iWriter

[windless-hurricane]

Wulf: He’s named Thorfinn, son of-

Canute:

[motherfucker-unlimited]

[echolessvoid]

THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. It may save a life, It may save your life.)

An Article from Neena Susan Thomas

“Through a rapist’s eyes. A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interview…ed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:

1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh – HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .

b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better safe than sorry.

If u have compassion reblog this post. ‘Helping hands are better than Praying Lips’ – give us your helping hand.

REBLOG THIS AND LET EVERY GIRL KNOW AT LEAST PEOPLE WILL KNOW WHATS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD. So please reblog this….Your one reblog can Help to spread this information.

THIS COULD ACTUALLY SAVE A LIFE.”

[windless-hurricane]

Sparks

Chapter Four: A World Where We Can Grow Old

A Reiner x Reader x (Eventual) Jean Fanfic

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

SUMMARY: After the fall of Shiganshina, you joined the military along with your brother. You had hoped to bring peace to the world by doing so, but the world was a cruel place. You seemed to lose more than you gained, but there was always someone - someone who made losing just a bit…easier. You hoped you could keep them forever, but was there a guarantee in this world?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here’s the fourth chapter! While things are a bit slow right now, the story’s really going to pick up after this chapter!

WARNINGS (for entire series): Language, explicit violence, talks of death, suicide, trauma, and mental illness, graphic scenes involving blood and/or death, and sexuality.

WORD COUNT: 2.2k

TAGLIST: @lovethemilkteasis @grayxblaze @theyoungblood13 @flowersgirl02 @noodlenerd101 @hanabihwa @drowned-pathetic-rat @bestgirlb @bleepop @miinnttyy @1-800-thanos @lovelime @usernamehere91

SPARKS MASTERLIST

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

You and your brother stood beside each other as a stream of smoke poured into the sky. You wondered where it came from, how it got there, why it was there, and your questions were answered once a colossal, red hand slung itself over the wall and grabbed onto it.

You flinched uneasily as your eyes widened in fear.

What’s happening? What’s going on? What is that? Is that… Is that a-

Then, a large, skinless face peeked over, its teeth clenching and its gaze terrifying.

It was. It was a Titan, but how...how could it be that big? It was impossible.

Your body trembled as you reached for Viktor's hand. He met you in the middle, gripping your hand back tightly. You could feel the heat and sweat from his skin, showing just how mortified he was.

“V-Vik-tor, I…” you stuttered, but you couldn’t form a coherent sentence. Your mind was going wild and you could feel your heart clenching in your chest.

What-what do we do? Where’s the Garrison Regiment? Where’s Jannick? Where’s dad?

Anybody?

Then, a sudden force shoved you to the ground as the Titan kicked through the wall, sending chunks of it flying.

People screamed, pushed past each other, and ran for whatever time was left of their lives. However, you couldn’t. You were frozen.

Everything was a blur and your ears filled with static.

What should I do?

However, you didn’t have time to ponder that question as a boulder headed straight for you.

This is it. I’m gonna die.

“(Y/N)! Move! (Y/N)!”

__________________________________________

“(Y/N)!”

You gasped yourself awake, sitting up in a panic.

You were panting heavily with sweat dripping down your forehead. You barely managed to wipe it away with your shaky hand. Matter of fact, your whole body was shaking.

“Are you okay,” Sasha asked, gazing at you with worried eyes. Admittedly, no. Your heart was still beating out of its chest and you felt your head begin to pound. However, you couldn’t dwell on something that has already happened. It’s over.

“I’m fine,” you responded, but the hoarseness of your voice didn’t match your words.

“Are you sure,” she pushed. “Because you don’t look like it.” She gestured to your hand and you were surprised to see that you had been clenching your blanket so tightly that the whites of your knuckles were showing. You hadn’t even realized that you were gripping it.

You let go, your knuckle cracking in the process.

“Yeah,” you nodded and you were about to relax until a new form of panic arose within you. “Wait, Sasha. Are we late?”

“Uh, well…” she trailed off. “We’re about to be.” Your eyes widened as you immediately threw yourself off the bed.

“You should’ve said that to begin with,” you exclaimed, shuffling around for your uniform. “We can’t be late for combat training!”

__________________________________________

You and Sasha made a run for the training grounds and were lucky to see that the rest of the cadets were still waiting for Shadis’s instruction.

You sighed a breath of relief as you lined up beside her, not noticing Reiner standing on the other side of you.

He unconsciously looked you over and noticed your disheveled appearance. You had a bad case of bed hair and a few buckles of your uniform had come undone. He also noticed the sheen of sweat covering your face and how you were breathing a little heavier than normal. Either you just woke up late or something else had happened. He wasn’t sure which.

As Shadis made his way up to the speaking platform, all side conversations came to a halt and he turned to face you all with a hard gaze.

“Alright, maggots,” he shouted, making your ears ring. “Today, we are engaging in combat training! While some of you may think this is unnecessary as you obviously can’t use hand-to-hand combat against a Titan...” You and a few cadets snickered. “Shut up!”

You smirked as he continued on. “As I was saying, if you’re lucky enough to make it into the Top 10 and join the Military Police, you won’t be dealing with Titans. You’ll be dealing with people, criminals, thugs. Likewise with the Garrison Regiment. Therefore, it is important to know basic fighting skills and how to defend yourself in any situation… Do your meager minds understand?!”

“Yes, sir,” you all replied in unison.

“Good, now listen for your partners!”

“Sir, if I may ask, why can’t we choose our own partners,” you asked suddenly, causing your peers to gape at you like they did at orientation. However, you were unfazed, even after Shadis shot you the same death glare as before.

“No, you may not ask, Bauer,” Shadis growled and you attempted to suppress your smile. “Now, run laps until I’ve finished. Afterwards, get your ass handed to you by Braun.”

“Yes, sir,” you saluted, shooting a glance at Reiner as he smirked at you. “If he can even beat me,” you countered, speaking so quietly that only Reiner could hear you.

As you jogged past him toward the dirt track, he watched you with amusement.

You certainly weren’t like the other girls in the Training Corps. You somehow managed to be sweet, fiery, and so sure of yourself all at once. You always spoke your mind and were seemingly fearless, choosing to mess with the scariest person there without a care in the world. Finally, you were awfully kind, taking care of your brother whenever you could and indulging in his own mischievousness, even if it meant the both of you potentially getting trouble. He even saw you do the same with Sasha and Eren.

You truly were something else.

He grinned faintly as he found you smirking back at him.

“We’ll see about that, hotshot,” he murmured.

__________________________________________

Once Shadis had finished announcing everyone’s partners, you jogged over to Reiner, panting slightly.

He raised his eyebrows at you as you came to a stop a few feet in front of him.

“How was the jog,” he teased and you scoffed in response.

“Nothing compared to the swimming I had to endure on the first day,” you admitted, clearing your throat.

“Why do you always annoy him when you know full well what he’s going to do?” The question would have sounded condescending coming from anyone else, but you could tell he was more amused than anything.

“I don’t like him,” you stated bluntly. “And…” your eyes began to soften. “I think we ought to have some fun while we’re here.”

“Huh,” he breathed, taken aback by your answer.

Fun? In times like these, he thought to himself.

“I know what you’re thinking,” you chuckled. “Fun? In times like these? I know. The world is so dark these days, but I think we need to be reminded that we’re still alive. We need to laugh, smile, feel happiness. Most importantly, be human and how could we do that if we’re scared or in grief all the time? I still don’t like him, but if you all are entertained along the way, fine by me.”

He gazed at you admirably, unsure of how to process your words. He felt...conflicted more than anything.

“You really are one of a kind, (Y/N),” he commented, his voice coming out smoother than how he felt on the inside.

Your cheeks blushed faintly as you grinned.

“If I didn’t know any better, Reiner, I’d say you were flirting with me rather than trying to fight me,” you cooed and he let out a chuckle through his nose.

“And what if I was,” he suggested with a glint in his eyes.

“I'd still say to fight me.”

You raised your arms in a fighting stance and he quirked his eyebrow at you.

“I haven’t seen a stance like that before,” he observed, putting his own arms up. “Where’d you learn it?”

“Enough talking!”

You charged at Reiner with a plan already in mind.

I’ll go for a punch towards his face. Once he decides to either block it or pull away from it, I’ll sweep his legs right from underneath him.

You went for your punch, but he unexpectedly didn’t do either. He instead grabbed your fist tightly, not allowing you to pull away, and twisted your arm behind your back. He pulled you against him and your face heated up as his chest pressed into you.

“I don’t think you expected that, (Y/N),” he whispered, his breath fanning your cheek. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to beat you.” You honestly thought so too, but you were overconfident. It made sense that he was able to stop you. He was confident too, but just the right amount. He also knew how to fight.

Although your arm was starting to hurt from his grip, you still smirked with excitement.

“The fight doesn’t end until one of us is pinned down,” you stated, stomping down on his foot.

He groaned as he released his hold on you and you threw your head back, coming into contact with his chin. As a result, he lost his footing and you took the opportunity to crouch down and swipe your leg underneath his. He fell to the ground and you threw yourself on top of him. You bent your right leg at the knee and dug it into his thigh, holding his other leg down in the process. You used your left foot to keep one of his arms down. Then, you pinned his wrist with one of your hands and used the other to keep his head against the ground. You smiled, letting out a quick exhale.

“I pinned you.”

“Let’s make a deal,” and you gaped down at him in surprise. Why did he look and sound so nonchalant despite his position?

“What?”

“Whoever’s pinned down last has to do something for the other,” he explained.

“If you can even-“ Before you could finish, he propped his knee up from under you and your foot slid off his wrist. He gripped you from your collar and threw you over, causing you to land on the opposite side of his head. You went to do a kip up, but he grabbed you by the shoulder of your jacket and dragged you until you were within straddling range. He got on top of you as he smiled faintly.

“That’s what we have to find out.”

After that, you both spent the next half hour pinning each other down until Shadis told everyone to stop.

You gasped for air as you pinned Reiner’s wrists above his head and used your knees to keep his legs in place. He was breathing heavily as well, his stomach on the ground and his cheek pushing against the dirt.

“I-I win,” you announced, tightening your hold on him as a reminder.

“I can see that,” he strained, barely looking at you from the corner of his eye. “You win.”

You sighed in satisfaction and let him go, finally standing up. You wiped excess sweat and dirt off your forehead, watching as he turned over and sat up with a grunt.

“You’re an impressive fighter, (Y/N),” he complimented. “I think you’re as good as Annie.”

“Well, you’re not too bad yourself,” you admitted. “I haven’t had a fight like that in awhile.”

“So, then,” he started. “What do you want?”

“Huh?” You blushed slightly as you scratched the back of your head. “I haven’t thought that far ahead… What did you even want?”

“I wanted you to answer a question of mine,” he revealed, a darkness creeping on his cheeks.

“Just a question,” you asked in disbelief. “All of that for a question? What is it?”

“Why'd you join the military?”

“That question again? Well, I guess I never answered you to begin with,” you remembered. “Silly, you could’ve just asked me instead of letting me beat you up.”

“I didn’t know how to bring it up again without it seeming weird,” he confessed and you shook your head.

“It wouldn’t have. I like talking to you.”

You extended your hand out to him and the moment his fingers brushed yours, you felt what could only be described as a jolt of electricity running through you and you took a step back.

You looked down at him and he stared back at you with a similar expression - utter confusion.

Did he feel that too?

“Um, sorry,” you apologized, laughing slightly. “It must’ve been static.”

“No worries,” he assured with a chuckle and you stuck your hand out once again.

He took it graciously and thanked you as you hoisted him up. You nodded, gazing at him right after.

“I joined the military because I want to live in a world where the only concern is growing old,” you finally answered. “I don’t want us to worry about walls, Titans, or whatever the hell else could be out there. I just want us to be happy and have the freedom to live our lives to the fullest... Does that...sorta answer your question?”

It did, it really did. So, why did Reiner still feel a pang in his chest? Why was he hoping for a more selfish answer? Why did he want your answer to not be as noble as the one you gave? Why did he want you to be...less human?

In the end, he knew the answers to all these questions. He didn’t want to feel guilty for what he had done and what he was going to do...but everyone was making it extremely difficult. (Y/N) especially.

As you both smiled at each other, one question plagued his mind.

Why were the Devils of Paradis…so human?

[windless-hurricane]

Today on....

I forgot to add tags to today’s chapter 🤡 but luckily, it’s reposted and ready to go! Expect the next chapter soon.

[windless-hurricane]

Sparks

Chapter Three: The Beauty of a Devil

A Reiner x Reader x (Eventual) Jean Fanfic

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

SUMMARY: After the fall of Shiganshina, you joined the military along with your brother. You had hoped to bring peace to the world by doing so, but the world was a cruel place. You seemed to lose more than you gained, but there was always someone - someone who made losing just a bit…easier. You hoped you could keep them forever, but was there ever a guarantee in this world?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hi, all! I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything, but I’m back to finish this series. I want to catch up to where the anime left off. Therefore, as an apology for taking awhile, I’m posting two new chapters today (chapter four will be posted an hour or so after this one)!

WARNINGS (for entire series): Language, explicit violence, talks of death, suicide, trauma, and mental illness, graphic scenes involving blood and/or death, and sexuality.

WORD COUNT: 2.1k

TAGLIST: @lovethemilkteasis @grayxblaze @theyoungblood13 @flowersgirl02 @noodlenerd101 @hanabihwa @drowned-pathetic-rat @bestgirlb @bleepop @miinnttyy @1-800-thanos @lovelime

SPARKS MASTERLIST

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

NEXT CHAPTER

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

“I need your help, (Y/N),” Eren proclaimed as he slammed his hand down on the table, causing you to look at him instead of your soup.

If you hadn’t known Eren prior to this, you would’ve been startled by his actions, but you practically grew up with him. You were both from Shiganshina and while you were good friends, you weren’t as close as he, Mikasa, and Armin were. You were closest to your brother.

“With what,” you questioned, your spoon hanging from your mouth.

“Learning the maneuver gear,” he explained, an eager look in his eyes.

“Well, haven’t you asked Mikasa? She was really good at it,” you recalled.

“I did, but it still didn’t work,” he sighed. “So, I thought maybe you had some advice, seeing as you were nearly perfect.”

You blushed at his compliment as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“Well,” you breathed. “It’s kind of like a swing.”

“A swing,” he asked confusedly.

“It’s hard to describe…maybe Viktor knows how to say it. Hey, Viktor.”

You nudged your brother’s shoulder with your own, but he didn’t respond. So, you and Eren looked over and were surprised to see him in a deep conversation with Krista as Ymir glared at him from across the table. You both smirked.

“He’s going to die,” you remarked.

“Yeah,” Eren agreed with a chuckle, causing you to sigh.

“Well, I’ll try my best to describe it then. When you look at the seat of the swing, you can see that it is completely balanced. Then, once weight is added onto it, it still manages to stay upright. That’s because it balances the weight throughout itself equally. You have to think of your body as a whole and seek balance within yourself. That’s the best way I can describe it. Does that…sorta make sense?”

He gazed at you with wide eyes, not necessarily mesmerized by what you said, but how you said it.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” he confirmed excitedly and you smiled.

“If you still need help, you can ask some of the guys,” you suggested. “A few of them did well too.”

