Chapter Text
The familiar streets of Hawkins are different now, too many years had passed for you to truly call it your “second home” still even if that was what it always would be to you. The place you felt most at home even, if you were really being honest with yourself. It had been where you spent every summer, every holiday, every spare weekend when your parents felt like they needed a break—or in fact if they just needed a break from you. Your Aunt Claudia Henderson was the younger sister of your father, and her door had always open for you, until you had moved away.
Growing up, until the age of fourteen, you had lived mainly in Chicago, and would often go to Hawkins where your dad grew up. You moved around a bit, bouncing around wherever your dad's job would take you, but Chicago was the place that had paid the most for the longest period of time.
Except, it wasn't really home.
Even now, living in New York City, you always felt like you weren’t at home.
While you had jumped at the chance to come in earlier than expected to visit your favorite—okay, your only aunt on your father’s side—relatives. However, you didn’t quite know what to expect in Hawkins. You hadn’t been back to the town since just before you turned fifteen.
But this would be a way to break how everything had been going at home lately—the yelling, the looks, the tension between your parents. To put it plainly, the way everything just hung in the air. You needed to escape that place, that city, the people, just as much as your parent’s needed to get away too.
You spent most of your time on your way into Hawkins wondering several things; What had your parents told Aunt Claudia? Did she know everything that happened back in New York? Had she told Dustin all about the unspoken drama that was the reason you were being sent here the guise of your parents working on their relationship at some “health retreat” at some spa in Italy or France or Spain or wherever it was they were planning on going?
And there was now. Now that you’re sitting in the cab in the still familiar driveway for far too long after the driver had stopped, the same nice man who had spent most of the drive giving you a tour of what he called the “sleepiest town I ever lived in” ( “Well, minus that one incident where the ol’ lab nearly exploded one night, but that’s not somethin’ to worry your head about, dear.” he had said that as he drove you past the place a while back, causing you to look up, but not for long, not thinking much of it because...what really happens in Hawkins anyway? ) had yet to speak up and question why you had yet to get out of his cab, but you could see his eyes glancing in the rear view mirror at you.
The nervous feeling that had been bubbling in your stomach since you boarded your early morning flight was beginning to go away, slowly, as you look up and spot the front door opening. It’s your cousin, not noticing the cab at first, as he had been heading for the bike that’s leaned up against the side of the house. The sight makes you smile, despite the distance and the years, you had always kept in touch with Dustin as best as you could, the last year being hard on the both of you.
When his hands are on the bike that’s when he notices the cab in the driveway and he drops the bike, instantly forgetting it, and runs toward the yellow taxi, knocking excitedly on the back window as he’s spotted you, “Y/N, is that you?” Dustin’s curls are barely tempered by the cap on top of his head, and he’s pulling open the door to the cab, a rushed apology to the driver as he does, looking at you expectantly with a bright smile. “I thought you weren’t coming until winter break!”
You grin at him, letting the door open as you pulled out money to pay the driver and say a quick thanks as he pops the trunk for you, “Can’t a gal come early and surprise her favorite cousin?” You ruffle the top of his head, covered with the baseball cap, as you step out of the cab. “Obviously I’m talking about the whole gang, too.” You move toward the trunk, pulling your things out. You know that you don’t have much with you, sure you had multiple bags; a large luggage you had checked as well as a carry on and your backpack.
But in reality there wasn’t much stuff packed in there other than necessities, or things you had seen and grabbed for Dustin or your Aunt Claudia on the days leading up to your departure knowing that the holidays were upcoming. Truthfully, you had packed quick as you wanted to get the hell out of your house and away from your parents as much as you could tell they wanted you out of the house after all the disappointment you had caused this past year, and expected that your parents would send anything else they might think you would need before they go away themselves.
