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this is also being updated to my tumblr. you can find it here.
this is quite possibly the best chapter i have ever written!!!! i am so excited to hear all of your thoughts, so please do not hesitate to comment!!!
With the Fourth of July quickly approaching, Hawkins has fully embraced the patriotism that comes along with it. While you’ve never really been a fan of the holiday, it is an excellent excuse for a fun time at the fair. Mayor Kline might have a controversial history in town, but he sure knows how to put together a party. You plan on beating Steve at every game possible.
But more than anything, you’re excited for Dustin to return from camp - you didn’t expect to miss that little shit as much as you have. He was so disappointed when you made the choice not to attend as a counselor, even though he eventually came around to your decision. You can’t wait to hear all of his stories.
“You nervous to tell him?” You ask Steve, who’s sitting in the chair beside you. He doesn’t have to ask for a name - he knows that you mean your brother.
Steve shifts in his seat. He hasn’t thought through the details just yet. While he hopes Dustin would be elated to hear of your relationship, he’s still a little worried. You both have kept him in the dark for so long.
“A bit, yeah,” He replies. Your brow furrows as you nod in agreement, contemplating how you’re going to begin the conversation.
Dustin’s been trying for months to get you two together. Ever since that fateful November night, when he understood that it was Steve who held your affections, he knew that he had to do everything he could to make it happen. You’ve risked your life to protect him - Dustin decided that trying to push love your way was the least he could do.
“Do you think he’ll be angry?”
Steve’s eyes snap up to you when your voice breaks the silence. You’re absently swirling your milkshake with the straw, mind lost in thought. It’s become evident that you’re worrying about this more than you anticipated. You hate when your brother is upset with you.
“Maybe,” Steve answers as he runs a hand through his hair; he’s beginning to grow anxious just thinking about it. He doesn’t like this feeling. And he doesn’t like knowing that you feel it too.
With a sigh Steve turns closer to you, pressing his weight into the armrest. He speaks softly, gaze cast down towards the floor, “You know we don’t have to tell him right away. We can… wait a bit. If you want to.”
Your eyes meet his when he looks up, and you know that he means every word. It’s your choice. You know your brother better than anyone, so it only seems fair that you should be able to decide when to tell him.
“Okay,” You reply, “I’ll think about it.”
Steve nods silently, feeling relieved that you agree. He knows how worried you’ve been about telling Dustin. Whenever you decide to tell your brother, he’ll trust your judgement and be there for you.
But instead of giving you any more time to dwell on it, Steve quickly changes the subject.
“Hey, so that uh… time movie comes out this weekend,” He says, and elaborates when he notices your brows knit with confusion, “You know, it’s got a car in it, I think. Oh, and that guy from Family Ties-”
“Wait, hold on,” You interrupt, “Are you talking about Back to the Future?”
“Yeah that’s what I said,” Steve continues as he ignores your offended tone, which makes you laugh a bit in response. His obliviousness to pop culture could entertain you for hours.
“So, when are we goin’?” He asks casually, “Saturday night, maybe?”
“I’m not seeing Back to the Future with you,” You answer after taking a sip of your milkshake. Steve’s expression creases with your rejection before he whines, “What? Why not?”
You roll your eyes as if it’s obvious. While setting the styrofoam cup onto the table, you reply, “Because I’d actually like to watch this one, Steve. I’m still mad about what you pulled at The Breakfast Club.”
His mouth curls into a smirk as he throws his arm over the back of your chair, “Oh come on, that was forever ago!”
“I still haven’t seen the whole thing!” You retort. Steve scoffs, “That movie was so boring anyways. Nothing even happened!”
“Besides,” He lowers his voice a touch to ensure it doesn’t reach Robin’s ears on the other side of the wall, “I don’t remember hearin’ you complaining.”
A flush creeps up your neck with his words, reminding you of what exactly transpired that night in the darkness of the theater. The memory rolls a shiver up your spine.
