YOU'RE NOT BULLSHIT !

☀︎

MAX'S GRIP ON THE STEERING WHEEL OF BILLY'S CAR HAD BEEN TIGHT ENOUGH TO TURN HER KNUCKLES WHITE. Lucas had been calling out directions while Mike and Dustin had been squished together in the backseat with Alex and Steve. In the middle, Steve had been slumped over unconscious with Dustin holding an ice pack to his head. On his lap, Alex had finally given in to what her body had wanted and closed her eyes to take a rest as she leaned back onto Steve at the beginning of the ride.

When she had woken up, her head had hurt, and immediate confusion had taken over. Sitting up straight, she looked around the backseat of the car. "What's going on?" she groaned as she rubbed the top of her head.

"We're sticking to the plan, remember," Mike spoke up. Her brows had furrowed together as she looked at him, until she had seen the gasoline container on his lap. They were headed to the tunnels to search for the hub and set it all on fire. It was a perfect plan to her before, but after Billy, Alex was certain that maybe Hopper was right about not getting involved— trouble already seemed to find them well enough.

"Oh my god," she whispered. Briefly shutting her eyes, she had shaken her head, "No, come on, guys, this is crazy. My head hurts too much."

"Oh, then take this," Dustin said and slapped down the ice pack on her head. Groaning, Alex pushed it off her. Placing her head in her hands, she had tried to push back the headache forming. "How are we even driving? Steve's still out."

"Take a right here," Lucas said quietly. He had given the backseat a side eye, checking to see if Alex had overheard. However, he was instead greeted by her head shooting up out of her hands to meet his eyes. Just as fast as she looked at him, she had looked right to Max who had both hands on the wheel and a box on the gas in order for her to even reach.

Feeling sick inside, Alex held onto the front seats. "Oh my god, stop the car."

"No way! We're almost there," Lucas scoffed. Focusing back in on the map, he had trailed his finger over it in hopes of getting a good idea of where they were.

"I'm gonna be sick! Pull over!"

"Sh, it's okay," Mike said softly, pushing her back down onto Steve, "Go back to thinking you're our dad."

Startled by such a random statement, she had pushed his hand off her and sat back up. "What are you talking about?" Holding her head, she felt that it had all been a dream. "Am I dead?

"Calm down, Alex! Be the cool dad again!" Dustin yelled, startling her.

"Oh hey, Steve's waking up!" Mike pointed behind Alex to a groggy Steve, trying to open his eyes. "Oh, sorry. I mean, Momma Steve is waking up everyone! Get your baseball mitts for practice!"

Mike's comment had broken all the stress building up inside the car, allowing all of them to at the very least crack a smile and find some laughter. The only person who had not found it the least bit amusing had been Alex. "What does that even mean?" She yelled out.

Hearing Alex yelling, Steve had started to slip from his groggy state as he became more aware of what had been going on around him. Blinking away the blurred vision, he had picked himself up off Dustin as he looked around the car.

Feeling him move under her, Alex had turned to him in fear. "Oh my god, Steve, you're awake," she sighed in relief. Still attempting to process everything, Steve had felt as she had turned back to the drivers seat, yelling at Lucas. When she had made a move to climb over and take over herself, he had grabbed onto her waist to keep her steady.

Unable to take Alex's persistent need to defuse the situation he saw as handled, Lucas began to swat her with the map until she had given up and sat back on Steve's lap. Taking one hand off her waist, Steve had reached up, feeling a stinging pain spreading across his face. However, when he had reached for it, Dustin had slowly pulled back his hand.

"Hey, mom," Dustin said softly, "Shh... it's okay. You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a fight."

At the mention of another parent, Alex had looked to her brother in annoyance. "Dustin, shut up," she whispered.

Looking over to Mike, Steve had started to take notice of the container of gasoline. "What's going on?" Meeting Alex's eyes for answers, he had suddenly realized what had happened to her face. With his mouth agape, he had slowly extended his out until he placed his hand on her cheek. "What happened to you?"

Pacing her hand on his, she had gently pulled it off. "Don't worry about it. You should look at yourself."

Nodding his head, he let his hand settle in hers as he took in what was really going on around them. It didn't take long for it to dawn on him the plan the kids had been putting together earlier was now in affect. Looking over Alex's shoulder, he had seen Lucas holding up a map as he called out directions once again, and with a look over her other shoulder, he could barely see the top of Max's head as she sat in the drivers seat.

