#hopper reader

Once you were certain you were both in the clear, you slipped your shoes on and climbed out of your bedroom window. Growing up, the police chief's daughter made it hard to be popular; no one wanted to get caught drinking or doing drugs with you around. The last thing an infamous Steve Harrington party needed was Jim Hopper arresting everyone within the vicinity. Steve was the only boy who was willing to face the wrath of his anger. He’d gladly get strung up in the Hawkins town square if it meant he got to see your face one last time. 

A smile bloomed on your face when you spotted the beamer poking out of the trees, your hand knocking on the glass quickly. Startling the paranoid man.

He rolled the window down, “Jesus Christ. Get in.” He hissed, only making you roll your eyes. You couldn’t blame his paranoia; Hopper had already talked the fear of god into him. If he were found complicit in sneaking you out and disgracing you in his leather backseat, the Harringtons would have to bury their son. That’s if Hopper let them find the body. 

“You’re so antsy.” You giggled, closing the door slowly to appease him. His hands were shaky, but steadied the moment he saw your smile. 

“I’m scared shitless. This could be my last night on earth, you know?” He teased, leaning forward and smashing his lips onto yours. It was brief, but passionate. Leaving both of you aching for more. 

Weeks of only being able to sneak in kisses through your open door or the halls of Hawkins High. And maybe a janitor closet once, and Mrs. Clicks' empty classroom while she was on break, and the PE bathroom. 

“Well, you better get to driving, Stevie, gotta make this last night worth it, huh?” The car was pulling into drive before you could finish your sentence, the smooth sound of the radio matching the gravel spinning under his tires. He knew the way to Lover's Lake like the back of his hand. If you weren’t so eager to get your hands on him, you would be chiding him about it, being one of the first to tame the infamous Playboy of Hawkins. 

“Did you make this mix?” You asked after another familiar song came through his speakers, his neck going red. 

He simply nodded, his teeth tugging at his bottom lip. “Do you like it?” 

Your heart sped up, your hands leaning across the console to cup the back of his head. Fingers tugging gently at the shorter strands on his neck, “I love it. You’re such a romantic under all that cockiness, huh?” 

“Cockiness.” He mocked under his breath, pulling into a secluded spot that only select people knew about. 

You’ve only had the pleasure of coming here once or twice, nothing but making out and heavy petting. This time was different; it had been weeks since his parents left. Weeks since the last time he’s had your bare flesh against his, and it was driving both of you insane. Teenage hormones seeped through your pores, leaving the air hot. 

“What was that?” You hummed, leaning your upper body against the center console. Your hand comes up to rest on his upper thigh, immediately making his cock jump in his pants. He audibly gulped, restraining himself from bucking his hips up at the sudden touch. 

“Such a brat.” He mumbled louder, his fingers gripping the wheel tightly. Your hand moved between his legs slowly, cupping his heavy balls through the fabric. It was taking everything in him not to stop the car right there on the side of the road and have his way with you, consequences be damned. 

“That’s not very nice, Stevie.” You jutted your bottom lip out, moving to unbuckle yourself. 

As soon as the car dinged, Steve cussed, his neck turning towards you. “No, no buckle back up. “ 

“Steve-”

“No, it’s not safe, Y/n.” 

“You’re a safe driver. I trust you.” You gave him a devilish grin, his neck aching from looking back at you, then back on the road. 

“Y/n-”

You shushed him, going back to focusing on unbuttoning his jeans. He protested, but never once stopped your eager hands from pulling his aching cock free. The position was awkward; his jeans were pressing into him in all the wrong ways, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care anymore when your hand wrapped around him.

He was heavy in your hands, the tip leaking with precum already. Steve was a goner, his jaw lax as he did his best to stay within the lines of the darkened Hawkins back roads. 

“Holy fuck, you’re such a dirty little slut.” Steve groaned, your tongue flattening against him, slowly pulling his mushroomed tip into your mouth. 

All you could do was moan around him, his hand slipping when you bobbed your head. The car veers off into the rumble stripes. You nearly pulled off of him before his hand came down on your head, the other steadying the wheel. 

“Sorry, sorry. I got it. Don’t stop, baby.” He let out another pathetic whimper, continuing against his length slowly. You couldn’t take but a quarter of his massive cock at this angle, but it was just enough to make his legs shake. Your tongue gliding around him expertly. 

By the time he shakily pulled into the designated spot for the night. Leaving his car hidden underneath the low-hanging trees, the only thing seen for miles was the lake and brush. 

As soon as the parking brake was pulled, he let you crawl further into his lap, your mouth sinking further down on him. His head was thrown back, his eyes glossy as you gagged around each inch of him. 

“Good girl, you’re doing so well.” He cooed, one of his hands in your hair, holding it out of your face, and the other cupping your face. Rubbing circles against your cheek, feeling how wide you were taking him. 

Tears were streaming down your face at the intrusion. No matter how many times you took him, you’d never get used to his size. Saliva dripped down your chin, your hands coming up to cover the inches of him you couldn’t fit. His hips were bucking now, unable to stop himself as he grunted your name over and over. 

“Fuck, baby, I’m gonna cum, gotta stop.” He babbled, your lips pulling off of him with a pop. Your hands didn’t stop stroking him as you smirked, “Isn’t that the point?” 

“Wanna cum inside you.” He hissed, covering your hand with his. Pausing your movements. You pouted but still helped tuck his still throbbing cock back into his boxers. 

“No fun.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes at your teasing, slapping your ass playfully as you crawled into the backseat. Your back slides against the chilled seats, tossing your sweater off in haste. “Someone’s eager.” 

“You’re one to talk.” You whispered, your hands tugging at the hem of his own shirt. Letting it fly somewhere in the vicinity. Your hands running up and down the newly exposed skin as he settled between your legs. 

The sound of the cicadas outside matched the frantic beating in your chest. Soundlessly, the two of you fell into each other’s arms. His body slotted between your hips. The moon was high in the sky, reflecting off his honey brown eyes. Your own eyes glimmering back at him, full of lust. 

“You’re so beautiful, honey.” He whispered, letting his hand cup your cheek. His thumb brushes against your bottom lip, toying with it. 

“Kiss me.” You were breathless, your body aching to be against his. 

“Breathe.” He whispered, leaning in just to press his plump lips against your cheek, moving down 

to the side of your neck. Your head went limp in his hold, letting him guide you however he wanted to.

He kissed every bit of exposed skin, letting his tongue travel between your breasts. Teeth nipping at the supple flesh that bounced out of your bra. One-handed, he reached back and unclasped the lacy fabric with ease. It fell to the floorboard with a soft rustle, Steve’s breath hitching. 

“These perfect tits.” He spoke, mostly to himself, as his eyes stayed glued to your bare chest. His tongue reaches out to flick across one of the hardened buds. Pulling it into his mouth, his cheeks hollowing. 

“Fuck.” You sighed, your fingernails dragging through his scalp. 

He took his time, giving ample attention to both before dragging his sinful tongue down your naval. Hovering above your thin pajama shorts. His warm breath hitting against your clothed cunt makes your hips wiggle in anticipation, your hands anxiously grab his hair, his shoulders, whatever you could grab. 

He tapped your hips twice, signalling you to lift as he pulled both your bottoms down in one go. Leaving you completely naked in front of him. The chill of the backseat was gone, replaced with a thick heat. The windows are already fogging up, the car shaking with each shift of your bodies. 

“Oh, baby…” He breathed out, his fingertips finding their home on the inside of your thighs. Spreading you open wide for him. Your glistening folds are taking his breath away, his mouth already watering for a taste. You didn’t even get the chance to beg, his mouth coming down and attaching itself to your clit. 

“Steve.” You let out his name in a wanton moan. He went in hot and heavy, no time to prepare for the pleasure licking up your spine. It was messy, his mouth moaning into you as he drank in your arousal. He knew every spot that made you preen, and exactly what angle to slide his fingers in to make you gasp. 

“Taste so good f’me baby.” He mumbled, curling his fingers deep inside. Making sure to hit that spongey spot. As soon as he found it, he grinned wildly, drinking in the breathy noises that escaped your lips. 

He leaned back down, letting his tongue find your clit once again. Flattening against the bundle of nerves, chasing your high. It wasn’t until the movement of leaves outside the car made him still. His body went rigid. 

“Did you hear that?” Steve’s head came up quickly, making your hips buck at the sudden loss. His fingers were still moving inside of you at a brutal pace; all you could hear was him curling the lewd noises of your sopping cunt. 

“Just the wind,” You breathed out, not even bothering to look out the foggy windows. “Please don’t stop, baby. I’m so close.” 

He leaned his mouth back down hesitantly, letting his tongue swipe at you once more. 

Your head was still leaning against his wadded-up jacket, your eyes rolled into the back of your head. 

“Steve.” You moaned, hips bucking wildly against his nose. He let his eyes flutter closed, getting back into the moment. This moment was short-lived, much as your approaching orgasm. Your eyes opened for just a second, just enough to see the flashlight appearing in the back window. You’d know that police police-issued flashlight from anywhere. 

“Oh my god, Steve.” You panted, sitting up frantically. 

Steve, oblivious, only sped up his movements. “You gonna cum for me, baby-“

“My fucking dad’s outside,” You nearly yelled, watching his body freeze. Fight or flight kicks in within a moment. The two of you have never scrambled around faster in your lives, the shadow of your dad looming closer. 

Both of you missed the sounds of the Chevy rolling in through the gravel, headlights turned off. The gruff slam of his car door, the crunching of twigs beneath his boots. He was supposed to be on patrol; you don’t know how he even knew you were gone. 

“I can’t find my shirt,” Steve yelled, helping you slip your shorts back up your legs. Clad in only his boxers, struggling to pull his jeans up in the tightened space. 

“I can’t find my bra!” You whispered, both of you panting frantically. 

The sound of his flashlight banging on the glass had Steve’s eyes popping out of his head. 

“Harrington,” Hopper's voice boomed, “You have 30 seconds to be out of this car before you never see it again.” 

“Oh my god, I’m fucked.” He threw his head back, his face still coated in your slick. You panicked, leaning forward and trying to clean him off with your sweater sleeve while the countdown began.

“29,28,…. 20.” 

“That’s not even fucking fair, he’s skipping numbers.” He whined all while you tried to make it look like you both weren’t minutes away from making this car shake. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know how he knew.” That was all you could get out when the door handle jiggled. Between the heat in the car and the sickly sweet smell of sex, it was undeniable what was happening, but you were both gonna lie it out. 

Steve said a prayer to every god that was listening, and hit the unlock button. The door was nearly ripped off its hinges, revealing a disheveled Steve sitting on his knees on the seat, while you were sitting as if nothing was happening, legs crossed, pretending to fumble around with a random manual tucked into the backseat pocket. 

“H-hey….” Steve winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Hopper was in a fury, his hand grabbing Steve's shoulder, yanking him out of the car. He nearly fell to the ground with a thud. You were crawling out with them.

“Whoa!” You yelled, watching your father get into Steve’s face. 

“You wanna tell me what you two are doing out here? Huh?” The vein in his neck was protruding, spit flying. 

“Oh my god, oh my god.” Steve was mumbling, leaning out of his tight hold.

“We were just kissing.” You yelled, throwing your hands up.

“And I was born yesterday.” Hopper scoffed, “Tell me, Steve, were you two just kissing?” 

Steve was a terrible liar; this was something you adored in any instance that wasn’t this. “Technically-” He winced, preparing for your father’s hands to wrap around his throat. 

Your head fell into your hands, Hopper’s eyes squinting in confusion. It took him less than 30 seconds to realize what he had meant, his hands only gripping tighter. 

“You think this is a game, son?” 

Steve’s head shook, “No! NO! I am so sorry, so sorry.” 

“Let him go!” You yelled, “This is ridiculous.” 

Hopper’s laugh boomed, “No, what’s ridiculous is my daughter lying to me. Making me think something happened to her just to find her screwing around with the Harrington boy.” 

“We weren’t screwing around-” Steve tried another lie, getting cut off. 

“So those condoms in the front seat, just for decoration, huh?” He moved the flashlight back to the car, the evidence damning. You didn’t even realize Steve had put the packets there, your skin flushing. 

