Pretty Boy

Chapter 9

Nearly six hours later, RJ was woken by Robin.

"Ok Sleeping Beauty, your turn to keep watch, my turn to sleep," She said, extending a hand to RJ.

Steve, Robin, and RJ decided that they would sleep in shifts. If they happened to be bombarded by Russian guards, someone had to be awake to deal with it. Steve took the first shift, RJ took the second, and Robin took the third.

RJ took Robin's hand, and Robin pulled her up.

"Wow, you've got sweaty hands," Robin quickly realized that may not have been the best thing to say.

RJ chuckled softly, "It's just fucking hot in here."

Robin laid down on the hard floor across from Dustin and Erica. RJ and Steve were left alone. They hadn't spoken since the moment they had when the elevator fell. She had no clue what to say to him.

"It's not that hot in here, you know. You're just wearing that big ass sweatshirt," Steve said as he sat on the table.

RJ already knew that, but she refused to let the bruises on her arms show. However, she also felt that if she wore that sweatshirt any longer, she would have a heat stroke. She thought maybe she could come up with some elaborate lie about how she got the bruises.

Max was teaching me to skateboard, and I fell. I tripped and hit my arm on one of the shelves at work...both arms.

She knew that there was no way to hide the truth. The bruises and marks on her arms were unmistakably from someone grabbing her and grabbing her hard. She weighed her options carefully, but when a bead of sweat dripped from her nose, she knew the sweatshirt had to come off. Thankfully, she wore a blue tank top beneath her sweatshirt in case a moment like this happened. She strategically slipped the sweatshirt off without unclipping her overalls. Steve immediately noticed the bruises.

"Woah Woah Woah, what happened to you?" He asked, concerned.

"I-"

RJ knew she just had to tell the truth. There was no way around it.

"My brother he...he was really high or really drunk, or on something the other night and was angry that Max wasn't home." She could see the outrage grow across Steve's face. "But it's fine now. I'm over it."

"No, it's not fine...God, I hate him," Steve said.

RJ walked over and sat on top of the table next to Steve. She wanted to talk to him about what had happened between them. How she thought she may have had a change of heart. Steve beat her to it.

"So, uh, about this morning, or I guess yesterday morning..."

RJ took a deep breath. Normally, she would shut down a conversation like this before it had the chance to begin. Avoid getting too vulnerable or too comfortable.

"What about it?" That was all she could manage to reply.

Steve shifted so that one leg was bent up on the table and the other was left hanging off so he could face RJ.

"I guess I'm just a bit confused. I don't understand what's going on with all this," he gestured between the two of them, "What's going on with us?"

This was it. The moment that RJ dreaded. There was no bullshitting her way out of this one. She was going to have to tell Steve the truth. She was terrified about what would happen after she told him the truth. However, in the end, they were trapped in an elevator with no escape in sight. If there was any time to tell him how she felt, it was then and there. She turned to face Steve, sitting cross-legged across from him on the table.

"My dad was my best friend growing up, and his relationship with my mom was like a fairytale. Or I thought it was. I was still too young to see that they were actually really unhappy together...when they divorced, I stopped believing in fairytales and happy endings. I started believing that everything good was temporary...so I would cut away the things that made me happy before they were taken from me. I guess it made me feel in control...or something."

RJ could feel emotion creeping up her throat and pushed it back down.

"I hated Hawkins when I first moved here. Living with my Stepdad and Billy made it even worse...You saved me. You made Hawkins a happy place."

Tears began to pool slightly in RJ's eyes. Being this vulnerable was already so uncomfortable, and she refused to let Steve see her cry again.

"But I dunno, I eventually fell back on the idea that I would never get my happy ending...and that you were destined for a happy ending; that you deserved a happy ending. You're the best person I've ever met, Steve Harrington, and I couldn't bear the thought of you being taken away from me...so I cut you loose. I guess I thought it would be easier to do it myself."

Steve reached over and grabbed RJ's hand. She looked down at her hand in his and then back up at him. He had the softest, most comforting smile on his face. RJ felt butterflies in her stomach like she never had before.

"Nothing...nothing, could ever take me away from you, RJ."

RJ felt a twist in her stomach. The good kind of twist. The twist you get right before the roller coaster drops down for the first time. The twist you get when you're about to kiss someone.

"The Russians, they're coming!"

Steve and RJ nearly jumped out of their skin. They looked over to see that Dustin had been talking in his sleep. The two looked at each other and burst out laughing, their hands still interlaced.

"God, that scared the shit out of me," RJ said, still laughing.

"That makes two of us," Steve replied, looking lovingly at RJ. "I'm not all that great, you know."

RJ was confused, "What do you mean?"

"You said I was the best person you've ever met. I'm not all that great...I couldn't get into college, I'm working a shitty summer job, and I'm deathly afraid of the fact that I think I peaked in high school... although, you got one thing right."

"What's that?" RJ was smiling.

"That I'm destined for a happy ending," Steve replied.

RJ couldn't help but giggle a bit, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're right, I am destined for a happy ending, and it's you...you're my happy ending, Rebecca Jane."

RJ felt a warmth that filled every inch of her body. She felt Steve lean in, and she followed. She was moments away from kissing him before she reached into his pocket and grabbed her pocket knife. She playfully pulled away before they kissed.

"I'll take this back, thank you very much," She said with a cheeky tone.

Steve laughed, "I swear to god I forgot it was there. I took it off your keys to use the screwdriver on it for the vent."

"It's so incredibly handy, right?" She said, leaning in slightly.

Steve softly grabbed her chin, "Yeah, it is."

They leaned in further and further when suddenly they were interrupted. Dustin's watch began beeping, signifying that it was the morning. Dustin, Erica, and Robin all began to slowly stir awake. Steve and RJ hastily shifted away from each other.

"Well, we survived through the night," Dustin yawned, "I'd call that success.

"Yeah, I'd say that was a success," Steve replied, but he wasn't looking at Dustin.

He was looking at RJ.