“Oh they’re never gonna believe that you’re back! I can’t wait to tell them. I didn’t want to say anything until I saw you just in case…” there’s a bit of hesitation, as if your younger cousin didn’t believe you would actually come to town. Which was fair, there had been misled promises over the years since you had moved, but that had been from your parents, “I was headed over to Mike’s when I saw the cab and, here, let me help you with that,” Dustin’s still the same as he had been years ago—excitedly talking a mile a minute to over-explain everything—and he doesn’t even wait for you to say anything as he grabs the duffle bag out of your hands while the two of you walk up the drive. “I got the guest room all made up for you, like old times. Mom picked out new sheets for it too, just for you and I really think,” Dustin opens the front door pausing mid-sentence to call out for his mother as the two of you continue up toward the guest room, “you’re going to like it. I mean it’s totally your style. Or, your style from a couple of years ago, I guess. I hope that hasn’t changed too much.”
You’re unable to stop the laughter from your lips as you’re traipsing beside Dustin through the familiar house, “C’mon Dusty, look at me. I don’t think I’ve changed that much.”
But the comment hangs in the air, at least on your end. There was so much that Dustin couldn’t possibly know about yet, that you weren’t exactly keen on telling everyone about right then and there as you were barely ready to unpack your bags and settle in for the next few months time.
“Except maybe my hair, I kinda grew out of the whole pigtail phase of my life.” You and Dustin shared what you liked to think of as the trademark Henderson curls—both your father and aunt had them too—, and when you were younger your mother had done a lot of pigtails or braids to keep your curls as tame as possible—spoiler alert: it wasn’t possible, they were still a bit untamable, or at least they were frizzy if they were put up like that.
“And you’re not in overalls anymore either,” Claudia Henderson commented from the doorway of the guest room, a smile on her face as she looks between the two kids. “I missed having you around, sweetie. It’s good to see you.”
A flash of memory hits you. You, pigtailed braids and overalls covering a sweater, chasing around your cousin and his friends in the fallen leaves around the front lawn of the Wheeler’s house.
“Pretty sure I’ve still got some overalls in my wardrobe, though.” You shrug your shoulders with a slight smile on your face, “Sure I could still give those kids one hell of a race if need be.”
Dustin rolls his eyes at the comment, as if he wants to say more but all he winds up saying is “I’ll have you know we’ve gotten faster.”
“Aw, of course you have Dusty, I’m just teasing.” You grin, nudging his shoulder and glancing back at your Aunt Claudia. “Sorry to put you out like this, but whatever help you need around the house or…”
Claudia cuts you off, holding her hand up to you as she shakes her head, “Nonsense Y/N, sweetie, you’re not an imposition or anything at all. You’re always welcome here.”
If you had any anxiety about anything before then, the easy way your aunt had just said that brushing away any sort of worries you might be feeling took it all away. The welcome you had gotten from both of them just reminded you of everything you had always felt being in Hawkins—it was like being home, moreso than anything or anywhere else.
You felt more at ease being in your Aunt Claudia’s house than you ever felt in New York City. Unpacking wasn’t a chore, and sure you didn’t even have everything from back home with you but it was enough to make the space in the guest room feel at least a bit lived in.
Dustin had left to go to Mike’s like he had originally planned, and your aunt had gone back to doing whatever she had been doing before your cousin had called her to greet you.
Honestly, it was the most normal you had felt in a while. Instead of feeling eyes watching your every move, you felt like you could breathe again.
As you move about the room, a familiar sound echos in your ears; the patter of paws against the floor. You expect Mews to come peering through your room door any moment, but instead are greeted with a kitten poking their head through the door sniffing out the new scent of everything you’ve brought with you.
“Oh, hello,” you murmur, stopping what you’re doing to cautiously greet the kitten. “I’m Y/N, and you are,” you speak as if the animal can answer while you search for the name tag. “Tews.”
Curiouser and curiouser.
Where was Mews?
You let the kitten explore another moment before reaching out to greet her, noticing that like Mews she’s easy to get along with and ready to welcome you into the home. You pick this kitten, Tews, up into your arms forgetting the rest of your unpacking and head down the stairs whispering softly to the kitten as you do.