“Got it, thank you so much, (Y/N)!”

“No problem,” you waved, watching as he made his way back to the table where Mikasa and Armin were sitting.

You noticed Mikasa glaring at you, but you decided to ignore it and focus on your food instead. However, you were only able to get two bites in until someone else came.

“Do you mind if I sit here,” a deep voice asked and you looked up to see a tall, blonde boy with a muscular build standing in front of you. You realized you remembered him from orientation.

“Yeah, go right ahead,” you said, motioning to the seat in front of you. He sat down with a small creak and you gazed at him for a few moments before turning back to your food.

“You’re (Y/N), right,” he questioned once more and you nodded.

“(Y/N) Bauer. I would introduce you to this oaf,” you gestured to Viktor. “But he’s too busy taking his final breaths.” Reiner let out an airy chuckle as your brother was now arguing with Ymir over something ludicrous.

“I’m-“ Reiner started to say, but you cut him off.

“Reiner Braun, I remember you. You’re the ‘save humanity’ guy.”

“Huh?”

“During orientation, when Shadis asked you why you were here, you said ‘to save humanity.’”

“You remember that?” You nodded.

Reiner hadn’t thought you noticed him, let alone even remembered what he said. The surprise made him oddly happy.

“Mmhmm,” you hummed, playing with your food. “The only reason I did was because you looked just as scary as Shadis.”

“What,” Reiner laughed, causing you to smile.

“What do you mean ‘what?’ I mean, look at you. You’re a tall, muscly guy with a sharp face. Intense eyes and a deep voice. Who wouldn’t be scared of that?”

“Not you apparently,” he stated with a smirk. “If I didn’t know any better, (Y/N), I’d say you were flirting with me.”

Your cheeks reddened.

While you did find him extremely attractive, especially when you first laid eyes on him during orientation, you couldn’t let him know that.

You couldn’t let him know that you were taken aback by his strong and unwavering stature, the way the muscle within his jaw flexed with determination, and how his amber eyes burned when Shadis asked him why he was there.

When he answered with “To save humanity,” his voice was deep, but so sure of himself. It permanently caught your attention, but still. He couldn’t know that.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Braun,” you finally countered. “You only interested me because of how overachieving your goal was.”

“Really, how so,” he asked with half lidded eyes. He could tell you were bluffing. You had to save your ass.

“Well, don’t you think saving humanity is quite ambitious? How could one person manage to save millions of people,” you commented.

“Why does one join the military to begin with?” Your eyes widened.

While you were shocked, you were also impressed at his question. You couldn’t help the amused smile that made its way onto your lips.

“A good portion of the kids here are either looking to live comfortably within the inner walls or wanting to earn bragging rights as they slack off in the Garrison Regiment. Why do you think the number of people joining the Scouts every few years is so low? ‘Cause in the end, most people don’t want to leave the walls to fight for humanity. They just want to stay back and watch others do the work.”

“Is that why you joined?” You snorted.

“Course not.”

“Then, why’d you join?”

‘Why did I join,’ you thought to yourself.

Then, it hit you. Their words.

Mommy loves you so much. She loves you. Please just do this last thing for her and hide.

Get my brother and sister out of here! I’ll take care of the Titans! Just go!

I’m sorry, (Y/N).

You clenched your spoon tightly as you gazed into Reiner’s eyes with a newfound intensity gracing your own.

“I joined because-” but you were cut off by a large thud and your brother groaning right after.

You and Reiner looked over to see Ymir pushing his face into the table.

“How’s that for a rude awakening,” she sneered, tearing herself away from him soon after. “C’mon, Krista.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Krista whined, but Ymir had already grabbed her by the arm and led her out of the mess hall.

You sighed.

“What did you even say to them?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled, holding onto his head.

“Honestly, you’re either great at talking to girls or extremely poor at it. There’s no in between,” you commented as you pulled him up by his hair.

Reiner hissed shortly after and you winced at the sight of his face.

“We’re going to need bandages for that.”

__________________________________________

“What’re we doing out here,” you questioned, following your brother through the dark forest. “Can’t we get in trouble for this?”

“Not if we aren’t caught,” he mused with an almost crazy smile on his face.

“I think Ymir hit you too hard. Are you seeing double right now?”

You glanced at the bandages around his forehead and were becoming genuinely concerned that he had a concussion.

“It’s because of Ymir I’m doing this,” he revealed, chuckling breathlessly. “She’s going to hate it when I prove her wrong.”

“You still didn’t tell me what you told her,” you mentioned.

“I tried comparing Krista to a lotus flower and Ymir’s convinced that no such thing exists.”

“Really? Then, what was the whole rude awakening thing?”

“I just told her she was in for a rude awakening and she did that. The audacity.”

“You’re a real idiot, you know that,” you stated, causing him to gasp offensively.

“What?!”

“So, you’re trying to find a lotus flower to prove her wrong.”

“Yeah.” You came to a stop.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“If I’m remembering what we read as kids correctly, those only exist outside of the walls,” you exclaimed in disbelief.

“I mean, yeah. They’re from Asia, but the Asian clan lived here for some time anyways,” he mumbled to himself.

“Huh? You’re talking too quietly.”

“Oh, well, what I meant to say is that humanity once lived outside of the walls, right? So, they had to have brought some with us!”

You watched your brother in confusion as he turned away, moving forward once again. That was weird, you thought.

As you followed behind him, you heard rustling nearby.

“Do you hear that,” you asked and Viktor shook his head.

“It’s probably just a deer or something.”

“I don’t know…”

The rustling grew louder and you both stopped.

“I don’t know if that’s a deer,” you murmured, grabbing onto his jacket.

Then, the both of you could make out footsteps and started to tremble in panic.

“What if it’s Shadis,” you whispered. “I didn’t plan on bothering him today. I’m not prepared to swim again…or worse. Clean the restroom after Sasha’s used it.”

Viktor nearly gagged at the idea.

“This was your idea, Viktor.”

“Well, you’re the one who decided to follow the kid with the possible concussion out here,” he retorted.

“You, idiot. Let’s just find a hiding spot, but move very quietly.” He nodded as you led him through the trees, tiptoeing carefully. You turned the corner of a tree and unexpectedly bumped into a firm chest.

You didn’t get the chance to see who it was as you and the owner of that chest started screaming.

You fell back into your screeching brother and heard three more masculine yells follow suit.

You opened your eyes and saw Reiner, Bertolt, Eren, and Armin all huddled together, panting with terrified looks on their faces.

“Huh,” you gasped, but they didn’t hear you as your brother was still screaming. “Shut up!” You elbowed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

“What the hell are you guys doing out here,” you questioned, attempting to recompose yourself.

“We could ask you the same thing,” Reiner countered, clearing his throat.

“Uh…good point. This idiot behind me wanted to find a flower to win a bet against Ymir.”

“Bertolt and I just wanted to show Eren and Armin the lake.”

“That’s a better reason than ours,” you chuckled, finally having calmed down. “I’m just glad you weren’t Shadis.”

“You and me both.”

__________________________________________

“Wow,” you gushed, staring at the moon’s reflection from the water. “It’s like a mirror.”

“I know. Isn’t it insane,” Reiner smiled.

It was. It really was. The moon was big and bright, while the water was still and black. They complimented and contrasted each other all at once. It was like a painting that lit up the night. It was stunning.

“I honestly never pegged you to be a softie, Braun,” you teased with a smirk.

“Well,” he smiled. “I thought Eren could use some inspiration for tomorrow.” And you felt your lips lift into a sweet smile.

You meant it. You didn’t expect Reiner to be so caring or considerate, yet he was and you found yourself liking it a lot.

He was big and strong on the outside, but gentle on the inside.

“Well, Eren. Are you inspired,” you asked softly and he nodded with a big grin, causing you to giggle.

“Ah hah,” Viktor shouted and you sent him a glare.

“Hey, why are you ruining the moment,” you questioned.

“I found it, I actually found it!”

“What?”

He sprinted to you in an instant and your eyes widened once you saw a lotus flower resting in the palms of his hands. It was pink and gentle with mud underneath it. It really was…beautiful and the rest of the boys gathered around to witness its beauty.

“It only blooms in mud,” Viktor stated excitedly and you smiled. It had been so long since you had seen him this way and you didn’t want it to end. You wanted him to continue being happy.

“It’s beautiful,” Reiner commented. “A true beauty.” You all hummed in agreement, listening to Viktor’s rant that followed.

However, Reiner never started listening. He was still too focused on what, or rather who, he had actually been looking at when making that comment.

He was looking at you - admiring the way you shone just as brightly as the moon and thought…

How could a devil be this beautiful?

[windless-hurricane]

Sparks

Chapter Two: Orientation and the Crazed Potato Girl

A Reiner x Reader x (Eventual) Jean Fanfic

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

SUMMARY: After the fall of Shiganshina, you joined the military along with your brother. You had hoped to bring peace to the world by doing so, but the world was a cruel place. You seemed to lose more than you gained, but there was always someone - someone who made losing just a bit…easier. You hoped you could keep them forever, but was there a guarantee in this world?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: *SPOILER ALERT*

I was originally going to cut this chapter, but I just couldn’t after what happened a few episodes ago... 🥺 Sasha, you will forever be in our hearts!

WARNINGS (for entire series): Language, explicit violence, talks of death, suicide, trauma, and mental illness, graphic scenes involving blood and/or death, and sexuality.

WORD COUNT: 1.7k

TAGLIST: @flowersgirl02 @noodlenerd101 @nekohwa @drowned-pathetic-rat @bestgirlb​ @bleepop​

SPARKS MASTERLIST

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

NEXT CHAPTER

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

“You, cadet! What’s your name?!”

“(Y/N) Bauer, sir,” you shouted back with an angered look in your eyes.

If he hadn’t told you that you stuck out like a sore thumb moments before, you wouldn’t be as angry as you were now.

You knew your hair was quite...white for you being a teenager, but it wasn’t your fault. The last few years have been hell for you, especially since the Titans broke through the wall and destroyed your hometown. It hadn’t been easy, but for this man to come at you for it, it was unforgivable.

You wanted to snap at him, but you caught the eyes of your brother from afar. They were stern and told you exactly what not to do. So, you simply took to answering Shadis’s questions as fast as you could.

As a few cadets watched, Reiner did the same. However, something was eating at him. ‘Bauer, where have I heard that name before,’ he thought to himself.

Shadis hummed. “Would you happen to be related to Kurt Bauer?”

“Yes, sir,” you confirmed. “He was my father.”

Reiner’s eyes widened. White hair, Kurt Bauer. He knew exactly who you were.

“Ah, no wonder you looked so familiar. Your father had a full head of white hair when he was your age too.” He grabbed a strand of your hair, examining it, before nudging your head back roughly. It took everything in you to not retaliate.

“Well, do you hear that, maggots,” he shouted. “You have someone from the esteemed Bauer family here, the family of humanity’s best and strongest soldiers.”

In a split second, everyone turned their gazes to you and ogled you from afar.

You and your brother were from a very popular family, the Bauers to be exact. While you were proud of it, you were always embarrassed at how much attention it brought you. You already felt your ears burning as Shadis spoke again.

“I trained with your father and mother and trained your eldest brother. All real talents. Such a shame they didn’t put it to use though…”

You froze at his statement. What?

“...They all joined the Garrison Regiment.”

They did, you knew they did, but it was all for a reason and he didn’t know anything about it. No one did. No one had the room to talk about them.

Your jaw clenched from anger as your body trembled. No one...

“Hopefully you don’t make the same mistake,” he remarked, finally taking a few steps past you. However, he didn’t get far.

Right behind his feet, you hawked up a loogie and spat it out. He came to an abrupt stop as a few of the cadets surrounding you gasped.

He turned around slower than death and looked straight into your eyes.

“Cadet, could you tell me what you did just now?” His voice was menacing and low, and it made you smirk.

“I apologize, sir,” you saluted with an ever growing smile on your face. “It was just so dusty, I had to clear my throat.”

He lunged toward you in an instant and if anyone was watching from afar, they would say you were about to take your last breath because the man in front of you was going to slaughter you worse than any Titan ever could.

However, you grinned.

Everyone was looking at you like you had a death wish, while your brother simply slapped his hand onto his forehead. Reiner, on the other hand, grinned along with you.

“I know a great place where you wouldn’t have to worry about dust,” he mentioned and your eyebrow shifted.

“Care to show me,” you asked sarcastically.

You hadn’t expected him to show you the lake after orientation and you certainly hadn’t expected him to tell you to jump in and swim past sunset.

Yet, there you were. Still in full uniform, swimming your ass off.

Your entire body burned as you spent hours swimming laps in the lake. Your lungs were on fire and your vision was beginning to blur. If it wasn't for the cold breeze that hit the half of your face as you lifted it for air, you would’ve passed out a while ago.

As you looked into the distance past the splashing water, the orange mass was setting. Thank goodness, you thought.

You kept pushing for what felt like five more hours until the darkness completely overwhelmed the sky. The blackness made you want to close your eyes and drift to sleep, but drowning wasn’t an option now.

So, you used whatever was left of your might to swim to shore and pull yourself out of the lake.

You were drenched, exhausted, and crawling onto the sand with blurry vision. The last thing you were able to do was turn onto your back before collapsing entirely. You panted heavily, your cloudy breath staining the air.

You wanted to strip of your uniform, but couldn’t lift a finger to do so.

You smirked to yourself. ‘I’m going to die out here,’ you thought. ‘I’m going to get hyperthermia and die. Then, Shadis can get fired.’

As you hoped for Shadis’s firing, a pair of footsteps made their way over to you and stopped by your head. You attempted to look, but even that hurt you. So, you simply waited for them to move.

They knelt down beside you and wiped your forehead with a handkerchief. The closer they got, you realized who it was.

“Vik...tor,” you panted and he looked down at you with a confused look on his face.

“Why are you smiling,” he questioned, still wiping your face. You chuckled.

“Just...thinking about Shadis…getting fired...if I die.”

“Tch, you’re not going to die.”

“Well...he still...deserves it,” you remarked, causing him to roll his eyes.

“You’re really unbelievable, sister. C’mon.”

He wrapped his arm around the back of your shoulders and sat you up as slowly as he could. You still groaned in pain however and threw a coughing fit shortly after.

Your brother patted your back as he sighed, “There you go, just let it all out.”

Once you were done, you let out a huge exhale and felt slightly rejuvenated. “Shit, Shadis is a bastard.”

“Did you learn your lesson,” he questioned with a quirked eyebrow and you simply chuckled.

“No.”

“Tch,” he shook his head. “Maybe you really do take after dad.”

“Do you see this hair,” you snorted and he smirked faintly.

“Fair point.”

“I still don’t understand how you only got away with a streak of white hair,” you pointed out, causing him to shrug.

“Well, our family isn't lucky when it comes to stress,” he remarked. “Guess you just got the unluckier side of things.”

“Maybe.”

“Anyways, you need to eat.”

He unexpectedly pulled out a loaf of bread from his pocket and offered it to you. However, your eyes widened in panic.

“But isn’t the mess house still open?” He shook his head.

“This was all I was able to get.” You sighed, but were still content with what your brother had brought you.

