Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

"And to that, you need to add?"

"Hydrochloric acid," Y/n says turning to look at his dad as he remembers the answer, both of them walking through the car park of Hawkins Middle School as Y/n revised for his chemistry test which was in a couple of minutes. He always did well in his exams, especially his science ones, given the fact his dad was a science teacher so he always helped him out, but he still liked to revise before each exam.

"Great, you're all set for the exam," His dad tells him with a smile.

"Thanks for helping me out dad," He says.

"Morning Mr. Clarke!" Dustin shouts as he walks up to them, Lucas behind him, "Morning Y/n"

"Good morning Dustin, Lucas, how are you boys doing today?" He asks them.

"We're okay," Lucas tells him.

"Where's Mike?" Y/n asks them, knowing the three, though usually four boys, always arrived at school together.

"He should be here soon," Dustin told him, "What are you studying?" He asks.

"Chemistry, I have an exam first period, I should probably get going," He tells them with a smile, "See you later kids, be careful, and I'll meet you at your classroom after school dad"

"Good luck with the exam, champ," His dad says as he walks away.

"Bye Y/n!" The two boys add waving at him.

He takes out his headphones and puts them on as he starts listening to "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbinson, walking to Hawkins High School and focusing on the lyrics. He looked back at the boys who were happily talking with his dad, and all he could think about was the 4th member of their party, Will Byers, who had gone missing yesterday. He knew him really well, after all, he was always helping Joyce by looking after him while she and Jonathan worked, he was like the little brother he never had. When he heard the news about Will's disappearance he was devastated, he couldn't imagine Will running away or getting himself in some kind of trouble, but he also couldn't imagine him getting kidnapped by anyone in Hawkins, sure you had your usual creeps like every other town, but none that would ever do such a thing. All he could do, for now, was help around with the investigation and stay alert for anything weird so he could hopefully be found soon.

"Jonathan!" Y/n shouts as he sees him walking to school in front of him, he pauses the song taking off his headphones and walks towards him.

"Y/n, hey," He says, looking more tired than usual.

"Have you heard anything?" He asked him, hoping for some good news.

"Nothing yet, I'm going to check and see if my dad has something to do with it though I doubt it, he never cared about us" Jonathan explains to him as they start walking towards the main doors.

"Well if you need anything at all, just let me and my dad know okay?"

"Okay, I'll make sure to let you know," He says.

Y/n smiles at him, he looks down and notices a paper in his hand.

"What's that?" He asks him.

"Oh, just a missing poster my mom and I made, I'm going to put it in the school news board so people can keep a lookout," He tells him handing him the poster.

He takes it looking down at it, 'Have you seen me?' is written in capital letters on the top of the page with two pictures of Will under it, the general information about him and the clothes he was wearing when he went missing.

"We'll find him, I'm sure of it, Will's smart, he'll be okay," He tells Jonathan handing the paper back to him, hoping that the words coming out of his mouth will come true.

"I hope so, I really hope so," He says as they walk into the school, "I'll see you later"

"Yeah, I'll see you around" He adds waving goodbye at him as he goes over to the news board.

Y/n puts his headphones back on as he starts walking down the corridor, he sees Nancy and Barbara standing with none other than Steve Harrington, Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins, which he found extremely surprising, after all, Nancy and Barbara are not popular, at all, so it was strange to see them together, he had heard rumours though that Steve was going out with Nancy, so he guessed they must be true because there's no other reasonable option for them to be even near each other. Y/n gets along well with everyone really, he's nice to people and helps them out during lessons so luckily no one had ever really found a reason to bully him, which allowed Y/n to get through his so far 3 years of high school without a problem.

He talked with Nancy sometimes, they weren't necessarily friends but they were more than classmates, especially given the fact he knew the Wheelers quite well. Barbara and Y/n had interacted before but they didn't really talk, he got the feeling Barbara didn't like him very much, but he could never figure out why. He never really spoke to Tommy or Carol except when they needed help during class, but they didn't bother him so he didn't really care about them.

And then there was Steve Harrington, Y/n had known him since middle school, growing up in a small town means you pretty much grow up with everyone you go to high school with, in middle school they didn't really talk, Y/n had his friends and Steve had his, it wasn't really until the start of sophomore year when they started sitting next to each other in science that they started talking. Steve isn't the brighter student, but he has parents that have high expectations for him, so he needs to do good in school, lucky for him he sat next to Y/n. The first thing he said to him when Y/n sat next to him on that first day of sophomore year was "Clarke you're smart, help me out here" and he did exactly that.

Did Y/n think Steve was a bad person? Not really, he had always been kind to him and he actually put effort during lessons when he helped him, so he appreciated that. Did he think the rumours about him were true? Yeah, Steve is famously known around the school not only for being the King of Hawkins high school, but also for making all the girls fall in love with him, and sleeping with them, and as far as Y/n knew that was true, most of the girls he knew had liked him at some point, and he wouldn't be surprised if some of the boys liked him too, but him and his best friend, Robin Buckley weren't some of them. Robin had an entirely different reason for not liking him than Y/n did though, Robin couldn't like Steve, Y/n on the other hand technically could, he just didn't see anything special about him, sure he's good looking, he accepts that, but he's a bit of an asshole to some people, he's way too popular and has a huge ego, and he didn't really like that.

"Oh, god, that's depressing" He heard Steve say as he walked past them, he knew they were talking about Jonathan, he was known around as a freak, but those weren't news to Y/n.

"Should we say something?" Nancy asked them.

"I don't think he speaks," Carol told her, chuckling.

"How much you wanna bet he killed him?" Tommy asked.

Y/n stopped walking, listening to what he said, he was a nice person, and he was calm, but like any decent human being, he had his limits.

He turned around to look at them as he opened his mouth ready to snap at Tommy, but before he could say anything, Steve pushed Tommy shaking his head.

"Shut up," He said, not much, the minimum actually, but his tone did show that even he knew Tommy had gone too far, he knew that in comparison to him telling Tommy something, he would at least listen to Steve, and so he decided to keep on walking away as he put her music back on.

Sometimes Y/n asked himself how things would be if Steve didn't hang out with assholes like Tommy and Carol, he believed, from what he knew and saw, that in comparison to them Steve was actually a good person, which he supposes isn't something necessarily hard to be, but from what he had learned about Steve from sitting next to him in the last year and a half, he could tell he was actually a kind person with a good heart when he was away from them, and he guessed he had probably ended up being the way he was because of the friends he has.

"Earth to Y/n!" He snapped out of his thoughts as he looked up, seeing none other than Robin in front of him, "Morning weirdo"

"Morning freak, how are you doing?" He asked Robin, pausing his music and taking off his headphones, stopping at his locker and opening it.

"I am actually doing pretty decent today, which is unusual given the fact I have a stupid math exam first period, and I also have to seat next to Jim, but I guess I shouldn't complain about being in a good mood" She explains to Y/n, rambling, as usual, thought Y/n didn't mind, he actually enjoys listening to Robin over share.

"Well, regardless of the math exam and having to seat next to Jim I'm glad you're having a good morning," Y/n tells her smiling as he takes out his books and puts them in his locker.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm alright, just worried about the chemistry exam and Will," He tells her closing his locker and turning around to fully look at Robin.

"I hope they find him soon," She tells him, worried, even though Robin had never spoken to Will she knew he was Y/n's friend, and she also knew no kid deserves to go through the trauma of going missing.

The school bell starts ringing, Y/n and Robin look at each other with worry.

"Time for the stupid exam," Robin says as they start walking to their classrooms.

"We've got this, it's just common sense," Y/n tells her trying to make sure she doesn't get too stressed.

"Right, just common sense" Robin repeats, not believing a thing, "I'll see you at recess, good luck, love you"

"Love you too, good luck," Y/n tells her as he walks away and into his chemistry room.

He walks inside the classroom and takes a seat at his table, putting his bag on the floor as he takes out his chemistry book, he knows Mr. Thompson gives them some time to do some last minutes studying, so he can at least look over things one last time.

"You could've phrased it differently," He says turning to look at Steve walking over to his desk.

"What?" He asks looking at Y/n confused.

"What you said about Jonathan, well, more like the way you said it, about him putting up a poster being depressive, it actually is, his brother is missing and his family have already been having a hard time, it's not really something to joke about" He explains to him.

"Oh, right, well I'm sorry," He says, and to Y/n's surprise he can actually tell he means it and is being serious, "Today's the exam right?" Steve asks as he takes a seat next to him.

"Yeah, did you study?" He asks him.

"You'll be proud to hear I actually did, so I think I'm going to do pretty well today," He says smirking at him, taking out his notebook.

"Well I am proud, I can't believe you actually studied"

"Neither can I, it was only for like an hour though so don't be too proud," He tells him chuckling.

"Right of course, that I am not surprised about" He adds smiling at him.

The class ended up having 5 minutes to study, which were all taken by Steve asking Y/n a bunch of questions regarding his notes and the things he hadn't understood, but at least he was able to explain things to him before the time ran out.

The exam lasted an hour, for Y/n it was an hour of him just answering the questions, which were surprisingly easy, but for Steve, it was an hour of either trying to remember what he just read or looking over at Y/n with puppy eyes trying to get him to help him up, and he did, for like two questions, the hardest ones in the test, because he knew that giving him most of the answers would help no one, not even him.

Once the time was up Y/n and Steve, along with the rest of the class, stood up and left the paper on Mr. Thompson's desk.

"How do you think you did?" Steve asks Y/n as they walked back to their desks and grabbed their bags.

"I think I did pretty good, how about you?"

"I actually think I did decent, but we'll have to see," He tells him as they walk out of the classroom.

"I guess we will," He tells him.

"Thanks again for helping me out with the two questions, I really didn't understand them"

"It's alright, they were a bit hard and took away a lot of points, I'll see you next lesson Harrington," He tells him, as he starts turning around to go to his next class.

"Yep, see you later, Einstein"

Einstein, Steve's famous nickname for Y/n, he came up with it after he started helping him in science, he called him Einstein for two reasons; The first one being the fact that in his eyes Y/n was extremely smart, like genius smart, he didn't personally think he was that good at science, but he knew he was better than average, or at least better than Steve; And the second reason was that Albert Einstein was the only scientist Steve actually knew something about, because if he really wanted to give him a nickname that actually made sense, he would've called him Pierre Curie, given the fact Y/n was better at chemistry than physics.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, just like most. Y/n had his lessons, then his breaks, and talked with Robin, it was a simple day, which was all he could really ask for.

"And I mean he doesn't even like her, I don't understand what she can see in him" Robin complained as they walk out of the school.

"I mean most girls probably like him based on looks purely, I bet most haven't even had a proper conversation with him, and come on Robin you can do better than wannabe Madonna anyway," He tells her.

Wannabe Madonna is their nickname for Tammy Thompson, they couldn't just go around the school talking about the girl Robin liked without a worry in the world, someone could hear and that would just be chaos.

"I guess, I mean she's just so pretty, and don't know what but there's just something about her that I find hypnotic almost" Robin explains as they walk to the bus.

"I mean she's pretty, but let's be honest how likely is it for her to be anything else but straight?" He asked Robin, whispering the last part.

"Not likely, like at all, god I'm going to be single forever," She said moving her hands to cover her face in defeat.

"No you won't, Robin I guarantee you that one of these days you're going to meet the girl of your dreams and we'll look back at this moment and laugh about your crush on her, trust me," Y/n says moving his hand to Robin's shoulder.

"I hope so, but we'll see, I'll see you tomorrow, take care weirdo," Robin says as she gets on the bus.

"Goodbye freak" Y/n shouts at her walking away to the middle school.

He sees Dustin and Lucas rushing out of the school towards their bikes, in a panic.

"Hey! What's the rush?" He asks them.

"I-umm, nothing, it's nothing, don't worry" Dustin shouts as they get their bikes and pedal away.

"Well that was weird" He mumbles walking inside the school.

He made his way through the corridor and knocked on his dad's classroom as he walked in.

"Hey dad," He says smiling.

"Hey champ, how did your test go?" He asks him, organising some papers on his desk.

"I think it went well, we get the results next lesson"

"Well, I'm sure you did wonderfully," He tells him.

"Hopefully, how were the boys feeling today?" He asks, taking a pile of the papers.

"Well Mike didn't come to school, his mom called to say he wasn't feeling well, he seems really worried about Will" He explains to Y/n as he gets his bag, grabs the other pile of papers, and starts walking out of the room.

"I can't even imagine how worried they must be, I really hope they find him, have they heard anything?"

"Well apparently Earl saw Will, so I'm going around with some others to help look for him," He tells him, locking the door behind him.

"Can I go? I want to help, I don't want to sit at home doing nothing"

He looked at him unsure, ever since Will's disappearance he had been worried sick about some lunatic going around Hawkins, he was worried about something happening to Y/n, but he also knew it was better to let him do things before he found a way to do them himself.

"Sure, but you'll be with me the whole time, okay?"

"You got it chief" He smiled.

~~~~

"So, what exactly do we need to look for? Apart from a small boy, of course," Y/n asks his dad as they walk through the woods.

The evening was a cold one, but it was early November so it was to be expected, the woods were covered in darkness, the only thing giving them light being the flashbacks they had. There were at least fifty people around looking for Will, so hopefully, they could find something.

"Well, we need to look out for anything that might give us a clue to someone being around here, maybe blood, some clothes, an object of his" He explains looking around the ground for anything.

Y/n nods looking around as well but stops when he sees a small hole, he wasn't sure if it was part of the sewers or if it led somewhere else, so he kneeled down in front of it as he looked inside, the space was small but big enough for a small kid to go through it.

"Will!" He shouts, he waits for a response, but there's none, and then he sees it, a ripped-out piece of clothing.

"Dad! Dad! I found something!" He says, Scott immediately turns to him kneeling down.

"What is it?" He asks.

"Look, it's like someone came out from here and ripped a piece of their shirt, don't you think?" He questions.

"Maybe," He says, he takes his whistle and alerts the Chief of police Hopper that they found something.

"Hey, what do you got?" Hopper asks as he runs up to them.

"Not sure," Scott tells him.

"I found this, in there," Y/n tells him, handing him the ripped piece of shirt.

"No way a kid can crawl through there" Officer Powell says, looking inside.

"I don't know, a scared enough one might, his brother said he was good at hiding," Hopper told him.

"And he's small, I could see him fitting through there" Y/n adds, "Do you think it could be Will's?"

"I don't know kid, we'll have to see," Hopper says standing up and walking away.

Hey there peeps!!! Here is the first chapter of my new Steve fanfic! I know I said I would start writing it after I finished the Eddie fanfic but I'm almost done with that one and I really wanted to start writing this one so why not multitask! I hope you liked the chapter, I enjoyed writing it, and I'll be making the fanfic from the third point of view, I feel like I can get more out of the story and characters narrating this way so I hope you like it! The section of the first season will probably be the smallest one compared to the other seasons but I still have some cool things planned so do not worry it won't be boring, I also have like most of the fanfic planned so hopefully that means I won't take too long in between chapters but we will see! The next chapter will probably take longer to come out given the fact I want to at least finish the next ending for my Eddie fanfic before I start writing the second chapter so I would say I'll post the next chapter in around a week, but I'll keep you all updated!

Lots of love, Author!

So, I hope you like the fact you're Mr. Clarke's son because I thought it was a pretty smart thing to do, I've never seen anyone make him the reader's father in any fanfic and he's amazing so I had to do it myself, I also hope you like the fact I have included Robin to be in the story way earlier than she's supposed to be introduced.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

"Y/n, Y/n, Y/n, Y/n!"

He stops walking, turning around to look at who was calling his name in the corridor, and he sees Robin rushing towards him, almost falling back but she catches her balance before she falls and continues running toward him.

"You won't believe what I just saw," She says stopping in front of him.

"What?! What happened?" He asked, wondering what exciting information she found out now.

"Steve Harrington is going out with Nancy Wheeler," She told him, eyes wide open, "Can you believe it? I thought he only dated the pretty easy-to hook up with girls"

"I thought that too, but I also guessed something might be going on between them since I saw them hanging out yesterday" He shares with Robin, "I never would've guessed that Nancy would be the type of girl to go out with someone like Steve"

"Right! I mean she's so smart and pretty! She could get any guy in Hawkins and she went for the dumb popular guy of all" Robin said, she had never been able to understand what people saw on Steve, she saw him as a grade A asshole.

Y/n thought Steve was okay, he didn't want to have much of an opinion on him since he didn't talk to him outside of the classroom so technically didn't know the 'real' him, but he didn't hate him or anything like that.

"Maybe there's something about him that they see" He points out.

"Or maybe they just have such a low-self esteem they will settle for someone like him"

"You really don't like him do you?" He asks her, knowing very well her answer.

"I have a right to dislike him alright, he's an asshole to some people, is rich and he gets the chance to date most if not all of my crushes" Robin explains annoyed.

"How is he being rich something that adds to him being an asshole?" Y/n asks confused as to how that comment is relevant to the conversation.

"Because, meanwhile we're both here poor with our part-time jobs" She complains opening her locker as she takes out her books.

"I'm pretty sure he can't help the fact he's rich, and I'm not really poor, so technically you should hate me too," He tells her, partially joking.

"I could never hate you though, and you're economically okay"

"Wow, so you're saying I'm almost poor?" Y/n asks her walking to his next class.

"I mean...no, but also yes" Robin explains to him.

"Rude" Y/n adds as he pushes Robin away from him.

They both laugh at each other as they continue walking down the corridor, knowing that this is just one of their usual banters. Yet Steve stayed at the back of Y/n's mind after the conversation ended and he wondered what type of person he really is, whether he's an asshole like many think, or whether there's more to him than meets the eyes.

He had most lessons with Steve actually, but they never really talked outside of science, he guessed it was due to the fact in his other classes he sat next to Tommy or some of his popular friends, so it would be weird for him to speak to Y/n as if they were close friends since they weren't, he wasn't even sure if they were friends, he supposed they were simply acquaintances, or just classmates, anything along those lines.

Sometimes he would catch him staring at him, which he found a bit strange but he guessed he just spaced out those times, it happened to him sometimes as well so he knew not to overthink about it. And there wasn't really a reason for him to overthink about it anyway, he didn't find Steve interesting in that way, sure he thought he was probably hiding more than what he led on, and that his only mystery was more than just him trying to act cool.

Other times he surprised Y/n as well, those times tend to be whenever he asked him about the lesson and if he could help him understand what was actually taught, and today just happened to be one of those days.

"Hey, Einstein," Steve says walking over to Y/n's desk.

He looked back at him surprised by the sudden start of a conversation as he packed his books.

"Yeah?"

"Did you-umm, understand anything that Mr. Drew explained?" He asks, knowing full well that he spent half of the class talking with his friends and the other half trying to comprehend what was coming out of Mr. Drew's mouth.

"You're asking me if I understood the crash of Wall Street in 1929?" He responds, slightly confused on how someone couldn't understand at least the basics about it.

"Yes" Was all Steve was able to say, realising how stupid he must seem now.

"Yes I understood it, did you?" He asks, and Steve could tell Y/n didn't seem to have any intention to judge him.

"I mean, honestly, no, but I wasn't paying much attention to be fair," He says, feeling okay with the fact he might be a bit of an idiot.

"You gotta start paying more attention in class Steve, we graduate next year," Y/n tells him as he takes one of the books in his bag out again.

"I know, I know, and I will, I swear"

"You better, because I can help you study but I can't get you the grades at the end of the day. Now, here are the notes I took of today's class, they're pretty self-explanatory but if you need help with them just let me know and I'll go over the topic" He explained handing him his notebook.

"I own you big time" He smiles at him taking the notebook and putting it in his bag

"This is like the thirtieth time you've said that, you own me a lot," He tells him, mostly just joking, but also keeping it in mind.

"I know, but I'll pay you back one day," He tells him, actually being serious and wanting to eventually thank him for all his help.

"You don't actually have to, you know? I help you because I want to, not to get something in return" Y/n points out as both of them start walking out of the room.

"I know, but I still need to thank you, you've helped me more than anyone else, even though it must get annoying"

"And there you're very right, it can be annoying at times but it's not so bad" Steve looks at him confused, unsure whether he should take it as a compliment or be offended.

"Is that supposed to be a good comment?" He asks.

"Well-"

"Hey, Y/n have you seen Barb around? Or do you know anyone that has seen her today?" Nancy asks him clearly worried.

"No sorry, I haven't seen her, I don't think anyone I know has any lessons with her so I doubt they'd know," Y/n tells her, a bit surprised by the question given the fact he never talked to Barb and was a year older than both of them so there was no way he would have any of his classes with her, "Maybe she's off sick"

"Yeah don't worry about it too much Nance I'm sure she's fine," Steve tells her, taking her hand and moving closer to her. Y/n knew it was time for her to go.

"I'll let you know if I hear of her though, I'll see you guys around," He said waving goodbye at them and walking off to his next lesson.

The rest of the day was pretty normal, nothing exciting ever really happened in Hawkins anyway, so aside from school and work there was nothing Y/n had to worry about, except, of course, the fact that Will was still missing and was yet to be found.

He hoped that what they had found last night would at least be a start, but he also knew that maybe what they found meant nothing to the investigation. All he wanted though was for Will to be found and returned safely home.

"Do you have work today?" Robin asks him as they walk down the corridor, the school day finally over.

"Yeah, I'm taking the bus there since my dad has to stay late finishing some things, do you?"

"No, I worked yesterday so I'm free today, but I have to help out my mom with some things" Robin explained to him as she opened the door and they both walked out of the school.

"Sounds fun," Y/n said sarcastically.

"I mean it shouldn't be too bad, but when it comes to my mom there are times when I don't even know what will happen"

~~~~~~

"Do or die, what's done is done" Y/n sings as he skates down the night streets to his house. He had finished his shift for the day and was finally heading home after a long day of serving customers at the cafe, but he got some pretty good tips so he didn't have much to complain about.

Due to the fact he didn't own a car or a bike, he always skated from the cafe to his house, it wasn't too far away and he actually liked skating, it was his way of exercising (since he wasn't in any of the school's teams) and it was fun since he could listen to music while getting home.

Robin had told him that he should just save up for a bike since it was quicker but Y/n would rather save his money on something else that he either needed more or wanted more. 'You'll break your arm or leg one of these days' was what Robin always told him, but in his 7 years of having skates he had only scrapped his legs or arms, he also doubts the fact that tripping on something will make him end with a broken bone, so, for now, it seems he'll just stick to skating.

"Hey dad, I'm home," He says, unlocking the door and taking off his skates, "What's for dinner?"

He closed the door and left his bag next to his dad's, taking off his coat and placing it on top of a chair.

"They gave me some mac and cheese that wasn't sold today so we could eat that if you haven't cooked anything," He told him walking to the living room where his dad was sitting watching the tv as he waited for his response, but there was none, "Dad? What do you-"

"On today's breaking news the body of Will Byers, who was announced missing just yesterday was found by the police minutes ago in the quarry"

Y/n's face drops as he hears the news, he takes a seat next to his dad as he keeps listening to the news trying to process what's going on, trying to process the fact that Will is dead.

"Chief Hopper believes he got lost after crashing his bike and accidentally fell, resulting in a tragic but hopefully painless death, but as of now it is just a theory, and we don't actually know if it was an accident, or perhaps something more. We give our condolences to the Byers family and we hope that they'll be able to get through these tough times "

Scott stands up and turns off the tv right after, not wanting to listen to any more details about the tragic death of his student and his son's friend.

Meanwhile, Y/n is still staring at the screen shocked, frozen in place, trying to understand the news he was just given, Will Byers, the little twelve-year-old boy which he babysat for years now has just been announced dead. He can't understand how such a thing can be possible, how a boy who had his whole life ahead, who was just beginning to live, who was the kindest person he had ever met, was dead just like that.

"Y/n, are you okay?" His dad asks him sitting back down.

"I-no, no I'm not," Y/n says as he starts crying.

Scott immediately pulls Y/n into a hug, his head hiding on his chest as he hugs him back, Scott pats his back gently moving his head on top of his as he closed his eyes. He hoped that Will's death had indeed just been an accident, he had to make himself believe it was, because otherwise he might not be able to sleep for a while knowing that there could be someone out there who wants to hurt kids, and that could possibly hurt his son, he also couldn't believe that Will was dead, a boy he had been teaching for years and saw almost as his son, to end up with a fate late that. Y/n on the other hand just kept thinking about Will, what his final moments were like, whether he suffered or not, he couldn't even imagine how Joyce or Jonathan must be feeling getting the news that he is dead.

"I can't believe he's really dead" Y/n whispered as he stopped crying.

"I know champ, it'll be okay, how about I heat up the mac and cheese," He says, trying to help things calm down for just a second.

"It wouldn't be right if I tried to talk to them tomorrow would it?" Y/n asks him.

"Talk to who?" Scott asks confused.

"Joyce and Jonathan, they probably need some space and time, so I should wait a bit before talking to them, right?"

"Yeah it would be better for them, they need to process everything first, let's wait a couple of days,"

Y/n nodded at his dad as he moved away from the hug, standing up and grabbing his bag, "So, mac and cheese?"

~~~~~~~~

The next day was exhausting, everyone around the corridors kept talking about Will and what had happened, Y/n was glad Jonathan wasn't in school because it would've made things impossible for him, Y/n hoped he and Joyce were okay. He also kept thinking about Barb, Nancy had told him in the morning that she was missing and no one had seen her since Tuesday night. Two people now had gone missing, one of which had been found dead, and Y/n had a terrible feeling that maybe everything that was happening was more than just an accident.

"Just, don't mention the beers, it's just gonna get us both in trouble, and Barbara's got nothing to do with it, okay?" Y/n faintly heard someone say as he walked out of the school.

"I can't believe you right now... I can't believe you"

"Nancy!" He heard someone shout as he walked towards the middle school, he saw Nancy walking out of the spot between the school and gym, angry, like really angry, she didn't even look up when she passed by Y/n, she just kept walking straight to the school.

"Nancy come on!" He turned around and saw Steve coming out of the same spot, he wasn't trying to catch up to her, he knew she would ignore him anyway, "Einstein, hey" He says, his tone softer now as he turned to look at Y/n.

"Hey, everything okay?" He asks him, partially because it was the normal thing to do and also because he wanted to know what had happened, as nosy as it sounds.

"Yeah, everything's okay," He told him; Y/n knew he was lying, Steve knew he knew he was lying, but in a way, they both knew it would be better to leave it like that, "What about you?"

"Oh I'm fine, just walking to the middle school to help out with the assembly" Y/n explained and he nodded at him.

"Cool"

"Yeah, well, I'll see you later," He said unsure of what to keep talking about, as he started walking away.

"Wait," He said walking closer to Y/n, "How much did you hear?" He asked him.

"Honestly, not that much, only the end of it"

"Did it sound bad?" He looked at him confused.

"The argument?" He asked.

"Yes, the argument, did I sound like an asshole?" Y/n didn't think he could really make much out of what he heard, but it didn't sound great either.

"I mean- I barely heard anything, I don't even know the context of the conversation so I don't think it's right for me to say" He explained to Steve.

"That was a stupid question," He said shaking his head.

"If you think you were an asshole then you should apologise to Nancy, she's already having a rough time given the fact Barb is missing, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want to deal with an argument at a time like this," He told him, trying to help, in some way at least, he wasn't sure what to say, but this was the best he could think of.

"You're right, I was an asshole. You know you give great advice"

"Thanks, well I'll get going now, I'll see you later Steve," He says waving goodbye at him as he starts to walk away.

"Yeah, I'll see you later Einstein" He adds softly smiling at him as he walks back into the school.

Hey everyone!! Finally here's the second chapter of the fanfic! I'm sorry the chapter is a bit short and slow! We will get into the proper storyline and action in the next chapter so don't worry! Thank you so much for the constant support with this fanfic, it means a lot to me! The next chapter should be out soon! The bit of the book from the first season will probably be the shortest one since Steve was an ass in the first season and the reader isn't extremely involved with it, unlike the other seasons!

Lots of love, Author!

You guys are not prepared for what I have planned for the fanfic let me tell you

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

Y/n walks inside the middle school going to his dad's room, the place is very quiet, which is the opposite of what the school is usually like, there is a very uncomfortable atmosphere around but it's to be expected, after all, one of the students was announced dead, it's not something that ever happens or people think will happen.

"Hi dad," He says standing at the door.

"Hey champ, thanks for coming to help the kids by talking about losing someone," He tells him walking out of the room.

"No worries, how are the boys doing?" Y/n asks him, walking next to him.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen them today, they must be having a rough time though, I can't even imagine"

Y/n doesn't even want to imagine how they must be feeling, they're only twelve years old and have already lost their best friend to some terrible accident, no kid should go through what they're going through, but the circumstances can't be changed, unfortunately, and all they can do is be there for the boys so things are easier for them, comfort them in any way possible, and make sure that Will's memory lives on.

"Attention students, there will be an assembly to honour Will Byers in the gymnasium now. Do not go to fourth period"

The principal announced from the speakers, when it all goes quiet again they can hear voices coming from somewhere near and just as they turn to the right they see the three boys with a girl standing in the corridors.

"Boys?" Scott says as they turn to look at him.

"Hey," Lucas says, trying not to seem suspicious.

"The assembly is about to start" Y/n adds.

"We know," Mike tells him, "We're just, you know"

"Upset," Lucas explains with a smile before looking down sad.

"Yeah, yeah, definitely upset" Dustin repeats.

"We need some alone time," Mike says.

"To cry" Dustin adds.

Y/n looks at them confused, noticing they are acting stranger than usual.

"Yeah, listen, I get it, I do" Mr Clarke begins telling them, "I know how hard this is, but let's just be there for Will, huh? And then" he gets his keys out from his pocket and tosses them to Mike, "The Heathkit is all yours for the rest of the day, what do you say?" he asks them.

The boys look at him with a smile nodding, happy with the idea.

"I haven't seen you around here before, is she new? What's your name?" Y/n asks the blonde girl standing next to Mike.

"Elev-" The girl begins to say before she's interrupted by Mike, Lucas and Dustin.

"Eleanor, she's my-"

"Cousin!"

"Second cousin"

"She's here for Will's funeral" Mike adds.

Y/n stands there trying to figure out whether the three boys expected him to really believe the obvious lie they just told him, and by the look of it they were sure he was going to believe it.

"Ah, well, welcome to Hawkins Middle, Eleanor, I wish you were here under better circumstances," His dad tells the girl.

"Thank you" She softly says.

"Uh, where are you from exactly?" Y/n asks her.

The eyes of the three boys widen as they turn to look at Elenor who shakes her head.

"Bad place-"

"Sweden!" Dustin shouts.
"I have a lot of Swedish family" Mike adds.
"She hates it there" Dustin mentions.
"Cold" Lucas says.
"Subzero"

Everything feels very awkward after that, Y/n and Scott look at each other, confusion visible on their face, but they decide to just move past the conversation.

"Shall we?" His dad says looking at the kids.

"Yep," Lucas says as they all walk towards the sports hall.

Dustin opens the door to the room interrupting the principal and drawing everyone's attention to the five of them.

"Great" Y/n mumbles.

Dustin turns around trying to leave but is pushed back inside by Lucas.

Lucas, Mike, Dustin and Eleanor take a seat on the benches while Y/n and Scott sit on the chairs behind the principal.

"We have Y/n Clarke from Hawkins High to talk to you guys a bit about how it feels to lose someone, Y/n," The principal says turning to look back at him.

He stands up taking a deep breath, public speaking it's not fun, especially having to talk to a bunch of clearly bored and annoying pre-teenagers. Y/n smiles at the principal walking next to him and moving to look at the kids, most of them looked like they couldn't wait for this to be over, some were mildly interested or at least respected the situation, a very small group was actually upset, and then in the crowd, he saw two boys laughing, he noticed that Mike and Lucas saw them too, and man does he hate bullies.

"Can you two at the back be quiet?" he shouts glaring at the two boys, they look back at him embarrassed and annoyed but stop talking, "Thank you"

Now I could share with you the sad story that Y/n is telling the kids, but in reality, the anecdote isn't actually that sad, he doesn't even remember his mother at all, she died when Y/n was only two-years-old in a car accident, but stretching the truth for the kids to stop being little assholes wouldn't hurt at the end of the day. So he put on his best sad face and took ten minutes of the kid's day to share the story.

"So let's keep Will's memory alive, and show some respect," he says finishing his speech. The bell goes off and the kids start leaving the room, Y/n walks over to his dad, "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm okay" In comparison to him Scott obviously remembers his mother a lot, and he gets very sentimental whenever someone talks about her, it's a sensitive topic.

"Do you want me to go talk to the kids?" he asks him.

"No don't worry, I'll talk to them you should go back to class," He tells him with a smile, he smiles back at his dad and waves goodbye as he walks out of the gym.

Y/n walks back to the High School and gets on with his usual day. Nothing interesting really happens after, he just attends his lessons, has lunch with Robin, and then meets once again with his dad so they can go home. His life really is pretty boring when he thinks about it, always the same cycle over and over, it would be nice to do something new for a change.

~~~~~~~~

The next day school was cancelled since it was Will's funeral.

Y/n woke up at 8:00 am to get ready, the funeral was scheduled to start at 11:00 am and would probably last about two hours, after that most people would attend the wake which would last about an hour or so, which meant Y/n would have enough time to go back home, get changed and then walk to his shift which starts at three thirty.

He changed into the outfit he had planned for the funeral, lucky for him he already had black clothes which meant he didn't need to buy new ones for this day, it wouldn't have been fun to buy clothes for a funeral.

All he could think about while getting ready was the fact he was attending Will's funeral, it really was happening, he was actually dead, it wasn't just a bad nightmare he had anymore, it was a reality. No one ever wants to attend the funeral of someone younger than them, they're supposed to live longer than you after all, so when that doesn't happen it's just so heartbreaking.

"Are you ready to go champ?" Scott asks him as he knocks on his door.

"Yeah, let's go," he says walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

The drive to the funeral was completely quiet, neither Y/n nor his dad had the strength or energy to try and initiate a conversation, there wasn't much to talk about anyway, so really it was for the best.

When they arrived he parked his car at the car park next to the church, they both got out and walked towards Joyce and Jonathan who were standing in front of the soon-to-be grave. Y/n went up to Jonathan and gave him a big hug, he hadn't seen him since Will went missing, and he wanted to ask him how he was feeling but he guessed that was the last thing Jonathan needed to be asked today, so instead he just gave him a soft smile as he moved away from the hug and turned to look at Joyce.

He doesn't say anything, she looks so confused to be there like it isn't right.

Y/n wanted to say so much to Joyce, he wanted to tell her how sorry he was for what had happened, how he couldn't believe it was Will out of all the people it could've been, how he was such a fantastic kid he didn't deserve this, but he couldn't tell her that, not at this time anyway, "We'll be here if you need anything" was all Y/n said, with a soft smile.

He turns to look at the kids, he expected them to be already crying their eyes out or something along those lines, but instead, they seemed normal, they didn't look upset or sad, and they didn't even look like they were hiding their feelings, which Y/n would've definitely found weird if it wasn't for the fact that the moment he saw the boys he just wanted to breakdown into tears and hug them.

"How are you guys doing?" he asked them walking over to the boys.

"We're okay," Dustin tells him looking over at Lucas and Mike.

"You guys know it's okay to cry, right?" he tells them.

"Yeah, we know," Dustin says looking at Lucas and Mike, the three of them nodding.

"Good, I'm here if you need to talk" he adds and they smile at him.

More and more people start arriving, but instead of people talking more everything goes completely quiet, and eventually, the funeral begins.

All Y/n is able to do is look down during the entire speech, he barely has the strength to look at Will's casket, it's so small, and caskets shouldn't be that small. In the end, everyone throws some flowers inside the hole before they close it.

Everyone then heads to the wake, there are tables and food organised in the place, and most people are talking, probably about something not even remotely related to Will, Lonnie is speaking to Mr and Mrs Wheeler, meanwhile, Joyce is sitting by herself, on the other side of the room Y/n and Scott are getting some food from the lunch table, when Mike, Lucas and Dustin walk up to them.

"Mr Clarke," Mike says, Scott and Y/n turn around to look at the boys.

"Oh, hey there, how are you boys holding up?" He asks them.

"We're...in...mourning" Lucas answers.

"Man, these aren't real Nilla Wafers" Dustin mumbles, Mike and Lucas turn to look at him as if he just said something irrelevant, which he did but kids usually do that.

"We were wondering if you had time to talk?"
"We have some questions"
"A lot of questions," Mike and Lucas say.

"What do you want to know?"

Mr Clarke, Y/n and the three boys take a seat on one of the tables and begin to ask the questions, they ask about alternate dimensions but not an alternate dimension where Will's death never happened but more about an evil alternate dimension, like the Vale of Shadows, and then they ask how one would travel there, theoretically of course. Scott explains things to the boys in the simplest way possible which is by comparing things to a flea and an acrobat, explaining how there are places an acrobat, which in this case is them, can only explore so much, meanwhile, a flea will be able to reach places they can't. The boys ask if there's a way the acrobat could reach the upside down, and he explains that it only would be possible by creating an insane amount of energy one bigger than humans can currently make which could open up a gate to reach the upside down.

"Science is neat, but not very forgiving" Scott adds as he finishes explaining things to the boys.

"You guys always have the weirdest questions you know," Y/n says chuckling as he looks at the three boys, he had this feeling that they were hiding something, that there was something going on with them, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"We're just... very curious," Dustin tells him looking at the other two who nod at this comment.

"Well make sure that curiosity doesn't kill you," he says with a smile standing up, "I should probably start saying goodbye to everyone dad, I need to leave soon so I can get ready for work"

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" He asks him.

"It's okay, I know you want to stay here longer talking with the boys and everyone else, and I have my skates anyway so it won't take me long to get home" he explains to him.

Scott sighs smiling at him knowing that he does, in fact, want to stay longer and that either way he won't be able to change Y/n's mind, "Be careful" he says.

"I will, love you dad, bye kids, you can call me at home if you need anything okay?"

"Okay"

~~~~~~~

After working for five hours Y/n was finally able to say goodbye to his last customer, he turned on the radio and listened to 'Old Time Rock & Roll' while he cleaned the cafe, dancing along to the song and singing the lyrics as he organised everything and made sure it was nice and clean. When he finally finished he turned off the light and walked out of the cafe closing it and locking it, he put on his skates and started skating over to his house.

He was glad he didn't take today off work because it actually helped him get his mind off everything that had happened lately, the cafe has always been a comfort place of his so it made him feel better.

Normally he didn't mind going home after work alone, Hawkins had always been a very safe place, and he always carried some bleach in a bottle in his bag just in case, but after Barb's disappearance, the thought of walking alone at night was not so fun. So he decided to skate as fast as he could so he could get home soon, unfortunately, Y/n had his sleeves rolled up and forgot the fact it was a cold night in November and the ground would be frozen, so when he tripped on an uneven step he didn't just stop himself like he usually did but instead fell forwards on the rocky ground scraping his arms.

"Fuck" he says pushing himself up and carefully standing again, he looks down at his arms to see that they're bleeding, great, "Why is blood so dramatic?" he asks himself rolling his sleeves down, not even trying to stop the blood knowing it will be a waste of time anyway.

He continues skating to his home, and slowly this feeling that he's being followed starts growing in his stomach, he turns around to look behind him but sees nothing, he shakes his head, telling himself that he's tired and anxious so it's just his mind making him paranoid, he continues skating but the feeling doesn't go, if anything it just gets worst, he keeps looking around hoping it will make him feel better but instead he sees a weird shadow inside the woods, a tall, dark figure with a strange head; he picks up his pace trying to go as fast as he can while being careful so that he won't fall again, he looks back at the woods to see the figure closer than it was before, he doesn't care if he falls again he starts skating as fast as he possibly can, his eyes not moving away from the tall shadow that was getting closer, scared that he might end up like Barbara, missing and possibly dead.

Meanwhile, Steve Harrington was driving his car down the road she was about to walk across, he had just dropped Tommy and Carol at their house after going to check on Nancy, and it hadn't gone well, he saw her with Jonathan and was convinced that she was cheating on him with Jonathan.

Y/n was freaking out so much he didn't realise when the car stopped right in front of him until he is stopped by the car crashing against the side door, he looks inside the car to see none other than Steve he looks at Y/n confused noticing he had in fact just hit his head against his car, he rolled down his window as Y/n looks back seeing the tall, shadow creature leaving the woods and making its way towards him.

"Hey Einstein, are you okay?" Steve asks checking on him.

Y/n doesn't even take a second to think, his survival instincts and panic took over his brain, and all he does is open the passenger's door getting inside the car.

"Go!" he shouts at Steve, Steve's eyebrows knit together as he looks at Y/n puzzled.

"What?"

"Steve just go! Go! Go!" he shouts at him.

Steve lets go of the brake pedal and push's down at the accelerator as he turns to the left and drives away as fast as possible, Y/n turns back as he watches the dark creature fade away into the dark disappearing from his view. Neither of them says anything during the drive, Y/n didn't even know where Steve was taking him until he parks in front of a house.

"What the hell just happened?" he asks turning to look at him confused and worried.

"Someone or something was following me, I was trying to get away from it and then I bumped into you and I didn't know what else to do, I got scared I was going to end up going missing or kidnapped or something like that, I'm sorry I didn't mean to get into your car like that" he explains apologising once he takes in the incredibly bizarre situation.

"It's okay, I mean we wouldn't want you to go missing" Y/n nods at him, "Is your arm okay?" he asks, looking down at his arm worried, Y/n turns to look at him confused.

"What?"

"Your jacket has blood around your arm" he points out.

"Oh, it's nothing I just scraped my arms when I fell," he tells Steve rolling his sleeves up.

"That doesn't look like nothing" Steve adds.

"It's fine I'll just disinfect it when I get home"

"You could just disinfect it here, we have saline solution," he says turning off the car and looking at Y/n.

"Won't your parents mind?" Y/n asks him, not wanting to bother anyone.

"They're probably already asleep, they won't even notice I just got home, we can quickly disinfect your arms and then I can drive you home" Steve suggests to him.

"Oh no it's okay I don't want to keep you up for longer"

"It's fine really, I was probably going to stay awake for a while anyway," Steve says smiling at him as he opens the door and gets out of the car, walking towards the passenger's door.

"Thanks," Y/n says getting out of the car and closing the door, "Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't bumped into you"

"Well, I do owe you big time, this is one of the thirty I guess" he chuckles locking his car and walking to the front door.

"You still got a long way to go," Y/n smiles at him.

"Yeah well let's hope the next one is me passing my chemistry test without your help," Steve tells him with a smile opening the door.

Y/n laughs at him as he walks inside, "Then you've got a lot of studying to do"

Hey peeps! Here's the new chapter finally! I hope you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing it! We are going to finally start getting into the fun and somewhat romantic parts of the story! Season 1 will probably end either on the next chapter or the one after and then I'll be moving into season 2 which will make things more interesting! Thanks again to everyone who's reading this fanfic! If you have any suggestions, questions or comments feel free to let me know!

Lots of love, Author!

I made a playlist for this fanfic if you'd like to listen to it I'll leave the link and name here!
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LG6CfmPtUulLQdy3EoZsx?si=0Ug2UM7FS9KzItDIzcuzkw
Name: A Chemical Reaction Called Love
Username: Valpipsqueak

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Sunglasses At Night' by Corey Hart while writing this bit)

Steve leads Y/n around his house and towards his room, Y/n looks around the place, it's way bigger than he imagined, the things around the house look expensive, which isn't much of a surprise the whole town knew that the Harringtons were one if not the most wealthy family in Hawkins, but what really caught Y/n's eyes as he walked up the stairs and around to Steve's room was the fact there were no pictures hanging up in the house, he didn't see a single picture of little Steve, or a family picture of them in a holiday or something like that, he found this strange, I mean his dad had every single picture he loved of Y/n hanging through the house as well as pictures of both of them, and a couple of pictures of his mom. Steve's house though big and spacious seemed very lonely, there was no one to greet him at the door and ask him how he was even though his parents were home. It was sad, to say the least.

Steve opened the door to his room and held it open for Y/n to walk in, and he did, immediately he started to look around Steve's room, and he was surprised to find it just as lonely as the rest of his house, if not even more. There was nothing on his walls except for a picture of a car Y/n could not recognise, underneath the picture was a desk, there were a couple of books on it as well as a night light, and on the right side of the room was his bed, but nothing more.

"You can wait here, I'll go get the saline solution-" He says before Y/n interrupts him.

"Actually it would be better if I rinsed the cuts with water and then washed them with soap, after you can disinfect them with saline solution if you want, also do you have sterile gauze?" he asks him, taking off his sweater and placing it on the bed.

"Um, yeah I think I do, the bathroom is right outside, I'll go get the solution and gauze," He says walking out of the room.

Y/n follows him out but stops right outside, he turns to the right to see the bathroom and walks inside. He turns on the light and opens the tap, he moves his arms under the water and grabs some soap to clean them.

"God why did I have to fall" he mumbles closing the tap and looking down at his arms, they are bleeding but just a bit, it's very minimal.

He couldn't help but wonder about Steve's family, they rarely talk about their home life when they talk, and the only thing Steve knows about Y/n is that Mr Clarke from Hawkins Middle School is his dad, but everyone knows that, meanwhile Y/n knew nothing about Steve's parents except that they were wealthy, powerful and always travelling. But from what he had seen, he guessed they weren't great parents.

Downstairs, Steve was in the kitchen looking for the first aid kit which had the saline solution and sterile gauze, but all he could think about was not only whether Nancy was cheating, but Y/n being at his house. They had never been close so he never would've guessed that he would ever step foot in his place, but he actually didn't mind, he didn't mind if Y/n figured out that his parents were assholes, if he realised that Steve in fact wasn't much of a king, for some reason Steve didn't mind if he found out how sad and lonely he truly was, he was okay with Y/n knowing that, he trusted him with that information, even though he didn't know why.

Once he found the first aid kit he walked back up the stairs and towards the bathroom.

"I've got the things," he says standing outside the bathroom, "You okay?" he asks him.

"Yeah, I just wasn't sure what to dry my arms with, I didn't want to stain one of your towels with blood" he explains, Steve smiles at Y/n, he's the only person he knows that would say something like that.

"It's okay, just use my towel, my mom won't even ask anyway," he tells him handing Y/n his towel.

"Alright, thanks," he says taking the towel and gently patting it on his arms, he notices the change in Steve's tone when he mentions his mom, and it only confirms things more for him.

"Come on, let's go to my room so that I can disinfect the cuts and then take you home"

Y/n follows Steve into his room taking a seat on his bed, he takes a seat next to Y/n grabs some cotton and pours some of the saline solution on it, he carefully takes Y/n's arm and starts disinfecting the cuts. The room is completely quiet, the silence isn't necessarily awkward but Y/n feels the need to make conversation.

"You don't have many things in your room" he points out, looking at Steve.

"Yeah, I don't spend much time in my house, my parents are rarely home and I don't like being alone in such a big house" he explains, his voice softer than usual, he doesn't look at Y/n if anything he avoids making eye contact with him.

"I'm guessing they travel a lot?" he asks him. Steve stands up finishing disinfecting his left arm and moving to the other side to disinfect his right one.

"Yeah, my dad constantly has business trips and my mom doesn't trust him so she always goes with him," he tells Y/n, holding his other arm as he applies the saline solution.

Y/n isn't sure how to respond, whether he should continue talking about his parents, change the topic, focus on the fact he must be alone often, or something like that. Steve decides to change the topic.

"I know your dad is Mr Clarke, I mean he taught us both back in middle school, but I've never seen your mom, does she travel?" He asks turning to look at him.

Y/n shakes his head, looking away for a moment, "No, she passed away when I was two" he says looking back at him, Steve's face immediately changes, he wants to slap himself for asking such a stupid question.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," he says looking away from him.

"It's okay, I didn't really know her so it doesn't make me sad when someone asks about her" Y/n explains, noticing how bad Steve felt after his response, "I'm sorry your parents travel so much"

"It's fine" he chuckles, "It's always been like this"

"You must get lonely though" Steve gets the sterile gauze and wraps the cuts with it.

"Sometimes, I usually just hang out with Tommy and Carol, or hang out with other people"

"You have a lot of friends don't you?"

Steve didn't think he had a lot of friends, he didn't even think that Tommy and Carol knew him that well, most people just knew him as 'king Steve' they glorified him, but they didn't know him and they didn't care to know the real him.

"I guess, I know a lot of people. You always hang out with that girl from band, don't you? The one with light brown hair"
"You mean Robin?"
"Yeah, Robin, you two are pretty close aren't you?"

Pretty close would be an understatement, Y/n and Robin have been inseparable ever since they became friends, they were the first person both of them ever came out to, they trust each other with everything, and even when the world makes them feel like they don't fit in they never feel that way around each other.

"Yeah we're really close- oww"

"Sorry," he says making the bandage less tight, "You're all patched up now"

"Thanks" Y/n smiles looking at him.

"I'll drive you home now" Steve adds standing up.

Y/n stands up as well and turns to look at his desk, curious to see what Steve was working on and is surprised to see his history book next to Steve's who has now written them down in his book.

"You were working on the history homework" he points out.

"Oh yeah, I was actually going to give it back to you," Steve says walking up to him and grabbing the book, "Thanks again for letting me borrow it"

"Anytime," Y/n tells him, "Let's go"

They both walk out of his room, down the stairs and then out of the house. Steve opens the driver's door getting in and Y/n does the same opening the passenger's door.

"Where do you live?"

"In kings road," he tells Steve.

Steve starts driving to Y/n's house, and it isn't until halfway to his house that Y/n realises why he was feeling so cold, he was visibly shivering, Steve started to notice as well, glancing at him every couple of seconds.

"What's wrong? Are you cold?" he asks him stopping the car at a red light.

"A bit, I forgot my sweater at your house" Y/n explains, moving his hands up and down his arms trying to warm himself up.

"Here," Steve says taking off his sweater, and handing it to Y/n, "You can wear mine"

He looks at him surprised, he wasn't really expecting Steve to do something like that, at least not for him, he wasn't one of the girls Steve liked or tried to get with, he was just his classmate, his friend maybe, yet he still gave him his sweater.

"You sure?" he asks him, his hands not moving.

"Yeah, I'm not cold," he tells Y/n with a smile, he takes the sweater puts it on and smiles back at him.

"Thanks"

The sweater smelled like Steve, it smells of his cologne, but it didn't smell too much of cologne, he could also smell the particular scent of his house, and it was a nice smell, to say the least.

The rest of the car drive was relatively quiet, the only thing that was playing in the background was the radio, but neither of them minded, they didn't need to talk to enjoy each other's company, being there together was enough.

"That one is my house," Y/n says pointing to his place.

Steve drives up to the house and parks in front of it, Y/n goes to take off the sweater so he can give it back to him but Steve stops him.

"Don't worry you can give it back to me on Monday, I'll give you back yours then too" He tells him.

"Okay, thanks again for helping me out and for the drive," Y/n says smiling at him.

"Anytime, I mean it's the least I could do" He mentions chuckling, "I'll see you on Monday"

"See you, bye" he adds opening the door and getting out of the car waving goodbye to Steve.

Y/n expected Steve to immediately go after he was out of the car, so he was waiting to hear his car drive away but it never happened, Steve stayed there watching Y/n walk to his house, he didn't move until he saw Y/n unlock his door and walk into his house where he was safe. Steve wasn't even sure why he stayed, maybe it was because he was worried something might happen to Y/n given what happened earlier, or maybe it was because he felt like it was the right thing to do, or maybe it was because of something else, something he had convinced himself he didn't feel a long time ago.

When Y/n walked inside his house he saw his dad sitting on the sofa waiting for him, he looked worried and he wasn't surprised it was quite late.

"Oh Y/n thank god you're okay I was so worried," he says standing up and hugging him, "Why are you out so late? I thought you were working?"

"I was, but then something happened and it's a long story," he tells his dad.

Scott had seen Steve dropping Y/n off, he knew what kind of guy he is, he had been told about it by other teachers, so of course, when he saw his son getting dropped off by him he didn't exactly have the best impression.

"Who dropped you off?" He asked Y/n.

"Just Steve, he's...a friend," he told him.

"Y/n, I understand you're obviously getting older and more mature, and you're going to start doing intimate things with people-"

"Oh my god, dad do you think I hooked up with Steve Harrington?!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing, he couldn't believe that his dad thought he would sleep with someone so easily, especially someone with Steve's reputation.

"I mean you arrived home late, and he drove you, and that sweater isn't yours"

"Dad he just helped me! I didn't have sex with him! I don't think he even likes guys!" he shouts offended by his accusation.

"Okay, I just wanted you to know, it's okay to do those things" Y/n nodded, hating the conversation.

"Can we stop talking about this?" he asks his dad walking to his room.

"Of course, you should go to bed, it's late and it's been a long day," he tells him.

"Yeah I will, goodnight dad"

"Goodnight"

~~~~~~~~~~~

In the morning Y/n told his dad everything that happened after his shift, he told him how someone was following him but he wasn't sure who it was, how he fell and Steve not only gave him a ride but also helped clean his cuts and then took him home. Scott decided that it was better if they went to the police station, he was worried something might happen again or that the person that was following Y/n might come back and the last thing he wanted was for him to end up missing like Barb, so after breakfast, they both drove to the police station.

"Scott, how can I help you today?" Flo said as she greeted Y/n and his dad.

"Flo, how are you doing?" Scott asked her, he was a man that constantly started conversations with people around him.

"I'm doing well, it's been a calm day, what brings you here?"

Scott tells Flo the situation, she tells them to talk to officer Callahan since Hopper is out at the moment and Powell is busy with another thing.

Y/n tells Callahan everything that happened, he writes everything down and asks him other questions. While talking Y/n notices Nancy and Jonathan, which takes him by surprise, why would they be here in the police station?

He excuses himself while Scott talks to Callahan and walks up to Nancy who's talking with Flo.

"Y/n," Nancy says turning to look at him, "What are you doing here?"

"Someone was following me last night so I and my dad came to tell the police, what about you?" he asks standing next to Nancy.

"It's a long story," she tells him.

"I have time"

Nancy tells Y/n everything that happened with Steve, how last night something happened and Jonathan helped her, drove her home and then accompanied her for a while. Turns out Steve saw them and got the wrong idea of it, he wrote in the cinema announcement "Starring Nancy the slut Wheeler" she found him with Tommy, Carol and this other girl at the alley, slapped him across the face, had an argument with him and then he and Jonathan ended up in a fight after Steve said some very horrible things about him and his family.

(I listened to 'The First Cut Is The Deepest' by Rod Stewart while writing this bit)

Y/n was so disappointed, he wished he could say he would never expect something like this from Steve, especially after what happened last night, but he couldn't, after all, Robin had told him forever that Steve was an asshole, and this easily proved things for him. Was Steve being double-faced yesterday when he was nice to him? Was he truly just a horrible person who seemed good? Could he really not change?

"I can't believe he said and did that, how's Jonathan?" he asks Nancy.

"He's okay, but will probably stay here a bit until his mom arrives, he accidentally hit officer Callahan which counts as an assault on a police officer so" Y/n nods understanding the situation.

"Yeah I get it, I hope it all gets sorted out soon," he tells Nancy smiling.

"Thanks so do I, I'm going to go give this to Jonathan, I'll talk to you soon"

"Yeah let me know how it all goes" Nancy waves goodbye to Y/n as she walks away towards Jonathan.

"They said they'll keep a lookout and try not to stay out late alone," Scott tells Y/n as he walks up to him.

"That's good, hopefully, it was nothing" Scott nods as they start walking out of the police station.

"I need to go buy some things at the store before we go home, do you want to look around for some things you might need and we'll meet back at Melvalds in an hour?"

They always do this, Y/n is not a big fan of going shopping for things they need at home, and Scott likes to take his time with the shopping so a couple of years ago they came up with this system, Scott will go buy the things for the house while Y/n will look around, sometimes he'll buy things other times he'll just look around.

"Sounds good, have fun," he tells him smiling.

"I will," Scott says excitedly walking off to one of the stores.

Y/n walks away and starts looking around the stores, nothing really catches his eye, and he doesn't really need to buy anything, so he decided to just look around but then he sees none other than Steve Harrington walking out of an alley.

He could've just ignored Steve, turned around and walk the other way, keep things peaceful and just mind his business, but he wasn't that type of person. Steve had said horrible things about the Byers who was his second family, about Will who was like a little brother to him and Nancy, he wasn't going to just stand there, he had to say something.

"Steve!" he shouted walking up to him, he didn't hear him, "Steve Harrington!"

He immediately turned around, he recognised Y/n's voice, but he had never called him by his full name.

"I wish I could say I expected better from you but the sad truth is that I should've seen it coming," he tells him, as he stops walking and stands in front of him.

Steve looks at him confused, he had no idea what Y/n was talking about, he had no idea he knew what had happened, and he didn't want him to know honestly, he was one of the only people who had actually tried to get to know him for who he is not for who they had heard he was, he didn't want him to realise how much of an ass he is, because he knows he's not the best person, he knows he's made so many mistakes, but he wants to improve, he wants to be a better person.

"What?" He asks.

"They told me everything Steve, what you wrote about Nancy? All based on an assumption, and let's be honest it would be pretty hypocritical of you to say anything, you've dated half of the girls in the school; and what you said to Jonathan? I can't believe you, those things about him being like his dad who's an asshole, I don't think you'd like it if I started comparing you to your dad now would you?" he asks him, raising his voice as he moves closer to him, "And calling his family a bunch of screw-ups? Are you fucking serious?"

Y/n's face expresses a perfect mixture of anger, disappointment and sadness. Steve hated seeing that look on his face, to say the least, especially because it was his fault he was feeling this way, it was his fault he was so angry, he had disappointed yet another person that he cared about.

"Let me remind you of something Steve, not everyone is born into a rich family, not everyone is as privileged as you are, and most people have to work their entire lives to live in a comfortable situation. The Byers may not be rich, famous, or this perfect family but at least they love each other, Joyce is the best mother and always tries her hardest so don't you dare speak that way about them. And the comment about you believing that Jonathan was queer? So what if he was gay? Is not the end of the fucking world, everyone has the right to love someone regardless of their gender, imagine if it was you in that position, imagine if you had to hide who you loved due to the fear of being killed simply because of that" Y/n spoke from personal experience, people shouldn't have to hide who they love, and he hated so much that Steve had to mention Jonathan being queer like it was a bad thing.

If looks could kill Steve Harrington would be long dead, he had never seen Y/n look at anyone this way before, but he didn't blame him, he knew he had all the right to hate him, he didn't even blame him, he hated himself.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, mentioning Will, a kid, who just died, who just had his funeral yesterday, saying you weren't surprised he died? He was twelve, he had his entire life ahead of him, and you had no right to mention his name"

Steve couldn't keep staring back at Y/n, he was right, he was completely right, he's always hated his dad yet today he was no better than him, if anything he was exactly like him, he didn't have the strength to look at Y/n, he was so ashamed of himself and he should be after everything he had said.

Y/n shakes his head, he's done talking with Steve, so he turned around but stopped before he walked away.

"You know Steve, I never tried to judge you based on what others said, I thought maybe they didn't know you, that maybe you were a nice guy, but you went right ahead and proved me wrong, I hope you're happy" he walked away not looking back at Steve.

"Y/n, y/n wait let me explain!" Steve didn't know why he was trying to make him stay, but he wanted him to know that he may be an asshole, but he's sorry for what he did.

But Y/n didn't stop walking, he didn't let him speak, he didn't turn around, he just ignored him.

Hey everyone!! Here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, I had a lot of fun writing it, especially bringing in a bit of subtle angst. Season 1 should be done by the next chapter which means after that we'll finally be able to get a bit more into the romantic part of the story as well as more angst, but don't worry there will be plenty of fluff and comfort as well! Thank you to everyone that has been reading the fanfic, I hope you've liked it so far!

Lots of love, Author.