"Oh my god," he mumbled as he started to sit forward.

Pushing him back down gently, Dustin had tried to remain calm. "Relax, she's driven before."

Sitting up, Mike interjected immediately. "Yeah, in a parking lot."

"That counts!" Dustin defended. It had only begun a battle between both Dustin and Mike on what experience counted for Max to be behind the wheel. On the other hand, Alex had let go of Steve's hand and held onto each of the front seats. The road ahead of them had whipped by as Max picked up speed, only making her sick to her stomach. Closing her eyes, she had swayed side to side with the car as Steve had began to panic.

"They wanted to leave you two behind," Dustin said calmly. Resting his hand on Alex's shoulder, he had tried to comfort her, but she had swatted him away immediately. "Hey, I promised that you guys would be cool, okay?"

"This is so not cool, Dustin," Alex called back to him.

Sending that their drive would come to an end soon if it had been up to Alex and Steve, Max had pressed harder on the gas. Feeling the car pick up speed, Steve's hands shot out as he grabbed Alex once again on the waist. "Oh my god! Whoa! Stop the car!"

"I told you they'd freak out!" Mike called over Steve.

"Oh, who cares! Bring them or leave them, they're grounding us!" Dustin screamed back.

Unable to take the confusion any longer, Alex had released her grip on the seats as she spun towards Dustin. "Okay, cut the crap, Dustin! What the hell does that mean? Why are we parents? Why the hell am I the dad?"

"Oh, that's actually a funny story—" Dustin began.

"Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!" Max screamed from the drivers seat. The immense stress she had already felt trying not to crash was enough, but the chaos from the backseat had been a distraction that had been completely unneeded. Focusing back out onto the road, Max only hoped they had gotten to where they needed to be before she had either killed them all or Steve and Alex had taken control again.

Checking the map once again, Lucas had realized that he had became just as distracted. With a turn approaching very quickly, he had pointed out to the dirt path they would need to take. "Oh, wait! That's Mount Sinai! Make a left!"

The tires screeched as Max had jerked the wheel, sending the car flying to the left. Everyone had erupted in screams of fear as they felt their lives flash before their eyes. Falling back into Steve, Alex had wrapped her arms around him just as he did the same. In the process of turning, Max had taken down a mailbox, only causing the screams to grow louder before she had managed to straighten out the car.

Pulling her foot off the gas, Max had made a quick change as she slammed down hard onto the breaks just before she could send the car through the hole that Hopper had made into the tunnels. Falling forward, some had felt relieved, while some had been impressed.

"I told you, Zoomer," Max said proudly, shutting off the car. Piling out of the car, all the kids had headed right into action to continue with what they had planned. Sliding off of Steve's lap, Alex had let out a groan. When she had felt Steve's hand lay on top of hers, she had turned to him with a frown. "I'm gonna hurl."

As her hand slipped out from under his and she left him in the car, he had paused. Despite being beaten down, she had been following after the kids, asking what she needed to do and all he had wanted was a nap. Picking up the ice packet off the floor, he had considered taking it along with, but already hearing the comments the kids would make playing over in his mind, he tossed it over his shoulder as he lazily followed after them.

Stumbling out of the car, he held his head. "Guys," he groaned, leaning onto the car. "Oh, no, guys."

Ignoring him, the kids had gathered supplies and got themselves ready to head into the hole. Taking a pair of goggles, Max had helped Alex place them on without hurting her too much. "Sorry about my stupid brother," she began quietly. It wasn't her fault in the slightest, but she had cared deeply for Alex. To see her hurt had made her feel worse than she had felt since arriving at Hawkins.

Tying a bandana around her, Alex had shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Max. You kicked serious ass. I'm actually kinda jealous."

"Tougher than Harrington," Mike mumbled as he passed them over. Making his way with the container of gasoline, he had walked passed Steve as if he wasn't there.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Steve questioned him. Watching as Mike had continued on without the smallest bit of acknowledgement, he pulled himself up from the car. "What are you, deaf? Hello?" Still being completely ignored, Steve had made his way towards the group that were pulling supplies out of the trunk. "We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear." Max and Lucas had followed along with Mike, infuriating Steve even further. "Hey! There is no chance we are going down that hole! This ends right now!"