So, you nodded thankfully before wrapping your hand around the loaf. However, the moment you did, you both heard growling from afar and froze. You looked to your right and saw a girl in the distance. She was on all fours and watched the both of you with glowing eyes. You squinted harder, trying to make out who it was.

“Wait a minute, isn’t that…” right as you trailed off, she ran toward the both of you at an inhuman speed. “Potato girl?!”

In an instant, her jaw was latched onto the loaf of bread and you and your brother shrieked in fear. He fell back, while you still clung to your bread. You were still very confused as to what was going on, but were deathly hungry. You didn’t even care if you were in pain. You wanted your bread.

You leaned forward determinedly and grabbed her face with one hand.

“Stop acting crazy, potato girl! It’s my bread,” you yelled, attempting to push her off, but her bite was relentless.

You kept pushing on her face as she started doing the same to you and you would have succeeded if your arm didn’t give out from exhaustion.

You fell back in annoyance and watched as she ravaged your poor loaf. Then, she screamed, causing you to flinch.

“Hey, what’re you-“ but she cut you off.

“I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I didn’t mean to. I was just so hungry.” Her mouth was full of chewed up bread and you would’ve been disgusted, if you weren’t more surprised by the fact that she wasn’t acting like an animal anymore.

“It’s whatever,” you pouted.

“Here,” she motioned and you looked down at her hand. There was still a piece of bread in it. While it wasn’t much, your mouth still watered.

“It’s fine,” you cooed. “You can eat it.”

“No, please,” she pleaded, taking your hands abruptly into hers and forcing the bread into them. “Eat it!”

You blushed in embarrassment before pulling away, “Fine, um, thank you...Sa-”

“Sasha,” she nodded. “Sasha Blouse.”

“(Y/N) Bauer,” you gestured to Viktor. “My brother.”

He was still gazing at Sasha nervously, but managed to smile, “Viktor Bauer.”

“Hey, is everything okay out here? I thought I heard screaming,” a new voice asked and you all looked to the owner of it. She was a small blonde girl, stopping once she neared the three of you.

“Yes,” your brother reassured, standing up quickly. If it wasn’t so dark, you would’ve seen the blush on his cheek.

“Oh, that’s good,” she smiled sweetly. “I just wanted to give you bread.” She held out two loaves and your mouth along with Sasha’s began to water. “I know you were running all day and you were swimming, so I thought you might be hungry.”

You and Sasha both looked at each other with wide eyes before looking back at the girl whose name you could’ve sworn was Krista.

“Are you…” you started to say.

“A goddess,” Sasha finished and you looked at her in disbelief.

This really was going to be a long three years.

[windless-hurricane]

Sparks

Chapter One: To You, 7 Years From Now

A Reiner x Reader x (Eventual) Jean Fanfic

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

SUMMARY: After the fall of Shiganshina, you joined the military along with your brother. You had hoped to bring peace to the world by doing so, but the world was a cruel place. You seemed to lose more than you gained, but there was always someone - someone who made losing just a bit…easier. You hoped you could keep them forever, but was there a guarantee in this world?

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This has been a few weeks in the making, so I hope you enjoy!

WARNINGS (for entire series): Language, explicit violence, talks of death, suicide, trauma, and mental illness, graphic scenes involving blood and/or death, and sexuality.

WORD COUNT: 1.3k

TAGLIST: If you like this chapter and would like to be tagged in future chapters, feel free to let me know in the comments or send me an ask!

SPARKS MASTERLIST

NEXT CHAPTER

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

“I just keep moving forward...until my enemies are destroyed.”

The scene kept playing over and over in Reiner’s mind.

One second, he had been begging Eren to kill him. Then, the next, Eren had refused and took his hand instead. When Eren uttered those words, Reiner’s eyes widened in realization. 

He thought this was a long awaited act of vengeance against him, but he was wrong. He hadn’t seen this coming.

As the blinding light exploded before his eyes, he turned to Falco in an instant. 

Falco didn’t deserve this, he thought. Falco didn’t deserve any of this. He was just a kid who trusted the wrong person. So, if anyone had to live, it was him. Reiner had to save him and he did the only thing he could do in this situation. He brought his hand to his lips and bit down as hard as he could.

He knew he lost the entire lower half of his body because of Eren’s explosion, but he didn’t need much to create a cocoon out of his Titan hands. The last thing he remembered before falling into a deep sleep was cradling Falco.

He felt like he was in pain, but warm at the same time. He kind of liked the feeling. He could die like this, he thought. It was a death he believed he deserved along with one last heroic act of saving Falco’s life. Perhaps this was his peace.

“Reiner.”

Perhaps he could rest now.

“Hey, Reiner.”

He could almost see someone in the distance.

“Reiner, can you hear me?”

But who was he hearing?

“You’re still breathing, but your heartbeat’s so faint.”

That voice, he knew that voice. 

You crouched within Reiner’s Titan hands as you stared at his unconscious form. He still had the creases of a transformation upon his face and his body was connected to his Titan by thick and veiny tubes. When you had pressed your ear to his chest moments before, the thump of his heart was incredibly weak. He was giving up, you thought. If his heartbeat wasn’t hint enough, then his expression truly was.

Dejected, he looked completely dejected.

You slumped over as a sad smile traced your lips, tears threatening to spill from your eyes.

“What you have been doing to yourself these past four years, Reiner,” you questioned, knowing full well he wouldn’t answer. “You’ve gotten so skinny. I mean you literally lost half your body.”

If Reiner could chuckle, he would have. You always had a habit of making terrible jokes in equally terrible situations. It was one of the qualities he had liked about you and it set his heart aflame.

You giggled at your own joke, unaware of Reiner’s gaining consciousness. “That's fine though,” you continued to say. “You’re still one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

A warmth spread throughout his chest as his heartbeat quickened. He felt himself moving closer and closer to the surface of his never ending pool of hate. You were the one doing it. You were the one pulling him up.

“I shouldn’t feel this way, but...I was hoping that when we met again, we could actually talk. So, much happened since then and everything that we believed to be true wasn’t. Everything about you...wasn’t true. I was supposed to hate you, but I could never bring myself to do it, even after what you did. I can’t hate you, Reiner.”

Your words pulled Reiner to the surface and gave him a spark of life for the first time in four years. You hadn’t hated him and that confession was enough to make him want to live.

“It seems like you’re doing it in my place though,” you observed, clenching your fists tightly. “You hate yourself more than anyone, don’t you, Reiner? It’s to the point where you don’t even want to live anymore.”

You were right. He hadn’t wanted to live ever since he left the island. He was only staying around for the sake of the Warrior candidates and his mother. However, you being there changed that. You had done it so quickly, but hearing your sweet voice was enough. Hearing you was enough to remind him of his promise and he didn’t want to let go.

“I’m sorry, Reiner,” you whispered, standing up. “I wish things were different. I wish we hadn’t been born in different worlds. Maybe then, we could’ve stayed together.”

The thought had you on the brink of tears, but you pushed them aside to shoot him a glance.

“It’s cruel, but maybe in the end, all this fighting will equate to something. Maybe there will be a brighter future ahead of us,” you hoped. “So, don’t give up until then. Live. Live, idiot.”

You turned to run, but didn’t get far as you felt a hand clamp over your wrist.

It was unexpected, but what was even more unexpected was the way you both felt once he did it.

The moment his calloused skin slid against yours, you both felt the spark - the connection. The one that was completely undeniable.

You gaped at him as you could barely mutter, “Hey, Reiner.” His touch had been so desperate and you had no idea why he was trying so hard. 

“I can’t let you go, (Y/N),” and your eyes widened, the tears you had been holding in finally spilling. It was the first time you heard his voice in four years. The first time you heard him say your name. The first time you felt a spark of life...and you knew Reiner was feeling the same thing. You could feel it through his touch.

Gazing into your eyes, holding onto you, hearing you say his name. It caused the spark to nearly explode within him and he didn’t want to let go, not ever.

“Reiner,” you warned, but you couldn’t bring yourself to pull away from him. You already felt yourself giving in.

“I can’t,” he whispered, tears swirling within his eyes. “I can’t let you go… Four years ago, I made a promise to myself. If I ever saw you again, I wouldn’t let go...”

“When I first saw you, seven years ago…I knew...”

__________________________________________

You were standing amongst the other cadets with your arms folded behind your back. You, like everyone else, was watching as Shadis made his way down every line; intimidating whoever he saw fit to intimidate, throwing insults at them, and questioning them about who they were and why they decided to be there.

While they cowered, you stood tall and unwavering with a clear vision of what you wanted. That was one of the first things Reiner admired about you.

While you were on the smaller side compared to him, the way you held yourself made you seem bigger than you actually were. You had confidence and pride in yourself. You were tough, determined, and sweet. You were beautiful with a delicate face, glowing white hair, and strong (E/C) eyes. You were a great soldier and an even greater friend. You had become one of the most important people in his life.

In those days, he was determined to become a hero for his country, but when he met you, his priorities started changing.

The moment your (E/C) eyes met his amber ones for the first time, both of you felt it. The spark. The connection that warmed your hearts. However, at the time, neither one of you could explain what the feeling was. So, you simply brushed it off as Shadis came to a halt in front of you.

Reiner longed for this experience again. He wished he could go back to the days where you only knew him as Reiner Braun and not a Warrior or the Armored Titan. Furthermore, he wished he could go back to the days where he only knew you as-

“You, cadet! What’s your name?!”

“(Y/N) Bauer, sir!”

Yeah…(Y/N) and only (Y/N).

[windless-hurricane]

Sparks Masterlist

A Reiner x Reader x (Eventual) Jean Fanfic

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ •

SUMMARY:

After the fall of Shiganshina, you joined the military along with your brother. You had hoped to bring peace to the world by doing so, but the world was a cruel place. You seemed to lose more than you gained, but there was always someone - someone who made losing just a bit...easier. You hoped you could keep them forever, but was there a guarantee in this world?

WARNINGS (for entire series):

Language, explicit violence, talks of death, suicide, trauma, and mental illness, graphic scenes involving blood and/or death, and sexuality.

CHAPTERS:

Chapter One - To You, Seven Years from Now

Chapter Two - Orientation and the Crazed Potato Girl

Chapter Three - The Beauty of a Devil

Chapter Four - A World Where We Can Grow Old

Chapter Five - ???

???

TAGLIST:

@lovethemilkteasis @grayxblaze @theyoungblood13 @flowersgirl02 @noodlenerd101 @hanabihwa @drowned-pathetic-rat @bestgirlb @bleepop @miinnttyy @1-800-thanos @lovelime @usernamehere91

[windless-hurricane]

She's the One

Chapter 4: The Tunnels

A Billy x Reader x Steve Fanfic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUMMARY: You’re One, one of the many kids experimented on in Hawkins lab. Eleven’s sister. You were found and now, you’re here to stay.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This took a lot longer than expected, but hopefully, I’ll make up for it with its length. It’s practically two chapters in one! Enjoy!

WARNINGS: Language, violence, and graphic scenes involving blood and/or death.

WORD COUNT: 4.8k

TAGLIST: @cherrym4rk @acidrain707 @torntaltos @evelynfreakinaddams @bun-dpdbny @qtmeryr @art-flirt @5sosxwinchester @kayln97 @uwu-bucky @thecornerstoreoftheuniverse @book--butterfly @laurmillen @gabyer0309 @bonnieelizabethparker @supernaturalvikingwhore @gothackedalready @xxalice98xxblog @bhad-disposition @frozenhuntress67 @loveofmonstersandroses

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

SHE'S THE ONE MASTERLIST

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What-what's happening?”

You felt Steve’s head slowly lift from your shoulder as you turned to him in concern. His eyes were half lidded and swollen, but they were getting wider by the second. At first, he was just trying to figure out what was going on; but as he was becoming more aware of it, he started to panic and Dustin took notice.

“Hey, shh,” he cooed. “It's gonna be okay. She's driven before.”

“Yeah, in a parking lot,” Mike corrected.

“That counts,” Lucas defended, but Steve wasn't reassured in the slightest. Because once he saw Max at the driver's seat, he gasped sharply.

“Oh my god-”

“They wanted to leave you behind,” Dustin explained. “But I promised them you'd be cool.”

“Oh my god!” Steve repeated, more exasperatedly than before. “Stop - stop the car!” You could feel that everyone was growing more anxious at Steve’s tone, especially Max who was trying to focus on the road.

“See I told you he’d freak out!”

“Hey,” you soothed, rubbing his shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re almost there...I think.”

“Why’d you let them drive,” he exclaimed.

“Cause I don’t know how to,” you informed, just as loudly.

“Can everyone shut up? I’m trying to focus,” Max yelled abruptly.

“Turn left on Mount Sinai,” Lucas shouted at her.

“What?!”

“Turn left now!”

“Shit!” She gripped the wheel tightly and spun it to the left, causing everyone including yourself to scream as you were all sent flying into the person or window beside you. You cringed as the car swerved and ran something over. You just hoped it wasn’t anything too bad.

As Max gained control of the car once again, you let out a breath of relief, but Steve on the other hand looked like he was about to vomit. You felt bad for him, but all you could do was continue to rub his shoulder. You didn’t notice the way he stared at you from the corner of his eye as you did so.

____________________________________

The car screeched to a halt about five minutes later and you grunted as your back hit the car seat. You felt Steve contort beneath your hand and you realized that he was gagging. You stroked his back softly as the kids hurried out of the car.

“Come on, One,” Dustin shouted, making his way to the trunk of the car with the others. You nodded quickly and gripped Steve’s arm.

“Alright, let’s go,” you muttered, tugging on him. He shook his head.

“We’re not doing this,” he grumbled. “We-we gotta stop them.” You sighed as Steve attempted to get out of the car, stumbling in the process. You followed after him and noticed the way he was staggering towards the kids and how they still chose to ignore him. They were too busy distributing goggles, bandanas, and gloves amongst themselves.

“Here, One,” Dustin gestured, handing you your own garments. You took them quickly and started to pull the leather gloves over your hands as you heard Steve shouting behind you.  

“Hey, guys!” You tied the bandana loosely around your neck. “Guys!” You pulled the goggles over your eyes. “HELLO?!”

You turned to look at him once you were done and his eyes were full of disbelief, dizziness, and anger.

“You think you're going down there - you're - you're wrong! Okay?! This,” he pointed. “This ends now!” While you sighed deeply, the kids barely spared him a glance before making their way to the hole in the ground.

“Listen, Steve,” you started. “I know you're upset...but this is what we really have to do to help Eleven.” You paused as you heard the kids already dropping down into the hole and you felt him becoming anxious again. “We’re the babysitters...and you promised to keep them safe too... So let's keep them safe together,” you finished.

You hoped your statement would ease his mind and it did, but he still looked hesitant. He still kept gazing into your eyes as his jaw kept flexing over and over. In actuality, he was just finding it harder and harder to deny you the longer he looked into your wide eyes. The way you looked at him...he never wanted to say no to you when it came to anything.

“Well,” Dustin quipped, making you and Steve turn to him. He was already holding a pair of goggles and a bandana in one hand and Steve’s spiked bat in the other. Steve knew he had no choice at this point despite how reluctant he was being. So, he simply rolled his eyes before snatching the bat from Dustin and flipping his hair out of his face.

“I swear if we die, I’m going to kill all of you,” he mumbled.

