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Made with love,
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pairings: steve harrington x reader x billy hargrove
summary: you try to understand Will's sudden new behavior. past patterns of yourself reveal something even deeper.
masterlist | TIT FOR TAT TAGLIST | read on ao3
notes: suggestive content!! originally was smut but opted for heavily suggestive content for the plot aka it didn't make much sense. i promise i can write smut LOL. thank you so much for your patience!!
Joyce's legs ran faster than they ever had to get to her son. She fell to her knees next to you, also shaking his shoulders to get Will out of this odd trance he was in. "Will!? Will, it's mom, wake up!" She shouts.
You push yourself up, trying to hold back the obvious tears of worry. You pull the kids away from Will. "Give him space." You nearly whisper, watching Joyce frantically try to get Will out of his episode.
"Will! It's me! It's Mom! Wake up, please!" Joyce shouts again. With a few more seconds of tense silence, Will's eyes finally shoot open with a small gasp from him.
Everyone eyes Will with worry. No one speaks.
Joyce looks back to lock eyes with you. She points her head toward her car, signaling for you to come with her. Your heart sinks just a bit with guilt. You didn't call Will that night, and now he's having more episodes. You quickly shake your head and thoughts away as you squeeze both Lucas and Mike's shoulders before catching up with Joyce. You hop in the back seat with Will, holding him close as Joyce nearly floors it.
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The house is quiet. Too quiet. The light tick of the clock is the only thing that fills your ears. You can hear your own heart beating nearly out of your chest as you rest your arms on the table next to Will. You and Joyce keep locking eyes with one another, waiting for Will to speak.
Will keeps going in circles, claiming he doesn't know what happened. Every time he speaks about what he saw, he's hesitant, as if something is holding him back. Joyce sighs, getting up from her chair and quickly grabbing a large piece of paper with a bunch of blue scribbles that seem to resemble a large spider.
"This shape, I saw it on the videotape from Halloween night," Joyce begins. You can't help but notice a look of fear and shock plastered on Will's face as his mother confronts him about lying to Joyce about what he's been seeing. Your eyes continue to scan Will for any other body language to gauge how Will is feeling, a skill your father taught you.
"Is that what you saw on the field?" You finally ask, Will's eyes quickly run to yours, and there's still that flicker of fear. Your eyebrows knit closely together as you scoot closer to the boy when he slowly nods. "What is it?" You ask. "What does it want?"
Will's eyes pool with tears as he looks at you. "I...I don't know. It came for me...and I tried to make it go away." He begins stuttering as he talks, the liquid from his eyes finally falling down his cheeks. "I felt it...everywhere. And I...I still feel it." He continues, you pull Will into a tight hug as he sobs into your sweater. You rest your head on top of Will's, looking over at Joyce. This is exactly why she asked for your assistance; you seem to be the only person he's been willing to talk to about his episodes. You chop it up to the point that you're the only person who can understand him since you were in the Upside Down with him.
Joyce runs her fingers through her hair as she looks down at the drawings. You can see a few tears falling down her face as you both listen to Will's sobs and pleas about the creature that got him. You try to think of anything from your own experience that he might be talking about, but nothing quite matches. You continue to run your hands through Will's hair, soothing him as best you can.
Within a few short hours, Will eventually went to bed, Joyce lying next to him as they drifted into a slumber. You opted to stay at the dining table, trying to make sense of the drawings, Will's and Joyce's scribbles. They're near indentical. You scratch your face, feeling as lost as ever. You grab the warm mug of coffee Joyce made you before she went to bed and take a small sip before hearing the rattle of the front door's knob.
The door swings open, and you can immediately tell it's Jonathan. He eyes you for a minute, unable to make out who you are because of how dark it is. It takes him a moment, but he eventually sees that it's you and quickly drops his keys on the table to sit across from you. "You didn't come over to Nancy's today." He says in a hushed tone.
"I know, I'm sorry," You sigh. "I was about to, but then Will had another episode, and I was right there when it happened, and I haven't seen Will in--"
"It's fine, don't worry." Jonathan is quick to shut you up as he gives you an assuring smile. "I'm glad you're here to take care of Will again. I'm sure it's been hard for you to."
