Helper Pt. 2

Contract

word count: 27,331

Fandom: Gravity Falls Pairing: Stanley Pines x Alvah (OC) Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Platonic - Romantic Occupation: Guardian Ability: N/A

Keys:

n/a

Warnings:

spoilers to those who haven't seen the show, violence.

"Contract" pt. 2, pt. 3

had to split this into two parts because I wrote too much and hit the word limit, which is bullshit because a different post has over 60,000 words while this was about 30,000. so now I've just split them into seasons one and two, despite me wanting them to be together.

it was going to be broken up into two parts between season one and two but I reached the word limit again in the second part, and I didn't want it to be three parts because then the third part would be too short.

was gonna publish this when I finished the second part but literally screamed "fuck it", so now I hope I don't surpass the word limit again but I'm nearly done.

bound to be a lot of mistakes that I haven't fixed but fuck it. might fix it later.

season 1, episode 1. tourist trapped

Ah, summer break.

A time for leisure, recreation, for taking her easy.

Unless you're me.

We are now met with a scene with twin siblings fleeing for their lives in a golf cart while an unknown monster follows close behind them, knocking down trees in its pursuit for the siblings.

My name is Dipper, the girl who is about to puke is my sister Mabel. You may be wondering what we're doing in a golf cart fleeing from a creature of unimaginable horror, rest assured. There's a perfectly logical explanation for this situation.

Let's rewind. It all began when our parents decided we could use some fresh air. They shipped us up north to a sleep town called Gravity Falls Oregon to stay at our great uncle's place in the woods. My sister tended to look on the brighter side of things, but I was having a hard time getting used to our new surroundings. And then there was our great uncle Stan, that guy. Our uncle had transformed his house into a tourist trap called the "Mystery Shack", the real mystery was why anyone came. And guess who had to work there.

It looked like it was going to be the same boring routine all summer, until one fateful day.

"He's looking at it, he's looking at it!" Dipper, who was currently cleaning, looked at his sister oddly as she watched a boy open a letter she left out "I rigged it."

"Mabel? I know you're going through your whole boy crazy phase, but I think you're overdoing it with the crazy part." he comments as he sprays a jar and wipes away the dust.

"What? Psh, come on Dipper, this is our first summer away from home. It's my big chance to have an epic summer romance."

"Yeah, but do you have to flirt with every guy you meet?" they then recall each time she flirted with any passing guy, to the point she actually scared a boy guy whilst he was working.

"Mock all you want, brother, but I got a good feeling about this summer. I wouldn't be surprised if the man of my dreams walked through that door right now." and out walking through the door was none other Stan, looking disheveled and everything, holding his stomach as he burped "Argh, why?" Dipper laughed at her misfortune.

"Alright, alright. Look alive, people. I need someone to go hammer up these signs in the spooky part of the forest."

"Not it."

"Not it." the twins immediately protest, behind them, the handy man Soos, raises his hand.

"Not it."

"Nobody asked you, Soos."

"I know, and I'm comfortable with that." Stan turned his attention to the young lady working at the cashier, Wendy, ignoring Soos when he pulled out a bar of chocolate and started eating it.

"Wendy, I need you to put up this sign." Wendy, who was leaning back in a chair with her legs perched on the counter while reading through a magazine, raised her hand and lazily reached towards where they stood without taking her eyes off the page.

"I would but I, urgh, can't, urgh, reach it... urgh." he glares at them.

"I'd fire all of you if I could." he then looked back towards the twins "Alright, lets make it... ennie, meanie, minie... you." he stops and points at Dipper.

"Ah, what? Grunkle Stan, whenever I'm in those woods I feel like I'm being watched." the older man rolled his eyes.

"Urgh, this again." Dipper shook his head.

"I'm telling you, something weird is going on in this town. Just today my mosquito bites spelled out beware." he then showed his arm to Stan, to which he leaned down and squinted his eyes to take a look at the text.

"That says BEWARB." Dipper awkwardly scratches his arm "Look kid, the whole monsters in the forest is just local legend. Dumbed up by guys like me to sell merchandise to guys like that." he then gestures to a guy weirdly staring at a bobbly head figure that was of Stan, he then chucks the signs at Dipper "Now quit being so paranoid!" Dipper sighs in defeat.

A half hour later Dipper returns back to the shack after putting up all the signs but brought back something he managed to discover hidden out in the forest, a mysterious journal that was labeled three in the centre of it. Upon reading it, the author had logged down discoveries of creatures that plagued Gravity Falls from gnomes to flying eyeballs. He enthusiastically confesses everything to Mabel, who didn't quite share the same amount of interest as he did, but she did listen nonetheless as he babbled about everything that the journal had, that was until they heard the doorbell ring.

"Who's that?"

"Well, time to spill the beans." she then promptly spilt a can of conveniently placed beans, she then proceeds to point at herself with both her thumbs "This girl's got a date, woo woo!" she then falls back on the sofa, laughing to herself.

"Let me get this straight, in the half hour that I was gone, you already found a boyfriend?"

"What can I say? I'm just irresistible." the doorbell then rings again "Ooo! Coming!" she shouts and rushes to the door, Dipper than takes her spot of the sofa and opens the journal to start reading it, only for Stan to come walking in drinking a can of soda.

"Whatcha reading, slick?" caught off guard, he quickly shuts the book and hides it behind the sofa cushion and grabbing a magazine off the dino head beside the sofa.

"Oh, I was just catching up on uh..." he narrows his eyes on the page he opened to and saw it was of gold jewelry, he then closes the magazine to get a look at the cover to see what on earth he was reading "Gold chains for old men magazine?"

"That's a good issue."

"Hey, family." the sound of Mabel's voice caught their attention, causing them to stop what they were doing and look over to the girl who entered the living room with someone by her side "Say hello to my new boyfriend." turning around to face them, they were met with a boy(?) with ridiculously pale skin as he wore a hoodie with the hood over his head and his hair covering his left eye, he had a rather unsettling feel to him and what made them feel even more uncomfortable was the red stain on their cheek.

"Sup."

"Hey."

"How's it hanging?"

"We met at the cemetery, and he was really deep." she spoke as she caressed his arm "Oh, a little muscle there. That's... what a surprise."

"So... what's your name?"

"Uh, normal... man!"

"He means Norman." Dipper raised an eyebrow.

"Are you bleeding, Norman?"

"It's jam." Mabel gasps and shoves him.

"I love jam! Look at this!"

"So, you wanna, go hold hands or whatever?"

"Oh, oh my goodness." she giggles softly "Don't wait up." she then dashes away, Norman does the gun gesture to them before oddly walking away from them to follow Mabel, smacking into the doorframe in the process and crashing into something on the way out, causing Dipper's eye to twitch.

There was something about Norman that wasn't right. I decided to consult the journal. Known for their pale skin and bad attitudes, these creatures are often mistaken for... teenagers! Beware Gravity Falls' nefarious... zombies! At the revelation, he puts the journal down and looks out the window, eyes widened in shock when he saw Mabel sitting rather unbothered on a bench while Norman approached her, arms stretched out and groaning with each step he took.

"Oh no, Mabel!" he let out a scream when he saw Norman slam his hand down on her shoulders, when he backed away it was revealed that he had placed a necklace made of daisies around her neck "Is my sister really dating a zombie, or am I just going nuts?"

"It's a dilemma to be sure." Dipper gasps in fright at the unsuspecting voice, looking up, he saw that it was only Soos changing a lightbulb "I couldn't help but overhear you talking to yourself in this empty room."

"Soos, you've seen Mabel's boyfriend. He's gotta be a zombie, right?"

"Hmm, how many brains did you see the guy eat?"

"Zero."

"Look dude, I believe you. I'm always noticing weird stuff in this town, like the mailman? Pretty sure that dudes a werewolf, but you gotta have evidence. Otherwise, people are gonna think you're a majority coo coo clock.'' Dipper lets out a sigh, hands on his hips, as he nods to Soos' words.

"As always, Soos, you're right."

"My wisdom is both a blessing, and curse."

"Soos! The portable toilets are clogged again!"

"I am needed elsewhere." after readjusting his cap he backs away into the darkness, and by that, he backs away until he walks out of the room.

My sister could be in trouble. It was time to get some evidence. And after spending the entire day recording everything he could get on Norman he concluded he had gotten what he wanted, from the way he collapsed after getting hit by a frisbee, to punching through a glass window to open a door and struggling to walk straight, to even them frolicking through the cemetery and him falling into a grave and scarily bursting through the dirt... like a zombie.

I'd seen enough.

"Mabel, we've got to talk about Norman."

"Isn't he the best. Check out this giant smooch mark he gave me!" he screams in fright at the large red circle on her cheek, she then laughs "Haha, gullible. It was just an accident with the leaf blower. That was fun."

"No, Mabel, listen! I'm trying to tell you that Norman is not what he seems." he starts as he pulls the journal out from his vest, she gasped softly.

"You think he might be a vampire? That would be awesome!"

"Guess again, sister. Shabam!" he then proceeds to open the book to the page about zombies, she screams at the page, he looks at where he opened it too and saw it instead was on the page about gnomes "Oh, wait. I'm sorry, shabam!" she tilts her head to the side.

"A zombie? That is not funny Dipper."

"I'm not joking! It all adds up! The bleeding, the limp! He never blinks! Have you noticed that?"

"Maybe he's blinking when you're blinking."

"Mabel, remember what the book said about Gravity Falls? Trust no one!"

"But what about me, huh? Why can't you trust me?"

"Mabel! He's gonna eat your brains!" he shouts as he shakes her back and forward, this was when Mabel's face hardened as she pushed Dipper's hands off of her.

"Dipper, listen to me. Norman and I are going on a date at five o'clock, and I'm gonna be adorable and he's gonna be dreamy and I'm not gonna let you ruin it with your crazy conspiracies." she shouts as she jabs her finger into his chest until he backs out of their room and slams the door shut in his face. A few hours later, Dipper is in the living room when Mabel rushes down from the attic to answer the door where Norman was waiting for her and so the two were off for their date.

"Soos is right. I don't have any real evidence. I guess I can be kind of paranoid sometimes and-- wait, what?!" after going through the footage he found a clip of Norman and Mabel together, but what caught him off guard was Norman's hand falling off and him picking it up and reattaching it "Ah! I was right! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Stan! Grunkle--" he runs out of the living room in search for Stan, when he makes it outside he accidentally runs into someone and falls to the ground.

"Oh?" looking up he was met with the eyes of a kind woman, she chuckled softly at his disheveled self sprawled on the ground, so she kneels down slightly to offer him a hand to stand "Good evening Dipper, what seems to have you in a rush this fine afternoon?"

"Alvah!" to Dipper, she seemed to be the only sane person in the quiet town of Gravity Falls but he didn't seem to understand why she would ever associate herself with a man that was his uncle. Alvah was a middle-aged woman with long blondish grey hair that she had tied up in a braid with pale but sharp green eyes that held a warmth like an early morning day, despite coming out into the forest to visit the Mystery Shack daily she always wore rather elegant clothes wherever she went. Upon meeting the Pines twins she became somewhat of a maternal figure towards them, always being so calm, kind, and patient with the two of them and they would tend to run to her whenever she came to visit. He didn't know what sort of relationship she and Stan had but the only thing their uncle would tell them was that she was a long-lasting visitor of the Mystery Shack that just stuck around, she grew on him that he always expected to see her anytime throughout the week "You aren't-- Mabel is-- there's a-- I need--" she places her hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting smile.

"Slow down, sweetheart, calm yourself." she takes a breath and he follows her, when she exhales her smile softens when he managed to calm his nerves "Now, tell me, what's gotten you so worked up?" she was still kneeling down when he stood up straight, hands waving around wildly as he spoke.

"Mabel's got this boyfriend and I believe he's a zombie! He's gonna eat her face!" she raised a brow.

"And what makes you believe that? Don't you think you're being a little overprotective of your sister to be throwing wild accusations like that?" she jerks back a little when he thrusts a video camera in her face, he then plays her the exact clip of Norman's hand falling off and him putting it back on "Well... that could just be a prosthetic, you know?"

"Alvah!" she chuckles softly, pulling her hands up in surrender.

"I'm pulling your leg, sweetpea." she then boops his nose "If you believe that this boy is a zombie, then you should go and prevent your sister from becoming his next meal." she then gently pushes him to where the golf cart was.

"So, wait, do you believe me?" she gives him a shrug.

"Whether I believe you or not, what matters is if you believe in yourself, first and foremost. If you think your sister is going to get hurt, trust your gut feeling before it becomes too late." she then nudges him once again, tossing him the keys that she managed to snag off of Soos "Now get going, I'll distract your uncle from questioning where you guys have wandered off to." he gives her a thankful smile.

"Thanks." she winks and waves him goodbye, by the time he drove off Stan had finished his spiel on a rock that looks like a face and dealing with the tourist and their stupid questions on it, they rushed into the Mystery Shack to look at the attractions while Stan approached and stood by her side.

"What's got him in a rush?"

"He said he needs to go save Mabel from her boyfriend that could possibly be a zombie." he laughs and slaps his knee.

"Woo, that kid is a riot!" she smiles.

"You aren't worried about them getting hurt, Stan?" she asks as they both turn to enter the Mystery Shack, her following behind as he led her through the gift shop to where the tourist were currently looking at a couple taxidermized creatures.

"They'll be fine. If I know anything about those little twerps, they wouldn't get themselves into any situations that would get them killed." this caused her to raise a brow at him.

"... tell me Dipper's real name." she stifled a laugh when she saw him pause, he folds his arm and looks up in thought before letting out a groan and hitting her shin with his eyeball cane.

"Irrelevant." she shakes her head while soothing her shin, for the rest of the afternoon she spent it observing Stan lying through his teeth to the unsuspecting tourists who awed at each other his words. Whenever he'd tell a joke he'd look to the back and see he'd get a laugh out of her, that prompted him to tell more jokes before he continued the tour, they were now back in the gift shop where Stan was showing them a new item, which was nothing more than a spiral on a stick that would spin and the gimmick was that it was a "very distracting object". The sound of screaming and something big approaching caused her to look out the open window, there she saw a giant... gnome amalgamation that was chasing after Dipper and Mabel? She turned away while closing the shutter doors to the window, yeah, no thank you "What's got you spooked?" her eyes move to Stan, who was staring at her questionably, she shook her head.

"You would be better off not knowing." he raised a brow at her.

"Well, alright." he then pushes her off the wall she was leaning "Anyways, man the cash register. Wendy isn't here and Soos is busy."

"I don't work here."

"Yeah, but you come here every day like you do. Enough chit chat, I don't pay you to stand there all pretty and talk." she deadpans when he walked away.

"... you don't pay me at all." she doesn't complain though, taking care of all the costumers who came up to pay for what they wanted to buy from the gift shop, no matter how absurdly overpriced everything was. She let out a sigh when the last of them finally finished looking around and left, stating that they were definitely coming back again. She was sitting on the counter, having a pleasant conversation with Stan while he was counting the cash they earned for the day when Dipper and Mabel walked through the door, both adults look at the children in amusement and concern.

"Yeesh, you two get hit by a bus or something?" she shakes her head at Stan when he laughs, smacking him on the shoulder before looking down at the twins, she smiles fondly and gives the boy a thumbs up. Dipper smiles at her as they both ignore Stan's comment and start making their way to their room so they could clean themselves up, the older man noticed their indifference to him and so he quickly changed up "Uh, hey! U-Uh, wouldn't you know it? Um, I accidentally overstocked some inventory so, uh, how's about each of you take one item from the gift shop? On the house, you know?"

"Really?"

"What's the catch?"

"The catch is do it before I change my mind. Now take something." Stan elbows the cash register so it would open but then felt like he was being stared at, looking up, he flinched under the softened gaze that was Alvah warmly smiling down at him.

"That was sweet of you, Stan." he just rolled his eyes, quickly averting his eyes away from her gaze.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I overstocked is all." she just hums.

"Sure." she was smacked in the leg this time, in retaliation, she kicked him in his side. Looking over she saw Mabel looking through boxes while Dipper was looking at hats, upon noticing, she only then just realized that he had lost his old raggedy hat and now replaced it with a blue one with a pine tree in the middle of it.

"That oughta do the trick."

"And I well have a," she pulls something out of a box and holds it to her chest, when she does a twirl she reveals it to them "grappling hook!" they all stare in bewilderment.

...

...

"Wouldn't you rather have like, a doll or something?" she then shoots the grapple and hoists herself off the ground, knocking over a couple boxes on her way up.

"Grappling hook!"

"Fair enough." she and Stan are left in the gift shop alone once more after the children picked out what they wanted, she hops of the counter and turns to speak again with Stan but stopped when Mabel ran up to her to give her a hug before finally leaving with Dipper.

"They're such sweet kids, don't you think?" he scoffed.

"They're unappreciative."

"Other than the fact you're giving them a roof over there heads, I don't think there's much you've given them to appreciate." she raises her hands when he narrows his eyes on her, she gives him a laugh "You should spend some quality time with them."

"I do." she deadpans.

"Forging bills is not family bonding, Stan. I was not pleased when I had to bail you out." he just laughs.

"Well, I'm way ahead of you, toots!" she raised a brow when he stashed the cash and walked over to where he had a calendar, his finger goes across the days until stopping on a specific date that was circled "It's fishing season on this day, so I plan on taking them fishing!" this made her smile and start clapping her hands.

"Ooo, how fun. I'm sure they'll love it." he nods.

"I know. Will I see you there? I'm sure the whole town will be out." she shrugs her shoulders.

"I'm not sure, I don't really know how to fish." his jaw dropped at the information.

"You're kidding?" she shook her head "Now you gotta come down! If I see you, I'll be sure to teach you a thing or two! I'll impress you with my killer fishing skills." she chuckles, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm sure you will."

"Is that a challenge?" they grin at each other before bursting into laughter.

This journal told me there was nobody in Gravity Falls I could trust, but when you battle a hundred gnomes side by side with someone, you realize they've probably always got your back. Our uncle told us that there was nothing strange about this town, but who knows what other secrets are waiting to be unlocked.

--

season 1, episode 2. the legend of the gobblewonker

"Stan!" Alvah shouts, bringing her fingers to her lips and blowing hard so a sharp and loud whistle would rip through the air, she smiles when she saw the old man perk up at the sound of her whistle and the call of his name. She smiles as she waves her hand to greet him from the docks, she saw how he smiled when he saw her and waved his hand while mirroring her expression, as he made his way over to where she was she noticed how neither Dipper or Mabel were with him.

"You made it, toots." she crouches down so she wouldn't need to look down at him and so he wouldn't need to crane his neck just to look up at her, she then looks around in search for the twins.

"Where are the kids?" he huffed at the question.

"They decided to spend their time with Soos, rather than their old man." she raised a brow.

"You jealous?"

"Hah! Me? Jealous? Of what?" he flinches under her gaze, arms folded and eyebrow raising even higher, telling by that he could tell that she didn't believe a word he said "Sure, I brought them out here so we could have a family bonding moment, and sure it hurt a little that they preferred to go on an adventure with Soos instead, but I'll show them I don't need them to have a good time myself!"

"Sure you don't." she laughs when he splashed her with some water.

"Are you going to ridicule me or something? I thought you were supposed to be nice."

"I'm just teasing." he watched her stand up and shrink in on himself when she walked off, he sighed to himself when he was left on his own once more but perked up when a shadow cast over him. He glances up and saw Alvah standing over him with a basket of what he could only guess was food and a case of Pitt Cola, she dangled them in front of him "Don't you gotta show me your "killer fishing skills", Stan?" he smiles up at her.

"I'll knock your socks off." he takes both the basket and case from her, sitting them down in the boat, before standing up so he could help her into his boat. He gently takes her hand and guides her into the boat, being careful so she wouldn't fall with how jankey his boat is, and smiles when she settles in across from him "You ain't afraid of getting your hair wet, are you?"

"Of course not." she answered while readjusting her sunhat "Now let's go, I wanna see a trout." he raises a brow as he starts the engine.

"You know fishes?" he watches as she pulls a book about fresh water fish, she grins at him and flips through a couple pages.

"Did you know that there are nine species of sturgeon that are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act? They are considered one of the world's most endangered groups of species." he makes a face when she continued to ramble about different species of fish, listing down from the most common to the rarest "Did you also know that catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish? Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers--"

"Sweetheart, if I wanted to learn about fish I would have stayed in school." she pouts.

"It's good to know what you fish, because you could get fined for fishing endangered species. But that's only if you knowingly fish them out." she lowers the book and saw the way he was muttering about selling an endangered fish, he was promptly hit over the head by the book. She was currently eating a sandwich while watching Stan trying to tie a thread through a hook, laughing quietly to herself as he struggled to get it through the hole "I thought you said you could tie a knot with your eyes closed." she looked away when he glared at her.

"If you think it's so easy, why don't you give it a shot?" he shoves the thread and hook into her hands, knocking her sandwich out of her hands and into the lake.

"Hey!" she shouts, glaring at him for the loss, he just laughs as he takes a sandwich from out of her picnic basket and lounges in the boat.

"It's all you, toots." she narrows her eyes on him, she doesn't break eye contact as she sits back and holds both up in front of him. In the blink of an eye, she manages to loop the thread through the hole before tying a uni-knot "Wha-- how'd you--" his face hardens when she pulls out another book, this time it was about fishing; specifically how to tie knots.

"Boom." she giggles when he snatches the book from her and starts reading through it, she looks at him when he lowered the book then picked up another hook.

"Show me how to do the trilene knot." she grins. After patiently teaching Stan how to tie a trilene knot they finally threw out their lines into the water, Alvah quietly listening to Stan ramble on and on with stories from his youth, she'd ask a question here or there and laugh a little. They would both cheer when they'd catch a couple fish, Stan muttering about cooking them for dinner later, then they would settle into a comfortable silence as they basked under the sun's rays "Hey, Alvah."

"Yeah?"

"Wanna hear a joke?"

"Psh, sure." he clears his throat.

"Here goes. My ex-wife still misses me, but her aim is getting better!" she tears her eyes away from the water and stares at Stan, who was looking at her with the biggest grin on her face "... but her aim is getting better!" his grin slowly starts to drop the longer she stared at him.

"... today at the bank, an old lady asked me to check her balance." he stares at her "So I pushed her over." they now both stare at each other in silence before bursting out into laughter, Alvah has her hand hovering over her lips while Stan slapped his knee and laughed to his hearts contents.

"I didn't know you were a comedian! That was comedy gold! Here, here! I got another one! How much does a chimney cost?" he makes a face that begs her to ask, she chuckles and decides to play along.

"I don't know Stan, how much does a chimney cost?" he giggles to himself.

"Nothing! It's on the house!" they're both laughing hysterically once again, getting odd looks from others nearby but neither paid any notice "Woo, I gotta go out fishing with you more often! I haven't had this much fun in years!" she giggles.

"As flattered as I am, that sounds a little sad."

"You're a riot." she turns her gaze back to her line and frowns when she wasn't getting any bites as often as she did when they first started, she looked across the lake and saw the Corduroy family, her eyes specifically on Daniel Corduroy, aka, Manly Dan. She watched as he kept his eye on the water before grabbing a fish with his bare hands, yanking it out of the water then proceed to crush it in between his biceps.

"Hmm." she looks at Stan and saw he pulled another sandwich out from the picnic basket, she then proceeds to take it from his hands and turn back towards the water.

"Hey! What are you--"

"Shush." he huffs, crossing his arms and watching in amusement as she concentrated on the movement in the water. She wriggles her free hand as she hovered the sandwich closer to the water, her eyes dancing across the water to detect any sort of movement. Her head then snaps in a direction before reaching into the water, Stan raised a brow then his eyes widened in shock as he watched her drop the sandwich in favor of the king salmon she managed to pull out of the water.

"Wow! A king salmon! What a beaut!" he looks back at her and sweats a little at the bright look on her face, hair a little disheveled after staring at the water so closely for what seemed like ten minutes.

"Haha, did you know that they're called chinook salmon and that it is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon? Salmon is rich in vitamins B6, B12, D, phosphorus and omega-3 fatty acids and that they play an important role in the culture, diet, economy and religion of several Northwest Tribes."

"Didn't know, don't really care." her face drops at that "Dang, if only we had a camera. Would love to take a photo of this monstrosity."

"Maybe you should catch the next one, Stan."

"I'll make sure to catch a bigger one!"

"Didn't I just say that they're one of the largest?"

"Then I'll catch an even BIGGER king salmon!"

"Go right ahead." he laughs at her and stands to his feet, he's getting ready to toss his line out when something blows right by them at great speed, then something even bigger that forms a giant wave. The king salmon that was in her hands got caught in the wave and swam to freedom while Stan and Alvah got completely soaked, Alvah stared rather owlishly at nothing in particular while Stan had an angered expression, he tore his hat off and threw it on the ground before letting out a defeated sigh and sitting down "Well, that was certainly... something." she mutters to herself and attempts to flick the water off her arms then grabbing a fist full of her dress and squeezing some of the water out.

"Today has been a disaster." Stan admits, she tilts her head to the side.

"Really? I thought you were having fun." she says, taking her hat off and cringing when she felt more water drip down her face "Did I bore you, Stan?" he immediately shakes his head.

"Oh, no, no! You definitely made everything all the more fun, honestly! It's just that..." she then finally noticed his gaze on the few boats still out on the lake, which all consisted of one thing, they were families spending time with each other "I really, REALLY wanted to go fishing with those knuckleheads, instead they wanted to go hunt some sea monster while I got stuck with you." she huffs with a laugh, grabbing strands of her hair and twisting it to squeeze the water out as well, she then throws her hair over her shoulder.

"That better be a good thing." he only smirks.

"You wish. I want them to know that I genuinely want to spend time with them, like a family."

"I'll say it again, Stan, but that's really sweet of you." she picks up his hat he threw to the ground and squeezed the water out of it then placed it on his head "I'm sure they'll come around eventually, at the end of the day, you're their great uncle Stan. I'm sure they'll see the error of their ways and come back to spend the rest of what is left of today with you, just like that." she reassures as she snaps her fingers, she then leans down to grab two cans of pitt cola, handing one to him to take.

"... you really know what to say to mellow a fella out." he says and takes the drink from her, she just gives him a soft expression in return. They both crack their cans open, thrusting them together then taking long gulps from their fizzy beverages. The rest of the day is spent with them lazily drifting with the water in a comfortable silence, it was only when they started to get cold that Stan decided it was time to head back and wait for the kids to return. She looks at Stan and saw he had a blissful smile on his face, a smile of her own stretched across her face the longer she gazed at him before she looked behind him to gaze at the lowering sun.

"Hey, over here!" both are caught off guard at the sound of Dipper's voice, looking behind them, they were taken aback at the sight of what was left of Soos' boat, they were surprised that it was still floating.

"What the... kids?" a flash from Dipper's camera made Alvah jump, not expecting it to go off, though it was more or less aimed at Stan so her eyes were spared "I thought you two were off playing spin the bottle with Soos."

"Well, we spent all day trying to find a legendary dinosaur."

"But we realized the only dinosaur we want to hang out with is right here." Stan scoffs while Alvah chuckles.

"Save your sympathy! I've been having a great time without ya! Making friends, talking to my reflection," Alvah was caught of guard when Stan raised his leg and saw an ankle monitor that she didn't not notice the entire "I had a run in with the lake police! Guess I gotta wear this ankle bracelet now, so that'll be fun."

"When did you get that? How did I not notice that?" he ignores her.

"So I guess there isn't room in that boat for three more?" the older two share a look then look back at the three in the sinking boat, Stan's eyes narrowing in on them. His gaze faltered when he saw the two put on fishing hats with awkwardly sewn names of "MABEL" and "DIPPY" on them, she thought they were real cute.

"... you knuckleheads ever seen me thread a hook with my eyes closed?"

"Five bucks says you can't do it."

"You're on!"

"Five more bucks says you can't do it with your eyes closed plus me singing at the top of my lungs!"

"I like those odds!" they had to rearrange a few things on the boat for the three of them to fit but they made it work, Stan, Mabel and Dipper sat together while Soos and Alvah sat across from them.

"Soos, what on earth happened to your shirt?" she questions, only now just questioning it.

"Long story dude." Dipper than pulls out his camera again.

"Alright. Everybody get together and say fishing!" Soos, Stan and Mabel get close, he then looks up at Alvah "You too." she chuckles and takes the camera from him, gently pushing him towards his sister.

"Let me take the picture, sweetpea." though hesitant, he was reassured by the older woman that she did not mind and so he joined his sister's side. The rest of that day was spent with Alvah capturing sweet moments of them having a great time, Stan indeed trying to thread the hook with his eyes closed but Mabel was covering his eyes when he started to peek, Soos and Mabel laughing as Stan read through a book of jokes with Dipper looking less than amused, Dipper actually catching a fish with Mabel pointing at it, Soos took the camera from her and snapped a shot of Stan with only half his face then proceeding to try and get one of Alvah to include her but missed up the timing because she was taking her hat off and so he only got the side of her, the next two were of Stan helping Mabel steal fish from another family by cutting their net then them fleeing from the lake police.

"Ahem." if it weren't for the fact that they were sitting next to each other he probably wouldn't have been able to hear it over the engine, he looked to his side and saw Alvah with a brow raised as she snapped her fingers "Just like that." he huffed, laughing to himself as he shook his head.

"Don't go getting a big head."

--

season 1, episode 3. headhunters

she doesn't really play a significant roll in this episode, only really appearing when stan reveals his wax stan.

scolds stan about lying to the people who came that there will be no free pizza, that being the reason they actually came.

she was thoroughly impressed with mabel's wax carving skills, getting every detail of stan.

alvah helps stan set up a memorial for wax stan, encouraging the twins on their search for the killer.

she did find the wax figures unsettling during the funeral and left to "comfort" stan when he ran out of the room crying, followed by soos.

when they return to the destroyed room and the children say it was because they "came to life" and what not, the adults laughed and stan thanked them for finding his head.

season 1, episode 4. the hand that rocks the mabel

doesn't really appear in this episode.

she thinks gideon is a little creepy, from his song to the way he pressures mabel into going on more and more dates with him, taking advantage of her kindness.

she alongside wendy, albeit the latter unaware, help mabel realize that she should be honest about how he makes her feel.

mabel laughs when alvah threatens to strangle the little boy if he decides to do anything to retaliate against her.

she appreciated it.

was standing beside stan when soos became a human disco ball, staring questionably at the man as he spun in circles.

season 1, episode 5. the inconveniencing

not really present.

season 1, episode 6. dipper vs manliness

is at the diner when the pines family come to get food.

they join her at her booth where she is drinking a cup of coffee and eating a plate of scrambled eggs and toast.

when stan was being a cheapskate, she tells them that it'll be on her and to get whatever they want.

mabel is ecstatic to be getting pancakes that morning.

when dipper says "pancakes are on me" and is laughed at by stan and mabel, and a small laugh that leaves alvah, the former doubt him.

when stan brings up his little "disco girl" fiasco, alvah tells him it's alright to listen to pop music while being a boy.

he asks her if he's plenty manly, she could only look away and silently sip at her coffee.

when dipper does the whole "test your manliness" contraction and fails, alvah is the only one that comforts him while he was being teased by the other patrons for getting the weakest score.

though she couldn't help but be impressed when manly dan broke the machine and impressively the stack of pancakes landed on other patron's plates.

when dipper leaves and it's just the three of them left, stan embarrassingly admits that he has a small crush on lazy susan.

alvah teases him about it.

she's with mabel helping her "spruce" up her uncle who's a "cranky, cross, weird old man" with the power of mabel.

she laughs at that.

she's really enjoying mabel, wendy and soos do their best to help the poor old man.

at this point she's not even helping, she's just laughing at their failed attempts honestly.

trying to get him to smile?

failed.

give him a facial?

failed.

try and shave his outrageous chest hair?

don't even remind me.

etiquette?

doesn't exist.

by the end of all mabel's "training" he looked even worse than when they first started, which only frustrate mabel.

"Your niece is SO adorable, Stan. Never knew she would be quite the cupid." Alvah teases from where she was, he just huffed at her, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms "Come on, she's doing you quite the favor if you're asking me. You could learn a thing or two from your love obsessed niece." he waves his hand at her.

"You've been nothing but a bother ALL day, Alvah! Just tell me I don't gotta shot and be done with it." Mabel, who was in the middle of a rant, briefly looked up when Alvah left their side to approach Stan. Wendy and Soos were chattering about other stuff that could help so they didn't notice how Alvah approached Stan, hands on her hips as she stood a little too close to him.

"Not at all. I heard back in the day you were quite the charmer, I believe you've got a good shot with her." she says and leans in close, he scoffed and leaned in, not backing away despite the small distance between them "Shoot your shot, I'm sure you'll hit a home run if you just be yourself."

"You're only saying that because with how perfect and pretty you are, you can just do or say about anything and people will gobble it right up." she laughs as she leaned back, hand to her chest and face flushed with how much she's been laughing that day.

"You think I'm pretty~?" his hands are now on his hips, eyes averting her teasing gaze, his own face flushing a little.

"I would be a fool if I said no."

"Oh my gosh!" Mabel suddenly squealing caught them off guard, the four of them all looking down at her when she sprung off the sofa with her hands to her cheeks "Grunkle Stan and Alvah! Alvah and Grunkle Stan! You two, you're perfect!" they both share a look then burst out into laughter.

"That's really nice of you sweety, but I'm way out of her league." Alvah raised a brow, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Really? And here I thought I was, and I quote, "perfect and pretty". Your words." he laughs.

"Yeah! But I'm irresistible and dreamy! No woman would deny me!" she jokingly rolled her eyes with crossed arms, she hummed softly when she felt Mabel tug on the skirt of her dress, when she spared her a glance she winced at how shiny her eyes were.

"What do you think of my grunkle, Alvah? Is he dating material?" she looked at Stan once more, eyes looking him up and down as she took in his character, and Mabel was graced with a soft and serene look on her face as she didn't break away from him.

"I think he's perfect for her." the sincerity in her tone was enough to satisfy Mabel, though the young girl did not miss the longing in her eyes the longer she stared at him.

"That's good enough!" she shouts then rushes out of the room, they all wait because not even a minute passes when she comes back "Grunkle Stan, come with me! And leave your pants at home."

"With pleasure." the two disappear and left Alvah, Wendy and Soos alone in the living room, to which Wendy and Soos look towards Alvah.

"You know, Mabel isn't wrong." Wendy quips.

"Hmm?" Soos nods his head.

"You and Stan, well, you two are like two peas in a pod! He doesn't get mad at you like he would at us."

"You laugh at his jokes."

"He enjoys being around you."

"You don't barf whenever he's next to you." as they continue to list more things about them, she just laughs at waves her hand.

"Me and Stan? As flattering as that is, I don't see him like that." she admits as she picks up the photo Mabel dropped, laughing at Stan's poor posture in the photo "He's just a really good friend, honestly." Wendy huffs with a smile, crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes on her.

"With how you two dance around each other? Yeah, right."

"Believe what you wanna believe."

season 1, episode 7. double dipper

alvah probably wouldn't have gone to stan's "party" if it weren't for mabel's insistence that she just had to be there to keep stan company, or whatever that means.

she argues that she didn't have anything to wear for the occasion, but that doesn't stop mabel from making an outfit out of nothing but left over fabric.

that kid never ceased to surprise her.

"How do I look, Stan?"

"Same old, same old, I promise you that." upon seeing her he felt his words get caught in his throat, staring owlishly as she tugged on the scarf wrapped securely around her neck "W-Where did you-- ahem! Where..." she sighs to herself.

"I don't know how I feel about sequin, but Mabel insisted that I wear them so I could shine." upon that they notice the way some of the lights that shun down on her reflected off the glittery-like pants and sparkled "I don't quite like the way it feels, but I'll put up with it if it makes her happy. So Stan, I ask again, how do I look?" she asks once again and opens her arms, going so far as doing a little twirl with a giggle.

"You look..." she slowly raises a brow, waiting for an answer "you look real pretty, doll face." she continues to giggle when he shoved his hands in his pockets, face turning red while her own cheeks turned pink.

"Thanks, you look quite dashing as well." he clears his throat as he tugs on his collars.

"D-Don't I? I'm glad you noticed." he then holds his hand out to her, the other rubbing the back of his neck nervously before gesturing towards the dance floor "Wanna dance?" she looks down at his hand and noticed that it was shaking, if she took his hand would it be sweaty?

"You are so adorable, Stan." she coos and takes his hand, and it was indeed, sweaty "What are you, Dipper?" he gasps, hand to his chest.

"I am offended. Alright, toots, I may not be as young as I was before but I'll show you I still got it."

and he most certainly did.

at first she wasn't so sure when he led her to the dance floor and shouted at soos to play specific songs, but as the night went on she noticed that he was a really good dancer.

he was light on his feet and definitely had rhythm.

he knew just how to guide her, how to hold her.

she's laughing to her hearts contents with every swing and every twirl, the both of them ignoring when they hear mabel squealing in the background when she found them.

with how smooth stan was she hadn't even realized that she was dipped until she opened her eyes and saw her vision was upside down.

stan is grinning down at her when she looks up at him, panting softly at how long they've been dancing for.

"Speechless?" he laughs some more, hands holding her by the waist while one of her hands goes to her chest while the back of her other hand is pressed to her forehead, head leaning to the side.

"You've swept me completely off my feet." he laughs when he hoists her back up and the two of them are spinning around together, her hands resting on his shoulders while his stayed on her waist "This is fun, thanks for tonight." he chuckles.

"We oughta thank Mabel for this, you wouldn't even have come if it weren't for her."

"You're right." he leads them over to where the food was when Soos announced it was time for the competition between Mabel and Pacifica Northwest to continue, she's drinking from a cup while Stan was unnecessarily taking a lot of marshmallows when a bill strung from what she guessed was a fishing line hung in front of him.

"Right, like I'm gonna fall for that." she doesn't say anything as she watched Stan ignore the money dangling in front of him... for about a second before jumping for it, taking out the table and knocking everything to the floor then cashing after it, leaving her alone "Gimme that money, sonny!" she sighs, deflating a little.

"And there the night goes."

season 1, episode 8. irrational treasure

shows up at the end only to make fun of stan.

season 1, episode 9. the time travelers pig

shows up at the end to make fun of stan... again.

season 1, episode 10. fight fighters

helps mabel with stan's fear of heights.

and by help she's just in the background, encouraging stan that he doesn't have anything to be afraid of.

is with stan and mabel on top of the water tower, nonchalantly leaning against the railing while stan's gripping onto it like his life depends on it.

"Take off your blindfold, now!" when he does he's met with the daunting sight of being meters off the ground.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I was expecting." Alvah snickers at Stan's frightened face, eyes widened in fear as he couldn't tear his eyes away. Stan briefly looks at Alvah and saw the way she was casually leaning against the handrail, arms crossed without a single care in the world "You're enjoying this too much." she nods.

"I am."

"You're doing better than I thought! Now let go of the handrail." Mabel instructs, Alvah stifles her laughter by how much he was trembling.

"No!" he answers back, voice all strained, that was enough to get Alvah to burst out into laughter.

"Hey, do you smell anger and hormones?" as soon as she said that they look behind Mabel and saw Robbie, who's supposed to be off fighting Dipper, climbing up onto the water tower.

"Finally, I'm safe!"

"Hey, Robbie, get your own water tower!"

"Shh! Keep it down! He'll find us!" she raises a brow at his sudden appearance and leans back to get a look at what he was fleeing from, she squinted her eyes when she saw a pixelated figure at the bottom of the water tower. Before she could do anything he kicked the supporting beams, causing the water tower to shake.

"What was that?!" Mabel shouts, Stan's grip on the handrail tightens as sweat bleeds down the side of his face.

"Oh boy!"

"We're safe, right?"

"Of course not! This thing is on stilts high, high up!" whoever the pixelated figure was managed to break the support beam, Robbie unfortunately fell off while Stan and Mabel were able to run to the opposite side from where it was falling, but Alvah was too also unfortunate and fell off but managed to catch herself.

"Alvah!" she looks down and breaks out into a cold sweat at the distance between herself and the ground, sighing nervously to herself.

"Well... this is an unexpected predicament." whatever was going on below them quickly moved elsewhere, she looks back up and quickly reaches her other hand to grab a hold of the railing to pull herself back up. She grows a little nervous when she felt the tower sway due to it now only being supported by three beams, she starts to pull herself up but cringes when she heard the handrail itself creak "Uh... a little help, please!" she shouts.

"Hang in there!" she sighs to herself.

"I already am." when she felt a hand she thought it would have been Mabel to come to her rescue, instead when she looked up she was met with Stan instead. He takes one of her hands first to pull her up and when she was above the handrail he grabs the back of her legs to swing them over and pull her back to safety, he was still a little weak to the knees so they collapsed to the ground with her laying on his chest, the both of them unmoving after the drastic turn of events "Thanks for helping me, Stan." his chest rumbles as he laughs weakly.

"Right back at cha, toots." she rolls her eyes and pats his chest, she finally manages to push herself up and stand to her feet, albeit with shaking legs, and helps Stan to his feet "I finally got over my fear of heights."

"So you actually WERE scared of heights."

"Don't push your luck."

season 1, episode 11. little dipper

makes a brief appearance to tell dipper that it's okay to be short and that he shouldn't need to be insecure about it.

soos points out that she and stan are about the same height when she wears heels.

they tell her to take off her heels.

she takes her leave.

season 1, episode 12. summerween

wears a simple angel costume and gives the children candy in stan's stead while he was scaring the children.

or attempting to scare them.

joins them at the end of the night for the horror movie marathon.

season 1, episode 13. boss mabel

finds it real cute how both mabel and dipper are similar to stan.

season 1, episode 14. bottomless pit

doesn't fall in like the other four do.

hears their screams fade out into existence and kind of just sits there and waits to see what happens.

not even a couple seconds later and the screaming returns and the four of them are thrown right back out.

she greets them like nothing even happened.

shakes her head when stan falls back in.

season 1, episode 15. the deep end

is just casually sunbathing.

season 1, episode 16. carpet diem

only appears to stare weirdly at soos, who's technically waddles, as he passes by.

season 1, episode 17. boyz crazy

not present in this episode, only at the end to comfort wendy after her break up with robbie.

season 1, episode 18. land before swine

joins them on their rescue mission to save waddles, and because stan called her so she could help comfort mabel.

she was always good at that.

after being told what happened by stan, she gave him a skeptical look and knew that he was lying to mabel about how waddles disappeared.

following the trial of yarn, it led them to what they believed was an abandoned church out deep into the woods.

"Okay, the red yarn leads to..." she trailed off when she saw at the end of the church was old man McGucket rocking back and forward in a rocking chair while playing a banjo... rather creepy that he was there in the first place "Old man McGucket?" he turns at the sound of Mabel's voice, smiling at them and waving his hand to greet them.

"Howdy, friends!"

"What are you doing out here?"

"You'll never believe me. So I was doing my hourly hootenanny..." Stan scoffs, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms.

"Ohh! This guy."

"When this enormous wingly critter stole my musical spoons and flew lickety split into the abandoned mine down yonder." they all lean over to take a peek down the hole in the floorboards where the red yarn was leading, Alvah reached forward to grab Dipper by his shoulder when she noticed that his hat was going to fall in.

"Looks kinda hairy down there."

"Come on, Grunkle Stan, you can handle it. You punched a pterodactyl in the face, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Haha! I did do that, didn't I?" Alvah side eyes him, she looks away when he glared at her.

"My! What a suspicious laughter!" he then looks at Alvah, who looks back at him with a kind smile, she leans back a bit when he points directly at her face "I remember you! I remember you from all the way back then!" he shouts, she tilts her head to the side.

"And I remember you from, like, last week?" he laughs wildly.

"I know what you are!" Stan and Soos got in front of her, making sure to make some distance between her and McGucket while the kids pulled her away "You can't fool me!"

"Knock it off, loon." Stan growls.

"That ain't cool, dawg." Soos says disappointedly, Dipper and Mabel look up at Alvah all worried.

"Are you alright?"

"Why's old man McGucket acting more crazy then usual?" Alvah just gave an innocent shrug.

"Perhaps I remind him of someone." that seemed like a logical answer, though when the others turned their attention back to the hole, they failed to notice the way both Alvah and McGucket stared at each other.

they go down with dipper first, then mabel, soos, alvah, stan and unfortunately mcgucket tell about how he kissed raccoon or something. none of them were really paying attention.

when the rope snapped and they all fell down into the chasm, they were lucky that they landed on a mushroom to break their fall, though alvah did land on top of soos.

following the trail of red yarn deeper into the mine shaft they found interesting plants, skeletons but what really caught them off guard were the dinosaurs trapped in tree sap.

from the famous tyrannosaurus rex to the stegosaurs, this cavern seemed to have them all.

but then they found where the pterodactyl was supposed to be, but due to the summer heat, the tree sap melted and it broke free.

they grew nervous when they found where a raptor was, its claw wiggling free.

they should probably hurry up.

alvah is with mabel when stan admits out loud that it was actually him that let waddles out and was the reason that he was snatched up in the first place.

mabel threatens stan that she'll never talk to him again if they don't find waddles, which causes an argument to break out between the two of them.

soos tries to mediate by reassuring mabel they could just continue to follow the yarn, but accidentally wound it back up into a ball.

mcgucket stands beside her when they all start arguing with each other, looking up at her when he saw that calm demeanour that she usually wore start to drop as they yelled at each other.

"Enough!" she shouts, shocking them all into silence. Not once have they heard Alvah raise her voice so angrily before that it echoed through the cavern, or with such an angered look on her face that if looks could kill they'd all be dead "I understand we're all under a certain amount of stress, but acting like children aren't going to get us anywhere!"

"Listen, we just--" Stan raises his hands, flinching back when she directed her fiery glare at him.

"Stan! It was wrong of you to lie to Mabel about what happened to Waddles. Mabel, you have a right to be angry but now isn't the time. Soos, I get that it was an accident but we're in a bit of a bind now that we've lost both the trail and the lantern. Dipper, he's doing his best so take a step back." she lets out a deep sigh, squeezing the bridge of her nose to calm her nerves "You guys are going to shut your mouths, we're going to go down that tunnel because that's where the yarn was leading to last, we're gonna find Waddles and do our best to avoid that pterodactyl because our lives damn well depend on it."

"Hey! Cheer up fellers!" her intense gaze turned to look behind her and it dropped immediately at what she saw "I fixed your lantern!"

...

...

"Oh, dear."

alvah was already running away with the kids in her arms, prioritizing their safety first while leaving the other three behind to catch up.

they're all hiding behind rocks when the tunnel they fled down led them to a cliff where a railway led to what seemed to be a nest.

the rocks they were hiding behind were shaped oddly like them.

she smacks stan when he suggested they use soos as a human sacrifice.

she glares at them all when they were going to start arguing again, that shut them right up.

the sound of oinking caught their attention and so they peek out of their hiding spot to find waddles in the nest along side a giant egg, that doesn't look good.

alvah was the first to chase after mabel when she left their hiding spot to go and retrieve waddles, carefully chasing after her as she crossed the rusting railway tracks.

she ushers the young girl to hurry but keeps close as she looked at the pile of skeletons that surrounded the nest, but kept a closer eye on the looming egg beside them.

the sudden appearance of the pterodactyl startled waddles, which caused the pig to run out of her arms in his harness and towards stan, who was still on the tracks.

they all watch in horror when the pterodactyl nose dives for them but missed and instead destroyed the tracks, causing the two of them to fall towards the wilderness below.

"Oh, no!"

"Stan!"

"Mister Pines!" Alvah slaps a hand onto her forehead when Stan disappeared into the jungle below them, she could only hope that he managed to survive that fall, but she has other things to worry about. She pushes the two children down then yanks Soos down to avoid being caught by the giant prehistoric lizard flying above them, now beginning to stress a little.

"This is just... wonderful." she says through gritted teeth, they all then gasp when Stan's hat fell into the nest "And I say it again, this is just wonderful."

"Guys, we've gotta save them!"

"McGucket, do you have an invention that can distract the pterodactyl?"

"Do I?" he pulls his hat off and starts rifling through it, when he didn't find anything he slumps down "Nope!" Alvah squeezes her temple again, the sound of crackling turned their direction towards the egg that was shaking and when it fell over they all pushed themselves as far away from it as possible.

"Aw..." Mabel cooed when a baby pterodactyl peeked out from the top of the egg, its beady little eyes staring right up at them, but Alvah got in front of Soos and the kids and kept them away.

"McGucket..." she spoke, reaching for him as well, but he just slipped through her fingers.

"Well, welcome to the world, little feller." she closes her eyes when the hatchling snapped its beak shut and proceeded to swallow him whole, she shook her head.

"He will... probably not be missed."

what stood between them and getting out of the nest was the baby pterodactyl, and with the looming threat of being eaten by either it or its mother, they were limited on options.

that was until soos suggested they get in a straight line, since a pterodactyl's vision is so far apart it won't be able to see them.

dipper doubts their theory, but with the apology and reassurance of soos, they eventually agree and get in a straight line.

alvah had to admit, she was very impressed when soos' theory was correct because the moment it laid its eyes on them, it was as if they were invisible.

"I gotta admit, that was real wise of you Soos." Alvah praised as they hid behind the rock formation once more, the young man smiles at her praise.

"Haha, thanks." a distant screech caused them to jump and peeking out of hiding spot to see what it was, they were met with the sight of... you can't be serious.

"Was that?"

"Stan?" right on the back of the pterodactyl with Waddles strapped to his chest was Stan, repeatedly punching it in the face "Waddles!"

"He's punching him in the face!" she couldn't help but whistle at the astonishing display of strength, not expecting Stan to pull of such a stunt.

"From heck's heart I stab at thee!" he shouts as he brings down both his fists to the top of the pterodactyl's head, the mighty creature lets out a screech before crashing into the cliffside and falling in its demise. Stan managed to jump off in time and pull himself up so he didn't fall with it, Alvah whistles again.

"Oh, yes! Haha!"

"You're alright, Stan?" he's panting tiredly, worn out after punching the living daylights of the flying lizard, he perks up when he hears clapping.

"I guess your story was true after all, Stan. I guess I've got to cross "watch Stan punch a dinosaur in the face" off my bingo card." he just laughs tiredly, rubbing the back of his head as she approached him.

"Ah, you're just saying that, but flattery won't get you anywhere." she knocks his shoulder, they then look down to see Mabel wearing Stan's hat, beady little eyes looking up at him "Here's your pig, kiddo." Alvah awes when Stan waves Waddle's hooves, how adorable.

"Ooo, Waddles! You saved him for me."

"Yeah, well, sometimes you just gotta... look out!"

stan takes alvah by the hand when the pterodactyl climbed back up from where it had fallen and started to chase after thme again.

they found themselves back where they had fallen in the first place and realized they had no way of getting out.

upon seeing the geysers shooting up debris, dipper points it out and says they can ride the water up.

however, when they got in the water was still.

they all scream out in terror when the pterodactyl was right before them, but soos screams "bros before dinos" and slams his fists down to get the geyser to activate and shook them straight through the room but out of the mineshaft.

mabel landed in the chandelier with waddles.

soos and dipper ended up in a piano.

stan with alvah on top of him landed in an open casket, with his hat somehow ending up on her head.

the destroyed ceiling collapsed and filled up the hole, hopefully sealing it up where the dinosaurs can't get out.

they all left that day, with alvah feeling satisfied that this experience brought stan and mabel closer, as well as soos and dipper.

she did, however, glance back towards the destroyed church before shrugging her shoulders.

she wasn't forgetting anything, right?

season 1, episode 19. dreamscaperers

"Hmm?" Alvah entered the shack and it was eerily quiet, usually, there would at least be some noise whenever she came by, especially at this hour. Entering the living room, she was met with the odd sight that was the Pines twins and Soos laying unconscious in front of Stan as he sat on the sofa, were they having a sleepover or something? She leaves the room and returns to drape blankets over their sleeping bodies and put pillows under their heads, when she reaches Stan, she throws the blanket over his lap and reaches to take his hat off when she felt something. When she removes his fez her fingers gently brush his hair out of his face, her hand recoils back when she hears a familiar laughter ring out through the room "Now that's a laughter I haven't heard in three decades." she mutters to herself, her hand reaches for his face again but this time she takes him by the chin to turn his face so she could get a good look at him.

"Ah... wha..." he muttered in his sleep, well, at least he still seemed sane. She pulls her hand back and laces her fingers together, pushing them forward to crack her knuckles then pushing her head up to crack her neck. Her fingers brush against his hair that fell over his forehead and she moves it to the side, her index finger presses against the center of his forehead as she whispers a few words under her breath and his face visibly relaxes.

"That should be enough... hopefully." she gently flicks his nose before turning on her heel to leave them be, she's done enough.

the dream demon summoned by gideon gleeful was running amok inside stan's mind in search for the code to stan's safe that secured the deed to the shack.

dipper, mabel and soos jumped into his mind to prevent that from happening but bill was just a force to be reckoned with.

unaware of how to defeat this demonic being, when dipper separated from them, bill was unleashing mabel and soos' worse nightmares.

soos' nightmare was a talking british dog man, odd.

mabel's nightmare was losing her cuteness and looking grotesque.

the two brightly colorful men, previously imagined by mabel, were erased from existence.

bill was having the time of his life bringing misfortune to these two humans.

"And now to finish you off, once and for all!" he points his finger at them, ready to blast them out of existence as well when he felt a presence he had long forgotten about. Dipper arrives after learning that they were in Stan's mind and that anything is possible, he flies up to confront Bill but instead, he was met with the demon slowly lowering his hand "Is that who I think it is?" they all look to where Bill was staring and saw in the distance an abnormal storm approaching them, the once star-filled sky was covered in dark black and red storm clouds where you could hear disoriented and agonizing screams.

"Cipher." the humans within Stan's mind tremble when the voices within the storm cloud came together and spoke, somewhat of a body formed that took the shape of a shadow and loomed over them "I didn't expect to see you here." Bill, whose body was red itself, turned back into its normal yellow color and his jolly personality returned.

"Well, well, well! Shouldn't I be saying that? You aren't one to enter a human mind, much less one so pathetic." the voice let out a deep chuckle.

"Well, my contractor states I must keep those they hold dear alive. Knowing you, you'd cripple this mind beyond saving." Bill let out a laugh as straightened his tie.

"Is that why you've been gone for thirty-odd years? Hah! I gotta thank this contractor of yours for keeping your butt out of the nightmare realm for this long!" he raised his hands in surrender when the figure raised its own hand, the outline of it glowing a bright red to charge up an attack "Hey, hey, now! Knowing that you're still around, I'm not dumb enough to mess with stuff you've claimed. I was on a job as well, and since these dummies thwarted my plans, I was dealing with them." he lowers his arm to take aim at them again but paused when the figure reached down, its own hand getting in front of them to protect them.

"Unfortunately, they're under my protection as well. So I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Dipper looks up at the figure, not expecting some supernatural being to come to their rescue. If he picked up anything from their conversation, this creature was in a contract with someone to protect Stan; to protect them. But who could it possibly be? "This form of mine may not be as powerful as my original, but I won't hesitate to erase you out of existence." they stare at each other in an unsettling silence until Bill starts to laugh so hard that a tear forms out of his singular eye.

"That's so hilarious! You and I both know that I can't be erased!" the red storm huffed.

"Yeah, but it's a threat nonetheless. So long as I am around, you will not be able to kill the humans under my protection." Bill huffed himself, he straightens his tie once more then his hat.

"Fine. Alright you kids, I'm gonna let you guys off the hook because of this old bat. Though, you might come in handy later. But know this. A darkness approaches, a day will come in the future when everything you care about will change." he tips his hat to bid them farewell "Until then, I'll be watching you. I'll be watching." and when he disappeared, a circle surrounded him that had various symbols that flashed until he was gone.

"Well he's annoying to deal with." the voice speaks, it then looks down at them, Dipper specifically "You better watch yourselves, Pines family. Now you've got a serious stalker on your hands." with that the storm started to disappear like, but Dipper reaches his hand out.

"Wait! Who are you?" the voice chuckles.

"That journal should know."

"Ah!" Dipper, Mabel and Soos wake up with a shout, shooting up from where they were lying down, they all then cheer when they realize they had awoken after such a confusion ordeal "We did it!" Mabel cheers, they then hear a groan coming from behind them and see that it was Stan waking up.

"What? Did what? What are you all doing here?" he asks confusingly, rubbing his head "And why was I dreaming of two brightly colored and radical young men?" the three of them stand up and approach him, though it was Dipper who rushed to his side first.

"Grunkle Stan, you're okay!" he exclaims, jumping up to hug him.

"What is this, a hug?"

"Nope. It's a chokehold." Dipper then maneuvers himself around him, wrapping his arm around his neck and proceed to lock him in a chokehold, causing the others to laugh as Stan struggled in his hold.

"Not bad, kid." he praises after being released from his hold, smiling at Dipper "Not bad."

"Oh?" they all perk up at the voice, looking towards the doorway, they were met with Alvah "You guys are finally awake? Were you having a sleepover, or something? I came in earlier and saw you guys sleeping, so I brought a couple blankets in so you'd be more comfortable." they all then finally noticed the blankets and pillows littered across the room.

"Alvah!" she watches in mild confusion when Mabel runs up to her, kneeling down so the young girl could leap into her arms "You won't believe how crazy our dreams were!"

"Really? I'm almost jealous I didn't join you." she lets Mabel go and watches as she lets out a breath of relief.

"I'm just glad Gideon didn't get into the safe. I really love this old shack." they all look up when the shack suddenly shock, a loud rumble being heard in the background.

"Hey, do you guys feel a..." they were all suddenly blown away when the wall exploded, Alvah was lucky she was behind Mabel so she wrapped her arms around the girl so she could shield her from the debris.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Pines family, did I wake you?" walking out of the hole in the wall was Gideon, with the safe destroyed and the deed to the shack in his hands.

"But we defeated Bill."

"Bill failed me! So I switched to plan b. Dynamite."

"What? Bill? Who... wha-- what are you guys talking about?"

"Spoilor alert, Stanford. I've got the deed! The Mystery Shack belongs to me! So, get off my property!"

season 1, episode 20. gideon rises

alvah apologizes to the pines family, not being able to house them because she lives in a small one bedroom apartment that charges her a ridiculous amount of rent.

her small apartment definitely didn't have room to house the twins and stan himself, so she was deeply sorry that she couldn't provide a roof over their heads.

she helps them however she can, whether it be giving them money or food, she'll do whatever she could for them.

she visits them when soos offers them a place at his abulita's home, and comforts stan when he was having a crisis about not being able to provide for the twins.

she isn't with them when they sneak into the "grand closing" of the mystery shack, she's watching behind the fences and cringes when they get caught and thrown out.

she was there when stan admits to the children that he couldn't take care of them, telling them that they had to go back home and that he bought them their tickets; it wasn't up for discussion.

they plead with him, even with alvah, but she couldn't do anything to help them and said it would be for the best.

"Bus fifty-two departing Gravity Falls. All aboard." the twins board the bus and take the seats at the very back where they looked out the window to see Stan, Alvah, Wendy, Grenda and Candy outside waving them goodbye.

"Sorry kids, it's for the best." he then turned around, not being able to face them after all that they've lost, Alvah placed her hand on his shoulder in a form of comfort as she looked up at the twins in the bus and gave them a sad wave goodbye. He does look back at them when the bus drives away but he quickly turns away, not being able to handle the look of sadness on their faces "What should I do now, Alvah? I've got no job, no house, I've got nothing." he looks up at her for a sign of hope but saw the conflicted look on her face.

"I... I really don't know." she muttered to herself "Everybody in this town is unwilling to see the truth that's in front of them because of the story Gideon wrote out unless we're able to help them open their eyes... there's nothing we can do about it. I am so sorry Stan, but I don't know if there's anything I can do to help you." his shoulders slump in defeat.

"I expected that." she finally looks down at him and gives him a weak smile.

"I may not be able to do anything to get you out of this, but I won't leave your side. Until you're able to get back on your feet, I'll be sure to see it through the whole way with you. I promise you, you've still got me by your side." she pats his shoulder and gives him the best smile she could muster, he looks into her eyes and despite the tears glistening in her eyes at the loss of the Pines twins, he could tell that her words were genuine "It'll take you dying to get rid of me." she let out a soft grunt when he pulled her into a hug, her eyes widened in surprise when she felt his fingers cling desperately to her blouse but she eventually relaxed as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned into him. 

"Thank you..." she gently rubs her hands up and down his back to comfort him.

"Don't mention it." when she finally managed to calm him down she bid Wendy, Grenda and Candy farewell and led Stan back to Soos' home. They were sitting on the couch with Alvah continuing to comfort him as he buried his face in his hands, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well, Stan, this is it. Rock bottom. No family, stuck watching infomercials for that is." they both briefly look at the television to see an infomercial about an "owl trowel", or whatever that is, he then picks up the Gideon pin on the coffee table "How did you do it, kid? Why are you always one step ahead? Maybe he really is psychic after..." they both wince when a high pitch ringing went off, Alvah's eye twitched as she stuck a finger in her ear and twisted it around.

"Ah, what was that?" Stan jumped when the ringing went off due to his hearing aid.

"What keeps causing that?" she confusingly looked at him when he glanced down at the pin and a sudden realization dawned on him "Wait a minute. That's it! I know Gideon's weakness!" she still didn't understand what was going on when he sprung to his feet as he took her with him, she goes to question him but when he suddenly grabbed her by her biceps what happened next stunned her to silence. She let out a muffled gasp when Stan pulled her into a kiss that didn't last more than a couple seconds, when he pulls away he let out a cheer and quickly ran out of the room, leaving her standing there in shock. Abuela entered the room when they shared that intimate moment and looked up at Alvah, their brow raised when she saw her face slowly turn red.

"Are you alright, senorita Alvah?" her face finally crumbled, that gobsmacked expression crumbled and she was left looking flustered and embarrassed and shocked and-- she slowly raised her hands to her lips, still remembering the feeling of his chapped lips against hers and the brush of his stubble "Senorita?"

"I-I'm-- I'm alright." she let out a gasp when Stan ran back into the room, taking her hand and dragging her outside to where his car was.

"Come on, toots! We got a brat to expose!" will only music to make up any noise, the car ride was relatively quiet. Stan took a quick look at Alvah and saw she was just staring ahead of them, he would have guessed she was fine by the composed look she had on but telling how red her face was, it was giving her away. He glanced down at her lips and saw they were slightly smudged from where he had guessed her, well, guess he smudged it from when he kissed her rather out of nowhere "L-Look, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or whatnot. But it was just a spur of the moment, and the sudden shot of adrenaline got me going and-- what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't have to mean anything. It doesn't..." he looked at her again and saw the way her face turned a shade of pink this time, her thumbs fiddling together.

"... I didn't, NOT, like it." she murmured, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear "You just... caught me off guard, is all. I wasn't expecting it." she narrowed her eyes on him when he stared rather smugly at her, wiggling his eyebrows a little.

"Oh? So are you saying if I were to kiss you again, you wouldn't protest?" he teased as his hands extended out to her, they were promptly smacked away.

"Don't push your luck, Stan. Just because I said I liked it, doesn't mean you'll get a taste anytime you want." they were both smirking at each other now, luckily they were at the red light or else Stan would have likely crashed the car, but Alvah noticed something in the distance behind Stan "Is that..." she started then grabbed Stan by his face and turned him around, they both squint their eyes at it.

"... Gideon?" they muttered, if either of them remembered back to the shack, Gideon was constructing a giant mechanical statue of himself and it looked like this thing could move. 

"Drive."

"Wha--"

"I said drive!" he was quick to ignore the law of the road and gun it down the road, he watched as she looked through his car and she surprisingly found a pair of binoculars... odd, she wasn't serious about finding binoculars, but Stan was a jack of all trades that just seemed to have anything and everything. He let out a shout when she threw herself over his lap so she could look out his window, he struggled to drive and went to shout at her but caught himself when she gasped "That little brat!" 

"What? What is it?!" she lowered the binoculars as a look of horror took over.

"He's got the kids!" she was thrown back into her seat when Stan took a sharp turn, she looked at him when she saw the serious look on his face.

"Buckle up, Alvah. We've got our kids to save." she was quick to buckle her belt and grab ahold of the handle above her head, gripping it rather tightly. By the time they arrive at the scene, after following it for some time and seeing it explode from a distance, Alvah's nails were digging into the handle but also the center console between herself and Stan. She was as pale as a sheet of paper when Stan came to a screeching halt, taking out the police cruiser in the process, he then throws his door open and steps out "Wait! Wait! Stop everything! I've got something to say!" he rushes ahead as Alvah shakily exits the car, using the side of it to steady her trembling legs.

"Gideon... is a liar!" she shouts weakly, now placing a hand on her chest to soothe her beating heart. She yelped when he grabbed her hand once more and dragged her over to the wreckage that was of Gideon's giant robot, she dusted herself off as they now looked at the crowd.

"You guys all think Gideon is so perfect and honest! "Oh, I could never tell a lie! I'm Gideon!" Pah!"

"He's more honest than you! And we expected more from you, Miss Alvah. To think you'd take his side." 

"Yeah! And he's psychic, too!" she chuckles softly, hand to her chest.

"That's where you're wrong, officer." both she and Stan look at each other and nod.

"How's this for psychic?" he kicks a loose panel while she hits it, and when it comes down it reveals a dozen monitors that have secretly recorded the lives of the many townsfolk of Gravity Falls "Bam! Take a good look!"

"Wait a minute! Is that me?"

"The secret ingredient to my coffee omelette is coffee!"

"And me!"

"I can verify that that birthmark is indeed disgusting."

"Hurray!" slowly everyone started pointing at monitors that had recorded them unknowingly.

"That's right!" Stan then pulls out the pin he had and pointed it at them, behind them, they got live footage of the crowd as it scanned them "These pins are hidden cameras! And my hearing aid was picking up the feedback! Who's the fraud now?" Alvah crushed the one in her hand and saw the camera lens, after the reveal, they all threw the pins to the ground and then turned their attention towards Gideon Gleeful.

"Gideon, we gave you our trust."

"You lied to us!" Gideon backed away from the crowd as they approached him with angered expressions, he then backed into the debris that was his robot and fell to the ground.

"Please, I... it's not what it looks like. What are you gonna do with me?" Deputy Durland raises his head and looks behind him.

"Tyler?" said man sniffled, wiping away the tears that started to shed.

"Get 'em... get 'em!" Alvah is giggling softly behind Stan, a hand placed on his back as she watched over his shoulder when Deputy Durland pulled out tiny handcuffs and slap them down on Gideon's wrists. She let Stan rush over to them when they started taking him over to a different police cruiser, she let out an oof when something ran into her, and when she looked down, she smiled happily when she saw that it was Dipper and Mabel.

"Are you two alright?" she asked as she knelt, opening her arms to them so they could fall into her embrace. She held onto them so tightly, her hands rubbing up and down their heads while nuzzling into their cheeks "I'm so sorry we didn't come to you in time. I'm sorry we gave up on you." they let out weak laughter, tears of relief slowly running down their cheeks.

"Don't worry, Alvah, Dipper had it all under control." Mabel says with a cheer, said boy sniffled as he pulled himself closer into Alvah's embrace "You should have seen him! He punched Gideon right in the face!" she pulled away so she could get a look at Dipper, astonished at what she just heard, and there she saw Dipper's face turn red from embarrassment.

"Oh, psh, it wasn't anything too crazy."

"Dude, you jumped off a cliff. I think that's pretty crazy." they both let out a startled cry when she ruffled their heads.

"Sounds to me you take after your uncle." she lightly punches him in the arm, winking at him "I'm proud that you stood your ground and protected your sister. I'm glad you followed your gut." Dipper's lip trembled at her words, eyes swelling up with tears again before throwing his arms around her neck.

"Thank you, Alvah." she chuckles and brings them back into a hug once more, gently carding her fingers through their hair.

"Don't mention it, kiddo." she briefly looked up and saw Stan standing in front of a camera, posing after he managed to retrieve the deed to the shack back from Gideon. She pulls away from the twins and gestures for them to be by their uncle's side, it was their moment. Stan meets her gaze as she stands in the back with the crowd, waving for her to join them, but she politely declines with a smile. As she watched them celebrate, the longer she stared the more she felt something eat up inside of her.

What was it called again?

Oh, right.

Guilt.

season 2, episode 1. scary-oke 

"Welcome to the grand re-opening of the Mystery Shack!" the crowd starts cheering, applauding at Stan's announcement that they could finally return "We're here to celebrate the defeat of that skunk Lil' Gideon." the mention of his name caused them to boo as Stan pulled out a makeshift doll that was of Gideon "Please, please... boo harder. But I didn't catch that pork chop all alone. These two scamps deserve some of the glory. Well, most of the glory." Toby, the local news reporter, raises what they believe to be a camera. 

"Smile for the camera." Stan deadpans at him. 

"Your camera's a cinderblock, Toby." the man immediately sulks. 

"I just want to be a part of things." Shandra Jimenez, the real news reporter, gets in front of them with an actual camera. 

"Smile for a real camera." 

"Everyone say "something stupid." 

"Something stupid." the flash of the camera goes off after they do funny poses "And don't forget to come to the after party tonight at eight." Mabel smiled as she knelt to grab a karaoke machine from below her. 

"We're doing a karaoke bonanza, people. Lights! Music! Enchantment! And an amazing karaoke performance by our family band, Love Patrol Alpha!" Dipper and Stan are immediately reluctant, not remembering about agreeing to do something like that. 

"Oh, I don't know about that." 

"I would never agree to that ever." 

"Too late, I wrote your names on the list." she then holds the sheet to her face, eyebrows wiggling up at Stan "I even got Alvah to agree." this caused him to flinch and look out into the crowd to try and find her, shoulders slumping a little when he wasn't able to spot her. Wendy bursts into the room with an airhorn and gets them to follow her outside so they could buy tickets to the party, when it was just them in the gift shop, Stan let out a sigh of relief with a smile on his face. 

"Ha! The town loves us. We finally got that Gideon smell out of the carpet. Everything is finally going my way." 

"Hey, Grunkle Stan," Stan let out a hum, looking down at Dipper "now that we have a moment, I've been meaning to ask for my journal back." Stan raised a brow. 

"What? Journal?" he pats himself for it then knelt down and lifted up the counter to pull the journal out from underneath it "Oh, you mean this old thing? It was so boring I couldn't even finish it." he then thinks back to how he photocopied the pages, he shakes his head as he hands it back to the young boy. 

"Wait, you're just gonna give it to me? Just like that?" 

"What else do you want? A kiss on the cheek?" Dipper was quick to flee with Mabel. 

"... I wouldn't mind a kiss on the--" 

"Not gonna happen." 

"What about me?" turning his head, he was met with Alvah, who was leaning against the counter with her chin resting on the back of her hands while she was kicking her feet back and forward. He felt his lips crease into a smile once his eyes landed on her, she winked at him "Think you can spare me a peck?" she giggled when he pulled at his tie to loosen it. 

"Thought you'd never ask." she tilted her head to the side and giggled again when she felt his lips press against her cheek, they were both laughing like high school students on their first date. Since the day where Stan kissed her they've become a lot more open about affection, there isn't a definite label for them, but they're more openly flirtatious than they were in the beginning "So, Mabel tells me you're doing a song for karaoke tonight." he laughed when her face dropped. 

"I am?" she then looks off, scratching her cheek in thought "I don't ever remember agreeing to something like that." she hums softly when he leans against the counter, their faces inches away from each other. 

"Well, I'm sure you've got the voice of an angel." 

"Mm? Then you better kill it, Love Patrol Alpha." she snickered softly when his face turned a shade of pink, she reached forward and pinched his cheek "Your adorable little niece told me about that one." she laughed when he smacked her hand away, pushing himself back and rubbing his cheek. 

"That ain't happening. Nope. Nah dah. Never." she walks out from behind the counter and drapes herself over his back. 

"Oh, come on. You don't wanna disappoint Mabel, do you? Do it for her." he lets her hang off of him but their attention goes over to Soos, who is currently looking out the window. 

"Hey, Mr. Pines, what's that code word I'm supposed to yell when I see a government vehicle?" the moment Stan heard "government", Alvah was thrown off him as he rushed over to the window. 

"Wait, what? Government vehicle?" the moment his eyes landed on said vehicle he quickly pulled himself back inside and quickly closed the windows, he then rushed over to the intercom and spoke into it "The Mystery Shack is now closed. Everybody out! I will not hesitate to use the hose on the elderly." Soos helps Alvah to her feet just as Dipper and Mabel run back into the room. 

"Grunkle Stan, what's happening?" 

"Yeah, you never shut down the gift shop." Alvah is ushering the kids to the side as Stan paces back and forth, Wendy and Soos watch in concern when the doorbell rings and Stan approaches the door. 

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack, gentlemen. What can I get you? Key chains? Snow globes? These rare photos of American presidents?" the two men at the door pull out government badges, each displaying their ID. 

"My name is Agent Powers. This is Agent Trigger. We're here to investigate reports of mysterious activity in this town." 

"Activity." 

"Mysterious activity in the Mystery Shack? You got to be joking." 

"I assure you I am not. I was born with a rare disorder that makes me physically incapable of experiencing humor." Stan lets out a nervous laugh "I don't understand that sound you're making with your mouth. Now if you'll excuse us, we're conducting an investigation." they then brush past Stan, who started to sweat nervously as they searched the gift shop. Alvah was holding both Dipper and Mabel by the shoulders as they watched the two men look around but she let out a gasp when Dipper slipped away from her. 

"Did you guys say you're investigating the mysteries of this town?" 

"That information is classified. But, yes. Look, between you and me, I believe there is a conspiracy of paranormal origin all connected to this town. We're just one small lead away from blowing the lid off this entire mystery." Dipper's face brightened. 

"Are you kidding me? I'm investigating the exact same thing. I found this journal in the woods which has almost all the answers. If we work together, we could crack the case." the agents share a look. 

"If you have evidence of these claims, we should talk." Agent Powers starts as he pulls out a business card. 

"We can talk right now. Please, please, come in. I have so much to show you!" it was at that moment when Stan and Alvah interfered, Dipper didn't expect Alvah to get in between him and the agents and push him backward while shaking her other hand in front of Agent Powers, a casual but warm smile on her face as Stan got behind her to usher Dipper away as she captured his attention. 

"Isn't his imagination just something? If you ask me, there isn't anything weird going on around here. Probably just the locals playing pranks and whatnot. You shouldn't believe the rumors that circulate around this quiet little town." both she and Agent Powers stand up straight, both their eyes locked on each other "There is no mysterious activity going on around here. Stuff like that just... doesn't exist. If I were you, I'd forget all about this town and get as far away as possible." the two of them just stare at each other, neither breaking eye contact until Stan got in front of her. 

"She's right, agents. Kid has an overactive imagination, and, like, a sweating problem." 

"Zing!" Mabel shouts from the background and Alvah giggles. 

"Paranormal town stuff, like Alvah here said, it's just part of the gift shop lore. Sells more tickets, you know." he snaps his fingers and Soos proceeds to put bumper stickers on their chests and headbands on their heads. 

"We have other spots to investigate. We'll be on our way." Agent Powers leaves while Agent Trigger grabs a couple of bobblehead dolls his arms can carry. 

"I'm confiscating this for evidence." 

"Smart move." she let out a breath of relief when they left, having them around was going to be a pain in the-- 

"Wait! No, wait! We have so much to talk about." they were already gone by the time Dipper reached the door, but Stan placed his hand on Dipper's shoulder and turned him around. 

"Hold it, kiddo. Trust me, the last thing you want around here at a party is cops." he then takes the business card from Dipper's hands "I'm confiscating that card. And how's about you go be a normal kid? Flirt with a girl, or steal a pie off a windowsill." 

"But Grunkle Stan, you don't understand." 

"And don't go talking to those agents." Dipper looks at Alvah for help, eyes pleading for her to talk to Stan and convince him, but she just gives him an apologetic look with a shrug and follows after him. She was the last person he expected to side with Stan, well, not really, but whenever it came to anything that Dipper was passionate about or set his mind to, she was always the first one to encourage him. But weirdly enough, she was openly against the idea of those government agents being around, going so far as to claim that there was nothing weird going around in Gravity Falls. It was hours later and Alvah was helping set up for the after-party, helping Mabel set up her karaoke machine. 

"You look cute, Mabel." the young girl giggled and did a little twirl. 

"Thanks, Alvah." she then gestures for her to step aside, pulling out some sort of glittery gun, she then witnessed her shoot confetti out of it at Stan "Boom! Well, the confetti cannon works. And the karaoke machine has all the best songs. "We built this township on rock and roll", "Danger lane to highway town", "T8king over midnight" by &NDRA." Alvah hummed softly, what old songs. 

"Listen, kid, you do not want to hear this voice singing. Trust me." 

"Grunkle Stan, karaoke isn't about sounding good. It's about sounding terrible, together." 

"Together." Alvah echoes before letting out a grunt when Mabel hugs her face, Mabel is standing on the stage so she had the elevation to do so. 

"And Alvah wants to see you sing as well, don't you?" they look at each other and she gives a cheeky smile. 

"Scared?" Stan scowls at them, he opens his mouth to say something but instead closed it and stomped off, the two laugh "Surely he won't back down from this fight." she hummed softly when Mabel kissed her cheek. 

"You're just the best, Alvah." she winks. 

"I know." she stands off to the side as guests start pulling up, she greets the few people who walked past her and quietly enjoys the party. Soos and Mabel were having fun at the party, Stan was outside at the admission stand, but she couldn't spot Wendy or Dipper anywhere. 

"Hey, toots!" she perks up and looked over to see Stan approaching her, she smiled and waved her hand "Have you seen Wendy and Dipper anywhere?" she shook her head with a shrug of her shoulders. 

"Nope, was just questioning that." she looked towards the crowd and spotted Mabel, she lifted her fingers to her lips and blew on them "Mabel!" the girl paused in her movements and looked to where she heard the sound of her name when she spotted Alvah she grinned until she noticed she was waving her over, so she quickly rushed over. 

"What's up?" 

"Have you seen your brother anywhere?" she snorts. 

"Yeah, he went inside with Wendy." she then wiggles her eyebrows at them "Hopefully they're not doing you know what." they both look at each other. 

"I hope they're not doing you know what." Stan rushes inside, Alvah snorts at the panicked look he had on his face and ushers Mabel back to enjoy the party. After a couple of minutes, she only sees Wendy, and still no sign of Dipper, perhaps he wasn't feeling up for a party after what happened that morning. She should probably apologise to him about not having his back, but it's for the best if government officials are left in the dark about what's going on in this quie-- she let out a whoa when she suddenly felt rumbling, she then glances over at the food bar and her eyes widened when she saw the bowl of punch splashing around as the earth shook. 

"I think it's an earthquake!" Wendy shouts as she blows an airhorn "Hey, everybody! We got to get out of here!" as soon as she announces that everyone starts fleeing back to their cars, Alvah tries pushing past the crowd to get to Mabel but is unfortunately carried off with the panicked citizens. It was only when the crowd dispersed that she was able to run back to the shack to check up on the kids when she saw... zombies? 

"What the...?" she muttered under her breath as she saw the zombies surround the shack, she panicked when she couldn't find Dipper or Mabel anywhere, what made it worse was she saw a zombified Soos, who was now looking at her. 

"Hey, dude. Would it be cool if me and my new buds eat your brains?" she gave him a scrutinizing stare, gaze hardening the longer she stared at him "I'm not hearing a no." 

"Soos!" she yelped when they started approaching her so she was quick to run away, she tried opening the doors but they were locked so she went to try and find an open window but they too were closed and latched shut. She didn't have any time to properly find a way inside because the zombies were beginning to surround her, she backed away from the window then rushed forward and jumped through the window, breaking through the glass while shielding her face from any broken glass. She let out a sigh when her clothes got caught in the broken shards and tore a little, but that was the least of her worries, what she needs is to find those ki-- she gasped when a zombie appeared out of nowhere, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her into a door hard enough that it broke and they both fell in. She managed to kick the offender off of her but it was crawling back with the determination to eat her face, she looked around the closet for anything to defend herself and her face lit up at what she found "Oh, Stan, you shouldn't have." back to Dipper, Mabel, and Waddles, the two of them were cornered in the gift shop with nowhere else to go. 

"Dipper, isn't there something in the journal about defeating zombies?" 

"No! There's nothing in here about weaknesses. This can't be happening. I wanted answers so badly that I put everyone in danger. Now we're toast. It's all my fault and no one can save us." Dipper gasped when he was grabbed by the zombie and pulled off the ground "No, Mabel! I'm sorry!" 

"Dipper!" he screams as he's faced with a groaning zombie but is suddenly released when the zombie was hit in the head, he falls to the ground and Mabel was quick to rush to his side, looking up at their savior they are met with a disheveled looking Stan. He was missing his fez hat, his tie was loosely hanging from his neck, he had several tears in his suit and zombie blood splattered over him. 

"You two, attic. Now!" 

"Grunkle... Grunkle Stan?" 

"I said now!" they didn't need to be told twice, they quickly ran past him to get upstairs while he swung a bat down on the wave of zombies that surrounded him "Alright you undead jerks, ready to die twice?" he's panting as he's backed into the living room, taking down a few more zombies "The only wrinkly monster who harasses my family is me! Take that, and that!" it was only when the kids were safely upstairs he stops to take out a couple more zombies, shoving the bat into a zombie's mouth and went it snapped in two he punched it wearing his brass knuckles "Anyone else want a piece?!" he punches down a couple more just as the front door is busted down, he dodges a couple of swipes but was nicked in the stomach, he pulls his fist but stopped when he heard a shout. 

"Get down!" he quickly falls back into the staircase just as the zombie's brains are blown right out of its head, turning his head, he was met with Alvah just as disheveled as he was. Her dress was torn and was covered in dirt and zombie blood, and her hair was still tied in a loose braid but some strands of her hair were sticking out, what did it was the double-barreled shotgun she held followed by the shotgun shell strap wrapped around her body "I'm gonna get that kid, for sure." she pants, she let out a grunt when one of the zombies that was on the ground grabbed at the end of her dress so she pointed the barrel at its head and shot it dead. 

"Alvah, are you--" he sputtered out his words when she grabbed her dress and tore it down the side, spreading her legs a little wider for more leg room. 

"That's much better." she muttered as she flipped the latch to open the barrel of the shotgun, she flicked the empty casings out and slipped two new shells down the barrel before snapping it shut and pointing at a new group of zombies "Where are the kids?!" 

"Um, um-- uh, they're, uh--" 

"Stan!" she snaps, shooting a few zombies at once and quickly reloading "Now is not the time to gawk! Where are the kids?!" she asks again, he shakes his head to get a hold of himself. 

"Right, they're upstairs!" she nods. 

"Good! Let's go join them." they stand back to back as they punch and blast the zombies away, he pushes her up the staircase first then follows after her, they look at the father clock and proceed to push it down the first flight of stairs to create some distance before rushing up towards the attic. The door is closed when they reach it, she's standing behind Stan as he bangs on the door to open it, keeping an eye out for any zombies that could appear anywhere and when he finally got the door open she quickly pushed him inside and shut the door behind him. 

"Grunkle Stan, Alvah!" he gently pushes her to the side as he grabs a chair and lodges it beneath the door handle, Dipper lets out a nervous laugh as he approached the two tired adults "Well, at least, you can't deny magic exists anymore, right?" the two of them take a second before letting out sighs. 

"Kid, I've always known." 

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Alvah stands behind Stan as she turns around, a guilty look on her face. 

"I'm not an idiot, Dipper. Of course, this town is weird and the one thing I know about that weirdness is that it's dangerous." Alvah let out a scream when a hand broke through the door and grabbed her by her hair, Stan punches her free and grabs her when she fell forward, pushing her backward alongside the kids "I've been lying about it to try to keep you away from it, to try and protect you from it." when another zombie burst through the window she let out a growl and shot it right back out, she and Stan peek out and grimace when the shack was surrounded "It looks like I didn't lie well enough." Dipper then looked at Alvah, waiting for her explanation. 

"Ignorance is bliss, Dipper. Some people just don't need to know about all this supernatural stuff, and the less I know the better it does for my mental well-being." she fell to the floor and leaned against Mabel's bed, the young girl hurried to her side, and held her arm when she started rubbing her scalp where she was yanked back by the hair "I know it's not ideal to ignore it, but if I think about it, I find it hard to sleep at night. And if you tell the wrong people, welp, I guess tonight is a great example of that." Mabel was now applying rainbow band-aids to the open cuts on both Stan and Alvah as they try thinking of ways to get out of their current predicament. 

"What do we do? What do we do?" Waddles takes cover under Mabel's bed beside Alvah, who rests her hand on top of the pig's head to comfort him. 

"Normally, the journal would help us, but there's nothing in there about defeating zombies." Dipper says as he opens the book and flips through pages before showing them, and under the UV light, there they see words written on the blank page. 

"Wait, wait, wait, the text. It's glowing in the black light." 

"What?" he turned it around and under the light as he flipped through pages he saw words written in some sort of invisible ink "All this time I thought I knew all the journal secrets, but they're written in some kind of invisible ink." 

"Invisible ink." Dipper quickly goes back to the chapter about the zombies and sees instructions on how to defeat the zombies. 

"This is it! "Zombies have a weakness! Previously thought to be invincible, their skulls can be shattered by a perfect three-part harmony." Three-part harmony? How can we create that? I have a naturally high-pitched scream." 

"I can make noises with my body. Sometimes intentionally." 

"Whoop, whoop!" they looked towards Alvah, who was bumping her hands in the air "Love patrol alpha!" she cheered then giggled, trying to make light of the situation despite the possibility that their faces could get eaten, Mabel grinned and snaps her fingers. 

"Exactly." they all find themselves standing on the ledge of the second floor window, well, Alvah was casually sitting on the edge as she leaned against the karaoke machine while Stan and Dipper stood as stiff as a board holding microphones, Mabel was the one that looked like she was having the time of her life despite her life being in danger "Zombies and gentlemen, I'm Mabel, they're Dipper and Stan and together, we are Love Patrol Alpha!" 

"Whoop, whoop!" Alvah goes off in the background, she laughed when Stan glared at her to be silent. 

"I never agreed to that name." Dipper says quickly. 

"Hit it!" Alvah quite literally hits the top of the karaoke machine and "Taking over Midnight" by &NDRA starts playing, she giggles softly when Stan squints at the screen. 

"Uh, Mabel, our lives may not be worth this." Dipper pursed his lips and tried getting into the beat. 

"Friday night, and we're gonna party 'til dawn. Don't worry daddy, I've got my favorite dress on-- Mabel, this is stupid." she ignores him and sings the next part. 

"We roll into the party, the boys are looing our way. We just keep dancing, we don't care what they say. And all the boys are ganging up in my face--" Mabel let out a startled scream when a zombie climbed up, Stan pulled her back just as Alvah stepped forward and shot it off. 

"Come on you guys, you have to sing together or it won't work." she urged while reloading the shotgun, Dipper and Stan swallow their pride. 

"Boys are a bore, let's show 'em the door." 

"We're taking over the dance floor." Alvah couldn't help but smile when they all started singing together "Oo-oo, girls do what we like. Oo-oo, we're taking over tonight. Oo-oo, girls do what we like. Oo-oo, we're taking over tonight. We're queens of the disco!" Alvah laughs and claps her hands but notices that it's actually working, looking over at the horde of zombies, one by one their heads started exploding. 

"You're doing it! Keep it up!" as she watched them she saw that they were actually having a good time, perhaps it's because no ones around that Dipper and Stan aren't embarrassed. 

"Oo-oo, girls do what we like. Oo-oo, we're taking over tonight." 

"Taking over tonight!" she quickly pulled Dipper back when a zombie climbed up once more and punched it in the face, knocking its head right of its neck and it landing in a bowl of soda, she winced and shook her hand. 

"Ow." she let out a whoa when Stan pulled her close and that was when she noticed that all the zombies were dead. 

"Thank you! We'll be here all night!" 

"Deal with it, zombie idiots!" 

"Pines! Pines! Pines! Pines!" Alvah only laughed, they were back inside and she managed to find Stan's fez hat and placed it on top of his head, he thanked her and adjusted it himself just as Dipper started apologizing. 

"I'm sorry about this, guys. I totally ruined everything." 

"Dipper, are you kidding me? I got to sing karaoke with my two favorite people in the world. No party could ever top that." she stands back as Stan crouches down to Dipper and Mabel's level, hands on their shoulders. 

"Kids, listen, this town is crazy. So you need to be careful. I don't know what I'd do with myself if you got hurt on my watch. I'll let you hold onto that spooky journal as long as you promise me you'll only use it for self-defense and not go looking for trouble." 

"Okay, as long as you promise me that you don't have any other bombshell secrets about this town." 

"Promise." 

"Promise." Alvah pulled a face when she noticed both Dipper and Stan cross their fingers behind their backs, she sighed while shaking her head, Stan then let out a sigh. 

"Man, we have got a lot of zombie damage to clean up. Where's my handyman anyway?" they look up when they see Soos enter the room, still zombified, Alvah aimed the shotgun at him while Stan picked up a chair "Holy moses!" 

"Wait!" they both paused and looked down at Dipper to see him pull out the journal "There's a page in here about curing zombification. It'll take a lot of formaldehyde." 

"Ooo, and cinnamon." 

