BRAVE THE STORM, PERSEUS.

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STARCROSSED (book one).
°• CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE •°

" THE WORST THING THAT I EVER
DID WAS WHAT I DID TO YOU. "

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THEY'LL TELL YOU THE STORIES OF ATLAS, HOW MIGHTY HE WAS TO BEAR THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON HIS SHOULDERS, but they won't tell you how broken the Titan was. They won't tell you how he shattered underneath all the weight because no one, even a being, could hold something so heavy without cracking. Nor will they tell you that it was a punishment. This was his penance for leading Titans into a war against Zeus and for all eternity, he will kneel with an unbearable pressure looming over him.

They won't tell you Atlas is still there either, keeping the weight rested on his shoulders and bearing the burden so many don't have to.

"...Astronomy," El repeated Elijah's words, beaming that she said it right as he gently ran a comb through her wet curls to secure a pin in place. She tilted her head back, bambi eyes searching for his approval.

Elijah couldn't help but beam back at her. He tapped her forehead so she'd adjust her head again. "That's right. Atlas is the Titan of astronomy and is why we can use the stars as a navigation."

Teaching El about Mythology and the stories that he loved the most reminded Elijah about doing so with Nevaeh when she was around the girl's age. She had the same excited look in her eyes about learning that his sister did.

This mostly meant he was trying to prepare himself for dropping El off at the Snowball dance and leaving her alone with Mike. Elijah couldn't stop the overprotective feeling. He just wanted the girl to be safe, she had been through so much already but chided himself repeatedly, this was supposed to be a fun night for them. No monsters, no pain. He was just overreacting and seeing his baby sister in El when she wasn't. Not really.

Elijah ignored the way his heart painfully squeezed at that thought.

Over the soft tune of Jingle Bells coming from the radio Hopper had in the corner of his cabin, Elijah could hear the gruff, belly laughter that came from the older man. "She's much more patient about learning with you than she was with me," he stated.

Elijah wondered if that had anything to do with the broken windows, but minded his own business.

He opened his mouth to remind the Chief that he had a younger sister so he was used to being around little girls before remembering what happened to Hopper's daughter years prior. Elijah shut his mouth and just decided to smile back at him, the same man he spit at and called a pig over a year ago, the same man who would then hold his shoulder and remind him he was hallucinating and everything would be okay in the end just months ago.

Still, Elijah's anxiety grew the closer he drove El to Hawkins Middle School as her excitement skyrocketed at the same time. She rattled on about how the rules Hopper set to keep her safe, that she hadn't seen much of Hawkins, that she couldn't wait to see her friends tonight, that her buzz was almost contagious. Elijah's eyes flickered to the car mirror to see Hopper's police car a good distance away to put his mind at ease. That was their agreement: he had to be close by. Elijah was grateful for that, it ensured her safety.

Not just from the government, but from the skinny know-it-all middle school boy Elijah was leaving her with.

Once Elijah parked and left the car with her, he felt a small and cold hand slip into his. Elijah looked down at her and smiled. El looked adorable tonight, her natural curls shining through with a few of them pinned back, and a light natural make-up look from the supplies Nevaeh gifted to her as well as a matching baby blue ruffled dress from Nancy.

Elijah squeezed her hand. "Nevaeh will be inside if you need anything, okay?" El nodded.

A voice called out from behind them, laced with anxiety but the usual raspy, thick man voice. "Have fun."

It almost made Elijah's own concern fade. He rubbed the back of El's hand with his thumb as they approached the doors, her giving Hopper one final wave.

A girl behind the greeting table, only tall because of the heels she was wearing, spun at the sound of their arrival. She was adorned in a dress of emerald green that had a subtle sparkle under the faded disco lights with a ruffle at the waistline and the hem that passed her knees. The color complimented her darker skin nicely. Black satin gloves passed her wrists which were folded in front of her, a ticket in her hand. The coils of her dark brown hair were pinned back at the top and then spilled over her shoulders, with a few pieces hanging out to frame her face. She let out a soft gasp between pink-painted lips at the sight of El, pressing both covered hands over her chest.

