the monster's gone, he's on the run and your sister's here
maybe you can't make a deal with god, but the devil welcomes you to the bargaining table with open arms. the party thinks they've saved your little sister from vecna's curse, but henry creel simply found another victim to prey upon - you.
or,
when your sister narrowly escapes death, you start to lose hope. but when presented with a bargain to save her life, you can't resist.
steve harrington x mayfield!reader part two to this fic
wc: 4k
a/n: wow! you guys really seemed to like the last one, and i'm thrilled to see it. i will be taking a much need nap after this, but here is part two! part three should be coming soon, assuming everyone is still interested :) thank you so much for all the love!!
tags: VERY BRIEF use of y/n (i’m sorry it was unavoidable), more flirty tension, steve and reader being adorable and awkward, fem!reader, mayfield!reader, robin being nosy, steve idolizes reader, reader is an overachiever, slight loser!steve (it's cute don't kill me), beginning of vecna arch after max escapes, more in depth billy mention, vecna being a master manipulator, cute sister dynamic between max and reader, sunshine!reader feeling helpless, cursing, more in depth mention of death, slight songfic, angst.
"Close your eyes," you sang the lyrics to your younger sister. Max was currently laying on the couch in the Wheeler's basement with her head in your lap. Her blue eyes were wide and bloodshot, burning a hole in the ceiling above.
Just hours ago, you were certain you'd lost her. She'd written letters to everyone she cared about, knowing she was marked for death. You'd thrown yours to the ground, refusing to accept her fate.
But even your sisterly devotion had its limits. When she rose into the air at the graveyard, you'd never been so scared in your life. You hadn't cried like that since the night Billy died. And when she narrowly escaped death? You'd told yourself you'd never let her go.
"Have no fear," the song continued. The basement was full of teenagers, all seemingly shook up by the events of the afternoon. Being the oldest, you and Steve had taken to trying to keep the most level heads about it all. You'd saved the world twice now, what's one last hurrah? After all, the third time's a charm.
You smiled at the sight of Dustin Henderson beginning to nod off in the corner. The boy hadn't slept properly in days, too worried about clearing Eddie's name. Lucas wasn't much better off, sat on the floor in front of the couch, his hand tightly clutching Max's. Even if he drifted to the alluring call of sleep, he wasn't letting her go. Not ever.
That was what you liked so much about him. He loved your sister almost as much as you did. Almost, because no one could love her quite like a sibling could. Still, he was the best thing that had ever happened to her. No one could make her laugh like he could. It was the kind of joy you'd only seen when she was little.
Still, your sister didn't have the sense that whatever higher power there was gave her. They were on and off again constantly, much to your astonishment.
You'd tried to talk some sense into Max on the scarce phone calls while you were away at college when she informed you she'd dumped Lucas for the 'nth time.
"He's such a dick! There's no coming back from this. I'm telling you, it's really over now. For good."
"What'd he do this time?"
"He joined the basketball team."
"...Maxine."
"Don't 'Maxine' me, you know that's bullshit! Since when is Lucas Sinclair a preppy asshole jock? He wears that stupid letterman jacket all the time now."
"You're right. That's a deal breaker. The horror!"
She'd laughed after you said that. It was the closest to happy you'd heard her since Billy died. When your laughter died down, it was quiet again.
"You should cut him some slack. It's his first year being a high schooler. He's finding his way, just like everyone else. Just like you," you said softly into the phone. "Mom told me you're seeing the therapist at school now. That's good. Ms. Kelly is great."
"What the hell do you know about Ms. Kelly?"
You paused. Right. You always did keep your therapy sessions in high school a secret from everyone, including your nosy sister.
"Nothing. I've just heard good things from other people," you lied smoothly. Lying to Max had never been easy, but it was doable when she wasn't staring you in the face.
"She's alright. I talk. She listens. I go about my day. A waste of time, if you ask me."