____________________________________

You dropped to the ground with a small thud and Steve followed shortly after. You both locked eyes before shifting your gazes, and flashlights, to the front of you. Your eyes widened at the sight.

“What the-” you didn’t get to finish as Steve interrupted you with his own word of astonishment.

“Shit.” Shit…? Shit.  

“What the...shit,” you repeated. What the shit indeed. You never been down tunnels before, but you never expected them to be this disgusting and unsettling. They were slimy with vines and webs as far as the eye could see. The air was littered with snow-like dust and the ground crunched beneath your feet like bones. The sound was especially unnerving because it sounded like it was breathing, like it was alive. You then realized why you were wearing bandanas over your mouths when you looked up and saw a pulsing growth on the ceiling. It was thumping slow and quietly, but it kept getting faster by the second. Soon, it let out an exhale so deep that it shot a puff of dust out of its mouth. You grimaced at the sight, tearing your gaze away from it and towards the kids. It seemed like Mike was already explaining the plan to them, so you walked over in order not to miss anything.

“This is our goal,” he explained, pointing to the map he drew out earlier. “All we have to do is light up the hub and cause a distraction long enough for El to close the gate. We don’t have much time, so we have to find it quickly. Everyone stay close to me, okay?”

“You mean everyone stay close to me,” you corrected. You were the one with the powers after all.

“Yeah. If any of you little shits die down here, we’re getting blamed,” Steve informed, pulling the map away from Mike. “So, from here on out, (Y/N) and I are leading the way.” You found yourself blushing once he used the name he gave you for the first time. Now, you knew for a fact, you liked the name-

“(Y/N),” Mike questioned.

“Yeah, (Y/N),” Steve confirmed. “It’s better than One. Gotta problem with it?”

“No-”

“It’s pretty,” Max nodded and judging by the squintiness of her eyes, she was smiling at you. You couldn’t help but do the same despite the situation.

“Alright. Let’s get going then,” Steve announced, motioning for you to join him. You hurriedly did and made sure the kids were close behind as you all pushed forward. You expected this to be easy. It was an in-and-out type situation. You just had to set the hub on fire and leave, but the closer you got to it, a dark feeling was becoming more apparent within you. This place, it just didn’t sit right with you.

“You okay,” you heard Steve ask and you glanced at him in surprise. You didn’t realize that he was keeping a close eye on you along with the map.

“Yeah,” you uttered. “I just have a bad feeling about this place...and it’s getting worse.” You both paused when you saw a bend in the distance and looked to the map. It was the right way, but it seemed like the bad feeling was emitting the most from there. “We’re almost there,” you gulped.

So, you all continued to push forward and round the bend, only to be met with an indescribable sight. The area was filled with more growths and the air was denser than ever. They were spitting out dust at an alarming rate and it was getting harder to see.

“What is this place,” Max asked in awe and fortunately, you didn’t have an answer. You just knew you had to get out of there.

“Steve,” you called out and he nodded, shaking himself out of it.

“Guys, come on,” Steve nudged. “Let’s keep moving.” They nodded and followed him towards the tunnel opposite to this one. You saw Mike, Lucas, and Max, but where was-

You turned around and saw Dustin with his flashlight pointed at one of the growths, examining it closely.

“Dustin, get away from there,” you urged, but before you knew it, it spat all over his face. He immediately started screaming and you swiped your hand towards yourself to bring him to you. The action made your veins burn, but not by a lot luckily. Dustin was too in distress to even notice that you used your powers on him.

“I think some-I think some got in my mouth,” he shouted and you cupped his face gently as you surveyed his face. You heard the others running behind you and Steve yell-

“What happened?!” You tilted his head to the side to get a good look of the knot holding his bandana together and as you expected, it was still so tight that it couldn’t have slipped off.

“Nothing,” you chuckled, patting Dustin on the cheek. “It was an...overreaction.” At that, the kids immediately scolded Dustin for his antics while he tried to defend himself.

“Hey, guys. We’re already low on time and I’m pretty sure the hub is right over there,” Steve informed. “So, let’s get a move on.” You all nodded and within a matter of minutes, you were all at the hub - the spot that connected all the tunnels underneath Hawkins.

“Let’s drench it,” Mike stated.

____________________________________

“You ready,” Steve asked lowly and you nodded,

“Eleven and Hopper are already in the lab. It’s time to clear it up for them.” The kids nodded in agreement as Steve flicked the lighter open and spun the wheel of it, igniting the flame.

“Light her up.”

“I’m in such deep shit” was the last thing Steve said before he threw the lighter.

The moment the fire met the gasoline, the hub was engulfed by large and blinding flames. You winced, but winced even more when the vines around you started to shriek in pain. You felt the amount of pain being felt at this very moment, the pain within Will and the pain within...the demodogs! Shit.

“Guys,” you called out. “We have to go…now. The dogs are already on their way.”

“Y-yeah,” Steve stuttered out. “Let’s go!”

You took off, running through the maze as best as you could. You hadn’t realized it until now, but you were really out of shape. Your lungs felt like they were on fire too and your legs were aching immensely. After this, you should really go on runs everyday - to at least rebuild your stamina to where it was before the chamber.

Just ignore the pain and keep pushing.

You gulped deeply and looked ahead, seeing three tunnels going separate ways. Which way?

“Steve,” you pant.

He looked down at the map urgently before pointing to the one to the left, “This one! This way!” He ran toward it with the kids following close behind and you were about to join them until you heard a loud thud followed by screaming.

“Help! Help!” Mike. You whipped your head around and saw that he was struggling against the ground, kicking at it rapidly. You didn’t know why at first until you saw a vine wrapped tightly around his leg, only getting higher up his body by the second.

Get him out of there!

“(Y/N)!”

You ran over to him in an instant and took his hand. You held onto it tightly as you raised your other and snapped it to the side quickly. With that, the vine twisted within itself and snapped in half, spewing black blood onto your face. It made you stumble back a bit, but you still managed to look past it and pull Mike back up and behind you.

“What happened,” Steve yelled as he and the others came rushing back toward the two of you.

“We’re fin-” you began, but you weren’t able to finish as a deep growl echoed within the room. You froze and turned to the sight of a demodog, ready to pounce at any moment. You frowned and raised your hand quickly, ready to throw it.

“Wait, One,” Dustin exclaimed abruptly and you looked at him in confusion. “It’s Dart.” Dart?

He started to take slow steps toward it and your eyes widened as Steve scolded him.

“Dustin, get over here now. Get away from it.”

“Dustin, come back,” Max pleaded. “(Y/N), do something.”

“Wait,” you whispered.

“It’s okay, Dart,” Dustin cooed. “It’s me, remember? Your friend - Dustin.” Your heart was pounding within your chest and you could feel sweat dripping down your face. The blood on your face was starting to stick and you didn’t know if it was the blood from the vine or your own. Probably both. Either way, the nervousness was killing you. You had a feeling it was going to attack, but at the same time, you think it was starting to recognize him. Whatever it was, you could tell that there was some sort of bond between them and that it wouldn’t attack.

“Will you let us pass?” He took another step forward and it growled again, making you doubt yourself. Then, Dustin slowly unzipped his bag and started to dig through it until he pulled out what looked like a bar.

“You hungry?” Food. He tore it open and offered it up to the dog. “Nougat, remember? Your favorite.” Then, he dropped it in front of it and took a step back. It slowly made its way to the nougat and finally, it began to eat. “That’s a good boy. Good boy.” You released a breath you didn’t know you were holding in and gave Steve a look of unease. He returned it and a moment later, Dustin looked back at all of you and waved you off. You all took that as the cue to sneak past, so you did and took off down the tunnels once again.

You kept going until you heard a large boom echo within the tunnels and start to shake.

“What the hell was that?” And the question was answered the moment you heard growling. It was the demodogs! And it was the whole herd of them too, but why were they coming this way? The hub was in the opposite direction. Then, you felt it. Anger, pain, sadness, fear, hope. It was Eleven. She was closing the gate. The mind flayer, it was sending them to stop her.

“Run!” You snapped out of it just in time to run with everyone else. 

“They’re going after Eleven,” you shouted.

“What?!”

“They’re trying to stop her! I have an idea, but we have to get out first!”

“There,” Lucas pointed and you could see the moonlight pouring in from the exit. Perfect.

You stopped as Steve lifted each kid to the hole one by one, the demodogs drawing closer and closer. The growling continued to grow louder and it made you uneasy, but you had to remember that they weren’t after you. They were after Eleven. Still, you couldn’t let that many of them pass through. That would defeat the purpose of your plan.

“(Y/N), what’s the plan,” Steve asked and you looked back at him in shock.

“What are you still doing down here,” you questioned loudly.

“You expected me to leave you down here?!” Then, you saw his eyes widen as he looked behind you, causing you to do the same. The demodogs rounded the corner and were about to charge the two of you until you looked back at him again.

“I’m sorry about this,” you apologized.

“Sorry for wha-” he didn’t get to finish as you jerked your head up, sending him flying up the hole with a scream. You felt blood rush down your nose, but you ignored it as you pulled some of the ground beneath you to give you a boost big enough to grab the rope. You were about to pull yourself up until one of the demodogs rushed past you and made you lose your footing. You grunted as your chin hit the wall, but you were still able to hold on.

Then, Steve appeared out of nowhere with his hand extended out to you, “Come on!”

You gripped it tightly as he pulled you through the hole and fell back with you on top of him. You felt heat creep onto your face, but now wasn’t the time. You had a job to do. You pulled away from him and placed both of your palms into the earth.

“What’re you doing,” Steve panted.

“You might want to take a step back,” you warned before starting to gather all the power you could possibly muster up.

You honestly didn’t know if you’d be able to do this in your condition. You barely woke up 2 hours ago and you just hit your head. You still had to try though. You had to try for eleven. No, you had to for everyone. You just had to… Push through the pain. Yeah, that’s what you had to do. Even if it hurts... Even if the veins along your neck and temples were burning, you had to… Ignore it and keep going no matter what. Even if you felt all the blood rushing to your head and going out your nose, you had to keep going… Because that’s what you were made for. You were made to endure.

You screamed as you made the ground collapse within itself, crushing the demodogs beneath you. You already felt some pass through and you weren’t going to let them get away either. You kept going, flattening the ground until you reached the end of the tunnel. Hell, when you were done, there wasn’t even a tunnel left. It was just dirt and rubble and the others couldn’t help but stare in amazement. They knew you were strong, but they didn’t know that you were that strong. It was unbelievable. You-you were unbelievable.

You released your hold on the ground moments later and fell back, feeling completely exhausted. You expected to hit the ground, but instead, your head was met with a firm chest and a pair of warm arms embracing you. You twisted your head back and met Steve’s eyes. You smirked softly. Of course it would be him.

You let your head fall against his chest once again, liking the feel of another person - liking the feeling of having done something for a change. You were never going back…

...and luckily, you would never have to.

Because not even a month later, the lab was shut down for good.

You knew it was happening, but you still had to see it for yourself. Why? Because it was the place that had always caused you so much pain and turmoil and it was finally being locked down. It was long overdue, but it was better late than never. It was enough to make you smile, a smile that you didn’t even know you had in you. You weren’t the only one that was happy either, just like you weren’t the only one watching. There was another man there too - older and balding with dark-rimmed glasses over his eyes. Hell, he even brought a lawn chair to watch. He seemed happier than you if that was even possible, but to each their own you guess.

It had been an interesting month overall to say the least. What had been just you living with Hopper and Eleven for a while, turned into a permanent adoption. You weren’t One anymore and you weren’t just (Y/N). You were (Y/N) Hopper. The thought was enough to make you cry. You were actually in a family with your sister and actually had friends. One of them being Steve.

You spent a good portion of your time with him and him showing you around town. You would think that maybe it wasn’t a good idea for you to be out and about, but your situation was a lot different than Eleven’s. People knew about Eleven. Yes, very few people, but they still knew and it wasn’t safe for her just yet. The reason why it didn’t matter with you was because no one knew you existed. You weren’t a recent “project” like Eleven. You were practically buried 5 years ago and all the files regarding you must’ve been buried too. You suspected that that was Brenner’s doing as he most likely didn’t want anyone else getting their hands on his best experiment, but you didn’t care now. According to Eleven, he was most likely dead... which was good. Because that meant you were finally free, and you honestly didn’t want anyone stopping you from getting to tonight.

Tonight, as Eleven told you, was the snowball dance and while you obviously couldn’t go because you weren’t a twelve year-old, you still wanted to see her off. You gazed at her from the rearview mirror and she looked so pretty. You helped choose the dress at the store and Hopper surprisingly did her hair... very well. While she was excited, she was also just as nervous.

“It’ll be okay,” you reassured her with a smile. “You look amazing and Mike will love it.”

“Hopefully not too much,” Hopper retorted with a glare in his eyes. How like a dad.

“He’ll love it,” you stated again and she smiled gently.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“I think we should lay some ground rules before you go,” Hopper started to say, but you immediately cut him off.

“Yeah, have fun.”

“No, I think we should really-”

“No, no, no,” you insisted, practically talking to him now. “It’s going to be fun and if something were to happen, Hop’s out here. Okay?”

She nodded, “Okay.”

“Okay,” you asked again, still looking at Hopper who was rolling his eyes. “We need okay’s all around.”

“Okay,” he gruffly responded and you smirked at your small victory before stepping out of the car. Once she did the same, you pulled her into a tight hug, not wanting to forget this moment. “Have fun, El,” you whispered. “I mean it.”

And she quickly nodded before pulling away.

You watched as Hopper led her to the entrance and still kept smiling even as he turned back to glare at you.

“What was that for,” he questioned, walking back over to you.

“I already knew what you were going to say,” you answered. “No kissing. No holding hands. Stay this far away from each other. Just let her have some fun, Hop. These past few months have been a lot for her.”

“I guess you’re right,” he conceded. “But still...boys.”

“Well, you’re out here with your gun, so I think she’ll be alright,” you joked. Then, a feeling emerged within you. You smiled. “Joyce is here. I’m pretty sure she’ll help take your mind off things. I think she needs it too.”

He nodded slowly, “How about you?”

“I feel Steve around,” you blushed and he eyed you suspiciously.

“Maybe Eleven isn’t the one I should be worried about,” he concluded as you gasped.

“I’m just fine,” you lied. “But I am going to see him.” You started to walk off until-

“Don’t try to have too much fun.” You gaped at him.

“Hopper!”

____________________________________

It didn’t take long for you to find Steve. It was maybe only five minutes until you scared the shit out of him by popping your head through the window of his car.

“Hi, Steve,” you greeted.

“Jesus, (Y/N). Where the hell did you come from,” he shouted, clutching his chest.

“Sorry,” you apologized. “Just...Hopper brought Eleven to the dance and...I didn’t want to stay in the cabin alone, so I came along. I’m glad I found you though.” You smiled, but Steve didn’t seem to be matching it. Quite frankly, he felt a bit off. Maybe even a bit sad.

“Yeah, I was just bringing Dustin,” he told you, but he didn’t sound like himself either.

“That was nice of you.” His gaze actually kept flickering elsewhere, to you and to someone else.

