it’s instinctive now — the way his head lifts, eyes scanning automatically, like his body just knows when you’re close. the practice is still going, kids running bases, yelling too loud, dust in the air. steve has his cap pulled low, whistle hanging around his neck, sleeves rolled up.
then he sees the tote bag.
his mouth curves into that soft, private smile he only ever saves for you.
“alright, five-minute water break,” he calls, already walking toward you.
you lean against the fence, all cozy and pretty, holding up the bag like a prize. “you forgot lunch. again.”
he exhales a laugh, hands immediately finding your waist through the chain links. “i didn’t forget,” he says. “i just… knew you’d save me.”
you roll your eyes but lean in anyway, forehead resting against his. he smells like sunscreen and grass and that familiar steve warmth that makes your chest feel full.
“you’re impossible,” you murmur.
“yeah,” he agrees easily, kissing the corner of your mouth. “but i married you, so i’m clearly doing something right.”
you hand him the bag and he opens it like it’s sacred. his shoulders drop the second he takes the first bite.
“jesus,” he sighs. “this is so much better than cafeteria food.”
you watch him chew, watch the way he stands closer than necessary, one hand always touching you — your hip, your wrist, your back. married steve is like this: casual affection, constant closeness, like he never wants space from you.
one of the kids yells, “coach! is that your wife?”
steve doesn’t even look back. “yep.”
you smile. “very proudly married, apparently.”
he grins, leans in, presses a kiss to your temple. “always.”
when he finally finds the note, he reads it quietly, lips moving just a little. something in his expression softens even more — like he’s storing the moment away.
“hey,” he says softly, catching your hand. “thanks for taking care of me.”
you shrug, playful. “that’s kind of the deal.”
he squeezes your fingers. “best deal i ever made.”
the whistle blows again, reluctantly. he steals one last kiss — quick, sweet, familiar — before stepping back onto the field.
and you watch him go, heart full, knowing he’ll be home later, tired and smiling, ready to be loved all over again.
pairing: jonathan byers × reader
summary: the first time jonathan byers fell in love with you.
warnings: fluffy. just you and jonathan being cute kids, meeting each other for the first time. no angst, just chaos and you being a social butterfly adopting jonathan as your new friend. little steve being a asshole and paying for that. any grammatical corrections are welcome. let me know if you want to be tagged in the next part! i hope you like it <3
wc: 1.475
— part one of everything is romantic
It was the first day of sixth grade, your first day at a new school after you and your dad moved from Miami to Hawkins. The weather was cold and the wind was strong, nothing like the warm, rainy fall in Miami that you were used to. Your clothes weren't enough to keep you warm in the wind, and your only option was to borrow one of your dad's oversized coats, but your shame and fear of being teased at school were stronger than the cold you felt.
Shivering slightly from the cold, you got out of your dad's car and walked towards the school entrance, squeezing through the crowd of hyped-up kids to get to the office, where you would receive your class schedule and locker code.
“Hi,” your voice was a shy whisper as you approached the reception desk. “I’m here to pick up my class schedule. My dad couldn’t come last week, so the principal said I could get it from her on the first day of school,” you explained politely.
The receptionist didn't even look up from the papers on her desk before silently pointing to a row of chairs where you should sit and wait until you were called. Sitting in one of the chairs was a pale boy with his head down, holding a tissue to his nose. Curious, you approached and crouched down in front of him so you could see his fa
“Are you okay?” you asked, your eyes widening when you saw the boy's face and hands covered in blood. “Who did this to you?”
His eyes widened and he flinched when he realized you were so close to him. He quickly looked away, avoiding your concerned gaze.
“I just fell,” he muttered, but you weren't convinced. It sounded like an automatic response to a question he was asked frequently and you frowned, confused and concerned. Why would he lie? Who had done that to him? What if he was being abused at home? What if someone was threatening him not to tell anyone? Your kid little brain was too anxious to think of a harmless scenario like his own answer. Since you were a kid you had this savior complex, wanting to help everyone with their problems, and, of course, with him that wouldn't be different.
“I don't believe you,” you said, crossing your arms. “But my dad always tells me to respect people, so if you don't want to tell me, I won't force you.” You sat down on the chair next to him and turned to reach out your hand to him. “My name is Y/N. What's yours?”
