#Not Steve though Steve can’t let anyone win he just can’t

[your-unfriendlyghost]

arm wrestling

Steve s o r t a wants to let Evie win, just once, but he’s too competitive for that

He may love Soda and Evie but when it comes to arm wrestling they get no mercy

[occamstfs]

Diet Diaries

Hi all! Thank you so much for 500 followers! Here's a little style switch up to celebrate, got a lotta refs in this one and I quite leaned into the diary entries so I hope it's not too much! Hope y'all enjoy this stereotype reversal and as always, best! -Occam

Monday March 21st-

Andy:

I am beyond sick of Steve. Moving in together was a mistake, I don’t care how cheap the rent is, he is a narcissistic slob and I am eager to never see him again. Well no, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. Our R.A. had this idea to try and walk in each other's shoes, which I don’t know? It might not be the worst thing? My big idea was switching diets actually- honestly I’m just hoping if he ate more like me he’ll stop stinking up the dorm. I can dream at least. Literally though he just can’t go to the gym as often if he eats like me. If I'm lucky at the very least his deodorant will last longer, I cannot take another day of his b.o. seeping through the walls, ugh! Anyway, wish me luck! I’m sure this will be a breeze for me, he usually just eats junk anyway, hope he enjoys my salads~

Steve:

Andy that little fucker. He was being such a little bitch to James and now I’ve gotta eat his rabbit food for a week or lose this bet or whatever. Steve don’t lose tho. Lil twink’s gotta eat whatever I make him too and you can bet your ass I’m gonna make him match my macros if I’ve gotta starve myself like he wants. Fuck! This shit is going to absolutely tank my routine! I’ve gotta make Andy give up. I’m gonna go so hard on him he’ll have to hit weights if he doesn't want to blow up like a pig. Maybe then he’ll stop bitching any time I don’t fucking shower every time I get back home. 

Tuesday March 22nd-

Andy:

My Lord! He is trying to kill me! I don’t know how anyone could consistently eat as much as he’s telling me to. I’m so bloated from all this food.. He looks so smug every time he tells me to keep eating, I’m sure he doesn’t eat like this. He’s just trying to break me but I’m not going to let him win this easy.

Ugh, I feel so bloated my pants are so tight on my waist. I didn’t think meat sweats were a thing but man I am needing to put on deodorant like twice a day now and I’m not even exercising. I will say that now that I’m eating so much, I don’t hate the idea of going to the gym. It’s been a while since I went but I should probably at least hit up the treadmill lest I get even more of a gut- maybe I’ll see if he wants to go tomorrow. This is all just an exercise to understand each other more after all, no need to make it a stupid competition like he wants eh~

Steve:

Fuck! I am so tired of Andy’s pussy-ass diet. I had absolutely no energy at the gym today, I told all my bros that I was just gonna take it easy but fuck! I really was working my ass off and I struggled to even meet a PR I set last week. It was supposed to be a push day and I didn’t even get a chest pump! Why the fuck am I still going. I’m abso-fucking-lutely not getting gains on his fuckin’ bitch-ass salads and oats.

Eatin’ like a fucking twink and the fucker has the nerve to ask to go to the gym with me tomorrow. I’ll make sure he regrets that >:) Gonna work him like a horse so he’ll throw in the towel! After feeling how sore actually working on yourself makes ya, he might actually learn something. I’ll turn in early so I can go all out and show him what a real man looks like.

Wednesday March 23rd-

Andrew:

Man! I totally get why Steven eats so much now~ I am absolutely raring to go and get this; He said I could go to the gym with him today! He even seemed like he wanted me to go with him! I feel like I have more energy than I’ve ever had before, I might even try some weights!! I don’t know but I’m so excited! It’s like I can feel my chest and biceps begging me to go and hit some iron haha! Or whatever those “bros” say~ I hope he’s got something good planned for lunch because I fuck Sorry! I just want to show him that I can do all this dude stuff too! I’m a man right? I guess all this protein is making me feel more like a man than usual idk. Either way though I’m ready to go! Hope we have some fun!

Steven:

That bitch’s fuckin’ fru fru salads are ruining my PR’s for sure! I bet he knew that when he begged me to take him to the gym today, knew it was the only time he could show off to me was when I’m so out of it. And he didn't! Just to be clear I could still wipe the floor with  him even if I’m not at my A-game. Ugh, I do gotta hand it to the little fucker though. I KNOW he hasn’t even really set foot in a gym before but man. Beginners luck my ass, as soon as I showed him a technique he lifted like he’s been doing it his whole life! It’s like I could see his pecs and tris swelling up with each lift. Not that I was staring at the bitch or anything but he’s just I just need this fuckin’ diet thing to end so I can get back to my grind, I guess I wouldn’t hate taking him to the gym more often, would be hot to make a bitch into a bro Fuck! What am I writing, I just need to lift again.

Thursday March 24th-

Andrew: 

Bro! Weird? Whatever, I am absolutely on fire! Steven’s diet is absolutely killer! I don’t know how it’s working so well but man I couldn’t care less, I felt like a pro in there! My coaches in school would always shit on me for not trying but man! I was barely trying yesterday but I could tell from the look on Steven’s face that I was acing it! I guess I’ll have to admit to him that he is definitely onto something with his macros but man, not until he gives up haha! Man, I need to chill haha, it’s not like I’m any stronger than I was Monday but man, looking at myself in the mirror it just seems like my clothes are just fitting better. Catching on my chest rather than my stomach y’know? I’ve never noticed that there is muscle on my arms before but man the way my sleeves are kinda hugging my biceps mm. I need to chill haha! Can’t use all my energy before hitting the gym again today!

OH! Also totally weird, I’ve had to shave twice this week! Once last night and then again this morning which is so weird! I’m not complaining though, it’s not like I wouldnt look hot with a beard right? Although my face is a little itchy already, my chest too? Whatever though haha! Time to head back to the grind lol!

Steven:

God!! Andy Andrew is being such an asshole! He’s clogging the sink shaving which I know he would so be on my ass if I had done that. Wait, he did get on my ass for shaving! But it hasn’t been a problem this week, it’s like I’m not even growing stubble for some reason? Probably from not working so hard at the gym, is that how that works? Whatever it’ll be over as soon as this stupid diet thing is. We’re halfway through now. Thank God! Because that fucking twink is starting to stink up the dorm which again!! He was such a little bitch all the time to me about that! It’s like he’s literally stopped using deodorant as soon as he started needing it! He’s never exerted himself in his life and now that his pits are sweating at all he’s suddenly allergic to hygiene, ugh! I saw last night too the fucker fell asleep with his head in his pit too so it’s not like he doesn’t know it. 

It was a little surprising actually, cause I would’ve sworn he was hairless like one of those freak cats but man his pit was as thick as my pubes! Thicker maybe, uh? Man I wish I could get that image out of my head, it’s like the tuft was pushing out further each time he inhaled, man that’s kinda hot? Fuck! I swear this twink-ass diet is making me think like him too. I need to sneak to the gym later, without him. I cannot have him getting ahead even while I’m still on his chickenshit diet.

Friday March 25th-

Steven:

Ah!! That Little bitch! He was already at the gym when I got there! Ugh! It makes me want to punch a wall, or fight him. Or something I dont know! It’s just, he was lifting my body weight on the bench when he saw me, it was so ho ugh! It doesn’t matter what it was, I can’t stop thinking of that smug look on his face- what I would give to wipe it off… That absolute prick knew what he was doing. Ugh, speaking of pricks! He may as well have not been wearing shorts at all by how much his cock was showing through them.

I knew my meal prepping was fucking tight but man, I can’t believe hot its made him. It just really fucking turns me on, or no its such a turn on for chicks. Yeah. Whatever. I need this bet to end already. Clearly he’s totally obsessed with my lifestyle so he should just admit it already! Also, hate to say it, but to Andrew’s credit his diet ain't too bad either. I’d never tell him this, and it is all a little emasculating but my skin has never looked this good. I’m not even doing skincare or anything but it’s like I’ve been on a routine for years, it’s crazy! It’s still ruining my upper gains but man, my ass looks so good it's crazy..

Oh also re: facial hair, I woke up this morning and could’ve sworn I used to have chest hair but now it looks like I’ve got just a little left around my nipples and leading up from my pubes? I might go ahead and shave those too, might as well be totally smooth like a chick right haha, I wonder what Andrew would think? I need to chill haha, maybe I’ll go see if he’s still at the gym~

Andrew:

Fuuuuck dude lol. I should’ve started hitting up the gym ages ago. Don’t know what I was even wasting time on before I started doing twice-a-days? Studying I guess but I can figure that shit stuff out hm. Fuck it is so much better to be strong than a dweeb. Every set it feels like I’m just busting out new PR’s! Gonna need to buy new clothes though cause I am absolutely tearing up my crop tops, my twinky little wardrobe just isn’t cutting it anymore. Maybe Steven’d be down for a clothes swap, I’ve seen him eying up my fits all week, god knows he’ll fit them better lol. Oh haha, and speaking of him eying things up >:) You should’ve seen his little face blush when he walked into the gym this morning! He looked so pissed at me lol, but I’m not gonna grab him to come along every time I need to get some sets in right? It was pretty embarrassing for him yesterday anyway, the way I showed him up lol. I’m not just gonna sit around and watch him not lift weights when I can figure this shit out myself, thought it was supposed to be his thing though lol.

Mm, saying that though, I def didn’t hate having a little audience from his treadmill. God, his blushing face as he stared directly at my work-out chub. Fuck, it really got me going. It really helped my sets too haha. Maybe I should hit him up lol, I can tell how bad he wants me >:)

Saturday March 26th-

Stevie:

Ugh! That douche is walking around the dorm completely shirtless! Do you know what it’s like to have an oaf flexing away across the room from you 24/7! He knows what he’s doing, and thank god my dick isn’t showing through my shorts like I thought it usually does because he might literally pounce on me then-

Ugh! I didn’t even mention this morning. I literally woke up to him jacking off his morning wood! Do you know what a bitch-fit he would have thrown if I did that! He would’ve filed a police report, probably the dweeb, or. I guess I could too?? But it was just so fucking hot. I tried to pretend I was asleep, but he totally caught me. He literally smirked and made eye contact as he finished too- thank god he didn’t see my boner as he asked if I wanted to clean up his mess. He’s such an ass! 

I still have a boner now actually, it’s his B.O. driving me actually crazy! It’s like I can’t think near him if he’s going to stink this bad god.. Oh, he’s doing pullups on the door frame fuck. He’s supposed to be hairless but I see sweat dripping from his pits god I can't. God with each pull up his chest looks even more powerful. His cock is bobbing up and down in his pants and I can not look away. Fuck it’s getting even bigger. I’m supposed to be the strong one right? It’s not, fuck. This isn’t right. He just so fucking, god that body, I need him-

And Drew:

Heh. I knew that fucking twink couldn’t resist me. Every little thing I do wraps him even tighter around my finger. Every flex and smirk turns him on even more I bet he can’t even think straight the way his little dick is losing it in his briefs- I took all his jocks since I’m sure he would need them anymore. Bet the little bitch didn’t even remember they were his.  