You hummed. It was quiet again. You couldn't help but feel like the longer you were away from Max, the more she seemed to... drift. You two were less birds of a feather, more passing acquaintances now. You hated the bitter taste it left in your mouth, the way it made your chest tighten in ways you hadn't felt since Billy died.
"Max..." you'd started, but your tone was too obvious. It was clear the conversation was going to get serious, and Max couldn't handle that. She never was good at talking to you about her feelings that she thought you cared way too much about.
"I have to go. Gotta wake Mom up so she doesn't miss her shift again."
And just like that, you were back to square one. You sighed on your end, staring at your dorm room ceiling.
"Okay. Love you. Call me when you two are back together."
Then, you heard the familiar dial tone of the call being disconnected.
You ran your hand over her hair now, brushing back a few stray strands that had escaped her braids. "The monster's gone, he's on the run, and your sissy's here," you lilted. Max finally smiled, even managing an unsteady laugh at the lyric change. You echoed her, your voice catching in your throat as your own tears caught up with you. You blinked them back as best as you could, determined not to let her see you cry. Otherwise, she'd never sleep.
"Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... beautiful girl."
When she finally let her eyes shut, you let out a breath of relief. You closed your own eyes for a moment, and when they opened, your gaze met a brown eyed stare from across the room.
"How's she holding up?" Steve asked, the concern evident in the way his gaze softened on you and the girl laying on your lap.
"She's fine, I think. As good as she can be when you're being hunted by a demon sorcerer, anyways," you exhaled, trying to make a joke of the increasingly abysmal situation you found yourself tangled in.
Why was it always your family? This monster had taken enough from you both already. Billy wasn't much. He was an asshole. He resented you and Max for having to move to Hawkins in the first place, and he made your life hell every chance he got. At the end of the day, though, he was still your brother. He didn't deserve what he got.
Max had always hoped that, one day, you could all be a real family. Real brother and sisters. You weren't so naive, not so optimistic that Billy would've ever changed, but you'd at least wanted him to have the chance to prove you wrong.
You'd never know, and that was what stung the most. The perpetual 'what-if' of it all. The constant questioning of what you could've done differently to save him, how you could've traded places with him. Anything to save Max from the hurt that she felt in his absence, from the words she'd said at his grave.
"You have a pretty voice, you know. I've never heard you sing."
Steve's words snapped you back to reality like a splash of cold water. You were spiraling again, something you had a tendency to do. You smiled, your brows raising in amusement.
"You never went to any of my shows?"
Steve scoffed lightly, rolling his eyes with a boyish grin.
"Please. I wouldn't have been caught dead at one of those musicals in high school. I had a reputation to protect," he responded, a defensive edge in his tone. He stilled a moment, then shook his head. "I was too much of an idiot to go back then."
"You weren't missing much. It wasn't exactly Broadway," you comforted. He had a nasty habit of talking down about his old self in recent days. Sure, he'd come a long way. You'd heard that he could be a royal douche in the years before you and your sister had moved to Hawkins.
But still, something about the way he seemed so disappointed in himself rubbed you the wrong way. He looked like a kicked puppy. Like a sinner who thought himself damned beyond saving.
"No, you're right," he said, "I bet it was better than Broadway if you were in it."
The words took you off guard, making your hand pause its ministrations in Max's hair. Steve seemed to surprise even himself, and a blush that looked entirely out of character on him covered his face.
"I just mean — well, you know. Just that you're not a bad singer. Probably better than anyone else in Hawkins, anyways," he stammered out. A feeble attempt to backtrack.
You giggled, now giving him your full attention.
"Well, the bar was pretty low. My stiffest competition was—"
"—Tammy Thompson," he finished your sentence, now chuckling right along with you. You tried to shush him between fits of quiet giggling, waving a hand at him.
"She really did give me a run for my money in auditions!"
"She sounds like a Muppet, Mayfield."
"A very talented Muppet."
