The babysitters club|| Steve Harrington

43

Matteo's heartbeat hadn't gone back to normal and he wondered if it ever would. He probably aged thirty years with the stress of that whole week. 

Sitting in the back of Jonathan's car, they had a perfect view of the fleshy Mind Flayer as it chased after them, still snarling like a wild animal. Every time it slammed one of its legs down, the ground seemed to vibrate and if Jonathan's car stalled or slowed for even a second, Matteo knew they'd be dead meat. 

It took him five minutes to stop his panic attack. He wasn't sure when it had started, maybe sometime after he saw his mom in Billy's passenger seat. What was she doing there? How did she get there? Was she alive? Was she evil? mind controlled? What would it take to save her? Where was zia Nicole? Taken by the Mind flayer? a part of his army?

A million questions swirled inside his head and he had the answer to none. The world was spinning and none of it was making sense, Matteo's entire life was flipped on its head. He got way more than he was asking for. 

All he had wanted was a little more adventure that summer. Now his mom was probably dead, his aunt was a part of the monster chasing them, they'd almost gotten killed a million times and he was stuck in the back of Jonathan Byer's car with Steve Harrington facing him.

"You okay?" Steve asked once the world started to come back into focus for Matteo. He was still very much exhausted, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He was tired and angry and thirsty and hungry.

He wanted to snap at Steve for dragging him away from his mom, before remembering the promise he'd made Robin, that the two of them were allowed to smack some shit into him if the mind flayer was using his mom to manipulate him or something. He figured this fell into the "Something" category.

"I'm sorry" He said instead, "For back there" 

Matteo refused to look out of the back window. He could hear the Mind Flayer, there was no need to see the monster as well.

"It's okay" Steve said softly and it reminded Matteo of high Steve, "It was your mom, I get it. But we had to run"

"I know, I just..."

"It's okay" Steve kept repeating. 

Matteo looked down to their intwined hands. He had barely been aware of it, but holding Steve's hand helped him drag himself out of the panic. Steve felt real. Even when nothing else did.

"Dusty bun you copy?" Came a voice from the walkie in Steve's other hand before Matteo could say anything else. 

"I copy Suzie-poo. It sounds much better now" Dustin's voice was familiar but the first one was feminine, like a teenage girl. 

But what teenage girl would be on the walkie with Dustin?

Matteo looked up, catching Steve's eye. With every insane thing that had been happening that day, this one seemed mild. 

"Suzie" They said at the same time. 

The timing of it all was absolutely insane, and it made Matteo snort. 

"Why are you laughing?" Steve asked, but his lips were quirking upward too. 

"Suzie's real" Matteo couldn't help giggling. 

"Poor girl" 

"Ok, so listen, do you know Planck's constant?" Dustin's voice filtered through. 

"Do you know the Earth orbit's the sun?" 

"Okay so I know it starts with two sixes, and then a— a what is it?"