Don't You Want Me? ✵ Steve Harrington

Chapter 68

"It's okay," he replied, tilting his head back against the wall and running his hands through his hair.

Kim had seen Steve in less clothes than this plenty of times, but when their eyes met, she felt herself blush.

"Thanks," Steve breathed.

She nodded, still unable to look away from his big brown eyes.

"So, uh," Eddie called from a nearby rock, breaking them out of their moment. "This place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?"

"Pretty much," Nancy nodded.

"Wait, watch out for the vines," Kim warned as she helped Steve stand up. "It's all a hive mind."

"It's all a what?" Eddie asked, looking down at the vines that covered everything in sight.

"All the creepy crawlies around here, dude. They're, like, one or something," Steve explained, still clutching his abdomen and leaning on Kim for support. "You step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna."

"Well, shit," Eddie muttered, trying to figure out where to plan his feet.

"But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people, obviously?" Robin asked.

"As far as I understand it, yeah," Nancy confirmed.

"So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate," Robin said.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure."

"Well, we don't have to go all the way downtown for guns," Nancy realized. "I have guns in my bedroom."

"You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom?" Eddie asked incredulously.

"After everything that's happened in the last few days that's what you're hung up on?" Kim raised an eyebrow.

"A Russian Makarov and a revolver," Nancy said, arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, you almost shot me with that one," Steve muttered.

A small smile pulled at Nance's features. "You almost deserved it."

Eddie took off the jean vest he had on over his leather jacket and threw it in Steve's face. "For your modesty, dude."

Before Steve could respond, the ground started to shake. He wrapped his arms protectively around Kim as they tumbled to the ground. Kim's fear that she wasn't worth saving was so far from the truth. Nancy, Robin, Eddie, and most of all Steve would do anything they had to do keep her safe.

As the ground stopped shaking, every creature in the Upside Down started to screech or growl, creating the terrifying chorus Kim had ever heard.

"Yeah, so guns seem like a pretty good idea to me," Eddie said.

"Yeah, me too," Robin agreed.

Kim stood up, reaching a hand back down to pull Steve to his feet. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go."

•••••

While the three girls led the way to the Wheeler's, while Steve and Eddie hung back. Both of them knew that if they wanted to get out of the Upside Down alive they needed to work together, something they couldn't do with all of this tension over Kim.

"Eddie, hey, man, uh," Steve started awkwardly. "Listen, I just, uh, I just want to say thanks. For saving my ass back there."

"Shit, you saved your own ass, man," Eddie replied. "I mean, that was a real Ozzy move you pulled back there."

"Ozzy?" Steve asked, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"When you took a bite out of that bat. Ozzy Osbourne? Black Sabbath? He bit a bat's head off onstage." When Steve still looked confused, Eddie just shook his head. "How the hell are you dating Kimmy and you don't know who Ozzy Osbourne is? You know what? Doesn't matter. It's very metal, what you did, that's all I'm saying."

"Thanks," Steve said, still very confused.

"Dustin told me that you were a badass. Insisted on the matter, in fact," Eddie went on.

"Wait, Henderson said that?" Steve asked, feeling touched.

"Oh yeah," Eddie chuckled. "Kid worships you, dude. Like, you have no idea. It's kinda annoying, to be honest. You know, I don't even know why I care what that little shrimp thinks, but, uh, guess I got a little jealous, Steve. I guess I got a little jealous of more than just Dustin."

Both boys looked at Kim a few yards ahead of them. She was walking with her arms around Nancy and Robin, they could hear her laughing and they both smiled.

"I just couldn't accept the fact that Steve Harrington was actually a good dude," Eddie continued. "Rich parents, popular, girl of my dreams in love with him. Not a douche? No way, man, no way. That, like, flies in the face of all the laws in the universe and my own personal Muson doctrine. Still super jealous as hell though, by the way."

"Okay," Steve found himself chuckling.

"Which is why I would never have jumped in that lake to save your ass. Not under any, uh, normal circumstances," Eddie looked around at the sound of chittering in the distance. "Nope, outside of D and D, I am no hero. I see danger and I just turn heel and run. Or at least that's what I've learned about myself this week."

"Give yourself a break, man," Steve said, patting him on the shoulder.

Eddie swatted his hand away and pointed up ahead at Kim, Nancy, and Robin. "See, the only reason I came in here was cause those ladies came in straight after you. Now, I was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind. But Kimmy right there, she didn't waste a second. Not one second. She just dove right in. Now, I know you guys were in a bit of a fight there for a while, and I know it was probably because of me, but if I were you, I would do everything I could to keep her in my life. Cause that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen."

Steve looked at Kim again and felt himself smile involuntarily. He loved everything about her from her dark wavy hair to the way she liked to kick little rocks down the road as she walked.

The world started to shake again, causing everyone to lose their balance.

"Here we go again," Eddie said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, second on my list of least favorite things, earthquakes," Robin said. "Seriously, I'm unsteady enough as it is."

"What the hell is causing this?" Kim wondered aloud.

Nancy's eye caught on something in the distance before she took off running, the ground still shaking beneath her feet.

"Nancy!" Kim called.

"Where are you going?" Robin yelled.

The two girls exchanged a look before stumbling after her, trying not to trip on any fallen branches or slithering vines. Red lightning flickered at Robin and Kim caught up to her. The red glow illuminated what Nancy was staring at: the Wheeler's house.

A.N if you haven't watched volume two yet please skip this because i don't want to be responsible for spoiling anything. i'm also going to try and be really vague just so no one sees anything by accident. okay, i don't think i've ever cried more while watching a show. like, i was ugly crying during the When It's Cold I'd Like To Die part happened. the first character dying was bad enough but then the second character half dying took me out. i'm way to attached to these characters. i have a lot of plans for volume two and im so excited for you guys to get to read it!