⭐︎ andy, 25, she/her, minors don’t interact. forever living in my own little fantasy world

on going series -> dancing with our hands tied S.H.

the library ⭐︎

It’s been four days since you found your family dead. Four days since you left them behind. Four days since the end of the world came crashing down on you. 

Two days ago, you crossed the border between Nevada and California. Everyone is so close to reuniting with their friends and family now Everyone except for you. 

“Alright.” Steve’s voice is soft as he fixes the hair tie at the end of your braid. “Done.” 

You open your eyes and take a deep breath. You turn to face him. He is already looking at you – soft brown eyes filled with guilt and sadness. He insisted on doing your hair, you started neglecting it, no longer bothering to braid it after getting dressed, he does it for you now. 

His eyes are scanning your face, looking into yours intensely, like he is trying to find something.

You place your hand on his knee and squeeze it. You don’t smile or kiss him like you normally would. He doesn’t expect you to. He doesn’t deserve it, he thinks. 

“Thank you.” For taking care of me. You don’t say it, you don’t have to. 

Steve nods. His eyes soften, and his heart clenches in his chest. Before you remove your hand, he places his own on top of yours, giving it a tight squeeze. 

“Of course.” He whispers. He wants to kiss your hand so badly. He wants to pull you into his arms so badly it hurts; he wants to do so many things, but he is afraid. 

You try to smile, but you can’t. You look into his eyes for a moment before you pull away. You get up and walk away, leaving the RV. He stays there for a moment longer. He sits there, staring into a blank space. His chest is aching. Everything in him is aching. The guilt has been eating at him, dragging him down slowly, pulling him back into the pit you pulled him out of when you stumbled into his life. He feels like it’s his fault. He feels like it’s all his fault. Like he was the cause of it all. He told you what you would walk into so long ago; he laid it all out for you, and then he spent months hoping that what he said wouldn’t be true, but it is, and now he doesn’t know what to do with himself, with you. 

You are still standing. You are still breathing. You are still talking, not much, but you talk when you have to; he didn’t even do that when he lost Robin. He can tell that you are trying to stay strong, even after losing your entire family, after losing everything you fought for. You are strong, so much stronger than him. He carried so much hate in his heart when he was grieving. Hate that you don’t feel, not even towards him, not even when he deserves it. 

You are strong. 

But you are suffering. 

You don’t eat. Your face is losing color, a little more day by day. The light in your eyes has faded that day on what once used to be a sunflower field. It’s gone. And Steve, he feels dead inside, now realizing more than ever that he can’t, that he could never live without you, that if this means losing you, it also means losing himself with you. It means death. 

He wants to be there for you. He wants to fix this, but how can he? He can’t bring back your family.

He doesn’t realize that tears are running down his cheeks until he runs his hand down his face. He wipes them away quickly and gets up to walk into the bathroom. He splashes his face with cold water and fixes his hair. He looks into the mirror for a moment before he turns away with a heavy heart. 

He walks outside. 

Eddie and Nancy greet him with tight-lipped smiles, and he nods at them. His eyes instantly look for you. You are sitting on your camping chair, holding a cup of coffee in your hands. Your face is turned away from him, eyes focused on the hills afar, though your mind is somewhere else. He looks down, seeing the untouched bowl of oatmeal on the ground next to your chair. The steam is still rising from it, and an extra amount of brown sugar melting on it. He takes a deep breath and glances at Eddie, who is already looking at him, and he knows that he was the one who handed you your breakfast. 

Your friends are worried for you, in the same way they worried for him. Steve remembers it now like it was yesterday, how Eddie brought him food when he was hauled up in his room, grieving Robin. How Eddie kept showing up despite Steve yelling at him to leave, how he sat beside him, and even tried to feed him when he refused to pick up the food himself. 

Steve clears his throat and nods at him. 

“You guys can get some sleep.” Steve mumbles, looking between Eddie and Nancy. “We will sit out here for a while before we get back on the road.” 

Nancy tears her eyes away from you, though she lingers by your side for a moment longer. She puts her hand on your shoulder, squeezing it before she makes her way inside. 

“Yeah.” Eddie sighs. His eyes look for yours, but your gaze is still stuck on the cup in your hands. He can’t even be the cheerful self he always is. He can’t bring himself to be the comedic relief the team has. He is hurting for you, and he feels like he is selfish for having some people waiting for him while you have none.

Nancy feels the same way. She is excited to finally find the community, to be reunited with the rest of her family, her friends, but there’s some place inside of her that she refuses to feel that excitement. It felt unfair. Unjust. You didn’t deserve this, you of all people, didn’t deserve what happened to you.

She gets up reluctantly, walking towards Steve so she could whisper to him, even though she knew you didn’t even listen. Not because you couldn’t, you just wouldn’t process anything if words were not directed your way.

“Make her eat… I tried, but–”

“I know. I’ll take care of it… Just go rest.” She gives a final nod, looking towards Eddie. His eyes finally leave your figure, not really knowing what to do anymore. His way of handling grief had always been physical touch… Which is something he knew you weren’t particularly welcoming right now.

“Just call us if you need something… I marked the map…” He looked at the sky, passing by Steve to pat his shoulder before letting Nancy go into the RV first. The door closed, and now it was just him and you. 

He walked over towards you, pulling a chair to sit next to you. He licked his lips, grabbing the pot of oatmeal from the floor, stirring it a bit as he tried his best to smile.

“Always a lot of sugar. Eddie and you probably have your blood sugar on the very floor.” He tried making a joke, anything that would get a reaction from you, but he got nothing. He had envisioned this moment differently from what it was now. 

The winter was coming to an end, the weather turning warmer and warmer the closer you got to the coast, where everyone was waiting for all of you. He imagined your smile, jumping around, excited to finally settle, to finally be with him the way you two had talked about. He imagined you sitting here with him, talking about how you two were gonna live together. If you would get a cottage, a bungalow, an apartment, anything that’s there. 

He imagined that you two would be bickering about what decorations you could have inside the home. What roles would the two of you decide on to contribute to the community. He imagined you… With your family. He imagined that your mother, your father, and your brother, would be around all of you right now.

He imagined a happy ending for you… But now, he doesn’t even believe he is worthy of being that for you.

Not when you look like your soul is gone. Not when you look like a puppet. Not when you look like… Like Max did two years ago… How he probably looked like before you even met him. Everything he imagined was gone in the lapse of hours, and he doesn’t think he’ll see it again. 

He can’t see a future, not because he doesn’t want you… But because he doesn’t think he deserves you.

“Baby… You need to eat…” He softly spoke, trying to make you look at him. He grabs a spoonful of the oatmeal, and raises it towards your mouth. Your eyes dart to it, and you shake your head slightly.

“I am not hungry, Steve…” Not Stevie. That little nickname was gone. 

“I know… I know, but you need to eat. I’ll be happy with just a few, okay?” Your eyes meet his for just a moment, before you nod and open your mouth so he could feed you. Your eyebrows meet in the middle, and your eyes closed as if swallowing hurts you. You put the cup down on the floor, before grabbing the bowl from him as well as the spoon.

He was trying not to shake as he grabbed himself a bowl, and he wasn’t hungry either, but if he ate, maybe that would make you eat more too. Your bites are small, just taking bits of it every ten seconds. You eat slowly, almost as if you were a robot and you were commanded to do so. 

The silence killed him, but he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know if apologizing would gain anything at all. Maybe you hated him and you were not voicing it. Maybe you found him despicable now. Maybe you didn’t want to be by his side any longer. 

He didn’t want you to remember that day. He didn’t want to say anything at all that would make you revisit that memory, but he wanted to. The lump in his throat grows each day, and it’s turning painful. Yet, he cannot speak a single word. 

“Smell the corpses around you!”

He can’t believe himself. He can’t believe he said something like that to you. The words keep repeating in his brain, and even if he holds you at night, it was as if he was holding a cold doll. You never said anything. You never kissed him, held his hand, nothing. He cried himself to sleep the past few days, making sure you were asleep so you wouldn’t hear him.

And even when he held you, the nightmares began creeping in. That same scene, in front of Robin’s grave, over and over again, and each time your face becomes more and more visible. Clearer. Then, the scene changes, to you standing over your family’s graves. 

Graves. Everything involved graves.

You put the spoon down, and Steve snapped out of his thoughts, looking at how much you ate. Not even half. Fuck. Should he push you to eat a little more? He didn’t want to command you to do anything, but he was worried that you were withering away. That it was what you decided instead of following him into the community. 

“You… can you eat a little mo–”

“No.” Your voice was cold. Colder than the entire winter the four of you went through. Fuck, it hurt. He was afraid that he would turn away from you for just a second and that you would run off. He was afraid that you… would–

Both of you straightened up when you heard an animal cry. Steve immediately stood up, grabbing onto the first thing at hand, which was Nancy’s rifle. It wasn’t far away, and it sounded like a painful noise. You slowly got up from your chair, looking towards the far end bushes.

The RV’s door opened, Nancy and Eddie rushing out with guns in their hands, wearing their sleep clothes.

“What was that?” Nancy asked quickly, looking at the same spot. Steve pointed the rifle, waiting for whatever was grunting behind the bushes.

“I don’t know, but there are no red clouds, can’t be monsters.” Another cry came out, making the four of you straighten up, and all guns were pointing at one specific bush that was rustling just a few feet away.

Suddenly, a deer came out, stumbling on its feet, blood smeared over the belly, as if mauled by another animal. Relief washed over, because this meant that wildlife was living in this side of the country. 

Nancy had flashbacks to 1983, seeing an injured deer in the forest, and her hand could not pull the trigger… Just like now. She didn’t want to kill this deer, even if it was suffering and bleeding to death. 

But Eddie and Steve were too. You all got closer, as the deer finally stumbled over, breathing heavily. The opportunity of eating meat, fresh meat, appeared in front of you, yet, no one could give the final blow.

“Eddie… Do it…” Nancy asked, but Eddie’s hand was trembling as it pointed at the deer’s head. Images of your mother’s corpse falling onto the ground before him after he pulled the trigger flashed before his eyes. Just like your mother, the deer didn’t ask to be bitten. The deer tried to run away most likely, yet it got to her.

“I– Steve–” Eddie was borderline panicking, and Steve noticed. His rifle pointed at the deer’s head, but again, he stopped. What would you think of him if he killed an innocent soul, even if it were to help it? Would you look at him in disgust? Would you look at him differently? Would this death remind you of what happened four days ago?

“Maybe… We can leave her to… go by herself…” He said with a trembling voice. Eddie and Nancy were still petrified, looking down at the bleeding animal, knowing it will suffer until it finally decides to part.

“I think that’s… for the best–” Nancy couldn’t finish talking before she saw something slamming down on her peripheral vision, and next thing she saw was that the deer stopped moving after a final cry. 

The three of them turned their heads your way, as you straightened up with the machete in your hand, the blood of the animal dripping down from the blade. You had cut the head off, or well, almost. They were frozen, because you were the last person they thought would do this. 

Even before knowing what happened to your family, there were many times where you rushed to the RV so you wouldn’t see Eddie hunting a rabbit. You would sometimes eat with guilt, but you knew that you had to eat meat. 

But this time, you were the one to strike.

“She is not hurting anymore.” Your voice was made of steel as your eyes never left the nearly decapitated animal before you. Steve’s eyes were wide, tears threatening to fall at any given moment. This wasn’t you. This definitely was not you. 

“Sun–”

You didn’t let Steve finish that nickname. You didn’t like it anymore, and he could feel that. He saw you turn around, and walk back towards the chairs to clean your weapon with a water bottle. He heard a sniffle, and he turned to see Nancy looking away, hiding the tears that formed in her eyes.

“I-I don’t think it’s safe to eat,” Nancy mumbles, wiping her cheeks. “We don’t know what bit her… so…”

“Yeah, I’ll uh… I’ll carry her away, don’t think it’s safe to have a bleeding animal lying around our camp.” Eddie says, looking down. 

Steve nods, though his mind was already elsewhere. Nancy immediately left, passing by you without a second glance because she couldn’t bear to see you this way. Normally, you would be crying your eyes out if you were the one that had to do that. You would be saying sorry, over and over again. You would be asking her to reassure you this was the right thing to do for the animal. 

But you were outside, cleaning your machete as if you hadn’t just cut the neck off that deer. She couldn’t blame you, and she couldn’t be mad at you for who you were now. But she could be scared. She didn’t know if you would return to your old self anytime soon, but it was scarier to think that it would not return at all.

After an hour, Eddie and Steve were washing off the blood from their hands and arms. They did their cleaning behind the RV, in a bucket, soaking their arms in. 

They were in silence, already noting that it was 9 AM, and Eddie had yet to sleep. 

“You can go finish washing inside, Eds. I think Sunshine is done with the shower… I’ll hit the road soon–”

“Steve…” And he knew that tone. He knew that Eddie was going to talk to him about something that Steve was not sure he wanted to talk about. 

“I know. I know, and–”

“What can we do? She is not herself… It’s been days–”

“She lost her entire family, Eddie, what do you expect?” Steve’s voice was loud, angry, and his eyes snapped to meet his best friend’s. 

“I understand that. Don’t snap at me as if I didn’t!”

“What do you want her to do? To just wake up and smile and be her cheery self again?” Steve scoffed, trying to pretend as if his own words were not cutting through his heart. Eddie frowned, looking down at the reddened water, pulling his arms out of the bucket. 

“Steve, she is not the only one who changed.”

And Steve froze. He could feel his fingers shaking underneath the water, and a cold sweat wrapping all around his neck. 

Finally, he couldn’t handle it anymore, his hands coming out from the water, not caring that it was cold or if there was still blood on his skin. The palms of his hands came to cover his eyes, shaking his head as the tears started flowing down, the lump in his throat breaking loose.

“I can’t pretend that I didn’t cause this… I can’t pretend that I wasn’t the one who broke her–” Eddie’s eyes widened, his hand coming to rest on Steve’s shoulder.

“You can’t blame yourself for this Steve… Her family didn’t die because of what you said–”

“I destroyed her that night, Eddie.” The metalhead’s hand fell, tilting his head in question as Steve’s hands finally dropped. His cheeks were stained with tears, water, some dirt and blood from not washing thoroughly. “I killed some of her hope that night…”

Eddie just stood there, a frown in his face. 

“You didn’t destroy her, and you shouldn’t blame yourself for it…” 

“It’s not a matter of me manifesting it or whatever. It’s not about me telling her the future or some shit. It’s the matter that she is like this because this is how she felt when I said those words. At that moment, it was a split second of her hope fading, yet she held onto it… But now, that feeling is permanent because it’s true. I caused it. She already knew what her reaction would be, because I put that thought in her head before.”

Steve finally sobbed, frustration clear in all of his features. He kicked the bucket with his foot, making Eddie jump at the action. Steve wanted to scream into the sky, but he didn’t want you to hear. He didn’t want you to feel like you had to act that you were okay for his sake. Eddie slowly approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder, but Steve instantly turned to wrap his arms around his best friend, sobbing into his shoulder.

“Steve, she is not like this because of that… Please, understand that not everything is your fault…”

But he wasn’t listening. He wasn’t processing any of his words, because he knew that he was right. He knew that he fucked you up all those months ago. Then he kept fucking you up by saying that your family was waiting for you, that your family was alive, that your family would be welcome at their community.

His voice broken, his soul crashed, and the reality of the situation finally settled in,

“My sunshine is gone…”

–

Another day passed, and you were still nowhere to be found.

Body, you were present. Spirit, it was missing. Steve’s fear grew, and grew, and each day he was more sure that you were not in there any longer. He didn’t know how to bring you back. He didn’t know how to fix you. He didn’t know what else to do, nor how to interact with you. 

Your embraces were becoming nonexistent. That clinginess he had learned to love from you was gone. You preferred alone time, rather than spending time with everyone. Nancy tried to talk, but your responses were just hums and nods. No one knew how to converse with you anymore. 

He felt as if his own soul were leaving him. He felt like he was losing you, and it was killing him slowly. Will he ever get you back again? Will you ever come back to him…? And if you do, will you ever be happy again? Will he get the chance to make you happy? And… How can he compare to your family? 

He can’t.

No one can.

“Do you really think… she is gone? That this is her new self?” Nancy asks Steve as they both sit at the steps of the RV’s door. You are sitting under a tree, looking at nothing in particular as the wind blows through your hair. Hair that Eddie helped wash because lately, Steve couldn’t help you eat or take care of you like in the past days. He couldn’t because he believes he shouldn’t be the one to do it, thinking that he is doing you a favor, because why would you want him to help you? He who broke you long before you found your dead family. 

The lingering fear that you don’t want him around grows bigger and bigger, that you no longer feel what you felt for him before that day, that you feel the opposite now. He fears that he makes you uncomfortable, that you feel disgust when he touches you. 

“Yeah…” He says with a broken voice. He doesn’t want to accept it, but for now, it did seem like it. It might take years if you do return to your old self, but even then, he doesn’t know if you would ever act like it again. 

“I tried… Eddie tried… I don’t know if I should even talk about it with her, you know… About her family… I don’t even know if she accepted what happened yet…” She spoke softly, nervously, looking at Steve for some advice, but she saw his eyes starting to lose their own spark. 

“I don’t know…” 

“Steve–”

“Nance, I tried too… We are not her family…” At that, Nancy finally recoiled, looking at him.

“We can be–”

“Nancy, she is gone. She doesn’t feel that way, and she shouldn’t need to. We can’t force her to settle with us.” His words were knives, swords, spears going through every inch of his body. He didn’t want to accept that fact, but there really was no more hope in him either. 

Nancy stares at him in confusion, in shock, like she can’t believe what she is hearing. Anger rises inside of her. 

“What… so you are just gonna give up on her?” Nancy asks through gritted teeth. 

Steve’s head snaps towards her, and his blood runs cold, color fading in his face. He frowns at her. 

Nancy’s blue eyes are glaring into his; her nostrils flare. 

“After everything she did for you? After everything you two have gone through… you are just gonna give up on her, leave her to suffer through her grief… by herself?” Nancy’s voice trembles. “You are gonna do this… to her?” She points at you. 

Steve’s hazel eyes are full of pain, of heartbreak. 

He would rather die than do this to you, but her words make him realize that this is exactly what he’s been doing these past few days, and it shatters his own heart. But how can he explain that he’s keeping his distance, not because he doesn’t know how to handle you, but because his guilt is killing him alive, because he fears that you hate him after what he said to you.

He shakes his head and his eyes water. 

Nancy’s eyes soften when she sees the tears in his eyes, though her anger is still burning inside of her. 

“Eddie told me what you said to her.” Nancy says with a clenched jaw. She turns away from him and looks back in your direction. “But I think you should know her well enough to know that she would never hold some stupid words against you, words that were said when you were still grieving–”

“I told her that–”

“That is Sunshine we are talking about, Steve.” Nancy talks over him, shaking her head. 

Steve closes his mouth. He runs his fingers through his hair. 

“She is grieving her family, she is suffering not because of what you said, but because she lost her entire family, and now she is losing you too? Why? Because you can’t forgive yourself for what you said to her months ago? Because you worry about something that she probably isn’t even thinking about. You think you are doing her a favor by staying away, by pushing her away, now when she needs you the most?” 

Steve almost chokes up. She is right. He knows she is. 

But it wasn’t only his worry that kept him away from you; it was also shame. Shame for all the words he threw at you. 

“If you love her, which I think you do… then be there for her the way she was there for you. Fight for her the way she always fought for you. You hurt her before, don’t do it again, not now, not ever. She needs you. And if someone can bring her back, it’s you.” With those words, she leaves him sitting by himself, though she lingers by the door of the RV for a moment. She turns around in his direction, but her eyes are on you. “She brought you back, didn’t she?” She taps the door before she walks in, closing it softly. 

Steve’s face softens. His eyes well up with tears once more as he watches you. Your eyes are closed, leaning against the tree. It looks like you are enjoying the sun. 

Nancy is right. 

He knows she is. 

He knows what a fool he is. He knows the mistakes he made, the same ones he is repeating again; pushing you away. He is already regretting so many things he could have done differently; he could have done better. And now he is on his way to making more mistakes, causing more regrets, something he never wanted to do with you, not you. 

A tear rolls down his cheek, watching the wind mess up your hair, which you tuck back behind your ear. 

You should be the one to decide whether you still want him or not, not him, right? 

He brings his hand up to his face, wiping his tears away. He looks down at the grass, and his eyes catch onto something by his boot, something he didn’t notice before. A little flower, the only one growing on this field it seems. He picks it, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. You didn’t even notice it. You love flowers, you are always looking for them, yet you didn’t see this one. 

He gets back up on his feet, his eyes finding your figure again. He stands there for a moment, twirling the flower between his fingers as he looks at you. His heart aches for you, and it aches even more when Nancy’s words repeat themselves in his head. 

You fought for him, you always did, even when he pushed you away, even when he was mean to you, when he tried to keep you away from him by throwing awful words at you. Even when he gave you the cold shoulder. You always fought for him. 

Seeing you like this, all alone in your grief, it breaks him. 

It’s not that he gave up on you; he never would, not even when Nancy threw that at him. He would never give up on you, but going over her words makes the guilt twist even worse in his chest, the same guilt that kept him at arm's length from you, the one that made him keep his distance.

Distance he needs to close again, so he can try, try, and see if you are really better off without him by your side. 

He approaches you slowly, careful not to startle you. He doesn’t call for you, doesn’t say your name. He just settles down beside you, sitting on the grass next to you. You don’t move at first, still keeping your eyes closed, enjoying the sun. 

He is looking at you, eyes trailing over your face, the crease between your eyebrows, the softness of your skin, your lashes that flutter from the kiss of the wind, the curve of your lips that he misses so much. His eyes get stuck on the small scar on your cheekbone, the one you took when you fought one of the guys that attacked you that day on the road, the day when you killed for him. 

Steve’s breath gets caught in his throat when you open your eyes and turn to look at him. His heart stops for a moment as he scans the look in your eyes, like he is trying to find something that could absolutely break him – he doesn’t find it, he won’t, not even if it’s something he feels about himself. If anything, your eyes soften. 

For a moment, you both just look at each other. No words, no exchanges, nothing. Your eyes stay connected, and your knee bumps into his when you angle your body towards him. 

Your body language speaks enough words. You wouldn’t do this if you didn’t want him around, right? 

His lip twitches when your eyes find the flower between his fingers. Your eyebrows rise up in surprise, and he sees something he hasn’t seen in what feels like forever; hope. 

“The flowers started blooming for you, Sunshine.” Steve whispers shakily.

Your brows scrunch together, lips parting for a second before they close again. You look up again, and the look in your eyes kills him. Emotions he thought were gone completely flash in them. It makes his heart beat strongly, aching yet feeling alive again. 

Without second guessing it, he scoots closer to you. He brings his hand up to your face, shaky fingers tuck your hair behind your ear, before he puts the flower in your hair. His heart screams for you as he feels you so close again. Everything inside of him starts hurting, like his body, his soul can’t understand why there was this distance between you in the first place, like everything in him was dying slowly the longer he kept away from you. 

He can feel your eyes taking in every inch of him; he can hear your soft breathing, matching the shakiness in his own. 

He can’t help but place his palm against your cheek, cupping it. He caresses your cheekbone with his thumb. And he almost breaks right there when you close your eyes and lean into his touch. Your eyebrows are still drawn together as though you are in pain, as though you are suffering, but his touch is slowly mending it. You bring your hand up, and for a moment, he fears that it’s to remove his touch from you, but instead, you press your palm against the top of his hand, lingering there for a moment before it slides down to his wrist, and you wrap your fingers around it, holding onto him. 

Steve feels his heart beating strongly at the gesture.. His eyes well up with tears, and the coil in his throat tightens. He has to hold back the sob that starts rising up. 

You are still in there. 

You are still here. 

You are still here, and you need him. 

You need him more than anything. 

And he knows exactly what he needs to do, what he’s been wanting to do for so long now. 

-

On your next stop, which seems to be your last before reaching the community in California, Steve goes off on his own. You are completely unaware of it, waking up to an empty bed isn’t new these days. You lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling. The sun is already up and bright, peeking through the blinds and the curtains, casting a warm orange light over the RV. 

Steve’s scent lingers on your pillow, the only comfort you get when he isn’t next to you. It takes you a while to sit up on the bed, to let your feet touch the ground. Your eyes fall on the flower he gave to you a few days ago. You found a small glass and filled it up with water, wanting to keep the flower blooming. 

You make your way into the bathroom, splashing your face with water and brushing your teeth. You take a look at yourself in the mirror, something you had been avoiding these past days or maybe even weeks. You don’t know how much time has passed since leaving your house, but your chest tightens when you look at yourself. Your skin is dull, and the circles under your eyes are dark despite getting enough sleep. Your cheeks are hollow, and your collarbones are more prominent than they were before. You stand there for a moment, staring at your reflection, staring at it like you can’t believe what you are seeing. 

You know why he looks at you like that. 

Every time you catch him staring, you see the pain in his eyes, the sadness, the grief. He looks at you the way you looked at your dad, the way you looked at your mom. Like you are already gone, and he is grieving you. 

But you are not gone. Your heart is still beating. At least you can feel it when you press your palm against your chest. It’s still there. 

You don’t know how much time passes while you're just standing there and staring at your reflection, but you almost yelp when the RV door bursts open. Your hand stays pressed against your chest, and you turn to look at whoever hurried inside. 

“Sunshine.”

Steve stands in the doorway, and his eyes shine with something that’s been missing in your eyes; excitement. His expression falls a little when he notices the way you are still clutching your chest. 

“Are you okay?” He asks softly, taking a step towards you. He looks you up and down, the look in his eyes now replaced by worry. He holds his hand out to you, though not touching you. 

“Yeah, just startled me, that's all.” You nod and remove your hand from your racing heart. “Did you need anything?”

Steve blinks. His lip twitches when he remembers what he came for. 

“I– I want to show you something.” His voice is filled with excitement. “Get dressed, I’ll wait outside.” He is determined, not taking no for an answer. He looks you up and down once more before he leaves again, closing the door behind him. 

Confusion grows inside of you when you hear bickering outside, or well, it sounds more like Steve getting scolded by Eddie and Nancy for something. You stand there for a moment, listening, but you can’t make out their words. Their scolding continues even after you are done getting dressed; they only stop after you step outside. 

The anger in Nancy’s eyes that was directed at Steve instantly fades when she looks at you. Eddie’s expression immediately softens too. 

“Is everything okay?” 

Eddie nods, his eyes flicker back to Steve for a moment, glaring. 

“Yeah, peachy.” 

Steve steps forward, and he holds his hand out to you, ignoring his friends who are looking between you. 

“Come.” Steve murmurs softly to you. 

Your confused eyes find his, and he only nods at you, like he is encouraging you to take his hand. 

You take a deep breath and place your hand in his. His fingers instantly curl around your hand, and he squeezes it. “Let’s go, Sunshine.” He pulls you away from the RV and from your friends. You give them a puzzled look, but they only shrug at you. 

You don’t know where he is taking you, don’t even have an idea of where he could lead you, but you still follow him without questioning him. You would follow him everywhere. You look around as you follow his footsteps. He is leading you through a huge field, one that leads to a forest. 

He doesn’t talk, and neither do you.It’s darker in here, but rays of sunlight peek through the trees from above. You hear the birds singing, feel the wind nip at your skin, blowing through your hair. The smell of soil and pine lingers in the air. You can’t help but take a deep breath. You have always liked the smell of the forest; in a way, it gave you a sense of freedom and safety. When you adapted to the new world, you had always looked for shelter in the woods; they always kept you safe. 

Steve’s warm hand keeps squeezing yours, his thumb brushing over your skin. You look down at his hand, and you realize just how much you have missed his touch. The lack of his presence by your side didn’t go unnoticed by you. Even in your grief and in the state of numbness you were in, you noticed how he touched you less and how whenever he looked at you, there was pain and guilt in his eyes. You know him well enough; he stayed away, thinking he was doing the right thing for you. 

You’re so lost in thought, looking down at his hand, you don’t realize that the trail through the forest is already ending, and he is leading you out to a clearing. You squint your eyes when the sun hits you directly in the face. Something yellow flashes in your peripheral vision, and you turn towards it. Your lips part in surprise when you see the butterfly; your eyes follow it. 

It’s been so long since you’ve seen a butterfly or any other insect, for that matter, and it shouldn’t surprise you as much since you’ve been stuck in the cold states for the past few months, but even before that, you barely saw any butterflies or bees or even animals out here. 

You almost bump into Steve’s back when he stops walking, too distracted by the butterfly. He turns around, still holding your hand. His hazel eyes shine so bright with hope, while yours mirror the emotions he felt when you just met him. 

Your eyes don’t stray away from his. His lip twitches slightly, curling into an anticipated smile. 

“Look around, Sunshine.” Steve whispers, squeezing your hand. 

You furrow your eyebrows, staring at him for a long moment before you slowly tear your eyes away from him. You look down, noticing how green the grass is, noticing the little flowers growing, not just one or two, there are so many of them. 

Steve is watching your face, taking in the way your expression changes, how your eyes widen, and your lips part. You look up at him, and his breath gets caught in his throat when he sees the look in your eyes. 

He nods at you, smiling softly. 

You squeeze his hand and look over his shoulder, only now noticing that the flowers didn’t only grow in the little spot you are standing in, they are everywhere, blooming in different colors, taking up all the space in this field, filling it with life. 

You walk around him and take a step forward. Your hand slips from his grasp as you take another step and then another, walking further into the field where the flowers grow bigger and taller. You turn, and everywhere you look, you find another flower, yellow, orange, pink colors, everywhere. 

Steve’s feet carry him to you slowly. His eyes take in all your reactions. His heart beats so strongly, squeezing in his chest as something he can only describe as fascination crosses your features. Your eyes light up, and he sees you. He sees traces of you coming back again. Your hands reach out to touch the flowers, and your lips curl into a smile. The sun shines down on you, kissing your skin. The wind blows through your hair that grew even longer in these past few months. You look like an angel. His angel. 

“You saved me.” Those words fall from his lips easily. His voice is shaky, and his heart beats strongly, especially when you turn around to face him. “You saved my life, Sunshine.”

You stay quiet, standing still in your spot as your eyes trace his features. He steps closer to you, closing the distance between you with each step he takes. Your breath gets caught in your throat when you really look at him. The circles under his eyes are prominent like your own. His cheeks are more hollow too. His face lost color just the way yours did. His features are etched with pain. He is suffering because you are suffering. 

“That day you stumbled right into Hawkins… I don’t think it was a coincidence, you know?” 

You tilt your head in confusion. 

Steve takes another step closer. He huffs at the memory, smiling slightly. 

“I wasn’t supposed to be on patrol that day, and you weren’t supposed to walk down that route. You once told me that Robin would send me a sign… I think she sent you, or well, she sent the bat that ripped the map from your hands, so you would walk right into Hawkins because, knowing you, you must have tried to follow the bat.”

You scrunch your nose up, making him smile. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Steve murmurs, and finally, he stops right before you. He reaches for your hand. “You found me. You found me during a time in my life when I was dying, when I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and never open them again, but then you happened and god… I’m so fucking happy you happened, Sunshine. You are everything I dreamed of.” He stops for a moment, taking a deep breath. “And you are the light in my life that pulled me out of the dark hole I was trapped in. I… I wanna be that for you now.”

He doesn’t realize just how much his hands are shaking until you tighten your hold on them. His eyes well up with tears, and he closes them for a moment, needing to collect himself before he continues. Everything he’s been holding back is ready to be spilled. 

He opens his eyes again, and he breathes shakily as he looks into your eyes. 

“I know I will never replace your family– and I don’t even want to do that!” He says, wide eyed, like he worried that he said the wrong thing. “But–” He stops as a tear runs down his cheek, the sob he’s been trying to hold back is rising up now. “I want to start a new one with you. I want to become your family. Eddie too, Nancy too– but especially me. I want to marry you, have children if you desire so, and I want to make you feel safe and loved… Because I love you so much. I love you so fucking much, you have no idea.” He cries. Tears cascade down his cheeks, and he is shaking so much. 

And you, you stare at him for a moment, wide-eyed and lips parted. 

And the world started making sense once more, despite the darkness that surrounded you the last few days. The skies cleared from the red clouds that invaded your mind. The world had color again. And finally, you took a breath. A breath that you felt so strongly, as if you had been drowning or lacking it lately. 

Your heart beats stronger than it has in a while. Your knees nearly buckle. You stare at him, at the tears in his eyes, at the way he looks at you with nothing but love, with nothing but despair.  

Your family is gone. 

But it’s not. 

You have found one on the way here. You found him. You found Eddie and Nancy. You still have one. And the one about to come with him, the man who just gave you his heart. 

“So please… please come back to me, Sunshine. I need you. I–” You cut him off by pressing your lips against his. He sobs against you, though it’s one out of relief the moment he feels your arms wrapped around him, the moment he feels your lips moving against his, the moment he feels you again. He doesn’t even know where to touch first. His hands cradle your face, wiping your tears as he deepens the kiss, swallowing your whimper. 

His hands then slide down to your neck and your shoulders before he pulls you against him, wrapping his arms around you so tightly that he pulls you flush against him. Neither of you knows how long you stand there in each other's embrace, kissing, but it’s all you need right now, all you want. Only when the lack of air breaks you two apart do your lips stop moving, and you pull away, but only enough to catch your breaths. He leans his forehead against yours, sniffling. 

“I love you, Steve. I love you so much.” Your voice is shaky, full of tears, just like your eyes that get blurry all over again as you look at your man. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I was just so afraid, after losing them… all I could think about was losing you too, and I can’t lose you, not you.” Your voice breaks once more, tears continuing to roll down your cheeks. 

Steve’s brown eyes widen, and his heart nearly explodes in his chest. Light rushes back in, and he can’t even help the cry from falling from his lips. 

“You– You love me? Sunshine, did you say you love me?” He whispers, his hand finding your cheeks again. 

Your heart almost breaks when you hear the surprise in his voice, like he can’t believe that you feel this way about him. 

“Of course I do,” you whisper, leaning closer to peck his lips. “I love you.”

The look in his eyes kills you. He is genuinely surprised and shocked that you actually love him. Another tear rolls down his cheek, and you catch it with your thumb, wiping it away. 

For the first time in a while, you both feel joy, happiness. Your souls are beginning to heal from this pain. 

Steve can’t help but smile through his tears, and his eyes light up when you do the same. 

“I love you so much more, my sweet girl.” Steve whispers before he leans in and starts pressing kisses all over your face, pulling that beautiful sound of your giggle out of you, making his heart flutter and his smile widen. 

Your hands catch his face again, and you pull him away from your face so you can look at him. 

“You… You want to marry me? You want to have kids with me?”

Steve nods so quickly, “yes I do, baby.” 

You could feel every emotion crushing towards you at once, your lips trembling, and Steve knows. Steve can feel it as your body starts shaking. He knows you will finally let it all out.

“They’re gone…” You start talking, small, almost a whisper. Your eyes had so many swirling emotions that he couldn’t keep up with. They look lost and ready to burst. He nodded slowly, his eyebrows falling, and his eyes softened. 

“Yes… They are… They are, Sunshine…” 

And finally, finally, you break.

You pull away as your breathing starts to become erratic, hunching as you grab at his biceps for support as your cries fill the field. Your tears start coming down heavily, your grip is bruising but he holds onto you by your elbows as he helps you to not fall on the ground. Your stomach is twisted as if you had been punched, but you just sobbed. You were heavily crying, letting your suffering out.

“They didn’t deserve that! They– My mom! My dad! My brother! They’re gone! They’re gone!” He just lets you cry, tears running down his own cheeks to see you like this, but he knows you have to cry. Your mind is flashing with the images of that day, the bodies, your house, the sunflower field, the graves. 

Your cries continued, and finally your knees gave in, falling to the ground and he followed, still holding onto you. You were trying to breathe, chest heaving rapidly, and Steve suddenly grew worried because he didn’t bring the inhaler with him. He sat on the ground, quickly pulling you to his chest. His arms wrapped around you, as he rocked the two of you, trying to soothe you.

“I know… I know, love…” His voice was choked up, and the side of your face was against his chest as you held onto him. You were still crying, choking on your spit. 

“Why them… Why…” Your voice was lower now, slowly calming down from your breakdown, and he kept rocking the two of you, kissing the top of your head and keeping his lips there as he clenched his eyes. If you were in pain, he was in pain. 

It took minutes for your breathing to come back to normal, or at least a bit. Your eyes opened, spotting the flowers that were all around you, waving at you thanks to the wind. Slowly, another emotion started creeping in. The one you had lost. The one you almost forgot existed. 

Hope.

You slowly pulled away, straightening up to sit next to Steve, but his arms were not leaving you. Your eyes searched for his, and then the images of him trying to feed you came. The ones of him doing your hair, helping you wash yourself, even helping you sleep. So lost in your grief, you didn’t realize how much he was showing that he loves you.

You felt completely… loved. Realizing that not only he loves you. Eddie and Nancy love you too. They all tried. They all tried to bring you back… And the feeling of being abandoned, or lonely without any family… Vanished. 

Your blood family is gone, and that pain will never go away. Nobody will replace them… But that doesn’t mean you don’t have a family at all. The man before you wants that. He wants that with you. He wants a forever with you. He wants a little one with you. He wants it. He wants to be in your life for as long as you let him.

Which is forever.

“You’re… Through this whole winter… You have been my sunflower, Steve…” Your whisper is soft and filled with so much love. A kind of love he never thought he would get to feel. 

His eyes well up with tears all over again. He can’t describe the feeling that is coursing through his veins, not even if he tried. He cups the side of your face and he looks down at you with nothing but adoration. 

He can see that the wall between you, your wall of grief had vanished again and now he gets to see you, to feel you again. 

“Winter is over, can I still be your sunflower?” 

His question makes you laugh softly. You nod and lean into his hand, closing your eyes as another tear rolls down your cheek. He wipes it away and kisses your forehead. 

“Please.” You whisper. 

Steve pulls you into his arms, needing to hug you, needing to hold you and you don’t hesitate to bury your face into his chest, breathing in his scent as he buries his face in your neck. 

For a while you sit there, surrounded by the flowers, by the nature that stayed untouched from the dead and the evilness that spread across the world, the one that touched you both. The one that took Robin. The one that took your family. The one that led you to finding each other. 

“You said that Robin sent me to you…” You whisper, pulling away from his chest to look at him. 

He nods, smiling softly. 

“I think… I think my mom sent you.” 

You know that she was gone long before you met Steve. It didn’t happen on your journey. It didn’t happen while you were in Hawkins or after you left. It happened long ago. Your family was gone by the time you left New York. 

Steve's lips curl into a sad smile. He brings his hand up to your face, tucking your hair behind your ear. 

“Yeah? You think they teamed up?” 

You nod, blinking away tears. 

“You know… I would have found you in the old world too.” Steve murmurs, face suddenly growing serious. “This, us, we belong together. Perfect world or this one, I would always choose you.” 

Everything inside of you bursts into joy, feelings that you were afraid of lately rushing through you again. The love in his eyes makes you melt into his arms even more. 

“I would always choose you too, Steve.” Your voice breaks and his trembling hands pull you in, closing the gap between you so he can kiss you once more. And he keeps on kissing you, holding you the way he couldn’t in these past days. 

You don’t know how much time passes of you sitting out here on this field, loving one another but when you finally return to your camp, you feel like yourself again. The aching in your heart won’t disappear anytime soon but you feel so much lighter than you did this morning. 

Eddie and Nancy get up from their chairs when they see the two of you coming back, hand in hand, a sight they haven’t seen in a while. 

You squeeze Steve’s hand and turn to him to find him already looking at you. He gives you a sweet smile and an encouraging nod. After a moment, your hand slips from his and you pick up the pace, making your way back to your friends. You stop before them, looking between them for a moment. Eddie’s worried but hopeful eyes, Nancy’s sad ones. And then, you take another step forward and throw your arms around both of them, pulling them into a hug. 

They both freeze. Both stiff beneath your touch. Eddie’s eyes lock with Steve’s, who is standing a few feet away from you. His eyes are glassy, red rimmed. It’s clear that he cried, though his lips are curled into a smile, eyes filled with the softness that was missing. One look at him and Eddie knows, he brought you back. He is the first to wrap his arm around you. 

A shaky breath falls from Nancy’s mouth, a sigh of relief. Tears well up in her eyes as she slowly wraps her arm around you. 

“Oh Sunshine.” She whispers, pulling you closer. 

Eddie wraps his arm around Nancy as well and for a moment, the three of you hug, holding each other. And Steve, he stands there, watching with a smile on his face. He hears your sniffle, he sees the tears that Eddie is trying to hold back, he sees the way Nancy clings to you. 

He always knew how much they loved you but seeing this fills his heart with warmth. You are so loved. 

“Whatcha standing there like a creep?” Eddie calls out to him, wiping his tears away. “Get your ass over here, man.”

You and Nancy giggle at that. You let go of Eddie and hold your hand out to Steve, smiling at him over your shoulder. The smile he missed so much. The smile he yearned for. He walks over, his eyes never breaking contact with yours. He moves in between you and Eddie, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and his other around your waist. He gives Nancy a nod, a silent thank you for talking sense into him. She knew just what to say. And Eddie, he squeezes Steve’s shoulder and gives him a proud smile. 

He has come a long way since leaving Hawkins. 

“Thank you.” You whisper, breaking the silence between you all. “For everything… For being my family.” You don’t need to say much more to touch their hearts. You don’t need a speech to show gratitude. These words, the tears in your eyes, the love you showed them all on this journey and how much you fought for them was enough. 

“Thank you for coming into our lives, Sunshine.” Nancy whispers, reaching for your hand. “You’re my family too, my best friend.” 

Eddie’s brown eyes are glassy. He tries to hide the tears but it’s hard to do so when he sees you back again, when he sees the smile on your face and the softness in your eyes that he wasn’t sure would come back again. 

“You’re my family too. You are the only one who knows who my sweetheart is, I think it’s safe to say that you are my favorite family member.” Eddie chuckles, ruffling your hair.

Nancy rolls her eyes at the mention of his sweetheart. 

Steve chuckles and shakes his head at his best friend.  

The sound of your giggle makes them all light up though. 

You lean your head against Steve’s shoulder and he doesn’t hesitate to lean his cheek against the top of your head. 

“Okay…” You whisper, wiping at your cheek yet again. “You two should get some sleep.” You look between Eddie and Nancy, who share a glance before they look back at you. 

“We wanna stay up.” Eddie clears his throat, his arms falling to his sides as he is the first to break the group hug. “If the roads stay clear we’re gonna arrive at the community tonight.” 

Nancy nods, looking down. 

Steve might have managed to bring you back, but you still need to come to terms that you will be the only one without a family there, without someone waiting for you. You are the reason why they are finding their families in the first place. 

Steve’s hand stays pressed against your waist, he pulls you closer against him. 

“Oh.” You nod, eyes finding Steve’s for a moment who is already looking down at you, who will stick by your side no matter what. “Okay, yeah. You still need some rest though.”

“I will drive, Sunshine will keep me company, right?” Steve speaks, his hand reaching for yours. 

“Yeah, I’ll keep you company.” 

Nancy and Eddie both feel relief seeing you smile again, seeing you back again, seeing you be yourself again, even if not completely yet. Though they both feel their heart aching, knowing that tonight you will have to watch them reunite with their families, the way you couldn’t. 

“Now go… lay down for a bit, Steve and I will have some breakfast before we hit the road, right?” 

Steve’s eyes light up, a mixture of hope and relief swirling in them. It’s been a while since you have eaten a proper meal, a while since you had been the one to bring it up in the first place, even when you don’t end up finishing your bowl of oatmeal fifteen minutes later, he is still satisfied with the small step towards healing. You finish your cup of coffee that is too sweet as always and you clean up, getting ready to get back on the road one last time. 

You get comfortable in the passenger seat while Steve settles down in the driver's seat. You welcome his touch when he reaches for your hand and you give him a small smile that he returns instantly. 

“Ready?”

You look outside, at the sun beaming down, at the road waiting for you. The sky is blue, clear of any clouds. For the first time in a while, the feeling in your chest is one of peace. You know the rest of this journey will be smooth. You know that this is the last time you will be sitting in this seat, looking out onto the road, looking out for any danger. This will be the last day where you will have to fear for his safety, for his life, for your friends’ life. 

This journey won’t end the way you always thought it would. Your parents, your brother were supposed to be here now with you. They were supposed to greet the gates of the community with you but instead they greeted the gates of heaven. 

You didn’t think it would end like this. 

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. 

But life had different plans for you, for your family. 

But the darkness didn’t claim you, not even when you thought it did. 

You look into the eyes of the man you love, and you know that everything will be okay. He squeezes your hand, his lips touch your knuckles, his eyes shine for you. 

“Ready.”

And your future with him is just in reach. 

Because by nightfall you are greeted by the breeze of the ocean and the gates of the community. 

☀︎

“Now… The two of you will stop this nonsense, and we will harvest these sunflowers, like every year!”

“Kit kat started it!” Your brother yelled, completely muffled, and you whined as your father let go of your cheeks. You both rubbed them, pouting, and then you whispered to your brother.

“We are young adults, and he still treats us like kids.”

“Cheek pinching? What am I, five?”

“Lunch is ready!” Your mom yelled from the backdoor, and your brother and you looked at each other, a few seconds going back, and you moved first, and strongly so.

You shoved your brother into the sunflowers, running towards the backdoor to get to the kitchen first, knowing that your mom made fried chicken. You wanted the drum of it, and your brother always fought for it.

His screams could be heard from behind you, laughing as your mom cheered you on to get inside first. 

Your father's body is on the kitchen floor.

Partially decomposed, the smell nauseating, the flies all over him... The decomposition is pure black, no red blood, or stains around... Your father didn't go as a human. 

You don’t know how long you stand there, frozen in place, your eyes fixated on the body in the open kitchen. Your hand is still in the air, inching towards your chest in slow motion. You don’t hear Steve’s voice behind you, don’t even feel his touch when he places his hand on your shoulder. Your head is underwater, and everything moves so slowly. 

Out of everything you expected to run into, this has never been a possibility in your mind. You were always supposed to find your family. You were always supposed to find them here, alive, well. Your dad is gone. He is dead. He has been dead for a long time now. 

The floorboard creaks beneath your boot when you take a step into the house you used to call your home. Your feet carry you to him. You are clutching your chest now as each step brings you closer. Your face crumbles, your lips curl downwards. The smell is awful, so awful, worse than anything you have ever witnessed in your life. 

You see the hole in his head. A bullet that put him out of his misery. Your eyes flicker to the gun lying next to his hand, and your heart drops. Oh god. 

“Dad…” You whisper, knowing he’s long gone. You want to reach out to him so bad, but you know better not to touch him, even through your grief. You kneel down before him, eyes flickering over his body. You recognize the plaid shirt on him, the one he always wore whenever he worked on something in the garage or the backyard. He was working that day too. Your heart is filled with pain when you look back down at the gun. He shot himself. He still had enough control to do this, to make this decision to protect your mom, to protect your brother. “I’m sorry, daddy.” 

Your sniffle, your broken whisper, is enough to shatter Steve’s heart as he stands in the doorway watching you mourn your dad. Eddie and Nancy didn’t dare to step inside just yet, your reaction was enough for them to see what was inside, they decided to check the area outside, the red lightning over the town was enough of a warning sign for them to know that this place is far from safe. 

Brown eyes are watching you, filled with nothing but pain, heartbreak, and guilt all at once. Steve’s lips part, like he wants to say something, like he wants to call out to you but no words come out. What is there to say? He hears your sniffle, knows there are probably tears running down your cheeks. Tears he wants to wipe away so badly, just like he wants to pull you into his arms, comfort you, say he is sorry. But he can’t. He stands there, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to reach out to you. He doesn’t know how much time passes of you just kneeling next to your dad, staring at him while Steve stares at you. 

The room, your house, is frozen in time. He notices the calendar next to the fridge, and his stomach drops when he sees the month on it, the last time the page was flipped. The same month all hell broke loose. The guilt inside of him sinks deeper and deeper into his veins, making his blood run ice cold, taking over completely when he realizes that he laid it all out to you months ago. That he told you back then, what was waiting for you here, and god, it makes him want to puke his guts out. He broke your heart then. He feels like he did it all over again. 

It’s so quiet in here, frozen. Not even the clock is ticking anymore, not even the birds are chirping outside, there’s none in this area, not anymore. It’s silent until it isn’t. It all moves too quickly, too suddenly, for you to react in your grieving state or for Steve in his state of shock. The footsteps are loud and aggressive, tumbling down the stairs too quickly for anyone to react. 

But Steve turns around just in time. His eyes widen when he is met by bloodshot eyes and baring teeth. The sound of hungry growls filled the once quiet room. 

“Steve!” 

Your scream is so loud, filled with fear and horror, loud enough to make your friends outside think the worst. You watch wide eyed how Steve gets tackled to the ground, landing harshly on the wooden floor. His hand moves quick enough to save himself from getting bitten. Your heart nearly beats out of your chest, and you’re back on your feet quicker than you've been before. You run towards him and throw the infected off him, shoving it hard enough that it tumbles to the ground in the hallway. 

“Steve!” You cry out to him, eyes filled with panic as you grab his sweater. Your eyes move over him so quickly, looking for any blood, looking for the bite that almost happened. Your shaking hands cling to him. Your glassy eyes show nothing but despair. 

“I’m okay, I’m okay, baby.” Steve rushes out, assuring you, though his eyes match the look in yours. His eyes move over your shoulder, and he suddenly grabs your body, hoisting you both back up to your feet. He grips you so tightly, holds you like he is afraid of what could happen if he let you go right now, as his eyes find the ones that look at you like you’re the next meal. He pulls you back, putting distance between you and the infected, rising to its feet, ready to lunge forward. He feels it all at once, panic, fear, despair. You had been in such situations before, though none have felt this heavy. 

You keep a tight grip on Steve’s sweater until you turn around in his arms, and your hands fall slack beside you, and everything inside of you shatters. You recognize the flowers on the dress. You recognize the ring on her finger. You recognize the necklace. You gave it to her. It was your gift. It was her favorite necklace, she never took it off, not once, not even when she–

“Mom?”

Your bottom lip is trembling, your throat feels tight. You feel like you can’t breathe, everything inside of you is aching. You are staring at her, eyes moving up and down what is left of your mother. You feel nothing but sickness as you stare at the black veins, the darkening blue skin, the bloodshot eyes, the saliva dripping down her chin, staring at you in hunger. 

Steve’s grip on you is so tight, his hand trembling against your shoulder. His heart is pounding so strongly against his chest, and everything in him is frozen. He hears your sigh, that broken sound leaving your lips as you stare at your mom. He pulls you back more, heart lurching to his throat when she lunges forward. 

“Mom, please!” You beg, even though you know it’s not her, it hasn’t been her for a long time now and yet… she stops, for a fleeting second, her body grows still, and her head tilts to the side like she is curious. And then her eyes meet yours, and your breath gets caught in your throat. 

It feels like time slows down once again as you stare at her. For a moment, you are back in the kitchen, sun beaming through the windows, as a ten year old you cried because a boy ripped a bit of your hair in class. Your mom baked you cookies, and told you to fight back. To always fight back, even if the consequences can be bad. You come first. You always come first.

You see the monster inside of her, see the hunger and the emptiness behind her once pretty eyes. You see the blood stains on the dress that was her favorite one. You see the chipped nail polish, her favourite colour. That’s your mom. That was your mom. And you want nothing more than to feel her warm embrace, to feel her arms around you, to feel her cupping the back of your head, to hear her say, ‘it’ll be okay, you will be okay.’ You would do anything to hug her one more time, to have her take care of you the way she always did when you were still her little girl. 

‘Always fight, no matter what.’

Steve feels you moving, and his heart almost stills, thinking you want to approach her, but instead your hand moves to the gun in your holster. Oh no. He can’t let you do this. He can’t. You turn the safety off and raise your gun, holding it in your trembling hand. 

You don’t even see her anymore through your blurry vision. You don’t even feel the tears running down your cheeks, don’t hear your own voice as you start crying. You don’t even feel Steve’s hand covering your own, reaching for the gun in your hand, but your hand doesn’t budge. 

“Sunshine–”

Your mom lunges forward again, but before she can get any closer to you, she is grabbed from behind by Eddie. He holds her arms against her back and manages to throw her down on her knees, holding her down against the ground with force. She is snapping her teeth, struggling against him. 

“Give me the gun!” Eddie orders, looking between you and Steve. He doesn’t want you to be the one to do it. He doesn’t want Steve to be the one to do it. This shouldn’t be on any of you. “Steve!” 

Steve hesitates, even after you let go of the gun and turn away, unable to watch. He hesitates. Eddie shakes his head at him slowly, his eyes filled with sadness when they flicker to yours. 

“Let me.” Eddie whispers. 

Steve blinks, and then he swallows the lump in his throat. He throws the gun to the ground and kicks it over to Eddie.

A whimper falls from your lips when Steve pulls you into his chest. He wraps his arms around you tightly, holding you against him as he places his hand over your face, like he is trying to shield you from what is about to happen. He holds you so tightly in a way that says, ‘I got you. I will never let you go. I’m here.’ 

You shut your eyes tightly, like a kid afraid of a storm raging outside at night. You curl your fingers around his sweater, holding onto him in a way you never did before. You breathe in his scent like you need it to be able to breathe. You listen to his heartbeat like you need to know that he is still here, that he is still alive, that he hasn’t left you. 

Steve’s grip on you tightens, his palm resting on the back of your head as he keeps you pressed against his chest. 

And then your heart stops, and your ears start ringing. A yelp falls from your lips. Your ears feel like they are bleeding. Your heart is broken. 

The loud thud indicates the gun dropping to the floor. She stops struggling. She stops growling. She stops moving. She is gone. It’s over. 

Your knees give out, and you grow limp in Steve’s arms. 

“I got you. I got you.” You hear him say as he brings you both to the ground, his arms never letting go of you. His hand stays on the back of your head as he holds you through it all. “I’m here.” Steve whispers, kissing the top of your head. “I’m here, Sunshine.”

Steve’s eyes are hot with tears, and the coil in his throat grows bigger and bigger. His chest feels tight, heart breaking at the sound of your cries, at the feeling of your tears seeping through his sweater. He can’t look at it, he can’t look at the sight before him, at Eddie, who is hunched over your mom’s body, looking down at her with eyes full of sadness. Eddie huffs softly. He sits down, resting his back against the wall behind him. He rests his elbows on his knees, and for a brief second, his eyes flicker to your trembling body in Steve’s arms, pain crossing his pale features. Then Eddie’s eyes meet his, and they look at each other for a while, sharing the same thoughts. This is gonna hurt. 

A shaky breath falls from Steve’s lips, and he closes his eyes. A tear rolls down his cheek as he leans his chin on the top of your head. 

And Nancy, she stands in the doorway, blue eyes filled with shock, hand cupped over her mouth as her eyes are glued to the body on the ground. Her hand clutching her stomach as she listens to your soft cries. 

And just like that, silence takes over once again. Dead silence. 

No one talks. No one moves. For the longest time, you all just stay like this. Your boyfriend holding you in his arms. Eddie staring at your mom. Nancy frozen in place, unable to even step into your house. No one knows how much time passes of you all just sitting and standing in silence, frozen to your spots. 

Steve’s arms stay around you, hand moving up and down your back. He tenses up when you pull away slowly, sniffling. You bring your hands up to your face, wiping at your wet cheeks. His soft eyes follow you worriedly. His throat tightens when your eyes find his, and your hand settles back on his chest. 

“You’re okay, right…?” You whisper weakly, and it’s enough to make him tear up again. 

Steve nods quickly, a loose strand of hair falling over his forehead. He grabs your hand, assuring you. “Yeah, Sunshine.” He whispers, watching the relief flash in your eyes. A shaky breath falls from your lips, and you nod. His grip tightens on your hand when you push yourself back up to your feet. You are weak on your knees, and his eyes flicker over your trembling form. He stands up too, ready to catch you again. 

“I need… I need a moment.” You whisper, letting go of his hand. 

Steve hesitates. His eyebrows furrow, eyes flashing with worry. His hand still lingers in the air where you had let go of it. 

“Just a moment…” You gesture to the staircase. Your voice is trembling still, eyes staying watery. 

Steve takes a deep breath and nods, though not liking the thought of leaving you alone, even for a second, now more than ever. 

Eddie stands up slowly, and Nancy finally steps inside. Her blue eyes finding you instantly, eyes full of sadness and sympathy. 

“Can you…” Your voice cracks, and you stop for a moment, bringing your hand up to your face. You take a deep breath and close your eyes. “Can you please wrap them in blankets? I wanna… I need to bury them.”

Steve nods, his voice wavers just the way yours just did. “Yeah, of course.”

“Thank you.” You whisper before you turn around. You force your eyes away from the ground where your mother lies in the pool of her own blood. You ignore Eddie’s worried looks, Nancy’s sad eyes. You make your way towards the stairs, walking up them for the last time. 

Steve’s eyes follow you until he can no longer see you. His shoulders grow tense when you disappear from his view, and everything in him itches to follow you up there, to make sure that you are safe, to make sure that there isn’t another unpleasant surprise up there waiting for you. Your brother. Steve’s eyes widen when he remembers your brother. What if he is like your mother, what if he is still up there–

“Steve… If anything was up there, it would’ve been here by now… look…” Eddie gestures to your mom, to her wrists and the lines around them. “She was tied up.”

“Maybe… it was her brother.” Nancy finally speaks up, her eyes not straying away from your mom. “Maybe he got out…”

Eddie nods, eyes finding Steve’s again, “yeah… come on…” 

Steve is staring at the staircase , his heart is still pounding, hands shaking. It stays silent just like before, only the sound of your footsteps upstairs now sounds through the house. He blinks. What now? Everything you’ve ever known, everything that you’ve been fighting for, is just gone, dead. His eyes fall on your mom’s body, then your dad’s. Your parents, your loving parents, were taken from you in the cruellest way possible. 

“Steve.” Nancy whispers shakily, tapping his shoulder as she hands him a blanket, gesturing to your mom. He looks down at it, eyebrows furrowed. He takes it and walks over to the body on the ground. He halts his breath as he bends down. Her lifeless body, the black veins on her skin, the dried blood on her makes him sick. This isn’t fair. He closes his eyes for a moment, bringing his fist up to his nose. 

He wanted to meet your family. He wanted to meet the people who raised you, who turned you into this strong, loving woman. He wanted to meet your mother, tell her how special her daughter is to him. He wanted to meet your dad, despite how intimidated he would be by him, knowing how protective that man must have been over you. He wanted to meet them, and looked forward to being a part of this. His arms are moving, wrapping your mom’s body in a blanket, careful not to touch her skin. He is moving but he feels nothing. 

Eddie and Nancy share a glance before they turn to your dad, using the bigger blanket for his body. Their eyes are filled with sadness, just pure and utter sadness. 

And you, you are frozen in the hallway upstairs. Stuck between your room and your brother’s. His door is wide open, the room just as messy as always. Clothes thrown over his desk chair, papers and books lying around, guitar in the corner of his room, dumbbells lying around– the ones he would always trip over. His room is a mess, but his bed is made. He always made sure to make his bed. Your eyes find the empty spot on his wall, the spot that was always reserved for his baseball bat and for a moment, you feel a sliver of hope. He isn’t here. And maybe you should step into the room, maybe you should look for a hint, maybe you should look for a sign that he might have left for you, but you can’t. You hold onto that hope and look away from his room, which looks just as frozen as the rest of the house, and you don’t dare to step inside, just like you don’t dare to step into your own room when you turn around to face your door. 

Your hand reaches for the door handle, but you never touch the metal. Your hand freezes mid air, lingering there. You have looked forward to this. You have looked forward to being back home, to visiting your room, and to showing Steve your room. You did. You look down at your trembling hand, unable to grab the handle, unable to open the door to the past, knowing that it will only shatter your heart even more, knowing that you will be reminded of a version of you that doesn’t exist anymore, that will never exist again. You can’t. 

You take a step back. 

You let your hand fall to the side. 

And then you slowly turn away again. With a heavy heart and a blurry vision, you make your way back downstairs. You don’t look at your parents. You halt in your tracks when you reach the last step. You breathe in shakily. 

“My brother isn’t here.” 

At that, your friends light up a bit. Steve stares at you with his hope in his hazel eyes, the kind of hope that you had at the beginning of this journey. 

“He must have ran away… escaped from here” Nancy speaks up, her own eyes wide. Eddie nods beside her, his eyes flickering up and down your body in worry. 

“Maybe we can find him.” Steve says softly, already stepping towards you. 

“Yeah…” You whisper, nodding. “Yeah, maybe… At least not all is lost, right?” 

Steve watches you almost painfully, hearing that fading hope in your voice, seeing that panicked look in your eyes, makes him feel so goddamn scared and helpless. He can see how much you are trying to hold yourself together, to keep your head up, to stay strong, to look strong. He can see the way the light has already begun to fade, and it breaks him. 

He nods, giving you the smallest smile. 

You try to smile back, but it’s weak, barely there. You look down and brush past him, making your way out of the house without saying a word, forcing your worried friends to follow you out. You walk down the steps, passing your dad’s truck as your feet carry you to the garage where your dad always kept shovels and other gardening utensils. 

“M-Maybe we can check some nearby towns, maybe there’s a community somewhere.” Steve says behind you, trying to keep your hope up. 

You only nod, not saying anything to that as you walk past the gate, using the side door to walk into the garage. You open it and step inside, letting light in through the open door. 

“Yeah, o-or we could… I don’t know, is there a place he always wanted to go to?” You hear Eddie ask. 

You look around, breathing in the cold air. The garage is dark. Your mom’s car is still in here. Everything is still in here. Your brother's bike. Your old bicycle that you kept telling your dad to get rid of. Your dad's toolbox. You look around, not realizing that you could even miss this – Saturday evenings, watching your dad work on your mom’s car while you sit on the stacked up boxes, sipping on fresh lemonade, rambling his ear off about the new town gossip that he always laughed at. 

Your friends talk behind you, trying to keep your hopes up, trying to assure you, trying to fix this, trying to save this. 

But a wave of nausea washes over you, and everything in you stills completely when your eyes catch onto something else. You move towards it, hand reaching for one of the rags on the shelf. 

Steve steps inside as well, watching you with furrowed eyebrows, his words die on his tongue. He watches you stand over something, and then you lean down. 

“Sunshine?” Steve whispers as he takes another step forward, wanting to approach you. He freezes instead when you turn around. 

“It’s my brother’s.”

Steve stares at your face, eyes filled with confusion, before they move down to see what you are holding. His blood runs cold once again. And his heart continues to shatter. His face flashes with realization. Purple, dark blue skin covered in veins. The forearm of an infected. A silver chain around the wrist. Your brother’s. 

Your brother was infected just like your dad was, just like your mom was. He was infected, and this is all that is left of him. 

Eddie’s confused eyes move from Steve, to you and then down to the arm you are holding. His face dawns in realization. 

Nancy pushes past the two men, her eyes catching onto it immediately, “oh god… Sunshine.” She whispers, bringing her hand up to her mouth. Her eyes water as they scan your face, watching your light go out completely. 

