#steve harrington and eleven taking care of eachother

[hbyrde36]

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 2

Ch 1 ao3 link

*Eddie - 1986*

Dustin burst in the door without knocking. A habit Eddie had been trying to break him out of for years. One of these days he’d do it at the wrong time and see something he’ll wish he hadn’t. Maybe then he’d learn his lesson.

“So, don’t freak out but…”

“Ugh” Eddie groaned, pushing his face further into his pillow. “It’s never good when you start a sentence like that. At least let me get some coffee first.”

“Fine.” Dustin relented, stomping back out into the kitchen of the Munson trailer.

Ten minutes later and with coffee in hand, Eddie motioned for Dustin to continue with whatever nonsense he’d woken him up for this morning.

“I told the guys about Steve, about you knowing him.”

“Dustin!” Eddie shouted, incredulously.

“What? It’s not like it’s some big secret or something!”

“You didn’t know!”

“No, I didn't. But I should have realized, and I shouldn’t have said what I did the other night about him. That wasn’t cool. That’s why I told them, because I felt bad, and because I was thinking that maybe we could do a little investigation of our own?”

The kid meant well and it was sweet that he wanted to do something to make Eddie feel better, but what did he think he and a bunch of teenagers would be able to do about it?

Eddie shook his head. “I already told you man, his parents are loaded. I’m sure they left no stone unturned. What could we possibly do that they haven't already tried?”

Dustin’s face spread into a cocky grin. “For starters, Mike talked to Nancy. Did you know she dated Steve for a little while right around the time Will got lost in the woods?”

He had known that actually. In fact he vividly remembered catching the two of them in the boy’s bathroom that one time. He’d never thought about it in reference to Steve’s disappearance before though. The couple had broken up a few months before it happened.

“Yea, okay. So, they dated. What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I'm not sure if it does, but the police never even talked to her. Mike said she was willing to talk to us about him, if you want.”

Eddie couldn’t believe he was actually considering this, but it was hard to deny how intrigued he was to learn more about Steve. Even if it didn’t lead to any answers about what had happened to him.

“You know what? Fuck it. Let's do it.” Eddie declared, slamming his now empty cup down on the table for emphasis.

“Language! I am a child!.” Dustin gasped, in a dramatic impersonation of his mother.

“Shut it, nerd.”

“You literally play D&D with children! Who’s the nerd now?!”

-

Eddie had never really had a full conversation with Nancy. They said hi in passing, and whenever he came to the house to play with the boys of course, but that was the extent of it. Now he was supposed to sit here in the Wheeler’s basement, like it was any other day, and talk to her about her ex boyfriend. Awkward.

Or, maybe not. 

According to Dustin, Nancy knew all about their game, including how she, Steve, and many others were used as characters in it. She understood their curiosity. She herself had always thought that there was something suspicious about the whole thing. That maybe there was more going on in Hawkins than a single missing boy.

“Do you remember the day in the cafeteria, when Steve got into that screaming match with Tommy and Carol?”

Eddie shook his head. “No, but I heard it was brutal.” He’d skipped out early that day to meet up with Rick for more product. The whole school was buzzing about it the next day, he could have kicked himself for missing the show.

“It was. I was shocked. I had never seen him act like that. I know he and I hadn’t been together that long, so I could be wrong, but It seemed so out of character. I mean, everything he said was true, and those two probably deserved it, but the three of them had been best friends for years. He never stood up to them before, so why now? It felt like it came out of nowhere.” 

She paused, taking a breath and gathering her thoughts before continuing.

“I remember him looking at me, just before he stormed off when it was all over. He didn’t look mad, it was more like.. I don’t know, scared, maybe?”

Well, that was a little ominous. Eddie and the younger boys shared a look as Nancy got up from her seat on the couch and started pacing.

“He called me later that night and asked me to come over so we could talk. When I got there, he stepped out onto the porch instead of letting me come inside. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but looking back, it was a little odd. We sat on the steps and he said that he was sorry, but he couldn’t see me anymore. I asked him if there was someone else, but he said no. He just wanted to be single for a while and concentrate on other things. It was fine. I don’t think either of us were too upset about it. We hugged and said our goodbyes, and that was the last time I spoke to him.”

She stopped pacing, standing directly in front of Eddie as she finished her story.

“I still saw him around, of course, and heard about how he quit the school teams. Which seemed weird, because, what was this more important thing he was focusing on? Clearly it wasn’t sports. Then he started skipping school, so it wasn’t about his grades either. I started to wonder if maybe he had gotten into drugs or something.” 

Or, he could have just been lying to let you down easy, Eddie thought, but that wasn’t very kind. Instead he said, “If he was, he wasn't getting them from me.” 

Dustin gasped. “Wait, dude, are you really a drug dealer?”

Fuck. “Um. No?”

“You are! You’re totally a drug dealer!” Dustin said, bouncing in his seat and pointing a finger in Eddie’s face.

Eddie groaned. “Please stop yelling ‘drug dealer’ before Mike's parents hear you and kick me out!”

“Does that mean you smoke pot?” Lucas asked.

 “Can we smoke pot?” Mike added quickly, grinning.

“Absolutely not!” Eddie and Nancy shouted, simultaneously.

He turned to her, hands raised. “For the record, I don’t sell anymore. Not since my supplier went to jail.”

Dustin’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh shit, is Reefer Rick a real person?”

Nancy gave Eddie a hard look.

“What?! We all used people from our life in the game!” He said defensively. “Look, guys, I think we’re getting off track here.”

“Is there anything else weird you remember about Steve from before he disappeared?” Will asked Nancy, speaking for the first time. Eddie threw him a grateful smile.

“Not that I can think of.”

“What about his parents?” Lucas asked.

“I never met them, but he always said his dad was an asshole. The way he talked sometimes, it sounded like they weren’t around a lot.”

The image of it flashed in Eddie’s mind for a moment. Steve, all by himself in that big empty house of his. Haunting its hallways in the middle of the night. He shook his head roughly to clear it. 

Maybe it was silly to think of it that way. What teenage boy wouldn’t love having the house to himself? No one hassling you or telling you what to do. He couldn’t explain why, but somehow he didn’t think Steve liked being alone.

Eddie was startled when Nancy placed a hand on his arm. She looked at him, face pinched with concern. He realized suddenly that they were alone. He’d been so lost in thought that he didn’t realize the boys had left. She saw him looking around and explained.

“I sent the boys upstairs for lunch. It looked like you needed a minute.”

“Yea, sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately.” He got up to collect his things, and headed towards the basement steps.

“It’s the time of year. I get it, I've been thinking about him a lot too.” She said, following him.

Eddie shook his head. It wasn’t the same, she was allowed to think about Steve. To miss him. What right did Eddie have? “That’s different. You dated the guy. We weren’t even friends.”

“You’re allowed to miss him, Eddie.”

“No, I'm not.”

“He thought you were brave, y’know.”

“What?” He stopped walking, but couldn’t bring himself to turn around to face her. 

“He told me once, the first time I sat with him for lunch. You had jumped up on your table, ranting and raving about whatever had bothered you that day.” She sounded amused at the memory. “Tommy and the others sneered and complained, but not Steve. He smiled as he watched you. He said, ‘sometimes I wish I could be brave like that. Just stop caring about what everyone else thinks and be free’.”

He finally looked back at her over his shoulder. She smiled at him kindly, it seemed genuine so he returned the gesture.

“Thanks, Wheeler.”

-

Eddie didn’t stay to join the boys for lunch, though he did make plans to meet up with them the next day. He needed some time alone to process what they’d learned so far. He did his best thinking in the van, so he drove around town aimlessly, blasting Metallica and trying to sort through it all. 

Eventually he made his way to Loch Nora, slowing when he reached Steve’s street. He’d never been inside the Harrington house, but he knew where it was. There was no car in the driveway, so he rolled to a stop in front of it. A ‘For Sale’ sign was stuck in the grass a few feet to the right of the mailbox.

He hadn’t realized Steve’s parents were selling the place. Good, Eddie thought. It would make his next task that much easier. He’d come up with a plan, of sorts, as he cruised around Hawkins. The first step? A good old fashioned breaking and entering.   

-

*Steve - 1983/1984*

Two days after finding Eleven out in the woods, Steve cut ties with all his friends. He made a big scene out of calling Tommy and Carol assholes in the middle of the cafeteria, to really drive the point home. He turned himself into a social pariah overnight, anything to keep people from wanting to get close to him.  

He let Nancy go. It was easy enough. He found that he wasn’t even all that upset about it, he knew she wouldn't be too sad either. He’d seen how she looked at Jonathan that day at school, when the news broke that Will was missing. They would get together before too long, he was sure of it.

He quit the swim team, basketball, and only continued going to school because dropping out would be too suspicious. He started skipping days a lot. 

-

Eleven, who he’d taken to calling El for short, needed her own space. He would have loved to decorate the guest room for her, would have let her paint the walls and everything. Unfortunately, his parents still came home on occasion, and it would be too hard to hide. Instead, they worked together to fix up a space for her in the attic. Even when they were home, his parents never went up there. 

He didn’t know anything about little girls, but neither did El, so they figured things out together. He set her up with a T.V. to keep her company when he was gone during the day. He gave her a bunch of catalogs to look through, and told her to take a marker and circle anything she liked. Clothes, bedding, curtains, toys, he bought it all. Perks of the Harrington name, and a credit card with a high spending limit.

By the time her attic room was done, she finally felt secure enough to sleep in her own bed. She felt safe in the knowledge that her new brother wouldn’t abandon her as she slept, or lock her inside. Sometimes though, he would wake up to find she’d come into his room in the middle of the night. Almost always when it rained.

They quickly became a little family, he and El. Steve didn’t have any siblings, hadn’t thought he even liked kids, and certainly never knew how much he wanted a little sister until she came along. He taught her what he knew about the world, and in return he learned the importance of patience and kindness.  Together, they discovered unconditional love. 

For a few wonderful months, life was good. There was a little hiccup in January of ‘84, when eleven accidentally knocked a vase off the counter in the kitchen. It was fine. She caught it with her mind before it hit the floor, then levitated it back upright on the counter. It was the first time she’d used her powers in front of Steve. Powers he had been completely unaware of.

He’d hyperventilated for a while, but once he recovered he explained to her that, ‘No sweetie, I didn’t know you could do that, but it’s fine. I promise. No, I'm not afraid of you. It’s just another part of you, and I love who you are.’

It was another turning point for them, a catalyst that compelled her to explain more about where she came from. What sort of things they did to her at the lab, and she finally told him all about Papa and the other children. 

Steve had never pushed her on any of it, happy to just keep her safe, and wait until she was ready to talk. Once she did? Well, he was fucking livid. It was all he could do not to go to the newspapers, or Chief Hopper, and blow the whole thing wide open. Hell, he would have found the place himself and burnt it to the ground if he didn’t know for a fact that there were other kids living inside. 

In the end, he did nothing. Too afraid that if he was caught, or worse, there would be no one who knew about El, or where she was. There would be no one to take care of her.

-

It was all his fault. He should have known better. It was his job to take care of her, and he had failed in that task spectacularly. It was spring break 1984, Easter Sunday. He’d just wanted to take her out to breakfast, something he could remember doing with his own parents for the holiday when he was young. Back when they at least pretended to give a shit about him. 

They were as safe about it as they could have been. He picked a small restaurant two towns over, where no one would recognize them. She looked so happy when she smiled at him over her massive stack of waffles.

He didn’t see it for what it was, when the two nondescript white work vans pulled into the parking lot of the diner. Movies had him envisioning a legion of fancy black town cars pulling up on him one day, a swarm of dark suits surrounding him, demanding to know where the girl was. He should have known that Papa would be a bit more subtle.

The bell above the main entrance door dinged as a new customer entered. El looked up reflexively at the sound and her eyes went wide. It was the only warning Steve had before a tall man with white hair and an impeccably tailored gray suit slid into the booth next to him.

“Hello, Eleven. You’re looking well.”

Steve watched as she curled in on herself. Turning back into the little girl he found in the woods right before his eyes. 

“Papa.” She gasped, bottom lip trembling.

The man turned to look at Steve. “I’m Dr. Brenner. Now, don’t go getting any big ideas, young man. I have people on every door to this place. You’ll never make it to that pretty car of yours in time, and I can assure you that if you try, they will not hesitate to... deal with the situation.”

Steve froze, not remotely prepared for this scenario. He didn’t know what to do and was scared of making a misstep. He wasn’t afraid for himself, he didn’t care what happened to him, but he was terrified for El, and the possibility of losing his sister forever. 

“Here’s what's going to happen.” Brenner continued. “Eleven is going to leave this place with me, right now. You, Mr. Harrington, yes I know all about you, are going to go back to your life and forget that any of this ever happened. If you so much as think about telling anyone what you’ve seen, we will know, and we will come for you.”