“Steve, please be quiet.” You begged, his eyes closing when Hopper let him go reluctantly. 

“Yeah, might wanna listen to her.” Your dad gruffed, shining the flashlight in your face now. 

Steve nodded wordlessly, slowly gaining his bearings once again. Standing still across from him, his eyes still wide. His eyes glance down to the duty belt on his hips, taking note of the gun sitting in the holster. Hopper notices, his hand falling to his hip. 

“Not gonna shoot you, boy.” 

“I wasn’t sure,” He admitted with a shaky laugh. 

Hopper let the anger sit with him for a moment, letting out a disappointed huff. “Got a call about a car driving with no headlights down the back road. Imagine my surprise when it came back to your father.” 

“I’m really sorry.” He frowned, “I don’t-I’m not. I really like your daughter.” 

“Then respect her enough to not defile her in your backseat.” He ignored Steve’s admission, scoffing. Joyce’s words echoed around in his head. 

“Can we leave now?” You huffed back, the Hopper irritation radiating off of both of you. It would no doubt be a war zone when you got home, and you wanted it to be over with. You were already playing the argument out in your head. It didn’t matter that you were 18; you lived under his roof and obeyed his rules. 

The flashlight went back into Steve’s eyes, “Take her home.” 

Thinking it was a trap, Steve stayed still. Only moving when Hopper yelled it again, Steve stumbled over to the car. 

Your dad paused, hand rubbing over his face with a sigh. “I’ll be home in a few hours. I want him gone by then.” 

Your eyes widened in shock, choking out a laugh. “Wait, what?” 

“You heard me,” he grumbled, shuffling on his feet. Steve wasn’t listening, too busy fumbling around in the backseat trying to find the keys he had shoved into the pocket of his jeans, then the jeans flew all around the car. 

“You’re giving me permission to bring Steve over?” Your eyebrow was raised, “Without you home.” 

The words pained Hopper to say, an uncomfortable frown constant on his face. “That’s what I said. You’re grown enough to make smart decisions. Well, I don’t know, considering where I found you, but….” 

“Is this a trap?” You questioned, making his frustration boil over. 

“Oh my god, just go! I’ll see you later!” He yelled, flicking the flashlight off. His footfalls were heavy underneath the gravel as he made his way back to his truck. He paused halfway, turning back to look at Steve once again. 

“I expect to see you for dinner some night soon, son.” He glared at the boy, making him gulp. Answering with a string of high-pitched ‘yes sirs’. 

The two of you stayed still until the Chevy pulled out of the cove and back onto the main road. When the headlights disappeared, you both let out heavy breaths. Looking at each other wildly. 

“Did he give me permission to take you home and fuck you?” 

You cringed, slapping his shoulder harshly as you crawled back to the passenger seat. “I think he just had a weird change of heart. Probably wasn’t him. It was most likely Joyce.”

“He kinda ruined my boner though.” Steve sighed, starting the car up. 

All you could do was laugh, putting your hand on his thigh when he began the drive back to your house. “We have 2 hours, don’t worry, it’ll come back.” 

You were right, it was indeed Joyce who pushed him to give you more freedom. The rest of his shift was spent with his eyebrows furrowed, a headache forming from the constant scowl gracing his face. Cursing Joyce internally for giving you leeway the same way she did Jonathan with Nancy. He, too, had once been young, dumb, and in love. 

When he got home that night, the anger came back in full force, Steve’s car sitting in the driveway. He stormed into the house, yelling on the tip of his tongue. Nothing came out when he noticed the silence, walking into the hallway. Your door was cracked open the allotted three inches, and he peeked in. 

Both of you were fully dressed, your head leaning against Steve’s chest. Eyes closed and no doubt drooling into his shirt. The TV played old reruns of some show, and a bucket of popcorn lazily sat on your nightstand. Steve turned back at the noise, his eyes wide at Hopper standing in this doorway. Time had gotten away, and he didn’t wanna wake you. The boy shuffled, ready to hightail it out of there. 

Your arms were wrapped around his neck, his entire body pressed on top of you, kissing you as if it were the first time again.

It seemed the two of you could makeout hours on end, non stop, and still feel as though it was simply the first time.

Perks of being freshly out of high school, far too young to understand love, and entirely too stupid.

Steve pressed further into you, groaning against you as you wrapped your legs around his waist.

Steve pulled apart briefly to catch his breath, nose brushed against yours. “You’re so perfect,” he breathed out.

You smiled, one hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “You’re not so bad yourself, Harrington.”

He smirked and leaned back in, kissing you far more passionately than the first time.

Both of you seemed to tune the world out, not acknowledging the fact that Hopper and El had just pulled up outside.

The front door opened and El immediately walked into the kitchen, opening the freezer.

Hopper tossed his keys on the counter, watching El. “Hey, no Eggos before dinner,” he told the girl.

El sighed, digging in the fridge and pulling out an old tub of sherbet ice cream instead. She grabbed a spoon from the drawer and dug in, leaning against the counter.

Hopper watched in shock, scoffing and walking down to the living room. He immediately saw that your door was closed all the way, music coming softly from the room.

But, that wasn’t the only sound…

Anyone near the door could totally hear the sound of two people kissing.

“Hey!” Hopper shouted, storming towards the door, steam practically coming from his ears. “What did we talk about?!”

He grabbed the door handle, but it was locked. He shouted your name, banging on the door. “Open this door right now!”

Eleven creeped out of the kitchen, ice cream tub in hand, spoon in her mouth. She had been caught with Mike before, and she couldn’t imagine what would go down when you and Steve were caught.

Sometimes, she thought Hopper hated Steve. Whenever she asked him if he did, he just gave her this look. This look that indirectly told her yes.

But, really, there was nothing to hate. Steve loved you more than anything. He was, on paper, the perfect boyfriend.

Hopper just didn’t want you to have one.

The door unlocked and Hopper barged in. You stumbled back, his large frame towering over you.

His mad eyes scanned the room, looking for any trace of the Harrington boy. He fell short. “Where the hell is he?!” he yelled at you.

You furrowed your brows. “Where the hell is who?”

Hopper ran a hand over his face, giving you a dry laugh. “Don’t act dumb. I know he was in here.”

You shrugged. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

Hopper’s hand was still on the door handle and he squeezed it tightly. You thought it might pop off of the door. “Why was the door locked then?”

“Uh…” you trailed off. “Because I was getting dressed?” you replied, motioning to your shorts and top.

Hopper’s jaw clenched. He knew you were full of shit. “I know he was here.”

You and Hopper went back in forth. You lying and insisting that no one was in your room. Him pressing you for the truth.

El stood in the living room, eating her ice cream and watching the scene play out with curiosity. She was silently taking notes of what to do if she ever got caught again with Mike.

She looked down into the tub to take another bite of ice cream, right when she saw something from the corner of her eye, right at the window.

She did a double take and her eyes immediately landed on Steve, who also noticed El staring at her. His eyes widened, as did hers. Steve held up his finger to his lips, telling El to stay quiet.

El motioned her fingers to her lips, pretending to seal them shut and lock it.

Moments later, there was a knock at the door.

You looked up at your dad who stopped yelling. You smirked. “You gonna get that or keep looking for someone who’s not here?”

Hopper’s jaw clenched and he stared at you for a moment before going to get the door. He opened it and, surprise, surprise.

It was Steve.

You skipped out into the living room, grabbing your sneakers that were by the door. “Oh!” you exclaimed. “Well if it isn’t the boyfriend you thought I was hiding in my room.”

Steve played it casual, his hands shoved in his pockets. “Hey,” he greeted you. “Why would I be hiding in your room?” he laughed.

Hopper’s lips parted in shock. He pushed past Steve, out of the house. He looked around, and there it was.

Steve’s Beamer parked right beside his car. That definitely wasn’t there when he initially pulled up.

“What the…” he muttered to himself.

You smirked, walking past your dad, Steve’s hand in yours. “See ya,” you said.

“Hey!” Hopper shouted at you, following you to Steve’s car. “Where do you think you’re going.”

“I’m going out with Steve. Bye.”

Steve opened the passenger door for you, shutting it once you were inside. He went around the car into the driver’s seat and drove off.

El came outside, still eating her ice cream. She was giggling like a child who told a dumb joke from beside him. “You look like a maniac.”

Hopper turned to her, an insane look in his eyes. El took another bite of her ice cream and he snagged the spoon from her mouth. “No ice cream before dinner,” he grumbled, walking inside.

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That was the first incident. It happened again during that summer.

Again, and again, and again.

Too many times to count.

But, one night truly did it for Hopper.

It was late, way past your curfew. But, you didn’t care. You graduated high school, you were an adult. What did you look like having a curfew?

Steve’s Beamer was parked at the edge of Lover’s Lake. The moonlight shinned on the water, making it sparkle.

It was quiet, the lake empty except for you and Steve.

He had his fingers tangled with yours, your head pressed against his shoulder. You’d spent the entire day together, and not once did you bother to call your father.

You were too preoccupied with your boyfriend.

“Do you ever…think about a future with…with us?” Steve asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

You lifted your head and looked over at him. You nodded with a smile. “Yeah,” you admitted, tone hushed. “I like the idea of us moving out together and maybe getting away from his shit hole,” you said.

Hawkins was the place you grew up, the place all of your core childhood memories were. But, after the turn of events the in the last few years, you didn’t want to stay.

Steve nodded, his lips creeping up into a smile. “I like that too. What about kids?”

You hummed in thought, looking out at the lake. “Uh…not on the chopping block right now.”

Steve hummed and slowly nodded. “Okay, what about later?”

“Uhm…” you trailed off, not giving that part much thought. “Maybe, I dunno.”

“Well, I kinda want maybe…six kids,” Steve admitted.

Your eyes widened. “Six?!”

You knew Steve didn’t have the best relationship with his parents, nor did he have any siblings. For him to want to many kids only seemed natural. But, you weren’t so sure how to feel about it.

You leaned in, your lips just inches away from Steve. “We’ll revisit this conversation later, yeah?”

Steve smirked, leaning in over the center console as well. “Okay,” he murmured.

Your lips met in a slow kiss, soft and gentle.

Your side was digging into the leather of the car, rather uncomfortably.

Seconds later, you ended up in the driver’s seat with Steve, straddling his waist, his hands roaming all over.

The kiss ended up becoming hot and heavy, the car windows starting to fog.

That’s when you heard it.

The cop car siren.

You jumped, pulling away from Steve. Your hands found there place on his shoulders as you attempted to look out of the foggy window.

You couldn’t see entirely, but you could make out the red and blue lights.

“Harrington and Hopper Jr.,” a voice sounded from the intercom. “Roll the goddamn window down.”

You groaned, knowing exactly who it was.

You reached for the hand crank, cranking the window down.

Hopper was sat in his sheriff car, eyes boring into yours. He looked absolutely pissed and the position you were both in wasn’t helping.

You would’ve gotten off of Steve, but you knew it would only make Hopper more angry.

You glared at him. “What?”

“It’s way past your curfew,” he informed you, jaw tight.

You shrugged. “I’m aware.”

Steve snickered, his hands still tight on your waist.

You turned and looked down at him, laughing like a dumb teenager too.

“Hey!” Hopper yelled at you, to get your attention again. You turned your head to him, rolling your eyes. “Get out the car,” he instructed you.

You scoffed. “Are you serious?”

Hopper’s eyes widened and he looked like a crazed man. “Oh, I’m so serious! Get out!”

Your eyes widened and you turned to Steve. “Can’t ever have a moment of peace,” you mumbled.

“I know-”

“Now!” Hopper yelled at you.

“I’m coming!” you shouted back at him.

You turned to Steve again, a mischievous glint in your eyes. “Love you,” you whispered.

Steve looked at you with stars in his eyes. He absolutely melted whenever you said it. “Love you too.”

You leaned in and placed a soft kiss to his lips.

“Goddamn it,” Hopper seethed, unbuckling his seatbelt. He got out of the car and slammed the door shut, marching over to Steve’s car.

You pulled away, right when he yanked the diver’s side door open. “Get out!”

