben Johnson's The Devil Is An Ass. It's when I read early Gothic Horror novels like Matthew Gregory Lewis's The Monk, and dived into The Twilight Zone, which has more than a few episodes that are updates of medieval-style devil folktales in a more modern (i.e. 1960's) setting. And so many of these works presented the Devil not as a stand-in for everything Christianity hates, but as a person - a deeply flawed person, yes, but a person with actual wants and feelings and thoughts of his own, a person who was interesting and compelling - and sometimes funny, and sometimes charming, and sometimes really sad. There was, dare I say... sympathy for the devil growing in my heart.

In the last year of my undergraduate studies, I attended my college's yearly Medieval Studies Congress, where people from all over the world came to Kalamazoo just to share their research papers on medieval history and literature. One girl's thesis paper was on the subject of "rueful devils," i.e. depictions of demons in literature where they wanted to repent their sins and redeem themselves, which uniformly ended with the devils' hopes being dashed as they could not fully repent. This idea... possessed me. The idea that the devil could repent, or at least try to - that there could be hope even in the most debauched sinner. It was such a good narrative trope in my eyes - why did it die out centuries ago?

Well, because the church didn't like it, you see. If the devil can repent - if the Absolute King of Evil can choose to become a good person - then he's not very useful as a tool to make people hate the innocent anymore. The devil MUST be "pure evil" to work as intended. A rueful devil, a repentant devil, a devil that can be redeemed, forces us to be more forgiving and kind. It forces us to be better. It prevents us from hating people because an old book says so. And some people just couldn't have that, and so the trope died.

...

After I got my bachelor's degree, I entered the job market and, after applying to fifty different places or so, was finally hired as a high school english teacher about two weeks before the school year started. Said school year was the worst year of my life. Like, I've had extreme self loathing issues and suicidal ideation since, like, sixth grade, but holy shit it was NEVER as bad as it was in that nine month stretch between 2012 and 2013. There was this bridge I had to cross on the way to work each morning, and about two months in the job was so stressful that part of my morning routine was thinking, "You know, if I just swerve to the right, this can all be over and I'll never have to worry again." About halfway in I began drastically losing weight despite not changing my diet or getting more exercise and it was so traumatic that to this day whenever my weight starts to drop my initial reaction is dread rather than excitement. I impulse bought the first two Kung-Fu Panda movies and, after watching each for the first time and crying hideously, proceeded to watch them on repeat for an entire weekend while sobbing myself hoarse for reasons I couldn't comprehend at the time.

I was in Hell. And the devil met me there.

I started writing a story during that year. I didn't get very far, just a couple chapters, but it was one of the few things that gave me a sense of accomplishment. Despite all the stress and sadness and misery, I made something. It was a story about demons, and Hell, and trying to make your life better even when the world around you seems deadset on making you suffer as much as possible.

When my bosses called me into their office at the end of that year and told me that I had to quit my job so the assistant principal could take my teaching position and survive the downsizing they'd get next year, and that if I didn't quit they'd give me the lowest teacher evaluation they could and make it supremely difficult for me to get hired elsewhere... I was relieved. I'd been let out of Hell. After a handful of months left to finish out the year, I was free.

And then I went home, with nothing. No job, no desire to pursue the career for which I'd spent five years and an ungodly amount of money getting a degree to pursue, no nest egg, nothing. Nothing except a few chapters of a book.

The years that followed were hard. I did a lot of temp work, it took me a very long time to find something that worked for me. I may have left the worst year of my life, but there was still a lot of misery waiting for me. And through it all, I felt the need to accomplish... something, ANYTHING. I had to make something to prove I had a reason to exist, even if it was something that only had value to me.

With three years of work, those chapters became my first novel, No Sympathies: A Tale of Those Who Trespass Against Us. It was about the devil, and Hell, and finding salvation even when things seem inescapably bleak. It was my first novel, and now, eight years later, it's the first of five.

The devil saved my life. He saw me at my lowest, lifted me up, whispered, "It'll be ok. You have to keep going. I'll be with you, but you have to keep going," and goddammit, he kept me from swerving right.

That's when I learned the greatest truth about the devil, at least to me. The devil is a tool to make people hate the innocent, yes, this is true, but because of that, the devil can be a savior for the broken, the beaten, and the damned. You can feel like you're worthless, wretched, and doomed. But if the devil can rise from Hell, if the devil can choose to change, if people are willing to pray for the one sinner who needs it most - then there's hope for you too, isn't there?

