⇢ ˗ˏˋ ✰🎨 🎸 ࿐ྂ

"𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐠𝐨."
➶-͙˚ ༘✶ ˗ˏˋ ✰꒰ 📎 🍒 ꒱✰ ˎˊ- ➶ °*ೃ
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CERISE HARRINGTON WOKE UP TO the soft snores of Eddie, his curly brown locks falling on his cheeks. His lips were parted slightly, an angelic sight to see. Cerise felt that she was in the same place from the night before, laying next to Eddie's sleeping body. His arms were securely wrapped around her waist as if she were to disappear at any moment.

A smile surfaced on the edge of her lips, placing her chin on his chest, admiring the sight of her supposed boyfriend. She was still confused about the status of their relationship, but she decided to question it later. Feeling the burning of hairs standing on the back of his neck, Eddie fluttered his eyes open to be met with the sight of his beautiful girl, staring up at him with adoration laced in her mahogany eyes.

"Good morning, Little Red," Eddie smiled as he pressed multiple kisses into her hair and a sloppy one on her nose.

"Mornin', Eddie." Cerise took this moment to notice the details on Eddie's face. The way his doe eyes instantly brightened at her waking state, his grip tightening as he brought her body closer to his chest.

Eddie's eyes trailed down to Cerise's shirt and he smirked, seeing that she was still indeed in his Hellfire t-shirt. He chuckled deeply and pressed a gentle feather-light kiss on her lips.

"You know, seeing such a pretty girl wearing my shirt," Eddie paused as he seductively licked his lips, his sight moving back and forth from his shirt to Cerise's eyes. "It's giving me very provocative thoughts at the moment."

Cerise raised her eyebrows in surprise, astonished that Eddie used such colorful words.

"Wow, such big words. You're starting to sound like me," Cerise teased, scrunching her nose slightly when Eddie dug his nails in her ribs, ticklish sensations overwhelming her body.

"I mean, I learned from the best," Eddie gushed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Cerise threw her head back and chuckled, still feeling Eddie's arms embrace her body. She looked back down into his eyes, sensing the aura of warmth and love that Eddie radiated from his body. She questioned how she was able to score such a beautiful man like him, but she decided to relish the moments she has with him.

"You are truly something else, Edward Munson." Eddie's eyes widened at the sound of his full name casually coming out of Cerise's mouth. She hasn't called him that ever since before she forgot her memories, so Eddie was appalled, questioning himself how she was able to remember this.

"How did you know my full name?"

Cerise didn't realize how she said his full name until it was released from her mouth. She reciprocated Eddie's similar expression of astonishment.

"Woah, maybe I'm getting some of my memories back," Cerise mumbled, a smile inching its way to her face. Eddie seemed to smile along with her, the two of them bouncing in excitement on the couch.

They acted like children, their hands interlaced with one another and they screamed with joy, their childish behavior being one of the fondest exceptions of their relationship. Cerise felt extremely comfortable with the comfort of Eddie by her side. It seemed as if she had never forgotten her memories and she was with him for the past year.

However, their gleeful moment was abruptly interrupted when the wooden door swung open, revealing Steve Harrington, with his 'mom' expression plastered onto his face. Cerise groaned in annoyance, internally cursing at her brother for interrupting the moment.

"Rise and shine, shit heads. You two better get decent. Ressie, you and I are going out for the day," Steve declared in an authoritative tone. Cerise groaned in annoyance and rolled her eyes, rolling off of Eddie's chest, and stood up.

Steve turned around to face his sister and when he pivoted his body, he was met with the sight of his baby sister, in Eddie's shirt. His eyes widened, an unreadable expression on his face. Cerise noticed what he was staring at and her heart was beating faster by the second.

She knew Steve was protective of her, that was no doubt, so the sight of him seeing her in Eddie's shirt, Cerise knew her brother was going to lash out.

Or so she thought.