He looked at you sideways, but looked away when he saw you looking back at him. You waved your hand in front of his face, waiting for him to take it and answer your question. He sighed and used his free hand to squeeze yours, holding only your fingertips so you wouldn't get dirty with his blood. You tugged his hand toward you, not caring about getting dirty, and he widened his eyes, lifting his head to look at you for the first time since you started talking to him.
“So? What's your name, pretty boy?” you asked, with a huge smile showing a missing tooth. He smiled shyly in return and looked away when you called him by the petname.
“Jonathan. Jonathan Byers.”
“Jonathan,” you echoed. “That’s a very pretty name. Jonathan.”
You saw his smile widen and his cheeks turn pink. He quickly pulled his hand back and shoved it into his coat pocket when a boy at the same age as you walked into the room, wearing clothes that probably cost more than the house you and your dad live in.
“Hey, are you new?" The boy asked, smiling in a friendly way. Then his gaze fell on Jonathan, and the friendly smile turned cruel. “Oh, you’ve already met Creepy Byers. If I were you, I’d stay away from him. People say he has mental problems just like his father. If you spend too much time around him, you might develop problems too.”
You felt a chill in your stomach, but it wasn't anxiety, it was anger. Pure, hot anger that made your cheeks burn and your hands clench into fists. Next to you, Jonathan flinched again and closed his eyes, his face red with shame.
“Hey, why don't you shut up?” you said loudly, making both boys widen their eyes. “Didn't anyone teach you that it's wrong to talk about others like that? Who are you to talk about him like that?”
“I'm Steve Harrington, I'm in charge here. Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? Do you want to end up like that weirdo over there?” The boy, Steve, approached you in an intimidating manner. Up close, he was much taller than both of you, maybe a year or two older.
“Did you do that to him?” you asked, your eyes wide. With every word that came out of Steve's mouth, you blushed more and more, feeling anger taking over you.
“It was just a joke that got out of hand. Right, Johnny Boy?”
Jonathan swallowed hard and nodded slowly. Looking closely at him, you could see tears gathering in the corners of his eyes and his jaw locked, probably trying not to cry in front of Steve.
You stood up, seeing red. Steve was probably about eight inches taller than you, but somehow you managed to throw a hard punch right in the bridge of his nose. Steve fell on his butt, and you crossed your arms, glaring at him, furious. The two boys looked at you in pure shock, but you didn't even notice, you were too busy teaching a bully a lesson to care.
“Y/N Y/L! What did you just do?” The principal's deep, angry voice echoed through the reception area, causing the three children to look at her in fear. “Harrington, go to the nursery and take care of that bleeding nose. Y/L, wait here while I call your father. Byers, wait here, we still have a lot to talk about.” Then the principal returned to her office, slamming the door so hard that the three children jumped in fright.
Steve smiled victoriously and stood up, but flinched when you threatened to hit him again. As soon as he ran to the infirmary, you sat back down and looked at Jonathan, who was trying to hide a satisfied smirk. You chuckled softly and shook the hand you used to punch Steve, grimacing in pain. “Damn, his nose is tough." Jonathan laughed loudly and covered his mouth with his hand, his face flushing with embarrassment.
You stood there in silence for a moment, until your father appeared with a worried look on his face. When he saw Jonathan, injured, his eyes widened. “Y/N! What did you do?”
You smiled proudly, standing up straight. “I did what you told me to do, Dad. I kicked a bully's ass and helped a friend.” Your father sighed with relief and smacked his forehead. Jonathan looked at you and then at your father, noticing the similarity between the you both. He couldn't help but smile a little when he heard you call him your friend. “Dad, this is Jonathan. My best friend.”
Best friend. Jonathan had never been called best friend by anyone before. He smiled awkwardly at your father, but before he could say anything, the principal showed up. “Mr. and Ms. Y/L, come with me. Byers, you're free to go. We'll talk later.”
You and your dad entered the principal's office. When Jonathan realized he was alone, he took off a pair of gloves that were too big for his hands and left them on the chair where you were sitting. Taking a pencil and a piece of paper out of his bag, he scribbled a note and left it folded on top of the gloves, with your name written on the outside.
"Your hands are very cold. Punching with warm hands hurts less.
Thank you.
– J."
When you left the principal's office with a verbal warning and two days of detention, Jonathan was no longer there. You picked up the gloves and the note, smiling so hard your cheeks started to hurt. Years later, you would still wear that same gloves and keep that same note in your wallet, carrying both with you wherever you go.