Might as well have been drooling when he saw me jacking my cock this morning lol, surprised he didn’t take me up on the offer to lick up the mess. I know he wanted to lol. He’ll get the chance soon enough though >:) God it’s a two-way street though. That fucking twink is so fuckable now, thank god he doesn’t need to shave anymore, don’t want his peachfuzz scratching my cock cause god that mouth is so fuckable now.. To say nothing of his fucking juicy ass, god! I’ve been working out in the room all morning waiting for him to give in and ask me to fuck him, idk if I can hold it in much longer. I might need to jack it again, my balls are bluer than I ever thought they could be, fuck. It’s like they're sore. Ugh I feel them getting heavier, heh, that little fucker cant resist though. God I feel precum starting to pool in my jock. If I put my pit within a foot of his face I give him five before he can’t help but shove his face in. I need to fuck him, but as if I’m going to let him see how desperate I am. Stevie that little fucker. He’ll be riding my cock any second now.

Sunday March 27th-

Stevie:

Fuck <3 !! He finally fucked me!! God, it was like nothing I’ve experienced before~ His cock was like a beer can and goddd the scratch of his beard as we were making out.. Hehe if I keep thinking about him I might just cum again right now! He can fully toss my body like a ragdoll and I’d thank him ugh! He’s just so hot, and to think he wants to fuck me!! Ah~ I’ll need to keep myself pretty so he won’t get tired of me hehe! Not that it’ll be a problem, I just need to keep on his diet, God who knew it would be this good! I don’t even remember whatever problems we had before all this and I can’t imagine anything better than getting fucked by him <3 Ah! He he~ He’s staring at my ass right now so I guess it’s time for another round! Can’t thank our R.A. enough for this idea, well he he I’ve got an idea for how to thank him, oh! Drew’s ripped off his jock! Wish me luck he he~

Drew:

My little bitch is so tight, fuck. I’m surprised he can even take my cock but god can he ride it. Gonna have a hard time taking a break from fucking him to even hit the gym. Need to make sure the twink keeps up the diet tho or we’ll have an issue. Be sure to make him come to the gym whenever I do, if not to tighten up then to watch me heh. Won’t hate fucking him in the locker room too. Mm, God his fucking tiny body makes me feel so powerful. And I fucking am. God my bis are the size of his thick thighs, fuck his ass. My cock is straining my jock just thinking about it. His tiny waist ugh, I need my sweaty body over him now. Not like he’ll mind, the horny fucker. Mmm hope he’s ready to take my cock, bet his mouth is already watering heh. Pop my pecs at him and he’ll struggle not to cum on the spot, he better keep it together until I let him though. Can’t be having my bitch blow his load that fast. Thank fuck he’s chilled out finally, though I guess my cock’ll work wonders on anyone >:) speaking of it’s about that time again. Hope he’s ready for some more action, hate to have to find another hole.

[wheneverfeasible]

Omegaverse AU where Steve presents as an alpha just like his father always wanted, just like everyone expects, just like he was supposed to. He exclusively dates betas, scoffing and saying omegas weren’t good enough for him. He said they were too needy, too annoying, too pathetic. He was an alpha.

He hates it.

The truth is that Steve always wanted to be an omega, always wanted to soft and taken care of, wanted to be pupped up, wanted to avoid the stupid knotheads that he was forced to surround himself with, forced to pretend to be. He never dated an omega because he wants to be one and wants desperately for another alpha to take him as their own.

Enter Eddie, an alpha unlike any other. He scorns alphas like Steve and Tommy and Billy and all the other knotheads who act like they’re so much better than anyone else just because of their secondary gender. He rants on top of cafeteria tables about it, has ever since he presented and actually had the other alphas try to talk to him at first as if he was one of them.

No fucking thank you.

Steve is…not enamored, but curious about the super senior. Nancy broke up with him, he and Tommy are sort of on the outs though still barely friends, and Billy has a one-sided rivalry for the crown Steve currently wore, not that Steve truly cared about it.

Blah blah blah, Steve propositions Eddie after watching him for a while, realizing that Eddie might just be the sort of alpha who would fuck Steve and let him pretend to be an omega for a little while, meanwhile Eddie thinks King Steve wants to start shit with him like a knotheaded alpha and is wary and lightly mocking at first, until he realizes what Steve wants.

Steve and Eddie become fuckbuddies, nothing more, where Steve gets to role play as an omega and have Eddie dominate him, who seems to know that Steve wants to pretend to be cared for rather than playing the slut role he’s been doing as an alpha, and Steve actually breaks down in tears the first time Eddie calls him “good boy” and “good omega” though they both pretend he didn’t.

And you see, bitching isn’t really well known yet. It’s not really a thing that’s spoken about amongst polite society. So neither of them clock it when, as their feelings for each other grow, Steve becomes a little more emotional, a little more irrational in regards to Eddie’s attention, and they use scent blockers and neutralizers all the time to keep their affairs secret, so they don’t notice Steve’s scent changing, or the fact that he’s starting to become more than just artificially wet, or his knot doesn’t really pop like it used to because they both steadfastly had ignored it for so long to play the role right.

And it’s just not known. It’s not something that’s really spoken about, so they’d never think about it.

So no, they don’t notice anything until it’s too late, until it happens, and Steve is suddenly thrown into a spontaneous heat after an intense basketball game or something, the final stages of his transition. There was too much sweating, too much testosterone, that the blockers and neutralizers don’t really cut it anymore.

Billy makes the winning shot as the heat hits, making Steve’s legs collapse under him as slick coats his drawers and shorts, dripping down his thighs. All alpha heads suddenly towards him as his new true scent bursts out, surprise on all their faces, even hunger on some.

Billy and Tommy both take a step towards him but are forced to stop by a growl that reverberates through Steve as if it were his own as the familiar scent hits him of blockers and tobacco and weed and leather and that stupid cheap shampoo/conditioner/body wash 3-in-1 that Eddie uses as strong arms wrap around him and dark hair cascades around him.

Because he’s there. His alpha. He’s always there, hiding in the corner or under bleachers or somewhere where Steve can’t see him and he’s always there because this stupid thing between them has become so much more than either of them ever expected and he’s so protective of his omega because Steve is his omega even when he was an alpha because he was always an omega even when he wasn’t biologically.

It isn’t ideal. It far from fucking ideal, but Eddie whisks Steve away in his arms, whispering those words of praise that used to only belong in their role play, but Steve is burning up and he can’t wait can’t wait can’t wait can’t wait can’twaitcan’twaitcan’tfuckingwait—

And Eddie pulls him into classroom, locks and bars the door with desks and chairs and whatever else, and then he’s there he’s there he’stherehe’stherehe’sthere.

Eddie wants to bite, wants to mark, wants to claim, but he knows now isn’t the time so all he does is help Steve through it while he’s all but delirious from the sudden heat rewriting him completely.

Afterwards, they will talk. They will confess. They will admit. They will acknowledge that they were his alpha, his omega, and had been for longer than either of them realized. They will slink to Eddie’s car, go to Eddie’s trailer, will wash off all scents artificial and other until the them, finally just them and they will find the truth in each other. They will find a love that thrived against all odds. A love that beat fate itself.

Eddie does eventually bite him, and Steve completes it with his own, and eventually Steve gets his and his alpha’s pups like he always wanted and he can bask in the knowledge that he was exactly where he was always meant to be, with an alpha that loves and cherishes him exactly as he is, with a pack both of his own pups and the pups he all but adopted as their babysitter and real friends he gathered along the way he never thought he would be lucky enough to have.

It’s not easy at first. Of course it’s not. Something practically unheard of happened in a small conservative town like Hawkins. There were bigots and hateful people galore, and at times it even tested Steve and Eddie, but they always survived and always came out on the other side hand-in-hand and triumphant in their growing love.

They know that the best things in life are worth fighting for. And they vowed to never stop fighting. For themselves, for each other, and for everyone and everything they hold dear.

And they have fantastic sex along the way.

[lovebugism]

Play wrestling with bff Steve and getting giggly when he just straight up manhandles you 😭😭😭

✶ ┄ SORE LOSER !

summary: steve harrington doesn't like to let you win until he realizes how good it feels to lose. pairing: best friend!steve harrington / f!reader word count: 1.6k warnings: a lil bit suggestive towards the end, but nothing crazy a/n: i got super carried away with this lol i kinda just took this request and ran with it and well... here we are :) enjoy!

Steve never lets you win. 

He thinks it’s letting you off too easy.

The boy’s competitive to a fault. He can’t stomach a loss, even if it’s in something as meaningless as a carnival game you only wanted to play for the giant dinosaur plushie that’s half the size of you. 

He always ends up giving it to you when he inevitably wins, wearing a big smug smile on his pretty, pink lips. You take it from him with a pout. The childlike scowl is quelled only by the funnel cake he buys you after.

It doesn’t matter what it is — a game of monopoly, trivia questions on the ends of popsicle sticks, taking in the groceries — Steve finds a way to make all of it competitive. He wants to have the most fake money and little fake properties, he wants to shout the answer before anyone else can, he wants to carry more heavy plastic bags than everyone else. Just to say that he did it.

If you put this much effort into school, you’d be in college right now, Harrington, you’d tease.

Not my fault you’re a sore loser, he’d retort. I’ll let you win the next one, sunshine. Promise.

He never does.

You and Steve play-wrestle like a couple of kids. It usually comes out of nowhere. You’ll make fun of him, he’ll shove at you, and you’ll shove back harder. Then it just turns into a game of who’s stronger than who — and it’s always him. Obviously. 

You try your hardest to prove your strength, pushing at him with nimble fists and wriggling something fierce in his hold, but you come out red-faced with a participation ribbon laced within his taunts. And even though he’s got several inches on you and quite a bit more muscle, he never lets you win. Ever.

He manhandles you, perhaps a little too rough at times, but it wasn’t like he had to be kind to you. You weren’t dating or anything, you were best friends — this is what a couple of pals do, right?

They play fight on the carpet of the other’s movie room after being told their closest confidant would murder them in a game of fuck, marry, kill between Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. with zero hesitation.

Friends totally force the other onto the ground by grabbing at the bottoms of their thighs before kneeling over them, wrenching their wrists in their grip and pressing their hands to the ground on either their head.

It’s the definition of being best buds. Truly.

For the first time, you manage to get the better of him. You’re pressed beneath his weight, breathing heavy and rapidly tiring, and you wave the white flag of surrender.

Just when Steve's letting you up and swiping a hand through his mussed hair, you force him onto his back and straddle his waist — like he always did to you — and giggle with mirth at the idea of finally beating him.

He doesn’t find a similar enthusiasm in it, though. His tune changes almost immediately.

You beam down at him, the words of a taunt on the tip of your tongue, and you notice how his cheeks flare pink. His honey-colored eyes widen and his mouth falls softly agape. He glows red in embarrassment and you think he’s just upset that he lost, but he sounds like he’s panicking. The words rush out of his mouth — “Alright, shit, fine— you win, sunshine. Get off, alright? Off, off, off.” 

