Your beauty never ever scared me.

“The worst thing that could have happened has already happened,” he quietly muttered, brown eyes lingering on the group as they all started to make the climb up the tower of WSQK. “You and I—everyone—we’ll survive this. If this mission succeeds, we save those kids, and this will finally be all over.”

That sickening feeling churning in the pit of your stomach had yet to subside as your boyfriend shifted his watchful gaze from your friends to you, a glimmer of gentle reassurance in his eyes as he offered you a comforting smile. You couldn’t quite meet his gaze, quickly shifting your focus to your little brother, who was the last in the group to make his way up the rusted ladder.

“You have always made this all sound so easy.” You gently bit your lip out of anxiety, shaking off the thoughts of every worst-case scenario you had failed to mention to anyone that could play out tonight. “Steve, how can you be so sure of this? I mean—cosmic horror aside—how do we know it will really be over?”

He exhaled quickly through his nose, a quiet huff leaving his lips that you had almost mistaken for a laugh as he shifted his weight. You felt his hands gently take yours, curling his fingers around your own as his thumb gently brushed over them, as if it was the only thing that could keep the two of you grounded in the moment.

“I’m not,” he admitted with a shrug, keeping his voice in a low whisper in hopes the others wouldn’t hear what the two of you were talking about. “I mean, this was my crazy idea of a plan.” He paused, his jaw tightening as he nodded towards the radio tower. “I have to hope this plan works. I just—no, it will work.”

You swallowed thickly, a metallic taste tainting your taste buds as you finally looked at him. The tower eerily loomed over the two of you, almost as if you were both facing the skeletal remains of something in the foreboding skyline of the Upside Down. Those lingering thoughts came rushing back as you looked up at Steve, none having a happy ending for the two of you.

“Hey,” Steve gently murmured, almost as if he could sense those dark thoughts overtaking your mind. He pulled a hand away from your grasp, gently reaching out to cup your cheek as he tipped his forehead against yours for a brief moment. “We’ll be okay, baby.”

Fear—no point in hiding it from you now. You could see the small glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes as you looked up at him, although there was something else beneath that you couldn’t quite make out upon first glance. Resolve, perhaps? Steve Harrington had seen it all, and you knew that firsthand. Despite this, he carried himself through all the beatings and horrific monsters with a determination to protect those who were around him. Your friends—those children climbing that ladder right now.

“I always said I would protect you and Dustin,” he softly trailed on. “This has to end tonight, but we won’t have that chance unless we’re up there with them.” Steve gently leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to your lips in his loving attempt to soothe your nerves.

“You two make me sick!” The familiar tone of your disapproving little brother called out from above. “We don’t have the time. Get your asses up here now.”

The two of you pulled away, a flushed expression erasing all your doubt in that moment as Steve shook his head with a signature grin. “I—we better get up there.”

“Wait—” you quickly stammered out, tightly grasping his hand that was still in yours. “I—we have no idea how things are gonna play out tonight. If things go bad—which I hope they don’t—I just want you to know that I love you.”

“I know,” he softly responded. “I love you too.”

The two of you fell into a comforting silence, you deciding to lead the way with your boyfriend following closely behind. The moments leading up were a blur, your gloved hands testing the rusted steel rungs of the ladder as you began to pull yourself up step by torturous step. Steve was below you, silent as that heavy feeling slowly crept its way back. It lingered in the air as your combat boots clashed against the ladder as you slowly took your time to catch up to the others at the top. The ladder vibrated under your weight, that uneasy feeling fluttering in your stomach like butterflies the higher the two of you got. A gentle breeze slid through the radio tower’s lattice, a shiver tearing through you as you briefly paused for a moment.

“S’okay,” Steve huffed out. “Just don’t look down.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” you softly chuckled, a feeble attempt to ease the tension as you continued the climb. Within a matter of minutes, the two of you had finally reached the top, the old platform creaking under your feet as you pulled yourself up and turned around to offer your hand to Steve to take.

“It’s pretty damn spectacular,” your little brother spoke out, looking out into the far distance of the Upside Down with a frown.

“It’s almost too bad we have to blow it all up,” Lucas replied, standing next to your brother as he stared out in awe.

You made your way over to the two, giving your brother a smile as you placed your hands on their shoulders and squeezed them reassuringly. As you looked out into the distance, red lightning crackled as dense clouds obstructed your view of Hawkins. “You said it yourself,” you spoke up. “Place is already severely unstable. No point in—”

Your gaze flickered upward, a loud rumbling interrupting as you and the others were greeted with the sight of large boulders descending on you. You opened your mouth to speak, but the words could not come out. You knew what you were facing, and yet no amount of planning could prepare you for what you were witnessing.

“Mother of God,” Dustin spoke up, staring up at the cosmic horror before you.

