#Jonathan Byers x Steve Harrington

[stonathandreamer]

Currently thinking about their height difference.

AND THIS!!!

He needs to stand on his tiptoes to kiss him 🥹

[fortnightdjo]

Hopefully S5 can convince more people to ship stonathan or stoncy, me and the three other people who ship it are getting cold and lonely we need more people, I need more art of it.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

"Oh, and I guess what you did was okay?" Nancy asked.

"No, I never said that," Jonathan replied.

"He had every right to be pissed," Nancy replied.

"Listen, don't take it personally, okay?" Jonathan said. "I don't like most people. He's in the vast majority."

"You know, I was actually starting to think you were okay," she said angrily.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I was thinking, 'Jonathan Byers, he's not the pretentious creep everyone thinks he is,' " Nancy said.

"Well, I was starting to think that you were okay. I was thinking, 'Nancy Wheeler, she's not just another suburban girl who thinks she's rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does. . .until that phase passes, and they marry some boring one-time jock, who now works sales, and they live out a perfectly little boring life at the end of a cul-de-sac. Exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing. . .but now, hey, they get it,' " Jonathan spat.

Jonathan felt like he had just slapped himself and Nancy. His insides went cold as Nancy looked at him in annoyance. He could see the hurt flash behind her eyes as well. What the fuck did he just say to her? God, he was a pretentious creep and an asshole. That was something his father would have said. He scoffed and stepped back, turning away from her. She did the same as they continued walking through the woods. And that's when he heard it. It was so quiet, it was hard not to. It was a sniffle. Nancy was crying or trying not to.

"I'm sorry," Jonathan said.

"Whatever," Nancy said.

Her best friend was missing. It was just as hard for her as it was for him, he remembered. Jonathan gently grabbed her arm, and she yanked it out of his grasp. Nancy turned to him. She was trying not to let the tears come.

"I really am sorry. You didn't deserve that. Especially the part about your parents. I shouldn't have thrown that in your face," Jonathan said.

"No, you shouldn't have," Nancy said, crossing her arms. "You're a dick."

"Yeah, that's true," Jonathan said. "I'm not proud of what I said. That's something my dad would have said to my mom, and I always hated him. I try so hard not to be like him. He ends up coming out anyway."

"I get that," Nancy said, her features softening.

"I shouldn't have taken those pictures. I was completely wrong for that, and Steve had every right to break my camera. I would have been even more fucked if she had gone to the police and my mom was left to pay for it. . .but that doesn't matter. I had plenty of time to stop taking those pictures, and I pushed my brother to the back of my mind when I saw you in the pool. . .when I saw something that I tried not to pretend I didn't want to be a part of. I say I hate people, but really, I hate the fact that I feel so alone, and when I saw you with them. . .I was jealous. You weren't pretending to be anyone else. If anyone was pretending, it was me. Pretending I didn't want to have friends, pretending that there was anything artistic about those photos. . .the only thing they were saying was that the boy behind the camera was lonely, and there was a part of him that wanted to have fun like you were having fun. Now, I'm a crazy boy in the woods, rambling and crying," Jonathan sniffled. "I'm sorry."

Nancy stared at him, her anger completely gone now. She no longer held that furious protective stance.

"Maybe you're not a pretentious creep like I though you were," Nancy said softly.

"No, you were right about that," Jonathan said.

"Well, maybe after this, we can fix that," Nancy said. "All of it."

Jonathan wasn't sure what she meant by that, and he was afraid to find out. It got a little crazy after that. They continued to search for the faceless creature, whatever it was, in the woods until it got dark. They found a wounded deer in the woods. Nancy had assumed that it had gotten hit by a car. Jonathan decided that it would be smart not to point out that they were in the middle of the woods. He didn't have long to think about it before the deer was yanked away, and shortly after that, he lost Nancy. He ended up pulling her out of a tree, and the hole he pulled her out of had closed behind her. Jonathan had held her tightly after that and made sure she got home safely. Nancy had looked so shaken. He had to make sure that she made it into her room. It had been scary for him, but it had been even scarier for her. She could have died tonight. He put a sweater around her and then his arm. Somehow, he found himself lying next to her in her bed. If she hadn't looked at him with those eyes of hers, he would have happily taken the floor.

"I don't want to be alone," Nancy had said, and Jonathan had folded.

It was awkward, lying here next to her like he hadn't thought about it a million times over. After everything, he shouldn't feel a little bit of hope building up inside of him.

"We don't really know each other, do we?" Jonathan asked.

"I think because our brothers are friends, it feels like we do," Nancy said.

"Do you think - do you think that we could be friends?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Nancy said.

It was the most he had ever spent with Nancy, only having watched her from afar like he's done with everyone else. It was easier to keep everyone at arm's length when he had his camera, but now he didn't. He had no excuse not to be vulnerable or honest with Nancy or try to push her away. He was definitely odd, no doubt about that, and maybe that's why he didn't try to put himself out there because people wouldn't understand him or his taste in music. Maybe pushing them away first before they could hurt him would be easier on him, right?

"I think I liked it when he broke my camera," Jonathan said, breaking the silence.

"What?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know why, but when he looked at me as he dropped it. . .that's weird, right?" Jonathan asked.

"I mean, I don't know. . .I'm not sure I'm the right person to judge on what's strange or not," Nancy said.

"It's like. . .it's like he could see through me for a moment. . .I know why he did it. . .he did it out of anger, but for a moment, it seemed like he knew I needed to let go of it," Jonathan said. "I think I'm just reading into things again."

"Well, I don't think he should have broken it to do that," Nancy said.

"Yeah, maybe, but like what I said in the woods. . .we all say and do shit we don't mean in the heat of the moment," Jonathan said.

"Well. . .we're teenagers. . .it's the most confusing times of our lives," she replied.

"I've been using it like a crutch, anyway. I've spent so long looking through that lense that I've gotten a narrow view of people. I've forgotten that there are more to people than just what I see in an image of them, a brief glimpse of their lives," Jonathan said. "I want to remember what it's like to be a photographer because sometimes it's so much more complicated, and sometimes, a picture is just a picture. . .I forgot where the line was."

"And sometimes, a girl just wants to fuck a boy," Nancy said and Jonathan burst into laughter. "Jonathan! Shh! You're going to wake my parents."

Jonathan stuffed his face into his pillow, and Nancy giggled quietly.

"We should probably get some sleep," Jonathan said.

"You're right," Nancy said. "Goodnight, Jonathan."

"Goodnight, Nancy," Jonathan paused and closed his eyes. "It was incredibly hot, too. . .him breaking my camera. Shouldn't have found it hot, but I did."