Coming up to Steve, Alex had laid a hand on his chest it get his focus to only stay on her. "Hey, relax, Harrington. I know you're upset but we promised we'd keep the shitheads safe. No matter how much you bitch and complain, they'll go down with or without us. I'm not letting them do it alone, so I'm going. They're awful listeners, but you gotta know when to just give in."

"This is insane, you know that, right?" Taking her hand off his chest, he held on to it tight. "Alex, this is crazy."

Pulling her bandana down from her mouth, she had made it crystal clear where she had stood in all this. "Hoppers done a lot of shit for me and El has saved our asses more than enough. They're risking a lot to go close that gate and the least we can do is hold off the demo-dogs as long as we can. I have to go down that hole." Freeing her hand from his, she had put the bandana back on as she made her way towards the opening. "It's okay to be scared, Harrington!"

"I-I'm not scared," he called back. Pulling his jacket back on straight and fixing his hair, he gave a small nod to himself for extra reassurance. "I'm not scared."

Standing over the hole, Alex had shined down her flashlight. She had held her breath as the fear had begun to creep up on her. To do this for everyone was the one thing that was giving her the courage to follow through. The first one to drop down had been Mike, and then Lucas had came behind her. "You can go," he offered up.

"No, I should make sure you all get in safe," she said. She had truly meant that because knowing her luck, something would happen and she would be trapped down in the tunnels.

"Yeah, well, someone's gotta be sure you're safe too. Last time we trusted you alone, you had some monster in your brain. No offense, Henderson, but you need us just as much as we need you."

Lucas's words had meant a lot to her as she watched Max climb down next. She was always putting it on her to be there for her friends and was always willing to allow herself to come second when she shouldn't have had to. Lucas had taken her flashlight from her as he motioned towards the rope. "Go ahead. Maybe just take it as my thank you for kicking Billy's ass for all of us."

"I did get in a good punch," Alex said through a guilty smile. "He had it coming. No one touches the party."

"Guess you being in the party isn't as bad as I thought," he admitted. Shinning the light down for her, he had given her the light to make it down without trouble. The two didn't need to say much more because the small moments they did share— they were special. Now it would go back to teasing and jokingly hating and being annoyed with each other until they had a chance to remind one another how much they cared for the other. 

Climbing down the rope, Alex had tried to keep her breathing steady as she had entered into the place she had only ever dreamed of. The dusty air and distant noises were exactly as they were how she had remembered them. It was eerie and the moment her feet had hit the floor, she felt that she had been there a million times before.

Looking up, she had held her hands out as Lucas dropped down the flashlight to her. The last three had eventually managed to make their way down below to begin their plan. Everyone had looked up and down the tunnel they had stood in, most unsure where to go.

Taking charge, Mike had held a homemade map in his hands as he tried to understand where they were and what direction they were facing. Coming up beside him, Alex had furrowed her brows at the crayon drawn map. Taking it from his hands, she looked it over herself. "What the hell is this?"

"It's my map," he fought back, attempting to take it from her grasp.

Holding it out of reach, Alex had even failed to understand it despite knowing exactly where they were. "You can't even tell how this map works." Crumpling up the map, Alex ignored Mike's complaints as she tossed it over her shoulder. "Calm down," she laughed. "I know these tunnels like the back of my hand. I can get us to the hub no problem." Looking around the group as they listened in, Alex swallowed hard. "Okay, I mean, I've only ever been here in my head. I know if I can just close my eyes, I'm going to be able to tell where we are."

"You're sure this'll work?" Dustin asked curiously.

"Yeah, I can do it. But, uh," clearing her throat, she had felt nervous to ask for help. "If anyone's willing, maybe just hold my hand? I feel like, if I'm able to feel someone, I won't freak out. I've just been through enough with this thing..." Unable to finish, Alex had been interrupted as the support she had been looking for had come in plenty.

Mike, Max, and Steve all reached out to take her hand until they saw the predicament it put them in. Max was first to pull her hand away, leaving it up to the boys to fight over who got to hold her hand.

"Jesus Christ," Dustin mumbled, leaning up against the tunnel wall while Steve and Mike started smacking each others hands away from one another.

Reaching out, Max had yanked Mike's arm away. "Let them hold hands," she grumbled when he flung his hand out of hers.

Holding his head high, Steve was glad his bandana had covered the half of his face as he smiled brightly underneath it. "All yours, Henderson," he offered up.