That was the first time Jonathan Byers fell in love with you.
Preferences - What Dating This Character Would Include
I may add to these chapters if I come up with other ideas. If you think of something and want me to add it, I'm more than happy to write something up.
Eddie Munson -
Going to every single Dnd night and sitting on Eddie’s lap the whole time.
Makes you watch and read all of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
You’re corroded coffin's biggest fan, whether they like it or not.
Your parents don’t like Eddie at all. Say that he is a Munson and always will be.
Eddie worries that you are only dating him to get back at your parents because he knows they don’t like him and you express how much you hate your parents all the time.
Wayne adores you, more than Eddie sometimes. If Eddie isn’t at the trailer when you visit, you will spend the time with Wayne until Eddie gets back. Eddie finds it adorable and loves that his two favourite people get along.
You spend every single night together, whether it’s at the trailer or sneaking Eddie into your room.
Eddie will beg for you to play a Dnd game, and has even used some tricks to get you to agree, but you never agree.
Everyone in town calls Eddie a freak because of who he is, you call him a freak because of what he can do in the sheets.
When Corroded Coffin finally gets big, Eddie asks you to become their roadie. Always following the band so he never has to be away from each other. You agree before the words are out of his mouth.
Eddie is very affectionate. You’re having a bad day, you’re wrapped in his arms and watching your favourite movies. Random kisses and hugs throughout the day. Will always be touching you in some way.
You’ll spend hours playing with Eddie’s hands or tracing his tattoos. You’ve even played with his hair a few times which he secretly loves, even though he complains that he hates it.
Your first tattoo was done by Eddie. He was trying to get into the business at one point and started off with your tattoo.
On your first date, Eddie plays the guitar for you.
His table speeches doing school? Now he gives you those speeches while lounging around the house.
After listening to Eddie’s music, you find you enjoy it more than anything else. You never tell Eddie though because you know he’ll overact to it.
Steve Harrington –
Movie nights with all of the kids and adult kids.
Teasing him about his old scoops ahoy days.
You go to all of his games to support him because his parents never do. He’ll look through the crowd to see if they’re there but always find you in their place. He’s never been happier.
You tease him about being so close with Robin but it does worry you that he still loves her, even though he reassures you he isn’t her type.
There’s a reason everyone used to call him King Steve, now it’s all for you though.
Steve spends a lot of his time trying to work out the person he wants to become. You are there for him every step of the way.
You both spend days working out the type of jobs that would fit Steve and even yourself.
When Steve isn’t able to drive the kids around, they come to you. Knowing that you are just as bad as saying no to them.
You and Steve are known as the Mum and Dad of the group.
Whenever his parents aren’t home, which is almost always, you spend the night with him so that he doesn’t feel alone. When they are home, you try and drag him out of the house so he doesn’t have to deal with his parents.
When you first got together, you told Steve you were scared he still loved Nancy and would go back to her if she asked. He reassured you that he’d never go back because she cheated on him and he wouldn’t go back to something that wasn’t real when he has the real deal.
Nancy Wheeler –
You let her practice her interview questions on you.
Nancy takes you everywhere. If she needs to go to New York for work, an extra plane ticket for you is always bought as well.
You were on and off when you were younger. Nancy would say she didn’t want a family but all you ever wanted was a family.
You find cute little gifts around your apartment from Nancy when she is away for work.
Nancy would find a few gifts from you in her bags.
You are worried about Nancy and Steve sometimes because of their old relationship.
Nancy has admitted that she did cheat on Steve when they were together so she knows she’ll never go back in fear of hurting him again.
You found her guns when you were packing her things for your new apartment. She told you that it was to protect her because of some things that happened to her. It was the first and last lie she told you.
You help her with some of her cases. You’re very tech savvy and would help research while she was away and send her the information that you found.
Mike is protective of his sister. He’s told you that he’ll never like you because you are dating but you know he has a soft spot for you.
You’re relationship is public, even in Hawkins. Everyone knows that you don’t mess with Nancy and you let her be.
People whose lives have been destroyed by Nancy have tried to attack and kidnap you but Steve or Eddie or Nancy stop it from getting too bad.
You never go out alone. You’re either with Nancy, Eddie, Steve or Robin.
Robin is your best friend and was before you met Nancy. She is how you met.