The next day, it wasn't quite so awkward with Nancy. Although, he was annoyed that his father was still loitering around. He knew it was because of some scheme of his and that he was only here to benefit himself, to squeeze whatever he could out of the situation. He tried not to show it, but Nancy could tell. It cheered him up considerably when she told the man behind the counter that they were monster hunting. The look on his face. . .it was so ridiculous. He didn't even bother asking anymore questions. Jonathan suspected he didn't really care, just glad to get customers. He was glad that Nancy didn't ask him about what he had let slip last night as he was falling asleep. If she had heard him, he couldn't tell. He was about to bring it up when some asshole in a car mentioned seeing her movie, and that's when they saw it on the Hawk. All the Right Moves starting Nancy the Slut Wheeler.

It was all a blur after that. Nancy discovered Steve, Tommy, and Carol at the scene of the crime . Steve revealed that he had witnessed them getting all cozy last night. It had been a well-deserved slap from Nancy even though Jonathan had known that it was Tommy and Carol holding the evidence. Steve hadn't stopped them. What could Nancy have said? She had been attacked by a monster, and that's why Jonathan was comforting her? Steve hadn't known, and it was easy to jump to those conclusions with the photos and everything. . .it was the only thing that made sense to a teenager. Nancy had said that they're teenagers, and it was the most confusing time of their lives. Steve had turned on him then.

"You know what, Byers? I'm actually kind of impressed. I always took you for a queer but I guess you're just a screw up like your father," Steve had said. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. That house is full of screw ups. A bunch of screw ups in your family. I'm not even surprised by what happened to your brother, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but the Byers, their family, it's a disgrace to the entire - "

Jonathan had clenched his jaw, refusing to look at him even when he had shoved him. He tried so hard to ignore what he said, his words from the woods swimming in his ears to remind him that he was an asshole too.

"Well, I was starting to think that you were okay. I was thinking, 'Nancy Wheeler, she's not just another suburban girl who thinks she's rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does. . .until that phase passes, and they marry some boring one-time jock, who now works sales, and they live out a perfectly little boring life at the end of a cul-de-sac. Exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing. . .but now, hey, they get it,' " Jonathan spat.

Yeah, teenagers. . .they're all assholes. It was weird that he had acted just as defensively as Steve had. Steve had screwed up, and instead of apologizing, he had insulted Jonathan, like Jonathan had insulted Nancy. Maybe it was the fact that Jonathan was struggling with his own attraction to Steve, to Nancy, on top of his missing brother and strange monsters, but it was all too much for Jonathan. He whirled around and punched Steve.

He kept on punching him, and Steve fought back, throwing him to the ground, pressing his body against his. Jonathan flipped him, throwing another punch as he straddled his thigh. He could vaguely hear Tommy and Nancy screaming at him. Jonathan felt his stomach get warm. Can you still be attracted to someone and also hate him? No, Jonathan had nothing in common with Steve Harrington, and it was stupid of him to think that he did. When did Steve stop fighting back? Jonathan paused and looked into his eyes. Steve wanted Jonathanto hit him. Before Jonathan could question it further, someone was touching him. He reacted on instinct and swung. Fuck, it was a goddamn cop.

"You act like you're all alone in this world, Jonathan, but you're not," Joyce reminded him. "You're not."

His mom had been right. He had risked his life and Nancy's. He just wanted to save Will so badly, and he was so used to doing everything on his own. It wasn't his mother's fault. It was just the situation they were in. They had no one else to help them out. Lonnie only ever "helped" when it benefited him, and it usually never did. There was nothing like a scolding from his mother to remind him that he was still just a teenager trying to act like he was an adult. His mom did the same thing, though, didn't she? Act like she was all alone in this world? Maybe he was more like his mother and less like his father than he thought. He had been just as determined to save Will as she had been, and maybe that's why she was so worried. There's nothing like watching a piece of yourself running around in your jeans to scare the hell out of you. As he hugged his mother, he couldn't help but smile into her shoulder.

"I want to finish what we started," Nancy said. "I want to kill it."

And suddenly, they were in his house, preparing to kill the monster, the demogorgon, so Hopper and Joyce could go into the Upside Down to rescue Will. Jonathan hated leaving the kids, but he hated the idea that Nancy would be facing the monster alone. So, they left them. Of course, he didn't factor in Steve Harrington showing up to apologize and then to help. He wasn't surprised when Steve left, a little disappointed, but not surprised, and then he just had to come back in. . .he had to be gallant and brave. . .like a fucking prince out of a storybook. He had the hair for it. Just like that, he felt a wave of affection for the man, which he tried to deny over and over again since Steve picked up the bat.

"This is stupid," Jonathan muttered.

He was standing outside of Steve’s house. After spending two days by Will's side, Jonathan decided that he should really check on Steve after beating the shit out of him, especially since Steve risked it all to save his life. He wanted to check in on Nancy, too, but after what happened with Mike and the "agents" showing up to her house, she was on lockdown with her family. He couldn't get the look in Steve's eyes out of his head. . .when Jonathan had him on the ground and Steve had stopped fighting back. Steve had wanted him to hit him because he had realized what he had said. . .what he had done. Much like Jonathan had come to the realization that he had been a dick to Nancy as soon as those words had come out of his mouth. Jonathan liked to pretend that he was better than other people, but was he really? Who was Jonathan really punching in that alleyway? Steve or himself? He was tired of all the introspection. Jonathan had turned around to leave when the door opened.

"Jonathan?!" Steve yelled.

He turned around to find Steve looking frazzled. He was holding the bat in his hands. His hair was wild, his clothes were in a state of disarray, and it looked like he hadn't slept.

"Uh, hey," Jonathan said.

"Is something wrong?" Steve asked. "Is it Nancy? Oh god, it's back."

"What?! No, man, relax," Jonathan said. "I just wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine," Steve said.

"Clearly," Jonathan said dryly, and Steve snorted. "I just felt bad about, you know, hitting you."

"I deserved it," Steve said.

"You deserved one but not me nearly killing you," Jonathan said. "You look like shit."

He really did. His bruised face was definitely worse than it had been before. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his other eye had been fucked up by the rings that Jonathan had forgotten he had worn. His lip was split.

"Thanks, man," he said. "Look, I'm really sorry for the shit that I said. None of it was true, and it was really shitty of me to say all that, especially with everything that had been going on."

"Yeah, it was really shitty of you but it's not like you're the only one that's fucked up. I wasn't particularly nice to Nancy when she cornered me about the photos," Jonathan shrugged.

"So, we're both assholes," Steve scoffed.

"Pretty much, but you know, what teenager isn't?" Jonathan asked. "It's hard enough, but to add all this on top of it. You can't really know how you're going to react in the moment. . .in any moment. I think we all surprise ourselves."

"Yeah," Steve said softly.

"I think we both know that Nancy deserves better than that," Jonathan said. "And I think we both deserve better than to act like that."

