Under the Influence(CH.2)(Harrington!Reader)(Cousin AU)
CH. 2 Welcome to hell Hawkins
Summary: Summer is long and boring - but maybe your parents had the right sort of idea. You become reacquainted with your cousin, and your small-town adventure begins.
Tags: female reader, Harrington! ReaderCousin! AU, Scoops Ahoy, SFW, TW!mention of abuse(alluded to),
w/c: 3.2K
A/N: If you're here, thanks for returning and thanks for reading. If you're new, Welcome! you can find chapter 1 here We're still building, but we get to say hello to a familiar face, with more on the way soon! I swear Eddie is going to make an appearance in the near future!
...“It's decided. She’s going to Hawkins.”...
-⌘-
The sound of your fork hitting the plate as if it comes from miles away, your parent's voices blurring as your mind whirls.
Hawkins? Really? Did he think sending you away was the solution? It just solidified that you were not the child your parents wanted, and now they couldn’t even face you. You could hear your parents discussing things, your dad sounding calmer now, but you only caught bits of what was said. “Do you think that will help?”, “I can’t stand this all summer, Mary”.
Again, it was about them more than it was about you. They were selfish, you decided. They are selfish, stuck-up assholes. Eventually, they turned to you, the subject of their never-ending disappointment.
“Well, young lady, what do you have to say to that?” Your dad asked; surely he didn’t expect an answer from you? Surely he didn’t actually care about your thoughts on the matter? Not when it was blindingly clear they didn’t care one iota about who you were or what you needed. You felt defeated, a hollow ache in your chest threatening to consume all of you if you dared examine it too closely. You didn’t even notice the few tears that had escaped your eyes. “Fine”, you huffed, shoving your chair back, bonding your dinner in favour of the sanctuary of your room. Why fight anymore? They didn’t care enough to try to set you straight for more than a few days.
That night you cried. Not entirely sure why; you should have expected something like this would happen. In truth, you thought they would last a bit longer, at least two weeks, and then the anger would fade; work would reassert its dominance in their lives, and the grounding would be all but forgotten. You didn’t think they would get rid of you, like a sweater that was no longer in fashion. Once you heard them go to bed, you brought out the packet of cigarettes you had managed to hide away in your room and snuck out to the street outside your house. You wandered for a short while, smoking and thinking. You had two cigarettes left in that packet; you knew you would need more soon. All the stores nearby would be closed by now, not that you had your fake ID anymore. That had been swept away with your tapes - the cassettes being a convenient hiding spot for that particular piece of evidence of your misdeeds. You head to your friend Tina's house. A friend was maybe a strong word - you guys liked to smoke together. Tossing a few rocks at her window to get her attention, you beckon her down to the street. Filling her in takes a little longer than you would like.
“Dude, is it true you punched the principal?” She asked, eyes wide and searching your face. “What? No! Who told you that?” You ask, lighting one of the last cigarettes before handing it to her. “It’s all over school,” She says almost gleefully. “You’re a legend. Some kids are saying you tore up his office and got sent to juvie for assaulting him with a knife.” She chuckled before passing the cigarette back to you. “A knife? Seriously? The student body needs to get a handle on their fantasies.” You say, taking a long drag. “Well, as you can see, I’m not in juvie," she snorts and nods, the cigarette passing between you both. “I didn’t even really do anything. I got mad a screamed a little. I did break his clock, though.” You smirked at the memory of that stupid “teacher of the year” hitting the ground.
“Either way, y/n, you're never living that reputation down now. I even heard the teacher gossiping about it," which earned a groan from you. “What are you doing here anyway? You on the run?” She said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. You sigh and push your hair out of your face, “Kinda,” scuffing your toes along the pavement. “My parents are sending me away for the summer; they think it's gonna straighten me out” Tina laughs again and finishes the cigarette, dousing it on the street. “Damn, that sucks” “Yeah, they took all my shit, so my ID’s gone. I was wondering if you had any smokes stashed away you would mind donating to a legend in need” you give your best attempt at puppy dog eyes as you plead with your occasional smoking buddy. “Jeez man, ugh, I dunno. Hang on, lemme go check”.
As she retreated into her house, you sat down on the step, head in your hands. This is what it had come to. No friends to say goodbye to, just an acquittance to ask for favours from. Before you could wallow too deeply, Tina returned two packets in her hands. “All right, just because you're a legend now. I’ve got a full pack and a half pack,” she hands them over to you and pats your shoulder. “Make good use of them. I expect you to return the favour when you come back,” she says. “Thanks, Tina, you’re a lifesaver” “Yeah yeah, don’t get all mushy on me”. You give her a mock salute as you start to make your way back home. You would have to make these last.
