You moaned as you blinked slowly, your mind fuzzy and your body aching. Looking around you realized you were in a car. Not a very big one. You were leaning back against the car door, your legs draped over Dustin and Steve while Mike held your injured leg in a crudely made splint of sorts. Dustin was holding a bag of ice to Steve's head but turned to you when you started to stir.

    He gave you a wide smile, his eyes crinkling with delight. "Hey, there sis! Glad you see you're not dead."

    You laughed a tiny bit as you lightly slugged his arm. "Unlike Mews."

    Instantely his face dropped and Mike snorted. You shook your head as you leaned back on the door, closing your eyes against the rocking of the car. "Don't' sweat it kid, he was getting old anyway."

    Suddenly you opened your eyes, your head popping up. "Who's driving?"

    Just then Steve was starting to stir, his eyes blinking heavily. He turned his head and looked to Dustin.

    "(Y/n)?"

    "Hey," you quipped, reaching over to pull on his arm a bit. "I don't look anything like him."

    But Steve didn't answer. He looked around the car, his eyes slowly growing wider by the second. He reached for his face but you stopped him as Dunsin spoke to him softly.

"No don't touch it. Hey, buddy! Shhhh, it's ok you put up a good fight. He kicked your ass but you put up a good fight. You're ok."

    You winced with each jostle of the car, your head starting to hurt. Lucas then spoke, drawing your attention to the front seats. Your blood ran cold and you swallowed.

    Steve pushed Dustin's hands away as he too looked to the front seats. "What's going on?"

    He came to the same conclusion as you, making eye contact with you before you both started screaming at them.

    "OH my god."

    Dustin chimed in. "Whoa relax, she's driven before."

    You shook your head. "What? When?"

    Mike shook his head at Dustin. "Yeah in a parking lot."

    Steve started to freak out, looking everywhere and reaching out for the seats. "Oh my god..."

    Lucas looked back at Mike, his voice defiant. "That counts."

    "Oh, my god why didn't you have (Y/n) drive?"

    "My leg used for driving is a bit busted at the moment," you called back bracing yourself against Dustin.

    Dustin still tried to put the ice on Steve's head and you took it away, throwing it at your brother's chest. "What were you thinking?"

    Dustin turned to Steve. "We weren't going to leave you behind. I promised that you'd be cool."

    You closed your eyes as Max pressed harder on the gas, making Steve freak out even more. He reached out over Dustin and grabbed your hand, holding it tight as he told Max to slow down. You squeezed his hand back, tucking your good leg around his as Mike tried to hold your injured one steady.

    "I told you he'd freak out!" Mike yelled.

    "Slow down! Stop the car! Stop the car right now!" Steve shouted.

    "Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus."

    Suddenly Lucas started screaming frantically with words you couldn't understand but you weren't ready for the turn Max took. And apparently, neither was Mike. Your legs rolled, your bad one hitting the ground. You let out a scream as you squeezed Steve's hand harder. The teen screamed along with you, pulling you over Dustin and to him as everyone else's screams joined in.

    Then Max stepped on the breaks just before the car drove into a large hole in the ground. You clung to Steve, your eyes shut as the car came to a stop.

    "OH HELLO!" Steve shouted, holding you to him as he tried to regain his breath.

    Mike stared in awe. "Incredible."

    Max nodded, clearly proud of herself. "Told you. Zoomer."

    Then, like a scurrying pack of mice, the kids ditched the car and started ransacking the trunk. Steve gently moved you to lay across the back seats before he tumbled out of the car himself. He struggled to stand as you watched from where you were as the kids started gearing up for something. Uneasy with the situation you got out of the car too, only to nearly fall again.

        "Whoa, hey, careful," Steve cooed as he caught you, getting you back down on the seat. You nodded, leaning against his leg as he turned to the kids.

    "Guys. Guys? Hey. Hey, where do you think you're going? What are you deaf? Hello!!! We are not going down there right now, I made myself clear!"

    You smirked to yourself at Steve's words. Looks like Steve is the real Mama Bear.

    "Hey, there is no chance we are going to that hell hole alright." Sick of being ignored, Steve walked up to Dustin and threw a bag back into the trunk. "This ends. RIGHT. NOW!"

    "STEVE!" Dustin called as you stood up, leaning against the open door as you watched their exchange. "You are upset, I get it, but the bottom line is, one of our party members requires assistance and it is our duty to provide that assistance. Now I know you promised Nancy that you would keep us safe so," Dustin pushed a bag into Steve's chest. "keep us safe.

    You pipped up, keeping back your wish to tie your brother down so he wouldn't put himself in danger. But you knew him to be one to have a solid reason for his actions.

    "Don't think I won't whoop your butt if you come back with even a scratch on that little body of yours. You need to help me find mom a new cat."