Btw in the fanfic playlist every time a song starts with a number (e.g One way, Two Heart) it means that is the first, second, third, etc season

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

Steve didn't follow Y/n, he let Y/n walk away, he just stood there, he knew he couldn't explain anything, the truth was that he was a horrible person who had said and done awful things, he knew this, but he also wanted to change, he wanted to be better, for himself, for Y/n, so that he might not hate him any more than he probably already does. He wanted to be good, he wanted someone to be around him not because he was popular, or because it was convenient to them, but because they enjoyed his company.

So he turned around and walked to the cinema, if he was going to be better he had to start by fixing what he did, change is not an easy thing after all, but he was willing to try as hard as he needed to in order to redeem himself, he wasn't going to end up being his father's son, he wasn't going to make his same mistakes, he was going to be different.

~

Y/n walked into Melvald's store, he wasn't sure where else to go really, he kind of just wanted to go home, he tried to make himself forget what had happened last night with Steve, he wanted to erase the good memory he had with Steve, he felt like he couldn't have that memory of him, not after what had happened. He wanted to hate Steve, and he did hate him, but at the same time he didn't hate him, he didn't know why but he couldn't.

"Hey Y/n," Mr Melvald says walking up to him, "How can I help you today?"

"I'm just looking around, thanks Mr Melvald," he tells him walking around the shop, he takes a seat at a chair that Mr Melvald always conveniently leaves at the corner of the store, he noticed Y/n came here a lot before his dad and just looked around so he started putting that chair so he could at least sit down while he waits for him.

"Y/n" he looked to his right to see Bob Newby.

Bob and his dad had been friends for a long time, they even founded the Hawkins AV club together, they were extremely good friends and Bob had been around Y/n so much as he grew up that he basically saw him as his uncle. He was someone he could always confide in, if he had a problem or needed someone to talk to aside from his dad he knew he could just pick up his phone and call Bob.

"You okay?" he asked walking up to Y/n.

"I'm just, angry and disappointed and for some stupid reason kind of sad," he confesses.

"What happened?" he asked sitting down next to him.

"You know Steve Harrington? Or at least his parents?" he asked him, hoping he wouldn't have to give too much context to the situation.

"Yeah I've heard of him," He says nodding, "He and his family are pretty popular around Hawkins, what happened with him? Were you dating?" Y/n chuckles at Bob's comment shaking his head.

"God, no, no, nothing like that, we were just friends I guess, he helped me out yesterday but today I found out something he did and I just- I thought he was a good person you know? I thought that all those things people said about him were just rumours, or that at least he could change, but then he went around and did this thing and it was so horrible you know" he tells Bob and he nods.
"I bumped into him and shouted at him for everything he had said and done, but it didn't make me feel better, he's always been nice to me, I had a nice chat with him yesterday and a couple of hours later I'm supposed to just completely hate him, it seems impossible," he says looking down, "He tried to explain himself you know, but I didn't want to hear to what he had to say"

"You don't have to hate him if you don't want to, you'll just have to see what happens next, whether he'll act like nothing happened or take responsibility for his actions, but there's nothing you can do, unfortunately, only time will tell," he tells Y/n, trying to help him in the best way he can.

Bob never thought he was the best at giving advice, he never thought he was the best at anything, but the truth was he gives great advice, he's a great person after all.

"I guess you're right, thanks for listening to me uncle Bob," he says looking at him with a smile.

"Anytime"

Bob stayed with Y/n for ten minutes until Scott walked inside the store, he knew where to find Y/n, he was always in the same place after all. Bob talked with Scott for a second before saying his goodbyes to continue with his day.

"You ready to go?" he asks him stopping in front of Y/n, he looks up at his dad and nods standing up, "Everything okay?" he noticed something was wrong, of course he did, no matter how good at lying Y/n was he could always see pass him, he could always tell whenever he was keeping something to himself.

"Don't you hate it when someone disappoints you, when someone ends up being exactly what you hope they weren't?" he asks him.

"Yeah, it sucks, but we can't change people unless they want to change, unfortunately," He tells Y/n with a comforting smile, he couldn't help but wonder who had disappointed Y/n and how much they had messed up.
"I wanted to tell you something," Scott says, his tone serious.

"Okay," he says, a bit surprised by the sudden change of topic.

"I have a date" he confesses.

Y/n's eyes widen as he tries to process the information his dad just told him. Him on a date? Y/n thought he would never date again after his mom, I mean he always made it seem that way, so this was quite shocking.

"You have a date?" he repeats, "with who?"

"Jen,"

"The preschool teacher?" his dad nods.

"I thought it was important that you knew, I wanted to know what you thought about it"

Y/n could tell this was important for his dad, from what he guessed his last date was over ten years ago with his mom, so this was a big deal, he just wanted his dad to be happy, and if he liked Jen then he should go for it.

"Well I'm happy for you dad, Jen has always been very nice," Y/n tells him with a smile. Scott was so happy that his son was okay with the date, he didn't expect him to have a problem, to begin with, but even so, he was glad the reaction was so positive, "When is the date?"

"Today, at seven, she invited me to her house" he explains.

"Well then you better get her some flowers, I'll help you pick them," he says walking out of the store excitedly.

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

8 hours later, Y/n stands in his house looking around as he tries to find the keys to the car, his dad needed to leave now if he wanted to make it to Jen's house at eight.

"Where did you leave them?" he shouts looking around the living room.

"At the table in front of the television," He tells Y/n fixing his hair.

"Well it's not here"

"I left it there"

Y/n shakes his head knowing full well he probably didn't leave it there, he looks around and checks on the pockets of his jacket and to no surprise, he finds it there.

"I got it! You left them in your jacket" he says as his dad walks towards the door, "You got everything? The flowers?"

"Yeah" he nods grabbing his jacket.

"Alright, just be yourself, she'll love you, be home before twelve okay?" he tells him with a smile handing him the flowers.

"Okay, thanks champ, remember don't open the door to anyone unless you know them" He opens the door and walks out, "I love you"

"I love you too, dad, have fun!" he shouts waving goodbye at him as he gets inside the car and drives away.

He closes the door and walks to the living room turning on the tv and sitting down on the couch getting ready to watch some movies, he would've called Robin so they could do something together but he knew that Robin had to work today, so tonight it would be just him. Luckily the movie channel was showing Grease, he hadn't watched the movie before so at least he would be entertained for a bit.

~

Two hours go by and the movie starts reaching its climax when the phone starts ringing, Y/n looks at the time, 10:00 pm, who in their right mind would be calling someone at this time? He stands up and grabs the phone answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Y/n? It's Dustin"

What is he doing calling at this time?

"Dustin? Is everything okay?" he asks worried something might have happened.

"Yeah, yeah, I just, I...I have a science question, is Mr Clarke there?" he asks.

"My dad's not home right now, I could help you but it's ten o'clock on Saturday, why don't you ask me-"

"Do you know anything about sensory deprivation tanks? Specifically how to build one?" Y/n's eyebrows furrow in confusion, what kind of question was this?

"Sensory deprivation? W-what is this for?"

"Fun" Dustin explains.

"Okay, well...why don't we talk about it on Monday? Before school, okay?" he says hoping that Dustin will just go to bed.

"You and your dad always say we should never stop being curious, to always open any curiosity door we find" he starts saying clearly not giving up.

"Dustin-" Y/n says with a sigh, this kid.

"Why are you keeping this curiosity door closed?" he rolls his eyes.

"Alright, I'll help you, on one condition," he tells Dustin.

"Which is?" he asks.

"You tell me what the hell has been going on, and don't even try to lie to me Dustin cause that won't work; you, Mike and Lucas have been acting way weirder than usual ever since Will's disappearance, I thought it was normal given what was going on but it has only gotten worst, you keep asking strange questions and sneaking around, now you either tell me what is happening or you'll have to find someone else that knows how to make a sensory deprivation tank," he told him, he knew something was up and he needed to know what it was.

"It's a long story," Dustin says, he knew Y/n might be a huge help for them, but at the same time he didn't want to involve him in everything that was happening, but he had a feeling it was too late to worry about that anyway.

"I have time"

"We don't, Y/n this is urgent, tell us how to do it and we'll explain everything"

"Fine"

I can't tell you whether Y/n regretted his decision of getting involved with everything, because the truth is he won't know himself, there will be times when he will hate joining all this chaos due to the pain it will cause him, but there will also be times where he'll know that it was worth it, no matter how hard it can be. All he will ever hope for is that he doesn't lose the people he loves.

"A girl with superpowers, another dimension and a killer monster that comes from it?" he repeats in pure shock as Dustin explains the situation, he was expecting something strange but not something this weird.

"Yes"

"And Will's not dead? And you're at his house?" he asks, needing someone to tell him he's in fact not making anything up and isn't crazy.

"Yes and yes. We need to go Y/n, don't tell anyone about it you hear me, no one"

"Dustin hold on where are you going?!" But it was too late, the line went dead, "Dustin?" he asked, "Shit" he put the phone back in its place as he started pacing around his house, what in the world was he supposed to do with this information now? He can't just stay here and act like his friends aren't fighting interdimensional monsters while he's doing nothing, if he just stays home his conscience won't let him rest, but he doesn't even know where they are going, he doesn't know if he can be of any help, but maybe just being there will be enough.

"I could just go to the Byers's house and hope they're there," he says walking to his room to change, then he grabs a bag and packs a couple of things he might need, a flashlight, a lighter, and the walkie-talkie the kids had given him.

How was he going to get to the Byers' house? Probably by skating there, because even if his dad had left his car he doesn't know how to drive so it wouldn't matter.

He walked to the garage to get the shovel, he had no idea what kind of monster Dustin was talking about but he guessed that a shovel would still be useful no matter the monster, after all when it came to hitting something a shovel should be the best weapon at hand to do enough damage. He grabbed the shovel and walked back to the living room, he grabbed the phone and dialled Jen's house, and his dad answered.

"Hey champ, everything okay?" he asked, slightly worried about something happening given the time.

"Yeah, I just wanted you to know that I'm going over to the Byers's house for a bit, Jonathan called me and said he needed to talk to someone, it shouldn't take too long though so don't worry" he explains to him.

"You shouldn't be out this late though, especially after what happened"

'Shit' Y/n thought, he had completely forgotten about that with everything that had happened, he needed to come up with something quick.

"He's picking me up, so you have nothing to worry about," he told him.

"Alright, but be careful okay?"

"Okay"

The doorbell rings making Y/n turn around to look at the door, who would be coming to his house at this hour?

"That must be Jonathan, I'll see you later dad, bye" he quickly says ending the call.

He stares at the door scared, a part of him was telling him that on the other side of the door was the person that had been following him yesterday, that he shouldn't open the door and instead act as if no one was home.

The doorbell rings again, and the person outside knocks on the door. Y/n doesn't respond, he just stands there hoping they'll go. They knock on the door again, basically banging on the door at this point.

( I listened to 'Back to the Old House' by The Smiths while writing this bit)

"Y/n? Y/n?! It's Steve, I know you're mad, I-I don't blame you but please I just...I want to talk"

He stares confused at the door.

"Steve?" he says walking to the door, leaving the shovel on his couch.

He was so surprised that he wanted to talk to him after what happened, he had no idea what Steve was going to say but he did want to hear him, even if it might not change anything.

Y/n walked up to the door and opened it, Steve stood on the other side of the door, his hair was a mess which was something he never thought he would say about him, and it was only then that he noticed his face; he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed how injured his face was while shouting at him earlier, his left eye was entirely bruised and he had a bunch of bruises and cuts near it, the whole left side of his face was really bad, he also had a cut on his nose and his lip. Y/n guessed it happened during the fight Steve had with Jonathan, he might not seem like someone who's very strong but he knows how to punch.

The moment Steve and Y/n made eye contact he could tell he wasn't there to argue, he was there to apologise, he could see the regret in Steve's eyes, his face looked more gentle than usual, something about him was different, it wasn't necessarily something physical, but something had changed within Steve Harrington, he could tell.

"Y/n...hey"

"Steve, what are you doing here?" he asks him, holding the door.

"I want to talk, even though I know you don't want to" he begins saying, "I...I'm sorry, I messed up, I really messed up, you had all the right to shout at me, and I don't blame you if you hate me right now, but I-I want to fix what happened, I want to be a better person, I know I won't ever be able to fully fix every wrong thing I've done but I at least want to try. What you said to me was all right, I was a coward, I am a coward, but please, please just, give me another chance, I want to become the good guy you thought I might be...please"

Steve looked at Y/n desperately as he tried to own up to his actions, he had been the first person that had been able to read him like a book, and for some reason, he was glad, glad that someone finally saw past his act. He didn't want to lose Y/n, he wanted him to know that even though he wasn't the best person, because he was far from that, he wanted to be better, he didn't want to be like his dad. He needed Y/n to tell him that even though he's been an asshole his whole life he can still change, that it's not too late for him to change, and that he's not doomed to be this horrible person that everyone believes he is, including himself.

Y/n wasn't sure what to say, he wanted to say so much and nothing at all at the same time. He couldn't hate Steve, and he didn't want to hate him, he wanted to forgive him, but that was not his place to speak, it was up to Nancy and Jonathan to forgive Steve, but he appreciated how hard he was trying to be better.

"I don't hate you, Steve, I'm just disappointed by what you did," he tells him softly.

"That's even worst than you hating me" Steve sighs, "Please just let me explain myself"

"Steve I-I'm a bit busy right now" he wanted to hear him, he really did, but his friends were about to go fight a monster from another dimension, and he needed to help them.

"Just give me five minutes, five minutes, please Y/n"

"Fine, you have five minutes Harrington," he says opening the door fully and letting him in.

He closes the door and turns to look at him as they both stand in the middle of Y/n's living room.

"I thought she was cheating on me, Nancy, with Jonathan, before I bumped into you yesterday I saw them together in her room, they didn't look like two friends, they looked like a couple, I got mad, I told Tommy and Carol, and then in the morning Tommy told me we should go to the cinema and write that thing about her, I wasn't sure about it but I didn't stop him, then they walked up to us in the alley, I said all those things to Jonathan, I don't really have an excuse for that, no matter if Nancy had cheated or not what I said was out of line, that's pretty much it, I'm sorry"

By the end of the explanation, Steve couldn't even look Y/n in the eyes, he had a terrible feeling that what he just said wouldn't even matter because he would never forgive him.

"You keep saying you're sorry, but you don't need to apologise to me, you need to apologise to Jonathan and Nancy," Y/n tells him.

"I know, and I will apologise to them, I'm going to Jonathan's house after this, I just wanted to talk to you first-"

"You're going to Jonathan's house after?" Y/n repeated.

"Yeah"

Y/n couldn't let Steve go to Jonathan's house, at least not at this time, he had no clue where everyone had gone, whether they were coming back to the house, or if the monster was in the house, either way, he couldn't send Steve towards the mess he had just gotten himself into.

"Actually, you should probably go later to Jonathan's, I think he was busy," he tells him.

"No it's okay, it'll just take a second," He says walking towards the door, "Thanks for listening to me Y/n"

"Steve you can't go to Jonathan's house," he says walking in front of him and standing in front of the door.

"Why not? You said it yourself, I need to apologise" he says confused.

"But not right now, I mean it's late, he's probably already asleep"

Y/n wished he could tell Steve that there might be a monster at Jonathan's house that could kill him so he should just go home, but Dustin told him not to tell anyone else about what was going on.

"I have to go and apologise"

Telling him not to go would be a waste of time, he didn't have a good enough reason to stop him from going, and even if he did Steve would've probably still gone to the house, if he was going to go, he might as well get a ride.

"Alright fine, but can you drive me there? I need to help the kids with something" he tells him opening the door.

"Sure," he said walking up to Y/n, "Are we okay then? Can you forgive me even though you don't think I need to apologise to you?" he asks standing in front of Y/n, as they both stare at each other. If it wasn't the 80s and someone walked past Y/n's house and saw them, they would think they are a couple, but they lived in the 80s, there was no one around at that hour, and they're not a couple.

"Yeah I forgive you, we are okay," he tells Steve with a smile.

"Good, let's go then"

"Hold I need to get something"

Hey peeps!!! Here's the new chapter!!! I hope you liked it because I had a lot of fun writing it! The next chapter will actually be the last one of season 1, I was going to make it this one but there was still a lot left to write and I didn't want to make it too long! Thank you so much for the support with the story it really means the world to me! The next chapter should be out soon! Thanks again for reading the fanfic!

Lots of love, Author.

Who's ready to have Bob as a secondary parental figure?

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

Steve looked at Y/n confused as he walked out of the house with a shovel in his hands.

"What do you need that for?" he asks him.

"The kids want to...build this thing" he comes up with on the spot, closing the door and locking it.

"Alright then, let's go" he walks over to his car and Y/n follows behind him.

Steve drives to the Byers' house, and it takes them 10 minutes to get there. They were both quiet most of the car drive, the only conversation made was through the stolen glances they gave each other on their way, both of them wanting to say so much but deciding not to; the looks they discreetly shared held so many secrets and answered so many questions, yet at the same time they were impossible to decipher, you just couldn't tell what exactly they were feeling, but at the same time you could, it was a strange thing, to say the least, but their life was full of strange things, it wouldn't hurt to add some more.

They both get out of the car, Y/n tightly holding the shovel as he looks around, very hyper-vigilant, worried that the monster might be around and attack them.

"Are you alright?" Steve asks him, noticing how nervous he is.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he says as they walk to the front door.

Steve bangs on the door so many times and so hard, Y/n's surprised he didn't break the window.

"Jonathan! Are you there, man? It's...it's Steve! Listen, I just want to talk" he shouts banging the door again, he would've probably broken the window if it wasn't for the fact that Y/n grabbed his wrist before he hit the door one more time.

"Do you need to hit the door so hard, Steve? Honestly just knock like a normal person" Y/n tells him, "I'm also here, he really just wants to talk" he shouts hoping that Jonathan will be home.

The door opens and to both of their surprise, Nancy is the one that stands on the other side of the door.

"Hey. Nancy, what-" Steve says, confused at Nancy being at Jonathan's house.

"He came to my place, I tried to get him to go home, but he wouldn't, I'm sorry, I brought a shovel though, how can I help?" Y/n asks Nancy.

"It's okay, don't worry. Steve, listen to me" she begins saying, "You need to leave"

"I'm not trying to start anything, okay?" he tries to explain, believing they don't want him here because of what happened.

"It's not about that Steve" Y/n tries to tell him.

"You need to leave" Nancy repeats.

"No, no, no, listen, I-I-I-I messed up, okay? I messed up... I messed up, okay. Really, please, I just want to make things right, okay, please, please-" Steve stops talking as his eyes look down, and he notices the bandage on Nancy's hand, "Hey, what happened to your hand? Is that blood?" he asks, trying to grab her hand, worried as his voice softens.

"Nothing, it was an accident," Nancy says, glancing at Y/n.

'The monster?' Y/n mouths at her, and she gives him a small nod.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Steve asks.

"She's fine Steve" Y/n adds, placing his hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Wait a sec, did he do this to you?" He asks angrily.

"No" Nancy shouts as Steve tries to push past her and into the house.

"Nancy, let me in!"

"No, no Steve!"

"Steve, hold on! Steve!" Y/n shouts, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him back.

Both of their efforts are useless, as Steve walks inside the house and looks around the room, trying to figure out what's going on, Y/n follows him inside, and he sees Jonathan standing in the middle of the living room. He has a bandage covering his hand, a bat with nails beside him on a table, and the whole place has Christmas lights around, but what really confused Y/n out of everything was the fact the only people there were Jonathan and Nancy. He wanted to find out what the hell was going on, but he could also tell that this wasn't the time to make conversation.

"What is...what the..." Steve says, clearly confused.

"You need to get out of here," Jonathan tells Steve as he walks up to him, trying to gently push him back out.

"Jonathan, where's everyone else?" Y/n asks him.

"Whoa, what is all-" Steve begins asking.

"Listen to me, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you, get out of here," Jonathan says seriously, clearly worried about Steve's safety.

"What is that smell?" Steve adds.

"Come on, Steve, just go, please," Y/n tells him, grabbing him by his shoulders as he does his best to push him back.

"Is that...is that gasoline?" he asks

"Steve, get out!" Nancy shouts, pointing her gun at him.

Jonathan, Y/n and Steve turn to look at her, the three of them shocked, clearly, none of them expected her to do anything like this.

"Jesus, hold on, Nancy!" Y/n shouts, raising his right hand in front of him, his left hand still holding onto Steve's shoulder.

"W-wait, wait, what? What is going on?" He asks in a panic, looking around at the three of them.

Steve had never been more confused in his entire life, he couldn't understand a single thing in this situation, nothing made sense.

"You have five seconds to get out of here," Nancy told him.

"Okay, is this a joke? Stop, put the gun down" Steve says.

"Nancy I'll get him out but put the gun down" Y/n adds, scared Nancy might accidentally trigger the gun, he didn't think Nancy even knew how to use one.

"I'm doing this for you" she explains.

"Wait, is this a..." Steve mumbles.

"Nancy," Jonathan says.

"What is this?" Steve asks confused.

"Nancy," Jonathan says louder, trying to get her attention.

"Three. Two" she counts down.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Wait, Nancy!" Steve and Y/n shout, trying to get her to put down the gun.

"Nancy!" Jonathan shouts, finally getting her attention, "The lights"

Nancy turns around and looks up at the lights around the house, Steve's and Y/n's attention also moves to them, and they all watch as they uncontrollably flicker.

"What the hell is going on," Steve asks Y/n.

"I have no idea," he says, neither of them looking away from the lights.

"It's here," Jonathan tells Nancy, grabbing the bat that was on the table

"Wait, what's here?" Steve asks worriedly.

"Where is it?" Nancy asks, looking around.

"Where is what?" Steve shouts, desperately wanting someone to just tell him what's happening.

"Are you talking about the monster?" Y/n asks, holding up the shovel as he starts looking around scared.

"What monster?" he says, looking at Y/n as he moves closer to him, "Hello? Will someone explain to us what the hell is going-"

Before Steve can finish shouting the ceiling breaks, Steve and Y/n practically jump back at the sound bumping into each other, while Nancy and Jonathan just turn to look up at the hole worried. Nancy holds up her gun and starts shooting at the creature coming out of the ceiling.

"No!" Jonathan shouts moving forward as he wraps his arm around Nancy's waist pulling her back, "Go! Go! Run! Go!"

The creature lands on the ground, Y/n and Steve stand there frozen, all Y/n can do is put his hand on Steve's chest standing in front of him as he holds his shovel as tightly as he can.

Nancy runs towards the room, Jonathan grabs Y/N's arm pulling him along, and he does the same, taking Steve's hand as he pulls him with them. The four of them run through the corridor running away from the monster that was most likely going to start following them.

"Jump!" Jonathan shouts as he jumps over something laying on the ground, neither Steve nor Y/n could tell what they were supposed to jump over since there was no light but they still followed Jonathan's instruction.

"What? Oh my god!" Y/n shouts jumping over the thing.

"Oh, my god! Oh, my god!" Steve screams jumping after Y/n.

The four of them run into Will's room, Jonathan closing the door once they are all inside.

"Jesus! Jesus! What the hell was that? What the hell was-"

"Shut up!" Jonathan and Nancy shout cutting off Steve who was on the verge of having the biggest panic attack of his life.

They both turn around the look at the door, Nancy holding up her gun while Jonathan had a lighter in his left hand and the bat in the other. Y/n's hands were holding on so tightly to the shovel ready to strike at any moment, yet he was shaking like crazy and started breathing faster when he heard the monster screeching, he didn't actually think he could act in time if the creature walked through the door, he was convinced he would just stand there while panicking. Steve noticed just how scared he was and without thinking he placed his hand on his shoulder, letting him know that he wasn't alone and that as terrifying as everything was he was there with him.

The four of them stood there waiting for the monster to attack them but as the seconds passed they couldn't even hear it move towards the room.

"What's it doing?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know," Jonathan told her.

Y/n moves a bit closer to Steve, his eyes never moving away from the door, scared that if he looks away for just a second the monster will appear at the door.

"Do you hear anything?" Nancy says, clearly worried at the unexpected silence.

"No," Jonathan says, putting his lighter back in his pocket and opening the door as he quietly walks out with everyone else following behind him.

They look outside but see nothing, the place is completely quiet. Y/n and Steve look down at the floor, now that things are relatively calmer they notice the thing they jumped over a couple of seconds ago was a bear trap. The four of them carefully walk around the trap and back into the living room, they look around but find nothing, the whole place is empty, and there's barely a trace of the monster.

"It's gone, oh my god, it's gone" Steve mumbles freaking out.

"There's no way it just disappeared like that, right?" Y/n asks Steve turning to look at him.

"Did I just imagine that? Am I dreaming?" Steve muttered shaking his head in disbelief. "This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy" he says louder as he starts losing his mind trying to understand the situation, "This is crazy! This is crazy! This is crazy!"

He walks over to the telephone and grabs it as he starts to dial 911. Y/n wasn't sure whether he should stop him or not, though it seemed like a good idea, but it probably wasn't, the chief was involved in all of this and if he hadn't informed his colleagues or the military there was probably a good reason why. Nancy walked over to Steve and grabbed the telephone out of his hand, tossing it to the floor.

"What are you do--What are you doing? Are you insane?" Steve asks, more confused than before.

"It's going to come back!" Nancy shouts at him, "So you need to leave, right now"

"Did you know about this? Is this why you didn't want me to come?" Steve asks Y/n turning to look at him.

He nods, "They told me about what was going on just before you knocked at my door, I'm sorry I didn't want you to get involved in this," he told him, "Please, Steve, you should leave"

And so he does.

He wasn't sure whether leaving was the right choice but he did, he opened the door and got out of the house as quickly as possible, running towards his car and dropping his keys as he tried to unlock it, still shaken up after everything that had happened, before he opened the door he looked back at the house, the lights were flickering again. At that moment Steve realised that if he walked away right now he would be the coward he feared he was, he would let down Y/n and end up like his father, but if he stayed and helped them it would be his first step towards being a better person. So he stayed.

Back inside the house, Nancy, Y/n and Jonathan stood in a circle as they looked around the house trying to figure out where the monster would appear this time. The three of them were terrified but if they let panic take control of the situation they would most likely end up dead, so the best they could do is try and be alert ready to attack when once the creature came back.

"Where is it?" Nancy asks.

"I don't know, I don't know," Y/n says.

"Come on, come on, you son of a bitch" Jonathan mumbles.

"You see it?" Nancy asks.

"No, you?" Y/n asks her.

"Where are you? Come on!"

Right after Jonathan shouts the lights turn off, they all stand there not being able to see much, it isn't until the monster growls and Nancy turns around that they realise where it is.

"Jonathan!" Nancy and Y/n shout.

The monster lounges itself towards Jonathan pushing him down, the thing puts its arm on Jonathan's chest holding him down on the ground, and he isn't able to do anything given the fact the bat fell out of his hand.

"Jonathan!"

"What do we do?!" Y/n shouts, trying to act as quickly as possible.

Nancy starts shooting at the monster, and all they can both hope is that it will do some sort of damage to it.

"Go to hell, you son of a bitch!" she shouts.

The monster starts walking over to them, Nancy and Y/n move back trying to stay as far away from the thing as possible, they were both terrified, scared that they might be seconds away from their death. Y/n swings the shovel, he doesn't really think, for once in his life he doesn't let himself think, he just acts, hitting the monster right in what one would assume is its face. The monster reacted almost instantly, raising his arm and pushing Y/n away, he lands on his side the shovel falling off his hand and landing away from him, he tries his best to grab it as the creature gets closer to him but his hand doesn't find the shovel. He gives in to his fear and closes his eyes, too scared to do anything.

Y/n believes that if Steve hadn't shown up with Jonathan's bat in time to hit the monster he might've died, but this thought did not come to mind until much later.

"Steve!" Nancy and Y/n shout.

The monster tries to hit Steve back, but he moves away hitting the monster again. Y/n sits up as quickly as possible, grabs the shovel and stands up rushing over to Steve who was backing up into a wall trying to hit the monster again, Y/n swings the shovel and hits the creature, Steve acts in tandem with the blow, and hits the monster with the bat twice making it back away into the hall where its foot gets caught in the bear trap.

"He's in the trap!" Y/n and Steve shout, "And stuck!" Steve adds.

"Jonathan now!"

Jonathan does exactly what Nancy tells him, he pushes down on the lighter throwing it on the ground around the monster and the floor lights up in flames, burning it. The four of them raise their arms covering their eyes from the heat, Jonathan then walks away and grabs the fire extinguisher.

"Get back," he says, standing in front of the other three as he extinguishes the fire.

Everyone starts coughing as they cover their mouths and noses trying not to breathe in the smoke, they slowly walk over to the bear trap as the smoke clears to find the monster is nowhere to be seen. Everything they had just done was for nothing, and they couldn’t help but feel disappointed in things not going to plan.

"Where did it go?" Nancy asks.

"No, it has to be dead, it has to be," Jonathan says shaking his head as they all stand in front of the empty trap.

Y/n bends down trying to get a closer look at the trap to see if there are any traces of the monster, but there is nothing in it or around it.

"It's like it was never here," he tells them, standing back up.

"Let's look around," Jonathan says walking to his room, Nancy following him.

Y/n goes into Will's room, the shovel still in his hand, he carefully walks in looking around the bedroom but the room is empty.

"There's nothing here" he shouts.

"This room is okay too" Steve responds from Joyce's bedroom, "Jonathan?"

"Same here"

They all walk back into the hall, confused and scared, wondering whether the creature will appear again. As if answering their question a couple of lights light up in front of them, they turn to look at each other and start walking forward following as the lights start turning on one after the other creating a path that leads to the front door, Y/n lowers his weapon, noticing how the lights seem different, they aren't flickering like before when the monster was around, they just light up as if they were moving or walking.

"Mom," Jonathan whispers, staring at the lights, "Is that you? Mom"

The last light switches on right in front of the door and then turns off as if walking outside, Jonathan opens the door and walks outside, the others following him out the door, they watch as the street lamp flickers like the ones back at the house.

"Where's it going?" Nancy asks.

"I don't think that's the monster," Jonathan says, Steve and Nancy turned to look at him confused.

"Neither do I, the lights, they weren't flickering, they just switched on" Y/n added.

"So what was it?" Steve asks.

"I think, it might be my mom," Jonathan tells them, "We should head back to the school, and check on the kids"

"That's a good idea, we shouldn't leave them alone," Nancy says.

Jonathan goes back to the house to grab his keys and Steve follows behind him, "Hey can I talk to you for a second man?" He says as they walk inside the house, meanwhile, Nancy and Y/n stay outside.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asks him.

"I don't know," he says sitting down on the ground.

A couple of minutes later Steve and Jonathan walk out of the house, Y/n guessed Steve was apologising to him, and assuming by the normal talk they were having it went well.

"Since we have two cars should we go two and two?" Nancy asks.

"Yeah, can you come with me so we can talk?" Steve asks her.

"Sure"

Y/n watched as they both walked to Steve's car, while he himself followed Jonathan to his.

~~~

The drive to the school went by quite fast even though it took them time to get there. As they approached the school they noticed the place was surrounded by police cars and ambulances, Jonathan parked the car as quickly as he could and they both got out of the car rushing towards the ambulances and looking for the kids.

The first boy they saw was Mike, he was with his mom by an ambulance hugging each other. Mike was crying and that just made Jonathan and Y/n panic, worried one of the kids might've been injured or even worst dead. At the next ambulance they saw Lucas with his parents and next to a police car was Dustin still waiting for his mom to arrive, Y/n immediately runs up to him, these kids are all like his brothers, and he needs to know they were okay.

"Dustin! Dustin!" he shouts making his way past the paramedics and policemen.

"Y/n!" He shouts running up to him, he hugs Y/n immediately hiding his face on his stomach.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asks hugging him back.

"I'm okay, I'm not hurt," he says, "What about you?"

"I'm fine, next time you explain something to me though, do it properly and with more details please because I just had to fight an eight-foot monster and almost died," he says looking down at him, "You've got to explain a lot to me"

"I'll tell you everything, don't worry," he tells him chuckling.

"Dusti! Dusti!" Y/n and Dustin turn to see where the voice is coming from and see Dustin's mom rushing towards them.

"Go on, you don't want to worry your mom more than she already is"

Dustin smiles at Y/n as he stops hugging him and runs over to meet his mom, looking away from them Y/n sees Steve standing in the parking lot alone, looking at all the families reuniting with a soft yet sad smile, he decides to walk over to him.

"Hey, you okay?" he asks, standing next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he was lying, Y/n could tell he was lying, but he decided to just move past the topic.

"How did things go with Jonathan and Nancy?" he turned to look at Y/n.

"They went well" he pauses for a second, "Thanks"

"For what?" Y/n asks.

"For shouting at me earlier, I needed it," Steve tells him with a gentle smile.

"Well I'm glad I could help" he replies.

They both turn around as they hear the honk of a car, driving up to them they see the Chief.

"Hopper, where's my mom?" Jonathan asks him walking over to the car.

"She's on her way to the hospital, we found Will"

Everyone rushes to the cars, the kids telling their parents to move quickly excited by the news, Jonathan and Nancy are the first ones to leave right behind Hopper's car, Steve and Y/n follow them and then the kids. They all arrive at the hospital pretty quickly, it's only seven minutes away from the middle school; once inside they were told to sit in the waiting room, they needed to check some things and wait for Will to wake up before anyone outside of the family could visit.

Y/n decided to go get something to drink and eat for everyone as well as call his dad, he guessed it would take a while before Will woke up, and Steve tagged along with him.

"That will be all $87," The lady at the cashier says.

"I'll pay," Steve says taking out his wallet and glancing at Y/n for a second.

"Thanks" he was so thankful that Steve was paying because there was no way he was about to spend $87 on food at a hospital.

"Are you going to stay?" Y/n asks, as they both sit down in some chairs at the cafeteria, waiting for their order.

"I'm not sure, why? Do you want me to stay?" Steve asks him, it's a genuine question even though it seems to be just a joke.

He shakes his head, "I was just asking"

Y/n did want Steve to stay, for some reason, he wasn't exactly sure why but he wanted to spend more time with him.

They get their order right after, grabbed the things and walk back to the waiting room. Y/n walks over to the telephone booth so he can call his dad before entering the room.

"Hey dad," Y/n says once his dad answers the call.

"Y/n, everything okay?" He asks.

"Yeah just wanted to check on you, are you heading home soon?"

"I was just about to leave, I'll tell you everything tomorrow, are you leaving Jonathan's soon?" Y/n looks at Steve for a second before looking around at the hospital, he had no idea when he would leave.

"I'm not sure, I might take a bit longer, but I'll call you before I leave his house, don't worry" he explains to him.

"Alright, be careful, I'll leave the lights on, I love you"

"Love you too dad, bye," he says ending the call.

Steve opens the door once he finishes the call and they both walk into the waiting room, they go around handing everyone the drinks and food they got, and once everyone had their food they sat down to eat.

Hospitals never have a nice atmosphere, you only go there when you need help, so no one really said a thing while they were waiting. The kids were quiet for a bit until eventually Dustin and Lucas fell asleep, Mike stayed awake though. Jonathan and Joyce stayed with Will in his room, and everyone else just sat there waiting to hear about Will's well-being, Y/n almost drifted off but then the door opened and Jonathan walked out of it, he looked at the boys and then at Y/n letting them know simply with his nod that Will was awake.

"Guys! Guys, he's up, Will is up, guys Will's up!" Mike said loudly waking up the two boys as he rushed towards the room.

Lucas and Dustin glared at each other as they woke up, realising they had fallen asleep with their heads laying against each other.

"Guys come on" Mike called out as the two boys stood up and ran to catch up to him.

Y/n turned to look at Nancy and they both smiled at each other glad to see the kids so happy again. They both stood up and followed Jonathan to Will's room.

"Hey," Y/n says, "I heard about Barb, I'm so sorry" Nancy stopped walking and stood there looking down at the floor, she was still processing the fact her best friend was dead, it all seemed like a nightmare, but it wasn't, Barbara was dead and there was nothing that Nancy could do about it. When Nancy didn't reply all Y/n did was move closer to her and give her a hug, he knows that Nancy has a bit of trouble processing her emotions but he wants to help her in the best way he can. Nancy hugs him back for a second before moving away from the hug and walking inside the room.

Y/n followed her inside the hospital room, when he walked in he saw Will on the bed with Mike, Lucas and Dustin next to him telling him everything that had happened.

"It got me, the Demogorgon" Will says.

Y/n looks at Jonathan slightly confused, "Demogorgon, like in dungeons and dragons?" he asks him.

"Yeah, that's what we're calling the monster" he explains to Y/n, he nodded looking back at the boys, the name made sense, and the monster did look similar to a Demogorgon.

"We made a new friend," Mike tells him, "She stopped it, she saved us...but she's gone now"

"Her name's Eleven" Dustin adds.

"Like the number?" Will questions.

"Well, we call her 'El' for short" Lucas points out, "She's super powerful"

After that they all started rambling about what had happened the last couple of days and what they and Eleven had done, Y/n tried to pay attention to as much of the events as possible, he hadn't gotten the chance to meet Eleven and he was quite sad about it, he would've loved to learn more about her as a person as well as her abilities and her story. Halfway through the explanation, Nancy left the room, she needed some space after what had happened and seeing a group of friends having fun wasn't going to make her feel better, Jonathan noticed when she left and so did Y/n, but he knew Nancy needed to be alone.

"She needs to be alone for a bit," Y/n told him, "But you should talk to her after, I think she would really appreciate it"

After the boys finally stopped talking Will noticed Y/n at the back of the room, he immediately smiled as they made eye contact.

"Y/n!" He says excitedly.

"Well look who finally said hello to me" he chuckles walking over to him, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, a bit tired," he explains.

"Well I'm just glad you're here and safe, we were all so worried about you kid," Y/n tells him patting his head, "Next time you are alone and your brother or mom are busy just call me. You know I'll always answer, don't forget I'm basically your second brother" he reminded him with a smile.

"I know, I'll make sure to let you know"

Y/n left not long after, he talked with Will for a bit but then let the boys talk with him some more. He walked out to the waiting room where he saw Steve fast asleep on his chair, he was surprised he had stayed given the fact he didn't know Will.

"Hey, wake up," Y/n said gently shaking Steve awake, he opened his eyes and looked at him confused, "What are you still doing here?" he asked Steve.

"Well, when you went inside to see the kid I was going to go but then I remembered you don't have a car and will probably have to walk home, and the last time that happened it didn't go so well, so I figured I would just wait here until you got out so I could drive you home," he told him standing up.

"You didn't have to do that," Y/n said, embarrassed he was keeping him here.

"You forget I own you, a lot, so I might as well start paying you back" he pointed out chuckling, "Let's go"

They both made their way out to the hospital and then to Steve's car. The drive to Y/n's was quick, his house was relatively close to the hospital, when they arrived at his house Steve parked his car right in front of it.

"Thanks again for the drive," he tells Steve.

"Anytime" he smiles at Y/n.

Everything had finally calmed down and staring at Steve Y/n was reminded of the horrible bruise and cut he had on his face, he hadn't been able to ask him much about it before given the rush they were in, but now he finally had some time.

"I forgot to ask you about your face, did it happen when you and Jonathan had the fight?" he asks him.

"Yeah, I'm not very good at fighting clearly" he explained to Y/n.

"Did you clean the cuts?"

"I mean I put a cold coke can against it and took some pills," Steve told him.

Y/n's eyes opened wide upon hearing Steve's response, "That's all you did?" he asked worried.

"Yeah, why?"

"Why?" he repeated in disbelief, "Steve if you don't disinfect an open cut properly it can get infected, you don't want to ruin your face now do you?" Steve shakes his head in a panic.

"No, I don't, shit do you think it's already infected?" he asks.

"I don't think so, but we better disinfect it before it does, come on I'll help you with it, I don't trust you with your own health," he says getting out of the car and walking up to his front door, it took Steve a second to realise what he meant but a couple of seconds later he was out of the car and jogging up to Y/n who was now unlocking his door.

The living room light had been left on like his dad told him, but he was nowhere to be seen, Y/n carefully made his way to the rooms and looked into his dad's, to find him sleeping on his bed, he closed the door and then walked back to the living room where Steve was standing.

"Nice house," he told him.

"Thanks" Y/n walked over to the kitchen and looked in the cabinets for the medical kit his dad kept.

"Is Mr.Clarke home?" Steve asked him.

"Yeah but he's sleeping, don't worry" he explained taking out the kit and looking for the saline solution and some gauze pads.

"Is that a Christmas tree?" Steve asks, Y/n turns to look at him to see he's staring at the Christmas tree standing in the corner of their living room which is completely empty.

"Yeah, my dad wants to start decorating soon for Christmas, he takes it very seriously" he explains to Steve who just chuckles and walks over to where Y/n is.

"That's nice, my parents don't even decorate, they're usually out on a business trip during December any way" Every time Steve tells Y/n something about his parents or his family life it just makes Y/n hate them more.

"Well if you ever need a family to cook Christmas cookies with during December our door is always open," Y/n tells him with a smile grabbing his arm and pulling him closer.

"I'll make sure to bother you a bit during the holidays then" Steve stands there confused by the sudden close proximity until Y/n moves his hand to Steve's hair and pushes his head down towards the sink which makes him even more confused, "What are you doing?"

"I need to rinse your cut with water before I can disinfect it, now close your eyes," he says opening the water tab.

"Ow, it hurts" he complains.

"Well you should've been more careful with an open wound," Y/n tells him and a couple of seconds later closes the tab. Y/n lets go of his hair, grabs a towel and hands it to him.

They both walk over to the sofa and take a seat there. Y/n soaks a gauze pad in saline solution and moves his hand to hold Steve's face and moves it a bit to the side so that he can disinfect the cuts. He was going to thank Steve for helping him when they were at Jonathan's house but before he could even put his thoughts into words Steve spoke.

"Do you think I can change?" Steve asks Y/n interrupting the silence that was surrounding them.

"What?" Y/n asks as he stops disinfecting the skin.

"Do you think that I can actually change? That I can be a good person? That I am a good person? Or do you think I was supposed to be just like my dad, a narcissistic selfish asshole" He asks, looking down.

Y/n wasn't sure how to respond to the question, it was so sudden he didn't see it coming, he was not expecting him to ask something like that. Y/n took a deep breath and hoped that he could put his thoughts into words properly.

"Steve, you saved my life at Jonathan's house, you could've just run away, gotten out of all this mess and just been selfish, but you weren't, you stayed, you took Jonathan's bat and you fought a monster from another dimension, nobody asked you to do that," he told him, "Look at me" Steve hesitantly moved his eyes so they met Y/n's, "You're not your father or your mother, you're not a narcissistic selfish asshole, Steve Harrington, you're a good person, you're trying to be better, the moment you realised you had gone too far you decided to change, a bad person wouldn't do that, you apologised to everyone for your mistakes and you helped us all, you're not perfect but neither are any of us, so yes, I know you can change, I know you can be a good person, I know you are a good person"

At this point, Steve was holding back tears, but Y/n couldn't even see them, after 17 years of having to cry in silence and cover his red eyes he has mastered the art of holding in his tears and making it look like he was fine, but he knew he wasn't fine, and he knew this meant a lot to him.

"Thank you Y/n"

"I'm just happy to help and thank you for saving my ass back there" he smiled at Steve as he went back to wiping the injury. Steve didn't move his gaze away from Y/n during the remaining minutes of Y/n disinfecting his wound, he wasn't sure why or how, but he felt very comfortable around Y/n, he liked spending time with Y/n, he liked looking at Y/n, but he didn't like him, of course, he didn't, he couldn't, he just liked everything else about Y/n.

Y/n walked Steve back to his car once he finished helping him out.

"Oh, do you want me to go get your sweater?" he asked Steve as he got inside the driver's seat.

"Keep it, it looks nice on you," he told him closing the door and driving away.

Y/n stood there a bit surprised by his comment but just smiled to himself as he walked back to his house, he believed his dad would never find out about this but much to his surprise Scott was wide awake in his room and had heard their entire conversation. Not only did Scott realise that day that Steve Harrington was actually a nice boy that had made mistakes and was learning from them, but also that there was something between Y/n and Steve that both were yet to realise.

One could say that this was the moment where everything changed, not only the main story itself, but Steve and Y/n as individuals and the way they view each other, but specifically for Steve it was the moment where he started questioning everything he thought he knew, and old feelings he'd once had started to resurface, now it was all up to whether he would acknowledge them and accept them...

FINALLY GUYS!! FINALLY! We are done with season 1 woop woop!! I had so much fun writing this season but it was also quite hard given the fact Steve was an asshole in it! I hope you guys liked the chapter because I loved it so so much, it took me a while to write given I wanted to figure out some things but it's finally here. I will try to publish a new chapter as often as I can and I apologise if sometimes I take too long, life is hectic and busy. Thank you so much for your support with this story so far it really means the world to me!

Lots of love, Author.

Finally, we can get into the actual romance, you all are not prepared for what I have planned

Chapter Text

~Narrators POV~

(I listened to 'I Want to Know What Love Is' by Foreigner while writing this bit)

Acceptance takes a long time, you won't turn into the person you want to be from night to morning, especially if you live in a toxic environment and are surrounded by people that try to control you. This is why Steve Harrington was still dating Nancy Wheeler, his parents like her, and she comes from a family with a good reputation and money, sure he still likes Nancy, but the feelings for her haven't grown, if anything they've just become smaller. Nancy isn't even sure if she still likes Steve, Jonathan likes Nancy but hides his feelings and Y/n, well he's still figuring it out.

Steve didn't change right away, he still talked with Tommy and Carol sometimes, he didn't often hang out with Y/n, and it wasn't until early February that he finally cut them off; after that, his reign as 'King of Hawkins High School' slowly started to fall, and little by little he started losing his 'friends', by the end of the school year he was old news. Even though Steve knew that they never really cared for him, it still hurt to go from having everything to nothing, especially because his parents found out he was losing his popularity and status in school and looked down on him for letting that happen.

That day when he felt completely alone and like no one really knew him he drove to the place of the one person that has made him feel okay with being himself.

"Steve? What are you doing here?" Y/n asked him opening the door.

"I don't have any friends, once again I'm a disappointment to my parents, and it's only July," he said visibly upset as he avoids eye contact.

"Steve, I-" he began saying before being interrupted.

"I wanted to see you" Steve added answering the question and looking up into Y/n eyes.

"Why?" Y/n asked him.

"Because you like me for who I am, and I like spending time with you," he told him.

Y/n smiled at Steve and shook his head chuckling, "Do you want to come in?"

"No, actually I think I'll stand here in the cold summer breeze all night," Steve said sarcastically smiling back at him.

"You're an idiot," he told Steve, "Come on, my dad's making dinner" he grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside his house, closing the door once they were in.

"Who was at the door?" Scott asked from the kitchen.

"It's just Steve, is it okay if he has dinner with us?"

"Oh no I don't want to bother you," He said embarrassed.

"Mr Harrington, I haven't seen you in a while, you've grown a lot," Scott told him with a smile as he walked over to the dinner table, "You're more than welcome to join us for dinner, I always cook extra food anyway"

"Well, um, sure then, thanks Mr Clarke"

That night Steve felt more at home with the Clarke's than he's ever felt in his own house with his parents. They had a lot of fun talking about their day and movies they had recently seen, Steve felt included in the conversation the whole time, which is something that never happens with his parents. He laughed more those couple of hours than he had in the past six months, and he was glad he'd made the decision to spend time with Y/n instead of sitting alone in his room.

Scott couldn't help but notice the glances between Steve and Y/n, he could tell there was something going on between them, but he had the feeling neither of them wanted to accept it, even though the chemistry they had was obvious, but he would ask Y/n about it later.

"I had a lot of fun," Steve told Y/n as they walked to his car, "Thanks for letting me hang out with you"

"You're welcome here anytime Steve, I know you don't like being alone at home, so just drop by anytime, or just give me a call," He said with a smile.

"Alright I will," Steve said getting in his car, "By the way, I'm going out with Nancy tomorrow to watch a movie, do you want to come?"

Steve was an idiot for inviting Y/n to his date with Nancy, but he didn't see anything wrong with it, then again he was a very oblivious person. Y/n would never even dream about interrupting Nancy's time with him, he knew that if he was in her position he would've been furious at Steve for inviting someone else to their date.

"I'm sorry, I-umm, I've got something tomorrow, maybe another time," Y/n told him.

"Right," Steve said, "No-yeah, that's a better idea, I'll see you later then" Y/n nodded at him as he turned on his car.

"Have fun" he told him, and Steve smiled at him driving away.

Y/n walked back to his house and helped his dad tidy the table.

"So... I was wondering, you and Steve" Scott began saying.

"What about me and Steve?" he questioned cleaning the table.

"Well, I was wondering what was going on between the two of you?" he asked, "Are you guys friends or do you like each othe-"

"Oh we're just friends" he quickly replies, "He's going out with Nancy, plus I don't think he's into guys"

Scott looks up at him from the kitchen, "You never know. Do you like him?"

Y/n's head snapped to look at his dad, he shook it, "What? No, no, no, I don't like Steve, no way"

Scott wasn't convinced by Y/n's response, he could tell there was definitely something going on between them, but he also noticed the internal conflict going inside his head, clearly, he wasn't sure how he was feeling either, he enjoyed spending time with Steve, he liked being with Steve, he liked Steve, but he didn't like him as more than a friend, or so he wanted to believe.

...

During summer Steve tried to hang out with Y/n as much as he could, but Y/n didn't put in the same effort, not because he didn't want to be around Steve, but rather because he was so confused with how he was feeling towards him and spending time with him only added to that confusion, so they didn't spend as much time together as they would've hoped for. Not only that but Y/n was working more often than usual at the café given the fact he had been trying to save up more money to help his dad with his college fund, but they still saw each other once in a while, most of the time it was at the café, Steve would go and order something just to get the chance to spend time with Y/n, or he would keep him company during his lunch breaks, Steve would even buy Y/n lunch sometimes.

Once school started again though they went back to hanging out as they usually did and very often, Steve needed a lot of help with school, it was officially their senior year, and he only had a couple of months before he had to take his SAT's, he also had to start writing his college essays, and he had no idea what he should write, so he kept asking Y/n about it.

"What have you done in your life that has stuck out to you?" he asked him.

Steve looked down at his notebook answering the question on the board as he thought about his response.

"Honestly" he began saying looking back at Y/n, "I don't know, I haven't done anything special with my life" he confessed, "What are you writing yours about?"

"I'm going to talk about a couple of things, growing up with a single parent, working hard to help my dad and my school achievements," Y/n tells him.

"You have such good topics to talk about, I have nothing, that's it, I'm never getting into college," he says defeated laying back on his chair.

"Don't be so dramatic there are many things you can mention, you're the captain of the basketball team, co-captain of the swimming team, and a certified lifeguard, surely you can talk about that" Y/n suggested to him.

"Okay I actually have a couple of things I could write about," he says writing the points down.

"I'm not working today so how about you come over to my house and I can help you with your essay?" Steve nods smiling at Y/n.

"That would be perfect, thanks Einstein"

"Anytime," he says smiling back at Steve.

The class ends soon after so Y/n and Steve part ways as they leave the classroom.

"I'll meet you outside by my car," Steve tells him as he walks away.

"Alright I'll see you there" he shouts back at him.

Y/n makes his way through the corridors as he walks to his locker, trying his best not to bump into anyone which almost seems like an impossible task with how busy the corridors are, but he successfully arrives at his locker without having to deal with the awkwardness of crashing into someone else.

"I'm going to die," Robin says appearing from behind him.

"Hello to you too," Y/n says turning to look at Robin.

"It's the start of October and I already have an exam" she whines opening her locker, "I don't even get the topic! Do you want to go out later and do something?"

"Sorry I can't, I'm helping Steve with his college essay" Y/n explains taking his books.

"You and Steve have gotten a lot closer lately, are you hiding something from me?" she asks turning to look at Y/n with her arms crossed.

"You seriously think I'd secretly date Steve without telling you? Besides, he and Nancy are still together" Y/n reminds her.

"Well then, do you like him?" Robin asks, Y/n looks away for a second before closing his locker and looking back at Robin.

"What? No, no I don't like Steve, we're just friends," Y/n tells her.

"Okay, if you say so"

Robin wasn't really convinced, she had a feeling that something was going on, but she decided to just change the topic.

On the other side of the school, Steve was making his way to Nancy's locker, things had been going relatively well for them, or at least that's what they liked to believe, Nancy had started to lose feelings for Steve a couple of months ago, but she didn't want to break up with him, she had told Y/n about how she was feeling and Y/n told her that she should just do what was better, if she didn't like Steve any more she should just break things off and stay friends with him, but Nancy felt bad about that because she thought he still loved her, and she wasn't necessarily wrong. In truth this past year Steve has had a lot of trouble with his feelings, he's become closer to Y/n ever since that night after fighting the Demogorgon, and it has confused him a lot, he's never felt this way about a guy before, he's never been this close with someone before, not even his own girlfriend, yes he still deeply cared about Nancy, but did he love her? He wasn't sure.

...

At the end of the school day, Y/n arrived first at Steve's car as they had planned, and Steve made sure to quickly walk out of his last class, so he would get there first, but his efforts were obviously in vain.

"How long have you been waiting for?" he asked Y/n, walking up to him.

"Around 5 minutes, but don't worry it's because Mr Brown let us out earlier" he smiled at him, "You ready to go?"

"Of course" He opened the passenger's door for Y/n with a playful smirk, "After you"

"What a gentleman" Y/n mocked him getting in.

Steve closed the door and then took a seat himself, he started the car and drove off towards Y/n's house.

The drive to no one's surprise was extremely quick, Y/n only lived 7 minutes away from Hawkins High School after all. The house was completely empty, Scott wouldn't be back home for about half an hour, so it would be just the two of them for the time being.

"So, do you want to start with the essay right away or do you want to revise for Friday's science exam?" Y/n asked him.

"Can we do the essay first? I think it's more important, plus I'll just copy you, so I can do well in the exam" he said taking out the page where he had been planning his college essay.

"Nice try, you're doing that test by yourself, I won't be able to help you in your SATs Steve you can't keep relying on me," he said seriously taking out his essay and his pencil case.

"I don't rely on you, you're just a helpful guide" he replies.

"Mhm, of course," Y/n says sarcastically.

They joked around for a couple more minutes but began working on their essay soon after. Working on this Y/n discovered that Steve Harrington was surprisingly quite a perfectionist, he would've never guessed, yet it made a lot of sense.

"I don't like how that sounds, it's boring," Steve said, erasing what he had written.

"But it's formal, college's like that," Y/n told him, and Steve looked at him unsure.

"I don't know-"

The front door opened interrupting Steve and Scott walked inside the house with a smile on his face as he carried the groceries.

"Y/n guess who I saw at the shop, Jen, she said we should all have dinner together soon, we could do it today," he said leaving the bags in the kitchen, when he finally turned around he realized Steve was there. "Oh Mr Harrington I didn't see you, I'm guessing we can't today then?"

"Your guess is right," Y/n said smiling.

"What are you two working on?" Scott asks walking over to the table.

"Y/n is helping me with my college essay, I've had a hard time writing it" he explained.

"Well let me know if you need help, do you want anything to eat?” Y/n turns to look at Steve, and he shakes his head.

“We’re okay, thanks dad”

Steve and Y/n continue working on their essay for another hour before deciding to take a break and move on to study science.

“I still don’t get how you’re so good at chemistry,” Steve says looking for his book.

“My dad is a science teacher what did you expect” Y/n pointed out opening his book and getting his notes.

“Shit”

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I just realized I left my book at home since we didn’t have chemistry today” Steve explains.

“What should we do then?” Y/n questions.

“I’ll go home and get my book quickly, I won't take long I promise, and then we can study for the test,” Steve says standing up.

“You can’t take more than 20 minutes,” Y/n says.

“I won’t, time me and everything, I’ll be back in no time” Steve opens the front door and smiles at Y/n as he runs out of the house and towards his car, he shakes his head chuckling as Steve waves goodbye at him and drives away.

Y/n walks back to the desk and starts organizing his notes.

“Where did Steve go?” Scott asks as he walks into the living room.

“He left his book at home, so he’s going to get it,” Y/n tells him.

…

Steve arrived at his house in ten minutes, he quickly got out of the car and walked inside his house, he made his way up to his room and grabbed his book. When he was about to walk out of the house the telephone started ringing, he turned around and grabbed the phone to answer the call.

“Hello?”

On the other side of the call was Mr Harrington, he needed Steve to send him some papers that had arrived at the house to the company building through the post office. So when Steve ended the call he immediately called Y/n to let him know he was going to take longer to get there.

(I listened to 'Chiquitita' by ABBA while writing this bit)

“I’m really sorry again,” he said to Y/n.

“It’s okay really, I’m not going anywhere anyway,” he told him.

“I’ll take you out to eat after” Steve proposes.

“You don’t have to,” Y/n says chuckling from the other line.

“But I want to,” he says smiling, “Plus I still own you so”

“Alright then, now go send your dad the thing”

“Right, I’ll see you in a bit,” he says ending the call. He locks the door to his house, gets in his car and drives away.

Meanwhile, at the Clarke house, Y/n is moving away his things to his room, the post office wasn't far away from his house, but it would probably take Steve a bit to get there, so he probably had around thirty minutes until Steve arrived.

"Hey dad I'm leaving in a bit," he told Scott.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Steve's taking me out to eat," Y/n said looking for a jacket.

"Like on a date?" Scott said with a smile.

"No, just out to eat, he has a girlfriend and I don't like him" he reminds his dad.

"Of course, silly me forgetting" he chuckled.

"Does this sweater go well with my outfit?" Y/n asked his dad walking out of his room with the sweater Steve had given him, Scott nodded at him with a smile.

"You look wonderful"

"Thanks, dad," Y/n said smiling.

He took a seat on the sofa as he waited for Steve and looked at the time, 6:50 pm, he should be here in a couple of minutes.

...

Thirty minutes go by and there's still no sign of Steve, Y/n just guessed the post office might be busy or that maybe there was an issue with sending the papers it sometimes happens, but he knew Steve would be there soon.

"Still nothing?" his dad asked.

"There was probably an issue at the post office, he should be here soon," he says with a smile.

Y/n knew that Steve wouldn't leave him waiting without a reason, he would've called him or something, which meant that he was probably just taking longer than expected.

"Well I'm going to start making dinner so let me know if you want some" Scott tells him walking to the kitchen.

Thirty minutes then turns into an hour, and Steve is nowhere to be seen, Y/n keeps looking at his watch and the door waiting for a knock but nothing happens. He tries not to lose hope, he tries to tell himself that something must have happened, but he can't help but be more upset as the minutes go by.

Scott takes a seat next to him putting his hand on Y/n's shoulder.

"He's coming dad," he says knowing what his dad was going to say.

Scott didn't have a good feeling about the situation, it had already been an hour and Y/n hadn't even gotten a call, he had gotten to know Steve and he knew he was a nice guy, so he just hoped he had a good excuse because he could tell that Y/n was upset even if he tried to hide it.

Y/n sat there on the sofa waiting for Steve as the time kept passing, at 8:30 Y/n finally stood up from the sofa and walked to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"He isn't coming," he said taking a seat at the table next to his dad.

"Maybe something happened, you should give it a few more minutes-"

"No dad he isn't coming" he takes off his sweater and throws it away on the sofa.

"I'm sorry honey, I'm sure there's a good reason for all of this," he says moving his chair closer to Y/n's and moving his hand to his shoulder.

"You were right" he softly says looking down at his food.

"About what?" Scott asks.

"I do like Steve" he admits looking up at him, "I really like Steve, and I feel so stupid for liking him"

Scott pulls Y/n into a hug, "You're not dumb for liking a boy" he gently tells him.

"Well I feel dumb," he says hugging him back.

"Why don't you get changed, and then we can watch a movie," he says moving away from the hug, "You can pick which one we watch"

"Alright, thanks again dad," he says smiling at him.

"No need to thank me, I'll always be here for you when you need me"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the first chapter of season 2 finally!!! I'm so sorry for taking so long to post it, I've been so busy lately I didn't have a lot of time to write it but it is finally done! I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I had a lot of fun planning it and writing it! Hopefully, the next chapter will take less time to come out but I'll update you guys on it! Thank you again so much for reading this story it means a lot to me! If you have any advice, suggestions or questions feel free to let me know!

Lots of love, Author.

So, who's ready for the season 2 plot?

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

There's a knock on the front door and then two more, Scott walks towards the door wondering who might be there so early in the morning. He opened the door and was surprised when he saw Steve on the other side, his hair was for once not styled and quite messy, he was panting as if he'd run a marathon and was holding a single tulip.

"Mr Clarke," he said fixing his hair, "Is Y/n home?"

"He left an hour ago for work, you got a lot of explaining to do young man," he said his arms crossed over his chest.

"I know, I'm so sorry about yesterday sir, my parents arrived from their trip and I had to help my dad with work- I should probably be telling Y/n this instead of you," he said interrupting himself.

"Yeah" Scott smiled at him.

Steve smiled back at Scott as he turned to walk back to his car but before he did he looked back at him.

"Is he mad?" Steve asked.

"He isn't mad, more than anything he's disappointed," Scott said.

Steve sighed and looked down, last time he disappointed Y/n was after his fight with Jonathan and he was really hoping not to make that mistake again, but clearly, he didn't do a very good job.

"Well, I'm gonna head there Mr Clarke, I'm sorry again about last night," Steve says apologetically.

"Don't be too harsh on yourself, we all make mistakes," Scott tells him with a soft smile.

Steve nods and walks back to his car, he waves goodbye to Mr Clarke and drives away towards the cafe.