"Come on, Soos, let's fix you up." Mabel takes the chair from Stan and starts pushing Soos away, scolding him when he kept muttering about brains, with Dipper following behind and leaving Stan and Alvah alone in the living room. Stan looks at Alvah and saw she was rocking back and forth on her feet with her hands behind her back, he looked away when she spared him a glance and whistled. 

"So..." he cleared his throat, placing a hand on the back of his neck "you were pretty cool back there, with the shotgun and all." she gave a nervous laugh herself. 

"Hehe, yeah. I found it in one of your closets when a zombie fell into me, I got real lucky." she says as she tosses the gun on the sofa "You looked pretty cool as well, punching those zombies left and right. I think I hurt my hand a little." she admits as she waves her hand once more, her knuckles a shade of red after punching the head off the zombie. 

"Well, your hands are pretty delicate, toots." Stan says as he takes her hand into his, rubbing his thumb along her knuckles while blowing cool air onto them "Thanks for protecting the kids." she gave him a reassuring smile. 

"There isn't anything I wouldn't do for those kids." she then bumps her hip into his "Including you, Stan." he just laughs, his eyes then landed on the karaoke machine that Mabel left behind. 

"Well, sweetheart, you heard my magnificent singing voice, now it's time I heard yours. You even got a performance out of me." she scoffed jokingly, placing a hand on both her hip and chest. 

"And you think that's enough to convince me?" 

"... pretty please?" her resolve broke a little at the plea, he watched her raise her leg before kicking the karaoke machine and a song started to play, she raised a brow at the song but shrugged, nonetheless. He watches as she grabs a bundle of her dress, lifting a hand to her chest and lowering her head to curtsy. Stan couldn't help but chuckle and return the formal greeting with his own awkward little bow, she giggled softly before reaching a hand forward for him to take just as she started singing.

Mabel returns to the living room, leaving Soos in Dipper's care, upon realizing she left her karaoke machine and went to retrieve it, only to pause and hide in the hallway when she heard music followed by the most beautiful voice singing alongside laughter. Peeking into the room, she gasped softly when she saw Alvah and Stan dancing alone in the living room, he held one of her hands above her as he spun her around then pulled her into his arms, her back to his chest as he held her close. She looked up at him over her shoulder and continued to sing, turning around to throw her arms over his shoulders and pull herself closer. Mabel covered her mouth when she saw Stan kneel down a little to grab Alvah but her waist and hoist her up, she planted her hands down on his shoulders to stable herself and let out a squeal as Stan spun her around before gently tossing her up, catching her bridal style in his arms as he continued to spin, she giggled as she kicked her feet and threw her arms around his neck and hid her face in the crook of his neck. 

"Ooo, Dipper's going to flip when I tell him this." she whispered under her breath before running back to where she left Dipper, missing when Alvah pulled herself out of his shoulder and how both herself and Stan stared into each other's eyes. 

"Try once more, like you did before. Sing a new song, chiquitita~" they continued to stare at each other as the song slowed down before she let out a gasp when Stan laughed just as the music started picking up again, he placed her down and grabs her hands so they could spin around. Since the song had ended she was just laughing as they spun around like idiots until they collapsed on the ground, panting softly and staring at the ceiling "That... was really fun." Stan chuckled from beside her. 

"It was." he stared at her from where they lay, he looked at her and saw that one of her hands was resting on her chest while the other lay motionless between them. They were already so close when they were dancing together, he held her close to the point he could feel her breathing against his neck and the way her heart was beating like crazy, hell, he held her hand the entire duration they were dancing, so why the hell was he getting nervous now? Was it because the adrenaline was finally dying? He taps his fingers against his chest as he continues to stare up at the ceiling before going for it, Alvah flinched at the sudden contact and looked down to see Stan placed his hand on top of hers. Her eyes trailed up his body and they saw the way his eyes refused to move away from the ceiling but she could see the way his neck to the tips of his ears had tinged a shade of red, he gulped when he felt her hand move from under his but instead of taking it back, she simply twisted her hand around so she could intertwine their fingers together and give his hand a squeeze. 

"All you had to do was ask, Stan." she giggled quietly when she saw him turn his head away from her, throwing his other arm over his face to hide the embarrassment flush across his face. 

"Shut up." she hummed softly, but that feeling of guilt started to eat at her once again as she looked away. 

season 2, episode 2. into the bunker 

only appears at the beginning with stan, helping guide the construction workers where stuff goes. 

season 2, episode 3. the golf war 

joins them to play mini golf and is pretty good at it, that is until she hits the golf balls too hard and sends it flying. 

stan laughed at her when accidentally hit someone in the head. 

mabel gave her a sticker that said "be PAWsitive". 

she'll take what she can get. 

she comforts mabel when pacifica insults her once more but couldn't help but burst into laughter when mabel fires back and calls her a "walking one-dimensional bleached blonde valley girl stereotype". 

she was so proud. 

season 2, episode 4. sock opera 

mabel is begging on her hands and knees for alvah's help with her sock puppet show, knowing how good the older woman is when it comes to sewing. 

she has to pick mabel up to get the girl to cease, mostly because they were in public and it was making alvah look bad. 

she laughed at the sock puppet mabel made of her, she thought the likeliness was almost uncanny. 

as the days grew closer to mabel's puppet show, she noticed with each passing day dipper's desperation to unlock the laptop they found in that underground bunker was getting to him. 

she told the boy to take it easy, that the laptop was going anywhere and he could put his focus on it when he isn't so busy helping his sister. 

she found it sweet that he was helping her in the first place. 

"Oh, hi, Dipper. There you are." Alvah was with Wendy and Soos, planning on going to the theatre with them since Stan's car was full with the girls and the stuff for her puppet show, they walk out of the shack and find Dipper standing outside. 

"What up, dude?" Wendy greets, Alvah herself smiles at the boy as she waves. 

"You excited for your sister's play?" she felt a chill run up her spine when they approached him, she patted her chest and looked behind her but ignored the feeling when she didn't see anything "You're not catching a ride with Stan and the others? Guess they didn't wait for you." 

"We're headed to the theatre." 

"Need a ride, Dipper?" the boy let out a laugh. 

"Anything for you, Red." Alvah raised a brow at the odd nickname Dipper gave Wendy, she decided to ignore it and takes a seat in the backseat of Soos' truck, leaving Soos, Wendy and Dipper in the front. They arrived at the theatre and had taken their seats, Stan was to her left with Soos, Dipper and Wendy to her right, and the entire time she kept her eye on Dipper because he was just acting weird "Ah, nothing like the theatre, huh, toots? Hey, Soos, want to hear the exact time and date of your death?" Soos laughs. 

"Okay." she opens her mouth to say something but then Mabel appeared, looking happy upon seeing them. 

"Hey, guys, you all made it." 

"Are you kidding me? I would never miss, whatever this is." Alvah elbows him in his side. 

"By the by, Mabel, where'd you put my journal again?" 

"I used it as a prop for the big wedding scene. I still need a reverend though." 

"Hey, what if I play the reverend? I mean, someone's got to hold that journal, right?" 

"Great, let's go." that feeling of a chill running up her spine returned again the moment Mabel ran off with Dipper to get behind stage, she pulled a face but instead of doing anything she crossed her arms and leaned back into her seat. Stan looked down at her and saw the way her face twisted with concern, she let out a hum when he elbowed her. 

"You alright, toots?" she let out a sigh. 

"I don't know. Dipper's just been acting... off? He's become so desperate to find the author of that journal of his that he's losing himself, you know? I'm worried about him. Maybe you should talk to him that this summer is not just about uncovering the mysteries of this town but about having fun, it's like he's almost forgotten." Stan let out a huff. 

"Yeah, yeah, maybe I shouldn't have given him that journal back, but uncovering mysteries is how that kid has fun. He's just got to stop taking it so seriously." he then places his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him "Alright, I'll talk to him and try and get him to settle." she smiles. 

"Thanks, Stan." he chuckles. 

"If I didn't know it, you're acting more and more like the kid's guardian than me." she laughed and shoved him gently. 

"Oh, how could I replace you, Stan? You're their great uncle Stanford." they're both laughing but quiet down when the play begins. 

alvah, no matter how confusing the play was, was quite impressed with the story and found herself applauding throughout the night. 

she made a few comments here and there but other than that she was enjoying herself. 

it was during the wedding scene when everything seemed to fall apart. 

alvah let out a gasp when mabel and dipper fell from above and crashed onto the stage, she was confused as to why they were fighting over the journal. 

she side-eyed stan when he pulled out a camera and started recording them, saying how he could "sell this". 

she pushed him off his seat. 

the "fight" lasted a couple seconds with mabel slamming the journal on dipper's face before running around in circles and dipper eventually tiring himself out then collapsing. 

soon enough they were all ducking when a box of pyrotechnics went off and fired off into the crowd, one even landing in the box of sock puppets and exploding all over the stage. 

the stage was promptly destroyed. 

season 2, episode 5. soos and the real girl 

only really appears to tell soos that he's a really swell guy and that he'll find a girl perfect for him. 

smacks stan when he says he doesn't like soos' chances. 

is also really creeped out about "old goldie". 

season 2, episode 6. little gift shop of horrors 

doesn't really appear in this episode. 

season 2, episode 7. society of the blind eye 

only appears at the end of when the children, soos and wendy return with old man mcgucket after their fiasco with the society of the blind eye. 

after discovering that mcgucket was the owner of the laptop they suspected that he was the author of the journals. 

so they went on this whole adventure to the museum so they could recover his memories. 

that was when they stumbled upon the cult that was "the society of the blind eye", who were erasing people's memories of the paranormal activities that were going on. 

when they were finally able to defeat this club of freaks and get a hold of mcgucket's memories, that's when they discovered his past and his connection with alvah. 

"Alright, McGucket. Are you ready to see your memories? Find out who you really are?" Dipper asks as he switches the machine on that allows them to play back the memories that were unrightfully stolen, McGucket doesn't look all too thrilled, or nervous about what he is going to see. 

"I'm not so sure. What if I don't like what I see?" Mabel places her hand encouragingly on his arm. 

"We've come all this way. Go on." with his memory tube in hand, he approaches the machine and slots it into place. The television spurs to life and they wait a couple seconds before it reveals a younger less crazy version of McGucket. 

"My name is Fiddleford Hadron McGucket, and I wish to unsee what I have seen." they all gasp, finally seeing who exactly the old man-- or rather, Fiddleford McGucket really was "For the past year, I have been working as an assistant for a visiting researcher. He has been cataloguing his findings about Gravity Falls in a series of journals. I helped him build a machine which he believed had the potential to benefit all mankind, but something went wrong. I decided to quit the project. But I lie awake at night, haunted by the thoughts of what I've done. I believe I have invented a machine that can permanently erase these memories from my mind. Test subject one. Fiddleford." 

"It worked! I can't recall a thing." 

"I call it "The Society of the Blind Eye. We will help those who want to forget by erasing their bad memories." 

"Today, I came across a colony of little men. Very disturbing. I would like to forget seeing this." 

"I accidentally hit another car in town today. I feel terri-bibble. Terrible. I've been forgetting words lately. I wonder if there are any negative side effects..." 

"I saw something in the lake, something big!" 

"My hair's been a-fallin' out, so I got this hat from a scarecrow. Hey, are my pants on backwards?" 

As they watched the days go by with each clip, they saw how Fiddleford descended into madness and by the time the days reached ??? he had become the senile old man McGucket they all knew today who had laughed maniacally at the end while spouting out senseless words, the screen was filled with static. The room fell into silence as they looked at the once renowned inventor become a shell of his former self. 

"Oh, McGucket, I'm so sorry." 

"Aw, hush. You kids helped me get my memories back, just like you said." 

"But did you want those memories back?" 

"After all these years, I finally know who I am. Maybe I messed up in the past, but now that I seen what happened, I can begin to put myself together again." he reaches for his memory tube when the TV spurred to life again, causing them to jump back in surprise. It wasn't over yet? McGucket takes a step back and watches the TV once more and they heard the audio first before they saw any visual of what was going on, but from what they could tell, whoever McGucket was talking to he didn't seem all too pleased. 

"Get away from me! I don't want you anywhere near me!" they hear a clatter followed by glass shattering as Fiddleford tried getting as far away from whoever was with him "I know what you really are! I know you're just a wolf in sheep's clothing! You're a monster amongst us lesser beings!" they hear a sigh. 

"Fiddleford, you're being overdramatic." the voice was of a man that they could not recognize, it was hard to determine who it could possibly be "I'm not here to hurt you, I just wanna apologize for what happened back then." 

"So, you're acknowledging the fact that you did it on purpose!" 

"No, I didn't! You just appeared unannounced and caught me off guard! How on earth is that my fault?! It's not my fault you saw something you weren't supposed to see. Now look at you, you've started some... some, some cult!" 

"It ain't no cult! We're helping people, you see? We're erasing the bad things that people don't wanna remember." 

"And what if you're erasing too much? What if people start to forget who they are? And what about you? I know you've been using that thing one too many times on yourself to the point you're forgetting who you are. Do you even remember what you were doing in Gravity Falls in the first place?" 

"U-Uh, I was... I-I was--" the sound of a slam caused Fiddleford to shriek, they all then noticed how a picture started to form and at first all they saw was a still somewhat decent-looking Fiddleford looking absolutely terrified as he stared at the looming individual who was slowly approaching him. 

"What happens when you start to forget about your wife? And your son? Do you even remember their names? What if they come up from California and they see something they weren't supposed to see? Are you going to erase their minds as well? How selfish can you be?" the individual takes another step just as the picture is formed and their eyes widened when they saw a pair of uniquely colored red eyes that held nothing but disappointment "How do you think he'll feel if he saw the state you've fallen into?" he didn't flinch when he pointed the gun at him, his gaze only hardened. 

"Don't-- Don't come any closer or else I-I'll... I'll use this on you!" he rolled his eyes. 

"Yeah, you don't have the guts to shoot me with that thing." Fiddleford's shaking got worse with each step he took "Now put that thing down before you hur--" their eyes widened when he shot him with the memory gun, even he was surprised that he actually shot him, he stumbled back in surprise and fell into the table behind him while clutching his head. They saw a wave of confusion wash over his face as he looked around before looking back over at where Fiddleford was, when he saw the way, he was panting as he stared at him, his face hardened with anger. 

"I-I... I warned you." he let out a shout when he lunged at him to smack the gun out of his hand. He brought his arms up to shield his face from what he believed he was going to attack him, but instead he let out a frustrated huff. 

"Fine then, have it your way. I'm only checking up on you as a request from your old friend, but I have no obligation to actually care for you." turning around and despite the TV failing to capture a high-quality image they were able to distinguish a fairly young man dressed in rather odd clothes, it was someone that they didn’t recognize from anywhere. Not from the town, not a tourist who could have visited the Mystery Shack. It was a total stranger to them. Who were they? They mentioned a friend. Could that friend the author or someone else entirely? "Perhaps when you come to your senses, I'll be nice and fill in the few blanks of what you can't remember. But that'll be until then." the video cuts off and they're left in silence once more, they all look at McGucket and see him shaking. 

"I... I remember him. I still can't remember everything exactly, but... but he's one of the reasons I became like this. But he didn't do it intentionally, I think?" 

"Does that mean whoever the man was had his memory erased? Does that mean his memory is somewhere here as well? Maybe if we find it, we might get some more answers." 

"Oh, you kids can go do that without me. I've got some remembering to do." they were hesitant to let him go but he reassured them that he’d be fine, he took a pair of glasses he found on the TV and left them to search for the mystery man’s memory tube. 

Meanwhile... 

"Stan... Stan, s-stop it!" Stan laid on top of her, laughing alongside her as he kissed up her neck and all over her face, his hands holding her by her waist as she did her best to push him away by his face and shoulder "I'm ticklish! Hahaha, stop it!" he only continued his attack just so he could continue to hear the melody that was her laughter, his grip on her tightening as she squirmed underneath him. 

"Nah uh, sweetheart. I don't know how long those kids are gonna be, but I wanna spend the rest of my night with you." she smiled up at him, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck and pulling herself up so she could press her lips against his and he welcomed it warmly. His hand moved up to her lower back to lift her closer to him so she tightened her hold around his neck, they both pulled apart to take a breath and before they could dive in for more, they heard the front doorbell ring. They break apart and look to where the door is, waiting breathlessly for it to ring again, they think they're in the clear and go to continue until it rings again "Urgh, dammit! I'm gonna strangle whoever's at the door." she giggled softly when he lifted himself off of her, grumbling to himself as he went to answer the door. 

"Go easy on them." she teased, she hums to herself as she waits for Stan to tell whoever it was to get lost but jumped when he instead shouted for her. 

"Alvah, it's for you!" she raised a brow, oh? She shrugged her shoulders and pushed herself to her feet, cleaning herself up a bit before leaving the room. She had her calm and kind demeanor as she peeked over Stan's shoulder, greeting whoever it was with a smile but her face twitched a little when she saw who exactly it was "How old man McGucket knew you were here, I'll never know." she and McGucket stared at each other, similar to how they stared at each other back at the mineshaft, but she saw a different glint in his eyes the longer they held their stare. 

"I'd like a word with you, Miss Alvah." 

"Well now, wait just one moment bus--" 

"Of course, perhaps we'll settle the feud between us." Stan stared at her in shock, giving her puppy dog eyes to get her to come back inside, but she simply patted Stan on the head and pushed him gently inside "I promise we won't be too long, just go back inside and wait for me. I'll even stay over, if that's what you want." he stared at her before throwing his head back with a sigh. 

"Urgh, fine! But don't take too long! We were just getting to the fun part." she laughed and ushered him inside. 

"I won't!" she leaned her head inside and waited for him to be fully gone before closing the door behind her, her face completely changed as she leaned against the front door, arms crossed and attention back on the man in front of her "So, Fiddleford Hadron McGucket, what would you like to remember?" a smirk stretched across her face when she saw Fiddleford glare up at her. 

"Everything." she chuckled cruelly. 

"Oh, with pleasure." 

season 2, episode 8. blendin's game 

the children don't bring up knowing that alvah and mcgucket have history amongst each other. 

either that or they just don't want to believe that alvah did something bad that caused mcgucket to spiral the way he is. 

in the episode, alvah knows the history behind soos' tragic tale of his birthday and, despite the heartache it gives him, encourages the twins to make this birthday worth it. 

she was also there ten years ago when stan first hired soos, patting his head with a smile. 

season 2, episode 9. love god 

doesn't involve herself with stan when he tries to appeal to the "hippy weirdos" during the festival. 

she does laugh when she saw his failed attempt at making a hot air balloon. 

she quotes "I heart kids" for the rest of the day, irritating him. 

season 2, episode 10. northwest mansion mystery 

doesn't make an appearance in the episode. 

season 2, episode 11. not what he seems 

"What happened here?" Alvah arrived at the Mystery Shack when the Pines twins were putting out a fire with water balloons, she greets the twins when they came running up to her with hugs and looked over at Stan, who was casually sitting on the outside sofa while drinking a pitt cola. She waved her hand and perked up when he waved his hand to greet her back before gesturing for her to come over, she ruffles their heads before making her way over to him and taking a seat beside him "Good morning, Stan. You seem to be in a chipper mood." he lets out a laugh. 

"I'm in an even better mood now that you're here." she giggled softly. 

"Stop it." they're laughing together until they're both looking out at Dipper and Mabel, she snickers softly when Dipper throws a balloon rather weakly that it barely makes it a foot from him, he's immediately wiped out by a balloon to the face by Mabel "But seriously, what's gotten you smiling this morning?" he clears his throat as he rubs the back of his neck. 

"Well, do you remember how I told you I've been working on something for the past thirty years?" she raises a brow but nods her head "I think... I think it's coming together now. I'm so close to it now that I'm not gonna let anything get in my way from my greatest achievement." her gaze softened as she placed her hand on his knee. 

"Then I hope everything goes your way, Stan." he smiles at her and places his hand on top of hers, however, her eyes widened in surprise when a water balloon was thrown at her, soaking her. They look over and see that it was Dipper who had thrown it, whose face was frozen with horror. 

"O-Oh my gosh, Alvah! That was meant for Stan!" said man was howling with laughter, she stared at Stan and promptly shoved him off the sofa, which caused the kids to laugh, and then proceed to shower him with water balloons. 

"Alright, alright! Hahaha! I tell ya, it's unnatural for siblings to get along as well as you do." Mabel lets out a laugh. 

"Haha! Don't worry, we've still got plenty of summer left to drive each other crazy." she cheers as she grabs a hold of Dipper, he then pushes her back and splashes her with a water balloon. 

"Heh, yeah... plenty of summer left." she grabbed his hand from behind him after hearing the way his voice dampened a little, he squeezed it and smiled when she squeezed his hand "Kids, there's something I... something I should tell you. It's, um... w-well it's complicated. I..." she was startled when he abruptly took his hand back from her "I'm gonna go refresh my soda." she and the children watch him rush off in a hurry, they look up at her to see if she knew why he fled the way she did but even she looked confused. 

"Alvah?" her face saddened when he disappeared but she shook her head and smiled at the kids. 

"I'm sure whatever he has to tell you is just hard for him to expl--" she shot up to her feet when she heard shouting, immediately getting in front of the kids to protect them "Stan? Are you alri--" she lets out a gasp when a group of armed men came out from around the corner and pointed guns at her, the kids jumped back when she was tackled to the ground. 

"Alvah!" she lets out a grunt when the man above her grabbed her by the wrists and slapped handcuffs around them. 

"Target secure." she turned her head and her eyes widened when she saw the soldiers surround Dipper and Mabel. 

"Kids are secure." she was lifted to her feet as a squadron of government soldiers broke into the house through the windows, she glared at the man who was handling her. 

"Hey! I haven't done anything! I know my rights." she turned her head when she saw Stan was being escorted by another government soldier "Stan! What's going on? Why am I being arrested?!" 

"Alvah, I-- hey! Hands off, you stooge! I don't understand. What did I do that warrants this much arresting?" Stan shouts as he was held down on the boot of a car, she was treated nicer than him and was left standing, she scoffs when she saw Agent Powers and Agent Trigger appear. 

"The government guys? I thought you got eaten by zombies." 

"We survived... barely." 

"I used Trigger as a human shield. He cried like a baby." she deadpanned, she didn't need to know that "This is security footage of a government waste facility. At 0400 hours last night, someone robbed 300 gallons of dangerous waste." 

"What? You think that's me?" 

"Don't play dumb with us, Pines!" 

"But I actually am dumb! Last night I was restocking the gift shop... I swear!" he was then taken into the car, leaving Alvah with the kids still handcuffed. 

"Why am I being arrested? What did I do?" she leaned back as her face scrunched up with anger when he got close to her. 

"We've been keeping an eye on Mr Pines ever since that zombie incident and we've noticed that you have a close relationship with him." she let out a gasp when she was being led away to a different government vehicle, her eyes not leaving Agent Powers "We might not have any video evidence of you helping, but we can't write you off the list just yet." 

"I'm being arrested for mere association with him?! I swear, this isn't going to end well for you!" 

stan finds it slightly amusing seeing alvah get a mugshot but is silenced when she glares at him from across the room. 

she and stan are separated into different interrogation rooms but she could just hear him fumbling over his words, trying to say "he's innocent until proven guilty", but failing. 

they really had no need to take her in as well but from what they've observed, she and stan were nearly always seen together. 

what's to say she wasn't with him during that ordeal? 

they asked her questions to get her to talk, to get her to prove that it was indeed stan who stole the nuclear waste. 

but throughout the interrogation, she was eerily quiet. 

giving short or one-worded answers. 

what really disturbed them was how calm she looked, her eyes and voice devoid of any emotion. 

from what they got from the locals, alvah was a walking ray of sunshine. no matter who saw her she always had some way to make them smile. 

she was kind, nice, and polite and the type of person who you could talk to no matter the topic. 

but the woman sitting in the interrogation room, a singular light hanging above her head as she stared at them without blinking... it terrified them. 

"She's a lot creepier than I would have thought." 

"Let's get some air. Her answers are getting us nowhere." Alvah watched them leave the room before slumping back in her seat, she knew this day was coming but she didn't expect she'd be arrested like Stan, it was a little humiliating if she was being honest. She hoped the kids were alright, she knew Stan was fine telling how the agents left him alone in the room, but she was getting a little frustrated that they were holding her here all because she and Stan were close. She began to scowl but let out an oh when everything, including herself, started floating a few feet off the ground before dropping back down with a notable thud. 

"Huh, now ain't that interesting." unlike Stan, she was handcuffed to the table in front of her so she tugged it back when it dropped a few inches away from where it originally was. This was going to get a lot more fun, a few hours rolled by and the group of agents came back into the room with determined expressions. 

"Look here, lady. You may not be guilty of any crimes unlike Mr Pines in the next room over, but you could get into serious trouble for withholding information. If you tell us what you know, you can go home." she just raised a brow at him. 

"Uh huh." she answered boredly, leaning back against her seat while letting her head hang back, looking up at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing she's seen all day. She didn't flinch when the agent slammed his hand onto the table, she simply raised her head to look at the agent, expression indifferent "Struck a nerve?" she snickered when he grabbed her by the collar of her chest, yanking her out of her seat and scowling at that smug look on her face. 

"You're stepping on thin ice, lady." 

"Ooo, I'm so scared." she let out a laugh when he threw her back into the chair and she waved her hands from where they were chained "Now that ain't a way to treat a lady. Have you no manners?" she then started laughing rather manically, this was the first emotion they got out of her that entire time and it really freaked them out, with how far her smile stretched across her face and how her laughter echoed throughout the empty room. 

"God, you're creepy. I don't know why this town likes you so much." she winked. 

"Thanks. I take that as a real compliment." she grinned cheekily at him when he slumped against the table, she glanced over at a clock and saw that it was seconds away from nine o'clock "Hey, do any of you guys get motion sick?" they look at her with confused expressions. 

"What? No?" she chuckled. 

"Good, then you'll be just fine." the moment the clock struck nine everything in the room started floating just like before, but this time it lasted much longer and the agents in the room began freaking out. She continued to sit calmly in her seat while the other men tried their best to find anything stable, she glanced to the side when she heard in the room over a whole lot of shouting, she figured Stan had managed to free himself and was effortlessly getting himself out of the room. The moment the gravity came back everyone fell to the ground with a grunt, she just looked down at them amused, she perked up when she saw something run across the window of the door before coming back. 

"Alvah! Let me--" she raised her hand and shook her head, gesturing for him to leave. 

"You clearly have somewhere to be, Stan. I'll be fine. I'll catch up with you later." she winked at him and though he seemed reluctant he dashed out of the police station, now that Stan was finally gone, she inhaled deeply while rolling her shoulders "Finally, the day of his return has arrived." the agents were slowly peeling themselves off the floor when they finally noticed Alvah stand to her feet, the one that was being violent with her pulled himself up by using the table but noticed that when she stood up the handcuffs that kept her secured to the table snapped off. 

"Hey, lady..." he paused when he saw her lace her fingers together and push them forward so she could crack her knuckles, followed by rolling her neck before finally settling her eyes on him "y-you can't just--" he was cut off when she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, the same way he grabbed her, and pulled him until they were inches away from each other's faces. 

"What happened to that big boy attitude from before? Don't tell me that was all for show." that same grin that scared them stretched across her face again but this time her eyes held a sort of viciousness, or rather, insanity "You should have left us well alone, and maybe then you wouldn't have to suffer such a gruesome fate." the next couple of minutes the room was filled with cries and screams followed by maniacal laughter that slowly died out as time ticked by, the agents in the next toom quickly burst out of the room the moment they collected their bearings and ran out to chase after Stan but first checked up on their fellow agents interrogating Stan's part-- they all recoil back at the stench of death lingering out of the room, how blood was splattered across the floor and walls and even the ceiling, and at the center of it all was Alvah, holding the broken arm of the same man who was acting up on her. 

"Y-You..." her head snaps towards them like a doll, they flinch back at the sight of blood dripping down her face as she presses the heel of her boot into the agent's head to keep him still. 

"You should have heeded my warning, Agent Powers." she spoke, she took a step forward but raised the leg that was on the agent's head, they flinched back when she slammed her foot down and crushed his head "If I were you, I'd forget all about this town and get as far away as possible. But now... I can't let you leave. You know too much." Agent Powers takes a step back when she snaps her head again, her pupils moving erratically within her eye socket. 

"We should have kept our eyes on you, not Stanford." 

stan was running as fast as he could back to the mystery shack, hoping that soos did as he was asked and protected the vending machine. 

little did he know that dipper and mabel found his stash of fake id's, the newspaper article that proclaimed he was dead and the code that unlocks the vending machine to reveal the hidden door that leads to the basement. 

soos, dipper and mabel venture down into the basement and in horror found exactly what the government agents were searching for. 

the machine that could potentially destroy the world. 

with only a minute to go, the trio found a manual override that could possibly shut the machine down and stop it from tearing the universe apart. 

turning the three keys at the same time, it powers up a button directly in front of the machine that could shut down the machine. 

they quickly rush over to it, intending to shut it down for good when stan finally made it back. 

"Don't touch that button!" they all whip their heads towards the door and see a panicked look on Stan's face as he shouted at them to stop, he saw the way they stared at him with mixed feelings. Betrayal, anger, confusion, Dipper's hand was hovering over the button that could potentially ruin thirty years of his progress "Dipper, just back away. Please don't press that shutdown button. You gotta trust me." the boy's gaze hardened on him as he looked between him and the button. 

"And I should trust you, why? After you stole radioactive waste, after you lied to us all summer! I don't even know who you are!" 

"Look, I know this all seems nuts, but I need that machine to stay on. If you just let me explain--" his head snapped towards his watch and started beeping, indicating that another gravitational anomaly was going off "Oh! Oh, no! Brace yourselves!" the machine that Stan had been working on spurred to life, a gateway of sorts opened up as they were lifted off the ground, this anomaly was much more powerful than the previous ones because it started to lift the shack off the ground along with the other buildings within Gravity Falls. 

"T-Minus thirty-five seconds." they're all floating off in different directions, Mabel, however, got her foot caught in the wire attached to the shutdown button. 

"Mabel! Hurry! Shut it down!" Stan panics when he saw her pulling herself towards the button, he manages to plant his feet on the wall he was thrown into and push himself towards her. 

"No! Mabel, Mabel, wait! Stop!" he let out a grunt when Soos slammed into him to stop him "Soos, what are you doing? I gave you an order!" Soos tightened his hold on Stan. 

"Sorry, Mr Pines, if that really is your name, but I have a new mission now, protecting these kids!" 

"Soos, you idiot, let me go!" Dipper manages to throw himself at Stan, sending the three of them flying through the air. 

"Let me go!" 

"Mabel, press the red button! Shut it down!" 

"No, you can't! You gotta trust me!" 

"Grunkle Stan, I don't even know if you're my Grunkle! I wanna believe you, but..." 

"Then listen to me. Remember this morning, when I said I wanted to tell you guys something?" they briefly looked away when the timer went off, saying that they had twenty seconds, the gateway surged with energy and threw the boys back into the wall opposite to where Mabel was, she raises her fist to push the button but stopped when he started speaking again "I wanted to say that you're gonna hear some bad things about me, and some of 'em are true, but trust me, everything I've worked for, everything I care about, it's all for this family." 

"Mabel, what if he's lying?! This thing could destroy the world! Listen to your head!" 

"Look into my eyes, Mabel! You really think I'm a bad guy?" 

"He's lying! Shut it down, now!" 

"Mabel, please!" Mabel looked between Stan and Dipper, her head swirling with all kinds of thoughts. Mabel didn't know who to choose-- who to believe. On one hand, Stan was pleading with her to not push the button? But what did he gain from this machine being on and possibly destroying the universe. On the other, Dipper was telling her to push the button to prevent such a catastrophe from happening. The timer slowly counted down as her hand lowered towards the button, she looked back at Stan and saw how much he was begging her not to do it. 

"Grunkle Stan... I trust you." with that she raised her hands above her head and allowed herself to float away from the button. 

"Mabel, are you crazy?! We're all gonna--" the moment the timer struck one a blister of white light exploded out of the machine and enveloped the entire room, this lasted for a couple seconds before gravity returned and everything fell back to the ground. Looking towards the machine, it was completely destroyed at this point but the gateway was still powered on and Dipper saw through the smoke a figure walking through. The figure approached them but stopped right in front of one of the journals, Dipper watched as he placed his six-fingered hand on top of the cover before lifting it off the ground and putting it in his coat "W-What? Who is that?" Stan, who lifted himself off the ground and adjusted his hat, stared up at the figure with disbelief. 

"The author of the journals... my brother." 

... 

... 

"Is this the part where one of us faints?" 

"Oh, I am so on it, dude." with that Soos fainted, but as they all slowly took in what just happened in the span of a minute, the sound of someone slowly clapping echoed through the room along with their footsteps. Looking towards the entrance, through the dust, Stan recognized the figure as she slowly approached them. 

"Well, well, well. You did it, Stanley. I just knew you could." Stan's eyes widened at the sight of Alvah, he had completely forgotten about her at the police station, but now she was here... different. She had blood splattered across her face and dress, the ends of her hands dripping with it while the end of her dress looked soaked along with her boots. As she gets closer he reaches his hand out to her but she completely ignored him, her eyes fixated on the man he proclaimed as his brother "Welcome back, Stanford." 

Immortal

word count: 4440

Fandom: MCYT Pairing: King!Philza x GenderNeutral!Reader Pronouns: They/Them Relationship: Familial/Platonic Occupation: Hero Ability: N/A

Keys:

[Y/N]: Your Name

Warnings: character death

this was an english assessment for creative writing and it got a high excellence, thought I’d post it here.

that is all.

“Demon Lord! As this world’s hero, I must defeat you in or--”

“Sure.”

“Demon Lord! I will defeat you for the wor--”

“Uh huh.”

“Demon Lord! I must kill you to--”

“Mm hmm.”

Looking down from my throne, I look down at the new hero with an apathetic expression. Nearly every year, there’s always a new hero that this world summoned in order to defeat me, the man they labeled as the Demon Lord all for something I didn’t mean to cause. Looking at this new hero, I scoff down at them as they give me those famous words that every other hero has said. It’s been so long I can easily predict what they’re going to say, even going as far as to muttering the words under my breath whenever they’re going to give me their speech.

“Prepare yourself, Demon Lord!”

“Cool, watch your feet.”

“What?” with a snap of my fingers, they floor opened from beneath their feet and they fell into the dungeon where I keep any sort of monster that abides by my authority, I peek my head down the trap door and see the hero had a frightened expression on their face when they realized they were surrounded by high leveled monsters “C-Come down here, you coward! This is a battle between you and I, Demon Lord!” I roll my eyes, rolling my wrist as I let out a frustrated sigh.

“That’s what they all said before they met their demise. If you can’t even handle my monsters, what makes you think you can handle me?” I then turn around and start leaving my throne room while waving my hand “Good luck, oh dear Savior of the World.” a bitter expression made its way onto my face when I heard choked cries coming from down the trap door followed by disoriented growls of the monsters as they chowed down on the so-called hero.

I don’t like this.

I don’t like being labeled as the villain.

I didn’t ask to look like this.

This... this disgusting monster that doesn’t know what death is.

I’ve been alive for a long time, and while people think immortality is a luxury, it’s nothing more than misery. Trapped looking the exact same, never to grow old, staying youthful for many centuries. The people you meet would soon die while you outlive them... how on earth is that a luxury? It brings me nothing but insanity. After being outcasted, I’ve lived my life in solitude up in my castle away from everyone in this world and haven’t harmed a single soul, and yet, the rulers of this land see me as a threat and summon heroes from other worlds to slay me.

Even if I’ve done nothing but defend myself.

Horrible rumors have gone around about me.

How I eat children.

How I order my monsters to go out to kill helpless villagers.

How I kidnap women and have my way with them.

“... I haven’t done anything.” I mutter to myself, feeling tears threaten to spill but I let out a frustrated sigh as I mess with my hair. All I do is send monsters out to regions where people like me are threatened by these humans, all I do is defend me and us helpless monsters from humans who see us as the vermin of the world.

This world could die for all I care.

“Phil,” turning my head, a servant that had the body of a human, but the characteristics of a piglin monster stood before me “another proclaimed hero has come.” I fought down the urge to let out a frustrated groan followed by muffled screams as I sighed.

“Here we go again. Techno, it hasn’t even been long since the last hero came. They’re getting faster and faster each passing decade. Can’t these humans take the hint that I can’t die and that I just want to be left alone?” I mutter as I start making my way to my throne room once again, Technoblade hot on my tail.

“Unfortunately, they’re all arrogant and want your majesty to fall. They believe that once you’ve fallen from your throne, the kingdoms that have summoned the heroes can ascend to your throne.” I click my tongue, an angered and annoyed look crawling its way onto my face.

“I’d love to see them try.”

Saying I was surprised would be an understatement; I was completely baffled to see a young child this time holding a sword that was at least twice their size and yet they were holding it with ease. Phil stood by my side and he was just as baffled as I was at the sight of this child, an innocent look gleamed in their eyes as they grinned, they threw the sword over their shoulder before pointing at me.

“This is it, Demon Lord! I shall bring you down in order to end your reign of terror!”  

…

…

‘So... so cute!’ I thought, covering my mouth with my fist while turning away in order to stifle my laughter, even Technoblade was having a hard time keeping a straight face against this child, let alone take them seriously.

“O-Oh? Is that so?” I sniffle, wiping away the tear that ran down my cheek, they seemed to have noticed our laughter so they pouted at us, their face turning red, whether it be out of anger or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell and I could care less, it made them even more cute.

“Don’t laugh! Big meanie!” I snort.

“Child,” I started, leaning my elbow on the arm rest of my throne and having my cheek resting on my fist while crossing my legs “you are the least threatening hero those kingdoms have sent to kill me in the past few centuries. Enlighten me, why don’t you?” they huff.

“Hmph, the King tells me that if I defeat you, I’ll restore peace throughout the world! He told me that you’re a big meanie that hurts innocent people!” I exhale deeply.

“Little child, you shouldn’t believe everything that you’ve been told.” I point at them “Your King is nothing but a liar who wants something that doesn’t belong to him.” I then stand to my feet, turning my back to them “I’ll give you the chance to leave, child. I’m not really one for hurting children, it’s not my thing.”

“Well I’m not leaving until I defeat you, Demon Lord!” with an unimpressed look on my face, I turn my face towards them and saw they were getting ready to fight me, I sigh.

“Well, so be it.” I turn towards Technoblade and place my hand on his shoulder “Show them the way out, but, be gentle with them.” he bows his head.

“As you wish, Phil.” with pursed lips, I turn back and see that he had thrown the child over his shoulder and they was thrashing about, his free hand was holding their sword as he made his way towards the exit.

“Put me down! This has nothing to do with you, you big dodo head!” I slap a hand over my mouth to stop myself from bursting into laughter at that lame insult, what made it even more hilarious was the fact that he was offended “Mark my words, I’ll be back! And when I am, I’ll be the last one laughing!”

“Then I can’t wait for the future, hero.”

And from then on, my days became brighter.

They would come every day, exclaiming how that day would be the day when they’d slay me and bring peace to the world. I almost looked forward to these days, they almost brought a light into my dark and empty world whenever they came by. Technoblade almost dreaded each day they came, because I always ordered him to kick them out of the castle. Speaking of which, they would always find a new way to break into my castle. This one time, I was out drinking tea when they burst through the window, to which Technoblade was already there, picking them up and throwing them out of the window they came from. Soon the days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and soon months turned into years. They was praised to be the only hero that lasted for more than a couple days, but the hero that was able to come back from my domain unscathed. They believed they were some sort of saint that could go toe to toe against me, how they were going to be the hero that would vanquish me and set this world free of my presence.  

Pft, how wrong they were.

Slowly, they understood no matter what they did, they couldn’t do a thing against me, and in return, I wouldn’t hurt them unless they truly provoked me, and I saw them as a threat, to which I didn’t. I was able to coax them into joining me for tea, or light reading, anything that drove their actual goal out the window. When they were a child, I could easily trick them into doing something else. Lying about how if they beat me in a game of chess, they’d be one step closer into defeating me. But now that they’ve gotten older, they figured out that my lies were nothing more than just, well lies, and constantly teases me that if I just wanted them to stay and do something else, I could’ve just simply asked.

“Hey, I’m here again!”

“Geh.”

“Pft!”

“Don’t “geh” me! And you, don’t laugh!” I was holding back my laughter at the look of annoyance and disgust on Technoblade’s face at the sight of the hero, who was now a young adult.

“You’ve grown so much, child.” I say, watching as they took a seat across from me.

“Hmph, not enough if you’re still calling me child, Philza!”  

“But it’s true, from that tiny little brat into a strong young adult. Stubborn, but stunning.” they huff, crossing their arms and looking away, but a smile did grace their lips as they blushed softly “At least you’re no fool like all those past heroes that got on my nerves, you’re definitely a true hero compared to all those other self-proclaimed heroes.” they hum.

“They just didn’t listen to you, Demon Lord, but you also didn’t give them the chance you gave me.” I let out a muffled groan at that, they was right about that “Why did you, Demon Lord? You could’ve killed me like you did with the rest, but you didn’t?” I hum, bringing the cup of tea to my lips.

“I’ve already told you, I’m not really one for hurting children.” and with that, we each basked in the blissful silence. It was days like these I wish I could have, maybe one day, I could have them with ot-- both Technoblade and I jump when they suddenly slammed their hands onto the table, the annoyed look Technoblade was sending them just made them glare at him before beaming up at me.

“I almost forgot!”

“What is it?”

“I plan on telling my King about you!” I immediately froze upon those words, looking down at them with a look of disbelief.

“W-What do you mean?” my gaze softened on them when they gave me the warmest and softest look they’ve ever given me, I’m pretty sure I saw flowers fluttering around them when they smiled up at me.

“I’m going to tell him all those bad things about you are nothing but lies, that you’re nothing like how the rumors depict you.” they made me place my tea down before holding my large and rough hands into their smaller and delicate hands “I’ll tell him that you’re nothing more than a kind man who’s just lonely.” I sat there in silence before shaking my head and slipping one of my hands out of their grip and letting it rest on theirs.

“No, you needn’t do that, Hero. Just having you visit me every day is good enough for me.” they didn’t seem to have liked that, having snatched their hands out of mine and standing to their feet, pouting at me while their hands were on their hips.

“What I’m saying is that you’re a depressed old man that needs friends that isn’t monsters and a human that’s been trying to kill you for the past decade!” now it was Technoblade’s turn not to laugh while I completely froze, feeling my soul leave my body at what they called me.

“D-Depressed old man?”

“That needs friends, Phil.” they huff.

“It is what it is.” they then place a hand on my shoulders and gives me a determined look “Don’t worry Philza, as the Hero, it is my duty to save everyone, that even includes you from your loneliness!” I swallow thickly at that before hunching forward, biting my lip as I felt tears threaten to fall, I shook my head before lifting my arm and hiding my face within my elbow.

“You’re such a kind child, [Y/N], unlike any other hero I’ve met throughout my miserable days as an immortal being.” with tears running down my cheeks, I held their hands within mine again and gave them a sad but genuine smile “It’ll be a pity when you pass and I outlive you, [Y/N].” they grin.

“That’s why I’m going to clear up all that nonsense about you, so you’ll be able to make friends, and when I die, you won’t be alone!” I sniffle, leaning into their touch as they wipe away my tears.

‘Ah, so warm.’ right now, Technoblade and I stood together outside my castle, waving the hero goodbye as they retreat into the direction of the Kingdom they serve.

“You’ll think they’ll be able to do it, Phil?” he asks, I shook my head.

“One voice means nothing to an entire nation. Nothing will change when they voice their opinion about me, it won’t change to fact that these people see me as nothing but a monster.” saying that, however, didn’t fight the smile that spread across my face “But it’s the thought that counts, no?” even he cracked a smile at the thought.

“I suppose so, Phil.”

...

...

“Hmm, they’re late.” I mutter, looking around from my spot in my garden to try and see where [Y/N] would pop out of. They were one for trying to catch me by surprise, but even I knew when that child would appear, they was a walking disaster that was waiting to happen “It’s already past noon, and they’d appear before twelve so they could dine with me for lunch.” Technoblade huffed, setting down a platter of sweet pastries, which was usually meant for them, they loved short cakes, they were their favorite.

“It’s unusually quiet without them, Phil.” he then pumps his fist “We should take advantage of this silence before they arrives.” I hum.

“Hmm, but that’s what I like about them, they kill my boredom and fills the empty silence with so much noise.” I look up at him from where I was sitting, a soft smirk on my face “I know that you enjoy their presence too, my loyal servant.” I chuckle when I see him flinch, turning his face away so I wouldn’t be able to see the embarrassed blush dust across his face “They bring out an entirely different character of you.”

“That’s absurd, Phil, and you know it.”

“Hmm, do I?” he groans.

“I hate it when you’re in a good mood.”

“And I love it.” he scoffs while rolling his eyes, we then hear a loud bang, this caused me to laugh while he let out a longer and louder groan than before.

“And there goes our silence.”

“Hehe, is that them? Go see what they broke this time.”  

“As you command, Phil.” I sat in silence as I drank my tea and occasionally ate at what Technoblade left for me to eat, but as time went by, I grew curious as to what was taking them so long. [Y/N] was one for breaking things in my castle, but the servants in my castle were one to easily clean up their mess in a matter of seconds before Technoblade returned to me with them in toe. I tapped my finger against my cup and watched the tea within the glass ripple, I let out a scoff before setting it down and standing to my feet.

“Screw it, I’ll just go see for myself.” I straighten myself out before walking off to find where my servant had gone, I let out a hum when I noticed that the usual places where the [Y/N] breaks in were empty and clean, so that meant that the two weren’t there, so where could they be? I thought of the front door, but that child has never used the front door to get into my castle, that was one of the many things I loved about that them, they always found funny and unique ways to enter my castle that when I questioned them, they simply shouted:

“Doors are overrated! Real men break and enter.”

“Hah, that child...” I mutter to myself, but it didn’t hurt to try, so that’s where I went next. I raised a brow when I noticed that that was where Technoblade and several servants were, however, I grew curious when I saw him looking out the doors before pulling his head back in, the dejected look on his face the moment he saw me caught me by surprise. This man was one of my most composed soldiers, that’s why I found it entertaining when that hero could get him to express other emotions, but right now... he had the look of dread on his face but it morphed into fear when he saw me “Hey, what’s the matter?”

“U-Uh, Phil, I-I...” he kept glancing at me then back towards the door.

“What did they do this time to get you all riled up? I wonder how bad it is, since you’ve lost your composure.” I joke as I make my way towards the door, ignoring his tugging when I felt him grab me by the arm and start pulling me back.

“W-Wait, Phil! You mustn’t!”  

Still, I ignored him.

God... I wish didn’t and just heeded his words.

I opened the door and was annoyed at the sight of various Kingdoms at my doorstep with their armies, ready for a war against me. But slowly, ever so slowly, my annoyance changed at the sight of what was mounted on a stick and on display just a few meters in front of the various Kingdoms.

“L-Little Hero...?” I stutter out, my voice laced with dread, I shook my head as I couldn’t tear my eyes away from what was in front of me. Their decapitated head mounted on a stick. Their eyes were blood shot with blood trailing out of the corner of their eyes and mouth, I shudder in disgust when I see their head be surrounded by flies.

Was this some kind of sick joke?

This must be a joke, right?

They couldn’t be--

“This is our declaration of war, Demon Lord!” I slowly tore my eyes away from them and glance over to where one of the Kings of some kind of Kingdom was, mounted on a steed and wearing a suit of armor.

“D-Declaration of war? What have I done for this unjust?” he scoffed at me before giving me a cocky, smug look.

“You have corrupted this world’s hero, is what you’ve done!”

What?

“During a meeting where all us rulers were present, they told us that we should give you a chance. That you are nothing like how the rumors portray you! How you’re nothing more than an old man that’s lonely. They told us to give you a chance.” he then shook his head “To think you would use some sort of magic to brainwash that child girl to get closer to us and kill us! Who knows how long it would’ve been until you sunk your teeth and told the hero to betray mankind! We had to do the only thing to ensure our safety, the safety of mankind, even if it meant killing a hero!”

What?

“You are the true fiend, Demon Lord! Taking advantage of that poor child!”

What?

“So, for that child’s action to not be in vain, we shall do what they couldn’t! We’ll defeat you, here and now, in order to save this world from your onslaught! Prepare yourself, Demon Lord!”

…

…

“P-Phil?” I felt him flinch, I mean, who wouldn’t. My expression was livid, I couldn’t calm myself over the BULLSHIT they spouted out.

Corrupted?

Brainwash?

They killed [Y/N] all because--  

“I’m going to tell him all those bad things about you are nothing but lies, that you’re nothing like how the rumors depict you.”  

“I’ll tell him that you’re nothing more than a kind man who’s just lonely.”  

“Don’t worry Philza, as the Hero, it is my duty to save everyone, that even includes you from your loneliness!”

“That’s why I’m going to clear up all that nonsense about you, so you’ll be able to make friends, and when I die, you won’t be alone!”

“You should’ve left it alone, stupid child... maybe if you didn’t care so much about me, you wouldn’t have met your end so quickly...” I mutter to myself, gritting my teeth and felt my anger grow when I saw the look in the eyes of all those Kings.

Fuck it.

“Men! Be ready to charge!”

Fuck it.

“Even if you give up your lives, it’ll be for the greater good!”

Fuck it.

“For the hero!”

Fuck it.

“You want a Demon Lord? Fine.” I mutter, finally leaving the entrance to my castle and walking down the steps, they charge towards me as I continued approaching what was left of my poor little hero, when the King got closer I raised my hand before snapping my fingers and instantly he and everyone behind him was decimated into nothing but little chunks of blood and flesh “THEN I’LL FUCKING GIVE YOU ONE!!” I roared at them, unleashing all the pent-up anger I had for the past centuries that these pathetic humans have caused me “The only light in my miserable life has been snuffed out... ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!” I cried, feeling my body be overwhelmed with a range of different emotions.

Anger.

Despair.

Regret.

Everything I bottled up, resurfacing and overwhelming me.

Fuck humanity.

Fuck this world.

It didn’t take long for this one-sided massacre to come to an end. I never used my magic, ever, against humans, using only simple tricks or my monsters to deal with any nuisances, but... it almost felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders when I released everything all at once. Dealing with what was the cause of my constant despair and loneliness. Their greed is what got them killed, and they didn’t deserve even a BIT of mercy... little hero probably begged, pleaded for mercy before they killed them for something, they shouldn’t have done in the first place.

“Oh, little hero...” I weakly croak out, my body and hands drenched in the blood of the humans who killed them, the same people who snatched them away from their home before deeming them as an eyesore for getting in the way of what they wanted. I slowly reach for their disembodied head and close their eyes and mouth before removing their head from the stake as gently as I could, cradling their head within my arms, rocking back and forward before letting tears run down my cheeks “This is all my fault, I shouldn’t have let you do it.... if only we weren’t friends, my sweet little hero.”  

I felt numb.

I lost the one pure thing in this world to these selfish humans.

And they call me a monster?

Well, you know what? Screw it.

This world can fucking DIE for all I care.

~ bonus ending ~

It’s just like every other day.

Centuries have passed since that dreadful day and I became the one thing this blasted world wanted me to become, the Demon Lord that threatens the greater good of the world. The Kingdoms still summon Heroes from other worlds but at least they’re smarter than the last bunch of morons, they trained the heroes this time, and it’s making me fight for my life, but in the end, they’re nothing but brainless idiots who fight selfishly rather than for the world. They believe that because they’re the hero, they shouldn’t have to worry about the consequences of their actions and continue to do as they please. I let out a long sigh, resting on my throne with Technoblade at my side. Everything just wasn’t the same as it was in the past, even Technoblade and my many servants have become colder than before. If the heroes aren’t nearly as strong, I let him deal with them, and he mercilessly slaughters them.

“How long has it been since the last hero came here to “vanquish” me?” he hums.

“About three years, Phil. This new summoned hero came when news about the last hero was slaughtered, and they’ve been training for about three years to grow strong enough to go toe to toe against you.” I scoff.

“What a joke.” both me and Technoblade let out a sigh when we hear the sound of shattering glass above us, followed by a thud when they landed on the ground “Don’t you know we have a door, hero? Can’t you act a little civilized?” I froze at the sound of their laughter.

“Hah! Don’t be absurd! Doors are overrated! Real men break and enter.” I slowly turn my head and couldn’t believe my eyes at the sight of them, even Technoblade was staring at them with widened eyes, not believing what we were seeing when they grinned and pointed their sword towards us “This is it, Demon Lord! I shall bring you down in order to end your reign of terror!” I felt my lips tremble, tears glistening in my eyes before a small smile graced my lips, a smile that hasn’t been on my face for centuries.

“Oh? Is that so? Then by all means, go for it, little hero.”

Casino

word count: 7994

Fandom: MCYT  Pairing: Multiple Relationship: Romantic Pronouns: Multiple Occupation: Multiple Ability: N/A

Keys: N/A

Warnings: N/A

so this is the first time I’ve posted on tumblr and I have absolutely no clue how to use this platform, mostly because I use wattpad more than any other writing platform but, here you go.

this is a mcyt one shot between my oc and my three other friends. this was made purely out of fun.

that is all.

The Cursed Lands.

The wildly known Casino where the Gods go to gamble all they want. Whether it be the riches they accumulated over the years they’ve reigned in their respective realms, or if they’re really willing to risk it, then the lives of the mortals that reside in their realms along with the countless realms and worlds they own. The Lesser Gods were foolish enough to do such a thing as test their luck on Elder Gods, only to lose it all. A God can absolutely ruin themselves in the Casino, that is why it is dubbed as the Cursed Lands, because no matter how many times you either win or lose, the thrill of it all is just so addicting.

Over the bustling voices of various Gods and Goddess cheering and chattering amongst each other, the co-owner of the Casino was whistling a tune while flicking a poker chip up and down, catching it within the palm of her hand before flicking it up once more. In her other hand was a wine glass filled with red wine that glittered, almost resembling that of mortal blood. She overlooked the grounds filled with various games occupied by Gods and Goddess of ranks of all kinds, Gods of more importance or more money were led to rooms with higher risk games while Gods with lower ranks were kept on the Ground Floor. She let out a hum, smirking to herself and catching the poker chip in between her fingers before turning away and bringing her glass to her lips, taking a long swig from her glass.

“Hey, boss.” she hummed once more, looking over to see that it was one of the bouncers, which was a wraith. Most of the security in the Casino, despite not being needed, were mortal spirits that lingered around in certain realms that were brought into the Casino to act as bouncers whenever the Gods and Goddess became a little too rowdy. Hades is also a dear sometimes too, letting her borrow his Hell Hound whenever guests got a little too carried away “She’s finally arrived.” her eyes lit up at what the wraith had said, slamming the wine glass down and flicking the chip up once more before catching it in the palm of her hands.

“Wonderful!” she cheered, standing to her feet and throwing her arms open “Where is she now? What game is she playing?”

“Currently, Roulette.” she purses her lips.

“Roulette, huh?” she couldn’t help but click her tongue as she leaves the room, the wraith following close behind after shutting the door “Why did it have to be roulette? She’s going to run the casino dry with how good her luck is.”

“Would it have been better to have her play Blackjack? That was her second option.” she raised her hand, shaking it.

“No, Blackjack has better odds at winning in comparison to Roulette.”

“I see.” she turns her head back towards the wraith that was slowly following behind her before turning back forward, she noticed that a nymph, a waitress, walking by with a tray of champagne so she grabbed the entire tray and saluted the golden skinned nymph.

“Thanks for the drinks, my dear.” she cooed softly, to which the nymph smiled in return before going off. She took a glass for herself and started downing it, greeting Gods and Goddess along the way and by the time she reached the Roulette table, she only had two glasses of champagne left, the empty glasses were handed to the wraith, to which he handed them to another passing nymph “Now, where is she?”

“And that’s another win for the Mother of All!” a voice announced, followed by a rally of a mix of cheers and cries.

“Ah, there she is.” pushing through the crowd, she saw the golden-haired woman dressed in a traditional but formal Greek themed dress with a white and gold laced mask over her eyes, the woman was smiling brightly while throwing her fist in the air.

“Another win for me, neh?” she cooed softly.

“You’re just too good at this!” she scoffed slightly, looking down at her nails.

“I thought you said this was a no skilled game, my dear.” the Lesser Gods look up at her in disbelief, watching as the dealer pushed over the chips that she won and saw her grab one of the chips from the table, she flicked it up before catching it and rolling it over her knuckles then having it perched in between her index and middle finger “There’s no need for you lot to be such sore losers. Just take the loss and try another game to win in instead of sulking around, it’s rather unbefitting of Gods like yourselves to act so immature.” the Gods watched as she turned the chip so they could see just what exactly they lost, a few hundred mortal lives “Better luck next time~” they growl at her before clicking their tongues, knowing they didn’t stand a chance against a God of her caliber.

“Whatever, just stay out of our way.” she simply giggled, waving her hand to bid them goodbye as she watched the two Lesser Gods scurry away. She was in the middle of turning back to the table but stopped at the sight of a familiar face approaching her through the ground.

“Ara? Is that you, old friend?”

“It is indeed!” she gave the tray to the wraith before wrapping her arms around the taller woman “As much as I love your company, can’t you play harder games? You’re just far too good that you’re putting Tyche, the Goddess of Luck, to shame!” she giggled softly, waving her hand so a porcelain doll dealer could come and collect her chips.

“Many apologies, Zanna.” she then giggled softly, taking one of the many brief cases filled with the chips she won while the others floated beside her “Maybe if you made the games a little harder, it’d be more of a challenge.” Zanna gasped at what the Goddess said as she started walking away, taking that glass of champagne the wraith was still holding while she was at it.

“Ah! The audacity— Cybele! Take that back right now!”

Zanna and Cybele, partners in crime and friends since the dawn of time, Cybele being just a bit older than the co-owner of the Cursed Lands Casino. Cybele was that mentor type figure to Zanna, teaching her about the various duties that Gods and Goddess partake in, but the Greek themed Goddess knew that everything she was teaching to the younger Goddess was going through one ear and out the other, so she found it pointless. She was simply a freelancer Goddess that did whatever the hell she wanted, but she did find it flattering that Zanna would still come by just to spend some time with the Goddess of Life and Creation.

In return, Zanna herself would teach Cybele to act more relaxed and to be a bit snarkier, sassy even. The tone Cybele always spoke in was soft and polite, like a ray of sunshine, but Zanna was a bit of an influence on the older woman whenever she would randomly pop in for a lesson, aka, a day of tom foolery. The Promised Lands is a place where Gods and Goddesses must act modest and mature— and then there was Zanna, the opposite of what she was supposed to be. She was the lowest ranking of Goddess with not a single ounce of importance to herself or her name, everyone underestimated her, but Cybele of course. So as the years rolled on, Zanna made a name for herself as one of the youngest Goddesses that managed to secure a spot at the top beside her mentor figure.

“I hear your lover is the owner of this joint, give him my many thanks for making such a terrific establishment for us to enjoy.” Zanna chuckled, blushing softly at the compliment.

“Well, you can tell that to him yourself.”

“Oh? So, I’m finally going to meet this infamous lover of yours?” Zanna scoffed before jokingly shoved Cybele.

“Ah, shut up.” she then waves her hand “He was a mortal from one of your realms that I helped ascend to Godhood. He managed to become the God of Riches and Gambling, hence the Casino.” now Cybele was impressed, pausing when in the middle of drinking from her glass.

“Wow, really? And from one of my realms as well, quite impressive if I do say so myself.” she then looked up in thought, placing her empty glass on a tray “Is he from one of my most chaotic realms?” Zanna purses her lips, looking up in thought.

“Um... yeah, the one you visit the most.”

“Oh! The DreamSMP!” Zanna nods, Cybele then giggles softly while clapping her hands “Do I know him?” Zanna looks away, wincing slightly.

“Well, um, I think you know him a little too well.” she tilts her head in mild confusion.

“What do you mean by tha--”  

“Mi amor!” they both halt in their tracks, however, Cybele grimaced at the sound of the voice before holding back and sneer when both she and Zanna turned around “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Zanna.” soon he too came to a stop and looked at the woman standing beside his lover, even with the mask on, he could see through it and immediately recognized the face behind it, so he scowled up at her “Cy.” she only smiled.

“Quackity.” Zanna shivered, hearing the malice in her words behind that smile, she raised her hands when she felt the tension raise the longer the two glared at each other.

“U-Um, guys?” Cybele gently grabbed her arm before pointing at Quackity.

“Of all the mortals, why him? You do realize he’s got two other fiancés, right?” she simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Sharing is caring?” she rolls her eyes “Plus in every lifetime I’ve had to relive, it was always with him. I just love him so much, Cybele.” Zanna grabs Cybele’s forearm and squeezes it “I know you two have beef with each other, but please, just let me have this.” Cybele’s tense shoulders slowly relaxed at the pleading look Zanna was giving her, so she sighed, letting it go reluctantly.

“Alright fine, but I won’t hesitate to kill him if he does anything out of line.” Zanna smiled at the answer, jumping up and wrapping her arms around Cybele, her placing her hands on her hips to steady them both before they fell to the ground.

“Ah! You’re the best friend anyone could ever ask for!” Cybele smiled at that, patting her back before placing her on the ground, to which she sauntered over to Quackity, extending her hand out to her lover, to which he didn’t hesitate to lace his fingers with hers and bring her closer, Cybele rolled her eyes at the affection that Quackity usually only shared with his other two lovers.

“Best friend? But I’ve never seen you two around each other.” Zanna waved her hands.

“Psh, we’ve been friend's way before she washed up on the SMP! We’re like old time friends! She knows everything about me, and in return, I know everything about her.” Cybele waved her hand.

“I wouldn’t say that.” she looked at her, to which she pursed her lips while shrugging her shoulders, Quackity continued to glare at her but was stopped when Zanna cupped his cheeks and made him look at her.

“My love, I know you have a lifelong grudge on Cyb— I mean, Cy, but I really want my two favorite people to get along.” she kneels down to press a kiss to his forehead before pulling away and smiling softly at him “You’ll do that for me, won’t you?” Quackity gave her a skeptical look, glancing back over at Cybele and noticing that she had just as much of a worried expression as he did. He then let out a sigh, raising his hands so they could rest on top of hers.

“If it’s what makes you happy, then I have to comply, no?” she smiles before kneeling and wrapping her arms around his smaller form then standing up straight, Cybele snorted, covering her mouth with her fist at the sight of Quackity dangling from Zanna’s hold. He noticed her quietly trying to stifle her laughter, so he glared at her, flipping her the bird, she giggled softly at the futile attempt.

“Short stack.” she whispered loud enough for him to hear.

“You--” Zanna looked back at Cybele and saw she was smiling innocently.

“Shall we get going? I’ve wasted up so much of your time, Cy.” she waves her hand to dismiss the thought, watching as Zanna put Quackity down on the ground.

“By wasting my time do you mean spending time with a friend I haven’t seen in a long time? Then it’s worth wasting.” Zanna smiled at that before jogging off, probably to get a room ready for the lot of them to play a could games, both Quackity and herself were smiling fondly at her before slowly following her.

“What do you think she’ll say that her best friend had just insulted her lover?” Quackity said, she hummed.

“That it’s true and that I shouldn’t state the obvious?” he gave her a flabbergasted look; she shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at him “What? It’s true, is it not?”

“You’re unbelievable.” she then watched as he stomped away, she snorted.

“Do you rather I call you flatty patty?” this caused him to freeze, his face to the tips of his ears turning a pretty shade of pink “Oh wait, that’s what Schlatt called you, right? Many apologies, I should come up with something more original, shouldn’t I? I’m not particularly fond of using other people’s pet names.” she had to slap her hand over her mouth to stop the laughter from slipping when he whipped his face around and glared at her with the signs of embarrassment evident on his face, he couldn’t fire anything back, so he just went off to find Zanna to save himself from the embarrassment.

“Was that really necessary, Cybele?” she hummed at the sound of a new voice followed by a hand on her shoulder, turning her head back, she smiled softly at the sight of her lover.

“Ah, Foolish, were you having fun, my love?” he hummed at that, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek.

“I am now that I’m with you.” she giggles at that before leading him to the room Zanna was preparing now with Quackity.

“How cute, Foolish.” he simply nods, slipping his hand into hers “Did you know that Zanna has become lovers with that mortal Quackity?” she then stops herself “Wait, former mortal. Apparently, she helped him ascend to Godhood and now he’s a newly found God.” Foolish gave her a surprised expression.

“Really? That’s quite impressive. If anyone, I thought Technoblade would ascend to Godhood.”

“He’s come fairly close, but he has angered a few Gods and impressed the other few. I mean, have you seen how irritated Death has gotten because he keeps slipping through her fingers?” she then snaps her fingers “And Ares really loves all the bloodshed, but Hades is also irritated with the fluctuation of all the souls entering the Underworld nearly every day. He probably would’ve lost his mind already if Persephone wasn’t by his side to quell his anger.” Foolish snaps his fingers at that.

“You make a fair point.”

“Don’t I always?” they both laugh.

“I wonder what God he has become.”  

“She told me he became the God of Riches and Gambling.” he nods.

“Ah, hence the casino.”

“Mm hmm.” when they reached the private room, they were greeted by the wraith bouncers, to which they bowed their heads to the Elder Gods before pushing open the door and they were met with the sight of various nymph waitresses, porcelain doll dealers and even a shrunken down version of the Kraken as the bartender “Wow, she’s really outdone herself.”

“Indeed.”

“Ah hah, there you are!” looking over, they both smile when they saw Zanna approaching them but Foolish squeezed her hand when he felt her irritation when Quackity was by her side.

“Behave yourself, Cybele.”

“I will, I will. I already promised her, so don’t hassle me, my love.”

“Just making sure.” when they were in front of each other, Quackity and Foolish nod at each other while the two women smile fondly at each other “It’s been a while, Quackity. I hope you’ve been doing well, managing two casinos, that is. Las Nevadas in the SMP and now this one, the Cursed Lands.” Quackity laughs at that, wrapping an arm around Zanna’s waist and pulling her closer towards him.

“True, true! If it weren’t for Zanna, I already would’ve lost my mind having to take care of two Casinos, though the management really falls into Zanna’s hands for this one, Las Nevadas is mine.” Cybele and Foolish nod at that, glancing around and greeting fellow Gods and Goddesses that pass by each time “The people that come here are also so rich, and most of the time the things they gamble are so weird.” this caused the two Elder Gods to pause while Zanna paled a little.

“Pardon?” he waves his hand, starting to walk and leading them over to a table for a game of Poker.

“Well, I don’t really know how to explain it. Well, usually, in Las Nevadas, the shit people usually trade is gold, Ender Eyes, Enchanted shit, the usual shit when they’re desperate for a win. But the stuff I see here... wow, spooky shit. See, like over there!” the three look over at what he was pointing at, and they saw another Elder God but down an orb to the table, at closer inspection, the three Gods could tell that it was a realm that the God owned, and they were risking it for a big win “You see what I mean?” Cybele and Foolish purse their lips before looking down at Zanna, who laughed awkwardly before leaning down and patting Quackity’s shoulder.

“Uh, baby, could you get the table ready? There’s a couple things I need to tell these two, if that’s alright with you?” he simply nodded.

“Sure!” he presses a kiss to her cheek before rushing off, when turning around, Zanna flinched at the stern look the two were giving her.

“Zanna, sweetness, he does know that this is an Interdimensional Casino where Gods from all around the universe and different dimensions come to bet and gamble with the mortal lives and realms under their command, right? He does have knowledge that he himself is a God, right? He is aware that the people around him aren’t mortals, right?” she remained silent.

“Um... no.” Cybele presses the palm of her hand onto her forehead while Foolish exhales deeply through his nose.

“So, he has no knowledge of what this Casino really is and that he believes everyone here is a mortal?” he then looks at a nymph passing them “Than what about the staff? He must be suspicious about the staff, Zanna!” she waves her hand.

“Like he said, the Cursed Lands Casino is under my management, all the staff that was hired were hired by me. I simply told him they were mobs, and he believed me.” they both let out sighs.

“You are unbelievable, Zanna.”

“We should be lucky he’s unbelievably stupid.” they all look over at Quackity and saw he was talking to a dealer, when he noticed they were looking, he smiled and waved.

“Mm.” she then sighs softly “But that’s what I love about him.” Cybele just rolls her eyes, Foolish shook his head in mild disappoint.

“Oh, goodness.” he waved them over and they approach, Cybele’s hand resting in Foolish’s as the approach the table, but now Cybele was staring at the dealer of the table. They weren’t the usual porcelain dolls from every other game, oh no, this was a villager that she herself knew rather well. The villager felt the intense gaze and looked up while in the middle of shuffling cards and flinches when she noticed that it was Cybele staring at her.

“Um... hello?” she greeted but Cybele didn’t drop her gaze and continued to stare at her, of course she knew this damned villager, not only was she one that was from her realm, but she’s also one that she traded with a good number of times! However, this villager was different to the usual villager because this one could talk instead of giving a hum as a response, not only that, but this villager had the best things anyone could trade with that even Technoblade praised highly and tried countless times to keep this villager in his basement, but she would always find a way to get out. Not only that, but she didn’t look like the average villager, and she even had her own self-awareness not to get trapped in ridiculous spots. She pursed her lips before placing her hand on Zanna’s shoulder once more, not breaking eye contact with the dealer.

“Why the hell is a villager from my realm here as well?” Zanna herself pursed her lips before gesturing to her.

“Well, she kinda just wandered in saying that she needed a job, so I just gave her the job. She’s pretty good with her hands, so we made her a poker dealer.” they all look at her and watched as she easily shuffled the cards, going as far as to juggling the cards over her knuckles before dealing them onto the table into their respective spots.

“That is impressive.” Foolish mused, Cybele couldn’t help but nod her head.

“But how did she get in?” Zanna opened her mouth to speak but closed her mouth when she couldn’t think of a plausible excuse.

“You know what? I really don’t know.” she then shrugs, going over and placing a hand on her shoulder “This is Honey, one of my best dealers, as I’d like to say.” Cybele and Foolish nod their heads “She didn’t really have a name, so we just call her Honey.” Foolish tilts his head to the side.

“Why Honey?” Zanna’s grip on her shoulder tightened as she gripped her shoulder with great force, causing Honey to sputter while turning her head away with a pale look on her face as a ball of sweat formed on her cheek.

“Because she keeps stealing the honey from the bar to the point that we keep running out of honey to make honey-based cocktails and drinks. It’s bad for business, so to pay off the massive amount of debt I have her as a dealer and it’s deduced from her pay.” Cybele, Foolish and Quackity sweat a little at that when they saw the depressed look on her face.

“My honey...” she cried, Cybele then looked up in remembrance.

‘So that’s why she asked about my bee farm...’ Cybele thought, she then hummed softly and snapped her fingers and a bee’s knees cocktail appeared in her hands, she then placed the drink on a coaster before sliding over to Honey.

“Since you’re our dealer, especially one from my own realm and one that does me great service whenever I see you, I might as well repay you from something as you serve us tonight.” Honey instantly recognized the drink and smiled brightly, she takes the glass into her hands and then gives Cybele a look.

“Do you think a drink is enough to bribe me?” they stare at each other before Honey raised the glass “Well, it’s working!” she then downs it then slams the drink on the table “Woo! Let’s get this party started!” Cybele giggles before taking a seat, Foolish taking the one beside her, planning on playing the game of poker with her, Zanna then leaned down.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t intoxicate my dealers in order for things to be in your favor.” Cybele scoffs lightly at that, waving her hand.

“Do you really think I’d stoop that low just to win? Oh no, I wipe the floor with those who think they can get the upper hand before yanking the rug from beneath them and come out victorious.” Zanna hummed at that, leaning backwards and crossing her arms.

“Alrighty then.” the first few games it was just some causal playing between the four of them, couple verse couple, in a sense. Cybele had to admit that Quackity was rather good at poker, having to play carefully against the former mortal, well, he wasn’t the God of Riches and Gambling for nothing. She did lose a good few rounds against him, but won the rest, in the end, the two dominated the poker game. Foolish let out a sigh, frowning at his hand before letting out a sigh and throwing it on the table.

“I give.” he then scoffs, watching as both Cybele and Quackity throw down their hands and noticed that they both had four of a kind, both in different ranks, even Zanna scoffed as she threw her hand to reveal she only had a straight “You two are just too good.” Cybele giggled before looking over at Quackity and offering him a hand.

“I must say, playing against someone who knows what they’re doing is rather fun and more intense. Thank you for the fun game, Quackity.” he scoffs but grins nonetheless, reaching forward and shaking her hand.

“The feelings mutual.” they both grin at each other before they all jump at the sound of a hand slamming on the table, glancing over, Zanna lets out a long sigh while Cybele smirks softly at the new face, Foolish noticed her expression and reaches over to caress her arm.

“Don’t.”  

“I haven’t done anything.”

“I know that look.” she chuckles, looking away before glancing back over and giving him a soft smile.

“What a lovely surprise to see you, Zagreus, it’s been a while.” he offers her a smile himself, but they all know that it didn’t mean well “But simply not long enough. What the hell do you want? Can’t you see we’re all having a lovely time playing a game of poker? What reason do you need to come in uninvited?” Zanna pursed her lips when she noticed that Cybele was intentionally pushing his buttons, she reached over and grabbed her elbow.

“What are you doing?” she whispered to her, Cybele just gave her a side eye.

“Don’t worry about it, I know what I’m doing.” Zanna scoffed before leaning back in her chair while crossing her arms, Quackity noticed the tension between Cybele and the newcomer and leaned over to Zanna.

“What’s going on between those two? The only time I see Cy like this is usually with me and people she doesn’t like.” Zanna pursed her lips.

“Well, it’s the latter. Those two have some... history, and someone that she knows really praises him.” he nods his head.

“... I don’t get it.” she slapped her hand onto her forehead, she then looked between the two and noticed that Cybele was now beginning to get annoyed with Zagreus’ presence, I mean, of course she would, she lost quite a lot to this man because of his underhanded plays. But that was back in the days where she herself was just a Lesser God and didn’t have many realms and mortals under her control, now she was one of the biggest Gods that could gamble a lot and still wouldn’t lose a single thing.  

“How about a rematch, Cybele?” she sighs at that, leaning back in her seat.

“And why would I do that? There isn’t a single thing from you that I want, I am completely content with what I have.” though she has bad blood with Quackity, she was quite irritated that he ripped him out of his seat before sitting down in it. Zanna glared at Zagreus and was planning on throwing him out for manhandling one of the owners of the of the casino but was stopped when Honey raised her hand to dismiss the behavior.

“Wha-- why?” Zanna seethed at Honey, she then hums and gestures to Cybele.

“Quackity, despite me always wanting to strangle you whenever I see you, I do not stand for such rude behavior.” she then crosses her legs, resting her elbows on the table before leaning her chin on the tops of her hands “What do you want, Zagreus?” he chuckles, leaning backwards and kicking his feet on the table.

“Simple, I just wanna play a couple games with you, Cybele, that’s all.” she rolls her eyes.

“What’s the catch?” he smirks.

“I’m glad you’re catching on~” he coos, she growls at him.

“What do you have to offer that would even pique my interest in the slightest?” she then noticed him pull out a gold poker chip, this caught her attention, along with Foolish and Zanna’s, Quackity just stared at it confused while Honey was downing another glass of a honey based alcoholic beverage.

“A cursed soul...” Foolish muttered.

“And one I recognize...” Cybele added, slowly closing her hand into a fist “Showing off your trophy you won off from me all those years ago?” he hums at that, rolling the chip over his knuckles.

“You were just foolish enough to fall for such a simple trick and gamble with one of your most valuable mortals.” he then cackles, gesturing to Foolish beside “Is that why you’re his lover? So, you can be foolish together? What a riot!” both she and Foolish slam their hands on the table, strong enough to break the table in half but they both held back their anger. She inhales deeply through her nose to quell her anger before leaning back in her chair and offering him a smile.

“That’s some talk for someone who must cheat in order to win, especially when it was against a Lesser God like myself in the past.” she pressed her fingers against her lips as she gives him a smug expression “That’s quite embarrassing don’t you think?” now this caused the people at the table to snort, having to stifle their laughter, her smirk grows when she noticed that his cocky attitude slowly dropped at what she said “Are you going to cheat again in order to get more things from me? Pathetic, I can still win against you with the game being in my favor, no matter how many underhanded plays you have against me.”

“Then why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?” she chuckles, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well, alright. But don’t start whining when I start winning.” this time he growls.

“You’re on.” Foolish, Quackity and Zanna all stood behind Cybele as Zagreus sat up properly, straightening himself out as few of the lingering Gods and Goddesses circled the table to watch the poker game. Honey looks at Zanna and saw her nod, she lets out a sigh before opening her hands and the guards littering the table returned to her hands and there, she skillfully shuffled the deck, juggling them over her knuckles once more before dealing the right amount to each player. Cybele snapped her fingers and all the chips she won fairly appeared on the table on her side, Zagreus did the same and they could see that she just had bit more in comparison to him. She looked down at her hand before looking at the chips before her and pushing a variety of white chips to green towards the center of the table, Zagreus doing the same.

The value of the chips was like mortal chips, the colors on the chips were a little more vibrant and the value behind them wasn’t in money, but what kind of mortal that was living in the realm.

Black = Vantablack – Apostles Orange = Gold – Cursed Souls Green = Emerald Green – Spirits Grey = Silver – Saints Blue = Lapis Blue – Mobs/Monsters Red = Crimson Red – Sinners White = Snow White – Normal

“Why don’t you go first, Cybele?” she giggles, taking three of her cards out and pushing them towards Honey, who traded three more cards towards her, Zagreus doing the same but with two cards.

“Oh, but ladies first~” she cooed, giggling softly when that got a rise out of him and a few of the spectators to laugh.

“Whatever.” rearranging the cards in his hands, he laid them out and a few of the spectators gasped at the reveal “A full house.” he boasts, his smirking rising but begins to fall when Cybele didn’t look the least bit threatened by the hand, the three standing behind her even looking unimpressed.

“Ooo, that’s too bad.” laying her hand down, his eyes widened slightly at her hand “Four of a kind.” Honey smirked at the win, raising her hand and all the chips on the board moved over to Cybele’s side as the cards returned to her hand once.

“And the win belongs to the Mother of All.” she crosses her legs, winking at Zagreus, who looks irritated, but he composes himself.

“Another.” she shrugs.

“Alright.” Quackity didn’t have the best relationship with Cybele after a certain event and the two absolutely hated each other, but he really couldn’t help but cheer her on and be rather impressed with how good she was playing. The hands she had were insane that he couldn’t help but feel sad for the other guy, but it was funny that every round they played Cybele never dropped her neutral expression while Zagreus was slowly losing his temper and confidence. There were times Cybele would lose but that didn’t matter, she still had the bigger winnings in comparison to Zagreus. By the end of it, Cybele dropped her hand to reveal she had a straight flush, while he only had a flush.

“Holy SHIT, Cy! You’re wiping the floor with him!” Quackity cheered, grabbing her by the shoulder and shaking her back and forward before leaning over and scooping up a great number of the chips she won before letting them drop to the table “For someone as meek as you, you’re pretty good a gambling.” she shrugs her shoulders.

“Just because I’m a pacifist doesn’t mean I don’t know how to gamble.” Foolish rolled his eyes.

“Right, pacifist.” she grins sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Enough!” Zagreus grits his teeth as he slammed his fist on the table, Cybele simply scoffed.

“What did I say about the whining? I’m pretty sure Persephone raised you better than this.” his face flushed red out of embarrassment before growling at her, she simply waved him off while flexing her hand. She looked down at the remaining chips he had and saw he had a few chips left but she eyed the gold chip he was flexing about before “Well, since I’m feeling a little generous, how about I put something on the line that will certainly pique your interest.”

“And what would that be?” opening her hand, she spread her index and middle finger open and a single vantablack chip formed in the space between her fingers. Vantablack chips were the rarest type of chips that only a good few Gods had in their possession and only they can manifest a vantablack chip, not the casino “An Apostle?” Zagreus questioned.

“Not just any apostle.” she flipped it around and he stood to his feet, his chair being pushed back in the process, as he stared at the chip “I give you Technoblade, the man highly praised by Ares and even you for all the bloodshed he creates while screaming “Blood for the Blood God”! Ah, such a good man.” she looked back over at him and saw he was staring intently at the chip.

“You’ll give his soul to me?” she laughs, throwing her head back.

“Hah! No!” she snorts at the assumption, closing her hand and bringing the chip into the palm of her hand “This is a poker match? Not everything is free, and we both know what I want in return if I put his soul on the table.” he groans at that, he closed his fist and slowly opened it for the gold chip to form in the palm of his hand.

“A cursed soul and an apostle...”

“Two valuable souls in one place.”

“Never thought I’d see a game like this.” the Gods and Goddesses surround the two gushed at the sight of the two rare chips in one place between two Elder Gods, Zanna and Foolish were staring at Cybele with shocked expressions while Quackity was barely catching on.

“Are you nuts, Cybele?!” Foolish whispered to her, grabbing her by her shoulder and pulling her back “What if you lose?!” she looks back at him.

“Do you really think I would gamble with the soul of a lifelong friend’s son if I knew I was going to lose? Unlikely.” she turns back towards Zagreus and puts the chip on the table, pushing it towards the center and grins “So how about it? Feeling lucky?” Honey looked between the two participants, she herself feeling a little excited about the outcome of the game, Zagreus stared at the gold chip in his hand before sighing and placing the chip down and towards the center as well.

“You’re on.” Honey grins, clapping her hands and the cards returning to her once more.

“Let’s have a fair game!” she cheered, downing another cocktail as the cards around her formed into the deck and she shuffled them before dealing them out. In this game, the two chips were the highest valued chips so there wasn’t a need for the two Gods to gamble with anymore chips, but Zagreus was feeling lucky and pushed all the remaining chips he had left onto the table with a big grin. Cybele noticed this as she was removing a few of her cards, she looked up in thought before shrugging her shoulders, why the hell not? With a flick of her wrist, all her winnings were pushed towards the table and placed behind the vantablack chip.

“What are you doing, Cybele?” Zanna asked, flabbergasted that Cybele willingly bet all her winnings onto the table “Did you do that out of spite?!” she shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe.” Zanna and Foolish facepalm while Quackity laughed, even Honey snorted “What can I say? I’m just feeling rather lucky~” Zagreus narrowed his eyes on the older woman, not a single trace of nervousness on her face. He grits his teeth at her confidence, looking at his hand before swapping out the cards he didn’t want with new ones. A few minutes of silence go by as the two rearrange their hand, Zagreus looked up at Cybele and quirked a brow when he noticed her starting to look nervous as she stared at her hand, even the three behind her looked nervous, this was his chance.

“So, how about you go first?” he offered, this caught her off guard as she looked up at him then back at her hand, she then brought them to her chest as she offered him a hand.

“H-How about you? My hand is... so and so.” he smirks.

“Well alright.” he looks back down at his hand before finally revealing it, the crowd gasped and even Cybele paled at the sight of a straight flush he laid out. Zagreus’ smirk grew as Cybele continued to stare at her hand, her hands trembling before she lowered her head, he then raised his hands “Then I believe this win is mi--” he cut himself off when Cybele snorted, looking back over at her, he flinched when she raised her head, and she was trying her damned hardest not to burst out into laughter.  

“Man, I didn’t believe I was good at acting but I got you good, didn’t I?” she giggled to herself before throwing her head back, she takes a deep breath before laying her hand down and his eyes widened at what she had “A royal flush.” she leans back in her seat, shrugging her shoulders while opening her hands out behind her, to which Zanna, Foolish and Quackity did not hesitate to high five her “Sorry but, you just weren’t lucky enough.” she was the least bit threatened when he slammed his hands on the table, pointing a finger at her while she just leaned back and crossed her arms with an indifferent expression.

“You... you—you cheated! I know you cheated!” he shouts, she purses her lips.

“That’s a load of bullshit coming from the likes of you.” Zanna closed her eyes.

“Ah, here we go.” she muttered, she then turned and waved her hands to get the attention of a couple bouncers before snapping her fingers and a passion fruit martini appeared in her hands “She’s swearing, we’re in for a show tonight.” she muttered as she started to down her drink, Foolish nodded.

“Mm hmm.” even Quackity nodded his head.

“Yeah, the only times she swears is at me.” Honey snorted at that before snapping her fingers and having all the winnings more over to Cybele’s side, the vantablack and gold chips floating up and into her hands, to which she proceeded to roll the gold chip along her knuckles while the other was resting in between her thumb and index finger.

“You really think I didn’t notice you cheating the entire time.” she chuckles when she noticed him flinch and back off slightly, she then gestures to the three behind her and he saw them standing up straight and glaring at him, Honey doing the same as she was shuffling the deck “It just goes to show that I can still win even when odds are against me, and no matter how much you cheat, you still cannot beat me. How pathetic.” he growls.

“I want a rematch!” she rolls her eyes.

“With what? You lost everything; you have nothing to bet with.” she closes her hand with the vantablack chip while flicking the gold chip up then catching it “If you know what’s good for you, run on back home and whine to your mother and father on how you lost to me despite your underhanded plays.” this earned a round of laughter from the surrounding Gods, he claws at the table before grabbing the underside of it and proceeding to throw it across the room.

“I CAN beat you with or without cheating!” he screams as he starts approaching her, his arms reaching forward to grab her, but she didn’t move. The three behind her intended to get in front of her to stop him but they were all surprised when Honey stopped him, grabbing him by his shoulder and giving him a smile “Huh? What do you want?! Fuck off!” he tried to punch her, but she easily ducked, making sure to stand behind him before wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I’m sorry but fighting in the casino is strictly prohibited.” she said with a smile before bending her knees slightly then leaning back, bringing him with her before flipping him upside down and slamming his head into the ground, serving him a german suplex. Cybele, Zanna, Foolish and Quackity stare in astonishment at the sight of Honey suplexing the Elder God with little to no effort before standing to her feet and dusting her hands off before snapping her fingers “Get this idiot out of here!” she hollered, waving the wraiths over, who nodded and proceeded to grab Zagreus and drag him out of the casino. She then pats her pockets before opening her pocket and pulling out an entire poker table and putting it on the ground, replacing the one Zagreus threw away.

“What... did I just witness?” Cybele questioned, even Quackity was bewildered.

“Did I just watch a villager... suplex the fuck out of some rando?” the two look at each other before bursting into laughter, Zanna approaches Honey and places a hand on her shoulder, Honey looks up at her and noticed her give her a thumbs up.

“Instant raise.” she grins.

“Yes!” she cheers, pumping her fists “I should suplex people more often.” Zanna now shakes her head.

“No.” Honey rolls her eyes, Cybele hummed as she crossed her legs once more and rolled the vantablack chip across her knuckles once more before flicking it up and watching it disappear, when Zanna was by her side once more she grabbed both her a Foolish and pulled them close.

“Don’t you dare tell Phil that I gambled with Technoblade’s soul or else he’ll have Kristen come after my ass to claim my own soul.” they both raise their hands.

“You think we have a death wish? Of course, we won’t tell the guy.” she lets out a sigh of relief.

“Good.” she let Zanna and Honey gather up her chips and put them into suitcases while she turned her attention to the gold chip now resting in the palm of her head, Foolish was by her side as they both stare at the poker chip before she flipped it around so they could see just who exactly the soul belonged to.

“Hmm, I remember this girl.” she mused, smirking softly in remembrance “Didn’t her ancestors spite us and the Gods in charge of that era and faction smite them with a curse?” Foolish looked up in thought, squeezing his chin before nodding his head.  

“Yeah, and if I remember the curse correctly, it has something to do with that Japanese folklore called the Hanahaki disease, minus the part where it’s a one-sided love.” Cybele gasped softly, her hand covering her mouth.

“Oh, poor thing.” she mumbled softly “And to think that the curse was still going on after so many years, can’t imagine the pain she’s going through.” Foolish nodded his head.

“But now she’s in good hands once more.”  

“Yup.” she stared at the chip once more before flicking it up and watching it disappear, she then pats her legs before standing to her feet “Well this evening was certainly fun, I thank you for tonight.” Zanna grins, snapping her fingers and the suitcases full of chips were floating by Cybele’s side once more, she then brought her arm to her chest before bowing her head.

“But the pleasure is all mine. You’re the only individual that can make such a mundane night more eventful.” both she and Cybele grin before they grasp each other hands then pulling each other into a hug, patting each other’s back “Come more often, Cybele, I’ll make sure to make the games more difficult for your entertainment.” she smirks.

“You better.” she then turns to Quackity, holding her fist out to him, he stares at it before chuckling and fist bumping her.

“Just because tonight was fun, doesn’t mean we’re friends.” he nods at that before giving her a thumbs up “But tonight certainly is a night to remember.” she grins and nods her head to him.

“As to you, Quackity.” she then links arms with Foolish and waves “See you back at the SMP.”

“Sure.” as she passes Honey, she chuckles softly and pats her head.

“Stay out of trouble, Honey.” she purses her lips, fixing up her hair when Cybele messed with it but laughed nonetheless.

“Whatever.”