"El, you look so beautiful!" Nevaeh exclaimed in a bit of over-the-top excitement in Elijah's opinion, but El shyly giggled and squeezed Elijah's hand again, her cheeks pink. "I think your boys were scared you weren't coming. Did you get lost on the way here?" She went on.

"Yes," Elijah deadpanned as Nevaeh rounded the table to give him a side hug. He couldn't help but smile proudly. "You look nice, too."

"Pretty," El agreed.

Nevaeh's done so well in her recovery even if he's caught her crying in her sleep a few times at night. She put in an effort tonight, vowing that she wouldn't let anything happen to El inside the building. Elijah knew she meant it, and so did Hopper, who finally agreed not to chaperone as long as she and Nancy were there. From inside, at least.

"I have your ticket right here, honey," Nevaeh said with a wave of the paper. She extended her hand for El to take.

Elijah's heart clenched again as El released his in favor of his sisters. They whispered to one another like sisters he thought before quickly correcting himself, no, like girls, and El shot him a grateful smile over her shoulder as they neared the gym doors.

"Have fun," Elijah found himself saying before cringing. God, he sounded just like Hopper.

But the way El was smiling was worth it. It kept reminding him of Nevaeh, every time she searched for his approval, every time she was excited for something. From the way her face lit up with joy to how her eyes shone with the hope that only a child could have even after all they've been through.

Elijah's fingers were twitching with the itch for a cigarette. He fumbled through the pockets of his denim jacket to find his crumpled box, cursing under his breath when he didn't feel his lighter. He fucking forgot the replacement one at home since the one Steve threw in the tunnels was long gone. The chill of January's night made a soft cloud from the heat behind Elijah's vulgarity and he sighed.

"Need a hand?" A voice called through the dark.

Elijah nearly jumped out of his skin, his hands immediately tightening into fists as if he had to defend himself before he spun and relaxed. No demogorgon that they missed. No cocky asshole with blond hair needing his nose rearranged - well, definitely a cocky asshole, but not the one Elijah was familiar with.

Kind brown eyes met his instead of cold ones with hate behind them. Steve was looking a lot better since the fight they had with Hargrove, but Elijah's gaze still fell on the scar that his hairline almost hid perfectly. It was hard to notice if you weren't looking for it, but it was him who couldn't forget the sound Steve made when Hargrove smashed a plate into his head. Elijah was lucky to have walked away from the fight at all, but extra lucky that he had no visible scars either. It took him weeks to heal and talk again though, and just as long for the hand-shaped bruise around his neck to fade enough for no one to ask any questions.

Tobia asked the most. Elijah tried pushing him away just like the thought as soon as it appeared in his head, trying to forget the terror and worry in his father's face.

Steve was grinning and Elijah's breath caught in his throat at the sight of him. He looked stunning underneath the stars in a soft red sweater, his hair styled in a wave to cover his scar but the pink etched in his skin still peeked out. He wanted to brush it away, to tell Steve he didn't have to hide it, but fought the urge.

A smile tugged its way on his lips. "Not from you. A lighter would be better, actually."

Steve tilted his head to the side. "I think I have one in my car. I owe you one, anyway."

That was all Elijah needed to follow him there. Things have been different since that night. Elijah couldn't quite put his finger on it. He's been more patient with Steve, he's smiled more around him, and Steve beamed every time. Has he forgiven Steve completely? Of course not. Does he think Steve has done so much to prove himself to be different? Like risking his life to protect the kids, stand toe-to-toe with the monster that was Billy Hargrove who spewed hate at the sight of Elijah and viciously defended him, but was all of this enough to make up for their past?

The child who was best friends with Steve Harrington once upon a time desperately wanted it to be. The kid was so tired of being alone, he just wanted his best friend back, no matter what that meant. But the person Elijah had grown into was doing everything he could to protect that kid from being hurt ever again.

It's what made him so protective over those little shits Steve cared about too. "What are you even doing here?" Elijah found himself asking as they walked, lightly kicking at the gravel with the toe of his dirty sneaker.

