☆✫❣︎𖤐♥︎𖦹𖣴
// seventeen
• 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗉𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗌

"That's going to freak Joyce out when she opens her fridge." Julia says leaning back against the kitchen counter watching as Dustin toss out every single thing out from the fridge, making room for the dead Demogorgon in Steve's hands.

"It's better then having it in the bath tub." Dustin says with a shrug, turning to Steve. "All right. It should fit now." The boy wipes his hands.

"Is this really necessary?" Steve scoffs in disgusted gripping the deadly animal that was wrapped in a blanket, Dustin groans stepping aside.

"Yes it is, okay? This is a ground breaking scientific discovery, we can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog." Dustin tells him.

"All right, all right. But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, all right?" Steve walked over shoving the Demogorgon in which was a huge struggle. "Crap. Help me out!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Dustin cried out, standing behind the older teen, Steve wheezed trying to keep the door from closing. "Get the door, man." Steve grunt moving away, Dustin reached over holding the door.

"Ew!" Dustin slammed the door shut as soon as the Demogorgon was inside, Steve stared down at his hands wiping them down his jacket, patting Dustin's head at the teamwork they did.

Julia felt the need to confess something to her best friend, she's been hiding her feelings for years even if he didn't feel the same she wanted to tell him, it might ruin things but at least he would know how she felt. "Steve, can we talk?" Julia spoke softly stepping away from the counter.

Steve turned away from the young boy, he didn't hesitate once and nods moving his hair back from his face, they pair stood across from each other, eyeing Dustin who took the hint rather slow. "Oh, right." The teen quickly walked away.

"What do you wanna talk about?" Steve began, his hands were sweaty, he hasn't been that nervous since last year's basketball game, and it was a tough year for him. He walked towards the sink flipping the water tab on.

"I heard that you developed feelings for me, during the night of Halloween right after you guys broke you." Julia says in one single breath, feeling weird as the words left her mouth.

Steve rose a brow drying his hands, "huh, uh... that's sounds— how?" He stuttered out, he cleared his throat.

"Nancy told me, She was drunk so I didn't believe it but then i— I read her mind." Julia admits, Steve hums slowly nodding his head. Julia felt like a shitty person for reading her mind and invading her privacy but she had to know.

Steve exhaled puffing, "yeah, I have liked you since middle school, but I didn't say anything because I didn't think you felt the same way and the only way that I could block those feelings is by dating other girls, my feels did go away for some time but they were slowly returning."

Julia frowned tilting her head to the side, Steve found it cute whenever she didn't that, before he chuckled saying. "It was during the night at the party at my house last year, they came back. I didn't know what to do, so when I saw you with Billy I didn't know who to react."

"you were jealous of Billy?" Julia smiled when he rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I never knew that, honestly. Though I did also catch feelings in ninth grade but didn't say anything because you were dating... Lola, at the time, then you started dating my best friend."

Steve scratched the back of his head, remembering the last girl he dated before Nancy. "Yeah, she wasn't all that great to be honest." he smiled at her laugh. "but, uh... do you still have feelings because I do and I think I never actually was in love with her like I tried to convince myself to be, it was always you but I was so blinded by her that I didn't see that you were always there... for me, even when I was such a asshole— you were always there."

Julia reached up and stroked his cheek, she could feel his heartbeat against her hands, that's was new. "I like you, a lot that it actually hurts." Steve confessed smiling down to her. "Please tell me that you feel the same way, if not then I just made a complete foo—"

Julia shook her head as she kept her green eyes on him, Steve blushed stopping himself from his rambling. "To answer your question, I do feel the same way about you." Steve took her face in his hands, her arms grasped the sides of his jacket.

In a matter of seconds, Steve' lips touched hers and her eyes close once more, her lips parted as he tugged at her bottom lip and his tongue snakes its way inside her mouth, his hands trailed from her face to her lower back as he pulls Julia towards him, closing whatever space was left between them. He wished to never pull away letting one of his hands travel from her waist and settles on the side of her neck.

"Demo-dogs!" The couple jerked back making them break the kiss apart, Dustin had interrupted their special moment with a sudden scream, Julia bit her lip smiling, Steve grins at her flustered state leaning forward pecking her lips once more before they joined the teens.

"Listen dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line you execute it. All right?" Steve said glancing around the them, but kept his finger pointed on Mike.

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game and second we're not even in the game. We're on the bench." Mike says rolling his eyes with annoyance.

"So... so my point is—" Steve took a pause not finding any words to defend his statement, but the kids stood back waiting for him to continue. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so uh, there's nothing we can do."

"That's not entirely true." Dustin spoke from behind the couple, Julia twirled around letting the boy in and to stand between the pair. "I mean, those Demo-dogs, they have a hive mind when they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

"So, if we get their attention— Maybe we can draw them from the lab." Lucas suggests with a shrug. "Clear a path to the gate."

"Yeah, and then we all die!" Steve shouts throwing his hands up, Julia exhaled crossing her arms "That's one point of view." Dustin tells him.

"No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact." Steve glanced back to him, Mike ignored their bickering as he walked into the kitchen. "I got it!"

Everyone followed right after him, they watched Mike kneel down on the kitchen floor. "This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So..." Mike trailed off standing up walking over to the hallway floor.

"Here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here." Mike planted his feet over the x mark on the ground. "Maybe if we set this on fire." Mike dropped down.

"Oh, yeah? That's a no." Steve utters shaking his head but they just ignored him, Julia didn't let herself team with Steve just yet and decided to listen to the teen's plan and decide if it was worth risking their lives for.

"The mind flayer would call away his army." Dustin began quickly. "They'd all come to stop us instead." Lucas added to the conversation.

"Hey!" Steves yells.