Helper pt. 3

word count: 7262

Fandom: FNAF Security Breach Pairing: Sundrop/Moondrop x Female!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Romantic  Occupation: Daycare Helper Ability: Animatronic Moon Jellyfish

The character was modelled after a moon jellyfish, so they are an oceanic type animatronic that mostly resided in the daycare to assist when needed within the pizza plex. The appearance they adorn is that of a tall woman and the animalistic part of her design would be, other than a human-like face, they would have a large bell (the blob of a jellyfish is called a bell or hood) on top of their head that would act as a large hat, and attached to the underside of the bell are the tentacles and stingers. They are not stingers, they help the character locate children and feel for their surroundings. The bell on top of their head also glows in the dark.

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name  [B/C]: Base Color  [S/C]: Secondary Color  [F/C]: Favorite Color  [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: spoilers to those who haven’t seen fnaf sb.

“Helper” pt. 1, pt. 2

“[F/N]~” said woman chuckled softly at the sing song voice coming from the child that sat in her lap, hearing the child trail her name off while leaning backwards so they could look up at her. [F/N] hums in response, placing her hand on their back and pushing them up gently so they wouldn’t fall “You’re not exactly… alive, right?” this question caught her off guard, she wasn’t really expecting to hear those words come out of a six year olds mouth, but she nods her head.

“If you mean I’m not exactly a human, then yes.” the child nods their head, looking forward and letting [F/N] brush their hair “Why do you ask? Does me not being a human make you uncomfortable?” she halts in her brushing once more when the child turned around.

“Nah uh! I like you, I like you a whole lot!” they exclaim as they hug her, she pats their back just as they pull themselves off her “It’s just that my mama told me that machines are incapable of falling in love.” [F/N]’s mood dampens a little, her hand caressing the small child’s back.

“Well… I wouldn’t say she’s wrong.” the child now tilts their head to the side in confusion.

“But aren’t you and Mister Sunny in love?” this question caused her to flinch, her internal fans starting up when she started overheating “Mister Moon as well! Sometimes, when you put us to sleep, I see you two acting like how my mama and papa act. I think it’s very romantic~” [F/N] pressed her lips into a thin line, her hand now beginning to fan her face.

“Don’t you know when people are being intimate it’s only right to give them privacy and not peek?” this caused the child to giggle, she then presses her hand onto her forehead, shaking it lightly “Goodness child, I would appreciate it if you would look in the other direction in the future.”

“Hehe, no promises.” [F/N] playfully rolls her eyes under her eyelids before beginning to tickle their stomach, their laughter was enough to get Sundrop’s attention and he came skipping over.

“Hey, hey, hey! How’s my favourite lady? Are you guys having fun over here?” a few of the children that were following Sundrop came over and started playing with [F/N], a few draping themselves over her shoulders and others settling themselves in her lap, the remaining few were playing with her hair and hat.

“We’re just talking, sunbite, ain’t that right?” the child covers their mouth, trying to contain their laughter.  “Must be a good conversation if y’all are laughing this much!” [F/N] noticed that most of the children were distracted amongst themselves, except for the one child that started it all, so she covered their eyes with one of their hands before reaching forward to cup his cheek and turn his face towards her so she could press and kiss to his cheek “Uwah— what was that for?” he asks, pressing his hand to his cheek while flustered.

“Just showing you that I love you.” the moment she dropped her hand from the child’s eyes, they noticed how lovey dovey they were acting again. They were pretty sure that if none of them were there, they would act even more affectionate, telling by how [F/N] held Sundrop’s smaller hand in her own and was gently caressing his knuckles before the both of them lace their fingers together.

“Oh, stop it, starshine. The children are still here…” she just giggles, her head perked up when a notification went off in her head.

“Oh, it seems like it’s nap time.” she starts to laugh when Sundrop pouted “Don’t worry, you’ll be back before you know it. Nap time only lasts an hour or so. And besides, it’s Moony’s turn.” she kisses the backside of her hand, when she lets go, she couldn’t help but blush a little when he pressed his own lips to where she kissed him.

“Alright, let’s round up all the children.”

“They’re not cattle, Sunny.” this caused them both to laugh. Of course there were the few children who didn’t want to settle down for nap time, but after being promised a snack time right after nap time was enough to get them to comply. [F/N] gives Sundrop a kiss on the forehead and coos sweet nothings into his ear to calm himself down, it always did hurt sometimes when the two would switch, but it’s been getting better. She was in the middle of playing a lullaby when the lights turned off and Moon appeared, she didn’t hesitate to welcome him with a kiss, to which he leaned into the affection before the two of them went to work.

Moondrop watched [F/N], watching as she sung beautifully to the sleeping children, he now come to love nap time. Children were a nightmare, especially the rowdy ones and those that just downright refused to sleep because they still had so much energy, but [F/N] made his job so much easier, and he even go to spend time with the animatronic woman that stilled his usually cold mechanical heart. He flinched slightly when he felt a stare so he looked down and saw the same young child smirking slightly at him, wriggling their eyebrows at him when they noticed the way he was staring at her. That child had a pillow thrown at them for that, causing them to laugh but shushed immediately when he leaned down and glared lightly at them.

“Silence child, and go to sleep. I want some time with her, so if you know what’s good for you, you’ll go to sleep and not speak a word.” they nod their head and zip their lips before rolling onto their side and closing their eyes to sleep, he nods his head as he stands up straight “Good.” he keeps his eyes on them for a second longer before skipping over to her.

“Are you done over there, Moony?” she giggles softly when he draped himself over her shoulder, leaning his cheek into hers.

“Yeah, they’re all sleeping soundly. Now it’s our alone time.” she giggles again, face turning a slight shade of red as he takes her hands a pulls her away from the nap area.

“Hehe, what are you doing, moonlight?” he leads her to the centre of the daycare and tells her not to move, he then proceeds to move everything out of the way until everything is clear. He then hurriedly returns to her and when he he reached her, he took a bow, one hand behind his back while the other was outstretched to her.

“Would you do me this honour and sharing a dance with me?” he raised his head and watched as her eyes opened, emotions swirled in those gorgeous galaxy like eyes and it was making him fall in love all over again, she then laughs and takes his hand.

“It would be my pleasure.” her other hand lays in his other hand and soon they were standing close together, however, she tilts her head in confusion when Moondrop was staring up at her “What's the matter?” he frowns slightly.

“… sometimes I forget how tall you are.” she snorts.

“That’s your concern?” she looks down at him and watches as he tries to think of a solution, his face then lights up when he got an idea and he snapped his fingers. He slips from her grip once more, raising a finger to tell her to wait once more and watch, and so she does. She holds her arms together and watched in mild confusion when he called down his cable and clipped it to his back, she slowly raised her head and laughed quietly to herself, covering her mouth with her hand when she understood what he was doing “Really?” he now hovered in front of her, one arm to his back while the other was outstretched to hers once more.

“May I?” she shakes her head but takes his hand.

“You may.” his already permanent smile grew as he held her close, now looking down at her, despite the fact it was the cable that was giving him that advantage. A melody started playing out of him and together the two of them slow danced around the daycare, she was giggling every so often because it was her that was leading them around but he would often twirl her around, what she loved the most was when he dipped her, hand firmly on her back and hand to hold her up and her hair and the strings of her bell hat was hanging beneath her and touching the ground, one leg kicked up as well.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” she looks up at him, her galaxy like eyes staring in his void black ones, she then snorts as he pulls her back up and so she let her head rest on his chest, hearing the gears in his body turn as she hummed softly.

“There isn’t a single day that doesn’t go by and I’m not deeply in love with you— with you both.” she looks up at him “I can’t be more happy that I was made to be yours.” he stares down at her before he starts laughing wholeheartedly, dipping her once more but this time he was leaning down, laughing into her neck.

“You have no idea how much this means to Sundrop and I!” she starts laughing with him, arms wrapped around his neck. When he pulled her up, he made sure to hold her tight as he lifted her off the ground and twirled her around and together the two of them danced for the rest of nap time until it was over “I’ll see you again soon, my love.” she giggles, giving him a final smooth until the lights turned back on, and when she pulled away, she as met with Sundrop.

“Hello, sunbite.” he giggles, cupping his cheek and waving his hand.

“Hello~” she rolled her eyes with a chuckle then went back to gathering snacks for the children while Sundrop woke them up, for the rest of the time until closing, [F/N] was monitoring the energy drained children and keeping them entertained with bracelet making while Sundrop was playing around with the more energised children.

“Miss [F/N]! Look at my bracelet.” a young girl cheered, rushing up to the animatronic woman and holding out the bracelet “How does it look?” she carefully takes the bracelet into her larger hands and inspects, the girl looks up at her with a nervous look before a bright smile washed onto her face when [F/N] smiled at her.

“It’s wonderful. You have a natural gift for jewellery making.” she takes the young girls hand and ties the bracelet around her wrist then gently kissed the top of her hand “It would greatly please me if you could teach me.”

“Y-Yes, certainly!” [F/N] already had numerous programs on jewellery making and various other programs, but having children teaching her in exchange was always nice. [F/N] made two friendship bracelets by the time the young girl made her second, the ones she made were themed after Sundrop and Moondrop and she couldn’t help but smile at her accomplishments “Are you going to give those to Mister Sun and Mister Moon?” she nods.

“Indeed, do you think they’ll like it?”  “Of course! They were made by none other than you, Miss [F/N]!” she nods once more, that light flush rising to her cheeks. [F/N] watched her stand to her feet and rush off, she was going to question what she was doing but giggled to herself when the girl grabbed Sundrop by his hand and was dragging him over to where she was sitting “Mister Sun, Mister Sun! Miss [F/N] has something to give you!”

“Something for me? Daw, you shouldn’t have!” she holds her hand out to him and he places his in hers, she then proceeds to tie the sun themed friendship bracelet around his wrist, being careful around about the bells around his wrist as well, but when it was done, he pulled the bracelet close to his face to inspect it.

“What do you think? I made matching ones for you and Moon.” she says, revealing the second one so he could see one that looked similar to his but was themed after Moon “Do you like it?” Sundrop let’s out a squeal of sorts as he stares at it before clapping his hands.

“Absolutely, and I believe Moon will like the one you give him.” she hums at that, holding the one she made for Moondrop in her hand.

“I do hope so.” time flew by so quickly that it was already the end of the day and parents were coming to pick up their young ones, it was Sundrop’s turn to start cleaning while [F/N] was there to monitor the guardians that were there to pick up the children. There have been a few incidences where complete strangers would try and take one of the children, but they never got far with her and Sundrop there to stop them, but that is a story for another time.

“Thank you again for taking good care of our child, we appreciate it.” [F/N] nods her head.

“It is our duty to take care of the children, and besides, he was a dear to have around.” she cooed softly while caressing the young boys cheek with the back of her hand, the boy giggled and leaned into her affection before being pulled away by his mother.

“Yes, well, we must get going now. Come on now.” 

“Aw, but mum! I wanna say bye to Miss [F/N].”

“No buts! Off we go.” he pouts as he’s ushered away but he makes the effort to take a quick glance back towards her to wave her goodbye, she smiled at the gesture and waves goodbye. It was obvious that some parents hated the fact that their children adored both her and Sun/Moon over them at times, telling by how a young child would cling to the both of them begging not stay, but of course, they’re not allowed to keep the children there for long.

“I swear, my son’s birthday was ruined tonight.” she heard a mother complain from afar while handing over another child to their guardian.

“Yeah, I wasn’t there to see the performance, but I heard that Freddy had a malfunction and collapsed during his performance.” her eyes shot open and she turned towards the gossiping mothers.

‘Freddy collapsed?’ she thought, that sounded impossible. Freddy has the most daily maintenance out of all the animatronics because he is the face and star of the Mega Pizza Plex, so she couldn’t accept the fact that he had a simple malfunction during his performance.

“Miss [F/N]?” she lets out a soft gasp then glanced down to see the young boy she was holding in her arms looking up at her in concern “Are you alright?” she blinks owlishly at him before closing her eyes and smiling at him.

“Why I’m alright, thank you for worrying about me.” she says, leaning down to place him on the ground, she grimaced a little when the boy still looked worried but simply gave him a light push on the back to get him to go to his father that was waiting for him “You better get going, we’re closing soon and your father is waiting.” she stands up straight and waves him goodbye and though he was hesitant, he hurried over to his father, holding his hand and waving her goodbye.

“See you again, Miss [F/N]!” she nods and watched them disappear, unbeknownst to herself, the grip on her hands grew tight to the point she could feel herself dent.

“I hope to see your faces soon!” [F/N] exclaimed happily as she waved the last family goodbye, she looked side to side in search for anyone else before turning on her heel and speed walking over to where Sundrop was, who had his back to her as he was at the table that had the equipment for the bracelet making “Sunny, darling! I need a favor of you.” she says, not noticing the way he hid the things on the table when she approached.

“Oh, starshine! What can I do for you?”

“Do you mind holding down the fort for me? I just heard that Freddy isn’t feeling well, and I thought I could check up on him. I hope you don’t mind.” she thought that he would disagree, he never liked them being so apart, so guess how surprised she was with how easily Sundrop agreed with her.

“You're absolutely right, sunbite! You’re such a good friend to worry about your other friends, so go on right ahead and pay that big ole teddy bear a visit just to see if he’s doing alright!” he says, going to so far as to pushing her out.

“A—Are you sure?” she questions, glancing back at him and being mindful of her step as not to tumble over “I’m not being troublesome, am I?” she adds, now out the door and holding it open to look at him, to which he shakes his head.

“Not at all! We got this, so go say hi to Freddy for us!” she pulls her hands back when he quite literally slammed the door in her face, she stares blankly at it for a couple seconds before snapping out of it, leaning backwards in confusion.

“… well, I didn’t expect that.” she stands there a second longer until she turned on her heel and made her way towards Rockstar Row, leaving Sundrop and Moondrop in the daycare.

“I didn’t expect her wanting to leave, but we’ll take her absence as our opportunity to make her a gift.” he cheers as he returns to the table, Moondrop nodded his head within their shared mind.

“There’s not a moment to lose!”

[with [f/n]]

“Look, mummy! Look, it’s the Daycare Assistant!” [F/N] heard a couple of the children call out, to which she greeted a few of the leaving guests before picking up the pace so she could see Freddy without having to see Vanessa. It was strongly advised that they didn’t roam around while the Pizza Plex was in the middle of closing, but she was just a little bit too anxious. She waved at the last child she saw then hopped into the elevator in the Atrium and pressed the floor to take her to Rockstar Row, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground a little impatiently. Finally the doors opened to the floor she needed and she stepped out, she glanced around and saw a couple Security and Caution Bots, greeting them with a wave before something caught her eye. Glancing over, she briefly saw the door to Freddy’s room open then close.

“How odd.” she muttered but shrugged her shoulders, she’ll see soon enough, she approached his door and it automatically opened as she approached it “Freddy!”

“Aahh!” she rolled her eyes when he screamed, what caught her attention was when she saw him quickly close his chest cavity, he turned around and saw [F/N] and quickly that panicked look disappeared and he raised his hand “Oh! Why hello there, [F/N]! What brings you here? You’re usually helping Sundrop clean up the Daycare at this time.” he fidgeted under her watchful eyes, hands carefully caressing his chest, she then sighed as she shook her head.

“I’m here to see you.” his head perked up.

“Me? What for?” she scoffed, taking a step forward and grabbing him by his forearms.

“I heard you malfunctioned and collapsed during your performance.” his eyes widened.

“How did you know?” she huffs.

“World travels fast amongst complaining parents.” she then shrugs, she sighs and caresses his arm with her thumbs “What I don’t understand is why YOU of all animatronics malfunctioned. Monty I understand, even Roxanne and Chica dearest, but you? Management takes extra care of you, so I’m confused as to why you malfunctioned.” she raised a brow when he slowly slipped out of her grip, his hands now holding her forearms.

“All I can say is that it was a simple slip up on my end, I thank you for your concern, friend, but I must rest.”  he retracts his arms and holds them “I haven’t fully recharged yet, and I feel awfully tired.” her head perks up and soon nods.

“Oh, yes! Forgive me, I’ll leave you to charge! I need to head back to the Daycare, I feel awful for leaving Sunny on his own to clean. You know how children can be, such a pain to clean up after at times.” he nods his head, pumping his fist.

“That must be a hassle, so you better get to it.” she nods, patting his arm and turning to leave but stopped when Freddy called out to her “But before you go… was a child missing from the Daycare any time today?” this caused her to pause, he watched her look up as her AI looked through the data of each child that attended the daycare that day.

“No. I did a thorough headcount and there wasn’t a single head missing.” she approaches him once more “May I ask why?” he noticed her move her eyes from his face and down to his chest cavity, poking it, he immediately raised his hands to cover his chest and turned away.

“No, was just wondering, is all.” she knew he was lying to her, but he must have a reason as to why, so she just let out a deep sigh as she shook her head.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” she gives him a hug, holding tight before letting go and leaving him alone. Unbeknownst to her, he let out a breath of relief as his chest cavity opened up to reveal the missing head he was talking about, the young boy named Gregory that was hiding in his chest cavity the moment she stepped in.

“She’s gone now, superstar.” Gregory lets out a exaggerated sigh.

“Dang, that was a close one!” he exclaims, he rushes over to the window and saw her walking into the elevator doors “Who is she? I think I’ve heard of her, but I’ve never seen her before.” Freddy approached Gregory from behind and glances through the window to see the elevator doors closing just as he approached.

“She is the Daycare Assistant, she helps the Daycare Attendant care for the daycare. She is a wonderful friend, and I believe you would like her a lot, she is very fond of children and cares for them as if they were her own.” Gregory scoffed, throwing his head back as he rolled his eyes.

“If she could even have children, that is.” he waves his hand “She’s still just a machine, so she can’t exactly conceive a child.”

“W-Well, it’s that thought that counts, is it not?” he just shakes his head.

[at the daycare]

“Sunbite, darling?” [F/N] pushes the door to the daycare open and peeked her head inside, she was a little impressed that Sundrop cleaned up the daycare thoroughly while she was gone, but now she was a little concerned because she couldn’t see him “I’m back, Sunny!” she called out once again, her shoulders slumped, however, when she didn’t get an answer. She entered the daycare, placing her hands on her hips and was ready to call out to him again but gasped when he hung from above her, upside down and a wide smile on his face.

“You’re back, starshine! Welcome!” she smiles softly, nodding her head.

“I’m back.” he rights himself but made sure he was still hanging in front of her, hands behind his back as his hands held something “Sunbite?” he giggles softly, legs kicking gently in front of him.

“I have a surprise for you.” he muses, waving his finger around then pointed at her face.

“Aw~ how sweet.”  “Close your eyes…” he trailed off when he realised her eyes were already closed, how she saw without her eyes being open, he’ll never know… but whatever! “Well, um… make sure you can’t see!” she chuckles and covers her eyes with her hands.

“Alright, okay.” she heard him muttering to himself, probably talking with Moondrop, something then jingled in front of her that made her tilt her head.

“You can open your eyes now!” she does so by removing her hands from her face then opening her eyes, and there she saw a necklace Sundrop and Moondrop had made that was themed after her but had sun and moon beads mixed into it as well with her name “Moony and I made this for you, we hope you like it!” she takes it into her hands and inspects it closely, she then laughs softly and holds it closely.

“I love it, you two, I love it very much!” she gives them both a big smile and holds it out to them “Put it on for me?” they didn’t hesitate to swipe it from her, she removes her hat and moves her hair so they wouldn’t have trouble putting it on, and when they did, she grabbed a miniature mirror to look at it. She was made and styled in the Victorian era, so it didn’t match her at all, but she loved it nonetheless “It’s perfect.” Sundrop claps his hands.

“Terrific! We’re glad that you love it.” she continues to admire it before putting the mirror down and offering her hand to them.

“Hows about we call it a night? My battery is finally catching up to me and I desperately need to charge.” Sundrop nods his head.

“Oh, absolutely! We get to cuddle!” she chuckles at that, she wraps her arms around Sundrop’s waist and he lifts them over to their now shared room. She enters first and takes her place by the charging port, when Sundrop enters, he turned into Moondrop because the lights were off and he approached her.

“Can I get my gift?” she giggles.

“Of course.” she takes out the one she made for him and puts it on his other wrist, he marvels at them both before pulling her into a hug and together the three of them look at their matching jewellery “Now we all match.” she nods her head, nuzzling her nose against his head.

“We do.” she sits on her knees and one of the stingers attached to her hat slithered over to the charging port, she pats her lap and Moondrop didn’t hesitate to rest his head on her lap so they could snooze together.

“I’ll see you in the morning?” he smiles, nodding his head.

“Yes, and we’ll see you.” and with that, the moment that stinger plugged into the charging port, her system shut down and she was in charging mode. He takes a deep breath, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face plate into her lap, but not without taking one final glance at his and Sundrop’s bracelets. He couldn’t contain his bashful smile as he fell asleep in her lap, neither of the two unaware of the events that were going to take place throughout the night.

[an hour later]

EMERGENCY WAKE UP CALL.

DAYCARE LIGHTS OFF.

BOUNCER MODE… ACTIVATED.

PHYSICAL RESTRAINTS… DEACTIVATED.

[F/N]’s eyes opened, her system booting up at an hour they weren’t supposed too. When she was on recharge mode, it would take several hours for her to reach fully charged mode where she can last a few days without having to enter a charging station. But she had woken up from her slumber way to early, and the only reason that were to happen was when the daycare lights turned off at a time they weren’t supposed to… or if Moondrop was running amok, something like that hasn’t happened in the longest time. Similar to DJMM, Parts and Service installed a Bouncer Mode into her system that would activate when unruly guests make a scene, but it was used to subdue Moondrop when the staff couldn’t handle him.

“Sunny…?” she murmured out first, the stinger that connected itself to the plug disconnecting and returning to her as she slowly stood up and scanned the area for the animatronic “Moony? Where are you?” she closed her hand into a fist and grimaced when she felt her initial strength to take down animatronics like Monty was activated… something must be wrong, that restraint was activated for a reason. She exits their tent and noticed the lights in the daycare were indeed off, she looks at the time and was confused to see that the hourly mark for the power to convert to the charging stations hadn’t hit yet. With that in mind, she stepped out onto the balcony and looked around, only to hear Moon’s sinister chuckle.

“Naughty, naughty~ bad children must be punished.” her eyes immediately flew open as she slammed her hands onto the railing of the balcony, leaning over to see that he was chasing around a little boy who was frantically going through the playground and making a mess to distract him.

“Please! Just leave me alone!” her eyes locked onto the child and scanned him quickly before he disappeared into the playground while Moondrop cleaned up the mess he made.

CHECKING GUEST LIST… UNKNOWN.

CHECKING DAYCARE REGISTER… UNKNOWN.

CHECKING LOST AND FOUND… UNKNOWN.

CALCULATED RESULTS… LOST CHILD.

“Lost child?” she questioned, soon the conversation with Freddy came back to mind when he asked her if she was missing a child. She rolls her fingers along the railing, hearing it tap against the metal, but that child was completely unknown. There was no data of him anywhere, she shakes her head, that doesn’t matter that very moment, Moondrop was acting far more aggressive than he usually is and she was afraid he was going to do something neither of them were going to like. She calls down the cable just as she jumped over the railing, grabbing it and allowing it to lower her to the ground, she was careful to quietly land on the ground, as not to alert Moondrop of her presence.

“Dang it, where are those stupid generators?” Gregory hisses to himself, getting lost in the playground yet again “Why the heck are generators even in a children’s playground? Talk about a hazard.” he freezes up when he heard the bells on Moondrop’s costume jingle, oh god, he was crawling around in the playground as well.

“Where are you? Children aren’t allowed to stay after hours.” he pressed his back against the wall, covering his mouth to quiet his breathing but the beating in his heart beat so loudly it was giving him away “Come out, come out, wherever you are~” oh god did he want to just curl up into a ball and disappear, a small whimper escaped his lips when he saw Moondrop’s fingers appear around the corner of the wall. There was nowhere for him to go, he was trapped and that freak was going to get him. He closed his eyes and was ready for his life to flash before his eyes but they suddenly shot open when Moondrop let out a yelp, he looked over and saw that Moondrop was gone.

“H-Huh?” wiping away the stray tears, he looked around the corner and his eyes widened to see the same animatronic jellyfish that came to Freddy’s room holding Moondrop as if he were a cat.

“Moony? What are you doing playing around in the playground? You know that’s only designed for children, and don’t you remember the last time you went in there?” she giggles fondly at the memory, remembering how his limbs got stuck and he was screeching at her not to look “You know I can’t fit in there, so color me surprised when I had to yank you out of there.” yup, that’s what happened. The moment she saw the opportunity to grab him through one of the openings, she leaned in and pulled him out before he could see the young boy.

“You don’t understand, starshine. There’s a child!” he exclaims, throwing his arms up, to which she rolls her eyes while nodding her head.

“Right…” he sighed when he knew she didn’t believe him “Remember the last time you said that? And when we checked to see what it was it, it was only Roxanne and Montgomery playing tricks on you. Perhaps they’re doing it again.” he pouts as she lowers him down, she giggles to herself when he crossed his arms and started to sulk.

“I’m telling you, there’s a boy running around.” she smiles fondly at him, placing her hands on his shoulders and giving them a light squeeze, her eyes then went over to where Moondrop was and there she saw the boy. He flinched backwards and was going to hide but paused when he saw her jerking her head to her left, her stingers raising up and pointing in the same direction. He was confused at first but looked in the direction and there he saw another generator, she gave him a look of reassurance but quickly looked away when Moondrop looked at her.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but the last time we jumped to conclusions… we were barely let off with a warning.” this caused his shoulders to slump, she then turned him towards their room and gestures to it “Why don’t we go back to sleep? Perhaps you’re just anxious to see the children again that your AI is playing tricks with you.” with his back to the boy, Gregory peeked his head out from the play structure and his face lit up when her stingers pointed out all the generators, saving him the trouble of actually finding them.

“Maybe you’re right. The children have only recently started liking me again.” she smacks his arm, moving from time to time to block his view of Gregory as they continued to talk.

“They’ve always liked you, my love, they’re only shy.” she caresses his cheek and kisses his forehead “Now let’s go back and cuddle.” he giggles at that.

“Hehe, I like that idea for mu—” he was cut off when they both heard something fall, turning their heads, there they saw Gregory had accidentally tripped over a chair after he was staring at the two of them acting lovey dovey “So I wasn’t making it up!” he exclaims as starts making his way over to him, Gregory did not hesitate to pick himself up and run over to the other playground to get the last two generators.

“Ah, please! I don’t even want to be here!”

“Moon, what are you doing?!” [F/N] shouts as she chases after Moon, ducking down to avoid hitting a few of the obstacles in her way while Moon easily manoeuvred around them and was getting closer to Gregory “Moon! Stop right this instant!”

“Sorry, sweetheart, but no can do.” Gregory crawled into the playground and Moon was right behind him, [F/N] tried to grab him but she failed when he just slipped out of her reach and she couldn’t crawl in after him. She cursed under his lips, taking a step back and using her enhanced eyes to see through the dark and locate where both Moon and Gregory were in the playground.

“Moondrop, I swear if you hurt that boy you’re never going to hear the end of it from me!” she shouts, she managed to find Gregory and saw that he was backed into a corner after getting one of the two generators and Moon was hot on his tail “I will NEVER forgive you if you do anything to that boy, Moondrop! I swear on it!” this caused Moon to stutter in his movements, momentarily freezing in place, she took that opportunity to rush over to where Gregory was and pull him out of the playground instead.

“Hey! What’s wrong with that guy?!” she shook her head.

“I should be the one asking you that.” she whispered “My Moony doesn’t act like that, much less threaten a child and refuse to listen to me.” Gregory noticed black tears swell in her eyes as she stared at where Moon was before turning away and finding the last generator, however, she was tackled to the ground and evidently dropped Gregory.

“[F/N], dearest, hand over the child while I’m being nice.” she looked back and Moon and saw he was holding her by her waist, she glared at him as she pushed herself on her back.

“When my moonlight is being nice, he doesn’t threaten me!” she shouts and proceeds to kick him off, this time, she was going to keep Moon distracted while Gregory climbed into the playground to get the last generator “Little boy, if you climb in through the slide at the back, you’ll find the last generator!”

“The last in the back? Got it!” he quickly did as she said and followed her directions, her ears perked up when she heard a wire so she looked back and saw Moon connected the cable to his back and was planning on flying over her and after Gregory.

“Oh no you don’t!” she exclaims, kneeling down then jumping up and grabbing him by his waist. The cable wasn’t able to handle the weight and snapped, causing them both to fall to the ground. Moon gets up immediately and tries to get to Gregory once more but couldn’t when [F/N] picking him up, arms wrapping around his arms and his torso, keeping him apprehended “Moon, don’t make me break you.” he lets out a grunt when he felt her tighten her grip, his metal body starting to dent a little.

“I know you can, but I know you won’t. You love me too much to do that.” he feels her loosen her grip so he was going to slip out of her grip but suddenly she tightened her grip once more, making it impossible for him to free himself.

“True, but unfortunately for you, my system is telling me to do everything in my power to stop you from doing something stupid.” he glances back at her and saw that her iris’ were red instead of white “My feelings for you will be suppressed until you are under control.” finally, Gregory managed to get the last generator and the lights were switched back on. You glanced around then took a look at Moon only to see that he switched back to Sundrop, she lets out a sigh of relief and loosen her grip but hugs him instead.

“[F/N]? What are you doing awake? You’re supposed to be asleep.” she shook her head and buried her face into his neck.

“You and Moony were gone so I got worried…” they heard a creek so they turn and see Gregory trying to leave, now this set Sundrop off and stomped over to Gregory, [F/N] following behind him to make sure he didn’t do anything.

“Rule breaker, rule breaker!” he shouts, picking Gregory up and carrying him out of the daycare “You are BANNED from the daycare!” he adds, dropping him on the ground, [F/N] peeks her head out from behind him and waves Gregory goodbye.

“Have a good night, little boy.” she says.

“Security alert, security alert! Woo, woo, woo!” she pulls a face, looking down at him as they both retreat back into the daycare, him slamming the door behind him for good measure.

“Was that necessary?” he stomps his foot, crossing his arms.

“Absolutely!”

Headcanon:

watching him angrily write down BANNED in all caps on a wide white piece of paper was very entertaining.

several BANNED signs.

she couldn’t help but laugh that he seriously banned the boy from the daycare.

he told her not to laugh.

he also asked her to draw “angry eyebrows” and a “frown” on his face to display his anger.

she told him he was being over dramatic.

he told her she needed to take this seriously.

he then proceeded to cry to her that he just wanted to look after the boy but he turned the lights off and brought out moon.

she asked him if there was something wrong with moon because he was acting off.

he went silent.

she decided not to pry.

now, when the lights would go out and moon was lurking about searching for gregory, she would not be too far behind to keep moon under control.

when freddy and gregory were in the elevator and frantically pushing the buttons to get the elevator to close, [f/n] appeared and tackled him to the ground.

this had happened on several occasions, but it was very effective.

when [f/n] found gregory and freddy on their own, gregory, no matter how many times he was saved by her, was still just a little wary of her.

could you blame him? his life is literally on the line and the only one he can trust that moment was freddy.

he calmed down when [f/n] broke down crying about how that wasn’t her moon.

her moon was calm and kind, sure he was stern, but he would never hurt children no matter WHAT they do.

she even showed them the necklace they both made.

freddy let her cry into his shoulder and pat her back to calm her down.

now-

when freddy needed to charge, [f/n] would take over monitoring gregory.

she was a walking nightlight and you could see her from far away, she was also big so he could easily hide behind her.

if he was tired, they would find a place to rest and she would hide him under his bell hat and he would be out like a light.

a thing gregory also noticed was that where she was, none of the security bots would come over to where she was.

she said that the security bots won’t monitor the area where she is because she was more then enough to handle the situation that was happening there.

the same cannot be said for the animatronics.

that didn’t mean she didn’t bodyslam monty when he chased after gregory.

he forever stuck to her side.

[f/n] and freddy: the overprotective parents that will fight you on site if you dare hurt their child.

Visit

word count: 5003

Fandom: IRL!MCYT Pairing: TommyInnit x Elder!Brother!Reader Pronouns: He/Him Relationship: Familial/Platonic Occupation: Automotive Engineer Ability: N/A

Keys:

[M/N]: Male Name [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color [S/C]: Skin Color

Warnings: n/a

"[M/N]!” said man let out a laugh when his younger brother let out a loud cheer, rushing down the stairs before proceeding to tackle his elder brother into a hug, wrapping his arms around his waist while his arms were around his neck and his face buried into the crook of his neck “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you were coming down to visit?” [M/N] Simons, the elder brother to TommyInnit, and not just an elder brother figure, but his genuine and blood related brother. If people were to describe what the elder Innit looked like, they would probably say that he looked like a more mature and elder version of Tommy with longer/short [H/C] locks and a more broader form while being a couple inches taller than Tommy.

“I thought I could surprise you, Tommy.” he replies with a laugh, managing to keep himself up right from being knocked over “Did I surprise you? Huh? Did I? Did I?” he let out a laugh when Tommy peeled himself off him to give his older brother a hard smack to the arm, causing him to let out a cry but he still laughed anyways.

“Fuck off! I didn’t like this surprise at all! Should have brought a souvenir with you while you were gone.” Tommy grumbled under his breath, what he meant by that was the fact that [M/N] was studying abroad in Singapore, majoring in Engineering as he studied at the National University of Singapore. The acceptance rate to get into the National University of Singapore was 5-7% and [M/N] was lucky enough to get accepted, he was happy nonetheless but the fact that he had to study abroad for about four years, it was heart breaking. Tommy was about thirteen years old when he received the news, at first he didn’t take it too well and locked himself in his room for hours on end. He had a really close relationship with his brother and hearing that he was leaving to another country, he resented his brother because he wasn’t going to see him as often as he wanted.

It took a lot of convincing and long talks from outside his room to get Tommy to unlock the door, when he opened it and peeked his head inside, he let out a soft sigh when he saw Tommy sitting on his bed with his blankets draped over him. His body was trembling as he let out hiccups and whimpers, [M/N] took a seat beside him on his bed and gently placed his head where he believed his head was and stroked it gently and whispered sweet nothings and words of comfort to ease his brother out of his cocoon. He spent the rest of his time in England hanging out with his brother and sleeping in his room before he eventually had to leave for Singapore, he also had to try his damned hardest not to laugh when Tommy continued to sob his heart out while they were at the airport to watch him board his plane. He will never let the younger one live it down.

During his four years studying in Singapore, he would keep in touch with Tommy via texts or face time. Tommy would often talk all day through the night before eventually talking himself to sleep, most times on calls it would be Tommy saying how much he missed his elder brother and wished for him to come home so they could hang like they used to. To ease his brother, he would often seen souvenirs or send postcards from places he visited while staying in Singapore, he spoke about the friends he made while staying there and how he was being taught Malay and a bit of Mandarin Chinese, to which he would try to teach Tommy over face time. Now when it was 2020-2021 and Tommy started getting more and more popular on Twitch and YouTube, [M/N] would catch wind of his popularity and start watching his videos and VODs.

It was very entertaining and [M/N] couldn’t help but be very proud of his younger brother of making a name for himself, he was happy just seeing how happy Tommy was, and that was more than enough to satisfy him. Now when they were on call together, he could hear the genuine happiness in his voice as he spoke about his new friends, especially his friend Tubbo and Ranboo, mostly Tubbo because he would often call Ranboo a bitch. Anyways, [M/N] had been planning on coming back to England by the end of 2020 because he managed to finish his course early but COVID was a pain in the ass and slapped him in the face and said no, so he waited months to be allowed to travel internationally again and was completely over the moon when he was allowed to leave and return to England. He was planning on telling his parents and Tommy but thought against it, a surprise family reunion would be much better.

And that brought us too:

“Souvenirs? Of course I brought souvenirs, stupid.” [M/N] was reaching towards his suitcase but stopped when Tommy wrapped his arms around his torso, [M/N] looked down at him before huffing softly when he saw his body trembling, he shook his head before embracing his brother and resting his cheek on top of his curly locks “I’m home, bro. I hope you missed me.” he heard him sniffle.

“I didn’t miss you one bit, bitch.”

“Right, right.” seeing their parents too earned him a slap to the back because he came back unannounced, but at the end of the day they celebrated the return of the eldest son of the Simons Family. [M/N]’s old room was turned into a guest room and he was crashing their for the night but it changed when Tommy dragged him into his room and practically refused to let him out because he wanted to make sure he didn’t leave in the morning. Though, it was late at night Tommy was currently streaming while [M/N] was sleeping on his bed, as usual, Tommy was being obnoxiously loud and it was enough to get a groan out for [M/N].

”Hey Tommy, what was that?” Wilbur questioned, it was just loud enough that his mic managed to pick it up. Tommy pushed his headset back to let one of his ears out as he spun his chair in the direction of his bed, because of the movement, his viewers managed to see the curve of a body laying on his bed.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, am I being too loud?” Tommy said a hushed tone when he noticed [M/N] turn his head back to glance at the blonde, [M/N] let out a yawn as he waved his hand to dismiss him.

“You’re fine, just keep it down a little, mmkay?” his voice was just quiet enough that nobody heard him, his answer caused Tommy to nod his head.

“Alright, sorry again.” [M/N]’s response to that was a yawn before he turned away from him and nodded back to sleep, Tommy let out a sigh before turning back to face his PC, a panicked looked crossed his face when he took a glance at his chat.

”hey hey hey! who was that?”

“who was that?”

“someone is in his room!”

“who is it?”

“tell us!”

”Hey Tommy, who is that behind you?” he heard Tubbo ask ”Is it you know who?” he added, the only person Tommy ever told anyone about his brother was Tubbo so he was probably the only person in that call that had at least a bit of an idea who it could be.

”Huh? Tubbo knows? Tubbo! Tell us!” Wilbur shouted, this earned a lot of agreement from the chats of everyone who was live, Philza was the first to come to his defence and calm them down.

”Come on now, whoever it is is trying to sleep. Quiet down.” 

“Crow father has spoken.” this earned multiple groans while Tubbo smirked in victory “Tubbo is the only one who knows who it is, and I’m not entirely sure if they’re comfortable with being known about who they are to me, so I’ll keep quiet about it until I ask them.” Tubbo snickers.

”Don’t even try to bribe me into telling you, I take real pleasure in knowing while watching you guys suffer.” this earned some laughter from the others, Tommy shook his head as he glanced behind him once more to see his brother sleeping peacefully. Yeah, having his brother back was a nice change of pace.

[time skip: a couple weeks later]

“Tommy has friends coming over?” [M/N] questioned, sitting on his stool as he was making a couple repairs to his motorbike, the one he owned was a Harley Davidson Fat Bob 114. It was a gift he got from one of his friends back in Singapore that he managed to bring back to England, it was his current pride and joy, right after Tommy of course, and he made sure to keep it in perfect condition each time he planned on taking it out for a spin “Tommy has friends?” he was promptly smacked in the shoulder.

“Yes, he has friends. Stop teasing your brother.” [M/N] just snickered to himself before grabbing a rag and wiping some oil off his face “We won’t be home and we’re not sure when they’re coming around, and you know how loud Tommy gets so we’re not sure if he’ll hear them, we’d appreciate it if you keep an ear out to let them in, okay?” he nods his head.

“Of course, I don’t mind.” they thanked him before leaving, [M/N] nods to himself before going back to adding a couple repairs to his bike while turning down his music slightly so he could hear if anyone was at the door. He was in their garage with the door closed, it was pretty cold and he didn’t want to let a draft in. Besides that, a couple weeks had gone by since he came back to England but also the rumor of who he was arose on Twitter. He woke up the next morning to Tommy thrusting his phone in his face, though he was still sleepy and at the verge of falling back asleep, his eyes managed to register what Tommy was trying to show him. There, he saw countless posts of people trying to theorize who the mysterious person who that was sleeping in his bed, Tommy was laughing and [M/N] could careless. It would probably die down, right? WRONG! Poor guy could barely go on Twitter without seeing the tag of TommyInnit and the mystery person, he decided that he would stay off social media for a couple days.

’Jesus, most of the shit on Twitter is nothing but stupid shit. A lover? Goodness, this guy just barely turned seventeen and he’s too awkward to get himself a lover. Most of these theories are to laugh at, really.’ he let out a groan as he laced his fingers together then stretched them above his head, he then let out a hum at the sound of knocking ‘Oh? Are they here?’ he shook his head as he rolled his neck and left the garage, he heard some laughter and chattering from behind the door that settled when he approached the door.

“Do you think that’s Tommy?” a female voice asked, hmm? If he recognized that voice, he believed that it was Niki Nihachu “The footsteps found a little heavier.”

“Maybe he got fatter.” that sounded like Tubbo, well if it was, he let out a cry when he got smacked.

“That’s not really nice.” before anymore words could be spoken, [M/N] opened the door and looked down at the people at the front door. If he remembered correctly, the people in front of him were Niki Nihachu, Jack Manifold, Tubbo and GeorgeNotFound. He sniffed as he looked down at them while they stared up at him in slight awe and confusion, the awe was for the fact that he was actually quite attractive and since he was wearing nothing more than a pair of jeans and a tank top, they could see his muscles that glistened because of the sweat from all the work he was doing. The awkwardness was because they believed they got the wrong address because the person that answered the door was neither Tommy nor his parents but a rather attractive young man.

“Hello?” he finally answered “Are you here for Tommy?” Tubbo was the first to answer.

“Uh, yeah, actually.” he then rubbed his chin as he looked up at him, he then snapped his fingers as he lit up “You’re [M/N], right? You’re Tommy’s older brother, he’s told me about you.” [M/N] hums as he nods his head.

“Yes, that I am. He’s also told me a lot about you Toby, or Tubbo?” he waves his hand.

“Call me what you want.” he nods, George then looks at Tubbo, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back.

“So THAT’S the mysterious guy that’s been trending on Twitter and that you’ve been refusing to tell us who it was?” he said through a hushed whisper but [M/N] managed to hear and chuckled to himself “I see where all that attractiveness went to, nothing was left for Tommy (I find tommy quite cute, so please don’t take that as an insult to that blonde boy).” he added, which earned a couple nods from the other three.

“Aw, thank you, I find you quite attractive as well.” a slight flush rose to the tips of George’s ears, Jack laughed at the reaction George had to the compliment, he looks up at the older Innit and saw him raise a hand to press against his chest “My name is [M/N], I am Tommy’s older brother that’s been studying abroad and just recently returned to England.” Jack nodded his head.

“Well, if you haven’t watched any of Tommy’s videos, I’m Jack Manifold.”

“My name is Nikita, but my online name is Niki Nihachu.”

“Toby Smith, but people call me Tubbo.”

“And I’m George Davidson, or GeorgeNotFound.” he hums.

“Well it’s lovely to meet you all, but I can only assume that you’re here for Tommy and not to chat with his older brother.” he turns back inside and takes a deep breath “I haven’t done this in years, I feel old just thinking about it.” George raises a brow.

“Thinking about wha--”

“TOMMY!!” they all jump at his loud voice “YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE, LOSER!!” he shouts at the top of his lungs, to which he got a shout in response.

“FUCK RIGHT OFF, YOU LOSER!!” [M/N] only laughs when he could hear thuds coming from upstairs along with a couple curses, Tommy makes his presence known by almost stumbling down the stairs but did when he reached the last step, he pushed himself to his feet and when he was at the front door he shoved [M/N] to the side “You aren’t needed anymore, so fuck off!” 

“Is this how you treat your older brother you haven’t seen in nearly four years?” [M/N] said from behind Tommy, who in turn responded with a hmph.

“Says the asshole who decided to leave for four years on your own violation, dickhead!” he then continued to shove him away “Now piss off back to the garage, you stink, you hobo!” [M/N] rolled his eyes as he watched Tommy turn back to his friends, who were rather amused at just unfolded before them.

“Is this how you normally act with your brother, Tommy? I remember watching that clip and seeing you acting rather sweet.” Niki cooed softly, he only rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms.

“Yeah, he’s a dickhead and he deserves it.” they each shook their heads, then then notice [M/N] rip the rag over his shoulder and grab both ends of it, spinning it around so that it would twist. They gave no warning as they backed up slightly, allowing [M/N] to pull it back before flicking his wrist forward and letting on end of it go, having it whip against his back and a loud crack when it made contact with his clothed back.

“Oh, shit! That sounded like it hurt!” Jack shouts before he and the other three burst out into laughter, Tommy let out a cry as he pressed his hand into his back and whimpered softly at the stinging pain.

“That really hurt...” [M/N] looked down at Tommy and saw his lip trembling softly as his eyes glistened with tears. the older Innit rolled his eyes as he threw the rag over his shoulder.

“You crybaby.” he mocked.

“THAT HURT!!” 

“SUCK IT UP!!” they glower at each other but stopped when Niki raised her hand.

“Um, can we come inside?” [M/N] was pushed to the side as Tommy backed away.

“Yeah, totally! [M/N] was just leaving.” he then grabs the collar of [M/N]’s tank top and yanks him down, slightly glaring up at him “Go back to your man cave and don’t come out until they’re gone. I don’t want you embarrassing me even more.” he warned, this caused the other to snicker as he raised his hands.

“Oh, please. You can accomplish that without my help.” [M/N] rushed out of there to avoid Tommy’s bitching and slur of insults while laughing, when he was back in the garage, he shook his head as he tossed the rag onto a stool and turned his music back up “Now hopefully he doesn’t disturb me any further.” [M/N] spent the rest of his time in the garage tinkering with his bike or cleaning it when some oil got on it or himself, when he simply wanted to relax, he would crash on the couch he situated in the garage and take a bit of a nap before realizing that he was laying in his own sweat and wake up.

’Maybe I should test the engine, I paid a good amount of money for that engine so I better hear this kitten purr.’ he chugs down the rest of his beer, licking his lips when some dribbled out of his mouth as he grabbed his keys ’Hopefully this doesn’t distract Tommy and his friends too much.’

[with tommy]

“Your brother’s quite good looking, not gonna lie.” Jack said, this caused them all to look at him “What?” Tubbo raises his hand and places it on his shoulder.

“Jack, do you need to tell us something?” they laugh when Jack shouts at them as he smacked Tubbo’s hand off his shoulder, Tommy rolled his eyes as he continued setting up his stream on his PC. He knew that his brother was good looking, remembering times from when he was still a kid and when random girls would come up to him in hopes of getting his brother’s number, to which [M/N] would appear and scoop Tommy up before running away with said boy in his arms. [M/N] didn’t like the fact that people would approach his younger brother in hopes of getting in contact with him, he thought that it was weird and creepy and advised Tommy to just avoid those kind of people. 

“Be quiet, Tubbo!” he then looks at Niki and George “Come on, you two have to agree with me! Didn’t you find him at least a bit attractive?” George glanced away, the tips of his ears flushing a slight red while Niki smiled softly.

“Yeah, he was.” she then looks at Tommy “He said he studied abroad, what major was it?” he looks up in thought.

“Automotive Engineering. He was already pretty good at it when I was a kid, and that was what he majored at what he studied in Singapore.” they clap their hands in awe.

“Wow, Singapore? That’s impressive.” it wasn’t long before they heard the roar of a engine from downstairs, Tommy let out a groan as he threw his head back while the others glance at each other “What was that?” Tommy slapped his hands onto his face and dragged them down.

“My brother.” he rises to his feet and stomps out of his room and so the others followed quickly behind him, there, they saw Tommy kick down the door to where the presumably thought was the garage and saw him shouting. Inside they saw [M/N] who was now shirtless and sitting on his motorbike while revving the engine, if they weren’t already attracted to this man, they surely are now “Really, [M/N]? Really?!” said man let out a sigh as he leaned back, leaning back and resting the palms of his hands behind him.

“What? I’m just testing the engine, I can’t exactly control the volume.” Tubbo pushes past Tommy so he could approach [M/N] and his bike, his hands hovering over it as he looked at it close and listened to it rumble.

“You’ve got a pretty cool bike.” [M/N] grins.

“Thanks, I got it as a gift and I hold a lot of pride to it.” his hands then went over to the handle and clutch “Wanna hear this kitten roar?” Tubbo snapped his fingers as he pointed at him.

“That sounded very sexual, but yes.” 

“You made it very sexual, and okay.” they both laugh, Tubbo takes a step back before letting out a cheer while clapping his hands when [M/N] revved the engine again. Tommy stood in the back as he watched his friends gush and talk to [M/N], taking turns looking at his bike while revving the engine. He was happy that his brother was able to talk to his friends without having to threaten to beat them up, but it kind of hurt that his friends would sometime prefer his brother instead of him. If he remembered correctly, there were times when he was younger that people would only become friends with him in hopes of getting close to his brother, to which it would end with him in tears and [M/N] beating the ever living shit out of the person that hurt him brother’s feelings. 

“Hey, guppy face.” Tommy looked up and saw his brother was standing in front of him, he pouted a looked away while [M/N] sighed as he shook his head, placing his hands on his hips as he looked down at his brother “I know that look, Tommy.” he only huffs, crossing his arms and looking away.

“I don’t know what you mean.” he hums as he opens his arms, shrugging his shoulders in a way that gestured for Tommy to come into his arms.

“I know you know, so you know, hurry up, my arms are starting to get tired.” Tommy stared at him before leaning forward and resting his head against his chest, [M/N] chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders and gently rubbed his arms “I don’t mean to take your friends from you, Tommy. It’s just second nature.”

“They also think you’re cool.” 

“No, they do--”

“Yeah, we do.” [M/N] deadpans, that wasn’t making his situation any better, he glances back at his bike before lighting up when an idea struck.

“Hey.” Tommy sniffled a little as he was pulled back, he looks up at [M/N] and saw him lean down, making sure they were seeing eye to eye while pointing back at his bike with his thumb “How’s about I let you ride my bike, hmm?” that instantly brought a smile to his face.

“Really? You never let me ride it before.” he waves his hand.

“That was because you were young and our parents would kill me for letting you on.” he then backs away, gently bumping his fist against his forehead “You’re old enough now and I’m pretty sure you’re not that reckless to do anything irresponsible while on the back of a speeding motorbike, right?” Tommy nods his head rapidly, the smile on his face glowing brighter.

“Yeah, I promise!” he nods.

“Cool, but maybe after I have a shower, I stink.” Tommy nods.

“You do.”

“Gee, thanks.” Tommy waited patiently in the garage with the others and the noticed that Tommy was vibrating in his seat, visibly excited to go on a motorbike ride. They decided that they were going to head into town to have a simple hang about and that [M/N] would drive ahead with Tommy on his bike, after a quick shower, [M/N] emerged through the door wearing a pair of joggers, a leather jacket over a simply grey shirt. He was in the middle of tugging the ends of his fingerless gloves on before he leaned down to grab two pairs of helmets, tossing one over to where Tommy was sitting “Catch.” he didn’t.

“Hey!” he shouts, fumbling to the ground to pick up the fallen helmet.

“So the plan is for me to drive ahead and that you guys will catch up?” Jack nods, pulling out the keys to his car and spinning them around his finger.

“Uh huh, I just hope you don’t drive recklessly.” [M/N] chuckled at that, wheeling his bike outside of the garage before proceeding to throw his leg over it and sitting down on it.

“No promises.” he starts his bike once more and it roared to life, he lets out a sigh before patting the space behind him “Come on, Tommy.” he didn’t hesitate to jump onto the bike after putting his helmet on.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” [M/N] chuckled as he shook his head, he turned around and clipped the helmet on properly, grabbing the sides of it and shaking it about, laughing when he heard Tommy let out a cry “Ow, that hurts! Stop that!” he laughs as he pulls away, slapping the safety guard down.

“Alright, we’re good to go.” he then gives the others a thumbs up “Hope you guys can keep up.” Tubbo took that as a competition, he then shoved Jack in the back towards his car.

“Hurry, Jack! We gotta beat them!” Niki laughs as she follows them.

“We can’t outdrive a car, Tubbo.” [M/N] chuckles softly then raises a brow when George was staring at him, he huffs softly and winks in his direction before slapping down his safety guard and revving his engine. Tommy lets out a whoa, wrapping his arms around [M/N]’s waist when [M/N] did a wheelie out of the driveway before letting out a cheer as he leaned his body forward and had the front wheel slam onto the road before driving away.

“George! Get your ass in the car right now! We can’t let them win!” Niki shook her head as she grabbed George by his wrist but soon paused, raising a brow when she noticed that the red flush rose to the tips of his ears once more and soon spread across his cheeks.

“Hoo?” [M/N] briefly saw that reaction before driving away and chuckled, he then glanced back at Tommy and saw he was cheering as [M/N] responsibly drove down the busy streets of Nottingham. [M/N] had a calm smile on his face as he took a deep breath, feeling the air blow past him and calm his body, he then let out a whoa when he felt Tommy collapse onto his back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

“Thanks for this, [M/N]. This actually means a lot to me.” [M/N] nods his head softly, leaning back so he could gently knock his helmet against his.

“No problem, Tommy. If you ever want to go on rides with me to clear your head, don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” Tommy tightens his grip on [M/N], leaning closer to his brother as he nods his head.

“Okay.”

Headcanons:

when jack and them caught up to them at a red light, tubbo screamed at them which caused the others in the car laughed.

niki thought tommy and his brother looked cool so she took a video of them, [m/n] noticed and gave her the rock on devil horns before driving away when the light turned green.

after posting that on twitter, the video was trending because what they saw was shouting in the background while tommy was sitting on the back of a motorbike before it drove away.

mystery person was trending.

everyone was dying to know who it was behind the wheel but the people were denied the truth.

wilbur was curious as to who it was as well and when he was given the opportunity to meet the mystery man, he was completely floored when the truth was revealed that the person was tommy’s brother.

he demanded a duel.

he was the current brother figure to tommyinnit and wanted to assert his dominance.

he was completely destroyed when [m/n] body slammed him to the ground before proceeding to sit on his back.

niki took another photo of the aftermath; [m/n] wearing his biker helmet as he sat on top of a knocked out wilbur while tommy was laughing hysterically in the background.

people now called him the biker man.

meeting ranboo was funny and the people on twitter along with tommy’s viewers called them the faceless duo, though [m/n] never spoke whenever he was on screen.

he was also strong enough to lift ranboo up.

other than interacting with his friends, staying truthful to his words, tommy would often come to [m/n] at random times of the day and ask to go on rides, to which [m/n] would agree and together they’d drive around.

tommy enjoyed spending time with his brother, whether they be yelling at each other, sleeping with each other or simply sitting together in silence, all he needed was to spend some time with his brother.

and that was enough.

Phoenix

word count: 12,767  Fandom: MCYT Pairing: Emerald Duo x Female!Phoenix!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Occupation: Fighter Ability: Phoenix Hybrid

The character is that of a phoenix hybrid, allowing them to have traits of a phoenix. They are gifted with wings of flames that sprout of their back, giving them the ability to fly, though they are capable of having them disappear and reappear whenever they so wish. They are also able to manipulate fire however they want, but since they are a phoenix, they are also have the gift of healing.

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name

Warnings: vulgar language, violence, character death

“What in the actual hell are you doing?!” [F/N] shouts, stumbling backwards when Quackity, Fundy, Tubbo and some new kid abruptly barged into her house unannounced. She looked at their attire and saw that only that new kid was dressed in Netherite armor while the other three were wearing bloody aprons over their Netherite armor, each holding weapons that were just as bloody “Tubbo! What is the meaning of this?!” she shouts at the younger boy, before the boy could get a word out Quackity approached her.

“We’re looking for Technoblade.” this caused her to flinch a bit.

“What for?” she asked, she crossed her arms and tapped her finger against her arm and watched as Quackity circled her.

“We are looking for Technoblade because he is a threat to L’manburg.” she furrows her brows at the sound of that “We need to make an example of him.” now she narrows her eyes on Quackity before leaning back and looking out the window and her eyes widened at the sight of an odd contraption, there was a cage at the very bottom and above it was an anvil “We are going to execute him.”  

“Wha-- why?! That’s totally unreasonable!” she shouts “Techno is a different person to who he was in the past, he’s changed!” she reasons but it falls to deaf ears, she then notices Fundy swing his axe and actually shatter her window “What the?! The fuck do you think you’re doing?!” she goes to stop him but was grabbed by the arm by that kid, she goes to retaliate but noticed that he looked more nervous than she did, so she settled down despite how much of her anger was beginning to boil over. She then notices that Quackity and Tubbo start rummaging through her chests in search for something.

“You know where Technoblade is, don’t you?” she freezes at that, Quackity waves at Fundy to stop him from damaging anything else and to look through her chests and barrels in search for anything that could lead them to Technoblade, he then grabs a hold of her arm and tugs her forward.

“So what if I do?” he shrugs.

“All you have to do is tell us where he is, and we will stop this immediately.” she grits her teeth at that, watching as he leaned in close to her face, she growls at him and scowls when he snickers and leans away, opening his arms “It’s simply not that hard. We, the Butcher Army, are going to bring Technoblade to justice for all the wronging he’s done! Not only did he kill Tubbo during the festival, but he helped blow up L’manburg by spawning those Withers! We are only doing what’s right, and as a citizen of L’manburg, we order you to tell us where Technoblade is.” he now stood in front of her, his axe held tightly. She eyed it before narrowing her eyes on the short man, standing her ground and not the least bit intimidated.

“I’d rather die than tell you where he is.” there was a tense silence in the air as the two glare at each other, no movements were made as the two refused to drop their gaze but finally stopped when Tubbo let out a cheer.

“Hey Big Q,” they both turn and [F/N] gasped silently at the sight “look what I found.” in Tubbo’s hands was a compass that was labeled [Techno’s Compass], her heart started to beat rapidly in her heart when she started to remember when Technoblade gave both herself and Philza a compass that would lead them back to his house.

“Good work, Tubbo.” Quackity smirked at [F/N]’s silence, knowing that they hit the jackpot “It was really simple, [F/N], really simple, and since you disobeyed the orders given to you, we will be forced to--” he jumped when he heard a loud battle cry and turned to see that it was from [F/N], who started screaming before rushing over and snatching the compass out of Tubbo’s hands. They thought that she was simply going to put it away in her own inventory, but no, they were startled when they saw her raise her hand before throwing the compass on the ground and started to stomp on it. But that wasn’t enough, she summoned a Netherite Axe out of her inventory and started swinging it down on the compass, thoroughly destroying it, but she still went beyond by pulling out lava and pouring it onto the compass.

“...”

“...”

“Was that necessary?” she was panting a little as she stared at the smokey patch on the wooden floor and frowned, she let out a little cry as she scooped the lava back into the bucket and put it back into her inventory, she then turned and glared at the three, sparing the Enderman hybrid.

“You’re not going to get to him, you piece of shit.” she sneered “That compass was the second most valuable thing in my possession, and I don’t need that blasted compass to find my way to Techno, so it wasn’t a complete loss.” she took a step back when she noticed them take a step forward, baring their weapons at her.

“Then you’ll have to take us to him.” she scoffs.

“Over my dead body.” Quackity chuckles.

“That can be arranged.” she swallows thickly at that, her eyes move back to the Ender Chest behind her, she takes a breath and looks back at the trio, seeing them getting ready to fight her. The moment she saw Fundy take a step forward she punched him across the face before turning back and reaching towards her Ender Chest “Get her!” he orders, she quickly throws it open and grabs the [Friendship Emerald] Technoblade also gave her and Philza before letting out a grunt when Tubbo grabbed her arm, in response to that, she slams her forehead into his and he fell back. She stands to her feet and grins to herself, taunting the remaining two to come at her.

“Come on then, it’ll be just like manhunt! 4 vs 1, shouldn’t be that hard. Dream does it all the time!” the Enderman hybrid looks at [F/N] warily before charging forward, he swings the axe up and brings it down but she easily caught it before grabbing a hold of him and lifting him up “Sorry about this, kid!” she then threw him at Quackity and they both fell to the ground, she gave him an apologetic look before she made a beeline up the stairs “You seem like a really good guy, but I can’t take any chances!” she added before rummaging through the rest of her chests that were up the stairs hastily.

“Urgh, dammit!” Quackity cursed, pushing Ranboo off him before getting to his feet with Fundy and Tubbo behind him “Don’t let her get away!” they go to chase after her, but they managed to stop themselves before they ran into lava, to which she threw lava down the stairs to stop them from chasing after her before pulling out blocks of Obsidian and placing them down on the opening of the staircase then speeding over to her balcony. She kicks the door open and looks side to side, wincing slightly when the rain poured down on her, but she paid that no mind and turned her head to the right.

“Oh, please tell me you’re home.” she pleads, she wasted no time to pull out blocks of dirt to use as platforms to jump the gaps in between the houses that were besides her so she could get to the house that she was aiming for. When she finally reached the house she needed, she landed on the balcony of said house before kicking that door open “PHIL!!” she shouts, said man let out a startled shout as he looks up and was surprised when he saw [F/N] drenched from head to toe as she rushed down the stairs and approached him.

“[F/N]? What are you-- how are you in my house?” she shakes her head.

“It doesn’t matter! We have to go, old friend.” she hurriedly said, he gives her a confused look as he watched her rummage through his chests before opening his Ender Chest and pulling out his compass to Technoblade and the [Friendship Emerald], tossing them both to him and scurrying around to grab anything else necessary.

“Why? What’s happening?” she shakes her head in distress.

“It’s Tubbo. He’s gone insane thanks to Quackity.” when she grabbed everything, she goes over to Philza and steadily grabs his arms “They’re after Techno, Phil. They want to kill him for what he did to L’manburg.” his eyes widened at that, and he looked outside and saw that contraption they were planning on using to execute Technoblade “We have to go, if they can’t get me, then I sure as hell know they’ll be coming after you.” he looks at her one more time before nodding.

“You’re right, let’s get the hell out of here.” they nod, and they turn to leave but [F/N] froze when she saw the Butcher Army right outside Philza’s door.

“She’s here!” she heard Fundy shout, he swings the door open but let out a cry when she punched him in the face again then slamming the door shut “Ah, dammit! Again!”

“Sorry, nobody’s home!” she shouts, pulling out the Obsidian again and using that to block the door before grabbing a hold of Philza’s hand and running up the stairs, blocking the entrance to the stairs then rushing over to the balcony, Philza shivered when he felt the cold wind blow through his feathers as his skin tensed up when the rain poured down on him.

“How are we going to get out of here?” she grins, pulling out two potions.

“I didn’t have enough time to grab a lot, but this’ll make do.” she says before sculling down the two potions, Philza looked at her and saw the particles that were coming off her after having drunk the Potions of Speed and Leaping. She flexes her arms before kneeling and picking Philza up bridal style and turning in the direction where Technoblade was, she takes a few steps back before charging forward and stepping onto the railing then leaping into the air a good few blocks “Phil! Message Techno of our problem!”

“They’re getting away!” she heard Tubbo shout, they both turn back and notice and notice that the Butcher Army started chasing after them.

“Hurry!” looking down, she noticed the message board appear.

<Ph1lza whispers to you> they know where you are, get ready old friend

“Technically they don’t.” he shrugs his shoulders, still focused on messaging Technoblade.

“Well, at least it’ll grab his attention.”

“Hmm, true.”

<Ph1lza whispers to you> better kiss your retirement goodbye

<Technoblade whispers to you> please elaborate!

<Ph1lza whispers to you> they’re after the compass

<Technoblade whispers to you> who?!

“You’re torturing the poor guy, Phil. Just tell him who.” they both laugh, Philza letting out whoa when she kneels down before kneeling down and launching up into the air. She let out a grunt when she landed on the ground and cautiously glanced over at how much time she had left until the potions ran out and she sucked in a breath when she noticed that it was almost over.

“You won’t get away!” Quackity shouts.

“Oh yeah, fucking watch me!” she retaliates before looking around and gritting her teeth, she leads them on a wild goose chase but when both effects of the potion run out, she leads them away before skidding to a stop when she was on the top of a building and the Butcher Army was right behind them. She turns to face them, still holding Philza close to her, and briefly glanced down at the fall below them. She wasn’t wearing any armor to take the damage of the fall and she didn’t have a Potion of Slow Falling; she didn’t even have a water bucket nor any blocks to reduce the damage.

“This is it, [F/N]! You’ve got nowhere to go!” Tubbo shouts “Just give us the location to Technoblade and we’ll be out of your hair.” they both shake their heads at the demand.

“And let you kill our longtime friend? Go to hell!” Philza shouts, [F/N] takes a step back when they took a step forward, she looks at her back then at the Butcher Army before glancing down at Philza.

“Hey, do you trust me, Phil?” she asks, he looks up at her.

“Do I trust you?” he says, he chuckles and lightly hits her chest “To the ends of the world and back.” she smiles softly at that.

“Then forgive me for not telling you sooner.”

“What?” the Butcher Army were confused when she turned her back to them, she takes a deep breath before taking a few steps back then jumping off the rooftop. The four behind her look at each other before rushing forward, they go to look over the ledge but stumble backwards when a bright orange blur shot up into the air. Looking up, their eyes widened at the sight of the blazing bright wings on her back that sizzled into steam whenever the droplets of rain landed on her, even the underside of her hair was burning a bright orange.

“Catch you later, losers.” she snickers before turning away, tucking her legs in before flying off with Philza secured tightly in her arms.

“No! No, no, no!” Quackity shouts out desperately as she flies off.

“Dammit! We lost the only two people close to Technoblade!” Fundy shouts, caressing his snout after being punched twice by [F/N], Ranboo nodded his head as he hunched down to fit in the umbrella Tubbo had just pulled out and used to shield Ranboo from the rain. Sure, he was wearing armor, but it still hurt to be in the rain.

“Did any of you guys know that she could fly?” they all shook their heads.

“Not a clue.” Quackity growls, his fist turning white with how hard he was gripping his axe.

“To think she was actually a phoenix hybrid.”

[with [F/N]]

“You can fly?!” Philza shouts, watching as she weaves through the tree, flapping every so often to give herself some more leverage. She lets out a grunt when she felt Philza move around in her grip, trying to get a closer look at the blazing bright wings on her back “Why didn’t you tell us that you could fly, [F/N]?! We’ve known each other for years, and you didn’t bother to mention the fact that you had wings and that you were a rare type of hybrid!” she grits her teeth, wincing when the cold of the icy winds of the tundra biome blew in her face.

“I have personal reasons as to why I never mentioned it, and I wanted to keep it that way for as long as I could.” she reasoned.

“But Techno and I have been your friends for so long, don’t you think we’re an exception?!” she sighs at that, lighting up slightly at the sight of Technoblade’s house in the middle of, quite literally, nowhere.

“I understand that you’re upset, Phil, but I’ve been living in fear over the fact that I’m this type of hybrid for so long that I didn’t have the courage to speak up about it, let alone show it.” she could see Technoblade’s figure frantically rushing around in his home as he was gathering up materials and such “I’ll tell you properly when we meet up with Techno, I promise you.” he narrows his eyes on her before nodding.

“Well, alright, as long as you explain.”

“I have no choice, do I?”

“Not at all.” they chuckle at that, making light of the situation at hand. When she was close enough to Technoblade’s home, she pulled back slightly so that her feet were directed at the ground before slowly lowering herself to the ground, as she set Philza to the ground, the door to the house was kicked open and Technoblade revealed himself fully armored and equipped with his axe and several potions.

“I’m ready!” he shouts but stops himself when he saw that it was only Philza and [F/-- he did a double take at the sight of the bright orange wings that were attached to her back that settled and folded itself as they both approached Technoblade “I’m glad that you two are safe, but what the hell are those wings?! Since when could you fly, [F/N]?!” she purses her lips, she raises her hand before hugging herself when the cold wind blew past them and through her feathers, causing her to shiver.

“Can we talk inside? I’m quite sensitive to the cold, and I was just in the rain so that doesn’t make my situation any better.” they nod their heads; [F/N] was currently standing in front of the fireplace as she used her wings to warm herself up.

“Now then,” turning her head, she frowned softly when the two had their arms crossed with stern looks on their face “care to tell us as to why you never mentioned you were a hybrid and that you told us that you were just a human?” she frowned again, she hugs herself before turning and giving her full attention to the two.

“As you can clearly tell, I’m a phoenix hybrid. Unlike most humans and hybrids, we are born with a single canon life, but it’s infinite.” she lifts her hands and a ball of fire appeared in the palm of her head, she stared at it before closing her hand and letting her entire hand blaze into fire “Our species is rare as is, but back in the day, there were so many of us we had our own little country all to ourselves. We were mostly known for the fact that our flame/feathers could heal any wounds imaginable, whether it was minor or extremely severe, it didn’t matter; our flames could heal it to the point it wasn’t even injured in the beginning.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you hid the fact that you could fly.”

“I’m getting there.” she stares at the flame a little longer before waving her hand and putting the flame out, she then brought her hands up and hugged herself once more, now beginning to tremble profusely, not due to the cold, but rather out of fear “We were hunted down like animals, used for farming our feathers in order to sell on the black market. When we resisted, they slaughtered us without hesitation.” soon tears of lava were running down her cheeks “But we are phoenixes! Our gift is that we can be reborn when we die, rising from the ashes into a newer body! But those hunter bastards found a way to keep us from coming back!” she falls to her knees, her hands gripping onto her head “I was afraid! I didn’t want to die! I didn’t want to be hunted down like some fucking sport, out on display like a goddamn trophy! So I hid, I hid the fact that I was a phoenix no matter how much it pained me that I could no longer fly into the sky anymore!” she then raised her head to the look up at the two “But I couldn’t let them get to you, Techno, or you, Phil. You two are the people I trust the most, so I swallowed up my fear and revealed what I am to the world.” she then lowered her head once more “But I still can’t help but be so afraid... I don’t want to die, there’s still so much that I want to do.” she whimpered out.

“ [F/N]...”

“Now do you understand why I never spoke about it? Why I never brought it up?” she sniffled to herself and stood in silence before letting out a quiet gasp when Technoblade approached her and wrapped his broad arms around her, she looked up at him and noticed her was trembling himself, but rather, out of anger.

“You don’t have to fear anything anymore, because we won’t let those bastards hunt you down.” Philza nodded his head, approaching them both and placing his hand on her shoulder, she looks over at him and sees him giving her a reassuring look.

“He’s right, as long as we’re here, nothing will get to you.” he then leans closer and wraps his wings around them both “You no longer have to fear death now that you have us.” she sniffles again before breaking out into a sob, wrapping her arms around Technoblade’s shoulder as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

“I’m sorry... I’m sorry I never told you guys.” she whimpers out as she tightens her grip on him.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We understand.” she then gasps as she pushes herself away when she realized that her tears were actually burning Technoblade.

“O-Oh no! I’m so sorry, I-I can’t control my tears!” she exclaims, he shrugs.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine.” she sighs softly.

“But...”

“Like I said, it’s fine. Besides, I can use a Potion of Regeneration to heal this.” she perks up slightly at that before turning to look at Philza, who raised a brow at the expression on her face.

“What?”  

“I mentioned this before, we phoenixes were well known mostly for our flames/feathers that were capable of healing injuries to the point they weren’t even there in the first place.” she approaches him and gently grabs his injured wing and lifts it up “How about I heal your wing for you?” his eyes widened at the suggestion “I’ve been wanting to heal it for so long, but I never had the courage of mentioning it.” she giggles softly at the eagerness in his eyes.

“Y-Yes... yes please.” she nods.

“Alright, but it’s gonna hurt.” she opens her wings and gestures to them “It’s still fire, but it’s more effective than using it as an ingredient for a potion.” he groans slightly at the news.

“Please be gentle.” she grins.

“No promises.” he grumbles, right now, they cleared everything out of the room so that it wasn’t in the way and Philza was currently shirtless with his back to [F/N] and Technoblade kneeling in front of him with his arms wide open, just in case Philza needed to hold anything “I’m not going to lie to you Phil, I haven’t done this in a long time and I’m no healer, but I do remember how to do it and that it’s going to hurt like a bitch.” he groans again.

“Can I back out now?” she giggles, plucking one of her feathers out.

“Nope.” Technoblade chuckles.

“Don’t worry, Phil, I’ve got you.” he groans as he reaches forward and wraps his arms under Technoblade’s arms and shakily gripping his shoulders, Technoblade wrapping his arms around his waist and reassuringly patting his lower back “You’ve got this, just take deep breaths.” he did so, trembling slightly as his breathing was shaky.

“Alright,” Philza winced at that, flinching and screwing his eyes shut as he hears her clap her hands with her feather in between them before her hands to her elbows were engulfed in a bright orange flame “I’ll count to three.” his shakily nods his head again, opening his wings slightly.

“O-Okay.” she exhales deeply through her nose.

“One... two...” she waits, Philza licks his lips and takes a deep breath himself.

“T-Three...” the only thing Philza could feel after that was an excruciating pain of his wings on fire, he immediately lets out a blood curdling scream, crying out in pain as he dug his nails into Technoblade’s shoulders, [F/N]’s eyes widened when she noticed that he was moving too much.

“Christ, Techno!” he flinches, looking up at [F/N] and noticed that she had a bead of sweat bleeding down her cheek as she tried to steady herself “I need you to keep Phil still! I’m losing my concentration with how much he’s moving around!”

“But he’s in pain!”

“If I don’t use the flames to heal what’s been broken, I’ll end up burning him instead!” Technoblade gasped at and looked down at Philza, he sucked in a breath before tightening his grip around Philza and resting his chin on top of his head.

“I know, I know it hurts, Phil, but you got to keep it together! The more you move, she’ll do more damage!” Philza whimpers.

“It hurts...” he lets out another cry when he felt the bones in his wings snap into place and start growing into the proper length as flesh grows over it and slowly feathers start sprouting out.

“I know it hurts, Phil, but I’m almost done! I promise you! And you’ll feel all better once I’m done!” she shouts as her hands got closer and started putting his wings into shape, using her flames to bring back what was burnt away and destroyed after shielding Wilbur and himself from the explosion “With this... we... are... done!” she shouts, throwing her hands to the side and watches as the remaining flames on her forearms linger on his wings and heal the little patches that she missed. Philza was gasping for air before throwing his wings open, flapping them a little as [F/N] opens her hands then closes them into a fist to extinguish the flames.

“Well done, Phil, well done.” he was panting heavily, finally loosening his hold on Technoblade and collapsing in his arms completely, his wings dropping limp behind him in the process.

“Weee...” he moaned out, [F/N] laughed gently before going over to him, kneeling and patting his head.

“And with that, I’m done.” his wings twitched a little as she looks down at what used to be broken, she smirks to herself “I fucking love myself.” she gently caressed his wing with her knuckles “It looks like it was never broken to begin with.”

“Tha... Thank you...” she hummed, now reaching over and gently brushing his blonde locks out of his face.

“For you, the world.” and with that he slowly lost consciousness, Technoblade rises to his feet with Philza in his arms, he looks down at [F/N] and goes to say something but was caught off guard when [F/N] collapsed backwards with a hand to her head. Only then did he realize just how pale she looked and how she was trembling slightly, beads of sweat visible on her face and exposed arms, even the flames of her wings and the underside of her hair have dulled a bit.

“[F/N]! Are you alright?”  she weakly waved her hand to dismiss his concern.

“Don’t worry about it, Techno. Healing a wound as severe as his was takes a lot out of me, especially if I haven’t done it in a long time. Just throw me in some fire and I’ll be just fine.”  

“But...” she smiles up at him.

“Just take care of Phil for now, he needs you more than I do.” he swallows thickly before nodding his head, he quickly rushes to his room and sets Philza in his bed, making sure he was as comfortable as possible before rushing back down where he left [F/N], only to panic when he couldn’t see her anywhere. At the sound of the crackling of the fire, he turned his head and jumped slightly at the sight of [F/N] curled up into a ball while relaxing in the middle of his fireplace.

“Jesus!” he shouts in surprise; she twitched slightly and opened her eyes and smiled tiredly at the sight of Technoblade, he settles down and takes a seat in front of the fireplace, Steve making an appearance and huddled behind the piglin hybrid so he could enjoy the warmth of [F/N], who was much hotter than the fireplace “How did you manage to fit yourself in there?” she giggles softly.

“I managed...” he chuckles as that and leans back into Steve, letting himself get comfortable as [F/N] turns herself to look up at Technoblade.

“Um...” she hummed, indicating for him to continue and that she was listening “thank you for, healing Phil.” she raised a brow at that.

“I mean, of course. Like I said before, since I knew that I was able to heal him, I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time, but I never had the courage to bring it up. I also didn’t want to make a potion because it wouldn’t have been as effective as doing it by hand.” she then rolled her wrist “But I’m also not a healer, like I said, but I couldn’t stand not giving it a try.” Technoblade raises a brow.

“Not a healer? Then what were you?” she chuckles softly, feeling a little embarrassed bringing up the past.

“Well, uh... I was a Warrior training to protect my odyssey.” his eyes widened in shock “I was one of the best as well, but after those hunters found a way to kill us permanently, our only choice was to flee instead of fight back. We couldn’t afford all of us being hunted down, we couldn’t go extinct, so we went into hiding.” she then sighs “As far as I know, I’m the last there is... but I hope not and that the others are hiding as well.” he nods his head.

“... can you tell me more about your culture?” she stares at him before a bright smile spread across her face, finally, she’s been wanting to discuss about her culture with someone for so long and it makes her happy that Technoblade wants to learn. The two hybrids didn’t even notice how long they’ve been talking for, Technoblade asking various questions while [F/N] happily answered each one of them with detailed answers. He goes to ask some more questions but stops when he notices her wanting to get up, so he quickly backs up, Steve doing the same thing and they both watch as she stretches and flexes her wings back while stretching her arms above her head.

“Ah... that was something I really needed.” she then giggles softly “Sometimes when no one was around, I would go into the Nether and bathe in the lava or relax in the fire. The Nether is where I truly feel like I can be myself.” he lifts his head, nodding slightly while letting out an oh.

“So that’s where you go most of the time I can’t find you.” she rubs the back of her head, a sheepish grin on her face.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” she then let out a hum when she noticed something through his trapdoor window, peering outside she raised a brow at the sight “Hmm? Is that Ghostbur?” Technoblade perks up at the mention of the ghost and he looks out as well, squinting his eyes at the man.

“He’s just standing there...” he muttered “I don’t know what Ghostbur’s doing out there.” she nods before pushing the trapdoor open and cupping her mouth.

“Ghostbur! What are you doing out there?” she shouts, she notices him smile as he approaches the house.

“Hello?” he calls.

“Hello.” Technoblade greets back as [F/N] waves her hand.

“Tech-- hi, Techno and [F/N]! How’s it going?” they both back away, closing the trapdoor, and go over to the front door and open it for the ghost. Technoblade going outside while [F/N] stayed inside the house but leaned against the doorframe “Hi, I’m-- I’m, I’m here. I was-- I was coming through the area and... oh! [F/N], are those wings?” she hums at that, flapping them a little show him.

“Yeah, they are.” he claps his hands.

“Oh, how wonderful! Now you’re like Phil!” she hums again, nodding her head.

“That’s right.” they both couldn’t help but laugh gently at how happy Ghostbur looked, he then grabbed a hold of her hand and pointed with his other at a sheep with its wool dyed blue.

“Look, look! It’s a sign.” she chuckles “Blue!”

“Right, blue.” he starts to chatter before stopping a lighting up a bit.

“You know, when I was in the area, I saw a couple of people around.” this caused the two to freeze up.

“Hmm?” both she and Technoblade look at each other “Ghostbur, can you tell us who exactly you saw?” he hums at that, looking up in thought to remember just who exactly he saw.

“If I remember correctly... it was that Tubbo, Big Q, Fundy and the new guy Ranboo.” the two hybrids freeze up at that before going into a state of panic.

“Oh, shit!” she curses “They must’ve followed me without me even realizing it! I’m so sorry, Techno!” he shakes his head as he rushes inside, [F/N] following closely behind.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m fully prepared.” he then turns and places a hand on her shoulder “And now I have you by my side.” she stared up at him before they both nod, he prepares himself once more, armoring up and making a few more potions, [F/N] doing the same as they both rush around his house. Ghostbur places a finger on his lip as he watches the two scurry to prepare themselves for the battle that’s about to come, [F/N] was in the middle of putting on a Netherite Chest Plate, now being mindful of her wings, when Ghostbur approached her.

“Are you alright, [F/N]?” she raises a hand.

“Ghostbur, now it a terrible time.” he tilts his head when he notices the distress in her voice as she rushes past him and grabs a couple more potions.

“Please, please. Have some blue, come here.” she pauses at that as he approached her and offered her some blue dye, she stared at it for a good few seconds before sighing softly, she sheathes the sword at her hip and takes the blue.

“Thank you for the blue, Ghostbur.” he nods, a blue blush rushing to his cheeks as a bright smile appeared.

“Blue will make you happy! It’ll make you feel better!” he takes her hand in his “Are you feeling better, [F/N]?” she nods.

“Yes, thank you, Ghostbur.” his smile never faded away, Technoblade then appeared behind her and grabbed her shoulder tightly.

“Are you almost ready, [F/N]?” she nods, putting her Netherite Helmet on “Okay, Ghostbur, I need you to take that sheep and get as far away as possible.” she nods once more before peeking her head over Technoblade’s shoulder.

“Hide over a hill or something!” she suggests after throwing Ghostbur a lead.

“O-Okay!” they watch as he goes outside and towards the sheep, attaching the lead to the sheep and leading it away “Come here blue boy. Okay, bye, bye Techno and [F/N]! H-Have fun preparing for the-- for the event.”

“Alright.” Technoblade goes back into the house as [F/N] waves Ghostbur goodbye, she takes a breath before staring down at the blue in her hand, she sighs and pockets it before going over to where Technoblade was and saw him staring out the trapdoor windows. She started doing the same before a sudden realization washed over her and she gasped as she grabbed him by the forearm, looking up at Technoblade, who looked down at her in surprise at the sudden gasp.

“Techno, what are we going to do about Phil?” she asks, his eyes widened at that, and he looks up at where his room was “He’s practically a sitting duck, even if he does wake up, he’ll be ridiculously weak and fatigued. That took a lot out of him.”  

“... he’ll be fine. As long as we keep them out of the house, they won’t be able to find him.”

“But they know I brought him with me.”

“But what they don’t know is that he’s out cold. All they know is that he’s here, but he could purposely be out of sight so that we can get the upper hand on them.” [F/N] knew that he was just as nervous as she was, neither of them wanted to leave Philza on his own and that he was only saying that to reassure himself, so she nodded her head and placed her hands on his forearm.

“Alright... as long as we keep them out of the house.” he nods.

“Then no harm comes to Phil.” they both nod, they both then turn their heads at the sound of chatter, their eyes widened at the sight of Ghostbur talking to the Butcher Army “Oh god, that plan to have Ghostbur hide over the hills did not work!” she shakes her head.

“Not at all!” she slaps her hands over her face “Urgh, Ghostbur!” she groans out, [F/N] was over Technoblade’s shoulder as they look through the trapdoor and watch Ghostbur’s interaction with the Butcher Army, they both gasp when Ghostbur looks at them.

“No, no! Don’t make eye contact with me—no, don’t wave at me Ghostbur! No, no! Do not wave at me!” [F/N] slaps her hands over her face again as she shook her head.

“Oh no, they’re punching him. No, oh no... Ghostbur you’re on your own.”

“We can’t save you, Ghostbur.” Ghostbur then starts walking over to them “Oh this is not good—no, no! Don’t walk over to us! Don’t lead them over to us! Oh—I’m starting to hate this guy so bad. I hate this guy so bad.” [F/N] just groans as she presses her hand to her forehead once again when Ghostbur starts waving his hand, Tubbo, Fundy and Ranboo behind him while Quackity was beside him with an axe in hand.

“Hey, hey Technoblade! [F/N]! The—They say they’re going to kill you, Technoblade.” he presses a finger to his cheek as he looks back at them “I’m not so sure about [F/N], but--” Technoblade shook his head as he opened the door and looked at Ghostbur.

“Ghostbur-- Ghostbur, why are you—why are you leading them over to my house? Why are you doing this?” Ghostbur looks back at the Butcher Army then back at them.

“What do you want me to say back to them?” [F/N] was over Technoblade’s shoulder again as she points at them.

“Tell them that we’re not here and to fuck off!” Technoblade nods his head.

“Yeah, tell them that they’re at the wrong place.” Ghostbur tilts his head to the side.

“But that would be lying.”

“I-I—I need you to—they're going to kill me! Why are you not okay with lying?!” they both look over and sigh “And they’re all here, they’re all here. They’re all right outside my house.”

“Oh my god...” [F/N] grabs Ghostbur by his arm and pushes him behind her before grabbing him by the arms and pulling him close “Ghostbur, hiding from them is not an option anymore.” she swallows thickly as she looks up at the house then back at him “Ghostbur, I need you to do me huge favor, okay? It’s really important, so you can’t mess this up, okay?” he nods his head, watching as she kept looking back at Technoblade and the Butcher Army then back at him.

“Oh! Of course, of course! I can do anything!” she nods her head.

“I need you to look after Phil.” she whispers softly just so the conversation was between them “Phil is in the house and he’s very weak, Techno and I can’t look after him right this very moment because of the Butcher Army. I need you to go into the house and keep Phil safe no matter what, if someone comes knocking on the door that’s neither Techno or I, don’t open the door. Phil’s life is your top priority.” Ghostbur nods his head.

“Yes, yes! I can do that! I can most definitely do that, [F/N]!” she nods with a nervous smile before pushing himself slightly towards the door.

“Good, then please, keep an eye on Phil.” he nods before trotting into the house, closing the door behind him for extra measure. She takes a breath before looking back over at Technoblade and saw that he was trying to calm down the four that were ready to take his life, telling them that he’s changed, but they just weren’t listening. She exhales sharply before spreading her wings and flying up, Technoblade heard this, so he stretched his arm out and watched as [F/N] perched herself on his arm, kneeling and glaring at the Butcher Army while resting her hand on his head.

“[F/N]! Are you going to fight by his side?!” Tubbo shouts, her gaze hardened on the young boy.

“Technoblade is my greatest friend, there’s nothing you can do or say that will sway my mind.” Quackity sneers at her before raising his axe and pointing it at her.

“So, you are going to betray L’manburg? You are going to betray us? You aren’t going to defend the country that you helped build with Wilbur?!” she closes her eyes at the thought before shaking her head, that was nothing more than a distant memory now, she narrows her eyes on him.

“L’manburg died alongside Wilbur. The L’manburg Tubbo is governing is nothing more than a graveyard that should’ve been left untouched.” she spreads her wings open as she takes out her enchanted Netherite Sword “If you want Technoblade, you’re gonna have to go through me.” he grins.

“You’re gonna have to go through us!” she hops off his shoulders and hovers behind him as she readies her Netherite Sword, Technoblade smirks as he grabs two potions and lifts them over his head “I choose blood!” he shouts before throwing the two potions, a Potion of Strength and Swiftness, to the ground and it splashes on the both of them, this caused the Butchery Army to take a step back.

“No!”

“Oh no!” she and Technoblade look at each other and they nod, she hovers backwards before flying up high then diving down towards Fundy, blade pulled back and arm stretched out. Fundy notices her aiming towards him so he let out a startled yip and started running away but she didn’t let up as she pulled her arm back and swung it at him, he had enough time to turn around and parry her attack but she put enough strength into the swing that she sent him flying backwards and into a tree.

“Hoo wah!!” she shouts before encasing her sword in fire then bringing it up and above her head, she then swings it down and a wave of fire was sent flying towards Fundy. His eyes widened at the attack and immediately he scrambles to his feet and flees to dodge the intense attack, he felt his body start to tremble at the sight of the trees ingulfed in flames before turning his attention back towards [F/N] and saw she had a tight grip on her sword as she glared at him ”Next time, I won’t miss.” she then kneels down, pressing a hand to the snow covered ground and digging her feet into the ground before shooting towards him. Technoblade let out a whistle at the sight of [F/N] practically chasing after Fundy and swinging her sword at him, waves of fire following with every swing.

“Damn... [F/N]! We’ve totally got to spar in the future to determine who’s the stronger one between us two hybrids.” she laughs at that, grabbing Fundy by the back of his neck and slamming his head into Tubbo’s, who was brave enough to some charging over to help his fellow hybrid friend out, only to be a burden and have Fundy thrown into him.

“I believe it’ll end like how all our other spars have ended, Techno! With a draw!” she answers back, watching as he easily dodged Ranboo and Quackity’s attacks, flat side of his sword to block Quackity’s axe, throwing it to the side before punching him in the face then going for Ranboo. He shook on the spot when the eyes of a predator were trained on him and he tried to attack, only for Technoblade to grab the shaft of the axe and take it off him, using it himself to hit the younger boy with the blunt side of the axe and send him into the ground “Ah, we should fight battles together more often!” she cheers, grabbing the two she was fighting and throwing them towards Technoblade. He lets out a laugh at the suggestion as he ducked, letting the two get thrown into Ranboo and Quackity, who managed to pick themselves up, only to fall to the ground once more when Fundy and Tubbo were thrown at them.

“We really should, it’s like light exercise.” she hums with a nod.

“It really is.” she then looks at her back, flapping her wings “I need it the most, it’s been so long since I’ve fought with my wings out; I’m a bit rusty.”  

“Ah, that makes sense.” she nods once more, charging forward as he ducks down once more. She jumps over him, her hand on his back as she kicked Quackity across the face when he managed to get up and tried to strike Technoblade, only for [F/N] to intercept. She lets out a laugh as she does a roll before standing to her feet, jumping up and down a couple times before approaching Technoblade once more, he raises his hand and she doesn’t hesitate to slap her hand against his.

“It’s fun fighting by your side, Techno.” his gaze softens at that.

