WHEN OLIVIA WOKE UP,  she felt weird.

Her vision swam and she felt floaty- not exactly how it felt when she got drunk, but similar. 

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the white surrounding her. She recognized the room she was in; it was back at the lab, the hospital room where they did operations, like when she had her appendix taken out.

It was dark outside, she noticed. The one window in the room had moonlight streaming through the open curtains. She could see the stars from over here, big balls of gas billions of miles away that for some reason looked so beautiful.

Olivia raised her hand to brush the hair from her face and realized that the arm she had broken in her fall was in an odd kind of metal brace. 

"Your powers won't break it."

Olivia jumped at the abrupt voice. Her eyes scanned the room until she found its owner.

Steve Harrington sat on the corner of the room, his hair spiked up like he had been running his hands through it. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked pale.

Olivia opened her mouth to say something, but Steve read her mind.

"Don't," he said wearily. "Don't apologize, okay? It's not your fault. I'm not mad at you."

"But you are mad," Olivia noted. 

Steve sighed heavily, running both his hands down his face. He hesitated before answering, seemingly gathering his words.

"I'm frustrated," he said. "I don't understand anything that's happening right now, and I don't like that you're sad, and I kinda hate being in the dark, you know?"

"The lights are on," she said, slightly confused. She didn't know what being in the dark had to do with anything, but then again, she wasn't thinking clearly.

Steve gave a slight laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Yeah, they are."

Olivia was still confused, but she was too tired to press further. "I have a new gift," she said. For some reason, it was really important to her for Steve to acknowledge that.

"Yeah," he said. He was looking her over as she tried to keep her heavy eyelids open. He seemed to realize how sleepy and drugged up she was, because he came and sat down in the chair right next to her.

"I feel... fuzzy," she said sleepily.

"You're on drugs," Steve said softly, tapping the IV drip hooked into her arm. 

Olivia lifted her hand, lightly smacking her cheek. She frowned when they felt numb. "I... didn't do drugs."

"Yeah, that wasn't you," Steve nodded. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear. "The doctors gave it to you when they reset your arm."

Olivia stared at the cast. 

"That stuff's strong as shit, though." Steve told her and she lay back on her pillow, staring into his eyes.

"The drugs?" 

"No- well, yes," Steve smiled, "but I was talking about the cast. Apparently, Brenner was working on some designs for your powers, in case something like... this ever happened."

"Papa made this?" Olivia asked in a small voice. She looked at the cast with a newfound wonder. 

"Well... the design." Steve seemed put off, almost upset, that Olivia had called her father 'Papa'. "Dr. Owens and the other people have been working on it for you, though. This is a prototype."

"Will it not hurt anymore?" Olivia asked. 

Steve stared at her, his eyes flickering all over her face. "I asked about that. They... uh... they said they'll have to work on it with you when things calm down."

"Calm down?" Olivia repeated. "What's wrong?"

"The twins..." Steve cleared his throat. "They're okay now. But... we're learning new things about the monster. I'm not really that updated, since I've been hiding out in here."

"How are you still here?" Olivia was trying so hard to stay awake. "I thought they were going to make you go home."

"They... uh..." Steve scratched the back of his neck, turning red. "They... told me to. They don't really know I'm still here."

"How..." Olivia was at a loss for words. 

"I'm stealthy," Steve grinned, brushing an eyelash from Olivia's cheek. "Like a ninja."

"Ninja?"

"Inside joke," Steve looked out the window. "When all this is over, I'm going to make sure you catch up on all the pop culture. It's important stuff, you know."

"Important," Olivia echoed. There was an awkward silence before she looked back at Steve, feeling so, so small. "Can I go home now?"

"I'll have to blow my cover," Steve smiled at her. "But yeah. I'll go get Dr. Owens."

He was about to leave when suddenly he hesitated. For a moment he just stood there, before squaring his shoulders and then coming back and pressing his lips to her forehead.

Olivia closed her eyes at the touch, a newfound comfort finding its way into her heart. 

