(Ep. 7: The Bite)

Gwen has never been more glad to see the mall's loading docks.

She leaned her head back and sighed in delight at feeling the warm July air brush against her cheeks. The air seemed to smell better, feel better, and even taste better. Sure it was a little humid and it would make her hair more frizzy than it already is, but she's living the life right now.

Steve grabbed her waist and spun her towards him. Her chest slammed right into his that sent them stumbling down the concrete floor. They giggled uncontrollably, sprawling all around the ground as they attempted to stand up. If it wasn't for Robin helping them, they would've been stuck for good.

The three were filled with immense joy. Not a single bad thought ran through their minds as all they could focus on was dancing to the imaginary music. Steve offered his hand to Gwen and gave her a quick twirl that sent her spinning around the dock. Next, he took Robin's hand and did the same, making her spin uncontrollably until she bumped into Gwen that brought out another fit of laughter.

Fading out the annoyed yells from their friends, they danced around like crazy kids and allowed their laughs to become louder by the second. Their smiles grew wider and their hearts were overwhelmed with ecstasy that for a mere moment, they seemed to forget all about the Russians.

Only their carefree nature was cut short when a group of Russian guards came running through the gate between the loading dock and the parking lot. They were yelling with their thick accents like the underground guards were and their hands reached down for their guns as they started raising it at them. It was taking Gwen a while to register what's happening. She only felt the hard yank of her brother as they ran through a side door that led them to the back hallways of the mall.

After working their way through the long hall, Dustin was focused on taking them to the one place that's still open, the Starcourt Cinema. Certain those Russians wouldn't barge in and start threatening everyone, he figured it's the best place to lay low until getting the chance to escape through the swarm of the crowd.

"Seriously? The movies?" Daphne complains, running through her messy locks in irritation. "You couldn't have chosen some better place?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Dustin stands on his tiptoes, searching through the long rows for any empty seats. He seriously hopes this plan works because he's definitely not planning on dying while watching Back to the Future.

"I've been meaning to see this movie!" Gwen's been trying to convince Steve to watch it with her, but he claims it's nothing but a nerdy movie that's not meant for someone as cool as him. And now it seems he's going to watch it with her whether he likes it or not.

"Shh!" An older woman with massive glasses that takes up half her face tells her. Her finger is pressed against her lips and her brows have turned downward into a perfect scowl.

"No, you shush!" Steve snaps at her and starts heading in her direction. Who does she think she is in telling his girl to shut up? If anything, this lady should keep her mouth closed and just focus on watching this geeky movie. He's about to go off on this woman when he's suddenly being dragged by Dustin to the front row.

"You three, sit," he points his finger at the empty seats like he's giving out a dog command.

Gwen frowns, annoyed at how close they are to the screen, and it sure doesn't help seeing those seats are covered in suspicious looking stains that she has no desire sitting in. "I'm not sitting here. It's too dirty."

"Just sit down!" Erica angrily whispers and pushes her down. Never did she imagine she'd be helping her brother's curly friend and her cousin take care of three drugged teenagers.

"Dude, these seats blow!" Steve complains as he plops himself into their assigned seating.

"And they're dirty," Gwen repeats in hopes her brother understands and doesn't force her into this. Couldn't he have picked a cleaner cinema? Maybe the one in downtown?

"I've already seen this!" Robin whines continuously, earning a few shushes from the back that she returns even louder. "Can we watch something else?"

"Agree," Steve begins, "This is too nerdy for me."

"It's not nerdy!" Gwen's eyes snap over to her boyfriend and her brows cinch together, "This movie is going to be a classic. I'm one hundred percent certain of it."

"I'm one hundred percent certain of it," Steve imitates her tone, causing her to grab some leftover popcorn from the floor to try and shove it inside his shirt. "Hey, watch it! This is the best shit I own!"

"Just shut up!" Daphne snaps at them and pushes them back into their seats. Robin starts giggling once she presses her hands on her shoulder. She reaches for her face, gently squishing it and swaying it back and forth. "Alright, that's enough."

"Okay, mom," Robin replies through a snicker, "I still don't want to watch it."