His hand swats at the side of your knee to hurry you off him.

“Alright, jeez!” you concede with the roll of your eyes, halfway annoyed that he just can’t let you win anything. “You don’t have to be such a sore loser about it, Harrington—”

You understand his haste in that moment, when you feel him brush your inner thigh. Like, all of him — as in, the boner trapped in the sweatpants he’s wearing, all rock hard and raging in its cotton confines.

Suddenly, you’re just as bashful and panicked as he is. 

Your eyes lock at the rock hard realization but neither of you can think of anything to say.

Do you apologize? Do you act like you didn’t feel anything? Do you trust your voice to make a stupid joke so you can move on and forget any of this ever happened? You’re not quite sure.

And in the five-second silence, Steve just wants to die. Internally, he’s praying for a strike of lightning to take him out on the spot because he’s never been more embarrassed in his life.

He’s certain that he’s grossed you out, or worse, made you irreversibly uncomfortable.

In the mess of thoughts running through his head, he tries to rush out some apology that might soothe the awkward air. Your laughter does all the work for him before he can.

It bubbles like sunshine from your mouth, filling the silence and allowing Steve to breathe again. He finds himself chuckling under his breath with you, though he’s still red-faced about it.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep laughing, sunshine,” he chides with the roll of his eyes, though a smile hints at the edges of his mouth. He rises on his elbows to look at you. “What was I supposed to do? Your tits were in my face and your ass was on my dick— sorry for being human!”

“Sorry, alright? I’m sorry,” you manage through hearty giggles. You settle finally at his side and look over at him, still grinning. “Want me to leave so you can… take care of it or whatever?”

He knows you’re joking but he shakes his head anyway. “Nah, it’ll go away. Let’s just… finish this stupid movie.”

“Stupid movie? You picked it!”

“Yeah, so I could see Kelly Lebrock in a bikini!” he argues back, more thankful for the familiar bickering than he ever thought he’d be. “But you made me miss it!”

“It’s not my fault you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

“Watch it, sunshine,” he grumbles, half-heatedly. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

“I think you’re the one who needs to worry about finishing, Harrington,” you joke and giggle when he shoves you.

You would’ve helped him, if he wanted you to. You know it’s uncomfortable and that it’s partially your fault. You also know that all of those are just excuses to cover up the fact that you’ve always wondered what his cock looks like.

He’d need only ask you, but you know that he won’t.

Even if he did like you in that way, it’d just make things all complicated. And that was totally the opposite of the effortless relationship you’ve developed with him. The kind of effortless where he can be rock hard next to you, and you’ve both decided to just move on from it.

Steve, meanwhile, spends the rest of the movie not watching a single damn minute of it. He’s too busy trying to calm himself down like a teenage boy and figuring out he can get you on top of him again without being too obvious about the whole thing.

He decides he might just start swallowing his pride and let you win sometimes.

[dirtyvulture]

Alpha!Natasha Romanoff x Omega!Fem!Reader

18+ only, read at your own risk

Word count: 2140

Requested by anon: Oh awesome! I'd like to request an abo fic then!

Can I ask for Alpha Natasha x Omega Reader

So, Natasha has always fancied Reader but due to how close Reader is with Steve(hes just a friend. His Alpha insticts just make him very protective for those he cares about) and Natashas inexperience in courting a mate due to that not being a Red Room lesson, she never makes a move.

That all changes at one of Tonys parties though. Steves away on a mission, so when a group of slimy Alphas corner Reader Nat swoops in to save her. They go back to the Alphas room where feelings get admitted and Natasha is able to claim her Omega

I'm sorry if thats too much, got a bit carried away. Hope you like this idea and thanks in advance. Love your work.

AN: Happy ABO April! 

Natasha has to look away when Steve puts his arm around your shoulder in a side-hug and you lean into him and laugh at his joke. She can’t even name the things she would give up to take Steve’s place next to you, to have her arm around you and have you laughing at her joke instead. Even though Steve is a close friend of hers, she has always harbored a near-uncontrollable level of jealousy of him because of how close he was to you.

She knows you hardly look at her when she enters a room and the few moments the two of you have had alone, you’re always painfully professional and cordial with her. But at the end of the day, Natasha doesn’t blame you for it. Steve was a better alpha than her, anyway. She didn’t know the first thing about being someone’s alpha, let alone yours, and didn’t think she would be able to satisfy you with her inexperience and hesitancy.

Tony hosts a party that weekend, but Steve is called out last-minute on a mission. You come in alone, looking a little lost without your partner/alpha by your side. Natasha feels like this is her chance to make a move with you, but ultimately, her insecurities win out and she stays by the bar, miserably slamming vodka shots and wondering if she’ll ever be good enough for anyone.

You hadn’t expected to attend Tony’s party solo. Steve was your best friend, surprising you with how well you got along with someone who was old enough to be your grandpa, but he had been nothing but kind and respectful to you. You trusted him with your life and kept no secrets from him, but you didn’t see him as a romantic partner.

There was someone else you wanted, but they always seemed so shy around you, you were beginning to lose hope that anything could ever happen with them.

You find an empty corner in the table and sip a glass of wine, not interested in casual socialization with anyone tonight. You weren’t even sure why you still came when Steve texted you that he was being called to work, but you felt it would be rude to not show up with a legitimate excuse.

“Hey, Y/N.” 

You look up as a man slides into the seat across from you. His hair is greasy with gel and his eyes tell you that he’s already a few drinks into the night. There are two friends that stand next to your table, effectively preventing you from just getting up and excusing yourself. You feel your heartbeat pound faster in your chest.

“Where’s your alpha?” the greasy-haired man asks.

“My what?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb with us now.” The man laughs, prompting his friends to do the same. You can’t remember ever seeing any of them before, but Tony invites anyone that knows his name, so you can’t narrow down where they might’ve come from at all.

“So you thought you’d come to Stark’s party in hopes that another alpha would come by and claim you?” the man snickers. 

“I don’t belong to anyone,” you assert, standing up as the man’s two friends step towards you menacingly.

“Not yet,” the man says. “But you know what would be better than being claimed by one alpha? How about three?” He smiles predatorily. 

“Get away from me right now,” you say, your fingers closing tightly around the stem of your wine glass in case you need to smash it over one of their heads.

“Oh, we love a fighter,” the man says. “I hope it’s not just an act--”

“Hey.”

A familiar voice enters the conversation, and you almost melt with relief when you see Natasha Romanoff shove her way between the man’s two friends and offer you her hand. 

“I’ve been looking all over for you. Come on.”

You don’t question where she’s going to take you, just eager to get away from these three creepy alphas. 

“Whoa, whoa, where are you taking--” the man interrupts.

“Shut it,” Natasha warns. “You’re all done here. Now get out before I have my friends escort you out.”

The man looks like he wants to protest, but when he sees Clint and Bruce eyeing them from the corner of the room, he grabs onto his buddies and pushes them towards the exit.

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Natasha asks, taking you to the bar and ordering you a glass of water.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks for that. You didn’t have to,” you say, sipping your water with trembling hands.

“I wasn’t going to just stand there and watch them talk to you like that,” Natasha says, and you’re pretty sure this is the longest conversation you’ve ever had with her. The nerves of talking to your crush and what had just happened start to get to you and you feel yourself begin to sweat under your clothes.

Natasha looks at you with concern. “Y/N, are you--”

“Can we go back upstairs? If you’re okay leaving the party early, that is,” you ask.

She doesn’t hesitate. “Sure.”

You don’t miss the way Natasha keeps her hand on your back as she follows you to the elevators and you both go up to the penthouse where the suites are located. But instead of going to your room, your feet take you to Natasha’s, and she doesn’t protest as you sit down on her bed and make yourself comfortable. Her scent, reminding you of the woods with a hint of vanilla, fills the entire room and you instinctively relax, like sinking into a hot tub. 

Natasha sits next to you, her scent surrounding her like a cloud, and you can barely focus when she hands you a bottle of water.

“Thank you,” you finally say. “Not just for the water, but also what you did at the party.”

Natasha shrugs. “Steve wouldn’t have been happy if something happened to his omega.”

Her words catch you off guard. “Steve’s omega?” you repeat.

Natasha looks at you. “Wait, are you not--”

“Steve and I are just friends,” you clarify, your heart deflating at the thought that Natasha mistook your close friendship for an actual relationship. 

“You two seem very close.”

“We are, but not like that,” you say.

“Oh.” Now Natasha feels dumb. 

“I had my eye on another alpha for a while,” you admit, surprising yourself with your boldness. “But I’m not sure if they’d ever make a move on me.”

It takes Natasha a moment, but when she makes the realization, she gasps audibly and stares at you with wide eyes.

“M-Me?” she stammers, unable to believe that you actually want her.

You nod, biting your lip as you look at her. The overwhelming scent of her room is embarrassingly enough to get you going and you feel the wetness pooling between your legs uncomfortably. 

“Do you want me?” you ask, leaning forward until your heads are inches apart. You feel her hot breath on your lips and the urge to dive forward and kiss her. 

“Since the moment I saw you,” Natasha whispers, surprising herself by taking initiative and closing the distance between you two. Her lips are soft and her lip gloss tastes like coconut. Natasha presses towards you eagerly, her hands closing around your shoulders and gently pressing you to lie down on her bed. “Is this okay?” she asks, now hovering over you.

You swear you’re already gushing at the sight of Natasha on top of you like this. “It’s more than okay,” you assure, tangling your hands in her silky red hair and pulling her in for another kiss. 

Natasha practically devours you and you feel yourself ache with an emptiness you know only she can fill. You open your legs to invite Natasha to lie between them and when you feel the heat of her clothed bulge against your center, you can’t even think anymore.

All you want is Natasha buried deep inside of you, filling with her cum, and claiming you as her omega. 

You break away from the heavy kisses long enough to remove your clothing and Natasha watches you for a moment before scrambling to remove her own. You moan when you touch your panties and realize how soaked through they are and you know Natasha can smell it by the way her eyes widen. 

“Look what you’ve done to me, baby,” you say. “I’m soaking for you.”

“So desperate for me, huh?” Natasha stumbles a little over the dirty talk, but you find it endearing. She pulls down her boxers, her hard cock springing out at an impressive length, the tip red and leaking pre-cum. “Lie back, baby,” she says. “I’ll take care of you.”

Natasha takes her place back on top of you, teasing you by running her cock through your slicked folds. She’s never claimed an omega before and is worried about releasing too early and not being able to satisfy you.

“Fuck, baby, just put it in already,” you beg, the emptiness between your legs almost painful now.

Natasha knows that she won’t be able to deny you much longer. Her cock is throbbing so hard she can’t think of anything else, and after taking your hips in her hands, she lines herself up with your entrance and pushes into you.

Both of you moan at the same time. Natasha is the biggest you’ve ever taken, and while the stretch burns at first, you feel so satisfyingly full you never want her to pull out. You feel complete with her inside of you and when she starts to rock her hips slowly, you claw down her back and hold onto her butt, guiding her to thrust harder.