“I’m not going to just let you take her.” Steve protested, heart pounding.

“You don’t have a say in the matter.”

“If you take her then you’ll have to take me too!” Steve raised his voice a little too loudly, drawing the attention of the other diners. 

“That’s not an option.” Brenner hissed. “I have no need for someone like you”

Steve lowered his voice to a whisper, knowing that angering the man further wasn’t going to help. “I’m not leaving her. I’ll die first. You’ll have to kill me right here and now in front of all these people. Do you really want to make that big of a scene?”

Steve could tell the man was considering it. “Please.“ He begged. “I'm sure you can find some use for me. I’ll do anything.”

Brenner sighed. “Very well. You will both follow me outside. Leave your car keys on the table, Steven, you won’t be needing them.”

The man slid out of the booth, threw more cash than necessary on the table, and walked out the door.

Steve scrambled out of his seat at the same time El did, and they collided in a desperate embrace. She was shaking, crying. Steve ran his fingers through her short curls. 

“I'm sorry El, I'm so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

She looked up at him, blinking through tears. “It’s not your fault, they would have found me eventually, one way or another.”

“I’ll get us out of this somehow, I promise.”

She took a small step away from him and shook her head. “No, Steve. You have to let him take me. Only me. You have a life, parents, a family.”

He shook his head, taking her small hand in his. “You are my family El. I’m not leaving you. We’re in this together. You and me, always.”

Chapter 3

@penny00dreadful @buckleybarnes @steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @iaminmultiplefandoms @adaed5 @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @hotshot9 @manda-panda-monium

#steddie #steddie fanfic #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #ao3 #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve x eddie #fanfic #ao3 link #life is a game #Canon is just a crazy game of D&D #alternating pov #Eddie Munson and Dustin Henderson are cousins #Steve Harrington and Eleven taking care of eachother

[stat1cstarz]

𝖺𝗋𝗀𝗒𝗅𝖾 𝗑 𝗏𝗂𝗋𝗀𝗂𝗇𝗂𝖺

𝖢𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗆𝖺𝗌 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇☃️

Me, argyle,and the Byers decided to stay in Hawkins with the others for a few days, we had been staying in a motel near the wheelers house since nobody could afford for us to stay with them, and the wheelers house was to full. Johnathan,will,and el had a room, and me and argyle had a room. Whenever we weren’t in the motel room we were at the wheelers house in the basement, watching Christmas movies,wrapping gifts for eachother,normal Christmas stuff, which leads to now

𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺❄️—————

Me and the rest of the group headed outside while it was snowing, to mainly entertain the younger kids, all though they didn’t seem to interested. Since Eddie seemed to pretty close to them he tried encouraging them to make a snowman or have a snowball fight with him, and while the guys didn’t seem to care much, Jane decided to throw one at his back while he was rolling up the base for the snowman. Afterwards he picked up a snowball and threw it at her, which started a chain reaction,starting with Mike,will,than Dustin. Nancy and Steve were sitting on the back patio together holding hands,and Robin was inside watching a movie. I decided to go finish Eddie’s snowman for him, and bent over to roll the snowman more to make it bigger, until I felt a hard push from someone, I wasn’t sure who tho. But I had rolled over the snowman and landed on my back “You alright?” I heard Steve yelled “Not cool man” I heard Argyle yell, he was pretty chill luckily so no one got hurt “I’m fine Argyle” I said “Sorry Virginia” Eddie yelled, standing near me “I just don’t want you taking my credit for making Bartholomew” I blinked slowly at him “What did you say his name was?” I asked “You heard me” Eddie replied “I wish I didn’t” I said, as I felt someone put their cold gloves under my armpits. I looked up and saw Johnathan going over to help me up, since Argyle and Steve seemed busy play-fighting and covering each-other in snow. The younger teens were making snow forts for the snowball fight that had escalated into a war. They each argued who should be in who’s team, almost everyone wanted Eleven on their team due to her powers and others said that was called cheating and El should be on her own. Finally they put themselves into their own teams, Lucas,Dustin,and will + Max, El, and Mike. I heard panting behind me and saw argyle and Steve sitting on the patio completely out of breath “You guys alright?” I asked them, running over to check on argyle “You don’t care about me Virginia?” He asked “I think he’s had to much eggnog” Robin insisted “The wheelers don’t own eggnog Robin” Nancy added “The Harringtons do, I’ve been at Steve’s place and they got a good stash during the holiday” Robin said “Can I have some?” I asked jokingly. “You’re to young” argyle said “that would be irresponsible for me as an adult to let a 16 year old drink” argyle said “definitely lost his surfer boy accent” Nancy said “I’m ready to go in, can you guys watch the kids?” I asked “Sure, Eddie’s in great care.” Steve added “Fuck you to” Eddie yelled. I opened the sliding glass door and went back into the basement, I peeled off my winter coat and hung it over a rack, putting my pajamas on and getting under a blanket on the couch. I heard running down the stairs and decided to look back to see who it was, and saw argyle coming downstairs. He did the same as me, crawling over the couch and decided to be the big spoon, and continued to watch whatever Christmas show had been left on

[hargroves-dingus]

fire meets gasoline | b.h x v.h

pairings: Billy Hargrove x Veronica Hopper (O.C), Hopper!AdoptiveDad x Veronica Hopper, Eleven!AdoptiveSister x Veronica Hopper

summary: Billy comes to pick up Max and Hopper isn’t happy about his daughter knowing the neighbourhood bicycle, but what happens when Veronica disregards her father and still goes to Tina’s party to see none other than Billy Hargrove?

warnings: moderate swearing??

a/n: lemme know if you want to be tagged in future parts dudes :)

CHAPTER TWO

Morning were often my favourite time of the day, quickly followed by nightfall: the hours I could truly bask in my own solace. The sunlight fought to seen through the curtains, shining a bright light on my face causing me to turn to the other side of the bed, humming in content at the smell that lingered. Dad was making eggos. Hauling myself out of bed, I threw my hair up in a messy bun and wiped the sleep away from my eyes.

“Morning sweetheart” Hopper robotically muttered, he said it every morning, and when faced with making breakfast, he lost the ability to multitask. “The girls not up yet?” Scanning the room for the brunette and her ginger accomplice, only to find they were missing so knocked on her bedroom door and alerted them of eggos – which motivated them to get out of bed. “Four eggo extravaganzas and strawberry milkshakes.” Hopper announced, placing them around the table. The mismatch family (plus a Max) sat around the table, starting to devour their breakfast, before a door knock pulled us all from our morning conversation.

Already getting up, I dusted any crumbs off of my lap, “I’ll get it.”, and lazily opened the door, and snapped into sense when Billy Hargrove was leaning against the doorframe, his gold necklace dangling idly in front of his chest, wearing none other than a shirt that was buttoned a bit too low. “I’m here for Max, princess.” God I could only imagine Hoppers reaction to his pet name, and I was not looking forward to the questioning. “We’re still eating breakfast, none of us are ready.” I shrugged, leaving the flirty tone from last night at bay. Not around Hopper or the girls. “Explains the outfit.” At this moment, I realised how exposed I was, simply an oversized t-shirt that hung over my right shoulder from the excessive size. “Stop gawking, Hargrove.” Slightly snarling with a small smirk, crossing my arms at his not so stealthy mission of checking me out. From this and when we met, it seems he likes being caught. “Come in then.” Turning on my heels, I walked back to the table, picking up my plate, “You can have some of mine.”

“So you can be nice sometimes.” Laughing, he grabbed a plate from the cupboard and I piled some food onto his place and gave him a fork, and we sat at the counter beside eachother. Feeling Hoppers eyes burning into us, I slightly shouted “Dad? This is Billy, Max’s brother.” Feeling like an introduction to the teenage boy in his house was what he was expecting. “Step-brother.” Both Max and Billy mumbled, which I threw my hands up in surrender up, muttering a string of amused ‘sorry’s.

“We’ve met.” Hopper grunted, eyes squinting onto Billy. This was a splendid start. “Still speeding around town like a maniac, Hargrove?” He was challenging him. Baiting him almost. “Not anymore, sir, not since you busted me.” Billy’s signature cocky tone was back, and it irritated Hopper, as he added, “Six times.”

“Five, actually, sir.” He corrected, and you could see Hopper tense up, as if ready to pounce. “Alright, Mr and Mrs Testosterone, break it up.”  

Both backed off, turning back around to continue their meal. For a bit, I just watched him eat, sitting in a comfortable silence. It was then that I really noticed his eyes, this bright shade of blue that burned into you. They were like water, or even the sea, but the intensity reminded me of a burning fire. “Having fun there, princess?” Laughing, I cleared his now empty plate into the sink. “You wish.” Raising an eyebrow, I leant back onto the counter to which he walked over, reaching behind me, our bodies millimetres from touching and all I wanted to do was close the space between us, “Oh I do. Trust me.” And picked up an apple, and copied my stance on the counter opposite. “Are you coming to Tina’s party tonight?” Taking a bite of the apple, the juice slightly dripped onto his chin and he wiped it off with the back of his hand. How could Billy fucking Hargrove eating an apple make me so goddamn weak? “I might make an appearance.”

“Billy, let’s go!” Max shouted from the door, all dressed and ready to leave. Billy rolled his eyes in what I guess to be frustration and pushed himself off the counter. I went to walk him to the door and he placed his hand on the small of my back, sending shivers down my spine, “Well I hope you do, princess.”

Billy then straightened out his jacket, and extended his right hand forward in front of Hopper, and he begrudgingly took it and grunted “Thank you for breakfast, sir, nice to see you again.” And when he left, a part of me was hoping it wouldn’t be for long. There wasn’t a breath of silence before Hopper broke it again. “So. Veronica.” He scratched his head, almost comically and in the most patronising and dad-like way asked “How long have you known Billy ‘I like to speed around and break rules’ Hargrove?” Of course he was getting annoyed. Billy isn’t the type of guy who bring home to your family. He’s the type of guy to only ever meet your bedroom. Playfully rolling my eyes, I stood put, not moving from the door.  “Since yesterday, dad. Purely because he’s Max’s step-brother.”

“Then how did he know where the plates were kept. Hmm?” His voice became louder, angrier, and he sharply shrugged in anticipation. Slamming his hand on the side and he sighed before returning to his more heated tone, “Why does he know where we keep our goddamn cutlery, Veronica?”

“Stop yelling! Fucksake. It’s seriously not that deep. I invited him in for a drink when he dropped Max off last night. No need to make a drama.” I’d known Hopper to get mad at me. It wasn’t rare. I guess over time, he accepted whatever shit I got into and he shrugged it off. But I had seen him angry. This somehow felt different. “No need? Sorry I don’t want my daughter hanging out with some trouble maker Casanova like him.” Scoffing, he placed himself on the sofa, elbows resting on his knees running his hands over his face. “I can handle myself.  This is bullshit. And you know it.”

“Excuse me?”

Then it clicked. He didn’t like Billy because he’s a ‘bad boy’ (or not entirely), he didn’t want to lose his little girl. “You just don’t like the fact that I’m growing up. I’m no longer a kid and that scares the shit out of you. I’m going to be around boys, going to parties, sleeping with people,” At the last part, he scrunched up his face in disgust, and almost in raw truth, as he realised I was right. “And that terrifies you. But don’t project that onto me. Deal with your shit, dad.”

*  *  *

The house was practically shaking from the blaring music, the entire teenage population of Hawkins crammed into Tina’s house, filling their veins with burning alcohol, finding somebody to pretend to love for just one night, pretend they didn’t live in this tiny shitty town. Clinging to my denim jacket, I mentally cursed at myself for wearing black cycling shorts and a black tucked in t-shirt, causing my legs to turn into icicles from the Indiana October weather. There were murmurs and subtle gasps of shock when I walked in, parties never usually being my scene, opting to stay in and read. Or maybe have dinner with the devil as I’ve heard some people say I do in my spare time. That one was my favourite.

Hearing I chorus of cheers, I was drawn to the garden, hearing a voice roaring, “That’s how you do it, Indiana!” and a smile graced my face as I identified it as Billy. My pathway was blocked as the bathroom door swung open, and a guy leaving nearly knocked me off my feet. “Fucking hell, watch it ass-” My series of curses halted as I looked up to see none other than Steve Harrington. Steve Harrington crying.Nobody had seen King Stevecry. Well, anybody but me. And I’m not talking about this moment. Before he was crowned King, we were best friends, since being toddlers. He was the one who held me crying when I felt alone and unloved (each time) and when Hopper adopted me, then we distanced. I’d seen Steve cry, when his parents were on brink of divorce, when he felt like they didn’t care, we saw each other at our lowest. It must be something big to cause Steve to break at a party full of everybody he knew.