“It’s good to have someone fighting BY my side.” her eyes widened softly at that before she frowns, she then lightly smacks him on the shoulder.

“Remember this, Techno. Phil and I will always be by your side, no matter the consequences. Till the end of days, we will always stand by your side.” he smiles softly at that; however, the moment was rudely ruined when a blade pierced through her chest. Technoblade’s eyes slowly widened at the sight as blood slowly dribbling out of her mouth, she looked down at the blade through her chest as blood started seeping out of her body and bleeding into her shirt “Wow... would you look at that. That doesn’t look good.”  

“[F/N]!” he shouts, he looks behind her and saw that it was Tubbo that stabbed her. The sight of his friend being stabbed; the sight of her blood, it made him see red and the voices in his head were going absolutely crazy.

[F/N]

[F/N]

HE HURT OUR FRIEND

KILL THE CHILD

HE DOESN’T DESERVE MERCY

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD

BLOOD

BLOOD

“BLOOD!!” Technoblade shouts before pulling out his sword and charging towards him, Tubbo stumbled back as he pulled out his axe from his inventory, raising it up to block each and every one of Technoblade’s brutal swings, but he couldn’t stop himself from falling onto his back.

“Big Q do something!” he shouts, raising his axe one more time to block Technoblade’s sword from slicing his face “Big Q!” he growls and pulls his sword back one more time and goes to deliver the final blow but was blocked when a sword came into view and stopped him from striking Tubbo’s head, another growl rumbled in his throat as he whipped his head over to glare at the figure who dare stop him but froze at the sight.

“Stop! Stop, Technoblade!” it was [F/N], still with the sword lodged in her chest, as she used her sword to block his attack “You don’t need to go feral, Techno! I’m fine.” he looks her up and down, his eyes just trained on the sword still in her chest.

“How are you...?” she just grins, pulling away and reaching back. She let out a grunt as she struggled with the angle she was at before letting out a grunt, spitting out some more blood when she pulled the sword out of her chest. He lets out a sputter of words as he dropped the sword, raising his hands and reaching towards her in case something happens “[F-F/N]! What are you--” he cut himself off when her grin widens as she nonchalantly shrugs her shoulders as a flame burns over where she was stabbed as her blood sizzled away.

“I see you forgot what kind of hybrid I was, Technoblade.” she then pats her chest, raising her foot to slam it against Tubbo’s chest when he tried to get up “Wounds like these have no effect on me. See?” she grabs his wrist and gently places his hand on where she was just stabbed, he starts patting her chest before letting out a relieved sigh.

“A warning would’ve been appreciated, [F/N].” she shrugs.

“Well, I was going to tell you, but you went into a blood frenzy.” they both laugh.

“Technoblade! [F/N]!” they both turn their heads to the call and their eyes widened at the sight, Quackity was holding the lead to Technoblade’s most prized horse Carl with the blade of his sword at his neck, both Technoblade and herself lift their blades and point it in the direction of where Quackity was, though [F/N]’s foot was still pressed firmly on Tubbo’s chest to keep him pinned.

“You get away from that horse right now!” Technoblade shouts.

“This is how this is going to go, Technoblade. Because of how gracious I am, I only want you. I will let [F/N] go as long as you drop everything you have and come with us, if you don’t, I am going to kill this fucking horse.” [F/N] looked up at Technoblade and noticed his hesitance, her eyes then moved down to Tubbo and a smirk graces her lips.

“Or,” she starts, Tubbo gasps at the sight of a fire sparking in the palm of her hand before engulfing her entire arm, he flinches and his eyes widened when she points her hand directly at his face “you let Carl go and leave, or I kill Tubbo in cold blood.” Fundy and Ranboo take a step forward.

“You wouldn’t! He only has one canon life left!” Fundy shouts.

“Wasn’t he a brother to you?!” Ranboo adds, she glares over at them.

“Well, you’re threatening one of my greatest friends, so I can’t help but take drastic measures into my own hands.” she looked down at Tubbo and he flinched when he noticed that she wasn’t fucking around, he grips her ankle and gives her a desperate look.

“Y-You... you wouldn’t.” his face slowly drops when she sneers at him.

“For Technoblade? I would.” she then turns back to Quackity “Make your choice, Quackity! Give us the horse, or I kill Tubbo.” there was a tense silence between the six of them, the blazing and crackling of [F/N]’s fire was the only thing that could be heard as Quackity was lost in thought. Fundy and Ranboo were holding their breaths, not knowing whether they should approach [F/N] to get her to stop, but Technoblade was still standing beside her, and who knows what will happen if they try anything “Come on, Quackity, make your decision or else I’m melting his face off.” Technoblade looked down at [F/N] and noticed that she was indeed hesitating, telling by the bead of sweat bleeding down her cheek as she glared at the man threatening her friend.

‘I’m not actually going to burn his face off. I’m going to use a low temperature flame just to scare him enough to get them to back off, but Quackity is crazy enough to gamble with the lives of others just to benefit himself.’ her eyes narrowed on Quackity when she saw him lower his axe, his eyes looking side to side in thought ‘This will be enough to get you to reveal your true colors towards the other three following your lead and get them to question your ideals, Quackity. So, hurry up and make your choice.’

“Well, sorry Tubbo,” their eyes widened when they saw Quackity raise his axe over Carl’s neck “just know that your death was for the greater good of L’manburg.”

“Quackity!” they all shout, she grits her teeth before moving her arm away from Tubbo’s face and blasting a wave of fire at Quackity, this caused Technoblade to grab her arm and pull it down.

“Are you crazy?! You’ll hit Carl, too!” she shook her head as both Quackity and Carl were engulfed in flames.

“No, I was using a low temperature flame the whole time, so it should only warm them up.” she closes her hands into a fist when Quackity hadn’t let go of Carl’s lead, she was hoping it would startle him enough to get him to let go of the lead, but that hadn’t been the case as Quackity’s laughter rung throughout the entire area as he walked through the flames.

“I knew you didn’t have the balls to kill Tubbo, that’s why I gambled with his life.” she let out a grunt when Tubbo shoved her foot off his chest, stumbling into Technoblade’s arms, she watched as Tubbo scrambled to his feet and over to where Fundy and Ranboo were “And now you’ve lost your leverage against us. This is checkmate.” both she and Technoblade felt their shoulder gradually lower.

“Still think we can take them?” she asks, he shakes his head.

“Not without any harm coming to Carl.” she nods her head.

“Sorry for messing up, Techno.” he lets out a sigh as he shook his head once more.

“No, it’s not your fault, we just didn’t know how far Quackity would take things just to get his way.” she still lowers her head, she was getting ready to peel off her armor when Technoblade got in front of her “You only want me, right? Let [F/N] go and I’ll come willingly and unarmed.” this caused her eyes to widen, grabbing his arm and making him look down.

“No, Techno! You’ll die!”

“What are you saying, [F/N], Technoblade never dies.”

“Then what about Phil? What do I tell him that I let his greatest friend go and get executed?! I don’t have the heart to tell him that, Techno!” slowly, tears of lava starting to swell in her eyes once more before she let out a gasp when Technoblade pulled her into his arms and hugged her. She shook her head as she wrapped her arms around him, but she let out a grunt when Technoblade tightened his grip on her to the point that he rendered her unconscious and limp in his arms.

“It’s a shame you won’t be able to get a say in the matter, [F/N], so please don’t blame yourself for my choice.” he picks her up bridal style and looks towards Quackity “You want me, right? So just leave [F/N] alone, and I’ll come without a fight.” Quackity’s finger tapped the throat of his axe, looking up in thought before shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh, what the heck, fine. Ranboo, take [F/N] from him and put her inside.” Ranboo seemed to hesitate, he looked at Technoblade and flinched when he saw him growl at him, but he reluctantly approached the duo. He watched as Technoblade’s facial expressions morphed into one that was ready to bite his fingers off to one that looked so gentle and soft, when [F/N] was in his arms, he couldn’t help but let out a grunt with how heavy she was... maybe it was the amount of armor she was wearing or how heavy her wings are “Hurry it up, Ranboo, we don’t have all day!” Quackity shouts, he nods his head and quickly rushes inside to place [F/N] down in front of the fire, he made sure she was comfortable before rushing out and came back to see Technoblade stripped out of her armor while Fundy and Tubbo tying Technoblade up with ropes “You’re back, great.”

“She hadn’t made a fuss.” Quackity nods his head.

“Good, good.” he then waves his hand as he approached them “We got what we came for, so let's get outta here. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us.”

[with [F/N]]

“Techno!!” [F/N] woke up with a gasp, shooting us from where she was laying down and shouted out Technoblade’s name, she looked around in confusion and noticed that she was inside his house, and yet he was nowhere to be seen and the only source of light was her. She immediately stood to her feet and rushed out the door, her heart dropped at the sight of the aftermath of their battle and they were nowhere to be seen. She spreads her wings and flies up into the sky and looks around, trying to look for any sign of where Technoblade and the Butcher Army and how far they went while she was out for god knows how long “Come on… come on, come on, come on! Where are you? You couldn’t have gotten far…”

“[F/N]!” she looked down and noticed that it was Ghostbur that called her name, he had his bright smile on his face while that blue sheep was by his side, she purses her lips when she noticed that he was waving for her to come down so she let out a sigh before flying down, he smiles at her when she landed on the ground, bouncing on her feet as she looked at him “I kept Phil safe, like you asked! He’s still sleeping as we speak, but I believe he should be waking up any time soon.” he let out an oh when he realized that [F/N] was shaking on the spot, it couldn’t be due to the cold, her body was pumping on adrenaline and her body was made of fire. He takes a step forward and cups her cheeks when he noticed that tears were threatening to spill from her eyes as she shook in anger and despair, he caresses her cheeks with his thumbs, pursing his lips and humming softly when blue dyed smeared onto her cheeks.

“I lost him, Ghostbur. They’re going to kill him, and it’s all my fault...” she lets out a gasp “What am I going to tell Phil? Oh god, what am I going to tell him?” he continues to caress her cheeks as he watches her get ready to start crying, she lets out an oof when he squishes her face and pulls her forward, making her stumble forward because of the sudden jerk of movements.

“Phil will be upset, surely he will, but he will also be happy to know that you fought by Techno’s side to the very end in order to protect him.” he shakes his head lightly “It’s not entirely the end of the world, [F/N]. There should still be time to go get him.” she nods her head.

“Y-You’re right...” she sniffles, pulling away and wiping away her tears before they could burn the ghost, chuckling softly when she looked down at her arm and sleeve and saw the blue dye from his hands on her cheeks and now her sleeve “I can totally beat them there and get the surprise on them.”

“You better count me in, then.” they both raise their heads, Ghostbur smiles and claps his hands while [F/N] gasped as she approached him.

“Phil, what are you doing out of bed?” she calls out as she starts nearing him, he raises his hand to stop her before giving her a stern look.

“It doesn’t matter, what matters right now is Technoblade.”

“I know that, but what could you possibly do? You should still be worn out after the healing, Phil.” he chuckles softly, she watches as he pulls out a potion before sculling it, she takes a step forward and noticed the immediate change the potion had on him as he stood up straight. She then stumbled backwards when his wings spread and stood out to their full length, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of his gorgeous wings returned to their former glory before they were burnt and damaged.

“A little potion should be more than enough to help me back to my feet.” he said as he stretched his arms and back, flapping his wings a couple times before turning towards [F/N] “Shall we get going?” she stares at him before smirking, tossing him a couple things before spreading her own wings.

“Lets.”

[at l’manburg, with technoblade] 

Walking up the steps to the cage that was to hold him in his cell for his execution was slowly dawning on him, each step he took felt heavy, almost as if he was trudging through ocean waters. It was unsettling that this was where he was going to die, what was upsetting was that neither Philza or [F/N], hell, even Tommy, wasn’t there to see him take his last breath. He was going to die alone with no one but his enemies to watch him, Fundy was the one to lock him in the cage and he turned around to face them as Tubbo took his spot on the podium to make his speech.

“Technoblade has robbed this country of what made it special; everything that defined what it was. He stepped in when he shouldn’t have. He caused chaos, he ruined the government! He— Punz is throwing fucking—“ Technoblade wasn’t bothered listening to the blubbering bullshit Tubbo was goin on about because it just meant nothing to him, but at the mention if Punz, he raised his head and saw the mercenary throwing an Ender Pearl down from where he was and made his appearance in the middle of it all. The Butcher Army was confused as to why he suddenly showed up but were taken aback when he threw down multiple potions to boost his own stats while causing a smoke screen, what really threw them in a loop was when he placed down TNT.

“Punz! What are you doing?!”

“Punz, stop!”

“Fucking get his ass!”

“I’ll— I’ll just sit here.” Technoblade muttered to himself, watching the chaos unfold as they all chased after Punz to stop him from doing what he was doing, Technoblade sighed to himself as he leaned against the steel bars of the cage “This is nice.”

“Technoblade.” he flinched slightly at the sound of a echoing voice, turning his head, he hummed softly at the sight of Ghostbur and that goddamn blue sheep right behind him, obediently following after him while nibbling on the hem of his yellow sweater “Technoblade!” he cheered once more, to which the latter pursed his lips as he slowly nodded his head.

“Hello Ghostbur.” he greets, rather calmly despite the fact he was about to die.

“I’ve named him— I’ve named him Friend.” he nods.

“That’s fantastic Ghostbur, that’s fantastic. I’m about to die Ghostbur.”

“Okay, fuck it. Fuck it!” Technoblade turned his attention away from Ghostbur when he heard Quackity shouting while rushing back over to where the lever was while the others dealt with Punz.

“Big Q, pull the lever!”

“Heh?!”

“Pull the lever!” Technoblade takes a step back, looking up at the wooden blank that kept him and the anvil intending to kill him away. The thumping in his heart was beating so fast that it was all he could hear, slowly, everything started going slow motion in his point of view. He opened up his inventory and pulled out the one item that he kept hidden from the Butcher Army that would surely save his life, but he also knew that it was going to hurt like a motherfucker. So, holding onto it with a grip that made his knuckles turn white, he closed his eyes shut and waited for the impact of the anvil to kill him. However, it never came and the only thing that followed was the sound of shouting and a loud crash, slowly opening his eyes, he raised his head and a shallow breath escaped his mouth as he looked up at the individual.

“What took you so long, [F/N]?” she only snickered, sitting on the edge of the cage with her legs crossed and an amused look on her face. What had happened was that she was waiting on the sidelines for the anvil to fall before flying over and kicking it away so that it wouldn’t land on Technoblade and kill him, tapped her cheek and gave him a bit of a cheeky grin “I was almost expecting you not to show up.” she laughed, throwing her head back.

“That’s mighty cruel of you, Techno. I believe if I were to let you die, Phil would kill me being dragging your ass out of the depths of hell.” he laughs at that.

“Yeah, I do expect him to do that.” the two share a laugh despite the dire situation they were both in, Tubbo now stood next to Quackity and looked over at the older man, flinching slightly at the angered and irritated expression on his face followed by a hint of nervousness.

“Why do you keep on interfering, [F/N]?! Don’t you know that we’re doing this for the greater good?!” she clicked her tongue at the reasoning, turning her head to sneer at him.

“The greater good? Is acting like Schlatt going to bring L’Manburg back to its former glory? What a fucking joke.” she only snickered when she noticed both he and Tubbo flinched at what she said, both probably having differents reasons as to why they reacted the way they did, telling by the faces they were making.

’Dammit, why the HELL is she always getting in the way?! The two of them alone are a force to be reckoned with, but now they’re together again.’ Quackity thought, closing his hand into a tight fist before glowering when [F/N] turned her gaze upon the four of them, not a hint of fear in her eyes ‘We should’ve killed her when we had the chance.’

”We still have the upper hand, Quackity!” Fundy shouts, rushing over to him and standing behind him “We still have Techno’s horse!” his composure slowly returned at the mention of that.

“Y-You’re right! You might be here, but all we need is that fucking horse is to keep you in line!” he shouts but the color in his skin began to drain out of his body when he noticed that she never dropped her confident expression, only now, she was even more amused.

“Oh, really? Then where is Carl?” she questions, they look over and noticed that the horse was gone, she soon killed before pressing a finger at her temple while giving them a psychotic expression “Are you stupid?! Are you that mentally subservient that you cannot think properly?! Hah! Did you really think I would interfere without being absolutely sure that the win was in my hands?” she then leans to her right while pointing to her right with her thumb “Dream was a dear and gave me a hand.” she cooed, they all look over and saw Dream holding the end of the lead to Carl as he led him away.

“Dammit! After him!” he shouts, they go to chase after him but came to an abrupt stop when [F/N] blasted a wave of fire in their tracks, they slowly look over and saw her sneering down at them.

“With that, we’ll finally be able to fight you without holding anything back.” at the mention of that, Technoblade perked his head up and looked up at her.

“[F/N], where’s Phil? Don’t tell me you left him alone at the house? I know that because Ghostbur is here with Friend.” she raised a brow at the mention of Friend? She glanced over and saw that he meant the blue sheep that was beginning to follow the forgetful ghost around, ah, so that’s what he called it.

“Haha! Don’t worry about it, Techno. He’s absolutely fine.”

“Yeah mate, I feel great.” he turned his attention away from [F/N] and a look of disbelief makes its way to his face at the sight of Philza slowly gliding down to the execution stage, he lands on the ground before reaching his hands through the bars and taking Technoblade’s hands “I’ve never felt better.” he lets out a weak chuckle, his head hanging before him as he shook it side to side.

“You’ve no idea how grateful I am to see you flying.” he grins.

“And we both know who we have to thank.” they both look over at her and saw her grinning before saluting them.

“And you know I’d do it again, yeah?” she gives them a soft smile “You guys are worth it all.” she then raises her hand, waving it over the bars of the cage and they melted. Technoblade takes a step out of the cage before offering his bound hands to her, she grabs the chains and they too melted because of the high temperatures that the palms of her hands were producing.

“Thanks for the save.” they pat his back.

“Any time, old friend.” both her and Philza place down Ender Chests filled with various potions, weapons and armor that would help them take down the Butcher Army in this second round. The winged duo step to the side, Philza to Technoblade’s left with [F/N] to his right, and they flare out their wings as Technoblade lowered his head to place his crown on his head before standing tall and he three of them glare down at the Butcher Army that were doing their best to keep their composure.

“Ah haha, did you really think, Quackity, that you could kill me?” Philza and [F/N] hovering off the ground before flying forward and taking down the other three, leaving Quackity for Technoblade, and they were having little to no trouble handling them. Hell, even Punz was a dear and was making it a three v three, their teamwork was absolutely flawless that the young trio were having a tough time landing a single hit on the other three that were giving them so much trouble. Quackity felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek when he noticed that the tables had turned and now he was on the losing side, he growls and looks towards Technoblade before letting out a grunt when he jumped off the stage and kicked him back.

“You... you’ve done so much fucking damage!” he shouts, swinging his axe in an attempt to do some damage to the Blood God, only for it all to be in vain as Technoblade had no trouble dodging all his febble attempts. He glanced down at his sword before swapping it out for a diamond pickaxe, he waits for Quackity to swing it down on him, when the time came he raised his pickaxe to catch the underside of the axe then he jumped over the smaller man and threw the axe away before turning back around to face him with the pickaxe held tightly in his grip.

“I have a pickaxe Quackity, and I’ll put it through your teeth!” he shouts, keep to his word, he threw his arm up and the pointed side of the pickaxe came into contact with his face. [F/N] couldn’t help but wince at the sight of the pickaxe piercing through the entire left side of his face, from his bottom left side of his lip to the upper side of his eyebrow, she didn’t even need to wait to know that he wouldn’t be able to see through his left eye again.

[Quackity was slain by Technoblade]

“W-Wha-- Big Q was--” Fundy let out a grunt when he was kicked to the ground once more, he raised his head and his ears pressed against his head at the sight of the four glaring down at them with an indifferent expression on their faces. Punz didn’t stand by them but he was close as the winged duo flew over to Technoblade, [F/N] perching on his shoulder while Philza stood by his side with his wings folded by his back.

“I don’t think I need to say this, but you guys bringing me out of my retirement when I told you I had changed my ways... this only solidifies my reasoning's as to why the government needs to be destroyed.” he says in a monotone voice, throwing his blooded pickaxe over his free shoulder and the four of them glare down at the Butcher Army “I promise you this, the next time you dare come looking for me or even step foot onto my property again, I will make sure that there won’t BE a next time, got it?” they didn’t even wait for an answer when they walked past the frozen trio and left L’Manburg.

[outside of l’manburg]

“Oh, that was absolutely thrilling!” [F/N] cheered, hovering off the ground while clapping her hands, she then turned towards Punz and saluted him “Thanks for the help, mercenary boy.” he merely waves her off, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

“As long as the money is good, I could care less.” she rolled her eyes and threw down another Ender Chest, he opens it and his eyes let up at the sight of various diamond, gold and emerald blocks within it, he raises his head to question her but she raised her hand to stop him.

“The less you know, the better.” he gives her an OK gesture.

“Fine by me.” he puts the chest in his inventory and there Dream makes his appearance with Carl in toe, she and Philza hum at the sight of relief on Technoblade’s face as he rushes over, the two couldn’t hear the conversation between the two but she could just guess what he was saying to their friend, perhaps it was the same conversation the masked fellow had with her.

”I can already guess that the only reason as to why you’re helping Techno out of this pinch is because you want a favor?” she questioned after finding him and Punz watching the entire scenario of Technoblade’s execution from the rooftops of L’Manburg ”If you give me a hand, I’ll owe you a favor too.”

“Will you? I’m pretty sure you can handle this situation on your own.”

“What I want from you is for Punz to give me an extra hand, but for you to get Carl out of there.” she said, she leans forward to get a closer look at the situation, looking over to see Philza watching from a distance as well ”If a favor isn’t enough to pique your interest, I’ll double the amount you’re paying Punz.” now that definitely caught his interest.

”Really? Hell yeah, I’m in.” she then glances over at Dream, she could just tell that his eyes were on her wings, he lets out a hum before offering his hand towards her.

”Alright, you’ve got a deal. We’ll give you a hand, but you owe me a favor and you pay Punz double.” she nods her head, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

”Deal. My debt to you will go until it is paid.” when he was finished speaking with Technoblade, he turned to give her a look and gave her a satisfied nod when he saw her bow her head “Well, that went swimmingly, don’t you think? You didn’t even need to use that Totem of Undying, and you even managed to get a good nick out of Quackity! That was certainly satisfying.” Philza nodded his head as Technoblade jumped onto Carl’s back then rode off, going their separate ways from the two while [F/N] name and himself flew beside him.

“Certainly, and it feels fantastic to be able to fly again. Thanks again, [F/N]!” she winks at him. 

“No problem!” she then hums, bringing a hand to pinch her chin “But I do feel like we’ve forgotten something.”

...

...

“Oh shit, we forgot Ghostbur.”

Bells

word count: 3975

Fandom: Poppy Playtime Pairing: N/A Pronouns: He/Him Relationship: N/A Occupation: Enforcer Ability: Court Jester

The character takes the appearance of a Victorian-era court jester, while their face is the only thing made of plaster their body consists of poly-blend sateen fabric, and their insides are filled with polyfill, allowing their body to bend and twist however they want, allowing them to get into even the smallest of crevices. They have a removable mask that they can replace with different ones that signify emotions but they're usually wearing the comedy mask, they also have bells on the end of their hat that jingles each time they move.

Keys:

n/a

Warnings: spoilers to chapter 4 and those who haven't played nor seen the game, blood, death and all that shit.

@ghrgrsfdesfrfg recommended this and I was heavily invested in this idea

Playtime Co. is releasing a once-in-a-lifetime toy!

Prepare to be captivated by the Royal Jester, a breathtakingly detailed action figure unlike any other. This stunning collectible stands tall and proud, boasting a regal design that blends the sinister charm of a jester with the power of a king.

The Royal Jester is a collector’s dream – a statement piece that merges art and imagination. This is more than just a toy; it's an artwork, a conversation starter, and a prized addition to any collection of fantasy and gothic figurines. Perfect for fans of dark fantasy, playing cards, or unique character designs!

There are four limited-edition Jesters; the four brothers of each suit.

The Royal Jesters of Spades, Clubs, Hearts and Diamonds!

Which one will you pick?

-

Subject: 1236

Original Procedure: 10/91

Behavior:

Assigned to the Game Station as one of the new games added to the area, Experiment 1236 is much different from his three "brothers". Before he was transferred into the body he inhabits now, he already had severe behavioral issues to the point it would be dangerous to leave him alone with any of the children. Showing signs where he lacked empathy, a disregard for rules, and was prone to random acts of violence.

This behavior transferred over into his new body and had to be confined within the prison where the staff advised we keep him locked up, but I found his behavior rather intriguing. The few staff that monitor him had commented how 1236 likes to play "games" with them, where he hides in the room and only comes out when the staff are fully in the room, that is when he reveals himself and attacks them.

He has still retained his cognitive thinking but his craving for violence is what makes the others reluctant to leave him around any of the children, that is why I suggested we leave 1222, as well as his brothers, to monitor him closely from being alone with any of the children. As long as we keep him well entertained he shouldn't have the need to act out, he wouldn't dare bite at the hand that feeds him.

Conclusion:

So long as he doesn't harm any of the children, have him remain within the Game Station for further monitoring.

I believe Leith Pierre will find some use in him.

Signature: Dr. Harley Sawyer

-

"Hi, kids! Welcome to the Game Station! I'm Stella, and we've got four super-duper fun games to play! These little tests show us just how crazy strong and smart you are! Follow Mommy Long Legs down the stairs, and she'll show you our latest game! See you in a bit!" Mommy giggled to herself as the children ran around her arms and legs, a few even grabbing her by one of her hands to tug her toward the entrance that read "Scavenger," where the four Kings resided.

"Come along now, children. We have four new friends to meet!" They all cheered in excitement—new games were always so thrilling. "Stay close to Mommy now; we don't want any of you getting lost."

"Yes, Mommy!" Unlike the other three games, "Scavenger" took place in a grand theatre that had the children marveling in awe. They all gasped and huddled around Mommy when the lights turned off before, one by one, they switched back on, leading up toward the stage to reveal four beautifully decorated boxes with a symbol on each: a black spade and club, and a red heart and diamond. The children approached the stage eagerly, waiting to see what would happen. They let out startled screams when the lids of the boxes burst open in a flurry of confetti and four figures jumped out of their respective boxes, the curtains behind them opening and a band started playing circus music.

"Guests!"

"We have guests!"

"What a surprise!"

"A pleasant surprise!" All four figures bowed their heads, and when they lifted them, they wore tragedy and comedy masks with different markings. The owners of the club and heart boxes wore the tragedy masks, while the spade and diamond owners wore the comedy masks. Over the mask’s sockets, their respective symbols were painted in either red or black. "Allow us to introduce ourselves, dear children! We are the Royal Court's Four Jesters!"

"I am the Royal Jester of Spades!"

"I am the Royal Jester of Clubs!"

"I am the Royal Jester of Hearts!"

"And I am the Royal Jester of Diamonds!" As they announced their names, they bowed once more, and the children clapped excitedly. The Jester of Spades was about to speak, but the Jester of Diamonds stepped forward and spoke ahead of him. Though Spade was technically the leader of the Jester Brothers, Diamond had a way with words that captivated the children far more. Despite being the "eldest" of the four, Spade's role often faded into the background because of Diamond's influence "We have a game for you, children, that'll put your minds to the test! Are you ready for such a task?"

"We're ready!" The children’s enthusiasm made Diamond laugh. He snapped his fingers, and more lights illuminated the theatre, revealing several boxes scattered throughout.

"This game is simple," he continued as he and his brothers flipped over their own boxes and reached inside to pull out cards.

"Each box has a symbol corresponding to our suits."

"Inside the boxes, you'll find a card with the same suit…"

"Or you'll find a nasty surprise waiting for you," the four jesters said in unison, laughing together.

"When you find four cards of the same suit—"

"You must then find the matching brother."

"We will be hiding in our boxes somewhere in the theatre."

"And the winner is the one who finds all four cards and one of us first!" With that, the jesters slammed the lids on their boxes shut and stepped forward. "Shall this game begin?"

"Yeah!" The children shouted with glee. The jesters tossed their cards into the air, which exploded into a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, both they and their boxes had vanished.

"What are you waiting for, children? Go and find them!" Mommy cheered. The children quickly scattered, heading toward the many boxes. Mommy stayed behind, keeping her eyes on the boxes bearing the diamond suit. She knew the brothers had left out an important detail: they were constantly moving, slipping unseen from box to box, and occasionally stealing cards from the children to keep the game going. Sometimes, they even hid in the wrong suit’s box just to pop out and surprise the children, snatching more cards. But it was the Jester of Diamonds she kept the closest watch on. He was the most unpredictable of them all—no matter how hard she tried to track his movements, he always stayed one step ahead.

Mommy wasn’t allowed to interfere with the games unless a child's life was at stake—but Diamond knew better than to cross that line. He didn’t want this game to end prematurely. When a couple of screams rang out, Mommy tensed—only to sigh in relief when she saw it was one of the "nasty surprises": small marionette dolls modeled after the four brothers, similar to the Mini-Huggies. The dolls would jump out of boxes to scare the children and sometimes snatch a card before retreating. As a few of the brothers popped out of their boxes, there was still no sign of Diamond. He always liked to play the waiting game.

"Mommy, Mommy! Look, I found all four cards!" A child ran up, waving their cards excitedly. Mommy clapped her hands to congratulate them, but froze when she saw they were diamond cards.

"Oh, how wonderful. Now you must find the Royal Jester of Diamonds to win! You better hurry—he’s the trickiest one to find." The child gasped and dashed off to search for the diamond-suited box. The jesters always knew when a child had gathered four cards and would either hide or keep the game going by relocating to a distant box. A sudden scream drew Mommy’s attention. It was the same child, being dragged into one of the boxes. She rushed over and flung the lid open—only to find it completely empty.

Panic gripped her until a chorus of cheers rose from the stage. She turned to see the four brothers emerging from the diamond box, with the Jester of Heart at the bottom holding up Spade and Club. At the top stood Diamond, the victorious child perched on his shoulder.

"And we have a winner!" Diamond announced. "Please, give a round of applause to our lucky champion, who found all four of my cards!"

"Yay, you did it!"

"Good job finding him!"

"That was really hard!" The other children chimed in. Diamond gently set the child on the stage and took the four cards from them. With a swift motion, he transformed the cards into a golden crown. The children gasped as he placed it on his head. "We have a new King of the Court!" The four jesters bowed low before the child.

"Whoa, a king!"

"He's the king!"

"I'm jealous."

"Maybe we can try again another day."

"Ahaha! We’re so glad you liked our game," Heart said, rising.

"But there are still more games to play—"

"Like Musical Memory—"

"And Wack-a-Wuggy—"

"And Statues!" The children giggled excitedly. Mommy called them to follow her to the next game, casting one last wary glance at Diamond as his eyes lingered on her retreating figure.

"You shouldn't keep the rest of our friends waiting!" The four jesters bid the children goodbye, but Heart, Club, and Spade couldn't help but notice how all the children flocked around Diamond the most. It was irritating—no matter how hard they tried to appeal to the children, Diamond's natural charisma always made him the favorite. They just couldn't compete. "Now, children, follow Mommy out so she can lead you to where our friend Bunzo Bunny is waiting for you!" Diamond waved at Mommy, and she quickly ushered the children away, peeling the ones clinging to him off with a gentle touch.

"Mister Diamond is right! We still have three more games to play, so let's move on to Musical Memory!" Mommy’s voice was cheerful, but she could practically feel Diamond's gaze on her back as they walked away. She chose not to comment on it.

"You did it again, Diamond!" Spade's voice hissed with frustration the moment they were alone. It infuriated them that Diamond was so good at masking his true feelings—his unreadable nature only made it worse. Spade growled as Diamond shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, don’t just shrug your shoulders. You know exactly what you did." Diamond scoffed, his tone laced with mock innocence.

"Please. I do a lot of things. If you want me to take responsibility for whatever's made you angry, you’ll have to be more specific." He took a step forward, and Heart quickly moved between them, stopping Spade from doing anything rash. "Come now, use your big boy words and tell the class what’s upset you." Spade’s hand clenched into a tight fist before he jabbed a finger toward Diamond’s face.

"You know I’m the leader, Diamond! I’m the one who’s supposed to explain the rules when the children enter!" Diamond chuckled, casually swatting Spade’s hand aside.

"Oh? Is that so? But if you’re the leader, why am I the face of the Royal Jester Brothers?" He gestured toward a nearby banner depicting the four of them. Despite their central grouping, Diamond’s colors were more vibrant and bold compared to the others. "I don't mean to step on your toes, brother. I just think you need to be more creative with your words. We’re jesters! We’re meant to wow and amaze the crowd—to entertain and make them laugh! You should work on your approach." Heart nodded thoughtfully.

"He’s right, Spade."

"Wha—"

"He’s got that charm we lack, dude," Club added with a shrug. "We mostly just follow his lead or stick to the script."

"But… I’m not boring, right?" Spade’s voice wavered, Heart and Club exchanged an awkward glance.

"Ehh…" Diamond laughed, the bells on his hat jingling with the motion.

"Don’t fret. You can just leave it to me! Our game has only just opened—there’s a lot of pressure on your shoulders. Let me share that burden with you. You don’t have to worry about capturing the audience—I can handle that. Or if you’d prefer, I can give you some tips on how to really win them over."

"Yeah, he’s been helping us out too," Club added.

"You shouldn’t blame him, Spade," Heart said gently. "The children had fun and loved our performance. Isn’t that what really matters?"

"I… I suppose you’re right." Spade’s frustration deflated, and he sighed.

"It’s fine," Diamond said with a dismissive wave. "You probably just got overwhelmed." The tension dissolved quickly, but as Diamond turned away, his expression beneath the mask twisted into one of quiet disgust. Pathetic. Spade’s need for attention was so disappointing. Diamond genuinely didn’t understand why Spade was so worked up—he thought he was doing him a favor by taking control of the narrative.

"Diamond!" A sharp voice called from below. Diamond’s head perked up, and he peered over the theatre’s upper railing to spot Leith Pierre, Head of Innovation and CEO of Playtime Co. "Get down here. I have a job for you." Diamond’s sinister mask glistened under the spotlight. A job? Intriguing. He leapt over the railing, landing gracefully on the backrest of a chair. Leith grimaced and edged away from the jester’s too-close, too-creepy face.

"How can I help you, Mister Pierre?" Diamond asked, his arms swinging loosely in front of him.

"There are a few… 'rodents' running around who’ve gotten into something they shouldn’t have. I need you to locate and dispose of them. I don’t care how you do it—just make sure they’re no longer a problem. And keep it quiet. We don’t want our guests knowing we have a pest issue." A shiver ran down Leith’s spine as Diamond tilted his head, his mask’s empty sockets somehow conveying an unsettling glee.

"However I want?" Leith cleared his throat, taking another step back.

"Yes, yes. Play with them for all I care—just make sure no one sees."

"You can count on me, sir." Diamond bowed low, his tone dripping with mock formality.

"Right… You’re the only one I trust for this sort of cleanup," Leith muttered.

The Jester Brothers shared some abilities with Mommy Long Legs—though their limbs didn’t stretch quite as far, they could extend their arms a fair distance. Their arms and legs are capable of rapid extension and retraction and can effectively evade harm by contouring their body and bouncing away in a spring-like fashion. With this in mind, Diamond slipped easily into the factory’s ventilation system, crawling through pipes and squeezing into crevices with eerie grace. This was why he behaved, why he didn’t lash out when Spade overstepped. The real fun began when he was set loose.

The thrill of the hunt was irresistible—tracking down the employees no one would miss was his favorite game of all.

This is what happens when you wander where you don’t belong, the man thought when Leith gave him this job after catching him in a restricted area within the Game Station. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As he ventured deeper into the factory, the voices and sounds of the other staff grew distant, their echoes bouncing off the cold, industrial walls. He could practically hear the hum of water through the pipes and the scurrying steps of mice. This was fine—he liked working on his own anyway. All he had to do was fix the burst pipes and be on his merry little way.

When he located the pipes, he quickly got to work, the silence around him becoming a source of comfort compared to the loud screaming of children playing in the Game Station. The thought of children made him think of his own family waiting for him at home. He could still remember the looks on their faces when he told them he was working for Playtime Co. It wasn’t a glamorous job—he didn’t get to interact with the toys or mascots—just a simple engineering role where he fixed whatever was broken. As he continued to work, he began to faintly hear a subtle sound: tapping. He couldn’t quite make out what it was, but he knew it wasn’t water dripping onto the pipes. It sounded more… metallic.

He shook his head, deciding to ignore it in favor of finishing the task at hand, but the feeling of being watched began to creep over him.

The tapping didn’t cease. In fact, it almost seemed like it was playing a sort of beat. If he focused hard enough, he could almost recognize it—it sounded like the music that played when you entered the Jester's Theatre. With that realization, his nerves tightened. He picked up his flashlight, shining it around even though he wasn’t sure what he was looking for.

He swallowed thickly, his mind drifting back to the gossip and rumors his fellow engineers spread just to spook each other—how staff would disappear without a trace when they ventured too deep into the factory. It always started with distant tapping, mimicking the music from the Game Station. Then came the bells. You knew you were in danger when you heard jingling bells—subtle meant you were still safe, but if they were close… that meant whatever was making the sound was near.

No. No, he was just being paranoid. Rumors were just rumors. Right?

He inhaled deeply, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart, but his breath hitched when the bells started—and they were close. Too close.

Forget this. Mister Pierre can shove it—I’m getting the heck out of here.

In his panic, he left his equipment behind, sprinting back down the hall from which he’d come. The tapping, the bells—what came next? What came nex—

"Hahaha…~"

The laughter.

He’d been spotted.

He risked a glance back and froze. Through the suffocating darkness, a faint glow stared back at him—two points of light, fixed directly on him. Those rumors weren’t rumors after all. Fear surged through him, and without a second thought, he ran.

The laughter grew louder, bouncing off the walls and ringing through the corridors. The noise behind him kept getting closer, no matter how fast he ran. Whatever was chasing him was fast—too fast for it to be human. Was this why people had been disappearing? Was he next? Had Mister Pierre sent him here on purpose, knowing what would happen?

He turned a corner sharply—and collided hard with a pipe.

The impact knocked him to the ground, his vision swimming as pain blossomed across his forehead. Dazed, he pressed a hand to his head, trying to quell the throbbing ache. The sound of bells drew closer, the metallic jingling slow and deliberate.

He didn’t dare look up.

"Awww… what’s the matter?" a sing-song voice cooed from above him. "Did you fall down? Poor little thing." a whimper escaped his lips, his body trembling as he fought to crawl backward.

"P-please… please don’t… I-I didn’t even want to be here… I—"

"Oh, but you are here!" his interrupted gleefully, the bells around on his hat jingling with every movement. "And you’ve been so very rude, sneaking around where you shouldn’t be. Tsk, tsk. What should I do with you?"

"Please… I-I have a family… kids…" his voice cracked, tears spilling down his face. For a moment, there was silence. Then a soft giggle.

"Ohhh, I love it when they beg." The voice was right in front of him now, and he felt a cold hand grasp his chin, forcing his head up. The fallen flashlight managed to reveal the figure above him and there he saw the Jester of Diamonds strung up within the pipes, his limbs curling around them to keep his body suspended "Beg some more. It’s my favorite part." his laughter rung out again as his free arm wrapped around the engineer, caging him within his arm then hoisting off the ground.

"N-No, please! I beg of you, d-don't hurt me..." his mask slowly lifted away, revealing something far more monstrous than any toy should have been. The face beneath the mask was a grotesque parody of a jester’s grin—wide and stretched too far, with jagged, uneven teeth glistening with saliva and fresh blood. Drool dripped from the corners of his mouth, mixing with the crimson that stained his lips. The smell of iron was sharp and suffocating.

The last thing the man saw was that terrible, twisted smile lunging toward him.

Later, the sound of gnawing filled the corridor. Diamond crouched over the broken body, his sharp teeth tearing into flesh with wet, squelching sounds. Blood dripped down his face and hands as he fed with terrifying enthusiasm, his shoulders shaking with occasional giggles of delight. When he finally stood, his grin was wide and satisfied.

"Delicious," he whispered to no one in particular, his voice thick with amusement.

When he left, he made sure to block off the area so no other human employee would stumble upon the "mess" he’d made. Speaking of mess, he glanced down at himself and sighed at the blood soaking his costume. Returning to the theatre through the ventilation shaft, he slinked into the dressing room and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it empty. The company was kind enough to provide different costumes for him and his brothers, and he quickly changed into a fresh one, trashing the bloodied outfit without a second thought.

Humming a cheerful tune, he left the dressing room in search of Mister Pierre.

"Look, look! It's the Jester of Diamonds!"

"Hi Jester! Your game was fun to play!"

"I hope we can play it again!" Diamond waved at the children as he walked through the Game Station toward the train, where he spotted Leith alongside one of the scientists. Wanting to reach them quicker, he used his powerful legs to spring himself over the crowd of children, eliciting gasps and laughter. Stretching his arms out with an exaggerated flourish, he cushioned his fall and landed gracefully right in front of Leith, his bells jingling softly as he straightened up.

"Ah! Just the toy I was hoping to see!" Diamond gives a dramatic bow, but Leith waves his hand to dismiss him. "Enough of the flair—did you do what I asked?" Both he and the scientist notice how some blood dripped out from behind Diamond’s mask. The jester chuckled softly, his tongue peeking out to lick it clean.

"Yes, sir. The rodents have been exterminated—you just need someone to clean up the mess." Leith smiled and clapped his hands.

"Wonderful! I'll be sure to reward you later." Leith said with satisfaction but Diamond shook his head.

"There should be no need, sir. My reward was the fun I had while playing my game of hide and seek."

"Ah hah, right. Well, you can go back to playing with the children. I'll be sure to keep sending you more 'playmates' to keep you entertained." Leith could see the way the jester practically glowed at the prospect of more “games.” Satisfied, Diamond left the two men and returned to his brothers and Mommy, seamlessly slipping back into their playful routine. Leith sighed to himself. "As much as he freaks me out, he's almost as handy as Boxy Boo." Harley Sawyer chuckled.

"Indeed, but he's far more intriguing than 1160. He makes a game out of it, no matter what you ask of him," he said, watching how Diamond played with the children alongside his brothers and Mommy. "What a masterpiece he turned out to be."

Siblings pt. 2

word count: 28,395

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairing: Robin Buckley + Steve Harrington x Female!Harrington!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Romantic/Familial Occupation: University Student Ability: N/A

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name [L/N]: Last Name [N/N]: Nickname [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: flayed reader, angst, violence, blood, vulgar language, murder, character death

“Siblings” pt.1, pt.3

@eddiemunsonsmiddlefingers​ has a map of hawkins and I’m constantly using that to reference where shit is. it’s awfully helpful.

I wasn’t planning on making a part two to this story but I suddenly got an idea from a line I kept repeating in my head and thought “why the hell not” to the point I might make this a story.

so I was going to write the scene where el saw billy’s happiest memory but chose against it, since we all know what it is, I’m not going to bother and just write [f/n]’s.

might eventually make this a story on my wattpad account because I dove too deep into this.

I rushed the ending, it sucks but I needed to finish this to settle my mind.

that is all.

“You know? I’d probably find that downright hilarious if not for the fact that you’re dating my brother, Billy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. Plus, that bitch is weird. There’s actually a word in the dictionary for what she’s doing.”

“And what might that be?”

“Grooming.”

[F/N] and Billy were having one of their late night hangouts at the Hideout, sitting at the bar drinking alcohol, not really shit faced yet but they were slowly getting there. Billy was in the midst of telling [F/N] the reoccurring times Karen Wheeler, mother of Nancy and Mike Wheeler, has been opening flirting with Billy. She remembered the first time Billy had told her about this, of course she was weirded out about it but she laughed that this grown ass married woman was flirting with a guy that was about two decades younger than her, basically the same age as her eldest daughter! She would’ve laughed again when he flirted back with her, just to get her off his ass, but now he and her brother were in a relationship. The four of them would never make their relationship public, never. They’ve simply stuck to being friends on the outside, but when they’re alone, they do all things a couple would do. Sometimes when they’re on a double date, people would always mistake Billy and [F/N] as a couple as well as Steve and Robin, mostly because each duo were always seen together. They took advantage of that, so whenever either Billy or Robin came over to the Harrington household, there was never bad air lingering around. So sometimes it would fuck [F/N] off when middle aged women would flirt with a minor, knowing that he was in a committed relationship with her! The people of Hawkins were so fucked in the head.

“Doesn’t she make you uncomfortable, Billy?” she asked out of concern, reaching forward to place a hand on his knee and squeezing it lightly “I won’t bring this up with Steve, but you know in this town, word travels fast. Besides, I don’t want him getting worried and getting the wrong idea.” Billy softly nods his head.

“I know. That pretty boy would probably lose his shit on me first, then go after that Wheeler.” they both look up in thought, trying to imagine the thought of Steve going apeshit on Nancy’s mother, they were almost tempted to tell him just to see it happen to the point that burst out into laughter “He is your brother, so if he’s anything like you, he’ll probably beat the shit out of her!” she throws her head back with a laugh.

“Hah! As much as I agree with that, he respects women now. He’d probably ask me to drag her out by her hair, to which I will gladly do it!” they laugh again before grabbing their drinks and raising it up “To Steve potentially losing his shit on Wheeler’s mum!” they clink drinks before proceeding to down it, when they finish their drinks Billy raised his empty bottle to the bartender.

“Two more, please!” since the two of them drove to the Hideout, and the fact they had things to do early in the morning, they couldn’t get totally hammered so after a few drinks they later stuck to drinking water to sober themselves up then continued chatting or peacefully listening to the music that the Hideout had or the few indie bands that performed that night. After a couple hours of having fun they finally decided to drag themselves out and back to their cars, however, they were both leaning on each other to help each other walk whilst laughing and giggling to themselves. Billy’s laughter echoed throughout the car park as he watched [F/N] collapse to the ground and nearly face plant into the side of her front bumper but managed to catch herself before she gave herself a bleeding nose and possibly a concussion “Will you be alright, Harrington?” she waves her hand to brush him off.

“Please, you’re just as shit faced as I am.” they start laughing again before settling in their cars, [F/N] rolls down her window to let the wind blow through her car after starting her car before briefly pausing when Billy flashed his lights at her, she raised a brow at him then narrowed her eyes when she saw him smirk at her “The fuck are you looking at me like that Hargrove?” his smirk only widens when he revved the engine of his Camaro.

“How’s about a little race? I wanna give my pretty boy a little smooch before going home.” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Gross, I don’t need to know that.” she hummed in thought before raising her finger “I’ll race yah after seeing Robin, alright? We’re passing her house, and I wanna see her if you’re gonna see my brother.” Billy shrugs his shoulder with a laugh, brushing his hair out of his face. 

“Alright, might wanna tell your girlie that you’re gonna lose after I smoke your ass back to your place.” she scoffed.

“Whatever.” they both laugh and finally pull out of the parking lot. Robin was currently laying on her back, head bobbing softly as she listened to the music coming from her headphones playing through her cassette player. [F/N] graciously made her a mixtape of songs that they both liked, she smiled as she remembered that memory fondly. Because of the wealth the Harrington name held, [F/N] would always buy her expensive gifts after hearing the type of lifestyle she had grown up in. As lovely as each gift was, Robin asked her for something sentimental instead of jewellery like necklaces and earrings and rings (though she does appreciate them and wears them on special occasions), Steve told her that [F/N] had been hauled up in her room ever since then and when she came to pick her up, [F/N] presented her the mixtape. She’s probably listened to the entire playlist on repeats so many times that she can remembered ever song in order, but she just can’t help it, she was so in love. 

*TAP*

*TAP*

“Hmm?” she hums out in confusion, just briefly hearing the sound of tapping when the song faded out. She pulled the headphones off her head and looked around in confusion, she got a little angry when she thought that it was her siblings fucking with her but stopped when the tapping was coming from her window. She pushed herself upright and a big smile appeared on her face when she saw [F/N], who was currently looking down and talking to someone before raising her head to look at Robin once more, wobbling back and forward “[F/N]?” she muttered softly in question before stumbling to her feet and rushing to the window, throwing it open to greet her girlfriend, only to wince at the stench of alcohol and cigarettes coming from her breath.

“Robin~” she cooed out with a shout, only to shush herself when Robin raised a finger to her lips while shaking her head so she in turn covered her mouth with her hands “Sorry, sorry, I just missed you.” Robin rolled her eyes.

“We saw each other a couple hours ago.” she giggled to herself when she saw a flash of confusion come across her face before she nodded her head.

“Oh, you’re right… but I wanted to see you again.” Robin shook her head once more with a soft smile, she then realised that there was quite a distance from the ground and her window so she leaned forward whilst looking down and had to slap a hand over her mouth to quiet herself when she saw that [F/N] perched herself on Billy’s shoulders, to which he was just as equally drunk and could barely stand straight “Oh yeah, and Billy is here as well.” he looks up and gives a grin, saluting Robin, to which she returns to gesture.

“Howdy.”  “Hi?” she chuckles and looks back at [F/N], to which she was grinning ear to ear as she leaned forward, closing the small gap between them and pressing a small peck on her lips “What’s with the kiss, [F/N]? Not that I don’t like it.” the slightly drunk girl smiled at her, winking softly.

“Thought I’d drop by and give you a goodnight kiss, why? Don’t want any?” Robin scoffed before reaching forward, grabbing [F/N] by her cheeks and pulling her into a kiss. Robin couldn’t help but let out a groan when she could taste the alcohol and cigarettes against her tongue, she briefly pulled away but was only brought into another kiss when [F/N] grabbed her by the back of her neck to keep her still. By the time they separate [F/N] was grinning ear to ear, Robin flustered up a little when she saw the left over lipstick from her lips smudge across [F/N]’s neck “I’ll see you in the morning, sweets?” Robin giggled, wrapping a strand of her hair around her finger and twirling it around.

“Mm hmm.” Robin and [F/N] were giggling at each other before [F/N] started falling backwards, she let out a startled yelp and looked down at Billy and saw he lost his footing and couldn’t hold her up anymore and was starting to fall backwards, to which she tried to grab Robin’s windowsill to save herself but it slipped right under her grasp and the two of them fell to the ground with a loud thud. Robin gasped and stuck her head out of the window to see if they were alright, shaking her head slightly with a tired smile on her face when she saw the two of them slightly dazed and groaning.

“Nice one, Billy…” she murmured under her breath, grunting softly when he slapped her leg.

“You’re fat.”

“You’re weak.” he scoffs at her before proceeding throw her legs off of him, they then pull themselves to their feet and start retreating back to their cars, [F/N] sparing Robin one last glance followed by a kiss then finally scurried into her car. Robin sighed dreamily when [F/N] waved her goodbye as she and Billy drove off, she closed her eyes then pushed herself back into her room where she collapsed into her bed, smiling like a dork when all she could think of was how lucky she was to finally have someone that loves her. Speaking of which, [F/N] and Billy were gunning it down the streets, they were going to have to deal with the police and Hopper later but they didn’t give a shit as they sped down the empty streets of Hawkins, laughing wildly. They took a slight detour just so their moment of fun could last a little longer, that’s where they found themselves side by side, the both of them trying their best to get ahead of the other.

“We should’ve made a bet, Harrington!” he shouts at her, she scoffs and looks back at him.

“Oh, yeah? Then how about the first one back to my house has to buy us both gas for our cars for three weeks!” he smirks at that.

“Then I hope your wallet can handle the expenses of gas because you’re on!” he lets out a laugh as he shifts gears while putting more pressure on the gas, she grimaced when she saw him get a head of her and was creating some distance. She knew his Camaro was significantly faster in comparison to her Mustang, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a few tricks up her sleeves to keep up with him. Billy looked into his rear view mirror and saw [F/N] hot on his tail, he licked his lips with a laugh as he turned his attention back to the road ahead of him, he had this in the ba— he lets out a shout when something flew into the windscreen. [F/N] let out a confused noise when she saw Billy swerving around but when she saw that she was still speeding towards him, evidently going to crash into him, she lets out a shout and slammed on the breaks and quickly swerved out of the way before she could hit Billy. She managed to get control of her car as it comes to a halt, she was breathing heavily at what happened before remembering about Billy.

“Oh my god, Billy!” she shouts, jumping out of her car and running over to see if he was alright “Billy! Shit!” she runs over to his car and winced at the state of it, she moves over to the drivers side and opened the door.

“Piece of shit…” she heard him groan out.

“Are you okay, Billy?” he sucked in a breath, pushing himself back into his seat then raised a hand to press against his forehead, wincing when his hand touched his bleeding forehead “Shit, you’re bleeding.” he scoffs at her.

“No shit.” she frowns at him, reaching forward to cup his face and make him look at her. 

“God, I hope you don’t have a concussion.” he smacks her hands off of him then gestures for her to move, she does so but ultimately helps him out of the car.

“Just great, this is just fucking great.” he mutters to himself as he looks at the state of his Camaro, she in turn approached the front of his car and saw the cracked windscreen, she furrowed her brows in confusion and mild disgust when she saw some sort of slime on the windscreen where it was cracked. She reached forward and gently touched it, only to regret it as she shudder at the feeling, she wiped it off against her pants “Fuck, this is going to cost a fucking fortune to repair.” Billy threads his fingers through his hair, at the verge of yanking them out of his scalp but calmed down slightly when [F/N] placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it, Hargrove. I’ll help pay for it… with my parents money.” he scoffs, shoving her back softly to sit on the hood of his car.

“I don’t think they’ll appreciate the loss of money in their account.” she scoffs right back at him, sitting down beside him and offering him a cigarette, to which he graciously took and let her light it, enjoying the feeling of the nicotine filling his lungs then letting it all out.

“Please, I’ll be lucky if they notice a couple grand is missing.” the two of them start smoking away, she sniffles a little as she let the cigarette hang loosely by her lips “Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea on our part. We’re drunk, possibly high and extremely tired.” Billy rolls his eyes, taking the cigarette from his lips and held it in between his fingers.

“Yeah, but we’re both competitive and like to win.” she pursed her lips.

“True.” they fist bump each other “Anyways, what hit your car? A bird?” he shrugs his shoulders.

“Not sure, was going way too fast to get a glimpse of what it was.” she looked back at where they were previously then looked around at their surroundings, she suddenly felt a chill run down her back as the abandoned steel works factory loomed over them, she swallows thickly then turned back to Billy and gestured to her car.

“How’s about we get the fuck out of here? This place is giving me the heebie jeebies. I’ll be even more generous as to let you stay at our place while someone looks over your car, I personally know a good mechanic that can get your baby whipped back up into shape in no time.” he looked liked he was considering that option, he then winces when she cupped his face once more and looked at his bleeding forehead “But after we take care of this, I don’t want Stevie getting worried about this.” he nods his head.

“Agreed… we’re not telling him about this, right?”

“Are you crazy? Fuck no.” they both stand up but whipped their heads in the direction they heard something shuffle.

“Who’s there?!” Billy shouts, neither get a reply “I said who’s there?!” [F/N] shook her head, noticing that Billy was getting paranoid. Before she could say anything Billy’s feet were suddenly swept out from under him, he all but dropped to the ground before he was being dragged away. He desperately clawed at the ground to stop himself but there just wasn’t anything to cling onto, this continued as he was dragged through the factory and as he was going to be pulled down into the lower level of the factory he managed to grab a hold of the railing of the stairs. He clung onto it desperately, panic coursing throughout his body when he could feel his grip slowly slipping and when it did he expected to be dragged down the staircase but [F/N] caught him.

“I… got you!” she strains out, her grip on him deathly tight as she tried to pull him back but her feet where being dragged forward. She tries to dig the heels of her feet into the ground to keep herself from moving any further, their sweaty hands weren’t helping their predicament because she did lose her hold on his left hand but she quickly grabbed the railing. All this was for naught when something slithered around her ankle and yanked her, she fell to the ground with a thud with Billy on top of her before they were both dragged down the stairs into basement. The moment the two of them came face to face with this weird goopy looking thing they couldn’t help but scream at the top of their lungs as it roared at them, holding each other right as it loomed over them. The next few moments were silent, just the sound of chains swaying in the soft wind followed by quiet rumbling, this moment was interrupted when both Billy and [F/N] managed to pull themselves out of the basement. [F/N] starts pushing Billy and herself away but they both stumble to the ground, pushing themselves back as they spare a glance back at the entrance to the basement and shudder when they hear a roar come from that thing. Billy pulls himself onto his feet first and grabs [F/N] by the back of her jacket to yank her to her feet, she’s holding onto his arm as they’re scrambling out of the factory and rushing to their respective cars. They don’t waste a second to drive the fuck out of there, Billy driving ahead of [F/N] but he pulls to the side when he saw a phone booth, neither of them turn their cars off as they jump out but Billy makes it into the phone booth to make the call while [F/N] stood outside, breathing heavily as she kept looking back towards the direction they came from.

”911, what’s your emergency?” Billy goes to speak but the words got caught in his throat, I mean, how could it not? What the fuck was he supposed to say? Hey, my friend and I got in a car accident because we were drunk then we found this weird fucking monster, send help right away please! The two of them started to panic when the light in the phone booth started flickering as their surroundings changed ”Is someone there? Hello—” the voice cut off when the light completely turned off, Billy hangs up the phone as he walks out of the phone booth. He hears a noise and starts walking towards it, flinching slightly when he felt something so he glanced down and saw [F/N] just as equally terrified as he was holding onto his arm and hand. He places his free hand on her shoulder then the two of them walked towards the fog where they heard footsteps coming towards them.

“What do you want?” Billy manages to croak out, voice shaky and not sounding like his usual self “Hey, I said what do you want?!” he was desperate for an answer but the two of them started to panic again when they saw a group of people coming towards them. Red lightning struck as the group of people came to a halt, instead two people from the crowd came walking towards them and they both equally froze when their vision cleared up and they were staring right back at themselves.

[time skip: the next day]

Steve stood in front of his full body mirror as he does his hair up, something he always does in the morning though it was usually done for naught because of that stupid little hat he has to wear that was apart of the uniform that was just as stupid. He sets his hairspray on his desk, looking at his iconic hair and touching it up for the nth time of that morning before nodding his head when he was satisfied with how it looked. With everything ready he picked up his keys and tucked them into his pocket then walked out of his bedroom with an extra skip on his step in his step, things were finally looking up for him that he couldn’t not be happy. His sister was home for the summer break, he’s actually enjoying work (kind of), he’s made friends with the girl at said work, his sister is dating said girl while he himself has gotten himself into a relationship that first started off rocky but evidently he fell in love with him. He wasn’t expecting to see his sister as he walked past her room, she was always gone in the morning to go pick up Robin, but he halted at her door when he saw the state she was in.

“[F/N]…?” he muttered softly, pushing open her door that was left open just a bit and his eyes widened when he saw her. She was sitting hunched over at the edge of her bed, elbows planted on her knees as her head rested on her interlocked fingers. She was panting heavily while sweating profusely, she looked downright horrible “Oh my god, [F/N]! Are you okay?” he exclaims as he rushed over to her side, kneeling down to try and get a look at her face and saw her face was pale while her [E/C] eyes were dull from their usual shine.

“Steve…” she weakly breathed out, he moved his hands to gently place a hand on her forehead and quickly withdrew it when he felt a burning sensation under his fingertips.

“You’re burning up, [F/N]!” he shouts then proceeds to push her onto her back so that she was lying on her bed but she shook her head, weakly pushing him back so she could get up.

“No, no… I need to get Robin, I promised to get her.” she weakly hits at his chest, letting out a whine when he grabbed her by her wrists to stop her futile attempts to get him off and gently lays her down on the bed.

“I’ll get her, okay? I think she’ll understand why you couldn’t get her if I tell her that you’re sick, alright? You’ll only worry her if you show up as the mess you are right now, besides, I don’t think you can drive in the state you’re in.” she lets out a groan, slapping her hands onto her face and dragging them down “I’ll open the window so it can help you can cool down, if there isn’t anything in the cabinets I’ll grab some shit from the pharmacy on my way back from work. Don’t do anything that’ll make you feel any worse than you already are.” she chuckles weakly, placing a hand on her chest and looking over at Steve.

“Since when were you the one… to look after me?” he just shook his head, he walks into her bathroom then later came out with a wet cloth to wipe away the sweat on her forehead then placed another wet and cold cloth on her forehead to help cool her down.

“Since my sister was the one that got fucked up in my stead.” she scoffed then hummed when she felt Steve cup her cheek, she leaned into his touch but winced when it got too hot for her liking and jerked away, he sighed sadly and retracted his hand from her “I’ll try and get off early so I can take care of you, alright? Don’t do anything to drastic while I’m gone.” she waves her hand.

“No promises…” she pants out as her hand dropped back down onto her chest, he sighs softly then knelt down to press a kiss to her temple then retreated out of her room to leave for work. Hours go by but not a single thing changed, she only felt worse and worse as she tried to calm her breathing down, tried to stop herself from sweating so much, but the summer heat was just becoming to unbearable. She closed her eyes as she tried breathing through her nose, a horrible mistake on her part when the memory of the night before came flooding back. Her fingers dug into her shirt when the flashing images of those rats scattering along the floor reappeared, being held down by some fucking monster as it forced something into her body. Her eyes snapped opened as she let out a scream, shooting up straight as she continued to pant, she takes the cloth off her head and throws it to the ground as she weakly makes her way to her bathroom. She leans her weight into the sink, her hands gripping onto the sink as her head hung loosely in front of her. She managed to lift her head to stare at her reflection, her vision slowly clearing up so she can get a good look at her reflection but then another flashback from last night appeared before her.

”What do you want…?” she managed to whimper out, her usual personality nowhere to be seen as she leaned closer into Billy’s side, who held onto her tightly but neither one of them could tear their eyes away from their doppelgängers.

”To build.” both doppelgängers said in unison, they even sound like them but their voices were slightly disoriented with a deep, echoing feeling to it. Billy and [F/N] manage to tear their eyes away from them to look at each other, nothing but confusion were seen on their faces ”I want you to build.”

“To build what?” Billy asks.

”What you see.” [F/N] shakes her head.

“I-I… I don’t understand.” they both flinch backwards when that same lightning struck and they were suddenly back on the side of the road, [F/N] all but collapses to her knees as she threads her fingers through her hair, her shoulders trembling at the terror the two of them witnessed. Billy was still standing as he looked around for wherever they could have gone, shaking his head.

“I don’t understand!”

“Ah!” she screamed at her reflection before proceeding to punch it, not bothering to remove her fist when the shattered glass fell into the sink and cut her hand. When her breathing calmed down she pulled her fist and let her trembling hand hang by her side, she took deep breaths through her nose before turning her head to the side “I need to talk to Billy…” she muttered softly then quickly left the bathroom, putting on her shoes and grabbing a jacket that had her keys in her pockets. The drive to the Hawkins community pool felt like a nightmare, her windows were all the way down and her AC was blasting to cool down her overheating body, but what freaked her out was when she was stopped at a red light. She perched her arm on the open window as her finger nervously tapped against the stirring wheel, she hissed in pain when she felt like she was being burn so she glanced down at her hand and furrowed her brows when she saw a burn mark forming on the back of her hand, she immediately pulls her arm back into the car. She pulls up to the pool and quickly hops out of her car, not bothering to lock it up and just simply slams the door shut and rushes into the pool. She spots Billy just as disoriented as she is, she didn’t waste any time to whistle to catch his attention, when his head shot up and looked for her, he managed to spot her waving her hand.

“[F/N]…?” he mumbles in confusion, he pushes himself up when he saw her waving him over, mouthing that they needed to talk. He all but jumps out of his seat and rushes over to her as fast as he could, stumbling with his footing but he managed to reach her in the end, grabbing her by her wrist and dragging her into the changing rooms, the showers specifically “What are you doing here?” she takes a shaky breath, holding her arms and digging her fingers into her jacket.

“Are we not going to talk about last night?” she asked, she inhales sharply as she runs her hands over her face “Have you been seeing things? Hearing things? I feel like I’m losing my mind…” she croaks out, she lets out a yelp when he grabbed her wrist again to look at the burn on her hand.

“What happened here?” her eyes trailed down his arm and noticed a similar looking burn on his elbow, they both started feeling hot again, [F/N] tears her jacket off but that isn’t enough and so Billy shoves her into the shower and turns on the cold water. They both silently soak in the water but start to get distracted when the pain in their burns starts aching, they’re both reaching for their wounds and grimace when they could hear something moving beneath their skin, the moment their hands grazed against the wound a flash of a monster appeared in their heads followed by high pitched screeching. They both fall to the ground, clutching their heads in agonising pain, pressing their heads into the tiled walls to try and lessen the pain but nothing was working, they were yelling in pain but it soon came to a halt when they heard a voice.

“Billy…?” [F/N] couldn’t recognise it, the two of them managed to push themselves back to lean against the wall behind them as they watched the girl kneel down in front of them “Billy. Take me to him.” they both stare at her in confusion.

“What?” they mutter.

“I said are you hurt?” she then looked in between the both of them as they continued to stare at her “What’s going on? I heard screaming. Should I call an ambulance?” she asked out of genuine concern, she then slowly backed away when she noticed the look of pain and confusion disappear and was replaced with one of malice. She lets out a scream when [F/N] shoots towards her, her hand slamming against her mouth to muffle her screams of terror whilst her other hand held both her wrists in an iron grip.

“I’m so sorry about this.” she whispers, she then pulls her up then slammed the back of her head against the ground to knock her unconscious. Both herself and Billy stand up and stare down at the unconscious girl then looked at each other and nodded.

[time skip: starcourt mall, scoops ahoy]

Robin felt a little deflated that entire day, first she wasn’t able to see [F/N] and Steve was the one to pick her up in her stead. She was confused when the younger Harrington pulled up to her house and so she obviously asked where her girlfriend was, the answer she got was a worried looking Steve telling her how awful [F/N] was and that she was very sick to the point she could barely move. Sure, she was worried for her girlfriend and completely understood why she couldn’t come get her, but she just couldn’t understand how she got sick. Last night she looked completely fine, only being a little tipsy but other than that, she was fine. Robin now found herself serving free samples to some little girl that was slowly getting on her last nerve, ready to pop a nerve, but then the sight of [H/C] hair her eyes.

“[F/N]?” she mumbled under her breath, wasn’t she supposed to be lying down in her bed at home? She shook her head and turned towards the window into the back room, throwing it open to get Steve and his little friend Dustin’s attention “Hey, Harrington! Man the counter, will you? I need to go check something out!” she shouts, choosing to ignore his shouts of protest as she abandons the counter and rushes out of the store, pushing past people to check if who she saw was actually her girlfriend. Her face lights up when she heard her familiar laughter so she turned the corner and was going to greet her but froze up at what she saw, there she saw [F/N] talking with some guy as he openly flirted and joked with and she was laughing at it.

“That is the dumbest pick up line I’ve ever heard, you dork.” he scoffs, bumping his shoulder against hers.

“But it made you smile, didn’t it?” she then shoved him back, not being able to hide the big smile on her face.

“Barely.” her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw [F/N] grab the guy by the collar of his jacket and pull him back, the two of them stumbling out of view. Robin grits her teeth and rushes over to where the two disappeared, she rounded the corner but was left flabbergasted when she saw neither of them, they just simply vanished. Maybe she was just seeing things, maybe she was just desperate to see [F/N] that she conjured her up, but why the hell was she shamelessly flirting with some random fucker? The end of the night came sooner than later, from seeing her girlfriend with some guy to helping her brother and some random child with a Russian translation, she was currently sitting in Steve’s passenger seat as he drove them to his house.

“Is she really sick?” Steve let out a dramatic sigh, rolling his eyes.

“Yes! How many times do I have to tell you, Robin? What you saw was definitely not [F/N]. For one, she’d never flirt with a guy. Two, she’d never let a guy flirt with her, because she’d either fight them or throw up.” that option made her chuckle, that sounded like her “My sister isn’t the type of person to cheat, okay? She actually beat that into me, so I highly doubt she would ever do something so frivolous.” Robin sighed, the back of her head hitting the car seat.

“I know… I think I’m just getting paranoid.” she jolts in her seat when Steve placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked at him and saw him giving her a reassuring look.

“Robin, if my sister does anything and says anything hurtful to you, you’ll tell me right?” he inhales through his nose and looks back towards the road “She doesn’t do or say things without meaning it. When she said she was in love with you, she meant it. When she said she wanted to be with me, she meant it. So if she somehow says she doesn’t want to be with you anymore… she’ll say it to you straight and she won’t do it behind your back, she isn’t like that. She isn’t one for hiding her feelings and she isn’t afraid to voice her opinions, rarely have I ever seen her bottle up her emotions. I don’t see any reason why she would ever go behind your back, but if she does anything to you that just doesn’t seem right, tell me. I’ll make sure to talk to her, so don’t worry about anything, alright?” she couldn’t help but get a little teary eyed, Steve smiled softly when Robin tearfully nodded her head.

“Alright, thank you.”

“No problem.” Steve then lets out a laugh when he pulled up to their house, gesturing to the driveway “Look at that, Robin! Her car is here.” Robin shrugs, sure, but it doesn’t cross out the possibility that she still left the house. Entering the Harrington household, Steve flips on the hallway lights and shuffles out of his shoes, letting out a slight grunt when Robin shoved past him to rush up the stairs to get to [F/N]. Steve told her that her condition was horrible, that she was sweating profusely and couldn’t stop her body from trembling, going so far as she couldn’t control her breathing. She needed to see this for herself, she needed to see how sick her girlfriend was to calm her mind of the image of her perfectly healthy girlfriend that she saw at the mall with some gu—

“S-Stevie…? Is that you?” Robin jerked backwards a little shocked after throwing the door open, there in the dark room with the hallway light to illuminate the room, was her girlfriend laying on her back whilst clutching her chest, looking just as terrible as Steve described “Stevie…?” she called out once more, she nearly tripped over her feet when she finally managed to move.

“N-No, [F/N], it’s me.” she saw [F/N] perk up at the sound of her voice and so turned her head towards her, smiling weakly when her eyes set on girlfriend.

“Robin…” she cooed, Robin smiled softly and knelt down, placing a hand on her forehead and let her thumb caress her skin “You’re here… why?” they hear Steve clear his throat, he decides not to turn on the light as he took a spot on the other side of Robin, standing over his sick sister who smiled at him.

“She wanted to see you, asking me after our shift to bring her here to check up on you.” Steve decided it would be for the best to keep Robin’s actual intentions a secret from his sister, it was the better option because that reason made [F/N] smile at the both of them.

“Y’all are saps…” she mumbled out, she then reached for Robin and gently tapped her shoulder “I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up this morning, I feel so awful for leaving you hanging like that.” Robin shook her head, taking her hand into here and squeezing.

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m just glad that your brother came and got me, would have sucked if I have to bike instead.” they both giggle at that, Steve smiled at his sister and her girlfriend, not understanding where Robin ever got the misunderstanding of [F/N] ever betraying her in the worst way. He then pulled a face when he realised why and swore in his head to never voice that stupid thought of his, he reached forward and placed his hand on [F/N]’s cheek and she leaned into his subtle touch.

“Your fever seems to have calmed down a little, did you take some tylenol?” she nods softly.

“Mm, I found some in my cabinet.”

“Alright, that’s good.” Steve has Robin help him with taking care of [F/N] to the best of their abilities, staying with her until she was drifting off to sleep, and when she finally did he pulled her out of the room and closed the door behind them “See? What did I tell you? She never left the house, Robin.” she nods her head, holding her arms.

“I know, I know. I just can’t help but feel insecure, you know? She’s totally out of my league, and yet she wants to be in a relationship with me! A nobody, a weirdo that’s apart of band and is employed in an ice cream shop.” Steve scoffs at that, placing his hands on his hips.

“That’s exactly what she likes about you, Robin. She finds it cool that you can play instruments.” she rolled her eyes bashfully, spinning one of her rings around with her thumb.

“Stop it.” Robin takes on last peek at [F/N] before finally leaving with Steve so he can take her home, it didn’t take long for the younger Harrington to return home nor did it take long for him to fall into a deep sleep. The moment silence fell upon the Harrington household [F/N] eyes shot open and she no longer looked sick anymore, she sat up and threw the covers off her body to reveal the clothes she was wearing were never changed. She shuffles out of her bed and walks over to her locked bathroom, pushing the door open to find the same boy Robin saw her with submerged in cold icy water. [F/N] did indeed see Robin in the corner of her eye when she was at the Starcourt Mall, that was the reason why she pulled that boy into empty hallway but she pulled him into an empty room before Robin could see them and proceeded to choke him out with little to no effort. 

She now found herself back at the abandoned steel works factory, exiting her car, she lifted her head to see Billy was there as well. Neither said a word to the other, just silently moving to the trunks of their cars and opening them up, finding their tied up victims unconscious, Billy lifts Heather into his arms while [F/N] throws the guy over her shoulder and the two of them walk side by side back down into the basement where it all started. Settling the two down, they hover over their unconscious bodies that slowly started regaining consciousness. Of course the two of them were unaware of the situation they were, blinking their eyes as they looked around in confusion, their eyes met and they were both confused when they saw their mouths were duck taped shut while their hands and feet were bound. Panic started to arise as they tried to free themselves, Heather letting out whimpers as she tried to shake free while the guy was screaming under the tape, they were both silenced when Billy grabbed Heather by her shoulders while [F/N] grabbed the other guy by his face and held his jaw in a tight hold.

“Don’t be afraid.” they said in an emotionless tone, both victims ceased their muffled cries and movements “It’ll all be over soon. Just stay very still.” they then remove the tape from their mouths before finally pulling away and stepping back, standing together as the same monster that did something to them crawled out of the shadows towards its latest victims, snarling at them as they screamed in terror. 

Billy and [F/N] could do nothing but watch.

[time skip: two days later]

The two of them continued to collect more and more victims for the monster to turn into mindless zombies, sometimes almost getting caught by their respective siblings, but they always managed to play it off. [F/N] remembered bringing a girl home she met in the middle of town, she recognised her as an old classmate friend and said how she wanted to reconnect. The girl was helpless against the mind controlled girl, struggling under her iron grip as she ties her hands up but was interrupted when the front door to the house was opened and in came walking Steve. He enters the kitchen and there he found his now healthy sister by the counter with an innocent smile on her face, waving her hand to greet him on his return home.  “Anything interesting happen today, [F/N]?” she only shrugged her shoulders.

“Same old, same old.” he was satisfied with the answer and ventures upstairs to his room, unaware of the whimpering girl under the counter wanting to cry out for him to save her from his crazy sister but could only whimper silently when [F/N]’s fingers dug into the meat of her face whenever she felt her struggle. She was now hauling her down into the basement of the factory, she hummed softly when she saw Billy and Heather already down there with two victims of their own “You’ve been busy, huh?” she mused, Billy glanced up at her and saw the girl over her shoulder.

“So have you.” 

[F/N] now found herself sane and sitting in her car, inhaling and exhaling softly as she watched the unknowing people walk by her, not knowing that she was picking out her latest few victims to bring to the monster. A pinch of her sanity was clinging to the back of her mind, she was already losing her mind because she could do nothing but watch her body go around kidnapping people and offering them up to this monster to do who knows what. She takes a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair before her eyes settled on a group of girls, she remembered one of them as a girl she hooked up with a few times while they were still in high school, this could be an easy catch because the other girl still had some lingering feelings for her. She rolls her neck, ready to do what she’s been doing for the past few days but her body suddenly fought against it. There were two fights going on in her mind right now, one was sweet talking this one time fling into bringing her and her friends back home to have some fun, possibly get them wasted out of their minds then bring them back to the factory, but the other was against it. This last piece of her sanity was fighting against that, she didn’t want to flirt with this girl, she didn’t want to tell her words that were rightfully reserved for her girlfriend. She lets out a groan, aching pain throbbing in her head as she tried taking control of her mind but ultimately lost when the pain became to unbearable.

“Don’t make this harder for you than it already is…” she muttered to herself, her voice not sounding like her own. Flicking down her sunglasses, she pulls at the collar of her jacket before finally opening the door to her car just as the girls were walking past her car. This obviously caught their attention, they were already checking out the ridiculously nice car but the moment [F/N] stepped out of the car the girl she hooked up with couldn’t help but freeze up when she saw her long time crush. [F/N] pretended to pay them no mind, throwing her car door shut and locked it, walking past the group of girls and as she walked further away, she stopped when the girl called out to her.

“H-Hey, [F/N]!” her friends snickered at how shaky her voice was as she stuttered over her words, she cursed at them but straightened up when [F/N] turned her head over her shoulder to look at the group.

“Yes?” she swallowed thickly, taking a step forward as she clutched onto the straps of her hand bag.

“D-Do you— do you remember me, by any chance?” her face flushed up when she tilted her head down, her sunglasses slipping down the bridge of her nose so she could see past the tinted lenses and at the girl in question “We were in the same chemistry class? We sat together and did a few projects together?” she was really hoping that [F/N] would remember, she took a step forward as she turned around fully, raising her hand to grab the frames of her glasses and pulled them down as she looked her up and down.

“Chemistry…?” she muttered to herself, looking up in thought then smirked down at her “Right, you’re— you’re Veronica, right? Veronica Gibbons?” her face lights up immensely because [F/N] Harrington remembered her, she actually remembered her! She enthusiastically nodded her head, reaching forward to grab her hand.

“Yes! I’m so happy you remember me.” her friends were giggling from behind her, knowing just how big of a crush she had on the female Harrington, also remembering how much she cried when she left Hawkins to study in a different state, but now she’s back as she has a chance to be with her. She then tilted her head when [F/N] pouted softly, taking off her glasses then biting the end of one of the frames.

“Actually, I’m still having a little trouble remembering, think you can help jog my memory up?” the group of girls giggled at the suggestion, Veronica turned back towards them and saw them gushing at her and giving her the thumbs up, gesturing for her to shoot her shot with [F/N].

“S-Sure.” 

Robin felt like she accomplished a mission. You could really do a lot with just twenty bucks, she exits the post office and stuffed the entire layout of the Starcourt Mall into her bag and jogs over to where she parked her bike, only slowing in pace when she heard soft giggling. Turning to see what the laughter was all about, she saw a group of girls gushing about how lucky their friend was, she thought nothing of it until the name “Harrington” left their lips. She then glanced over at the parked Mustang and immediately recognised it as [F/N]’s car, she then noticed that they kept glancing back towards the little alleyway and her insecurities started getting the best of her again. The name “Veronica Gibbons” left their loose lips and more thoughts started circulating in her head, she remembered that girl. She was definitely one of the best looking students during her year at Hawkins High School, she was that iconic popular girl that did cheerleading, was beautiful, smart and was wanted by the entirety of the male population. But there was a rumour that she was into girls, that she was into the particular Harrington that was untouchable, a heartbreaker who’s heart would never beat for anyone but her brother.

She didn’t hesitate to drop her bag on the ground and rush over to the alleyway, turning the corner and her heart stopped when she saw it. Veronica was pushing [F/N] back against the wall, her hands tightly gripping onto [F/N]’s biceps as she pressed her lips against her own. [F/N] didn’t bother reciprocating the loveless kiss, just let the shorter one of the two take the lead as she desperately kissed her. She tried not to think about it, she tried so hard not to think how awful she feels for playing with this girls feelings just because she couldn’t control her own body, she didn’t want to think about how much this was going to hurt Robin, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Veronica pulled away and gave [F/N] a sheepish smile, flushing up when she noticed that her lipstick smeared onto her lips, she turns away to avoid her intense gaze but a gasp left her lips when she noticed a figure at the end of the alleyway.

“[F/N]…?” her heart dropped into her stomach, visible fear in her eyes that were hidden under the tinted lenses of her sunglasses. Robin gritted her teeth when she saw Veronica pushed herself off of [F/N], clearing her throat and fixing herself up, excusing herself from the heartbroken Robin as she tearfully gazed at [F/N], who had yet to acknowledge her existence “[F/N], please… tell me that what I saw didn’t really happen.” [F/N] just let out a sigh, crossing her arms and leaned against the brick wall behind her, finally sparing Robin a glance that just wasn’t kind.

“What’s there to talk about?” Robin’s hand clenched into a tight fist, whoever this person was, it wasn’t her [F/N]. Her loving and sweet [F/N] who’d give her the world, who would fight the world just to see her happy, whoever this imposter was, she hated their guts for what they’ve done with her girlfriend. She marches over to her and stood in front of her, glaring up at her with a tearful gaze and saw that [F/N] had an indifferent expression on her face, like she didn’t care that she just got caught “You seem upset, little birdie.” she cooed out, Robin nearly keened at the nickname, any other time she would turn red, but right now she was filled with anger and anguish.

“Is this just a joke, [F/N]? Are you not going to acknowledge the fact that I just caught you kissing another girl, or the fact that you let that girl kiss you despite already being in a relationship with me?! Is she another relative of yours you and Steve forgot to bring up? If that’s the case, that’s really fucking weird.” Robin turns away, running a hand through her hair than back at her “I thought you loved me, [F/N]. I thought you said you wanted to be with me, but as of lately, I feel like you’ve become an entirely different person. Ever since that night, I haven’t seen a trace of the girl that said she was in love with me. What the fuck has happened to you, [F/N]!” Robin continued to rant and rave at the betrayal and [F/N] just took it, because another war was raging on in her head.

Take her.

Not her.

Bring her.

Ignore her.

Kill her. 

Spare her.

[F/N]’s fingers clawed at the wall behind her, her nails digging into the bricks to the point they were being crushed under her hold. Her teeth were biting down so hard on her lips to the point they were bleeding, she was trying to distract herself from the grotesque thought of bringing one of the few people that she loves to that fucking thing. She was trying so hard the past two days to avoid Steve and Robin, she was trying so hard to limit her time with those two because if she was with them for more than a couple minutes then she would lose all control of her body and she would hurt them. That was the last thing that she wanted, she didn’t want to hurt them, she didn’t want them to die all because she made one stupid decision. She said nothing as Robin continued to question what their relationship has come to after two days of her acting off, she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around Robin and tell her everything, tell her that everything is going to be okay and that kiss with Veronica whatever meant nothing to her. But she knew the moment her arms were around her, there was no letting go of her, and not for a good reason either. She wanted to do something to keep Robin away, give her a reason to avoid her, to never see her again.

“You’re making me think that everything about our relationship was for nothing!” she shouts, tears now running down her face, oh how she wanted to wipe those tears away but she didn’t want to touch her with the hands that have been the cause of people losing their minds and possibly their lives “Was there absolutely nothing, nothing special about our relationship?” Robin stood their panting in front of [F/N], the girl silently looking down at her.

“… are you done?” she flinched back at the harsh words.

“Wha—”

“Was anything in our relationship special? Wow, you were really deep in that delusional fantasy of yours, huh? Well, let me tell you something, Buckley.” she harshly jabs her finger into Robin’s chest, causing her to stagger backwards as each jab got harsher and harsher at each step she took “Your love for me was nice, it was, but it’s gotten boring. There’s nothing about you that excites me anymore, so yeah, maybe our relationship was for nothing.”

“[F-F/N]…” she lets out a whimper when her back was no pressed against the opposite wall, [F/N] looming over her with a dark look on her face.

“There is no us, not anymore. I don’t need you.” [F/N] makes sure to grab her by the jaw, lifting her up off the ground as she glared down at her “You mean nothing to me.” Robin lets out a whimper when she felt her nails digging into her skin, she spares her a glance through her teary eyes and when she looked into [F/N]’s eyes, there was no warmth but dull and empty eyes staring right back at her. She let out a gasp when [F/N] dropped her, letting her collapse to the ground and grovel at her feet. She turned on her heel and started walking away, ignoring how much she wanted to stop and apologise to Robin, how this isn’t what she wanted but this was the hill she was going to die on if it meant that Robin was safe from her ”And Buckley, don’t even think about telling Stevie about this, not that he’ll even be on your side in the first place. I’m his sister, he loves me, and you? You’re nothing but a coworker he has to put up with.” she didn’t even bother looking back at Robin when she finally left the alleyway, leaving Robin to wallow up with a broken heart as she cried out in anguish.

“[F/N]?” she let out a hum, turning towards Veronica who now sat in her passenger seat while her friends were excitingly sitting in the back “Are you alright?”  “Why wouldn’t I be, sweetheart?” she flushed at the pet name, she points at her face.

“You’re crying…” her eyes widened softly at that, glancing down at her face to see a single tear running down her cheek, she chuckles softly at that and wipes it away with her thumb.

“Just a little dust that got in my eye, nothing to worry about.”

Hours go by and night has enveloped Hawkins, to which [F/N] was currently loading the drunk, unconscious and tied up girls into her car once more. Getting them completely intoxicated took no trouble whatsoever, they were more than happy to get wasted with the more popular Harrington. [F/N] herself was drinking away her sorrows after breaking up with Robin, wanting nothing more then to numb the pain and forget that look of pain and betrayal on Robin’s face, but it’ll forever be burned into the back of her mind. She lets out an exhausted sigh after loading the last of the girls into the backseat, rolling her shoulders after walking back and forward from the house and her car repeatedly. Steve had yet to return from Scoops Ahoy despite how late into the night it was becoming so she was taking his absence as an opportunity to get everything done. Driving to the factory wasn’t as eventful, driving legally to avoid unwanted attention so she doesn’t get pulled over, when she reached the basement she was quite surprised to see the state Billy was in.

“Fuck happened to you?” she questions, quietly offering up the girls to the monster then returned to his side with a rag and some water “You look like you got the shit beaten out of you.” he looked up at her, letting her clean up the blood and sweat “That girl, was it her?” he nods.

“Yeah. It was her.” she nods softly, taking his hand and wiping away the blood on his knuckles “She knows now. She knows about me. She could’ve killed me.” she nods again, she puts the rag down and gently pats his hand.

“Yes, but not us. Not us.” they then glance at the crowd of people they’ve either managed to kidnap altogether or were infected by the rats that were controlled by the monster “There’s no way she’ll know that there are more of us. She could barely handle you, so what makes her think she can handle all of us?”

“You’re right.”  “I know. Our time is nearly upon us, so we needn’t worry until then.”

[the next day, with the party]

The party along with Jonathan and Nancy were all hunkered down in the Wheeler household in the basement, each discussing what had happened the following night and their latest discoveries. The children told the two young adults how the Mind Flayer had returned and that Billy Hargrove was under its control, in return they told the party how an old woman, Mrs Driscoll, was found eating fertiliser and was acting crazy. Nancy then deducted how that since the attack last night along with their sauna test happened at the same time, the possibility of the Mind Flayer flaying more than just Billy.

“Billy was doing something to her, but there was someone else as well.” they all look at El when she spoke up, she looks at Max “There was another girl, but she looked more worried for him.” she closed her eyes to remember seeing Billy, she remembered seeing that girl who looked terrified as she called out for Billy.

“Another girl? What did she look like?” Max urged, maybe if they find this girl she could help them find Billy and maybe even the Mind Flayer.

“Um, she was tall, maybe about Billy’s height. She had [H/C] hair, [E/C] eyes and a few beauty marks on her neck and face.” she closed her eyes to remember any other features that stood out to her “Her eyes, though, her eyes reminded me a lot of Steve’s.” this subtle feature caught Nancy’s attention, her face lighting up in remembrance, this caused the others to look at her when she started snapping her fingers.

“W-Wait— Wait right there.” the others watch as Nancy rushed out of the basement, questioning what she was planning on grabbing, and when she returned she had a handful of polaroids and a few articles “El, is the girl you’re describing… her?” El leans forward to see Nancy was looking through the photos before pushing a certain article towards her, she ignores the headline as her eyes zone in on the picture. They she saw the girl she saw through her vision but this time she had a giant grin on her face, a bit of a crazed expression on her face as she stuck her tongue out while one of her hands was doing the rock on devil horns.

“Y-Yes, yes! That’s who I saw,” Nancy and Jonathan share a look of disbelief “W-Who is she?”  “That’s Steve’s sister! That’s [F/N] Harrington!” this caused the lot of them to lurch forward and look all the pictures of said Harrington “I remember her being back in town, but to think that she and Billy were actually friends.” she muttered under her breath, Max was looking at a picture had in his hands and her eyes widened when she too recognised her face.

“Holy shit.” Max says, now they look at her when they saw her pick up a different photo, this time it was of a polaroid of the girl at a party, sitting on a couch with her legs over the arm rest as she was chugging down an entire bottle of vodka “That’s Billy’s girlfriend.” now Nancy and Jonathan were in even more shock.

“Fucking, what?!” Max nods her head.

“I’ve seen her around the house a couple times, and whenever she’s around he’s a lot more happier. I remember hearing a girls laughter from his room and when I came in to see what it was…” she shudders at the memory, shaking her head “It wasn’t particularly a fun sight.” the certain memory she’s remembering back to was when she, Steve and Robin snuck into Billy’s room through his window with some weed and alcohol they were planning on sharing with each other. None of them had realised Max was home until they heard her calling Billy’s name followed by her footsteps, Robin and Steve were quick to hide away and when [F/N] attempted to jump out the window, she instead tripped over her own feet and landed on top to Billy, that was when Max walked into the room and misunderstood the entire situation. All the residents of the Hargrove/Mayfield household are one hundred percent convinced that the two are in a relationship, this fact was rather beneficial for the both of them.