And Steve, he doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know how to move, doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to keep you here with him, how to stop you from losing yourself completely, just like he lost himself back then. All is lost. All is gone. Everything you’ve been waiting for, everything you’ve been fighting for, everything you’ve risked your life for is just gone, and so is the life in you. 

He expects you to fall to your knees, to break down into tears, to cry, to sob, to scream, but instead, you do nothing and somehow that feels even worse. Without letting go of what is left of your brother, you reach for a shovel and start to walk out of the garage, brushing past him and the others. You make your way to the front yard, picking a spot close to a tree. You put your brother’s arm down and start digging a hole with the shovel.

For a moment, your friends just stand there and watch you, all frozen in place. The question hangs heavy in the air. What now? 

“Fuck…” Eddie whispers and leans back against the wall. He takes a deep breath. His eyes lock with Nancy's, whose eyes are filled with tears. He then glances at Steve, who looks absolutely lost. His eyebrows are furrowed, his lips curled downwards, and his brown eyes are filled with sadness and heartbreak at having to watch you do this. He stands there unmoving for another moment before he starts blinking. He runs his hand down his face like he just snapped out of it. He looks around and picks up a shovel as well before walking out onto the field. Eddie can see that no words are exchanged between you; Steve just starts digging the hole. 

“We should…” Nancy mumbles beside him, not having to finish the sentence. 

“Yeah.” Eddie nods. 

They join the two of you, wordlessly helping you dig holes for your family. 

The air is heavy now, making it hard to breathe, making it hard to move. It’s like they can feel your grief. It’s like they can feel death in this place. And the thing is, it’s everywhere; death. It’s all over the world, it’s every town they step into, every abandoned house they searched for food or clothes inside, but nothing has felt as heavy as this. 

This is pain, this is sorrow, and it’s so strong because it once was the complete opposite. You were happy. Your family was happy. Your parents loved each other. Your parents loved you and your brother. You loved family dinners. You loved holidays. You loved skipping parties to have movie nights with your parents instead. You loved playing hide and seek with your brother when you were kids. You loved baking and scolding your dad and your brother for eating it all away in less than a day. You loved sitting outside on the porch with your mom, talking about boys and giggling about it when she’d start teasing you. You loved your family, and they loved you, and now they are gone. 

This place, this home that was once filled with love and happiness, is now full of pain. 

You lost it all. 

Your shovel keeps hitting the ground angrily, digging deeper and deeper. Your forehead shines with sweat, your cheeks have some dirt on it from wiping tears off angrily with fingers covered in the soil from the earth. 

Your friends keep glancing at you, checking on you, but nobody speaks up, nobody asks questions, nobody says anything. Steve’s eyes stay on you the whole time. His heart continues to break in his chest from seeing your pained expression, your glassy eyes and your trembling lips. Your hands start shaking, arms growing weak from digging, but you refuse to stop, refuse to even take a break. He can see how much you are trying to hold it in, and he knows that it’s only a matter of time before you break down. Even as he and Eddie carry your parents out of the house, you try to stay strong. You don’t really look at your dad or your mom, though, when you catch a piece of her hair peeking out from the blanket she is wrapped up in, you instantly turn away. You clench your jaw and hide your face from him, from your friends. 

Steve can hear your shaky breath; he can see how you are digging your nails into your palms. He can see how much you are hurting, and it’s slowly starting to kill him, to tear him apart. He feels helpless, just as helpless as he felt when Robin was dying in his arms. 

You refuse to look down at your parents in the makeshift graves. Your friends keep glancing at you, watching you with sympathetic, sad eyes – you can’t stand it. You can’t bury your brother, not like you can bury your parents, all that is left of him are his remains. You don’t know what happened to him, whether he was eaten, and this was all that was left of him or if he lost his arm before he turned, if he is walking around somewhere, looking like your mother did before Eddie shot her. One thing is for sure: whether his body is gone completely or not, he was infected. He was a monster. He died too. 

You kneel down after putting your brother’s arm next to your parents. You stay there for a moment. You don’t look down at them. You just sit there for a moment, eyes closed. This overwhelming emptiness inside of you starts spreading at this final moment. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

You feel his touch, feel his hand on your shoulder. Not everything is gone. Not yet. Your chin starts to tremble, and your heart starts beating against your chest painfully. 

Steve can hear your shaky breathing, he hears your sniffle and he feels the tension in your shoulder. You are still trying to keep yourself together. 

“Sunshine…” Steve’s broken whisper fills your chest with pain. 

“We should bury them…” You whisper and get up. His hand falls from your shoulder. “We should… before it starts raining…” You point at the darkening sky above you. 

Steve hesitates but grabs the shovel nonetheless. It feels like a blow to his chest watching you throw the soil into the hole; it lands on the bodies loudly, harshly. And he sees the expression on your face, the way you freeze when you truly register just what is happening, just what you are doing as you bury your family in your front yard. 

This is the opposite of what you wanted. 

This is not how it was supposed to end. 

You were never supposed to lose them, not like this, not so soon. 

Steve and Eddie help you bury your family while Nancy is carving the names of your parents and your brother into a wooden board, a makeshift cross she made. 

The wind picks up, blowing through your hair. Goosebumps rise on your skin as the cold nips at you. Your vision is blurry, your whole body is aching and shaking. You can no longer see them as they are covered now by inches and inches of soil. You drop the shovel on the ground and look down at your trembling hands. Your palms are burning, skin raw. Your breathing gets heavier. 

You hear your name being called. You hear his voice. You feel his touch on your shoulder. Your vision starts to blur, and your throat starts closing down on you, especially when you see Nancy and Eddie digging the cross into the ground. 

“Sunshine.” Steve whispers, standing before you now, both hands on your shoulder. Brown eyes filled with worry. “Hey… baby.” He tries to shake you softly, noticing the state you are in. Frozen. Paralyzed. Your wide eyes are not on him; they are on the ground where your family is buried. 

Steve starts calling your name, not Sunshine, not Baby, he is calling you by your name. Your chest rises up and down heavily. Your knees start shaking, and you take a step back, his hands falling from your shoulders. 

“Sunshine–”

You freeze once more when a raindrop hits your forehead. Your eyebrows knit together and you look at him before you look up into the sky. You knew it was gonna rain, you said it yourself. Though the expression on your face is more of a realization than confusion. 

“What–”

“This isn’t good.” You mumble. “This isn’t good for them.”

Eddie and Nancy glance at each other, questioning looks on their faces. 

“What do you mean?” Steve asks softly. 

You turn around. Without another word, you start walking away, away from your family, away from them. You start walking slowly at first and then you pick up the pace and start running. 

“Sunshine!” Steve yells as he starts running after you, thinking that you are gonna run back into the house. Instead, you run past it, making your way to the backyard. The rain starts falling harder, thunder starts rumbling. Your boots dig into the dirty ground, leaving footprints. Your heart starts pounding harshly out of fear, out of panic, out of sadness, you don’t know it. You run and then… just like before, just like when you saw your dad on the ground, just like when you saw your mom’s bloodshot eyes staring back at you, just like when you found the remains of your brother, you freeze. 

“No.” You whisper, turning in every direction, looking around wide eyed, terror written all over your face as you continue to whisper; “no, no, no…”

Eddie is the one who freezes the way you just did. This was one of the things you had told him about in the very beginning, when he took you fishing in Hawkins. This was one of the things that made you smile from reminiscing about it. 

“There used to be this big sunflower field behind my parents’ house, it was beautiful. I got lost in it as a child though… once or twice.” 

Now there is nothing to get lost in anymore. There is nothing left. The ground is rotten, nothing but black soil beneath your boots. The remaining sunflowers lie dead on the ground, rotten and dry. 

Steve’s eyes flicker across the field that once bloomed with flowers, that once bloomed with life, with happiness. He can feel your pain, your heartache. He can almost hear the echoes of the past, of your laughter in these fields. Now it’s your cries that leave an echo when your knees hit the ground, and your fingers dig into the rotten soil. The tears you tried to hold in, the tears that you kept wiping away every time they tried to roll down your cheeks, fall freely now. Sobs you didn’t want to let out fall from your lips. 

Pain spreads inside Steve’s chest, watching you break completely. Everything inside of him turns, the knife twisting deeper and deeper. His body moves on its own accord, and he drops down beside you, not hesitating to pull you into his arms. He almost expects you to push him away in your grief, but instead, you bury your face in his chest. You sob with an open mouth, yelling, screaming your pain, and everything you once knew is gone.

Everything is gone. Every single memory is now a stab to your heart. The happy memories are now stained with dark blood. Not a single memory could bring you joy right now, not ever. You were never getting back what you just lost. It was gone, forever.

Nancy couldn’t hold it anymore, and she turned to dig her face into Eddie’s chest, trying not to sob so you wouldn’t hear her. Eddie’s arms enveloped her, and he looked up at the sky trying to hold it all in. He could feel her trembling in his arms, and he knew what she felt. He knew it because he felt it too.

Their families are waiting for them at the community. Dustin is waiting for Steve, Wayne is waiting for him as well as his sweetheart, and then Nancy has her entire family. You are gonna go into that community… and have no one. They will be happy, while you are left with no one. 

It felt unfair that they have the happiness that was just ripped away from you. It felt selfish. He was now afraid of being way too happy when he gets to the community, because he didn’t want you to feel broken. Nancy felt the same. How could she hug her parents and siblings, while you stood on the side, no one coming to receive you?

“They–They’re gone! They’re–” Your sobs never stopped, and they only made your throat start to hurt and pulse from how loud they were, from how much they were painfully coming out of you. Steve nodded, his hand rubbing at the back of your head as he rocked you back and forth.

“I know, I know, baby, I’m so sorry–” He didn’t know what to say as he clenched his eyes tightly. He was trying to keep himself together for you, but he couldn’t, not when he was basically feeling your pain. 

“Dead! They’re dead!” You screamed in agony into his chest, your brain pounding in your head, and your heart probably wishing to stop. Wishing to just go with them. Wishing that you could turn back time, and change so many things. The fact of it all, was that you couldn’t. But you couldn’t accept this either. 

Because they weren’t just gone. They didn’t go somewhere for them to return. Gone is very vague. They were dead. They weren’t coming back at all. They were now underground, no air coming into their lungs, their hearts completely still, and their memories of you gone as well. 

The rain was starting to get heavier, and Eddie was looking around to make sure they were not going to get jumped at by anything or anyone. If your family was turned, then it meant there might be monsters or turned nearby. He didn’t want to interrupt. He didn’t, but the soil was getting muddier, and the terrain was getting tricky if they were caught in a predicament.

He patted Nancy’s back, and she sniffled, looking up at him. She pulled away from his body, getting her hands on her rifle, her pained eyes looking down at you and Steve. She took a deep breath in, before slowly whispering.

“Steve…” His eyes opened, and he looked up at her. She was frowning in worry and sadness, and his gaze finally looked around. Fog started building from how heavy the rain was falling, mixing with the humidity of the soil that built up underneath. 

And there was a point where he couldn’t see anything at all. They needed to move. That’s what Nancy’s eyes were telling him. He didn’t want to interrupt your grief. His eyes begged at his friends for just one more minute, but as he begged for that, he could feel your body relaxing, or rather, growing a little limp on him. 

Your sobs stopped, your body stopped shaking, and he grew worried that you might have passed out on him. He gently moved, pulling away, still keeping his arms around you, and what he saw was as terrifying as when he saw your father lying on the kitchen floor.

The tears running down your cheeks, leaving traces of them because of the dirt that was on your face when you dug up the holes. The rain all over your hair, your clothes. Your lips… no longer trembling. Your eyes are void of any feelings, of any spark. Your body was swaying slightly, and Nancy’s eyes widened, moving forward, remembering the state you were in when you saved them from the three people who were gonna do unspeakable things to all of you.

Steve stopped her with a hand, shaking his head.

“No… I…–” He looked back at you, and he rubbed your cheek gently, wiping away the mud, the tears, the rain. “Sunshine? Are you there?”

“-- Leave.”

“What?” His eyes widened for a second, but you took a breath and continued.

“We need to leave.” He nodded, feeling a lump forming in his throat. For a second, he thought that you were deciding to stay behind, and that thought hadn’t crossed his mind until now. 

If you had decided to stay… He was gonna stay too.

But instead, you got up slowly, the soil on your knees, on your pants, just everywhere in your clothes. He followed right after, holding your arms gently, but you were not looking at him. You were looking at his chest, as if he were see-through. He turned his head around, and Eddie nodded at the house.

“Okay… Okay, baby… We’re gonna go to the RV, and we’re gonna shower, okay?” You didn’t reply. Nancy was still crying, so before you could see her, or hear her, she started walking, quickly, towards your house. Eddie took a deep breath in, his eyes worried as he looked at your still form. 

“We’ll be there in a few minutes… Take your time…” He mumbles to Steve, and the latter nods, wrapping his arm around you as Eddie walks after Nancy. Steve could only assume that they would scavenge the house either for supplies or just letting you two have a moment to yourselves. 

“Come on, Sunshine…” He started walking the two of you towards the RV. Your feet digging into the soil, the mud covering your boots, but even if it was tricky, you didn’t complain. You didn’t twitch. You didn’t make a sound, which only made Steve’s worry grow. He kept an eye out for danger, making sure that there was nothing around the two of you.

Once you reached the RV, the two of you got inside, and he started taking the jacket and dirty clothes off, as well as his boots, leaving him in just his shirt and underwear. You were still looking at nothing, standing at the entrance of the RV after he closed it. He whispered your name, and helped you take the clothes off.

You were like a ragdoll. Your arm fell when he took a sleeve of your jacket off, then the other. You let him take off your pants, helping him just slightly to step out of your boots and the denim. He grabbed all the dirty clothes and threw them in a basket that was on the kitchen counter. He left the boots close to the entrance, noting that they had to be cleaned later. 

He rushed to the shower, turning it on so it could start heating up. His eyes found your form, standing in the middle of the vehicle, eyes… not even lost. He didn’t know how to explain it but it felt as if your body was vacant. Empty. 

He had seen horrible things. He had seen monsters, friends dying, friends almost dying, people getting possessed, but seeing you like this, had to be in his top five. You looked terrifying like this. With no emotions. With no twitch of the eyebrow. With no tears. He didn’t expect you to smile right now, but he just hoped… he hoped this was just the shock.

He ripped his shirt off, and tested the water with his hand. It was rather hot for him, but he knew you liked it like this. He held your hand, gently, your eyes finding his. A shiver was sent through his body, your body automatically moving towards him as he guided you towards the shower. 

He fully undressed the two of you and stepped into the crammed space, taking you with him. You stood under the stream, and he closed the small door. He helped you wash yourself, or well, you let yourself be washed. You weren’t moving. He felt his heart racing, dread slowly dawning on him the more you two stood underneath the shower.

He cradled your face, making you look up at him. He started to slowly wash your face, and he knew your eyes were unfocused. He knew you weren’t looking at him. Your breathing was steady, and he wondered what was going on inside your head… But he had a guess… Nothing.

There was nothing.

He lifted your arms to wash you thoroughly, bent down so he would wash your legs, the water running down in brown and dark colors, falling into the small drain. He got up and turned you around to start washing your hair, as softly as he could. You didn’t whimper or complain. He didn’t know if he was tugging too hard, or if he was being rough with his scrubbing. 

He washed himself after he was done with you, doing it as quickly as possible, wanting to put you in bed and for Nancy and Eddie to have a chance to clean themselves before they head out. His mind was racing as he moved, turning off the water to wrap you in a towel. He stepped out after you, grabbing a towel from a cabinet so he could wrap it around his waist.

He pulled the blind door open, making you sit on the bed. He was breathing heavily, his eyebrows furrowed as he stood there. The water only helped with cleaning you, but it didn’t help your soul. Was your soul even here? Or did it bury it alongside your parents?

He gulped heavily, bending down, pressing his hands on your knees. He tried finding your gaze, but you were still… nowhere.

“Sunshine… Talk to me? Please…?”

You remained silent, but slowly, your eyes moved to find his, and he expected something. Anything. He expected you to light up, even if it sounded too selfish of him to wish for it at this time, but he wished for your eyes to glint with happiness every time that you looked at him. He knew them because that's exactly how he looked back at you, whenever you moved, talked, or kissed him.

But what he didn’t expect was for you to talk. Low, rough… lifeless… And his heart broke even more.

“You were right… I should have listened… I shouldn’t have come.” Those words aren’t meant to make him feel guilty, they aren’t filled with anger, they aren’t directed at him in a way that could make him believe that you didn’t forgive him back then and now. No. You just agree with his past words, now knowing that what he said was nothing but the truth. He can see there is no hate in your eyes, not the kind he had in his when you stumbled into his life back then, when you tried to pick up his broken pieces. But it hurts. He felt like something just struck him in the chest. You remembered. You remembered what he said all those months ago. You remembered every word and how he manifested and predicted what you were going to find here.

And it slowly dawns on him… You had always thought about it. You had always remembered. You had always gambled on this option. That day, in front of Robin’s grave, he killed a bit of your hope. He was the beginning of the void you are now… and he was now only realizing this. 

His eyes averted from yours, and he was stunned into silence, a ringing falling in his ears. Everything stood still for a moment, and he felt so awful. He felt like he was going to be sick. Your parents were now resting underneath a broken patch of sunflowers and he had predicted all of it. 

He only snapped out of it when he heard the RV door open, and he closed the blinds from the room. He put one of his shirts over you, and he put on just boxers as sleepwear. He got you in bed, and he laid down next to you, almost mechanically.

Your head was on his chest, but there was no warmth coming from you. No sobs, no cries, no heavy breathing. Steady, silent, and no words were exchanged. He couldn’t even say he didn’t mean it. He couldn’t even tell you that he didn’t expect it, and that this wasn’t supposed to happen. He started being hopeful that he was wrong, thanks to you.

He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t tell you how sorry he was… He couldn’t speak to you… What if he said something else? What if he made a mistake? Did you need to hear him right now? Even as he laid there on the same bed as you, his arm wrapped around your frame, both awake… It felt lonely. You weren’t there.

Your body was in the room, but you really weren’t. He wanted to hug you, calm you, rock you back and forth, and for some reason, he couldn’t. You weren’t doing anything. Only then did your breath started being slower, deeper, and he realized you were asleep. You probably passed out.

After an hour, he was still staring at the ceiling, the RV moving away from your house, away from that horrible moment you had gone through. But the grief remained in it. His eyes watered, and tears started slipping down the sides of his face. He felt guilty. He felt like a complete piece of shit. He felt unworthy of everything that had happened the past few months. 

He couldn’t even be mad if you hated him now. He couldn’t be sad because, why wouldn’t you? You lost it all, and he had told you so. 

He held in his sobs as your body felt cold against him under the blankets. It felt as if you were dead, and maybe you were. Maybe you were as buried as your parents and brother were back in your house. 

He had someone, Nancy had family, and Eddie had family. You had no one.

And no one could replace your family.

Not even him.

Much less him.

☀︎

“Now… The two of you will stop this nonsense, and we will harvest these sunflowers, like every year!”

“Kit kat started it!” Your brother yelled, completely muffled, and you whined as your father let go of your cheeks. You both rubbed them, pouting, and then you whispered to your brother.

“We are young adults, and he still treats us like kids.”

“Cheek pinching? What am I, five?”

“Lunch is ready!” Your mom yelled from the backdoor, and your brother and you looked at each other, a few seconds going back, and you moved first, and strongly so.

You shoved your brother into the sunflowers, running towards the backdoor to get to the kitchen first, knowing that your mom made fried chicken. You wanted the drum of it, and your brother always fought for it.

His screams could be heard from behind you, laughing as your mom cheered you on to get inside first. 

Your father's body is on the kitchen floor.

Partially decomposed, the smell nauseating, the flies all over him... The decomposition is pure black, no red blood, or stains around... Your father didn't go as a human. 

You don’t know how long you stand there, frozen in place, your eyes fixated on the body in the open kitchen. Your hand is still in the air, inching towards your chest in slow motion. You don’t hear Steve’s voice behind you, don’t even feel his touch when he places his hand on your shoulder. Your head is underwater, and everything moves so slowly. 

Out of everything you expected to run into, this has never been a possibility in your mind. You were always supposed to find your family. You were always supposed to find them here, alive, well. Your dad is gone. He is dead. He has been dead for a long time now. 

The floorboard creaks beneath your boot when you take a step into the house you used to call your home. Your feet carry you to him. You are clutching your chest now as each step brings you closer. Your face crumbles, your lips curl downwards. The smell is awful, so awful, worse than anything you have ever witnessed in your life. 

You see the hole in his head. A bullet that put him out of his misery. Your eyes flicker to the gun lying next to his hand, and your heart drops. Oh god. 

“Dad…” You whisper, knowing he’s long gone. You want to reach out to him so bad, but you know better not to touch him, even through your grief. You kneel down before him, eyes flickering over his body. You recognize the plaid shirt on him, the one he always wore whenever he worked on something in the garage or the backyard. He was working that day too. Your heart is filled with pain when you look back down at the gun. He shot himself. He still had enough control to do this, to make this decision to protect your mom, to protect your brother. “I’m sorry, daddy.” 

Your sniffle, your broken whisper, is enough to shatter Steve’s heart as he stands in the doorway watching you mourn your dad. Eddie and Nancy didn’t dare to step inside just yet, your reaction was enough for them to see what was inside, they decided to check the area outside, the red lightning over the town was enough of a warning sign for them to know that this place is far from safe. 

Brown eyes are watching you, filled with nothing but pain, heartbreak, and guilt all at once. Steve’s lips part, like he wants to say something, like he wants to call out to you but no words come out. What is there to say? He hears your sniffle, knows there are probably tears running down your cheeks. Tears he wants to wipe away so badly, just like he wants to pull you into his arms, comfort you, say he is sorry. But he can’t. He stands there, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to reach out to you. He doesn’t know how much time passes of you just kneeling next to your dad, staring at him while Steve stares at you. 

The room, your house, is frozen in time. He notices the calendar next to the fridge, and his stomach drops when he sees the month on it, the last time the page was flipped. The same month all hell broke loose. The guilt inside of him sinks deeper and deeper into his veins, making his blood run ice cold, taking over completely when he realizes that he laid it all out to you months ago. That he told you back then, what was waiting for you here, and god, it makes him want to puke his guts out. He broke your heart then. He feels like he did it all over again. 

It’s so quiet in here, frozen. Not even the clock is ticking anymore, not even the birds are chirping outside, there’s none in this area, not anymore. It’s silent until it isn’t. It all moves too quickly, too suddenly, for you to react in your grieving state or for Steve in his state of shock. The footsteps are loud and aggressive, tumbling down the stairs too quickly for anyone to react. 

But Steve turns around just in time. His eyes widen when he is met by bloodshot eyes and baring teeth. The sound of hungry growls filled the once quiet room. 

“Steve!” 

Your scream is so loud, filled with fear and horror, loud enough to make your friends outside think the worst. You watch wide eyed how Steve gets tackled to the ground, landing harshly on the wooden floor. His hand moves quick enough to save himself from getting bitten. Your heart nearly beats out of your chest, and you’re back on your feet quicker than you've been before. You run towards him and throw the infected off him, shoving it hard enough that it tumbles to the ground in the hallway. 

“Steve!” You cry out to him, eyes filled with panic as you grab his sweater. Your eyes move over him so quickly, looking for any blood, looking for the bite that almost happened. Your shaking hands cling to him. Your glassy eyes show nothing but despair. 

“I’m okay, I’m okay, baby.” Steve rushes out, assuring you, though his eyes match the look in yours. His eyes move over your shoulder, and he suddenly grabs your body, hoisting you both back up to your feet. He grips you so tightly, holds you like he is afraid of what could happen if he let you go right now, as his eyes find the ones that look at you like you’re the next meal. He pulls you back, putting distance between you and the infected, rising to its feet, ready to lunge forward. He feels it all at once, panic, fear, despair. You had been in such situations before, though none have felt this heavy. 

You keep a tight grip on Steve’s sweater until you turn around in his arms, and your hands fall slack beside you, and everything inside of you shatters. You recognize the flowers on the dress. You recognize the ring on her finger. You recognize the necklace. You gave it to her. It was your gift. It was her favorite necklace, she never took it off, not once, not even when she–

“Mom?”

Your bottom lip is trembling, your throat feels tight. You feel like you can’t breathe, everything inside of you is aching. You are staring at her, eyes moving up and down what is left of your mother. You feel nothing but sickness as you stare at the black veins, the darkening blue skin, the bloodshot eyes, the saliva dripping down her chin, staring at you in hunger. 

Steve’s grip on you is so tight, his hand trembling against your shoulder. His heart is pounding so strongly against his chest, and everything in him is frozen. He hears your sigh, that broken sound leaving your lips as you stare at your mom. He pulls you back more, heart lurching to his throat when she lunges forward. 

“Mom, please!” You beg, even though you know it’s not her, it hasn’t been her for a long time now and yet… she stops, for a fleeting second, her body grows still, and her head tilts to the side like she is curious. And then her eyes meet yours, and your breath gets caught in your throat. 

It feels like time slows down once again as you stare at her. For a moment, you are back in the kitchen, sun beaming through the windows, as a ten year old you cried because a boy ripped a bit of your hair in class. Your mom baked you cookies, and told you to fight back. To always fight back, even if the consequences can be bad. You come first. You always come first.

You see the monster inside of her, see the hunger and the emptiness behind her once pretty eyes. You see the blood stains on the dress that was her favorite one. You see the chipped nail polish, her favourite colour. That’s your mom. That was your mom. And you want nothing more than to feel her warm embrace, to feel her arms around you, to feel her cupping the back of your head, to hear her say, ‘it’ll be okay, you will be okay.’ You would do anything to hug her one more time, to have her take care of you the way she always did when you were still her little girl. 

‘Always fight, no matter what.’

Steve feels you moving, and his heart almost stills, thinking you want to approach her, but instead your hand moves to the gun in your holster. Oh no. He can’t let you do this. He can’t. You turn the safety off and raise your gun, holding it in your trembling hand. 

You don’t even see her anymore through your blurry vision. You don’t even feel the tears running down your cheeks, don’t hear your own voice as you start crying. You don’t even feel Steve’s hand covering your own, reaching for the gun in your hand, but your hand doesn’t budge. 

“Sunshine–”

Your mom lunges forward again, but before she can get any closer to you, she is grabbed from behind by Eddie. He holds her arms against her back and manages to throw her down on her knees, holding her down against the ground with force. She is snapping her teeth, struggling against him. 

“Give me the gun!” Eddie orders, looking between you and Steve. He doesn’t want you to be the one to do it. He doesn’t want Steve to be the one to do it. This shouldn’t be on any of you. “Steve!” 

Steve hesitates, even after you let go of the gun and turn away, unable to watch. He hesitates. Eddie shakes his head at him slowly, his eyes filled with sadness when they flicker to yours. 

“Let me.” Eddie whispers. 

Steve blinks, and then he swallows the lump in his throat. He throws the gun to the ground and kicks it over to Eddie.

A whimper falls from your lips when Steve pulls you into his chest. He wraps his arms around you tightly, holding you against him as he places his hand over your face, like he is trying to shield you from what is about to happen. He holds you so tightly in a way that says, ‘I got you. I will never let you go. I’m here.’ 

You shut your eyes tightly, like a kid afraid of a storm raging outside at night. You curl your fingers around his sweater, holding onto him in a way you never did before. You breathe in his scent like you need it to be able to breathe. You listen to his heartbeat like you need to know that he is still here, that he is still alive, that he hasn’t left you. 

Steve’s grip on you tightens, his palm resting on the back of your head as he keeps you pressed against his chest. 

And then your heart stops, and your ears start ringing. A yelp falls from your lips. Your ears feel like they are bleeding. Your heart is broken. 

The loud thud indicates the gun dropping to the floor. She stops struggling. She stops growling. She stops moving. She is gone. It’s over. 

Your knees give out, and you grow limp in Steve’s arms. 

“I got you. I got you.” You hear him say as he brings you both to the ground, his arms never letting go of you. His hand stays on the back of your head as he holds you through it all. “I’m here.” Steve whispers, kissing the top of your head. “I’m here, Sunshine.”

Steve’s eyes are hot with tears, and the coil in his throat grows bigger and bigger. His chest feels tight, heart breaking at the sound of your cries, at the feeling of your tears seeping through his sweater. He can’t look at it, he can’t look at the sight before him, at Eddie, who is hunched over your mom’s body, looking down at her with eyes full of sadness. Eddie huffs softly. He sits down, resting his back against the wall behind him. He rests his elbows on his knees, and for a brief second, his eyes flicker to your trembling body in Steve’s arms, pain crossing his pale features. Then Eddie’s eyes meet his, and they look at each other for a while, sharing the same thoughts. This is gonna hurt. 

A shaky breath falls from Steve’s lips, and he closes his eyes. A tear rolls down his cheek as he leans his chin on the top of your head. 

And Nancy, she stands in the doorway, blue eyes filled with shock, hand cupped over her mouth as her eyes are glued to the body on the ground. Her hand clutching her stomach as she listens to your soft cries. 

And just like that, silence takes over once again. Dead silence. 

No one talks. No one moves. For the longest time, you all just stay like this. Your boyfriend holding you in his arms. Eddie staring at your mom. Nancy frozen in place, unable to even step into your house. No one knows how much time passes of you all just sitting and standing in silence, frozen to your spots. 

Steve’s arms stay around you, hand moving up and down your back. He tenses up when you pull away slowly, sniffling. You bring your hands up to your face, wiping at your wet cheeks. His soft eyes follow you worriedly. His throat tightens when your eyes find his, and your hand settles back on his chest. 

“You’re okay, right…?” You whisper weakly, and it’s enough to make him tear up again. 

Steve nods quickly, a loose strand of hair falling over his forehead. He grabs your hand, assuring you. “Yeah, Sunshine.” He whispers, watching the relief flash in your eyes. A shaky breath falls from your lips, and you nod. His grip tightens on your hand when you push yourself back up to your feet. You are weak on your knees, and his eyes flicker over your trembling form. He stands up too, ready to catch you again. 

“I need… I need a moment.” You whisper, letting go of his hand. 

Steve hesitates. His eyebrows furrow, eyes flashing with worry. His hand still lingers in the air where you had let go of it. 

“Just a moment…” You gesture to the staircase. Your voice is trembling still, eyes staying watery. 

Steve takes a deep breath and nods, though not liking the thought of leaving you alone, even for a second, now more than ever. 

Eddie stands up slowly, and Nancy finally steps inside. Her blue eyes finding you instantly, eyes full of sadness and sympathy. 

“Can you…” Your voice cracks, and you stop for a moment, bringing your hand up to your face. You take a deep breath and close your eyes. “Can you please wrap them in blankets? I wanna… I need to bury them.”

Steve nods, his voice wavers just the way yours just did. “Yeah, of course.”

“Thank you.” You whisper before you turn around. You force your eyes away from the ground where your mother lies in the pool of her own blood. You ignore Eddie’s worried looks, Nancy’s sad eyes. You make your way towards the stairs, walking up them for the last time. 

Steve’s eyes follow you until he can no longer see you. His shoulders grow tense when you disappear from his view, and everything in him itches to follow you up there, to make sure that you are safe, to make sure that there isn’t another unpleasant surprise up there waiting for you. Your brother. Steve’s eyes widen when he remembers your brother. What if he is like your mother, what if he is still up there–

“Steve… If anything was up there, it would’ve been here by now… look…” Eddie gestures to your mom, to her wrists and the lines around them. “She was tied up.”

“Maybe… it was her brother.” Nancy finally speaks up, her eyes not straying away from your mom. “Maybe he got out…”

Eddie nods, eyes finding Steve’s again, “yeah… come on…” 

Steve is staring at the staircase , his heart is still pounding, hands shaking. It stays silent just like before, only the sound of your footsteps upstairs now sounds through the house. He blinks. What now? Everything you’ve ever known, everything that you’ve been fighting for, is just gone, dead. His eyes fall on your mom’s body, then your dad’s. Your parents, your loving parents, were taken from you in the cruellest way possible. 

“Steve.” Nancy whispers shakily, tapping his shoulder as she hands him a blanket, gesturing to your mom. He looks down at it, eyebrows furrowed. He takes it and walks over to the body on the ground. He halts his breath as he bends down. Her lifeless body, the black veins on her skin, the dried blood on her makes him sick. This isn’t fair. He closes his eyes for a moment, bringing his fist up to his nose. 

He wanted to meet your family. He wanted to meet the people who raised you, who turned you into this strong, loving woman. He wanted to meet your mother, tell her how special her daughter is to him. He wanted to meet your dad, despite how intimidated he would be by him, knowing how protective that man must have been over you. He wanted to meet them, and looked forward to being a part of this. His arms are moving, wrapping your mom’s body in a blanket, careful not to touch her skin. He is moving but he feels nothing. 

Eddie and Nancy share a glance before they turn to your dad, using the bigger blanket for his body. Their eyes are filled with sadness, just pure and utter sadness. 

And you, you are frozen in the hallway upstairs. Stuck between your room and your brother’s. His door is wide open, the room just as messy as always. Clothes thrown over his desk chair, papers and books lying around, guitar in the corner of his room, dumbbells lying around– the ones he would always trip over. His room is a mess, but his bed is made. He always made sure to make his bed. Your eyes find the empty spot on his wall, the spot that was always reserved for his baseball bat and for a moment, you feel a sliver of hope. He isn’t here. And maybe you should step into the room, maybe you should look for a hint, maybe you should look for a sign that he might have left for you, but you can’t. You hold onto that hope and look away from his room, which looks just as frozen as the rest of the house, and you don’t dare to step inside, just like you don’t dare to step into your own room when you turn around to face your door. 

Your hand reaches for the door handle, but you never touch the metal. Your hand freezes mid air, lingering there. You have looked forward to this. You have looked forward to being back home, to visiting your room, and to showing Steve your room. You did. You look down at your trembling hand, unable to grab the handle, unable to open the door to the past, knowing that it will only shatter your heart even more, knowing that you will be reminded of a version of you that doesn’t exist anymore, that will never exist again. You can’t. 

You take a step back. 

You let your hand fall to the side. 

And then you slowly turn away again. With a heavy heart and a blurry vision, you make your way back downstairs. You don’t look at your parents. You halt in your tracks when you reach the last step. You breathe in shakily. 

“My brother isn’t here.” 

At that, your friends light up a bit. Steve stares at you with his hope in his hazel eyes, the kind of hope that you had at the beginning of this journey. 

“He must have ran away… escaped from here” Nancy speaks up, her own eyes wide. Eddie nods beside her, his eyes flickering up and down your body in worry. 

“Maybe we can find him.” Steve says softly, already stepping towards you. 

“Yeah…” You whisper, nodding. “Yeah, maybe… At least not all is lost, right?” 

Steve watches you almost painfully, hearing that fading hope in your voice, seeing that panicked look in your eyes, makes him feel so goddamn scared and helpless. He can see how much you are trying to hold yourself together, to keep your head up, to stay strong, to look strong. He can see the way the light has already begun to fade, and it breaks him. 

He nods, giving you the smallest smile. 

You try to smile back, but it’s weak, barely there. You look down and brush past him, making your way out of the house without saying a word, forcing your worried friends to follow you out. You walk down the steps, passing your dad’s truck as your feet carry you to the garage where your dad always kept shovels and other gardening utensils. 

“M-Maybe we can check some nearby towns, maybe there’s a community somewhere.” Steve says behind you, trying to keep your hope up. 

You only nod, not saying anything to that as you walk past the gate, using the side door to walk into the garage. You open it and step inside, letting light in through the open door. 

“Yeah, o-or we could… I don’t know, is there a place he always wanted to go to?” You hear Eddie ask. 

You look around, breathing in the cold air. The garage is dark. Your mom’s car is still in here. Everything is still in here. Your brother's bike. Your old bicycle that you kept telling your dad to get rid of. Your dad's toolbox. You look around, not realizing that you could even miss this – Saturday evenings, watching your dad work on your mom’s car while you sit on the stacked up boxes, sipping on fresh lemonade, rambling his ear off about the new town gossip that he always laughed at. 

Your friends talk behind you, trying to keep your hopes up, trying to assure you, trying to fix this, trying to save this. 

But a wave of nausea washes over you, and everything in you stills completely when your eyes catch onto something else. You move towards it, hand reaching for one of the rags on the shelf. 

Steve steps inside as well, watching you with furrowed eyebrows, his words die on his tongue. He watches you stand over something, and then you lean down. 

“Sunshine?” Steve whispers as he takes another step forward, wanting to approach you. He freezes instead when you turn around. 

“It’s my brother’s.”

Steve stares at your face, eyes filled with confusion, before they move down to see what you are holding. His blood runs cold once again. And his heart continues to shatter. His face flashes with realization. Purple, dark blue skin covered in veins. The forearm of an infected. A silver chain around the wrist. Your brother’s. 

Your brother was infected just like your dad was, just like your mom was. He was infected, and this is all that is left of him. 

Eddie’s confused eyes move from Steve, to you and then down to the arm you are holding. His face dawns in realization. 

Nancy pushes past the two men, her eyes catching onto it immediately, “oh god… Sunshine.” She whispers, bringing her hand up to her mouth. Her eyes water as they scan your face, watching your light go out completely. 

And Steve, he doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know how to move, doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to keep you here with him, how to stop you from losing yourself completely, just like he lost himself back then. All is lost. All is gone. Everything you’ve been waiting for, everything you’ve been fighting for, everything you’ve risked your life for is just gone, and so is the life in you. 

He expects you to fall to your knees, to break down into tears, to cry, to sob, to scream, but instead, you do nothing and somehow that feels even worse. Without letting go of what is left of your brother, you reach for a shovel and start to walk out of the garage, brushing past him and the others. You make your way to the front yard, picking a spot close to a tree. You put your brother’s arm down and start digging a hole with the shovel.

For a moment, your friends just stand there and watch you, all frozen in place. The question hangs heavy in the air. What now? 

“Fuck…” Eddie whispers and leans back against the wall. He takes a deep breath. His eyes lock with Nancy's, whose eyes are filled with tears. He then glances at Steve, who looks absolutely lost. His eyebrows are furrowed, his lips curled downwards, and his brown eyes are filled with sadness and heartbreak at having to watch you do this. He stands there unmoving for another moment before he starts blinking. He runs his hand down his face like he just snapped out of it. He looks around and picks up a shovel as well before walking out onto the field. Eddie can see that no words are exchanged between you; Steve just starts digging the hole. 

“We should…” Nancy mumbles beside him, not having to finish the sentence. 

“Yeah.” Eddie nods. 

They join the two of you, wordlessly helping you dig holes for your family. 

The air is heavy now, making it hard to breathe, making it hard to move. It’s like they can feel your grief. It’s like they can feel death in this place. And the thing is, it’s everywhere; death. It’s all over the world, it’s every town they step into, every abandoned house they searched for food or clothes inside, but nothing has felt as heavy as this. 

This is pain, this is sorrow, and it’s so strong because it once was the complete opposite. You were happy. Your family was happy. Your parents loved each other. Your parents loved you and your brother. You loved family dinners. You loved holidays. You loved skipping parties to have movie nights with your parents instead. You loved playing hide and seek with your brother when you were kids. You loved baking and scolding your dad and your brother for eating it all away in less than a day. You loved sitting outside on the porch with your mom, talking about boys and giggling about it when she’d start teasing you. You loved your family, and they loved you, and now they are gone. 

This place, this home that was once filled with love and happiness, is now full of pain. 

You lost it all. 

Your shovel keeps hitting the ground angrily, digging deeper and deeper. Your forehead shines with sweat, your cheeks have some dirt on it from wiping tears off angrily with fingers covered in the soil from the earth. 

Your friends keep glancing at you, checking on you, but nobody speaks up, nobody asks questions, nobody says anything. Steve’s eyes stay on you the whole time. His heart continues to break in his chest from seeing your pained expression, your glassy eyes and your trembling lips. Your hands start shaking, arms growing weak from digging, but you refuse to stop, refuse to even take a break. He can see how much you are trying to hold it in, and he knows that it’s only a matter of time before you break down. Even as he and Eddie carry your parents out of the house, you try to stay strong. You don’t really look at your dad or your mom, though, when you catch a piece of her hair peeking out from the blanket she is wrapped up in, you instantly turn away. You clench your jaw and hide your face from him, from your friends. 

Steve can hear your shaky breath; he can see how you are digging your nails into your palms. He can see how much you are hurting, and it’s slowly starting to kill him, to tear him apart. He feels helpless, just as helpless as he felt when Robin was dying in his arms. 

You refuse to look down at your parents in the makeshift graves. Your friends keep glancing at you, watching you with sympathetic, sad eyes – you can’t stand it. You can’t bury your brother, not like you can bury your parents, all that is left of him are his remains. You don’t know what happened to him, whether he was eaten, and this was all that was left of him or if he lost his arm before he turned, if he is walking around somewhere, looking like your mother did before Eddie shot her. One thing is for sure: whether his body is gone completely or not, he was infected. He was a monster. He died too. 

You kneel down after putting your brother’s arm next to your parents. You stay there for a moment. You don’t look down at them. You just sit there for a moment, eyes closed. This overwhelming emptiness inside of you starts spreading at this final moment. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

You feel his touch, feel his hand on your shoulder. Not everything is gone. Not yet. Your chin starts to tremble, and your heart starts beating against your chest painfully. 

Steve can hear your shaky breathing, he hears your sniffle and he feels the tension in your shoulder. You are still trying to keep yourself together. 

“Sunshine…” Steve’s broken whisper fills your chest with pain. 

“We should bury them…” You whisper and get up. His hand falls from your shoulder. “We should… before it starts raining…” You point at the darkening sky above you. 

Steve hesitates but grabs the shovel nonetheless. It feels like a blow to his chest watching you throw the soil into the hole; it lands on the bodies loudly, harshly. And he sees the expression on your face, the way you freeze when you truly register just what is happening, just what you are doing as you bury your family in your front yard. 

This is the opposite of what you wanted. 

This is not how it was supposed to end. 

You were never supposed to lose them, not like this, not so soon. 

Steve and Eddie help you bury your family while Nancy is carving the names of your parents and your brother into a wooden board, a makeshift cross she made. 

The wind picks up, blowing through your hair. Goosebumps rise on your skin as the cold nips at you. Your vision is blurry, your whole body is aching and shaking. You can no longer see them as they are covered now by inches and inches of soil. You drop the shovel on the ground and look down at your trembling hands. Your palms are burning, skin raw. Your breathing gets heavier. 

You hear your name being called. You hear his voice. You feel his touch on your shoulder. Your vision starts to blur, and your throat starts closing down on you, especially when you see Nancy and Eddie digging the cross into the ground. 

“Sunshine.” Steve whispers, standing before you now, both hands on your shoulder. Brown eyes filled with worry. “Hey… baby.” He tries to shake you softly, noticing the state you are in. Frozen. Paralyzed. Your wide eyes are not on him; they are on the ground where your family is buried. 

Steve starts calling your name, not Sunshine, not Baby, he is calling you by your name. Your chest rises up and down heavily. Your knees start shaking, and you take a step back, his hands falling from your shoulders. 

“Sunshine–”

You freeze once more when a raindrop hits your forehead. Your eyebrows knit together and you look at him before you look up into the sky. You knew it was gonna rain, you said it yourself. Though the expression on your face is more of a realization than confusion. 

“What–”

“This isn’t good.” You mumble. “This isn’t good for them.”

Eddie and Nancy glance at each other, questioning looks on their faces. 

“What do you mean?” Steve asks softly. 

You turn around. Without another word, you start walking away, away from your family, away from them. You start walking slowly at first and then you pick up the pace and start running. 

“Sunshine!” Steve yells as he starts running after you, thinking that you are gonna run back into the house. Instead, you run past it, making your way to the backyard. The rain starts falling harder, thunder starts rumbling. Your boots dig into the dirty ground, leaving footprints. Your heart starts pounding harshly out of fear, out of panic, out of sadness, you don’t know it. You run and then… just like before, just like when you saw your dad on the ground, just like when you saw your mom’s bloodshot eyes staring back at you, just like when you found the remains of your brother, you freeze. 

“No.” You whisper, turning in every direction, looking around wide eyed, terror written all over your face as you continue to whisper; “no, no, no…”

Eddie is the one who freezes the way you just did. This was one of the things you had told him about in the very beginning, when he took you fishing in Hawkins. This was one of the things that made you smile from reminiscing about it. 

“There used to be this big sunflower field behind my parents’ house, it was beautiful. I got lost in it as a child though… once or twice.” 

Now there is nothing to get lost in anymore. There is nothing left. The ground is rotten, nothing but black soil beneath your boots. The remaining sunflowers lie dead on the ground, rotten and dry. 

Steve’s eyes flicker across the field that once bloomed with flowers, that once bloomed with life, with happiness. He can feel your pain, your heartache. He can almost hear the echoes of the past, of your laughter in these fields. Now it’s your cries that leave an echo when your knees hit the ground, and your fingers dig into the rotten soil. The tears you tried to hold in, the tears that you kept wiping away every time they tried to roll down your cheeks, fall freely now. Sobs you didn’t want to let out fall from your lips. 

Pain spreads inside Steve’s chest, watching you break completely. Everything inside of him turns, the knife twisting deeper and deeper. His body moves on its own accord, and he drops down beside you, not hesitating to pull you into his arms. He almost expects you to push him away in your grief, but instead, you bury your face in his chest. You sob with an open mouth, yelling, screaming your pain, and everything you once knew is gone.

Everything is gone. Every single memory is now a stab to your heart. The happy memories are now stained with dark blood. Not a single memory could bring you joy right now, not ever. You were never getting back what you just lost. It was gone, forever.

Nancy couldn’t hold it anymore, and she turned to dig her face into Eddie’s chest, trying not to sob so you wouldn’t hear her. Eddie’s arms enveloped her, and he looked up at the sky trying to hold it all in. He could feel her trembling in his arms, and he knew what she felt. He knew it because he felt it too.

Their families are waiting for them at the community. Dustin is waiting for Steve, Wayne is waiting for him as well as his sweetheart, and then Nancy has her entire family. You are gonna go into that community… and have no one. They will be happy, while you are left with no one. 

It felt unfair that they have the happiness that was just ripped away from you. It felt selfish. He was now afraid of being way too happy when he gets to the community, because he didn’t want you to feel broken. Nancy felt the same. How could she hug her parents and siblings, while you stood on the side, no one coming to receive you?

“They–They’re gone! They’re–” Your sobs never stopped, and they only made your throat start to hurt and pulse from how loud they were, from how much they were painfully coming out of you. Steve nodded, his hand rubbing at the back of your head as he rocked you back and forth.

“I know, I know, baby, I’m so sorry–” He didn’t know what to say as he clenched his eyes tightly. He was trying to keep himself together for you, but he couldn’t, not when he was basically feeling your pain. 

“Dead! They’re dead!” You screamed in agony into his chest, your brain pounding in your head, and your heart probably wishing to stop. Wishing to just go with them. Wishing that you could turn back time, and change so many things. The fact of it all, was that you couldn’t. But you couldn’t accept this either. 

Because they weren’t just gone. They didn’t go somewhere for them to return. Gone is very vague. They were dead. They weren’t coming back at all. They were now underground, no air coming into their lungs, their hearts completely still, and their memories of you gone as well. 

The rain was starting to get heavier, and Eddie was looking around to make sure they were not going to get jumped at by anything or anyone. If your family was turned, then it meant there might be monsters or turned nearby. He didn’t want to interrupt. He didn’t, but the soil was getting muddier, and the terrain was getting tricky if they were caught in a predicament.

He patted Nancy’s back, and she sniffled, looking up at him. She pulled away from his body, getting her hands on her rifle, her pained eyes looking down at you and Steve. She took a deep breath in, before slowly whispering.

“Steve…” His eyes opened, and he looked up at her. She was frowning in worry and sadness, and his gaze finally looked around. Fog started building from how heavy the rain was falling, mixing with the humidity of the soil that built up underneath. 

And there was a point where he couldn’t see anything at all. They needed to move. That’s what Nancy’s eyes were telling him. He didn’t want to interrupt your grief. His eyes begged at his friends for just one more minute, but as he begged for that, he could feel your body relaxing, or rather, growing a little limp on him. 

Your sobs stopped, your body stopped shaking, and he grew worried that you might have passed out on him. He gently moved, pulling away, still keeping his arms around you, and what he saw was as terrifying as when he saw your father lying on the kitchen floor.

The tears running down your cheeks, leaving traces of them because of the dirt that was on your face when you dug up the holes. The rain all over your hair, your clothes. Your lips… no longer trembling. Your eyes are void of any feelings, of any spark. Your body was swaying slightly, and Nancy’s eyes widened, moving forward, remembering the state you were in when you saved them from the three people who were gonna do unspeakable things to all of you.

Steve stopped her with a hand, shaking his head.

“No… I…–” He looked back at you, and he rubbed your cheek gently, wiping away the mud, the tears, the rain. “Sunshine? Are you there?”

“-- Leave.”

“What?” His eyes widened for a second, but you took a breath and continued.

“We need to leave.” He nodded, feeling a lump forming in his throat. For a second, he thought that you were deciding to stay behind, and that thought hadn’t crossed his mind until now. 

If you had decided to stay… He was gonna stay too.

But instead, you got up slowly, the soil on your knees, on your pants, just everywhere in your clothes. He followed right after, holding your arms gently, but you were not looking at him. You were looking at his chest, as if he were see-through. He turned his head around, and Eddie nodded at the house.

“Okay… Okay, baby… We’re gonna go to the RV, and we’re gonna shower, okay?” You didn’t reply. Nancy was still crying, so before you could see her, or hear her, she started walking, quickly, towards your house. Eddie took a deep breath in, his eyes worried as he looked at your still form. 

“We’ll be there in a few minutes… Take your time…” He mumbles to Steve, and the latter nods, wrapping his arm around you as Eddie walks after Nancy. Steve could only assume that they would scavenge the house either for supplies or just letting you two have a moment to yourselves. 

“Come on, Sunshine…” He started walking the two of you towards the RV. Your feet digging into the soil, the mud covering your boots, but even if it was tricky, you didn’t complain. You didn’t twitch. You didn’t make a sound, which only made Steve’s worry grow. He kept an eye out for danger, making sure that there was nothing around the two of you.

Once you reached the RV, the two of you got inside, and he started taking the jacket and dirty clothes off, as well as his boots, leaving him in just his shirt and underwear. You were still looking at nothing, standing at the entrance of the RV after he closed it. He whispered your name, and helped you take the clothes off.

You were like a ragdoll. Your arm fell when he took a sleeve of your jacket off, then the other. You let him take off your pants, helping him just slightly to step out of your boots and the denim. He grabbed all the dirty clothes and threw them in a basket that was on the kitchen counter. He left the boots close to the entrance, noting that they had to be cleaned later. 

He rushed to the shower, turning it on so it could start heating up. His eyes found your form, standing in the middle of the vehicle, eyes… not even lost. He didn’t know how to explain it but it felt as if your body was vacant. Empty. 

He had seen horrible things. He had seen monsters, friends dying, friends almost dying, people getting possessed, but seeing you like this, had to be in his top five. You looked terrifying like this. With no emotions. With no twitch of the eyebrow. With no tears. He didn’t expect you to smile right now, but he just hoped… he hoped this was just the shock.

He ripped his shirt off, and tested the water with his hand. It was rather hot for him, but he knew you liked it like this. He held your hand, gently, your eyes finding his. A shiver was sent through his body, your body automatically moving towards him as he guided you towards the shower. 

He fully undressed the two of you and stepped into the crammed space, taking you with him. You stood under the stream, and he closed the small door. He helped you wash yourself, or well, you let yourself be washed. You weren’t moving. He felt his heart racing, dread slowly dawning on him the more you two stood underneath the shower.

He cradled your face, making you look up at him. He started to slowly wash your face, and he knew your eyes were unfocused. He knew you weren’t looking at him. Your breathing was steady, and he wondered what was going on inside your head… But he had a guess… Nothing.

There was nothing.

He lifted your arms to wash you thoroughly, bent down so he would wash your legs, the water running down in brown and dark colors, falling into the small drain. He got up and turned you around to start washing your hair, as softly as he could. You didn’t whimper or complain. He didn’t know if he was tugging too hard, or if he was being rough with his scrubbing. 

He washed himself after he was done with you, doing it as quickly as possible, wanting to put you in bed and for Nancy and Eddie to have a chance to clean themselves before they head out. His mind was racing as he moved, turning off the water to wrap you in a towel. He stepped out after you, grabbing a towel from a cabinet so he could wrap it around his waist.

He pulled the blind door open, making you sit on the bed. He was breathing heavily, his eyebrows furrowed as he stood there. The water only helped with cleaning you, but it didn’t help your soul. Was your soul even here? Or did it bury it alongside your parents?

He gulped heavily, bending down, pressing his hands on your knees. He tried finding your gaze, but you were still… nowhere.

“Sunshine… Talk to me? Please…?”

You remained silent, but slowly, your eyes moved to find his, and he expected something. Anything. He expected you to light up, even if it sounded too selfish of him to wish for it at this time, but he wished for your eyes to glint with happiness every time that you looked at him. He knew them because that's exactly how he looked back at you, whenever you moved, talked, or kissed him.

But what he didn’t expect was for you to talk. Low, rough… lifeless… And his heart broke even more.

“You were right… I should have listened… I shouldn’t have come.” Those words aren’t meant to make him feel guilty, they aren’t filled with anger, they aren’t directed at him in a way that could make him believe that you didn’t forgive him back then and now. No. You just agree with his past words, now knowing that what he said was nothing but the truth. He can see there is no hate in your eyes, not the kind he had in his when you stumbled into his life back then, when you tried to pick up his broken pieces. But it hurts. He felt like something just struck him in the chest. You remembered. You remembered what he said all those months ago. You remembered every word and how he manifested and predicted what you were going to find here.

And it slowly dawns on him… You had always thought about it. You had always remembered. You had always gambled on this option. That day, in front of Robin’s grave, he killed a bit of your hope. He was the beginning of the void you are now… and he was now only realizing this. 

His eyes averted from yours, and he was stunned into silence, a ringing falling in his ears. Everything stood still for a moment, and he felt so awful. He felt like he was going to be sick. Your parents were now resting underneath a broken patch of sunflowers and he had predicted all of it. 

He only snapped out of it when he heard the RV door open, and he closed the blinds from the room. He put one of his shirts over you, and he put on just boxers as sleepwear. He got you in bed, and he laid down next to you, almost mechanically.

Your head was on his chest, but there was no warmth coming from you. No sobs, no cries, no heavy breathing. Steady, silent, and no words were exchanged. He couldn’t even say he didn’t mean it. He couldn’t even tell you that he didn’t expect it, and that this wasn’t supposed to happen. He started being hopeful that he was wrong, thanks to you.

He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t tell you how sorry he was… He couldn’t speak to you… What if he said something else? What if he made a mistake? Did you need to hear him right now? Even as he laid there on the same bed as you, his arm wrapped around your frame, both awake… It felt lonely. You weren’t there.

Your body was in the room, but you really weren’t. He wanted to hug you, calm you, rock you back and forth, and for some reason, he couldn’t. You weren’t doing anything. Only then did your breath started being slower, deeper, and he realized you were asleep. You probably passed out.

After an hour, he was still staring at the ceiling, the RV moving away from your house, away from that horrible moment you had gone through. But the grief remained in it. His eyes watered, and tears started slipping down the sides of his face. He felt guilty. He felt like a complete piece of shit. He felt unworthy of everything that had happened the past few months. 

He couldn’t even be mad if you hated him now. He couldn’t be sad because, why wouldn’t you? You lost it all, and he had told you so. 

He held in his sobs as your body felt cold against him under the blankets. It felt as if you were dead, and maybe you were. Maybe you were as buried as your parents and brother were back in your house. 

He had someone, Nancy had family, and Eddie had family. You had no one.

And no one could replace your family.

Not even him.

Much less him.

☀︎

“Good morning, Sunshine.” 

He hears the way your breath stutters, and it makes him smile. He peeks his eyes open to find you looking at him now, your lips curled into a smile, cheeks flushed, the smallest amount of shyness flashing in your eyes, like you didn’t do the most unspeakable things on this bed last night – much to Eddie’s and Nancy’s dismay. 

“Hi.” You whisper and lean closer to peck his lips. A simple sweet kiss that turns heated in a matter of seconds because he can’t resist you. He pulls you on top of him completely, wrapping his arms around your body as he kisses you breathless. His tongue swipes along your bottom lip, and you don’t hesitate to open your mouth wider, moaning as the kiss gets more intense. 

Steve smiles against your lips, his heart beats strongly against his chest as your soft whines sound like music to his ears. His fingers run through your hair. Hands sliding down your back, squeezing your hips and then your butt, fingers digging into the flesh. 

You moan both at the touch and at him growing harder against your inner thigh. Your core is burning with need already and by the way he is growling into the kiss, moaning and grabbing at you while his hips start grinding against you, you know he wants you too, badly so. 

But you want something else today, you’ve been wanting something else for a while now. Steve is so good to you, perfect even. He puts you and your pleasure first. Every chance he gets, he spends his time with his head between your thighs, tasting you, devouring you. He fucks you so good, no matter what position he puts you in, he always makes you see stars and of course you know that he feels good too, you can see it in the way his eyes roll to the back of his head when he comes, you can hear it in the way he whimpers your name, you can feel it in the way he holds you extra tightly and how his hips stutter when he is inside of you but you want him to feel a different type of good, you want to make him feel the type of good that he makes you feel when his face is buried between your thighs. 

Steve begins to push you to the side, and you know what comes next, he wants your back pressed against the mattress so he can get on top of you, so he can kiss down your body, so he can taste you. 

But today it’s your turn. 

You press your palm against his hairy chest, keeping him down against the mattress. His lips slow down against yours, and when you pull away from the kiss and open your eyes to see the confused look on his face, you almost giggle, especially after taking a longer look at him. His hair is a mess, both from sleep and from your last night’s activities. His cheeks are flushed, and his lips bruised. 

“What–”

You shush him with another kiss to his lips, giving him the softest peck that makes his hazel eyes soften. 

“I wanna try something else today…” You whisper. Your cheeks start to burn so badly. 

Steve’s eyebrows shoot up, and his lips part. His throat bobs when he swallows, and he pushes himself up on his elbow. He scratches the back of his neck, “oh?” He squints his eyes at you, noticing how sheepish you look now, how shy. 

He brings his hand up to your face, cupping your cheek as his thumb comes to rest on your chin. He pulls your bottom lip free from your teeth. 

“What is it, baby?” Steve asks, unable to stop the smirk from spreading. It’s been weeks since you’ve started dating, since you’ve started having sex, and still you get so shy at his nicknames, at his touches. He loves it. 

Your heart pounds against your ribcage, nerves going wild inside of you, and the way he is looking at you isn’t helping your case at all. You take a deep breath and lick your lips, still aware of his thumb on your chin and how it’s still brushing against your lower lip. 

“I wanna make you feel good, Steve.” 

Steve gulps. His stomach flips once again. He has an idea of what you mean but he needs you to say it. 

“How?”

You blink at him. Desire starts burning in you, just the thought alone at making him fall apart drives you insane. 

You could tell him, or you could show him. 

Or both. 

“Wanna make you feel good with my mouth,” you murmur, not breaking eye contact, you watch his reaction closely, watching the way his eyes darken. “Wanna suck your dick, Steve.” You whisper before you wrap your lips around his thumb, teasing with your tongue before you suck a little. And by the way he twitches against your inner thigh and how a low moan falls from his lips, you know he wants it too. 

“Can I?” You ask sweetly after releasing his thumb. “Please?”

How could he ever say no to you? 

“F-Fuck…” Steve murmurs, nearly whining. “Are you sure, baby?”

You nod, and he can see it in your eyes how badly you want this. 

But he suddenly grows shy, and his cheeks start burning too now. He clears his throat, “I just–” He huffs, eyes moving away from yours for a split second. His jaw clenches as he looks around before his gaze returns to you. For a moment, he doesn’t speak, just stares at you. 

Uncertainty bubbles inside of you. Does he think that you won’t be good at it? 

“I know I don’t have the kind of experience you do, but I wanna make you feel good, Steve.”

Steve’s eyes widen at your words, and he quickly shakes his head when he realizes the kind of thoughts that are running through your mind right now. His hand falls to the side of your neck, and he leans in to peck your lips. He tucks your hair behind your ear. 

Your brows are furrowed when he pulls back again, eyes soft and wide with confusion. God, you are so sweet – wanting to make him feel good, wanting to do such things to him. 

“It’s not about you, Sunshine.” He assures you, cheeks heating up more and more. “It’s just… no one has ever… you know…” His words come out awkwardly, shyly, which is something very new to him and to you. 

The shock is written all over your face, but once that wears off, Steve can see the way your eyes flash with something that can only be described as satisfaction and excitement. 

“You– never?” You whisper, eyes stuck intensely on his face, watching every reaction, enjoying the red cheeks and the shyness he is expressing so freely. 

“No.” Steve shrugs. 

“How…” You mumble. “Why?” You tilt your head to the side, like you don’t understand how no one’s ever gone down on him. You know about his past, that he was some kind of casanova back in high school and even after… in a way. He’s had plenty of sex, but no one has ever sucked his dick? Your mouth is salivating at just the thought of doing it. You have been thinking about this for so long, perhaps longer than you would ever admit to him. You have been dying to watch him fall apart because of your touch, to watch him throw his head back, to watch him lose himself in pleasure, to feel him pulling your hair, to see him looking down at you like you are the only thing that matters, to hear him moan your name, to please him in ways only you can. 

Steve shrugs once again, chuckling softly at the frown on your face. 

“No one’s ever offered–”

“What kinda girls were you sleeping with?” You roll your eyes. There’s a hint of annoyance in your voice, but also jealousy, despite it all being in the past. 

Steve runs his fingers through your hair, his hand falling down to your shoulder, rubbing up and down your arm. 

“Doesn’t matter anymore, baby.” Steve smiles at you, kissing your lips. 

“You’re right, it doesn’t.” You nod. “Cause I wanna be your first if you’ll let me.” Steve can tell that this news gives you a kind of confidence you didn’t have before. He can tell that you love knowing that you get to be his first in a way the same way he got to be yours. And his heart flutters strongly at the fact that you wanna do this without wanting anything in return. 

“I would never say no to you,” he murmurs against your lips. 

“No?” You smile, gazing into his eyes as your lips keep brushing against his. “Then ask me.” 

Steve gulps. His hazel eyes wide as he looks at you. Something in him stirs, not just his heart or those butterflies in his stomach, something else, something that makes him feel hungry, feral for you, for your mouth on him. 

His eyes darken, his grip on you tightens. The air between you is thick and heavy, burning. The sweet atmosphere changes so quickly, evolving into something else. 

He doesn’t ask. 

He bites his lower lip as his eyes flicker between your own eyes and your puffy lips. And you admire him, the light stubble on his cheeks, his mustache that you begged him not to shave, his messy hair, and those beautiful dark eyes that make him look absolutely desperate for you. 

“Touch me.” Steve murmurs. His voice is low, rough from just waking up. 

Your stomach flips, excitement bubbling inside of you. You breathe heavily as you wait for him to say it. 

