Black Beauty- Steve HarringtonxOC

Chapter 16

"Let's go! Let's go!"

"Come on, Mike! Move!"

"There! There!" Lucas points at the rope, right where they left it.

Her first priority is to protect the kids, of course. Steve nods at her and she waves Max forward as he readies under the rope. He lifts the small redhead so she can grasp it. Once she disappears into the hole, they send up Lucas, then Mike, and then Dustin. It was going too smoothly, something was bound to happen.

The shadows of the Demo-dogs cover the walls, making eerie paintings of death. Their growls are far too close, nipping on their heels almost. Steve gets into a stance in front of her, his bat at the ready.

"Filly! Come on!" Dustin screams at the top of his lungs, but Filly doesn't have that option. She faces the music with her machete drawn. The horde gets so close she can see the ooze sloughing off of them.

And they run right past the two teens. Steve moves his legs to dodge the creature, but Filly's long skirt doesn't afford that kind of movement. He reaches out, grabbing her around the waist and holding her close to him. It hits Filly that they must be going to the lab where Eleven is closing the gate. The last of them finally pass, and Steve hurriedly hoists Filly up to climb the rope, though she has to pull her skirt above her knees to use them to climb properly. Steve respectfully looks down and waits until she's safe to start his way up.

She's glad to be in her normal world again. Steve crawls up behind her, sighing in relief. "I'm driving," he says before anyone can say otherwise. They stand and are blinded by the headlights of Billy's Camaro, unusually bright. But it isn't like the harsh lights of the lab. It feels warm, like something kind and good. It's like the sunbeams hitting her skin on a nice summer day.

Then it fades, and the world seems to right itself. The electricity in the air wanes, and Hawkins is as it should be.

He drops everyone off, one by one, and finally makes it to the last stop of the night: the junkyard.

"Thank you, again, Steve." Her beautiful smile makes his heart beat faster. Her eyes look different under the moonlight, like a reflecting pool. He walks her to the door of the bus. "Tonight was... ghastly. I'm glad you were there." She shifts her weight between her feet, settling on one foot and putting the other behind her.

"Hey, you know, it's the job of a man to protect women and children, so..." He scratches the back of his head. "There's nothing to thank me for."

"There is," she insists, stepping closer. His face warms and his heart rate increases twofold. "I appreciate your actions, Steve. You are something else. I think you are my best friend, or maybe something better than that... I'm not sure what there is above that."

Steve clears his throat, not meeting her eyes when he says, "After that, it's, uh, boyfriend." She doesn't move. It feels like they're inching together, even.

"But you have a girlfriend, no?" The scrawny young woman looks confused, black strands falling around inquisitive eyes. This near to her, he can see the tiny flecks of green in her icy irises. Her plump lips quiver but nothing comes out. He's very close, almost touching her, his face a few inches from hers.

Steve has never been this intimate with her before. They have slept together, but he was with Nancy at the time. Steve had never entertained the thought of her letting him this close. "Not anymore." Her long fingers curl into his jacket, inadvertently tugging him closer. Their lips are almost at the point of brushing. Although he didn't think she would be interested in him, he can't say he hasn't thought about this moment. He acted nonchalant about it all with Dustin, but the truth was that it was a false confidence. It was just a bluff. He was horrible with women, though he got lucky with Nancy.