“Steve? Let’s go outside.” I tried my best to hide his face, to keep up his image but everyone was too drunk to remember this tomorrow. We sat on the porch steps, and the cold air whipped my skin and I sat waiting for him to talk. “Don’t shut me out again.” I whispered, not even looking at him, the pain from all those years ago laced in my voice. “Talk to me.” Placing my hand on his wrist, I tried my best to comfort him. At first he tensed up, not used to my touch but it didn’t take long for him to relax into it, putting his other hand atop mine, interlocking our hands. “It was all bullshit.” His voice was broken. Utterly broken. I hadn’t heard his voice like that since his dad told him he wished he’d never had a son in the first place. “What was?”

“Her.” Nancy Wheeler. When they first started dating, it made me laugh. Stuck-up prudish good girl dating King Steve – what else did I expect? But I never thought she’d end it. Honestly thought new Steve would fuck up and sleep with someone else. “What happened?”

“She broke up with me.” He laughed. In a way that was filled with disbelief, even he couldn’t understand it. “You can do so much better than Nancy fucking Wheeler.” Scoffing, I wrapped my arms around his shoulder and pulled him into a hug which he only weaselled his way out of, standing up in front of me, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t want better. I want her. I love her.” Sighing, I looked up at him. “Love is fucked up, and overrated.”

“I know.” With that, he wiped his face, shook his body as if shaking away his pain and smiled at me. A genuine smile. “I’m going to head home. Thank you, Ron.” Ron. It felt weird hearing him say it but comforting at the same time.

“You made it.” Steve’s place was replaced with Billy, and a waft of beer stench and cigarette smoke invaded the air around me. He flashed a smile, biting his lower lip and I stretched my legs out in front of me. “Seems I did Hargrove.” Crossing my arms, I took in the view around me. Nightfall. The sky was dark, a poetry of stars strung throughout the blackness and the blanket it made comforted me. He sighed in boredom before asking, “Wanna get out of here?”

“I know a place.”

*  *  *

He parked his car on the side of the road, and as I grabbed his hand, I guided him through the trees. “So where are we going?” He chuckled, “You’re not going to kill me right?” Weaving throughout the towering branches, I sighed in content as we arrived at a clearing, the grass full of a variation of flowers and walked to the group of rocks in which I perched myself on top of, motioning for him to join me. “My thinking place.”

“Thinking place?” He repeated, looking around, taking in the view. The flowers were my favourite, the haze of purple and yellow, although the vibrancy was masked the dark sky. “Obviously you know Hopper isn’t my real dad.” I stated, voice void from emotion. And as I said that I didn’t know why I did. Why I was opening up. But there was this feeling. This instinct that I could trust him. “My dad left when I was four. Mum died from an overdose when I was six. Hopper was close to my mum so he took me as his own.” Looking at him, his eyes were glassy slightly, eyebrows furrowed and I felt this steel ball sink in my stomach. “Please don’t give me that look. I don’t want your pity.”  Resting his hand on my thigh, his warmth made me jump slightly, probably the California in him. But his touch calmed me. “I wasn’t going to. I know a few things about shitty dads.” It was odd. Two strangers opening up to each other. “Yours an asshole too?”

“You see this?” Twisting slightly, it revealed a scar along the side of his head, running along his temple, “Gave that to me.” I traced it with my thumb, the rest of my hand placed on the side of his head. “Fucking hell, Billy.” Scoffing, he looked down, then coughed, discarding of the tears that started to form. “See? Now you’re giving me that look.”

“That’s different. Mine decided I wasn’t going enough for him so left. Yours…”

“Hey,” He hushed, this newfound softness in his voice was soothing, and he took both of my hands in his and brought them up to his lips. “Don’t think you’re not good enough. You were four. Whatever the reason he left, wasn’t because of you.” I sent him a weak smile. I only ever spoke to Hopper or El about it, on the very rare occasion, but it was nice to open up to him. “You know what, Hargrove? We’re kindred souls, you and I.”

He smirked, laughing under his breath, “Oh yeah?” Nodding, I crossed my legs, fiddling with the hem of my shorts, “I think we were meant to find each other”

“You really believe in that stuff?”

“Not until I met you.”

-------

taglist:

@katiexdacre​ 

@httpakasha​

@yaidothat​

@becca-dolan​

@prettylestrange

#billy #hargrove #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #x oc #steve harrington #steve #harrington #jim #hopper #eleven #stranger things #fanfic #fanfiction

[ao3feed-strangerthings]

D&D is a Good Source of Knowledge

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

by jumboflamingo

Richie's mom died when he was a kid, and his dad just died recently. Now, about a month after he turned 17, he has to move to Hawkins, Indiana, to live with his mom's sister and her kids. Something from Derry follows him all the way there, and with the help of the Party, his new friends, and the Losers, they take care of it quickly and smoothly. That's a lie. IT doesn't go down quick or smooth.

Words: 1561, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

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

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

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

Characters: Richie Tozier, Mike Wheeler, Jim "Chief" Hopper, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Karen Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Will Byers, Barbara "Barb" Holland, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak, Mike Hanlon, Joyce Byers, Ted Wheeler

Relationships: Richie Tozier & Mike Wheeler, Robin Buckley/Barbara "Barb" Holland, Steve Harrington/Richie Tozier, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Mike Hanlon/Stanley Uris

Additional Tags: Richie Tozier and Mike Wheeler Are Cousins, Mentions of Death, Anxiety, Richie Moves to Hawkins, Richie Tozier Has Issues, barb and robin are gay for eachother, Richie is 17, richie and steve will eventually get together, pennywise is an asshole

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

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #fanfiction #stranger things

[hbyrde36]

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 6

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 ao3 link

*Eddie*

Eddie had finally lost his mind. 

He was hallucinating. 

He’d gone right off the deep end and into the frigid waters of lake lunacy.

He blinked hard, but the figure refused to disappear.

“Harrington? Is that really you?” Eddie blurted out in disbelief. 

“Eddie, please. I need your help” 

Holy. Shit. 

It really was him. Steve Harrington was there, in the flesh, not 5 feet in front of him, and Eddie, well, in all honesty he could have used a minute to cope with that information, but the girl Steve was carrying looked like she was in bad shape. His freak-out would have to wait. Harrington himself wasn’t looking too great either, actually, and the baseball bat he held had some really suspicious looking stains on it. Which, what the fuck? 

Eddie did his best to shake off his shock and took a tentative step towards the other boy and his companion. He wasn’t sure what to say, but this didn’t seem to be the time for stupid questions like, ‘are you okay?’, when the answer was so devastatingly obvious.

“My van is about a mile that way. I could give you a ride somewhere?” Eddie offered,  awkwardly pointing back in the direction of the road.

Steve’s eyes searched his, and Eddie had to work hard not to squirm under the attention. Finally he nodded and softly said, “Thank you.”

They didn’t make it more than a few steps before it became obvious that Steve was struggling. He was breathing heavily and his arms trembled with the effort to keep hold of the mystery girl. 

Eddie slowed to a stop, eyeing the two of them with concern. “I could carry her for a bit. Give you a rest?” 

“I’m fine.” Steve’s response was instant, automatic. 

He very much was not fine, and they both knew it. Eddie wasn’t sure if it was a pride thing or if the other boy didn’t trust him, but he had to do something before he had two unconscious people on his hands. Clearly, Steve had been through some serious shit, so Eddie wasn’t sure how hard he could push, but he was nothing if not honest.

“You look dead on your feet, man.” Eddie winced at his own poor choice of words, but pushed on. “Just let me help. I won't drop her.”

Steve’s face crumpled, and he chewed on his bottom lip. Eddie was relieved when he nodded once again, carefully transferring the girl into his waiting arms. 

One look at her face confirmed Eddie’s suspicions. This was definitely the same girl from the polaroid, though she was older now and covered in streaks of dried blood. He adjusted his grip and started walking again. She was a bit heavier than he expected, but he was pretty sure he could manage to get them to the road. He’d be damned if he dropped her now after assuring Steve she’d be safe with him. 

They moved through the trees in a strained silence, the weight of a million unasked questions hanging in the air between them. Eddie didn’t know where to start, or if Steve would even want to talk about it, so for now he just concentrated on getting the three of them safely to his car. He’d worry about the rest later.

Though he tried not to, Eddie’s eyes kept flicking down to the young girl’s face. He was hit again with the feeling that she looked familiar somehow, of course, he had been staring at that damn photo for days. That had to be it. 

“Who is she?” Eddie hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but the question slipped past his lips without permission.

“My sister.” 

He knew Steve didn’t have any siblings, unless this was some long lost relative he had discovered. Eddie chanced a sideways glance at the other boy. “Didn’t know you had a sister, Harrington.”

Steve shrugged. “I do now.”

When they finally reached the pull off, Steve became visibly more tense, tightening his grip on the bat he held at his side. He kept looking up and down the road, which was, thankfully, deserted this time of day. Eddie wasn’t sure what would have happened if another car drove past them right then. 

He opened the rear door of the van and gently set the girl down on a cushion he kept back there. Only after Eddie climbed into the driver’s seat did Steve end his vigil and join them in the vehicle.

The moment they were all inside with the doors locked, Steve hung his head and drew his knees to his chest, huddling in the seat. Eddie started the engine but didn’t pull onto the road yet. He took the opportunity to really look at the other boy and assess the state of him. 

His hair was long. Far longer than he had ever worn it at school. With his legs drawn up, Eddie suddenly noticed that Steve and the girl were wearing almost exactly the same clothes. Nondescript gray sweatpants with a matching sweatshirt for her, a plain white t-shirt for him. The shirt had some dried blood on it that had probably come from the girl, but Steve’s arms were covered in scratches and some blood of his own. They both wore only thick socks on their feet. 

Eddie’s breath stuttered. Steve had been walking through the woods, for god knew how long, without shoes, all while carrying another person. Where did they come from? How had they made it?

Steve's shoulders began to shake and Eddie realized he was crying. He didn't know what to do. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to comfort him, or if it would be better to pretend he didn't notice. Some people were weird about that stuff. Steve didn’t make him agonize over the decision for long. He looked up, meeting Eddie’s eyes with his own that were red and damp. 

Eddie reached out a hand and cautiously placed it on Steve’s arm, rubbing lightly with his thumb. “What happened to you?”

Steve choked on a wet laugh. “It’s a really long story.”

“I’ve got time, unless you have somewhere you need to be?” Eddie tried for casual. A hint of tease just to ease some of the tension, but it fell a little flat. Steve’s mouth turned up at the corner for a brief second, and he thought maybe the other boy appreciated his effort anyway.

“No.” He replied after a long moment. Eddie hadn’t known it was possible for one word to contain that much sadness. 

Steve turned away to stare out the windshield as he spoke on. “I..we have nowhere to go, actually. I can’t take her back to my house. They’ll find us.”

It wasn’t as surprising to hear as maybe it should have been, but the fact of the matter was, Steve had been gone for a long time, only to return bloody and battered. It wasn’t difficult to believe there was someone after him. 

“Who will find you?” Eddie asked.

Steve whipped his head back around, eyes wide with something akin to panic. “I can’t…”

Eddie quickly pulled his hand back. “Shit, I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, It’s okay.”  Steve rushed out, grabbing hold of the hand Eddie had just taken away. He inclined his head towards the back of the car where the girl slept. “it's just that, it's not only my story to tell.” Eddie smiled and squeezed the hand he was holding. He understood.

“I could bring you both back to the trailer park with me. No one would think to look for you there. You’d be safe.”

“Really? You would do that?” 

“Yea, of course.”

What Eddie didn’t say, because it would make him sound crazy, was that he was more than happy to offer up his home since he had no intention of letting Steve out of his sight now that he’d been found. Not if he could help it.

Now that they had a destination, he put the van in gear and finally took to the road. The quiet stretched tight between them again, but this time Eddie didn't dare to be the one to break it. He wasn’t sure if he could trust himself to speak without it turning into more questions that he had no right to ask. 

A few  minutes into the drive, Steve spoke up. “I'll talk to her when she wakes up. If she’s okay with it, I’ll tell you everything.”

“You don’t have to.” Eddie insisted. He meant it too. Of course he wanted to know, but he had already decided that he would do anything he could for Steve whether he told him what was going on or not. 

“I want to,” Steve quietly confessed, causing Eddie’s stomach to do some embarrassing acrobatics.

“I was so relieved when I realized it was you out there.” Steve continued, shaking his head at himself. “I know that probably sounds weird, it's not like we were really friends before but I just.. I remember how you were at school. How you used to look out for people who needed it, and I had a feeling that I could trust you.”

Eddie kept his eyes on the road, but it was an effort. He swallowed hard. 

“You can.” Eddie breathed. “I promise, you can.”