“I heard rumours going around that Billy was dating [F/N], but I never believed them.” Jonathan admits “But it makes it all the more believable that the two of them were together.”  “Then do you think she’s flayed? Like Billy?” Nancy takes a breath.

“There’s only one way to find out.” they now find themselves driving to the Harrington household, all feeling concerned and anxious. Nancy was the most worried because she’s witnessed firsthand what the older Harrington was capable of, she was already crazy as is and would only tone it down when her younger brother was in the picture. She loved her brother to bits that the moment someone looked at him wrong she didn’t hesitate to beat their asses with a chair, she remembered how she got arrested for nearly beating a kid near death because they threatened to kill her brother. They reap what they sow, no? Pulling up to the house, Jonathan and Nancy recognise the car that’s in the driveway, it was [F/N]’s infamous Mustang that could rival Billy’s Camaro when it came down to public disturbance.

“Is there anything about her that we should be careful about?” Jonathan looks up in thought as they approach the front door.

“Um, if you thought Billy was bad… I’d say she’s worse.” they pale at that, she’s worse than Billy? “But if you get on her good side, she’s actually a pretty decent person, nice even.” Nancy nods her head, agreeing with what he’s saying. The two now stood in front of the two, both equally hesitating to knock because they share an equal fear of the female Harrington, Nancy was the one to take a deep breath and knock on the door. They waited for a while for the door to open, awkwardly looking around to pass the time, they hear stumbling footsteps and a few things getting knocked over before the door was open. Nancy and Jonathan reel backwards when the smell of alcohol hit their faces, there in front of them was the sight of a depressed and intoxicated [F/N] that was leaning against the doorframe to keep herself from falling to the ground while in one of her hands was a bottle of tequila. 

This is not what the party were expecting.

“Who the fff… phuck are you?” [F/N] slurred out, clearly not in the right state of mind and very much drunk.

“Is that you… [F/N]?” Nancy asked, very much unsure that the girl in front of her was the Harrington that she knew. [F/N] was one to get drunk at the oddest times of the day, but it looked like she had been crying, and she does not shed tears for anything or just about anyone. [F/N] giggled drunkenly, swaying softly before lifting the bottle of tequila and taking a long swig from it, letting out a satisfied breath as the alcohol burned her throat.

“Yeah? What’s it to you?” [F/N] was going to ignore the bothersome people who came knocking at her door while she was trying to wallow up in sadness, ready to just outright slam the door in their faces but paused when in her drunken eyes she could just make out who exactly the girl is “W-Who are you?” she stuttered out, Nancy swallows thickly, patting her dress to smooth it out.

“Um, it’s me, Nancy Wheeler?” [F/N]’s blood starts to run cold, sobering up just at the mention of the name “I dated your brother a while ago, and we’ve met a couple times when we weren’t dating?” the silence scared them, maybe it was because [F/N]’s drunken state disappeared as she stared Nancy dead in the eyes and wouldn’t break eye contact no matter how many times Nancy looked away or turned her head away, [F/N] just continued to stare at her. Soon, a soft smile appeared on her face as she chuckled softly, she then leaned down to put the bottle of tequila on the ground then reached forward to grab Nancy by the sides of her head. The others watch in confusion as [F/N] gently caressed her face but it changed when she leaned her head back then slammed her forehead right into the bridge of Nancy’s nose hard enough to break it. She let go of her head and let her fall back onto the ground, not really caring as the girl cried out in pain and clutched onto her nose, she then leans back down to pick up her tequila as the children and Jonathan surround Nancy.

“Oh my god, Nancy!” Mike shouts as he falls to his knees, comforting his sister as she tried to stop her bleeding nose “What is wrong with you?!” he shouts up at [F/N], who once again threw her head back as she downed another swig from her bottle, completely ignoring him.

“I don’t like you, Wheeler.” she sneers out, taking a step forward and glaring down at the girl “I know what my brother did to you and Byers over there back in 83′, as his older sister I apologise, but what you did to him last year? He told me everything, how the girl he wanted to be with said everything between them was bullshit, then went and ran straight into the arms of the guy she told him not to worry about. You should’ve thought twice before showing your face to me, Wheeler, because now you’re on my number one hit list.” she makes the “I’m watching you” gesture with her fingers then turned around to go back into her house, only stopping when Jonathan used his foot to keep the door from closing properly.

“Wait, [F/N]!” she glared at him “We really need to talk to you.” she scoffs, throwing her head back.

“About what?”

“About Billy.” she was in the middle of taking another long swig from her bottle but froze up at the mention of Billy, slowly lowering the bottle to look at the older Byers “We really need to talk about him, and we’d appreciate it if you could tell us everything you know about him that’s happened in the past couple of days.” she stared at the lot of them being letting out a sigh, that’s where they found themselves in [F/N]’s kitchen as her drunken rage turned into a sob fest.

“You know?! I feel like he’s been acting different as of lately, and— and that he’s been distancing himself! I feel like he’s become a completely different person!” she cried from where she was seated, the others all sat across from her as her body moved dramatically “Then he broke up with me, saying how it was for the best! What the fuck does that mean?! Why does breaking up with me the best for us?! I still wanted to be friends, but I couldn’t even have that either! So here I am, drinking myself into a stupor!” she shouts and goes to drink again but let out a whine when nothing came out, pulling it away from her lips and tipping the bottle only for a few droplets to come pouring out. The others all glance at each other and watch as she moved to a wine cabinet to grab a bottle of expensive looking wine.

“She’s totally not flayed, right?” Lucas questioned, Mike shook his head.

“Not a chance.” they all wince when she trips into the wine cabinet, no chance.

“Hey, where can I get some ice?” Jonathan asked, [F/N] looked back towards him before shakily pointing at the fridge.

“Should be some in the freezer, Byers. Help yourself out.” Jonathan nods and goes to get some but Mike was already on his feet to grab it himself, wanting to soothe his sister’s pain, at least Max and El stopped the bleeding. He’s in front of the fridge and about to open the freezer but stopped when he saw a picture hanging on the fridge, taking a closer look, his eyes widened at what he saw. There he saw [F/N], Steve, Billy and that cashier that works with Steve, Robin Buckley if he remembered correctly, standing together with wide smiles and looking happy “Mike, the ice!”

“Oh, right, sorry!” he opens the freezer and grabbed the ice tray, handing it to Jonathan, and closed the freezer door but continued to look at the picture just as [F/N] came over “When did you take this?” she let out a confused noise and leaned forward to see what he was looking at, they all watch as she froze up once again, her hand lifting up from her side to look at the photo. It was during the time when they were at the fair, Steve wanted to take a photo and there was no saying no to Steve. [F/N], Robin, Steve and Billy, in that order, stood together and took a round of different photos and each kept one, right below it with the caption “night of 85′ where it started”. She closed her eyes as a bitter look crossed her face, nothing will be the same ever again and that memory of the four of them happy together will be one of her fondest memories.

“It… doesn’t matter.” she lets out, grabbing the corner of the picture she yanks it off the fridge and tucks it into her pocket “A-Anyways, what’s this about Billy? What’s he done that’s caused you lot to come to me?” El was the one to speak, reaching forward to hold [F/N]’s hand.

“We would like to know if… if you’ve been with him in the past few days, if by chance you’ve been feeling strange.” she stares down at her hand in confusion, she doesn’t pull her hand back though and just simply squeezes it.

“Well, if drinking before five counts as weird, then not particularly, no.” they all sigh at that, she pulls her hand away and crossed her arms, humming to herself whilst looking up in thought “Um, he and that Heather Holloway have been acting weird together. He doesn’t usually hang out with that girl, but the way he talked about her was weird. He even dressed modestly when planning on having dinner with her parents, and that man usually dresses like a complete whore.” they look at her weirdly as she snaps her fingers, she lets out a grunt as she popped the cork off the wine bottle and proceeded to pour herself glass.

“Heather Holloway?” [F/N] nods her head, head falling backwards as she brings the glass to her lips and drinks the wine “Alright, anything else?” she begrudgingly looked off to the side, thinking of anything else that came to mind.

“Uh, he told me he had been planning on visiting this old lady in the hospital? Does that mean anything to you?” she noticed them all visibly flinch, sharing knowing looks with each other “Telling by the looks on your faces, I guess that was helpful?” she questioned, her face scrunched up when Nancy nodded her head in her direction.

“Very!” she bit her tongue and shrunk back when [F/N] glared at her, El grabbed [F/N]’s hand once more and shook it lightly.

“Billy is in trouble, and what you’ve told us has helped our chances on finding him and helping him.” El’s face lifted up when she noticed the way [F/N]’s face softened up at that, she pursed her lips as she averted her eyes from the girl.

“I hope he hasn’t gotten himself into anything too dangerous.” they all hated how that wasn’t the case, with everything they got out of the drunk yet slightly sobering up Harrington, they left just as quickly as they arrived. Will was the last out the door but he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his hand immediately slaps onto his neck and he turned around to see [F/N] following them out so she can shut the door behind them. She felt his gaze so she looked down at him to see what he wanted, the chill went away when her drunken eyes looked him up and down “What?” he nervously shook his head.

“N-Nothing.” she narrowed her eyes on him but evidently shrugged her shoulders, the moment they were at their car she slammed the door shut, not waiting for them to pull out of the driveway.

“Will, are you alright?” Mike asked, his hand reaching over to gently grab his hand, Will looked up at Mike and gave him a nervous smile as he nodded his head.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good.” [F/N] stood in her empty kitchen, wine glass in her hand as she tapped her finger against the marble countertop. If she played her roll well enough, the group will probably go and investigate the Holloway household then make their way to the hospital to check on poor old Mrs Driscoll, she was now rolling her fingers against the counter.

“Well, why not give them a surprise for snooping in things they shouldn’t go poking their heads in?” she laughs to herself, downing the rest of wine in her glass before proceeding to round a few other flayed people to come help her.

[later at night]

The party arrive at the hospital when the sun was down and it was late into the night, they quickly rush out of the car and towards the hospitals entrance, completely unaware of the Ford Mustang that was parked not to far away from where they were. Per hospital visits, only two people were allowed to visit a patient at a time so Nancy and Jonathan went ahead while the others lingered around the waiting room. The two walk down the hallway to get to Dorris Driscoll’s room in silence, but to be honest, it was a little too quire despite it being a hospital. They hadn’t seen a single nurse or doctor since they arrived at the floor, it was rather unusual but they shrugged it off with that it wasn’t that busy of a night. Entering the room, they were met with the sight of Mrs Driscoll nowhere to be seen while the flowers Nancy brought and placed into a vase were knocked over.

“Where is she?” Jonathan asks as they scan the room, Nancy shakes her head.

“I don’t know.” she answers as she rushes towards the fallen vase, Jonathan following right behind her.

“Are you sure this is the right room?”

“Yeah.” they both then look up when the lights started flicking on and off, footsteps were heard from the hallway until a figure appeared at the door, the two turned around just as the figure spoke.

“She’s gone home.” there they see Tom Holloway, appearance looking disheveled as his hands and end of his button up were covered in blood “We were hoping you might come back.” the two start backing away when Tom enters the room and starts approaching them slowly, Jonathan raises his arm in front of Nancy to keep her behind him as they inched further and further away from Tom.

“Who’s blood is that?” Tom doesn’t answer him as he gets closer to them.

“Tom, whatever you’ve done, it’s not you. He’s making you do this.” now that they were practically within arms length from Tom, Jonathan didn’t take any chances and grabbed the vase, smashing it into the side of Tom’s head. The older man fell into the wall giving Jonathan and Nancy a chance to flee out of the room, they didn’t get far when another flayed appeared down the hall with a wound exactly where Jonathan hit Tom with the vase.

“Owie.” he feigns the pain as he caressed where his temple was bleeding but it healed, black veins bulging out from his temple as he started walking towards them.

“Go, go, go!” Jonathan shouts, pushing Nancy towards the staircase in an attempt to escape the two flayed men. The two of them are racing down the stairs, they aren’t really aware what floor they’re on but they don’t want to take any chances as they’re running down the hall, going further and further they see the dead bodies of the hospital workers, at least they now knew whose blood that was “This way, this way!” he shouts as he pulls Nancy down a part of the hospital that had construction being done, the two men that were chasing them weren’t even running and were just simply walking at a steady pace.

“You haven’t got them yet?” Bruce glanced over to see [F/N] on a chair, body hunched over with her elbows resting on her knees. Beneath her foot was a nurse whimpering, crying silently as [F/N] pressed the heel of her shoe into her head and slowly applied more pressure as the nurse squirmed to get free “How hard is it to grab those two idiots?” she questioned.

“Just playing a little game of cat and mouse, that’s all.” she chuckled cruelly, shaking her head.

“Get them before they cause us more trouble. That girl isn’t here to assist them, so one of you should be enough to handle them both, alright?” he nods his head and rushed off to go find Nancy and Jonathan, not like that would be hard. She finally turned her attention to the crying nurse who looked up at her, eyes pleading with her to let her go “It’s a shame that you weren’t able to see the world he was going to create, but I guess it’s better for you not to stay and find out.” [F/N] then reached over to the axe that was resting against the wall, both her hands and the blade drenched in blood of the various victims that were claimed that night. She now aimlessly walked the hospital halls, whistling a random tune as she felt the flayed Bruce find the two and so she made her way over to where they were, Bruce was chasing after Nancy as she screamed for help while Tom was making his way over to where Jonathan was.

Find them.

Kill them.

Erase them.

Annihilate them.

“They’re working on it.” she murmurs under her breath, getting closer and closer to where Tom was with Jonathan, he was playing with his food. She shook her head, maybe it was wrong to bring those two along with her and she probably should have brought two other peo— she suddenly let out a grunt, her head being thrown back as she stumbled into the wall. She brought a hand to her mouth and saw black blood bleeding from her mouth, she drops the axe when she felt another impact smash her across the face and she finally fell to the ground. She was growling under her breath, panting as she starts pushing herself up but fell back when another smash to the head was delivered to Bruce while Jonathan stabbed Tom in the neck. The shared pain they felt sucked and had [F/N] grovelling on the floor, both hands slapped around her neck as black bleed bled from her face and neck, her veins then started bumping black as they started turning visible “You worthless… imbeciles!” she roared out, the Mind Flayer gifted her and Billy more power since they were the first to turn into his mindless zombies, so their regenerative abilities were superb in comparison to the rest. While Bruce and Tom lay motionless on the floor she picked herself back up, rolling her neck and hearing it crack under the pressure, she leans down to pick the fallen axe up and dragged it behind her to find the two causing them so many problems. 

She was greatly irritated, gripping onto the axe with so much force that the wood started to crack under her hold. Those two had one simple job to do and they failed horrendously to the point that their bodies turned into goop, she heard the sound of panting so she looked over and saw a doctor she thought she had killed, dragging himself along the floor to get to safety. The moment he heard footsteps he thought he was saved so he turned to see his saviour but his face fell at the sight of an enraged [F/N], dragging her axe behind her and leaving a trail of blood behind her. The doctor let out a cry as he tried crawling away again but was stopped when she stomped on his back, she brings the axe above her head and swing it down, landing a clean hit into the back of his skull and killing him. Blood splattered onto her face as she didn’t bother wiping it off, just simply yanked the axe out of his head and continued on with her journey. She was walking down the hall when she saw the goop of what was Tom and Bruce form into the monster, a miniature version of the Mind Flayer.

“Now look what you’ve done with yourself.” she speaks, walking out from the hallway as her body was drenched in a mixture of black and red blood, she then turned her head and a wicked smile spread across her face at the sight of Jonathan “There you are~” she cooed, now standing beside the Mind Flayer as she stared Jonathan down while the monster stared at Nancy.

“[F-F/N]…?” they both stutter out, she giggled to herself, throwing the axe over her shoulder and bounced it lightly.

“The one and only.” she winks at Jonathan then turns towards the monster, lifting the axe up to point at it “You had one job, right? One! And you failed it, immensely. All you had to do was kill them, and you couldn’t even do something so simple to the point you’ve gone and turn yourself into that. Good job, really, good job.” she shook her head in disappointment as the monster lets out a whine, knowing that the original Mind Flayer favours her and Billy over the rest.

“[F/N], w-what have you done?” Nancy whispers out as she looked the older Harrington up and down seeing she was covered in blood that just wasn’t hers as her veins were pumping with black blood “You were flayed? For how long?!” she cries out, she just shrugs.

“Does it matter? You’ll be dead anyways.” she looks back up at the monster and whistles, pointing with her thumb towards Nancy “Get her, I’ll deal with the other one. You won’t have trouble with this, will you?” she chuckles when it lets out a roar and starts charging towards her, she in turn starts marching over to where Jonathan is.

“Shit.”

“Nancy! Run!” she immediately backs into the door to the staircase but let out a panicked cry when sandbags were keeping the door from opening fully, Jonathan starts to panic as well because the monster was quickly closing the distance between the two of them and [F/N] was also getting closer to him. When Nancy manages to break through the door and run away he felt a sense of relief but it didn’t last when [F/N] was on him, he grabs one of the IV poles to defend himself but lets out a grunt when she kicked him in the chest, he evidently falls to the ground because of this.

“I’m really going to enjoy this, I never really liked you anyway, creep.” she lets out a grunt as she tries slamming the axe down on him but he managed to roll away just in time. He’s pushing himself back to get away from [F/N] as she leisurely strides after him, dragging the bloodied axe behind her in an almost taunting way “I don’t even need to do much to influence this body into wanting to kill you, it’s already rather homicidal and her hatred for you and that other girl is pretty deep.” Jonathan manages to push himself onto his feet and starts running away from her but in a way that he was chasing after the monster and Nancy.

“Is this because I beat her brother up and Nancy broke up with him?!” she only shrugs, easily matching his pace as she chased after him.

“Probably, but she was already crazy even before that, I’ve just pushed aside her rationality.” she swings at him again but he ducks out of the way, wincing when the axe made contact with the wall and a crack formed under the impact “Her love for her brother is both her weakness and her strength. She’d do anything for him; anything.” she’s swinging at him left and right, him narrowly dodging out of the way when he’s finally at the hallway where he sees the miniature Mind Flayer at a door that he believes Nancy has locked herself in.

“No, Nancy!” this was his shortcoming when he froze up, watching as the monster lost its physical form to turn back into a state of goop so it could slip under the cracks of the door. He was kicked in the back and fell onto his stomach, he pushes himself onto his back but let out a grunt of pain when she hit him with the butt of the axe, causing him to fall limp onto his back and daze him.

“No more running, little Jonathan. You’re making my job harder than it needs to be, so just sit still,” she starts, raising the axe over her head and smiling crazily down at him “and let me kill you.” she laughs wickedly and finally swings the axe down, having a clean shot to kill Jonathan but the axe is stopped inches away from his face. He gasped, eyes widen in shock as he stared up at the blade while [F/N] in turn was confused, letting out a strained grunt as she tried pushing it down but it wasn’t budging.

“Jonathan!” the two of them whip their heads around and see the party down the hall, El’s hand stretched out a stopping the blade from meeting Jonathan’s face. They all flinch back at the vicious look in [F/N]’s eyes, god, she looked exactly like Billy during the sauna test. El didn’t waste any time as she raised her hand, this motion caused the axe in her hands to move away from Jonathan, and because she was still holding the axe in her hands, El used it to send [F/N] flying back and pin her to the wall with it pressed against her throat, just like Billy.

“Holy shit, she was flayed the whole time!” Lucas shouts as they all rush towards Jonathan to help him up, they all spare [F/N] a glance and saw she was growling at them, letting out a animalistic roar as she pushes against the axe that was keeping her at bay, El in turn was putting more power into keeping [F/N] still “Does that mean she lured us here?!”

“It doesn’t matter now!” Mike shouts, they all shudder when [F/N] starts giggling maniacally “Why the hell are you laughing?!”

“You dumbasses a-are… are exactly where I want you.” Mike shakes his head.

“Really? But aren’t you the one being pinned to the wall right now?” she continues to laugh, her head rolling backwards and resting against the wall behind her. The dark blood pumping through her veins become more visible as she lets out another roar, finally managing to push El’s hold off of her and throw the axe towards them, they all duck out as the way just as she lands on the ground with a heavy thud.

“Jeez, way to go dickwad.” Max sneers at him, [F/N] wipes away the blood dripping down her nose as she leaned down to pick up the fallen axe. She throws her head back, running a hand through her hair as she laughs again, El is panting as she ignores the blood running down her nose.

“What’s so funny?” blood is running down her face and she can’t tell whether it’s hers or not, but she doesn’t care as she looks down at the children, she throws her axe over her shoulders and motions with her eyes to the room behind them.

“Aren’t you forgetting about someone?” at the mention of that they heard a scream, they all turn their heads towards the door and [F/N] laughs once more “I know a fight I can’t win when I see one, so here’s how this is going to go. You lot have two options. Option one, I run away and you lot are given the chance to save Nancy from meeting her inevitable end because you choose to save her instead of chase after me. Or option two, you give up on little Miss Nancy to chase after little ol’ me, this gives you the chance to learn things about where the monster is and what he’s planning on doing, but this also means that Wheeler meets her end. So what’s it gonna be? Are you going to be the hero that saves the damsel in distress, or the hero that sacrifices her to save the world?” she doesn’t wait for them to answer as she’s already running in the opposite direction, El raises her arm to stop her but flinched when she heard Nancy’s cry for help.

“El, leave her! Please, you’ve got to save Nancy! You’ve got to save my sister!” Mike cries out, tears swelling in his eyes when Nancy’s screams got louder, he then desperately tugs on her arm “Please, El! Please!” El’s eyes were still on [F/N]’s retreating figure, growling softly under her breath when she saw the light smirk on her face before she turned the corner and disappeared. [F/N] was pouting softly as she exits the hospital, spinning the axe around her wrists, and was slightly disappointed she couldn’t kill Jonathan or that Nancy. Oh well, there was still plenty of time to get them next ti— she jumped up in surprise when the monster was thrown out of the room and landed right beside her, she looked up from where it fell and saw the lot peering outside the window, she then gives them a two fingered salute before rushing over to her car and driving away as the monster turns itself into goop once more to escape through the sewers.

“… so which one of us is telling Steve?” Lucas murmurs, they all pale at that. Back with [F/N], she finally reaches the factory, letting out a groan as she walks down the stairs to the basement, hand on her neck while rolling her neck as the axe rested on her shoulder.

“You look like hell.” she scoffs at Billy, wiping the blood on her face with the back of her hand.

“I feel like hell. I couldn’t get shit done because the two idiots I brought with me were of no help whatsoever.” the goop that escaped from the hospital the appears, slithering towards the original to merge with it, it grows in size as the two stare up at it.

“It’s time.”

[time skip: the next day]

El sat in front of the TV that was playing nothing but static, a blindfold over her eyes to help her focus on finding where the Mind Flayer could possibly be while the others sat back and watched her overexert herself. She was panting as she tried so hard to keep pushing herself but in the end she couldn’t anymore and ripped the blindfold off her eyes, she now found herself in the kitchen getting a glass of water, gulping it down until the glass was completely empty. The others were discussing what they should do, they could possibly go and find [F/N] but they didn’t want to take the chance on fighting the newly psychopath and she probably wasn’t going to be home, the other option was Billy who definitely was home but him being there was just a trap waiting for them. El set her empty glass on the kitchen counter and let her eyes wander under until they landed on a box of lucky charms, staring at the rainbow, she got bitter flashbacks of her mother but then an idea struck in her head that she went back to the ground.

“It’s too risky.”

“Yeah, and unnecessary. Killing the flayed won’t stop the Mind Flayer. We have to find out where it’s spreading from. We have to find the source.”

“Billy and [F/N] know it.” they all turn to El when she entered the room “They’ve both been there, to the source. She even said that if we went after her and caught her, we could’ve learned where the Mind Flayer was.” Mike shook his head.

“Yeah, but—”

“It’s a trap, I know. We can’t go to Billy or [F/N], but I think there’s another way. A way for me to see where they’ve been.” she’s sat in front of the TV once more with a blindfold over her eyes, concentrating on the static noise coming from the TV. She takes a deep breath and concentrates until she finds herself in the void and in the distance she can see something. As she gets closer she finds herself staring down at Billy and [F/N] sitting beside each other on what she assumes is Billy’s bed, [F/N] had her eyes closed as she rested her head on his shoulder and Billy himself was sitting up straight while staring into nothing. The one thing the two of them were doing was holding each other’s hand, occasionally squeezing, as her other arm was wrapped around her waist as his other hand rested on his knee. El now stood in front of the two, who weren’t completely unaware that she was there, but they both had a feeling that someone was there. El lets out a shaky breath as she reaches down, grabbing both of their free hands “Billy… [F/N]. I want to see. I want to see what happened.” Billy raises his head and [F/N] opens her eyes, El could see the tears in their eyes as they stared up at her, she lets out a gasp when the hands she was holding let go of hers and instead held a tight grip on her forearm. She tries to break free but neither one of them were letting go, their hold on her only tightened as she fought against them but when they did let go of her, she falls back but their memories of everything they’ve done flashed in her head. From [F/N] and Billy killing people, from them kidnapping people, from them hurting people, from the Mind Flayer infecting the two of them, from the very beginning when Billy crashed and [F/N] rushing to come to his aid.

El let out a grunt when she fell onto the concrete sidewalk, she groans as she rubs the back of her head and slowly pushed herself up so her hands were holding her up, she looked around and saw that she was on some random street that she couldn’t recognise but the sun was up and there weren’t many people around, it was practically empty. She finally pulls herself onto her feet and starts walking around, maybe trying to find someone or something she can recognise. She lets out a gasp when she heard laughter so she goes to turn around and see what it was but paused when a young child, a little girl, ran past her laughing to her hearts content. Looking her up and down, she wore a [F/C] sweater and shorts while her hair was tied up with a hair tie that had small little ladybugs on it, the girl laughed again before turning around and waving her hand in the direction El was standing in.

“Stevie, come on! You’re so slow.” El gasps softly and when she turns around she sees the child version of Steve Harrington, he looked to be about ten years of age, pushing a bike where the girl was standing “Didn’t you ask me to teach you how to ride a bike?” Steve pants as he walks past El and towards his older sister.

“You’re not the one pushing the bike [F/N].” he complains, she just rolls her eyes.

“Stop being such a big baby, dingus.” he pouts, El follows them and finds that they’re in some neighbourhood in Hawkins that has smooth terrain for Steve to ride his bike. El smiled softly seeing [F/N] tease Steve while he in turn was crying at her to stop, she did eventually stop when she saw his eyes start getting misty and started pushing his bike. It was quite sweet watching the older Harrington treated her brother rather delicately, he seemed like such a crybaby when he was a kid.

“I-I’m having second thoughts, [F/N].” Steve said to her, his voice barely above a whisper. He was currently on the bike, his hands clutching onto the handles as his feet rested on the pedals, [F/N] stood beside him while holding the back because she knew that he didn’t have the balance to hold himself. She exhaled through her nose, looking him up and down.

“Well, we can always do this another time, not everybody can get it on their first try.” she tries reassuring him but noticed that he still looked upset over the matter, her eyes looked down in thought before she reached over and placed her hand on top of his “Hey, Steve, I’ll be right beside you, alright? I’ll always be with you every step of the way, I promise you that.” Steve sniffles at that, looking down at his sister with teary eyes.

“R-Really?” she nods, a big smile on her face.

“Really, I’ll always be there for you.” seeing her smile made one just as big spread across his lips, he then nods as he looked ahead of them.

“Okay, I can do this.” and as [F/N] promised, she was right beside him to help keep him balanced as he pedalled down the sidewalk, but the moment she noticed that he was doing on his own was when she pulled her arms back and instead ran beside him.

“You’re doing it, Stevie! Look at you go!” she cheered, he took a quick glance at her and saw that he really was doing it on his own, a big smile broke onto his face as he went on. When [F/N] could no longer keep up with him, she stopped running at his pace and let out an exhausted breath as she hunched forward to catch her breath. El approached the young [F/N], looking at her face and there she saw the look of pure love as she watched her brother go, she saw that she completely adored her brother to no ends. El remembered Nancy mentioning how [F/N] would do about anything for her younger brother, it didn’t what it was, it’s just that she would go to great lengths for him. [F/N] gasped and this caused El to stop looking at her and instead back at Steve, who winced when she saw the wheel get caught in something, causing him to fly off the bike “Steve!” she shouts out and immediately rushes to his side, to which he was bawling his eyes out as his knees were bleeding and hands were scrapped.

“It hurts, [F/N]! It hurts so much!” he cries out, [F/N] drops to her knees as she looked him up and down, trying to figure out what to do as he continued sobbing. She then tries to calm him down but it just doesn’t seem to work, nothing she was doing was working and he only seemed to be getting worse, so she starts to cry with Steve. El found it a little funny that the two siblings were crying, Steve because he was hurt and [F/N] because Steve was crying. She never would have imagined that the drunk, depressed and psychotic [F/N] she met the day prior was the same caring little girl she watched before her. When [F/N] did manage to calm down, not enough to stop crying, she picked Steve up and carried him on his back and ran to the closets house, abandoning the bike in favor of someone helping her brother. The person she chose was quite startled to find two crying children at her door step, awkwardly question what was wrong but managed to understand what happened through all the snot and tears [F/N] blubbered out.

[you can skip past this, this is basically her past that I accidentally started to write and I couldn’t fucking stop]

[F/N]’s happiest memory was anything that involved Steve, she was the eldest Harrington child of the Harrington couple. The two of them never wanted a daughter and expected their first child to be a son, but when they got [F/N] instead they didn’t hesitate to have sex again just to conceive another child in hopes of getting a son, and their hopes came true when Steve was born. [F/N] noticed at a young age how her parents favoured Steve over her every time, it didn’t matter what it was, it was always him before her, but she never did care about that, because her parents were just assholes and her baby brother didn’t do anything to deserve the anger she had for their parents to be directed at him. There was just something different between the two of them when they started getting older, they were joined at the hip when they were children but the moment they were in middle school, it was a different story. [F/N] naturally entered middle school before him and she already earned herself a title, the up and rising star of Hawkins Middle School that would surely become the Queen of Hawkins High when she graduates middle school. She was beautiful, a Harrington genetic gift, naturally smart and athletic, very kind and charismatic that she was the person everyone wanted to be with.

So her achievements greatly overshadowed Steve’s to the point that their parents attention moved from him to her, at first she was happy that she got their validation, but noticing how her and Steve were drifting apart and his admiration towards her turned green with envy, she started second guessing all the popularity she gained. It got worse for Steve when he started middle school, he was known as the “other Harrington” that just couldn’t match up to his sister, he was just constantly in her shadow no matter where he went. Constantly being compared to her was like a nightmare to him, he was struggling to finish an English essay? [F/N] would have easily gotten it done in half the time it took him to write a single sentence. He managed to score a three pointer in basketball during P.E? How about winning against Hawkins Middle School’s rivalling team with the most points they’ve seen in years. He didn’t want to be known as the younger brother of [F/N] Harrington, he wanted people to know him as Steve Harrington, but that was never going to happen as long as people knew that he was her brother. [F/N] obviously noticed the treatment her sweet little brother was going through, she tried so hard to talk to him or get people to stop with their bullshit, but that made Steve angrier, he didn’t want her pity.

“Steve, why won’t you talk to me anymore? Please, I just want to make things between us better, like what it used to be when we were children!” she pleads out to him, she flinched back when he slammed his hands down on his desk, whipping his head around to glare at her.

“You want to make things right? Alright, maybe stop being better at everything! Maybe stop being the topic of every conversation people have when they come to talk to me! Maybe just stop being the reason my life is ruined!” he pushes his chair back with his legs as he approaches her “Stop being smart! Stop being pretty! Stop people the centre of attention!” she lets out a grunt when he shoved her back, her stumbling out his room as he reached for the door “Maybe just stop being my sister altogether!” he finished and slammed the door in her face, she continued to stand where he left her as she stared at his door, she let out choked up noises as tears glistened in her eyes before finally sniffling and walking away.  That was definitely the last time the two of them properly spoke with each other and no matter how many times she tried to work things out, how hard she tried to make things better, he just never gave her the time of day to hear her out. Her graduation from middle school to high school was probably her worst day because Steve didn’t even want to be there and only came because their parents would be more disappointed in him if he didn’t come to support his sister, and for him it was probably a great day because it meant that he didn’t have to see his sister the following year at all. If she didn’t do anything soon she was possibly going to lose Steve, so staring at her reflection she stared at herself and couldn’t help but hate she was looking at. She never felt like she was looking at herself, just looking at the person her parents made her out to be without her ever being able to properly find herself. She wanted to change, she wanted to be different from the person she saw in the reflection, and there was just one person that could possibly help her.

“Eddie Munson!” she screamed at the top of lungs at the trailer park, she knew the bastard was home, telling how the lights in his trailer were on. Eddie “the Freak” Munson was her polar opposite in middle school and a boy who was in the same year as she was. She remembered first seeing him during their middle school’s talent show with how him and his band “Corroded Coffin” performed heavy metal, it was very loud and a little disorganised, but it was pretty good in her opinion. She met Eddie on a few occasions but each time weren’t really pleasant, mostly because he spoke to her as if she didn’t know how the world worked since she was a privileged little girl that got everything she wanted. She didn’t know what hurt more, the fact that he isn’t entirely wrong or that it was him that woke her up. Eddie opened the door to the trailer and was surprised to see [F/N] standing there, so with his usual cocky attitude, he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“Well what do we have here? What can this jester do for her majesty, [F/N] “the Queen” Harrington?” he cooed, [F/N] didn’t bother to say anything and just went straight to the point.

“I need your help.”

“And what can little ol’ me do for you?”

“I need you to make me look like you.” now he was a little thrown off at the request, the one and only girl that everybody loves and has everything at the palm of her hand, was asking for his help in making her… look like him? She noticed that he was confused so she raised her hand, she goes to speak but a chill ran up her spine when a burst of wind blew through her body “Can I come in? I’m fucking freezing.” her swearing was even more startling, [F/N] was prim and proper and wasn’t know for using such vulgar language, and yet here she was.

“O-Oh, yeah, of course.” and that’s where Eddie found himself holding a box of tissues for [F/N] as she told him everything that happened during her year in middle school, bawling her eyes out as she told him that her worst fear was possibly coming true “So, let me get this straight… you want me, to make you look like me so that your parents and possibly others start viewing in a different way and that people will start liking your brother?” she sniffles, nodding her head.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” he sucks in a breath, running a hand through his growing hair after growing through his buzz cut.

“I don’t know if I find that endearing that you came to me for help or insulting that you came to me for help.” she gave him an apologetic look “But I see where you’re coming from, female Harrington. You don’t want people to see you in a positive light and if they hate you enough they’ll draw their attention towards the better Harrington.” she nods her head.

“That’s exactly what I want.” he lets out a startled yelp when she grabbed his hand, holding it in between her own and gave him a desperate look “I’ll do anything to drift the attention away from me and give it to him, I won’t care how people view me as long as they stop making my brother feel even worse than he already feels. I want to be there beside him instead of on the sidelines.” he inhales sharply, this really wasn’t what he was expecting to happen on a Saturday night.

“Well… alright.” she lights up, a big smile on her face “But I want no complaining from you, alright? The moment you start doubting anything I do, I’m gonna give up on you,” she nods her head at the terns he set.

“Of course, totally!” she stands up, still holding his hand, and shakes it rather vigorously “If this works, I owe you big time, Munson.”

And being a man of his word, on the first day of her high school year, the soft and kind [F/N] was nowhere to be seen. Instead Hawkins High was met with the new and improved Harrington that wore leather or denim and had several piercings that were definitely not done by a professional, she even wore dark make up instead of the light or natural one. To say everyone was shocked would be an understatement, everyone was in disbelief when she pulled up to school in such attire but it was the fact that she was with Eddie Munson of all people! They were laughing about and talking as if they have been best friends since they were children, even his group of friends were in on the deal of making her less popular so she wasn’t seen without being with Eddie and his group of freaks. Her entire personality was a total flip as well, from the well spoken and polite young lady turned to a rude and vulgar woman who’s attitude was the worst that people couldn’t stand being with her. The teachers couldn’t believe what they were seeing either, she was once a straight A student but now she was barely passing with D+ and C-’s.

She learnt everything from Eddie, and she was always grateful for him because she actually felt free. Being with him and his group of friends was so relaxing because she didn’t have to worry about how she looked and how she acted anymore, she could actually properly be herself. Listening to heavy metal and screaming at the top of her lungs, smoking weed and laying on the floor of his trailer, letting him ramble on and on about some fantasy game called D&D, she didn’t care, it felt nice to actually have real friends instead of those people leeching off of her. But that didn’t matter, well it did, but what really mattered was the fact that it was working. People didn’t want to be associated with the former Queen who now hung around with the freaks and because she was barely pulling her weight in school and was constantly failing, her parents were absolutely livid with her.

“What has gotten into you, [F/N]? You were never like this leading up to this year! It’s all because you’ve been hanging around that Munson boy! He’s not a good influence on you!” she just rolled his eyes as her mother shouts all sorts of nonsense at her, both her mother and father have cornered her and sat her down to have a proper talk with her.

“Not only that, but you’re failing every single one of your classes! You’re barely getting marks above F’s, and at this rate, you’re not even going to pass at the end of your senior year! You’re sullying the Harrington name, [F/N]! I thought we raised you better than this.” she scoffs this time, leaning back into the sofa as she crossed her arms.

“Well I’m sorry for not being mummy and daddy’s perfect little princess anymore, but if you’re not going to accept the me I am today, then why the fuck should I pull my weight anymore? Besides, you still have your perfect little golden child Stevie to take my place if I ever go too far.” she snickers to herself when they continued to yell at her, telling her to that this rebellious act of hers better come to an end or she will face consequences, to which she just laughed in their faces before shoving past them and out the front door where Eddie was waiting for her with his shitty van.

“Dude, we could hear the shouting all the way from out here!” Gareth exclaims, throwing open the back doors for her to jump in, to which she laughed as she took Jeff’s hand as he helped her in “They sounded really angry, you alright?” she just shrugged.

“Honestly I could give less of a shit at what they’re saying, but it’s definitely working, I can just feel them ready to disown me and label me as the family disappointment, I’m just waiting for it now.” Eddie laughs from the drivers seat, glancing back at her.

“You’re crazy.” she winks with a click of her tongue.

“I have you to thank.” they all laugh as he drives to the Quarry.

Steve was completely baffled when people started treating him differently. For some reason he was now known as the better Harrington, the one that didn’t stray from the path of righteousness, or whatever the hell that meant, but it felt good that every topic wasn’t about his sister anymore. Well, when his sister was brought up, it was to tell him how awful it was to now be related to the psycho apart of Eddie Munson’s group of friends. When Steve first saw [F/N]’s transformation and change of behaviour, he didn’t believe it until he saw the way she now argued with everything their parents said. She never used to fight back against them, she would usually just nod and agree with anything they said, but not anymore. Now their parents were looking at him again, telling him they expected great things from him, how he was the new light of the Harrington family and that he was better than his good for nothing sister. As for [F/N], she was happy to see that her brother was finally getting that popularity he deserved and it didn’t matter that she had hell to pay for such a cost, all that mattered to her was that Steve wasn’t bitter having to go to school anymore.

She didn’t care that people insulted her.

She didn’t care that her parents hated her.

If Steve was happy, that’s all that mattered.

Sitting on the hood of her car, [F/N] had blood running down her nose and a bruise forming on the side of her cheek, knuckles torn and bloodied as her clothes were a little disheveled. The bruise on her cheek was given to her during an altercation with her father once again, this time he couldn’t stand her attitude and backhanded her clean across the face hard enough to give her a nose bleed. She didn’t see an ounce of regret on his face and not even her mother did anything to stop anything from escalating, she couldn’t take staying in that house any longer and just left without another word. Her knuckles bleeding were from her brutally punching a brick wall until she physically couldn’t close her knuckles anymore and just tired herself out until she sat on the hood of her car while smoking a cigarette to calm herself down.

“… fuck.” she muttered under her breath, she was totally going to Eddie’s trailer to get high and drunk to the point she couldn’t remember who the fuck she was. When she finally decided she was done, she hopped off the hood of her car and snuffed out her cigarette, getting to ready to jump into her car but paused when she heard her name.

“[F/N]!” she was confused when she saw Steve rushing over to her, she was confused as to why he was there.

“Steve?” she called out, she really didn’t want to deal with him right now be decided to stick it out to see what he had to say “What do you want? Don’t you have basketball practice going on right now?” he scoffed, shaking his head as he looked her up and down, wincing when he saw her bloodied knuckles.

“I don’t give a shit about that.” he reaches for her hand but flinched back when pulled her hand back.

“Why are you here? Don’t you have better things to do than deal with me?” he swallows the saliva in his throat, not liking the tired look in his sisters eyes.

“I-I’m here because I’m worried about you, I just— I don’t understand why you’re acting like this, [F/N]. You’re nothing like the way you were in middle school, what happened to her? Why did you suddenly change? Why are you so different now, [F/N]? I just don’t understand.” he shakes his head as he remembered back to the year prior when his sister first changed, the once quiet house was now filled with arguing and shouting matches between her and their parents to the point that Steve couldn’t handle it “Why are you like this, [F/N]! You had everything and then suddenly you threw it all away because of what? What?! Why did you do it?! What was it?!” Steve didn’t understand why he was yelling at his sister, he usually wouldn’t raise his voice like this and especially not when his sister was bleeding because of their father, but he just needed to quell his curiosity as to why his sister would do such a thi—

“I did it for you, Steve!” she shouts, he was taken aback, what? “I threw away everything for you! The popularity! The attention! Mum and dad’s respect, everything! I gave up everything because I saw how my popularity was affecting you! I couldn’t stand the thought that my brother was feeling the way he was in middle school all because people couldn’t see past me whenever they were with you. I hated the fact that we aren’t as close as we were when we were children, so I thought, if I act differently to what people are used to, then maybe people will start liking Steve Harrington instead of his older sister. And look at that, it worked! It actually worked, because people fucking hate me now and they adore you! You’re the Harrington that isn’t a fuck up!” [F/N] hadn’t realised she started crying until she felt the tears running down her face instead of blood, she pulls back and quickly wiped away the tears, grunting out in pain when she clenched her fists.

“B-But… why? Why would you do that?” Steve stuttered out, not believing she would do something like that, she just rolled her eyes before throwing her arms open at him.

“You said it yourself, Steve! I asked what I had to do to make things right, and you listed everything off! I had to stop being better at everything, I had to stop being the topic of every conversation, I had to stop being smart, I had to stop being pretty, I had to stop being the centre of attention! I did everything! I did everything you asked! Now all that’s left is to stop being your sister!” god, the fact that she remembered everything while he didn’t had Steve start tearing up, she had to tear her eyes away from him to stop her urges to comfort him, she takes a breath and jabs her finger into his chest “I gave you what you wanted, so I hope you’re satisfied with what you’re given. I’m only waiting for mum and dad to fulfil you’re last request and maybe then you’re ruined life will be magically fixed.”

“[F-F/N], I’m sorry— I didn’t—” she raised her hands, rubbing her sleeve under her nose.

“Save it.” she sniffles as she turns her back “Go home, Steve. I’ll stay out of your life as long as you want. Wouldn’t want to ruin the perfect life you’ve accumulated since I’ve fallen from my grace.” with that she leaves Steve standing all alone, feeling even more worse when she finally saw those tears run down his face.

That… that was her worst memory that she regrets.

She regrets shouting at him.

She regrets making him cry.

She regrets that she hurt him and left him alone.

[yeah, that’s all I’ll write for her backstory. I definitely had more to write, but it’s gotten too long and I want to get back to the main plot]

El tears off the blindfold, panting heavily after finally leaving the memories of Billy and [F/N] when she found the location of where the Mind Flayer was located. She looks around to see no one in sight, she was all alone in the cabin despite hearing their voices not to long ago.

“Mike?” she calls out but got no answer, she repeatedly called out his name again but was left unanswered until another voice spoke up.

“He can’t hear you.” turning her head, she gasps when she sees Billy emerge from out of one of the rooms “You shouldn’t have looked for me. Because now I see you. We can all see you. You… let us in. And now… you are going to have to let us stay.” as the Mind Flayer speaks through Billy, he’s slowly approaching El as she backs away from him in tears, she’s gasps when someone was right behind her.

“Don’t you see?” looking over her shoulder she saw that it was [F/N] with that same psychotic grin on her face, leaning over the couch El backed herself into but quickly pushed herself off to get away from her “We’ve been building it… for you. All this time, we’ve been building it. All that work, all that pain… all of it, for you.” the two of them now stood together, eyes misty as they held each other’s hand.

“And now it’s time. Time to end it. We are going to end you. And when you are gone, we are going to end your friends. And then we are going to end… everyone.” they speak in unison and before they could do anything, El screams at the top of her lungs as she throws her hand out towards them, sending them flying back to where they came from, and so the two of them woke up exactly where El found them in Billy’s room. [F/N] had a sad look on her face as she lifted herself off of Billy’s shoulder, neither one of them said a word as they sat in silence and squeezed each other’s hand.

“This sucks.”

[starcourt mall]

It all happened so fast. One moment they’re being attacked at Hopper’s cabin, next thing they know they’re hiding out at the Starcourt Mall because Billy had somehow managed to find them and was waiting out for them in his busted up Camaro. [F/N] was nowhere in sight and they didn’t know what terrified them the most, the fact that she was just lurking around waiting for them or that Billy was ready to run them over without a second thought. Hiding in the mall didn’t go as well as they thought, because the next thing they knew was that the Mind Flayer was right on top of them and broke through the skylight, landing right where they were and was now in search for El. The group consisting of Nancy, Johnathan, Lucas and Will somehow managed to escape and were hurriedly trying to replace their stolen ignition cable, their hearts beginning to race at the sound of Billy’s engine revving.

“Shit!”

“Get the car started, go!” Nancy cocks her gun as Jonathan jumps into the drivers seat to start the car, Nancy raises the gun and aims it towards Billy. She doesn’t back down when he starts driving towards her, she narrows her eyes as she starts firing at him, the others are panicking as she’s shooting at his already shattered windscreen that’s doing little to no damage as he continues to get closer and closer to her. The moment her gun ran out of ammunition was when she started to panic, she looks between the gun and Billy before ducking down and curling up against the car despite knowing that was going to do little to nothing to suppress the pain of getting smashed against the car but was surprised when Steve, in a different car, rammed right into the side of Billy’s Camaro. Both he and Robin grunt out in pain at the impact but were both pretty much okay, Robin looked up at Steve and saw that he had a panicked look on his face due to the fact that his boyfriend almost killed his ex and in order to stop him from doing that he crashed a car into him.

“Steve, are you alright?” she asks him, he’s panting as he continued to stare at Billy’s unconscious body laying limp in his car.

“Ask me tomorrow.” their gaze then goes upwards when they heard snarling, Robin gasps in shock to see the disgusting fleshy monster dubbed as the Mind Flayer on top of the Starcourt Mall, they whip their heads around when they heard the honk of the other car pull up beside them.

“Get in!” the Mind Flayer was quick to give chase but paused when a new pair of headlights flashed on, it decided she could take care of them. Johnathan thinks they’re in the clear, the Mind Flayer isn’t in sight as they’re driving away but he wasn’t taking any chances as he continued to high tail it away from the mall. He spares a glance back at Will and saw he was gently caressing the back of his neck, he was close, and he just wasn’t showing himself.  “What the hell was that thing back there?!” Robin shouts, pointing out the car in the direction they just fled.

“I’m guessing that was the Mind Flayer, and that was the body made of the flesh of various dead people?” Steve sums up as he looks at the other four, to which they all nod their heads to confirm what he said “Great, I can’t wait to get back home and explain to my sister why I was gone and why my face is beaten up. Hopefully she doesn’t go on a murder spree upon seeing my face.” the four of them wincing didn’t go unnoticed, even Robin flinched hearing the mention of his sister.

“Um… about that, actually…” Lucas starts, rubbing the back of his neck “Your sister, uh— she’s kind of um, like…” Lucas peeks back at Steve and felt a chill run down his spine, Steve was wearing an expression that he normally never wore. His expression was a mixture of concern and slight anger, concern for the safety and well-being on his older sister and anger that something has happened to his sister while he was trapped in an elevator then tortured by Russians.

“What’s wrong with my sister?” Nancy licks her lips, not really sure where to begin on the matter of his older sister.

“Steve, your sister…” she sighs, running a hand through her hair “Your sister, kind of…” Steve was getting more irritated over the fact that they weren’t telling him, he grits his teeth as he glared at them.

“What’s wrong with my sister?!” he shouts this time in hopes it’ll get them to spit it out, Will lets out a shuddered breath when he felt a tingle in his neck, he glances backwards and saw a flash of someone’s high beams hit them. They all turn around to see what it was and the roar of a car engine slowly gaining on them made their hearts drop into their stomachs when they recognised the car, Steve and Robin look out through the back window and their eyes widened when they saw the familiar license plate “[F/N]…?” he manages to mutter out then let out a grunt when the car rear ended them.

“Shit! Jonathan!” he curses under his breath as he changes gear to create some distance between them and her but their car was nothing in comparison to her mustang because she caught up to them easily, each time she made sure to rear end them. When she noticed nothing was happening she pulled back a little just so she was now driving beside them, they all turn to look at her but Steve and Robin were the most shocked because they haven’t seen her like this. Deranged looking, eyes bloodshot and teary as her body was sweating uncontrollably while her veins were pumping black ooze throughout her entire body.

“You wanna know what’s wrong with her?!” Lucas shouts, letting out a scream when [F/N] drives the side of her car into theirs “She’s been flayed by the Mind Flayer and this entire week she’s been kidnapping people and offering them to the Mind Flayer, and not too long ago she killed a bunch of people at the hospital and nearly killed Nancy and Jonathan! There, now you know!” Will smacks Lucas for the way he said it, gesturing to Steve and saw how the boy looked confused and scared. What confused them was that Robin shared the same expression, Lucas said that she was under that things control for about a week, so does that mean…

“Wait, you’re telling me that the whole reason she’s been acting different— that she’s acting like that, is because that monster we saw before brainwashed her?!” Will nods his head, she slumps back in the back as she recalls how [F/N] was acting when she broke up with her. She knew that there was something wrong with her but she just couldn’t pin just what was wrong, her eyes had lost their usual shine and she was avoiding eye contact with her, refusing to. It felt like she was talking to someone entirely different, and all that was true, that person from before was not her girlfriend but an imposter in her body. Robin looks at Steve and saw his eyes never left [F/N], she had a crazy smile on her face as she stared Jonathan down “Steve…” she mumbles.

“What did it do to you, [F/N]?” he’s only ever seen that look on her face maybe once or twice, and that was when she was getting some sick pleasure out of beating the shit out of a few high school kids that picked on him, she was crazy like that, but she made sure not to make that face again whenever he was present because it was a little unsettling “That’s… that’s not my sister, that’s not [F/N]. Is this— is this also happening to Billy?” they nod.

“They were together when it happened.” that just made things worse, it must have happened just after they left Robin’s. Was that why [F/N] was sick that morning? Oh my god, it was happening right under their noses and neither of them noticed. Jonathan steadies the car again when [F/N] rams hers into them again but let out a confused noise when she suddenly stopped, he glances over at her and saw she was looking ahead of them. He watched in confusion when she drove ahead of them then turned around but stopped in the middle of the road, Jonathan slams on the breaks to stop them from going any further and there the two of them are staring each other down.

“Jonathan…” Nancy mutters, not a single one of them breaking eye contact with [F/N], Jonathan takes a breath as he grips the stirring wheel, swallowing thickly every time he hears [F/N] rev her engines as her car jerks forward. [F/N] was no longer in control, no matter how hard she was trying to fight the Mind Flayer for control it was no use and she was locked inside her own body as she watched it move on its on accord. A dark grin was adorn on her face, watching closely to what Jonathan was going to do next. Was he going to back up and continue this game of cat and mouse? Was he going to play a game of chicken instead? Both options sounded fun to her, but she decided it was going to be her to choose for him because she pushes the handbrake down and slams on the gas and exhilarates forward “Jonathan!”

“I know!” he fumbles with the gear but switches it to drive and starts driving towards her as well, he had a plan in his head to swerve out of the way just at the nick of them, but he failed to inform the others as he kept getting closer and closer. Steve looked between Jonathan and sister and he couldn’t calm down, he could only think of how bad the collision will have on [F/N]. He was always like this, worrying for his sister than for his own well-being, just like her worrying for Steve rather than herself. Like brother like sister. Neither one of them were slowing down to the point [F/N] was laughing hysterically, changing gears to go fast enough to kill them and quite possibly herself. Well, if she hurt herself it didn’t matter, the Mind Flayer can heal her body no matter how severely injured her body gets.

“Jonathan, what are you doing?!” Will shouts at his brother.

“Relax, I know what I’m doi—” he was cut off when Steve pulls himself out from the back, reaching past Will and Lucas for the handbrake “Steve— what are you doing?!”

“I’m sorry, Jonathan! But you’d honestly do the same.” he pulls the brake up and the car instantly starts to drift, Jonathan tries to regain control while Nancy smacks Steve’s hands off the handbrake but they were too late when [F/N]’s mustang hit the side of their car, luckily. They spin off the road while [F/N] came to a stop in the middle of the road, she didn’t expect that outcome but she was happy that it was in her favor, she guesses Steve doesn’t want to hurt her either. Such a loving little brother.

“I didn’t think things were gonna be this easy, honestly. Even Billy’s having a hard time.” she snickers softly and looks in the rear view mirror, pouting softly when she noticed a small cut on her forehead that was bleeding a little. With a shrug, she swipes her thumb over it and grins when it healed up instantly. Kicking her door open, she steps out then leaned in to grab the axe sitting in her passenger seat and doesn’t bother turning her car off as she starts approaching the other car, throwing the axe over her shoulder and continuously bounced it while whistling a song. Jonathan lets out a groan, clutching his forehead after his head took the force of the airbags that deployed, he really was going to kill Steve later for this, but he couldn’t help but understand what Steve was going through. Not too long ago it was his brother that was under the Mind Flayer’s control and now it’s Steve’s sister that didn’t even know this shit was going on in the first place, oh the irony. He whips his head around when he heard Nancy let out a scream, they all look over to see that it was [F/N] “Yoohoo~ open the door.”

“Fuck no!” Nancy promptly locks the door to emphasise her point but [F/N] just rolled her eyes, pulling her fist back then punching through the door then proceeded the tear it off. Nancy doesn’t hesitate to push herself away from [F/N] just as she leans into the car, her eyes scanning through the many occupants inside but she let out a sigh when she didn’t see the one they were after.

“She’s not here.” she muttered under her breath, probably informing the Mind Flayer that El was still at the mall and not with the others that fled. She was going to leave it at that, the Mind Flayer was calling her back, but those feelings for what Nancy fucking Wheeler did to her brother started to resurface, and that’s where she found herself grabbing Wheeler by her hair and dragging her out of the car.

“Nancy!”

“Nancy, no!” Nancy cries out in pain from the roots of her hair being violently tugged on, the pain gets worse when [F/N] slams the side of her face onto the hood of the car and holds her there.

“[F/N], please… don’t do this. You don’t want to do this.” [F/N] lets out a hum, looking up in thought before nodding her head.

“No, no, that’s where you’re wrong. You have absolutely no idea how much I want to do this; how much I really want to kill you with my own hands.” Nancy starts to tremble, tears swelling up in her eyes when [F/N] raises her free hand that was holding the axe, seeing the dried blood splatter all over the blade and some on the shaft “I’ll pay your little brother a visit after I’m done with you, I’m sure he’ll be happy seeing your decapitated head mounted on a stick.” before she could bring the axe down she’s being pulled back by Jonathan and Steve, Nancy falls to the ground as Robin goes around and tries to pry the axe out of her hands.

“[F/N], please… stop this! This isn’t like you to go this far!” Steve pleads. Steve knew his sister was strong, but right now was just plain ridiculous, it was taking both himself and Jonathan putting their entire weight to keep her from moving but even that wasn’t enough. She lets out an animalistic growl as she lets go off the axe and letting Robin stumble backwards, she throws Steve off next and hunches forward to lift Jonathan off the ground as she grabs his arms that were wrapped around her neck and proceeds to throw him over her, this also causes him to tear her jacket off but she could care less about it. She sets her sights on Robin and doesn’t hesitate to punch her across the face, Steve goes to stand up to reprimand [F/N] again but let out a grunt when she kicked him down and grabbed the axe that she managed to catch. His breath gets caught in his throat as he watched [F/N] swing the axe over her shoulder and it comes down as quickly as it was raised, he wants to raise his arms to shield his face but what can that do? With tears in his eyes, he looks up at his sister with pleading eyes and there— there he saw a flash of color return to her eyes, a flash of regret and confusion when they met his. He saw a glimpse of his sister inside those eyes that were fighting back against the Mind Flayer, but he knew she couldn’t hold it for long but he was grateful for the time given because she redirected the blade aiming for his face into the side of the car. He flinches at the impact, watching as the car rocked back and forth before finally settling down. His sister is now panting above him, staring down at him with a slightly less hostile expression, but he knew she wasn’t herself yet, her eyes were still in a dazed state while her veins were still black “[F/N]…” he whimpers out, all he wants is his sister back.

“S-Stevie…?” she croaks out, he gasps at her voice whispering out to him but soon her face twists in pain. She pulls away, pressing the heels of her hands into her forehead to fight against the aching pain the Mind Flayer was inflicting on her, fighting for dominance within her head and it managed to win because now she was fleeing the scene and back to her car. She did hesitate to leave, her eyes glancing back at the others that were slowly picking themselves off the floor, but she shook her head before driving back to the Starcourt mall.  “Welp, that hurt,..” Robin groaned out, holding her cheek as some blood pulled up in her mouth “I can’t believe she hit me.”

“She… she didn’t mean it.” Steve muttered, hand over his chest. 

“But I don’t understand.” Robin says rather bitterly “Why didn’t she kill you? She was clearly going to do it, but she stopped at the last second.” Jonathan let out a groan as he pushed himself onto his feet, his hand clutching tightly onto the jacket he tore off her body before he was thrown off.

“Back at the hospital, the Mind Flayer said… it said that Steve was both her weakness and her strength. She got more violent with Nancy and I because of what happened in 83, but once she saw Steve it settled, even if it was for a brief moment.” Steve continued to lay on the ground, his hand instinctively reached up to caress his cheek as memory flashed in his mind. He was remembering back to a time where [F/N] punched him across the face because he was basically screaming at her to punch him, he didn’t expect her to actual do it because she swore that she’d never hurt him, but she did.

“W-Why— why’d you hit me?” he whimpered out, tears being to swell in his eyes as he cradled his swelling check, to which she just sighed while rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips.

“You told me to, and besides, you were acting like a shit so you definitely deserved it.” his lip trembled and a small sob escaped his lips, she rolls her eyes again and smacks him in the shoulder “I hope you know that this goes for show that I’ll practically do anything for you, Stevie. But this will be the first and only time I’ll hurt you like this, mmkay? You’ve been acting a little entitled these past few weeks and you needed a little wake up call. Your arrogance will be your undoing one of these days, so don’t let it go to your head. I won’t be around to wake you up next time.” he sniffles, raising his hands to wipe away the falling tears.

“I promise, as long as you promise not to hit me like that again.” she chuckles softly, wiping away his tears.

“I promise. From today, I’ll never hurt you like that ever again, not even if you deserve it.” she starts to laugh when she ruffled his hair and he cried out in horror, screaming at her that she ruined his hair, she just continued to laugh as she ran away from him whilst he screamed bloody murder.

“[F/N]…” he starts tearing up but held them back when a hand was offered to him, he saw that it was Robin wearing [F/N]’s discarded jacket.

“Get up, Harrington. We’re gonna save your sister, and when we do, I’m gonna give her a proper ass whoppin!” driving back to the Starcourt mall they sat in silence, Jonathan breaking all the road laws as he sped down road in the car that was hanging onto its life by a thread. Steve raised his eyes from where he sat and saw Robin digging her face into the fabric of [F/N]’s jacket, he noticed that she was thinking about something because she had a look on her face that was debating whether or not she should speak or not “… she broke up with me.” this caused his body to straighten up, even the others in the car peeked back to listen in on the conversation, rude.

“What do you mean she broke up with you? W-Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she let out a sigh, blinking back the tears that were slowly swelling up in her eyes.

“I guess it was because of that Mind Flayer, or whatever the fuck that thing is. I think she was in the middle of choosing that things latest meal, because I caught her in an alleyway letting a girl kiss her. It was when I went to go look for the blueprints.” Steve gasps softly at that, so that’s why she looked so dejected when she came back “I couldn’t recognise her, she stared at me with these cold, dead eyes and the way she spoke to me… I felt so scared being there. I wish I knew, I wish I knew she was going through that and then maybe I could’ve helped her. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so angry at her that she broke up with me, left me in that alleyway all alone— and for what? To protect me? So she wouldn’t have to hurt me ever more than she did by breaking my heart? She even threatened me if I told you, saying you wouldn’t believe me because I’m nothing but your coworker while she’s your sister.” she sniffles to herself, wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes, she spared Steve a look but flinched a little. He now wore a very livid expression, Robin became a really close friend to Steve after he and his sister got together and they became closed after their encounter with the Russian soldiers under the mall, so hearing how his flayed sister threatened and broke up with her pissed him off.

“If you don’t kick her ass, I’ll kick it for you. But first, we’ve got to find her and Billy and free them from the control of the Mind Flayer. Whether you forgive her or not, that’s up to you, but she’s still my sister.”  “What about Billy?”  “I hope he can forgive me for totalling his camaro.” they stare at each other and laugh weakly, Robin now rested her forward on his shoulder and let her hands dip into the pockets but she hummed in confusion when she felt something. Pulling it out, her breath hitched when she pulled out the photo of the four of them at the fair. Steve felt her body tremble so he looked down and he himself flinched at the photo, seeing that photo almost felt like yesterday. Steve wished he could go back to the time where the other three were clueless about the Upside Down; clueless about the true horrors of Hawkins and that he was the only one who knew the truth. Where his sister was madly in love with his friend, where his boyfriend was in the safety of his arms, where none of this was happening on the first place and that the four of them were having their weekly sleepover at the Harrington household.

Man, what a distant memory.

[starcourt mall]

[F/N] arrives right on time, finding Billy pushing himself off of El just as the Mind Flayer descends from the skylight. El was regaining her consciousness as the blur of the monster slowly registered in her mind, [F/N] wordlessly stands beside Billy and reached over to take his hand into hers. He doesn’t spare her a glance and neither does she, and though they were still under the influence of the monster in front of them, the two of them squeezed each others hand to let each other know that they were still in there. The Mind Flayer is paying the two of them no mind, slowly approaching the small child to devour her, rid the last obstacle in its way, when something blew up in its face. Billy and [F/N] cry out in pain at the blow, sharing the pain with the Mind Flayer, blow after blow Billy and [F/N] grovel to their knees in pain as the Mind Flayer roared at the intruders. [F/N] peeked through his hands and saw the lot she nearly killed had followed quickly after her, how she never noticed them was beyond her, but she was going to finish what she started.

Deal with them.

Finish the job.

Make no mistakes.

“Shut up…” she growled out, managing to push herself onto her feet and towards the escalator to where their unwanted guests were, leaving Billy to watch over El. Of course none of them were expecting to see [F/N] on them, they were all to preoccupied laying waste to the Mind Flayer to notice that she was there. Lucas was the first to suffer at her mercy, the others heard his cry for help and immediately turned to see where he was, watching in shock when they saw [F/N] turn him around and strike him across the face that he fell to the ground after spitting out blood from his mouth,

“Lucas!” next was Will, who was unfortunate to be within arms length because she did not hesitate to raise the axe and hit him with the butt if the axe and knock him unconscious “Will!” Jonathan screams out and was ready to drop everything to help his brother but was stopped when Nancy grabbed his arm, pulling him back and shaking her head.

“No, no! Jonathan, I understand what you’re going through, but no! She will kill your the moment you’re within her grasp, she’s not letting us go this time.” he shakes his head.

“I don’t care! I need to get Will!” he cries out and rips his arm free from Nancy’s hold but stopped when he saw Steve and Robin already rushing over to stop [F/N] from going any further with the children, Nancy grabs his arm again and tugs at it to get his attention.

“Steve and Robin will deal with her, we’ll keep the Mind Flayer distracted, alright? Steve won’t let anything happen to your brother.” speaking of which, the Mind Flayer’s anger was beginning to mix in with her own, anger for the previous host that managed to slip through its grasp. Placing her foot on Will’s chest, she raises the axe up to slam it down but was once again stopped when it was smacked out of her hands, she growls at the perpetrator and saw that it was Robin, who had her hands out in front of her to keep some distance between her and [F/N].

“[F/N], baby, please… it’s me, it’s Robin.” she pleads, she flinches and takes a step back when [F/N] pushed herself off of Will but kicked his unconscious body away to approach Robin “Whatever this thing has done to you; has made you do, I want you to know that this isn’t your fault, none of it is. You’re just as innocent as the next person is, and I want you to know that I… I forgive you. Everything you said in the alleyway, I know you didn’t mean any of it. I want you to know that I still love you, through everything that’s happened, I love you.” Robin felt hopeful when she saw [F/N]’s hardened gaze soften, maybe she was caught up in her delusions of freeing her mind that she reached for her hand, that was her mistake because her hand quickly grabbed a hold of Robin to keep her from moving and with her other hand sucker punched her straight in the gut so hard that she spat out saliva. She didn’t let when Robin gasped out of breath, collapsing to her knees as she hunched over and clutched her stomach.

“I care not for your words, they mean nothing to me. Didn’t I already tell you that?” Robin lets out a sob at her cold words, wishing nothing more than to feel the warmth she once had only for her, but she could only cry out in pain when [F/N] twisted her arm “You’ve lost your chance of staying away, so I hope you’re prepared for the consequences.”

“Hey!” turning her head, she was taken aback when Steve came rushing over and slammed the bottom of a fire extinguisher into her face. She let out a gasp at the sudden blow, letting Robin go as her head was thrown back after the impact, she then raised her hand to cradle her throbbing nose as Steve’s arm dropped due to the weight of the extinguisher “You need to stop this madness, [F/N], I beg of you. I need you back, I need my big sister back!” he takes a step back when she growled at him but her face screwed up in pain once more, a mixture from getting hit with a fire extinguisher, the fireworks the Mind Flayer was getting hit with, but also [F/N] fighting for dominance over her mind once more.

He’s lying to you.

He doesn’t need you.

You don’t need him.

“Please, let’s just go home. With Robin and Billy, we’ll go home and watch movies like we used to. Talk about how much we hate our parents, how much we hate Hawkins and how we’ll leave as soon as Robin and Billy graduate. We’ll be together, like we always have. Just you, and me.” [F/N) groans out in pain, shaking her head as she slapped her hands against her forehead to quell all the madness that was going on “Just come back to me, my big sister.” Steve takes a step forward, reaching for her but gasped when she punched him in the face.

“Shut up!” she screamed at him, she struggled to stay standing whilst clutching her throbbing head.

Destroy him.

Annihilate him.

Murder him.

Kill him.

Steve couldn’t remember what happened next, first he was struggling to keep himself standing, the next thing he knew he was barely clinging to consciousness as he laid on his back while he suffered continuous blows to his face. [F/N] was currently on top of him, screaming at the top of her lungs as she punched him left and right, holding nothing back as she delivered blow after blow. At this right she was definitely going to kill him, but she just couldn’t stop herself, this time not pulling her punches and putting all her strength into each one. She saw him weakly reach out to her but she merely smacked his hand away then grab him by the collars of his shirt to pull him forward, reeling her head back to slam her forehead into the bridge of his nose. Blood gurgled in his throat and he was questioning why he was still conscious, wishing nothing more then for this continuous chain of pain to end, but he knew his sister was in a lot more pain. Weakly opening his eyes, he saw the pain in her eyes as she unwillingly hurt her sweet little brother that used to cry at the drop of a hat, so he reached for her once more when she held him up by his shirt as her other hand was pulled back.

“We… we were kids.” she furrowed her brows in confusion, what nonsense was he spouting out now? “We were k-kids and you were tea— teaching me to ride my bike. I wouldn’t stop crying, and you were making f-fun of me. You promised you’d be with me every… every step of the way. You never broke that promise, [F/N]; never. Even when you were gone, you made sure to write letters. Even when I s-said I hated you, you were still there.” his trembling hand managed to reach her face, gently cupping her cheek and caressing it with his thumb, her face softened and she leaned into the touch, a single tear running down her cheek “I love you, [F/N]…” his hand finally dropped to his side just as [F/N] took a deep breath, closing her eyes to reminiscent on every good memory she had of Steve, slowly but surely the black veins disappeared and the voice that screamed in her head grew silent. She blinked her eyes a few times in confusion, leaning backwards and looking around to see where exactly she was before finally looking down, and there her eyes widened in horror.

“Steve… Steve!” she screams at the top of her lungs, the tears swelling in her eyes falling freely down her cheeks. She hurriedly jumps off of him and lifts his weakened body into her lap, cradling his body into her arms while rocking back and forward “No, no, no, no, no! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I-I’m so sorry! I tried— I tried so hard to keep myself away from you, to stop myself from hurting you, but I’ve gone and broken my promise to you! I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!” she kept apologising over and over, but she just felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t look at herself anymore, she couldn’t even look at her hands knowing that she was beating her brother that she swore she’d never hurt anymore. It hurt even more knowing that she hurt the love of her life, breaking her heart to keep her safe but then she hurt her when she was trying to save her from the monster that plagued her mind.

“[F/N]…” she gasped, looking down at her brother and saw that he was reaching for her again, she doesn’t hesitate to take his hand into hers and caress it, nuzzling the side of her face into it “You’re back…?” she chuckles weakly, nodding her head as she smiled weakly at him.

“Yes… yes, it’s me. It’s your big sister, who loves you very much.” he smiles at her but it breaks her heart seeing him looking up at her, face beaten and bleeding as his eyes were barely able to open “Will you ever forgive me?” he chuckles, closing his eyes and feeling his body relax under hers.

“What a foolish question, I’ll always f-forgive you…” she hunches over his body, her own trembling as her tears fell onto his body. A sob leaves her lips but her attention was torn off his body when she heard a loud roar, recognising it, she turned her head towards it and it widened at the sight of the Mind Flayer, her gaze soon hardened in rage at the mere sight of it. This fucking piece of shit was the cause of it all, for her and Billy hurting people, kidnapping people, killing people… her breaking up with Robin, and her hurting both Robin and Steve. She’ll never forgive it, she’ll never forget what it’s done to her and Billy, all because they were foolish enough to not go home and stayed out longer. Steve let out a confused noise when his head was lifted off of her lap, he watched as she picked up the fallen axe and at first he was worried she was back under the control of the Mind Flayer, but her gaze was trained on the Mind Flayer instead of anyone else “[F-F/N]…?” she breaks out into a running start then proceeds to step onto the railing and over it, raising the axe over her head then swings it down on the Mind Flayer.

“[F/N]?!” Billy, who was also free from the Mind Flayer’s control, shouts in surprise. Billy was holding one of the tentacles back that was aiming to kill El, pushing it back with everything he head, when [F/N] jumped off from the upper levels screaming and swinging the axe into the Mind Flayer’s body.

“You fucking piece of shit!” she yells, ripping the blade out of its gooey flesh then swung it down again “You made me hurt my brother! You made me break up with my girlfriend! You made me hurt so many people, and all for what?! Because you couldn’t make your own body?! You rat sack son of a bitch!” [F/N] knew what she was doing was stupid, that what she was doing was going to get her killed, but she really couldn’t care at all. She wanted to pay for what she’s done, why should she get off scot free? She wanted punishment, retribution for her actions “The only ending you’ll get is with your death!” she knew her actions would lead to her downfall, that what she was doing was meaningless, because the Mind Flayer easily threw her off and she landed on the ground with a thud. The next thing she knew was that one of the many tentacles surrounding the monster pierced her body, she slowly looked down and coughed up blood seeing the many teeth sink into her chest.

“Billy!” she hears a scream, turning her head, she sees that Billy has been met with the same fate. Pain runs throughout her body when several more of that things tentacles pierce through her body until it finally let her go, her body collapsing for she had no more strength left to keep her up. This was it, she was going to die alone knowing that she hurt her brother and her girlfriend— her ex? She didn’t know, all she knew was that she was going to die without making it up to the two people she loved the most, especially now that she was leaving her little brother alone. She coughs up more blood as she turns her head, noticing that Billy was still kicking so with what little strength she still had, she pushed herself onto her stomach and started dragging herself over to where he was laying. Finally reaching him, she pushes herself up then collapsed onto him, he looked down at her and saw she was crying.

“I won’t let you… die alone.” she muttered weakly, reaching her hand to rest on his cheek “I won’t leave you alone.” in turn for this final act of gentle affection, he raises his own hand to take her hand into his and the two of them stare into each other’s eyes.

“Why didn’t you leave me…?” he asked her, questioning what sanity she had for going back and saving him. She wouldn’t have had to suffer everything if she just abandoned him, he was used to it anyways, but she just gave him the best smile she could muster.

“Because… I wanted to see yours and Stevie’s wedding.” he stared at her but it did manage to crack a smile onto his face, and that was enough for the both of them.

“You’re stupid.”

“Maybe I am.” Steve was being helped down to the lower levels by Nancy and Jonathan, Robin following closely behind as the immense pain in her stomach still hadn’t settled, and Steve couldn’t properly walk on his own after the continuous blows he took to the face and head. They finally made it to the ground level and Steve looks over to see where Max was, crying in El’s arms, he looks where she was collapsed and his heart immediately dropped into his stomach at what he saw.

“No… no, no, no!” he cries out, Robin follows his gaze and herself saw both Billy and [F/N]’s motionless bodies that continued to bleed out “[F/N]! Billy! Please, god, no!” Steve thrashed in Nancy and Jonathan’s hood until they finally let him go, he fell to his knees but he scrambled to his feet and rushed over to their bodies. His hands trembled over their bodies, the tears in his eyes falling onto them “Please, no. Not like this, please. You can’t leave me, you can’t leave me alone…! You promised to be by my side, you promised!” his trembling hands reached to cup their faces and his face fell when they felt cold under his touch, god, this was really happening. Robin fell to her knees by his side, shaking her head at the sight of [F/N]’s lifeless body, she couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. She doesn’t hesitate to throw her arms around Steve’s body, squeezing him tightly and the two of them cried together knowing that they both lost somebody they loved.

But at least the two that did die, died in each other’s arms smiling.

Ocean

word count: 4880

Fandom: MCYT Pairing: SBI Family x Brother!Orca!Reader Pronouns: He/Him Relationship: Familial Occupation: Pirate Captain Ability: Orca Hybrid

The character is that of a orca hybrid, allowing them to have traits of a orca. They have abnormal strength and speed with keen senses of hearing and sight, making their eyes and ears almost sensitive to anything. They are also granted with an abnormal height and the gift to shapeshift from a human/normal form to a more monstrous form. Both in and out of their full form, they are granted excellent swimming abilities.

Keys:

[M/N]: Male Name [S/C]: Skin Color [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color  [U/N]: Username

Warnings: vulgar language, violence.

got this idea after reading this story by @sunflowerdaisybee​ of their SBI x sibling!reader, go check out their story because I liked it very much.

might make a part two, might not.

that is all.

“Full bore into the abyss!”

“Are you mad?!”

The captain of the ship that was sailing through a terrible storm let out a wild laugh as thunder boomed and lightning crashed from behind him, his crewmembers were hurrying themselves across the deck to prevent the ship from possibly capsizing from the terrible weather all because their captain was just too damn stubborn to go around the storm and instead went through it. This group of individuals was not your average group of ruffians, this was a group of pirates that was overrun with ocean type hybrids! Not a single one was a human, and the captain of this pirate crew was an orca.

The Killer Whale: [M/N]! This individual was wanted throughout the entire ocean for his countless crimes against the laws of the sea. Piracy, smuggling, arson, murder, impersonating an officer, sailing under false colors, kidnapping, looting, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, general lawlessness, and those are the few that he can remember. He was the reckless kind that would not hesitate to take matters into his own hands to get the results that he wants or needed, but he was also smart enough to know not to do anything too foolish. His crew was always his number one priority before anything else, he thought of them as another family; one that he had not left behind to live the life he wanted on the ocean.

This man was crazy and he just loved the ocean, it always made him feel free, he wondered if this is how his father felt whenever he would fly in the sky away from the ground. That’s why he loved the thrill of sailing through storms, that thrill of the waves crashing against his beloved ship, it always got his blood pumping whenever the rain poured down on him and that slightly fear of their ship not making it through made it all the more exciting. This man was an orca hybrid, a more than enough reason as to why people dubbed him the Killer Whale, but that’s beside the point. [M/N] was constantly in his full orca form. In his human form, he is about 7″2ft; his half human/half orca is about 8″0ft; his full form is 8″8ft, so this man is already gigantic from the beginning. 

“Hah!” turning towards the crewmate that shouted at him, he gave them a toothy grin as his hold on the wheel tightened so he wouldn’t lose the ship to the ocean waves “You afraid to get wet?” a few other crewmates groan, when he spoke like that, there was no talking sense into their captain. He laughed once more at the state of his crew as soon as they were out of the storm, they were all exhausted from their battle against mother nature and had practically passed out on the deck as soon as they hit clear waters and skies.

“Captain... can we please rest now?” he huffed, running a hand over the smooth skin of his head and nodded.

“Well, alright. We’ve done enough sailing, why don’t you drop the anchor so we can rest up tonight?” he rolled his eyes at the sound of loud cheering “You bunch of sea guppies, we’re all creatures of the sea! What’s there to be afraid of is we do capsize?”

“We lose all the treasure we accumulated over our countless adventures.” this caused [M/N] to pause, looking up in thought before nodding his head.

“Heh, now that’s a good reason, matey.” he laced his fingers together, cracking them over his head as he turned on his heels and started making his way to his quarters, passing by his vice-captain to give him some orders “You’re in charge while I go rest up myself, call me if anything happens.”

“Yes captain.” he clicked his tongue with winking before finally leaving, he let out a sigh while stretching his arms then collapsed onto his chair in front of his desk. He then kicks his feet onto the said desk while popping the cork of a bottle of wine and taking a couple swigs from the alcoholic beverage, he hums to himself as the liquid ran down his throat while some slipped between his lips and ran down his jaw. Licking his lips, he sniffles to himself as he looked around his personal room and smirked to himself, never in a million years would he have thought he would make a name as infamous as his own. 

“I really should pay the old man a visit.” he leans back once more, an arm hanging back as he takes another swig of the wine before pausing while letting out a hum at the sound of a bird.

*CAW*

*CAW*

“Hmm?” pulling his head up, he raised a brow at the sight of a crow landing on his foot “Now what’s a bird-like yourself doing out in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to land for miles?” he lifts his leg slightly and there he saw a letter of sorts strapped to its leg, his face lit up as he moved his leg so that it was closer to towards him so that the crow could perch itself on his hand. He set the bottle of wine down to caress the side of its head, humming softly when it leaned into the affectionate gesture. He soon removed the letter off of its leg and then proceeded to move it so that it was perched on his shoulder, with that, he opened the letter and read through the contents.

"Dear [M/N],

It’s been a long time, hasn't it? I won't take up too much of your time since you're probably very busy, being the captain of an infamous pirate crew, so I'll make this quick.

You left the house at a rather young age so you probably haven't met your brothers. That's right, you have three younger siblings! Adoptive, I know, though one of them actually is my biological son while the other two I picked up just like you.

I thought that if you're near the SMP, you could swing by and I could introduce you to them. I mentioned that they had an elder brother that was a pirate and they were more than excited to meet you. I hope you could meet them as well, but I won't pressure you to stop your adventures to meet them.

I'll see you when I see you.

Yours truly, Philza."

“Hmph, it’s almost as if he’s reading my mind.” he muttered to himself but ultimately felt excited after reading the letter, brothers? Philza picked up more kids and dubbed them his sons, now that was exciting to hear after a few months of no letters. He opens a drawer and drops the letter into the half-full drawer of letters from his father, he closes it then pulls out a blank paper, a quill and some ink to write his response. He reads it over before nodding his head and closing it, sealing it in an envelope then wax sealing it with a symbol of his pirate crew “Make sure this letter gets back to my dad, I’m counting on you.” he snickers softly when the crow salutes before flying off. 

‘Brothers, huh? I wonder what they’re like.’ he thinks back to his childhood with Philza and laughs to himself, he remembered how much of a handful he was for the already old man. He always loved being near the ocean, whether it be because he’s an oceanic hybrid or not, it was always so refreshing to be in the water than out of it. Philza wasn’t that big of a fan because of his wings so to compromise, he would pick him up and fly to a good enough height then drop him from a said height into the water for a big splash. Thinking back to his childhood brought a smile to his lips, he nods his head and stands to his feet and makes his way to the main deck where his crewmembers were casually talking while doing their assigned chores.

“Hear me, men!” he shouts, this caused them all to look over at him, raising a brow when they saw the bright smile on his face “Tomorrow, we set sail for the SMP! I have a certain someone waiting to see his son.” they all share glances at each other after the short announcement.

“We’re heading to land?”

“Then that means...”

“Party time!” he laughs at the conclusion, that was true. Whenever they did visit any island, that would always mean they head to the closest tavern to party for the rest of their stay there and relax until [M/N] decided they leave. He shook his head when they immediately raised the anchor while their navigator took to the wheel so they could head to the SMP ASAP, well, at least they weren’t wasting any time.

[with the sbi family]

“Dear old man,

It sure has been a long time, so imagine my surprise after you blessed me with the news of me having brothers. I’m very excited to meet the boys you have failed to mention in the previous letters, were you planning on surprising me or did you forget?

You must be getting really old if you did forget, and you wonder why I call you old man, old man. That’s beside the point, I’d be more than happy to drop everything just to see you and my new brothers. Don’t ever think that you’re giving me trouble just for a visit, I’ve been meaning to visit you anyways.

I don’t know exactly when I’ll arrive at the SMP, but knowing my crew, they’ll make it a top priority just to get to an island to relax after weeks of being on the ocean waters. We’ll be docked at the same place we always stay at whenever we come to visit.

See you soon.

Your favorite son, [M/N].”

“Pft, bold of him to assume he’s my favorite.” he muttered under his breath after reading the reply from his eldest son, his crow returned from [M/N] with a satisfied look on its face. Philza was excited to see the response and was thrilled when he read that [M/N] was quite literally dropping everything just to meet the brothers he had mentioned in the letter. Speaking of which, he hadn’t meant to mention [M/N] around his three sons, it was an accidental slip of the tongue and the three boys demanded to meet [M/N].

“Was that from the pirate?” Technoblade, the now second eldest who was a piglin hybrid, asked him as he rested his arms on the armrest while his head laid on top of his arms “Did he say he was coming?” Philza chuckled softly as he nodded his head, raising his hand to rest on top of his head.

“It was, and his name is [M/N].”

[M/N]: his eldest son that he accidentally picked up when he was sailing through a storm because god forbid he fly through it. The young orca was a stowaway in a crate of food that was likely abandoned or lost by his own family, so with nowhere to call home, he took the young calf as his own and raised him to the man he is today.

Wilbur: the second and biological son to Philza, a human child that bared more of a resemblance to his mother, the love of Philza’s life Kristin (Samsung Fridge) who’s love for music and theatre. Though he was quiet on certain occasions, the older man adored his son for bringing back the boisterous atmosphere after his eldest son left the home.

Technoblade: the third son, he found this young piglin hybrid alone in the nether with nothing more than the clothes on his back. He was probably the same age as Wilbur, he also thought Wilbur could use a brother since his eldest was gone and Wilbur looked lonely. Making sure that Technoblade wasn’t missing or anything, he brought the young boy home and raised him alongside his other son.

Tommy: his fourth and youngest son was randomly dropped off in front of his home with no letter or any sign left of the boy’s parents, but it was startling how similar this young child shared an appearance like himself. He probably wouldn’t have brought Tommy if it weren’t for the fact that both Wilbur and Technoblade were excited to get a younger sibling, so he thought, why the hell not and closed the door behind him with Tommy in his arms. 

“When is he going to get here, dad?” Wilbur asked, popping his head beside Technoblade.

“He isn’t coming directly to the house, so we’re going to him at the dock.” he let out an oof when Tommy threw himself onto Philza’s lap, a bright look on his face as he stared up at his father.

“So we’re going to see his ship? A real pirate ship?”

“That’s right, if you’re good enough, he might just let you aboard.” he chuckled when all three of them let out cheers of excitement, but himself was just as excited as his sons to see [M/N] again. How long has it been exactly since he last saw [M/N]? Several years, perhaps? He was seven when he first picked him up and he raised him to about seventeen years old before he left, Wilbur was born three years later and he’s currently eight... eleven years? That sounds about right.

“How old is he now, dad?” Wilbur asked.

“Hmm, if I do the math right, he should be about... twenty-eight?” Tommy makes a face.

“Old.” Technoblade and Wilbur snort, Philza just chuckled with a shake of his head and decided to tell them all the stories of the infamous pirate Killer Whale and all his adventures across the sea. When he finally got the letter that [M/N] arrived at the SMP and decided that he and his crew were staying for a couple days up to a week, he informed his youngest three and watching them scurry around to get ready was one of the funniest things to see. 

“Is he as scary as you made him out to be?” Tommy asked.

“Well, I say it’s like a character he has to play. He’s known as a ruthless killer of the sea, but he’s actually quite a big softy. Hah, he would often play with other sea life whenever we would go out swimming and sometimes he would cry at the sight of turtles being harassed by zombies. He gets very embarrassed whenever I bring it up.”

“Will he like us?” Technoblade asks “He’s twenty years older than us, don’t you think he’ll find it odd to have brothers that’s two decades younger than him?” Philza just shook his head.

“Not really. Family is family in his eyes. He told me that his ragtag crew of pirates are the family he couldn’t bring with him when he started his adventure. They range from a variety of different ages, different species, you name it! Whether you’re children or not, he’ll still consider you his brothers.” he was relieved when that was enough to reassure Technoblade, to which the young boy nodded his head as he reached forward to take Philza’s hand, Wilbur noticed this and took his other hand whilst Tommy sat a top the shoulders of their father. 

“Hurry up dad, I really want to meet him!” Tommy shouted, he laughs to himself when he was then being dragged to the docks by Wilbur and Technoblade, who were just as enthusiastic as their youngest brother. They now stood in front of tavern that was bustling with noises that ranged from shouting, screaming and singing...? Can that noise really be considered singing? Philza takes a deep breath and goes to enter but quickly stepped to the side, pulling his sons with him, when a barrel flew through the doors and crashed into the wall behind them. 

...

...

“I’m having second thoughts.” Technoblade says after hearing loud cheering come from inside the tavern after the barrel came flying through the doors.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I promise, he’ll tone it down when he sees you guys.” he put Tommy down and made sure he was close to his brothers, he takes a deep breath as he approached the doors before finally pushing them open and entering the tavern. Technoblade, Wilbur and Tommy held onto the end of Philza’s haori and they were all blown away that the tavern was filled to the brim of oceanic hybrids that were partying like there was no tomorrow. They paid the family no mind as they continued to sing sea shanties while cheering on the two big hybrids that were drinking ale from barrels.

“Chug, chug, chug, chug!” the crew chanted wildly, one of the two collapsed to the ground, the barrel spilling ale everywhere for they weren’t able to finish it. The latter continued to drink and when he finished he let out a loud breath then slammed the now empty barrel to the ground before letting out a loud cheer, throwing his fist in the air with a wide grin.

“You’re a few years too early to challenge I to a drink off, mate.”

“That’s the captain for you!”

“Him and that bottomless stomach of his!” [M/N] gave a toothy grin, snickering to himself when his vice captain came up to him and wrapped their arm around his shoulder, he goes to continue to drink but was stopped at the call of his name.

“[M/N]!” he turned his head and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the blonde man, Philza flinched slightly when all eyes were on him and was having second thoughts, he soon let out a grunt when [M/N] came rushing over to him with his arms wide open.

“Dad!” he exclaimed before kneeling down to wrap his arms around Philza and bringing him into a hug, his dorsal fin and fluke wagging as he embraced his father after so long “It’s so nice to finally see you after all these years!” he adds as he pulls away but still had a hold on him, snickering softly when Philza’s feet couldn’t touch the ground.

“It’s good to see you too, [M/N]. I missed you.” [M/N]’s fluke tail continued to wag, a few of [M/N]’s crewmates whistle at the sight.

“Wow, so that’s the man that raised captain [M/N]?”

“He really is a bird hybrid?”

“Is he a crow?”

“I’ve never seen a bird hybrid up close.” the blonde man started patting [M/N] on the shoulder to gain his attention and when he got it, he gave him a nervous smile.

“There’s still a few people I need you to meet.” at that, his face lit up once more and he moved Philza to the side and there he saw the three children that had to be his brothers. The tallest of the three had short pink hair that looked like it was growing with skin that was a lighter shade of pink than his hair, a paper crown sat a top his head as he wore a simple white button up, trousers and boots. The second was a boy with curly brown hair and matching brown eyes, he wore a bright yellow sweater with blue jeans and shoes. The smallest of the three had bright blonde hair that matched his-- their father along with the blue eyes, he wore a simple white shirt with red sleeves, shorts and sho-- wait a damn minute, where are his shoes? “[M/N], these are the brothers I mentioned in the letter. Meet Wilbur, Technoblade and Tommy. Boys, meet [M/N].” said man hurriedly put Philza down and gave the three young children and friendly smile.

