Bloodless
Summary: When you escaped the lab you thought the hard times were over. But then you start to get dizzy every time you use your powers, and you’re nervous that something is wrong. Luckily Hopper and Steve are there to help you figure it all out.
Word Count: 3.7K
Tags/CW: blood, nosebleeds, fainting, canon typical violence, periods, fluff, hurt/comfort, reader has same powers as El
AN: This started as a random thought and somehow became more than three thousand words. Struggled with a title so it may change at some point if I like something better
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006.
The number tattooed on your skin. The number that’s been assigned to you as long as you can remember. The number that was your identity.
When you and Eleven escaped the lab and were taken in by Hopper, you were told you could pick a new name. It had taken you some time, but finally you managed to choose one.
You finally had a fresh start.
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.
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AN: Thanks for reading! I hope the formatting and everything is okay, I rushed to get it posted before a flight
