XVII. your love is scaring me.

The tunnel rumbling is what made Nolan fill with dread. The slime and dirt from above dusted over them and they nearly lost their balance. Nolan pressed his hand again the wall and looked around him. "What the hell was that?" He voiced nervously.

Then, they heard growling. Mike turned around and shined his flashlight. "They're coming. Run! Run!"

"Go, go, let's go!" Nolan yelled and they took off running again.

"Let's go!"

"Come on, Mike!"

"Move!"

They turned a corner and the rope became viable. "There! There!" Lucas shouted repeatedly.

Nolan and Steve quickly started to help them climb up the rope and back to the outside. He lifted Mike with ease. "Come on, climb!" He yelled and lifted Lucas up after. "Help each other! Come on!"

He heard another piercing shriek and Steve picked up the nail bat from the ground. When Nolan saw the shadows of the demodogs, his eyes went wide and he grabbed Dustin. "Come on, kid, come on!" He urged and lifted him on to the rope.

Dustin wiggled his way up the rope and it left the two oldest remaining at the bottom. "Nolan, come on!" Max shouted at him from above.

He had no time to answer her as the growing got louder and closer. He looked Steve's way and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. "Nolan, go! Hurry!"

But he shook his head. If he was going to die, he was going to do it by protecting his friends. That's the only way he wanted to go. Max's cries for him caused Nolan to close his eyes and he sucked in a breath. He squeezed the hand tighter.

Then, the demodogs came.

Just as he was preparing himself for the worst, the creatures ran straight past him and Steve. They clutched on to each other with their weapons raised but there was no attacking. They didn't even think of them as they ran through the tunnel. "What the hell?" He uttered out.

The growls became faint as all of the demodogs were gone. Steve's looked at Nolan with wide eyes. "You're a crazy son of a bitch."

Nolan laughed and his hands went to the sides of his face, his adrenaline pumping. "So are you."

"Steve! Nolan! Get your asses up here!" Dustin's voice echoed.

When he realized how close they were standing, Nolan dropped his hands and his shoulders slumped. "Let's get the hell out of here." He uttered.

Steve silently agreed, his face flushed red, and the two of them climbed the rope back to the surface where all of the kids were waiting on them. Bright headlights clouded Nolan's vision. The headlights on Billy's car grew brighter and brighter. "What does it mean?" Max asked out loud.

Seeing the glowing lights become brighter, Mike instantly knew. "Eleven."

After a while, the head lights dimmed back to their normal level. Nolan inhaled and exhaled deeply. He took off the goggles and lifted them to the top of his head. He wiped the dirt and sweat from his face.

Steve looked his way. The headlights shined on his face and made his blue eyes seem brighter. He breathed tiredly, his chest moving with every inhale. His heart pounded more and more knowing that he would have died with him. For him, even. Nolan Mayfield would do anything for the people he loved and Steve got that now. He got it.

Nolan looked his way and Steve reached his hand up,  pressing it to the back of Nolan's neck. It stayed there and they stared each other in the eyes. He smiled. They were safe. Nolan Mayfield wasn't going to die that easily.

The drive back to the Byers house was silent. The group was collectively trying to process everything that happened. Nolan took the wheel, giving Max a stern talking to about driving when she was only thirteen.  She grumbled, of course, but ultimately gave him the keys. He liked driving and planned on blackmailing Billy to give him the car as a vow of silence.

Steve sat in the passenger seat. He glanced his way every couple of seconds. His heart was in the correct place. Now, he just needed to figure out how to go about it.

When they got back to the house, they saw that Joyce and the others were already back. The kids instantly climbed out of the vehicle and rushed inside to see Will. Steve shut the door and slowed down his pace when he saw Nolan trailing behind with his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "You okay, Sunny?" He voiced.

Nolan lifted his head. "Me? Oh, yeah. I'm okay." He responded with a slight smile.

Steve wasn't convinced. He walked around the car and went to stand in front of him. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but, I've gotten good at telling when you're not okay." He told him with a slight teasing smirk.

He rolled his eyes. "Is that right?"

He nodded. "Yep. You put your hands in your pockets when you're thinking about stuff. You also chew your tongue, which I can tell you're doing right now."

Nolan paused and relaxed his mouth. "You're weird for noticing that." He said with narrowed eyes.

Steve shrugged. "No, I'm just observant." He stepped closer to him. "Now, what's on your mind?"

He titled his head. "You know what's on my mind." He stated.

He suddenly felt hot by the statement when he realized. "Oh. . . Uh—" he didn't know what to say.

Nolan cracked a grin. "I've realized some things about you, Steve Harrington." He proclaimed.

"What's that, Mayfield?"

"You're kind of crazy." He laughed at his facial expression. "But you're also the only person in my entire life who has stood up for me. I know Max tries but she's a kid. She can't do much. And my mom, she's so head over heels for my step dad that she's afraid of she steps in, something bad will happen." As Nolan explained, he took his hands out of his pockets. "But you, you took a beating for me. You almost died for me,"

Steve was very flustered. He shifted on his feet. "Well, I. . . Uh. . . I-I would do it for anyone." He stuttered nervously.

Nolan smiled. "I know. Which is what I like most about you." When Steve's softened, he stepped closer to him until they were face to face. "I've been trying to figure out why I feel the way I do for you. I've never. . ." He searched for the right thing to say. "I've never felt this way about anyone who's not a girl. And I don't think I've ever felt this way for a girl in general. Which is probably why I've never had a girlfriend,"

Steve chuckled.

"Which is why it's been so hard to figure out. I couldn't seem to understand what makes you so different from anyone else. But then I figured out." His blue eyes softened. "Nobody's ever made me forget that I have a sickness. Everyone around me constantly talks about it and reminds me that I have to live with it forever—that I could die at any given time. But with you, all I can think about is how much I like being around you. I like talking to you, I like being able to tell you things that I can't tell anyone else. You're my best friend, Steve Harrington. . .  But you're also more than that."

Steve's breathing became shaky. "So, what are you gonna do about it, Sunny?" He asked and he felt like he was in a dream.

With stars in his eyes, Nolan Mayfield reached forward and grabbed the sides of his face, pulling him in with gentle force. When their lips touched, he felt sparks. He always thought it was cliche when people would talk about the feeling they get when they kiss someone, but it was real. It was instant electricity. It was the electricity he was telling Dustin about. He felt like he was in the midst of a storm. His stomach rumbled and his heart pounded like thunder. He was sweating,  also.

Steve Harrington was his storm.

Steve felt nothing but calm when their kiss broke and he opened his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  It wasn't like kissing Nancy, or any of the random girls he had been with in his life. It was strong and daring and it made him excited. It was like being in a storm.  Then, he saw the smile appear on Nolan's face and it just clicked. Everything was calm. "Wow," was all he could say.

Nolan laughed and dropped his shaky hands. "How was that?" He asked, not being able to contain his excitement.

"It was, uh. . . It was pretty damn good, Mayfield."

He laughed again the lines around his mouth were visible. It was a sight Steve would never get tired of.  Dustin was right. He had the perfect smile.

Nolan's eyes shifted over his shoulder and he huffed.  "I think we have an audience." He spoke.

Steve gave him a questionable look and he turned around. He rolled his eyes when he saw the younger kids peering out the window watching. When they saw that they were staring, their eyes widened and they quickly ducked back down, but not without a cheery thumbs up from Dustin.

Nolan laughed again. Steve looked his way and shrugged. "I think they approve." He hummed.

"Looks like it."

With a smirk, Steve pulled him back into a kiss and Nolan smiled against his lips.