THE ANNUAL
STEVE HARRINGTON
SHOWDOWN
☀︎
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, THE GROUP GATHERED IN THE WHEELER'S BASEMENT FOR THEIR NEXT SET OF PLANS. There was an uneasiness since the night before yet everyone pretended as if all was well despite the coldness that sat between Max and Alex. Hard at work, Nancy and Robin left the rest with Alex for her to share the information they found about the Creel House and the horrors that were left inside.
Sitting in the armchair, Alex watched as the boys read over the Weekly Watcher article on the demon that terrorized Victor Creel and his family. Her eyes traveled across the room, awaiting their shock and awe that she had felt when she, Robin, and Nancy came across this discovery.
The boys weren't so quick to feel that same enthusiasm as they read over the information. Sitting across from her on the sofa, Lucas' face scrunched up in confusion, peeking over his paper for a glance at Alex already watching him with anticipation. Looking to Dustin, he saw as he nodded along, every gear working overtime as he pieced together the puzzle of Vecna and his connection to the Creels. Afraid he was lost in the confusion, his eyes darted over to Steve. If there was anyone he could count on to be lost, it was him.
Steve paced around, scratching the top of his head as he grumbled and mumbled the information to himself once again. Smirking to himself, Lucas looked back to Alex with a relieved sigh. To be stuck as the only one confused would guarantee her disappointment in him, but Steve's not understanding meant that she'd be more upset in his lack of understanding even more. It was a win and in return, she smiled brightly at him, only thinking that he finally wrapped his head around the information given to him.
Nodding at her, he faked an enthusiastic chuckle as if this was mind-blowing and groundbreaking information. Satisfied with his thrill in the topic, Alex looked over to Steve and her smile faded. "What do you think?"
Lowering his paper, Steve was baffled by such a simple question. "Just be honest, do you understand any of this?"
Setting his paper down on his lap, Lucas prepared himself for the act of a lifetime. Scoffing, he pretended to share the same disappointment that Alex had in him. "What's not to get, Steve? Come on, man, did you even read?
"It's pretty straightforward," Dustin piped up in agreement. Steve stopped in his pacing as he looked at each of them in awe. "Oh, pretty straightforward, really?"
Seeing as Alex was willing to explain, Dustin held up a hand to her. "Mind if I?" He questioned, willing to tackle the difficult task of teaching Steve Harrington such a simple topic. Giving a nod, Alex sat back into her chair as Steve took it upon himself to sit on the arm of her chair as he focused on Dustin. "Well, what's confusing you, Steve? So far, everyone Vecna has cursed has died, except for this old Victor Creel dude Nancy found. He's the only known survivor. If anyone knows how to beat this curse, it's him."
"Yeah, that's assuming he was cursed, Henderson, which we don't even know," Steve fought back. Soon Alex's hand found itself placed on his hip, looping her finger through his belt loop to keep him close. That surge of electricity had Steve jump at her simple touch, causing an erupt of flutters inside of him from pure joy. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his focus when she was so close. "How can Vecna have existed in the '50s? It doesn't make sense."
"As far as we know, Eleven didn't create the Upside Down, she opened a gate to it. The Upside Down has probably been around for thousands of years. Millions. I wouldn't be surprised if it predated the dinosaurs."
"Dinosaurs?" Alex questioned hesitantly. Once thrilled to see his excitement, she was soon brought down to her senses when Dustin reminded her with his theories that her brain just didn't work as fast as his. Ideas and theories continuously popped in and out of his head the further they dived into such a mystery. Dinosaurs were only the beginning of the wonders he held onto.
"But if a gate didn't exist in the '50s, how did Vecna get through?" Lucas questioned from beside Dustin.
Raising a finger, Steve added to that. "And how's he getting through now?"
"And why now?"
