𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙇𝘿𝘼 || s. harrington

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁰⁰⁹

"That—that explains a lot for some reason." She spoke, stealing a glance at Steve.

"Yeah. I think it kinda does."

Matilda looked forward now, but could feel Steve's eyes on her. Steve continued, "I think, like, right out of the gate, like, I'm super confident. You know. But I'm also, like, an idiot. Which is just— I mean, it's a brutal combination. But, I mean, the good news is, I get a big enough thump in my head, I can change, you know?"

It was Matilda's turn to look at Steve, who had ended up traveling a little bit ahead of her. His flashlight illuminated the ground in front of them. "I can learn. I can— crawl forward." Steve spoke softly. Matilda stopped walking as she saw Steve turn to her. He looked into her eyes, saying, "What I'm trying to say in a really stupid, roundabout way is, um, is thank you."

It's dark out, but the twinkle in Steve's eyes had never been brighter.

"What?"

Steve nods, "Yeah."

Matilda shakes her head, "For—"

"For giving my head the biggest thump of its life. Two years ago. I needed it."

Steve started to walk again, leaving Matilda in a state of shock. She had done that? Not Nancy, or Tommy and Carol?

"It's changed my life." Steve said gently, "You've changed my life. And now I'm crawling forward. I just wonder— if I hadn't been such a jerk and, and pushed you away. Would things have been different, you know? Would I have realized sooner?" Steve stopped and turned to face her again, only a few inches away from Matilda.

"Realized..." Matilda halted as well, tilting her head just the slightest bit.

"You remember the dream I told you about? About the Winnebago? About seeing the country with my six lil' nuggets?" Matilda softly laughs, nodding. "It's all true. Every last word." Steve stared into Matilda's eyes, his voice laced with sincerity. "But I left one part out. It's the most important part." Matilda felt her eyes begin to water, but her gaze never strayed from his eyes.

"You're there. You've always been there. It's always been you, and I was just too dumb to see."

Matilda threw herself onto Steve, embracing him. A sob tumbled from the girl's lips, a couple tears running from her eyes. She was quick to wipe her nose and release a breathy laugh as she pulled away. A small smile graced her lips.

"Is this— a proposal? In the Upside Down?"

Steve laughed, his eyes flickering to Matilda's lips. "No, but—"

"Hey, guys!"

Robin called, interrupting them as her and Nancy came running back. "You guys! Awesome news! Looks like we weren't going the wrong way after all." Robin pants, watching as the couple stared at the girls. "Come on! Let's go!"

Matilda raises her eyesbrows at Steve, and starts to follow them. "Okay. Ro— slow down!" Steve called, "Robin!"

The girls were quick to lead them out of the woods, stopping when the Creel house was in full view. Bats swarmed the top of the building as red flashed above them, thunder booming.