Chicago (Part 1)
Steve Harrington x Wheeler!reader
a/n: set just about where s3 starts
prompt: reader is mike and nancy wheeler’s cousin
From the Windy City to a boring little town in Indiana, what a downgrade. You were being forced to finish school in Hawkins and live with your Uncle Ted and his family. You didn’t see that side of the family very much, so it didn’t make the move any more desirable.
Last time you saw your cousins was when Holly was born. That was about five years ago, and everyone had grown a lot since then. They were unrecognizable. Your Aunt Karen picked you up from the train station and brought you to her two-story house that you’d call home for the next year. You grabbed your suitcases from the trunk and she showed you to your room.
“Y/N! It’s good to see you, god you’ve gotten tall.” Uncle Ted said without moving from his chair.
“Yeah, good to see you, too.” You followed Aunt Karen upstairs. Mike ran down the halls and passed righy by you, but backed up once he processed who you were.
“Y/N?” Mike’s head tilted.
“Hey, Mike. Long time no see.” You chuckled.
“You can talk all you want at dinner, Michael, y/n needs to get settled in.” Karen proceeded down the hallway.
“See ya, kid.” You followed your aunt down the never ending hallway of the giant house. It was bigger than what you were used to.
“We already have you enrolled in school, so you’re all set. Classes start in a couple weeks, senior year, yay!” Karen cheered. “You get to graduate with Nancy.”
“Sweet.” You dropped your bags on the floor. “Where is Nancy?”
“Probably with Jonathan.” Your aunt chuckled.
“Jonathan?” You flipped your suitcase open and unloaded some clothes.
“Her boyfriend. He’s an interesting kid.” Karen sat down in a chair beside her. “A lot different than the other guy she was dating.”
“Polar opposite?” You hung up a few shirts.
“Exactly.” She snapped her fingers. “What’s up with that?”
“I think she’s discovered boys and trying to figure them out. Good luck with that.” You joked. Karen stood up from the chair.
“Well, I’ll leave you to unpacking, I’ll start dinner, Nancy should be home in less than an hour.” Your aunt stepped out the the room.
“Thanks, Aunt Karen!” You told her. You refolded some clothes that moved around during your trip and put them in the dresser drawer. You took a quick look around your new room, which was bland and boring. You had no posters or pictures or trinkets or anything fun. Just your clothes and your bags. You had a year to make it your own, though.
You finished your short task and walked downstairs, running into a boy who was about your age. He was with Mike and a few other kids.
“Y/N, hi, you should come downstairs and meet everybody. You’re going to see them a lot.” Mike explained.
“Alright...” You chuckled. Your cousin led you downstairs to a group of younger teens who all waved at you.
“Everybody, this is my cousin, y/n, from Chicago.” Everyone waved at you. “Y/N, this is Dustin, Lucas, Max,” he pointed at each person as they greeted you, “El, Will, and—”
“I’m Steve. Steve Harrington.” Steve cut Mike off and shook your hand. “It’s a pleasure.” The kids were chuckling at his efforts.
“He’s our designated babysitter.” Dustin smiled and nodded. You giggled at the boy’s description of Steve.
“Yeah, I mean, I take care of these kids a lot, they’re kinda reckless.” The group shot him a glare.
“Noted. Well, it was fun meeting you all, I’m gonna take a quick look around Hawkins. See you around.” You walked up the stairwell and told your aunt that you were going to explore for a little bit. Steve followed you out the door.
“Hey, why don’t I navigate a little? Show you some cool places around town? I’ve got a car, I could take you to the mall.” He proposed. You hesitated to respond. “It’ll be fuuuuun.” Steve shook his keys.
“Fine. I wanted to get something for my room, anyways.” You shrugged.
“Perfect. This way!” He pointed to his maroon BMW and unlocked the door for you.
You and Steve walked side by side through the mall.
“And that’s where I work.” He pointed to an ice cream parlor where a girl was serving ice cream. “That’s Robin, she’s mean to me sometimes.”
“Interesting, very interesting.” You giggled.
“You want some ice cream?” He asked.
“Sure? I guess I could go for some. Just not too much, my aunt is making dinner now.” You followed him into Scoops and approached the counter.
“Hello, Robin. This is Y/N Wheeler, I’m showing them around town today.” Steve introduced you.
“It’s nice to meet you.” You told her.
“Yeah, you too. Steve can I have a word in the back?” She opened the door to the breakroom while you sat and waited in front. “Wheeler? As in Nancy Wheeler? As in your ex-girlfriend Nancy Wheeler?”
“It’s her cousin, they’re not really close. Y/N’s gonna be here for this upcoming school year. By the way, you should hang out with them, they’re pretty cool.” He told Robin.
“You like them, don’t you?” She shook her head disapprovingly.
“Maybe a little. I mean, I’ve only known y/n for half an hour, but half an hour well spent.” He awkwardly chuckled. “It’s not like they’re innocent either, y/n’s flirting back a little!”
“Does y/n know that you’re their cousin’s ex?” Robin reasoned with Steve.
“Nancy doesn’t care about what I do, so what’s the big deal? I’m gonna get some ice cream and have a nice time with y/n.” He pushed the swinging door open and got some ice cream for the two of you. “What do you wanna do now?”
“I kind of need some room decor. Posters or something nice?” You suggested.
You rustled through your bag of posters and the little stuffed animal Steve bought for you.
“Thanks again for the Chewbacca plush.” You smiled at him.
“Of course.” He parked in front of the Wheeler residence. “Now go eat dinner, I’ll definitely be seeing you around.” You shut the door and winked at him through the glass. He watched you enter the house, then left the scene.
“Hey, everybody!” You announced. Nancy heard your voice and rushed over to you, engulfing you in a hug.
“It’s good to see you, y/n. It’s been too long.” Nancy pulled away.
“Agreed.” You ruffled your hair a bit to fix it.
“Dinner’s on the table, c’mon.” She led you to the dining room. “So what’d you do?” She eyed your bag.
“Oh, yeah, the Harrington boy took me shopping at the mall. I needed to find something to hang up in my room.” You pulled out the Chewy stuffed animal. “And he got me this.”
“Ooh, he’s quite a catch, y/n. You guys would be great together.” Nancy told you.
“You think?” You smirked.
“I know. Seriously, if he’s buying you stuffed animals, he probably likes you. You should give him a chance.” Nancy poured you and her a glass of juice.