Why do you write like you're running out of time?

"I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard." 

[harringtonsugar]

you’re serving face. the world is ending and you’re serving face.

[writequickly-blog]

Not Alone

Steve Harrington x Reader but make it Hunger Games

If you're anything like me, then @sheisjoeschateau 's I See Fire has been your obsession all summer, so I just had to dip my toes in with a little drabble. Now, this is not even close to sheisjoeschateau's work or story but her work left the gears in my head turning and fingers itching to write. So, here is my little contribution to the Stranger Things x Hunger Games World.

Not Alone

“I don’t want to die alone Steve.” You say quietly into the cave, head against his chest, his heart beating steadily in your ear. 

The mutt got you four days ago, slashing your mid section down to what you can only assume is your organs. 

Steve had managed to kill it, slashed it over and over with the spear, directly in its horrible flowered face. It was too late, but at least it was dead. Neither of you made it out unscathed, but Steve’s injuries were far less severe than yours. The two of you managed to find the cave for shelter and to assess your injuries before you were completely down for the count. 

Steve looks down at you from where he was staring off into the rock roof of the cave. 

“You're not alone." There is a long pause. “You are not going to die.” 

You both knew the second one was a lie, a comfort for you or him you weren’t so sure about. 

“I’m right here.” He says eventually, “I’m not going anywhere.” 

You try not to let the sob escape your chest but you feel his arms tighten around you anyway. The infection is starting to set in, you can feel your abdomen burn, your fever spiking- the heat making your brain begin to feel fuzzy. 

Soon, too soon, it’ll be too late. 

At this point you're just waiting for the time to count itself down. 

“I love you, Steve.” You whisper, your heart aching of what could have been, in a different life. 

Instead of answering, he leans down and presses a soft kiss to your lips. The rest of the night is met with a solemn, resolute silence. 

Steve dreams of a life that could have been no Hunger Games, back in District Twelve- you holding a baby boy on your hip, laughing at the way a little girl chases the white fluff of a dandy lion as another little girl blows it into the sunshine. They chase and sing and laugh. It’s the most beautiful sound he has ever heard. He only wished it were real. He focuses on you instead, you have a beautiful smile on your face, your eyes bright as you interact with the sweet little baby and making him giggle. 

It makes the night feel slightly lighter, the cave not so dark and foreboding. Steve lets the vision play in his head as the night slowly ticks on.

He isn’t sure whether it’s minutes or hours later when he hears a faint ringing outside the cave. It takes Steve several moments to realize that a sponsor gift has found its way to them. He slowly unwraps himself from your sleeping form and tip toes to the entrance of the cave. 

There, sitting in the damp earth is a pot. 

Keep telling her you're not alone. Says the note, it takes everything in Steve to hold back the tears of relief that flood his eyes.

[harringtonsugar]

After Midnight

summary: your boyfriend begins to take notice of how often you accidentally fall asleep during the day and can’t figure out why - then he realizes it’s because of him.

warnings: angst, nightmares, mentions of blood and gore and such, some cursing, happy ending, steve is once again so damn boyfriend, probably more but that’s all i got for now.

word count: 5.3k

from jen: this was a request, and i hope i did it justice! it got way longer than i intended but i hope you guys like it. as always, with love <3

Steve loved naps as much as the next person. I mean, after a long day of unpaid babysitting, monster hunting and hours of dealing with irritating customers at his minimum wage job, he loved the idea of jumping into bed for a few hours of shut eye.

But he definitely didn’t love it as much as his beautiful girlfriend did.

He looked over at where you sat. It was early into the evening hours, you were curled in an adorable ball on the couch of the Squawk, wrapped in a handmade blanket he stole from Lucas to cover you with. Your hair was a little messy, pieces covering your face.

You’d fallen asleep barely a few minutes after Hopper ended the weekly meeting to discuss any new findings to get you closer to Vecna. It was pretty much all the same information as last week and at this point, it was more of a formality than anything else.

Everyone had quietly dispersed after his dismissal. Nancy and Jonathan went home together, El and Mike ran up to the roof hand-in-hand for some alone time, Dustin had quickly made his way to wherever he’s been spending all his time lately. That left himself, you, Robin and Lucas inside.

Steve was standing near the projector, cleaning up papers and blueprints left under the scope. Beside him, Robin helped clean up some of the snacks the kids left behind. It was quiet for the most part, only the sound of your sleepy breathing and the faint hum of the record Robin played for the radio.

Lucas was sitting across from you, and Steve noticed the way he kept glancing over at you. He was ready to ask what his deal was before Lucas spoke up.

“Should I like, wake her up or something?” Lucas asks, looking away from you and up at Steve.

His brows furrow, hands still moving papers into their folders. “What? No, she’s tired. Let her sleep,”

“Yeah, she’s sort of always tired,” Lucas mutters under his breath.

Steve can’t hear even an ounce of attitude in his tone but he’s also not understanding what Lucas is implying. Next to him, Robin huffs a laugh and he whips his head at her. He doesn’t like the idea of them having some sort of private conversation about you.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asks. The papers are long forgotten and he crosses his arms over his chest. His eyes flicker from his best friend and the young teen.

“Nothing,” Lucas shakes his head quickly, scrambling to gather his things. Steve’s annoyance spikes: so they are having a private conversation about you. So what if you fall asleep sometimes? It’s not like you’re lazy – is that what they’re trying to say? That you’re lazy?

It’d be an insane implication considering how you’re almost always the first one out in the field during a crawl. El grew pretty attached to you after she closed the gate the first time and ever since then, she’s practically begged you to accompany her everywhere and now that includes the intense training she does with Hopper – not once have you missed a session. You tag along with Steve and Dustin in the van for the late night crawls, and you volunteer for stakeouts with Nancy when it comes to the military cordon.

The last damn thing you were was lazy and he wasn’t about to let anyone, his best friends included, imply otherwise.

Robin seemed to have sense his thoughts and quickly jumped to Lucas’ defense. She sets the bowls of half eaten snacks back on the table.

“That’s not what he means, Steve,” She assures and Lucas looks grateful. Still, he doesn’t soften but he lets her continue. “He’s kinda right though. I mean, I’m a little worried she’s got some underlying medical condition we don’t know about or something. She knocks out at the drop of a hat lately,”

“She does not,” He scoffs but his shoulders loosen. Just barely.

Lucas jumps back in. “I wasn’t trying to be a jerk, man. I’m just worried. What if she’s not just tired? Max still hasn’t woken up, it could be something like that,”

Finally, Steve softens. He sees the fear hidden behind Lucas’ eyes and he knows how hard his forced separation from Max has been. It’s been six months since that night at the Creel house and there was still no change for her. You and Steve have spent most of your free time with Lucas visiting her.

And no matter how scared Steve is of the possibility of you falling victim to Vecna’s curse, he knows this isn’t that. You don’t have visions, you don’t have nose bleeds and you very clearly have no issue sleeping. It’s been a rough few months and you’re tired. That’s all.

He hopes.

“She’s not Max, Lucas,” Steve says softly and watches the way his face falls. “She’s not going anywhere, she’s just napping, alright?”

The younger boy nods, and Steve knows despite his relent, he’s still worried. Robin gives Steve an empathetic smile and finishes cleaning up the dishes from the coffee table.

“Come on, I’ll drop you off at the hospital,”

Lucas smiles in return this time, happy to see his girlfriend even if she’s still unconscious. He quickly grabs his jacket and backpack, practically running out of the building. She turns towards Steve once he’s out of earshot.

“Maybe that’s all it is. But with our luck, it wouldn’t hurt to check in with her. I don’t think we can handle losing someone else,” She suggests with a shrug. Her words hit uncomfortably under his ribs, and he nods once before she’s turning to follow Lucas.

Steve turns back towards your sleeping frame, where you haven’t even twitched despite the entire conversation that took place around you. He leans down next to you, his hand raising to push the hair from your face. He watches your face and the way you look so peaceful.

The normal pinch between your brows is smoothed out, pretty pink lips slightly parted, there’s a tired flush covering your cheeks and your fingers are loosely gripping the blanket close to your chest.

He smiles to himself, but his mind begins to wander. Maybe they were right – you did fall asleep pretty often these past couple months. He’s not sure when it started but he knows there’s been times he’s noticed.

Whenever he lets you know it’s safe and just a waiting game now, you fall asleep in the passenger seat of the van during crawls. You fall asleep at normal group hangouts, head resting on his shoulder and both arms wrapped around his one. You fall asleep at times like now, after a meeting is over.

He shouldn’t be worried, he doesn’t have a true reason to be. When you’re awake, you’re here. You’re helping Nancy make plans, you’re helping El train, you’re helping keep the boys occupied when they get scared. You’re just a girl who likes extra sleep, that’s all.