He grabbed your arm, dragging you off of Steve and shoving you into his car.

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“I just…I can’t take it anymore!” Hopper ranted, pacing back and forth and Joyce’s job.

Joyce was busy tagging things, listening to his rants about you and Steve. She smiled softly, turning to face him. “Hopper,” she reasoned. “They’re teenagers, grown teenagers at that. They’re young and in love, what do you expect?”

Hopper groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, but it’s like, constant,” he began. “I mean, every time I see her, he’s there. I can’t even see my daughter without that little shit attached to her hip like some kind of-”

“Hopper,” Joyce laughed, tagging another item and placing it back on the shelf. “He’s her boyfriend! And her first and only one at that. Let her be head over heels,” she shrugged.

Hopper shook his head, going to sit on top of the counter. “No, you don’t get it. You’re not there. I mean, it’s gotta be unhealthy not only the amount of time they’re spending together, but how often they’re kissing. It’s disgusting!”

Joyce smiled, shaking her head. “Don’t you remember what it was like to be young and in love?”

That’s when it hit Hopper.

All the stuff he and Joyce did back in the day.

All of it.

The stupid side of it.

Hopper’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh…my…” he trailed off, staring at the floor.

Joyce looked over at him. “What?”

“What if…” he thought aloud. He gagged, the thought making him sick. “Oh, God!”

“What?!” Joyce exclaimed, growing concerned.

“I’m gonna be sick!” Hopped heaved, his heart rate rising exponentially. “Oh, God! Someone sedate me!”

“What?!” Joyce pressed again, walking up to him. “What’s wrong?!”

Hopper looked at Joyce with wide eyes. “You don’t think…” he went on. “How…do-” He stumbled over his words. “How far do you think they’ve taken it?” he whispered, as if it would make Joyce give him the answer he wanted.

Joyce stood there, staring at him briefly. Then, she understood. “You mean, do I think they’ve had sex?” she asked.

Hopper gagged, loud and obnoxious. “Joyce!” he practically screamed. “Don’t say that!”

Joyce shrugged. “You asked!”

Hopper ran a hand over his face, jumping off the counter. “I can’t take this anymore,” he panted, clutching his chest. “Maybe, I’ll just kill, Harrington. I could cover it up, I’m Chief of Police.”

“Or…” Joyce began, suggesting something more logical. “Have a heart to heart with them.”

Hopper raised a brow. “Heart to heart?”

Joyce nodded. “Yeah. You know. Have a conversation with them. Tell them about safety and create an environment where they’re comfortable consulting you.”

Hopper leaned on the counter for stability. His palms hot against the cool of the counter. “I don’t want to be consulted about their sex lives…that so…ew!”

Joyce shrugged, playing devil’s advocate. “Or lack thereof.”

Hopper gave Joyce a deadpanned looked. “I saw them making out in his car the other day, and she was literally on top of him in the driver’s seat.”

Joyce scratched the back of her neck, looking sheepish. “Maybe they were just gonna kiss.”

Joyce insisted on a heart to heart, and even made him practice with her. After he said about two words, which was ‘Can we,’ he gave up, tossing his notes to the ground. “Why can’t you just do it?” he asked.

“Because she’s not my kid,” Joyce laughed, gathering the notes. “Come on. Let’s practice, again.”

࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆ ࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆ ࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆

The house was completely empty, Hopper still out with Joyce, rehearsing what to say, and El out with the rest of the party.

Which meant, you and Steve were all alone.

It started in the living room, on the couch.

Some random show playing, Steve’s hand far up your thigh.

Then a little peck on the lips, then another. And another.

Then a slow makeout, drifting into something more. Something far more intimate and passionate.

His tongue grazed your bottom lip, asking for permission. You let him in, completely intoxicated by the feeling.

You pulled at his hair, your hands tugged at his shirt, wanting more.

Steve lifted you up, your legs wrapping around his waist, and he walked into your bedroom.

The door left slightly ajar.

He laid you on the bed, hovering over you.

You pulled away, mumbling a hushed ‘yes’, confirming that you wanted to take it to the next level.

“Are you sure?” Steve asked, clarifying that you were all in.

You nodded. “Positive.”

And that was all he needed.

Your lips met each others again, his shirt was tossed aside and soon enough, yours was too.

࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆ ࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆ ࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆

Outside, Hopper was in his car, a cigarette pressed between his lips, reading over his notes.

He stumbled over every word and cringed at the fact that he was going to have to ask his daughter something so personal.

He knew Steve was there, his Beamer was literally parked right beside him.

“Jesus…” he muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t kill him…don’t kill him….don’t kill him…” he told himself, eyes shut. “Don’t kill him,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Hopper took a deep breath and got out the car, walking inside, trying to remain calm.

He shut the door behind him and slowly walked down the hall, reciting what he was supposed to say. “Hey, guys,” he said calmly, head held low. He halted at your door and slowly looked up. “I just wanted to-”

You gasped, eyes blown wide in shock.

Steve was on top of you in nothing but his underwear, and you were in nothing but your bra, your shorts still on your waist, but unbuttoned and unzipped.

Steve froze, his nose in the crook of your neck, fingers in the belt loop of your shorts.

He slowly turned around, hating the idea of being caught, but praying it was Eleven.

It definitely was not.

Steve yanked the covers of the bed up, and pulled it over you. He scrambled to the floor, grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his head.

“Jesus Christ!” Hopper shouted, barging into the room. “What is wrong with you people?! You ever get bored of each other?!”

“Dad! you yelled, pulling the blanket closer. “Get out!”

“Get out?!” he repeated with a loud scoffed. “Get out?! You mean, get out of my own house?! The one I pay for?!” His eye twitched, making you cower into the bed.

Steve rushed to get his pants on, tripping over them in the hurry.

Hopper grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him back to his feet, pulling him close to his chest, towering over him. “You listen here,” he began, tone intimidating and threatening, a finger pointed in Steve’s face. “If I see you within a five mile radius of my daughter, I’m going to kill you, and I’ll get away with it.” His eyes were wide, insanely mad.

You scrambled to grab your shirt, putting it back on and fixed your shorts. “Five miles?!” you exclaimed. “That’s like-”

“Not far enough,” Hopper interrupted you.

Steve swallowed hard. “Do you understand?!” Hopper shouted at him.

Steve nodded quickly, fearful for his life.

࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆ ࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆ ࣪ ˖ 𖦹°⋆

That night, the phone at the Byers’ residence rang. Joyce answered it and immediately Hopper’s voice came through.

“You won’t believe it!” Hopper exclaimed.

Joyce smiled. “It worked?” she asked.

Over the line, Hopper nodded. “Yes! Yes, it worked!”

Joyce laughed triumphantly. “Yes! See, I told you! A heart to heart is always the way to go.”

Hopper cleared his throat awkwardly. “Yeah, yeah,” he brushed her off. “Heart to heart…or whatever.”

Joyce raised a brow. “You did…you did do it, right?”

“Yeah,” Hopper replied, voice high in pitch. “I mean, I had to improvise, but…”

“Improvise?” Joyce questioned. “Hopper, what did you-”

“Dad,” your voice came through. “Can you please get rid of the restraining order on Steve,” you begged.

Joyce’s eyes widened. “Restraining order?” she repeated. “Hopper, that’s not a heart to heart!”

Hopper shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I mean, I had him pulled to my chest as I threatened him, our hearts were pretty close.”

“Hopper!” Joyce lectured him.

“Dad!” you whined. “Please!”

Joyce pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s not what we discussed.”

“Well, whatever,” Hopper deflected. “My method worked almost instantly. I have no regrets,” he yawned.

He hung up the phone as Joyce protested.

You stood with your arms crossed. “You’re actually insane. What is wrong with you?”

Hopper stretched, a smile on his face. He walked over to the couch. “Nothing, now that he’s gone.”

He sat on the couch, legs propped up.

As soon as he shut his eyes, he heard it.

Laughter coming from El’s room.

Mike.

He shot up out of his spot on the couch, racing to El’s room, yanking on the door. “Open the door! Right now!”

You watched with curiosity, when something out of the corner of your eye caught your attention.

You turned and looked out the window, none other than Mike was outside, his eyes wide in shock.

Just like that, she was gone. And at the age of 20 you had lost your second little sister.

Being a Hopper was not an easy thing, you were stubborn, too stubborn for your own good. And your relationship with your father struggled because of it.

You and your father had come such a long way since Sarah passed. After your mother had started her new family, you had felt completely discarded, it didn’t help that all he could do was drink and smoke. It wasn’t an easy life, but over the last few years you had rebuilt that relationship with him.

You finally talked (more like screamed, but communicated nonetheless). Then he took El in, stayed sober, then he died, and then he came back. All this happened while you were saving the world more than once.

You swore sometimes that being a Hopper meant some divine being had it out for you.

So when you thrashed and fought against the soldier holding you back from grabbing at El, you felt like that divine being had finally won.

Your ears were ringing, bile was rising in your throat, you weren’t even sure if you were screaming or not.

You threw your head back with all of the strength you had, momentarily distracting the soldier with pain to his face. You lunged forward to the gate where she stood.

Your eyes met hers and she mouthed “I love you” as the tears ran down her cheeks.

You threw your body forward and started to run, but as she stepped back, further into the upside down, two arms wrapped around you, constricting you.

Your heart beat was going so fast you were sure it would give out, your knees felt weak, you felt like you could pass out. You thrashed for a moment, flailing your arms for freedom.

Through the ringing in your ears you could hear the voice of whoever was holding you, “I’m here, it’s okay, I know, please, I got you,” the voice pleading and begging.

Your body finally gave in, and as the upside down imploded and nothing of it was left, you fell into the body holding you.

A broken sob left from the depths of your chest, and you finally recognized the voice that was holding you.

“I’m here, sweetheart it’s okay,” Steve said as he brushed your hair back and held you against his chest on the ground.

“No, someone go get her, she can’t be gone,” you mumbled nonsense as the tears fell.

Everyone around you had gone silent, even the soldiers working against you were unsure of what to do.

Steve kissed your forehead, holding his lips against your temple, “I’m here, you’re going to be okay, I’ve got you.”

You didn’t realize how honest he was being when he said that.

In the days to come life was a blur. You were all in a government holding cell, legal meetings, signing papers, trying to figure out next steps. Steve held your hand through it all. You didn’t speak for two days after you watched El go. And he spoke for you.

He made sure you ate, drank, got dressed.

He held you when you cried, consoled you as best he could, and never once scolded you for feeling the way you did.

You finally snapped back into yourself around two weeks after the hush money was put into your account and the military had officially vacated Hawkins. The town began to rebuild itself around you, and all you could think about was El..

You and Mike confided in each other often, spending sleepless nights talking about her, trying to learn to move on.

But every time you laughed, or felt like you were happy, there was a pang in your chest, reminding you.

You reentered society slowly. You started working at the police station, not that that’s where you wanted to be, but when your dad offered the desk job, you accepted. You moved in with Steve, said goodbye to Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin with tears in your eyes and tight hugs. Steve got his new jobs, and a new car, life was carrying on.

Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Will, and Max continued confiding in both you and Steve, making you feel both useful and loved.

Slowly but surely, you felt like yourself. Everyone around you could breathe again, and Steve was constantly reminding you how proud he was of you for surviving it.

Nearly every night as you nuzzled against him, he kissed your head softly and told you, “I love you and you’re so strong, baby.”

He doesn’t realize that he truly saved you through all of this. He was the only reason you were able to keep yourself above water.

One Year Later

It had been eighteen months since you lost El, eighteen months since everything changed.

Your job held steady at the front desk of the police station, Steve’s job at the high school was perfect for him, and his coaching duties made him the happiest man on earth.

Life fell into place shortly after a pep talk from your father, he told you that you needed to live, for El. She did what she did so that we could.

And something about his words struck you.

So, here you were, sitting hand in hand on the bleachers with Steve, screaming so loud your throat hurt, for Dustin’s speech.

Although the roof was no longer yours, Robin convinced them to let you all hang there for the night.

You and Steve climbed the stairs up and as he got to the door the nostalgia hit you.