Nancy sometimes gets jealous about your relationship with Robin as you’ve admitted that although you never dated, you did use to sleep together.
You’re really good friends with Eddie. You don’t know why Eddie and Nancy are good friends but you and Eddie got along as well.
Robin Buckley –
Robin almost didn’t ask you out, thinking you were flirting with Steve and not getting information on his cute best friend.
Every job Robin gets, you either get the same one or one very close by. Even before you date. You wanted to see her more.
When you first start dating, Robin is a rambling mess, never able to focus on one thing.
You find her rambling so cute that you’ve fallen asleep many times on the phone while she does it. You’ve even done it in person. Robin thought that she was boring but you made sure she understood what you really thought of her rambling.
When you first get her into bed, she’s so nerves she completely forgets about her own pleasure, only focussing on your pleasure.
All the tricks she used on you the first time you had sex, she admitted that Steve was the one that told her what to do.
You used to get jealous about Robin and Nancy when you first started to date. Robin would tell you over and over she wouldn’t, but you couldn’t believe her because of your past.
When Robin worked at scoops, she would bring you ice cream during and after her shift if you were also working in the mall.
With dating Robin also comes having Steve around. You don’t mind having him around thought because he almost always brings around your platonic soulmate with him, Eddie.
You go on double dates with Steve and Eddie all the time. Even before they started dating.
If you have a bad dream or if Robin has one, Steve and Eddie will join your bed with the both of you.
Buying an apartment with Robin, Steve and Eddie.
You help Robin study when she goes to college even though you’re in college as well.
Robin was the one that helped you find your passion. You were mucking around with different things when she randomly said the job. You feel in love and she loves that you are finally happy at work.
You weren’t involved with the upside-down stuff. You would be jealous when Steve and Robin went somewhere before the mall fire, but you never tried to get involved. You blow up one night when Eddie ended up at the hospital after the worst week of there lives.
Robin broke down crying to you while you waited for Eddie to get out of surgery. You held her every where you went, even when you got weird looks.
Jonathan Byers –
You were out with Jonathan every day when Will went missing.
Jonathan doesn’t understand why you stay with him. He sometimes forgets you love him and makes himself believe you are only together because you pity him.
You would be a model for him when he goes to college for photography. You both make it fun and you’ve convinced a few of the others to join as well.
You’ve been scared that Jonathan would go back to Nancy but he’s shown you over and over that he’d rather be with only you.
Jonathan never tells you about what happened with his dad. You pieced together how he grow up but never brought it up to him.
You went through the upside-down stuff with Jonathan.
Every once in a while, Jonathan shuts down like he did when Will first went missing. The first few times you didn’t know what to you and you felt like you always made it worse. Over time you realised what you needed to do and the best ways to help him.
You hide when you get nightmares because you don’t want Jonathan to worry about you when he already worries about Will and Joyce.
He found out about your nightmares from Steve. He was furious and thought that you didn’t trust him and Steve was getting back at him for Nancy.
Joyce parents you like a mother. You’ve told her about your home life and she makes sure that you never have to go through that again.
Will is like you’re little brother. If there is something he can’t or doesn’t want to tell Jonathan, he comes to you for help.
You were the first-person Will told that he was gay. Jonathan was a little jealous, but he was glad his brother finally told someone.
Billy Hargrove –
When he gets angry, he locks himself in the spare room so that he doesn’t hurt you.
He makes sure you never meet his father. You are close to Max though. When Billy tries to drive off without her once, you tear him a new one.
The first time Billy hit you, you ran out of the house and spent the night with your dad. He ends up arresting Billy, something that helps to turn his attitude around.
It’s an on and off again relationship. You both want it to work but you know that you need to work yourselves out before you can be with each other.
You get pregnant at a young age. You struggle to tell Billy about it in fear that he’ll leave you and never be a part of the baby's life.
Instead of an angry situation, Billy is excited about the life that you both created. He wants to leave Hawkins but with you instead of without you.
Your relationship is a secret. Billy is worried about what everyone could do if they find out he cares for someone.
He drives you everywhere. If you need to go to the mall, Billy is there in a second.
Steve and you are friends before you met Billy. Billy hates when you are with other guys but tries to let this one slide.
He’ll bring you little gifts after a fight. Like your favourite flowers or chocolate or even something you’ve had your eye on for a really long time.