"I dropped off Henderson. Did you see his hair? All me," Steve proclaimed proudly, and for a moment, Elijah was glad he didn't see Dustin or his updo. He had to bite at his lower lip to not laugh and give Steve that satisfaction, he just wanted a lighter and he'd be on his way. Maybe.

Elijah took one last peek through the school's window and smiled at the sight that greeted him with the knowledge that Nevaeh, El, and the kids would be just fine for the night. He couldn't fight the smile this time when Steve opened the door for him with a dorky look. He shut it behind him with the picture still in mind.

Nevaeh was a lot like Elijah in some ways, but she openly cared about the Party whereas her brother (poorly) hid it. She still had a close eye on El, but the girl's happiness was contagious from where Mike was spinning her in the middle of the dance floor. She wasn't too worried about her. Nevaeh's concern fell on Will who was curled on one of the chairs, chin in his hand, and eyes glued on the couple with a faraway look in his eyes.

She recognized it right away because she saw it in Elijah's when he saw Nancy with Steve for the first time.

All of Will's friends were slow dancing to Every Breath You Take with their dates or, in Dustin's case, with Nancy who had swept him up when she noticed the tears in his eyes after a few girls rejected his advances. Inspired by the kindness, Nevaeh crossed the floor carefully, bumping a few shoulders in her way to reach the poor kid.

"You look lonely," she commented with a kind smile.

Will's face flushed when he noticed Nevaeh greeting him. He squirmed, fiddling with the cuffs of his dress top. "Hi, Nevaeh," he practically squeaked.

They've crossed paths more than once. Elijah and Jonathan being best friends, each with a younger sibling, meant that they would get together often. Will was often quiet though and this last year, Nevaeh was so busy recovering she hadn't thought to speak to either of the Byers really. Now was a perfect time.

"Come on," Nevaeh encouraged. Will started spluttering nervously as she swooped in to grasp his trembling hands and guide him away from his comfort. Will deserved to have a night as great as every single one of his friends, she thought, ignoring the stares that fell on them. Nevaeh was well known as an addict in her school and the rumors had floated pretty close to the middle school too, almost drowned out by Will's Zombie Boy rumors.

"Don't look back. Don't listen to them," she continued as they came to a stop and noticed Will glancing around nervously. Nevaeh was probably as good as a dancer as a twelve-year-old, but she fondly remembered being young and holding her father's hands while standing on the toes of his shoes as he twirled her around the living room. She guided Will's hands to hold her waist and rested hers on his shoulders. "Don't give them the satisfaction of caring what they think for a second."

It was quiet as Nevaeh tilted her head down to catch Will's eyes before he found the courage to speak up. His words were so soft she almost missed them behind the music playing. "It's hard not to."

Nevaeh lightly gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I know. Believe me." She thought about the stares she still got, how she cared so much less than she used to. It wasn't something that happened overnight and, truth be told, she didn't always ignore them. She doesn't think that's anything that truly goes away.

"Elijah didn't always have a give them hell attitude," Nevaeh continued. She noticed the surprised look on Will's face but went on. "What happened to him broke him. It was like the world on his back finally shattered, and the worst part was, he wouldn't even let me believe that. He wouldn't let me help him." She knew Will didn't know the depths of the betrayal Elijah faced, but he must have had a pretty good idea after seeing the bruises on his face on Halloween.

And Nevaeh could only imagine why that scared him into silence.

"I won't make that same mistake twice. Because what he didn't realize," Nevaeh started to whisper, "Was that it's okay."

Will's eyebrows furrowed. "It's okay?"

"It's okay to be..." Nevaeh paused and tried to think of the right word so as to not scare Will off. "Different." She gave him a kind smile and kept the beat of them swaying as she firmly declared, "Don't you ever let anyone tell you who you're supposed to be, Will."