“Hello, it’s great to finally meet you three. I hope we can get along.” [M/N] felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek when the three only stared up at him in silence, then Tommy burst into tears “Wha-- what?” he paled, ignoring the way his crew were laughing as he tried to comfort the crying boy.

“Wow, you made them cry.”

“Some brother you are.”

“So scary.” his crew booked a private room so that Philza can usher the boys in to calm them down, to which the older two stood in the hallway, though, Philza was looking down at [M/N] as he was hunched over in a corner and drawing circles into the ground.

“Am I really that scary?” this question got him a smack across the head.

“You’re literally a killer whale, [M/N]. You’re huge with an intimidating aura surrounding you.” this caused him to continue sulking “If you don’t want to scare them, especially Tommy, why don’t you look like a human?” this caused [M/N] to flinch at the suggestion.

“Human?” he stood up and looked into his reflection through the mirror and pulled a face, placing a hand on his cheek “I don’t remember the last time I adorned the appearance of a human, my whole pirating life revolved around me being an orca.” Philza shrugged as he looked into the mirror with him.

“Well, it’s either that or you live with them fearing you.”

“Now that’s just mean.” he shrugs.

“But you and I both know that it’s true.” [M/N] exhaled through his noses and looked at his reflection once more, dangit. Wilbur and Technoblade were whispering sweet nothings into Tommy’s ear to soothe him, to which he had calmed down from his crying.

“I didn’t expect him to be that big.”

“I didn’t expect Tommy to cry.” Wilbur then looked down at him “Didn’t you say that you were a big man, Tommy?” the five year old only sniffled.

“I am a b-big man!” they all flinch, to which Tommy let out a yelp, when there was a knock at the door. They relaxed when they saw that it was only their father, however, he was briefly talking to someone from behind the door before shuffling inside.

“Come on, don’t be getting shy now.”

“I feel weird.” it was [M/N]’s voice, but it sounded different compared to earlier. Philza waved his hand and so [M/N]’s let out a sigh and finally entered the room, causing the three children to stare in slightly shock at his different appearance. Instead of the body of an orca with legs, [M/N] now looked completely human with pale skin and black markings where an orca’s skin was black. He still had an abnormal height but at least it wasn’t overwhelming like before, he had short messy [H/C] hair with deep [E/C] eyes. The clothes he wore looked a little looser and baggy compared to when he was an orca, I guess that was because his muscles were more apparent when he was an animal. As a human, he also had many tattoos of islands that he must have visited along with a few flowers, feathers and a compass, his ears were pierced as well and he had a black crow feather hanging along the side of his face from his hair “There, you happy?” he said as he looked at his father, placing his hands on his hips while leaning his weight onto his foot.

“Very, you look just as handsome as the day you left.” this comment raise heat to rush to his pale skin, Philza then clapped his hands as he looked at the other three children “Boys, this is [M/N]’s human form, I hope it’s less scary.”

“You’re making me look bad.” [M/N] nervously rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes averted from the three small children, he takes a deep breath before approaching them and kneeling down, making sure he didn’t get too close so they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable “I’m sorry if I’ve made you three nervous, I didn’t mean to. I haven’t exactly interacted with young children in a long time, but I really want to make this work because this is the first time I’ve had brothers this young before. I’ll stay like this to make sure you guys are comfortable around me, how does that sound?” he believed that Wilbur and Technoblade could handle it, but he was more worried about Tommy, the poor boy cried on sight. He waited nervously and eagerly for his response, swallow thickly as the blonde boy peered over the shoulders of his older brothers shielding him from the stranger.

“... did those hurt?” was the first thing Tommy said, [M/N] didn’t understand the question until he noticed where Tommy was looking, he glanced down while raising his hand and saw that he was staring at the few scars along his chest that were peeking from under his shirt.

“Huh? These? Psh, with the adrenaline pumping, it barely hurt. What hurt was getting the damned thing all stitched up.” he then raised his arm “Wanna see the scar I got after getting harpooned?” Philza stood in the background, a happy smile gracing his lips that [M/N] managed to get the boys to settle down and marvel at works of art all over his body along with the scars left behind the countless battles he’s had over the years. It made him happy that, despite the initial introduction, Tommy now sat snug in his lap while Wilbur and Technoblade sat beside him as he pointed at each of his tattoos and the meanings behind them.

‘I’m glad they’re getting along, I guess I was worried for nothing.’ 

Headcanon:

[m/n] spoke with his brother’s for hours, recalling another one of his tales, that he hadn’t realized that the noise from inside the bar had died down whilst his own father was leaning against his back as he fell asleep.

he probably would have moved them to the couch if it weren’t for the fact that even the three young boys had fallen asleep on him.

he was in a predicament.

fuck it-- he might as well just sleep on the floor with them.

the morning was great because he was cuddled up with his brothers along with his father.

it wasn’t so great for his crew because they were all groaning in pain from the hangovers from the excessive drinking.

he threw water of them to wake them up and told them to stop bitching. 

when the three boys were awake, he brought them aboard his ship and showed them around.

them and his crew were more than excited to show the children around, however, they too had to look like humans as to not overwhelm and startle children.

they were rewarded with booze.

when [m/n] had to set sail again, tommy burst into tears once more because he wanted [m/n] to stay.

why couldn’t he stay?

did he not like them?

quite the opposite really.

he was a wanted man, and the longer he stayed in a certain area, the faster the government authorities got to capturing his band of crazies.

wilbur and technoblade were just as upset because they wouldn’t get to see or hear all his epic tales and spend time with his crew.

[m/n], however, promised to visit more often and send letters to hear from them.

he even promised to send or bring them souvenirs from his adventures, giving them something to look forward too.

when asked why he couldn’t just stay longer, his answer was the fact that his story still hadn’t found its ending just yet and was still being told and written. 

the next time he did drop by he had a few new tattoos that signified his brotherhood to them and represented each brother.

a lute for wilbur, a cutlass sword for technoblade, and an infinity sign for tommy.

tommy thought the infinity sign looked dumb.

when told that it was his limitless brotherly love for him, he had second thoughts.

though he tried not to make it blatantly obvious, to which he failed at it, tommy was without a doubt his favorite brother.

he promised the three brothers, that if they were ever to call him in need of his aid, he would not hesitate to drop everything just to come and help them in dire need.

he was their elder brother, and he was going to make up for his absence for not being there for them when they were growing up.

Siblings pt. 3

word count: 60,230

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairing: Robin Buckley + Steve Harrington x Female!Harrington!Reader Pronouns: She/Her Relationship: Romantic/Familial Occupation: University Student Ability: N/A

Keys:

[F/N]: Female Name [L/N]: Last Name [N/N]: Nickname [H/C]: Hair Color [E/C]: Eye Color

Warnings: child abuse, character death, violence, vulgar language, alcohol.

“Siblings” pt. 1, pt. 2

this part is going to be dedicated to my friend’s friend @puresass​​.

the unknown guy’s name from hellfire will be nathan, he looks like a nathan to me.

the harrington couple’s name will be richard and lauren harrington. those seem like the most basic bitch names I could think of.

there was a part in here where I just didn’t give a shit and I feel like y’all will be able to pinpoint where.

there’s bound to be a lot of mistakes in here but I a) can’t be fucked fixing and b) I can’t be fucked fixing.

the endings a little anticlimactic and not what I would have wanted but I can’t be fucked and it’s too long so I just needed to put a stop to it. maybe i’ll change it or I won’t, I’ll see how i feel.

that is all.

Steve felt numb.

He couldn’t believe that this was actually happening.

He couldn’t believe that he was attending his sisters and boyfriends funeral. The last time he attended a funeral was the year prior for Barb, and even then he still hasn’t fully gotten over the guilt of what happened to her to the point he can’t even go swimming in his own goddamn pool. Staring at his reflection, he caressed his face that was still recovering from the onslaught his sister and the Russians did to him, but his heart hastened at the sight of his eyes in his reflection. Tears gathered in his eyes quicker than he realised, a sob escaping his trembling lips that he had to cover his mouth and quickly look away before he broke down before arriving at the actual funeral. Peering one last time at the mirror he looked away immediately when all he saw was her staring right back at him, but not his sweet and beautiful sister that he grew up with, but the monster who’s complexion was comparable to that of a sheet of paper, veins as black as tar and a dead expression that glared at him from behind.

Dustin enters the room to check up on Steve, he was taking longer then the allotted time Steve had given him, to find him collapsed on the ground unable to quell the tears and broken cries for his sister. Dustin was quick to rush to Steve’s side, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and letting the older man cry into his shoulder. Dustin didn’t quite understand what Steve was going through, he himself hasn’t met [F/N] like the others did, whether it may be the flayed version of her or not, but he understood that their relationship ran deep. He remembered the rare few times Steve did mention his sister, and when he did, Dustin would have to listen to Steve’s rambling about how cool his older sister was and how she did absolutely everything in her power to ensure he was happy. There wasn’t a bad thing he could say about his sister, everything about her was just praise after praise.

Jonathan was the one to get Steve to calm down, completely understanding exactly what Steve was going through. Before it was him that lost Will, when he FIRST lost Will to the upside down and when the police found his “body” in the quarry. It was gut wrenching to see Steve, who never let anyone see that they got to him, unable to control the tears running down his cheeks or the violent shaking his body was suffering through. But unlike him, [F/N] was really gone, they all saw her dead body along side Billy’s, neither one of them were walking that one off. They weren’t recovering from that wound like they did with others, they were really gone and they weren’t coming back. Robin wasn’t doing so good either. Arriving at the burial, they noted how exhausted she looked with dried tear tracks staining her cheeks. Upon seeing each other, a new wave of anguish washed over them as tears threatened to spill, but they managed to pull themselves together and used each other for support and comfort. Nancy didn’t really know Robin all to well but she offered her comfort, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezing it while Dustin stood at Steve’s side and rubbed circles into his back. It took them everything not to collapse to their knees when they finally lowered the caskets into their craves, Max herself wasn’t doing so great as she stood with her mother with El at her side and watched as Billy’s casket disappeared under the earth. Steve couldn’t stand being there any longer than he had to be, the moment both caskets were buried he didn’t hesitate to turn tail and return to his car where he spent the next couple of minutes balling his eyes out because he just couldn’t believe this was happening.

He didn’t want to believe the fact that he was now outliving his sister, he was now an only child. He pressed a hand to his mouth when a sob rippled out of his throat, pressing the heels of his hands against his forehead while gritting his teeth. God, what the hell was he going to tell their— his parents that she was dead? How the hell were the going to react? He already tried calling for them, others tried notifying the Harrington couple that their eldest child and only daughter had died in the Starcourt fire along side thirty other people, counting Billy Hargrove who was known as her lover and Police Chief Hopper, dubbed a hero for rescuing the surviving few that managed to escape. [F/N] herself hasn’t really spoken or seen their parents in a long time, only tolerating their mere existence for the sake of Steve but the moment she was free of school and their hold, she ditched Hawkins without a moments hesitation. She only came back for Steve, it was always for Steve. Maybe if he hadn’t stuck around because he couldn’t get into a good college out of Hawkins, maybe [F/N] wouldn’t have returned to bum fuck nowhere just to see him. Goddammit, it was always his fault!

She became the disappointment of the family for him.

She laid down her crown for him.

She became the local freak for him.

She died for him, and maybe that might not be true, but he was never going to forget that look of absolute pain she had in her eyes when she realised what she had done. He finally had her back, he was finally in her arms safe and though she was bawling her eyes out because she had hurt him, it was his [F/N]. That was his big sister that adored him with all her heart, but it was exactly what Jonathan said, her love for him is both her weakness and her strength. She loved him too much that she threw her last chance away just to get back at the monster that ruined her life, in doing so she died in the arms of her supposed lover.

Billy, oh poor sweet Billy. Not a single day goes by where knowing what exactly was going on in Hawkins, the guilt of not telling the blonde the details will continue to eat at him until the day he reaches his limit. Things were finally going good for both him and Billy, they finally pushed the events of the year prior to the side and started getting along, but dating? Gosh, Steve wasn’t so sure when he fell in love with Billy exactly, but it felt ethical. He was helping Billy work on himself, helping him think of ways to mend his relationship with Max. He was Billy’s safe haven away from the horrors of his father, that sick bastard that didn’t hesitate to sell all his shit, divorce Susan and abandoned the Mayfield family to flee Hawkins. Maybe he was already planning it from how fast he reacted to the news of his deceased son, but that didn’t matter, Billy was trying and that’s all that matters. He was trying, he was trying to be better, but none of it matters anymore because he’s gone.

“I-I’m not ready…” he mumbles under his breath, sniffling to himself as he tries wiping the tears away but were replaced by more. He lets out a groan, looking over at the passenger seat, his mind began playing with memories of her “I-I’m not ready, [F/N].” she lurched forward when Steve abruptly stepped on the brake, glancing over at her brother, she saw that panicked expression on his face that reminded her of the time she tried teaching him how to ride a bike. Right now she was teaching him how to drive a car after he passes his learners, though perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to teach him in her mustang.

“Well,” she takes a breath, grip so violent on the handle above her while her other was placed on his knee that she would occasionally squeeze “not everyone is ready to drive. You’ve got plenty of time to get the hang of it, I promise.” he lets out a sigh, head bumping against the wheel.

“But Tommy said he understood on his first go.” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“That virgin? Psh, please. Pretty sure he flunked the first time trying for his learners.” that made a smile crack onto his cheeks but that didn’t stop his nervousness, she lets out a sigh “… I couldn’t go to mum and dad to help teach me to drive, and though I was better off teaching myself, guess who I went to for help?”

“Who?” she was already grinning before she answered him.

“Munson.” now she bursts into laughter when he whipped his head so fast she was surprised he didn’t break his neck “Oh, come on now! I was desperate, and though it was a mistake in itself, he did make it more fun to learn. But in the end it was his uncle that taught me, he’s such a gentlemen. Love the guy to bits.” now they burst out into laughter, [F/N] smiled brightly when that managed to calm him down and he didn’t look as nervous as he did.

“Well, I needed that.” she huffs.

“Hey, when you get comfortable enough to drive, I might even let you take my baby out for a drive.” his face lights up.

“Really? You’ll let me drive your mustang?” she rolls her eyes, pushing his head by the cheek to look back out towards the road ahead of him.

“Don’t get your hopes high, first learn how to pull out of the driveway then we’ll talk.” in the end [F/N] did let him take her mustang out for a spin but was quickly banned from driving it again when they blew past Hopper and [F/N] was fined for letting a learner drive and over the speed limit, they never spoke about it ever again. Just the memory of him together with [F/N] made him happy but the bitter thought that she wasn’t around anymore just made every happy memory of her sour now.

*knock knock*

“Hey, dude.” Steve lets out a gasp at the soft knocking on his window, thinking it was maybe Nancy or Robin, he hurriedly wipes his tears away before looking over but was surprised to see who it was.

“Munson?” Eddie gives him a nervous smile followed by a wave, he then gestures with his hand to roll down the window and so he does “What are you— what are you doing here?” Eddie couldn’t help but frown at the state the former “King” Steve Harrington was in, he couldn’t believe it. From that cocky little shit that went humble after newbie from cali, who’s also dead, overthrew him, he didn’t know who was in front of him. Maybe this was [F/N]’s crybaby brother that she gave up everything for, he takes a breath as he rubs his neck.

“[F/N] was my friend, man, there’s no way I’d miss her funeral.” Eddie pulled away briefly to look over at his uncle, to which he was gesturing to the small box that Steve failed to notice until now “Um, I know we’ve never really talked or nothing but… I think she’d want you to have this.” he then hands Steve the box, shoving his hands into his pockets the moment Steve takes it from him. He wants to tug against the suit and tie Wayne forced him into, saying he should at least look a little appropriate for [F/N] and Billy’s funeral, he at least let him wear his ripped jeans if he wore the tie. A reasonable bargain.

“What is this?”

“Open it, and you might find out.” Steve couldn’t help but scoff at his words but heeded them, taking the lId off before freezing up at what he saw. Eddie swallowed thickly, not expecting this kind of reaction so he leaned over to see his expression and his heart dropped when he saw the tears running down his cheeks again. Steve’s trembling hand reached into the box and he pulled out one of the many polaroids that filled the box, the one he had in his hands was of her with Eddie and his frie— their friends laughing together in what he could make out was the hideout. FUCKING KILLED IT, was what was written at the bottom of the photo “Hey man, I’m sorry if that didn’t help or anything— she always mentioned you, you know? She loved talking about you with any chance she got to bring you up to the point it got annoying, but she loved you. Thought you might have wanted to know that.” he raised his hand to caress his arm then looked back towards Steve to see that he was looking up at him with those tear filled eyes. God, he felt his own tears threatening to fall cause looking down at Steve just reminded him of [F/N]. Why the hell did the two of them have to look so alike? He had to same exact heartbroken look on his face the day she and Eddie first became friends, when she begged for him to help fix her relationship with Steve even if it meant destroying her reputation.

“I-I— thank you, Munson…! You’ve no idea what this m-means to me.” Eddie glanced at Steve and saw him looking through the other the other photos, and though he still had tears running down his face, he had a bittersweet smile on his face “She looks so happy in m-most of these.” he muttered softly, he remembered how his sister hated taking photos, especially if it was for their parents. She made it her personal mission to frown or look as miserable as she could in each family photo, so seeing a genuine smile on her face really meant something to him.

“She was always happy around us, called us the family she wished she had.” Eddie cursed under his breath when he noticed Steve flinch “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—” Steve shakes his head.

“No, no, I understand where you’re coming from.” he wipes away the tears and some of the snot, sniffling to himself then looked up at Eddie with those red doe eyes, glassy with new tears threatening to fall at any moment “She was the sister I took for granted, and now that she’s gone… I don’t know what to do with myself.” Eddie takes a breath, taking a step back and pinching the bridge of his nose to calm himself down, when he looks back at Steve he places his hands on his hips and gave him the same look he did with [F/N] whenever she was feeling depressed.

“Listen, Harrington.” Steve looks up at him “Your sister and I were close, as I’d like to say, she was my platonic soulmate. She’s told me things that I am more than willing to take to the grave, but I think she would want you to know what great lengths she went to just for the sake of your happiness over her own. So now that she’s gone, I hope you don’t let her efforts die in vain. She would want you to live your life to the fullest even if she’s gone, if not, we both know that she’d kick your ass.” this caused the both of them to laugh softly, Steve looked up at Eddie with a newfound fondness, feeling grateful for his words.

“Thanks for that, I really needed that.” his thumb caressed against a different polaroid, one where she looked drunk and was hanging off of some big guy with short curly hair, though the both of them were laughing happily while Gareth looked confused in the background, at the bottom was captioned with [F/N] + NATHAN HAVING A BLAST w/ GARETH “I’m glad she at least had one friend that understood her; that was there for her when nobody else was on her side. I wish I had that.” Eddie frowned softly.

“No offence dude, but you did have that.” he scratches at his cheek, trying to hide the guilty look on his face but he was struggling “She was always there for you, even when you thought she wasn’t. There wasn’t a single time that she was against you.” Steve swallowed a lump down his throat, feeling a pang of guilt in his heart for every instance he thought [F/N] hated his existence as much as he hated her, but that hate was one sided.

“I really took her for granted.” Eddie presses his lips together and slowly nodded his head.

“Yeah…” his eyes perked up when he saw a small group huddle up, there he saw his friends looked as disheveled and upset as he was standing beside his uncle “H-Hey, I’ve got to go now. But if you ever need to talk, or want to hear some funny stories of how dumb your sister was in high school, you know where to find me?” he offered, not really expecting Steve to take him up on that offer, but he nodded his head.

“I’d actually like that a lot. She hasn’t told me much of what happened in high school, saying it all went by like a blur.” Eddie stuttered over his next words, waving his hands around before rubbing the back of his neck.

“O-Oh, yeah, totally! Then I guess, see you around?” Steve nods his head and waved his hand goodbye, Eddie returns the gesture before jogging back over to his uncle and friends. Steve watched them for a bit, watching the one he knows as Gareth fail to keep his tears under control because the moment Eddie was in front of him he broke down crying, and soon a chain reaction broke out through the lot of them and they were all crying together. He inhales shakily through his nose, he sets the box of polaroid photos on his passenger seat then digs through his pocket, upon finding what he was looking for he pulls it out and grimaces at the sight of Billy’s signature necklace hanging through his fingers. Max was kind enough to give him at least one piece of Billy with him, it wasn’t his ring but this was more than enough to give him some closure. Putting it on, he clutches onto it tightly, his knuckles turning white from how harsh his grip was, before raising it up to press his lips against it.

“I’m sorry we didn’t have enough time, Billy. I’m so sorry.” he lowers it until it sits against his chest, he pats the space over his heart and takes another deep breath, this time to calm the new wave of tears that threatened to fall. Another knock on his window has him turning his attention towards the glass, his eyes lit up slightly at the sight of Robin knocking gently on the glass of the passenger side “Robin…” he called out weakly, she gives him a strained smile before opening his door and taking a seat, moving the box onto the floor.

“Hey…” she greeted in return, the two of them sat in silence. It was comfortable, just the two of them together, simply acknowledging each other’s existence. Robin flinched slightly when she felt something brush against her arm, sparing him a look, she saw that he offered his hand for her to take. Her bottom lip trembled softly but she took his hand nonetheless, giving it a tight squeeze before hunching forward, burying her face into the palm of her hand as her shoulders shook when she started to cry again. Steve, this time, inhaled sharply to stop himself from crying once more. If he knew his sister, and he’d like to think that he did, then she wouldn’t want him crying over her death as much as he was right now “What do we do now, Steve?” Robin asks through her tears, looking at him in a desperate plea.

“… move on, I guess.” Robin knew that was the answer, but god forbid she wished there was another one, where this wasn’t happening to begin with. She wanted Steve to take her to their place and there she’ll find Billy and [F/N] soaking it up in the pool complaining about how hot it is. Maybe her heart wouldn’t ache as much as it did if she never met [F/N] to begin with, maybe she’d feel better if she didn’t get to know Harrington at all. But how could she think that because now every time she looks at Steve she at least sees a part of [F/N] in him, or maybe that’s the reason she’s coming to hate looking at him. They share the same sad little look, resembling that of a kicked puppy begging for attention. “Is that all we can do…?” she muttered softly.

“What else is there to do?” she couldn’t think of anything, he gently squeezes her hand “Do you want to come over?” she nods her head.

“Yeah.” they spent the rest of the day sitting silently in his room, neither one of them had the heart to go into her room because they knew they wouldn’t be able to control themselves from having another meltdown. Robin’s eyes lingered over to Steve and saw that his hand was fiddling with Billy’s necklace, glancing down at herself, her bottom lip started trembling when she remembered she was wearing [F/N]’s jacket despite the intense heat of the summer “Steve, can I take something of [F/N]’s?” “You’ve already got two of her jackets, what more would you want?” Steve then noticed where her gaze was fixed and so he let out a soft sigh but nodded nonetheless, this is where the two of them found themselves standing painfully in the middle of [F/N]’s room. Honestly, Steve didn’t know what to do with her room anymore. The day she moved out and left for university their parents wanted to throw all her stuff out, saying that she was no longer welcome in their house ever again, but Steve was adamant on keeping her stuff there and prided himself on managing to convince them, but now he wanted nothing to do with any of her stuff. Everywhere he looked was just a reminder of what he had done to cause them to drift apart in the first place.

“I’ll be quick, I don’t want to be in here any more than you do.” Steve watches from the door as Robin looks around [F/N]’s room, looking for something specific. He almost felt like it was a preach of [F/N]’s privacy seeing Robin open draws and nearly throw things around in search for whatever she was looking for, she finally stopped at [F/N]’s bedside table, opening up the top draw and pausing in her search. Robin sniffled softly as she pulled out a cassette tape, she smiled sadly as she flipped it around and saw what was labeled on it “for my song bird”. “Song bird?” she hadn’t realised Steve was behind her until he spoke, though she wasn’t startled by his sudden appearance, she just nodded softly as she looked down at it.

“She called me her song bird whenever I tried singing, and though I thought my voice was terrible, she told me she loved it.” her thumb caressed the cassette as she stared at it fondly “She told me she was working on it, even if she already made a tone of mixtapes for me, she told me that this one had songs that told me how much she loved me. I don’t know if it’s finished or not, but I thought I’d take it, finished or not.” she thought back to that memory fondly, she was sitting in [F/N]’s room listening to a different mixtape she made for her, glancing over at the girl occasionally from where she laid.

”What’s got you thinking so hard, [F/N]?” Robin questioned, seeing the way her forehead creased as she stared down at the piece of paper intently. She could always tell when her [F/N] was in deep thought, from the way she was bouncing her leg along with the cigarette that hung from her lips. She always did try not to smoke around Robin, saying how she thought smoking was gross, so she tried to hoard off her addiction but when her mind got too much for her she’d have a cancer stick on her lips, a window was open so the room wouldn’t get too overwhelming for her though.

“Thought of a new mixtape for you, song bird.” Robin blushes softly at the nickname, she always loved the sweet pet names she thought for her revolving around her name “I think this one will be my best one yet.”

“Really? I don’t know about that, I think the last one you made for me was your best one.” Robin giggles to herself as she thought about it, [F/N] labelled that one “rage” that the two of them would play at full blast whenever either one of them was feeling like letting loose because of how shitty Hawkins was.

“Say all you want, but I believe you’re really going to like this one.” she says, pointing the pencil in her hand towards her “Each song is going to represent just how much I love you.” she blinked at that declaration.

“How much you love me?” she nods her, making a little “mm hmm” noise as she took the cigarette from her lips and taps the ash onto her ashtray “How much more can you love me?” [F/N] chuckles affectionately.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I do with any other girl I’ve been with, Robin. You’re very special to me and I just want you to know that.” she looks down at the sheet of paper with jotted down love songs and blushed softly “I really want you to know that you have a special place in my heart… though you do come second to Steve.” Robin’s face fell the second Steve was mentioned, [F/N] snicked and quickly pocketed her list of songs just as Robin jumped to her feet.

“I don’t want to be second to Steve!” [F/N] puts out her cigarette just a second before she was tackled out of her chair to the ground, she burst out into laughter as Robin sat above her, holding her down by the shoulders as she laughed “Why can’t I be your first place?” [F/N] fondly rolled her eyes, hands lingering onto her thighs whilst turning her head to kiss the hands on her shoulders.

“The moment we’re married you’ll be my first place, my sweet. The day you become my wife will be the day I’ll put you before anyone, but until that day, Steve will forever be my first place.” Robin pouts but that didn’t settle the pink flush rising to her cheeks, she scoffed and rubbed her thumbs into her shoulders.

“You’re saying that as if I’ll say yes.” this earned her a chuckle.

“So you won’t marry me?”

“I didn’t say that…” the two of them were thrown into a fit of giggles, Robin collapsing onto [F/N] in the process of it all. A fond smile worked its way onto her face as she reminisces about that night, each time Robin brought up the mixtape, asking when will she be able to listen to it, [F/N] would give an excuse saying how she needed to add a few more songs to it before she’d consider it done, but Robin knew she’d be nervous to give it to her “I wonder what songs she chose.” she muttered softly, placing the cassette into her pocket as she stood to her feet.

“Think she picked cheesy love songs?” Robin snickers at the thought.

“As funny as that thought is, you and I both know she would choose songs with meaning behind them.” the two of them now stand in silence just staring at each other, Robin was the first to break. She throws her arms around Steve and starts sobbing into his shoulder, Steve just stands there motionless for awhile as Robin cried into his shoulder before finally raising his hands to wrap around her torso. Steve offered for her to stay the night if she needed it but she couldn’t handle the thought of being in that house, and though she felt awful that she was going to be leaving Steve all alone in that empty house, she just couldn’t bear the thought of it. She left with an apology with her parents where she now her room clutching the cassette tape, she was nervous after all. This was probably the last gift she was ever going to receive from [F/N] and she didn’t want to use it recklessly. When she couldn’t handle sitting in silence anymore she finally sat up and grabbed her cassette player, taking out [F/N]’s other mixtape for her and replacing it with the new one before putting on her headphones.

’[F/N] and Steve have drastically different taste in music, but I can totally imagine hearing her listen to George Mic—’ her thoughts were caught off guard when she heard the track of an old classic, her eyes started to water at the sound of “So This Is Love” sung by Ilene Woods beginning to play. Robin’s parents peek into her room and their hearts broke at the sight of Robin, openly crying as she held her cassette player close to her chest as classical love songs played one after the other. Robin couldn’t believe she forgot how in love [F/N] was when it came down to classics and orchestra type songs, having seen her punk/alt girlfriend blast music like Led Zeppelin and Ozzy Osborne more than sitting down to appreciate classics like Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata or even Claude Debussy’s Claire de Lune. The first time she caught her listening to an old classical was when [F/N] had quite a hard time that day and needed to settle and relax and classical music always seemed to calm her down.

”I don’t know, honestly. It’s something about the melody that feels so… euphoric. Maybe one day you’ll feel the same type of love I do for the old classics, huh?” Robin gasped when the tape ended drastically, her trembling lips let out a sob when she came to the realisation.

She didn’t get to finish it.

Steve wasn’t doing any better. He found himself situated in his room, sitting on the floor with the box of polaroids Eddie had given him and was looking through each and every one of them. Each one looked better than the last, her smile getting bigger and bigger whenever she was with her group of friends she called family. In the background he was playing a tape that he and [F/N] grew fond of together when they were young children, “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac was adored by [F/N] despite its meaning but both herself and Steve loved the way it sounded to their ears. He was planning on sharing this with Robin but he probably will on a later date, right now, he just wanted to be alone to reminicent on the good old days by himself.

“I wish I told you what was going on, [F/N]…” he murmured to himself, finding a polaroid of [F/N] by herself this time, she looked the calmest in this one compared to the rest but she still had that genuine smile on her face. MOVIE NIGHT was captioned at the bottom, ah, so that explains the bowl of popcorn that sat in her lap “Maybe if I warned you beforehand, none of this would be happening in the first place. Maybe then you and Billy would still be here, alive and breathing.” he shakily spares a glance towards his mirror but quickly turned away when he saw her once more, whats even worse, he saw Billy standing beside her. Everything was just getting so much harder.

[time skip: a few days later]

His parents coming home was unexpected. He was in the middle of cleaning his room when the front door to the house was unlocked and opened, voices filling the usually cold and empty house. How were they going to react knowing that their daughter was dead? How are they going to react at the sight of Steve’s still healing face? What about how he was involved with the fire that went down at the Starcourt Mall and that he was unemployed? His thoughts were brought to a hold when his door opened, glancing over, he winced at the sight of his mother. Both himself and [F/N] took most of their physical traits from their mother, from the skin tone to the shade of hair to the eyes and moles covering their bodies, so staring at his mother that mirrored his sister almost made it hard to look at her.

“Oh, Steven, you’re home. Good, your father and I need some help bringing our luggage in from the car. Be a dear and give us a hand.” he felt his body twitch, what? How is that the first thing she says to his face? Weren’t they told that their eldest daughter was dead? “Steven? Why haven’t you move yet? I asked for your help, did I not?” she was taken aback when a look of anger flashed across his face.

“Mum, did you not hear the news on [F/N]?” an immediate reaction came from his mother, she let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes.

“What? Did she flunk univesity? I had a feeling she would, she didn’t come crawling back here did she? Your father is going to be upset if he sees her, he’s already irritated that you still haven’t cleaned out her room like you were supposed to.” his hand balled up into a tight fist, weren’t they told that she was dead? Is that why they didn’t come rushing home? Is this why it took them fucking days to get back?!

“Did no one tell you?”

“Tell me what?” she blinked in surprise when tears, whether it be of anger or grief, began to swell in his eyes as he stared down at his mother.

“[F/N] died, mum. We had her funeral a couple days ago.” now she wasn’t expecting Steve to say that, she blinked in confusion as she thought back to what happened a few days ago. She did remember both her’s and Richard’s phones blowing up, people they didn’t know calling them in regards of what happened to their children and what happened while they weren’t in Hawkins. They brushed it off their shoulders, thinking the two of them just simply got into trouble, but looking at Steve’s bruise face and heartbroken expression gave her a different impression.

“She’s— no, she’s not.” Lauren shakes her head “I refuse to believe that your sister is dead, okay? There’s no way that girl could have possibly died, alright? If she’s anything from how I remember her is stubborn. If anything, she’s probably doing it for the attention. You know how much she bathed in the light of everyone’s attention, so that’s probably just it—”

“Mum! I fucking SAW her die!” Lauren flinched back at Steve raising his voice “Why the HELL would she kill herself for attention, mum?! That’s the most self-centred thing you could ever think of when she was the most selfless person to have ever existed! She died and I saw it happen, she died and there was nothing I could do to save her! She was suffering and I didn’t even notice!” Steve was going to fall into a rant but swallowed back his next words when his father walked into his room, standing behind his mother with that disappointed expression that never seemed to change.

“Why are you yelling at your mother, Steven? Much less swearing at her.” Steve let out a shuddered breath, raising his arm to wipe away the tears.

“[F/N] is dead and neither of you knew about it.” Richard’s face surprisingly showed a sign of surprise before quickly disappearing when he shook his head, he then let out a sigh as he crossed his arms.

“Is that all?” Steve flinched back “I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal over that girl being dead.” Lauren wore a saddened face, reaching up to grab at her husband’s forearm.

“Richard…” she murmured softly, Steve adverted his eyes when his father glared at him.

“B-But, she was your daughter. Don’t you care that she died at all?” Richard scoffed.

“That girl hasn’t been my daughter for years, Steven. When are you going to accept that she is no longer a Harrington? I guess her death was the final nail in the coffin, but physically and metaphorically.” Steve’s shoulders slumped as he stared at both of his parents, both unsympathetic that their daughter was dead and their son was grieving over her “Now stop this foolish behaviour at once, Steven. We have more important matters to attend to.” with that. Steve was left in his room alone once more but this time he was feeling a different sort of emotion for the parents that emotionally and physically neglected him… resentment. He didn’t understand why their— his parents came to hate [F/N] the way they do now, he just didn’t understand. Just [F/N] rebelling against them and basically flunking school until her last semester wasn’t a good enough answer for him anymore. Did he really not pay enough attention to his sister? Did he really not know how much she was suffering all because… all because of him? He needed answer, and he knew just the man that had them.

“Eddie Munson!” he shouts at the top of his lungs, Eddie, feeling a sense of deja vu, opened the door to his trailer and raised a brow at the sight of Steve. He felt a pang in his heart when he saw Steve standing at the foot of the stairs leading into the trailer, it hurt because it reminded him of how his and [F/N]’s friendship first began.

“Harrington?” Eddie mutters questionably, about the ask what he was doing there in the first place but caught himself “You here to learn a few things about your sister?” Steve swallowed thickly, he couldn’t find the right words so he just let his head fall, hands behind his back as he sheepishly nodded his head. Two completely different personalities, he thought to himself. With a sigh, he took a step back and gestured with his arm just Steve to enter his humble abode, Steve now found himself sitting on the couch a little nervously while Eddie took his uncle’s favorite chair. Steve looked around the trailer, awing at the impressive collection of mugs.

“Um… nice place?” Eddie huffed softly.

“Well, [F/N] loved the trailer. She didn’t care that it was small, it was less suffocating compared to the literal mansion you Harrington’s got yourselves. She hated the simplicity of it all. Wayne always tried to clean up because he thought it didn’t suit a young lady like her, but she always told him that the trailer was perfect.” Eddie hadn’t realised he was rambling in a bad way because when he looked at Steve he saw the brunette had a guilty yet knowing look on his face “Oh, sorry.” Steve shook his head.

“No, no. I-I get it.” he laughed nervously as he rubbed his hands together, looking up at the ceiling to stop the tears from forming in his eyes “She complained that even with the two of us in the house, the silence felt overwhelming to her. I guess that’s why she was always out and away from the house, even more so having her music on at full blast. It was a comfort, she said.” Eddie nods his head.

“Therapeutic.” Steve laugh so weakly.

“Yeah, that’s what she would say whenever I would complain about her music.” Steve and Eddie soon found themselves sitting in silence, whether it be awkward or comfortable, they didn’t know. Steve sniffled to himself, inhaling deeply as he brought his hands to his face then dragging them down “I didn’t notice a lot of the problems she was suffering, did I?” Eddie pulled a face, that was enough to get Steve to close his eyes and the guilt that was in his stomach started to bubble.

“Dude, there was so much wrong with your sister I was surprised she was able to function properly.” he collapses into the chair, running a hand through his hair then waved his hand around “So, what exactly would you like to learn about your sister? Her first time at a rave? How about the time I let her play my sweetheart and she broke one of the strings for shredding to hard?” Steve felt his hands start to get sweaty, his head hanging in front of his head once more.

“… how badly did our parents treat her?” Eddie felt like the air was knocked out of him, his eyes now staring at Steve in disbelief.

“Come on now, you should know how bad it was.” the pain in Steve’s eyes said otherwise, he let out a breath as he turned away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously “I told you there a few things she told me that I was more than willing to take the grave, right?” Steve nods his head.

“Right.”

“That happens to be one of them.” Steve goes to detest, saying that he should know why their relationship turned into the dumpster fire it is now but Eddie just refused to meet his eyes “She told me if you were to ever learn you’d blame yourself, Steve. She didn’t want you to feel the guilt of it all, so as her best friend, I’m not going to touch that subject. I’lll answer all your other questions, but not that sensitive topic. But if that’s all you want to talk about, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Talking about her hurts my heart too, man.” Steve bit his lip, Eddie watches him close, watches as all sorts of emotions pooled in his eyes.

“… [F/N] mentioned how you two would get into the dumbest shit when you two attended high school together, could you tell me a few of the shenanigans the two of you got into?” Eddie couldn’t help but snort softly, raising his hand to cover the lower half of his face as he thought back to his— their high school days. Where to begin. Steve watched Eddie closely, he watched as his hand slowly dragged down his face before he cupped his own face and leaned into his palm, slowly a smile worked its way onto his face as he thought back to one memory.

“This… was back during our second year of high school.”

”Suck in your gut, Eddie!”

“What gut? Are you calling me fat?”

“Yes! This was your idea, so shut up and suck in that gut!” when you put Eddie and [F/N] in a room together, or if they’re together regardless, they tend to share one single brain cell between each other. It was just like any typical day at Hawkins High where you could find the troublesome duo for once not doing anything too chaotic, they were just causally chatting about anything that came to mind, Eddie himself rambling about his new campaign idea and a few lyrics he managed to add to the song he was writing with [F/N] listening closely to each and every one of his words. Their conversation came to a halt at the sound of shouting and struggling, leaning forward, they see the jocks shoving a poor nerd into his locker and left him in there. The two stare at the poor fellow before turning to look at each other, the same brain cell that they share sparking as they shared the same thought. Eddie, who was now in his locker while [F/N] was pushing at the locker door with everything she had, were being complete idiots.

“Push harder!” [F/N] scoffed at him, pushing herself up so she wasn’t leaning against the locker door anymore, cracking her knuckles then rolling her sleeves above her elbows. She sucked in a breath then proceeded to shoulder the locker to close, when she noticed that it moved she moved so that her back was pressed against it and went back to pushing. She lets out a grunt when she suddenly fell from the lack of pressure, when she fell to the ground she heard a click and laughed when the locker finally closed.

“Haha! It worked!” she quickly rises to her feet and looks at Eddie through the gaps on the door, he too had a big grin on his face “You cozy in there, Eddie?” they both laugh.

“Nope, I’m cramped as shit! Get me out of here.” she rolled her eyes, she grabbed the handle and pulled but her face scrunched up in confusion when it didn’t open “[F/N], that’s not funny, hurry up and open it already.” now she grabbed onto the handle with both hands and started yanking at the door for it to open but it still wouldn’t budge.

“Um… I think I busted the latch.” they stare at each other in silence, moments later [F/N] is now desperately trying to open the locker door but everything she tried wasn’t working “Goddamn, this shit ain’t budging!”

“Try harder!”

“I am!” [F/N] let out an exhausted breath when she tried pulling with everything she had, she then knocks on it “Dang… I guess you’re stuck in there for the foreseeable future, it was nice knowing you.” she then proceeded to turn on her heel as she started walking away, this caused Eddie to cry out for her.

“Hey, wait! Don’t go! [F/N], please! Don’t leave me in here, I’ll die!” she rolled her eyes at his overreaction, she placed her hands on her hips as she thought of different ways to get Eddie out of his current predicament, when a thought did come to mind she lit up.

“Oh, I’ve got an idea. Stay right there, I’ll be right back.” he let out a sigh as she rushed off to do whatever she needed to do, slumping back in what little space he had in that cramped locker.

“Sure, it’s not like I can go anywhere.” [F/N] had gone off to her car to grab a crowbar from her boot to get him out, they were then given detention for damaging school property. Eddie laughs fondly at the memory going so far as to throwing his head back and running a through his hair, his laughter grew louder when Steve joined in. He could think of other stories he, [F/N] and Hellfire had gotten into from their high school days. How [F/N] jumped out of a window because she saw a five dollar bill laying on the ground, or maybe how she and Jeff convinced Gareth that Eddie wouldn’t mind that he sat in his precious throne… he did very much mind, or maybe the time when they performed at the Hideout and Nathan got a little too drunk and proceeded to jump off the stage to go crowd surfacing but instead landed on the ground with a loud thud.

Those were the days he missed.

“Haa… when your sister left, god, it felt like a piece of me left with her.” he felt the tears begin to sting in his eyes, he looks up whilst inhaling deeply to stop the tears from shedding “I honestly didn’t think my relationship with her would become something so deep, but I’m so glad we became the greatest of friends in the end. I am going to cherish the moments I had with her.” Steve stared blankly at Eddie after he spoke those words, he then looks down at the ground once more.

“Cherish the moments, huh?” he mutters softly.

Nightly chats soon became a daily routine between the two of them, each sharing a new story they had about [F/N]. Steve told Eddie how [F/N] allowed him to drive her mustang, to which Eddie was jealous that [F/N] let anyone beside her behind the wheel of her precious car. Eddie told Steve about how whenever the both of them shared a class he would often cheat off of her, they got in trouble because Eddie wrote down her name when it asked for his name. Soon topics changed from [F/N] to Billy, he knew what happened with Billy back in ‘84 and was surprised that Billy lived to tell the tale when she came back to Hawkins to visit Steve, though Steve did tell him that the two of them got into a scuffle until they got along and became pretty good friends. He met Billy a handful of times when the blonde would come buy weed off him, sometimes they’d chat about their favourite song from any metal bands they collectively listen to. Hargrove was a pretty chill dude under all anger and leather, sometimes he’d see that rare genuine smile that he couldn’t help but associate with [F/N]. Those two were so alike he couldn’t help but feel worried for him whenever he had to go home, if he could call that situation he lived in a home.

Soon the stories of Billy and [F/N] changed to normal conversations between Eddie and Steve. Eddie learnt that Steve now worked at Hawkins’ Family Video with his best friend Robin Buckley, Steve learnt that Eddie was writing a new song to perform live at the Hideout with the rest of Corroded Coffin and so on so forth. Sometimes the two of them would share a blunt and sit on top of Eddie’s trailer, chatting about the dumbest of things as they watched the clouds pass by or how the stars shun brightly in the dark sky. Tonight was one of those nights, Eddie glanced over at where Steve was laying and his face softened when the dark circles under his eyes have eased up so now that they were barely noticeable, at least they were making some progress. His brow perked up slightly when a strand of Steve’s hair fell down and was now laying in front of his eyes and without thinking her reached forward, this caught Steve’s attention so he looked over at Eddie and froze up a little when Eddie tucked his hair behind his ear. The two of them wordlessly stared at each other and upon realising what he had done he quickly pulled his hand back, muttering short apologises as he held his hand to his chest.

“I-I’m sorry if I… made you uncomfortable.” Steve blinked at Eddie then turned away, a sudden wave of heat flushing to his face as he tucked the same strand of hair behind his ear, Eddie watched this and felt butterflies in his stomach when he saw the tips of his ears turn a shade of red.

“It’s fine.” wow Steve, no wonder Mike thinks you’re lame.

Similar instances occurred after that.

It started off as small compliments. Steve spiced up his hair by a little? Eddie is the first to notice and tells him that he looks nice. Eddie leaves a jaw dropping cliffhanger at the end of one of his D&D campaigns? Steve applauds him for his excellent story telling and tells him he’d make a great book if he put himself to the challenge. Steve asks him if the outfit he was wearing looked good on him? Eddie is now one of his best hype men (other than robin, of course) and he thrives off the fact that he his face turned a bright pink because of it. Eddie performs a song for Steve that he thinks is lacking something? Steve in return encourages Eddie that it’s perfect and he too thrives off the fact that he made him as flustered as he did and that he pulled his hair over his face. Steve’s happiness was contagious because when he came into work Robin immediately noticed his happy mood, telling by the bright smile on his face and that joyous aura radiating out of his body.

“What’s got you so happy? You cheating on me?” she joked, she raised a brow when it looked like he wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying.

“Huh?” he mumbled in response, she furrowed his brows and looked at him closely “Oh, yeah.” she pursed her lips at that.

“So you are cheating on me?” it took him a second to realise what she was saying, she snickered softly when he whipped his head back to look at her to the point she laughed at the face he was making.

“What? No, no! There’s no one that can replace you, Robin!” she hums with a nod, crossing her arms and leaning to the side so that her hip was resting against the counter “Come on, Robin! Do you really believe I know anyone else that could replace you?” she hums.

“Well, I haven’t felt this sort of happiness like that ever since…” she quickly cut herself off before she could finish her sentence, he himself flinched softly at the remembrance of Billy. Would it be wrong if he moved on from Billy? His shoulders slumped as he thought about Billy and yet he couldn’t help but chuckle softly when he noticed a resemblance between the two of them, three if he counted his sister. He seemed to have a distinguished taste if he really thought about it, his face now drops into the palm of his hands while letting out a groan “You good?”

“… would it be wrong if I found someone else?” Robin’s eyes widened softly at that, Steve managed to find someone else? She hummed softly at the information and leaned backwards, crossing her arms and looking up in thought.

“Well… I don’t think so, no. Just like [F/N], I think he would have wanted you to move on. And as awful as this sounds, there’s no point in waiting for someone if they aren’t coming back.” she reaches forward, grabbing him by the bicep and giving it a light squeeze “It’s okay to move on, Steve.” she says that and her heart can’t help but cling onto that last bit of love she had for [F/N], her eyes lingering to where she left her bag and inside was the same mixtape she’d been listening to on repeat.

“She’s been so hung up ever since that funeral.”

“Well, what do you expect? Her apparent girlfriend died right in front of her, I think I’d be just a distraught as she is if that were you.” Robin closed her eyes at the sound of her parents discussing how depressed she had gotten, still not being able to move on from [F/N[. She had noticed recently that Steve was getting better with each passing day and to say that she wasn’t jealous, that’d be a lie. Steve had someone he could talk to about what happened, all she had was Steve and the times she needed him he was too busy with that other person. She let out a sigh, curling deeper into her blankets and tried so hard to forget about [F/N]; tried to replace her with someone new she could fall in love with and treat her right. But who could that be if not [F/N]? She was the type of girl she dreamed of and now that dream has ended, her heart stilled when the mixtape ended as quickly as it began. A single tear ran down her face when she closed her eyes, sitting in silence for a couple seconds in hopes that something else will play, that this wasn’t the last song, but of course nothing would play. She let out a shuddered breath while wiping away a her tears, raising her other hand to reach for the cassette player but before she could start from the beginning she heard a voice.

“Jesus fucking christ, how do I even use this shit?” she let out a gasp, body sitting up abruptly at the sound of her voice. Was that [F/N]’s voice she was hearing? She pressed the headphones closer to her ears, waiting for something else and she felt her heart beat faster when she heard her laughter “Um, I think I’ve gotten the hang of this…? Yeah, no I don’t. Um— shit.” more laughter followed after that, Robin quickly reached for the cassette player and held it close to her chest.

“[F/N]…” she whispered out, oh how she missed her voice. How she longed to hear her voice, and now she’s got it right here. She never knew there was more to this cassette because she would always replay it before the last song ended.

“Hi Robin, if you’re listening to this then you’ve finally made it to the end of this mixtape. Um, I’m still learning how to use this thing and I’m probably gonna have to cut some of this shit… somehow, whatever!” she sniffles softly, hearing [F/N] shuffle through something then pick something up “Uh, I haven’t done something like this in a long time and I might be a little rusty, but bear with me. This is my little gift to you, songbird.” her eyes widened softly when she heard the swipe of her fingers running along guitar strings, she can play the guitar? Soon she heard the guitar begin to play “I don’t want to set the world on fire” but the moment she heard [F/N] start singing her heart was already on cloud nine, she could sing as well? Robin was slowly coming to realize that she didn’t really know much about [F/N], not really. [F/N] probably knew about her to the point she could right a three page essay about her favourite ice cream flavor and why it’s her favourite, but her? She barely knew anything outside of the fact that she hated her family and that she loved Steve, she was only now coming to realize how little she knew about the one she loved.

“Oh, [F/N]… I’m so sorry.” she muttered softly, falling back onto her pillows and letting her mind drift off at the sound of [F/N]’s voice.

“I’ve lost all ambition, for worldly acclaim. I just want to be the one you loved~” I want to love you as well, Robin thought, imaging that [F/N] was there. She was sitting at the edge of her bed, playing the guitar while singing to her, singing her to sleep to stupid little love song. Robin dreaded the moment [F/N] reached the end of the song and instead of replaying it to the beginning so she could hear it again, she was going to listen to it to the end this time “Haa, how did you like that songbird? Didn’t expect I could sing, could you? It’s not something I’ve done for a long time, but I thought it’d work wonders on you. I love you, Robin. I hope you enjoy this gift from me.” she was then met with silence once more and those tears she was holding back came flooding out, she was beginning to hate the silence. She screwed her eyes shut and shook her head to rid the memory and looked back at Steve who stared back at her, who then closed his eyes, thinking of each passing interaction he’s had with Eddie that’s made him feel giddy like he was still in high school. The times when Eddie would grab him by the shoulder to keep himself together after hearing the most ridiculous joke Steve had ever told, or the few times there fingers would touch when passing a blunt between each other, or maybe the time where he would just watch the way Eddie’s eyes would sparkle whenever he spoke about his music or D&D or his favourite bands or— Robin blinked when his face turned red.

“Oh.” he mutters, and now he finds himself sitting in the Munson trailer with Eddie sitting across from him. The brunette was talking about something but Steve’s mind was blanking out and the only thing he was paying attention to were his lips, he suddenly came to a realisation when his eyes snapped up and his lips pulled into a straight line “Oh.” this caught Eddie’s attention, the older one of the two chuckling softly at the face Steve was making.

“What’s the matter, Stevie?” his smile grew when Steve raised his hand, placing it on his neck and squeezing it.

“N-Nothing, just thinking is all.” he raised a brow.

“Really?” he nods, pursing his lips.

“Uh huh, totally!” he hums, where has that Harrington charm gone? He remembered his time when he and Steve attended at the same time and the halls were filled with how good Steve was with his words, always making girls swoon and sink to their knees. The man before him was anything like the rumours detailed, he would have mistaken Steve for one of the many girls he flirted with by how his eyes averted away from his while Eddie himself never tore his eyes off him.

“Eddie, I swear to god if you don’t tear your damn eyes away from my brother I’m gonna use this fork and tear them right out of your goddamn eye sockets.” Gareth and Jeff cringe at the threat while Nathan takes the fork away from her when he saw that her hands were reaching for it, the others doing the same with their own forks “I thought you said you couldn’t stand my brother with how much of a, and I quote, “a prissy little jock boy he is”. And for you information, he’s a great jock.” without her fork she grabbed a handful of the mac and cheese she was eating and stuffed it into her mouth, Nathan cringing once more at the sight of the cheese dripping from her fingers.

“That’s disgusting, [F/N].” he complains and hands her a napkin, to which she takes and wipes her hands “And she’s right, Eddie. It’s not that we’re making fun of you, we’re judging you. I mean, it’s kind of pathetic.” Eddie let out a groan, his pale skin flushed red.

“I know.” he grumbles under his breath, slapping a hand onto his face and dragging it down “[F/N]! Tell me something that’ll immediately kill my interest!” her eyes rolled backwards and they looked up at the ceiling for a couple seconds before landing on him once more.

“He thinks D&D is a nerd game and doesn’t understand why I like it.” she pursed her lips at that, squinting her eyes in confusion while also shrugging her shoulders. Gareth scoffed and smacked her arm, to which she snickered that it was a pretty lame reason “Um, uh, eh… he thinks you could do better with your hair?” Jeff rolled his eyes.

“We all think that way, [F/N].”

“It is the truth, and though I’m not as much of a hair fanatic as my brother, you disgust me with the fact that you use that three in one crap.” they all then give him judgemental looks, he gasps at them and give him an offended look.

“I thought we were… friends!” he cried out, they all just continue to stare at him in silence. He pouts at the memory, his hands subconsciously reaching up to grab some of his hair and play with it. Eddie hated to admit it but back in high school, he too, couldn’t help but swoon for that Harrington charm. That cocky little grin, that perfect skin, his luscious brown locks and those sparkling brown eyes. He was just perfect but there was no way to confirm that he would ever look at a man the same way he looked at a woman and [F/N] wasn’t going to out her brother even if he did swing that way and Eddie asked, she probably would have killed him for even considering asking her “You know, I just thought of another memory of your sister.” Steve’s brows perked up, his flustered face cooling down.

“Another story time?” Eddie snickered at that, yup, any story they could think of was now declared as story time.

“Yeah, but it’s kind of a… bad one?” Steve’s face scrunched up at that “Please don’t be mad at her, she was honestly trying to do it for your own good.” now this really had Steve’s attention.

“What did she do?” he inhaled sharply.

“So, you think you’re good enough to be my brother’s girlfriend?” Eddie and the rest of Hellfire were shaking their heads in slight disappointment at [F/N]’s actions, going and threatening another one of Steve’s “girlfriend’s” all because she didn’t like them. [F/N] and Steve had only just recently fixed their broken relationship and Steve thought it would be a good idea to introduce his sister to his latest girlfriend. [F/N] was only just doing what was best for Steve, honestly, so she tried to give the girl some time to be that so called “loving and caring” girlfriend that Steve had told her all about, but [F/N] could never see that. All she could see was some girl that was only with Steve for the popularity, for the financial gain with being with a Harrington and possibly gain the favor and protection of his sister “You’ve done nothing to prove that you’re a good match for Steve.” [F/N] had backed the poor girl behind the school, looming over and making sure the girl knew that the truth was the only thing that could get her out of that situation.

“P-Prove myself…?” she stuttered out, looking around to find a way out of her current predicament “Didn’t Steve tell you how much he l-loves me?” she shrieks when [F/N] glared at her.

“Him telling me that he loves you doesn’t mean that I trust that you’ll love my brother the way he loves you.” the girl is trembling when [F/N] raises her hand to twirl her finger around a strand of her hair, humming softly as she plays with her in between her thumb and index finger “My brother showers you with love and affection, but also in extravagant gifts because that’s his way of showing love. Giving. He gives, and gives, and gives. But there are only the rare few people that give him something in return, and not once have I seen you return the favor. Whether that be in gifts or love, you’ve given him nothing.”

“T-Then— Then what do I have to do to p-prove it?” she lets out a small cry when [F/N] grabs a fistful of her hair and yanks her up, tears swelling in her eyes when her smile dropped at she was full on staring death in the eyes.

“The fact you have to ask tells me exactly what you’re up to.” her other hand grabs her by her cheeks and she gives it a squeeze “If I ever find out that you’re only with my brother because of his looks and wealth and not because you genuinely love him, I’ll make sure that your heart is not the only thing that gets broken. Do you understand me?” she loosened her grip on her and watched as she weakly nodded, [F/N] was satisfied with that and let her go, chuckling evilly to herself when she didn’t hesitate to get the hell out of there. Eddie approached her and watched as she pulled out a cigarette and let it, letting out a long drag then watched the smoke disappear.

“You know your brother isn’t going to be happy that you’ve been interfering with his relationships like this, [F/N].” she nodded her head.

“Yeah, but I rather he be single than in a one sided relationship.” she inhales sharply “He’ll thank me later for this, and I’m sure he’ll find that perfect someone someday.” Eddie eyes her.

“And if he doesn’t?” for a brief second he saw a frown appear on her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared because she was smiling confidently at him.

“I’m sure he will. I mean, who can resist that Harrington charm?” Eddie snickers at that and looks at Steve’s face, he could understand why he looked hurt right then and there. Each time [F/N] gave those girls her version of a “shovel talk” it would always end with them ending things with Steve, and of course she felt and immense amount of guilt because those relationships with those girls barely lasted a month because of her interference, but it was better for him to know that those girls never really wanted to be with him for his love.

“You must be angry with her, maybe even me for never stopping her.” Eddie thought Steve was foolish to never notice that those girls were only using him, but maybe being deprived of love he couldn’t help but cling to the next best thing and he refused to believe that it wasn’t true love; what a hopeless romantic “I’ll understand if you’ll need a bit.” Steve does, his opens his mouth to say something but shuts it and looks away from Eddie to collect his thoughts.

“… I always knew she was doing something.” he started, lacing his fingers together and squeezing his hand “Whenever I mentioned her at all, my exes would all freak out. The ones that stuck around for longer than a month looked like they were ready to have a melt down the moment we were in a room with her, I never knew what she was doing but I always had a suspicion she did something.” it was true, she always had that soft smile on Steve’s face whenever he was around, but the moment he was gone, her face turned cold and she would stare his ex down as if they were the filth of the earth.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that.” he waved his hand to dismiss Eddie.

“Eh, sure I’m a little upset, but in the end she was right.” Eddie nods.

“All those girls were not good for you man, the only one I knew she didn’t give a warning to was Wheeler.” Eddie missed the way Steve froze, flinching at the mention of the one that got away. [F/N] did spare her after she learnt that her friend, Barbara Holland, had disappeared on their property and she knew that that girl was going through it so she let her be, unbeknownst to Eddie, the year she came to visit she got possessed by a monster and nearly killed her “You still looking for a girl? You can freely date them now without your sister scaring them off.” he inhales sharply, wrapping his arms around his torso and leaning backwards.

“Well, there is someone that’s caught my eye.” Eddie lights up at that, a small tinge of jealously bubbling in his stomach.

“Ooo, really~ pray tell.” Steve clears his through, rubbing his hand up and down his bicep.

“Well, I’ve been seeing them frequently and they’ve helped me a lot. They’ve become someone I can really rely on, someone other than my friend. I look forward to each time we’re going to meet and dread the moment I have to leave, seeing them has become the new highlight of my life and I hope that it never ends. Because of them… they’ve helped me come out of a very dark place, even without them knowing it.” he looks up at Eddie, chuckling softly when he was pouting and giving him a confused look “They’re really cute, actually.” Eddie’s pout deepened.

“Cute?” he nods.

“Mm hmm, whenever they’re concentrating they tend to stick their tongue out without realising, and when they’re confused they tend to pout and tilt their head, almost like a puppy. They’ve got the prettiest long, curly brown hair with matching eyes. They tend to be loud and assertive but I know that they’re actually really soft and quite reserved, and they’ve always got a way to make me laugh.” he takes a breath and leans back into the sofa “I’d like to say something but I’m afraid I might scare them off, whether it be because of who I used to be or the fact that I might want something more with them than just a one time fling. You get what I mean?” Eddie’s clenches his jaw and flexes his hand when he realised he balled them into a tight fist.

“If you’ve been daydreaming about them this much, then I’m more surprised that this person hasn’t seen the signs. They’re quite blind if I say so myself.” Steve couldn’t help but squint his eyes at him, uh huh “If you really like them as much as you say, then you should go for it. It’s never stopped you before, so what’s stopping you now? Just go up to them, look them in the eyes, and ask them to be yours.” the two of them sit in silence and Steve can hear the way his heart was beating wildly in his chest, was he really going to do this? Will Eddie take him seriously? Eddie raises a brow when Steve stands to his feet and approaches him, taking a seat beside him and proceeded to look him in the eyes.

“Eddie, will you be mine?” Eddie blinks at him for a couple seconds until he smiles, nodding his head and giving him a thumbs up.

“Yeah, man, exactly like that!” Steve looks away and deadpans, what was he even expecting? “I’m sure they’re going to swoon, man.” Steve shakes his head and takes Eddie’s hand, startling the poor man.

“No, Eddie! I’m asking you if you’ll be mine! You, I want you!” he curses and looks away “Okay, look. Things have been so tough for me ever since my sister and Billy, and I know things have been tough on you since the two of you were really close, but you pushed your feelings aside just to comfort me. I noticed the way you would get sad each time either one of us mentioned [F/N] name and I would try my best to comfort you the best I could, and yet you still chose my feelings over your own. Eddie, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to accept my sister’s death than I would have liked, so I will never take for granted what you have done just for my sake. But the more we hung out, the more time I spent with you I realised the conversations about my sister and even Billy had been becoming less frequent, a-and I was getting to learn more about you. I started to like learning about you and being with you, I liked the stories you told me about you and your friends, about your nerd game and your band practices. I liked being with you, and how I felt like I can just be me without being worried that you’ll judge me. Eddie, you’re a very selfless person and I admire that about you. You’re caring, and sweet, and very charismatic and you’re… amazing. I really like that about you, I really like… you.”

…

…

Steve was beginning to think that this was a mistake, Eddie was just staring at him wide eyed and he hated the fact that he just couldn’t read the emotions he was making. Surprise? Disgust? Rejection? Dread began to fill his heart that he might have jumped the gun, spilling his heart out the way he did was probably not the best idea and Eddie probably might not even swing that way, let alone want to be in a relationship with his best friends brother. He stuttered out an apology and tried to pull away but realised that Eddie was holding his wrist in a rather tight grip, he looked down at where he was holding him then back at his face, blinking in surprise when Eddie’s face turned bright red to the point he’d compare it to a tomato.

“M-Me?” he stuttered out “You like… me?” Steve swallows thickly then slowly nods, his cheeks turning rosy. Eddie stares at him again then looks away, he then looks at their hands and slowly laces their fingers together.

“E-Eddie?” he closes his eyes, his hand squeezing Steve’s hand tightly.

“I liked you back in high school, Steve.” this caught him by surprise “Hah, you could say I couldn’t resist your charm. I told your sister, obviously, and she proceeded to verbally abuse me for a good week, along with the rest of our friends. I tried to get over you, tried to convince myself that my attraction towards you wasn’t going to last and that I was pathetic for falling in love with a guy that would never love me back. Hoo boy, was I wrong! Every time I thought I was over you it would come right back each time I saw you and each time I saw that you had your new toy with you, I would be happy when [F/N] scared them off because then I wouldn’t have to be jealous. Never in a million years would I have thought that you’d return those feelings, if [F/N] were here I’d tell her to eat it. I’d say I’m happy she’s not around because at least I don’t get her infamous shovel talk, but to shove it in her face that you chose me would totally be worth it.” Steve couldn’t help but burst out into laughter at that, even Eddie was laughing along to the point the two of them were leaning against each other.

“You’re totally right about that.”

“Of course I am.” the two of them then fall into a comfortable silence, both eyes staring at their hands that continued to stay connected. Steve pursed his lips and turn his attention back towards Eddie’s face, letting his thumb caress Eddie’s hand.

“Um, I like you, Eddie Munson.” he snorts at the confession.

“Yeah, thanks, like I didn’t realize that after that whole confession.” Steve smacks his shoulder, Eddie snickers “Hey! Haha, I like you too, Steve Harrington.” Steve nods his head, a dopey smile on his face.

“Does that make us… boyfriends?” he mutters softly, his hand subconsciously reaching up to grab the pendant around his neck and thumb at it. Eddie goes to answer but he eyes the pendant in between Steve’s fingers, he narrows his eyes at the jewellery and they widened softly in recognition.

“Is that… Hargrove’s?” he was taken aback at the question, looking down at what he was doing then dropping his hand to his side “Steve, were you and Hargrove… an item?” just that subtle detail had Eddie realize that they was much more to Steve and Billy’s relationship. He found it odd that [F/N] let Billy off the hook for what he did to Steve, he found it more odd that [F/N] let the rumours fly around that she and Billy were an item instead of killing the person who started those rumours, but now he understood it. It was a cover for her brother, for he was the one that was actually in love with the california boy, he felt his heart hurt more for Steve when he realised that Steve not only lost his sister but also his boyfriend on that tragic night. Steve looked like he was in the middle of spiralling now, taking his hand back from Eddie and clutching the pendant in both hands, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he was gripping it.

“I— I-I—” he blinks back the tears when he saw Eddie raise his hands up, he hovers them out in front of him and Steve just watches him closely.

“Steve, can I touch you?” he continued to stare at him, a good few seconds past and Steve slowly nods his head. Eddie’s hands settle down on Steve’s shoulders, they slowly glide down to his biceps, to his forearms then finally resting on his wrists. He’s patiently tapping against his enclosed hands as his thumbs rub into his wrist, when Steve finally manages to compose himself and loosen his grip Eddie slips his hands back into Steve’s and squeezes them reassuringly “So… you and Hargrove, huh?” he nods softly.

“Uh huh.” he answers “He really was a good guy, he just didn’t get his chance to show the world. He died a hero that night, so at least he did something right at the very end.” Eddie clears his throat at that, readjusting where he was sitting.

“Um… you were there, right? On the night they died?” Steve looks at Eddie, already knowing where he was going.

“… he saved us, both him and [F/N]. They saved us, and look where that got them.” Eddie knew that there was more to this story, more to unpack about that night, but he knew not to push it while Steve was this far gone “I will always regret that night, because in the end it was my fault.” Eddie shakes his head.

“You don’t know that, Steve.”

“But I do.” Steve closes his eyes shut, trying not to remember their screams of pain when they were killed by the Mind Flayer. He tried to shut out the way the two of them died in each others arms, tried not to think of their lifeless bodies haunting him or their flayed versions glaring at him each time he looked at his reflection. He was slipping further and further away and when everything was beginning to overwhelm him he felt something press against his cheek, opening his eyes, he saw that it was Eddie kissing him on the cheek to calm him down.

“Steve.” he says firmly, favouring to look him in the eyes instead of the way his face flushed “Whatever you’re going through, whatever you can’t tell me, I’ll be by your side through it all. You don’t need to be alone for this.” Steve wordlessly stared at him then felt himself melt at the sight of Eddie’s eyes, a feeling of warmth bubbling in his stomach that he felt himself lean forward to rest his forehead against his.

“Eddie…” he murmurs, he closes his eyes and hums softly “Thank you.” he gets a hum back, chuckling softly when Eddie nuzzles his forehead against his own.

“No problem, boyfriend.”

Steve felt bad for keeping their relationship only to themselves, he wished he could tell Robin but for Eddie’s comfort he decided that it would be best if they kept it on the down low. Their days now consisted on cuddling in bed or couch, a few quick pecks here and there or the occasional sweet kiss when either was feeling confident enough. Eddie was still quite new to this type of relationship, Steve being his first offical boyfriend that wasn’t a one time fling, so Steve understood that they were going to take things slow, but he wouldn’t take it any other way. He felt special that he was the first to treat Eddie with so much love though it times it did make his heart ache because he felt like he was with Billy all over again, and as shitty as that sounds, it was still taking some time to accept that Billy was never going to come back. Eddie himself noticed at times Steve’s mind would wonder off at times, especially when Steve would run his hands through his hair and would stop to turn away, because in his mins he was picturing Billy all over again. Steve would always apologise whenever he reacted like that, feeling guilty that he still hadn’t gotten over it, he was scolded by Eddie for thinking like that.

“Hey, Eddie.” Steve says, laying on his back with his legs over Eddie’s back “You’re starting school again in a couple months, yeah?” he questions, to which Eddie let out long groan and let his face fall onto his bed.

“Don’t remind me.” he replies, voice muffled under the blankets.

“Heh, well, do you remember those kids I told you about?” Eddie lets out a grunt “Well, a few of them actually play your little Doofuses and Dorks game.” he snickers softly when Eddie pushed himself up immediately, turning to face Steve with an excited look on his face.

“First of all, it’s Dungeons and Dragons, second of all, go on.”

5t“Well, they’re entering high school and I was wondering if, I don’t know, you watched over them? I’m sure they’re going to feel a little nervous and maybe left out, and I’d really appreciate it if you could keep an eye on them. It would really mean a lot to me.” Steve hums when Eddie shimmied over to where Steve was laying, crawling on top of him through his parted legs before letting his body drop on top of him.

“I’d be more than happy to oblige, Stevie. Anything to keep you at ease, mama bear.” Steve let out a chuckle when Eddie booped his nose, Steve readjusted himself when he felt Eddie slide his arms from under his body until his hands were resting at the back of his head, Steve all but purrs when he feels Eddie’s fingers thread through his hair “But don’t you think your kids are going to question why I’m approaching them? I’m still pretty notorious around in school, won’t they get scared?” he almost laughed at that, those kids have been through so much worse that he shouldn’t feel at eased that they won’t get scared if they meet Eddie, but it’s the truth.

“Please, the moment they learn they can still play that D&D game while in high school, they’ll get over their initial fear of you and worship the ground you walk on.”

“Oh, so like that Dustin kid does with you?”

“Heh, you flatter me.” they share a kiss, both smiling into the kiss “Thank you Eddie.”

“No problem.”

[time skip: late in march]

Eight months have past since the Starcourt Mall had burnt down along with the death of his sister and boyfriend, and though he was still mourning the loss of them both, he had definitely gotten better over time. He’s got his best friend at his side and his new boyfriend that he completely adores, so Steve would like to think that he drew the lucky end of the straw even after everything he lost. Eddie also kept his promise to Steve, the moment Dustin, Mike, Lucas and Max had entered high school he made his presence known and welcomed them warmly to Hellfire, and though the same couldn’t be said for Max, the other three joined with open arms. Steve loved hearing stories from both his kids and boyfriend, Dustin telling him with great enthusiasm that they joined a Dungeons and Dragons club, or Eddie telling him how he was right and that Dustin, or rather Mike, was literally breathing in every word he spoke. Robin was another case, since school was back, Robin had to go back to school while he manned Family Video after dropping her off at school, and she found a new girl to crush over ever since they lost [F/N]. This girl, her name was Vickie and she was in band alongside Robin so she had a lot of time to spend with her, so now their conversations were filled with Vickie, Vickie, Vickie! He almost missed the conversations when it was just about [F/N] because at least he could understand.

“It is seven in the morning, we have the stupid pep rally, and I woke up looking like a corpse.” Robin complains, Steve scoffs softly and looks over at her, seeing her pull her face back as she looks at her reflection through the rear view mirror.

“You’re worried about a pep rally? Expect me to believe that?”

“Yeah, so?” he narrows his eyes on her.

“We both know what this is all about. Not buying that, this is about Vickie.” she whips her head towards him.

“Absolutely not.”

“It is, and you know what else?”

“I don’t care—”

“You gotta stop pretending to be someone else when you’re around her. You just gotta be yourself.” now it was Robin’s turn to eye Steve down.

“You’re literally quoting me to me. You do realize that, right?” he shrugs his shoulders.

“Well, maybe you need to listen to yourself. Ever think about that? I listened. Look at me, boom! Back in business.” she scoffs at him.

“It’s not the same thing, okay?”

“Well—” she shakes her head, cutting him off before he could explain himself. “Look, your ask out a girl and she says no. Big deal, nothing happens. Maybe your ego’s a little bruised.” he makes an offended look but they both know that he wasn’t really offended “I ask out the wrong girl, and bam, I’m a town pariah.” Steve nods at that last part but shakes his head.

“I’d buy that, expect Vickie is definitely not the wrong girl.” Robin sighs.

“Yeah, but we don’t know that Steve, do we?”

“She returned Fast Times paused at fifty-three minutes, five seconds. You know who pauses Fast Times at fifty-three minutes, five seconds?” she shakes her head “People who like boobies!” she cringes at him.

“Ew! Gross, stop! Don’t say boobies.”

“Boobies!” he repeats “Not a big deal, okay? I like boobies, you like boobies. If my sister has taught me anything about stuff like this, I can definitely tell that Vickie likes boobies. My gaydar goes off around her, I’m telling you.” she shakes her head at him, closing her eyes when she hears him say boobies again. After dropping Robin off at school and waving her goodbye he peels off and heads to Family Video, tapping away at the counter in boredom as customers cane in and out, browsing here and there and the occasional few renting out movies for the weekend. He makes yet another successful purchase when the phone goes off, so he waves the customer goodbye before proceeding to pick up the phone “This is Family Video, Steve spe—” he pulled a face when he was cut off.

“Steve!” he pursed his lips at who was on the other line, narrowing his eyes on the phone.

“Oh, it’s just you. What do you want, Dustin? Aren’t you at school right now?” he questions as he leans back to look at the time, squinting his eyes at what the clock said.

“Never mind about that, Steve. I need a favor.” he rolls his eyes, so demanding “So Lucas just pulled out of Eddie’s campaign, it’s the Cult of Vecna and it’s like the finale and everything! It’s gonna be great, and we need a sub because—” Steve cuts him off.

“Because Lucas has his game tonight? Yeah, not gonna happen. I already promise him I’d be there for him.” Dustin lets out a groan.

“Come on, Steve! You and I both know that you’re just going on a date with some girl that doesn’t like you as much as you think, so just move your date this one time!” Steve scoffs, feeling a little offended at the accusation.

“What, to hang out with you and play that little nerd game I told you I’d would never play? Uh, yeah, I’ll pass.”

“You’re just jealous cause I have another older male friend.” jokes on him, he’s actually dating said older male friend.

“Ew, ugh, whatever.” his eyes perked up at the sound of the door opening, a group of people entering the store “Oh, I got some customers. Call you back, bye.” he laughs to himself when he hangs up the phone, knowing full well that he can’t call him back because he’s at school. Hours go by and finds himself at said basketball game, smiling brightly when he sees Lucas and waves his hand when they make eye contact, Lucas’ frown disappeared slightly when he spotted Steve and he returned the gesture. The game went on without a hitch, silently mouthing towards Robin to talk to her about the game while also mocking her previous crush, Tammy Thompson and how he was right that she was just a tone deaf muppet. Though, watching the game play out he couldn’t help but think about his time when he played and sitting out in the bleachers was [F/N]. Their parents never came to their games and though she herself hated being there she was always there to support him throughout his games, even at the ones he never wanted her to be at; she was always there. So here he was, in place of his sister, to support Lucas as he wins Hawkins their first win against their rivalling team. Is this how his sister felt when she watched Steve making the winning basket on all his games? That feeling of adrenaline pumping through his body as the feeling of how proud he was filling his heart while he cheered with the crowd, the only disappointment he felt was how the others weren’t there for Lucas to witness this astonishing victory.

“That was amazing, Lucas!”

“You did great out there!”

“Way to go, Lucas!” it would be an understatement if Lucas didn’t feel overwhelmed, that giant smile stretched across his face as the feeling of winning the game continued to play throughout his mind. Everyone was congratulating him and he was giving his thanks, however, his eyes drifted over to where he heard laughter. His smile died immediately at the sight of his friends laughing together and chatting about the campaign he bailed out on, what stung more was that his sister was walking with them with a proud look on her face. His mood deflated at the sight and before he could begin to sulk he felt himself get pulled into a hug, looking up at how it was his eyes widened.

“Steve?” he questions, Steve had a big smile on his face as he hugged Lucas tight.

“Well done, Lucas! I’m so proud of you!” he exclaimed loudly, when he pulls him back he shakes him lightly “You did great out there, kid, you’re going to be the next star player.” Lucas felt his lips begin to tremble while his eyes started water, Steve hums softly and pats his shoulder.

“Really?” he nods.

“Uh huh, you’ve got serious potential.” Lucas smiles softly, letting his head fall and rest against his chest, Steve smiled and caressed the back of his head to comfort him. Looking up, his eyes met with Eddie who was staring at the both of them. He gave a wave and winked at him, his smile grew soft when Eddie giggled and waved back before getting into his van. Eddie told him after he got off of work that he had a deal to make before coming over to Steve’s so they could hang out, saying that the famous Queen Chrissy Cunningham had wanted to purchase something strong from him. And so that’s where Steve was waiting hours for Eddie to appear, waiting for Eddie to come into his arms and ramble about how epic his grand finale was. He waited, and waited, and waited, but Eddie never came. He felt like a fool for how long he stayed up waiting for him, he felt like a moron for thinking that he’d call him to say that he couldn’t make it. Did he think that Eddie could be getting high off his mind with Chrissy Cunningham? Maybe. Was his heart crushed at the thought that he was getting high off his mind with Chrissy Cunningham…? Perhaps, but— Eddie wouldn’t do that, maybe he smoked a little and got tired after his campaign and went to sleep, forgetting to call Steve that he couldn’t make it. He’ll visit Eddie tomorrow and ask for an explanation, yeah, that’s what he’ll do. Maybe he’s just overreacting and Eddie has a plausible reason as to why he couldn’t come over, yeah, he’s gonna sleep this off and feel better in the morning when he goes see Eddie.

This was not what he was expecting to see in the morning.

His blood ran cold when the news came on and airing on it was that someone was murdered, but the location? The trailer park right in front of Eddie’s house. His heart dropped into his stomach at the possibility that it could be Eddie, that the reason he didn’t come around last night was that he and Chrissy were murdered by some psychopath. That thought replaced his anxiety with guilt that if he wasn’t so hung up about Eddie and called him, maybe even stormed over to his place to see what was taking him so long, maybe he wouldn’t be watching the news that his boyfriend was dead.

“Hey, Steve!” his attention tore away from the T.V at the breathless call of his name, turning towards the door to see Dustin and Max entering the store.

“You see this?” he started, trying to play off the fact that he was freaking out.

“How many phones do you have?” he frowned when he was ignored.

“Someone was murdered.” he continued.

“How many phones do you have?” Dustin repeats, he scoffs slightly and turns to look at Robin.

“Two, why?”

“Technically three, if you count Keith’s.” Dustin and Max nod to the answer.

“Yeah, three works.” Steve and Robin pull a face when Dustin proceeded to pull his backpack off.

“Wait, what are you doing?” they were taken aback when he threw his bag over the counter, the two backing away in surprise and shouting at him “What are you—” “My pile!” he then jumps over the counter himself, kicking another pile of tapes onto the ground.

“No, no, no! My tapes! Dude.” Steve deflates at the chaos that ensued “What are you doing, man?”

“Setting up base of operations here.” “Base of operations? Get off.”

“I need it.”

“For what?”

“Eddie’s friends’ phone numbers.” his eyes widened at that, he then shakes his head to help Robin pick up the things that were knocked down because of Dustin jumping over the counter.

“Seriously, you guys, maybe on a Monday you can play around, but it’s Saturday. It’s our busiest day.” Robin explained, but was ignored by them both.

“Robin, I empathise, but this cannot wait.”

“Oh my god.”

“Calling Eddie’s friends is an emergency?”

“Correct!”

“Want me to strangle him or you?” Robin chuckled.

“We could take turns.” the two of them smile at that, Dustin sighed and turned towards Max.

“Could you fill them in while I do this?”

“Fill us in on what?” Steve felt that same guilt start to bubble in his stomach when he learnt that the murder in the Munson household could possible be linked to the Upside Down, and at that thought he couldn’t help but think back to Billy and [F/N]. Because he didn’t tell them what was actually going on in Hawkins the two of them wound up getting possessed by the Mind Flayer then proceeded to commit several murders then died themselves the moment they broke free. If the same thing was happening to Eddie he really wasn’t going to forgive himself for keeping this secret from him, he was going to die if Eddie got caught up in all this and he got hurt because he never spoke up about it. It was going to be his fault all over again that someone he loved got hurt.

“Dustin, get your shit, we’re going.” the three of them look up at Steve as if he was crazy.

“What? Why?” they watch as he takes off his work vest, throwing it away in favor of his jacket “Where are we going?”

“To find Eddie. I know where he’ll be.” Dustin stares at him in disbelief, nearly ignoring his order but paused when he saw that Robin was doing the same thing.

“How? Steve! You don’t even know him. Steve!” he just ignored Dustin’s comments as he ushered them out of the store, closing the door behind them and flipping the “OPEN” sign to closed before jumping into his car and peeling out of the parking lot. He was anxiously tapping his fingers against the wheel, his mind thinking back to the one time both he and Eddie got high off their mind and how Eddie mentioned Reefer Rick’s place. A nice little house by the lake all the way out of prying eyes, a place perfect for Eddie to go into hiding, all he could do was hope that that was where Eddie went. Pulling up to the house the sun had long gone down, Steve was the last to hope out of the car and watched as the trio approach the house but he ushered them towards the shed at the back quietly, opening the door and peeking in to try and spot where Eddie could be.

“Eddie?” Dustin whispered out as the others searched the room, not noticing how Steve was approaching the boat that was covered by a large tarp “It’s Dustin, are you here? Eddie?” he called out again, Steve should have spoke out to let Eddie know that he was there. It was foolish of him not to at least reassure Eddie that he was there because the moment he touched the tarp he was suddenly being shoved back until his back hit the wall and a broken glass bottle was pressed against his throat. He could see it, that look of absolute terror in his tear filled eyes. [F/N] flashed in his mind, the moment she broke free from the Mind Flayer and how absolutely distraught she was after realising what she had done to him, that same look could be seen in Eddie’s but it was just slightly different.

“Eddie.” he spoke out softly, not tearing his eyes away from how much Eddie’s body was trembling, or how he still hadn’t recognized who exactly was in front of him just yet “It’s me, Eddie. It’s Steve, I’m here.” he whispered out, the moment Eddie started breathing properly he let out a gasp and dropped the broken bottle.

“Steve?” he whispered out, his arms enclosed on his body, his shoulders shaking from each deep breath he took.

“Eddie, can I touch you?” the moment Eddie helped Steve calm down from his near mental break down came rushing back to him, his hands coming up to hover over Eddie’s shoulders. He waited for Eddie to respond to him and when he was given that moment his hands settled down on his shoulders, they slowly glide down to his biceps, to his forearms then finally resting on his wrists. Eddie let out a soft whimper at the feeling of Steve’s touch, still not opening his arms but leaning forward to let his forehead rest against his chest “I’m here, baby. I’m here, and whatever happened isn’t going to happen to you. I know you didn’t kill Chrissy, I’ll believe whatever you say because I know you didn’t do anything.” Eddie finally broke down into tears, his arms dropping from where they were and quickly wrapping around Steve’s neck.

“Jesus, Steve. I-I— I didn’t hurt you, did I? God, I’m sorry I just— everything happened so fast.” he started, his tears beginning to soak into Steve’s shoulder “H-Her body just lifted in the air a-and her body just started to break, her bones man— I’m NEVER going to get that sound out of my head. I-I couldn’t help her, man, I couldn’t wake her up! I fucking left her and ran because I—” Eddie whimpered when he felt Steve’s hands cup his cheeks, his thumbs wiping away his tears and she shushed him.

“You were scared, I get it. I’d be scared if I was in your place, too.” he was scared, each time he was thrown into any situation regarding the Upside Down and he was still terrified “And as shitty as this sounds, I’m just so glad that you’re okay. I’m so happy that you’re safe, Eddie.” he gently pulls Eddie back so he could let their foreheads rest against each other, Eddie’s hands slipping from around his neck to hang around Steve’s wrists.

“Steve…” they were clearly in their own little world of comfort, only then just realising that there were others in the room when they heard someone clear their throat.

“Um, I’d hate to interrupt… whatever is going on right now, but— what is going on?!” Steve winced when he heard Dustin shouting, Eddie flinched and curled up on himself.

“Dustin, cool it.” he said sharply but was ignored.

“No, wait, Steve! How long have you known Eddie? How long have you been this close with him? Is this why you haven’t gone on any dates as of recently?” he holds his tongue when Steve gave him a glare.

“Dustin, I said cool it.” he repeats and this time Dustin listens, he makes sure Eddie was calm before turning to look at Dustin “Since the funeral, a couple months and… yes?” he spares Robin a look and she was just as surprised, maybe a little betrayed that he never told her, but surprised nonetheless.

“Is this the guy, Steve? Is this the guy that leaves you awestruck all the time?” Eddie couldn’t help but snicker.

“I leave you awestruck?”

“Now’s not the time.” Eddie pursed his lips and nodded, raising his hand to wipe away any lingering tears.

“Are you going to explain what’s going on between you two? I highly doubt you coddling Eddie like that is because he’s your former drug dealer.” Steve was really nervous, he never told anyone outside of his sister and Robin, and Eddie found out on his own, that he was dating Billy. He hadn’t really registered his sexuality until his sister explained that it was possible for him to like both women and men, and though he really wanted to tell Dustin for a long time he was still really scared how he would react.

“Steve, you can tell him. I’m sure he’ll be understanding.” Steve looks at Eddie, swallowing thickly, but nodded.

“Well, Dustin… Eddie, uh— he’s my, boyfriend.” Dustin stared up, he narrowed his eyes on him then shook his head.

“But you’re not gay.” he deadpans.

“Yeah, I’m bisexual. Meaning I like both guys and girls.” he narrows his eyes even more, looking between him and Robin.

“But what about Robin?”

“Strictly platonic, dude. Don’t like her like that.” Dustin shakes his head once more, pointing between the two of them.

“But— you and Eddie?” Steve rolls his eyes.

“Oh my god— yes, me and Eddie! Please tell me you don’t have a problem with us, or I swear we’re gonna have problems.” Dustin raises his hands, now shaking his head for a different reason.

“No, no! It’s just that… I looked up to you two as brothers, you know? So know I’m gonna have to rethink that or else it’s gonna look really weird in my brain.” Eddie laughs at that, feeling a little better now that he wasn’t freaking out after everything that occurred. He then looks back at Steve and found it odd how relaxed he was, even after he explained how ridiculous of a scenario he had to suffer through. Steve believed him and didn’t think he was making it up, even he didn’t believe himself… no, no way.

“Steve.” this soft whisper almost fell to deaf ears but Steve just barely managed to hear him, looking down at Eddie and saw that terrified look on his face “What’s going on… is this what happened to [F/N] and Billy?” at the mention of their names they all flinched, Eddie noticed this reaction from all of them and his eyes widened even more, no way. He glanced back at Steve and saw he had a pained expression on his face, his hand reaching up to caress Billy’s pendant while Robin lifted her hand to cover his lips, even Max looked away.

“Eddie, I—”

“I-Is this what you couldn’t tell me? That this shit— this shit is what killed them? They didn’t actually die in a fire, did they? Oh shit, and you had to witness that happen to your sister?!” he couldn’t imagine Steve had to watch both his sister and boyfriend get broken down like that, Steve shook his head once more.

“No, no. What you had to go through, it wasn’t what she suffered through. If I’m being honest, theirs was a little crueler.” Steve didn’t want to have to recall this memory, he wanted to forget all about it but his boyfriend was asking what really happened “Their body’s were possessed by a monster and they had to do some really… gruesome things, and when they broke free they were killed by the same monster.” he toned it down by a lot, not really knowing how Eddie would react to [F/N] and Billy being the actual culprits to all the people that died last year. The other three in the room noticed as well and decided it would be best not to tell Eddie either, for his own sanity.

“Oh…” he muttered softly “I see why you could never bring that shit up in a conversation.” he nods.

“Yeah, not a real good conversation started.” trying to lighten the mood worked a little, he appreciated it, but he was still freaked out “Okay, um, I know you have a shit tone of questions Eddie, but I think we should go to my house. I don’t think anyone would come looking for you there, and if we were able to find you here then I don’t think it would take long for others to find you either.” Eddie felt this heart drop into his stomach at the thought of others coming so he nodded.

“Y-Yeah, good idea.” he nods.

“Dustin call the others and tell them to meet at my house, ASAP.” Dustin nods and pulls out his walkie talkie, he didn’t know who’d be awake to get the message but he’ll have to relay it again in the morning. Driving all the way back to the Harrington household Steve was holding Eddie’s hand, squeezing it every now and then each time he felt it tremble within his hold. They were going to be okay, he thought, everything was going to be okay because Steve was here and he believed him. Everything was going to be just fine.

Everything was not fine.

If Eddie’s week was already shit it just got fucking worse because he was literally staring death in the eyes, or maybe it was the back of his head because he was being pressed against his stomach while someone was holding him down by his hair while their foot was against his back. He’d find it kinky any other day but currently he was in an alternate dimension of Hawkins where everything is out to kill them and said thing above he was going to kill him, so yeah, his week is going pretty shit. As Steve predicted someone did end up going to the lake house to try and find Eddie, but someone died and blamed said death of Eddie despite the fact that he wasn’t even there. They also learned that Vecna targeted Max and he almost got her but thanks to Robin and Nancy’s little investigation on Victor Creel they learnt that music is the key to fight off Vecna’s control, or something like that. They now found themselves at the at Lovers Lake, the children staying at the foot of the lake while he and the other three sat in the dingy little boat followed the direction Dustin’s crazy little compass was taking them, stopping directly in the middle of the lake.

“Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital “aah”!” while the others continued to watch the needle go bonkers Steve was pulling his shoes and socks off.

“Steve, what are you doing?”

“Somebody’s gotta go down and check this out. Unless one of you three can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then… it’s gotta be me. No complaints, alright?” Eddie furrowed his brows as Steve stands up, not liking that his boyfriend was going down there towards potential danger.