"Then, we circle by the exit. By the time they realize we're gone." Mike glanced at his friends liking how they were thinking. "Eleven would be at the gate." Max says with a smile.

"Hey. Hey! Hey!" Steve yells clapping his hands repeatedly now catching all of their attention, Steve tossed the towel over his shoulder. "This is not happening." He says.

"But—"

"No, no, no. No buts, I promised I'll keep you shitheads safe and that's exactly what I plan on doing. We're staying here. On the bench and we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?"

"This isn't a stupid sports game." Mike muttered standing up from his kneeling position, Julia patted his shoulder. "I said does everyone understand that? I need a yes." Julia's ears twitch hearing a low engine rumbled outside the home, Max seemed to recognize the noise when she reached the living window.

She knew the familiar car. "It's my brother, he can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us." Max spoke utterly worried, she wasn't one to hide from her brother but Billy could be reckless sometimes.

Steve decided to do the adult thing and deal with Billy himself. "Be careful." Julia says softly staring up at him, Steve smiles leaning down pressing a firm kiss to her forehead.

As Steve walked out to the house, the teens moved over and piled up on the couch peeking out the window, "am i dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?" Billy questions smirking as he smoke out  from his cigar.

"Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants." Steve pressed his lips together signing lowly, taking a few steps closer to Billy, the mullet haired teen removed his leather jacket tossing it inside through the open window.

"What are you doing here, amigo?" Billy cocked his head praising the word, letting the lit up cigar hang between his teeth.

"I could ask you the same thing. Amigo."

"Looking for my stepsister, a little brid told me she was here." Billy mentions letting his hands hang on his hips, Julia glared straight at him through the glass as she listened to the racing thoughts echoing in Max' head.

Steve clicked his tongue tilting his head. "uh, that's um weird. I don't know her." Steve tells him with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch."

Billy scowled yanking the cigar out from his mouth. "You know, I don't know, this—this whole situation, Harrington, I don't know. It's giving me the heebie-jeebies." He waved his hand around.

"Oh, yeah, why's that?"

"My 13 year sister goes missing all day and then I find her with you in a stranger's house and you lie to me about it." Billy frowns glancing back towards the window for a second before turning back to Steve.

Steve chuckled glancing anywhere the dark road then back at Billy. "Man, were you dropped too much as a child or what? I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said." Steve scoffs. "She's not here."

"Then who is that?" Billy points at the window, Steve turned back just in time for them to duck. "Shit! Did he see us?" Dustin cursed leaning back against the couch.

"Oh, shit. Listen—" Steve swifts around only to be pushed down to the ground. "I told you to plant your feet." Billy says before he kicked Steve in the stomach.

Julia scattered away from the couch along with the kids when the door burst open, Billy scanned the house to see all them standing before him.
"Well, well, well." Billy taunts slamming the door shut. "Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise."

Billy waltz closer standing in front of his stepsister, glaring down at her shorter figure. "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max."

"Billy, go away."

"You disobeyed me and you know what happens when you disobey me. I break things." Billy quickly picked up Lucas by his collar shirt taking him towards the kitchen and slammed his body against the kitchen shelf.

"Billy! Stop!"

"Since Maxie won't listen to me, maybe you will. You stay away from her! Stay away from her! You hear me!?"

"I said get off me!" Lucas cries out kicking him in the groin with his knee, Billy out of reflex drops the boy "So dead, Sinclair! You're dead."

"No, you are." Steve appeared behind Billy knocking the wind out of his lungs, Billy only laughed in his face shaking his head, Lucas ran back towards them. "are you hurt?" Julia asked the boy, he shakes his head as the boys hugged him.

"Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh? I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about." Billy shouts in his face, forming his hand into fist.

"Get out." Steve glared pushing him away. Billy swings his fist but Steve ducked down in time and punched Billy in the face instead.

"Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!" Dustin shouts, watching Billy slam his head down on the kitchen table. "Get him!" The teens all shouted, Julia eyes widen at the scene. Steve punched him again but this time Billy laughed like a sociopath on crack, Julia winches at the impacted. "Kill the son of a bitch!" The boys shout at once, when Billy reached into the sink and without Steve knowing he smashed the plate over his head.

"Billy! Stop!"

"Steve!"

Billy came over taking swing towards Dustin but Juila brought him back, instead making him hit the shelf. Steve stumbled back grasping his head, there was blood staining his hair.

Billy grabbed Steve by his shirt collar. "No one tells me what to do!" He shouts slamming his head against Steve's, hurling him down to the ground, Steve rolled around facing him.

"Julia! Do something!"

Mike yanked on the girls arm, Julia knew she should help even though she was risking her powers to a man she believed she befriend, she cursed under her breath moving over to the pair, her hands shook as the scarlet flare invaded his mind.

Billy froze blinking as he stumbled off Steve, slowly twisting around to face the girl he seemed to grow fond of, his head fell to the side seeing more then one of her. "What... the hell" Billy mumbles falling onto his knees.

"what did you do to me?" Billy question when his eyes rolled back, dropping back onto the floor, Julia turned to Steve dropping down cradling the side of his face carefully. "Steve? can you hear me?" Dustin came around pressing his fingers onto his pulse, Julia's hand linger above Steve' chest, feeling his heartbeat. "He's going to be okay."

Max huffed grabbing the bat standing between his legs. "From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?" Max held the bat over her shoulder looking down at him.

"Screw you."

Max brought the bat forward pounding the bat down between his legs making him look down quickly.
"Say you understand! Say it! Say it!" Max shouts pulling the bat back.

"I understand." He mumbled.

"What?"

"I understand." Billy repeats much louder, Max exhaled at his answer as her brother closed his eyes, she dropped the bat to the floor reaching into his jean pockets pulling out his car keys.

"Let's get out of here."

—