If I Should Stay
Ok so I know I said I was leaving for a month but guess what… I have Wi-Fi, so I can post! Just don’t be surprised if I leave suddenly 😅 I don’t know that I’ll always have Wi-Fi or the time (or privacy) I’ll need to post. Thanks for understanding! 😊
Part 1 | . . . | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43
Steve takes her to the junkyard, where they both sit cross-legged on the hood of his car. “Remember what I said,” he murmurs, then points to a bus. “Imagine that bus is a bunch of demogorgons, or Vecna, or both. You have all these cars you can use.”
“Besides yours,” she says, and he laughs.
“Besides mine,” he agrees. “But you have all these other cars. What would you do? If everyone you care about is right behind you, scared, but ready to fight with their bare hands if they have to?”
She takes a breath, squints at the bus. Imagines a group of demogorgons instead. Feels something furl in her chest as she extends a hand. “No,” she says, with a firmness that almost surprises her.
With a flick of her hand—and less energy than she’d ever expended before—a car crashes into the front of the bus. It skids back a few yards. Three of her imagined demogorgons are gone, but there’s still a lot more.
Both hands out this time, and she yells as she slams two cars into the side of the bus at the same time. It flips over twice, belly-up, and she grins as the last of her imaginary foes melt to dust.
“That was great, El,” Steve says warmly. “How do you feel?”
She wipes the blood from her nose and takes stock. “Tired,” she admits. “But not as much as I usually am.”
“Do you want to practice more? Or be done for now?”
“I want food,” she finally decides. “Then more practice.”
Steve grins at her. “I brought some cereal bars, but I think what you just did deserves more than that. What’re you in the mood for?”
She hesitantly grins back. “Eggos?”
Steve laughs and slides off the hood, helping her off after. “Eggos it is,” he promises. “Or we could go to a restaurant and get you real waffles with chocolate chips and whipped cream.”
Her eyes widen. “We can do that?”
He ruffles her hair affectionately. “Sure can.”
Her knees buckle when she gets off the car, and she would’ve fallen if Steve hadn’t been there to hold her up. “Whoa,” he says. “You alright, El?”
Everything suddenly seems harder than it should be. She takes a couple of deep breaths and shakes her head to clear it. “Alright,” she says, voice thinner than she’d like. “Just tired, I think.”
Steve hums. “Want to lay down in the back?”
“No. I will fall asleep and miss the time for waffles.”
“Well that’s the great part about it, is there is no time for waffles. Waffles are an anytime food.”
She narrows her eyes at him. “I will lay down,” she finally agrees. “But you will wake me up when we are at the restaurant?”
He smiles at her. “Course I will, Ellie.”
She smiles as he helps her to the back. “Ellie. I like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm. More than Eleven. Maybe more than Jane.”
“Well,” Steve smiles, crouching in the doorway of the car and smiling up at her. He’s a little squinty, because the sun’s in his face, but El thinks that just makes it all the better. “Get some rest, Ellie. I’ll wake you for waffles.”
“Good,” she nods, laying down as he closes the door behind her.
She’s asleep before he rounds the car to his own door.
When Steve calls her name to rouse her, she notices the sun is significantly lower in the sky than it had been when she’d been practicing. She narrows her eyes at him. “You waited.”
“You needed the sleep,” he returns. “There’s still time for waffles. I figure we eat, head back, let you practice once more, then head home to rest before tomorrow.”
She swallows. “Tomorrow is it?”
Steve sighs before scrambling into the backseat to join her. “I don’t want to force you,” he says quietly, like he’s worried someone will hear them in the safety of his car. “If you’re not ready, then you’re not ready. That’s fine. He may have his mind tricks but fire still burns him. Bullets can still hurt him. And we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he can’t hurt anyone ever again. If it has to be without you, then that’s fine. We’ll make do.”
She leans into him and closes her eyes as his arms come up to wrap around her. “I’m scared,” she admits. “I don’t want to be scared. I don’t want you to be scared, or Alli, or Will, or Barb. If I can help you not be scared… then I want to help.”
“It’s okay to be scared. If you weren’t scared, I’d be worried.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to keep being scared.”
He presses a kiss to the top of her head. “Yeah, Ellie. I know.”
She looks up at him. “Are we… like this? From when you are?”
He smiles down at her. “I think we’re getting there.”
She nuzzles back into him. “Can you adopt me? But as a sister?”
Steve pulls her in a little bit tighter. “Done.”
Permanent Taglist: @justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme @paintsplatteredandimperfect @i-less-than-three-you @alyelf @quarble @messrs-weasley @littlewildflowerkitten @vankaar @starman-jpg @bornonthesavage @steddie-there @goodolefashionedloverboi @andienotannie @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @platinum-sunset @just-ladyme @steddiestains @swimmingbirdrunningrock @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @martinskis-lydias @notaqueenakhaleesi @sleepyboosstuff @bestwifehaver @m-owo-n @thatonebadideapanda @finalmoondragon @velocitytimes2 @callmeanythjing @ajeff855 @ilikeititspretty @knitsforthetrail @sillysparrow @that-one-corvid @ace-is-bored @muricel @harpymoth @weirdandabsurd42
Fic Taglist: @blondlanfear @do-you-want-something-more @str4wb3rry-guy @paperbackribs @ninjapirateunicorns @bisexualdisastersworld @hiscrimsonangel @lolawonsstuff @xo-r4e @thedragonsaunt @l0st-strawberry
147 notes
·
View notes
you understand them, but do they understand you?
it's as if they don't care, you swore to yourself that. the only visits you got is when they are in extreme crises, wether it's near incurable disease or lack of money. you don't care, at least not anymore. you stopped sympathizing; they stopped caring.
symbiosis mutualism. your quote that is. an abondoned and near unreadable on the small corner of the large cave. an altar is placed in the middle, one covered in moss and it's filthy ugly by now. it's been exactly seven hundred thirty nine years of the last person to have ever visited. you wanted to blatantly yell curses at them, yet you also want to thank them to symbolize your gratitude.
stop hoping, you told yourself. an eternity of yours is spent under the large yet empty cave, sipping on your favored drink on your realm, seemingly never bored of it. by the time, you had went insane. grieving over your 'death' has turned to demonic wrath that it shook teyvat in a form of a rather small earthquake. be grateful I kept on holding back, you gritted your teeth, resisting the urge to just end a nation here and there. you are confused with yourself, why do I kept on waiting? who for, exactly?
the exact moment of eight hundred years passed by once again, filled with loneliness and lack of content. you choose to wake up, drink then sleep, and repeat. die, die, die, you wanted to die, but you just can't, why? or who, exactly?
Traveller, Knight of favonius, wielder of seemingly a thousand title, arrived at your cave with a floating yet no wings human-like creature. they bickered to themselves, muttering how cold the cave is, how uncomfortable your home is, how your forever home is just— unhabitable.
they are getting on your nerves. they are nipping on your patience; they are teasing your faith on waiting! couldn't take it anymore, you swore to yourself, finally choosing to speak up after eons.
"filthy human and a mascot companion, entered a holy cave, embarrassing themselves in front of a deity— do you have no respect?!"
145 notes
·
View notes