Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
what's evil about my brain is that i had an idea about a potential new blog theme this morning and then immediately forgot about it about an hour later
"Are you 100% sure you want to come with me?" You looked from your suitcase and up at Peter, who was spinning around in your desk chair.
Peter stopped spinning and faced you, a smile on his face. "Yep!"
"You'll be stuck all day in my truck with me."
"And? I've been stuck on a Quin-jet with Sam, Clint, and Bucky. I've survived worse." Peter joked as he got up to sit next to your suitcase on the bed.
You couldn't help but smile at his words before sighing. "Remind me why you want to come to my hometown for spring break again?"
"Morbid curiosity." Peter shrugged. "You talk a lot about your friends there. It seems like you miss them, and I want to find out if small towns are just like the movies."
A melancholic smile pulled your lips before you huffed a laugh through your nose. "Why can't you take my word when I tell you it's not like the movies?"
Especially my town, it's more like a sci-fi thriller than a cozy coming-of-age movie. You thought to yourself as you set your suitcase down. "Besides, I haven't seen my friends since I left, only sending them texts here and there and replying to their stories."
Peter smirked. "Somehow I don't believe you. I have to see it to believe it. And I'm sure your friends would be happy to see you."
You sighed dramatically, flopping onto your bed right next to him. "Has anyone told you that curiosity killed the cat?"
"Yeah, but satisfaction brought it back." He said smugly, flopping back on the bed with you.
You rolled your eyes at him, but you couldn't help the smile that tugged at your lips. "I don't understand how Tony thinks you're so mild-mannered and innocent—you're a real smart ass." You turn to look at Peter.
"Because he's my mentor and technically my boss, I don't talk back to Mr. Stark, unlike someone I know." Peter sent you a pointed look, and you stuck out your tongue at him.
"Oh, come on! You still call him Mr. Stark even if you're not in the same room as him? Christ, Peter, you've been working with him since you were like 15, how have you not called him Tony at this point?" You scrunched your nose in bewilderment.
Peter's smile had faltered slightly, "I don't know, it's a habit, it would feel weird if I started now." His tone strained as he sat up.
Your eyebrows furrow at his tone. "Right." You pause for a second before you ask, "Are you and Tony okay?"
Peter looks down at you, a little caught off guard by the question. "Everything's fine. Why?"
"You guys seemed..." You took a beat to try and find your words. "...short with each other yesterday in the lab."
"Yeah, we're good." Peter averts his gaze away from you, his jaw clenched. "We just had a little disagreement."
You purse your lips before they thin out into a line. "Huh."
Peter looks back at you and raises an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"
You shrugged at him. "In all the months I've known you and seen you two interact, you guys don't argue."
"It's fine, Iggy, just let it go."
"But—"
"Just drop it!" Peter exclaims, and the outburst takes you aback. You sit up slowly as he covers his face with his hands.
Peter rubs at his face before his hands drop into his lap, staring at them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." He sighed. "We had a disagreement about something and he keeps being, you know, Tony, and keeps bringing it up at the most inconvenient times when I don't want to talk about because I've expressed my feelings clearly that I don't want to keep talking about it—and I'm rambling, and I'm stopping."
You tilted your head at him for a second, noticing how flustered he had gotten, and decided to let it go. "Okay, sorry for bringing it up."
Peter shook his head, finally ripping his gaze away from his hands to look at you. "S'fine, I just didn't think anyone picked up on it."
You wanted to comment on the fact that everyone had picked up on the tension between him and Tony, but for his sake, you weren't going to tell him that.
"Don't worry, I don't think they have. I just did because I spend the most time with the two of you in the lab." You told him, with a half-smile on your lips.
You sat up on your bed, your shoulder brushing against Peter's, "So you're sure you want to come with me? I mean, you could go on a mission for once or catch up on homework." You suggest going back to your initial conversation.
"It sounds like you don't want me coming with you Iggy." Peter teased, nudging your shoulder with his.
I kinda don't, considering I think something might happen when I go back, because my life is a joke and the Upside Down is the bane of my existence. You thought to yourself as you rolled your eyes at him. "I'm just saying, there's nothing to do. My hometown is boring."
"Okay and? I want to see your hometown and this is the perfect time to do it."
"What about your patrol? You're gonna leave New York without Spider-Man?" You asked him, raising a brow.
Peter nudged your shoulder again. "I'm sure the city can survive a week without me."
"Hmm, I don't know, maybe you'll miss out on a bicycle robber and getting a free churro." You teased.
It was Peter's turn to roll his eyes at you. "Hey! I ended up stopping a robbery after getting the free churro, and that happened when I was 15!" Peter defended himself, but you could see the smile threatening to pull at his lips.
"Sure you did, bug boy."
Peter pushed you, almost sending you flying off your bed. "I told you not to call me that."
But you couldn't help but laugh at him. "Oh, wow real mature of you to push an innocent civilian off of her own bed Spider-Boy. " You remarked.
Peter groaned loudly. "It's Spider-Man!" He emphasized. "And you're anything but innocent."
You batted your eyelashes at him innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a saint."
Peter snorted a laugh, "Right—hacking into Stark Tower while on a field trip to said tower, on a dare—is so saint-like of you."
"Well, when you put it that way…" You trailed off before you locked eyes with Peter, and the two of you burst into laughter.
The two of you fell into each other, supporting each other's bodies as they wracked with laughter. Eventually, the two of you calmed down, and you barely registered the proximity that you and Peter were in.
You looked into his mirth-filled eyes. "You really want to come with me with spring break huh?"
Peter nodded, a breathless smile on his face. "Yeah, I do. Please stop asking me if I'm sure."
"Fine, fine. I'll stop." You smiled back at him. Your eyes flicked at the alarm clock on your nightstand. "Well then bug boy, then you should get to packing, we have an early start and a long day of driving tomorrow."
Peter rolled his eyes at your nickname but pulled away from you and slid off your bed. "Will you let me drive at least?"
"Nope! I don't trust you after that joyride when we were at the compound."
"I wasn't that bad." Peter pouted, shooting you a puppy dog look that you were practically immune to at this point, having seen this look on his face a dozen times before.
"You almost reversed into the wall of the garage." You deadpanned.
"I didn't know it was in reverse!"
You couldn't help but laugh at his whiny tone. "Go pack Peter!"
Peter smiled at the sound of your laugh; it was one of his favorite sounds. "Okay, okay!" He raised his hands in surrender. "I'm going." He walks out of your room, and you shake your head at your best friend.
Peter peeks his head into room. "Can I at least have aux?"
"Peter!"
"Okay! Packing now!"
THURSDAY MARCH 20TH
HAWKINS, INDIANA
After an eleven-hour drive filled with karaoke, sleeping (Peter), traffic, and pit stops, you and Peter finally made it to your hometown. You weren't going to admit to Peter, but you could feel that something was just off as you passed the 'Welcome to Hawkins' sign as the sun was lowering below the horizon. There was something heavy settling in your stomach, but you brushed off the feeling as you drove further into town.
You drove through the quiet streets of Hawkins before you found yourself pulling up to the Henderson household. After the events of last summer, Mrs. Henderson was more than willing to take you under her wing after your cabin was destroyed. So, she was ecstatic when you texted her that you and a friend (Peter) could stay over for the break, and you managed to turn it into a surprise for not only Dustin but everyone else (you were just glad that your spring break aligned with theirs).
You pulled up onto the driveway and parked, letting out a long breath of relief after driving the last couple of hours. You texted Claudia to let her know you were here. It didn't take her long to appear on the porch walkway where you were waiting.
Claudia was quick to engulf you in her arms. "Oh, it's so lovely to see you!" She said as she pulled away from you, putting a motherly hand on your cheek. "I was quite sad when you told me you weren't coming home for the holidays."
You smiled at her motherly concern, even if it was tinged with melancholy. "Sorry, Mrs. Henderson."
She pinched your cheek. "Well, at least you're here now." Claudia's eyes wandered and landed behind you. "Oh, is this your friend?" She asked as her hand fell off your cheek.
You nodded, looking back at Peter, who had exited the truck and was watching this reunion. "Yeah, that's Peter. Thank you again for letting him stay."
Claudia waved you off. "Of course! I'm just surprised he's just your friend."
"What?" You said as you sent her a confused smile, your eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're not 'friends' with someone that looks like him. I mean he's no Steve Harrington, but he's pretty cute." Claudia smiled at you and wagged her eyebrows at you.
Your eye twitched at the mention of Steve, but you ignored it. "Well, he is just a friend." You said, through a strained smile, fully aware that Peter could hear this conversation despite being about ten feet away.
Claudia nodded at you. "If you say so. Have you eaten dinner yet?"
You shook your head. "No. We were going to drop off our stuff and then go grab a bite at the diner on Main."
"Ah, save your money! We just finished eating, I can warm up a plate for the two of you. But before you eat, you can surprise Dustin, you came at the perfect time, the boys are over right now."
"They're not at Mike's?" You asked, slightly shocked. You were surprised that the majority of the party was at someone else's house other than the Wheelers.
"Dustin wanted to show them something and so they came over." Claudia explained.
You hummed in affirmation, you looked back at Peter, and he nodded at you to go ahead. You sent him a smile before you looked back at Claudia. "I'll be back in a bit to grab my things."
"Take your time, honey." Claudia smiled warmly at you before you walked past her and into the house.
A sudden wave of nostalgia washed over you as you crossed the threshold. You couldn't help the fond smile on your lips as you walked through the foyer and headed up the stairs. As you climbed the stairs, you could hear the boys' overlapping voices leaking through the cracked door. Your fond smile turned into a smirk as a plan formulated in your head. You saw the LED lights in Dustin's room were on (which made you roll your eyes at the sight, because of course Dustin had them), and you closed your eyes.
The boys were in Dustin's room, scattered in front of the small TV mounted above his desk, where his custom-built PC and gaming setup were. Dustin was grinning ear-to-ear as both Lucas and Mike were groaning and yelling at him for beating them in Mario Kart.
"That's what you guys get for giving me so much shit about calling Suzie." Dustin said boastfully as he turned around from his spot on his chair to face his friends.
"You guys are on Face Time like 24/7, it's nauseating." Mike scrunched his nose at the thought.
Dustin rolls his eyes at Mike. "Well, at least I call my girlfriend." He shot back.
"Hey! I—" the LED lights shutting off cut Mike off, leaving the TV as the only source of light, dimly illuminating the bedroom.
"What the hell?" Lucas questioned, looking around the dark room, confused.
Dustin sighed. "The lights do that sometimes, they're finicky."
"I told you not to buy your lights from Five and Below." Lucas shook his head at Dustin, even though Dustin could barely see him.
Dustin scoffed. "They still work, I'm not ordering shit from Amazon."
"Ugh, dude, come off your high horse. There's no ethical consumption under capitalism." Mike said sardonically.
"Do you even understand what you just said? Or did you just want spout off buzzwords off of Twitter?" Dustin shot back at Mike.
Before their argument could escalate further, the TV shut off, plunging them into darkness.
"Uh, I'm 100 percent sure that your TV doesn't shut off by itself." Lucas's tone was tense.
"Yeah, it doesn't." Dustin said.
The three boys stood up slowly as a piercing silence filled the room. None of the boys heard Dustin's door open further. You made your way into the room silently. You could vaguely see their figures in the dark, and some of the fading light from the sun had leaked in through his windows, so you knew to act fast.
You stood behind Dustin. "BOO!" You yelled before grabbing at his shoulders.
The three boys screamed; you felt Dustin flinch and jump under your hands, and he quickly turned around to hit you, which you easily dodged (thank god for the training you had gotten from Bucky and Nat).
You started laughing hysterically before you used your powers to turn the lights back on. This time, you turned on the overhead lights, illuminating the room with harsh light. The boys blinked at the sudden flood of light, and Dustin was the first to register you.
"Vix?" Dustin questioned with his brows furrowed.
"In the flesh!" You said in a musical tone, smiling at them, spreading your arms wide.
"You're back?" Mike tilted his head at you.
"Yeah, I'm spending my spring break in Hawkins." You explained, dropping your arms.
"You have the same spring break as us?" Lucas asked.
You nodded. "Yup. Now can we stop playing twenty questions and get a hug from you twerps?"
They all rolled their eyes at you, but let you wrap your arms around them. You gave Mike a brief hug, then a longer one to Lucas, and the longest to Dustin.
"Next time, can you greet us like a normal person?" Dustin asked once you pulled away from the hug.
"No." You ruffled his curls, making Dustin scowl at you as he fixed his hair.
"Wait, why isn't your nose isn't bleeding. I thought your powers went away like El's?" Mike pointed out.
You smirked at him. "Oh, a whole lot has happened since I've been gone, Mikey." You say cryptically.
"Don't call me that. "
"When have I ever listened to you?"
"Shut up." Mike mumbled. His teenage angst made you smile.
There's a knock on the doorway, making the four of you turn to see Claudia.
"Sweetheart, is it alright if Peter stays in the room with you? We have a trundle bed that both of you could use." Claudia asked.
"Yeah, that's fine." You tell her, and she smiles at you before leaving the hallway.
"Who's Peter?" Mike asked.
"And why is he staying with you in the guest room?" Dustin interjected, crossing his arms over his chest.
You rolled your eyes at Dustin. "He's my friend and he wanted to come and visit Hawkins."
Lucas snorts. "Who in their right mind would want to visit Hawkins?" He spits out the town name disdainfully, the four of you sharing a knowing glance.
"Trust me, I asked him the same thing, but I think he was dropped on the head as a baby." You quipped.
"I wasn't, but thanks for asking, Igs." Peter's sarcastic voice filtered into the room. Your head snapped over to him, standing in the doorway, a smirk on his face.
You raised an eyebrow at him, asking him silently what he was doing on the second floor. Peter points to your and his suitcases. "Mrs. Henderson said I could bring them up here."
Dustin stared hard at Peter before looking at you. "Yeah, that's not happening. He's not allowed in the room with you."
"And why not?" You raised a suspicious brow at Dustin.
"Because it's my house!"
"You mean it's your mom's house, which means that she makes the rules, and she's okay with Peter staying in the same room as me." You put your hands on your hips as you leveled Dustin a look. A look he was all too familiar with.
Lucas and Mike shared smirks at the scene unfolding before them, while Peter, at the doorway, observed it with intrigue in his eyes. It was a little strange seeing you interact with people you knew so well, except for him and everyone back home in New York.
You continued to talk, "Besides, you didn't have an issue when Steve was over."
"That was different!" Dustin exclaimed.
"How?"
"Because he's Steve. I know him. I don't know him." Dustin pointed at Peter. "And you guys were dating so it made sense for the two of you to be in the same room." His voice got quiet, looking away from you.
You sighed. Dustin was very loud about his opinion on you breaking up with Steve. "Can you guys give us a minute?" You asked Lucas, Mike, and Peter, looking at each of them.
They all nodded, Mike and Lucas, filing out of the room and into the hallway, Peter closing the door after they had left the room.
"Look, Dust, Peter is a good guy, and he's also my friend. He's going to be staying with us, okay?"
Dustin scowled at you, but said nothing in response, pointedly looking away from you.
"Dustin." You said his name firmly. "I'm not saying that you have to be friends with him, but please try and be civil when he's here. Peter just wanted to see my hometown and meet my friends."
