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Chapter Text

𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 . . .

♫ 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 ⸺ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝

𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 . . .

𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎, & 𝚗𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐

𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 . . .

𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜, 𝚓𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜, & 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚍

• steve harrington can’t tell if your existence is a blessing or a curse
• you are heart-shatteringly exquisite, but adoringly devastating all the same
• you were a humble abode that steve was lucky enough to live within and you adorned your dwelling with all of the warmth and love a human could ask for 
• but now that you’ve left, steve is stuck here, left in the deep, desolate loneliness that permeates the air within the bare walls
• he’ll try and decorate the absence you left all he can; he’ll place slivers and trinkets of you on the mantle and windowsill, wash the blood from the wounds you left down the kitchen sink, and leave an extra plate of food on the dining room table for you just in case
• however, at the end of the day, the house is still devoid of life and you’re still missing from his arms
• you were concerned about the great miles that would separate you from each other once going into college
• for that, you would force steve to combat his inability to adapt to your absence
• how could he protect you? how could he take care of you?
• how could he… how could he possibly live without you!?
• and that leaves you here, walking hand-in-hand through the halls with no other than eddie munson
• you stare at eddie with that familiar, but devoted gleam in your eyes, give him that sultry smile that would make any living creature quiver in the knees, and you let your undeserving “boyfriend” indulge in your all-too weakening kiss
• all as if steve had never existed
• and although you did enjoy being with a certain preppy boy, you never knew how blissfully freeing it would be to lip-lock with the town’s outcast
• sure, at times you do miss that white picket fence of familiarity steve had gifted you
• sometimes, you still ponder over what you’d name your six children once you got out of the hellhole that is hawkins; you still think of those blissful nights tangled together in the pool and falling asleep together while some cheesy rom-com echos from the television
• but this longing is merely rare, as you adore being the ruler of the hellfire club and to sit beside eddie on your throne (although somehow you do end up sitting in his lap most of the time); you love to sit front-row as he sings the lyrics that all revolve around you and to trace your fingers over the tattoo he got of your name over his heart, knowing that every beat of the organ pulses for you
• this revelation isn’t uncommon as you tug at the necklace eddie gave you with his lucky guitar chip swung upon the chain, ignoring the heartfelt and longing gazes from both steve in eddie in class
• you’re completely unbeknownst to how their once gooey-eyed gazes fall on each other, and how that glimmer reserved for you accelerates into a flare of pure wrath for one another
• and my god, do these boys despise each other
• eddie is everything steve was raised to hate: non-conformist, freakish, unorthodox
• there is a major part of steve that believes eddie is tainting you in a way — the way he so frivolously lets you partake in dangerous activities and how he is forcing you to engage in this “satanic” club of his
• eddie drives steve absolutely mad
• steve is everything eddie learned to hate: preppy, popular, conventional
• although most of his hatred is rooted in his insecurities and resentment, this doesn’t take away from the fact that eddie believes steve is tainting you in a way, as well
• shielding you away from the happiness of the wretched world which he excuses as “protecting the one he loves most” and forcing you to live the american dream filled with pure conventionality and gloom
• and steve drives eddie absolutely mad
• but hey, maybe in another universe, you both could’ve worked out together, you ponder to yourself
• however, knowing the two boys, you knew that there would never be a possible reality where that could be arranged
• it is eddies jealousy and steves overprotective nature that is preventing any kinship from being formed
• however, the next day follows suit, but this time steve is left to wallow in complete and utter devastation
• he assumed this would be another day of sulking in his sorrows for the one who got away, praying that you would race to him and turn those yearning stares into a kiss of reunion that without words says: “i’ve been lost for so long without you, but i am home now”
• but, this day has now become something much, much worse
• your face — your perfect, adoring face has been plastered on posters all over hawkins, with a vibrant ‘MISSING’ above your head
• steve begins to stammer, accusing his peers of putting together this sick joke, all while tears seep down his cheeks and his body trembles from the sobs escaping his throat
• he loves you, oh god, does he love you
• and to know this that was your fate and the fact that he wasn’t there to protect you pains him in such a way he never knew was possible; in a way that no human would ever deserve to feel
