Chapter Thirty-Two: Fireworks

(The Battle Of Starcourt, Pt. 3)

***

They have a plan.

After Hopper promised a car to Dustin and Erica, they decide on a plan—Hopper, Murray and Aunt Aco to head into the secret Russian base under Starcourt to destroy the weapon that was opening the gate—it still blew Alistair's mind there was a secret Russian base under the mall—while Dustin, Erica, Steve, Valerie, Robin and Rowan would head to Dustin's Cerebro and navigate. That left everyone else to head to Murray's safe-house and hide from the Mind Flayer until the gate was closed, the Mind Flayer was dead again and the world was saved.

It was a good plan. A solid plan. And honestly, Alistair kinda wanted to hide it out instead of fighting and being terrified he or someone he loved could die. And if Rowan was with the group navigating, then she was safe from it, too.

But this plan meant his aunt would be in danger. And Alistair tried to tell himself she would be okay—she had gone into the Upside Down and into a lab crawling with monsters, she would be fine in a Russian base—but it didn't stop the fear, the worry.

So instead, he stayed close with El, making sure she was as okay as she could be. He looked at her leg and said, "You're gonna have a badass scar, Jean Grey."

El smiled. "Bitchin'."

"Hell yeah, it's gonna be bitchin'," Alistair agreed, smiling back. His smile dropped as he added, "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it in time. If I was just faster—"

"It's okay," El interrupted, squeezing his hand.

"But it almost killed you. If I—" Alistair tried again, but El gave him a steely look and said, "Al, stop. It's okay. I'm okay. It's gonna be okay."

Alistair frowned. "Okay. But El, if it doesn't work, and the son of a bitch comes after you again... I'm gonna protect you, okay?"

"I know. I'll protect you, too," El responded, her voice solemn. She held up her pinky finger, saying, "Cami said this is the greatest of all promises. At our sleepover."

"Cami's right, as always," Alistair concurred, linking his pinky with El's. They shook, solidifying the promise.

"I can protect myself, Val!" was suddenly shouted from Cami. Alistair and El turned to see Cami glaring at her sister, who was standing next to Rowan before they talked. Rowan, who hadn't moved from her spot to go with the group navigating.

And when Valerie left to rejoin Robin, Dustin and Erica and Rowan didn't follow her, Alistair understood.

His sister was staying with them.

Alistair smiled, a part of him happy about that. 

He gave El's hand a squeeze before he left, standing next to Cami—just as Rowan and Steve shared a hug after talking to each other. Before Steve broke the embrace and walked away.

Alistair watched as Rowan stood there, before she said, "Hey, Steve?"

Steve turned. "Yeah?"

His sister marched up to him, stood in front of him. They stared at each other, Steve saying something Alistair didn't hear—maybe his sister's name—before Rowan pulled Steve's ascot down, pulling his face down in the process.

Right into her face.

Alistair's eyes widened. Oh my God. Oh my GOD!

He had suspicions something had changed between Steve and Rowan when they were trapped underground, but he didn't imagine this much. But now, he was staring as Steve and Rowan kissed, in the middle of Starcourt, like they were the only two people in the entire world.

Alistair felt his shock shared as Cami gaped at them, Max's mouth fell into an "O" of surprise, Mike just stared, Lucas looked shocked but a smirk was fighting it's way on his face, and Will looked as shocked as Alistair. He looked at the group navigating and saw shock on their faces as Steve and Rowan kissed.

When the kiss ended, his sister looked at Steve, whispering, "Be careful," before turning. She didn't get far as Steve grabbed her wrist, turning her back to him as he said, "Hey, Rowan?"

"Yeah?" Rowan replied, voice so soft Alistair had to strain to hear it.

Steve stared at her, Rowan stared back, as Steve tilted her head up and whispered something. Rowan responded back just as Steve kissed her again.

Alistair's eyes widened further as Hugin croaked, ruffling his feathers as everyone gaped, before smirking as the shock finally wore off and Max turned to him, grinning as she mouthed, 'Took them long enough'.

Alistair nodded in agreement as beside him Cami wore the biggest grin ever, the hopeless romantic in her thrilled at seeing this. But as Alistair watched the kiss turn into something more deeper and intimate than the first, his nose wrinkled—don't get him wrong, he was happy they'd finally admitted they liked each other, but that was Alistair's sister Steve was kissing. It felt weird.

Thankfully, the kiss ended, as Steve and Rowan stared at each other, Steve holding Rowan's face, as he said, "Be careful, too."

Rowan nodded.

At that, Steve kissed her again—thankfully, more quicker than their last two—and pulled away. They stood there, staring at each other, until...

"Finally!"

