❝every now and then, the stars align; boy and girl meet by the Great Design. Could it be that you and me are the lucky ones? Everybody told me love was blind, then I saw your face and you blew my mind.
finally, you and me are the lucky ones, this time.❞ lucky ones -lana del rey
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Behind the counter, desperately hiding from the armed Russians on an even more desperate hunt for them, Erica Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Robin Buckley, and Cassiopeia Turner all knew something life-altering was about to happen.
But only Steve Harrington knew that it was going to begin with a whisper between the five.
"Cass."
Every single member of the Scoops Troop swiveled their heads towards the beaten boy. His head was already facing them, bloody and marred, but soft as ever as he stared between the small space at Cassiopeia Turner. Her golden hued eyes were wide and she was frantically shaking her head, messy curls bouncing with the exaggerated movement.
"Hey, Dingus, shut up."
Steve ignored Robin's please, not even wavering his eyes from his girlfriend, pale in the face as if she was about to faint. Not just from the absolute terror in her veins, but also the utter exhaustion she was feeling. She was a sight, to say the least. With her dull, tired eyes, bags dark underneath them to match, knots in her already unruly hair. As much as she knew she looked monstrous, Steve's soft eyes on her made her feel like she looked like Venus in the flesh.
"I just- I just really need to say this," his broken whisper filled the space between them, almost incomprehensible. Cassie's throat swelled with the gulp she took, the tension between them was almost too much. She didn't trust her voice not to break while whispering, so she was stuck with nodding.
"I really thought I had time to prepare some sort of romantic over-the-top gesture, like, um. I don't know." Steve's hushed voice turned playful, but his eyes were still dark with the fear of rejection. "Something to tell the grandkids, I guess."
He let out a breathy laugh, but Cassie didn't follow, her eyes locked dead onto him, her bones feeling frozen in place. To be perfectly honest, Cass never saw herself as the commitment type. And she wasn't even really planning on living to see grandkids or even have a functional family. She hadn't noticed until Steve said his next words that this had all changed when she got serious with him.
"I guess it's be a good idea to stop stalling and just ask before I get shot by a Russian before you can answer, but," he paused, eyes gauging her reaction. "What I'm trying to say is, what I've been wanting to ask is-"
"Spit it out, General Cupid."
Dustin's hushed voice seemed to snap Steve out of the spiral he was sinking into.
"Will you marry me?"
Cass could feel all of the oxygen in her lungs shoot out of her, her mouth opening and closing around the simple, three letter word. That was, until her eyes landing on Steve's neck and made their way to the bruising dot where the drugs had been injected into him. So, she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Steve, I really don't think you're thinking straight right now."
Steve swallowed, nodding and quieting for a moment, the two of them leaning their heads against the back of the counter. Cass knew what her answer would be. She was so sure of herself, but she thought of her own experience with drugs. How her mind jumped 6 years ahead and she knew she couldn't take advantage of Steve like that. No matter what her own wants were,
"Okay, but, just hear me out, C."
Cass's head tipped back towards her boyfriend, now sitting to face her, his face determined and eyes set, "I've been carrying this around for the past six weeks perfectly sober, so if you're worried that this is a split second decision because you think I'm high out of my mind, believe me, it's more than that. Robin and I were just puking our brains out in the toilet, just, " he took a deep, calming breath. "Trust me when I say that this is the only rational choice I've made all day."
"Maybe ever," he added, Cass's eyes widening as his hand pulled out a small box, square and velvet. He waved it around as he talked, causing Cassie's eyes to move to his beaten face with narrowed, calculating eyes.
"Cassie, I love you. You're the only person I've ever loved this much. God, I love you so much that I almost can't believe it's real. But, it is, I mean," he laughed, nervously motioning between them. "We're here. I know we're young. And stupid. But, getting into my car with you and following Dustin to track down Dart was the third best choice I've ever made. The second was choosing to kiss you in the tunnels when I thought we were gonna be demo-dog lasagna."
Steve's voice was filled with so much emotion that Cass swore he was going to choke on it.
Maybe she was going to choke on it.
"The first is this, right now."
Her eyes were watering, bottom lip wobbling as she thought about how much she's changed since they first met. How many emotions she was able to feel now when back then she only cared about chasing a high she'd never reach.
She was a kid who could only fill her veins with temporary happiness and fall apart when it ran dry.
But now, her heart was thawed and filled and patched up, good as new with a permanency she had never known before. And it was all because of him.
"I know you deserve more," his voice lowered more, as if he was reprimanding himself. "You deserve so, so much more-"
"Bullshit."
Cassie's one whispered word broke through his rambling, followed by the connection of her lips to his. It was a mixture of blood and tears, but they formed the happiest cocktail that could've touched someone's lips.
"You're the only person who has ever made me feel anything, I love you as much as a human being could possibly love someone. You're my soulmate, Steve Harrington."
Steve let his eyes take in the girl in front of him, from the light spread of speckles in the irises of her eyes to the way her lips twitched as she spoke. It wasn't until she spoke again that he broke out of it, reminded of the whole reason why they were having this conversation in the first place.
"That's a yes, by the way."
Steve blinked, fumbling with the box in his hands, his fingers loose as he took the ring out, the diamond glinting in the dim lights of the mall. It slid onto her finger as if it were tailored to fit, the band covering the darker skin on her ring finger with a delicate silver.
As if the entire universe made sense to them, and only them, the two shared a sighed breath. Brown eyes met with a similar relief, knowing they had found the sole reason for their existence, even if it could come to an end soon.
Then the small world of peace broke with the telekinetic throwing of a car across the mall foodcourt and into a group of evil Russians.