You don't say anything as you feel your throat start to hurt again, trying to not tear up. Your voice squeaks as you speak. "I just feel so horrible..." You begin talking with your hands. "I should've made sure Will was the first one out of the pool that night--"
"Y/n...!" Jonathan cuts you off again.
You stop talking, pouting your lips as you look over at Jonathan, your cheeks wet with your tears as they glisten under the moonlight. You look up at the ceiling, wiping your tears away, smudging your mascara in the process. "Sorry, I can't help but think that what's happening to Will is my fault," you begin, resting your arms on the table as you lean forward and dip your head. "Like, I should be the one dealing with this stuff, but I was such a selfish--"
Jonathan takes your hand. "It's not your fault. None of this is, Y/n." His hands are cold in contrast to yours that are warmed from the cup of coffee that was in your hand. You grip his hand tighter. "You were scared, as any normal human being would be."
There's a long moment of silence.
"I don't blame you. Neither does my mom, you know that." Jonathan quietly adds. "And even Will. He still adores you."
You can't help but laugh a bit under your breath.
"Seriously...! I think he has a crush on you." Jonathan adds, and you laugh a bit harder, your heart aches at the thought just a bit. "That's because I think I'm his only friend who's a chick, Jon." You quietly giggle, and you both tighten your grip on your hands as you continue laughing. You quickly sniffle, smiling as Jonathan returns the favor.
"Do you need a ride back home?" He asks as you scoot up from your chair. You lift your wrist up to look at the time, and it reads 7:30. Shit. Your blood runs cold. You nearly forgot about your date with Billy.
"Yes, and make it quick actuallt, curfew." You say.
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The town of Hawkins is small, so, fortunately for you, Jonathan was able to drop you off at your house by 7:40. You quickly thank Jonathan for everything and shut the car door behind you, speed walking up to your house. Your hand draws near the doorknob as you notice figures in the kitchen from the window. It's 7:40 at night, and you gave your parents no warning where you would be. Not to mention, you technically haven't been home since the night of Tina's party. Your father is bound to bombard you with questions and put you on house arrest if you open that door.
You're a bit shocked by the fact that Malik L/n, the man who created a missing report for you within hours of you not showing up at school, has not questioned once why you haven't been home for nearly a whole day. Your only reasoning you could think of is the fact that he didn't receive a phone call that you weren't at school, so you were obviously alive, somewhere.
With all these thoughts in mind, you opt to just wait outside on your porch for Billy. You quietly sit yourself down on the steps of your door, closely watching the hand on your watch approach closer to 12.
Just as the small needle hit 12, you heard the familiar rumble coming down the road. You take a deep breath, standing up as you brush off any dust that got on you as you waited. As you reach the end of your porch, Billy is already at the side of the street, leaning over the center console as he eyes you through the window.
You give a small smile as you pull open the door of Billy's car, hopping in just as quickly. You look over at the door of your house, seems like your parents don't seem to mind the loud roar of a car at this hour.
"Hi," You say quietly with a smile. Billy's already staring you down with a smile, cigarette between his lips as they curl upward. "Any plans for us tonight?" You ask.
"Well, I saw a diner in downtown, open 24/7. Start there?" Billy asks, tilting his head as he waits for your response. You nod in approval, humming as Billy pushes the clutch of his car and then the gas.
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The diner experience is nothing special at all, especially a diner in Hawkins. You and Billy made it oddly fun, chatting about nearly everything. He would tell you about his experiences in California, and you would return the favor about living in the city of Washington, D.C. It was here that you learned that Billy actually has character behind his bad-boy persona.
One burger, dozens of fries, and two shared milkshakes later, you and Billy were still sitting across from one another in booths that swallowed you whole. Your eyes caught your watch, the time read 11:30. You had been talking with this boy for 3 and a half hours straight without even realizing it. Your mind constantly drifted to Will, wondering about the possibilities for his episodes and if he was okay. Should you have just rain-checked Billy and continue trying to make sense of things? A tinge of guilt fills your heart again, leaving Will once again.