She noticed the tears that started to shine in Will's eyes, glimmering under the disco rays, and decided that was enough. Will caught on to the lesson Nevaeh was trying to teach him. She quickly brushed them away with her thumb and whisked him into a quicker twirl, laughing as she dipped her head back to get a smile out of him again, with the confident thought that Elijah would be so proud of them.

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They're all still lingering in the back of Elijah's mind as he was sat on edge in the passenger seat of Steve's BMW. He did finally get the smoke he needed, every inhale and exhale bringing him off the edge, but he couldn't do so forever. It was just a distraction from the real world at the end of the day.

"I get it, I'm worried about them too. I know Dustin is still crushing on that girl even when I warned him," Steve said with a laugh, breaking their silence. They had just been listening to whatever mixtape he put into the player.

"I've been with you such a long time. You're my sunshine and I want you to know that my feelings are true, I really love you. Oh, you're my best friend, oh, you make me live..."

Elijah had the hopeful thought that Steve could still read him so easily but squashed it just as fast. He needed to stop getting his hopes up just because things were over between Nancy and him. They were just friends, barely that, he told himself. He was borrowing a cigarette from an acquaintance, he thought weakly. Elijah didn't believe it any more than he knew Steve would had he was brave enough to voice his thoughts.

He would have blurted, "I'm still in love with you," if that were the case.

"Eli?" Steve had reached over to wave his hand when his passenger rider didn't answer. "Hey, where'd you go, man?"

"I'm still here," Elijah finally replied. after blinking a few times and giving his head a small shake, reminding himself he was in Steve's car, and they were working on repairing a massive betrayal. He couldn't ruin that and protect the child he used to be at the same time.

A beat of silence. And then Steve quietly says, "The Quarry still has a really nice view of the stars. When's the last time you were there?"

Elijah couldn't even tell him.

He was rather grateful that Steve picked up that something heavy was on his mind and thought of the first thing that would make him feel better besides lighting up another cigarette and poisoning his lungs. Elijah listened to the beat of his fingertips tapping the window, focusing on the way the chilly air fogged the glass until they arrived.

Elijah heard the waves first, the way they cracked the ice as they tried to tumble over the frozen shards. The coldness made him inhale sharply. He wasn't much of a water person, hell, he wasn't even an Earth person, so neither of them he really focused on. It was the way that the stars blinked down on him that stole Elijah's breath. He would never not be amazed at astronomy.

They found themselves squeezing into a seat over the car hood, their feet dangling over the edge. Elijah would kill for another cigarette but he was so focused on the damn sky, he almost missed Steve talking to him again until there was a tap on his thigh.

"Eli, stop spacing out on me," Steve said, again with a laugh, but laced with worry this time. "Every time we stargazed you'd tell me a story. Let me have it."

Elijah was listening this time, but was quiet as he surfed through the myths in his head. There were so many to choose from. Finally, he blurted out, "The Andromeda."

Steve leaned back, planting the flat of his palms over his car's hood behind him. "That's a beautiful name," he said curiously.

"She was a beautiful girl. Her mother was a Queen who bragged about how gorgeous she was, comparing her beauty to nymphs which angered Poseidon, the God of the seas." Elijah started tapping his fingers in a rhythmic pattern over the metal shakily as he rambled. "Andromeda was chained to a rock by her parents in an attempt to sacrifice her to Him by offering her to a sea monster."

"So she died," Steve stated like he knew the end of the tale.

Elijah shook his head. "She survived," he corrected him. "Perseus, a Greek hero who was a son of Zeus and the mortal princess Danaë, was stunned by Andromeda's beauty and the sacrifice alone. He used the Gorgon's head Medusa to kill the sea monster and free her for her hand in marriage."

He finally turned his head to see Steve, Steve Harrington, and had the same thought he's had for the last few months. Elijah felt like he was looking at a hero, not the rich and preppy asshole he once knew.

The hero who had run back into a house and cracked a bat against a monster that cornered the people he cared about until it backed down then would go on to protect those who were younger and defenseless, willing to take multiple beatings in the process as long as it meant they didn't have to. The hero that, above all, noticed the worst parts of himself and refused to become that person, putting in an effort to be so much better.