It was a promise to Steve as much as to himself. Eddie would not fuck this up, he would not let him down. 

It wasn't much longer before they arrived back at the trailer, but still Steve had fallen asleep against the window at some point. He must be exhausted. Eddie would have loved to let him rest, but if someone was really after these two, he needed to get them inside as soon as possible.

Eddie gently shook Steve's shoulder. “Hey, we’re here.”

Steve woke with a start and was instantly on alert and looking for threats. Eddie held his hands up in front of him, palms out, and waited. He saw the change in the other boy’s eyes when he remembered where he was, and who he was with. He peered over the seat, presumably to check on the girl and finally relaxed. 

He looked back at Eddie, blushing slightly. “Sorry.”

Eddie smiled, waving the apology off.  “Before we go inside I wanted to tell you something. I live with my uncle. He works nights, so no one else is home for now, but he’ll be back in the morning.”

Right away Steve looked nervous.  

“You can trust him. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn't think it was safe.” Eddie assured him, pouring every ounce of sincerity into the words that he could muster, terrified that Steve would run away.

“Ok. I believe you.”

Eddie handed Steve his house keys before getting out. At any other time he would have been worried about being seen, but It was fully dark by then and the street light closest to the Munson trailer had been out for years. It was the first time he’d ever been grateful for the Township’s neglect. He did not need nosy neighbors wondering why he was pulling an unconscious girl out of the back of his van.

Once inside, he carried her straight through the house to his room and set her down on the bed. Steve hadn’t followed, which seemed odd with how protective he was over her, so Eddie quickly returned to the living room, once she was settled, to check on him.

Steve was standing in the middle of the room, expression unreadable as his eyes wandered slowly over the collection of mugs that lined the wall before moving on to Wayne’s hats. Their place wasn’t exactly messy, but it was definitely lived-in, as his uncle liked to call it. 

Eddie cleared his throat, trying to subtly get Steve's attention. It worked, though he suspected he startled the other boy again. He’d have to be more careful about sudden noises and stuff. 

The baseball bat was still held loosely in Steve’s hands, and he looked unsure of what to do with it. Eddie held out a hand and Steve wordlessly gave it over. 

It was a simple gesture, but to Eddie it felt huge. Steve was in a strange place, the home of someone he barely knew and he had just given away his only form of protection. It spoke of a trust he didn’t quite feel like he’d earned yet, but Eddie vowed he would prove himself worthy of. He made sure Steve saw where he put it, propped up against a coat rack by the front door.

“Where’s my sister?” 

“I put her in my room, it’s down the hall on the right if you want to see.”

“She had a lot of…” Steve trailed off, gesturing to his own face. “Do you have something I could clean her up with?”

“Sure. Go see her, I'll bring it in.”

Moments later, Eddie entered his room to find Steve sitting on the side of his bed. The sight short-circuited his brain for a second, but one glance at the girl’s bloodied face was all it took to bring him back to the present. 

He set a bowl of warm water and a few clean hand towels down on the nightstand and watched as Steve worked. He took his time wetting the cloth and gently scrubbing the mess from her face. It took a little while and the water was a nice shade of pink by the time he was done, but at least she was clean.

Steve smiled down at the girl and kissed her forehead before rising from the bed. 

“Would it be too much to ask for a shower?”

“Not at all. Bathroom is across the hall. There's towels in the cabinet and I'll find you some clothes and leave them outside the door.”

Eddie was glad he’d bitten the bullet and finally done some laundry the other day, so that he had something clean to offer. He found a pair of sweatpants, sans holes, and his favorite shirt. It was an old, faded, but extremely comfy iron maiden t-shirt. He wasn’t sure what the etiquette was for sharing underwear with your straight male acquaintance, but he added a pair of boxers along with socks to the pile. Steve could decide for himself if he wanted to wear them or go commando. 

*Steve*

It was when he was finally alone, hidden behind a locked door, and sitting on the floor of Eddie’s shower with scalding hot water raining down on him, that Steve finally broke down. He’d let a little of it out earlier in the van, something he felt terrible about, honestly. Eddie was already doing so much for them, Steve didn’t need to subject the guy to his hysterics. 

He heaved great big sobs that made his chest ache and his stomach clench. He was feeling so many things at once that it was overwhelming. He mourned the life he lost that day in the diner when Brenner found them, something he had never done at the lab, because he would die before letting that man think for even a second that he’d broken him. At the same time he felt relief that the two of them had finally escaped, even if that feeling came tinged with shame for not having managed it sooner.

He and El had been through so much in those years of confinement, and he couldn’t help but blame himself for it just a little. He felt like a failure. They were free now, but his plan had never stretched beyond the simple goal of getting out. They had no home, and he had no means to take care of Eleven. They were effectively on the run and not just from the lab. Henry, One, had found her, and Steve was absolutely certain they hadn’t seen the last of him.

The water turned cool, and he knew he was taking too long, but he had to get himself under some kind of control before facing Eddie again. He took several deep steadying breaths and stood up, quickly washing himself before finally getting out.

Steve never thought he’d be so happy to see a simple pair of black pants and a t-shirt, but the prospect of wearing something other than stiff gray sweats that were at least a size too small, was enough to pull a weak smile out of him. The clothes were soft and smelled faintly of smoke, but he didn’t mind, it was better than the chemical odor of the industrial cleaners that he was used to. They also smelled of Eddie, and that was comforting for reasons he didn’t have the capacity to think about just yet. He wrapped himself in the borrowed items, boxers and all, and bravely pushed the door open to face whatever came next. 

He felt shy suddenly, shuffling around the unfamiliar house. After looking in on El one more time, he found Eddie working in the kitchen, putting together what looked like a mountain of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

“You hungry? I know I am, so I just assumed you…” Eddie trailed off when he finally looked up and saw him. He stared wide eyed, and for long enough that Steve started to feel self conscious. He must look worse than he thought. He nervously ran fingers through his hair to try and straighten it. 

The movement seemed to wake Eddie up from whatever trance he’d been in and he returned to his task with his head bowed. Steve thought he might have been blushing but couldn’t imagine why.

They took the food over to the couch and together devoured the entire plate within minutes. Steve hadn’t eaten since the day before and couldn’t remember the last time he’d had peanut butter. It was honestly the best thing he’d had in years. He stopped short of telling Eddie that, afraid of giving anything away for now. Though he did thank him profusely. 

“I know you want to wait and check with your sister before you talk about stuff, and I fully respect that, but, um, is there anything you can tell me about the last two years? Where you’ve been, or what you’ve been doing?”

Steve considered what would be safe and easy to share, and didn’t come up with much. “Protecting her, mostly. I’m sorry, I feel like such a dick for not explaining anything when you’re trying to help.”

“It’s okay. Does she have a name? It would be nice to have something to call her instead of, her, or the girl ”

Steve grimaced and shook his head. He couldn’t even tell him that without it raising even more questions. “I’m sorry”

Eddie raised his eyebrows, probably wondering what the big deal was about a stupid name, but he accepted the lack of an answer without complaint. 

“What do people think happened to me?” Steve asked. At least that was something they could talk about. 

Eddie hesitated

“You can tell me. Whatever it is, I promise you it can’t be worse than the truth.”

“The school reported you missing when you didn’t come back after spring break in ‘84. As far as I know, Hopper started an investigation but some government guys came in and took over. Honestly, man, I'm sorry, but a lot of people assume you’re dead.”

Well, that was something. 

“Um, do you know anything about my parents?” Steve asked, but quickly backpedaled, realizing it was stupid. “Nevermind, sorry, I wouldn't expect you to know.”

“Well…”

“What is it?”

Eddie looked a little uncomfortable but could tell Steve was desperate for any information. “Your house is for sale. I don’t think they’ve been back to Hawkins since you, y’know. I’m really sorry.”

Steve snorted. “Don’t be. I’m not surprised. They were never around before, so there was no reason to hope anything would be different now. I think they were just waiting until I was done with High School to cut me off completely. Probably thought they got a lucky break when I disappeared.”

Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes but Steve blinked them away. He’d cried enough for today, and his parents just weren’t worth it. 

Eddie touched his arm lightly, setting his skin alight with goosebumps. “Hey, if that’s true, then they are even bigger pieces of shit than I thought. Seriously, fuck them.”

He must have decided that was enough talking for now, and turned away to switch the tv on low, leaving them each to their own thoughts. Steve was grateful. His eyelids were heavy and his brain felt like mush after the long day. 

From one blink to the next the tv had changed from an old rerun of The Twilight Zone, to the evening news, and Steve realized he must have dozed off. 

“You should go lay down in my room if you’re tired.” Eddie said quietly. “I’m okay out here on the couch.” 

To further prove his point, he reached back and tugged a fluffy quilt off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around himself. It covered him from ankle to chin. Steve smiled at the boy’s head full of dark curls sticking up through the slightly fuzzy mound of pink yarn. He felt bad for kicking the guy out of his own bed, but El was already in there anyway, so he supposed it wouldn’t really change anything if he refused. He felt Eddie's eyes on him as he got up to leave, and for some reason it made him shiver.

- 

The room was unlike anything Steve had ever seen. He hadn’t really looked around much when he was in there before, too focused on El, but everything about the space screamed, Eddie. 

The walls were covered in all manner of things. Posters, drawings, and a sheet spray painted with the words, Corroded Coffin, covered almost the entirety of one side of the room. There was even a guitar mounted up high in front of a mirror. Stacks of books and cassettes littered every available surface, save for one table by the window that housed an overflowing ashtray. Steve loved it. His own bedroom had about as much personality as a brick wall, and he much preferred Eddie’s in-your-face style. 

He slid into the bed next to El, and whether it was the exhaustion or the comfort of having her so close, he was out cold within minutes.

-

Steve woke up sweaty and gasping for air. It didn’t happen too often, but sometimes he would have nightmares about the night he fought the dogs. Only once did he dream about the other presence in his mind, the thing Owens had removed from him with heat. In his dream the plan hadn’t worked. He had been forced to witness everything while trapped inside his own mind as his body went on a rampage through the lab, killing indiscriminately. It took him days to get over that one, it had left him with the feeling of being watched. A prickle on the back of his neck. 

He rolled out of the bed, careful not to disturb Eleven. As much as he wanted her awake, he knew she needed her rest after using so much of her powers. He could wait until she got up on her own. 

Something caught Steve’s eye as he crossed the room to the door. A drawing he hadn’t noticed earlier that hung over the desk. He thought it was a flower at first but as he got closer…

Steve's knees went weak and he heard a loud whooshing sound in his ears as he stared at it. It couldn’t be what it looked like. Could it? 

He tore the piece of paper right off the wall and ran out to the living room, not even bothering to close the bedroom door behind him. Eddie was on the couch, still awake,or awake again, Steve wasn’t sure. He didn’t know what time it was. Either way, the other boy looked more than a little shocked to see Steve rushing up to him.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie threw the blanket off and sat up.

“What is this? Why do you have this?” Steve all but shoved the slip of paper in Eddie’s face. He knew he was being intense, could see it in the way Eddie’s eyes went wide at his tone, but he had to know if these things had gotten out of the lab. If that was the case, their problems were even worse than he thought.

“Will drew it. Will Byers? I don’t know if you would know him. Um, it’s a monster from our D&D game.” Eddie spoke slowly, carefully, like you might do with a child or someone less than stable.

“A game?” Steve pressed. His heart was still pounding but he was starting to get the feeling that maybe he was overreacting a little. It was just too big of a coincidence to let go.

“Yea, Dungeons and Dragons.”

That sounded familiar. Steve took a deep breath and tried to force himself to relax. “That’s the, uh, dice game, right? Nancy’s little brother used to play that I think.”

“He still does, Mike is part of our group too.” Eddie still looked a little on edge but at least he was no longer talking to Steve in that cautious way.

“Since when do you hang out with middle schoolers?” Steve was genuinely curious, but he was also trying very hard to act normal. It was likely too little too late to distract from the way he’d come out of the room in a panic over a picture made with crayon, but he tried. None of this game stuff explained how this kid, or Eddie for that matter, knew what the dog creatures looked like, but, one step at a time. God, he needed El.

Blessedly, Eddie took his lead and ran with it, continuing on as if they were having a normal-ish conversation. “They’re my cousin Dustin's friends, or at least that’s how it started. They’re all in high school now though.”

“Oh. Right.” 

Right, two years. Steve missed graduation. Hell, he’d missed senior year. 

“God, I guess I really am friends with a bunch of baby teenagers now. How will I ever recover my tarnished reputation?”

Steve laughed and it felt so good. He couldn’t believe how easy Eddie was to be around. He liked that the other boy still tried to joke with him, even in their odd circumstances. It made him feel like a person again.

“So this monster, what do you call it?”