Gently, his thumb glides across your cheek in a quiet way to rouse you awake. His other hand comes up and pulls the blanket from your skin. Slowly, your eyes flutter open and when they land on him, a sleepy smile covers your mouth.

“Hey, pretty girl,” He can’t help but wear his own matching smile. Your cheeks redden at his pet name, but he knows how much you love hearing it.

“Hi Steve,” You murmur. He’s pretty sure his heart just physically bursted in his chest – you always talk so softly, so sweetly to him. “Did I fall asleep?”

He hums and nods in response. His hand is still stroking your hair back. “Just for a bit. Everyone left, why don’t we go get somethin’ to eat before we go home, yeah?”

Almost immediately, you perk up. You’re pushing yourself off the couch, using his shoulders for balance. “Milkshakes too?”

There’s that adorable glint in your eyes and he knows for certain if you asked him to bring you the moon, he’d create a plan to have it in the palm of your hands within two hours.

“Of course we can get milkshakes, baby,” He promises. You gleam up at him, more than pleased, and rush to clean up the evidence of your nap. Once you’re satisfied, you’re slipping your hand in his and letting him lead you towards the car.

Steve feels content now that you’re awake and talking his ear off about basically nothing, but there’s still something that tugs at his chest. Part of him that thinks he should bring up your excessive napping, like Robin said, but you seem so happy. If it’s truly nothing, like he knows it is, why risk upsetting you and make you feel like everyone’s talking about your sleeping habits?

He glances down at you, and nods at the random piece of information you throw his way, and he’s made his decision. He’ll keep a better eye on you, but he won’t bring it up to you unless he’s left with no choice.

Later that night, Steve has you wrapped in his arms in your shared bed. The house is dark and quiet, only the sound of your favorite movie playing from the TV. You’d had dinner together at his favorite diner, with two milkshakes of course, and came straight home.

Your head lays on his chest, legs tangled with his and your fingers trace little shapes – Steve is pretty sure they’re hearts – across the skin of his arm that rests on his stomach. His other hand sits comfortably in your hair, gently running his fingers through it. He feels his exhaustion catching up to him and his eyes slowly begin to flutter.

He’s not sure when he finally falls asleep but he’s sure you’re bound to follow right after him.

One minute, Steve is laying comfortably with his beautiful girlfriend and the next, he’s laying in a pool of his own blood. His eyes are turned upwards, staring at the swarm of Demobats flying in the dark sky, flashes of red lighting are striking every few seconds and the light it offers shows him the amount of bats multiply as they get closer.

His breathing is uneven, he can feel the terror already carved into his stomach. His heart is racing and the sound fills his ears like ringing. He takes a quick glance beside him and sees he’s surrounded by dead bodies.

Robin’s body is covered in blood, her eyes open but lifeless – her blonde hair is stained red from the blood spilling from every injury on her body. Nancy is next to her in an almost identical manner. He feels his own face wet with tears, and it only worsens when his eyes move to the other side of him and he sees Dustin’s body. He has his homemade spear clutched between his fingers, like he was fighting to the last second. Lucas is next to him, blood staining his clothes and he’s gripping Max’s hand in his. Steve sees how all her limbs are broken, blood seeping from her eyes.

He wants to scream. It all happened so fast, but he was right there. How could he have let this happen? He’s supposed to protect them, and now they’re all gone. Brutally murdered right in front of him and he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t save them.

He hears the bats screeching and the Demogorgons roaring get closer and he knows he has to find a way out but does he even want to? All his friends are dead.

Suddenly, your face appears in his memory. He looks around around and you’re not here. You could be alive, somewhere out here alone.

Steve forces himself to sit up and nearly cries at the painful sensation that shoots up from his abdomen to his chest. He glances down at himself, sees how his shirt is torn so bad it’s basically ripped in two. He has angry red slashes he can only assume are from Demogorgons across his ribs. There’s smaller cuts, like bites from the bats on his arms and chest. His arms are scratched up, spilling blood all across his skin.

Despite all the pain, he has to get to you. He couldn’t save everyone else but he can save you. He has to.

Ignoring the echos of the monsters getting closer to him, he forces himself to stand – pushing down the pain spiking in his feet and up his spine from the sharp ground of the Upside Down. He tries his best to run further into the forest, but all he can manage is a limp. Still, he moves as fast as he can.

It’s so dark down there, he’s relying on the terrifying flashes of red lighting to give him some sort of light. He moves further and further into the trees, careful to avoid any moving vines, in search of you. He ignores the burning in his weakened legs and the sharp pain from his stomach injuries.

He doesn’t know how long he’s been looking for you when he finally hears it. It’s distant and quiet but he knows it’s your voice screaming for help. His stomach drops at the way you sound so scared. So weak and broken, but you’re trying. You’re fighting to hold on. It pushes him to move faster.

He forces himself to run towards your voice. He’s shouting your name, begging you to keep talking to him. He’s promising you he’s close, that he’s gonna find you and protect you.

“Steve!” He can hear your voice clearer now and he knows he’s closer to you. There’s a waver in your voice and he has to fight back tears. He walks a few more yards and finally, he finds you. His heart drops at the sight.

You’re near what would be Lovers Lake in your world, lying on your back and a palm pressed tightly to your stomach. He doesn’t know where the strength comes from but all the pain in his body disappears and he’s running to you.

He falls to his knees beside you, hands ready to grab you but he halts when he finally takes in your state.

There’s so much fucking blood.

Your hair is already matted from the blood spilling from the wound on your head. The palm pressing to your stomach is soaked in blood from the slash covering the entire right side of your stomach. Your short covered legs are littered with slightly smaller but deep cuts. But the worst is the one on your neck. There’s a gash that tears open the skin from just under your ear, all the way out to the middle of your throat. The wound is pouring blood, staining your beautiful skin he loves.

Steve lets out a sob at the sight of you and he doesn’t even know what the fuck he’s supposed to do. You glance back at him and the only thing he can see in your eyes in pure fear.

“I-I’m here, baby, I’m here,” He cries. Frantically, he looks around for something – anything – to help him but there’s nothing. Only himself. There’s tears streaming down your cheeks and he watches you cough up blood when you try and respond. “Don’t talk, don’t talk,” He rushes out. Steve tears off a large piece of fabric from his own shirt and forces it into a ball, pushing it against the wound on your neck.

You cry out from the pain of the pressure and he feels his heart break.

“I know, I’m so sorry baby, I have – I have to stop the bleeding,” His cheeks begin to stain from his own tears as he watches you struggle.

“C-Can’t bre-breathe –“ You’re coughing out the words and more blood stains your lips. His head nods in understanding and he’s racking his brain to come up with a plan. A way to get you out of here alive.

But he doesn’t even know if that’s possible. You’re bleeding so much, and the pressure of his shaky hands is barely enough to cover the wound on your neck. There’s still the injury to your stomach, the cut on your head, and the deep cuts on your legs. You wouldn’t be able to walk because of them and if he somehow managed to get you up, he’d have to carry you out himself.

He wouldn’t even be thinking twice if he didn’t have his own injuries. The slash across his ribs is screaming in agony at him and the bites along his own legs make him weaker. What if he can’t get you out? He can’t let you die like this.

“I’m gonna get you out of here, okay? I promise. You’re not gonna die in this fucking place,” He swears, carefully taking your hands and replacing his own to hold the fabric to your neck. He glances around to make sure there’s no monsters near before sliding one arm under your knees and the other under the back of your neck and moves to lift you.

Almost immediately, you’re screaming in pain. He nearly drops you out of fear from the loud sound of your pain. Your body is shaking from pain and you’re shaking your head at him, wordlessly begging him to put you down. He knows the two of you are far from the gate and if you were in this much pain from him picking you up, you were going to feel like you were being tortured if he carried you the two mile run back to safety.

He has no choice. Quickly, he drops back down to his knees and eases you out of his arms and back onto the bloodied ground. His vision is almost completely blurred from his tears. You’re gonna die out here, and he feels so fucking helpless.

“Baby please, I have to get you out of here,”

“You can’t,” You suddenly sob and he doesn’t think he can take much more of that sound. His body is shaking – from fear, anger, anxiety, every terrible thing someone can feel. “You were supposed to protect me, how could you let this happen?”

Blood still covers your body and you’re crying as you speak, but your voice is suddenly clear – as if there’s not a ten inch cut covering your throat.

He feels a pang in his chest. You’re right, he’s supposed to protect you. He dragged you into this and now you’re going to die, just like all his friends, and it’s all his fault.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” Steve sobs, gently cradling your face in his bloody hands. Blood smears across your skin.

