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“Okay, then why won’t you go with me?”
“Alright.”
Jonathan had no idea that Steve would actually agree to go with him. He had thought it was just for show, something to say in front of Nancy, but apparently his desire to get a temporary break from Dustin was stronger than his dislike for Jonathan. Before Jonathan could react and simply suggest that everyone should stick with their original pairs, the idea was sealed by Nancy, who only shrugged and agreed. Dustin stayed quiet and just followed her, leaving the two of them alone together.
Great… Jonathan thought.
That was how they ended up walking up the corridor and the stairs in complete silence, though Jonathan could feel Steve glancing at him every now and then. He caught himself staring back just as often. He couldn’t help it.
“If I were a magical generator, where would I be…” he heard the other man mutter quietly to himself, which made Jonathan roll his eyes but he decided not to say anything. Lately, everything he said to Steve came out sharp, even when he didn’t mean it to. They didn’t need another argument right now.
They reached the laboratory rooftop quickly. Steve jumped ahead, scanning the area, until he suddenly stopped so abruptly that Jonathan, who had to admit he’d been following him a bit blindly, nearly walked straight into his back.
“You see that?” Harrington asked, pointing his flashlight upward.
Jonathan followed the beam with his eyes, but at first glance, he didn’t notice anything unusual.
“See what?” he asked, irritation creeping into his voice. Was Steve seriously wasting their time even here?
Steve clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied, waving the flashlight back and forth before looking at Jonathan with barely contained excitement.
“Look closer! There’s something hidden behind it,” he said impatiently, and when Jonathan moved his own flashlight toward the spot, he finally saw it.
The light didn’t pass through. It stopped, catching on something instead of hitting the wall behind it.
“Shit, you’re right,” he said, suddenly alert, though unease twisted in his gut.
“This has to be it, right?” Steve asked, looking at him for confirmation, concern flickering across his face.
Jonathan realized he was actually asking for his opinion. How nice.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out…”
Harrington nodded and pulled out Nancy’s spare gun, the one she had handed them before they left. Jonathan wasn’t sure if Steve was a better shot than him, but he felt a little calmer knowing the other man was holding it. Even after all this time, he still hated guns, despite the fact they’d been forced to learn how to use them.
Steve gave a small smile as he aimed at the strange mass. “What did Henderson say? Destroy it as soon as you see it?” He adjusted his grip, squinting slightly. That told Jonathan enough. Steve wasn’t any better of a shooter than he was.
“Are we sure about this?” Jonathan muttered quietly. He tried to reach Nancy and Dustin over the radio, but only got a static answer. He looked at Steve expectantly.
“Well, if this doesn’t work, Henderson will finally have to admit he was wrong,” Steve said with a smirk, and without hesitating any longer, he pulled the trigger. The shot rang out loudly, and both of them flinched back instinctively.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. They just stared at the space in front of them, waiting.
“Maybe you missed it?” Jonathan said at last, unconvinced. Steve shot him a frustrated look.
Then the mass came alive. It flared red, glowing violently, forming into an angry sphere.
A cold shiver ran through Jonathan as fear began to churn in his chest. Were they wrong…?!
“That’s bad,” Steve managed, grabbing Jonathan by the arm and pulling him back.
No matter how fast they were, a massive wave of energy slammed into them, throwing them brutally backward. The last thing Jonathan saw was darkness.
“Jonathan, Jonny, hey-!”
He felt light taps against his cheek, frantic shaking at his shoulders. He gasped sharply as he came to, immediately trying to sit up, only to realize he couldn’t. He felt glued to the floor, and it took him only a second to understand that he literally was.
“What, what, where-?” He looked around wildly, his heart pounding, until his gaze landed on Steve, who was helping him up. Both of them were smeared with a strange white liquid covering the floor.
Jonathan scanned the room in panic, dread tightening its grip around him. The space was small, and it was rapidly filling with a thick, tar-like substance that was already hard to move through. He looked at Steve desperately, hoping for answers, but Harrington stared back just as frightened, eyes flicking between Jonathan and the rising sludge.