-⌘-
You’re an expert at sneaking in and out of your house, but you're still relieved when you make it back inside without your parents stirring. Once back inside your bedroom, you tuck your newly acquired packets into your hiding spot - the belly of a stuffed animal that once carried a hot water bottle. You’d had it since Christmas 1972, the only year Grandpa Otis chose Chicago over Hawkins. He brought you the bear, and it had kept you warm for years; it was one of the few things your parents didn’t feel the need to remove from you. They probably thought it would remind you of better times. You stuffed the two boxes into the bear, having smoked that last of your own stash on the way home and disposing of the carton. Looking around your room, you saw the life your parents had wanted you to have. The soft pink walls that would seem cosy to some made you feel like you were suffocating. Looking in the mirror, you appeared out of place. Messy hair, flushed skin, and smeared mascara- the result of a seemingly endless supply of tears.
It took two days for your parents to arrange everything. “They're so looking forward to seeing you, dear,” your mom cooed as she 'helped' you pack. She relished the opportunity to get rid of the clothes she loathed the most. Your comfiest pair of Jeans, riddled with holes at the knees, were promptly removed from your bag and thrown in the trash. Usually, you would push back demand to keep them, but your fighting spirit is gone; why fight when they didn't even want you around anymore? You stopped seeing what went into your modest suitcase; it wasn’t much. You were only going for a few weeks, after all. In a shocking turn of events, you were given a modest allowance, $15 for the whole summer, so you didn’t have to be more of a burden on your Aunt and Uncle than you already were. It wouldn’t stretch too far based on your current spending habits - vices don’t come cheap, but from your parent's perspective, you weren’t supposed to be doing anything fun anyway.
-⌘-
You get off the bus in Indianapolis, yes, the bus; they didn't even have the decency to drive you to hell themselves and are surprised to see Steve waiting for you. You walk up to him, bags in hand and sweat forming on your brow. " uh... Hey,” you give him a small wave as he takes your suitcase, leaving you with your tattered backpack and heads for the trunk. "I was expecting either Aunt Pearl or Uncle Andrew - not that it's not nice to see you”, you say as you both get in the car. “Yeah, well, they both had to work this morning, and I'm their errand boy these days," he says, starting the car up "It's nice to see you too.” He says after a long silence. You give him a small smile as he turns the radio on the rest of the drive passing in comfortable silence.
As you arrive in Hawkins, it's hard not to notice the changes. The stores on Main Street were either closed down or looked like they were on the verge of it. Steve must have noticed you staring "they opened a mall,” He says with an easy tone, "it's a cool place, but it's tough competition” you nod silently. "I got a job at an ice cream place there; yeah, it's gonna do me for the summer, get me some life experience before going to college..." you let Steve ramble while you get lost in your thoughts.
Your Aunt is home by the time Steve pulls in the driveway. She hugs you as you come in, sending Steve to deposit your bags in the guest room.
" y/n dear, it's been so long, my you’ve grown up so much since we saw you last," you placate her with small talk, both of you avoiding the reason for your visit. She rambles about your parents, how much the town has changed in the past few years and about a few other things you don’t catch. You shift on your feet, you had been standing in the kitchen for about 15 minutes listening to her natter on, and it was starting to give you a headache. All you wanted was a smoke - you hadn’t had one since you got on the bus, and that familiar itch was creeping up your throat. She must have noticed your attention wandering then, “Oh, look at me twittering one. You must be exhausted, dear. Why don’t you get settled and washed up. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. ” You gave her a tight smile as you nodded and headed towards the guest room — your room for the next few months. It hadn’t changed much in the past few years; the room was a familiar shade of yellow - although the paper had been changed. It was stripped now, the last time you were here and had been swirly. It was a nice change from your own suffocatingly pink room back home.
Your bags sit on the bed, the soft pastels taunting you as your hang up the dresses and sweaters sets your mother had packed for you. You noticed that a few of the t-shirts you had picked out for yourself had mysteriously disappeared. You were left with one plain black shirt on one band shirt your mother obviously hadn’t looked too closely at. “Bitch,” you mumbled as you searched the rest of your bag. As suspected, you had been left with only two pairs of jeans - light wash and pristine. You thank your good sense for wearing your black pair on the trip. Luckily your hide-a-bear had made it to Indiana with you fully intact. You pulled out a carton of cigarettes without really thinking about it.
“I wouldn’t smoke those anywhere near the house if you know what's good for you” the sudden interruption jolted you as you remembered you hadn't even shut the door. “Jesus, Steve, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he chuckled as you stuffed the carton back into your bear and placed it pride of place on the middle of the pillows. “What the big deal anyway, you gonna rat me out?” Steve looks a little disgruntled as the words leave your mouth. “Nah, what you do to your body is up to you. But my dad has a nose like a bloodhound” he leant his body against the doorframe crossing his arms, and he looked at you, eyes serious and unwavering “I hung out with a friend once in junior year; they had one cigarette - I didn’t even touch the thing” His pitch was climbing, and a tone of defensiveness was creeping in “two hours later I came home, and my dad could smell it on me - Let's just say the aftermath wasn’t pretty” a grimace crosses your face as you wonder just what exactly your uncle’s punishment had been. You let out a heavy sigh and push your hair back off your face “sheesh, all right. well, thanks for the heads up.” He nods and moves to leave before turning back “besides, those things’ll kill you,” you smirk as he walks away. You close the door this time and stretch out on the bed. It was going to be a long summer.