Placing her hand in his, Alex had let out of a large breath of air as she prepared to face something that had been traumatizing enough already. However, the feel of Steve's hand in hers had felt like home. It had never felt more comfortable as she intertwined his fingers with his, and the feel as he walked closely beside her at all times. There was always a lingering fear inside her as echoing thoughts of what demands and fear the Mind Flayer had put in her head played over, and having Steve, the Mind Flayer had never felt so far away. No matter how much she had feared the place she stood in, she had felt safe with him.

『••☀︎••』

WALKING THE TUNNELS HAD THE ENTIRE GROUP ON EDGE. No one had wanted to doubt Alex guiding them through, but the ever living fear of getting lost in the tunnels weighed down on them. On top of that, there was the consistent worry of any demo-dogs or any new type of monster the Upside Down could muster up would come attacking them.

Alex had held on tighter to Steve's hand as they had begun to reach the hub. Opening her eyes, she had nodded her head down the tunnels. "That should be it."

Steve didn't hesitate as he guided the group down the tunnel with Alex by his side. As they had approached, the opening to the hub had stood before them. Shining his flashlight across the opening, he had managed a small laugh of amazement. "You're one hell of a girl, Henderson."

Breaking between the two, Mike had managed to allow Steve and Alex to let go of one another. "Let's drench it," he stated before moving on. The rest of the group had followed after, everyone making sure to empty their gasoline containers all over the hubs walls and floors.

As Alex's container had emptied out, she had looked around as the others were finishing up. Standing back at the exit, she waited as Steve had followed after. Taking a quick glance around, he gave a firm nod. "Told you I'd do anything for you, Henderson."

"Let's just hope that this is the worst it'll ever get," she whispered. The kids had all started to make their way over with their empty containers, only confirming that their plan was soon coming to a fiery end.

Everyone's nerves had built up as they gathered behind the two. If they weren't too late, they were sure they would be helping Hopper and El have a clearer path to the gate without any threats. However, they were only luring the threats right their way.

Steve had pulled the lighter from his pocket while he had swallowed hard as he prepared himself to flick it on and toss it in. When he had felt a hand slip into his for reassurance, he had looked over to see Alex watching carefully towards the hub. All she had wanted was to end the mess she had been dragged into. To watch it burn would give her the relief and hope that it would stay gone. Flicking on the lighter, he had tossed it out into the middle of the hub and soon enough, the whole place was engulfed in flames.

Instructing the kids to get moving, they had followed down the tunnels they had came from. Moving up ahead of the group, Alex had taken charge in guiding them back towards the entrance. Making his way forward, Steve had ushered the kids along before he found his way up to Alex. The panic in her eyes was unsettling as she desperately tried to navigate them safely through the tunnels. For a moment, his fingers had grazed against hers as he hurried alongside.

It was as if a spark had ignited in Steve. Only this time Steve didn't pull away or wait for Alex to grab onto him first. She needed him and he knew more than anything that he had needed her as well. Without any means of hesitation, he let that tug on his heart allow him to intertwine his fingers with her as they raced through the tunnels in search of the exit.

Inside the tunnels, it had felt that the vines living throughout it had a life of their own. With the heat rising, and the fire destroying a part of the Mind Flayer and his army, the vines had fought to stay alive.

Writhing under their feet, one had managed to trip up Mike and send him falling to he group. His calls for help did not go unnoticed as the group had raced back to give him a hand.

For a member of the party, and most importantly a friend in danger, Lucas and Dustin had worked alongside Max to pull at his arms in hopes of getting him back on his feet.

"Move!" Alex instructed. Taking her bat in hand, she had swung down hard on the vines. They had withered and screeched as they begun to let loose on Mike's legs. With another swing down, they had broken apart and disappeared back into the ground. Instantly, the group had helped him back to his feet and looked him over. Assuring everyone he was okay, Mike had brushed himself off as ge thanked Alex for her quick save.

Coming up, Steve had laid a hand on Mike's shoulders as he looked down the tunnels. "Hey, we gotta go," he said quickly. Any moment the monsters lurking the Upside Down and tunnels would be pouring in to see the damage that had burned them within.

The group quickly collected themselves as they had headed back towards the entrance. Alex had searched for a companion to stay close, and settled for one she knew would make her feel better. Holding on to Max's hand, the two girls had walked ahead of the group to lead them out.

"You sure you know where you're going?" Max questioned her.

Alex gave a firm nod, knowing full well that she would be able to free them from the tunnels. It was all too familiar and staying in any longer than she had to was not an option. "I got this," she assured.