“You did this to me, Steve. Why didn’t you save me?”

From behind him, he hears the monsters screech and clamor again and he knows it’s only a matter of minutes before they get to you both.

“Please. Please don’t leave me,” He begs. His arms are still wrapped around you and he cradles you to his chest. His arms are covered in the blood leaking from your body and it feels like you’re beginning to slip out of his arms from the amount of blood but he holds on tight.

Until you go limp.

Right there in his arms, he feels the way your body stills and falls aimlessly into his chest. No, no, no. He pulls you from his chest and when he looks down at you, your eyes are shut and your chest is unmoving.

He calls your name helplessly, tries to shake you awake but you’re not asleep. You’re dead. His body shakes with sobs as he stares down at your emotionless face, stained with blood and all he can do is remember every time you smiled at him.

And how you’ll never do it again.

The monsters are so close now, probably only a few feet away and for the first time, he wants it to be for him. He wants them to kill him, force him to be with his dead friends .. with you.

His friends are gone, you are gone and he has nothing else to live for. His greatest nightmare just came true and there’s no waking up.

“Steve!”

Suddenly, Steve’s body is jolted upwards and he’s back in his bed.

He’s overwhelmed with the smell of your presence. The soft cashmere and vanilla scent that makes him feel like he’s wrapped up in his very own security blanket.

He can feel your hands across his skin, trying to bring him out of his dream and back to you. He can hear you murmuring soft comforts to him, even if he can’t fully grasp what you’re actually saying.

He tries his best to regain his bearings as fast as possible. His body is all but drenched in sweat, his clothes cling to his skin. There’s a distant ringing in his ears he can’t seem to get rid of but he looks around at his surroundings.

“Shh, it’s okay, it was just a dream,” Your gentle voice whispers comfortingly. You’ve managed to pull him into your arms, his face tucked under the crook of your neck and your hands slowly stroke his back.

He can’t help himself when his arms squeeze you tight, almost too tight. You don’t complain, you hold him just as close. He listens to the sound of your heart and does his best to use it to calm his own racing heart.

You’re here, you’re alive. It was just a dream.

“I’m here baby, I’m right here,”

He’s back on the verge of tears, this time out of relief instead of fear. His nightmares are something he’s dealt with since he fought the Demogorgon at the Byers house and it’s something he’s never gotten used to. He knows for sure it’s not something he ever will.

But you’re there every time, comforting him and reminding him none of it was real.

He buries himself further into you, and you can feel his nails digging into your skin but you don’t seem to care. You’ve dealt with your own share of nightmares but they never seem to be as bad as his.

You hold Steve in your arms for a long time before his breathing has returned to normal and he’s ready to talk about it. When the nightmares first started, he refused to tell you what they were about but it didn’t take long for you to realize it was because it was almost always centered around losing you.

Slowly, he pulls away from your neck and lays on his back, resting against the pillow but he keeps one hand holding yours. You’re still sitting upright, your free hand resting on his chest, just above his heart.

“D’you wanna talk about it?” You ask.

He takes a quick glance at you and sees the concerned look on your face. That pinch between your brows is back, and despite yourself, there’s a small frown on your lips. He takes a deep breath.

“It was the same dream,” He begins. “I woke up down there, dead bodies all around me and you’re screaming for me. And it ends the same way..” He hesitates for a second, looking back into your beautiful eyes he loves so much. “I can’t save you,”

He watches the way your eyes sadden and he hates it. He hates the way he feels like he’s burdening you with his stupid nightmares.

“It wasn’t real, Steve,” Your hand raises to cradle his jaw. “It’s never going to be real. You know why?”

Wordlessly, he waits for your response.

“Because you’ve saved me every single time. You saved me in the tunnels two years ago, you saved me from evil Russian soldiers, and you saved me from the bats down there last year,”

He feels his eyes burn but he lets you comfort him.

“You’re always going to save me, baby. There’s nobody else I feel safer with than you. Nobody,” You promise fiercely and it’s enough for him to let his tears fall.

There’s a faint voice in the back of his head that tells him he’s weak for crying like this in front of you but when you wrap him in your arms again and coo into his ear, he can’t seem to care.

Because he knows you’re right. He saved you all those times and he’d always do it. He’d rather die than let anything happen to you and even if he has to live with these nightmares for the rest of his life, he still wakes up to you every time.

It’s probably an hour by the time he’s completely calmed down from the nightmare and you’ve sat wrapped in each others arms the whole time. When you shift to lay more comfortably, Steve looks around the room again.

He notices the TV is still playing, but it’s no longer the movie he fell asleep to. Instead, it’s Friday the 13th. There’s two other VHS tapes beside the TV, ones that weren’t there before he fell asleep, and he also notices the array of snacks on your bedside table. When he glances at the clock, he sees it’s nearing 4:30AM and that’s well past when he’d fallen asleep but from the looks of it, you’d stayed up.

You don’t seem to notice his confusion until he shifts to lay on his side. Your head tilts up at him and he can physically see the sleepiness on your face.

“Have you been awake this whole time?” You blink up at him, but he notices the way you look almost guilty and that confirms what he’d been thinking.

You nod hesitantly. “Yeah, I-I couldn’t sleep,”

When you nervously bite your lip, he knows you’re lying and you know you’re caught when you see the way he tracks the movement.

Steve would probably be more inclined to believe you if he didn’t have the conversation earlier about you falling asleep so often during the day. But he also can’t make sense of it – you’re choosing to stay up at night and nap at random times instead of getting decent sleep at night?

You moved in with him a few weeks ago and coincidentally, that’s around the same time you started napping more. Could it be his fault? Maybe he’s hogging the blankets, or maybe he moves too much in his sleep. He knows he runs too hot for a normal person, and maybe you’re too uncomfortable to fall asleep.

His mind races with possibilities.

“Alright, what’s going on?” He asks and watches the way you swallow.

“Hmm?”

“Babe, you’ve been falling asleep in the middle of the day and tonight, you’re up and having your own movie marathon till 4am. Somethin’s up,”

He tries his best to ignore the anxiety simmering in his stomach.

“It’s nothing,” You say softly, looking away from him. Gently, he raises his hand to cup your chin and pull you back to him.

“Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me,” He sounds so gentle that it breaks you almost instantly.

“I don’t like to fall asleep at night,” Steve’s brow furrow at your words, but you continue, your voice timid. “I want to be there if you have a nightmare. I don’t want you to wake up alone,”

Instantly, Steve is filled with guilt. You’ve been sacrificing your sleep to comfort him – but he’d never want you to do that. His nightmares don’t happen every night but he’s sure you’ve spent every night the past few weeks awake just in case. Probably busying yourself with movies, or a book, or just simply watching him as he slept.

He feels sick.

“Baby, I..” He sighs and he’s not even sure where to begin, and you look even more guilty. “I don’t want you to stay up like that for me,”

Steve watches the way you look away from him, and you’re nervously picking down at your fingers. “I know. I just – when you wake up, you look so scared, and you’re so confused until you see me and what if I fall asleep and you have to deal with it alone?”

When you finish, you look back up at him and he sees the tears lining your eyes. He feels his chest tighten uncomfortably, because he can hear the pure love in the voice, but also the fatigue. You’re exhausted.

Gently, he says your name and presses a kiss to your cheek. “You don’t need to be awake for me to realize where I am. When I wake up and I feel you next to me, your warmth and your breathing – that’s enough for me, baby,”

You raise your hand to hold onto his that rests against your cheek and you sink further into his hold. “I’m sorry,” You whisper and he immediately shakes his head. “I just don’t want you to feel like you’re alone,”  

“I know, and I love you so much for caring, but I need you to be okay too – not running yourself into the ground, trying to make me feel better,”

“I am okay,” You argue, but you both know it’s futile and when he tilts his head at you, you relent. “I’m sorry,”

He strokes the apple of your cheekbone. “It’s okay, sweet girl. I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier,”

“It’s not y’fault,” You squeeze his hand once. “I wanted to do it. Being able to see you so peacefully when you sleep, where nothing can hurt you again .. After everything, it just makes me feel better too,”

Steve’s eyes soften even worse, because you love him so much more than he ever could’ve imagined. He knows the feeling, he’s overwhelmed with it every time he looks at you, but knowing you experience the same feeling – that intense need to protect and comfort him – every night, is enough to have him on the verge of crying again.

He leans down and presses his lips to your own. Every ounce of love and adoration coming from both of you is poured into the kiss. You’re both clinging to each other for the same reasons and he doesn’t ever want to let go.

When he pulls away for air, you have a dazed look in your eyes and he knows he looks the same way.

“I promise, I’m not going anywhere and definitely not while you’re sleeping, okay?” He murmurs against your mouth.