-⌘-
Dinner is ready precisely as your uncle arrives home from work. It was a slightly awkward affair. Your Aunt was the epitome of sunshine on a cloudy day - her tone was always delightful, and she carried most of the conversation herself your Uncle emulated the clouds, passing brief grunts of acknowledgement and adding his pessimistic two cents to her stories. He finally addressed the dark cloud looming over your head towards the end of dinner.
“Now, Y/N, I think it’s time we discuss why you are here.” He pushes his empty plate away and reaches for his beer. Your Aunt goes to start clearing the dishes, and he stops her. “Not yet, Pearl; I think we all need to understand the ground rules here” Her eyes flutter once, then rest on the table in front of her; you catch Steve rolling his eyes as subtly as possible. Your Uncle clears his throat, getting your attention. “I am aware of your less than desirable behaviour, young lady.” He fixes you with a stare, giving you the impression that looking away would land you in a world of trouble “ Your school work is disastrous; you are rude and impetuous. I mean swearing at a teacher, your principal, no less! In my day, that would never fly. You're lucky your father didn’t beat the sense back into you long ago.” You flinched at the words, remembering Steves's face from earlier and understanding just what kind of man your Uncle was. Your father had a temper, but he had never been violent. “I understand from speaking with your father the conditions of your punishment whilst at home. You will be under the same conditions here. You will not leave this house without our express permission, you will not be out of this house any later than 10pm, you will not engage in any illegal activities, and most importantly, you will not make a spectacle of yourself in this town.”
As he lists the conditions of your sentence, you feel a flush creep up your neck and into your cheeks. You find yourself holding back tears, and whether they were borne of anger or sadness, you weren’t quite sure.
“I have a few conditions of my own.” He continued, “In this house, we earn our keep. You will have chores that will be completed to my standard without complaint. You may seek a summer job - should you be successful, the limits of your punishment will be renegotiated.” He finally takes a long sip of his beer, and your eyes slip down to the table. This is a side to your uncle you had never seen before, he was calm and collected, but you could sense the roiling storm under his words - the one that would break free should you disappoint him in any way. “Do we understand each other, Y/N?” You raise your eyes to meet his “Yes, sir” he gives you a curt nod and leaves the table. You understand from his mannerism that there will be no further conversation on the matter. Following Steve's lead you help to clear the table and take up position in the kitchen to do the dishes.
“He means it, you know”, Steves says as he scrapes leftovers into the trash, “huh?”, “His conditions,” Steve says with a raised eyebrow. “He’ll see them through.” His tone is sombre, but with an edge that you can’t ignore. You mumble and agree and nod as you dry the plate in front of you, returning it to the right cabinet once you’re satisfied. Steve continues, a little light entering his voice. “I mean, he is a man of his word. Nothing stronger than the Harrington word, y’know.” He’s preoccupied with scrubbing a baking dish. “He’ll follow through on that job promise. I took advantage of the same deal, if I’m honest.” You continue to dry and put away dishes quietly. “I could get you a job at Scoops if you’re interested. It pays crap, but it gets you outta the house” you consider it for a moment and flat him a smile. “Thanks, Stevie, but it doesn’t sound like my kinda thing. I’ll just be a house rat for the summer.” He nods as he hands you the last dish. “Besides, what’s a few weeks of solitude? Maybe I’ll get some reading done.” He huffs and runs a hand through his hair handing your the last dish of the evening. “Whatever floats your boat, lemme me know if you change your mind.” He pats the doorframe before leaving you with your thoughts. You sigh and lean against the counter, contemplating the lot life has handed you.
As you climb the stairs to bed, your mind swirls. You notice the creaks in the stairs, thinking about how in your own home, you knew the floors so well you could sneak in at 3am making less noise than a mouse. You would have a much harder time sneaking out of here. And even if you managed it, where would you go? The Harringtons were well known in Hawkins, and it was only a matter of time before everyone knew you were one of them. There would be no hiding in plain sight here. You stared at the bear on your pillow, itching to take its contents and release your stress, but Steves's words and your Uncle's threats echoed in your mind. No point risking it on night one.
You pick through the last of your things, a worn copy of ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ at the bottom of your backpack. It had been your favourite growing up, but you hadn’t touched it in a few years. The thumb the pages, soft under your fingers. You remember the first time your mom read it to you. You had a nightmare about the Witch, and it was a while before she read it to you again. But it quickly became a favourite and fuelled your love of reading. You sit it on the nightstand and pull out the magazines you’d bought at the bus station. Flicking through them until your eyes got drowsy and falling asleep with the lamp on.