Eddie tapped the paper. “That one’s a demodog. It’s not an official D&D monster, it’s more of a homemade thing me and the kids came up with. There’s also the demogorgon, which is a lot like the dog except it stands on two feet and is like 9 feet tall.” Eddie got more animated and excited the longer he went on, but the more Steve heard, the tighter his chest got. ”Then there’s the mind flayer, big black smoke fucker that looks like a giant spider, and most recently this really wicked dude called Vecna.”

Steve gulped. He tried to hide it behind a smile but Eddie narrowed his eyes. He definitely knew something was wrong. 

“Steve?” A soft voice called from the hallway, causing both of the boys to jump in surprise. 

“Hey, sweetie. How do you feel?” Steve asked, rushing to her side and crushing her against his chest in a tight hug. 

“I’m ok. Where are we?”

He guided her over closer to the couch. He wasn’t sure how she would feel about strangers, so he was a little nervous. “That's Eddie, this is his house.”

“He’s Your Eddie?” She gasped, looking up at Steve with a big smile.

Previous panic forgotten for a moment, Steve felt his face heat up and he knew he must be bright red all over. He turned to Eddie and ducked his head, embarrassed. “Sorry, she just means, um, I might have mentioned you before, is all. Stories about school and stuff.”

“I’m flattered to have made the cut, Harrington.” Eddie grinned.

El finally looked at Eddie, moving closer to study his face. Steve could see the other boy stiffen and he sympathized. He remembered being under that same scrutiny once, in the woods, under the rain.

For some reason she reached out for Eddie’s hair. Steve was about to tell her to stop, but Eddie waved a hand to keep him quiet, apparently not minding. She pushed the bangs back from his face and stared into his eyes, all the while Eddie held perfectly still. He smirked a little, amused at the girl’s antics, Steve supposed. 

“Are you..?” She started to ask a question but abruptly dropped Eddie’s hair in favor of grabbing his hands and turning them over. She looked from one wrist to the other, brow furrowed. 

That's when it clicked for Steve. What she was doing, what she thought Eddie was. 

“Honey, he’s not. It’s not possible. I don’t think…”

“No, come look.” She said.

Reluctantly, Steve peered over her shoulder, first offering Eddie a sympathetic smile in place of an apology. He just looked back and forth at them in confusion, and Steve knew they would have to start explaining some things, and soon.

“He has a scar right here.”

Steve's mouth dropped open. Sure enough, Eddie had a deep, but long healed scar in the same spot on his wrist where a number tattoo would have been, if he was indeed like El. 

The front door of the trailer squeaked loudly as it opened suddenly, startling all of them and causing Steve to jolt, further damaging his already frayed nerves. On instinct, he stepped protectively in front of both El and Eddie to face the intruder. 

A gruff older man stood in the doorway. He wore a trucker hat similar to those that decorated the trailer’s wall and there was a set of keys still dangling from his fingers. Oh, Eddie lived with his uncle, right. 

The man blinked up at Steve, a hint of recognition in his eyes. “What’s going on here, Ed?”

Steve backed up and flopped down hard on the couch next to Eddie, willing his heart to get the memo that there was no imminent danger here.

Eddie looked from him, to El, then back up at his Uncle. “Honestly, Wayne? I have no fucking idea.”

Chapter 7

@penny00dreadful @buckleybarnes @steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @iaminmultiplefandoms @adaed5 @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @hotshot9 @manda-panda-monium @ellietheasexylibrarian @stxrcrossed186 @sofadofax @5ammi90 @meccaminayah @bestwifehaver

#steddie fanfic #canon is just a crazy game of d&d #sort of #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #life is a game #steve harrington/eddie munson #eddie munson and dustin henderson are cousins #steve harrington and eleven taking care of eachother #steve and el sibling supremacy #ao3 link

[hbyrde36]

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 4

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 ao3 link

*Eddie - 1986*

“You wanna tell me about your little visit to the Harrington place last night?” Hopper asked, arms crossing over his chest.

Eddie looked down at the clothes in his hand, he’d clearly been caught red handed, but he couldn’t just admit to it, could he?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eddie deadpanned.

“Seriously? Don’t give me that shit, Munson!” 

“Jim..” Wayne said. A clear note of warning in his voice.

Eddie grinned. “You gonna arrest me, Hop?” 

The chief sighed heavily. “You steal anything?”

“No” Well, unless you count an outdated catalog and a dead boy’s jacket..

Hopper nodded to himself, as if he had known that already but still had to ask. “No. I'm not here to arrest you, but you can’t go around doing shit like this, It’s not safe!” Eddie couldn’t help but notice Hopper sharing a quick, but very loaded look with Wayne, before he continued. Weird. “What were you doing there?”

Eddie glanced at the kids, who were still sulking and looking everywhere but at him.

“Don’t look at them, I asked you a question.” Hopper snapped.

“If I'm not under arrest, I don’t see why I have to answer you.”

Apparently, Wayne had had enough. “Boy, if you don't start talking, I’M gonna put you in handcuffs.” He said, raising his voice to a level Eddie hadn't heard before. 

“Okay, fine! It’s not a big deal. I knew the house was empty and I thought I'd check it out. That’s all, I was just curious.”

“Right. So you weren’t off on some vigilante mission to solve the Harrington kid’s disappearance?’

Eddie whipped his head around to look at the kids. So that’s why they were sulking. Fucking traitors spilled the beans. 

“If you already knew then why pull the whole cop routine?”

Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose, mouthing along as he silently counted to ten. “Do you think the feds havn’t scoured every inch of that place? Looked into every possible scenario?”

Eddie shrugged. “They didn’t talk to Nancy Wheeler.”

“Why would they talk to her?”

“Oh, I don't know.” Eddie began, tone absolutely dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe because they dated only a couple months before he went missing? Don’t you find that odd, Chief?”

Hopper sighed again, all of his hardass pretense falling away. “Maybe, kid, but it's out of my hands.”

He picked up his hat off the coffee table and moved towards the door, pausing for a moment with his hand resting on the latch. “They really never talked to her?” Hopper asked, turning again to face the room.

“No, she told us herself when we interviewed her.” Dustin helpfully supplied.

“Jesus christ.” Hopper breathed. “This ends now, you hear me? I don’t want to see any of you poking around where you don’t belong. If that boy is still out there somewhere, well, we’re just going to have to trust that the government will find him. The rest of us will just have to wait and see.” 

With that, he finally took off. Leaving Eddie to deal with his uncle and the boys alone..

Eddie shuffled his feet. It was one thing to mess around with the chief, but he loved his uncle and he didn't like disappointing him.

“Wayne, I'm sorry. I..”

“We’ll talk later. Ok, son?” Wayne interrupted, but not unkindly. “I gotta get a few hours of sleep in me before I can deal with this.” He didn’t wait for a response, just set off in the direction of his room.

Eddie rounded on the boys, ready to start pointing fingers. “What were you guys thinking? Why would you tell Hopper about our investigation?” Jesus, he sounded just like them now. Investigation, pfft.

“He cornered us this morning at Will’s!” Mike said, defensively.

“Yeah! Come on, Eddie. You know he’s dating my mom now. What were we supposed to do? He had your vest!” Will pleaded.

“Maybe if you had told us what you were doing we could have thought up an excuse.” Mike accused.

“Alright, alright. It's fine. I’m not mad. Just, I guess that’s it then.”

“What?! We can’t give up now!” Dustin argued.

“Yea, forget Hopper. Did you find anything last night?” Lucas asked eagerly.

Eddie thought of Steve’s room, and the items he had safely tucked away in his own. He didn’t like lying to the kids, but there was no way they’d drop this thing if he told them. It was all too weird. Even if he had no intention of listening to Hopper himself, he could at least keep the kids out of it. 

“No, nothing. Place was empty.”

All of them but Dustin groaned in unison, murmuring some form of ‘got in trouble for nothing’ and ‘waste of time’. 

“Come on, i’ll drive you little shits home” Eddie offered, motioning them all to the door. The least he could do was get the kids out of the house so his uncle could get a good day's sleep. 

Unsurprisingly, the boys were able to convince him to take them to the diner before shuttling them home. It was an easy sell since he hadn’t had any coffee or breakfast yet that day. Dustin was subdued, which should have been Eddie’s first clue that something was up, but he was too lost in his own ruminations to think anything of it.

Later, once the others had been dropped off, Dustin cleared his throat loudly from the passenger seat. He was staring daggers into the side of Eddie’s head. 

“What??”

“Are you gonna tell me what you really found at Steve’s, or are you gonna try and lie to me again?” Dustin spat.

Eddie scowled but didn't even try to argue, just turned the van around and drove them back towards the trailer park. He should have known Dustin would see right through him. Not only were they cousins, they were also best friends. Maybe if he begged, the kid wouldn’t tell the others. 

The pair quietly slipped into Eddie's room, careful not to make too much noise and wake up Wayne. Once inside, Eddie softly told Dustin the whole story, pulling out the catalog, the jacket, and finally the photo from his wallet.

“I don’t know what any of it means but..” Eddie trailed off.

“It’s weird.” Dustin added, finishing the sentence for him. 

A few beats of silence went by between them, where Dustin kept looking from the jacket, emblazoned with the name Harrington across the back in big bold letters, to Eddie’s face. The kid’s mouth was screwed up in the way it always did when he was on the verge of figuring something out, like a particularly difficult homework assignment, or the best way to defeat an opponent in combat. 

“Did you.. like Steve?” Dustin asked.

Eddie tensed. It was the last thing he was expecting, so even as he tried to play it off, he knew it wouldn’t be convincing. “Sure, like I said, he was an okay guy.”

Of course Dustin didn’t buy it, or let it go. “No, I mean, did you have like, a crush on him or something?”

Eddie made a high strangled noise in his throat, which Dustin didn’t seem to notice. 

“It's just, I couldn’t help noticing how your face got when Nancy talked about him yesterday, and I mean, taking this?” Dustin lifted the jacket up between them as if it were a damning piece of evidence in a murder trial.

Eddie paled. “Dustin, you can't just ask people shit like that. It’s not..it’s not safe to be openly different, and if someone wants you to know, that, about themselves, they will tell you when they’re ready.”

Dustin's face fell. “Shit. I'm sorry.” It sounded like he meant it, as it the gravity of what he’d implied by asking had just occurred to him. 

“It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean any harm by it. I do trust you, Dusty, it's just that you’re a kid still.” 

“I would never tell anyone, cross my heart.”

“I know.”

“Does that mean..?”

“Yea, buddy. I’m…gay. Wayne knows. He's the only person I ever told. He’s good with it.”

Dustin lurched forward, hugging Eddie around the middle. “Thanks for telling me.”

”You’re welcome.” Eddie chuckled, as if the kid had given him a choice. He had always thought Dustin would be okay with who he was, he just hadn’t been quite ready to go there yet. Now though, he was glad. He felt lighter, happy that another important person in his life knew the full truth of him.  

“So, Steve huh?” Dustin asked, smirking.

“Oh, shut up man!” Eddie groaned, picking up the nearest pillow and flinging it in Dustin's face. The two of them immediately dissolved into hysterical laughter. 

They must have been a little too loud because Wayne came knocking a few minutes later.

“You boys hungry?” He asked, pushing the door open a little.

Eddie quickly shoved Steve’s jacket behind his back. Not suspiciously at all. “I thought you had to work tonight?”

“I called out, figured I should keep an eye on you tonight after this morning’s debacle.” Wayne answered.

“You don’t have to babysit me, I won’t do it again, I swear.” Eddie begged, mortified at being treated like a nine year old. 

Wayne raised his eyebrows. “Dusty, if you’re going to stay you better go call your mom. Ed and I need to have a little talk. 

Dustin didn’t need to be told twice, and all but sprinted out of the room.

Wayne stepped further inside and shut the door, leaning against it. 

“I’m sorry Wayne, I swear I wasn’t breaking-in, breaking in. I was just curious and the kids talked me into it and..”

“I know, okay? And I’m not mad. I’m not thrilled that you were out there sneaking into someone's house like a common criminal, but I know you weren’t looking to steal anything. I’m sure it’s been hard, and I know you're curious about what happened to that boy but…I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you to do anything to draw attention to yourself.”

“Have you met me?”

“Yes, Ed. I have, and that's sort of what I'm getting at here. You already go around looking all flashy like you do with the hair and the chains and what-no, and you know I'd never tell you to not be yourself, but there's bad people out there. I just worry about you, is all.” 

Oh. Is that what this was about? Was uncle Wayne worried he was going to be gaybashed in jail or something if Hopper hadn’t let him off with a warning?

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can, but please be more careful.”

-

When school started up again on Monday Eddie arrived at his locker to find Dustin already waiting for him. The younger boy shoved a paper under his nose as he worked the combination lock.