You hadn’t been on the roof in over a year, you both found so much peace watching the sunsets up here while Hawkins was under lockdown. It often felt like the only place you were free during that time. It also didn’t hurt that it was a private space for you and Steve to make out while you were sneaking around everyone, with a view. It's also the place Robin caught you guys, and then proceeded to run and announce it downstairs, outing you both completely. You let out a shaky breath at the memory.

El stated that she knew the whole time, which was true, you had confided in her, as you often did. Hopper looked like he could kill Steve with his gaze, thank god Joyce was there. It was right after the first crawl, and you wanted to melt from embarrassment.

He pushed the door open with the hand that wasn’t holding yours, turning slightly before walking through, “you okay?” He asked, clearly sensing your hesitation.

You nodded and gave him a smile, “more than.”

He pushed the door fully open and stepped outside, pulling you with him.

“It’s quiet, are we the first ones here,” you asked, but as the roof came into view, you answered your own question.

You were greeted with flowers everywhere. Meticulously placed bouquets of beautiful pastels. The sun had just started setting and it was casting the perfect golden light across everything. The sky was a mix of pink and orange hues, matching the flowers perfectly.

You heard whisper-yelling off to the side where you saw Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin fidgeting with a stereo.

It clicked on and your song started playing. Heroes by David Bowie came on, a song you had all claimed after saving the world for the umpteenth time. They all stood up pin straight with goofy smiles on their face as they faced you.

You furrowed your brows and turned to look at Steve, “come on,” he said softly. He guided you further into the flowers, closer to the edge of the rooftop. He took both your hands in his and faced you.

“Steve, what’s going on?” You asked.

He took a deep breath in, “the past few years have been completely insane. We have all been through so much,” he chuckled lightly, clearly nervous, “but through it all I found you. And you have been a constant in my life, my rock, the girl who has always been my reason for getting out of bed in the morning. I liked you long before I finally worked up the courage to kiss you three years ago in my beamer, and I know I’m going to love you forever.”

He cleared his throat, and reached into his pocket. Your hands flew to cover you mouth, finally connecting the dots.

He slowly got down on one knee, and time slowed.

“Oh my god,” you said muffled into your hands, not caring about the tears smudging your mascara as they fell.

He said your full name softly, “will you do the honor of letting me love you for the rest of our lives and marry me?”

“Yes,” you said through your crying, Steve now crying too.

He shakily slipped the ring on your finger, before standing up and pulling you into a deep kiss.

Just as you parted, Jonathan’s camera clicked, and Nancy and Robin popped champagne next to him while cheering.

Then, the door to the rooftop swung open and everyone piled out cheering, some already crying.

Steve kept his arm securely around your waist as everyone began celebrating.

You looked up at him, and through your tear filled vision you met his eyes, “you planned all this?”

He laughed, “yes honey, don’t sound so surprised,” he said with a wink.

The first to pull you into a hug was your father, followed by Joyce, who was crying and aweing at the ring on your finger.

Your father shook Steve’s hand in a manor that was bone crushing, but the grin on his face and wet eyes gave him away.

Nancy and Robin were next, running up behind Joyce to hug you at the same time.

“This was the hardest secret to keep ever,” Robin whined, pouring you a glass of champagne.

Nancy nudged her, but you were all smiling, “he wanted us all to be here, so throwing this together on graduation weekend has been one hell of a task, but he did it.”

You turned to look at Steve, who was already looking at you as Hopper spoke to him, probably another lecture on treating you right, which he had grown used to.

You smiled at him softly, heart full.

Everyone continued celebrating and the night carried on with catered food from your favorite place in Hawkins, tons of drinks, and even more laughter.

You were staring over Hawkins on the edge of the rooftop, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky littered in stars, as it always was at night here.

Steve stepped beside you, placing his hand on the small of your back. “You okay, fiancé?” He asked, kissing your cheek.

You turned and looked at him, “I am better than okay, fiancé. Just thinking about El. She would've been so happy. I wish she were here.”

You looked back out at the sky and whispered the last part, not trusting your voice.

“She is,” he said softly, following your gaze to the sky.

“It’s so beautiful up here, I always loved sitting up here with you,” you said, leaning your head on his shoulder.

“I know, that’s why I picked it.” He placed a kiss on the top of your head.

“Come on, future Mrs. Harrington, your guests want to celebrate you,” he said with a smile, not pushing you, just encouraging you.

You smiled up at him and turned, both walking hand in hand back over to everyone.

“Steve! Robin says I won’t be your best man because she’ll be! Can you tell her she’s WRONG!” Dustin shouted as you both made your way back over, making you laugh.

You fell into conversation again, watching Steve and Dustin debate on whether Robin could technically even be classified as a best man.

As you looked around, you thought of El, and how all of this was because of her, she brought you all together, she saved the world. And when you thought about it, you let a tear slip, but it didn’t sting as much, because in this moment it felt like all the grief had turned to love.

Steve squeezed your hand, noticing your mind wandering, bringing you back to reality. You gave him a reassuring smile and tuned back into the conversation.

As the night wound down and the laughter softened into something warm and easy, you realized that this was what surviving looked like. Not forgetting, not moving on, but carrying the people you loved with you into every new moment. El wasn’t gone from you; she was in the way your friends crowded close, in the way your father smiled without sadness weighing him down, in the way Steve’s hand never left yours. She was in the love that filled the spaces where grief used to echo the loudest.

There was a certain level of guilt you felt every time you left the cabin knowing El wasn’t allowed to venture out. People were looking for her, bad people. But those bad people didn’t know that you’d survived. They assumed you were dead, and that gave you more freedom.

Freedom meant going to school. High school. You knew you were behind, and you’re very grateful for Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers helping you catch up. You found that you’re quite smart, and you enjoyed learning.

Unfortunately, it’s only the second week of school when you wake up and feel like something is terribly wrong.

Your stomach hurts, pain shooting through your whole abdomen. And then the blood. The toilet is full of blood when you use the bathroom. Panic sets in, and you call out for Hopper.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He asks as he rushes in.

“I think I’m dying,” you say, pointing at the toilet. “I’m bleeding, and everything hurts!”

He’s quiet for a moment, processing this and planning what he’s about to say to you. He pauses long enough that you get impatient, saying, “Well? What are we going to do?”

He takes a deep breath and replies, “First thing is we’re not going to panic. I have to run to the store for a few things, but I promise, you are not dying. I’ll explain everything when I get back. There uhm, may be more blood, but it's okay. Just put some toilet paper in your underwear until I get back. And here,” he adds while rifling through the medicine cabinet. “Take these to help with the pain.”

Only mildly reassured, you do as he says, then curl on the couch until he gets back. When he does return, the two of you sit through one of the most awkward conversations where he explains periods, reproduction, and the importance of safe sex.

He lets you stay home for the day, but the next morning he drives you to school like usual. Your stomach still hurts, and you really don’t like the feeling of losing blood, but you’ve learned this is just a part of life. And after losing years of your childhood to the lab, you refuse to let something like a period keep you locked away again.

So you head into school, hoping no one will know what’s going on with you. Because while you enjoy the education part of school, the social aspect is harder to figure out. You don’t know how to make friends, and a lot of the things they talk about go over your head. You can’t even discuss current TV shows, not having the time to catch up with all of the things the others have been watching for years.

Then comes a Halloween party. Nancy invites you, telling you it will be a great opportunity to hang out with people outside of school. So you go.

And then she drinks, leaving you so she can fight in the bathroom with her boyfriend. You’re not sure what went down in there, but she comes out angry, getting a ride home from Jonathan.

Then Steve Harrington, mad, heartbroken, and confused, notices you there looking lost. He knows your story, knows how uncomfortable you must be, and offers to drive you back to the cabin. It’s kind, and you can’t help but think about how maybe he’s a new friend as you fall asleep.

You don’t see them the next day, and you’re weirdly disappointed by that. Never before did you have friends that you hoped to see each morning. You don’t worry about it too much, and by the time you get home you’re more tired than usual, probably from staying out late the night before. It doesn’t take you long to crash in your bed, comforted by your warm blankets.

When you wake up the next morning you rush to the bathroom, knowing what the deep cramps in your stomach means. And sure enough, you’ve started your period. For the third time.

With all the necessary information now in your brain, and a bag packed with essentials, you decide to head out and see how Nancy is doing. When you get to her house you’re surprised to find not Nancy, not even Mike, but instead Dustin and Steve.

“Oh great!” Dustin exclaims. “You can help!”

“Help with what?” You ask while climbing into Steve's car.

What follows is a very strange day. You, Steve, and Dustin walk the tracks, leaving bait to hopefully get Dart the demodog to the junkyard. Max and Lucas join, helping set up before night falls.

Once it’s dark the kids hide in the bus, you and Steve staying out to fight the monster. The first demo catches you by surprise and Steve uses his nail bat, giving it a good hit.

Of course that’s not enough to stop the creature, and you focus, locking in and channeling your powers to send it flying. It works, putting space between your group and the monster. But there’s a problem.

As always when using your powers, your nose bleeds. This time, as you go to wipe it, you lose your balance. Your vision blurs and goes dark around the edges, and you start to fall. Steve notices, quickly reaching out to steady you.

“Are you alright?” He asks.

“Yea,” you reply, your voice more breathless than you’d expected.

The demo only gives you a second to recover before attacking again, this time jumping on top of the bus and trying to get in the hatch on the roof. You and Steve run inside, pushing the kids behind you to protect them. Once again you concentrate, knocking the demo away with your powers.

And once again, the dizziness returns.

“Shit,” Steve says, catching you and helping you sit on the bus floor. “Don’t move,” he adds as he goes outside to see what’s going on. Oddly enough, the demos are all leaving, giving you more time to rest.

After taking a moment you stand up, much to Steve’s chagrin.

“I told you not to move,” he says.

“I’m fine, was just a little dizzy. But I’m good now,” you retort.

“Alright, but take it easy, okay?”

“I will. Promise.”

Your group starts the walk back home, getting pulled off course by the sound of the demodogs in the distance. Following it, you end up at Hawkins lab, bumping into Jonatahan and Nancy.

There’s a lot going on, and you think back to this morning. How you thought cramps would be the worst part of your day. And now you’re trying to break into the lab, the one place you never wanted to see again.

“I’m going to try and open the gate,” you say, and everyone gives you space. Except Steve. Who’s concerned about what might happen.

He’s right to be, as proven by the fact that you barely move the gate an inch before stumbling.

“Hey, okay, stop,” Steve says, rushing forward to steady you.

“I know, I can’t. I can’t do it.”

“It’s alright, we’ll find another way in,” he reassures. And while that’s true you can’t help but doubt yourself, doubt your abilities.

Sure enough, the gate opens a moment later, Hopper's car flying towards you. Your eyes meet Hop’s through the open window and you simultaneously shout, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Doesn’t matter,” he yells next. “Just get in!”

The kids file into the back, leaving you and Steve to share the front seat. You miss the look that Hopper gives Steve, but Steve notices, making sure to stay as far as possible from you in the confined space.

Back at the Byers house everyone shares their stories and their information, trying to come up with a plan of action.

There’s a noise outside. One you’ve learned to dread. A demodog is on its way. And you don’t know if you can protect everyone.

But you do know you have to try.

It crashes through the window, roaring at your friends, and you quickly take action. You muster up all of your strength and manage to snap it, killing it and saving the others.

For a moment you rejoice in that win, but then the dizziness returns, worse than before. This time, everything fully blacks out, and when you reopen your eyes you’re disoriented.

You’re on the ground, everyone staring down at you. Closest though, is Steve. And you realize your head is in his lap. Had he caught you? Broken your fall?

“Kid, you alright?” Hopper asks and he gets past the other to crouch by your head.

“I’m okay,” you reply.

“She’s not,” Steve answers, earning a weak glare from you.

“What do you mean?” Hopper asks, voice growing agitated.

“This has been happening all day,” Steve explains. “This is the first time she’s fully passed out, but she’s gotten dizzy every time she uses her powers.”

“You didn’t say anything,” he demands, looking between both of you.

“There wasn’t really time,” you defend. “I thought I was fine.”

“Well clearly you were wrong!”