He stares at you. Emotions going wild in his eyes, his cock stirs against you and you have to press your lips together to stop yourself from moaning as desire runs deeper and deeper. 

“Suck my cock, Sunshine.”

Your stomach flips, and the excitement in you snaps. Steve can see it in the way your eyes basically light up, and your lips curl upwards. Your enthusiasm is almost amusing by how quickly you are to push him back down on the pillows, not even wasting your time to attach your lips to his neck, not wasting time to make him moan. You suck and bite on his skin, marking him. You love covering him in hickeys, and he loves showing them off. You kiss down his chest. A strand of your hair gets stuck on his chain, something that he notices immediately. He gently removes it from his chain, careful not to pull it… yet. His palm comes to rest on the side of your cheek and he looks down at you in adoration and anticipation. His chest starts rising up and down faster and faster, heart pounding in his chest. 

“Fuck…” Steve breathes, clenching his jaw at his throbbing dick, the twitching almost becoming painful when he reacts to all your little touches. From the way you kiss down his stomach softly, to the kitten licks you tease his skin with, to the soft sighs escaping your lips, and your hands on his body. The closer you get to where he needs you, the harder he gets. His eyes follow your every movement, glued to you, and god you are a sight for sore eyes – your hair is sprawled across your arched back, cheeks flushed and glowing beneath the sunlight peeking through the blinds. Your back arches more and more as you move lower down his body, and it only makes his case worse, knowing that you are completely bare beneath the sheets that are low on your hips now, exposing you more. He knows you are aching between your thighs, knows that you are wet already, aching for him. 

Steve jolts when you trail your tongue along his happy trail, tearing a moan from his lips. Holy fuck. 

“You’re so hot, Steve.” You moan, kissing the veins that lead down to his dick. You clench around nothing when you wrap your hand around his throbbing length. His tip is an angry red, leaking already. Your nerves are running wild, heart pounding against your chest. You want this so bad, and by how he’s been reacting so far, you know he wants it just as badly. Still, you can’t help but feel nervous, worried about doing it the wrong way. Though when you press your lips against him, giving his heavy cock a kiss, confidence rushes through you when he lets out a loud moan, followed by your name. You do it again, again, and again. 

“Sunshine… Holy fuck–” He breathes and his stomach tenses, his eyes widen, stuck on you and the way you kiss down his length. He can’t believe this is happening. 

“Does that feel good, Steve?” You ask sweetly, glancing up at him as you press your tongue to the underside of his dick, licking up to his tip, you swirl your tongue around before enveloping it with your lips. A mewl falls from your lips as you slowly take more of him into your mouth. You try not to think too much while trying not to forget; no teeth, hollow your cheeks, spit, jerk him off where you can’t reach. 

“O-Oh my fucking…. baby!” Steve’s broken whimper pulls you out of your thoughts. One look at him is enough to have you moaning around him like you are the one getting pleasured. He looks like a mess, and you've only just started. He moans your name. One hand curled around the sheets beneath him, the other hand sprawled on the top of your head, fingers ready to sink into your hair. His eyes are wider than ever as he watches you pull away from him, releasing him, but only to spit down on him. For a second, you watch your own spit dripping down his length like you are fascinated by it. 

Steve’s fingers curl into your hair, knuckles turning white. He can’t tear his eyes away from you. He is watching intensely, gulping. Everything in him is burning in a way it never did before. Not only is this feeling overwhelming in the best way possible, but watching you play with him, watching you be so filthy with it, awakens something else in him. 

And then you take him back into your mouth, only this time, you take him deeper than before, deep enough that you nearly choke on him, and Steve has to try so hard to stay put, to not buck his hips up, but fuck… you feel so good, and you feel even better when you hollow your cheeks around him and start bobbing your head, slowly and unsurely at first. 

Steve couldn’t describe this feeling even if he tried, but besides being inside of you, this is the closest thing he’ll get to heaven, he is sure of it. 

“Sunshine…” Steve whimpers, fingers gripping your hair tighter now, giving the weakest tug as you start bobbing your head faster while jerking him off where your mouth can’t reach him. Your moves are a bit sloppy, but only you notice it. Steve is so far gone in his pleasure, all he feels is your warm, wet mouth around him, hollowing more and more. Your moans vibrate against him. He bites on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. His eyes grow heavy, threatening to roll to the back of his head, especially when you keep moaning like that. He breathes your name, again and again. 

“Please…” Steve begs, tugging at your hair to get your attention. “Look at me, baby… I need to see your eyes… Baby, please…” He is so desperate for you, despite you drooling over him, being so hungry for him, for his dick in your throat, he still needs to be close to you, closer. 

Steve’s dick twitches so painfully in your mouth when you give him what he wants. Your glassy eyes locking with his as you don’t slow down your movements at all, if anything, looking at him only spurs you on even more. You whimper loudly around him, bobbing your head now faster. You are drooling all over him, tears pooling at your lower lash line. Something dark twists in his chest, something wild, something that makes him pull your hair harder, and yet his heart flutters at the same time, seeing you get so lost in making him feel good. You are enjoying this, he can tell. He can see how your brain is turned off now, no worries, no nerves standing in the way, nothing but pleasure. 

“Fuck… you are so hot… oh… what do you do to me…?” Steve whimpers loudly, keeping a tight grip on your hair as he feels his release coming close already, too soon. 

Your breathy moan sounds through the RV. A tear rolls down your cheek that he wants to wipe away so bad, but he can’t even function when you pull out yet another new move, your fingers squeezing his balls gently, all while swirling your tongue around his dick like you know exactly what you are doing. 

“Sunshine…” Steve suddenly tenses up, the muscles in his stomach aching. His breathing gets heavier as his eyes get wider. His voice is warning you. “I can’t– I’m not…” He curses under his breath as everything in him tightens. “I’m not gonna last.” He whines in a way that would have made him pathetic under normal circumstances. He can’t hold it in, not like this, not when you do this to him. “Baby…” He warns you again, but you don’t listen, not in the slightest, if anything, you move your head faster, hollowing your cheeks around him even more, moaning like you are lost in your own world.  

And Steve doesn’t know what to do with himself, how to stop his hips from bucking up, how to stop his fingers from tugging harshly at your hair. He knows he can’t hold back, and part of him feels so embarrassed for not lasting that long, but he can’t even blame himself. 

You moan around him so sweetly, slipping your free hand up his stomach, touching his hot skin. His hand finds yours quickly, and he curls it around your own almost bruisingly. 

“I’m gonna cum, Sunshine…” Steve doesn’t bother to hide his whine, trying to pull you off him, but you don’t budge, not in the slightest. You want it, you want him to cum in your mouth, but despite his pleasure, he doesn’t want to overwhelm you — not that you seem to be in any way. You look like you are right where you want to be. 

And when you twist your hand around him, sucking him off like you personally need it, and you blink at him with your tear-filled eyes, he can’t help himself anymore. Your name rolls off his tongue in a loud whimper as he cums inside your mouth, painting your tongue and your throat, making you choke a little before you pull off him. Hand still wrapped around him, replacing your mouth now as you continue to stroke him slowly. 

Your lips are wet just like your cheeks are. His cum trickles down your chin. You are a mess, you both are. Steve can barely catch his breath. His chest shines with sweat, his hair is stuck to his forehead, and soft moans continue to fall from his lips. He softens in your hand – your hand that is covered in his cum just like your mouth is, just like your chin. He twitches yet again at the sight of you. Hair messy, cheeks flushed, skin glistening because of him, puffy lips, and doe eyes, staring up at him in awe of what you were able to make him do. His heart swells in his chest. His girl. His Sunshine. 

You release him, looking down at your hand, blushing. He is about to sit up, to get something to clean you up when you do something that stops his breathing. You lick his cum off your fingers, eyes closing, moans falling. 

“Holy fuck… Sunshine.” Is all he can say, in absolute shock. You are so… freaky, filthy, and it only makes his obsession with you worse. He can’t help himself when he finally sits up and reaches for you. He grabs you under your armpits and pulls you up and back to him, this time he doesn’t hesitate to get your body underneath his. He pins you down and starts kissing all over your face, making you giggle. 

“Was that– was I good?” You ask when he has his face buried in your neck, lips attached to your skin. 

Steve can hear the uncertainty in your voice despite the mess you made of him just now. He pulls back from your neck to look at you. His eyes are hooded, his cheeks are still flushed, his sweaty chest pressed against yours. 

“Baby…” Steve murmurs as he brings his hand up to your face. He caresses your skin and tucks your hair behind your ear. Your lips curl into a smile at his touch. Your eyes light up, and your lashes flutter. You lean into his touch, lips following his palm to give him a kiss, and oh the way it makes his heart skip. For a moment, he stays quiet and takes the sight in under him. Your hair is sprawled on the pillow beneath you. Your soft skin, your body bare and exposed for him only. His eyes follow every mark his lips had made. He sees the way goosebumps rise on your skin and hears the way your breathing stutters when his hand runs down your stomach. The sigh that falls from your lips is so sweet, you are so sweet. He can’t believe what you have just done to him, what your pretty mouth has done to him. He leans down to kiss you, “I think you sucked my soul out.” He murmurs against your lips, and it makes you giggle. 

You throw your arms around him, beaming up at him. His words satisfy you. 

“Good, that’s exactly what I was going for.” You grin at him, gazing into his pretty eyes. 

Steve chuckles. He can’t believe you are his. 

“Oh, Sunshine.” He sighs softly and buries his face back in your neck, pressing his lips against your skin. He melts against you, and you embrace him happily. Your hand runs up and down his back, your lips find his shoulder. “Where’d you even learn that?” Steve asks after a long moment of silence, not really thinking anything of it. 

Your hand halts on his back. 

“I asked Eddie.”

Steve freezes against you. With furrowed eyebrows, he pulls back to look down at you. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say it’s jealousy that crosses his face. 

“What…?”

“I asked Eddie…” You shrug, giving him a sweet and innocent smile. “I wanted to surprise you, Steve… who else was I supposed to ask for advice?”

You can’t help but giggle when he rolls his eyes. Yeah, clearly jealous. 

Steve sighs dramatically. He pushes off you, but not without kissing your lips first. He sits up and turns his back to you. He runs his fingers through his hair, huffing. 

You lay there for a moment, eyes tracing the moles on his back. Your smile lingers.

“Steve…” You whisper, poking his back. He huffs again, and it amuses you. There is not a single reason for him to feel jealous, and he knows it. You sit up too and wrap your arms around him, placing your palms on his chest. You lean your chin on his shoulder. 

“It’s not like he showed me how to do it.” 

Steve freezes again at both your words and the bratty tone in your voice. The jealousy and the irritation in him spark so strongly that not even a minute later, he is dressed in jeans and a shirt, stomping out of the RV like a madman, leaving you behind giggling on the bed. He throws the door open, startling Nancy, who is sitting on a camping stool with a book in hand and her rifle leaning against her chair. She raises her eyebrows at him, eyes flashing with amusement when she sees the mess on his head, eyes fixated on Eddie, who is munching on a granola bar, standing there with his back turned to him, none the wiser, humming with his headphones on.

Steve walks up to him and smacks him on the back of his head, startling the metalhead, who starts choking. Eddie takes his headphones off and turns around with nothing but confusion on his face. 

“What the hell, man!?” 

“Why are you teaching my girlfriend how to suck dick!?” 

Nancy’s eyes widen. The interest in her book is gone right away; she closes it and puts it down, looking between them. 

Steve is seething as he glares at his best friend, and normally, Eddie would have felt intimidated by this type of anger, but instead, he feels amused and smug, especially when he realizes just how flushed Steve’s cheeks are, not from anger but from something else. His eyes fall to his neck, exposed and covered in your marks. The jealousy in Steve’s eyes isn’t very hard to miss, though it only makes Eddie wanna laugh even more. He can’t help but fuel it.

“Don’t worry, we only did the theoretical part.” Eddie bumps his shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows with a shit-eating grin. 

Steve’s face drops, and Eddie knows he fucked up. 

“Too far?” Eddie chuckles. 

Steve takes a step closer, nodding with a clenched jaw, “too far.” He reaches forward, and Eddie discards his granola bar and makes a run for it. 

“Hey!” Steve yells and starts running after him. “Get back here, asshole!”

Eddie laughs loudly as he runs through the field of grass. His eyes widen when he turns around to see Steve much closer than expected. A yelp pours from his mouth when he trips over nothing, running hunched over for a second. 

“Who better to give advice than someone who received and also gave?” Eddie yells, laughing like a maniac. 

Nancy watches them, sighing. She rolls her eyes and leans back in her chair, “children.” She mutters under her breath. Her eyes flicker to the open door. She hears you shuffling around the RV, probably getting dressed. And then she straightens up and jumps to her feet when she registers just what Steve is so angry and jealous about. You sucked him off. She rushes into the RV for some much-needed girl talk, leaving the bickering boys behind. 

Only when they are both out of breath do they finally stop running across the field like kids. 

Eddie is hunched over, holding onto his knees as he tries to catch his breath. Steve is standing beside him, hands on his hips, breathing just as heavily as he still glares at the red-cheeked metalhead. 

“Are you gonna thank me now or keep pretending you’re mad at me?” Eddie huffs, wiping his mouth. 

Steve stares at him, his face unreadable. His eyes flicker across his face, and then his shoulders slump and his features relax. 

“I love you so much, thank you.” 

Eddie snorts. His eyes light up as he breaks into a grin. He straightens up and reaches his arm out to pat Steve on his back. 

“There it is.” 

Steve shakes his head, falling quiet again. He runs his hand through his even messier hair now. He looks back at the RV to find the door now shut, Nancy’s chair empty. His cheeks heat up again, knowing that you are probably sharing every detail about how much fun you both had, about how much fun you had. His stomach flutters at the freshly made memory. You looked like you enjoyed it more than he thought you would. You looked like you were in your own world, going dumb around his dick. 

Steve swallows. He turns back to Eddie, who is watching him intently, like he knows exactly what he is thinking about. 

“She was so into it… is that normal?” Steve asks quietly, face burning up. 

Eddie’s smirk only widens at that, and he throws his arm around Steve’s shoulder. 

“Told you she was a freak.” He whispers, chuckling. 

Steve can’t deny that. A smile creeps up on his face, and he looks down at the grass and the melting snow beneath his boots. 

“You’re gonna learn more from her than you teaching her shit.” 

And Steve’s smile vanishes just as quickly, replaced by a frown. He looks back up. 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Eddie places his hand on his chest, grabbing Steve’s shoulder now as his face gets serious. 

“...Harrington, I will say this with all the love and care I have for you.”

“Huh?” Steve looks at him dumbly. 

“You’re vanilla as fuck.”

Steve’s jaw falls slack. His eyes widen. 

“One would think you are the virgin, not her.” Eddie adds, throwing more fuel into the flames. 

“I…I am not vanilla!” Steve gasps, pushing Eddie’s shoulder.

“Tell me another position other than missionary, doggy, or cowgirl.” Eddie raises one brow at him, waiting for Steve to save himself from the title he just gave him. 

Though Steve has nothing to say. His hazel eyes flicker back and forth, mouth still open. He places his hand on his hip, huffing. 

“That uh…”

“Uh huh.” Eddie hums and points a finger at the RV. “I bet that girl there would be into 69, reverse cowgirl, lotus, and butterfly.”

Steve is stunned, staring at him wide-eyed. Eyebrows furrowed still. 

“...What the fuck is lotus? Like lotus flower?” 

Eddie’s face falls, and even his teasing smile vanishes. He shakes his head like he’s disappointed. 

“...You’re just digging the hole deeper for yourself now.” Eddie sighs and walks off and back to the RV. 

“Hey!” Steve follows him, huffing. “What are you– what is that?”

Eddie picks up his discarded granola bar, looking down at it with a frown, checking to see if it’s still edible. He ignores the disgusted look on Steve’s face when he removes the grass and takes a bite. 

Steve opens his mouth again when the door bursts open, and you come skipping out, like you are having the best day of your life. Your smile is wide, your face glowing. You don’t hesitate to rush to his side, cuddling up to him. His arm curls around you instantly, pulling you into his chest. 

“Hey, watcha talking about?” You beam up at him before you glance at Eddie, whose smile returns when he looks at you. Amusement flickers across his face when he watches the way Steve’s cheeks get redder. 

“Vanilla chocolate chip cookies.” He winks at you. 

A moan falls from your lips at the mention of cookies, and Eddie nearly bursts out laughing when Steve’s eyes widen at the sound that just left your lips. Only one word comes to his mind when he looks at his best friend. Hopeless. 

Later that day, you and Steve set up camp miles and miles away from where you spent the previous night. Eddie and Nancy slept through the drive all the way there, still dozing off in the back of the RV while you and Steve catch the last rays of the sun peeking over the hills across from you. You are sitting on a picnic blanket by the stream. The air is crisp, slightly chill but not unpleasant, and spring is finally coming closer. 

A comfortable silence is settled between you two, the sound of the water rushing and the birds chirping all around you. Your eyes are closed as you lean back on the blanket, basking in the warmth of the sun. A small smile appears on your face when the wind blows through your hair, and Steve reaches his hand out to tuck it back behind your ear, palm lingering on your cheek. You lean into his touch, and his hand stays there. 

Steve’s eyes trace your face. Your soft features, the curve of your nose, your lips, the tiny scar on your cheekbone that reminds him to kiss it every day. He leans in and places his lips right there, pecking you softly. 

Your eyes flutter open, and you are met by the sight of him staring at you, admiring you. You can’t help but grow flustered. No matter how much you are starting to get used to his shameless staring, you still get shy every single time. Your fingers curl around his wrist, and you lean closer to nuzzle your nose against his. 

Steve’s breathing stutters, the lingering smile never fades, but his eyes close. He falls weak at your touch every time. Something he was once so afraid of is now coursing through him, growing stronger each and every day. You make him feel something he can’t even put into words, not even if he tried. But it’s so pure, so strong yet so fragile, easily to tear him apart if it was taken from him. 

You whisper his name, and he doesn’t hesitate to press his lips against yours, kissing you softly, kissing you in a way that makes you feel all that he has for you; everything. His hand cups the back of your head when he lays you down on the blanket. 

Your lips move softly and slowly against each other, savoring every moment, every hum, every soft moan. His hands cradle you so softly, and you hold onto his shoulders, fingers digging into his sweater. 

You stay like that for a while, just kissing each other, holding onto one another, enjoying this sweet moment. You both smile when you pull away from the kiss, he leans his forehead against yours, chuckling softly. 

“What?” You giggle, running your hand up and down his arm. 

Steve pecks your lips once more before he lies on his side next to you, holding himself up on his elbow. He shakes his head, “nothing.” He murmurs, keeping his hand on your cheek. “I’m just so happy.”

“Yeah?” Your eyes light up. 

Steve nods, smiling at you. He can’t help but lean in and kiss you again, and then again and again, and then he is peppering kisses all over your face, fingers digging into your waist. His heart is fluttering wildly in his chest at your giggles. The sound is like music to his ears. His heart is so happy, so full… full of… the words that are on the tip of his tongue, ready to be said. 

“Steve!” You whisper his name breathlessly. Your cheeks are hot from all the laughing, from all his kisses. 

“I’m sorry, baby.” He laughs, pressing one last kiss to your cheek before he pulls back. “Couldn’t help myself, I just adore you so much.” 

“I adore you too.” You bring your hand up to his cheek, caressing him. “So much.”

You see it in his eyes, you see the softness, the one that could make you melt right there. It makes you feel goosebumps, it makes you feel warm, it makes you feel excited, it makes you feel everything, all at once. Most of all, it makes you emotional because you almost didn’t have this. If he didn’t allow himself to give you a chance, you wouldn’t have this, you wouldn’t get to feel him like this, to be able to kiss him, to be able to have a piece of his heart. 

“Thank you.”

Steve’s hazel eyes flash with confusion. He shakes his head, “what are you thanking me for, baby?”

“For giving me a chance, for giving us a chance.” You whisper softly. “I know it wasn’t easy for you after everything that happened.”

Steve’s face softens. He presses his lips together, nodding. 

“It wasn’t, but only because I was dumb, a total idiot. I should be the one thanking you, Sunshine. For coming into my life– god, if only you had stumbled into Hawkins before the world went to shit, I would have been chasing you from the start, you know that right? None of that grumpy bullshit you had to deal with before.” He scoffs at himself for how he treated you in the beginning. 

“I don’t know, I kinda liked the grumpy Steve. I mean, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have followed you around so much.” You blush. 

“Oh, is that so?” He asks, intrigued as he pulls you up with him, sitting across from each other now, his hand reaches for yours, and he intertwines his fingers with your own. 

“Mhmm.”

He can’t help but blush, wondering what was going through your head back then when you just met. 

“Well, Honey, if we met back then, maybe you wouldn’t have liked me then if grumpy is your type.” He teases you, bringing your hand up to his lips, and he kisses your knuckles. 

“Pfft. You would be my type no matter what, Cowboy.” You remind him of the nickname you gave him in the beginning. 

“Oh yeah?”

You nod, gazing into his eyes. 

“Even in that sailor outfit.” You say, giggling. 

Steve groans, throwing his head back, exposing his marked neck – your work of art. You stare at it for a moment before your eyes find his hazel ones again. 

“It was hot! I loved the shorts, especially, they showed off your strong thighs.” You giggle as you climb into his lap, settling your knees on each side of him, and he envelopes you in his arms happily. “I would have been all over you if you served me.” You murmur, pecking his lips. 

His arms tighten around you, hand sliding down and sinking into the back pocket of your jeans. 

“Oh? Well, in that case… I would have totally embarrassed myself in front of you, trying to get you to go on a date with me.” 

“And I would have loved every second of it; it wouldn't take much for me to say yes, but I would have let you suffer a little.” You tease him. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t expect any less from you.” Steve chuckles softly, eyes never straying away from yours. “But I would have gotten my date, and I would have treated you like a princess.”

“You already do.” You smile. “I love that that was your job after school. I think it’s cute.”

Steve huffs, still blushing in embarrassment over it. His interest piques when he realizes that you never told him about your job between graduating high school and starting college. You told him everything about how high school was for you, your friendships, your first and only relationship before him, your family, stories from childhood but you never told him this. 

“You never told me about your summer job before college!” 

Your eyes widen as you’ve only realized it now as well. 

“Oh! I was a server!” 

Steve raises his eyebrows, smiling softly. 

“At Hooters.”

His smile falls, and his mouth drops. He blinks at you, trying to see whether you are joking or not, but you are not. 

He had heard of Hooters, about the uniform policy at the restaurant, the tiny outfits that Eddie beamed about when he told Steve about having been there once in Chicago two years back. 

So many questions are running through Steve’s mind as he imagines you in that tiny, exposing outfit. It makes his cheeks flush, and his pants tighten, but at the same time, it turns his grip on you a little tighter, knowing the kind of perverts whose eyes followed you. 

“I–” 

“Hey lovebirds!” Eddie yells across the field, standing there with his arms crossed in front of the RV. A bird's nest in his hair, plaid shirt messily on his body, he clearly just got up. “No fucking in public!” 

“Okay dad!” You roll your eyes. 

Eddie flips you off, mumbling something under his breath before he turns away and gets started on making the fire for the night. 

You look back at your boyfriend, smiling innocently. 

His eyes are still wide, his face shocked. 

“Hooters!?”

Giggles pour from your mouth at the shocked expression on his face. You nod, tucking your hair behind your ear. 

“I made a lot of money!” You say smiling, and by the mischievous look in your eyes, he already knows what kinda thoughts are running through your mind. You lean in and press your lips to his ear, “but I would’ve loved your tip the most.” You whisper seductively, pressing your lips to his cheeks before you get off him and walk away, joining Eddie. 

Steve’s cheeks are bright red, his jaw slack again as his wide eyes follow you. His pants feel tighter than before now as your words replay in his mind like a broken record. His eyes follow your swaying hips and the way your curves look in those jeans. 

“Jesus Christ.” Steve mutters under his breath when you look over your shoulder at him, flashing him a sweet smile. 

Eddie was right. 

You’re a freak, and he is the luckiest man alive. 

He takes a moment to calm down from both the image you left in his mind of you in that little outfit you used to call a work uniform and your words. He joins you both by the fire a few minutes later. Eddie is pushing around the wood with a stick, letting the flames grow a little higher. The metalhead glances at him, eying the flushed cheeks. 

“You okay there, Harrington?” Eddie snorts, glancing at you to find you biting back a smirk. 

“Mhmm, yeah… yep.” Steve nods, scratching the back of his neck. He looks down at you, watching you get started on dinner. Chicken noodle soup. 

“Sunshine, did you check the date on the soup?” Steve chuckles, thinking about what happened the last time Eddie scarfed down the soup. 

“Not expired, but I warned him already.” You sigh. 

“Dude.” Eddie gives him a disapproving look, holding the stick up with a warning glance. 

You and Steve share a glance, chuckling softly. 

“Fuck you, Harrington.” Eddie sighs, shaking his head, but even he can’t stop himself from chuckling. 

Nancy steps out of the RV, carrying bowls and spoons. You look up, noticing her wet hair and a fresh outfit; she must have been up for a while already. 

“Good morning.” 

“More like good evening, Nancy.” You laugh, though, greeting her with a smile. 

She claims the chair beside yours, much to Steve’s dismay. She puts the bowls on the ground and squints her eyes, reading the label of the soup you start pouring into the pot. 

“Eddie, are you trying to shit your pants again?” 

Eddie turns to face her with a clenched jaw. He takes a deep breath and glares at her, making the three of you burst out laughing. 

“It’s been months, why do you guys even remember that!?” He exclaims and drops the stick on the ground before he sits down in his camping chair. 

“Because it’s funny!” You say laughing, thinking back to that day. It was the same day you found out the truth about what was the cause of the world turning into this. “But don’t worry, the soup isn’t expired.” You assure him with a serious look on your face before you start laughing again. Steve looks down at you, smiling. 

Eddie shakes his head, sighing. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He nods and leans back. 

Silence stretches between you all, the comforting type as you and Steve move around, preparing dinner and getting some soda from the RV that you found a couple of days back. The sun goes down, and only the light from the fire stays, illuminating just enough for you all to see each other as you fall into a quiet conversation about the rest of your journey ahead of you. 

Not much longer, and you will get to Nevada. 

But the thought of it suddenly steals your hunger and the happiness you have felt at the beginning of this road trip. The fear that lingered deep inside of you all along suddenly spreads wider, making you feel a sense of dread that you try to push away as best as you can. You return to your conversation with your friends, put that smile back on your face, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by Steve. His own smile fades when he notices the change in your eyes, when he notices how the color drains from your face a little, when he notices the tension in your shoulders. 

He instantly reaches for your hand, giving it a squeeze that you return. 

He knows what you are feeling. 

And god he feels it too. 

And a part of him wishes you could stay here, in the unknown, safe from whatever is waiting for you at home, because part of him feels like he was right all along. 

And it scares him so badly. 

-

The atmosphere in the RV is tense. The heavy, thick air makes it hard to breathe. A few days had passed since your sweet moment with Steve by the stream, where you shared kisses and funny memories. You knew then that it would only take a few more days to find your way back home but you didn’t realize just how anxious it had made you until Eddie said it out loud how the journey to your home was coming to an end, just how strongly you pushed your nerves aside but now that you are closer than ever, you can’t stop your knee from bouncing or your hands from shaking. You keep sinking your teeth into your bottom lip, not caring about the blood you draw. It’s getting progressively worse, especially after Eddie takes the exit on the highway that will lead you to your town. 

Both Eddie and Nancy keep glancing at you through the rearview mirror, noticing the state of anxiety you are in now. 

And Steve, he feels all that is cursing through you at this moment. He sits next to you, holding your hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. He tries to comfort you, but he knows how nervous you are. He is too. You woke up this way earlier, the usual smile you greet him with every morning was weak today, missing the usual enthusiasm. You didn’t finish your breakfast; you couldn’t. 

He always thought that you would be fueled by happiness knowing that you will finally get to see your family again, but right now, he sees nothing but fear across your features, fear that you won’t find them the way you always said you would. 

He feels the same kind of fear. He fears what you will find. He fears what you could lose. His soft hazel eyes stay on you. He squeezes your hand, and you turn to face him. Your eyes find his, and your lips curl into a small smile. Hope. There is still some hope in your eyes. 

“Maybe you can show me around your town.” Steve smiles, trying to distract you from whatever is running through your mind right now. 

You nod at his words, scooting closer to him. You lean in and kiss him on the lips. He wraps his arm around you, bringing you closer to him. You return your attention to the window, watching the passing trees. 

Steve kisses your temple and rubs your arm. He can feel how scared you are, he can hear it in your silence, he can hear it in your touch. And he tries his best to keep you up right now. 

“Sunshine?” Steve whispers as he places his finger under your chin, turning you back to him. He tries to be gentle with his next words. 

“Yeah?”

“I’m here, okay?” He reminds you, looking into your worried eyes. “No matter what, I’m here.” 

No matter what. 

You swallow the lump in your throat and nod. Holding onto his hand tighter than before. 

“I know.” You whisper softly. “Thank you.”

Steve’s lips curl into a small smile. He brings your hand up to his lips, kissing it. “Of course, baby.”

The RV is so quiet, you only hear the tires on the road. Even Eddie is silent, not bothering to turn on the music, not bothering to hum the way he usually does. His brown eyes are fixated on the road. He feels a sense of dread in his chest, the kind he felt before he faced the bats in the upside down, the kind he felt before Robin died, the kind he felt before the attack on the road, before you killed for them. 

The welcome sign of your town is still intact, and so far, there is nothing but the road and the trees. Nancy shifts beside him, closing the map now. She takes a deep breath and turns around to take a look at you. 

“Whoa…” Eddie murmurs under his breath when he takes a turn on the road that leads to the downtown area. Nancy turns back around, eyebrows furrowed as she glances at Eddie before she follows his gaze. Oh. The ground is dark, black, like it’s been burned. Windows of stores are broken, not only that, but some of the buildings are burned down. Ashes. She looks out the window and up into the sky, dark clouds, and red lightning. She and Eddie share a look. 

Eddie slows down, careful not to drive over anything that could mess up the tires. He gulps. The nerves are now running wild in him too. The town is not only completely destroyed, but also burned down. It’s abandoned. No sign of life. 

Something twists inside Steve’s chest, like a knife buried in his heart, when he watches your face fall more and more, losing color each passing minute. You are staring out the window stoically. He knows your heart is pounding, sinking deeper. 

Your eyes are stuck on the burned-down military truck. The remains of the soldiers that must have been assigned here to protect your town. You swallow the lump in your throat. Sickness spreads inside of you more and more as you take in your abandoned hometown, which is left in ruins. 

Steve doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know what to say as he watches the hope slowly vanish in your eyes. His heart is racing in his chest, feeling helpless. Suddenly, he wants nothing more than to go back in time, to take you back to the stream where you kissed on the picnic blanket, or the house you had your first date in, or even the community back in Wyoming, anywhere but here, where your heart could break. He can feel it. He can feel the sickening realization dawning more and more, knowing that you won’t find what you had been hoping for all these months. 

But he can’t. 

Eddie clears his throat, “alright… uh… Sunshine? I need you to guide me now, okay?” Eddie tries to say with a smile, but it comes out weak. The happiness, the light feeling you all had a few days ago, is gone now. 

You blink, looking away from the window, glancing at Steve, who gives you an encouraging nod before you turn to Eddie. 

“Yeah… Okay, yeah.” You mumble, your voice shaking as you straighten in your seat. Steve expects you to let go of his hand now, but instead, you hold on tighter, and he can feel it shaking; he can feel you shaking. He covers your hand with his other one. 

You close your eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. You straighten in your seat and clear your throat. You start giving Eddie the directions to your house, no longer looking out the window next to you, ignoring the burned down buildings and the blood stains on the windows of the houses you pass by. You focus on the road and that alone. 

Nancy’s fingers cling to the barrel of her shotgun; she has the sickening feeling that she needs it. 

It feels forever as Eddie drives through your small town, following your directions to your house, but when it finally comes into view, he suddenly wants to turn back, not because it’s burned down like the rest of the town, but because it isn’t, and he knows nothing good is waiting for you in there. Maybe it would have been better if it had been burned down, gone like the rest of the town, leaving you with an ounce of hope that your family is somewhere else and no longer here. The dread inside of him grows stronger than ever. 

Steve cranes his neck, seeing your house, your home, still standing. No blood. Nothing burned down. No sign of life either, except for a truck in the driveway that must belong to your dad. The driveway is long, and wooden fences are around the property, your house has a large porch with a swing. It almost looks like a small ranch. Steve is sure that it was beautiful before, now it looks… cold, abandoned. Everything is there, and yet something feels wrong even from afar. 

He notices how your breathing gets heavy, he notices the anxiety in your eyes now burning stronger than ever, and for a moment, your hand clings to him so strongly before he loses your touch. You move too quickly, too suddenly for him to stop you. The moment Eddie parks the RV behind the truck, you bolt, you run for the door, rushing out of the RV, ignoring everyone yelling your name, trying to stop you. 

Steve calls out to you, not wasting a second to follow you out. His heart is pounding in his chest out of fear. His blood runs cold as you rush up the stairs of your house. A wave of nausea washes over him because you are no longer in reach. 

You should know. You should know what could be waiting for you in there. You should know that your family wouldn’t leave the ranch open for anyone to just drive into, but there is no rational thought in your brain right now. You should have taken a closer look. The fence was open. Some of the windows in your house are open. No wooden boards. No fort. Nothing. No sign of life. 

The floorboards creak beneath your boots as you rush up to your porch. Your eyes are already burning up. Your heart is in your throat, and you feel a kind of sickness you haven’t had since the day on the road. 

Time slows down, and yet everything moves so suddenly when you reach for the doorknob. 

Steve’s panicked eyes are on you as he watches you open the door, and everything inside of him stills when he sees you freeze. You don’t even step inside, your body just grows still, and you even take a step back, like you are revolted by something. 

And Steve, he freezes too when he sees your reaction and then he hears your broken whisper, and his heart shatters. 

Suddenly, you are both back in Hawkins, standing in front of Robin’s grave in the pouring rain. You are both crying. You are both hurt. And he is throwing all these ugly words at you. 

“Smell the fucking non-existent sunflowers, they’re dead by now!” 

“You think you’re going to find your house surrounded by a gate of protection? You’re fucking delusional if you think so.”

“Smell the decay of the corpses around you, and tone down that hope of yours before you end up even more hurt than you thought you could ever be. Open your eyes for once and stop acting like an immature little girl.” 

Words he wished would never come true. Words he wished he could take back. But none of it can be undone. None. 

☀︎

Your heart flutters when you think about last night. 

It finally happened. 

His moans echo in your ears, his hold on you and his touches making your skin burn and your stomach yearn for more. It felt so good, so right to be underneath him, to feel him inside of you. It not only felt good, it also felt right, and you are happy that you waited because there is nobody else you would have wanted to do it with. 

And you can’t wait to do it again and again… and again. 

A smile tugs at Steve’s lips when he wakes up to your featherlike touch on his face. He can feel your eyes on him, your staring. His heart swells in his chest, pounding heavily when the events of last night wash over him and he remembers the feeling of your body under him, being on top of you, being inside of you, feeling your touches, your kisses, seeing the look in your eyes, and feeling blessed to hear you calling out his name in pleasure. He can’t begin to put his feelings into words, he is unable to. But getting to feel you like this made him feel like he won and his heart exploded. This wasn’t just sex. No, it was far more than that, and it’s something he never even felt before. 

“Creep.”

Your hand freezes on his cheek, and it makes him smile even bigger. 

Your cheeks start burning, and you instantly remove your hand and bury your face in his chest, making him chuckle. He rubs your back, looking down at you fondly. 

“Hey, none of that anymore,” he smiles as he cups your cheek and makes you look at him. “Look at me, Sunshine.”

You look at him through your lashes, giving him a shy smile that makes his heart flutter in his chest. He caresses your cheek and tucks your hair behind your ear. 

“Good morning, baby.” His voice was rough, yet you could hear the smile on it. You felt every fiber of you burning, either from nerves, happiness, excitement, you didn’t know anymore. All you knew though, was that it was good. All was good.

“Good morning…” Your voice was small, and you felt his arm tug you even closer to him. The sun was shining brightly through the curtains, and the room was colder than the night before. The fire was out, leaving ashes behind, and the blankets over your naked bodies was not really enough, but you didn’t care.

His lips found yours in a soft kiss, saying hello, and you took a sharp intake of breath as you kissed back. You felt different. You felt… like a woman. You felt older, and you wondered if that would show at all. He pulled away way too quickly for your liking, making you frown and pout. He chuckled, shaking his head.

“We can’t stay in here all day, as much as I want to.” He said, still looking down at you with care, fondness, and he was just too happy. He didn’t want to leave this. This bubble you two were in, as if the apocalypse wasn’t just outside these walls, as if this house was yours. He didn’t want to, but he knew you two had to.

“I don’t wanna go…” You whined, and he pinched your side, making you squeal. 

“We’re going to freeze to death, and Nancy and Eddie are going to leave our corpses behind.” He joked, and you looked up at him wide eyed, shaking your head.

“Or worse… They don’t let us freeze to death, and they come in here, and see us naked.” 

“You need to set your priorities straight, Sunshine.” He laughed, his chest shaking with it, making your head bounce, and you followed just the same. Blissful ignorance, at least for a while. The laughter stopped for a second, and his eyes returned to your face. “You okay?”

“Mmm? I am, why wouldn’t I be?” He raised an eyebrow your way, a cheeky smile on his lips.

“Really? Not even sore?” Heat came back up to your ears, and you shook your head at him. “Mmm… okay, let’s say I believe you.”

He groaned a bit as he stretched with you in his arms, his right arm getting out of the blanket to stretch all the way up, and you caught sight of the veins on it. That arm that held you last night, the groan he let out, almost the same as when he came undone. His chest expanding as he took a deep breath in.

Oh, no.

You licked your lips, nerves filling your belly as you glanced at the two foil packs that were next to Steve’s side of the mattress. He was unaware of where your eyes were, unaware of how heat started pooling between your legs again. 

You got the courage of kissing him first, of giving the first step on that small area, but how were you supposed to give the sign of wanting to… do that? How did it go? Do you ask? Is that how it worked in relationships? You didn’t know, and the thought was making you a little nervous. Because you wanted to. Again. Right now. 

Because Steve’s hair was messy, the light was shining on his side profile just right, his freckles were calling out for your lips, and the groan he let out made your entire body remember the pleasure from last night. You knew he felt good, but you wondered if you could make him feel… even better.

His eyes went towards the window, dreading the fact that he had to clean everything up, get dressed, and just leave this place. He wished he could stay at least another night, alone with you, cook for you once more, and just make you feel special. The way he felt for you. He wanted you to feel it, and he hoped he did so, even if a bit, last night.

He then felt the side of his face being caressed and then you made him look back at you. He smiled, about to ask what you needed, but you cut him off by pressing your lips against his. He didn’t complain, he kissed back, softly, his mind a haze of happiness that he couldn’t shake no matter what.

You on the other hand, you were being driven by hormones, emotions, the need to feel him once more. Your thumb rubbed on his skin as you moved your lips against his, slowly deepening it, getting lost, just as your fingers did through his hair. You could hear him take a sharp breath through his nose as he kissed you, and you could feel your body temperature rising, slowly.

He got lost in your kisses, in his senses, and now that he got to have you, his body reacted all by itself without any restraint. Your heads moved, just a bit, as he moved to lie completely on his side, the kiss never breaking. Your left leg moved slowly, draping it over his under the blanket, pulling him closer. 

His arms wrapped around you, pulling your naked chest right against him, and you breathed out a moan into his mouth as you felt your nipples brush against his chest hair. His tongue immediately sought yours, and his right hand went down towards your ass, pulling you closer and into his hips as he groped it, digging his digits into your skin. 

You could feel him start to harden against your belly, which was in complete knots as you moved your hips slowly, rubbing up into him. You were gone. You wanted it again. You wanted him again. You wanted to try new things. You wanted to learn how to make him feel good, learn what he likes, and what he doesn’t. It was uncharted territory where you had so much to explore.

His hand went to the back of your thigh as he got harder, and his shaft started giving some friction to your clit, making you moan into his mouth and him into yours. Your eagerness was just making him lose his mind, now knowing you wanted him this way, that you desired him, that you were showing how you wanted him.

But fuck, he knew it was too early..

“Sunshine–” He pulled away just a bit, mumbling your name after you went in for another kiss, “we can’t, Eddie and Nancy–”

“Can wait for a few more minutes…” You whispered, and Steve was going to die right then and there. Much more when you started kissing his neck, right over his scar, and his head was thrown back, his dick twitching against you. 

“You’re really making it hard to say no to you…” He whispered, and you nibbled on his neck, taking note in your mind of how he groaned, how he reacted to it.  

“Then don’t…” You bit your bottom lip, moving your kisses towards his jaw, slowly, tempting. “Can we… again? Please?” 

Oh, he was fucked. He was so fucked. He was fully hard now and all he wanted was to comply, to say yes to you, to be inside of you again and hear you, and feel you, and look at you– 

“Baby– You are sore too–” But you were pecking his lips, so insistently, rubbing your hips as if you weren’t, and maybe he was wrong. He didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, but shit, you were making it impossible for him to refuse you.

“I am not–” You said, not really thinking, and he hummed against your lips. His hand left your thigh, going towards your center, making you gasp in his mouth the moment he grazed your clit, only for a whine of discomfort to vibrate in your throat the moment the tip of his fingers ran through your entrance. He pulled away, wincing, shaking his head.

“Yeah, that’s a lie…” You whined again, shaking your head. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him flush against you, and his fingers burned as your juices started wetting them when he palmed you.

“But I can bear it… It’ll be for a while at first, I still have to get used to it…” You were going to be the fucking death of him. He closed his eyes with a groan, and his lips found yours instantly. You smiled into the kiss, having won, as his fingers went back to start circling around your clit. 

Your stomach turned with anticipation, and he would have to be careful again, fully trusting your judgement. The moment he sees discomfort, he’ll stop. He can’t deny you at this point, and there are two unused condoms right next to him, and now he had nothing that would stop him from losing his mind over–

A loud honk could be heard, and the two of you pulled away, startled.

“What the fuck?” You whispered, looking over to the door. Steve cursed under his breath, his eyes following, lifting himself up with his elbow. Then, knocking.

“Sorry to interrupt your morning endeavors, but we need to keep moving! Can’t fuck all day in there!” Eddie’s voice echoed through, then his steps moving away, and you weren’t even embarrassed anymore. You were pissed. 

“I’m going to kick his fucking ass, as well as Nancy’s. All I wanted was a few more fucking minutes. Is that too much to ask for?” Steve’s eyes were wide at your outburst, the two of you sitting up on the mattress. You were glaring at the door, and he couldn’t help the laugh that came out of his lips. This was a whole new you, huh? He really made a monster. Before you would blush at every passing comment Eddie made that could hold a double meaning. Now you wanted to punch Eddie for not letting you have another moment with him. 

Your eyes snapped towards him, seeing him laughing and shaking his head. You frowned, confused, tilting your head.

“What?” 

“Nothing, nothing… But… I’ll kick his ass too, I’ll join you on that.” 

“And Nancy’s. For honking.” He smiled, moving to kiss your cheek. 

“And Nancy’s. Come on, we gotta get dressed and clean up…” You whined, but you knew you had to keep going. You had to make your libido go down, make this little fantasy finally burst, and keep moving towards real life. 

He cursed as he looked down at the blanket covering his bottom part. He felt a little shy for you to see him completely hard, and it seemed like you were the same. You were clenching the blanket over your chest, and the intense light coming from the windows was not going to let the two of you hide at all. 

But you were a couple. And he had seen more than just this from you already. 

His hands gripped the blankets and threw them away from the two of you. You squealed loudly, the cold air hitting your skin, creating goosebumps all over. You rushed on your feet, screaming as you rushed to get your dress. 

“What the fuck, Steve!”

Your shriek and the flustered look on your face makes your boyfriend chuckle. His amused yet hungry eyes follow your every movement. He bites his lip as he watches the jiggle of your ass. 

He pushes himself up, still laughing as he reaches for his boxers, holding back a wince when he tucks himself into his underwear. 

“Nothing I haven’t seen before, baby.” He teases you, winking at you when you glance at him over your shoulder before you put your dress on. 

“Yeah but still!” You whine in embarrassment, still having to get used to all this. 

Steve grabs his jeans and puts them on next, not bothering with the belt. Throwing on his shirt, he runs his fingers through his hair and gets up, making his way over to you. A fond smile plays on his lips, watching as you adjust your dress, pulling it down your hips. 

He comes up from behind you, fingers reaching for the straps that he untied the night before. He ties the bows. His smile only widening when he sees the way your lip twitches at his action, eyes softening as you turn your head to look up at him. 

“Thank you.” You whisper sweetly, blinking up at him in a way that has his heart fluttering. 

“You’re welcome, baby.” He whispers back, giving your shoulder a kiss when he’s done. He pulls your hair back and kisses your neck next, trailing his lips to the back of your ear as his arms move around your waist, pulling you back into his chest. He inhales as he buries his nose in your neck, and his heart flutters even more. He smells your body wash, your lotion, you, but he also smells something else on you. His scent. You smell like him. Something about that drives him crazy. 

He can hear the shaky breath that falls from your lips, the kind that tells him how shy you are feeling at this moment. 

“No need to be so shy when you just wanted to have sex with me again,” he murmurs into your skin, making your stomach flutter and your skin burn. 

You place your hand over his as it rests on your stomach. You lean back into him, pressing your lips together as you take a deep breath. 

“Or wasn't it you that just begged?” He teases yet again, kissing your neck once more.

“Steve…” You whine, blushing. You can feel him against you. He is still hard, it makes you blush even more, but it also makes you feel… powerful. You can tease him right back. You push your ass against him, pulling out a loud groan from him and earning a possessive squeeze to your hips. 

“Sunshine.” He warns you. 

“Yes?” You tilt your head back to look at him, batting your eyelashes. 

“Don’t.”

You open your mouth to speak but he cuts you off. 

“You know exactly what you’re doing.” 

“Too bad I can’t help you with that, right?” You pout at him, slowly pulling away from his embrace, but you don’t even get a step ahead before he turns you back around and pulls you back in. He cups your cheeks and leans down, whispering 

“Already driving me insane, and we just got started. You’re a little freak, aren’t you?” He mumbles into your lips. 

The innocent look in your eyes, in combination with that smile on your lips, tells him everything he needs to know. 

Steve shakes his head, though his heart flutters so strongly. 

“I should have known.” He chuckles softly, smacking your ass. 

A yelp falls from your lips just in time as the door bursts open and Eddie’s footsteps echo in the hallway. 

“Are we decent?” He calls out to both of you, not stepping into the living room just yet. 

Steve rolls his eyes, “yeah, we’re decent.” 

You clear your throat, glancing back at your boyfriend with a flustered look on your face, something that makes him grin down at you. He keeps his arms wrapped around your waist and he pulls you further against him. 

“Goddamn, you know what it smells like in here, Nance?” You hear Eddie mumble, to which Nancy chuckles, though telling him to shut up – as if that ever stopped him. “Smells like really good p–”

“Don’t even finish that sentence, Munson.” Steve threatens him. 

Nancy laughs in the hallway. 

“Oh my god.” You whisper under your breath, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

The metalhead waltzes in with that smug look on his face. He greets you with a wiggle of his brows, looking between you and Steve. 

“Good morning, lovebirds.” He chuckles, eyes flashing with mischief. His eyes soften a bit when he sees how flustered you are. “See, I’d hug you, but I don’t know what’s been on that dress.”

“Stop! We took it off!” You blush, which only makes Eddie’s grin wider. Steve chuckles behind you as Nancy smiles at you, leaning against the wall next to Eddie.

“See, that’s where we’re different,” Eddie raises his eyebrow, looking over your shoulder at Steve. “I would’ve kept it on.”

Steve groaned, rolling his eyes at his friend, a smirk appearing on his lips as well.

“Now, with the view I had? That would have been an idiotic decision to make.” Your entire body lit up, ripping yourself from your boyfriend as he chuckled while Eddie whistled and high fived him. You were pouting as Nancy came over to finally link her arm with yours.

“Men.” She simply said, looking down at the used condom on the bed, and then, the stained towel Steve used to clean you up. She took the opportunity Eddie was helping Steve pick things up, and she leaned over to you, whispering, “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah…” You nodded, stuttering through your embarrassment. It was great it finally happened, but it still made you a bit conscious that Eddie and Nancy didn’t have to imagine too hard on what was going on inside this room. 

“He took care of you?” You knew she was being overprotective, but that was Nancy’s nature. You smiled, nodding again.

“Very. A lot. Two times.” You wiggled your eyebrows at her, and she scoffed, rolling her eyes. 

“That’s actually great to know.” She looked around the room and frowned when she realized there was no coat for you. “Oh god, you need to go to the RV and put something on. It’s actually very cold. I’m glad the fireplace left some embers through the night.” 

Eddie heard Nancy talk, and he nodded as he threw stuff in the trash bag he had in his hand. Steve sheepishly grabbed the towel and sheets, putting them in the laundry bag Eddie brought in. 

“Yeah, we need to get going. It’s snowing, and you guys need to start driving so we can catch up on time.” You all nodded, and honestly, you weren’t all that focused on the cold until Nancy mentioned it just now. 

Fuck, it was freezing, and there was still some warmth in this room.

“Okay, I just… really need to shower first…?” You looked at Nancy, wincing. She sighed, giving you a nod. She knew you might feel a little dirty from last night, and from the looks of it, you might need the shower to wash off blood and other things. 

“Alright, shower while we all pack up. We can easily recharge the water after you’re done.” Nancy smiled, and you nodded with a sigh of relief, and your eyes clashed with your boyfriend’s. 

Steve had been looking at you all this time, and he couldn’t really believe you were his. There was this glow all around you that just made his knees buckle slightly. He walked over to you, leaning down to give you a soft peck on the lips. 

“Leave some water for me. I also need to shower.” He mumbled, and Eddie whistled behind him, making the two of you look at the metalhead.

“Save water, shower together– ouch!” His words were interrupted by a smack over the head from Nancy, who had a glare in her eyes.

“If we put them together in that shower, it will take longer for us to leave. So no.” You pouted a bit, because Eddie's idea wasn’t so bad. Steve rolled his eyes, looking back at you. He poked the tip of your nose. 

“It’s fine, Honey. We’ll get our shower soon.” Steve mumbles, glaring at Nancy before he leans down to kiss your forehead. His hand squeezes your waist, “go on, get yourself warmed up while I clean up here.” 

You look down, blushing. 

Nancy and Eddie’s eyes meet, smug looks crossing their faces, seeing your flustered reaction. They are gonna have so much teasing you. 

“Okay.” You whisper and give your boyfriend a quick peck to his lips before you hurry out of the room. 

Steve’s eyes follow you until you disappear into the hallway. Silence echoes in the room for a few seconds. He looks at Eddie first, then at Nancy. Smirks big on their faces. The metalhead wiggles his eyebrows at him. 

Steve rolls his eyes at him, and like yo,u he can’t even help but blush. He huffs and runs his fingers through his hair. 

Nancy knows not to tease him, but she will definitely tease you. She starts walking out of the living room, following you out into the RV. “You two have fun cleaning up.” She grins after giving Steve a pat on his shoulder. Winking at Eddie on her way out. 

To Steve’s surprise, Eddie doesn’t say anything, not even as they both start cleaning up. Putting away the mattress he carried down yesterday, cleaning up the dirty dishes in the kitchen. 

Eddie finds the polaroid pictures you both have taken last night, and he picks them up. He wants to tease him so bad, asking if he’s gonna use the Polaroid camera in the bedroom, but instead, Eddie’s heart twists in his chest when he looks at one of you on Steve’s lap, him looking at you with happiness in his eyes – happiness Steve thought he would never have again. After Robin, a part of him had died, a huge part. Then you came along, and you picked up all the broken pieces and put them back together. As much as he tried to push you away at first, he couldn’t. Not you. Eddie watched him find parts of himself he didn’t know existed, he watched him fall in love like never before, and then he pushed you away and not only broke parts of himself again but also parts of you. His fears did that. 

That night in Wyoming, when Steve opened up to him about his real feelings for you, he thought he had lost you. And when he pulled out that polaroid picture of you from his pocket, Eddie saw the pain in his eyes, the same one he saw when he lost Robin. 

Eddie’s heart ached for his best friend then. 

But now he feels relief, happiness. 

Steve has a new polaroid to keep in his pocket. 

One where he and his feelings aren’t hidden behind the camera. 

Eddie glances at Steve, who is humming, his lips curled into a smile. Everything changed about the way he moves, the tension in his shoulders is gone, and the look in his eyes has changed. He moves lightly. He looks content, he looks happy. 

Eddie feels the tightness in his throat and the burning in his eyes. A year ago, he felt the need to check up on Steve every night and every morning, needing to make sure that he was still alive in there. He was a dead man walking. 

Now he is alive again, he is living again, and all because of you. 

Eddie swallows the lump in his throat. He puts the Polaroids down. He clears his throat, puts back that teasing smile of his, and turns back to Steve. There’s no space for sad emotions. Not today. 

“So…” 

Steve glances at him, raising his eyebrows. 

“Yes?”

“Does she actually suck like a hoover or?” Eddie smirks before a laugh tumbles from his lips when Steve hits him with a kitchen towel. 

“Can it, Munson. We gotta go.” 

Eddie’s smirk only widens in response when he sees the blush on Steve’s cheeks. 

Steve shakes his head with a huff. He hasn’t thought about it. Not yet. He doesn’t even know if you want to do it, and yet Eddie’s stupid comment lingers, and he now has to think about you on your knees before him, looking up at him with those pretty eyes. 

Eddie chuckles quietly when he notices the look on his face. 

“I told you… shut up.” Steve grumbles. 

-

After Nancy handed you some clean and warmer clothes, you excused yourself to the bathroom. You step out of your boots and take off your sundress. The ache between your thighs lingers, and you are sure that it will for days; you don’t mind it at all. You take a look in the mirror, noticing the marks and hickeys instantly, not only on your neck but also on your chest. You trace them with your fingers where his lips had been. Your heart flutters at the memory, and your cheeks heat up again. 

For the first time in a while, you don’t mind looking at the reflection of yourself in the mirror. The things Steve said to you, the way he kissed and touched you, made you feel beautiful. You feel stupid the way you are smiling now, but you can’t help it. It feels like a nice dream. He feels like a dream. 

You don’t know how much time passes as you stand there and look at yourself but when goosebumps cover your skin, and you realize just how cold you are, you finally start the water and step inside, sighing at the feeling of the hot water cascading down your skin. For a moment, you just stand there with your eyes closed, enjoying the warmth… and the memory of the night before. 

When you reach for the shampoo, you realize that it’s a new one. Nancy must’ve put it there. Your breath hitches in your throat; it’s the same one your mom uses. You stare at it for a moment. You are so close to home. So close to seeing your family again. You have waited for this moment for so long, and now it’s almost in reach. 

As you start to wash your hair, your mind wanders. You don’t even notice the tension in your shoulders as you go over all the questions in your head. 

You wonder how your family will react to seeing you after so long, after seeing how much you have changed. So many things have happened in these past few months. So many good things like Steve, Eddie, and Nancy. But also bad things, bad things that have shaped you into who you are today. 

Have they changed at all? 

Would they even want to go to California? That is a question you have been scared of because what if they don’t want to leave home? What if they want to stay? What will happen then? Would you want to stay? Not without Steve. No. Never without Steve again. Thinking about home makes you think about him. 

And what happens when–

“You okay in there?” Nancy asks, knocking on the door and pulling you out of your thoughts, for good. 

“Yeah! I’ll be out in a moment.” You say as you start rinsing the shampoo from your hair. 

“Take your time. I just wanted to check on you. I’ll make some coffee!” You hear her disappearing footsteps. 

You finish showering and lather your skin in lotion before you start getting dressed. You put on a pair of light-washed denim jeans and the knitted sweater Nancy had picked out for you. You brush your wet hair and take one last look in the mirror before you step out. You are greeted by the smell of coffee. 

Nancy is standing by the counter, stirring her coffee. She rolls her eyes at the boys’ bickering outside the RV. 

“What are they fighting about?” You ask with an amused smile on your face. 

“Eddie wants to take some stuff from the house, Steve says no.” Nancy chuckles as she hands you a cup of coffee. 

“Sounds like Eddie,” you chuckle and thank her as you take the mug from her hands. You bring it up to your lips and take a sip. 

Nancy crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the counter, looking you up and down with a smile. A teasing one. 

“Nancy…” You murmur, blushing. 

“What? You’re not gonna share any details?” She wiggles her eyebrows at you. 

“I’m a lady.” You smirk as you take another sip of your coffee. Appreciating the way she put the perfect amount of sugar into it. 

“A lady?” Nancy giggles, shaking her head. “After all the conversations we had about sex–”

“Shush!” “Hey you wanted to know every detail when I had sex with…” She pauses, furrowing her brows. “What was his name again… Tommy?” 

You laugh in surprise, eyes widening, “you don’t remember his name!?”

She raises her hands up in surrender. 

“Are you saying it wasn’t great?” You ask, putting down the mug.

Nancy shrugs at your question, biting her lip. “I’m not saying anything.”

“How can you not remember his name? I— if Steve was my one-night stand, I would think about him for the rest of my life! Not that I know much about hookups and all that but judging by the things I’ve heard from other women before the world went to shit, no guy ever goes down on you and gives you two orgasms before he actually fucks you! And it’s not only that, he is also big! I thought they were faking those big ones in porn movies, turns out they actually exist.” Your own eyes widen, and you start blushing when you realize just what the hell spilled from your lips. You didn’t mean to share details from the night before, nor did you ever plan to tell anyone the fact that you had watched porn before. Curiosity made you do it. 

Nancy’s blue eyes widen, and her lips part in surprise. 

You hide your face behind your hands, shaking your head at yourself. You’re glad Steve didn’t hear all that. 

“Holy shit, Sunshine.” She giggles, covering her mouth as she processes just what you have said to her. “So… it was everything you had imagined, huh?”

You peek at her through the gaps in your fingers, blushing even deeper at the smug smile on her face. 

“I’m taking that as a yes.” Nancy chuckles, patting your shoulder. “Also porn—“ she instantly stops herself when the door opens, and the bickering men walk in. 

“We can’t take the damn drum set, dude. We barely have space for us in here.” Your boyfriend grumbles, shaking his head at Eddie. 

“Come on–”

“Drum set?” Nancy furrows her eyebrows, “where the hell did you find a drum set?” 

“Upstairs, in one of the bedrooms.” Eddie shrugs. 

“Take my brother’s when we get to Nevada.” You turn around and instantly grow even more flustered when your eyes lock with Steve’s. He doesn’t hesitate approaching you, smiling when he notices you blushing. He doesn’t think anything of it, knowing that Nancy must have teased you. He wraps his arm around you and kisses your temple. 

“You smell good.” Steve murmurs into your ear, making your stomach flip. He rubs your arm and looks at you with a smile. 

You smile in response, leaning your head on his shoulder. 

“Oh this is sickening…” Eddie mumbles as he looks between you. “In a good way. Wait– you have never told me your brother plays drums! What’s up with that? How come I only find out now?” He puts his hand on his hips. The look of disappointment on his face makes you chuckle. 

“Because I knew you wouldn’t stop pestering me about it–”

“Damn right!” Eddie throws his hands up. “I’m disappointed, Sunshine.” 

“Leave my girlfriend alone.” Steve pulls you closer, glaring at Eddie.

“He’s not even good at it, Eddie.” You giggle at Eddie’s dramatic reaction. 

“Yeah, I’ll be the judge of that.” Eddie shakes his head at you.

“What, you want him to join your band now?” 

Eddie shrugs again, smirking, “why the hell not?” 

“As long as your house will be on the other side of the community, I don’t care but I have had enough sleepless nights because of him and his drums!” 

Steve chuckles, squeezing your arm. 

“Don’t worry, honey. Our house will be far from Eddie’s. No noise complaints.” 

Your heart skips a beat, warmth envelopes you, and not just from his touch. Our house. You love the sound of it. You raise your head to look up at him, only to find him looking at you already. His eyes flicker from your eyes to your lips, and you can’t help but sink your teeth into your lower lip, gazing up at him. 

Heat pools in your belly when you see how much his eyes darken, his grip on your arm tightening. You can practically feel his own desire; it’s just as strong as yours, if not stronger. 

Your breath hitches in your throat, and you almost forget that you aren’t alone in here. God. How will you survive sharing this RV with your friends when your boyfriend looks at you like he is ready to devour you? 

“Yeah… I don’t think the noise complaints will come from me…” Eddie murmurs as he looks between you two. You couldn’t help the heat coming to your cheeks, which honestly seemed like it was there to stay forever. 

You looked at your boyfriend, who had a cheeky smile on his face despite the blush, not dismissing Eddie at all. Nancy was yawning, patting Steve’s shoulder, catching his attention.

“If you do not mind, Eddie and I need to hit the sack. He already marked in the map the road we should take, but as always, wake us up if you guys need anything.” She said with a smile, winking at you. They had started sleeping on the same bed since Steve and you got together. Eddie didn’t want to hear the flirting as he slept on the couch, and Nancy told him once and for all that he could sleep next to her.

Steve nodded, letting go of your shoulders to move towards the driver’s seat, getting himself comfortable. You offered to help Eddie open the garage and gates so Steve could move out. But when Nancy sat next to Steve, and not you, he seemed confused.

“Where’s Sunshine?”

“Helping Eddie open the gates.” Steve’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and Nancy noticed with a squint in her eyes. “She is with Eddie…”

“Huh? Yeah, I know. You said that.” But she noticed the slight worry in his voice, the clearing of his throat, the Adam’s apple bobbing. He looked at the side view mirror, watching you laugh with Eddie as you both opened the garage. He looked around you, making sure that no one or anything was close. 

But fuck, he couldn’t see beyond that. He couldn’t see the rest. He couldn’t see if you had a gun on your belt or if Eddie had one. Even if it’s just a few seconds, one always has to have a defensive weapon. Always.

He bounced his leg, cursing when you two took longer than it should to open everything up. He moved the stick to reverse and slowly pulled the RV out. It was a sunny day, still cold, but not as much as when they started their road. Once he got the RV on the street, he saw you wave with a smile, Eddie rolling his eyes as he went to close things up again. He sighed in relief when he saw Eddie had a gun to his belt. 

Nancy was staring at him, uneasiness building in her belly. Even if Steve was happy now, she feared you would not be alone at all. It was a good thing, but sometimes personal space was important, and she feared that Steve was not going to give that to you anytime soon. Maybe she was exaggerating, and she shouldn’t meddle in your relationship like that. 

You and Eddie stepped back in the RV, closing the door behind you both. Nancy got up from the seat, walking towards you, patting your shoulder.

“Keep moving. If you see a gas station, we can bypass it. We recollected a lot of gasoline from generators inside the house, and we could get battery charged from a car nearby the house. We also have a lot of snacks and canned foods.” You groaned a bit, shaking your head.

“Please, tell me it’s not corn.” Nancy winced, saying goodnight before heading to the bedroom. Eddie chuckled, guiding you to sit next to Steve, pulling the map out of the glove box. He always instructed both of you on where to continue the road, even if he marked it out.

