double update! make sure you have read "someone else" before you read this one! lots of stinny in both chapters, so buckle in!
GINNY WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING WITH A STINGING HEADACHE AND STEVE'S HAND IN HER HAIR. His fingers cupped the back of her head, his other arm tucked over her hip. Ginny took a sleepy moment to admire the adorable pinch of his eyebrows, and how he mumbled under his breath everytime his nose twitched.
It took her a moment to realize someone was standing over her with his hands on his hips. Her dark eyes flickered to him for a moment, and noticed his smug smirk.
"Oh, Robin is going to love this," Dustin said.
Ginny closed her eyes again and nuzzled closer to Steve's sleeping figure. "Go away."
He, instead, kicked her. "Get up, bitch. We have stuff to do."
Sighing, Ginny opened her eyes again. "Dustin, you know how I feel about men calling women bitches."
He smiled. "Good thing I am but a boy— a boy with innocent, virgin eyes who doesn't need to see you two make out. God, you guys are pathetic."
Ginny scoffed and narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"
"Pathetic, with a capital P. The second things go to shit, you're back jumping each others bones..." he shook his head.
She sat up, carefully removing Steve's arm. "You turn fifteen and think you're the shit, don't you?" she countered, rolling her eyes.
Dustin smiled. "I am the shit, thank you very much. Wake up your lover and lets go."
Ginny huffed, as he wandered away to wake up Lucas and Robin, and she turned to look at Steve lying next to her. She shook him gently by the shoulder, until his eyes fluttered open and he hummed sleepily.
"Hey, beautiful," he mumbled, smiling at her.
Ginny felt her cheeks get hot, but she smiled anyway. "Hi, Steve. We gotta go before Dustin flips his shit."
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking around the room sheepishly. "What time is it?"
"Too early," Robin whined, as Dustin pulled her to her feet.
Dustin huffed. "Do you guys want to save Max or not?"
Max, who heard the whole thing with only one headphone on, gave him a look. "Dustin, don't guilt-trip them."
Ginny and Steve stood to join them. She smiled at Max, then looked at Nancy. "So, where are we going?"
Nancy, Dustin, and Max all shared a look.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ ｡･:*:･ﾟ
THE CREEL HOUSE WAS JUST AS CREEPY AS GINNY REMEMBERED IT. Her old friends had once dared her to ding-dong-ditch the supposedly haunted house once in seventh grade. She barely made it to the front porch, and she'd never heard of anyone who dared go further than that.
Yet, here she was, walking up the stone steps with their Vecna hunting group. They stopped before the stoop, looking up at the house that loomed over them.
"Yeah.. That's not creepy," Steve muttered sarcastically.
Ginny gave him a wry smile as Robin led them to the front door. She stood next to Max while Steve and Nancy pried off the wood boarding up the front door.
"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for in this shithole?" Steve asked.
Nancy sighed, letting a nail drop to the ground. "We're not sure... We just know this house is important to Vecna."
"Because Max saw it in Vecna's red soup mind world?" He made a face.
"Basically..."
"All right." He reached to pry off the last nail.
Dustin shrugged. "Maybe it holds a clue to where Vecna is, why he's back... Why he killed the Creels. And how to stop him before he comes back for Max."
Lucas looked between his sister and the others, frowning. "We... don't think he's in here, do we?"
Ginny bit her cheek, as Max shrugged next to her. "Guess we'll find out."
Steve and Nancy let the door thud to the porch, sending dust and leaves flying all over Lucas and Dustin, who coughed and fanned his face.
Her heart dropping, Ginny's body went cold. The stained glass window must have been pretty in it's prime— but the red rose had turned dark green, encrusted with dirt and grime.
She'd never seen it before, but it sent chills up her spine. Her mind scrambled.
"Your time is running out."
Her fingers went numb. Her instincts told her to run, to run and never look back, to forget this godforsaken house ever existed.
But something else told her to stay. It drew her in, like she was Theseus with a glittering thread in front of him, knowing that if he followed that sparkling thread, she would make it through the labyrinth.