Your lips curve into a small smile, “That’s because I wasn’t.”
Steve’s hand slides to the back of your neck, using light pressure to guide you forwards and into a kiss. But just as your noses brush, Robin’s voice echoes from the register.
“Hey, dingus! Your children are here again!”
Damn.
Steve sighs a bit as he pulls away from you. Your head hangs in defeat, but you can’t help the grin that starts to form. Those kids always seem to get in your way.
“This isn’t over,” He mutters before approaching the window. Moments later, Steve’s ushering Mike and the others through the door.
“And look who’s already back here,” Mike says while untwisting the strap on his backpack, “What a surprise.”
You flip him off as you get to your feet, speaking with the same unamused tone, “And you’re fifteen minutes late.”
“Alright, enough you two,” Max raises her voice as she follows Steve to the exit, “Now hurry up, we’ve missed the previews!”
Once Steve’s made sure the coast is clear, the kids quickly sneak out beside him. Their sneakers squeak against the tile as they rush down the hall. Steve shouts to them before they turn the corner, “If anybody hears about this, I swear-“
“We’re dead, we know!”
Steve rolls his eyes when they disappear, “A ‘thank you’ woulda been nice.”
You respond with a chuckle, “Don’t take it personally. You know how they can get.”
“Yeah yeah,” He mumbles begrudgingly as you run to meet them. Your voice echoes through the hall as you turn mid-jog to say good-bye, “I’ll come by after!”
You don’t catch up to the kids until after they’ve managed to find seats in the packed theater - Mike saved you one next to him. He distributes candy from Will’s backpack to Max and Lucas, who are seated in front of you.
“Isn’t it bad enough that we aren’t paying for tickets?” You whisper, motioning to the sweets he passes to Lucas.
Will reaches down and pulls out a familiar brown package, “We got you M&M’s.”
Mike shows you the label on the can of soda he has been holding, “And a cherry Coke.”
“You boys know me too well,” You say before thanking them.
Suddenly, the whole theater goes dark. The only source of light comes from the red neon exit signs, casting a sinister shadow across the crowd.
“That’s weird,” You mutter. You don’t remember there being any storms in the forecast. But Mike and the others are more focused on the blank screen, complaining as they grow more and more impatient for the film to start again.
But if you’re experiencing an outage here in the theater, then that means the entire mall must be without power. You can’t help but remember what Robin mentioned once; the building is supported by three back-up generators. Whatever it was that knocked out the power must be undeniably strong.
Your mind immediately jumps to the lab. From what Joyce and Hopper have described, they would have the resources to do something like this. And even though you’ve only stood in it’s shadow, it’s mysteries remain terrifying. You don’t need to have been inside to be scared of what that place was capable of.
You take a deep breath - you’re starting to get ahead of yourself. The chief assured all of you that the lab had been formally shut down. He watched them close the gate, recounted every detail he could, and answered all of your questions about the measures they’re taking to make sure Hawkins stays safe. And it has.
You requested that he let you know immediately if anything suspicious started happening again. Considering your encounters with the threats that have plagued this town, he agreed, albeit reluctantly. With each day that passes, the lack of news has made it easier to move on and try to forget.
Every few weeks, the chief pulls his truck into your driveway, smart enough to do so when your mother isn’t home. Although he periodically checks up on each member of the group, Hopper makes an effort to look in on you and your brother. He heard how difficult it’s been for you to get over what happened.
You trust Hopper. You believe him. This is nothing more than a random occurrence, that’s all. It’s over.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take very long for the movie to start back up again. The audience cheers when the projector flickers back to life. But you can’t quell the anxiety that’s formed in the pit of your stomach, no matter how inaccurate your fears might be.
As soon as it’s over, the group of you begin arguing over the ending; they can’t decide if they liked it or not. You spend so much time talking it through that you don’t even notice the theater’s empty until you’re the only ones left.
