The two babysitters and the kids were tracing back their path from the junkyard. Max's eyes darting between Steve and Charlie every now and then. The older teens unaware of it kept walking, their hand brushing against each other, igniting a spark.
"Are you sure it's dart?" Charlie asked Dustin.
"Yeah, he had the same yellow mark on his butt."
Dustin said.
"He was tiny like yesterday." Max added.
"Yeah, he has molted three times already."
"Malted?" Steve asked confused.
"Molted. Shedding his skin as he grows bigger like hornworms." Charlie suggested gesturing with his hand.
"When is he gonna molt again?" Max asked.
"It's gotta be soon. When he does hell be fully grown or close to it. So will his friends."
"Yeah and then he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats." Steve said walking faster.
"We better hurry then." Charlie suggested.
But Lucas suddenly stopped walking and shouted at Dustin.
"What? He ate a cat?"
"What cat?" Dustin played dump.
"You told us he at Mews." Charlie raised an eye brow.
"I knew it. You kept him." Lucas concluded and Dustin immediately denied.
"He missed me and he wanted to come back home."
"Bullshit! You put the party in jeopardy. You broke a rule of law."
"So did you. You told a stranger our secrets."
Dustin pointed the trisch at max.
"A stranger?" Max scoffed.
As the three started arguing Charlie groaned and looked at Steve miserably. Steve matched his expression. But a distant screaching got their attention and they both turned simultaneously to where the sound came from.
"Hey!"
"Guys!" Steve and Charlie yelled at the same time.
Steve walked rmtowrads the sound and the two younger boys followed. Charlie grabbed Max's hand and followed them.
"Why are we running towards the sound?" Max asked.
"Because we're idiots." Charlie replied simply.
They followed the sound till the front gate of Hawkins lab. The group came to a halt. There wasn't no way they could go in. So they waited outside, trying to figure out a plan. Charlie grew uncomfortable with the heat raising in his body. He was dizzy, well because, he hadn't eaten in last two days, he had barely 20 mins of sleep in last 48 hours and he had lost considerable amount of blood. So he knew if the Shadow monster didn't end him, exhaustion probably would.
"Hey, can we talk?" Steve asked and Charlie looked around.
"Not the best timing but yeah the right one may never come, so please."
Steve took a deep breath. He looked longingly into Charlie's eyes. His gaze was soft. His voice smooth like velvet.
"I like you, Charlie, a lot. And my feelings for you are genuine. And I know I can be an idiot and I have done things to hurt you. But I want you to give me chance. Give us a chance."
Steve spoke honestly and Charlie listened.
Of course they were talking about dates and flirting with each other but the reality of it was unclear. Charlie didn't know if Steve still had unresolved feelings for Nancy. It wasn't, after all, easy to move on from someone you been with for so long. But then again, he could feel a strange a pain in chest whenever he thought of his time with Billy.
Keeping Billy and Nancy out of the picture, Charlie wanted him and Steve to have something and work it out. That much he was sure. And Steve wanted it too. They had a lot of hurdles to get through and lot to figure out. But it was a risk Charlie was willing to take. Although he wouldn't say it just yet.
"You know I like you too. I've made it abundantly clear, but first I need you to make up your mind on Nancy, because I won't be a rebound. And I won't make you one. If we're going to do this, we'll do it without any burdens of our past."
Charlie spoke with the same tone Steve had used. He spoke honestly mad clearly. Steve nodded and they at an understanding. If Steve was to end everything with Nancy, like Charlie had already with Billy, they stood a chance. Otherwise, none.
Suddenly two vehicles speeding through the gate caught their attention. The first one rushed past without stopping and the other was police vehicle and came to a halt in front of them. Hopper was in the driver's seat.
"Dad?" Charlie almost breathed.
"Let's go." Hopper said hastily and they all got in. The kids the back stev and Charlie at front.
Hopper drive at the soead of light.
"What's going on?" Max asked.
"The lab is swarming with those things." Hopper replied. He looked at his son for a quick second. He saw the blood shirt and the injured shoulder. They had much to catch up on.
They reached the Byers residence. Will was on the couch, sedated. Jonathan went to hsi brothers ide immediately and Joyce was escorted by Mike to her room. She lokekd absolutely shattered. Nancy saw Charlie and immediately came forward to hug him.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" Nancy asked. Charlie hugged her back tightly and answered.
"I'm alive. Where have you been?"
"Long story. Where have you been?"
"Monster hunting." Charlie winked and Nancy sighed. Their eyes went to Jonathan and Will.
"Go on." Charlie said to Nancy.
"Go talk to you dad." Nancy instructed.
Nancy walked towards Jonathan and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. Hopper who was arguing on the phone put the receiver down angrily.
"They didn't believe you, did they?" Steve asked.
"We'll wait." Hopper replied
"We can't just sit here, while those things are out there" Mike argued.