“What am I looking at here?” Eddie asked, squinting at the too-close writing.

“I made a list, places Steve used to frequent.”

Eddie sighed, wrenching the locker door open and swapping out textbooks. “Like what?”

“Well school, obviously, but more specifically his locker, the gym, and the pool. Also, and these came from Nancy, the drive in, Enzo’s, skull rock, and the junkyard, weirdly.

“So, here, three make out or date places, and the junkyard? This is…not a lot to go on.”

Dustin shrugged. “That's all I've got for now, I'll let you know if I come up with anything else.”

“No, you won't.” Eddie said, shoving a finger into his cousin’s chest. “You and the rest of the party are officially staying out of this from now on. I'll let you know what I find out but that’s all.” He snatched the paper out of Dustin's hands and stalked off down the hall before the kid could argue.

The locker was a good idea, but Eddie already knew it was a bust. Steve’s locker had only been a few down from Eddie’s own, and he knew it had been given to someone else last year. Maybe he could ask the ladies in the office what happened to all the stuff that must have been in there, or check the lost and found.

He looked down at the list, thinking, as he stepped around a corner and almost barreled right into Chrissy Cunningham. He stopped himself in time but she still jumped back, startled, and he had to grab her by the shoulders to keep her steady. 

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You okay?” He asked, looking her over.

“I’m fine!” She said, laughing and pressing a hand to her chest. “And wide awake now, so actually I should thank you for that. I hate mondays.”

“Happy to be of service.” Eddie said, grinning.

He’d always liked Chrissy. She was sweet and kind, unlike her other cheerleader counterparts. Much like he and Steve, they weren’t quite friends, but sometimes they would talk. She treated him like a person, not the freak everyone else thought he was. The comparison gave Eddie an idea. 

“Hey, this might be a weird thing to ask, but were you friends with Steve Harrington at all?”

“Only a little, but we ran in the same circles, and we were neighbors. Why do you ask?” She said, tilting her head to the side.

The bell rang and suddenly Eddie noticed that the hall around them had emptied out. 

“Shit, sorry to make you late. Do you think we could talk later and I'll explain?” Eddie asked.

“Sure! Do you want to meet me in the library for lunch?”

“It’s a date” He said, with an exaggerated wink.

*Steve - 1984/1985*

Steve woke up in incredible pain. His back felt raw and he winced as every small movement he made pulled at the many stitches he could feel in the skin back there. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking into the bright light. The first thing he noticed was that he was in the infirmary in a hospital bed. He had mopped the floor in here during his cleaning duties so it was familiar enough. The second thing was El, asleep in a chair right next to his bed. 

He smiled, overwhelmed with happiness that they had both survived, and grateful that she was right there where he could see her breathing and alive. He didn’t want to wake her but he hoped someone would come by soon to check on him. He was in desperate need of more pain medication.

As if on cue, Owens came strolling around the divider curtain seconds later.

“Good to see you awake, Mr. Harrington. How are we feeling? Any pain?” He kept his voice low, perhaps also not wanting to wake the girl who had so recently saved all of their lives.

“Just a little.” Steve breathed.

Owens offered him a small smile. “Of course. I’ll have someone bring you the good stuff in a minute.”

“How long was I out?” Steve asked. 

“Not long, a day. We had to give you some blood, and a lot of stitches. There’s no sign of infection, though we’ll have to keep an eye on you for a few more days. Other than the pain in your back, how do you feel?”

“Fine, uh, normal I guess. Why? Should I not feel normal?”

“Well, you have the distinct honor of being the first person we know of to be injured by one of those things, but not killed. We couldn't be sure that there wouldn’t be side effects, but so far so good.”

Steve decided to not think about that little tidbit of information. “How is she?” He asked, tilting his head in El’s direction. 

“Tired, but fine. Worried about you. She’ll be happy to see you awake.”

Shortly after Owens stepped away, the nurse, a woman Steve had never seen before, came by and pushed something through his IV. Before long, his pain level evened out enough that he could finally think straight. He reached out and smoothed a hand over El’s where it rested on the edge of his bed. 

She was instantly alert, eyes snapping to Steve’s so quickly it made him laugh. The smile she gave him then was bright, something he hadn’t seen since before they’d been caught. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, searching her face. She did look exhausted, with deep bruises under her eyes.

“You are the one in the bed hooked up to machines.” She pointed out.

“Right. I’m okay, I promise.”

“If I had been stronger, quicker, you would not have been hurt.”

“Sweetie, no. Don’t do that to yourself. Not everything is your fault. You did amazing and I'm so proud of you. If those dogs had gotten out and into Hawkins, I.. there's still some people out there I care about, and you saved them. You saved all of us.”

“It is my fault they were able to get through in the first place.”

He shook his head. “It’s not. That asshole Brenner...”

“No Steve, you do not understand. I’m afraid you won’t love me anymore once you find out, but I have to tell you something.”

He gripped her hand tightly but stayed quiet. He wanted to reassure her immediately that there was nothing she could do that he wouldn't forgive, but he knew whatever this was was eating her up inside, and she wouldn't accept his words until he’d heard her out. 

“There was a man here when I was little, who worked for Papa. He was nice to me, and said we were alike. He said he wanted to help me become stronger. He was..” She paused, turning her wrist over in Steve's grip and running a finger over her tattoo. “One. Papa had put something inside him to stop his powers, but he tricked me into helping remove it. He killed the guards. I thought we were just going to escape but then he started killing the others. I tried to stop him, but I was too late to save them.” El cried as she spoke, gently pulling her hand out of his to wipe at her eyes.

Steve’s chest squeezed in sympathy as he watched and listened. Distantly, he was also furious at Brenner. He had no doubt the person she spoke of was the Henry from the doctor’s story. How dare he take an event that had so clearly traumatized this poor girl, and frame it in such a way to make Steve doubt her? It was despicable, much like everything else that happened in this god-forsaken place. He had to get them out of here. 

El sniffled and continued. “We fought. I don’t know how I did it, but I sent him through to the place where those creatures live. I killed him, Steve. I am a monster.” Her tears turned to sobs that wracked her small frame. His heart broke.

Steve sat up, it was excruciating and he was almost positive he pulled more than one stitch, but nothing was going to stop him from comforting her in that moment. He wrapped an arm around her as best he could and squeezed.  

“You’re not a monster. He was hurting people, you were defending yourself. You’re allowed to do that. You’ve been saving the world your whole life, haven't you?.” 

The last bit earned him a weak grin, and that was worth all the pain and more.

The story about One answered some questions that had been bothering Steve since their arrival. It made more sense now, why El felt so strongly that all of this mess with the creatures and the gates to another world was her fault. Although, he still very much disagreed with her on that point. It also explained where all the other children had gone. He had hoped for a happier ending, one where the kids had been let go and reunited with their families. It was an unlikely fantasy, he knew, but this truth was so much worse than he could have guessed. Steve would have wondered at the man’s motives, but he was dead. What would be the point? 

-

It seemed that Steve’s heroics in the basement of the lab had earned him a good amount of respect with the various scientists, doctors, and orderlies. He was even granted a bit of freedom once he was released from the infirmary. The door to his room was now locked only at night, though he was still confined to his floor. He was also, surprisingly, allowed to have the improvised weapon he’d used to keep the monsters at bay. He’d been shocked upon arriving back at his room to find the baseball bat leaning against the desk, its end stained with dried black blood. 

He was healing nicely, but wasn’t permitted to resume his work for a while. His new unfettered access to the rainbow room provided him a good amount of distraction, as did the increased time with his sister. Following the battle with the dogs, Owens had started letting Steve sit in on his sessions with El. Brenner didn’t like it, and certainly wasn’t about to offer the same, but it seemed that the two lead doctors held complete control over their respective parts of this fucked up project.

Against his better judgment, Steve was beginning to like Doctor Owens, trust him even, if only a little. He treated Eleven like a human being, like the child she was, and not like the science experiment Brenner did. 

-

By Summer 1985, Steve was back to work cleaning, and of course continuing to secretly map out the facility. He was glad to be busy again, but he'd been feeling rather miserable lately. After months of seeing Eleven for hours daily, suddenly several days would pass without him seeing her at all. She promised that everything was okay, but wouldn’t tell him what she was so busy with. That alone would be enough to put him in a bad mood, but he was also just so hot and uncomfortable all the time. He knew it was Summer, but you’d think an operation of this size would be able to afford decent air conditioning. He tried not to be grumpy about it when they did get to spend time together, but he thinks El noticed.

-

Eleven was late and Steve was annoyed. He’d finally convinced an orderly to give him a calendar and today was the 4th of july. Not the most important of holidays, but he’d still wanted to spend it with her. Even if they couldn’t eat hotdogs and watch fireworks. 

No matter how much he tells himself to calm down, Steve can feel himself getting agitated. Figuring that sitting still isn’t doing him much good, he decided to pace the halls, eventually waving his hands in front of one of the cameras like a maniac until someone finally noticed him. 

The elevator dinged a few feet away from where he was standing. The doors opened a second later to reveal Doc Owens. “Steve, I think you’d better come with me.”

-

Steve had never been in this part of the building before, the place where Eleven worked with Dr. Brenner. In the middle of the room was a large tank full of water, and he could see her floating in the center of it. He’d been warned to keep quiet, until she was done. Something about ruining her concentration. He would have listened, if El hadn’t started thrashing in the water the minute he arrived. 

Before anyone could stop him, Steve threw himself in the tank, and cradled her in his arms. She came out of her trance with a loud gasp, looking up at him with wide terrified eyes. “It’s inside you. That place, it’s inside you, Steve.”

“It’s as we suspected then. We’ll have to lock him up until we know more about the.. Infection.” Brenner was speaking to the other Doctor but his voice carried in the wide empty room.

Eleven rose in the water, moving to stand between Steve and the rest of the onlookers. “No! I won’t let you do that to him.”

“What’s going on?” Steve asked, torn between being scared at what the she had just said to him and aggravated that he had no idea what was happening.

“Let’s get you both out of there and dried off. Then we’ll talk.” Owens offered, waving the few guards that had gathered off, as he and Dr Brenner approached. “Just talk.” He added, glaring at his colleague.

Not having any choice, Steve and El climbed out. She allowed a woman to wrap her in a thick robe, but Steve declined, the air on his wet skin felt good after being so warm all day. 

“We’ve begun to think recently that something might have been left behind when you were scratched by the creature.” Brenner began.

“But it’s been months, and I'm fine!” Steve argued, taken aback.

“It’s complicated to explain.”

“Try anyway.” Steve said, through gritted teeth.

“There's a lot more going on here than just what we do in this lab.”

“I’m not an idiot!” Steve snapped, “and since you're all telling me there’s something related to those, things, inside me, I'd like to know what’s going on!”

Owens raised his hands in a placating gesture. “We’ll tell you what we can, but you have to stay calm.”

“I’m fine!” Steve shouted. 

The two doctors shared a look, which only pissed him off further, but he wisely kept his mouth shut this time.

“We’ve been seeing signs, and readings, that lead us to believe that somewhere nearby, someone is trying to open a gate to the other dimension. Now, we know the Russians have been working on a secret technology for years. Something that could, in theory, emit enough energy to break through the wall between that other world and our own. We’ve also discovered through wire tapping that the new mall in town is actually owned by a Russian organization who bought it through a shadow company. It can’t be a coincidence.”

“Russians? In Hawkins?” Steve muttered, utterly confused at the turn this conversation had taken.

“What’s a mall?” El asked, quietly. He smiled at her and made a mental note to talk to her about it later. 

Steve returned his attention to the two men and asked the important question. “What does that have to do with me?”

“There seems to be a correlation between the elevated readings and your irritable temperament.” Brenner supplied, unhelpfully.

Steve looked at Owens, hoping for a simplified translation. “Every time someone tries to access the other dimension, you get.. cranky. Here, I’ll show you.”

The doctor turned, bringing their attention to a nearby monitor. He popped a small tape in the machine next to it, and Steve watched in horror as his own image filled the screen. It’s a video of him, alone in his room. He was pacing and yelling, though they couldn’t hear what he was saying. He repeatedly banged on the door. Steve would have thought it was an old video, from when they first got here, if not for the scars that could be seen clearly on his bare back. There were also black lines running up and down his body like veins, shifting and moving under his skin. Steve had absolutely no memory of this. After a few minutes, two orderlies arrived. As the on-screen Steve threw the first punch at them, Owens paused the video. 

“Lock me up. Now.” Steve said, immediately and without hesitation.

“No!” Eleven cried.

He understood why she was defending him, appreciated it even, but this wasn’t up for debate, not after what he just saw. “I could hurt you. I won’t risk that.”