The moon is full tonight. It helps to illuminate the sparsely lit parking lot, dead silent in the humid air. Max mutters something after Lucas checks the time, and she rushes to grab her bike from the rack. Then the boys are doing the same, panicking after realizing how late it had gotten. They all speed off before shouting good-bye, and disappear into the summer night.
It all happened so quickly - you’re left there, standing alone under the stars.
“Don’t take it personally,” Steve says. You spin around to see him leaning against one of the massive columns. The blue from his uniform peaks out of the hoodie he covered it up with.
He shrugs as you begin to approach him, “You know how they can get.”
“Ha ha,” You mock, reaching for his extended hand. His fingers curl around yours before gently guiding you closer, to which you oblige. You’d be stupid to resist.
“You love me. Come on, admit it,” Steve says. The words are soft on his tongue, even though they contain a bit of his flirtatious disposition.
You hum in response as he slides his arms around your waist, pulling you in even more. Your palms rest lightly on his shoulders, “I do love you.”
Steve smiles as you kiss him softly, overwhelmed by how openly you wear your heart on your sleeve around him. He feels lucky; he’s the only person you’re this vulnerable with. It frustrates him to know that the only way he got to know the real you, not the person Tommy H. convinced him you were, is because of that creature. It’s unfortunate that your love never would’ve been allowed to bloom if it hadn’t been for that tragedy.
And who knows where he’d be? Although he’ll probably never have that answer, he figures he’d rather be here, kissing you under the bright glow of the neon signs.
“Stay with me tonight,” Steve mutters against your lips - he can’t be bothered to move away, because god, why would he want to? His words barely register inside your brain, you’re too busy intertwining strands of his hair in your fist.
“Please,” He pleads with you, pecking your lips again as he searches your eyes for an answer. His hand moves to brush away a strand of your hair that came loose in the warm breeze, but your mouth shifts into a smirk, “Did I just hear Steve Harrington… beg ?”
“Alright, whatever,” He jokingly scoffs, removing himself from your grasp, “Forget it.”
Although he’s pretending to be angry with you, his loving gaze and beaming grin give it away. You can’t help but follow him as he starts moving away from you.
“Oh come on!” You laugh, playfully smacking his arm after you catch up to him, “Like you even had to ask.”
Steve presses his lips to your temple as the pair of you begin your stroll through the empty parking lot. Your hearts swell in each other’s company.
—
Your head comes up from beneath the surface of the pool, relishing how your muscles relax from the long day. The stress rolls off you in waves; each chlorine scented breath lessens the load you carried today.
Steve watches as water droplets settle in your lashes from his place beside you, dry and uninterested in swimming tonight - you had insisted on a midnight dip upon your arrival. Surprisingly, lifeguards don’t get to enjoy the pool that often.
A ballad echoes from the speakers of the radio; the slow beat mixes with the chirping crickets in the forest. If it weren’t for Steve, you’d feel a lot more terrified of what could lie beyond the line of trees.
Sometimes you feel strange swimming in this pool at all, knowing what occurred here a few short years ago.
“Do you ever wish that we could go back?”
The question floats through the air for a moment; you have no idea where it came from. Your arms pull you closer to the edge of the pool, resting your chin against solid concrete as the water sloshes at your sides, “You know, back to how it was before?”
It’s an unspoken assumption; Steve understands that you must mean before all this craziness entered your lives. That fateful night, when Will vanished into thin air, it changed everyone who was touched by it. None of those affected are the same person they were prior to November 6th, 1983.
“God no,” Steve mutters, leaning forward to gaze out towards the forest beyond. The exhale that passes from your lips catches his ears just enough, just enough to make his head turn back to see your pensive expression.
“Why, do you?” He asks. It’s spoken so plainly, but you know that Steve’s curious for your answer. The topics of conversation had been light and filled with your typical flirtatious banter until it had grown quiet, and your mind started to wander again.