• but beneath that deception of despair, the only thing that seems to clog his brain is the pure, unadulterated rage for whoever is responsible for your vanishment 
• this fury now plays into his day-to-day life following your disappearance as well: grilling the cops and causing a scene in the hawkins police department, the enraging glances towards a rather paranoid eddie, and how he consoled the dead weight in his heart through courting others, hoping by some miracle that he’d catch a glimpse of you within these plastic people
• he possesses the demeanor for it too: miserable, wretched, and aggressive towards anyone who managed to tick him off in the slightest
• after several days of the mental torment causing havoc within his brain, here steve is now at skull rock, tip-toeing his way to the edge of sanity with another person at his side
• he’ll play pretend to soothe the wounds within him all he wants; pretend it’s your lips against his own, pretend it’s your hands traveling down his body, and pretend it’s your sweet voice drowning him in the praises that the people at hawkins high blindly give to him
• but nothing, no one could ever do the same things that you so effortlessly do to him
• he shoves them off of him roughly, to where they begin to stutter with their eyes blown in confusion as steve shouts at them to leave him to wallow in his own despair
• the person obeys and races off into the night, leaving a shattered steve to sob and sulk in his feelings
• this grief pounds in his chest like a second heart, beating and battering against his ribcage like a savage animal locked in a cage
• any more of this and his heart may just break through its restraints, to where he’d be left to bleed out on the woodland floor
• the hell he’s been through the past week makes the idea comforting, in a way; to put the misery to rest lulls the man to some temporary tranquility
• however, this is only a fantasy as steve gazes through his tear-stained vision up at the moonlight peeking through the leaves
• the faint sound of rustling grips his attention, to which he assumes its that student whom he can’t remember the name of returning to try and comfort him
• a flare of anger enlightens within him as he shifts his stare forwards, his eyes locking on an abandoned shack just a few yards away from where he sat
• the rustling gets more intense and the noise is clearly coming from within those rotten wood walls, to where steve stands, wipes his tears, and begins tracking over to the hut
• was it an animal? maybe just the wind?
• the foggy windows refrain steve from peering in to identify the noise, right before an all-too-familiar voice permeates the air before him
• “hello?” a small voice calls out in a faint whisper
• steve’s blood runs cold — it’s you
• he is completely still in his stance, staring upon the cracks and decay that adorned the rustic door that separated him from you
• then, he finds a rock from the dirt below and bashes the lock swung upon the doorknob in such an enranged hysteria, your stomach drops with dread at what vicious creature stands outside
• the twilight sky glows into the room as the door creaks open, illuminating those features of yours beneath the radiant moonlight that he missed so dearly
• “oh my god, y/n….” steve rushes over to where you were seated, cradling your face in his palms and solemnly caressing your cheeks
• those tears return to his eyes, not due to how he longed for his missing soulmate, but for the sheer relief that now coursed through his veins
• “i can’t get it off” you cry, alluding to the corroded rope looped around your wrists you had been attempting to wrangle free from 
• steve’s eyes lock on the binds and in a swift, hysteric motion, he had let you free from your restraints
• “i’m right here, y/n/n. can you tell me what happened?” steve inquires and a shiver tickles up your spine at the mere thought
• after all, these past few days have been quite the adventure for you
• if you had known that eddie was this paranoid over the fact that steve ‘the hair’ harrington could sweep you off your feet again, you never would have even shown up to school that day
• if you had known that your lover would’ve gone to such drastic, extreme measures to keep you at his side, you never would have dated him in the first place
• if you had known that your beloved boyfriend would have been the type of person to kidnap you, you never would have taken a drink out of the milk carton he so slyly drugged
• the harmony of crickets and waves splashing against the lakeshore pervaded the rather cozy room you had first awoken in
• decorated in glimmering fairy lights and engulfed in the fluffiest blankets you had ever touched, you would’ve assumed you had awoken in some sort of comfy haven
• but you were wrong, oh so wrong
• as you attempt to grasp hold of your head to soothe your pounding headache, you then discovered that your hands have been restrained behind your back
• “hey, shhh… take it easy, sweet thing” a voice whispers out through the thick silence, “i’m right here, i won’t let anything happen to you” that voice… 
• is that… eddie?
• this was the first of many revelations to come that eddie munson, the black sheep of hawkins, was truly as crazy as they all say
• and these past few days have been filled to the brim with nothing but pure confusion and the sweet affections of your lover
• he is very intense with his attempts to woo you into the comfort he so desperately wanted you to feel, but he is aware that the faults that lie beneath his perfectly sculpted facade may be just what drives you away 