"And why then?" Steve asked quickly the more they bounced off one another. "Just pops out in the '50s, kills one family, and he's like, ha, yeah, I'm good. And poof, he just disappeared. Just gone? Only to return thirty years later and start killing some random teens? No, I don't buy it." Exhaling, he shook his head and handed off his paper to Alex. "Straightforward, my ass. Honestly, Henderson, a little humility every now and then, it wouldn't hurt you."
"Sorry," he whispered.
Shaking his head, Steve turned to Alex and gave a small nudge to her. "What about you, huh? You understand any of this shit?"
Alex set the papers down in her lap and thought to herself. None of it made sense. "I mean, yeah but, if Vecna's really been around since the '50s, who's to say this is really his first time around since then? Maybe he's always been lurking. After what happened to the Mind Flayer, maybe now he has a reason to start it all up again." Letting out a breath of air, she looked up to Steve. "I think we just wait until we find out what Victor Creel has to say."
"And if he's not totally insane," he added in. Trusting a man that claimed a demon infiltrated his home, only leaving him alive seemed as if it was a long shot.
"I could've easily been in his place, you know," she said with a frown. "Crazy Victor Creel saw a monster just like me, only he tried to tell everyone and he got all the blame and they threw him in Pennhurst." Letting out an uncomfortable laugh, she looked to the others. "Maybe you guys will have to visit me in Pennhurst next after all the crap I went through."
"Not funny," Lucas whispered. "Difference is, we believe you and we won't let that happen." To think there could be any more suffering in her life just to end up bottled up in that very pain in Pennhurst, untrustworthy and deemed as crazy hurt him. This time was going to be different and he needed to be sure of that.
Hearing the basement door fly open, Alex looked away from Lucas, but he couldn't bring himself to tear his away from her. She used to just be Dustin's older sister, someone so easy to annoy and treat as nothing more. Now she was different in his eyes. The more the two spent time together, she treated him as if he was her little brother, willing to protect him but also tease and bicker with him with lighthearted intentions to remind him he was just that— a little brother in her eyes. Growing older, Lucas wished only to give her that same protection, save her whenever he could just so he could see her another day.
Coming down the stairs, Nancy and Robin grew excited with their next adventure unfolding in front of them. "Okay, so, we have a plan." Handing off her folder to Steve, Nancy stood back, biting down her bottom lip to contain her excitement. Holding the file down, giving Alex the chance to read with him, he read it over carefully. Only she didn't have the greatest view for herself to read, leaving her to lean her cheek up against his arm.
Looking over at Nancy, Robin couldn't help but smile and in return, Nancy's face lit up. "Thanks to Nancy's newspaper minions, Nancy and Alex are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Norte Dame."
"I'm now Ruth," Nancy glowed. "And Alex is Rose. An unstoppable duo, basically psychology sisters all through university."
"Ruth?" Steve questioned as he pulled his eyes up from the paper. "And Rose?"
She gave an excited nod. "So we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them we'd like to speak with Creel for a thesis we're co-writing on paranoid schizophrenics..."
"To which they said no," Robin spoke over.
"But we landed a three o'clock with the director."
"Now all they have to do is charm him and convince him to let them talk to Victor," Robin added in. "Which, I guarantee will be significantly easy given both Nance and Alex have the insane ability to charm the pants off anyone."
"Then maybe we can rid Max of this curse," Nancy whispered, her eyes drifting over to Max. "Hopefully Victor has the answers."
Looking around, Steve had noticed only two folders rather than three. "Wait, wait, hold on. Where's mine?"
"You don't have one," Nancy said slowly. Standing up, she extended her hand out toward Alex. Unwrapping herself from Steve's waist, Alex was pulled up from her seat, unable to process the concern Steve had being left behind. Ignoring his demands for answers, Nancy guided her towards the stairs, forcing a smile at Steve when he jumped from his seat in disbelief. "It'll just be me and Alex," she said enthusiastically. Pushing Alex up the stairs, she grabbed ahold of Robin's hand and forced her to follow along with them as a means of protection against Steve.
