𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐃, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 | 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐰𝐨

chapter sixteen; mage

꒰꒰・┄┄・𓆩♡𓆪・┄┄・꒱꒱

"STEVE, I'M FINE." If it weren't for the fact that Summer had tucked her hair behind her ear or that he had spent countless moments studying her face, then perhaps he would've believed the words coming from her mouth, but he didn't.

After hearing what Jonathan had to say about her and Steve, she had been acting very defensive. Summer didn't want them to know just how hurt she was by what had been said and she most certainly didn't want them to think they were right. The love Summer and Steve shared shouldn't have to be justified just because they made a few poor choices, especially when they weren't the only ones who had moved on so quickly.

Nancy had been asked to help Summer and Steve disguise the inside of the shed, wanting it to be unrecognisable before they brought Will in. It was Mike's plan to trick his best friend into thinking he had been taken somewhere foreign, somewhere the shadow monster couldn't send his little demodogs after them all. It was a great plan, but it was also their only option so they had to pull it off.

Summer sat on top of Steve's shoulders as she hung up anything she could in the much higher places. She'd attempted standing on an old garden chair but it just wasn't high enough so Steve suggested holding her on his shoulders and to their luck, she could reach everything she couldn't before.

It wasn't long until she'd run out of tape and needed more, except the only roll left was on the ground near Nancy. Steve carefully takes a couple of steps towards it and with Summer clinging to him, he tries to squat low enough to reach it but fails miserably. Summer almost falls off but manages to quickly grab hold of the wall and stabilise their balance.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Summer retorts, unable to hold in her laugh.

"I'm the one that would've had a face full of dirt." Steve rolls his eyes.

"Did you need this?" Nancy asks, handing over the roll of tape Steve had been reaching for. He takes it with thanks and then hands it up to Summer.

Without so much as a glance at one another, the two girls return to what they were doing, this time with Steve holding onto Summer even tighter than before. Every now and then he would pretend to fall just to give her a scare and Nancy would stifle a laugh, but recompose herself quickly. Steve eventually lets Summer down and they continue on with the walls as an urge to clear the air begins to eat away at Nancy.

"Hey," Her voice sounded almost as nervous as she looked. "What you guys did... helping the kids, that was really cool."

"Yeah," Steve lets out a hollow laugh, a grin splitting across his mouth. "Those little shits are real trouble."

"Believe me, I know." She laughs, but it fades the second she looks at Summer. "Listen, I'm sorry about before. I know that what you heard must've sounded pretty bad, but it wasn't intentional to come out that way. Jonathan is just... he's really shaken up about everything that's going on, and I know that he needs you right now. Just like I'm sure you need him too."