“There is, though, a lake to the right, and it should be near nighttime when you reach it. If you can spot it, we can stop, but if it’s covered because of trees, maybe we should stop a little further.” Steve and you nodded at that, and your boyfriend put the car in drive.

“Okay, Eds. You can go to bed. I know Nance, and you might have kept watch yesterday night.” You mentioned, and he sighed, giving a so-so motion. 

“We kept dozing off a little bit from how quiet it was, but yeah.” Steve looked at the map for a secon,d concentrated, and then started driving east. Eddie coughed a bit, smirking. “Also, I don’t think I need to say this, but you are not allowed in any point, to do a stop for a quickie.”

“Munson!” Steve gasped, his eyes wide as he looked at Eddie over his shoulder, defenseless because he was driving and he couldn’t punch him. You, on the other hand, threw a punch towards Eddie’s stomach, not hard, but enough to make him bend a little and groan. 

“Jesus– Okay, you got it.” He said with a mumble, retreating towards the bedroom at the back, and all you heard was Nancy already snoring. You would think the snoring would come from Eddie, but– No.

You looked out into the road, leaving the residency behind, the houses starting to dissipate slowly, leaving them behind. You could see clear skies forward, at least for now, and that made you relax a little bit in the seat. 

Yet, you couldn’t help your eyes drifting to Steve’s side profile. You always found him attractive when he drove, but now, your imagination was running wild, free, with no restraints. Knowing now how it feels, how it makes you squirm… You kept thinking… Looking… 

You moving to rub his thigh, getting him hot and bothered for him to notice you. Before, you were shy to even think of doing that. Shy to even try to kiss him, and now all you want is for him to look at you with desire, with want, with need. You wanted to feel him, and you wanted him to touch you, to look at you, to kiss you. 

You craved his attention, and it was bad. It was terribly bad. Before, you wanted him to be clingy, sweet, and charming, but now, you want him to go crazy on you. You want him to lose that soft side of his. You want him to make you scream his name, make you burn from inside out, and that would trigger you running your nails on his back. You want him to dirty talk to you, to tell you he feels good, just like yesterday. 

Primal. You felt primal.

“Got something in my face, Sunshine?” He chuckled, looking your way for a second before looking back at the road. You flushed all over, knowing you got caught, looking down at the map. 

“Uh, no… Just… Is– Is it normal?” He frowned at your question, his eyes moving to your face, before going back.

“What is?”

“Feeling like this? After…” Your voice was small, shy, nothing alike your brain. 

“Feeling like what?”

“Like I… constantly need you.” He felt himself wanting to smash his face against the steering wheel. He gulped heavily, his grip tightening. To his despair, you kept talking, “It’s as if something triggered inside of me… if that makes sense.”

His grip on the wheel softened a little bit, realizing now what you meant. You never experienced this. You never experienced carnal lust, or feeling aroused and wanting someone to know, wanting someone to do something about it. It worsened your case, because he was there to do something about it, and he would gladly comply. 

It was the same for him. Right now, just thinking about you being next to him was riling him up. If you were to put your hand on his thigh, he would for sure get a hard-on. If you kissed him, if you hugged him, everything messed him up. Tasting you and having you was a blessing and a curse at the same time. He should of waited to get to the community. He should of thought of this through.

But he really wanted you. Wants you.

“I understand… It is normal. It’s the first time you experienced it, and it’s normal to want to… know more. Feel more.” Your heart burst out of your chest at his words, already feeling your body heating up. You cleared your throat, and you have been horny before, but never like this. You didn’t know how you would be able to be next to him for hours, days, without needing to have him.

“And… do you… feel that with me? I mean… It’s not your first time, so maybe you just don’t have… that.” You softly murmur, and he blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what you just said.

“Wait, you think I don’t want you?”

“No! No, I mean– I might be experiencing it like tenfold because it was my first time, and it was good– I– You know what, never mind, I’m just babbling,” You let out an exasperated sigh, completely embarrassed with yourself. 

Alright, Steve realized something now. He couldn’t be soft with you any longer. He shouldn’t have to think about walking on eggshells. He could flirt with you, talk to you, be naughty with you, and you would understand. You would want him. He didn’t know if he would make you shy, or not, but he knew that if he wasn’t honest, even with the naughty stuff, you wouldn’t understand.

“Sunshine.” His eyes were on the road, and you looked his way again, shyly. “You have no idea how much I want to fuck you right now.” 

Your mouth almost dropped at the confession. You didn’t know if he was saying it because he was saying it, or because he really did want to. But you were also shocked by how straightforward he was, and it just made you… Want him so much. It made your heart flutter, but more than anything… your core was aching, and not because it was sore. No. 

“I… Really?” You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t know how to reply to that kind of comment, never having experienced it.

“Just thinking that I could have fucked you this morning again, makes me want to kill the two people we have in the back.” His cheeks were flushed, but he dared to take a look at you, and fuck– You looked wrecked. You looked like you wanted to jump on him. And honestly, he didn’t know if it was good or bad.

You licked your lips, trying to gather the strength you had two hours ago, deliberating the options at hand. Your legs were clenching together, and when your eyes drifted south, you could see the tent happening in his pants. Oh, fuck. He wanted you, badly. You felt aroused at the thought, but also extremely happy. 

“You want to fuck me now, Stevie?” And oh fuck, oh fuck, Steve was not prepared for you to flirt back. Not that way. He was not prepared for you to lose the shyness, to lose your tongue the way you just did. The grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he cursed under his breath, the roles suddenly reversing. 

“I wish I could, but I can’t.” You hummed, looking forward at the road. It was silent for a few minutes, both of you just not looking at each other, but the heat inside the RV was growing, the tension just trying to snap. 

“I mean…”

“Sunshine, no… We could get attacked–” You stomped your foot on the floor, a little irritated now. “Don’t be angry.”

“You don’t get to rile me up, and then not give me what I want.” His eyes widened at how bratty you sounded, which only worsened his state. He cursed as he felt himself twitch in his pants, and fuck, they were tight. He clenched his jaw, seeing how you crossed your arms over your chest, and he shook his head, looking back at the road.

“I didn’t rile you up, I just wanted you to know that if I could, I definitely would.” It didn’t help. His words didn’t help your state. You knew you should think rationally, and not let your emotions go wild, but Steve was handsome. He was hot. And he knows how to make you feel good. 

An idea popped into your head, a move you saw in a movie once. Would he be mad? Would he be mad that you were making moves on him in this manner? A kiss is one thing, but this would be way different. You had to try… No. You shouldn’t. Eddie told you not to stop at any point. He gave his instructions.

But then why did Steve look wrecked too? 

The skies were clear… The sun was out… They were in a road between trees… You bit your lip, finally deciding to go for it. He was too far away for your arm to reach and touch his thigh. But not your feet. You took your boots off, and he frowned for a second, but shrugged it off as you wanting to get comfortable. 

You then moved to lean back against the corner of the passenger’s door and the seat. You propped your feet up, putting them on his lap, making him jump a little startled, looking your way.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting comfy.” You put the map over your face, and Steve just wanted to die. He could handle it. He could handle you just using him to stretch your legs; that was fine. 

What was not fine was that you started to move your feet towards the bulge of his pants. 

“Sunshine…” He growled out, his eyebrows starting to meet in the middle with a frown, filled with anger, as well as desperation.

“Hmm?” You pretended you didn’t know what you were doing, passing the sole of your feet against his hard on, which was only getting bigger, and you could only bite your bottom lip behind the map. He groaned, trying to focus on the road, shaking his head.

“You need to stop that, don’t play dumb.” 

“Stop what, Stevie? I’m just resting.” You said your feet never stopped, and then you felt the RV starting to slow down, moving to the side of the road, making you put the map down, to see Steve glaring your way, before it came to a full stop. 

He ripped your feet away from him, putting music on before he got up from the driver’s seat, startling you, stepping towards the back, pulling the slider away, just an inch, making sure Eddie and Nancy were sound asleep. He then moved back towards the front, ripping the map away from your hands. 

“Get out, now.” 

You bit your bottom lip, slowly getting up from your seat, brushing past him, before opening the door of the RV, stepping out. Steve grabbed a gun from the counter and then moved to open the cabinet where they put all their medicine and hygiene supplies. He got a foil out, sticking it in his back pocket as he growled, moving to the door, and stepping out. 

You were standing there, innocently, rocking from side to side. 

“Steve.”

“Go behind the tree, now.” 

You followed instructions dutifully, delighted, and Steve hoped no one appeared or they had a surprise attack. Was it worth it? Probably not. It shouldn’t be. But it felt like it was, at least for you two.

Probably not worth it for Eddie and Nancy.

But they didn’t need to know.

☀︎

You can hear his heavy breathing, the sighs that fall from his lips and it’s beginning to make you feel a little frustrated. You know he probably wants to speak up and get the thing that’s bothering off his chest but he is afraid of messing up, he is afraid of saying the wrong thing… as always. If only you knew that he is afraid of spilling something much more deeper. 

His back is turned to you. His hair is messy and you so badly want to reach out and run your fingers through it but that’s much too intimate isn’t it? Just like sharing a bed is… But that’s something you don’t like to dwell too much on. Steve is your friend. And it’s perfectly fine to share a bed with your friend, right? 

“Steve…” You whisper, finally killing the silence between you. 

He tenses up, knowing what is about to come. He blinks as he stares into blank space. The room is dark, the only light coming from the muted TV that he is not even looking at. His stomach flutters at the sound of your voice. The smell of your perfume lingers in the air, on his pillows… like always and he loves it, he loves it more than he should. You are his friend. His best friend. The best friend that sees him as only that and nothing more. He should accept that and try to move on but instead he finds himself yearning for you and your touch, breathing in your scent when he goes to sleep at nights – or when he lies awake, struggling to fall asleep as thoughts of you curse through his mind while his hand is in places it shouldn’t be when he is thinking of you. 

“Yeah?” He whispers, feeling guilty for giving you the silent treatment. He doesn’t mean to do that, he is just afraid of facing you and accidentally spilling all his feelings to you after witnessing another man make a move on you. 

It’s stupid. His jealousy is stupid and he is acting like a jealous boyfriend. But how can he not? He was having a great time with you, up until Billy Hargrove decided to ruin his night by making a move on you when he stepped away from you for a fucking minute. Steve went to the bathroom, he wasn’t even gone for two minutes and when he came back, Billy had taken his place at the counter, sitting on his barstool, talking to his girl. He was flirting with you, that much was clear, using that stupid smirk of his as he probably threw some cheap pickup line at you – and it seemed like it worked because you giggled and you blushed and Steve wanted to throw up. 

“Talk to me.” You whisper softly, his coldness beginning to sting a little. 

He nearly crumbles at the softness in your voice. It almost hurts how much his heart flutters every time you speak up. His 18 year old self would think that by now he would have either moved on or made you his girlfriend but Steve is 21 now and still hiding his feelings for you. 

“Did I…” You pause as your voice cracks. “Did I do something?” 

His eyes widen at your question and the way the emotions in your voice have shifted. He turns around instantly. Finally facing you again as he shakes his head. 

“What? No!” He shakes his head and scoots closer on instinct. Every time you even give a hint of discomfort, he is there to comfort you, to reassure you, to give you warmth and love that you only see half of because you are so unaware of what he truly feels for you. You think he sees you as a friend and nothing more, and he was always so desperate to keep making you believe that out of fear of losing you but lately he has been struggling to keep that up and he can’t even blame himself, it was only a matter of time until his facade would start to crumble. 

And despite the sliver of denial in you, you have begun to notice too. His touches started to linger and you would catch him staring at you in moments he should have looked anywhere else but at you. Hugs started to last longer and began to feel more intimate than before. He would stop by your work place to spend lunch breaks with you, bringing you the food you talked about the night before and sometimes he’d come bearing gifts. Every chance he gets, he lends you his jacket… just like tonight, even after he started acting so weird. 

Steve is your best friend. You were convinced it was just that, you were. 

His eyebrows are furrowed and his hazel eyes are filled with guilt as he takes in the sadness crossing your features. 

“Then why are you not talking to me?” You whisper as you sink deeper into his pillow. Your hair falls against your cheek and Steve can’t even stop himself from reaching out and tucking it behind your ear. It’s a small gesture, nothing out of the ordinary for you both but it makes your cheeks heat up and it makes his heart swell when you lean into the palm of his hand. 

Steve blinks. He stares at you for a moment, not really knowing what to say. 

Can he tell you the truth? Absolutely not. But his silence is hurting your feelings, he can see that and he can’t have that. He can’t. Hurting you is the last thing he wants to do. He wants to protect you from it and he does, every chance he gets. 

“Is it because of Billy?”

Steve tenses up, you can feel it because his hand freezes in your hair and his eyes darken. 

“Are you angry at me for–”

“I’m not angry at you.” He sighs, cutting you off. He closes his eyes for a second, taking a breath. “I promise.”

You furrow your eyebrows, moving closer to him now as you take in the sight of him. Clenched jaw. Heavy breaths. Tense shoulders. Flushed cheeks. Is there a chance that he could be… jealous? You don’t quite understand why your heart flutters the way it does at the thought of him feeling jealous over you, but it does and it fills you with excitement and it causes adrenaline to rush through you. 

“Are you jealous?” You blurt out.

And when it dawns on you what just left your lips, your eyes widen as his open suddenly. You suck in a sharp breath as you blink at him. You are just about to apologize, say your question was a joke but his reaction keeps you from doing so because he looks like a deer caught in headlights – with his brown eyes wide, his cheeks pink and his mouth open he gives himself away. 

He is jealous. Steve is jealous. 

Your best friend is jealous over you and… it makes you feel something. 

You stare at each other for what feels like forever. Eyes gazing into each other and while your mind runs with millions of questions, Steve panics out of fear of having just ruined the friendship. His heart is pounding against his chest, his mind screams at him to do something, to deny it, to come up with some stupid lie but then… you giggle. 

“You are!” 

“I-I…” His stuttering gives him away even more and it’s as though you can see clearly now, see all that he’s been hiding for god knows how long. 

Your cheeks are burning and you can’t help the giggles that keep falling from your mouth. You turn on your back and stare up at the ceiling before you hide your face behind your hands – an action that has Steve’s lips curling into a smile despite the lingering anxiety. Your reaction to this, to him feeling jealous clearly doesn’t make you feel displeasure, if anything it seems to excite you which leaves him wondering if he’s just been an idiot all this time. 

“Stop that…” Steve murmurs and pokes your waist, making you squeak. 

“Hey–” 

He pokes you again… again and again until his fingers are digging into your sides and he is tickling you. And you don’t know how or when it happens but suddenly he is on top of you and his hands are under the shirt you stole from his closet and he is close, much too close for a friend. His palms are against your bare stomach, he is now holding your waist and you have stopped squirming under him. His nose bumps against yours, his lips now inches away from your lips. He can feel your minty breath against his skin and he can see the way your smile slowly fades as your eyes skip between his eyes and his mouth. 

You have been close to him before. You have woken up in his arms before. You have kissed his cheek before but Steve had never gotten you this close before. And now his heart is pounding like crazy, and everything in him is yelling at him to do something because the way you look at him can’t be for nothing. 

Your breaths mingle together as you stare at each other. Your eyes widen a bit more when it dawns on you just where he’s got you now… under him. His face is right there, right in front of you, his lips so dangerously close to your own as his hands slide further up your sides. A strand of his hair falls in front of his eyes and normally you would have brushed it away by now but you are frozen, unable to move, unable to say anything but his name that falls from your lips in a hushed whisper. 

Is it crazy to want something more? 

You haven’t thought of this ever before, have you? Up until now, he was just your best friend. He was just Steve. Your Steve but… that was it right? Or were you just so blind and unaware of your own desires… of your own feelings?

Because wanting to kiss your best friend isn’t normal, is it? Wanting him to stay on top of you, to do more than just tickle you and tuck your hair behind your ear isn’t what friends should feel for each other right? 

“Steve,” you whisper again as you slowly bring your hand up to cup his cheek. You don’t have to tell him what to do next, what you want now for him to make his next move because his hand on your waist tightens and he moves an inch closer. 

“Can I?” He still asks because he needs to be sure. 

You nod. 

His lip curls up at the sudden shyness on your face and the way your big eyes stare up at him. His left hand leaves your waist, moving up to cup your burning cheek. He can see the nervousness in your eyes, the emotions that cross your features, ones he hasn’t seen on your face until now. All he had to do was make his feelings known, huh? 

His heart is about to explode at this point, the anticipation driving you both crazy and when you whisper his name again, he can’t hold back any longer. He closes his eyes and he takes a deep breath before he slams his lips against yours, kissing you the way he’s only ever dreamed of. 

And it’s even better, it’s so much better than his dreams. A whimper falls from his lips when he feels you kissing him back. He sneaks his hand under your back and pulls you flush against him, holding you like he needs to do it, to be sure that this is actually happening. 

Your eyebrows are furrowed as you kiss him back with the same need you feel from him. You are confused, so confused about this, about what you are feeling, about what is happening – not in a bad way, no, not at all. Confused about how you have been so blind and unaware of all of this. 

You wrap your arms around him, pulling him much closer as you deepen the kiss, making him whimper once again. It makes your stomach flutter so strongly. It makes you feel crazy because suddenly all these feelings come bursting through you. 

His lips are so soft, so perfect, molding against yours like they were made just to be kissed by you. 

The kiss is slow and you can tell that he is savoring each second that passes since his lips crashed against yours, like he is afraid that this won’t happen again, like he is trying to memorize it so he can at least think back to it when this is over. 

But you are only getting started. 

He doesn’t know how he is still functioning. The way you kiss, the pretty noises falling from you, the feeling of your hot skin against his, the feeling of your chest rising up and down against his own… Oh. Now he is doomed forever. 

When you break the kiss in need of air, he doesn’t stop just yet, he pecks your lips again and again, desperate to not end this yet. His lips touch every inch of your face and his heart swells when you giggle and sink your fingers into his hair. He continues, smiling against you as he sloppily leaves kisses all over your face, wanting to take them further down your neck but he stops himself from doing that… yet. 

He leans his forehead against yours, and gazes into your eyes. He can see confusion, he can see foreign emotions cursing through them but he knows, he knows he felt something from you too, he knows this meant something to you just the way it means something to him. Now he knows. 

He is still holding you the way he did before. He is still breathing heavily against you. And you are still staring at him like you are trying to figure him out, like you are trying to figure yourself out. 

The air between you is thick, filled with raw emotions, filled with feelings from you that you were never even aware of as his own finally burst free. 

Your smile fades a little as a serious look crosses your face and your eyes lock on his lips again, making his heart skip a beat in his chest. This isn’t over, far from it, this is only the beginning of something he’s been craving for years. 

You intertwine your fingers on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. 

“Honey,” he whispers against your lips, pecking them once more. “You have no idea how long I…” His voice cracks a little. His hazel eyes burning with more than you thought there was. It steals your breath and it makes your breathing stop and it makes you want more. 

“Show me,” you whisper as you lean up, being the one to kiss his lips this time. “You can show me.” You murmur softly against his mouth, being unaware of how his heart combusts at your words. 

He takes a moment to let it sink in. 

He stares at you, watching the way your eyes are begging for him to make another move, to show you the feelings you have been so blind to all these years. 

Will this ruin the friendship? Most likely. 

But he can’t find it in himself to care right now. Not when he gets to have this, to have you. His emotions are in overdrive now. All these years of pining and yearning, of hiding the love that he holds for you and now this – how can he not ruin the friendship? It’s all he ever wanted to do anyway. 

“You’re gonna be the death of me.” Steve murmurs softly before he pulls you into a soft yet heated kiss, one that tells you both that this will change everything between you. 

You can hear his heavy breathing, the sighs that fall from his lips and it’s beginning to make you feel a little frustrated. You know he probably wants to speak up and get the thing that’s bothering off his chest but he is afraid of messing up, he is afraid of saying the wrong thing… as always. If only you knew that he is afraid of spilling something much more deeper. 

His back is turned to you. His hair is messy and you so badly want to reach out and run your fingers through it but that’s much too intimate isn’t it? Just like sharing a bed is… But that’s something you don’t like to dwell too much on. Steve is your friend. And it’s perfectly fine to share a bed with your friend, right? 

“Steve…” You whisper, finally killing the silence between you. 

He tenses up, knowing what is about to come. He blinks as he stares into blank space. The room is dark, the only light coming from the muted TV that he is not even looking at. His stomach flutters at the sound of your voice. The smell of your perfume lingers in the air, on his pillows… like always and he loves it, he loves it more than he should. You are his friend. His best friend. The best friend that sees him as only that and nothing more. He should accept that and try to move on but instead he finds himself yearning for you and your touch, breathing in your scent when he goes to sleep at nights – or when he lies awake, struggling to fall asleep as thoughts of you curse through his mind while his hand is in places it shouldn’t be when he is thinking of you. 

“Yeah?” He whispers, feeling guilty for giving you the silent treatment. He doesn’t mean to do that, he is just afraid of facing you and accidentally spilling all his feelings to you after witnessing another man make a move on you. 

It’s stupid. His jealousy is stupid and he is acting like a jealous boyfriend. But how can he not? He was having a great time with you, up until Billy Hargrove decided to ruin his night by making a move on you when he stepped away from you for a fucking minute. Steve went to the bathroom, he wasn’t even gone for two minutes and when he came back, Billy had taken his place at the counter, sitting on his barstool, talking to his girl. He was flirting with you, that much was clear, using that stupid smirk of his as he probably threw some cheap pickup line at you – and it seemed like it worked because you giggled and you blushed and Steve wanted to throw up. 

“Talk to me.” You whisper softly, his coldness beginning to sting a little. 

He nearly crumbles at the softness in your voice. It almost hurts how much his heart flutters every time you speak up. His 18 year old self would think that by now he would have either moved on or made you his girlfriend but Steve is 21 now and still hiding his feelings for you. 

“Did I…” You pause as your voice cracks. “Did I do something?” 

His eyes widen at your question and the way the emotions in your voice have shifted. He turns around instantly. Finally facing you again as he shakes his head. 

“What? No!” He shakes his head and scoots closer on instinct. Every time you even give a hint of discomfort, he is there to comfort you, to reassure you, to give you warmth and love that you only see half of because you are so unaware of what he truly feels for you. You think he sees you as a friend and nothing more, and he was always so desperate to keep making you believe that out of fear of losing you but lately he has been struggling to keep that up and he can’t even blame himself, it was only a matter of time until his facade would start to crumble. 

And despite the sliver of denial in you, you have begun to notice too. His touches started to linger and you would catch him staring at you in moments he should have looked anywhere else but at you. Hugs started to last longer and began to feel more intimate than before. He would stop by your work place to spend lunch breaks with you, bringing you the food you talked about the night before and sometimes he’d come bearing gifts. Every chance he gets, he lends you his jacket… just like tonight, even after he started acting so weird. 

Steve is your best friend. You were convinced it was just that, you were. 

His eyebrows are furrowed and his hazel eyes are filled with guilt as he takes in the sadness crossing your features. 

“Then why are you not talking to me?” You whisper as you sink deeper into his pillow. Your hair falls against your cheek and Steve can’t even stop himself from reaching out and tucking it behind your ear. It’s a small gesture, nothing out of the ordinary for you both but it makes your cheeks heat up and it makes his heart swell when you lean into the palm of his hand. 

Steve blinks. He stares at you for a moment, not really knowing what to say. 

Can he tell you the truth? Absolutely not. But his silence is hurting your feelings, he can see that and he can’t have that. He can’t. Hurting you is the last thing he wants to do. He wants to protect you from it and he does, every chance he gets. 

“Is it because of Billy?”

Steve tenses up, you can feel it because his hand freezes in your hair and his eyes darken. 

“Are you angry at me for–”

“I’m not angry at you.” He sighs, cutting you off. He closes his eyes for a second, taking a breath. “I promise.”

You furrow your eyebrows, moving closer to him now as you take in the sight of him. Clenched jaw. Heavy breaths. Tense shoulders. Flushed cheeks. Is there a chance that he could be… jealous? You don’t quite understand why your heart flutters the way it does at the thought of him feeling jealous over you, but it does and it fills you with excitement and it causes adrenaline to rush through you. 

“Are you jealous?” You blurt out.

And when it dawns on you what just left your lips, your eyes widen as his open suddenly. You suck in a sharp breath as you blink at him. You are just about to apologize, say your question was a joke but his reaction keeps you from doing so because he looks like a deer caught in headlights – with his brown eyes wide, his cheeks pink and his mouth open he gives himself away. 

He is jealous. Steve is jealous. 

Your best friend is jealous over you and… it makes you feel something. 

You stare at each other for what feels like forever. Eyes gazing into each other and while your mind runs with millions of questions, Steve panics out of fear of having just ruined the friendship. His heart is pounding against his chest, his mind screams at him to do something, to deny it, to come up with some stupid lie but then… you giggle. 

“You are!” 

“I-I…” His stuttering gives him away even more and it’s as though you can see clearly now, see all that he’s been hiding for god knows how long. 

Your cheeks are burning and you can’t help the giggles that keep falling from your mouth. You turn on your back and stare up at the ceiling before you hide your face behind your hands – an action that has Steve’s lips curling into a smile despite the lingering anxiety. Your reaction to this, to him feeling jealous clearly doesn’t make you feel displeasure, if anything it seems to excite you which leaves him wondering if he’s just been an idiot all this time. 

“Stop that…” Steve murmurs and pokes your waist, making you squeak. 

“Hey–” 

He pokes you again… again and again until his fingers are digging into your sides and he is tickling you. And you don’t know how or when it happens but suddenly he is on top of you and his hands are under the shirt you stole from his closet and he is close, much too close for a friend. His palms are against your bare stomach, he is now holding your waist and you have stopped squirming under him. His nose bumps against yours, his lips now inches away from your lips. He can feel your minty breath against his skin and he can see the way your smile slowly fades as your eyes skip between his eyes and his mouth. 

You have been close to him before. You have woken up in his arms before. You have kissed his cheek before but Steve had never gotten you this close before. And now his heart is pounding like crazy, and everything in him is yelling at him to do something because the way you look at him can’t be for nothing. 

Your breaths mingle together as you stare at each other. Your eyes widen a bit more when it dawns on you just where he’s got you now… under him. His face is right there, right in front of you, his lips so dangerously close to your own as his hands slide further up your sides. A strand of his hair falls in front of his eyes and normally you would have brushed it away by now but you are frozen, unable to move, unable to say anything but his name that falls from your lips in a hushed whisper. 

Is it crazy to want something more? 

You haven’t thought of this ever before, have you? Up until now, he was just your best friend. He was just Steve. Your Steve but… that was it right? Or were you just so blind and unaware of your own desires… of your own feelings?

Because wanting to kiss your best friend isn’t normal, is it? Wanting him to stay on top of you, to do more than just tickle you and tuck your hair behind your ear isn’t what friends should feel for each other right? 

“Steve,” you whisper again as you slowly bring your hand up to cup his cheek. You don’t have to tell him what to do next, what you want now for him to make his next move because his hand on your waist tightens and he moves an inch closer. 

“Can I?” He still asks because he needs to be sure. 

You nod. 

His lip curls up at the sudden shyness on your face and the way your big eyes stare up at him. His left hand leaves your waist, moving up to cup your burning cheek. He can see the nervousness in your eyes, the emotions that cross your features, ones he hasn’t seen on your face until now. All he had to do was make his feelings known, huh? 

His heart is about to explode at this point, the anticipation driving you both crazy and when you whisper his name again, he can’t hold back any longer. He closes his eyes and he takes a deep breath before he slams his lips against yours, kissing you the way he’s only ever dreamed of. 

And it’s even better, it’s so much better than his dreams. A whimper falls from his lips when he feels you kissing him back. He sneaks his hand under your back and pulls you flush against him, holding you like he needs to do it, to be sure that this is actually happening. 

Your eyebrows are furrowed as you kiss him back with the same need you feel from him. You are confused, so confused about this, about what you are feeling, about what is happening – not in a bad way, no, not at all. Confused about how you have been so blind and unaware of all of this. 

You wrap your arms around him, pulling him much closer as you deepen the kiss, making him whimper once again. It makes your stomach flutter so strongly. It makes you feel crazy because suddenly all these feelings come bursting through you. 

His lips are so soft, so perfect, molding against yours like they were made just to be kissed by you. 

The kiss is slow and you can tell that he is savoring each second that passes since his lips crashed against yours, like he is afraid that this won’t happen again, like he is trying to memorize it so he can at least think back to it when this is over. 

But you are only getting started. 

He doesn’t know how he is still functioning. The way you kiss, the pretty noises falling from you, the feeling of your hot skin against his, the feeling of your chest rising up and down against his own… Oh. Now he is doomed forever. 

When you break the kiss in need of air, he doesn’t stop just yet, he pecks your lips again and again, desperate to not end this yet. His lips touch every inch of your face and his heart swells when you giggle and sink your fingers into his hair. He continues, smiling against you as he sloppily leaves kisses all over your face, wanting to take them further down your neck but he stops himself from doing that… yet. 

He leans his forehead against yours, and gazes into your eyes. He can see confusion, he can see foreign emotions cursing through them but he knows, he knows he felt something from you too, he knows this meant something to you just the way it means something to him. Now he knows. 

He is still holding you the way he did before. He is still breathing heavily against you. And you are still staring at him like you are trying to figure him out, like you are trying to figure yourself out. 

The air between you is thick, filled with raw emotions, filled with feelings from you that you were never even aware of as his own finally burst free. 

Your smile fades a little as a serious look crosses your face and your eyes lock on his lips again, making his heart skip a beat in his chest. This isn’t over, far from it, this is only the beginning of something he’s been craving for years. 

You intertwine your fingers on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. 

“Honey,” he whispers against your lips, pecking them once more. “You have no idea how long I…” His voice cracks a little. His hazel eyes burning with more than you thought there was. It steals your breath and it makes your breathing stop and it makes you want more. 

“Show me,” you whisper as you lean up, being the one to kiss his lips this time. “You can show me.” You murmur softly against his mouth, being unaware of how his heart combusts at your words. 

He takes a moment to let it sink in. 

He stares at you, watching the way your eyes are begging for him to make another move, to show you the feelings you have been so blind to all these years. 

Will this ruin the friendship? Most likely. 

But he can’t find it in himself to care right now. Not when he gets to have this, to have you. His emotions are in overdrive now. All these years of pining and yearning, of hiding the love that he holds for you and now this – how can he not ruin the friendship? It’s all he ever wanted to do anyway. 

“You’re gonna be the death of me.” Steve murmurs softly before he pulls you into a soft yet heated kiss, one that tells you both that this will change everything between you. 

He wipes the surfaces clean and makes sure that the space is clear of any dust or dirt before he gets one of the mattresses from upstairs, carrying it down into the living room, the plastic cover all over it crinkling with the movement. It would feel weird to use someone else’s bedroom. He places the mattress close to the fireplace that he plans on lighting up later. 

“I found some clean sheets; they were inside zipped plastic bags.” Nancy walks into the living room. 

“Cool.” Steve nods at her, giving her a small smile. He lifts his hand and runs it through his hair, taking a deep breath. 

Nancy puts the sheets down on the coffee table and reaches for one of the pillows. She cocks an eyebrow at Steve, taking in his restless figure as he looks around the room. 

“Don’t tell me you are nervous, Steve.” Nancy chuckles as her eyes flicker in amusement. 

Steve narrows his eyes at her. She looks down, picking up the sheets, she throws them towards him. 

He catches them with a sigh, shaking his head at the teasing look on her face. Just like Eddie. 

But yes, he is nervous. It’s gonna be your first time together, your first time with him, your very first time. He wants and needs it to be perfect for you. He wants you to feel as comfortable as possible. He wants you to feel safe, happy. 

“I can’t believe I’m helping you get laid.” 

Steve rolls his eyes at the tone in her voice, though a chuckle falls from his lips. He had known her for such a long time now; she would have never made such jokes back then. He knows it’s Eddie’s influence and her bond with him; he is rubbing off on her. Or… Robin’s influence. 

“Wheeler, who would have thought you’d ever speak like that.” 

Nancy snorts at him as she watches him spread the sheets over the mattress. She looks around, noting the candles he gathered before. She starts spreading them around the living room. 

“Who would have thought that I’d help you take someone’s virginity.” Nancy jokes, chuckling to herself when he snorts. 

“Don’t make it sound like I’m sacrificing a virgin tonight, Jesus Christ!” Steve mumbles. 

The girl laughs at the dramatic tone in his voice. She passes by the window and takes a look outside. Her eyes light up in amusement when she sees Eddie clapping his hands at you as you siphon gas from a car. 

“I just need it to be perfect.” Steve murmurs, pulling her attention away from you and back to him. 

“It’s gonna be perfect.” Nancy smiles at him, placing the last candles on the coffee table. “You worry so much about it when there’s no need to. You got a perfect house for the night, you set up the room nicely,” she gestures around herself, pointing to the string lights he found in the bedroom. “You even got her Kitkats, and you’re making what, pasta for dinner? I checked the stove, and there’s some gas left; you can prepare it there. Sounds like a perfect first date considering the world we live in!” 

Steve’s shoulders slump a little as the tension wears off. He can’t help the nervousness inside of him when it comes to you. You deserve more than just perfect. 

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Steve asks, scratching the back of his neck. 

Nancy breathes out as she tilts her head. She had never seen him like that. In all those years she had known him, she had never seen him be this nervous over anything. A smile tugs at her lips, “she will love it. She would have loved just the RV because it’s with you, that girl is obsessed with you, Steve!” 

Steve’s lips curl into a smile, and he tilts his head down. The feeling is so very mutual. He nods his head, “okay yeah, you’re right.” 

“I’m always right.” Nancy mumbles, making Steve snort. “Besides, once we get to California, you can take her on a picnic date at the beach!” 

Steve smiles at that, nodding. He can’t wait to get to California, to have that peace with you. He feels safe with you, and you feel safe with him, but you are still out here, where anything could happen at any moment. You still have to look over your shoulders, risk your lives driving through unknown territories, and he can’t wait for that to be over. 

Nancy fixes the curtains while Steve starts preparing the bed, taking the plastic cover off, making the mattress free of dust, and putting the fresh sheets on. A smile tugs at her lips when she watches you and Eddie laughing about something. She crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes linger on you for a moment before she looks back at Steve, whose brows are tugged together in concentration. 

She notices the light flush in his cheeks, the color that came back into his face because of you. It’s been a second since he finally pulled himself together and made you his. When she saw how he attached himself to you after, how scared and anxious he seemed whenever you weren’t around for even just five minutes, she started to realize. It’s something she meant to talk to him about, something she meant to apologize for. 

“I get it now…”

Steve glances at her, still with the same concentrated look on his face, “huh?”

“Why you were afraid… Why you initially rejected her.” 

“I don’t–”

“I was the same, behind closed doors that is.” Nancy reveals, uncrossing her arms. “When Robin passed, I just holed myself up when no one was watching. I pretended to be okay because I knew she would want me to be okay for my mom and my siblings…” 

Steve gets up from his crouched position. His eyes flash with sympathy, “Nancy…” 

Nancy blinks, not wanting to tear up in front of him. She hates crying in front of others. She clears her throat. 

“And then when she was gone… I gave up on the idea of moving on… I-I gave up on trying to look for someone else because, it’s the fucking end of the world right?” Her laughter is humorless, watery. She is fighting the tears now, thinking about her. 

Steve stays quiet, watching the sadness burst in her eyes. He never knew she was going through the same thing he was going through. 

“And then she appeared.” Nancy says softly, glancing at you again. “Seeing her… have these eyes for you made me feel so nostalgic… To the point where I realized I wanted to feel it again. I wanted to– I wanted to feel alive, and yearn, and feel human.” 

Guilt rushes through him when he realizes how badly he treated her back in Wyoming. He closes his eyes and runs his hand down his face. 

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t– You were trying to move on. I didn’t– I shouldn’t have said what I said to you…” 

Nancy shakes her head at him, “I deserved it… besides, I wasn’t trying to move on with Tommy,” she chuckles, though her cheeks burn a little. “I think that she made me feel alive again. I grew protective of her. She is my best friend, but Eddie was right, you were there first, and I was so angry at you for hurting her, I didn’t even glance at you or think about how you must have been feeling… and now I know why you really pushed her away. You were scared.”

“It’s okay, Nancy.” Steve gives her a nod. “I’m not angry at you.”

She smiles at him, taking a deep breath before she continues, “I-I think I would be the same. If I found someone like her, after losing Robin… I think I would be afraid to the point of pushing them away too…”

Steve shakes his head, smiling. “You would have Eddie to kick your ass and also me because I would not stand by and watch you make the same mistake.” 

Nancy chuckles. She tilts her head and scratches the back of her neck. 

Steve looks over her shoulder, smiling at the sound of your laughter that he can hear through the crack of the open window. 

“I just… I feel like I was at the right place at the right time when she stumbled out of those bushes…” Steve smiles, recalling the day you first met. 

Nancy smiles, “and it was Eddie’s turn. Remember? You weren’t supposed to patrol that night.”

“Yeah… I remember.” Steve whispers. 

He had to be the one to see you first. 

The door creaks open, and Steve nearly panics, thinking it’s you. He doesn’t want you to see any of this yet. It’s supposed to be a surprise. He sighs in relief when Eddie waltzes in, wiping his hands with a rag. 

Eddie wiggles his eyebrows at Steve, unable to hold back his chuckle. 

“Your girlfriend sucks like a hoover.” 

“Excuse me–”

Nancy rolls her eyes and shakes her head at her best friend. 

“She needs a little practice, but hey, we got a lot of gas now thanks to her. It was fun watching her; she choked a little at first, but got the hang of it pretty quickly.” The metalhead grins, nudging Steve’s shoulder as he stops beside him. 

“This… You just had to say it this way, didn’t you?” Steve grumbles, squinting his eyes at his friend. 

Eddie chuckles, clapping his hand on Steve’s shoulder. 

“Shouldn’t you be out there with her to make sure that she won’t come inside?” Steve raises his eyebrows at him. 

Eddie takes a look around, his eyes settle on the bed, and he instantly begins to wiggle his eyebrows, “oh you are so ready to get in there, aren’t ya?”

Nancy holds back her laughter as she looks between them, her eyes crinkle when Steve scrunches his nose up at Eddie. 

She clears her throat, making them both look at her. 

“You know what, I go and distract Sunshine, and you,” she points at Eddie. “You help Steve with the rest.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Eddie salutes, grinning at her. 

“You got this, Steve.” Nancy says, chuckling when she sees the annoyance on his face at the teasing smile Eddie directs at him. She walks out and shuts the door. 

Steve stands there with his hands on his hips. He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath before he looks at Eddie again. 

“It’s been so long, you’re basically a virgin too now, Steve.” Eddie snickers. 

Steve gives him a deadpan look. 

“Okay, okay…” Eddie holds his hands up. “So how can I help?” 

-

Nancy finds you in the garage that is connected to the house. You are humming a song as you fill up the gas tank. A smile tugs on her face as she watches you – you have no idea what is going on. So far, you still believe that you are here for a one day break to fill up on gas, supplies, and to get some proper rest. 

“Oh hey!” You grin when you notice her. “What’s up?” 

“I checked out some houses.” Nancy shrugs, “I was hoping I’d find more guns but…”

“No luck?” You frown, closing the gas tank and setting down the canister. 

Nancy shakes her head and purses her lips as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Nope.”

“I mean, we found a good amount of things yesterday already.” You shrug, being optimistic as always. “Plus, we are here to get some rest, right?”

“Right.” Nancy nods, smiling at you. 

“We’re gonna eat some great food tonight, maybe have a drink or two – ooh! Do you think we can take a shower in the house? Maybe we can check it out!”

Nancy’s eyes widen. You can’t go in there, not yet. 

“No, unfortunately, there isn’t any warm water… I checked already.” Nancy lies, almost feeling bad when disappointment flashes in your eyes. 

“RV shower it is.” You sigh. 

“I know, I can’t wait to take a bath again when we’re finally in California! It’s gonna feel so rewarding!” 

A groan falls from your lips as you tilt your head back, “I used to love taking baths! I’d stay in there forever and make it a spa day.”

“All while playing Madonna, wearing a face mask while shaving your legs?” Nancy asks, giggling. 

Your eyes light up and you nod, “exactly!” 

“You could do that right now!” Nancy smiles at you, trying to give you a hint without giving the surprise away, but she knows you packed the razor and moisturizers for a reason. “I mean, not a bath, but you can take a long shower and just… do everything you didn’t have the time to do in the past few months!”

“We can’t waste too much water, Nance.” You sigh, though it does sound tempting. 

“There’s cold water coming from the taps inside… just no warm water, we can stock up on it later on.” Nancy shrugs, smiling. “I shaved my legs last night after months! They feel so smooth again!” 

You hum as you take a look at the RV. You grabbed so many things yesterday, new bodywash, moisturizer, soap. 

“You know what, I’m gonna do that.” You cave in, smiling in excitement. “But first, I wanna see what Steve is up to.” 

You don’t even manage to take a step forward before Nancy stops you again. She shakes her head, waving her hand, “oh no no, go and take your shower! Steve and Eddie are…” she pauses as she grabs your shoulders and pushes you towards the RV, ignoring the confused look on your face. “They’re getting a new battery for the RV. Boring stuff!” She laughs. 

“I–”

“You go and uh enjoy the shower while you can before Eddie comes back and uses up all your vanilla scented stuff!” 

“Do I smell or something?” You laugh as you step inside the RV. 

“No,” Nancy chuckles. “I just want you to enjoy that peaceful shower for a change.” 

She’s got a point there. You don’t get many chances to take long showers, let alone do any self-care, while you’re on the road. The longest shower you were able to take was seven minutes long, and even that was ‘too long’ according to Eddie. 

“What are you gonna do?” You ask as you grab some fresh underwear and clothes. 

“Uh, I think I’m gonna just relax…” She trails off, reaching for some random magazine before she plops down in the passenger seat. She kicks off her boots and stretches them out onto the armrest of the driver's seat, “right here…” She grins.

You giggle at her, shaking your head at her display. 

“We can paint each other’s nails later!” Nancy smiles, flipping through the magazine. 

“I’d love that, but first…” You reach for the body wash and moisturizer you hid from Eddie. “I’m gonna smell like a vanilla pound cake in a second.” 

“Oh, a pound cake for sure,” Nancy murmurs behind the magazine, holding back a grin. 

“Did you say something?” You ask, one foot into the bathroom. 

“No, no.” Nancy shakes her head at you, smiling. You don’t seem to suspect anything yet, not even with the lack of Steve’s presence, which seems surprising considering how much he hates to be away from you. 

“Alright.” You give her a smile before you step into the bathroom and close the door. 

Eddie walks in a few minutes later, looking around for you. 

Nancy glances at him over the magazine, raising an eyebrow, “she’s in the shower.”

“Ah.” Eddie nods as a smirk grows on his lips. 

“What are you smirking about, Munson?” 

He shakes his head as he starts looking through the drawers, in search of something, “nothing, nothing.” 

Nancy squints her eyes at him, waiting for him to spill whatever is on his mind. 

His tongue pokes out from between his lips, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he fumbles through the knives, “got it.” He grins, grabbing a pair of scissors. He turns back around, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. 

“What are you doing with those?” 

“Playing hairdresser.” He wiggles his eyebrows. 

Nancy’s jaw drops in surprise, she puts down the magazine, and leans forward. 

“He’s letting you cut his hair?” She gasps. “Steve Harrington is letting someone touch his hair. You!?” 

Eddie almost looks offended, and he places his hand against his chest. “Why wouldn’t he? I give my uncle the best haircuts.” 

“Your uncle is bald.” Nancy states.

Eddie rolls his eyes, “that was sarcasm, Wheeler.” He shakes his head as he makes his way towards the door. “We still have a long way to go – besides, I always do my hair and I look hot as hell.”

Nancy rolls her eyes at his cockiness, but he has a point. His ends were not split at all, because he made sure to trim them every once in a while. 

“Alright, I’ll go get my guy ready for–”

“Don’t be a pervert.” Nancy points at him, and he instantly stops wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Alright grandma.” Eddie rolls his eyes before a smirk makes its way on his face again. “Are you ready for a cozy night here with me? I’ll grab some candles for us, make it romantic–”

“Go!” Nancy throws the magazine at him, making him step out before it hits him in the head. His laughter echoes in the garage before he disappears into the house, slamming the door shut. 

She shakes her head and gets up with a sigh, reaching for the magazine again, she sits back down, “idiot.” She murmurs. 

-

It dawned on you in the shower that something was going on. You haven’t seen Steve all day, and every time you tried to go look for him, either Eddie or Nancy would stop you. He never even leaves your side for five minutes, let alone for this long. 

You are clueless sometimes, but not this much. You try not to dwell on it too long, not wanting to wonder about what your boyfriend is planning, not wanting to ruin that surprise for yourself and him. 

Nancy insists on doing your hair after painting your nails, and you almost feel a little ridiculous doing all that in a world where you have to fight to survive every second of every day. Yet you can’t help but enjoy that moment of peace, that moment that gives you a glimpse of the old world where you didn’t have all that. A friend who takes care of you like this. A friend like Eddie, who is always there to cheer you up and make you laugh. A boyfriend who treats you gently, who looks at you the way you look at him. 

“Where’s your head at?” Nancy asks as she brushes your hair. 

“I don’t know… I just… This feels nice,” you shrug as you look down at your nails. “All this, I mean.” 

Nancy nods, smiling down at you, “we’re gonna have more of this in California.” 

“Yeah…”

Nancy notices the hesitation in your voice and the worried look on your face. She pauses, putting the hairbrush aside for a moment. 

“What’s wrong?” 

You shake your head, furrowing your eyebrows as annoyance creeps up in you for feeling that sliver of pessimism. “I don’t know, I just– things have been going so well lately… No monsters, no bad people, no infected, now this place? I-I don’t know, I can’t help but feel like something is waiting around the corner.”

Nancy’s eyes flash with sympathy. Her chest aching a bit at the feelings you are dealing with. It’s not even about this world. It’s about your past life, and the things that got taken out of your hand every time things were going great. 

She nudges your shoulder as she settles down beside you. She offers you a kind smile, “Sunshine… where’s that optimism we all love so much?” 

You take a deep breath and exhale, smiling a bit at her question. 

“That’s my kinda thing, to worry and be negative.” Nancy jokes, reaching for your hand. “You’re the hope!” 

“The hope?” You chuckle, turning to face her. 

“Yeah!” She nods in honesty. “Don’t lose that part now.” 

You nod, taking a deep breath as you push aside the fear creeping up on you. 

“I won’t.” 

“Good.” Nancy smiles and squeezes your hand before she gets up again and picks up the hairbrush. “Don’t start to doubt yourself now. You proved time and time again that you can beat this world, Sunshine.” 

You can beat this world. 

Your dad said the same thing to you. The last time you talked to him, he was so worried, you were on the other side of the country, and he could do nothing but talk to you on the phone as you were packing your things to leave the city. Talks of the military bombing places with huge crowds made him call you in panic. You promised to get out of there as soon as you could. Your brother was panicking in the background as the first bombings were announced on the radio. Your mom was crying. 

You promised that you would come home, and your dad believed you. You remember his last words before the line cut off; You can beat this world, Sweetheart.

“Yeah, I can.” 

You take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Now is not the time to worry, to be negative, and think about things that haven’t and won’t happen. 

“Just a couple of more weeks and we’re in California!” Nancy smiles. “Have you thought about where you will stay?”

“What do you mean?” You ask. 

“I mean, in the community, are you gonna stay with your family or… with Steve?” 

Oh. 

The truth is, you haven’t thought about that yet. Steve hasn’t asked you to stay with him, but it’s been implied, and the thought of not being with him makes you feel uneasy. 

“We haven’t talked about that yet, but… I can’t imagine being without him. What about you? Are you gonna stay with your family or…?”

Nancy chuckles behind you. She picks a few pieces of your hair and starts braiding it. 

“Well, I’d love to be your roommate, but I doubt that Steve will allow that. I’m gonna warn you, with the way he clings to you now, he won’t get a place without you.” 

Your heart flutters in your chest and your cheeks heat up. You want that. 

“But yeah, I miss my mom and my siblings. I know they have a house there and an empty room waiting for me.” 

“That sounds nice too though.” You smile. “I wonder if Eddie will stay with his uncle or go live with his Sweetheart.”

“You still believe he has a sweetheart?” Nancy scoffs.

“He does!” You exclaim, giggling. “He told me all about… their story!” 

“Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it, Sunshine.” Nancy snorts as she ties a hair tie around the lone braid in your hair. She taps your shoulder, “now come on, get up.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

You get up and turn to face her. A smile is lingering on her face when she leans closer and brushes her fingers through your hair. She takes a step back and looks you up and down. 

“Hold on.” She murmurs before she brushes past you and towards her backpack. 

You chuckle and shake your head. Now you are certain that something is going on, especially when she pulls out the yellow sundress you eyed in the little boutique yesterday. 

“Nancy!” You gasp, staring at it wide eyed. 

She walks back to you and holds it out for you. “You really wanted it, so I just had to get it.”

Your eyes soften as they flicker between her face and the dress. 

“And… I know you’re not as clueless as you pretend to be right now…” She laughs softly. “Steve’s waiting for you in there.” She says with a warm but teasing smile.

Oh. 

So this is happening tonight. It’s not just a little date night, it’s so much more than that. 

Your cheeks heat up at the realization. Excitement and nerves spread through your whole body, and you can’t help but squeal as you wrap your arms around Nancy, making the girl giggle as she hugs you back. 

“No one’s ever been this excited to get laid.” Nancy laughs, squeezing you tightly before she lets you go again so you can get dressed. 

“Shut up.” You murmur, laughing. You lock yourself in the bathroom and quickly take off your clothes. You fold your jeans and your sweater and put them aside. You kick off your boots and reach for the dress. A smile tugs at your lips as you begin to put it on. The mirror in here is too small for you to see much of the dress, but you stop as you are about to pull the straps up your arms. 

You bite your lip as you think of Steve’s reaction to the dress and what’s underneath… or what isn’t. You reach behind and unclasp your bra, taking it off and placing it on top of your sweater. Goosebumps rise on your skin when you think of his bare hands on your body, of his bare skin on your own… 

You breathe in shakily as you finish putting the dress on. You look down at it, smoothing down the material. Your heart beats stronger in your chest, wondering what he will think. 

When you walk back out again, you are startled by Eddie’s presence in the doorway.

“Goddamn, Sunshine.” Eddie whistles as he looks you up and down. “I might have to switch places with Steve cause…” He whistles again as he takes a step closer. 

You shake your head at him, blushing at the comment. 

“You are gorgeous!” Eddie grins at you. 

“Thank you,” you giggle and purse your lips. You glance at Nancy, who is smiling at you. 

“Yeah, you are gorgeous.” She nods, putting her hand on her cheek. “I feel like a proud mother.”

You and Eddie laugh at her, shaking your heads, and then Eddie opens his unfiltered mouth. 

“Proud that she’s getting dicked down tonight?” 

“Eddie!” You gasp and slap his shoulder. Your cheeks heat up at his words and his laughter. “You are such a perv! Maybe Steve doesn’t even want to–”

“Sunshine.” Eddie gives you a pointed look as his eyes move up and down your body. “Don’t finish that sentence. Now go, don’t leave your man waiting.” He grins as he grabs your shoulders and pushes you towards the door. 

“Wait–” You mumble, looking down at your bare legs. “It’s too cold for just the dress–”

“Honey, it’s not cold in there, besides that dress isn’t staying on you for long.”

You look over your shoulder, glaring at him while Nancy chuckles in the back. She takes a few steps closer to Eddie and reaches out to pinch your cheek, “go get him, tiger.” 

You shake your head at them both. As you’re about to step out, you wonder about them. You turn back around, frowning as you look between them. 

“Wait, what about you two?”

Eddie wraps his arm around Nancy’s shoulder, “oh, don’t worry about us. We got condoms too.”

Nancy slaps his chest, “oh my god, you’re disgusting! Don’t listen to him.”

You giggle at the annoyance on her face. 

“We are staying here. Don’t worry, the area is safe. We did another perimeter check. We shut the gates,” he gestures to the closed garage gate. “We’re gonna make some food and relax, but you don’t have to worry your pretty little head about anything tonight.”

You bite your lip and nod, taking a deep breath. 

“Now go!” Nancy smiles at you.

“Okay,” you whisper, smiling at them both before you turn around and finally make your way out of the RV. Once you walk through the door that leads into the house, Nancy and Eddie turn to face each other with satisfied smiles on their faces. 

“We make a great team.” Eddie says proudly, high fiving the girl. 

“We do.” Nancy nods. 

-

The house is dark, the sun has already set a while ago. You follow the golden flickers of light coming from the living room, the sound of music, and the smell of food. Your lips curl into a smile. Your heartbeat quickens even more the closer you get to him. Nancy was right, the house is warm, and the closer you get to where the lights are brightest, it just gets warmer.

You pass by a mirror in the hallway and take a quick look at yourself. It’s too dark to really see yourself, but you already knew you would love the dress. The boots, in contrast, look a little silly, and you contemplate kicking them off, but you doubt that Steve will care about that. 

“Sunshine?” 

You tear your eyes away from your reflection and step away from the mirror. You follow his voice and step into the living room. The sight of it all steals your breath – the burning candles spread around the room, the string lights hanging from the ceiling, the flames burning in the fireplace, the round dining table in the corner with two glasses and a bottle of wine. And then, there’s a mattress in the middle of the room, close to the fireplace, two pillows, and a huge blanket covering it. It looks cozy. It’s perfect. 

While you are taking in the sight before you, Steve is taking you in. His hazel eyes are wide and soft as he stares at you. His heart is beating so strongly against his ribcage, chest warming at the sight before him. A smile appears on his face as he takes a step closer to you. 

“Wow.” You both whisper at the same time. Your eyes lock, and your giggles sound through the room. 

“You are so beautiful, Sunshine.” Steve whispers as he takes your hand and brings your arm up, “give me a twirl.” 

You giggle at him, squeezing his hand, and you twirl around. 

Steve holds back a groan when your dress lifts up and he catches a glimpse of the black lace on your skin. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you against him, cupping your cheeks. He looks down at you with a smile. 

“Pretty girl.” He whispers, tucking your hair behind your ear. He smiles when you grow flustered beneath his gaze. “I missed you today.”

“I missed you.” You whisper as you rise to your tippy toes and press your lips against his, greeting him with a sweet kiss that he happily reciprocates. You end it too soon for his liking, his lips follow yours when you pull away again, and they quickly curl into a pout when you don’t continue the kiss. You peck his lips once more before you lean in for a hug, placing your head on his chest, you look around the room with a smile on your face. 

“So that’s why Eddie and Nancy kept me from seeing you.” 

Steve kisses the top of your head before he leans his chin there, smiling nervously, “they helped, well– Nancy helped setting up the room.” 

You look down at the makeshift bed again and a giggle falls from your lips when you tilt your head back to look up at him, “Nancy helped?” 

Steve meets your eyes and looks down at the amused smile on your lips. He scrunches his face up and scratches the back of his neck when it dawns on him. 

“Now that you mention it, it sounds kind of weird,” he murmurs, making you giggle again. “I think she would have fought to be in my place right now though.” He says cockily. 

You roll your eyes at him, biting your lip to keep yourself from smiling. 

Steve smiles at you so fondly as he once again takes in the sight of you. He cups the side of your face, brushing his thumb against your cheek. His eyes move down to your pretty dress, the thin straps on your shoulders, touching your soft skin. He leans down, unable to stop himself from kissing your shoulder and your neck. He inhales your sweet scent and his heart flutters wildly. 

“You smell so good, baby.” He murmurs against your skin, making you shiver. He pulls back again, the smile never fading on his face. 

“So do you,” you whisper, noting the cologne he is wearing tonight. “You shaved.” You point out, reaching up to touch his soft cheek. Your eyes roam his face, and then his hair that is now much shorter than it was before, still long enough to grab but it’s not a mullet anymore. “And you cut your hair!” You exclaim as you reach up to run your fingers through it. 

Steve blushes, and his chest feels all fuzzy when you touch his hair. 

“Do you like it?” He asks, reaching down to grab your waist. “Eddie cut it, so if you don’t, please kick his ass.” 

“I love it!” You smile. “You’re so handsome.”

Steve’s eyes light up at your compliment. His stomach flutters, and his heart skips a beat at the flustered look on your face. 

“And you are gorgeous.” Steve whispers, squeezing your waist. “Now come on, before the food gets cold.” His hand moves to your lower back, and he begins to lead you towards the round table. He pulls back the chair for you and grabs a thin blanket to cover your bare shoulders once you’re sat. 

“What’s for dinner?” You ask, wrapping the blanket tighter around yourself, feeling a bit cold in the thin dress, even with the fire burning. 

Steve walks towards the kitchen counter, he grabs the plates he already cleaned and prepared, and starts filling them up, “guess.” He grins at you over his shoulder. 

“Rice and beans?” You ask, chuckling. 

Rice, beans, tuna, and corn are the only things you have been surviving on for the past two years. Sometimes when you get lucky, you’ll find some stale chips, cereal or candy but that’s all. You miss proper meals, the ones you had in Hawkins, or maybe Wyoming. But most of all, you miss the food you had before the world went to shit. You miss pizza, pasta, fries – especially fries. You miss coffee and pastries. 

Your lips part in surprise, and your eyes widen when Steve places a plate of pasta before you. The tomato sauce smells fresh, making your mouth water. You can’t remember the last time you had pasta, let alone with sauce. 

“I– how?” You mumble, looking up at your boyfriend, who is now across from you, watching you with a smile on his face. 

“I found the pasta at a grocery store a while back, and then I found canned tomatoes in another store a few days ago, along with some herbs and seasoning – that shelf was completely stocked, so I had a lot of options.” Steve chuckles as he pours you a glass of white wine. “I saved all that stuff for a moment like this. Don’t worry, I gave Eddie and Nancy some too– whoa, baby what’s wrong?” He panics when he notices the tears in your eyes. He instantly puts down the bottle of wine and makes his way over to you, kneeling down before you as he reaches for your hand. “Sunshine…” He whispers softly, noticing how you are trying to blink away the tears. “What happened?” The tone in his voice is so soft, so caring, just like the look in his eyes, and it only heightens your emotions. 

You squeeze his hand and turn towards him, shaking your head with a smile. 

“Nothing, I’m just so happy, Steve.” You whisper as you bring his hands up to your lips, kissing his knuckles. “You did all this for me… You managed to do all this,” you gesture around yourself and then the dinner table. “In the world we live in now.” 

Steve’s eyes soften, yet his heart aches when he realizes what you are getting at. Nobody had ever done these things to you in the old world, when things like these used to be so easy and simple to do. It’s something you wished for, something you craved, but only got through reading books or watching movies. Steve knows you are a hopeless romantic, like him. 

And like him, you didn’t get the love that you deserved. 

Every day, he wakes up feeling grateful to have found you. You give him everything that he always wished for, that he thought he would never have, and it scares him so badly because you are still out here, and still so far away from safety. 

But one thing he knows is that you will both make it to California, and you will have this every night, no matter what happens, you will get this every night, he will fight like crazy to make sure that it happens. 

“I would do anything for you, Sunshine.” Steve whispers, raising his hand up to tuck your hair behind your ear before he wipes your tear away softly. He isn’t sure if you know just what he would do for you. 

“I would do anything for you too, Steve.” You whisper and lean down to press your forehead against his. “These are not sad tears, I’m just so happy that I found you.” 

The emotions in your voice, the softness of your touch, and the look in your eyes prove to him that you are on the very same page – you are not just bound by circumstance. It makes his heart swell knowing that you feel the same about him. 

“Yeah?” Steve smiles, feeling his own eyes burning now. “I’m happy you stumbled into me and offered to sing Madonna.”

A giggle falls from your lips, and your eyes crinkle, “you remember that?” 

“Of course I remember!” He laughs, squeezing your hands. “You offered to get naked.” 

You slap his shoulder softly when he wiggles his eyebrows at you. 

“Took you long enough to accept that offer,” you giggle, gesturing to the bed. “Let’s eat now, I’m starving!” 

Steve’s eyes darken at your teasing. He hums as he gets up again. He leans down and kisses your temple, running his fingers through your hair before he sits down across from you again. 

He watches in anticipation as you take your first bite. Your eyes widen, and then they roll back as you moan loudly. His stomach flutters at the sound, and he shifts in his seat. 

“Steve… that is so good!” You hold your hand in front of your mouth. “I’m sorry, but you will be the one cooking dinner every night once we’re in California.” 

You are unaware of what those words do to him, of how they make his heart flutter. 

“Oh Honey, you know I’m gonna take good care of you.” He winks at you and picks up the fork, taking his first bite as well. 

You blush at his words, knowing he means more than just dinner. 

But you want to take care of him too, and you will show him that, with time. 

“Only you could make a good pasta from scratch.”

Steve smiles at your words, his cheeks burning beneath the golden light. 

“I always liked to cook, I can’t wait to get my hands on some real ingredients so I can make a full course meal for you.” He says, reaching for your hand. 

“This is perfect, Steve.” You squeeze his hand. “You’re gonna have to teach me some of your favorite dishes so I can surprise you for dinner.”

His hazel eyes soften, and that warm feeling in his chest spreads further. The thought of coming home to you after a long day of work makes him feel like he has accomplished everything in life. 

“I will.” He promises.

“I always liked to bake more. Cooking is nice, but I was always more of a baker.”

“Well, I guess I cook and you make the desserts, baby.” He hums, caressing the top of your hand with his thumb.

“Mhmm,” you nod as you reach for the wine glass. You hold his gaze as you take a sip. 

A smile lingers on his face as he looks into your eyes. The golden light from the fire kisses your skin so beautifully. The blanket on your shoulders falls when you giggle at something he says, exposing your bare skin that he can’t wait to kiss and touch. He feels a kind of happiness he never thought he would from just sitting across from you, his ears blessed by the sound of your voice and your sweet laughter. 

Despite the lingering fear of the future, he is also excited for it – excited for a future with you. 

Even when the plates are empty and you are both on the second glass of your wine, do you still sit at the dinner table, talking and laughing with each other, enjoying the time alone. You ramble about random things, and he lets you, watching you with an adoring smile on his face the whole time, asking questions that you so happily answer. 

He wants to capture this moment, another one to keep in his pocket. You giggle and blush when he stands up in search of the polaroid camera he had grabbed from the RV this morning. 

“Steve…” You give him a bashful smile, hiding your face behind your hands when he points the camera at you. 

“Hey now,” Steve whispers, reaching for your hands, he gently pulls them away. “Don’t hide from me.”

“You’re making me blush!” 

“And you look adorable,” Steve smiles, watching as you fix your hair and reach for your wine glass. His eyes follow your every movement, softening whenever they meet yours. You adjust the straps of your sundress. He finds it so endearing to watch you do the simplest things. Everything you do makes his heart beat stronger. 

Steve slowly lifts the camera again, the smile never fading as he takes a picture. 

“I wasn’t ready! I probably look stupid.” 

Steve chuckles at the cute frown on your face. He waits for the picture to develop, “honey, you never look stupid, don’t even– oh yeah, I’m definitely putting that one in my pocket.” He looks down at it with an adoring smile on his face, putting the camera on the table as he holds the polaroid picture. 