"Oh, you mean the friends you haven't seen in almost a year?" Dustin's scowl deepened as he snapped at you.
"I deserved that." You admitted with a sigh. "And I'm sorry for not visiting, that's on me. But I'm here to make up for it."
Dustin's jaw was clenched as he looked down at his hand, fiddling with his ring on his finger. "It felt like you forgot about us once you were in New York." He muttered.
You placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. It's just—" Your lips folded inward before you let out a breath, your voice lowering in volume, "—after Starcourt—"
The Russian code. Falling elevators. Being manhandled by Russians. The stench of rotting flesh. Billy's body is looming over you and El. The squelching noise of flesh being pierced. Max wails of despair echoing through the mall. Ambulances. El falling into your bruised arms at the devastating realization that your father didn't make it out of the mall alive.
You blinked away the memories flooding your mind. "—it was too much for me to handle. So I decided to run and block out Hawkins."
You saw a muscle in Dustin's jaw twitch as he swallowed thickly.
"But—"You continued, "—no matter how hard I tried to avoid talking about this place, you guys never failed to come up in stories with my friends." You gave Dustin a small smile once he finally looked up at you. "Being in Hawkins is hard with everything that has happened, but I'm willing to push through that because in all honesty, the people in New York are nothing like you or the party and I've missed you guys. Even if it didn't feel like it because I didn't visit."
Dustin's shoulders sagged at your words. He looked into your eyes for a moment before hugging you, one that was tighter than the first one you gave him. You instantly responded, wrapping your arms around him and resting your head against his, his short curls tickling your cheek.
"I hate how good you are at being vulnerable." Dustin mumbled into your shoulder, making you chuckle.
"I've had a lot of practice over the months." You said before you pulled away, keeping your hands on Dustin's shoulders.
"Just—" Dustin's eyes were slightly glassy as he looked at you. "—don't wait so long to visit."
You couldn't help but ruffle Dustin's curls again. "Aw, Dustin, I missed you too!" You teased, trying to lighten the mood and making Dustin roll his eyes at you. "And don't worry, I have plans to come back in the summer."
"You better." Dustin looked at you pointedly. "So, why did I have to find out through Instagram that you got an internship with the Tony Stark?!"
You couldn't help the smirk on your face at the sight of the sparkle in Dustin's eye. You wrapped an arm around Dustin's shoulder. "I'll tell you in good time, young one. But, right now I want to eat, I'm starving." You told him as you led him out of his room.
"I'm not young, I'm almost 16!"
FRIDAY MARCH 21ST
You climbed up the steps of the trailer, and the cool March air wrapped around you like a blanket. You knocked on the screen door once, then twice, then once more before stuffing your hands into your jacket (that you most definitely didn't steal from Peter a month or two ago).
You heard quick footsteps approach the door. It opened, and the screen door swung open, revealing Max. She was dressed for school, wearing a green crew-neck sweater and jeans, her wired headphones peaking out from under the sweater, and her hair was still down, unstyled.
She stared at you for a moment. "You're here." Max's voice was flat, but you could see the confused look in her eyes.
"I am." You nodded, smiling softly at her. She had been distant ever since Starcourt (you couldn't blame her, you had done the same thing).
"Why?" Max asked bluntly. She leaned on the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Because I have my spring break at the same time you do and I wanted to visit."
Max raised a skeptical brow at you. "Sure you did." Her tone was dry and derisive.
You rolled your eyes at her. "I did. Now, hurry up and finish getting ready so I can drive you to school."
"I'm fine taking the bus." Max dismissed you as she stopped leaning on the doorframe.
"I'll stop by the Coffee Bean down on Main to grab your favorites. Free of charge." You shrugged.
Max's eyes narrowed. "You're bribing me."
"Yeah, I am." You smiled widely at her. "And I want to spend time with my favorite angsty teen. Now hurry up and grab your shit. I don't want to make you late."
Max rolled her eyes at you but nodded. The screen door closed, but she left the main door open as she went, grabbed her backpack from the small kitchenette, and quickly came back, grabbing her skateboard before stepping out onto the porch.
"Turn around for me." You told her, gesturing for her to turn as you made a small circle in the air with your finger.
Max sighed. "Why?"
"Because your hair is a hot mess and I want to fix it for you." You said, forcing Max by her shoulders to turn around.
Max grumbled something under her breath, but you ignored it. You brushed her hair out as best as you could with your fingers before gathering half of it from the crown of her head to tie it up into a half-up, half-down hairstyle. You quickly tied her hair up and turned her around again to grab some framing pieces.
There was a small scowl on Max's face when you were done. "You happy now?"
"Yep." You said, popping the 'p'. "Now we can go."
After a pit stop at the cafe, the ride between you and Max was virtually silent. She had her headphones in while you played your music. But you didn't mind the silence between you and Max. You pulled into your old parking spot once you arrived at Hawkins High. Max was eager to get out of the truck, but you locked the doors before she could open them.
"So, I might have lied when I said the stuff from the cafe was free of charge." You said.
Max glared at you, pulling out her earbuds. "Let me out."
"The cost is just a hug." The corner of your lips started to curl up at the sight of Max finally emoting. Even though you didn't keep in touch with the whole group, Lucas had confided in you about his and Max's breakup, and her own distance affected him.
You knew how detached and numb Max was feeling, you did the same thing, the only difference is that you had someone who was as stubborn as you and pulled your head out of your ass, no matter what the consequences. Everyone else was just too afraid to do the same for her. So, if riling her up is what makes her snap out of the state she was in, then you'd be the person to do so.
Max scoffed. "Really? You've got to be kidding."
You opened your arms. "You know I'm not. Just one hug."
Max rolled her eyes again and gave you a half-hearted hug.
"Nope," You shook your head. "Again. I want a real hug and not one that lasts a millisecond."
"God, you're annoying," Max said, shaking her head.
"It's my defining trait." You quipped before pulling her into your arms. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around you once more, but you could feel her body tense at the contact before she slowly relaxed into your arms.
"Missed you firecracker." You whispered into her hair.
Max's arms tightened around you. "Missed you too." She mumbled.
The hug lasted another minute before you let go of her. She pulled away and cleared her throat, not looking at you. "Thanks for the ride."
You unlocked the door. "Anytime." You said while smiling at her.
Both of you jumped when you heard knocks at your window. You saw Dustin's displeased face as you cranked down your window.
"Oh, come on! I thought you were giving me a ride this morning?" Dustin whined.
You shook your head. "Oh, don't be a big baby. Your bike works perfectly fine."
"Yeah, doesn't mean I wanted to use it this morning." Dustin actually pouted at you.
"Maybe you should actually get your license." You said, rolling your eyes. "Besides, I'm not your personal chauffer Dust—what are you wearing?" You finally registered what shirt Dustin had on. It looked vaguely familiar to you.
Dustin looked down at his shirt and smiled. His chest puffed out as he looked back at you. "Oh, this? It's my Hellfire shirt." He shot you a proud smile.
You shared a glance with Max before shaking your head. "Right." You stared at it for a moment before shaking your head. "Like I said, I'm not your chauffer and I left a note explaining where I went."
"I didn't see it." Dustin shrugged. "You know you could have just sent a text right?"
"Just get to class." You said, exasperated. You didn't have the energy to keep going back and forth with Dustin.
He didn't move. "Are you going to pick me up after our campaign?" Dustin asked.
"Isn't it the championship game today?" You frowned at him. Lucas had talked about it last night before he left the Henderson home and invited you and Peter to come and watch.
"Wait, really?" Dustin's eyes went wide.
"Uh, yeah? Lucas was talking about it last night." You looked at Dustin with furrowed brows.
Dustin blinked hard at you before he grabbed the top of his hat. There was some panic in his eyes. "Shit. I gotta go." Dustin ran off. You saw the crowds of students being herded towards the gym.
You looked back at Max, gesturing to the gym with a nod. "You should probably get going."
Max nodded, grabbed her backpack and her skateboard from the foot well of the truck, and left. You watched her as she walked away, only to be stopped by Mrs. Kelly. You frowned at the sight, though it slowly faded. You were slightly relieved that Max seemed to be getting help. Your eyes scanned the parking lot for a moment before they landed on a familiar car, and you felt your breath catch in your throat.
Wind brushing against your skin as Steve drove fast with the roof down, zipping down the empty back roads. Playful banter that made the two of you dissolve into laughter, the joyous sounds filling the cabin of the car. Steve leaning over the console, kissing you, both of you smiling through the kiss. Shared shy and sensual touches in the backseat. The windows fogging up from your passionate exchanges. A heated argument between you and Steve. Another argument about college. And another about your futures. And another, just about nothing this time around, fighting each other for no reason. Both of you sit in resigned silence, healing bruises on either of your bodies.
You stared at the red convertible, blinking hard. You shook your head (as if that would wipe your mind from seeing the car) and turned on your truck, quickly leaving the parking lot and heading back to the Henderson house.
By the time you had gotten back to the house, Peter was still sleeping, so you let him be. After about an hour at home, doing some work on your laptop, you woke him up. Well, at least you attempted to.
You opened your room door slightly and saw Peter still asleep. You had to ignore the way your heart flipped at the sight of him; his features were soft and relaxed. The lines of stress that marred his skin were gone as his chest rose and fell rhythmically. You opened the door further and moved into the room. Some of his hair was splayed on the pillow and across his forehead, and you successfully resisted the temptation to brush the strands off his skin.
He had kicked off the blanket in the night, revealing his "I Survived NYC" shirt and bright pink pajama bottoms covered in Hello Kitty faces. The sight of the pants made you smile; you remember the first time you saw them, and it made you burst out laughing (it was the first time you laughed genuinely since the start of summer). You sat on the edge of his bed, which was on a platform that came out from underneath your bed, and poked his thigh.
"Peter?" You asked softly.
He didn't even stir. Peter's breathing was still deep and steady.
You gently shook his leg. "Peter."
Nothing again. A small snore escaped Peter's lips.
You huffed. He usually isn't a deep sleeper. You thought to yourself. You poked his stomach to see if he'd actually wake up. Then his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist before you could even touch him. You let out a surprised yelp as he pulled you further onto the bed, and you steadied yourself with your free hand on the pillow beside the one he was lying on to avoid falling on top of him.
A small grunt escaped his lips as Peter used his free hand and practically manhandled you onto the bed fully, and he tucked you into his chest with no struggle on his behalf (damn him and his super strength), and he pulled the blanket over the two of you.
You could feel his chest rumble as he let out a sleepy hum. "Five more minutes," Peter mumbled, his voice rough from sleep as he sank further into the bed.
You were face-to-face with Peter. You could feel your face warm with how close you were to him, even though this wasn't the first time you had experienced Peter being cuddly in the morning. "You gotta get up, Pete." You whispered.
Peter let out an incomprehensible grunt and ignored you in favor of pulling you closer to him. "You're warm." He buried his head into your neck, his cold nose pressing against your skin.
"Yeah, I'm physically incapable of being cold." You snipped at Peter as you slightly jumped at the contact. "We have plans today." You reminded.
"Cancel them. I wanna sleep in." Peter grumbled, slinging a leg over your hip, fully cocooning you with his body.
You sighed. "Pete, it's like 9 AM."
"Still too early." Peter's lips brushed against your neck, and he tightened his arms around you. The contact of his slightly chapped lips against your skin sent a jolt down your spine.
"Goddamn it, Peter, I'm not a teddy bear." You grip as you try to pry him off of you, but to no avail. "Damn you and your stupid spider powers." You grumbled.
"Five more minutes." Peter mumbled sleepily, the pull of sleep tugging at him once more.
"Ugh, fine. Just five okay?" You said as you brought your free hand to the back of Peter's hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Peter let out something akin to a purr, his chest rumbling at the sensation of your nails scratching against his scalp as he fell back asleep.
You did the soothing motion for a beat before you felt your eyes grow heavy, and sleep took over your senses.
By the time you woke up, it was noon. You had scowled at Peter when the two of you got up from your impromptu nap, and all he did was smile cheekily at you. Peter quickly got dressed, and the two of you headed out to grab a quick bite to eat at the diner before going to the Hawk to watch an early re-release of The Empire Strikes Back, which Peter was very excited for.
After the movie, you headed over to Nancy's to surprise her and carpool with her to the game. Peter let out a low whistle as you pulled up to the Wheeler house.
"This is a pretty nice, you sure she isn't rich?" Peter said, staring at the well-maintained lawn and large house.
"If you think this is nice, when I give you the tour tomorrow, and you see Loch Nora, then you'll know what rich is." You said as you got out of your truck.
"I bet this costed nothing when her parents bought it." Peter observed as the two of you walked up the driveway.
"Probably, considering her Dad is like a financier for some company and does stock trading on the side." You shrugged before pressing the Ring doorbell that was fitted right where the old one used to be.
The door shortly swung open, revealing a slightly frazzled Karen Wheeler. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and she was still dressed in her matching workout clothes.
Karen said your name in surprise before giving you a kind smile. "It's nice to see you honey!" She said before pulling you into a hug.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you too Mrs. Wheeler." You gave her a small smile after you pulled away from the hug. Her eyes flickered to Peter, who was standing right beside her. He sent her a polite smile.
"And who's this?" She inquired. Karen's eyes were studying him.
"Oh, right." You gesture to Peter. "Peter is a friend from New York, he wanted to visit and see what Hawkins was like for spring break."
Karen made a face of understanding, her gaze lingering on Peter slightly. "Well, I hope you have fun while you're here, Peter."
"Thank you." Peter responded with a smile.
"Mom, who are you talking to?" You could hear Nancy's faint voice coming from the stairs inside the house.
Karen turned back. "Come see for yourself honey!"
"Why?" Nancy called back.
"Nancy, just get down here!" Karen yelled for her daughter.
You heard Nancy groan and heard thundering footsteps coming down the stairs. Nancy wore an Emerson College t-shirt, a white, flowy skirt, and a cream-colored cardigan. Her wavy hair fell to her shoulders, but it was clear she had layers in it.
Nancy practically froze when her wide blue eyes landed on you. "You're here?"
You gave her jazz hands. "Surprise!"
You barely saw Nancy slip by her mom before she engulfed you in a hug. You let out a laugh but wrapped your arms around Nancy, squeezing her just as hard as she was to you. Peter smiled at the reunion between the two of you. Karen smiled as she watched the two of you embrace, then took her leave.
After another minute of hugging, Nancy finally pulled away and punched your shoulder.
You winced. "Ow! Nance, what the hell was that for?" The punch didn't actually hurt, but it was unexpected.
"That was for ditching us during Thanksgiving, for California during Christmas, and not for saying anything about coming during spring break when I asked you about it." Nancy huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at you with her wide, blue eyes.
You rolled your eyes. "Okay, first of all, I didn't mean to ditch you during Christmas; that visit wasn't even planned. Second of all, I wanted it to be a surprise. And third of all, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to come back during Thanksgiving, which you know because I texted you." You leveled Nancy with a knowing look.
Nancy met your gaze for a second before pursing her lips. She blew out a breath and nodded. "Right. Sorry, I just missed you."
You sent her a crooked smile. "Missed you too Nance. Now let's get going, I want to get good seats."