“We must’ve fallen down here,” Steve swallowed hard, searching the disgusting room for an exit. “Here! The door!” he shouted suddenly.
Leaning on each other, they forced their way through the thick tar until Jonathan grabbed the handle. To his horror, it dissolved in his hand.
“Fuck!” he yelled, while Steve swore loudly beside him.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Steve shouted, slamming himself into the door, trying to break it down.
Jonathan joined him immediately, but it was useless. The door didn’t budge.
“We shouldn’t have touched it. That wasn’t a shield generator,” Jonathan said breathlessly as he kept hitting the door. They had to get out before the room was completely filled. That substance would swallow them whole.
“Yeah, no shit! Henderson was wrong!” Steve yelled back, ramming into the door even harder.
Nothing worked. They both knew it. Jonathan watched anxiously as Steve struggled across the room, ripping a leg off a chair and returning with it.
“Move,” he ordered. Jonathan stepped aside, watching as Steve swung.
Instead of an opening, he created another hole, one that immediately began pouring the liquid inside. Steve recoiled in shock, stumbling backward into Jonathan, who caught him instinctively. As if things couldn’t get worse, a massive bubble formed in the ceiling, then burst, unleashing a thick waterfall of tar that flooded the room even faster.
“What now?!” Steve shouted in panic, still pressed tightly against him. At the same time, their eyes landed on the same thing.
“Get on the table!” they yelled together.
They waded through the liquid and climbed onto the table, staying close, scanning the room until their panicked gazes met.
“What now?!”
The table wouldn’t last long. It would sink. It would take them with it. Were they really going to die here?
Steve stared at him for a moment before looking up.
“Help! Help! Dustin! Nancy! Help! We’re here!” he shouted desperately and Jonathan joined in quickly.
Only their own voices echoed back. He gave up sooner, hopelessness crushing him.
“Steve, they’re not coming,” he said quietly.
Steve yelled a few more times before looking at him, completely broken, eyes shining.
“They’re not answering. Why aren’t they answering? Something had to happen to them,” he said, sounding shattered, and it made Jonathan’s chest ache.
“Steve,” he whispered, his voice breaking.
Steve looked at him, out of breath, and when their eyes met, something inside Jonathan collapsed completely. The last fragile thread of hope snapped. He saw it in Steve’s eyes too. Are we really going to die here? Like this? Drowned in this goddamn substance like wax figures?
I’m going to die with Steve Harrington, of all people?
What an absurd way for his story to end.
Steve suddenly stood and held out his hands to pull him up. Jonathan stared at them, confused. There was no escape.
“What are you doing?” he asked, exhausted.
“Come on, there’s that hole up there. If I lift you, maybe you can reach it and climb out,” Steve said, suddenly bright, like he’d just thought of a brilliant plan.
Jonathan stared at him, then looked up at the ceiling.
“Steve, I- it’s too high. We won’t reach it.”
What about you?
“You won’t even try? We have to do something, not just sit here and wait to die!” Steve snapped, grabbing Jonathan’s hands and pulling him up.
Jonathan stood unsteadily, staring at him.
“Steve, even if I reach it, what about you?” he asked quietly.
Steve didn’t hesitate. “Maybe you can pull me up. Or you’ll find Nancy and Dustin and come back with help. Come on. I’m taller, It has to be me.”
“Steve,” Jonathan’s voice cracked.
They hadn’t had the best relationship lately—or ever—but that didn’t mean he wanted him dead. He’d dare to call them friends. Not the kind Nancy was to him, or Robin to Steve, but still friends, bound by shared trauma. How could he live knowing he’d left Steve here to die? How could he look Nancy or Dustin in the eyes? Robin? Anyone?
Steve squeezed his arm gently, and Jonathan finally looked up.
“Jonathan, one of us has to make it out of this room. And it will be you,” he said, already resigned to his fate.
“And who decides that?” Jonathan asked quietly.
“Genetics? That I’m taller and stronger?” Steve managed a crooked, teasing smile even now.
“Shut up, I kicked your ass,” Jonathan said weakly, trying to laugh as tears welled up.