"We stay here and we wait for help." Hopper said sharply. His authoritative tone to make everyone obey.
"Wait until when? Until how many more is slaughtered?" Charlie asked.
Hopper just walked out and Charlie followed him out. Everyone else refrained from further involvment, realizing the father and son needed space.
"Dad, we can't just sit here and wait."
Charlie said standing in front of his father.
"We can and we will. For once, listen to what I say."
Charlie scoffed.
"Yeah you don't get to do that. Because you disappeared, literally, 48 hours ago and I've been half scared to death, not knowing if you're alive or dead." he lowered his voice before saying the next part.
"And El is gone. She found out about Terry Ives and she's gone. She just left like everyone else in my life. No note, no goodbye, nothing. All because she was mad at you. I'm so done being punished for everyone else's mistakes, all the time-"
The stress had caught upto him and he wasn't in control of his tongue anymore. Words just kept pouring out. All the disappointment and frustration, loneliness and helplessness was now directed at one target.
"Now Bob is dead. You almost died and everyone I love are in potential danger and you want me to just wait?"
Hopper wordlessly pulled his son into an embrace. Charlie struggled against his father's hold for a few seconds. Hopper only hugged him tighter and rubbed his back. Charlie slowly stopped struggled and hugged him back, breaking down.
"Why does everyone have to leave me?" He said through sobs.
"Shh...it's okay." Hopper tried to comfort him.
They don't know how long it is when Charlie pulled away and composed himself. He puts on a mask of having it together.
"I know I scared you. But you should know I was scared for you too." Hopper started, Charlie sniffed and nodded.
"You're my son, my first child and the only one to not abandon me even when I was terrible to you. I love you, kid. You should know that. There is nothing more important than you to me in this world. And I won't ever leave you again, you'll never be alone."
Charlie looked at his dad and, Hopper had an earnest look in his face. He was telling the truth and the younger Hopper started to feel a little bit more hopeful.
"I love you too. You're all I have, all I've ever had in years. And I can't lose you."
"You won't and I won't lose you. We'll kill those things, close that gate and everything will go back to normal. Nothings going to hurt you again."
Hopper placed an arm around his son's shoulder, careful not to touch the injured one and ruffled his hair. Something he always did when Charlie was upset as a kid. Charlie smiled at the gesture.
"Will I ever see her again?" He asked.
"We'll find her." Hopper assured and somehow he believed it.
Hopper went to Joyce's room and Charlie went to stand near Steve. The Harrington carefully interlaced their fingers. Charlie thought that's how far Steve would dare to go with an audience. But the latter had a different idea, he turned his head to the side and placed a soft kiss on the dark haired boy's cheek.
Charlie looked at him and then at the kids, they hadn't noticed it. He sighed. Steve winked. But Nancy Wheeler was th only one who saw it. And suddenly, she could see it much clearly. Steve and Charlie, those stolen glances, unsaid jealousy and concern for each other.
She wasn't angry at either. It made sense to her. Her and Steve were too different, they both wanted different things from life. And she could never understand Steve the way Charlie does. She watched the Charlie leaned against the other and Steve conveniently slipped his arm around his waist. Charlie's head on his shoulder and Steve breathing in Charlie. It was a kind of intimacy she couldn't feel with Steve. Nancy Wheeler being the smart one she is, smiled and looked away. They would tell her when it was time and until then she would wait.
The silence stretched. Steve had a firm grip on Charlie's waist, at the pint he was the supporting the other to stand.
"I'm so tired..."Charlie muttered.
"I know...when this is all over, you can sleep for a month."
Steve whispered and placed a kiss on his dark locks. Charlie smiled genuinely.
Mike Wheeler got up from his chair and walked to the table that kept some things Bob brought in the other day. Charlie straightened up and everyone's attention was on Mike now. He picked up one of the toys Bob had brought.
"Do you know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?" Mike asked.
"Really?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah he's one who petitioned to start it and everything. Then he had a fund-raiser for equipments. Mr. Clarke learned everything from him."
Mike walked over to the table were the group was gathered and set the toy down.
"That's pretty awesome." Charlie and Mike shared a smile.
"We can't let him die in vain"
Mike spoke looking at everyone.
"Mike, the chief is right on this, we can't fight those demodogs on our own." Dustin said and glanced at Charlie who nodded in agreement.
"I mean yeah, when it was just dart maybe... But there's an army now." Lucas said.
Charlie was deep in thought with his bottom between his teeth. He listened for any voice in his head but it had disappeared.
"Yeah, his army." Charlie said catching up on something.
"His army." Mike repeated, smiling at Charlie, who slowly moved away from Steve and approached the table.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked.
"So maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army too." Charlie spoke looking at Mike, who nodded and walked to Will's room and came back with Will's drawing of the shadow monster.