Concerned, Alex had done as Nancy instructed and raced up to her room with Steve calling out to them. Moving Alex into her room, Nancy pulled Robin in and attempted to shut the door just before Steve could find his way in. Inches away from getting it closed, Steve curled his fingers around the door and pushed it open when she retreated. "Nancy, you're out of your mind if you think I'm babysitting again."
Spinning back towards Steve, Nancy held out a hand to him to keep him from coming forward. "First, they're not babies anymore. And Max is in real danger."
"And so is Alex," he fought back, gesturing over her shoulder. Alex listened to the bickering, but just like Robin, she was looking through Nancy's things. Only Robin had been digging through drawers and looking in boxes with a giddy smile while Alex had looked through Nancy's closet for clothes to change into. None were really her style and she was not looking forward to wearing any of it but Nancy made it very clear that in order to pull this off, it required dressing up outside of what she typically wore.
"Alex is fine with me. She doesn't need someone watching her every step, she's a big girl, Steve," Nancy spoke carefully.
Throwing her head back, Robin was in complete disbelief. Her focus was thrown out the window the second she even stepped into the room and with her so unfocused on the mission set out for them, she pulled Alex's attention away easily. "Oh my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster!"
Coming out of the closet, Alex crawled across the bed for a look. Glancing over her shoulder, Alex managed a laugh. "You still have this?" Laying on her stomach, she kicked her feet up, bouncing them up and down as a smile spread across her lips. "I'm more into Johnny Depp. One word and I'm on my knees..." her voice began to trail off as she grew red in the face.
An awkward silence spread across the room. Nancy paused from her search for an outfit, Robin held Nancy's belongings in her hand with an amused grin, and Steve leaned himself up on Nancy's dresser caught in complete shock by her words. Unable to hold back, Robin laughed loudly, pointing over to Steve teasingly. Nancy couldn't understand all the fun in this when she was up against Steve to even go alone with Alex. "Can you two focus? This is serious."
"I am serious," Alex frowned, pulling herself up into a sitting position.
"Yeah, Nance, she really would get on her knees for Johnny Depp," Robin laughed. Pulling open another drawer, she began to shuffle through her tapes with a happy smile on her face. Something Robin loved was to thrive in the chaos.
"Yeah, can we... can we just not talk about that?" Steve questioned loudly. "I just... I can't do anything here, Nance. Maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude. I don't know. I could turn on my... my charm..."
"Not the kind of charm we need so... direct it elsewhere," motioning over to Alex, Nancy hoped he got the hint.
His shoulders slacked. "Can't direct it the way you want when I'm going to be babysitting."
"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, I did a little digging last night, and it turns out this Dr. Hatch is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Harvard visiting scholar, okay? This is a lifelong student of the world. If we're going to win him over, we're gonna have to convince him we are too. That, like him, we are true academic scholars."
Steve leaned up against her dresser, shifting his eyes over to Alex and Robin huddled together when Nancy disappeared back into her closet. Both girls were in awe as they looked at a music box, opening and closing it, giggling at the music being put to a halt so suddenly whenever they pleased. Opening it once again, Robin turned over to Steve and Nancy to show them their fascination. "Holy shit. There's a little ballerina in here," she whispered.
"She's so small," Alex whispered, pinching her fingers close together and biting her bottom lip the same as Robin did.
With a sigh, he looked back at Nancy in disbelief. "Academic scholar? Neither of them gives off academic scholar vibes, Nancy."
"Well, they wouldn't be together," Nancy responded but her worry did grow. Alex was often more similar to Robin than her and to get through this, Nancy needed her on her very best behavior. Seeing as Alex wasn't as interested in even wearing an outfit from Nancy's closet, she feared she was going to be dealing with a chaotic Robin Buckley clone.