"Ginny?"
Steve's voice snapped her back to reality, where she realized everyone was looking at her from the inside of the house. The door was open, now, and the glittering stained glass lay in jagged pieces all over the floor.
He had stopped on the outside, the rest of them turned back to look at her through the front door. She realized she'd missed something, and that they were all wondering why she was standing stock still outside.
"You coming?" Steve asked, watching her.
She blinked again and nodded. "Yeah, sorry."
There was something about that house.
Steve let her go in first, before he followed, watching her carefully. Ginny did not look back at him, her eyes rolling over every detail of the house.
"Looks like someone forgot to pay their electric bill..." Lucas muttered. Dustin lifted his flashlight and flicked in on.
Steve looked around, noticing everyone had one but him. "Where'd everyone get those?" he asked, sounding hurt.
Dustin stared at him. "Do you need to be told everything? You're not a child."
Steve stared back, narrowing his eyes. He thinks he's the shit now.
"Back pocket," Dustin told him, slinging his backpack into Steve's hands.
The older boy sighed and glared at him, digging the flashlight out himself. They wandered into one of the main rooms, which were just as covered in dust and disgusting as the last.
"They just left everything," Ginny heard Nancy mumble.
Robin nodded. "I guess a triple homicide isn't good for resale value."
Ginny frowned, staring into the dining room. It was set for dinner, with once-fancy china and silver platters. The plates were empty, of course, save some dust and a spare decrepit rat carcass.
But it felt... important. Ginny wondered if this is where the Creels died.
If she could focus hard enough, it was as if she could see them here. The mother, blonde, a pretty housewife. The father, strong jaw, haunted eyes, a soldier. A girl, as bright haired as her mother, with round cheeks. And a boy—
"Hey, guys?" Max called, bringing Ginny back to the present. Everyone wandered over, to see where she was pointing her flashlight.
"You guys see that too, right?" she asked nervously.
Ginny's breath caught. Standing before them was the grandfather clock.
"Yeah," Dustin answered.
"Is this what you saw? In your visions?" Nancy asked, and for a split second, Ginny thought it was directed to her. She swallowed the reply and stepped back, her shoulder hitting Steve's.
He peered down at her with worried eyes. "I got you, Gin. It's okay," he said, low enough that no one else could hear.
She nodded, taking a deep breath, as Max answered. "Yes."
"I mean... it's just a clock, right?" Robin said, reaching forward wipe dust off it's face. She looked back at them and shrugged. "Like, a normal old clock."
"Why is this wizard obsessed with clocks?" Steve wondered out loud. His eyes widened. "Maybe he's, like... a clockmaker or something?"
Ginny couldn't tell if he was joking or not, so she didn't laugh.
Dustin didn't hold back much, though, giving him a deadpan look. "I think you cracked the case, Steve."
Steve glared, but no one paid him much attention, as Nancy went on, "All I know is the answers are here... Somewhere."
Ginny shuddered at the thought, her skin like ice.
"Okay, everyone. Stay in groups of two," Nancy ordered. She nodded. "Robin, Ginny, upstairs with me."
Robin saluted her, and Steve looked like he wanted to protest— but Ginny gave him as much of a reassuring smile as she could manage. She followed Robin and Nancy up the creaking stairs.
"So," Robin began, smiling brightly. "What did you and Stevie talk about last night?"
Ginny sighed, knowing that this was coming sooner or later. She couldn't exactly tell them the truth, so she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Nothing. I knew Dustin would blow this out of proportion..."
"So you guys... didn't take a shower together last night?"
Ginny tripped on the last step. Her knees hit the corner of the wood and pain spiked up her legs. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes as wide as saucers.
"How did you know that?" she asked, as Nancy chuckled and Robin did a short little victory dance.
The girl shrugged. "I went up to give Steve some clothes for you guys and he was no where to be found..." She grinned. "Did you guys do it?"
"What the hell, Robin!"
Robin snorted. "Oh, don't be a prude, Ginny. Did you?"
"No, we did not!" Ginny's cheeks were hot with embarassment.