"Is that Eddie's shirt?" Steve asked warily, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

"Uh...no?" Cerise smiled sheepishly, hoping it would diffuse Steve's anger. However, what Steve did next, shocked both Cerise and Eddie.

"Uh-huh, sure. Get dressed in your clothes now. We're going out," Steve ushered calmly. Cerise was dumbfounded at Steve's response. It was highly unusual for him to be this calm, especially with Eddie on the other side of the room.

Cerise looked at Eddie with shock, the boy simply shrugging his shoulders in response as he was too shocked by Steve's actions. It was as if this wasn't even Steve at all.

"Alright then, I'm going to get dressed. Both of you, please don't kill each other when I'm gone."

✰*ੈ✩➶༄✰

Cerise sat in between Max and Lucas, gazing outside to be met with the beaming morning sunrays of Hawkins that illuminated softly onto the cemented ground. The group was driving to Max's house, silence filling the car as Steve drove. She also noticed how Steve consistently looked in his rear view mirror to glance at Cerise, making sure she was okay at every given second.

As Steve stopped in front of Max's driveway, Cerise took the time to endeavor the possible memories of what happened when she died. Cerise swore to herself that there was this missing void in her, something that she couldn't put her finger on.

Cerise also knew that somehow, Vecna had to do with it.

When Max hopped out of the car, Steve took this opportunity to turn his body in the driver's seat, his gaze directly held onto his sister.

"Ressie, honey, are you okay? How are you feeling?" Steve's voice was sweet, filled with caution and patience. Cerise looked up to Steve and flashed him a soft smile, nodding her head as an indication she was okay.

Dustin and Lucas looked at each other, the two of the freshman having the same questioning look on their faces.

"Um, did something happen last night?" Dustin warily asked, hoping to not to provoke Steve's temper. The young Henderson boy was an unfortunate witness to experience how Steve's protective demeanor can go off the rails whenever it came to his sister.

Cerise looked at Steve, frowning. "You didn't tell them yet?"

Steve exhaled sharply, rubbing his eyes as Cerise's 'death' was still a sore subject for him. It was the look of her corpse that mentally disturbed Steve and he couldn't get that image out of his broken mind.

Both Lucas and Dustin were intrigued, their attention solely on the adults in the car. Steve looked at the boys seriously before speaking.

"I seriously don't know how to say this, so I'm going to just say it," Steve paused, looking back and forth between the teens in his car. He held his attention longer on Cerise and she nodded at him, comforting the knowing thoughts of the petrifying moments. "Last night, Cerise became a victim of Vecna."

Audible gasps filled the car, jaws slacked open and wrinkles forming on their skin. Dustin and Lucas both shared incredulous looks, their mouths opening and closing like fish.

"What!? How the hell are you alive then?" Lucas asked, he started to poke Cerise's cheeks, questioning if she was a ghost and she chuckled at his childish antics.

"That's what we're still trying to figure out. It was terrifying. One moment, Cerise's body was all mangled and shit." Cerise took notice of Steve's quavering voice, and she knew he was about to break down any second. "A-And her eyes—Jesus Christ."

Steve couldn't even finish her sentence as he swung open his car door, standing up and leaning his arms on top of it, needing fresh air. The rest of the teens stood outside as well, all concerned for Steve acting this vulnerable.

Cerise was instantly by Steve's side, not wasting a second to hug his tall figure. Steve wrapped his arms around her body tightly, this being the proper hug they shared ever since Cerise's death. Lucas and Dustin couldn't do anything except watch the scene in front of them and at this second, they were glad that they weren't there to witness what Steve unfortunately has.

"Steve, look at me." Cerise's tone was firm and steady, pulling away from the hug so she can talk, but Steve still held his gaze to his Nike Cortez sneakers. When he didn't respond, she spoke up again. "Do I have to slap you for the second time within the past twenty-four hours?"

Steve bitterly laughed in between sobs, pressing kisses on her forehead, dampening her hair as tears streamed on top of her head.

