~*****~

The next day, Juliet was greeted with the usual avoidance most students gave her, and she was glad for it. Her head was still pounding from the minimal amount of alcohol she consumed. Most of the day, she spent with her head on her desk. Steve just stared at her in amusement, still reeling that Juliet Henderson called him a friend, and although it was her birthday, he decided he'd wait to tell her happy birthday when her hangover disappeared. The following day, Juliet arrived home early, her gaze peering at the opened cellar doors with a trail of meat on the ground. Just as she takes a step, something familiar steps into view, gobbling up slices of bologna on the way.

She froze, eyes wide as she stared at it's back. It didn't look like a normal Demogorgon. Infact, it was quadruped and small. But the face-- she couldn't forget the face. It stopped at the cellar, peering in silently before it whirled around, staring up at Juliet, the little flower like head opening with a subtle hiss. She gave a loud battle cry and swung her leg forward, kicking it back and into the cellar. It gave a startled squeal and charged at the opening, but Juliet kicked the cellar doors shut and slammed herself onto it. The shed door burst open with Dustin dressed up in hockey gear, raising his arms with a cry of victory.

"Teamwork!" Dustin chirped, holding his mit up.

Juliet just stared at him. "Dustin." She said in a serious tone. The smile dropped from Dustin's face, body tensing at the physical beating she was about to lay on him. "What. The hell. Is that." Juliet seethed, grasping onto his shoulders tightly. Dustin smiled sheepishly.

After threatening his life, Juliet set to cleaning up the mess while Dustin tried to get in contact with the others about the Demogorgon in the cellar. Thankfully, Juliet's pet snake remained unharmed in her room-- although, she couldn't say the same for poor Mews. It was nightfall when Juliet peered out of the windows, eyes squinting at Steve Harrington's car. She pried open her door, brows furrowed.

Steve gazed at her longingly, from the messy knot of curly hair atop her head, to the bare skin of her midriff. "Heard you had a lizard problem!" Steve called out.

Juliet's lips turned down into a frown as she caught Dustin's arm. "You went looking for your friends and came back with Steve Harrington?" She asked irritably.

Dustin shrugged. "He's got the bat with nails in it." Dustin retorted.

"Oh yeah," Juliet hummed. "We're gonna need that shit." Steve gave a loud grunt as Juliet slapped her hand on his belly. "Pop the trunk!"

Juliet pried the bat out of the trunk and peered at it excitedly. Steve snatched it out of her hands. "Get your own." Steve retorted, gingerly holding to bat to his torso. Juliet huffed and propped her hands on her hips.

"You're a buzz kill, you know that, right?" Juliet retorted irritably.

"Would you guys stop flirting and get over here!" Dustin snapped, shining his flashlight into their faces.

Juliet rolled her eyes at her little brother, oblivious to the light flush crawling up Steve's neck. Clearing his throat, Steve ambled to the cellar door, leaning towards it. "I don't hear shit," Steve commented.

"It's in there," Juliet snapped irritably. "I punted the bitch myself!"

Steve stands up and hands over the flashlight, his bat prodding the cellar door hesitantly. When nothing happened, he gave it a hard smack. He suddenly turned to the Henderson Siblings with a firm expression. "All right, listen, if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you're dead." Steve threatened.

"Stop messing around, Harrington, and be a man!" Juliet snapped back. "Do I look like the type of freak to go around messing with shit like this?"

Steve grunted irritably and swiped at his face. "All right, all right. Got a key?" He asked, peering down at Juliet.

She nodded and dug in her pocket to unlock the cellar door. She and Dustin pried the doors open, the three peering down into the dark cellar. "He must be further down there," Dustin hummed. "We'll stay up here in case he tries to escape."

Steve just stared at them incredulously. "Oh, for god's sake, I'll do it if you're such a baby," Juliet hissed, reaching for the bat.

"Hey, no, no, no--" Steve retorted, tugging the bat upwards. "I'll do it. You uh, you stay up here and look pretty."

Juliet flinched at the comment, brows tightening together in confusion. Steve just beamed before ambling down into the cellar. "That was weird," Dustin commented lightly.

"No kidding," Juliet hummed, peering down at Steve's back before it disappeared into the darkness. The two stared down into the cellar anxiously. "Steve!" Juliet called out, inching closer to the opening. "What's going on down there?"

Just as she moved to step in, Steve popped into view, causing her to flinch back with a series of swears as her heart kicked up a notch from the surprise. "Get down here." Steve ordered; his tone laced with a serious edge to it.

