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˚⋆ ┊ ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING ┊ ⋆˚
☆⋅⋆ ─ act i. don't you want me, baby?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN — rock and a hard place
( episode eight ; the mind flayer  )

- warnings: making out lol
& some mild violence

❀

⠀ ⠀ SINCE HER BRUSH WITH DEATH, THE BOYS HAD MADE A MAKESHIFT CRUTCH, out of an old stick Dustin had found somewhere off the path — a place Steve had told him multiple times not to wander off to. The stick was gnarled and rough, not quite sturdy enough to be actual support, but still better than nothing. Whether the pain had lessened or Peyton was simply putting on a brave face, Steve wasn't sure. He wanted to believe she was okay, but there was a cold knot in his chest every time he saw her limp. Still, she was insistent that she no longer needed to be carried. Though both her brother kept his distance, his eyes never strayed too far from his sister, a wordless way of letting her know he was there if she needed. Steve was only a few paces from her too, hovering like a concerned guard dog, watching her every move.

"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas broke their silence, unsure how Dustin could possibly be able to tell the difference between his pet and the creatures that had attacked them.

"Yes," insisted Dustin, "He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt," Parker shook his head and stuffed his hands deeper into his jacket pockets.

"He was tiny two days ago," he muttered, a slight glare shot dustin's way at the memory of finding the miniature demogorgon eating Dustin's poor cat. The Henderson boy seemed unfased, barely noticing Parker's animosity through the darkness.

"Well, he's molted three times already," replied Dustin.

"Malted?" Steve repeated what he thought he'd heard, his voice a mix of confusion and mild horror.  He wasn't quite sure what he had heard, but it certainly wasn't a word he was familiar with.

"Molted," corrected his sister, Steve turning to face her, visibly shocked that she had any idea what Dustin was talking about. Dustin shot an appreciative smile at Sidney's knowledge as she continued, "Shed his skin to make room for growth, like hornworms," Steve grimaced in disgust, the image of the gunk he and Peyton had found in the cellar coming to mind. He could almost feel the slimy texture of it on his fingers again. He fought the urge to shake the thought away, but it was there, persistent and unwelcome.

Max shuddered at the disgusting thought, "When's he gonna molt again?"

"It's gotta be soon," Dustin assured, "When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it. And so will his friends," Unease settled over the group, and Peyton searched her mind for something, anything, to make them feel better.

"Okay," nodded Peyton, her voice measured and calm, though a deep sense of exhaustion pulled at her features. Trying her best to absorb the new information, she glanced toward Steve, whose firm expression was now glued to the floor, his jaw set, deep in thought, "So, till we figure out where they're going we've gotta just... get out of these woods, keep the kids safe,"

Steve's scoff caught everyone off guard. It was sharp and sudden, like a crack of thunder after a heavy silence. Sidney looked over at him, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Someone give the girl an award," he snapped, the sarcasm dripping from his words, his tone biting and unnecessary. The way he'd been so protective of Peyton after her injury seemed a world away from the tone he had now, and it left the group feeling uneasy

Peyton's eyes narrowed, confused at his sudden animosity. Her fingers dug into the rough bark of the crutch, her body instinctively stiffening, though her expression remained unfazed. Because she sure as hell wasn't about to put up with bitchy comments like that, no matter how nice he'd been to her.

"Oh, sit and spin, Farrah Fawcett!" she shot back, somehow managing not to raise her voice to harsly. Although what she did raise was her middle finger, aimed directly toward the aggravated Harrington.

Steve's eyes widened at her comment, his face flushing slightly with disbelief. His excessive hairspray usage was a secret that Peyton was in no way supposed to know. For the exact reason she'd just displayed. Nothing but relentless teasing would come from Peyton's knowledge of Steve's haircare routine; and someone had let the cat out of the bag, "Wh- Dustin!" he accused, the young boy shrugging innocently.

"I didn't tell her!" insisted the Dustin in a panic, although Steve seemed unconvinced. What he didn't quite catch was the concerned look Sidney, the one that actually spilled the beans, had shot Peyton. But the blonde smirked, her way of telling the Harrington girl she had a plan.

"Nobody did!" Peyton interrupted when Steve breathed in to argue, her tone defiant and amused, "I found your stash in the glove box next to Blondie's Greatest Hits," Steve knew that was meant to be a dig at his music taste, but the boy just shrugged innocently, hands now placed firmly on his hips.

