voltage ; stranger things

fifteen ; love me tomorrow

          ONE by one, the four teenagers burst into the nearest bathroom and rush to a stall to throw up their stomachs' contents. They all tremble and shake as they vomit, faces paling and knuckles tightening around the toilet bowls. Soon, a terrible smell begins to fill the restroom.

          Robin is the first to finish, sitting back to lean against the toilet stall. She listens to the others puke for a minute before standing and wiping her mouth. "I need a drink," she mumbles before exiting the bathroom.

          Colleen holds her hair back as she blinks slowly into the bowl, then reaches up the flush it. Her stomach still flips and flops over itself again and again, threatening to push up another round. She didn't think there was anything left to vomit. She spits, then flushes again and scoots back to hug her knees to her chest. Well... at least that blue serum is out of her. Mostly.

          "Oh my god," groans Tony as he stumbles out of his stall. "That... that was horrible." He goes to the sink and splashes his face. "And I still can't see anything." He looks back to find Colleen and Steve leaning against the same stall wall, their backs together yet separated by the thin wall of metal. He purses his lips, then swallows. He knows. He understands. So... he'll do nothing. "I'm... gonna go see if I can find another pair of glasses from the stores."

          He exits, leaving Colleen and Steve alone. They don't say anything, each still contemplating if they're going to throw up again. They don't.

          "This," says Colleen slowly, "has been a sucky, shitty day." She looks down and checks her watch. "Hey." He hums from his stall. "It's July fourth."

          Steve chuckles painfully, ruefully, and runs a hand through his hair. He says, "Happy Independence Day." They're quiet for another long, long minute before he turns his head slightly. "I mean... it wasn't a totally shitty day."

          "Oh, yeah?" Colleen asks. She stares up at the top of the stall, chin resting on her knees. She wishes she could rise and climb over and join him, but she's suddenly so tired. "What happened today that wasn't entirely shitty?"

          "Well," he says, taking a deep breath. He's quiet for a moment. He seems to hesitate. Then, finally, he lets go. "I got to spend the day with this girl. This girl that I really like."

          Colleen blinks, her breath snatched from her lungs as he goes on.

          "She's got this gorgeous hair and big, pretty eyes. And she's hot." He forces out a laugh, shaking his head. "But I don't think you would mistake her for someone else, not really. She has these scars down her face... from where someone did something bad to her." He pauses. "But she never let it get to her. And I've always admired that about her."

          Slowly, Colleen gets to her feet and walks to his stall. She stands there, staring at him, before gently lowering herself beside him. They lean back, knees touching and skin tingling where they do. Tingling, stinging, feeling like the fireworks in the sky outside. She knows now; she doesn't miss anyone or anything they used to give her. It's him. It's always been him.

          Steve swallows thick and despite himself, he realizes there are tears in his eyes. He doesn't know if it's from the Russian torture or the drugs or the weight in his chest finally lifting. "I never told her," he says, "but I've liked this girl for a really long time. Actually... since she beat me up in alleyway a couple years ago. After that, I just couldn't look at her the same."

         Colleen stares at the colored tiles on the wall, not bothering to wipe the tears that trail down her cheeks away. She doesn't have the strength to.

          "And, you'd probably ask me why I never went after her, and the truth is... she had a boyfriend. And everyone could see that they really liked each other." He looks down and twiddles with his bloodied uniform. "Sometimes I would watch them and... I would pretend it was me. I'd give anything... anything, just to feel her hand in mine. Just once."

          Like magnets, like missing puzzle pieces finding one another and clicking for the first time, their hands slowly drift together. Their fingers intertwine and their grips tighten, a pulsating feeling created from the gentle contact.

          Colleen hears herself ask, "What happened?"

          Steve says, "Something bad. And then this girl, this amazing, intelligent, clever girl, was alone. And I tried as hard as I could to make her better again." He sniffs, watching his tears spill to the floor. "And then I was sitting with her, in a smelly bathroom, with Russian spies chasing us, and I asked her something."

          They meet each other's gazes. They grip each other's hands.

          "What?" she asks.

          He stares at her, memorizing every detail of her face and storing it in a safe, special place in his mind. "I asked her if I could kiss her."

          Colleen's thoughts blank and scream all at once, her breath leaves her and she finds she can't inhale for anymore. She doesn't want to; she doesn't need it. Instead, she shifts forwards and gives him his answer.

          Their lips touch softly and faintly, barely there at first, like an apparition's echo. Then he leans into her, lifting his other hand to touch her jaw. His fingers ghost along her earlobe, her temple, before diving into her hair, wanting to feel and touch every single strand. She shivers and allows him to nip at her bottom lip before they part. Their foreheads rest together, their eyes still shut as their regain their breath.

          "Collie," Steve murmurs, shaking his head. He can't form words anymore, can't think of anything more to say. "I lo-"

          "Shh." She shushes him, brushing a thumb over his quivering lips. Her fingertips trace along his face, venturing from his mouth to his cheekbone to his temple. She's mesmerized by him, just as a sculptor is by their artwork. "Love me tomorrow, Steve," she says. "Like me, and love me, and hold me tomorrow. But for today... let's make it out of this while we still can."

          He stares at her, completely enraptured, before nodding his head. "Tomorrow," he says. He leans back down to kiss the tears from her cheeks, then tucks her hair behind her ears. "I'll love you tomorrow."

          Together, they stand, still grasping each other with everything they have. Then they let go, but they don't really. They may not be touching, but they still feel each other there. They'll always be there, with the other. Forever and always.

          Colleen and Steve look to each other and nod. Then, they head back outside.