You cringe away from him, tucking closer to Steve who instinctively wraps an arm tighter around you.

“Sorry,” Hopper quickly backtracks. “I’m just worried-”

“I know,” you reply, accepting his apology. He’s done nothing except keep you and El safe for the past year.

And speaking of El, you finally notice the one person now in the room who wasn’t there before. While now sporting a new look, it’s definitely her. The two of you share a warm smile, not needing anything more to say that you’re happy to see one another.

Feeling better you sit up, both Steve and Hopper hovering to support you if you need it. With everyone satisfied that you’ll be fine, they start to form the next step of the plan.

One part is closing the gate, something you should be able to do. But you don’t miss the way El is chosen for that job.

“You need to go with them to the cabin,” Hopper says.

“But I can help with the gate!” You retort, feeling ashamed and weak.

“Joyce and the others don’t know where the traps are. You do. You can help them.”

It’s a flimsy excuse, and you know that Hopper is just being overprotective. You also know he’s made up his mind, and you have no choice but to go to the cabin as instructed.

And you have to admit he isn’t wrong. You don’t feel strong, not like you normally do. But you do what you can to help save Will. Despite focusing on that, you can’t help but see the way Nancy and Jonathan interact, squirreling that information away to ask about later.

With everything done and everyone safe and home, you El, and Hopper all head to bed.

Early the next morning you sneak outside, trying to use your powers. You barely lift a stick when you feel dizzy again and admit defeat, going back to the cabin.

“We’ll figure it out, kid,” Hop says, clearly having seen your attempt.

A week passes, and the next time you try, you find that you’re successful. You take it slow, but a few more tests over a few days shows that the problem is gone.

Feeling better, you hang out with Nancy, shyly asking about her and Jonathan.

“Oh, that?” She says, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Yea. What’s going on between you two?”

“We’re uhm, kind of together,” she replies. “And I know, I know it was fast! But there’s history there and, I dunno, it just kind of happened. I feel bad, but I think Steve has someone else on his mind now.”

“Really? Who?”

She just chuckles and answers, “You.”

“No way!” You practically yell.

“Yes way!” She answers, amusement clear on her face. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He totally has a thing for you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because that’s how he used to look at me. Before I broke his heart.”

There’s a quiet moment and then Nancy adds, “I think you should go for it.”

You feel your cheeks grow warm and you look down trying to hide while you reply, “Okay. I mean, I don’t see me making a move but-”

“But if he asked you out?”

“I’d say yes.”

Finally you look back up to see Nancy giving you a truly genuine smile. It hits you then, how crazy it is that just over a year ago you were trapped in a lab and now here you are, talking boys with your best friend.

And speaking of boys, you can't believe that a couple days later you're helping El get ready for the dance so she can surprise Mike. Hopper has you tag along to drop her off, knowing you want to see her smile just as much as he does.

But that’s not the only thing you see at the school. As Hop takes a moment to talk to Joyce, you notice Steve walking over.

“What are you doing here?” You ask him.

“I drove Dustin. He wanted me to give him a pep talk on the way. You know, help with the ladies. So, is El here or did Hop come on official business? Making sure the party doesn’t get too rowdy?”

You can’t help but laugh and then reply, “El’s here. He thought it was about time she got to experience life.”

“And what about you?”

“What about me? I’ve been experiencing it. I go to school.”

“Yes, school. And where else?”

“I hang with Nancy sometimes.”

“Ever been to the diner on Chestnut?” He asks and you shake your head no.

“Well, then you haven’t experienced life.”

“That’s the litmus test? If I’ve been to a diner?”

“Yes! Well not just any diner, but the best one in town.”

“Guess I should go someday.”

“We could go now?”

Your face lights up at the invitation, then falls when you look towards Hopper. Steve quickly understands what this means and says, “I’ll be right back.”

He walks over to Hop, and you miss the conversation, but Steve comes back with a smile on his face.

“Ok, he threatened my life if you're not home by 11, but we’re good to go.”

“Seriously? He said I can go?”

“He did! Pretty sure he’s in a good mood cause he’s hanging with Mrs. Byers.”

“What do you mean?” You ask, still somewhat confused by interpersonal relationships.

“I’ll explain later, let’s go before he changes his mind,” Steve says, reaching his hand out to hold yours and lead you to his car. Your fingers tingle where they meet his, and you kiss his warmth once you’re seated in the Beamer.

He drives to the diner, the two of you chatting the whole way there. He’s a perfect gentleman the whole time, helping you decide what to eat when you see some foods you’ve never heard of before, and paying for the meal before driving you home.

When he pulls up you move to get out but he says, “Wait. Just a minute?”

“What is it?”

“I just uhm, I wanted to say I had a good time tonight. I liked getting to spend time with you. Just the two of us.”

“I liked it too,” you answer honestly.

He blushes, shyly glancing down for a moment, and you’re wondering what else is going through his mind. When he looks back up he seems determined, and he slowly reaches a hand over the console and towards you.

That same hand then cups your cheek, and Steve gently leans in, silently communicating what he’s about to do. Giving you that chance to pull away.

But you don’t.

His lips meet yours, pressing so sweetly, just for a moment. He leans back, before giving you one more peck.

Shy smiles spread on both of your faces, and you mind tried to catch up with the fact that you’ve just had your first kiss.

“As much as I’d love to continue this night, it’s almost 11. If we want to be allowed to see each other again you should get inside.”

“I’d better go then,” you reply, implying that yes, you want to see him again.

As though he can’t help himself, he leans in for one more kiss, then gets out to open your car door.

“Goodnight,” Steve says and you walk to the house, and you wish him the same. He waits until you’re safely inside before driving away.

Hopper and El are both still up, watching TV in the living room. You’re too wired to go to bed so you plop on the couch next to her. One glance and you can tell something happened at the dance. Something good. Her shy smile says it all. Especially since you know you’re wearing a matching one after your date with Steve.

Hopper notices too, looking back and forth between the two of you, at your dazed and happy expressions, and mutters, “Good lord.” Two adopted daughters with powers? Easy. Two adopted daughters with boyfriends? His life just got ten times harder.

But he sucks it up, just wanting the two of you to be happy. You’ve been through so much, the least you deserve is to have people who care about you.

And well, Steve cares deeply. Over the next few months your relationship grows and flourishes. You spend your days together at school, nights and weekends hanging out. So long as you’re always home by 11. And Steve is a Boy Scout when it comes to that rule, not wanting to do anything to get on Hopper’s bad side.

Which is why he’s all too honest about your dizzy spells.

They come back, but following a weird pattern. You can go weeks of using your powers with no issues, and then there will be a few days in a row where you can’t even telekenetically unlock a door without things going fuzzy. Anything that requires more power ends with you passing out, Steve catching you before you can hit the ground.

You ask him not to tell Hop, but he does. He’s worried about you, worried that something is going on.

Finally, you get an appointment with Dr. Owen’s. He runs labs, tests, and asks a series of questions. Including ones about your menstrual cycle. Which are quite awkward to answer in front of Hop, and Steve, who had wanted to be there for support. Fighting through the embarrassment, you tell the doc what he needs to know.

He nods as he listens, and even smiles when the lab results come back.

“Okay, well, it’s nothing bad,” he says to start, causing all of you to relax a bit. “You’re anemic.”

“What is that?” Steve asks.

“All her blood counts are low. You learn about red blood cells in school?” Everyone nods so he continues, “See what happens is your red blood cells eventually break down, and your body recycles the iron in them to make new ones. But, if you bleed in any way, it can’t reuse them so you don’t make as many new cells. Without the cells, less oxygen gets carried through your bloodstream. Does that make sense?”

Again, you all nod.

“So why does she faint specifically when she uses her abilities?” Hopper asks.

“Using her powers affects the way her blood flows through her body. It’s what causes the nosebleeds. So since she’s already anemic and not getting the right amount of oxygen, that gets worse during these episodes.”

“How do we fix the anemia?” Steve asks, his use of ‘we’ not lost on you.

“Iron supplements. Just a little pill you take every other day. And dietary changes can’t hurt. Leafy greens, red meat, lentils. I’ll get you a list.” Dr. Owen’s then turns to you and says, “Kid, you’re gonna be fine. This is really nothing major.” It’s reassuring to hear, and you're grateful that he took his time to explain everything so well.

After saying goodbye, you and Steve head to his place for the afternoon. Or, at least that’s what you thought the plan was.

“Steve, where are we going?” You ask as he drives downtown.

“Grocery store,” he replies and sure enough, you pull into the parking lot a moment later.

The two of you walk around, you pushing the cart and simply following Steve, unsure of what exactly he’s getting.

“All set!” He announces finally and heads to the checkout. Once you get back to his house he unloads groceries and you realize what he’d gotten. Steaks, broccoli, and….quinoa? You don’t even know what that is, but one look at Owen’s list and you see it’s on there.

“Do you know how to cook all this?” You ask him.

“Uhm. Not really. But I’ll figure it out!” He reassures.

And while this meal may have taken a pro only an hour to do, Steve does it in almost three. But the time it takes doesn’t matter, because the end result is….edible. Maybe not delicious, but truly, it’s the thought that counts.

Over the next few months, Steve improves his culinary skills, always ensuring that you have extra iron rich food leading up to your periods. It’s sweet, and makes you feel cared for.

The fainting spells stop, and while you know the iron pills alone probably fixed the issue, you can’t help but feel like the food Steve so lovingly makes is what truly helped you get better.

And when summer comes around and your neighbors start disappearing, you’re grateful that your boyfriend insisted you get back to full strength.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

No one was supposed to be in cabin for whole day. That’s why you decided to invite Steve over. You two have been sneaking around for month or two.

You’ve watched movie cuddling together. Steve from time to time kissed your head.

That was until you moved into your bedroom to ‘listen music’. But you both know it wasn’t about music in your room. Even tho you always played your favourite tape it always ended up by kissing on bed…or even more.

You both were sitting against headboard in passionate kiss until Steve traveled on your neck leaving marks. His hands on your hips.

“Steve..” you moan.

He takes hem of your shirt.

“Takes this off” whispers.

You take shirt off he continues on kissing your chest with bra still on. You take his off. You both are so busy making out that neither of you noticed front door open.

Outside is Eleven returning home with Mike.

“So Hopper is not here?” Mike asked holding her hand.

“No and Y/N said she has some plans with friend”.

Eleven and Mike goes inside hearing sounds from your room.

“Didn’t you say Y/N had plans with friend?” Mike says.

“I did, what’s that sound?” Eleven responds.

They hear you moan trough thin walls.

“Oh…Steve.”

Eleven decided to open door to your room. Finding you lying in your bed Steve on top of you shirtless and you in your underwear.

“WHAT THE HELL” you are first to notice open door.

Steve quickly goes off you standing next to bed. Meanwhile you cover yourself with blanket.

“Steve?!” Mike goes little shock first but then trying not to laugh.

“I thought we aren’t supposed to have someone in room when Hopper is not here” Eleven speaks up.

Those stupid rules, you thought. Well you are not best example as el’s older sister.

Mike smirks…

“Yeah guys Hopper is not here…we could just tell him what we saw…”

El look at him confused, he only gives he reassurance face. She choose to believe him .

“Or?” you speak up.

“Or your boyfriend can drives us and sneak into the cinema” Mike says proud with his plan.

“What- you little shit. No absolutely not” Steve said you two already have plans for weekend.

“That’s okay Hopper will understand as i tell him you on top of Y/N when no one is around…maybe he will finally like me.”

“No no no don’t you dare…fine you won Wheeler. I will take you two to cinema on weekend” Steve sighs.

“And whole party.” Mike adds.

“Fine…” Steve says defeated. Mumbling annoyed on Mike.

Mike and Eleven happily goes into her room and Steve turns to you.

“Next time we’ll go into my car”

You just smile, finding situation hilarious.

“Keep or donate?” she said, turning towards Steve and holding up a dress. He smiled. 

“Keep, that would look beautiful on you,” he said, squinting his eyes as he imagined her in the dress, a small pout crossed her features. 

