Chapter Text
If you had told Steve monsters were real, he would have probably laughed in your face. Monsters? Really? Why not fairies and Santa Claus while you’re at it? Now? Now he was starting to question his own sanity. He felt like his life had been completely turned upside down since the Byers’ kid went missing. Will.
Tragic really. He felt bad for the kid and his family; anyone would have, and everyone hoped the child would be found or make it back home. Nancy seemed impacted more than he, but he understood. She saw the kid growing up, and he was a childhood friend of her own brother, so of course, she would be more upset than he and his friends. When he tried to invite her to that party Tommy and Carol wanted to organize at his place, he honestly thought she would say no, that she wasn’t in the mood. But apparently, she needed this to get her mind off this mess. They even invited her friend Bar-something, he couldn’t really tell. Barb. She called her Barb.
Everything was fine, as fine as it could be, seeing the Byers’ situation, until it wasn’t.
Barb went missing.
It all happened fast, and he wasn’t especially paying attention to her. She didn’t like being here, and when he tried to make it better, afraid Nancy would leave, it just became worse. She got hurt because of a beer can and then left. At least he thought she had left; he and Nancy were already upstairs. He had other things on his mind than Barb going home alone; she was old enough. If his parents left him unattended and responsible for the house at 12, then surely a 16-year-old Barb was old enough to go home safely on her own.
From that point on, everything became a disaster. Nancy blamed them both for Barb’s disappearance, and he reacted badly. When she told the cops because of how worried she was, he only told her not to speak about the beers. Her friend went missing, and he was not listening. Feeling miserable, he went to the only person who stuck with him no matter what. Tommy.
When the absence of his parents became too much, Tommy proposed throwing parties. When they arrived in High school, it was Tommy who figured out he would love basketball, and he even encouraged him when he proposed joining the swimming team. Carol joined them the year before high school, and they became inseparable. He always turned to them when he had a problem, and so did they. His parents loved them, Tommy, especially since the two families were longtime friends.
How stupid had he been.
Being so dependent and scared to be alone, he pushed away what he always had in front of him since the start. Tommy was an asshole. Carol wasn’t any better. The mean comments, the way they bullied other kids, the constant pressure on his shoulder to stay at the top. All of that, he was tired of it. It took him one hell of a beating by Jonathan Byers and a lecture from Nancy Wheeler to finally get it. He had had enough. He didn’t want to be that kind of person anymore. The pain in Nancy’s eyes when she listened to him insulting the Byers. He didn’t want to see it anymore. He had been awful, and now he had to fix things. To make it right again if it had ever been.
With that thought in mind, he headed to the Byers’ house. The fight happened in the morning, and it was already getting late, but hey, it wasn’t like anyone waited for him at home. Saying sorry wouldn’t make up for what he’d done, but it was a start, right? It had to.
Nothing could have prepared him for the chaotic sight of what was inside the house. Even less for the massive monster coming from the back of it. It destroyed the wall with just a hit of its paw or hand. At this point, he couldn’t tell. It all happened fast, and adrenaline took over even faster. The creature looked like a hairless wolf mixed with a humanoid form, but there was nothing human in this thing. The clicking sounds and screams seemed to be right out of Hell, and the way it moved…God. Just what was that thing?
Nancy, Jonathan, and he did their best, but it almost escaped. That was when Nancy put it on fire, and whoa, he never thought she could do it, but damn. He’ll never underestimate a woman ever. As the monster died, he let himself fall against the wall, laughing as his nerves were wracking. What a way to say he was sorry for what happened!
Things calmed down, Will was found by the chief, Miss Byers, and some kids. He wasn’t exactly sure how, but they didn’t really explain it to him. What mattered the most was that they found the kid; the monster was gone, and they could all start to live normal lives again. Nothing better than monster hunting to bring people together, apparently.