However, Alex's confidence was shot down as a low growl had out then to a stop. The boys had came up from behind, watching as the two had stared down at the monster blocking their path. It's feet was firmly planted and that flower-like face had stared them down as it had dared them to pass.

Both the Henderson's had felt an unfamiliar pain when they had seen the demo-dog before them. Dustin could tell from the yellow markings on his back that it could only be Dart. Despite being a monster, he had still felt a soft spot for him. As for Alex, she had felt a strange connection with the demo-dog she was unsure how to feel about. There was always a part of her that had created Dart and that part had felt wrong to abandon.

"Dart," Dustin spoke softly. He had slowly began to approach as Dart had kept his growls low and quiet. It felt safe and Dustin knew he could not move on without saying something to his pet. "Hey, it's me. It's your friend, it's Dustin. Uncle Dustin. You remember me? Will you let us pass?" Slowly getting to his knees, he had felt comfortable as Dart had ceased his growling and lowered his head as Dustin approached. However, the moment Dustin had pressed his foot down onto the tunnel floor below, a stiff vine had cracked beneath his weight, causing Dart to flinch at the sudden noise within the silence. Taking a small step towards Dustin, Dart had opened his flower-like mouth as he screeched in anger.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the storm cellar. That was a pretty douchey thing to do. You hungry?" Dustin slowly pulled off his backpack, taking his eyes off of Dart to dig into his bag, "I got our favorite. See? Nougat." Opening the wrapper, he had returned to keeping a careful eye on Dart. There was no threat though. Dart had kept his head low as he was curious to the familiar smell of the chocolate.

Dustin had slowly lowered the chocolate down to Dart's feet for him to take. There was a sense of trust in comfort in the two as Dart focused in on his candy. When Dart had accepted the treat and began to eat, Dustin had gotten to his feet slowly as to not startle him. Waving the group through, he had wanted to be sure all had passed before he left Dart's side. However, one person had begun to approach.

Looking up, Dart had kept quiet as he ate the chocolate in his mouth. His head had cocked to the side as Alex stood beside her brother with a frown. "This is Dart then?" she asked her brother quietly.

"Yeah. He's cool, see."

Alex gave a small nod as Dustin made his way around her to exit. She still remained in her spot when Dart had looked back down at what was left of his chocolate bar. "You ate my cat, asshole," she whispered.

Looking back up, Dart had begun to growl quietly as a sign of warning. Instead, Alex shook her head at him. "I'm sorry we're about to kill you though," she finished. The growling had stopped as Dart took his last bit of chocolate to finish. Taking that as a good sign to leave, Alex had followed after her brother to head back with the group.

"I sort of feel bad," Alex whispered to him.

"I know," Dustin said softly. Looking over his shoulder, he had taken a peek at Dart as one final goodbye. It felt wrong leaving him behind when he knew he had cared for him so much. "Goodbye, buddy," he said before turning back. Alex rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze of comfort.

Heading off, the group could see the light from the entrance up ahead. Yet the sounds of screeching and howls had them all racing just as fast as their hearts were. Moving quick, Steve and Alex took lead once again as they stood under the exit above them. Calling the kids over, they had abandoned the idea of using the rope and instead decided on lifting the kids out to move faster.

Approaching first, Max had set her foot in Steve's hand and the other in Alex's as she reached for the ground above her to lift herself free. As soon as she had found herself up above, the rest of the kids had done just the same, one-by-one.

A shriek that pierced their ears the closer the monster had came had caused Alex and Steve to stop dead in their tracks. For a moment, there was hesitation as they awaited the monsters to approach. When none had came, Steve thought quickly and lowered his hands down for her to put her foot in. "Come on, Henderson!"

"Alex, give me your hand!" Dustin called down. Up above he had his arm stretched out as far as it could go, wiggling his fingers out to her. The rest of the kids had clung on to him to be sure he would not slip back down. "Please, Alex," he pleaded.

Feeling her heart beat against her chest and a lump in her throat, she had placed her foot in Steve's hand. As she began to lift herself up, he had said something that made her world stop. "Don't worry about me, okay? Just get your ass outta here and I'll take down as many as I can."

Letting her hand fallback down just before it had grazed Dustin's fingers, she had pulled her foot free. Standing in the tunnels with Steve Harrington, she had reached held her bat up. "I'm not leaving you," she stated.