"I am not going anywhere, okay? I'm sorry you had to go through what seemed to be my death, but I'm here. Vecna doesn't have me, I'm here."

Steve smiled between his tears and he released a hefty sigh, in an attempt to catch his breath.

"If you ever die on me again, I'm going to resurrect you myself then kill you with my bare hands," Steve joked, laughter filling his ears as Cerise slapped his chest. She nodded her head incredulously before embracing her brother once again.

"Lookin' forward to it, Stevie."

Small 'awws' filled the Harrington siblings' ears and when they broke out of their embrace, they were met with the sight of Dustin and Lucas, both overdramatically acting as if they were watching a sad film. They mimicked wiping away their tears and fanned their faces to dry their nonexistent tears.

"I think this is the first time I have ever seen Steve cry," Lucas smirked, and if looks could kill, the freshman would be six feet under right now.

"Last time I saw Steve cry like this was when he lost his can of Farrah Fawcett spray," Dustin joked, releasing a loud cackle and Cerise burst into a fit of laughter, seeing the raging look on Steve's face.

Before Steve could beat up Dustin, the loud screeching sound of the screen door slamming against the metal of the trailer, startled the teens. Cerise whipped her head and saw a distressed Max.

"Max, hey, are you okay?" Cerise asked in a motherly tone.

"I'm fine, just drive." Max's voice was faltering and Cerise knew she saw something. Something that eerily seemed to concern Cerise as well.

✰*ੈ✩➶༄✰

"Turn here," Max softly directed Steve. He silently obliged and turned into the cemetery.

Cerise's eyes widened. She was all too familiar with this cemetery as she visited it every single day for a month last year. She hasn't visited his grave in a while and Cerise pressed those thoughts aside, wanting to be here for Max and not for her own desires.

The car came to an abrupt stop and Max got out without hesitance, but what seemed to perk Cerise's curiosity was how the strawberry blonde teen simply stood there.

"Aren't you going to go visit him?" Cerise asked in a gentle tone, genuinely curious as to why Max was staring at her.

"I know how much you need to speak to him too," Max murmured, a diminutive smile lightly forming on her lips. Cerise was in awe of the girl, her stepping out of the car and wasting no seconds in embracing Max in a tight affectionate hug.

"You're an amazing sister," Cerise murmured in Max's ear. The girl smiled at the older teen and watched her walk off as she visited the grave of her ex-boyfriend.

Cerise shuddered at the sight of Billy's grave, something she never got used to. From the last memory she could pick out of her head, the last time Cerise visited his grave, she was in a terrible state, her body being poisoned with drugs and alcohol.

Sitting down on the ground, Cerise weaved her fingers through the fine feathery emerald blades of grass, inhaling the scent of the dewy nature surrounding her body. She traced Billy's engraved name on his tombstone, a miserable smile deeply filled with sadness coming across her face.

"Hey, Biscuit," Cerise grinned, reminiscing on the nickname she gave to Billy. "I'm here again."

Cerise stayed silent. Nothing but the sounds of howling winds thunderously booming in her ears. She fidgeted with the necklace on her neck, looking back at Billy's grave.

"I'm so sorry, Billy," Cerise started, tears betraying her as they trailed down her cheeks. "I wasn't there to help you that day."

Cerise was reminiscing the Fourth of July last year, the disheartening memories of how Cerise was merely inches away from Billy the moment he was mutilated by the Mind Flayer.

"It should've been me instead. You didn't deserve this." Wiping away the stray tears, Cerise sniffed, inhaling an uneven breath.

"Um, I met someone," Cerise laughed, imagining the sight of Billy's jealousy coursing in his eyes if he were actually here with her right now. "Eddie...he treats me well. You've always said you wanted me to be happy, and Eddie gives me that comfort."

She paused and Cerise knew the words that she wanted to spit out, were going to change her life forever.