You turned your head and the first person you saw was Nancy...oh. It made sense now. You knew about him and Nancy. He never told you directly because he never wanted to talk about it, but whenever he saw her, it was always the same heartbroken look. Dustin told you that he loved her, but that she didn’t love him back. That she left him for Jonathan and it hurt him... a lot. It wasn’t something he was just going to get over, but as his friend...you would try to make the process go by smoother.

“Wanna get outta here,” you asked abruptly and his attention immediately reverted back to you.

“What,” he furrowed his eyebrows.

“Wanna get outta here? Take your mind off things.” And he seemed to catch on.

“Where do you wanna go,” he smirked.

“Anywhere but here.”

“How about Hopper?”

“He knows how to handle himself,” and he chuckled deeply.

“Then, get in,” and you obliged without hesitation.

Steve didn’t mention where you were going, but you didn't really care. This was enough for the time being. To be in his company with the radio on and the windows down as the wind blew through your hair. Listening to him hum along with the music and giggling when he started to sing terribly on purpose. Yeah, you thought. This was enough.

You laughed as he continued to sing, shaking your head in the process, “You’re funny.”

“Funny how,” he asked with a smile gracing his lips. “Funny, like I’m funny, or I’m funny looking?”

“Just funny,” you teased. “Where are we going anyway?”

“There’s this place that I like going to,” he revealed. “And I think you’ll like it too.” And he was right. It was a small clearing in the woods with a pier leading to the lake. How he found it, you didn’t know, but it was still quite beautiful with the way the moon reflected off the water. He pulled into the clearing and you both got out of the car once he parked, shutting the doors at the same time. He watched you as you made your way to the shoreline and smiled when you gasped in awe.

“It’s so pretty,” you gleamed and you paused when you turned back to look at him, another idea popping in your head. “Do you want to dance?”

“What,” he asked, sitting up from his spot on the hood of his car.

“Well, you left the lights and the music on,” you mentioned. “So, I’m asking you - do you want to dance?”

“Do you even know how to dance?”

“Well, no,” you responded, slowly walking over to him. “But do you think...you can show me how to?” His eyes widened at your suggestion, clearly shocked that you would ask him such a thing, but he had no reason not to.

“Yeah-yeah, sure.” He quickly got up and met you halfway across the shore.

“Um, well...this is the first step,” he explained, grabbing your hands gently and placing them on his shoulders. You felt your face begin to heat up, but little did you know, he was feeling it too. “Then, step two, I place my hands on your waist...if that’s okay.” You nodded and he did it so delicately that you thought he was touching a porcelain doll instead. “Now,” he pulled you a bit closer. “We just sway to the music.”

You started to sway, smiling shyly as he did the same.

“Yeah, like that,” he motivated, swaying a bit faster before letting go of one of your hands and spinning you around until you fell against his chest.

“Woah,” you chuckled. “That was a bit...dizzy.”

“That’s the point,” he chuckled, keeping you firmly against him now and you couldn’t help but lean into him.

Yeah, you thought to yourself as you closed your eyes. I’m never going back.

[windless-hurricane]

She's the One

Chapter 3: Eleven

A Billy x Reader x Steve Fanfic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUMMARY: You're One, one of the many kids experimented on in Hawkins lab. Eleven's sister. You were found and now, you're here to stay.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm so sorry for the long hiatus, but I'm finally back and here to finish this series! I hope you enjoy!

WARNINGS: Language, violence, and graphic scenes involving blood and/or death.

WORD COUNT: 3.2k

TAGLIST: @cherrym4rk @acidrain707 @torntaltos @evelynfreakinaddams @bun-dpdbny @qtmeryr @art-flirt @5sosxgrethan @kayln97 @uwu-bucky @thecornerstoreoftheuniverse @book--butterfly @laurmillen @gabyer0309 @colourado @supernaturalvikingwhore @gothackedalready @xxalice98xxblog @bhad-disposition @loveofmonstersandroses

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SHE'S THE ONE MASTERLIST

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You two stared at each other for what felt like hours. Hours and nothing less. That’s what it felt like to you at least. However, in reality, those hours were really seconds. 

She didn't recognize you completely, but who could blame her? It had been five years since you were put away in that tank. Of course she wouldn't recognize you right off that bat. However, all you needed, at least for the moment, was to feel that sense of remembrance within her. A feeling that told you she remembered you, but couldn't quite remember how. That...connection. And to your relief, you felt it. That would be enough for now. Right now, someone else had to talk to her more and that was Mike. You could feel it off of him. 

Without hesitation, Eleven turned to him. Her eyes glossed over and lips trembling as she smiled. It was sad yet full of relief, and his smile only matched hers once they met in the center of the room.

“I never gave up on you,” he confessed and the tone of his voice was so raw and adoring, it surprised you. The love you already knew he felt for her was so real and powerful, it was amazing. “I called you every night - every night for-”

“353 days. I heard,” she finished and you couldn’t help but smirk. They even finished each other’s sentences. It was adorable, but 353 days was still a long time.

“Why didn’t tell me you were there? That you were okay?”

“Because I wouldn’t let her,” Hopper interrupted and everyone’s eyes quickly darted toward him. They were mostly confused as they watched him with wide eyes. Mike, however, scowled at him.

“The hell is this,” he questioned harshly before turning back to Eleven. “Where have you been?” But seeing as she had no answer, he faced Hopper again, shouting at him angrily. “You’ve been hiding her! You’ve been hiding her this whole time!”

“Hey,” Hopper shouted back, “Lets talk.” And just like that, Hopper grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into another room. While the kids worried for Mike, you worried for Hopper. You could sense the amount of regret he had toward the situation, but it was something that had to be done and Mike had to understand that. Even if it did hurt him. 

“Hey,” someone called out, and you were quickly brought back to reality. You turned and met the brown-eyed gaze of Eleven once again. She was a lot closer now and for some reason, it made you incredibly anxious. You didn’t know why, but you were eventually able to place it on your fear. Your fear of her not actually remembering you, even if you did feel it. What if it had just been in your head? You were hoping that that wasn’t the case. That’s why you had to know-

“Do you remember me?”

You gazed at her intently, waiting for her answer. To you, everything depended on her answer. If she didn’t remember you, then everyone would believe that you just spouted lies to them about being Eleven’s sister. So not only would you lose their trust. but you would also lose the only family you had left. So please, Eleven. Say yes.

Then, her warm hand gripped your wrist and you gaped at her uneasily. Her grip was loose and gentle as she turned your wrist over, exposing and examining your tattoo at the same time. 

“One,” she let out quietly and you almost gasped. 

“Yes,” you asked and she gazed back at you with glossy eyes. 

“You're my…”

“Sister,” you finished. “You probably...don't remember me… You were still so little...but I was the one…”

“Who saved them,” she confirmed. 

“Yeah… how did you-”

“I remember.” Your eyes widened in surprise. “And Kali told me too.”

“Kali...Eight?” She nodded. So, it was really was Eight that you heard Eleven with before you woke up. 

“Is she okay?” She nodded again. “That's good to hear,” you muttered, but you still felt a bit guilty. “Listen, Eleven… I'm-I'm sorry that I wasn't able to-”

“It's okay,” she interrupted. 

“It is?”

“Yeah.” She chuckled slightly and you couldn't help the smile that made its way onto your face as well. Both your eyes began to well up with tears.

“It's been so long,” you noted and you both pulled each other into a long awaited, but much needed hug. You missed this and you probably always would - the warmth of another person, especially...someone you cared about. 

You glanced up and spotted Lucas and Dustin right behind her. As much as you needed this hug, like with Mike, they needed a moment with her too. They were her best friends after all. 

“I won't hog you anymore,” you whispered into her hair. “They need a hug too.” She nodded before pulling away and walking over to them. Your smile only grew as you watched their faces light up with happiness. That's what you wanted to feel. Not pain, but happiness. After you all dealt with the gate, you knew you definitely could. Everyone could.

__________________________________________

“I can do it,” Eleven responded confidently and you stared at her in awe.

“No, you're not hearing me,” Hopper explained. “It's not like before. It's grown...a lot. And even if we do get in there, the lab is crawling with those dogs-”

“Demodogs,” Dustin bluntly corrected and Hopper only shot him a glare. 

“That's not the point. The point is is that it'll be nearly impossible to get in there with those things.”

“I can do it,” Eleven repeated, sterner than before. You smirked slightly before Mike spoke up. 

“Even if El can, there's another problem. If the brain dies, the body dies.” You furrowed your eyebrows as you pieced it together.

“I thought that was the whole point,” Max questioned. 

“It is, but if we're really right - if she closes the gate and it kills the mind flayer’s army-”

“Then, Will goes too,” you concluded, causing Mike to nod. 

“Closing the gate will kill him.”

A silence befell on everyone as they processed this. It'll kill Will, so what can you do to keep it from happening?

“He likes it cold,” Joyce mumbled, almost inaudibly. 

“What,” Hopper irked. 

“He likes it cold. Will told me that and we just-we just keep giving it what it wants.”

“If this is a virus,” Nancy began. “And Will’s the host…”

“We need to make the host uninhabitable,” Jonathan finished. 

“You need to burn it out of him,” you told them, before glancing up at them. “You have to do it somewhere it doesn't know this time - somewhere far away.” So, Hopper suggested it be his house and they agreed easily. Jonathan, Nancy, and Joyce were on their way there now while Hopper took you to another room to speak with you.

“Do you think you can come with us,” he asked softly and you gazed at him in surprise before shaking your head. 

“I can...but it’s not my choice,” you answered and he sighed deeply. “It's Eleven’s. I know…she can close the gate by herself...that's for sure. I can help...but I have a feeling she wants to do it by herself. It's her...mission.”

“Her mission?”

“She was the one...who awakened the monster. So...it's her mission.”

“It is my mission,” Eleven confirmed and you and Hopper both shot her a look. 

“Are you sure about this,” Hopper asked and she nodded, looking at you now. 

“Can you...keep them safe,” she asked and you smiled gently.

“Of course.” Like you said before, you would help in any way you could. Even if it meant staying behind. “Just promise to be safe.”

“Promise,” she smiled. 

__________________________________________

It had been ten minutes since you were left with Steve and the kids and things weren't going well so far. You both had very different opinions on what should be done while everyone else was out. Steve was very against what you and the kids suggested. "This is not happening! I promised to keep you shitheads safe and (Y/N) did too, so I don't know why you’re condoning this.”

“Yeah, I agreed to protect them, which I will. But I think we could do more than just sit here too,” you argued, almost pouting. If you weren't in the situation, Steve would've thought it was cute. But you were in this situation.

“No,” he exclaimed. “We're staying here, on the bench, and letting the starting team do their job. Does everyone understand that?” His gaze flickered between you and the kids, but you felt like the question was mainly for you.

“This isn't a sports game,” Mike retorted. 

“Does everyone understand?! I need a yes!” Before anyone could answer though, a large roar was heard outside and you immediately jumped to your feet, preparing for an attack from what you presumed was another demodog. 

“Was that-”

“No,” Max let out panickily before running to the window and throwing up the curtain. She spun back around with fear flooding her eyes. “It's my brother.”

Brother? You didn't know she had one. No, you probably just didn't remember she had one. You had to have heard his voice before, but now wasn't the time to remember. The kids, especially Max, were starting to freak out. 

“He can't know I'm here,” she emphasized. “He’ll kill me. No, he'll kill us.” Your eyes widened almost immediately as she said that. He'll kill us? Her own brother? That didn't seem right. How could her own family - Then an image of Doctor Brenner flashed in your head. You took that back. He definitely could and you weren't going to let that to happen. 

“No, he won't,” you stated strongly. “Not while I'm here.” The kids seemed reassured by your response and you were about to make your way to the door until a hand clamped over your shoulder, stopping you. You glanced up to the owner of that hand confusedly. “Steve?”

“I'll handle this.” 

“Now’s not the time to be cool, Harrington,” Dustin yelled. “Just let the girl with the mind powers handle him.” 

“I got this,” Steve repeated once more before heading out the door and slamming it behind him. 

While you could have stopped him, you could feel that he had it out for this guy - like this was something that he always wanted to do it. So, you decided not to interfere for the time being. 

Once he stepped out, the kids immediately leapt onto the couch and gathered around the open curtain. You tensed, hoping her brother wouldn't see them, but your curiosity ended up getting the best of you as well. You ended up joining them right on the couch.

You saw Steve. He was still on the porch and you could faintly hear him. 

“What's he saying,” Dustin asked quietly. 

“I can read minds, not hear through walls,” you muttered. 

“Then, what's he thinking?”

“I want to beat this guy’s...ass?” 

“What's Billy thinking?” This time it was Max asking. You had been so focused on Steve, you forgot the reason why he was out there in the first place.

You looked past Steve and caught the sight of Billy for the first time, and he was not what you expected to say the least. From where you were, he looked like he was about Steve’s height. Yet his body was completely different. He was broader, more muscular, and he knew it too. His hair was kempt, longer than Steve’s, but tuft and curly. He took care of it. While you expected a monster, you didn't expect such a pretty one. Then, that monster met your eyes. 

“Shit,” Dustin exclaimed, and that was your que to all duck behind the couch. “Did he see us?” 

“Pretty sure he did,” you answered, moving away from the couch along with everyone else. 

“Can't you make us disappear or something?!”

“What?”

“You said you can make people see what you want them to see, right?! So can't you make it seem like we're not here?!”

“He already saw us, there's no-”

Then, the door exploded open and you looked to the door in shock. There he was. He was prettier up close, but looked a lot meaner. You subconsciously moved in front of the kids as he inched closer to the five of you. You frowned. What were you supposed to do against a person without hurting them too much?

“Well, well, well, if it isn't Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise,” he scoffed, looking straight past you. Honestly if that didn't make you mad, then his condescending tone did. You were right there. It wasn't until you stepped in front of Lucas that he decided to acknowledge you. “And who might you be, sweetheart?” Sweetheart? 

“The real question is who are you, breaking into someone’s house like that,” you sneered and he seemed taken aback by your response, but rather than show it, he simply laughed and shook his head. 

“Well, whoever you are, doll, I came for my sister. The redhead behind you.”

“She's not going anywhere with you.” This had him seething, his face nearly as red as Max’s hair. 

“Now, listen, you bi-”

“Billy, just go home,” Max yelled. 

“You know what happens when you disobey me, Max,” he tried taking a step forward, but you stopped him in his place. The action left your head aching, but you ignored it as he attempted to push forward again. Confusion overwhelmed his face, but that soon contorted into anger. "I swear, Max, when we get home, you're dead! You're so dead!” You flinched at his yelling and released your hold until-

“No, you are.” 

Steve twisted him around and punched him square in the jaw. You jumped back in surprise and watched as Billy quickly recovered, wiping his bloody nose. 

“You got some fire in your after all, huh? I've been waiting to meet this ‘King Steve’ they tell me so much about.” This was a challenge. Billy wanted to fight. You peered at Steve and he held your eyes for a moment before darting back to Billy. He poked into his chest and pushed him back slightly-

“Get out.” While it wasn't what you expected, avoiding a fight was the best option. Billy wasn't impressed though because in a brief moment, Billy took a swing for him. And in a few more, an all out fist fight broke out between them. 

You moved the kids out of the way, but they seemed to focus on the fight to even notice. They were cheering Steve's name, which meant he was winning...but for how long?