“You’ve said that about everything I’ve held up!” she complained, and he had to admit, she was absolutely right. She just made everything look so amazing that how on earth could he tell her to throw anything away. 

“Yeah, because it’s true!” he said back, and from upside down he watched her pout turn into a small smile.

“Okay, sweet talker, but I’m trying to clean out my closet! You said you’d help today!” she said, and Steve sat up, twisting to keep his eyes on her the entire time. He grinned as she rolled her eyes, dress coming to rest by her side while she walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“No, I said I’d come over and watch you, I never said I’d help,” he murmured, tilting his head up enough to kiss her lightly on the lips.

“Fine, whatever. Are you still free on Sunday?” she asked, pushing his hair behind his ear, and he frowned. Her hands cupped his cheeks with a free easy going smile across her features. One that set his heart racing like she always did. 

“Wait, what’s Sunday?” he asked, brow furrowing as his fingers twitched. This was not an uncommon occurrence with his memory ever since getting hit in the head one too many times. He frowned as she gave him a small sympathetic smile. 

“Sunday we were going to go take a drive,” she said with a light and teasing tone. “My dad is going to be busy with El and it’s been a bit since we’ve had some real alone time, you know, without having to keep the door three inches apart.” Steve felt his lips twitch at the idea. Having her all alone on Sunday sounded like a dream till reality came crashing down. 

“Fuck, I’m so sorry baby I have plans with Nancy on Sunday,” he whispered and her hand stilled on his cheek.

“With Nancy Wheeler?” she asked, her voice was tense, and Steve sighed. 

“Yeah, we’re working on something, it’s dumb seriously. Could you do next Sunday?” he asked, nuzzling his face into her hand, completely missing the broken expression on her face. 

“Um, I don’t know yet what my dad’s going to be doing next weekend. I can poke around, I guess,” she said gently, and Steve smiled. 

“I promise, soon,” he murmured as he pulled her in for another kiss, one that she returned but she was almost hesitant. Steve chalked it up to the fact that their plans were falling through and not what he said. 

It became super clear that that was not the case as the week went on. 

He noticed it slow at first, but she started to pull back from him. It wasn’t all at once and drastic, but he noticed it in the little things, the way she didn’t touch him first and avoided his eyes when they were talking. It reminded him of when they first got together, there was a level of hesitancy and lack of trust that just didn’t click in Steve’s head. Like she was still picturing him as that asshole King Steve of Hawkins High School. 

“Okay, so show me how you hold the gun,” Nancy asked, handing him the pistol. The two of them were standing in the middle of the woods, and Nancy had set out a handful of empty soda cans for him to aim at.

“I don’t know, you just…hold it,” he said with a shaky breath, the gun feeling heavy and uneasy in his hands.

And that started Nancy and Steve’s gun lessons. 

He went over once a week, meeting her in the woods. She would bring a small pistol and Steve would just practice. Nancy was a good teacher with endless tolerance for him, but it was clear that he was not improving even after their seventh week. 

“You know, I really don’t think she’s dating you for your shooting skills, you know?” Nancy said after Steve had hit two out of six of the cans only ten feet from them. He sighed, kicking a rock. “Like we’re not in constant gun fights, there’s a ranking of all of you. Besides I would smoke all of you if that’s the case, even with practice.” 

“I know, I just…want to be able to protect her from all this,” he said, voice tight as if he’s expecting a fight from Nancy, but he gets a sympathetic look. 

“I think you do a fine job protecting her as is, and I think she’d agree,” Nancy said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder. 

“Agreeing now still doesn’t make it so I have the skills to fight off another monster. Nancy, you know better than anyone that we can’t predict any of this shit,” he said, handing her back the gun. Clearly they were done for the day. Maybe he’d be able to catch her before her dad got off work, at least making it so the day wasn’t a complete bust.

“I still think you need to take a breath and just talk to her about this, I mean her dad’s a cop surely he’d be better equipped to teach you,” she said, nodding back towards her house with her head and Steve nodded, following her back towards her house. 

“Oh yeah, me telling Chief Jim fucking Hopper that I want to learn to shoot a gun and still be allowed to be around his daughter will go over to well,” he snarked and Nancy laughed. 

“Yeah, well phrase it better or just tell her about your concerns,” she repeated, and Steve sighed. “But I don’t think Hopper is going to be upset that you’re taking extra care to make sure his daughter is safe.” 

“I’m working on it, there’s not really a good way to tell your girlfriend you’re working on becoming a better shot because you’ve been having nightmares about not being able to protect her,” he grumbled. 

“I think you literally just tell her that! Steve, she’s not an insane person. She likes you and you like her, if you guys talk about it you’ll find a way to make it work.” Nancy said as they made it back to her house. Steve’s feet carried him to his car as he tried to ignore Nancy’s words. He knew on the surface that she was right but he was worried that if he did tell her all that, that it may pop the bubble that they’re in. That she’d realize Steve wouldn’t be able to protect her from this mess, and then why would she stay with him?

He sighed as he moved to sit in his beamer, head resting against his steering wheel as he allowed himself a few seconds of self pity before leaving the Wheeler’s driveway and heading towards the Hopper’s cabin. It was still early enough in the day it should only be Eleven and her, and since he didn’t see Mike while he was at Nancy’s, probably him too. 

Hopper wasn’t going to be pleased that both boyfriends were over, but they would cross that bridge if he found himself over late enough to deal with it.

However, when he pulled into the woods and stepped over the trip wire, he was met with a strange sense of dread. Normally if she heard his car pulling up he’d be able to spot her looking at the window, with a smile on her face once she realized it was his car. She might even meet him on the porch, smiling wide and giving him some sort of teasing line about how he could never seem to stay away from her and he would smile, but never deny her.

Today though, her face didn’t pop into the window, and the only reason he knew she was home was because as he suspected, Mike’s bike was leaning against the porch and he knew that Hopper would kill them all if she left El and him alone. 

As he made his way up to the door he felt his heart pound in such an unfamiliar way, especially since he knew Hopper wasn’t home. He hadn’t been this nervous walking up the cabin steps since they had told her dad that they were together.

Still, he forced himself up there. Taking deep breaths as listened to the leaves crunch below his shoes silently begging her to appear delayed in the window. He could practically see the ghost of her in the window. 

But she never came and even as he knocked on the door hopeful to see her face he was met with both Mike and El.

“Harrington,” Mike said, standing next to El at the front door, Mike glaring at him and El looking at him like she was ready to send him flying back towards his car. 

“Hey, guys. Is your sister home?” Steve asked El, hands shoved in his pocket as he watched them first turn towards each other and give each other a small nod before El spoke up. 

“Not for you,” El said, immediately grabbing the door to slam it shut, but Steve caught it, keeping it open just enough so he could still see her. 

“Wait, what do you mean not for me?” he said, leaning against the door the most he could to look at her, knowing that if she wanted to El could make sure the door was closed and he would have no chance to keep it open. 

“I mean, not for you,” she insisted, pressing the door harder and Steve let out a strangled sound as he tried to fight back. His argument died as a click from behind El pulled both of their glances towards the sound and out came his girlfriend from her room. 

Steve’s voice died in his throat as he took in the sight of her. She looked…terrible. Her pajamas were wrinkled and it was the middle of the day and she was never one to stay in like that, her eyes were puffy and red, and worst of all she refused to make eye contact with him.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” he asked, pushing past the young teens, tuning out their protests immediately as he wrapped her in his arms. Steve’s heart raced as her arms remained motionless at her side. “Baby?” he repeated, and that caused her to break, sobbing in Steve’s arms as she gripped the back of his jacket as if he was going to disappear. He barely looked back at El and Mike who were watching them closely before escorting her back into the privacy of her own room, words of comfort immediately slipping out from his mouth, trying anything to figure out what was going on. 

He could hear their protests about the door being less than three inches apart, but Steve couldn’t bring himself to care. He fought the urge to lock it behind them, but he didn’t want to be apart from her for just a second. He hoped that if Hopper was to barge in while she was crying he would at least have some pity and understanding.

At least enough to not kill Steve in front of her. 

“Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?” he said softly, pulling her onto her bed. At his words she immediately let out a watery laugh, and Steve was quick to hold her face, wiping away the seemingly endless tears with his thumbs as he looked at her terrified. 

“What’s going on!” she repeated, sounding almost hysterical as Steve took a deep breath, clearly not expecting her reaction. “What’s going on is I have no idea what’s going on anymore!” 

“Baby-”

“Don’t baby me, right now!” she said, pulling away from him completely. He watched her, baffled, as she began pacing her room, hands clenched to your side. 

“Okay…I really think I need you to start filling in some gaps soon, because I’m not really sure-” he started, but she interrupted. 

“Oh my god, Steve! You have to be joking!” she shouted, and Steve watched her angrily wipe away more tears. “You really don’t even realize what’s been happening!” 

“I really don’t!” he exclaimed, standing up and moving to hold her hands gently but firmly. It was enough to root her in place and force her to look at Steve. He felt his own pulse quicken at the devastating look on her face. 

His own sadness and confusion seemed to snap her out of it because as quick as he was to grab her, she was just as quick to push him away with a harsh shove. 

“Steve, you’ve been hanging out with Nancy like non stop! What else was I supposed to think?” she cried, and he smiled, wiping tears from her cheeks. 

“With Nancy? Nancy’s just a friend! There’s nothing going on there!” he defended, trying to get her to see reason. 

“Really, Steve? Because Mike has watched you guys sneak into the woods for the past seven weeks! You’ve missed multiple date nights, you’re not even calling me every night anymore, and you’ve just completely disappeared from here! Even my dad’s noticed you haven’t been around as much so just admit it!” she cried, and Steve couldn’t help it, but he felt something deep unlodge in his chest as relief flooded him. 

He chuckled, which earned him a sharp glare that if he wasn’t so sure everything was going to be okay, he’d be terrified. He slowly moved, as if not to spook her, as he got closer to her so he was barely a part from her. 

“Baby, I’ve been working on my aim,” he grinned, pulling her closer to him as he swayed them slightly.

“Working on your aim?” she asked, voice sounding shocked as she looked at Steve. He smiled, moving his hand to wipe a tear off her cheek.

“Yes, I swear. Fuck, you can come with us next week, but I swear on everything that she is just teaching me how to shoot one of her pistols.”

“Wait, why? And why keep it a secret?” she asked, finally letting herself fall against Steve, and it felt like he was home with her in his arms, warm and safe. He closed his eyes and he sighed, holding her tight against him. 

“Well, Nancy is the best shot in the group and I…” he murmured, gently. 

“You what?” she murmured. He could feel her heart finally starting to calm down. 

“I wanted to impress you,” he muttered, and she pulled back sharply. 

“What?” 

“I wanted to impress you! I wanted you to see me as…I don’t know someone who can protect you from everything, and I know your sister is basically a superhero, and your dad is, well, your dad, but I just wanted to be another person in your life that keeps you safe,” he rambled, eyes looking anywhere but hers as she grinned. 

“Steve…you don’t need to impress me, we’ve been dating for like almost a year. Consider me impressed and happy,” she teased, and he frowned. 

“I still want to protect you,” he said with a pout. 

“You do!”

“I’m an awful shot, like it took three weeks for me to just hit one of the cans! How am I supposed to keep you safe when there’s fucking monsters running around and I can’t even use a gun!” he cried, and she finally pulled away, her hands flew to his face cupping them, just like he had done for her. 

“Steve, you fuck everything up that comes our way with your nail bat - do you even realize how hot that is? Also last time I checked you have never, ever let me get hurt and have actively put yourself in harm's way to keep me safe,” she said with a bright laugh, one that makes Steve’s eyes snap to hers. 

“You think the nail bat is hot?” was the only thing he found he was able to blurt out. 

“Do I think that my boyfriend twirling a bat with nails as he faces off with a monster from another dimension is hot?” she asked, and Steve started to smile. She matched his expression. 

“You are one strange girl, you know that right?” he said, pulling her in to kiss the tip of her nose while she giggled. 

“Trust me, Steve. You’re much hotter with your nail bat than a gun, and I trust you to protect me and all the kiddos with whatever weapon you feel like you can handle the best,” she reiterated. 