You could feel your throat go dry, shifting your gaze from the Abyss to your brother and his friends before finally turning to settle on Steve, who stood on the opposite end of the platform. It would only be a matter of moments before you and the people you had gotten to know over the last couple of years would set the plan into motion. The mission to save Holly Wheeler and the other children started now, and there was no tucking tail and running, even as a small part of you mentally reasoned that running away was still an option. Between your brother, your friends, and the man that you had come to love, it was time. Saving the children and killing Vecna was the only thing standing between you and the semblance of a normal life that you had been yearning for since Will Byers went missing a couple of years back. As the planet drew near, the ugly cracked rifts leading to the Abyss began to rear their ugly heads. A red lightning bathed you and the others in an eerie glow, all of you settling your eyes on the nearest rift nearing the radio tower.

“No, no, no, guys,” Lucas frantically stammered out, gesturing to the radio tower’s needle. “It’s not lining up.”

“What do you mean it’s not lining up?” Jonathan questioned.

“Look,” Lucas pointed out. “The tower needle—it’s not lining up with the rift.”

The realization hit you like a freight train as your brain brought up one of the many what-ifs plaguing your mind.

“Shit,” you spat.

“If the Abyss hits the needle—” Will trailed on.

“This tower is going down,” Mike spoke up.

“And—” your voice nervously wavered as you looked between the needle and the rift. “We’ll go down with the damn thing.”

“That’s great,” Steve spoke up. “That’s just great.”

You tightly gripped your little brother’s shoulder, your heart loudly pounding in your ears as Dustin fumbled with the walkie he was holding. “Hey, Chief,” he spoke frantically, shifting his eyes from the needle to you. “We’re gonna need El to stop this planet—on the sooner side, please.”

Time had seemingly come to a standstill, your body freezing up as the rest of their conversation fell into the background. Your mind had wandered to other places, past memories that were made within the last couple of years. One day you and Dustin were living a normal life, and then the next you were helping him search for his missing best friend—one major event being the chain reaction that led to this very moment. You thought back to your brother, how he was forced to grow up so soon because the world you lived in was nothing like what it seemed. Death and grief had changed him, and then you thought of Steve. It felt like it was only yesterday he was the popular jock you loathed being around, but you were so wrong. He, like Dustin, had grown up too. Steve had willingly put himself in danger time and time again to protect your brother and his friends. Someone you had deemed so selfish at one point in your life had changed.

“And we’re about to be squashed by a moving planet,” his voice echoed in your ears. “So give it again.”

“Fuck!” you yelped out, watching in horror as the needle of the radio tower collided with the rough surface of the Abyss. The tower began to quake under the pressure, the needle wobbling as it was crushed under the immense weight. The impact sent you and the others off balance, you protectively clinging onto your little brother as the two of you held on to the safety railing.

“Look out!” you could make out Steve’s voice ringing in your ears as you whipped to face his direction. “Look out! Look out!”

“Steve!” His name left your lips in a blood-curdling scream before you could even register what was happening. You watched as the needle snapped, tumbling down onto the platform as it broke off a section of the safety railing. In a flash, you watched as your boyfriend leaped out of the way—but not before a piece of debris from the tower snagged him and sent him tumbling over the edge.

“Steve!” You and Dustin both cried out in unison, holding your brother back as the scene unfolded before you. One moment he was standing right there, and then the next he was hanging from the ledge by one loose grip. You could feel your knees buckling under your weight, tears welling in your eyes as they threatened to spill at any given moment. You belted out another scream, watching as Steve’s grip failed him. You closed your eyes, unable to process the scene before you as you expected one of your worst nightmares to become reality. Only—it never did.

“Just hold on!” Jonathan’s voice caused you to open your eyes. “I got you. Just hold on.”

You were unable to process how it happened, but Jonathan had made it to the ledge in time, carefully leaning off the platform as he caught Steve. You watched as he grunted, using all of his strength to pull your boyfriend back up onto the platform. You let go of Dustin, your feet dragging you over to your boyfriend as he threw himself into your arms. A loud sob left your lips as you tightly wrapped your arms around him, Dustin joining in on the reunion as you held them both.

“I—I thought I lost you,” you wept into his chest. “Steve, I—”

“I thought you were toast,” Dustin rambled on as he tightly hugged the two of you.

“And leave you both in a cold, cruel, Steve-less world?” your boyfriend trailed on. “I could never do that to you and your sister.”

His hands reached out, cupping your face in his hands as he wiped away your tears, forcing you to look at him. “S—Steve,” you sniffled. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, baby,” he flashed you a comforting smile.

As the two of you pulled away, you whipped around to scan the platform, counting the faces of the people who had made the trek up the radio tower. Everyone was accounted for, and a sigh of relief left your lips as you rubbed at your tear-stained cheeks. Your heartbeat slowed as you looked back up at the rift, which had come to a stop before it was too late.

“Hey,” Steve gently coaxed, taking your hand in his. “The worst thing that could have happened has already happened,” he repeated. “I’m not going anywhere.”