"I knew we should have waited until after the game." You had groaned as you reached the entrance of the gym. You and Peter were speed-walking to the gym since you guys decided to grab a snack before the game started at the concession stands outside, across from the building.
"I said I'm sorry, but you know how hungry I get!" Peter pouted at you, but you couldn't respond since the band was playing.
"That metabolism of yours is gonna get you in trouble." You shook your head and led him up the bleachers, having found empty spots for the two of you right in the middle of the row.
You ignored the shocked whispers of your name and the questions about Peter as you moved through the row. Peter apologized for you as he followed behind you. You sat down with a huff and shrugged off your jacket.
Peter sat down next to you and furrowed his brows. "Is that my jacket?"
"Yeah, I borrowed it a while ago." You said as you stuck out your hand for the snacks, not looking at him. You expected him to give you the candy you bought, but frowned when he didn't, so you looked over at him with a confused expression. "What?"
"I thought I lost it in the laundry! I've been looking for that forever." Peter exclaimed.
"You lent it to me. Catch up Pete. Now give me my gummy bears." You opened and closed your hand in a grabbing motion for them.
Peter scoffed, shaking his head, but tossed the gummy bears at your face. You caught them, just barely, and sent him a half-hearted glare. Peter smirked at you and opened the sour straws that he had gotten and bit into them.
The band music cut out, and the announcer walked out onto the court. "Everyone, now please rise for our national anthem."
You and Peter stood with everyone else. "Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own Tammy Thompson!" Everyone broke out in applause and cheering as she walked into the gym, waving at everyone, but you snickered as you clapped half-heartedly.
Peter looked at you, confused. "Why are you laughing?"
You smirked at him. "You'll see. Let just say that her parents pulled a lot of strings to get her to Nashville."
The furrow in Peter's eyebrow deepened, but he didn't say anything. The applause petered out as Tammy readied herself to sing. You couldn't help but look back at the band section, and you made eye contact with Robin. You saw excitement and shock in her eyes as she grinned at you. You pointed at Tammy and sent her a teasing smile, making her roll her eyes.
What you didn't see was that Steve had noticed that Robin's attention was no longer on Tammy or Vickie and followed her line of sight. His jaw fell open slightly in awe as he stared at you. His heart twisted with anguish and beat faster as you smiled. Steve knew that it wasn't aimed at him, but a warmth swept through his chest after not having seen it in months (ignoring the fact that he low-key stalked your account during the periods where he wasn't going on dates).
You looked good, happier even—there was a lightness to you, like there was a weight off of your shoulders that Steve hadn't seen before. A soft smile appeared on his face, but it faltered once your gaze turned to the guy next to you, who nudged you with his elbow and offered his candy to you. You had taken it with a smile, saying something to the guy to make him roll his eyes at you, but there was a hidden fondness in his gaze that Steve could spot from a mile away. Who was that guy you were with? Steve couldn't make out his features, except that he was about his height and had brown hair.
"Ohh, sayy can you see—" Tammy's off-key singing snaps Steve back from staring, and he cringes at her voice.
You grin widely as you see Peter flinch at her voice, visibly wincing at how off-key Tammy was as she sang the national anthem.
"She's singing in Nashville?" Peter asked incredulously, trying to resist covering his ears from the unpleasant noises coming from the microphone.
"Like I said, lots of strings were pulled. And it doesn't help she's trying to be an influencer at the same time." You looked at Peter as you informed him.
Peter made eye contact with you. "You've got to be kidding."
"I am not."
Peter looked back at Tammy. "I have nothing nice to say, so I'm not going to say anything at all."
You had to slam your hand over your mouth to hold back a laugh at Peter's words, so as not to look like a jackass in the middle of the national anthem. You couldn't help but snicker with amusement while Peter smiled to himself, having noticed your reaction and being pleased by it.
Once you had calmed down, you saw Lucas in the line-up, and he was looking around the bleachers, and the hopeful look on his face had dropped. You looked around and noticed the lack of curly hair, a brooding redhead, and a raven-haired teenager, and sighed. You caught Lucas's eye and waved at him, sending him a thumbs up, and mouthing 'You got this' to him.
Lucas sent you a half-smile but stood up straighter, making you smile.
Once Tammy finished singing, the players were on the court, and the game was on. While you didn't typically enjoy watching sports (you only did it in support of your friends and boyfriend at the time), admittedly, you did get into watching the game as the points for either team were tied. You were watching in anticipation of who would win, and you were on the edge of your seat when Lucas got the ball.
You saw him practically sprint across the court, and he took the shot with only seconds left on the timer. The ball went in cleanly with a 'swish,' and the gym exploded with cheers. You were immediately on your feet, cheering with excitement at the fact that Hawkins finally won a basketball championship.
His teammates immediately swarmed Lucas, and you couldn't help but beam at the sight. Peter couldn't help but grin at the sight of you so happy—it was infectious, your joy. Soon enough, you filed outside with your (Peter's) jacket back on, and you and Peter were by Nancy's car, waiting for Nancy to wrap up with her Broadcast & Journalism team.
You saw Lucas in the distance, being surrounded by his teammates, glowing with pride from the high of winning the game for the school. You observed as he looked around and spotted something that dimmed his smile. You frowned at the sight of him and followed him to where he was looking, and there you saw Mike, Dustin, and Erica exiting one of the buildings.
"I'll be right back." You told Peter. He had followed your line of sight and nodded.
You approached Lucas with a wide smile. "Hey! You were amazing out there!"
Lucas turned around and smiled sheepishly at you. "Thanks Vix."
You wrapped him up in a hug. "They're idiots for not coming." You told him as you pulled away, leaving a hand on his shoulder.
Lucas sighed. "They seriously tried to get me to postpone this game for DnD."
You shook your head. "Again, idiots. Don't worry, I'll talk to them."
"Sinclair!" A voice echoed through the parking lot, making the two of you look over at the group of jocks. "You coming?" It was Jason, gesturing for Lucas to join them.
"Go." You nodded at them. "Have fun, you deserve it." You smiled at him.
Lucas sent you a half-hearted smile. "You'll be here all week right?"
"Yeah, I'll be here to help you win back Max for like the fiftieth time." You joked.
Lucas chuckled and walked in the direction of the jocks. You shoved your hands into the jacket as you watched him join the group of teenagers, blowing out a long breath. You felt a stare boring into the back of your neck. Your gaze scans the parking lot before your eyes connect with wide, brown eyes that you knew all too well.
Steve stood by his car, leaning on the trunk, just looking at you. You swallowed thickly as the two of you stared at each other. Steve raised a hand and waved to you. You sent him a weak wave back. He straightened up from leaning on his car—it looked like he was going to approach you, but then a girl had walked up to him, averting his attention.
Your jaw clenched at the sight before you released the tension. It was none of your business if Steve was dating someone else. You took a deep breath before turning back around and heading back to Nancy's car; luckily for you, she was already by the car, chatting with Peter.
"Well, I'm ready to go." You said once you approached the two.
"Sorry, but we have to wait for Mike and Dustin. Mike texted me like five minutes ago about needing a ride." Nancy sighed, rubbing her forehead.
You pressed your lips together before moving next to Peter and leaning against his side. He let you lean on him. Nancy noticed this, her eyes lingering on the two of you, but said nothing. A couple of minutes passed, and Dustin, Erica, and Mike came to Nancy's car with their bikes.
Nancy's face scrunched in confusion at the sight of Erica. "What are you doing with them?"
"We asked her to sub in for Lucas." Dustin said nonchalantly.
"You've got to be kidding me." You groaned as you stood up straight. "You guys still went and played DnD?"
Mike furrowed his eyebrows at you. "Uh, yeah. We couldn't convince Eddie to postpone the campaign." Mike opened the trunk of the white Suburban that Nancy was borrowing from her mom.
"Jesus Christ." You mumbled under your breath. "You guys are ridiculous, you guys could have missed any other game of Lucas's beside this one."
"What does that matter? Like you said, we've been to his other games. I'm sure it was like any other one of them." Dustin waved you off and went to put his bike in the trunk alongside Mike's.
"Well, if you guys were there, you would have seen that he made the winning basket, Lucas won the championship." You shook your head at them. "Get your bikes out of the car."
"W-what?" Dustin sputtered out. "Why?"
"Because—" Nancy interjected, seeing where you were going with this. "—the two of you are going to bike home while we drop off Erica."
"That's not fucking fair! Erica missed his game too!" Mike fumed.
"Nuh uh, you guys roped me into this." Erica retorted.
"You agreed to sub in for Lucas?!" Dustin exclaimed.
Erica rolled her eyes. "I only agreed because I don't like the smell of desperation and the two of you were reeking of it."
"I swear to—"
"That's enough!" You cut in before Dustin could say anything else. "You guys have to suffer the consequences of not being a good friend. You'll have to ride home. That's final."
"Oh, you're one to talk, considering you practically ghosted us after you moved to New York." Dustin sneered as he glared at you and Peter, taking his bike out of the trunk roughly.
Your jaw clenched, but you refused to rise to the bait. "I'll see you when I get home, Henderson."
Dustin scoffed at you but said nothing. Mike and Dustin got on their bikes and rode away. You shook your head and helped Erica put her bike in the trunk, offering her the front seat before sitting in the back with Peter.
As Nancy drove, your face heated with embarrassment when you realized Peter had witnessed everything. You groaned under your breath and covered your face with your hands.
Peter heard you and leaned in. "You okay?" He asked softly.
You peeked through your fingers to look at him. His eyes were filled with such warmth and sincerity that you could have melted into a puddle right then and there.
"Not really, but I will be." You responded once you took your hands off your face.
Peter nodded and grabbed your hand, squeezing it. You squeezed his hand back and looked out the window. Not realizing that you hadn't let go of Peter's hand, but you didn't really think about it because there was a familiar sinking feeling in your gut that distracted you entirely from the comfort Peter was bringing you.
You let out a shaky breath. You had a feeling something was wrong, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. You were hoping that your gut was wrong and that your spring break would turn out just fine.
wc: 8.7k
a/n: sorry not sorry about the word count LOL. tbh the most difficult thing to figure out was what car modern!steve would drive but this is what i had in mind! but we're in it now guys... tis the calm before the utter shit storm that is about to occur
next up: [chapter two—vecna's curse] | [series masterlist]
june will be good june will be good june will be good june will be good june will be good june will be good june will be good june will be good june will be good june will be
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
"Are you 100% sure you want to come with me?" You looked from your suitcase and up at Peter, who was spinning around in your desk chair.
Peter stopped spinning and faced you, a smile on his face. "Yep!"
"You'll be stuck all day in my truck with me."
"And? I've been stuck on a Quin-jet with Sam, Clint, and Bucky. I've survived worse." Peter joked as he got up to sit next to your suitcase on the bed.
You couldn't help but smile at his words before sighing. "Remind me why you want to come to my hometown for spring break again?"
"Morbid curiosity." Peter shrugged. "You talk a lot about your friends there. It seems like you miss them, and I want to find out if small towns are just like the movies."
A melancholic smile pulled your lips before you huffed a laugh through your nose. "Why can't you take my word when I tell you it's not like the movies?"
Especially my town, it's more like a sci-fi thriller than a cozy coming-of-age movie. You thought to yourself as you set your suitcase down. "Besides, I haven't seen my friends since I left, only sending them texts here and there and replying to their stories."
Peter smirked. "Somehow I don't believe you. I have to see it to believe it. And I'm sure your friends would be happy to see you."
You sighed dramatically, flopping onto your bed right next to him. "Has anyone told you that curiosity killed the cat?"
"Yeah, but satisfaction brought it back." He said smugly, flopping back on the bed with you.
You rolled your eyes at him, but you couldn't help the smile that tugged at your lips. "I don't understand how Tony thinks you're so mild-mannered and innocent—you're a real smart ass." You turn to look at Peter.
"Because he's my mentor and technically my boss, I don't talk back to Mr. Stark, unlike someone I know." Peter sent you a pointed look, and you stuck out your tongue at him.
"Oh, come on! You still call him Mr. Stark even if you're not in the same room as him? Christ, Peter, you've been working with him since you were like 15, how have you not called him Tony at this point?" You scrunched your nose in bewilderment.
Peter's smile had faltered slightly, "I don't know, it's a habit, it would feel weird if I started now." His tone strained as he sat up.
Your eyebrows furrow at his tone. "Right." You pause for a second before you ask, "Are you and Tony okay?"
Peter looks down at you, a little caught off guard by the question. "Everything's fine. Why?"
"You guys seemed..." You took a beat to try and find your words. "...short with each other yesterday in the lab."
"Yeah, we're good." Peter averts his gaze away from you, his jaw clenched. "We just had a little disagreement."
You purse your lips before they thin out into a line. "Huh."
Peter looks back at you and raises an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"
You shrugged at him. "In all the months I've known you and seen you two interact, you guys don't argue."
"It's fine, Iggy, just let it go."
"But—"
"Just drop it!" Peter exclaims, and the outburst takes you aback. You sit up slowly as he covers his face with his hands.
Peter rubs at his face before his hands drop into his lap, staring at them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." He sighed. "We had a disagreement about something and he keeps being, you know, Tony, and keeps bringing it up at the most inconvenient times when I don't want to talk about because I've expressed my feelings clearly that I don't want to keep talking about it—and I'm rambling, and I'm stopping."
You tilted your head at him for a second, noticing how flustered he had gotten, and decided to let it go. "Okay, sorry for bringing it up."
Peter shook his head, finally ripping his gaze away from his hands to look at you. "S'fine, I just didn't think anyone picked up on it."
You wanted to comment on the fact that everyone had picked up on the tension between him and Tony, but for his sake, you weren't going to tell him that.
"Don't worry, I don't think they have. I just did because I spend the most time with the two of you in the lab." You told him, with a half-smile on your lips.
You sat up on your bed, your shoulder brushing against Peter's, "So you're sure you want to come with me? I mean, you could go on a mission for once or catch up on homework." You suggest going back to your initial conversation.
"It sounds like you don't want me coming with you Iggy." Peter teased, nudging your shoulder with his.
I kinda don't, considering I think something might happen when I go back, because my life is a joke and the Upside Down is the bane of my existence. You thought to yourself as you rolled your eyes at him. "I'm just saying, there's nothing to do. My hometown is boring."
"Okay and? I want to see your hometown and this is the perfect time to do it."
"What about your patrol? You're gonna leave New York without Spider-Man?" You asked him, raising a brow.
Peter nudged your shoulder again. "I'm sure the city can survive a week without me."
"Hmm, I don't know, maybe you'll miss out on a bicycle robber and getting a free churro." You teased.
It was Peter's turn to roll his eyes at you. "Hey! I ended up stopping a robbery after getting the free churro, and that happened when I was 15!" Peter defended himself, but you could see the smile threatening to pull at his lips.
"Sure you did, bug boy."
Peter pushed you, almost sending you flying off your bed. "I told you not to call me that."
But you couldn't help but laugh at him. "Oh, wow real mature of you to push an innocent civilian off of her own bed Spider-Boy. " You remarked.
Peter groaned loudly. "It's Spider-Man!" He emphasized. "And you're anything but innocent."
You batted your eyelashes at him innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a saint."
Peter snorted a laugh, "Right—hacking into Stark Tower while on a field trip to said tower, on a dare—is so saint-like of you."