“Come on, before it reaches the table,” Steve said quietly, already reaching for him. He sounded unbearably sad.
“I’ll get help,” Jonathan promised. He wouldn’t leave him to drown.
Unsteadily, he climbed onto Steve’s shoulders, terrified he’d fall before even getting close.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you,” Steve repeated, and Jonathan wasn’t sure if he was reassuring him, himself, or both.
Steve held him tightly, hands locked around his legs, bracing himself as best he could. Jonathan stretched upward, straining, gasping. From here, he could see just how far away the ceiling still was.
“Fuck, Steve… It won’t work,” he said, despair flooding back in.
“Don’t give up yet. You can do this,” Steve breathed, shaking them both as he tried to push him higher.
“Stop! You’ll make us both fall!” Jonathan yelled, panicked.
“Just reach a little higher…”
“Steve!” Jonathan shouted, already trying to climb down.
Steve seemed to snap out of it, swearing as he helped him back onto his feet.
“Shit, shit, I’m sorry. I thought it could work,” he said, eyes wide and apologetic, like a kicked puppy, and Jonathan couldn’t even be mad at him.
“No, no… it was a good try,” Jonathan sighed. “It’s a shame it didn’t work.”
He looked around the room, watching it fill mercilessly, and sat down on the table while he still could. After a moment, Steve joined him, guilt written all over his face.
“It’s my fault we’re here. I’m sorry. We should’ve waited for Dustin and Nancy,” he said, his voice shaking as he dropped his gaze.
Jonathan swallowed, wondering for a brief second how much blame he actually placed on Steve, before shaking his head.
“No… I agreed to it too. And if Nancy and Dustin were here with us, it would probably end the same way. They’d die here too.”
He looked away, clenching his hands in the fabric of his pants. He wouldn’t want Nancy here as well. Maybe it was a good thing they’d already drifted apart. Silence settled between them until Steve let out a heavy sigh, leaning his head back as he laughed bitterly.
“What a ridiculous way to end our lives. After fighting literal monsters for years, we’re going to drown in a stupid room.” He tried to smile, but it came out more like a painful grimace, his eyes glassing over again.
Jonathan exhaled, wanting to wipe away the tears gathering in his own eyes, but his hands were dirty with the liquid, so he just let them slide down his cheeks.
“Hey, Byers… Are you up for some last-minute confessions?” Steve’s quiet voice broke the silence.
Jonathan finally looked at him, thinking about the ring hidden in the cassette that had been weighing on his mind for so long.
“Wanna go first?” he offered, knowing that once someone started, he’d follow without stopping. They didn’t have much time left. The substance was already halfway to the table.
Even though it had been Steve’s idea, for a few seconds he just stared at Jonathan, and he could feel him hesitating, weighing whatever was stuck in his head.
“Don’t chicken out now, Harrington. We’re going to die soon anyway-”
“It was you.”
Jonathan blinked at him, confused, as Steve said it and didn’t add anything else.
“Me… what?”
“It was you I was trying to impress. Not Nancy.” He looked straight into Jonathan’s eyes.
Jonathan let out a quiet gasp, startled, then shook his head, convinced he had misunderstood. There was no way.
“Steve-”
“No, before you say anything,” He cut him off. “I knew nothing would come of it. You love Nance, you were in a relationship, but I was fine just having that crush, even if it was inappropriate for both of you.”
Jonathan interrupted anyway, feeling like he was missing something. “Then why? Why were you teasing me about Nancy so much?”
He felt completely lost. Steve had liked him this whole time?
“Because it was the only way to get your attention. And it actually worked, which I’m sorry about now.”
Jonathan stared at him, baffled. “You couldn’t just ask to be friends or something?” There had to be a better way than making him angry and jealous over Nancy.
Steve tilted his head slightly, looking at him softly. It caught Jonathan off the guard. “Jonny, I tried,” he said, using the nickname again. “Don’t you remember how often I asked if you wanted to grab a beer or dinner after our shifts at WSQK?”
Jonathan’s eyes traced Steve’s face as the realization hit. It was true. How could he have been that blind?