You nod, pecking his lips again. “Okay,”

“Promise me you won’t stay up anymore, yeah?”

You’re nodding again, arms wrapping around his middle. “I promise,”

Steve gathers you in his arms again, pulling you to lay on his chest while he settles on his back. “Good. Now let’s both fall asleep for the next twelve hours,”

You laugh softly into his skin. “It’s 5 in the morning. We probably have less than three hours before the kids are showing up on our doorstep with a new crisis,”

Steve huffs. “Let ‘em deal with it alone. You’ve got a lot of sleep to catch up on,” He smiles when he hears you laugh again, but you burrow yourself further into his arms. “Sleep, baby. I’ll be here when you wake up,”

He’s not exaggerating when he says less than two minutes later, you’re snoring softly against his skin. It’s his turn to watch you sleep and even though he knows your fear won’t go away immediately, he knows now and he’s gonna do his best to make sure you’re okay.

[stincorrect]

Steve: It’s all happening and I need an adult and I need an adult and I need an adu-- Dustin: Steve you are the adult. Steve: ... Steve: Nooooooooo.

[sheisjoeschateau]

I SEE FIRE | Book One

🕊️ A Stranger Things AU Fanfic from Misha’s Masterlist Library. 📁 Full Series File here. 📚 All BOOK ONE chapters below (scroll on…)

Steve Harrington x OC!fem!reader hometown strangers to friends to lovers. ultra dark, heavy angst and hurt/comfort. alternate universe -> upside down apocalypse.high suspense, dystopian game-of-survival plot with morbidly dry humor sprinkled along the way. eventual plot-driven angsty smut (...but with hella plot). 18+

A fever dream multi-crossover au inspired by Hunger Games and The Purge universes, merged with Stranger Things. 🏹

🕊️ Forever dedicated to Joseph and Elektra🕊️

🏹 Disclaimer from the author: Apparently, Tumblr believes in randomly saying "HEY! NO MORE FUN FOR YOU!" >:[ so because of that stupidity, here are the chapters for ALL OF BOOK ONE. Tumblr wouldn't let me include them all in this singular post, so I'm afraid it'll have to be all scattered. But please follow all the links to the next books below as well :) Keep scrolling.

📕

BOOK ONE: Fire Incarnate “I See Fire” Series

🏹 Summary: Volunteering for the kids isn't something Steve Harrington is anything but fully prepared to do, no matter what the cost. He just hadn't factored in Dustin's name being the one Effie Trinket draws on the day of the Reaping, then fighting to the death in his place alongside the Hawkins baker's daughter... who's been secretly in love with him since the fourth grade.

Battered and bruised from the last three years of apocalyptic war and hellfire, Steve isn't the charming popular guy he used to be. Not after the Purge parties robbed him of his dignity, losing his best friend in the midst of the mayhem, and now has to live with it for the kids and Nancy. He hardly remembers what it feels like to not wake up angry and aching, all the time. And looking at you... somehow reminds him of that, more and more, every single waking hour. You're not even trying to do it. You just are, by merely existing. When he looks at you, he sees an angel on earth who is bound for a coffin in this godforsaken reality that now takes care of the masses with population control in the form of reality television: The First Annual Hunger Games.

He needs to win this thing.

He needs to make it back home to Hawkins for the kids.

...but you're making that extremely difficult for him.

-> Chapters 1-24 here.

🏹 Chapter Twenty-Three: Be Our Guest 🏹 Chapter Twenty-Four: Decency

🏹 Chapter Twenty-Five: Thank You for Your Consideration 🏹 Chapter Twenty-Six: Arteries vs. Guts 🏹 Chapter Twenty-Seven: Rallying Resistance 🏹 Chapter Twenty-Eight: Distance 🏹 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Two Birds, One Stone 🏹 Chapter Thirty: Caesar Flickerman (Part II here — extender chapter) 🏹 Chapter Thirty-One: Boy on Fire vs. Arena Angel 🏹 Chapter Thirty-Two: You and I? We Were Born to Die. (Part II here — extended chapter)

🏹 Chapter Thirty-Three: I Don’t Want Them to Change Me extended chapter — Part II is linked in the post.

🏹 Chapter Thirty-Four: VHS Tape: Side A SIDE A: Parts II & III linked in post. Please read all!

🏹 Chapter Thirty-Five: Cinna’s Gift Part II here - extended chapter -> originally uploaded here, Tumblr shadowbanned! 🏹 Chapter Thirty-Six: The Bloodbath 🏹 Chapter Thirty-Seven: I See Fire... 🏹 Chapter Thirty-Eight: Hellfire [extend chapter — Part II linked in post] 🏹 Chapter Thirty-Nine: Sting Operation [extended chapter — Parts II & III linked in post] 🏹 Chapter Forty: Pan and His Shadow 🏹 Chapter Forty-One: Birdcalls in Neverland 🏹 Chapter Forty-Two: Steve, Where Do Lost Boys Go? 🏹 Chapter Forty-Three: Burying Ro

🏹 Chapter Forty-Four: Finding Ren 🏹 Chapter Forty-Five: Somewhere Only We Know 🏹 Chapter Forty-Six: Lick My Wounds 🏹 Chapter Forty-Seven: Thresh’s Mercy 🏹 Chapter Forty-Eight: Nightlock 🏹 Chapter Forty-Nine: Savages 🏹 Chapter Fifty: Trust Me.

🏹 Chapter Fifty-One: Tethered and Bound 🏹 Chapter Fifty-Two: The King and the Baker's Daughter 🏹 Chapter Fifty-Three: Real or Not Real, Steve? 🏹 Chapter Fifty-Four: Hawkins Homecoming 🏹 Chapter Fifty-Five: I Can’t Forget

⚕️

[whosscruffylooking]

Open Arms Masterlist

steve harrington x fem!reader

In 1980s Hawkins, Indiana, you and Steve Harrington have been inseparable since childhood, sharing everything—except the truth about your feelings for each other. As the shadow of the Upside Down grows, Steve struggles to balance his relationship with Nancy Wheeler and his unspoken love for you, his best friend. Through dangerous encounters and memories that refuse to fade, the line between friendship and something more blurs. But in a world where nothing is certain, can you and Steve finally face the truth, or will timing and fear keep you apart forever? If you would like to be added to the taglist please enter your username into this form.

character guide

~1983~

(One Shot) Open Arms Part I Part II

~1984~

chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six

~1985~

chapter seven chapter eight chapter nine chapter ten chapter eleven chapter twelve chapter thirteen chapter fourteen chapter fifteen chapter sixteen

~1986~

chapter seventeen chapter eighteen chapter nineteen chapter twenty chapter twenty one chapter twenty two chapter twenty three chapter twenty four chapter twenty five chapter twenty six chapter twenty seven chapter twenty eight chapter twenty nine

[writequickly-blog]

The land you so desperately seek is no longer in sight

It feels like you're in the water, but every time you come up for air, a fire above tries to roast you. There is no longer a safe place. You fear the water- the unknown, the next step, being forced to move forward with no plan. But above, where it is supposed to be safe and secure. There is nothing there anymore, only the heat of the fire still trying to get you when you fight so hard to come back up. 

People, chances, hopes. None of it seems to stick anymore and you fear this is your forever point. 

You don’t know how to continue on in this, the deep, the fire. It seems as if there is no place for you anymore. 

The comfort of the cool air is long gone, your partner in the deep seemed to have the oxygen tank because it seems like every time you go on without them, you seem to run out of time and air and patience and hope. 

There is no place for you in their world, and it is scary to swim alone, especially when the land you so desperately seek is no longer within reach like it once was. 

Why is there no end to this journey? Why no islands or pockets of calm sea to rest in? Why must it always feel like the fiery hurricane brews on, the eye not even in sight. 

You fear it is going to forever spread across the sea, that you will never truly find peace after the storm, that the storm is the only thing you will ever know. 

Being told it is not fair that there is no life boat is not comforting, it is not helpful, it only pulls you deeper and deeper out to sea, away from any semplace of calm or happiness you once hid in. 

Security? Long gone, with that tank, with the view of the shoreline. Now you are just alone in the middle of the sea, no life jacket, no boat, only you, alone beating your feet senselessly toward what you only can hope is the right direction.

[djosbicep]

[writequickly-blog]

Hidden in Plain Sight

Steve Harrington x reader

Reader is given name for the sake that I hate the Y/N in the writing- lol. So, it's you as the reader, just not your real name.

