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Steve was no stranger to nightmares. As a kid it was stupid things that woke him up in the middle of the night; vampires, zombies, falling off cliffs. Each time he would run to his parents room, tears falling down his face and begging to sleep with them. Each time he would be told to man up and go back to his room.
Then it was things like showing up to school and having no pants on, going bald, crashing his car and no one came to help him. Those nights he would sit up in his bed, maybe go get a glass of water then fall back to sleep like nothing happened. They were just dreams afterall.
Steve's nightmares took a darker turn after November nineteen-eighty-three. His subconscious would show him Nancy, Johnathan and Liza, laying on the floor of the Byers home bloody and ripped apart by the Demogorgon. In those dreams he always wondered why he was spared, maybe he showed up to late or the monster had its fill and left. Sometimes the dreams were watching as Liza got too close to the Demogorgon and this time his reaction was too slow and he wasn't able to grab her, leaving her with alot more than just a few scars. Either way, he would wake up to a panic attack.
Some nights Nancy was there and she would do her best to help him, others he would wake up alone and go for a drive. Steve would make it a point to drive past the Wheeler, Byer and Henderson houses, making sure that nothing seemed off and that no lights were flickering. Sometimes he would park by their places for a few minutes, just to make sure.
One night a month after the event, Steve woke up just as the Demogorgon had plunged it's claws into Liza's side. He spent longer than usual calming his heart and blocking out the screams of the blonde and Nancy. He knew there was no way he was going back to sleep, so he went to his car.
On Steve's drive past the Henderson house he found Liza on her front steps. He had never slammed on his breaks so fast as he spotted the blonde, a cigarette hanging from her lips and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. It was obvious to him that she was in the same boat as him.
Steve parked as quickly as he could and walked up the driveway towards Liza. She hadn't noticed him, she was staring off into space as she nervously chewed on her lip. Steve sat beside her, causing Liza to jump and let out a yelp. She turned to face him, her eyes wide as she panted.
"Shit, I didn't mean to scare you, Henderson." Steve spoke, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. Liza breathed out a relieved sigh as soon as she realised she wasn't in any danger. She faced forward, taking a drag from her cigarette and sighed.
"What are you doing here, Harrington?" Liza asked, wrapping her blanket tighter around her.
"Had a nightmare, couldn't get back to sleep so went for a drive then saw you. What are you doing out here?" Steve retorted, wondering if she would be just as honest.
"Had a nightmare, couldn't sleep so I came out here for a smoke." Liza answered, holding up her cigarette. The nightmare in question was one she had often, Will not making it back from the upside down, her brother and his friends not surviving the attack and Eleven still dying despite it. Steve plucked the cigarette from her fingers, putting it in between his lips. Liza glared at him "I wasn't offering it to you."