"The shadow monster, it got Will that day in the field."
Mike told the others.
"And it marked me in the upside down." Charlie said looking grave, the whole memery of it was painful to him.
"Exactly it barely wanted Charlie to act aa messenger, a bearer of bad news. The doctor said it was like a virus, say Charlie and Will have been affected in different amounts of it."
Mike explained.
"So the virus connects them to the tunnels." Max asked.
"To the tunnels, to the vines and the upside down and everything." Charlie looked at her.
"Woah, woah, slow down, slow down!"
Steve interrupted them.
"The shadow monster is inside everything, when the vines feel something like pain, will feels it too." Charlie replied.
"And you."
"And me." Charlie agreed.
"And dart." Lucas added, breaking Charlie and Steve's eye contact.
"It's like what Mr. Clarke taught us. It's a hive mind."
"Hive mind?"
"It's a collective consciousness. It's a super organism." Charlie explained and Dustin snapped his finger.
"This thing that controls everything, it's the brain."
Mike said louder now that they were reaching somewhere.
"Like the Mind flayer." Dustin said. And Lucas triumphantly pointed his finger at him.
Steve looked at Charlie who was nodding at Mike.
Everyone gathered around the table for Dustin to explain what the mind flayer was exactly. A D&d manual on the table.
"The mind flayer."
"What the hell is that?" Hopper asked.
"It's a monster from another dimension." Dustin explained.
"It's so ancient that it doesn't even know it's true home. It takes over other races by controlling their brains using its highly developed psionic powers."
"Oh my God" Hopper groaned "None of this is real. It's a kid's game."
"No it's a manual." Charlie countered causing Hopper to galre at him. Dustin agreed WITH Charlie.
"Exactly. And it's not for kids. Unless you knwo something we don't, this is the best metaphor -"
"Analogy." Lucas corrected him. Charlie rolled his eyes.
" Analogy? That's what you're worried about? Fine this is the best analogy to understand the hell this is." Dustin half yelled.
Charlie sighed in frustration and Steve rubbed his back. Charlie's facials softened at the touch.
"So this mind flamer thing-" Nancy began, glancing through the manual.
"Flayer. Mind Flayer." Dustin corrected, being the smart-ass he is.
"What does it wnat?" Nancy released a frustrated sigh.
"To conquer as basically. It believes it's the master race."
"Like-like the Germans?" Steve asked and Charlie almost snorted.
"You mean the Nazis. If they were from another dimension, yeah" Charlie shrugged.
"It views other races as inferior."
"It wants to spread and take over other dimensions."
"We're talking the destruction of our world as we know it." Lucas concluded with his own dramatic flair.
"That's great, that's just great. Jesus!" Steve gestures with his hand walked away from the table.
"So if... When we kill the mind flatmyer, we kill everything it controls." Charlie made the final point.
"And we win."
"Theoritically."
Hopper sighed and walked over the table, taking the book in his hand.
"So how do we kill this thing? Shoot it with fireballs?"
Charlie mentally groaned and turned away, not ready for the rest of the conversation. Dustin rambled on about the game and realized it was in fact just a game and they couldn't appluly the same solutions right then.
"I thought we were waiting for your military backup." Charlie asked Hopper.
"We are." Hopper responded.
"What are they gonna do? You can't shoot this thing with guns."
"You don't know that. We don't know anything." Hopper yelled and Charlie pressed two fingers to his ear.
"We know that it's killed everyone in that lab."
"We know the monster are gonna molt again"
"And we know it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town."
"They're right. We have to kill it." Joyce Byers voice said and everyone turned to her.
"I want kill it."
"Me too. Joyce, me too." Hopper said walking toward a her.
"But we don't know exactly what we're dealing with here."
"But he does." Charlie spoke, looking at Will.
"If anyone knows how to destroy this thing it's Will. He's connected to it and he knows its weakness."
"I thought we couldn't trust him anymore. That he's a spy for the mind flayer now." Max said, uncertainly.
"Yeah but he can't spy....if he doesn't know where he is." Mike said and Charlie nodded in agreement.
And the plan was on motion. They decided to clear out the shed and cover the walls and tie will up to chair inside. This way he would recognize where he was and he won't be able to spy.
Lucas and Dustin were talking and Mike said something toax and walked away from her. Charlie sat near her in silence. There was a ringing in his ears and he was a little nauseous.
"So are you and Steve a thing?" Max asked out of the blue and Charlie gaped at her.
"Uh... No. What? How do you-?" Charlie fumbled.
"It's okay, I don't mind." Max immediately said, so Charlie didn't think hse was homophobic or anything.
"You guys aren't very subtle." She smirked.
"I certainly didn't hear you agree to go on a date with him."
Charlie smiled.
"And I certainly didn't see you hold hands with my boy Sinclair."
"Touché" Max blushed.
Charlie spoke after a short pause.