Then all too soon he was gone, leaving Olivia alone again to look at the stars. The sky that had been blocked from her view for the first sixteen years of her life. She hadn't realized until she had escaped the lab that the world was so very big. 

It was sort of frightening.

"Fear not!"

Olivia's heart skipped a beat as Steve walked back into the room, his arms spread. He was grinning widely. 

"So, I'm in trouble," he admitted, "but they said to take you home. Now, actually. They seemed really eager to get us out of here. I think some shit's going down."

"I... what about Joy- my mom? And Will, and Caroline? Are they okay?" Olivia sat up, struggling to remove the tweed blanket over her legs.

Steve moved forward and made her sit back down, before grabbing a folded up wheelchair next to her bed. "I'm sure they're fine. But we should probably go. Like, now."

Olivia couldn't shake the feeling that Steve was hiding something from her, but she was too sleepy to press it. Instead, she let Steve lift her up bridal style, ease her into the wheelchair and rush her out of the room.

There were no doctors in the hallways, which unsettled Olivia. Usually, there would be people milling around, staring at Olivia like she was a freak.

"Where is everyone?" She looked up.

Steve didn't answer. He just wheeled her to the elevator much faster than he probably should have, pressing the down button several times as if that would make it move faster.

Soon enough, they were outside, the cold air biting Olivia's bare legs. She realized she was in a hospital gown, like the night she had run away from the lab a million years ago. The moon shined just as brightly, full and dense like a bright bulb of light showing them the way.

"Okay..." Steve pulled open the passenger side of his car. Olivia tried to stand up, but she was still too on drugs to climb in on her own. Steve gently lifted her as best he could and made sure she was buckled.

Olivia watched him through the rearview mirror as he struggled to fold the wheelchair into the trunk of his car, muttering curses as the thing rattled around. She smiled slightly as he climbed in the driver's seat, slamming the door, all flustered.

"What?" he asked, a slight small on his face when he saw her staring. 

"Nothing," Olivia said softly, resting her head on the window. Her eyes shut and she curled her legs up on the seat like she used to when she was a little girl.

God, she was tired.

"Shit!"

Oliva's eyes snapped open. 

"Mother of god." Someone was in the kitchen of her house, obviously frustrated. 

It took a moment to register that it was Steve, before Olivia let herself breath a sigh of relief. She realized she was laying in her bed, the blankets all the way up to her chin like someone had tucked her in for bed.

She swung off her covers and set her feet on the floor, closing her eyes as she felt the soft carpet under her toes. 

"I'm going to set this mother fucking house on fire," Steve was muttering from the kitchen. Olivia smiled before standing up and walking out of the open doorway of her bedroom.

"What are you doing?" she raised an eyebrow when she saw Steve standing at the stovetop, making a pan of something. He had a kitchen towel over his shoulder, looking like an exasperated parent rather than a seventeen year old boy.

"Making... trying  to make breakfast," Steve said. He swatted at the temperature gage on the stove, annoyed. 

"Oh," Olivia was surprised. "I... didn't know boys did that."

Steve looked up at her, bewildered. He blew a piece of hair out of his eyes. 

"I... was that rude?" Olivia fidgeted her feet. "I'm sorry."

"Nah," Steve was grinning, using a spatula to scrape eggs off of the pan and onto a plate. "Wasn't rude. I mean, boys can cook. Apparently not this one, though. Nearly set the goddamn place on fire."

"I... I've only ever seen girls cook," Oliva tried to amend. "I thought... that was a girl's job. Papa always told me..."

Her voice trailed off when she saw a momentary flicker of anger in Steve's eyes at the mention of her father.

"He told you only girls cook?" he finished for her. "And clean, and a whole bunch of other bullshit, I'm assuming?"

"He said women have their place," Olivia nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table. "He said it was how the world could keep working. Our job is to not get in a man's way."

"Well, he was a sexist asshole," Steve said bluntly. He set a plate in front of Olivia, handing her a fork before sitting down himself.

Steve must have realized Olivia was staring at him because he pointed his fork at her as he tried to talk with a mouth full of food.