The death of Seven will forever be seared into your brain. His large, dark eyes, the way his buzzed hair seemed like peach fuzz on his head, and the way his shoulders always seemed to hunch in. He was only 8 when he was controlled by another, though they claimed to have never figured out who it was that controlled him to bash his head against the wall over and over until the brain matter was leaking out. You watched the light leave his eyes from where you stood in horror from the corner of the room, your fingers fumbling for any seam in the wall to swallow you and take you away. It didn’t, and so you stood- barely 9 years old and watched him die. You watched the blood soak into the rainbow carpet on the floor, watched as the doctors came rushing in too late, trying to pry him away from the wall; watched as they made a streak of bright blood on the floor as they dragged his limp body away. 

That day you realized that you were never safe, not from the experiments, not from the adults who claimed to take care of you, and especially not from the other kids there. That day also made you realize that you had to get the hell out of there if you wanted any chance at life. It took years, but finally, one night of the powering failing to the lab was all you needed. As soon as the power flickered all the way off, you busted open the closest emergency exit with the headrest of your bed and took off into the storm, never looking back. 

Sometimes you thought of the other kids you left behind, but now six years later, you walked free in Hawkins, disguised as just another teen by Jim Hopper. Going to school, getting yelled at about having a messy room and trying to save up enough money to get a car for the shiny new license you carry around in your purse. 

Oh, also, trying to get Steve Harrington to notice you as more than a pain in the ass friend. 

When you appeared in middle school, he stared at you for a whole week, it actually freaked you out to the point you told Hopper- who was posing as your adopted father- and he nearly arrested him in the school parking lot. 

“I didn’t know we got new kids!” Was his defense, which you thought was funny, though Hopper still stared him down with a scrutinizing gaze. 

“That’s the best you got?” 

Steve’s face continued to redden to nearly purple until Hopper finally backed away. 

“Stop staring at my kid.” Was all he said before turning and returning to his cruiser. You got into the passenger seat and took a glance at Steve to find him still staring at you. 

You gave him a smile. 

Your friendship only blossomed from there. 

==

“You got a date to the homecoming dance?” Steve asked as the two of you drove home from school on a Friday afternoon. 

“No, but I probably am going to pick up a shift at the nursing home that night anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.” 

“Ellie! No, come on! It’s our senior year, you have to go.” You turned your head and gave him an annoyed look,

“Steve, I am so not third wheeling with you and whatever girl you're into this week to the dance.” He rolls his eyes dramatically at this. 

“Well, then, let me find you a date.” 

“Steve-” 

“Nope, absolutely not. I am not going to our last homecoming without my best friend of six years.” 

You look over at him again, this time with a soft smile creeping onto your face. Steve always has held your friendship near and dear, as if it were the most important thing in his life. Even after he found out about your past when Will went missing, even when the two of you were chasing demogorgons through town, even when he was trying and failing miserably to get Nancy Wheeler to fall in love with him. It’s always been the two of you. 

“Fine, if you can find me a date, I will go to the homecoming dance with you.” 

“Yes! See? It’ll be so great-” 

“But-” you cut him off, “You have to take me to the homecoming game.” 

“Ugh, really Ellie?” 

“Yup.” You grin at him full force now. 

“Fine Ellie, we’ve got a deal.” 

== 

The mall is way too packed for a weekend in September. People everywhere, and you even had Hopper drop you off at the good one an hour from Hawkins. He was not pleased, but since he didn’t have to go dress shopping with you, the ordeal was not a big deal to him. 

“I’ll be back at six, meet me right here.” 

“Of course! Bye!” 

Hopper didn’t even need to add a “be good” to his speech, he knew how you operated, low key, quiet, in and out without a trace. Your history made it necessary to keep a low profile, though due to your lack of abilities at the lab, you and Hopper both knew that more than likely no one was truly looking for you. Though, you knew El would be of a much higher profile. 

As you walked past the various shops, your mind wandered back to El, though she hadn’t been seen or heard from in months, every once in a while when you connected with her little crew of friends, Mike would often talk on and on about how he knew she was coming back, though in reality, she was currently sitting in the living room of your home, watching weird daily soap operas and making Hopper buy dozens of Eggo waffles every month. It was something that needed to also stay on the down low, it was necessary to hide for her, while hiding her. Even Steve, who knew about your own insane life didn’t know she was there, often hiding off in her room that Steve assumed was the extra bedroom in the cabin, the door always shut tight and locked. 

“Bet that’s where Hopper keeps all of his guns.” Steve would joke, even going as far as jiggling the doorhandle for dramatic effect. Though you internally would panic that El would open it, you never let it show and just roll your eyes. 

“Idiot- you know that he sleeps with them next to him in bed.” This would make Steve laugh before wandering back over to the couch or into the kitchen to complain about the lack of chips in the house. 

Even your name stayed the same when El arrived. The group originally used your name as a cover up when stuttering to their teacher about who El was, “Eleaner, this is Eleanor! Will’s cousin,” When in reality it was the first name that popped into Mike’s head when he was scrambling for a name to call El because that wasn’t a number. You had offered to go by something new for months, though El refused to let you change your name for her. 

“You were here first. So you get to be who you were.” 

You looked at this girl for a long moment, remembering the smaller version you left behind, and though you always regretted leaving all of them behind, you were never close to any of the other children. She was almost a distant memory to you. Seven, the only boy who was close in age to you was someone you could have at least considered a friend, but the rest of them were too often put against you for them to not be considered opponents or rivals. This laid heavy on your mind for years, and finally El escaping on her own was proof that it was truly every man for themselves, making that weight feel less crushing. 

“Okay,” You had finally said after a long moment, “I can stay Ellie if you want me to.” 

“I do, Ellie and El.” “Ellie and El. Got it.” 

The pair of you both smiled before you wrapped an arm around her shoulder. 

It takes you a while to wander to the store that you like, the nice, quiet dress shop that people usually overlooked in their search for the Macy’s and Sear’s on the other end of the mall, so when you finally stepped in, only a few people milled about. 

As always, you take a stroll around the floor, looking for any colors or patterns that excite you. Lately, you have been into simple things, which is not the style right now. But as you reach the end of a rack you spot it, the royal blue fabric peeking out among the other kaleidoscope of colors. You can't help but smile at the subtle ruffles on the sleeve, and the satin feel of the fabric, shining in the bright lights of the store. 

Perfect. 

It was perfect. 

For years and years of living in the drab colors of the lab, and having no form of self expression, these moments meant everything to you, being able to pick something you love, being able to feel pretty and beautiful and important were the most important things you have taken away from the freedom you had run to. 

Hopper, bless him, worked hard to make sure you had everything you wanted or needed, that you felt heard and loved by him. 

You were difficult at first, having a hard time adjusting to having so much freedom, flinching every time Hopper raised his voice anything above a whisper, struggling to understand the cues of when to talk or when to move or help. 

You had appeared just before Sara was diagnosed, so the small amount of time it was you had with her, but you learned so much of how to be a kid from her. 

As you looked at yourself in the mirror in the perfect dress, you couldn't help but think about her, how she could have been here with you, how much she would have loved El, how she probably would have been friends with the party. How happy Hopper was. 

The pang in your chest hits you hard, but as time has gone on, you have learned how to turn that pain into gratitude, for the time you had with Sarah, for the love the two of you gave each other, and how much you owed your life to her. 

So you chose to honor her in moments like these, in buying the perfect dress, in laughing with Steve, and going to the homecoming dance. 

Shit, you think. Who the hell is Steve going to find for your date? 

== 

Meanwhile, Steve was freaking the fuck out. How the hell could he have told you that he was going to find you a date?

He wanted to date you, not one of his pain in the ass friends that was too jockey or too loud or too rude for you. 

No one was going to be good enough for you. 

Steve was never good at playing it cool, the only hail mary he ever received was your first week at Hawkin’s, and the fact that he managed to squeak out that he didn’t know people moved here. 

Which of course was a fucking lie, and a bad one at that. 

The truth was, he was head over heels for you the moment he saw you, but when the two of you got along so well and became so intertwined, he never wanted to ruin what the two of you had, so he tucked the love and hope into his heart. 

But now, with school coming to an end so quickly, and your future so bright ahead of you, and what seemed like the world trying to constantly end itself with weird ass demon monsters and magical girls, the love is starting to claw itself back out. 

And he’s having a hell of a time trying to tame it. 

He had three days to find you a date, and the selfish part of him is simply not letting that happen. 

Steve nervously steps into the school on Wednesday, hands pushing his hair back from his face, eyes looking around for you or a potential date- whichever comes first, I guess, he thinks to himself. As he wanders down the hall, he sees the new pain in the ass- Billy- walking down the hall toward him. Internally, he rolls his eyes and pretends not to see him, but suddenly, just as you come into view at your locker, Billy makes a B-line for you. 