You reach for the camera, taking the chance to snap a picture of him while he is distracted. 

Steve looks so handsome in his white sweater, skin kissed by the golden light, and his freshly cut hair. Despite it being shorter now, there’s still that one curl falling over his forehead. His hazel eyes shine with so much adoration and care, on this night especially. He is yours, all yours. 

Steve faces you with a surprised look on his face when the flash and the snap go off. Realization flashes in his eyes when he notices the camera in your hands. 

“I want one of you too!” You give him a cheeky smile. 

Steve chuckles. He takes another look at your picture before he places it down on the table. He reaches for your hand and pats his thigh with his other, “come here, we should take one together.” 

You don’t need to be told twice. You get up and step towards him. You wrap your arm around his shoulder as he grabs your waist and pulls you down to sit on his lap. You giggle in excitement, “I’ve always wanted a picture with you! Oh– look, you’re so handsome!” You grab the picture you took of him. 

Normally, he would groan if someone else took a picture of him, but not with you. He doesn’t even glance at it, his eyes are solely on you and the way your own eyes are filled with nothing but awe. 

He doesn’t even notice when you put it down and you lift the camera up, angling it towards the two of you. You lean towards him, smiling into the camera. 

“Ready?” 

Steve only hums in response. He squeezes your waist, smiling up at you in adoration as you direct your smile at the camera. You are so pretty. He just wants to grab your face and kiss you until you are both out of breath. The moment the flash goes off and the picture is taken, Steve takes it from your hand and puts it on the table. He cups your cheeks and surprises you with a deep kiss. 

You instantly melt into it, sighing in contentment as you wrap both arms around him. Your fingers sink into his hair, and you give it a tug, earning a groan from him that makes your lower stomach flutter. It won’t be the only one you will hear tonight. He swipes his tongue along your bottom lip, and you let him in. You part your lips and let him slip his tongue into your mouth. The taste of wine and the desire lingering between you. 

Steve’s skin is burning beneath his clothes, blood rushing through his body at the sound of your whimper. He already feels weak in the knees from just this. He will lose his mind tonight. 

He picks you up by your waist and gets up without breaking the kiss. He smiles against your lips when you get on your tippy toes, the moment your feet are back on the ground. You mewl against him, kissing him deeply and sensually as you take the first step back and towards the makeshift bed. His stomach flutters, knowing what is about to happen. His fingers dig into your waist as he swipes his tongue against yours. 

Despite growing breathless, you both refuse to break the kiss, only as your boots hit the mattress, do you pull away for a second. Your eyes flutter open at the same time as his, smiles growing on both your faces. You sink your teeth into your bottom lip as you blink at him. 

“Don’t do that.” Steve murmurs as he grabs your chin, freeing your lip from the sharpness of your teeth. The sight of it made his pupils dilate. 

You lean into his touch and lick your lips before you grab him by the collar of his sweater and pull him down for another kiss, just a short peck before you focus on getting him down on the mattress, and Steve has the same idea. Taking you by surprise, he lifts you up, making you wrap your legs around his waist. 

A giggle falls from your lips, and excitement bubbles in your chest when you feel the softness of the mattress beneath you as Steve settles in between your legs, getting on top of you without crushing you with his weight just yet. His lips found yours again, kissing you softly as his hands started running over your sides. The warmth of the fireplace, now stronger than when you two were at the table. 

The fire was cackling, and the sounds of your kisses echoed through the room. The heels of your boots were digging into his hip bone, trying to pull him closer. Trying not to break the kiss, he moved all over on top of you, trying to kick his own sneakers off, almost falling completely on top of you. He pulled away with a huff as you laughed at his clumsy display.

“Don’t laugh at me, this is part of my sexyness.” He joked, trying to hide the embarrassment. You nodded at him, trying not to laugh.

“So sexy.” He managed to take his sneakers off by pushing the heels down with his tip toes. He gave you a soft kiss on the nose as he kneeled up, grabbing your left calf. He kissed it gently as he started undoing the laces, and your body shivered at his touch. He took that boot off and repeated the process with the other one. 

His own stomach was a mess. Maybe it was a bad idea to eat before doing this. He was nervous. So nervous. He had the pressure to make this memorable for you, to make this as perfect as possible. Because you deserved that and so much more. He wanted to make you feel wanted, important, cared for. 

Your eyes were glossy, and you felt your core was becoming wetter just by looking up at him. His freshly shaven chin, his hair all tidy. All just for you, in the middle of an apocalypse. Your heart was warm, and not thanks to the cackling fire next to you.

“Please, don’t tell me you shaved your chest…” You mumbled out, and he felt his cheeks flush, a smirk forming on his lips.

“Oh? You like my chest hair?” You couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed, hiding your face in your hands as your ears burned. He took this opportunity to take his sweater and shirt off, in one swoop. You peeked through your fingers, and to your pleasure, he hadn’t shaved it. “Now I know I never have to shave it, because my girl likes it.”

His girl. It still sounded a little foreign. To be called something so precious, and them meaning it. A person who isn’t family, or a close friend, but someone who genuinely feels the same way you do. Some stranger you met, that for some reason, ends up being one of the people you would do anything for. Your eyes travelled to the scars on his stomach, then back at his chest.

“Yeah, I like it.” You confessed, and now it was Steve’s turn to blush, a groan vibrating in his throat, making you giggle. He dove back down, giving your right wrist a nip, and you pulled your hands off your face with a laugh. He then nipped at your neck, making you squirm underneath him. “It tickles– Steve!”

He chuckled into your skin, and his nips turned into soft kisses, making you relax. The tickles turned into chills, creating goosebumps all over your arms and legs. Your mouth was left open in a silent breath, and your hands went to run into his hair, feeling his warm lips on your skin. Butterflies erupted in your stomach with anticipation, with arousal, with nerves, with excitement. 

His kisses traveled all over your neck, leaving a few marks here and there, and even if primal, or possessive, he wanted to leave a claim on you. His lips moved downwards, kissing the crook of your neck and shoulders, and with his left hand, he started pulling your strap down, his lips following as your shoulder became bare. 

Your skin was warm underneath his kisses, and he could hear your breathing stuttering at each movement he did. He felt himself start to strain in his pants, and he cursed under his breath as his hips rolled into yours, just barely. You gasped at the sudden friction, your legs wrapping around his waist again, needing to feel him once more. 

The rational part of him was slipping away, just like that time that you two almost overstepped that line. But unlike that time, he didn’t need to stop. There was no need, because he made sure that this would be a safe place for you to enjoy yourself, for you to be able to feel everything and not worry about anything else.

His hips started rolling a little harder as his kisses travelled all over your collarbone, and towards your other shoulder. He repeated the process of pulling down your strap to kiss your skin there. His mouth was going dry, the need to see you was making his brain shortcircuit. Your lips were taken by his in a soft kiss, tender, and he pulled away, only a breath away from you.

“Sunshine… Can I take it off?” 

You gulped heavily, but the dress, even if thin, was suffocating you. You wanted to feel his skin against yours, the heat of his body engulfing you completely. But still, you were human, so you also had your nerves. Even if you waited for this moment to happen, you also had your own insecurities. What if he didn’t enjoy himself? You barely knew how to do things to yourself, let alone to someone else. 

But you slowly nodded, trying to push those thoughts away. He bit his bottom lip as he tried to keep himself calm, but he was barely holding on. He pulled away, making you drop your legs from around his waist. You sat up after him, looking up into his eyes as he devoured you with just one look. He bit his bottom lip as he helped you untuck your dress from under your legs, and then, finally, he helped you take it off.

And you were radiant.

He had seen you, but this time felt different. So fucking different, because– He could hardly believe you were his. It sounded possessive, but fuck, did he love it. You were his. All of you.

“You’re so beautiful…” You were staring up at him with those eyes that he would fight the whole world for. You had no bra on, just some thin laced panties covering that area he had already tasted, but fuck, did he want to do it again, and again, and again. 

His eyes ran over your breasts, wanting to latch his mouth on one of them, but he held back. His jaw clenched as his eyes looked for yours again. You licked your lips as you felt your heart beating into your ears. You could feel the rapid pulse in your neck. The heat of the fire allowed you to enjoy this moment without feeling cold. 

His hand came to cradle your face, pulling you into a deep kiss, while the other one wrapped around your bare waist. You let a sigh out, reciprocating the kiss, your arms wrapping around his shoulders. His chest came in contact with yours, and you gasped at the sensation of your nipples brushing against his hair, a ticklish sensation that went all the way down to your toes. 

He groaned into the kiss, his lips starting to move desperately against yours, getting lost in your taste as he held you close to him. His tongue licked your bottom lip, asking, begging, for entrance. Your mouth opened for him, and he dove in like a starved man. He was devouring you, and you were loving it. You moaned into the kiss when his fingertips dug into your waist, his self-control slipping away.

You two were becoming breathless as the kiss turned more and more desperate. Fuck, your heart was about to burst from your chest. You didn’t know if the fireplace was burning you up, or if it was your own body rising in temperature. You guessed it was a mix of both. You needed to feel him again. You couldn’t just stay like this anymore; you needed him.

You grabbed onto his neck and lay down on the mattress, pulling him with you, your kiss never breaking. You opened your legs for him, and he happily nestled in between them, and Steve slowly realized, that he was fucked. He could feel your heat through his pants, through his boxers, and he was hard. Way too hard. But he wanted you to know it. He wanted you to feel what you do to him.

So he pressed and rolled his hips against you, and one of those rolls hit against your clit just perfectly. You moaned into the kiss, and he pulled away to hear you better. He needed to hear you. He gave another roll that made you throw your head back. He kissed your jaw, and he sighed as he felt himself about to bust in his pants, but he couldn’t stop. 

You felt too good like this, and if this was with clothes on, what was going to happen to him when he entered you fully? When you lay naked for him to have, to taste? He will probably die. You were sighing out, and he started giving deliberate thrusts, making your clit throb as it kept being rubbed on. 

“Steve–” You were begging. You needed more than just this. You were wet, too wet, and you would have felt embarrassed in another moment of your life, but not with Steve. He should know how he makes you feel. He has to. 

Fuck. He had to keep going. He can’t dry hump you away, even if he was loving it. He pulled away from you, giving you a soft kiss on the lips, then your chin, then your neck, then your collarbone, and you sighed out, shaking your head.

“Steve…” You called out again, and he was already kissing around your breast, creating goosebumps all around your skin.

“Mmm?”

“You already did something for me, I should do something–” His face immediately perked up, shaking his head. You frowned, opening your mouth to ask him why, but he beat you to it.

“Some other time, Sunshine… Let me take care of you today, okay?” But you wanted to do something, anything, but the moment he started moving lower, and lower, until your nipples could feel his breath, you felt your body set aflame, and your mind started losing its rationality. 

His lips continued their path, not breaking apart from your skin for a single second. He came to find your perked right nipple, and his mouth instantly wrapped around it. Your back arched as your nails dug into his hair, a gasp escaping your lips. A delicious sound that made his hips roll into yours again. His tongue darted out to lick at the tip, and suddenly he got to finally savour something in his mouth.

He groaned loudly, feeling himself twitch in his pants, and he had to gather himself before he went a little crazy on you. You frowned, looking down at him with surprised eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“Sunshine, you taste so fucking good… You got yourself all prettied up for me, didn’t you?” Your face heated up at his sudden words. They shook you to your core, shyness invading your every nerve. You squirmed underneath him, mouth opening to answer, but Steve never wanted an answer to that. Because he wasn’t talking to you. He was talking to himself, in his own haze of lust.

His lips engulfed your left nipple next as his hand came to grope the other one. You felt yourself clench on nothing, waves of heat going south at each roll of his hips, at each roll of his fingers on your nipple, at each nip at the other one. He was losing himself in your smell, in your taste, because you just were delectable today. You were so perfect, to the point that he wondered what he did to deserve someone as pretty as you.

His mouth clung to your nipple, but you felt the other hand slowly moving downwards. You felt a tickle running up your spine the moment your stomach was feathery touched. And then, the tip of his fingers played with the elastic of your panties, and this time, no one was going to stop you both. You had been in this position before, and he had backed out from it. 

Not this time.

His hand went past the elastic, and he could already feel so much wetness down there, making him groan against your nipple and give a tug at it, and– His eyes widened, pulling away with surprise to look down at your already kind of drunken face.

“Did you shave?” Your shame was gone at this point, wanting him to keep going more than anything. You nodded quickly, your hips rolling into his hand for him to keep touching you.

“Is it wrong?” He growled at your question, shaking his head. His mouth came down to bite onto your shoulder, making you gasp.

“There was no need, but damn… You really did get all prettied up for me, my sweet girl…” You trembled at his words, kind yet dirty. His mouth was uncontrollable by now, and never in his life was he this articulate while in bed. Never. But fuck, did he want you to know every single thing that went through his mind right now. You deserved to know every detail.

His hand went further, cupping your wet pussy, and shit. You were drenched for him. He barely did anything, and you were reacting like this for him. His cock twitched again, and he was probably leaking precum already. Even your panties were wet against the top of his knuckles and shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. He was going to bust in his pants again. He had to continue and hold it in, for you. But you were making it so hard, in all the possible senses.

And the lack of hair made it feel even wetter. Stickier. And he couldn’t help himself but tap his fingers against you, making a moan rip out of you. He could hear the wet slap, making him groan into your neck. His mouth, once again, ran wild,

“So wet for me already, fuck, Sunshine…” That made you shiver underneath him, the compliments just making you feel even hotter, needier. He ran his fingers through your folds, and finally pressed them against your clit. A whimper escaped you, hips bucking into his hand. 

He pulled away from your neck, kissing your chin and your jaw as he started moving his fingers in circled motions, keeping the pressure steady on your clit. Your mouth was open, looking up at him as he was making you feel utter pleasure, just like he did days ago. 

“Stevie– Steve…” You breathed out, and if he hadn’t lost his mind yet, that definitely did it. He could feel himself about to explode in his pants, but he didn’t want to stop touching you, and his other hand was occupied keeping himself from falling on top of you. 

“Sunshine, can you do something for me?” You were trying to concentrate, but you felt your cunt fluttering over nothing as he kept moving. So he slowed down to make you focus on him again, and he tried again, desperately, “Sunshine…”

“Y-Yes?” He licked his lips at seeing your glossy eyes looking up at him, half lidded, and god, he wanted to kiss you so bad. You were so hot like this, and under him.

“Can you help me with popping my pants open? Please…” You felt your heart thump in your chest, immediately jumping into action. Your hands moved, around the arm that was still inside your underwear, his fingers never stopping which was making your fingers fiddle a bit with the button.

You were trying to concentrate, and you could see the hard bulge that was hiding in those pants. Shit, he was probably uncomfortable. But you were going to help him, delightfully so. You finally popped the button open, and you could hear Steve let out a breath of relief. His hand stopped moving for a second, which made your consciousness come back to you for a second, which made you pull his zipper down.

And you were curious, so curious. You couldn’t help yourself, that your hand went inside the pants, cupping him in his boxers. Steve’s breath stopped, a grunt escaping him and your eyes went to his face. They almost widened as you saw him look like a sudden mess. His eyebrows were all furrowed together, his hair disheveled, his mouth open as he moaned out for the first time in the night.

And another thing you noticed, he was huge. Or well, you really didn’t have much to compare it to, but just by the shape of it, you knew he was well doted. Your hand moved along the covered shaft, and Steve whimpered at the feeling of it. His hand had completely stopped his movements against your clit, and his mind had completely gone to outer space.

He wasn’t expecting you to touch him. He didn’t expect it at all today because he had made his decision that it was your night. Your moment. Your ultimate pleasure. And here you were, being a brat and going against his orders. His eyes opened to find you looking up at him, a dazed look in your eyes. 

“I said not today, baby… You’re gonna make this night end quicker than it should.” You couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped your lips, your hand retreating from his pants reluctantly. He smiled, giving you a soft kiss before his hand left the inside of your underwear. 

He kneeled up, and finally took you in. Your hands were over your head, your hair all splayed on the pillow, and you were wearing just your black laced panties, with your legs spread so he could fit in the middle. 

And the polaroid camera was so far away. He can take a picture later.

He saw you looking at him as your chest went up and down, breathing a little heavy, and he put on a show for you, by licking the fingers that were soaked on you. Goddamnit, whatever scrub you used, it was mixing with your juices and you tasted fucking delicious. Your breathing hitched as you saw how his tongue swirled in between his digits, a moan vibrating in his throat.

You clenched around nothing once again, and you never thought you would be this turned on over someone, by just watching them. You licked your lips, wanting to reach out to him, wanting to get your hands on his chest, on his shoulders, just anywhere. But he had other plans in mind. His fingers hooked on the elastic of your panties, and he started pulling them off. You helped by straightening your legs upwards, and he took them off easily.

You didn’t return to the position you were in before. You curled yourself into a ball, and he chuckled, grabbing onto your knees.

“Now, baby, no need to hide from me.” But you pouted, your eyes darting to his pants, and back at him.

“Not fair…” He raised an eyebrow at you, but god, you were cute. His heart thumped harshly against his chest as he sat back, taking his pants off, but not his boxers. If he took his boxers off right now, and rubbed himself raw on your thigh, he was going to lose it. You opened your mouth to complain again, but he grabbed onto your knees again.

“Don’t be a brat, Sunshine.” Your body heated up again, because, what would happen if you were? What would happen if you got Steve worked up by you being a menace? He could see the intention in your eyes, and he shook his head at you. “Not today, baby…”

And you understood, letting him spread your legs open again. He gulped as he saw your folds separating for him, and– his cock was definitely leaking. Definitely. He could feel the warmth in the fabric. He took a deep breath in to calm himself down. He had to prepare you, that was his main goal right now.

He crawled up towards you again, but he moved places. He moved to your side, kissing your right shoulder as he held himself up with his elbow next to your head. His right hand was gripping your inner thigh, pressing his digits against it, spreading you even further as he inched closer to where you were aching the most. 

His lips went to your neck, and you stretched it so he could have more access. Your eyes closed as he sucked on your pulse point. Then you felt his fingers run through your slick folds, coating himself in your wetness, and you let a breath out of relief when he flicked your clit again. 

“Steve–” 

“Shh…” His breath hit your ear, making goosebumps appear all over your neck and chest. The fire cackled next to you as you closed your eyes to feel him even more, and then you felt his middle finger slowly pushing in, making you arch your back slightly, and his lips kissed your jaw gently, and he moaned as he felt how warm you were inside, how you fluttered all around him.

He groaned at how easily his finger went in, thanks to how wet you were. Your hands gripped the sheets below you as he started moving slowly, in and out. You had missed his fingers since the last time he did this. When he made you come undone thanks to his jealousy. You may grow a little addicted to him doing this, because he was just so good.

He rubbed his thumb against your clit as he kept thrusting his finger, stretching you out slowly. You moaned at a particular movement, sending a shock all over your body. And he looked at your contorted face, absolute pleasure on your features, and if somebody could take a picture of himself right now, he probably would look wrecked.

He was going to be ruined for everyone else after having you, wasn’t he?

He didn’t care. Not when you moaned so prettily when he entered his ring finger, the round part of his palm rubbing against your clit now. You took a sharp breath in as he curled his fingers inside of you, and he could feel himself drool at your sight. As you began to breathe heavily, as you began to squirm, as you began to beg.

“Steve– Steve, please–” Shit. His cock was in pain right now. He had to stop looking at your face. His head dipped down to suck on your neck, and your hands immediately ran through his hair, gripping at his scalp when he quickened the pace of his fingers.

You could hear your squelching, your eyes fixed on the ceiling, but not really. You could only see stars that were starting to form as the elastic band in your belly started stretching more and more. Your hips started twitching, and you could feel him nipping and moaning against your neck.

He could feel you fluttering more and more, and he changed his movements to an upwards motion, the tip of his curled fingers hitting against your g-spot while his palm rubbed against your clit, and you lost it. You never felt this in your life, and it was as if you were going to combust into flames; your belly ached from how hard it started to clench. 

“Yeah, come on Sunshine, you can do it, baby. Cum on my fingers, come on…” He was moaning desperately for you, and he didn’t even care. He got out of your neck and took your lips into a fierce and bruising kiss. Your fingers were almost ripping his hair out, but it still felt good. His tongue immediately searched for yours, and it was a messy exchange of saliva, moans, and whimpers.

Your hips stuttered against him as the elastic band finally broke. Your legs clenched around his hand, but he didn’t let up. He pulled away just in time to see you break before him, your eyes clenched tight, jaw tightening as you screamed his name. Your hands were around his scalp still, holding onto him like a landline. 

You were tight all around his fingers, and he kept moving them as best as he could to keep your orgasm going. The noise, the squelching, became louder as you rode your climax. He couldn’t help but rub his erection against your hip, trying to get some friction himself as he looked down at you. You were panting, almost sweating now, thanks to what he did to you, and the fire that was still blazing next to you both.

Your eyes slowly opened to find hazel ones that were looking down at you with wonder, amazement, and desire. Pupils blown out, and his mouth open as he breathed heavily over you. You felt the hard bulge against your hip, and you couldn’t help but lift your head and give him a kiss on the lips, as your legs trembled, and finally relaxed once more. 

He moaned into your lips, closing his eyes briefly as he slowly took his fingers out of you. You groaned as your fingers relaxed on his hair, rubbing his scalp apologetically. He kissed you back down onto the pillow, his lips moving against yours, and as much as it pained him, he wiped his fingers against the sheets so he wouldn’t stop kissing you for a second. 

He slowly pulled away, his eyes opening to find yours again. He felt his heart pounding heavily, now realizing how nervous he was. Because he knew what was going to happen next, and fuck he needed it to be perfect. He didn’t have to think of himself, not for a single moment. He took a deep breath, trying not to think of the ringing that was happening inside of his ears.

You saw how his eyes were still glued to you as you felt him shift, a hand moving downwards, and then his legs moving. You looked down, and your breathing stopped once you saw him out of his boxers. Steve was completely naked now, next to you. This was happening. This was really going to happen. Your belly fluttered, nerves, excitement, you didn’t know. 

“Will that fit?” The question tumbled out of your lips without noticing, and Steve’s laughter resonated through the room, a blush spreading on his cheeks.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Sunshine.” He actually was a little self conscious, because this was going to be the first time you would see him, and honestly, you had someone to compare him to. It wasn’t like you didn’t. He’ll take this one as a win. 

He tried not to let his nerves get the best of him as he knelt up, and grabbed his pants. Thankfully, Eddie came rushing in with the scissors and a few condoms, because Steve honestly forgot. He was so nervous about making the room look impeccable that he forgot one of the most important things. 

He took one of the foils out of his back pocket, and you straightened up with your elbows as support. You could see the freckles on his back, and he had so many. The orange hue of the fire kissing his skin just right. He moved then, his left hand sliding between your legs, and you got the signal instantly. You spread them for him to settle in between them, kneeling. Your eyes were glued to his cock. It was up, ready, and it was glistening at the top. Your mouth salivated with the need to experiment. With the need to make him feel good as well.

He obviously noticed where your eyes were, and he lost focus for a second as he looked down all over your body, making him twitch. Just by looking at you, fuck. He gulped heavily, hoping to god that he would last more than three pumps in. He ripped the foil open with his teeth, and at the sound of it, you sat up. He stopped his movements, seeing your nervous face, your heavy breathing.

“Sunshine, we don’t have–”

“Can I put it on?” You looked at him, and he noticed the hunger in your eyes, and he got a little taken aback by your request. “I want to touch you too, even if it’s just this…” 

Right, he had denied you touching him before. God, how humiliating would it be to cum by you just putting the condom on him? But he cannot deny you again, not when you’re looking up at him with those eyes that drove him absolutely mad. He licked his lips as he handed the foil to you, and you bit your bottom lip, grabbing it and taking the latex out.

Your eyes were drawn back to his shaft, and you had to remember health class for this one. Pinch the tip, and slide down. He took a deep breath in as your hands got closer to him, and then, your hand enveloped him completely as you started rolling the condom down on him. He threw his head back at the sensation, holding in a groan as he ran his hands over his face in pleasure, and possibly in agony.

It was so gentle, yet it was enough to ignite every single nerve in his body. You, on the other hand, were taking advantage of the situation. You ran your hands down towards the base, amazed, seeing him twitch in your hands. He sighed out as he felt a bit dizzy at your touch. He didn’t know how bad you got him until now. He looked down to see you brushing his tip with your thumb, going over the little bit of latex you had pinched.

He hissed, grabbing your shoulders to make you look back up at him. Your hands stopped roaming, your eyes tilting to look into his. His hands went to cradle your face, his lips coming down to take yours in a gentle and warm kiss. Your arms wrapped around him, his chest pressing against yours as he moved you back down against the mattress. 

You could feel his heartbeat go wild, and it was most likely matching yours. Your legs spread further so he could squeeze himself in between. He pulled away from the kiss, his hands moving down your body as your arms wrapped around his shoulders. He kept his eyes on yours for a few seconds, brushing your cheek softly. His breath was hitting your lips, harsh, heavy, desperate.

He pressed his hips against yours, and you could feel him running up and down, caressing your clit in each small thrust. You sighed out, head falling back against the pillow. It felt so good, he felt so hard. He trembled a bit as he coated himself in your slick, gulping heavily as he saw the expanse of your neck. He felt his tip kiss your clit gently, making a moan escape your lips. 

“Sunshine…” You came out of your haze to look back at him, his pupils dilated, but still full of care, of wonder. “Can I?”

You nodded desperately, wanting him more than anything, wanting something you’ve been craving for a long time now. He licked his lips, glancing downwards as he got a hand between the two of you. He positioned himself, but before he went in, he spoke once more,

“Tell me if it hurts, you gotta talk to me, okay, baby?” You could feel his tip against you, and you nodded again, nails digging into his back.

“Yes, Steve, please–” And your mouth fell into a silent ‘O’ and your eyes widened as he slowly started pushing in. It felt like pressure. It felt like something was pressing against you, and you were trying to push it out.

He felt himself sweat heavily as he only got a bit of himself inside of you. He huffed loudly, not realizing he had been holding a breath in. He felt his belly twist at your fluttering, at your tightness. Fuck, you were tight. You were so tight. His jaw was clenched tightly, looking down at your features. He saw your eyebrows twitch slightly, and he knew why.

“You need to relax, Sunshine…” He stopped for a second, letting you take a breath in. You closed your eyes, trying to concentrate on your breathing. Steve was going to take care of you; there was nothing to be afraid of. You relaxed your body into the mattress, and he was fighting with demons in order not to move. 

He could feel you unclench a bit more, just a tad, but it was enough signal for him to know you were a little less tense. You opened your eyes, nodding again, with glossy eyes.

“I’m okay… Keep going…” Your voice was small, and he had to grip the pillow underneath your head to hold himself back. His stomach tensed as he pushed a bit further, and he felt your nails digging into his back. Your eyes were clenched, and you started feeling the stretch, the burning of it. It was uncomfortable, but he had prepped you well. You know he did. 

You were fixating on your breathing as he kept going in, and you just didn’t know how much was left. Steve was starting to sweat, your tightness being his fucking doom, and he was trying not to cum right then and there. You were clenching and fluttering, and you were so warm, and he was trying so hard to concentrate on looking down at your face, to make sure you were okay. 

You were not making any sounds, which was a sign of discomfort. He knew it wasn’t that pleasurable, at least not yet, but he didn’t know how it truly felt. Suddenly, he heard you. A wince. He stopped completely, and your eyes opened, panicked.

“No, no, keep going, Steve–”

“Sunshine, if it’s hurting you, I gotta stop–”

“No, don’t, it’s okay… I’m fine…” You reassured him, and his eyes were tender while looking down at you, but a worried frown was still etched on them. You ran a hand through his hair and pushed his head into the crook of your neck and shoulder. He breathed against your skin and trusted you. So he kept pushing in.

You held a wince in, because now there was pain. There was a dull pain, like there was a bubble of pressure inside of you, just expanding, and expanding, and being pushed further into you. Steve knew you were in pain because of your ragged breaths, your trembling, and how your nails were digging into his scalp and back. 

He didn’t want to do it, but he knew he had to. He had to so it would go by quickly. So that you would stop trying to hold back your winces and groans. He took a deep breath in, knowing that after this, he would be ruined. He gripped the pillow tightly with both his hands for support, to ground himself to the earth. 

And he gave a sharp thrust.

You gasped loudly, jerking at the motion, eyes widening towards the ceiling. You fluttered wildly around him, clenching and unclenching, and you could feel him so deep inside of you. You were burning, stretching, and the bubble had burst. You gasped your breaths out, trembling as your heels dug into Steve’s hips. 

Steve let out a groan at the feeling of bottoming out inside of you. He was feeling himself lose his mind slowly, because he was still a man. A man who had the girl he adored underneath him. The girl who just gave herself completely to him. He was just a man. But he was your man, and he had to take care of you. He noticed how you were shaking slightly, your jagged gasps. He pulled away from your neck, kissing your cheek softly.

“Shh, shh… It’s done, I’m here, Sunshine…” You gulped heavily, your eyes finding his. Done. You weren’t a virgin any longer. Steve took that. And you felt warmth invade your chest. Many girls had lost their virginities to the first guy they had the chance to, but none of them had truly lost it with someone they cared for, and someone who cared back for them. At least, not that they had told you about.

But you have. And you couldn’t be happier. 

“Just give me a few seconds, Steve…” He nodded, kissing your cheek again to reassure you he was here. You closed your eyes to try to relax your body again, taking deep breaths in, your hands running all over his back. He was going to give you all the time you needed. He kissed the corner of your eye where a stray tear started falling down, without you noticing at all. You were happy. Really happy.

“You okay?” He asked gently, though you noticed the slight tremble in his voice. You opened your eyes, giving him a nod. You could feel yourself a little more relaxed, swallowing heavily and guiding him back into the crook of your neck. You knew you were going to make faces, and you didn’t want him to stop, to worry.

“You can move…” He inhaled your scent, kissing your neck gently as he reeled his hips back slightly, just a bit, and moved back in. You felt the drag, a sore kind of pain shooting up your spine, but the pressure was no longer there. Your eyebrows were furrowed, closing your eyes to try to concentrate on your feelings, wanting to be honest with him if it were to hurt a lot.

Steve, on the other hand, was losing his shit. He was breathing heavily as he did another small thrust. He heard you groan, and he tried not to stop. He was only going to if you told him so, unless he heard a really painful cry from you. So he nervously kept that slow pace, small thrusts, letting you adjust more and more to him.

And you felt how the pain started going away, and you started feeling something else. Something that was making you sweat all over, and your belly fluttered at the feeling of it. At the drag of his cock inside of you. Pleasure. It was slowly building, and you clenched slightly around him, making him growl on your neck. 

He tentatively gave a longer thrust, reeling his hips farther, and moving back in. He kept the slow speed, and then, he heard it. His eyes widened, and he almost stopped. You moaned. It was faint, but you moaned. So he did it again, wanting to make sure, and he felt your nails starting to grab at his hair, as you gave another moan, then another, then another. He lifted himself up to look down at your face, and he almost crumbled over.

You looked dazed, eyes half lidded, mouth open, as you moved against his thrusts. Moans came out of your mouth, and fuck, he wanted to eat you up. He wanted to devour you. He felt the intense need build in his chest. The need to ravish you completely. The need that has to wait for another time.

“You feeling good, baby?” He kissed your jaw, and you nodded dumbly, and you truly were. To the point of wanting him to go faster. It wasn’t enough. It started feeling like it wasn’t what you needed right now.

“Yeah– Yeah–” You moaned out, and he groaned at your voice, so desperate for more. 

“Want me to go a little faster?” He asked, and you gasped at it, nodding again, your belly exploding in butterflies.

“Yes, please, Steve…” He took a deep breath in, starting to move faster, and he could feel the warmth inside of you, the tightness giving way, letting him slide easier inside of you. And that drove him mad, moaning your name against your lips, kissing you softly. And your moans, god, your moans, they kept getting louder.

You have never felt this kind of pleasure before. Not even when Steve ate you out, this was completely different. It was intimate and such an out-of-body experience. It felt better than his fingers, better than anything else that could possibly be done to you. At least, for now.

He huffed as his knuckles turned white, grabbing the pillow underneath your head. He was sliding so easily inside of you now, shit, shit, shit. He needed more; was that selfish of him? 

“Baby, can I go harder? Please–” He was asking, begging for you to say yes. Your eyes clashed with his, and he looked so good like this. His features were completely contorted, looking as if he were in pain, but you knew it was pleasure. His eyes were glossed over, his lips trembling, his hair falling over his eyes, and a sheer layer of sweat over his forehead. His face was flushed, and you felt yourself becoming wetter just by the mere sight of him.

“Yes– God, please–” You heard him growl, pushing up from you, holding himself up with his hands on each side of your head. His chest away from yours, and your hands sliding down to his biceps. You could feel how hard his muscles were, how tense, but you couldn’t put much thought into it, as Steve started thrusting harder, while keeping the same speed from before. 

You were gasping, moaning, and whimpering as you bounced at each of his thrusts. You weren’t even focusing on anything right now, just feeling everything he was doing to you. You could hear the slapping of skin now, his hips smashing against yours at each thrust. Steve was panting, finally looking in between the two of you to see himself disappear inside of you, making him twitch even inside of you.

“Fuck, fuck– You feel so good, Sunshine– So perfect for me…” His mouth moved without his permission. You whined at his words, just ‘uh, uh, uh’s’ coming out of your lips. You looked wrecked, and he was so happy, so proud that it was thanks to him. That you were feeling this for the first time with him. That he was the cause. 

He needed more leverage. He could feel his belly burning wildly, and he wanted more. He needed to feel more. Deeper. And by how loud you were moaning and mumbling his name, he assumed you were feeling good. Really good. He straightened up, kneeling with his legs spread a little underneath your thighs. He wrapped his arms around them, and he started moving with much more speed than before. Your eyes widened, toes curling as your hands flew to grip the sheets below you.

You bounced, and his eyes couldn’t leave your breasts, your body, your moans escaping your lips. He could feel you flutter around his cock, and he threw his head back in pure ecstasy. He moaned your name, pure praises, and then he looked back down at you, seeing you looking up at him.

He looked so good. You could feel the elastic band forming again, surprising you completely. That chain that bounced at every thrust of his, the veins in his arms prominent, and his abdomen tensed as he railed you into the mattress. 

“Stevie– It feels good, it feels so good, please don’t stop–” He growled at your request, shaking his head.

“Not a fucking chance, Sunshine.” You whimpered, and you felt the need for something more, but you didn’t know what. Your hands gripped the sheets, twisting them, and you felt your legs shaking slightly. Steve noticed, huffing his breaths out. “What do you need, baby? Talk to me…”

“I don’t– I don’t know–” And he knew exactly what you wanted. He could feel himself coming close, but he wasn’t going to let up until he felt you clench around him. He needed it. He seethed himself in you, and stopped, leaving him panting. You choked a breath out at how deep you felt him, but when he didn’t move again, you looked at him, breathing heavily. “Something– Something wrong?”

“No… Fuck no… But I’m close…” He confessed, trying to calm himself down, trying really hard to make this the best time of your life. You nodded, not understanding the problem with it.

“Baby, you can–”

“No. I want you to cum around me. I am not stopping until you give me another, Sunshine.” Oh, that pulled the elastic in your belly even tighter. He felt you clench, and he scoffed a laugh out. “Oh, you like that, huh.”

You felt your entire body burn up, and before you could talk again, he started moving once more. You moaned out, feeling that pleasure once again filling every nerve. He looked down at you, his right arm unwrapping from your leg, and moving in between you two, and he pressed his thumb against your clit.

“Shit!” You jerked at the sensation, eyes wide. He smirked at your reaction, circling your clit once with his thumb as he thrusted inside of you. You were seeing stars, head thrown back as your mouth remained open, obscene moans escaping, and his name. His name that was making him lose his mind, more, and more. “Steve– Steve– Steve–”

He could feel you fluttering, clenching every now and then, and he groaned, whimpered as his pace picked up, his hips slapping against yours in a wild manner. His thumb kept circling your clit, rubbing and pressing, and you were thrashing around underneath him. He felt your thigh tensing up under his left arm. 

But fuck, he was close. He moved forward a bit more, raising your hips up just slightly, but you felt it. Your back arched as you felt like your soul left your body. Steve growled in victory, having found your G-Spot. He kept the pace, his breath coming out in gasps as you clenched and clenched, and he knew you were close.

“Sunshine, come on–” He was watching you lose yourself in the pleasure as he kept moving, watching you bounce underneath him. Your belly was turning wildly inside of you, tensing your entire body, and your legs started closing around him, but it didn’t stop his movements at all. You started trembling as you felt yourself clench and unclench around him, and he almost tipped over the edge right there.

And finally, you let out a sharp cry, followed by a choked moan as you completely engulfed him, gripped him like a vice, and his hand left your clit, letting your thigh go so he could slam his hands on each side of you, gripping the mattress. Your hands flew to grab onto his forearms and scratch his arms for some grounding. You were in another galaxy, Milky Ways passing behind your eyelids as you clenched your eyes. 

He growled into his throat, a loud whimper escaping his lips at the tightness, at how amazing you sounded. You were shaking underneath him, and it was almost hard to pull out from you from how hard you were gripping him. He started to stutter, the fluttering inside never stopping, and you were not letting up with the clenching. He clenched his eyes tightly, trying to let himself last a few more seconds so you could ride the orgasm out.

“Steve– Stevie–” His eyes opened to see tears sliding down the sides of your face, purely from pleasure. Some drool had pulled on the corner of your mouth, and fuck– His hips started moving harshly against you, and you finally unclenched just slightly as your belly uncramped, and your walls let up just a little bit.

His hands grabbed yours, and he intertwined his fingers with yours, and pressed them just a little above your head. Shit– Fucking christ– His hips slammed against yours, chasing his own orgasm. His hair was brushing against your forehead, his hot breath against your lips, and you’ve never seen Steve like this. 

He looked… so good.

“Fuck– Sunshine, baby, I’m gonna cum–” And you could feel your fingers being squished by his, his veins forming on the top of his hands as he pressed yours harder into the mattress, jerking at each sharp thrust of his. And then, at one last thrust, his face fell forward to the crook of your neck, and your eyes widened when he bit at your skin, growling loudly, whimpering as he came into the condom.

He thrusted at each spurt, one, two, three, and then, he stilled. He kissed your skin as he panted, trying to gather his thoughts once again. You were dreamily looking at the ceiling with a faraway gaze. You felt amazing. Lightweight. Your skin felt tingly all over, and you noticed the aftershocks all over your body; you couldn’t believe what had just happened.

You had sex. You finally had sex. It felt like such a faraway dream, something you thought would never happen because of the circumstances the world was in. And here was Steve. Panting heavily into your skin after making you his. Your heart felt like it was in complete flames, soaring into the sky. 

Steve could feel his heart going crazy, thumping loudly and rapidly in his chest. He wondered if you could feel it since it was pressed against yours. You two were sweating, panting, and he finally gulped, his hands letting go of yours slowly. He raised his head up, his elbows supporting his weight now as you lay there underneath him. He licked his trembling lips, inspecting your features.

“You okay, Sunshine?” He asked in a soft whisper, and you were still dazed, staring at nothing in particular. He couldn’t help but smile, coming to kiss your lips softly to snap you out of your haze. You blinked, finally looking at him. “You okay?”

You gave him a tired, wide smile, nodding at him.

“I’m more than okay…” He brushed a strand of your hair away from your forehead, keeping his hand on your cheek. Your eyes were glued to his, and you couldn’t help but feel like you had to say something to him. Something you never thought you would say before. Or at least, not so early. 

But it wasn’t so early, wasn’t it? It’s been months, weeks, days of feelings slowly cooking inside of you. You swallowed those words down, not knowing if it was the haze of the moment or if it truly was there. You needed a clear mind for it. You needed to be sure of it.

“Are you okay?” You asked, and he huffed a laugh, nodding at you. 

“Perfect…” He felt himself softening inside of you, making him wince a bit. “I’m going to pull out, alright?”

You took a deep breath in, nodding at him. Him pulling out felt weird, but then you felt empty, making you exhale a groan. You let a sigh out as he kneeled back, and you closed your eyes to accommodate yourself back to not having him inside of you. It almost felt weird.

You heard Steve moving, and you opened your eyes to grab a washcloth he left on the side of the mattress, as well as a water bottle. He opened the bottle and damped the cloth with it. You frowned a bit at the action, and you saw him moving it between your legs.

“It might be cold…” Oh, he was cleaning you. You felt your cheeks heat up, and then you winced at the coldness as he wiped you. You then felt the relief, not noticing how sore you were. The cold cloth felt good against you. Your eyes wandered back, only to widen, straightening up with your elbows as you saw the red stains on it.

“Oh my god– I’m–”

“I swear, Sunshine, if you apologize for bleeding…” You closed your mouth, embarrassment washing over you as Steve wiped you clean, as well as your inner thighs. Then he folded the cloth and wiped himself before taking his condom off. You watched as he threw the cloth aside and then tied the condom in a knot. You watched his seed in there with interest, tilting your head. 

He felt his legs trembling slightly as he put the condom to the side, taking note of throwing that and the cloth into the fire the next day. He sighed, looking back at you, who was looking at him with dreamy eyes, tired, and still a little dazed. 

He moved towards your side, prompting you to lie down, opening the sheets that were beneath you this whole time. They were slightly thick, knowing the fire would keep the two warm during the entire night. You two lie on your sides, his hand running up and down your arm, your legs tangled with one another’s.

“Was it…” He gulped as he thought of his question. He was a little afraid of the answer, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know how you felt. If it was to your expectations. He wanted to know if he had to be better at something or do something differently the next time. But your first time… “Was it how you imagined it?”

You were looking at him, gazing into his eyes, and your hand went towards his cheek, caressing it gently. Your heart was in your throat, your ears were ringing as you pulled him into a soft kiss. Lingering. Pouring your feelings out on his lips. He moaned into the kiss, and you smiled into it, pulling away.

“It was better… Thank you, Steve…” For some reason, he felt overwhelmed. He felt like crying. He felt like he had won the lottery, or that he was conveyed a blessing from above. A long-time wish that had been granted. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you into a tight embrace, planting a kiss on the top of your head.

“My beautiful Sunshine.” He murmured, and you just held onto him, smiling into his chest. His arms promising to never let go. His legs promising to chase after you. His mind promising to never let go of the thought of you. His heart promising to never let you get away. 

Your breathing calmed down, the two of you slipping more and more into drowsiness, and then you talked again.

“I didn’t know it would feel so good…” He blinked his eyes wide open, suddenly awake again. A chuckle vibrated in his throat.

“Well… I don’t mean to brag, but–” You giggled against him, looking up from his chest. You pecked his lips gently, and then a cheeky smile appeared on your lips.

“I might grow addicted to it.” His smile fell, and he groaned loudly, shaking his head.

“Did I just create a monster?” And fuck, by the look on your face, he might be right. He wasn’t against the idea at all, really. Oh, poor Eddie and Nancy.

You drifted off with a giggle, clinging onto him, and he was left alone with his thoughts for a few more minutes as you breathed gently against him. His eyes were looking into the fire, and there it was. In that fine spark that came out from the cackling wood, he saw something he never thought he’d see again.

A future. And everyone was in it. 

And you.

You were in it.

And with that, his eyes finally closed.

☀︎

He wipes the surfaces clean and makes sure that the space is clear of any dust or dirt before he gets one of the mattresses from upstairs, carrying it down into the living room, the plastic cover all over it crinkling with the movement. It would feel weird to use someone else’s bedroom. He places the mattress close to the fireplace that he plans on lighting up later. 

“I found some clean sheets; they were inside zipped plastic bags.” Nancy walks into the living room. 

“Cool.” Steve nods at her, giving her a small smile. He lifts his hand and runs it through his hair, taking a deep breath. 

Nancy puts the sheets down on the coffee table and reaches for one of the pillows. She cocks an eyebrow at Steve, taking in his restless figure as he looks around the room. 

“Don’t tell me you are nervous, Steve.” Nancy chuckles as her eyes flicker in amusement. 

Steve narrows his eyes at her. She looks down, picking up the sheets, she throws them towards him. 

He catches them with a sigh, shaking his head at the teasing look on her face. Just like Eddie. 

But yes, he is nervous. It’s gonna be your first time together, your first time with him, your very first time. He wants and needs it to be perfect for you. He wants you to feel as comfortable as possible. He wants you to feel safe, happy. 

“I can’t believe I’m helping you get laid.” 

Steve rolls his eyes at the tone in her voice, though a chuckle falls from his lips. He had known her for such a long time now; she would have never made such jokes back then. He knows it’s Eddie’s influence and her bond with him; he is rubbing off on her. Or… Robin’s influence. 

“Wheeler, who would have thought you’d ever speak like that.” 

Nancy snorts at him as she watches him spread the sheets over the mattress. She looks around, noting the candles he gathered before. She starts spreading them around the living room. 

“Who would have thought that I’d help you take someone’s virginity.” Nancy jokes, chuckling to herself when he snorts. 

“Don’t make it sound like I’m sacrificing a virgin tonight, Jesus Christ!” Steve mumbles. 

The girl laughs at the dramatic tone in his voice. She passes by the window and takes a look outside. Her eyes light up in amusement when she sees Eddie clapping his hands at you as you siphon gas from a car. 

“I just need it to be perfect.” Steve murmurs, pulling her attention away from you and back to him. 

“It’s gonna be perfect.” Nancy smiles at him, placing the last candles on the coffee table. “You worry so much about it when there’s no need to. You got a perfect house for the night, you set up the room nicely,” she gestures around herself, pointing to the string lights he found in the bedroom. “You even got her Kitkats, and you’re making what, pasta for dinner? I checked the stove, and there’s some gas left; you can prepare it there. Sounds like a perfect first date considering the world we live in!” 

Steve’s shoulders slump a little as the tension wears off. He can’t help the nervousness inside of him when it comes to you. You deserve more than just perfect. 

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Steve asks, scratching the back of his neck. 

Nancy breathes out as she tilts her head. She had never seen him like that. In all those years she had known him, she had never seen him be this nervous over anything. A smile tugs at her lips, “she will love it. She would have loved just the RV because it’s with you, that girl is obsessed with you, Steve!” 

Steve’s lips curl into a smile, and he tilts his head down. The feeling is so very mutual. He nods his head, “okay yeah, you’re right.” 

“I’m always right.” Nancy mumbles, making Steve snort. “Besides, once we get to California, you can take her on a picnic date at the beach!” 

Steve smiles at that, nodding. He can’t wait to get to California, to have that peace with you. He feels safe with you, and you feel safe with him, but you are still out here, where anything could happen at any moment. You still have to look over your shoulders, risk your lives driving through unknown territories, and he can’t wait for that to be over. 

Nancy fixes the curtains while Steve starts preparing the bed, taking the plastic cover off, making the mattress free of dust, and putting the fresh sheets on. A smile tugs at her lips when she watches you and Eddie laughing about something. She crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes linger on you for a moment before she looks back at Steve, whose brows are tugged together in concentration. 

She notices the light flush in his cheeks, the color that came back into his face because of you. It’s been a second since he finally pulled himself together and made you his. When she saw how he attached himself to you after, how scared and anxious he seemed whenever you weren’t around for even just five minutes, she started to realize. It’s something she meant to talk to him about, something she meant to apologize for. 

“I get it now…”

Steve glances at her, still with the same concentrated look on his face, “huh?”

“Why you were afraid… Why you initially rejected her.” 

“I don’t–”

“I was the same, behind closed doors that is.” Nancy reveals, uncrossing her arms. “When Robin passed, I just holed myself up when no one was watching. I pretended to be okay because I knew she would want me to be okay for my mom and my siblings…” 

Steve gets up from his crouched position. His eyes flash with sympathy, “Nancy…” 

Nancy blinks, not wanting to tear up in front of him. She hates crying in front of others. She clears her throat. 

“And then when she was gone… I gave up on the idea of moving on… I-I gave up on trying to look for someone else because, it’s the fucking end of the world right?” Her laughter is humorless, watery. She is fighting the tears now, thinking about her. 

Steve stays quiet, watching the sadness burst in her eyes. He never knew she was going through the same thing he was going through. 

“And then she appeared.” Nancy says softly, glancing at you again. “Seeing her… have these eyes for you made me feel so nostalgic… To the point where I realized I wanted to feel it again. I wanted to– I wanted to feel alive, and yearn, and feel human.” 

Guilt rushes through him when he realizes how badly he treated her back in Wyoming. He closes his eyes and runs his hand down his face. 

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t– You were trying to move on. I didn’t– I shouldn’t have said what I said to you…” 

Nancy shakes her head at him, “I deserved it… besides, I wasn’t trying to move on with Tommy,” she chuckles, though her cheeks burn a little. “I think that she made me feel alive again. I grew protective of her. She is my best friend, but Eddie was right, you were there first, and I was so angry at you for hurting her, I didn’t even glance at you or think about how you must have been feeling… and now I know why you really pushed her away. You were scared.”

“It’s okay, Nancy.” Steve gives her a nod. “I’m not angry at you.”

She smiles at him, taking a deep breath before she continues, “I-I think I would be the same. If I found someone like her, after losing Robin… I think I would be afraid to the point of pushing them away too…”

Steve shakes his head, smiling. “You would have Eddie to kick your ass and also me because I would not stand by and watch you make the same mistake.” 

Nancy chuckles. She tilts her head and scratches the back of her neck. 

Steve looks over her shoulder, smiling at the sound of your laughter that he can hear through the crack of the open window. 

“I just… I feel like I was at the right place at the right time when she stumbled out of those bushes…” Steve smiles, recalling the day you first met. 

Nancy smiles, “and it was Eddie’s turn. Remember? You weren’t supposed to patrol that night.”

“Yeah… I remember.” Steve whispers. 

He had to be the one to see you first. 

The door creaks open, and Steve nearly panics, thinking it’s you. He doesn’t want you to see any of this yet. It’s supposed to be a surprise. He sighs in relief when Eddie waltzes in, wiping his hands with a rag. 

Eddie wiggles his eyebrows at Steve, unable to hold back his chuckle. 

“Your girlfriend sucks like a hoover.” 

“Excuse me–”

Nancy rolls her eyes and shakes her head at her best friend. 

“She needs a little practice, but hey, we got a lot of gas now thanks to her. It was fun watching her; she choked a little at first, but got the hang of it pretty quickly.” The metalhead grins, nudging Steve’s shoulder as he stops beside him. 

“This… You just had to say it this way, didn’t you?” Steve grumbles, squinting his eyes at his friend. 

Eddie chuckles, clapping his hand on Steve’s shoulder. 

“Shouldn’t you be out there with her to make sure that she won’t come inside?” Steve raises his eyebrows at him. 

Eddie takes a look around, his eyes settle on the bed, and he instantly begins to wiggle his eyebrows, “oh you are so ready to get in there, aren’t ya?”

Nancy holds back her laughter as she looks between them, her eyes crinkle when Steve scrunches his nose up at Eddie. 

She clears her throat, making them both look at her. 

“You know what, I go and distract Sunshine, and you,” she points at Eddie. “You help Steve with the rest.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Eddie salutes, grinning at her. 

“You got this, Steve.” Nancy says, chuckling when she sees the annoyance on his face at the teasing smile Eddie directs at him. She walks out and shuts the door. 

Steve stands there with his hands on his hips. He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath before he looks at Eddie again. 

“It’s been so long, you’re basically a virgin too now, Steve.” Eddie snickers. 

Steve gives him a deadpan look. 

“Okay, okay…” Eddie holds his hands up. “So how can I help?” 

-

Nancy finds you in the garage that is connected to the house. You are humming a song as you fill up the gas tank. A smile tugs on her face as she watches you – you have no idea what is going on. So far, you still believe that you are here for a one day break to fill up on gas, supplies, and to get some proper rest. 

“Oh hey!” You grin when you notice her. “What’s up?” 

“I checked out some houses.” Nancy shrugs, “I was hoping I’d find more guns but…”

“No luck?” You frown, closing the gas tank and setting down the canister. 

Nancy shakes her head and purses her lips as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Nope.”

“I mean, we found a good amount of things yesterday already.” You shrug, being optimistic as always. “Plus, we are here to get some rest, right?”

“Right.” Nancy nods, smiling at you. 

“We’re gonna eat some great food tonight, maybe have a drink or two – ooh! Do you think we can take a shower in the house? Maybe we can check it out!”

Nancy’s eyes widen. You can’t go in there, not yet. 

“No, unfortunately, there isn’t any warm water… I checked already.” Nancy lies, almost feeling bad when disappointment flashes in your eyes. 

“RV shower it is.” You sigh. 

“I know, I can’t wait to take a bath again when we’re finally in California! It’s gonna feel so rewarding!” 

A groan falls from your lips as you tilt your head back, “I used to love taking baths! I’d stay in there forever and make it a spa day.”

“All while playing Madonna, wearing a face mask while shaving your legs?” Nancy asks, giggling. 

Your eyes light up and you nod, “exactly!” 

“You could do that right now!” Nancy smiles at you, trying to give you a hint without giving the surprise away, but she knows you packed the razor and moisturizers for a reason. “I mean, not a bath, but you can take a long shower and just… do everything you didn’t have the time to do in the past few months!”

“We can’t waste too much water, Nance.” You sigh, though it does sound tempting. 

“There’s cold water coming from the taps inside… just no warm water, we can stock up on it later on.” Nancy shrugs, smiling. “I shaved my legs last night after months! They feel so smooth again!” 

You hum as you take a look at the RV. You grabbed so many things yesterday, new bodywash, moisturizer, soap. 

“You know what, I’m gonna do that.” You cave in, smiling in excitement. “But first, I wanna see what Steve is up to.” 

You don’t even manage to take a step forward before Nancy stops you again. She shakes her head, waving her hand, “oh no no, go and take your shower! Steve and Eddie are…” she pauses as she grabs your shoulders and pushes you towards the RV, ignoring the confused look on your face. “They’re getting a new battery for the RV. Boring stuff!” She laughs. 

“I–”

“You go and uh enjoy the shower while you can before Eddie comes back and uses up all your vanilla scented stuff!” 

“Do I smell or something?” You laugh as you step inside the RV. 

“No,” Nancy chuckles. “I just want you to enjoy that peaceful shower for a change.” 

She’s got a point there. You don’t get many chances to take long showers, let alone do any self-care, while you’re on the road. The longest shower you were able to take was seven minutes long, and even that was ‘too long’ according to Eddie. 

“What are you gonna do?” You ask as you grab some fresh underwear and clothes. 

“Uh, I think I’m gonna just relax…” She trails off, reaching for some random magazine before she plops down in the passenger seat. She kicks off her boots and stretches them out onto the armrest of the driver's seat, “right here…” She grins.

You giggle at her, shaking your head at her display. 

“We can paint each other’s nails later!” Nancy smiles, flipping through the magazine. 

“I’d love that, but first…” You reach for the body wash and moisturizer you hid from Eddie. “I’m gonna smell like a vanilla pound cake in a second.” 

“Oh, a pound cake for sure,” Nancy murmurs behind the magazine, holding back a grin. 

“Did you say something?” You ask, one foot into the bathroom. 

“No, no.” Nancy shakes her head at you, smiling. You don’t seem to suspect anything yet, not even with the lack of Steve’s presence, which seems surprising considering how much he hates to be away from you. 

“Alright.” You give her a smile before you step into the bathroom and close the door. 

Eddie walks in a few minutes later, looking around for you. 

Nancy glances at him over the magazine, raising an eyebrow, “she’s in the shower.”

“Ah.” Eddie nods as a smirk grows on his lips. 

“What are you smirking about, Munson?” 

He shakes his head as he starts looking through the drawers, in search of something, “nothing, nothing.” 

Nancy squints her eyes at him, waiting for him to spill whatever is on his mind. 

His tongue pokes out from between his lips, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he fumbles through the knives, “got it.” He grins, grabbing a pair of scissors. He turns back around, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. 

“What are you doing with those?” 

“Playing hairdresser.” He wiggles his eyebrows. 

Nancy’s jaw drops in surprise, she puts down the magazine, and leans forward. 

“He’s letting you cut his hair?” She gasps. “Steve Harrington is letting someone touch his hair. You!?” 

Eddie almost looks offended, and he places his hand against his chest. “Why wouldn’t he? I give my uncle the best haircuts.” 

“Your uncle is bald.” Nancy states.

Eddie rolls his eyes, “that was sarcasm, Wheeler.” He shakes his head as he makes his way towards the door. “We still have a long way to go – besides, I always do my hair and I look hot as hell.”

Nancy rolls her eyes at his cockiness, but he has a point. His ends were not split at all, because he made sure to trim them every once in a while. 

“Alright, I’ll go get my guy ready for–”

“Don’t be a pervert.” Nancy points at him, and he instantly stops wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Alright grandma.” Eddie rolls his eyes before a smirk makes its way on his face again. “Are you ready for a cozy night here with me? I’ll grab some candles for us, make it romantic–”

“Go!” Nancy throws the magazine at him, making him step out before it hits him in the head. His laughter echoes in the garage before he disappears into the house, slamming the door shut. 

She shakes her head and gets up with a sigh, reaching for the magazine again, she sits back down, “idiot.” She murmurs. 

-

It dawned on you in the shower that something was going on. You haven’t seen Steve all day, and every time you tried to go look for him, either Eddie or Nancy would stop you. He never even leaves your side for five minutes, let alone for this long. 

You are clueless sometimes, but not this much. You try not to dwell on it too long, not wanting to wonder about what your boyfriend is planning, not wanting to ruin that surprise for yourself and him. 

Nancy insists on doing your hair after painting your nails, and you almost feel a little ridiculous doing all that in a world where you have to fight to survive every second of every day. Yet you can’t help but enjoy that moment of peace, that moment that gives you a glimpse of the old world where you didn’t have all that. A friend who takes care of you like this. A friend like Eddie, who is always there to cheer you up and make you laugh. A boyfriend who treats you gently, who looks at you the way you look at him. 

“Where’s your head at?” Nancy asks as she brushes your hair. 

“I don’t know… I just… This feels nice,” you shrug as you look down at your nails. “All this, I mean.” 

Nancy nods, smiling down at you, “we’re gonna have more of this in California.” 

“Yeah…”

Nancy notices the hesitation in your voice and the worried look on your face. She pauses, putting the hairbrush aside for a moment. 

“What’s wrong?” 

You shake your head, furrowing your eyebrows as annoyance creeps up in you for feeling that sliver of pessimism. “I don’t know, I just– things have been going so well lately… No monsters, no bad people, no infected, now this place? I-I don’t know, I can’t help but feel like something is waiting around the corner.”

Nancy’s eyes flash with sympathy. Her chest aching a bit at the feelings you are dealing with. It’s not even about this world. It’s about your past life, and the things that got taken out of your hand every time things were going great. 

She nudges your shoulder as she settles down beside you. She offers you a kind smile, “Sunshine… where’s that optimism we all love so much?” 

You take a deep breath and exhale, smiling a bit at her question. 

“That’s my kinda thing, to worry and be negative.” Nancy jokes, reaching for your hand. “You’re the hope!” 

“The hope?” You chuckle, turning to face her. 

“Yeah!” She nods in honesty. “Don’t lose that part now.” 

You nod, taking a deep breath as you push aside the fear creeping up on you. 

“I won’t.” 

“Good.” Nancy smiles and squeezes your hand before she gets up again and picks up the hairbrush. “Don’t start to doubt yourself now. You proved time and time again that you can beat this world, Sunshine.” 

You can beat this world. 

Your dad said the same thing to you. The last time you talked to him, he was so worried, you were on the other side of the country, and he could do nothing but talk to you on the phone as you were packing your things to leave the city. Talks of the military bombing places with huge crowds made him call you in panic. You promised to get out of there as soon as you could. Your brother was panicking in the background as the first bombings were announced on the radio. Your mom was crying. 

You promised that you would come home, and your dad believed you. You remember his last words before the line cut off; You can beat this world, Sweetheart.

“Yeah, I can.” 

You take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Now is not the time to worry, to be negative, and think about things that haven’t and won’t happen. 

“Just a couple of more weeks and we’re in California!” Nancy smiles. “Have you thought about where you will stay?”

“What do you mean?” You ask. 

“I mean, in the community, are you gonna stay with your family or… with Steve?” 

Oh. 

The truth is, you haven’t thought about that yet. Steve hasn’t asked you to stay with him, but it’s been implied, and the thought of not being with him makes you feel uneasy. 

“We haven’t talked about that yet, but… I can’t imagine being without him. What about you? Are you gonna stay with your family or…?”

Nancy chuckles behind you. She picks a few pieces of your hair and starts braiding it. 

“Well, I’d love to be your roommate, but I doubt that Steve will allow that. I’m gonna warn you, with the way he clings to you now, he won’t get a place without you.” 

Your heart flutters in your chest and your cheeks heat up. You want that. 

“But yeah, I miss my mom and my siblings. I know they have a house there and an empty room waiting for me.” 

“That sounds nice too though.” You smile. “I wonder if Eddie will stay with his uncle or go live with his Sweetheart.”

“You still believe he has a sweetheart?” Nancy scoffs.

“He does!” You exclaim, giggling. “He told me all about… their story!” 

“Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it, Sunshine.” Nancy snorts as she ties a hair tie around the lone braid in your hair. She taps your shoulder, “now come on, get up.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

You get up and turn to face her. A smile is lingering on her face when she leans closer and brushes her fingers through your hair. She takes a step back and looks you up and down. 

“Hold on.” She murmurs before she brushes past you and towards her backpack. 

You chuckle and shake your head. Now you are certain that something is going on, especially when she pulls out the yellow sundress you eyed in the little boutique yesterday. 

“Nancy!” You gasp, staring at it wide eyed. 

She walks back to you and holds it out for you. “You really wanted it, so I just had to get it.”

Your eyes soften as they flicker between her face and the dress. 

“And… I know you’re not as clueless as you pretend to be right now…” She laughs softly. “Steve’s waiting for you in there.” She says with a warm but teasing smile.

Oh. 

So this is happening tonight. It’s not just a little date night, it’s so much more than that. 

Your cheeks heat up at the realization. Excitement and nerves spread through your whole body, and you can’t help but squeal as you wrap your arms around Nancy, making the girl giggle as she hugs you back. 

“No one’s ever been this excited to get laid.” Nancy laughs, squeezing you tightly before she lets you go again so you can get dressed. 

“Shut up.” You murmur, laughing. You lock yourself in the bathroom and quickly take off your clothes. You fold your jeans and your sweater and put them aside. You kick off your boots and reach for the dress. A smile tugs at your lips as you begin to put it on. The mirror in here is too small for you to see much of the dress, but you stop as you are about to pull the straps up your arms. 

You bite your lip as you think of Steve’s reaction to the dress and what’s underneath… or what isn’t. You reach behind and unclasp your bra, taking it off and placing it on top of your sweater. Goosebumps rise on your skin when you think of his bare hands on your body, of his bare skin on your own… 

You breathe in shakily as you finish putting the dress on. You look down at it, smoothing down the material. Your heart beats stronger in your chest, wondering what he will think. 