"Girls do those thing. That part you got right. I mean, there's nothing wrong with cooking and cleaning and shit. Someone has to." Steve swallowed his bite and stuffed another one in his mouth. "But it's not the only stuff girls can do. I mean, you have degrees and shit, right?"

Olivia nodded slowly. 

"So," Steve said, waving his fork around, "You can do a whole bunch of things. You could be a doctor or a scientist or something, right?"

"I guess," Olivia looked up. It hadn't occurred to her until now that she could actually use those degrees. Papa had just wanted her to look "decorated", as he had always said. She was supposed to be the face of the company when she took over, but she wouldn't have actually played a part.

"Girls are awesome," Steve continued, still shoveling food in his mouth. "I love girls."

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows at his enthusiasm. "Okay..."

Steve froze. "I mean, like, girls are cool, I don't... I dont like all girls... I like, uh, you know, specific girls."

Olivia's eyes darted to her plate of eggs and she awkwardly took a bite. 

"I mean," Steve's face was bright red, to the point that it was almost comical. "All girls are awesome, and I love girls in... general, you know?"

"Yes," Olivia said, in an effort to just get him to stop talking. Steve looked relieved.

"So... uh..." Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "I... don't know when everyone will be back, but it looks like it's just the two of us for a while."

Olivia's heart fluttered.

"I just... I was gonna sleep at my place last night, but I didn't want to leave you alone. So I made myself a spot on the couch. I kinda stole a blanket from the twins room. That okay?" 

Olivia looked at the sofa, where a decorative pillow and a lumpy throw-over sat in a heap. She smiled slightly when she recognized the blanket; it was the one Will always shared with her when they were having a movie night.

"I can go back home tonight," Steve said. "If that's what you want. I just... don't think it's a good idea for you to be by yourself right now. At least until you can talk to Dr. Owens or something. Get help. For... you know."

"Yeah." Olivia cleared her throat. "It's probably not."

Steve looked at her for a long moment. Olivia tried not to flinch under the stare; it was intimidating to be scrutinized so closely.

"Sorry you had to sleep in that hospital gown last night," Steve said finally, breaking their eye contact. 

Olivia looked down and realized that she was still, in fact, donned in that scratchy, god-awful hospital gown. She fidgeted with the slit on the side, grateful for the velcro that kept it shut. 

"It's okay," Olivia said nonchalantly. "I slept in one for sixteen years. It's not that bad."

"I couldn't change you into real pyjamas, cause, you know... you were asleep, and I'm not a creep. Consent, and all that. But I didn't want to wake you up either, 'cause you were out." Steve shrugged.

"Thanks," Olivia whispered. "For not being a... creep."

Steve gave her an odd look. "That's not something you gotta thank me for, Liv. That's, like... the bear minimum."

Olivia laughed, leaning back in her chair. "I've got a lot to learn, then."

"I should have Nancy talk to you about this stuff," Steve rubbed his hands over his face wearily. "She's a lot better at the feminism stuff than I am. I spent most of my life being a massive douche, but I'm trying to learn."

"What's a douche?"

Steve's eyes got so wide that Olivia nearly jumped.

"It's nothing. Absolutely nothing. Nothing you need to worry about." Steve rambled. "Jesus Christ... I just... I meant I was a jerk."

"You're not a jerk," Olivia was confused more than ever now. "You're one of the nicest people I've ever met."

"Thanks," Steve said. "I try. But... before I met you, before I started dating Nancy, before, you know, hell imploded itself onto us, I was pretty awful. My priorities weren't exactly in check."

"Well, I didn't know you before," Olivia said slowly. She looked him in the eyes. "But... it's definitely not who you are now. You're always thinking of other people. I mean, you've spent so much time with me since I got adopted, teaching me stuff. You always made sure I had a place to sit at lunch time. You always make sure I wasn't alone. You weren't scared of my powers, even though I could literally kill you-"

"That was pretty blunt," Steve muttered.