“Are you sure you’re not just saying that so I don’t go over to Nancy’s anymore?” 

“Don’t make me take it all back,” she started. “But if you want to get better at using the gun maybe I’ll come with you not because I don’t trust you, but because if you’re just half as hot as you are with that nail bat then I have to see it.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” she murmured, smiling as she pulled him in for a kiss, one he excitedly accepted. 

“I see Harrington’s car! Your door better not be shut!” A loud slam flew them apart as she looked at him with a scared look on her face. 

“Might be a couple weeks till we’re allowed to do that,” she said, cocking her head slightly as she gave him a nervous smile before she ran towards the door pulling it open and practically running towards her dad, trying to cool his nerves. 

At least if he died, he died knowing she thought the nail bat was hot. 

Worth it. 

__

You cried for a minute, and then you called 911. They were swift, collecting the body and walking you through the next steps. And then they wanted to set you up in a foster home while they located your next of kin. But you knew exactly where your next of kin was, and you were not staying in some random home. So, you went to a friend, if he could even be called that, and he let you stay with him until your mom was buried six feet under and your dad had taken you hundreds of miles away.

Your mom took her life due to grief, having fallen into a deep depression ever since the loss of Sara. She never got over it, never found anything to tether her to the present, to you, and you hated her for it. You loved her because she was your mom, but she had spent the past five years with nothing but her late daughter on her mind and not her son that was still alive and breathing, no matter how many times you had come within a breath of joining her.

Your dad didn’t understand your life anymore, not around all that much after the divorce. You got a birthday and Christmas card every year, saw him sparsely for visits early on. What he did understand, though, were all the problems that your mom had constantly turned a blind eye to.

You had been born with a hole in your heart that caused you to suffer from high blood pressure. And then you went and developed type one diabetes while Sara was in the hospital, just adding to the strain. It was that which your mom always ignored, always paying for your insulin, but never bothering to learn what it even did, and you suffered a number of seizures because of it. But your dad understood it, he knew every intimate detail and was prepared for every worst case scenario. His military and police training coming in handy for something.

But your dad still didn’t understand. He didn’t know how you lived your life the past five years. He didn’t know about the week long absences from home or the non-conventional—illegal—ways you made money. And he definitely didn’t know that you wore a concealed carry through every step of every day. A Smith & Wesson model 37 airweight 38 special that you had bought illegally and had strapped to your calf. Your dad just didn’t know.

You did have one thing in common with your dad; your love for Sara. He had worn her blue hair tie ever since they cut her hair, and he gave you the other one, never once even considering to give it to your mom. And you wore it everywhere, always, all the time. It never left you, and you would kill anyone who tried to take it away.

~~~~~

You strapped your holster to your calf and slid the gun into place, all of it just being muscle memory at this point as you made sure to keep it hidden under your jeans. Your dad was out in the living room, his trailer way too small for two people to live comfortably.

You hadn’t unpacked anything yet, only throwing sheets and a blanket on your bed that wasn’t even yours until two days ago. You burned the ones your mom had bled on, and then you lit a cigarette on the flames and poured one out for her.

You grabbed your insulin kit and shoved it into your torn and stained backpack. You made sure to never go anywhere without it, having learned that lesson the hard way one too many times. You had learned a lot of things the hard way, and had taught those lessons in the same tough manner.

When you exited your room you were surprised to see your dad already awake and cooking a real breakfast. He had a cigarette dangling from his lips and a beer can clenched in one fist, but he was still cooking up an actual breakfast.

“Good morning.” Your dad called out gruffly. “I made eggs and toast. Don’t leave till you eat.”

You didn’t say anything as you accepted the plate of food from him, and he offered no more of his own words either. You didn’t totally mind it as this was the first time the two of you had lived together in five years. It was awkward, silent, and overall filled with two different points of grief that presented themselves as nothing at all.

You ate the runny eggs and burnt toast swiftly, just like you did with every meal. You learned very quickly after your first stint from home that if you didn’t eat your food fast enough then someone else was going to just run up and steal it. Your food had been stolen several times before you finally learned that lesson. And then you taught the same to others, snatching whatever cheap meal was held in their hands and scarfing it down before you were even out of sight.

Your dad made up his own plate and ate it slowly, the humming of the coffee maker and the weak, spluttering stream of the brown liquid filling the silence as he just watched you. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and he couldn’t tell what you were thinking. That was something you had learned from watching him as a kid, how to hide your emotions, and how to express them for your own gain. Right now, though, you were hiding.

“You should get going.” Your dad said. “I’m sure they’ll have you wasting away in the office all morning. You remember the way?”

“Yeah.” You nodded, remembering the exact route down to the last tree, another useful trick you learned from your friends.

Your dad took your finished plate from you, stacking it onto the pile of other dirty dishes sitting in the sink. You took one last look at him, his shining badge striking unease into you instead of the pride that it used to as a kid. Cops couldn’t be trusted, not any of them. And, yeah, that sentiment included your dad. When he was in his uniform, at least.

~~~~~

You stood in the office, eyes raking over every face and surface as you waited for them to finish up their paperwork and give you your schedule. You just wanted to get a move on, get going and focus on anything that wasn’t your boredom. You had only been in town two days and you were already starting to lose your mind with nothing to do.

The worst part about this was getting thrown back a year, your grades and mountain of absences being viewed as stupidity instead of the blatant disregard for structured education that it really was. Back in the city you showed your face in class only just enough to not get into trouble. You barely handed in any work, too busy with other things to ever get any homework done. But they had never held you back, never caring enough to do the paperwork, and your test scores good enough to overlook your sparse attendance and overall lacking grades. You were supposed to be a senior, you were supposed to be finally finishing school. But now you were stuck retaking a year that you had no business being in.

“Here you are, Mr. Hopper.” The secretary said as she handed your schedule over.

“Thank you.” You gave her a kind smile and looked down at the paper, reading it over when the door behind you opened.

“Mr. Harrington.” The secretary said pointedly and you looked up to see her fixing the person behind you with a stern look. “Late again, I see.”

“I’m so sorry, Linda.” The guy, Harrington, said nicely, a fake nice so palpable that you turned around to see who had said it. Harrington was exactly what you expected, dressed in a long sleeve polo with perfectly styled hair. A rich kid who never faced discipline if you ever saw one.

“Just take the pass.” The secretary, Linda, said with a dismissive wave of her hand and Harrington flashed her a smile as he snatched it up and turned to leave. “Hold on.” She called out.

“Yeah?” Harrington said as he turned back around.

“Well, since you’re already late.” Linda said with a hint of snark, and you realized that this interaction was an extremely common occurrence. “You can show our new student here to his class.” She turned her attention to you. “This is Y/N Hopper.”

“Hopper?” Harrington echoed with a scrunch of his brows.

“The chief’s son.” Linda explained. “Just moved to town. Now, get out before I’m forced to write you up.”

Harrington flashed her another smile and motioned for you to follow him. You did, warily, eyes trailing from his head to his feet and back again as you searched for something out of place. But the only thing out of place was his personality.

“It’s Steve, by the way.” Harrington, Steve, said, and you just nodded. “I didn’t know the chief had a son. Where’d you move from?”

“New York.” You stated plainly.

“The city?” Steve asked. “Or somewhere else?”

“The city.” You confirmed with a nod and he nodded back, and you quickly figured that whatever that display back in the office was, there was something else to him. “I’m guessing you’ve lived here your whole life.”

“Oh, I hear it now.” Steve smiled.

“Hear what?” You bit at him.

“The accent.” Steve said, like it was obvious.

“I don’t got an accent.” You deflected, but then you heard it, the inflection that didn’t seem to exist in Steve’s speech.

“Is the city cool?” Steve asked, completely ignoring your last comment. “I mean, to live in?”

“It’s life.” You stated.

“It’s life.” Steve echoed in a mocking tone. “Geez, no need to be so cynical.”

“I’m just bored.” You shrugged. “You don’t got anything to do here except watch paint dry.”

Steve laughed, and it sounded like a genuine one. “That is definitely true. But, you know, we find things to do. You like parties?”

“Depends.” You hiked your bag higher onto your shoulder and stopped, forcing Steve to stop as well. “You do realize you don’t know where you’re supposed to take me, right?”

Steve’s eyes drifted to the side, like the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Oh. Yeah.” He sniffled a bit. “Guess I forgot that part.”

“I’ve got science with… whatever.” You huffed and shoved your schedule at him, and he smiled again.

“Looks like I do know where I’m going.” Steve gave the paper a light slap before handing it back to you. “Same class as me.”

“Oh, great.” You said sarcastically. “I get to hear your mouth going off all morning.”

“God.” Steve drawled out. “You’re so cynical.”

You fixed him with a cynical smile, just because he said it. “Nice observation.” You dropped the smile and motioned him forward. “Well, let’s go, Harrington.”

Steve rolled his eyes and turned back around, going silent the rest of the way to class and, surprisingly, staying silent through that as well.

~~~~~

You grabbed your food and scarfed it all down before you even stepped foot in the cafeteria. You raked your eyes across the room, taking in the groups of friends and the cliques that sat at each table. You saw Steve all the way on the other end and sitting with some freckled faced guy and redheaded girl. The freckled guy seemed to be telling some animated story and you could only see the side of Steve’s face from this angle, but years of seeing this up close made it clear in a second that Steve’s interest was only an act.

You decided you had enough of the cafeteria and headed for the exit, heading out into the cool November air. There weren’t that many people sitting outside and you easily found an empty bench for yourself.

You took out your cigarettes and slipped one between your lips before lighting up. You took a long drag, letting the smoke sit in your lungs for a long moment before slowly letting it escape, watching as it rose and grew in the cold air before eventually disappearing. You did that again and again, your boredom knowing no end and the smoke providing your only entertainment. Not even the students were interesting to watch. You determined quickly that they posed no threat, and that just made your boredom grow in size. How were you supposed to survive in this town without anything to survive against? You spent five years always looking over your shoulder, it felt wrong not having to do that anymore.

You couldn’t even tell your dad about any of these problems. Just one word from you would give him grounds for an arrest. You just wanted something to keep yourself busy, something that would make living more than just routine. You couldn’t stand the silence of normalcy.

You let your eyes drift to the woods. You had never actually been in the woods before, only ever spending your time in the great outdoors surrounded by skyscrapers and perfectly manicured parks. Central Park had some woods, sure, but you were too busy to ever enjoy them for what they were supposed to be and not what you and your friends turned it into.

You started bouncing your knee, just trying to feel the familiar weight of the gun that had all but disappeared over the years. Your fingers grabbed at Sara’s hair tie, mindlessly pulling it back and letting it snap against your wrist. After five years you still missed her more than you missed your mom after only a month. But you didn’t let your grief linger like she did, you followed after your dad, finding the good in the present. But what was good about this? You were trapped in some bumfuck town with nothing to do except smoke and watch the goddamn trees. You needed something else. You needed something more.

Maybe you should just skip the rest of the day and ride around the town. Sure, your dad might yell at you when he found out, but you had dealt with worse things than angry words from a parent. You had the scars to prove it, even if you couldn’t talk about it.

Screw it, you thought, you were too bored for this shit. You flicked your cigarette onto the ground in front of you and stomped it out as you stood up, the ringing of the bell calling in all of the other students outside and leaving you alone. An even better opportunity to skip.

You rounded to the front of the school and grabbed your bike from the rack, taking off up the small hill. But you hadn’t even made it onto the road before your dad’s cruiser was grinding to a halt in front of you, sending you slamming on your brakes and nearly flying over the handlebars.

The window slowly rolled down and your dad eyed you from the driver’s seat, two deputies dressed in blue joining in, but they just looked between you and your dad with growing interest.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Your dad demanded.

“I was bored.” You shrugged defensively.

“You were bored?” Your dad repeated slowly. “And you think it’s okay to skip school when you’re bored?”

“I do it all the time.” You argued harshly. “Mom never said a goddamn word about.”

“Well, your mom isn’t here anymore is she?!” Your dad yelled, a hint of grief lacing his words. “So, you can’t go screwing off whenever you want.”

“Like you give a shit!” You shouted back. “It’s been two years since I’ve actually seen you!”

The two deputies’s faces went wide with shock, trying and failing to hide their amusement at the situation, heads on a swivel as they looked between you and your dad, waiting to see which one of you would relent or explode first.

“I guess he really is your son, Chief.” The deputy in the front, Powell, chuckled lightly.

“Like a little Hopper Junior.” The other deputy, Callahan, full on laughed.

“Shut up!” You and your dad both yelled at them.

“Whatever you say, Lil’ Hop.” Callahan tipped his hat in your direction and the two of them quieted down.

“Go.” Your dad said sternly, ordering, demanding you to listen.

You glared at him, hands gripping tightly to the handlebars of your bike that your knuckles were turning white. You could feel your rage simmering just beneath the surface, threatening to explode at any second. But you kept it just below its boiling point, years of practice aiding you once again, and you stomped off back towards the school.

