FIXATION

NINE

NINE: FORGOTTEN THINGS
november 4th, 1984

Rosalie awoke to Steve's arms wrapped around her waist again. A small groan piped up from her and  as she sighed, her foot brushed against the back of Steve's smooth calf. The simple action was like muscle memory to her, like she laid in Steve's arms all the time and the two cuddled like pretzels whenever she slept over. Her eyes blinked three times and she let out a soft breath before opening her eyes. It was official; she was awake.

The sky was still light, which was beginning to come through Steve's curtains. She couldn't tell what time it was, the lightness in the sky told her they might've slept for a little too long. She could feel panic creeping up her back. Her back was pressed against Steve, whose left arm was slithered across her stomach and the other behind her back. His fingers brushed against her stomach, underneath her white t-shirt. She could feel the flush in her cheeks and Steve's head was laying right above hers. She stopped moving her foot then yawned and stretched her arms out.

"Why do you always wake up first?" Steve's voice broke out from behind her. She pushed her small grin away while managing to untangle their legs.

"We need to get up," she spoke softly, and tried to pry his arms off. "God, Steve, why do you always need to wrap yourself around me?" She spoke with more sass than she intended.

He scoffed, squeezing her a little tighter and snuggling himself closer, "you're the one that grabs my arm and puts it around you. I just go where I'm needed." He chuckled mostly to himself.

Her eyebrows furrowed at his words then decided that they didn't matter. What mattered was that they needed to get up. "Steve, come on. Up. We have bats to make, kids to save." She squirmed towards to the edge of the bed, causing Steve to groan and finally release her.

"Fine. God damnit.." Steve threw the comforter off himself with a mix of swears and angry mutters. "Meet me in the basement." He stomped out of the room, leaving a trail of heat behind him. Rosalie untied his shorts she had been wearing, then tugged them off ignoring Steve's tantrum that would hopefully end soon. As she tugged on her jeans and left his bed room, she got the feeling that if she didn't apologize to Steve, she would have to put up with his pouty attitude for the remainder of the day. In his bathroom down the hall she replaced her white t-shirt for her large sleep shirt. While she brushed her teeth she realized how bad she felt about waking Steve up so rudely. She finished in the bathroom, repacked her bags and flew down the stairs.

Rosalie stopped in the hall when she turned towards the white basement door that was usually closed, that was now open. This must've been Steve's basement, the final room left in the house she had yet to lay her eyes on. She glanced at the bright bulb beside the door. "Steve..?" She called down the stairs, swallowing her small fears.

"Down here," he called up from below. She padded down the stairs, in a subtle rhythm until she was at the bottom. She turned and saw Steve surrounded by boxes in the incomplete basement. Cardboard boxes ranging in different sizes scattered the room, there was a lightbulb with a chain in the middle of the ceiling. The room looked like Dustin's shed, except there was a large couch and boxes and thankfully, none of Dart's molted skin.

"What.. is all this stuff?" She asked prying open a box and glancing inside. There was a framed picture wrapped in bubble wrap. She pushed the bubble wrapping aside and saw a young Steve, on the back of an older man. The young boy had a bright smile on his face, looking mid laugh in the blurry photograph. Her eyes went to the man with a wholesome smile on his face. She'd seen that same smile on Steve's face at least one time.

"Forgotten things." Steve mumbled and set on of the boxes aside as he made his way underneath the stair case. He was distracted, but regardless, he managed to answer Rosalie. "Just a bunch of crap my parents got tired of looking at. Surprised they didn't put my bedroom down here." Rosalie glanced away from the photo and looked at Steve, her heart aching. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the right words. Her eyes turned back to the photograph of the happy parent. Steve grunted as he moved a box over then revealed himself again from under the stair case and glanced back at Rosalie, confused, "it was a joke, Rose."