𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄 - back to the future

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 𝐀 𝐏𝐔𝐅𝐅 𝐎𝐅 frizzy hair smacked Scarlet in the face with every turn she took. Each step in which they pressed further only spurred her to twist her neck and narrow her eyes over her shoulder, checking for the Russians that were sure to be tailing them.

 Scarlet truly dreaded catching a glimpse of how she looked; the fringe she'd left free was nothing more than a birds nest, her cheek and neck throbbed in pain, likely blue and purple by now... her knees had been scraped and were littered with cuts, and Scarlet Hopper was always gifted with circles beneath her eyes, so with the lack of sleep... she could only imagine just how big they'd gotten.

 Still, she couldn't possibly have looked as bad as Steve. Half of his face was swollen, his jaw, right cheek and eye were red raw; yellow beginning to brew atop his flesh. The cuts on his lips had been torn apart again, oozing fresh blood into his mouth, and staining his teeth.

 His uniform was stained with dirt, sweat and blood... and, Scarlet supposed, there were the red eyes and the trail of drool slipping from his lips thanks to the lingering drugs. Robin might not have been as beaten and bruised, but one look at her cerulean eyes would send most people thinking that she'd paid Eddie Munson a visit.

 Dustin manned their front, twisting and weaving through corridors, leading the gaggle of teens and Erica through the mall; colours blinked their way, still as vibrant and neon as ever... such a stark contrast to what was waiting just below the surface.

 Dustin finally stilled, eyes peering around a corner, his mop of curls practically bursting atop his head. He fiddled with the cap in his hands, waiting... He'd led them to the cinema and Scarlet had to give credit where it was due; a dark room filled with people? It was perfect, to hide right in plain sight.

 He nodded only once, hardly sparing a glance back; it was safe, and it was time to move.

 Erica kept a firm hold upon Robin's wrist, tugging her along and shushing as they went, all the while Scarlet curled her arm through Steve's. He followed along rather willingly, a daze in his eyes and a grin on his lips. The only time he faltered... was to stick his arm into a trash can, fishing out a box of likely stale popcorn.

 Scarlet grimaced, lips parting and ready to tell him to put it back... But when Steve turned her way, he was all teeth. He beamed until his eyes were forced to close from his rising cheeks and thrust the box forth. Kernels toppled to the floor like confetti, raining over their shoes in his silent offer. He consequentially pouted when Scarlet shook her head.

 If he wanted to fill his gut with gross and stale popcorn, he could... she was certain he'd later suffer from the consequences, and when he did, she'd be right by his side ready to laugh at his misfortune.

 Steve soon picked up, sobered his pout and trailed forth, dragging Scarlet through the doors of the theatre. They were greeted with a flickering screen, a movie already playing — Back To The Future. Scarlet smiled to herself; the very day the movie had been released, she and Will had come to see it together, sharing a huge bucket of sweet and salted popcorn while sipping on lemon soda.

 He'd been rather down after watching Mike disappear with Eleven and Lucas with Max. He'd been left alone, even watching as Jonathan filled his day with his new job and nights with Nancy. He never once complained, Will liked that they were happy... but he wasn't. Scarlet had been the only one to notice.

 Scarlet peered through the darkness, bypassing the heads of backcombed hair, caps that had yet to be removed... then she caught sight of Dustin's bobbing curls and Erica's vibrant beads. Robin had been wrangled into a chair, fidgeting with every line of dialogue the characters on screen were speaking.

 Scarlet collapsed Steve's hand, leading him forth as he continued to shovel stale popcorn through his lips, wincing as a kernel caught the scab at the side of his mouth. Popcorn spilt behind them, toppling down the stairs like a breadcrumb trail.

 Steve made no protest when Scarlet planted her hands upon his shoulders, shoving him into a chair... actually, he kicked back, watched the screen with wide eyes, and held out a handful of popcorn to Robin, uncaring as a kernel or twenty toppled into his lap.

 There were just three chairs, so, of course, Dustin widened his eyes at Scarlet; it was a plea to look after them, to be the babysitter. Scarlet couldn't exactly say no and entrust a couple of doped-up teenagers to the children, could she? So she slumped into the chair on Steve's right and watched with envy as Dustin and Erica scuttled to the end of the row, settling into the only empty seats.

 Steve clicked his tongue, tossing his handful of popcorn into Robin's lap, "These seats blow!" He booed, head toppling to the side and slumping upon his own shoulder. His clammy hair slipped onto Scarlet and she could easily smell the metallic scent of blood that still stained his skin.

 Scarlet had forgone trying to tame her irritation. Feigning fondness was growing ever more difficult as the night stretched on, as her fatigue began to settle in once more, "Don't watch it then," She almost hissed as her fingers curled inwards atop her armrest.

 The duo of drugged teens were rendered silent, pouting amongst themselves as they continued to stare at the screen. They shovelled heaps of popcorn into their faces and Scarlet could hear just how stale it was as they crunched and munched.

 Robin paused, lips hanging open... a piece of popcorn she had yet to crush toppled off her tongue and rolled to the floor. She seemed to contemplate scooping it up, yet shook her head, "I don't know what's happening."

 Crumbs flew from Steve's mouth, splatters of chewed kernels sticking to his legs, "Me neither."