~~~~~

By the time you finally stalked your way to class the period was already half way over. The teacher was a bit mad at the extra late absence, but let the subject go once you fed her some lie about needing something from the office. But it was someone else who clearly didn’t believe you, his brown eyes watching you worriedly as you trailed your way to the only available seat.

Steve’s eyes flickered over to you every few minutes, his hand absently worrying at the thick brown watch on his wrist. He wasn’t paying attention to the teacher at all, his eyes facing her but showing no sign of understanding, but filled with unspoken thoughts.

Normally, you would just turn and yell at him for looking at you so much, for watching you, analyzing you. But, for some reason, you were curious. You wanted to know what was going on inside his mind. You wanted to know what he thought of you, and you wanted to know why he thought that. You wanted to know why he worried at his watch so fervently that it was starting to fray. He intrigued you like nothing else.

You started worrying at Sara’s hair tie, Steve’s actions almost palpable and making it near impossible not to mirror him. But it calmed you to feel the blue braid slide across your fingertips, reminding you that there were worse things in the world than your own boredom. You didn’t even realize you were doing it at first until your nail picked lightly at the band. It was like you were moving on autopilot.

You pushed your curiosity aside when the bell rang and lagged behind as you waited for everyone else to leave the room first. You decided to try and waste even more time by searching for your locker. You didn’t even have books yet, but maybe you could claim to the next teacher that you got lost. Even though you already had the layout of the school mapped out in your mind.

You found your locker after a minute of prolonged searching and took your schedule out of your pocket to find the combination. You spun it in and opened your, what should’ve been empty, locker and found a slip on paper sitting there. You grabbed it and unfolded it, two simple words staring back at you: I’m sorry

I’m sorry? Who was sorry? Was this even meant for you? Maybe it was meant to go to whoever had owned the locker before you, or to one of the adjacent ones and someone got confused. You slipped the note into your pocket anyway, not sure why you were keeping it, but intrigued by its message nonetheless.

You had been slipped many notes back at your old school, some from girls trying their luck, some from friends that threw lighthearted jabs your way, and some anonymous ones that led down shadowed paths you would willingly tread again and again. Every note had gotten an answer, and not being able to give one to this note bothered you right down to your bones. Even if it wasn’t meant for you, you were all too curious as to why this person was sorry.

You heard voices approaching you and turned to see two girls making their way over, one with short red hair that was reading off of a stack of flashcards while the other one answered the questions correctly on every first try. They came right up to the next to you and the girl answering the questions unlocked the locker. You wondered if the note was meant for her, she looked pretty enough to have some guy apologizing to her, long brown hair and precisely placed clothes that seemed slightly off on her.

“I’m just gonna tell my mom that I’m going to yours to study tonight.” The girl with brown hair said.

“You’re seriously gonna sneak out the see him?” The redhead questioned, brows raised incredulously.

“Yes.” The brown haired girl smiled shyly as she picked up a book. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“Nancy, come on.” The redhead said quietly, eyes flickering to you quickly before landing back on the other girl, Nancy.

“Barb, it’s fine.” Nancy reassured with a giggle. “I’m getting plenty of studying in with you right now.”

Barb sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Nancy just giggled again before closing her locker and following Barb off back down the hallway. Yeah, that note was probably definitely meant for her, this guy definitely sounding like he had something to apologize about if Barb’s words were any indication. But you didn’t slip the note into her locker, you kept it tucked safely away in your back pocket, feeling physically unable to hand it over to its presumably rightful owner.

~~~~~

Your dad had never come home that night, not even leaving you a message on the machine to let you know when or if he would be returning. But that was just typical of him, going silent on you as he basically forgot you even existed.

You rifled through the cabinets and fridge for something to have for dinner, needing to get some food in you soon lest risking your blood sugar dropping. Surprisingly, your dad was loaded up on real food. But you really didn’t feel like actually cooking anything, so you settled on making a sandwich instead, loading it up and scarfing it down in less than five minutes.

You glanced at the clock and it was nearing eight o’clock without so much as a word from your dad, not even someone else at the station to let you know of his whereabouts. But did he even tell anyone he had a son? That this said son was living with him now? Those deputies apparently knew who you were. But how much did they actually know about you? Did your dad tell them about you? And if so, had he been relaying stories all these years, or only thought to bring it up now that you were forced into his home?

You didn’t know what to do with yourself, not used to sitting at home alone. You tried to watch the tv, get sucked into some bullshit show like everyone else seemed to do with ease, but you just got antsy, pulling out your gun and checking it over again and again as your leg bounced wildly.

Normally, you would be out, hiding within the shadows of some dark street corner. There was always someone else around as well, a friend to rant on and on to you about his latest adventure before celebrating with a bottle of booze, or sometimes a girl who sought out the mystique of the city’s underground life as she hung off of your arm in fear. Or sometimes you would hop the subway and let it take you wherever the limited tracks were destined for. You would travel from borough to borough, watching as nameless faces filtered in and out of the metal confines.

God, you needed something to do, somewhere to go, someone to talk to or simply stand silently beside you as you lived in each other’s presence. You just needed to get out of this stupid trailer.

You shut off the tv and grabbed your jacket, not even bothering to lock the door behind you as you jumped down the stairs and picked up your bike. You took off, legs peddling steadily with no destination in mind, just like always. You rode down back roads and through neighborhoods and into the center of town, and then you kept going. You rode until the buildings filtered out and you were left with nothing but trees, a sight unfamiliar to you and sending your nerves ablaze.

You kept a steady eye on the tree line just like you would with every alcove between skyscrapers. But you saw nothing in the trees, no animal of any sort to tell you there was life being lived in the darkness. You could see a yellow light flickering as you rounded the corner and you came up to a gas station. You decided that this would be a good place to stop and give yourself a rest.

You threw your bike down next to the door, the bell above chiming through the still night as you walked inside. The cashier did no more than glance your way before looking back down at the magazine in his hands, completely disinterested.

You browsed around the place, taking in the array of snacks and drinks. You grabbed a Slim Jim from the shelf and snuck it up the sleeve of your jacket before grabbing a bag of chips and leaving them out in the open. You didn’t even have to look at the cashier to know that he hadn’t seen you, too bored and too engrossed in his reading.

You glanced over at the fridge and spotted the beer section. You wondered if the cashier would ask for your ID or simply not give a shit if you brought them over. You decided against it, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention until you were certain that wasn’t gonna happen and switched your attention onto the slushie machine instead. You poured yourself a large cup and then made your way back over to the cashier.

The guy rung you up silently, not even reading out the price as he waited for you to hand him over the cash. He gave you back your change without a single customer service smile or offer of a good night, and you provided none of your own in turn.

You dropped down onto the curb outside and took a large sip of the slushie before ripping open the bag of chips. You had to force yourself to take your time with the food, the knowledge that no one was gonna steal it from you still so fresh that it felt like you were eating in slow motion.

The headlights of a car cut through the pitch black night as it turned into the parking lot, pulling up to one of the pumps, and your eyes squinted as you saw who was inside. It was Steve.

You glanced down at your watch to see what time it was and it was just past midnight, seemingly too late for him to be out at a gas station at the edge of town all alone. You glanced back up, watching carefully as Steve stepped out of the car, hand on the door as he prepared to close it when his eyes locked onto you and a look of surprise that quickly turned to nervousness crossed his face as he crossed over to you.

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked as he stopped in front of you, and you raised your head to look up at him.

“I was bored.” You shrugged.

“It’s midnight.” Steve said, more like a question than an answer.

“Exactly.” You stated plainly. “So, what are you doing here?”

Steve looked like he wasn’t expecting that question. “I needed gas.”

“But it’s midnight.” You fired back with feigned innocence, cocking your head to the side.

“I tend to stay out late.” Steve shrugged.

“I tend to stay out.” You shrugged right back and then held out your bag of chips, something you had never done before. “Chip?”

“No, thanks.” Steve laughed. “I’m good.”

“Suit yourself.” You shoved a chip in your mouth.

“Does, um...” Steve shifted nervously. “Does your dad know you’re here?”

You stared at him impassively. “He wasn’t home when I left.”

Steve nodded, his eyes drifting around, as if they were afraid to stay locked on you for too long. You grabbed another chip, purposefully chewing it loudly to fill the silence and make Steve look at you again. You didn’t know why you wanted him to look at you, but you didn’t like that he wasn’t. The chewing eventually worked and Steve looked back down at you, face scrunching in disgust.

“You chew very loud.” Steve complained.

“No, I don’t.” You retorted. “I was just doing it to annoy you.”

“Well, it worked.” Steve said sarcastically, and then he eyed the chips, eyes squinting as if he had to think long and hard about his next decision. “Can I have one?”

Steve reached down for the bag of chips and you reached up on instinct, meeting his outstretched hand halfway and letting him snatch a chip from the bag before lowering it again. It took Steve a second to eat the chip, just standing there with it in his hand for a moment as his eyes trailed up from your hand to your eyes before dropping them to the ground and shoving the chip in his mouth with a small sniffle.

His actions, his demeanor, the micro expressions that crossed his face like fractured shadows, it all reminded you of kids you would run into in the city, the ones who knew more than they were letting on and didn’t know how to hide that fact. But what information Steve knew that he was trying not to let show, you had no idea. But it intrigued you. Everything about him made you curious, made you wonder what kind of thoughts were running through his mind. It was clear that there was something he wasn’t telling you.

You felt something hit your face, and then it happened again. You turned your attention towards the sky and found that the twinkling stars had been casted over by a haze of grey, the clouds blocking out any sign of the struggling beauty and, instead, making everything look sickly.

“It’s gonna rain.” Steve said, head also pointed towards the overcast before slowly looking down at you, a hint of something sad hiding behind his brown eyes. But whether it was more akin to disappointment, grief, or simple melancholy, you couldn’t quite decipher. “Let me drive you home. It looks like it’s gonna pour.”

“I’m fine.” You dismissed, his expression filling you with a sense of something you couldn’t name. It was weird, odd, but you knew for a fact that it wasn’t unease, had felt that feeling on one too many occasions to know its signs.

“Jesus.” Steve sighed, sniffling a bit again, and you began to wonder why. Was he trying to hide his sadness from you, or did he just have a stuffy nose? “You’re gonna get soaked. Just let me drop you off.”

You continued to just stare at him for a moment, trying to get him to back down, but it didn’t work, not like you had thought it would. Steve seemed like the type of easily give in to authority, to crumble under its grasp as easily as a sandcastle crumbled under a wave. But he stayed firm, unmoving and unrelenting, eyes still filled with the unnamable sadness, but otherwise determined.

“Fine.” You stated plainly, being sure he couldn’t hear any of the frustration in your tone. You had always been good at getting your way, knew the right buttons to push and the correct dirt to dig up. It normally irked you when others fought back, but, for some reason, with Steve, it filled you with a sense of pride for him.

You weren’t sure why Steve was affecting you so much, why just the simple shift from light to dark in his eyes had you reeling like nothing ever had. But you found that you didn’t mind it, that you actually liked it, found it slightly fun to know that you would have to work harder to get to the darkest depths of him and, what you would normally use against, use for him. There wasn’t good or bad in your mind, there was your side and their side, whoever they might be at any given moment, and, despite only knowing him for just over twelve hours, you wanted Steve on your side.