Things got better, almost everyone was alive, he had new friends that weren’t jerks, Nancy decided to give him another chance, and Jonathan was a great guy in the end. A few weeks passed, and the holidays were over. Will went back to school, and Jonathan seemed happier and more relaxed to know they could all have a normal life again. Well…As normal as it could be after what happened, at least.
“Harrington! Hey!”
The voice got him out of his thoughts. Looking around, Steve sighed when he saw Tommy heading over to him. Closing his locker, he turned toward the man he had considered his best friend not so long ago. He seemed mad. Carol wasn’t with him, which was kinda surprising, but he didn’t really care right now. Tommy had been trying to get his attention for a few days now. So far, he didn’t feel comfortable listening to him, but he couldn’t exactly run from his problem forever. At some point, they’ll need to talk.
Signing the other to follow him, Steve went outside by the bleachers. He didn’t need to ask Tommy twice, apparently, because before he could reach the door, the other passed against him and went there first. Right. They used to meet at that spot before. Sighing, Steve hoped it wouldn’t end in another fight between them. Despite what happened, he didn’t want to hate someone he spent so much time with.
“You finally decided to stop running away? Got tired of Miss Precious?” Hagan snapped before shoving Steve against the metallic pillar of one of the bleachers.
He could say he wasn’t running away, that he just didn’t care about him anymore, but that wouldn’t be true, and after so many years together, Tommy at least deserved the truth.
“Look, Tom, it’s complicated. I-” He paused, searching for the right way to say things. “ It’s not that I-”
“Complicated?! It wasn’t complicated before you made things that way, Steve. What we had was perfectly fine until you messed it up!” Tommy snapped before he could even explain himself.
Just like that, it was on. Steve knew from that point on that the conversation would not end well. That despite his foolish hopes, Tommy wouldn’t hear reason and start acting like a good person.
“It wasn’t fine, Tommy. I don’t get how you couldn’t see it, but it wasn’t fine! We were assholes with almost everyone, acting like idiots and bullying others. I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore. I want to be better, okay? You’re my friend, and I didn’t want you to be away, but I couldn’t keep going like this.”
“Oh yes, because you’re so righteous yourself, Steve! You want to do what’s right? Don’t make me laugh! You’re no better than I am! Always running behind me, just like we were kids. It’s sickening how much you crave the approbation of people. We were together since preschool, and you’re throwing everything away for some chick?! Even for you, that’s pathetic.”
This. This was exactly why he didn’t want to face Tommy. They knew each other so well that they knew where to hit, what exact words to say to hurt the other. Tommy’s words were spread because of his anger, his resentment, and mostly his jealousy.
“I made you, Steve! You were at the top only thanks to me! Now you’re nothing. You’re nothing without me! Carol wanted you to come back, I thought it was just a phase and you-”
Steve scoffed and rolled his eyes, looking at the man he had been friends with for years, with nothing more but cold anger. That seemed to shake Tommy, but he didn’t even let the other person talk anymore.
“For what? So I could help you with the bullying again? Oh. Or maybe to realize that little fantasy of yours? Does Carol know? Did she notice how you looked at me sometimes? When you think we’re not looking, you keep staring at me just like you stare at her.” He let out with venom in his voice. “I thought we could stay on good terms, that you would hear reason and stop being a dick, but apparently it’s not something you can do. Stay out of my business, Tommy. I’ll stay out of yours. It’s obviously better that way.”
Tommy froze and looked at Steve like he had been betrayed. Which was probably the case. It has always been something they wouldn’t talk about. A taboo between them and Carol. For him to bring it up, it was…low. Looked like he hadn’t really changed in the end. Sighing, he pinched his nose and looked back at his friend.
“Look, I don’t plan to talk about this to anyone, Tom, I just… I just want to be better and move on, okay? I’m sorry but-”
“Shut up, Steve. Whatever, I don’t care. Just like everyone, I don’t give a shit about you anymore, King Steve. You’re on your own.” He snapped before pushing him further against the metallic pillar of the bleacher and walking away. Steve groaned as his head hit the metal. If he could stop getting hit on the head, that would be nice.