After your daughter is born, Billy asks you to marry him. Saying that he could imagine anyone else he wants to raise his daughter with.
You’re adoptive little sister, El, sometimes spies on Billy after a fight because you want to make sure he’s ok.
You don’t get married until your daughter can walk. You begged Billy to wait till then so you could both watch her walk down the aisle.
Will Byers (Male Reader) –
Arguments about him still liking Mike.
Jonathan becomes like a big brother to you and Joyce your mother.
Mike seems weird whenever you and Will are together. You thought he was being homophobic, but you found out that he likes Will more than a friend.
After all of the upside stuff that has happened, you are more aware of Will’s feelings and making sure he’s always ok. Will is also worried about everyone you both meet.
The group become your family as well. Even when you try to fight them away.
Your parents don’t like the fact you’re dating a man. They throw you out and you are forced to live with the Byers home, not that you’re really complaining about that.
Steve becomes another one of your big brothers. He helps you understand your feelings and what you’re feeling for Will.
Will is worried about you. He’s always checking up on you and making sure nothing has happened to you.
You convince Will to move out of home and Hawkins with you after you graduate from High School.
You try to keep the relationship a secret from the town but Jason finds out and told everyone the year you graduate. You protect Will from everyone and so do Nancy, Steve, Robin and Eddie. Even everyone else makes sure that Will isn’t affected by you both getting outted to the town.
Will gets jealous easily. When you’re both out, as soon as he leaves, a group of girls always surround you.
You get matching tattoos of your Dnd characters from Eddie’s last campaign. Will hides his tattoo because of his job but you show yours off every chance you get.
You make sure that a light is always on when Will is coming home late. Someone is always home if he’s getting back late. You don’t want him to go through something like what he did go through again.
Dustin Henderson –
You fall in love because of your shared interests of nerdy things.
You spend hours coming up with a character each for Eddie’s campaign. Making sure their backstories are intertwined as well.
You’re the one that asked if Eddie would look after Dustin and his friends when you all go to school. Eddie made a show of it and makes sure no one knows that you asked him.
Dustin doesn’t know Eddie is your brother. No one does.
When Dustin finds out the truth you both argue about why you lied about it. Dustin said he couldn’t trust you and you argued that he wouldn’t talk about anything that happened since Will’s disappearance. Eddie had to break it up and drag you away from him.
After Dustin and you calm from your fight, you start to let him in on Eddie’s campaign so you both can come up with stronger characters.
You convince Dustin to go to the science camp, knowing that it’s exactly his type of thing.
Dustin still asks Steve for dating advice even after he already gets you.
When you finally get the chance to introduce Wayne to Dustin. He gives him a few grunts while you’re around but as soon as you leave, Wayne and Eddie jump on him and give him one hell of a shovel talk.
Max gives you a shovel talk when you start dating Dustin. She explains that he is like her brother and she’ll murder me and hide the body if you ever hurt him.
Max Mayfield –
You met before Hawkins. You use to be best friends before you started to date. You just started dating when Max’s family moved to Hawkins.
After telling your parents about Max moving, they make the decision to do the same.
Max hiding out at yours when her stepdad got too violent.
When Max gets angry, she pulls away from you. She’s scared that she’ll become violent even though she never even raised her hand a little bit.
Your parents love Max. Even ask for you when you're older if she would be their legal daughter-in.
You go skateboarding together whenever you can.
You keep your relationship a secret, even from the party. You have to watch Lucas and Dustin flirt with Max and try to date her.
Your relationship becomes public when Max kisses you after one of the boys tried to flirt with you. It was only at Steve’s house so only the party found out.
Your parents are the only ones that know about your relationship but they haven’t told you both they know. They want you both to come to them when you’re ready.
Never let you near her house. Her brother doesn’t like you and her stepdad could get violent towards you both. You’ve only met her mum but that was very quick and she didn’t listen to you or Max.
When Billy dies and her stepdad runs off, you spend a lot of nights at Max’s new trailer so she isn’t alone when her mum is working.
Billy hates you. He’s threatened you about leaving Max alone but you couldn’t. He almost kills you but Hopper steps in before that happens.
You make sure that if Max can’t come to your house for the night, that she heads over to Eddie’s or Steve’s so that you know she’ll be safe and protected.
You’re first kiss was at Skull Rock. You made sure you didn’t tell Steve about it cause he would’ve been too snug about the whole thing.