"But you have before?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow as Nancy led them into the nearest room.
Ginny shook her head and crossed her arms. "I don't see why this is any of your business..."
"I'm just curious!" she cried. "I don't want details, just like... a brief synopsis. It's not like I'm getting any."
"Of course we've had sex, Robin. We dated for an entire year..." Ginny huffed, shining her flashlight along the walls and corners, looking for anything that stood out.
Robin hummed. "Okay, see, I knew it. But not last night?"
"Definitley not last night."
"Oooh, you guys should compare notes sometime," Robin laughed.
Nancy was as bright red as Ginny felt. She wished they were still by the stairs so that she could push Robin down them.
"Do not drag me into this," Nancy said with a light laugh.
"Or me!" Ginny emphasized. "I'm not dating him either."
"Okay, okay... But I have to admit, I'm kinda curious as to how big—"
"Stop!" Ginny cried, whirling around to face her. "Please Robin— no more."
Nancy was laughing at them.
"What?" Robin asked innocently. "We're platonic with a capital P, but it's not like he's ever gonna let me see it—"
"See what?" Dustin asked, stepping into the room suddenly.
"Nothing!" Ginny shouted. She whipped around to glare at Robin and Nancy, who laughed behind their hands. "On second thought, Dusty... I'm joining your group." She grabbed him by the elbow. "Come on."
She could hear Robin and Nancy laughing as she and Dustin left the room, and Ginny rolled her eyes, wondering when they'd become such good friends.
"Where's Steve?" she asked Dustin, as they swept around a corner into the hallway.
"Dunno," Dustin said. "What were you guys talking about?"
"Nothing. Jeez..."
Just then, Steve stumbled backwards out of a room to their left, gasping and swatting at his arms rapidly. Ginny and Dustin stepped apart to narrowly avoid getting stepped on.
"What? What is it?" she asked, her heart thudding from the sudden surprise.
Steve glanced at her, swiping his hands on his pants. "There was a spider..." Breathing heavy, he reached over and closed the door he just stumbled out of. "Don't go in there." He rubbed at his ear and Ginny spotted spiderwebs covering the back of his head.
"Oh— here, let me..." She chuckled wryly and started to brush them out of his soft brown hair
"What? What is it— is it in my hair—" He darted to the mirror at the end of the hall and Ginny laughed lightly.
"It's just webs— stop moving." She wiped the webs on her jeans, smiling softly at the back of his head.
Robin and Nancy waltzed into the room. "If there's a spider, you're never gonna find it till it lays eggs and all the babies spill out," Robin teased.
"What's wrong with you?" Steve spat. Robin laughed as she and Nancy walked by, the latter grabbing Dustin by the elbow and pulling him along too. "Robin, seriously." Steve rolled his eyes. "She's got problems."
Ginny snickered as she picked spider webs from his hair, and they went silent for a long moment, before she ran her fingers through his hair one last time, just because she wanted to. "There." She patted his shoulder. "No spiders."
He smiled back, looking over his shoulder at her. And that smile, it was breathtaking.
Once his gaze was directed at the mirror again, Ginny felt like she could breathe again. He restyled his hair and Ginny watched his hands intently.
She realized she never really thanked him for being there for her when she broke down the night before. There hadn't been a time without Dustin or Robin around, and Ginny could only take so much teasing about it.
"Hey um... I just wanted to say thank you," she said uneasily. She scratched at her scalp, running her fingers nervously through her hair. "For last night. It really helped, a-and just... yeah. Thank you."
What Ginny really meant was, What you did for me makes me want to kiss your brains out and never stop and also, I'm still in love with you.
Steve stared at her. It took a long moment for him to realize that he'd never seen her this flustered, ever.
Ginny was always the confident one in their relationship— the one with her hands in the back pockets of his tightest jeans, or who slapped his ass just because she liked it, the one teasing him by running her nails gently across his scalp, the one calling him pretty while he stared up at her with swollen lips and stars in his eyes.