"Well, when you put it that way…" You trailed off before you locked eyes with Peter, and the two of you burst into laughter.
The two of you fell into each other, supporting each other's bodies as they wracked with laughter. Eventually, the two of you calmed down, and you barely registered the proximity that you and Peter were in.
You looked into his mirth-filled eyes. "You really want to come with me with spring break huh?"
Peter nodded, a breathless smile on his face. "Yeah, I do. Please stop asking me if I'm sure."
"Fine, fine. I'll stop." You smiled back at him. Your eyes flicked at the alarm clock on your nightstand. "Well then bug boy, then you should get to packing, we have an early start and a long day of driving tomorrow."
Peter rolled his eyes at your nickname but pulled away from you and slid off your bed. "Will you let me drive at least?"
"Nope! I don't trust you after that joyride when we were at the compound."
"I wasn't that bad." Peter pouted, shooting you a puppy dog look that you were practically immune to at this point, having seen this look on his face a dozen times before.
"You almost reversed into the wall of the garage." You deadpanned.
"I didn't know it was in reverse!"
You couldn't help but laugh at his whiny tone. "Go pack Peter!"
Peter smiled at the sound of your laugh; it was one of his favorite sounds. "Okay, okay!" He raised his hands in surrender. "I'm going." He walks out of your room, and you shake your head at your best friend.
Peter peeks his head into room. "Can I at least have aux?"
"Peter!"
"Okay! Packing now!"
THURSDAY MARCH 20TH
HAWKINS, INDIANA
After an eleven-hour drive filled with karaoke, sleeping (Peter), traffic, and pit stops, you and Peter finally made it to your hometown. You weren't going to admit to Peter, but you could feel that something was just off as you passed the 'Welcome to Hawkins' sign as the sun was lowering below the horizon. There was something heavy settling in your stomach, but you brushed off the feeling as you drove further into town.
You drove through the quiet streets of Hawkins before you found yourself pulling up to the Henderson household. After the events of last summer, Mrs. Henderson was more than willing to take you under her wing after your cabin was destroyed. So, she was ecstatic when you texted her that you and a friend (Peter) could stay over for the break, and you managed to turn it into a surprise for not only Dustin but everyone else (you were just glad that your spring break aligned with theirs).
You pulled up onto the driveway and parked, letting out a long breath of relief after driving the last couple of hours. You texted Claudia to let her know you were here. It didn't take her long to appear on the porch walkway where you were waiting.
Claudia was quick to engulf you in her arms. "Oh, it's so lovely to see you!" She said as she pulled away from you, putting a motherly hand on your cheek. "I was quite sad when you told me you weren't coming home for the holidays."
You smiled at her motherly concern, even if it was tinged with melancholy. "Sorry, Mrs. Henderson."
She pinched your cheek. "Well, at least you're here now." Claudia's eyes wandered and landed behind you. "Oh, is this your friend?" She asked as her hand fell off your cheek.
You nodded, looking back at Peter, who had exited the truck and was watching this reunion. "Yeah, that's Peter. Thank you again for letting him stay."
Claudia waved you off. "Of course! I'm just surprised he's just your friend."
"What?" You said as you sent her a confused smile, your eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're not 'friends' with someone that looks like him. I mean he's no Steve Harrington, but he's pretty cute." Claudia smiled at you and wagged her eyebrows at you.
Your eye twitched at the mention of Steve, but you ignored it. "Well, he is just a friend." You said, through a strained smile, fully aware that Peter could hear this conversation despite being about ten feet away.
Claudia nodded at you. "If you say so. Have you eaten dinner yet?"
You shook your head. "No. We were going to drop off our stuff and then go grab a bite at the diner on Main."
"Ah, save your money! We just finished eating, I can warm up a plate for the two of you. But before you eat, you can surprise Dustin, you came at the perfect time, the boys are over right now."
"They're not at Mike's?" You asked, slightly shocked. You were surprised that the majority of the party was at someone else's house other than the Wheelers.
"Dustin wanted to show them something and so they came over." Claudia explained.
You hummed in affirmation, you looked back at Peter, and he nodded at you to go ahead. You sent him a smile before you looked back at Claudia. "I'll be back in a bit to grab my things."
"Take your time, honey." Claudia smiled warmly at you before you walked past her and into the house.
A sudden wave of nostalgia washed over you as you crossed the threshold. You couldn't help the fond smile on your lips as you walked through the foyer and headed up the stairs. As you climbed the stairs, you could hear the boys' overlapping voices leaking through the cracked door. Your fond smile turned into a smirk as a plan formulated in your head. You saw the LED lights in Dustin's room were on (which made you roll your eyes at the sight, because of course Dustin had them), and you closed your eyes.
The boys were in Dustin's room, scattered in front of the small TV mounted above his desk, where his custom-built PC and gaming setup were. Dustin was grinning ear-to-ear as both Lucas and Mike were groaning and yelling at him for beating them in Mario Kart.
"That's what you guys get for giving me so much shit about calling Suzie." Dustin said boastfully as he turned around from his spot on his chair to face his friends.
"You guys are on Face Time like 24/7, it's nauseating." Mike scrunched his nose at the thought.
Dustin rolls his eyes at Mike. "Well, at least I call my girlfriend." He shot back.
"Hey! I—" the LED lights shutting off cut Mike off, leaving the TV as the only source of light, dimly illuminating the bedroom.
"What the hell?" Lucas questioned, looking around the dark room, confused.
Dustin sighed. "The lights do that sometimes, they're finicky."
"I told you not to buy your lights from Five and Below." Lucas shook his head at Dustin, even though Dustin could barely see him.
Dustin scoffed. "They still work, I'm not ordering shit from Amazon."
"Ugh, dude, come off your high horse. There's no ethical consumption under capitalism." Mike said sardonically.
"Do you even understand what you just said? Or did you just want spout off buzzwords off of Twitter?" Dustin shot back at Mike.
Before their argument could escalate further, the TV shut off, plunging them into darkness.
"Uh, I'm 100 percent sure that your TV doesn't shut off by itself." Lucas's tone was tense.
"Yeah, it doesn't." Dustin said.
The three boys stood up slowly as a piercing silence filled the room. None of the boys heard Dustin's door open further. You made your way into the room silently. You could vaguely see their figures in the dark, and some of the fading light from the sun had leaked in through his windows, so you knew to act fast.
You stood behind Dustin. "BOO!" You yelled before grabbing at his shoulders.
The three boys screamed; you felt Dustin flinch and jump under your hands, and he quickly turned around to hit you, which you easily dodged (thank god for the training you had gotten from Bucky and Nat).
You started laughing hysterically before you used your powers to turn the lights back on. This time, you turned on the overhead lights, illuminating the room with harsh light. The boys blinked at the sudden flood of light, and Dustin was the first to register you.
"Vix?" Dustin questioned with his brows furrowed.
"In the flesh!" You said in a musical tone, smiling at them, spreading your arms wide.
"You're back?" Mike tilted his head at you.
"Yeah, I'm spending my spring break in Hawkins." You explained, dropping your arms.
"You have the same spring break as us?" Lucas asked.
You nodded. "Yup. Now can we stop playing twenty questions and get a hug from you twerps?"
They all rolled their eyes at you, but let you wrap your arms around them. You gave Mike a brief hug, then a longer one to Lucas, and the longest to Dustin.
"Next time, can you greet us like a normal person?" Dustin asked once you pulled away from the hug.
"No." You ruffled his curls, making Dustin scowl at you as he fixed his hair.
"Wait, why isn't your nose isn't bleeding. I thought your powers went away like El's?" Mike pointed out.
You smirked at him. "Oh, a whole lot has happened since I've been gone, Mikey." You say cryptically.
"Don't call me that. "
"When have I ever listened to you?"
"Shut up." Mike mumbled. His teenage angst made you smile.
There's a knock on the doorway, making the four of you turn to see Claudia.
"Sweetheart, is it alright if Peter stays in the room with you? We have a trundle bed that both of you could use." Claudia asked.
"Yeah, that's fine." You tell her, and she smiles at you before leaving the hallway.
"Who's Peter?" Mike asked.
"And why is he staying with you in the guest room?" Dustin interjected, crossing his arms over his chest.
You rolled your eyes at Dustin. "He's my friend and he wanted to come and visit Hawkins."
Lucas snorts. "Who in their right mind would want to visit Hawkins?" He spits out the town name disdainfully, the four of you sharing a knowing glance.
"Trust me, I asked him the same thing, but I think he was dropped on the head as a baby." You quipped.
"I wasn't, but thanks for asking, Igs." Peter's sarcastic voice filtered into the room. Your head snapped over to him, standing in the doorway, a smirk on his face.
You raised an eyebrow at him, asking him silently what he was doing on the second floor. Peter points to your and his suitcases. "Mrs. Henderson said I could bring them up here."
Dustin stared hard at Peter before looking at you. "Yeah, that's not happening. He's not allowed in the room with you."
"And why not?" You raised a suspicious brow at Dustin.
"Because it's my house!"
"You mean it's your mom's house, which means that she makes the rules, and she's okay with Peter staying in the same room as me." You put your hands on your hips as you leveled Dustin a look. A look he was all too familiar with.
Lucas and Mike shared smirks at the scene unfolding before them, while Peter, at the doorway, observed it with intrigue in his eyes. It was a little strange seeing you interact with people you knew so well, except for him and everyone back home in New York.
You continued to talk, "Besides, you didn't have an issue when Steve was over."
"That was different!" Dustin exclaimed.
"How?"
"Because he's Steve. I know him. I don't know him." Dustin pointed at Peter. "And you guys were dating so it made sense for the two of you to be in the same room." His voice got quiet, looking away from you.
You sighed. Dustin was very loud about his opinion on you breaking up with Steve. "Can you guys give us a minute?" You asked Lucas, Mike, and Peter, looking at each of them.
They all nodded, Mike and Lucas, filing out of the room and into the hallway, Peter closing the door after they had left the room.
"Look, Dust, Peter is a good guy, and he's also my friend. He's going to be staying with us, okay?"
Dustin scowled at you, but said nothing in response, pointedly looking away from you.
"Dustin." You said his name firmly. "I'm not saying that you have to be friends with him, but please try and be civil when he's here. Peter just wanted to see my hometown and meet my friends."
"Oh, you mean the friends you haven't seen in almost a year?" Dustin's scowl deepened as he snapped at you.
"I deserved that." You admitted with a sigh. "And I'm sorry for not visiting, that's on me. But I'm here to make up for it."
Dustin's jaw was clenched as he looked down at his hand, fiddling with his ring on his finger. "It felt like you forgot about us once you were in New York." He muttered.
You placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. It's just—" Your lips folded inward before you let out a breath, your voice lowering in volume, "—after Starcourt—"
The Russian code. Falling elevators. Being manhandled by Russians. The stench of rotting flesh. Billy's body is looming over you and El. The squelching noise of flesh being pierced. Max wails of despair echoing through the mall. Ambulances. El falling into your bruised arms at the devastating realization that your father didn't make it out of the mall alive.
You blinked away the memories flooding your mind. "—it was too much for me to handle. So I decided to run and block out Hawkins."
You saw a muscle in Dustin's jaw twitch as he swallowed thickly.
"But—"You continued, "—no matter how hard I tried to avoid talking about this place, you guys never failed to come up in stories with my friends." You gave Dustin a small smile once he finally looked up at you. "Being in Hawkins is hard with everything that has happened, but I'm willing to push through that because in all honesty, the people in New York are nothing like you or the party and I've missed you guys. Even if it didn't feel like it because I didn't visit."
Dustin's shoulders sagged at your words. He looked into your eyes for a moment before hugging you, one that was tighter than the first one you gave him. You instantly responded, wrapping your arms around him and resting your head against his, his short curls tickling your cheek.
"I hate how good you are at being vulnerable." Dustin mumbled into your shoulder, making you chuckle.
"I've had a lot of practice over the months." You said before you pulled away, keeping your hands on Dustin's shoulders.
"Just—" Dustin's eyes were slightly glassy as he looked at you. "—don't wait so long to visit."
You couldn't help but ruffle Dustin's curls again. "Aw, Dustin, I missed you too!" You teased, trying to lighten the mood and making Dustin roll his eyes at you. "And don't worry, I have plans to come back in the summer."
"You better." Dustin looked at you pointedly. "So, why did I have to find out through Instagram that you got an internship with the Tony Stark?!"
You couldn't help the smirk on your face at the sight of the sparkle in Dustin's eye. You wrapped an arm around Dustin's shoulder. "I'll tell you in good time, young one. But, right now I want to eat, I'm starving." You told him as you led him out of his room.
"I'm not young, I'm almost 16!"
FRIDAY MARCH 21ST
You climbed up the steps of the trailer, and the cool March air wrapped around you like a blanket. You knocked on the screen door once, then twice, then once more before stuffing your hands into your jacket (that you most definitely didn't steal from Peter a month or two ago).
You heard quick footsteps approach the door. It opened, and the screen door swung open, revealing Max. She was dressed for school, wearing a green crew-neck sweater and jeans, her wired headphones peaking out from under the sweater, and her hair was still down, unstyled.
She stared at you for a moment. "You're here." Max's voice was flat, but you could see the confused look in her eyes.
"I am." You nodded, smiling softly at her. She had been distant ever since Starcourt (you couldn't blame her, you had done the same thing).
"Why?" Max asked bluntly. She leaned on the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Because I have my spring break at the same time you do and I wanted to visit."
Max raised a skeptical brow at you. "Sure you did." Her tone was dry and derisive.
You rolled your eyes at her. "I did. Now, hurry up and finish getting ready so I can drive you to school."
"I'm fine taking the bus." Max dismissed you as she stopped leaning on the doorframe.
"I'll stop by the Coffee Bean down on Main to grab your favorites. Free of charge." You shrugged.
Max's eyes narrowed. "You're bribing me."
"Yeah, I am." You smiled widely at her. "And I want to spend time with my favorite angsty teen. Now hurry up and grab your shit. I don't want to make you late."
Max rolled her eyes at you but nodded. The screen door closed, but she left the main door open as she went, grabbed her backpack from the small kitchenette, and quickly came back, grabbing her skateboard before stepping out onto the porch.
"Turn around for me." You told her, gesturing for her to turn as you made a small circle in the air with your finger.
Max sighed. "Why?"
"Because your hair is a hot mess and I want to fix it for you." You said, forcing Max by her shoulders to turn around.
Max grumbled something under her breath, but you ignored it. You brushed her hair out as best as you could with your fingers before gathering half of it from the crown of her head to tie it up into a half-up, half-down hairstyle. You quickly tied her hair up and turned her around again to grab some framing pieces.
There was a small scowl on Max's face when you were done. "You happy now?"
"Yep." You said, popping the 'p'. "Now we can go."
After a pit stop at the cafe, the ride between you and Max was virtually silent. She had her headphones in while you played your music. But you didn't mind the silence between you and Max. You pulled into your old parking spot once you arrived at Hawkins High. Max was eager to get out of the truck, but you locked the doors before she could open them.
"So, I might have lied when I said the stuff from the cafe was free of charge." You said.
Max glared at you, pulling out her earbuds. "Let me out."
