Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Ninety-Seven: You Will Break

Lucas, Max and I reconvened in the living room as we waited for Erica to give us the ok.

Max and Lucas were perched across from each other on the arms of each couch, and were using their notepads to write notes back and forth while 'Running Up That Hill' continued to blare from Max's headphones. I was sitting on the other end of Max's couch.

I smiled at the goofy, dopey grins on their faces as I thought back to what Robin said about them in the woods before turning back to my own legal pad.

I absently drummed the tip of my pencil against the pad, reading over the list of potential baby names that I'd been writing for the past several minutes. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Max and Lucas both looking at me. Max held up her own notepad. 

What are you writing?

I smiled sadly, adding a small message to the bottom of my list before ripping it out and handing it to her. She looked down at it, furrowing her eyebrows before looking up at me. I nodded towards Lucas, asking her to give it to him.

Married one day. A little early?

I bit my lip, writing out my response.

Not exactly.

I showed it to her, causing her to raise her eyebrows, glancing at Lucas, who looked equally shocked. I nodded. 

When? Lucas wrote.

Depends, I responded, What time is it?

Max made a face, hitting me in the arm with her notepad. I smiled, rubbing the place she'd hit me before writing yet another message for Lucas.

Hold onto that list for me. Just in case. Want him to know I was thinking about it.

I turned the pad to look at him and he nodded with a solemn look on his face before writing out an answer.

I will, but I won't need to.

I smiled, glancing between them.

Have you two gotten back together yet?

Max smiled at this.

Movie Date Friday.

I smiled back, earning yet another note from Lucas. 

Writing notes. Takes me back. First night we met.

I nodded in agreement.

Too bad we don't have that 'mute telepathy'.

He nodded, remembering the reference when all of a sudden the flashlight came shining through the window, prompting all of us to jump up and run over to it.

Lucas grabbed his flashlight, flashing it back to her and I led Max back into the entryway, where we both sat down on the stairs to put our shoes back on. She glanced over at me nervously, and I smiled, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and hugging her into my side. She leaned her head on my shoulder before we got up and made out way back into the room where we'd left Erica's lantern.

She paused in the doorway, looking back at Lucas and I. We both nodded as she turned to face it again, and Lucas reached out and grabbed my hand, squeezing it nervously. I squeezed back as Max removed her headphones and stopped the tape. 

"Hey!" She called. "I'm here. No more music, no more games. Do you hear me?! What are you waiting for, huh?! Come on, do you want me or not?!"

Erica's lantern faded, the brighter light moving to our lanterns instead. I felt a shiver pass through me, and we slowly moved out of the doorway and up the stairs, following the lantern and my gut feeling to the attic.