Steve pressed his lips together, smiling faintly. “You ignored me or turned me down every time. That’s why I stopped asking. And later, I realized how hostile you got every time I got close to Nance, so I decided to add fuel to the fire. Somehow your attention was fully on me, so I just went with it.” He paused before continuing. “I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable in your own relationship. I should’ve let it go.”
Silence fell between them, Jonathan’s thoughts a complete mess as he tried to piece everything together. Steve Harrington being into men was already a shock, but Steve being into him? That was mind-breaking. They didn’t have much time, though, so he pushed aside how deeply those words affected him, how dizzy they made him feel. He pulled out the cassette that had been weighing on his heart for so long, opened it, revealing the ring, and watched realization crash across Steve’s face.
“I carried this around for so long, kept putting it off, telling myself that whatever problems Nancy and I had, this would fix it. Like one little ring could patch up all our arguments, our differences, how distant we’d grown, our lies... Murray kept pushing me to do it, he got the ring for me, but I just… couldn’t. I love Nancy, but not the way I used to. Not like that. We’re barely in a relationship now, and I know she feels the same. We didn’t break up because… I guess we were scared. The world is ending, and us being together is the only constant we’d had for years. Now I think it was just trauma keeping us together.” He finished, lowering his gaze to Steve’s knees. He shouldn’t have, not now, but he felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He’d finally said it out loud.
Steve took in his words quietly before speaking again.
“I feel like I completely failed Dustin. Like I lost him. He was sabotaging himself so much, pushing everyone away, lying to his friends, and I couldn’t get through to him. I couldn’t even tell him how much I love him, how I always saw him as a brother. And now? After this?” He glanced around the room miserably. “I feel like he’s going to completely break and never forgive himself. I’m scared of what he might do.”
“I feel like my mom completely forgot about me,” Jonathan admitted painfully. “I’m not mad that she cares so much about Will, but it’s like I don’t exist to her anymore.”
That was why he’d clung to Nancy so desperately. She was all he had left, and he was afraid that after the breakup they wouldn’t even be friends. That he’d be pushed out of the group entirely, that he wouldn’t even see Robin or Steve at the station anymore.
“My parents hate me so much that even though they came back to Hawkins, they bought a whole new house just so they wouldn’t have to live with me. They blame me for them being stuck in Hawkins.”
Jonathan looked at him shocked, but he continued.
“My brother is in love with Mike, but I’m scared he’ll never tell him. Or anyone.”
To his surprise, Steve snorted quietly. “Mike? Really? That kid is clueless. Even if Will spelled it out for him, he probably still wouldn’t get it.”
Jonathan let out a soft laugh, knowing he was right. “He has really terrible taste.”
“Nancy knew you were lying about college,” Steve admitted quieter. “She told me when she was drunk.”
Jonathan sighed. “Why didn’t she say anything?”
“She hoped you’d tell her yourself. That’s also when I told her I liked you.”
“She knew?” Jonathan asked, stunned.
“Yeah. We were both wasted. Remember our one and only party at WSQK? It was there. I’m not sure if she remembers it, but I think she started using me as a bit of revenge afterward. To piss you off a little.” He admitted it with a light chuckle, quickly sobering as though it dawned on him that this was likely not quite appropriate.
To be fair, Jonathan didn’t even have the strength to be mad at her right now. Silence settled again as they both wondered what else was left to confess before the end. Jonathan glanced around and saw the substance had reached the table. He stood up slowly and held out his hand to Steve, pulling him up this time. Steve sniffed, stepping close, and Jonathan found he didn’t want to let go of his hand. He squeezed it instead, earning a sad smile in return. Tears were streaming freely down Steve’s cheeks, and Jonathan realized it was the first time he’d ever seen him cry.
There was no sound of anyone else. No Dustin. No Nancy. Not even a monster. They really were going to die here. He hoped the others had better luck.
“About bad taste…” Jonathan started quietly, meeting Steve’s gaze. He figured he could say it now without consequences. “I had a crush on you in high school. Before Nancy. Before everything.”