"I don't want to be like my father," Steve said.

"I don't want to be like mine, either," Jonathan replied. "I'm sorry about the photos."

Steve smiled a sort of crooked smile, his hazel eye lightning up genuinely. He still looked dead tired, though.

"You want to hang out?" Steve asked.

Jonathan had another realization. Steve looked tired because he hadn't slept because no one was here, and Steve didn't want to be alone.

"Uh, where are your parents?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, they extended their trip, which means that Dad fooled around again, and he has to make it up to Mum," Steve said.

"You call her 'mum'?" Jonathan asked.

"Well, she's British, so. . .," Steve said.

"I didn't know that," Jonathan said.

"Most people don't. She moved here when she was young," Steve said.

"So, you're alone?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing that I'm not used to," Steve said. "So, do you want to hang out?"

It hit Jonathan to the core. He had convinced himself of that so many times that he was used to feeling alone and that it wasn't a big deal. His mother had no choice, not really, but Steve’s mother did, and she chose his father over over him. Jonathan was so grateful to Joyce then for choosing him and Will over Lonnie. Jonathan hoped she'd come to the realization that both her and Steve deserved better than that. Maybe there was still time for that, and Jonathan wanted that for Steve.

"I mean, I wish I could, but I wasn't planning on leaving my brother and mother home alone for long," Jonathan said, and then he had a thought. "You want to hang out at my house?"

"Yeah! Yes!" Steve exclaimed.

There was a huge sigh of relief as Steve’s shoulders relaxed. It must have been terrifying all by himself over here with no one to call, not even Tommy and Carol anymore. How paranoid did he get? Did he feel like something or someone was watching him? Did he jump at every shadow? It probably hadn't helped that Jonathan had lurked in the bushes, taking intimate photos of Nancy in Steve's bedroom. While Jonathan had nightmares, he also had his mother and brother. Nancy and Mike couldn't tell their parents what happened, but they knew enough to be there for their kids. Steve didn't have anyone.

"Goddamnit," Jonathan cursed.

"What? Did you change your mind?" Steve asked.

Jonathan shook his head. He didn't try very hard to deny his attraction to Steve, but he could feel stirrings in his chest. He was developing feelings for Steve Harrington. God, he was such a hypocrite. Although he had apologized now, he was the suburban girl who thought she was rebelling.

"No, I just remembered something. You ever not like something because everyone else likes it, and then suddenly, you tried it now you're starting to like it," Jonathan said. "I was just thinking about that."

"Hm, yeah, totally. Everyone I knew liked pineapple on pizza, but I thought it was, like, I don't know. . .blasphemy?" Steve asked. "But then I tried it, and I realized it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. What were you thinking of?"

"Mushrooms," Jonathan blurted out, blushing.

"Oh, I love mushrooms!" Steve exclaimed. "Alright, I'm ready, let's go!"

"You don't have shoes, man," Jonathan laughed. "Or pants."

"Right," Steve said.

"You should probably pack a bag, too. I don't think my mom's going to let you leave when she finds out that your parents are gone," Jonathan said.

Jonathan expected to see cartoon dust clouds in Steve's wake as he had taken off so fast. He came back just as quick with the nailbat still in his hands along with a bag. He was flipping his keys in his hands. Jonathan noted that he was quite eager to leave the house. Maybe it was the mixture of bad memories: his parents leaving, the monster that prowled in the woods, Barb dying in his pool. . .Jonathan understood why he wanted to leave. His house wasn't much better, but at least there were more people there. Jesus, he looked exhausted. Jonathan grabbed his keys.

"Hey!"

"You are not driving in your condition," Jonathan said.

"I'm fine," Steve said.

"We're taking my car," Jonathan said.

He helped Steve into the passenger seat and threw his stuff into the back. Jonathan slid into the driver's seat and found Steve smiling at him. God, this is not what he came over for.

"Thanks for doing this," Steve said. "I didn't want to be alone."

"None of us did," Jonathan said, and he took Steve’s hand as he drove off.

Why the hell did he take Steve’s hand? Jonathan focused on the road. He didn't want to let go, and neither did Steve. At the next stop light, he looked over at Steve and found that he was fast asleep. His entire body had finally relaxed when he felt safe. He felt safe enough with Jonathan to finally fall asleep. Jonathan squeezed his hand and drove to his house. He hated to wake Steve, but he couldn't carry him inside. He gently woke him up and Steve smiled softly at him, blinking sleepily. He rubbed his eye and yelped. Jonathan tried not to laugh and helped him out of the car. With Steve's bag in hand, he pushed Steve gently into the house.

"Hey, mom! I brought home a stray!" Jonathan called out to Joyce.

"Asshole," Steve said affectionately and Jonathan laughed.

"Again?!" Joyce asked from the hallway. "You haven't done that since you were four and you thought that baby opossum was very ugly kitten. . .Oh, hey, Steve."

"I made a friend," Jonathan shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"Okay, you brought home an opossum, and you thought it was kitten? That's adorable," Steve said.

"Shut up, I was four," Jonathan replied. "Mom, you don't mind if Steve stays here for a little bit, do you? His parents still aren't home, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't slept in a couple of days."

"Of course," Joyce said. "Where are your parents?"

"I don't know, they were in Boston for a conference, but my mom walked in on him with another prostitute again so he's making it up to her," Steve shrugged. "They extended the trip, I don't know for how long this time, they usually tell me."

"How often does this happen?" Joyce asked, looking at him in concern.

"I'm used to it," Steve shrugged and Joyce's frown deepened.

"Well, if Jonathan wants to, you can sleep in his room," Joyce said.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother," Steve said.

"You saved my boy, you can stay as long as you want," she replied, touching his arm softly.

Jonathan watched as Steve's eyebrows furrowed and he could almost tell what he was thinking. Joyce could too. Is what a present mom is supposed to be like? Joyce squeezed his arm, looking at him in sympathy. Suddenly, there came a loud bark, and Chester came barreling into the living room. He nearly knocked Steve over.

"Chester!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Puppy!" Steve laughed and collapsed onto the floor. "Oh, my dad never let me have a dog as a kid. I've always wanted one or a cat. I'm not picky. Oh, he's so cute."

"Chester, calm down a little bit," Jonathan laughed as his dog licked Steve’s face.

"Oh, he's just trying to make my owies feel better," Steve giggled as Chester licked his face.

"Yeah, we thought for sure that the Demogorgon had gotten him, but he ended up finding his way home," Jonathan said.

"He's smart, he knows how good he has it," Steve grinned.

"Well, why don't we get you to bed, I'll wake you up when food's here," Joyce said.