The new couple jumped, turning to an ecstatic Dustin, a wide, beaming grin on his face. Beside him, Robin and Valerie were also smiling while Erica only smirked. Steve glared at Dustin before he turned back to Rowan, who gave his hand a squeeze.

He squeezed hers back before letting go and rejoining the group, where Dustin still wore his massive, elated grin, Rowan watching them go as they finally left.

Once they did, she turned back to the others, making Alistair remember the plan, of what would happen down below his feet.

It was now time to save the world again.

***

"Bottom lock, second-to-top lock, third-to-top lock, top lock," Murray instructed Nancy and Jonathan, showing them his massive ring of keys. Alistair watched, hoping Nancy and Jonathan remembered that before he turned back to Aunt Aco and Rowan, worry bleeding into his features as he stared at their aunt.

"You guys are gonna be okay. You'll be far away at Murray's, and you have your powers. If that thing comes—" Aunt Aco said, only for Rowan to interrupt, "We know. But I'm not worried about us. I'm worried about you." 

"I'll be fine. Better me down there than either of you. You need each other," Aunt Aco assured, smiling as she stroked their hair back.

"Yeah, but we need you," Alistair said as his voice cracked, trying to swallow back tears but they still burned in his eyes as Rowan nodded. "We're always gonna need you."

"I'll be fine. I'll come back, okay? Just promise me you'll both stay safe and protect each other and the others," Aunt Aco said, giving them a look as her eyes also glistened wetly.

"We will. Just as long as you stay safe, too," Rowan returned.

"I will, kid," their aunt murmured, smiling as she looked at them. "God, you've both grown up so much. When did you two grow up from those little kids that needed me?"

"We're still those kids, Aunt Aco. We're... we're always gonna need you," Rowan said, voice half-choked by tears.

"Just come back," Alistair whispered, pushing away his tears.

"I will, kids. I promise. Now, c'mere," Aunt Aco said, her voice trembling, as she pulled Alistair and Rowan into a tight hug. They held her tight, Hugin worming his way into the hug. All of their family hugging, for hopefully not the last time.

When they pulled back, Aunt Aco gave a watery smile and placed a kiss on Rowan's forehead and then Alistair's before ruffling his hair and stroking Hugin's head, the undead raven giving a caw that almost sounded watery, and though Aunt Aco couldn't hear him, he said, Stay safe.

Then Aunt Aco went to join up with Murray and Joyce as Rowan looked at Alistair, who looked back at her.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. She'll be okay, and we'll be okay. I'm not gonna let it hurt you, or El, or Will, or Max and Cami and Mike and Lucas," Rowan promised.

"I know. I'm not gonna let it hurt you, either, or El. Or Will," Alistair returned, believing his sister's promise. She would always protect him and his friends, no matter what. And he would always protect her and his friends, too.

The siblings smiled, and hugged each other.

After they pulled away, Alistair noticed Will was alone. He frowned, thinking over what Cami said last night, about the right moments, and what he saw between Steve and Rowan, how they kissed in case they never saw the other again. Neither bearing to leave without confessing how they felt if they never saw each other again.

And Alistair found that, despite them going to be safe at the safe-house, he'd never live with himself if he never told Will how he finally felt about him.

Plucking up the courage, he told Hugin to go be with Cami as he walked up to Will and asked, "Hey, could we talk? Alone?"

"Sure," Will responded, and the two went to an alcove between two stores. 

When they were alone, Will looked at Alistair and asked, "What do you wanna talk about?"

Alistair stared at Will, his best friend, the boy he'd fallen for, and asked, "You remember Castle Byers?"

"Yeah?" Will said, frowning.

"Well, do you remember how we were close? Before the Mind Flayer and Mike and Lucas crashed in?" Alistair pressed.

Will's eyes widened and he flushed, saying, "Uh, y-yeah, I do."

"Well, I... I need to tell you something. I've been trying to tell you all summer, and if I don't say it now, I don't think I ever will again," Alistair said, clenching his fists as he tried to keep from shaking. Oh God, he felt like he wanted to throw up, why was he so nervous and excited?

"I like you, Will," he confessed. "Really like you. As in, more than friends. When I'm around you, my chest gets super tight and my heart beats faster and I feel like I'm a mess around you like I don't know how to talk and you're so fucking cute and I want to kiss you so bad and I was so fucking scared to tell you because we're best friends and I didn't know if you would like me that way or boys in general, and I just really, really fucking like you, Will."

Will was silent, eyes wide as moons. "Oh. You... you do?"

"Yeah. For a really long time," Alistair admitted. 

"What about Cami?"

"I liked her, but it was more a puppy love crush. And even then, I... I think even then, I still liked you. Especially when she helped point it out to me," Alistair revealed as he stared at Will, waiting for an answer, waiting for him to say something.