Demons are creatures of rebellion - against God, against nature, against the powers that be, against doom and damnation itself. They were made to be a tool to hurt the innocent, but that's not what they have to be. Devils can lift us up, because no matter how far you fall, no one can say whether it's the end for you except you.

...I would like to point out that I am being figurative here. The devil does not literally exist, at least not in my view of things. He's a fictional character, nothing more. But he's a prolific fictional character, and how we portray him can say so much about us. And, to me, he is a dear friend, despite being imaginary, because the devil was there for me when I was low, and it was on his wings that I rose from doom.

...again, figuratively, not literally.

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pleasantangelpaper · 5 months

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Video Killed The Radio Star (Stu Macher x Reader)

WOOOO I love the scream boys, I really do. So, here is the first part of my Stu Macher x reader!!! Let me know below if you want to be on the tag list for any future parts!

Pairing: Stu Macher x Female! Reader

Warnings: Mentions of a bad relationship with a sibling, slight allusions to sex, but not really

Word Count: 1.3k

The video store: a world of fun and amusement, a place where horror junkies get their fix and young lovers find some background noise. It is also my personal hell. Ever since I got this job at Blockbuster video, I have experienced nothing but boring work shifts. The whole gig is so routine. Checking out horror movies, rom-coms, and pornos all day gets to be a blur, and there’s only so many times that you can try to mop the stickiness off of the floor before you start to lose your mind. The store I work at is a quaint one. It’s small in size, but it has a rather large number of customers. Most of the customers are regulars, the ones who show up every Friday afternoon to get their fix for the week, but sometimes I meet a straggler who got bored enough to finally use their vhs. Today was not one of those days.

As I stocked the romance shelf with the newest chick-flicks and romantic comedies, I heard a strange sound, like a movie had fallen off of one of the shelves. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity as I looked around. No one seemed to be in the store. It was 9:30 PM on a Wednesday. Only thirty minutes until closing, and someone was in the store? A thought popped into my head, “Randy… I know you’re here… come out, what are you doing?” I questioned the open room with a tone of annoyance. Randy Meeks was my co-worker, and I guess he could be a friend. He was funny, but sometimes he just was downright weird. Not a word of response was sent back my way. “Randy, really, it’s not funny,”. Suddenly I felt arms grab my face and cover my eyes. “It’s not Randy,” a familiar voice sang. “STU!” I yelled the man’s name angrily, “You can’t sneak up on people like that, it's terrifying!”. He lowered his arms in defense, “Hey, it was just a joke, it’s not like I’m gonna hurt you or something,” he stated. I let out a sigh, “What do you need, Stu, I gotta get home, we have school tomorrow,”. “Ah-ah, the store doesn’t close for another thirty minutes,” the man tutted. I groaned, Stu is a great friend, but he can be annoying when he wants to. “Of course you would know that,”. I began to look back at the shelf I was stocking, unloading the last of the box of new rentals onto the cold metal, and making sure they were in alphabetical order, though I knew that wouldn’t last long. I knew exactly where Stu would be headed, as it was the same row that almost every teen in Woodsboro frequented: the horror section.

