╔══════✮❁•°♛°•❁✮ ══════╗

𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗦𝗧

epilogue:
steve & serenity

╚══════✮❁•°♛°•❁✮══════╝

"HOLD STILL, OKAY?"

It had been a month since everything ended — since the Mind Flayer stopped possessing Will, since Eleven closed the Gate to the Upside Down, since Serenity and the people she cared for most got out of the Upside Down tunnels after burning it and being chased from an army of Demo-Dogs.

Hawkins was receiving a lot of national attention, due to the secrets of the lab being exposed and the lab actually shutting down. Barbara Holland was declared officially dead, and even though they couldn't say she was killed by a monster from a parallel dimension, it gave her parents some closure. It also gave Nancy a little bit of closure, who, to the delight of Serenity, was officially dating Jonathan.

As for Serenity, well . . . she was doing a lot better than she expected. Her mind had sort of gone all out of whack when the whole thing with the Upside Down resurfaced. Everything from the Demogorgon, to the Demo-Dogs, to the Mind Flayer had sent her into a state of panic that she masked by taking care of the kids. Maybe because they didn't have to deal with that anymore, that it was over, was the reason she was doing okay. Or maybe it was because she had faced the Upside Down in the tunnels instead of wondering what was inside the other dimension, so she actually knew what went on in there.

She had a couple nightmares, but they were here and there, not repetitive like they had been after the Demogorgon. Her sunshine personality was starting to shine through again. Although that deep root of trauma still stood with her, she wasn't letting it affect her to the same extent like it did with the Demogorgon. It was hard, but she didn't want to get to that point again.

The cuts on her legs from the Demo-Dog had healed completely, thanks to the help of her older brother, Spencer. Just like she expected, Spencer was absolutely worried out of his mind when she went back home because she had been gone for days. Although Serenity couldn't tell him exactly why she was gone, she did show him the cuts, and he bought a bunch of stuff to help her. Now, she just had four scars on her leg. Even though they were a reminder of what was really out there, Serenity liked to believe they made her stronger.

And, according to Steve, she looked badass.

Speaking of Steve, him and Serenity hadn't . . . progressed. Well, romantically. Her and Steve had a long talk about the two of them after everything ended. Serenity herself had told Steve that she actually liked him instead of Steve hearing it from Dustin. Steve, although he said it before, said he liked her, too. However, Steve asked Serenity to give them some time. After all, he was still fresh out of his breakup with Nancy, and he couldn't give Serenity everything just yet. He didn't want to make Serenity feel like a rebound.

Serenity never felt like a rebound, but she understood where Steve was coming from, so she agreed to give them time. They went back to acting how they were before, but it was evident that something was just . . . different. Their gazes would linger just a little too long on each other, there would be just a little too much so-called accidental touches, and their smiles were brighter when they looked at each other.

They would find their way. Serenity had faith they would.

It was the night of the Snow Ball for Hawkins Middle School, which meant all of Serenity's kids were going — Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Max, and Eleven. Serenity had decided to not chaperone the dance, even though she wanted to. They were all growing up — as much as she hated to admit it — and they probably didn't want their babysitter to be watching them for once.

Hopper, who was officially Eleven's guardian, had allowed Eleven to go to the Snow Ball, even though it was a little risky for her to be out in the open. He had actually come to Serenity for help — quite literally the day of. The two had just shown up at her doorstep. Neither Hopper nor Eleven knew anything about how to get ready for a dance, and Serenity was more than happy to help. She had also offered to drive Eleven to the dance — okay, maybe that was so she could see Steve since he was taking Dustin, but she also just really enjoyed Eleven's presence.

So that's where Serenity is found now — her bedroom. Eleven was sitting in front of her on the chair of her vanity. Serenity had a piece of hair in her hands and a blue clip between her teeth, trying to smooth Eleven's hair out as best she could. Eleven's natural hair had grown out a little longer and was also curly. Serenity had really done nothing but wet it and use a little hairspray to get it to stay, but she thought it would be cute to have a clip in.