-

Steve wasn't taken back to his own room like he assumed he would be. Instead, he was escorted to a much smaller room with a bare tile floor and a solid metal door. There was no bed, just walls and a floor. Brenner assured him as he locked him inside, that they would do everything they could to figure out how to help him. He doesn’t know if he believes that, but he doesn't have any other choice.

Timing was a funny thing, Steve thought as he stared at the ceiling from his seat on the hard floor. No more than a few hours after being locked inside the room, he started to feel it happen. Like someone was whispering in his mind, he could feel a presence there. Something that didn’t belong, something that wasn’t himself. His arms broke out in goosebumps, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

He got up, knocking on the room’s door, praying someone was around to hear him. He peered through the small glass window until a face swam into view. Owens.

“Something’s happening.” He shouted through the door. 

Steve didn’t like the answering look he received from the man.

“I know. We’re handling it.” Owens said, after a long pause.

“What do you mean?” 

“Listen, Steve, I'm sorry but I can’t tell you.”

“What, why?”

“One of the things we’ve learned through all this, is that entities from that other dimension are connected. It’s called a hive mind, and if you’re contaminated with it, then you might unwittingly give our plans away.”

Steve felt the blood drain from his face. It was a terrifying thought, that he might be controlled by the same force that directed those creatures.

“You really have no idea how to get it out of me?”

Owens' lips fell into a thin line, expression pained. He was definitely holding something back.

“You do have an idea. Tell me” Steve begged.

The doctor shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

Steve groaned. “Staying like this is too dangerous, you saw that tape!”

“It could kill you.”

“You’ll have to kill me anyway if we don’t fix this.” Steve said, knowing with absolute certainty that he was right. Confirmed by the fact that Owens didn’t argue.

“This thing, it doesn’t like the heat. I think maybe we could burn it out of you. It’s like a virus and you're the host. If we make the environment less hospitable, it would be forced to leave or die.” 

“Do it.”

For better or worse, Steve doesn’t remember a whole lot of what happened after that. They forced heat in through the vents of the room. He remembered beginning to sweat, and getting increasingly angry. He started losing chunks of time, little by little, before finally slipping away completely. 

-

This time when Steve wakes in the infirmary, there's another bed set up on the other side of the room. He felt severely dehydrated but wasn’t really in any pain, thankfully. The relief for his own situation dissolved quickly, as he realized the figure lying in the other bed was Eleven. 

Steve yanked the IV out of his arm and swung his legs off the bed in one fluid motion. He was a little wobbly on his feet, but managed to make it to her side without falling over. There was a chair nearby and he sank into it gratefully, ready to sit there all day holding her hand until she woke up.

After a while, he started to talk softly to her as she slept. Nothing too important, just memories of growing up, stories about school friends, basketball games, field trips, etc. He rambled on, needing to fill the silence with something so he didn’t go crazy with worry.

He was so focused on recounting a particularly fond memory of a certain dark curly-haired classmate, that he almost missed it when her eyes finally blinked open. 

“Who’s Eddie?” She asked, voice hoarse. 

Steve laughed wetly, bending down to hug her. 

“Thank god you’re awake. I was so worried. What happened? The last thing I remember is being locked in that room.”

“Papa took me to that place.”

“The mall?”

“Yes. It was pretty on the outside but I did not like the elevator. Papa said the people there opened a gate and I had to close it.”

Oh god, he couldn’t believe Brenner took her to that place while he’d been locked away. Anything could have happened to her. “Sweetie, you can’t keep doing this. One of these times it’s going to be too much. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I had to. I thought it would help you.”

“El..” He didn’t like her putting herself in danger for him. He wanted to tell her he wasn’t worth it, but she wouldn’t let him.

“And I have been seeing a new creature. There's only one but it is huge. Like a giant spider made of black smoke. I could not let something like that out.”

He understood that she felt like she had to help, but he’d had about enough of these people letting one little girl carry the weight of the world on her shoulders alone. “You should have let them solve their own problems for once. You were outside, you could have run while they were busy and gotten away again.”

“Not without you” She disagreed.

“It might have been your only chance.”

“No. We will find a way, together. I know it.”

Chapter 5

@penny00dreadful @buckleybarnes @steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @iaminmultiplefandoms @adaed5 @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @hotshot9 @manda-panda-monium @ellietheasexylibrarian @stxrcrossed186 @5ammi90 @meccaminayah @bestwifehaver @sofadofax @mentallyundone

#steddie #steddie fanfic #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #ao3 #steve harrington/eddie munson #life is a game #steve x eddie #Canon is just a crazy game of D&D #alternating pov #Eddie Munson and Dustin Henderson are cousins #Steve Harrington and Eleven taking care of eachother

[hbyrde36]

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 5

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 ao3 link

*Eddie - 1986*

As soon as he entered the library, Eddie scanned the room for Chrissy’s familiar strawberry-blonde ponytail. It didn't take long to spot her, and when their eyes met she waved him over to where she sat alone at a table in the back corner.

He took the chair catty-corner to her and set his lunchbox up on the table, unpacking his sandwich right away. He wasn’t surprised to see her sitting there with no food, even though it was lunchtime. He’d noticed she often sat in the cafeteria with nothing in front of her, trying to look like she was too busy talking with her friends to eat. It was worrying, and he wondered if anyone else noticed.

Chrissy smiled, looking at him expectantly as he settled in.

“This might sound weird, but, uh, I've been thinking a lot lately about Steve’s disappearance. Sort of looking into it, actually, and there’s some things that aren't really adding up.” He cringed at himself, already half regretting bringing this up to her at all. “Sorry, I probably sound like a total freak right now”

She shook her head adamantly. “No, Eddie. I think it’s nice. Steve might have been popular, but I don't think he had a lot of true friends, no one who was really there for him. I mean, look at what happened. He’s gone, and it’s like no one cares! His parents never even came home after the school reported him missing, isn’t that awful?”

Eddie blinked rapidly as her words sank in. “Wait, I always assumed his parents were the ones who discovered him missing?”

“No. We’ve been neighbors for years, well, we were neighbors, I guess. As soon as Steve began high school his parents started traveling. They were hardly ever home. It wasn’t until he missed a few days of school that the police got involved.”

“Do you remember noticing anything out of the ordinary in the neighborhood around that time?” Eddie asked.

Chrissy flashed him a weak smile, but quickly dropped her gaze to where her hands rested on the table as she spoke. “I think maybe, yeah. It didn’t seem all that weird at the time, but on Easter Sunday that year, I was sitting on the porch with my mom watching my little sister have an egg hunt in the front yard. I saw Steve come out of his house with a girl. She was young and she had really short hair. I only saw them for a minute, they got right in his car and left. I assumed she was a relative visiting for the holiday or something. Honestly, I was just happy he had someone to keep him company for once. I didn’t realize until the next day that he never came home. I still didn’t think much of it at first, he could have been away for the break or something, but later, when it was announced that he was missing, I knew something was wrong.”

“Did you tell anyone about it?” He had to ask. He could almost understand Nancy being overlooked, but if the police hadn’t interviewed Steve’s neighbors?

“Yea, Hopper came around door-to-door the first day of the search, asking if anyone knew anything. I told him about that day, and the girl. He said he’d follow up, but I don't know if anything ever came of it.”

Eddie recalled Hopper saying things were out of his hands now, that the government was handling it. Had the chief told them Chrissy’s story?

He thought of the photo hidden away in his wallet, but hesitated, wondering if it was safe to show her. She did seem to genuinely want to help, and what harm could it really do.

Eddie glanced around to make sure no one was paying them any attention before pulling the polaroid out and sliding it across the table.

“Is that the girl you saw?”

Chrissy peered down at the picture, eyes growing wide.

“That’s her!” She gasped. “Where did you get this?”

“I think, maybe it's better if I don’t tell you.” Eddie pulled the photo back, quickly tucking it away again. “It wasn’t anything bad, I promise.” He added quickly, not wanting to come off like a creep. “I just don’t want anyone else getting in trouble, so, the less you know the better.”

She reached over and patted him on the hand. “It’s fine, Eddie. I get it.”

“Thanks, and, um, would you mind not telling anyone that I asked you about this?”

She smiled at him warmly. “Your secret is safe with me. I’m just glad someone cares enough to keep looking for him. Steve was a sweetheart deep down, even if he didn’t always show it. “

The bell rang and they both got up. Chrissy could have taken off, but she hovered, waiting for Eddie to gather his things so they could walk out together.

“If you ever want to talk again, I'm here. About this or anything else, ok?”

“Sure thing, Cunningham. I’ll see you around.”

He didn’t know what he’d done to endear himself to the cheerleader, but he was glad for it. Maybe they really could be friends.

-

This was a bad idea, arguably worse than breaking into Steve Harrington's house, but Eddie had spent the whole afternoon thinking over everything he’d learned from Chrissy. It just sounded so odd. Even shitty parents had to show up when their kids disappeared, right? If only for appearances sake, at least. This whole thing about the girl was really gnawing at him too. Hopper was going to be pissed, but at least Eddie was coming right to him with it, and not running wild around town or whatever the fuck everyone was so worried about him doing.

It was weird going into the police station on his own two feet. Eddie always figured his first time inside would involve being hauled in wearing handcuffs, not him walking in voluntarily and politely asking the secretary if he could see the chief.

Hopper was out, apparently, but Eddie wasn’t in a hurry. He didn’t have anywhere to go but home, and this was important. Finally, after about 40 minutes, the man he’d been waiting to see came walking through the door. He frowned down at where Eddie sat and quickly hauled him up by the arm, marching him straight into an office. Hop closed the door and the blinds, which seemed like overkill but Eddie wasn’t gonna call him on it.

“What are you doing here, kid?” Hopper leaned back in his chair, lighting up a cigarette that quickly filled the small room with smoke.

“I know you told me to drop it, but I was talking to Chrissy Cunningham today and…”

Hopper slammed a hand down on the desk. “That’s right. I DID tell you to drop it. So why are you out there interrogating witnesses?!”

“I wasn’t interrogating her. We’re in school together, I bumped into her in the hallway and we got to talking. We’re.. friends.”

The older man almost cracked a smile. “You, Eddie Munson, are friends with Chrissy Cunningham?”

Eddie glared. “Believe me or don’t, chief, I don't care. She told me what she saw. Did you even look for this girl? Try and figure out who she is? Is she missing too?”

Hopper blew out a long plume of smoke, stubbing the cigarette out in the very full ashtray that rested on his desk. “Eddie, you have to let this go. I’m sure you mean well, but you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I may not know what I’m doing but at least I care enough to try!”

“It’s not that I don’t care, kid, it’s out of my jurisdiction. There are things at play here that you don’t understand.” Hopper sighed, massaging his temples. “Look, I think you need to talk to Wayne about this.”

Eddie wrinkled his nose. “Wayne? What does he have to do with anything?”

“I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on. I’d ask if you need a ride home but I saw your monstrosity of a van out in the parking lot.”

It was a clear dismissal. Eddie wanted to keep arguing but knew it would be a waste of time. He stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

-

Eddie got home just in time to catch Wayne before he left for his shift at the plant. He'd gone back and forth about it for the whole drive home, whether he’d mention his visit to the police station or not. Apparently Hopper had made the decision for him. Eddie’s foot was barely in the door when it started.

“Chief called.” Wayne said gruffly. He was standing in the kitchen by the door as if he’d been waiting on Eddie’s arrival. “I thought you were done with this, Ed?”

“Well I'm not!” Eddie snapped.

It was probably a little harsher than his uncle deserved, but Eddie was well and truly pissed off now. How dare Hopper call and rat him out. He was legally an adult for Christ’s sake!

“Do you know what I found out today?” Eddie seethed. “His fucking parents didn’t even know he was gone, Wayne, and once they found out they apparently didn’t give a shit. No one in this goddamn town seems to give a shit!”

“Ed..” Wayne looked taken aback by his attitude, and honestly, Eddie was a little surprised at himself too. He didn’t realize how upset he’d become about the whole thing. He wasn’t sure when his curiosity had become something so much more.

“What if it was me?” Eddie pushed. “Would you ever stop looking if something happened to me?”

“Of course not.” Wayne quickly replied. “But that’s different, you’re my boy.”

Eddie deflated a little at the reminder that maybe it wasn’t his place to do this. Maybe he was overstepping, but he just couldn’t let it go.

“I have to go, i’ll see you in the morning.” Eddie muttered, turning on his heel and straight out the door he’d just come through.

He speed walked to his van, pretending not to hear his uncle calling after him to stop. He needed to get out of there, take a drive, find somewhere to sit and think or something.

-

Eddie had never been a hike through the woods kinda guy. Though he’d never been to one, he always thought of himself as more of a city person. The anonymity that could be had in a place like that, where the population was so enormous, was intriguing. As well as the prospect of said population being a bit more open-minded than their small town counterparts.

