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It was a year after Starcourt went down in flames, and a lot had changed.
Billy had finally healed, then graduated. He had finally moved out of Neil’s house the same night he had his diploma in hand, and he and Steve were making due with a tiny apartment that was all of theirs.
In a world where monsters come out of walls and little girls are forced to fight them, it was a little piece of heaven that they both needed.
The kids still came to visit them, and Robin slept on their rickety couch almost more than she did in her own bed. It was good, and they needed that. To be a part of the group, to know that they weren’t alone, but they enjoyed their time alone together too.
And alone they were, miles out of town. It was the 4th of July again, and while the carnival and noisy celebrations would have been a cause for excitement in the past, none of them had any appeal to Steve,
Billy was trying to be brave about it, though. He was willing to go, just so they could have fun. The tremor in his hands betrayed him, and Steve made sure to shut down any further offers they had.
Instead he made sure to pack up the car before sunset, filling the backseat with blankets, snacks, and shooing his boyfriend in before taking off. He wanted to be as far out of town as possible before the fireworks show began.
Their apartment’s thin walls couldn’t keep out the sounds, nor was Lover’s Lake far enough to get away from them.
Instead, a full tank of gas was their ticket as far out of town as possible.
Getting out of Hawkins was easy, but staying away from fireworks on the 4th of July was no easy task. That was why he had spent days researching a route, finding the winding roads that would lead them safely away from any of the nearby towns.
Just driving, alone in the dark with the other half of his heart. Billy had the map, their route traced in highlighter that Steve had already committed to memory. The roads twisted and turn, and even though he should have both hands on the wheel he left his right hand on the center console, open palm up.
It hadn’t taken long for another hand to grasp it, and there they stayed entwined as they drove along.
Hours passed, and the trees that lined the roads didn’t hide any portals to a hellscape, and no flower mouthed monsters roamed among them, waiting for them to drop their guard.
There was nothing out there, but Billy and Steve, and the car’s headlights cutting through the darkness.
He didn’t stop until there was a pink glow on the horizon, the night slowly be banished away. By the time the sun rose, they had stopped at a cafe in a town well across the border, eating quietly before heading back to Hawkins. The drive seemed so much shorter in the daylight, but never let go of his hand.
And Steve hoped that he never would.