"Debbie Harry's a babe!" he defended, his angered expression unaltered as Peyton took a challenging step forward.

"So's your mom!"

"Hey!" gasped Steve, face shfiting into an offended glare, though the absurdity of getting 'your mom'-ed just after a life-or-death experiance wasn't lost on him.

"Oh my god!" finally, Sidney interrupted the two, stepping between them before the insults could escalate any further, "Can we please not do this right now, seriously?" she begged, clearly exasperated with the constant arguing, "We just fought off a pack of- of whatever those dog things are and now we're lost in the middle of the goddamn woods!"

Steve shook his head, his expression darkening as his arms slipped from his hips to fold tightly across his chest. His eyes locked onto Peyton as he spoke, voice heavy with accusation, "And whose fault is that?" He'd phrased it as a question, but Peyton knew it was an accusation — sharp and biting, aimed directly at her.

"Oh, mine, I'm sure," she retorted sarcastically. She couldn't fathom how Steve could possibly have come to that conclusion. How he could pin all of this on her? It didn't make sense. But still, he stood there. With that smug, challenging look on his face. Nodding, agreeing on purpose, despite knowing she hadn't meant a word of what she'd just said.

"If it's anyone's fault it's Dustin's," Parker chimed in from the side, stepping forward into the metaphorical battlefield. He wasn't about to let his sister take all the heat for something that was just as much Dustin's mess as anyone else's.

"Hey!" protested Dustin, offended that his friend would throw him under the bus so quickly. He glared at Parker, then at the rest of the group, as if they were all conspiring against him. But the Newby boy wasn't fazed.

"You're the one that kept a cat-eating monster in your turtle tank!" he added, met with a surprising nod of agreement from the Harrington boy as Sidney and Peyton exchanged exasperated looks at the idea of placing blame on anyone in the first place.

"Vivarium," corrected Dustin, though he knew that wasn't the focal point of the conversation. His voice had a nervous edge to it, but his attempt at self-defense only made Parker's face shift from anger to a confused glare.

"Whatever," Parker muttered in the same tone, mocking Dustin as he waved a hand dismissively.

"And he's a tortoise," Dustin added, another attempt at changing the subject. Parker knew that, of course, but apparently, just like his sister, he reveled in pushing people's buttons.

"Then why is he called Yertle the Turtle?" The question was smug, a clear challenge, a teasing jab aimed directly at his best friend. An exasperated groan slipped from Dustin's mouth, and he gave up trying to explain, his gaze drifting to the ground as he rubbed a hand over his face. He wasn't going to take the bait—not this time.

Tired of the pointless arguments, Sidney, who had been standing off to the side, couldn't take it anymore. Her frustration exploded in a loud yell that startled everyone except her older brother, "Oh my god, shut up!"

Shocked into silence for only a moment, Lucas tilted his head toward Dustin, puzzled at the new information, "Wait, a cat-eating monster? Dart ate a cat?" He searched Dustin's face for answers, waiting for him to clarify what the hell was going on. But the Henderson boy's eyes simply widened in panic and horror.

"No, what?" his voice cracked as he scrambled for words, "No," he repeated, this time more firmly, though he was barely convincing even himself. His eyes darted to the others, but they were all watching him with varying degrees of suspicion.

This time, Steve frowned, ever unable to read the room, "What are you talking about? He ate Mews," he stated matter-of-factly, his tone casual, almost as if he were discussing the weather.

"Mews?" frowned Max, "Who's Mews?" Dustin begged Steve with his eyes to shut up, but he couldn't take the hint.

"It's Dustin's cat," Steve shrugged once again, unknowing of the fuel he was adding to the fire.

"Steve!" protested the Henderson boy, but it was too late now.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Lucas with an accusatory glare, "You kept him!"

"No!" Dustin yelled back, his shaky words a blatant lie as his gaze flickered between his friends. Parker shot him a disapproving, wide-eyed glare, because he knew firsthand that Dustin's claims were untrue, "No...." he repeated, swaying nervously as he twiddled his thumbs, "No, I... No, I..." finally giving up upon recognizing the disbelieving glares from his friends, Dustin let out an angered sigh, "He missed me! He wanted to come home!"

"That's bullshit!" scoffed Parker, but Dustin continued to argue his case. Peyton and Steve exchanged knowing glances at the teens' loud squabbles, yet to interject.