Steve was becoming so sweet. Nothing like the selfish dickhead Elijah first loved...

No, he corrected himself. He didn't love that guy. He may have existed for a moment, but Elijah loved him long before that phase happened. He was always kind and loving. Steve lost himself for a bit, but he's come back home to himself.

To Elijah.

"You're beautiful," Steve whispered, the compliment almost lost into the crash of waves underneath them where no one could ever find it, but where it would be safe.

There were stars hidden in his eyes as he listened to Elijah tell the story of something he was most passionate about. Elijah was frozen as the words sunk in, his gaze flickering from Steve's eyes to his mouth, memories flooding him so deeply he wished he could have drowned in the depths of the water below before the thoughts could reach him.

Cassiopeia.

Ursa Major.

Ursa Minor.

Cepheus.

Elijah tried to take a few deep breaths. No, he couldn't do this -

...

Perseus.

Andromeda.

"It's nothing. We're fucking drunk. Not queers, not fags, at least I'm not - "

Another deep breath, and,

PERSEUS.

ANDROMEDA.

"God," Elijah hissed as he finally caved, "Just kiss me already, asshole - "

The words had barely left his mouth before Steve surged forward and snatched the rest of them by closing the gap between them. Elijah shoved all astronomy and worst memories the hell out of his head so he could focus on the way Steve's lips felt on his after so, so long. They tasted like honor, like desperation, and like the mind-numbing fear of being left alone again.

Elijah turned his head during the heat of it and Steve's lips grazed his cheek before slowly drawing away. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, eyes big with the fear he crossed a line again.

"I can't do this again." A lump started to form in Elijah's throat that he desperately tried to force down, he swore a long time ago he would never let Steve see him cry. "Not when you're - you're going to fall into the arms of some girl after, go crawling back to Nancy, or Tommy, or - or - and leave me like that again," Elijah forced himself to choke out through a few short gasps as he tried to catch his breath.

A hand lightly touched his hair and Elijah flinched at the touch at first before leaning into it. Steve's fingers slowly combed through the strands of his hair and scraped his fingernails against his scalp. He was trying to comfort him and it terrified Elijah, he didn't want to fall for it again to only hit the concrete when he expected arms.

"I can't hurt like that again, Steve," Elijah whispered, the warm breath of his words kissing Steve's flushed skin, "I won't survive it twice."

Steve's nose brushed his. "The worst thing that I ever did was what I did to you." He said with so much shame and hurt, but then he spoke in a soft but deadly serious voice, a vow of a promise Steve longed to seal with another kiss, "I will never let anyone or anything hurt you again, Elijah. Never again."

And this time, Elijah's whole heart believed him.

It was easier this time to kiss Steve. His arms already caught Elijah before he could hit the pavement. He matches his pace quickly, falling against him so easily, that they nearly slid off the car hood together. Steve released a soft giggle through their passion and followed Elijah in sliding off the car, practically yanking open the back door before falling backward into it, Steve collapsing on top of him.

Everything was so fast. The way Steve's hands, suddenly warm, glided underneath Elijah's shirt before sliding back out to tug his jacket off. "I meant what I said," he insisted as his hands landed on either side of Elijah's head after tossing aside the article of clothing. "You are beautiful. Your heart is so beautiful too, Eli."

God dammit. Elijah was thankful for the dark so Steve couldn't see the way his face burned although he probably felt it with the way the both of them were heating up, causing fog to appear on the cold glass surrounding them.

"You don't have to do this," Elijah started to say softly, "You don't have to do it to prove to me - "

"Shut up. I meant what I said. I want to," Steve cut him off, skating his fingertips across Elijah's chest as the motion caused his shirt to ride up.

Elijah's chest warmed for more than Steve's touches. His words were smooth like a heated knife slicing through butter and it was making his heart melt below the skin. He kissed Steve again, and again, then trailed his lips across the marks Hargrove left behind. Elijah left a lingering kiss over the scar that protruded from his hairline, closing his eyes, and basking in the relief that this was okay. They were going to be okay.