“Do you have Halloween: the Curse of Michael Myers yet?” Stu questioned, flipping through the titles meticulously. The man scanned each movie with a sense of precision. There was always something he was looking for. I didn’t know exactly what his favorite horror genre was, because it seemed to me that he liked them all, and yet, he still scanned every movie’s cover as if he were picking a job to apply to. “Actually, Stu, we may or may not have just gotten our first copy, and I may or may not have rented it out already…” I started with a sense of anxiety, fearing that Stu would be upset by the fact that I had already rented the movie. I don’t know why I felt that I had to forfeit my rental, but something about Stu always made me give in. “But, you can gladly have it, uh just, uh, let me check it back in, so that you can check it out,” I started hastily walking to my bag, but not before my arm was caught by Stu. “You don’t have to do that,” his voice sounded concerned as he pulled me back by my arm. “We could just watch it together,” he said. I blushed in embarrassment as the man still had my arm in a strong grip, and because I could watch a movie with Stu Macher… alone. I’ve never been one to succumb to crushes, but… okay yeah… that’s a lie… I’m like totally infatuated with Stu Macher, but can you blame me. We’ve been friends since elementary school. Billy Loomis, Stu, and I have always been a tight-knit group. Of course, we’ve strayed apart a bit now that I have friends that are girls, but we’re still relatively close, and something about him just always pulls me in, and the cologne he wears is just divine, and his eyes, oh his- “Y/N, Y/N… you alive in there,” “ OH Uh sorry I zoned out for a bit there,” I internally screamed as my cheeks turned blood red. “So what do you say?” the taller asked as he looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. “Oh uh yeah! Of course! We could watch it tomorrow if you’d like, whose house?” I internally begged him to say he could watch it tomorrow. We hadn’t watched a movie alone together… ever. We usually always end up hanging out with Billy, and occasionally, the rest of the gang, but this could be different. “How about I pick you up and we swing by the store to get some snacks, and then we watch it at mine. My parents are gone, so we can take over the living room,” he smirked a little which made me blush a bit more. I brushed any thoughts of romance out of my head, he’s just saying that we don’t have to worry about noise…right…? I nodded my head, “Okay, Stu,” I said with a smile. “You wanna ride home, babe?” Stu asked genuinely. Even though he called almost everyone babe, my heart still did a flutter. “Well if you’re offering…” I trailed off. “Let me close everything up and get my stuff,” I yelled as I was already halfway across the store from him as I went to close down the register.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder as I braced myself to experience the chilly Autumn air. Stu opened the door for me as we walked to his car. His car was nice, but rather banged up. He’s quite the chaotic driver. I fastened my seatbelt and sat back staring through the windshield at the town streets as Stu drove. We made light conversation and talked about everything and anything. We brought up stories of past movie nights, and joked about the stupid things we’ve done at parties. As we finally pulled up to my house, I noticed a car parked in the driveway. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. “What’s wrong?” Stu faced me now, his previous happy look changing to one of concern. “My sister’s home,” I stated simply. Stu knew all about my sister and everything she had done to me. He instantly put the car back in drive and started to drive away from my house. “Stu, what the fuck are you doing?” I asked, confused. “You’re not going back there with her, I won’t let you,” he said with a grave face. I huffed and sit back in my seat, “So you’re just going to kidnap me instead,” I half-giggled. “Yep, you’re staying at mine, and you’ve got no way out of this,” he proudly exclaimed. “Oh yeah? What if I tuck and roll?”. Stu took that as a personal challenge as he began driving faster, his tires making a loud screeching sound. “STU STU STOP DOING THAT!” I screamed as the man laughed proudly at the fear he made me exhibit. “It’s just a joke babe, chill out,” He giggled. We continued driving until we finally reached the Macher residence.

#stu macher #stu macher fluff #stu macher smut #stu macher x reader #ghostface x reader #scream x reader #scream 1996 #scream boys #billy loomis #randy meeks #deputy dewey #sidney prescott #scream franchise #gale weathers #scream movies #scream fanfiction

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ddejavvu · 1 year

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okay but mei can we talk about fairy!reader and Steve?? she likes to fall asleep in his hair 😭 and she’s so fascinated by video tapes and these movies he keeps showing her??

"That one," You decide, nestled snugly in between strands of Steve's thick hair. You lean down, pointing your tiny finger at the cover of E.T, "He's different like me."

"He's not a fairy, though." Steve warns you, leaning forwards to slide the VHS into its player. You have to grip his hair for stability, and in doing so, you burrow further into the mass of brown strands.

"Does he make it to the end?" You ask fearfully, clutching Steve's hair once more as he leans back into the cushions of the couch.

"I'm not spoiling it!" Steve laughs incredulously, grabbing a handful of popcorn and holding one kernel up to you, "Be careful, okay? If you get crumbs in my hair I won't let you sit there next time."

You don't respond, or take the popcorn. Steve hears what he dreads being a miniscule sniffle, dropping the popcorn back into the bowl he'd prepared and reaching for you instead.

"Come here," He mumbles, plucking you out from where you're burrowed in his hair. He holds you at face-level, seeing tiny, shimmering tears gathered in your pretty eyes.

"What?" He gushes, and he resents the fact that he's not your size, that if he tried wiping your tears away, he'd probably poke your eye out.

"You won't tell me if the alien dies," You wail, "So he pro'lly does, and I don't wanna watch it!"

"Sweetheart," Steve croons, half sympathetic and half amused, "I can't just spoil movies for you like that! Half the fun is not knowing what happens."