"So, Tina's party." Billy starts after a few moments of silence. He straightens his spine as he speaks; you follow suit. You don't give anything to him any details about what happened after her party. You can see Billy trying to interrogate you more. He starts off easy. "How do you know Tina?"
"She's on the volleyball team with me. She's also friends with Nicole and Carol." You reply.
"You close with them?"
"Tina? Yeah, she's a good player, and we have English together. I used to be on decent terms with Nicole. Carol's obsessed with me. She's a total leech." You answer a bit shocked yourself that Carol is still trying this hard to be your friend, although you've never even really glanced in her direction.
Billy hums. He's not getting anywhere with you right now. "What about that Nancy girl? You two seemed cozy at the party together."
You can't help but smile as you think about that night with Nancy. It was the closest you two had ever been, and it changed your view of her as a stuck-up girl. Not to mention Nancy Wheeler is oddly hilarious as a drunk. "We're good friends."
"Better than Kelly?"
Your smile falters just a bit. You and Kelly had been arguing lately. "No, Kelly is my ride or die."
Billy leans back in the booth. Your eyes search for any hints on how he's feeling. He gives nothing away. You lean forward on the table. "What do you want to know, Billy? You seem to be looking for something from me."
"Should I be worried about the Harrington boy or Turnbow?"
You scoff, smiling as you roll your eyes. You push yourself off the table and into the back of the seat as you cross your arms and stare Billy down. "No."
"No?"
"No. There's nothing there." You reply firmly.
"Between you and Steve or between you and Corey?"
"He only took me home, Billy. He was the only one sober enough to drive."
Billy nods nearly mockingly.
"Billy! I mean it. We're only friends through Nancy." You plead.
"Fine, fine," Billy replies, seemingly letting go of the subject. You're unsure if he's actually over it or feels he won't get anything out of you. It was the truth, you and Steve were only friends because Nancy was your common thread. Seriously, he should be more worried about Corey. You and Corey were at least together at some point; the tie between you two is still there.
"Never thought you'd be the jealous type." You quip, taking a fry from the basket of food. Billy shakes his head with a smile, taking a sip from his milkshake. His arm is thrown across the back of the booth seat as he looks outside the window at the darkness that looms over the town.
"You don't believe me, do you?" You ask, also looking outside and at Billy through the reflection.
"I do."
"Do you?"
Billy nods. "I do believe you."
You cock an eyebrow. "Why don't I believe you, then?"
"How can I change that?" Billy asks, and you both find yourselves leaning over the table toward one another with sly smiles. Billy lets out a small laugh under his breath as he digs into his pocket to grab some cash, and he throws it on the table. You cock a suspicious eyebrow.
There's only a small jingle from the bells hanging on the handle as you both scurry out.
The car door slams shut on both sides. Before you can even turn your head, Billy cups your jaw and immediately pulls you into a feverish kiss. His lips are soft, yet taste a mix of sweet strawberry from his milkshake, yet so bitter from the vast amount of cigarettes he smokes. The boy is rough; multiple times, your teeth nearly clash with one another.
Your hands lay lightly on Billy's chest. One keeps you upright and cushions your side from the harsh edges of the center console. Your grip tightens as you pull back just a bit. Billy raises his eyebrow just a bit. You smile.
You push yourself up and over the center console, onto Billy's lap. Your hand runs down the front of the seat to find the lever, and you tug at it, forcing the seat all the way back.
Billy rests his hands on your waist as you lean in close, feeling his hot breath. "Didn't know you had some party tricks."
You only pull him back into another kiss; this time, you're the rough one. Billy's hands explore all of your body, but one hand tends to rest right on top of your hip, just below your waist.
Yet, something feels off. You can't put your finger on what or how.
Billy's lips begin moving from yours down to your neck. Goosebumps cover your whole body as you feel Billy's breath against your neck before he only lightly trails your neck. You expected a full assault; instead, he only dips lower. You tilt your head back and close your eyes with a smile, loathing in the attention.