Jonathan made sure that Steve got into his bed and threw the blanket over him. Chester had immediately jumped up on the bed and snuggled into Steve's side. It didn't take long for Steve to finally fall asleep. He walked out of the bedroom and went to check on Will, who was also taking a nap. He stared at him for a moment, thankful that Will was alive and safe. Jonathan found his mother in the kitchen, and he hugged her tightly.

"Have I ever thanked you for always fighting like hell to be here for us?" Jonathan asked.

"No," she replied.

"Thank you," Jonathan whispered. "I'm glad we have you."

Jonathan couldn't bear the thought of not having Will or Joyce in his life or Nancy and Steve now. He always thought that he wanted to be alone, but maybe what he was afraid of was making an actual connection with people. Now, he was afraid of losing it all, especially Hopper.

"I love you, honey," Joyce said.

"I love you, too," Jonathan said.

Steve had settled in pretty quickly. Jonathan could tell that he had loved it here and that everyone else loved having him there. It was eventually time for them all to go back to school, and Steve was still staying with them as his parents were still not back. Jonathan had been right; Joyce hadn't wanted him to stay on his own. She refused to let him leave, and Steve was determined to help out. As they sat around the breakfast table, Will had to speak up.

"Mom! If we keep Steve, does that mean he'll be our brother?" Will asked.

"Oh God, no!" Steve and Jonathan exclaimed.

"I mean, maybe you as a brother but I definitely wouldn't want to call Jonathan that," Steve said.

"Why?" Will asked.

"No reason," Steve said blushing.

"Will, sweetheart, eat your breakfast," Joyce said and she smiled knowingly over at them.

Will looked suspiciously at them for a moment before dropping bacon on the floor for Chester. After breakfast, Steve walked out the door with the Byers. He was less surprised when Joyce hugged him along with her sons. It wasn't like the first time when he had frozen up for a moment.

"Are you sure about going to school?" Joyce asked.

"Mom, I can't stay home forever," Will said. "I want to go to school."

"Okay, but if you need anything, call me, okay?" Joyce asked. "Steve and Jonathan are right next door if you need them."

"Yes, mom, I know where the high school is," Will said in amusement. "I just want to get back to normal."

"Well, you can't rush these things, okay," Joyce said. "And it might not go back to the way things were after what happened."

"Mom," Will sighed. "I'll be fine."

"It's just so soon," Joyce said.

Will hugged Joyce tightly and slipped into the front seat of Jonathan's car. Steve gladly entered the back seat, waving at Joyce as he did so. Jonathan blasted the radio, the three of them singing loudly with the music. Steve sang very off-key on purpose, making them all laugh. Jonathan knew eventually that Steve would have to go home, but he hoped it wasn't anytime soon, but at the same time, he wished that Steve’s mom would come to her senses. From what he told Jonathan, there's still a part of Evie Harrington that could be a good mom. . . If she just let Richard go. Steve really loved his mother. Jonathan loved having him here, and Will loved having him here. He fit so perfectly, and maybe that was because there was a part of Steve that was like Jonathan.

"He'll be okay," Steve said.

Jonathan was leaning against his car, watching Will walk off with his friends.

"I know, I can't help but worry," Jonathan said.

"You are your mother's son, which I think is so cute," Steve said, and Jonathan blushed. "Look, you have a free period. Maybe they'll let you check on him. And I have a free period, and I'll check on him, too."

"Can't do that forever," Jonathan said.

"Well, no, but Will's smart enough to understand that it's going to be weird for a while," Steve said and nudged his shoulder. "Hey, Nancy's coming this way. . .how's my hair?"

"Perfect as usual. . .how's mine? Wait. . .I don't care," Jonathan muttered.

"Yeah, you do," Steve said in amusement. "And your hair always looks good."

Nancy approached them, looking surprised to see them together.

"Steve, did you come here with Jonathan?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, we're friends now," Steve said with a goofy grin. "Plus, I'm staying with him and his family right now. Jonathan was worried about me."

"I showed up to his house, and he hadn't slept for two days," Jonathan said. "I had every reason to worry!"

"You didn't?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, I got scared and paranoid. I jumped at every shadow. Jonathan took me home with him," Steve said with a smile.

"Yeah, the nightmares have been awful," Nancy said. "Your parents still aren't back?"

"Nope," Steve rolled his eyes. "It's better this way. I'm grateful to Jonathan for letting me stay with him. I made sure to show my appreciation the next morning in bed."

"You - you did?" Nancy asked, her eyes wide.

"What?"

"Steve, think about what you said," Jonathan whispered.

"Oh! Nancy Wheeler, get your mind out of the gutter," Steve grinned. "I made Jonathan breakfast in bed. I also made some for Joyce and Will."

"I wasn't - I mean - ," Nancy said, blushing.

"It's okay, Nance, I would have gone there, too," Steve said, winking at Jonathan.

Jonathan's blushed deepened as he thought about all the times he woke up in bed with Steve, curled up in his arms. Now, as he gazed at Nancy, he suddenly wished that she had been there, too.

"So, your parents finally released you?" Jonathan asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I didn't think they ever would," Nancy scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Especially Mike. They didn't appreciate him hiding a girl in their basement, but they're surprisingly not too hard on him. I think they've both picked up on the fact that he's upset about something."

"Can't imagine losing the first girl you ever really liked," Jonathan said and stared at Nancy.

"I'm trying to be there for him, but I don't know how," Nancy said.

There was silence between them all, as they thought about everything that occurred. They stared at each other, gazing into each other's eyes. No one knew what to say or do about any of it, but maybe they could figure it out together. They didn't have to have all the answers right now, but maybe they didn't have to be alone while they searched for them. Nancy slipped her arms through Steve and Jonathan's as they walked into the school, ready to face whatever came their way.

[stonathanweek]

STONATHAN WEEK 2023 PROMPTS

Please click the read more to see more detailed explanations about the prompts!

~~ PROMPTS FOR WRITERS AND ARTISTS / PROMPTS FOR GIFMAKERS & VIDEO EDITORS ~~

Day 1 (Friday, July 21st): Scoops Ahoy! / Favourite Outfits

Scoops Ahoy!: Inspired by Steve's job in Season 3, this prompt refers to all Food Services AUs you can think of! You can stay close to canon with an Ice Cream Shop or you can get creative with a Coffee Shop, or a Cake Shop AU, or anything you might like, it's up to you!

Favourite Outfits: Show us your favourite outfits worn by Jonathan and Steve throughout the series! It doesn't have to be limited to scenes they've had together (because there isn't many, as we all know). You are free to play with different clips from different seasons! Maybe there's an outfit you think should make a return next season?

Day 2 (Saturday, July 22nd): Roommates AU / AUs

Roommates AU: And they were roommates... In Day 2 we invite you to explore Stonathan's dynamic as they share a living space and all the chaos that situation can bring!