~~~~~

(I listened to 'Vienna" by Billy Joel while writing this bit)

Y/n was standing by the cash register attending to the customers, they all loved talking to him.

"A small cappuccino coming right up Sandy," Y/n said smiling as he went to make the coffee.

As Y/n did this Steve parked his car outside the cafe, got out of the car, checked that he looked okay in the rearview mirror, and then he grabbed the tulip and walked towards the cafe.
When Steve opened the door the small bell on top of it started ringing, letting all the workers, which in this case was Y/n, know that a new customer had arrived.

"Hello welcome to Hawkins Cafe and Reading" Y/n began saying as he finished making Sandy's cappuccino.

Steve couldn't help but softly smile as he saw Y/n, he walked over to the counter and stood there waiting for Y/n to turn around and realise it was him.

"Morning" Steve smiled at the old lady next to him.

"There you go Sandy," Y/n said handing the drink to her, "Sorry for the wait, how can I-"

Y/n's smile faded as he saw Steve standing in front of him, with a stupid flower and his stupid face.

"Can we talk?" Steve said.

"No. I'm busy" Y/n told him as he moved away and cleaned the coffee machine.

"Y/n, please" Steve replied as he followed him, "I'm sorry about last night, let me explain"

"It doesn't matter Harrington, alright? Can you just let me work" he said walking past Steve.

"Please," Steve whispered grabbing Y/n's wrist, "Give me five minutes"

"Fine" he answered.

Steve let got off his wrist and Y/n walked towards the staff room.

"Linda I'm going to be taking five," he said loudly.

"Alright, don't take long" she replied.

Y/n took off his apron leaving it next to his bag and then walked back to Steve.

"Come on," he said.

They both walked out of the cafe and sat in Steve's car, they both waited for the other to say something.

"I-uh got you this," Steve says handing Y/n the flower.

"A tulip?" he asks confused.

"I wanted to give you something to apologise but I didn't have much time so I cut one from my mom's garden" Steve explains a bit embarrassed, "Listen, I'm really sorry about last night Y/n, my parents ended up arriving from their business trip, and my dad had to take care of some things and made me help him organising stuff, and when I started telling him that I had to leave because a friend was helping me study he got mad and started arguing with me saying that he's done so much for me and I'm being ungrateful, and the minute I made one complaint he started shouting-" Steve sighed stopping himself from rambling more about his dad, "He was on a call the entire evening so that's why I wasn't able to call you, I'm really sorry"

Y/n felt bad for being so mad at Steve about last night, now knowing what happened and that he obviously didn't mean to leave him hanging there.

"It's alright Steve, it wasn't your fault," Y/n tells him, "Are you okay though?"

"Okay? Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he chuckles confused.

"Come on, we both know your dad's an asshole, he must've said some pretty nasty things to you" Y/n points out.

"It's fine really-" he said.

"Steve..." Y/n says gently turning to look at him, "You don't need to lie to me"

"I know, but it's okay really, it wasn't that bad anyway," he tells Y/n with a smile, "Are you free at night? So that we can study and work on the college essay"

"Sorry, I'm going with the kids to the arcade, Joyce wanted someone to look over Will without him feeling bad about it, and since I go with them sometimes it works" he explains to Steve.

"No, it's okay I get it, are you free later this week?" he asks.

"I think I'm free tomorrow but I won't be sure until then," Y/n tells him.

"Alright, I'll go over to your house and ask you," Steve tells him.

"Okay, well I gotta go back to work but I'll see you around," Y/n says smiling at him, "Thanks again for the tulip, it's very nice"

"I'm glad you liked it, I still owe you that dinner I promised yesterday" Steve reminds him.

"Then you better start thinking about good restaurants Mr Harrington, preferably one that I can't afford," Y/n says stepping out of the car and winking at him.

Steve chuckles at Y/n's comment but nods turning to look at him, "Of course, you can expect the finest cuisine ever Mr Einstein" he smiles, "Good luck at work!"

"Thanks" Y/n smiles back at him and walks inside the cafe.

Steve stays outside the cafe for a couple of seconds staring at Y/n through the cafe window before he drives away, heading back to his house.

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

10 hours pass, Y/n finished work not long ago and is now getting changed in his room so he can go with the kids to the arcade.

"So he gave you this tulip?" Scott asks from the other side of the door.

"Yep, and promised to take me out to eat" Y/n adds putting on his shirt.

"See I told you there was a good explanation for what had happened," Scott says proud to have been correct.

Y/n rolls his eyes smiling and opens the door, "Well you were right"

"I always am" Scott points out with a smile, "Do you want something to eat before you leave?"

"No it's alright, I'll get something later with the kids," he tells Scott.

"Y/n do you copy? Y/n, do you copy!" Dustin says, Y/n grabs his walkie-talkie.

"Yeah I copy," he says.

"What's your haul? Mike doesn't know how much he has, meanwhile Lucas, Will and I have seven dollars" Dustin explains.

"Well since I'm buying you boys food I'll put in five dollars," Y/n said checking his wallet.

"Alright, we're going to leave now so we'll meet you at the arcade," Dustin says.

"Okay, I'll arrive first so I'll wait for you there, be careful, over and out" Y/n ends the line and grabs his bag placing the walkie-talkie inside.

"You're going?" Scott asks grabbing Y/n's jacket.

"Yeah," he says putting on his skates, "I'll see you later dad" Y/n responds taking the jacket and his bag.
He opens the door and skates down the road, the Palace Arcade is only five minutes away from Y/n's house so he doesn't rush, if anything he takes out his walkman and listens to 'Somebody to love' by Queen.

On the way to the arcade, Y/n can't help but think about Steve, lately, it seems that's all he can think about, then again if I were crushing on the most popular boy in the school who I have no chance with yet I know in a way most people don't, I would keep him in my mind too.

Y/n arrives at the arcade not long after, he sits outside on one of the benches and waits for the boys to arrive while he listens to music.

"Y/n! Y/n!" Mike, Dustin and Lucas shout as they ride towards the arcade.

Y/n takes off his headphones and smiles at the boys as he waves at them, "You arrived quickly"

"Yeah we were racing all the way here" Dustin explains as the three of them park their bikes.

There's a car honk, the four boys turn around and see Will and Joyce drive up to the car park, Will waves at them excitedly while Joyce smiles at them as well and then turns to look at Y/n signalling for him to go over to her.

Y/n puts his walkman inside his bag and walks over to Joyce's car as Will steps out of it.

"Hi honey, thank you again for coming," Joyce says with a smile.

"No worries, I like going out with the boys anyway," Y/n tells her.

"Well thank you either way, I'm picking Will up at nine if anything happens though please give me a call" she explains, Y/n nods.

"Of course, we'll be out here by nine, and I know your telephone number so don't worry I'll let you know if anything goes wrong but don't worry Will is going to be okay," he tells Joyce with a smile.

"Have fun alright!" Joyce tells Will who's talking to Mike, he waves at her.

"Bye mom!" he shouts.

"We'll see you later Ms Byers," Y/n says.

"I've told you plenty of times just call me Joyce, I've known you since forever you're basically another kid of mine Y/n" she replies chuckling.

"I know but it feels impolite" he points out, Joyce just smiles at him and puts the car in reverse, "I'll see you later...Joyce"

"Make sure to have a good time too" she reminds Y/n driving away.

Y/n walks back to the kids with a smile.

"Alright, who's ready to lose against me?" he asks them.

"Keep dreaming," Dustin says rolling his eyes.
"I'll kick your ass" Mike adds.
"Just wait I'll beat your record this time" Lucas replies.

"Jesus calm down you three, no need to get your panties in a twist," Y/n says chuckling as he holds the door open.

The four boys walk inside and then Y/n follows them inside closing the door behind him.

~~~

"Oh Jesus, I'm in uncharted territory here guys," Dustin said as he got ready to fight the dragon in 'Dragon's Lair' trying to beat Lucas's record.

They all start screaming and shouting telling Dustin what to do, which ends up causing a lot of chaos.

"Okay, shut up, shut up, shut up!" he shouts and ends up killing his character, "No! No! No! I hate this overpriced bullshit! Son of a bitch! Piece of shit!"

"You're just not nimble enough, but you'll get there one day. But until then, Princess Daphne is still mine" Lucas tells him.

Will turns to look at Y/n raising his eyebrows, Y/n just rolls his eyes and chuckles.

"Whatever, I'm still tops on Centipede and Dig Dug" Dustin reminds him.

"You sure about that?" Keith asks.

The four boys turn to look at him confused.

"Sure about what?" Dustin asks.

Realising what Keith means he runs out towards the Dig Dug machine to find out that he's in fact now number two in Dig Dug.

"No, no, no!" he shouts mad.

"751, 300 points!" Will says shocked.

"That's impossible" Mike replies.

"Clearly not" Y/n points out.

"Who's Mad Max?" Dustin asks Keith.

"Better than you," he tells Dustin who looks at him angrily, flipping him off.

"Is it you?" Will questions.

Keith scoffs at him, "You know I despise Dig Dug"

"Then who is it?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah, spill it, Keith," Dustin says annoyed.

"You want information, then I need something in return," Keith says turning to look at Mike.

Dustin looks at him too and once Mike realises what he means he starts shaking his head obviously against Keith's idea.

"No, no, no way, you're not getting a date with her," Mike says.

"Keith, why don't you keep your pervert ass to yourself, plus she has a boyfriend," Y/n told him.

"Yeah, I'm not prostituting my sister" Mike added.

"But it's for a good cause-"

"Lucas!" Y/n yells interrupting him and hitting him in the back of his head.

"No don't get him the date, know what? He's gonna spread his nasty-ass rash to your whole family" Dustin says as he starts arguing with Keith.

"Acne isn't a rash and it isn't contagious, you prepubescent wastoid" Keith argues back.

"Are you seriously going to fight with a kid about this Keith?" Y/n asks.

"She wouldn't go on a date with you, plus you make what? $2.50 an hour?" Dustin says trying to insult him.

"Nice perm" Keith replies.

"Gonna make fun of my hair?" Dustin asks.

"Alright this is ridiculous, Keith you need to get a life, because if this is what you do for fun on a Saturday night then you're worst off than I'd thought" Y/n states tired of dealing with a man-child.

"You're the one hanging out with kids" he points out.

"Yeah because I'm basically their big brother asshole, what excuse do you have?" Y/n asks him.

"Go on tell us" Dustin insists.

"Y/n Will's going outside," Mike says, Y/n turns to look at him confused and then moves to look at the door.

"Oh god," he mumbles and then looks back at Dustin and Lucas, "Wait here I'll be back" he walks with Mike towards the door and when he opens it they both see Will standing outside.

"Will" Mike says, this makes him turn around, "Are you okay?" he asks.

Will looks at Mike and Y/n worried and confused, he looks at the Arcade sign and then back at them.

"Yeah, I just... I needed some air" he answers.

Y/n walks over to him, not convinced by Will's answer, he has known Will for years, and he knows what he looks like when unsettled.

"Are you sure? You don't need anything?" Y/n asks worriedly.

"No it's okay, I'm fine, honestly" Will replies.

"Alright, don't go out like that though okay? If you need air just let me know next time" he adds.

"Okay, sorry"

"Come on Will, you're up on Dig Dug," Mike says walking over to Will and wrapping his arm around Will's shoulder, both walking back inside.

Y/n watches them go inside, and before he walks in himself he looks at the arcade sign wondering if there was something unusual about it, but just like he expected it looked the same as always.

"I wonder what's up with Will?" Y/n mumbles to himself as he walks back inside.

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Finally guys the new chapter is out!!! I'm so sorry for the long wait it won't happen again I was super busy with some things but I should have more free time which means the chapters should be out sooner!! Thank you for your constant support with this story it truly means a lot!!! Finally, we are getting into the season 2 plot and let me tell you I'm so incredibly excited for what I have planned!!

Lots of love, author!

Is there a character you'd like Y/n to interact with more? Or something you'd like to see happen in the story? Please comment and let me know!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

"Steve, hey," Y/n says, opening the door.

"Hey, is this a bad time?" Steve asks, following Y/n inside as he walks towards the kitchen.

"Kind of yeah, Susan is sick, so I have to cover for her, plus the oven broke, so I was asked to make more cupcakes and take them to the cafe," he explains, taking the cupcakes out of the oven, "I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be able to help you with the essay today."

"That's okay," Steve says, walking over to Y/n and grabbing the cupcakes from his hand. "What do you need help with?"

Y/n stared at Steve, surprised, but smiled at him, "Could you put those cupcakes in this box, please?"

"Of course, anything else?" he asked.

"Well, I need someone to drive me there," Y/n told him.

"You thought I was going to let you walk there?" Steve questioned. He smiled at Y/n and walked past them towards the table, "Come on, we don't want you to be late."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time skip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/n walked away from Hawkins Middle School as he said goodbye to his dad, he walked past the parking lot but froze in his tracks when he heard someone calling out his name. He turned around and saw Jonathan walking up to him.

"Good morning, Y/n," he said with a smile.

"Morning Jonathan, how are you?" Y/n asked.

"I'm doing alright, what about you?" Jonathan replied.

"I'm okay, a bit tired," he began saying, "Hey, I was wondering-"

Before Y/n could continue talking, the loud sound of a car engine blocked out his voice, Jonathan and Y/n both turned around at the noise and saw an unfamiliar blue car drive past them, which had parked across from where they were standing.

"Who's that?" Y/n asked, staring inside the car, he had never seen the guy in the driver's seat.

"I don't know; he's probably new," Jonathan told him.

The mysterious guy stepped out of the car, a cigarette between his lips, and looked around like he owned the place. From the passenger seat, a red-haired girl stepped out of the car, skating away towards the middle school on her skateboard.

"Come on, let's go," Y/n said to Jonathan as he started walking towards the school.

"What grade do you think he'll be joining?" Jonathan asked, following him.

"Unfortunately, I get the feeling he's a senior," he says as they both walk inside the main doors.

"What were you trying to say earlier?" Jonathan questioned.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you about what you said about Nancy a while back—do you still like her?" Y/n asks him.

"Maybe," he admits, "and you? What's going on between you and Steve?"

"Nothing's going on between us," Y/n tells him.

"But you like him?" Jonathan asks.

"Well yeah but-" Y/n stops talking, realizing what he just admitted, "Fuck, you didn't hear that."

"Oh, but I did," he says, smiling, "I can't believe you like Steve."

"Trust me, I couldn't believe it either." Y/n replies, "How's Will doing?"

"He's okay, way better than before, but I'm sure there are still things he struggles with, even if he doesn't talk about them," he explains, and the bell then starts ringing.

"That's good. Well, I'll see you around," Y/n says, waving goodbye to Jonathan as he walks towards his first lesson.

He goes inside his classroom and takes a seat in his usual seat, but he's still thinking about the conversation with Jonathan. He never expected to confess that he liked Steve, but then again, it wasn't a complete surprise either. Deep down, he knew he was slowly falling for him more and more each day, and it scared him yet excited him at the same time.

Just as Y/n begins to drift away in his mind, the new guy that he saw in the parking lot walks inside the classroom and takes a seat next to him.

'Great' Y/n thinks, 'I'm stuck with this guy now'. He tries to just pay no attention to him and focus on the lesson.

The class goes by swiftly, and the new guy doesn't try to make conversation with Y/n and he's very thankful about that; he didn't want to talk to him, and he doesn't seem like someone Y/n would want to have any kind of interaction with.

"Do you understand anything of what he's saying?" the guy asks Y/n, he turns to look at him.

Um, yeah, pretty much." Y/n replies, "It's not that hard once you understand how to solve it."

"Right," he says, clearly not interested in actually understanding the class. "You are?"

"Oh, Y/n Clarke, and you?" Y/n asks him.

"Billy Hargrove," he says, "So, Clarke, tell me, are there any girls here worth talking to?"

Y/n is surprised by the forwardness of the question; clearly, he not only looked like an asshole but he was one.

"It depends on if you want something serious and the type of girls you like." Y/n simply replied, not wanting to get on anyone's bad side.

"I'm not looking for anything serious," Billy replied.

'I'm not surprised' Y/n thought, "Then most girls will be worth talking to, Tina is actually very nice, and she knows everyone, but you also have girls like Carol, who's dating Tommy but sleeps around with other guys; the only girls I can think of that are unavailable are Robin Buckley, who's not interested in dating, and Nancy Wheeler, who's dating Steve Harrington," he explained.

"Steve Harrington, who's he? Everyone keeps talking about him," Billy said, irritated.

"I suppose you could say he's Hawkins's golden boy, he's always been popular in the school, plus his parents have a big reputation; he's been captain of most sports teams, and he's good in all of them," Y/n replied as he kept writing down notes.

"Harrington, huh," Billy says.

Right after the bell rings and class is dismissed, Y/n doesn't waste a second and starts packing everything up, ready to leave the lesson and end this conversation.

Well, I'll see you around, Billy," is all he says as he walks out of the classroom.

He walks towards his next lesson, chemistry, which happens to be with none other than Steve. They saw each other yesterday after he helped Y/n with the whole mess at the cafe, and Y/n still hadn't been able to thank him for it yet.

"Y/n! Y/n!" he turns around and sees Robin running towards him, "I need your help," she says, stopping in front of him.

"What did you do?" he asks her.

"Nothing bad, I was helping" she begins saying.

"What did you do?" Y/n repeats.

"I gave Tammy my homework, I know it sounds crazy because she's a year above but her teacher was lazy and gave them the same homework they gave my class and she forgot to do it so I was like, 'hey why don't you take mine it's fine' and she took it and thanked me and she smiled at me and I almost died," Robin says with a bright smile, "But now I don't have a homework and it took me ages to do since it's chemistry, can you please help me"

"You child," Y/n says shaking his head, "What is the homework about?"

"Oh you're a life savour" she pulls Y/n into a hug and then moves back grabbing her bag and taking a piece of paper out of it, "I need to calculate the solution using these equations but I honestly don't understand it"

"Okay, I'll do it for you, but quickly because I'm supposed to be heading to chemistry," he says grabbing the paper and a pencil as he starts reading the questions.

"You won't die for being late to chemistry," she tells him.

"I don't want to be late though, especially since I sit next to Steve" Y/n replies, he doesn't really realise what he says being too focused on finishing the homework quickly.

"Oh? Oh?! Oh my god so you do like Steve" Robin says rather loud.

"Shhhh!" Y/n says, "Fine yes I do like Steve" he confesses, "Now be quiet or I won't do your homework"

"Okay," Robin says with a smirk on her face, "I can't believe you like Steve, I mean you actually like him" she whispers, "Why do you even like him?"

"Robin can we please have this conversation later and not when I'm supposed to be in class in 3 minutes" Y/n replies as he continues to do her homework.

"Alright, but during recess you better tell me everything," she says excitedly.

Y/n nods and continues doing the homework.

"There you go," he says handing the paper back to her, "All done"

"You're a life savour, thank you" Robin replies.

"It's okay, I had to do this last week anyway, I'm gonna go now though because I'm going to be late, I'll see you later" Y/n waves goodbye at Robin and runs towards his classroom.

He arrives just in time running inside the classroom and taking a seat next to Steve.

"There you are Einstein, I started to get worried you're always here before me," Steve says turning to look at Y/n, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, I just had to help a friend with something last minute," he says taking out his book, "I forgot to thank you for helping me yesterday, but thanks, I'm glad you showed up," Y/n says turning to look at him.

Steve smiles at him, "I'm happy I could help you, I still need to pay you back for all those times you've helped me don't I?" he replies chuckling.

"I mean you don't have to but clearly you want to so I won't stop you, "Y/n tells him, "What do you have there?" he asks pointing to a piece of paper in front of him, it's slightly crumbled but it looks fine.

"Oh, yeah I wanted to ask if you could check out my college essay, I tried to work on it yesterday but I don't think it's good, Nancy wasn't impressed, so I don't even expect you to think is any good-"

"Steve just shut up and give me the paper," he says interrupting Steve before he continues the sad talk.

He hands Y/n the paper and waits for him to read it, Y/n grabs the paper and starts reading the essay.

It isn't bad, it definitely could've been worst, it just needed some work, better structure, and more connection between the points.

"That bad huh?" Steve says not expecting anything good since Y/n isn't saying anything.

"No, I'm just finishing reading it" Y/n explains to him, "I don't think it's bad honestly, you should be proud you wrote this last night, it isn't easy to write an essay in one night, sure there are definitely things that could improve but that's fine you can go over them and change them, if you need help I'm free tonight, I can go over to your house and help you write it," Y/n said turning to smile at Steve.

"I have this dinner thing at five with Nancy but it shouldn't take too long, what about seven? But at your house, my parents are home and I'd just be a headache" he suggests.

"Sure that sounds good, do you want it back?" Y/n asks raising the essay.

"Can you keep it, so you can read it again and see what I could change" he replies.

"Sure"

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

The class goes by rather quickly, Y/n helps Steve as usual with some of his work and they talk about random things just like they did before, but this time everything is different, at least for Y/n, being around Steve hasn't been the same ever since he realised he liked Steve, he wasn't just one of the guys he was friends with, he was the guy, the annoying, dumb, popular idiot that Y/n -for some reason- had fallen for.

"Hey everyone just wanted to let you know that I'll be having a party at my house on Halloween, everyone's invited, make sure to wear a costume," Tina says as she walks around the classroom handing out some papers with information about the party.

"Thanks, Tina," Steve says taking his.

"Y/n," she says handing one to him.

"Thank you," Y/n says, he looks at the paper for a second and then places it inside their notebook.

"Are you gonna go?" Steve asks Y/n, packing his things.

"I'm not sure," he tells Steve.

"Well, you should go" Steve replies, "We can talk and have a fun time, forget about exams for a bit you know? I'd be nice to have you there" he adds turning to look at Y/n with a smile.

"I'll think about it," he tells Steve, "I'll see you in history"

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And finally, the new chapter is done!!! Gosh, I'm so sorry for how long it took me you guys I just kept changing scenes and stuff but do not worry I will try my best to make sure to next chapter doesn't take as long as this one!! I hope you liked the chapter though!

Lots of love, Author.

You guys are not ready for what's going to happen in the next couple of chapters.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Head Over Heels' by Tears For Fears while writing this bit)

"So let me just rewind, okay?" Robin starts saying as she takes a seat in the cafeteria next to Y/n, "You are in love with Steve."

"In love is a bit extreme; I just like him," he says.

"For now," Robin replies, and Y/n shakes his head. "So... what are you going to do?"

"Nothing," he replies, shrugging. "Steve has a girlfriend."

"But if he didn't have a girlfriend?" she points out.

"But he does, and she's my friend, and I'd be an absolute asshole if I tried to do anything, plus the chances of Steve Harrington liking guys are one in a trillion," he replies, opening a drink.

"I mean, you never know; look at me," Robin says. Y/n raises his eyebrow.

"Robin, I knew you were a lesbian before you told me," he tells her.

"Yeah, but no one else knows," she responds, taking out a sandwich.

"That's because anyone in Hawkins would rather die than accept there are gay people here," Robin nods.

"Touché"

"Tina is having a Halloween party tomorrow." Y/n begins saying, "Steve told me that I should go, but I don't know; what do you think?" He asks her

"Well, why don't you want to go?" She asks him.

"Because half of the school will be there, drunk, being more annoying than usual, and maybe I'll end up just third wheeling between Steve and Nancy," Y/n replies.

"Okay, good points; why do you want to go?" She asks.

"I could spend some time with Steve, I guess? But that's all I can think about; why don't you come with me?" As Y/n suggests, Robin shakes her head.

"I would if I could, but I'm working tomorrow, sorry," she replies apologetically.

"It's okay; I'll just think about it," he replies.

~~~

(I listened to 'I Want The One I Can't Have' by The Smiths while writing this bit)

Six hours passed, and Y/n's mind was still engulfed in the same question: "Should I go to the party?" Perhaps it's a silly thought for most people, but it wasn't such a simple question for him after all being around, Steve wasn't the same anymore. Going from seeing someone as a friend to having a crush on them completely changes everything—not only how you feel about them but also how you see them as a person. You're more likely to do something stupid around them, and especially for Y/n, he has to make sure not to act differently around him, not only so he doesn't jeopardize his friendship but also because coming out wouldn't be the safest thing to do.

"I'm so tired; I can't wait to go home," Robin said, walking beside Y/n.

"I'm helping out Bob in Radio Shack, so my day is still not over, plus I'm helping Steve with his essay in the evening, so-"

"Ooohh!" Robin teases him, interrupting him as she gently pushes him.

"Shut up," he replies with a subtle smile.

Robin and Y/n hear a loud shriek; they both turn around and see Steve smiling as he pulls Nancy into a kiss. This immediately snaps Y/n out of the tiny bubble he had been in for the last couple of seconds, and he is reminded once again that not only does Steve have a girlfriend, but also that there is no way anything could ever happen between them.

As Y/n's smile drops, Robin immediately notices; she grabs his hand and drags him away.

"Come on, don't torture yourself," she tells him.

As they both walk away. Steve turns around; his eyes immediately focus on Y/n, and he stares for a few seconds before turning away again. Y/n can't help but feel a little bit of disappointment as he leaves with Robin, knowing that there will never be anything more than just staring at each other from across the room.

Robin and Y/n walk out of the school, "Jonathan, hey!" Robin says walking over to him with Y/n.

He turns around and looks at both of them; his face looks more down than usual, and they both notice immediately.

"You okay?" Y/n asks him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replies.

"No, you're not." Y/n points out, "This is about Nancy, isn't it?"

Robin looks at Jonathan, amazed but not surprised. Of course, he fell for Nancy; I mean, who wouldn't?

"Well, you two are in the same boat," Robin points out with a light chuckle.

"Steve?" Jonathan asks, and Y/n nods.

"He knows?" Robin asked, shocked.

"Yeah, I've known Jonathan all my life; he basically knew before I did," Y/n explained to Robin.

"You should've told me sooner!" She replies excitedly, "I guess the three of us are in the same boat, a broken one apparently."

The three of them were slowly drowning in that boat, and they didn't know how to save themselves or each other, but at least they knew they weren't alone, and that was all they needed.

"Well, the bus is here; I'll see you two tomorrow," Robin says, waving goodbye to Y/n and Jonathan.

"Where are you going?" Jonathan asked.

"Radio Shack, I'm helping Bob with some things for extra money, you?" Y/n replies.

"I have to buy some things at the store; I can drop you off if you want." He suggests walking over to his car.

"Sure, if it's okay," Y/n says.

"Of course," Jonathan tells him.

Y/n and Jonathan get inside the car and drive off to Radio Shack, the radio playing 'She Works Hard For The Money' by Donna Summer.

"Did you hear about Tina's Halloween party?" Y/n asks Jonathan.

"Yeah, Nancy told me I should go, but I don't think I will," he answers.

Y/n chuckles, "That's funny; Steve told me that I should go too."

"He did? Well, are you going to go?" Jonathan asks.

"I don't know; he said it'd be nice if I could go, but I'm still thinking about it," he replies.

"Well, I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but if you do go, then I'll make sure to come too," Jonathan offers.

Y/n smiles and nods her head in agreement. "Alright then, I'll think about it today and I'll tell you tomorrow if I'm going or not."

"Alright," Jonathan replies with a soft smile.

The rest of the drive is relatively quiet except for the radio music. Y/n asks Jonathan about Will and Joyce, but his replies are very simple.

"Well, here we are," Jonathan says as he parks in front of Radio Shack. "Have fun with Bob; I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks; say hi to Will and Joyce from me," Y/n says opening the passenger's door and getting out of the car

Jonathan drives away as Y/n walks towards the store door and opens it. Bob looks up as he hears the bell at the top of the door ring and immediately smiles when he notices it's Y/n.

"Look who it is, Y/n Clarke! What a surprise!" Bob exclaims happily as he stands up.

"Hey Bob, how are you?" Y/n asks as he walks towards the counter.

"I'm pretty good, selling things and helping people fix their machines, same as always," he replies with a smile as he opens the staff door for Y/n to walk inside. "How was school?"

"Meh, fine, I guess," he replies, going inside and leaving his bag in a locker.

"Did anything interesting happen? Anyone, you like?" Bob asks as they both sit in the chairs by the front desk.

"Kind of? And I guess yes," Y/n says. Bob looks at him, surprised but excited and intrigued.

"Who is it?" he asks.

"Steve" Y/n confesses.

Bob looks at him for a few seconds and smiles. "Steve, your friend? I see, what do you like about him?"

Y/n takes a deep breath, unsure of where to start. He thought about it for a moment before speaking, "I don't really know, honestly. I mean, he's nice, funny, always tries his best, an idiot for sure, but something about him just makes me feel so safe and comfortable, I can't place my finger on exactly what, plus he's cute."

Bob laughs at the last words. "That is always important," he says. "But based on your face, I guess you don't think you'll have a chance with him? Why's that?"

"I'm just being realistic, Bob. I mean, we're talking about Steve here; there is absolutely no way that he'll date someone like me." Y/n replies.

Bob looks at him confused and says, "An amazing person-"

"A guy," Y/n points out, cutting him off. "I mean, there's no way Steve would date a guy; he's a lady's man; literally, I don't have a shot," he says, upset.

"Are you sure?" Bob asks, and Y/n looks at him confused.

"What?" he replies.

"Are you one hundred percent sure that Steve doesn't or isn't able to like guys?" He asks, and Y/n stares at him, unsure.

"Well, no, I guess I'm not sure." Bob nods with a smile.

"Then, as far as you're aware, you have a shot," he reassures Y/n.

"I suppose, but he has a girlfriend," Y/n adds.

"Oh," Bob sighs, "now that might make things hard, but for now, just like him, it's not a crime, and if the opportunity arises well, maybe something will happen; you never know," he says with a smile, patting Y/n's back.

Y/n chuckles and nods. "You're right; I guess I'm worrying for nothing. Thanks for the advice, Bob," he says, smiling back.

"It's my pleasure; you know I'm always here for you, kid. You're family."

~~~

(I listened to 'I Want To Know What Love Is' by Foreigner while writing this bit)

The afternoon goes by pretty fast; time around Bob always goes by fast; he makes things way too fun, and then you realize hours have gone by; that's part of his magic.

"Shit, it's six fifty already?" Y/n exclaims as he stops to stare at the store clock.

"It is; do you have to go?" Bob asks, his tone showing he's a bit sad about Y/n going.

"Yeah, sorry, I forgot to tell you I promised Steve to help him with his college essay," Y/n says as he rushes towards the lockers to take out his bag. "We're supposed to meet at my house at seven."

"It's alright; don't worry about it, Y/n," he says with a smile. "Here's the money for helping today; have fun!"

"Thanks, Bob," Y/n replies, grabbing the money. "I'll see you later!" he shouts, running out of the store.

Meanwhile, driving down Cherry Street, Steve sat in the driver's seat with a lot on his mind. He had just dropped Nancy off at her house after visiting the Hollands. She came out of the visit pretty upset, but she didn't want to talk about it. Steve was worried about her, yet at the same time, all he could think about was Y/n. He had no idea why, but he was all his mind was focused on; he just kept looking forward to spending time with him, and regardless of Steve trying to convince himself that it was all just friendly feelings, a part of him, the tiniest part of him, knew there was more than just friendly feelings, even though he didn't want to accept them.

"What's up with you, Harrington?" He mumbles to himself with a sigh as he takes a turn.

From the corner of his eye, a figure suddenly appears in front of his car. Steve immediately steps on the brake, trying to make the car come to a stop before he hits the person in front of him. The car stops, but whoever was standing in front falls back.

"Shit, shit," Steve says worriedly as he takes off his seat belt and opens the car door. "Are you okay?" he shouts, getting out of the car and rushing to the front of it.

"Fuck my cheek," Y/n says as he sits up, moving his hand to his face.

"Y/n?" Steve asks, surprised, as he stands in front of him, "Are you hurt? Please tell me I didn't run you over," he says, worried, as he leans down to look at him.

"I'm okay, don't worry; it was my fault I didn't look when I was running," Y/n says, looking up at Steve.

"At least nothing happened; here, let me help you up," he says, putting his hand out for Y/n to take.

Y/n takes his hand and stands up with Steve's help; he places one hand on Y/n's shoulder and the other gently grabs his face as he goes to check that Y/n's really okay.

"You cut your cheek; it also has a bruise forming," Steve says, concerned.

"I'm fine," he says, placing his hand on Steve's wrist and moving it down. "You know I've dealt with worse before; this is nothing."

"Okay, were you heading home?" Steve asks.

"Yeah, I just finished work and was worried I wouldn't get home by seven, so that's why I was running," Y/n explains to him.

"You're such an idiot sometimes," Steve says, chuckling as he grabs Y/n's bag.

"Look who's talking," Y/n replies, walking to the passenger's door.

"Ha ha," he adds sarcastically, "just get in the car."

They both get in the car, and Steve starts driving towards Y/n's house.

"So, how did the dinner with Nancy go?" Y/n asks.

"Okay, I guess Barbara's parents are selling the house; they told us they met a man that told them he could find her," he shares with Y/n, who looks at him shocked.

"They still think she's alive?" Steve nods.

"Yeah, they still have hope, I feel bad for them, they have no idea what actually happened"

"I wish we could tell them, it's not fair that they still have hope" he replies.

Y/n and Steve knew that Barb was not out there, and Nancy knew that her best friend was not coming back, but the Hollands had no idea, and it was just so heartbreaking to see them continuously trying to find their daughter, who in truth they would never see again.

They both arrive at Y/n's house no long after; Steve parks the car in front of the house, and they both get out of the car and walk towards it.

"Is Mr. Clarke home?" Steve asks, looking at Y/n.

"Yeah, he should be home by now. Why?" he questions.

"Nothing, just wondering," Steve says as Y/n unlocks the door and walks inside the house, Steve following him behind.

"Dad, I'm home; Steve's with me," Y/n shouted, leaving his jacket on the coat rack.

"Hey champ, I'm in the kitchen; do you want dinner?" Scott asks.

"Yes, thank you," Y/n says.

"What about you, Mr. Harrington? Do you want some dinner?"

"Uh, no, thank you, Mr. Clarke. I had some not long ago," Steve says as he follows Y/n across the house.

"We're going to be studying in my room; I'll let you know if we need anything, dad," he said, walking to his room. "I re-read your essay and have a couple of ideas on what we could change; how long can you stay for?"

"As long as you need me to," Steve said with a smile as they both came to a stop in front of Y/n's room.

"Great, then it's going to be a long night."

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Hey everyone!!! Finally, the new chapter is out!! In the next chapter we're going to have A LOT, of scenes with Steve so look forward to that! The next chapter might be long, it depends on how much I decide to include in it since there's a lot that's going to happen next!! Thank you so much for your patience, I know sometimes I take a bit to write the chapters but know I do that so I can make sure they're the bests, I don't want to write something that won't be good!

I also made sure to add more scenes with Jonathan and Bob as some of you asked! I will try to get a scene with Hopper soon since I was asked to! If' you'd love to see more scenes with a character feel free to let me know and I'll try and include it!

Once again if you have something to say, advice, questions, etc, feel free to comment them, I make sure to read them all and reply! If I don't it's because I don't get a notification about it and so I apologise!

Lots of love, Pip!

Chapter Text

(Before we start the chapter I just want to say I made a mistake last chapter, Steve does canonically know that the Demogorgon killed Barb and that the lab was involved in the whole incident, I had forgotten that was confirmed! I'm so sorry for the mistake you guys I'll try and make sure things like this won't happen again! The mistake was fixed though so don't worry! Now enjoy the chapter!)

~Narrator's POV~

Y/n walks into his room, with Steve not far behind him. His eyes take in the details of the space—a perfect contrast to Steve's own bedroom. The small room is filled with pictures and posters along the walls, some of Y/n and his dad, others of friends or the kids. Then a photo of Y/n's mom catches his eye; he had never seen her before, so he stares at it for a couple of seconds. In one corner sits a desk, neatly arranged with a nightlight, a cassette player, and several notebooks on top. There's also an old bookstand filled with books, movies, cassettes, and board games.
Y/n's room was much smaller than Steve's, as well as his house, yet it had so much more than his in the space they had that you could actually tell a family lived in this house, one that cared about each other; it felt like a home. Steve's, on the other hand, might have a pool, a big patio, and many rooms, but it was empty and abandoned, just like him.

"Feel free to leave your things wherever you want; I'll be back. I'm just going to get another chair for you," Y/n says before walking out of the room.

Steve nods and walks over to the bookstand, looking at the different cassettes. There was a big variety of music, which did surprise Steve; he grabbed the album 'American Pie' by Don McLean.

"Is it okay if I put some music on?" Steve asked loudly so that Y/n would hear him.

"Yeah, of course," Y/n told him as he walked back into the room with another chair.

Steve made his way to the table and opened the cassette player, placing the cassette inside and then pressing the play button.

"American Pie?" Y/n asks as he takes a seat on his desk, with Steve sitting next to him.

"Yes, it's a good song; don't you like it?" Steve asks, turning to look at Y/n.

"Of course I like it; Bob gave me that album, this is our song," Y/n replies, chuckling as he grabs a notebook and hands it to Steve.

"Bob? Who's Bob?" Steve asks, his tone shifting slightly, thinking of whether there's someone in school called Bob and wondering who this mysterious guy who shares a song with Y/n is; one could even say Steve was... jealous.

"He's a family friend." Y/n replies, "Basically, my uncle, honestly."

"Oh," Steve mumbles, feeling stupid for worrying so much. He wasn't even sure why he got so defensive; it's not like he likes Y/n; they're just friends; you don't get jealous about your friend sharing a song with someone else, so why exactly did Steve get worried? There are many reasons, but in truth, he wasn't sure why, and he didn't want to overthink what he was feeling because he wasn't sure how he would feel about the truth.
"That's nice," is all he says as he pushes back any conflicting feelings growing inside him.

"Yeah, I pretty much have a specific song that reminds me of my friends and family," Y/n explains with a smile as he takes out Steve's essay.

Steve couldn't help but smile back as he stared at Y/n. Ever since they became close friends after last year's incident, he had developed the habit of smiling whenever he saw Y/n, especially if Y/n was smiling when Steve saw him. He just made Steve feel happy; he would feel warmth in his chest whenever Y/n was around, something he had only really felt with Nancy, but the feeling with Y/n was different; it felt different; it had to be different; after all, Steve was dating Nancy while Y/n was just his friend.

"Then what song reminds you of me?" Steve asks shyly as he unconsciously moves closer to him.

Y/n turns to look at him, chuckling, trying to think of a song that isn't romantic that reminds him of Steve, which turned out to be harder than he thought.

"Working for the Weekend by Loverboy was basically written for you," Y/n says with a smile as he stares at Steve. This wasn't necessarily a lie; he did think the song resonated a lot with Steve, but if he was able to tell the truth, he would've said 'Back to the Old House' by the Smiths and 'Twist of Fate' by Olivia Newton-John, as they both put Y/n's feelings into words, as well as one could put his emotions into words at least.

Steve cackled at Y/N's response with a bright smile on his face. "I love that song," he said as he looked into Y/n's eyes.

Y/n felt his heart flutter a bit and couldn't help but smile back, saying, "Yeah, it's definitely one of my favourites." He watched Steve closely and continued to listen intently as Steve started to hum the tune. Something inside Y/n felt joyous at how easily they could talk with each other like there was no need to be someone else but themselves. Steve liked this as well; Y/n was probably the only person that really knew him, and he was always happy when he was around him.

Y/n couldn't help but be drawn to Steve; it was like they shared an unspoken connection that was calming and comforting. He felt a tingle of excitement deep within himself as he found himself falling for Steve even more.

"So, your essay," Y/n begins saying as he focuses on why they were here in the first place.

"Right, yes," Steve replies.

"So I went over and made some notes; you compared your basketball game to your grandfather winning the war, right?" he asks, double-checking the information as he looks at the essay.

"Yes," Steve said, looking embarrassed and staring down at the paper, "and I know what you're going to say; they don't connect-"

"Well, they do." Y/n pointed out, "You're not technically wrong by comparing both topics since you can thematically connect them."

Steve sighed, looking back up at Y/n, "Don't try and make me sound smart."

"I'm not trying to make you sound anyway; I'm simply saying what I see." He said with a gentle tone, "Connecting your basketball game to your grandfather winning the war does make sense; it just feels like you're overcomplicating your essay." Y/n began explaining, trying to help Steve.

He just grabbed the essay and crumbled the paper as he threw it away. "This is stupid; there's no point in doing this; I'm not smart enough for college; I should just work for my dad; I'm sorry for wasting your time Y/n-" Steve says as he stands up and starts grabbing his things.

"Steve, stop," Y/n said sternly as he looked up at him. Steve was surprised by Y/n's sudden change of tone and turned to look at him, knowing better than to make him angry. "This is not stupid; you're not an idiot, and you can get into college if you want to; you're more than smart for it. Now pick up your essay and sit down so I can actually help you."

"Okay, sorry," he says, picking up the crumbled piece of paper and taking a seat.

"It's okay, you don't need to be sorry; I get irritated too sometimes; it happens to the best of us," Y/n says kindly with a gentle smile as he unfolds the essay paper. "Now, do you want me to help you rewrite this essay, or do you want to do a new one?"

"A new one; I don't like this one." Y/n nods and moves the paper away as he grabs a new one.

"Alright then, let's start from zero."

---

(I listened to 'I Want To Break Free' by Queen while writing this bit)

Steve sighs as he rereads the words he had just written, his doubts and frustrations growing. "I don't know," he said dejectedly. "It doesn't sound good; I don't know how to put my thoughts into words." He looks to Y/n, a silent plea in his eyes for help that was quickly answered when the other stood from his seat and grabbed his jacket.

"Let's take a break; come on," he said to Steve, standing up and pulling his own jacket on. Steve stood as well and grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, following Y/n out of the room and into the backyard. "Where are we going?" he asked in confusion.

Y/n smiled, gesturing for him to follow further outside.

"You'll see; just follow me," Y/n says to Steve as he grabs a ladder from the garden and places it against the wall.
Climbing its rungs quickly, Y/n reached the roof with ease and looked down at Steve. He extended a hand as he spoke, his words filled with enthusiasm: "Come on."
With one last glance around them, he pulled Steve up onto the roof. They stood side by side in silence for a moment as they took in their surroundings. The stars shone brightly, illuminating the sky and the cityscape around them.

"What are we doing here?" he asks, turning to look at him.

"Relaxing, my dad and I come here all the time; I bring the kids up sometimes too," he begins explaining, his eyes gazing at the night sky.

There's something special about living in a small town like Indiana; since there aren't any large buildings or bright lights to obscure the view, on clear nights you can actually see stars and planets with your own two eyes. It was quite magical, to say the least.

"I couldn't bring myself to come here after Will went missing; even when he eventually returned, things were never the same." Y/n confessed, chuckling, sitting down on the roof, "It's quite dumb, honestly."

"It's not dumb; I haven't used my pool ever since Barbara went missing either," Steve shared with him, taking a seat as well. "Everything has been so different ever since last November, you know?"

Y/n nods and says, "I know exactly what you mean; things haven't been the same since; we aren't the same people we were."

"That's good, though, for me at least," he says with a soft chuckle, looking down at his hands. "I was an asshole while you were still your nice, amazing self."

"Steve..." is all Y/n is able to say; he knows that Steve is right; he knows he can't defend the person he was before; but at the same time, he doesn't want him to put himself down for his past mistakes.

"We both know it's the truth, Y/n," Steve says, finally looking up at him. "I still feel guilty for everything I said and did before. I figured the least I could do is carry the guilt and responsibility of my actions, right?" He asks, but he doesn't expect an answer; he's mostly talking to himself. "I just... I'm sorry for anything and everything I did to hurt you or someone you care about."

"It's okay, Steve; I forgive you," Y/n says this with a soft and sweet tone, one that immediately calms Steve down.

"I talk too much sometimes, don't I?" he asks, chuckling.

"Mostly when you're tired or start overthinking, which isn't that often, honestly," Y/n responds with a smile, lying down on his back.

Steve lays down as well, his face turning to face Y/n, who's staring up at the sky. He can't take his eyes away from Y/n; it's almost as if he's hypnotized by how Y/n's face is illuminated by the moonlight, gently highlighting his soft complexion and a spark of life in his eyes.

Steve was silent; his mind was flooded with thoughts and emotions he had no control over. He had never experienced anything like this before; it was a feeling he wasn't prepared to understand, but yet there he was with Y/n in the middle of the night, under the stars.

The silence eventually became too much for him, and Steve began to speak up. "It's so beautiful tonight," he says, his voice just above a whisper. His eyes don't move, though; was Steve honestly talking about the night? Or was it directed towards something else, or perhaps someone else?

Y/n smiles, his eyes still fixated on the night sky, as he nods, "Yeah, it is." He turns his head down to look at Steve, who quickly turns his head away from Y/n, not wanting him to know he was looking at him.

"It's getting a bit cold, right?" Steve asks, trying to act like he was just looking around, his hands moving up and down his arms as he tried to warm himself up.

"Yeah, we should go back inside," he says, sitting up. "I can make us some hot chocolate if you want, and then we can continue working on the essay."

Steve sighs as he remembers why he's there in the first place: "I still don't like how it's sounding."

"We'll work on it, don't worry; it doesn't have to be perfect anyway," Y/n says, climbing down the ladder.

"Yeah, I guess."

Once they're both back on the ground, Y/n opens the door and walks back inside towards the kitchen. His dad is sitting in the living room, reading a book.

"Hey kids, how's the essay going?" he asks, putting his book down.

"It's alright; Steve isn't happy with it yet though," Y/n says, grabbing two cups from the cabinet.

"I just don't think it sounds interesting or smart," he replies, following Y/n.

"Maybe I could read it," Scott suggests with a smile. "I know what universities are looking for; I could tell you how it is and what you need to add or change."

Y/n turns to look at Steve and says, "It's a good idea; what do you think?"

"I mean, it would be really helpful," he replies, looking at Y/n and then back at Scott.

Steve goes back to Y/n's room to grab what he's written so far in the essay. As Y/n continues to make the hot chocolate, he goes over to Mr. Clarke and hands him the paper.

He spends a couple of minutes looking over at it, making small notes, and checking things.

"It looks good; I think you could maybe add a bit more about yourself and the things that inspire you during this bit, but it's good; don't worry too much," Scott says, handing the essay back to Steve with a reassuring smile on his face.

"Thank you, sir," he replies, taking the paper.

(I listened to 'Lover, You Should've Come Over' by Jeff Buckley while writing this bit)

"You guys can keep on working here; I'm going to the garage to work on my model champ," Scott says, standing up and waving goodbye at both of them as he leaves the room.

"Model?" Steve asks as Y/n places the mugs on the coffee table.

"My dad likes making recreational models of the Civil War; it's his hobby," he explains, chuckling as they take a seat on the sofa.

Steve takes a seat next to Y/n as he grabs his hot chocolate.

"Now I just need to finish it, and it should be alright, right?" he asks, looking down at his essay as he reads over Mr. Clarke's notes.

"It will be alright; my dad says it's good, so it's good, like I told you," Y/n replies, taking a drink from the hot chocolate as he stares at Steve.

He nods, turning over the page as he continues writing the essay. A couple more minutes go by, and Steve continues writing. Everything's quiet; there hasn't been much talking except for a couple of comments or questions made by Steve. Y/n waits for Steve to be done, sitting on the couch and looking around the room. Steve continuously looks up, gazing over at Y/n as he writes; he can't help but always turn over to stare at him whenever he's thinking of what else to write.

"I think I finished," he finally says, putting his pencil down. Y/n turns to look at him.

"Do you want me to read it?" he asks Steve.

"Sure," he says, handing him the essay.

Y/n takes the papers and starts reading them from the beginning. Steve sits there looking at Y/n as he waits for his response. He stares at him nervously, to say the least, worried about what he might say.

"I think it's great," Y/n finally says as he turns to look at Steve with a smile.

"Are you sure?" he asks, clearly worried.

"I'm sure it's really good, Steve," Y/n says again, putting the essay down on the coffee table and handing Steve his hot chocolate.

He sights and takes a sip of the hot chocolate, lying back on the couch. "That was stressful."

Y/n chuckles as he lays back as well. "I know, it's exhausting, and I'm so tired after my shift today," he says with a smile, closing his eyes.

"Thank you for helping me, Y/n; you didn't have to, yet you still did," Steve says, looking down at his hand, which was not far away from Y/n's.

"It's okay, Steve; I'm just happy to help," he replies, his voice soft and low.

"It's more than okay, though," he starts saying, smiling brightly. "You've got this thing where you always help people even when you don't have to, even when you won't gain anything from it; you're just there for everyone, you know. You have this light, this thing about you, that is so comforting; I really enjoy spending time with you; you make me feel happy and good; I can be myself around you, which isn't something I can do with most people; you know this; you're so amazing and you have such a big heart; I'm scared sometimes that you'll realize I'm not that great of a guy and you'll stop spending time with me," he admits softly chuckling, unconsciously moving his hand closer to Y/n's "I think you are easily the best person I've ever met; you're always there for me, and I want you to know that I'll always be there for you too."

Steve turns to look at Y/n, wondering why he hasn't said anything, expecting a comment from him or even a simple thank you, or perhaps one of his usual replies where he gets too embarrassed by all the compliments and says he's just being a decent person. But instead, Steve finds Y/n fast asleep on the couch, his head slowly falling as it lands on his shoulder. Steve doesn't say anything; he just smiles and stares at Y/n as he shakes his head.
It was pretty late—almost ten. Y/n had been in school all day, then working, and after helping Steve, he wasn't surprised he had fallen asleep; if anything, he felt like he should've seen it coming.

Steve just stayed there; he didn't want to move, worried that Y/n might wake up. He looked down at his hand, which was almost holding Y/n's. He slowly moved his hand above Y/n's, tempted to hold it. He didn't know why, but he wanted to take his hand and just carefully hold it.

He didn't, though he wanted to, instead, he just placed his hand on his lap as he laid his head on top of Y/n's, closing his eyes. He told himself he was just going to rest his eyes for a bit, but he drifted off to sleep not long after.

Even as he slept, Y/n never left his mind. It was never over; the feelings he kept hidden never left. It was never over for him; he would hang inside his mind and his heart forever, even if he denied it or didn't want to accept the truth. It would never leave; it would never be over.

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Hey everyone!! Finally here's the new chapter! I can't even begin to explain how happy I am with the end result, I spent so much time on this chapter because it is quite important to the future between Y/n and Steve and I'm just so pleased with what I wrote. I hope you guys enjoyed and liked this chapter and my writing! Thank you so much for your patience with the chapter, as always I try to write them as quickly as I can but I get busy sometimes and I want to post good chapters so I don't like to rush things. Thank you once again for your support.

Feel free to let me know if there's a grammar or pronoun mistake or if you have a question or suggestion, I always read all the comments!

I will try and include a scene with Hopper soon!

Lots of love, Pip.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Take On Me' by a-ha while writing this bit)

Y/n woke up early in the morning. He looked around the room, confused; the clock showed it was one in the morning. He looked down towards his shoulder, where he saw Steve fast asleep, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Steve, Steve," Y/n whispered, trying to wake him up. "It's late; why don't you sleep in the guest room?"

Steve hummed as he woke up, confused. He looked down at the watch on his wrist, and when his brain was finally fully aware of the time, his body stood up, worried.

"Shit, I need to get home," he mumbled as he looked around for his jacket.

"It's really late and you're tired; wouldn't it be better if you just stayed here for the night? Trust me, my dad won't mind." Y/n suggests following him as he looks for his jacket, finding it in Y/n's room.

"No, don't worry, I'm okay. I have all my things in my house anyway. Thank you, though," he says, putting on his jacket and getting his bag as he walks towards the front door, Y/n following him the entire time.

"You shouldn't drive though; you just woke up," he insists, following Steve as he opens the front door and walks out of Y/n's house, going to his car.

"I'll be fine," Steve responds, unlocking his car and getting in the driver's seat.

"Steve..." Y/n says sternly, leaning down to look at him through the passenger's window, "I'm serious."

"I know," he chuckles, turning to look at Y/n with a reassuring smile. "I'll be alright, I promise. I will call you once I'm home."

"Fine," Y/n says, defeated. He knew Steve; he was stubborn, and no matter how much he talked to him, he would still drive to his house. "But I swear, if you don't call me, I'll kill you."

"I believe you," he replies, putting his hands up mockingly. "Think about the Halloween party; by the way, it would be nice to have you there," he reminds him, his tone much softer now.

"I'll think about it, but I can't promise anything," Y/n tells him, moving back from the car. "Goodnight, Steve."

"Goodnight, Einstein," he adds, his eyes staring at him for a second too long before he drives off.

Y/n stands on the sidewalk watching Steve drive away, the now familiar feeling of butterflies in his stomach appearing once again, as they always do whenever Steve's around; once he's out of his viewpoint, he walks back towards the house, locking the door behind him once he's inside.

Fifteen minutes went by, and Y/n sat on the sofa staring at the telephone, his leg nervously bouncing up and down as his eyes shifted from the telephone to the clock. It should not take Steve fifteen minutes to get to his house, especially not at this time when the streets were empty. Maybe he was already home and he forgot to call Y/n, which was a very likely case, but at the same time, after what happened last winter, who knew if something might be lurking around the town still?

The phone rang.

Y/n stands up immediately and rushes to the phone, answering the call after two rings.

"Hello?" he says into the phone, waiting for a response from the other line.

"I told you I would call you," Steve says from the other end. Y/n can tell he has a smile on his face.

"What the hell took you so long, idiot?" Y/n replies with a soft yet reprimanding tone.

"I won't even lie to you; I forgot to call you. I was getting into bed when I remembered. Sorry," he answers, his voice more gentle than usual.

"I should've guessed. Well, thank you for letting me know you're not dead."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, genius," Steve responds. Y/n smiles to himself, his back pressed against the wall.

"Goodnight, Steve"

~~~

Y/n is woken up by the sound of music playing in the living room. At first, he can't make out the song, but as he slowly starts waking up, he notices the song is 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson, a Halloween classic. He gets up from his bed and goes to the bathroom to shower. A couple of minutes later, he walks out, going over to his closet to pick up his clothes for the day. Once he's ready, he walks to the kitchen, where he sees his dad cooking breakfast while dancing to the music.

"Well, somebody's excited for Halloween," he says, laughing. Scott immediately turns around, a bright smile on his face.

"Who isn't excited for Halloween?" He asks, "I ironed your costume; it's all ready for the party." He mentions his voice changing at the end as he tries to sound more spooky.

"What party?" Y/n asks, confused, as he places the plates on the counter.

"The Halloween party your friend is having, Steve told me about it; he asked me if you could go, so I said, of course, why didn't you tell me about it?" He asks, moving the scrambled eggs to the plates.

"Because I don't know if I'll go." Y/n replies, taking the plates and moving them to the table, "There will be a lot of people, mostly popular, with alcohol and loud music; it doesn't exactly sound like my ideal place."

"Sometimes it's good to come out of your comfort zone," his dad says. Sitting down at the table, Y/n is doing the same thing as they start eating breakfast: "This is your last year of high school, kiddo; you should try to do something new."

"Maybe I'll think about it," he replies, eating his food and ending the conversation with that.

The rest of the day, Y/n continued wondering about the question of the party. There were countless reasons why it wasn't the best idea; it just wasn't the most exciting thing he could get up to that day, but at the same time, his dad was right and he knew that he needed to try new things, especially if he was planning to go to university, and even though the party wasn't necessarily the most exciting thing to do on a Halloween night, at least Steve would be there, and that made it a little better.

Robin also insisted that Y/n should go to the party, not because she was one to enjoy parties herself, but because Steve would be there, which meant they could spend more time together (to which Y/n disagreed almost immediately, reminding her that not only would Nancy also be there, but she was, in fact, dating Steve), and something interesting was bound to happen given the fact that a lot of people from school were invited, and since she wasn't going, she would need someone to tell her everything that happened, that someone being Y/n.

Eventually, after pondering the entire school day over whether to go or not, Y/n decided to go. He couldn't lose anything by going; at least he didn't think so, and in truth, he didn't have any other plans, so, at the end of the day, he went to look for Jonathan to let him know he would be going, in the case that he wanted to join as well.

"Jonathan!" Y/n shouted as he ran over to him. Jonathan turned around upon hearing his name, a soft smile appearing on his face when he saw Y/n.

"Hey," he replies as Y/n stops in front of him.

"I decided I'm going to Tina's party; you don't have to go, but I just wanted you to know," he tells Jonathan, catching his breath. Robin runs behind Y/n and stops next to him.

"Can you believe it?" Robin asks Jonathan, chuckling as she looks at Y/n, "What's next? You're going to get drunk?" She says it sarcastically.

"Robin," Y/n replies, rolling his eyes as he turns to look at her.

"What? I'm just saying," she responds, raising her hands defensively with a grin on her face.

"I don't know if I'll go; I'm supposed to take Will trick or treating, but I'll see." Jonathan replies with a sweet smile, looking towards Y/n and then to Robin, "You're not going?"

"I wish I was, but I can't I have work today." Robin answers, "You think I would miss the chance to see Y/n at a party?"

While the three of them were having their conversation, Steve walked down the school halls, heading outside towards his car. He hadn't seen Y/n all day since he didn't have any lessons with him, and he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss him; it was a strange feeling for sure, missing someone even though you had seen them the day before. It was kind of ridiculous, honestly, in Steve's opinion. It's not like he liked Y/n or anything, at least not as far as he was aware of or that he wanted to admit.

Just as Steve stepped out of the school, Y/n got on the bus. He was barely able to catch a glimpse of him as he took a seat on the bus, his eyes following Y/n as the vehicle drove away from the school.

Y/n's eyes caught Steve for a second before he was out of sight, unable to hold back a soft smile from appearing on his face.

"I thought you didn't have work," Robin says, turning to look at Y/N and taking out a notebook from her bag.

"I have to cover for Maggie; she's sick, but I'll be able to leave early so I can get to the party. I'll probably be a bit late, but that's fine."

Robin shook her head, not surprised by the fact that Y/n didn't mind being late. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't made up an excuse, so you don't have to go."

He looked at her, offended, but in truth, she had a point: "I can't believe you would say that."

Y/n got off the bus a couple of minutes later and arrived at the cafe. He asked Linda if he would be able to leave early; she was very nice about it knowing Y/n was covering, so he agreed, which meant he would be able to leave work at six, then get home, take a shower, get changed, and then get his dad to drive him to the party.

The shift at the cafe went by surprisingly fast, and it wasn't because he left earlier than usual; for some reason, his mind just sped past those hours, clearly looking forward to the party—well, not the party in itself, really, but instead looking forward to seeing Steve.

Y/n arrived at his house at around six twenty. He quickly took a shower and then got changed into his Halloween costume, which was none other than Luke Skywalker.