"Can she even hold a tune?" Steve whispered in an exasperated tone, his eyes wide at the fact you were actually defending her. Hell, she was cute, but she wasn't Farrah Fawcett. Were you like Robin? Hopelessly in love with Tammy? That would be just his luck. He was a supporter, but he couldn't bear the blow to his ego again if you were also playing for the other team.
"Well, not really, actually—" you started, but were swiftly interrupted by a stampede of footsteps running downstairs.
"Guys, Eddie keeps on calling the radio for beer—" Robin started clumsily, stumbling down to the bottom step before stopping to stare at the state of you and Steve Harrington. She blinked, brows scrunching together in confusion.
"What's so funny?" She asked.
You exchanged a glance with Steve before bursting into hushed laugher once again.
Miraculously, Max slept soundly through your not-so-subtle laughter with Steve. You maneuvered your way carefully off the couch before gently sitting a nearby cushion under her head.
You gave a slight nudge with your foot to Dustin, waking him up.
"Hey kid," you said.
He groaned, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the light of the basement.
"I told you to stop calling me that. I'm barely younger than you," he huffed. "What is it?"
"Mhm," you hummed, a ghost of a grin on your lips, "I need you to watch Max. You know, make sure she doesn't start floating or some shit again."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Babysitter duty."
"That's the spirit, Henderson," Steve called from the staircase, smirking triumphantly from ear to ear. He was positively beaming to have someone take that burden from him for once.
You couldn't help the way you seemed to mirror his expression, a fondness in his eyes making you feel warm. He'd always been attractive in high school, but there was something about the way he seemed to care so much about you and your sister that beckoned you to him.
Neither one of you talked much, apart from your side quests saving the world. After all, he was still pining for Nancy, wasn't he? You both had so little in common it was laughable. Besides, it would never work. When this was all over, you'd go back to New York. Back to where you belonged.
Still though, it was nice to indulge your fantasies from time to time. Especially when he looked at you like he really thought you were something special. You didn't know much about Steve Harrington, but you knew that he was someone special. He'd be a good boyfriend to a nice girl who deserved it one day.
But now was neither the time nor the place to be thinking about any of that. You were on a mission: Save your sister, clear Eddie's name, save the world. In that order.
Steve nodded to the stairs, giving you a hand up. Your hand felt a jolt of electricity like you'd been shocked when it touched his, and it lingered for a moment before you both quickly pulled away and started up the stairs at the same time.
It was a narrow staircase, causing you both to bump into each other.
"Oh, sorry—"
"—no, it's my bad," Steve said. You both froze before letting out breathy laughter at the awkward situation, his body pressed close to yours. You stared up at him, your head tilting to the side before he motioned forward.
"Ladies first."
"Huh. I guess chivalry isn't dead," you mused with a coy grin, noticing the way he chuckled to himself before following you up.
Robin stood at the top of the staircase, giving Steve a pointed look when he reached the top. When he avoided her gaze, she glanced between you and him before breaking out into a smirk and began suggestively raising her brows.
"Not a word," he mumbled, nudging her with his elbow as they walked to the kitchen.
Eddie the Banished (a title of his fashioning) was crackling through the walkie talkie, insisting on an emergency food delivery. One that included an egregious amount of beer. Was it the brightest idea to get the fugitive drunk? Probably not, but then again, you weren't a wanted man.
"I can make the run to the store. It's just down the block from Max and I's house," you said. Just down the block from your plot of land, really. You didn't know if you could call the trailer a house.
Steve was shaking his head almost instantaneously.
"No, you need to stay here. With Max. In case she goes all Poltergeist again," he responded.
"I'm quick. I can take my car and drive back before Max is even awake."
"Yeah, well, the Beamer is faster. I'll go."
"You can't possibly expect to carry all that stuff back on your own," you quipped, letting out a huff of air.
"No, I can't. That's why Nancy and Robin will come with me."
"But Nancy and Robin need to debrief everyone on the information they figured out about that Victor Creel guy. I'm useless to Max right now. I don't know anything, and I can't just sit here doing nothing," you fired back, your brows furrowing. Why was he so hellbent on fighting you on this?