“…What?” Steve asked, completely confused. Jonathan almost laughed at him, because back then he’d been even more shocked himself. “But I was… Such an asshole. A total loser with an ego reaching space.”
“You’re not anymore?” Jonathan shot back with a crooked smile.
Steve huffed a laugh. “You know what I mean. I was the biggest idiot, before monsters crashed into our lives.”
Jonathan hummed softly. “Maybe you were, but it didn’t change the fact that you were a complete disaster for teenagers just discovering their sexuality. Especially in those too-short gym shorts. Seriously, Harrington. You had to do that on purpose.”
“I did not! They were too short?” Steve gasped, laughing in disbelief.
“Maybe you really were an idiot,” Jonathan said, smiling softly.
“So I’m guessing those photos-”
Jonathan flushed instantly and cut him off. “Yeah. I’m sorry. It was messed up either way.”
“I’m sure I would’ve been mad back then, but now I’m kind of flattered.” Steve squeezed his hand gently.
Jonathan looked away, cheeks warm. Dying or not, Steve Harrington was still one of the prettiest men he’d ever seen, and it was dangerously easy to stir old frustration around him. Probably why he got angry so often. He was just too beautiful.
“You were right about breaking my camera, no matter who I was focusing on. It was messed up. I felt like I didn’t deserve the new one Nancy bought me.”
It was such an expensive gift, he got destroyed his old one because of own consequences and...
“I bought you a new camera.”
“…What?”
This time it was Jonathan’s turn to be completely stunned because he knew Steve wasn’t lying. There was no point for it now.
“I just felt so bad about destroying the thing you loved most, right after Will went missing. And I figured I owed you, after you saved me from the Demogorgon at your house. You now, before I saved you," he chuckled. "So I asked Nancy about cameras and bought the closest one to what you had. Then I told her to give it to you as if it was from her, because I was scared you wouldn’t accept it if you knew it was from me.”
Jonathan stared at him, speechless. He’d had that camera for years. He was still using it. It was better than his old one, better resolution, better sensor. Thanks to it, he’d kept working as the school photographer, covering games, dances, graduations. Thanks to it, he’d gotten his first real job. Built his first college portfolio, even if he never went. All of it was possible because of that camera. Because of Steve.
“Steve Harrington, you never stop surprising me.”
“People tend to say that-”
“I’m glad I’m here with you.”
“For the plot?”
“No. So I could kiss you at least once before I die.”
Before Steve could react, Jonathan grabbed him by the neck and pulled him close, kissing him. Steve hummed against his mouth before kissing him back, leaning in for a better angle but not deepening it yet Even though time was chasing them, neither of them rushed it, taking their time, slowly savoring each other’s lips. He felt hands roaming lazily along his waist, squeezing and drawing him closer. Jonathan’s fingers slid upward, tangling in Steve’s absurd hair, and he could’ve sworn Steve made an unhappy sound at that. Jonathan couldn’t help the smile against his lips, because even now he cared about it, which earned him a pinch to the side in response. In retaliation, he tightened his grip in Steve’s curls, rewarded with a quiet sigh, information that would certainly have been useful later. Too bad he’d never get to use it.
Steve apparently grew bored of the slow exploration and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue inside. Jonathan let it open gradually, meeting him halfway instead of chasing it, allowing their mouths to find a new rhythm together. He briefly wondered if Steve had kissed other men before, or if Jonathan was his first as well. Then again, Steve was only the second person Jonathan had ever kissed at all. Before him, there had only been Nancy. The thought of other people vanished quickly when Steve bit his lower lip, and played so well with Jonathan’s tongue at the same time. He sighed softly, pleasure curling low in his chest as their bodies brushed together, the last trace of space between them disappearing entirely.
Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad. He'll probably cry a lot when it came to the last breath, but he let himself forget that for a moment.
They broke apart just enough to breathe, foreheads touching, noses brushing, neither quite ready to pull away. Steve huffed a quiet laugh against his lips and kissed him again, shorter this time. He lowered his head, and Jonathan sighed as soft kisses found his neck.