“Aunt Claudia?” You’re looking around when you reach the base of the stairs, still holding onto the kitten and smiling when you see her. “I’ve met your newest family member. I’m surprised Dad didn’t tell me you got a new kitten. She’s adorable. But, where’s Mews hiding? I haven’t seen her around and she’s always trying to get into my suitcase whenever I leave it out, I swear it’s like she knows.” You let out a small laugh, shaking your head at the thought—you’d even sent your aunt several polaroids over the years, and a couple in the mix were of Mews in your suitcase.
Claudia’s face falls briefly, looking away before she turns back to you with a smile. “Isn’t Tews just the sweetest? I’d like to think she and Mews would have gotten along. But…Mews ran away in October. We still haven’t found her, and Dusty and I went to the shelter and brought home Tews last weekend, right after Thanksgiving.”
“Oh God, Aunt Claudia I’m so sorry.” You let Tews out of your arms and go to comfort your aunt with a sad smile. You’d grown up with Mews during your visits.
“Thank you sweetie,” Claudia replies, patting your hand with hers and shaking her head. You know how much the animal meant to her, even Dustin’s own turtle in his room though she wouldn’t admit it.
“I wish I had known, maybe I could have come and help you look.” The problem was, you didn’t know—which was probably a good thing, given everything else that had happened, but you didn’t know all of that. Your parents kept you in the dark about so much, which in turn had made you keep your parents in the dark. Hence everything blowing up.
You promised yourself Hawkins would be different.
It had to be.
The phone ringing startles you both, and Claudia jumps out of her seat to pick up the chorded phone in the kitchen, talking for a few minutes. You do your best not to pay attention while she speaks to give her some privacy and instead focus on the kitten playing in the corner with some toys.
“Y/N,” Claudia says to get your attention back on her, phone cradled in her hand as if she’s waiting to get a response from you for something before turning back to her conversation, “Would you mind watching Dusty tonight, dear? He’s got a friend coming over. Don’t worry, there’s ingredients to make some dinner in the fridge. But if you and Dustin want there’s also money for a pizza or something in the cookie jar. My friend Mary's wondering if I can come give her a hand.” Claudia places her hand over the receiver to block her voice from her friend and continues with a whisper, “Her cat just had some kittens and she’s terribly unprepared for it, but I still have some things from way back when.”
You wave a hand brushing off the way she’s asking, as if she’s putting you out with her question, “Go be a cat whisperer, Aunt Claudia, I’ve got Dustin and his friend covered. We’ll be fine.”
“I wanted to talk to you about everything before…well, there’s still time.” Claudia shakes her head, before telling her friend she’ll see her soon. “I might have to stay the night just to make sure everything is alright. Are you sure you’ll be fine with Dustin by yourself?”
“Aunt Claudia, I used to watch Dusty when I was barely tall enough to see over this kitchen table. Trust me, we’ll be fine. I practically lived here, so unless you’ve changed where you keep the forks or something, I think I’ve got everything here under control.”
Claudia’s features relax, and she leans down to place a kiss on the top of your head, “Everything is exactly as it was, Y/N. Thank you.” She begins heading up the stairs, calling out, “It’s good to have you home,” as she disappears to her room.
You wander around the kitchen, glancing in the fridge to see what your aunt has left for dinner while you wait for Dustin to return. It should be soon, given that there’s company expected.