AUs: This can be any sort of AU that you can come up with. Get creative with the video clips or photos you use! Images do not have to be limited to the show. Anything from Fantasy AUs, to Bookstore AUs, to Coffee shop AUs, to Dystopian AUs. The world is your oyster!

Day 3 (Sunday, July 23rd): Fake Dating AU / Parallels

Fake Dating AU: When the truth hides in a lie! Pretending to be together to fool the others was part of the plan, but the more time they spend together, the more... they want it to be real?

Parallels: We all know the Duffers and their love for patterns and parallels! However, parallels don’t need to stop with ST. This prompt is a challenge to find any parallels in the show or other media that connects to Steve and Jonathan!

Day 4 (Monday, July 24th): Fantasy AU / Colours

Fantasy AU: We've seen a lot in ST. We've seen Shadow Monsters, and Evil Vines, and little girls with superpowers, and Vecna. But we haven't seen it all. What about kingdoms, and dragons, and knights, and princes, and wizards, and mermaids, and shapeshifters? The options are endless! In a world where magic exists and royals rule the lands, what are Jonathan and Steve up to?

Colours: Colours are a big part of cinematography and character design, but here we wanna see your take! What colours represent Steve and Jonathan and their bumpy dynamic the best to you?

Day 5 (Tuesday, July 25th): Canon-verse / Steve & Jonathan + another character

Canon-verse: We all can agree we haven't gotten enough from Steve and Jonathan together in the show. Well, this is your chance to change that! With this prompt you can play around with the rules of canon. Maybe Stonathan got stranded in the Upside Down? Maybe there's some deleted scenes between seasons you want to explore? Or what happens after canon? There's many options!

Steve & Jonathan + another character: Friendships and relationships are one of the most important aspects of the show. Here you have the opportunity to explore some of the other dynamics that Steve and Jonathan have together with other characters, or dive into a dynamic/group that includes Stonathan and that you might like to see in S5!

Day 6 (Wednesday, July 26th): Music AU / Song Lyrics

Music AU: Music is a huge part of ST, so we couldn't not have a prompt that related to it. Bands, mixtapes, old record stores, etc. Anything you can think of that relates to music counts! Let Jonathan's music snobbery and Steve's mainstream taste shine this day!

Song Lyrics: Have some song lyrics that are just perfect for Steve and Jonathan? This is your time to shine!

Day 7 (Thursday, July 27th): Forced Proximity / Favourite Scene

Forced Proximity: Isn't it just inconvenient when for reasons out of your control you have to share a same space with someone you might not like so much, or someone who might not like you so much, or someone you might like too much, or just someone you haven't talked to in a long time, and it's just Awkward? Yup, it's the worst. But it's so much fun when it happens to the characters we love! Go wild with this one!

Favourite scene: Show us your favourite scene with Steve and Jonathan. We know there aren't many to choose from, but we'd love to see how creative you get with it! Show us your different styles and takes!

** No prompts are exclusive to any media! We made separate prompts for Gif Makers and Video Editors and Moodboard Creators so they could have a better prompt to work with given their type of media. That being said, to all Gif Makers, Video Editors and Moodboard Creators, feel free to choose any prompt of the day you would like to work with! **

[messrsbyler]

walls down

(stonathan ficlet)

The first time they kissed, Jonathan was mostly shy and nervous. He kept his hands by his sides and his mouth pressed tight. It took Steve a moment to coax his lips apart and to smooth the tension from his shoulders by rubbing his thumbs over the knots locked there.

The second time they kissed, not much changed. The only clue Steve had that Jonathan did want to kiss him back was his eyes flicking constantly to his lips and the blush spread over his cheeks whenever Steve pulled back.

By the third and fourth time, Jonathan's hands hovered awkwardly over Steve's waist, never grabbing him. Steve had to wonder if Jonathan was struggling with his own inexperience or something. Besides Nancy, Steve didn't know of any other girls (or guys) who had had the pleasure of kissing Jonathan Byers. Steve himself was nervous each time given his own inexperience. Regardless of his extensive repertoire of girls he had dated or fooled around with, Jonathan was the first guy Steve kissed, the first guy he blushed for... and the first guy that he wanted to push against the wall and run his mouth all over.

They were far from there, though, with Jonathan being so tense each time they did as much as sit close enough to have their thighs bumping together. But Steve didn't mind waiting, which at first had come as a surprise. Even with Nancy he had stepped a bit on the accelerator, sneaking into her room, nudging her to do a bit more than kissing, and then getting Nancy to come upstairs to a room with him. Not that he had pushed her to do anything she hadn't wanted to do, but had not minded showing her the chance of something more happening between them was more than wide open on his end.

But with Jonathan, Steve was slowly learning he sort of enjoyed going at Jonathan's pace. He liked discovering which were the places Jonathan liked to be touched and which places he was still unsure about; it was like a game and each time Steve played he got to touch a bit more. It was thrilling. He liked to know that Jonathan was slowly loosening up just because he wanted to touch Steve too, which by the sixth time made him pry his hands from his sides to rest them on Steve's waist, finally.

Now, Steve had never thought much about hands. They were just… well, hands. Not much could be said about them even when a lot could be done with them. But when Jonathan had first pressed his hands on his waist and pulled him closer, Steve had understood why girls raved so much about hands, embarrassingly enough. Jonathan’s hands were heavy and bigger than a girl’s, grounding at the same time they made Steve jump out of his skin and float away. They were warm and not all that smooth, claiming as well as gentle to the point of making Steve feel dizzy on the spot. Jonathan's hands were simply brilliant there, in his waist, and Steve thought they should never rest anywhere else.

The ride might be slow and a bit bumpy with the two of them, but discovering all sides of Jonathan made it worth it. Steve could take his sweet time undoing Jonathan's barriers and walls, high on the fact that now he had Jonathan holding him and pulling him closer with a yearning that was slowly growing and building and looming over them.

Still, with all the time he had to let Jonathan relax and give away a bit more each new time they kissed, nothing could've prepared Steve for the type of kisser Jonathan Byers would turn out to be. Steve’s first guess had been that Jonathan would be a tender kisser, always shy and always a bit unsure, waiting to be led.

How fucking wrong he was.

All it took Jonathan to flip Steve's entire world upside down was to build up his confidence or to maybe crumble down to the pressure of his desire. Jonathan Byers was not a shy tender kisser. First of all, he was a grabber. He liked to grab Steve by his waist, pull him closer, and then sneak his fingers underneath Steve’s shirt and grip Steve’s body with bruising fingers, callouses digging into his skin and stealing gasps and other type of sounds out of Steve’s throat. And then, Jonathan began to take the lead. Now he was the one prying Steve’s mouth open with his tongue, the one grabbing Steve’s face and letting his fingers dance and twist around his hair.

For fucks sake, Jonathan Byers liked to pull.