You stare at him blankly, sniffling once more.

"Fine," Steve sighs, groaning as he rubs a hand at his temple, "The alien does die. But he comes back to life. He's alive in the end."

"But he dies," You whimper, "Is it sad?"

"Yeah, it's sad." Steve shrugs, "But I'll make you a deal. If you get sad, you can come down from my hair and sit on my shoulder instead. That way you won't be alone up there."

"Okay," You nod, wobbly as you lift yourself back onto your knees to flutter your wings. You settle back in Steve's hair, watching intently as the movie starts.

Steve's halfway through his first mouthful of popcorn when your tiny hand extends out from atop his head and taps against his forehead.

"Popcorn!" You demand, and Steve passes up a kernel while stifling a laugh. He instantly feels a crumb of the hot snack drop to his scalp, but then he feels your elbows there too, and he realizes you're sprawled out on your stomach over his head. He'll worry about the popcorn in his hair later, he supposes, as long as you're having a good time.

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devskindawritingblog · 4 months

Text

Wrapped In Love

Van plamer x reader

AN: thank you so much @schrodingerspsycho my tumblr wife 😘. For requesting this idea. I loved writing this so much. It was sent to my main account so I just screenshotted it.Also vans text is in orange. And I feel like I’m a broken record but if anyone wants to request me a Christmas thing for taissa, Misty or Shauna I still need to write them😘. Thank you 🙏

It was you and Van’s first Christmas as a couple. You have been having so much fun together, having snowball fights, and decorating cookies. But the thing you both have been most excited for is your gift exchange. You spent a long time trying to find the perfect gift for Van. You decided to get her a few of her favourite Christmas movies on VHS so she could watch them whenever she wanted. You know how much of a movie buff she is, so you knew she would love it.

The day finally came:Christmas. You and Van got all dressed up in cheesy Christmas sweaters and made some hot chocolate. A classic Christmas movie plays in the background as you both grab your gifts. You give Van her gift first, and just like you suspected, she loved it. She thanks you and gives you a kiss.

Van passes over your gift, and she smiles shyly, already blushing. You raise your eyebrow at her, confused as to why your usually humorous girlfriend is all shy and blushing. You take the gift unwrapping and it's a nice sweater in your favourite colour. You smile, picking it up and fully unwrapping it to read the wording on the front. You realize it's a Van’s sweater. You look over at Van, and she is somehow more red than before. She’s trying to gauge your reaction. She thought it was so funny when she bought it, but now she is worried you don’t like it.

You giggle to yourself when you realize the joke. “You get it? It's like my name.” Van says, her face flushing pink as she shyly explains her gag gift to you. She was way more nervous than you thought she would be. “Van, that is the cutest thing I've ever got. Im yours, I get it, silly.” You smirk at her embarrassment. You scoot closer to her, pulling her into your arms and peppering her face with kisses. She giggles but doesn't try to make you stop.

“You're the cutest, and I am for sure wearing this to the party.” You say, planting one last kiss this time on her lips. She wraps her arms around you, deepening the kiss.

The two of you show up to the annual Yellowjackets Christmas party at Jackie's house. You kept your word, and you put on Van’s cute little gift. Now that Van knows you love the gift, she is just enjoying the fact that you wanted to wear it. You both are sitting on the couch together , her arms wrapped around you smugly.

Nat walks over and sits down next to you two, making conversation. She notices your sweater and comments on it. Van smirks and smugly laughs as she explains her amazing gag gift idea to Nat. She sounds so excited to tell Nat about it and Nat laughs a little, also liking the joke. She spends the rest of the night dragging you around to all your teammates and giggling to herself as she re-explains the joke over and over again.

You finish off the night back on the couch, cuddled up together. “I'm glad the gift that you bought for me made you so happy.” You smile, poking her cheek. “Well, now everyone knows you're my partner.” Van says, giving you a little kiss. “Hey, do you think they have a clothing brand that's my name?” You say looking up at Van from your position. “Hmmmm, I don't know; maybe you could make your own.” She says with a smile as she pulls you closer to her.

#yellowjackets x reader #christmas headcannons #yellowjackets christmas #van palmer x reader #Van Palmer

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flanaganfilm · 11 months

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Hi Mike! I created an account just to ask you questions. I’m a huge fan, and I’m a dollar baby filmmaker, I got to adapt King’s story Cain Rose Up. So many questions I’d love to ask you about the adaptation process because from what I’ve learned it’s a tough one. But I’ll just ask this.