"Then don't watch the movie," Dustin huffs, fixing his hat that had been thrown to the ground by his sister once more.

"I wanna watch the movie! Did you ever consider what I want?" Gwen asks, her words running incredibly fast that makes it hard for the others, except for her brother, to understand.

"Then watch it!" Dustin grits, his voice increasingly louder that brings a man sitting behind them to shush. Steve rolls his eyes, not understanding what's the deal with everyone in this damn theater. What's with all the shushing? It doesn't make sense. The younger boy grabs them by the collar and turns them around so they can face him, "Whatever you do, don't go anywhere."

"Fine, dad," Steve says through a chuckle, his eyes roll sarcastically as he leans his head on Gwen's shoulder. He starts laughing even more when hearing his accomplices cackling uncontrollably.

It took everything for Dustin not to reprimand him for that sly comment, but he knows it's of no use when they're completely drugged and not caring for anything. He looks over at the Sinclair cousins, who are equally annoyed as he is, and they quickly scurry off to search for any empty seats. He mutters a few apologies to the movie watchers and eventually, they take a seat in the same row of the drunken trio.

Steve peers over his shoulder, checking to see if the coast is clear before nudging his girlfriend as he holds out a crumbled popcorn bucket that's half empty.

Her mouth waters when seeing the yellowish contents of the delicious snack. She's extremely grateful he managed to acquire this because she's starved. Her hand reaches down and grabs a handful of popcorn that she stuffs into her mouth. A few pieces fall onto her lap that she discreetly throws down.

Now handing the bucket to Robin, she squeals in excitement as she messily shoves the snack to her mouth and sinks down to watch the flashing screen. She doesn't understand what's happening and why Marty McFly is hanging with that older guy. And it doesn't make sense how time travel will ever be possible.

"I don't understand anything. Do you guys get it?" Gwen questions as she reaches over for more popcorn. She really hopes she's not the only one who has no idea what's happening, because quite frankly, it'd be pretty embarrassing to not understand a movie when she's about to be a college girl.

"I don't know what's happening either," Robin responds and steals the bucket from Steve, who stares with his mouth hanging open that allows a few popcorn pieces to fall out.

"You guys want to ditch?"

Steve and Robin glare at her, both confused since she was claiming she wanted to see this movie and now she was suggesting leaving. "I thought you wanted to watch it."

"Yeah, claiming it was going to be a classic in the future," Steve shakes his head, not understanding the way his girl's mind works. One minute she wants something, the next minute she doesn't. It's extremely unsettling.

Pushing back against her seat, she stands up and starts heading to the exit. "Fine. You losers can stay and I'll leave." Staying put in this place seems like the worst torture imaginable. Especially when she has all this energy coursing through her. And it sure doesn't help that the popcorn's not enough because all she really wants is a strawberry shake.

Steve leans forward in his seat, eyes glancing over at Robin before he checks if the uptight trio are watching them. He smirks when seeing the cousins bicker about something and Dustin is nowhere to be seen. Waving his arm at Robin to follow him, he says, "Come on. Let's go."

__________________

To Gwen's dismay, all the food places were closed, which left her with nothing but disappointment. God, she really wanted a milkshake and it seems she's never going to get it and it's not like that stale popcorn was enough since she just wants more.

She lazily rests against the railing of the second floor, looking down at the traitorous food court for not staying open late. Her eyes scan the entirety of the floor, only making her realize the mall is even more depressing at night. Considering the skylight is fairly dark, there's nothing joyous about this. Nothing to offer a simple entertainment that leaves her wanting for something exciting to happen right now.

"You guys better come try this! It's freaking amazing!" Steve is slumped down against the water fountain. His face is covered in water that could only mean he missed his mouth and the liquid spread all over him.

Robin turns around, her eyes beam in delight as she briskly runs over and pushes him off. "Then get off! You've had enough!"

Looking over her shoulder, Gwen is shocked to see how much the two are enjoying the chlorine water. "Yeah that's a no. The water here is awful."

"It is not. It's the best I've had," Steve frowns at her, confused on the abruptness of her contradiction.