Your question was answered the moment you saw Billy grab ahold of something and break it over Steve’s head. “Steve!” 

The floor beneath you cracked as you called out his name. It was something you didn’t mean to do, but it still happened nonetheless. Later you would wonder why Steve getting hurt invoked such a powerful reaction in you, but right now, all you could think about was stopping Billy from hurting him further. 

You took a step forward, not knowing that the others already moved away from you, waiting for you next move.

“Hey,” you shouted, but Billy didn’t move from his current position on top of Steve. He only continued to pound on him harder. Your grew angrier and you felt your veins begin to burn. You shouted louder. “Get off him!” You jerked your head to the side in the process and his body went flying. 

“Shit,” Dustin exclaimed. Shit indeed. You didn't know what you were going to do, but you certainly didn't mean to do that. Luckily, he didn't go flying too far - just into the wall beside you. So, he should be fine...hopefully.

Before you could continue to scold yourself, Steve let out a deep groan and spoke exasperatedly. 

“You couldn’t do that sooner?” Your face flushed in embarrassment as you paced toward him and knelt down beside him. 

“You said you could handle it,” you responded, scanning over his face. You frowned as you took in the sight. His eyes were rimmed with darkness, his cheekbone and lips were swollen, and there was a rather large bump forming on his head. You could feel just how much pain he was in and now you were starting to feel guilty. “Steve...your face.” You subconsciously reached for his cheek and placed your hand on it gently. He hissed at your sudden contact, but not because it hurt, but because of how cold your hand was. It was a sharp contrast to his awfully warm skin. However, he couldn't lie and say that the coldness didn't help sooth his wounds. He also couldn’t lie and say that he didn’t like the feel of your hand against him. 

His vision began to blur, but he could still make out the red. "(Y/N)…your nose." You realized that it was bleeding, but wiped it clean. 

“It’s fine,” you insisted. "Come on." As you were about to help him up, a strangled groan cut you off. You could only recognize it as Billy and glared once you saw him attempting to get up from where he land

“What the hell-what the hell did you do to me,” he huffed, still on his knees. He rubbed his head in annoyance, moving his hair out of the way and making eye contact with you. It was now that you got a good view of his eyes, even if he was glaring at you just as much as you were glaring at him. They were blue and furious, but it still made you question how something as pretty as blue could hold such hatred. Especially towards you. 

“What did you do,” he asked once again, but seeing as you weren’t going to answer, he scowled at you. “Damn, bitch.” And just as he was about to get up, something unexpected happen. A needle went shooting into his neck. Everyone’s eyes went wide with shock, excluding Max, who was the one doing the stabbing. That must’ve been the extra syringe they took from the lab earlier. 

He stumbled back in a daze as he looked to his younger sister. He almost didn't seem to know what was going on, even as he pulled the syringe out of his neck.

“The hell is this,” he asked, before dropping it to the floor. Then, after stumbling around some more, his body dropped to the floor as well. He was starting to lose consciousness, but Max wasn’t letting him go that easily. She picked up Steve’s bat and stood above him, holding it over her shoulder.  

“Max,” you warned. 

“From here on out,” she started. “You're going to leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?”

“Screw...you,” he slurred and moments later, she swung. 

“Max,” you exclaimed before jumping at the sound of the bat hitting the floorboard. You sighed in relief as she raised the bat again. 

“Say you understand! Say it,” she yelled. 

“I...understand,” he mumbled. 

“I couldn't hear you!”

“I understand,” he responded clearly before passing out. She started to dig into his pocket for something as you flipped your attention back to Steve. His head was in your lap and you didn't expect him to be passed out as well. You ruffled his hair softly as you heard keys jangle. You looked up at Max as she smirked. 

“Let's get outta here.”

[windless-hurricane]

Pennywise and the Dancing Girl

Chapter 8: Anything and Everything

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SUMMARY: Emma has been controlled and haunted by the clown of many names for as long as she remembered. However, that begins to change once she meets Henry Bowers, the local asshole.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I’d like to apologize once again for the long time hiatus. I’ve been quite busy lately and I haven’t had time to write. However, I’m trying to finish this series as soon as possible, so I can start writing the sequel series! Also, this chapter was meant to be a lot longer, but it ended up being too long, so I decided to split it into two parts!

WARNINGS: Explicit language and mentions of death.

WORD COUNT: 3.9k

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

PENNYWISE AND THE DANCING GIRL MASTERLIST

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“Let’s get outta here.”

Within those few moments, everything I felt about him changed. I didn’t know why; but all of a sudden, I felt this urge to run away with him. To do anything and everything with him.

Maybe it was because deep down, I felt like we were running out of time. Even though I had no reason to.

It was barely the beginning of July and we had plenty of time left before school started again. However, it still didn’t stop that feeling. This feeling that something was drawing closer and closer to us and when it finally came, we wouldn’t be able to stop it. Maybe it was my paranoia, my bad luck; but no matter what reason I told myself, I always knew that the true reason was because of Gray.

With him around, I could never be happy. I was even lucky to get this far, but now I knew. He was angry and he wouldn’t let me remain this way for much longer. He was ready to end it all. So, the only thing I could do now was take this opportunity with Henry and not let it waste away. I had to. I had to take his hand.

So, I did and I left him with little time to react as I pulled him out the library.

“Emma,” he called out. “Where are we going?” And I stopped. That was a good question. Where were we going? There were not many places to go to in Derry. It was a small town and we could literally scope out the entirety of it in a day. There was the arcade, the park, the theater, one of the dozen restaurants that we had, and the quarry. We had gone to all of them before, but this would be different. Now, it would just be me and him - sharing and experiencing it together. I did say that I wanted to experience anything and everything with him…didn’t I?

So, I simply turned to him and blatantly said, “Everywhere.” I searched his face for any sign of confirmation, but his eyes wouldn’t meet mine. They just focused on his shoes and I didn’t realize why until I felt the clamminess of his hand.

He was nervous, shy, and the closer I looked, I saw that his cheeks were flushed with color. It was then that I realized that I did this to him. I made him feel this way and it wasn’t until his eyes finally met mine that I also realized, he did the same to me.

We had touched plenty of times before, but never like this. At least not often as this. We had only done this two other times. The first time being the day he came to find me at the park after Patrick’s death. We had been standing close to one another, to the point where I felt his breath hitting my cheek and his nose barely grazing my forehead. He had been holding my hand in his as he gently traced the outline of my rug burn. I remember how my cheeks burned and my heart raced as he did so. And the second being just a bit ago in the library, when he ran his fingers down the scars of my neck. My breath had halted and I actually missed his touch when he pulled away. So, the real question was… Why did I feel this way? Why?

There was only one possible answer; but for some reason, it scared me too much to admit it. It would be too hard to. So, I just pulled my hand away from his and pushed the thought into the back of my mind, choosing to ignore it for now.

“How does that sound,” I asked calmly, and I waited until I got it what I was looking for - a small smirk playing at his lips.

“Where do you wanna go first?”And I couldn’t help the smile that made its way onto my own lips.

__________________________________________

We both decided to head to the arcade first, already making our way there. We were awfully quiet and I figured it was because we still hadn’t completely made up yet. I know he did admitted to wanting to become a better person, but he also didn’t apologize for being a dick the night of the party… Then again, I also didn’t apologize for punching him in the face. It was now or never, I thought to myself.

I glanced over at him and he looked surprisingly calm. It was very different in comparison to the usual bitch face he wore, and I quickly found myself liking this look a lot more than the other.

“Like what you see,” he questioned bluntly and I immediately turned away, trying to hide my embarrassment.

“No,” I answered. “Why would I?” And he didn’t seem convinced. Hell, I wasn’t even convinced. I knew that was a flat-out lie. Henry was always pretty to look at.

“Oh, cause you weren’t checking me out just right,” he mentioned, raising a brow.

“It’s not that. I just… I just wanted to say sorry for…well, punching you in the face I guess.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Say you’re sorry. I deserved it.”

I looked at him in disbelief as he said that. Did he really just say that he deserved it? The Henry I knew would have never allowed anyone to do that to him, even if he knew he was being a dick. He never liked getting hit, even if it was done jokingly. That’s why it surprised me so much.

“Well, I might have overreacted,” I added.

“Emma.”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve never felt bad about anything you’ve done before, so don’t now, okay? I deserved it and you knew I did, that’s why you did it. It’s nothing you should be saying sorry for. Got it?”

I gazed at him for a few moments before nodding, “Yeah.” There was a short pause of silence before he spoke up again.

“That was a pretty hard punch though,” he noted with a slight smirk. “Were you trying to knock me out?”

“No,” I giggled.

“You knocked me straight on my ass.”

“Well, I can do it again. So, don’t test me.”

“You wanna bet?” And at that, the both of us stopped in our tracks and gazed into each other’s eyes.

I thought he was just joking at first, but then I saw the cockiness of his smirk and knew that he was being dead serious. It amused me to say the least.

“And what exactly are we gonna bet,” I asked and he seemed to ponder for a bit before answering.

“Well, you said you wanted to do everything, right? That includes going to the movies then. Loser has to get all the snacks for when we go.”

I hummed softy, “Okay. So, all I have to do is knock you on your ass again to win?”

“Yeah…but in street fighter.” And my face immediately broke into a smile.

“Ohhh, I see what you’re doing,” I cooed. “It’s because you know that I suck at street fighter.”

“It’s not the only thing you suck at,” he teased. “But yeah, it is. So, is it a bet or not?” I bit my lip softly before nodding.

“Alright, Bowers. You’re on.”

__________________________________________

“Okay, you should be Ken,” I told him, gesturing to the screen, but he only gave me a look of disbelief.

“Why,” he questioned and I shrugged.

“Well, you kinda look like him. You both have blonde hair and blue eyes. You both wear red all the time and…you both have muscles. Yours aren’t as big, of course, but they’re still pretty nice.”

“You think my muscles are nice,” he smirked and I immediately froze. Did I really say that? Why the fuck would I say that? That’s not something he should know. The cocky bastard would never let me live that down. I had to think of an excuse quick.

“What? No,” I scoffed. “I just meant that other people might think they’re nice. Not me.”

“Uh huh,” he breathed, leaning in closer to me. “You know if I didn’t know any better, Emma, I’d say that you liked me.” His voice was low and smooth, and he was so impossibly close that could I feel his breath. It was enough to send a shiver down my spine, but I couldn’t let it get to me. So, I simply pushed him away and scoffed,

“Don’t flatter yourself. I much rather like Mr. Keene than you.“ He chuckled softly.

“Sure you would,” he remarked, now leaning over the dash of the machine and putting his token in. “I’ll be Ken.” I stared at him for a few moments, before leaning down beside him and pushing my own token into its slot. He glanced over at me and I could tell from the corner of my eye that he was started to stare. So, curiously, I looked back at him. To be honest, I half expected him to look away, but he didn’t. He just held my gaze, before dropping his eyes over the rest of my face and I let him. It wasn’t much longer till his eyes met mine again and he spoke up,

“Two out of three, okay?”

“Okay,” I smirked and his lips mirrored mine in seconds.

“Ready to lose?”

“Are you?” And we both turned back to the screen once we heard the game announcer yell ”Round One!”

I quickly placed my fingers over the buttons of the machine and wrapped my other hand around the joystick, waiting for the announcer to yell again. I have to win, I told myself. I know I suck, but I can’t suck now. Not against Henry. I said I would knock him on his ass, so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to disappoint him now. Wait, what?

“Fight!” My eyes shot open and I rapidly began to press the buttons, hearing Henry do the same. My Ryu was able to punch his Ken a few times before he overwhelmed me, blocking every one of my punches and punching me whenever I left an opening. He continued to do this until my health bar was nearly empty and I was only able to get one more punch in until he completely destroyed me.

“Shit,” I groaned. What was I thinking? I’ve never won against him before, so what made me think I could do it now? It was only one loss, but it was enough to remind me that I was terrible at Street Fighter. I should just give him my wallet right now.

I sighed softly and glanced over at him. It looked like he was having the time of his fucking life. All cocky with that damn smirk. What I wouldn’t give to wipe it off his damn face? And then, it hit me. I once beat Richie Tozier and he was practically the king of this game and almost everyone knew it. Yet, I beat him. I did have Eddie to cheer me on; but this time, I had to do it for myself. This time my motivation was to wipe that damned smirk off Henry’s face and beat him at his own game.

“There’s still two rounds left, Bowers. Don’t get ahead of yourself just yet,” I warned, but he only laughed it off.

“There’s only two more rounds left, if you can beat me in the next one,” he informed and while he wasn’t wrong, I didn’t plan on losing again.

“I’ll beat you.”

“You’ll beat me, huh?”

“Shut the fuck up.” And he laughed again, getting back in position beside me. He was closer than before, his arm and hip pressing against mine, but this time I didn’t care. All I cared about was winning these next two rounds and this damn bet.

“Round two!” I took a deep breath and stared intently at the screen. Focus, Emma. Focus.

“Fight!” This time, instead of rapidly bashing my buttons, I waited for him to attack first. I decided that my best bet was to use the same strategy that I used to beat Richie, so that’s exactly what I did. I kept blocking his punches until I saw an opening and once I did, I punched him as many times as he would allow. Then when he finally went to block, I jumped over him and punched him in the back numerous times. I kept alternating between these three techniques until I finally won.

Feeling a sense of achievement overwhelm me, I cheered a bit too loudly as he simply groaned out in frustration. I thought he would have stopped me to be honest, but he didn’t. He actually waited before asking-

“You done?” He sounded solemn and serious, but it didn’t quite reach his face. It was like he was pretending to be annoyed, but his eyes and lips just wouldn’t cooperate.

It almost seemed like he wanted to smile, but didn’t. He just was holding it back. Then, his eyes were filled with something I’ve never seen before. I couldn’t tell what it was at first, but the deeper I looked, the more I thought I saw…adoration?

I gulped softly at the thought before answering him,

“Nope. Cause I know I’m going to win the next round too.” And I did. It was shocking as hell, but I was damn proud. So much so that I cheered again. Even if it was annoying to the other kids there. At least Henry didn’t find it annoying. __________________________________________

“Why are you grabbing so much shit,” he complained.

“You lost the bet, remember? How many times do I have to remind you,” I remarked smugly before placing another candy bar in his arms.

“Yeah, I remember, but I also remember you sucking too.”

“Yeah, I know. Good thing it wasn’t the same as you remembered,” I chuckled as I spotted a basket beside us, picking it up.

“Don’t go feeling all smug now just because you won one game of Street Fighter.”

“I think it’s a bit too late for that,” I smirked, showing him the basket. “After all, I consider beating you quite the accomplishment. Especially since I get a bunch of free snacks with it.”

He scoffed softly as he placed the snacks into the basket, a small smile plastered on his lips.

“It doesn’t take a lot to impress you, huh?”

“No, I guess not,” I shrugged and he took the basket from me.

“That’s alright,” he confessed. “That’s one of the reasons why I like you anyway.” I gazed up at him with wide eyes, but he simply shot me a smirk before walking away completely. However, that didn’t stop my eyes from following him.

Did he actually mean that or…was he just joking? Either way, I couldn’t help the rate that my heart was beating at or the warmth that was currently flooding my chest.  