Shutting the box, Robin sent an annoyed glare toward Alex due to Steve and Nancy's conversation about them. They were standing right there and yet the two managed to pretend they didn't exist in mocking their mood to have fun when things looked so bleak. It's often why the two thrived so easily together, Robin knew easy ways to pull Alex out from her shell and Alex knew exactly how to make Robin feel comfortable with her chaotic desire to make everything into a joke.
Defending Robin's honor, Alex came back over to Nancy's bed and took a seat, propped up criss-cross. "Robin's a certified genius. If anyone should go to this thing, it really should be her." Extending a hand out towards Steve, Alex offered herself up to stay behind. Her heart skipped a beat to see the hopefulness fill his eyes for her to stay with him. "I can stay back here and Robin can be Rose. Besides, I'm no academic scholar. I'm barely passing most of my classes now."
"What?" Steve whispered in surprise. Since he knew her, she was always an amazing student— much better than he could ever be. Nancy, on the other hand, didn't want to accept her offer to swap places. "Wait, but we had this whole plan. Psychology sisters," she pouted.
"Well, you worked so closely with Robin anyways to come up with it. I've just been sorta around while you guys are little geniuses in everything we do. Plus," she grew nervous as she motioned to Steve. "He doesn't like watching the kids alone so I can help him out. We're sort of a team."
Throwing herself down onto the bed beside Alex, Robin grinned excitedly to see Alex willing to spend time with Steve without needing a push. She was offering and practically begging Nancy for a way to be with him. "I think it's a great plan, Nance. They can watch their children and reignite an old flame."
Both Steve and Alex turned their heads to Robin in disapproval. "Seriously?" Alex questioned under her breath.
"Fine," Nancy gave in. "There, Steve, now you can shut up and practice your charm where you so clearly need to be directing it."
"Rude," he mumbled. "But I think this is actually a decent plan for once. So, thanks, Alex," he grinned. So full of optimism, he grew too cocky that he was getting his way by sticking with Alex, that he didn't think twice about what he was saying. "That way, if Alex is cursed, she's with Max. I can watch over all of them. Just babysit them all."
Alex's lips twitched, fighting to hide how hurt she was to be seen as another one to babysit than his teammate as she suggested. Looking down at Robin, Alex watched as her hand protectively lay on top of hers. Narrowing her eyes at Steve in warning, Robin wished he wasn't so helpless. "Alex doesn't need a babysitter, Harrington."
"I-I didn't mean it like that," he fought back. Meeting Alex's eyes, he hoped she could see the genuine worry on his face that he offended her. "I know you can take care of yourself, I just don't think you should have to do it alone is all."
"Yeah, I got it," she said quietly. "I'm just gonna go check on the kids." Picking herself up off the bed, she left Robin's hand empty and dismissed herself from the room, leaving it to small glares of silence.
Clearing that silence, Nancy scoffed at Steve's panicked expression as she turned back to her closet. "As I said, work on the charm."
"Yeah, how exactly did you get all those ladies when you were trying to mend your broken heart?" Robin questioned curiously.
He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh and shook his head. "This is totally different. And since when are you both teaming up on me instead of helping me out?"
"To be fair, we thought you had it for a second there. She practically threw herself at you and you called her a child," Nancy said. "Maybe don't treat her like she's one of your children." Scrunching up her face, she pulled herself away from her closet and gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure you can handle this on your own? We won't be there to give advice, you know. I can still convince her to stay with me before you make things worse."
"I don't need advice and I'm not going to make anything worse, okay?"
"Talk to her about Johnny Depp," Robin pipped up but she knew she wasn't helping in the slightest. When Steve turned to her with a cold glare, she smiled brightly. "Yeah, no way. And that's not funny, by the way, Robin."
"Just don't run into him and you'll be fine. Otherwise, you totally lost. She'll be so in love with him, she might forget all about you," Robin teased.
He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in annoyance. "Jesus Christ, Robin, I'm not gonna run into Johnny Depp."
