𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 ★ steve harrington²

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗 : blackout

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 5.1k

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𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 of the fueling station, her back pressed against the front window of the shop as she waited for Steve to arrive. Leo still hadn't even bothered to come find her after she deserted him in the woods. Despite the way that he had treated her, part of her still wanted to make sure that he was okay. She had no idea what would have brought on a reaction like she had had, but if the pit in her stomach was any indication, it wasn't anything good. Owen's gaze traveled down the road from which she had come, her arms tightening across her midsection. But only a short-lived, longing stare hung in the air before she stubbornly brought her eyes back to the fuel pumps in front of her.

Leo had made his decision. She couldn't make it for him.

The sound of a car rumbling around the curved road in front of her caused Owen to perk up. The road on which Leo had pulled off wasn't known for being very busy, especially not at that hour. So, when Steve's burgundy BMW steered into view, elation bubbled in Owen's chest. The familiarity of the car, the prospect of getting home, an escape from the cold November air; all of it had her eagerly pushing off of her spot against the store to meet Steve as he pulled into the desolate parking lot.

The minute Owen tugged the passenger door open, she was met with the sight of Steve in a cozy-looking pullover, the sound of a Hall & Oates song, and a concerned expression written all over his face. For just a moment, it felt like she was dreaming, stepping between two entirely different worlds in the span of a second. Dream or not, Owen couldn't get into the car fast enough, hurriedly shutting the door behind her.

"Thank you so much for coming," she breathed, reaching up to grasp the seatbelt before clicking it into place. The car's lack of movement had Owen peeking over at Steve, unsure of why he was choosing to linger in the parking lot after she was fully buckled. But his eyes were already fixed on her when she turned, the concern he was wearing having shifted to something more incredulous.

"Are you okay?" he blurted in disbelief, still not having any indication why he was the one she had called to come pick her up from some fuel station in the middle of nowhere. Owen hadn't exactly given any details over the phone and a simple 'thanks' was all she greeted him with? Steve was extremely confused, to say the least.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Owen nodded dismissively, offering a tight smile as consolation. But judging by the way his brows knitted into a frown, he clearly wasn't buying it. "Really. I'm fine. Enough for you to drive, at least," she said sparingly, turning back to look out her window. Steve studied Owen's profile for another moment before he expelled a sigh and pulled out of the parking lot.

"You gotta give me something, Owen. You can't just expect me to come pick you up from some gas station this late at night without some kind of explanation," he huffed, running a hand through his hair.

Owen sat silently in the passenger seat, watching her fingers pick at a hangnail. She hoped he would just drop the subject if she didn't actually say anything. The last thing Owen wanted to do was explain how horrendous her date with Leo had gone – especially not to Steve, who was known for being so annoyingly successful in his romantic endeavors. It would be the newest, lowest level of humiliation for her, which was saying something for Owen.

"And don't think I didn't notice the jacket that isn't yours"—Steve sent a brief, scolding look in her direction—"Or all the blood." As if it would change anything, Owen's hand came up to wipe at any remaining blood on her nose while her arms tucked across her chest defensively to cover the stain on the sleeve.