“I’m complaining. I don’t want you to go down there.” he murmurs softly, Steve hums softly as he tugged his shirt over his head, smirking softly when he noticed the way Eddie was ogling at his chest, Eddie shakes his head and takes the little plastic bag out of his pocket and grabbing the flashlight from out of her hands, almost glaring at her when he noticed that she too was ogling at Steve. He flinched when he heard someone clear their throat so he turned and saw that it was Robin, who was just blatantly staring at him. He chose to ignore her and continued what he was doing, putting the flashlight in the bag then handing it over to Steve “Hey, good luck.”

“Thanks.” he let out a grunt when Steve chucked his sweater at him, pursing his lips when Steve winked at him before finally diving into the water. He inhaled deeply and watched the water, waiting patiently but anxiously for Steve to resurface, he didn’t tale his eyes off the water until Robin tapped his shoulder.

“Huh, yeah?” she pursed her lips as she looked him up and down.

“Steve never told me about…” she then gestured with her eyes towards Nancy, who too was looking towards the water as they waited for Steve, but he understood what she meant “Steve tells me everything, so I was a little upset that I finally learnt about it when we found you.” he swallows thickly.

“So, does that mean you know about—”

“Billy? Yeah.” he nod his head, the two settle in silence for a bit “I may not be [F/N], and I may not be as scary as she is, but I’ll have you know this Munson. He’s already gotten his heart broken so many times and his last lover broke it to the point I didn’t think he could pick up the pieces, but you managed to do that and fix it. But if I hear that you smashed it beyond repair, the one who is going to be wanted for murder isn’t going to be you.” he swallowed thickly at the threatening tone in her voice, it only reminded him more of [F/N].

“R-Right, right. No broken hearts, got it.” she only narrowed her eyes on him but was satisfied with her work, only for the three of them to let out startled shouts when Steve broke through the surface of the water unexpectedly.

“I found it!”

“You found it?”

“I found it. Yeah, I found it.” Steve pants as he swings over to the boat, grabbing onto it with one hand while the other swipes along his face “It’s pretty wild. It’s more like a snack size gate than the mama gate, but still, it was pretty damn big.” he let out a grunt when he felt himself get pulled, all three of their heads whipping towards him when he bobbed down and yanked the boat. They’re all shouting when Steve was pulled under, Nancy and Robin were talking amongst each other to decide what they should do while Eddie was freaking out. He just watched his boyfriend get dragged down to the bottom of the lake where he could potentially die, he could practically hear his heart beating in his chest at the possibility that he could be dead. He didn’t know where he got the sudden confidence because he pushed pass the two bickering girls to jump into the water and after his boyfriend. He’ll complain about being wet later, right now he needs to make sure that Steve is okay and alive, he couldn’t stand the thought of losing Steve as well.

If he didn’t know that this was Hawkins then he’d believed he was in hell, perhaps this was hell and it was in Hawkins all along. He shook his head and pulled himself out of the crack like gate and looked frantically for Steve only to find him when he heard his cries for help, his eyes widened in fear at the sight of him being held down by these bat like monsters as they ate at his body. That sudden confidence still hadn’t worn off and he was charging over to him, grabbing an oar in the process as he got closer. He kicks the one eating away at his stomach off first then bats it away with the oar, he swings at the other one on his stomach then zones in on the one holding him down by the throat, evidently choking him, and starts doing a number on it before one of the bats attach itself to his back. The girls finally made their appearance and came to their aid, beating the bat off of Eddie’s back while Steve manages to loosen the hold of the one around his neck before repeatedly bashing it to the ground then pressing his foot to its back and ripping it apart, spitting out blood from his mouth while panting from exhaustion.

“Steve…” Eddie muttered out, quickly rushing to Steve to help him “Oh my god, are you alright?” he questions, his hands reaching up to cup his face, Steve let out a tired laugh and let his face fall into Eddie’s palms, raising another hand to touch his.

“Honestly no, but thanks for coming to my rescue.” Eddie giggled softly, their moment would be cute if not for the fact that they almost died, seeing that Steve was okay everything was finally setting in and Eddie cursed out.

“Jesus H. Christ!” he then throws the broken oar to the ground after doing a little stamping tantrum, Steve found it quite cute. Nancy then came over and looked over the wounds he got from the bats eating him, Robin winced at the sight of them.

“Well, they took about a pound of flesh.” Steve said “But other than that, yeah, never better.” his voice was hoarse from the bat that was strangling him, he coughs a little and spits more blood out from his mouth.

“Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies? It’s just that rabies are, like, my number one greatest fear. And I think we should get you to a doctor soon because once symptoms set in, it’s too late. You’re already dead.” both Nancy and Steve deadpan at her words, Eddie just looking at her in confusion. They flinch and turn their attention back towards the gate when they heard chittering noises, a new group of bats appeared and were guarding the gate to block their attempts from getting to it.

“Alright, there’s not that many.” he muttered softly as the others huddle around him “We can take them, right?” their heads then look up when they heard more chittering noises, this time a swarm of bats were coming their ways but they jump when they hear a roar in the distance coming from where the bats were. It wasn’t close but it sounded like it was getting closer, they weren’t going to take their chances against the swarm or the incoming monster. Nancy pants from behind Steve and looks around, her gaze settling on the woods.

“The woods, come on!” with that they all take off running towards the woods, they later find themselves at skull rock huddled together and hiding as the bats fly over them. With the coast clear Robin steps out from under the rock and looks around, Nancy follows behind her while Eddie stays beside Steve in case he still needed help, to which he did because the moment he stood up he collapsed against the boulder.

“Oh sh… shit.” Eddie is immediately at his side, wincing softly when Steve clutches at his sides “I’m… I’m fine, I swear.” Eddie shakes his head as he helps Steve sit back down, his hands hovering over his body.

“You’re not, sweetheart, stop acting like you are. You’re losing blood.” he looked at his person and saw that he didn’t have anything to bind his wound, he then looks over at Nancy and saw the shirt she was wearing had ruffles at the end of it so he snaps his fingers in her direction “Wheeler, gimme that. It sounds weird, but your shirt. Gimme it.” she looks down at it and nods.

“Good thinking.” he nods, watching her start tearing it off.

“I know.” while he waited for her to finish Robin knelt down to talk to Steve.

“Okay, so the good news is that i’m pretty sure wooziness is not a symptom of rabies. But if you start having hallucinations and muscle spasms or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, let me know.” he settles a glare at her.

“Robin.”

“Yeah.” “I kinda wanna punch you.” she smiles.

“Sense of humours still intact. That’s a good sign.” he gives her a look and she finally backs off, he then turns his attention back to Eddie. Nancy was able to tear it all off and so she handed it to him, he then looks back at Steve and he wiggles his finger to get Steve to come close.

“Okay.” he starts, kneeling closer and holding the fabric to his wound “You ready?” Steve swallows thickly as he had his hands hovering above his head.

“Just do it.” they both suck in a breath as Eddie pressed it against his wound, Steve winces and stifled a groan, his hands now pressing against the back of his head while Eddie wraps the torn fabric around his stomach. Eddie mutters a soft apology as Steve throws his head back, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to distract himself from the pain and the fact that Eddie was just so close to him right that moment. He wraps it around as much as the fabric would allow him before tightening it, looking back up at Steve to watch his reaction each time he tightened it.

“Too tight?” he mutters.

“No, that’s good.” he nod.

“Good.” Steve relaxes back against the boulder and watched Eddie tie a knot, nodding to himself when he was satisfied with it. Eddie glanced back at the girls and saw that they were looking around the area so with them distracted he gave Steve a quick peck on the lips, Steve looked at him a little bewildered and saw him look away bashfully “That should do it, Harrington.” Steve smiles softly.

“Thanks, Munson.” the two of them look at each other and snicker softly, Eddie pats Steve on the shoulder and leaves him when Nancy came along to look over him once more. Eddie looks around before deciding to scale a different boulder and once at the top he looked around, grimacing at the sight of everything looking so grim and dead.

“So uh, this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?”

“Pretty much.” he pulls a face, looking down when he decided to get down.

“Wait, watch out for the vines. It’s all a hive mind.”

“It’s all a what?” he asked as he looked to Steve.

“All the creepy crawlies around here. They’re, like, one of something. Step on a vine, you’re stepping on a bat, you’re stepping on Vecna.” Eddie shakes his head at that.

“Shit.” he mutters as he now has to watch his step as he carefully makes his way back down, Robin then chimes in.

“But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people?” Nancy nods.

“As far as I understand it, yeah.”

“So. theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate.” Steve scoffs.

“I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure.” Nancy purses her lips.

“Well, we don’t have to go all the way downtown for guns.” they all look at her “I have guns in my bedroom.” Eddie makes a face as he stares at Nancy.

“You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom.” Robin’s face lights up.

“Full of surprises, isn’t she?”

“A russian makarov and a revolver.” Steve scoffs softly at the mention of the revolver.

“Yeah, you almost shot me with that one.” she looked up at him with a smirk.

“You almost deserved it.” Eddie’s face scrunched up at the tone she used, he then proceeded to take off his battle vest and chuck it and Steve’s face, who let out a grunt.

“For your modesty, dude.” he raised a brow at Eddie’s direction and if it weren’t for how dark it was he could have sworn he saw Eddie’s ears turn red, their heads all snap up when they heard that roar again in the distance followed by a small earthquake. Steve grabs Nancy while Robin stumbles into Eddie, both men do their best to cover their partners as they wait for the earthquake to settle. They sit in silence for a couple seconds until they hear the bats along with that roar again but this time it was closer “So guns seem like a pretty good idea to me.” Robin nods against Eddie.

“Yeah, me too.” they all quickly stand to their feet and start walking, though the moment they were a distance away from Skull Rock something arrived. It stared at the small stain of blood on the boulder and inhaled the scent of it, a growl rippling through its throat before training its eyes on the footprints left in the dirt.  Steve lagged behind the other three but quickly hurriedly to watch Eddie’s pace, jogging up to him so that they were walking side by side.

“Hey, Eddie, thanks again for coming down to save me.” Eddie only smiled, pumping his shoulder against his.

“I’d say it was no problem but I was scared shitless, and there was no way I was going to leave you down there.” he shakes his head, a sad look appearing on his face “I couldn’t lose you when you were right there.” Steve’s shoulders slumped at that, now pumping his shoulder against his.

“Eddie—” he shakes his head.

“Nope. Outside of D&D, I am no hero. I sense danger and I just turn heel and run. Or, at least that’s what I’ve learned about myself this week.” he inhales sharply “Your sister was so different. She was always full of confidence, but she acted like a stray dog. She didn’t start unnecessary fights unless she got cornered or we were threatened, and when she did, god she was so vicious. Besides, if she were here, I think she’d kill me if I left her brother for dead.” Steve snorted at that.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“No, I know I’m right.” the two were now giggling “Anyways, that was a real Ozzy move back there.” Steve raised a brow.

“Ozzy? Like that Osborne guy you listen to?” Eddie nods his head, face lighting up that Steve remembered.

“Uh huh. He bit a bats head off on stage, it was a real metal move man.” his face brightened when Steve’s flushed up a little, he lifted his hand to gently caress his bicep and winced softly at the torn skin on the entirety of his back and the back of his arms “We really should get you to a doctor after we’re out, that could leave so serious damage.” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Eh, from the year to year beating I get I kind of got used to it.” Eddie winced at that, shaking his head at that.

“No, sweetheart. Just, no.” Steve pouts, he quickly glanced at the girls and saw they were a good distance away from them so he leaned for to give Eddie a quick peck on the lips. He immediately turned away and started speed walking away, giggling softly to himself when he heard Eddie let out a shout of protest then proceed to chase after him. He was waiting for Eddie to grab him from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist and pull him back to smother him in his own barrage of kissed, but that never came. His heart started beating in his chest when it was silent so he turned around and his eyes widened in shock when he didn’t see Eddie behind him, frantically he looked around for him and his gasped when he saw that he was being dragged away.

“Eddie!” he cries out, catching the attention of Nancy and Robin, who turned around and saw that he was running off to where Eddie was being dragged off to. Eddie tried to grab at something— anything to stop himself from getting dragged further and further away but he couldn’t grab the vines unless he wanted to gain the attention of all the creatures in this Upside Down hell or the main monster himself, Vecna. When the thing finally stopped he turned around and kicked it off of him, the thing letting out a whine at the action, he then gasped at what he was staring at. He’d probably mistaken it for a dog if not for its head, it was flower like by the way it opened but inside were rows upon rows of teeth that were stained with blood. He really didn’t want to stick around to be its next meal so he kicked it away when it got close again then turned around so he could push himself onto his feet but let out a grunt when he was kicked in his stomach. Eddie fell back down onto his stomach and grovelled in pain, not being able to handle the growing pain the blow to the stomach gave him, he then let out a grunt when he was grabbed by his hair and was kicked in his back to keep him down.

“U-Urgh… please…” he whimpered around, feeling the tears swelling in his eyes. He really didn’t want to die, not just because he wanted to live, but because now he couldn’t stand the thought of dying and leaving Steve. That man has already lost everything and he couldn’t lose him either, he let out a cry when whatever was holding him by the hair tightened their grip, their heel digging deeper into his back.

“Eddie!” he winched when he heard Steve’s voice, but knowing that his sweetheart was going to come to his rescue made this a little bit better. However, the thing above him flinched at the call and froze up, he then gasped when something slammed beside his head. Peeking to the side his eyes were met with his reflection through the blade of a blood stained axe. The hand that was holding him down loosened its grip and instead was gently caressing his head, the hand then slipped off from behind his head and instead moved his head so that he was able to look over his shoulder. He peeked through his eyelids and was met with those eyes that he had fell in love with, but this thing that was above him wasn’t his Steve, it was—

“Eddie…?” the voice whispered out, the axe was soon abandoned and the figure grabbed him by his shoulders and turned him around so he was now laying on his back. He grabbed at the wrists that was holding him and looked up at the figure, this thing was staring down at him with such intense eyes and he was trying to register as to why it wasn’t killing him. He felt it tug at its hand so he let go and watched as it grabbed at the thing covering its mouth and tug it off, his eyes widened at the face that he was staring up at.

“No… no way.” the tears that began to sting in his eyes appeared but this time for a different reason, his hand reaching up to caress at the face above him.

“Heh, hi Eddie.” Steve was running full speed to where Eddie was dragged off, the tears running down his face at the thought of losing him. His mind flashed back to Billy and [F/N], being helped down by Jonathan and Nancy only to find his lover and sister dead in each others arms. He couldn’t go through this again, not again. His heart wasn’t going to handle another intense heartbreak again, if he lost Eddie then he didn’t know if he was going to pick himself back up like last time; he didn’t know if he could find someone else to glue his heart back together. His blurry eyes widened when he heard the sound of laughter, laughter? Why was he hearing laughter? What could possibly be so funny that he could hear laughter? He finally approached the clearing where Eddie was an his was taken aback at what he was seeing because before his eyes he saw Eddie laughing while twirling someone around, who was also laughing “Eddie, you knucklehead! When’d you get so strong? You were never able to lift me up so easily before!” Eddie just snickered, pulling whoever it was close and squeezing them tight.

“I don’t know, had someone a little heavier than you to lift is all.” they let out a sigh and let their body drape along his body, their head resting against his while his buried into the crook of their neck. When he finally put them down and pulled away they felt his presence and turned to look in his direction, though Steve never met Eddie’s gaze, he was staring directly into the eyes he once remembered were cold and dead.

“Steve…” Nancy and Robin finally caught up to Steve, looking up at him and were confused as to why he looked like he saw a ghost. They finally look over at what he was staring at and froze at who was standing beside Eddie, said person lost that smile they had on their face and it morphed into one of absolute dread. Steve’s eyes, that were already full of tears, felt a new wave of tears run down his face.

“W-What are you doing here…” he stuttered out, dropping the flashlight to the ground and taking a step forward “[F/N]!”

[eight months earlier]

*GASP*

She awoke in a great amount of pain, her entire torso feeling like it was ripped apart before being put back together but in an incredibly shit man. She pushed herself so that she was no longer laying on her back and instead grovelled in pain on her side, coughing up the little spurts of blood that were still pooling up in her mouth. When she finally managed to collect herself she pushed herself up so that she was sitting up straight but now she was taking in her surroundings, she was back in that same hell she and Billy first experienced when that thing— she slapped a hand over her mouth but couldn’t stop herself from throwing up whatever was left in her stomach, her body shaking from the aftershocks of everything. When she was finally able to push herself onto her feet she clutched her arms against her stomach, looking around at what was supposed to be the starcourt mall but it was nowhere to be seen. It was nothing more than a barren land as if it was never built in the first place, damn, not even her car was there. She looked back down at the ground and grimaced at the sight of the axe she used to kill so many people, stained red with the blood of all her victims. She glared down at it and inhaled deeply, kneeling down to grab it and take it with her on her walk home, just in case.

Walking through this literal hell wasn’t exactly ideal in her books, so maybe her car was left at the storage unit where it previously was before she came home and when she made it downtown she was distraught that it wasn’t there either. She was really coming to regret ever coming back to Hawkins, swearing to herself that possibly in her next life she was going to live a different life and never ever step foot in this shitty little town if it still existed. Walking home she thought back to her twenty years of being alive and tried to think of any possible reason as to why she was suffering such a fate, why the fuck was god punishing her so much when she tried so hard to survive? To live? Was it so wrong that she was alive that god still hadn’t put her out of her misery and instead was punishing her further by putting her back in the hell that raised her? She was already exhausted by the time she got home so instead she just pushed open the door to the house she hated since she was young and shuddered at how grotesque it looked, everything was covered in vines and grime, dust partials in the air that she was surprised she hasn’t gotten poisoned by it from how much she was inhaling. She chose to ignore her house’s new interior and just walked up to her room, collapsing onto her bed and just crying silently now that her mind was finally quiet.

“Steve… Robin…” her lips trembled as the last memory she had of either of them was when she was beating them to the point of death, her heart started to ache in her chest as she buried her face into her pillow “I’m so sorry…”

[F/N] Harrington did not believe in god, she did not believe that there was a place that souls moved onto like heaven or hell. She didn’t believe in the nonsense that was written in the bible because that shit could have been edited throughout history to fit the belief of the white man. She wouldn’t believe in god until it was too late and right now, she was almost starting to believe that there was an even greater being out there. She didn’t know whether or not she was dead or alive, she didn’t know what to believe, but all she knew was that she wasn’t going to give Steve or Robin a proper apology for what she had put them through. She wasn’t going to be able to apologise to Nancy or Jonathan for almost killing them all because that monster took away her rationality and really let her express her true psychotic personality. She knew she was mentally unwell, she knew that she wasn’t truly sane in her mind, but that monster pushed her to her limit that she couldn’t control herself. She was a mess and what she had become she was only proving her parents right, that she was just a monster they couldn’t tame. Whatever that thing had done to her, it hadn’t fully disappeared.

As the days rolled by while she was stuck in the remains of Hawkins, she noticed that the things regenerative powers hadn’t disappeared because each time she got hurt her wounds simply healed. Her body was still ridiculously durable and strong to the point she could lift things that were usually too heavy for her body, and though she spent a couple days in her room tending to her torso that was healing much slower in comparison to the rest of her smaller wounds, she kept her guard up in fear of other monsters appearing. If that goop monster came from this world and she and Billy helped built a body in their world, then the real body must be somewhere in this version of Hawkins along with other monsters that can and will kill her. The day she was able to leave the house she explored Hawkins on what her body could handle, Hawkins really was nothing but a barren wasteland, as if this was what the world was going to become when it ends. She didn’t want to think about it, but was this what that monster was trying to achieve while she and Billy were under its influence? A chill ran down her spine at the thought of that thing unleashing hell upon earth, and if it weren’t for that kill and those children, it would have gotten what it wanted and it would have been both hers and Billy’s fault. This was all their fault, all because they didn’t go home.

She let out a gasp when she heard a snarl, whipping her head in the direction she heard it coming from. Her body froze up at the sight of a monster with a large, hulking body that easily towered over her, what terrified her was its flower-like head that had rows upon rows of teeth on each of its “petals” while at the centre of its face was a gaping hole that she could only guess was its mouth. Sure that thing that took control of her body was terrifying on its own and she had a burst of adrenaline that allowed her to swallow that fear and fight it, but she didn’t have that confidence right that very moment. She felt like she was that little girl that was afraid of her father and mother when they raised their voices, her body freezing up and refusing to listen, it felt like that thing was inside her all over again and wasn’t letting her move. It snarled as it got closer to her, she let out a whimper as she fell to the ground. She couldn’t stop her body from shaking when it leaned forward, she shuddered when she felt it breathe on her face, breathing in what she believed was her scent. When she thought it was going to kill her it let out a grunt of sorts before pulling away and stalking off, she continued to sit in that spot, her body continuing to shake in fear as realisation began to sink in. That thing didn’t recognise her as its next meal. but simply as a monster like itself. Has she really lost her humanity and become a monster like that thing intended? She slowly pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them closely as tears ran down her face.

She really was a monster.

To say she became colder would be an understatement, she didn’t know exactly how long she’s been in this hell but it was long enough that she was no longer holding back against this monster. She was no longer hiding whenever she came across them, wielding her now signature axe and swinging it at anything that breathed. Killing things almost became as easy as breathing but it really did fuck her up even more, because all she could think of is when she killed those poor people back at Hawkins. Man, she could really go for a cigarette right about now but she didn’t want to put anything from this place in her mouth if she even found one. Strolling through downtown as she tried to find something to preoccupy herself she came across one of those monsters and thought, why the hell not? Killing a few of them brought some sort of sick entertainment that she was satisfied with for the next couple minutes but she flinched when she heard a noise, turning around she didn’t see anything until she felt something on her foot so she looked down and saw a… slug? She was quick to flick it off but knelt down to inspect it closely, poking at it to see its reaction but recoiled when it gurgled at her. If she really looked at it she’d mistaken it for those dog-looking fuckers.

She lurched backwards when it started jumping towards her, letting out all these noises as it started to follow her when she backed away. Choosing to ignore it she stood up and quickly left, grimacing when it followed her out and continued to follow her no matter the distance. When she thought she lost it she was laying in the front yard of someone’s house but pulled a face when she could just feel it breathing, turning her head to look at it in defeat, if it was an actual dog she could just see its tail wagging while sticking its tongue out for winning this game of tag. Finally, she opens her hand out to this little thing and raised a brow when it happily jumped onto her hand and settled in nicely on her palm. She was never allowed pets, her father was allergic and her mother didn’t want fur getting stuck to anything in the house, not like she was ever around to clean it up herself. Her thumbs gingerly caresses the side of its face and her cold heart couldn’t help but melt a little when it purred softly at the small gesture of affection, hmm. She grinned to herself when a couple weeks later and she had herself three mutated dogs running around her feet yipping happily together, she’d probably get herself more but I think three is more than enough to quell her loneliness. They made things much more fun down in this hell, hunting down the adult versions of her babies was a team thing now and feeding them the carcasses of each of their hunts was more than enough of a reward for them other than her praise.

“Ah, you really are adorable.” she cooed softly, caressing the first little slug that followed her around like a duckling imprinting on the first thing it sees. She chuckled softly and fed it a leg and it ate away at it without question, she smiled and pats its body. She was currently wandering aimlessly around the woods that surrounded the Harrington property as she let her three babies chase each other, going deeper and deeper into the woods to the point she was pretty sure she was getting closer to the Byers residence. She hadn’t really realised how close they were to their home along with the Hawkins Lab, she was going to call her puppies back when they caught the whiff of something and started running in that direction. Thinking it was another one of those monsters she bared her axe and jogged after them but made sure she lagged behind so she could get the jump on the bastard, she paused when she saw them snarling up at something and possibly waiting for her to give them the order to attack. Her hand grips onto the tree as she walks past it to see what exactly has them stuck in place, but her heart suddenly stops at what, or who, exactly she was staring at.

“[F/N]…?” it, or he, muttered out in disbelief. She drops the axe and it lands beside her with a thud, her eyes shaking in shock at who exactly she was staring at. Her lips trembled as tears began to sting in her eyes, she sniffled to herself and instead of saying anything she brought her hands up to cradle her stomach once more as she fell to her knees. She sobbed in silence but didn’t flinch when he approached her, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a comforting hug.

“Billy…!” she wailed out, now throwing her arms around his shoulders so she could pull him close, the both of them now clinging to each other in fear that this wasn’t real; that one of them was going to disappear. How the two of them avoided each other for these past couple of months, neither of them will know. How the two of them weren’t found together when they woke up in this hell? That’ll be a question left for another day because right now the two of them just needed each other, like how they only had each other when under that fuckers control. Billy found himself in a similar situation to [F/N]’s when he woke up and instead of going to the Harrington’s he went to his home but it was completely different from when he was last there, it was as if it wasn’t his home and someone else’s. He set up camp in a different house because he couldn’t handle the thought of being in the house that gave him nightmares, hunting down those monster freaks and even adopting his own little mutated dogs, two of them. The two of them now found themselves back in the Harrington household, Billy being somewhat impressed with how much she reinforced it, and the two of them stayed huddled together in front of the fireplace.

“Hey.” she let out a tired hum, holding her side of the blanket that was draped over them while continuing to watch the fire burn “Your parent’s are pretty shit.” she snorted softly.

“Yeah, yours are pretty shitty as well.” he laughed weakly at her, the two of them we surprised they hadn’t found each other sooner, because now that they were together they could feel everything the other could feel; hear whatever the other thought. When the monster took over their body they were more connected to each other compared to the others under its control, so they could hear and feel and experience the other could, but the connection tended to get weaker the further the other was. But since the two of them were always together they only found peace in each other because that’s when things were the most quiet, but it was also where they could each find themselves in each other’s memories. [F/N] tended to relish in the warmth of the California beach while Billy enjoyed seeing the pure joy on Stevie’s little face, the two of them found comfort in each other’s happiest memories, but they also felt each other’s worst. [F/N] knew Billy’s shitbag for a father was a piece of shit, but watching that garbage of a human being beat his mother to the point she abandoned poor Billy and turned his attention to him, was devastating. Billy in turn watched [F/N]’s childhood where she was nothing more than a doll for her parents to play the game of life with to only later throw away when she became outdated, the two of them really were too much alike.

“Hey.” she hums again. letting him know that she was listening “… why’d you really come back for me?” she finally tore her eyes away from the fire and looked up at Billy, who was already looking down at her.

“What?”

“As cute as that answer was, I know that wasn’t all of it. Why didn’t you leave me behind? Everyone else did, I was nothing more than a lost cause and you probably wouldn’t have gone through what you had if you just left me.” his lip trembled when he saw her look away, he does the same but flinched softly when she let her body fall against his with her head resting on his shoulder.

“I never opened my heart to anyone except for the select few, and I must admit that the idea of leaving you did cross my mind, but I couldn’t do that to you. I already left my brother and my friends, I could have left you as I left them, but I wasn’t going to do that again. I made up my mind when we became friends that I wasn’t going to abandon someone again, I wasn’t going to be a coward all because I was scared.” she closed her eyes “And look where that got us, huh? Maybe I should have been selfish, but I wasn’t going to be able to live with the guilt if I did leave you there. I love you, dude.” she looked up at him with her eyes and saw his eyes tearing up, she hummed softly when he let his head full and rest on top of hers.

“I love you too, nerd.” she rolled her eyes but leaned closer into his body, using her other hand to find his and when she did they laced their fingers together and basked in each others presence “What do you think Steve is up to?” she closed her eyes, oh, Steve.

“Probably finding his replacement boyfriend.” she snorted softly when Billy let out an offended gasp, she laughs when he shoved her to the ground “Ah hah! You know I’m just kidding, Billy.” he rolled his eyes, grabbing the blanket and draping it around his body.

“Your thoughts say otherwise.” she scoffed, wrapping her arms around her torso and leaning against his body “… do you really think he’d look for someone else?” she frowns softly, she then inhaled deeply and looked up at the ceiling.

“Well, we’re dead, Billy. Why would they wait for someone who isn’t coming back?” Billy flinched at that, she closed her eyes and brought her hand up to caress his forearm “I think it’d be best for them to move on if they found someone else that could love them, rather than clinging to us.” Billy sighed softly at that.

“I guess.” his body tensed up when he felt her start shaking, peering down at her, he saw tears quickly gathering in her eyes. His body relaxed sadly when he could feel the great amount of guilt and sadness she was suffering through, knowing exactly what she did and now that they were dead she could do nothing to atone for what she had done. He lifted his arm and she was quick to huddle to his side, crying into the crook of his neck when his arm came down and draped itself over her body.

Now that the two of them had each other it made things easier in hell for them, they weren’t alone anymore. Billy decided it was better to hang around at the Harrington home better than his makeshift base, their house was much bigger than what he had, though the two of them decided it would be best if they avoided the pool after what [F/N] found in there. They were also happy that their dogs got along swimmingly, it would have been sad if they didn’t. Now since hunting those monsters was nothing more than a sport to them they turned it into a game; a competition to see who could kill the most and the winner had bragging rights for the day. One thing the two of them had noticed when exploring Hawkins was that they couldn’t LEAVE Hawkins, if they strayed too far somehow they’d be brought right back to the entrance of Hawkins as if they hadn’t just walked from the opposite direction, it was very odd the first time it happened. Billy now found himself sitting on the hood of a car as he stared up at something that was perched on a lamp post, it was another monster, but one that he didn’t recognize.

This thing was new.

“Oi, [F/N].” he called, not taking his eyes off the new creature while leaning backwards in her direction. He furrowed his brows when she didn’t answer but he felt a wave of sadness wash over him, finally breaking eye contact with the creature, he looked at her and saw she had a pained expression on her face when she woke up from her nap “Are you alright?” he asked, she slowly opened her eyes and a single tear ran down her cheek. She stared up at the sky above them and her face turned bitter when she raised her hand, swiping the tear away in one swoop.

“Yeah, I just had a nice dream.” she sniffles then turns her attention from the sky to Billy “What’s up?” he simply points so she follows and furrows her brows at the thing that’s been watching them, she furrows her brows in confusion.

“Is that thing new?” she tilts her head.

“Maybe, I’ve never seen it before.” it screeches at them “Looks like a mutated bat.” she murmurs, Billy nods.

“I agree. Think it’s hostile?” they wait for a bit but came to regret it when a hoard of those things appeared and were charging towards them, they didn’t hesitate to hightail it out of there at full speed, yeah, those things were definitely hostile. Those bats were new, the mutated dogs and monsters tended to ignore their existence on the fact that they were basically the same as them and would only fight them when they struck first, other than that they were merely coexisting when each other. On the other hand, these bats acted on a kill on sight mindset but they tended to attack as a pact, never alone. Those bats acted like some sort of surveillance because whenever they were out and about at least one of those fuckers was watching them wherever they went, it was troublesome when either of them split just a tiny bit of blood, because those fuckers would come hurdling towards them like a moth to a flame.

“Annoying bastards.” [F/N] growled out, lifting her hand and gently patting a few of her dogs “Where the hell did they come from?” Billy shrugged, wiping the blood of one of those monsters off his face.

“Don’t know, don’t care. All we know is where their little hive is.” at the mention of that they look over where they saw the whole swarm of those bats surrounding a house “Do you recognize that house, [F/N]?” she hummed to herself, rubbing her chin.

“Um… I think that’s the murder house.” Billy raised a brow “Oh, um, a married couple with their two children moved into the house. Everything was fine and dandy until one day the father brutally murdered his wife and daughter but spared his son, it was pretty gruesome. Reports said that he broke the bones of each of their limbs, dislodged their jaws and even gouged their eyes out. It’s been left abandoned ever since because people didn’t want to live in the house where a family was brutally murdered.” Billy winced, caressing his jaw.

“Yikes.” she nod her head.

“Uh huh.” her gaze hardened softly at the sight of the bats and house “But I’d guess that that incident wasn’t exactly a murder.” a bead of sweat rolled down the side of their faces at the thought.

“If you’re right about that, how come all this shit is happening now? Didn’t that happen a long time ago? Why would a ghost kill a family, take a break, then come back again? Would that mean it’s killing people again?” she shrugs her shoulders.

“Just a thought.”

“Your thoughts are unsettling sometimes.” she winks at him.

Not even a couple weeks later the two of them, who were sleeping soundly in the safety and comfort of each others arms, wake up abruptly when they felt a surge of power. Their eyes simply snap open as they break into a cold sweat, a chill running down their spine at what they were feeling. [F/N] pulled herself towards Billy, burying herself into his chest as her hands gripped onto the back of his shirt, fear beginning to take over her body. His arms tightened around her while his hand moved up her back and gently held the back of her neck, his thumb caressing her neck in an effort to comfort her. They weren’t the only ones that felt this new power because even their dogs were acting off but they didn’t stray far from their masters, instead they huddled around them to barricade them from what was to come. Neither of them got much sleep that night, not only because of that but because not too long after that happened an earthquake shook the entirety of Hawkins and they weren’t too sure if another would go off. The next couple of days the earthquakes kept happening and that surge of power that shook them to their core happened approximately three more times that had them on edge, they were now being extra careful in what they were doing.

“Hmm? Aren’t the bats acting a little differently than usual?” Billy pants at what she says, blood dripping from his knuckles as he wipes some of the blood that splattered onto his face with his sleeve and looked over at what she meant. They watched as a group of bats left the swarm surrounding the haunted house and flew over to what they believed was Lovers Lake, they look at each other “Wanna go check it out?” he clicks his tongue in thought, leaning back with his hands on his hips.

“Um… yeah, why not. It’s not like we’ve got anything better to do.” she grins, clapping her hands.

“Wonderful.” she then whistles, this catches the attention of the dogs to which they all whip their heads over to her, she then points in the direction the bats went and all five of them went running without question. The two of them are quick to follow and they find themselves at a dried up version of Lovers Lake, [F/N] places her hand on a tree and steps forward to see what was there a saw something flee from the lake into the woods but her attention tore away from them and to what the bats were guarding “What is that?” she muttered to herself, Billy comes up from behind her while placing a hand on her shoulder.

“They’re guarding something, a hole?” she tries to get a closer look but they’re too far away to get anything clear “I’m gonna go check it out, you go chase after the things the bats chased off.” she raised a brow.

“You sure?” he nod.

“Yeah, it’s nothing I can’t handle without these bad boys.” his dogs yip happily at his feet, she chuckles softly and pats her own puppies.

“Alright then, don’t take too long.” her dogs brought her to Skull Rock and they were sniffing at a specific spot beneath the giant boulder, [F/N] approached it and furrowed her brows at the sight. Blood? It was red, her eyes then looked at the ground and saw a barrage of footprints in the mud, who the hell…? She shook her head and swiped some of the blood onto her fingers then brought them towards her favourite baby, it sniffed the blood and let out a growl “Go get ‘em.” all three of them let out a snarl before running off to chase after whatever it was, she bounces her axe on her shoulder as she takes her time to catch up with her puppies. Her brows perked up when she heard shouting followed by a struggle, hmph, they must have gotten someone because over the struggling she heard other voices shouting after the one that was being dragged away. She stepped into the clearing where her three puppies were, she felt anger bubble in her chest when she saw the struggling fool kick at her baby to keep it away twice, now that won’t do. She didn’t hesitate to kick them in the stomach to wind them, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy her current anger, so she kicked them in the back to keep them down then reached down to grab them by the hair and yank them up but still keeping her foot pressed into their back so they couldn’t get up.

“U-Urgh… please…” begging? Pathetic. She readjusted her hold on her axe and raised it above her head, one clean swing should be more than enough to decapitate this foo—

“Eddie!” her eyes widened at the call, quickly redirecting the axe so it missed their head and lodged itself into the ground, her head whipping in the direction that call came from. Eddie? Did they just say Eddie? Her trembling hand let go of their hair as she lifted her foot of their back, she then gently caresses the back of their head before pushing it so she could get a look at their face, her gaze softened when does sweet doe eyes looked back at her.

“Eddie…?” she whispered out, almost not believing that it was true. She was quick to grab him by the shoulders and turn him around so that he was laying on his back, his hands quickly slapped onto her wrists as her fingers started to dig into her shoulders. She saw his eyes flicker while trying to recognize who exactly was above him but couldn’t put a name to her face, she then realised she was still wearing the bandana over her mouth so she quickly tore it off so Eddie could see her face. There… there she saw recognition finally click in his head as he stared up at her, she smiled softly when his hands reached up towards her face, gently caressing her cheek with tears forming in his eyes.

“No… no way.” she giggled sadly, raising her own hand to rest against his.

“Heh, hi Eddie.” he was quick to sit up and bring her into a hug, burying his face into the crook of her neck as he held her tight, she was quick to throw her arms around him and tug him just as tight. She let out a whoa when he suddenly stood to his feet, bringing her up with him, then squealed when he started twirling her around. She’s laughing to her hearts content as she pulls herself closer to Eddie as he continued to spin her around, him grinning the entire time he does this “Eddie, you knucklehead! When’d you get so strong? You were never able to lift me up so easily before!” Eddie just snickered, pulling her close and squeezing her tight.

“I don’t know, had someone a little heavier than you to lift is all.” she let out a sigh and let her body drape along his body, her head resting against his while his buried into the crook of her neck. He finally puts her down but their continued to hold each others hands, she opens her mouth to say something but felt like she was being stared at so she turned her head at where she felt it but soon felt the color in her already pale skin drain.

“Steve…” she whispered under her breath, the dread on her face got worse when she saw Nancy fucking Wheeler and her sweet songbird Robin appear behind him and share the same look of shock and disbelief at the sight of her.

“W-What are you doing here…” Steve stuttered out as tears started rolling down his cheeks, dropping the flashlight he had to the ground and taking a step forward “[F/N]!” Eddie looked down at [F/N] and his eyes widened at the emotion he saw on her face, that look of absolute fear as she stared at her brother. He’s never seen [F/N] wear such an expression on her face, she was the embodiment of confidence, of pride… no, no. He remembers a time when she had this look of fear, this look of vulnerability.

“[F/—” he’s not able to finish his sentence when she takes her hands back from Eddie, taking a step back when Steve took a step towards her. She felt herself start to hyperventilate when Steve kept getting closer and closer to her the more she kept trying to distance herself from him, she looked down at her hands and in her mind she saw Steve’s blood on her trembling hands, looking back at him she saw the damage she did to him when she was under that fuckers control. She saw the monster she had become when she laid her hands on her brother that tried to save her from her insanity, her vision started to get hazy but her eyes snapped up when she felt him reach for her. In her mind she saw it was Steve reaching for her to stop, to stop beating him when he only tried to help.

“Don— Don’t touch me!” she screamed, smacking his hand away before he could touch. She lets out a gasp as she stared at the heartbroken look on his face, she grits her teeth at the sight of him and knew that she couldn’t bear to look at him anymore so she screwed her eyes shut, turned around and started running away. Goddammit, she was running away again. Was all she could do was run away when she was scared? Where had that adrenaline gone when she fought monsters?

“P-Please, [F/N]! Don’t leave! Don’t go away, please!” dammit, she really was pathetic. She just couldn’t muster up that courage to face her brother again, he was probably crying again and it was all her damned fault. When she thought she was far enough she leaned against a tree, hunching over and throwing up the contents that were in her stomach. She felt her stomach start to churn the moment her eyes settled on Steve and Robin, all the memories of what she did to them coming back at her full throttle. She hadn’t realized she pushed all of that into the back of her mind until she saw them again, she let out a whimper when she pulled herself up, crying as she clung to the tree.

“B-Billy…” she whimpered out, lifting her hand to wipe at her eyes “I need you, Billy.” her head shot up when she heard screaming, that sounded like Wheeler? Was it her babies? Were they attacking the group for her reaction? She raises her fingers to her lips to call them back but paused when she saw that they were with her, if that were the case, then what was that girl screaming abou— her eyes widened when she realized just where exactly they were. They were basically in the monsters hunting ground and with all the noise they were making, it was bound to attract a few of them.

Shit.

Steve felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest, chewed up, spat out then stomped on all at once. The anguish he was feeling felt like he had just watched [F/N] die in front of him all over again, like he was at her funeral all over again and that he was reliving the worst moments of his entire life. He cried out for her, like all the other times he did, and when he did, she would always come rushing to his side to comfort him and tell him she was going to be right by his side until he was better. But she didn’t do it this time, he cried for her when she ran away but she didn’t even bother to turn around to see that he needed her. She ran away, she left him, she left him behind like she did when she left him alone in Hawkins. He was in a dire moment when she left for university, her last year was the year when Will went missing and he first got roped into the Upside Down and he fought the Demogorgon after getting his shit rocked by Jonathan. He wanted her to tell him it was alright, that he was okay and that his big sister was going to make sure he wasn’t going to be alone, but she ignored him in favor of studying so she could pass that year and graduate so she could get the fuck out of Hawkins. They had only just rekindled their relationship and she was leaving him all because she was done with Hawkins, all because she couldn’t put up with it anymore.

“[F/N]…” he whimpered out, falling to his knees and clutching onto Eddie’s battle vest. His forehead was pressed against the ground as he sobbed out his heart, his nails beginning to dig into the skin of his hands “Please, don’t go…” Eddie fell to his knees, placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder to calm him down.

“Stevie, babe…” he whispered softly, Steve shook his head as his shoulders continued to tremble.

“If she’s here…” he whispered, his hands now coming up to grip at the pendant dangling around his neck “does that mean BIlly’s here too?” this caused Eddie to flinch, Billy? What are the odds that that blonde is here as well? Would that mean that Steve would want to get back with Billy then? Is he going to break up with him so that he could get back with him? Eddie didn’t want to think that Steve would do such a thing, but he could tell that he still had feelings for the blonde.

“Steve—”

“Steve!” his head snapped up when Nancy screamed his name, his eyes widened at the sight of a Demogorgon appearing out of nowhere. Those demodogs that were here with [F/N] followed after her when she ran away, he looked down at himself and cursed when he realized that the demogorgon was probably there because it could smell his blood. His guess was right because it completely ignored Eddie and came straight towards him, he tried to stand to his feet but his knees where numb from how long he was kneeling down so it was quick to grab him by the throat and lift him up into the air.

“Steve!”

“Steve!” the demogorgon swats them away easily as its grip on Steve tightened, he grabbed onto the demogorgons wrist and flailed in the air to try and get away but his efforts were futile. This one was much bigger than the one he fought back at the Byers house and he didn’t have his signature nailed bat with him to kill it. There was the axe [F/N] left behind but it was nowhere to be see— nowhere to be seen? He gasps when he was suddenly dropped to the ground with a thud, he jumps when something fell into his lap and he saw that it was the demongorgons arm that was cut off. He looked up and tears gathered in his eyes again when he was met with [F/N]’s back, she came running back to see that one of those monsters was holding her sweet little brother up and was getting ready to eat his head in one bite. She noticed that her axe was still lodged in the ground so she didn’t hesitate to rip it out and cut the monsters arm off in one swift swing. Now she was standing face to face with the monster, a dark sneer on her face as she gripped onto her axe that was dripping with its blood.

“You hurt my brother.” she growled out, feeling the veins in from her veins to her forearm along with her neck and the corner of her eyes turn black when her anger started boiling “NO ONE hurts my brother.” she doesn’t flinch when it roared in her face, she in turn roared right back before lifting her leg to kick it in the torso and send it flying backwards. She raises her hand to her lips and blows into them, a sharp whistle calling her three puppies who snarled at the monster that was slowing picking itself up as she twirled her axe around as if it were a bat.

“[F-F/N]…?” Steve whispered out from behind her, hoping— begging that she’d turn around so he could see her face, but she continued to ignore him.

“Billy!” she screams as she charges towards the monster, raising her axe just as Billy finally caught up to her and grabbed the monster by its legs to lift it up, when it started to fall she swung her axe back then swung it forward to swiftly cut its head right off its neck. Both its body and head fell to the ground with a thud and the two just stared at its fallen corpse, watching its black blood pour out of its body and soak into the ground beneath it. She raises her eyes and saw that Billy was staring at the group behind them, he turned his attention towards her and noticed that she was refusing to turn around and just kept her head down, he sighed softly and approached her.

“You okay?” he whispered softly, grabbing her by the forearms and gently rubbing his thumbs into her arms. He tilted his head when he saw that she didn’t want to look at him, he tugs at her and that gains her attention “We talked about this, [F/N].” she sighed, still not looking at him but looking to the side.

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect to actually see them.” his face saddened when she finally looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes “I’m terrified to face him, Billy. I— I don’t think I can do it.” the axe falls from her hands when he pulled her into a hug, she quickly wraps her arms around him and falls into his embrace.

“Baby steps, [F/N], baby steps.” she nods her head, letting out a shaky breath. Billy raised his head and saw the group slowly approaching them, he loosened his hold on [F/N] but her fingers tug into the leather of the jacket he was wearing “It’s alright, it’s okay.” he whispered softly, though she was still shaking, she nodded her head and loosened her grip.

“B-Billy, is that really you?” Steve croaked out, he reaches his hand out but flinched back when [F/N] let Billy go and instead of standing beside him she actually hid behind him but made sure she was still holding his hand to calm herself “[F-F/N]…?”

“What are you doing here, Harrington?” Billy spoke, this caused them all to look at him “Why the hell are you here in this hellhole?” Billy’s eyes trailed down and widened softly at the sight of his pendant dangling from his neck, his thumb subconsciously rubbing against his ring.

“I-Isn’t that what I’m supposed to be asking?” Billy cocked his head in confusion.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you guys dead like us? Why would a saint like you be in hell?” Robin and Nancy look at each other.

“Billy,” Nancy starts, taking a step forward and placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder “we’re not dead.”

“Then?” she swallows thickly.

“This… might be a lot to take in—” he scoffs.

“[F/N] and I had a monster forced into our bodies, we killed a whole bunch of people and said people melted to form a body for the fucker that possessed us. I think we can handle whatever the fuck you’re talking about, Wheeler.” she takes a breath.

“If we’re here, and you’re here as well, then you’re not dead.” this caused them both to jolt up, what? “This place is an alternate dimension of Hawkins, we don’t fully understand it, but it’s a different world compared to our home. This place is called the Upside Down, and if you two were here this whole time, that means you two never died in the first place. You two are still alive.” she felt a bead of sweat form on her cheek at the blank stare she was getting from Billy, his face scrunches up at the information as he feels [F/N]’s grip on his hand tighten.

“What?” she muttered out, now peaking out from behind Billy and staring Nancy dead in her eyes “What the fuck do you mean we’re alive?” Nancy stumbles back at the dark look in [F/N]’s eyes, and though it wasn’t particularly aimed at her because [F/N] couldn’t control herself, she couldn’t help but swallow thickly as she tried to put her thoughts into words.

“U-Um, what I mean is— I don’t know, and I don’t know how it’s possible, but you guys aren’t dead. You’re alive and you’ve been stuck in the Upside Down this entire time.” anger slowly started building up inside of [F/N].

“Why are we alive?” she muttered, turning away to look down at her hands and her mind flashed once again to see blood staining her hands “Why the fuck do we get to live after everything we did? Why do I get to walk away while everyone that died by my hands didn’t get that second chance?” she soon started to feel an aching pain in her chest and the sides of her stomach, her nails tug into the fabric of the clothes she wore as her mind started to relive the moment that monster tore her body apart because of her betrayal.

“[F/N]—” Eddie speaks, not being able to stand watching his friend in so much pain.

“No! I don’t understand why we’re getting to walk away from this!” she always had a harder time accepting what she did, Billy had a hard time as well but [F/N] knew that her mind was much more twisted in comparison to Billy, that’s why that monster always sent her out to kill people while Billy was left to kidnap people. Her arm wraps around her stomach as she slaps a hand over her mouth, her body threatening to vomit out whatever was left in her stomach but she was able to swallow it down and instead drool and saliva dribbles out of her mouth “Why are we to be spared after all the pain we but those poor people through?” Billy gently places a hand on her back, rubbing circles into her back to comfort her and try to calm her breathing down.

“I know it’s hard, [F/N], but it wasn’t your fault.” Nancy says, [F/N] couldn’t help but scoff at her words.

“Wasn’t our fault? You don’t get it, Wheeler. I always knew deep down I was fucking crazy, that thing just intensified that craziness to the point I lost my rationality. Death was going to be my atonement for what I had done, what I did to you two.” she spared Steve and Robin a look but quickly tore her eyes away before she could look at them for too long.

“.… I forgive you.” she raised her head and looked over at Steve, who never tore his eyes away from her “I forgave you long ago, [F/N]. I wish you’d stop blaming yourself for what happened to me, because it wasn’t you.” she grits her teeth at that, shaking her head.

“B-But it— you don’t understand.”

“[F/N], please, we know it wasn’t your fault.” Robin speaks next, begging for [F/N] to look at them with something that wasn’t just anguish “We know what you did was to keep us safe, but we need you to know that you’ve been forgiven.” Billy knew she was having a difficult time to believe anything they were saying, still so deep in denial that it was going to take a lot for her to forgive herself, so he went back to shielding her from the others and left a comforting hand on her back.

“Alright, fine, we’re alive and shit, but that still doesn’t explain how you four ended up here.” Nancy was the one to answer again, being the more levelled headed out of the three and most knowledgeable by standards.

“Well, a crack of sorts that acts as a gate from this world to ours is open and we came through one.” Billy immediately pulls a face at the information.

“Wait, wait a minute. Are you telling me that there was a way to get the fuck out of this shithole this whole time?”

“Well, yes and no. Is there a way to make these gates? Yes. Is there a way for you to make them? No. It would have been impossible for you to get out of here without a different force from opening one.” [F/N] could feel Billy’s frustration so she looked up at him and saw he inhaled sharply before letting his body fall to the ground, his back landing with a thud.

“Billy, for fuck sakes.” she curses out as she kneels down, placing her hand on his chest while their puppies hovered over him.

“You’re telling me there was a way out of here this whole time?” he repeats, she rolls her eyes.

“Not for us to figure out, no.” she pats his chest twice then looks up at the group.

“So where were y’all heading before I sent my babies out to get you?” she looks at Eddie with an apologetic look “Real sorry about that, by the way. Can’t help but be cautious over anything new when in this hellhole.” Eddie raises his hands while shaking his head, nervously eyeing the one demodog that was growling at him as it stuck to [F/N]’s side.

“We were heading to the Wheelers place.” she raised a brow at the destination, she whistled sharply when she heard her baby growling a little louder while grabbing him by the chained collar around his neck to keep him from pouncing again “Nancy here said that she’s got a couple guns in her room.” [F/N] scrunched her face up in confusion then let out a snort, standing to her feet and dusting her pants off.

“You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom.” Eddie’s face lights up as he points at her.

“That’s exactly what I said.” though it was a little weak, a smile similar to his stretched across her face.

“And this is why we’re best friends.” they both giggle to themselves then high five each other.

“What about us?” she glanced down at Billy, scoffing slightly with a roll of her eyes when she saw him pouting up at her “I thought WE were best friends.” she gently kicks him from where he was laying.

“We’re trauma besties.”

“I can get behind that.” she shakes her head and looks around at their general location, they were still a good few miles from the Wheeler residence and they already look exhausted.

“Were you guys planning on walking?” Steve shrugged.

“Well, what other option do we have?” Billy, who was now up and on his feet, glanced down at [F/N], who in turn looked up at him, and smirked at each other.

“We know a much quicker way.” obviously they were a little nervous at the suggestion, Billy let out a sigh at their reluctance “Well, would you rather walk and risk another encounter with one of those fuckers?” they all glance down at the dead demogorgon, shuddering in disgust at the sight of the demodogs eating at its corpse.

“It better be worth the detour.” Nancy murmured softly, [F/N] chuckled.

“It’ll definitely be worth it, little miss Wheeler.” both she and Billy bring their fingers to their lips and let out a sharp whistle, their demodogs were quick to react and waited for their command. Billy gestured with his head for his dogs to go in the direction he came from while [F/N] snapped her fingers and hers surrounded them “Shall we?” they flinch a little when they see [F/N] lean down to pick up her fallen axe and throw it over her shoulder before they started walking away, they only started to follow when one of her puppies gave them a little nudge from behind. Eddie glanced at Steve and saw that he was staring intensely at Billy and [F/N]’s back, because in his mind, the two of them looked exactly the way they did when they died. Sure they looked a little worse for wear, covered in dirt and grime from being stuck in the Upside Down for the past eight months, but other than the fact that they’re wearing the same torn clothes they were left in covered in some gear they found around in this wasteland, their appearance didn’t seem to have changed that much. [F/N]’s hair might have grown maybe a few inches as well as Billy’s who also started growing a bit of a stubble, but it wasn’t much. It was as if they hadn’t even aged.

“Steve…” he muttered softly, reaching to grab his hand and softly rub his thumb over his knuckles “Are you okay?” he sniffled softly.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m good. I just never thought I’d be given a chance to see them again.” his other hand then reached up to cradle the pendant around his neck, Eddie’s eyes saddened a little at the way he saw Steve was staring at Billy. He then turned his attention towards Billy and [F/N] himself, the two of them were walking shoulder to shoulder in silence as they led the way to wherever they were taking them, Steve let out a noise when Eddie let go of his hand and sauntered over towards the two “E-Eddie?” the two let out a grunt when Eddie practically shoved himself in between the two of them.

“Munson? What the hell?” [F/N] lets out an oh when she felt him link his arms with hers, Billy scowled when he blocked his view of [F/N].

“[F/N], I am quite hurt that you didn’t come visit me when you came around last year. I heard rumours that you were back, so color me surprised when both uncle Wayne and I didn’t even get to see you. Even the boys were sad that you didn’t pop in to say hello.” she smiled sadly at that, gently patting her hand on top of his.

“Eddie… I did some real unspeakable things last year.” his eyes saddened when that same look of terror washed over her face, her eyes fluttered shut as a pained expression appeared “That thing made me kill so many people, man. I-If that thing made me hurt you as well… I-I don’t think I’d be here talking to you. I owe you for everything you’ve done for me Eddie, really.” he gives her a smile at that.

“That means a lot to me, [F/N]. Still a little hurt that you didn’t even come by the say hello, you were still around for quite a long time.” she shrugged softly.

“I was distracted, alright.” he raised a brow.

“With what?” at the mention of that she glanced back towards Robin, who perked up when she saw [F/N]’s gaze. She quickly looked away but her eyes landed on Steve, she gritted her teeth at the sight of the marking along his neck and the small blood spot on the makeshift bandage along his stomach. However her eyes caught onto the battle vest that she for sure knew Steve didn’t own, she then glanced back towards Eddie then back at Steve before settling her gaze on Eddie… Steve flinched when she whipped her head back towards him and stared intensely at him.

“Eddie, lend me your vest, yeah?” [F/N], who was soaked because she got doused in alcohol by a few drunk patrons at the Hideout, asked as she took off both her jacket and her shirt because the smell of alcohol was clinging to both items of clothing and so she was shamelessly left in her bra. At least the other boys were gentlemen because they stood around her to block the eyes of others to gaze upon her half naked body, she herself was quite calm despite the predicament she was in.

“No can do, sweetheart.” she scrunched her face up in confusion, twisting her shirt and gagging at the sight of booze that dripped out of her shirt “This is my prized possession, I can’t just hand it out.” she scoffed at him.

“So you’d rather I flaunt around in just my bra?”

“Yeah.” she let out an offended gasp at his audacity, Gareth was kind enough to take off his flannel and hand it to her. She gave him a thankful look as she put it on but rolled up the sleeves and left a couple buttons undone because it was in the middle of summer and though it was night time it was still pretty hot “Don’t you know the importance of a battle vest, [F/N]?”

“I honestly don’t care.” she was promptly ignored.

“Letting someone wear your battle vest is like claiming them as yours, you know. It’s like when jocks let their girlfriends wear their varsity jackets, to let others know that they’re taken. It’s just the metal head way of claiming what is theirs.” the four of them just stare at Eddie.

“… if you didn’t want me to wear it you could’ve just said so.”

“I bet he’s saying that because he believes he’s going to hitch himself a lover or something.”

“Oh, how sad.” they all laugh at that, causing Eddie to glare at them.

“Alright, fine! Sure, yeah, the only reason you’ll ever see someone else wearing it is because they’re my boyfriend, alright! Just you wait!” Steve felt a bead of sweat roll down his face the longer she stare at him, going a little pale when he saw her smile sweetly at her, though the grip on the axe gave away how pissed she actually was. Billy felt the rise in anger coming from [F/N] so he peeked down at her and raised a brow when she turned her gaze towards the man in between the two of them.

“Eddie.” she spoke softly, he hummed softly when he felt her raise her hand and cup his cheek, leaning into her soft and delicate touch “Do you remember when I told you that someday Steve would find that perfect someone someday?” when she spoke those words Eddie immediately understood what she was doing.

“H-Huh?” her fingers dig into his cheeks as she grabs him by the face and lifts him up off the ground, whether that be by her own physical strength or with the aid of the Mind Flayers left over power, we’ll never know.

“I didn’t mean you, you son of a bitch!” Steve and the others were clearly freaking out because they couldn’t tell if [F/N] was under the control of the Mind Flayer again but since Billy wasn’t reacting like that then it slightly calmed them down… slightly “I love you Eddie, I really do, but what makes you think you’re good enough to be my brother’s boyfriend?” to think Eddie would be at the end of her hand like this, she never thought she’d see the day.

“C-Come on, [F/N], let’s talk about this!” her gaze hardened, her grip tightening and would likely leave bruises.

“No, we’re doing this now! You should have realized that just because you’re my best friend, it wouldn’t keep you safe the moment I learnt that you were his boyfriend! And you two got hooked up while I was in the grave? That’s cold. So tell me, Munson,” his hands grip onto her wrist tightly when she pulled him close to stare him closely in the eyes “what makes you think you’re good enough to be my brother’s boyfriend?” she repeats.

“… he was really sad, [F/N].” he noticed the way her tough resolve break a little, her eyes softening just briefly before hardening again “He looked just like you when you first came to me, there was no way I was going to leave him alone with how vulnerable he was. If he really was like his sister, I didn’t want to take the risk of leaving him alone with all his bad thoughts. I helped pick up the broken pieces of his heart and put them back together, and without me realising it, he was doing the same thing for me. I hadn’t realized just how much losing you hurt me as well, [F/N].” he noticed that it was working because she was slowly losing her grip on his face and lowering him down “I love him, really. I’m in love with your brother and you and I both know that these attractions began far before your funeral. I promise you, [F/N], that unlike all those other girls that you scared off, my love for him in genuine.” she had finally put him down and was giving him a sad look.

“Eddie…”

“i know all you ever wanted was the best for Steve, and I swear I’ll do the best I can to give it to him.” [F/N] sighed softly and gave him a meaningful look, she however made a face.

“Don’t.” she suddenly spoke, her gave her a confused look as he slowly turned around to look at Billy, paling at the dark look on his face “Don’t, Billy. Don’t!” she pushes Eddie away when Billy was getting ready to swing.

“You’re dead, Munson!”

“Fucking run Eddie!” he didn’t need to be told again and so he hightailed it out of there in the direction they were going, she grabbed Billy by the arm when he was going to run after him and before she could even get a word out he pushed her to the ground and ran after Eddie “Ah! Did you just shove me?!” she screamed but was ignored, this pissed her off even more before she chased after them with a shout. So running away really was Eddie’s thing because he was using every bit of stamina he had left to run away from the extremely pissed off Billy that was out to kill him, he took a brief peek behind him and picked up the pace when he saw that Billy was gaining some ground behind the two of them.

“I just wanna talk, Munson!” he shouts.

“Nah uh! No thanks, don’t really feel like dying to the hands of Steve’s ex!”

“Ex?!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Just stop talking at this point, Eddie!” he let out a shriek at the sound of [F/N]’s voice that was slowly catching up to them, Eddie made it to a clearing and stood on the spot because he didn’t know where to go so he turned around and let out a scream when Billy was going to grab him. He jumps to the side when Billy was tackled by [F/N] and the two of them go tumbling to the ground, [F/N] coming up on top with Billy laying beneath her and fighting to get her off “You gotta stop, Billy!” she was pushing his hands away when he tried shoving her off.

“No! He’s a dead man!”

“You’re being dramatic!”

“I’m not being dramatic!” they both just scream at each other at this point with [F/N] holding Billy by the shoulders to keep him pinned to the ground while Billy is holding her wrists.

“We talked about this, Billy!” she shouts and this causes him to waver, she takes a breath “We talked about this.” she repeats and immediately his eyes start to water.

“B-But—” she shakes her head.

“We both know that this was bound to happen. It’s for the best.” he grits his teeth because he knew that she was right, when the ladies and Steve caught up to them Billy had calmed down enough to not attack Eddie when he was back and on his feet “Good, y’all caught up. We’re here.” she then gestured to what was behind her and they were shocked to see what it was.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” [F/N] just grinned. That familiar roar that scared the lot echoed throughout the Upside Down once more but this time they knew where it was coming from, and that was from the engine of [F/N]’s prized mustang. [F/N] explained that instead of it being at the Starcourt Mall, that doesn’t exist there, or in the storage unit she left it in, it was sitting right at home inside the garage where she usually left it. It was an older version of her usual modded mustang that she upgraded throughout the years. She told them that this was their way of getting around Hawkins instead of walking because the monsters, Demogorgons and demodogs from what they call it, would stay away because of the roar the engine gave off, and their “demodogs” would either be sitting in the back or following alongside her car, like they were doing right now.

“Stop it.” the group sitting in the backseat sat in silence when they heard [F/N] speak, glancing up, they noticed that Billy was peeking back towards them, though he was glaring at Eddie. Whenever she caught him looking back at them she would scold him and he would stop but eventually would go back to looking at him, she rolled her eyes as she tightened her grip on the stirring wheel, shifting gears and pressing harder into the gas. The group then notice her raise her hand then strike it across Billy’s face, what took them back was when both their heads flew in the same direction she hit him.

“What the hell!” she scoffed, bringing her hand to caress her stringing cheek.

“I told you to stop it, Billy.” he scoffed at her as he caressed his cheek that was turning red, she perks up when she saw Eddie raise his hand.

“Um, hate to ask, but what the hell was that?” she hummed.

“Oh, why we both reacted when only I hit him.” she shrugged softly as she looked ahead of them “Ever since that thing welcomed itself into our bodies, we began to feel each other’s pain but also thoughts. Now we know exactly what the other is thinking, and you gotta stop thinking about plotting his murder.” Eddie flinched when Billy glared at him through the rear view mirror.

“I will…” she rolled her eyes.

“But since we were the first, we were especially close with each other. That’s why we stuck together, it’s what kept us from seriously losing our minds.” Nancy perked up at that.

“The hive mind.” this caused Billy and [F/N] to glance at her “The Mind Flayer, the thing that possessed you two, shared a mind with everything in the Upside Down. From the monsters to the vines, you hit one of them you get all of them. It happened to Will as well, he acted as a spy for it back in ‘84.” Billy couldn’t help but shudder.

“Damn, poor kid.” [F/N] nods her head.

“Yeah, it was so painful when that thing was there.” she felt her hands tremble, shaking her head to rid the thoughts of that thing invading her mind all over again “Would not like that to happen again. Besides all that shit, what’s been happening since we’ve been dead? Especially with you, Eddie. You look like hell.” he let out a groan.

“I’m wanted for murder.” the car falls silent until Billy and [F/N] burst out into laughter to the point they were shedding tears, they only stop when they realized that they were the only ones laughing.

“W-Wait a minute, you’re serious?” they share a look “Seriously? Dude, you’re like the biggest softie I know, if anyone would be wanted for murder, it’d be me. And this would be before I actually did kill a bunch of people.” he let out a sigh.

“Yeah, I was dealing with a girl back at the trailer when Vecna, the guy behind all this voodoo shit, killed her. I ran away because I didn’t know what the fuck was going on.” [F/N] let out a sad sigh, reaching back to pat his knee.

“It’ll be alright… hopefully.”

“Thanks.” she let out a breath, looking back at the empty roads.

“Damn, maybe you can ask Hopper to let out off with a slap on the wrist.” [F/N] and Billy notice them flinch, she let out a sigh “Well, shit, what the fuck is wrong with him. Don’t tell me he’s dead.” she closed her eyes with a sigh, already knowing that their silence confirmed the fact that he is, in fact, dead.

“I don’t believe that.” Billy says, leaning back into the leather seats “If we’re not dead, then surely he’s alive as well. We survived getting our intestines ripped out of our chest, surely whatever killed him didn’t actually kill him and he’s just somewhere else.” Nancy goes to rebuttal his theory but paused when he did have a point.

“If, your theory is correct, would that mean he’s here as well?” [F/N] shook her head.

“If he was we probably would have found him already, we’ve searched the entirety of this shithole and even our babies haven’t found anything. Besides, with those bats on constant surveillance, there’s no way we wouldn’t have noticed them swarming his ass.”

“Maybe he was kidnapped by the Russians.” Robin snapped her fingers.

“Yeah, he did go down into the Russian base.” Eddie, Billy and [F/N] look at them.

“Excuse me, what? Russians?” Steve and Robin share a look and decided that yeah, maybe they shouldn’t mention the fact that they were tortured by Russians before [F/N] beat the ever living shit out of them “Hey, hey now! You can’t just say something and not finish yourself.” they shake their heads.

“Sorry, we’re already living through traumatic events. We’re not reliving another one.”

“What?” [F/N] didn’t even want to think about it anymore, her head perked up at the sight of the familiar road so she lifted her foot off the gas but proceeded to show off by drifting into the curb and parking the car flawlessly with a screech of her tires. She laughed a little manically at the screaming coming from her backseat while Billy just laughed, already used to her reckless driving now that she didn’t need to follow the road code and could basically do whatever the hell she wanted “And we have arrived at our destination, as promised.”

“T-Thanks.” she winked at them through the rear view mirror, she hops out of the car but leans against it as she waits for the four of them to stumble out so she could follow behind them. She closes the door behind Nancy and pushes herself up to follow but a wave of anxiety bubbled from inside her stomach so she lagged behind while the others went ahead, leaning her head back to peak inside the passenger side and saw Billy hunched over and trying to control his breathing.  Billy was anxiously bouncing his leg, nervously grasping his hands together and occasionally squeezing them to ground him, he didn’t even flinch when [F/N] opened his door and knelt down.

“Hey… are you okay?” he let out a shuddering breath.

“Being here… I don’t like being here.” her frown deepens, already seeing the memories of each time Karen Wheeler had harassed him. His thoughts went straight back to 84′, the night his father threatened him in front of that Susan woman to find that Maxine girl. When arriving at the Wheeler residence, Karen couldn’t even control herself and made it obvious that she was staring at Billy with such a lustful gaze and wouldn’t even give Billy a clue as to where his stepsister was until he gave her what she wanted. From then on she continued her antics, getting close to him, touching him and trying to get the two of them alone, going so far as to try and sleep with him but he always declined her advances “I just— I can’t— I don’t…” she shook her head, placing a hand on his knee and rocking it a bit.

“We don’t have to go inside, we can simply sit out here and wait for them to be done. They’ll be in and out.” he slowly nods his head.

“R-Right, in and out.” he let out a shaky laugh when his demodog came into view, whining softly while caressing its body against his in a way to comfort him “Yeah I’m alright, you dope. Don’t have to worry about me.” she smiles softly at him, standing to her feet and leaning against the side of her car once more “… do you really believe there’s a way out of here?”

“There goddamn better be, I need a shower.” he snorts.

“Yeah, this place has fucked up my curls.” she laughs “But seriously, [F/N], do you think we can actually get out of here?”

“Honestly, I really hope so… think my parents are gonna use my death as clout?” he nod.

“One hundred percent.” she nods with a purse of her lips “They’re grade a assholes.”

“Yup.” what [F/N] thought was going to be an in and out situation turned out to be much longer because she found herself laying on the ground staring up at the lightning, dark clouds, the passing demobats, more lightning and even more clouds as they waited for them to be done with whatever side quest they were on. She only sat up when she heard rushing footsteps from inside the house until they came barging out, kicking the door open as they rushed towards them.

“Jesus, what took you so long?” Billy complained, she was slowly getting up but Eddie pulled her to her feet and pushed her to the drivers seat.

“What’s the rush? Why are you pushing me?!”

“Dustin believes he’s found a way out of here!” he shouts, she stared at him in confusion “Oh, um, Dustin? He’s one of Steve’s children, and maybe one of mine. Anyways, this kid that’s been in this kind of shit longer than I have thinks he knows a way out of here and if you want out of here then lets get a move on!” she nod her head and his words but continues to lean against her car.

“That’s fascinating and all, but we can’t go anywhere if I don’t know where we’re going.”

“My trailer! Take us to my trailer!” she was even more confused but listened nonetheless, she cocks her the moment she slips into the car seat and the demodogs understood, letting out barks and ran ahead so she could follow after them. She was going a moderate speed as she drove to Eddie’s trailer, glaring back at them when they told her to drive faster but warned them that at the speed they were going it was quiet enough to not get the bats on their case She really didn’t want to have to deal with those fuckers, they were annoying as is and she and Billy would have a tough time fighting against them while having to protect the other four.

“So what exactly is at your trailer?” Billy questions when [F/N] pulls up to the trailer park, screeching directly in front of Eddie’s trailer, the two of them sputtering a little when the four in the back quickly hop out “Or don’t tell me, that’s fine as well.” [F/N] just shook her head when they step out, leaning against her car again to watch them rush to his doorstep.

“You’re not gonna tell us what’s here?” Eddie rushes back over to her, grabbing her by the hands and tugging her to come with them.

“I told you, [F/N]. There’s a way out of here.” Eddie saw the look of hesitance on her face as she looked at Billy.

“Eddie… I-I, I don’t know.” he’s quick to hold both her hands in his, rubbing him thumb along the top of her knuckles.

“I don’t want you to hate yourself even more than you already do, [F/N]. I understand that you’re conflicted whether or not you should stay here to repent your sins or some shit, but I want to you and Billy too to come with us.” he gives her a tug “Come on, man. I know you don’t want to stay here when there’s a way out.” she stared at him, Eddie chuckling when he saw her eyes tear up.

“O… Okay.” Eddie thinks she’s going to follow but stopped when he saw her throw herself onto her prized mustang, crying a little as she hugged the hood of the car “I’ll miss you, my baby! My totally rad apocalyptic mustang!” she cried out, Billy in turn started patting their demodogs and giving them a sad look.

“It was nice while it lasted, but this is probably for the best.” Eddie pouts softly when he saw them cuddling their pets, giving each one a hug before having a group hug “I’d say see you later, but I hope that day never comes.” [F/N] nod her head, standing to her feet and approaching Eddie.

“Honestly, same. Unless they can survive in our world, let’s hope we never have to come back here again.” they fist bump, Eddie was the last to enter the trailer to make sure the two didn’t run off while he wasn’t looking, there they found Steve, Nancy and Robin were staring up at a hole in the ceiling that certainly wasn’t there before, though he shuddered softly as he stared up at it.

“This is where Chrissy died.” he muttered softly, [F/N] looked at him but reached over to take his hand, pausing when she noticed Steve doing the same thing. She stared for a couple seconds before deciding to leave it be, she’ll let him have this moment to help calm him down “Like, right where she died.” they all flinch a little when they noticed that there was something moving inside the fissure.

“I think there’s something in there.” they were a little startled when [F/N] and Billy made sure to get in between them, [F/N] raising her axe to get ready to swing at whatever comes through that crack in the ceiling. Something seemed to be poking through it from the other side, causing it to dip down.

“What the hell is that?” they continue to stare at whatever was causing it to move before jumping backwards with a yelp when the fissure burst, Steve grabbed Billy and [F/N] when they didn’t move but was shaken off by them who weren’t startled in the slightest. Billy was the one to take a step first before [F/N] followed suite and eventually the others did the same, he peeked his head under the opening then his eyes widened at what he saw on the other side, [F/N] gave him a questioning look before doing the same, only to have the same reaction.

“Well shit.” she muttered, the other four take a peek but have a different reaction from the other two, letting out breaths of relief at the sight of Eddie’s trailer, along side Dustin, Lucas, Erica and Max, to which Max was staring intently at her brother that was supposed to be dead.

“Hi there.” Dustin greets with a laugh followed by a wave, Steve mirrors it and gives a little wave.

“Hi.” Dustin continues to laugh before shuffling away with Erica, leaving Lucas and Max to stare at the four along with Billy and [F/N], to which they couldn’t believe they were actually seeing them.

“Billy…” Max murmured under her breath.

“And [F/N]…” she crossed her arms and looked away, Billy let out a breath and did the same, Eddie and Steve were quick to comfort them. Max didn’t stay there for long and left to help Dustin and Erica with whatever they were doing, Lucas doing the same thing because he couldn’t look at the two who caused him the most pain, both mentally and physically. In their world, Dustin was getting to work with making a makeshift rope with some sheets while Lucas and Max were hauling Eddie’s mattress out from his room, pushing it over so it was directly under the fissure. They all narrow their eyes at the different stains on the mattress, Eddie squirming a little.

“Those stains are, uh…” Robin is already giving him a look when he looked at her, he quickly look away “I dunno what those stains are.”

“Mm.” [F/N] is giving him a look, crossing her arms.

“Whore.” she murmured, he whips his head to glare at her but she’s ignoring him to look at Steve, who was avoiding her gaze and caressing his bicep “We’re gonna talk about this later, trust me.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Don’t test me.” she kicks him, they’d get into a scuffle if it weren’t for Billy getting in between them and stopping them, she lets out a huff and looks away. Dustin and Erica collect the rope they made and bring it over to the fissure, everyone watching in anticipation for what Dustin was going to pull of.

“Not quite sure how these physics work, but, uh… here goes nothing.” the group take a step back when he tosses an end through and it lands in front of them, they look back up at him and see he was still holding his end before slowly letting go and the rope dangled perfectly in between both worlds “Huh, abracadabra.”

“Holy shit.”

“Alright, pull on it! See if it holds!” Robin looks at Steve and he gestures for her to give it a go, so she grabs it and gives it a nice couple tugs, the rope holds still.

“This is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in my life. And I’ve seen some crazy shit.” Erica says, she looks down when she sees Dustin raise his hand so she high fives it.

“So… who’s first?” [F/N] raises her hand.

“Me! I want to get the fuck out of here, no offence.” Eddie chuckles softly and takes a step back.

“By all means, ladies first.” she shoves him back and he laughs a little, the children on the other side back up when she throws her axe through first then climbs through rather effortlessly, she was a little startled that when she entered through the real world the natural law of physics started up again and she was falling through but managed to flip her body around and land on the mattress with a thud. Lucas and Max take a step back when she stands up straight, grabbing Dustin and Erica to pull them back to moment she stands at her full height. They didn’t know exactly how it was possible that she was alive and back and standing right in front of them, covering in dirt and blood while wearing clothes that’s seen better days, but they didn’t want to take any chances that she could possible kill the—

“Oh my god, I never thought I’d be so happy to see your trailer, Eddie! Still a massive pigsty, as usual. I’m sure you’re making Wayne do all the work while you laze around.”

“Hey…! I do some work to help out.” she rolled her eyes.

“Sure, sure.” she then turned her gaze to look down at Dustin, swaying side to side then putting her hands on her hips, if Dustin didn’t know any better he’d think it was Steve in front of him because of the iconic pose she was doing “So you’re the infamous Henderson that I’ve heard so much about, from both my brother and Eddie.” he clears his throat, standing up straight while [F/N] stood rather relaxed.

“R-Really? Why’d they— ahem, what did they say about me?” she chuckled, lifting one of her hands and reaching towards them. She didn’t react when Lucas and Max flinched, going so far as to grabbing Dustin and tugging him back but he tore his arms free from them, letting out a gasp when she grabbed him by his cap and started pushing and pulling his head back and forward.

“Said you’re a real piece of work, a pain in their ass, really.” she laughs with a shrug of her shoulders after pushing him backwards lightly, though the shirt he was wearing certainly caught his eye “Hellfire, huh? That club still going on? I’m surprised the teachers allowed it to continue.” Dustin stared up at her in wander, straighten his cap out when it sat awkwardly on his head.

“You know Hellfire?” she nod her head, grinning at him and pointing her thumb at her chest.

“Uh huh! I’m an honorary member, kiddo! One of the few originals, beside Eddie and Gare-bear. Oh, I miss Gare-bear.” she wipes away a non-existing tear and saunters over to the trailers kitchen, pushing past the group of children and leaving Dustin to gawk at her.

“You were apart of Hellfire?! You played D&D!” she nods her head, glancing over at the wall and smiling when she saw the photo that Wayne probably framed.

“Yeah, I’ve been friends with the Hellfire boys since high school.” she then gestures to the photo and Dustin was quick to look at each, taking it off from where it was hanging to get a closer look. There he saw Eddie, Gareth, Jeff and Nathan smiling and grinning like idiots and in the middle of them was [F/N] with her arms around Jeff and Gareth’s shoulders, all five of them wearing the Hellfire shirts and it looked like they were in the drama room “I think that was the day we had our very first D&D campaign, was pretty shit because Eddie was still a newbie at DMing, but he got better.” Dustin nods his head.

“Yeah, he’s really great.” she smiles at Dustin, such an innocent smile that she was glad she didn’t seem him the year prior, that was because Lucas and Max were staring at her in fear; waiting for her to snap and reach to kill them. She clears her throat and looks down at her axe, picking it up but throwing it on the counter then approaching the fridge.

“Eddie, I’m raiding your fridge! I’m hungry as shit!”

“Wha— no!” she ignored him, letting out a squeal when she saw that it at least had food in it when she opened it.

“Yo! Billy! Get your ass in here, man! There’s beer!” she laughed when she heard shuffling from the other end, she grabs a couple and cracks open one to down it in less then a couple seconds. She was in the midst of chugging down a second one when Billy falls through the fissure, she grins and makes her way back over to him, setting her beer down and offering a hand to him “Welcome to the land of the living.” he chuckles, taking her hand.

“It’s great to be back.” she let out a grunt when helping him to his feet, well, that was until he wrapped his arms under hers and hoisted her up into a hug. She looked down at him but smiled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly and shedding a couple tears, when he put her down her hands slid down to rest against his cheeks “We’re alive.” she nod her head.

“We are…” they only pull away when they realise Robin was coming out next, she and Billy were eating Eddie’s food when Robin falls through and was laughing after experiencing such a disorienting feeling.

“That was fun.” she giggled out, taking Dustin’s hand to help her to her feet. Robin looked over at [F/N] when she felt her gaze on her but the other quickly looked away, going back to chugging down what seemed to be her fourth beer “[F/N], I—” she shakes her head.

“C-Can we talk about this later?” she asked, she closed her hand and let it drop to her side.

“Okay, but we will talk about it later, right?” her eyes dart to hers a couple times but she made sure to keep them down as she nods her head.

“Yeah.” she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. Their heads whip over back towards the mattress when Eddie falls through, just as disoriented as who also laughed when he took Dustin’s hand.

“That… was fun. Shit.” when he was on his feet his attention quickly moved to Billy and [F/N], who were still eating his food and drinking his beer, [F/N] gave him a cheeky grin “Stop eating my food, man! Some of it is Wayne’s, come on!” they just ignored him and continued to eat.

“You try living off of shit in the hellhole and not eat like a starved man when there’s actual food presented to you. Your basic diet is beer, chips and Wayne’s famous pork chops.” she then flipped him the bird and drank her beer, Robin ignores their squabbling in favor for Steve and Nancy who still haven’t left the Upside Down.

“What’s taking them so long?” Robin muttered, Billy’s head perked up at that as he left [F/N] to defend herself against Eddie, who was trying to steal his food back from her, and took a spot beside Robin to look back into the Upside to see Nancy standing idle. A chill suddenly ran down his and [F/N]’s spine, this caused both their heads to look back towards the fissure.

“Nancy?” Steve murmurs softly, approaching Nancy when she didn’t answer him “Hey! Hey! Stay with me, Nancy! Hey!” his shouting is what caught all of their attention, the rest of them approaching the fissure to see what was going on “Nancy, wake up!” Max swallows thickly.

“Vecna.” Billy and [F/N] look at each other.

“Who?” they whisper, soon they’re left in the living room while the others rushed to Eddie’s room to do who knows what “What’s going on? What’s happening?” [F/N] questions them as she enters Eddie’s room, leaving Billy with Erica to watch Steve and Nancy, who was now cradling her face and gently shaking her to try and wake her up.

“Vecna— he’s— we can’t explain! Just find something!” Dustin thrusts a box of Eddie’s tapes into her hands and she nearly drops it but manages to catch it, she looks at them and saw they were grabbing random tapes, Erica then comes running down the hall to shout at them.

“Steve says you need to hurry!”

“Yeah, no shit!” Dustin screams as he and Lucas are looking through another pile of tapes.

“We’re trying, we can’t find anything!”

“What is all this shit?!” she then scoffs and sets the box down, kneeling down to start searching as well.

“What are you even looking for?” she asks, Robin then starts fumbling with a bunch of tapes in her hands and drops a few of them.

“Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles? Music! We need music!” Eddie was quick to grab one of the tapes she still had in her hand, glaring at her.

“This. Is. Music!” [F/N] just shakes her head, giving up knowing that they weren’t going to find anything that Nancy liked within the Munson residence, knowing that neither Wayne nor Eddie listened to any of the trending pop songs that everybody normal liked.

“Well we might as well give up, Eddie doesn’t listen to that shit! And I highly doubt little miss Wheeler listens to Iron Maiden.” she drops the tapes on the ground, grabbing Eddie and shaking him “We’re fucked! Why can’t your taste be more diverse, Eddie?!”

“Shut up!” they soon resort into arguing because they had nothing, absolutely nothing to help Nancy through this possession thing and they were running out of time. That feeling she and Billy felt was intense, it was as if that Mind Flayer fucker was back and she was feeling nauseous again, cutting her argument off with Eddie to control her breathing so she didn’t end up throwing up again “Whoa, whoa, [F/N]! Are you okay?” she shakes her head, leaning against the wall to calm the throbbing headache exploding within her brain.

“Y-Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Just need a minute.” Billy was having the same reaction but not as bad as hers, he was just caressing his forehead and keeping his eye on Nancy and Steve. The moment the headache went away they knew that Nancy was free from whatever hold that Vec-bitch had on her because she gasped and fell backwards, but Steve was quick to catch her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Nancy was gasping, trying to catch her breath as Steve caressed her face to comfort her, pushing her hair out of her face “It’s okay, I’m here. I’m right here.”

[time skip: in the morning]

“He showed me… things that haven’t happened yet. The most awful things.” the group now found themselves huddled in Max’s house that was across from Eddie’s trailer, listening to Nancy as she recounted what Vecna had shown her when he had her under his control “I saw… a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. And this… giant creature with… a gaping mouth. And this creature wasn’t alone. There were so many monsters. An army. And they were coming into Hawkins. Into our neighbourhoods. Our homes. And then he… he showed me my mum. And Holly. Mike. And they… they were all…” she lets out a shaky breath, [F/N] was watching her talk before looking away and letting her head fall against the wall.

“That… Mind Flayer, was it? It would show Billy and me things to keep us in line, to keep us under its control. It would show us things to scare us, Wheeler, to make sure we didn’t defy it. So, what I’m saying is, this Vecna guy, he’s just trying to scare you.” Billy nods his head, caressing her leg from where he was sitting on the floor.

“Right, I mean… he only showed us things that could possibly happen, but it didn’t, because none of it was real. They were only possibilities.” she shakes her head.

“Not yet. But there… there was something else. He showed me gates. Four gates. Spreading across Hawkins. And these gates, they looked like the one outside of Eddie’s trailer, but… they didn’t stop growing. And this wasn’t the Upside Down Hawkins. This was our Hawkins. Our home.” Billy and [F/N] share a look, what she was talking about, they had seen that future. They had seen it when they were building the Mind Flayers its body for it to move from the Upside Down to their world, and it really wasn’t a pretty picture.

“Four chimes.” Max suddenly spoke, causing them to look at her this time “Vecna’s clock. It always chimes four times. Four exactly.”

“I heard them too.”

“He’s been telling us his plan this whole time.”

“Four kills. Four gates. End of the world.”

“If that’s true… he’s only one kill away.” Eddie was quick to panic, burying his face into the palms of his hands.

“Oh, jesus christ, jesus christ.”

“Try ‘em again. Try ‘em again.” Billy and [F/N] are zoning out when Max walks over to the landline to dial a number, a chill runs down their spines and they sense somewhat of a presence. They look over at Max and were a little startled to see that same little girl the Mind Flayer tasked them to kill, [F/N] opened her mouth to say something but that girl, El if she remembered correctly, seemed to have noticed they were both looking at her and quickly raised her finger to her lips to shush them both. They narrow their eyes on her but do so, shutting their mouths as she continued to watch them before finally disappearing.

“Did you see her as well?” she whispered to Billy, who nodded and continued to look in the spot where she was previously.

“Uh huh.”

“But the others didn’t see her?”

“Uh huh.” he then bats her leg lightly “Must be because she visited us that one time.” she nods her head, humming softly.

“We have to go back in there. Back to the Upside Down.” this immediately got everyone’s attention, protesting because the thought of going back in there was crazy.

“Whoa, no, no, no. What?”

“Nope. Nope.”

“Wheeler, think this through.” [F/N] spoke after pushing herself off the wall.

“What is there to think through?”

“Y’all barely lasted a couple hours inside the Upside Down. What makes you think you can last long enough to get to Vec-bitch to kill him?” Steve nods his head, standing to his feet and approaching Nancy.

“She’s right, we barely made it out of there.”

“Yeah, because we weren’t prepared. But this time, we will be. We’ll get weapons and protection. We’ll go through the gate, we’ll find his lair, and we’ll kill him. We even have Billy and [F/N] to help us, the most experienced inside the Upsi—” Billy interrupts her, holding his hand out to cut her off.

“Are you crazy? We just got out of there after, how long has it been?” [F/N] mouthed out eight months to him “Eight months? Eight months! We’ve been STUCK in there for eight months and you really expect us to waltz straight back in there? You’re crazy, Wheeler. You can count us OUT.” Steve sighed at the thought of the two most experienced sitting this out, but he couldn’t help but nod his head to agree with what Billy said, maybe feeling a little relieved that they’ll be as far away from this war as possible.

“Yeah, or he’ll kill us. The only reason you survived is because he wanted you to. He’s not scared of us, maybe those two, sure! But not us.”

“And for a good reason.” Robin speaks, standing up from where she was sitting on the ground “We were wrong about Vecna. Henry. One. Sorry, what are we calling him now?”

“One.” Lucas and Dustin say.

“Vecna.” Erica says.

“Henry.” Nancy says . “A bitch.” Billy and [F/N] say, Robin just shook her head at the two of them.

“Right. We’ve learned something new about Vecna/Henry/One.” the two pout when she didn’t include their name “He’s a number like Eleven, only a sick, evil, male, child murdering version of her with really bad skin. But my… my point is, he’s super powerful. Could turn us inside out with a snap of his fingers. It’s not a fair fight.” at the mention of that, [F/N] looked down in thought.

“Then why fight fair?” she murmured, eyes trailing off to the side when she could feel that gaze again “If what you said is true, that he’s similar to the Eleven girl, then doesn’t he have the same powers as her? Didn’t she have that power where she could leave her body and some shit to visit people, it’s what she did to Billy and me when we were… flayed? Wouldn’t that give us the upper hand? You know Eleven’s strengths, but you also know her weakness.” Dustin seemed to understand where she was coming from.

“She’s right. When El remote travels, she goes into this sort of trance like state. I bet the same is true of Vecna.” Lucas nods.

“That would explain what he was going in that attic.”

“Exactly. When he attacks his next victim, I’ll bet you he’s back in that attic, physical body defenceless.” Steve shook his head, gesturing to his neck as he spoke.

“Defenceless? What about the army of bats?”

“True. We’ll have to find a way past them. Distract them somehow.” Eddie raises his hand.

“Didn’t [F/N] and Billy mention something about how they’re attracted to noise? We could use that to our advantage.” Dustin snaps his fingers.

“Good idea. And once they’re gone, he doesn’t stand a chance. It’ll be like slaying sleeping Dracula in his coffin.”

“That all sounds good in theory, but there is no pattern to Vecna’s killings. Not one that I can decipher. We don’t know when he’s going to attack next.” [F/N] raised a hand.

“We don’t know if this is much to contribute, but we can feel when he’s going to attack.” Max shook her head.

“That’s not enough, but… we do, we do know. when he’s going to attack. I don’t know about you two, but I can still feel him. I’m still marked. Cursed. I ditch Kate Bush, I draw his focus back to me.” Billy looked around the room when he saw they were all protesting the idea of Max giving herself up just to be a distraction.

“Max. You can’t. He’ll kill you.”

“I survived before… I can survive again. I just need to keep him busy long enough so that you guys can get into that attic. Then you can chop his head off. Stab him in the heart. Blow him up with explosive Dustin cooks up. I honestly don’t care how you put this asshole in his grave. Just… whatever it is… whatever you do… try not to miss.” no one speaks up.

“Are you seriously going to let her do this?” Billy questions “You’re seriously going to let that fucker into her mind just so she can distract him? Are you out of your damn minds?!” [F/N] shakes her head, grabbing him by the arm.

“Billy, not now.” he quickly shakes her hand off him.

“What will happen if you miss your chance? What happens in that measly little split second that you’re late and he’s got her? What will happen then?” Nancy shakes her head.