You bring your eyes up to meet his; you immediately begin to regret even posing the question. Of course Steve wouldn’t want to return to that life, to that person he hardly recognizes now. And to be honest, you’re not sure you’d want to go back to who you had been either.
You sometimes wonder how things would’ve turned out if your brother hadn’t dragged you into this, or if it had never happened at all. Maybe you’d be off to college on a brighter note. Maybe you’d be going because you were excited to go, and not because of how this town haunts you. Maybe things would be better for you if Will hadn’t gone missing.
“Sometimes I wish it had never happened. That everything could just go back to the way that it was,” Your words are soft, barely whispered and almost trembling because you’re ashamed of them.
“And it’s selfish, I know. But sometimes, when I think about how I got here… ” An inhale is forced into your lungs after you trail off, afraid of continuing further, “The person that I’ve turned into is a bit too difficult to bear.”
Steve hates that he understands. He hates that there’s only a handful of people in this world that know what it’s like to have come so close to death, just to have their lives destroyed by the mistakes of greedy government officials. The survivor’s guilt eats all of you alive.
It feels worse knowing that he couldn’t spare you from it. And because of that, you experience it almost as badly as the Byers boy. He’d take all your burdens in a heartbeat if he could.
“But I have you now,” You say, feeling a blush rise to your cheeks. Your grin drops a touch as the pleasant thought turns woeful once more, and you’re not able to stop the sadness that seeps into your voice, “That makes it all a little better.”
Steve doesn’t let another moment pass before he sinks into the pool beside you. He doesn’t mind the water so much anymore.
“We all gotta find a way to move on,” He suggests, “However that might be.”
You nod as he continues, “Who knows? Maybe Chicago will be really good for you. I mean who are we kidding, you were right before.”
Your brow furrows as you rack your brain to remember what he’s referencing. But in the silence, he answers the question for you.
Steve scoffs softly, “Come on, here’s nothing here in Hawkins for you. You’d be better off far from here, getting a degree, you know?”
Your voice is sincere, “You really think there’s nothing here for me anymore?”
Steve knows that you mean him, but he doesn’t seem like nearly a good enough reason to stay. You mean it though, and that’s the part that scares him. You would drop everything for him.
“You have to go,” He says it so quietly that it’s just above a whisper. His eyes peer into yours, filled with his affections for you, “I’ll miss the hell out of you, but it’ll be fine.”
You smile a bit before cupping his jaw between your hands; his skin burns beneath your chilled fingertips. You hate that you’re leaving him here. Just the thought of it makes your chest ache.
“Steve…” You trail off as he shakes his head slightly. His name feels safe when you say it like that, softly and with so much emotion packed behind it. He cherishes every time you do.
He casts his gaze downwards and away from you for a moment as he speaks, “I’ll be fine.”
A beat passes as you let his words convince you that everything will be okay, although the sadness in his tone makes you think otherwise. This summer’s going by so fast, you’re not sure how you’ll be able to say good-bye in a few short weeks.
“Just so you know,” You mutter, “I would go through it all over again if it meant that I got to be with you.”
A small smile spreads over his face with what you imply. After everything the pair of you have experienced, the one good thing to come from it was each other. All that anguish and pain has led to this.
“Me too,” Steve replies, his voice as genuine as yours was. His smirk grows, “Although I would definitely try and kick Hargrove’s ass a little bit more.”
You laugh, “Alright, I’ll allow that.”
And then you realize that his clothes are soaked. You gesture to the drenched fabric that hangs from his frame, “I thought you weren’t swimming tonight. You got your pajamas all wet.”
Steve glances down for a second before shrugging, “Oh well. Could use a hand gettin’ them off though.”
You roll your eyes before feeling that familiar blush on your cheeks, “How long have you been planning that one?”
“Only for like twenty minutes,” Steve answers casually as he leans in to meet your lips, interrupting another giggle from you. The corners of your mouth curl up as you kiss him, barely bothered by the anxieties that plagued your mind earlier. You don’t think you’ve ever felt happiness quite like this.