Nancy shook her head at him and looked to Robin, hoping she'd catch on to her hint. It was clear Steve had zero clue how to step up his game and make things right and before they left, it was best to give him one final push forward. "I'm just curious, Robin, why is Steve even up here when Alex is downstairs now?"
Perking up, Robin pretended to act surprised by the whole ordeal. "Yeah, Nance, that's kind of weird, you know, considering we're not the girl he's desperately trying to be with right now."
Nancy gave a nod of agreement, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he should be in the basement where she's watching a bunch of kids by herself. So much for being a team."
"And all he needs to do is just go down there, throw on the charm, run his fingers through his gorgeous hair of his, and avoid Johnny Depp." Looking over to Steve, she raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to have some reaction or better yet, for him to race out the bedroom and right to where he belonged.
Growing increasingly annoyed, Steve lifted himself off the dresser with his hands raised. "Yeah, thanks, got it. I'm going, I'm going." Taking his leave, he headed straight for the basement while Nancy and Robin shared a look towards one another now that he was gone. "He's hopeless," Nancy said in disapproval.
"Totally and utterly," Robin chuckled. Picking herself up off the bed, she headed towards the closet beside Nancy. As much as she was against wearing anything different than what she felt comfortable in, she was glad that Alex was willing to swap places. It meant she was free to spend time with Nancy and have no one stand in the way of them finally being able to connect to one another.
While those two prepared themselves to head to Pennhurst, Steve made his way down to the basement— set on a mission to make things right. Making his way down the steps, Steve licked his lips as he looked around the room nervously. Alex sat right in the middle of the couch, Dustin and Lucas on either side of her while Max sat further away at a desk, writing just as she was before.
She was sitting there quietly, listening as Lucas retold the Henderson's about Jason's newest motive of hunting Hellfire and all those associated— mainly, the Henderson's themselves. There was a small window of opportunity for him to right his wrongs and he was willing to take that chance now. There was no one else but the three children they watched that could intervene. One thing he was certain of, none of the three would be willing to jump in and interfere with their broken relationship due to the sheer awkwardness of even thinking of the two in any romantic light.
Clearing his throat, he pretended to not notice when her eyes looked over at him and he ran his fingers through his hair, hoping through Robin's mockery, she was right. Everyone always told him his hair was his key to attracting anyone he wanted and now shouldn't have been any different.
Stepping down from the last step, he made his way towards the couch and smacked Dustin's legs away, making room for himself. Hesitantly, Alex scooted over towards Lucas, giving him some room to squeeze himself in.
"There's a seat right over there," Dustin grumbled as he dug his elbow into Steve's side. He was ignored, however, as Steve leaned back into the couch and stretch his arm out, and placed it on the back of the couch behind Alex. Accidentally hitting Lucas with his hand, Lucas flinched forward, mouth agape as he feared for the worst— Steve Harrington attempting to flirt right in front of them. "What the hell is happening?" Lucas questioned. Jumping to his feet, he closed his mouth into a disgusted frown as he headed towards the open armchair and took a seat for himself, far from Steve and his failed moves.
Seeing more room open up on the couch, Alex scooted closer to the end to give Steve space which only disappointed him further. Pulling his arm back in front of him, he grabbed his baseball and tossed it back and forth from each hand. Sneaking a glance at Alex, he saw how she turned her knees away from him, looking around the room as if everything else was far more interesting than him.
Swallowing his nerves, he cleared his throat and caught the ball one last time. "I didn't mean to be a dick up there, by the way."
"Yeah, I know," she said through a small, forced smile, barely glancing his way. "Robin and Nancy are just..."
"They're unbelievable."
"Unbelievable," she repeated back. Her eyes began to drift his way and it was easy to forgive him. Finding herself smiling, she turned her knees back his way and gently bumped her leg against his, leaving it there so they could still be touching. "So we missed our movie marathon," she said softly, looking at him hopefully.
