THE CONFESSION
⇾cloud 9 by beach bunny
but when he loves me i feel like i'm floating
⸺STEVE, Tiffany, Dustin, Lucas, Mike and Max all went back into the house. Steve and Dustin had wrapped the Demodog in a blanket and were going to put it in the fridge. Dustin was taking everything out of the fridge, including the shelves.
"Alright. It should fit now." Steve was holding the Demodog. "Is this really necessary?"
"Yes, it is, okay? This is a ground-breaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog."
"Alright, alright, alright. But you're explaining this Mrs. Byers, alright?" Steve started shoving the Demodog into the fridge. Tiffany then walked in and saw him trying to put the Demodog into the fridge. "Christ. Help me out."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Get the door, man!"
"Alright, I got the door." They got the Demogorgon into the fridge and they got the door closed. Tiffany then spoke up. "So, we figured out that it likes the cold and we need to keep it warm, and your solution to that is to put it in the fridge?"
"Yeah." Steve patted Dustin's head and walked over to Tiffany. "Can I talk to you?"
Tiffany nodded. They looked back at Dustin and waited for him to leave. He just stood there. Steve started signaling for him to get out and he was just looking at Steve confused. "Dude, get out!"
"Okay, okay!" Dustin left the kitchen and went into the living room with everyone else.
"What did you want to talk about?" Steve was a little hesitant. He's never been rejected by a girl before. Nancy sort of did, but it was after they were already dating. Tiffany was the only girl who would actually turn him down. "So, I talked to Nance and she helped me realize something. It's a little hard for me to say, but-"
"You like me." Steve was shocked. "I-Wh...What? I don't-"
"Steve, I heard Nance say that she knows you like T. I know that you don't know anyone else's name who starts with a T. Also, you've been acting differently."
"Differently?"
"You've been smiling at me whenever I say anything. I've caught you staring at me."
"Shit, I forgot you were smart." Tiffany laughed a bit. "So..."
"So."
"Do you like me back?" Tiffany nodded and Steve was actually surprised. "Wait, actually?"
"Yeah."
"You like me?"
"Yes."
"Steve Harrington?"
"Yes, I like Steve Harrington." Steve started smiling. "Really?"
"Yes, Steve! Oh my god!" Steve looked down and kept smiling. He pumped his fists in the air. "WOO!"
Tiffany laughed at Steve. He smiled down at her. "I seriously thought you were gonna reject me."
"Why?"
"You're like the only girl would reject me 'cause you actually have standards."
"You mean I'm not a basic girl who sleeps with the first guy who looks at her?"
"Yeah! You're one of those people!"
"Well, I don't know why you'd think I'd reject you. I can't reject that hair." Tiffany ruffled up his hair and Steve let out a tiny laugh. They looked into each other's eyes. Their faces started getting closer until... "TIFFANY!"
They stopped leaning towards each other and they backed up a little. "I have to, uh..."
"No, yeah, go ahead." Tiffany walked into the living room. "What could you possibly want?"
Lucas pointed at Mike. "Get him to stop pacing."
"Mike, stop pacing." Mike stopped pacing and Lucas and Mike started arguing. "Look, you guys weren't in there, okay? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs."
"Excuse you, I was there."
"Yeah, after they were gone." Tiffany rolled her eyes. Steve then came in with a tea towel in his hands. "Listen, guys, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it. Alright?"
"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench."
"Yeah, so...so...so my point is...Right, yeah, we're on the bench so there's nothing we can do."
"That's not entirely true. I mean, these Demodogs, they have a Hive Mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away." Tiffany then spoke up. "Yeah, by me."
"But what about the ones who weren't with us? They would've been called away by something else too. If we get their attention...maybe we can draw them from the lab." The kids started to catch on. "Clear a path to the gate."
"Yeah, and then we all die."
"That's one point of view."
"No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact." Mike started walking around the vine drawings all over the Byers' house. "I got it!"
Mike pointed at a vine drawing. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So..." Mike walked back to everyone else and pointed at a vine drawing on the floor. "Here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire..."
"Oh yeah? That's a no." Nobody was listening to Steve. "The Mind Flayer would call away his army."
"They'd all come up to stop us."
"We circle back to the exit." Steve was still trying to get their attention. "By the time they realize we're gone."
"El would be at the gate." Steve did the clapping thing that Tiffany uses. "Hey, hey, hey! This is not happening!"
"But-"
"No, no, no, no, no. No buts. Me and Tiff promised we'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what we plan on. We're staying here. On the bench. And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?"
"This isn't a stupid sports game." Steve took the tea towel off his shoulder and pointed it at Mike like a mother. It was like Tiffany was their dad and Steve was their mom. "I said, does everybody understand that?! I need a yes."
They heard an engine revving. They rushed over to the windows and saw Billy's car pull up. "It's my brother. He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me."
"I'll handle it. Steve, stay inside." Tiffany walked outside and saw Billy. "Tiffany? Why are you here?"
Tiffany stayed on the porch and he stayed in front of his car. "I babysit the kid that lives here and I'm friends with his older brother. I'm here all the time."
"Alright. Have you seen Max? My dad told me to go find her."
"No, I haven't seen her in a while. How long has she been missing?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
"I thought you were looking after her?"
"Yeah. But I don't hang out with her like you do." Steve then walked out onto the porch, but Tiffany didn't notice until Billy pointed him out. "Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?"
"Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants." Tiffany looked just behind her and Steve walked next to her. "I told you to stay inside."
"And I came outside." Tiffany rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here, amigo?"
"I could ask you the same thing. Amigo." They walked towards each other and Tiffany scoffed. "Alright. I'm going inside, I can't deal with all of this testosterone."