"The cost is just a hug." The corner of your lips started to curl up at the sight of Max finally emoting. Even though you didn't keep in touch with the whole group, Lucas had confided in you about his and Max's breakup, and her own distance affected him.
You knew how detached and numb Max was feeling, you did the same thing, the only difference is that you had someone who was as stubborn as you and pulled your head out of your ass, no matter what the consequences. Everyone else was just too afraid to do the same for her. So, if riling her up is what makes her snap out of the state she was in, then you'd be the person to do so.
Max scoffed. "Really? You've got to be kidding."
You opened your arms. "You know I'm not. Just one hug."
Max rolled her eyes again and gave you a half-hearted hug.
"Nope," You shook your head. "Again. I want a real hug and not one that lasts a millisecond."
"God, you're annoying," Max said, shaking her head.
"It's my defining trait." You quipped before pulling her into your arms. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around you once more, but you could feel her body tense at the contact before she slowly relaxed into your arms.
"Missed you firecracker." You whispered into her hair.
Max's arms tightened around you. "Missed you too." She mumbled.
The hug lasted another minute before you let go of her. She pulled away and cleared her throat, not looking at you. "Thanks for the ride."
You unlocked the door. "Anytime." You said while smiling at her.
Both of you jumped when you heard knocks at your window. You saw Dustin's displeased face as you cranked down your window.
"Oh, come on! I thought you were giving me a ride this morning?" Dustin whined.
You shook your head. "Oh, don't be a big baby. Your bike works perfectly fine."
"Yeah, doesn't mean I wanted to use it this morning." Dustin actually pouted at you.
"Maybe you should actually get your license." You said, rolling your eyes. "Besides, I'm not your personal chauffer Dust—what are you wearing?" You finally registered what shirt Dustin had on. It looked vaguely familiar to you.
Dustin looked down at his shirt and smiled. His chest puffed out as he looked back at you. "Oh, this? It's my Hellfire shirt." He shot you a proud smile.
You shared a glance with Max before shaking your head. "Right." You stared at it for a moment before shaking your head. "Like I said, I'm not your chauffer and I left a note explaining where I went."
"I didn't see it." Dustin shrugged. "You know you could have just sent a text right?"
"Just get to class." You said, exasperated. You didn't have the energy to keep going back and forth with Dustin.
He didn't move. "Are you going to pick me up after our campaign?" Dustin asked.
"Isn't it the championship game today?" You frowned at him. Lucas had talked about it last night before he left the Henderson home and invited you and Peter to come and watch.
"Wait, really?" Dustin's eyes went wide.
"Uh, yeah? Lucas was talking about it last night." You looked at Dustin with furrowed brows.
Dustin blinked hard at you before he grabbed the top of his hat. There was some panic in his eyes. "Shit. I gotta go." Dustin ran off. You saw the crowds of students being herded towards the gym.
You looked back at Max, gesturing to the gym with a nod. "You should probably get going."
Max nodded, grabbed her backpack and her skateboard from the foot well of the truck, and left. You watched her as she walked away, only to be stopped by Mrs. Kelly. You frowned at the sight, though it slowly faded. You were slightly relieved that Max seemed to be getting help. Your eyes scanned the parking lot for a moment before they landed on a familiar car, and you felt your breath catch in your throat.
Wind brushing against your skin as Steve drove fast with the roof down, zipping down the empty back roads. Playful banter that made the two of you dissolve into laughter, the joyous sounds filling the cabin of the car. Steve leaning over the console, kissing you, both of you smiling through the kiss. Shared shy and sensual touches in the backseat. The windows fogging up from your passionate exchanges. A heated argument between you and Steve. Another argument about college. And another about your futures. And another, just about nothing this time around, fighting each other for no reason. Both of you sit in resigned silence, healing bruises on either of your bodies.
You stared at the red convertible, blinking hard. You shook your head (as if that would wipe your mind from seeing the car) and turned on your truck, quickly leaving the parking lot and heading back to the Henderson house.
By the time you had gotten back to the house, Peter was still sleeping, so you let him be. After about an hour at home, doing some work on your laptop, you woke him up. Well, at least you attempted to.
You opened your room door slightly and saw Peter still asleep. You had to ignore the way your heart flipped at the sight of him; his features were soft and relaxed. The lines of stress that marred his skin were gone as his chest rose and fell rhythmically. You opened the door further and moved into the room. Some of his hair was splayed on the pillow and across his forehead, and you successfully resisted the temptation to brush the strands off his skin.
He had kicked off the blanket in the night, revealing his "I Survived NYC" shirt and bright pink pajama bottoms covered in Hello Kitty faces. The sight of the pants made you smile; you remember the first time you saw them, and it made you burst out laughing (it was the first time you laughed genuinely since the start of summer). You sat on the edge of his bed, which was on a platform that came out from underneath your bed, and poked his thigh.
"Peter?" You asked softly.
He didn't even stir. Peter's breathing was still deep and steady.
You gently shook his leg. "Peter."
Nothing again. A small snore escaped Peter's lips.
You huffed. He usually isn't a deep sleeper. You thought to yourself. You poked his stomach to see if he'd actually wake up. Then his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist before you could even touch him. You let out a surprised yelp as he pulled you further onto the bed, and you steadied yourself with your free hand on the pillow beside the one he was lying on to avoid falling on top of him.
A small grunt escaped his lips as Peter used his free hand and practically manhandled you onto the bed fully, and he tucked you into his chest with no struggle on his behalf (damn him and his super strength), and he pulled the blanket over the two of you.
You could feel his chest rumble as he let out a sleepy hum. "Five more minutes," Peter mumbled, his voice rough from sleep as he sank further into the bed.
You were face-to-face with Peter. You could feel your face warm with how close you were to him, even though this wasn't the first time you had experienced Peter being cuddly in the morning. "You gotta get up, Pete." You whispered.
Peter let out an incomprehensible grunt and ignored you in favor of pulling you closer to him. "You're warm." He buried his head into your neck, his cold nose pressing against your skin.
"Yeah, I'm physically incapable of being cold." You snipped at Peter as you slightly jumped at the contact. "We have plans today." You reminded.
"Cancel them. I wanna sleep in." Peter grumbled, slinging a leg over your hip, fully cocooning you with his body.
You sighed. "Pete, it's like 9 AM."
"Still too early." Peter's lips brushed against your neck, and he tightened his arms around you. The contact of his slightly chapped lips against your skin sent a jolt down your spine.
"Goddamn it, Peter, I'm not a teddy bear." You grip as you try to pry him off of you, but to no avail. "Damn you and your stupid spider powers." You grumbled.
"Five more minutes." Peter mumbled sleepily, the pull of sleep tugging at him once more.
"Ugh, fine. Just five okay?" You said as you brought your free hand to the back of Peter's hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Peter let out something akin to a purr, his chest rumbling at the sensation of your nails scratching against his scalp as he fell back asleep.
You did the soothing motion for a beat before you felt your eyes grow heavy, and sleep took over your senses.
By the time you woke up, it was noon. You had scowled at Peter when the two of you got up from your impromptu nap, and all he did was smile cheekily at you. Peter quickly got dressed, and the two of you headed out to grab a quick bite to eat at the diner before going to the Hawk to watch an early re-release of The Empire Strikes Back, which Peter was very excited for.
After the movie, you headed over to Nancy's to surprise her and carpool with her to the game. Peter let out a low whistle as you pulled up to the Wheeler house.
"This is a pretty nice, you sure she isn't rich?" Peter said, staring at the well-maintained lawn and large house.
"If you think this is nice, when I give you the tour tomorrow, and you see Loch Nora, then you'll know what rich is." You said as you got out of your truck.
"I bet this costed nothing when her parents bought it." Peter observed as the two of you walked up the driveway.
"Probably, considering her Dad is like a financier for some company and does stock trading on the side." You shrugged before pressing the Ring doorbell that was fitted right where the old one used to be.
The door shortly swung open, revealing a slightly frazzled Karen Wheeler. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and she was still dressed in her matching workout clothes.
Karen said your name in surprise before giving you a kind smile. "It's nice to see you honey!" She said before pulling you into a hug.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you too Mrs. Wheeler." You gave her a small smile after you pulled away from the hug. Her eyes flickered to Peter, who was standing right beside her. He sent her a polite smile.
"And who's this?" She inquired. Karen's eyes were studying him.
"Oh, right." You gesture to Peter. "Peter is a friend from New York, he wanted to visit and see what Hawkins was like for spring break."
Karen made a face of understanding, her gaze lingering on Peter slightly. "Well, I hope you have fun while you're here, Peter."
"Thank you." Peter responded with a smile.
"Mom, who are you talking to?" You could hear Nancy's faint voice coming from the stairs inside the house.
Karen turned back. "Come see for yourself honey!"
"Why?" Nancy called back.
"Nancy, just get down here!" Karen yelled for her daughter.
You heard Nancy groan and heard thundering footsteps coming down the stairs. Nancy wore an Emerson College t-shirt, a white, flowy skirt, and a cream-colored cardigan. Her wavy hair fell to her shoulders, but it was clear she had layers in it.
Nancy practically froze when her wide blue eyes landed on you. "You're here?"
You gave her jazz hands. "Surprise!"
You barely saw Nancy slip by her mom before she engulfed you in a hug. You let out a laugh but wrapped your arms around Nancy, squeezing her just as hard as she was to you. Peter smiled at the reunion between the two of you. Karen smiled as she watched the two of you embrace, then took her leave.
After another minute of hugging, Nancy finally pulled away and punched your shoulder.
You winced. "Ow! Nance, what the hell was that for?" The punch didn't actually hurt, but it was unexpected.
"That was for ditching us during Thanksgiving, for California during Christmas, and not for saying anything about coming during spring break when I asked you about it." Nancy huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at you with her wide, blue eyes.
You rolled your eyes. "Okay, first of all, I didn't mean to ditch you during Christmas; that visit wasn't even planned. Second of all, I wanted it to be a surprise. And third of all, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to come back during Thanksgiving, which you know because I texted you." You leveled Nancy with a knowing look.
Nancy met your gaze for a second before pursing her lips. She blew out a breath and nodded. "Right. Sorry, I just missed you."
You sent her a crooked smile. "Missed you too Nance. Now let's get going, I want to get good seats."
"I knew we should have waited until after the game." You had groaned as you reached the entrance of the gym. You and Peter were speed-walking to the gym since you guys decided to grab a snack before the game started at the concession stands outside, across from the building.
"I said I'm sorry, but you know how hungry I get!" Peter pouted at you, but you couldn't respond since the band was playing.
"That metabolism of yours is gonna get you in trouble." You shook your head and led him up the bleachers, having found empty spots for the two of you right in the middle of the row.
You ignored the shocked whispers of your name and the questions about Peter as you moved through the row. Peter apologized for you as he followed behind you. You sat down with a huff and shrugged off your jacket.
Peter sat down next to you and furrowed his brows. "Is that my jacket?"
"Yeah, I borrowed it a while ago." You said as you stuck out your hand for the snacks, not looking at him. You expected him to give you the candy you bought, but frowned when he didn't, so you looked over at him with a confused expression. "What?"
"I thought I lost it in the laundry! I've been looking for that forever." Peter exclaimed.
"You lent it to me. Catch up Pete. Now give me my gummy bears." You opened and closed your hand in a grabbing motion for them.
Peter scoffed, shaking his head, but tossed the gummy bears at your face. You caught them, just barely, and sent him a half-hearted glare. Peter smirked at you and opened the sour straws that he had gotten and bit into them.
The band music cut out, and the announcer walked out onto the court. "Everyone, now please rise for our national anthem."
You and Peter stood with everyone else. "Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own Tammy Thompson!" Everyone broke out in applause and cheering as she walked into the gym, waving at everyone, but you snickered as you clapped half-heartedly.
Peter looked at you, confused. "Why are you laughing?"
You smirked at him. "You'll see. Let just say that her parents pulled a lot of strings to get her to Nashville."
The furrow in Peter's eyebrow deepened, but he didn't say anything. The applause petered out as Tammy readied herself to sing. You couldn't help but look back at the band section, and you made eye contact with Robin. You saw excitement and shock in her eyes as she grinned at you. You pointed at Tammy and sent her a teasing smile, making her roll her eyes.
What you didn't see was that Steve had noticed that Robin's attention was no longer on Tammy or Vickie and followed her line of sight. His jaw fell open slightly in awe as he stared at you. His heart twisted with anguish and beat faster as you smiled. Steve knew that it wasn't aimed at him, but a warmth swept through his chest after not having seen it in months (ignoring the fact that he low-key stalked your account during the periods where he wasn't going on dates).
You looked good, happier even—there was a lightness to you, like there was a weight off of your shoulders that Steve hadn't seen before. A soft smile appeared on his face, but it faltered once your gaze turned to the guy next to you, who nudged you with his elbow and offered his candy to you. You had taken it with a smile, saying something to the guy to make him roll his eyes at you, but there was a hidden fondness in his gaze that Steve could spot from a mile away. Who was that guy you were with? Steve couldn't make out his features, except that he was about his height and had brown hair.
"Ohh, sayy can you see—" Tammy's off-key singing snaps Steve back from staring, and he cringes at her voice.
You grin widely as you see Peter flinch at her voice, visibly wincing at how off-key Tammy was as she sang the national anthem.
"She's singing in Nashville?" Peter asked incredulously, trying to resist covering his ears from the unpleasant noises coming from the microphone.
"Like I said, lots of strings were pulled. And it doesn't help she's trying to be an influencer at the same time." You looked at Peter as you informed him.
Peter made eye contact with you. "You've got to be kidding."
"I am not."
Peter looked back at Tammy. "I have nothing nice to say, so I'm not going to say anything at all."
You had to slam your hand over your mouth to hold back a laugh at Peter's words, so as not to look like a jackass in the middle of the national anthem. You couldn't help but snicker with amusement while Peter smiled to himself, having noticed your reaction and being pleased by it.
Once you had calmed down, you saw Lucas in the line-up, and he was looking around the bleachers, and the hopeful look on his face had dropped. You looked around and noticed the lack of curly hair, a brooding redhead, and a raven-haired teenager, and sighed. You caught Lucas's eye and waved at him, sending him a thumbs up, and mouthing 'You got this' to him.
Lucas sent you a half-smile but stood up straighter, making you smile.
Once Tammy finished singing, the players were on the court, and the game was on. While you didn't typically enjoy watching sports (you only did it in support of your friends and boyfriend at the time), admittedly, you did get into watching the game as the points for either team were tied. You were watching in anticipation of who would win, and you were on the edge of your seat when Lucas got the ball.
You saw him practically sprint across the court, and he took the shot with only seconds left on the timer. The ball went in cleanly with a 'swish,' and the gym exploded with cheers. You were immediately on your feet, cheering with excitement at the fact that Hawkins finally won a basketball championship.
His teammates immediately swarmed Lucas, and you couldn't help but beam at the sight. Peter couldn't help but grin at the sight of you so happy—it was infectious, your joy. Soon enough, you filed outside with your (Peter's) jacket back on, and you and Peter were by Nancy's car, waiting for Nancy to wrap up with her Broadcast & Journalism team.
You saw Lucas in the distance, being surrounded by his teammates, glowing with pride from the high of winning the game for the school. You observed as he looked around and spotted something that dimmed his smile. You frowned at the sight of him and followed him to where he was looking, and there you saw Mike, Dustin, and Erica exiting one of the buildings.