"Oh. Okay," he murmured, and Alistair's heart stopped because what if Will didn't like him back, what if he just ruined everything right now, what if—

"Because I like you, too," Will said.

Alistair's eyes widened, his heart stopping for an entirely different reason. "Wait, really?"

Will smiled. "Yeah. I was scared to tell you, too."

Alistair huffed out a laugh. "We're a mess, aren't we, Byers?"

"Maybe," Will said, smiling.

Alistair looked at Will, saw how close they were, their lips inches apart.

Alistair moved closer, his head dipping down, him and Will looking at each other, minutes suspended in time, the world frozen around them, hesitating for a single second, a thought of Should I? What if it isn't good? What if we ruin everything with this kiss? passing in his head before Alistair decided on Screw it.

And then Alistair's mouth was against Will's.

Will's eyes widened in surprise, but then they closed, sinking into the kiss. Alistair pressed Will against the wall, his lips slotting neatly against Will's, like two puzzle pieces that had now finally fitted together. Will's lips were slightly chapped, but Alistair didn't care as he kept kissing him, memorising the shape of his lips, how they felt against his, as Will did the same. Alistair's hands were fisted in Will's shirt, and Will's hands were around the back of his neck, fingers tangling in Alistair's curls as they kissed. And as they did, Alistair felt fireworks exploding inside him with each press of his lips on Will's, each curl Will's fingers looped around, fiery and colourful, shattering the darkness with the light of this kiss, exploding and leaving new colours behind with every second of the kiss, every moment Alistair spent kissing Will, his best friend and the boy he liked so, so much and was now kissing. 

Kissing Will was feeling fireworks. Kissing Will was summer and laughter and friendship turned into something more. Kissing Will felt like Finally. Kissing Will did not feel wrong like the world seemed to scream it was.

Kissing Will felt right. The rightest thing in the entire world.

He wanted to kiss Will forever. 

But the need to breathe became more important and reluctantly, they broke the kiss, both boys staring at each other as they relearned how to breathe again, the electric, firework-feeling of the kiss still hanging in the air, and Alistair felt the urge to go back in and steal another kiss from the beautiful boy in front of him.

"That was... wow," Will breathed, staring at Alistair.

"I think it's mutual," Alistair said, smiling. Will smiled back.

They leaned in again as this time Will took the lead, pulling Alistair closer. Alistair let him, feeling that fireworks-feeling again—would he always feel that when he kissed Will? He hoped he would, hoped he would always feel as golden and warm and deliriously happy whenever he and Will kissed as he did now.

He didn't know how he would keep living if he stopped feeling like this when he and Will kissed.

When they pulled away again, they were smiling, and Alistair's heart so happy and light, and he wondered if Will's felt the same, if he felt as golden and right as Alistair felt.

He was tempted to sneak in a third kiss when Will said, "Uh, I think we should get back to the others."

Alistair's eyes widened and he nodded. "Yeah, we probably should."

Will grinned. "Wish we can't. I wanted to kiss you again."

"Then let's kiss after we save the world," Alistair said, and Will laughed. Alistair smiled—he could get drunk on Will's laugh and his smile for the rest of his life, get forever addicted to it and his kisses.

They hurriedly tried to hide the evidence of sharing their first and second kisses—both of them acutely aware of what the others minus Cami and Rowan could think if they learned he and Will kissed—before leaving and rejoining the Party, Alistair greeting, "Hey guys."

The Party turned and Alistair could see the gleam in Rowan's and Cami's eyes—they must have seen Alistair and Will kiss. It didn't help that Will was smiling, and Alistair wanted to smile, too, but he pushed it down as he asked, "We're leaving?"

"Yeah," Mike affirmed, and Alistair instantly sobered up as the smile disappeared on Will's face. He nodded, leaving Will's side to help Mike and Max with El. Rowan stayed with the group, watching their quartet hobble up to them.

When they did, they turned back to the entrance while behind them, the adults prepared to go into hell and save the world, hopefully ending things once and for all, as they kept El away from the Mind Flayer until it was dead.

And if they couldn't?

Then Alistair was determined to fulfil that pinky promise and protect El no matter what, along with protecting Will, his friends and sister. Especially Will.

Because he and Will had just confirmed to each other they did like each other, and had already promised a kiss after saving the world.

And he hoped they could.

He wanted to see how this could go between them now.

He wanted to feel that feeling forever now.

***

AHHHHHH ALISILL KISSED AHAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was literally SO EXCITED to write it because they kissed! They finally kissed and I am so proud of them!!!! (along with how Stowan kissed AT LAST!!!!) and I loved writing the Alisill kiss so freaking much!!!!!! <33333

However, this is the last moment of calm before the storm. Brace yourselves >:)

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!