Looking back down the tunnels, the worry in him had grown. Meeting her eyes, he shook his head as he held his hands cupped out for her. "Stop screwing around. Let me get you out."

"No, you'll die," she said sharply. Turning her attention away from him, she had focused on the shadows down the tunnel in front of them that were rapidly approaching. "If you die, then I die, Harrington. I love you too damn much to leave you down here alone."

For a moment, Steve felt that everything around him was silent. Dropping his hands down to his side, he looked to her though her eyes were off of him. She was too focused on fighting back the monsters approaching than to await his reaction to her confession.

Exhaling sharply, she had adjusted her bat in her hands. "We're about to die anyways, right? I love you and you should know that before these things eat us. I know we're just friends, but I've always liked you. You're not bullshit, Steve."

"Henderson," he began softly, but with a screech interrupting his thoughts, he had reacted quickly to grabbing his bat. Holding it up over his shoulder, he had given her a glance. After all this time battling with himself on whether or not he had felt guilty for his feelings or not, he couldn't possibly begin to understand how she could feel the same way back.

Up above, Dustin had yanked down his bandana from around his mouth. "Tell her now, dipshit!"

"You're the girl I told you about, okay? I love you too, Henderson and I think I always have. I'm not just saying that either! I'm so damn crazy about you I can't ever think straight! I-I'm down here trying to die for you, that's how much I love you!"

With each confession out in the air, both had tore their eyes off of the monsters approaching ahead. The weight of the world had felt as if it had been lifted off their shoulders and everything felt as if it all made sense. They had prepared to die right then and there with one another, but to know now that it was all because they had loved one another, it felt more than worth it. It felt right.

Yet when the demo-dogs had screeched and howled, it was a reminder that even in love, they couldn't escape the nightmare. They had brought their attention out to the dogs that had toppled over one another the more eager they had gotten. Steve and Alex had tightened their grips on their bats, standing their ground as the dogs had raced at them.

Both had raised their bats to swing, but just before they could bring it down, the demo-dogs had slipped passed them. Getting pushed by one, Alex had held her arms out to hold her balance. Grabbing on to her, Steve had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to him.

Looking down, all the demo-dogs had raced around their feet, none bothering to acknowledge the two standing helpless before them. They had all been on a mission and that was to save their leader. Eleven had been closing the gate and soon enough, they would all die because of it.

Their grips had tightened on one another as the last few demo-dogs had raced their way down the tunnels. Each were breathing heavily as they had realized the death they believed was coming had completely slipped passed them.

There was a moment of hesitation as they realized that their confessions truly were out in the open and there was no taking it back. Slowly turning their eyes to one another, neither were sure if they bring up the confession or act as if neither had heard one another.

Pulling down her bandana, Alex let out a soft laugh. "We didn't die."

The disbelief had Steve pull his mask down with a broken out smile. Rather than wait just as he always did, Steve had decided to take his chance. He knew exactly how he felt and how she had felt and there was no reason to feel the need to hide it all away again.

Because there was no one like Alex Henderson and no other girl would make him feel the same as she did.

Before her smile could drop, he had pulled his hands off her waist to cup her face in her hands. Everything had felt right to him, especially in this moment. Alex had grabbed onto his arm gently as she met his eyes. It wasn't long before he felt himself leaning in and softly laying his lips against hers. Leaning in, Alex had moved his lips with his and knew that it was better than she could have imagined.

It was long overdue, but to know how each other felt had made it feel perfect. Even in the dark tunnels that ran beneath Hawkins, it was everything they could have imagined. Alex Henderson knew she could never feel the cold again because all Steve Harrington did was make her feel warm and comfortable. He was the perfect thing to take her away from such a nightmare— and for him, he'd battle any nightmare for her all by himself if need be.

And just as all good moments do, they come to an end. As they had pulled away, both lost in one another's eyes and smiles that proved how in love they were, they could hear the noise from above them.

"God, mom and dad are disgusting!" Lucas screamed, "Oh my god, Dustin just hurled all over!" he said, looking off to the side with a laugh.

Keeping her eyes on Steve, Alex had given in to what the others had desperately wanted. "We should probably get out of here," she whispered.

Steve nodded his head in response as he pulled away from her. "All right, Henderson, get the hell out of here," he stated as he cupped his hands for a placeholder for her foot.