Have you seen any dollar baby films? And what do you think of the dollar baby program itself?

I have another question… I noticed after Gerald’s Game your work started to have a different look to it. Cinematography wise. Your work previously was always in 2.35:1 with black bars on top and bottom. Haunting of Hill House all the way to The Midnight Club has been full frame. Was this something Michael Fimognari did or was this your input?

Best of luck with your movie! I'm very familiar with the Dollar Baby program, it's a great thing, and I hope you have a great time. As far as aspect ratio, this isn't quite correct. Michael and I make that decision together project to project for any number of reasons. Oculus, Before I Wake and Hush were 2:35:1 to take advantage of the theatrical experience, but Ouija: Origin of Evil was shot anamorphic and then cropped to 1:85. This was a decision unique to that movie because we wanted to emulate the horror films of our youth. We wanted anamorphic optical quality, but a more contained aspect ratio. We had experienced a lot of horror movies on VHS when we grew up, and a lot of those were shot scope and then crammed onto VHS through a hideous process called "Pan & Scan". It created this strange dissonance where we'd see anamorphic optics in a frame that filled our television sets, so we did a variation on that. Ouija: OOE is probably the only project I'd ever consider handling that way, and it was really fun to do.

Gerald's Game is back to 2:35 again because we preferred the look when we considered Jessie's blocking in the movie (sitting up with her arms fully outstretched). It helped her fill the frame while feeling the claustrophobia of the movie. Hill House was not full frame - in fact, it was 2:00:1 and still had subtle letterboxing. We wanted to go scope but Netflix had an internal policy that wouldn't allow original programming to have an aspect ratio wider than 2:00:1, because they were scared of subscribers watching it on their devices and kicking back on any black bars (this was a very stupid decision on the behalf of Netflix, and they've since backtracked on this). That locked us in to 2:00:1 for Hill House, Bly and Midnight Mass, but that was all about Netflix's policies. I would have shot Midnight Mass scope if they'd allowed us to. With Doctor Sleep, we opted to shoot 1:85 because that's what The Shining was, and strange as it sounds, we wanted them to work together as a double feature. Midnight Club actually employs a lot of different aspect ratios. By this time, Netflix had done away with their dumb aspect ratio rule, and we were free. So we opted to shoot 1:85 for the "A Story" of Midnight Club, so the world felt more ordinary and real, and so younger viewers would have their devices' screens filled. But for the "B stories" that the club members tell each other, we use a ton of different ratios. 2:35, 2:00, even 4:3. For The Fall of the House of Usher, we went back to 2:35. It has a very gothic theatrical feeling throughout. So there you have it - every project is different and we have a thoughtful conversation about what the right aspect ratio will be. There's really no overarching rule at all, now that Netflix's policy has changed. FWIW, Hill House wanted very much to be 2:35. They were wrong to jam us on that.

#aspect ratio #filmmaking

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walkawaytall · 7 months

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I think this is my hyperfixation for the day:

How that terrible added scene with Jabba from the 1997 special release of A New Hope ever-so-slightly detracts from your viewing experience of the original Star Wars Trilogy

Okay, so I admittedly first saw A New Hope in 1997 in theaters, so my first experience with the series involved the Horrifyingly Bad Jabba Scene (HBJS), but my parents had told me there was a new scene with computer graphics added, so even at nine years old, I was able to clock the addition from a mile away. And the VHS boxset my grandfather gave us later that year was from 1995, so I believe it was the original theatrical release version. Either way, it didn’t have the Jabba scene, so I basically saw the Jabba scene one time in theaters and then didn’t see it again for like twenty years, so I feel more like someone who saw the original theatrical releases kind of the whole time if that makes any kind of sense.

Aside from the HBJS adding nothing to A New Hope storywise and being visually repugnant, I have come to firmly believe that it also kind of ruins this small, subconscious part of the viewing experience when watching the original trilogy. Think about it: for two entire movies, your favorite smuggler is low-key worried about the fact that some thug named Jabba the Hutt wants him dead. You have no idea what this guy’s deal is, but you know Han Solo has 99 problems and probably at least 48 of them are related to Jabba. It’s not a major mystery. Like, I don’t think anyone was sitting on the edge of their seat to find out who Jabba was, but he is kind of a shadowy figure. His name is mentioned like once or twice in A New Hope and once in The Empire Strikes Back, but the effect of his looming presence is massive for our non-Luke main characters.