Max and you would hang out at Skull Rock all the time. You even talk about what you both want to do in your future. Both of you have each other in them.
Lucas Sinclair –
You ask Steve to help Lucas practice for basketball tryouts.
You go to his first basketball game. Cheering him on from the sidelines.
You continue to go to every one of his games, even the ones where he doesn’t leave the bench the whole game.
You tag along to all of his Dnd games so he doesn’t try to use you as an excuse to not play.
Whenever he scores a goal during his game, he runs over to you and gives you a kiss.
The Basketball team always makes comments to you about dumbing Lucas and dating one of them. He doesn’t know and you don’t know how to tell him about it.
You were scared that if Max wanted Lucas back he would go back to her.
Erica is a pain in your ass. You both pretend you hate each other but you both really love each other like sisters.
You showed Erica how to play Dnd. You even created her first character that she used at her first Hellfire game.
You and Erica never tell Lucas when you hang out. He gets worried when you don’t tell him where you are and he’s scared that you are with another guy.
You cheer Lucas up when none of his friends goes to the championship game and he got the final goal.
Lucas is protective of you. He doesn’t know about the basketball team but whenever you are around a guy, he is only a few steps behind you.
Steve finds out about the basketball team and gets the group to back you up, including Lucas. Lucas doesn’t talk to you much during or after.
Lucas is hurt by the secret of the team and doesn’t understand why you couldn’t trust him. Did you think he could protect you?
Lucas goes to all your events for everything you do. When you played in a battle of the bands, he was in the front cheering you on, just like you did with his games.
Mike Wheeler –
Nancy and you get along well. You help each other annoy Mike when he’s being too much.
Before you and Mike got together, Nancy gave you a shovel talk but you didn’t understand who she was giving it to at the time. You almost thought she was trying to protect Dustin.
Arguments about him still loving El. He’s always defensive about it and it sets you off more.
Your arguments about Mike still loving El was stronger at the start of your relationship as Mike asked for you not to tell anyone because he didn’t want people to know yet.
You know how Will feels about Mike and want to help him move on. Not because you are protecting yourself but because you want to help Will and help him not get too hurt.
You’d both seek out at random times to see each other and hang out at a little dinner.
You don’t get along with Mike’s dad. You try not to be at Mike's when he’s home.
Mike taught you how to play Dnd. He mentioned that Will was upset about no one playing Dnd because of girlfriends and you wanted to fix that.
You take over as Dm when Will or Eddie can’t because you love to write campaigns and torment everyone while you play.
You and Mike create characters that are almost always together. The one time you didn’t, your rogue elf killed his fighter human because he stole your lover’s ring.
After that campaign, Mike got you a ring that was almost the exact same. Called you your promise ring for the future.
Eleven (El) –
You are best friends with Max as well. It’s a package deal.
She never talks about her life before you met her. You try to get her to talk about it but she gets scared and angry about it every time.
Hopper didn’t know that you were together and used to let you have the door closed. Until he walked in and found you both kissing on her bed.
Hopper has the 3 feet rule still.
You and El sneak out every once in a while and lay in a field to look up at the sky.
One time while you’ve snuck out, El tells you a little about her childhood. Mainly that she was taken as a baby and locked away for most of her life.
You bring El Eggos every time you go over. You’d eat them together and talk about what you were going to do for the day.
El always hides her tattoo from you so you go with her to get it corrected. You even get a matching tattoo on your wrist as well.
You would softly explain things to El if she gets confused.
Never any big fights. You were seen as the perfect couple, even though there were still secrets between you both.
Summary: You and the Sheriff have been sneaking around.
Warnings: age gap, kissing, pinching, suggestive content, secret relationship, smoking/drinking.
Notes: reader is of age and is also older than nancy!! slightly proofread!
wc: 1.6k
The weather in Hawkins was freezing, but you’re mostly focused on the way the floorboards groan under your weight as you try to sneak toward the front door.
Nancy is in the kitchen, probably wondering why you’re wearing a skirt and denim jacket when it’s freezing out. Ted is asleep in his recliner, and Karen is busy with Holly. This is the only window you have.
The drive to the cabin is a blur of backroads.
You park your car a quarter mile out, hidden behind a bunch of trees, and hike the rest of the way.