“Oh my fucking god.” Steve doesn’t even realize he says this aloud as he picks up the speed to hear what he had to say to you. 

“Hey Hopper.” Billy says, leaning against the locker, eyes twinkling with something Steve couldn’t place. 

==

You look up from your locker, a spark of irritation shooting up your back. Why the fuck is this guy talking to you? All he’s done since he’s gotten here is cause problems. You, a straight A student, even in the midst of monster hunting, are not even sure if he even goes to class. 

“Uh, hi?” You say to him. 

“I was just wondering if you were going to the dance this weekend, thought you might want to-” 

Steve nearly rams into you, skidding to a stop, just as he reaches you. 

“Steve!” You yelp out, shocked at his sudden appearance. 

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just that- I- I found your date!” 

Shit, he did not mean to say that. He turns sharply to Billy, “Sorry Hargrove, she’s got a date to the dance.” A look of murder crosses Billy’s face at these words. But before he can respond, Steve takes your hand and guides you away to homeroom. 

“C’mon, Ellie.” 

You're in shock, but before you can react you open your mouth. 

“Thank GOD you showed up, no way would I go anywhere with that creep.” 

Steve lets out a laugh at this, “Anytime Ellie. He’s actually the worst. The kids say that he has a little sister, but that she’s actually pretty cool, rides a skateboard and stuff.” 

“Oh! I’ve seen her, she skates over to the middle school in the mornings after she rides with Billy here. The little redhead.” Steve hums. 

“Maybe the kids will befriend her, and we’ll get the good gossip on how messed up he really is.” 

You laugh at this, bright and unexpected. Steve laughs with you, his hand still in yours, thumb brushing over the top of your hand. 

The moment dies down, and all that is left is you and Steve standing in front of your homeroom holding hands. 

He yanks back quickly, eyes wide. “Well, see you later!” is all he gives you before taking off to the next door and nearly jumping in. 

It leaves you a little dumbfounded, but you can't help but smile at the ridiculous boy you call your best friend. 

As you're turning into your classroom, you realize that you never got to ask him about the date he found.

== 

The roar of the homecoming game makes your body shake, the excitement builds up in your chest as you follow the yells and banging of the drums, eyes checking to see if Steve is also having fun every few moments. He looks bored, but every time he sees you looking over he gives you the fake ass smile paired with eye contact that he uses when he pretends that someone is saying something great. All you can do is smile back at this and nudge his side, which earns you a genuine smile. 

The student section is the most exciting part of the game, as usual, the Hawkins Tigers Football Team actually sucks, so the hooting and hollering of the student section makes your night worthwhile. Well, that, and Steve’s attempt to have fun at the football game, the comments on how terrible that throw or pass was, on how the cheerleaders keep hiking their skirts up to show more leg, on how Shelly Burns is practically humping David Mack’s back as she cheers and jumps in the stands. It’s in these pockets of time you truly feel like you belong here, with Steve, as if he is the only person in this world that makes you feel like you can be your true self around. 

You run your thumb over where your six is marked into your skin. A reminder of the past, but here and now, it represents how far you have come. 

In a moment of boldness, you turn and take Steve’s hand and swipe your thumb over the top. 

“Thanks Steve.” You say, just as the buzzer for the game goes off. 

== 

Nothing more came of this but Steve was still buzzing the morning of homecoming, and last night confirmed that his plan was in fact, not that stupid afterall. 

He had decided after a moment in the hallway outside of homeroom, that he was going to show up as your date for the dance. 

Straightening the blue tie he chose after you told him about your dress, he checked for what seemed the hundredth time that day that he had the corsage to give you. 

Well, he thought. It’s now or never. 

== 

You stood nervously by the door, eyes peering out the window every few moments to check for Steve’s beamer to come down the driveway. 

“You look pretty.” El says, a smile on her face as she looks up at you, Hopper right behind her. 

“Thank you. I bet one day you’ll find an even better dress.” 

Her eyes light up at this, the prospect of a normal life delighting her. 

“I would go to the dance with Mike.” She says. 

“Well, when that day happens, I’ll make sure to take you dress shopping myself.” You smile at her, Sarah tugging at the back of your mind, but knowing El deserved just as much. The two of you smiled at each other, the sisterly bond the two of you shared connecting you in this moment. 

“Let’s take your picture Ellie.” Hopper says, his eyes soft. You stood up a little straighter, and gave Hopper your best smile for the photo, he snapped the shot, afterward calling out for El to join in. She looked up at you, excitement dancing in those big brown eyes. She jumped in next to you, wrapping your arm around her waist to pull her in. After Hopper took the photo, he called out happily, “That’s one for the wall!” El giggles, gleaming with excitement. 

The three of you talk quietly for the next few minutes, the crunch of tires on the gravel on the driveway disrupting the special moment. El, much to her chagrin, sinks away into her room and Hopper moves around to sit on the couch. 

Steve’s beamer comes into view, and to your surprise, he is the only one who jumps out of the car. 

As you watch him approach, you see he is beaming from ear to ear, but the steps he is taking and his hands running through his hair tells you he is insanely nervous. 

You pull the door open as he steps up onto the porch, and he stops dead in his tracks when he gets a full view of you in your dress. 

“Hey!” His voice comes out a little high and squeaky, and you giggle, “I- You look beautiful Ellie.” 

You smile, “Thank you Steve. You look pretty good yourself.” He gives you a nervous smile. 

“Ellie listen I- I’m your date to the dance. I’ve liked you from the moment I met you, and the idea of you going to this dance with anyone else makes me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t bring myself to let anyone else take you. If you don't want to go with me I totally understand but-” 

“Steve, there is no one else in this entire world I wanted to be with.” You cut him off. 

The moment of silence hangs heavy, but you suddenly remember the boutonniere in your hand. 

“May I?” you finally say, holding it up. He holds up his corsage. 

“Only if you let me.” 

Your heart seemed to swell in your chest. Steve Harrington was your date to the homecoming dance. 

Steve Harrington was your date to the homecoming dance! 

== 

From then on out the two of you were not only inseparable, but also so annoyingly in love that the gang, now including Max, teased the two of you relentlessly about it. 

And El, well, the monsters once again appeared, and she once again saved the world, and now it was time for her own dance.

Finally.

The two of you went dress shopping at the very same shop you got your dress from, Hopper agreeing to drop you and El off at the mall, only with Steve as an escort, of course. 

Steve couldn’t stifle his laughter as he watched El absolutely buzz with excitement. You grinned yourself, managing to contain the excitement of taking your sister dress shopping for her very first dance. 

She takes forever and tries on everything, but you and Steve don’t dare to rush her. There is nothing the two of you can think of that could persuade you to stop her from enjoying herself. She deserved this more than anything. 

After what seemed like hours, El comes out of the dressing room in a darling blue dress, the pink details bringing out the rosiness of her cheeks. She’s beaming from ear to ear. She just stands there, swaying back and forth in the dress. Finally, you ask, 

“Is that the one?” She can only nod her head. 

Steve looks at her, a smile tugging on his lips, “Okay, let’s go get ready for a dance!” 

== 

Steve takes Dustin, and you stay behind to get El ready. After an hour of her squirming over the makeup and the curlers, she finally comes out of her room, ready to go. 

“Pretty?” She asks nervously. 

You and Hopper look at each other before answering simultaneously. 

“Beautiful.” 

Steve and you hover by the door after everyone is in and dropped off. 

“You know,” he says, “We make a good team. Look at our kids! All grown up.” He pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. 

You giggle, hand coming up to wrap it around his. 

“Yeah, I guess we do.” 

Steve leans in and kisses you, the two of you walking out the doors of Hawkins Middle School into the night. 

You and Steve together, El at the dance- 

So many good things, you think, hidden in plain sight.

[writequickly-blog]

Not me binge reading manacled in like four days (I’m not a long book girlie- like more than 400 pages? Might pass lol) and like loving it 😂 literally haven’t read a Harry Potter fanfiction in close to a decade. Low key a dramione shipper now even though I spent the better part of two decades hating Draco.

[writequickly-blog]

For Him

Couple of things: my OC is Eleanor, you’ll see her again. These are written as x reader. She goes by El and Ellie, depending on how I’m feeling. Ellie was in the maze with the boys- I know original. *eye roll* but after coming off a really bad break up I found comfort in writing. This one is bittersweet, hope you enjoy.

Tw: suicidal thoughts, dead newt

Newt x reader

For Him

The sun dips below into the horizon and you sit in silence on the beach.

You cannot believe you are here, that this is the ending of your story. That you now sit in this safe haven alone, years later, where the dream you once waited for so patiently died.

Alone, you were alone in this world.

Newt was dead, and you were alone, facing the rest of your life this way.

Alone.