"How do I look?" he asks, walking out into the living room, all changed now.

"Amazing," Scott says, putting his hand up for a high five, to which Y/n responds, "The lightsaber turned out pretty cool, right? I think I did a pretty good job," he adds, proudly looking at the prop.

"You did a wonderful job; your talent for making little figures has finally paid off," Y/n says, chuckling and taking his jacket from the sofa.

"I know, let's get going then," he hands Y/n the lightsaber back and grabs the car keys, opening the front door.

The drive to the party is surprisingly quiet; neither of them really says anything except for the typical comment on the weather or the music playing on the radio.
Y/n arrives an hour later at the party; he doesn't really care, though if anything, he doubts he missed anything interesting.

That's where he's wrong, though.

(I listened to 'Girls on Film' by Duran Duran while writing this bit)

"Oh my god, that's Jonathan's car," he says, looking at the cars parked outside the house, pleasantly surprised to see Jonathan's there.

"You didn't tell me he was coming." Scott points out putting the car on parking as he turns to look at Y/n.

"He wasn't sure if he'd come; that's why," he explains, taking off the seatbelt.

"I'll pick you up at eleven," Scott says with a classic sweet dad smile, "but if you want to stay longer, just call home."

"Doubtful, but thank you," Y/n replies with a smile, adjusting his costume.

"I know I don't need to tell you," Scott begins, ready for the dad talk, "but remember, try not to drink if you're going to drink; don't drink too much; no drugs; and no smoking. I also would recommend not sleeping around with anyone, but obviously that's your decision-"

"Jeez, dad, I'm not going to sleep with anyone." Y/n replies, rolling his eyes as he shakes his head.

"You never know, kid, so I got you one of these." He takes a pack of condoms out of his bag, which immediately makes Y/n visibly shocked as his eyes widen and his mouth drops.

"Oh my god, no, no!" He opens the car door and starts getting out, slightly embarrassed.

"Bob said it was a good idea, and I agree with him."

"Jesus, dad I don't need condoms. I'm not sleeping with anyone—absolutely nobody. I appreciate the thought, but no, just no." Y/n says now, out of the car, closing the door, and bending down to look into the window. Scott could tell how embarrassed he was.
"I'm going to get going," he says to his dad.

"Are you sure you don't want to take them just in case?" Scott asks, mostly teasing by this point; he finds it quite amusing to see Y/n panic so much.

"Absolutely not. Bye, dad." Y/n waved goodbye to his dad and walked towards the party.

Scott watched him walk up to the house for a bit before turning the car back on and driving back to his house.

Y/n felt surprisingly excited as he walked up the road and towards Tina's. He wasn't sure if it was because, in truth, he might've been slightly looking forward to the party or if it was because he was looking forward to seeing Steve. Maybe it was a mixture of both, or maybe Y/n had been underestimating how much he felt for Steve; maybe even though he wouldn't accept it, he was feeling more than just a simple like for the guy.

While walking, he looks down and notices his shoelace is untied, so he kneels down to tie it back together. As he stands back up and begins walking, he bumps into someone. He moves back, embarrassed, and starts apologising.

"God, I'm so sorry-" Looking up, he's met with none other than the man who has stolen most of his thoughts lately: "Steve!"

A smile immediately appears on Y/N's face but quickly falls as he notices Steve's red nose and watered eyes. The sight is quite a surprise, and if it weren't for the fact he knew Steve better than he knew himself, he probably wouldn't have noticed how upset he was, but alas, Y/n knew him incredibly well and instantly knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay? What happened? What's wrong?" Y/N's words immediately hit Steve, and he had to wipe his eyes even though no tears were coming out yet.

He tries to open his mouth and answer Y/N's question, but all that comes out is a soft, quiet sob barely audible. Y/n hears it. Steve closes his eyes, moving his hands through his hair as he tries to keep calm. He feels ridiculous to be acting like this, especially in front of Y/N. He smiles, shaking his head, but it's more of a frown than a smile.

"Steve?" Y/n repeats again, worried and unsure of what to do or say.

He just sighs and opens his eyes, looking back down at the floor as he starts walking towards his car. He doesn't want to bother Y/n, he doesn't want to complain about his clearly failed relationship with him, and he doesn't want to have to open up about his feelings because then that would mean he would actually have to phase them instead of just ignoring them and burying them deep down.

"Steve!" Y/n shouts, following behind him, as he walks to his car, takes out his keys, and unlocks it. "Harrington!"

Steve finally stops moving once he opens the driver's door. He turns around and looks at Y/n but avoids eye contact.

"What happened?" Y/n asks again.

"Nothing," he simply says; it's a terrible lie, and nobody would believe it.

Y/n moves over to his car, leaning against the door in front of him. He tilts his head to the side, raising one eyebrow, clearly asking Steve with his look if he really thought he was going to believe such a bad lie.

"It doesn't matter; don't worry," he replies, trying to disregard the clearly upset look on his face.

"Steve, you should know by now that trying to push me away is not going to work, right?" Y/n says with a soft smile, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I know," Steve responds with a sigh, "can we just go somewhere else?"

"Sure," Y/n says. Steve goes to step inside his car, but Y/n stops him right away, taking his keys from his hand. "You're not driving."

"Why not?" he asks, surprised.

"You have been drinking; you can't drive. Not only is it dangerous, but it's stupid. Come on," he says, shaking his head. He pulls Steve back and gets in the driver's seat.

Steve gives up on even arguing about it and just walks around to the passenger's seat.

"Do you even know how to drive?" Steve asks Y/n as they both put on their seat belts, and Y/n turns on the car.

"No," Y/n replies with a smile. Steve's eyes widen in panic, and he can sense some on Y/n's face too.

"How are you going to drive then?" he asks, looking at Y/n in complete confusion.

"I don't know; I'll manage."

"You'll manage?" He asked, letting out a huff in disbelief, "No, no, you can't drive."

"Well, neither can you, and we can't leave your car here, so I'm driving. I know how it works; I've read about how to drive a car, plus I know how my dad does it," Y/n says with a smug smirk, but the panic in his eyes is obvious; he doesn't actually think he can do a very good job.

"Fine, but I'll tell you how to do it," Steve replies with a sigh, knowing that this will either end up being a funny story to tell, or his car will end up completely destroyed.

___________________________________________________

Hey peeps!!! Finally here's the next chapter, I'm sorry for the long wait I've been really demotivated lately, but I will try to get the next chapter out quicker and let me tell you that it is going to be crazy!! Thank you once again for all your support!

Feel free to let me know if there's a grammar or pronoun mistake or if you have a question or suggestion, I always read all the comments!

Lots of love, Pip!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Southern Nights' by Glen Campbell while writing this bit)

"You need to keep your left foot over the break!" Steve shouts as the car starts moving forward by itself, forcing Y/n to come to an abrupt stop. He moves his hand so it grabs Y/n's shoulder, stopping his body from jumping forward, and he turns to stare at Y/n, clearly pissed.

"I'm sorry" Y/n quickly apologises, his heart beating out of his chest as he turns to look at Steve.

They had just made it onto the road after about 10 minutes of Y/n trying to drive but clearly failing, and needless to say if it wasn't for their seatbelts, they both would've ended up flying out of the car many times. It had been very chaotic nonetheless. Steve had discovered that he never wanted to be near a car again if Y/n was driving, and Y/n found out that maybe the driving lessons his dad had been talking about weren't a bad idea; driving clearly was much harder than he had suspected.

"You're going to get us killed!" Steve said, his voice loud and filled with panic.

"I didn't think it would be this hard!" Y/n shouts back, his voice moving to a higher pitch as he realises this was a bad idea.

"How did you think it would be?" Steve asks, no longer screaming but still pissed.

"I don't know easier." Y/n replies, and all Steve can do in return is shake his head in disappointment.

The moment was quite comedic, to say the least. If this were a series, it would definitely be a fan favourite scene, but it's not.

"How is this any better than me driving? I didn't even drink much."

"I don't care; you still drank alcohol, and driving after drinking is, in fact, illegal. What if someone stops us and you end up in jail?" Y/n points out letting go of the break and slowly letting the car begin moving forward again.

"You don't even have a license!" Steve exclaims, causing Y/n to stop the car again as his eyes widen and he looks at Steve.

"Shit, you're right," he says, lifting the handbrake.

"And in Hawkins, Indiana? I doubt it," Steve replies, leaning back on his chair, but his hand finally lets go of Y/n's shoulder. "Where are we even going?"

"You said you wanted to talk, so I thought we could go to the cafe," he answers, taking off his seatbelt and opening the door. "You should probably drive though; I would end up getting in more trouble for driving than you," he points out, stepping out of the car.

"You should've just let me drive from the beginning, and I would've avoided a heart attack," Steve responds, taking his seat belt off as well as getting out of the car and walking around to the driver's seat.

"In all honesty, I completely forgot you needed a driver's licence to drive," Y/n says, closing the passenger's door and putting his seat belt back on, turning to look at Steve with an apologetic and embarrassed smile.

"How are you so smart at some things but so dumb at others?" Steve asks with a soft chuckle, shaking his head, feeling much calmer now.

"First of all, rude, and second of all, those things I tend to be dumb with are more street smart, not book smart; I'm not the best with those ones." Y/n replies, looking ahead at the road, but his eyes glance to look at Steve every couple of moments.

"Well, that probably means you need to go out and experience things then," Steve points out with a smile as he takes a turn carefully driving towards the cafe, his pace much slower than usual. He didn't want them to end up in a car crash because Steve decided to drink a couple of beers.

"I still have time for that, plus, how much can I actually experience in a small town like Hawkins?" Y/n responds, and Steve couldn't help but nod; he did have a point.

"I guess you're right."

The rest of the car drive was relatively quiet; it didn't take them long to get to the cafe, and Steve parked in the alley next to it.

Y/n unlocked the main door to the cafe and turned on the light, looking back at Steve as he walked in.

"You have your own key to the cafe?" Steve asks surprised as he walks inside after Y/n looking around the unusually quiet cafe.

"Of course, I open the store sometimes or close it; I need my own key, plus it's not like I'm going to come one day and rob the store." Y/n says, closing the door and walking towards the main counter, with Steve following him as he sits down on one of the chairs in front of the coffee maker.

"You dressed up as Luke from Star Wars?" Steve asks, now paying attention to Y/n's costume, noticing the lightsaber in his belt.

"Yeah, I really liked the movies, so I decided to dress up as him since I hadn't done it before; my dad made the lightsaber for me; pretty cool, right?" Y/n points out with a smile, grabbing the lightsaber and moving it closer to Steve so he can get a better look at it.

"Yes, it's pretty cool; your dad is good at this stuff."

"He is," Y/n replies. "You're Joel Goodson," he adds, to which Steve slightly nods, but with a sad look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I am."

(I listened to 'I Think We're Alone Now' by Tiffany while I wrote this bit)

"So, do you want to tell me what happened now?" Y/n asks, his voice much softer now as he remembers why they're even here to begin with. "What do you want to drink?"

"Hot chocolate is okay," Steve replies quietly as he looks away from Y/n and starts thinking back, remembering the night.
"I had an argument with Nancy; she got drunk, and I was trying to stop her from drinking more, which ended up with her costume getting wet. She went to the bathroom, irritated, to clean the stain, and I followed her. I tried to help her, but she was angry and drunk, and I just kept apologising and telling her that I would take her home, but then she started rambling and-"

Steve stops himself with a sigh, looking down at his hands with a frown, shaking his head slightly as he thinks back to the argument. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if Nancy was right—maybe he was bullshit and horrible; maybe he had, in fact, killed Barb; maybe it was his fault.

"And she started saying that this was bullshit, and I was bullshit and that I just kept pretending that everything was okay, and then she said that we killed Barb," he continued, his voice strained as he kept talking without breaks. He moved his hands towards his face, leaning against them. "And then she said, like, we're in love, and my brain froze, and I asked her about it, and she said that it was bullshit, that she doesn't love me, that it's just bullshit, so I left."

Y/n listens closely to what he says, making his hot chocolate as he does so, his eyes noticing every little movement Steve makes. He was clearly trying to hide how upset he was, which was pointless given the fact that Y/n had already seen him crying before, yet he was still trying to act tough like he wasn't hurt, even though he was, and it was clear. Y/n went over the information and situation, trying to think of what to say, but before he could think of anything, Steve began talking again.

"Maybe she's right, maybe I'm just full of shit, maybe it is my fault that Barb is dead, and if that's true, then I have to carry this guilt for the rest of my life. I mean, of course, Nancy doesn't love me. Look at me, I'm a good-for-nothing asshole that's trying to be better but miserably failing. Maybe I'm responsible for someone's death, and I spent so much time being horrible to others. Maybe this is what I deserve," he says, clearly rambling, letting his words come out before he can fully process them. His eyebrows frown in confusion and anger.

"Steve...that's not-"

"What it's not true?" He responds by cutting Y/n off, looking up at him finally, "Because if you're going to say that then at least make it sound believable" he adds with a scoff, his jaw tightening as he keeps his anger to himself, "I never even told you about what happened the night Barb died, Y/n, you weren't there, you can't tell me it's not my fault because, in some way, it probably is"

"I'm not talking about that, Steve" Y/n begins saying before being interrupted by Steve, again.

"Then what are you talking about? About the fact Nancy doesn't love me? The fact that I'm a good for nothing? Or the fact that everything is just bullshit?"

"You need to calm down," Y/n says with a more serious tone as he moves closer to Steve, placing the hot chocolate in front of him, and though his voice is deeper his eyes still show that understanding and softness to them as he stares at Steve, "half of what you're saying is you overthinking and the other half is your insecurities speaking"

Steve sighs taking the cup of hot chocolate, but he knows Y/n is right, of course, he's right.

"Let's go over what you just told me, okay?" he says with a nicer tone now as he walks around and sits down next to Steve, "You said Nancy who, even though seems irrelevant, was drunk, told you that you killed Barb, that it was your fault, yeah?" Y/n asks.

Steve opens his mouth to go and reply but as he remembers back to the argument he realises she never actually said she he did, "Well she said, like we didn't kill Barb, actually" he replies.

"So she never said you killed her?" Y/n asks.

"No, not technically" he says his eyes falling to stare at the hot chocolate.

"Steve, you need to understand that you two, especially Nancy, will carry this guilt for a while, what happened, even if I don't know the exact details, it's not your fault nor Nancy's, Barb's death was something horrible that happened that was unfortunately out of anyone's hands, we both know this," Y/n says softly, his hand moving closer to Steve's which is holding the cup.

"How can I not blame myself though?" he asks, his voice much softer than before, his eyes looking back up into Y/n's.

"Well, they say time heals everything" is all Y/n is able to reply, never having lost someone close to him before and unsure what else to say.

"What about Nancy?" Steve asks, which is an even more delicate topic for Y/n to talk about.

"That's more difficult, she's clearly hurt, she was drunk and I feel like I'm the wrong person to talk to about what happened, that's something you two need to discuss together, maybe talk to her once you feel better? Perhaps she didn't mean what she said"

"Or maybe she meant everything, and she doesn't love me anymore" Steve adds a frown appearing on his face, "What do I do then?"

"Steve, I can promise you there are more people out there who either already like you or you'll eventually meet someone who will love you for who you are, you're a great guy with a wonderful personality, sure you're a bit of an idiot but that's part of your charm," Y/n says smiling softly as he speaks, Steve chuckles at his comment, shaking his head as he finally smiles.

"You're so nice," he says sarcastically, hitting Y/n softly on his arm, finally taking a drink of his hot chocolate.

"I know, now drink that before it gets cold and stop being so sad, you don't even know what will happen next, feel sad if you two break up, until then enjoy Halloween, okay?" Y/n replies patting Steve on the back and standing up as he goes to clean up what he used to make the hot chocolate, once finished he walks back towards Steve.
"Do you want a hug?" he asks.

Steve looks at him a bit surprised and unsure of what to say, "Wouldn't it be weird?" he questions.

"Why? We're friends, aren't we?" Y/n responds, confused as to why it would be weird, his father raised him right, and caring for a friend, whether male or female, was no different. Steve was different, though, but that was because of Y/n's feelings for him, not because he was also a guy.

"We are" Steve says, and before he can say anything else Y/n steps forward and hugs Steve, his hands wrapping around his back. Steve doesn't hug back for a second, a bit surprised, his eyes widen, his heart beating quickly, and his cheeks feel on fire by the subtle feeling of Y/n's body against his, but eventually, he hugs back, wrapping his arms around Y/n and leaning his head on his shoulder.

"See, there's nothing weird about this" Y/n says quietly as he continues to hug Steve.

He chuckles at Y/n's comment moving back from the hug, his eyes staring back into Y/n's feeling as if he could almost drown in them, a smile naturally appearing on his lips as he looks at him, "You're right" he replies.

The two of them stay in the cafe talking for a while longer, Y/n and Steve staring at each other whenever the other one is looking away, the atmosphere warm and comfortable but not because of where they are right now, but rather because of who they are with.

"I should probably get going home" Y/n says chuckling at Steve's joke, standing up from the couch they were both sitting in just a second ago, now looking down at Steve.

"Right, of course, it's getting late" Steve replies as he stands up as well following Y/n, "I'll drive you home, so you don't have to walk"

"Thanks" he responds with a soft smile, walking towards the main doors.

"You know you don't need to thank me" Steve tells Y/n smiling back at him as he walks out of the cafe, Y/n goes right after him and locks the door behind him.

"I know, but I still like to thank you"

(I listened to 'Jealous Guy' by John Lennon while I wrote this bit)

...

"So, what are you going to do once you get home?" Steve asks Y/n as he takes a turn in the car, moving his head to look at Y/n for a second before focusing back on the road.

"I'll probably just watch some horror movies with my dad, what about you?"

"Maybe I'll watch a movie, or maybe I'll just go to sleep," he says with a soft smile, gazing back at him with a soft look.

"You could come to my house, my dad wouldn't mind" Y/n suggests but Steve immediately shakes his head.

"No, it's okay don't worry" he replies parking his car outside of Y/n's house and pulling up the parking brake, moving to the side so he's looking at Y/n, "Well, here we are"

"Hey, can I ask for your advice?" Y/n says, turning to the side to stare at Steve as well.

"Of course" Steve replies, with a curious and sweet tone.

"I found a note, in my locker today, I don't know who it's from but whoever it was asked me out on a date" Y/n says, Steve's eyes immediately widen and his smile drops, he wasn't sure why but the information made him unhappy which didn't make sense to him, Y/n was his friend, he should be happy.

"They did?" Steve asks.

"Yes," Y/n replies, his face neutral, showing no obvious excitement to the note, "And I just," he says with a soft chuckle but there is no smile on his face.

There is a long silence between them, Steve's eyes staring at Y/n's face, then moving down to his hands, then the car, then back at Y/n then around the car again, until they fall on his lap.

"Don't go on the date" Steve says, Y/n looks at him.

"What?"

"Don't go on the date" Steve repeats, his eyes now moving to stare back at Y/n's his gaze is surprisingly strong, as well as his tone, his hand moving to lay on Y/n's backrest, unconsciously leaning closer to him.

"Why?" Y/n asks, surprised by Steve's response, he would've thought he would encourage him if anything.

"Because they probably don't want anything serious" he responds, Y/n's smile drops, he wasn't expecting that response.

"Why would you say that, that's so mean" Y/n replies, the tension rising between them, his eyes furrowing slightly as he continues to stare at Steve in disbelief.

"I didn't mean it that way," Steve says almost immediately, his gaze softer yet still strong, almost protective, or jealous.

"What way did you mean it then?" Y/n asks, his tone a bit more serious now, leaning closer to Steve as well.

Steve doesn't reply, he just stares at Y/n, his heart beating loudly, his breathing quicker than usual, and before he can do anything, before he can even think of what he's doing he leans in closing the gap between the two of them and kisses Y/n.

The kiss takes Y/n immediately by surprise, he freezes, he doesn't know what to do, a part of him wants to kiss him back, of course, but the other part knows this is wrong, Steve is dating Nancy, sort of, is complicated, but it's still not how Y/n ever imagine a kiss between them to go, he never really imagined a kiss to ever happen between them.

Before Y/n can even react Steve breaks the kiss and moves back, Y/n stares back at him shocked, he has no idea what just happened, what Steve was trying to do, or what he was thinking. Steve looks back at Y/n just as shocked.

"I didn't- I don't- I-I'm not gay, it's not," he says, stuttering, his voice shaking, clearly unable to form words, but he doesn't need to say anything the way he looks at Y/n speaks for him.

Y/n's heart breaks at Steve's words and the way he looks at him as if he is disgusted by what he did. Y/n holds back tears as he stares back at Steve, his lip quivering slightly, his hands shaking.

"I don't know about you Steve, but this isn't a joke to me" Y/n responds, his voice breaking.

Steve realises what he said and how he was staring at Y/n, the way he made things seem, he never meant to look at him like that, it was just, as awful as it sounds, his natural reaction.

"No, no, that's not what I mean, Y/n-" he reaches his hands out to grab Y/n's holding it for a second before Y/n slaps it away, his eyes a bit red now.

"Don't" he says loudly.

Y/n opens the door, quickly gets out of Steve's car, closes the door strongly and then walks to his house, not looking back at Steve.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally here's the new chapter you guys!! I'm so sorry for the long wait I wanted the chapter to be perfect since it's so important to the story! I'm also very sorry for breaking your hearts I'll make it up eventually I promise, but for now here's some lovely angst, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you once again for all your support with this story it truly means the world to me!

If there's a grammar or pronoun mistake please let me know!

Lots of love, Pip.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'If You Leave Me Now' by Chicago while writing this bit)

Scott realises Y/n has arrived as he hears the front door shutting loudly. He walks out of the kitchen and looks at the time: 10:20 pm; it was late, but he expected Y/n to arrive later, plus he was supposed to pick him up, so he was surprised by his arrival.

"Hey, champ, how was the party?" Scott asks as he walks over to Y/n who immediately looks at him, and right away Scott notices his red eyes. "What happened?"

Y/n starts crying and leans over to hug his dad, his head hiding on his shoulder as he cries, his arms wrapped tightly around him, just like when he was little and would get hurt, looking for his dad, who he knew would always be there whenever he was sad, and did Y/n need him right now. Scott didn't hesitate to hug him back, his arms pulling him closer tightly as he caressed his back gently, looking down at him worried.

"Y/n, what's wrong?" Scott asks; his voice is soft and preoccupied.

"Steve kissed me." Y/n mumbles, his face still on his dad's shoulder.

Scott's eyes widen, and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. He would guess Y/n would be happy, but this was very much the opposite reaction.

"But then, when he broke the kiss, he looked at me as if he had killed someone and then said he wasn't gay, and I just..." Y/n choked on his words as a sob escaped his lips, his eyes tightly closing as he tried to continue talking. "He tried to apologise after, but I left, and I-I was so stupid to think I might have a chance with him."

"Oh, kiddo," Scott sighed as he softly patted Y/n's head, taking everything he just said in. The situation was complicated; clearly, there was more going on between Y/n and Steve than either would like to accept or understand, and it made everything so much more complicated. "I'm so sorry."

"He's kind of dating Nancy as well, still. I mean, they got into a fight today, but... I think that's why he kissed me; he just felt lonely."

"Don't try to make sense of what happened; it'll only make you feel worse, and you shouldn't assume anything." Scott says as he moves Y/n back slightly so he can see his face, "Let's go sit down first, okay?"

Scott leads Y/n towards the couch, and both of them sit down. Scott hands him a tissue so he can wipe his tears, his hand reassuringly moving to Y/n's shoulder.

"Tell me again everything that happened," he adds.

Y/n goes over the entire night, Steve walking out of Tina's house on the verge of tears over his argument with Nancy, the conversation in the cafe, the hug, the drive back, the kiss, and what Steve says before Y/n leaves the car in a rush. Scott listens carefully the entire time, nodding along as Y/n speaks but not saying anything, instead analysing the night and what Y/n mentioned about Steve, and he starts making his hypothesis: Steve Harrington might also have feelings for his son, but, as far as he can guess, from the way he was raised, he cannot accept those feelings are there. So when they finally came out, his immediate reaction was to deny them and hide them again.

He wouldn't share his theory with Y/n though; just in case he was wrong, he wouldn't want Y/n to have any hopes, and he wouldn't want to complicate Y/n's and Steve's relationship more than it already is. Instead, right now he needed to comfort his son and wait to see what would happen with Steve.

"I just- I don't understand; why would he kiss me just to say that right after?" Y/n says, shaking his head as he looks down at his hands, his nose red from crying.

"I'm not sure, champ; I'm sorry-"

The doorbell rings, interrupting Scott. Both of them turn to stare at the door, and Y/n sighs, standing up as the bell continues ringing.

"Steve I don't want to talk right now, okay?" He says, walking towards the door with a sigh, his eyes puffy from crying, "Can you please just go, Jesus? I don't want to talk about the kiss or anything; just forget about it!" He shouts, opening the door.

Dustin stands on the other side of the door, his mouth wide open, as the candy in his hand falls to the floor. His eyes opened in shock as well. "Oh my god, you kissed Steve?"

"No, I didn't," Y/n replies quickly and in a panic as he shakes his head, realising it is Dustin.

"You just said you did," Dustin points out. They stare at each other for a couple of seconds, and neither of them says anything. Y/n tries to figure out what lie to come up with, even though he knows Dustin won't believe it.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, looking down at Dustin in his Ghostbuster costume as he tries to change the subject.

"I found a thing in my trash," he explains. Y/n looks at him confused.

"You found a thing in your trash? What thing?" he asks, closing the door behind him.

"Maybe a reptile; I'm still not sure. Can you please come take a look?" He says it with a smile, trying to convince him.

"It's ten at night, Dustin; I know nothing about reptiles, and does your mom even know you're out?" Dustin nods, and Y/n just sighs, closing his eyes for a second.

"I told her I was getting special candies at your place."

"Jesus," Y/n scoffs, looking around the empty street before finally giving in, "Fine, I'll take a look at the thing you found in your trash."

He opened the door and walked inside to grab a jacket and his roller skates, letting his dad know he was going to see something at Dustin's house. He walked out of the house and put on his roller skates, following Dustin while he rode his bike.

"I like your Luke costume," Dustin says, trying to make conversation and move past the awkward silence.

"Thanks; I like your Ghostbuster costume," Y/n replies with a soft smile.

"Will had an episode" Dustin mumbles quietly, looking away towards the street. Y/n turns to look at him, worried, almost tripping on his own two feet. He couldn't help but think about how it would've been better if he or Jonathan had gone with the kids.

"What? What happened?" he asks.

"We're not sure; we lost him for a second, and then we couldn't find him. We kept calling out to him, but it's like he couldn't hear us. We found him sitting on the floor behind some bushes; he didn't look well. Mike left with him right after to his house, and Lucas and I stayed for a bit more with Max," Dustin explains, his voice showing his worry and guilt.

"God, that's not good. I'm glad he left early with Mike; he was probably able to talk to him and ask him what happened. I'm going to have to look for Will tomorrow to see if I can talk to him and ask him what happened. If I can't, then I'll just ask Mike about it." Y/n replies, muttering the last part mostly to himself. "Did you at least have a good time?" Y/n asks.

"Yeah, there's this new girl at school; I think she's pretty cool." Dustin admits with a smile, and Y/n smiles back at him.

"You like here?" he says with a chuckle.

"No," Dustin replies quickly, Y/n raising his eyebrow at him. "Maybe a little bit."

"Well, I hope it works out for you, kid."

...

It doesn't take Dustin and Y/n long to arrive at his house; Dustin leaves his bike in its usual place, and Y/n takes off his skates and leaves them by the front door.

"Y/n honey, how are you?" Mrs. Henderson says as they both walk inside the house.

"I'm doing well; how are you, Mrs. Henderson?"

"I'm doing great, honey. How was Halloween?" She asks with a wide smile on her face as she sits in the living room with Mews.

"It went well; just spend some time with friends; I'm just here to get a book Dustin borrowed, so it won't take long," Y/n explained as they walked towards Dustin's room.

Dustin closes his door once they are both inside and walks towards the turtle tank in the room.

"Here it is, Dartarion, or Dart for short," Dustin says with a smile, taking the strange gooey creature out of the tank and into his hand. He turns around and shows it to Y/n. It was small—really small—not bigger than a chocolate bar. It had a sort of tail, like a tadpole, but it wasn't like any reptile, or being, for that matter, that Y/n had ever seen.

"What in the world?" Y/n mumbles as he looks down at the creature with a curious gaze; he doesn't dare touch it, not wanting to find out how it might feel. "And you found this in your trash?"

"Yep, it was in my trash, looking for food."

"You should probably tell my dad; I've never seen a thing like it," he suggests as Dustin places Dart back in the tank.

"Maybe, I need to show the guys first; maybe we'll figure something out, and I have a book of reptiles anyway, so I'll look into it and let you know."

"Alright, well, I'll get going then. I'll see you tomorrow, kiddo." Y/n says, messing up Dustin's hair as he opens the door and walks out of the room. "Goodbye, Mrs. Henderson," he says, waving goodbye as he walks out of the house.

While Y/n was at Dustin's house, Scott received an unexpected call. The phone rang around 15 minutes after Y/n had left with Dustin. Scott stood up from the couch and answered the phone.

"Mr. Clarke, it's Steve. I'm sorry to bother you so late. I was wondering if I could speak with Y/n?" Steve asked from the other side of the phone.

"Y/N's not home right now," was all Scott said.

"Could I leave a message for you to tell him?" Steve asked, and Scott noticed the worry in his voice.

"I think it's better if you speak with him yourself, Mr. Harrington, but I'll let him know you called."

"Thank you, sir; goodnight."

Steve stood in his room, the phone in his hand still, with no one on the other side anymore, and he just couldn't help but wonder.

'What's wrong with me?'

...

Once Y/n arrives home, he takes off his roller skates and jacket and starts heading to his room, but his dad stops him.

"Steve called," he says, which immediately makes Y/n freeze on the spot. "He wanted to talk to you, but I told him you were out; he said he would talk to you tomorrow then." Scott explains, Y/n nods but doesn't look back at him.

"Okay, thanks dad" Is all he says as he starts walking to his room again, thinking of all the ways he could avoid Steve tomorrow at school.

"Y/n, you two will need to talk eventually, about what happened, it's important that you do," Scott says, almost as if he could read Y/n's mind.

"I know, I just don't want to"

"Of course you don't; it's not easy to talk about, but ignoring it will only make things worse." Y/n sighs, looking back at Scott.

"How are you always right?" he asks.

"It's a dad thing," Scott replies with a chuckle. "Now go to sleep; you've got school tomorrow."

"Goodnight Dad"

"Goodnight champ"

Y/n lies on his bed awake for a while, simply staring at the ceiling as he thinks back to tonight, about Steve, about the kiss. He wants to forget about it, but it feels impossible. Steve is also in the same predicament as Y/n, lying in bed wide awake. His heart is beating loudly as he thinks about what he did today. He knows what he did, yet he can't figure out why he did it. Part of him blames it on the alcohol, even though he knows he wasn't drunk when he dropped Y/n off. Another part of him blames it on the fact that he's sad and heartbroken after his fight with Nancy, but neither of those excuses gives him a reason for what he did. He just can't understand why he would ever kiss a boy.

At times, he wishes that Y/n wasn't a boy. Maybe then it'd be easier to accept the feelings that had been growing for his friend.

Meanwhile, Y/n wished he had fallen for someone else, anyone else, because why did it have to be Steve? It could've been any guy, any boy in Hawkins, but that would've been too easy, too nice, too simple. Instead, he had to fall for Hawkins's golden boy, Steve Harrington, who was completely out of his reach.

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Hey peeps!!! Finally here's the new chapter so sorry it took so long and I'm also sorry it isn't as long as usual I had saved half of it a week ago but then it was deleted unfortunately to my luck so I had to rewrite it, it was for the best though since I changed a couple of things I wasn't sure about! I really hope you enjoy it, once again I'm so sorry for breaking your hearts but don't worry the angst won't last for much longer now! Thanks again for all your support and love it really means a lot!

Remember if there are any mistakes, pronoun errors, suggestions, questions or others please let me know!

Lots of love, V.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

There's a knock on the door. Y/n stands up from the sofa, where he has been sitting for the past 15 minutes, waiting for the knock on the door. He turns the lock and opens the door.

"You better have a good reason to call me at five in the morning, Y/n; I'm not supposed to be up for another hour," Robin complains as she walks inside the house and takes off her jacket. Y/n closes the door, staring at Robin as she sits on the sofa. "So?"

"Steve kissed me." Robin's smile immediately falls as Y/n says that, her eyes opening as wide as humanly possible, her hands moving to cover her mouth as she takes in what Y/n just said, part of her not believing at all what he's saying, while another part of her knows Y/n would never joke about something like this.

"Holy fuck!" Robin quietly exclaims, a wide smile on her face.

"No, don't smile," Y/n tells her. "I haven't told you what happened after the kiss."

Robin's smile falls once again, looking away from Y/n as she sighs, "What did he do?"

Y/n's explanation of last night is filled with commentary from Robin, which varies between swear words, comfort words, and countless death threats towards Steve.

"I'm going to kill him; I swear I will Y/n, what an asshole!" Robin shouts as she paces around the living room, angry—incredibly, excruciatingly angry.

By this point, Scott was already awake and making breakfast. Being woken up by Robin, Y/n should've guessed she wouldn't be able to sit quietly on his sofa as he explained what happened.

"How could he do that to you? I mean, can you believe this, sir?!" she asks, walking into the kitchen and looking at Scott.

"Not at all," Scott replies, shaking his head with a soft smile.

"He's the one that kisses Y/n yet dares to say, 'I'm not gay'? Unbelievable" Robin complains, pacing around the place.

"Can we just change the topic, please?"

"You're going to need to talk about it with Steve either way, kiddo," Scott reminds Y/n.

"I know," Y/n says with a sigh, grabbing one of the pillows on the sofa and covering his head with it as he lets himself sink more into it, hoping that if he's lucky enough, the ground will eat him.

...

The walk to the school was slow and depressing. Y/n was obviously walking way slower than usual; he didn't want to go to school because going to school meant seeing Steve, which would mean having to talk to him, which would mean that things could get worse between the two of them, which meant they would stop being friends, which meant disaster.

Stepping into school was easily the most stressful thing ever. Y/n felt like everyone was staring at him as if they knew what happened last night with him and Steve, as if their eyes were judging him, and things only got worse when, on his way to his locker, Steve walks past him. Neither of them say anything; the eye contact they share is incredibly brief and doesn't last longer than ten seconds, yet it completely destroys both Y/n and Steve.

One could say Steve was doing even worse than Y/n; he was sure that everyone was staring at him, truly everyone. He didn't sleep at all last night; all he seemed to be able to do was replay the night over and over and over in his head, wondering why he did what he did and if Y/n could ever forgive him. When his gaze met Y/n's, it was over for him. He felt his throat tighten, the way it does when you're holding back tears. His heart was practically beating out of his chest. He looked away as quickly as he could, walking away as he made his way to class early for once.

Y/n looks back at Robin, who glares at Steve; not that he is even looking at her; she purely did it out of spite. "What an asshole," Robin mumbles as she places her hand on Y/n's shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

The first three classes go by quickly; thankfully, Y/n didn't have any with Steve, but the minute recess starts, panic takes over him again. He walks to his locker, and as he opens it, he finds a note. He looks around, confused, and opens it.

Can we talk? I'll be waiting behind the gym. - Steve

Y/n looks down at the note, closes his locker, and looks around, wondering if he should go meet him. He knows he should; he knows his dad is right; he wouldn't tell him to talk to Steve if it weren't for the best, but just because something is good doesn't mean it's easy.

He begins walking through the corridors and towards the back door, which leads to the gym. He stops before he opens the door, his body turning around as he shakes his head, but then he turns back towards the door, but then away again. This goes on for about a minute or so as he tries to figure out what to do, getting a couple of weird looks as he does so.

"Oh, fuck it," he mumbles, finally opening the door and walking out.

He makes his way towards the gym; there are not many people around, thankfully. From the distance, he sees Steve standing behind the gym, pacing around as he fiddles with his fingers, a worried look on his face.

Steve eventually notices Y/n as he gets closer, moving to stand in front of him.

"Hey," Y/n says softly, his face neutral. Steve couldn't figure out if that was a good or bad thing.

"Hey, thanks for coming," he replies, his tone quiet as well; he couldn't even look at Y/n.

There's an awkward silence that follows; neither of them says anything; they just stand there, waiting to see what happens.

"I'm sorry about last night-"

"It's fine" Y/n replies, interrupting Steve; the tension between the two of them could be cut with a knife.

"Nancy and I broke up," Steve blurts out, his head hanging low as he speaks, moving his hands to his pockets. He glances up at Y/n for a second before looking back at the ground.

"Really? I'm sorry," Y/n replies, in a somewhat comforting tone as he says that, looking down at Steve.

"It's fine, really; we just weren't for each other," he mumbles.

The silence between them becomes more and more tangible, a reflection of their apprehension. They've never had a conversation like this, so dry and uncomfortable. It's as if the person they're talking to is a complete outsider—it's an uneasy feeling that only grows with each passing second. Neither of them can bring themselves to break the silence, even though they want nothing more than to end the awkwardness between them. Unspoken thoughts and worries linger in the air, neither one of them wanting to face the situation.

A part of Steve was expecting Y/n to say more about his breakup with Nancy, but since he didn't say anything, he decided to just end the conversation there.

"Well, I'm going to go have something to eat; I'll see you around Einstein," he says softly, finally looking back up at Y/n as he walks away, Y/n's gaze lingering on Steve as he slowly walks off his view.

Y/n also walked away, moving towards the middle school to look for his dad. He finds him in his room, cleaning the board. Y/n doesn't say anything as he walks inside the room; all he does is move over to where Scott is and pull him into a hug.

Scott hugs him back, looking at him with a worried gaze. "You talked to Steve?" he asks.

Y/n nods, "It was horrible; it was like we were strangers."

How could something like this happen? How could one night, one touch, one word, change so much between two people who trusted each other more than anyone else in the world?

The rest of the day was just hell, and Y/n was never more thankful that he didn't have chemistry. Steve hated himself more every second that passed; he had ruined everything; he had done exactly what he feared he would do; he lost the only genuine friend he'd ever had; he ruined everything; and for what? An accident, a drunken mistake, terrifying feelings lingering behind his mind.

After school, Y/n walks to Radio Shack. Scott sends him to pick up the radio he gave Bob to fix.

Y/n opens the door and steps inside the shop. He walks over to the counter and notices Bob, who's sitting behind it, fixing something on it. Bob sees Y/n and puts down his tools.

"Hey, what brings you here?" Bob says this as he steps out from behind the counter.

Y/n softly smiles at Bob and takes his dad's receipt from his pocket. "My dad sent me to pick up a radio he gave you."

Bob smiles, going back behind the counter to get the radio for him. "How was school?"

"Horrible," Y/n answers with a sigh, leaning against the counter. Bob's eyebrows perk up in surprise.

"What happened?" he asks, worried, placing the radio on the counter and sitting down.

"It's a long story; a friend of mine kissed me last night, a guy friend, but apparently he's not into guys, so... he apologised today for what happened, but it was so weird; I don't know how to explain it; it just felt different in the worst ways, and now I don't know what to do; I feel like things will never be the same between us." Y/n shares the awkwardness of the situation clearly in his voice.

Bob stares at him with a soft gaze, unsure what exactly to say. This is unknown territory to him, and all he knows is that he will try his best to at least comfort Y/n. Maybe he can't tell him exactly what to do, but at the very least, he can be there for him.

"Well, I'm not sure what to tell you, kiddo. That sounds like a complicated thing. Maybe you should give it more time. The wound of the situation is still fresh. You can't expect something to heal immediately after it's hurt. You need to give it time. Maybe that's what the two of you need," he suggests, trying to calm Y/n.

"Maybe," he mumbles quietly. "I guess we'll just have to see."

"How about we go get something to eat, whatever you want, to cheer you up, my treat?" Bob says with a smile, standing up from his chair and walking over to Y/n.

"You don't have to."

"I insist, plus we haven't spent time together in a while; this will help you get your mind off things," he responds, taking the radio and moving towards the front door.

"What about the shop?" Y/n asks.

"I can take my break; I'm not the only one who works here, kid," he laughs, opening the door and leading the way out.

...

The next day, for the first time since basically forever, or since the last time Y/n was incredibly sick, he didn't go to school. It was mostly Scott who encouraged him to stay home, which Y/n argued against since this was his senior year and he couldn't miss any lessons because everything would end up in the exams one way or another, but Scott insisted, telling Y/n that he would get the notes he would miss from lessons from his teachers.

Y/n spends a lot of the day on his bed or pacing around his room, watching TV, rummaging around the house and finding old things he hasn't seen in years, standing under the shower and crying, or all of the previously mentioned.

Steve notices Y/n's absence right away; chemistry was the first lesson of the day, and he was waiting for Y/n to arrive. When class started and he was still nowhere to be seen, he started worrying. He thought about looking for Robin and asking her where Y/n was, but he had a feeling that the interaction wouldn't go very well, so instead he makes his way to Hawkin's Middle School and looks for Mr. Clarke.

He asks around for him and finds him in the teacher's lounge.

"Mr. Harrington, I wasn't expecting to see you today," Scott says, standing at the door of the room.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Clarke; I didn't see Y/n in chemistry today, and I just wanted to know if he was okay," Steve asks with a soft smile.

"Y/n's fine; he's just a bit sick; nothing to worry about." Scott simply replied, "I have to go finish grading some papers, but thanks for asking about Y/n"

Later that day, once school was over, Steve decided to drive to Y/n's house. He parks his car outside of Y/n's house but doesn't get out of the car; he just sits there in the driver's seat, staring into Y/n's window, hoping that maybe he'll catch a glimpse of Y/n. since he doesn't have the courage to get out of the car and actually check up on him, so he just sits there in the distance, so close yet so far away, like a coward.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey peeps!!! Finally, the new chapter is out!! I'm so sorry for the delay I've been busy with some things for Christmas and uni stuff, but I will try my best so the next chapter doesn't take as long! Once again thank you so much for your support with this story, I really hope you have been enjoying it!

Feel free to leave any questions, suggestions, advice or comments I love and appreciate everything you say! If there's a grammar or pronoun mistake please do let me know!

Lots of love, Pip.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Help!' by The Beatles while writing this bit)

"Y/N!!! Y/N!!! It's Dustin I need you it's an emergency, please!!" Dustin shouts as he practically hit the front door of the Clarke's house, it was around four in the afternoon, and Scott wasn't home yet, he had to stay back and mark some exams to Dustin's luck, otherwise, it would've been tough to explain to his teacher why he needed to talk to his son so urgently.

Y/n ran to the door as soon as he heard Dustin shouting, he was clearly in a panic, and not a joking one, an 'end of the world' panic, which he was all too familiar with.

"Dustin what is it?!" Y/n asks opening the door, his eyebrows raised in distress.

"Okay, before you shout at me, just listen to my explanation okay?" he blurts out quickly, watching as Y/n's face switches from worried to serious.

"What did you do?"

"Do you remember Dart, the weird creature I told you I found in the trash outside my house?" Dustin asks, Y/n nods his head confused.

"Yeah? What about it?" He asks not understanding why the thing was mentioned.

"It ate my cat"

"What?" Y/n asks loudly, looking down at Dustin in shock.

"I got home from school, like twenty minutes ago, I go look for Dart, and I find it eating my cat in the corner of my room, Mews is dead and I have no idea what to do because my mom's home, my room is locked and I can't tell her that a mini Demogorgon ate our cat"

Y/n stares in shock at Dustin as he explains the situation, his eyes wide open as he tries to take in everything he hears, breaking down everything happening.

"The thing you showed me was a Demogorgon?" he asks clearly panicking as he stares at Dustin.

"Yeah"

"And it ate your cat, which is now lying dead in your room with the Demogorgon, yes?" he repeats, a part of him still finding it hard to believe.

"Exactly" Dustin replies.

"This is why you don't take things from the trash!" Y/n shouts as the situation finally sinks in, moving his hands to Dustin's shoulders.

"How was I supposed to know it would turn into a little Demogorgon!" he shouts back, both panicking together.

"Alright, we need to calm down," he says letting go of Dustin and taking a deep breath, pacing around in a circle as he thinks, "We can't do anything unless we get your mom out of the house, we can't go into your room because being alone in a close space with a flesh-eating monster would be plain stupid, so we need to make a plan, come on" he explains opening the door as he walks inside, Dustin following behind and closing the door.

...

"So, your mom thinks that mews is missing?" Y/n asks sitting on the sofa with Dustin.

"Yes, and she never really goes into my room so she won't notice that Dart is there" he adds, taking a sip of the lemonade Y/n gave him.

"Okay, since it's late and we won't be able to get your mom out of the house we should do this tomorrow, you act like you got a call on the phone from a neighbour who saw Mews, your mom goes looking for her, then we leave a trail of food for Dart to follow and trap it in the cellar" he explains, looking away from the mind map on Dustin's notebook and back at him.

"That's a good plan, except for one thing"

"What?" Y/n questions, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Where am I supposed to sleep today if Dart's in my room?" he asks looking at Y/n worried.

Y/n takes a moment to think, he hadn't thought of that. If Dustin slept outside of his room his mom would find it weird and check his room, "Stay with Lucas" Y/n pointed out.

"I can't, none of the guys can know about this" he confesses, Y/n's eyebrows furrow.

"Why?" he asks confused.

"It's a long story"

"Alright, then what if you stayed here? You tell your mom that the five of us are having a Dungeons and Dragons party night and will be staying here, she knows my dad so if anything happens she'll just call him and I'll tell my dad you and the guys argued so you wanted to work on some D&D stuff with me" Y/n suggests, Dustin nods with a soft smile.

"That could work" he replies.

"Great, go home, tell your mom and I'll be waiting here for you" Y/n tells him with a smile.

"You're the best" Dustin stands up from the sofa with a smile, walking to the front door.

"I know," he says playfully.

Dustin didn't take long at his house, and his mom ended up driving him to the Clarke's house, by this time Scott was home so Y/n told him the little white lie, which he then had to follow when Ms. Henderson arrived at their house to drop Dustin off.

"Thank you so much for doing this Y/n, you're so nice with the boys," she says smiling, sitting in the passenger seat as Dustin got out of the car.

"Really it's my pleasure, Ms. Henderson, I love hanging out with the boys" Y/n smiles, following along with the lie.

"So they're inside already?" she asks.

"Inside and ready to go, Dustin was the last one to arrive, you don't need to worry about anything, we have everything planned, if you are worried about anything at all just call my dad" Y/n answers pointing to the house while he speaks.

"I will do, thank you hon, oh, and if you see Mews please call me, we can't find her anywhere in the house, she's missing" Ms. Henderson reminds Y/n, and he has to hold back a sigh from escaping his lips.

"Of course, we'll call you right away if we see her, I'm sure she's just walking around, nothing to worry about" Y/n smiles moving away from the car slightly, "Well I'll see you later Ms. Henderson, take care" he waves goodbye at her and she drives away, Dustin standing not far behind him.

"There she goes" Dustin mumbles.

Y/n sighs as he looks back at Dustin, "Man, your poor mom" he says walking towards his house.

"How was I supposed to know it would eat the cat!" Dustin shouts back running after him.

---------------------------------------

(I listened to 'Under Pressure' by Queen while writing this bit)

"I should be the one answering the call, you can't act" Y/n mumbles as he and Dustin stand in the living room of the Henderson house, hovering over the telephone.

"I'm a great actor are you kidding me?" Dustin replied offended as he stared at Y/n, moving to grab the phone.

"I still think I should do it" Y/n mumbles as they both hear Ms. Henderson make her way towards the front door, giving Dustin the signal to act as if he was on the telephone.

"Dusty, baby, you're sure she's not in your room?" Ms. Henderson asks as she closes the door, Dustin raises his finger as he hums faking the call, and Y/n smiles at Ms. Henderson.

"Thank you so much, Mr. McCorkle, thank you so much, you are a true lifesaver. All right, this was great. Thank you. Alright, have a good one. Bye-bye now, alright, you too." he 'ends' the call and places the telephone down.
"Alright, great news" he says turning around with a smile.

"They found her?" Ms. Henderson asks.

"No. But they saw her wandering around Loch Nora" he explains.

"How did the poor baby get all the way out there?" she asks teary-eyed.

"I don't know, lost, I guess, but they're gonna look for her, and Y/n and I will stay here just in case they call back. And you're gonna help look? Yeah? Yeah? Give me a hug, give me a hug" he says both of them hugging, Y/n just standing there, a little awkward, "Go get her, you're gonna find her"

"We got this Ms. Henderson" Y/n adds with a smile.

Dustin and his mom say goodbye to each other, lots of 'I love you' say and then she finally leaves.

"You better get your mom another cat" Y/n mumbles turning to look at Dustin who simply sighs and nods.

Both of them get to work and start gathering the things to catch Dart, Dustin goes outside opening the cellar while Y/n grabs some ham to leave a trail off, and then Dustin comes back to the house and puts on his old hockey gear.

"Are you sure you'll be fine without something on?" he asks as they start placing the hams on the flower and make a path towards the cellar.

"It's fine, I'd rather you be protected in case the thing decides to attack, I told you, I already fought a big Demogorgon and lived, I'll be fine" he reminds Dustin as they finish placing the last ham inside the steps on the cellar and then they both walk carefully back inside the house, Dustin holding a hockey stick while Y/n holds a broom.

"Okay, ready?" Y/n asks as they both stand outside of Dustin's room, he nods.

"Alright Dart, breakfast time," Dustin says, Y/n quickly opens the door and they both start running outside of the house and inside the storage room in the backyard, both of them looking outside through the small gaps between the wood.

"Come on, come on, I know you're hungry" Dustin mumbles, watching as Dart steps outside.

"Shut up" Y/n whispers, his heart beating out of his chest.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," Dustin says as Dart reaches the cellar, and right after turns around to look towards the storage, "Shit!"

"Shut up" Y/n shouts quietly as he moves Dustin back, looking outside again just to find Dart moving closer, he takes a step back both of them hitting the wall, "We can't stay here" he whispers.

Dustin starts breathing heavily, and the next thing Y/n sees is him pushing the door open and moving towards Dart as he screams out.

"Dustin!" he shouts reaching out to him, Dart moves back as Dustin screams at him and then without hesitation, he lifts his hockey stick and hits Dart pushing him inside the cellar, Y/n moves over to him and they both close the cellar, Dart hitting it once inside trying to open it.

"Sorry, you ate my cat" Dustin says as they both lay against the closed doors of the cellar.

Y/n stares at Dustin and softly hits his helmet, "Idiot, you could've gotten hurt" he says softly.

"I didn't though" Dustin points out with a smile, Y/n just shakes his head.

"Come on"

Dustin and Y/n continue with their plan, they lock the cellar and then take Mews's body from the room and burry it, Dustin tries to get in contact with anyone else on the way, repeating code red over and over and over through the walkie in hopes that someone will hear, they clean the house and finish everything, the only one who replies is Erica, who later on ends the line letting us know she has no idea where Lucas is.

"What now?" Dustin asks as they stand in his room, all traces of Mews's death erased.

"Well, the kids aren't around, so we go look for the teens," Y/n says walking out of Dustin's room and heading towards the living room, "Let's go to Nancy's house, surely she'll be there"

Dustin nods and they both leave the house, Dustin riding his bike and Y/n skating towards Nancy's house.

___________

Unknown to Y/n Steve was driving towards his house, ready to actually talk about what happened, he parked his car outside and stepped out, ringing at the front door.

Scott opened the door, surprised to see Steve on the other side, after what had happened he didn't expect to see him anytime soon around the house, yet here he was.

"Mr. Clarke, sorry to bother you, is Y/n home?" Steve asks with a soft smile on his face, slightly intimidated by the serious look on Scott's face, he had never seen him like this.

"No, he's with Dustin helping him" Scott answers.

"Right, alright then, thank you sir" Steve says nodding as he turns around, planning to go look for Y/n there, "Mr. Clarke" Steve shouts as he opens the driver's door realising he has no idea where that is.

Scott who was about to close the door opens it again.

"Could you tell me where that is exactly?"

...

When Steve arrives at Dustin's house he rings the bell but there's no answer, he does this three times and knocks twice, realising he won't get an answer he looks inside through the living room window and finds there's no one around, he sighs, maybe this is a sign that whatever is wrong with his brain should be ignored and hopefully erased, and instead he should just apologise to Nancy and hopes she takes him back, maybe she doesn't love him, but at least he won't be alone...right?

____________

When they arrive Dustin leaves his bike on the grass outside the Wheeler's house and Y/n skates towards the front door ringing, a second passes and no one opens the door, Dustin tries this time, not ringing once or twice but instead repeatedly.

The door finally opens and greeting them is Mr. Wheeler, clearly not happy to have visitors.

"Your line has been busy for over two hours, Mr. Wheeler. Do you realise this?" Dustin asks.

"Oh, I do realise" he replies back, clearly already bored of this conversation.

"Is Mike home?" Dustin continues.

"No"

"No? Well, where the hell is he?" Dustin asks, he looks back at Y/n who just shrugs.

"Karen, where's our son?" Mr. Wheeler shouts turning back, once he gets his answer he looks back at the two of them, "Will's" he tells them moving to close the door.

"No one's picking up there," Dustin says with a sigh, stopping Mr. Wheeler from escaping the conversation.

"Well, what about Nancy?" Y/n asks.

"Karen, where's Nancy?" Ted shouts one last time before turning back to face the two, "Ally's. Our children don't live here anymore. You didn't know that?"

"Seriously?" Dustin replies rolling his eyes.

"Am I done here?" Mr. Wheeler questions fed up.

"Son of a bitch. You're really no help at all, you know that?" Dustin complains walking away, Y/n sighs and follows Dustin waving goodbye at Mr. Wheeler as he does so.

"Hey! Language," Ted says as they walk away.

Dustin moves to pick up his bike and as Y/n looks towards the road his eyes widen as he sees Steve's car which parks in front of the Wheeler's house. The driver's door opens and Steve walks out holding a bouquet of roses, Y/n felt his heart sink away into oblivion as he watches Steve move towards the house mumbling to himself, this was all the confirmation he needed, Steve clearly never meant the kiss, but he probably meant what he said back in the car, he could never care for Y/n at least not in the way that he cared for Steve, he couldn't help but feel so ridiculous for ever thinking that something could possibly happen between them.

While Y/n was too caught up in his own brain Dustin called out to him, but noticing that Y/n had completely disassociated he walks over by himself towards Steve calling out to him.

"Are those for Mr. or Mrs. Wheeler?" Dustin asks.

Steve looks down at the flowers confused and shakes his head, "No"

"Good" Dustin replies snatching the roses from Steve's hand.

"Hey. What the hell? Hey!" Steve shouts going after Dustin, he turns around and notices Y/n standing there, and he freezes in the spot, "Y/n" he says softly.

Steve calling out his name immediately gets Y/n out of his frozen state, he blinks and looks at Steve, the tension between the two palpable, "Steve..."

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Hey peeps!!! Finally, the new chapter is out!!! We are finally getting back on track with the canon storyline and will get back to having the usual Steve and Y/n interactions! So buckle up and get ready! The next chapter should be out soon but I will let you all know if there are any delays! Thank you once again for reading this story, I hope you liked the chapter and thank you for your support!

Remember if you have any questions, advice, requests or comments feel free to let me know!

Lots of love, Pip!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

Dustin stares at Y/n and Steve as they look at each other, not saying anything, just standing there, he couldn't help but think back to Halloween when Y/n mentioned a kiss with Steve, he had no context behind it, but all he knew is that things must be weird between them, he hoped they could sort things out, or at least forget them while they resolved everything with Dart.

"Nancy isn't home" Y/n responds breaking the silence, Steve nods his eyes never darting away from Y/n's, "She's with a friend-"

"It doesn't matter," Dustin says moving over to Steve's car and opening the backdoor, "We have bigger problems than someone's love life"

Y/n is the one to break his gaze away, looking over at Dustin confused as to what exactly he had in mind, Steve on the other hand, he continues to stare at Y/n, his body and heart relaxing at the sight of him, he noticed the tension between the two of them and he couldn't help but wonder if he could ever make up for his mistake, so things would go back to how they were.

"Do you still have that bat?" Dustin asks looking at Steve finally forcing him to move his gaze away from Y/n.

"Bat? What bat?" Steve asks confused.

"The one with the nails?" Dustin responds.

"Why?" he asks again, Y/n walks over to Dustin, Steve following behind.

"I'll explain it on the way," he says taking a seat inside, Steve looks confused as he walks quicker towards the car.

"Now?"

"Now." Dustin shouts back as he closes the door, Y/n moves to open the passenger door and Steve movers around towards the driver's door.

(I listened to 'Hammer To Fall' by Queen while writing this bit)

Steve drives through the road towards Dustin's house, Dustin explains to Steve about Dart and how it's locked in his cellar.

"Wait a sec. How big?" Steve asks looking up at Dustin through the rear-view mirror.

"First it was like that" he begins saying his fingers showing the length of Dart at first, "Now he's like this" he moved his hands to show how much bigger it was.

"I swear to God, if it's just a little lizard, okay?-"

"It's not a lizard" Dustin interrupted looking over at Steve.

"How do you know?" he asks.

"How do we know it's not a lizard?" Y/n asks as if that was the stupidest question someone had asked him.

"Yeah, how do you know if it's not just a lizard?" Steve asks louder.

"Because his face opened up and he ate my cat" Dustin replies just as loudly, Steve nodded unable to think of anything to reply with.

He parks the car and they all get out, then he walks to the back of the car, opens the trunk, and tosses the keys to Dustin who catches them confused, he leans over the trunk and pulls out the bat, looking over at Y/n and raising his eyebrows in an almost playful manner as he closes the trunk.

Y/n takes a flashlight from his backpack and guides the three towards the cellar, once in front of it he flashes the light on the lock looking at Steve.

"I don't hear shit" Steve says leaning forward towards the cellar.

"He's in there," Dustin tells him.

Steve moves the bat and hits the cellar door when there's no reply he hits the door again this time much harder than the first, they wait for a sound but they don't hear anything.

"All right, listen, kid. I swear if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you're dead" he says taking Y/n's flashlight and flashing Dustin's face, blinding him.

"It's not"

"Steve, he isn't lying" Y/n replies looking at him, "I saw the thing"

"See, now get out of my face" Dustin adds and Y/n takes the flashlight back from Steve's hand.

"You got a key for this thing?" Steve asks.

...

Steve opens the cellar door, Dustin and Y/n looking inside from behind him flashing the light down so they can see.

"Let me see that," Steve says taking the flashlight from Dustin's hand and examining inside, nothing can be seen.

"He must be further down there" Dustin points out, "You two can go, I'll stay up here in case he tries to escape"

Y/n and Steve turn to look at Dustin in disbelief, shaking their head as they sigh moving down the flight of stairs. Steve walks in first holding the flashlight with one hand and the bat with the other, Y/n follows behind him with a shovel in his hand, and they both move slowly inside the cellar. Steve stops as he finds the light and pulls the string down turning it on.

"What the hell?" Steve mumbles in confusion as he looks down at the ground.

"What?" Y/n asks moving to stand next to him as he follows Steve's gaze towards the ground, with the bat he picks up a gooey material, one could only guess it could possibly be its skin, like a snake, getting rid of the old 'body' for a new and bigger one, "Oh god"

"Y/n" Steve calls out, making him turn around to where Steve's now looking out, where he finds the wall destroyed.

"You have to be kidding me" he mumbles staring at the hole in the wall.

"I'm going to get Dustin," Steve says as he walks back towards the stairs, "get down here," he tells Dustin, who walks slowly down the stairs, Y/n looks back at the stairs as he watches Steve lift his bat with the dead skin.

"Oh shit" Dustin mutters, then Steve points at the destroyed wall with the flashlight, "Oh shit" he repeats as the three of them move closer to the hole and look into it, realising how deep it goes.