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?" His hands flew up in an attempt to convey his innocence, but it was clear he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince the others.

"Oh, so now you admit it?" Lucas narrowed his eyes at Dustin, his posture stiff with indignation.

Sidney, who had been standing a few paces away, had had enough. Her arms were tightly crossed, her breath caught in her throat. The anxiety was clear in her face now, the way her eyes darted nervously around, almost as if she could feel the darkness of the forest closing in on them. The rustling in the trees, the deep shadows cast by the moonlight— it was all making her skin crawl. And now, with the argument stretching on, every minute they stood still felt like a second wasted, "Guys, who cares?" she snapped, "We have to go!"

"I care!" Lucas glared, first to actually acknowledge Sidney's pleas, before he turned back to Dustin, "You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!" This time, Dustin's face contorted into a sharp glare, his expression twisting as he felt the heat of Lucas's accusation.

"So did you!" Dustin shot back loudly, any care for being discreet int he deep dark woods gone now.

The Sinclair boy frowned, puzzled, "What?"

"You told a stranger the truth!" gesturing to the redhead with his flashlight, Dustin was desperate th get the attention off of his mistake. Max shook her head in disbelief, hating the idea they'd yet to consider her a friend.

"A stranger?" she repeated, eyes narrowed with anger, inserting herself into their argument as she walked toward the Henderson boy.

"You wanted to tell her, too!" defended Lucas, but this time Parker stepped in to defend Dustin. As much as he appreciated Lucas' frustration, Dustin was right. They weren't the only ones that had broken the rules.

"But we didn't, Lucas, okay?" he snapped, surprisingly angry for the Newby boy, "We didn't tell her!" he glanced at the redhead, somewhat apologetic for his outburst, as Dustin looked between his friends guiltily.

"We both broke the rule of law, okay?" his attempt to gain sympathy was simply met with a scoff as he continued, "So we're even," he pleaded, "We're even," but Lucas shook his head, unaccepting.

"No, no!" he insisted, "We're not even! Don't even try that! Your stupid pet could have ate us for dinner!"

Peyton and Steve, having stood back for the entire argument, suddenly turned, noticing an eerie rustle in the bushes behind them. They slowly turned, glancing at one another first, before their eyes landed on the dark wood. If something was out there, it was impossible to see.

"Stay here," insisted Steve, speaking only to Peyton, his words soft enough for the kids to not even notice. Peyton's jaw clenched in frustration. Because they'd done this dance before. He'd demand her to stay behind, like at the cellar, or on the bus, but Peyton would always follow after him. So, why he continued to even attempt to tell her what to do, she'd never know.

"You're kidding," she scoffed.

"Does it sound like I'm kidding?" Peyton was shocked by the animosity in his tone. About how he could be so genuinely nice and worried for her one minute, and then hate her the next. But she watched him leave without another word, barely comprehending the boys' argument.

"That was not my fault!"

"He wasn't gonna eat us!"

"He was crawling to come say hello?"

It didn't take long for Peyton's stubbornness to take over. She listened to Steve's instruction maybe a couple of times in her life, and that was only when she'd decided in her mind before he'd actually asked her to do it. Glancing at the only other seemingly responsible person left, Peyton simply tilted her head toward the boys when Sidney's angered gaze finally caught her eye. The Harrington girl stared quizzically at first, before realizing her brother was now missing from their group. Slowly, worriedly, she nodded, watching as Peyton hobbled away to catch up with Steve.

─────

Steve hadn't made it far when the unwelcomingly familiar sound of Peyton stumbling through autumn leaves echoed through the wood.

"Hey!" the Harrington boy glanced over his shoulder, less than pleased to see the stubborn blonde.

"Oh, Jesus Christ..." he muttered, turning back to face the path ahead.

"You're not leaving me back there with those twirps," she joked, half-expecting Steve to laugh it off or offer a reassuring grin. Instead, he fell silent, a stark contrast to the comforting words he'd previously shared, "Are you okay?"  she finally ventured, confusion lacing her tone, met once again with tense silence. Why did she even care? "Steve?"

The faint echoes of young teens squabbling drifted behind them. The two of them weren't venturing far—just a few steps into the looming darkness of the woods, seeking the source of the unsettling noise.