“Nancy says you need to call her, and I’m paraphrasing, ASAP.” Dustin’s voice carries as the door opens, nearly causing you to jump. “And I promised everyone that you’d come with me to Mike’s tomorrow night. ‘Cause that’s when we play D&D. You remember that, right? I told you about the campaign and everything?” He doesn’t give you a chance to actually answer, instead continuing on his own as he moves around the front of the house kicking off his shoes and hanging up his coat, “Nance and Jonathan usually stay for a bit and then disappear, but I’m sure now that you’re back they might actually hang out. I’m not sure if everyone actually believes me, but we’ll show them tomorrow night, right?” Dustin drops his baseball cap on top of the radio before turning back to you with a grin, “Oh, and you’ll get to meet Max and El. They’re gonna love you. I mean, who wouldn’t? I’m really happy you’re back in town, Y/N. But when I asked mom she didn’t know how long you were gonna be here for. So, uh, how long are you here for?” Dustin drops himself into one of the kitchen chairs and looks up at you expectantly.
“Til summer at least. So long as that’s okay with you and Aunt Claudia.” You close the fridge door and lean against the countertop.
“Why wouldn’t it be okay with me and mom?” Dustin asks. “Also, where is mom?”
“Don’t you know your mom, my Aunt, is some great cat expert that everyone calls when they need a hand?” you ask with a shake of your head, “I mean, the little cat-astrophe just needed her helping hand.”
Dustin lets out a laugh that was more deadpan than an actual laugh as he looks your way, “You think you’re so funny.”
“Well, I could have made a worse pun. Like she lent a helping paw.”
“I stand corrected, it could be worse.”
“You wound me, Dusty.” Taking a seat you then continue, “anyway, should I attempt to whip up this casserole Aunt Claudia left us or should we order a pizza and also I can make cookies?”
“Pizza, obviously.” Dustin replies, looking at you as if asking are you serious with his eyes.
“Fine, you order and set up for whatever it is you’re doing with this friend of yours. I’ll see where your mom keeps the supplies to make cookies now.”
“It’s a movie night, and you’re totally joining us.” Dustin says, getting up from the table and moving to the phone dialing the number for the pizza place like he has it memorized. “Then again, it is Steve’s turn to pick a video so, maybe you should save yourself. He’s still trying to get me back for watching Star Wars multiple times.”
You can’t help but laugh at the idea of what your cousin’s friend could pick, or why he might be getting back at him for watching Star Wars “too many” times. While Dustin orders pizza, you rummage through the kitchen to get things out to make chocolate chip cookies, which you used to do all the time with your aunt.
“Call me when Steve gets here, or when pizza comes, whichever first.” Dustin says when he hangs up the phone before running off to his room. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the blur of his curls moving around the house with blankets and pillows back down the stairs, carefully avoiding the spot where Tews had fallen asleep.
Moving Dustin’s baseball cap, you turn on the radio on and hum along to the music playing once you find a good station as you begin to make the cookies.
Feeling more free than you had at home, you were just being yourself—something you could lie and say you always were, but truth be told you had been putting on a front for so long, you really hadn’t been you in a long time. The music blasting, you lost yourself in it allowing yourself to hum and sing along to some of the words as you got to bake.
Let’s Hear it For the Boy, one of the songs in a movie that came out earlier that year, had begun playing on the radio and you were singing along to it, probably off-key, and bouncing around the kitchen dancing as you get the cookies put in the oven and set the timer.
You couldn’t help but be glad that Dustin was probably in his room, at least for now ignoring you—glad that your display in the kitchen wasn’t going to be something he would use for embarrassment right then and there.
Except, there was someone there as you move about the kitchen.
With the Henderson door unlocked, Steve Harrington had just let himself in. He had been about to announce his arrival when he heard the radio playing and stops in his tracks. He pauses, hands crossed over his chest as he studies you, unsure what to make of the scene before him. Clearly you’re familiar to the Henderson’s too, but he doesn’t know you and he’s been spending a lot of time here recently. Still, some sense of familiarity pings in the back of his mind, but he can’t quite place it as he watches you.
You’re moving as if you lived in the Henderson’s house your whole life. You know where things are as to not bump into them while you move, and you’re singing along to the song on the radio, managing to lower the volume as you move with your eyes closed so that you can listen out for the timer.