 Yet the pair of them continued to watch the screen, brows creasing with every cut, heads cocking with each line. They were like a couple of children, simply blinking at every colour and sound, yet taking absolutely nothing in.

 Scarlet took the moment to close her eyes, and shield herself from the flashing colours; being so close to the screen with such fatigue was hurting her eyes; each flash made them want to roll right into the back of her skull. She wanted the day to be over, she wanted to trail home, stuff her face with whatever was left in the kitchen, and pass out in bed.

 But something in her gut told her that would not be happening any time soon.

 The noise of the movie turned into nothing more than a shrill sliver of white noise, and rather than pay even a lick of attention, Scarlet simply slouched further into her chair and began to count.

 Ten... Eleven... Twelve... Thirteen —

 Her eyes cracked when a very loud, and very fake yawn erupted from beside her. Steve had managed to unhinge his jaw like a boa, his 'yawn' echoing from the very back of his throat, lingering on his tongue as his arms were stretched high above his head — promptly earning a disgruntled tut from the person seated behind him — and soon enough, he planted an arm over Scarlet's shoulders.

 Why the theatrics were needed, she'd never really know. Steve had done it so many times before without much of a thought — they were always rather comfortable around one another, from letting their fingers tangle together, to Steve using the top of her head as an armrest.

 Steve Harrington wasn't smooth when he was sober, let alone with drugs flooding his blood... still, the action alone was enough for her lips to uptick. While he put on a show, Scarlet could only find that it felt... natural. It always did. Their hugs were always comforting and holding one another's hand always grounded them both... So why couldn't she just let it happen?

 Why did her head have to protest every little action he made, all in a silly attempt to save her from future heartbreak? Scarlet hated it; having to think about everything she did just in case it would hurt her later down the line. Every action, every word was always second guessed... and it was tiring.

 She dropped her head against the back of the chair, tilting her gaze to meet Steve's; he hadn't moved his eyes from her face. They'd trailed over her cheeks, lingered on her pink lips, then settled on her ever-dark eyes. Even with a haze before him, he still cherished the flash of light that would bring flecks of honey to life, each shadow that caused her eyes to darken more than what seemed possible...

 "You're pretty." He said, his voice ever so lazy... as though it hadn't even taken a thought to speak. His grin was lopsided, swollen lips rising higher.

 There was something about that dazed voice, the slow blinking of his pretty eyes that made her want to both murder him and finally let herself be happy, lean over, and seal the fucking deal. She wanted to crane closer over, to let the dam that held back her feelings finally break and flood free. Maybe she could... Maybe it was time to let herself grasp some happiness, to keep it close instead of banishing it as far as she possibly could.

 She'd already let Eleven and Hopper into her heart, and she knew it would hurt like hell if anything ever happened to them... so why was she keeping Steve at arm's length? Why, when she knew just how kind and devoted he was, was she not letting him in?

 Scarlet knew she'd never hurt him, so all it came down to was protecting herself, but even that was beginning to grow rather tedious. She'd promised herself that she'd just live... that she'd put the laboratory, her time in the city with Kali towards the very back of her mind and just... just live her life. Like a normal teenager unplagued with monsters and experiments.

 But now wasn't the right time, was it? Not when they were running for their lives, nor when Steve wasn't fully in control of his mind and heart. It wasn't fair. Not for either of them.

 So Scarlet twisted her head and focused on the movie. 

 Even from her peripheral, she could see Steve's shoulders sag. She could spy the way his body deflate like a pitiful balloon. They needed to talk, they really needed to talk. They couldn't keep dancing around one another, pretending as though they couldn't see each other's longing stares or reaching hands. So... when the time was right, Scarlet would take that plunge; she would start the conversation, and she wouldn't leave until it was done.

 Because Steve wasn't what her head was trying to paint him as; he wasn't the men she'd been with before. People who had seen her lips and skin as nothing more than a trade — a form of currency. He was just a broken-hearted boy who had finally started pulling his life around; he was just Steve, and that was more than enough for her.

 She looked up, meeting his eyes once more. Steve still hadn't looked away, only allowed his gaze to falter as the feeling of rejection filled his bones once again. Scarlet had always loved his eyes; always so soft and expressive, crinkling at the edges when he'd let out a cluster of laughter... now they were sunken and sad.

 She moved to speak, to console him, but those words died in her throat as Robin grabbed Steve's clammy hand, tugged him up, and exclaimed to the world; "I need a drink!"

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02-05-2020

edited version: 14/11/2022

:·ﾟ★ oop, a bit of a shorter chapter. but we finally have Scarlet admitting that it's time to speak to steve. ahe's so frightened of letting herself get hurt again, letting someone close enough to touch her... but she also knows that steve likes her and the guilt of letting him build his feelings all while she's pretending to be oblivious is getting a little too much to handle.

n e way! there's like ten chapters left for this act! — y'all will go FERAL for the next two chaps, js ;) 

don't forget to let me know what you think; and remember that i now require a particular number of comments and feedback before i consider releasing the next part (this is just to ensure people remain engaged and supportive, as well as to allow me to see what you all enjoyed most!), please give me a follow, and please do NOT leave comments telling me to update; they'll be ignored and you'll be muted, much love <3