She chuckles dryly, pacing around with her head slumped back, "Then you have terrible taste, Harrington." She tries to ignore his eyes on her, but her entire body is drawn to him like a magnet that she can't help herself from staring at that beautiful face of his. His freckles are more noticeable from having been underground for who knows how long. His lip is busted and his eye is incredibly swollen, but even then, he's still the most handsome man her eyes have ever seen.

Steve smiles as he makes his way to her. Even if he's tired and his body hurts, just looking at her makes everything go away. It doesn't matter if those Russians are somewhere around or the fact they ignored Dustin's orders, he can't be bothered to care for anything that isn't her.

He places his hands on her back, slowly tracing his fingers down to her waist as he pulls her closer. She beams at his touch, pressing her forehead against his as she holds a firm grip. Gwen really wishes they could just stay like this, but she knows it's not possible considering the situation they're in.

"So... I think we should talk about it," his voice comes out shakier than he wished.

"About what?" Gwen is somewhat unsure of what he means. Her mind is still foggy and she feels like she's about to pass out any minute.

"You know... that whole thing you've been pushing me to talk about..." Steve trails off, looking down at her lips as she forms the tiniest bit of a frown. "Let's do it."

Gwen releases her hold on him and starts walking to the railing. Her fingers curl around the metal as she now understands why he was so reluctant to speak about it. It'd be right to talk about it now since they have nothing else to do, but why does it feel so wrong at the same time?

Her voice is barely a whisper, "We're high, Steve. I don't think right now is the time."

He shrugs, resting his arms against the railing and shifts his body in her direction, "I actually think it's the perfect time. I mean, we're drugged which means we can only tell the truth." He peers over at Robin, who is still on the same spot by the water fountain. Her eyes are delighted by the way the water is sprinkling out that she tries capturing the droplets in her hand. "And Robin seems to be entertained. It's the perfect time now."

She swallows hard, feeling her heart pummel as her hands start to tremble. She places them inside the pockets of her jacket to hide them and gives out a nonchalant nod. Seems Steve's being the brave one now because she can't even fathom the idea of discussing what the next few months will be like.

Steve takes a while to begin because quite frankly, how to begin by saying he doesn't want her to leave? On how he wishes she could stay here because he's so afraid of losing her? He licks his lips and runs a hand through his messy locks. His feet start kicking the floor underneath him as cold sweat starts to form. "I want you to stay."

And there it is. The words she's been wanting to hear yet has also been afraid of. She feels a strange sensation in her heart. One she's never felt before that only makes matters worse because how can she leave when he wants her to stay?

"But..." he continues, his brown eyes darting to the ground as he tries settling his nerves. He's disappointed this drug hasn't made this easier, if anything, it's only made it even harder. "I also want you to go because I don't want to be that asshole that keeps you from living your dreams, which is why I can't be selfish with you."

She squeezes her eyes shut and exhales deeply. He's making this move even harder without even realizing it. Because she now knows he wants her to stay and here she is doing the complete opposite. Gwen doesn't deserve his understanding, his love, and his noble spirit, because she hasn't done anything to deserve it.

"Steve-"

"And I'm also scared," his voice is weak and shaky. "I'm terrified that you'll meet someone who has their entire life figured out and you'd realize it's them you want."

Her eyes snap up to look at him. "No, that will never happen because you will always be the person I love." She can't seem to find the right words to explain how she feels. Not even this drug is able to bring out anything stronger to express herself because damn it, she's never been good with words.

Steve wants to believe her, but his circle of insecurities always control the greater part of him. How can someone as amazing as Gwen Henderson love him? What makes him any different from anyone? If his parents deemed him as someone unlovable, why would she love him when his parents don't?

"We're going to get through this, okay?" Gwen hates seeing him this way. So hurt, so scared, and so worried. She doesn't know what the future holds, but if there's one thing she's sure of is her feelings for him. Nothing will ever change that.

Steve looks away from her, feeling every inch get consumed by his greatest fear... losing her. He wishes he could believe everything will be alright, but no one knows what the future holds. No one is certain of their fate so what if he does end up losing her?