When you walk back out again, you are startled by Eddie’s presence in the doorway.

“Goddamn, Sunshine.” Eddie whistles as he looks you up and down. “I might have to switch places with Steve cause…” He whistles again as he takes a step closer. 

You shake your head at him, blushing at the comment. 

“You are gorgeous!” Eddie grins at you. 

“Thank you,” you giggle and purse your lips. You glance at Nancy, who is smiling at you. 

“Yeah, you are gorgeous.” She nods, putting her hand on her cheek. “I feel like a proud mother.”

You and Eddie laugh at her, shaking your heads, and then Eddie opens his unfiltered mouth. 

“Proud that she’s getting dicked down tonight?” 

“Eddie!” You gasp and slap his shoulder. Your cheeks heat up at his words and his laughter. “You are such a perv! Maybe Steve doesn’t even want to–”

“Sunshine.” Eddie gives you a pointed look as his eyes move up and down your body. “Don’t finish that sentence. Now go, don’t leave your man waiting.” He grins as he grabs your shoulders and pushes you towards the door. 

“Wait–” You mumble, looking down at your bare legs. “It’s too cold for just the dress–”

“Honey, it’s not cold in there, besides that dress isn’t staying on you for long.”

You look over your shoulder, glaring at him while Nancy chuckles in the back. She takes a few steps closer to Eddie and reaches out to pinch your cheek, “go get him, tiger.” 

You shake your head at them both. As you’re about to step out, you wonder about them. You turn back around, frowning as you look between them. 

“Wait, what about you two?”

Eddie wraps his arm around Nancy’s shoulder, “oh, don’t worry about us. We got condoms too.”

Nancy slaps his chest, “oh my god, you’re disgusting! Don’t listen to him.”

You giggle at the annoyance on her face. 

“We are staying here. Don’t worry, the area is safe. We did another perimeter check. We shut the gates,” he gestures to the closed garage gate. “We’re gonna make some food and relax, but you don’t have to worry your pretty little head about anything tonight.”

You bite your lip and nod, taking a deep breath. 

“Now go!” Nancy smiles at you.

“Okay,” you whisper, smiling at them both before you turn around and finally make your way out of the RV. Once you walk through the door that leads into the house, Nancy and Eddie turn to face each other with satisfied smiles on their faces. 

“We make a great team.” Eddie says proudly, high fiving the girl. 

“We do.” Nancy nods. 

-

The house is dark, the sun has already set a while ago. You follow the golden flickers of light coming from the living room, the sound of music, and the smell of food. Your lips curl into a smile. Your heartbeat quickens even more the closer you get to him. Nancy was right, the house is warm, and the closer you get to where the lights are brightest, it just gets warmer.

You pass by a mirror in the hallway and take a quick look at yourself. It’s too dark to really see yourself, but you already knew you would love the dress. The boots, in contrast, look a little silly, and you contemplate kicking them off, but you doubt that Steve will care about that. 

“Sunshine?” 

You tear your eyes away from your reflection and step away from the mirror. You follow his voice and step into the living room. The sight of it all steals your breath – the burning candles spread around the room, the string lights hanging from the ceiling, the flames burning in the fireplace, the round dining table in the corner with two glasses and a bottle of wine. And then, there’s a mattress in the middle of the room, close to the fireplace, two pillows, and a huge blanket covering it. It looks cozy. It’s perfect. 

While you are taking in the sight before you, Steve is taking you in. His hazel eyes are wide and soft as he stares at you. His heart is beating so strongly against his ribcage, chest warming at the sight before him. A smile appears on his face as he takes a step closer to you. 

“Wow.” You both whisper at the same time. Your eyes lock, and your giggles sound through the room. 

“You are so beautiful, Sunshine.” Steve whispers as he takes your hand and brings your arm up, “give me a twirl.” 

You giggle at him, squeezing his hand, and you twirl around. 

Steve holds back a groan when your dress lifts up and he catches a glimpse of the black lace on your skin. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you against him, cupping your cheeks. He looks down at you with a smile. 

“Pretty girl.” He whispers, tucking your hair behind your ear. He smiles when you grow flustered beneath his gaze. “I missed you today.”

“I missed you.” You whisper as you rise to your tippy toes and press your lips against his, greeting him with a sweet kiss that he happily reciprocates. You end it too soon for his liking, his lips follow yours when you pull away again, and they quickly curl into a pout when you don’t continue the kiss. You peck his lips once more before you lean in for a hug, placing your head on his chest, you look around the room with a smile on your face. 

“So that’s why Eddie and Nancy kept me from seeing you.” 

Steve kisses the top of your head before he leans his chin there, smiling nervously, “they helped, well– Nancy helped setting up the room.” 

You look down at the makeshift bed again and a giggle falls from your lips when you tilt your head back to look up at him, “Nancy helped?” 

Steve meets your eyes and looks down at the amused smile on your lips. He scrunches his face up and scratches the back of his neck when it dawns on him. 

“Now that you mention it, it sounds kind of weird,” he murmurs, making you giggle again. “I think she would have fought to be in my place right now though.” He says cockily. 

You roll your eyes at him, biting your lip to keep yourself from smiling. 

Steve smiles at you so fondly as he once again takes in the sight of you. He cups the side of your face, brushing his thumb against your cheek. His eyes move down to your pretty dress, the thin straps on your shoulders, touching your soft skin. He leans down, unable to stop himself from kissing your shoulder and your neck. He inhales your sweet scent and his heart flutters wildly. 

“You smell so good, baby.” He murmurs against your skin, making you shiver. He pulls back again, the smile never fading on his face. 

“So do you,” you whisper, noting the cologne he is wearing tonight. “You shaved.” You point out, reaching up to touch his soft cheek. Your eyes roam his face, and then his hair that is now much shorter than it was before, still long enough to grab but it’s not a mullet anymore. “And you cut your hair!” You exclaim as you reach up to run your fingers through it. 

Steve blushes, and his chest feels all fuzzy when you touch his hair. 

“Do you like it?” He asks, reaching down to grab your waist. “Eddie cut it, so if you don’t, please kick his ass.” 

“I love it!” You smile. “You’re so handsome.”

Steve’s eyes light up at your compliment. His stomach flutters, and his heart skips a beat at the flustered look on your face. 

“And you are gorgeous.” Steve whispers, squeezing your waist. “Now come on, before the food gets cold.” His hand moves to your lower back, and he begins to lead you towards the round table. He pulls back the chair for you and grabs a thin blanket to cover your bare shoulders once you’re sat. 

“What’s for dinner?” You ask, wrapping the blanket tighter around yourself, feeling a bit cold in the thin dress, even with the fire burning. 

Steve walks towards the kitchen counter, he grabs the plates he already cleaned and prepared, and starts filling them up, “guess.” He grins at you over his shoulder. 

“Rice and beans?” You ask, chuckling. 

Rice, beans, tuna, and corn are the only things you have been surviving on for the past two years. Sometimes when you get lucky, you’ll find some stale chips, cereal or candy but that’s all. You miss proper meals, the ones you had in Hawkins, or maybe Wyoming. But most of all, you miss the food you had before the world went to shit. You miss pizza, pasta, fries – especially fries. You miss coffee and pastries. 

Your lips part in surprise, and your eyes widen when Steve places a plate of pasta before you. The tomato sauce smells fresh, making your mouth water. You can’t remember the last time you had pasta, let alone with sauce. 

“I– how?” You mumble, looking up at your boyfriend, who is now across from you, watching you with a smile on his face. 

“I found the pasta at a grocery store a while back, and then I found canned tomatoes in another store a few days ago, along with some herbs and seasoning – that shelf was completely stocked, so I had a lot of options.” Steve chuckles as he pours you a glass of white wine. “I saved all that stuff for a moment like this. Don’t worry, I gave Eddie and Nancy some too– whoa, baby what’s wrong?” He panics when he notices the tears in your eyes. He instantly puts down the bottle of wine and makes his way over to you, kneeling down before you as he reaches for your hand. “Sunshine…” He whispers softly, noticing how you are trying to blink away the tears. “What happened?” The tone in his voice is so soft, so caring, just like the look in his eyes, and it only heightens your emotions. 

You squeeze his hand and turn towards him, shaking your head with a smile. 

“Nothing, I’m just so happy, Steve.” You whisper as you bring his hands up to your lips, kissing his knuckles. “You did all this for me… You managed to do all this,” you gesture around yourself and then the dinner table. “In the world we live in now.” 

Steve’s eyes soften, yet his heart aches when he realizes what you are getting at. Nobody had ever done these things to you in the old world, when things like these used to be so easy and simple to do. It’s something you wished for, something you craved, but only got through reading books or watching movies. Steve knows you are a hopeless romantic, like him. 

And like him, you didn’t get the love that you deserved. 

Every day, he wakes up feeling grateful to have found you. You give him everything that he always wished for, that he thought he would never have, and it scares him so badly because you are still out here, and still so far away from safety. 

But one thing he knows is that you will both make it to California, and you will have this every night, no matter what happens, you will get this every night, he will fight like crazy to make sure that it happens. 

“I would do anything for you, Sunshine.” Steve whispers, raising his hand up to tuck your hair behind your ear before he wipes your tear away softly. He isn’t sure if you know just what he would do for you. 

“I would do anything for you too, Steve.” You whisper and lean down to press your forehead against his. “These are not sad tears, I’m just so happy that I found you.” 

The emotions in your voice, the softness of your touch, and the look in your eyes prove to him that you are on the very same page – you are not just bound by circumstance. It makes his heart swell knowing that you feel the same about him. 

“Yeah?” Steve smiles, feeling his own eyes burning now. “I’m happy you stumbled into me and offered to sing Madonna.”

A giggle falls from your lips, and your eyes crinkle, “you remember that?” 

“Of course I remember!” He laughs, squeezing your hands. “You offered to get naked.” 

You slap his shoulder softly when he wiggles his eyebrows at you. 

“Took you long enough to accept that offer,” you giggle, gesturing to the bed. “Let’s eat now, I’m starving!” 

Steve’s eyes darken at your teasing. He hums as he gets up again. He leans down and kisses your temple, running his fingers through your hair before he sits down across from you again. 

He watches in anticipation as you take your first bite. Your eyes widen, and then they roll back as you moan loudly. His stomach flutters at the sound, and he shifts in his seat. 

“Steve… that is so good!” You hold your hand in front of your mouth. “I’m sorry, but you will be the one cooking dinner every night once we’re in California.” 

You are unaware of what those words do to him, of how they make his heart flutter. 

“Oh Honey, you know I’m gonna take good care of you.” He winks at you and picks up the fork, taking his first bite as well. 

You blush at his words, knowing he means more than just dinner. 

But you want to take care of him too, and you will show him that, with time. 

“Only you could make a good pasta from scratch.”

Steve smiles at your words, his cheeks burning beneath the golden light. 

“I always liked to cook, I can’t wait to get my hands on some real ingredients so I can make a full course meal for you.” He says, reaching for your hand. 

“This is perfect, Steve.” You squeeze his hand. “You’re gonna have to teach me some of your favorite dishes so I can surprise you for dinner.”

His hazel eyes soften, and that warm feeling in his chest spreads further. The thought of coming home to you after a long day of work makes him feel like he has accomplished everything in life. 

“I will.” He promises.

“I always liked to bake more. Cooking is nice, but I was always more of a baker.”

“Well, I guess I cook and you make the desserts, baby.” He hums, caressing the top of your hand with his thumb.

“Mhmm,” you nod as you reach for the wine glass. You hold his gaze as you take a sip. 

A smile lingers on his face as he looks into your eyes. The golden light from the fire kisses your skin so beautifully. The blanket on your shoulders falls when you giggle at something he says, exposing your bare skin that he can’t wait to kiss and touch. He feels a kind of happiness he never thought he would from just sitting across from you, his ears blessed by the sound of your voice and your sweet laughter. 

Despite the lingering fear of the future, he is also excited for it – excited for a future with you. 

Even when the plates are empty and you are both on the second glass of your wine, do you still sit at the dinner table, talking and laughing with each other, enjoying the time alone. You ramble about random things, and he lets you, watching you with an adoring smile on his face the whole time, asking questions that you so happily answer. 

He wants to capture this moment, another one to keep in his pocket. You giggle and blush when he stands up in search of the polaroid camera he had grabbed from the RV this morning. 

“Steve…” You give him a bashful smile, hiding your face behind your hands when he points the camera at you. 

“Hey now,” Steve whispers, reaching for your hands, he gently pulls them away. “Don’t hide from me.”

“You’re making me blush!” 

“And you look adorable,” Steve smiles, watching as you fix your hair and reach for your wine glass. His eyes follow your every movement, softening whenever they meet yours. You adjust the straps of your sundress. He finds it so endearing to watch you do the simplest things. Everything you do makes his heart beat stronger. 

Steve slowly lifts the camera again, the smile never fading as he takes a picture. 

“I wasn’t ready! I probably look stupid.” 

Steve chuckles at the cute frown on your face. He waits for the picture to develop, “honey, you never look stupid, don’t even– oh yeah, I’m definitely putting that one in my pocket.” He looks down at it with an adoring smile on his face, putting the camera on the table as he holds the polaroid picture. 

You reach for the camera, taking the chance to snap a picture of him while he is distracted. 

Steve looks so handsome in his white sweater, skin kissed by the golden light, and his freshly cut hair. Despite it being shorter now, there’s still that one curl falling over his forehead. His hazel eyes shine with so much adoration and care, on this night especially. He is yours, all yours. 

Steve faces you with a surprised look on his face when the flash and the snap go off. Realization flashes in his eyes when he notices the camera in your hands. 

“I want one of you too!” You give him a cheeky smile. 

Steve chuckles. He takes another look at your picture before he places it down on the table. He reaches for your hand and pats his thigh with his other, “come here, we should take one together.” 

You don’t need to be told twice. You get up and step towards him. You wrap your arm around his shoulder as he grabs your waist and pulls you down to sit on his lap. You giggle in excitement, “I’ve always wanted a picture with you! Oh– look, you’re so handsome!” You grab the picture you took of him. 

Normally, he would groan if someone else took a picture of him, but not with you. He doesn’t even glance at it, his eyes are solely on you and the way your own eyes are filled with nothing but awe. 

He doesn’t even notice when you put it down and you lift the camera up, angling it towards the two of you. You lean towards him, smiling into the camera. 

“Ready?” 

Steve only hums in response. He squeezes your waist, smiling up at you in adoration as you direct your smile at the camera. You are so pretty. He just wants to grab your face and kiss you until you are both out of breath. The moment the flash goes off and the picture is taken, Steve takes it from your hand and puts it on the table. He cups your cheeks and surprises you with a deep kiss. 

You instantly melt into it, sighing in contentment as you wrap both arms around him. Your fingers sink into his hair, and you give it a tug, earning a groan from him that makes your lower stomach flutter. It won’t be the only one you will hear tonight. He swipes his tongue along your bottom lip, and you let him in. You part your lips and let him slip his tongue into your mouth. The taste of wine and the desire lingering between you. 

Steve’s skin is burning beneath his clothes, blood rushing through his body at the sound of your whimper. He already feels weak in the knees from just this. He will lose his mind tonight. 

He picks you up by your waist and gets up without breaking the kiss. He smiles against your lips when you get on your tippy toes, the moment your feet are back on the ground. You mewl against him, kissing him deeply and sensually as you take the first step back and towards the makeshift bed. His stomach flutters, knowing what is about to happen. His fingers dig into your waist as he swipes his tongue against yours. 

Despite growing breathless, you both refuse to break the kiss, only as your boots hit the mattress, do you pull away for a second. Your eyes flutter open at the same time as his, smiles growing on both your faces. You sink your teeth into your bottom lip as you blink at him. 

“Don’t do that.” Steve murmurs as he grabs your chin, freeing your lip from the sharpness of your teeth. The sight of it made his pupils dilate. 

You lean into his touch and lick your lips before you grab him by the collar of his sweater and pull him down for another kiss, just a short peck before you focus on getting him down on the mattress, and Steve has the same idea. Taking you by surprise, he lifts you up, making you wrap your legs around his waist. 

A giggle falls from your lips, and excitement bubbles in your chest when you feel the softness of the mattress beneath you as Steve settles in between your legs, getting on top of you without crushing you with his weight just yet. His lips found yours again, kissing you softly as his hands started running over your sides. The warmth of the fireplace, now stronger than when you two were at the table. 

The fire was cackling, and the sounds of your kisses echoed through the room. The heels of your boots were digging into his hip bone, trying to pull him closer. Trying not to break the kiss, he moved all over on top of you, trying to kick his own sneakers off, almost falling completely on top of you. He pulled away with a huff as you laughed at his clumsy display.

“Don’t laugh at me, this is part of my sexyness.” He joked, trying to hide the embarrassment. You nodded at him, trying not to laugh.

“So sexy.” He managed to take his sneakers off by pushing the heels down with his tip toes. He gave you a soft kiss on the nose as he kneeled up, grabbing your left calf. He kissed it gently as he started undoing the laces, and your body shivered at his touch. He took that boot off and repeated the process with the other one. 

His own stomach was a mess. Maybe it was a bad idea to eat before doing this. He was nervous. So nervous. He had the pressure to make this memorable for you, to make this as perfect as possible. Because you deserved that and so much more. He wanted to make you feel wanted, important, cared for. 

Your eyes were glossy, and you felt your core was becoming wetter just by looking up at him. His freshly shaven chin, his hair all tidy. All just for you, in the middle of an apocalypse. Your heart was warm, and not thanks to the cackling fire next to you.

“Please, don’t tell me you shaved your chest…” You mumbled out, and he felt his cheeks flush, a smirk forming on his lips.

“Oh? You like my chest hair?” You couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed, hiding your face in your hands as your ears burned. He took this opportunity to take his sweater and shirt off, in one swoop. You peeked through your fingers, and to your pleasure, he hadn’t shaved it. “Now I know I never have to shave it, because my girl likes it.”

His girl. It still sounded a little foreign. To be called something so precious, and them meaning it. A person who isn’t family, or a close friend, but someone who genuinely feels the same way you do. Some stranger you met, that for some reason, ends up being one of the people you would do anything for. Your eyes travelled to the scars on his stomach, then back at his chest.

“Yeah, I like it.” You confessed, and now it was Steve’s turn to blush, a groan vibrating in his throat, making you giggle. He dove back down, giving your right wrist a nip, and you pulled your hands off your face with a laugh. He then nipped at your neck, making you squirm underneath him. “It tickles– Steve!”

He chuckled into your skin, and his nips turned into soft kisses, making you relax. The tickles turned into chills, creating goosebumps all over your arms and legs. Your mouth was left open in a silent breath, and your hands went to run into his hair, feeling his warm lips on your skin. Butterflies erupted in your stomach with anticipation, with arousal, with nerves, with excitement. 

His kisses traveled all over your neck, leaving a few marks here and there, and even if primal, or possessive, he wanted to leave a claim on you. His lips moved downwards, kissing the crook of your neck and shoulders, and with his left hand, he started pulling your strap down, his lips following as your shoulder became bare. 

Your skin was warm underneath his kisses, and he could hear your breathing stuttering at each movement he did. He felt himself start to strain in his pants, and he cursed under his breath as his hips rolled into yours, just barely. You gasped at the sudden friction, your legs wrapping around his waist again, needing to feel him once more. 

The rational part of him was slipping away, just like that time that you two almost overstepped that line. But unlike that time, he didn’t need to stop. There was no need, because he made sure that this would be a safe place for you to enjoy yourself, for you to be able to feel everything and not worry about anything else.

His hips started rolling a little harder as his kisses travelled all over your collarbone, and towards your other shoulder. He repeated the process of pulling down your strap to kiss your skin there. His mouth was going dry, the need to see you was making his brain shortcircuit. Your lips were taken by his in a soft kiss, tender, and he pulled away, only a breath away from you.

“Sunshine… Can I take it off?” 

You gulped heavily, but the dress, even if thin, was suffocating you. You wanted to feel his skin against yours, the heat of his body engulfing you completely. But still, you were human, so you also had your nerves. Even if you waited for this moment to happen, you also had your own insecurities. What if he didn’t enjoy himself? You barely knew how to do things to yourself, let alone to someone else. 

But you slowly nodded, trying to push those thoughts away. He bit his bottom lip as he tried to keep himself calm, but he was barely holding on. He pulled away, making you drop your legs from around his waist. You sat up after him, looking up into his eyes as he devoured you with just one look. He bit his bottom lip as he helped you untuck your dress from under your legs, and then, finally, he helped you take it off.

And you were radiant.

He had seen you, but this time felt different. So fucking different, because– He could hardly believe you were his. It sounded possessive, but fuck, did he love it. You were his. All of you.

“You’re so beautiful…” You were staring up at him with those eyes that he would fight the whole world for. You had no bra on, just some thin laced panties covering that area he had already tasted, but fuck, did he want to do it again, and again, and again. 

His eyes ran over your breasts, wanting to latch his mouth on one of them, but he held back. His jaw clenched as his eyes looked for yours again. You licked your lips as you felt your heart beating into your ears. You could feel the rapid pulse in your neck. The heat of the fire allowed you to enjoy this moment without feeling cold. 

His hand came to cradle your face, pulling you into a deep kiss, while the other one wrapped around your bare waist. You let a sigh out, reciprocating the kiss, your arms wrapping around his shoulders. His chest came in contact with yours, and you gasped at the sensation of your nipples brushing against his hair, a ticklish sensation that went all the way down to your toes. 

He groaned into the kiss, his lips starting to move desperately against yours, getting lost in your taste as he held you close to him. His tongue licked your bottom lip, asking, begging, for entrance. Your mouth opened for him, and he dove in like a starved man. He was devouring you, and you were loving it. You moaned into the kiss when his fingertips dug into your waist, his self-control slipping away.

You two were becoming breathless as the kiss turned more and more desperate. Fuck, your heart was about to burst from your chest. You didn’t know if the fireplace was burning you up, or if it was your own body rising in temperature. You guessed it was a mix of both. You needed to feel him again. You couldn’t just stay like this anymore; you needed him.

You grabbed onto his neck and lay down on the mattress, pulling him with you, your kiss never breaking. You opened your legs for him, and he happily nestled in between them, and Steve slowly realized, that he was fucked. He could feel your heat through his pants, through his boxers, and he was hard. Way too hard. But he wanted you to know it. He wanted you to feel what you do to him.

So he pressed and rolled his hips against you, and one of those rolls hit against your clit just perfectly. You moaned into the kiss, and he pulled away to hear you better. He needed to hear you. He gave another roll that made you throw your head back. He kissed your jaw, and he sighed as he felt himself about to bust in his pants, but he couldn’t stop. 

You felt too good like this, and if this was with clothes on, what was going to happen to him when he entered you fully? When you lay naked for him to have, to taste? He will probably die. You were sighing out, and he started giving deliberate thrusts, making your clit throb as it kept being rubbed on. 

“Steve–” You were begging. You needed more than just this. You were wet, too wet, and you would have felt embarrassed in another moment of your life, but not with Steve. He should know how he makes you feel. He has to. 

Fuck. He had to keep going. He can’t dry hump you away, even if he was loving it. He pulled away from you, giving you a soft kiss on the lips, then your chin, then your neck, then your collarbone, and you sighed out, shaking your head.

“Steve…” You called out again, and he was already kissing around your breast, creating goosebumps all around your skin.

“Mmm?”

“You already did something for me, I should do something–” His face immediately perked up, shaking his head. You frowned, opening your mouth to ask him why, but he beat you to it.

“Some other time, Sunshine… Let me take care of you today, okay?” But you wanted to do something, anything, but the moment he started moving lower, and lower, until your nipples could feel his breath, you felt your body set aflame, and your mind started losing its rationality. 

His lips continued their path, not breaking apart from your skin for a single second. He came to find your perked right nipple, and his mouth instantly wrapped around it. Your back arched as your nails dug into his hair, a gasp escaping your lips. A delicious sound that made his hips roll into yours again. His tongue darted out to lick at the tip, and suddenly he got to finally savour something in his mouth.

He groaned loudly, feeling himself twitch in his pants, and he had to gather himself before he went a little crazy on you. You frowned, looking down at him with surprised eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“Sunshine, you taste so fucking good… You got yourself all prettied up for me, didn’t you?” Your face heated up at his sudden words. They shook you to your core, shyness invading your every nerve. You squirmed underneath him, mouth opening to answer, but Steve never wanted an answer to that. Because he wasn’t talking to you. He was talking to himself, in his own haze of lust.

His lips engulfed your left nipple next as his hand came to grope the other one. You felt yourself clench on nothing, waves of heat going south at each roll of his hips, at each roll of his fingers on your nipple, at each nip at the other one. He was losing himself in your smell, in your taste, because you just were delectable today. You were so perfect, to the point that he wondered what he did to deserve someone as pretty as you.

His mouth clung to your nipple, but you felt the other hand slowly moving downwards. You felt a tickle running up your spine the moment your stomach was feathery touched. And then, the tip of his fingers played with the elastic of your panties, and this time, no one was going to stop you both. You had been in this position before, and he had backed out from it. 

Not this time.

His hand went past the elastic, and he could already feel so much wetness down there, making him groan against your nipple and give a tug at it, and– His eyes widened, pulling away with surprise to look down at your already kind of drunken face.

“Did you shave?” Your shame was gone at this point, wanting him to keep going more than anything. You nodded quickly, your hips rolling into his hand for him to keep touching you.

“Is it wrong?” He growled at your question, shaking his head. His mouth came down to bite onto your shoulder, making you gasp.

“There was no need, but damn… You really did get all prettied up for me, my sweet girl…” You trembled at his words, kind yet dirty. His mouth was uncontrollable by now, and never in his life was he this articulate while in bed. Never. But fuck, did he want you to know every single thing that went through his mind right now. You deserved to know every detail.

His hand went further, cupping your wet pussy, and shit. You were drenched for him. He barely did anything, and you were reacting like this for him. His cock twitched again, and he was probably leaking precum already. Even your panties were wet against the top of his knuckles and shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. He was going to bust in his pants again. He had to continue and hold it in, for you. But you were making it so hard, in all the possible senses.

And the lack of hair made it feel even wetter. Stickier. And he couldn’t help himself but tap his fingers against you, making a moan rip out of you. He could hear the wet slap, making him groan into your neck. His mouth, once again, ran wild,

“So wet for me already, fuck, Sunshine…” That made you shiver underneath him, the compliments just making you feel even hotter, needier. He ran his fingers through your folds, and finally pressed them against your clit. A whimper escaped you, hips bucking into his hand. 

He pulled away from your neck, kissing your chin and your jaw as he started moving his fingers in circled motions, keeping the pressure steady on your clit. Your mouth was open, looking up at him as he was making you feel utter pleasure, just like he did days ago. 

“Stevie– Steve…” You breathed out, and if he hadn’t lost his mind yet, that definitely did it. He could feel himself about to explode in his pants, but he didn’t want to stop touching you, and his other hand was occupied keeping himself from falling on top of you. 

“Sunshine, can you do something for me?” You were trying to concentrate, but you felt your cunt fluttering over nothing as he kept moving. So he slowed down to make you focus on him again, and he tried again, desperately, “Sunshine…”

“Y-Yes?” He licked his lips at seeing your glossy eyes looking up at him, half lidded, and god, he wanted to kiss you so bad. You were so hot like this, and under him.

“Can you help me with popping my pants open? Please…” You felt your heart thump in your chest, immediately jumping into action. Your hands moved, around the arm that was still inside your underwear, his fingers never stopping which was making your fingers fiddle a bit with the button.

You were trying to concentrate, and you could see the hard bulge that was hiding in those pants. Shit, he was probably uncomfortable. But you were going to help him, delightfully so. You finally popped the button open, and you could hear Steve let out a breath of relief. His hand stopped moving for a second, which made your consciousness come back to you for a second, which made you pull his zipper down.

And you were curious, so curious. You couldn’t help yourself, that your hand went inside the pants, cupping him in his boxers. Steve’s breath stopped, a grunt escaping him and your eyes went to his face. They almost widened as you saw him look like a sudden mess. His eyebrows were all furrowed together, his hair disheveled, his mouth open as he moaned out for the first time in the night.

And another thing you noticed, he was huge. Or well, you really didn’t have much to compare it to, but just by the shape of it, you knew he was well doted. Your hand moved along the covered shaft, and Steve whimpered at the feeling of it. His hand had completely stopped his movements against your clit, and his mind had completely gone to outer space.

He wasn’t expecting you to touch him. He didn’t expect it at all today because he had made his decision that it was your night. Your moment. Your ultimate pleasure. And here you were, being a brat and going against his orders. His eyes opened to find you looking up at him, a dazed look in your eyes. 

“I said not today, baby… You’re gonna make this night end quicker than it should.” You couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped your lips, your hand retreating from his pants reluctantly. He smiled, giving you a soft kiss before his hand left the inside of your underwear. 

He kneeled up, and finally took you in. Your hands were over your head, your hair all splayed on the pillow, and you were wearing just your black laced panties, with your legs spread so he could fit in the middle. 

And the polaroid camera was so far away. He can take a picture later.

He saw you looking at him as your chest went up and down, breathing a little heavy, and he put on a show for you, by licking the fingers that were soaked on you. Goddamnit, whatever scrub you used, it was mixing with your juices and you tasted fucking delicious. Your breathing hitched as you saw how his tongue swirled in between his digits, a moan vibrating in his throat.

You clenched around nothing once again, and you never thought you would be this turned on over someone, by just watching them. You licked your lips, wanting to reach out to him, wanting to get your hands on his chest, on his shoulders, just anywhere. But he had other plans in mind. His fingers hooked on the elastic of your panties, and he started pulling them off. You helped by straightening your legs upwards, and he took them off easily.

You didn’t return to the position you were in before. You curled yourself into a ball, and he chuckled, grabbing onto your knees.

“Now, baby, no need to hide from me.” But you pouted, your eyes darting to his pants, and back at him.

“Not fair…” He raised an eyebrow at you, but god, you were cute. His heart thumped harshly against his chest as he sat back, taking his pants off, but not his boxers. If he took his boxers off right now, and rubbed himself raw on your thigh, he was going to lose it. You opened your mouth to complain again, but he grabbed onto your knees again.

“Don’t be a brat, Sunshine.” Your body heated up again, because, what would happen if you were? What would happen if you got Steve worked up by you being a menace? He could see the intention in your eyes, and he shook his head at you. “Not today, baby…”

And you understood, letting him spread your legs open again. He gulped as he saw your folds separating for him, and– his cock was definitely leaking. Definitely. He could feel the warmth in the fabric. He took a deep breath in to calm himself down. He had to prepare you, that was his main goal right now.

He crawled up towards you again, but he moved places. He moved to your side, kissing your right shoulder as he held himself up with his elbow next to your head. His right hand was gripping your inner thigh, pressing his digits against it, spreading you even further as he inched closer to where you were aching the most. 

His lips went to your neck, and you stretched it so he could have more access. Your eyes closed as he sucked on your pulse point. Then you felt his fingers run through your slick folds, coating himself in your wetness, and you let a breath out of relief when he flicked your clit again. 

“Steve–” 

“Shh…” His breath hit your ear, making goosebumps appear all over your neck and chest. The fire cackled next to you as you closed your eyes to feel him even more, and then you felt his middle finger slowly pushing in, making you arch your back slightly, and his lips kissed your jaw gently, and he moaned as he felt how warm you were inside, how you fluttered all around him.

He groaned at how easily his finger went in, thanks to how wet you were. Your hands gripped the sheets below you as he started moving slowly, in and out. You had missed his fingers since the last time he did this. When he made you come undone thanks to his jealousy. You may grow a little addicted to him doing this, because he was just so good.

He rubbed his thumb against your clit as he kept thrusting his finger, stretching you out slowly. You moaned at a particular movement, sending a shock all over your body. And he looked at your contorted face, absolute pleasure on your features, and if somebody could take a picture of himself right now, he probably would look wrecked.

He was going to be ruined for everyone else after having you, wasn’t he?

He didn’t care. Not when you moaned so prettily when he entered his ring finger, the round part of his palm rubbing against your clit now. You took a sharp breath in as he curled his fingers inside of you, and he could feel himself drool at your sight. As you began to breathe heavily, as you began to squirm, as you began to beg.

“Steve– Steve, please–” Shit. His cock was in pain right now. He had to stop looking at your face. His head dipped down to suck on your neck, and your hands immediately ran through his hair, gripping at his scalp when he quickened the pace of his fingers.

You could hear your squelching, your eyes fixed on the ceiling, but not really. You could only see stars that were starting to form as the elastic band in your belly started stretching more and more. Your hips started twitching, and you could feel him nipping and moaning against your neck.

He could feel you fluttering more and more, and he changed his movements to an upwards motion, the tip of his curled fingers hitting against your g-spot while his palm rubbed against your clit, and you lost it. You never felt this in your life, and it was as if you were going to combust into flames; your belly ached from how hard it started to clench. 

“Yeah, come on Sunshine, you can do it, baby. Cum on my fingers, come on…” He was moaning desperately for you, and he didn’t even care. He got out of your neck and took your lips into a fierce and bruising kiss. Your fingers were almost ripping his hair out, but it still felt good. His tongue immediately searched for yours, and it was a messy exchange of saliva, moans, and whimpers.

Your hips stuttered against him as the elastic band finally broke. Your legs clenched around his hand, but he didn’t let up. He pulled away just in time to see you break before him, your eyes clenched tight, jaw tightening as you screamed his name. Your hands were around his scalp still, holding onto him like a landline. 

You were tight all around his fingers, and he kept moving them as best as he could to keep your orgasm going. The noise, the squelching, became louder as you rode your climax. He couldn’t help but rub his erection against your hip, trying to get some friction himself as he looked down at you. You were panting, almost sweating now, thanks to what he did to you, and the fire that was still blazing next to you both.

Your eyes slowly opened to find hazel ones that were looking down at you with wonder, amazement, and desire. Pupils blown out, and his mouth open as he breathed heavily over you. You felt the hard bulge against your hip, and you couldn’t help but lift your head and give him a kiss on the lips, as your legs trembled, and finally relaxed once more. 

He moaned into your lips, closing his eyes briefly as he slowly took his fingers out of you. You groaned as your fingers relaxed on his hair, rubbing his scalp apologetically. He kissed you back down onto the pillow, his lips moving against yours, and as much as it pained him, he wiped his fingers against the sheets so he wouldn’t stop kissing you for a second. 

He slowly pulled away, his eyes opening to find yours again. He felt his heart pounding heavily, now realizing how nervous he was. Because he knew what was going to happen next, and fuck he needed it to be perfect. He didn’t have to think of himself, not for a single moment. He took a deep breath, trying not to think of the ringing that was happening inside of his ears.

You saw how his eyes were still glued to you as you felt him shift, a hand moving downwards, and then his legs moving. You looked down, and your breathing stopped once you saw him out of his boxers. Steve was completely naked now, next to you. This was happening. This was really going to happen. Your belly fluttered, nerves, excitement, you didn’t know. 

“Will that fit?” The question tumbled out of your lips without noticing, and Steve’s laughter resonated through the room, a blush spreading on his cheeks.

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Sunshine.” He actually was a little self conscious, because this was going to be the first time you would see him, and honestly, you had someone to compare him to. It wasn’t like you didn’t. He’ll take this one as a win. 

He tried not to let his nerves get the best of him as he knelt up, and grabbed his pants. Thankfully, Eddie came rushing in with the scissors and a few condoms, because Steve honestly forgot. He was so nervous about making the room look impeccable that he forgot one of the most important things. 

He took one of the foils out of his back pocket, and you straightened up with your elbows as support. You could see the freckles on his back, and he had so many. The orange hue of the fire kissing his skin just right. He moved then, his left hand sliding between your legs, and you got the signal instantly. You spread them for him to settle in between them, kneeling. Your eyes were glued to his cock. It was up, ready, and it was glistening at the top. Your mouth salivated with the need to experiment. With the need to make him feel good as well.

He obviously noticed where your eyes were, and he lost focus for a second as he looked down all over your body, making him twitch. Just by looking at you, fuck. He gulped heavily, hoping to god that he would last more than three pumps in. He ripped the foil open with his teeth, and at the sound of it, you sat up. He stopped his movements, seeing your nervous face, your heavy breathing.

“Sunshine, we don’t have–”

“Can I put it on?” You looked at him, and he noticed the hunger in your eyes, and he got a little taken aback by your request. “I want to touch you too, even if it’s just this…” 

Right, he had denied you touching him before. God, how humiliating would it be to cum by you just putting the condom on him? But he cannot deny you again, not when you’re looking up at him with those eyes that drove him absolutely mad. He licked his lips as he handed the foil to you, and you bit your bottom lip, grabbing it and taking the latex out.

Your eyes were drawn back to his shaft, and you had to remember health class for this one. Pinch the tip, and slide down. He took a deep breath in as your hands got closer to him, and then, your hand enveloped him completely as you started rolling the condom down on him. He threw his head back at the sensation, holding in a groan as he ran his hands over his face in pleasure, and possibly in agony.

It was so gentle, yet it was enough to ignite every single nerve in his body. You, on the other hand, were taking advantage of the situation. You ran your hands down towards the base, amazed, seeing him twitch in your hands. He sighed out as he felt a bit dizzy at your touch. He didn’t know how bad you got him until now. He looked down to see you brushing his tip with your thumb, going over the little bit of latex you had pinched.

He hissed, grabbing your shoulders to make you look back up at him. Your hands stopped roaming, your eyes tilting to look into his. His hands went to cradle your face, his lips coming down to take yours in a gentle and warm kiss. Your arms wrapped around him, his chest pressing against yours as he moved you back down against the mattress. 

You could feel his heartbeat go wild, and it was most likely matching yours. Your legs spread further so he could squeeze himself in between. He pulled away from the kiss, his hands moving down your body as your arms wrapped around his shoulders. He kept his eyes on yours for a few seconds, brushing your cheek softly. His breath was hitting your lips, harsh, heavy, desperate.

He pressed his hips against yours, and you could feel him running up and down, caressing your clit in each small thrust. You sighed out, head falling back against the pillow. It felt so good, he felt so hard. He trembled a bit as he coated himself in your slick, gulping heavily as he saw the expanse of your neck. He felt his tip kiss your clit gently, making a moan escape your lips. 

“Sunshine…” You came out of your haze to look back at him, his pupils dilated, but still full of care, of wonder. “Can I?”

You nodded desperately, wanting him more than anything, wanting something you’ve been craving for a long time now. He licked his lips, glancing downwards as he got a hand between the two of you. He positioned himself, but before he went in, he spoke once more,

“Tell me if it hurts, you gotta talk to me, okay, baby?” You could feel his tip against you, and you nodded again, nails digging into his back.

“Yes, Steve, please–” And your mouth fell into a silent ‘O’ and your eyes widened as he slowly started pushing in. It felt like pressure. It felt like something was pressing against you, and you were trying to push it out.

He felt himself sweat heavily as he only got a bit of himself inside of you. He huffed loudly, not realizing he had been holding a breath in. He felt his belly twist at your fluttering, at your tightness. Fuck, you were tight. You were so tight. His jaw was clenched tightly, looking down at your features. He saw your eyebrows twitch slightly, and he knew why.

“You need to relax, Sunshine…” He stopped for a second, letting you take a breath in. You closed your eyes, trying to concentrate on your breathing. Steve was going to take care of you; there was nothing to be afraid of. You relaxed your body into the mattress, and he was fighting with demons in order not to move. 

He could feel you unclench a bit more, just a tad, but it was enough signal for him to know you were a little less tense. You opened your eyes, nodding again, with glossy eyes.

“I’m okay… Keep going…” Your voice was small, and he had to grip the pillow underneath your head to hold himself back. His stomach tensed as he pushed a bit further, and he felt your nails digging into his back. Your eyes were clenched, and you started feeling the stretch, the burning of it. It was uncomfortable, but he had prepped you well. You know he did. 

You were fixating on your breathing as he kept going in, and you just didn’t know how much was left. Steve was starting to sweat, your tightness being his fucking doom, and he was trying not to cum right then and there. You were clenching and fluttering, and you were so warm, and he was trying so hard to concentrate on looking down at your face, to make sure you were okay. 

You were not making any sounds, which was a sign of discomfort. He knew it wasn’t that pleasurable, at least not yet, but he didn’t know how it truly felt. Suddenly, he heard you. A wince. He stopped completely, and your eyes opened, panicked.

“No, no, keep going, Steve–”

“Sunshine, if it’s hurting you, I gotta stop–”

“No, don’t, it’s okay… I’m fine…” You reassured him, and his eyes were tender while looking down at you, but a worried frown was still etched on them. You ran a hand through his hair and pushed his head into the crook of your neck and shoulder. He breathed against your skin and trusted you. So he kept pushing in.

You held a wince in, because now there was pain. There was a dull pain, like there was a bubble of pressure inside of you, just expanding, and expanding, and being pushed further into you. Steve knew you were in pain because of your ragged breaths, your trembling, and how your nails were digging into his scalp and back. 

He didn’t want to do it, but he knew he had to. He had to so it would go by quickly. So that you would stop trying to hold back your winces and groans. He took a deep breath in, knowing that after this, he would be ruined. He gripped the pillow tightly with both his hands for support, to ground himself to the earth. 

And he gave a sharp thrust.

You gasped loudly, jerking at the motion, eyes widening towards the ceiling. You fluttered wildly around him, clenching and unclenching, and you could feel him so deep inside of you. You were burning, stretching, and the bubble had burst. You gasped your breaths out, trembling as your heels dug into Steve’s hips. 

Steve let out a groan at the feeling of bottoming out inside of you. He was feeling himself lose his mind slowly, because he was still a man. A man who had the girl he adored underneath him. The girl who just gave herself completely to him. He was just a man. But he was your man, and he had to take care of you. He noticed how you were shaking slightly, your jagged gasps. He pulled away from your neck, kissing your cheek softly.

“Shh, shh… It’s done, I’m here, Sunshine…” You gulped heavily, your eyes finding his. Done. You weren’t a virgin any longer. Steve took that. And you felt warmth invade your chest. Many girls had lost their virginities to the first guy they had the chance to, but none of them had truly lost it with someone they cared for, and someone who cared back for them. At least, not that they had told you about.

But you have. And you couldn’t be happier. 

“Just give me a few seconds, Steve…” He nodded, kissing your cheek again to reassure you he was here. You closed your eyes to try to relax your body again, taking deep breaths in, your hands running all over his back. He was going to give you all the time you needed. He kissed the corner of your eye where a stray tear started falling down, without you noticing at all. You were happy. Really happy.

“You okay?” He asked gently, though you noticed the slight tremble in his voice. You opened your eyes, giving him a nod. You could feel yourself a little more relaxed, swallowing heavily and guiding him back into the crook of your neck. You knew you were going to make faces, and you didn’t want him to stop, to worry.

“You can move…” He inhaled your scent, kissing your neck gently as he reeled his hips back slightly, just a bit, and moved back in. You felt the drag, a sore kind of pain shooting up your spine, but the pressure was no longer there. Your eyebrows were furrowed, closing your eyes to try to concentrate on your feelings, wanting to be honest with him if it were to hurt a lot.

Steve, on the other hand, was losing his shit. He was breathing heavily as he did another small thrust. He heard you groan, and he tried not to stop. He was only going to if you told him so, unless he heard a really painful cry from you. So he nervously kept that slow pace, small thrusts, letting you adjust more and more to him.

And you felt how the pain started going away, and you started feeling something else. Something that was making you sweat all over, and your belly fluttered at the feeling of it. At the drag of his cock inside of you. Pleasure. It was slowly building, and you clenched slightly around him, making him growl on your neck. 

He tentatively gave a longer thrust, reeling his hips farther, and moving back in. He kept the slow speed, and then, he heard it. His eyes widened, and he almost stopped. You moaned. It was faint, but you moaned. So he did it again, wanting to make sure, and he felt your nails starting to grab at his hair, as you gave another moan, then another, then another. He lifted himself up to look down at your face, and he almost crumbled over.

You looked dazed, eyes half lidded, mouth open, as you moved against his thrusts. Moans came out of your mouth, and fuck, he wanted to eat you up. He wanted to devour you. He felt the intense need build in his chest. The need to ravish you completely. The need that has to wait for another time.

“You feeling good, baby?” He kissed your jaw, and you nodded dumbly, and you truly were. To the point of wanting him to go faster. It wasn’t enough. It started feeling like it wasn’t what you needed right now.

“Yeah– Yeah–” You moaned out, and he groaned at your voice, so desperate for more. 

“Want me to go a little faster?” He asked, and you gasped at it, nodding again, your belly exploding in butterflies.

“Yes, please, Steve…” He took a deep breath in, starting to move faster, and he could feel the warmth inside of you, the tightness giving way, letting him slide easier inside of you. And that drove him mad, moaning your name against your lips, kissing you softly. And your moans, god, your moans, they kept getting louder.

You have never felt this kind of pleasure before. Not even when Steve ate you out, this was completely different. It was intimate and such an out-of-body experience. It felt better than his fingers, better than anything else that could possibly be done to you. At least, for now.

He huffed as his knuckles turned white, grabbing the pillow underneath your head. He was sliding so easily inside of you now, shit, shit, shit. He needed more; was that selfish of him? 

“Baby, can I go harder? Please–” He was asking, begging for you to say yes. Your eyes clashed with his, and he looked so good like this. His features were completely contorted, looking as if he were in pain, but you knew it was pleasure. His eyes were glossed over, his lips trembling, his hair falling over his eyes, and a sheer layer of sweat over his forehead. His face was flushed, and you felt yourself becoming wetter just by the mere sight of him.

“Yes– God, please–” You heard him growl, pushing up from you, holding himself up with his hands on each side of your head. His chest away from yours, and your hands sliding down to his biceps. You could feel how hard his muscles were, how tense, but you couldn’t put much thought into it, as Steve started thrusting harder, while keeping the same speed from before. 

You were gasping, moaning, and whimpering as you bounced at each of his thrusts. You weren’t even focusing on anything right now, just feeling everything he was doing to you. You could hear the slapping of skin now, his hips smashing against yours at each thrust. Steve was panting, finally looking in between the two of you to see himself disappear inside of you, making him twitch even inside of you.

“Fuck, fuck– You feel so good, Sunshine– So perfect for me…” His mouth moved without his permission. You whined at his words, just ‘uh, uh, uh’s’ coming out of your lips. You looked wrecked, and he was so happy, so proud that it was thanks to him. That you were feeling this for the first time with him. That he was the cause. 

He needed more leverage. He could feel his belly burning wildly, and he wanted more. He needed to feel more. Deeper. And by how loud you were moaning and mumbling his name, he assumed you were feeling good. Really good. He straightened up, kneeling with his legs spread a little underneath your thighs. He wrapped his arms around them, and he started moving with much more speed than before. Your eyes widened, toes curling as your hands flew to grip the sheets below you.

You bounced, and his eyes couldn’t leave your breasts, your body, your moans escaping your lips. He could feel you flutter around his cock, and he threw his head back in pure ecstasy. He moaned your name, pure praises, and then he looked back down at you, seeing you looking up at him.

He looked so good. You could feel the elastic band forming again, surprising you completely. That chain that bounced at every thrust of his, the veins in his arms prominent, and his abdomen tensed as he railed you into the mattress. 

“Stevie– It feels good, it feels so good, please don’t stop–” He growled at your request, shaking his head.

“Not a fucking chance, Sunshine.” You whimpered, and you felt the need for something more, but you didn’t know what. Your hands gripped the sheets, twisting them, and you felt your legs shaking slightly. Steve noticed, huffing his breaths out. “What do you need, baby? Talk to me…”

“I don’t– I don’t know–” And he knew exactly what you wanted. He could feel himself coming close, but he wasn’t going to let up until he felt you clench around him. He needed it. He seethed himself in you, and stopped, leaving him panting. You choked a breath out at how deep you felt him, but when he didn’t move again, you looked at him, breathing heavily. “Something– Something wrong?”

“No… Fuck no… But I’m close…” He confessed, trying to calm himself down, trying really hard to make this the best time of your life. You nodded, not understanding the problem with it.

“Baby, you can–”

“No. I want you to cum around me. I am not stopping until you give me another, Sunshine.” Oh, that pulled the elastic in your belly even tighter. He felt you clench, and he scoffed a laugh out. “Oh, you like that, huh.”

You felt your entire body burn up, and before you could talk again, he started moving once more. You moaned out, feeling that pleasure once again filling every nerve. He looked down at you, his right arm unwrapping from your leg, and moving in between you two, and he pressed his thumb against your clit.

“Shit!” You jerked at the sensation, eyes wide. He smirked at your reaction, circling your clit once with his thumb as he thrusted inside of you. You were seeing stars, head thrown back as your mouth remained open, obscene moans escaping, and his name. His name that was making him lose his mind, more, and more. “Steve– Steve– Steve–”

He could feel you fluttering, clenching every now and then, and he groaned, whimpered as his pace picked up, his hips slapping against yours in a wild manner. His thumb kept circling your clit, rubbing and pressing, and you were thrashing around underneath him. He felt your thigh tensing up under his left arm. 

But fuck, he was close. He moved forward a bit more, raising your hips up just slightly, but you felt it. Your back arched as you felt like your soul left your body. Steve growled in victory, having found your G-Spot. He kept the pace, his breath coming out in gasps as you clenched and clenched, and he knew you were close.

“Sunshine, come on–” He was watching you lose yourself in the pleasure as he kept moving, watching you bounce underneath him. Your belly was turning wildly inside of you, tensing your entire body, and your legs started closing around him, but it didn’t stop his movements at all. You started trembling as you felt yourself clench and unclench around him, and he almost tipped over the edge right there.

And finally, you let out a sharp cry, followed by a choked moan as you completely engulfed him, gripped him like a vice, and his hand left your clit, letting your thigh go so he could slam his hands on each side of you, gripping the mattress. Your hands flew to grab onto his forearms and scratch his arms for some grounding. You were in another galaxy, Milky Ways passing behind your eyelids as you clenched your eyes. 

He growled into his throat, a loud whimper escaping his lips at the tightness, at how amazing you sounded. You were shaking underneath him, and it was almost hard to pull out from you from how hard you were gripping him. He started to stutter, the fluttering inside never stopping, and you were not letting up with the clenching. He clenched his eyes tightly, trying to let himself last a few more seconds so you could ride the orgasm out.

“Steve– Stevie–” His eyes opened to see tears sliding down the sides of your face, purely from pleasure. Some drool had pulled on the corner of your mouth, and fuck– His hips started moving harshly against you, and you finally unclenched just slightly as your belly uncramped, and your walls let up just a little bit.

His hands grabbed yours, and he intertwined his fingers with yours, and pressed them just a little above your head. Shit– Fucking christ– His hips slammed against yours, chasing his own orgasm. His hair was brushing against your forehead, his hot breath against your lips, and you’ve never seen Steve like this. 

He looked… so good.

“Fuck– Sunshine, baby, I’m gonna cum–” And you could feel your fingers being squished by his, his veins forming on the top of his hands as he pressed yours harder into the mattress, jerking at each sharp thrust of his. And then, at one last thrust, his face fell forward to the crook of your neck, and your eyes widened when he bit at your skin, growling loudly, whimpering as he came into the condom.

He thrusted at each spurt, one, two, three, and then, he stilled. He kissed your skin as he panted, trying to gather his thoughts once again. You were dreamily looking at the ceiling with a faraway gaze. You felt amazing. Lightweight. Your skin felt tingly all over, and you noticed the aftershocks all over your body; you couldn’t believe what had just happened.

You had sex. You finally had sex. It felt like such a faraway dream, something you thought would never happen because of the circumstances the world was in. And here was Steve. Panting heavily into your skin after making you his. Your heart felt like it was in complete flames, soaring into the sky. 

Steve could feel his heart going crazy, thumping loudly and rapidly in his chest. He wondered if you could feel it since it was pressed against yours. You two were sweating, panting, and he finally gulped, his hands letting go of yours slowly. He raised his head up, his elbows supporting his weight now as you lay there underneath him. He licked his trembling lips, inspecting your features.

“You okay, Sunshine?” He asked in a soft whisper, and you were still dazed, staring at nothing in particular. He couldn’t help but smile, coming to kiss your lips softly to snap you out of your haze. You blinked, finally looking at him. “You okay?”

You gave him a tired, wide smile, nodding at him.

“I’m more than okay…” He brushed a strand of your hair away from your forehead, keeping his hand on your cheek. Your eyes were glued to his, and you couldn’t help but feel like you had to say something to him. Something you never thought you would say before. Or at least, not so early. 

But it wasn’t so early, wasn’t it? It’s been months, weeks, days of feelings slowly cooking inside of you. You swallowed those words down, not knowing if it was the haze of the moment or if it truly was there. You needed a clear mind for it. You needed to be sure of it.

“Are you okay?” You asked, and he huffed a laugh, nodding at you. 

“Perfect…” He felt himself softening inside of you, making him wince a bit. “I’m going to pull out, alright?”

You took a deep breath in, nodding at him. Him pulling out felt weird, but then you felt empty, making you exhale a groan. You let a sigh out as he kneeled back, and you closed your eyes to accommodate yourself back to not having him inside of you. It almost felt weird.

You heard Steve moving, and you opened your eyes to grab a washcloth he left on the side of the mattress, as well as a water bottle. He opened the bottle and damped the cloth with it. You frowned a bit at the action, and you saw him moving it between your legs.

“It might be cold…” Oh, he was cleaning you. You felt your cheeks heat up, and then you winced at the coldness as he wiped you. You then felt the relief, not noticing how sore you were. The cold cloth felt good against you. Your eyes wandered back, only to widen, straightening up with your elbows as you saw the red stains on it.

“Oh my god– I’m–”

“I swear, Sunshine, if you apologize for bleeding…” You closed your mouth, embarrassment washing over you as Steve wiped you clean, as well as your inner thighs. Then he folded the cloth and wiped himself before taking his condom off. You watched as he threw the cloth aside and then tied the condom in a knot. You watched his seed in there with interest, tilting your head. 

He felt his legs trembling slightly as he put the condom to the side, taking note of throwing that and the cloth into the fire the next day. He sighed, looking back at you, who was looking at him with dreamy eyes, tired, and still a little dazed. 

He moved towards your side, prompting you to lie down, opening the sheets that were beneath you this whole time. They were slightly thick, knowing the fire would keep the two warm during the entire night. You two lie on your sides, his hand running up and down your arm, your legs tangled with one another’s.

“Was it…” He gulped as he thought of his question. He was a little afraid of the answer, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know how you felt. If it was to your expectations. He wanted to know if he had to be better at something or do something differently the next time. But your first time… “Was it how you imagined it?”

You were looking at him, gazing into his eyes, and your hand went towards his cheek, caressing it gently. Your heart was in your throat, your ears were ringing as you pulled him into a soft kiss. Lingering. Pouring your feelings out on his lips. He moaned into the kiss, and you smiled into it, pulling away.

“It was better… Thank you, Steve…” For some reason, he felt overwhelmed. He felt like crying. He felt like he had won the lottery, or that he was conveyed a blessing from above. A long-time wish that had been granted. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you into a tight embrace, planting a kiss on the top of your head.

“My beautiful Sunshine.” He murmured, and you just held onto him, smiling into his chest. His arms promising to never let go. His legs promising to chase after you. His mind promising to never let go of the thought of you. His heart promising to never let you get away. 

Your breathing calmed down, the two of you slipping more and more into drowsiness, and then you talked again.

“I didn’t know it would feel so good…” He blinked his eyes wide open, suddenly awake again. A chuckle vibrated in his throat.

“Well… I don’t mean to brag, but–” You giggled against him, looking up from his chest. You pecked his lips gently, and then a cheeky smile appeared on your lips.

“I might grow addicted to it.” His smile fell, and he groaned loudly, shaking his head.

“Did I just create a monster?” And fuck, by the look on your face, he might be right. He wasn’t against the idea at all, really. Oh, poor Eddie and Nancy.

You drifted off with a giggle, clinging onto him, and he was left alone with his thoughts for a few more minutes as you breathed gently against him. His eyes were looking into the fire, and there it was. In that fine spark that came out from the cackling wood, he saw something he never thought he’d see again.

A future. And everyone was in it. 

And you.

You were in it.

And with that, his eyes finally closed.

☀︎

“Yeah, we could use some ammo.” Nancy nods as she slings the strap of her rifle over her shoulder. She is leaning against the wall beside the door, ready to leave. “Maybe a few new guns just to be safe.” 

Eddie agrees with her with a curt nod. 

The past hundreds of miles you have passed were clear – no dark clouds, no red lightning, no blood staining the streets. Nothing. Now you stopped on the outskirts of a small town that seems to be just as safe, from a distance at least. The sky is blue, and the birds are chirping. This place doesn’t reek of death. It seems to bloom with life. 

“Yeah, maybe some food too.” Steve murmurs from your side. “We could look in the houses as well.” 

“Yeah! That’s where you can usually find the gold mines!” You say, smiling at your boyfriend before you look back at the map, missing the way Nancy and Eddie share a look. 

Steve is sitting right next to you, his hand resting on the seat behind you. He is close. He always is. When he doesn’t have his arm wrapped around you, he is holding your hand. When he isn’t holding your hand, he has his hands on you in some different way. He is always with you, always around you, always following you. Eddie observed that Nancy did too. It would have been sweet if he weren’t so obsessed about it, if his eyes didn’t flicker with panic every time you leave his side for just a second. 

Eddie knows why that is, and he can’t help but worry. 

And while Eddie is worried, Nancy can’t help but feel annoyed and a little pissed. She is happy for you and for him, for the both of you, but she misses her alone time with you. Ever since Steve got his shit together, she couldn’t find a single moment to be with just you. Whenever she tries to talk about something that she just wants only you to know, he interrupts by coming up from behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, and clinging to you like a kitten in need of affection. It’s cute, really, and after all that you've both been through, it’s nice to see that. But she also just wants a moment alone with you, just one. 

And while she wants some much needed girls’ time. Eddie wants a serious talk with Steve. 

“Great,” Steve nods. “Sunshine can stay here and you and Nancy–”

You are already shaking your head, but before you can say anything, Eddie opens his mouth first. 

“Nope.” Eddie shakes his head before Steve can even finish his sentence. “You and I are staying in the RV, big boy. The girls are going.” 

Your eyes light up, and a smile breaks out on your face when your eyes lock with blue ones. Nancy winks at you, smiling proudly while a frown appears on Steve’s face and he tenses up beside you. 

“I’m not letting the two of them go by themselves!” Steve says in anger. His eyes flicker from you to Eddie to Nancy and back to you. 

Nancy rolls her eyes at him and pushes herself off the wall with a sigh. 

“Is it because we are women, Steve?” 

You almost giggle when Steve’s eyes grow wide in panic and he quickly shakes his head at her. 

“What? No! That’s not what I mean at all, I just–”

“Great!” Nancy smiles and walks towards you. She reaches for the map in Eddie’s lap and then grabs your hand, pulling you up from the couch and away from your boyfriend, who is watching helplessly. “Then we can go!”

Steve’s shoulders slump in defeat, especially when he sees the way your eyes flash with excitement. You want to go. You want to go with Nancy. You want to do something. Steve knows that you are accustomed to this — fending for yourself, fighting on your own, and surviving on your own. It didn’t occur to him that you might have missed it since joining their group. Going out there. 

It makes him feel uneasy to let you go out there, especially without him. 

What if something happens and he isn’t there to protect you?

What if–

“Alright!” Eddie claps his hands together, smiling triumphantly as he gets up. “Take a flare, your gun, machete, and if you find any gas or car batteries, come back and let me know.” 

Steve blinks. His heart jumps in his chest when you get up and waste no time getting ready. You fasten your holster around your thigh, throw on the backpack that Nancy had already prepared. 

Steve rises to his feet and runs his hand through his hair in distress. He presses his lips into a thin line as his fear filled eyes follow your every movement. His heart races a little faster when you bend down to make sure your laces are properly tied. 

Eddie glances at the brunette, and he can’t help but feel bad when he finds him watching you like that, looking like a puppy who got kicked into a corner. 

He glances at Nancy, who rolls her eyes at him. Steve will survive a couple of hours without you, she is sure of that. 

“Okay!” You turn around to face your boyfriend, smiling happily at him. You step towards him and throw your arms around him. He instantly snakes his arms around your waist, pulling you close and tight against him. He buries his face into the crook of your neck, and he breathes in your scent with his eyes closed. It calms him down, a little. 

Every time he holds you, he never wants to let go. 

You pull back too soon for his liking. You rise to your tippy toes and lean in, pecking his lips happily, “I’ll be back soon!” You promise. 

The short kiss is enough to make his heart melt, to make his stomach flutter, to make him crave more. 

You turn around, but before you can even take a step away from him, he grabs your hand and pulls you back. He cups your cheeks and leans down to give you a proper kiss. He ignores the groans of Nancy and Eddie, who have gotten sick from all the pda you both perform, by now. 

You sigh happily into the kiss, and it does everything to light that fire inside of him. 

“Come back to me in one piece, baby.” Steve murmurs against your lips, caressing your cheek with his thumb as he leans his forehead against yours. He has already promised himself that he will only let you do this once. The moment you are back, he is not letting you go again. 

“Of course, Stevie.” You whisper, gazing up into his hazel eyes as you wrap your hands around his wrists. “I’ll always come back to you.” You say with every intent to stay true to your words, for now and for always.

“Promise?” 

You nod and tilt your head a little to kiss his palm, “promise.” 

Steve nods. The worry never fades in his eyes, though. And he knows he won’t be able to rest once you set foot outside. 

“Okay.” He whispers, breathing in shakily. “Be careful out there.”

“Always.” You nod and squeeze his wrists before you lean in again, meeting him in the middle for a last kiss before you slip away from him. “See you later, Stevie.” 

His smile doesn’t match the one on your face; it’s weak and nervous, and the coil in his throat grows when your hand leaves his touch. “Later, Sunshine.”

Steve can’t help but follow you out. He knows you are safe. He knows you can fight, that you know how to survive. And you’re with Nancy, who, like you, knows how to fight. 

But he can’t help the worry that grows inside of him when you walk away after saying goodbye to Eddie. 

And he can’t help but start pacing the moment you get farther and farther away from him. 

Eddie watches him for a while, giving him a moment, hoping that his pacing will stop. It doesn’t. Steve is stressed; if it wasn’t the pacing around giving it away, then it would have been his heavy breathing. 

And Eddie can’t help but huff and sigh at his friend. The farther you get away and out of Steve’s eyesight, the more he stresses. 

With his arms crossed, the metalhead stops before him, “we need to talk.” Eddie says. 

The seriousness in Eddie’s voice alerts him, and he instantly looks at his friend, meeting his eyes. Steve knits his eyebrows together when he notices the frustration and the… sadness? 

“What–”

“We should sit down.” Eddie nudges his chin towards the RV. 

Steve hesitates. His eyes flicker back and forth between Eddie and the road you are walking down. He takes a deep breath. 

“Steve.” Eddie’s voice is stern, no amusement left in it. It’s what makes Steve turn back and nod. 

“Alright.” The brunette sighs as he takes another look your way before he heads inside the RV. He takes a seat on the couch again, furrowing his eyebrows at his friend, whose face seems tense. “Is everything okay?”

Eddie looks at him for a moment, silently. With a sigh, he nods his head. 