Placing her foot in his hands, she had lifted herself up with the rope until raising out a hand for the others to take. Both Lucas and Max had gripped on tight as they used their strength to help her out of the hole. As soon as she was free, she had turned back towards the entrance into the tunnels with a playful smile. "If I left you down there, would you still like me?"

"Very funny. Get me out of here," he called up, extending his hand out to them.

"I don't know, Harrington." Thinking to herself for a moment, she turned over to the kids with a shrug, "You guys hungry? We could go grab something then come back for him, if you want."

"Food sounds really good. I just threw up whatever was left in me," Dustin grinned before poking his head into the hole, "Bye Steve! This is what you get for kissing my sister!"

Rolling her eyes with a laugh, Alex held her hand out to Steve. "All right, come on. I can't watch the dipshits alone."

Placing his hand in hers, Steve had used the rope with his free hand to help himself out as well. Holding on, Max had made sure to not let Alex fall in after him while the other three had teasingly jumped around the hole as they mocked Alex.

"Kiss me, Steve," Lucas called out before mockingly kissing in Alex's direction.

"I love you even though you're an asshole!" Mike laughed. Making kissing noises in their direction, both Lucas and Mike had found themselves finally able to relax since the events of tonight. The only exception was Dustin Henderson, who didn't choose to mock his sister, but instead Steve Harrington.

"You're the girl, Alex. I love you. Let me die for you," he shot over to him in a high pitched voice that didn't match Steve's very well. Turning over, Steve had stopped brushing off his jeans as he raised a finger at him. "Cut it out, man."

"We saw how you kicked Billy's ass too. Trust me Steve, I'm not scared," Dustin rolled his eyes, picking up his backpack and walking towards the car.

Watching as the boys and made their way to the car, Alex had stood beside Max with a soft sigh. "Boys are the worst."

"Tell me about it," Max whispered. In return, Alex slung her arm over her shoulder as they began to walk back to Billy's car. Leaning up against the hood, Steve had waited as the girls had approached with the headlights shining behind him.

Max had given Alex a sneaky smile before she had left her alone with Steve. He had pulled himself up from the car with a nervous smile. "Yeah, so, we didn't die."

"Apparently not," she said through a laugh. Standing in front of one another, they had met each other's eyes but were soon at a loss for words. After a moment of silence, Alex had given a small nod as she motioned to the car, "We should probably get them all back to the Byers. We technically are supposed to be waiting."

"Right, but, I should probably..." he paused as he nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "I mean, we said some stuff down there and we can't just act like it didn't happen. Y-you told me to wait until all this was over and, I don't know, I guess it is?" Clearing his throat nervously, Steve had realized he had never felt as nervous as he did now and all he could think was he was screwing it all up with all his rambling.

But Alex had just smiled as she watched him struggle to find the right words. "So, do you just wanna be my boyfriend, or what?"

Dropping his hand back down to his side, he gave a small shrug. "Well, yeah, I was getting to that. Took you long enough to ask though." Unable to hold his playful attitude long, Steve had felt unsure after a miserably failed relationship if he was prepared to be hurt all over again. "Are you sure you wanna be together? You know, rumor has it, I'm a pretty crappy boyfriend."

"I doubt that," she scoffed. "Pretty sure that the obsessive monster that was living in my head was the worst it could get. So you're probably an upgrade."

"Probably," he laughed. After that, there was a silence as the two took in the fact that after all this time, they were finally together. Through the nightmare they had seemed to be living, they had still managed to find love with one another. And with busted up faces and the smell of smoke lingering from the fire in the tunnels, it still had been the happiest they had felt with one another.

Their silhouettes had been outlined from the headlights shining out from Billy Hargrove's car and they had went to lean in towards one another. Already they had been in need of one another's touch, but as always, the world had other plans— that being the kids waiting in the car.

Nearly throwing himself from the backseat, Dustin had made sure he didn't have to see his sister kiss Steve Harrington one more time. He had laid his hand down hard on the horn, causing the two to break apart immediately while Max had attempted to save their moment.

For once in the long and exhausting night, everything had felt at ease. They had all believed in Eleven and her ability to close the gate and everyone knew Joyce Byers would do anything to have Will back to himself. There was not a second the group feared it wasn't over. As far as they were concerned, this was the end, and it had ended on a high note. Piling in to Billy Hargrove's car, they were headed back to the Byers to clean up what they could— as far as the rest were concerned, they were still sitting this one out.