“Yes, Nat, just like that,” you pant, a moan ripping out of your throat every time her cock rubs through your clenching walls. 

“You feel amazing,” Natasha says, her voice tight as she tries not to explode just yet. The way your pussy grips onto her is unlike anything she’s ever experienced and it’s like your body was made just to fit her. “Fuck, you feel so good, Y/N.”

“You do, too. Don’t stop,” you say, listening to the headboard of the bed slam against the wall with every thrust.

Natasha lowers her head to kiss you passionately, looping her arms under yours to pull you into her so she can penetrate you even deeper. Your pussy spasms around her and she moans against your lips, pistoning her hips harder.

“Mine. You’re all mine,” she growls.

“All yours when you knot me,” you remind her, feeling the swelling at the base of her cock when she pushes her entire length into you. As full as you already feel, you can’t wait for her to knot you and pump her seed into you until your stomach swells. 

“Are you sure?” Natasha pants, slowing her thrusts to control her release. "Are you sure you want this, Y/N?”

“It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted,” you admit.

It’s the only thing Natasha’s ever wanted, too. To claim you and to be able to call you her omega. 

“Okay.” She knows she won’t last much longer and the base of her cock begins to swell. Her thrust become sloppier and you widen your legs so she has room to bury herself all the way. “Oh fuck, Y/N. I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum...”

“Make me yours, Nat,” you beg, digging your nails into her shoulders until you’re sure you’ll draw blood.

With one final thrust that shakes your entire body, Natasha pushes her knot past your entrance and releases her load inside of you. The warmth that fills you is indescribable, and you throw your head back with a moan as Natasha’s cock continues to pulse, shooting ropes of cum deep into your womb. The pressure and fullness is too much and you find your own release at the same time, craning your neck up to clamp your teeth around Natasha’s collarbone and claiming her as she knots you.

Natasha howls at the sting and the delight at you marking her. When she finally stops cumming, she relaxes her weight on top of you and nuzzles your cheek gently. You purr in response, happy to be full of cum and claimed by your alpha. 

The two of you lie like that for a long time, until Natasha’s knot deflates and she can pull out, spilling most of her seed onto the bedsheets. You cling to her, feeling the most satisfied and happy you had ever been in your life.

“Thank you, my alpha,” you whisper, kissing the bite mark on her chest.

“I love you, my omega.”

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[srslyblvck]

the devil you know, avengers

pairing: avengers x fem!reader

synopsis: the avengers seem really desperate as they come to you—the person who went under their skin like no one else to help them win against hydra. while they are walking on eggshells around you, you are having fun causing chaos.

warnings: mentions of y/n (maybe), blood, violence, gore

word count: 3.6k

chapter: 9/?

series masterlist

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ THE AVENGERS WERE GATHERED in the briefing room, the mood tense as Tony finished going over the information they’d just uncovered about Hydra’s “Project Eclipse.”

“So, let me get this straight,” Sam said, rubbing his temples. “They’re planning to shut down the country’s infrastructure, unleash a virus, and mind-control half the population?”

“That’s about the gist of it,” Natasha replied, her tone dry. “And let’s not forget the sleeper agents waiting to dismantle everything from the inside.”

“It’s like a supervillain starter pack,” you muttered, crossing your arms. “All they’re missing is a volcano lair and a maniacal laugh.”

Tony snorted, though his expression remained grim as he glanced at Bruce and Steve. “And it’s not just theoretical anymore. They’re ready to go operational. We’re running out of time.”

Just then, FRIDAY’s voice came through, unusually tense. “Sir, I’m detecting an unauthorized breach in the tower’s security system.”

Before anyone could respond, the hum of machinery filled the room, and then, without warning, a swarm of Hydra drones smashed through the windows, glass shattering everywhere. The air filled with the high-pitched whine of energy weapons as the drones opened fire, and everyone dove for cover.

“Everyone down!” Steve shouted, raising his shield just in time to deflect a burst of energy aimed at Natasha.

“Drones? Seriously?” you shouted over the noise. “How unoriginal.”

“Let’s save the commentary for later,” Tony snapped, already halfway into his suit as his helmet clicked into place. “FRIDAY, release their cuffs.”

Your cuffs fell away with a soft click, and the familiar rush of power surged through you, shadows pooling at your feet, ready and waiting. “Now we’re talking.”

The fighting was relentless, and the drones kept coming. They moved in coordinated waves, almost as if they were responding to every attack the team threw at them.

FRIDAY’s voice broke through the chaos. “Sir, the drones are downloading sensitive files at an alarming rate. They’ve gained access to every file in the Stark Industries database—including your personal archives.”

“Which means,” Clint shouted from across the room as he fired a well-placed arrow into a drone, “they’re not just getting info on our missions—they’re getting everything. Everything about us.”

“Fantastic,” you quipped, shadows darting around as you shot down another drone. “So, what, we’re just an open book for Hydra now? This day just keeps getting better.”

The team fought on, each member taking down drones as they could, but no matter how many they destroyed, more seemed to pour in through every broken window and crevice.

Steve managed to shield a group of you from a blast, his face tense. “We can’t keep this up. These things aren’t stopping.”

One of the drones locked onto you, its targeting laser tracing a line across your chest. Just as you prepared to move, a metal arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you to the ground. A blast sizzled over your head, close enough that you felt the heat.

“Careful,” he muttered, his gaze lingering on you for a split second before he turned back to fire at the drone.

You blinked, taken aback but grateful, only managing a quick nod before you launched back into the fray. The drones swarmed relentlessly, their energy blasts filling the air with heat and light.

Finally, Tony shouted, “We’re outmatched here! We need to fall back. Now!”

Steve nodded, his shield deflecting another blast as he signaled to the team. “Everyone, head for the stairs. Move!”

One by one, you and the others sprinted for the stairwell, ducking and dodging as drones continued to fire from every direction. You could feel your heart pounding as you rushed down the narrow steps, Bucky close behind you. Natasha led the way, kicking open a side door, and soon you were sprinting down the crowded streets of the city, trying to blend into the crowd and lose the drones.

The team ducked into a small café, breathless and exhausted, doing your best not to attract attention as you found an empty table in the back. The place was quiet, customers chatting and sipping their drinks, completely unaware of the chaos just blocks away.

You sank into a chair, wiping the sweat from your brow as you tried to catch your breath. Clint slid into the seat across from you, his eyes wide and disbelieving. “Did that really just happen?”

Tony leaned forward, his face grim. “They have everything on us now—our pasts, our weaknesses. Hydra’s not just playing games anymore.”

For a moment, no one spoke. Everyone looked around the table, faces grim, each of you realizing just how deeply Hydra had infiltrated.

“Well,” you said quietly, “we’re screwed.”

A waitress placed mugs of coffee on the table, eyeing each of you suspiciously as you all sat, dishevelled and bruised, but everyone was too tired to care. Tony took a long sip, his fingers tapping on the table as he worked out a plan.

“Alright,” he said finally, glancing around the table. “Hydra knows exactly where we are, and they’ve got eyes on us through every camera, satellite, and hacked device in the area. If we go anywhere as one big group, we’ll be an easy target.”

“We need to split up,” Natasha said finally, her voice low and decisive. “Sticking together makes us easier to track.”

Steve nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned back. “Hydra’s already got their eyes on us, and staying in one place just makes it easier for them to send more drones, more operatives. Four groups, each heading in different directions.”

“Small teams would make us harder to find,” Sam agreed, glancing around the table. “If we’re scattered, they’d have to spread their resources thin trying to catch us all.”

Tony took out his tablet, grimacing as he remembered Hydra had accessed everything. He tossed it onto the table, frustrated. “We need to ditch the tech. Phones, and tracking devices—all compromised. Anything tied to Stark Industries is under Hydra’s surveillance now.”

“Phones too?” Peter asked, reluctantly sliding his cell onto the table.

Tony sighed, looking at Peter. “Sorry, kid, but yes. Hydra’s got access to everything. The second we power those things back on, they’ll know our every move.”

Peter reluctantly placed his phone down, and the rest of you followed suit, piling phones, earpieces, and other tracking tech on the table.

“So who’s going with who?” Sam asked, glancing around. “Might as well know who I’m babysitting for the next couple of hours.”

“Sam and I will stick together,” Steve said without hesitation. “We’ve got some experience lying low.”

“Natasha and I can pair up,” Clint added, giving her a nod. “We’ll take the west route. We know enough safe spots to lay low for a while.”

“That leaves me with Bruce and the kid,” Tony said, looking resigned but resolved. “I’ve got some equipment stashed in an old Stark facility nearby. We’ll pick up supplies there and head to the mountains.”

You could already feel it coming, the inevitable. You raised an eyebrow at Bucky, who was giving you the same look. “Guess that means we’re stuck together,” you said, trying to sound casual.

Bucky let out a low groan, running a hand down his face. “This is not my day.”

Tony smirked, clearly enjoying the pairing. “Well, look on the bright side, Barnes. At least you’ve got a chance to watch her back, since someone is currently without cuffs.”

You shot him a glare but didn’t argue. Bucky eyed you with suspicion, his gaze flicking to your shadow-powered hands before he muttered, “Yeah, great. Just what I needed.”

Everyone exchanged brief, quiet goodbyes, understanding the risk that came with splitting up. Clint and Natasha clasped hands before separating, while Tony ruffled Peter’s hair, giving him a gruff, “Stay close, kid.” Finally, you were all on the move, slipping out of the cafe one by one, trying to blend into the crowd.

You and Bucky broke off in a different direction, heading down a deserted side street, eyes peeled for a vehicle.

“What’s the plan for a ride?” Bucky asked, glancing around at the empty alley, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

You stopped as soon as you caught sight of a beat-up, dust-covered old car parked beside a loading dock, half-hidden by a pile of crates. It was an old, rusted Cadillac with chipped paint and a suspicious dent on the side. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, but it was all you had for now.

Bucky raised an eyebrow, eyeing the car like it might fall apart at the touch. “You really think that thing’s gonna open? Let alone start?”

You smirked, ignoring his doubts as you approached the car. “Watch and learn, Barnes.”

First, you pressed your fingers under the handle, feeling around for the gap, and slid out a thin metal lock-pick from your belt. You carefully wedged it into the crack, maneuvering the pick with the precision you’d honed over the years. Bucky watched, clearly not impressed yet, his arms crossed as he leaned against a nearby crate.

“You know, this might actually go faster if you helped,” you muttered, glancing at him.

He just shrugged. “I’m enjoying the show.”

You rolled your eyes and focused on the lock, feeling the tension adjust slightly under your pick until… click. The car door swung open, the stale smell of old upholstery hitting you in the face.

Bucky raised an eyebrow, still unimpressed. “Alright, you got it open. Now let’s see if you can actually get it running.”

You slipped into the driver’s seat, leaning down to mess with the wires under the steering column. You pulled a couple of wires free, twisted them together, and tapped them against the ignition. After a moment of silence, the car roared to life, vibrating as the engine struggled but caught on. You leaned back, a triumphant grin on your face.

“Guess I still got it,” you said, giving Bucky a smug look.