It hurts every fiber of your being to be here like this. A part of you died along with him, having come back with the cure in your hands, having been moments away from success, only to find a knife through his heart and his best friend completely broken.

It still plays in your nightmares, even when Minho and Thomas are there to pull you out.

You often wish you had died along with him.

Minho and Thomas also know this. They don’t let you alone for long, make sure any dangerous or sharp task is given to someone else. They constantly hover around, even now you know one of them is sitting higher up on the beach, watching you.

You don’t mean to be this way, but everything has seemed so pointless since arriving, you have found no interest in the prospect of creating this safe haven like everyone else has. You have made no attempt to connect with the others that made it, you simply do what you have to do and keep to yourself. The only people you speak to are your fellow gladers. Minho, Thomas, Frypan, even Brenda. You don’t bother to connect with others.

You know this isn’t okay, that this isn’t helping yourself or anyone, but you know that it may be better off in the end. Less people to miss you, less people to have regretted not keeping a closer eye on you.

There are some days where you don’t want to kill yourself, but there are days where you wish only for that comfort of death to find you. Thomas and Minho make it hard to admit this, the people you rely heavily on, the people who watch over you, just as they watched over Newt in his final days, you don’t want them to find you. You don’t want them to think they have failed or have any regrets about taking care of you.

So you stay, for them, even if some days you can't even get out of bed, or you want nothing more than to be with Newt again.

“Ellie.” Minho calls from behind you, you were right- you always are- you turn to look at the boy, more of a silhouette in the growing darkness than a person, “Let’s go up.”

I know you want to follow the sun into the ocean. But come back instead. He seems to mean, so you make yourself stand and walk back up the dune to him.

Minho has been softer since arriving at the safe haven, you know a part of it is the grief that lays heavily on his shoulders, the same thoughts and nightmares of Newt playing behind his eyes as yours. But there was also something else, something you had never quite seen before.

Love. Tenderness. Acceptance.

The safe haven has allowed Minho to rest in a way that he cannot remember, before, it was always run, protect, fight. But now, with all the previous threats gone, he seems to be able to connect to parts of himself that were never available before.

He’s softer with you, more patient, a new relationship the two of you have never shared before. You fought like siblings, bickered and talked over one another, but always with a sense of understanding that the two of you would come back together, that you would stick together when it came down to it.

And here you were- coming down to it.

When you reach Minho, he wraps an arm around you and the two of you walk back toward the center of camp, where the fire glows bright. As you pass others they greet you and Minho with smiles and waves and simple hellos, you keep your eyes downcast as Minho replies to each one.

He's thriving here.

You're happy for him, you are, but the despair continues to eat you inside out, making it hard to even form a connection with the person you've known as long as you could remember.

Minho leads you to a seat at the edge of the fire, where Thomas, Frypan, and Brenda sit, Jorge as usual nowhere to be found. They’re laughing about something one of the others said, as other kids hoot and holler around you.

Noise has become a lot for you lately, you prefer the silence of being alone.

“Hey Ellie, hey Minho,” Thomas greets as the two of you sit down, “How was the sunset? Seemed pretty from over here.”

“Was nice. Lots of color tonight. Not a cloud in the sky.” Minho replies. Thomas turns to look in your eyes, but when you don't respond, he gives a small smile in return.

“Ellie, I don't think you've missed one yet.” Thomas says, leaning forward to accept a bowl of tonight's supper from another person. He leans over you to hand it to Minho who nods in thanks, then he takes the next one and hands it to you.

“I’ll make sure to go with you to the one tomorrow, I got sucked into helping build that new building on the south side today, and by the time I realized it was time, it was too late to make it over.”

Thomas, while not quite doing as well as Minho, is still settling in nicely to the camp, though he has always been a leader, so sitting and wallowing was never in his DNA to begin with. He has better days but many are still marred with the grief and loss that you feel.

You wonder how he does it, he’s lost so many more than you have.

You just shrug your shoulders in reply and let the conversation of others wash over you. You don't particularly care if Thomas comes to the sunset with you, though you know if he does he'll sit with you in the sand instead of giving you space like Minho does. The pair of you often find yourselves crying over Newt together, Minho does a better job of hiding it than the two of you, but you watch as Thomas carries Newt’s note with him everywhere he goes.

Thomas and Minho have wondered aloud many times now if you ever received a note, something to hold on to, something that Newt used to say goodbye to you. Your answer every time had been no, but not for the reason some might think. You had this rule in the maze when he was a runner and you still worked as a med jack, you never said goodbye at any point. Never. Goodbye meant you weren't coming back, goodbye was an ending. Newt had tried, once. But after that the two of you never used it. Newt had confided in you first when he first saw the infection spreading, quietly the two of you talked, about your hopes, your dreams, the plans for the future, for all of the what ifs and miracles that could happen. The truth was, you don't need a note for Newt to say goodbye, the two of you had done it long before he was even dead. You knew his hopes for you after his death, you knew what he wanted to say to you, knew how much he loved you and you him. Nothing had been left unsaid.

On your worst days, you revisit that quiet memory, of the hard floor beneath your backs, of the stars in the sky, you remind yourself he didn't want to leave you, that he loved you more than anything, that he wanted you to live.

You used that to keep you going. Newt wanted you to live, to find another love, to have babies, to be happy.

On your worst days, you used it as a promise, for Newt. You would live for Newt.

So you did, you ate meals, you slept, you watched the sun set every day. You did it because you knew if he were there with you, he would expect you to do these things, for yourself, for him.

“Ellie?” Minho said, a hand coming up to your back, “You ready for bed? I think I’m going up.” The bowl was still full of the supper you didn't touch, but you nodded anyway. You had eaten your lunch today, that would be good enough.

You and Minho walked from the still rowdy group at the fire up the hill to the tent that Thomas and Minho had pitched for your group. The tent was larger than the others, but the five cots inside still seemed like a tight squeeze. You had taken the one in the corner, not caring that Minho’s own head sat mere inches from yours or that sometimes yours and Thomas' toes brushed in the night. It felt safe and comfortable in this unfamiliar place. A simple comfort that you had not expected.

“One day we’ll build a proper shelter.” Minho mutters as he pulls his boots off his feet on the mat that was laid beneath the beds. You follow suit, unconcerned of the current arrangements, and pull back the pile of blankets on your cot.

The pair of you lay in silence, the distant laughter blending with the lap of the ocean waves.

It was hard, but each sunset and each quiet night on the cot opened your soul the smallest bit, each gentle touch from Minho drawing you back into the light.

===

It takes years, but eventually you come back to yourself. Newt, still tucked away in your heart, but not all consuming like it once was.

You and Minho grow close, talking turning into gentle kisses, touches turning into something more. The pair of you know each other's pain, the pair of you know the place where Newt lives inside of you, the pair of you find new pieces of yourselves to give each other, something that could have only been found in the safe haven.

You heal, you laugh, you begin to love one another in a way you never thought possible.

You watch Thomas and Brenda come together, watch them build a shelter and declare each other their own. You watch them love children. You watch them grow older.

You do the same, though it takes longer for you and Minho to admit feelings, to let your world know that you have moved on, that you have found a new way to love, a new person to give your heart to.

The shelter you build together is ridiculous, larger than the others, two stories high. Nothing simple can be said about it. But, it is where you love each other, it is where you love your dear children, it is where you share your stories of Newt, never letting his spirit die, making sure your babies know of the man who brought you and Minho together, how he will always hold a special place in their hearts, in the safe haven.

The little girl asks a lot about Newt, what he was like, if he would have liked her. The little boy is more timid to ask, knowing his name sake is held to high regards by all, worried he may never fill the shoes he was named after.

You and Minho reassure him that he will do great things, that being kind, protecting each other, and doing what's right will make his stars align. The smallest of the three does not know of him yet, but she will.

He is never really gone, you think, we won’t let him. Afterall, this life is for him.

[writequickly-blog]

Got Your Back

Bucky x reader

First ever post- be nice

… is this fandom dead?

Tw: Cursing? Injured reader?

The mission went terribly terribly wrong. Tony failed to get to his target in time and you weren’t able to cut the power until it was too late.

All hell immediately broke lose, the agents made it to you that were planned. You were just able to cut the power before they shot you.

Everyone else finished the mission, you crawled out of the burning building hoping that at least one of your fellow Avengers was nearby to help.

Steve and Bucky appeared out of smoke and flames to aid in your rescue. Bucky wouldn’t look you in the eye the entire what out of the facility.

—-

“How could you fuck up so badly?!” Tony screamed at you the minute the three of you made it to the jet.

“You had one fucking job! All you had to do was cut the power!”