Scooting closer to her, he tossed his baseball over his shoulder to Dustin and couldn't help but glow just being so near her. "Yeah, yeah, we gotta reschedule our date for sure." Realizing what he said, Steve shifted in his spot, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "I-I mean, it's not a date-date, just like, us hanging out. Friend-date, you've heard of those right? Just friends watching movies... nothing else."
Alex raised her brows at him. "Sure. It's a date... a friend-date."
"Right, yeah," he responded quickly. "Because we're still friends." He gave a nod that encouraged himself to keep rambling just as Robin suggested he do. Only, she was great at rambling because there was plenty on her mind, for him, he was scatterbrained and unsure where to go with it. His voice grew quiet, forcing himself to say the first thing that came to his mind. "Just friends that dated. But, you know, if-if you got scared or something, I would have to, you know, hold you." Shaking his head, he felt everything he was saying was increasingly worse the more he spoke. "You don't get scared though. That was stupid."
"Right," Alex said with a worried smile. "Maybe one day we'll watch them."
"Yeah, like I said, free whenever. So, I don't know, maybe tonight..."
Giving an uncomfortable laugh, Alex looked over to Lucas then Dustin for confirmation that she wasn't the only one stunned by his attempts at charming her. Just as she imagined, they were blown away at his stuttering and anxious rambling. "We sorta are dealing with Vecna," she said as she met his eyes once more. "Maybe another night."
"Right, yeah, another night's better for me too, anyway," he shrugged, turning his eyes away from her, growing red at his embarrassing attempt he took in front of two people he knew would laugh behind his back when they were alone.
Dustin and Lucas looked at one another in utter confusion about what came over Steve to act this way. It was weird. Between the two, Dustin wasn't afraid to point out the obvious. "Jesus Christ, Steve, keep it in your pants, man."
"It's a train wreck," Lucas whispered. This was not the Steve Harrington they once thought he was. He was always supposed to be some douchebag that could say anything and girls would throw themselves at him, but this wasn't the King Steve that they heard of. This was some lovesick fool that couldn't talk to the only girl he wanted to ever be with. It was embarrassing and frankly, it was very hard to watch.
Coming to his aid, Max stood before the group with letters held in her hand. Holding the first one out to Dustin, she waved it for him to take. "For you." Turning to Steve, she passed him over his letter, and then turned to Lucas and handed him his. Holding on to another, she stared at it, unsure if it was worth anything after what she did. Letting out a deep breath, she forced herself to stick Alex's letter out. "And for you, if you want it." Reaching out, Alex accepted the letter, unsure what could possibly be written inside of it.
"And, um, if you guys could give these to Mike, El, and Will." She went to pass them off to Alex but thought twice about it. As of now, neither knew where they stood with the other. They were both so hurt and unable to share how much they still loved each other. So Max passed it off to Lucas to take care of. She knew he would.
Unsure what all of this had been about, the group collectively went to open their envelopes before Max held out her hands to stop them. "What are you doing? No, don't. That's not for now. Don't open it now."
Confused, Dustin held up his. "I'm sorry. What is this?"
"It's, um," she licked her lips as she forced herself to explain. "It's a fail-safe for after. If things don't work out."
"Max, this is going to work out," Lucas assured. That was something he could guarantee himself. After everything they've been through, he couldn't do it without her. He needed her. So he would search for any way to make it right and save Max from her inevitable doom. It's what she deserved.
"No. No, I don't need you to reassure me and tell me it's all gonna work out. Because people have been telling me that my entire life as it's almost never true. It's never true. I mean, of course, this asshole curses me. I should've seen that one coming." There was a silence between them, everyone holding onto their letter, unsure how to react. Losing Max wasn't an option for them but she was certain it was her time. It made them sick to think they could lose someone so special to them. Max always fought and these letters felt as if it was her way of giving up.
