𝕾𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 - [𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻]

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢. 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗 - parting ways

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 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 that she would never find anything as comforting, than to have her head atop her father's shoulder, her fingers tangled with her sisters all the while Steve Harrington remained right by her side.

 Knowing that they were all safe, if only for a little while, had plucked away the pressure planted upon her shoulders and weighed down her chest. Scarlet felt like she could finally rest. With Hopper's heartbeat flooding her ears, the glare of neon lights flashing by her closed eyes, Steve's fingers reaching for her own while Eleven's twitched within her hold... she could have happily stayed there forever.

 But that simply wasn't plausible.

 Even now Mike Wheeler's voice echoed through the emptied mall to relay his story; they'd chased Billy Hargrove around Hawkins, watching as black crawled up his neck and as the Mind Flayer strung him along like a pathetic old puppet. He detailed the beast they'd run into... a monster made from the flesh and bones of people they'd once seen pattering around their dreary little town.

 His eyes had fallen to the ground when he told them what had happened within the cabin. How the Mind Flayer had used the information Billy had managed to gather and tracked them down. There had been a confrontation; a battle between Eleven and the Mind Flayer.

 Mike hadn't been able to meet Scarlet or Hopper's eyes when he told them how the cabin was nothing more than a cracked shell... how debris littered the floor. It was rubble and dust.

 The mere thought had sent a pang through Scarlet's heart; her first proper home was reduced to nothing more than a sad little remnant of a fight. But all broken things could be mended, couldn't they? Perhaps when the fight was over they'd trail through the woods with nails and hammers, with planks of wood and cans of paint; maybe they'd restore it together.

 Scarlet blinked, eyes pulled away from Mike as Steve reached over, dabbing an already blood-smeared napkin just below her nose. He'd been at it for some time, swiftly scooping away blood and dirt as best he could all while trying his best not to falter beneath Hopper's stern gaze.

 Hopper hadn't been able to tear that fatherly glower away from Steve; something had happened... that much he knew, and no, Hopper didn't mean the blood and bruises on the poor kid's face. No... he could see the sly little looks, the closer-than-usual proximity...

 Eleven's light little giggle broke him free from his thoughts. His eyes warmed and stooped to her face, watching as she grinned. Her crooked teeth gleamed through that sweet little smile, and Eleven nuzzled closer to her father, "Steve's her boyfriend."