people are strange ♔ steve harrington x oc

• 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗 •

Steve and Jenny found a seat a little way away from Will Byer's hospital room. No one had said a word since arriving, everyone too exhausted both mentally and physically to engage in pleasantries.

Jenny groaned a little as she tried to shift in her seat, her back was still in a lot of pain, and since the adrenaline had worn off, her leg had started to throb.

Steve turned to look at her in concern.

"Hey... are you okay?"

Jenny looked up at him with a weak smile.

"Ask me again tomorrow." She told him, making him smile. He went to put a comforting hand on her thigh but she winced away. He drew his hand back in a little embarrassment.

"It's not you, Steve," She clarified, pulling up her skirt a little to show the blood-soaked bandage.

He hissed at the sight before a tense silence fell over them once more.

"I was a real scumbag, I know..." Steve said after a minute. Jenny let her head fall to the left where he was sitting.

"Punching Jonathan Byers was the opposite of turning a new leaf," Jenny said, feeling as he inhaled and exhaled, the small feeling washed her in comfort. She wished it didn't.

"I told Tommy and Carol to fuck off about everyone and everything basically." He explained. It was then that Jenny remembered Steve's beat-up face.

"I'm sorry I distracted you in the fight, he got you pretty good."

"Yeah well, I'm pretty sure I deserved it."

"Oh you most definitely did," She told him. The pair began to laugh softly before both groaning at the pain it caused their various injuries.

"I feel like I'm gonna wake up and this was all a dream..." Steve said. Jenny turned her head from her position on his shoulder so she could see his face. "8am, Monday morning, I'm gone. No more King Steve, no more dumb friends with dumb fucking ideals..."

"Don't think this whole thing makes up for over a year of being a dick to me," Jenny reminded him.

"No?" He asked before nodding. "No of course not."

Jenny smiled, "But it's a start."

Steve stuck his arm over the armrest towards her, his pinky sticking out "So, friends again?"

Jenny smiled, "Friends again," She agreed, intertwining his pinky in hers.

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Jenny could barely move when she woke up the next morning. Her back was aching, along with her probably minorly concussed head, and there was a dull stinging in her left thigh, but other than that, she was okay. She had survived.

She was slow to sit up, squeezing every muscle in order to not hurt her stiff limbs. An outfit was laid out on the end of her bed.

She ended up sneaking back into her house after Steve drove her home from the hospital. He had offered to make her up a bed at his place, but she declined, wanting nothing more than a hot bath and to sleep in her own bed.

Helen had woken up at the noise and had bombarded her with questions, and all Jenny could think to tell her was that she slipped over while messing around with Dustin and started feeling ill so she asked to come home. Helen didn't press any more, only scolded her for not waking her when she got home so she could've helped her.

She groaned and winced as she pulled on her fresh clothes. She barely remembered why she was even doing it until her mother came in to make sure she was awake.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" She asked softly, placing down a steaming mug and a packet of painkillers on Jenny's vanity, before coming over and zipping up the back of her dress.

"Sore... I don't think we should've attached a skateboard to his bike," She said wearily.

"Goodness Jennifer," Her mother huffed. "I'd thought you'd know better than your brothers."
Jenny chuckled softly, "Dustin was... very convincing."

Her head was still spinning a little when lunch started at the Hawkin's Country Club. She excused herself from the table for some air, and went out towards the golf field, sitting down on the top of the mound that led down to the golf buggies. She heaved a great sigh and pulled her legs in close to herself, the winter sun was barely forgiving, but the nipping chill that surrounded her did make her feel a lot less sick than the stuffy dining hall.

She heard footsteps behind her not long after she made herself comfortable. Steve sat down beside her, his teeth chattering.

"How aren't you freezing?" He asked, leaning over and rubbing her arms.

"I can't stand to be hot at the moment," She said. "My leg's constantly on fire."

He stared down at her leg before swallowing hard, "So... are you okay now?"

Jenny chuckled, "Better than yesterday. I think that's all I can hope for."

He nodded, "Are you, going to be okay?"

That was a harder question. She got home at 4am that morning –it hadn't even been twelve hours. She hoped it'd all feel like a dream when she woke up, like Steve had said, but it didn't. The Demogorgan haunted her every time she closed her eyes, and she wasn't sure she would ever be able to ride past the woods. Or go in her backyard. Or be alone in the dark.

She knew she shouldn't be too hard on herself, especially since it was only a mere few hours following. Instead of answering, she directed Steve's question back at him.

He scoffed, "I'll survive."

Jenny giggled, "How stoic of you."

He smiled and shook his head, "Shut up."

They went into a comfortable silence before Steve nudged her.

"I've got you something," He said, pulling out a decorated box from next to him.

"Oh?" Jenny said, taking it from him.

"Nancy wanted me to give it to you for Christmas but... I couldn't wait."

Jenny furrowed her brow as she pulled at the wrapping paper. She gasped as she got a glimpse of the gift underneath. Taking off the wrapping, it revealed a new, updated, Walkman. She giggled as she pulled away the last of the paper.

"Thank you," She said, turning and hugging him. He squeezed her tighter.

What last week was a dying friendship, was regrowing into a stronger bond, only what the young friends weren't aware of just yet, was that the Upside-Down's power was already regrowing too, and it wouldn't be long before they once again found themselves tumbling back into the world of the unknown.