You looked to Robin and Nancy for support, but for once, they weren't backing you up. A tense silence filled the air.
"For once, I agree with Steve. You need to stay here... Just in case," Nancy said quietly. Robin wouldn't meet your eyes.
"In case of what?" You asked, staring at the three of them.
Until it clicked. You tensed where you stood, a chill running down your spine.
"You mean, in case she dies."
The guilty looks on their faces told you everything you needed to know. How little confidence they had in their ability to save the world this time. They looked ashamed for thinking it, but it was too late to take it back. Because now... you were thinking it too.
"In case that sick freak gets to her before we can save her. That's what you're saying, isn't it?" You whispered. The last thing you needed was Max hearing this, or seeing the way your face paled.
You felt like you were going to be sick.
"Mayfield—" Steve started, but you weren't having it.
"Fine, then. Go. I'm staying," you mumbled, shaking your head to try and freeze the tears where they brimmed in your eyes. The lump in your throat felt like it was growing larger by the second, and you darted downstairs before anyone could stop you.
Lucas and Max were still fast asleep, and Dustin had seemingly dozed off again. He'd make a terrible babysitter.
You sat down with a thud onto the couch opposite Max and Lucas, taking it upon yourself to assume watch duty. Seconds passed, then minutes, then what felt like hours. In that time, all you did was stare at Max. Your head was pounding, your thoughts only getting increasingly darker.
Steve wasn't here to pull you from your thoughts this time. Your chest was getting tight again, like all the air had been sucked from the room. Small gasps for breath left your lips, but nothing seemed to help. You stood and began to pace the room.
You couldn't do this. Not again. You couldn't lose another person, especially not Max. Not your baby sister.
But what could you do? You couldn't see this monster that was preying on her, you couldn't find it. It was in her mind. How could you stop something you weren't even sure existed? And if it did exist, how could you ever be powerful enough to stop it? You weren't a fighter like Nancy. You'd never shot a gun. You didn't have a wooden baseball bat studded with long nails like Steve. You most definitely didn't have psychic mind powers like Eleven. You were useless, and now you were going to lose yet another sibling because you failed to protect them.
The pounding in your head was excruciating, and the ringing in your ears was deafening now. You winced when you felt a liquid drip onto your lip. Your fingertips touched it, and you held your hand in front of you, only to be greeted by the sight of crimson blood.
"Y/N!"
Max's voice pulled you from your thoughts, her hand shaking you. The ringing was gone. The headache, too. You looked at her, then back at your hand. No blood. Where were her headphones? When had she woken up? You were just watching her—
"There you are. You were getting all spacey again," she huffed.
You managed a weak smile, nodding slowly.
"I can't sleep. I keep seeing him," Max admitted, the familiar fear in her eyes returning.
"Lay down. I'll sing your song again."
She settled back down on the couch, looking up at you expectantly.
"Close your eyes," you sang softly, hand brushing through her hair in that comforting way only you knew.
"Have no fear. The monster's gone, he's on the run, and your sissy's here."
You opened your mouth to continue, only Max beat you to it.
"But he's not gone, is he?"
Your brows scrunched together, and you looked down to meet her eyes.
"Who isn't gone, Max?"
"The monster," she answered simply. As if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's not gone at all. He never left. He's always here. Watching, listening, waiting..." she trailed off.
You froze. Words didn't come to you at first, listening to her talk like this. It was eerie how calm she was, talking about it like she was totally unbothered. The fear in her eyes from earlier was nowhere to be found. You opened and closed your mouth a few times, struggling to come up with a response, and that was when she sat up on the couch. Were her eyes that bloodshot before?
"Our friends are weak. They have no idea how to fight the monster. But I don't have to be scared anymore. Because you can save me."
Something was very, very wrong with Max.
You stood up, an action that she mirrored.