"We're not a thing....yet. There's a lot to figure out."
Max nodded.
"Are you worried about Will?" she asked.
"Of course I am. My dad thinks I have a habit of mentally adopting every kid I babysit. Is tart to feel responsible for them."
Charlie smiled to himself.
"It's probably because I love younger siblings."
Max smiled too.
"Do you have any?" she asked.
"I did." Charlie said, almost a whisper.
"Sarah, she died when I was 12. And then...there was El."
He knew he was over sharing but it was only Max and like with the rest of the party, he felt responsible for her. Charlie was easily attached.
"You knew her well?" Max asked.
"Yeah, I guess so. But now she is gone too." Charlie looked away composed himself.
"So I guess I'm in market for another younger sister." he shrugged.
Max smiled and said with mock seriousness
"Well, since the brother I got is a total douchebag, if there is ever an exchange offer, I'm definitely picking you."
They shared an easy laugh.
Meanwhile Steve Harrington was having his own conversation with Nancy Wheeler. Nancy thanked him for watching over the kids and keeping them safe.
"I may be a shitty boyfriend but turns out I'm a damn good babysitter."
Steve laughed to himself.
"Look Steve-"
"See Nancy-"
They bother paused awkwardly. Steve cleared his throat and spoke.
"I'm not angry you know. We were a long shot anyway. I think you were the push I needed to see what I actually wanted.".
Nancy frowned.
"We're too...different. And I think ultimately Jonathan is the one for you. And I'm happy for you. Besides I think my heart also hasn't been in our relationship in a while."
"It's been with Charlie." Nancy interrupted and Steve froze.
"Yes." Steve said and Nancy nodded understandingly.
"What I'm saying is, I've been a shitty boyfriend and I don't want to repeat those mistakes with him. He's too precious for that. My first to being better, for him, is letting you go completely."
Nancy smiled at him genuinely. It honestly made her feel better to hear that Steve wasn't mad at her. And to hear that Charlie might finally get the happiness he deserved.
"You're right, he is too precious to being going through so much." Nancy smiled sadly and suddenly turned serious.
"And Steve Harrington, if you ever hurt him, remember I know how to use a gun and that I don't ever miss."
Steve chuckled and nodded.
Charlie Hopper was sitting near the kitchen table with his head on the table. Steve took a seat near him and rubbed his back. The dark haired boy looked up and managed a weak smile.
"Are you feeling sick again?" Steve asked as he placed his hand over Charlie's.
Charlie shook his head.
"I'm alright. I just hope this works."
"It will." Steve squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.
"So I talked to Nancy" Steve started and Charlie became more alert.
"I told her that I wasn't mad and that I was happy for her and Jonathan. I told her liked you, I mean she already knew, but I yeah... I told her that I wanted to be better for you. I'm not going to repeat any mistakes with you. So I've completely, let go of her."
Charlie didn't know what to say so he just nodded. Steve continued. He sat up straight, then leaned forward a little, he held Charlie's hand in his own.
"Charlie, I won't ask you to jump into a relationship with me. Because I want you to want it as much as I do. So we'll take it slowly. We'll go on that date. And I will wait...i will wait for you as long as it takes because you are the only person I want to be with, Lee. It's always been you. From that day in middle school, my stupid crush on you has bugged me. And I'm done denying it. Back then I was so scared of actually liking a boy. But all these years later, I still can't seem to get you out of my heart." Steve took a deep breath.
"Charlie Hopper, I've liked you so much for so long, you're all I can think about. You're all I want to think about. I want to be yours, if you'll let me."
When Steve finished talking, Charlie was almost athe verge of tears and he seemingly forgot every word in the dictionary.
"I like you too. A lot. More than you know. And I want us to be more." Charlie said softly.
Steve cupped Charlie's face in his hands. His thumb circling the latter's cheekbone. They were leaning in before either of them could even realize it. They lips met in a low, steady and passionate kiss. Charlie's hand gripped Steve's shirt and the burnette tangled his fingers in his hair.
Their mouths moved in perfect unison. Savouring each moment. Steve almost moaned when Charlie slid his tongue into his mouth. They pulled away to catch their breaths, foreheads touching.
"This is probably not a good time."
"I know."
And they kissed again.
Hopper and the others came back with a Morse code that Will had given. It was translated to "Close Gate". So in oder to kill the mind flayer, they had to close the gate. While the group processed this information, they heard growling outside. More than one Demodogs had surrounded the house. Hopper, Nancy, Charlie and Steve armed themselves ready to take on the creature when one out them was tossed through the window and killed.
The door opened on it's own and everyone froze. Charlies eyes widened for a second and he glanced at his dad who looked just as surprised. Mike was the happiest however, because right before them was El.
For a second El's eyes met her brother's and she managed a guilty smile. He sighed in relief because his sister was safe and she was back with them.