"Fine," Steve muttered at last, not even sparing a glance at Peyton, who was struggling to keep pace beside him, her limp more pronounced as she relied on a makeshift wooden crutch. Peyton knew better than to expect his short answer. 'Fine' never meant 'fine', even with guys.

Puzzled, her lips pressing together in concern. "Where are you going?" she asked, her voice a mix of worry and curiosity. Steve barely shrugged in response, his indifference palpable.

"I don't know," he replied, in a flat tone that sent a ripple of irritation through her.

"You..." she began, exasperation coloring her words as a scoff escaped her lips, "Fantastic," she nodded sarcastically, her grip tightening on her crutch, "Do you know if they're going to come back?"

"No,"  he shot back sharply, his one-word answer a clear attempt to end the conversation. But Peyton, undeterred, pressed on.

"Or if we're even safe in the woods?"

"No,"

"Or if following those things is such a good idea?"

"Damn it, Peyton, I don't!" he snapped, frustration bubbling to the surface as he came to a standstill, whirling around to face her. He knew better than to yell, to give away their position to the creatures that could still be lurking in the woods. Peyton's eyes widened when he came face to face with her. He'd never snapped at her so quickly before, especially not for asking genuine questions, "Okay? I don't know!" The two stared for a long moment. It was out of character for Steve to snap like that, even at Peyton, the girl he supposedly couldn't stand. The girl's eyes scanned his, as though trying to read his thoughts.

"What is your problem?" the sudden change in tone had clearly startled him, and the second question shot his way confusing him even more.

Steve scoffed, looking away from her toward the dark woods, "What?"

"I mean, really," the Evans girl pressed, "Why do you hate me so much?"

"Oh, come on-"

"I know we've never been friends but..." she shook her head, brows furrowed, gaze fixed on him despite the fact he refused to look at her, "You'd think after the, let's face it, two and counting near-death experiences we'd have gotten a little further than one-word answers,"

"Well," the Harrington boy began, finally opting to meet her eyes once he'd managed to gain control of his facial expressions, "We are in the middle of the woods hiding from monsters in the middle of the night,"

"Yeah, you're full of shit, Harrington," she called him out, hand not relying on the crutch now placed on her hip, "Up until thirty minutes ago we were just starting to tolerate each other! So what happened?"

Steve glared, face contorted in a way that let Peyton know his next words were to be highly sarcastic "Gee, gimme a minute to think if anything important happened between then and now and I'll get back to you,"

"No, no this is more than- than adrenaline and a hero complex, Steve, tell me what I did!" she demanded, anger only growing when Steve shrugged

"Nothing!" his lie was blatant, venomous tone doing nothing to mask his true emotions.

Peyton looked genuinely upset, in a way that made Steve want to abandon his stubbornness and anger then and there, "Tell me what I did that was so bad you're gonna hate me for the rest of my life!"

"You..." he trailed off, at a loss for words. His mind raced, frustration rising in his chest, "You..." — say something, Steve, anything! — "You broke my nose!" he snapped, only thing he could come up with in the heat of the moment. A truth that Peyton wasn't exactly sorry for. In all the complications of last year, in Jonathan trusting both her and Nancy to find the truth about what happened to his brother, there were a few misunderstandings involving one Steve Harrington. Most memorable being his mistaken assumption that Nancy had cheated on him. With Jonathan. Then, some colourful spray paint and colourful language later, Peyton had not only kneed Steve in his crown jewels, but socked him right in the nose. And break wasn't even an exaggeration on Steve's part. She'd felt the bone crunch beneath her knuckles. And young Harrington still had the faint scar on the bridge of his nose to prove it.

"Oh..." Peyton trailed off, eyes flickering down to stare at the floor as her stomach, in a surprising turn of events, twisted with guilt.

"Oh?" Steve repeated, mocking her nonchalant tone, "It hurt!" his words were confusing, as if he didn't truly mean them, as if he were trying to convince himself as much as her. His anger felt hollow, like a mask that wasn't quite fitting.

Peyton shrugged, her shoulders tense. She wasn't sure what he wanted from her. An apology? An argument? She had no idea, and she hated it.

"Well... I'm sorry!" her almost genuine apology only seemed to piss off Steve even more. As soon as it left her mouth, she saw it — the flicker of more frustration crossing Steve's face.

"N-no-" he stammered out in panic, his speech rushed, barely coherent.