Steve is completely captivated, and knows that he should say something to announce his presence. But the truth is, he feels like he’s intruding on something and he can’t bring himself to break whatever it is that’s happening right then.
“Steve! Buddy! You made it. Y/N, why didn’t you tell me he was here?” Dustin’s voice breaks through the music as he races down the stairs.
You gasp, your cousin's voice startling you, and fall to the floor your curls falling into your face as you land. Pushing them out of your eyes, you’re about to tell Dustin that he’s wrong and no one else is there...
...except you’re met with a teenager standing in the kitchen greeting Dustin with what appears to be an overly complicated handshake.
“I didn’t know he was here.” You answer, doing your best to sound totally cool and like you didn't just fall down in front of both of them, standing up and brushing any possible dust off from your hands onto your clothes as you move to the oven and check your timer. “You know when I was told Dustin had a friend coming over I expected…well, not someone my age.”
“And I didn’t expect Mrs. Henderson to get us a babysitter for the night. Does she not trust me or something?” Steve looks between you and Dustin with raised eyebrows.
“Uh, no, I’m Y/N Henderson, Dustin’s cousin.” You say firmly, shaking your head.
“Y/N is my cousin, Steve. Not a babysitter. She’s kinda moving to town for a while.” Dustin says at the same time.
That’s when it seemed to click in Steve’s head.
He had seen Y/N around before. Running around town with the kids before he really knew them, before he paid attention to them. He could picture it now, even if he didn't think you'd ever spoken before. He could see it. A younger you, running around with the group of kids he now knew, or sitting by the movies with Nance, or following Mrs. Byers throughout Melvad's, or walking through town with Nancy and Jonathan.
“Cousins? Shit—you’re that girl who used to watch Dustin all the time, right? Weren’t you friends with Nance or something too?”
“Guilty as charged, I think.” You reply with a shrug of your shoulders.
Did Dustin’s friend actually know you?
You couldn’t really place him in your own memories, the name Steve not ringing any bells from when you used to come around town. He wasn’t one of Nancy or Jonathan’s friends from back then, at least.
Then again, everyone in Hawkins was at least somewhat familiar, given that the town was pretty small.
The timer to the oven dings at the same time as the doorbell rings. You go and grab for the cookies and Dustin gets the money for the pizza.
“So what video did you bring?” You ask while you pull the cookies out of the oven and put them down on the top of the oven. You grab the cooling tray from where it was and begin to move the cookies from the baking sheet to there while you wait for Steve’s answer. “Dustin said he thinks you want to get back at him for watching Star Wars too many times.”
“That’s cause it’s the first movie that Dustin picks every movie night.” Steve shrugs his jacket off his shoulders, dropping it down to one of the chairs and looking at you. “I brought The Karate Kid. But, if I thought that that dipshit was going to bring up Star Wars, I would have rented both Indiana Jones movies or something.”
“Next time you pick you can do that, buddy.” Dustin walks back, dropping the pizza onto the table and patting Steve on the back with a smirk. “Are we ready for movie night or what? C’mon, Y/N even made cookies.”
“Pizza and cookies?” Steve looks at Dustin with wide eyes, a twinge of sarcasm in his voice. “All we need is popcorn.”
You roll your eyes, moving to the cabinet and looking around before pulling out the stovetop popcorn and looking back at them. “Why don’t you two go get the movie set up and I’ll make the popcorn?”
It feels both easy and a bit like you’re intruding on your cousin’s time with a friend. You watch as the two of them walk into the living room taking the pizza and cookies with them. It’s as if they have their own rhythm that you don’t know and you feel like you’re watching something totally unfamiliar as you see them go.
Tews curls up against your feet while you stand at the stove, waiting for the popcorn to be ready and you can hear Steve and Dustin going back and forth.
If you thought about it, this was really the best way to spend your first night back in Hawkins. It was all so simple, a movie night with your cousin and one of his friends. You were feeling in your element already, and that was perfect.