"I will save you. I promise you, Max. I won't fail you, not like..." you whispered, your voice beginning to choke up again like before as you trailed off. Your eyes were stinging with unshed tears, your heart racing and your palms starting to sweat.
She was smiling now. Her features looked more and more unnatural, her eyes becoming hazy and lifeless.
"Not like you failed Billy?" She asked, her voice now distorted and unnatural.
"You... I did everything I could to save him, Max, you know that," you tried weakly.
"But it wasn't enough, was it? You failed because you weren't strong enough. You're the weakest one here, and everyone knows it."
You let out a gasp, your eyes now widening as you stepped backwards. Your back hit the wall, and Max only walked closer and closer.
"But you can still fix things. You can still make things right and save me," she offered with a sinister smile. One that seemed far too freakish for her face.
But you were desperate.
"How?" you whispered.
She seemed pleased that you'd asked, a mischievous and malicious delight in her eyes.
"You can do what you should've done in Billy's place last year. In my place this year. You... can die."
An ominous and hellish strike of metal bars in what you believed to be the menacing chime of a clock resonated in the room around you. You couldn't breathe, now frantically looking around the room that was rapidly decomposing around you. The wallpaper peeled off the walls, the roof beginning to cave in. The couches around you were empty, with Dustin and Lucas nowhere to be seen.
"Shit, shit, shit," you mumbled, hands now shaking by your sides. Red liquid oozed out of the walls, flooding into the room.
When you turned back around once more, your sister was gone. Instead, what stood in her place was a monster. The monster. You let gasp of shock, stumbling backwards away from him.
"Y/N," the monster called your name, his voice a low and raspy growl that paralyzed you.
You'd been running just about your entire life from everything. You ran from facing your trauma, your grief after losing your brother. You ran from Hawkins. You ran from Max. You told yourself it was for the best, that you were flying far away from Hawkins. But in your absence, life had gotten infinitely worse for your abandoned little sister. You weren't running. Not anymore.
"What do you want?" You asked it, your voice trembling. The monster only stared at you in response. This angered you, and that unbridled desperation to escape gnawed at you stronger than your fear.
"I said, what do you want from me?!" You screamed at the creature, your voice a broken cry. You hadn't realized you were crying now. The monster vanished now, and your eyes widened. Had you scared it off? Surely it couldn't be that easy.
"I want you to finally take your rightful place here, with me," a male's voice drawled behind you. Your body went rigid, because it was a voice you knew all too well. A voice you did not need to turn to recognize.
His blonde hair came into view first as Billy circled you like a shark, smiling menacingly.
"Come on, Y/N. I couldn't save her, and if you don't do this, you won't either. No one can save her but you," he whispered after stopping behind you and leaning close to your ear.
"Shut up," you whispered, but he was convincing. Billy always was persuasive. He'd gotten you to do his homework his whole life in exchange for being just a little less of a jackass when his dad wasn't around to keep him in check.
"He's offering you a way out. That's what you always wanted, right? To leave, and to save Max."
"Shut the hell up!"
"Take the deal. Let him in. Come home with me, so we can be a real family."
That was the final blow to any resistance you had. The monster was back, Billy was gone, and you found yourself at the bargaining table with the devil.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" You muttered, voice hoarse from screaming as you looked up at the devilish figure with tear stained cheeks and reddened eyes.
"I only need one of you. Both of you suffice my needs."
You stared at the table, before giving him a slow nod. Bile rose in your throat when he smiled.
"I'll return in three days time to collect you."
And just like that, you were back in the Wheeler's basement. Your sister and her friends were fast asleep, and you sat with the knowledge of having just signed your life away.
"Mayfield, get up here! We're back with the stuff."
authors note: if you're reading this, ilysm! thank you for all the support, i feel really happy to know people enjoy my writing. let me know if you'd be interested in a part three!
taglist: @izzycstairs @tvdumarvelhpsimp @babyspiderling @kahihihashree @silovicbaird @napofaprincess @itmekelpy @babyluxbeat