"No?" this time, it was Peyton who repeated him mockingly, eyes widened as her head tilted in incredulity.

"No!" he repeated, deciding to stick with his insistent irritation, "Don't- don't do that! Don't apologize to me!" he was confusing himself at this point. The more he spoke, the less it made sense, "Tell me I deserved it!" His voice cracked, and there was something desperate in it, like he was still hiding something from her.

"Have you lost your mind?" Peyton's brows furrowed, a humourless and confused smile appearing on her lips.

"I don't hate you, we hate each other!" he declared, a truth they'd come to recognise over years of antagonizing one another. Of pushing and pulling, of feigned indifference, of the constant back-and-forth between them. It didn't make sense for that fact to come crumbling down now, "It's kind of our thing! And..." His hand flew up in frustration, accusatory finger pointed in the face of the usually more hot-headed of the two, "And you're a hypocrite!"

It was as if Steve himself wasn't sure what he was saying anymore, only that he needed to say something to make his feelings stop, to make the world make sense again. Suddenly unable to deal with the reality he'd created, Steve began to walk backward away from her.

"You're..." she started, frozen in place, searching her mind for something to say, some sharp remark that could break the tension, but nothing came, "Confusing!" she finally spat, her words more exasperated than insulted.

Steve's back was already turned, shaking his head, "Just leave me alone, Peyton," the demand came out as more of a plea. But, of course, the blonde remained persistent. The animosity, the frustration, the heat — all of it was too tangled up in her, and she refused to just walk away.

"No!" she snapped through gritted teeth, trying her best to catch up to his quickened pace despite her injured leg, "No, if we're gonna almost die together every year we have to figure out a way to be friends! Or a least tolerate each other!" this time, he ignored her, pace quickening as he navigated the tree roots and rocks with ease, "Hey! And stop picking the most difficult path, I'm still injured, you know!" Her grip on the make-shift crutch tightened as she tried to keep up. The pain in her leg was unbearable, but her pride wouldn't let her stop, "Steve! St- Woah!" Peyton would have fallen over entirely had it not been for the branches by her hand. Crutch tumbling to the ground, Peyton let out a pained gasp as the majority of her weight found itelf resting on her injured leg.

"Peyton!" Steve turned suddenly when he saw she'd lost her balance, running to grasp her with one hand on her waist, the other on her bicep. All anger leaving his features, if just for a moment, he stared with genuine concern when he asked, "Are you okay?" the girl sighed in frustration, more in herself and the fact that she needed help to walk in the first place.

"I'm fine," she hadn't meant to come across with such animosity, but still Steve let go, his arms lingering in the air without touching her just in case she were to stumble again.

"Jesus Christ, " he sighed, meeting her angered expression with one of his own, "I don't hate you, is that what you wanna hear?"

Peyton frowned, puzzled, "Wh-"

"And what part of 'be careful' is so goddamn difficult for you to understand?" he asked, arms dropping to run a hand through his hair, now satisfied she'd regained her balance, "God, you never listen! You never listen and it's gonna get you killed!"

Taken aback, Peyton's expression had yet to soften completely, confusion too prominant for her brow to unfurrow, "Steve..." whisper caught in her throat, any other words she had for him were lost.

Steve got eerily serious, tongue running over his lips as he carefully selected every word, "I told you... I told you to stay on the bus," but Peyton just shook her head, unwilling to apologize for deciding to save his life.

"Steve, you would have died-"

"You don't know that!"

"Yeah, and I sure as hell wasn't going to wait around find out!" she shot back, expecting another retort. But Steve stayed silent once again, for once in his life thinking carefully about his words. He could either continue to lie, to himself and to Peyton, or tell her the truth. He wasn't sure which was worse.

"I thought you were gone," he finally admitted. Peyton's anger washed away. It wasn't lost on Steve, how quickly Peyton's gaze had softened, her eyes a silent apology.

"From a bite on my leg?" her questioning was surprisingly genuine and untaunting. Steve shook his head, horrified at the memory.