“Holy shit.” A voice said from behind him.
Turning around so fast his neck cracked a bit, Steve cursed internally at the sight of the source of the voices. Eddie Munson. Shit.
He didn’t know Eddie very well; most of their interaction had been when Tommy asked him to get weeds for their parties. Like most of the people from this school, with the dealer, they were basically strangers to each other. He avoided people, but not trouble, and besides his little group, Munson was solitary.
“You didn’t hear that.” Steve snapped quickly, not wanting Tommy’s secret to be out for everyone to hear.
Raising his hands as if he surrendered, Eddie smiled, seeming amused by the situation. “I don’t plan to say anything Ta Majesté.” He said, like a joke.
“Ta-what?”Steve frowned, not getting it at all and looking more confused than anything. Why was it so complicated with Munson? Even when he wanted to buy stuff, it was always like this. That seemed to both annoy and amuse the other, seeing how strongly he rolled his eyes.
“Your highness, if you prefer. I have to say, Harrington. This was an intense divorce.” He said with a smirk, leaning closer. “It took you time to understand what you wanted, King Steve?”
“It wasn’t a-That’s not even! Ugh! Why are you always like this?”
“Well, the jester that I am has a public to please.” He said with that same amused expression he always seemed to wear. When Steve didn’t respond to that and just sighed, an awkward silence grew between them. “ I meant it, you know? It’s not my place to spread something like that.” Eddie added, referring to Steve and Tommy’s earlier conversation.
Looking at the other intensely as if he tried to determine if these words were true or not, Steve sighed and passed a hand through his hair from stress. “Okay. We should have probably checked if nobody was here in the first place anyway.” Before Eddie could open his mouth to agree and probably say something else, he devanced him. “Thanks for... keeping your mouth shut, I suppose. Things are already messy enough as it is.”
With these words, he just left, letting the dark-haired man wonder if this whole situation was real. Would King Steve really change? Or was it something only induced by the sweet Nancy Wheeler? No matter what happened, it was something worth seeing. The redemption of the king.
*******
Usually, kids love winter. It was a time of joy, festivity, and snow was the best. When you grow up, it tends to fade away. It’s a nightmare to drive on an iced road, festivities sucked all the money, and you didn’t have holidays as much as before because school was over. Steve had something else to add to these seasonal buzzkills. During winter, it was dark faster, so as they were at the beginning of January, he couldn’t go back to his house without being in the dark. He wasn’t a little kid anymore; he shouldn’t be afraid of the dark like that. But now he knew what was hiding on the other side, lurking in the pitch-black areas just waiting for someone to lower their guard.
At first, he couldn’t sleep at all. Nancy was starting to worry about him, but forced to admit she couldn’t sleep much either. A few weeks passed, and now he found a parade, something that helped him to sleep better. Every night after dinner, even though Hopper told him not to, Steve Harrington was outside with his nailed bat, searching for any creatures that could be hiding near his house and neighborhood. That thing already took Barb in his pool; he won’t let it get anyone else. Not on his watch. It might be sick and not healthy at all, but doing this helped him lower the guilt. If he had been a better person at that time, if he had cared at least a little about Barb that day…
Shaking his head, he tried to think of something else. The way he and Nancy found her body…He shivered with uneasiness and repressed the nausea the best he could. That corpse, or more likely carcass, could barely be called human with how much it got destroyed during the beast’s feast. At least the fresh air of the night was helping him to feel a bit better.
The bat in his hand, he kept venturing into the woods behind his home. He had a little path during his patrols. He started into the woods near his home and walked in circles before ending up at the Byers’ and going back where he came from. Nothing seemed different from the other nights, and he was on his way back when he heard a distinct cracking sound, kinda like when you walked on a fragile branch. Turning around as fast as he could and preparing himself to hit something with his weapon, Steve froze at the sight of the creature in front of him.
