TECHNICOLOR - stranger things.

i. FAMILY GAME NIGHT

"your mom invited me to family game night! also i can't believe you read cosmopolitan, wen. back to my question, is that my shirt?" steve scooted towards the end of wendy's bed. she held her clothes in her hands, sighing as she stared down at her boyfriend.

"yes, remember when i came over to your house that one night and we went swimming?" wendy tried to jog his memory.
"oh yeah! also your mom told me that we're playing the game of life after dinner." steve informed.

"okay, can you turn around so i can change? please?" wendy couldn't care less about family game night. her mind was filled with thoughts about billy—had he changed? did he really miss her? did she miss him? how would steve react?

"i don't see why i have to turn around. i've seen you nak—"
"steve!" wendy groaned, frowning slightly.

steve harrington sighed and turned around, after being friends with wendy carmichael for thirteen years, he could tell when she was upset. this time was no different, steve could read his girlfriend like a book but he knew that it was best to let her come to him when she was ready to.

wendy stood behind steve standing in her undergarments. she and steve never hid secrets from each other, so why should this time be any different?
"i saw billy." she outbursted.

"what?! where?" steve turned around in shock. his eyes scanned down wendy's body but he remembered that he couldn't get distracted.

"he works at the pool and i went swimming. steve, i swear i didn't know. bu-but he saw me and he told me that he was sorry and that he misses me." she reached for steve's shirt that she had stolen weeks before.

"he misses you? that's bullshit wendy! he backhanded you." steve scoffed, rolling his eyes. wendy pulled the shirt onto her body and it came to her mid-thigh.

"he sounded sincere, steve. but i don't know. i told him that i have a boyfriend now." she stated. steve raised an eyebrow.
"did you tell him that its me? that i'm the boyfriend?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"i was going to, but i didn't want to talk to him. he makes my goddamn skin crawl! i just....ugh! i found my shirt from that night," wendy trailed off, she grabbed her shorts and pulled them up her legs. "it just felt so surreal, that whole night came rushing back to me. he...he scared the shit out of me steve," wendy started thinking about the night and how badly billy hurt her best friend. "he could've killed you." she didn't realize that she was tearing up.

steve frowned and extended his arms out, motioning for wendy to embrace him. she walked over to steve and wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his chest. she let her tears fall as she thought about the november night.
"but he didn't, wen. he's never going to hurt me again and most importantly, he's never going to hurt you again. i promise that to you," steve kissed the top of her head. "i promise." he whispered.

wendy carmichael was an emotional person, sure, but she was never going to let events of the past dictate her future. when the november incident happened, she pushed the memory from her mind and never gave it a second thought. however, that striped shirt brought back all of the memories. and being in steve arms gave her the comfort that she needed.

as steve held his arms around his girlfriend, all he desperately wanted was to tell her that he loved her. he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving her. they were young, but he knew.

"wendy?" he spoke up. wendy could feel his heart beat increase, something was making him nervous and she knew it. glancing up, wendy's hazel eyes stared into his brown ones.
"mhm?" she raised her eyebrows.

steve stared at her—her damp blonde hair tucked behind her ear, and her hazel eyes were filled with curiosity as she waited for him to speak.
"i l—"
"wendy! steve! we're all waiting for you!" susie carmichael barged into her sister's room.

steve and wendy looked over towards the fourteen year old. susie carmichael had grown a couple of inches taller and puberty had finally came to her. now the teenager was filled with attitude and sass—she hardly had any time for wendy anymore.

steve sighed and removed his arms from around wendy. the eldest carmichael sister groaned and made shooing motions towards her younger sister.
"we'll be out soon! god susie!" wendy snapped.

susie rolled her eyes and left the room, closing the door behind her. wendy turned back to steve, she walked over and grabbed his hands in hers, intertwining their fingers.
"what were you going to say?" she smiled softly. steve shook his head and slipped his hands out of hers—he lost the opportunity.

"nothing. c'mon, let's go." he sighed.