"Yes!" Steve hadn't expected his emotions to get the better of him this early, and when Peyton flinched from his sudden outburst, he tried his best to calm himself, "'Cause of all the arteries and shit, I dont know! You almost passed out!" Steve had never been the best at biology, no matter how many times he'd studied with Nancy's flashcards. But he'd seen enough action movies to know that a gash on the leg, a deep one at that, was no joke. Steve tried his best to compose himself, the harsh tone he'd been using thus far swapped out for a soft murmur, "Peyton, there was... so much blood," he paused for thought again, never quite meeting her concerned gaze, "I mean, for a second there I... I thought you were gonna bleed out on that damn bus and... And I..." Steve shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the girl once again, too scared to say the next words on his mind.

But Peyton was still desperate for answers Her mind was reeling from the raw honesty in his words, from the realization that he'd been holding onto that fear for so long. She took a step closer, her voice soft, almost tentative as she asked, "You what?"

But Steve's bravery had ended. He no longer wanted to explain himself, "Forget it," he muttered, starting down the path once again, slower this time, just in case Peyton followed him.

"Wh- seriously?" she snapped, wincing as her injured leg protested, but she didn't care, "You can't just—"

"It doesn't matter!" His steps quickened again when he realized she wasn't following, leaving her to stand there, helpless.

"Yes it-" Peyton's glare quickly returned, even when he couldn't see it, "Steve, come on!" she struggled after him, but with her wounded leg, but without her crutch there was no chance of catching up, "Steve!" once again, she was met with silence, "Hello?" letting out an exasperated groan, Peyton stopped once again, yelling after him, tormenting him, "Great, the silent treatment again? Super mature," her words weren't working anymore, "Steve!" - nothing - "Steve!" anger had turned to pleading and she hated herself for it, cheeks flushed, eyes embarrassingly tearful, "Fine!" her voice cracked, uncaring of whether Steve had caught wind of the emotion in her tone, "You know what? I get why Nancy dumped your ass!" Steve froze in place at her words, hands on his hips, staring out into the night. He closed his eyes tightly, heart thumping in his chest, feelings of guilt and hatred and want mingling together to overwhelm him in both the best and worst possible way, "And... I don't care if you hate me! I have tried to be your friend, but you are still the most annoying, insufferable, careless dick I have ever met in my entire life," Peyton had been rambling for so long, she hadn't paused to notice that Steve had stopped walking. Or that he'd turned and was making a beeline straight toward her, "And I cannot wait for this night to be over if it means I don't have to waste another precious minute of my time on earth with y—"

Caught completely off guard, Peyton's sentence was suddenly cut short. Steve had cupped her cheek, the other hand grasping the lining of her jacket, pulling her in to slam their lips together in a turn of events Peyton never could have predicted.

She welcomed the kiss instinctively, her body moving toward his as her eyes fluttered closed. Steve's grip softened, fingertips brushing the back of her neck as his thumb grazed her cheek. It was a refreshing change from the way her face had been almost too harshly squeezed by others she'd had the misfortune of kissing.

Reality suddenly dawned on her, and Peyton's head moved back, pulling their lips apart, yet to actually push him away. Steve seemed just as shocked at his actions as his so-called enemy. His hold on her jacket softened, leather once crumpled tightly in his fist now held tenderly between shaky fingertips. It would've been easy for her to shove him away. To scream and shout and slap some sense into the cocky King of Hawkins High.

They hated each other, for god's sake.

But she didn't.

"I... I do give a shit," shaky words barely above a whisper, his declaration was a callback to their conversation in the junkyard. One that Peyton didn't need more than a few seconds to realize what he was getting at. His infamous 'how to get the girl' advice. His talk with Dustin. The very words she'd called bullshit on earlier that night.

Feelings were never something Peyton found herself very good at communicating with words, her eyes flickering from his longing gaze to his kiss-swollen lips. When her head tilted, their noses brushed against each other, breath hitching in her throat because what the hell was she doing? Instead, rather than succumbing to her fight or flight response, the hotheaded blonde closed the gap between them once more.

Their second kiss was softer, slower, a wordless response to Steve's sudden and desperate confession. Confusion and desperation lingered in the air as their facade of hatred crumbled.

But it was short-lived. Neither one of them could comprehend what was happening. Just moments ago they were at each other's throats. Had anyone asked Peyton if she'd, even for a second, thought about kissing Steve Harrington a mere five minutes ago, her answer would have been exponentially different from the filthy scenarios crossing her mind in the present.

Words were lost between them as they silently tried to grasp what was racing through the other's mind. All Peyton's wide eyes could do was mirror Steve's longing gaze.