"You always look out for the kids," Olivia continued. "You're there for anyone and everyone who needs you. I mean, you snuck into my hospital room to be there when I woke up."

That earned a smile from Steve. "Ninja."

"Ninja," Olivia repeated, even though she had no idea what it meant. "You're a lot of things, but you're not a jerk, Steve."

Steve was staring at her with a look so appreciative and starstruck that Olivia didn't know how to respond. Instead she cleared her throat, looking away.

"Thanks," Steve said softly. Olivia looked back up and gazed into his eyes. 

"You don't have to thank me," Olivia grinned. "It's, like, the bear minimum."

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment after that. Suddenly, they were back in their own little world. Just the two of them, far away from the hell that was raging outside. 

Far away from the people they used to be.

And into the people they made each other.

Steve's eyes were flickering to her lips. He was slowly leaning forward. Olivia's mouth had gone dry and she had a sudden urge to close the gap between her and Steve-

There was a loud pounding on the door. 

Both Steve and Olivia jumped, clearing their throats and looking away. Olivia's heart was pounding so hard she could feel it beating through her chest. It was like she was watching everything through a distant lense.

Did Steve Harrington almost just kiss her?

She wanted to believe it. She wanted to believe it so bad. But she was so her  with all of her baggage and bad habits and terrible tendencies, and he was so... him.

But she wanted to believe it...

"We need to you too, Olivia."

Olivia looked up and frowned when she saw none other than little Dustin Henderson standing in the doorway of her house. 

"What are we doing?" Olivia asked. She watched as Steve ran to the couch where he had slept.

"Going monster hunting," Steve said. He ducked behind the couch and emerged with a massive baseball bat, covered in nails.

"What do we need that for?" Olivia panicked.

"Monster hunting," Dustin repeated. He wore a backpack and looked way too excited at the fact that Steve was waving around a lethal weapon.

"But... why was that in the house?" Olivia asked faintly. 

Steve feigned attacking something with the bat, grinning at Olivia. "To keep us safe. I mean, what if someone broke in or something? You were drugged up and it was just the two of us. I'm a ninja."

"Weapons in the house, Steve?" Olivia rubbed her temples.

"You're a weapon," Dustin said bluntly. "You can explode things. It's pretty awesome."

"Oh, you're gonna wanna dress warmer," Steve pointed at her hospital gown, frowning. "It's, like, freezing outside."

"Why is she in a hospital gown?" Dustin demanded, as if he were seeing the cast on her arm and gown for the first time. He turned to Steve. "What the hell did you do?"

"Me?!" Steve looked at him indignantly. "What do you mean, me? I'm not the one who broke her arm-"

"HEY!" Olivia shouted. The walls of the house rattled from her frustration, causing a shockwave to ripple through the property.

The boys froze mid argument, staring at her.

Olivia felt a tiny bit of satisfaction at their silence. She squared her shoulders and looked directly as Dustin, who straightened under her gaze.

"What do you mean there are monsters?" She asked.

"Well, I found a little... thing in my trash on Halloween. He's really cute- I named him Dart. But... we found out he's from the Upside Down, and he kind of went bat-shit crazy and ate his way out of my underground shed, so we're going to lure him back so we can capture him again."

Olivia didn't comprehend half of what Dustin had just said, but she got one part.

"How do you know it's not just... a weird looking dog or something?" She asked awkwardly.

Dustin shrugged, curls bouncing, looking way too calm about the whole situation.

"Because its face opened up and it ate my cat."

LOOK AT MY BABIES, BEING DOMESTIC AS SHIT.

We got some adorable Olivia and Steve moments here. I'm living for feminist Steve teaching her about consent, it's so cute. He also acknowledged how he had acted in season 1. Now they have both gotten really vulnerable with each other, the good, bad, and the ugly. They really make each other better. 

Have a lovely night, and DRINK SOME WATER. Take care of yourself.

I love you guys so much, and thanks for your support on this story! 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE🥺

i'm getting notifs about everyone adding this story to their libraries but nobody's voting  and im a sad lonely bitch who just needs some love