“Yeah, just…” Eddie stops, running his hand through his hair, and he looks around like he is trying to find the right words. “I worry.” 

Steve tilts his head aside, a habit he picked up from you without even noticing. 

“What?”

Eddie sighs again, knowing that Steve doesn’t even notice. There is so much Eddie wants to say, and yet he struggles with his words. He prepared himself for that moment, talked to Nancy about it too, and yet now he is at a loss for words – but it might also be the slightest fear that he has of Steve’s reaction. 

Eddie pushes himself off the wall and takes a seat across from him. He takes in the look on Steve’s face, seeing the wide, confused eyes, the slumped shoulders, and the curiosity – like a goddamn puppy, you need to gain the trust of. 

“You can smell my hand when I say this but–” Eddie pauses when confusion strikes Steve’s face. The scrunch of his nose indicates his misunderstanding of Eddie’s words. 

“I don’t want to smell your fucking hand, Munson.”

Eddie rolls his eyes, groaning, “metaphorically, dumbass!” 

Steve’s lips part, and he mumbles a quiet ‘oh!’ with a nod of his head before his face grows irritated and he gets impatient. “What is it, Eddie? I’m not in the mood!” 

Eddie sighs for what seems like the hundredth time today, “well that’s kinda what I wanted to talk about, I’m just worried, man.”

“What about?” Steve frowns as he leans forward, pressing his hands together as he rests his elbows on his knees. 

“You! I worry about you, okay?” Eddie finally lets the words spill from his lips. 

“Me!?” Steve mumbles in confusion. “W-What, why!?”

“You’re obsessed! Obsessed with protecting Sunshine–”

“Huh!” Steve frowns, shaking his head as the irritation grows even deeper. 

“Listen,” Eddie murmurs, giving him a pointed look. “At first I thought it was cute, how attached you are to her, how you always want her close– and I don’t blame you for that, I don’t mind the pda, but you follow her around wherever she goes. You get anxious when she isn’t by your side for two damn minutes! You tense up whenever she leaves to take a freaking shower–”

“Did she say something?” Steve interrupts with wide eyes, feeling the drop of his stomach already at the thought of you being annoyed by how clingy he might be. 

“No!” Eddie exclaims, feeling a mixture of frustration and guilt creeping up inside of him. “She didn’t, Steve. She loves it, trust me, but that’s not what this is about. This is about me worrying for your sanity! You think you have to be by her side every second of the day because you think that something bad will happen the moment you step away from her. She is not some fragile little thing that needs protection, Steve. That girl is tougher than all of us combined. She was out there by herself for so long; if anyone knows how to get by in this world, then it’s her! She knows how to survive, how to fight, how to live – which brings me to the next topic.” Eddie finally explodes, the words now rolling off his tongue effortlessly. “I kept thinking about what you said to me that night in Wyoming.” 

Steve swallows when he sees the hurt lingering in Eddie’s eyes. An uneasy feeling settles into the pit of his stomach. 

“She made you live again, she brought you back to us, and I will forever appreciate her for that, but you said something that hurt me a little, Steve.” Eddie admits, his voice now softer than before. 

Steve shakes his head in confusion, waiting for him to continue. 

“You said that if something were to happen to her, you wouldn’t know how to keep going – like she is the only reason you are here with us, like she is what and who you live for. Not for me, or Nancy, or Dustin, or anyone else out there still waiting for you. You made it sound like we are not worth staying for.” Eddie speaks with sadness and guilt in his voice when he sees the way Steve’s eyes soften. “I know it sounds selfish but… it feels like we don’t matter, like we– like I’m not important to you.” 

Steve’s stomach drops at his words, and the guilt spreads so suddenly inside of him, lighting up like a fire. 

Eddie knits his eyebrows together as he looks at his friend. 

“I love her, man. She is like a sister to me, and I want you to know that I’m here too. I would protect that girl with my life, and so would Nancy; hell, Wheeler would kill for her.” 

A weak smile tugs at Steve’s lips, but the guilt in him grows stronger and stronger. He didn’t mean to make Eddie feel that way, like he doesn’t matter to him, like he wouldn’t do anything for him. 

“I know what happened to Robin is part of this… obsession with protecting your girl, but Steve… I understand it, I really do, but you need to get rid of that fear… It’s gonna kill you, it’s gonna rob you of any good moment because you’ll keep letting it consume you.”

Steve swallows the lump in his throat as he looks down at his wrist; the lilac hair tie that used to be around your wrist is now around his own. He knows that Eddie is right, but he can’t help it, especially when it comes to you. 

Robin was the first real friend that he had. The first to ever care for him that way, to first to have an honest friendship with him. And his first friend ended up a great loss. How can he not let the fear consume him? How can he not worry about you? How can he not fear losing you? 

He doesn’t say anything, just nods. 

And Eddie gives him a moment to let those words sink in. 

A mix of emotions rushes through Steve, but it’s mainly guilt and the impression he gave off to a friend who means so much to him. A friend who didn’t hesitate to jump into the water to save him, who didn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself for a town that hated him, who did everything to protect him and his friend – even if it meant dying. 

“I worried about you so much, Eddie.” 

Eddie frowns at him, “what?”

“That night in the upside down.” Steve states. 

A shiver runs down Eddie’s spine, and a lump grows in his throat as his face pales a little. He can still feel their claws in his skin from when they tried to tear him apart. He can still feel the cold ground on his skin while he was bleeding out. 

Steve was the one who dragged him out of there, and to this day, he doesn’t know how he got him back to the other side, but he did. 

“I know we weren’t friends back then, but those few days we spent together before that night showed me what Dustin saw in you. And I knew I was an idiot for having the impression of you that I had–”

Eddie shakes his head, bringing his hand up with a chuckle, “don’t feel bad, I thought you were a jerk.”

Steve chuckles softly, nodding as he closes his eyes for a moment. 

“I know. I was a jerk.” He points out, not blaming Eddie for thinking that of him. 

“But go on,” Eddie urges him with a satisfied grin. “I wanna know what the Steve back then thought of me.”

Steve can’t help but roll his eyes at the metalhead, though still smiling. 

“I thought that you were a pretty cool guy… and that I wanted to be your friend.” Steve leaves out the part in which he visited him at the hospital while he was still in a coma. A slight frown crosses his face, “and I’m sorry, Eddie… I’m sorry for making you feel like you aren’t important to me; you are. The reason why I pushed you away after losing Robin was because I was scared… I was scared of letting you in just to lose you too.” Steve admits with a heavy heart, but with so much generosity in his voice. 

Eddie’s brown eyes soften. Those words ease his mind a little. The tension falls off his shoulders when he notices how guilty Steve looks, how bad he feels. 

Steve breathes in deeply, looking down at his hands again as he swallows harshly, “and… I didn’t mean to make you feel that way again. I’m very sorry. You mean so much to me, even if I’m bad at showing it.” 

Eddie can tell that it’s not something easy to him, being vulnerable, being this open, being honest, and showing feelings. It’s why he pushed you away for so long. 

“I love you, man.” Steve mumbles as his eyes glisten with tears. He rarely said it to Robin, and he regrets it so much. 

If Eddie’s eyes weren’t showing nothing but softness before, they would’ve by now. Warmth spreads in his chest, and a soft smile appears on his face. He knows and he can see that this wasn't easy for Steve — but he can also see the way Steve let’s out a deep breath, like he’s finally gotten words out that he kept in for so long. It was right to confront him. 

Eddie leans forward and reaches his hand out to him. Steve looks at it for a moment. He blinks and sniffles, wiping away a stray tear before he grabs Eddie’s hand. 

“I love you too, dude.” Eddie says softly, making the man look at him. “I’m proud of you, you know?” 

Steve raises his eyebrows at him. 

“You got over your fears, you went and got your girl. You allowed yourself to be vulnerable, to show feelings, with me now too. That requires strength, lots of it, especially after what you’ve been through last year.” 

Steve sniffles again, still looking at him. Eddie’s words mean more to him than he will ever know. He nods, still wiping tears he refuses to let fall. 

“Don’t fall back, don’t let this fear consume you and ruin every good moment…” Eddie murmurs softly, squeezing his hand. 

“I’ll try…” Steve whispers, knowing he is right. 

“And don’t get me wrong!” Eddie’s eyes widen, as he raises his free hand up in surrender. “I don’t blame you for being so goddamn touchy and attached to her hip, I think that’s fucking cute!” 

Steve can’t help but roll his eyes now, though his lips curl into a soft smile as his cheeks flush. 

“You both match each other’s clinginess — and I’m saying that in a good way. It’s sweet. Clingy is cute.” Eddie grins. “Just be less anxious chihuahua, alright?”

Steve scrunches his nose up, scoffing, “chihuahua… but yeah, I’ll do my best.” 

Eddie chuckles at his disapproving voice.

“You always do, Steve.” He nods, squeezing his hand once more before he lets go. 

“Yeah…” Steve whispers, and looks at the ground for a moment. Taking a few deep breaths before he meets Eddie’s eyes again. “Thank you.” 

“What for?” The metalhead asks. 

“For being honest with me,” Steve tells him. “And for being my friend.”

A soft smile appears on Eddie’s face, and he shakes his head. “You don’t need to thank me—“

“But I do, I never knew what real friendships were… until Robin and Dustin, then you came along, and Nancy— even though she wants to kick my ass like on a daily basis, and probably wants to steal my girlfriend—“

“Oh, she absolutely does.” Eddie nods, making Steve snort. 

“I’m glad I have you on my side.” Steve admits with softness in his voice. His eyes drift to the ground. 

Eddie smiles at his friend, feeling relieved to have had this conversation. 

“Me too, Steve. And I’m glad we could talk.”

A smile tugs at Steve’s lips, and he slowly looks up again, noting the way the hurt and anger have disappeared in Eddie’s eyes again. 

“Yeah, me too.”

The energy shifts between them when everything has been said. They fall quiet for a moment, before Eddie looks at him, eyeing him slowly. 

The frown on Steve’s face and the line between his brows disappeared. Luckily. He notices the mark on Steve’s neck when he tilts his head to the side. A smirk appears on Eddie’s face. 

He knows something happened between you and a few days ago, something more. It was obvious by the way he forbade Nancy and him to enter the RV. And when the music turned up, he knew something was about to go down. And that he did. 

It was cute how flustered and shy you were the next entire day, how you looked at Steve with those big doe eyes, blushing every time he smiled at you and kissed you. 

And Steve, he looked like he won the lottery. Eddie doesn’t remember the last time he saw him smile as much as he did after that. It was nice to see. 

He clears his throat, “so…”

Steve raises his eyebrow at him. 

“Was it good?” Eddie asks, holding back a smirk. 

“What?”

“Was it good?” Eddie repeats, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Steve frowns, pursing his lips as he tilts his head to the side. 

“What was good?” Steve mumbles with genuine confusion in his features. 

Eddie rolls his eyes when he realizes that Steve won’t catch on. 

“...How was the pussy, Harrington?”

Steve’s brown eyes grow wide, and his cheeks instantly flush. He was never one for sex talk with friends. Maybe as a teenager, but even then it was just his ‘friends’ being stupid. 

A part of him wants to talk about it though, tell him how crazy he feels about you, how amazing, special it felt to be so intimate with you despite these circumstances. But the bigger part of him wants to keep it hidden, wants to keep it for just himself. 

With red cheeks, Steve shakes his head and gets up, making his way back out. 

“Hey!” Eddie yells as his shoulders slump, eyes flickering around the RV before they settle on the tiny box on the table filled with some of your stuff. “If they have girls talk, we have boys talk!” 

He pushes himself up from the couch, making his way towards the table, he looks inside and a grin appears on his face as his eyes light up. He reaches for the tiny bottles. 

“Wanna paint our nails too!?” Eddie asks, grabbing them with zero hesitation before he follows Steve out. “Not taking no for an answer.”

Steve looks at Eddie as though he had gone crazy when he comes out, holding those bottles in front of his face. 

“Munson–”

“Nope!” Eddie shakes his head, grinning mischievously. “We are so doing that.”

Steve can only sigh in response, knowing it’s a lost cause to fight against him. 

“Sunshine’s gonna love this.” Eddie chuckles, knowing that this will be enough to convince. 

He knows he’s right when he sees the softness in Steve’s eyes. 

At least he knows now how to convince him to do things. 

-

The town is peaceful and quiet; it would have been eerie if it weren’t for the sun shining brightly and the birds chirping loudly. It’s as abandoned as any town is nowadays, and despite life and people missing here, it’s still beautiful. Untouched by this world. The streets are clean, except for the dry leaves still laying around from last fall. The windows are dusty, a little dirty, but still intact. Abandoned cars are still parked on the streets. There is no blood, no bodies, no death around here, just a town in which the people stopped existing. 

Nancy is walking beside you quietly, her backpack already filled with ammo you found at the first stop you made, the gun store. Like you had already expected, you didn’t get so lucky there. It was mostly cleared out, but you still found a set of new knives laying around under the shelves. You looked for a new switchblade for Steve and got lucky there at least. 

You walk past an abandoned clothing store. The mannequin is wearing a dress, one that you would have definitely gone inside to try it on. It’s a beautiful pastel yellow, with thin straps and the finest flowers on it. A sundress perfect for a picnic, or a date. 

You slow down a little, eyes stuck on it now. 

You would have loved to wear something like this for a first proper date with Steve. You know he would have loved it too. Going to Central Park, laying on the grass as the sun hits the both of you, children playing around you, and dogs barking as they play fetch. A small band playing far away on the bridge, and the two of you sharing food with one another, laughing.

Something that was so normal then, feels like an impossible dream now.

Nancy furrows your eyebrows when she looks away from the map in her hands when she notices that you aren’t beside her anymore. She stops and turns around, finding you staring at the dress in the window longingly. 

“Do you want it?” Nancy asks, a smile tugging at her lips. 

You shake your head with a sigh, “what for? Can’t wear it anyways.” You mumble and tear your eyes away from it. You catch up to her again and look around, “we should focus on more important things like food and medicine.” 

Nancy’s eyes linger on the dress for a moment, even as you continue your way down the street and towards the pharmacy. She looks up at the sign above the store, reading the name of it before she goes after you. 

“We could still get it!” Nancy smiles at you as she catches up. “You could wear it in California!” 

You shake your head with a smile, “it’s fine, Nance.” 

You notice the way she hesitates, looking back at the store. 

“Nancy,” you smile and reach for her hand, giving it a squeeze. “Imagine how ridiculous I would look fighting in a dress!” 

Nancy furrows her eyebrows, shaking her head at you. “No, you would look hot, but the only one fighting would be your boyfriend by tearing that dress off.” 

Your stomach flips at her words. Boyfriend. You feel like a little girl when it comes to Steve. Excitement and giddiness rushing through you in a way they never did before. 

“Stop…” You try to hold back a giggle when you push her shoulder, especially when she starts wiggling her eyebrows. 

Nancy’s eyes light up when she sees how flustered you get, how you always do. A giggle falling from her own lips. She thinks it’s adorable. She knows what happened between you and Steve after she accidentally revealed your night with Aaron. She felt terrible, at least until she saw you the next day, covered in hickeys, face glowing in a different way, a smile on your face brighter than she’d ever seen, and Steve, he wore the same smile. 

You shake your head and look down with a smile on your face. 

Nancy bites back her own smile. It’s nice to see you like this, happy and smitten. Despite Steve clinging to you like a vice. You don’t seem to mind it at all; if anything, it looks like you are enjoying his clinginess. 

Silence falls between you both; it’s comfortable and peaceful. 

The pharmacy is shut down, the door locked. On your solo travel, you have learned that that has always been a good sign. And a look inside the dusty window shows you that the shelves are still stocked. 

You knock on the glass, waiting to see if anything is hiding there. But the noise doesn’t seem to alert anything, no monsters, no turned people. 

“Looks good.” Nancy murmurs before she reaches for the crowbar tucked into your backpack. 

“Have you ever done this before?” You ask as you step aside, giving her the room she needs to open the door. 

The look she gives you over her shoulder is enough of an answer, and it makes you chuckle. 

“Stupid question, ma’am. My apologies.” You place your hand on your chest. “Hot independent woman.” 

Nancy rolls her eyes, though with a smile on her face. The way you talk to her reminds her of Robin sometimes. 

The door creaks when it opens, and she hands you back the crowbar, instantly reaching for her gun in case something does come out from behind the shelves. You wrap your hands around the metal tightly, ready to fight with it if needed. 

Nancy whistles and takes a step inside, cringing at the loud floorboards beneath her boots. 

You look around, closing the door behind you on your way inside. You glance at the empty street, making sure that nothing follows you both. 

You both step in different directions, checking every corner of the pharmacy just to be sure. The town might be fully abandoned, but you can never be too safe in a world like this.

“Alright, it’s clear.” Nancy calls out to you after checking the storage. 

You both meet back in the front and instantly start looking through the medicine, opening your backpacks and stocking up on antibiotics, tylenol, and bandages. 

Nancy grabs some vitamin pills off the shelf, throwing them into her backpack as well. 

“This is almost too good.” You mumble when you stop in front of the fully stocked up toiletry shelf. You throw some shampoo and body wash into your backpack, followed by deodorant and toothpaste. 

“Is that pessimism I hear in your voice, Sunshine?” Nancy teases a few aisles away from you. 

“Can’t blame me on this one, most stores are wiped clean,” you mumble as you eye the moisturizers. You stop hurrying to fill your already heavy backpack when your eyes fall on the razors and the shaving cream. For a moment, you contemplate. Steve didn’t seem to mind it the first time, when you weren’t shaved and you didn’t have any time to even think about it or feel insecure over it, and he was like a feral animal, all you saw in his eyes was lust and the need for you. 

You stare at the razor and the berry scented moisturizer for a while. 

You almost feel silly, worrying about smooth and nice smelling skin in a world like this. But you want to smell good, you want to feel good when you have your first time with him. So, without thinking any more about it, you grab it and throw it inside your backpack before you move on, reaching for anything relevant you can find. 

“We got so lucky here.” Nancy smiles to herself as she zips up her full backpack after stuffing it full. She throws the strap over her shoulder, and starts making her way to you. “There’s a neighbourhood I wanted to check out–” She halts in her tracks when you turn around abruptly after throwing something in your bag. You look like a deer caught in headlights – your eyes are wide and you start blushing. 

Nancy presses her lips together, raising her eyebrows at you. Amusement rushes through her when she glances at the items behind you. 

“Do you need a moment?” She asks, trying not to laugh. 

“No.” You squeak out, shaking your head. “No, I’m done here!” 

Nancy’s eyes follow you when you brush past her and practically rush towards the snack shelf. She struggles to hold back her chuckles when she looks back at the small boxes. She doesn’t follow you; instead, she stays back and looks down in amusement. 

Her conversation with Steve is still in the back of her mind, and how he asked for her help to make your first time special. She owes him something, and it’s not just that; she wants to help because it’s you. Steve is right, you deserve more than a night in the RV; you deserve something special. 

Nancy bites down on her lip, and she looks out the window and across the street. She looks back at you. Your face is still flustered, but you are now distracted by the variety of chocolates. 

“Hey, uh, I’ll get some fresh air and wait outside!” 

You don’t question her and only nod, grateful to have a moment to yourself after getting caught packing the box of condoms. You look between all the candies, wondering how this place was left this untouched. Given all the places you have gone through before, all the empty stores, this is almost becoming scary. 

When you walk out a few minutes later, you find Nancy crossing the street, smiling cheekily at you. You don’t question it, thinking she is still teasing because of the condoms. 

“Ready to go?” Nancy asks cheerfully, pointing her finger towards the end of the street.

You hum and nod your head, holding onto the straps of your backpack, you make your way towards her and give her a small smile. 

Nancy’s blue eyes flicker across your face, and her lips are still stretched into a smile. She reaches behind you and pulls your braid out from behind the backpack. 

“Oh, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she grins at you and pats your back, “come on.” 

Amusement sparks inside your chest when she keeps on smiling, satisfied and happy. You haven’t seen her that way in a while, and it makes your heart swell to know that it’s only because of you, because she gets to spend time alone with you. You always craved to have a friend like that, one who gets excited to spend time with you, one who looks forward to being with you, one who does thoughtful little gestures, one who feels the same. 

The walk into the neighbourhood is spent in comfortable silence for a few minutes before you fall into a conversation about your favorite books and movies, about the things you loved to bake and cook before the world ended. 

She asks you about New York, even though she asked so many times before. There is still so much she wants to know; there is still so much you haven’t told her yet. You tell her about all the book stores, all the coffee shops you used to love going to after a long day in school. You tell her about the record store you used to work at on the weekends, and the parties that your ex-boyfriend used to drag you to. 

She listens with a smile on her face, except for when you mention the guy who screwed you over. Nancy loves to hear about you, about your life before all this. 

And you love to hear about her, about her summer jobs and what she loved doing, about her family and Robin. 

When you sit down on the porch steps of one of the houses you have scavenged, you share a pack of trail mix and enjoy the feeling of the afternoon sun on your skin. You pick out a chocolate-covered almond and pop it in your mouth, closing your eyes in enjoyment. “Mmh.” You smile as you let the chocolate melt on your tongue. “I love trail mix.” 

Nancy chuckles softly, “no, you love chocolate.” 

You chew the almond and open your eyes again, glancing at her, “... true.” 

She shakes her head at you, “you have a sweet tooth, Sunshine.” 

“I do, there’s no denying that.” 

A solemn look crosses Nancy’s features, and she stays quiet for a moment. The look in her eyes is suddenly distant, like her mind is stuck somewhere far away, recalling memories. 

“Robin loved to bake.” 

Her voice is filled with sadness, and her eyes are now too. She doesn’t hide it, not bothering to in front of you. 

“After the upside down… when we thought that we won and things were okay for a while, she would visit me at my summer job and bring me lunch, food from the diner at first, and then she started bringing sweet treats. Muffins, Brownies, Cookies– god, she made the best Cookies!” Nancy exclamins, smiling at those memories. “She was always so nervous, thinking I wouldn’t like it, but it was the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” 

A sad smile tugs at your lips, and you lean your elbow on your knee, resting your head in your hand as you listen to her. 

“Then she started adding cute notes– not pick-up lines,” Nancy shakes her head, feeling the need to clarify. “It was sweet, romantic. It’s when I started falling for her.”

She pauses, looking up at the sky.

“I was scared… and a part of me wanted to run away from all those new feelings I was experiencing, but when she looked at me with those eyes, I knew there was no use in running… I didn’t want to run away, not from her.” 

You reach for her hand when you see the tears in her eyes. It hurts to see her suffering. It hurts to know that she lost someone she felt that way for. 

“I never felt such love for anyone before, not even Jonathan… and I thought that what I had with him was true love.” She says, smiling sadly as she looks down at your hand. “But… she was it. She was everything to me.” 

You swallow the growing lump in your throat. You can feel her hand shaking, you can see her trying to hold back tears as the sadness deepens. 

“Everything felt right with her.” She whispers softly. 

You know that feeling now too. You have that with Steve. Something that was always missing in your whole life, you have found with him. 

“I wish you had more time together.” You whisper, looking at her in sadness. “I wish I could’ve gotten to know her. She sounds amazing.” 

Nancy nods, lifting her head to look at you. “She was.”

You hold her hand and scoot closer to her, letting her lay her head on your shoulder. There aren’t any words needed. This is enough. No one was there for her when she lost Robin, not because she didn’t have anyone to comfort her, to help her through the grief, but because her feelings were a secret and nobody knew about her and Robin at that time. 

She was all alone with her suffering. 

“Tell me more about her,” you say after a moment of comfortable silence, knowing that this is a part of healing. Talking about the people, the things you have lost. 

And she does, happily so, she starts talking about her, and what starts off with sadness and tears ends with giggles and smiles because Robin happened to have a lot of funny moments, a lot of silly accidents that led to their secret relationship. 

And when Nancy talks about their first night together, when they fell asleep beneath the stars after they kissed and kissed, you can’t help your question. 

“Did you two ever…?” 

Nancy giggles a little, wiping a stray tear off her blushing cheek as she nods. 

“Oh, yeah.” She bites her lip. “We did.”

You cup your cheeks, giggling now with her as you both lean towards each other like two little school girls finding out about a first kiss. And you continue on giggling when she tells you all about that night. Saying how it felt the way she always imagined it to. Speaking of those fireworks you read in books about and it only makes you more intrigued, more excited. 

“I can’t wait for it… I can’t wait to have sex.” You blurt out without thinking, causing Nancy to chuckle loudly. 

“Girl, I can tell.” She laughs, glancing at your backpack. 

You push her shoulder and groan in embarrassment. 

“No, no, Sweetie. I’m glad you’re thinking about being safe. I love how you grabbed the biggest size, you got a lot of faith in your man.” 

“Nancy!” You groan again, burying your face in your hands. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Nancy giggles, patting your back as she looks down at you in amusement. 

“I just–” You pause, trying to gather your thoughts. Your cheeks are suddenly burning very hotly as you think of your boyfriend that way. “I-I don’t even know what to expect! Is it… Is it gonna hurt? Am I gonna be… do… good? Is he gonna feel good with me–”

“Sunshine.” Nancy grabs your hand firmly, giving it a strong squeeze. “You don’t need to worry about these things, you know why?” 

You wait for her to continue, looking at her with big eyes. 

“You are with someone you feel safe with. You are with someone you feel comfortable with.” She smiles, speaking of her own experience with Robin. “And Steve will guide you. He will take care of you, trust me, he is dying to take care of you.” She says, giggling when your eyes light up. 

Your heart flutters at the mere thought of it, of being this intimate with him. 

Nancy smiles as she watches you. She knows exactly what you are feeling – the anticipation, the excitement, the adoration for someone you waited to be with for so long. That special something that you will only get to feel with that one person, who is Steve in your case. 

Which used to be Robin in hers. 

She looks around, taking in the beautiful street with the willow trees. There is a house at the end of the road, one that looks just as untouched as the rest of this town does. It has a huge garage, one that seems to provide enough space for the RV. 

And this town is safe – safe to stay in for a night. 

She did make a promise to Steve. 

She takes another look at you before her eyes flicker back to the beautiful house. 

“Hey Sunshine, wanna check out one more house?” 

-

The grass is dull and flat from Steve’s pacing. He is huffing and taking deep breaths as he keeps on tugging at his hair, looking out into the distance with anxious eyes. 

Eddie is leaning against the RV with a cigarette between his fingers. His eyes flicker with amusement, though he does feel a little bad for the brunette, knowing how freaked out he is that you haven’t returned yet. 

Eddie knows that separating him from you is and will be a one-time thing. It was necessary, but Steve won’t ever let it happen again, no matter what he or Nancy says. 

“Where are they…” Steve stresses as he paces around the fire Eddie started about an hour ago. 

“They’ll be here soon, don’t worry, loverboy, your Sunshine will be back in your arms in no time.” Eddie blows out the smoke before he throws the cigarette on the ground, killing the flame with his boot. 

Steve only huffs in response, not really looking his way. Suddenly, he halts in his tracks, placing his hands on his hips the way he usually does. He furrows his eyebrows, shaking his head. 

“They should have been back by now…” He mumbles to himself and runs his hand down his face as all the what if’s start going through his head, ones that will only lead him to insanity if he lets them happen. “That’s it, I’m going–”

“Look.” Eddie cuts him off, smiling. 

Steve glances at him to find him staring into the distance. His eyes follow, and when they spot the little light in the distance, and you are walking down the hill with the moonlight shining down on you, the biggest weight gets lifted off his shoulders. Relief floods through him as his heart calms in his chest. 

Without even thinking about it, Steve takes off and starts running towards you, unable to wait until you make your way to him. He meets you in the middle. 

“Stevie– oh!” You squeal as you almost lose balance when your boyfriend wraps his arms around you, nearly knocking you off your feet with the sudden impact. He holds you so tightly, as though you had been gone for years and just came back from the war. 

Steve buries his face in the crook of your neck. He breathes in your scent and hugs you against his body so strongly. His heart is pounding from the running, but mostly from the worrying. Now it feels whole again. He can breathe again. He can relax again. His heart swells when you wrap your arms around his torso, laying your head on his chest as he cups the back of it, sinking his fingers into your hair. 

“I’m never letting you go again, Sunshine.” Steve whispers against your skin. 

Nancy watches the two of you with a smile on her face. With a shake of her head, she continues making her way towards the RV. 

“I’m okay, Steve!” You giggle at your boyfriend, pulling back to look at him. 

“I’m not.” He whispers, revealing his soft brown eyes that are filled with fear. “I hate to be away from you.” He leans his forehead against your own as he brings his hands up to cup your cheeks. 

Who would have thought that he would ever be this vulnerable with you? 

“Don’t ever leave me again,” he pleads. 

Your heart flutters at his touch, at his words, at the way he looks at you. Words can’t describe what you see in his eyes, but it does everything to make your insides light up. 

And Steve, after all day of feeling like he was going crazy, he finally has you back in his arms and he can’t help his next move. 

“I won’t–”

Steve tilts your head up and leans down, kissing all over your face – your lips, your cheeks, your nose, your chin, your forehead. And it makes you giggle so loudly that finally a smile breaks onto his face. 

“Stevie!” Your giggle makes his heart feel so alive. 

He reaches for your backpack and throws the strap over his shoulder before he bends down, catching you off guard yet again when he scoops you up into his arms, lifting you up bridal style. 

“Oh!” You blush strongly as you wrap your arms around your boyfriend's neck. 

“Oh my god.” Eddie snorts, watching it all unfold from a distance. His amused eyes meet Nancy’s, who looks over her shoulder when you squeal again. She shakes her head with a chuckle. 

“Lovebirds.” Nancy shrugs at Eddie before she lets him pull her into his arms. 

“Did everything go well out there?” Eddie asks, ruffling her hair. 

Nancy slaps his hand away, frowning in annoyance. 

“Yeah, it was great. We found a lot of stuff.” She lets out a groan of relief when Eddie takes the backpack off her shoulders. “Thanks.” She mumbles as she stretches her back. 

“I hope you had a great day with your girl, don’t think it will happen again though.” Eddie chuckles, watching Steve carrying you back to the RV. 

Nancy huffs, though not in annoyance, “yeah, I guess not. But right now, I’m just ready to eat and go to sleep.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Eddie nods, taking in the tired look on her face. 

Steve puts you down in front of the fire, squeezing your waist and stepping away from you for a second. 

Nancy raises her eyebrows at him, but Eddie isn’t looking at her anymore, he is looking over her shoulder, “did you–”

“Nancy.” 

She furrows her eyebrows at the sound of Steve’s voice. She turns around to find Steve standing in front of her. He takes a look at Eddie before he steps towards her in hesitation. In that short moment, she gets to look into his eyes, she notices the guilt in them, reading the sadness that he hid for months and months before you came along. 

He wraps his arms around her and hugs her. It’s a little awkward, but it’s still a hug, one filled with apology for neglecting a friendship they have built and also for the loss she experienced as well last year. 

The hug only lasts for a few seconds, but it tells her that her and Eddie’s plan worked. They talked. 

The moment Steve pulls away from the hug, he gives her a tight lipped smile before he makes his way back to you. He wraps his arm around your shoulder and pulls you into his chest, leaning down to kiss your temple. 

Eddie smiles at Nancy, knowing that his conversation with Steve worked out the way they hoped it would. Despite him clinging to you still, it worked. 

“So…” Nancy claps her hands together, smiling. “I spotted a great house we can stay in, lock the RV inside, and we can all get some rest and sleep again!” 

You tilt your head aside, looking at her curiously as you haven’t heard of those plans before. Steve sports a similar look, and it takes him a second to understand what Nancy is getting at. 

She widens her eyes at him, as she looks between you both. 

The expression on her face says it all to Steve; ‘Don’t be stupid.’ 

Steve’s eyes widen in understanding, and his heart flutters wildly in his chest when he looks down at you, knowing that he now gets the opportunity with you. Just the thought of it drives him crazy in a way nothing else ever could. He can’t help but tug you closer, his hands itching to feel more of you. 

“Is that–” You murmur as you look down at his hand, a smile spreading on your face as you reach for it. His nail is painted yellow. 

Steve’s cheeks start to burn when he looks down at you, but his knees weaken and his heart squeezes in his chest when he sees the way your eyes light up. You love it. 

“Couldn’t convince him to paint all his nails, he insisted on just one.” Eddie groans as he proudly shows off his black nails, making Nancy chuckle. 

Just one. 

He let Eddie paint just one. 

His ring finger. 

☀︎

I'm wiggling my eyebrows at you guys right now, y'all know what is about to go down

But something stirs in his chest, something unpleasant—the guilt of how he treated you, of how he made you feel eating at him now. You aren’t angry at him; he knows you aren’t. But he is furious at himself for hurting you, for making you feel like he didn’t want you around anymore, like you aren’t one of his closest, best friends, like you aren’t the closest thing that will come to a sister. 

Eddie clears his throat, announcing his presence behind you – you haven’t noticed him until now, but when you turn and look over your shoulder, a smile appears on your face, “hey!”

Eddie uncrosses his arms and steps further inside the RV, smiling at you. 

“Hi, what are you doing?” 

You hold up a can of corn, “checking the expiration dates. So far it all looks good, we gotta eat some of this corn though, it expires before the tuna and the beans.”

Eddie nods and takes a look outside. Steve is cleaning your weapons while Nancy is scrubbing away at her dirty boots, sitting across from him. 

He turns back around and walks closer to you, eying all the cans you have collected. He kneels down beside you, reaching for the corn. His eyes scan the writing on the can, but his mind doesn’t really follow what he is reading. He clears his throat, almost feeling a bit awkward when he looks at you. 

“What do you think about it?”

“About what?” You ask without missing a beat, raising your brow at him. 

“About corn, do you like it?” 

An amused look crosses your face, and you smile at him, shrugging. “It’s good, I guess, don’t have much of a choice.” You laugh. 

Eddie nods and looks back down with furrowed eyebrows. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath. 

Your smile fades a little when you notice his expression. His lips quirk up, but he doesn’t look amused in the slightest. 

Worry rushes through you as you eye him. You place the can you are holding down and move closer to him, “hey…” you whisper, placing your hand on his shoulder, “are you okay, Eddie?”

When Eddie looks back at you, the guilt inside of him grows even bigger, becoming more intense than before. Here you are, worrying about him even after he treated you so badly. Your eyes are soft yet saddened as you take in his expression, scanning him like you fear that he might be in pain – and if he were, then you would, without a doubt, jump up and try to find a solution to try and make him feel better. And that makes him feel worse. 

Eddie takes in a sharp breath before he shakes his head. He puts the can down and runs his hand down his face as he turns around and sits down, leaning his back against the counter. He takes a moment, and you give him the time to find the right words. 

You settle down beside him, waiting for him to be ready. 

When he finally looks at you again, you notice the look in his eyes – the guilt and the regret. Genuine remorse. 

“I am so sorry, Sunshine.” 

When you furrow your eyebrows and you purse your lips, staring at him like you are confused. The guilt only spreads. He wonders how many times people – ‘friends’ have failed you in your life for you to feel confused now when it should be so clear what he apologized for. 

“I said some things I didn’t mean, and I treated you so badly you believed I didn’t want you around anymore. Nancy had every reason to be there for you, to defend you. I failed you. You are… You are the closest thing I have to a sister, and I made you feel like I changed my mind about you.” 

His voice is filled with sadness, and his eyes are too. You know his words are genuine. Your eyes soften, and your heart swells in your chest. This means a lot to you, more than he could know. A sliver of happiness flashes in your eyes at the word ‘sister’. 

But there is also guilt inside of you as well – the one you almost forgot, caused by the happiness Steve had given you these past few days. 

“Thank you, Eddie.” You whisper, sighing as you look down. “But I know I shouldn’t have gone with Aaron.” You admit, showing him your own guilt. 

Eddie shakes his head and reaches out to squeeze your knee. 

“It wasn’t fair that I encouraged it and then took it back when I saw how hurt Steve was. I was trying to look out for both of you and ended up playing with your emotions too, which was wrong, and I got mean. I’m sorry.” 

You look down at his hand, and you place yours on top of his. You look back up at him, giving him a kind smile that shows him that you aren’t angry at him. 

“It’s okay, Eddie. I’m just glad that Steve had you.” 

Eddie can tell that it isn’t all you want to say, but just like you gave him the time that he needed, he gives it to you as well, waiting for you. He can see that it isn’t easy for you, especially when your eyes dart back and forth, and the regret basically takes over your whole face. 

“I really shouldn’t have gone with Aaron… I feel bad, and I felt awful when Steve confessed to me…” You admit in deep regret. 

“You shouldn’t. I think we all feel guilty about how we acted the past few weeks, but it seems like it all worked out for the best now.” Eddie nods his head towards Steve, who finally doesn’t look angry or like a kicked puppy. And Nancy doesn’t look like she wants to kill him anymore. 

A smile spreads on your face when your eyes stay on your boyfriend a little longer. Heat creeps up to your cheeks, and you can’t help but blush the longer you look at him. 

“Yeah.” You whisper, happily. 

Eddie’s eyes light up when he sees your smile. He nudges your shoulder and laughs when you start blushing. 

“You’re cute, Sunshine.” He grins and wraps his arm around you. “You know I’m still keeping you right?” He says with a serious tone in his voice. 

His words take you back to your very first interaction with him, when Steve wanted nothing more than for you to leave Hawkins while Eddie was set on making you stay, and ‘keeping’ you. 

You wonder if he remembers Steve’s reaction. 

“She’s not a fucking puppy!” You mimic Steve’s angry voice from back then. 

Eddie’s laughter shows you that he still remembers, and it makes you smile. 

“No.” Eddie shakes his head with a grin as he looks down at you, tapping your shoulder. “Not a puppy. A goddamn wolf.” 

You giggle in amusement and lean your head on his shoulder. Your eyes are still glued to him. Your heart flutters every time you think of your first kiss, his confession, his touch, his desperation, and how he needs and wants you just as much as you do with him. He matches your neediness, your feelings, and the deep want inside of you. 

“Hey Eddie?” 

Eddie hums, raising his eyebrows at you, but your eyes never stray from Steve. 

“Tell me more about your Sweetheart.” 

Eddie’s eyes light up, a smile spreads on his lips, and he clears his throat. 

“Oh, gladly!” 

-

“Hey Nance?” 

The girl lifts her head, looking at the brunette with raised eyebrows. Steve is not even looking at her, his eyes are glued on you, looking through the open door of the RV where you are sitting on the ground with Eddie, giggling at something the metalhead had said to you. 

“Yeah?” 

A soft smile lingers on his face when your laughter echoes. He looks away after a long moment and turns to face Nancy. He clears his throat as he locks eyes with her. 

“Thank you.”

A line appears between her eyebrows, and she shakes her head a little, “what for?”

“For being there for her.” Steve tilts his head in your direction. “For being a good friend to her. For having her back when I– you know…” He trails off, not wanting to say it out loud. 

Nancy’s blue eyes soften when she glances at you. 

“Correction; she is my best friend.” Nancy murmurs with a small smile on her face. The word ‘best friend’ feels so foreign rolling off her tongue after not having used it since Barb. 

Steve swallows the growing lump in his throat. He knows how much she struggled after losing her only best friend before you, how closed off she was. He remembers how she was around Robin, kind but… distant – if only he knew the real reason for that back then. 

He can see how you not only sneaked your way into his heart but also into hers and Eddie’s. And he knows that if Robin was around, you’d be so loved by her as well. 

“I’ll always have her back.” Nancy promises as she looks back at Steve, now with a hint of guilt in her eyes. “But… I need to tell you something too.” 

Now it’s his turn to raise his eyebrows and tilt his head to the side – a little habit he picked up from you. 

She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment with a huff. If there is one thing that Nancy Wheeler doesn’t like, then it’s too apologize and admit that she was wrong, but that is needed. 

“I’m sorry.” She mutters under her breath and opens her eyes again. “I’m sorry for how I treated you, it wasn’t fair of me to be so… rude.”

Steve’s face relaxes again, and he nods in understanding. He isn’t angry at her, he also wasn’t hurt, not the way you were by Eddie’s cold shoulder at least. He waves his hand at her, shaking his head.

“It’s fine, Nance.” He mumbles, unable to hold back his chuckle when he sees the way the guilt slowly vanishes in her eyes. “Honestly, it’s fine. I kinda deserved that–”

“You didn’t. I thought you led her on, but you didn’t. You were scared of your feelings, and that’s why you pushed her away. I didn’t know that. If I did… I would have been less… of an asshole.” She rolls her eyes. 

“Less? But you would have still been an asshole, right?” Steve asks, smiling at her in amusement. 

“I can’t help that when it comes to men… especially men who hurt my best friend.” She shrugs, giving him an unapologetic smile. 

He cringes a little at her words, not the asshole part, the part in which she reminded him of the hurt he put you through. 

“Yeah…” Steve whispers and looks back at you. “I-I was an asshole.”

Nancy sees the remorse; she can practically feel it radiating off of him. 

“You’re not one anymore, that’s what matters.” She reminds him as she leans back in her chair, dropping her sponge and boots on the ground. “And still… I’m sorry for how I treated you.”

Steve turns back to her, a small smile appearing on his face. 

“Seriously, it’s fine, Nance.” He promises. He leans forward and places his elbows on his knees. He clears his throat and looks around.

Nancy can tell that he wants to say more, but he needs a moment to find the right words. When she sees the way his cheeks heat up and he grows a little flustered, she grows a little curious. She leans forward again and brings both her hands together. 

“You can make it up to me, though…” He whispers and glances at the RV to make sure you aren’t coming out. 

“How?” Nancy asks, getting a little amused by the embarrassment suddenly taking over his face. 

“I– Sunshine.” Steve whispers softly. “We haven’t… you know?” 

Nancy needs a second to grasp what he is trying to say, but when he waves around with his hand and his eyes narrow and widen a little, her face dawns in realization, and she can’t help but giggle. 

“Oh!” 

Steve rolls his eyes at her teasing expression, but it doesn’t stop him from continuing this conversation. 

“We were close to it, but… I didn’t want it to be here.” He mutters and gestures to the RV. “She deserves something better than this.”

Nancy is pretty sure that anything could be special when you are with the right person, but she knows that Steve is set on making it extraordinary for someone like you. 

“But you could make it special too, you know?” She speaks softly so you won’t hear, as she also gestures to the RV. “You could find some candles and new bedsheets, maybe a few string lights to make it… look cute.”

Steve shakes his head with a sigh. 

“No, I want it to be a real date.” He mumbles as he runs his fingers through his hair. “I want it to be just us, nobody around.”

“Oh, you’re scared that we’re gonna hear something you don’t want us to hear.” Nancy giggles and wiggles her eyebrows at him. “Are you scared we’re gonna like her moans?” 

Steve looks at her a little bewildered. He frowns at her, huffing, “you– you and Munson, I swear to god. He is rubbing off on you, Nance.” 

“Okay, okay.” She clears her throat. “I’ll stop, I’m sorry!” 

Steve rolls his eyes and shakes his head again. He falls quiet for a second. 

“I just– I need her first time to be perfect, she… she hasn’t experienced anything. I can’t just do it out of nowhere in a night we are horny.” He exclaims with a blush on his cheeks. He continued his ramble, not realizing that Nancy had completely zoned out and frozen. 

“It’s never gotten further than a makeout for her– like she… is basically at zero when it comes to sex… And I don't–”

Only when her teasing smile fades and awkwardness takes over her face does he realize. She is frowning and sitting with a straight back all a sudden. 

“Are you listening–”

She nods as she snaps out of her thoughts, “um yeah…! I just think that you are making a big deal out of it.” She stands up and scratches the back of her neck, looking at anything but him. 

He frowns at her words and her behaviour. A weird feeling settles in his chest, knowing at what point of his ramble she froze. There is a knowing look on her face, but a guilty one in her eyes, and it makes him frown. 

She looks like she knows something that he doesn’t, and it suddenly makes him feel… irritated. He straightens his back and squints his eyes at her. 

“Nancy…”

The tone in his voice makes her anxious, and she feels the sudden urge to run off and not look at him anymore, which she chooses to do. She picks up her gun and her dirty boots. 

“I’m gonna… I’m gonna go wash my boots… by the lake.” She stutters, which only gives away that he is in the shadows about something that she isn’t. She never stutters, she never gets nervous, and she never bolts in the middle of a conversation, least of all during one where he asked for advice. 

Before he can ask another question, she rushes away and makes her way down the little hill, leaving him confused. There is a small part in him that has an idea of what made her react that way, and it makes him feel an anger he only felt back in the community in Wyoming. 

Steve takes a deep breath, eyes still following Nancy. The only time he remembers her acting that way was when she came back from patrolling with Robin – he only recently found out that Robin kissed her that night and Nancy didn’t know how to process that, considering her breakup with Jonathan was very fresh and her feelings for Robin were intense. 

He slowly looks towards the RV where you’re in, and the pit in his stomach grows when he thinks of all the possibilities for Nancy’s weird behaviour and silence about whatever had caused her to feel that way once your sexual experience was mentioned. 

Unlike before, he wastes no time getting up in search of confrontation. He makes his way to the RV with a heavy feeling in his chest, and every playfulness and light feeling vanish in only a few seconds. 

Eddie is just stepping out when he is about to walk inside. The metalhead grins at him, eyes searching for his best friend, who fled to the lake. 

“Where’s Nance–”

“Lake.” Is all that Steve says before he brushes past Eddie and slams the door once he is out.

Eddie blinks a few times, staring at the door in confusion, “okay…?”

Despite the sudden slam of the door, you don’t flinch, you don’t even notice the angry look on Steve’s face. You just turn around and get up after putting the last can of corn away. 

“Hey! I’m gonna make some tuna ‘salad’ tonight, with mostly corn cause it’s about to expire and–”

“Can I ask you something?” Steve cuts you off, not even listening to what you were saying. His mind is focused on one thing, and one thing only. 

You press your lips together and furrow your eyebrows. Realizing your boyfriend’s irritated expression, you frown in worry. 

“Um… yeah?”

Steve takes a step closer to you. His hazel eyes were missing their usual softness. His eyebrows are pulled together, and his lips are curled downwards. Something is on his mind, something that’s not leaving him any rest. You know it won’t take long to find out what it is, not when he looks at you like this. 

“When you said you and Aaron haven’t… what did you mean by that?”

Your lips part in surprise at the question, not having expected this topic at all. It’s something you have wanted to approach yourself, but couldn’t find the right time to yet, not when everything was so good and… happy. 

Nervousness seeps inside of you, and embarrassment flashes over your face. Your heartbeat picks up, and you bring your hands together. 

“Well… that I’m… still you know…” You stutter as your ears start burning. 

Steve licks the insides of his cheeks, and he clenches his jaw. Your reactions give you away, and he can’t help but feel jealousy sink back in. He starts walking closer to you. 

You quickly notice that Steve isn’t in a playful, lovely mood at all, and it strikes fear inside of you. 

“Mhm.” He hums, nodding. “But does that mean you haven’t done… anything?” 

You look up at him wide-eyed, and his heart melts at that sight – yet the irritation is still strong. 

Your heart sinks to your stomach when you see just how angry he looks. The fear was growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. You are not gonna hide the truth from him, but you are afraid to say those words out loud. 

“I– I didn’t think you would… that you would give us a chance and so…. I-I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, but I couldn’t fully commit–” 

“Sunshine.” Steve says sternly as he stops right in front of you, pushing you up against the counter behind you. “What did you two do?” 

The tone in his voice is serious and angry, almost hateful – and in this moment, you aren’t sure if that is directed towards you or Aaron. Your eyes start burning, and your vision blurs. 

His hands grip the counter on each side, caging you in and not giving you the chance to run away. Your heart starts pounding stronger. You aren’t scared of him. You are scared of his reaction. 

Is it over just before it really started? 

You look up at him with teary eyes. He can tell that you are afraid, and he wants to take that fear away so badly, but he needs you to tell him what you’ve done first. 

“I– It doesn’t matter now, does it? I– We weren’t–”

“What did you two do?” Steve asks again, not wanting you to talk around that topic anymore. 

Your bottom lip quivers and your shoulders slump as you give up, accepting that he might not want you anymore after this. Suddenly, it feels like your feelings mean nothing to him anymore, and he is only set on that one thing. 

You hang your head low and look down at the ground, trying to blink away the tears. You take a deep breath as you think back to that night. 

“He… He touched me…” You admit with a shaky voice. “And went down…” You bite your bottom lip roughly, waiting for the blow of Steve’s words. 

Steve takes in sharp breath. The jealousy inside of him now burned stronger than ever, knowing what Aaron did that night. He is livid. He clenches his jaw as he stares down at you. He tries to think rational, he tries to stay calm, he tries, he really does, but his feelings win in the end, and before he can dwell on it, he turns on his heel and rushes out the RV, slamming the door just the way he did when he walked in. 

And you stand there, frozen in place as your heart sinks deeper and deeper, and the tears threaten to fall. You grip the edges of the counter and stare at the ground, not knowing what to do. 

This is it? This… is it? 

You blink a few times, not knowing what to think, not knowing what to feel. Should you go after him and explain the situation? But then again, what is there to explain? Should you go after him to fix it? Is there any way to fix it? Is what you did wrong?? Is it wrong of him to–

Your head snaps up when the door opens again, and your eyes lock with his hazel ones that are burning with jealousy and an intensity that almost makes your knees buckle. He slams the door loudly, and he moves quickly to the front, quickly turning the knob of the dial, rising the music up. Not that loud, but certainly louder than the dim sounds coming from before.

The look on his face, the rising up and down of his chest, the angry look in his eyes – he intimidates you in this moment, and your body seems to like it. Heat pools in your belly, and goosebumps rise on your skin. 

“Steve–”

He takes two steps towards you, taking you by surprise when he cradles your face and smashes his lips against yours, kissing you roughly. 

Your eyes widen as you feel his lips moving urgently against yours. You were confused. You were completely certain that he looked angry, that he didn’t like what you told him. Now, he was kissing you like a man starved, like his life depended on it. You could feel his fingertips digging into the sides of your head, deep into your scalp.

Your hands were gripping his sides, the warm sweater clinging to him, and you were feeling the RV become warmer and warmer. You were slowly melting into the kiss, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick your bottom one, requesting access, or more like demanding it. 

You let him in without question, without doubts, without hesitation, even if you were confused at the whiplash of emotions. The music dimmed and dimmed in your ears as they started to ring, also hearing the rushing of blood going to your brain. Your brain that was becoming mush with each second that his tongue danced with yours. Your knees were almost giving up on you, and your core was warming up more and more. The anticipation built inside of you, your heart quickening at an alarming rate, as your stomach turned with butterflies.

You felt the counter dig into the small of your back as he slammed you into it. His hips rubbed against yours, and his kiss never softened. He was still rough, demanding, and you loved it. You never had someone be this possessive over you. You wondered if it had anything to do with what you just told him. If it did, was it wrong for you to feel happy? Someone was jealous over you. Someone got jealous of what you did with someone else.

You never experienced that. You never experienced this. He was licking your mouth as if he were tasting his favorite dessert. You moaned into his mouth, feeling his bulge harden against your belly, and you heard him groan, almost aggressively. You felt him sucking your breath from your lungs almost, consuming you. 

He pulled away, and a string of saliva connected your lips for a short moment, your tongue almost lolling out in search of him again. He huffed, his glare permanent on his eyes as his chest rose up and down from his heavy breathing. You closed your mouth, gulping, trying to get your head together.

“What– What happened?” You asked, and his jaw clenched, his tongue licking the inside of his cheek for a second before his hands let go of your face. You felt his hands grab at your waist, pulling you away from the counter, his eyes never leaving yours. He was not answering you. The only thing you were hearing was his harsh breaths as you felt him moving you, making you walk backwards.

“Steve– What’s going on–” You were ignored once again, your heart beating into your ears as you frowned up at him. Then, you felt the back of your knees hit the bed and then, in a quick movement, his hands got underneath your armpits, lifting you up just a bit from the floor, but enough to throw you onto the bed. You bounced with a gasp, stunned at the sudden manhandling.

He stood at the end of the bed, his hand moving behind him, his eyes still glued to you as he slid the blinds that separate the bedroom from the rest of the RV. This reminded you of the other night when you two got a little too carried away with one another. But didn’t he say he didn’t want it to happen in the RV? You didn’t mind if he backed off from that. You already knew it would be special just because it was going to be him.

But his eyes were still burning with anger. Jealousy. 

And he was. Seeing you on the bed like this, now knowing what Aaron had done to you, he couldn’t help but feel a fire inside of him, burning him inside out. The fact that… that man had you like this. On his bed. Probably naked. Touching you for the first time, tasting you for the first time. He got to see you before he did. He got to hear you before he did. He got to have you before he did.

Not entirely, but that little bit was enough to make him want to break something. He couldn’t erase what had happened with Aaron. It was his own fault, and you were in your whole right to live your life. He had rejected you after all… He cannot erase it. 

But he can overwrite it.

He wants to be the one you remember when you think about it. He wants to be the one who causes the butterflies in your stomach when you imagine it. He wants to be the one who makes you flush and burn each time you remember it. He wants to make your experience with him better than the experience you had with Aaron. It would not be forgotten, but he wants that memory to be dismissed. Not remembered, lacking importance. 

His eyes never left you as he ripped the sweater off him, revealing the tight navy blue long-sleeved shirt underneath. Your eyes were wide as you saw him like that, feeling your mouth water. A thin chain hung around his neck, one you hadn’t noticed before, but now it glistened, and you couldn’t take your eyes off him. 

His knee pressed onto the bed, making his way to get on top of you. His knee nudged in between your legs, making you spread them so he could settle between them. You felt your entire face burn, and his hips lay on yours, making you grunt, jerk at the sensation. You could hear your blood rushing to your ears, making them burn. His eyes clashed with yours, and that sweet demeanor he always had with you, was gone. It was the first time you’ve seen this look on his face.

No, it wasn’t. 

It’s the same face he had when he confronted you before confessing. Though this time looked different. Last time, he looked angry, but he confessed he was hurt. Now, he looks angry, but there’s a darker tone to it. Something possessive, animalistic, feral, and it made you tremble underneath him. It was the first time someone gave you this kind of look, this kind of attention, where they are clearly showing they will devour you whole.

“S–Stevie… what’s wrong?” You asked, your voice a little small because of your nerves. His hips pressed harder against you, both of his hands caging your head against the mattress. He was staring down at you, locks of his hair falling down on his face. He saw your hair splayed, looking embarrassed, shy, and that made his blood boil even more, because he got to see you like that first. 

“I’m angry.” Was his short response, and you couldn’t help but frown. Worry etched into your heart again, only for your attention to be taken away from it, a moan escaping your lips when he rolled his hips against you one more time. He felt himself twitch in his pants, a harsh breath leaving his lungs. 

“W-Why? With me?” His eyebrow twitched at your question. How could you even think that he was angry with you? No. He was angry at himself. He was angry for being an idiot. For being scared. You weren’t to blame for anything that happened between the two of you. His jaw clenched, his head lowering to place a kiss onto the pulse point in your neck, making you sigh.

“With me.” You shook your head a bit, opening your mouth to try to talk, but you whimpered when he nibbled against your skin. Your belly turned with anticipation, your arms coming to wrap around his shoulders. He pressed his body against yours, his arms coming to wrap around your body. His hands were between your back and the mattress, holding you tightly against him as his teeth ran over your skin.

He wanted to bite down. He wanted to mark you permanently. He never felt like this before, not even with Nancy. When she had been with Jonathan, he just let it happen. But now, the thought of you being with another man, even when you had been rejected, was making him feel like he had to break something. He felt like he needed to punch someone. Like he needed to make you moan his name. 

Like he needed you to scream his name.

His lips separated from your neck and instantly crashed into yours. You sighed into the kiss, your hands already disappearing into his hair like they always did. He groaned at the sensation, his lips smacking against yours in desperate motions, harsh, rough. His mind was clouding more and more, hazed by the thought of you and–

He had to stop. He had to focus before he lost complete control, and he forgot to be a gentleman. To be the nice and caring boyfriend you deserve. Because he was your boyfriend, not Aaron. He was. And you were staying with him, you said so. You said you were coming with him to California, not going back to Wyoming. He won, Aaron lost.

But fuck, Aaron still fucking had you first.

His tongue immediately plunged into your mouth, his hands coming up to grasp your head, keeping you still as his hips rolled into yours. You felt your cheeks being squished almost harshly. He was desperately holding onto you, making sure you would let him do whatever he wanted with you, and you were delighted by it. You moaned as your tongue danced with his, or tried your best to do so. 

His fingertips dug into your skin, part of your scalp, behind your ears. Just everywhere. Your hands came down to hold onto his wrists, trying to keep his rhythm, trying to follow him. You were still confused at the turn of events, confused as to why he got so angry. His right hand left your face, and in a quick movement, his left one came to grip your chin, keeping you still once again. You couldn’t help how turned on this made you. You couldn’t deny it. You were already becoming wet by how he was dominating the situation.

But then you felt his right hand moving downwards, brushing over your covered breast, groping it over your thin sweater. Your back arched and you moaned into his tongue. He breathed heavily through the kiss, and his hand kept moving down, reaching the hem of your sweater and shirt.

He pulled away from the kiss, noticing how you were panting underneath him. Your eyes half lidded, already gone. He could turn you into this mess with just a simple kiss and a roll of his hips. He should feel good about himself; the anger should be gone, but it wasn’t. He licked the inside of his mouth, his hand slowly creeping underneath your clothes, your body trembling at the touch of his fingers. 

Your skin grew goosebumps the more he inched up towards your breast. His hand never stopped gripping your chin, keeping your eyes on his face as his hand finally cupped you, over your bra. He groaned at the sensation, his hips giving an involuntary roll. You moaned at the friction of it all. He was hard, pressing against you, and you wanted more, needed more. 

You could see his eyes staring down at you as he kept moving his hand, roughly kneeding your breast, and then you gasped when his fingertips pulled the cup down, freeing your nipple. Your eyes widened, and he growled as he flicked your nipple with his index finger, his lips crashing back down on yours. His hand left your chin, moving slowly down towards your throat. He pressed his hand around it, not putting much pressure, but enough to keep you down and still.

You felt yourself flush from the arousal, the embarrassment, the nervousness, the anticipation, the excitement, the thrill. His lips immediately started moving desperately against yours, as his index finger and thumb pinched your nipple, making you gasp into his mouth, your back arching against him. He tugged at it, desiring to see it, desiring to make you melt underneath his body. 

Your legs spread even more as your belly coiled slightly, and you wanted to ask him now what made him do this. Not that you were complaining, but you were still in the dark about the reason. You jerked again as he rolled your nipple in between his fingers, moaning against his lips.

“Steve– Stevie, what has gotten into you?” And fuck, if he had to answer truthfully to you, he wondered if you would get scared. What if he told you he is fucking livid? That he is desperate to see you moan and cum? That he is insanely fucking jealous and angry that he wants to ruin you for everything and everyone else?

He pulled away from the kiss, just enough to keep his lips brushing against yours. You looked so delectable. Fuck, if you weren’t… If you just weren’t… He would do things to you right now that would not let you walk the next day. But he had to be patient with that one. He had to make that moment perfect… But this one– This one, he can be a little rough with.

“I’m fucking jealous.” Him admitting that sent a shockwave throughout your body. Him saying it for the first time to you made your heart skip a beat. Even if he was being a little harsh, it was just his way of trying to put a claim on you. You gulped and licked your lips, your eyes finding his as his fingers ran over your nipple, making you shiver from the sensation.

“I’m– I’m sorry– I didn’t mean to–” 

“Don’t you dare apologize to me, got that, Sunshine?” His voice was imperative, his hold on your throat giving a soft press that made you nod as you sighed. His jaw clenched, and he squinted a bit towards you, “But I’m going to make you forget about him.”

Before you could even process what he had just said, he kneeled up, grabbing the hem of your sweater and shirt, pulling it all the way up, just above your breasts. You gasped, a strong heat covering your face and ears as you realized one of your cups had been pulled down. Your hands moved to cover yourself, only for his hands to grab your wrists, making you look at him. 

He slowed his movements down, just a bit, not wanting to scare you. That was the last thing he wanted you to feel. He wanted you to feel secure around him, to feel safe no matter what happened, and that you could tell him to stop, and he would. But he wanted to ease you into it, relax you. Even as he stared at your breasts and all he wanted was to dive in, his dick twitching in his pants, he took a deep breath to contain himself and closed his eyes.

He leaned down, his lips coming in contact with your stomach, making your breath stutter. His lips brushed against your skin as he moved, kissing another part, then your sides, then moving upwards, and your body writhed underneath his. You sighed deeply the more goosebumps he created on your skin. He looked up at you as he kept kissing his way up, seeing you close your eyes as you let yourself relax under his touch. He licked his lips as he kissed the round of your breast, then the top, and finally he engulfed your nipple with his lips.

Your eyes widened, his hands still grabbing your wrists, pressing them against the mattress as he sucked on your left nipple, sending jolts of electricity towards your belly, making you clench around nothing at all. Steve was trying not to lose himself in your taste, finally having you on his lips in a way that he had been wanting for so long. His brain was short-circuiting at each roll of his tongue, at each tug he gave, and you moaned.

Your eyes then closed as you dove in the sensation, and he noticed, finally seeing you were relaxing into his touch. He took this time to let go of your right hand, guiding it towards your right breast, his fingers gliding over the cup of your bra. He pulled it down slowly, freeing your nipple from its confines. When his index fingers brushed over it, followed by a soft nip of his teeth on your left nipple, your body jerked underneath him at the stimulation.

You had been touched like this, but it felt so different. This feels so good. This feels so right. It feels so much more pleasurable than that one time. You couldn’t help but compare, because it baffled you how much it changed, how you felt when Steve was the one doing it. Instead of thinking about him when someone else did it, you now don’t have to imagine it. You were experiencing it. And you loved it. 

“Steve…” You mewled and Steve moaned into your skin, his cock twitching against his pants, his hips jerking into yours involuntarily. That only prompted you to moan his name again, and he realized he had to keep his composure, or he was going to lose complete control over himself, and that was not the goal. Not today.

He let go of your nipple with a pop, his lips moving down, kissing your chest, then your stomach, causing a tickling sensation that made you tremble. You looked down at him, his eyes looking up at you as he kissed around your belly button. His hand left your breast as he slowly kneeled up, his jaw clenching as he looked down at your pants.

He cracked his neck a bit, thinking to himself to keep it cool. To make this about you and just you. But fuck, his dick was screaming at him to do something. It felt as if all the blood of his body was rushing towards it, making him lightheaded. His eyes looked at yours again, and he noticed the nervousness behind them, despite the arousal and the willingness. 

“Trust me.” He repeated those words he once said to you back when you barely talked to one another. When you had to undress in order to warm each other up in the confines of a car. You felt your heart warm up at the memory of it, and you gave him a slow nod. Happy with your response, he stood up and started taking your boots off.

You were trying really hard not to cover yourself. The nervousness and embarrassment were still present, and much bigger than before, because one obviously wants to be liked by the person they are dating. You want him to like what he sees, but you are still self-conscious because it wasn’t dark in the room. The small night light in the corner, above the bed, was still on. 