Confusion turned to relief and a desperate need to kiss him again. So, just as Steve breathed in to apologize, or ask if she was okay, or whatever stupid thing he would surely say that would completely ruin the moment, Peyton grabbed him by the very same jacket she'd claimed made him look stupid and yanked him towards her with a desperate 'Hmmph!'.

This time for a much firmer, much needier kiss. With a kind of fuck it attitude both Peyton and Steve were all too familiar with.

Hands fumbled in the darkness, and the two stumbled, coming up for air for just a moment as Peyton soon found herself pushed up against the cool bark of a nearby tree. They shared a look. An are we really doing this? look. Then, Steve's lips were on hers again.

Thoughtless and messy and desperate, the fact that they'd both almost died lingering in their minds, they ached with the need to feel something, anything, other than fear. The rush was unfathomable, shiny and new as adrenaline and oxytocin overwhelmed them in the best possible way.

The November air made her hands cold, but Steve grunted when Peyton slid them up from the lapels of his jacket to tug on his hair. His hands slid down her figure, blunt fingernails digging into her waist as he used what little self-control he had left to not press their hips any closer. He barely registered when Peyton's hand slid down to grip his wrist, and forced his hand lower, past her waist, around her hips. Grip tightening as his fingertips brushed past her back pocket, Peyton's soft, approving sigh into his mouth sent his already frazzled mind into overdrive.

It was all becoming far too much when-

"What the hell?!" Peyton's eyes snapped open suddenly at the shrill sound of her brother's voice echoing through the woods like a sudden clap of thunder. Her palms slammed into Steve's shoulder's at the speed of light; he almost fell on his ass with the sheer force she'd used in shoving him away from her.

They were no longer alone.

In fact, they hadn't traveled in any way far enough from the young teens they'd previously been monitoring to have been doing what they were. And while Peyton's panic had pulled her back to reality, Steve, apparently, still needed a moment.

"Oh my god!"

"Holy shit!"

"I knew it!" A chorus of startled voices erupted around them, but Dustin's know-it-all claim was unmistakably the loudest.

Seeming to come too, Steve shook his head nervously, his expression shifting from shock to panic, "Woah, woah, woah!"

"This is-"

"Not what it looks like!" the blatant lie tumbled from his kiss-swollen lips, met with matching do-you-think-I'm-stupid raised brows from all three boys.

"There was- there was-"

"Something-"

"Something on his face-"

"Yeah, your mouth?" came the teasing remark from Max, who couldn't help but scoff at the ridiculousness of their lies.

"Mayfield!" scolded Peyton, cringing at the reality of her actions. But the redhead's smirk only grew, her amusement mirrored by almost all of her peers.

"What are you, like, dating or something?" Max questioned with a shit-eating grin. Peyton laughed at the idea, and for the first time she felt as though she wasn't lying through her teeth

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," she repeated the word over and over, "No, no," she insisted, head shaking in disgust. Steve watched her with an unfazed glare, sudden sarcastic urges returning to him as he raised his brows.

"Throw in another 'no', Evans," he taunted, nodding in mocked amusement, "I don't think they got the picture,"

"Shut up, Steve!" Peyton was quick to counter, even if her usual was gone due to the sheer panic and regret for her actions. Max's brows raised into an amused grin, and Lucas and Dustin couldn't help but smirk at one another. The odd one out in all of this being, predictably, one Parker Newby, seething silently with fury as he processed the scene before him.

The surprise attack came too quickly for either Peyton or Steve to register. With a furious yell, the infuriated, protective, Newby boy launched his combat boot with all his might, aiming for the most vulnerable spot possible. Where he knew it would hurt Steve the most.

"Parker!" Peyton gasped, but not nearly as much as Steve, face flushed crimson, his hands instinctively flying to cover himself. Crumpled to his knees, any thoughts he'd had of using those parts were certainly obliterated, replaced with searing pain and white-hot rage.

"Jesus Christ!" he strained, his words were barely intelligible through his gritted teeth. At first, all he could do was blink. Then he stared forward with wide eyes, desperate to try and catch his breath.

"Ooooh!" Both Lucas and Dustin winced in sympathy, hands covering their mouths. They stared with an odd mixture of amusement and empathy as they watched the teen gasping for air, feeling every ounce of his pain.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, man!" squeaked Steve, wide eyes twitching as he attempted to glare at the fearless middle schooler.