    At that, Dustin lifted the bag higher to Steve, nodding his head eagerly. You smiled once Steve took the bag and went after the kids. But he came to stop in front of you, his hand on your arm.

    "You good here? I'll try to make sure we don't take long."

    You nodded, shifting your weight with a hop. "Yeah, no I'm good. I wouldn't be much help to you down there anyways with a busted leg."

    Steve looked down at it then back up to you. "How did that happen?"

    You let out a laugh, shaking your head as new tears sprang to your eyes to which Steve stepped closer to you, placing his hand on the nape of your neck on your shoulder. You looked up at him, sniffing.

    "Billy. Ran it over after he pushed me down."

    Steve instantly got angry, his eyes going hard as he started mumbling under his breath. You would have laughed had you not been in so much pain, plus the kids were calling for him. You shook your head smiling as best you could.

    "I won't move. I'll be right here when you get back." You went quiet, looking up at him as you reached up to move some of his hair out of his face, smiling at the patched-up job the kids did with the band-aids. "Just...be sure to come back."

    Steve nodded, his thumb brushing against your cheek before he started walking backward. "You can count on it."

    Then there they went, one by one falling down a deep hole into who knows what to save a friend from a monster in a dark world where everything was upside down. You sank into the seat of the car, resting your head as you closed your eyes trying to forget your pain. But keeping one ear open for Steve and the kids.

~~~~~

You were jostled awake by shouting and the car tugging as someone pulled on the rope. You stood up but momentarily forgot about your leg leading you to fall down on the ground. So you crawled to the hole, following the rope.

    There in the middle of the dug out whole out came Max, followed closely by Lucas and Mike. But Dustin and Steve had yet to surface. Carefully and ignoring the calls of the other three for you not to get too close, you slid down the small edge and peered over the side, laying flat on your stomach. There you saw both Steve and Dustin just inches from the rope, but they weren't grabbing for it.

    Mike and Lucas called down to them but they ignored their frantic words and worried voices. Then you heard it; growling and hissing, the ground shaking as what sounded like a thundering herd of something came running closer. You shook your head, tears dripping down the hole.

    "Get back up here! STEVE! DUSTIN!" You reached down, shouting for them over and over. But then you stopped, your breath hitched and your arm shrank back as you heard then saw the growling creatures arrive. Steve looked up before he took a ready stance with his spiked bat.

    "DUSTIN! STEVE!"

    But the creatures kept running, weaving around them and scampering off. Steve picked up Dustin and when they all passed, he pushed him up the hole where the others got him and you flicked his face.

    "You had enough time to of made it!"

    Dustin shrugged. "I couldn't very well leave your boyfriend down there to die alone and gruesome death, now could I?"

    "Yes, you could have," Steve grunted as he pulled himself up and out of the hole. You sat up, kneeling, as you pulled him to you. Steve froze a moment but hugged you back, taking off his mask and goggles. You pulled back and smacked his chest since his face was already having a rough day.

    "Don't you dare play hero again! You hear? Don't smile like that while I'm yelling at you. Dustin looks up to you and he would have died if you did and I-"

    Steve took your fave gingerly in his as he smiled as best he could with his injured face. "But no one died."

    "You didn't know that would happen," you whispered as new tears flowed. Dustin took your hand as Steve wiped your tears.

    "But I did know that I was going to fight off every last one of them if that meant giving your brother enough time to get out."

    You sniffed then felt Dustin leave to join the others. But not before he gave you a kiss on the cheek. Steve smiled at that, moving his body so you leaned on him a bit and not on your injured leg.

    "I'm sorry," he whispered, looking in your eyes, "I'm sorry about your leg, about you worrying about your brother, about scaring you, about being a jerk, about-"

    But you cut him off, pressing your lips against his. He winced and moaned painfully so you pulled back, looking down in shame for forgetting about his busted face. But Steve laughed a little, lifting your chin so he could look at you. You wined, your turn to apologize.

    "Sorry. For hurting you and that was-"

    But it was his turn to cut you off, but a lot more gently this time. It didn't last long and it wasn't heartstoppingly deep, but it did give you butterflies and melt into him more.

    Pulling away, Steve gathered you in his arms and lifted you up and out of the dug hole. "Let's get your leg taken care of."

    You sighed as you hung on his neck, resting your head against his neck. The kids suddenly stopped in front of the car, the lights growing brighter and brighter until you had to close your eyes.

    Then it dimmed again, everyone blinking back their vision. You looked up at Steve only to already find him looking at you. You blushed slightly but then had a question.

    "Did you guys succeed in what you needed to do?"

    Steve nodded, looking to the kids then back to you. "Yeah. Yeah, I think we did."

    You closed your eyes and smiled as he held you closer. "Good, because I really need to see a doctor now."