But Steve was enjoying every single inch of your body. He could dip down and kiss you all over if he had the time to do so. He had to remember that Eddie and Nancy could not stay out for long, and they had to get moving, but he was having a hard time doing so. After he took your socks off, his hands went to unbutton your pants. He couldn’t help the gulp happening in his throat, how his mouth started to salivate at the thought of seeing you. 

You felt the button being popped off, then heard the zipper slowly move, and you realized just how hard you were breathing, how your stomach was in a turmoil of nerves, and how your heart was trying to break free from your chest. Would he like what he sees? You washed yourself today, but what if it wasn’t enough? With Aaron, you weren’t even thinking about these things, but you couldn’t help but do so with Steve.

And Steve was in a whole battle with himself, because the moment he had a glimpse of your white panties, he was about to moan out your name, just by the mere sight of you in your underwear. He knew you had him wrapped around your finger, but never to this extent. He wished he wasn’t in a time limit, that he had time to do this slowly for you, to take your clothes off one by one, but there wasn’t time.

His fingers dipped into the hem of your pants and your underwear, slowly taking them both off together. Your mouth opened as you gulped a breath in. Your hands came to cover your chest as you realized you had to help him. He tapped your hip once, and you raised them so he would take everything off.

He took a deep breath in, sliding the pants and panties away from you. He tried not to look until you were freed completely. You felt the coldness hitting your legs, and you flushed at how cool your center felt, noting you were wet. Really wet. Your face started burning, as well as your ears, not knowing where to look as he left you bare from your waist down.

He dropped them to the floor, and when he turned to look at you, you had closed your legs slightly. He was having none of that. He knew he had to be gentle with you, but would you notice just how bad he wants you if he were? Would you realize just how much he wants to engrave himself into your mind? Would you realize that all he wants right now is to have you?

“Open your legs, Sunshine.” He asked, trying to be nice, trying to keep himself calm. You gulped, hesitating for a bit due to your embarrassment, even if you wanted it. His hands came to grab onto your knees, his eyes searching for yours. “Sunshine.”

When you turned to look at him, his eyes were intense, determined, yet desperate. You clenched around nothing again just by the sight of him. You took a deep breath in, letting him guide your legs open, spreading yourself for him. You have never felt this exposed. You have never felt like this. It wasn’t shame, it wasn’t that you didn’t want it at all. But the guy you liked was guiding his eyes towards your core, and you couldn’t help the butterflies in your stomach.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Steve could see the glistening of your wetness even, seeing how you had reacted to him. Seeing how much you wanted him, wanted this. And he could only take a deep breath in, grabbing the back of your right knee and lifting it up a bit, his lips finding purchase on the top of it. His other hand brushed over your other thigh, gently, trying to relax you. You looked so beautiful, even better than what he had imagined or even dreamed of.

Your breath hitched as his kisses started moving downwards, lips on your thighs now, softly pecking you. You melted under them, closing your eyes as shivers ran all over your body, feeling yourself feel your belly tense up because even on just your thigh, it felt so good. He eyed you, his hands now gripping the back of your thighs, spreading your legs even more so he could start lowering his body, the further his kisses went.

The gears inside his brain were trying to stop working as his lips found your inner thigh. He felt you tremble underneath him, making his fingertips dig in your skin, holding you still. He wasn’t going to let go of you, not now. He might be selfish, he might be harsh or rough, but he couldn’t hold himself back. Not anymore. Not after what he found out. 

His teeth nipped on the soft, sensitive flesh and then sucked on it. A gasp ripped out of your mouth, eyes widening at the sensation. His lips kept latched onto your skin, marking you, claiming this private part of yours. Skin no one would ever see but him. Skin that belonged to him now, and even if it sounded possessive, he couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

After a few seconds, he let go of your inner thigh with a pop! only to quickly move onto the other one, immediately repeating the same actions he did with your right one. One of your hands left your chest to grip the sheet below you, tightly. You needed to hold onto something, your breathing heavy as it anticipated what he was about to do. 

Steve pulled away to see his masterpiece, his breaths coming out rough and needy. A purple mark now evident on each of your inner thighs. Good. But now, came the main course. His self-doubt kicked in for a second. He never had any complaints about how he performed orally, but he couldn’t help but think about not being able to be better than Aaron. He was older, and he looked experienced; Steve’s self-consciousness kicked in.

But then his eyes found your face, eyes half lidded, half gone, your chest moving up and down with your bra pulled down, and you were looking at him with a neediness that he could have been able to detect a mile away. And that was enough for him to lie on his belly, in between your legs.

He should go slow. He should be gentle with you. He shouldn’t let his possessiveness get the best of him. He should kiss the top of your belly, ease you into it. He should be perfect. But then again, this wasn’t your first time with this. This wasn’t the first time you were touched like this.

And he dove in with a growl.

Your eyes widened, your back arched as your nails dug into the fabric below you. His lips circled your clit, his tongue starting to press onto it and move it side to side. A gasp escaped you, the hand on your chest now coming to cover your own mouth. Your belly instantly flipped at the feeling, his hands moving in between your ass and the mattress, gripping you tightly to keep you in place. 

At your taste, Steve moaned, not being able to help himself and rut his hips into the mattress. He felt you twitch and jerk with each flick of his tongue on your clit. His eyes looked up, over the hair that was falling over his face, seeing you had your knuckles over your mouth to keep your noises in. He groaned at that, wanting to hear you, leaving your clit with a pop. His tongue lolled out, licking a stripe of your wetness from in between your folds, a whimper leaving you as your hips bucked into him.

Shit, you were delicious. You were a perfectly aged wine that made him drunk with just one sip. He felt light-headed, driven only by his lust, by how amazing you feel underneath his touch. By how hot you sound, how good you look, how beautiful you are. And now, he had to find out you were delicious too? Even if there were a rehabilitation center to cure him from the growing addiction he was having over you, he wouldn’t go. Fuck that.

He dove his tongue in between, pointedly licking upwards and towards your clit again. Your head felt like it was in the clouds, your body starting to burn a thousand degrees, not even feeling the cold in the RV. You were sure there was still music going on, but all you could hear was Steve’s licks, the soft groans escaping him, and the blood that was rushing towards your head.

“Steve–” You whispered, and he moaned into your clit as he flicked it again, his hips circling against the bed, needing friction at his hard-on. It was involuntary. He should focus on you, but he couldn’t stop his body from reacting. He pulled away, licking his glistening lips as his eyes never left your center.

“You taste so good, Sunshine… So perfect for me, such a good girl.” He purred, and your mouth fell open at the words that just came out of his lips, only for your thought to be interrupted by his lips latching onto your clit again as his tongue licked and licked. A moan escaped you, louder now, not being able to cover your mouth anymore.

It felt amazing. He felt amazing, fantastic even. He slurped, eating you like a man starved. Both of your hands were now gripping the sheets beneath you, back arching off the bed as a specific lick felt a little too good. You gasped, followed by a sigh of delight. Were you too needy to want more? To want to feel more of him?

But you didn’t even need to say anything, because he wanted to taste you further, feel you further, pleasure you further. He unlatched from your clit, only to dip in between your folds with his tongue, and push in. He moaned, thrusting into the mattress at feeling your warmth. 

“St– Steve!” You whispered-yelled at him, your eyes clenching at the feeling, body trembling at feeling him inside of you. He couldn’t help himself anymore; the bulge in his pants was now painful. He needed to free himself, at least a bit. One of his hands left your ass, his hips rising slightly so he could get in between and pop his button open and pull the zipper down. He sighed a bit in relief, now his hard-on not having a thick denim constricting it.

But then his eyes opened to see your hands gripping the sheets, and he was having none of that. That same hand moved to grab onto your right hand, making you open your eyes through your pleasure and look down.

His eyes were fierce, determined, sharp, and he moved your hand towards the top of his head. He was signaling you that you could grip his head, his hair. He would love it if you did so. His hand went back to gripping your ass, pulling you deeper into him, his tongue now swirling inside of you, and your hand closed on his hair, a moan leaving your lips without any shame.

Fuck it. Fuck it. It felt too good to hold back. You couldn’t handle it anymore, much less when Steve was clearly enjoying himself, letting you know by the moans he was letting out. You knew his fingertips were going to mark your flesh from how tightly he was holding onto you, but why the fuck would you even care about that? It even made you happy to know that. It made you happy that he marked you all over. 

His tongue left you, his heavy breath hitting you, making your skin grow goosebumps because of the coldness you felt from it. From how wet you were. His lips kissed your clit gently, one, two times, his right hand leaving your behind, slowly moving it towards your pussy, and you flinched from the surprise at the feeling of his middle finger running over your slit, covering it in your juices.

“Relax, baby…” He cooed at you, gently, and you let a sigh escape you as you shook your head, rubbing his head with the hand that was still gripping it. 

“I am, I was– Just surprised…” He hummed in approval at your response, glad you were being talkative and not shying away from him, or not telling him how you truly felt. His lips circled your clit again, and then his finger started to slowly push in. 

A long gasp broke from your lips, choking a bit in your throat as you felt him go in. Your fingers dug into his scalp, making him growl against your clit, your warmth engulfing his middle finger, sucking him in completely. He didn’t move for a second, flicking your clit to check your reactions. 

You moaned again when you felt the tip of it wiggling a bit, making an electric shock travel all over your spine. 

“Stevie, please–” It was the first time you had begged all night, asked for more, asked for him to keep going. And fuck, was he going to comply. He started thrusting his finger in and out of you. It was slow at first, letting you get used to the feeling of it, giving your clit a few kisses so you could melt even more into his touch.

His hips rutted into the mattress below him at the same tempo that he was thrusting his finger inside of you. He was like an animal right now, not even realizing or thinking through what he was doing. He heard your soft moans, some you were trying to hold in, some were leaving your mouth without restraint.

He felt your nails digging into his scalp, pulling onto his hair at each flick of his tongue on your clit, while his finger curled upwards inside of you. You felt your chest heaving at the feeling, your head rolling onto the pillow, feeling sweat all over your body. Steve knew you were feeling good, but his possessiveness kicked in again, the memory of this not being the first time you were experiencing this coming right back.

He pulled away from your clit, his teeth tugging it as he moved, making you jerk underneath him, whimpering his name. His finger moved faster now, his left hand moving from your ass towards your waist, pulling you into his other hand as if urging you to ride his finger.

“You feeling good, Sunshine?” He also wanted to know you weren’t in any discomfort. That you weren’t in any pain at all. You nodded enthusiastically, making him chuckle, a teasing smirk appearing on his lips as he shook his head. His jaw clenched as he pulled his finger out, making your eyes widen and look down at him. He tapped it slowly against your clit, making you clench around nothing. “I need words, baby.”

“Yes– Yes, it feels good, Stevie, please–” You gulped, not being able to feel embarrassed any longer. He nodded, now his middle and ring fingers gliding in between your folds again, gathering more of your slick. Then he pressed them against your clit, doing short and quick movements, side to side. Your other hand immediately grabbed onto his hair too, your head falling back onto the pillow as multiple shocks made your body spasm underneath him. 

Your mouth was open, letting your moans fill the RV, hopefully drowned by the music inside of it. You and Steve were really not paying attention to that anymore. Not when his fingers started to push in again, now his ring finger joining his middle one. He moaned as he felt you clench a bit around them, fluttering as your name fell off his lips almost in a prayer.

You felt tight, you felt so warm, and he had to clench his eyes as a thrust of his hips sent a jolt of electricity all over his body. Eddie’s words rang in his ears, taunting him, wanting him to cave in. He didn’t need to think of where the condoms were, not right now, not today. He clenched his eyes tightly as he breathed shakily, concentrating once again when he felt your nails scratch his head, pulling on his hair slightly.

He started going slow, his tongue lapping at your clit as his fingers went in and out of you, the squelching starting to be heard, even over the music. His left hand was still gripping your waist, pushing you against his fingers, guiding you. Your body trembled at the feeling of him, at the brush of his fingers and knuckles inside of you. 

Your legs were spread and bent around his head, letting him have the full access he required, that he needed, that he craved. You were being so good for him. So perfect, just like he always knew you’d be. His fingers picked up a pace, curling his fingers upward, feeling your fingers pull on his hair when you felt your insides turning. Your belly was starting to cramp, and you were overwhelmed at how good all of it felt.

His eyes opened to look up at your expressions, at your movements, his mouth leaving your clit so he could concentrate on your sounds. He could now feel you moving underneath him, jerking your hips every now and then. Your head was thrown back on the pillow, your back arching and your chest heaving as moans and whines escaped your lips. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

He felt you fluttering around his fingers, a triumphant smile spreading on his lips as he felt you getting wetter and wetter. You rubbed his head, urging him to put his mouth back on you again, but he was not moving. You whimpered, forcing yourself to look down at him with pleading eyes. Big, begging, and he almost, just almost, caved in.

“Stevie–”

“Did you cum?” His question threw you off, breathing heavily, about to answer only for your words to die on your tongue when a particular drag of his fingers sent a jolt to your belly, your head falling against the pillow again.

“Steve–” You sighed and he groaned, his fingers slowing down again, keeping them curled, but moving at a pace that was not satisfying you. You frowned, looking down at him once more, your mind in need for him to keep moving. “Don’t stop–”

“Did he make you cum?” You stuttered, closing your eyes as his thumb brushed against your clit. “I won’t keep going if you don’t–”

“I didn’t! I– faked it– I faked it–!” Happy with your answer, his fingers started moving again, and you sighed in content, your head back on the pillow as you felt yourself start to flutter again. Your climax was so close, you could feel it, and you knew he could too.

“Why?” He growled out, and you were not answering again, making him slow down again, his teeth coming to tug at your clit rather harshly, making your entire body jerk against him. Your hands were still on his head, and he fought against every tug and push of yours. “I am asking you questions, Sunshine.”

“Fuck– Stevie– I’m gonna cum, I–” 

“Focus.” He wanted to hear it. He needed to hear it. It was already a win that Aaron hadn’t gotten an orgasm out of you, but he had a feeling that he was going to love the reason as to why you did what you did even better. You took sharp breaths in as you felt your entire body start to cramp, trying not to rip your boyfriend’s scalp off.

“I couldn’t– I couldn’t stop thinking about you– And I just wanted it to be you– OH god–!” Your right hand left his hair as your back started to arch when he picked up a pace again, desperately so. It went to grip the pillow underneath your head while the other tugged at his hair.

His hips started to rut into the mattress at your answer furiously. He was so drunk on you. He was so hypnotized. You had thought of him the whole time you were with the other man. Steve had definitely won it all. Despite this not being your first experience, he now knew you would consider it your real one. The one that made a difference. 

His lips came to desperately take your clit again, sucking on it as his fingers moved rapidly inside of you, abusing your g-spot over and over again. Your mind was blank; you weren’t measuring your moans anymore, nor the number of times you were sighing Steve’s name out of your lips. 

All you knew was that you started to see stars, your entire body setting on fire as you started to pulse around his digits. You were breathing heavily, your head thrashing around the pillow, trying to survive whatever tidal wave Steve was about to unleash on you. 

“Cum, baby. Cum for me.” 

And you listened. Your insides clenched around him, tightly, and your legs closed around his head as your belly exploded, your climax crashing over you instantly. It was big, it was intense, it was something you’ve never felt before in your life. Your entire body felt like it was on fire, yet it was cool, and your toes cramped as they curled into themselves. 

Your mouth was open as you tried to breathe in, and then, a loud cry escaped you as you trembled fiercely underneath him. He moaned into your clit as he rode your orgasm out, feeling your legs around his head, almost about to crush him, but he didn’t care. Holy shit, he couldn’t care fucking less because you felt so tight. You felt so fucking good, and his cock wasn’t even inside of you. 

You heard him groan loudly, or maybe it was your imagination. You didn’t know what was real and not anymore. Your mind was gone as your orgasm started subsiding. You felt your walls unclench slowly from around him, fluttering every now and then as his tongue licked at your clit with kitten licks. 

Once he felt you completely let go of his fingers, he started to slowly take them out of you, and you whimpered as you felt the loss of them. He then saw your cunt, glistening, almost dripping down towards the sheets. He couldn’t help himself when he lolled his tongue out and licked the stripe of your wetness, tasting you even more than before. He groaned into you as he lapped at you.

You whined, your body jerking at the overstimulation. Your hand gripped his scalp, trying to rip him away from you, legs spreading again to let go of his head. You were panting, catching your breath as you felt yourself a little lightheaded. You were in complete and utter bliss, all out of your boyfriend becoming jealous and possessive. 

He pulled away from your cunt finally, licking his fingers clean. Now, he felt so sweaty. He should have gotten his shirt off at least. He was breathing heavily, wiping his chin with the back of his sleeve, knowing he would have to wash it now anyway. He felt you spasming a bit, and he let go of your waist, looking up at you as you lay spent on the bed. Good.

He crawled slowly over you, kissing your hip and then your stomach as he went. He could feel now how hot you were running, and he was so happy that he was the reason for all of these reactions of yours. He sighed as he kissed your jaw and then your cheek, trying to center you back in the present.

“Sunshine? You okay?” He asked, wanting to really know that you were alright. Wanting to know he didn’t overdo it. He is now slowly realizing just how rough he had been with you. A side of him he never got to meet before. When he saw those romance movies where the man got overly jealous always seemed exaggerated to him. He was so wrong. Those feelings existed with the right person, and the right person for him, was you.

“Y–Yeah…” You sighed, giving a slow nod, your eyes finally opening again. You found him looking down at you and he looked so disheveled. He looked so gone. He looked so good. A smirk appeared on his panting lips.

“Felt good?” You nodded quickly at his question, almost making him sigh out of relief. You gulped, licking your lips. You were tired, but you wanted to return the favor to him. You wanted to make Steve feel good too. You wanted to at least try.

“I– Can I return the favor?” His eyes widened at your request. He licked his lips nervously as he felt his heart skipping a beat.

“You don’t need to force yourself to do it. I wanted to do that to make you feel good, not expecting anything in return–”

“I want to give something in return. I want to taste you too… I want to touch you too, Steve…” And he trembled on top of you, his breathing becoming steady again. He gulped, shaking his head slowly.

“There’s… No need for that…” You frowned, a bit of your self-consciousness kicking in again as you looked up at him.

“I– I know I never did that, but you can teach me… I can learn as I go… You just have to show me what you like best, Stevie…” He wanted to shoot something at your words. He wanted to cave a hole into the RV’s ceiling with his fist to get some cold air in because he felt suffocated. How can you say something like that to him? Do you even know what kind of power you had over him?

“Thank you, baby, but I really– don’t have the need for it, right now…” His eyes were hopeful, wanting to save himself from shame, but you only looked at him with confused eyes.

“I… Are you sure–?”

And before you could doubt yourself anymore, he decided to rip the truth out like a Band-Aid.

“Jesus chri– I came in my pants while eating you out, Sunshine.”

You blinked a few times, his words starting to process in your head. He was blushing a furious red, his hair falling over his forehead as he looked everywhere but your face. He came just by touching you. Just touching you. You didn’t even know that was a thing.

“O– Oh!” You couldn’t help the giggle that came out of your lips, feeling the entire situation funny, yet endearing, yet… so sexy. So erotic. His eyes went down to look at your laughing face, feeling embarrassed, but despite that, he smiled, digging his face into your neck to hide himself.

“Don’t laugh, you menace.” You felt him kiss your pulse point, your arms coming to wrap around his shoulders as your giggles kept going. 

“It’s hot though.” He let go of your neck, moving to face you again and you were looking at him with an innocent look in your eyes. 

“Definitely a menace.” His heart felt like bursting while staring down at you when another smile broke on your lips. He leaned down to take them into a kiss, his arms wrapping around your body as you kissed back. He was content, he was happy, and he was proud he had made you feel that good. 

You let him cuddle you and kiss you after. Steve left for the bathroom to wash himself and change, while you changed in the bedroom. When you were left by yourself, you couldn’t help but remember every single touch he gave you. Every single sensation you felt, and just remembering that his tongue was on you, was enough to make your entire face burn up and melt away.

When he returned, he was wearing his sweatpants and a white loose shirt on. His hair was wet, and he shook his head like a dog, trying to dry it a bit more. You bit your lip while looking at him as you sat in the bed, inside the covers, waiting for him. He felt his heart skip a beat, and he opened his mouth, only for you to cover your mouth, alarming him.

“Eddie and Nancy! They– They definitely heard me!” You gasped with terror, and he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, uh… I should turn the music down…” He blushed and you frowned, confused, tilting your head like you always did. Then, you finally realized how loud the music was compared to other times. He had dialed the volume up on purpose, with the pure intent of doing what he did to you.

Before you could say anything to him, feeling shame invade him, he closed the blinds and he rushed out towards the front, reaching out to the radio to turn it off. He gulped as he took a deep breath in, walking towards the cupboards to grab one of the water bottles. He opened it and took a big gulp, trying to quench his thirst. He closed the cap, and then he started hearing murmuring outside the RV.

The door opened slowly, Eddie and Nancy walking in. They were talking about possible towns to visit, the map and journal in their hands, and Steve sighed with relief as they didn’t question anything, nor spared him a single look as they went to the front to take their seats. Steve grabbed the water bottle, turning to go to the back again, his hand grabbing the handle of the sliding door.

“Steve.” Nancy’s voice cut his thoughts short, turning his head over his shoulder, and he found two pairs of cheeky eyes looking at him, a smirk on each of their face, making Steve nervous.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Don’t forget to change the sheets.” His mouth opened in shock, the two friends turning to look at the road again, and their talking resumed as if Nancy hadn’t said anything at all.

He gulped, opening the blinds and stepping back in. He looked up at you, and he noticed your horrified face. He winced, frowning almost in pain as the embarrassment kicked in for both of you.

“They definitely heard me.”

“I– Yeah.”

☀︎

You have stumbled into his life on a random afternoon, and you had him from the moment his eyes locked with yours. He didn’t know it then, but he knew that dangerous look in your eyes would bring him to his knees. 

He feels the tips of your fingers on his skin, tracing his nose, tracing his lips. His heart skips strongly, his skin tingles beneath your touch. 

Steve peeks one eye open and his smile widens when he sees the lovesick look in your eyes – he knows it matches his own, though, he can’t help but tease you. 

“Creep.” 

Your hand freezes on his face, and you grow flustered beneath his eyes. Your lips curl into a pout, and you feign offence. You pull your hand back and turn around in his arms, moving away as you give him your back. 

Steve chuckles at your cute act, but he doesn’t let you move away anymore. He grabs you and pulls you back with ease, moving on top of you, he cages you in with his arms, pinning you beneath his body. 

You grow even more flustered at his sudden move, and you start blushing underneath his gaze. Steve grins down at you as he brushes your hair out of your face, tracing your soft skin with his calloused fingers. He admires you for a moment, letting it sink in that he will always have this now. He’s not sure how much his heart can take; surely it will explode someday with the way he feels for you. 

“Good morning, baby.” He breaks the silence with his raspy voice. 

Your heart skips so strongly that it catches you off guard. Your skin heats up, especially on your face. Those flutters in your stomach nearly overwhelming you. A part of you wants to squeal and another wants to grab his face and kiss him stupid, but you do neither; instead, a giggle falls from your lips. You see the way his eyes sparkle with amusement at that sound, at your reaction. His smile widens, and you can’t help but hide your face behind your hands, feeling embarrassment creep up on you. 

But Steve doesn’t let you, he grabs your wrists softly and pulls your hands away from your face. 

“Don’t hide from me, Sunshine.” He whispers as he leans down and pecks your lips. “I wanna see your pretty face, baby.” Another kiss to your lips. “Can’t believe I get to wake up like this from now and just be able to do this.” Steve whispers as he pecks your lips once more before he starts kissing all over your face, covering you in his adoration. He presses his lips to your cheeks, your nose, your forehead, your cheekbones, your jaw, the corner of your mouth. 

“Stevie!” You squeak as giggles continue to fall from your lips. Your heart is in overdrive. Everything inside of you is screaming in joy. 

Steve is smiling so widely as he buries his face in your neck, kissing over your pulse. The way you said his name awakens something else in him. His stomach flutters strongly, especially when his hands find your waist beneath your shirt, and he feels your bare skin. 

Your hands find their way to his hair, and you can’t help but sink your fingers further into it, giving a slight tug which makes him groan in response. The sound vibrates against your skin as he continues to kiss up your neck and back to your jaw, pressing a few kisses along it before he finally moves up to face you again. His nose nudges yours, his hooded eyes gaze into your own as they flicker between them and your lips.

“Can I kiss you, baby?” Steve murmurs as his thumbs rub against your waist, massaging you. 

Your eyebrows furrow together, and your eyes get bigger with need. You nod your head quickly against the pillow beneath it. Your grip tightens on his hair as you pull him down a little more. 

“Please.” You whisper, just now realizing how breathless you are. And how can you not be? When you woke up in his arms. When you get to watch him sleep. When you get to touch his skin. When you get to feel his touch. When you get to feel his kisses. When you get to feel him feel the same for you. When you get to feel him. 

His lip curls up into a smile at the needy tone in your voice that matches just what he feels. He wastes no time closing his eyes and smash his lips against yours, kissing you stupid. His heart flutters, and he can’t help but moan into your mouth when you mewl into the kiss and pull at his hair. 

He holds you even tighter than before, his hands moving higher and higher, fingers ghosting over the sides of your boobs. 

You arch your back, searching for his body even more as you press your chest against his. Your movements invite him to deepen the kiss, and he swipes his tongue along your bottom lip. He earns another moan from you, the sound going straight south, making his stomach clench. His entire skin is burning. Everything inside of him is aching for you. He’s been wanting you for so long that his whole being is now in overdrive. You, your sounds, your taste, your lips, everything about you drives him crazy, but especially the intensity of how you kiss him. It makes him feel something he had never felt before, something he can’t even place, but it’s so easy to fall into you, especially when you envelope him into your arms that way. 

Yeah, you have him on his knees, and he’d be crawling towards you even if you didn’t want him. 

Your tongues meet, and your lips move so slowly yet passionately. There is no fight for dominance, just two lovers finally kissing. 

And you can’t believe that you are here, under him, feeling him. Just like back then in the car, you feel him pressing against you, and it only awakens a deep hunger in you. 

“Steve.” You whimper when he rolls his hips against you slowly. He doesn’t stop kissing you. He moves his hand up to the side of your face, cradling it as he continues to peck your lips. 

“Hmm?” He hums, not wanting to miss the feeling of your lips on his. 

You sink your fingers deeper into his hair, as your other hand moves down to his shoulder blade. 

You are not even sure what you were trying to say, because when he pulls you in for another kiss, everything is forgotten. Absolutely everything. And you don’t know how much time passes, how long you two stay in bed, kissing and touching each other like this, but you are pretty sure that it’s a long, long time. The thing that makes you both pull away is the growling in your stomach. It makes you freeze in embarrassment. And Steve pulls away with a furrow in his brows, his puffy lips curling into a pout as he stares down at you. 

You groan in embarrassment and bring your hands up to your face.

“Hey, hey.” Steve whispers, gently pulling your wrists away from your face. You don’t know why you expect him to look amused, because it isn’t what’s on his face at all, far from it. You see concern and worry. “When’s the last time you have actually eaten, Sunshine?”

Oh. 

You avoid his eyes, and try to look away, but he doesn’t let you. He pinches your chin between his fingers and forces you to look at him.

“Baby.” His voice now soft, yet stern, just like the look on his face. 

It’s hard to focus on his question when the pet name nearly makes your heart explode. 

“I don’t know, I wasn’t very hungry…” You admit. 

Steve sighs softly. His eyes are filled with guilt, knowing that the loss of appetite was because of him. 

“You can’t–” He is cut off by his own stomach growling, making him freeze this time. 

You both stare at each other for a moment. 

You raise your eyebrows at him, “When’s the last time you’ve eaten, Stevie?” You try to mock him, though the same worry resides in your voice as it did in his. 

He felt the same as you did. 

Steve huffs a little, though a small smile tugs at his lips. 

“Guess we got our appetite back,” he whispers and leans down to peck your lips once more. “Wanna go out there and face the world… and have some oatmeal?”

You scrunch your nose up, which only makes him smile bigger. 

“I’d rather stay in bed with you…” You whisper, gazing up into his eyes. “In my apartment… back in New York… where we’d lay in bed all morning and only get up to make waffles… and bacon… and scrambled eggs. We’d go back to bed after and stay like this.” 

Steve’s eyes soften even more. His heart warms in his chest. Your words make him feel special. To think that you have imagined such things before, that you have imagined him in parts of your life where you hadn’t even crossed paths yet. He doesn’t know whether to smile or cry from sheer happiness. 

“That sounds like a dream to me, Sunshine.” He whispers as he caresses your cheek, admiring your beautiful face. “I can’t give you back the New York apartment, but… You and I can have a place in California.” He says, showing you the seriousness of what he feels for you, of what he wants with you.

You breathe in shakily, staring into his vulnerable eyes. He looks at you like he is scared of your answer. As though there would be anything but a yes. 

Your heart is fluttering like crazy. All the hope you’ve started to bury resurfacing again. Every thought about not coming with them has been long forgotten since the moment he kissed you. 

“By the beach? Even better.” You whisper, pretending to be calm despite how much you want to squeal. 

“Yeah?” He asks as his eyes lighten up as his heart skips a strong beat at the excitement in your eyes. He’s not letting you go. That’s been clear from the start, no matter what will happen, he is not letting you go. 

“Yeah.” You whisper. 

“Good, cause I don’t want to spend a single moment without you… ever again.” He admits as he buries his face in your neck, snuggling you into the mattress as he inhales your scent. 

You waste no time wrapping your arms around him, stronger, holding him against you with a smile on your face. 

“I don’t want to be without you either, Steve.” You whisper as you run your fingers through his hair. 

“You’re coming with me.” Steve says, determined. 

You nod, and your smile widens when he moves up to face you again, gazing into your eyes with a promise in his own. 

“No matter what, I am with you.” He whispers as he cradles your cheek again, caressing your skin for a moment before he reaches for your hand and places it on his chest, right above his heart. “And you are with me.”

Your face softens, though your eyes grow wider, filled with something that Steve was so afraid of before. 

“I’m not going anywhere without you now, Steve.” You promise. 

Your words mend the fear inside of him a little, not enough to take it completely because a part of him still fears losing you, not because you’ll walk away, no. You proved time and time again that you would never walk away from him. 

But he knows the dangers of this world. He felt it. 

But he won’t let that be the reason to run from his feelings for you any longer. He will do anything to keep you safe. And he will fight for you both. 

“You’re never getting rid of me now.” He sighs dramatically before he buries his face in your neck, making you giggle as you wrap your arms around him. 

You can’t describe the feelings rushing through you now, not even if you tried. Your whole heart warms in your chest, and you can’t fight the smile off your lips. 

You never thought you’d see such a side of him. You never thought you could have him like this. 

“Promise?” 

Your soft voice makes him look up at you again, and when your eyes lock, he wonders how he was ever able to hold back for so long. 

“I promise.” He whispers as he caresses the scar on your cheekbone that you got on the day you had killed to protect him, while you stare at the scar around his neck from the time you weren’t in his life yet. 

You don’t know how much more time passes of you lying in bed, cuddling, kissing, and making up for lost time, but the sun is up high by the time you actually get up. You get dressed and you brush your teeth side by side in the tiny bathroom, eyeing each other through the mirror with nothing but happiness in your eyes’. 

Steve insists on brushing your hair. He treats it with care, gently brushing his fingers through it before he picks up the hairbrush. Your heart is fluttering the whole time you look at him through the mirror. His eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, his lips pressed together as he attempts to braid it. 

“Where’d you learn that?” You ask in curiosity. 

“I didn’t.” Steve chuckles, glancing at you for a second. “Don’t expect a pretty braid, honey. I watched you do it.” 

Your eyes widen, and heat rushes to your cheeks. 

He watched you? 

“You always look so cute doing your hair.” Steve smiles as he puts your hair tie around the braid once finished. 

“Stop…” You whisper, blushing. 

Steve’s smile widens, and his eyes light up at your blushing. You are getting shy with him now, and he thinks it’s the most adorable thing. 

He decides not to tease you, but he can’t help but wrap his arms around you and pull you into his chest, leaning down to kiss your cheek.

He can tell by the surprised look on your face, just like this morning when he woke up and pinned you beneath his body, that you aren’t used to this. You aren’t used to him being like this, but also you aren’t used to affection in this sense. 

He knows you will need time. 

“C’mon.” He whispers and reaches for your hand, giving it a tight squeeze. He leads you out of the bathroom, and you both finish getting ready in comfortable silence. You both put on your jackets and boots. You grab your thigh holster and fasten it to your belt and around your thigh. 

He is watching you the whole time, a smile lingering on his face. He’s done that before too, but now he doesn’t feel the need to hide anymore. 

He reaches for your hand again when he opens the door. He is the first to step out. 

Eddie and Nancy are sitting on their camping chairs, backs turned towards the RV. They are chatting, sipping on their coffees, and looking out into the forest. A small fire is still burning, the wood crackling. The sun is shining today, melting more of the snow on the grass. Steve takes a moment to look around the spot where they had parked the RV at. Another lake, a clear view of the mountains, and a pretty forest. This little spot looks untouched by the world. 

Eddie and Nancy glance at each other before they both turn around to face the two of you. 

A smile appears on Nancy’s face when she looks down at your joined hands, while Eddie raises his eyebrows, smirking as his eyes flicker between you both. 

“Good morning.” Steve nods with a smile on his face. He feels you squeezing his hand, and he can tell that you are nervous. He gives you a reassuring squeeze back and looks over his shoulder, smiling softly. 

“Morning? It’s 12 pm.” Eddie snorts. “But yeah, good morning, lovebirds.”

Nancy shakes her head at her best friend, rolling her eyes but with a smile on her face. 

“It’s that late?” Steve asks, surprised. 

“Yeah, we only stopped driving about two hours ago, though.” Nancy nods. 

Eddie eyes you curiously as you stick to Steve’s side, almost shyly. You sit down on the chair next to Nancy while Steve picks up the coffee pot and pours you a cup. 

“Two hours ago?” Steve gasps. “You should’ve woken us up, you guys need your sleep too.”

“It’s fine, man. You two needed it more.” Eddie says, still looking at you. “You look…” He pauses to look at the marks on Steve’s neck from where he had left his jacket open. “Refreshed.” He smirks as he looks back at you. For someone usually chatty, you are awfully quiet. 

Steve gives him a warning glance, as well as Nancy, who notices your unusual behaviour right away. 

“We finally caught up on sleep.” Steve retorts as he turns towards you and hands you the coffee. You give him a small smile, thanking him as you wrap your hands around the warm mug. 

“You guys should eat, there’s oatmeal in the pot. Eddie made it too sweet though–”

“It’s not too sweet, it’s perfect!” Eddie cuts Nancy off, waving her off with his hand before he takes a sip of his coffee. 

Nancy rolls her eyes at him, though not without a smile. It eases the feelings from the days before inside of you. The tension between them has faded away, as it seems, and they have reconciled after days of being snappy towards each other. 

“You have the taste buds of a twelve year old.” Nancy mumbles. 

“Uh, twelve year olds clearly have a better taste in food than you do.” Eddie snorts, squinting his eyes at his best friend. “Bet you ordered meatloaf at diners while everyone else got burgers and fries.” 

“Meatloaf is great!” Nancy argues. 

“See! You got the tastebuds of a grandma, Wheeler!” 

You and Steve share amused glances while the two of them continue their banter. The relief in both yours and his eyes is evident. Everything is falling back into place again, finally. 

Steve scoots his camping chair closer to yours before he finally sits down beside you after handing you the bowl of oatmeal. You smile shyly at him and look down at your breakfast. You pick up the spoon and start eating. 

Steve doesn’t take his eyes off you. His smile never fades either; if anything, it widens when he sees how big your eyes get when you taste the oats. 

“That’s…” You mumble after taking the first bite, looking over at Eddie. “The best oatmeal I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

“What–” Nancy mumbles in disgust. 

Eddie’s eyes widen just like yours do. A victorious laugh falling from his lips, he shoots Nancy a satisfied grin. 

“See, I always knew you got taste, Sweetheart.” Eddie grins at you. “Put some extra sugar in, cause I know you like it sweet.” 

Your heart warms at his words and at the smile directed at you. Up till yesterday, you thought that you had lost him. That the disappointment he felt in you had pushed him away from you. That you lost another friend, but the smile he gives you proves otherwise. 

You smile back at him before you look down. You continue eating your breakfast in silence, missing all the glances between the three. 

Eddie is on the edge of his seat, Steve can see it, especially with the way he keeps bouncing his knee, opening his mouth though shutting it again seconds later whenever Nancy raises her eyebrows at him. 

But Eddie’s patience only lasts for so long. 

“So… are you guys…” He mumbles, pointing his finger between you both. His eyes on Steve and how he is practically glued to your side now. 

Your cheeks are burning the moment that question leaves Eddie’s lips. You glance at Steve, who is already smiling at you. He reaches for your hand, he entwines his fingers with your own. 

“Yeah.” Steve whispers, his own cheeks heating up as well now. His heart skips a beat. “We’re together.”

You squeeze his hand and look down with a smile on your face. 

Eddie and Nancy share a glance, smiles spreading on their lips. The girl leans closer to you and nudges your shoulder, giving you a pointed look that says ‘girls talk. later.’ 

“Awe!” Eddie coos, tilting his head to the side. “Sunshine, you are blushing!” 

“Oh my god.” You mumble in embarrassment. 

Steve chuckles at your reaction. He can’t help but wrap his arm around you and pull you into his chest. You instantly bury your face in it, hiding from Eddie and Nancy. 

“Leave my girl alone!” Steve warns Eddie, who just opened his mouth to tease you some more. 

My girl. 

You almost squeal into his chest. 

Nancy giggles at your reaction, eyes flashing with excitement. 

Eddie brings his hands up in surrender, unable to fight the smile off his lips. He looks between you both, and slowly he relaxes back into his seat. The amusement in his eyes transforms into something else when he sees how happy Steve looks. How life slipped back into his eyes. How his eyes are shining again. How his cheeks are glowing again. How his smile is so bright and filled with joy – he isn’t even sure if he has ever seen him like this before. 

And Nancy, she is watching you both with a smile on her face too. She was angry with Steve before, but now she is proud of him for finally getting over whatever was pulling him away and holding him back from you. 

“Alright, alright.” Eddie nods as he gets up. “We’ll definitely have a talk later, but now… we need to catch up on some sleep.” 

“Yeah, you guys take the bed.” Steve nods. His arm is still secured around you, even as you now look back at your friends again. “We will sit outside for a bit and then uh, I guess it’s my turn to drive. I’ve got a passenger princess now.” He grins, making you blush all over again. 

Nancy bites back her smile when your eyes meet hers, though she can’t help but wink at you before she gets up and makes her way into the RV. 

Eddie laughs at your flustered expression, but to your surprise, he says nothing. He wiggles his brows at the two of you before he turns around and follows Nancy inside. 

It’s quiet between you for a moment. Steve keeps his arm wrapped around you, and he leans down to kiss the top of your head. 

“Passenger princess.” You whisper.

“It’s true,” Steve chuckles as he squeezes your upper arm. “You’re my passenger princess.”

Your giggle makes his heart flutter strongly in his chest. It makes the smile stay on his face. Your shyness was something he didn’t expect, at least not to this extent, but it makes you even more endearing. 

You look up at him, still blushing. 

“You’re so… sweet.”

He furrows his eyebrows with a chuckle. He brings his hand up to your face, cupping your cheek. 

“Is that a bad thing?” Steve asks, amused. 

Your lip curls into a soft smile, and you shake your head at him. 

“Not at all. Just…” You clear your throat and wrap your hand around his before you pull back and straighten up in your seat. You look down for a moment, trying to find the right words. Steve eyes you curiously, waiting for you patiently. “Kind of crazy to think of how this all started between us… You hated me–”

“I never hated you.” Steve argues, shaking his head. 

You squint your eyes as you look back up at him, which makes Steve chuckle. He brings your hand up to his lips, giving your knuckles a kiss. 

There are so many things he wants to say to you, to tell you how he really felt, to tell you what he thought when he first met you but he isn’t sure if it’s appropriate yet, if it’s the right time. 

“You don’t believe me?” He asks, moving closer to you as he wraps his arm around your waist. 

“You were a bitch to me so no, I don’t believe–” Suddenly Steve’s fingers disappear beneath your jacket, digging into your waist. A loud laugh falls from your lips as he starts to tickle you. 

“Steve!” You squeal, giggling. 

Steve is chuckling mischievously, loving the effect he has on you. The way you blush, the way you giggle, the way you are so flustered now. He can’t help his next move, he grabs your waist and pulls you onto his lap, wanting to feel you closer. 

Another squeal falls from your lips when you feel his thigh underneath you. You wrap your arm around him, trying not to drop your coffee, although some of it lands on the melting snow. 

Steve holds you tightly as he leans in to peck your cheek. 

Yeah, it’s more than crazy to feel – to have such a side of him when you look back at the time you just met. You look down at him, holding on tighter than before. He smiles at you so lovingly that it makes your breathing stutter. 

He has changed so much since then. He opened up. He let you in. And now you are getting a part of him you never thought you would – not then, not a few days ago. 

He is gazing up at you. His eyes trace your features. His fingers dig into your hip tightly. He holds you like he is afraid that you will slip away if he lets go. 

“Sunshine?” 

“Yeah?” You whisper, smiling softly. 

He brings his hand up to your face, tucking back a stray hair that escaped your braid. He caresses your cheek. His eyes are still tracing your features, admiring you.

“You really are my sunshine you know…?” He whispers, knowing how corny it sounds but it’s the truth. “When–” He clears his throat as his smile fades a bit. “When I pushed you away, when we had that… distance between us… I felt like I did back then… before you came into my life. I felt like I had lost everything once again.”

Your smile slowly slips away as sadness creeps into your eyes, and your heart clenches in your chest. 

“Steve–”

He shakes his head, squeezing your hip.

“No, baby. Don’t feel sorry for me. I am sorry for what I did. I shouldn’t have let fear take you away from me. I was so scared of losing you, not seeing that I was doing all that myself.” He whispers, blinking quickly because he doesn’t want his eyes to tear up again. “I should have been honest with you instead of making you feel like you didn’t mean anything to me, like I wasn’t crazy about you. I was scared, terrified. We’re stuck in this world where anything could happen at any moment, and I feel something for you that I have never felt for anyone else before.”

Your eyes widen in surprise as your stomach flips at his words. 

“But… I’ll do anything to make it up to you now. I will fight for you, for us.” He promises. 

A part of you feels nothing but joy at his words. This is all you ever wanted. This is all you craved, to have him like this, to be with him. But the other part of you feels guilt. Because while he was suffering in silence, you were unknowingly making him feel worse by seeing another man, making him believe that your feelings and your actions weren’t genuine. 

Steve notices the conflict in your eyes, the way they sadden as you get lost in your head. 

“Hey…” He whispers, making you look into his eyes again. “What’s wrong…?”

You take a deep breath, feeling unable to look into his eyes without the guilt eating at you. 

“I just… I– Aaron.” You stutter. 

Steve tenses up beneath you, his jaw clenches, and his eyes darken at the mention of him. He breathes in deeply. 

“I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry.” You don’t know what else to say. 

“It’s okay, Sunshine.” Steve whispers, though he can’t help but feel sour even at the thought of him. 

“No, it’s not. I wouldn’t have–”

“I know.” Steve nods, cutting you off. He takes your hand in his, giving it a squeeze. “I just wish I wasn’t such an idiot. I could have been the one to take you dancing…” 

Your heart flutters at just the thought of it. A shy smile creeps up on your face, and you squeeze his hand back. 

“You can still take me dancing.” You whisper. 

Steve’s lips curl into a smile, and he brings your hand up to his lips, kissing your knuckles. 

“I will,” he promises. “When we get to California, I will take you dancing.” 

“I can’t wait.” You smile. Your eyes flicker to his lips for a moment before you look back into his eyes, watching all kinds of emotions swirling in them. 

“Sunshine, I’m sorry.” He whispers after a moment of silence. He knows the pain he has caused you. He knows the insecurities you have dealt with because of him. He knows he crushed your heart. 

“I’m sorry too, Steve.” You whisper. You felt guilty too, knowing he wasn’t eating or sleeping because of you, knowing he was dealing with his own fears and not allowing himself to have what he wanted to have. 

Steve furrows his eyebrows, shaking his head at you. 

“You don’t–”

“We both suffered, Steve.” You mumble and look down, unable to look into his eyes. “You even more so… What I did was wrong… I shouldn’t have–”

Steve shakes his head at your words. As much as he hates that you found comfort in someone else, he was the one who pushed you away and let you be with him. 

“You believed that I didn’t want you, Sunshine…” Steve whispers, and he can’t even say those words without feeling pain in his heart. “Y-You thought… You thought that I saw Robin in you and that she was the reason why I wanted you close.”

You finally look at him again, a little intrigued, a little uncertain. 

“But that was never the case, honey. You may have a running mouth like she did, and I know… I just know that the two of you together? You’d both drive me insane!” 

You can’t help but giggle and shake your head, though his words do fill you with relief. 

His lips quirk up a bit, but his face grows serious once again, and he looks into your eyes deeply. 

“But you were never a replacement, you hear me?” He asks as he caresses your cheek. “I know I wasn’t the best at showing how I really felt for you, but I swear to god, you drive me crazy, baby.” 

Your cheeks heat up beneath his hands. A soft smile creeps up on your face. 

“Crazy, huh?” You ask, even though he said it yesterday already. 

Steve nods, enjoying the shyness glowing in your eyes. 

“I’ll spend every minute of our life showing you just how much.” He whispers and leans closer, giving your lips a sweet kiss. 

Your heart skips a beat at his words, at his touch, at his kiss. You can’t help but want more, but a part of you feels too shy to ask for another kiss, so you place your forehead against his instead. 

“I’d like that.” You whisper and nearly sigh in relief when he pulls you in for a deep kiss. 

Steve almost feels it, the relief – it’s in the way you kiss him back, the way you curl into his touch. He doesn’t really notice it right away, just how shy you are with him now. 

At first, he thinks it’s because of Nancy and Eddie, that their prying eyes keep you from being affectionate, not used to being this close to someone else, and with others watching you, giggling behind your back. 

But then he notices how that shyness continues even when it’s just the two of you. You don’t make the first move, and he doesn’t know whether it’s because of his rejection when you did try to kiss him then, or if it’s because you aren’t used to this kind of affection from somebody else. 

You didn’t tell him all that much about your ex-boyfriend, but he knows that affection wasn’t something you got from that piece of shit. Not only did he call you clingy, he also never held your hand in public, let alone kissed you. Not to mention that he cheated on you throughout the course of your relationship. 

He also noticed how shy you were around Aaron, who didn’t hide his interest in you. He remembers how you curled into yourself when he openly complimented you and flirted with you. Unfortunately, he also remembers how shy you got when Aaron kissed you in front of everyone else. 

It’s pretty clear that you struggle accepting affection or even showing it yourself, no matter how much you crave it. You were more open with it before he rejected you, but that must have been because you were still tiptoeing between the lines of friends and lovers. 

Something is holding you back now. Whether it’s your shyness or your fear of scaring him away by being affectionate towards him yourself. 

And as much as he wants to bring it up to you, he wants to wait and give you time, thinking that it might get resolved on its own, that maybe you just need time. 

But then a few days go by, and nothing changes. 

Though he does find it endearing when you walk up to him with no intention to make a move yourself, yet looking at him with big eyes that flicker between his lips and his eyes, expecting a kiss from him. He gives you what you want every time, how can he not? When you look at him like that, acting so goddamn cute. 

Though today, he can’t help but tease you when you step into the RV just after he finished washing the dishes. You lean against the wall next to him, looking up at him the way you always do. 

A smile tugs at his lips, and his eyes flicker with amusement when he glances at you. You raise your brows, giving him a sweet smile as you make eyes at him. It’s very obvious what you want, and it’s very difficult for him not to give in right away, but he wants you to be the one to make the first move now. 

He almost chuckles when he hears you huff as he turns back to the sink, wiping it dry with the kitchen towel. He takes his time with it before he finally turns back to you. 

“Are you waiting for something, baby?”

He feels a little bad when your smile falls and your shoulders slump. You shake your head, growing flustered. 

“No…” You whisper and turn around, planning to walk away again, but he doesn’t let you. He grabs your hand and pulls you back. He cups your cheeks and leans down to kiss you. He grins against your lips when you melt against him instantly. He feels you grabbing his shirt and pulling him down, wanting to feel him closer. His stomach flips at your action, and he can’t help but move his hands down to your waist and push you against the wall behind you. 

Your whimper vibrates against his mouth, and the sound is like music to his ears. He feels your tongue against his bottom lip and your hands on his neck. You deepen the kiss and push yourself further against him. 

It’s funny how you are so shy to make the first move, but once he has you in his embrace and his lips are on yours, you lose yourself in him completely, kissing him stupid. 

But it makes him wonder. 

“Sunshine?” Steve murmurs against your lips, “can I ask you something?” 

Your hands move to his hair, and you look at him through hooded eyes now – something that drives him crazy. 

You nod, whispering a small ‘yes’. 

“Why the sudden shyness?” He asks as he moves his hand to the back of your neck. He watches your reaction closely, seeing the way your eyes widen for a moment, the way your lips part and close again. You grow even more flustered, like you are embarrassed to say it. 

Your eyes flash with too many emotions that he can’t even make out the strongest of all. 

As cute as he thinks it is, how you always come up to him, waiting for a kiss, he needs you to know that you can grab him and kiss him whenever you want. He needs you to understand something. 

“I am your boyfriend. You can kiss me whenever you want.” 

Your breath hitches in your throat, and your eyes widen once again. Your heart jumps with joy. Boyfriend. 

Steve watches the way your eyes light up at his words and the way your body loses its tension. Your lips curl up slowly, and he can tell that you are holding back a giggle. 

“I– It just still feels so unreal,” you whisper as you press your chest against his, blinking up at him. 

Steve’s heart could burst from his chest with how happy he feels to see you feeling such joy over him. 

He cradles the side of your face, gazing into your eyes. 

“Well, it’s very real. I am your boyfriend, and you can do whatever you want to me.” He grins, almost chuckling when he sees how flustered you get at his words, knowing damn well where your mind went. He can’t help but tease you. 

He fakes a frown as his eyes widen, and he begins to let go of you, taking a step back. “Oh wait, I’m– maybe that’s not what you wanted with me?” He murmurs, pressing a hand to his chest as he stares at you. “So inconsiderate on my part. I was quick to assume–”

You suddenly lurch forward and grab him by the collars of his shirt, pulling him down, you slam your lips against his, kissing him deeply. 

His stomach flutters strongly, and he can’t help but smile in satisfaction. He reciprocates right away, matching your emotions – despair, need, adoration, lust. He envelopes you in his arms and kisses you hungrily. 

Your feelings are suddenly overwhelming you. Your chest feels tight, your stomach is bursting with butterflies, your throat feels tight, your muscles and skin are burning. You need him. You need more. Was it selfish for you to want more? Was it too disgusting to want to just merge yourself into him? Want to be as close as you could ever be?

What would someone call this feeling? 

You sound crazy to yourself, because you never felt like this before. This need to touch, this need to just stick to another person like this. You’ve never felt this with your ex, and then you thought you were being an okay girlfriend by keeping your distance because he didn’t like your clinginess.

But clingy is all you ever want to be with Steve. With your ex, you did care, but if Steve were to say the same thing to you, you wouldn’t be able to handle it at all. If you weren’t able to kiss him, touch him, hug him, hold him, you wouldn’t feel complete. You wouldn’t feel happy. You would be devastated.

And it seemed that Steve matched your clinginess. It was hard to swallow that fact. You never thought you would find someone who would reciprocate those feelings for you. Someone who kissed you just because he wanted to. Because he had the chance to. The need to. You believed these people existed, but you thought that maybe your clinginess was above the average.

Steve is proving that it wasn’t.

So you won’t hide those feelings anymore. You won’t be scared of him moving his face away from you when you try to kiss him, or ripping his arm away from you when you try to cling to him while walking, or pushing you away when you try to hug him. He wants all of that, because he does those things to you. 

But you want more now. You need more. Hugs, kisses, hand holding, it isn’t enough. Your hands are all up in his hair, your tongues dancing with one another’s, the sounds around the two of you silencing, leaving you alone. 

Your hands connect to the back of his neck, pushing him deeper into the kiss if that were even possible, and he groaned into it, into your throat. Your belly burned and burned, your core starting to copy that feeling. You were becoming drunk on the kiss, your emotions making you start to take some steps back, slowly, pulling him with you. 

Steve was also hypnotized with you right now. It was as if you had put a spell on your lips that didn’t let him think straight. His feet moved with you, his rationality slipping away slowly. All his ears could hear were your delighted little moans whenever he bit your bottom lip, before his tongue found yours again.

You pulled him into the back, where the bed was. His body was on fire, his fingertips itching to touch your bare skin. Everything he held back from these past months were making his body act on its own. His instincts were taking complete control over him. His hand left your waist to fumble behind him, grabbing hold of the little handle of the sliding panels to separate the bedroom from the rest of the RV.

He didn’t even think twice, he didn’t even think, when he grabbed your waist and pulled away from the kiss, and pushed you up on the bed as he crawled after you. It wasn’t a second after that his body was on top of yours, kissing you stupid once again. One of your hands returned to his neck, the other was gripping his shoulder so he wouldn’t pull away again.

His hands were all over your sides, his brain not functioning anymore as he drowned in you. He could hear how you took your sneakers off, falling onto the floor, and he copied that motion so he could push the two of you further into the bed. With your head now on the pillow, you could feel yourself grow lightweight, pliant, melting into him.

You wanted to feel him. You wanted more and more and more. Your legs slowly spread, your nervousness not even bothering you because you were just desperate. You were in need to feel him again just like you did the days before, when the two of you confessed. He hadn’t tried to make a move like that those days, and you hadn’t really minded it then. Now you did. Now you really did, and you wanted it more than anything.

He felt you leaving space for him in between your legs, and his hips immediately got magnetized to yours. You gasped, followed by a moan when you felt his bulge rubbing against you, creating friction against your clit. It felt good. It felt so good. Steve groaned into your mouth, his right hand moving towards the hem of your sweater and shirt. 

You felt his fingertips carressing your skin, then, they dug onto your waist, making sure to feel you. Your back arched against him when he rolled his hips against yours, and your hands were on his back, gripping his sweater tightly. The kiss intensified, the two of you becoming breathless, but you didn’t care. His hips picked up a pace against you, and you needed it. You wanted it. You wanted him.

Your mind was mush, as well as his was. He wasn’t thinking clearly, and he was letting his body move for him. He was letting his body decide what the next move was. He felt suffocated, so he pulled away from the kiss, throwing his hand towards his back to pull his sweater and shirt off in one move, his chest showing. 

You wanted to moan at the sight, finally seeing him again like this, but all you needed now was something else. You desperately raised yourself up a little to hold onto his neck again and pulled him down for another bruising kiss. His mouth didn’t stay on yours for long this time. He pulled away, panting with need as he kissed your jaw, then your neck, making you moan.

His consciousness was gone. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t anticipate what his next move was, he didn’t overthink like he always did when he slept with someone. This was pure, carnal lust, need, and desperation for someone. His hips rolled against yours, feeling himself harden even more if that was even possible. It felt perfect. You felt perfect, and if your moans were to say something, you were feeling good too.

You felt his hands moving inside your shirt now, one grabbing onto your waist, and the other was moving upwards. Something that would have made you feel nervous before, never felt more right than now. You wanted his hands on you. You wanted him to touch you, to feel you, to show you how much he says he wants you. Not that you don’t believe him, but you want to phyisically feel it. 

Finally, he groped your breast over your bra, and your back arched against him, a delighted sigh leaving your lips. He groaned onto your skin, his left hand now leaving your waist to grab your thigh, giving him leverage to pull you into his hips as he kept rolling them into you. 

You felt the fire building inside of you, slowly. That coil turning with the need of more, with the need of being bare, so you could feel it even more. Being clothed was becoming a nuisance now. You wanted your clothes off, and as if he had read your mind, his hands left your thigh and the inside of your shirt and sweater, and he pulled away from your neck.

His fingers hooked on the hem of them, and you sat up quickly so he could help you pull both your garments off, leaving you in just your bra. He didn’t have time to gaze at you, his lips desperately looking for yours again, laying you back down onto the bed. Your hands were deep into his hair, making a mess out of it, his hips returning to roll, and his left hand was now the one gripping your other breast.

You groaned into the kiss, whimpered when he kneaded it, feeling it, feeling you. Your back arched against him, your tongue dancing with his and never getting tired of it. His right hand came upwards to grab onto your left hand and he intertwined his fingers with yours, before pressing it against the pillow next to your head.

He was feral. The more he got to taste you, the more intoxicated he became. He didn’t think he could become like this, ever, but how wrong could he be? Even more so, that you were reciprocating it in the same manner. He could feel the heat radiating off your body, your need to feel him as you roll your hips against him yourself. 

His hand clenched into yours, at a particular thrust, the friction now becoming dull thanks to the clothes. He was fucking desperate. His lips left yours, only to then move to your neck, giving it a soft bite, but then he moved down, needing to taste more of your skin than just your lips, your cheeks, your neck. 

His left hand left your breast so he could pull the strap of your bra down, his lips finding your shoulder, and then towards your collarbone. He nibbled on it, his hand pressing yours against the pillow as he heard you gasp, your hips jerking against him. 

He felt his skin peeling off, almost from the fire that was consuming him. His left hand now quickly grabbed onto your other one in his hair, and he moved to press your hands over your head now, your fingers intertwined as his lips kissed along your chest, over the top of your breasts that were still covered by your bra.

Your knees were now bent, pressing against his hips as his thrusts became harsh, feeling your hands being gripped tightly, being pushed against the top of your pillow, constricting you from any other movement. 

Your brain was melted, gone, disappeared completely from the phase of this earth. Your body controlled this. It controlled you. You felt him moving up, his lips finding yours again, his tongue instantly diving in to dance with yours once more, and you felt dizzy with everything that was happening, as if you were drunk, but you were loving it.

His hard on was becoming painful because of the constricting jeans. It felt good, but it could feel so much better if they were to come off. His right hand let go of your left, sliding down as he felt the need to touch you more, to hear you more. He wasn’t even aware of anything around the two of you. All he knew was that you were there, in a bed, with him, and he needed you.

He didn’t stop kissing you as you felt his hips lift just enough so he could sneak his hand in between, undoing the belt off of you and then popping the button open. He pulled away from the kiss again, breathless, needy, and he went to your neck once more, biting onto your pulse point as his fingertips started to play around the elastic of your underwear, ready to dive in.

“Stevie–” 

And you calling out his name was what brought him back to reality. This wasn’t just someone. This wasn’t just anybody. This was you. You who deserved the best. You who deserved perfection. You, whom he promised to be better for. He now felt everything all at once. The haziness of his mind, the burning of his skin, how his lips were throbbing from all the kissing, how his heart was hammering in his chest, how his lungs were begging for air.

His fingertips left the elastic of your underwear, but it seemed like you didn’t care, your hips still rutting upwards into his. Fuck. He wanted to keep going, and he couldn’t help himself when he gave another roll, making him groan against your neck. 

“Sunshine–”

You felt now the need to taste him. You felt him pull away from your neck, and the moment he did, you went in to kiss his. He sighed in need as he melted under your lips, his forehead dropping onto your shoulder as your free hand gripped his bicep. 

He didn’t know if he could handle it much longer. He could feel his restraint leaving him again, the words ‘Fuck it’ repeating in his head, over and over, but no. He couldn’t. He shouldn’t. You didn’t deserve it like this. But how could he even concentrate when he feels your teeth nibbling on his pulse point now. 

“Fuck– Sunshine–”

You weren’t listening. You thought it was moaning, him delighting himself in your touches, but he was trying to call out to you. Snap you out of it. He didn’t want to, but he had to. He despised the idea of stopping this, of stopping you after you finally showed him just how much you were restraining yourself from showing him how you felt. 

But he had to.

“Sunshine, wait– wait a second–” That made you stop, your mind still mush, but a bit of consciousness slipping through as he slowly pulled away from your neck to look down at you. His breaths were heavy as well as yours, trying to fill your lungs with air once again.

“What? What is it?” Your voice was small, desperate, and he wanted to groan at the tone of it. You sounded as needy as you looked, and fuck, he couldn’t help but frown with annoyance at himself. He clenched his eyes as if he was in pain, and honestly, he was.

“I– Not like this.” He shook his head as his eyes found yours again.

“What–”

“I don’t want your first time to be like this. As much as I want to right now… I want it to be perfect.” Your heart was hammering in your chest, but you were too far gone in your lust and your need to feel him completely, that you couldn’t help but wrap your arms around his neck, not letting him leave.

“Steve, it’s already perfect because it’s you. So just–”

“No. I want you to feel safe, to feel comfortable… I don’t want you to overthink if Eddie and Nancy can hear us. Your body was starting to cool down, but you wanted anything but that. You tried once more.

“I’ll just be quiet…” And he shook his head, huffing as he tried to slow his breathing. 

“I don’t want you to be quiet… I want you to be able to fully experience your first time.” He inspected your face and he saw how it slowly fell, your breathing calming down slowly, dissapointment evident in your features. “I also want to spend that time with you. Alone. I don’t want to think or worry about anything else but you… And well, I also… wanna hear you.”

And as much as you hated that he stopped, you felt your heart warm up at his words. You felt your body burn a bit at his words, a little bit of embarrassment engulfing you. You sighed in defeat, knowing you won’t be able to change his mind, and your arms left his shoulders as your legs stopped pressing against his hips so he could move. He leaned down to kiss your cheek, gently.

“Trust me, I do want to. I wasn’t even thinking of what I was doing right now because of how much I need you… But you don’t deserve it like this.” He continued talking and you hummed, feeling him sit back up. His eyes finally looked down at your body, and he wanted to throw himself out the window. 

A little bit of shame and embarrassment filled you, also realizing that you weren’t really thinking straight a few moments ago. Suddenly, you heard the radio outside, a little louder than usual. You could now hear the sounds around you as you sat up, realizing that Nancy and Eddie could definitely hear you, and they turned the music up so they tried not to.

Steve noticed it too, a blush appearing on his cheeks in embarrassment, grabbing your shirt and handing it to you. You pouted as you grabbed it, his eyes taking a look at your bra one last time, feeling himself twitch inside his pants again, and he groaned, rapidly ripping his eyes away from you so he could grab his own shirt to throw it back on. 

You buttoned your pants again, feeling yourself burn again as you realized that Steve was about to touch you. You took your belt off, and you huffed, making Steve turn to look at you. You had the pout on your lips still, looking at him quite mad, and then you flopped on the bed, your face in the pillow, lying down on your stomach.

He couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips at your antics, chuckling as he leaned forward, a little bit on top of you. He kissed your clothed back, making the sound of it be a little exaggerated.

“Don’t be mad at me, baby.” You whined against the pillow, your voice muffled against the pillow.

“We won’t ever be alone. We’re in an RV, remember?” You reminded him, and he chuckled, now kissing the top of your head.

“Don’t worry about that. Your boyfriend has a knack for surprises.” At the word, you couldn’t help the stupid giggle that left you.