More than okay, Elijah convinced himself as he realized how excited Steve was getting. They were both wearing thick jeans that were difficult to worm out of, especially in the back of his car, but it was deeper than just a physical feeling. It was a whirlwind of a feeling that thunders their atoms, heat pooling in the pit of their stomachs growing borderline burning at every touch. Elijah gasped as Steve's hips ground downward and he heard one of the most attractive noises he thinks ever left the other's mouth.

"You like this," Elijah teased with a wide grin, all sharp, all bite. Steve groaned again, his head falling forward, as Elijah dug his fingertips into the moles on his exposed back. He was never going to let him live this down. "You like this, don't you?" Elijah repeated because he wanted an answer. He wanted Steve to admit it.

"Yes," Steve rushed to agree, caving, planting Elijah's hips against the cushion of the seat so he would just stay still. "Yes, okay, I like it, would you just - "

Elijah kissed the scar again before finding Steve's lips again. "Anything you want."

"You too," Steve retorted quietly. "If you want to stop, tell me, and we can - "

"You shut up, Harrington," Elijah shot back in the heat of the moment before they managed to finally work the buttons of their jeans off, and everything was downhill from there. He hadn't realized Steve's music was still playing in the background until he laughed through their kiss and passion at the lyrics playing through the strum of a guitar.

"All I wanna do is make love to you... Say you will, you want me too."

"What?" Steve asked, pressing fast and loving kisses up and down Elijah's jaw.

"Nothing."

They were rushing, falling down a cliff with no breaks or in this case, plummeting off the edge of the Quarry. However, not even that was enough to stop them as Steve breathed out, "Elijah, Elijah, Eli..." Hands skating across fiery skin with only the softest touches for one another. Elijah can comprehend nothing beyond cosmic stars lighting up behind his eyelids that were squeezed shut in bliss, his nails nearly puncturing Steve's trembling skin, and the endless supernova that was lighting up his veins. He feared the pointed edges of the stars would break through his skin so he held on tighter, desperate to make it last.

But when they succumb to relief, it's over. Probably far too quickly for Elijah's liking, wishing that the starry feeling Steve gave him could truly last a lifetime. He fell over him, and this time, they were there to catch one another as well as their breaths. The stars that were once roaring in his system started to slow down as the blood stopped rushing in his ears too. The tip of Elijah's nose brushed Steve's cheek as he kissed him again, the sparks nearly lighting him up all over again. He could feel him smile in the kiss before resting his ear over where Elijah's heart was slowing the way it beat.

"I want to take you out," Steve whispered, yet again forcing the blissful quietness between them to stop. "Like on a real date."

Elijah's heartbeat slowed. "Yeah?" He said quietly.

Steve picked his head up, resting his chin on Elijah's bare chest so their eyes met. "Yeah."

It was quiet again, the air between them thick enough to be cut through before Elijah broke it this time. "Yeah. Okay."

The way Steve grinned told Elijah everything he needed to know from there.

Steve called the Wolfhart house the next day and gave Elijah an exact time and place to meet him at, a cute little restaurant a few towns over that no one would recognize either of them at. Elijah's heart sank at that suggestion before Steve went on to ramble it wasn't because he was ashamed of him, it was because he meant what he said last night. That he wouldn't let anyone hurt him again.

Their intense lust the other night had yet to leave Elijah's mind and not in the way he wanted it to linger. His mind was whirling from every second of it and it was getting harder and harder to take his medicine as he came to a final conclusion:

Elijah Wolfhart had no idea who he was.

Was he the gay kid from a small town who was a victim of multiple gay bashings? Was he slowly becoming Steve Harrington's, the most popular and rich kid of said small town, boyfriend? Was he even his own person at this point or did he only fall into Steve's lap because he was lost in love, opening up old wounds to being hurt all over again?

Worst of all, was he Esme Wolfhart's son, who left Hawkins because of her mental disorder and decided that filling her stomach with pills was the only solution to leave such a dark world?

Elijah was never going to find the answers in Hawkins just like she never did.