Max, however, could only think of her ending and every loose end she needed to tie up. That meant every possible thing she screwed up, she wanted to fix. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at the walkie and thought maybe it was possible for her to say goodbye one last time to all those that meant something to her— dead or alive. Picking the radio up from the table, she looked at it curiously. "If we go to East Hawkins, will this still reach Pennhurst?"
"Of course," Dustin spoke out.
"Wait, why are we talking about East Hawkins?" Steve asked but with the silence and everyone looking at him, he knew he was roped into something he didn't want to do. "No, no. No. Not happening. Right, Alex?"
She gave him an attempted smile but knew his frustration would only grow. And of course, she didn't need to say a word for him to know where she stood. "Henderson, no."
"Harrington, yes," she pleaded. This was how it was different. His attempts to put on the charm were the things that never worked on Alex. When it came to Steve Harrington, she loved him for exactly who he was. Someone who couldn't stand the children he dealt with but took care of them as if they were his very own, who could treat her like his friend and not someone that he was looking to impress.
"You heard her, we're going," Max stated. Grabbing hers and Alex's backpack, she marched her way up the stairs for the others to follow, which everyone did. Racing ahead of the Henderson's and Lucas, Steve was desperate to stop her from leaving so suddenly. He continued to plead desperately until they reached the driveway. "Seriously I'm not joking. I'm not driving you anywhere."
"Steve, if you think I'm going to spend what is likely the last day of my life in the armpit that is Mike Wheeler's basement, then you're out of your mind. Either take me where I need to go or you're gonna have to tie me down, which is technically kidnapping of a minor. And if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to God, I will prosecute." Arriving at his car, she gave a tug at the backseat door until she realized it was still locked. With a huff, she looked at him with a glare. "Open the door."
"Uh, no."
"I know a good lawyer."
A stare-down began to brew between the two, neither wanting to break. Alex stood there watching and waiting for Steve to give in but he wasn't so eager this time around and give to anyones demands. Last time he needed Billy Hargrove to knock him out in order for them to do what they pleased, dragging him along against his will. Unable to take the silent showdown, Alex came up to Steve and made a reach for his pocket, only for him to back away just in time.
"Give me the keys," she stated, holding out her hand.
"No way. I can't believe you're on their side again."
"They're my kids," she fought back, making another grab for his pocket. He tried to back away but she was willing to wrestle for it if she needed to. Gripping onto his pockets, he hunched over as he began to turn away, hoping to block her from getting to his keys while she pushed into him for an opening to pry open his pockets. "Yeah they're mine too and it's not happening, Henderson! Give it up!"
"You don't win fights, Harrington," she mumbled as she fought against him, pulling at his hand to move away from his pocket.
"Kick his ass, Alex!" Lucas called out. He felt giddy just to see that for once, Alex was going to take on Steve and wrestle him for some keys. Not only would Max get her way, but he was also happy to see that Alex would be able to add her name to the list of people that beat Steve Harrington in a fight.
"Give it up, Steve! She's crazy, she's my sister!" Dustin screamed. Max had taken a step back to give them some room, a smile coming to her face as Alex clung onto Steve's arms, backing herself into him to get him away and give her enough time to grab the keys.
"Seriously, let go," he warned, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back. "It's not happening."
"It's happening," she fought back. "Give me the stupid keys or I'm breaking the goddamn window of your car and hot wiring it!"
"You don't know how to do that shit," he scoffed, but a part of him was fearful she did. Holding on tighter, he was desperate at this point to not let her win in fear of his car being torn apart just for them to get away.
Alex turned around to allow his hand to finally let go of her, leaving her face to face with him. Taking the keys from his pocket, he held them in his hand and hid them behind his back far away from her. Not backing down, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against him, and grabbed ahold of the hand that had a grip on the keys. Propping her chin against his chest, she felt his heart beat pick up all the same as hers, and their eyes met and for a moment, the fight for the keys was in the back of their minds. One single movement and they could have kissed, sealing away all the hurt and pain that these past few months had brought upon them.