• and eddie is terrified of that reality
• he’ll tell you tales of all the d&d adventures you have missed due to your current circumstances; he’ll read you the lyrics he’s been writing for you that are all so sickeningly sweet that they make you gag
• and he’ll force you into his despairing embrace by nestling himself into your arms, his own subtle way of asking you to hold onto him and play with his hair
• during this period, you have questioned him on his intentions, but he refrains from explaining himself due to his own shame
• however, you have managed to connect the dots and decipher that this mystery was caused by the jealousy of your current kidnapper boyfriend and the longing ambitions of your ex-lover
• and after you explain this to steve, you shudder beneath his now brutal gaze
• there is not a single word that comes from his mouth, only the huffs of solid resentment you can only assume are from the racing thoughts of murder that are now plaguing his mind
• he takes his bomber jacket off and wraps it around your form, nestling it around your boyfriend’s hellfire shirt he put you in that reeked of cigarette smoke and marijuana
• with a tight grip on your wrist, there is no time to balance your stance before he’s racing with you through the forest
• you once thought escaping from your assailant was a fever dream, but pure glee and adrenaline are now coursing through you as you both sprint away
• the two of you are finally able to catch your breath when you find a boat left astray on the shore of lovers lake and without a mere second to think, steve is guiding you into the boat
• as steve begins paddling you far, far, far away from eddie’s clutches, the soft melodies of summer sounds and soft waves alludes to a distant, but a fond memory of steve’s
• your very first date; when you were both naive sophomores and spent the afternoon sailing across the tides of lovers lake beneath the spring sun
• your words which were like honey when they meet his ears and that iridescent smile of yours that rivals the sun — this effect you have on him is stuck against him like a bloodstain on a white shirt
• oh, how he had hoped and prayed to experience such a moment once more with you, but not like this
• never like this
• “Y/N!!!” a surge of pure terror strikes through both you and steve like a lightning bolt, finding no other than eddie fucking munson shouting from the shoreline
• an array of obscenities are shouted to steve while he tries to get the lifeless motor functioning, but his best efforts are futile as the motor sizzles pathetically and a cloud of black smoke suffuses the night air
• your long-haired boyfriend practically leaps into the water and swims in a frenzied hysteria
• after all, this is you that’s on the line; this is you that he is about to lose and eddie would rather die than ever let the universe take away such a blessing as yourself away from him
• steve curses at the machinery and you then whimper out his name as you notice the male swimming closer and closer and closer to the two of you
• steve’s gaze turns forward before a hand adorned with silver rings grasps hold of the side of the boat, to where both you and steve then plummet into the water beneath you
• and for a mere moment, you’re at peace
• engulfed by the cold waves of lovers lake, iridescent moonlight peering into the water
• then, pure chaos ensues and the rays of light from above ignite the violent scene before you
• “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THEM!!” is shouted into the air as lake water seeps down your throat
• you try with your best efforts to swim away and escape the aggressive hands that are grasping at your limbs as if the two boys were playing tug-of-war
• your ears are far too clogged with water to interpret what is now being spoken over the loud hassle of crashing waves, but from your judgment, you can only assume these boys are letting out every feeling of possession, anger, and pure infatuation for you on the other
• and you are absolutely right
• they’re clashing against one another causing their blood to swirl along with the water, all while trying to claim you for their own and to save you from the other
• you’re tugged into the embrace of one, then thrust into the warm arms of another, covered in their blood and the bruises they left from their desperate attempts to keep the one they love most with them
• and without a single glance back, you manage to wrangle yourself out of their brawl and surge through the waves like hell
• and with a brush of luck you thank the universe graciously for, you made it safely onto shore without any further altercations on your end
• laying down in the dirt, you try to catch your breath as you cough up all the water that had permeated your throat and lungs
• pure exhaustion overwhelms every bone within your body, but through your indistinct hearing, you manage to hear cries of your name and the boys’ aggressive attempts to make their way to you
• you manage to find your balance and fight through the fatigue, beginning to dash your way through the dark forest
• and as you scrape your skin along the numerous twigs and trees that you were unsuccessful in dodging, a mere question plagues your mind: how did i get here?
• how could i have trusted them? what on earth could i have possibly done to deserve this!?
• however, questions aside, all you know is that now, whatever home you had built for both steve and eddie had been burned to a crisp
• and that leaves you here, running as your cries plague the midnight air and your body coated in the ashes of your once humble abode.