stranger things imagines {slow updates}

𝐝𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬

"OW!"

you cried out as you stubbed your toe on something hard, further tempting you to remove your blindfold. you had no idea where you were going, but steve, your boyfriend of 2 years, had promised it would be somewhere you'd love.

"shit! sorry, babe. i swear, it'll be worth it." he gripped your shoulders a bit tighter and guided you a bit to your left. you assumed he was leading you away from whatever you'd injured your toe on, and eagerly followed his instruction.

it wasn't your anniversary, or even your birthday. it was just a regular friday, where steve had asked you to go on a mysterious drive with him. you weren't scared, per say, but just a little worried that whatever steve had done wouldn't be such a great idea in the long run.

however, you could never turn down that sparkle in his eyes when he got excited. he was like a little kid - you could see the reflection of the candy store in his irises.

"okay. in 3...2...1, take it off!"

you reached up hesitantly to unwrap the blindfold. as soon as you did, your eyes were welcomed with greenery and a sunset beyond beauty. a smile invaded your previously annoyed features as you noticed the picnic blanket set up on the grassy mountain in front of you.

"so, you like it?" steve asked, hopefully. you grinned and ran into his arms, embracing him.

"it's perfect. i love it. how do you think of these things?"

beaming in pride, steve shrugged and pressed a kiss to your lips. taking your hand, he lead you to the red checkered blanket and sat, patting the place beside him for you. you followed suit, and turned toward the sky, admiring the reds, oranges, golds and pinks that spread through the sunset like watercolor.

"we have turkey, cheese, mustard and mayo with pickles, and without. which, babe?"

you turned your attention to steve and grabbed the sandwich of your choosing from his hands, ravishingly unwrapping the tinfoil. you were starved - usually, you and steve got snacks afterschool, but obviously you hadn't done that today.

"this is so gorgeous," you whispered, feeling steve's arms wrap around your shoulders. you leaned into his chest and he put his knees on either side of you.

"i'm glad you like it." steve pressed a kiss onto your temple and you smiled at the warmth. his fingers rubbed your arms softly and you snuggled into his embrace.

"we've needed something like this, for a while." steve murmured and nodded into the crook of your neck as you took a bite of your sandwich. the wind blew softly past your face and you shivered at the slight cold.

"you know, we never really talked about the whole... upside down thing," you continued, absentmindedly running your hand up and down steve's cheek slowly. suddenly wanting to elaborate on the topic you'd brought up, you turned around to face your boyfriend.

"i never really felt like we had to. i wasn't ever... you know, scarred or anything," steve responded in between bites of his grilled cheese. you watched his face with curiosity.

"how could you not be? i was, for a while," you confessed. steve's eyebrows went to his hairline; evidently, you had never mentioned that, even months after the incidents. "i had nightmares for weeks. i didn't tell you?"

he wrapped up his sandwich and placed his hands on your arms. "no, you did not! how could you not say?" steve chastised, wide eyed. you found his concern endearing and you cocked your head to the side with a smile.

"i don't know. i swear, i told you." steve shook his head profusely.

"i would remember. i would've spent all my time comforting you. what did you without me?"

you laughed, and leaned against his chest again, resuming your previous position. his question made you think of a very similar one. "what would i do without you?" you glanced up at him and your heart soared at the blush that was spreading across his cheeks.

"absolutely nothing. you'd be bedridden, stuffing your face with popcorn as you did homework delivered to you by your neighbor." the two of you laughed and you felt steve's chest vibrate beneath you as you watched the sunset.

"i seriously love you, harrington." the expression of emotion wasn't anything new - 'i love you' was something you'd said to each other within the first three months of being together.

"love you too, dove."

steve had taken to calling you 'dove' about five months ago, when you'd gotten drunk and told him a story about chasing doves on the beach when you were little. he thought it was so adorable that he memorized the tale and told it to you the next day as an original story, claiming it was his own. it took you a day or two to realize it was actually your story, but nevertheless the nickname stuck.

the rest of the evening was full of eating surprisingly good food, and watching the sun set. by the time you and steve were drifting off, the sky was full of stars and painted with a deep, blotchy navy blue.

you lied on steve's chest, trailing random shapes on his bicep as you felt him begin to fall asleep. it was only 8:00, but your curfew was 9:00 and it took you 45 minutes to get home from the park.

"steve," you whispered, poking his cheek. he groaned, swatting your hand away. you giggled at his cuteness and poked him once again.

"steve, you need to drive me home," you repeated. he lied still for a moment, and then moaned in frustration as he pushed you off of him gently and stood. you reached your hand up for him to pull and he took it, helping you up.

you put all the picnic things in the basket and steve wrapped his arm around your waist as the two of you ventured back to his car. even though there was no talking during the walk, there was a loving harmony between you, and you didn't need any words to communicate it.