He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. “Yeah, well, don’t get too cocky. Move over,” he said, nodding toward the passenger seat.

“What?” you asked, frowning.

“I’m driving,” he said, one hand already reaching for the steering wheel as he gestured for you to switch seats. “I’d rather not die today, and I don’t trust you behind the wheel.”

You scoffed, feigning offense. “Excuse me, I’m a fantastic driver.”

He just raised an eyebrow, waiting. “Sure. And I’m a yoga instructor. Now move.”

Grumbling, you climbed over the center console into the passenger seat, shooting him an exaggerated glare as he slid in and took the wheel. “Alright, fine. But if we end up lost, that’s on you.”

“Noted,” he said, giving the wheel an experimental turn. The car groaned in protest but held together. “Buckle up. This is probably going to be bumpy.”

The mission was only beginning, but the stakes had never felt higher.

The old Cadillac rumbled along the winding road, the distant hum of the city long behind as the countryside stretched out around you in golden fields and thick patches of forest. It had been hours since you and Bucky had left the café, the road empty save for the occasional truck or weather-beaten farmhouse passing by.

To Bucky’s surprise, you had been silent the entire ride. No sarcastic remarks, no teasing. You just sat there, looking out the window, watching the scenery blur past. Every now and then, he’d glance at you out of the corner of his eye, expecting a comment, maybe even a smirk, but you just kept staring out the window, lost in thought.

The silence was almost peaceful, but there was something strange about it—something uncharacteristically still that made him feel like he was sitting next to a different person. He shifted in his seat, opening his mouth once or twice to say something, but the words just didn’t come. Maybe you needed the quiet.

But then, suddenly, Tony’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie, and both of you flinched at the sound.

“Alright, check-in time,” Tony’s voice echoed. “Everyone still on the road?”

One by one, the replies came through.

“Yeah, we’re here,” Sam’s voice said, a slight edge of tension in his usually calm tone.

“We’re all good,” Natasha replied next, Clint’s voice in the background, mumbling something inaudible.

You leaned forward and grabbed the walkie from Bucky’s side, pressing the button. “Still here.”

Bucky glanced at you, eyebrows raised. It was the first thing you’d said since you got in the car, but you didn’t meet his eyes. You just stared at the walkie as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

A pause followed, then Steve’s voice came through, steady but cautious. “Alright. Listen, we can’t keep running aimlessly. We need somewhere to regroup and make a plan. Somewhere Hydra won’t track us.”

Silence fell on the line. Even though Steve had spoken the truth, no one seemed to have a solution. Finding a truly safe location, where Hydra wouldn’t sniff them out in hours, was nearly impossible. If anyone did have a safe house, Hydra had probably tracked it already, especially with the amount of data they’d managed to pull from Stark’s systems.

In the quiet, you bit your lip, hesitating. You had a place—somewhere buried so far in your past that even Hydra wouldn’t think to look for you there. But bringing everyone there… letting them see that part of you… it wasn’t something you’d planned on doing, maybe ever.

Still, this was life or death.

You took a deep breath, then pressed down on the walkie. “I know a place.”

Silence followed, and you could practically feel everyone on the other end of the line turning their heads in shock.

“You?” Clint’s voice came through, incredulous. “You have a safe house?”

“Yeah, I do,” you replied, keeping your voice steady. “It’s in Michigan. Middle of nowhere. It’s safe.”

Bucky’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at you, his brow furrowing. “Michigan? You’re telling me we have to drive twelve hours to get there?”

The line crackled again as Tony’s voice chimed in, dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, sure, let’s just take a twelve-hour road trip through the entire Northeast while Hydra’s out for blood. What could go wrong?”

You rolled your eyes, slumping back in your seat. “You have a better idea, Stark? Besides, we could stop along the way, grab something to eat, maybe even sleep. Or,” you added with a smirk, “we could all bond. Good ol’ Avengers bonding time.”

Bucky scoffed beside you, muttering under his breath. “Right. Bonding. That’s what we need.”

You couldn’t resist the urge to nudge him with your elbow, a hint of mischief in your eyes. “Come on, Barnes. It’ll be fun. Think of all the memories we’ll make.”

Bucky just gave you a deadpan look. “Memories of you trying to get us killed, maybe.”

Tony’s voice cut back in, sounding exasperated but resigned. “Fine. Let’s head for Michigan. If this is our best shot, we’ll take it. Everyone, get some food, gas up, and keep a low profile. We’ll meet up as soon as we’re out of range.”

“Copy that,” Steve’s voice came through. “See you all there.”

With a final crackle, the walkie went silent. You tossed it back onto the dashboard and leaned back, watching the sun dip lower over the countryside. The nerves that had been coiled in your stomach began to settle as you mentally prepared yourself for where you were headed.

Bucky stayed quiet for a moment, clearly mulling over the unexpected revelation that you had a place to take everyone, a place you’d never mentioned.

“So,” he said finally, glancing at you, “what’s in Michigan?”

You just shrugged, not looking at him. “Old ties, I guess. Somewhere no one would think to look.”

Bucky studied your profile for a second, something unreadable in his expression, but he didn’t press you for details. He just turned his eyes back to the road, gripping the wheel as he accelerated. The car hummed along the empty highway, and for the first time, you felt a strange sense of calm creeping in, knowing you’d be heading somewhere familiar.

After a few hours of driving through nothing but countryside and dusty roads, Bucky finally pulled the Cadillac into a small gas station on the outskirts of a rundown town. The pump was ancient, the kind you almost expected to crank by hand, and the station itself looked like it hadn’t seen a remodel since the ‘80s. Perfect, really, for laying low.

As he put the car in park, you stretched, groaning, and finally stepped out of the car, feeling your stiff muscles relax. “Alright, I’ll get food. You do...whatever grumpy, ex-Winter Soldiers do while getting gas.”

He rolled his eyes “Just try not to buy out the entire snack aisle, alright?”

“Oh, you mean like you and your gas station jerky addiction?” You said with a grin.

Without waiting for his comeback, you headed inside the convenience store. It was small and smelled faintly of burnt coffee, but it was stocked with the essentials: stale pastries, greasy bags of chips, and suspiciously flavored sodas. You went straight for the snacks, grabbing a few bags of chips, a pack of donuts that looked questionably old, and—just because you could—a bright green bottle of soda.

When you returned to the car, Bucky was finishing up at the pump, giving the Cadillac a cautious once-over as if it might fall apart any second. He looked up when you handed him the bottle.

“Green Lightning Blast?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you trying to poison me?”

“Oh, please,” you said with a smirk. “This is quality gas station soda. You’re lucky I didn’t grab Mystery Melon instead.” You leaned into the trunk, arranging the bags of chips like they were valuable cargo.

Bucky uncapped the soda, sniffed it cautiously, then took a small sip before grimacing. “Tastes like nuclear waste.”

“Good for the soul,” you quipped, popping open a bag of chips and tossing one into your mouth as you hopped into the passenger seat.

Just as he was about to follow you, Bucky suddenly stopped and glanced across the street at a dingy hardware store, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

“Hold on,” he said, sounding half to himself.

You frowned, watching him as he headed across the street. “Where the hell are you going?”

“Hardware store,” he called back, not looking over his shoulder.

“Why?” you asked, hurrying to catch up, half-amused and half-irritated. “In case you forgot, I literally control shadows. I could just snap my fingers and—” You waved your hand theatrically in front of him, “boom. Done. Easy.”

“Yeah, well, in case you forgot,” Bucky replied, deadpan, “I don’t trust things I can’t see. And I’m sure as hell not trusting my life to some tricked-out parlor magic.”

You rolled your eyes, following him inside. “Wow, sounds like someone needs a lesson in appreciating useful skills.”

He ignored your comment, grabbing a basket and heading straight for the aisle with the camping and hunting gear. You watched as he loaded up on some surprisingly heavy-duty stuff—flashlights, a utility knife, zip ties, rope, even a small hatchet.

“Are we escaping Hydra or reenacting a camping trip from hell?” you asked, leaning over the basket to eye the growing pile. “Are you planning to hunt with that, or are you just compensating for something?”

Bucky shot you a glare. “You wanna keep it down? I’m making sure we have options.”

You held up a flashlight, wiggling it in his face. “Options? This is the kind of thing that screams, ‘I live alone in a cabin and only eat canned beans.’”

Bucky just plucked the flashlight out of your hands. “I’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”

You scoffed, but couldn’t help the grin spreading on your face. “Sure, whatever you say, Boy Scout.”

With his basket full, Bucky finally headed toward the register, where a bored-looking cashier barely glanced up as he scanned the items. When the total came up, Bucky fished around in his pocket, mumbling something about how “Tony better reimburse us for all this.”

When you finally got back to the car, Bucky loaded up the trunk, placing his hardware store haul next to the snacks you’d bought, each bag and tool meticulously arranged.

You slumped back into the passenger seat, watching as he placed the hatchet at an angle—perfectly within reach if he ever needed to grab it. He caught your eye and raised an eyebrow as if daring you to comment.

“You know,” you said, smirking as he closed the trunk, “most people just carry a pocketknife. But hey, what do I know?”

Bucky shook his head, walking around to the driver’s side. “I’m just being prepared. You want to make fun of it, go ahead, but when this axe comes in handy, I’ll remember that.”

“Oh, trust me,” you said as he got in, buckling up. “If you pull out that hatchet mid-mission, I’ll take a front-row seat to watch the show.”

As Bucky started the car, you threw a couple of chips into your mouth and glanced over, eyes bright with mischief. “So, how does it feel, Barnes? Out here on a top-secret, off-the-grid, government fugitive road trip. Just you, me, and a trunk full of discount hardware.”

He shook his head, eyes focused on the road but unable to hide the small smile tugging at his lips. “Feels like I’m babysitting an overconfident shadow with a snack addiction.”

You laughed, tossing another chip into your mouth. “Hey, you’re the one who insisted on the hatchet. I’m just here for the chips and the company.”

“Lucky me,” he muttered, accelerating as the gas station faded into the distance.

dividers by @dollywons

[steppin-on-the-last-train]

As it Comes Back to Me

Natasha Romanoff x WinterSoldier!Reader

Summary: Your whole life you'd been living for a mission, whether it be protecting your family or fighting just to see the next sunrise. If you didn’t slow down though, you stood to lose someone you couldn’t live without.

Takes place during the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Word Count: 8,000

A/N: I spent way too much time writing this instead of studying for class.

“Hey kids,” you said, walking up to wrap your arms around Steve and Bucky. You’d just  been promoted to Major and had been sent back to the states to escort a fresh round of recruits to the front. There was a big event tonight though which begged for your attention. Howard Stark was showing some new invention or other of his. You’d never been too interested in what the scientists had to say, but there would be plenty of girls out looking to be asked to a dance.

Steve, your little brother–both in age and stature–looked less than thrilled at your return. “What’s wrong, buddy?” You asked, shaking his shoulder.

“It’s not fair,” he protested, shrugging out of your embrace. “I should be heading out with you and Buck tomorrow. I want to fight. I know I can help.” You felt for Steve. If it was him and Bucky standing in uniform and not you, you’re sure you’d be missing out on a whole lot.