And maybe Steve’s knees went weak whenever Jonathan pulled his hair and ran his tongue over Steve’s lower lip. Maybe the roles had reversed and now Steve was the one waiting to be led, following each of Jonathan's movements, hoping to please him enough so Jonathan would keep pulling and grabbing and doing all sorts of incredible things.

Maybe now Steve didn't mind so much to show his desperation a little when Jonathan had him like this, caged against the bed, mouth hot and demanding over his lips, one arm braced on the bed to hold his weight while his other hand was tangled in Steve's hair. Maybe now Steve was okay asking for more because it almost seemed that's exactly what Jonathan wanted him to do. Steve now liked to grab Jonathan by his hips and pull him down to relieve a little that ache and heat blooming in his lower belly.

Either way, Steve now knew better. That old shy and tense Jonathan was long gone which meant two things: first, one of these days Jonathan Byers would be the death of him; and two, Steve would have to use more hair product to fix the mess Jonathan made of his hair after each one of their make out sessions. Not that he cared that much, to be completely honest.

[stonathans-magical-universe]

*Holding hands while running away from a monster together*

When he comes face to face with the demogorgon for the first time, Steve is frozen in shock and fear. If Jonathan hadn't saved him, he would have died still frozen in shock. After all the horrible things Steve did to Jonathan, Jonathan owed him nothing, Jonathan could have just left him there to fend for himself, but he didn’t. He saved him. Jonathan forgave him.

After getting Nancy out: Even though Jonathan was scared and he was risking his own life by hesitating, Jonathan checked to make sure Steve was safe/safely out of the room, but Steve wasn’t. When Jonathan saw that he wasn’t, Jonathan grabbed Steve’s hand while Steve was still in a trance and pulled him out of there ext saving Steve’s life.

Jonathan used his INJURED HAND to do it too. The pain of that wouldn’t matter compared to losing Steve.

Jonathan also could have grabbed him by the wrist, but chose to hold hands with Steve instead.

You look closely you can also see that Steve also wrapped his fingers around Jonathan’s hand, holding his hand in return.

[targetf0rce]

he loves his sailor

[mayahawkins]

the way you look tonight makes me wanna take a picture 

“Jon,” he felt Steve’s lips move, just barely grazing his own. Jonathan kept his eyes closed but he felt Steve’s eyes on him. He briefly registered that Steve had never called him Jon before and his stomach quickly flooded with butterflies at the sound of it and how much he liked it. He didn’t usually let anyone call him Jon, not even his family. Nancy hadn’t even been allowed to call him Jon. She had tried once and he had felt so strange after that he asked her never to do it again. But something about the way Steve said it, like it was precious, like he was precious, set his body on fire. He would let Steve call him Jon all he wanted, but maybe Jonathan was being slightly influenced by how close Steve’s lips were to his right now. "Yeah?" he said, softly so as not to break the moment between them. "You ok?" "Yeah. Why?" "You're shaking," Steve said, reaching his hands out to gently place them on Jonathan's shoulders. “Oh,” he said intelligently.

OR

Jonathan tries to teach Steve how to use his camera but it gets slightly derailed.

[dsbe]

Yeah when you sorta speed down/loop parts of Steve and Jonathan's fight.

It does look like their fucking.

[purpleyin]

Stranger Things - Stonathan moodboard I commissioned from @a-redharlequin

(For anyone interested in commissioning moodboards from them - commission info post over here)

[stonathandreamer]

Boyfriends with matching sweaters

[fortnightdjo]

I need Steve Harrington to be a mamas boy. It was always him and his mama Debbie. Steve has always been a mamas boy, even when he was born. Steve went to her for everything. She was the first person he came out to. He loves his mama Debbie. And yes he calls her mama.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Someone asked for the whole essay, here it is. . .

Jonathan looks at Steve and thinks of his father, who used to break his things because he could. That's why he doesn't understand that Steve had a perfectly valid reason for doing it. His father never had a reason. He just did it. All Jonathan sees is a picture and what the picture is telling him. He doesn't understand that the picture crossed a line with Steve and Nancy, that it made them uncomfortable, that to them, it makes him a creep. There are some things that people just can't understand, especially when all they've looked through is a narrow lense. The fact that Nancy looked uncomfortable was all that Steve needed to know, but it also made Steve uncomfortable too, and he had every right to feel angry. All Jonathan could see was his father, and once he let's go of the fact that Steve Harrington is NOT his father, he'll realize that Steve is a good man. His intention wasn't to be a bully like Jonathan's father. (Plus, once Jonathan realizes that Steve’s home life isn't all that different and that he's not all that different from Jonathan, it'll be easier to get to know him.) When Steve said the things that he did, all Jonathan could see was the way his father spoke to him and Will, the way his father spoke to his mother, and when Steve pushed him all he could see was all the times Lonnie pushed him around. So, he wasn't really punching Steve in that alleyway. It was his father. Steve going to his house to actually apologize is something his father has done, but Jonathan lives in denial. He can't comprehend that someone like Steve is actually a good man. Maybe they're no longer negative, but the daddy issues he's projected onto Steve are definitely still there. I also think when he was yelling at Nancy, he was yelling at himself, too.

[stonathanweek]

Stonathan Week Interest Survey

Hello all! We are in the midst of planning for a Stonathan Week 2023 (because we deserve more than just "Russians?" "Russians!") and wanted to gauge where and what the interest was. This is just a quick survey to see when people would like Stonathan week to be, how they would like to participate, and to choose between some of our prompts or suggest your own!! Please reblog to spread the word and follow us to keep updated!

THIS SURVEY CLOSES WEDNESDAY 17 MAY AT 11:59PM EDT

[messrsbyler]

steve has taken jonathan to skull rock and jonathan has rolled his eyes at how predictable steve is before pulling him from the collar of his shirt into a kiss

[spicysix]

your sweater (up over your head) | 1/6

2.9k words | next | masterlist | ao3 warnings: period-typical homophobia, Steve's parents are their own trigger warnings, implied use of a word as a slur (word doesn't actually show up on text), canon-divergence author's note: happy Stonathan saturday, and happy pride! 🧡🏳️‍🌈 this first chapter is cute and fluffy, but don't let it fool you! *taps fic on top of its head* this baby can hold so much angst. happy reading! ♡ written for @steveharringtonbingo, square/prompt: A1 - "you just gotta be yourself".

Steve’s new house is nice. It has a heated pool, and he can look at it from his bedroom window. His dad has his own office, and he won’t be pissed to have to work in the living or dining room when Steve was there at the same time anymore. His mom has a lot more cabinets in the kitchen and that makes her happy for a reason that only moms understand.