This felt…unreal. Everything about this felt unreal. How could I be here? How could I be with Henry? How could I be happy? How could I live? Could I stay like this? Forever? I sure hope I could. I wish I could. Please. I want to stay. I want to stay with Vic and Reggie. I want to stay with Eddie. I want… I want to stay with Henry. Always.

I can’t imagine going on in a world without him. Without his temper. Without his cockiness. Without his sweetness and stubbornness. Without his pain. Without that stupid mullet. Without his beautiful cloudy blue eyes. Without his beautiful…everything. I just can’t. I need him and I always will.

A smile unknowingly made its way onto my face as I watched him put a few more candy bars in the basket. He had no idea that had been watching him and still didn’t know until he looked back in my direction. His smile matched mine as he tilted his head slightly.

“Why are you looking at me like that,” he questioned.

“It’s nothing,” I lied. “You can keep looking.”

With that, I turned away and continued searching through the store. I already picked out my snacks, so I might as well look around as Henry picked out his.

I somehow drifted into the clothes section of the store, the bright colors of shirts and pants catching my eyes. While they were appealing, they’ve never been my style. I always wore denim, denim, and more denim over simple shirts and tainted converse. That was my style, but I stopped once I spotted a dress.

It was different compared to most of the dresses I saw girls at school wear. It wasn’t skanky and didn’t leave little to the imagination. It was quite pretty and modest and while it was off the shoulder, it still had thin straps to hold it up. I could actually imagine myself wearing it. I was starting to like it that much.

“I never pegged you to be the dress type,” a voice interrupted behind me, and I immediately recognized it as Henry.

“I’m not,” I agreed.

“Well, it sure looks like you want it.”

“I don’t,” I lied, still staring at it.

“Why don’t you try it on?”

“Huh,” I asked in surprise.

“You should try it on,” he repeated.

“No, I shouldn’t,” I shook my head. “I’ll just look goofy.”

“You can never look goofy,” he uttered, and it wasn’t until I felt my cheeks burned that I saw his light up as well. “At least to me anyway,” he finished shyly, and his comment was enough to reassure me that with him, I was always safe and would never be judged.

So taking his word for it, I turned around to grab the dress, looking it over once more before surveying the store for a fitting room. Already knowing what I was thinking, Henry decided to give me the answer himself. “There’s one in the back,” he stated and I nodded slightly, before gesturing him to follow me as I started to walk over.

There was only one room with a chair by the wall. It was pretty isolated, but I preferred that. I didn’t really want anyone other than Henry seeing me.

So once we got to the fitting room, I knocked on the door twice just to make sure no one was in there and luckily, there wasn’t.

I glanced back at Henry and he was already sitting on the chair with the basket beside him. He must’ve known I was staring because his eyes met mine almost immediately.

“Don’t make fun of me,” I told him and he breathed out a laugh. I knew he wouldn’t. I just felt like saying it.

“Don’t worry,” he uttered, “I won’t.”

“Alright,” I smirked. “I’m trusting you.” And with that, I stepped foot into the room and locked the door behind me.

There was only a mirror in the room along with my own reflection. Most of the scars that I had acquired over this past month had faded, except for the one of course. My hair was a bit longer and my eyes didn’t look sunken for once. I actually looked…alive and happier. And just the thought of that made me smile a bit more.

Within seconds, I had stripped of my clothes and put them off to the side. And with a few more, I had already stepped into the dress and pulled the straps over my shoulders. Now, I could see more qualities that I didn’t before.

The dress actually stopped mid-calf and hugged my waist quite a bit. However, it didn’t feel uncomfortable. I was also never a fan of plain white, but this along with the red, yellow, and pink flowers was quite nice. I actually wouldn’t mind wearing this out anywhere.

“Are you almost done,” Henry asked from the outside and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. He didn’t sound irritated, but he did have the habit of being impatient.

“Yes, I’m coming out now,” I called out, before grabbing the handle of the door. I took a deep breath and tried my best to ignore the nervousness that was washing over me. There’s no reason to feel nervous, I told myself. It’s just Henry, but then again. It’s the fact that it is Henry that makes me nervous.

I sighed quietly before turning the handle of the door and stepping out.

HENRY’S POINT OF VIEW

I tore the wrapper of the chocolate bar open and snapped a piece off before sticking it in my mouth. I chewed on it silently as I waited for her to come out… but should it really take that long to put on a dress?

“Are you almost done,” I asked and she responded fairly quickly.

“Yes, I’m coming out now,” she called out and she sounded a bit irritated. Did she not like the dress or was she just getting annoyed by me? Knowing her, it was probably the latter.

I smirked to myself as I snapped another piece off. I was this close to putting it into my mouth until I heard the door click. Now, all my attention shifted to the door.

She came out slowly, then all at once. Even if she did decide to come out all fast or all slow, I wouldn’t have been prepared either way. Because I had no idea that I’d be sitting in the presence of someone so perfect.

When did I deserve something like this? What did I do to deserve something like this? What did I do to deserve someone like her coming into my life?

The simple answer was that I didn’t…and that I probably never would. But I wanted to deserve it. I needed to deserve it. I would make sure that I deserved it. That I deserved her. Cause if I couldn’t have her, then what would be the point of anything? To me, a world without her in it wasn’t a world at all. It just wasn’t. Wherever she is, wherever she goes, that’s where I want to be. Always and forever. Because it’s her that I need and always will need.

BACK TO EMMA’S POINT OF VIEW

I stepped out and his eyes immediately widened. I didn’t expect them to, but they did. I also didn’t expect him to completely ignore the piece of chocolate that he had been holding in his hand and drop it to the floor carelessly.

He stayed like that for a few seconds, just staring in silence. I felt compelled to break him out of it, but before I could, he had already decided to speak up,

“Wow.” It was short and simple, but it made me impossibly happy and sent my heart fluttering. “You look…you look beautiful.”

“Do I,” I asked softly, almost not believing him.

“Yeah,” his cheeks started to redden. “I mean-I mean you look good.” And at that, I crossed my arms in displeasure and decided to get him back for changing his answer so quickly.

“Are you blushing, Bowers?”

“What? No,” he denied, rather unconvincingly.

“You know if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you liked me.”

“You wish,” he scoffed and that stung. I knew it shouldn’t have. I was equally as petty when he told me the same thing earlier, but then again. Did he really like me as much as I…as much as I liked him? I sure hope he did.

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END OF CHAPTER 8

[windless-hurricane]

She's the One

Chapter 2: Your Name

A Billy x Reader x Steve Fanfic

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SUMMARY: You're One, one of the many kids experimented on in Hawkins lab. Eleven's sister. You were found and now you're here to stay.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This took a lot longer to write than I anticipated, but here it is! I'd also like to apologize to anyone who sent me an ask. I accidentally responded and now I can't find y'all. If you're still interested, just let me know in the comments. Thank you.

WARNINGS: Language, violence, and scenes involving blood and/or death.

WORD COUNT: 2.8k

TAGLIST: @cherrym4rk @torntaltos @bun-dpdbny @5sosxgrethan @acidrain707 @evelynfreakinaddams @qtmeryr @kayln97 @uwu-bucky @book--butterfly @laurmillen @art-flirt @thecornerstoreoftheuniverse

LAST CHAPTER

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“What can you do?”

“How old are you?”

“Are you Eleven’s sister?”

“Just how strong are you?”

“Can you show us?”

The kids continued to throw question after question at you, expecting them to be answered, but leaving you with no time to answer them. You just stared at them with wide eyes until Hopper cut them off with a harsh tone.

“I’ll be asking the questions here.” And silence befell on them once again. Wow, you thought. He really had a talent for getting people to shut up.

You looked to him and he reeked of frustration and worry. However, when he spoke, there was an ounce of sympathy in his voice. “Why were you in that chamber?” You knew he was going to ask that. It was obvious enough, but it still made you cringe with discomfort. You didn’t want to talk about that chamber, because for you, that thing was a personal hell you thought you would never escape from. It was frightening and you never wanted to go back. However, answers were something that they deserved. Not only would it have helped them through this crisis, it would also give them some trust in you.

So, you cleared your throat and began to speak, slowly but carefully. “Well...since you know Eleven...you must already know...what the lab did…to her...to us.” He nodded. “I was the first one...they did it to… They always said that…they got lucky with me. That I was their best experiment and...would lay the groundwork for the others after me. That's why...all the kids who did survive the experiments, got one or two of my abilities.”

“And what exactly are your abilities,” Dustin asked with a grin, but Hopper wasn’t amused. He shot Dustin a death glare, but he didn't seem to notice it.

“I-I can move things...with my mind,” you revealed. “And make people see what I want them to see… I can read minds too and...tell what people are feeling.”

“Can you control people?”

“No. I haven't been able to that...not yet at least.” You caught a glimpse of Hopper's annoyed expression and gulped nervously. “Anyway... The reason I was in that chamber in the first place is because...I helped the other kids escape. Three, Seven, and Eight.”

“You mean there's other kids out there right now,” he asked.

“Well, not ‘here’ here, but...around. That day...I wasn't able to get Eleven out, but luckily...she was able to get out on her own.”

“While I was in there though, I could hear things - voices. At first, I-I didn't know who they belonged to, but I slowly started to realize what was going on. The first voice I heard was from that woman, Joyce...and she was talking...about him.” You pointed to Will who was asleep on the couch with a blanket over him. “He went missing and you found him, but now...something's wrong with him.”

“You know what's wrong?”

You nodded, while never breaking eye contact with him. “I know everything...because...I heard everything. I know all of you too. I recognize you from your voices.”

At that, everyone glanced between each other in astonishment. You, you were someone that they just met, someone who had just entered the picture without warning. Yet, you seemed to know more about what was going on than they did. Hell, you even knew all of them without a proper introduction. So if that didn’t show a fraction of what you were capable of, then they didn’t know what could. You were someone worth the bargain. Even so, Hopper felt compelled to ask one last thing.

“How long were you in there?”

You shrugged, “5 years, give or take.”

“Shit,” one of the kids breathed out and you could make it out as Lucas. Hopper sighed deeply and you could tell it was from a mixture of sympathy and desperation.

“I'm sorry to ask this of you, but...we need your help.”

“And I'll give it,” you blurted out without hesitation. “I was going to give it regardless.” You said more quietly as you looked over to Will. “There’s a darkness in Hawkins that we need to stop...and it starts with him.”

__________________________________________

“Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that’s controlling everything, then if we kill it...we kill everything that it controls.” You nodded as you continued to stare at the page from Dustin’s D&D manual. Mike’s deduction made sense, but the same question still stood. How do you-

“How do you kill this thing? Shoot it with fireballs or something?”

You jumped in surprise as Hopper snatched the manual away, trying to find the answer for himself. Dustin eventually spoke up, but it was less than confident.

“Well, uh, you summon an undead army, um, because-because zombies, you know, they don’t have brains.” He began to stumble over his own words. “And the mind flayer, it-it… It likes brains. It’s just a game. It’s a game,” he finally confessed.

“What the hell are we doing here,” Hopper groaned. Things weren’t looking good and that became more evident as Hopper and Dustin started to argue.

“I thought we were waiting for your military backup.”

“We are!”

“How are they gonna stop this? You can't just shoot this with guns.”

“You don't know that! We don't know anything!”

“We know it's already killed everybody in that lab. We know the monsters are gonna molt again. We know that it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town.”

“They’re right,” a voice interrupted. Joyce. “We have to kill it.”

Your face softened as you turned to face her. She was being overwhelmed by grief, sadness, and anger, but who could blame her obviously. She lost someone she loved.

“I want to kill it,” she declared.

“Me too, Joyce. Me too.” Hopper was doing his best to calm her; but deep down, he couldn’t even do that for himself. “But how do we do that?” And it hit you.

“Will knows.” Everyone stopped and turned to you. “Will knows how to kill it, because he’s connected to it. He already knows everything about it and that includes its weaknesses.”

“I thought we couldn’t trust him anymore - that he’s a spy for the mind flayer now,” Max reminded, causing Mike to shake his head.

“Yeah, but he can't spy if he doesn't know where he is.”

“Exactly,” you confirmed. “This will work.”

__________________________________________

You all decided that the shed in the backyard would be the best place for Will’s interrogation. It was small, making it perfect to disguise in a short amount of time. So, you all went outside to find materials that could help in your endeavor.

You were encouraged to not use your powers until the real threat came and while that wasn't a terrible idea, you also hadn’t used your powers in five years. You were rusty and needed as much practice as you could get. So, whenever the kids came upon an object that was either too heavy to carry or too high on a shelf to reach, you helped them. It was enough for now.

You let out a small sigh as you wiped the blood dripping from your nose. “You okay,” you heard someone ask and you turned to find Hopper. You nodded.

“Ye-yeah, I’m okay. Thank you.” You moved to go back into the house since most of the preparations were finished already, but stopped once he spoke again.

“I’m sorry again that all of this was so sudden and that...we weren’t able to save you under more normal circumstances.”

“Oh… That-that’s okay,” you told him. “I’m just glad that...that you got me out...and honestly, this couldn’t have been a more perfect time. You need my help to stop this thing. So… I guess what I’m really trying to say is...thank you. Thank you for saving me.” You managed a small smile as you looked up at him and he simply nodded in response. However, the tiniest of smiles reached his lips as well.

“I know you said you already know me, but I think...you at least deserve something more proper than this,” he reached his hand out. “Jim Hopper.”

You gazed down at his hand for a bit before taking it like you thought you were supposed to. You tried to match his grip as you smiled wider, “One.”

__________________________________________

You sat in the kitchen, hugging your knees to your chest. It was the first time you were left alone since being freed and now, you couldn’t ignore all the emotions floating around you. Anger, fear, regret, guilt, sadness, pain. To make it worse, you could hear every sad thing being said in the shed. It didn’t matter if you weren’t there. You could still hear everything like you always did.

Do you know what March 22nd is? It's your birthday. Your birthday.

Do you remember the day Dad left? We stayed up all night building Castle Byers… just the way you drew it.

I just felt so alone and scared, but… I saw you alone on the swings and you were alone too.

Tears ran down your cheeks and you couldn’t tell if they were for them, yourself and the life you could’ve had, or both. It was all becoming too much to bear and you couldn’t help the tears that kept falling and the sniffles that started to leave you. It wasn’t until you heard someone walk in that you tried to contain yourself. You tried to get rid of the tears with the sleeves of your shirt, but it seems like you didn’t try hard enough.

“Hey… Hey, are you crying?” And you froze. No one had ever spoken to you like that before. No one had ever used a voice that was so genuine and calming that it was enough to make your tears stop. That voice provided instant relief and you didn’t know why. You looked up to the owner of that voice and it was none other than Steve with a face of worry plastered on him.

You gazed into his eyes for a bit before answering. They were brown, just like most of the world’s, yet they still managed to be different. They still managed to be incredibly warm and beautiful. It was quite soothing. You gulped softly before averting your gaze.

“No,” you uttered, but of course he wasn’t convinced.

“Then, what’s all this,” he asked, gesturing toward your glossy eyes and red nose.

“Um, I- It just comes with the power.” You smiled softly in an attempt to make him believe you.

“Oh, so a bad case of allergies comes with your powers?” You looked at him in astonishment before bursting out in laughter, something you didn’t even know you were capable of.

“What? No.”