When the cabin comes into view, the porch light is already on, Jim is sitting on the porch steps, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a beer held loosely in his hand.
When he sees you, he doesn't smile. He just exhales a long cloud of smoke and narrows his eyes. "You’re late," he says, his voice low and tired.
"I had to wait for my dad to stop talking about the Sears catalog, Jim. Give me a break," you retort, stepping onto the porch and dropping your bag. You don't wait for an invitation, you plop down right next to him, your shoulder brushing his.
He grunts, taking another pull of his beer. "You shouldn't be out here this late. The roads are shit, and your parents are eventually going to realize you aren't at 'the library' until midnight."
"Is that the Chief of Police talking or the man who spent forty five minutes complaining about how much he missed me yesterday?"
Jim finally looks at you, his gaze a mix of irritation and absolute devotion.
He’s nearly twenty years your senior, and the weight of that gap usually sits between you like a physical wall.
He thinks he’s corrupting a "nice girl" from a "nice family," and you think he’s the only person in Hawkins who actually sees you as an adult.
"Don't get smart with me," he warns.
He reaches out, his large, calloused hand catching the back of your neck. He pulls you closer until your forehead rests against his temple. "i should leave you alone."
"And yet, here you are," you whisper, leaning into him. "Waiting on the porch for me."
Jim sighs, a sound of surrender. He tosses the cigarette and wraps his arm around your waist, hauling you effortlessly onto his lap. You gasp in surprise, your hands grabbing his shoulders. Up close, he smells like tobacco, old leather, and the pine soap he uses.
"I’m too old for this," he mutters, his face buried in the crook of your neck. "Hiding in the woods. Sneaking around behind Mike’s big sister. If Ted ever finds out, he’ll have a heart attack, and I’ll have to be the one to give him CPR. I don't want to do that, kid."
"Then don't let him find out," you say, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw before threading through his hair, tugging a bit.
He groans, his grip tightening on your waist. Jim isn't a gentle man by nature.. he’s all rough edges and blunt force, but with you, there’s a kind of restraint. He handles you like something fragile that he’s terrified of breaking, even when you’re pushing every single one of his buttons.
He wets his lips, eyeing you before he looks down at your skirt with a disapproving shake of his head. Before you can even open your mouth to argue, his hand slides up your bare knee, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of your thigh in a sudden pinch that makes you yelp. "What did I tell you about dressing for the weather? It’s practically dropping into the forties tonight."
"Ow! Jim, stop," you complain, though a little laugh escapes you as you try to swat his hand away. "I wanted to look nice."
"You’re going to be the death of me," he says, his eyes dropping to your lips.
"Maybe," you tease, a glint in your eyes. "But at least you'll die happy."
Slowly, his calloused fingers trail upward from where he pinched you, the rough texture of his hand, sends a shiver up your spine.
He slides his hand higher, moving right under your skirt.
Your breath catches in your throat, your fingers tightening on his shoulders as he traces small circles against the bare skin of your upper inner thigh. His touch hot against your cold skin.
"Jim," you whisper.
"You're always pushing it, aren't you?" he growls softly, his voice dropping an octave. His other hand comes up to cup the back of your neck again, his thumb anchoring under your jaw forcing you to keep your eyes on him. "Coming out here dressed like this. Knowing exactly what it does to me."
You look right into his dark eyes, a smile tugging at your lips despite the way your heart is hammering. You wrap your arms around his neck, leaning in until your mouth is brushing his ear.
"What's the matter, Sheriff?" you tease, your voice low. "Is it getting a little too hard for an old man like you to keep up?"
Jim grunts. "Watch your mouth," he commands, his voice an authoritative pitch that sends a thrill straight down your spine.
"What will you do if i don't?" You mutter.
His mouth slams onto yours and there is nothing gentle about it.
His tongue slides past your lips, you whimper into the kiss, the force of the kiss drove all the air from your lungs, but you arch into him, completely intoxicated by how easily he takes control.
Jim groans, a feral sound against your mouth, his large hands sliding to grip the back of your bare thighs under your skirt, hauling you further onto his lap.
The tight friction of your bodies rubbing together through the fabric has you gripping his hair.
He tears his mouth away from yours, both of you panting heavily in the cold air.
"An old man, huh?" Jim breathes, his mouth drops to the sensitive skin of your neck, biting down just hard enough to make you gasp. "Let's see if you can handle what this old man can do to you."