And then the introduction to him in Return of the Jedi involves kind of a mysterious build-up. The droids take for-freaking-ever to get to the palace, and as soon as the palace doors open, you are greeted with visual after visual that is viscerally repulsive but none of it is Jabba. You still don’t know what this Jabba’s deal is, but you know everything in his palace sort of looks like it’s covered in a light layer of snot, so you know you’re about to see someone or something pretty heinous. And then you finally see him, and he’s just as gross as all the build-up has led you believe, but there’s also a sort of, “Wait, this is the guy who’s been causing so much trouble for four years?!” It’s like…a little surprising to see him in person after so long just hearing about him.

It’s not anything crazy, but it is a very satisfying realization of, “Ohhhh, this is the guy we’ve been hearing about this whole time!”

And all of that subconscious suspension and possible surprise gets a little ruined when you’re slapped in the face with literally any version of this:

Does it ruin the movie? No. But I really like little surprising moments in media and I do feel like waiting until ROTJ to reveal Jabba is just a lot more fun than whatever the added scene contributes, and I do feel like its existence actively takes away a little bit of that fun.

#star wars #star wars meta #jabba the hutt #han solo #a new hope #the empire strikes back #return of the jedi #jabba's palace #jabba

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hcrringtonsbat · 2 years

Text

BEING ROBIN’S BEST FRIEND AND HAVING A CRUSH ON STEVE HC

↳ a/n: absolutely no one requested this but the idea came into my mind so i had to indulge my own urges i’m so sorry pls forgive me. also pls pls pls send requests for eddie or steve ily <3

Steve Harrington x Gender Neutral!Reader

word count: 2.5k (lowkey went off with this okay look at me go)

you and robin have known each other since your sophomore year of high school. the both of you played brass instruments in marching band and were extreme nerds so, it made sense that the two of you hit it off

it wasn't surprising that you stayed friends throughout your remaining years of high school. you were able to bond over a multitude of things: your similar music taste, basically living at each others houses, sharing secrets... you were as close as siblings

cut to after graduation: you and robin's friendship is still going as strong as ever. the both of you attend Hawkins Tech, taking a few classes. nothing too rigorous

as you adjusted to life after high school, you and robin only saw each other in your shared classes, often occupied with your jobs: robin working at family video while you worked at a local boutique in town

one day, you were craving that ✨buckley charm✨

you missed her annoying voice, her constant need to ramble about meaningless things, but most of all, you just missed being with your best friend. not having her around was slowly killing you

so, you hopped in your car and decided to pay her a visit at family video

it was a random ass monday evening when you went in. you had class that morning with robin and she briefly mentioned working today so, you knew she was there

when you first entered, there was not a single person in sight. there were a stack of unlabeled VHS tape sitting on the front counter and teen wolf was playing on the television

suddenly, from behind the counter you heard a voice, "shit, shit, shit. robin!!! i thought you labeled these last week. keith is gonna have my head when he- "

you watched as a man popped up from below the desk. a stack of unlabeled VHS taped were in his arms. he had brown eyes, moles littered both sides of his face, and his hair looked amazing

you instantly recognized him. it was steve ‘the hair’ harrington. you went to high school together, even shared a few classes

he stopped immediately when he saw you standing in the doorway. you approached the counter and began to speak, "hi. i'm looking for robin buckley. is she here? "

you didn’t even bother mentioning the fact that you knew him. you had a strong feeling that he didn’t even remember you, considering the fact that you only briefly crossed paths in your entire high school careers

“oh— uhm. sorry about the mess” he apologized, pushing the tapes to the side. “yeah, she’s here.”

as if on cue, robin emerged out of thin air. “y/n?” she questioned, “something tells me you aren’t here for a movie.” she smiled

“uhm, no. no i’m not. i just wanted to come and see you. i thought that i could wait until your shift ends and we could go back to my place?”

knowing that steve was there, watching the interaction made you nervous. he probably thought you were some middle schooler that couldn’t stand being apart from their best friends for more than 20 minutes

as you waited for robin to answer, you observed steve. he was clearly listening to your conversation but, he tried to look busy: typing on the computer, but he was continuously pressing the same key… over and over

you tried hard not to chuckle when robin responded, “awe, you miss me?” she smirked before continuing, “yeah, i’d love that. i get off in about an hour if you wanna stick around. or you can leave and come back?”