Y/n, Steve and Dustin decide to retreat for the night being too late, there's no point trying to look for Dart when there's no light, it would be dangerous and stupid, they agree to meet up again at Dustin's house in the morning and continue their search. Dustin went back to his house and Steve made his way to his car, Y/n walking with him.

(I listened to 'The Name Of The Game' by ABBA while writing this bit)

"I'll drive you home" Steve says breaking the silence, Y/n turns to him shaking his head.

"It's fine, I have my skates, it won't take me long to get home" he replies sitting on the ground as he opens his bag and takes out his skates, putting them on.

"Yeah, but we remember how that went last time," Steve says with a chuckle, trying to make things less awkward but failing.

"Well the Demogorgon's gone now, so I'll be fine" Y/n tells him as he looks up at him, tying his skates now.

"You can never be too careful" Steve points out.

The more he talks the more things get awkward, and the more the tension rises.

"I'm fine, Steve" Y/n replies quickly as he stands up, his skates now on, moving his bag to his back, "You don't need to worry about me, you should just go back to the Wheeler's house, see if Nancy's back so those flowers don't go to waste"

Steve closes his eyes and sighs as Y/n says that, he thought Y/n wouldn't mention him and the flowers, but he should have expected it, he couldn't have expected things to go back to normal after what had happened that was his mistake, he kept on thinking about how this entire situation had been for him but he hadn't taken a second to wonder how it had been for Y/n. How could he forget what Y/n told him in the car? As if it didn't haunt his everyday thoughts.
'This isn't a joke to me'
He still wasn't sure what that exactly meant, but he felt like he should.

"I went to look for you, before going to the Wheeler's house" Steve shouts as Y/n starts skating away, he stops, turning around to look at Steve, "You can ask your dad" he adds.

There's a short silence that follows as Steve thinks about what he should say exactly, and how he could possibly fix everything between them.

"I- I just wanted to apologise, properly, not like I did a couple of days ago, but genuinely. I'm sorry Y/n, about Halloween night, I-I fucked up, I really did, I don't know exactly how to fix it either I've never been in this situation I've never done anything like that, and I don't really wanna talk about it but I don't want things between us to be like this" he explains, his voice soft and apologetic, his eyes with a nervous and regretful gaze in them as he stares at Y/n.

Steve wanted to say more, explain more, and open up honestly about what he actually felt, but he didn't even know what he felt, he didn't even know why he had kissed Y/n that night, he couldn't explain it and he was terrified to understand it.

A part of him still felt wrong for the kiss, not because of what it had led to but what it meant, he kissed a guy, he wasn't supposed to do that, he is a guy. Steve just kept wondering what his dad would say if he were ever to find out, and he couldn't imagine what would happen but he knew he wouldn't be happy, no, he would be mad, he might even disown him, his father, the first person who told him a man and a woman could only love each other and anything other people did was wrong, erasing that kind of thinking from yourself when you've grown up with it is not easy, it's scary.

"You're the first person who I've been able to be myself with, you're the first real friend I've ever had, I don't want that to be ruined simply because I was an idiot and I said some stupid things and I'm sorry as well about that, what I said, I-I didn't mean it, I hope you know that, I never meant for what I said to sound the way it did, I didn't mean to hurt you, and much less ruin our friendship"

Y/n stares at Steve with a soft gaze taking in everything he says and then finally replying, "I forgive you, Steve. I don't want things between us to be like this either, but I also think we need to accept the fact that it'll be impossible for things to be like before, but that doesn't mean they can't be similar" he responds with a soft smile.

Steve nods and there's an understanding between both of them, that even though their friendship is back to 'normal' now there'll always be unspoken things between them.

"I'll see you tomorrow Harrington, don't forget to bring the meat"

"I won't, try not to fall on your way home Einstein" Steve replies with a soft chuckle, Y/n just rolls his eyes and skates away, the tension between them finally gone, at least somewhat.

...

Y/n and Steve met at Dustin's house and got ready for the day, Steve brought the meat as well as some gasoline.

While Y/n and Steve moved the food and gasoline out of the car, Lucas called Dustin through his walkie.

"Well, well, well, look who it is" Dustin replies moving away from the car.

"Why did you bring two bags?" Steve asks Y/n as he puts on some gloves.

"One's for first aid things, my walkie and other extra things, and the other one will be useful when we fight the Demogorgon" Y/n replies as he places the last bucket with meat on the ground.

"What is inside?"

"You'll see" he replies, as Dustin finishes to explain the plan to Lucas, telling him to meet the three of them by the old junkyard.

"Alright, let's go" Steve says closing the trunk of the car, the nail bat and gasoline inside his bag.

"Just be there, stat. Over and out" Dustin says as they walk away into the woods, following the railroad tracks.

...

(I listened to 'Talking In Your Sleep' by The Romantics while writing this bit)

"All right, so let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who... who you just me?" Steve asks confused as they walk and drop pieces of meat on the tracks, creating a path that hopefully Dart will follow.

"All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things" Dustin replies, walking in front of Y/n and Steve.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve questions.

"An interdimensional slug? Because it's awesome"

"Debatable" Y/n responds.

"Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I...I just I don't know, I just feel like you're trying too hard" Steve continues to explain as they walk.

"Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?"

"It's not about the hair man," Steve tells him.

"It's definitely not the hair Dustin" Y/n adds.

"The key with girls is just...just acting like you don't care" Y/n turns to look at Steve with a judgemental gaze, shaking his head as he says that.

"Even if you do?" Dustin asks.

"Yeah, exactly, it drives them nuts"

"That is the worst advice I've ever heard" Y/n replies, "If you like someone you do the exact opposite, you need to talk with them more, get to know them, show that you care, acting like you don't care is ridiculous"

"Well, it's worked for me so far" Y/n's eyebrows raise as Steve says that.

"Remind me again what your longest relationship has been, Steve?" Y/n questions clearly disproving Steve's point.

"Well, if I were to do that, then what?" Dustin asks.

"You just wait until, uh...until you feel it" Steve advises tossing more pieces on the floor.

"Feel what?"

"It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh...electricity, you know?" Steve explains looking down at Dustin and then gazing at Y/n, who doesn't notice the quick stare.

"Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-"

"No, no, no, no, no, like a...like a sexual electricity," Steve corrects.

"Oh" Dustin mumbles partially understanding what Steve says but mostly confused.

"He's thirteen" Y/n reminds Steve, who just gives him a look that says 'it's fine'.

"You feel that, and then you make your move"

"So that's when you kiss her?" Dustin asks.

"No, whoa, whoa, slow down, Romeo" Steve tells him shaking his head.

"Sorry"

"This is advice you shouldn't listen to Dustin, alright"

"Then what advice should he listen to, Y/n, yours? You haven't even dated anyone" Steve points out as he looks at Y/n.

"Yes because I haven't liked anyone, you may have dated plenty of girls Steve but not only did they not last but I highly doubt the relationship was healthy" Y/n replies tilting his head to the side, Steve pushes him away playfully and continues walking.

"Is there anyone you like? Since Nancy and you aren't together anymore" Dustin asks, Steve looks at him confused.

"How did you know we broke up"

Dustin goes to answer opening his mouth as he looks at Y/n who opens his eyes wide and shakes his head, Dustin gets the hint and makes something on the spot, "I just assumed"

"Well we did break up" Steve replies, "But I don't know if I like someone"

"What does I don't know even mean?" Dustin questions.

"It means mind your business curls" Steve replies.

"Well, anyway, this girl she's special, you know, it's just, like, something about her"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey" Steve says raising his hand as he stops walking, Y/n and Dustin stopping after him.

"What?"

"You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?" Steve asks.

"Uh, no, no"

"Okay, good, don't" Steve tells him as he begins walking.

"I won't" Dustin assures.

"She's only gonna break your heart, and you're too young for that shit"

"Let's not assume, Steve" Y/n replies, as he looks at Dustin, "You never know"

Steve raises his hand defensively as they continue walking, the path of meat extending with every step. Y/n and Steve look at Dustin noticing he's thinking about the situation with the girl, Y/n looks up at Steve as he moves his head towards Dustin, letting Steve know that he should say something.

"Faberge"

"What?" Y/n and Dustin say confused.

"It's Faberge Organics" Steve explains pointing at his hair, "Use the shampoo and conditioner when your hair's damp, it's not wet, okay? When it's damp"

"Damp" Dustin repeats.

"You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray"

Dustin and Y/n chuckle at that both saying in unison, "Farrah Fawcett spray?"

"Yeah, Farrah Fawcett" Steve repeats turning to look at Dustin, "You tell anyone I told you that and your ass is grass, you're dead, Henderson. Do you understand?"

"Yup," Dustin says nodding, Steve nods and continues walking.

"Farrah Fawcett, really?" Y/n asks as they move.

"I mean, she's hot" Steve replies to which Y/n just rolls his eyes.

"Wow..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey peeps!!! Finally here's the new chapter so sorry for the delay I was moving house so I didn't have time to write for a bit but now I am back and I promise the next chapter will be out as soon as possible!!! I'm having so much fun with the story and I really want to get to the end of season 3 because I have something planned that I can't wait to write so I'm trying to move things quickly. Thank you so much once again for your support with the book it means a lot to me, I hope you're enjoying the story!

Okay, so the angst (with Steve at least) for this season is finally over! So relax for a bit guys, bit not completely because angst will still come rest assured.

Once again if you have any comments, questions, advice, ideas, or corrections please feel free to let me know! As well as if I got any pronouns wrong.

Lots of love, Pip.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Come and Get Your Love' by Redbone while writing this bit)

Y/n, Steve and Dustin stop walking as they arrive at the abandoned junkyard, a school bus in the middle and a couple of cars around with some pieces and parts scattered around, Steve nods as he looks around the place.

"Oh yeah, yeah, this will do, this will do fine" Steve says examining the place, and taking his sunglasses off, walking off to get a better look, "Good call, dude" he adds.

Dustin smiles at his comment, Y/n notices and pats his cap with a smile, "Come on" he tells him as he moves to follow Steve.

They place the remaining meat near the bus which they decided was where they would hide while waiting for Dart to appear.

"I said medium-well!" The three of them look up from the ground as they hear Lucas, he waves at them with a girl next to him, ginger-haired, Y/n remembers seeing her once when he first saw Billy, she was in the car with him.

"Who's that?" Steve asks. Dustin doesn't reply though he just stares at the girl as she walks towards them with Lucas, his expression is hard to read but Y/n and Steve understand almost immediately that she must be the girl Dustin likes, they look at each other, raising their eyebrows and then looking back at Dustin.

Dustin and Lucas go off to talk somewhere while Steve and Y/n continue placing things in front of the bus to create a shield of sorts, the ginger girl helping them, Y/n decides to introduce himself, given the fact it seems she's been made aware of the situation and will be joining them.

"I'm Y/n, Y/n Clarke," he says looking at her as he places the broken hood of a car in front of the bus, next to where she was placing a bit of metal.

"Max," the girl says with an awkward smile, "You're Mr. Clarke's son?" she asks and Y/n nods smiling back at her.

"Yeah he's my dad, you're Billy's sister?" he asks.

"Step-sister" she quickly corrects, clearly unhappy at the name.

"Sorry," Y/n apologises, "You recently moved here then? What do you think of little Hawkins?"

"It's alright, I guess, it's very different from California, but at least the guys have been nice to me" she answers.

"Yeah, they're good kids" Y/n nods looking around trying to spot Dustin and Lucas but he doesn't see them so he looks back at Max.

"Have you known them for long?" she asks.

"Yeah, I used to babysit them when they were younger, you could say I still babysit them" he replies with a chuckle, Max smiles at his comment, she moves to get more things to cover the bus with, Y/n smiling as he watches her walk away and then turns around.

"Sorry" Steve apologises as they bump into each other, one of his hands moving to lay on Y/n's arm.

"I'm alright don't worry" he replies with a smile.

"So, who's she?" Steve asks looking at Max and then back at Y/n.

"Max, Billy's step-sister"

"Hargrove's?" Steve asks surprised, Y/n nods, "Wow, what are the chances" he adds his hand falling from Y/n's arm as he moves back.

"Where are Dustin and Lucas?" Y/n asks Steve who points to a red car near them.

"They're back there talking about who knows what while we do all the work, hold on let me get them," Steve says walking over to them, grabbing a chair from the floor on the way, Y/n following right behind him.

"Hey! Dickheads!" Steve shouts hitting the car to get their attention, "How come the only one aside from Y/n to help me out is this random girl?" Steve complains pointing at Max, "We lose light in forty minutes let's go. Let's go, I said!" he repeats when they take too long to move.

"All right, asshole! God!" Dustin shouts as he follows the two, Y/n just chuckling at the interaction.

The group continues covering the bus and gathering more materials as the night nears, making sure to do everything they can to make the bus as secure as possible, once the sun starts setting and evening approaches the five of them get inside the bus, waiting carefully for Dart to appear.

Y/n and Steve sit next to each other on the bus while Lucas maintains a lookout from the bus's roof. Steve starts playing with his lighter lighting it and then turning it off repeatedly.

"So you really fought one of these things before?" Max asks, staring at Steve and Y/n, her arms crossed over her chest.

They both turn to look at her nodding in unison.

"And you're, like, totally, 100% sure it wasn't a bear?"

"Shit. Don't be an idiot, okay? It wasn't a bear" Dustin replies, his voice surprisingly rude and serious, both Y/n and Steve were taken aback by his tone, even Max, "Why are you even here if you don't believe us?"

"Dustin" Y/n interrupts with a strong tone.

"Just go home" he adds before walking off, Y/n and Steve move to stare at each other, while Max stands up from her seat.

"Geesh. Someone's cranky, past your bedtime?" Max speaks back glaring at Dustin as she makes her way up the ladder to the roof.

"What the hell?" Y/n whispers staring at Dustin.

"That's good, just show her you don't care," Steve tells him, which gets him a punch on his shoulder from Y/n who scolds him for his bad advice.

"I don't" Dustin responds, Steve just winks at him, "Why are you winking, Steve? Stop"

"This is exactly why you never have anything serious because this kind of advice is not only bad but stupid" Y/n tells Steve as he turns to look at him.

"Rude" Steve mumbles jokingly.

The two stay quiet for a minute or so, simply enjoying each other's company as they wait for any sign of dart, Steve looks over at Y/n, his eyes looking down at the bag lying on his lap, which he still hasn't been told what's inside.

"So... Einstein, what's inside the bag?" Steve asks once again, Y/n looks at him raising his eyebrow slightly, unimpressed by the question.

"I told you already, you'll see once Dart comes alright? Haven't you ever heard the say of curiosity killed the cat?" he asks shaking his head with a smile and rolling his eyes.

"Of course I have" Steve replies brushing some of his hair back as he stares at Y/n, "I'm just asking what's inside, that's all, I don't see the need to keep it a mystery"

"And I don't understand your obsession with what's on the bag, yet here we are Steve" Y/n replies with a playful smile which Steve mirrors as he moves closer, his hand moving towards the bag.

"Come on just let me see" he adds moving towards him, trying to pull the bag off Y/n's grasp.

"Not yet" Y/n replies pulling the bag to his side, both of them now pulling on the bag.

"This is ridiculous, you never keep secrets from me, I just want to see what's inside," Steve says looking at Y/n, their faces surprisingly close to each other.

"It's not a secret if you'll get to find out what it is eventually, just not now-"

Y/n's interrupted by a loud growling coming from outside, both of their eyes widen and they drop the bag as they turn to look outside the window, Dustin moving over to them as well.

"You see him?" Dustin asks.

"No" Steve answers.

"Lucas, what's going on?" Dustin shouts.

"Hold on. I've got eyes. Ten o'clock! Ten o'clock!" Lucas shouts, his voice breaking slightly as he warns them.

"There" Y/n mumbles pointing forward.

"What's he doing?" Dustin asks.

"I don't know" Steve responds, shaking his head, the tension rising with every second, "He's not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?"

"Maybe he's not hungry" Dustin points out.

"Maybe he's sick of cow" Steve mumbles for a moment clearly thinking about something, then he stands up moving back, Dustin and Y/n look up at him.

"Steve" Y/n says softly as he stands up as well, moving over to Steve as he picks up his bag from the floor.

"Steve, what are you doing?" Dustin asks worried as Steve starts moving towards the exit.

"What are you thinking?" Y/n whispers to Steve as he holds his arm, stopping him from walking any further, Steve looks at Y/n and he can immediately tell what he's planning, "You're going out to be the bait, I'm not letting you go alone"

"Yeah you are, you're staying here"

"No." Y/n responds louder, his grip on Steve's arm tighter, "I brought this bag for a reason, you're not going out by yourself, end of discussion"

"Steve?" Dustin repeats, waiting for a response.

"Fine" he whispers back to Y/n, then he turns around to look back at Dustin, throwing his lighter to him, "Just get ready"

(I listened to 'Stayin' Alive' by Bee Gees while writing this bit)

They both move towards the door, Steve opens it now holding his bat with the nails, and Y/n follows behind him, closing the door as quietly as possible, he opens the bag letting it fall to the floor as he takes out what was inside.

"A shotgun?" Steve shouts quietly in surprise, "You've been keeping a shotgun in there the whole time? When did you even learn how to use one?"

"Nancy taught me after what happened last year, I'm not fighting these things with a shovel again" he whispers back at Steve as he takes out two bullets from his pocket and loads the gun.

"Jesus, alright, stay behind me" Steve replies as he starts walking forward, swinging the bat around.

"Absolutely not, you have a bat, I have a gun, which one do you think will do more damage?"

"Depends on your skill" Steve replies, Y/n just rolls his eyes and moves next to him, both of them looking around for Dart.

Steve whistles calling out to him, "Come on, buddy" he says as he continues to whistle.

"You're fucking crazy," Y/n tells him holding the shotgun tightly as he points it around, ready to shoot, "Dart, it's dinner time"

"Come on, buddy" Steve continues saying, "Come on, dinnertime. Human tastes better than cat, I promise"

"There he is" Y/n whispers as the fog fades slightly and Dart finally becomes visible.

Both of their faces drop as they take in how much Dart has grown, looking more like a Demogorgon now than before, much bigger, probably as tall as a big dog, which wasn't exactly reassuring, but Y/n and Steve had killed a Demogorgon before, surely they could handle this.

Steve glances at Y/n as he takes a deep breath, his grip on the gun becoming tighter as he keeps himself calm.

"Guys, watch out!" Lucas shouts from the bus.

"A little busy here!"

"What is it?" Steve and Y/n shout, their eyes still glued to Dart.

"Three o'clock! Three o'clock!" Lucas warns, they both glance behind them to the side to find another Dart moving towards them, Y/n moves to point the shotgun at it, both of them panicking now.

"Shit" he mumbles.

"Guys! Abort! Abort!" Dustin shouts as he opens the bus door, they both look back at him before their attention is brought back to the creature in front of them as it moves closer while growling.

"Let's go!" Steve shouts at Y/n as they both start running, Steve dodges one of the creatures sliding over the hood of one of the cars as it jumps towards him.

"Steve!" Y/n shouts as another of the monsters moves towards Steve, he manages to shoot it as he runs over to Steve, "Come on!" he exclaims putting his hand out for him to take.

They both continue running towards the bus, Steve swings his bat hitting another one of the mini Demogorgons, once they reach the bus Steve pushes Y/n in first and then jumps in after him, Dustin closing the door right on time.

"Shit" Dustin exclaims as the two of them catch their breath, the creatures hitting the door as they try to break it.

"Are they rabid or something?" Max shouts panicking, Steve sits up and places a piece of metal in front of the door.

"They can't get in! They can't!" Lucas screams, almost as if he's trying to convince himself of that. Steve places his feet over the door holding it in place as the creatures continue to hit it and throw themselves against it, growling as they push the bus more, making the kids lose their balance for a moment, everyone panicking more now.

"Are you okay?" Steve whispers to Y/n, his hand resting on Y/n's arm.

Before he can reply one of the mini Demogorgon cuts through the door and moves inside, the kids run away from the door while Steve and Y/n hold the creature back, Steve immediately grabs his bat smashing the monster repeatedly, Y/n struggles to find his shot gun as his eyes stay stuck on the creature, his hands searching for it around, shaking as he tries not to let panic get the best of him.
Meanwhile, Dustin screams for help through his walkie-talkie, hoping for someone to hear them and help.

Just as Y/n manages to find his shotgun Max screams, Steve and Y/n quickly stand up as they move over towards her.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Steve shouts as he and Y/n move in front of Max, a mini Demogorgon peaking through the emergency exit of the bus.

"You want some? Come get this!" Y/n shouts pointing his shotgun at the creature while reloading it, getting ready to shoot, just as he's about to shoot the monster stops screeching and looks away, taking a step back, it then growls into the air and jumps off the roof.

Steve and Y/n turn to look at each other confused as the bus moves slightly, the creatures running away from the bus.

"Jesus Christ" Y/n mumbles as he lets his arms drop slightly, still holding the gun, his heart beating so quick and loudly he's sure Steve can hear, he can't, but he's able to tell just how on edge Y/n is, he's feeling the same way.

"Are you okay?" Steve whispers as he moves closer to Y/n.

"I'll be fine, you?" he questions back at him.

"The same, come on," he says as he starts moving over to the door again, everyone following him.

Steve opens the door slowly, walking out while holding his bat, Y/n follows right behind him, his shotgun pointing forward, and they watch as a couple of mini Demogorgons run away.

"What happened?" Lucas asks confused.

"I don't know," Max says.

"Steve and Y/n scared 'em off?" Dustin suggests.

"No" They both respond.

"No way, they're going somewhere" Steve points out turning back to look at everyone.

---

Steve, Y/n and the kids now walk back through the train railing, talking about what happened just minutes ago.

"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas asks.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt" Dustin responds, as they all walk.

"He was tiny two days ago" Max points out distraught by the idea of Dart turning into such a horrible thing so quickly.

"Well, he's molted three times already," Dustin tells her.

"Malted?" Steve repeats confused.

"Molted. Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms" Dustin explains.

"When's he gonna molt again?" Max asks.

"It's gotta be soon, when he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it, and so will his friends-"

"Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats" Steve adds interrupting Dustin and Y/n nods in agreement.

"Wait, a cat?" Lucas questions moving in front of Dustin and stopping him, "Dart ate a cat?"

"No, what? no" Dustin replies, clearly lying.

"What are you talking about? He ate mews" Steve responds, oblivious to the fact Dustin was trying to keep that a secret.

"Mews? Who's Mews?" Max asks, turning to look at Steve and Y/n.

"It's Dustin's cat"

"Steve!" he shouts.

"I knew it! You kept him!" Lucas yelled at Dustin.

"No! No" Dustin replies, "No, I.. No, I... He missed me. He wanted to come home"

"Bullshit"

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?-"

"Oh, so now you admit it?" Lucas and Dustin say as they both argue.

"Guys who cares?" Max interrupts.

"Yeah, we have to go," Y/n says.

"I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!" Lucas complains.

"So did you!" Dustin yells back.

"What?"

Steve and Y/n roll their eyes as Lucas and Dustin continue to argue.

"How can you deal with these kids?" Steve whispers to Y/n as they stop paying attention to them.

"They're usually not so annoying"

A sound comes from the distance which grabs Y/n and Steve's attention they turn to look at the distance confused, moving closer while they point their flashlights trying to find out what the sound is.

"Guys?" Steve says trying to get the kid's attention.

"Guys!" They both shout turning around, finally getting Lucas and Dustin to shut up.

They all start heading towards the sound, much to Max's dislike stating how it was stupid to follow the weird sound, which is a fair point, but they are too deep in this to turn back now, they've been involved for too long.

"I don't see him" Dustin says as they look over the forest.

"It's the lab," Lucas tells everyone as he looks forward with his binoculars, "They were going home"

___________________________________________________

Hey peeps!!!! Finally here's the new chapter!!! I hope you like it and enjoy it as much as I did!!! The next chapter should come out sooner than expected as I'm hoping to write the chapters more frequently. Also, we only have around two to three chapters left from season two!!!! And then we'll move right into season three which I am very excited about and I hope you are too! Thank you once again for your support with this story.

Don't forget to share any suggestions, ideas, questions, inquiries, corrections and comments with me in the comments! I always make sure to reply!

Also once again please let me know if there are any pronouns mistakes!

Also don't forget that the music I suggest for you to listen to while reading the story can be found in my playlist of the fanfic! It's in chronological order so you don't have to worry about the next song plus you can even get a sneak peak at songs I'll use in future chapters!

Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LG6CfmPtUulLQdy3EoZsx?si=926a6f78fb214bfb
Name: A Chemical Reaction Called Love
My username: Valpipsqueak

Also just wanted to say I know this story isn't 'famous' or anything but I heard that a lot of people are making physical copies of fanfics and then selling them which gets the writers in trouble that is not their fault and out of their hands so please don't do this!

Lots of love, Author!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

The group continues to walk through the forest as they make their way towards Hawkins Lab, clearly not a good idea given the fact the Demogorgons were heading there, then again it wasn't very often that they had a good idea regarding any of this, because all the ideas ended up with them getting in trouble one way or another.

Steve and Y/n walk in front while the three kids walk behind them, having their own conversation as they walk. Meanwhile, Steve and Y/n walk quietly side by side, paying attention to their surroundings as they look out for anything dangerous.

"Thank you for saving my ass back there" Steve says breaking the silence, mentioning when he shot one of the Demogorgons.

"You don't need to thank me, Steve, I'm just glad I was there to help" Y/n replies looking at him with a gentle smile on his face, Steve smiles back at him, "Plus you also had my back"

"I know, but still, thank you"

Another silence follows the two as they continue walking, stolen glances shared between the two, their shoulders brushing against each other every once in a while.

"So, when did you become a gun expert?" Steve asks playfully turning to look at Y/n, who smiles to himself while shaking his head.

"I'm decent. I asked Nancy to teach me the basics in January, just in case, not that I actually thought anything like this would happen again, but I'm glad that this time I was more prepared" he responds.

"Well you're not bad and trust me I don't think anyone thought this would happen again, but here we are, following the path of some Demogorgons, for some reason" They both chuckle at Steve's comment.

With the forest covering the moon and the only thing guiding their path being their flashlights Y/n doesn't notice a tree in front of him as he looks at Steve, who notices just in time to pull Y/n by his arm and away from the tree, their bodies bumping into each other.

"Thanks" Y/n mutters quietly, taking a step back from Steve as he notices how close their faces are, turning his focus back in front as he continues walking.

As they start nearing the end of the forest they hear shouting, Steve and Y/n stare at each other as they point their flashlights forward trying to figure out who's out there.

"Steve?"
"Y/n?" Nancy and Jonathan say in unison as the group walks out of the forest.

"Nancy?"
"Jonathan?" Steve and Y/n ask right after as they walk over to them, the kids following right behind, everyone confused.

"What are you doing here?" Nancy asks, to which Steve repeats the question.

"We're looking for Mike and Will" She responds.

"They're not in there, are they?" Dustin asks worried, Nancy turns to look at Jonathan and then back at the group.

"We're not sure"

"Why?" Jonathan adds, just to get his answer when from afar the screeching of the Demogorgons can be heard, everyone turns to look to the side, the lab now in front of them, where the sound is coming from.

Everyone starts talking and asking each other questions, Jonathan and Nancy wondering how they all made their way to the lab and the others asking the two what they had been doing and how they figured out that Will and Mike might be at the lab. Everyone was talking over each other, the kids asking question after question and explaining everything that happened back on the bus.

"The power's back" Nancy shouts making everyone stop talking, the light in the lab back on.

Jonathan runs past his car to get to the button to open the outdoor gate, blocking them from getting inside the lab, hoping that since the powers on it will work, everyone follows behind him.

He presses the button repeatedly trying to get it to work, but nothing happens, everyone else stands in front of the gate waiting for it to open.

"Let me try, Jonathan!" Dustin shouts, pushing Jonathan as he presses the button.

When nothing happens Dustin insults the machine hitting it and surprisingly after a couple of seconds the gate finally opens.

"Hey! I got it!" he exclaims with a smile, thinking he was the one who managed to open the door.

(I listened to 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' by Elton John while writing this bit)

Everyone watches as the gate fully opens but Y/n doesn't waste a second, the minute the door moves he runs inside towards the lab, a horrible gut feeling telling him that something was wrong.

"Y/n!" Steve shouts when he starts running, he looks back at Nancy and Jonathan and without thinking twice starts running after him, "Jonathan get the car! And you three stay there" he shouts, the many hours of after-school sports paying off as it doesn't take him long to catch up to Y/n.

Y/n can hear his heart beating faster with every breath he takes, the only thing he can hear practically being his heartbeat, if the kids are inside or anyone else they can't be safe, with the Demogorgons inside no one is safe.

As they arrive at the steps of the lab's main entrance they see Hopper, Mike and Will outside. Suddenly they hear a scream, Hopper immediately runs inside his gun at hand and Y/n runs up the steps following him, Steve right behind.

The minute Hopper moves away from the door Y/n's face drops as he sees Bob on the floor, a Demogorgon attacking him, blood covering the floor.

"No! No!" Everything seems to happen slower as Y/n screams, tears falling down his cheeks as he moves to open the door, wanting to do something to help Bob.

When Y/n opens the door two more of the creatures appear breaking down a hallway door, Steve moves immediately pulling Y/n back and away from the main door, he tries to push Steve away, screaming to him that he needs to help Bob, that he'll die if he doesn't do anything, crying out to Steve to let him go, but Steve doesn't move, he feels his throat tighten at the sight of Y/n crying but he can't risk something happening to him so he continues to hold him back.

"Bob! Bob!" Y/n shouts as he tries to pull Steve's arm off of him, failing as more tears run down his cheeks, "Steve, please! I can't let him die!" Y/n cries out, and all Steve can do is look away from Y/n.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" he whispers.

Hopper comes out pulling Joyce who's crying, trying to get back inside. The door closes holding back the Demogorgons from getting outside.

"You can't leave him inside he'll die!" Y/n yells at Hopper who holds Joyce, Steve holding Y/n back, "He needs help!"

"He's gone! He's gone!" Hopper shouts back, not only at Y/n but also at Joyce.

A car horn makes them all turn around as Jonathan arrives with Nancy, Hopper lifts Will and moves him inside the car, Mike and Joyce get inside too.

"Y/n we have to go come on," Steve says softly as he pulls Y/n back, Hopper moves to get his car, Y/n tries to move towards the door but doesn't really put up a fight, watching all those Demogorgons blocking the door tells him everything he needs to know, Bob's gone, there's nothing he can do.

Steve helps him get inside the car, closing the door as Hopper drives away. When they get outside they stop letting the kids get inside the truck, they look confused at the passenger seat when they notice Y/n covering his face and crying, but before anyone can ask anything Steve shakes his head, letting them know that he should explain what happened later, not right now.

As Hopper follows Jonathan's car towards the Byer's house he moves one of his hands from the steering wheel to Y/n's shoulder, patting it slightly to get his attention.

"I'm sorry, about Bob," Hopper says softly, his eyes moving to Y/n for a moment and then focusing back on the road, "And I'm sorry for shouting earlier"

He doesn't reply though, his mind too busy replaying everything, Bob's scream, Joyce's scream, his own, the Demogorgon's over him, killing him, the blood on the floor, every horrible thing of the night drowns his thoughts until they arrive at the Byer's house.

The minute that Hopper parks his car Y/n opens the passenger door and walks out, not wanting anyone to ask how he's doing, if he's okay, that they're sorry about what happened to Bob, he doesn't want to hear any of that. He can't even believe Bob is dead.

He watches as Joyce walks inside the house, moving to her room and closing the door behind her.

Steve follows Y/n once he leaves the car, he isn't sure what to say, what to do, all he knows is he can't leave Y/n alone to deal with this, not when he's always been there for him, he needed to be there now, even if all he could do was lend his presence.

(I listened to 'Every Breath You Take' by The Police while writing this bit)

"Y/n..." Steve says softly as he catches up to Y/n, making his way to Will's room. But he ignores Steve.

"Y/n." He repeats louder this time, grabbing his wrist as he stops him from walking away.

"Let me be alone" Y/n replies, looking back at Steve, his eyes red, the look in his eyes surprising Steve, he never expected to see Y/n so down, so closed off, so heartbroken. Y/n pulls his arm back, Steve letting go off it, watching him walk away into Will's room, closing the door the moment he's in.

"Give him some time, he needs to process everything" Jonathan tells Steve, as he carries Will to the couch. Steve follows him the kids right behind him, all talking over each other as they ask Steve what happened, if Y/n's okay, why he was crying.

"Bob's dead" Is all he can bring himself to answer, his mind too focused on Y/n. He walks towards Will's room, the kids watching him, some confused, others taking in what he told them.

Meanwhile Y/n sits on the floor of Will's room, his back against the wall, his hands covering his face as he cries, his mind trying it's best to process what had happened, the fact Bob was dead and there was nothing he could've done; how all he could do was watch as his father's best friend and his parental figure was killed and eaten by monsters which he was now too familiar with.
'What am I supposed to tell my dad?' Y/n wonders as he thinks more and more about everything, what this means, how this changes so much in his life.

When Barbara passed away last year, Y/n could notice her death, but it never affected him personally, they weren't friends, sure, he thought about it once in a while, when he noticed Nancy walking alone to class, remembering that Barb was gone, but it didn't hurt him, not like it hurt Nancy; Yet now, all he could think about was whether it had been this painful for Nancy to find out that such an important person in her life was gone, that she wouldn't see them again no matter what, if she felt like she failed someone she loved as well, that you could never truly speak about what happened, and you'll have to carry this guilt with yourself for as long as you're alive.
'How can I live with that?'

A couple of minutes pass and Steve moves to stand in front of Will's room, his eyes stuck to the closed door, he could hear Y/n's sobs, he could guess that he was crying, but he has no idea what to do, how Y/n feels, he doesn't feel like the right person to comfort Y/n, but he also knows he has to be there for him.

"Y/n...it's Steve" he says softly knocking at the door, his head laying on it as he waits for a reply, but it doesn't come, all that follows is silence, "Listen, I can't imagine how you're feeling, and I'm sorry, I just- can I come in?"

"Go away" Y/n finally replies, his voice breaking slightly. He's pushing Steve away, though he doesn't want to, he doesn't mean to, but he figures it's the best idea at the moment, even though he wants the opposite, he doesn't want to be alone, being alone will just make things worst for him, It'll make him hate himself more for what happened, it'll make him feel more miserable, which he's never felt around Steve.

"You don't need to say anything Y/n, I just... don't want you to be alone, you don't need to be alone, I'm here for you" he tells him, stuttering slightly as he speaks, his words getting caught in the back of his throat as he speaks, unsure of where his words are coming from, "I know it doesn't seem like much, I'm not exactly the first person you think about when you need someone to talk to but-"

Before Steve can start rambling Y/n opens the door, wiping away some of his tears with the sleeve of his jacket, "But you are the first person I tell things to" Y/n says quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, he opens the door fully letting Steve in.

"Are you okay?" Steve asks, unconsciously, which Y/n replies with a sigh, "Sorry"

"I just feel numb" he simply replies.

Steve nods, unsure what to reply, so following the first thing his heart tells him he moves his hand to Y/n's shoulder, at first simply trying to comfort him with the subtle touch, but then he moves his other hand to Y/n's back and pulls him for a hug. Y/n lets his body relax at Steve's touch, his head resting on his shoulder as he closes his eyes.

They both stand there for a while, not a single word being uttered by either of them, but they know they don't need to say anything, in fact the silence is sort of reassuring in itself, it means that for now things are fine, they don't need to fight any monsters, or run away from anything, they can just take a breath and know that they'll be safe in each others embrace.

______________________________________________________

Hey everyone!!!! Finally the new chapter's here!!! It was supposed to be out way earlier but unfortunately my room was infested with wood eating pest, so unfortunately I had to take a break from writing to deal with that, everything should be all settled now though so here's the chapter right on time for my birthday tomorrow! The next chapter will be out much sooner, I promise, and if everything goes to plan we'll be done with season two either in the next episode or the one after!! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you so much for your support once again!

If you have any questions, suggestions, gramma corrections or comments please feel free to let me know and I'll reply! Also please do inform me if there are any pronoun mistakes.

Lots of love, Author.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Another Bites The Dust' by Queen while writing this bit)

After a while Y/n decides to move back out into the living room, much to Steve's disagreement that they could stay there as much as needed he knew that things weren't over yet. Something was going on with Will, the Demogorgon's are still out there, he can't just cry and hope everything get's fixed, he'll have time to cry once everything is over, but right now they need to figure out what to do.

Steve and Y/n walk out of Will's room while Mike is speaking with the other kids, telling them about Bob, how he founded the AV club and taught Mr. Clarke everything he knows.

"He's right" Y/n says walking over to the kids who stare at him worried, their faces giving them away, "My dad learned everything from Bob. I learned a lot from him as well" he continues, Dustin looks at Y/n about to ask him how he's doing, but he answers his question before he can ask it, "I'll be okay"

"We can't let him die in vain" Mike adds, staring at Y/n as he speaks.

"What do you want to do, Mike?" Dustin asks, his tone surprisingly strong, "The Chief's right on this. We can't stop the Demo-dogs on our own"

Everyone turns to speak at Dustin confused, "Demo-dogs?" Max repeats questioning his title.

"Demogorgon dogs. Demo-dogs" Dustin explain, connecting his hands as he explains where the name came from, it makes sense technically, "It's like a compound, it's like a play on words-"

"Okay" Max interrupts him, clearly done with his explanation.

"I mean, when it was just Dart, maybe..."

"But there's an army now" Lucas reminds Mike.

"His army." Mike adds to the point, getting Steve's attention.

"What do you mean?" he asks.

"His army." Mike repeats louder now, more confident, "Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army too" The kids look at each other, going over Mike's logic, Y/n and Steve's face turning to one another, knowing where the kids will go from here.

Mike runs towards Will's drawing, grabbing the one with the black monster and showing it to everyone.

"The shadow monster" Dustin says.

"It got Will that day on the field" Mike reminds him, informing Steve and Y/n of this information, both unaware until now of what exactly was going on with Will, both of them leaning closer to the kids as they get a look at the drawing "The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him"

"And so this virus, it's connecting him to the tunnels?" Max questions.

"To the tunnels, monsters, the Upside Down, everything"

"Woah. Slow down. Slow down" Steve interrupts, trying to catch up with everything the kids are telling them.

"Okay, so, the shadow monster's inside everything" Mike begins explaining, "And if the vines feel something like pain, then so does Will"

"And so does Dart" Lucas adds, getting a nod from Mike.

"Yeah. Like what Mr. Clarke taught us. The Hive Mind"

"Hive Mind?" Y/n asks, the name sounding familiar but unsure of what it is, Steve agreeing clearly slightly lost.

"A collective consciousness. It's a super-organism" Dustin answers.

"And this is the thing that controls everything. It's the brain" Mike continues.

"Like the Mind Flayer" Dustin suggests, Lucas, Mike and Y/n making the connection as they think back to Dungeons and Dragons.

"The what?" Max and Steve ask in unison, completely lost.

Dustin walks off to look for one of Will's D&D books with everything including the monsters in the game, placing the book on the table and opening it on the page with the Mind Flayer to explain everything, Hopper, Nancy and Jonathan joining in as he goes to explain his theory regarding what's going on.

"The Mind Flayer"

"What the hell is that?" Hopper asks, clearly skeptic.

"It's a monster from an unknown dimension. It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home. Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers" Dustin says, simplifying as best as possible how the Mind Flayer works for the others to understand.

"Oh my god, none of this is real. This is a kid's game" Hopper criticizes, finding the whole talk a waste of time based on his bored tone of voice.

"No, it's a manual" Dustin hits back, clearly offended by the comment, "And it's not for kids, and unless you know something that we don't, this is the best metaphor-"

"Analogy" Lucas corrects.

"Analogy? That's what you're worried about? Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is" Dustin replies clearly irritated.

"Okay, so this mind flamer thing-"

"Flayer. Mind flayer" Dustin corrects Nancy.

"What does it want?" she asks.

"To conquer us basically, it believes it's the master race"

"Like the Germans?" Steve asks, receiving a judgmental look from everyone in the room.

"Uh, the Nazis?" Dustin asks concerned by the fact Steve doesn't know the right name.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis" Steve responds.

"Uh, if the Nazis were from another dimension, totally. Uh it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself"

"It wants to spread, take over other dimensions" Mike adds, Lucas following right after him.

"We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it"

"That's great. That's great. That's really great. Jesus" Steve sighs brushing his hair back in worry as he turns around and walks away from the table, still in the room, Y/n looks back at him as he paces in a circle before walking back towards the table.

Nancy continues the conversation adding that by theory that means that if we kill the Mind Flayer, we kill everything, which the boys agree to, in theory. The conversation seems to be going in a promising track until Hopper asks how we could defeat it then, following the boys hypothesis of comparing whatever we're dealing with to the Mind Flayer, which follows with Dustin talking about how we would need an undead army since they don't have brains, which ended the entire conversation in itself, Hopper becoming irritated and walking away as he asks what they're doing.

"I thought we were waiting for your military backup" Dustin reminds him, with quite the condescending tone, though understandably so, no one wanted to be in a situation like this.

"We are!" Hopper yells back, turning to look at him.

"How are they gonna stop this?" Mike asks, "You can't just shoot this with guns"

"You don't know that! We don't know anything!" he continues yelling, his tone unnecessarily strong.

"Well guns don't work because I shot a couple and they attacked us" Y/n replies back, moving closer to the kids, almost protectively.

"And we know it's already killed everyone in that lab" Mike reminds Hopper, Y/n looking away for a moment as he tries his best to get the image of Bob dead off his head.

"We know the monsters are going to molt again" Lucas mentions.

"And we know it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town" Dustin adds.

"They're right" everyone's head turns as Joyce speaking, walking into the living room, her voice shaky, the pain of Bob's death still clear on her face, which only breaks Y/n's heart more, "We have to kill it. I want to kill it"

"Me too" Hopper responds walking over to her, "Me too, Joyce, okay? But how do we do that?" Hopper asks, to which Joyce can only respond with a sigh, "We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here"

"No, but he does" Mike points out interrupting Hopper, making his way towards Will, who lays unconscious on the couch, "If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it's Will. He's connected to it. He'll know its weakness"

"I thought we couldn't trust him anymore" Y/n questions, looking at Will with a pained expression.

"Yeah, that he's a spy for the mind flayer now" Max adds.

"Yeah, but he can't spy if he doesn't know where he is" Mike suggests, coming up with the best idea anyone has thought of in the last couple of minutes.

(I listened to 'Yesterday' by The Beatles while writing this bit)

Mike takes Hopper to the Byer's backyard shed, and he starts taking everything out so that they can move Will there. Everyone starts moving around, grabbing things to cover the shed with, Y/n helping Hopper take out the things and then moving them to one of the rooms inside the house while Nancy and Steve begin covering the walls.

"What do I tell my dad?" Y/n asks Hopper as they move some of the boxes inside, looking back at him.

Hopper looks back at him slightly confused.

"About Bob, when I come home, what do I tell him?" Y/n repeats, "Can I even tell him?"

"I don't know kid" Hopper responds with a sigh, moving over to him, seating by the bed in front of Y/n, "It's complicated"

"I know" he mumbles, a silence falling on the room for a second, "But I need to tell him something. They've been friends forever, he-he was practically like his brother, he was there for him after my mom died, I can't not tell him something" he adds, his voice breaking slightly.

"We'll figure it out after all of this, okay? Your dad will be okay kid, losing someone, yes it's horrible, trust me I know but...he has you, you'll get through this" Hopper tells him standing up, and placing his hand on Y/n's shoulder, trying to comfort him, "Come on"

Everyone moves to the shed, helping cover to walls, place the lights and then finally bringing Will in so they can tie him to a chair for the 'interrogation'.

Only Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan and Mike stayed in the shed, everyone else went back inside the house, hoping everything would go okay.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asks Y/n as they stand in the living room, the nail bat in his hand, Y/n's back against the wall, everyone else scattered around the house.

"I've been better, but crying won't bring Bob back so I'm just trying not to think about it too much" he responds his voice quiet as he looks at Steve who nods at him.

A couple more minutes pass with nothing happening, everyone waiting. Then the lights in the house begin to flicker, everyone moves over to the window facing the backyard, staring out into the shed, wondering what's happening inside. A couple more minutes go back, nothing.

Then the sheriff walks through the door, everyone else that was in the shed following behind him.

"What happened?" Dustin asks, the sheriff grabs a piece of paper and sits down on the table, everyone moves to stand around him staring down at the paper as he begins writing something.

"I think he's talking, just not with words" he explains, as he starts writing down lines and dots.

"What's that?"

"Morse code" The kids and Y/n answer Steve, recognizing it right away.

"H-E-R-E" Hopper spells out.

"Here" Y/n repeats, moving to look at Joyce and Jonathan and then at Steve, a hopeful gaze in his eyes.

"Will's still in there. He's talking to us" Hopper explains.

With the group now aware that Will was trying to communicate through Morse code, Hopper comes with a plan, he'll send the codes through one of the walkie-talkies, Dustin and Y/n will listen to it and write it down, Lucas and Max will find the letters matching the codes and Nancy will write them down.

Hopper moves back to the shed with the others as they continue talking with Will. Little by little Hopper sends the codes, everyone back at the house deciphering them, and after some time the words finally place themselves together to spell:

"Close gate" Everyone reads in unison.

(I listened to 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath while writing this bit)

The telephone starts ringing.

"Shit, shit" Dustin says as everyone stands up, he runs over to the phone and ends the call.

But then the telephone rings again, Nancy moves past Dustin grabbing the telephone and ripping out of the wall, throwing it on the floor.

"Do you think he heard that?" Max asks.

"It's just a phone. It could be anywhere. Right?" Steve responds.

"I don't think it's that simply" Y/n tells Steve, staring at him with a worried look.

A couple of seconds pass and from the distance the familiar screeching from the Demodogs can be heard, everyone moves towards the door, staring at it, terrified of what is heading their way.

Steve notices as Y/n's face falls at the sound, flashbacks of the junkyard and Bob flooding his mind right away. Without thinking much of it he moves his hand and reaches for Y/n's holding it, Y/n turns to look back at him, surprised by the sudden touch, but he doesn't say anything, he merely responds by clutching his hand back.

"That's not good" Dustin mutters.

As everyone starts moving away Y/n lets go of Steve's hand, moving around to look for his shotgun, everyone in the shed moves inside the house, Jonathan carries Will to his room, and Hopper moves inside the living room, two guns at hand.

"Hey, hey, get away from the windows!" he shouts at the kids, who move back right away.

Steve moves to grab his bat as well, moving back inside the living room with Y/n.

"Do you know how to use this?" Hopper asks Jonathan, lifting the gun.

"What?" he asks.

"Can you use this?" Hopper yells back.

"I can" Nancy replies, moving forward, Hopper tosses the gun to her, which she grabs, loading the gun right away, pointing it towards the door, Y/n doing the same with his.

"Where are they?" Joyce asks.

More growling comes from outside, as if answering her question. Another louder one comes from the side, making everyone move to stare that way.

"What are they doing?" Nancy questions.

"Probably surrounding us" Y/n answers, taking a deep breath.

More snarls come from the window, making everyone turn again, the tension rising every second.

Silence fills the room momentarily but it's broken quickly when the window breaks and a Demodog is tossed inside, everyone screams in shock taking a step back. They all wait for the monster to move but it lays lifeless on the floor, Hopper takes a step forward trying to get a better look at it.

"Holy shit" Dustin says.

"Is it dead?" Max asks.

Hopper touches the head with his foot, moving it away, nothing happens.

The door creaks, grabbing everyone's attention, all turning to stare at it. The lock then moves by itself, causing everyone with a gun to raise it in defense. Hopper steps forward in front of the group as the second lock moves allowing the door to open.

As the door opens a girl walks inside, wearing all black clothes, her short hair brushed back, black eyeshadow on her face, and blood running down her nose. Y/n didn't know who it is, but when Hopper lowers his gun and Mike walks forward towards her the puzzle starts placing itself together in his brain, this must be Eleven.

"Mike" the girl speaks walking forward as her and Mike embrace each other in a hug, everyone places down their weapons, knowing as far as they're aware danger is gone, for now.

(I listened to 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League while writing this bit)

"Who's that?" Steve whispers to Y/n confused, taking a step closer towards him as they both stare at Eleven and Mike as they speak.

"Eleven" he answers, "The girl that saved the kids and got rid of the Demogorgon last year"

"You've been hiding her" Mike states, clearly unpleased with the secrecy, which Y/n supposes is understandable to an extent, Mike cares about Eleven, of course he isn't going to be happy about finding out she was alive all this time and being hidden by Hopper.
"You've been hiding her this whole time" he shouts louder, pushing Hopper back.

"Hey!" Hopper says back sternly, grabbing Mike by his shirt, "Let's talk. Alone"

The two walk away from the living room.

Eleven moves to hug the boys, Dustin and Lucas, who are more than happy to see her again.

While the boys talk to her Max moves forward, introducing herself as she puts her hand out for Eleven to shake, but she only glares at Max and completely disregards her, walking past her as they shoulders bump and she moves to greet Joyce.

"Harsh" Steve mutters.

"Shut up" Y/n tells him, pushing him slightly, he chuckles quietly as he stares back at Y/n.

"I still don't really get who she is" he admits.

"Jesus"

Joyce and Eleven leave for a moment so she can check on Will and then move back inside the living room.

"You opened this gate before, right?" Joyce asks her, as everyone else moves back around the table.

"Yes" she responds.

"Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?" Joyce asks.

...

"It's not like it was before. It's grown" Hopper explains to everyone with a sigh, "A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs"

"Demo-dogs" Dustin corrects Hopper.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, uh, Demo-dogs. Like Demogorgon and dogs. You put them together, it sounds pretty badass-"

"How is this important right now?" Hopper questions interrupting Dustin.

"It's not. I'm sorry" he apologizes.

"I can do it" Eleven says.

"You're not hearing me" Hopper tells her, clearly worried.

"I'm hearing you. I can do it" Eleven insists.

"Even if El can, there's still another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies" Mike points out and Y/n understands almost immediately what he means.

"I thought that was the whole point" Max asks confused.

"It is, but if we're really right about this...I mean if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer's army..."

"Will's a part of that army" Y/n adds, the worry of his tone clear.

"Closing the gate will kill him" Mike agrees.

Everyone looks around worried and Joyce face is filled with panic in an instant, things became much more complicated.

Joyce moves towards the room where Will was resting at, everyone following her.

Inside she realizes that Will had mentioned the mind flayer liked it cold, meaning that in order to get it out of Will they would have to 'burn him' so it would leave. Hopper told them a place where they could go that Will wouldn't recognize.

Jonathan decides to go with Joyce, Hopper gets ready to leave with Eleven, which means Y/n will be staying with Nancy, Steve and the kids at the house, doing what exactly they aren't sure, but for now them being safe is everything they can do, and that's for the best, everything else they'll figure it out as they go.

Nancy leaves with Steve to find some heaters so Jonathan and Joyce can take, while Y/n stays inside the house with the kids.

"You haven't met Y/n yet, have you El?" Mike says walking with El towards him, Y/n waves at Eleven with a smile, "Do you remember Mr. Clarke?"

Eleven nods, a gentle smile on her face as she waves at him, "I'm his son" Y/n explains to which she nods.

"It's nice to meet you" she says softly.

"We've known him since all of us were kids, hopefully once this is all over we can all go out and do something, right?" Mike asks, to which Y/n nods with a smile.

"Of course, I'm always happy to spend time with all of you"

...

"You should go with him" Steve tells Nancy.

"What?" she asks confused, looking up at him for a moment as they continue searching for things.

"With Jonathan" Steve repeats.

"No I'm... I'm not just gonna leave Mike" she replies.

"No one's leaving anyone. I may have been a shitty boyfriend, but... turns out I'm actually a pretty damn good babysitter" Steve replies, and though no feelings are left between the two there's still a comfort they share, as friends, as people that have gone through a lot of things together.

"Steve" Nancy says softly, almost apologetically.

The share a glance that speaks everything they can't say, how they shared feelings but ultimately they didn't work well together, which is okay, they made mistake while they dated, but it's alright, they learned from it, they moved on, they'll be fine.

"It's okay Nance. Plus I have Y/n, he knows the kids, he can handle them, we work well together, you don't need to worry, we can handle anything, we've got each other, plus he's pretty badass as well" Steve replies with a smile, Nancy swears she can notice a spark in them, the way he speaks, the way he talks about Y/n, she can tell there's something going on, but she just watches as he walks away back inside the house.

Mike and Eleven walk outside to say their goodbyes and Nancy leaves with Jonathan.

As Steve walks in he finds Y/n sitting on the couch, his shotgun not too far from his reach, he can tell he's worried which is understandable, Will's like his brother, the Byers's are like his second family.

"Hey" he says softly, seating next to him, "They'll be fine, okay?"

"I know" Y/n replies with a subtle smile.

"Now come on, we need to move this thing somewhere else" Steve says with a chuckle, standing up and staring at the Demo-dog on the floor.

_______________________________________________________

Hey peeps!!! Finally here's the next chapter! It was supposed to be out sooner but my cousin was visiting me so I didn't have time to write but here it is!! The next chapter will mark the end of season 2 so I hope you're all ready and excited for season 3! Though it's not one of my favorite seasons writing wise I do love the bits with Steve so I will have fun with that, plus we'll finally get the iconic trio of Steve, Y/n and Robin, as well as an exciting cameo from a character!! Thanks so much once again for all your support with this story so far it really means the world to me!

If you have any questions, suggestions, corrections, advice, or comments please feel free to let me know! Please do inform me as well if there are any pronoun mistakes!

Lots of love, Author!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Psycho Killer' by Talking Heads while writing this bit)

Dustin began moving things out of the fridge, Steve grabs the Demodog with a blanket, trying his best not to touch it, disgusted by it, as anyone would be.

"All right. It should fit now" Dustin tells Steve turning to look back at him.

"Is this really necessary?" he questions, a frown on his face as he carries the Demodog.

"Yes, it is, okay? This is a ground-breaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog" he replies, almost offended by Steve's comment.

"All right, All right, All right" Steve responds giving in, moving over to the fridge, "But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, all right?"

Steve places the Demodog inside of the fridge, "Christ, help me out"

"What am I supposed to do?" Dustin asks.

"Get the door, man"

"All right, I got the door" Dustin replies.

Steve lets go of the creature and they both shut the door.

"We should've just left it outside" Y/n mumbles as Steve walks past him, he nods as they walk over to the living room.

A couple of minutes pass, Steve and Y/n start hearing the kids talk in the living room, but the talk quickly turns more into a disagreement, Mike speaking about Eleven, how they need to help while Lucas and Max disagreed.

"Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it, all right?" Steve tells Mike, which he clearly is not happy with by the glare he gives Steve.

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game, we're on the bench" he complains.

"Right-so my point is..." Steve begins saying, everyone waits for him to continue, he stays quiet for a couple of seconds before finally saying something again, "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do"

"That's not entirely true" Dustin replies, "I mean, these Demodogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away"

"If we get their attention-"
"Maybe we can draw them from the lab" Lucas and Max add, finishing off Dustin's idea.

"Clear a path to the gate" Mike continues.

"Yeah, and then we all die" Steve mentions, interrupting the idea.

"Steve's right, it's too big of a risk to take" Y/n tells them.

"That's one point of view" Dustin replies.

"No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact" Steve responds, looking down at Dustin.

"I got it!" Mike shouts, walking off, Steve and Y/n look at each other confused and then move to follow the kids who follow right behind Mike, "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel, so... here, right here. This is like a hub" Mike explains, moving around the house and pointing at the handmade tunnel map, guiding everyone else around, "So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire-"

"Oh yeah?"
"That's a no" Steve and Y/n interrupt, discarding the idea right away.

Unfortunately the kids pay no attention to their warning on how dangerous the idea is, continuing to speak over the plan, what they would do, and how they would help Eleven.

"Hey. Guys" Steve begins saying trying to get their attention.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Y/n shouts finally getting their attention.

"This is not happening" Steve tells them, Mike tries to argue which Steve cuts off right away, "No, no, no, no, no. No buts, I promise I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan to do"

"Steve's right, the idea doesn't exactly sound bad in theory but this is too dangerous, you're kids to begin with and the two of us, as the responsible adults, cannot let you go out to do something where something could happen, we need to keep you safe" Y/n adds, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks at the kids.

To say the least, Steve and Y/n seem like and old married couple, telling off their kids for doing something dangerous. The kids are obviously not happy, the three boys at least understand Y/n to an extent having known him for so long, but Steve, not so much.

"We're staying here. On the bench, and we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?" Steve asks with a serious tone, truly sounding like a dad giving his speech, trying to teach his kids a lesson.

"This isn't a stupid sports game" Mike complains.

"I said does everybody understand that?" Steve asks again, his voice louder this time, grabbing the cleaning cloth from his shoulder and waving it around, he really takes his babysitter job seriously, "I need a yes"

The sound of a car engine revving interrupts the moment, everyone turns towards the window as they hear the sound, Max being the first one to walk over and check what's going on.

"It's my brother" she explains, "He can't know I'm here, he'll kill me, he'll kill us"

Steve and Y/n look at each other, their eyes speaking for them, they need to figure something out, lie their way out, buy sometime, anything, Billy being here was more bad news.

"Okay kids, you stay here, hiding" Y/n tells them, emphasizing the word 'hiding' knowing they'll want to hear into what's going on, "Steve and I will take care of this"

They both walk out, closing the front door behind them.

"What's the plan?" Steve asks him.

"I thought maybe you'd have one" he replies back, "I was going to get the shotgun and tell him to get out or I'll shoot him but knowing Billy he'll want me to actually shoot and I'm all out of bullets"

"We'll just see how it goes"

Billy parks the car and gets out, smoking a cigarette to no one's surprise.

"Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?" he asks.

"Yeah, it's me, don't cream your pants" Steve responds, clearly tired already from this interaction.

"And Clarke? Didn't know you two were friends" Billy says taking off his jacket and walking over to them.

"There's a lot you don't know" is all Y/n replies. Steve can't help but glance at him, it's rare whenever Y/n's voice becomes so serious.

"What are you doing here, amigos?" Billy asks, Steve walks forward towards him, Y/n following his pace.

"We could ask you the same thing" Steve replies, "Amigo"

"Looking for my stepsister. A little birdie told me she was here" he tells Steve, who only hums acting confused.

"Huh, that's weird. I don't know her" Steve replies, looking at Y/n from the side of his eyes, him looking back at him, both of them waiting to see how things go.

"Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch" he says, a horrible emphasis on 'bitch' which makes Y/n want to punch him for speaking about a kid that way, but alas, a fight will only make things worst.

"Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, buddy" Steve tells him.

Billy nods, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and then sighs.

(I listened to 'Voulez-Vouz' by ABBA while writing this bit)

"You know, I don't know, this... this whole situation, I don't know, it's giving me the heebie-jeebies"

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Y/n asks him, tilting his head to the side.

"My 13-year-old sister goes missing all day, and then I find her with you two in a strangers house" he says, looking angrier with every word, "And you lie to me about it"

Steve chuckles, "Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what? I don't know what you don't understand about what we just said. She's not here"

"Then who is that?" he asks, pointing with his cigarette towards the house.

Steve and Y/n turn around, annoyed but not surprised to find the kids looking out the window, of course they would do exactly what they were told not to do.

"Oh shit, listen-" Steve begins saying, just to get pushed back by Billy right into the floor.

"Get out" Y/n says deadpan, standing in front of Steve, this only gets Billy to chuckle.

"Don't make me laugh" he replies and proceeds to punch Y/n in the stomach and push him into the ground next to Steve, "I told you to plant your feet" he tells Steve kicking him in the stomach. He walks over the both of them and starts making his way towards the house.

"Are you okay?" Steve asks Y/n his voice horse from the kick.

"I've been punched in the stomach before Steve, I'll be fine" Y/n replies, his hands on his stomach as he turns on his side to stare at him, "And you?"

"We know this isn't my first fight" Steve tells him with a chuckle, looking over at him.

"We also know you're shit at them" Y/n reminds.