If only it had been that easy to forget. Finding herself forcing her focus back on what Max needed, she made another grab for the keys. Creating a tightened grip on the keys, Steve couldn't help but laugh at her attempts to pry his fingers open. "I swear to god, Alex, I'll tickle you," he warned her, but when she rested her head against his chest for a better reach behind him, he felt his heart jolt and his grip loosened. Feeling the keys slip from his fingers, he took his last shot and grabbed ahold of her before she could escape with the keys. Holding her against him, he wrapped his arms around her, tickling into her side until laughter erupted out of her mouth and she fought against him to escape.
Unwilling to let him win, Alex tossed the keys out to the ground for Max to grab while Steve had been too distracted by having her so close to him once again. Throwing herself down onto the floor, Max scrambled to get the keys for herself before Steve could even take notice that Alex no longer held them.
Desperate for another breath of air, Alex once again turned herself around so that her chest pressed against Steve and she continued to laugh as he tickled her. "I don't have them! I don't have them!" She called out in a fit of giggles that sent his heart soaring. Hearing her finally be able to laugh and remove such awful thoughts from her mind for even the smallest moment felt worth every bit of pain he went through to get here. Her laughter was enough for him to feel okay again-- that he could make things right between them.
Finally releasing her, he still held onto her waist, keeping her against him as she panted for a breath of air. "You're such an idiot," she breathed out in laughter. Resting her head upon his chest, she let out a heavy breath as she recollected herself.
Wrapping his arms around her, he placed his chin on top of her head and let out a sigh. "Yeah, yeah, you won." Lifting his head up from her, he let her back up away from him with a smile. "You're unbelievable, Henderson, you know that?"
"Says the guy that tickled someone to win," she laughed, giving him a gentle shove back. Making her way around the car, she opened the passenger seat and grabbed ahold of Dustin, and pulled him out. "Backseat, dude."
"Oh, come on," he groaned, but ultimately gave in.
Climbing into the car, Steve got into the driver's seat and took his keys back from Max, but his eyes stayed on Alex. Each of them had smiles on their faces and was red in the face from a wrestling match that ended in erupted laughter.
This was it. This was the Steve Harrington that Alex Henderson loved endlessly. She loved that he was willing to fight with her and wrestle around just for some keys when they easily could've handled the matter if they talked it through. She knew if she had just explained her reasoning for wanting to do what Max wanted, he would have handed them over immediately but there was no fun in that.
Sitting back in her seat, Alex looked over to Steve as he began to pull away from the Wheeler's house. Reaching over to where he placed his hand on the gear shift, she set her hand on top of his. At first, his eyes looked to their hands before his eyes turned over to hers to see that once was an emptiness within her eyes, for the moment, were back to being full of life. "I was thinking after we kill Vecna super soon, we can have our movie date to celebrate," she said softly.
"I mean, might as well plan for tonight because I'll take him out right now if you want."
Narrowing her eyes at him, she gave him a sarcastic laugh. "Ha, I'd prefer you alive if you don't mind. If you died then who would I hold when he gets so terrified?"
"Oh, so you're going to be holding me now?" he questioned in amusement. Turning his eyes over to her, he gave a small shrug as he raised his brows at her in amusement. "You know, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. But don't be surprised if I pretend a little just for that to happen."
"Oh, actually I'm counting on it," she chuckled, slipping her hand off from his, feeling as if she was on top of the world. Even as Dustin and Lucas fell into their brotherly roles, begging for Steve to unlock the doors to throw themselves out rather than listen to them, it just felt right. Nothing could take away from the moment of feeling as if they were living back to how they were before. Yet with the chimes of the clock and the swinging pendulum, the time ticked down for Max Mayfield and the horrors of the past were soon to catch up to them and remind them of the reality they truly lived in.