His screaming just barely cut over the ringing in your ears. None the less, you felt your blood immediately boil. Bucky’s grip on you tightened.

“Me fuck up? You took so god damn long getting to your position that I physically couldn’t cut that power unless you wanted to fucking die! You have any idea how many safe guards that facility had in place to ensure that their people wouldn’t get killed? How many boogie traps we triggered? Didn’t you stop to fucking think why the fucking building exploded?!”

Everyone stares at you in shock. No one ever argued like that with Tony.

But you weren’t even close to done, “you should be saying thanks Ana for fucking saving my life and thinking on your toes and getting fucking shot to ensure my safety!”

Roughly, you shove Bucky and Steve’s hands away from you, apply pressure to the wound and disappear into the med bay of the jet.

No one moves. No one dares to speak.

Bucky and Tony stare each other down before Bucky breaks off to follow you.

—-

Bucky finds you on your hands and knees struggling to breathe. From what you’ve gathered, your lung has either gotten punctured by the bullet, or was beginning to collapse. You knew you didn’t have much time before things went bad quick but you couldn’t even get in a full breath, let alone call for help.

“Shit, Ana, shit. Can you hear me?!” Bucky’s heart hammers heavy on his chest, what the fuck happened? You were just fine?

“Bucky.” You manage to gasp out your eyes wide with panic and pain.

Bucky starts screaming. For anyone, anything. He even gets the damn AI thing involved. Within seconds everyone is surrounded you. Steve is the first to jump into action, practically shoving you onto your back.

Bucky hovers just to your left, pulling everything out of the first aid kid.

“Yep shit the bullet didn’t exit. Must of shifted and is filling her lung with blood.” Tony says a device you don’t recognize in one hand and the other feeling around your rib cage.

Bucky begins chanting to you, over and over again.

“It’ll be ok Ana, we’ve got you. It’ll be okay.” You definitely do not believe a word he says but you focus on that and his beautiful face to help you keep from passing out.

You has always loved looking at Bucky. He was always nice to look at and the pair of you understood being used. Being in pain. Doing others bidding’s. You were always on the same page. Always had each others backs. Recently the feelings moved far deeper than friends. Allies. Your heart began to love him. To want him. To keep him. You never acted because you know the minute that happens everything could blow up in your face and you would once again be alone. So you kept your heart in a cage and the fantasy in your head.

And now you regretted everything.

You felt like death was coming.

You were dying and Bucky would never know.

The rest of the flight is a scramble to get you as stable as possible. You came in and out, and by the time you finally, finally, made it to the compound, not a single person didn’t have blood on them.

You’re blood.

You were in and out of it the entire time. A tube was placed down your throat and Steve squeezed the bag every few seconds to keep you breathing as Tony struggled with a needle to drain the blood out of your lungs.

Every fiber of your being was screaming with pain. Bucky had to hold you down when they put the tub in to intubate you. And practically laid across you the rest of the flight to keep you still enough for it to work.

“I’m so sorry.” Was buckys new mantra, his voice rough with the pain of having to hurt you.

—-

Arriving at the compound you immediately were loaded into a helicopter and air lifted to the hospital. The commotion before they sedated you was unbearable.

You weren’t like everyone else. There was nothing super about you. And your very normal human body was very much in critical condition.

You dreamed of Bucky while under. Of you and him together. Babies to hold, toddlers to watch run and play. The life you dreamed of played before your eyes and when you woke, Bucky was right there.

He sat in the chair next to the bed, clean clothes and showered. Not even remotely close to what you last remembered. But when you went to move a lot happened at once:

1. You physically could not move

2. You were still intubated

3. Every single alarm went off that you were connected t

But Bucky looked up where he was slumped over staring at the floor. He met your eyes.

He got up and started yelling too.

A nurse came in, her young face masked with a smile.

“Hello. Welcome back.” She said to you before diving in to the medical parts of what was going on. “You’re ok. And you’ll be ok. The bullet wound you sustained moved and severed an artery in your lung, which in turned filled it was blood and began to collapse on top of that. Some gnarly stuff, I know. So we fixed that all up, and as you probably remember, the intubation is helping your body heal by not having to work as hard, hopefully we’ll be getting you off of that soon. And as you also probably know, being intubated is not a comfortable experience. You have some drugs in your system that paralyzed you temporarily. Once you can breathe on your own again, that tube will come right out and the medicine will stop being administered. But I will say you’ve been so brave and it looks like your family has certainly got your back. Not one minute goes by that this fine gentleman or someone else is in that seat.” The nurse goes about adjusting your machines, Buckys hand slides into yours.

“I’ve got your back.” Is all he says before the medicine takes you away again.

—-

It takes a lot longer than expected to ween you off the intubation machine. Your body, your normal human body with a better than average brain, struggles to heal. They begin talking about putting you in a medical induced coma to help. Bucky crushes that as quickly as it comes.

“Absolutely not. She does not condone to that.”

“Mr Barnes? You are not her power of attorney, you cannot be making these decisions for her.”

“Look at her! Look at the way her eyes move when you say that! She is practically screaming no!”

The doctor sighs and looks to you, your eyes confirming exactly what Bucky is saying.

“Very well.”

—-

After four days, the tube comes out, and you can finally move again.

You have no voice, the tube completely rubbed your vocal cords raw.

Bucky brings you a notepad and paper to help.

‘I would like more ice chips please’ you write and show to him, he smiles, “Jesus even on the brink of death you’re still so polite.” He runs a hand up and down your thigh lovingly before pressing the button for the nurse. When she arrives he recites your order and she hurries off.

“You know,” Bucky begins, “it’s a shame that this happened because it totally blows over the fact you talked shit to Tony.”

You smile and nod, you are pretty proud of your self for standing up to him, especially since he was supposed to be your mentor, but instead has just expected you to figure it out as you went along.

“That’s my girl.”

—-

You finally leave after almost a month in the hospital bouncing between wards. When you return to the compound it is with strict instructions to take it easy.

Bucky quietly volunteers to take a leave of absence to help you.

At first it’s like all your dreams are coming true.

He even sleeps in the same bed as you so he can help you get to and from the bathroom at night.

One evening, deep deep into the night, the pain medication wearing off you turn to Bucky, who as you suspected, had never truly fallen asleep.

“I think I love you.” You hear yourself say.

He stays silent, a hand reaches over to push the hair out your face.

Finally he says, “walking into you actively dying was the worse thing that’s ever happened to me.”

It was a simple statement. But you knew so much more sat behind it.

“Having to face that reality of you not possibly making it made me realize that I have too much to loose when it comes to you. You keep me sane. You understand me like no one else does. You let me be when I need those moments. It’s like you’re a part of my soul. And watching you gasping on that floor made me realize that I would have followed you if you died that day.”

You don’t know what to say. This is everything you have ever wanted and more and you had no idea what to say. So instead you pulled him into you, even though your body screamed in protest, and kissed him

[graciepasty]

Newt. The Maze Runner (2014).

[writequickly-blog]

Cole: *insists on a certain car*

Liam: no, that car is top heavy! It’ll roll!

Cole: *rolling eyes* you’ll be fine

Car: *rolls*

Liam, shoulder dislocated, grumbling: I told you so

Gotta love brothers 🤷‍♀️

[billciphersbitch3]

Zu: (to the og Black Betty Gang plus Vida, Cole, and Jude, in a big car after ITA) Yeah, we are kind of like a big disfunctional family ig.

Jude: So are Ruby and Liam like the parents?

Liam: (Blushing) Well I mean I gue-

Ruby: Absolutely the fuck not

Liam: Pfft what yeah that’s crazy

Ruby: ObvIoUsLy, Liam and Chubs are the gay dads, Zu is the fish. Zu, what kind of fish do u want to be?

Zu: A catfish (Proceeds to draw a cat’s head on a fish’s body)

Ruby: Perfect. Vida is the plant.

Vida: A VENUS FLY TRAP

Ruby: Magnificent. Cole, my love, you are the fairy godmother.

Jude: What am I? What am I?!

Ruby: Jude, Jude is Jesus

Cole: AMEN

Vida: What are u Ruby?

Ruby: Oh, I’m the hot rich aunt that has a house in Italy

Cole: (Proceeds to try to turn Liam into a pumpkin)

[wisteriiagrow-deactivated202501]

L I A M S T E W A R T

“he’s so busy looking inside people to find the good that he misses the knife they’re holding in their hand.”

[writequickly-blog]

I just realized going through the darkest minds tag that 90% of the posts I’m seeing and interacting with are the same people I befriended in 2014 with my lame Instagram account (rubytuesday_tdm- it’s lame so don’t even bother lol)… so uh, hi guys? I’m back? 😂 for like the fifth time? And we’re old now?