"Just because I lost one doesn't mean I'll lose all" he points out, pushing himself up from the floor, Y/n doing the same thing.

"Let's hope so"

Once up Steve helps Y/n get to his feet and then they both walk inside the house, they can hear the kids shouting from outside, they walk inside the front door to find Billy shouting at Lucas.

"You're so dead, Sinclair! You're dead"

"No. You are" Steve replies, grabbing Billy away from Lucas and punching him in the face. Y/n moves over to get Lucas and moves the kids back, standing in front of them.

Billy begins to laugh after the punch, "Looks like you've got some fire in you after all, huh?" he shouts standing back up, blood on his nose, "I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about"

"I don't think you heard Y/n. Get out" he repeats, moving Billy back, sure maybe Steve can fight, but he's not really one to choose to do so, not often at least.

Billy sends another punch at Steve which he dodges and instead gets the opening to punch Billy sending him back into the sink.

"Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!" Dustin shouts, clearly excited by how Steve's fighting.

Steve continues punching Billy over and over again, the kids shouting in the background, telling him to kick his ass and murder him and so on. The excitement quickly dies down when Billy hits Steve in his head with a plate breaking it.

Steve moves back hurt, his hand moving to check his head, which gives Billy the change to hit him back.

"Steve!" Y/n shouts after the hit, debating whether to step in and try to fight.

Billy grabs Steve by his shirt pulling him closer to him, "No one tells me what to do" he says and then hits him in the head with his own, sending him down to the floor, "Whoo! Get up!"

The kids start panicking right away, shouting at Billy to stop as he starts punching Steve again and again, blood all over his face.

Y/n grabs his shotgun from the couch and walks over to Billy, if he doesn't do something soon, Billy will kill Steve.

"I said get out!" he shouts, 'loading' the gun and pointing it at Billy's head, the kids go quiet, everyone waiting to see what happens. Billy takes a break from punching Steve who now lays on the floor, unconscious by the looks of it.

"Go on, shoot me" Billy tells Y/n as he stands up and walks over to him, Y/n wishes he could shoot him, but without a bullet to use the gun is almost useless, "Shoot me!" he shouts.

When Y/n doesn't shoot him or anything surrounding him Billy realizes that he must be out of bullets and so moves over to him grabbing his wrists and pushing him into the nearest wall, Billy tries to get the gun out of Y/n's hands but thankfully he reacts before hitting Billy on the head with his elbow.

Billy moves back, the kids start cheering again, for the boys it's a surprise, sure Y/n could be a great fighter in DND, but they didn't expect him to be able to hold himself so well in an actual fight.

Y/n grabs the gun as a baseball bat and moves over to Billy, he raises the gun to hit him in the head but Billy reacts sooner stopping the gun before it can hit him, he takes it off Y/N's hands and throws it to the side, he stands up again and punches Y/n on his face, cutting his lip and bruising his cheek. The kids panic again as Y/n falls on the ground Billy moving to try and get more hits on him, but before he can get more than two punches in Max injects him with a tranquillizer stopping him.

Billy stands up confused, he takes out the needle, and walks over to Max, slowly, losing consciousness with every second that passes.

"The hell is this?" he asks, "You little shit what did you do? What did you do?"

Then he falls to the ground, still awake, but drifting off more and more. Max moves and grabs Steve's bat raising it in front of Billy.

"From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?" she tells him.

"Screw you" he mumbles.

She throws the bat to the ground, landing right between his legs, and the lifts it again, "Say you understand! Say it! Say it!" she yells at him.

"I understand"

"What?" she makes him repeat.

"I understand" he whispers, the boys practically stuck to the wall in shock of the scene which just took place.

Max takes the keys from Billy's car and shows them to the boys, "Let's get out of here" she tells them.

Y/n sits up from the floor, having heard the entire thing. There's blood on his nose and his lip which is also cut and bruised as well as his cheek. He moves over towards Steve who still lays on the ground, he can't help but worry about something happening to Steve, he can't lose Steve, not now, not ever.

"Steve... Steve" Y/n says softly, sitting next to him and trying to shake him awake, nothing happens, he checks his pulse and it's alright, but he's out cold. Y/n was right, Steve does suck at fights.

"Come on Y/n, let's go" Dustin tells him moving over to them, "We'll get Steve in the car"

"We should leave him" Mike suggests.

"That isn't even funny" Y/n remarks sending a light glare at him.

"He'll just get mad" Max replies.

"He'll be fine, I'll keep him cool" Dustin argues.

"Well of course he isn't going to like this, plus this is ridiculous what if something happens?" he asks, helping Steve sit up, letting his head lay on his shoulder.

"Well you'll fight them" Dustin tells Y/n with a smile earning a sigh from him.

"Just help me get him up"

The kids get some things to cover themselves once inside the holes as well as the things for the distraction, Y/n and Dustin move Steve inside the car, grabbing an ice bag for him, Y/n also disinfects any small cuts that might've happened during the fight and checks his head.

"There you go" Max says tossing the keys to Y/n.

"I can't drive, I don't have a license and I don't exactly know how to drive a car either" he admits, handing the keys back to Max.

"Okay then, I'll drive" she replies right away, walking away towards the driver's seat.

"We're gonna die" he mutters getting in the back with Mike and Dustin, seating next to Steve to check on him while Dustin places the cold ice over his bruises. Max starts the car and drives away from the Byer's house while Lucas guides her with a map towards the gate entrance.

(I listened to 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League while writing this bit)

"Einstein?"

"Steve"

Y/n turns around a weight leaving his shoulders as Steve begins to wake up, he lifts his hand going to touch his face.

"No, don't touch it" Dustin tells him while Y/n moves his hand away, "Hey, buddy, you put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a good fight. You should've seen Y/n he got a nice hit on him"

"Steve you need to calm down and just relax, okay? You were out for a while" Y/n tells him, placing his hand on his shoulder as he keeps Steve down.

"Okay, you're gonna keep straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai" Lucas explains to Max, earning a confusing look from Steve as he slowly starts realizing what's happening.

"What's going on?" he asks worried, his voice horse, "Oh, my god!"

"Just relax, she's driven before" Y/n says.

"Yeah in a parking lot" Mike replies.

"That counts" Lucas argues.

"She drives well, much better than me that's for sure" Y/n explains trying to reassure Steve, Dustin nodding.

"They were gonna leave you behind" Dustin tells him, "I promised you'd be cool, okay?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on?" Steve exclaims panicking more and more with every word that leaves his mouth as he takes in the scene better.

"Steve, it's fine, okay?" Y/n responds trying to keep him under control.

"Oh, my god! No. Whoa! Stop the car. Slow down" Steve says, his hands stretching as he tries to keep himself balanced.

"I told you he'd freak out" Mike tells Dustin and Y/n.

"Stop the car!" Steve shouts.

"Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!" Max shouts back, turning to look back at the four of them for a second before moving her gaze back towards the road.

"Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left" Lucas tells her.

"What?" she asks, a mixture of panic and confusion in her face.

"Make a left"

Max turns the stearin wheel, causing the car to run over a mailbox and causing half of the people in the car to scream in panic, mostly Steve, shouting for his life in the back seat while he clutches onto Y/n's arm as if he were going to fly off.

"Steve I need you to calm down!" Y/n shouts at him as Max drives into the farm.

"How can I calm down!" he shouts back at him, Max finally stops the car, "Hello!" he yells finally catching his breath.

"Incredible" Mike mutters.

"I told you. Zoomer" Max responds, placing the car in park and walking out.

"I'm never getting into a car again" Y/n mumbles letting out a breath as Mike opens the door and walks out, Y/n following him as they go and open the trunk.

Steve practically falls out of the car as he gets out, landing on the floor with a groan, Y/n has to move over and help him up.

"Guys. Oh no, guys" Steve complains as everyone starts putting their goggles, gloves and masks on, he turns to look at Y/n with a sigh, realizing he's already wearing them, "You too?"

"If you can't beat them, join them" he simply replies.

Mike walks past Steve with the gasoline and rope, "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Steve asks him disapprovingly, "What are you, deaf? Hello? We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear" he complains, earning an eye roll from most of the kids.

Y/n just chuckles at Steve, grabbing his bat from the trunk as well as the extra goggles and mask he packed for him.

"Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, all right?" he tells them raising his voice, "This ends right now" he shouts taking a bag out of Dustin's hands and dropping it on the floor.

"Steve, you're upset, I get it. But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance and it is our duty to provide that assistance" Dustin says walking off with everyone else, leaving Steve and Y/n alone next to the car.

"Listen, we promised we'd keep those kids safe, no one's going to change their mind, if it weren't for Max we'd both be passed out on the ground back in the house, or even worse maybe beaten to death. So let's just go and keep them safe, like we have to, telling them off won't do anything" Y/n tells him as he hands Steve his bat, his voice surprisingly sweet, he understands where Steve is coming from, he knows he's just trying to keep the kids safe, he knows he's injured, but he also knows they have a job to do.

Steve simply sighs, shaking his head slightly, at first he tries to maintain his serious face, but he fails at holding back the smiles that creeps through his face as he stares at Y/n, "Fine" he says looking at him. The smile drops slightly as he notices the cut on Y/n's lip and the bruise on his cheek, "Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that" Y/n replies with a smile, leaning over to trunk again as he takes out something.

"I'm serious" Steve argues, placing his hand on Y/n's shoulder.

"It's okay, just a couple of punches, nothing I can't handle" he responds, taking out his shotgun, "I found some bullets, come on"

The both follow the kids down the rope, landing inside the tunnels, they both look around take the place in, trying to get familiar with the strange surroundings, the flying particles, the smell.

"Holy shit" Steve mutters looking around.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way" Mike yells looking down at their made map.

"You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" Dustin questions.

"I'm 100% sure. Just follow me and you'll know" Mike responds, cut off by Steve as soon as he starts walking forward.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey, hey. I don't think so" Steve tells him moving over to him.

"What?" Mike asks confused.

"Any of you little shits die down here, we're getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?" Steve tells him taking the map from his hands, "From now on out, Y/n and I are leading the way. Come on, let's go" Steve instructs flashing the kids with the flashlight and walking off.

"He takes his job very seriously" Y/n tells the kids following after Steve who calls out to them, trying to get them to move faster.

The group continues to walk through the tunnels with Steve and Y/n leading the way. Everything continues to run smoothly until they hear Dustin screaming and shouting, everyone stops walking and turn back to check on him, worried something happened.

"What happened?" Steve and Y/n ask in unison worried as they find Dustin on the ground.

"It's in my mouth! Some got in my mouth! Shit!" he shouts, pulling down the mask and coughing, Y/n crouched down next to him worried about what's happening to him, Steve standing right behind him his expression the same.

"I'm okay" Dustin says simply finally looking up, everyone tells him off for the show, Y/n shaking his head as he stands up and walks off with Steve to continue leading the way.

Finally after walking a couple of minutes more they arrive at the hub. Everyone begins spraying or spilling the gasoline all around the place, making sure not to miss a space so that once they light it up, I'll cause the attention and damage they need it to.

(I listened to 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS while writing this bit)

"You guys ready?" Y/n asks the kids as they stand behind him and Steve, who holds the lighter.

"Ready" they all respond in unison.

"Light her up" Dustin tells Steve who turns to stare at Y/n who nods back at him.

"I am un such deep shit" Steve sighs throwing the lighter.

The place lights up almost immediately as the flake combines with the gasoline, the fire spreads just as quickly.

"Go, go, go!" Steve shouts.

Everyone runs back out through the tunnels, following Steve and Y/n as they guide them back towards the exit, following the map as they make their way back.

"Help! Help! Help! Help!" they hear Mike suddenly shout.

Steve and Y/n run back to him finding that some of the vines have wrapped around his ankle, Steve hits them with his bat while Y/n grabs his hand and pulls him back, managing to get them off him, Y/n helps him up, but they're interrupted by the sound of a Demodog. Steve lifts his bat and Y/n loads his gun pointing at the creature as it stands in front of the group.

"Dart" Dustin says walking forward, shushing everyone behind him, "Trust me, please. Hey, it's me, it's me. It's just your friend, it's Dustin, it's Dustin, all right. You remember me?" Dustin speaks softly at the thing, surprisingly managing to get it to calm down as well as distract it with some food.

He signals to everyone to walk pass which they do, carefully moving pass the creature as they walk away.

Just as they're about to arrive back at the exit the tunnels begin to shake. Everyone stops moving, looking back as they hear the growls from the Demodogs and realize they're on their way. Steve screams at the kids to go as they all run away. They finally arrive at the opening, Steve quickly begins helping the kids up one by one, Y/n standing guard as he does so in case any Demodogs decide to appear.

Dustin is the last one who's helped up before the growls become too close, Y/n and Steve stare at each other as they realize they won't be able to make their way up in time, the kids screaming from above at them to run, but they know it's too late, they stand their ground, Steve holding his bat while Y/n points the gun forward.

"I don't want to die" Y/n confesses his voice quiet and shaky, turning to look at Steve, who notices the fear in his eyes, causing his heart to fold in itself at the sight.

"I'm not letting you die" he responds, his eyes staring back into Y/n's with as much comfort as he can possibly find at the moment, and though he doesn't exactly believe his words he knows he means them, he won't let Y/n die, not as long as he's there.

As the demodogs come running their way Y/n places his finger over the trigger ready to shoot though he doesn't find the strength to do so, not with the though that he's about the die the same way Bob did flooding his mind; but before he can react Steve and him realize that they're in fact not getting eaten by the Demodogs, in fact, they're running past the two of them, making their way somewhere else.

Steve let's his bat fall as the monsters continue running past them, losing his balance slightly and noticing as the same is happening to Y/n he wraps his hand around Y/n's back and pulls him next to him as he moves to lay against the wall, letting the creatures run past them.

Though the moment is anything but calming their bodies can't help but find comfort and relaxation in some way as they stand against each other, their hearts so close, with only their chests to keep them apart, and the feelings which Steve tried so hard to ignore creeps up into his mind as he holds Y/n next to him, his heart beating so quickly he isn't sure if it's cause by his fear or his confusion.

When the demodogs finally disappear out of their sight Steve doesn't waste a second as he pulls Y/n up so he can climb the rope, he follows right after, Y/n waiting outside, his hand stretched out for him to take as he helps him up and pulls him into a hug. No words are shared between them, but no words are needed.

...

That night Hopper dropped Y/n home, in his way finding the best words to explain to Scott what had happened to Bob per Y/n's request. A lot of tears were shared between Y/n and Scott, who for his safety won't know the truth of his best friends death, while his son is forced to carry the guilt of knowing the truth, but keeping quiet, living with the haunting sight of his uncle dead to follow him.

(I listened to 'I Only Want To Be With You' by Dusty Springfield while writing this bit)

The next couple of days are used to close wounds and heal, literally and metaphorically. Steve pays Y/n a visit home where he helps him take care of the bruises and cuts from the fight, at least able to tell his dad the truth about the fight, and Steve repays the favor, helping Y/n with his injuries as well while they spend some time together.
The police department also finally ends Barbara's search, declaring hear dead due to exposure to an experimental chemical asphyxiant. Steve and Y/n attended her funeral, with Nancy and Jonathan present as well.

Bob also got his own funeral, which Y/n and his father attended, Joyce and the boys as well, even Hopper went, Steve as well, being a shoulder for Y/n to cry on after the ceremony, when the people where gone and his dad was back home, he didn't want him to worry, he had enough on his plate already. Y/n acted strong the entire funeral, but the minute he sat down at the back seats of Steve's car with him asking if he was okay he wasn't able to hold back the tears.

Steve was there a lot for Y/n and his dad after everything, he would come around, even spend sometime with Scott to help him get his mind off everything, even asked about his civil war recreation, which Y/n had to save Steve from after half an hour. He truly became part of the family one could say, and he loved spending time with the Clarke's, but a part of him also hated it, because the more time he spend with Y/n, the more he learned every quirk, every smile, every laugh, every tiny detail of him, the harder it was to hide the feelings which lingered in his heart whenever he was around.

Y/n ended up helping his dad with everything regarding the Snowball, volunteering to help around during the dance, greeting the kids, checking around, all that.

"How do I look?" Y/n asks as he walks out of his room, showing his dad how his new outfit looks.

"Well look at that, you could make any guy fall in love, you look gorgeous" Scott tells him, a bright smile on his face as he grabs his jacket.

"You don't look half bad yourself" he replies a playful smirk on his face, "Will you be meeting Jen after the dance?"

"I will, you should have someone over so you don't stay all alone" Scott tells him, handing him his jacket.

"Well Robin is busy with a school project"

"What about Steve?" Scott asks with a grin, Y/n simply rolls his eyes trying to hide a smile.

"He's driving Dustin to the dance" he answers.

"And after?"

"I don't know" Y/n replies, "And it doesn't matter, let's just go anyway we need to be early" he states trying to end the conversation.

They both arrive at the gymnasium early, helping to set up some of the decorations as well as the music, Nancy and Jonathan arrive not long after, both of them also helping out with the dance. Eventually the kids begin to arrive, Y/n moves over to the main entrance, where he greets them and guides them around.

(I listened to 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper while writing this bit)

A while goes by and he sees a car park outside, he walks over to get a better look and recognizes the car right away, it was Steve dropping Dustin off. He watches as they both speak in the car, a wide smile in his face as he enjoys watching the friendship which has bloomed between the two. They shake hands and Dustin walks out of the car, Steve watching him leave as if he was a proud father, which one could say he was, in some way.

"Well look at you Romeo, that hairstyle seems familiar" Y/n tells him with a chuckle as Dustin walks inside.

"I might've taken some tips from Steve" he replies proudly.

"I can tell, now go on my dad's waiting inside for you to check in" Y/n guides him, patting his back as he walks off.

When he turns around he's surprised as his eyes meet with Steve's, who seems to have been standing there and staring, they both smile at each other, that dumb, soft, gentle smile you share with someone when you know each other so well, and also when feelings are unknowingly shared.

"Mr. Harrington, are you joining us today?" Y/n asks him, walking over to the car.

"No, apparently you need to be fourteen under" he responds with a chuckle, his eyes looking down at Y/n as he takes in the outfit, "You look nice, very elegant, trying to make someone fall in love?" he teases.

Y/n just chuckles, unsure how exactly to reply, he feels flustered at the complement, "No, not really" is all he seems to be able to come up with, "And you? Where are you heading?"

"Home" Steve replies with a soft smile, "I'm guessing you'll be spending most of your night here?" he questions, a part of him hoping to spend sometime with him, even if they do nothing.

"Part of it, my dad has a date after so then I'm heading home, probably to watch something or just head to sleep" Y/n answers, hoping for something as well.

"Well... maybe I could pick you up with Dustin, we could watch something at your house, or just talk" he suggests, his confidence not as strong as usual, he can't figure out what's wrong with him.

"Yeah, that-that would be nice" Y/n replies, taking a deep breath, beating himself internally for not being able to come up with better responses.

They stare at each other, none of them saying anything for a couple of seconds, they can hear the music coming from the ball, the romantic song making things even more awkward between the two.

"You can come in if you want" Y/n finally speaks breaking the silence, "Obviously the dance is for the middle school but my dad won't say anything if you're helping around"

"I-I need to finish off some homework before" Steve answers, not entirely lying but also not completely telling the truth, "But I could arrive early, you know, keep you some company so you don't get bored"

"Sure, yeah. I'll be waiting then" Y/n tells him, taking a step back from the car.

"Okay, I'll see you later then, Y/n" Steve replies, his voice soft, the way he says Y/n's name practically melting each other's heart.

"Alright, drive safely, Steve"

____________________________________________________________

Hey peeps!!! Finally here's the next chapter and end of season 2!!! I'm so so so excited with how this chapter turned up, I cannot express enough how happy I am with it and how much fun I had writing it. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I hope you have enjoyed season 2, it is my own personal favorite so I had a lot of fun, but also trouble, writing it. Now we're heading into season 3 and oh what I have planned, I'm hoping the next chapter will be out next week, I'm hoping to get chapter's out quicker and to make them longer to cover more since I'm trying to finish season 3 and 4 quickly because I'm starting uni and will be quite busy. I hope you have enjoyed the romance between Steve and Y/n, and I hope you're all ready because it will be even more romantic next season!

If you have any questions, suggestions, corrections, advice, or comments please feel free to let me know! Please do inform me as well if there are any pronoun mistakes!

Don't forget you can find the playlist for the fanfic in spotify!
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LG6CfmPtUulLQdy3EoZsx?si=0cf98ec3c1bc4df7
Name: A Chemical Reaction Called Love
Username: Valpipsqueak

Lots of love, Author!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

The end of the school year was rough for everyone, especially for the graduation class of '85. Not only did they have to worry about their grades, but their applications for university as well, for those who wished to go, as well as any other internships or work studies.

Steve wasn't expecting much, in fact, he was just hoping he could graduate with good enough grades; he knew university was out of the question, especially since he hadn't heard back from his applications, and since he wasn't planning on working for his father it meant he had to start worrying about finding a job once school was over in June.
Y/n on the other hand had heard back from a couple of universities he had applied to, but surprisingly nothing really caught his attention, plus he still wasn't sure if he would be able to pay for the tuition yet, especially since he would also have to worry about living expenses and others. But in truth, that wasn't fully what held him back, it was mostly everything that had happened in the last two years, it changed him, it would change anyone. Suddenly the future wasn't the only thing he was worried about, he also worried about his dad, leaving him by himself, something happening in the town again, his friends, the kids, and of course, Steve.

"So? What are you going to do?" Robin asks Y/n as they walk down the corridors, the acceptance letters in Y/n's hands.

"I don't know yet, this isn't an easy decision to make" he responds with a sigh, hiding the letters back inside his notebook as he makes his way to chemistry.

"Well you need to figure it out, especially because all of these universities are miles away, I need to prepare myself if you do leave" Robin points out, causing Y/n to roll his eyes, trying his best not to make it obvious how much he hated the idea of being so far.

"I'll think about it" Y/n replies, as he continues to walk, "I'll see you later" he adds walking inside his classroom and taking a seat.

Steve walks in a couple of seconds after sitting down next to Y/n.

"Hey, can I borrow your notebook to write down something I missed from last class?" Steve asks turning to look at Y/n who nods and slides the notebook towards him, partially dozed off as he thinks about the acceptance letters.

Steve opens up Y/n's notebook, writing down the notes he needed. Once he was finished he went to close the notebook just to be met with three pieces of paper instead, he grabbed them before they fell of the table, and was about to place them back inside the book until his eyes caught the word 'acceptance' in one of them. He knew better than to read something that wasn't his, yet he still opens the paper and reads the letter.

"You're leaving?" he asks, snapping Y/n out of his trance, who turns to look at him confused.

"What?" he asks, his eyes then gaze down as he finds the letters in Steve's hands, he quickly moves, snatching the letters away from him and grabbing back his book, placing them inside it once again, "You weren't supposed to see that"

"You're going to end up accepting one of the offers, which means you're going to leave" he continues, not dropping the conversation much to Y/n's dislike.

"I don't know yet" he quickly respond, opening his notebook as he starts writing, trying to pay attention to the class and drop the topic.

"Y/n you have to accept-"

"I don't know if I can afford it, okay?" he shoots back almost immediately, turning to look at Steve, he sighs, looking away again, "And... I don't think I can leave, not after everything that's happened"

Steve opens his mouth to reply but nothing comes out, he isn't able to think of anything to say, though he has so much to say. A part of him wants to encourage Y/n to leave, to get as far away from here as he can, but in truth he doesn't want Y/n to leave, as selfish as it may sound, he wants him to stay in Hawkins.

He didn't say anything though, he just dropped the conversation. The class went on with neither of them speaking, mostly because there were so many unsaid things in their minds.

Once class ends Y/n quickly stands up ready to leave.

"You could save up for it" Steve speaks, standing up and blocking Y/n from leaving, "For university I mean, in the summer with your job, I can help you"

"You don't need to, Steve" he replies, his voice soft, both of them staring at each other as if they were the only people in the world.

"But I want to, if you want to leave for university you should be able to" he tells Y/n, grabbing his bag.

"I still don't know what I want to do" he confesses, which definitely surprised Steve, Y/n always seemed so sure of himself, of what he wanted, what he had planned for his future, he never expected him to be as unsure as he was, "And, the cafe closed anyway, I don't have a job anymore"

"What?"

"With the new starcourt mall open the business has gone bankrupt, no one wants a small town coffee shop anymore. I need to find a new job" Y/n explains, which takes Steve by surprise, he knew a lot of shops had been closing downtown because of the new mall but he never expected the cafe to be one of them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know" he replies right away, earning a soft smile from Y/n as he shakes his head.

"It's okay, most people don't know yet" he shares, "I'll see you around"

...

Two days later, as Y/n paces around the house with his dad, both of them discussing university and what might happen, a knock at the door disturbs their thought track, Y/n walks over to the door and opens it, confused as to who it might be.

"They're looking for workers at the starcourt mall" is the first thing that comes out of Steve's mouth as Y/n opens the door, not even letting him have a second to absorb the information he just said, "I asked around, they are looking for staff at the new ice cream place, I also heard they need someone else in the music store too, I thought you could apply, I'm applying, my dad told me I needed to get a job since I'm not going to be working for him" he rambles, speaking far faster than usual.

"When did you find this out?" Y/n asks.

"I've been asking around, I thought you'd want to know" he answers, though in truth Steve had started asking about jobs right after Y/n told him he'd lost his, but he'd never admit it, "I'm planning to go and apply tomorrow after school, we could go together"

"Yeah, tomorrow after school is fine, I'll meet you outside then" Steve smiles nodding as Y/n says that, he waves at Mr. Clarke as he sees him watching from back inside the living room, then clears his throat.

"I'll get going then" Steve says, his tone unnaturally nervous and awkward, he waves at Y/n and then walks away.

...

Steve and Y/n meet outside of the school the next day and drive to the starcourt mall. Then they arrive at the mall and head towards Scoops Ahoy to apply.

"Sorry we only have one space left" the girl at the front says, chewing on some bubblegum, clearly unbothered by anything else.

"But on the papers around town it said you were looking for four?" Steve questions, earning a mild glare from the girl.

"Well we found three of them already, and now only have one space left" she answers.

Steve and Y/n turn to look at each other, "You go for this one, I don't know how good I'd actually be at this" Y/n speaks before Steve can, pushing him forward.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I know a lot about music, I'll do better there" he insists smiling at Steve, "I'll see you in a bit then"

Steve nods and watches as Y/n walks away up the stairs and towards the Tower Records, his eyes lingering on him far longer than they should.

Y/n walks inside Tower Records, looking around the shop, and moving towards the main desk.

"Hello?" he says loudly, trying to see if any of the workers are around, "I'm here for the staff job" he explains.

"Well either that or you're here to buy something I'd hope" he hears someone say from behind the desk, though he doesn't see anyone, the voice sounds somewhat familiar, though he can't quite place who it is.

The voice quickly rises from under the desk, a familiar shirt becoming visible.

"Eddie?" Y/n's eyes widen seeing the infamous guitarist and leaders of the hellfire club.

"Y/n? I thought you worked at the Hawkins Cafe?" Eddie questions, leaning over the desk.

"I did, the place had to close though so now I need a new job" he explains, Eddie nodding as Y/n talks.

"Well then, you're hired" he says taking Y/n completely by surprise.

"What?"

"You're hired" he repeats.

"Don't you need to see a resume or anything else?" Y/n questions, to which Eddie just raises his eyebrow.

"Okay then what's your favorite song?" he asks, opening a notebook on the desk and writing something down.

"Um, F/s, I would say" Y/n replies, Eddie just nods and smiles.

"Nice, you're hired, see the manager's not in today, they told me if someone came asking about the job to interview them so I'll just tell them I did, I'd rather work with you than someone else" he explains, a smile on his face, he turns around opening the staff closet, grabbing a shirt and then tossing it at Y/n.

"Come in tomorrow for your test run, but don't worry much about it doesn't actually matter, you can start on Monday"

"You're crazy, Munson" Y/n chuckles taking the shirt, "But thank god you are"

"You're welcome, see you tomorrow"

Y/n walks out, heading towards the eating hall as he waits for Steve, who arrives a little later, taking a seat in front of Y/n.

"How did it go?" he asks Steve.

"Well, they told me I can come in tomorrow for a test run and then they'll tell me if I got the job or not" he explains, with a soft smile, "What about you?"

"I got the job"

"Just like that?" he asks, just as surprised as Y/n

"Yeah, Eddie's working there so he gave me the job" he explains, Steve's eyes narrow slightly.

"Munson?" he questions.

"Yeah, I'll be working with him, he's an idiot but fun"

And there it was again, that feeling of jealousy that followed Steve once in a while, mostly when Y/n was around, mostly when someone was close to him. He had never heard Y/n speaking of Eddie before, this was the first time Steve heard Y/n speaking of him, so then how close were they? How long have they been friends for? He wasn't exactly sure why he cared, why it bothered him so much, he just knew it did.

"That's nice" was all he could bring himself to say before changing the topic, "Did you hear about prom?" he asks.

"I did, I'm not sure if I'll go though" Y/n replies, Steve's eyebrows raise slightly as he listens to him.

"Why? I mean most people are going" he points out, trying to encourage him.

"I just don't see the point of it, I'm not friends with any people in our year, aside from you, so it wouldn't exactly be fun or exciting" he responds, their eyes locking for a second before Steve looks away, feeling his chest tightening.

"We could still go"

"I'll think about it"

...

"What?!" Robin screams in surprise as her and Y/n sit together, he looks around as everyone turns to look at them, an embarrassed smile on his face as he turns to look around the cafeteria and then back at Robin.

"Shut up" he says leaning closer to her.

"Why didn't you tell me Steve Harrington was applying to work at Scoops Ahoy" she complains leaning in as well as both of them whisper now, "I wouldn't have taken the job there if I had known"

"How was I supposed to know you were working there?" Y/n asks.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, but I suppose the joke was on me" she continued, throwing her hands around as she speaks.

"You're so dramatic, Robin. Steve is great, you just need to give him a chance" Y/n tells her, trying to get her to calm down.

"Not like I have much choice do I?"

...

Steve jogs over to Y/n as he watches him walk out of the school, "Y/n" he calls out to him, Y/n turns around stopping as he hears Steve, "Hey, um, I just wanted to ask if you had thought about prom? Since it's this Saturday?"

"I can't, I told Eddie I'd cover for him since he has a thing with his band" he tells Steve.

"Well you could just arrive late, you know?" Steve suggests, still finding ways to get Y/n to attend.

"I'm sorry, Steve, I just don't really see a point in going" Y/n tells him, and though a part of him is disappointed, he doesn't mind.

"Okay, that's alright, I mean, it's not like I was planning on going with anyone" Steve replies, starting to walk with Y/n, "So what are we doing next Saturday night?"

Y/n smiles tilting his head to look at Steve, who simply smiles back tilting his head to the side, with that ridiculous, flirty, and fake innocent smile, that makes Y/n's heart completely and utterly explode.