That is, before you could've sworn you heard Will's screams, Barb's screams and pleas for help. You could hear the screeches of the creature that took you and Will last year.
Your eyes shot back open with a gasp, and Billy is immediately off of you, looking up at you. Your heart feels like it might explode out of fear as you look out the windows of Billy's car into the darkness.
"What's wrong?" Billy asks in a whispered tone, looking out the window as his fingers trace your hips. One of his fingers dips past the belt line of your pants. Your hand is quick to grab his wrist as you look down. There's an ever-looming feeling of dread and fear filling your body. You can't tell Billy, he wouldn't understand.
"M'sorry, Billy," You sigh, shaky hands removing his from your belt loops. He looks up, confused. Your breath is shaky; everything from last year you've repressed and shoved down as deep as you could came back in a matter of seconds. "I--I'm sorry, I can't tonight, I have a lot on my mind--" you bite your lip to try and not tell him more, as a stupid promise you made to the government. "Tonight's just not a good night for this."
Billy doesn't speak. It seems you've bruised his ego just a bit. His face flashes with hints of anger, but he doesn't speak or act out his frustration. He only mumbles a small 'sure' and you quickly crawl back into the passenger seat. The ride back to your house is quiet. You hadn't even noticed the tears pooling in your eyes from the raw fear you experienced last year.
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You never slept last night.
You had managed to sneak past your parents in the late night when Billy dropped you off, careful not wake your parents, and you slipped into your bedroom. You changed into your pajamas and lay in bed, but your eyes couldn't seem to shut.
You instead went under your bed to find an old shoebox full of your older diaries. You grabbed every single one from late 1983 up until the one you're currently writing in.
You've spent the whole night going through every single entry. Most of you were complaining about your home life, your desire to move out as soon as you could. Some had doodles, many left unfinished. You ripped our every entry that had any sort of doodles, as well as the entries a week before, during, and after you were taken into the Upside Down.
You clicked your pen rapidly as you analyzed every entry. You looked at your watch. Only 15 minutes before school started. Shit. Thankfully, your parents both have early mornings, so you won't have to deal with them just yet.
Then you see it.
Pieces of a puzzle. You begin pushing the papers into spots, turning them, and flipping them. Two pictures were made.
The first one was jumbled up and didn't make sense, a bunch of scribbles that made a dark cloud with ends that extended outward. All entries from 1983 and early 1984 made the picture.
The second picture was clearer; all entries are from this year. It was still an odd-looking cloud, but now resembled a spider-like form. Your eyes widen as you make the realization of the second image. "Oh my God," you mumble under your breath as you scramble to find the tape dispenser. You quickly piece the pages together, and you look at it one last time.
You quickly grab your backpack to pull out Will's drawing that you took home from the Byers residence. You held up your taped masterpiece and compared it to Will's; they matched nearly perfectly. All these months, you believed you were just mindlessly drawing lines because you were bored. You had been unknowingly drawing a vision you also had.
You begin to question if the things you saw last night actually meant something.
You fold up your drawing and shove it in your bag, as well as the rest of your items for school. You grab your keys from the dish near the front door as well as your coat and scarf, as you head out the door and to school.
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You opted to not meet up with Kelly before classes started, the first time in forever since you've done it. You're still beyond angry at her for defending her manipulative and borderline abusive boyfriend. Instead, you quickly headed to your first period, where Nancy, your usual lab partner, was nowhere to be found.
The same with Jonathan in your history class. You just saw Jonathan last night. Where could he be?
You slam your locker with frustration, and you feel like you might spontaneously combust into flames if you don't share your findings. However, the only person who would understand was Jonathan, who was AWOL.
You pull open the gym doors. You're supposed to have your gym class, but since you're on the volleyball team, it's a free period instead. The gym was open to all sports, but basketball often hogged the whole court. Most days, this didn't bother you. Today, though, the added stress of the fact that the state championships were tomorrow had you wanting to scream at every single person in the room to get off your court.
Nothing comes out of your mouth. You only hug your binder and notebooks tightly to your chest as you pursed your lips. You slowly step up on the bleachers to your usual spot before you're met with a familiar face. You can see the shit-eating grin from a mile away.