Standing a few meters away from him was a big, massive black wolf. It was way too big to be a normal wolf, and he wasn’t even sure if there were wolves in Hawkins in the first place. The creature had bright yellow and orangish eyes that kept staring at him intensely. Not lowering his weapon and staring at the wolfish creature, Steve gulped, not sure if this was a threat or not. So far, it wasn’t attacking, and it looked nothing like the monster he saw around two months ago. It wasn’t even moving more than that; it was just standing there before it sat. It freaking sat right in front of him!
“You don’t look like the monster I saw.” He said out loud as if it would answer. It was dumb. It was a big wolf or something; it wouldn’t talk. As the dark creature tilted its head like a confused puppy, Steve lowered his bat. It wasn’t aggressive. “Okay, wolf. I don’t hurt you, you don’t hurt me. That seems like a good deal. What do you think?” He said, despite knowing the animal in front of him won’t answer. Well, wrong, it barked.
It freaking barked!
“For my sanity and survival, I’m going to take that as a yes.” He said before approaching the wolf slowly. When the creature walked back to keep a distance between them, he froze and stopped moving. The last thing he wanted was to get attacked because the wolf felt like he was threatened.
“Alright, I’m gonna head back then,” Steve said before walking away to go back home since his patrol was over. At least he was going to until the wolf started following him. “You’re a very confusing creature. I hope you know that.” He stated, looking back at the wolf that was sitting in front of him once again. He could swear it even looked proud of itself!
Maybe it was hungry? It was winter, so it made sense that it had difficulty finding food. What did wolves even eat? He knew you could practically give anything to a dog, from Pizza crusts to meat, but a wolf? Yeah, that was new for him.
“Jonathan told me about his dog before, but I had never seen a real wolf before you. What do you eat?” He asked no one in particular. The wolf barked because, of course, it couldn’t talk, even though it seemed strangely smart for a wild animal. “I can’t just give you peanut butter sandwiches as I give to the kids.” He mumbled to himself before the wolf walked past him and seemed to be heading to Steve’s house. When it noticed Steve was staring at it and not moving, it barked again, its tail wagging around.
Snorting and laughing, Steve followed it. “I suppose I should then. You’re quite the phenomenon for a wolf.” Probably by the scent, the wolf found its way to the Harrington house. Waiting in front of the big glass door, he looked at Steve expectantly. Rolling his eyes, the young man opened it and headed to the kitchen. “Hey, no offense, but if you stain the carpet with your paws, my mom is going to kill me.” He said as he saw the wolf getting in.
He vaguely heard a weird snorting sound, and as he prepared sandwiches for the two of them, he had a fuzzy creature watching him like a hawk. Despite what he thought, the wolf didn’t snatch the sandwich fast and wildly. No. It took it very carefully and put it in his paws as he lay down to eat it.
“Congratulations, Wolf. You’re more behaved than the kids I babysat last time.” He said, thinking of Nancy’s brother’s friends.
The sandwich was gone in less than two minutes with no crumbs left. As he cleaned the mess he had made to prepare the little snack, Steve saw the wolf leaving from the glass door he had left open just in case. “Not even saying goodbye? That’s hard, Wolf.” He joked more for himself than the wolf as he walked to close the door behind it.
Turning back, the fizzy creature approached a little and started licking his hands. Steve blinked at first, touched by the sudden show of affection when he couldn’t even approach it at first. But then he noticed how the wolf licked the rest of the peanut butter off his hands. “You little rascal!” He exclaimed, and an amused smile grew on his face.
Barking one last time, the wolf jumped outside and left, his tail still wagging, looking very amused by the situation.
As Steve closed the window and went to bed, he didn’t see the wolfish figure morphing into a humanoid one in the shadows of the forest. As he went to bed, two yellow eyes stared at the Harrington house before disappearing in the dark.