There’s a weird creepy forest behind their backyard, but Steve is old enough and brave enough to not fear it. He ventures it, actually. Explores it. It isn’t as creepy in the daylight, Steve is more weary of it at night when he looks at it through his bedroom window, past the blue glow of the pool. There’s a huge facility in the middle of it, Steve finds it someday. A lot of guards with guns and people with white coats and suits and Steve doesn’t like the looks of it, so he steers away from it. Goes a little further east.

That’s when Steve first sees him.

He’s a scrawny kid, and his tee and bagged shorts are way too big for his body. He’s short, and tiny altogether but his bowl cut is voluminous, which Steve thinks is a funny view. He has a camera in his hands and is taking pictures of the trees when Steve steps on a twig, and the noise startles them both. The kid looks back and their eyes meet.

He has these tiny eyes, but Steve can see from afar the contrast of how dark brown they are against the boy’s pale skin. He narrows them at Steve, making them almost disappear. He has a sharp jaw and a chin dimple, an almost cartoonishly-drawn cupid bow, and exceedingly pink lips.

Steve only remembers thinking how weird it is, that a boy is so pretty.

He tucks that thought down way in the back of his mind archives.

“Who are you?” the other boy asks, and his voice has that funny husk of puberty to it.

“My name’s Steve. I just moved here, my house is that way through the woods.” Steve points at the general direction of his house, even though he isn’t so sure where it was anymore. “You?”

“I’m Jonathan. I also live nearby,” he says and only then Steve notices that it might have been kind of dumb of him to tell an unknown kid where he lives. Jonathan seems smarter, though, and doesn’t make the same mistake as Steve. “You moved from where?”

“Chicago.”

“Not far.”

“No.”

They keep staring at each other for a while. But Jonathan isn’t squinting at Steve anymore, his posture seems more at ease, and Steve takes that as a sign that he can come closer. He then notices Jonathan’s camera is one of those instant films.

“Those are nice.” Steve points at the revealed films Jonathan was holding. “You like taking pictures?” he asks, and Jonathan nods.

He hands the films over to Steve, and he doesn’t know much about pictures, but he likes Jonathan’s. It’s a clear summer day, no clouds on sight, and so the pictures are well-lit. Jonathan captured some funny-looking trees, a few beautiful flowers, even a squirrel going up on a trunk.

“They look good,” Steve compliments, and again thinks about Jonathan looking pretty once he blushes at the praise. And again Steve tucks that thought into a hidden mind spot.

Jonathan suddenly lifts his hands holding the camera and takes a picture of Steve. They both laugh when the film clears and Steve is captured looking startled, eyes huge and mouth half-open. Jonathan tucks the picture into his back pocket.

They wander through the woods together after that. Jonathan takes a few more pictures before putting away the films and letting the camera hang from a strap around his neck. They talk a lot too, getting to know each other. Steve had just turned fifteen late July, and Jonathan was going to turn fourteen in November. Steve was going to start High School in this new town, Jonathan was going to start his final year of Middle School. Steve is an only child, Jonathan has a younger brother. Steve likes sports, Jonathan doesn’t. Steve likes the poppy tunes on the radio, Jonathan likes weird European rock bands that Steve had never heard about. They had basically nothing in common, and yet Steve wants nothing more than to be Jonathan’s friend.

“I have a few of those films back home. My uncle gave me one of these cameras last year but I don’t use it at all. I could give them to you if you want them?” Steve doesn’t lie when he offers. He really doesn’t use the cameras, and Jonathan clearly will.

“Are you sure?” Jonathan asks, carefully excited.

Steve nods with enthusiasm. “Sure! They gotta be put to good use!”

And so they agree to meet at the woods again the next day, near that big facility Steve had seen earlier, and Steve will bring the films and see Jonathan once more. He barely sleeps that night thinking about it, not really understanding his weird reaction, but plays it off as excitement for his first new friend in the new town, even if they weren’t going to share classes or anything. He didn’t have many friends back in Chicago, and he wants to change that. Jonathan is a good start.

That was day one.

They spend every day after that together over the rest of the summer. Steve’s father doesn’t notice his absence, since he works all week at the office he opened downtown, and he works all weekend at the office in the house. His mother goes out some days too, but she doesn’t seem to mind Steve’s absence as well after he explains he met a nice neighbor his age, and doesn’t pry about it as well. Steve likes that she respects his privacy.

Steve and Jonathan talk about everything. Jonathan doesn’t like sports and especially hates baseball because it’s his father’s favorite, but doesn’t seem to mind when Steve talks about basketball. Steve understands why Jonathan likes those obscure European bands once he borrows a tape and actually gets to kinda liking them too. Jonathan takes other pictures of Steve and keeps them all, and Steve convinces Jonathan to take a picture of them together and Jonathan lets Steve keep that one.

Steve has had crushes before, he knows what they feel like. Kristine B. Williams was his first one, back in third grade, and he remembered the butterflies. Betty Turner, on fifth, and the way she smiled at him and his cheeks burned. Sarah Wells on seventh and the way it felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. Laura O’Neil on eight and how he would sweat so much when she looked at him and he hated it, but she didn’t seem to care about his wet palms when she held his hands at the Winter Ball last year.

He never got to kiss any of them, always too nervous about it, but he remembers how much he wanted to.

His mom swooned when he told her about Laura O’Neil and their hand-holding and shared dance, and his father looked proud and said something about how Steve’s good looks would get him famous at High School before he found the perfect girl to marry.

Matty Boswell said he didn’t want to kiss Sharon Blake at her fourteenth birthday party and the rest of Steve’s classmates called him a weird word. When Steve asked his parents about it, his mom said that it was a bad word about bad people. Steve’s father said they were deprived, those men who liked men and women who liked women.

Steve feels dirty when he notices that through summer —  through all of their afternoons talking and listening to music and taking pictures and sometimes just laying in the grass together; he notices that the way he feels when thinking about Jonathan is the same as he felt with Kristine, Betty, Sarah, Laura. He remembers how his first thought when he saw Jonathan was how pretty he looked, how weird that was. He remembers the way his father spat out that word with so much hatred. And yet he can’t help the butterflies, the blushes, the fast-beating heart, the sweats. He can’t help how much he wants to kiss Jonathan every time they see each other.

“Have you ever kissed anyone?” he asks one day during the last week of summer, on impulse because the sun is hitting Jonathan’s face in a way that makes him look like something from a movie, the ones Steve’s mom likes to watch. Steve wants to take a picture, but he doesn’t have Jonathan’s talent for it. It wouldn’t look as good as the real sight.

“No, not really,” Jonathan answers.

“Never wanted to?” Steve asks again, toying with his shoelaces and not looking at his friend.

They had gone further south this time and ended up at a lake, Steve isn’t sure which one it is. They are sitting on a high rock with a privileged view of the water.

“No, not really,” Jonathan repeats, and Steve sees from his peripheral vision that Jonathan is already staring at him. “Not until recently.”