Tiffany walked back inside and the kids were all standing at the window. "Guys, get away from the window, he's going to see Max."
They got away from the window and Tiffany walked into the kitchen. The kids went right back to the window. A few seconds later, Billy ended up seeing them and he walked right into the Byers' house. Tiffany heard banging and yelling in the living room and she saw Steve punch Billy.
"Oh my god! Steve, what are you doing?!" Tiffany stood in front of the kids to make sure they didn't accidentally get hit. Steve and Billy started fighting. They ended up moving to the kitchen and Billy's mouth was bleeding. "Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh?! I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about!"
"Get out." Steve punched him again and Dustin kept yelling at them. "Yes! Kick his ass, Steve! Murder the son of a bitch!"
"Dustin! Stop!" Dustin just kept yelling. Billy then hit Steve on the head with a plate. That started to set off Tiffany. Steve stumbled into the living room and Billy punched him to the floor. He kept punching him over and over and over until Tiffany snapped. She used her powers.
Tiffany made a red aura in her hand and used it to throw Billy off of Steve. Thankfully, Billy didn't see it. She walked over to Billy and he was laying on the floor. Tiffany grabbed the collar of his shirt and stood over him. She knelt down and he was a little terrified of her. "If you touch him again, I swear to god I'll squeeze your neck until your head explodes. Got it?"
Billy started laughing and she picked him up by his collar. He stood up and started laughing again. "I knew he made you soft. Of course you'd fall for King Steve. You're so fucking predictable, aren't you?!"
Tiffany punched and side kicked him in the face. He fell to the ground and Max grabbed the needle filled with the stuff that made Will fall asleep. She stabbed him in the neck with it. Tiffany went over to Steve to make sure he was okay, but he was unconscious and his face was beat up. Billy took the needle out of his neck and Max grabbed Steve's bat and held it up, as if she was going to hurt him. "The hell is this? You little shit, what did you do?"
"From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?"
"Screw you." Max hit the floor right between his legs with the bat. "Say you understand! Say it!"
"I understand."
"What?"
"I understand." Billy then fell asleep and Tiffany stepped up. "Alright, everyone in Billy's car."
They looked at her with confusion. "What? I thought you guys weren't gonna let us leave?"
"No, no, Steve wouldn't let you leave. I think your plan is awesome. Okay, you guys go into the garage and see if you can find gasoline, something to cover our eyes and our mouths and directions to that pumpkin farm." They started looking around for the stuff and they found it. They put everything in the trunk of the car and Tiffany was working with Steve. Tiffany grabbed under his arms and started dragging him out to the car. She lightly dropped him. "Did you guys get everything?"
"Yeah." Tiffany tried to figure out where they were going to put Steve. "Alright. I want Lucas in front with me with the directions on how to get to the farm and the rest of you, in the back and we'll sprawl Steve out in the back."
They got in the car. Max, Dustin and Mike were all sitting next to each other and they tried to lift Steve onto their laps. When they did, Dustin put band aids on his face. Tiffany got into the driver's seat of the car. She took a deep breath and started driving. Lucas was giving her directions on where to go. After a while, Steve started to wake up. He looked over to his side and saw Dustin. "Tiffany?"
Dustin gave him a weird look and he realized it was Dustin. He tried to touch his nose which hurt like hell, but Dustin stopped him. "Hey, buddy...Shh. It's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a fight. You're okay."
Steve groaned. "Okay, you're gonna keep straight for half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai."
"What's going on?" Steve looked at the driver's seat and saw Tiffany driving. "Oh my god!"
"Just relax. She's doing fine."
"Oh my god! Why is she driving?!"
"I promised that you'd be cool, okay?"
"Woah, woah, woah. What's going on? Oh my god! Stop the car! Slow down!" Lucas threw his hands up in disbelief. "I told you he'd freak out!"
"She shouldn't be driving!" Tiffany then spoke up. "Everybody shut your damn mouths! I'm trying not to freak out here!"
"Make a left!" Tiffany pulled a quick left. She drove into the pumpkin patch and parked. The kids in the back managed to squeeze out of the car with Steve on their laps. They left him in the car and he sort of rolled out. He groaned in pain. Lucas got out while Tiffany sat there with her hands on the wheels and a look of shock on her face. "Are you gonna get out?"
"Just give me a minute." Tiffany stayed frozen like that for a few more seconds until she started laughing. Tiffany got out of the car and the kids looked at her with concern.
"I drove a car! I drove a fucking car!" Tiffany ran over to Steve and kissed him on the cheek. "I drove a car!"
Tiffany ran over to Dustin and pulled him into a hug. Everyone joined in and they did a big group hug.
"I drove a car!" Tiffany flipped the car off. "Take that car! I'm not fucking scared of you!"
They started grabbing stuff out of the trunk of the car. Tiffany didn't need it since she was connected to the Upside Down so the toxic air didn't affect her. Steve was leaning against a car door.
"Guys. Oh no, guys." Dustin walked right past him and kneeled down in front of the car for light from the headlights. "Hey, where do you think you're going? What are you, deaf? Hello?!"
Tiffany walked over to him. "Steve. It's fine. I drove a goddamn car today, anything is possible. Plus, their plan isn't bad."
"We are not going down there right now. I made myself perfectly clear."
"Yeah, but I said we were." Lucas and Max walked past him. "Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, alright? This ends right now!"
"Steve. I know you're frustrated, but just listen to me. Will is special to me and he needs help. As his babysitter and his friend, I need to help him. They need to help him. This is the only way we can help him and we promised to keep those shitheads safe. I can't do that alone. So please..." Tiffany handed him his mask and goggles. "Help me keep them safe."
A/N
I'm just curious, do you guys ship Steve and Tiffany more or Billy and Tiffany??