"I'll be right back." You told Peter. He had followed your line of sight and nodded.
You approached Lucas with a wide smile. "Hey! You were amazing out there!"
Lucas turned around and smiled sheepishly at you. "Thanks Vix."
You wrapped him up in a hug. "They're idiots for not coming." You told him as you pulled away, leaving a hand on his shoulder.
Lucas sighed. "They seriously tried to get me to postpone this game for DnD."
You shook your head. "Again, idiots. Don't worry, I'll talk to them."
"Sinclair!" A voice echoed through the parking lot, making the two of you look over at the group of jocks. "You coming?" It was Jason, gesturing for Lucas to join them.
"Go." You nodded at them. "Have fun, you deserve it." You smiled at him.
Lucas sent you a half-hearted smile. "You'll be here all week right?"
"Yeah, I'll be here to help you win back Max for like the fiftieth time." You joked.
Lucas chuckled and walked in the direction of the jocks. You shoved your hands into the jacket as you watched him join the group of teenagers, blowing out a long breath. You felt a stare boring into the back of your neck. Your gaze scans the parking lot before your eyes connect with wide, brown eyes that you knew all too well.
Steve stood by his car, leaning on the trunk, just looking at you. You swallowed thickly as the two of you stared at each other. Steve raised a hand and waved to you. You sent him a weak wave back. He straightened up from leaning on his car—it looked like he was going to approach you, but then a girl had walked up to him, averting his attention.
Your jaw clenched at the sight before you released the tension. It was none of your business if Steve was dating someone else. You took a deep breath before turning back around and heading back to Nancy's car; luckily for you, she was already by the car, chatting with Peter.
"Well, I'm ready to go." You said once you approached the two.
"Sorry, but we have to wait for Mike and Dustin. Mike texted me like five minutes ago about needing a ride." Nancy sighed, rubbing her forehead.
You pressed your lips together before moving next to Peter and leaning against his side. He let you lean on him. Nancy noticed this, her eyes lingering on the two of you, but said nothing. A couple of minutes passed, and Dustin, Erica, and Mike came to Nancy's car with their bikes.
Nancy's face scrunched in confusion at the sight of Erica. "What are you doing with them?"
"We asked her to sub in for Lucas." Dustin said nonchalantly.
"You've got to be kidding me." You groaned as you stood up straight. "You guys still went and played DnD?"
Mike furrowed his eyebrows at you. "Uh, yeah. We couldn't convince Eddie to postpone the campaign." Mike opened the trunk of the white Suburban that Nancy was borrowing from her mom.
"Jesus Christ." You mumbled under your breath. "You guys are ridiculous, you guys could have missed any other game of Lucas's beside this one."
"What does that matter? Like you said, we've been to his other games. I'm sure it was like any other one of them." Dustin waved you off and went to put his bike in the trunk alongside Mike's.
"Well, if you guys were there, you would have seen that he made the winning basket, Lucas won the championship." You shook your head at them. "Get your bikes out of the car."
"W-what?" Dustin sputtered out. "Why?"
"Because—" Nancy interjected, seeing where you were going with this. "—the two of you are going to bike home while we drop off Erica."
"That's not fucking fair! Erica missed his game too!" Mike fumed.
"Nuh uh, you guys roped me into this." Erica retorted.
"You agreed to sub in for Lucas?!" Dustin exclaimed.
Erica rolled her eyes. "I only agreed because I don't like the smell of desperation and the two of you were reeking of it."
"I swear to—"
"That's enough!" You cut in before Dustin could say anything else. "You guys have to suffer the consequences of not being a good friend. You'll have to ride home. That's final."
"Oh, you're one to talk, considering you practically ghosted us after you moved to New York." Dustin sneered as he glared at you and Peter, taking his bike out of the trunk roughly.
Your jaw clenched, but you refused to rise to the bait. "I'll see you when I get home, Henderson."
Dustin scoffed at you but said nothing. Mike and Dustin got on their bikes and rode away. You shook your head and helped Erica put her bike in the trunk, offering her the front seat before sitting in the back with Peter.
As Nancy drove, your face heated with embarrassment when you realized Peter had witnessed everything. You groaned under your breath and covered your face with your hands.
Peter heard you and leaned in. "You okay?" He asked softly.
You peeked through your fingers to look at him. His eyes were filled with such warmth and sincerity that you could have melted into a puddle right then and there.
"Not really, but I will be." You responded once you took your hands off your face.
Peter nodded and grabbed your hand, squeezing it. You squeezed his hand back and looked out the window. Not realizing that you hadn't let go of Peter's hand, but you didn't really think about it because there was a familiar sinking feeling in your gut that distracted you entirely from the comfort Peter was bringing you.
You let out a shaky breath. You had a feeling something was wrong, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. You were hoping that your gut was wrong and that your spring break would turn out just fine.
wc: 8.7k
a/n: sorry not sorry about the word count LOL. tbh the most difficult thing to figure out was what car modern!steve would drive but this is what i had in mind! but we're in it now guys... tis the calm before the utter shit storm that is about to occur
next up: [chapter two—vecna's curse] | [series masterlist]
"Are you 100% sure you want to come with me?" You looked from your suitcase and up at Peter, who was spinning around in your desk chair.
Peter stopped spinning and faced you, a smile on his face. "Yep!"
"You'll be stuck all day in my truck with me."
"And? I've been stuck on a Quin-jet with Sam, Clint, and Bucky. I've survived worse." Peter joked as he got up to sit next to your suitcase on the bed.
You couldn't help but smile at his words before sighing. "Remind me why you want to come to my hometown for spring break again?"
"Morbid curiosity." Peter shrugged. "You talk a lot about your friends there. It seems like you miss them, and I want to find out if small towns are just like the movies."
A melancholic smile pulled your lips before you huffed a laugh through your nose. "Why can't you take my word when I tell you it's not like the movies?"
Especially my town, it's more like a sci-fi thriller than a cozy coming-of-age movie. You thought to yourself as you set your suitcase down. "Besides, I haven't seen my friends since I left, only sending them texts here and there and replying to their stories."
Peter smirked. "Somehow I don't believe you. I have to see it to believe it. And I'm sure your friends would be happy to see you."
You sighed dramatically, flopping onto your bed right next to him. "Has anyone told you that curiosity killed the cat?"
"Yeah, but satisfaction brought it back." He said smugly, flopping back on the bed with you.
You rolled your eyes at him, but you couldn't help the smile that tugged at your lips. "I don't understand how Tony thinks you're so mild-mannered and innocent—you're a real smart ass." You turn to look at Peter.
"Because he's my mentor and technically my boss, I don't talk back to Mr. Stark, unlike someone I know." Peter sent you a pointed look, and you stuck out your tongue at him.
"Oh, come on! You still call him Mr. Stark even if you're not in the same room as him? Christ, Peter, you've been working with him since you were like 15, how have you not called him Tony at this point?" You scrunched your nose in bewilderment.
Peter's smile had faltered slightly, "I don't know, it's a habit, it would feel weird if I started now." His tone strained as he sat up.
Your eyebrows furrow at his tone. "Right." You pause for a second before you ask, "Are you and Tony okay?"
Peter looks down at you, a little caught off guard by the question. "Everything's fine. Why?"
"You guys seemed..." You took a beat to try and find your words. "...short with each other yesterday in the lab."
"Yeah, we're good." Peter averts his gaze away from you, his jaw clenched. "We just had a little disagreement."
You purse your lips before they thin out into a line. "Huh."
Peter looks back at you and raises an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"
You shrugged at him. "In all the months I've known you and seen you two interact, you guys don't argue."
"It's fine, Iggy, just let it go."
"But—"
"Just drop it!" Peter exclaims, and the outburst takes you aback. You sit up slowly as he covers his face with his hands.
Peter rubs at his face before his hands drop into his lap, staring at them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." He sighed. "We had a disagreement about something and he keeps being, you know, Tony, and keeps bringing it up at the most inconvenient times when I don't want to talk about because I've expressed my feelings clearly that I don't want to keep talking about it—and I'm rambling, and I'm stopping."
You tilted your head at him for a second, noticing how flustered he had gotten, and decided to let it go. "Okay, sorry for bringing it up."
Peter shook his head, finally ripping his gaze away from his hands to look at you. "S'fine, I just didn't think anyone picked up on it."
You wanted to comment on the fact that everyone had picked up on the tension between him and Tony, but for his sake, you weren't going to tell him that.
"Don't worry, I don't think they have. I just did because I spend the most time with the two of you in the lab." You told him, with a half-smile on your lips.
You sat up on your bed, your shoulder brushing against Peter's, "So you're sure you want to come with me? I mean, you could go on a mission for once or catch up on homework." You suggest going back to your initial conversation.
"It sounds like you don't want me coming with you Iggy." Peter teased, nudging your shoulder with his.
I kinda don't, considering I think something might happen when I go back, because my life is a joke and the Upside Down is the bane of my existence. You thought to yourself as you rolled your eyes at him. "I'm just saying, there's nothing to do. My hometown is boring."
"Okay and? I want to see your hometown and this is the perfect time to do it."
"What about your patrol? You're gonna leave New York without Spider-Man?" You asked him, raising a brow.
Peter nudged your shoulder again. "I'm sure the city can survive a week without me."
"Hmm, I don't know, maybe you'll miss out on a bicycle robber and getting a free churro." You teased.
It was Peter's turn to roll his eyes at you. "Hey! I ended up stopping a robbery after getting the free churro, and that happened when I was 15!" Peter defended himself, but you could see the smile threatening to pull at his lips.
"Sure you did, bug boy."
Peter pushed you, almost sending you flying off your bed. "I told you not to call me that."
But you couldn't help but laugh at him. "Oh, wow real mature of you to push an innocent civilian off of her own bed Spider-Boy. " You remarked.
Peter groaned loudly. "It's Spider-Man!" He emphasized. "And you're anything but innocent."
You batted your eyelashes at him innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a saint."
Peter snorted a laugh, "Right—hacking into Stark Tower while on a field trip to said tower, on a dare—is so saint-like of you."
"Well, when you put it that way…" You trailed off before you locked eyes with Peter, and the two of you burst into laughter.
The two of you fell into each other, supporting each other's bodies as they wracked with laughter. Eventually, the two of you calmed down, and you barely registered the proximity that you and Peter were in.
You looked into his mirth-filled eyes. "You really want to come with me with spring break huh?"
Peter nodded, a breathless smile on his face. "Yeah, I do. Please stop asking me if I'm sure."
"Fine, fine. I'll stop." You smiled back at him. Your eyes flicked at the alarm clock on your nightstand. "Well then bug boy, then you should get to packing, we have an early start and a long day of driving tomorrow."
Peter rolled his eyes at your nickname but pulled away from you and slid off your bed. "Will you let me drive at least?"
"Nope! I don't trust you after that joyride when we were at the compound."
"I wasn't that bad." Peter pouted, shooting you a puppy dog look that you were practically immune to at this point, having seen this look on his face a dozen times before.
"You almost reversed into the wall of the garage." You deadpanned.
"I didn't know it was in reverse!"
You couldn't help but laugh at his whiny tone. "Go pack Peter!"
Peter smiled at the sound of your laugh; it was one of his favorite sounds. "Okay, okay!" He raised his hands in surrender. "I'm going." He walks out of your room, and you shake your head at your best friend.
Peter peeks his head into room. "Can I at least have aux?"
"Peter!"
"Okay! Packing now!"
THURSDAY MARCH 20TH
HAWKINS, INDIANA
After an eleven-hour drive filled with karaoke, sleeping (Peter), traffic, and pit stops, you and Peter finally made it to your hometown. You weren't going to admit to Peter, but you could feel that something was just off as you passed the 'Welcome to Hawkins' sign as the sun was lowering below the horizon. There was something heavy settling in your stomach, but you brushed off the feeling as you drove further into town.
You drove through the quiet streets of Hawkins before you found yourself pulling up to the Henderson household. After the events of last summer, Mrs. Henderson was more than willing to take you under her wing after your cabin was destroyed. So, she was ecstatic when you texted her that you and a friend (Peter) could stay over for the break, and you managed to turn it into a surprise for not only Dustin but everyone else (you were just glad that your spring break aligned with theirs).
You pulled up onto the driveway and parked, letting out a long breath of relief after driving the last couple of hours. You texted Claudia to let her know you were here. It didn't take her long to appear on the porch walkway where you were waiting.
Claudia was quick to engulf you in her arms. "Oh, it's so lovely to see you!" She said as she pulled away from you, putting a motherly hand on your cheek. "I was quite sad when you told me you weren't coming home for the holidays."
You smiled at her motherly concern, even if it was tinged with melancholy. "Sorry, Mrs. Henderson."
She pinched your cheek. "Well, at least you're here now." Claudia's eyes wandered and landed behind you. "Oh, is this your friend?" She asked as her hand fell off your cheek.
You nodded, looking back at Peter, who had exited the truck and was watching this reunion. "Yeah, that's Peter. Thank you again for letting him stay."
Claudia waved you off. "Of course! I'm just surprised he's just your friend."
"What?" You said as you sent her a confused smile, your eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're not 'friends' with someone that looks like him. I mean he's no Steve Harrington, but he's pretty cute." Claudia smiled at you and wagged her eyebrows at you.
Your eye twitched at the mention of Steve, but you ignored it. "Well, he is just a friend." You said, through a strained smile, fully aware that Peter could hear this conversation despite being about ten feet away.
Claudia nodded at you. "If you say so. Have you eaten dinner yet?"
You shook your head. "No. We were going to drop off our stuff and then go grab a bite at the diner on Main."
"Ah, save your money! We just finished eating, I can warm up a plate for the two of you. But before you eat, you can surprise Dustin, you came at the perfect time, the boys are over right now."
"They're not at Mike's?" You asked, slightly shocked. You were surprised that the majority of the party was at someone else's house other than the Wheelers.
"Dustin wanted to show them something and so they came over." Claudia explained.
You hummed in affirmation, you looked back at Peter, and he nodded at you to go ahead. You sent him a smile before you looked back at Claudia. "I'll be back in a bit to grab my things."
"Take your time, honey." Claudia smiled warmly at you before you walked past her and into the house.
A sudden wave of nostalgia washed over you as you crossed the threshold. You couldn't help the fond smile on your lips as you walked through the foyer and headed up the stairs. As you climbed the stairs, you could hear the boys' overlapping voices leaking through the cracked door. Your fond smile turned into a smirk as a plan formulated in your head. You saw the LED lights in Dustin's room were on (which made you roll your eyes at the sight, because of course Dustin had them), and you closed your eyes.
The boys were in Dustin's room, scattered in front of the small TV mounted above his desk, where his custom-built PC and gaming setup were. Dustin was grinning ear-to-ear as both Lucas and Mike were groaning and yelling at him for beating them in Mario Kart.
"That's what you guys get for giving me so much shit about calling Suzie." Dustin said boastfully as he turned around from his spot on his chair to face his friends.
"You guys are on Face Time like 24/7, it's nauseating." Mike scrunched his nose at the thought.
Dustin rolls his eyes at Mike. "Well, at least I call my girlfriend." He shot back.
