𝗨𝗚𝗟𝗬 // 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻

045

My boyfriend, Steve Harrington, is pretty cool.
With his long pretty brown hair that falls effortlessly and the confidence that flows through his body, evident even when he walks.

I'm watching him, shoulders moving in rhythm as he practically dances through the woods, cool even in the face of anxiety.

He turns back every time he walks even slightly far ahead, and if he doesn't he makes sure his hand is holding mine. Like Orpheus and Eurydice, he would've failed.

I wonder how he does things with such ease. I've felt so much lighter since being with him, every anxiety is cured within just a second of his simple touch or embrace and yet he still makes me curious.

He's infecting me in the best way. How is he doing that?

It's like he makes me forget my worries, living in a blur until I see the famous skull shaped rock in the distance.

A chime.
There it is again.

The world freezes and my boyfriend in front of me is suddenly still, posed as if mid walk and eyes glazed over with a sort of white mist, the same white mist Max's eyes had.

"Steve?"

I run closer to his face, cupping his soft skin in my hands while I shout his name over and over.
This can't be happening..
Why Steve??

There's no one around as I turn for help, it's like the entire group has disappeared and the woods are closing in on me, violently sharp branches becoming closer.

"Steve!!" Tears fall from my eyes, "CAN ANYONE HELP???"

"I can help."

The voice makes me stop in my tracks.
Like something familiar, always echoing in the back of my mind that I haven't heard clearly before.

I'm unsure if it's my body refusing to turn, or some sort of magic, either way I'm stood frozen in place staring at my lovers cold face in front of me, refusing to turn.

I don't want to know what he looks like.
Not yet.
Not properly.

He's like a personification of death, hunting me down until he appears in my eyesight, black cloak and scythe ready to take me to hell.

"Bullshit." I speak through gritted teeth.

"I wouldn't beg you for help if my life depended on it!"

I feel a long hand graze my face, fingers tracing my cheek like some sort of prize. My eyes shut and the sensation becomes clearer, but it's worth it so that his face doesn't haunt my memories.

I'm aware if I live I'll be forever changed.

"Oh don't worry.. it will."
His voice is low and gargling and for a moment it seems like he's laughing, only slightly, only a small chuckle but enough to make bile rise from my throat.

"Let him go."
Ignoring his psychopathic advances I find myself demanding Steve's safety and I can feel his hand stop, as If frozen on my cheek. Maybe he's pondering my request..

"Alright." His hand is pulled away and I hear the leaves crunch as he moves away from me, but my eyes won't open for a moment, paralysed from terror.

I have to force my eyelids to move, the first thing I see being the woods around me, no longer of normal autumn shades but suddenly red and dark.

"But you have to stop resisting."

"What??" I spit, confused and angry.

"Stop resisting your fear."

***

"Ruby?!" The shouting brings me back to life itself and my boyfriend is standing in front of me, snapping his fingers.

"Alright, alright! I'm awake, now that's just annoying." I swat his hand down playfully and he sighs, "Ruby what the hell was that?"

I sigh, running a hand over my face in frustration, "my first visit from our wizard friend."

"VECNA?" Steve's voice squeaks in fear but before he can say anymore the rest of the group is running towards us through the woods, Eddie included.

"Eddie!" I breathe out in relief only for Dustin to come running up to me before I can greet my friend, shaking my shoulders. "Ruby did anything just happen? Are you ok?"

"How did you..?"

"My nose. It bled and I started getting headaches.. almost like he was lurking near by, exactly like you did when he attacked me." Max explains, trying to fake coolness but clearly terrified as she pretends she doesn't like Lucas's arms around her shoulder in protection and shoves it off.

"We had just finished explaining everything to Eddie when it happened.." Robin is quiet as Nancy speaks, staring at the ground and it's the first thing i notice.

"Robin?" My acknowledgement cuts through the air like ice, and her head snaps upwards, "I thought.. I thought we had enough time!"

"Robin I'm fine!" I gesture to my standing body as if to say, still here!

"Bullshit!" She's strutting over to me now, shoving Dustin out of the way and placing her own hands on my shoulders as she hugs me, "I'm not going to let this thing take the only best friend I have left."

"Um.. standing right here?" Steve comments only to be given a glare.

"Wait-" it seems Eddie is only just processing the information, "so vecna's after Ruby too? As well as max?" His eyes soften as he moves a step toward me, "rubes.."

"Rubes?" I raise an eyebrow, questioning the sudden change in nickname as I see Steve's jaw clench in the corner of my eye.

"That's my nickname for her. You should just stick to princess." My boyfriend spits out the words with a sort of venom I'd never heard before and when I turn to look at his face, it's focused on Eddie's, as if sizing him up.

But then, he turns his face towards mine and softly smiles, "it does suit her."

Eddie sighs and chuckles nonchalantly, "yikes, touched a nerve there." He speaks through gritted teeth with a funny accent, as if the whole interaction was comedy to him and Dustin laughs along, gaining a glare from Steve. The small boy shrugs in reply.

Nancy cuts through the tension, "if you boys are done throwing around your testosterone we have bigger fish to fry here!" I nod in agreement, suddenly blushing in embarrassment. The brunette girl notices this and gives me a sympathetic smile, as if to say she doesn't blame me.

"So.. vecna visited you, that means we don't have much time."

"At least you're not floating in the sky yet- that's a bonus!" Max sarcastically adds, clearly joking through the fear.

"Yeah I can't wait for that." I rub my arm awkwardly.

Steve is still stiff besides me, I know he's scared, he's always been scared of losing me, it's obvious in his body language, the way he constantly watches me.

On the bright side, it doesn't make me feel breakable, only loved.

Nancy cuts through the silence again, "so what do we do now?"