“I know, I know. I’m sure you’d give them Nazis real cause to turn and run,” you said, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold a rifle properly.

“Yeah,” Bucky added. “Ya know you should’ve seen him earlier today. Fought off some punk in an alleyway with a trash can lid. Kicked his ass real good if you ask me.” 

“Bucky,” Steve said. “Ya said you wouldn’t tell.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, what I meant to say was that Steve got beat up and I had to come rescue him.” The soon to be sergeant ruffled your brother’s hair.

“No, I know what you’re really upset about is that I’m stealing your boy here,” you said, nodding at Bucky.

“Yeah, yeah, enough. Now come on, I wanna get a good look at the car. All the posters were sayin’ Stark could make it fly.” Steve began to weave his way through the crowd, giving you no choice but to follow. 

“I’m worried about leaving him here all alone, ya know?” Bucky said, a crease forming between his brow. 

“He’s tough, and he’s smart. Always has been, you know that. Honestly, if they should be sendin’ anyone to fight they should be sendin’ him instead of us. But spirit’s not gonna win a fight, ya gotta back it up with somethin’. Point is, he’ll be fine on his own. Maybe if we’re lucky when we get back he’ll have found himself a nice girl to care for.” You smirked at Bucky. 

He ignored the jab as he waved at a group of nice looking girls. You waved too, flashing a smile and admiring the way their skirts fit. “Hey girls!” He shouted. As they made their way through the bustling crowd, he turned to you again. “I just worry about him. I care about him a lot and I can see how torn up he is about us gettin’ to go when he can’t.” A frown appeared to dim the light on his face. “What if he does something stupid while we’re off?” 

You clapped him on the shoulder and said, “You worry too much Barnes. You ought to save some of that for the war.” 

Giggling, the girls–the names of which Bucky had supplied earlier and which you had promptly forgotten–siddled up. The one nearest to you was a brunette with a yellow skirt and a white flower in her hair. She took your hand and pulled you right up to the front row. “Come on soldier, the show is startin’.” 

You smiled and let yourself get lost among the din and the spectacle. 

From beside you, Steve waved at you and said your name.

He said your name again, and again. You finally tore your gaze away from the TV monitor mounted in the corner of the room. Steve was much, much bigger now; even taller than you. You were still adjusting to the change. Although he still had the same kind gaze that came with naturally always wanting to do what was right, and believing others wanted the same. You wondered if you had been like that once too. 

“We need to get him out of there,” he said. Your gaze flicked back over to the security footage that showed Bucky restrained in a mobile holding unit reinforced with metal supports and bullet proof glass. You had thought he was dead, and turns out Steve had thought the both of you were long gone. And apparently, fate wasn’t done with any of you yet. Bucky looked drastically different. His hair had grown out to his chin and he had lost the boyish swagger and proud glimmer in his eyes. But beneath the bulk and hardened exterior you still saw your friend.

“I know. Something doesn’t feel right about this,” you said. A year ago you had been similarly detained. But you were held in the Avengers Compound and were surrounded by friendly faces. The people here were not so sympathetic. You could feel the passing judgment not just on the Winter Soldier, but on you as well. 

“Maybe we could talk to Tony again,” Steve said. 

From his seat across the table Sam shook his head. “Did you not just hear him tell us he was fully committed to kissing the government’s ass? Steve, I understand this whole ‘peace at all costs’ approach, but I have a feeling we’re not going to get our way by talking this time.” 

“Sam’s right,” you said, mouth twisting into a defeated frown. Through the glass wall of the office you were sitting in you watched a certain Avenger weave her way through the crowded room. You were torn, but Natasha had made her choice. “We’re going to have to consider punching our way out of this one. I got off lucky, but things are different now. The whole world is watching what will happen to him. Compromise isn’t an option anymore.” 

Hands on his hips, Steve sighed. “Well, we aren’t going to be able to grab him and get out of here. And we need our gear back if we have any hopes of not getting locked up in a real cell.”

As if sensing your staring, Natasha looked over. Quickly you averted your eyes and suddenly found the tabletop very interesting. But you knew she had caught you. Just a couple of weeks ago you had been spending your mornings going out on runs with her and your evenings watching her try and fail to play chef. She could go on for hours talking about the world and bringing you up to speed. You didn’t know what was more interesting; that the world had turned upside down or the way her voice sounded as she helped you make sense of it all.

And you both enjoyed the newfound freedom neither of you believed you’d ever see nor deserved. You had thought you knew her well enough to predict which side of the so-called Sokovia Accords she would be on. Turned out maybe you didn’t.

Sharon Carter walked into the sound proofed room, hopefully bringing more news. She seemed to have a soft spot for Steve, and you and Sam by extension. She was also the only person here that seemed to want to communicate with the three of you.

On the screen a man sat down at a table across from Bucky. He shuffled some papers around and faced your friend as if in conversation. You stood with your hands braced on the table and watched intently. A glove covered the shiny metal of your right hand. Under your sleeve, the flexible steel plating melded with flesh just below your elbow.

You knew visual without audio would only get you so far, but you’d be damned if you could figure out how to turn it on. 

“The receipt for your gear,” Sharon said, handing a slip of paper to Sam. 

He took one look at it and scoffed. “Bird costume? Come on.”

“I didn’t write it,” she said, trying to hide a faint smile. Now was not the time for jokes. Noticing the attention on the TV screen she pushed some buttons on a control panel and the audio switched on.

The camera showed a modestly dressed middle-aged man. “I’m not here to judge you,” he told Bucky. “I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?.” He glanced down at his notes and removed his glasses amicably. From another angle, part of the screen detailed an uncomfortably close profile of Bucky’s face. After a moment of silence, he went on. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.” 

“My name is Bucky,” he answered, still not making eye contact with the man.

“Who is that man?” You asked, wary of the stranger who was supposedly the only person authorized to make contact with the Winter Soldier.

“He’s a psychologist sent by the United Nations just to conduct a primary evaluation. I’m not familiar with him personally,” Sharon said.

Steve studied the blurry photograph of Bucky that had been taken after he set the bomb off in Vienna. “Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?”

“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Sharon supplied.

“Right. It’s a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.” You could see the gears in his brain turning. Steve had always been the intuitive one.

“You’re saying someone framed him to find him,” Sharon said, catching on.

Sam spoke up, unsure of where your brother was going. “Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.” 

“Sam has a point,” you said. You were all too familiar with the Winter Soldier program. If you didn’t want to be found, you had the ability to make yourself dead to the world. “We were trained to blend in, to hide in plain sight. Even if he had to run, no one man would ever be able to find him.”

“We didn’t bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads,” Steve asserted.

“Yeah, but to your point,” Sharon said, nodding at you. “That doesn’t guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would.” 

“Yeah,” Steve breathed.

So there was a mole in the government, and he was probably in the building. Your gaze narrowed and you watched the people milling about outside your little bubble with a new suspicion. Whoever it was was obviously already ten steps ahead, you would have to wait until he made his next move. Beside you Sam stood from his seat, eyes similarly flicking from the screen to the windows and back. Steve looked like a racehorse ready to spring from its stall. 

From the corner of the room, the conversation continued on through the speakers, even if no one was paying much attention any longer. “Tell me, Bucky. You’ve seen a great deal, haven’t you?” The man asked. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You fear that…if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don’t worry.” 

The CIA agent, Captain America, the Falcon, and the Wolf Spider were too busy looking for a threat aimed at themselves to notice what was going on before them.

In the secured, private room five levels below the surface, Helmut Zemo received a message on his phone. A package of his had been delivered. Looking up, he wiped the false pretenses of innocence from his face. “We only have to talk about one.”

For a moment the room was plunged in darkness before emergency lights bathed the building in a red glow. The monitor with the video footage remained black. You looked at Sam. Now was your chance.

Steve looked to Sharon and she spoke without hesitation. “Sub-level five, east wing.”

No sooner than she had finished were the three of you bolting from the office and back the way you had been escorted in. You flew down the stairwell, concerned only for Bucky and getting to him before it was too late. But even super soldiers could only descend a dozen floors so fast. Heart racing, you jumped down the last flight, only to be met with a sign on the wall that read ‘Sub-Level 5; West.’ 

Without pause you pushed through the nearest doorway and wound your way through the maze of hallways. “This way!” Sam shouted. You and Steve rounded on your heels and went sprinting after him down a narrow corridor that served as a connection between the two wings of the building. The soft glow of emergency lighting lit the way, but between flashes the basement levels were pitch black. In the final stretch you overtook him and spilled out into another landing.  

The doors to the room on your right were destroyed. A dozen guards lay spread out on the floor unconscious. The chamber was completely silent, but you doubted the chase truly ended here. You knelt and checked the pulse of the agent at your feet. He was alive. 

“Help me. Help,” a voice cried out from further in the room. You picked up a discarded pistol and tucked it into the back of your waistband.

Steve was closer to the man than you and wasted no time picking him up and pinning him against the wall by his jacket collar. “Get up.” You’d never heard him sound so furious. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“To see an empire fall,” the man replied vaguely. After staring down Steve he turned to face you with the gleam of a predator in his eyes.Your heart pounded in your chest. 

“Steve, we need to find Bucky,” you said.

The echo of footsteps rang down the hall as Sam caught up. Right as he stepped through the door Bucky came lunging out of the shadows, metal fist swinging for Sam’s face. Sam ducked just in time to avoid getting his teeth knocked out. Instead, a fist-sized chunk of the concrete wall blew away into pulverized chunks. But by the time he righted himself Bucky had already launched another attack. This time he grabbed him by the jaw and threw him all the way across the room to crash into the holding unit. The impact was enough to knock him out cold.

Steve looked torn between chasing after Bucky, checking on Sam, and further interrogating the psychologist. 

“Go,” you said, nodding toward Bucky. “I got him.”

Steve launched himself at Bucky and pushed him back out into the hall. 

You pulled the gun and trained it on the guilty party. Outside the exaggerated sound of two super soldiers fighting reverberated back to you. The shuffle of quick footwork followed by the concerning crash of a metal fist colliding with a wall at inhuman speed. 

“Your name. Now,” you demanded.

“My full title is Baron Helmut Zemo. But I think the more important question is, who are you?”

The brawl in the hallway had stopped, and the renewed silence made you uneasy. “Enough with the games.” You flicked the pistol toward the exit. “Move. I’m taking you upstairs.”

He began to pick his way slowly across the room. “Okay, you’ve got me beat. But I just need to know one thing. Steve seems to think you’ve miraculously been returned to him the same as before he became Captain America.” It bothered you, how Zemo felt he had the right to use your brother’s name. “Show me what you hide from them, Wolf Spider. Show me who you really are.”

“Shut up,” you said, annoyed with his riddled speech. But before you could make another move, Bucky came ramming back into the holding room, kicking right at your stomach. The impact forced you to take a knee and as you scrambled to stand up, Zemo pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and began to speak. “Мрамор.” 

Even over the rushes of blood pumping through your veins and the stomp of Bucky’s boots on the ground, you still heard it. Like a heat-seeking missile the word wormed its way into your brain and you faltered.