Serenity had already put some makeup on Eleven — some pink eyeshadow, mascara, blush, and lip gloss. That had been the first order of business. Eleven was really curious about all of Serenity's makeup, and Serenity made sure to explain what everything was before applying it on Eleven's face.

And, obviously, Eleven needed to borrow some clothes. Serenity had dug through her closet until she found one of her old dresses that didn't fit her anymore. It was blue, the edges were embroidered in pink, and there were small pink polka dots all over it. Since it was still a tiny bit big on Eleven, she wrapped an old pink belt of hers around her waist. Serenity had also given Eleven an old pair of shoes — some black ones that just had the smallest heel.

Eleven was practically ready. Serenity just needed to clip her hair back. She made sure the hair was smooth against El's head before taking the clip out between her teeth and pinning it. The hair stayed — thankfully.

"And there," Serenity said. She bent down, placing her hands on Eleven's shoulders and looking at the two of them in the mirror. "You're all done."

Eleven stared back at herself, her eyes going a little wide. "Pretty."

Serenity smiled. "Yes, exactly. You do look very pretty." She then glanced over at the clock in her room — the dance was starting in a couple of minutes. "We should probably get going. You'll be a little late, but it'll be . . . fashionable."

"Fashionable," Eleven repeated, nodding a little.

Serenity slipped on her Converse and gestured for Eleven to follow her. Eleven stood up and trailed after Serenity as she left her room, flicking off her light as she did so. The two descended down the stairs and Serenity pulled Spencer's leather jacket off the hook and put it on — Max had thankfully given it back to her after the whole thing, and it had gone through multiple washes after it had been in the Upside Down.

"Spence, I'll be back!" Serenity called. She grabbed her car keys out of the bowl by the front door and looked down at Eleven. "You all ready to go?"

"Yes," Eleven answered.

They went out into the cold December air. Serenity unlocked her car and got into the drivers seat, instantly turning the car on. She turned on her radio, which was playing Christmas music. Serenity smiled softly at it before reversing out of the driveway.

The drive to the middle school wasn't long at all, considering it was literally right next to the high school. Serenity or Eleven didn't talk during the car ride, the two of them just sitting in comfortable silence listening to the Christmas music. She could kind of tell that was Eleven was a little nervous, so when she pulled up outside the middle school and parked her car in a parking spot, she turned off her car and turned to Eleven, going into full older sister mode.

"You shouldn't be nervous, you know," Serenity voiced. "I know that's easier said than done, but you look incredible. Besides, nobody knows who you are and they're all wrapped up in themselves, so I doubt anyone besides your friends will notice you. And you're going to knock Mike's socks off when he sees you."

Eleven nodded in understanding. "I will knock his socks off."

"Exactly." Serenity glanced back at the middle school for a moment. "I can walk you in, if you'd like."

Eleven nodded again. Serenity gave her a small grin and got out of the car, Eleven following in suit. The two of them walked up to the school and into the door. Serenity immediately got hit with a blast of warm air, the school clearly contrasting with the bitter cold outside. They went towards the familiar gymnasium, which was decked out in blue and silver decorations and had music bumping from inside.

"Ah, Serenity," Mr. Clarke began, who was sitting at the ticket table. "Don't tell me you're chaperoning."

"No, my kids practically begged me not to," Serenity revealed. "Their loss. I love embarrassing them." She nudged Eleven. "Hand him your ticket, El."

Eleven handed Mr. Clarke the ticket that Hopper had gotten for her. Mr. Clarke smiled at her in thanks. She then looked up at Serenity for a moment.

"I'll be back to get you when the dance is over," Serenity said. "Go on, have fun."

With that, Eleven walked through the gymnasium doors. Serenity waved to Mr. Clark before leaving the school, shoving her hands into the pockets of the leather jacket she was wearing. She went to walk to her car, but she spotted a familiar figure in the parking lot.

Steve was leaning against the back of his arms crossed, staring up at the middle school. His breath fogged up in the cold air. Serenity felt the familiar sensation she got every time she looked at him — the spinning mind, the racing heart, the butterfly-filled stomach. It seemed heightened today, for some reason. She inwardly took a deep breath and walked up to him.