you decided to stay. it would be fun watching as robin worked: putting on a polite voice for customers, stocking shelves, tending to the cash register, that sort of thing ↳ harrington also being there had no influence to your decision. at least that’s what you told yourself

it was a slow day so, there were barely any customers. robin tended to the back of the store: logging the new VHS tapes, while steve manned down the front: tending to any customers and sorting through the movies that had been turned in

when steve saw you standing around, trying to find something to occupy your time, he spoke, "uhm, you can help me-- if you want.”

the boy startled you. it was dead silent in the store, other than the sounds of characters talking on the television. he clearly noticed this and apologized. you chuckled, told him it was okay and continued, “sure. i’ve got nothing better to do.” you smiled

you came to the back of the counter and steve slid a stack of movies in your direction. he briefly explained how to execute the task: check the condition of the tape, and make sure everything was good. then, you’d pass it to him where he’d rewind it before placing it in the “return to shelf” box

the two of you made a well oiled machine. it was actually quite fun. at first, you felt somewhat awkward. it was embarrassing knowing that you spent four years at the same high school, sharing classes, presenting projects together and he didn’t even recognize your face

it wasn't until you began to tease him when the mood changed. “so... do i get paid for doing this?” you questioned, clearly joking.

“what?” steve asked, turning his head to face you. you were having such trouble looking into his brown eyes but, you didn’t falter

“i mean, i’m doing all this work. shouldn’t i be getting paid too?” you smirked, handing him another movie.

“most definitely. you’re actually in the running for employee of the month so, keep it up.” he smiled.

you were happy to know that he wasn’t just a pretty face. he had a sense of humor too

shortly afterwards, robin emerged from the back room, coat in hand, “ready to go?” she asked, looking at you

you nodded and handed steve the final VHS tape, “look. we finished just in time.” he commented

“thank the lord. i was starting to get tired. this work is rigorous!” you exclaimed, walking around the counter to meet robin

the brunette watched the interaction between her two best friends, raising her eyebrows knowingly

“see ya tomorrow, dingus.” she exited the store, sending steve a courteous wave

“it was nice to see you, steve.”

with that, you and robin were on your way back to your parents place

the entire car ride, robin was dying to say something. you like steve. you have a crush on steve. i cant believe it, y/n, you like steve ‘the hair’ harrington

it was at the tip of her tongue, itching to be said. eventually, her intrusive thoughts won, “YOU LIKE STEVE?!” she screamed

you nearly swerved into oncoming traffic, scared shitless by her sudden need to belt at the top of her lungs

“what the fuck, robin! you shared the shit out of me.” you scolded, taking deep breaths to calm yourself down

“you never answered my question, y/n.” she prodded

“question? you fucking screamed an accusation at me, robin. i don’t think that warrants a reply.” you chuckled, still a little on edge

“please, y/n/n. i saw the way you were looking at him, flirting with him. ‘oh steve! i’m having such a good time sorting these movies with you. i’d love to stay forever!’” she mimicked, changing the pitch of her voice

“would it be so bad if i did like him? it’s not like we’re in high school anymore.”

“i never said that, y/n. it's fine! you totally have my blessing. although it will be weird to see my two best friends making out all the time. but, you’re nice people. you go together.” she stopped before continuing

“although, i refuse to hang out with it just being the three of us. it’s so awkward! you two will be sitting there, wanting to eat each others faces off but i’ll be sitting right there, looking at you. and i’ll be sitting there, knowing that you want to eat each others faces off and that i’m the only thing stopping you from doing it, and i’ll spend the rest of the time wishing that this would just be over. but it won't be. it’ll just keep going on... and on..... and on.”

as you pulled into your driveway, you smiled. your usual dynamic had gone back to normal. if robin was rambling, you knew everything was going to be okay

fast forward a week. you and robin have a test coming up in your communications class. due to the short staff at family video, she wasn’t able to get off early enough to come by your house to study. so, robin invited you to her job, hoping she’d have some spare time to look over material there

so, here you are, on another slow monday evening, walking into family video. you had textbooks, highlighters, #2 pencils. basically everything you needed to ace this test

similarly to last week, when you entered, there was steve harrington standing behind the counter, lazily replacing a broken sleeve on a VHS tape when he noticed you

“oh hey!” he greeted, looking surprised to see you, “if it isn't the employee of the month.”