"I mean, I could use some help closing down the store" Y/n suggest chuckling, as they continue to walk.

~~~

The next Saturday Y/n walks over to Scoops Ahoy during his lunch break, watching as Steve and Robin annoy each other.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite people" Y/n says standing in front of the two.

"Steve and I made a bet, he insists he can get a girls number and I insist he can't, I'm working on a tally" Robin explains to Y/n, clearly having fun.

"Please tell your friend that, one, I can get a girls number, and two, to stop making fun of me" Steve says looking at Y/n, moving his head to point at Robin for a moment before looking back at him.

"Sorry Steve, I'm afraid I can't do either"

"Ha!" Robin explains, turning to look at Steve, "Your charms running out Harrington"

"I'm not waiting for you anymore" Steve says to Y/n, clearly messing with him.

"Right" he replies with a chuckle.

Steve went to pick him up once Y/n's shift was over, helping him close down the shop. They both walked out of the mall together, getting inside Steve's car as he drives towards Y/n's house.

They spend the night talking in Y/n's room while they listen to music, no longer worrying about school, instead knowing that summer is only a couple of days away, ready to give them more time together, new opportunities and more troubles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey peeps! Here's the new chapter of the fanfic and the epilogue to season 3! Sorry for the wait I've been moving and getting settled in uni so I have been a bit busy! The next chapter will be out soon, or at least as soon as possible, I'll be more busy with uni now but I promise to publish a chapter as often as my schedule will allow me so I apologize in advance and please bare with me! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are ready for season 3!

If you have any questions, suggestions, corrections, advice, or comments please feel free to let me know! Please do inform me as well if there are any pronoun mistakes!

Lots of love, Author!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

Y/n had finished his shift earlier that day, the store had been quiet so Eddie told him that he might as well leave early. He made his way towards Scoops Ahoy through the staff corridors since it was quicker, easier and it meant he could sneak up behind Steve. He opened the door quietly, finding Steve in the back organizing some of the products they had gotten today.

"Boo!" he shouts, pinching Steve's arm who immediately jumps back almost dropping the packages he had organized.

"Jesus Christ!" Steve yelps in surprise, moving his hand to his chest to catch him breath while Y/n stands there and laughs, "What are you doing here?"

"I finished early, so I came here to bother you two" Y/n explains with a chuckle, moving over to Steve, "Nice hat" he adds jokingly.

"I wear it nicely, okay?" he responds almost offended by the joke, touching the hat slightly as he adjusts it.

Y/n laughs and moves towards the window to the front of the shop, looking at Robin as she deals with some of the costumers, "How's work going?"

"Alright, I was just organizing some things here" he explains to which Y/n nods, looking over the boxes in the room.

"I could tell"

Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of the shop bell ringing repeatedly, both Y/n and Steve turn to look at the covered window.

"Hey, Dingus, your children are here" Robin exclaims from the other side.

Steve moves towards the window and opens it, not very happy by their appearance to say the least, Y/n's head pops from the side of the window staring outside as he sees the kids, Mike, Max, Lucas and Will standing there.

"Again? Seriously?" he complains, simply earning a response from Mike who rings the bell again.

"You kids are terrible" Y/n tells them as he watches Steve open the door and letting them in to the back.

The kids all wave at Y/n who waves back at them as Steve opens the staff door from which they walk out of, Steve and Y/n following after them.

"I swear, if anybody hears about this-"

"We're dead!" they all answer in unison as they walk away, Steve shaking his head with a sigh as he moves to close the door, "When did they become like this" he mumbles.

"Welcome to being a teenager Steve, shall I remind you how you were?" Y/n asks him playfully to which he just gives him a subtle smile at.

"I wasn't that bad" he defends to which Y/n raises his eyebrow and tilts his head to the side, "Okay, I wasn't exactly good either but that was a while back okay?"

"Fine" Y/n replies raising his hands defensively as they stare at Steve, "If you say so"

"If you're going to be here you might as well help" Steve says, taking off his hat and placing it on Y/n's head, "There's a line outside"

Steve walks out, back into the front desk, Y/n stands there for a moment confused before following right after him, "I don't even know how to scoop ice cream"

"What are you doing here?" Robin asks Y/n as he walks out after Steve, a little confused by the sudden appearance.

"He's making me work" he answers pointing at Steve, a pout on his face.

"You just have to stand there and watch don't exaggerate" Steve responds, getting his scooper and moving over to the ice creams.

A couple of minutes pass with Robin taking the orders while Steve scoops the ice cream and Y/n just stands there and watches, until suddenly all the light in the mall goes out.

"That's weird" Steve mutters as he looks around, he stares at Y/n for a second before moving over to stand beside them, as he begins to flip the light switch on and off.

"That isn't gonna work, dingus" Robin tells him, clearly unimpressed by his decision making skills.

"Oh, really?" he questions, beginning to move the switch even faster, earning a sigh from both Y/n and Robin.

"Jesus, Steve" Y/n mumbles, shaking his head, turning to look at Robin who rolls her eyes.

He hits the wall and then BAM the light comes back up, which Steve believes was his doing.

"Let there be light" he says turning to look at Y/n, and then moving back to scoop ice cream.

...

"So how did it go this year, are you finally done?" Y/n asks Eddie as he moves through the store and organizes the cassettes by genre, looking back at Eddie.

"No, I failed English, I'm going to need to come back next year" Eddie answers, a slight disappointment in his voice, "But it's fine, next year will be my year, I know it"

"I'm sure it will be Eddie, if you need help, just let me know" Y/n tells him, moving back over to the front desk.

"What about you, what will you do?" he asks, getting the store ready to close.

"I'm not sure yet, it feels like there's so much going on, part of me wants to go and study but part of me doesn't, leaving seems to scary, too serious, like there'd be no turning back. I have too many people I care about here" he answers, his mind spiraling into a hundred thoughts, many of family and goals, and others about Steve.

"I get that, I wanted to ask you, what's up with you and Harrington?" Y/n's eyes widen at the question, his heart stops for a second as he registers the question.

"Nothing-nothing is up between us, why?" he asks, his voice slightly shaky as he tries to act like the question didn't completely take him by surprise.

"No reason, I just, I guess you two seem very close" he adds, a subtle smile on his face, he could see right past Y/n.

"We're just friends, so..." Y/n insists, grabbing his bag from the staff room, Eddie just nods, a very unconvinced smile in his face.

"I'm sure you'd like it to be more though" he says with a chuckle, earning a glare from Y/n who walks right past him.

"Shut up" he yells walking out, "And don't say anything"

"My lips are sealed"

Y/n shakes his head walking out of the store, then he walks down the stairs and towards the exit of Starcourt.

"Y/n!" he hears someone shouts, turning around he's met by none other than Steve, running over to him.

"Hey" he replies, stopping so Steve can catch up, "What are you doing?"

"I had to close today, do you want me to give you a drive?" he asks, stopping in front of Y/n, his usual smile on his face as he looks at Y/n, who can't help but smile back at him.

"Sure I'd really appreciate it, thank you"

They move towards the car, getting inside.

"Is it okay if I turn on the radio?" Y/n asks, to which Steve nods, glancing at him as he starts the car.

"Of course, go ahead"

Steve drive's out of the parking lot and begins heading to Y/n's house, the drive begin quiet, with only the radio playing in the background, but as usual the silence is not awkward, if anything is almost comforting and reassuring after a long day of work for both of them.

"So, have you heard anything about university?" Y/n asks Steve, turning to look at him as he drives, he shakes his head, still looking forward.

"No, nothing, I think we both know I won't be hearing anything anytime soon" he answers, his tone lowering slightly, the smile in his face falling slightly as he sighs.

"I mean, it's fine, university doesn't guarantee you anything, plus you still weren't sure what you wanted to do so if anything you dodged a bullet" Y/n suggests, trying to reassure Steve, trying to stop him from worrying, though he knows it's almost useless, with his dad constantly reminding him he couldn't get into university.

"You don't need to make me feel better, Y/n-"

"I'm serious, Steve, you don't need to feel like you failed or aren't doing as well as others simply because you're not leaving. I'm not saying this just to make you feel better, I mean it" Y/n repeats, Steve turns to gaze at him for a second, the minute his eyes locks with Y/n's he just feels a weight lift of his shoulders, his heart calm down, his worries just seem to disappear whenever he's around, though he's not quite sure why.

"Thank you" he replies softly, Y/n smiles back at him.
"What about you? What are you planning to do?"

"Well I can't afford university, and they are all too far so I don't think I'll go, I can't leave my dad all alone, so I'll probably just work, maybe help him at the school in September, I'll see" he answers, looking back outside the window.

"I'm sorry" Steve says gently, his hand reaches out to Y/n's but he stops himself before, moving his hand back quickly.

"It's okay, I'll find something to do here, you're not getting rid of me" they both chuckle at the comment, turning to look at each other for a second before looking away once again.

"Well at least we'll be here for each other then" Steve points out, smiling at Y/n.

"Yeah" he smiles back at him.

The rest of the ride was quiet between the two, with Steve stealing quick glances at Y/n as he drove. And once Y/n left everything came crashing down for Steve, the feelings he had tried so hard to keep buried couldn't be hidden anymore and Steve could do nothing more than to seat in panic and shock as he watches Y/n enter his house and realizes that his dad was wrong, because he was in love with a boy.

...

"Can I ask you something?" Steve asks Robin, staring at her as she sits in the staff desk eating her lunch, "But you can't ask questions"

"Umm, sure?" she says, confused noticing how clearly bothered and worried Steve looked in comparison to his usual relaxed self, "What in the world has got you all freaked out"

"I said no questions"

"Okay" she raises her hands defensively waiting for him to speak.

"W-what do you think about, um, you know... gay people?" Robin's eyes immediately widen, incredibly confused by Steve of all people asking that, part of her can't help but worry about him having figured out she is, in fact, a raging lesbian.

"Why do you want to know? Do you not like them?" she questions with a very accusatory tone, leaning closer to the table as she waits for his response.

"No! No! Of course not, I think they're cool, fine, you know" he replies almost immediately, clearing his throat as he does so, his heart practically beating out of his chest.

"Why do you want to know if I like them then? Which I do obviously, I mean good for them"

"I told you not to ask any questions" he reminds her to which she just rolls her eyes with a sigh.

"How am I supposed to not ask you questions when this is the last thing I could ever picture you asking me? I mean Steve Harrington asking me what I think about gay people? What is this opposite day, of course I'm going to ask you where that comes from, I mean do you know someone who's gay? Did anyone-"

Robin stops herself immediately as the obvious hits her, maybe Y/n came out to Steve, why exactly she has no idea, unless Y/n was planning to confess to him which once again she would be very much aware of. But before she can continue her train of thought Steve answers her questions.

"No, no, no one has come out to me or anything I'm just-shit, Jesus" he paces around worried, his hand moving to his head as he brushes his hair back, taking a deep breath as he debates on whether or not to share this with Robin.

"Look if you're worried I'm going to tell someone you shouldn't, one I'm not an asshole, and two I literally have no friends aside from Y/n, so-"

"How does someone know if they're, you know... gay?" Steve finally spits out, his back to Robin, unable to look at her as he asks the question.

"Oh shit." Robin says completely speechless, staring at him as if he was messing around, but when Steve doesn't say anything else she knows right away he's not lying and needs an answer, "Jesus, wow, okay, umm, ar-are we talking about anyone in specific?"

Steve turns to look at her raising his eyebrow slightly and tilting his head with a 'seriously' look in his face, "What do you think?"

"Alright, I was just asking, well, sit down, I guess" she replies, pushing the chair next to her back, Steve sits down, looking down at the table.

"Ironic right, me of all people to be asking this" Steve mumbles, taking off his hat and playing with it.

"Well..." Robin sighs, debating how stupid sharing this is but with what Steve has just asked her she supposes she's telling someone trustworthy, "I mean, you're asking the right person at least"

A silence passes between the two, Steve looking up at Robin slightly confused, he truly wasn't one to grasp things quickly.

"I-I like girls... so, you know" she explains.

"Oh..."

"Yeah" Steve just nods, "So, you think you like guys?"

"Can someone like both? Guys and girls I mean, I-I don't really know anything about this, so" he responds, stumbling in his words slightly.

"I mean, yeah it's called being bisexual" she explains, to which he just nods, "It means you like both men and woman, Steve"

"Right" he responds, "But, how do I know, I-I mean I kind of know I guess but, I don't know at the same time, I'm not sure-"

"Steve, listen, it's a process, it's not only about figuring out who you are, but a big part of it is accepting things, don't rush it, just take it easy, you'll know eventually, trust me" Robin says, speaking to Steve in the nicest way she has ever spoken to him after all the years of knowing him.

"Thank you, Robin" Steve says softly, a small smile on his face, "Please, don't tell anyone, not even Y/n"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone"

That night, unsure why exactly, Steve couldn't help but give Y/n a call, maybe he needed to see if those feelings that were plaguing him earlier where still there, maybe he just needed an excuse to listen to his voice again.

"Hello, Y/n speaking" he says, answering the phone.

"Y/n, it's Steve" he says softly, playing with the cord of the telephone.

"Steve, to what do I own the pleasure of this call? At this hour?" he asks, with a chuckle, Steve can't help but smile as he hears it from the other side, he checks his clock to realize the time, it was almost eleven at night, he didn't even realize before calling

"Sorry, I didn't check. Umm, it was just to let you know I failed today, as usual, I thought you might want to know" he says, coming up with something in the spot, he had no actual reason, at least not one he could share.

"Well thank you for letting me know, that is clearly crucial information" Y/n laughs smiling down into the phone, "I think Dustin's arriving sure, either today or tomorrow if I'm not wrong, I thought I might remind you"

"Right the little bastard, I have to say I have missed him, he keeps me on my feet" Steve replies with a chuckle.

"Of course he does, don't all the kids keep us on our feet, I mean I don't even babysit them anymore, aside from Holly and Erica, I think the boys would lose their minds if they say me around their house for babysitting"

Steve laughs, neither of them say anything for a moment, the usual silence passing between them.

"I think I'll go to sleep, but I'll see you tomorrow, at lunch?"

"Sure, I'll invite dessert" he responds, both laughing.

"Goodnight, Steve"

"Goodnight, Y/n"

_______________________________________________________________________

Hey peeps!! Finally here's the new chapter and we have gotten started with season 3!! So sorry I wasn't able to post the chapter last week I had to work on an assignment and ended up having no time to finish the chapter but here it is!! I will get started with the new one straight away so it's out sooner than later but please bare with me if I don't post as usual as possible, I'll make sure to post at least once a month but I'm hoping I'll be able to have at least 2 chapter per month but we'll see! Once again thank you so much for your support with this story it really means a lot!

As you can see I changed Robin's coming out scene, the one in the series depended too much on Steve's feelings for Robin plus I needed someone Steve could talk to so I moved it forward and changed it slightly I hope you don't mind!

Once again let me know if there are any spelling mistakes, pronouns mistakes, questions, suggestions, or comments I always check them!

Lots of love, Author!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

Steve walks over to Y/n with a smile, both of them wearing their graduation robes, Steve playfully pushes Y/n's graduation cap down covering his eyes slightly as he stands beside him. Y/n lifts the cap up and looks at Steve with a smile.

"Well, we finally did it, we graduated, I can't believe I did it" Steve says with a chuckle, Y/n shakes his head smiling.

"You did well, and now school is over, I can't believe it's all done" Y/n replies as they both move to sit by the steps outside, most people were around the field, many leaving soon to some of the graduation party's.

"What are you going to do now?" Steve asks Y/n, turning to look at him.

Silence passes between the two as Y/n thinks, he still isn't sure himself what to do, without any scholarships moving away to university was practically impossible, him and his father wouldn't be able to pay for it.

"Honestly, I don't know, just work for the summer for now, but I don't even want to think about after, there's no point in getting into university if you can't pay for it" Y/n answers looking down at his diploma before turning to look at Steve.

"Well if it makes you feel better I'm not going anywhere either, I'll just stay here working" Steve tells him, Y/n smiles at him.

"Well I'm glad we won't be alone" he adds, Y/n's hand brushes against Steve's, neither of them move.

"There you are you old men" Robin says as she comes from the corner, Mr. Scott following her, "You sneaked away from us after the ceremony" she says with a smile.

Both of them stand up, Scott moving over to Y/n giving him a hug.

"I'm just so proud of you" He says holding Y/n close. He lets go of Y/n and turns to look at Steve with a smile, "I'm proud of you too"

Steve chuckles but smiles, it means a lot to him to have someone tell him that, especially since his parents weren't able to make the ceremony, and Scott had always been very much a father figure to him.

"This is just so unfair, my two friends graduate and I'm left alone to deal with my final year by myself" Robin complains standing in front of the two, "I expect a drive to school everyday"

Y/n and Steve laugh at this, but Steve nods, "Sure, we'll take you to school everyday little Robin, while the adults go to their jobs"

Robin hits Steve for that, "I'll still work on the weekends, dingus"

"Let me take a picture of the three of you" Scott says, the three move to stand beside each other, Y/n in the middle of the two, they all smile and Scott takes the picture, "Looks great"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/n moved through the store, organizing the different cassettes by the band and artist, making sure everything was in place, filling the empty spaces of the sold cassettes. 'Three Little Birds' by Bob Marley & The Wailers playing in the background; Eddie was assisting a costumer in the front desk who was checking out their cassettes, he tried his best to make casual conversations about the songs and artist, even though he cared little for them.

Once the costumer walked out of the store Eddie calls out for Y/n who stops moving and turns to look back at him.

"Do you want to take your lunch break? I don't think we'll be getting a lot of costumers for a bit, and even if we do I can handle it"

"You sure?" he asks and Eddie nods.

Y/n walks back to the staff space and places down the box with the extra cassettes, he takes off his name tag placing it in his pocket, "Thanks, Eddie, I'll see you in a bit then" Y/n grabs his bag with the packed lunch and walks out of the store, he takes the staff only halls and walks down the stairs.

After some more walking he reaches the back of Scoops Ahoy, he opens the door and walks inside, finding Steve getting ready to have his lunch break as well.

"There you are, Einstein, I was starting to worry you wouldn't show up" he points out, opening the sandwich he had bough, Y/n moves to sit beside him, opening his homemade lunch.

"I was just finishing to organize some things back at the store"

Steve breaks his sandwich in half, Y/n grabbing the plate Steve has in front of him and placing some of his dad's homemade pasta on the plate, half of his food, then he slides it over towards Steve, who hands him half of his sandwich. This had been going on for a while now, Y/n noticed that Steve would mostly eat sandwich for lunch, not bothering or sure of what else to make, neither of his parents bothering to help, meanwhile Scott would make dinner for himself and Y/n, so he started sharing his lunch with Steve, who loved Scott's cooking.

"Oh pasta day, Bolognese" he says excited as he grabs a fork from his bag, staring down at the food, he grabs some of the pasta and begins to eat it, "Your dad should put up a restaurant, it would be great"

Y/n chuckles as Steve eats his food, finding it amusing how much he loved his dad's cooking, "He doesn't love cooking that much"

"Well he's good"

The two continue eating, Steve stealing glances at Y/n as he eats, smiling to himself at every little thing Y/n does, from the way he flinches at the hot food to the way he wipes away sauce from his lip.

'Stop staring' he can hear Robin say in his mind, he looks away, trying his best not to steal any more glances from Y/n.

"So it's Dustin arriving today?" Y/n asks as he moves to clean his lunch box.

"He's supposed to, but I haven't heard anything yet" Steve respond as he stands up, moving besides Y/n.

"Well I'm sure he'll arrive soon enough" he replies, turning around bumping slightly into Steve, they stare at each other for a moment, Steve's hand floating beside Y/n's waist, he clears his throat realizing how close they are and takes a step back, letting Y/n walk past him.

"Yeah, he'll be here soon"

As the conversation dies down they both hear Robin speak with a costumer on the other side of the wall, the voice familiar to both of them, they look at each other as they listen for who it is.

"Is he here?"

"Is who here?"

Steve and Y/n both rush out through the door, before Robin can finish speaking, a wide smile on their faces.

"Henderson" Steve calls out, Dustin laughs, Steve jumping with joy as he moves over to Dustin, "Henderson! He's back! He's back!"

"I'm back!" Dustin cheers, Y/n just stares at the two with a smile, enjoying the way they look like two kids, "You got the job!"

"I got the job!" Steve exclaims in response, imitating the sound of a victorious trumpet. They proceed to do their hand shake, locking their hand and then faking a lightsaber battle, Steve losing, both making the fake noises, Y/n laughs at the two as they laugh.

"How many children are you friends with?" Robin asks judgmentally, to which Steve only raises his eyebrows at Dustin and points at her.

Y/n moves beside Steve and ruffles Dustin's hair through his hat, "Look how tall you are, you gremlin" he says, Dustin chuckles at the compliment and hugs Y/n.

"I can't believe you two already graduated, how's work going?"

"It's decent, at least I don't have to deal with this idiot" Y/n replies pointing back at Steve who simply pushes him to the side playfully, he pushes Steve back. Dustin smiles and moves to look at Robin a knowing look shared between both of them.

"So, do I get free ice cream?" Dustin asks with a smile, Steve smiles back and walks over to the ice creams.

"Choose your pick" He responds.

"Make that two" Y/n adds.

...

The three of them seat on one of the stools, Dustin eating a banana split while Y/n eats two scoops of ice cream.

"You've got a girlfriend?" Y/n asks surprised, he turns to look at Steve who also turns to look back at him surprised.

"Yep, she's the best, hotter than Phoebe Cates" Dustin answers, continuing to eat his ice cream.

"Hotter than Phoebe Cates? No." Steve repeats in disbelief.

"Mhm. Brilliant, too. And she doesn't even care that my real pearls are still coming in. She says kissing is better without teeth" Dustin adds, before moving back to get another spoonfool.

Y/n and Steve nod in shock, then turn to look at each other perplexed, was Dustin even hearing what he was saying? Steve looks at Y/n as if asking for further explanation but Y/n simply shrugs still processing everything Dustin just said.

"Wow. Yeah, that's great"
"Great, buddy" Steve and Y/n say unsure what else to respond with.

"I'm proud of you, man. That's ro- That's kinda romantic" Steve continues saying, rambling by that point.

"That's wow..." Y/n adds, their voices dying out.

"Yeah. So do you really just get to eat as much of this as you want?" Dustin asks Steve pointing down at the banana split.

"Yeah. I mean, sure. It's not a good idea for me, though. I gotta stay in shape for the ladies"

At his comment Y/n rolls his eyes and shakes his head, Dustin looks at him and chuckles.

"Yeah, and how's that working out for you?" Y/n and Robin question in unison. They turn to each other with a smile, finding it funny they said the same thing at once. Robin winks at Y/n and continues cleaning.

"Ignore them" Steve interrupts.

"She seems cool"

"Robin's the best, that's why we're best friends" Y/n replies at Dustin's comment.

"Which explains a lot, because she's not" Steve mutters, Y/n turns and flips him off. "So, where are the other knuckleheads?"

"They ditched me yesterday"

Steve and Y/n's face drops at that.

"No."
"Seriously?" They both say.

"My first day back," Dustin reminds, clearly pissed, "Can you believe that shit?"

"Whoa. Seriously?" Steve questions again, both him and Y/n leaning closer.

"I can't believe them, what's going on with them lately?" Y/n adds, having noticed how the group wasn't as united as before, especially Mike and Eleven who constantly ditched the group.

"I swear to God. Mm" Dustin responds eating another spoonful of ice cream, "They're gonna regret it, though, big time, when they don't get to share in my glory"

"Glory? What glory?" Steve asks.

Dustin moves closer, a proud look on his face, Y/n leans closer to Steve to hear Dustin better, their shoulders pressing against each other. Steve notices the sudden touch, his eyes gazing down to his shoulders for a second before moving back to stare at Dustin, he can feel his heart beating faster and he curses himself internally for that.

"So, last night, we're trying to get in contact with Suzie" Steve raises his eyebrows at that with a knowing nod, making a phone with his hand, Steve smiles back with a nod, Y/n simply shakes his head at the two idiots.

"And, uh" Dustin begins lowering his voice, leaning even closer to the duo, he looks around making sure no one is looking their way or listening into their conversation.

Dustin whispers something, covering his mouth with his thumb. Y/n and Steve furrow their eyebrows, not being able to hear a single thing he said.

"What?" They both ask in unison.

"Uh" Dustin takes a deep breath, looking behind them, then covers the side of his face with his hand, "I ........ inter ......."

Steve and Y/n are still unable to hear anything that Dustin in saying.

"Just speak louder" Steve tells him.

"I intercepted a secret Russian communication!" Dustin shouts, at this all the clients eating ice cream in the shop turn around staring at Dustin confused.

Y/n chuckles and looks back at the people before turning back towards Dustin and Steve.

"Jeez, shh. Yeah, okay" Y/n tells him quietly.

"That's what I thought you said" Steve responds, even though he's clearly lying, the three go quiet for a moment before Steve speaks again, "What- What does that mean?"

"It means, Steve, we could be heroes, true American heroes"

At this Dustin continues blabbering some bullshit about saving the world, which Steve eats up like the idiot he is, nodding with a stupid smile at everything Dustin says, especially when he says he can have all the ladies he wants and more, ridiculous.

Y/n moves to stand up and walk away, but Dustin reaches out to him before he can.

"Where are you going?" Dustin asks, Y/n looks down at him confused.

"To work? Because I have a job and if I don't work, I don't get paid and I'll lose the job" Y/n responds finding the question slightly dumb, he turns to walk again only for Dustin to pull him back.

"No, we need you"

"For what?" Y/n asks again.

"To decode the words, I need someone smart to help us out with this" he turns to Steve, "No offense"

"Offense taken" Steve responds.

"I can't just clock out of work halfway through the day" Y/n points out.

"Just talk to Eddie, I'm sure he'll understand, didn't you say you were close?" Steve asks, the subtle jealousy clear in his last words, Y/n turns to look at him, almost surprised by the way he speaks.

"Seriously, Steve?" he simply shrugs at the question and steals a cherry from Dustin's banana split.

"Please, just talk to him, this is serious, you know it'll end up being serious, look at everything I've got you into?"

At this Y/n can't disagree, every time Dustin does something Y/n ends up brought into his mess. He sighs but gives in.

"Fine, I'll speak with Eddie, but don't expect him to give me the afternoon off"

...

Y/n sits with the two boys at the staff room of Scoops Ahoy, the Russian translation book in front of them with the recorded tape playing out loud.

"Rub that smug smile off your face" Y/n tells Steve as he takes a spoonfool of icea cream.

He simply chuckles at Y/n's comment, he stands up and takes out a banana from the storage fridge. They focus back on the tape, Y/n holding the Russian translation book as he tries to figure out what they could possibly be saying in the recording, so far nothing made sense, then again he figured that using a book to help translate long paragraphs of Russian might not be the smartest thing, plus languages were never his strength.

"Steve!" Robin shouts from outside, none of them saying anything. Steve simply paces around the room eating the banana.

"So what do you think?" Dustin asks as he stops the recording.

"I don't know" Y/n responds.

"It sounded familiar" Steve says.

"What?" Dustin questions, confused.

"The music. The music right there at the end" Steve points out, still chewing his food.

"Why are you listening to the music, Steve?" Dustin asks stressed and annoyed, "Listen to the Russians! We're translaating Russian!"

"I'm trying to listen to the Russian but there's music-"

"All right, babysitting time is over" Robin storms in, clearly tired of dealing with the costumers, "You need to get in there. Hey, my board. That was important data, shitbirds"

"I guarantee you, what we're doing is way more important than your data" Dustin responds obnoxiously.

"What are you doing here with these idiots?" Robin questions turning to look at Y/n who simply shakes his head and shrugs, taking another spoonfull of ice cream. Then she turns back to Dustin.
"Yeah? And how do you know these Russians are up to no good anyways?"

Dustin turns to Dustin shocked while Steve simply stares forward wide-eyed.

"How does she know about the Russians?"

"I don't know" Steve tells him and shrugs.

"You told her about-"
"It wasn't me"
"You two have been shouting" Y/n points out.

"Hello, I can hear you. Actually, I can hear everything. You are both extremely loud" Robin responds, and at the last comment Y/n raises his hand and signals over to her, as if showing his point was right.
"You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you're trying to translate, but haven't figured out a word because you didn't realize Russians use and entirely different alphabet than we do. Sound about right?"

"That's why it wasn't making sense" Y/n mutters looking down at the book.

Robin leaps forward trying to take the tape, but Steve reaches for it before she can get it.

"Whoa! What do you think you're doing?" he questions.

"I wanna hear it" she responds enthutiastically.

"Why?" Dustin and Steve ask.

"Because maybe I can help" she adds.

"She can probably help" Y/n adds.

"I'm fluent in four languages, you know" she tells them.

"Russian?" Dustin asks.

"Ou-yay-are-yay umb-day" she says.

Both boys cheer at her words, like a bunch of clueless kids.

"That was Pig Latin" Y/n points out.

"Dingus" Robin adds.

At this Steve slaps Dustin with his banana peel. "Idiot" he mutters.

"But I can speak Spanish, and French and Italian, and I've been in band for 12 years" she shares with them.

"She is very smart" Y/n adds, hyping her up.

"My ears are little geniuses, trust me" Robin points out.

Steve hesitates at that.

"Come on, it's your turn to sling ice cream, my turn to translate. I don't even want credit. I'm just bored"

Steve sighs, the client bell ringing in the background, he looks down at Y/n who simply smiles at him, he takes the icea cream scoop and hands her the recorder.

"You're coming with me" he says pointing down at Y/n with the ice cream scoop, then he walks off to the front desk.

"Why do I always get dragged where he goes?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello everyone!!!! Finally gosh the new chapter is done!! I actually cannot begin to apologise enough for how long this chapter has taken me to write, I have plenty of excuses I promise, uni has kept me ridiculously busy, I've been doing projects, presentations and writing a bunch of different things with barely any breaks which is why it's taken my so long to post a new chapter, and I'm so sorry for leaving you all starving since May, truly I cannot apologise enough.

I can't promise the next chapter will be any faster unfortunetly so I kindly ask all of you to be patience and bear with me, I have every single interest to continue this fanfic, I just have very little time at the moment.

Thank you so much for all your support with this fanfic so much, for your patience and your comments, I love reading them!

As usual let me know if there are any pronoun or spelling mistakes, and feel free to leave any comments, ideas, suggestions or advice.

Lots of love,

Pip.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

Y/n sits by one of the chairs behind the ice cream while Steve stands by the register machine, he takes the clients cash and places it inside the register.

"Thank you for coming to Scoops Ahoy" he says as the group of kids walk off, talking amongst themselves.

Steve turns around and looks at Y/n, who sits bored by the ice creams, he takes one of the tiny spoons and steals a small scoop of one of the ice creams. Steve watches as he eats the ice cream, wipes the spoon and goes in to steal more.

Steve reaches out to take Y/n's wrist, stopping him from taking any more ice cream, "Thief" he says playfully. Y/n looks annoyed and scoffs.

"I thought I could get free ice cream if I worked here" Y/n points out, tilting his head slightly and raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, but you don't work here" Steve reminds him.

"Then what am I doing? Free labour?" he asks, moving in to take another scoop of ice cream. Steve tries to stop him but he lifts the spoon inside his mouth quickly, eating the ice cream. He smirks at Steve who playfully pushes him back and then grabs the spoon from his hand.

"Cheater" Steve says, hiding the spoon.

"If I'm not getting paid, the least I'm getting is free food" Y/n responds with a lip tight smile.

"Since when do you work here, Y/n?" Steve and Y/n look forward as they find Max and Eleven together.

"I don't, I'm just helping Steve" Max raises her eyebrows suspiciously at the two but then shrugs, not caring much about the backstory behind this.

"Well, can we get two ice creams of one scoop? One strawberry and one vanilla with sprinkles" she tells them, placing 10 cents on the counter.

"Two scoops coming up" Steve says, moving to get his ice cream scoop and two cones.

Y/n stares at the two girls as he thinks, glancing at both of them doubtfully.

"We got our first word!" Robin says opening the small window between the front desk and the employees room. Steve and Y/n move towards her, "The week is long"

"Well, that's thrilling" Steve says disappointed.

"I know. But, progress" Robin responds excited, then closes the door.

Steve turns back around to the girls, "Okay, here you go, you got strawberry and then a vanilla with sprinkles, extra whipped cream" he adds, handing the girls the ice cream.

"Thanks" they both say in unison as they begin to eat their ice cream.

Y/n moves to stand beside him, looking at the girls.

"Wait, El, you're not supposed to be out" Y/n says confused.

Both girls look at each other and giggle, then run away laughing. Steve turns to Y/n confused, who simply shrugs and shakes his head.

"That...okay" Is all Steve says before he moves back to continue working.

-----------------------------------------

The rest of the day Scoops Ahoy was relatively empty, Steve sold around twelve more scoops before the shop closed. It was not one of the busiest days for sure.

Robin had finally been able to 'decipher' the message, writing it down on the board. They all stood in front of it as they read it out loud.

"The week is long, the silver cat feeds, when blue meets yellow in the west" They all say in unison, almost sounding like robots as they read it, not understanding what in the world it could mean. Clearly it was a riddle of sorts.

Y/n helped Steve and Robin close down the shop while Dustin stood there and watched them.

"I mean, it just...it just can't be right" Steve says locking the shop.

"It's right," Robin insists. Y/n nods at her words as Steve stands, looking at him.

"I have never known Robin to get something like this wrong, if she says it's right, it's right" he responds.

"Honestly I think it's great news" Dustin says, as they all begin walking away.

"How is it great news?" Steve questions, clearly finding the translation ridiculous, "I mean, so much for being American heroes. It's total nonsense"

"It's not nonsense" Dustin argues as they begin to walk towards the exit of the Starcourt Mall, "It's too specific, it's obviously a code"

"What do you mean a code?" Steve asks.

"Like a super secret spy code" Dustin explains.

"That's a total stretch" Steve counters.

"I mean, is it?" Robin adds.

"You're buying into this?"

"I mean is it so crazy to believe?" Y/n asks turning back to look at Steve, "If Russians are infiltrating the country do you really think they'd just pass messages around for anyone to hear? They'd obviously send things in code, that's military one oh one"

"Just for kicks, let's entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russian transmission. What'd you think they were gonna say, 'Fire the warhead at noon'?" Robin responds.

"Exactly" Y/n and Dustin say in unison, almost cornering Steve.

"My translation is correct, they're clearly trying to mask the true meaning of their message, no one talks like that" Robin continues to argue.

Dustin and her go on a small rant about how it all adds up because they're clearly trying to cover some type of sensitive information. While they do this Steve merely follows behind them, mockingly mimicking as they speak, clearly not buying into any of it. Y/n hits his arm as he notices the way Steve mocks their point, he merely looks down at Y/n and shrugs, acting innocent.

Suddenly into their rant Y/n notices as Steve stops walking, he stares at him confused as he stares at one of the kid machines, the horse one where the kid can get on and 'ride' the horse. He looks into his pockets, searching for something.

"What are you doing?" Y/n asks, confused as he stares at Steve.

"The machine" he responds.

"What about it?" he waits for Steve to answer, he does not, "Steve?"

After a couple of seconds Robin and Dustin finally notice the absence of both Steve and Y/n, turning around to find the two by the machine.

"Steve?"

"Steve, what are you doing?" They both ask confused.

"Uh, it's a quarter. I need- do you have a quarter?" He asks, staring at Y/n, he searches in his pockets and shakes his head, "Do you have a quarter?" he asks the other two.

Robin laughs at Steve as she and Dustin move over to him, "You sure you're tall enough for that ride" she mocks.

"Quarter!" Steve shouts, waving at them to come over and to Robin to throw him the quarter, when she does he catches it and does not miss a single second before he places it inside the coin space of the machine.

The horse machine begins moving, a song playing as it does. Steve kneels down beside it, clearly focused. Y/n continues to stare down at him confused while Robin smirks at the scene in front of her, finding it incredibly amusing, she would certainly mock Y/n about it once they were alone.

"You need help getting up, little Stevie?" Robin teases.

Dustin laughs at the joke, Steve merely shushes her.

"Would you two just shut up and listen" he tells them.

After a couple of seconds of the group listening as the song plays Dustin finally interrupts the silence.

"Holy shit. The music" Something clicks in Dustin's brain and he begins matching Steve's ridiculousness as he quickly takes off his backpack, searching for something, "The music!"

Y/n stares at Dustin then over at Steve, trying to understand what they've clearly noticed. Maybe it had something to do with the Russians? But what? Was the machine made in Russia? The song? It just didn't make sense to him.

Dustin pulls out the recorded message and begins playing it. Robin and Y/n stare at the two confused.

"I don't understand," she says. Y/n nods, agreeing with her.

"It's the exact same song on the recording," Dustin explains.

"Maybe they have horses like this in Russia" Robin suggests.

It all suddenly clicks for Y/n, what Dustin and Steve are trying to explain. He leans closer to the machine, sure Robin's point could make sense, but the words on the machine indicated otherwise.

"Indiana Flyer, maybe but, I don't know, I don't think so" Y/n responds, all of a sudden not finding the guys as crazy as before.

"This code, it... didn't come from Russia. It came from here" Steve points out.

Everyone goes quiet, the words suddenly making sense. They turn to stare at each other, a worried look in all of their faces, especially in those of Dustin, Y/n and Steve. They had already dealt with so much in the previous years, they didn't need something new now.

...

Everyone parted ways no long after the revelation. Robin takes the bus to her place, being the first one of the group to leave. Steve was giving Y/n and Dustin a lift, so the three of them moved inside his car, taking their unspoken designated seats, Steve driving, Y/n in the passenger and Dustin in the middle backseat.

The car is quiet at first, Y/n turns on the radio, not enjoying the weight of the silence, a lot was going on in everyone's mind and he was all too aware of it. He knew this could all be nothing, a small discovery made by the group that would stay as such, but he also knew that rarely happened, and every single thing they seemed to discover, turned into a gigantic problem that would eventually get them in all kinds of danger. He didn't need this, not right now, not when he was hoping to find a way out of Hawkins, try to do something with his life, maybe uni was out of the question, but his dad had found internships and work studies he could apply for around the country. This would get in the way of it all, he wanted to spend the summer with Steve, no worries to carry. But things never seemed to go his way.

"At least it's not a giant demogorgon this time," Dustin says, finally interrupting the silence.

"Really?" Y/n asks, shaking his head.

"Don't jinx it man" Steve adds, everyone having clearly been thinking of the same thing.

"What? We were all thinking about it" he argues, sitting back on the chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

Steve drives out of the parking lot and off towards Dustin's house to drop him off first. Technically his house was closest to his own, but if he left Dustin first, it meant he'd have some time alone with Y/n.

"You never told Robin, right?" Steve asks Y/n, glancing at him for a second before looking back at the road.

"Of course not, as if I'd drag her into that mess" Y/n tells Steve, staring at him as he drives, "It doesn't matter either way, this has nothing to do with that, it's something completely different"

Another silence falls inside the car, the radio music playing in the background, filling in the silence. Steve steals another glance towards Y/n, almost a worried glint in his eye, remembering everything that happened last time they dealt with something.

"Nothing will happen anyway, it'll be fine" Dustin adds, though none of them really believe his words.

The rest of the car drive remains quiet until Steve and Y/n drop off Dustin, watching as he goes inside his house, waving goodbye at the two of them as they make sure he gets inside. Once out of their view Steve begins driving towards Y/n's house.

"You don't think this is dangerous?" Steve asks him, his voice quiet, the atmosphere around the car quickly changing as the two now seat alone.

Y/n sighs and turns to look at Steve, watching as he drives, "I don't know, just because we're uncovering a Russian code doesn't mean that we'll actually have to face against Russians" he points out.

"I guess" Steve mutters.

"I know where you're coming from though. After everything that happened, it's only normal to be paranoid. But we've fought monsters from other dimensions, I think we can handle some Russians" Y/n responds, almost trying to get rid of the tension.

Steve chuckles slightly at his comment, stealing a glance towards Y/n as he drives.

"Are you working tomorrow?" he asks.

Y/n shakes his head, "I usually take weekends off since I babysit Holly, Mrs. Wheeler likes going out. But these past weekends she's been leaving Holly with Mr. Wheeler so I have the day off"

"Great, then I won't be stuck with those two idiots while they hunt for Russians" Steve responds with a smile.

"As if you haven't missed Dustin" Y/n counters.

"I never said I didn't" Steve points out, "It is bad I'm friends with a kid?"

Y/n shrugs, "You're asking the wrong person, aside from you and Robin we're friends with the same kids"

Steve laughs at that, stopping at a red light and turning to face Y/n.

"Is your dad back from his business trip?" Y/n asks Steve, remembering his comment about having to deal with his dad during the summer.

"Unfortunetely, and he's staying a couple of weeks before leaving again. My house has already turned into a living hell" he responds, clearly tired of his dad even with the few days he's been back.

"You know you're welcome to come to my house whenever, my dad likes seeing you around, especially since you really compliment his cooking" Steve smiles at him, turning the car as he drives into Y/n's road.

"I know, thanks Y/n" he responds sweetly.

The car comes to a stop as they arrive at Y/n's house. He takes off his seatbelt and grabs his back.

"Thank again for the lift, Steve"

"Anytime"

"Do you want to come in? My dad's probably still up" Y/n suggests out of the blue, surprising both of them. Not that it was unusual, but it almost felt different.

"No, no, it's okay, I don't want to intrude. I'll see you tomorrow" Steve responds, almost awkwardly.

Y/n opens the passanger seat and steps out, closing the door behind him. He waves goodbye to Steve and walks to the front door, unlocking the door and walking inside.

Steve watches him go until the door closes, and remains parked there for a couple of seconds before driving off. The past weeks he had started to wonder, if perhaps he should say something, test the grounds once again, see if perhaps, him and Y/n could be more than friends. Though it terrified him, the idea of being with a man never crossed his mind before, but after several talks with Robin he felt much comfortable, still he was scared, of how they'd go about things, how he'd hide it from his dad. But he was willing to take that risk for Y/n.

_____________________________________________________________

Hey peeps! MY GOD FINALLY NEW CHAPTER!! I'm so incredibly sorry and I honestly cannot begin to apologize enough. My course work has been keeping me ridiculously busy, and it's hard to get the effort to write after having to do four separate projects for uni. But nevertheless I have finally forced myself to finish this chapter, and I actually had so much fun writing it. Won't lie to you all, I practically wrote most of it today in the morning before class.

Thank you for your incredible patience with my terrible schedule and for continuing to support my story. I finish classes next month so I will begin posting weekly again. But I will force myself to try and post another chapter before I finish.

Thank you once again and I hope you enjoyed it!

As usual let me know if there are any pronoun or spelling mistakes, and feel free to leave any comments, ideas, suggestions or advice.

Lots of love,

Pip.

P.s - I'm planning to write a fanfic for my Game of Thrones Oc's, would anyone be interested in reading it? I'll also be making edits to promote it.

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'It Ain't Me, Babe' Monica Barbaro + Timothee Chalamet while writing this bit)

Steve stands outside the Clarke's home. He was supposed to pick Y/n up to continue with their tracking of the Russian spies - much to his dislike. He looks arounds the road, almost feeling as if someone was staring at him. He cleared his throat and finally raised his hand, ringing the bell. He rocks back and fourth, waiting for the door to open, his hands inside his pockets, hiding the way he picks at his fingers slightly.

"Mr. Harrington, how nice to see you" Scott Clarke smiles opening the door, his voice as welcoming as ever. He moves to the side, signalling for Steve to come in, "Y/n's having breakfast, there are some pancakes on the table, take as many as you want"

Steve thanks Mr. Clarke as he steps inside, making his way around the house he's become so familiar with, now more of a home than his own. He sees Y/n eating pancakes, then turning to look at him, a wide smile appearing on his face.

"Look who it is" Y/n says, facing towards Steve now, moving the chair beside him so Steve can take a seat, "You're early, should I be worried?"

"Ha ha, hilarious aren't you" Steve responds with a fake smile, taking a sit beside him, moving to place a pair of pancakes on the plate in front of him, stealing a glance towards Y/n as he does, "You cut your hair?"

Y/n stops eating, his eyes meeting Steve's, almost surprised he noticed. His hand moves to his hair, brushing it back slightly, "Yeah, I did. My dad cuts my hair so he did it this morning" he answers.

"Looks nice, it brings out your eyes" Steve adds, almost as if it's something he says to Y/n everyday, like it didn't completely make his day. He moves to grab the syrup, drowning the pancakes in it. Y/n looks down at his food, trying to hide the smile on his face, yet helplessly failing.

They remain in silence as they both eat. Scott observes the pair from afar, having his usual cup of coffee by the living room, noticing the glances they steal of each other, thinking no one's watching them. He smiles slightly at himself, glad Y/n has someone like Steve in his life, and praying to any god that might be out there, that these two idiots will finally notice how in love they are with each other before he loses his mind.

Steve tries to steal a raspberry from Y/n's plate, but he hits his hand away, both of them ending up laughing.

Once they're done they get their stuff and say goodbye to Mr. Clarke, Steve opening the door for Y/n as they both walk out towards his car.

...

(I listened to 'Can't Fight This Feeling' by REO Speedwagon while writing this bit)

"I don't see anything weird. What are evil Russians even suppose to look like? Over." Y/n asks through his walkie-talkie, walking around the second floor, courtesy of Dustin, who sent him away to 'find the Russians'.

"Blonde, tall, mysterious, scary. Over." Dustin answer, which narrows the search, to still most of the people inside the mall.

"Jeez, thanks, I'll find him no problem. Over and out" He sighs, continuing to move around the mall.

Dustin turns towards Steve.

"So, do you like Robin?" he asks. Steve side eyes him, a judging look on his nice.

"Of course not, she and I could never she's-" he cuts himself off before he overshares something he shouldn't, "I'm not her type. And either way I don't like her like that, alright?"

Dustin nods, pursing his lips, almost as if thinking of the next question.

"So then Y/n."

Steve freezes at Dustin's comment, the implication, of the very true statement, not only finally gave voice to his feelings outside of himself and Robin, but made the fear of who he was very real. What would other's think? What would they say? About the great King Steve, in love with a man.

Dustin notices the way Steve dissasociates, the fear in his eyes clear. He stays quiet for a moment, before he tries to ease his worries.

"I heard Y/n talk about how you two kissed last year, after the Halloween party" he says quietly, looking up at Steve, playing with the binoculars, "There's nothing wrong. I mean, scientifically speaking is very normal, animals are like that too"

Steve turns to look at him, furrowing his eyebrows, a look of disbelief and confusion on his face. He shakes his head and looks away, moving his hands over his face, covering it for a couple of seconds as he sighs loudly.

"So... is that a yes?" Dustin adds, "I mean, I love Y/n as well, just not like that, he's the best though. And if it's of any consolation, I'm sure he feels the same as well"

Steve let his hands fall as he turns to look at Dustin, his eyebrows rising slightly, "You think so?"

"Shit... so you do like him"

"Don't help so much" Steve adds, brushing his hair back nervously, wanting to hit his head against a wall repeatedly hoping that it will rid him of his feelings for Y/n, even though he knows it won't do anything.

"So, are you, like, gay?" Dustin question, earning a loud groan from Steve who hides his face in his hands again.

"I don't know, no?" he mutters against his hands, "I think I'm this thing Robin told me about, bisexual, you like girls and guys"

"That's pretty cool" Dustin responds supportingly, a smile on his face.

"I guess. I mean, this whole ordeal isn't easy for me, my parents aren't like your mom or Mr. Clarke, they suck, majorly, and they don't approve of this" Steve explains, looking back at Dustin, his usual confident mask nowhere to be found. Dustin nods, not knowing how that must feel but also having an idea of how it complicated things.

"Well you're an adult, and they don't need to know if you don't want them to, it can just stay between you and Y/n" Dustin points out. Steve chuckles slightly, almost finding it hilarious how he's taking advice from a fourteen-year-old.

"So you think he likes me?" Steve questions again. Dustin nods, his smile widening more.

"Possitive. I'm around 90% sure" Dustin confirms.

"What the hell, why the 10%?" Steve asks, almost offended, trying to get rid of how tense things were before.

"You can be an idiot sometimes" Steve pushes Dustin back and steals the binoculars.

"I'm not the one with a fake girlfriend"

"Hey!"

...

(I listened to 'You're The One That I Want' from Greese while writing this bit)

"Y/n! Y/n!" Dustin shouts through the walkie talkie, running through the mall alongside Steve.
"Evil Russian coming your way! Blonde hair that falls above his shoulders, black clothes, duffel bag. We're following him, track him stat!"

Y/n picks up the walkie confused, looking around the floor for the man that Dustin describes, "What? Where? I don't see anyone"

"He's heading towards Jazzercise!" Dustin shouts through the walkie, out of breath as he speaks.

Y/n tracks the store and begin making his way there as quickly as he can, pushing past the crowd of people in the mall, trying not to hit anyone.

When he finally arrives he stops in front of the place and sees as the guy takes off his black jacket revealing a pink sleeveless shirt. He looks around, finding Steve and Dustin hiding behind one of the mall collums. He walks towards the two shaking his head in dissapointment.

"Seriously?" He mutters, a tired look on his face.

Dustin merely shrugs and Steve sighs shaking his head, then moves to hit Dustin's back of the head.

The three walk back towards Scoops Ahoy with a defeat look on their faces, arguing about how stupid it was to find the Russians based on looks instead of anything else. They move towards Robin to tell her what happened but before they can say anything she runs past them. They stare at each other confused and follow her outside to the open hall as she looks around mumbling to herself.

"Is she okay?" Steve whispers to Y/n, who simply shakes his head and shrugs.

"What are you doing?" He asks Robin, who looks down at them with a wide smile.

"I craked the code"

"Seriously?" Dustin inquieres, excitement in his voice.

"Told you I could do it"

They spent the rest of the day looking at the time, waiting for their shift to come to an end so they can go with Robin to see how exactly she broke the code. She wouldn't explain anything, merely insisted they all needed to go to the rooftop once the mall had closed and wait for the deliveries. It all made little sense to Steve, Y/n and Dustin, but they knew better than to ask.

Y/n helped Steve around as they finished serving ice cream for the day, while Dustin spent more time talking with Robin and getting to know her, they might've also gossiped quietly about what was going on between Steve and Y/n.

As the sun began to set the rain came down with it and the mall was left empty in less than an hour, rain is never the ideal weather for the folks hoping to shop during the summer that likely have no umbrella or jacket to keep their precious belongings from getting wet.

With Scoops now all closed, the group took their jackets and through the staff hall, began making their way up towards the rooftop.

"Robin, I swear, if I get sick, it's your fault" Y/n complained, lifting up the hood of his jacket over his head.

"Umbrellas would give us away" She bites back opening the rooftop door.

"They also keep us dry"

The four of them scurry under the rain and kneel down by the edge of the roof, Dustin at one corner, with Steve next to him, then Y/n and finally Robin at the other edge. The rain was even heavier now, thunder and lightning covering the sky, making it harder for the group to communicate with each other quietly.

Robin, Dustin and Y/n could somewhat keep themselves covered from the rain, but Steve's jacket, a fashion choice rather than a weather choice, did nothing for him. His glorious hair ravaged by the rain. And yet, Y/n couldn't help but think, how nice it still looked, perhaps, even better than usual.

"Look for Imperial Panda and Kaufman Shoes" Robin shouts as quietly as possible. A truck parking in the delivery area.

Dustin looks around with his binoculars, "They're with that whistling guy, ten o'clock"

"What do you think's in there?" Steve asks, having to wipe away the rain from his face so he doesn't have trouble seeing.

"Weapons, plans of war, bodies?" Y/n lists, turning to look at Steve, sharing a long gaze between the two before they look away.

"Guns, bomb?" Dustin suggests.

"Chemical weapons" Robin adds.

"Whatever it is, they're armed to the teeth" Dustin tells them. A loud thunder echoing through the sky above them.

"Great, that's great" Steve nods tiredly, wiping away the rain that falls over his eyes.

"What's that thing they opened? What's in there?" Y/n questions, pointing to the open doors.

"It's just more boxes" Dustin explains.

Steve reaches out his hand to take the binoculars away from Dustin, "Let me check it out" but Dustin pulls it back. Y/n and Robin watching as they begin a pulling war, like little kids.

"No, I'm still looking"
"Lemme see it"
"Enough, you two!" Y/n tries to intervine.
"Hang on!"

The binoculars hit the metal edge of the roof, the sound loud, too loud the guards are able to hear it.

"Duck!" Dustin shouts.

The four of them turn around as fast as they can, leaning their backs against the wall and the floor, hiding behind it. Y/n could feel the way his heart gained speed and how his breathing was quicker and heavier, panting loudly, almost trembling, his hood had fallen, but the rain was the least of his worries.

It wasn't until he turned around to look at Steve that he noticed they were holding hands. Both of them stared at each other and then down at their intertwined fingers, their grip like a lifeline. Though they both debated on moving their hands, neither of them did, instead Steve squeezed Y/n's hand slightly, a quiet reasurrance.

"We gotta move, now!" Dustin whispers and runs towards the door.

Y/n nods and stands up, pulling Steve with him and grabbing Robin's arms to lift her up. They follow Dustin and run towards the door. Y/n guides Steve down the stairs, their hands still together, Robin follows behind and notices them, but says nothing, simply smiles to herself as they reach the staff halls.

"Well, I think we found your Russians" Robin tells Dustin as the four of them move through the halls and towards the front doors, needing to get out of the mall before more trouble finds them.

"Is it impossible for us to go a year without having to put our lives in danger, or would that be a ridiculous thing to ask for?" Y/n asks loudly, almost shouting, clearly stressed, a hint of irritation in his voice. He takes Steve's keys out of his bag and lets go of his hand, walking ahead of the group and into the parking lot to unlock Steve's car.

Robin, Steve and Dustin watch from behind, sharing a look between each other, Robin confused. An awkward silence shared. Robin gives Steve a look from the side, a smile on her face, he shakes his head and looks away, but she notices the smile he tries to hide.

"So, who needs a ride?"

...

The drive was quiet. Everyone was tired and had too much on their mind to try and make conversation. Robin was the first to be dropped off, sharing a look with Steve as she left, mouthing to him to 'go for it'. Then it was Dustin, who felt the need to apologize to Y/n for bringing in the whole Russian business, but instead walked towards his house quietly.

Y/n watched from inside the car, noticing how sad he seemed. He sighs and opens the passenger door, walking out.

"Dustin!" He shouts, running to catch up with him. Dustin stops and turns around.

"What I said, I wasn't mad at you. It's not your fault you're too smart for your own good, alright? You know I could never get mad at you" He says softly, almost with an apologetic tone. Dustin nods, a small smile on his lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asks, almost worried Y/n will say no.

"Of course" Y/n pushes Dustin's cap down with a chuckle, "Say hello to your mom for me"

Dustin nods and waves goodbye as he reaches his front door, ringing the bell.

Y/n walks back towards Steve's car, who has been watching them from afar. His eyes remain stuck on Y/n as he steps inside and takes a sit.

"Are you okay?" He asks quietly, worried.

Y/n nods, "Yeah, I just... wanted this summer to be as normal as possible, just have fun for once"

"Let's be honest, this whole Russian thing will turn out to be that they're selling some things or making extra money, it won't be anywhere near as bad as a Demogorgon. Dustin's just having fun" Steve remarks, starting the car and driving off.

Y/n nods, he knows it's true, he's probably overthinking, but still, he can't help but have a bad feeling about this whole thing.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" he adds, turning on the radio.

(I listened to 'Take My Breath Away' by Berlin while writing this bit)

The drive is quiet after that, but one thing lingers in both of their minds: how they held hands. And they both knew, it wasn't in the way that friends would, no, it clearly meant more for both of them.

Steve wants to say something, a lot, actually. But he sucks at voicing his feelings, especially with someone he actually cares about. And he really cares for Y/n, more than he's ever cared for anyone else.

"Have you ever been in love?" Steve spews, barely thinking before he lets the words come out.

Y/n turns to look at him, almost surprised by the question, but also confused by it. He takes a moment to think, debating how much to share.

"I don't know, maybe" he responds, his answer in truth is a simply yes, but he knows Steve would ask who, and he's not ready to admit things to him, "You have, of course, I don't even need to ask, Nancy"

Steve nods, but the movement is small, almost weak, "Yeah, I guess"

"Are you still in love with her?" He doesn't even know why he asks, he knows that if the answer is yes it'll simply break his heart, still, he can't help but ask.

"No." Steve answers almost immediatly, there's no doubt about it.

Y/n nods, watching as Steve begins to park his car outside of his house. He notices the garage light is on, his dad must be working on one of his minatures.

"I found someone, actually, who's better for me, and likes me for who I am, like you said" Steve adds, pushing himself to express things.

"It's crazy, really, I should've known a long time ago. Part of me knew, I think, but I guess I was too scared to acknowledge things" he confesses, not giving himself a moment to pause, worried if he does he will chicken out and not say anything at all.

Y/n turns his body towards Steve, listening to everything he says. Trying not to overthink it, to simply listen to him before coming to conclusions that might not be true.

"Dustin kept telling me, you know. I guess he thinks himself cupid now that he has Suzie, who, I'm not even sure is real" he chuckles at the last bit, though it's mostly a nervous chuckle, "I guess he's right, I am an idiot. I should've done something about it ages ago instead of wasting time overthinking things and wondering if it was okay, if I wasn't going crazy"

"I mean, they're, the coolest person I've ever met. They're smart and nice and completely out of my league. And it's like they don't even try, you know? I don't even think I have a chance with them" he adds, staring ahead at the empty street before redirecting his gaze back to Y/n, who's gaze is as gentle and understanding as usual, and it almost makes things harder for him.

"They seem nice. I'm sure they feel the same" Y/n responds, but it's clear he has no idea who Steve is referring to.

"Jesus, Y/n. I'm talking about you, how much obvious do I have to be about it?"

Y/n freezes at his words, his eyes widening. His heart stops and for a second he almost worries he's dreaming.

"But I thought-"

"Yeah, so did I. Then I talked to Robin, and realised I didn't just have to like girls, I could like both. Even Dustin had a whole talk to me about it and he's like eight, so" Steve admits, nervous, visibly so.
"I don't know how this whole thing would work out. I mean, I'm the last person who's an expert on this. And shit, it wouldn't be easy, this is Hawkins, they probably still think it's illegal or some shit, my dad would kill me if he found out. But, I don't care. I know what I feel for you, Y/n, and I'm tired of lying to myself and keeping quiet about it. I like you, really like you, it's terrifying actually, but it's the truth"

Y/n stares at him, unsure what to say, yet with so much to say, the whole situation is surreal. So the only thing he's able to do is laugh, a wide smile on his face as he laughs, "I like you too, Steve. A lot"

Steve lets out a breath of relief and rests his head back against the car seat, "Oh, thank god" he brushes his hair back and turns his gaze to Y/n again, "So, do you want to be my boyfriend? Partner?"

"Yeah" Y/n nods smiling. Steve smiles back at him, his hand finding Y/n's and he holds it for a moment.

"Great, great. Should I walk you home? And talk to your dad about it?" Steve asks, still very nervous. Y/n laughs again.

"If you want. But if you don't get changed soon you're going to get sick" he points out, Steve looks down at himself, noticing his wet clothes and hair.

"Maybe tomorrow in the morning when I pick you up might be better" he proposes, to which Y/n nods.

"Then, I'll see you tomorrow, Steve. Goodnight" Y/n responds, leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to Steve's cheek before walking out of the car. He waves goodbye and practically rushes towards his house, unlocking his door and stepping inside.

Steve moves his hand to his cheek where Y/n kissed him, then he lifts his hand and lets it fall, cheering to himself. He drives to his house with the biggest smile he's ever had.

Y/n locks the front door and runs towards the garage.

"Dad! Dad!" he shouts. Scott jumps back, almost dropping a figurine but catches it before it falls on the ground.

"You scared the ever living life out of me, what in the world is going on?" Scott asks, putting down the figure and turning around to look at Y/n, his hand over his chest.

"Steve and I are dating" He confesses.

Scott immediatly stands up, a wide smile on his face, "Who would've thought? Wait, I did" he says excited, "Tell me all about it"

_________________________________________________

Hey peeps!!! FINALLY IT HAS HAPPENED! The pookies are finally together after, what, 2 years of me writing this, possibly longer. I'm so so happy with how the confession turned out, I hope you guys loved it as much as I did!! Romance will follow from here onwards so look out for some cheesy and cute moment between the reader and Steve. I have A LOT planned. Honestly I just want to finish this season over because what I have planned for the in between seasons and season 4 *rubs hands evilly* well you guys are NOT ready for it.

As always thank you so much for your support and for everyone who always reads this. I hope to finish season three in 2 months so we can get into the real thing.

If you have any questions, suggestions, corrections, advice, or comments please feel free to let me know! Please do inform me as well if there are any pronoun mistakes!

Don't forget you can find the playlist for the fanfic in spotify!
Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LG6CfmPtUulLQdy3EoZsx?si=0cf98ec3c1bc4df7
Name: A Chemical Reaction Called Love
Username: Valpipsqueak

Lots of love, Author!

Chapter Text

Narrator's POV

(I listened to 'The Things We Do For Love' by 10cc while writing this bit)

That morning Steve stood outside Y/n's house, his hair styled even nicer than usual. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so nervous, he had grown to feel so comfortable around Y/n, that to feel so worried at the idea of seeing him, felt foreign. He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath and knocked on the door, standing impatiently.

Y/n opened the door, a wide smile on his face as he looked at Steve, "Hey" he greeted him.

"Hey, you look nice" Steve complements, lifting his hand to touch him, but he hesitates, instead moving his hand to rest on Y/n's shoulder.

"So do you. I'll get my bag and be out" Y/n responds, stepping back inside. Steve watches him go inside and turns around to start his car again.

"Mr. Harrington" Steve freezes in place when he hears Mr. Clarke call out his name. He assumed Y/n told him that they were dating, why wouldn't he? Mr. Clarke had always liked Steve and still part of him couldn't help but worry that Scott would disaprove of their relationship.

"Mr. Clarke" Steve returns, looking back at the door, a weak smile on his face, trying to mask his worry.

"I think you know I don't need to tell you anything. But, don't do anything stupid you two, wear protection. And, please, don't break his heart" Scott tells him, with that dad tone Steve has grown to know so well. He nods at his advice.

"I don't plan to, sir. But, don't worry, we'll be careful" Steve agrees. He watches as Y/n sneaks past Mr. Clarke, giving him a hug and waving goodbye at him, catching up to Steve.

They both walk towards his car, stepping inside of it as Steve starts the engine.

"What did he tell you?" Y/n asks, putting on his seatbelt.

"If you're asking if he tried to scare me off, I don't think that's possible for your dad. But no, he just gave me the normal dad talk" Steve answers, looking at Y/n from the corner of his eye as he drives off towards the mall. Y/n nods, a soft smile on his face.

...

Steve, Robin, and Y/n sit around a table in the staff lounge. Dustin pacing around and explaining to them everything he found out about the storage room they discovered yesterday. Going into detail about how not only do they need a keycard to activate the doors, but also the room is constantly guarded by a security guard with a gun.

"There's gotta be a way in" Robin counters, staring at Dustin.

"Well, you know... I could just take him out" Steve suggests, leaning over the table, glacing at the three of them.

"Take who out?" Y/n and Robin question in unison, a confused expression on Robin's face and a worried gaze in Y/n's.

"The Russian guard" Steve answers.

Robin nods, a look of disbelief on her face, finding the idea ridiculous. Y/n immediatly shakes his head, staring at Steve as he leans closer to him.

"Absolutely not" he insists.

"What? I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard. It's easy" he adds, as if it was the simplest idea, and not the most ridiculous plan.

"Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?" Dustin asks. Y/n nods, signaling towards Dustin, trying to highlight his point.

"Yes, Dustin. I did. And that's why I would be sneaking" Steve counters, making walking movements with his fingers. 

"Okay, but, have you ever actually... won a fight?" Dustin points out, earning a scoff from Steve.

"Okay that was one time-"

"Have we forgotten about Jonathan? Steve, everytime you fight you end up with your face bruised and blodied. Last year you almost got yourself killed by Billy. How many times do I have to tell you? You suck at fights, period." Y/n argues, his tone more serious than before. He does not want to see Steve out cold again, plus the threat of a gun is more than either of them can deal with.

"No, no, listen, I can do it, okay? I've been getting better, you guys have no faith in me but I can do it just watch" Steve disagrees, not dropping the topic.

The argument is broken up when Robin suddenly stands from her seat and moves to the front of the shop, taking out all of the money from the tips jar as Steve, Dustin and Y/n watch from the window.

"Robin. Hey, Robin! Hey, what- what are you doing?" Steve calls out, pushing open the door as he follows her to the front of the shop.

"I need cash" she simply explains, walking out.

"Well, half of that's mine. Where are you going?" Steve complains, his face dropping.

"To find us a way into that room, a safe way" she shouts back, "And, in the mean time, sling ice cream, behave, and don't get beat up. I'll be back in a jiff" she add, running away and getting lost in the pool of people inside the mall.

Y/n lets out a loud sigh and rests his head against the wall behind them, moving his hands over his face as he closes his eyes, "Why are you guys so obsessed with that room? Can't we just focus on something else for one second?" he asks out loud, tired of getting themselves into trouble one way or another, no matter what they do.

...

(I listened to '9 to 5' by Dolly Parton while writing this bit)

An hour or so passes when Robin walks inside the ice cream shop again and moves inside the staff lounge. Steve drops his ice cream scoop and follows Dustin and Y/n inside. The three of them watch as Robin places down her bag and pulls out a large paper from it.

"It is fascinating what twenty bucks will get you at the County Recorder's Office" she explains, placing down on the table what seem to be the construction plans of the mall, "Starcourt Mall, the complete blueprints"

"Not bad" Dustin compliments.

Robin then begins explaining in details how there's no direct connection between the Scoops room and the storage room when it comes to doors outside from the ones they saw yesterday. But, then she highlights how the entire mall is connected by vents and the ones on Scoops lead to the ones inside the storage.

Steve reaches for a ladder and removes the grilles from the vents leaving it open, the other three standing behind him.

"Flashlight" he calls out. Dustin hands him the flashlight, "Yeah, I don't know man, I don't think you can fit there" he explains.

Dustin argues against it, insisting he can because of the lack of bones thing he has. Which leads to Steve pushing Dustin's butt to try and get him inside, which miserably fails and ends with the two arguing.

The costumer bell begins ringing, catching the attention of Robin and Y/n, who turn around to find none other than Erica Sinclair asking for ice cream. They both turn to look at each other, no words need to be shared between the two friends, only a look that says it all. 'We need someone smaller. We need Erica'.

Y/n pushes the door open and steps forward behind the cashier.

"Since when do you work here?" Erica questions, looking Y/n up and down, clearly judging him.

"I don't. It's my weekend off so I'm helping Steve" He explains, before pausing for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows as he thinks for a moment, an idea coming to him, "Erica, how long have I known you for?" Y/n asks, taking Erica by surprise, she shrugs.

"I don't know, my whole life" she answers. Y/n clicks his fingers at that and points at her.

"Exactly, and I've been the best babysitter you've ever had, right?" he questions, Erica nods.

"You've been the only babysitter I've ever had. But you were great, I guess, why are you asking?" she questions suspicious. Y/n smiles at her.

"I need a favour"

...

"Yeah, I don't know" Erica responds, moving down from the stairs after inspecting the vents.

"You don't think you can fit?" Y/n asks.

"Oh I can fit, I just don't know if I want to" she answers, with her usual sassiness.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Robin questions. Steve sighs, turning to look at Y/n, raising his eyebrow, almost judging his decision of getting Erica to help.

"I don't have phobias" she chuckles, as if the idea in itself is ridiculous.

"Okay, well, what's the problem?" Steve asks, confused to what's stopping her from helping.

"Tha problem is, I still haven't heard what's in this, for Erica" she clarifies, crossing her arms over her chest. Steve sighs loudly, brushing back his hair.

Y/n proceeds to try and explain to Erica what they need her for, what the plan is, how she would be helping the great country of the United States of America by helping them investigate the Russians. Which ends with her demanding free ice cream for life, and for the group to eventually cave in to her demands.

Y/n joins Steve behind the front desk as he adds more ice cream scoops and fudge to Erica's banana split, looking around to make sure the coast is clear before moving closer to him.

"I don't like this, Steve" he voices, leaning against the desk. Steve turns his head to look at Y/n, a soft look in his eyes.

"We're just going to check what's inside those boxes, maybe get some samples, pictures, we'll be national heroes, that's all" he insists. He believes very little of what Steve says, he has a feeling he can't explain that they shouldn't be doing this. But he knows none of them will listen, they're in too deep with this. And, honestly, Y/n could simply be paranoic, after everything that has happened, everything they've gone through, it's only normal.

Steve notices his worry, his hand moving to grab Y/n's behind the table, subtle enough so no one else notices, but the gesture remains the same. His touch strong yet gentle in its own way, his thumb brushing the back of his knuckles, "It'll be okay, I promise. Don't worry so much"

"Okay" Y/n gives in, a soft smile on his face.

Erica spends the rest of the day eating as much ice cream as humanly possible while Steve and Robin work. Dustin and Y/n work on the plan and direction that Erica will have to take in order to arrive inside the room. They get a helmet and other 'protective' things so she won't get injured on her way through the vents.

Once the mall closed and the sun had long set, Robin, Steve, Dustin and Y/n eventually move back towards the rooftop. Leaving Erica by herself inside the closed Scoops Ahoy.

"Commence Operation Child Endangerment" Erica responds through her walkie-talkie as she makes her way inside the vents.

"Okay, let's not call it that, please" Y/n says, leaning over Robin who holds the Walkie Talkie.

"See you on the other side, nerds" Erica adds.

Y/n glances at Steve, the two sharing a look as they begin waiting to hear from Erica again.

A couple of minutes pass before they hear from Erica again, letting them know she can see inside the room, that they're no guards in sight and she'll be going in. A minute passes when suddenly the door opens, and Erica walks out.

"Free icea cream. For. Life" she insists, pointing at Steve and Robin.

Everyone stares around at each other.

"What did I tell you? Easy." Steve remarks, staring at Y/n, a smile on his face. He shakes his head and stands up, opening the door of the rooftop to move downstairs.

Everyone moves inside the storage room, looking around the different boxes. Y/n moves over to Erica patting her head.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

"Trust me, that was nothing" Erica responds, a smile on her face.

Steve moves in front of one of the boxes and tears the tape, everyone surrounds the box, looking down to see what's inside. There seems to be another box inside, keeping something safe. Steve's hand hovers over the handle as he looks around at everyone, almost waiting for everyone to agree to see what's inside.

He grabs the handle, twists it and lifts the cover revealing four containers.

"That's definetely not chinese food" Steve mutters, putting away the cover and looking at everyone, "Uh, maybe you guys should, you know, stand back" he adds.

Robin rolls her eyes but stands back with Erica. Meanwhile Dustin and Y/n stay in their place, looking at Steve with furrowed eyebrows.

"No." They say in unison.

"Guys, just step back, okay?" he repeat, trying to push them both back.

"No" Dustin responds.

"When did we decide you'd be the one opening something possibly dangerous?" Y/n questions, shaking his head.

"Right now. Step back, seriously" Steve insists, his gaze locked with Y/n's, his eyes serious, leaving no room for arguments. Still, he doesn't move.

"No!" Dustin shouts, "If you die, I die" Y/n nods at Dustin's words. Steve looks at the two of them in disbelief for a long moment before responding.

"Okay"

Steve grabs the handle of one of the containers and twists it. He lifts it slowly, revealing a bottle with green liquid inside. Everyone stares at it confused.

"What the hell" Steve whispers.

"What is that?" Robin asks.

BAM! The room shakes, some boxes moving slightly. 

"Was that just me, or did the room move?" Dustin questions.

"Booby traps" Erica whispers, a hint of worry in her voice as looks to Y/n for reasurrance. He moves over to Erica, holding her arm, remembering when she was younger.

"You know what? Let's just grab that and go" Robin insists, taking the bottle from Steve's hand and moving  to place it inside Erica's bag.

Dustin moves to open the door, repeatedly pressing the button.

"Which one do I press, Erica?" he asks nerviously.

"Just press the damn button, nerd" she yells.

"Which one? I'm pressing the button, okay?" he repeats, looking back at her.

"Press 'open door'!" she shouts.

"I'm pressing 'open door'!" he shouts back.

"Oh my god!" Y/n yells, moving from Erica towards Dustin to see what's wrong.

Steve mirrors Y/n's movement, moving to stand beside him as he presses on the button. Dustin begins arguing with Steve and he argues back as they both try to press the button. They both begin touching different buttons. Y/n's eyes widen and he pushes their hands away.

"What are you doing?! Stop! Just, stop!" he shouts.

A loud sound interrupts the argument as a red door slides down and covers the doors, locking them in. The lights flickers for a moment and the room begins to fall.

Dustin, Robin and Erica begin screaming. Y/n and Steve look around in a frenzy, trying to make sense of what's going on. They notice from a window above as the room drops, like an elevator would.

"Oh shit" Steve murmurs, turning to look at Y/n.

They both begin shouting as well, the elevator dropping quicker and quicker. Everyone tries to cling onto something for support and balance. Boxes begin to fall as the room shakes.

Dustin runs to the buttons again trying to press them all.

"We're going down! We're going down!" Steve shouts.

"No shit!" Robin and Y/n yell back.

"Why don't these buttons work!" Dustin screams. Erica runs to him and presses the buttons as well, the two arguing.

"Stop it you two! The buttons caused this!" Y/n screams, no patience left inside of him.

The elevator comes to an abrupt stop, sending everyone down as they lose their balance. Y/n falls on top of Steve, a box falling on his back. They both let out a loud grunt as they lay on the ground.

"Oh my back" Y/n complains. He lifts his hand and pushes it back, carefully moving off Steve.

"Dustin!" he shouts annoyed.

"Is everyone okay?" Y/n asks, standing up, looking around.

"Yeah, I'm great, now that I know Russians can't design elevators!" he shouts irritated, pushing Dustin to the side and pushing down the buttons, again.

"I think we've clearly established that those buttons don't work" Robin remarks. 

"They're buttons, they have to do something!" Steve counters.

"Yeah, if we had a keycard" Robin highlights.

"A what?" Steve asks confused.

"It's an electronic lock, meaning-" Y/n explains.

"We're stuck here" Dustin adds, ending Y/n's sentence.

"What did I tell you, Steve! I told you this was a bad idea!" Y/n shouts moving closer to Steve, closing the buttons door loudly. He begins pacing around, brushing his hair back angrily. "We couldn't do something normal for once! Could we?!" 