Panic seized you. You needed to get to Zemo. “Bucky, stop!” You yelled, desperate for any way to get around him for even a second. As you tried to stand he planted a foot and your chest and pushed you to the floor. The air left your lungs in a gust as your back slammed into the cement. The gun went flying from your grip and skittering across the floor. “Dick move, Barnes,” you said in a strained whisper.

“Восемь,” Zemo said, sounding closer now even though you couldn’t see him. You clamped your hands over your ears and screamed. Taking a chance you bashed your metal fist into Bucky’s knee and charged for Zemo. “Жжение.” His voice sent you careening off course as if repelled by his words. Fighting for any last scrap of control you punched the wall until your knuckles left bloody streaks. You counted back from ten in your head, jaw clenched so tight it was close to shattering.

Your defenses broken, Bucky reengaged the fight. You scrambled, narrowly blocking his punches from beating your face in and counting you out. You reassessed and went on the offensive. You’d have to take him out before going for his handler.

Easier said than done.

“Рекрут.” You fought even harder, even as a fog crept up the back of your mind. Where was Steve?

“Снегопад.” Another nail in the coffin. He landed a punch to your face and a deep split opened on your cheek. You barely felt the blood run down to your chin.

“Пять.” You managed to land a right hook on Bucky’s weak side. You capitalized on the small victory. Seizing him by the shoulders you grappled with him for a moment before sweeping his leg from under him. He fell with a thud and you lined up a kick to the side of his head. You’d apologize later.

“Увядший.” The Wolf Spider crawled up the back of your spine, jaws gnashing at your brain for control. Your attention slipped for a fraction of a second. But that was all the time the Winter Soldier needed. He seized your ankle and pulled you to the ground. Before you could get your bearings he clamped his fist around your neck and threw you against the wall.

“послушный.” The Soldier rammed his knee into your stomach and you doubled over in an attempt to suck air back into your lungs. The room spun and the lights blurred together. A male Sokovian accented voice was all you could hear above the ringing in your ears.

An arm snaked around your throat from behind and forced you to stand. 

“An impressive attempt to be sure. But I’ve found that dogs can always be tamed.”

A fading voice in the back of your mind yelled at you to fight. Halfheartedly you tried to twist out of the Soldier’s hold.

“Одиннадцать.” A dam had cemented itself and separated you from your body.

“Пекин.” Your breathing became even and you looked to the man before you for instruction.

“Солдат?” He asked.

“Я готов отвечать.”

—

Natasha Romanoff walked through the chaos-ridden office, catching up to Tony Stark. Your swift absence hadn’t escaped her notice. She had almost chased after you herself. She’d desperately been wanting to talk to you since the Accords had been dropped in the team’s lap, but you had made yourself scarce since. She could tell that her decision had upset you, even if you were as unlikely to tell her so as you were to turn your back on Steve and Bucky. 

“Please tell me you brought a suit,” she said. Because a fight against three super soldiers would be much easier won with a trick of their own.

“Sure did,” the Iron Man replied. “It’s a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button.” He stopped his nervous rant. “I’m an active-duty non-combatant.” Fancy speak for the government not being comfortable with his access to the greatest weapon’s system on the planet.

Sharon Carter ran up to them, an earpiece providing information Natasha nor Tony were privy to. “Follow me,” she told them. 

They made their way downstairs onto the ground level. “The Winter Soldier has been unleashed,” Agent Carter said. “He’s on this floor in the lobby, probably trying to escape.”

“That’s a no-can-do from Agent Ross. We need a plan. Nat?” Tony looked expectantly toward the Black Widow.

“Why is it always up to me?” She asked, even as a plan formed in her mind.

“Because everyone knows my job is to look good and provide charity for you free loaders.”

Natasha narrowed her gaze at Tony’s watch. “Which outfit is that a part of?”

“It is as practical as it is fashionable. Glasses too,” he said.

“Tony, you’ll come up on him from behind. Get his attention, and try to disarm him if you can. Carter and I will be right behind.”

“I don’t remember volunteering to be the bait, Romanoff.” 

Natasha motioned for Sharon and they picked their way around the edge of the sun-lit lobby. Civilian workers fleeing for their lives rushed around them in a current, but the women stood as solid as stone. The sound of combat reached her ears before she was able to see into the main lobby. A metal fist pounded against flesh and man after man crumpled to the floor. The snap of a bone being broken and the subsequent screams. 

Natasha rounded the corner into the foyer just as a terrible supersonic blast flooded the area. Tony had stunned the attacker if only for a moment. To her horror it wasn’t Barnes standing there, but you. She couldn’t see your face as you moved to pummel Tony, but she knew what she’d see. A figure of a ghost from the Red Room flashed before her eyes.

A gunshot shook her out of her stupor and she ran after Sharon into the fray. You elbowed Tony in the face before punching him in the gut hard enough to send him flying into a table several feet away. 

Before you could finish the job Sharon ran at you, forcing you to block a kick and a jab. You wound up an answering punch that would’ve cracked her sternum but she ducked away and you missed. As you recovered, Natasha lodged a knee into your stomach before crouching down to jab you in the groin. She didn’t want to fight you, but she would. All it took was one look into your eyes to separate the Wolf Spider from the person she knew you were.

Sharon landed a roundhouse kick to the head but as she wound up for a second assault you caught her leg and hurled her down onto a table. The legs broke underneath with a clatter. 

As you were turned around, Natasha took the opportunity to seize you from behind and flip herself up onto your shoulders. With anyone else she would’ve been able to floor them from this position. But the Wolf Spider intimately knew all of the Black Widow’s moves. All those years ago, you had taught her much of the combat she still used today. 

She rained down blows on your head as you crossed the lobby. She grunted as she threw her fists down over and over in a vain attempt to get you to drop her. Instead you carried her to a table and slammed her down. Before she could recover, you clamped your hand around her neck and choked her out. 

Scrabbling at your metal forearm, Natasha’s face burned red. She felt her windpipe being crushed under your grip. But even under the eclipse of death’s shadow, the scariest thing was what they’d done to you. She knew you’d tear yourself up about it later, and worse she knew no one here would understand.

On the verge of passing out, she managed one last choked whisper. “You could at least recognize me.” Maybe, as Natasha’s heart was shattered in two, she could pass some of that anguish onto you.

If anything you only squeezed harder and she felt the strength waste away from her muscles. 

Seemingly out of nowhere you were shoved off of her. She gasped and pulled as much air in as she could through her bruised throat. All she could manage was to stare up at the ceiling and blink away the spots from her vision.

Rallying, Natasha pushed herself up and saw Tony standing over you with his mechanical gloved hand extended. She coughed and asked, “How?” 

You were on your knees, hands clamped tightly over your ears and fingers digging into the back of your head.

  “Lucky guess,” Tony said. “Think of it like a dog whistle, but for super soldiers. And also like blow your head off levels of loud. Had to estimate the frequency after getting beaten half to death. But it looks like I’ve outwitted the killing machine.”

Natasha was frozen. You’d just about suffocated her, but a large part of her still wanted to yell at Tony and tell him to cut it out. “Does it hurt?” 

“Well, it’s no symphony, I can tell you that.” 

She threw a glare in his direction.

“I don’t know. Ballpark? Somewhere between a migraine and an ice pick through the ear.”

A dozen more security personnel came flooding in. They rounded in a circle around you and half of them readied their guns. The rest assaulted you with tasers. You fell to the floor in a series of violent spasms and Natasha looked away. 

“Let’s get this one ready for transport,” one barked.

“Natasha, are you okay?” Tony asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, voice still raw.

“That psycho almost killed you.” He always got assertive when he was worried. “You see, this is why we need the Accords. To keep chaos from breaking out in refuges of peace for godsake.”

Natasha looked back at where your limp body was being dragged away. She wished she could go back to before any of this started. She was terrified that she had missed her chance to tell you how she felt. “He’s not a psycho.”

“Then you and I have very different definitions of the word.” 

“Stark.” The disappointed voice of Secretary Ross called.

“We have the Wolf Spider in custody sir.” Tony adjusted his tie.

“And Barnes, Wilson, and the other Rogers are all in the wind. One out of four is three less than I expected of you.”

But Natasha had had enough of Thadeus Ross for a lifetime. She walked away wishing that you were by her side instead. Isolated from the beaurucrats and politicians and the bridge with Steve having been thoroughly burned, she felt lost. All around her the pieces of the life she had worked so hard to build lay scattered. The overwhelming urge to hit something surged. How did she get here?

—

You sat by Natasha under a tree in the forest behind the Avengers’ Compound. The chirping birds and the rustle of wind through the leaves were the only sounds that broke the silence out here. Everything at the compound was a blur of light and rush of movement all the time. You couldn’t get two seconds without someone needing something from you. So you had developed the habit of sneaking out and picking a random direction to pass an afternoon. 

Natasha had a book in her hands. Today her hair was pulled back in a braid and thrown over her shoulder. You liked when she put it up because you could see her face more clearly. 

“He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy,” she read. You ran your hand through the grass and dirt absentmindedly. “Are you listening?”

“Yeah, of course.” You had been listening, but not to what she said, but how she spoke it. “It’s just I’ve read Gatsby before. Jay is a dreamer, but he still loses everything. It’s not fair. He didn’t know any better but to follow his heart.”

“That’s not how I see it,” she replied. “Listen. ‘His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was’.” She shifted closer, leg almost bumping your own. Uncomfortable with the proximity bordering on affection you subtly moved away. “Jay is chasing a life that he can no longer have. And in the process he ruins himself, and the woman he loves. He should’ve known better.”

Overhead the branches had become indistinguishable from one another and instead blended together as one entrapment. The fading orange glow cast by the setting sun reminded you to start heading back. The woods would be near impossible to navigate without the light. You stood and reached a hand out to help Natasha up. She grasped it tightly and instead pulled you down to her.

“You should’ve known better.” A haunted despair paled her features.

“What?”

The crack of fracturing bones echoed throughout the lonely clearing and Natasha cried out. Your hand had begun to squeeze hers tight enough to crush it. You willed yourself to let go but your stubborn metal fist refused to obey. 

“You destroy everything you love, even if you never say the words out loud.”

A bullet hole slowly materialized in the middle of her forehead. Blood seeped down her face and she smiled a bloody smile. 

“You should’ve stayed dead.”

You jerked yourself awake with a gasp. The dream faded from your mind almost immediately, as had the once before where you’d been stuck in a cave, and the one before that where you’d slaughtered an entire family.

You took a second to examine the unfamiliar environment. The cell you were in was bright and clean, and the camera assured there was no privacy. Across from you was an identical unit. In fact, the entire room was just an octagon of prison cells. 

You rubbed at your face, only for the movement to be followed by a metallic clanking. Both of your wrists were manacled with thick iron cuffs which were anchored to the wall with a chain. Your left wrist was chaffed and dried blood coated your hand. Alarm surged through you. 

No, you would rather die than play prisoner and puppet for anyone else again. 