He didn’t really know why he stopped at the pull off. The one closest to the trail that would lead him right to Skull Rock. He blamed Dustin and his stupid list for putting the idea in his head. The walk was longer than he expected, and by the time he reached the base of the rock formation, he had to take a seat and catch his breath.

He supposed it was as good a spot as any to sit and sulk about his day. Being in this place did weirdly make him feel close to the missing boy. Just knowing there was a chance that, in another time, Steve might have sat right where he was sitting now. Realistically, he’d probably had a girl here with him at the time, but Eddie decided to ignore that part of it, instead choosing to picture Steve right there, back up against the rock, smoking a cigarette from the pack in his jacket.

It was quiet out there in the woods. Usually Eddie hated the quiet, he’d much rather blow his eardrums out with a good metal mixtape than commune with the sounds of nature, but something about this moment just felt right. Like he’s exactly where he should be for once.

Eventually, it starts getting dark, and Eddie knows he needs to head out soon, otherwise he might have trouble getting back to the van. He decided to have one more smoke before making his way back through the trees. He lit up and pushed himself to his feet, arching his back to stretch until something made a satisfying pop.

The sound echoed, which was weird. Then it happened again, and Eddie realized it was the sound of branches snapping under foot. His heart raced. He didn't know whether to check it out or run in the opposite direction. He stood there, frozen in indecision, until a figure came bursting through the brush.

*Steve - 1985/1986*

El didn’t hide things from Steve anymore, no matter what Brenner said or threatened. Neither of them wanted to risk being caught unaware again, and so they made a promise to each other. No secrets.

It was Christmas 1985 when Steve figured it out. Honestly he felt a little like an idiot for not realizing it sooner, but that was nothing new for him. Feeling like he’s ten steps behind everyone else was kind of his default setting.

Steve had thought this holiday would pass like all the others during their time in the lab, with barely any acknowledgement from the various doctors, scientists, and staff. But Owens, it seemed, was determined to prove he was a good guy, or at least that he wasn’t as bad as the rest of them. He brought in a small 3ft tall christmas tree, which Brenner begrudgingly allowed to be placed in the rainbow room. It had lights but no ornaments. That was fine, Steve taught El how to make paper chains that they draped around it instead.

Since they had no way to buy gifts, Steve and El drew really bad portraits of each other, giggling as they shared them. All while enjoying one last surprise from the doc, a huge thermos full of hot chocolate.

Steve had been sitting on his realization all day, not wanting to ruin the mood when they were actually having a good time for once, But eventually it started getting late, and he knew they wouldn't have long before being forced back to their rooms.

Without a word, he got up from the table they’d been sitting at and moved over to the chess station. It had become their code for when one of them needed to have a serious conversation. One they needed to be sure wasn’t overheard. He waited for her to join him at the board and slowly moved out his first pawn.

“I think I know what Brenner’s doing, what he’s really had you looking for all this time.” Steve said, smiling brightly, the expression not at all matching the grave tone of his words.

Eleven returned his smile, letting them each make a few more moves before she replied.

“He says we are just exploring this new world, and making sure the creatures stay there. Sometimes he asks me to watch people over here though, the ones who speak differently, like at the mall.”

“The Russians, yea. I think that’s mainly about trying to make sure they don’t get ahead of us with technology, and that they're not trying to open another gate. That’s not what I mean.”

“What do you think it is?”

Steve hesitated, suddenly doubting himself. “It might be dumb, I could be wrong.”

She started to reach out to him, almost breaking character, before dropping her hand back down to her side. “You are smarter than you think, Steve. Please tell me.”

“I think it’s Henry. I think Brenner suspects that One is still alive in there and wants you to find him.”

He watched as the idea sank in, as she ran through her mental catalog of every interaction with the lab, every conversation with Papa. “If he is alive, he won’t be the same. He was bad before but if he has been living with monsters all this time…”

“He’ll be so much worse” Steve finished for her.

“Why would they want me to find him?”

“I don’t know. It seems like asking for trouble to me.” Steve would like to think that they wanted to find the guy in order to eliminate him as a threat, but somehow that didn’t sound like a Brenner move.

“What do we do?”

Steve chewed his lip. “Now that you know what you’re looking for, it should be easy to avoid it, right?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

-

A few months passed without incident, and Steve started to relax. Either their plan was working or his theory was wrong. He was glad for it either way.

He was marking the days off on his calendar when he realized they had missed an important milestone. It had been two years since they were caught and taken back to the lab. The anniversary had passed a little over a week before. His heart sank.

Two.

Years.

Two years, and he was no closer to getting them out of there than he was on day one.

Steve wondered if El realized it and just hadn’t said anything, or if she’d be just as caught off guard as he was. He knew she was with Owens today, so he could go see her right now if he wanted to.

It took twenty minutes for him to find a guard available to take him to the right floor, but at least the guy didn’t hover. He let Steve off the elevator and then went back about his business. It had taken some time after his possession for the lab’s personnel to relax around him again, but finally things were getting back to normal.

Steve was almost to the door of Owens’ office when he heard a gut-wrenching primal scream. He knew without a doubt that it was Eleven. He burst through the door, almost crashing into the doctor’s back.

Owens didn’t even turn around, he was staring up at El, who was floating several feet in the air. Blood ran down her face in streaks, and it wasn’t just coming from her nose this time. Her eyes and ears were also bleeding freely. She had one hand raised up in front of her, the same way she did when she needed to really focus her powers. It looked like she was fighting something only she could see.

Steve shook the doctor's shoulders, shouting. “What’s happening? How do we help her?”

The man finally turned, but before he could say a word, El went limp and dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Steve lunged, only half catching her and just barely managing to cushion her fall.

“I don’t know what happened.” Owens said, dragging a hand over his face. “One minute we were talking and suddenly she just stopped responding. Her eyes…”

Steve got a solid grip on Eleven and stood up, cradling her to his chest.

“I should call Brenner.” The doctor murmured to himself. “Steve, can you take her up to the infirmary? I’ll meet you both there as soon as I can.”

He didn’t wait for a response before pulling a chair up and dialing. Something swung from the pocket of a coat sling over the back of the chair, catching Steve’s attention. It was a key card hanging from a retractable lanyard.

Steve didn’t think twice, he snatched it up while Owen's back was still turned and palmed it before walking out the door. He was met in the hall by the same guard who had brought him up. He let the guy take them down to the infirmary, which was on the same floor as his room, as well as the service elevators that he knew went all the way to the ground floor. He had a key, now all he needed was a distraction.

Luck was on their side twice that day, because the moment they stepped off the elevator, the building’s alarm started to go off. The guard pointed, urging Steve to continue down the hall, then he got back in the elevator to go off and deal with whatever was going wrong now.

Steve knew this was their moment, it was now or never, best chance they were gonna get. He ran to his room, El still cradled in his arms. She roused a little and he was able to coax her to wrap arms and legs around him. It would be much easier to run with her that way. He grabbed the bat he still kept next to his desk, it was the best he could do for a weapon.

He ran the length of the corridor, skidding to stop at the other set of elevators. Steve swiped the key card and to his relief the doors opened instantly.

It felt like ages before they reached the ground floor, but in reality it couldn’t have been more than a minute or two. He tapped his foot impatiently the entire way, praying no one was watching the cameras.

The doors slid open and Steve took a tentative step out. Someone spoke nearby and he froze, it was the last voice he wanted to hear in that moment. He thought they were done for. Brenner was facing away from them, but Owens, who he was standing there speaking with, was looking directly at them.

Owens tensed but allowed the Brenner to continue without interrupting. Steve didn't know what to do. He stood there frozen for a handful of seconds until he noticed the doc subtly gesturing towards the emergency exit door with his head.

Steve nodded dumbly and backed toward it, not taking his eyes off the pair of men until they were around a corner and hidden by the wall.

He carefully pushed the door open with his hip. The alarm was already going off, so he didn't need to worry about that, but the metal arm on the door sounded loud to his ears, in his tense and anxious state.

No sooner were they outside, breathing their first mouthful of fresh air in far too long, than the alarm changed pitch, indicating the building was going into lockdown. He’d gotten them out just in time, with not a minute to spare.

Steve took in their surroundings. The building was flanked by trees, which would provide excellent cover for their escape, but it was also completely enclosed by a tall chain link fence. He wasn’t sure how he’d get them both over it.

He shook Eleven gently as he walked towards the perimeter.

“El honey, I need you to wake up. We have to climb the fence and I don't think I can carry you over it. Please…”

She stirred, blinking her eyes open, and threw a hand out towards the barrier. Steve never got used to seeing El using her powers. He watched, slack-jawed, as an unseen force separated the links in a line that went about 7 feet up.

She sagged back against him and Steve squeezed her tight. He curled himself around her as he pushed through the narrow opening, scratching the hell out of his arms in the process, but thankfully leaving her untouched.

-

Steve ran as fast as he could, for as long as he could. He wasn’t in as good a shape as he used to be, the lab didn’t exactly have a gym facility, and El wasn’t as small as she used to be either. He managed as best he could, ignoring the burn in his lungs and biceps, as well as the sting from the scratches that still trickled blood.

When he couldn’t go another step, and felt like they were far enough away, Steve finally stopped to take a break. He carefully set Eleven down on the ground, leaning her up against a downed tree before plopping down next to her to catch his breath.

Steve rested his head in his hands and tried to think. It would start getting dark soon, but he didn’t know where to go. Home wasn’t an option. The lab knew his full name so it wasn’t a stretch to assume they knew his address too. Besides, he’d been gone for two years now, who knew if that house even was his home anymore.

He gasped in surprise when two small hands wrapped themselves around his wrists, pulling them away from his face. He hadn’t heard her wake up. El was looking him over with concern, appearing much more lucid than she had been before.

“You are hurt.” She said, fingers hovering over the smattering of small wounds on his arms.

“It’s nothing, I'm much more worried about you. What happened back there?”.

“It was Henry, One. He.. found me. I was here, and then I was somewhere else. Like the dark place, except it was different.” Her eyes grew more and more haunted as she spoke. “It was awful, Steve. He does not look like a man anymore, but he is not like the faceless monsters either, and he is so angry. He has been trying to find a way out, but every time he comes close I get in the way. It’s been him, this whole time. The creatures are part of him, he’s seen things. He knew your name.”

Steve gathered her up in a crushing hug, both of them shaking. For the first time he’s afraid that running away might have been a mistake. What if Henry tried for her again? He wouldn’t have the first idea how to help, or how to stop it, but the lab...

No, he couldn’t worry about that right now. He needed to find them some form of shelter to at least get through the night.

There was a rough trail not far from where they were resting, and Steve was pretty sure it would lead them to Skull Rock. It wasn’t a perfect solution but it would provide some cover. He hadn’t come at it from this direction before, but it made sense considering the side of town the lab was in. Steve wasn't exactly a boy scout or anything, but he always had a good sense of direction.

El insisted she could walk. Steve tried to protest but it was half hearted at best. He was utterly exhausted.

Steve smiled when he spotted the top of the rock, but slowed his steps as they got closer and he caught a whiff of cigarette smoke. Shit. He hadn’t expected anyone to be out here. He tip-toed closer, trying to make as little noise as possible, but was sure he stepped on a twig or two anyway. He heard the jangle of chains and his heart shot into his throat. Steve could only think of one person in Hawkins who wore chains. It couldn’t be.

He peaked through a small gap in the bushes and spotted a familiar head of dark curly hair. It was a little longer than he remembered, but unmistakable. If the boy was anything like Steve remembered from school, someone who regularly stood up to defend others and had a habit of adopting any outcast he came upon, then he was sure they could trust him to help.

Steve turned, ready to warn El that they had company, but instead, for the second time that day, he was just in time to catch her as she fainted. He knew walking all this way was going to be too much.

He cradled her in his arms and pushed through the last of the brush separating them from the rock.

The other boy went deathly pale, blinking hard several times as he stared at the new arrivals.

“Harrington? Is that really you?”

Steve felt a surge of sympathy for the guy, he knew they must be a sight, covered in blood and dirt.

“Eddie, please. I need your help”

Chapter 6

@penny00dreadful @buckleybarnes @steddie-there @yeahhhh-suga @goinsteddie @brbsoulnomming @the-s-is-silent @paintsplatteredandimperfect @estrellami-1 @herebedragons404 @epiclazershark @iaminmultiplefandoms @adaed5 @mentallyundone @hardboiledleggs @hotshot9 @manda-panda-monium @ellietheasexylibrarian @stxrcrossed186 @5ammi90 @meccaminayah @bestwifehaver @sofadofax

#steddie fanfic #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #ao3 #steddie #canon is just a crazy game of d&d #sort of #eddie munson and dustin henderson are cousins #steve harrington and eleven taking care of eachother #life is a game