These past few months, he's been the happiest he's ever been. From calling each other every night and getting to talk about anything, to stargazing with her, to getting the chance to open himself without fearing she's going to hate what she sees, her leaving feels like one step to their end. But as he's staring into those beautiful eyes, he's overwhelmed with courage to take a leap of faith because she's worth it. She's worth this and much more.

"Look, just because I'm going to be a couple hundred miles from here-"

"747 miles, driving, and 612, flying," he corrects, smiling when seeing her shocked expression on how specific he was. "I looked it up."

Gwen stares at Steve, her eyes overjoyed with love as she places her arms around him, "I might be moving to New York, but it doesn't mean I'll love you any less."

"Screw long distance," Steve closes the gap between them, pressing his forehead against hers. "We're gonna kick its ass and not let anything change between us."

She smiles, placing her hand in front as she pulls out her pinky, "It's a promise."

Steve's unable to hide the grin spreading across his lips. His cheeks turn a crimson red as he joins his pinky with hers, "It's a promise."

They look into each other's eyes, ignoring the silence around them as nothing matters but them when Gwen stands up on her tiptoes and leans forward. He smiles, pulling her closer and captures her in a kiss.

His hands reach down to her waist, slowly making their way underneath her shirt. She places her hand onto his chest, firmly gripping the red tie of his uniform that allows her to pull him closer and intensify the kiss even more.

Their kisses are desperate, resembling the oxygen around them that gives them a sense of being their only source of surviving. Their connection is like a drug, something they can't refrain from returning to because to them, they're each other's breath of fresh air.

Her fingers dig into the back of his shirt while her other hand embraces his shoulder. She feels him slowly lowering his hand until reaching the curves of her ass, gripping it tightly that she lets out a gasp.

"Do you want me to stop-"

"No talking," she grabs him by the collar of his shirt and captures him into an even more passionate kiss. He smiles, leaning back as he gently moves her head to the side to press his lips on her neck.

They both know their time is limited considering their situation and their location, but neither want to release each other. They're filled with ecstasy and overwhelmed with intense pleasure that doesn't make them willing to stop.

Too caught up in their moment, they seem to have forgotten about their third party member. Robin is still standing by the water fountain, gawking at them with wide eyes at never having witnessed a couple so hungry for each other. She leans back against the wall and without meaning to, her feet start heading in their direction.

Only the skylight stops her as the lights appear much more majestic, more illuminating, and mesmerizing. Her head slumps back as she starts lazily pacing around. It seems like the rays of light are coming down, hitting her perfectly that she just has to share this with her horny friends.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but you guys should come see this," Robin waves her hand to them as her eyes remain glued to the lights.

Hesitantly, they pull back and stand next to their friend. Gwen continues to hold on to his hand as she follows Robin's gaze. That's when she realizes what the fuss is about.

"Oh, wow," she mumbles, starting to spin around slowly to see if the beams continue to follow her. She's never seen anything more amazing than this. It's like the stars are falling and forming a symphonic dance all around.

Steve narrows his eyes, shutting them for a second in disbelief at the terrific sight. "Is this- is this real life?"

Robin stops her pacing, feeling a wave of crisis overwhelm her. "Woah. That's like... an existential question."

The lights appear to get brighter by the second. The buzzing in Gwen's ears start getting louder as she feels a flutter at the pit of her stomach. Something quite too familiar that reminds her of the rollercoaster she got on with Dustin for his 11th birthday. She clutches her stomach, closing her eyes as she tries to refrain the wave of nausea from overpowering her.

This is bad, really bad.

She's certain just standing here will only make everything worse. She can't stay here watching the beautiful lights, even though she wants to, unless she wants her stomach's contents to sprawl all over the floor.

Almost immediately, she rushes to the nearest bathroom while continuing to clutch her stomach and mouth. She didn't even bother to check if the others became nauseated as well because she can't afford to embarrass herself in front of them.

Only Steve noticed her ill-look and went after her with Robin. He starts wondering if it was him that made her sick, if maybe his kiss was sickening that she became nauseated.

Glancing at Robin, he can't help but ask, "Was I really that bad?"