Juliet peered at Dustin cautiously before she led the younger downward. The two stepped towards, Steve, grimacing at the sight of the skin shed hanging from Steve's bat. "How big d'you think it got?" Juliet asked nervously.

"Shit," Dustin sighed.

Steve angled his bat towards the large hole in the corner of the basement. "Oh, shit--" Juliet groaned. "You just had to bring that thing home, didn't you?"

"To be fair, it was in our trashcan, so technically, I didn't bring it anywhere--" Dustin retorted haughtily.

"Uh, dude, do you really wanna argue with your sister-- the one prone to hitting?" Steve asked.

"Shut it," Juliet and Dustin snapped at him. Steve held his hands up at them.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do," Juliet sighed, rubbing at her face. "I need you to go grab some meat from the store-- and don't give me that look, I'll pay for it, no problem, just grab as much as you can, the stuff that's already cut, right?" Juliet ordered to Steve, who looked exasperated. "We're gonna find somewhere we can draw it out, then we're gonna kill it. It's just one little guy, right? Nothing we can't handle."

"But I'm pretty sure if it sheds again, it'll be full grown--" Dustin retorts cautiously.

"Or damn near to it, so we need to work fast." Juliet shot back. "We good?"

Steve peered down at Dustin as Juliet stared at the two for confirmation. "Yeah?" Steve answered uncertainly. "When you say raw meat--"

"For god's sake. Beef! The bloodier the better!" Juliet retorted. "Get it from the butcher if you have to!"

"Yeah, no, I got that, it's just-- in my car?" Steve asked. Juliet stared at him before storming out of the cellar. "What'd I say?"

"I believe that was code for, oh my god, you're such a wuss." Dustin retorted casually before following after his sister.

"I'm not a wuss," Steve retorted mostly to himself.

~*****~

The next morning, Steve smiled proudly as he popped the trunk of his car near the railroad tracks where he met Juliet and Dustin, chest puffed out as Juliet peered inward with an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Harrington." Juliet hummed, peering up at him with that look in her eye that he desperately tried over and over again to achieve. Something that he recognized as respect. It was just buying meat, but he'd take it.

The three began unloading the raw meat from the trunk carefully, grunting loudly and heaving the heavy buckets from the trunk as to not spill any of the blood into Steve's car. "Well, well, well," Dustin suddenly said as he trailed away from the car.

"Is it wrong for me to mention that I kinda want a burger now?" Juliet asked as her nose crinkled from the smell wafting from the buckets.

Steve rubbed at his nose with his arm and sniffed in. "Now that you mention it, I'm gettin' hungry, too." He hummed. Dustin continued to speak with Lucas over his earpiece. "Did you guys bring snacks?" Juliet reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of Twizzlers. "Ah, yes. Your preferred snack."

Juliet smiled and pulled out a long piece of the red licorice and ate it with a delighted hum. "Can you blame me? We're after a baby Demogorgon. I think I deserve some type of reward."

Steve just chuckled at Juliet before snagging a piece for himself and holding it between his teeth to heave out the last bucket. "Let's go." Steve ordered to Dustin who switched off his walkie.

The three set off, Juliet taking the lead and tossing chunks of meat every couple of steps. Steve stared after her for a moment before he hears Dustin-- not so discretely-- clearing his throat. "Dude," Dustin complains in a hiss. "Quit staring at my sister!"

"I'm not--" Steve started a bit too loudly and winced when Juliet peered over her shoulder curiously. "I'm not staring." He added quietly.

"Good. Cause she'll kick the shit out of you if you were," Dustin retorted. "Just a warning."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm extremely aware of how much damage your sister could do. Jonathan lied about when her birthday was." Steve grimaced as he adjusted his jeans. "Still hurts." His gaze trailed back to Juliet as she tossed a hunk of meat onto the ground and pranced around it.

Dustin peered at him incredulously. "Why are you still staring, Steve, stop it." Dustin snapped.

"I'm-- look, it's only natural for people to stare at her, all right? She's attractive," Steve explained irritably, cheeks flushing.

"Dude," Dustin griped in disgust. "First of all, that's gross. Secondly, she hates compliments like that."

Steve perked up. "Noted," Steve smirked. Dustin just glared at him before Steve changed the subject. "So, let me get this straight. You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who... who you just met?"

"All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things." Dustin commented.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve asked.

"An interdimensional slug? Because it's awesome," Dustin stated.

Juliet laughed. "It's seriously not, Dust. Slugs are disgusting and slimy." Juliet gave a shudder.