"Hey, Harrington," Serenity greeted. "Fancy seeing you, here."

Steve grinned at her. "Hey, sunshine. Didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah, well, Hopper asked me to get El ready, and I drove her here, so." Serenity leaned against the car next to him. "How was Dustin?"

"Oh, you should've seen him. Kid looks like a million bucks. His hair's a little questionable, though."

"Like yours?" Serenity teased. "Like father, like son." She smiled at the sound of his laugh before looking up at the middle school as well. "So . . . were you just going to wait here in the cold until the dance ended?"

"I was going to drive to your house," Steve admitted. "See if you wanted to go to the diner."

"You know I would never pass up an opportunity to get a chocolate milkshake. How about we go after the dance when we drop our kids off at home?"

"It's a date."

Date. It was such a simple word, but considering the whole talk they had, it made Serenity's cheeks flush even more even though they were already red from the bitter air. She cleared her throat and shuffled for a moment. What could they do in the meantime when the dance was still going on?

She had an idea. It was a very out-of-character thing, but it would work.

"Hey, remember when we danced at the Snow Ball?" Serenity asked, starting to laugh at the memory.

"Oh, God," Steve complained, placing a hand on his forehead. "I kept stepping on your feet."

"I think we deserve a redo." Serenity pushed herself off of the car and turned to face him, offering her hand out. "What do you say?"

Steve glanced at her hair for a moment. "Serenity Alexander, are you asking me to crash a middle school dance with you?"

She shrugged, smiling softly. "What's life without rebelling a little?"

Steve stared at her for a moment. Her eyes were alive with excitement, which was something he hadn't seen in her for a while, not really since the initial Demogorgon attack a year ago. What was he supposed to do, say no to that?

He slipped his hand into hers. "Let's go."

Serenity's smile widened. She pulled him by his hand towards the middle school, giggles spilling past her lips as she did so. Steve watched her in complete and adoration as she dragged him along, laughing with her as well.

They walked right past Mr. Clarke, who just let them pass. After all, it was Serenity — he knew she wouldn't stir up any trouble. Serenity and Steve walked into the gymnasium, and the muffled music became a lot louder. They stopped for a moment, glancing around as Every Breath You Take played. She could spot Nancy dancing with Dustin, Will dancing with a girl, Lucas dancing with Max (Lucas dancing with Max!!!), and Mike dancing with Eleven (how cute.)

Serenity squeezed Steve's hand. "Ready for our redo?"

Steve squeezed her hand back. "Ready."

They went out onto the dance floor, pushing between middle schoolers until they found a spot. She let go out of his hand and reached up, winding her arms around his neck. Steve placed his hands on her waist, and even through the leather jacket and her sweater, she felt her skin heat up.

"Am I doing better?" Steve questioned as they swayed.

Serenity let out a laugh. "I would say so."

Suddenly, everything stopped when their eyes locked. It seemed like everyone else from the room faded away — it was just them on the dance floor, swaying back and forth. Steve seemed to get a little closer to her. The air suddenly started to buzz around them. Serenity's heart beat against her chest and she felt her mind go a little haywire.

"Steve," Serenity said quietly.

"'Renity," Steve replied.

At the same time, Steve leaned down, and Serenity pressed up onto her toes. Their lips met in the middle, and it was everything Serenity hoped it would be. The kiss was sweet, and it seemed like it was making up for the past month when they had been dancing around each other.

She was the first one to pull away, because she was sure that would melt into an absolute puddle if they continued. Serenity lowered back to her feet, staring up at Steve with a red face and a small smile on her face. Steve's face was flushed as well, and he was also grinning widely.

Serenity Alexander once thought that Steve Harrington wasn't hers to lose. But, as it turns out, he was always hers, and after tonight, that was solidified.

⊹⊱••••••⊰⊹

ᗡNƎ ƎH⊥

serenity is the cutest older sister shut up

ANYWAYS idk how this is over but if you want a dt on book two let me know!!!