“what can i say? i missed this place.”

you approached the counter and set down the textbooks and all of the other junk in your hands. once you got yourself situated, you asked steve, “so, where is the dingus?”

“oh, robin? she’s in the back.” he replied

you could’ve sworn your years of friendship gave you some telepathic connection because robin appeared out of nowhere

“hey y/n,” she began, “you didn't get my message?”

“message?”

“i called your house about,” she peered down to the non-exsistant watch on her wrist, “20 minutes ago. i’m getting off early, so i was gonna see if you wanted to come over to my place to study. plus, we’re just so busy!”

“busy? there’s not a soul in here.” you chuckled, looking to steve for help but the man had checked out. he was playing with a tape dispenser on the counter, trying hard to pretend like he wasn't listening to every word you and robin were saying

“well, I'm sure steve could use some help manning the front. right steve?” robin asked

he immediately stopped what he was doing and peered back and forth between the two of you. he sent robin a wide-eyed stare before saying, “sure. i could use some help out here.”

“perfect! well, i’m gonna be in the back, doing my thing. you two have fun!” she said. she began to walk away but not before she mouthed ask him out!

similarly to last week, you and steve continued your pass and check method of working, barely saying anything to each other. you felt embarrassed. not only did robin decide to meddle in your love life, you couldn’t help but notice the look steve gave robin when she mentioned you helping him

“sooooo...” he began, tearing you from your thoughts, “robin is definitely up to something. i told her that i thought you were cute and now she’s hiding in the back, forcing us to spend time together.” steve chuckled

you felt like the wind had been knocked out of you. like you had taken a shot of tequila, gotten on a rollercoaster and was trying so hard not to projectile vomit on the ride back home

steve. friggin. harrington. thinks. you. are. cute. obviously, he didn't ask for your hand in marriage but, you didn't think you made that lasting of an impression on him

“oh gosh,” he sighed, “i went and ruined everything, didn’t i? i should’ve kept my mouth shut.” he chuckled, fixing the hair that had fallen into his eyes

it was only then when you realized that you hadn’t responded to what he said. you were just standing there, mentally screaming while he waited for you to say something

“oh no! no no no no. you didn’t ruin anything steve! I’m just surprised.”

“surprised?” he questioned, “why are you surprised?”

“i just didn’t think i made that lasting of an impression on you last week.” you explained

“well, we did have freshman biology together.”

again. you were on that damn rollercoaster, trying hard not to vomit. he remembers. “oh my gosh. you remember that?” you ask, astonished. this whole time you thought he had forgotten

“of course I remember! we had a project on, damn, what was it?”

“photosynthesis.”

“photosynthesis!” he clapped his hands together, “i was so busy training for basketball tryouts that i totally spaced and didn’t help you at all. but you came through.”

“the day of the presentation, you came in, all ready to go. you handed me these notecards that had everything i needed to say on them. i could hardly read your handwriting because you wrote in cursive but, i didn’t say anything. you had already done the entire project on your own. who was i to complain?”

a memory then came to the forefront of your mind. you stayed up all night trying your hardest to make your cursive look as presentable as possible. you were scared shitless at the possibility that steve harrington would see your illegible penmanship and think you were weird or uncool. i guess it didn’t matter in the end

“wow. I still can’t believe you remembered that!”

“to be honest?” he paused. for a second, you didn’t even think he was going to continue, “i didn't until i saw you come in here.”

“the entire time you were helping me sort through these movies, i wanted to mention it but, i wasn’t quite sure that you remembered.”

you grinned at the memory of a fourteen-year-old steve, reading the cards word for word, just as you wanted. he didn’t even protest. “gosh, i just think about how nervous i was... to be working with you. but, i wasn’t all that surprised when you didn’t do anything. i didn’t want you to fail so i made those notecards for you.”

“let me make it up to you.” he said, staring at you.

now it was your turn to avoid his gaze. “let me take you out to dinner.” he continued, “or whatever you want to do. i’m free this friday. are you free?”

“YEAH! SHE’S FREE!” you heard robin scream from the storage room

you audibly laughed at your best friend. of course she’s been listening to this entire conversation. she wouldn’t be robin if she wasn’t. you thought to yourself

“w-what she said.” you stuttered, beaming at steve

“alright, well it’s a date.” he nodded, beaming right back at you

for once, you weren’t all too mad at robin for meddling 😏

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