The bus was the easiest way to find the next town. Elijah left behind his car keys dangling off a magnet on the fridge with a note for Nevaeh since he knew she would need them and climbed aboard with only his bag dangling on his back. He chose a seat far in the back, pressed against the window where he could gaze out of it and dream about all the things that could happen.

Elijah could easily get off the bus as it passed the name of the town and street Steve gave him. He could meet Steve for their first official date, share a meal like they were something deeper than best friends, and maybe even share one another's dessert. They would laugh and realize that they could share this type of love for years to come, maybe even decades... It could be the start of something beautiful after so much pain and suffering.

So long as the wrong person never found out.

He nearly broke down at the sight of Steve Harrington and almost lifted his hand to stop the bus driver so he could get off and meet the boy he loved. They could collide in each other's arms, squishing the bouquet that Steve had pressed to his chest as he nervously fixed his hair while using a glass wall from the restaurant he chose as a mirror.

I love you more than anything, Elijah thought as tears slid down his cheeks. He didn't flag the driver down. He just pressed his fingertips against the cold window, smudging the fog... More than me. And I don't even know who I really am.

Elijah stayed on the bus. All these wonderful things could happen, sure, but maybe in another life, he believed, as Steve's figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

They'll tell you about the stories of Elijah Wolfhart, how he embraced his true self after vicious beatings and violence, and how he was still so kind afterward. But they won't tell you that having such a beautiful heart has a cost.

Some called it a miracle that he was still so vigorous after the hell he's fought through.

But Elijah called it penance.

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author's note:

so many things to talk about!! ahhh first of all hi again guys!! long time no see 🫶🏼 secondly this is THE LAST CHAPTER OF ACT TWO!! 📣🎉🥳 i have never been so excited and relieved to get on with a book bc i have so, so many plans for the future of the starcrossed series.

first, all the moments between nevaeh and will and el and eli just make me so happy and soft. my babies ✨🫶🏼 here are the references i've used for nevaeh's chaperone dress:

a pretty emerald green like this

but just in this dress form

and!! her hair like phoebe from friends in that one episode:

nevaeh is so beautiful and sweet and i cannot wait to develop her even more 💗

next, this

I FEEL UNHOLY AFTER WRITING THAT. TAKE MY ASS TO HORNY JAIL.

i've never written anything like smut before and i never will go deeper than that so this is as close as i'll ever get. i never had any friends to talk about fanfics with so i just powered through it all by myself 🤧 is backseat car sex that easy? absolutely not, but for the sake of fanfic, deal with it!! but it was one of my favorite parts of this chapter i have to admit, the way elijah teased him and flipped back and forth between wanting to kiss him and not wanting to like the bipolar man he is (like actually bipolar). he's complex like that.

also im still in my pjo phase so don't mind the andromeda and perseus comparisons im using, myob ok. there are many different versions of myths and i tend to pick one to flow with. and and and. those songs? by queen and make love to you song? try and remember them, they're an important tool we'll use later!

lastly... the last part of this chapter 🥲 aka the most painful bit. if you haven't realized yet, elijah is the most self destructive person you'll read about, he'll ruin good things before someone else can because he believes he doesn't deserve them and he doesn't even know who he truly is besides all the pain and suffering he's been through. he's left hawkins to try and find himself like his mother did during a manic episode, but unlike his mother, he'll get a better ending

i mean, sorta? like i don't know how much happiness i actually have in store for him plus if steve dies in season 5 it's all over.

this whole story is about love and forgiveness and just a reminder it IS a steve harrington x oc story. i deeply think he's done a lot to prove himself to be sorry to elijah and although he's not fully forgiven yet, it'll be time to make that slow burn start BURNING within the next act!

ANYWAY i'll stop rambling!! i really appreciate anyone who came back to read this and i hope it isn't just garbage or collecting dust, elijah wolfhart is just so important and special to me, probably the most favorite character i've ever created. i'm so excited to see stranger things finish and to complete his book. i love you all so thank u! 🫶🏼❤️

- koda

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