"Hey, y/n, long time no see." Says the voice. You stop in your tracks as you spin to face the boy.
"Hi, Reed." Your eyes glance at both sides of Reed, and Kelly also seems to be missing today. "Where's Kelly?"
"She's practicing over at Hawkins Middle. Y'know, she really puts 110% into volleyball." Reed answers, the last part was intentionally said to piss you off. You roll your eyes, and they eventually land on the court where Steve and Billy are playing.
"Aren't you the captain of the team? Why aren't you practicing?" Reed asks.
You only stare at Reed for a moment, fighting literal demons to not give him the reaction he wants. Reed cocks an eyebrow, waiting for a response.
A loud whistle saves both of you. Thank God. You raise your wrist, "Oh gosh, darn, would you look at the time, I forgot I have to study for a test next class. See you later, Crosby." You sigh, quickly going down the bleachers before Reed can even say another word to annoy you even more.
You decide to patiently wait just outside the boy's locker room, leaning your head against the wall. You can hear boys whistling, yelling, and laughing, all while the showers hiss and the slams of lockers.
You narrowly avoid Billy by hiding just around the corner; you aren't in the mood to talk about the awkwardness of last night just yet. Instead, you wait for Steve to walk out, you push your foot out and trip him every so slightly to grab his attention. He nearly curses as you grab his arm and lead him to the side of the bleachers.
"Jesus, what's your problem!?" Steve asks first before you can even open your mouth.
"Oh my God, Steve, you're so dramatic!" You reply, shaking your head.
"No, you nearly tripped me. That would be the pinnacle of me losing my popularity."
"You lost your title the second Billy got here."
"Oh, here I was thinking we were friends." Steve sulks, acting as if he's been wounded. "Seems like your date went well if you're defending your boyfriend." He adds.
Your eyebrows furrow in confusion. "How'd you know about that?"
"Wanna guess?"
"Billy?"
"Nope."
"Kelly?"
Steve nods. "Well, yes, but I didn't believe her until Billy mentioned it." He clarifies, you can see a flash of anger on his face, and you can immediately tell something else went on in there.
"What else did he say?"
"Nothing bad about your date, if that's what you're asking." Steve lowers an eyebrow as he leans back against the bleachers. You lean on the wall across him, holding your books close.
"Right, good, have you seen Nancy or Jonathan by chance?" You finally ask, it was the original reason why you pulled Steve aside. Though his breakup with Nancy was still fresh, surely he still kept a close eye on her.
You see it. The jealousy. "No, she ran off with Jonathan, apparently. Skipped 4th yesterday and aren't here today doing God knows what."
Shit, that's right. Nancy was sure she wanted to tell Barb's parents about the true nature of her death. You had completely forgotten that fact when you got caught up with Will. "Why?" Steve asks, interrupting your train of thought.
You hesitate if you want to include Steve. Your eye darts back and forth between both of your shoes in thought as you tilt your head. "Nothing, just needed someone to rant to about the championship tomorrow, as well as a study buddy for the AP Bio lab on Monday."
"You? In need of a study buddy? Don't you have a near-perfect GPA? What was it, 3.8, right?"
You raise your eyebrows. "Wow, Harrington, I'm surprised you remembered."
Steve falters a bit. "Whatever, lucky guess. You're smart, I'm sure you'd be fine."
You hum. "No, not without Nance's help. The plan was that she would make a study guide on Saturday while I do my championship, and then we both study Sunday," you begin, you tap your head. "Planning is key."
Steve purses his lips; he calls bullshit.
"What? I don't have Kelly right now; Nancy is my next best option."
"Oh no, whatever will Y/n, the literal queen of Hawkins High, do? Can't you just get one of your admirers to give you answers?" Steve mocks.
"I'm not sure I hold the title anymore after your stunt last year." Is all you reply, and Steve goes quiet. You can't help but snicker at his response. "What's wrong, Stevie!? Cat got your tongue?"
Steve scoffs and rolls his eyes as you continue to laugh. "How was your date with Billy?"
That's quick to shut you up. Now, Steve is the one laughing.