"What do you want me to say?" Steve shouts back.

"I don't know! That I was right?! That this was an idiotic idea?!" he yells. Dustin and Robin stare at the two from the side, sharing a look of surprise at the argument.

"Just so you nerds are aware, I'm supposed to spend the night at Tina's, and Tina always covers for me. But if I'm not home for Uncle Jack's party tomorrow and my mom finds out you four are responsible, she's gonna hunt you down, one by one, and slit your throat" Erica threatens the others, with the usual teenage tone.

"I don't care about Tina!" Steve snaps at Erica, clearly stressed about too many things at once, "Or Uncle Jack's party! Your mom's not gonna be able to find us, if we're dead in a Russian elevator!" Steve explains angrily.

"Don't shout at her!" Y/n lectures.

"You shouted at me!" Steve snaps back.

"You're an adult! She's a kid!" he insists.

"Hey!" Dustin shouts, getting their attention, "What if we climbed up?" Everyone looks up, noticing the ceeling door.

Steve opens the door and helps Dustin move up, then follows him onto the top. Y/n stands under the opening, waiting to hear something from the two.

"So?!" he shouts.

Steve pokes his head from the side.

"We can't possibly climb that"

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hey peeps! Here's the new chapter, it's shorter than usual sorry for that the next one will be way longer I promise!! I hope you liked the chapter as much as I did! I'm hoping to finish this season in the next 3-4 chapters, then we'll move into the in-between of season 3 and 4 where I have A LOT planned and then we'll finally get started with season 4! Thank you as always for your support!

Chapter Text

~Narrator's POV~

(I listened to 'Without You' by Harry Nilsson while writing this bit)

"No one is coming" Y/n repeated for the third time as he lays down some jackets on the floor with Robin's help, trying to work on a make shift bed for the kids to sleep on, since it does not seem like they'll be going anywhere anytime soon. Dustin has tried to call for help for about half an hour, which Y/n found hopeless from the beginning, they were miles underground.

"Maybe someone will get my signal" Dustin debates, earning a tired glare from Y/n as he looks up through the elevator hole.

"I think someone would've heard by now, come on, get down, it's late" he continues insisting, turning to look at Steve so he might help Dustin get down.

"Listen to Y/n, Dustin; before you get smacked" Steve echoes, moving under the hole as Dustin defeatedly moves down with the help of him, careful not to drop him.

Y/n and Robin sit beside Erica as she lays on top of the jackets, using her bag as a pillow.

"Is it somewhat comfortable?" Y/n asks her, sitting down next to her while Robin sits on the other side.

"I guess, as comfortable as a floor can get. I've gone camping before, it's not that bad" Erica responds as she lays down. Y/n gives her an apologetic smile and taps her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, this was not our plan. I promise I'll make it up to you" Y/n apologises to Erica, earning a shrug from her, as she moves trying to get comfortable. She's trying to act unbothered but Y/n can see past her mask, he knows all the kids too well, more than they'd like to admit.

Y/n stands up when he sees Dustin coming over, he signals for Dustin to lay down beside Erica and hands him his jacket, now dry. He pats his hair, watching as Dustin lays down, his back to Erica. Robin, now on the floor beside Erica, whispers to her quietly as she tries to soothe any nerves by telling the kids one of her many stories.

Steve and Y/n share a tired glance across the room as the elevator falls silent. Steve can see the guilt clear in Y/n's face, he's practically drowning in it, even though none of this was his idea and he was always against the plan, having a bad feeling, he still takes all the blame for it, even though none of them blame him. Y/n brushes his hair back noticing as Erica falls asleep, likely too tired and stressed about the whole situation to stay awake. He sighs and moving on top of a box, pushes himself up through the ceiling hole to move outside the elevator, needing some space.

Steve watches him but decides to stay down, almost feeling guilty himself for the whole ordeal. Robin glances back at the quiet sound and whispers Steve's name to get his attention. She raises her eyebrows in question to where Y/n is an Steve points up.

"Go with him, idiot" Robin mouths to Steve, as if the idea of him staying down was ridiculous. Steve debates arguing but gives in and quietly moves up to join Y/n.

Y/n's back is to Steve, his feet dangling over the edge slightly, staring towards the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he hunches over slightly. Steve takes off his jacket as he moves to seat beside Y/n and moves to wrap the jacket over Y/n's shoulders.

"Hey" he says quietly, his voice slightly groggy.

"Hi" Y/n mutters back, bringing his jacket closer to himself. The worry is now clearer in his face.

A silence falls between the two for several seconds, neither of the two unsure of what to say, too much in their minds.

"What if something happens to us?" Y/n asks, breaking the silence, "What if the kids are taken, what are we supposed to do then? Those kids trust us with their lives, we can't let them down-"

"We won't" Steve insists, taking Y/n's hands, his grip strong, his thumb caressing the back of his hand in a comforting way, "You're panicking, I get it, the situation sucks, but we'll figure it out, or at least you'll do, you always do, so"

"I'm not sure this time, Russian's are different to monsters, they're smart, monsters work by instinct, humans don't. If they find out we're here, that we've found this place, I don't think they'll just let us go with that kind of information" he argues, a loud sigh leaving his lips as he turns to rest his head on Steve's shoulder.

"I should've listened to you, I'm sorry" Steve apologises, looking down at Y/n, who shakes his head as soon as Steve speaks.

"It's not your fault, no one could've seen this coming. We just need to get out of here Steve, before something happens"

"We will" Steve wraps his arm around Y/n's shoulder and pulls him closer, resting his head on top of Y/n's. They stay sat down above for a couple of minutes before the decide to get down, trying to get some hours of sleep at least before needing to deal with whatever tomorrow will bring them.

...

Y/n is awaken by shouting from above, he opens his eyes and sits up, seeing Robin and Erica talking, Steve and Dustin missing, they were likely the shouting that woke him up. He stands and moves under the hole faintly hearing the conversation between the two guys. Dustin made a commend on how he spent the night with Y/n, Steve told him to drop it and Dustin asked why he was so cranky, leading to him rambling about how he had come up with nothing last night on how to get everyone out.

He hears Robin shouting at Steve to 'redirect his stream' but turns his attention to find Erica hitting one of the strange bottles found.

"Okay no! Let's stop that" Y/n exclaims, rushing to take the bottle away from Erica.

"We don't even know what that is" Robin points out.

"It could be useful. We can survive down here a long time without food, but if the human body doesn't get water, it will die" Erica points out.

"I hate to break it to you, but this is not water" Robin highlights.

"No, but it's a liquid" she argues.

"A liquid that looks nowhere normal. I'm sorry, hon, I doubt we can consume that" Y/n adds, putting the bottle away as a sound comes from outside the elevator doors.

Robin and Y/n lean closer against the door, trying to hear through the metal, a sound approaches the group, "We got company!" Robin shouts.

Robin and Y/n help Erica move up on the ceiling, everyone staying quiet while two people move inside the elevator, taking some of the boxes. Y/n and Steve realise Erica grabbed one of the bottles, they share a knowing look, if there's a chance at getting out of there, it's now.

As soon as the men leave Steve rushes to place the bottle on the ground as the door closes, preventing it from doing so, giving them so time to leave. Y/n helps Erica and Dustin down, shouting for them to make their way out, then follows Robin, then Y/n, and as the bottle begins to break due to the weight of the door, Steve manages to move under the gap before the bottle breaks and the elevetor closes once again, the green liquid of the bottle burning the ground, like an acid would.

"Still want to drink it?" Robin asks Erica playfully.

"Holy mother of God" Dustin mumbles in disbelief. Everyone turns to face him and find a seemingly never ending hall in front of them.

"Talk about a long road" Y/n points out.

"I hope you're all in good shape. Talking about you roast beef" Steve responds, hitting Dustin's arm and beginning to walk ahead, "Come on" they all sigh but follow him.

...

(I listened to 'Call Me' by Blondie while writing this bit)

After walking for what felt like hours and tracking the location of the russian transmission, the group found themselves in front of what seemed to be the base, people moving in an out of the two floor office. Some with guns, others scientists, too many people were around.

"The comms room, is on the second floor" Erica informs as they all crouch down under a table.

"Are you sure?" Steve questions.

"I saw the door open for some seconds, machines and lights and weird things" she responds.

"I'll take those odds" Robin mutters.

Steve and Y/n look at each other as they think, knowing there aren't exactly lots of options.

"Okay, we're gonna go fast, we're gonna stay low" Steve informs. Everyone follows quietly as they carefully move through the place, trying to avoid the eyes of all the workers around.

A scientist leaves the room as soon as they reach it, allowing Steve to reach it before it closes and guide everyone inside the room.

They all freeze as they find a soldier inside, before he can reach for his walkie Robin begins speaking to him in Russian. Y/n takes a quiet step closer, moving his hand into a fist, if worst came to worst, he could fight to an extent.

The soldier confused at Robins words reaches for his pocket and before anyone can do anything Steve yells and runs towards the man as they begin to fight. Y/n tries to follow the two, finding an opening to help Steve, who grabs what seems to be a telephone and hits the soldier with it, knocking him out.

Everyone stares at him shocked.

"Dude! You did it! You won a fight!" Dustin exclaims proudly. Steve grins at his comment, and though the timing is terrible and there are more important things to be dealt with, Y/n can't help but find Steve even more attractive than usual in that moment.

Dustin moves to steal the guys keycard, Steve moves over towards Y/n, a smirk on his face.

"Did you see what your boyfriend did?" he asks, bumping his shoulder against Y/n, who rolls his eyes with a chuckle.

"The babysitter has become a fighter" Y/n responds teasingly. Erica and Dustin argue behind them but it's Robin's worried voice that gets everyones attention.

"You need to see this"

They all follow her towards a door, finding a machine that seems to be opening a portal into something they all wished fone a long time ago: the upside down.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Y/n shout whispers.

Erica and Robin follow the trio confused.

"How do you know about this again?" she asks.

"We just do. And it's bad, like end of the world, kind of bad" Dustin explains.

"And you know about this how?-"

"Ugh, Steve? Where's your Russian friend?" Everyone turns around at Erica's question, noticing the russian soldier that Steve had beat up, not longer remains on the floor.

An alarm begins to sound around the place, Steve opens the door to find soldiers moving towards them.

"Go! Go! Go!"

They all begin running out of the office, then inside the control panel of the machine, then outside where the portal is being opened, then down some stairs until they're forced to move inside a room to run from the soldier, but they lock themselves in. Steve and Y/n move to block the door, trying to stop the Russian's from opening it. Robin moves beside Y/n and helps them as well.

Dustin and Erica find a sort of tunel, likely a ventilation system where they could escape from.

"Go!" Y/n shouts at them.

"But-" Dustin begins before he's interrupted.

"Just go! We'll handle this!" Steve yells.

"I'll never forget you!" Dustin shouts moving inside the vents and dissapearing.

Y/n, Steve and Robin are pushed back as the door is kicked open, numerous soldiers pointing their guns at them. They all raise their hands and let themselves be taken by the Russians.

They move the three of them through the halls, each being taken by a guard, hands tied behing their backs "Where are you taking us?" Y/n asks, there's no answer, "What are you going to do?" once again, he's met with silence.

He notices how Robin and him are moved to one room, while Steve to another. If movies were right, then they were all about to be interrogated. Steve and Y/n share a final look before he's pushed into the room and Y/n to the other.

A guard stands between him and Robin, leaving little chance for the two to be able to speak. A couple of minutes pass, maybe more, before two men walk in and grab Y/n out of the room, moving him to what seems to be an interrogation room.

He's pushed down towards a bench, his head hitting the wall as he sits.

"Who sent you?" the man begin asking, his Russian accent thick.

"No one, we just, arrived here" Y/n answers. He was still deciding whether bending the truth or being honest would be better for them.

The man nods and before Y/n has time to think he feels a punch against his stomach. He coughs out his air.

"Who do you work for?"

Y/n stares up, annoyed and confused, "Tower Records, the music store in Starcourt Mall" he responds. He knows that's not the answer they're looking for, but what else is he supposed to say? That is where he works at.

He's met with another punch, this time to his face, sending his head to the side, his jaw begins to hurt and he knows a bruise will come out of it.

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to lie to you? Clearly you'll punch me even if I tell the truth so why bother asking?" Y/n shouts back at the men, there's no playing nice here, so he might as well be honest.

The man - who seems to be the one in charged here - nods and another punch is thrown his way, again to his stomach.

"How did you get here?" the man continues to ask.

Y/n glares up at the two, feeling the need to throw up yet having eaten nothing in hours with no possibility of actually being sick.

"Where's Steve?"

...

The three of them are thrown into a room. Y/n's face is covered in bruises, his stomach with some as well. He notices as Robin and Steve lay on the floor beside him.

"Robin?" he whispers.

"Hey, hey" Robin whispers back, moving towards Y/n, "Your face..."

"Steve? Steve?" Y/n turns his head to the other side, where Steve rests, he taps his back, when there's no response he tries to sit up, "Steve!"

"Steve!" Robin shouts, shaking him, but Steve remains unconcious from what it seems, "What did you do?!" Robin yells at the man, sitting up. He slaps her and she falls back.

The three of them are picked up and tied to chairs against each other.

"Steve? Steve?" Y/n continues calling for him, leaning his hand back to try and get some contact between the two, to make sure, at the very least, he's still alive.

"Don't touch him!" Robin yells at them.

"What did you do to him!" Y/n shouts, lifting his head to look at the soldiers around.

"Your friend needs a doctor. Good thing we have the very best" The man chuckles, Robin spits at him. "You're going to regret that little bitch"

"Leave her alone, asshole!" Y/n yells as the men walk out, leaving them alone.

Minutes pass without the men coming. Robin spends her time shouting for her, Y/n has such a raging headache he can't be asked to shout, he just rests his head against Steve's.

"Hey, would you stop yelling" Y/n perks up, turning his head as he hears Steve's voice.

"You're awake" he whispers, relief clear in his voice, "Thank god"

"Are you okay?" Robin asks.

"Well my ears are ringing, I can't really breath and I feel like my eyes is gonna pop out, but outside from that, yeah, all good" he responds, turning his head to the side, his eyes meeting Y/n's, "Jeez, what happened to you?"

"Don't worry, you look worse" Y/n responds with a chuckle, he knows it looks bad and feels bad, but Steve doesn't need to worry right now.

Robin then comes with a plan. There's a table with some scissors, if they move in unison they could reach it and free themselves. She begins counting and they begin moving.

The first jump goes well. Then again, and it works. But on the third time, they don't jump on time and fall flat on the ground, hitting their head.

They all groan. Y/n is sure he'll have internal bleeding of some kind. Robin begins to laugh, which Steve confuses for crying, until she laughs louder.

"Seriously?" he asks.

"At least someone is still keeping some positivity to the situation" Y/n points out.

"I'm sorry" she apologizes mid laugh.

Y/n closes his eyes and lets out a quiet chuckle, trying to think of anything else but the headache or bruises.

"So, have you two idiots finally spoken or what?" Robin asks.

"Yeah, yeah we did" Steve responds, a smile on his face, not that either of them can see it.

"And what?" she continues.

"We're dating" Y/n answers.

"Well, at least if we die I'll die in peace" Robin chuckles.

"I just hope Dustin and Erica are far away somewhere else. Otherwise I'll never forgive myself if something happens to them" Y/n mutters, mostly to himself.

"I'm sure they're fine, they're too smart for their own good" Steve tells him. Though he's just as worried for the kids.

The door opens and the men walk back inside again. The soldiers help place the chairs back in the middle.

"Be sure to tell the truth this time" the Russian warns.

A doctor walks up to them, holding what looks like a gun yet not a gun really, with a seringe and long needle.

"What are you doing?!" Y/n shouts.

"Wait! Wait! What is that?!" Steve yells before he's pricked with the needle and screams.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone here's the new chapter finally out!! I've been sick which is why I hadn't been able to upload, I'm hoping the next chapter does not take as long. I really just want to be done with season 3 it's really not my favourite one when it comes to the storyline and working on it so I'm not having as much fun, meanwhile I'm so excited for the in between of season 3 and 4 so I want to get there soon! Thanks once again for your patience and support!

If there are any spelling or pronoun mistakes feel free to let me know! Feel free to leave message, feedback, etc, I love reading it!

Lots of love,

Author!

Chapter Text

Narrator's POV

(I listened to 'Spellbound' by Siouxsie and the Banshees while writing this bit)

He still felt the place in his neck where they had stuck the needle in, it still hurt and he was sure it would be bruised sooner than later. He felt dizzy yet weirdly energized, something was wrong, something was terribly wrong. From what he supposed given how quickly the effects came in and the fact the Russians wanted to get information out of them, he was practically sure all three of them were drugged. What with? Y/n had no idea, it would almost be impossible to figure out unless he was a medical student or a genius in interrogatory drugs from Russia, all he knew is he needed to get this out of his system.

"Honestly I don't really feel anything." Steve finally mumbles after almost half an hour of no one speaking, "Do you?"

"I-I mean, I feel fine, I feel normal" Robin answers.

"Yeah, I feel -- I feel fine" Steve adds. They both sound too drousy, too out of it, Y/n could notice, "I kind feel good"

They both start laughing, seemingly okay and relaxed. Y/n feels like shit.

He hears every single word they joke and laugh about, yet at the same time he hears none of it, his brain is a mess, his head is killing him and he would not be surprised if he throws up at any moment. Steve, in his own way, notices that Y/n does not seem well, he bumps his head against his - which only made the headache worse - and asks him if he is okay. All he does is shake his head.

Then the door opens and the doctor and Russian captain walk inside the room again. The doctor takes out a number of tools that would clearly be used for torture.

"Let's try this again, yes?" The captain asks. Y/n felt as Steve nods, "Who do you work for?"

"Scoops. Scoops Ahoy." He chuckles.

"How did you find us?" The captain continues asking.

"Totally by accident" Steve responds, again.

Y/n hears the conversation going on around here. How quickly it escalates when the Russians didn't get the answers they want, how Robin confesses about the code, then Steve mentioning Dustin's name. Y/n shouts then, he isn't sure if he said anything coherent, but he doesn't care.

And then, an alarm goes off. The captain leaves the room to inspect what is wrong but the doctor stays. Seconds later, a side door is pushed open and in storms Dustin, lifting a strange electrical thing, yelling and proceeding to electrocute the doctor, knocking him out.

"Oh my god" Y/n says, eyes wide open as he stares up at Dustin.

"Hey! Henderson! That's crazy I was just talking about you" Steve shares. Dustin and Erica begin undoing the ties that were holding the three tied.

Erica helps Y/n up, noticing the bruises on his face, "You look like shit," she says.

"We are not okay." Was all Y/n answers.

"Get ready to run" Dustin shouts.

They run out of the room and then get inside one of the small cars the Russians have inside the place. Dustin drives while Erica sits beside him, Robin, Steve and Y/n in the back. Dustin was the worst driver Y/n had ever come across. He hits his head more times than he can count and now he was sure, he would throw up.

They finally came to a stop after Dustin crashes the car. The two help Robin, Steve and Y/n out. Steve and Robin fall down on the floor. Y/n stumbles but manages to reach for the wall before he falls.

"Are you okay?" Dustin asks him as they wait for the elevator to open.

Y/n lifts his hand, signalling Dustin to wait. Then he throws up, a lot. Dustin had to look away and cover his mouth, otherwise he would've thrown up as well. Erica helps Y/n inside the elevator and makes him take a seat on the floor.

Robin and Steve begin playing inside the elevator. Y/n doesn't feel as bad anymore, his head still hurts, but the world doesn't spin any longer, he doesn't feel like dying and his brain finally works.

"They seem drunk." Erica points out.

"Why would they be drunk?" Dustin asks.

"They drugged us." Y/n interrupts. Dustin and Erica look down at Y/n, "I don't know what it was, but they injected us with something. I clearly had a terrible reaction to it, thankfully"

When the three look back at Steve and Robin, they find Steve on the floor. Dustin kneels down beside him, he checks Steve's temperature and his eyes.

"His pupils are super dilated." Dustin highlights.

"So they are drugged" Erica replies.

Steve boops Dustin's nose.

"Steve, you are drugged, I need you to calm down" Dustin tells him.

"How many times, dad? I don't do drugs. It's only marijuana" Steve rambles. Clearly not even aware of where he is or what is going on.

"Steve, this isn't a joke. We need to know where your car is parked"

"It's hopeless, Dustin." Y/n responds, "They're somewhere else. And anyway, they took the car keys, they took everything we had on us. Not to say, I told you so, but I did say this was a bad idea." He explains, his head resting against the wall. It was cold and it felt nice since he is burning up. He is also in desperate need of some water.

When the elevator finally arrives back to the ground floor, Y/n is the first one to walk outside, taking a deep breath of air. There is nothing he wants more right now than to cry, go home and be with his dad. But he can't do that, he has to take care of Steve and Robin, as well as the kids.

"Oh, my God. That tastes so good. Ah! Steve, can you taste the air?"
"I taste it, I taste it" Robin and Steve shout behind them.

"Shit!" Y/n shouts as he sees two guards coming their way, taking our their guns, "We gotta run!"

"Come on! Come on!" Dustin yells. He and Erica go to grab Steve and Robin as they all run back inside the mall.

Y/n leads them through the staff corridors, trying to find somewhere to hide from the Russians trying to kill them.

"Where are we going? Y/n!" Steve asks.

"Just trust us," Dustin says, "Y/n! The movie theatre." He shouts, pointing to the door in front of them.

He opens the door and lets Dustin and Erica bring in Steve and Robin, before shutting the door behind them. They step inside the movie theatre and sneak inside the first room they find, they are showing Back to the Future.

(I listened to 'My Sweet Lord' by George Harrison while writing this bit)

They walk inside and move quietly. Dustin finds some empty seats by the front, then pushes Steve and Robin down. Y/n notices Steve is now holding a bag of popcorn, where from he has no idea.

"Dude, these seats blow" Steve complains.

"Then don't watch the movie" Dustin responds annoyed.

"We wanna watch it" Robin argues.

"Then watch it!" Dustin shouts.

A man sitting behind shushes Dustin, but Robin and Steve turn around and shush him back.

"Sorry," he apologizes to the man, "Whatever you do, don't... go... anywhere."

"Fine, dad" Steve responds sarcastically, chuckling at himself.

"Steve, let's be mature now, okay? You're not a kid" Y/n scolds him. Steve nods and looks away embarrassed.

Dustin, Erica and Y/n begin to move to the other side where there were free seats, but Steve reaches out and grabs Y/n's wrist, and pulls him back towards him.

"Why are you leaving me?" Steve whines, a puppy-eyed look on his face.

"I'm not. There are no seats left here, Steve." He answers, his voice softer now.

Steve doesn't answer, simply pats his lap, a grin on his face. Y/n's face immediately falls and he shakes his head.

"Y/n, please don't you love me?" Steve begs, his grip on his wrist tighten slightly. Y/n sighs loudly, he really needs to learn how to say no to him.

"Fine. But I'm not sitting on your lap." He responds, moving to take a seat on the step beside him.

...

Y/n tries to focus on the movie and not the overwhelming weight on his chest caused by the anxiety of everything going on. He could not forget about the portal, or the fact Russians where still looking after them. He snaps out of his thoughts when Steve stans up and tells him he and Robin will get something to drink. Y/n nods for a second before he processes what he said and stands up quickly, following the two as they walk out.

"Steve. Steve!" He quietly shouts as they leave the movie theatre.

He finds the two outside, Steve is drinking from a water fountain while Robin lays back against the wall.

"Guys, we need to go back" Y/n tells them, standing in between the two.

"We will," Robin responds, "Anyway, I wasn't totally focused in there or anything but... I'm pretty sure... that mom was trying bang her son"

"Wait, wait, the hot chick was Alex P. Keaton's mom?" Steve asks confused.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure" Robin responds.

"But they're the same age" he points out, completely out of it.

"No, but he went back in time" Y/n corrects.

"Then why is it called Back to the Future?" Steve questions.

"He has to go back to the future, because he's in the past. So, the future is actually the present, which is his time" Robin explains. Steve stares ahead confused. Robin then pushes him out of the way and drinks some of the water.

Steve moves over to Y/n, wrapping his hands around his waist from the back and pulls him closer, "Have I told you how much I like you? Like I can't stop thinking about you, is embarrasing." He admits, a smile on his face.

"You may have said it once or twice" Y/n responds.

Steve looks up at the ceiling, "Guys, you got to look at this, the ceiling, it's beautiful" he mumbles.

Robin moves to stand between the two and stares up at the ceiling as well. Y/n notices as the two get dizzier and suddenly rush towards the bathrooms. He lets out a loud sigh, knowing they were going to throw up and moves to drink some water instead of following them right away. If he smelled vomit, he would end up throwing up again.

A couple of minutes pass and Y/n finally follows them inside the bathroom. He finds the two in the same stall talking, clearly not on drugs anymore, thankfully.

"You guys are alive again." He says, a smile on his face as he stands by the door.

Steve's smile falls as he sees the bruises on Y/n's face, "Jesus, what did they do to you?" He stands up immediately,lifting his hands to cup Y/n's jaw carefully as he tilts his head to the side, getting a better look at the bruises.

"I'm fine, Steve. It doesn't hurt that much" He responds, his hands moving to wrap around Steve's wrist, trying to push down his hands.

"Bullshit, look at this. I'm going to kill them" Steve protests, his thumbs carefully tracing the bruises in his cheek.

"Well, you have a black eye, Steve and look terrible as well, so get in line" Y/n argues, moving down his hands. Steve removes his hold on Y/n but moves his hands so they're holding his.

"At least you're not in love with a muppet" Steve jokes, trying to get rid of the growing tensions. He and Y/n turn around to look at Robin and they all start laughing.

The bathroom door is suddenly pushed open and in walk Dustin and Erica, the three of them turn to face them.

"Okay. What the hell?" Dustin shouts, clearly pissed off. Steve, Robin and Y/n turn to look at each other again and laugh.

...

The group blends in with the crowd as the movie finishes, moving towards the exit, trying to avoid being seen.

"Well, shit, that worked." Erica points out.

"Course it worked. Now we just have to get on the bus with the rest of these plebes, and home sweet home here we come." He responds, a little too enthusiastic for Y/n's liking.

"Uh, Dustin" Steve calls out.

"What?"

"Yeah, we might not wanna go to your house" He tells him. Y/n realises what Steve is talking about.

"Why?"

"Steve released basically all the information about you to the Russians while on drugs" Y/n explains as they walk with the crowd. Dustin's face contorts in shock as he looks back at Steve.

"What is wrong with you?" he asks.

"Dude I was on drugs." Steve points out.

"So?"
"So?"

"So, you resist. You tought it out. You tought it out like a man" Dustin argues.

"Oh, yeah, it's easy for you to say." Steve complains. Y/n nods, giving Dustin a dissapointed look.

"Yeah, that's really not how it works, Dustin. There's a reason the Russians use those kinds of drugs and it's because it makes you share all the information you have. You can't really blame him" Y/n debates. Dustin simply rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"You're only defending him because he's your boyfriend" Dustin complains. Steve and Y/n's eyes widen in surprise as they turn to look at Dustin.

"What- I- How did you-" Y/n stutters before being interrupted by Dustin.

"Know? You guys have been acting so different in the last couple of days, it was obvious something had happened. I'm not blind" Dustin explains.

"Guys." Robin calls out, grabbing Dustin and Erica's hands as she stops them. They all notice the guards that were following them standing by the doorway, stopping people to inspect them.

"Abort. Abort. Abort!" Dustin shouts as the five of them begin running. The Russians begin following them. The escalators are down but Robin slides in between the two, the rest follow and they make it down to the first floor.

They all begin looking around for a place to hide, anywhere that will keep them away from the Russians to buy them sometime.

"Over here!" Y/n shouts, pointing towards the bugers and pizza stand. They all jump over the counter and hide behind it. Robin sits next to Dustin, who sits next to Steve, who's next to Y/n who's hugging Erica.

Steve holds Y/n's hand. He can feel the way Steves shakes slightly, Erica also shaking as she hugs him. Everyone is anxious and on high alert, too worried on what might happen in the Russian's find them. Y/n tightens his grip on Steve's hand, almost to keep himself grounded.

Y/n hears footsteps coming their way, multiple ones. Erica hides her face against Y/n's chest, while he rubs her back comfortingly with his free hand. Steve moves closer to him, resting his head against his, almost as if waiting for the worst to happen.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

A car alarm goes off, making everyone jump.

Then a loud crashing sound echoes throughout the entire mall. The five of them move and slowly stand up. Steve never lets go of Y/n's hand, almost as if feeling him will somehow make things better, as if it calms him down. They look to see what the hell was going on and find the Russian guards dead on the ground, and the car flipped on its side against one of the food stands.

Y/n turns his head to the side, looking around. His eyes widen and a smile forms on his face as he sees the kids with Jonathan and Nancy by the second floor. Everyone notices as well.

They all rush to meet in the middle. Y/n notices as Mike has to help Eleven walk, he can't help but wonder what might've happened, they look like they also went through a lot.

"You flung that thing like a Hot Wheel!" Dustin laughs, running to hug eleven.

"Lucas?" Erica asks as she stops running.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, clearly unhappy to see his little sister.

"Ask them. It's their fault" She explains.

"True, yeah. Totally true. It's absolutely our fault" Steve agrees.

"I don't understand, what happened to that car?" Robin asks, incredibly confused.

"El has superpowers" Dustin says, as if saying such a thing was not completely mindblowing to anyone who hasn't gone through the last two years that the group has.

"I'm sorry?" Robin asks again.

"Superpowers. She threw it with her mind. C'mon, catch up" Steve responds. Y/n lightly hits him on the shoulder.

"That's El?" Erica questions excited.

"Who's El?" Robin asks, once again, likely more confused than before.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Nancy asks.

"I'm Robin, Y/n's friend, I work with Steve" She explains.

"She cracked the top secret code" Dustin adds.

"Yeah, which is how we found out about the Russians" Steve continues.

"Russians?" Wait, what Russians?" Jonathan questions.

"Those Russians!" Y/n responds, pointing back towards the guards.

"Those were Russians?" Max asks.

"Some of them" Erica answers.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas shouts, also very confused. Everyone seemed to get more confused and no questions seemed to be answered.

"Didn't you hear our code red?" Dustin asks.

"Yeah, I couldn't understand what you were saying" Mike responds.

"Goddamn low battery" Dustin complains to himself.

"How many times do we have to tell you with the low battery?" Y/n tells him off, brushing back his hair anxiously.

"Well, everything worked out, didn't it?" Dustin argues.

"Worked out? We almost died!" Erica shouts.

"Yeah, but we didn't, didn't we?" Dustin points out.

"The three of us almost did" Y/n complains. Steve nods at his response.

Everyone begins shouting and yelling, trying to explain to each other the situation with the Russians, the code, everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours without making it sound like they were going crazy.

"El!" Mike shouts.

Everyone turns around and find El on the ground, almost passed out but still concious. Mike moves over to her, worried. Y/n moves to stand by her side, ready to come in to action and help the kids - as he usually does - if needed.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Mike asks.

"My leg, my leg" She explains.

Jonathan moves to remove the bandage from her leg, to reveal not only that the wound looks disgusting, but they also find something almost moving inside of her love. Y/n covers his mouth, having to look away for a second. He was not planning to throw up again anytime soon, but that might possibly be the most disgusting thing he's ever seen.

El begins wailing and grunting, clearly in pain. Mike moves closer to her, calling out her name, trying to help her somehow, but nothing seems to help and she just screams out in pain.

_____________________________________________________________

Hey guys!!! Finally here's the new chapter of the fanfic! I'm so excited because we only have one chapter left of season 3 and then we'll get to the inbetween of seasons 3 and 4 and then finally to season 4! I'm so sorry the episode took longer than expected, I just started university and it has been something. But I hope to get the next chapter out soon so I can finally be done with Season 3!

As always let me know if there are any spelling mistakes or pronoun erros and feel free to leave comments, I love reading them!

Lots of love,

Author!

Chapter Text

Narrator's POV

(I listened to 'Paint It, Black' by The Rolling Stones while writing this bit)

"Oh god! I can't look, I can't look, tell me when it's over." Y/n blurts, turning his face away from the group as Eleven screams, using her powers to pull out the thing inside her leg.

He can hear eleven screaming in pain as she tries to get the creature out. The glass from the store beside them is broken by Eleven, glass shattering all around them. Steve takes a step back, pulling Y/n back with him as he tries to avoid the glass shards.

"It's okay, it's out, she's fine." Steve shares. Y/n's face turns back towards the kids and he notices a gooey thing moving on the floor, almost crawling and pushing itself away. Its squished before it can get too far.

Y/n smiles in relief as he sees Hopper and Joyce, some man accompanying them.

Everyone huddles in together and the kids begin to explain what they have been fighting for the last couple of days and what the thing inside Eleven's leg was. The Mind-Flayer, who they had supposedly previously defeated, had come back in a physical form now, made from melted bodies of Hawkin's towns-people. It was hunting Eleven and trying to kill her. Then Y/n and Dustin explain the portal they found, how it needs to be closed if they hope to defeat the Mind-Flayer, again.

A plan is hatched. Hopper, Joyce and the weird new guy named Murray will infiltrate the Russian bunk to find the machine keeping the portal open and turn it off, while everyone else here deals with the Mind-Flayer.

"I will never ask for a normal summer, clearly this has become our version of normal." Y/n complains, eating a bag of chips that Steve had found, more like stolen, from one of the shops.

Robin and Steve nod, eating some chips as well as they all sit over the register of the pizza store.

"Who even is that guy?" Steve asks, turning to look at Hopper's friend.

"I don't know. Apparently he speaks Russian." Robin points out, crumbling her chips bag and tosing it into a trash can behind the register.

"How is was that helpful to them?" Y/n asks confused. Robin shrugs and they all continue staring at Murray. "Excuse me, we were wondering how you know the chief?" Y/n calls out to him.

Murray turns around confused, finding the three friends staring at him like he's some bizarre exposition in a museum.

"You could say we're friends." He answers vagely, then he turns to look back at the map.

"Weird guy." Steve mutters.

"Guys!" Dustin shouts, approaching the three with Erica following behind him, he lifts some car keys and chucks them at Steve who catches them confused, "New plan, I need you to drive me to Cerebro so we can keep in contact with Hopper while he infiltrates the Russian base"

"What the hell is a Cerebro?" Y/n asks as he jumps off the counter.

"My homemade radio that I use to speak to Suzie." He explains, like it's obvious and they should know exactly what he's speaking off, even though he's never mentioned it to them.

"Right, Suzie." Steve responds, still not believing Dustin.

The five of them move through the mall towards the main exit.

Steve pushes the doors open, "Oh man, now this... this is what I'm talking about" He chuckles excited.

"Toddfather?" Robin reads out loud confused.

"Oh, screw Tood! Steve's her daddy now." He rushes to the drivers side and jumps inside, almost like a kid in Christmas.

"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Robin asks.

"Did he just call himself daddy?" Erica judges.

"Apparently he did." Y/n answers, opening the passenger door and taking a seat beside Steve. Robin moves to the back with Erica and Dustin.

"All right, where are we going?" Steve asks turning on the engine.

"Weathertop." Dustin answers.

"Weather-what?" Steve asks.

"Just drive." Dustin complains.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive, Steve? You were just drugged an hour ago." Y/n questions, turning to look at Steve as he backs up the car.

"Well unless one of you guys has learned how to drive, you have me." Steve insists, stepping down on the gas and driving away through the car park.

...

(I listened to '(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher' by Jackie Wilson)

"Jesus, how far is this place man." Steve complains.

The road was dark and empty, not another car on sight and barely any street lights to guide the way. Everyone was attending the 4th of July festival, it almost seemed like every other part of the town was deserted. Y/n did not like how limited their view was, any creature or thing could be near them and they wouldn't even known.

Steve also had decided turning the radio on would be a smart idea, even though Y/n was very much against it. They already couldn't see what was around them and now they couldn't listen to what was around them.

"Relax, we're almost there." Dustin says.

"Suzie must be pretty special, huh?" Robin tells Dustin, turning to look at him, "I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?"

"I mean nobody is scientifically perfect, but Suzie's about as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be." Dustin praises, a smile on his face as he speaks.

Steve and Y/n share a quick look as Dustin speak. They still couldn't tell if Suzie was real or not. She seemed too perfect to be true.

"She sound made-up to me." Erica suggests, "She sound made-up to you?"

Steve and Y/n glance back at Erica but avoid the question, sharing another quick look before staring back towards the road.

"What was that look? Why are you two hesitating?" Dustin interrogates.

"I'm-- I'm-- I'm not! I'm not!" Steve defends, "I think she sounds real. We think she sounds real, don't we, Y/n?"

He nods quickly, too quickly, looking back at Dustin, "Of course, we just don't really know her, but she's very real." Y/n agrees, trying his best to follow Steve's lie.

"Yeah, totally, absolutely real." Steve adds.

"Left. Turn left." Dustin interrupts.

"There's not a road here." Steve argues.

"Turn left now!" Dustin shouts.

Steve hastily turns the steering wheel. The car dangerously turning to the left. They break down through a fence, away from the road and into the grass.

"Whoa! Henderson, where are we going?!" Steve yells in a panic.

"Up!" Dustin shouts back as they begin to drive up hill.

"We're not gonna make it!" Robin shouts.

"Yes, we are. Come on, baby. Come on, Baby!" Steve shouts back, pushing down harder on the pedal.

"It's not gonna work!" Y/n shouts, juat as the car engine begins to strain and the car stops moving, stuck against the grass. Steve tries to push the engine but it's helpless, the car won't move any further.

"Guess the Toddfather has its limitations." Robin tells Steve.

Everyone gets out of the car and begins clibming up the hill.

"Hey." Steve calls out, lifting his hand as he moves to hold Y/n's, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just want this all to be over." He holds back his hand as they move up the hill, Y/n's grip on his hand tightening, almost as if Steve grounds him, before his mind wonders off too far.

"That makes two of us." Steve admits, taking a step closer and pressing a quick kiss on the side of Y/n's head.

The group finally reaches the top, Dustin kneels down beside the radio and erica sits beside him, while Robin, Steve and Y/n stand around the kids, almost on the lookout.

"Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?" Dustin calls through the radio.

"Yes, I copy." Murray answers.

"Call sign?" Dustin reminds.

"Bald Eagle."

"Pleas repeat." Dustin asks once more, quietly laughing with Erica.

"Bald Eagle. This is Bald Eagle!" Murray repeats unhappily from the other side of the line.

"Copy that. Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle. What's your 20?" Dustin inquires.

"We reached the vent. I'll contact you when I need you." Murray responds, still in a mood, "Until then, silence."

"Roger that, Bald Eagle. This is Scoops Troop, going radio silent. 10-10, over." Dustin signs off.

Steve pats him on the back, almost in congratulation.

"What would we do without you?" Y/n asks, pushing down his hat playfully.

(I listened to 'Time in a Bottle' by Jim Croce while writing this bit)

A couple of minutes pass. Murray tunning in every so often to ask for directions. Steve and Y/n walk around at Y/n's suggestion, simply to keep on eye on things. Nothing seemed to be around but they knew it was better to keep an eye on things than to take it safe.

"We don't even have any weapons we can use." Y/n complains as he looks around the car. He searches under the seats, inside the small glovebox, but he finds nothing there. "We should've at least taken a gun from the Russian guards."

He then moves to open the trunk. He figured there might be at least something in it, big tools were usually under the carpet of a trunk to change the wheel if needed. He remembered Steve had taught him that.

"We'll be fine." Steve insists, following him to the trunk.

"You don't know that." He argues, rolling up the trunk carpet.

Steve pauses, noticing how Y/n's tone grows almost angry at him. He didn't want them to have their first argument as a couple in the middle of all of this.

"Y/n." He calls, his voice soft, stepping closer to him.

All Y/n finds inside is the spare wheel, the jack that is to big to carry and the lug wrench that is not big enough to hurt a Demo-dog or Demogorgon.

"Come on." Steve grabs his arm, trying to pull him back.

"There has to be something we can use." He continues to argue. Steve stops trying to pull him back when he notices the way his voice break. He steps closer, turning Y/n to face him.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" His hand on his shoulder moves to cup his cheek, brushing away the tears that roll down her cheeks.

"I can't lose someone else again, Steve. Not after what happened to Bob. And this thing seems bigger and more dangerous than anything we've dealt with before, what if we can't handle it? If something happened to the kids or Robin or you, I wouldn't be able to live." Y/n admits, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He's not sure where the emotions had grown from. He was stressed and anxious, but he was trying to avoid the growing hole in his chest, the familiar feeling of impending doom and grief that he had felt last October after Bob had died. It had been so hard for him and her dad, he couldn't go through that again.

"Nothing's going to happen to us." Steve insists, the worry in his voice clear.

"Steve."

"I won't let anything happen to us. If we have to fight, we'll fight, but if we have to run we'll also do it, I'm not letting anything happen to anyone, including myself. I'm especially not letting anything happen to you." He continues, his hands still cupping his cheeks.

"I didn't want to do this again." He whispers.

"I know, me neither." There's a small pause, he brushes his thumb against his cheek, "But we'll be okay."

They're close, so close and it seems he's only closer to Y/n with every second that passes between the two. Steve wants to close the space but he hesitates, wondering if it's the right time, the right place. He can't remember the last time he took this long to kiss someone.

Y/n is the one who ends up leaning in and closing the space between the two, his hand moving to the back of Steve's head as he finally kisses him. Steve is surprised but he kisses Y/n back right away, his free hand moving to wrap around his waist as he pulls him closer, his eyes closing as he gets lost in the feeling of his lips pressed to his.

The kiss is gentle and careful, so much better than the first kiss they shared in Halloween, if that can even be called a kiss. Steve leads Y/n through the kiss, his lips moving slowly against his. He can't believe he waited this long to kiss him.

"Guys! Everything good?" Robin shouts.

Y/n breaks the kiss at Robin's words, moving his head back. He smiles, his eyes meeting Steve's as he opens them. He finally understood what people meant when they said you have to go with the flow when you kiss someone, to let yourself get lost in the kiss. It's nice, too nice perhaps.

Y/n chuckles, unsure what to say, what was someone supposed to say after a kiss anyway?

"Yeah, we're coming!" Steve shouts back. "Feeling better?"

Y/n hums with a nod, "Yeah, that was nice." He smiles.

"Good, come on, handsome."

Steve takes a step back and begins to walk up the hill back towards the radio again, taking Y/n's hand as he guides him to follow him up the hill.

Erica notices as they return, a look of repulsion on her face.

"Ew, where you two kissing down there?"

"No, we were looking for weapons." Steve counters. Erica nods, almost sarcastically.

Y/n moves his hand from Steve's and returns back to his spot as he continues looking around for anything, Steve doing the same.

Dustin and Erica continue to give Murray more directions towards the room, bringing up some 'My Little Pony' theory that Dustin had apparently made up.

"Hey, guys?" Steve calls, everyone turns to him and moves to look at whatever has caught his attention.

From the top of the hill, they can see the lights of the Starcourt Mall flickering and changing rapidly, in a way that they had all grown too familiar with. Everyone runs back to the radio and Dustin grabs the walkie, calling out to the group.

He calls out several times, recieving no response but the growling sound of the monster that seemed to have arrived at the mall. Everyone grows more anxious at the lack of response and the strange sounds from the creature.

Steve suddenly stands up and begins running away to the car. Y/n runs off behind him without even thinking twice, it's almost an instinct reation at this point to follow him around.

"Where are you going?!" Erica shouts.

"To get them the hell outta there!" Steve explains, "Stay here, contact the others!"

"We'll be back soon, don't move!" Y/n shouts back running off with Steve.

Steve jumps over the car door and into the driver's seat, pushing down on the pedal to turn the engine on as quickly as possible. Y/n jumps over the passanger seat as the engine comes to life.

"Wait!" Robin shouts, running down the hill, she almost trips down for a moment but regains her balance.

She jumps onto the back seat, "Okay, let's go."

Steve moves the car to reverse and down the hill they go.

...

(I listened to 'You Spin Me Around (Like A Record)' by Dead Or Alive while writing this bit)

"We need to get some weapons or something, at least a gun." Y/n suggests as Steve drives ridiculously over the speed limit. The lack of roof in the car is proving to be a problem now.

"Yeah, I don't think we'll have time for that." Steve counters.

"They're trapped inside the mall with a gigantic monster, we need weapons, Steve." Y/n argues.

As they near the mall parking lot, Robin stands up slightly from her seat, trying to get a better view, "Umm, who's car is that?"

Steve and Y/n turn to each other quickly, the blue Chevrolet Camaro horribly familiar, especially after last November, "Steve!"

"I know!" He shouts back, moving the gear shift to five and pushing more on the pedal as they see the car driving towards the group.

Y/n moves his hands to grip his seat and the passanger door, closing his eyes as the car hits Billy's.

He feels whiplash as soon as the two cars crash, his body pushed back by the force of the impact. He hears as the car swerves and then comes to an abrupt stop.

He opens his eyes as soon as it stops, turning back to check on Robin and then on Steve, who both seem fine. Billy's car stands on the side, not far but far enough, he seems unconcious and the hood catches on fire.

"Are you guys okay?" Steve asks, catching his breath. Y/n simply shrugs and shakes his head slightly.

"Ask me tomorrow." Robin responds, clearly not there.

A loud snarl catches their attention and the three of them stand as they see the enourmous gooey creature crawling on the roof of the mall. It was so much bigger than any of them imagined it to be, so much worst.

"Oh, shit." Robin mutters.

"We are so fucked." Y/n mumbles.

The car honk of Nancy's car moves away their attention. They all jump off the car inside the back of Nancy's car, watching as the creature follows behind them.

Y/n's hands reach for Steve's, watching how with every step the creature follows behind the car, getting closer and closer. He holds his hand back tightly, staring at the window, the same fear in both of their eyes.

"Dusty-bun, you copy?"
"I copy, Suzie-poo."

(I listened to 'Never Ending Story' by Gaten and Gabriella (the cover) while writing this scene)

"Suzie." Steve, Robin and Y/n say with a soft smile, staring at each other.

"So he wasn't lying after all" Y/n tells Steve.

"We need to meet this girl." Steve adds with a chuckle.

Then they hear singing coming from the readio. Steve turns to Y/n in confusion, and they all hear as Dustin sings with Suzie through the radio a duet of Never Ending Story. They couldn't have had a worse timing.

"Oh you have to be kidding me." Steve shakes his head, moving to rest his head on Y/n's shoulder.

"He had to choose the worst time for a song huh." Y/n adds, shaking his head as Will and Lucas turn to look back at them, a judgeful look in their eyes, almost as if they had known Dustin would breakdown into a song.

"What is wrong with him." Steve mutters, in defeat.

"A lot." Y/n agrees.

When the song finally ends Suzie gives Dustin Plank's constant, a series of numbers. Y/n isn't sure what for, he can only guess it might have to do with the team down in the Russian place.

Mean while the creature continues to follow the car. Y/n's hand still holds Steve's, the anxiety still high and agonizing. Then suddenly the monster stops and turns around, suddenly not interested in the car.

"It's turning around." Steve says.

"What?" Nancy asks, looking back.

"It's turning around!" He shouts again.

"Maybe we wore it out." Lucas suggests.

"I don't think so, hold on." Jonathan quickly turns to car to the side doing a 360 turn and begins to follow the creature back to wherever it's heading.

(I listened to 'For Whom The Bells Toll' by Metallica while writing this bit)

The car follows the creature back to the Starcourt mall, crawling back through the top as it makes its way inside. Jonathan parks the car and everyone gets out of it.

"Take the fireworks out!" Lucas tell Steve, Robin and Y/n as they exit the back. Y/n turns around and notices the boxes, picking them up and passing them to Steve. Steve, Jonathan and Lucas each carry a box.

"What are we going to do with them?" Y/n asks as they walk back inside the mall.

"Guns can't hurt it, El doesn't have her powers right now, this can at least do something." He explains. "I'll go with Will to one side; Nancy you go with Jonathan to the other side while Y/n and Steve cover the other, okay?"

Everyone nods and follows Lucas's directions, the group breaking up as they move up the through the staff hall and up the stairs quickly. They find the monster in the middle of the plaza, El down on the floor with Billy, Mike and Max nowhere to be seen.

Y/n, Steve and Robin reach an end and stop, placing down the fireworks on the floor. They each grab one for themselves and use a lighter in the box to light the ends.

A firework goes off, hiting the Mind Flayer by the side. Then another one goes off inside its mouth, making it move back as it screeches loudly. More fireworks begin to be sent its way, exploting and lighting the mall.

"Hey asshole! Over here!" Steve shouts as he throws one of the fireworks towards it.

Y/n follows suit and throws the firework he was holding to the creature, watching as it explodes against its face.

Everyone contines to throw more and more fireworks against the thing, watching as it slowly grows weaker, screeching more in pain with every firework that hits it.

"How many do we have left?" Y/n shouts at Steve, turning back to take more.

"Four." He hands him one and he lights it, throwing it again. Steve holds one in his hand, calling for Dustin on the Walkie-Talkie.

"Dustin! We're out of time!" He yells, then turns back to the group and throws another firework towards the creature.

The four fireworks left go out in no time and then they're left with nothing.

They watch as Billy stands in front of the monster as it goes to attack Eleven, and then, much to their surprise he grabs the creatures 'hand' and stops its attack towards Eleven, trying to hold it off. But then the creature moves it's 'tenticles' towards him one by one, stabbing him around the stomach until finally the final one goes through his chest, and he falls to the ground.

Y/n feels as Steve's hand finds his once more, pulling him closer.

Suddenly the Mind Flayer begins moving abruptly and out of control. Steve, Robin and Y/n jump back as it hits the handrail in front of them, then continues to move until it falls to the floor. The three of them move towards the handrail, looking over it to get a better view of what's happening.

Everyone sees the creature on the ground, unmoving, hopefully dead.

A heavy breath of relief leaves Y/n's chest and he turns to hug Steve. He hugs him back tightly, hiding his face on his neck, pulling him closer, too tight even, as if he would dissapear from his arms if he let go for a second.

"It's okay, we're okay." He whispers to Y/n, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek before he breaks the hug.

Y/n smiles at him and then moves to give Robin a hug, pulling her tightly. She is confused and still processing everything.

"So this is why you would go days without talking huh." She mutters, hugging Y/n back.

"Yeah."

The sound of helicopters snaps everyone's attention as they hear multiple ones above the mall. The look up to see the lights pointing around and from the distance they hear the sound of sirens.

"We have to go, come on." Steve tells the two and they all move down the stairs and towards the mall exit.

Once outside they stop in surprise as they find a number of military soldiers surrounding the mall, as well as ambulances and firefighters.

A first responder approaches the group, "We need you to come with us." He says, pointing to one of the ambulances. Y/n nods and begins to walk, but stops when he notices Robin stayed behind.

"I'll see you guys later." She says, looking back at Max who walks out crying, Lucas with her, "I think she needs some company and i'm been told I'm good at cheering up people." She tells them. Steve and Y/n nod with a soft smile and continue following the first responder, the two moving to take a sit inside an ambulance.

The guy looks after Steve first, who clearly has the worst injuried. He hands him a cold bag to place over his eye and cleans the cut by his lip. Then he checks over Y/n, who aside from a number of bruises doesn't have any wounds that can be treated. He hands the two some blankets and tells them they're free to go.

(I listened to 'Father and Son' by Yusuf/Cat Stevens while writing this bit)

"That was my first time in an ambulance." Steve admits as they sit by the end of one of the fire trucks.

"Same. I never thought I'd be inside one." Y/n agrees, his hand finding Steve's under the blankets, hidden from the outside world who would not be as welcoming to their love as they were.

"I told you nothing would happen to us." He reminds him, a smile on his face.

"Good to know you can keep a promise."

Y/n quickly sits up as he sees a man pushing past the soldiers, he could recognise that mustache from miles away. Even Steve stands up quickly as he himself recognises who it is.

"Dad!" He shouts, running towards Mr. Clarke. He rushes towards him when he hears Y/n's voice calling out to him. "Dad!"

"Y/n!" He shouts as the two meet in the middle.

They embrace each other in a thight hug and in his arms he feels like a little kid again, looking for his dad after a horrible nightmare. Except this time the nightmare was real and even though his dad would fight the monsters for him, he didn't want him to, because he didn't want to lose him.

"I was worried sick, you didn't come home yesterday, you weren't at Robin's place and no one picked up at Steve's. You weren't with the kids either, I thought something had happened to you." He said agitated, his voice trembling slightly. He sounded so worried, Y/n had never heard him so worried in his life.

"I'm sorry, dad, I'm so sorry." He apologises, a couple of tears rolling down his cheek as he keeps his head resting against his chest.

"Oh, kiddo." He whispers, keeping him close as he places a kiss to the top of his head, "I was so worried, don't ever do that again."

"I won't."

He pulls Y/n's head back and his face drops as he sees the bruises on his face. He cups his cheeks, inspecting the injuries, "What in the world happened to you? Who did this?"

"Dad, it's such a long story, you won't believe me." He responds.

"Why would I not believe you." He counters.

"Because it was a group of Russian spies that were hidden under the mall." He admits. Scott remains quiet for a couple of seconds, clearly confused and surprised by his response.

"We can talk about it later." He tells Y/n, pulling him into another hug.

From the distance Scott notices as Steve stands in the distance watching the two, a melaconlic smile on his face. He raises his hand and signals for Steve to come over. Steve hesitates for a moment but slowly walks up to the two.

"Come on, Mr. Harrington, you're family." Scott tells him, opening the hug so that Steve may join.

Steve turns to Y/n, almost as if checking it was okay and he nods with a soft smile. He takes a step forward and joins the hug, the three together now.

"I'm going to need a very long explanation about this." Mr. Clarke tells the two.

"Yes, sir" Steve agrees.
"Yes, dad" Y/n copies.

...

2 MONTHS AFTER

Y/n and Steve ended up explaining mostly everything to Mr. Clarke. How Robin cracked the Russian code, how they found the secret elevator that led to their base underground and snuck into it with the help of Dustin and Erica. How they were trapped there overnight, then found by the Russians, interrogated and beaten during it, drugged, then saved by the kids. The rest of the evening was conveniently left out and instead they escaped the place only to find the mall on fire.

Knowing about the Russians would never place his dad in danger, but telling him about the Upside Down and the monsters and Eleven would. It was better that he stayed in the dark about those things for now.

With the mall destroyed, Steve, Y/n and Robin where once again unemployed, which Mr. Harrington was not pleased about once he returned from his business trip with his wife. So off they went trying to search for a new job once again. Y/n needed it anyway, since he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He wrote Stanford a thank you letter back declining their offer due to his lack of money and not wishing to be in debt for the rest of his life.

Eddie was also in need of a new job with Tower Records now gone, but he found his new job in a more hidden way. Y/n would've had no idea what it was had he not told him of his 'personal business'.

"You're selling drugs? I'm not sure that counts as a personal business." He pointed out.

"It is a personal business though. I get the stash and then sell it and keep most of the money for myself. Personal business." He explains.

"Wow. Well good for you. I'm sorry you didn't pass this year either, but hey, I'm sure next year will be your year." Y/n cheered, even though part of him couldn't understand how this was his second time failing to pass high school.

"Exactly, Clarke, next year is my year. I'll see you around though."

"Oh, I'm sure you will, Eds." He agreed, waving goodbye at him.

Scott suggested he applied to work on the middle school with him, he was good at teaching people things and clearly good with kids. He kept the suggestion in the back of his mind for later but decided to search for something else with his friends. Which is how they ended up at Family Video applying for jobs at Robin's request, who had, somehow, found out they had opened job applications.

(I listened to 'Super Trouper' by ABBA while writing this bit)

"Uh, just to be clear, we weren't fired, you know." Robin reminded Keith, "The mall burned down and, like, killed a bunch of people."

"Thanks for sharing. Didn't know." He answers, deadpan. Y/n still didn't like him, but hell he needed a job.

He hands them back their applications, "Three favorite movies, go!" he asks.

"Uh... The Apartment, Hidden Fortress, Children of Paradise." Robin answers.

"Clarke, go."

"Um, The Empire Strikes Back, Alien and The Sound of Music." He answers on the spot. He watched movies, sure, but not like Robin, just with his dad on the weekend, and he probably didn't have the best selection of them.

"You, go" Keith turns to Steve. Y/n and Robin look at him. Steve doesn't watch movies.

"Favorite movies?" He checks.

"Did I stutter?" Keith questions.

"Uh... Animal House, for sure." Immediately Robin scoffs and looks away. They're fucked. "Um..."

"Eyes on me, Harrington." Keith snaps when Steve's eyes wander.

"Yeah, uh.. Star Wars." Y/n smacks his hand to his head at Steve's answer, what an idiot he couldn't just say Star Wars to Keith.

"A New Hope?" Keith questions.

"A new- what now?" Steve asks confused. Y/n shakes his head.

"Which Star Wars?" Keith asks again, annoyed.

"The one with the teddy bears. Duh" Steve answers, making the Ewok sounds. Y/n hides his face under his hands in defeat. "No? Uh.. Oh, the one that just came out. The movie that just came out. The one with the DeLorean and Alex P. Keaton, and he's trying to bang his mom. The time... Yeah, those are my top three. Classics."

Everyone stands in dissapointment. He had one job, one job, it was so easy he just had to say three movies and yet Steve managed to somehow fail.

"You two start monday." Keith says pointing at Robin and Y/n. They both nod, "You start never." He tells Steve, who stands defeated.

"Will you just uh... will you give us a minute." Robin mutters to Steve.

"Why?" He asks. Y/n moves behind Steve, pulling him back by his arm.

"Just do what she says." He tells him, guiding him away from the register and towards the movie selections.

"I don't know movies." Steve whispers to Y/n, almost apologetic.

"I know, it's okay, he put you on the spot. Just never say just Star Wars again, you'll be hunted by the fans." Y/n explains to him as they look through the video tapes.

"I need this job." He adds.

"I know. It's okay, Robin's got this." Y/n reassures. Steve stares at him and nods, walking back without looking until he bumps into one of the display stands.

He holds it, stopping it from falling and turns it around, recognizing the movie, "Oh. Fast Time. Fast Time. Ever heard of it? Top three for me, Keith." Steve points out, placing back the display.

Y/n and Robin laugh at his ridiculousness, but there was a charm to him.

After the job interview Steve drove Y/n to the Byer's house. Joyce, Jonathan, Will and Eleven were moving away from Hawkins. He understood why, after everything that happened, after the chief died, it must be hard for them to stay in this place. But Jonathan was his friend, Joyce was like a mom to him and Will was like his little brother. Least to say he was destroyed by the news, the group would break apart and he'd lose one of his kids. But change was part of life, no matter how much he hated it, he couldn't stop it.

"You have to call me every once in a while, you hear me, give me life updates and all that." Y/n told Will as he broke their hug. He was so grown, he still remembered when he was so much shorter than him and just a kid.

Will nods at his words, "I promise."

Then he turned to Eleven who was hugging Dustin, "You two miss, we might not have been able to hang out here but I want to hear all about it."

Eleven chuckled, tears streaming down her cheek but she nodded, "I will."

He patted Will's head and let him continue to say his goodbyes. Then he walked over to Joyce, who stood by the car, taking in the scene in front of her.

"I'm going to miss you." Y/n admited, his throat tightening.

"Oh, honey, I'm gonna miss you too." Joyce comforted, moving to give Y/n a hug. "I remember when you were their age, just a tiny thing."

"Where did the time go?" Y/n asked, feeling nostalgic of everything.

"I ask myself that every day, I wish we could go back to how things were before this all started." Joyce confesses, her voice breaking slightly as she speaks.

"You're all strong and you're not alone, you have us. If you need anything you can just let me and my dad know, we'll be happy to help." Y/n insisted, breaking the hug.

"We will let you know. Good luck here." Joyce smiled, glancing towards Steve who sat inside his car not far away. She knew somehow exactly what was going on between the two and Y/n was not surprised, she always knew everything somehow.

"Thank you."

Saying goodbye to Jonathan was harder, he kept hugging and kissing Nancy. He could only imagine how hard it must be for the two, having to date long distance, but he knew if anyone could do it, it would be those two.

Finally everyone got inside the car and off they went with the moving truck, leaving Hawkins behind towards a new life. The kids cried and waved goodbye, the atmosphere heavy after they were gone and the house was empty. It was strange to think he could not say the Byer's lived here anymore.

...

(I listened to 'Head Over Heels' by Tears For Fears while writing this bit)

"They said the pizza would be here in twenty-minutes." Y/n tells Steve as he places down the telephone and moves back to lay down on his bed beside him.

"Good, I'm starving." He complained, moving to wrap his arms around Y/n's waist as he pulls his closer so he's resting against his chest. "So is your dad dating this lady then?"

"I think so, he's still a little mysterious about it. I think he worries that I'll have a problem with it, which I don't." Y/n answers, his head on Steve's chest.

The room was lit only by Y/n's beside lamp, which was a warm yellow color. It made the room more homely, Steve liked it. His bed was slightly undone, Steve was only wearing his joggers and Y/n was wearing Steve's shirt and some shorts. If Scott walked in he would have suspected something, but not much had happened, not really. They had made out, sure, but they had never gone further than that yet. Steve was taking things slow, which he was thankful for, he knows this is new for the two of them.

"How long is your dad staying for this time?" Y/n asks him, feeling as his hand sneaks under his shirt, and traces his back.

"I don't know, it seems like he'll be staying for a while. It's gonna be hell." Steve complains, brushing his nose against Y/n's hair, "He's already started to make comments about my job and how pathetic it is. I'm trying to avoid home as much as I can."

"You know you can stay here as much as you like, my dad is not going to say anything." Y/n reminds him, turning his head up to look at him.

"I know. But I don't want others to notice and I just feel like I'm avoiding my problems-"

"You're not, you're avoiding your dad that's an asshole, that's different." He reassurres, sitting up slightly, his hands resting on his chest.

"How do you always know what to say?" Steve asks his, a smile on his face.

He shrugs a playful grin on his face. "It's a talent."

"Oh, yeah?" He has that ridiculous grin on his face that he knows drives Y/n crazy, his voice smooth and almost seductive in the way he speaks. Almost as if the old playboy Steve took over.

He leans down and kisses him, pulling him closer by his hips so he straddles him. Y/n's hands move to the back of his neck as he deepens the kiss, his chest pressed against his. Steve's hands tighten their grip on his waist, his fingers digging into his skin carefully as they move under his shirt. His hands are cold against his skin but it's almost nice, almost refreshing especially with the summer air that sneaks through the open windows.

"I love how you look wearing my shirt." He whispers breaking the kiss, his lips moving to kiss down his cheek, then his jaw until he reaches his neck.

Y/n feels a chill down his spine as Steve kisses down his neck, Y/n's hands moving up to his hair, closing her eyes. He starts to slowly kiss down his neck, his lips tracing the underside of his jaw, sucking softly on his skin, creating a mark. Steve moves his hands to his back, pulling him closer, his fingers tracing every single mole and freckle on his skin, the touch tender and loving.

The house ringbell interrupts the two, the sound echoing across the rooms. Steve groans at the noise, stopping his kisses as he moves back.

"Weren't you just complaining about being hungry?" Y/n asks with a chuckle as he moves off his lap and to the end of the bed, standing up.

"Well I'm more hungry for you." He teases. Y/n picks a pillow from the floor and throws it at him, shaking his head.

"You're disgusting." He scolds, chuckling as he walks out of his room to collect the pizza.

Steve watches as he walks away, his heart beating loudly as he lets his head fall back against the headboard, a flustered smile on his face. He was deep in love. And would that prove to be troublesome for him.

They spend the rest of the day together until Mr. Clarke arrives in the afternoon, Y/n asks him about his date while Steve helps prepare dinner.

"I told you it went well." Scott insists as Y/n follows him around the second floor.

"So, when do I get to meet her?" He interrogates as Scott takes off his tie and hangs it in his closet.

"I don't know, kiddo, that would make things more serious." He explains, earning a judgemental look from Y/n.

"And you're not serious? Come on, you know Steve, is only fair I meet her." He complains, as Scott takes out some things from his bag, placing them on his bedside table.

"Fine, I'll think about it." He gives in, "Oh, I forgot, you have mail." He remembers, picking up the mail from his pile of things and handing it to Y/n, "It's from Stanford."

"What?" Y/n practically yanks the letter from his dad's hands, opening it quickly when he hears it's from Stanford, "Why would they write me back?"

"I don't know, maybe read the letter." He suggests almost sarcastically, watching as Y/n takes a sit on the edge of his bed.

"Dear Mr Clarke. We're very sorry to hear you will not be able to join our '86 alumni, the university had been very interested in welcoming you as one of the coming undergraduate students, but we understand your worries regarding the tuition cost. You might not be aware but Stanfford University offers an eight month course in chemistry which grants you an associate degree. Though you did not win the scholarship for your undergraduate course the university would be happy to give you a scholarship for the associate degree in chemistry for this coming September. Please write to us back in the coming weeks if this would interest you." Y/n reads out loud, frozen in place practically unable to process the words he just read out loud.

"Buddy, that's amazing!" Scott celebrates as he jumps to hug Y/n, who sits dumbfounded.

Y/n had already accepted he would not be going away, that he wouldn't be able to go to university and would have to do something else with his life. The news were amazing, of course, but now that he was dating Steve it wasn't as simple. Stanford was five hours away on plane, thirty-five hours away by car and fifty-five miles away, practically on the other side of the country. He wasn't sure if he was actually ready for it.

Scott pulls back from the hug when Y/n doesn't hug him back. He notices how he looks away towards a wall, practically dissasociating.

"Aren't you happy?" He asks, taking a seat beside him.

"I-I don't know. I didn't think I'd hear back from Stanford. I suppose I put university away and thought of it as a childhood dream and nothing else. I don't know how to feel about it." He admits, staring down at the letter.

"Well think about it, is only a couple of months, the tuition would be paid and you'd be back by April, I think you should do it. It might not be a bacherlors but it's something." He suggests, patting his head before he stands up and continues to change.

Y/n stands up and walks out of his dad's room, moving to his room and placing the letter inside one of his books.

...

"Shit, what are you going to do?" Robin asks as the two of them reshelf the romance movie isle.

"I don't know. I want to go, you know. It's not four years like a bacherlors, it would only be eight months, but Steve and I have just been dating for two months, I don't know if I can do long distance, and I don't want to leave my dad alone." He responds, stacking a couple of movies alphabetically.

"I think you need to stop thinking about others and think about yourself, Y/n. If you want to do this, do it. you were so excited about university, you have a similar chance, I think you should take it. You and Steve will figure it out, but you should tell him." Robin insists, turning to Y/n.

"Okay."

That afternoon Steve drives Y/n home. He decides to tell Steve when he drops him off, just so he can think about things with more clarity.

Steve parks his car inside Y/n's driveway, they both notice how the garage lights are on, which means Mr. Clarke is working on his model. He takes of his seatbelt and turns off the car engine.

"Can we talk?" Y/n says, interrupting the silence inside the car.

Steve turns to look at him, almost worried, "Yeah, is everything okay?" He asks.

"I sent a letter a couple of months ago back to Stanford, thanking them for the acceptance letter but declining because I didn't have the money for the tuition. But, I got a letter from them two days ago. They offered me a scholarship for an associate degree, which would start in September and would last until April. But I don't-"

"Y/n, that's incredible!" Steve cheers, bringing Y/n into a hug, "You deserve it more than anyone."

"You're not mad?" He asks, hugging him back.

Steve moves back from the hug, lifting his hand to brush some hair from his face, "Why would I be mad?"

"Because I'd have to leave and we just started dating." He suggests.

"Y/n I'd only be for some months, we can do that. I can go visit you during Christmas or for Thanksgiving, we'll figure it out." Steve reasurres him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You have to accept, these chances don't come often." Steve insists, cupping his cheeks, "Oh I'm so proud of you!" He cheers, leaning down to press a quick peck against his lips. "My boyfriend, a college guy, so sophisticated."

"Shut up." He chuckles, leaning to kiss him again.

The next day he sent the acceptance letter. And by the end of the week the entire town knew about it. Least to say he was Hawkin's pride and joy, little Y/n Clarke off to Stanford, California in September. Some of his high school teachers congratulated him, as well as Mrs. Wheeler, who he saw in the weekend while babysitting Holly, Mrs. Sinclair, who he bumped into in the supermarket and Mrs. Henderson who he saw on friday after going to pick up Dustin with Steve.

Steve was also hearing a lot about Y/n. It made him proud to hear so many people speak wonders about him, if anyone deserved the praise it was Y/n.

...

"You can stay if you want." Y/n suggests, sitting at the egde of his bed, watching as Steve changes back into his clothes.

"My mom wants me to be there for dinner tonight." He explains, doing his belt. "But I'll see you at work later."

"Okay." He responds. He puts on his jacket and turns back to him.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." He insists, leaning down to place a quick kiss on Y/n's lips.

"Drive safe, bye" He waves goodbye.

"Bye." Steve waves back, walking out of his room and down the stairs.

The dinner goes fine, as usual, barely any talk, just the three of them eating in silence.

The next morning Steve finds his dad sitting in the dinning table as he eats some breakfast and reads the morning paper. He looks up from it when Steve walks down the stairs, he takes notice of the smile on his face.

"It's been a while since we talked." He points out, folding the newspaper in front of him.

Steve stopped in his tracks as he was about to move up the stairs. He turns to look at his dad with a sigh, wondering what how he dissapointed him this time.

(I listened to 'Cold as Ice' by Foreigner while writing this bit)

"Yeah, I've been busy with work." Steve responds, walking over to him.

"You've been hanging out with that friend of yours." He corrects, taking a sip of his coffee.

Steve's face turns more serious at the mention of Y/n. Part of him hoped his dad wouldn't hear about them, he didn't want Y/n to get involved in anything aorund his family.

"Y/n. Y/n Clarke, what I can't have friends now?" Steve corrects, his voice growing more aggressive.

"Apparently he's leaving for Stanford soon." He responds.

"Yeah, he won a scholarship, he's doing a degree there until April." Steve adds, remaining defensive agaisnt his dad. He was waiting for the moment he said something out of line, anything against Y/n and he would finally snap at him.

"People have been speaking, saying things about you two." He asks, standing up from the dinning table and placing his plates away.

"What? What kind of things?" Steve questions, annoyed.

"Things about that boy being a queer." Steve steps forward as soon as the last words leave his dad's mouth, standing beside him angrily.

"He's not." Steve argues, glaring at his dad, who shows now emotion to Steve's response.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Your mother heard talk of people saying you've turned queer and are dating that boy. Do you understand the kind of damage gossip like that has on the family? To have people thinking you're some kind of fairy? I want you to keep your distance from him, you hear me. No son of mine will be a queer, I'd rather disown you than have to deal with talk like that from women." He advices, moving to pick up his newspaper. Then he turns to Steve again.

"If the rumors are not true then you have nothing to worry about. You have done enough damage to yourself and your life, don't make things worse for you. It also won't help Clarke if people think he's queer when he's not. Don't damage your families reputation any more with your uselesness. If I hear any more talk of this we're going to have more trouble, you hear me?"

Steve stands frozen, defeated by his father's words. He couldn't argue with him, there was nothing he could say to counter his response, he was right. Y/n has a chance to have a good life, Steve doesn't, he never did.

"Think about it." Mr. Harrington doesn't even spare a glance at Steve. He takes his coffee and walks back into his office, leaving Steve alone in the kitchen, to dwelve and drown in his thoughts.

Steve spent the next couple of days thinking over everything his dad had said, he shouldn't have, he should have forgotten about and moved one. But he didn't, he couldn't, everything he has said was true. And Steve had to decide what to do. He didn't talk much at work and he had faked being sick to avoid Y/n. Who was worried but he insisted he didn't want him getting sick, Y/n couldn't argue about it, even though he wanted to spend his last days with Steve, he knew he couldn't get sick so close to leaving.

They didn't see each other until Tuesday, where after hours of thinking and overthinking he finally decided to talk to Y/n.

"Are you feeling better now?" Y/n asked him as they both sat inside his car. Steve was going to drop Y/n off after his last day in Family Video.

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You rarely get sick." He continues, clearly worried.

"I know, I don't know what happened." Steve responds, "I wanted to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" Y/n leans closer to him, reaching out to take his hand.

Steve places his free hand over Y/n's and moves it away, placing it back on his lap, "I've been thinking about some things, you know, and I just- with everything that's going on and California waiting for you... I think it might be better if we break up."

Y/n's face falls immediately at Steve's words, "What?"

"You're going off to accomplish your dreams and I don't want to hold you back-"

"What are you talking about, Steve?" He interrupts, his voice breaking as the tears rush to his eyes.

"California is nothing like Hawkins, this town is too small and boring, once you see California you won't want to come back, you'll meet so many amazing people, I can't compete with any of that." Steve continues, almost ignoring Y/n's words, too lost in his words, practically rambling.

"You don't have to compete with anything. I'll only be there for eight months, I'm not staying there, I'm coming back. Where is this coming from?" Y/n continues to argue, trying to get Steve to listen to him. Their words overlap over each other, it's a mess.

"You don't know that, maybe you'll love it there, maybe you'll be offered a job or a workstudy or something, you're amazing. I just don't think it's fair for you, I can't do this to you."

"I don't understand what's going on, Steve. I thought everything was fine, I thought we were happy. You said it was going to work, you said it wouldn't change things, that you'd visit me, you promised!"

"I know and I'm sorry, but this is just better." He argues.

"Better for who?!" Y/n shouts.

"For you! I'm doing this for you!" He yells back. "It's just better this way. I want us to stay friends, I'd never want to lose you, but it's just better this way." He continues.

Y/n shakes his head in denial, looking away from Steve. He stares out of the window, trying his best to hold back his tears. He doesn't want to cry in front of Steve, it's the first time he hasn't felt comfortable crying in front of him. He's devastated, he doesn't understand where this is coming from, why Steve wants this. He doesn't understand how this is for him, how this is better. He's angry and heartbroken and confused, he doesn't need any of this, he's already sad about leaving on Saturday, he didn't think this could ever happen.

"It's not for me, I don't want this, I want you, I love you!" Y/n snaps at him, his eyes meeting Steve's once more.

"Y/n-" All of a sudden he doesn't feel confident at all in his decision in his words, he's losing him and he knows it. He needs to stop.

"I can't be your friend, not after everything, I can't. You want this, fine, but don't talk to me again." He opens the door and shuts it angrily, he rushes inside his house, shutting the door behind him.