end zone | STEVE HARRINGTON

Chapter Three.

CHAPTER THREE 

One knock. 

Two knocks. 

Three knocks.

Robin sighed as she rested her forehead against the door that once belonged to Anastasia and Steve's apartment. After Vecna had killed Anna, Steve had refused to speak to anyone about it, he thought that if he didn't speak then that made it a false reality, that one day he would wake up to Anna running her hand through his brown hair, kissing him on the cheek before she dragged him out of bed to make pancakes.

Everyone had tried to get him to talk, Dustin had been their first option considering how close they were but whenever the two boys looked at one another they were reminded of her death, Anna dying in the arms of Dustin Henderson. 

There was no denying that Dustin was struggling too, he hadn't had that same spark of light like he usually did, now with Eddie and Delilah on the run too everything was changing. They weren't the same eleven year old's playing Dungeons and Dragon's in Mike Wheeler's basement.

She knocked again, this time more firmly. "Steve! Open the door! We both know I'm not leaving till you answer me!"

Steve, however, was sitting against the door, his legs out in front of him as she held onto the picture he had with Anastasia. She was grinning in it as he kissed her on the cheek, their arms wrapped around each other like they didn't have a care in the world.

Sighing in defeat again, Robin turned her back, sliding down the door as she rested her back against it. Now, only a door separating them. "I know that this difficult for you but I'm here, and yeah Hawkins' might be going to shit right now but we still have each other. Just, please, talk to me."

Steve continued staring down at the picture, he knew that Anna would want him to talk to his friends, to let them in but he just couldn't. He knew that the second he opened the door and let Robin in that it made everything real again, he couldn't hide from the truth that Anastasia was dead and there was no bringing her back. 

"Steve?" Robin whispered, "Can you just knock once if you're there?"

Steve stayed frozen for a moment before raising his hand, knocking once. "I'm here."

Robin's breath hitched, "Thank God, will you let me in?"

"No." Steve replied back, his tone flat.

She nodded, understanding she was going too need to convince him more but she just didn't know how. "We haven't been fired yet, I've been coming up with some pretty good excuses but I'm starting to run out of them."

He didn't respond.

"I, er, have been talking with Vicky more. She seems cool, I think you and Anna were right, she totally likes boobies." Robin chuckled at the last part of her sentence. 

"Told you so." Steve suddenly said. "I'm scared to let you in."

"Why, Steve?" Robin inquired.

Steve took in a deep breath, "Because then it makes it real, and I don't want it to be real."

"Let me help you, we can get through this together but Steve, you have to open the door." She pleaded with him. 

Steve went silent again, as Robin waited in anticipation when she suddenly jumped up at the sound of the door lock, the door knob twisted as Steve opened it, holding onto the photo firmly in his hands as he came face-to-face with Robin. 

They stared at each other for a moment until the girl stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him as he went stiff for a second until he hugged her back. They didn't say a word to one another until Robin heard Steve crying, his cries soon turning into sobs as his body wracked with pain. 

He had let her in.

It was real now.

No more running.

No more hiding.

"It's okay, Steve." Robin told him, not letting go of him first as he took his moment, letting go of everything he was feeling.

 Steve sniffled, wiping his eyes as he stepped away from Robin, walking into the living room where the television was still paused on the film they had been watching with Lucas and Dustin before. He sat down, holding his head in his hands. "She's really gone."

Robin closed the front door, hesitantly walking over to him as she sat down beside him. "Yeah, she is."

"How? She's stronger than Vecna, so much stronger. I've seen it myself." Steve shook his head, the denial not going away. 

Robin sighed, not wanting to voice her thoughts. "There's no denying that, she was pretty strong."

"Was." Steve repeated, with a soft laugh. "Was strong."

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" 

"No, no. I know that everyone is going to think that I'm crazy for thinking it but what if...What if she's not actually dead? What if something else is happening right now and we don't even know?" Steve suddenly exclaimed, standing up as he paced around. 

Robin stared at him, her eyes wide. "Steve, I don't think that anything else has happened. Vecna killed Anastasia. You saw her body."

Steve shuddered at the memory of Eddie and Dustin carrying over her limp, pale and bloodied body. "We didn't see her body after that moment. I mean, I don't even know where she is now."

Robin stared at him, trying to remember herself but she couldn't. "What are you trying to say, Steve?"

"Maxim." Steve announced.

"Who is that?" Robin questioned, her eyebrows furrowed.

Steve ignored her, continuing to pace as he voiced his thoughts. "She said he was dead, that he was gone but she never said anything else. What if he is alive? What if he took her?"

"Steve, please stop pacing around you're freaking me out." Robin warned him, "Explain to me what you think happened to Anna."

Steve stood still, turning around to her as he faced her. "Anna is alive. Maxim took her."

"Number One, we saw Anna's dead body and two, who the hell is that?" 

"Maxim is the man that trained her, made her into who she is. And anyways, Anna could of passed out or something, we don't have her body!" Steve announced with exasperation.

"If what you're saying is the slightest bit true, how on earth are we going to find her?" Robin inquired, raising her arms up. 

"We make a plan." Steve declared confidently, nodding his head. "Call Dustin."

author's note -

i love messing with everyone's feelings x

so, who thinks Steve is being delusions (like me) or who likes Anna is alive?