"We had sex. So much sex. Unbelievable sex." You bite back.
"Oh, really? That's not what he said."
"You said he didn't say anything bad!?" You question.
"Not exactly, just that you backed out of sex," Steve answers, holding the information above your head like bait. You're left not sure what to say. If Billy told Steve, his own damn rival, he's bound to tell everyone else. God dammit.
"I hope you're lying." You finally reply.
"Maybe I am, you'll never know."
"Steve."
"Who's the pissed-off one now?"
"This is exactly why you're single, Steve Harrington." You lean forward off the wall as you speak. Steve rolls his eyes. "Come on, Y/n."
"No, you're such an ass."
"Maybe if you didn't lie to me," Steve trails off, expecting an answer from you. Your eyes go wide; there's no way he's caught you in a lie. He's too much of an idiot. Fine, you'll bite.
You grab the papers from your bag, unfolding the drawings from Will. "Fine." You hand him your drawings. "Will has had these episodes ever since he came back from that place. He drew this after an episode not too long ago."
"What the hell is it?" Steve asks as he looks at the drawing closely. "Some spider thing?"
"I don't know yet. But," you begin as you grab your own drawings and hand them to him. Steve compares the two, noticing the near identical drawings. "Over the past few months, I also drew that thing." You flip over the drawing to show the cut-up journal entries, dating back to early this month. "Every time I journaled my day, I would end up drawing these random lines, at least when I thought I was bored."
"Well, that's not the thing we dealt with last year," Steve says, he's still a bit confused.
"No, it's not. I was asking for Nancy or Jonathan because they're the only other people who know about this stuff."
"Yeah, well, something tells me they won't be here for a bit," Steve replies, and you deflate at the fact that it's most likely true. "Anyways, what does this even mean, though?"
You shrug. "I really don't know yet. This stays between us, though. Not even Corey can know; he doesn't know what happened last year."
"Sure, so, you're studying," Steve air quotes 'studying'. "Is figuring this mess out?"
You nod. "I mean it, no one can know. I need to figure some things out with...the kids, and Mrs. Byers first. Just--don't say anything. If you happen to see Nancy or Jonathan, swallow your damn pride and have them call me."
You snatch back the papers just as the bell rings. Instead of heading to your next class, you walk out of the gym doors and quickly trot to the parking lot.
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You pull up to the Byers residence, noticing that Chief Hopper's cruiser is also outside the house. You turn the keys and pull them out of the ignition as you open the car door and slam it behind you, approaching the front door to realize it's wide open.
You knock on the open door, "Mrs. By--oh..." You're met with a slew of papers taped all along the floor and walls. It arguably is starting to look like how it did last year in this house. You see Joyce and Jim standing near where the TV normally is. "Hi, Chief."
"Y/n."
"What's...all this?" You ask, the papers go into practically every room in the house, covering every square inch. "A map?"
"We aren't sure yet what's wrong, hon?" Joyce asks, concern all over her face.
"Oh, right, yes, I was up late last night looking at my old journal entries, and I noticed something." You begin, handing her your drawing. "Does this look familiar?"
"Y--yes, it's--"
"Will's drawing? The thing you saw on the tape?" You hand her both of those drawings also.
"Where did you get this?" Joyce asks, holding your drawing, flipping it over, and she begins reading a few of the entries. "October 28, 1984, Y/n, this is when Will had his first vision of that thing."
"That was the last time I felt the urge to draw, too. Mrs. Byers--"
"Have you had these episodes too?"
"No, not that I know of, or at least on Will's scale. But--"
"Then how--"
"Joyce, let the girl speak." Jim interrupts. You silently thank him.
"Mrs. Byers, I don't know what any of this stuff means." You wave your arm around the puzzled room. "All I know is that every time Will had an episode, I had this weird urge to just scribble, kind of like the drawings on the floor. Eventually, it turned into that." You point at your drawing.
Joyce doesn't speak.
"I think whatever this is has to do with when we were in the Upside Down, Mrs. Byers." You saw with knitted eyebrows as you rested your hands on her shoulders.
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