“Hey there…” he murmured, unsure if getting hard in a place like this was something he really wanted.
“Come on, Jonny,” Steve whispered against his skin, teeth grazing lightly at his neck as his hand slowly slid beneath the fabric of his shirt. “Let me enjoy you before this swallows us whole.”
Jonathan was ready to give in completely, because it felt far too good to ask him to stop, but then Steve suddenly lifted his head, pulling away just as abruptly.
“What, what-?” he asked, disoriented, his mind still struggling to claw its way out of the haze of pleasure.
“It stopped,” Steve said under his breath, staring past him into the space behind them.
“What?” Jonathan asked again, steadier this time, already looking around, his eyes widening immediately.
“It stopped! Jonathan, it stopped! We’re going to live!” Steve shouted, bursting with excitement as he bounced in place and wrapped his arms around him tightly. “I mean, we still have to get out of here somehow, but we’re not going to drown in this stupid, fucking room!” He yelled, shaking him by the shoulders.
Jonathan stared at the room in shock, seeing that everything around them had quite literally solidified. The substance had reached their table and stopped there, never touching them. How long had everything been frozen like this? Had they really been so lost in each other that they hadn’t noticed?
He looked at Steve, who was smiling at him brighter than anything Jonathan could remember, and felt his own lips curve into a smile in response. The relief that washed over him was impossible to put into words.
“I can’t believe it,” he whispered to himself, testing the ground with one foot. It was completely solid. They were actually safe from it.
He caught Steve touching his own lips, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks.
“I guess our ‘last kiss before we die’ and all those confessions are going to have real consequences now,” Steve muttered, sounding a little worried, but no longer sad or panicked.
Jonathan shook his head, smiling. For now, he was far too happy that they weren’t going to drown in that fucked-up white tar to think about the serious conversation that was probably waiting for them. They still had to get out of here, too, and that might be a lot harder. He hoped Nancy was really okay and would find them.
“Who cares,” he said lightly. “As long as we’re stuck here, I might as well kiss you again.” He smiled at Steve, who immediately brightened, clearly more than willing to accept the offer.
Before either of them could say anything else, a sudden noise echoed from behind the wall. Both of them snapped their heads toward it, and Jonathan instinctively stepped in front of Steve, protectively. He caught Steve’s startled look. The dull sound rang out again and again, until a hole appeared in the wall, something forcing its way through. They watched it anxiously, until Jonathan finally let out a breath of relief.
“Nancy!” they both shouted at once when her head appeared in the opening she’d just hacked through with a fire extinguisher. That woman was incredible. That made two miracles in this room already. Three, if kissing Steve Harrington counted.
“Guys! Oh my God, you’re both alright, we were so scared,” Nancy’s voice, thick with relief, came from the other side, and they both moved toward her immediately.
They helped her break the wall open wider before slipping through the hole she’d made. Before anything serious could be said, Steve was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by Dustin, who was openly crying.
“Steve, I’m so sorry. I was wrong, I was so wrong, you were right. I’m sorry. I thought I lost you,” he mumbled desperately into his shoulder.
Steve caught Jonathan’s eye with a quick, surprised but genuinely happy look, which Jonathan returned with a small smile, before Steve hugged Dustin back just as tightly. A moment later, Jonathan himself was pulled into a crushing hug by Nancy.
Once the heart-stopping reunion moment had passed, Nancy turned to them again.
“So… what happened there, guys?”
Jonathan exchanged a very telling look with Steve before turning back to Nancy, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Well… How about we start with the fact that it wasn’t a shield generator?”
That was when Dustin immediately launched into apologies, rambling about Brenner’s notes he’d found and explaining them in a complicated rush of words.
Jonathan tried to listen, he really did, but he couldn’t stop glancing at Steve, who was practically glued to Dustin’s side. Steve kept looking back at him too, their eyes meeting again and again, a quiet, wordless understanding forming between them. Whatever had been born in that room, Jonathan could feel it clearly now. It was heading somewhere very good. Even if an admittedly awkward conversation awaited them, one in which he very much wanted to strangle both Steve and Nancy for everything they’d put him through lately.