“We won’t let that happen.”

“Yeah, but you can’t guarantee that! There’s still a chance that something could go wrong and she’ll be killed! Or even worse, mutilated and she’ll end up suffering far worse than we did.”

“Billy stop it.” Nancy couldn’t help but scoff a little as she stared at Billy.

“I don’t see why you’re worrying, Billy.” she crosses her arms, not wavering when he glared at her “Do you think just because you died and survived you’ll get your chance to be her brother again? Even before you were flayed, you did a lot of unspeakable things.”

“Nancy!”

“It’s the truth.” she takes a step forward, looking up at Billy as his glare hardened on her while his hands balled into tight fists “You don’t get to be her brother after everything you’ve done. You don’t get to be worried when we know you didn’t care in the first place.” [F/N] sucked in a breath when she could just feel Billy’s anger boil over, she rushed over and hooked her arm around his to stop him from evidently punching Nancy across the face, pulling him back when he started fighting against her.

“Fuck you, Wheeler!” he shouts “You don’t what I had to put up with to keep her safe! You don’t know what I had to do to keep my dad from laying his hands on her!” [F/N] yanked him back.

“That’s enough!” she pushes him back then points to the door “Cool yourself, Billy.” he stared at her for a couple seconds before storming out of the room, nearly kicking the door off its hinges from the amount of brute strength he put into it. With him gone, she started to feel uncomfortable surrounded by them all, with the people she hurt, the people she scared and the strangers. She raises a hand to caress her forehead, feeling a headache forming from the shared anger and frustration from Billy “You stepped over a line, Wheeler.”

“I-I— I just—” she shook her head.

“You don’t know what went on in that house, not a damn thing.” she looks at Max “He cares, he really does. It might take you some time for you to accept it, but he worries for you. Just like what any other older sibling would do.” she spared a glance at Steve but then quickly averted her gaze, grabbing her axe that was leaning against the wall and leaving to go check up on Billy, leaving the others to settle in that tense and awkward air. She sat down on a nearby law chair and watched Billy tear up and trash pile, only coming over to her to grab her axe and proceed to axe at anything and everything he laid his eyes on. After what felt like ten minutes he finally begrudgingly returned back to her side, dragging the axe behind him and then sitting on the ground by her legs.

…

…

“Have you calmed down now, you big baby?” he scoffs at her, tossing the axe in front of them.

“I don’t like the way she talked about me like that.” she let out a hum.

“She had a point, Billy.” he turned his glare to her but she raised her hand before he could get another word in “But that doesn’t necessarily make her right either. Your father was a mean piece of work, and with how stubborn that Maxine girl is, you knew that the moment she crossed your father he’d turn his attention from you to her. So you made sure that he never took that attention away from you, you made sure she made no faults. That’s why you threatened her friends, especially that Lucas boy, and why you were so mad at my brother that you beat the shit out of him.” he grimaced at that.

“[F/N], I’m sor—” she shakes her head.

“He lied to you, you had every right to be mad, but just let me finish.” she takes a deep breath, leaning back into the lawn chair and stretching her legs out a bit “You scared her, man. You threatened her to keep her in line, and though it was out of the betterment of your heart, she didn’t know that. We both know your father pitted the two of you against each other so you’ll both feel isolated within your own home. You were angry at both her and your father, even that Susan woman because everything was against you. They can’t trust your words, Billy, and even that one moment where you saved that girl, I’m sure it’s not enough to redeem a whole year’s worth of torment.” she stared down at him as he silently listened to her words, he then hikes his knees up to his chest but let his body lean against the chair.

“I’m… I’m trying.” she nods, reaching down to gently pet his head.

“I know you are, I feel you. But the others don’t, so it’ll be harder for them to accept that you’ve changed for the better. Steve and possibly Robin are probably the only ones that will understand, but the others will take time.” she lets out a shaky breath, looking up at the clear skies that she hadn’t realized how much she missed “I of all people should know that shit like this… it takes time.” she raised a brow when he went silent.

“… I could really go for a drive right now.” she closed her eyes, going for a drive meant that he needed to clear his mind, it helped clear his mind; helped him think. She scanned the area for something until her eyes settled on it, he let out a grunt when she abruptly stood up and started walking away, kicking the axe up as she went. He sat by and watched as she approached a car, a beat-up 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Convertible, but drivable. He raised a brow when he saw her jump into the car and tears open the underside of the steering column, exposing the many wires for her to play around with. Billy was finally by her side and saw her cut a couple wires to expose the conductors from the cable jackets, striking two specific ones together a couple times until the car roared to life, some smoke spitting out of the exhaustion pipe, but it was on nonetheless “You, [F/N] Harrington, know how to hot wire a car?” she winked at him, making sure to wrap the two different conductors together to keep the car alive.

“Uh huh, a jack of all trades and a master of none.” she raises her hands to grab the steering wheel but stopped when she saw the eager look on his face, she let out a chuckle “You can drive.” she smiled when she felt his excitement.

“Finally. You never let me drive your car.” she let out a laugh, jumping over the centre console to get into the passenger seat as he tosses the axe into the back seat and then jumps into the driver's seat.

“You can go get fucked.” he laughs with her, he switches the gear to drive but didn’t even pull out when she sat up “Oh, wait a second!” he watches her search around the car for something, watching her manage to find a crumpled up piece of paper and a marker that looked like it was at the verge of dying. She writes something down then jumps out to slap it on the door before rushing back, jumping back into the passenger seat “Now they should know where we’ll be.”

“And where are we going?” she gives him a grin.

“I wanna see our gravestones.”

[with the party]

“Check this out. The War Zone.” Eddie says, slapping down the newspaper onto a table and pointing at a specific section, the others leaning over to get a look at it “I’ve been there once. It’s huge. They’ve got everything you need, for, uh… well, killing things, basically.” Robin scoffed lightly, leaning in closer to look at the ad.

“You think fake Rambo has enough guns there?” she narrowed her eyes at it, pointing at it “Is that a grenade? I mean, how is any of this legal?”

“Well, lucky for us it is, so… this… this place is just far outside of Hawkins. As long as we steer clear of main roads, we oughta be able to avoid cops and, uh, angry hicks.” Erica rolled her eyes.

“If we’re trying to avoid angry hicks, maybe we shouldn’t go to some store called the War Zone.” Nancy shook her head.

“Normally, I’d agree, but we need the weapons. So I think it’s worth the risk.” Lucas nods.

“Me too.” Dustin shook his head, letting out a sigh.

“But is it worth the time? It’ll take all day to bike there and back.”

“Who said anything about bikes?” Steve cocked a brow, scoffing slightly with a smirk at Eddie’s words.

“What? You got another car I don’t know about?” Steve questioned, Eddie rose up to Steve’s level with a smirk of his own, tilting his head to the side when he saw his doe eyed boyfriend give him such a baby face.

“It’s not exactly a car, Steve. It’s not exactly mine, but, uh… it’ll do.”

“Um, I’d hate to interrupt.” Max suddenly spoke up from where she was standing away from the others, they all turn to her and saw she was peeking outside “But it’s been far too long since Billy and [F/N] left, and I can’t see them outside anymore.” Steve stood up straight.

“What?” he’s quick to go around the table and to where Max was, throwing open the blinds, jaw dropping when he saw no sign of his ex and sister. He then draws back and opens the front door, whipping his head around to find any trace of the two but saw neither, his eyes then caught the piece of paper attached to the door so he tore it off to see what it was, groaning at what he saw “They’re gone!” he shouts, Robin was by his side the moment he said that.

“Gone? Where could they have gone?” he sighed, handing her the note, to which she read it and immediately recognized it as [F/N]’s handwriting.

“They’ve gone to the cemetery to look at their graves.” Nancy slaps a palm on her forehead.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” she then looks at Eddie, who was laughing because that was so like [F/N] “Eddie, we’re gonna need whatever vehicle you’ve got in mind and we need it now.” he nods.

“Got it.”

[with [f/n] and billy]

“Ooo, score! There’s booze in the back!” Billy chuckled as he looked through the rear view mirror to see [F/N] hanging over her seat to search through the backseat, finding said booze and turning back over to show him “Ooo, it’s gin. Somebody has taste.” she’s quick to take the cap off and take a long swig from the bottle, Billy eyes her from how long she was chugging it before she finally pulled it away from her lips with a gasp.

“Struggling alcoholic, I see.” she chuckles, voice a little hoarse from the sting of alcohol that she hasn’t drank in over eight months.

“Recovering, actually. Went to rehab once for how bad it got.”

“You’re horrible.” she raises the bottle.

“I am.” when he pulls to a stop light she offers the bottle him, jiggling it slightly when she saw the look of hesitance on his face “Come on now, I know you want some.” he scoffed at her as he looked back towards the road.

“You know it’s illegal to drink and drive?” she rolled her eyes.

“You know it’s illegal to murder people?” her gives her a look as she gives him one back, she heard him mutter fuck it before taking the bottle and gulping it down, she snickers and starts looking through other compartments for anything else. He lowered the bottle when he heard her squeal, sparing her a glance when he saw her pull out a pack of cigarettes “I’m in heaven.” they were red marlboro cigarettes, she was quick to pop one out of the pack and light it with a lighter that was conveniently hiding in the glove compartment.

“Hey, don’t hold out.” she settles one of his lips and lights it, the two of them exhaling the smoke then letting out a deep and satisfying sigh “That… that definitely hits the spot.”

“It really does.” they were taking the long way to get to the cemetery, while they were [F/N] was taking in the scenery, head resting on her arms on the door. Her mind would flashback to the Upside Down each time they passed a significant part of Hawkins, and all she could think of is how if they let that Vecna bitch have his way, the Upside Down will become their reality. They were stopped at another stoplight and [F/N] was looking ahead this time, bobbing her head as Motley Crüe blared through the shitty speakers the car had. Though it didn’t take them long to reach the cemetery because now they were standing over their graves, wow “Damn, I wish I had a camera.” Billy shakes his head.

“Why?”

“Because I’m standing over my fucking grave?” she then kicks at the stone “If we’re here, then the fuck did they bury?” he shrugs, taking another puff from the cigarette.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” he watches her lower down to her knees, placing her hand on her headstone.

HERE LIES [F/N] HARRINGTON. BELOVED FRIEND, SISTER AND DAUGHTER. 07/12/65 - 04/07/85

“Daughter, huh?” she scoffed, taking the cigarette from her lips and putting it out directly on DAUGHTER “I haven’t been their daughter in years.” Billy could feel her disdain where he stood, that anger that dwindled away seeming to resurface just at the mere thought of her parents. She didn’t move when he placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

“Steve deserves to know.” she closed her eyes at that, turning her face to the side at the thought.

“He doesn’t need to know.” he let out a sigh “Y-You don’t get it, Billy. You don’t know Steve like I do, a-and I know he’s going to take it the wrong way and end up blaming himself.”

“So you’re going to let him live on, not knowing the reason as to why his parents disowned their daughter in the first place with only Eddie and I knowing why?” he squeezes her shoulder once more “He deserves to know.” he repeats.

“It’ll do more harm than good.” he let out a sigh.

“… Steve is tougher than you think, [F/N]. You’ve clung too hard onto the Steve you think is so fragile, further damaging him. Whether or not you tell him, I think it would be best for the both of you if you tell him the truth.” with that he backed away and let her contemplate her options, she let out a sigh and let a hand drag down her face. She watches from the corner of her eye as Billy approached his grave and stopped directly in front of it, she raised a brow when she saw him kneel down and pick something up.

“What are you doing?” she turned her body towards him and saw he had a letter in his hands addressed to him, she crawled over to him and draped herself over his body to read the contents with him, her eyes following the words as he read them aloud.

“Dear Billy, I don't even know if you can hear this. Two years ago, I would've said "that's ridiculous, impossible." But that was before I found out about alternate dimensions and monsters, so I'm just going to stop assuming that I know anything. So much has happened since you left. Your dad was a total mess. He and my mum started getting into fights. Bad fights. I don't think he could stand being here without you. So he left. And he didn't leave mom much. She's taken an extra job, and we moved to that lovely trailer park off Kerley. Basically, ever since you left, everything's been a total disaster. And the worst part is, I can't tell anyone why you're gone. I can't tell them that you saved El's life. That you saved my life. I play that moment back in my head all the time. And sometimes I imagine myself running to you, pulling you away. I imagine that if I had, that you would still be here. And everything would be right again. I imagine that we could've become friends. Good friends, like a real brother and sister. And I know that's stupid. You hated me. I hated you. But I thought that maybe we could try again. But that's not what happened. I just stood there and I watched. For a while, I tried to be happy. Normal. But I think that maybe a part of me died that day too. And I haven't told anyone this. I just can't. But I had to tell you. Before it's too late. If you can even hear this, and I really hope that you can. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Billy. Love, your shitty little sister, Max.”

[F/N] scoffed a little when she read the part where Billy’s father was apparently “a total mess”, saying how “he couldn’t stand being here without him”, what a load of bullshit. Other than that, it was pretty heartfelt and genuine, especially the part where she wished the two of them could be like real brother and sister. Her eyes drifted to look at his face and saw that his bottom lip was trembling, eyes becoming glassy once more at the possibility of him and Max rekindling their relationship. She pats his back in a comforting manner as she stands to her feet, hand pressed to her mouth as she rubs her fingertips into her cheeks. Maybe… maybe she should—

*HONK*

*HONK*

“Hmm?” she raised her head while Billy turn his head to the right, there the two of them saw some RV honking its horn “Is it honking at us?” she murmured as she looked around for any other residents but saw no one, her eyes widened when she saw her brother stick his head out of the window and waving his arm.

“Come on, you two! We’ve got shit to do!” they stare incredulously at him.

“… did you steal an RV, Harrington?!” Billy shouts.

“No, I just— I’m just driving it!”

“So it’s stolen?” he deadpans when [F/N] starts slow clapping “I knew you had it in you, a true Harrington.” Billy slaps her leg.

“So your parents have stolen a car before?” she purses her lips.

“You’d be surprised.” Dustin pops his head out from around the RV, waving his arm rather erratically.

“Come on! We got to get going before the roads get busy!” they just stare for a couple seconds before shrugging their shoulders, Billy wipes his arm under his nose when [F/N] offers her hand to him. He stares at it then up at her before chuckling softly and taking her hand, they share a hug before letting go and walking over to the RV “You guys are taking forever, hurry up!”

“You’ve got quite the attitude for a child.” [F/N] says to him when she and Billy finally approach the RV “We could hurt you at any given moment.” he laughed, crossing him arms.

“You wouldn’t knowing that you’d upset Steve and Eddie.” this definitely startled the two of them, he smirked knowingly at them before hoping back into the RV.

“I wanna strangle him.”

“Wanna take turns?” she chuckles, the air immediately tensed the moment she stepped into the RV but she didn’t settle into the back yet, popping her head into the drivers seats and looked at Eddie, who say in the passengers seat “So where are we heading?” Eddie grinned, eyes glancing backwards when he saw Billy come in and take a seat on the floor.

“We’re heading to the War Zone.” she cocked a brow.

“The War Zone? Hah! I haven’t been there in ages.” this caused several heads to turn but she just ignored them.

“You’ve been to the War Zone? Why?” Nancy asked.

“If it makes you feel better, it wasn’t when I was flayed.” at that she turned on her heel so he back was facing Billy, who opened up his arms when she started falling backwards while taking another swig from the bottle of gin. She let out a long sigh at the feeling of the alcohol burning in her throat once more, offering the bottle to Billy who didn’t hesitate to drink it.

“How did you guys even get here? I highly doubt you walked.” Erica asked.

“Hot wired a car.” this turned even more heads.

“You know how to hot wire a car? How?” she offers a hand to Eddie, who chuckled nervously.

“I’m friends with Eddie Munson, was bound to learn some useful skills if I hung around him.” she then leaned back deeper into Billy’s chest, humming softly when she felt him wrap his arms around her waist to keep her close “I also know how to pickpocket, use slight of hand, gamble, pick locks, steal gas. A whole lot of illegal stuff, basically. Oh! I also know how to tend bar, and some other shit.” they all stare at her in disbelief, if Billy hadn’t seen all the crimes she’s committed when they shared a mind he too would have been just as shocked.

“You’re related to that, Steve?” she snickered softly at that “Your sister seems awesome!”

“I literally tried to kill your friends and my brother the year prior, and yet you think me doing illegal shit is cool?” he nods.

“I didn’t get to meet you last year, not this version of you or even the flayed you. I don’t really have an opinion on you except for how much Steve loved you.” the soft smirk on her face dropped at the mention of that, her eyes looking up to see that Steve peeked back at her before quickly looking away, she too averted her eyes.

“Right.”

[at the war zone]

“I’m hungry.” [F/N] suddenly spoke, Eddie, Lucas, Dustin and Billy who were left in the RV while the others went into the War Zone to buy whatever they needed, turn their heads to look at her, watching as she laid on her back and tossed the now empty bottle of gin up and down “Do you think they’ll bring back food?” Lucas sighed at the compliant.

“I highly doubt the War Zone has food.” she let out a dramatic groan, this caused Eddie to roll his eyes.

“Why are you so hungry? You weren’t satisfied with what you ate back at my trailer?” she scoffed.

“You try going eight months with eating nothing but whatever we could salvage.” Dustin raised his hand.

“On that note, what exactly did you guys eat?” both Billy and [F/N] paused, their faces turning pale then a shade of green as they tried not to remember what exactly they had to eat in order to not die of starvation, Lucas and Dustin wince when they see [F/N] turn away and try not to throw up.

“You really don’t wanna know.” they decided to leave it at that, a few more minutes go by when [F/N] lets out a sigh as she stood to her feet.

“Fuck it, I’ll just go myself.” Dustin was quick to stand in her way “What are you doing?” he shakes his head, she chuckled softly when she saw him place his hands on his hips, perhaps he was trying to imitate Steve when he was putting his foot down.

“Sorry, Steve and Nancy told me to keep you and Billy in check while they were gone. I can’t let you leave my sight.” she hummed softly, placing her own hands on her knees and lowering down to meet his eyes.

“You are so adorable.” they stare at each other for a couple seconds until [F/N] pushes his hat down so it blocked his view, he let out a cry when his vision was block and she took that as he chance to push him to the side and leave the RV with Billy by her side. She didn’t have to turn around to know that Dustin wasn’t too far behind them, the RV door being thrown open when he rushed out to chase after them “See? We’re still within your sight, are we not?” he let out a tired huff, grabbing her arm.

“Well, you need to stay within five meters of me.” she rolled her eyes.

“Sure, kid.” he let out another cry when Billy shoved his hat down again to cover his eyes, the two of them laughing as they walked ahead of him when Dustin stopped to fix his hat.

“Five meters!” Dustin was in between them, holding them by their forearms to ensure they didn’t go too far “How exactly are you going to buy food when you don’t have money?” Billy nods.

“I, too, would love to know.” she chuckled, her eyes already zoning in on a poor chap.

“Then I guess you two weren’t listening.” she pats Dustin’s arm to let her go and he reluctantly did so, watching her lace her fingers together then crack them “Watch and learn.” they watch as she walks by the man she was eyeing before but purposefully walked into him, Dustin was startled to see her face immediately change into one that was apologetic.

“Oh my—”

“Oh, I am so—” they’re both laughing as they stare at each other, he’s holding her by her biceps while her hands were resting against his chest “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” she then places her other hand on her chest, giving him an understanding look.

“Oh, no, it’s not your fault. I’ve been feeling a little under the weather as of lately, felt a little dizzy and accidentally walked into you. Terribly sorry about that.” he gives her a reassuring look, his hands dropping from her biceps to his sides.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can see why.” she looks down at herself and huffed slightly with a laugh “You look like you’ve been through hell.” she gives him a look.

“You could say that again.” they exchange a few more words until he finally walks off, she immediately drops the facade as the two of them approach them “Well that was exhausting.” Dustin taps her arm.

“What was all that about?” she grins at him and pulls out a wallet, causing him to gasp at the sight.

“I told you, mama can pickpocket. It’s all about the slight of hand.” Dustin was now staring up at her in awe but she chose to ignore it and approach a very convenient convenient store, opening the wallet and snooping through it, chucking out anything unnecessary, scoffing a little what she saw his license then whistled at hefty amount of cash “Hello gorgeous.” she then throws the wallet over her shoulder without a care in the world.

“Wish I could do that. I used to just threaten people to give me money.” she rolled her eyes at Billy, slapping the back of her hand into his chest.

“That’s so classic high school bully, dude.” Dustin was laughing as he grabbed her arm again.

“You gotta teach me how to do that.” she laughs.

“I think my brother would kill me if I taught you something like that.” he shrugs his shoulders.

“He doesn’t need to know.” she hummed softly, ruffling his head with a smile.

“And I’m beginning to like you, Henderson.” her smile grew when he smiled at her, teeth and all, she can see why Steve and Eddie liked this kid so much. When they enter the store Dustin told them that they should still feel wary despite there only being a few people in the store, they were still legally deceased so it would be rather awkward if someone from Hawkins was there and recognized them “Get whatever you want kid, we’re going to do something very dangerous so you should fuel up.”

“Energy for the journey.” she chuckles.

“Sure, whatever floats your boat.” despite him being the one to set the five meter rule he didn’t hesitate to leave her side to get “whatever he wanted”, felt like she was the one keeping an eye on him.

“Think they’ve got beer?” she scoffed at the question.

“We’re in america, I believe they do.”

“Just asking.” she just shook her head and pats his shoulder, Dustin was more or less just getting junk food than proper food, not like they had to time to actually prepare the food. He glanced over at where [F/N] and Billy were and saw they were where the drinks were, he let out a sigh with a shake of his head when he saw [F/N] pull a drink out and crack it open then drink it. He really didn’t know much about [F/N] other than the stories Steve had told him about, nearly talking his ear off about the countless tales [F/N] Harrington ventured on. He didn’t know whether or not he was lucky that he didn’t get to meet her the year prior, the one that traumatised them all to the point they couldn’t even look at her without a hint of fear or sadness, Erica was rather neutral but mad because she did hit her brother, but he had a positive feeling about her. To him, she was the overprotective yet doting older sister that was funny and cool, she was a literal mixture of both Steve and Eddie; the female version of Steve with the personality of Eddie.

“I hope she and Steve make up.” he mutters to himself, he returns to [F/N]’s side and she looks down at him, letting out a chuckle when she saw his arms were full of junk food.

“Is that all you want?” she raises a brow when she saw him look up in thought, she let out a gasp when he abruptly dropped everything into the basket she grabbed and rushed off.

“There’s one more thing I want!” she rolled her eyes when he just disappeared, Billy shakes his head.

“I don’t see what Steve and Munson likes about that kid.” she shrugs her shoulders.

“The kid brother they never got?” they decide to leave it at that, Dustin was looking for something in particular and yet he was having a hard finding it, his hands were on his hips as he looked back and forth for it until his face lit up when he finally found it. He reaches to grab it but was suddenly yanked back by the scruff of his shirt, thinking it was Billy telling him to hurry up, he was ready to lash out but froze when he saw that it was none other than one of Jason Carver’s lackies.

“Henderson.” his hands immediately fly up and grip onto the wrist that was holding him in place, nearly fumbling with his footing when he was being manhandled “It took a lot of time and trouble finding you.” he let out a nervous laugh, sweat beginning to bleed down the side of his face.

“O-Oh yeah? What for? I don’t remember doing anything to piss you guys off.”

“Right, right, but you’re friends with that Freak, aren’t you?” he swallowed thickly at those words, he takes a quick glance towards the counter and saw that [F/N] was completely oblivious to the harassment while Billy was nowhere to be seen, typical “Your other friend Sinclair ditched us as well to protect that murderer; to protect you.”

“Eddie’s not a murderer!” he let out a grunt when he he was pressed against the aisle roughly.

“Oh yeah? Then how come he was the last with Chrissy, and in the morning she was dead in his trailer?” Dustin couldn’t say it, he couldn’t tell this egotistical jock that Eddie wasn’t the one that killed Chrissy but that it was some supernatural force that killed her in order to open the four gates of hell. If he were to say that, he would be labeled as crazy along with him jumping to conclusions that Eddie was in fact a satanist like everyone in this shitty town made him out to be “Huh? Got nothing else to say? You were so quick to come to his defence, and now you’ve got nothing to say.”

“B-Because… because—”

“Because what?!” the jock was yanked back, letting Dustin go out of surprise from the violent treatment. He glares back at the individual but froze at the sight of who was in front of him.

“Because Munson is too much of a loser to kill anyone.” Billy grinned maliciously as the jock trembled a little, his tongue peek past his lips to glide along the ends of his teeth “If it was anyone, it’d be that mentally unstable boyfriend of hers.”

“H-Hargrove? You’re dead.” Billy raised a brow at that, now beginning to sneer at him.

“Dead? Is that supposed to be a threat?” he yanks him forward and glares straight into his eyes “Do I look dead to you, dumb bitch? What part about me looks dead?” he shakes him a little and he sputters, his hands flying up to grab at Billy’s shoulders to try and rip himself free from his frighteningly strong grip. His mind went back to the rumours about how he beat Steve Harrington black and blue, the evidence all over his bloodied and bruised face when he was ballsy enough to show it the next school day. Billy Hargrove was a psycho, someone that wasn’t to be missed with no matter who you were.

“Billy…” Dustin muttered out softly, not really expecting Billy to come to his rescue, not after how he was ready to beat the ever living shit out of Lucas and instead did that to Steve. [F/N] was in the midst of paying for everything but paused when she remembered Dustin still hadn’t something he wanted, she let out a groan and turned her head to search for him only to see Billy manhandling some guy.

“Goddammit.” she murmured to herself, she goes to shout at him but stopped when she saw Dustin’s tousled shirt but what angered her was when this stranger freed himself and roughly shoved at Dustin, oh, that was it. She looked around the store until her eyes settled on a part of the convenient store that served fresh, hot coffee… that’ll do “You didn’t see anything.” she casually says, grabbing the cashier by their own collar gently to slip the entire wod of cash into their breast pocket, giving it a light tap before turning on her heel and heading over to the coffee pot. The cashier watched in confusion as she grabbed a coffee pot that was full to the brim of hot, scalding coffee, nodding to herself when she confirmed that it was indeed at a dangerous temperature before making her way over to the arguing boys. None of them noticed her approaching them until she grabbed the jock by his shoulder and spun them around, they didn’t expect her to throw the hot, scalding liquid into his face. He screamed in pain, hands flying up to his face in an effort to quell the burning sensation in his face but was suddenly kicked onto his back then someone climbed on top of him. Dustin shivered a little as he watched start to beat his face in with the coffee pot, not even flinching when he clawed at her to pull her off or how he cried out for her to stop.

[F/N] was the real psychopath.

She finally stopped when he was no longer moving and laid limp on the floor, usually when she did this type of beating she’d be breathless and left panting, but she had barely broken a sweat. Perhaps the eight months of hunting demodogs and demogorgons had improved her stamina a little, she looked at the pot hanging loosely by her fingers and saw blood staining the glass, she just let out a huff and tossed it to the side as she stood to her feet. Billy just shook his head at the helpless pile on the floor, kicking at his unconscious body while [F/N] turned her attention to Dustin. She didn’t miss the way he flinched a little upon her gaze but that was to be expected, however, she merely reached forward to fix up his collar and shirt, straightening it out then dusting his shoulders off. His eyes widened softly when she gave him a gentle smile, her hands now resting on his shoulders.

“Are you alright, Dustin?”

“U-Um, yeah. Billy actually helped me out.” said man let out a scoff, kicking her gently in the shin.

“Yeah, there was no need for you to go that far.” she rolled her eyes, now standing up straight then gesturing to the bastard she beat cold.

“Oh, please! He laid his hands on the kid, the last thing I need is Steve breathing down my neck because we let someone put their hands on his kid.” she shakes her head, she then messes with Dustin’s head before finally going over to their neglected groceries “Sorry for taking so long.” the cashier shook their head.

“N-No, it’s fine.” she smiles, Billy grabs the bags as she waves her hand.

“Remember what I said?” they nod their head.

“I didn’t see anything.” she winks.

“Good.” she gives their cheek a little tap before finally leaving, grabbing Dustin by his wrist and walking out of the store. Dustin spared her a look and saw her pull out a cigarette and goes to light it but noticed that Dustin winced “Sorry, do you not like the smell of cigarettes?” he gives a little nod.

“Yeah, the smell is kind of overwhelming.” she gave him an apologetic look and took the cigarette from her lips “Thanks.” she gave him a kind smile.

“No, I should have known not smoke around a child.” he scoffs.

“I’m fifteen years old.” she laughed.

“Yeah, still legally a child.” Billy laughs when he saw the way Dustin pouts, she gently pats his shoulder as they make their way back to the RV, Dustin now relaxed and casually talking with [F/N[ and even Billy. Meanwhile, the gang that went into the War Zone were quick to rush out when Nancy accidentally came across Jason Carver. Eddie and Lucas’ head shot up when the door open and instead of seeing [F/N], Dustin and Billy enter it was instead the others, oh no, this wasn’t gonna be good.

“What happened?”

“We gotta go.” they all come rushing in, Eddie was startled when Steve threw his battle vest into his lap before rushing into the drivers seat and everyone else filled into the back of the RV.

“Your old friends are here.” Robin comments as she passes Lucas, Eddie’s face dropped at that and quickly tried to hide himself.

“Shit!”

“Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“I’m going! I’m going! Sit down!” Nancy settles in the back but takes a quick mental roll check as she scans the RV for everyone but fell short; they were missing three people.

“Wait, where are Dustin, Billy and [F/N]?” this caused the others to look around, her eyes settled onto Lucas and Eddie and saw how they just wanted to shrink in on themselves and disappear “Eddie, where are they? They were supposed to be here waiting with you while we were in the War Zone.” he gives a nervous laugh, raising his hands and shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, you see—” he quickly looks away when she glares at him “They were hungry.”

“Oh my god.”

“They’re unbelievable.”

“I told Dustin to get an eye on them.”

“Well technically he is… he went with them.” they all collectively let out a groan, Steve unbuckles his belt because he knew that he was the one that had to go get them, Robin and Erica follow after him and left Nancy to scold Eddie and Lucas for letting them leave in the first place. They turn the corner and they see [F/N] talking with, goddammit, Jason Carver of all people. They were quick to pick up pace when they noticed the way she was holding him by the arm though they broke out into a sprint when they saw her shove him down and start beating the shit out of him. And what brought us to this predicament? Well—

“Hargrove?” Dustin and [F/N] turn their heads, the former paled at the sight of the head jock while [F/N] merely raised a brow in confusion, who was this guy? She looked at Billy and saw how he immediately got irritated the moment he set his eyes on him, she looked him up and down and saw that he was wearing a similar outfit to the same poor sap she just beat down and left in the store “You’re… alive.” Billy let out a laugh.

“Yeah, what great observations, Carver.” [F/N] placed her hand on Dustin’s shoulder when she noticed he was getting nervous, she then leans down.

“Who is this guy?”

“U-Um, he’s Jason Carver.” she raised a brow, that still didn’t answer her question “Oh, right, you probably weren’t around when he started high school. He’s the captain of the basketball team, he was Chrissy boyfriend and he harassed Eddie and the rest of us a couple times during school.” that definitely caught her attention, harassed? She remembered when she was still apart of Hellfire no one dared touch them because they knew how unhinged she was, she literally bit someone’s ear off because they called Jeff racial slurs.

“Harassed? So bullied?” he nods, now she was even more confused “Why the hell would they bully Eddie? Didn’t he graduate?” Dustin pulls a face.

“Well—”

“Henderson.” Dustin froze up when Jason turned his attention from Billy to him, Billy felt a little offended when Jason ignored him in favor of getting to Dustin. [F/N] was still behind him and watched to see what this guy was going to do, she was taken aback when she saw Jason quickly grab Dustin by his collar and yank him forward “You. You’re the one who’s always hanging around Munson, where is he?”

“I-I—”

“Hey!” Billy was quick to yank Jason away while [F/N] grabbed Dustin and pulled him back, pushing him behind her as they got in front of Dustin, the discarded bags of food laid behind them as they glare at Jason “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you’ve got some nerve.” she turns her back to him to straighten his shirt out again, sighing sadly when he was scared again.

“Get out of my way, I need to find Munson. He’s going to kill someone again and sacrifice them to his satanic cult.” she couldn’t help but look back at him like he was crazy, scratch that, he probably was crazy.

“What?” was all she could say, Billy just shook his head.

“He’s religious.” she rolled her eyes.

“God, not another one.” she’s had to handle and talk with so many different religious people that it was ridiculous, saying how she was straying from the path of god for even being friends with the wayward, trailer trash freak known as Eddie Munson “If I believe anyone was going to kill anyone, I would think it was you.”

“I am.” they blink at his statement “I am going to kill Eddie Munson.” Dustin peeks his head out from behind [F/N].

“We won’t let you!” [F/N] felt a chill run down her spine at the look in Jason’s eyes.

“And how are you going to stop me?” he reaches for Dustin again but this time [F/N] grabbed him by the wrist, he growled at her and tried yanking his hand free from her hold but she only tightened her grip “And who the hell are you? What relationship do you have with Munson and Henderson that you’re protecting them? Why would you protect that murderer?!” she glared down at him, her gaze cold.

“Eddie Munson is my best friend, and Henderson?” she hummed softly then glanced back at Dustin “Hey, kid, does my brother see you as his brother?” Dustin didn’t understand the question entirely but he thought hard before slowly nodding his head.

“Y-Yeah, I’d like to think so.” she hummed again, her shoulders giving a little shrug.

“Well, then I guess that makes you my little brother then.” Billy’s brows quirked up at the statement before letting out a chuckle he knew was she meant, Jason tried ripping his arm free again but let out a cry when she twisted his arm in a way it shouldn’t go while pulling her other arm up “And nobody hurts my little brother.” she shoves him back and he fell back into his car, he starts to get back up but she smashed his nose in with her knee, promptly breaking it. The other jock that was just watching finally got up and decided to help Jason when [F/N] grabbed him by the tufts of his hair and repeatedly slammed his head against his car before smashing it against the concrete ground, jesus, is this really what she did what someone made fun of Steve. Dustin let out a whistle at how absolutely mental both [F/N] and Billy were, how glad he was that they were on their side.

“[F/N]!” Dustin whips his head to the side and grimaces when he saw Steve, Robin and Erica rushing over “Dustin, we’ve got to go!” Erica grabs Dustin’s arm to tug him back while Steve and Robin approach [F/N].

“You okay, nerd?” he nods.

“Yeah, they made sure I didn’t get hurt.”

“Well, you better hope Wheeler doesn’t tear you a new one.” he winced at the thought of getting yelled at by Nancy. [F/N] heard her name but chose to ignore it, forgetting how exhilarating beating the shit out of someone was and reviling in the feeling. She finally did stop when Steve told her that it was enough, she let out a huff and looked at the blonde who was hanging loosely within her hold.

“If you really want to do your girlfriend a favor, instead of chasing after an innocent man maybe you should just go kill yourself and go see her in the afterlife. Though, you probably won’t find her where you’re heading.” she lets his body drop to the floor and stands up, laughing when Billy hands her the jacket he stole from the other motionless jock so they could wipe their hands of their blood.

“Did you really have to go and say that? It was pretty morbid.” she laughs, throwing the jacket to the ground and going so far as to walking on it.

“Please, I could have said something far worse. Besides, if that Chrissy Cunningham is anything like you described her as, revenge is probably the last thing she would want her boyfriend doing.” she spares Steve and Robin a glance but ultimately ignores them, walking past them to pat Dustin on the shoulder “Shall we go? We took up a little bit too much time.” he scoffed and smacked her off, to which she let out a laugh.

“Yeah, no thanks to you! Now I’m gonna get in trouble.” Billy shrugs, leaning down to pick up the discarded bags of food.

“And whose fault is that? Stop being such a target, loser.” Dustin shoves at Billy when he messes with his head walking past him, [F/N] laughed and they’re walking back to the RV as if nothing happened, leaving Steve, Robin and Erica speechless. Dustin was indeed scolded by Nancy, so were Billy and [F/N] but they didn’t really care, they just stared at her with amused expressions and just ate in her face. The gang now found themselves out in the fields out of sight, preparing themselves for the battle they were about to fight. Eddie and Dustin were nailing nails into rubbish bin lids, Steve and Robin were making molotovs, Max was beside Nancy as she was sawing a Winchester Model 1200 so that the barrel was shorter and Erica and Lucas were making spears, meanwhile, Billy and [F/N] were sitting on a hill away from the others and thinking about their options “So what are you doing after all this?” Billy asked, she scoffed at the question.

“Well, I’m definitely getting the fuck out of dodge! There’s nothing left for me here, why bother stay.” she sighed when he gave her a knowing look.

“Nothing?”

“You know what I mean.” Billy noticed her eyes were settling on Steve and Robin once again, a feeling of regret and guilt rising to her chest once again the longer she stared “It’ll be better for the both of them and myself if I just stayed as far away as possible.” he hummed.

“But is that really what you want, [F/N]?” she doesn’t answer him, he huffed and pulls out the letter Max wrote him, his thumbs caressing the paper lightly “Well, I’m going to apologise to Max. I’ve been meaning to do that since we got out but couldn’t really find the right moment to pull her aside and do it. It’s the least I could do.” she, however, remained silent. Ever since they visited the cemetery and he found that letter, he could feel [F/N]’s doubts on whether or not she should keep a relationship with Steve and Robin or whether to just remain a bystander within their story despite how much they want her to be involved in their lives. He could tell that she was struggling to reveal the truth to Steve, that being her biggest concern.

“That’s… good for you.” she finally spoke, he hummed with a nod before both their heads snapped over to where Eddie and Dustin were when they heard laughter. [F/N] chuckled when she saw that it was just Dustin and Eddie roughhousing, reminded her of the time when she would just randomly tackle Eddie in the middle of school, him doing the same thing when she was in the middle of a conversation with someone and he would come running down the hall and tackle her to the ground. She hadn’t realized how long she was watching them until she noticed that Billy was no longer by her side, she was quick to look over to where Max was and saw he was making his way over to her and Nancy. Nancy noticed his approach and jumped to her feet to keep Max and him separated, she was talking to him but she could feel that he was calm throughout the entire exchange, and when she was finished talking he just pulled out the letter and waved it a little to get Max’s attention. She pushed Nancy to the side so she could grab the letter from Billy’s hands but he pulled it back and out of her reach, they shared a couple words from simple banter, to shouting, to crying then to promises. At the end of their conversation Billy goes in for a hug but she stopped him and instead grabbed his other hand to give it a shake, Billy had a look of understanding and instead just nodded his head and shook her hand with a smile “Fuck.”

“Honestly, this feels like a perfect time for that little pull of the rug because…” from a conversation that started with Steve talking about that guy that was kissing Robin’s crush to the possible end of the world, Steve and Robin sat together and spoke about both their troubles in romance and Vecna “in the face of the world ending, the stakes of my love life feel spectacularly low.”

“Yeah, I mean, I get you there, but… I still have hope.”

“Not everything has a happy ending.”

“Yeah, yeah, believe me, I know.” at that he spares Billy and [F/N] a glance, noting how Billy was now casually standing next to Max while watching Nancy testing out her new shotgun with a shortened barrel, he turned away to find [F/N] but narrowed his eyes when she was in the last spot he saw her in “Where did she—”

“Steve?” his head snaps up when he saw [F/N] standing right in front of him, he swallowed thickly as he stared right at her “C-Can we… can we talk? Just the two of us?” he noticed the way she tried to keep her eyes on him but she couldn’t keep it up for long because she quickly averts her eyes away, he spares Robin a look but she nods and gestures for him to go.

“Y-Yeah, sure!” maybe he was a little bit too enthusiastic but he didn’t care, it was her coming to him to talk instead of the other way around. Robin let out a sigh when [F/N] led him away from the others so they could speak privately, feeling a little bitter that she was talking to him first, but she could wait. [F/N] promised they would talk, so she was going to wait. Billy felt nervousness so he looked towards [F/N] and a faint smile graced his lips when he saw that [F/N] was finally going to talk to Steve, good for her.

“Why are you smiling, Billy?” he raised a brow as he looked down at Max, he let out a chuckle and messed with her head.

“None of your business, shitbird.” Steve now found himself standing across from [F/N], he nervously rubbed at his forearm as she stood with her back to him. He didn’t know what was going on in her mind as she stood with her hands to her hips while her foot tapped on the ground, he knew that she was nervous, that he could tell. She was so confident, and arrogant, and crazy like her usual self but now… now she wasn’t the sister he was so used to seeing. This was the fragile part of his sister that he rarely got to see, only on the very rare occasions did he see his sister’s mask slip from her face and the true [F/N] Harrington would show itself.

“[F/N], before you say anything, I just… I just want to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I didn’t notice how much you were struggling when we were kids. How badly mum and dad treated you after you threw everything away, I’m sorry I did nothing to help you. I don’t get— I don’t get why you stayed behind or why you came back.” he let out a sigh, bringing a hand to drag down his face “I don’t— I don’t get why you did it for me when I told you I hated you. You stuck around for so long despite how much I hated you when we were young, I was delusional and selfish that I didn’t understand. I know there’s something that you’re not telling me, something that Eddie knows and he swore he’d never tell me because of how bad it wa—” he was cut off when she was suddenly on him pulling him into a tight hug, he could feel his body begin to tremble when her hands slipped up his body to wrap an arm around his shoulder while the other was soothingly threading through his fingers. It was something she used to do when they were kids and he was scared of being alone, it was something she used to calm him down from nightmares.

“I should be the one apologising, Steve.” she spoke, she was fighting down every urge in her body to not let him go so soon while also trying not to tremble with him in her hold “I was so scared of you knowing the truth, that you’d take it the wrong way and that you’d hate yourself for what happened. But Billy told me that you deserved to know that truth… that you should know the truth.” Steve sniffled then quickly brought his arms up to wrap around her and keep her close, not knowing how long this embrace was going to last so he was going to milk it for everything that it was worth.

“N-No, I get it. It’s fine, I jus—” she shakes her head and let him go, giving him a smile when he whined at the loss.

“No, Steve. You should know.” she turns away again, bringing her arms up to hug herself “You should know what drove me away.”

[the hideout, 1983]

“Once had a love and it was a gas~” it was late at night and it was Corroded Coffin’s live performance at the Hideout, what made that night so significant was because [F/N] had agreed to sing for them that night. Since she worked at the Hideout just to get some extra cash here and there, she was always there to watch their performances and though they weren’t as popular as they wished they were, they were still pretty great. [F/N] wasn’t an official member because they were Corroded Coffin long before they met her and she didn’t want to feel like she was stepping in to steal one of their spots, mostly because she was pretty musically talented all thanks to her mother’s insistence. But tonight was different, Eddie had lost his voice and the other boys were pretty tone deaf when it came to singing so since they knew [F/N], who was pretty well gifted in singing, they begged her to take the spot as their lead vocalist to sing for them. She obviously declined the invitation because a) she hasn’t sung properly in years, and b) they were out of their damn minds, she hasn’t sung in years! They were begging; pleading to get her to agree so when they finally did get her to agree she wanted to be the one to choose which song, if not, they can go get fucked “It soon turned out, I had a heart of glass~” and what better song than “Heart of Glass” by Blondie. They obviously refused because they didn’t want to sing some pop song but that was the only way she’d agree, so when they relented she taught them to play it differently so the patrons of the Hideout didn’t entirely hate them.

“Wow, I didn’t think I was going to like a Blondie song, but they’re pretty good.”

“Yeah, and the vocalist sounds great.” he raises his glass, gaining [F/N]’s attention “Hey! You should sing for those guys more often! You’re great!” she gives him a grin, [F/N] was quickly drawing in a crowd and Eddie couldn’t help but admit that this was the best crowd they’ve had in a long time. [F/N] was having a great time, not remembering the last time she’s felt this exhilarated.

“Riding high on love's true bluish light~” the mic stand stood in between her legs and with each time she sung out “whoa”, her body went lower and lower until her knees were touching the ground while her head was thrown back, mic stand in between her legs as she continued to sing with the mic in her hands “Once had a love and it was a gas. Soon turned out, to be a pain in the ass~” [F/N] was laughing the moment the song was over, panting wildly as she was helped to her feet by Jeff and Nathan, having to be held up by them after losing the feeling in her legs after being on her knees for too long.

“That was fantastic, [F/N]!” Gareth cheered from backstage, she laughed at his enthusiasm from where she was sitting “You should preform for us more often! We basically got a full house!” at the mention Eddie was peeking from behind the curtains, face bright and sweaty.

“You know that this is temporary, Gare-bear.” she thanked one of the waitress’, a friend of hers, when they brought them a round of beers for their great performance “This was a one time thing only since Eddie lost his voice, don’t expect me to relent next time.” as she’s saying this Eddie was grabbing one of the beers but it was taken from him and replaced with a glass of water with a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass, he glared at her and she gave a stern one back.

“But come on, [F/N]! They loved you, don’t you miss performing?” Jeff asked, she made a face.

“Eehhh… maybe.” she answered truthfully, bringing the beer to her lips and taking a sip “But this is your thing, Corroded Coffin? I wouldn’t want to step in on something made and started by the four of you.” they watch Eddie move his hands a little wildly to try and mime what he was saying, luckily for them, they speak Eddie quite fluently so they understood what he was saying.

“Eddie’s right. You’re not coming in uninvited, we’re asking you to join us. You’re a jack of all trades, like if one of us is down, you can take over while we recover. A perfect backup.”

“Y’all are insufferable, you know that right?” they laughed when she walked off, saying she was going outside to get some fresh air or to smoke, she couldn’t remember. She past many drunken patrons but each one of them gave here their compliments on her performance, to which she thanked them with a laugh and smile before finally managing to squeeze her way outside. [F/N] was leaning against a wall outside the Hideout, smoking a cigarette while bobbing her head to the muffled sound of the music inside, today was great. Waking up and not seeing her parents, to her and Steve actually having a good conversation, to now where she actually enjoyed herself singing in front of a crowd. Maybe, just maybe, today will end on a great no—

“[F/N]!” damn, she spoke too soon. The shout of her name startled her, lurching off the wall and coughing up to smoke she had just inhaled into her mouth while also dropping her cigarette. She fans the smoke away while coughing into her fist to see who could have shouted her name, only for her heart to drop into her stomach to see that familiar White 1976 Buick Regal Turbo (this honestly seems like a car he would own)… that was her father’s car.

“D-Dad!” what was he doing in Hawkins? What was he doing on this part of town? He wouldn’t be caught dead here, how did he know that she was there when he basically neglected her entire existence? The only person that could have any clue on where she was would be— ah, goddammit, Steve. She really didn’t want to be alone anywhere near her father, the last time the two of them even acknowledge each other was when they were literally screaming at each other for something she couldn’t remember, probably something about her failing grades or some shit. She saw her father step out of the car along side her mother, but instead of striding up to her like her husband she remained by the car “W-What are you— what are you doing here, dad?”

“I think we both know why I’m here, [F/N].” she hadn’t been afraid of her father in years, he was nothing more than a joke in her eyes, but there was something in his eyes that frightened her that very moment. He stood before her, looming over her as he glared down at her while she struggled to keep her eyes on him, just the haunting look in his eyes made her nervous.

“I-I— I don’t—” she was startled when he grabbed her wrist and started tugging her towards his car “What are you— dad! Stop!” she tries tugging herself free but the grip he had on her was tight and definitely going to leave a bruise. Lauren frowned at the rough treatment but it had to be done, their daughter just wasn’t listening to them anymore and she needed to be taught that the consequences of her actions have finally caught up with her.

“Richard, is this really necessary?” she asked, he only scoffed at his wife’s thoughtless question. 

“If we don’t punish her accordingly, she’s never going to learn.” punishment? What the hell were they planning on doing to her? She was roughly thrown to the ground a few meters away from her mother, wincing when the rough concrete scraped at her hands and arms from the rough landing, she turns her head to look up at her father until her head was thrown in the opposite direction. Why, you ask? Well, that was because Richard Harrington struck his daughter across the face. Lauren flinched when she saw the red mark blossom on that side of her cheek and she could even feel the sting, her own hand subconscious lifting up to caress at her cheek. [F/N] was in disbelief that he father had actually struck her because he didn’t dare do it again when she stormed out of the house and the first person she saw the moment she stepped out of the Harrington household was Jim Hopper himself, and though he could easily have thought that it was just [F/N] picked another fight at school or some random person off the street, the look in her eye said otherwise.

“D-Dad—” she let out a gasp when he grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up, her hands flew up to grab him by his wrists to try and lessen the pain but there was just so much she could do.

“You’ve embarrassed me enough, [F/N]. I feel embarrassed having to be in this part of town just to come find you.” this time he punched her in the face, leaving her to grovel on the ground when he let go of her hair. She tries to push herself up but was only to be kicked down again, he scoffed as he watched his daughter grovel, pathetic “What did I do to have you as my daughter?” Lauren gave [F/N] a pitied look.

“R-RIchard, please—”

“Be quiet, Lauren!” she flinched back, [F/N] looked up at her mother in hopes that she would at least get her father to calm down but her heart dropped into her stomach when she looked away. Ah, so that’s how it is, huh? She grits her teeth when he grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around so that she was on her back, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt before proceeding to beat her face in. Sure, she’s taken beatings from people at the Hideout and the few random strangers looking for a fight, but her father was by no means a weak man. He was big and if he really put his mind to it, he could beat you in a fight. Lauren was struggling to keep her composure each time Richard struck her face, her hands balling into fists each time his fist connected with her face, she let out a breath when Richard stopped for a second to catch his breath “I really didn’t want to have to come to this, [F/N], but you left me no choice.” [F/N] let out a groan when he pulled back to shake his hands, her blood splattered over the concrete floor.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little… drastic? That Sheriff is going to question why she looks like… that in the morning.” Richard scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“This is all because she can’t control herself, Lauren.” [F/N] manages to weakly lift her hand up to caress her face, let out a whimper at the amount of pain she was suffering through, she then weakly pushes herself onto her stomach tries to drag herself away to create of distance “Because of her, Steven is beginning to act rebellious! He’s starting to ignore us just like she did, and who knows how long till he stops caring! His grades are beginning to fall and he’ll end up just as much of a failure as our daughter who will never amount to anything! Because of her, Steven is started to act up towards us that he even told us to think of her!” [F/N] paused at what he said, Steve did… what? She knew that he was probably doing it out of the kindness of his heart, but because Steve stood up to their parents— to their father, he was taking his anger out on her? God, these were the times she wished Steve would just stay out of her business. She didn’t need his help for something as useless as mercy from their father, this never would happened if he just kept his goddamn mouth shut!

“Where did we go wrong?” 

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just make sure she doesn’t get any future ideas.” her heart dropped into her stomach when she realised he turned his attention back to her, but she wasn’t going to take it anymore, not this time. The moment she felt him grab her by the shoulder she let out a grunt elbowed him hard in the nose, causing him to cry out in pain when she managed to break his nose, Lauren was quick to his side as [F/N] pushed herself so that she wasn’t on her stomach anymore and pushed herself away “You little brat!” she was panting wildly as she stared up at her parents in fear, but slowly, it turned into a burning hatred. She weakly pushes herself onto her feet, swaying a little after the continuous blows to the face, but manages to stand tall and glare at her father.

“You’re pathetic, mum.” she sneered out, spitting out the blood that pooled up in her mouth and wiping away the blood dripping from her nose “Fuck you too, dad. You’re an asshole and you’re both terrible parents.” she stared at them for a couple seconds before finally turning her back to them and walking back towards the Hideout, she didn’t bother giving them the satisfaction of looking at them when her father shouted at her.

“I’m no father of yours, [F/N]! From this day going forward, you’re no longer my daughter! You’ll never become anything without the Harrington name! You’re nothing!” she scoffed. “I was never your daughter to begin with.” she grits her teeth when she was left alone in the car park when she heard the tyres from her father— no, from Richard’s car screech when they pulled out and drove off. Her bottom lip trembled but she refused to cry, refused to give them the satisfaction that they got to her, so she held her head up and—

“[F/N]…?” her eyes widened when they met with Eddie’s, a look of absolute horror on his face. Did he… did he see all of that? His words fell to deaf ears because she was looking everywhere but at his face, her eyes started to blur with tears while her arms brought her hands to her face in an attempt to hide the damage Richard did but there was nothing she could do when Eddie grabbed her by her wrists and tried to pull them away so he could get a look at what he did to her “[F/N], oh my god, I’m so sorry I did— I heard you shouting and then I saw— I’m sorry I didn’t step in! I’m sorry!” he winced at the sound of how hoarse his voice was but he had to speak, he had to apologise that he couldn’t help her. He watched as that terrified look on her face melted away and was replaced with one of deep sadness, she let out a whimper until it turned into full on sobbing. Eddie pulled her into a hug and she cried into his chest, her arms weakly wrapping around him. He didn’t care if her blood mixed with her tears were smearing on his t-shirt, he could always get a new one, just right now he knew he needed to comfort his best friend.

“I-I don’t know what I did… I don’t know what I did to deserve this, Eddie.” he shook his head.

“You didn’t deserve this, [F/N], not at all. They just weren’t made to be parents, they didn’t know how to value you and your brother. Don’t even think for a second you deserved to be beaten like this.” she let out a cry and pulled herself closer to him, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt “You’re better than what they say you are, you are perfect and you are amazing.” she whined into his chest, when she finally pulled away she wiped at her face but winced at the pain.

“H-How much— how much exactly did you hear?” he frowned at her.

“Everything.” she grimaced and looked away, he tilted his head to get a look at her face “You gonna tell Ste—” a panicked look immediately appeared on her face.

“No! No, you can NOT tell Steve, you can’t!” she pressed a hand to her mouth “We only just fixed the damage of our relationship, if I tell him that it was because of what he said to them then he might not forgive himself, he might never look at me the same.” “But—” she shook her head.

“Eddie, promise me that you’ll NEVER tell him. I’ll take this to the grave if I have to, but he can never know about this from anyone but me.” he knew by that that she was NEVER going to tell him, but that desperate look in her swollen eyes got him to nod his head, albeit reluctantly.

“Alright, fine. I promise.” she softly nod her head.

“Good… good.” he catches her when she starts to sway again, he finally takes that as a sign to bring her back inside to help tend to the wounds he knew how to aid.

[present time]

“M-Me…? It was me?” the moment she finished her story Steve was staring at her in shock, he remembered that day. He remembered that day when their parents gave them their surprise visits, how their father complained about their useless daughter and how he couldn’t wait for the day she moved out so he didn’t have to house filth like her, though he shouldn’t have his expectations high for the one that was probably going to fail. Steve remembered how he finally raised his voice to their father, yelling at him that he shouldn’t talk about [F/N] like that when she used to be their pride and joy until they noticed how she had no more value to them and that they only had him because their first born was a mere daughter, something insignificant to them. He remembered how their parents left and soon as they returned and in the morning he was shocked to see [F/N] beaten and bruised at school, everyone thought that she had gotten into a fight at the Hideout because that was usually the reason as to why she’d ever look like that, even he thought that was the case “D-Dad, he— he did that to you?” she meekly nodded her head.

“I thought… I thought he was going to kill me, honestly.” she felt tears in her eyes “I was so scared, Steve. And I was angry because— because I just— fuck! I hate him, I hate him so much, Steve! And I hate mum because she went to him when I fought back! She didn’t even try to help me, and so I hate her for not trying! And I hated you, Steve! Because of you my life fell apart because I loved you, I loved my baby brother that hated me! I don’t know why I tried, but I knew if I gave up I’d just be letting them win! I just— I just wanted what we had before everything went to shit. I just wanted us to be siblings.” her face fell into her hands and she started to cry, wrapping her arms around herself and cried in front of Steve. She felt Steve approach her and instead of pulling her into a hug he just simply placed her hand on her shoulder.

“I… I’m glad you told me, [F/N]. I can tell that this is the first time you have been honest about your feelings.” he gave her a nervous laugh, looking away while scratching his cheek “I was a real asshole, I don’t know why you stuck around when you did. I don’t know why you loved me when you had every right to hate me, so in every twisted way, I’m glad you at least hated me.” she stared at him weirdly before bursting out into laughter.

“You’re weird, Steve.” soon he’s laughing with her after her claim, now they’re staring at each other breathless with silence falling over them. She flinched lightly when he raised his arms as an indication for a hug, she stared for a couple seconds but sighed and hugged him, and this time… this time she was able to relax into it, the two of them smiling brightly in their embrace. She let her head rest on his shoulder, her head leaning against the side of his head while her eyes closed. Her eyes opened and there she saw Billy staring at her with a warm smile, his hand lifting up to give her a thumbs up then turned his attention back to Max “I’m sorry, Steve.” he nod his head.

“And I’m sorry too, [F/N].” they stand there a couple seconds longer before letting each other go “Will you talk to Robin? I think she really needs it.” [F/N] takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and pinching her nose.

“Steve, taking to her might be a little harder for me.” her hand moved to her cover her mouth “I cheated on her, man, and she saw me doing it. Then I left her alone after breaking up with her and threatening her.” he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“And as much as I hate you for it, you and I both know you did it to protect her from the Mind Flayer.” she closed her eyes.

“But… you didn’t see the look in her eyes. I really am… our father’s child.”

“There’s no need for you to stoop so low just to insult yourself, [F/N].”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? I’m so much like him that it’s almost scary.”

“Then be better than him, because unlike him, you actually apologise.” he watched for a couple seconds when she finally nodded her head.

“What about you?” he raised a brow “You gonna talk with Billy about sort of relationship you’re going to have after all this? He still loves you, man.” she raised a brow when he let out a sigh, rubbing at his neck.

“I-I don’t know, I love Eddie, but Billy…” he shook his head, she pats his arm.

“Talk to him— them, talk to them both and see what to do from this point forward. If I’m talking to her, then you’ve got to talk to him. You’ve been dodging him as much as I’ve been dodging her. It’s only fair.” 

“… alright, fine.” she smiles, they both go off in opposite directions and [F/N] found herself taking Steve’s seat beside Robin. She was startled when she took a seat beside her, to which she thought it was Steve at first, so imagine her surprise when she turned to ask how his conversation went with [F/N], only to see her herself in his spot.

“[F/N]…” she muttered out softly, [F/N] still didn’t look at her and just looked up at the sky, her eyes closing as she felt the sun shining down on her.

“I missed the sun.” she spoke “Spent eight months in the dark with nothing but dark clouds and red lightning, We couldn’t even tell how many days went by because we had no sun to show if a day went by, not even clocks worked. I’d honestly rather not help with this suicide mission, I’d honestly rather just lounge around and bask in the sun, feels more productive if I’m being honest.” Robin nodded her head.

“I agree.” [F/N] hears Robin shuffle around for a couple seconds before settling down, she heard something rattle and only turned to face her when she spoke her name “[F/N], I have something of yours.” she looked down at her hands and her eyes widened when she saw what it was.

“That— I wasn’t finished with that!” it was the mixtape that she made her, she tries to take it but Robin pulls it out of her reach before she could take it “Robin, I—”

“I got pretty depressed, [F/N].” her eyes widened slightly at that “Maybe I would have gotten Vecna’ed if it weren’t for your mixtape, I didn’t know you sang at the very end because I would constantly replay it just because it was the last gift I got from you. It was the only thing I had left of your voice, and I’d be lying if I didn’t crave more. Man, I haven’t even told Steve about it.” [F/N] dropped her hand to her side.

“I-I’m… I’m sorry.” she takes a deep breath “I didn’t want to do what I had done, Robin. Believe me, I didn’t. I did everything to divert its attention on others so it wouldn’t target you and Steve, but that once instance you saw us in that alleyway and you were within arms reach… it made me want to strangle you and watch as the color would drain out of you.” Robin looked down and saw how one of her hands closed into a tight first, her other hand clamping down on her wrist “I couldn’t let it take you away, so I did the only thing I could think of to drive you away… even if it meant I’d lose you forever. I’m [F/N] Harrington, the one who lost everything.”

“I’ve forgiven you, but I can’t lie and say I didn’t hate you. I thought you loved me, that the rumours that the eldest daughter of the Harrington couple was a heartbreaker wasn’t true. You clearly loved me more than all those other flings, but that instance broke me, because you made me feel like all those other girls she tossed aside. I thought of was different from those other girls, that we were simply meant to be and you were my dream come true. I want us to work, I want us to be together… but I don’t know.” 

“Why would you want to be with me again?” she asked “I… I heard yours and Steve’s conversation before I took him away. You’ve clearly met someone else, Robin, don’t you want to try and work it out with them first before giving me a second chance?” she let out a sigh.

“I don’t think it’d work out with her, I saw her at the War Zone kissing her boyfriend.”

“Oh.” wow, what a way to rub salt into the wound. 

“Besides, I don’t even know if she swings that way to begin with, so I can’t take any real chances.” she nod her head and neither one of them know how to continue the conversation so they settle in silence once more, [F/N] flinched when she felt Robin’s hands bump against hers, she looked over and saw her offering her hand “It will take a long time for the both of us to love each other the way we did before, so before that, how’s about we settle with being friends again?” [F/N] looked down at her hand then at her face, Robin saw the way her hand hesitated to take hers, it flinching back when it lightly touched hers before finally settling down into the palm of her hand. Robin closed her hand around her and gave her a tearful smile, she could feel [F/N]’s hand tremble within hers so she squeezed her hand reassuringly. 

“Yeah… yeah, I can settle with being friends again.” they’re holdings hands and smiling nervously at each other, yeah, this will do. Robin noticed her flinch once more before turning her head in the direction where Steve, Billy and Eddie were. They watched the inaudible conversation to see that Steve was doing most of the talking, keeping a hand on Billy to keep him calm as he spoke to them both, they could only guess that Steve still had a bit of love left for Billy and unlike [F/N] who did break up with Robin, Steve and Billy’s relationship statue was a little unknown. In the end it was Steve pulling Billy into a hug then Eddie joining them with a big smile, Eddie felt eyes on him and saw it was [F/N] staring. She gave a questionable thumbs up but her face brightened when Eddie smiled and gave her a confident thumbs up, she grins and nods her head “Aw, it looks like they worked things out… hopefully.”

“Hopefully?”

“Remember how I said Billy and I feel the same thing?” she nods her head “I still feel a tiny bit of anger inside of Billy, though that’s probably just the possessive side of him and how he just wants Steve to himself. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to share now. I told him it would happen.”

“Would you be angry if I moved on?” she shook her head.

“I would have preferred it, because at least you would have found happiness with someone else instead of clinging to me who could no longer give it to you.” they enjoyed the rest of the time they had left together, still holding hands until Nancy called out to them that it was time. They first dropped Lucas, Erica, Max and Billy off at the Creel house, though [F/N] was a little hesitant to let Billy go because they haven’t been apart since they found each other in the Upside Down. She called him lucky that he didn’t have to go back in there, but he reasoned that someone had to keep an eye on his stupid little sister, so why not him? The others in the RV immediately noticed [F/N]’s change in character, how she settled herself in the back and was gripping her axe pretty slightly that could hear the wood begin to snap from the constant pressure they were sure she was going to snap it in half but was calmed down when Eddie moved from his spot beside Steve to comfort his friend.

“You doing alright?” she let out a shaky breath, her grip loosening for a second before going tight again.

“No.” she spoke, her voice strained “Throughout everything that happened with us, we were always together. I was losing my mind when I was in the Upside Down all alone, and now I’m going in there again without him. I’m anxious, Eddie.” she growled softly when he smacked her in the arm, glaring at him for doing such a thing but her gaze softened when he gave her a confident grin despite the nervousness seen in his eyes.

“But… you’ll have me.” her face softened at his words “And Dustin, but— you get the point, right? You won’t be alone, and you won’t be possessed/brainwashed/flayed. You will be you.” she stared at him then chuckled, dropping her face into her hands and shaking her head lightly.

“Sure, alright. You’ll make do, I suppose.” he gasped, placing a hand on his chest in an offended way.

“Is my presence not enough for the [F/N] Harrington? Why, I never.” she laughed and pushed him, Steve glanced back at the two through the rear view mirror, grinning himself when he saw Eddie wrap an arm around [F/N]’s shoulders and shake her around, at least he managed to calm her down. When he returned his gaze towards the road he let out a shaky breath.

“We’re here.” he announced, the mood immediately shifted and they hastily got ready.

“Okay. I wanna run through it one more time.” Nancy speaks, all eyes on her as she goes through the plan one more time “Phase one.”

“We meet Erica in the playground.” Robin starts “She’ll signal Max, Lucas and Billy when we’re ready.”

“Phase two?”

“Max baits Vecna.” Steve adds “He’ll go after her, which’ll put him in his trance.”

“Phase three?”

“Me, Eddie and [F/N] draw the bats away.” Dustin adds, to which both Eddie grabs places his hand on Dustin’s head to ruffle his head while [F/N] grabbed his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“Four.”

“We head into Vecna’s newly bat free laid, and… flambé.” Robin finishes.

“Nobody moves on to the next phase until we’ve all copied. Nobody deviates from the plan, no matter what. Got it?” they all nod their heads and with that they collect their gear and head out to Eddie’s trailer. Steve’s the first to enter the trailer, taking his bag off and tossing it to [F/N] who walked in behind him.

“Be careful.” she warned, he nods his head.

“Thanks. Here goes nothing.” they watch as he climbed through the fissure and when he was inside the Upside Down and gravity did its thing, he managed to flip his body around and land on his feet.

“Copycat.” [F/N] murmured, Robin chuckled.

“What does he want us to do, applaud?” this caused [F/N] to laugh and lightly tap her arm.

“I think it’d inflate his ego.” this caused them all to share a laugh, when Steve disappeared she cracked her neck and through her axe through and followed right after Steve, landing perfectly on her feet inside the Upside Down and giving Steve a smug look just as he came back into the room with another mattress.

“Show off.”

“Says you.” she picks up her axe, throwing it over her shoulder and watched Steve put the mattress under the fissure so the others could have a softer landing. Nancy was next through, Robin going to a knee so Nancy could step onto her thigh and lift herself through. She let out a grunt when she landed on the mattress and when she opened her eyes she was met with both [F/N] and Steve offering her a hand to help her up, letting out a yelp when she was literally thrown to her feet by the both of them. Next to go through was her stuff then Eddie, [F/N] let out a giggle as she hovered over his face with a grin to which he slowly mirrored it when she offered her hand to help him up. Followed him was his stuff then Robin, being helped up by Nancy and Steve and lastly the rest of the stuff and Dustin, who was yanked up by Steve and Eddie “Oh my babies! Mummy’s back!” [F/N] cooed as she kicked the door to Eddie’s trailer open, her arms wide open as she stepped out to greet her babies that waited patiently by her car.

“She’s got demodogs?” Dustin shouted at Steve, watching as [F/N] dropped to her knees to coo and coddle the five demodogs that were chittering and jumping around in excitement, happy to see one of their owners again.

“Yeah, she and Billy trained them better than you could ever.” Dustin let out an offended gasp, [F/N] just shook her head and pulled out some beef jerky and feed them to the demodogs.

“I’m sorry daddy isn’t here, but he wants me to send his love to you.” they whine at that but were happy nonetheless to see her after being separated from her for so long, she goes a few gestures with hands as she stood up then pointed her fingers to where Steve, Nancy and Robin were, they understood and left her side to stand with them “I told them to go with you to help take down Vecna, they should listen to you, Steve. And if they act smart, tell them they’re being bad.” Steve nervously looked down at the demodogs that stared up at him, he wished they had a face so he could tell if they were thinking of eating him “They’re not gonna eat you.”

“I wasn’t thinking that!” she just nodded her head.

“Right.” she shook her head and went over to where Eddie and Dustin were, Steve let out a sigh and turned towards them.

“Hey. If things here start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort. Okay? Draw the attention of the bats. Keep ‘em busy for a minute or two. We’ll take care of Vecna. Don’t try to be cute or be a hero or something, and I’m looking at you, [F/N].” he takes her hands and rubs his thumbs over her knuckles “I-I can’t… I can’t lose you, not again.” she gave him a soft smile.

“Yeah, I promise, I won’t do what I did last time. You’ll come back and I’ll be right here in one piece.” he raises his head and saw she was giving him a big grin, he let out a shaky breath, Eddie smiled himself and placed his hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You can be the hero, Steve.” Dustin says from behind him, to which Eddie nods.

“Absolutely. I mean, look at us. We are not heroes.” he nods at Eddie’s words but still hesitates to leave, scared that this was going to be the last time he saw Dustin and Eddie… that this will be the last time he was seeing [F/N]. He let out a breath when [F/N] pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and letting him relax into her hold.

“I promise you Steve, we’ll be right here waiting for you.” she feels him nod and though reluctant she let him go, she gives him a nod and gestures for him to go. He slowly nods then finally turns to leave with Nancy and Robin, well, that was until Eddie stepped forward and spoke.

“Hey, Steve?” despite only calling his name, they all turn around and look at Eddie. Steve raised a brow to indicate that he was listening, and though he felt like he was on the spot, he glanced back towards [F/N]. She gave him a look but she could see in his eyes that he was asking for permission to— she stared at him and likely glared at him for even thinking about— oh what the hell, she let out a sigh but nodded. He gave her a grateful smile before surging forward and grabbing Steve by the collar of his jacket, yanking him towards him and pulling him into a kiss. Nancy and Robin respectfully looked away while [F/N] rolled her eyes and lifted her hand to cover Dustin’s eyes. They were panting when they pulled away but chuckled softly together, letting their foreheads rest against each other as they caught their breath “Make him pay.”

“You’ve got it.” Eddie finally lets them leave, he watched him a little longer than he should have because when he turned around he was met with [F/N] glaring at him with her arms crossed.

“What?” she rolled her eyes.

“Make him pay.” she mimicked in her best Eddie voice before scoffing “Real smooth, romeo.” he shoved her.

“Oh, yeah? Like you can do better!” she raised a brow at him, giving him a incredulous expression.

“Please, you reek of virginity. Despite being with Steve for as long as you did, I know you’ve gotten no dick nor ass.” she snickers when his face turned bright red, she ignored his shouting but stopped when she heard panting, looking down only to see one of the demodogs had stayed behind “You— I told you to go help Steve and the others! Go!” it only let out a whine while tilting its head to the side, she let out a sigh as she kneeled down to pet its head “Oh, how could I stay mad at you. Staying by my side till the very end, such devoted loyalty.”

“Shall we get started?” Dustin asked from behind her, she glanced in the direction Steve at them went and let out a sigh.

“Yeah, let’s do this.” the two use bolt cutters to clip away at the wires on the fence while [F/N] effortlessly tears it off herself with her barehands, she glares at the two when they forced her to carry the heavy stuff they needed to barricade Eddie’s trailer. She’s holding Dustin by the scruff of his jacket so he could help Eddie screw sheets of iron over the windows, she gave up helping them and in the end sat on the hood of her car feeding her demogorgon bits of beef jerky while eating some herself.

“You going to help us?!” she looked up at them.

“Nah, you got this.” they groan at her, she got up when she saw they were done and stood beside Dustin.

“Not bad at all.” she hummed.

“Well done, doesn’t look like it’s gonna fall apart.” he glare at her.

“No thanks to you.” Eddie shook his head.

“Now for the fun part.” he spoke and rushes to his room, the other two lagging behind. He came to a stop at the sight of his prized guitar, a gift both herself and Wayne pitched in the moment he desired to own such a beauty “Jesus chr… it’l like… she was destined fo ran alternate dimension. What do you say Henderson, Harrington?” he spoke, slowly approaching his guitar before grabbing it and picking it up from where it was hanging “Are you ready for the most metal concert in the history of the world?”

“That a rhetorical question.” [F/N] chuckled at him.

“Let’s do it.” they’re back outside setting up the rest of the stuff on top of Eddie’s trailer, him leaving the technical stuff to the two smart people but stopped [F/N] so he could talk with her “Hey.” she smiled softly at him.

“Hey. What’s up, dude?” she looked down when she noticed he had something behind his back before revealing it to her, her eyes widened slightly at what she saw “E-Eddie, no. I can’t—” what he was handing her was a microphone he found laying around.

“It’s been years since the last time I’ve heard you sing, [F/N].”

“And you know why I don’t.” he nods softly. 

“Yeah, and I don’t want to overstep, but I’d love to hear you sing… even if it’s for the last time.” he pushes the mic into her hand and walks off, she stares at his retreating form then glares at him.

“Are you guilt tripping me, you son of a bitch?” he didn’t answer her and left her to mull over the option of singing as he played, she was sitting over the edge of the trailer and felt a tug on the end of the mic to see that it was Dustin plugging it in, he gave her a thumbs up and she thought, fuck it, why the hell not?

“She’s in. Move on to phase three.” hearing Robin’s voice through the walkie talkie caused them all to look over at each other, they share a nod and get ready as Dustin brings it to his lips to speak.

“Copy that. Initiating phase three. Let’s hope they hear this.” [F/N] lets out a yawn as she stands to her feet, grabbing at the mic stand and setting up the mic while grabbing at the discarded bottle of alcohol she brought and took a swig from it then throwing it away.

“Don’t worry about that, they’ll hear it for sure.” Dustin plugs in the amp and nods at Eddie, who returns it.

“Chrissy, this is for you.” he rips his pick off his neck and strikes his guitar, the intro to “Master of Puppets” by Metallica beginning to play, both herself and Dustin smile and bob their head to Eddie shredding on the guitar and absolutely having the time of his life but paused for a second to look over at [F/N]. They stare at each other for a couple seconds before she rolled her eyes and looking down at the mic, she let out a sigh before grabbing it and screaming into it.

“Yeeeah!” the shout definitely startled Dustin because he wasn’t expecting it but Eddie grinned, this was the [F/N] he knew and missed. The gang heading into the Creel house heard from where they were Eddie’s guitar but they didn’t expect to hear [F/N]’s voice singing along to Eddie’s playing, Robin and Steve look at each other and smile. [F/N] was grinning, tapping her foot against the ground and head banging to the sound of music in her ears, her mind going back to the time when she wasn’t so afraid of performing, this was something she definitely missed “Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings~” at the break of the song she lets out a pant and looks over at Eddie, their eyes meet and they start laughing. She steps towards him with the mic and then they’re singing together as if it were old times, not like they were about to get eaten by a flock of deadly demobats.

“Eddie! [F/N]!” they look over at him “We gotta lock down in t-minus thirty seconds!” they nod and keep going.

“Master, master! Just call my name ‘cause I’ll hear you scream~” both her and Eddie then shake their heads, hair flying everywhere when Eddie starts to shred of the guitar as Dustin gives them their countdown and they only stop when Dustin screams out one, the cord of the last note echoing through the now empty Upside Down but then they’re screaming when they realised a lot of the demobats were heading their way. [F/N] immediately drops the mic and grabs Eddie by his arm and shoves him forward, to which he drops his guitar and the both of them are rushing over to grab Dustin and push him back.

“Move! Move! Move!”

“Let’s go!”

“Hurry it up!” she brings her fingers to her lips and whistles sharply, her demodog shooting past the lot of them and waiting by the door.

“Eddie, come on!”

“Hurry!” Dustin was the first in the trailer followed by [F/N] and her demodog, leaving Eddie to close off the fenced gate he and Dustin made before finally jumping into the trailer and closing the door right behind him. [F/N] is panting, trying to catch her breath after just singing and then running away while also checking on her demodog, leaving Dustin and Eddie to geek out after their performance “Dude! Most metal ever!”

“Oh my… oh my god!” she just shook her head, her hand gently petting her baby “Dude, [F/N]! You were great! I’m was so happy to hear your voice again.” she just shrugged her shoulders.

“Eh, it was nothing. You sounded great on your guitar, never lost your touch.” he pulls her onto her feet and hugs her, smiling when he felt her drape herself over his shoulder and lazily hug him back. They both raise a brow when they felt something else so they look over and see that it was Dustin wrapping his arms around the both of them and leaning into their hug, they shake their head and include him. The three of them now found themselves underneath the fissure back to back, slowly moving and watching for anything, any sign of one of the demobats breaking through the barricade as they banged at the walls and screeched. [F/N] furrowed her brows when the screeching stopped, even her demodog snapped its head up when it noticed the lack of noise.

“Hey, dipshits!” Dustin’s sudden screaming startled her and Eddie, causing the two of them to whip their heads towards him “Give up that easy, huh?!” [F/N] slams her hand on top of his head and shakes it while Eddie hisses at him.

“Shh! Is that really necessary?”

“Don’t try and be brave, kid.” they hear clattering and look up, [F/N] grimaced at the realisation “Just great.”

“Shit, shit, shit.”

“They’re on the roof.” they’re following the sound though [F/N] made sure her demodog went ahead of them as they stuck close to Dustin, they were making all sorts of noise on the roof that they all grimaced at the thought of them somehow getting inside. They stop when her demodog was growling at the vent, Dustin paled and look back at them.

“They can’t get in through there, can they?” their eyes widened when one of the bats broke through the vent and snarled at them.

“Oh yes they can! Move!” she shook her head when they both started yelling, she grabbed her demodog and pulled him back to allow Eddie and Dustin to stab at the thing through the vents.

“Die! Die!” it was a little funny watching them jab at the thing while continuously screaming “die” at it, it was amusing “You gonna help us or what?!” she just shrugged.

“You guys look like you’ve got this handled!” it was startling to see how calm she was in this situation, well, what did they expect from someone who survived in the Upside Down for eight months, half of it spent alone while also fighting monsters bigger than herself. She wasn’t scared in the slightest, the only thing that made her nervous was Eddie and Dustin getting hurt. Her eyes then settled on the nailed shields and thought of an idea, she leaves their side and picks one up “Move, move!” they move and she blocks the vent, the nails digging through the ceiling and allowing it to stay in place.

“Good thinking.”

“Thanks.” Dustin’s panting on the floor when a thought comes to mind.

“Are there other vents?” Eddie and [F/N] look at each other.

“Oh, shit!” [F/N] was quick to leave his side and rush to his room with the other three following, when she got to his room a swarm of them burst through the air vent and were quick to fill up the room. She let out a growl and quickly closed the door before any could get any further, she grimaced as she backed away and kept her eyes on it, pushing Eddie back into the living room where her demodog was tugging Dustin back.

“That’s not gonna hold!” he shouts.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Eddie looked at [F/N] and saw she still hadn’t moved yet, her grip violent on her axe that he was sure it was going to snap in half. She jumped when he grabbed her by the arm, she looked back towards him and he gently tugged her arm “Let’s go.” he gestured with his head towards Dustin and there they saw the terrified look on his face, she looked back at Eddie and nodded her head.

“Alright.” they let Dustin go through first, her kneeling down and cupping her hands to give him a hand, she didn’t want her demodog getting torn to shreds either so she chucked him through and went to follow. She didn’t bother catching herself this time and instead landed on the mattress, laying on it for a couple seconds before rolling off it and letting out a tired groan “This better be over.” she pushed herself up so she was leaning on her hands, chuckling softly when her demodog rubbed his head against her shoulder.

“Eddie?” she looked up and noticed the way Eddie stopped climbing as he looked back at them then back at the door to his room, some sort of realisation dawned on his face that caused [F/N] to stand to her feet when he moved away from the rope connecting them to the Upside Down.

“What are you doing?” she called out to him, her eyes widening when she saw him grab his spear “Eddie, no!” he then cuts the rope, she reached forward and their half dropped into her hands.

“Eddie! Stop, what are you doing?!” Eddie goes so far as to move the mattress so if they did manage to get through they had nothing to break their fall, he comes back into view and gives them an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, but I’m buying more time!”

“No!”

“You’re going to get yourself killed! You don’t stand a chance against them alone!” he gave a shrug and turned, her hands were in her hair as she tried to think of anything to get him to stop “Ste… Steve loves you, Eddie!” this was enough to get him to pause, she took that as her chance to keep going “He loves you, Eddie, and I do to. I don’t know what I’m going to tell him if you’re gone… he already lost me and Billy, I don’t want to be there to tell him he lost you too. Please, don’t do this.” Eddie looked up at her.

“Are you saying that to guilt trip me?” the sadness in her voice immediately dropped as she gave him a glare.

“Is it working?”

“Yeah, it almost did.” he turned his back to her and started walking away, laughing softly when he heard her shout at him.

“You motherfucker! I’m gonna break your goddamn legs when I come get your ass! Just you wait, you piece of shit! I’m gonna kick you ass if you walk away, Eddie! Don’t you fucking dare, Eddie!” and with that he was out the door and drawing the demobats away liked he said he would, her hand closed into a tight fist as a deadly look washed over her face.

“[F-F/N]! What are we going to do?” he flinched back when he saw how livid she was.

“I’m going after him, that’s what I’m doing.” she whistles and her demodog was at her feet, he jumps into her arms to which she quickly but as gently as she could chucked him back through into the Upside Down, letting out a breath of relief when he didn’t get hurt too badly because there wasn’t a soft landing to break his fall.

“A-And what about me? What am I supposed to do?” she ignored him to find a chair.

“You’re staying here.” was all she said when she found a chair high enough to help her jump through, she sets it down when Dustin grabbed her arm. “No! I want to help! Let me help you!” his breath hitched in his throat when she turned back towards him, grabbing him by his biceps and shaking him softly.

“YOU are staying right HERE!” she gave him a sad look by the terrified look her gave her, she shook her head and let him go “You have to stay here, because if you get hurt Steve will have my head that I wasn’t able to protect both you and Eddie! We’re supposed to be waiting right here for them… but he just had to go off and save this shitty town that doesn’t deserve him!” she left him with that, turning away to jump onto the chair then pull herself through the fissure, letting out a grunt when she landed on the ground on her side. She dusted herself off and quickly stood to her feet, not sparing Dustin another look despite him calling her name, throwing the door open and grimacing at the sight of the swarm of demobats following after Eddie. Her face relaxed when she saw that her car was still where she left it so she reached into her pocket for her keys, only to pale when she didn’t feel them anywhere so she desperately pats at all the pockets she had and didn’t find them anywhere. Where were they? She always kept them in her pocket, she couldn’t have— she paused when she remembered him pulling her into that hug, that bastard must have taken them then.

“Ah!” the pained scream caused her to whip her head around to see that Dustin have followed her, spraining his ankle in the process from the awkward landing.

“What are you— why did you follow me? I told you to stay back!” she rushes to his side to turn onto his back, he grabbed her by her shoulder and pulled himself up so that they were face to face.

“Like hell I was going to be left behind, you’re taking me with you!” she stared at him, he saw her face twitch as she debated her choices “We don’t have enough time, come on!” she let out a groan.

“Fucking, fine!” when she stood up he expected her to help him up but instead she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, kicking the door open and whistle again to get her demodog to follow her. She opens the passenger side door and plops him down in the sit, closing the door behind him then going over to the drivers side. Dustin watched as she punched through the underside of her stirring wheel and rip out a couple wires, using her axe to cut through a couple to expose the conductors, striking them a couple times and gritting her teeth when her engine sputtered but didn’t roar “Fucking asshole! Stealing my keys. Making me hot wire my own car. I’m gonna kill him! He’s gonna be revoked of his best friend rights.” she and Dustin let out a cheer when she finally managed to get her car to start, her hand slapping against her console before jumping in.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” she didn’t hesitate to change gears, her foot slamming down on the gas and driving like crazy to where the bats and hopefully still Eddie were. Right now she didn’t care about how much noise she was making, driving cautiously in the Upside Down didn’t matter because she needed to get those fuckers attention so they weren’t swarming Eddie as much, but the roar of her car did little to nothing in comparison to a real meal being presented to them. She slams on the breaks when she finally finds Eddie, her heart dropping into her stomach at the sight of him being held down by those fuckers as they ate away.

“Eddie!” she cried out over his own screams, she grits her teeth and kicks her door open while grabbing her axe. She’s running over as quickly as she could to get to Eddie before it’s too late, her demodog running ahead of her to get to the demobats holding him down. Eddie lets out a gasp at the sight but was astonished when the blade of [F/N]’s bloodied axe comes into view, her veins now black as she let out an animalistic roar at the monsters. She’s killing them easily, the blade of her axe splitting them in two and their blood smearing all over her face and clothes, she goes so far as to picking up his fallen spear and breaking the blade of it off, stabbing at one of the demobats that was holding him down and ripping another in half after grabbing a hold of it “You’re a lucky son of a bitch, you bitch.” he let out a wheeze, coughing up blood but still managing to laugh.

“I knew you’d come...” she scowled at him, leaning down to grab him by the waist and hoist him onto her shoulder. 

“I’m still telling on you.” that was enough to get him to shut up, now she was aimlessly swinging to keep the bats away from her, using her arm to bat them away as well. She ignored the few that attached themselves to the few exposed spots on her body, biting into her flesh and ripping her skin off, but she ignored them and hurried along to get Eddie in her car and safe. Dustin was shouting at her to run, for her to hurry, and alright kid she was trying her damn hardest, but she finally managed and threw him in the back sit but before she could even get in she was suddenly grabbed by her ankle and dragged back.

“[F/N]!” she let out a grunt when they were. really beginning to swarm her, raising her arms so they didn’t get too close to her face. She grabs at the fallen dagger and stabs it through the mouth of one of the bats that was aiming for her face, she would have been in real trouble if her demodog wasn’t there as her sidekick. It fought off the remaining few surrounding her before grabbing her by the back of her jacket and dragged her back to her car before jumping in himself “Y-You’re okay…” Dustin breathed out, arms reaching forward when she got in, bloodied and breathing heavily, but otherwise alright.

“Yeah, but not for long!” the screeching of the bats snapped their heads up, now the two boys in her car were shouting at her to drive, she didn’t need to be told that twice. Losing the bats were easy, they were no match for her mustang, but losing them they couldn’t afford. They still needed to do their job and distract those fuckers long enough for Steve, Nancy and Robin to put that Vecna bitch in the grave so she had to keep a fair distance from those bastards until they were done. So for now her arm reached back to where Eddie was laying and started hitting him “You motherfucker!”

“Ah, hey! I-I’m bleeding back here!” she hits him again. 

“How fucking dare you, Eddie! How dare you put me in that situation! You were going to be killed and I was going to have to be that person to tell him that you were gone! You were going to die for something so… dumb!” her eyes started to get blurry with tears, she sniffled “He told you not be a hero, dammit. Why didn’t you listen?” he stared at the back of her head, his own vision getting blurry from the lack of blood along with his new wounds. 

“Don’t know… wanted to be like you.” she looked at him through the rear view mirror “Strong… brave… confident. You’re amazing, [F/N],” she let out a shuddered laugh.

“I’m anything but that. I’m weak, fragile and scared. I’m angry and broken, and I’m about to shatter if you die so if you die I’m snitching on you.” he laughs weakly.

“You’re snitching regardless.”

“Yes, I am.” at this point she was just driving around aimlessly, those fuckers weren’t getting tired and they certainly weren’t giving up any time soon, persistent bastards. She started to slow only when she noticed they were beginning to fall like flies, she came to a halt when they were all beginning to drop from the sky and die, she let out a tired huff and dropped onto her wheel “They did it…” Dustin hobbles out of the car and let out a relieved smile at the sight of all the bats dying.

“Whoo! They did it! They actually killed Vecna!” he let out a scream when a bat landed on the car, he then noticed that [F/N] was in the backseat and giving Eddie basic aid to try and stop his wounds from bleeding. She rolled her eyes when he started complaining that she was making it hurt, oh yeah? Keep complaining and she’ll make sure it hurts even more “Eddie, you asshole! I’d hit you if you weren’t practically dying right now.”

“Hit him, I’ll patch him up.” Eddie and Dustin share a look, she chuckles when Eddie was left groaning because Dustin managed to kick him in the shin “Well done, now sit still you bitch.” she tightens the makeshift bandages she was using out of her torn shirt and try and stop the bleeding.

“Nnhh, I’m tryin…” she frowned when he was started to slur his words, they needed to get him to a hospital quick or at least get him cleaned up and properly stitched up. She knew a thing or two about fixing wounds and shit, but this was seriously out of her hands.

“C-Can’t you do something?” Dustin asked from beside her, she raised her hands.

“Billy and I got wounds from these bastards many times, but we could easily heal from them. See?” she shows her arm and Dustin noticed that the bite marks from the bats healed over as if there was nothing wrong to begin with “I don’t know how much I can help him other then basic first aid. We NEED to get him to a hospital.” Dustin shakes his head.

“N-No! They’ll arrest him.”

“But he’ll die otherwise. I’m no doctor, but he could die if these wounds aren’t treated.” Dustin looked down at his pained face and frowned, knowing that what she was saying was right “But right now, let’s get you both out of here. Let’s get the others and get the fuck out of here.” he slowly nods.

“Okay…” she nods and helps him back into the car, taking off her jacket and laying underneath Eddie’s head, Eddie taking off his own little shawl to lay it on top of Eddie. [F/N] drives quickly but carefully as to not injure Eddie any further to the Creel house, letting out a breath when it comes into view along with the other three. She comes to a stop right in front of them, her window coming down and giving them a nervous grin.

“Get in bitches, we’re getting out of here.” Steve laughs at the sight of his sister and let out a breath of relief when he saw Dustin in the passenger seat, did he manage to fight Eddie for the seat? He opens the back door and he gasped at the sight of his boyfriend, bloodied and wrapped in makeshift bandages who was barely conscious “Just for the record, it wasn’t my fault.”

“[F/N]!”

“And if you don’t want him to die, I suggest you get in the car so we can get him some real help.”

“[F/N]!”

“Just saying.”