𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 ★ steve harrington²

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 : declassified

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 2.8k

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𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 her way up the front steps of her house. She had dropped each of the kids off at their respective homes before returning Steve, and Billy's car, back to the Byers'. When Steve insisted on staying there to make sure the others made it back safely, Owen didn't fight him on it too much; she wanted to make sure Gordon knew she was alright before he headed back to Purdue that night. So, she just decided to walk the short distance between the Byers' house and her own, the freezing air stinging against her cheeks.

To anyone else, Gordon and Law's excitement upon seeing her in the threshold of the front door would seem abnormal. But Owen was all too familiar with the thrill of seeing your loved ones alive when you believed that there was a chance they weren't. Gordon and Law leapt from the couch to pull her into their second group hug of the night, unbothered by the chill billowing into the living room from around her. Owen tiredly giggled against their shoulders, not sure if she would ever be welcomed back home so ceremoniously again.

Once she finally pulled away, she glanced over their shoulders, making sure nobody else had seen her arrive. She needed time to prepare a story about why she went to the movies with her "boyfriend" and came back with bruises and cuts all over her face. 

"What the hell happened?" Gordon hissed, examining her closely.

"The lights got all weird here at the house. Is everything okay?" Law asked, speaking just above a whisper. 

Without answering either of their questions, Owen grabbed them by their hands and dragged them down the thankfully desolate hallway and into her room. She could hear giggling behind the closed door of her father's bedroom and the shower running, creating the perfect, undoubtedly lucky storm that allowed her to sneak into her own house.

After tossing the boys inside of her room, Owen softly closed the door behind her and spun to press her back against it. When she was facing them again, the first thing she saw were the impatient expressions that Gordon and Law were both wearing, desperate to hear what had happened while she was gone.

She expelled a deep breath, her eyebrows scrunching slightly. "I don't even know where to begin," Owen confessed, gaze darting between her brothers. Gordon sighed dramatically. "Well, you'd better make it quick. Leo and I are heading back to Purdue once he's washed up," he warned with an urgency in his wide green eyes.

"Just start with wherever you went last Friday. I basically haven't even seen you since you left for work that day," Law reminded her. The corner of her lips twitched downward at the memory – her first escapade into the tunnels.

With that prompt, Owen launched into a speedy retelling of her weekend from hell. She watched as the boys' faces continuously shifted between surprise, scolding, amusement, and concern. With the time crunch, they both knew better than to ask questions, aware that they would get the most information by merely listening to her every word.

Owen rushed through the story, even going as far as taking minimal breaths just to make sure she could include as much of the tale as possible. Once she brought them into the present day, Gordon and Law were silent as they tried to process everything. But of course, after a moment's pondering, Law was the first to speak.

"Well, what happened to that document you stole?"

Then, it was Owen's turn to blink owlishly at him. The classified government document that she had folded and tucked into her bra this entire time. It was as if her brain had blocked it out in order to protect her from the terrifying truth.