But now it was Ginny who smiled shyly and messed with her hair, constantly fidgeting and pushing her curls behind her ears. He knew she did that when she was nervous.
"No problem, Gin," he smiled at her, and they made eye contact through the mirror.
What Steve really meant was, God, you're so pretty and adorable and it makes me want to kiss you and never stip and also, I'm still in love with you.
Ginny broke eye contact first, her pretty brown eyes trailing over the details of the mirror instead. She rubbed her arms up and down, her teeth chattering. Why was she so cold?
"Oh, hey." Steve noticed and shed his jacket, holding it open for her to put on. "Here. There might be a spider in there, but..."
Ginny slid her arms into the sleeves, chuckling lightly, and Steve tucked it over her shoulders. "If I can handle demogorgons, evil Russians, and nightmares of all the people I love dying horrifically..." she mused, smiling at him over her shoulder. "I think I can handle a little spider."
"It was a black widow though," he pointed out.
"So?" Ginny smirked at herself in the mirror, eyes darting to him behind her now, as she pulled her hair from under the jacket. "Natasha Romanoff is hot."
Steve snorts. She felt his eyes on her, but she met her own gaze in the mirror instead.
Unwillingly, flashes of Iris staring back at her flicker through her brain.
Ginny's smile falls instantly. She turns away from the mirror and pulls his jacket tighter around her shoulders, abandoning her flashlight in one pocket.
He watches her tense posture, the clench of her jaw, the tremble of her hands. "You feel it, don't you?"
Nodding slowly, Ginny turned to look at him again, avoiding looking in the mirror. "It's... There's something about this house. It's like... something's here."
Steve looked around them, suddenly nervous too. "You think... Like Vecna?"
Ginny shook her head slowly and glanced away. "I don't know... Let's just... keep looking so we can get out of here faster..."
They trailed into another room together, each brandishing their flashlight ahead of them. Ginny's fingers were like ice, still, so she stuck her free hand into the pocket of Steve's jacket and felt something in there already.
Frowning gently, Ginny pulled a cassette from the pocket. She recognizes this tape— with its red label and beige plastic. A mix tape.
Steve's messy scrawl smudged across the front. It titled the tape: "my girl and me."
She smiled. "Hey, I remember this."
Steve glanced at her, spotting the tape in her hands. His cheeks went pink. "Our go-to tape," he said sheepishly.
Ginny nodded, turning the tape over in her hands to look at the sticker she'd stuck on the back logo so long ago. She looked up at him, her smile growing. "You kept this?"
Steve's face was the color of Ginny's lip gloss. He tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Of course I kept it. We worked hard on that mix."
Turning the tape over and over in her hands, she noticed a bit of wear and tear on its edges. The label was peeling off, just barely, and wearing away along the corners.
"I'm surprised we didn't end up calling this 'Baby Maker' or something like that, considering how many times we had it playing when..." Her cheeks went hot when she realized what she was saying. "I mean... You remember."
"Yeah, I remember," he answered, a bit breathless and memories of then flashed through his head. Fuck. "Of course I remember that."
Ginny laughed airily, shaking her head as images of what exactly he so passionately remembered appeared in her mind.
"God, we loved this tape," she chuckled. "Why's it in your pocket?"
"Oh, well... I just thought it might come in handy." He shrugged, directing his flashlight along the wall as it rolled over in Ginny's head. "Your favorite song is on there."
It clicked in Ginny's head and her stomach warmed. Her favorite song is on this tape.
"It's... still Home Sweet Home, right?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ginny tried to hide her smile. "Mötley Crüe, yeah... It was—"
"— track seven," they said together. Steve's sideways smile sent heat throughout her body, like golden sunshine on her face, warming her inside out.
They laughed sheepishly and broke gazes.
Ginny couldn't stop smiling. He remembered her favorite song.
"Guys," called a voice from down the stairs. Ginny stuck the tape into the jacket pocket again, stepping into the hall.
She and Steve peered down the stairs to see Max and Lucas at the bottom. The redhead looked grim.
"We think we found something."
a/n:
its going down next chapter guys.... get ready