“Well, that’s what you said,” he began to laugh as well as he grinned a smile that could’ve made your heart stop.

“That’s not what I meant,” you tried to explain. “It’s just that...with my power...I can feel the emotions of everyone around me, but it’s not something I can really turn off. So sometimes... it can be very overwhelming...like right now.”

“Yeah, it really isn’t the best time, huh?” You shook your head, causing him to hum in response. “What if you just focused on one person?” Your eyes widened.

“Huh?”

“What do you feel when you feel me?” His eyes widened too. “Wait, that sounds weird.” You let out a small chuckle as he started to panic. “I mean, what do you feel when...um-what do you feel when you see me?”

You tilted your head to the side as you felt him. Not physically, but just through the way you gazed at him.

“Worry and...nervousness,” you confirmed. “You’re a lot more tame than everyone else here.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is,” you chuckled, and you didn’t notice the way his eyes scanned over your features or the way he smirked after.

“So, your name’s One, huh? Like the number?” You furrowed your eyebrows.

“Yes.”

“But it’s not your actual name.” You shook your head, only confirming his thoughts.

“No. I don’t remember what my actual name was. One was just the name they gave me. We were never...people to them. We were just numbers...experiments.”

“That’s really messed up. I’m sorry.” You shook your head again.

“It-it’s okay.” However, he could still tell from you expression that it wasn’t.

“How about...we give you a new name? A real name?”

For some reason, your heart flutter at his suggestion and a warmth flushed your cheeks.

“Um, I think-I think I’d like that,” you told him and his eyes gleamed.

“Ok, names names. What do you look like?” He brought his hand to his chin and pondered for a bit. “How about… Stacy?” You grimaced without meaning to and he took that as a no. “Alright... Oh! Heather.” You shook your head. “Really?”

“Really,” you responded.

“Ok, ok. How about… Let me think. (Y/N). That’s a nice name.”

(Y/N). It was simple and different all at once, and the way it rolled it off his tongue made you like it even more.

“I think that’s it,” you smirked and he mimicked you right away.

“Well, (Y/N). I’m Steve Harrington.” He stuck his hand out and you took it gently. His hand was a lot bigger than yours in comparison, but a lot softer. It was warm and careful, like he was afraid he would crush your hand if he squeezed a bit too tightly. It was sweet.

“Well, Steve Harrington. I’m…(Y/N).”

“Nice to meet you.” You both giggled softly until you were cut off by Mike yelling ‘We got something!’

“Duty calls,” Steve sighed and you nodded, letting go of his hand reluctantly.

Although the moment was short, you appreciated Steve going out of his way to make you feel better. He comforted you and even made you laugh. It was like for a moment, you weren’t in this situation. For a moment, it felt like it was just the two of you - living and living happily.

_________________________________ 

While you and Steve were talking, the group in the shed was able to bring Will back. Not fully, but partly. It turned out that the recollection of his memories was helping him gain some control within his body. It wasn’t much, but it was enough. He tapped his fingers until he spelt ‘Here’ and with every memory someone spouted, a new letter came after. Eventually, you all got the answer that you had been hoping for.

“Close the gate,” you all read aloud in unison. Before you could even process that however, the phone started ringing and a nauseating pain was sent to the pit of your stomach.

The feeling only worsened when Nancy yanked the phone out of the wall. You already knew it was too late.

“They know where we are,” you stated and the monsters screeching in the distance only proved that.

“That’s not good,” Hopper muttered. “Come on. We gotta go.” He motioned for everyone to follow him, but there was nowhere to go. It was too dangerous to leave. It was too dangerous to even think about leaving. You could already feel those things nearby. 

You shook your furiously, “No, no. Get away from the windows!” Everyone was stunned by the volume of your voice, but seeing as you were the only strong enough to handle these things, no one complained. They easily compiled and started huddling up in the living room, preparing themselves for attack. You subconsciously put your arm in front of Steve and the other out in front of you. The growling steadily grew closer and closer and the closer it got, the more you tensed up. You weren't strong enough yet and you knew it, but that wasn't an excuse. You still had to protect them. You would protect them. 

So you waited, waited for something to come crashing through the door... But it never came. Instead, the growling was replaced by thrashing and you instantly knew who it was. 

Something came crashing through the window and everyone pointed their weapons at it. You glanced over and it was one of the monsters, freshly dead. Everyone else was alarmed but you. 

“It's okay,” you whispered, but they were more confused than reassured. The lock to the door slowly started to turn and everyone aimed their weapons at it.

With a small click, the door unlocked and creaked open. Once they set foot into the house, you smiled softly. 

“Eleven.”

[windless-hurricane]

She's the One Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUMMARY:

You're found in Hawkins Lab the night of the demodogs raid by none other than the Chief of Police, Jim Hopper. Although you don't look like much, there's more to you than meets the eye.

WARNINGS (for entire series):

Language, violence, graphic scenes involving blood and/or death, some sexuality, some underage drinking, and trauma.

CHAPTERS:

1 - One

2 - Your Name

3 - Eleven

4 - The Tunnels

5 - Steve

6 - Billy

7 - The Mind Flayer

8 - ???

TAGLIST: @cherrym4rk @acidrain707 @torntaltos @evelynfreakinaddams @bun-dpdbny @qtmeryr @art-flirt @5sosxwinchester @kayln97 @uwu-bucky @thecornerstoreoftheuniverse @book--butterfly @laurmillen @gabyer0309 @bonnieelizabethparker @supernaturalvikingwhore @gothackedalready @xxalice98xxblog @bhad-disposition @frozenhuntress67 @loveofmonstersandroses

[windless-hurricane]

MASTERLIST

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SERIES

IT (2017)

Pennywise and the Dancing Girl Masterlist

IT (2019)

Come Home (Sequel Series to Pennywise and the Dancing Girl) Masterlist

Stranger Things

She's the One Masterlist

[windless-hurricane]

She's the One

A Billy Hargrove x Reader x Steve Harrington Fanfic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUMMARY: You're found in Hawkins Lab the night of the demodogs raid by none other than the Chief of Police, Jim Hopper. Although you don't look like much, there's more to you than meets the eye.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Enjoy and more will be revealed in the next chapter!

WARNINGS: Violence and scenes involving blood and/or death.

WORD COUNT: 2k

NEXT CHAPTER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“One!”

“Go! Get out of here!”

“You’re going to regret doing that.”

“Eat me.”

“What’re you going to do? Kill me?”

“Of course not. We can't let our best experiment get away. We need you.”

“You have no one left!”

“We have you and Eleven and if we lose Eleven, then we’ll always have you. As long as we have you, we’ll always be able to start again.”

“You can’t do this!”

“We already have.”

“Brenner. Brenner!”

“Close the chamber. Have a nice sleep, One.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Darkness. That’s what the next five years of your life consisted of. Alone, unable to breathe, unable to see your friends, unable to live. You’ve felt as if you were asleep, nearly dead, but not quite. It wasn’t until about a year ago that the constant silence you were surrounded by was interrupted by voices - voices that eventually reminded you that you were still alive.

I don't know where my boy is.

I don’t care if anyone believes me. I am not gonna stop looking for him until I find him and bring him home!

She threw you in the air with her mind!

She’s our friend and she’s crazy!

If we’re both going crazy, then we’ll go crazy together, right?

What the hell is this? - We have no idea. It was here when we got here, but if I’m going to take a guess… It’s one of the kids that were experimented on. - And you’re just going to keep them in there? - We don’t know what they’re capable of; but if they were locked up, it must’ve been done for a reason.

I don’t want you to get hurt at all. And I don’t wanna lose you.

They cannot save you, Jane. - No, but I can save them.

And for the first time in a long time, you woke up.

You knew that voice. Even if it was more grown than the last time you heard it. It was her. It was Eleven and she was closer than you ever felt her before. She might not have been there in the lab with you, but the conviction in her voice told you that she was coming - coming to save everyone. But from what?

The rumbling that you felt next answered your question. It was whatever was causing that. It was whatever was causing everyone from the outside to scream. It was… a monster. You had to get out of there. You had to help them, because that’s what she was coming to do. This was your chance - your chance to get her back.

You raised your hand despite the heaviness of the water and pushed it against the door.

You had to open the door. You had to focus, even if it was unbearably loud. Open the door, you told yourself. Open it. You know you can.

You kept going and going until your head ached, but it was fruitless. It wasn’t working. It had been too long since you’ve been in there. Too long since you’ve used your powers. You were too weak.

“What’re you doing,” a frantic voice yelled and it was enough to push you back into reality.

“We have to get them out of here,” another voice explained and you recognized it almost immediately. It was gruff and stern. It had to be that sheriff.

“Are you insane?”

“Listen, if you want to get out of here alive, whoever is in here is our best bet. Got it?”

“There’s no way to open it.”

“Oh, no way to open it…” Then, a loud crash took you aback and it kept repeating over and over again. He was hitting the lock and it was actually...breaking. It definitely wasn’t the most technical way to do it, but it was working nevertheless. Just a few more hits and he’ll do it. He’ll break the lock and after three more hits, that’s exactly what he did.

The door flew open and the water that had always engulfed you poured out. It left you feeling cold and wet, but you didn’t care. As long as you could feel. The darkness that you always hated was quickly replaced by blinding light and it burned your eyes, but you didn’t care about that either. As long as you could see. For years, this was all you wanted and you finally got it. Now, all you had to do was save yourself from falling.

It was a lot harder than you expected it to be. Mostly because your entire body felt like jelly, but you were still able to do it. You placed an arm in front of yourself and your hand and knee took most of the impact as you landed in a crouching position. Hopper and the doctor watched you intently as you struggled to catch your breath. They went to move, but froze once they heard growling echoing behind them. They both turned in unison and fear washed over their faces as they gazed at the creature in front of them. You were only able to see it too once your eyes adjusted to the light.

It was small, almost the size of a dog, but an ugly dog. It was green and slimy all over, and it’s head almost looked like a flower bud. So, these were the monsters you had to worry about.

You glared at it as its mouth bloomed open, revealing dozens of rows of sharp teeth. The doctor cowered at the sight while Hopper readied himself. It roared loudly and started to charge the three of you before you raised your hand in the air. Push it back.

You thought about the years you spent in that chamber and the person who locked you in it. You thought about it until the veins along your temple burned in anger. You thought about it until you were able to send the creature flying through the air and into the wall behind it, breaking its neck in process.

Hopper looked back at you in shock as you pulled the oxygen mask off your face and wiped your bloody nose. If that didn’t tell him who you were, then the tattoo on your wrist reading “001” did. It was in that moment that you got pulled into this silly disaster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All of you, except two, were able to escape the lab. That’s not what you wanted, but it’s what ended up happening.

The doctor chose to stay behind, while you weren’t fast enough to save a man named Bob from dying. You didn’t even realize he had been attacked until you heard a woman screaming. You managed to push the creature off him, but more followed suit shortly after and you were still too weak to handle that many. So, Hopper had no choice but to drag you and the woman named Joyce away as a honking car pulled up to the curb.

“Come on! Get in,” a voice yelled. It was Jonathan, the son of Joyce.

You all squeezed yourself into the car and once the doors shut, Jonathan sped away like a madman. It made you fall back into your seat harshly and you did your best to cling onto the edge of the seat. It must’ve been odd because almost everyone in the car looked at you.

You couldn’t help but gulp nervously as you glanced back at everyone. You weren’t sure how to react to the unwanted attention, but luckily Jonathan took it upon himself to make it less awkward.

“Who’s she,” he asked. His voice was curious and breathy. You felt compelled to answer, but you realized you couldn’t even get a word out. Your throat was so dry and you couldn’t find your voice. It had been so long since you used it that you felt like dust was going to come out of your mouth rather than actual words.

Noticing your discomfort, Hopper decided to answer for you.

“I’ll explain later.” That was all he said before moving his gaze to the front again.

No one decided to push the matter further and you were internally grateful for that. However, you could still feel a pair of eyes on you and they belonged to the boy sitting right next to you - Mike. You didn’t know it, but he already saw the tattoo on your wrist and was questioning what you were truly capable of.

A few moments later, the car came to a screeching halt and you dug your nails into the leather of the seat to keep yourself from falling forward. Hopper moved to get out of the car and you immediately panicked. You leaned forward quickly and gripped his shoulder like your life depended on it. You hadn’t known him for long, but he was the one who rescued you and you didn’t feel comfortable with anyone but him.

He looked back at you in surprise and although you couldn’t speak, he read your eyes like you did.

“It’s okay,” he mumbled before glancing at Jonathan. "Your house." Jonathan quickly nodded and Hopper looked back at you again, “Come on.”

You pushed yourself out of the car and followed him into his own. Once you got settled in and put your seatbelt on to Hopper’s request, he took off. Along the way, he picked up a few more kids, each pausing to look at you as they went into the backseat. There was a boy with curly hair, another boy wearing a bandana, and a girl with long red hair. However, the last boy to enter truly caught your attention. He was older than the other kids, about your age. He was tall, had long flowy hair, and deep brown eyes. To say he was beautiful was an understatement. You subconsciously continued to stare at him until he locked eyes with you through the rearview mirror. You tore your gaze away, but knew that his was still on you along with the other kids. It continued to stay that way even after you got to the Byers house.

You scarfed down a sandwich Hopper had made for you and paid them no mind as you washed it down with water. You could’ve gone for another. Hell, even 10 more, but this wasn’t the time and place. Right now, everyone was eager for answers. Everyone, except a sleeping Will and grieving Joyce.

You looked up at everyone as they surrounded you around the table and did your best to recollect their names. The boy with the curly hair was Dustin. The one with the bandana was Lucas. The redhead was Max. Mike stood beside her. Then for the teenagers, Nancy was the only girl. Beside her was Jonathan and beside him was...Steve. You let your gaze linger on him for a bit until you heard the chair across from you screech against the floor. It was Hopper taking a seat.

You watched him carefully as he interlocked his hands under his chin and tried to find the right words to say.

“Good,” he asked quietly and it took you a moment to realize that he was talking about the sandwich. So, you simply nodded as you waited for him to continue.

He started to speak before being interrupted by a younger voice.

“So, you're like Eleven?” You looked to Dustin in surprise, but everyone else wasn’t impressed. They started to chastise him for being so blunt.

“We had a plan, Dustin,” Mike explained frustratedly.

“I couldn’t help it! The anticipation was killing me!” He tried to defend.

“We were trying not to freak her out,” Lucas added.

“Well seems like you already succeeded in that, doofuses,” Max insulted.

“Everyone be quiet,” Hopper ordered loudly.

Silence immediately filled the room as Hopper huffed in annoyance.

“The plan was...to handle this nice and...slowly, so we don’t overwhelm our new guest. Wasn’t that right?”

“Well-”

“Wasn’t that right?”

"Yes,” the kids answered in unison, looking down to their feet.

“But we don’t necessarily have the time,” Nancy said lowly.

“I know,” Hopper agreed. “But it’s possible that she doesn’t even know who Eleven is.”

“I know...who Eleven is,” you revealed softly and everyone’s eyes instantly widened. “I know her and...I’m like her.” You turned your wrist over and ran your thumb over your tattoo.

“I’m One. I’m number One.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

END OF CHAPTER. THANK YOU!

[xingmithefool]

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