"But because I know you want me to be happy, means that this is the day I have to let you go," Cerise choked on a sob. She placed her forehead in her hands, letting the tears puddle in her palm. Cerise's shaky hands gained the courage to unclasp the tarnished necklace on her neck as she dug a small hole next to Billy's grave and buried her necklace with him.

Her legs felt like jello when she stood up on her feet. Cerise brushed off her hands that were powdered with earth's dusty petrichor. Kissing her index and middle finger, Cerise placed a kiss on Billy's grave, looking at it for the last time in a very long time.

"Goodbye, Billy."

Cerise recomposed herself when she was met with the concerned eyes of Steve. She silently nodded so that Max knew she could go see Billy next.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Steve asked, concern decorating his voice. His brown eyes wavered back and forth, scanning his sister for any potential signs of her distress.

"I'm okay, I just did something that was long overdue." Cerise smiled weakly and was about to walk back into the car until Steve stopped her by grasping her wrist gently.

"So...you really like Eddie, huh?" Steve asked out of nowhere. At the mention of his name, Cerise felt her mind stampede with happiness.

"Oh my god, was it that obvious," Cerise sarcastically asked, dramatically slapping her hands on her cheeks, her mouth forming an 'o.'

Steve rolled his eyes and playfully pushed her, making the young Harrington laugh. She didn't miss the small smile that threatened to appear on Steve's face and she smirked in victory.

"He's not bad," Steve muttered, instantly grasping Cerise's attention. Her eyes widened, astonished at the words that left his mouth.

"What do you mean 'he's not bad?"

"I mean, I'm sorry I didn't tell you Eddie was your boyfriend last year. I was entirely caught up in anger that I blamed him for you going to rehab." Cerise sighed, her demeanor softening, knowing how difficult apologies were for Steve. She listened to him and opened her mind.

"I know I'm your little sister, but I'm not a baby anymore, Steve."

"I know, I know, but that doesn't mean I will stop being protective over you. You're the most important woman in my life and I mean that," Steve admitted, gaining the attention of Cerise at the familiar sense of deja vu that filled her body. Cerise smiled, finally remembering where she heard that before.

"You know, when we had that fight a couple of days ago back at your work, Robin told me those exact words about how I was the most important woman in your life. I never believed her until now."

Steve looked at her incredulously, not knowing who else would be as important to him as much as Cerise was. The moment Steve found out he had a baby sister, he vowed to himself that he would love and protect her with every fiber of his heart. Despite them only being nearly two years apart in age, that didn't stop Steve from acting as if he was ten years older.

"Dammit, Steve, you're making me cry again," Cerise whined, complaining considering that she had just wiped away fresh tears minutes ago. Steve, being teary eyes as well, laughed.

"I love you, Ressie."

"I love you more, Stevie."

This was nearly the second time both of the Harrington siblings have cried within the day and they hugged each other once again, feeling as if their sibling bond was as strong as ever. Cerise burrowed her face in his shoulder, internally laughing as she smelled his Farrah Fawcett hairspray.

The siblings were having a special moment, something that they both would never forget, this being a special memory in their sibling bond. Everything seemed to be fine.

Until it wasn't.

Cerise heard the dauntingly familiar deep voice in her head, making her jerk away from Steve's embrace. She looked around her surroundings momentarily to only find that there was nobody in the cemetery except for her friends.

She was about to brush it off until the screeching voice boomed in her head for the second time.

"This is only the beginning, Cerise," the monstrous voice bounced in her cranium. At this moment, Cerise knew, something bad was going to happen to her once again.

"You will give in."

arghh soft cerise and steve moments>>>

ok, can we please talk about vol.2 bc i haven't been able to really converse this with anyone. so people please help and lets comfort each other 😭

anyways, i am NOT okay about what happened in vol.2. like i literally cried so much and I'm still hurting.

also you guys might love or hate me for what I'm about to do at the end of this book. heh.