Steve’s heart is so beating so fast he’s afraid he’s going to pass out. He gathers  the courage to look back at Jonathan, and he has that pretty blush across his cheeks again. The sunbeams highlight some locks of his hair into a more golden shade, and Steve wants to tuck them behind Jonathan’s ear.

Steve remembers the disgust in his father’s voice.

Steve feels the butterflies throwing a party inside his stomach.

“Jonathan?” Steve simply calls his name, afraid to ask the actual question.

“Have you ever kissed someone?” Jonathan counters.

“No,” Steve answers.

“Never wanted to?”

“A few times, some girls back in Chicago,” his voice is faltering, and Jonathan’s voice is steady, and he looks much bigger than he is and Steve feels much smaller.

“Girls?” Jonathan asks, as if Steve is the weird one for wanting to kiss girls. “No one recently?”

Jonathan is asking the brave questions. Steve wants to be that brave.

When summer had just started and the Harringtons had just moved in, Steve had ventured and explored that weird creepy forest in his backyard and found a pretty boy there waiting for him. He had pink cheeks and lips, a chin dimple, a hideous bowl cut, and a puberty husk in his voice that sometimes made Steve laugh and sometimes gave Steve good goosebumps. He blossomed a weird creepy feeling in Steve’s chest, a forest full of butterflies inside his belly, and Steve wants to be brave enough to venture and explore those as well.

Summer is almost at its end and Steve drinks from Jonathan’s braveness.

“Recently, yes. There’s this boy,” his voice is still faltering and he still feels small, but he answers anyway.

The blush on Jonathan’s cheeks intensifies and it is worth it.

“A boy?” he asks and Steve nods, head bobbing up and down way more times than necessary.

He stops playing with his shoelaces and instead plants his palm right beside Jonathan’s on the rock they are sitting in. His pinky brushes Jonathan’s pinky, and he feels a wave of electric current through his body, like nothing he’d ever felt before.

“Do you think this boy wants to kiss me too?” Steve asks once again because that electric shock makes him even braver and Jonathan’s smile is worth it.

“I think he does.” And so he did.

They both surge forward and meet in the middle. Just a touch of lips, a chaste thing, but it is warm and it is soft and Steve has goosebumps and butterflies and he feels as if he could defy gravity and soar away. The only thing keeping him on the ground is Jonathan’s pinky intertwined with his and Jonathan’s soft, wet lips on his.

As they separate, Steve’s cheeks are burning and he sure looks just as pink as Jonathan does in front of him. They both smile, Steve wide and toothy, Jonathan with his shy little smirk. The sun is starting to set and it casts a golden light onto them and Steve wishes his eyes were a camera, capturing every moment.

That was kiss one.

Days keep coming and going, and they keep spending them together and Steve never wants the summer to end because he won’t be able to see Jonathan every day, not at school and not at their forest — Steve knows his parents will be more strict about school’s duties once he has them.

But Steve rejoices in the last days of summer anyways, and he admires Jonathan’s golden highlights under the sunbeams, and how he isn’t as pale as he was when they first met because the sun kisses his skin a little more golden too every day. And Steve kisses his lips a little more pink too every day.

They still venture and explore sometimes, but mostly they’d sit under a big old hickory tree (Jonathan tells Steve it’s a hickory tree, Steve knows nothing about trees), exchange cassettes and comic books, talk about their favorite movies — Jonathan likes horrors, Steve likes action — or just sit next to each other in silence.

And sometimes they just kiss all afternoon.

It never goes far, they don’t want to, don’t even think about it. They just caress each other’s faces, Jonathan’s cheeks always so pink and warm, and sometimes their tongues brush against each other’s and that electric wave goes up to a million watts, and Steve never felt happier. Whatever it is with Jonathan, and maybe it’s because he actually got to kiss him, but it’s much stronger than whatever he had ever felt for Kristine, Betty, Sarah or Laura.

Steve never wants the summer to end, but it’s ending anyway.

“I’m scared about High School. Moving cities was so weird, and I don’t know anyone in Hawkins besides you and you won’t even be there,” Steve murmurs on their last full day together before school starts. Their backs against the hickory tree, their pinkies intertwined just like after that first kiss and every kiss after that, and Jonathan squeezes his finger tighter.

“You’re a nice guy, Steve. You just gotta be yourself and you’ll find friends. And next year I’ll be there and we can hang out together too,” Jonathan assures him and Steve saves those words to repeat to himself later.

“You think I’m a nice guy?” he smirks at Jonathan and the other boy huffs. “I think you kinda like me…” he bumps their shoulders and that earns him an actual laugh. The butterflies are having a party. They always do, when Jonathan’s near.

“You’re a dork,” Jonathan says.

Sun is almost setting and that’s their cue. They share another chaste kiss, Steve’s butterflies go crazy again, and they part ways.

Steve walks a good bunch of steps before he looks back, as he always does. Jonathan is looking right back at him, as he always is.

“Don’t get some new friends and forget about me,” Jonathan yells and the trees carry the sound to Steve.

“I could never!” Steve yells back.

They wave at each other and follow their paths.

They don’t see each other much through September, because Steve has to study twice as hard to understand the subjects and keep his grades at a level his father can be proud of. He also joins basketball team and the practices take some space off his free time. On one of the only days they get to see each other, Jonathan explains that he’s having problems at home as well, his dad’s an asshole and his parents fight all the time.

They are only able to see each other once a week at most, and sometimes when there are too many tests and projects due, or an important game, Steve can’t meet Jonathan under their hickory tree. He always apologizes later when they finally see each other, and Jonathan always forgives him because he bets that High School is harder than Middle.

Steve doesn’t forget about Jonathan, though, he could never. He thinks about him every day, and he misses him every day, and when they meet up they make plans together.

They plan on going trick or treating together on Halloween at the fancy neighborhood — Loch Nora, Steve thinks that’s the name — but Steve’s father has no time to take him all the way across town and he says, “Steven, you’re too old for that children’s nonsense anyway.”

They plan on having their own Thanksgiving picnic — the day after the actual holiday, of course — but Steve’s mom doesn’t let him out and she says, “we are supposed to spend the whole weekend together as a family, Steven!”

They plan on meeting during winter break and maybe exchanging gifts — “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, Steve, I know your folks are rich, it can be something handmade” — but Steve’s parents take him with them when they travel to Illinois to see their family.

Steve’s and Jonathan’s plans never go right and they never get to see each other after October. Steve even misses Jonathan’s birthday in November, and he cries silently in his room after his parents are asleep. Steve doesn’t forget about Jonathan, though, he could never. He thinks about him every day, and he misses him every day, and he can’t wait for the new year to come, bring a new wave of Freshmen into High School, Jonathan along with them. Steve’s butterflies have parties only thinking about it.

That was year one.