"That's my sister, you asshole!" Parker's jaw was set, his fists trembling with a mix of fury and protectiveness. He shifted forward, but Peyton soon stood in his way.

"Hey!" her palm met Parker's chest, delivering a warning shove, albeit much more gentle than she would have been with anyone else.

"Steve?" Sidney crouched by her brother, a hint of amusement and stifled laughter as her hand met his shoulder. There wasn't even time for her to utter the words are you okay? before Steve shook his head, in such a state of panic that he hardly knew what to do with himself.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Peyton reprimanded her brother, her tone sharp, a frown etched on her face. Parker merely scoffed in response, his glare shifting back and forth between her and Steve, eyes wide with frustration.

"Oh, I shouldn't have?" he repeated her words mockingly, "'Cause from what I saw, it's opposite day!" he gestured toward Steve with rage, "and we can all do whatever ever the hell we want!"

As the siblings bickered, Sidney's attention shifted upon hearing an unsettling noise from the depths of the woods. She spun around, slowly getting back to her feet, her eyes narrowing on the rustling bushes, "Hey, guys?" she called, but her warning fell on deaf ears, swallowed by the thick air filled with teenage drama.

"What is wrong with you people?" Steve groaned, first coherent string of words to leave his mouth in the last two minutes, "Why do you always go for the balls?" Peyton couldn't help but roll her eyes, though surprisingly still sympathetic despite the dig specifically directed at herself and her brother.

"Guys!" Sidney shouted again, and this time, her urgency broke through. Attention finally shifting, the group all watched in worry, a silence settling over them. Everyone heard it this time. The shrill shrieking, far enough away to not be an immediate threat yet still close enough to send shivers down their spines, "What the hell was that?"

Steve, still kneeling, gritted his teeth against the pain, forcing himself upright, "Let's go," He limped at first, like a baby giraffe learning to walk. But soon he regained his footing, asserting himself once again as leader of the group as he took off to investigate. The boys were first to follow. Then, his sister. Leaving only Max and Peyton behind.

"No, no, no," protested the redhead, pleading eyes shifting from the backs of her peers to the girl that had stayed behind with her, "Hey, guys, why are you headed towards the sound?" she called, but they showed no sign of slowing down, "Hello?" she attempted again, her words soon followed by a defeated glare.

Sympathising with the younger teen, Peyton's hand met her shoulder, "Come on, kid," she steered the young girl forward with an encouraging push, Max breaking into a jog as Peyton stumbled behind her.

─────

When they finally broke through the trees, the sight before them took them aback. They were perched high on a hill, overlooking the entire town of Hawkins.

Parker sneered when he noticed Peyton had found herself once again beside Steve, making a point of storming across to stand between them. Had he not just been hurt, Steve would have put up more of a fight. But unwilling to risk another kick to the nuts, he kept his protests to himself.

Besides, they had much bigger fish to fry.

The mist had rolled in thickly, draping over the town in a ghostly veil, the soft yellow light from street lamps and house windows flickering through the fog like tiny beacons in the night. The town seemed peaceful from up here — a fact Peyton knew not to be true.

Dustin shook his head, eyes narrowed in an attempt to see through the darkness, "I don't see him," Lucas, more methodical, lifted his binoculars to his eyes, his fingers trembling slightly as he focused the lenses, scanning the town below. Then, he saw it. A shadow speeding from the edge of the clearing. Toward a building he'd hoped never to see. His body stiffened, the binoculars suddenly lowering as a deep sense of dread washed over him.

"It's the lab," Lucas realized, his voice trembling, "They were going back home."

A chill ran through the group as they each processed his words.

The lab.

The place they had all hoped never to visit. But now, with the creatures they'd fought gone, it seemed something far more sinister awaited them in very place where it all began.

sooooo 👀

their first kiss turning into a makeout session is very on brand for them tbh !! they may have kissed but this is just the beginning of their messiness im telling u rn

this chapter title is an innuendo ur welcome steyton nation

also parker the icon u are 🙏

had the most fun writing this chapter actually 😭 turned a 2 min scene in the show into an almost 7k chapter but ur welcome for the steyton first kiss !!

ALSO the last fun chapter for a whileee cause next chapter ??? i think u know what's coming but im sorry in advance 😔

ty for reading and voting
and commenting it really does make my day!

<3