"See?" Steve gestured to Juliet. "Even girls like Julie hate slugs. Besides, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I... I just... I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard."

"Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?" Dustin retorted blandly. Juliet peered back at her brother, grimacing at the look on his face. She had the same hair type, and it did get unruly, but she liked her hair.

"It's not about the hair, man," Steve commented. "The key with girls is just... just acting like you don't care."

"Don't listen to him, Dustin," Juliet snapped quickly. "I can guarantee you that girls hate when boys pull that shit. They will pursue someone else if you pull that."

"No, it drives them nuts," Steve retorted confidently. "Trust me, I've gotten plenty of girls that way."

"And how long did those girls last?" Juliet commented snidely.

"Long enough." Steve retorted with a smug grin.

Juliet's shoulders drooped in annoyance when Dustin snapped his gaze up to Steve with a hopeful expression on his face. "Then what?" Dustin asked.

"You just wait until, uh... until you feel it." Steve answered.

"Feel it?" Juliet echoed.

Steve just smirked. "You know that feeling before it's gonna storm? You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh... electricity, you know?"

"No--" Juliet said immediately.

"Like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere--" Dustin trails off over his sister's voice.

"No, no, no, no-- Like a-- like a sexual energy." Steve answers.

"Gross, don't talk to my brother about sexual energy. He's thirteen." Juliet commented.

"Kid's gotta learn someday. So, you feel that, then you make your move," Steve continued.

"So that's when you kiss her?" Dustin asked.

Juliet reeled back, appalled. "No, absolutely not, Cassanova," Juliet chided. "Don't go kissing girls you think you feel a pull to. You'll get the shit kicked out of you. Quit putting ideas into his head, Harrington!" Juliet hissed.

"I don't know," Steve said in a teasing voice. "Some girls like it when guys are aggressive. Strong, hot, and heavy, like a... I don't know, like a lion." Steve shrugs. "Others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a... like a ninja."

Juliet threw her free hand up and stormed off. Steve just beamed brightly at her annoyance. "What type is Nancy?" Dustin asked.

"Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls," Steve hums, snapping his gaze away from the still fuming brunette.

"So is my sister, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't like strong or stealthy guys. She likes pretty boys, like Harrison Ford and Mark Hamil." Dustin retorted. "She definitely doesn't like you."

"Ouch," Steve grunted, pursing his lips as if he'd been slapped.

Dustin stared at him, then at his sister before dropping it. "This girl's special, too, you know. It's just, like, something about her."

"Whoa, whoa, hey--" Steve stopped Dustin. "You're not fallin' in love with this girl, are you?"

Dustin immediately shook his head. "No, no."

"Okay, good. Don't." Steve hummed.

"I won't," Dustin said, furrowing his brows.

"She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit," Steve mentioned. He glanced over to Juliet cautiously, sighing out in relief as she peers around absently, ignoring their conversation. He turns back to Dustin. "Faberge," Steve said quietly.

"What?" Dustin asked.

Steve pointed up to his hair. "It's Faberge Organics. Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair's damp-- not wet, okay? When it's damp, you do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett Spray." Steve explained.

Dustin pursed his lips in amusement before he hears Juliet snort loudly. Steve whipped his head up to her to see her grinning with an amused glint in her eye. "That's your secret?" She asked. "The Farrah Fawcett Spray?"

Steve grunted loudly, desperately willing the flush on his face to disappear as she sauntered over, arms crossed over her chest as she continued to smile. "Yeah, Farrah Fawcett. Either of you tell anyone I just told you that, your ass is grass. You're dead, Hendersons, do you understand?"

"Yeah, sure," Juliet giggled, mind suddenly filled with the image of post-shower Steve, towel wrapped around his waist, his hands oh so carefully angling a can of spray at his hair. Steve peered back at her, desperately trying to ignore that electric pull he'd just been talking about, but her giddiness and smile was making him burn in the best ways. "I use it, too, you know." Steve hummed, head tilting at her comment. "The Farrah Fawcett Spray. It works wonders on my mess of hair, even on the worst days."

"And she's hot, so that's a plus," Steve comments, head suddenly filled with the image of post-shower Juliet, towel wrapped tightly around her torso as she aggressively sprays down her wild hair with curses flowing from her lips as if it offended her. The two teens just smiled and stared at one another, chuckling at their own imaginations before Dustin had enough.

He began shoving Juliet, urging her to walk. "Come on, Julie! Move!" Dustin complained, trying to get her away from Steve 'The Hair' Harrington.