"Hey! I—" the LED lights shutting off cut Mike off, leaving the TV as the only source of light, dimly illuminating the bedroom.
"What the hell?" Lucas questioned, looking around the dark room, confused.
Dustin sighed. "The lights do that sometimes, they're finicky."
"I told you not to buy your lights from Five and Below." Lucas shook his head at Dustin, even though Dustin could barely see him.
Dustin scoffed. "They still work, I'm not ordering shit from Amazon."
"Ugh, dude, come off your high horse. There's no ethical consumption under capitalism." Mike said sardonically.
"Do you even understand what you just said? Or did you just want spout off buzzwords off of Twitter?" Dustin shot back at Mike.
Before their argument could escalate further, the TV shut off, plunging them into darkness.
"Uh, I'm 100 percent sure that your TV doesn't shut off by itself." Lucas's tone was tense.
"Yeah, it doesn't." Dustin said.
The three boys stood up slowly as a piercing silence filled the room. None of the boys heard Dustin's door open further. You made your way into the room silently. You could vaguely see their figures in the dark, and some of the fading light from the sun had leaked in through his windows, so you knew to act fast.
You stood behind Dustin. "BOO!" You yelled before grabbing at his shoulders.
The three boys screamed; you felt Dustin flinch and jump under your hands, and he quickly turned around to hit you, which you easily dodged (thank god for the training you had gotten from Bucky and Nat).
You started laughing hysterically before you used your powers to turn the lights back on. This time, you turned on the overhead lights, illuminating the room with harsh light. The boys blinked at the sudden flood of light, and Dustin was the first to register you.
"Vix?" Dustin questioned with his brows furrowed.
"In the flesh!" You said in a musical tone, smiling at them, spreading your arms wide.
"You're back?" Mike tilted his head at you.
"Yeah, I'm spending my spring break in Hawkins." You explained, dropping your arms.
"You have the same spring break as us?" Lucas asked.
You nodded. "Yup. Now can we stop playing twenty questions and get a hug from you twerps?"
They all rolled their eyes at you, but let you wrap your arms around them. You gave Mike a brief hug, then a longer one to Lucas, and the longest to Dustin.
"Next time, can you greet us like a normal person?" Dustin asked once you pulled away from the hug.
"No." You ruffled his curls, making Dustin scowl at you as he fixed his hair.
"Wait, why isn't your nose isn't bleeding. I thought your powers went away like El's?" Mike pointed out.
You smirked at him. "Oh, a whole lot has happened since I've been gone, Mikey." You say cryptically.
"Don't call me that. "
"When have I ever listened to you?"
"Shut up." Mike mumbled. His teenage angst made you smile.
There's a knock on the doorway, making the four of you turn to see Claudia.
"Sweetheart, is it alright if Peter stays in the room with you? We have a trundle bed that both of you could use." Claudia asked.
"Yeah, that's fine." You tell her, and she smiles at you before leaving the hallway.
"Who's Peter?" Mike asked.
"And why is he staying with you in the guest room?" Dustin interjected, crossing his arms over his chest.
You rolled your eyes at Dustin. "He's my friend and he wanted to come and visit Hawkins."
Lucas snorts. "Who in their right mind would want to visit Hawkins?" He spits out the town name disdainfully, the four of you sharing a knowing glance.
"Trust me, I asked him the same thing, but I think he was dropped on the head as a baby." You quipped.
"I wasn't, but thanks for asking, Igs." Peter's sarcastic voice filtered into the room. Your head snapped over to him, standing in the doorway, a smirk on his face.
You raised an eyebrow at him, asking him silently what he was doing on the second floor. Peter points to your and his suitcases. "Mrs. Henderson said I could bring them up here."
Dustin stared hard at Peter before looking at you. "Yeah, that's not happening. He's not allowed in the room with you."
"And why not?" You raised a suspicious brow at Dustin.
"Because it's my house!"
"You mean it's your mom's house, which means that she makes the rules, and she's okay with Peter staying in the same room as me." You put your hands on your hips as you leveled Dustin a look. A look he was all too familiar with.
Lucas and Mike shared smirks at the scene unfolding before them, while Peter, at the doorway, observed it with intrigue in his eyes. It was a little strange seeing you interact with people you knew so well, except for him and everyone back home in New York.
You continued to talk, "Besides, you didn't have an issue when Steve was over."
"That was different!" Dustin exclaimed.
"How?"
"Because he's Steve. I know him. I don't know him." Dustin pointed at Peter. "And you guys were dating so it made sense for the two of you to be in the same room." His voice got quiet, looking away from you.
You sighed. Dustin was very loud about his opinion on you breaking up with Steve. "Can you guys give us a minute?" You asked Lucas, Mike, and Peter, looking at each of them.
They all nodded, Mike and Lucas, filing out of the room and into the hallway, Peter closing the door after they had left the room.
"Look, Dust, Peter is a good guy, and he's also my friend. He's going to be staying with us, okay?"
Dustin scowled at you, but said nothing in response, pointedly looking away from you.
"Dustin." You said his name firmly. "I'm not saying that you have to be friends with him, but please try and be civil when he's here. Peter just wanted to see my hometown and meet my friends."
"Oh, you mean the friends you haven't seen in almost a year?" Dustin's scowl deepened as he snapped at you.
"I deserved that." You admitted with a sigh. "And I'm sorry for not visiting, that's on me. But I'm here to make up for it."
Dustin's jaw was clenched as he looked down at his hand, fiddling with his ring on his finger. "It felt like you forgot about us once you were in New York." He muttered.
You placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. It's just—" Your lips folded inward before you let out a breath, your voice lowering in volume, "—after Starcourt—"
The Russian code. Falling elevators. Being manhandled by Russians. The stench of rotting flesh. Billy's body is looming over you and El. The squelching noise of flesh being pierced. Max wails of despair echoing through the mall. Ambulances. El falling into your bruised arms at the devastating realization that your father didn't make it out of the mall alive.
You blinked away the memories flooding your mind. "—it was too much for me to handle. So I decided to run and block out Hawkins."
You saw a muscle in Dustin's jaw twitch as he swallowed thickly.
"But—"You continued, "—no matter how hard I tried to avoid talking about this place, you guys never failed to come up in stories with my friends." You gave Dustin a small smile once he finally looked up at you. "Being in Hawkins is hard with everything that has happened, but I'm willing to push through that because in all honesty, the people in New York are nothing like you or the party and I've missed you guys. Even if it didn't feel like it because I didn't visit."
Dustin's shoulders sagged at your words. He looked into your eyes for a moment before hugging you, one that was tighter than the first one you gave him. You instantly responded, wrapping your arms around him and resting your head against his, his short curls tickling your cheek.
"I hate how good you are at being vulnerable." Dustin mumbled into your shoulder, making you chuckle.
"I've had a lot of practice over the months." You said before you pulled away, keeping your hands on Dustin's shoulders.
"Just—" Dustin's eyes were slightly glassy as he looked at you. "—don't wait so long to visit."
You couldn't help but ruffle Dustin's curls again. "Aw, Dustin, I missed you too!" You teased, trying to lighten the mood and making Dustin roll his eyes at you. "And don't worry, I have plans to come back in the summer."
"You better." Dustin looked at you pointedly. "So, why did I have to find out through Instagram that you got an internship with the Tony Stark?!"
You couldn't help the smirk on your face at the sight of the sparkle in Dustin's eye. You wrapped an arm around Dustin's shoulder. "I'll tell you in good time, young one. But, right now I want to eat, I'm starving." You told him as you led him out of his room.
"I'm not young, I'm almost 16!"
FRIDAY MARCH 21ST
You climbed up the steps of the trailer, and the cool March air wrapped around you like a blanket. You knocked on the screen door once, then twice, then once more before stuffing your hands into your jacket (that you most definitely didn't steal from Peter a month or two ago).
You heard quick footsteps approach the door. It opened, and the screen door swung open, revealing Max. She was dressed for school, wearing a green crew-neck sweater and jeans, her wired headphones peaking out from under the sweater, and her hair was still down, unstyled.
She stared at you for a moment. "You're here." Max's voice was flat, but you could see the confused look in her eyes.
"I am." You nodded, smiling softly at her. She had been distant ever since Starcourt (you couldn't blame her, you had done the same thing).
"Why?" Max asked bluntly. She leaned on the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Because I have my spring break at the same time you do and I wanted to visit."
Max raised a skeptical brow at you. "Sure you did." Her tone was dry and derisive.
You rolled your eyes at her. "I did. Now, hurry up and finish getting ready so I can drive you to school."
"I'm fine taking the bus." Max dismissed you as she stopped leaning on the doorframe.
"I'll stop by the Coffee Bean down on Main to grab your favorites. Free of charge." You shrugged.
Max's eyes narrowed. "You're bribing me."
"Yeah, I am." You smiled widely at her. "And I want to spend time with my favorite angsty teen. Now hurry up and grab your shit. I don't want to make you late."
Max rolled her eyes at you but nodded. The screen door closed, but she left the main door open as she went, grabbed her backpack from the small kitchenette, and quickly came back, grabbing her skateboard before stepping out onto the porch.
"Turn around for me." You told her, gesturing for her to turn as you made a small circle in the air with your finger.
Max sighed. "Why?"
"Because your hair is a hot mess and I want to fix it for you." You said, forcing Max by her shoulders to turn around.
Max grumbled something under her breath, but you ignored it. You brushed her hair out as best as you could with your fingers before gathering half of it from the crown of her head to tie it up into a half-up, half-down hairstyle. You quickly tied her hair up and turned her around again to grab some framing pieces.
There was a small scowl on Max's face when you were done. "You happy now?"
"Yep." You said, popping the 'p'. "Now we can go."
After a pit stop at the cafe, the ride between you and Max was virtually silent. She had her headphones in while you played your music. But you didn't mind the silence between you and Max. You pulled into your old parking spot once you arrived at Hawkins High. Max was eager to get out of the truck, but you locked the doors before she could open them.
"So, I might have lied when I said the stuff from the cafe was free of charge." You said.
Max glared at you, pulling out her earbuds. "Let me out."
"The cost is just a hug." The corner of your lips started to curl up at the sight of Max finally emoting. Even though you didn't keep in touch with the whole group, Lucas had confided in you about his and Max's breakup, and her own distance affected him.
You knew how detached and numb Max was feeling, you did the same thing, the only difference is that you had someone who was as stubborn as you and pulled your head out of your ass, no matter what the consequences. Everyone else was just too afraid to do the same for her. So, if riling her up is what makes her snap out of the state she was in, then you'd be the person to do so.
Max scoffed. "Really? You've got to be kidding."
You opened your arms. "You know I'm not. Just one hug."
Max rolled her eyes again and gave you a half-hearted hug.
"Nope," You shook your head. "Again. I want a real hug and not one that lasts a millisecond."
"God, you're annoying," Max said, shaking her head.
"It's my defining trait." You quipped before pulling her into your arms. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around you once more, but you could feel her body tense at the contact before she slowly relaxed into your arms.
"Missed you firecracker." You whispered into her hair.
Max's arms tightened around you. "Missed you too." She mumbled.
The hug lasted another minute before you let go of her. She pulled away and cleared her throat, not looking at you. "Thanks for the ride."
You unlocked the door. "Anytime." You said while smiling at her.
Both of you jumped when you heard knocks at your window. You saw Dustin's displeased face as you cranked down your window.
"Oh, come on! I thought you were giving me a ride this morning?" Dustin whined.
You shook your head. "Oh, don't be a big baby. Your bike works perfectly fine."
"Yeah, doesn't mean I wanted to use it this morning." Dustin actually pouted at you.
"Maybe you should actually get your license." You said, rolling your eyes. "Besides, I'm not your personal chauffer Dust—what are you wearing?" You finally registered what shirt Dustin had on. It looked vaguely familiar to you.
Dustin looked down at his shirt and smiled. His chest puffed out as he looked back at you. "Oh, this? It's my Hellfire shirt." He shot you a proud smile.
You shared a glance with Max before shaking your head. "Right." You stared at it for a moment before shaking your head. "Like I said, I'm not your chauffer and I left a note explaining where I went."
"I didn't see it." Dustin shrugged. "You know you could have just sent a text right?"
"Just get to class." You said, exasperated. You didn't have the energy to keep going back and forth with Dustin.
He didn't move. "Are you going to pick me up after our campaign?" Dustin asked.
"Isn't it the championship game today?" You frowned at him. Lucas had talked about it last night before he left the Henderson home and invited you and Peter to come and watch.
"Wait, really?" Dustin's eyes went wide.
"Uh, yeah? Lucas was talking about it last night." You looked at Dustin with furrowed brows.
Dustin blinked hard at you before he grabbed the top of his hat. There was some panic in his eyes. "Shit. I gotta go." Dustin ran off. You saw the crowds of students being herded towards the gym.
You looked back at Max, gesturing to the gym with a nod. "You should probably get going."
Max nodded, grabbed her backpack and her skateboard from the foot well of the truck, and left. You watched her as she walked away, only to be stopped by Mrs. Kelly. You frowned at the sight, though it slowly faded. You were slightly relieved that Max seemed to be getting help. Your eyes scanned the parking lot for a moment before they landed on a familiar car, and you felt your breath catch in your throat.
Wind brushing against your skin as Steve drove fast with the roof down, zipping down the empty back roads. Playful banter that made the two of you dissolve into laughter, the joyous sounds filling the cabin of the car. Steve leaning over the console, kissing you, both of you smiling through the kiss. Shared shy and sensual touches in the backseat. The windows fogging up from your passionate exchanges. A heated argument between you and Steve. Another argument about college. And another about your futures. And another, just about nothing this time around, fighting each other for no reason. Both of you sit in resigned silence, healing bruises on either of your bodies.
You stared at the red convertible, blinking hard. You shook your head (as if that would wipe your mind from seeing the car) and turned on your truck, quickly leaving the parking lot and heading back to the Henderson house.
By the time you had gotten back to the house, Peter was still sleeping, so you let him be. After about an hour at home, doing some work on your laptop, you woke him up. Well, at least you attempted to.
You opened your room door slightly and saw Peter still asleep. You had to ignore the way your heart flipped at the sight of him; his features were soft and relaxed. The lines of stress that marred his skin were gone as his chest rose and fell rhythmically. You opened the door further and moved into the room. Some of his hair was splayed on the pillow and across his forehead, and you successfully resisted the temptation to brush the strands off his skin.
He had kicked off the blanket in the night, revealing his "I Survived NYC" shirt and bright pink pajama bottoms covered in Hello Kitty faces. The sight of the pants made you smile; you remember the first time you saw them, and it made you burst out laughing (it was the first time you laughed genuinely since the start of summer). You sat on the edge of his bed, which was on a platform that came out from underneath your bed, and poked his thigh.
"Peter?" You asked softly.
He didn't even stir. Peter's breathing was still deep and steady.
You gently shook his leg. "Peter."
Nothing again. A small snore escaped Peter's lips.
You huffed. He usually isn't a deep sleeper. You thought to yourself. You poked his stomach to see if he'd actually wake up. Then his hand shot out and grabbed your wrist before you could even touch him. You let out a surprised yelp as he pulled you further onto the bed, and you steadied yourself with your free hand on the pillow beside the one he was lying on to avoid falling on top of him.
A small grunt escaped his lips as Peter used his free hand and practically manhandled you onto the bed fully, and he tucked you into his chest with no struggle on his behalf (damn him and his super strength), and he pulled the blanket over the two of you.
You could feel his chest rumble as he let out a sleepy hum. "Five more minutes," Peter mumbled, his voice rough from sleep as he sank further into the bed.
You were face-to-face with Peter. You could feel your face warm with how close you were to him, even though this wasn't the first time you had experienced Peter being cuddly in the morning. "You gotta get up, Pete." You whispered.
Peter let out an incomprehensible grunt and ignored you in favor of pulling you closer to him. "You're warm." He buried his head into your neck, his cold nose pressing against your skin.
"Yeah, I'm physically incapable of being cold." You snipped at Peter as you slightly jumped at the contact. "We have plans today." You reminded.
"Cancel them. I wanna sleep in." Peter grumbled, slinging a leg over your hip, fully cocooning you with his body.
You sighed. "Pete, it's like 9 AM."
"Still too early." Peter's lips brushed against your neck, and he tightened his arms around you. The contact of his slightly chapped lips against your skin sent a jolt down your spine.
"Goddamn it, Peter, I'm not a teddy bear." You grip as you try to pry him off of you, but to no avail. "Damn you and your stupid spider powers." You grumbled.
"Five more minutes." Peter mumbled sleepily, the pull of sleep tugging at him once more.
"Ugh, fine. Just five okay?" You said as you brought your free hand to the back of Peter's hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Peter let out something akin to a purr, his chest rumbling at the sensation of your nails scratching against his scalp as he fell back asleep.
You did the soothing motion for a beat before you felt your eyes grow heavy, and sleep took over your senses.
By the time you woke up, it was noon. You had scowled at Peter when the two of you got up from your impromptu nap, and all he did was smile cheekily at you. Peter quickly got dressed, and the two of you headed out to grab a quick bite to eat at the diner before going to the Hawk to watch an early re-release of The Empire Strikes Back, which Peter was very excited for.
After the movie, you headed over to Nancy's to surprise her and carpool with her to the game. Peter let out a low whistle as you pulled up to the Wheeler house.
"This is a pretty nice, you sure she isn't rich?" Peter said, staring at the well-maintained lawn and large house.
"If you think this is nice, when I give you the tour tomorrow, and you see Loch Nora, then you'll know what rich is." You said as you got out of your truck.
"I bet this costed nothing when her parents bought it." Peter observed as the two of you walked up the driveway.
"Probably, considering her Dad is like a financier for some company and does stock trading on the side." You shrugged before pressing the Ring doorbell that was fitted right where the old one used to be.
The door shortly swung open, revealing a slightly frazzled Karen Wheeler. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and she was still dressed in her matching workout clothes.
Karen said your name in surprise before giving you a kind smile. "It's nice to see you honey!" She said before pulling you into a hug.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you too Mrs. Wheeler." You gave her a small smile after you pulled away from the hug. Her eyes flickered to Peter, who was standing right beside her. He sent her a polite smile.
"And who's this?" She inquired. Karen's eyes were studying him.
"Oh, right." You gesture to Peter. "Peter is a friend from New York, he wanted to visit and see what Hawkins was like for spring break."
Karen made a face of understanding, her gaze lingering on Peter slightly. "Well, I hope you have fun while you're here, Peter."
"Thank you." Peter responded with a smile.
"Mom, who are you talking to?" You could hear Nancy's faint voice coming from the stairs inside the house.
Karen turned back. "Come see for yourself honey!"
"Why?" Nancy called back.
"Nancy, just get down here!" Karen yelled for her daughter.
You heard Nancy groan and heard thundering footsteps coming down the stairs. Nancy wore an Emerson College t-shirt, a white, flowy skirt, and a cream-colored cardigan. Her wavy hair fell to her shoulders, but it was clear she had layers in it.
Nancy practically froze when her wide blue eyes landed on you. "You're here?"
You gave her jazz hands. "Surprise!"
You barely saw Nancy slip by her mom before she engulfed you in a hug. You let out a laugh but wrapped your arms around Nancy, squeezing her just as hard as she was to you. Peter smiled at the reunion between the two of you. Karen smiled as she watched the two of you embrace, then took her leave.
After another minute of hugging, Nancy finally pulled away and punched your shoulder.
You winced. "Ow! Nance, what the hell was that for?" The punch didn't actually hurt, but it was unexpected.
"That was for ditching us during Thanksgiving, for California during Christmas, and not for saying anything about coming during spring break when I asked you about it." Nancy huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at you with her wide, blue eyes.
You rolled your eyes. "Okay, first of all, I didn't mean to ditch you during Christmas; that visit wasn't even planned. Second of all, I wanted it to be a surprise. And third of all, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to come back during Thanksgiving, which you know because I texted you." You leveled Nancy with a knowing look.
Nancy met your gaze for a second before pursing her lips. She blew out a breath and nodded. "Right. Sorry, I just missed you."
You sent her a crooked smile. "Missed you too Nance. Now let's get going, I want to get good seats."
"I knew we should have waited until after the game." You had groaned as you reached the entrance of the gym. You and Peter were speed-walking to the gym since you guys decided to grab a snack before the game started at the concession stands outside, across from the building.
"I said I'm sorry, but you know how hungry I get!" Peter pouted at you, but you couldn't respond since the band was playing.
"That metabolism of yours is gonna get you in trouble." You shook your head and led him up the bleachers, having found empty spots for the two of you right in the middle of the row.
You ignored the shocked whispers of your name and the questions about Peter as you moved through the row. Peter apologized for you as he followed behind you. You sat down with a huff and shrugged off your jacket.
Peter sat down next to you and furrowed his brows. "Is that my jacket?"
"Yeah, I borrowed it a while ago." You said as you stuck out your hand for the snacks, not looking at him. You expected him to give you the candy you bought, but frowned when he didn't, so you looked over at him with a confused expression. "What?"
"I thought I lost it in the laundry! I've been looking for that forever." Peter exclaimed.
"You lent it to me. Catch up Pete. Now give me my gummy bears." You opened and closed your hand in a grabbing motion for them.
Peter scoffed, shaking his head, but tossed the gummy bears at your face. You caught them, just barely, and sent him a half-hearted glare. Peter smirked at you and opened the sour straws that he had gotten and bit into them.
The band music cut out, and the announcer walked out onto the court. "Everyone, now please rise for our national anthem."
You and Peter stood with everyone else. "Singing for us tonight, we have a very special guest. All the way from Nashville, our very own Tammy Thompson!" Everyone broke out in applause and cheering as she walked into the gym, waving at everyone, but you snickered as you clapped half-heartedly.
Peter looked at you, confused. "Why are you laughing?"
You smirked at him. "You'll see. Let just say that her parents pulled a lot of strings to get her to Nashville."
The furrow in Peter's eyebrow deepened, but he didn't say anything. The applause petered out as Tammy readied herself to sing. You couldn't help but look back at the band section, and you made eye contact with Robin. You saw excitement and shock in her eyes as she grinned at you. You pointed at Tammy and sent her a teasing smile, making her roll her eyes.
What you didn't see was that Steve had noticed that Robin's attention was no longer on Tammy or Vickie and followed her line of sight. His jaw fell open slightly in awe as he stared at you. His heart twisted with anguish and beat faster as you smiled. Steve knew that it wasn't aimed at him, but a warmth swept through his chest after not having seen it in months (ignoring the fact that he low-key stalked your account during the periods where he wasn't going on dates).
You looked good, happier even—there was a lightness to you, like there was a weight off of your shoulders that Steve hadn't seen before. A soft smile appeared on his face, but it faltered once your gaze turned to the guy next to you, who nudged you with his elbow and offered his candy to you. You had taken it with a smile, saying something to the guy to make him roll his eyes at you, but there was a hidden fondness in his gaze that Steve could spot from a mile away. Who was that guy you were with? Steve couldn't make out his features, except that he was about his height and had brown hair.
"Ohh, sayy can you see—" Tammy's off-key singing snaps Steve back from staring, and he cringes at her voice.
You grin widely as you see Peter flinch at her voice, visibly wincing at how off-key Tammy was as she sang the national anthem.
"She's singing in Nashville?" Peter asked incredulously, trying to resist covering his ears from the unpleasant noises coming from the microphone.
"Like I said, lots of strings were pulled. And it doesn't help she's trying to be an influencer at the same time." You looked at Peter as you informed him.
Peter made eye contact with you. "You've got to be kidding."
"I am not."
Peter looked back at Tammy. "I have nothing nice to say, so I'm not going to say anything at all."
You had to slam your hand over your mouth to hold back a laugh at Peter's words, so as not to look like a jackass in the middle of the national anthem. You couldn't help but snicker with amusement while Peter smiled to himself, having noticed your reaction and being pleased by it.
Once you had calmed down, you saw Lucas in the line-up, and he was looking around the bleachers, and the hopeful look on his face had dropped. You looked around and noticed the lack of curly hair, a brooding redhead, and a raven-haired teenager, and sighed. You caught Lucas's eye and waved at him, sending him a thumbs up, and mouthing 'You got this' to him.
Lucas sent you a half-smile but stood up straighter, making you smile.
Once Tammy finished singing, the players were on the court, and the game was on. While you didn't typically enjoy watching sports (you only did it in support of your friends and boyfriend at the time), admittedly, you did get into watching the game as the points for either team were tied. You were watching in anticipation of who would win, and you were on the edge of your seat when Lucas got the ball.
You saw him practically sprint across the court, and he took the shot with only seconds left on the timer. The ball went in cleanly with a 'swish,' and the gym exploded with cheers. You were immediately on your feet, cheering with excitement at the fact that Hawkins finally won a basketball championship.
His teammates immediately swarmed Lucas, and you couldn't help but beam at the sight. Peter couldn't help but grin at the sight of you so happy—it was infectious, your joy. Soon enough, you filed outside with your (Peter's) jacket back on, and you and Peter were by Nancy's car, waiting for Nancy to wrap up with her Broadcast & Journalism team.
You saw Lucas in the distance, being surrounded by his teammates, glowing with pride from the high of winning the game for the school. You observed as he looked around and spotted something that dimmed his smile. You frowned at the sight of him and followed him to where he was looking, and there you saw Mike, Dustin, and Erica exiting one of the buildings.
"I'll be right back." You told Peter. He had followed your line of sight and nodded.
You approached Lucas with a wide smile. "Hey! You were amazing out there!"
Lucas turned around and smiled sheepishly at you. "Thanks Vix."
You wrapped him up in a hug. "They're idiots for not coming." You told him as you pulled away, leaving a hand on his shoulder.
Lucas sighed. "They seriously tried to get me to postpone this game for DnD."
You shook your head. "Again, idiots. Don't worry, I'll talk to them."
"Sinclair!" A voice echoed through the parking lot, making the two of you look over at the group of jocks. "You coming?" It was Jason, gesturing for Lucas to join them.
"Go." You nodded at them. "Have fun, you deserve it." You smiled at him.
Lucas sent you a half-hearted smile. "You'll be here all week right?"
"Yeah, I'll be here to help you win back Max for like the fiftieth time." You joked.
Lucas chuckled and walked in the direction of the jocks. You shoved your hands into the jacket as you watched him join the group of teenagers, blowing out a long breath. You felt a stare boring into the back of your neck. Your gaze scans the parking lot before your eyes connect with wide, brown eyes that you knew all too well.
Steve stood by his car, leaning on the trunk, just looking at you. You swallowed thickly as the two of you stared at each other. Steve raised a hand and waved to you. You sent him a weak wave back. He straightened up from leaning on his car—it looked like he was going to approach you, but then a girl had walked up to him, averting his attention.
Your jaw clenched at the sight before you released the tension. It was none of your business if Steve was dating someone else. You took a deep breath before turning back around and heading back to Nancy's car; luckily for you, she was already by the car, chatting with Peter.
"Well, I'm ready to go." You said once you approached the two.
"Sorry, but we have to wait for Mike and Dustin. Mike texted me like five minutes ago about needing a ride." Nancy sighed, rubbing her forehead.
You pressed your lips together before moving next to Peter and leaning against his side. He let you lean on him. Nancy noticed this, her eyes lingering on the two of you, but said nothing. A couple of minutes passed, and Dustin, Erica, and Mike came to Nancy's car with their bikes.
Nancy's face scrunched in confusion at the sight of Erica. "What are you doing with them?"
"We asked her to sub in for Lucas." Dustin said nonchalantly.
"You've got to be kidding me." You groaned as you stood up straight. "You guys still went and played DnD?"
Mike furrowed his eyebrows at you. "Uh, yeah. We couldn't convince Eddie to postpone the campaign." Mike opened the trunk of the white Suburban that Nancy was borrowing from her mom.
"Jesus Christ." You mumbled under your breath. "You guys are ridiculous, you guys could have missed any other game of Lucas's beside this one."
"What does that matter? Like you said, we've been to his other games. I'm sure it was like any other one of them." Dustin waved you off and went to put his bike in the trunk alongside Mike's.
"Well, if you guys were there, you would have seen that he made the winning basket, Lucas won the championship." You shook your head at them. "Get your bikes out of the car."
"W-what?" Dustin sputtered out. "Why?"
"Because—" Nancy interjected, seeing where you were going with this. "—the two of you are going to bike home while we drop off Erica."
"That's not fucking fair! Erica missed his game too!" Mike fumed.
"Nuh uh, you guys roped me into this." Erica retorted.
"You agreed to sub in for Lucas?!" Dustin exclaimed.
Erica rolled her eyes. "I only agreed because I don't like the smell of desperation and the two of you were reeking of it."
"I swear to—"
"That's enough!" You cut in before Dustin could say anything else. "You guys have to suffer the consequences of not being a good friend. You'll have to ride home. That's final."
"Oh, you're one to talk, considering you practically ghosted us after you moved to New York." Dustin sneered as he glared at you and Peter, taking his bike out of the trunk roughly.
Your jaw clenched, but you refused to rise to the bait. "I'll see you when I get home, Henderson."
Dustin scoffed at you but said nothing. Mike and Dustin got on their bikes and rode away. You shook your head and helped Erica put her bike in the trunk, offering her the front seat before sitting in the back with Peter.
As Nancy drove, your face heated with embarrassment when you realized Peter had witnessed everything. You groaned under your breath and covered your face with your hands.
Peter heard you and leaned in. "You okay?" He asked softly.
You peeked through your fingers to look at him. His eyes were filled with such warmth and sincerity that you could have melted into a puddle right then and there.
"Not really, but I will be." You responded once you took your hands off your face.
Peter nodded and grabbed your hand, squeezing it. You squeezed his hand back and looked out the window. Not realizing that you hadn't let go of Peter's hand, but you didn't really think about it because there was a familiar sinking feeling in your gut that distracted you entirely from the comfort Peter was bringing you.
You let out a shaky breath. You had a feeling something was wrong, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. You were hoping that your gut was wrong and that your spring break would turn out just fine.
wc: 8.7k
a/n: sorry not sorry about the word count LOL. tbh the most difficult thing to figure out was what car modern!steve would drive but this is what i had in mind! but we're in it now guys... tis the calm before the utter shit storm that is about to occur
next up: [chapter two—vecna's curse] | [series masterlist]