You stood up, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. But when you tried to step away from the wall you were yanked back, not by your wrists, but by a chain around your neck. Coughing, you fell back against the wall and pulled at the tight restraint. All you succeeded in doing was irritating the inflamed skin underneath. 

“Hey buddy, are you okay?”

You snapped your attention to the voice. You didn’t recognize the guy who had spoken, but the man in the cell next to him looked familiar. Your head throbbed as you tried to remember. He had short brown hair and sat hunched over on a bench, just watching. 

“Fine,” you said. Your voice sounded about as shitty as the rest of your body felt. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Scott. You actually don’t know me cause we haven’t met, but I fought with your brother. He’s a really nice guy. Of course you know that.” You shot him a glare. “You know what, I’m just going to shut up now.”

Confusion spun your battered brain around even further. Your brother. You had a brother named Steve. Steve was small so you had to–wait, that wasn’t quite right. Steve’s strength had caught up to the size of his will. He was a soldier. The Soldier. Солдат. A fresh pang wracked your head. No. A captain. Captain America. 

The room felt cold but your hand was clammy. Sweat dampened your hair as if you had caught a fever. You squeezed your eyes shut. Why were these lights so damn bright? Where were you? 

“Hey, what’s going on? I can’t see into the cell. Is he back?”

You knew that voice. You trusted it as well as you may trust anyone. If only you could think harder. You opened your eyes and again saw the familiar-looking man. The name came to you this time. “Clint,” you said.

Hope cleared some of the melancholic fog that had marred his features.

“Where are we? What happened? Where’s Steve?”

When he spoke, it was reserved, but you could tell he was holding back. “Steve called me. The Avengers fought. Some of them are picking up the mess. The rest of us landed our asses in here. You though…you were already here when they brought us in. I wish I could tell you why.”

“It’s Sam,” the man in the unit directly to the right of yours said. He banged on the wall for effect. “You were with me and Steve back in Berlin. Bucky was controlled and he went after us. He knocked me out and by the time I woke everyone was gone. I met up with Steve and Bucky outside, but you were gone. I’m sorry. If we would have known…”

“It’ll come back eventually.” Even if you could barely remember your own name now, somehow you knew this. The memories always came back, especially the bad ones. 

“I should tell you, this isn’t the first time you’ve woken up,” Clint said. Scott looked away. “The first two times you didn’t say anything or acknowledge us. You just pulled away as hard as you could until you made yourself pass out.”

“Great,” you muttered under your breath. So they had all received a front row view of the mindless monster you were. “What is this place, anyway?”

“They call it the Raft. It’s an American prison unit that they dropped into the middle of the Atlantic.” Barton’s voice had taken on an undercurrent of anger. “It’s where they stick the worst of the worst.”

“Is anyone else here?” You asked.

“Wanda. Probably. I don’t know, they put her in a separate transport.” Your heart dropped. Why would they bring her into this? She was just a kid. And with her powers, you could only imagine what they were doing to keep her locked up. 

You didn’t ask if there was a plan. The atmosphere here wasn’t exactly revolutionary. You drew your knees up to your chest and rested as best as you could.

Sometime later–you were sure the room had been built to be purposefully disorienting–the door slid open with a whir. In walked Tony Stark, his left arm in a sling and sporting a terrible black eye.

Clint stood up and began to slowclap, finally finding a target to take his anger out on. “The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He sknows what’s best for you, whether you like it or not.”

The goading worked, drawing Tony’s attention away from you. “Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they would put you here. Come on.”

He spit on the ground in defiance. “Yeah, well, you knew they’d put us somewhere, Tony.”

“Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey.” Stark gestured at the barred cells, gaze catching on you for a moment. “You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for…”

“Criminals?” Clint walked closer to the glass of his cage. “Criminals, Tony. Think that’s the word you’re looking for. Right?” The two estranged teammates stood eye to eye.  “That didn’t used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are.” A long time ago that didn’t used to mean you either. 

“Because you broke the law.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t make you.”

Clint turned his back on Tony. “La, la, la, la, la…”

“Alright, you’re all grown up, you got a wife and kids. I don’t understand, why didn’t you think about them before you chose the wrong side?” Realizing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Clint he walked away. 

Barton rounded on him. “You gotta watch your back with this guy. There’s a chance he’s gonna break it,” he said, slamming on the glass.

“Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark,” Scott said with as much menace in his voice as he could conjure. You wondered how a civilian like him had gotten wrapped up in this fight.

“Who are you?” Stark walked right past him and onto Sam’s unit.

“Come on, man.”

“How’s Rhodes?” Wilson asked, not as willing to bite as Clint had been.

“They’re flying him to Columbia Medical tomrrow. So…fingers crossed. What do you need? They feed you yet?”

You couldn’t see Sam from your cell, but you hoped that he’d tell Stark off too.

“You’re the good cop now?” He asked sarcastically.

“I’m just the guy who needs to know where Steve went.”

“Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you’re gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me.”

Stark messed with his watch. “Oh, I just knocked the ‘A’ out of their ‘AV’. We got about thirty seconds before they realize it’s not their equipment.” You looked up at the security camera in the corner of your cell. Could he really do that? “Just look,” he went on. “Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes.” A little picture of a clearly dead man appeared out of thin air. “Clealy, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong.”

“That’s a first.”

“Cap is definitely off the reservation but he’s about to need all the help he can get. We don’t know each other very well. You don’t have to…”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Sam interrupted. You wished you were in his eyeline so you could shake your head no in silent protest. But you didn’t have the energy or mental capacity to pick a verbal fight right now so you stayed quiet. “Look, I’ll tell you…but you have to go alone and as a friend.”

“Easy.”

Sam spoke so quietly you were sure without super hearing you wouldn’t have heard. “They went to an old Soviet-HYDRA bunker in Siberia. The fake doctor is going to unleash five more Winter Soldiers.”

“Okay. Wilson, I won’t forget this,” he said with fake malice in his voice to impress the cameras. 

He turned to you next. “Rogers.” He saluted. Shame burned your face. You felt like a wild animal on display. And Tony Stark’s presence wasn’t exactly a comforting one since you presumed he was largely at fault for the team’s current predicament. “You’re not going to go all Terminator on me again, are you?”

You stared at him blankly, not moving from your place on the floor in the middle of the cell. 

“Really? Nothing. I just came up with that one. Any messages from you to your brother I can deliver when I find him?” 

“Tell him after all this he needs to get his ass as far from trouble as possible. Tell him I’m right where I should be.”

“How about I just say you’ll send him a postcard?” He quipped, walking away.

“Stark,” you called. “Lay a hand on Steve and I will find you.” 

He didn’t turn back, but he gave a thumbs up on his way out.

—

You don’t think you could ever tire of the view before you. For most of your life you never believed you’d travel outside New York City, but here you were on the other side of the world. The waters below the ship were as blue and clean as great artists imagined in their scenes. The current lapped gently at the hull and you let the sound wash through you. Ahead, snow-capped mountains rose into the cloudy sky. The buildings and streets you were so used to being surrounded by in the city were replaced by miles of undisturbed woodland. The sky was overcast, but calm for now. Mist hung in the air and clung to your jacket. Maybe it would storm later, maybe it wouldn’t. You found peace in the apprehension. 

“Hey,” Natasha said. You hadn’t heard her come up. She joined you at the railing and pushed a phone into the water.

“How’s the Good Secretary?”

“I’ve got him chasing his tail in D.C. We are officially in the wind.”

Steve and Natasha had broken you out of the Raft three days ago. Since then you’d decided to split up while the heat died down. He had wanted you to go with him, but you couldn’t look at your brother without feeling crushed by six decades worth of guilt. You still thought he would be safer without you, but you couldn’t escape the disappointed look on his face. Hurting him was like kicking a little puppy.

“Steve would love this place,” you said. Natasha took in the view while you admired her. Her hair was down and flowed past her shoulders. The wind blew strands of it about in a way that told you God indeed played favorites. “He loved to draw. And he was damn good at it too. Kid used to draw everything. Our old apartment, back alleys, the sky. He wouldn’t know what to do if he saw all of this.” 

“You’re worried about him.” 

“Really? Was I being that obvious?” You were tired, but you smiled anyway.

“The first time I met Steve he couldn’t make heads or tails of the shirt on his back, much less anything else humanity had changed. Yesterday, he was piloting the most advanced jet on the planet. Sounds like he’s the same resilient kid you grew up with. Except now he can throw a man a couple dozen yards.”

“I think he could literally be invincible and I’d still worry,” you admitted.

“I think that’s how family is supposed to work. And if it helps, he’s got Sam to watch his back.”

“Why did you volunteer to come with me?” You asked. You bit your lip nervously and scanned the grayish-blue horizon. “I almost killed you. I mean I would have killed you if Stark hadn’t…” You’d opened Pandora’s Box and couldn’t stop all of the guilt from pouring out. “And all those years ago in the Red Room, what I did to you. Why don’t you hate me?”

“Because I know who you really are. And that wasn’t you. Never was.” She said it so fervently that you almost believed her.

“But that’s just the thing. It was me. All of that blood is on my hands. If something happened to you, that would be on me.” And I don’t think I would survive without you. You left the rest unsaid, but it hung in the air just out of reach. “All he had to do was say the goddamn words and I lost it.”

“And you came back.” You found your mind wandering off into the mountains afar. “Hey look at me.” She laid a hand on your shoulder and brought you back from your reverie. Her warm breath fanned across your cheek. “You’re okay. We’re okay.”

“I can’t shake this feeling, Nat.” You heaved a shuddering breath. “That horrible voice is always in the back of my head. I’m so scared that one day it’ll drown me out.” Your eyes hurt from the force of holding back tears. “Please don’t let it drown me.”

Natasha wrapped her arms around you in a supportive hug. “I’ll never give up on you,” she said. “You can always come back to me.” You cautiously hugged her back and draped yourself over her. You concentrated on what was around you. The smell of the sea-salted air, the warmth of her body, the churn of the boat's engine.

You let her go and cleared your throat, rubbing harshly at your eyes. “Me too,” you said. “I mean, I’m here for you. ‘Til kingdom come.” You’d always fight for her. Truth is you had been for a long time now, you just didn’t realize it. 

“You’re not the only one who’s done unspeakable things,” she whispered, as if preoccupied with reliving some awful memory. You weren’t the only one with demons intent on ruining any scrap of peace.

“Aren’t we quite the pair?” You inspected her hoodie and all of its familiarity. “Is that my sweatshirt?”

“No,” she lied, even as she messed with the ends of the sleeves that went well past her hands.

“Mhm. So did you bring any of my clothes for me or…?”

“I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again,” Natasha said. Her voice was shaky with frustration and pent-up anxiety. “I was so worried. I thought that this would be all I had left to remember you by. I kept thinking that we would get into the Raft and you wouldn’t be there.” 

“I’m sorry,” you said. The week and a half you were locked up for you hadn’t thought about where she might be. You told yourself you were too preoccupied with Steve and Bucky to otherwise focus. But you knew to think about Natasha was to admit you cared deeply for her. That was a battle you weren’t ready to surrender. “I didn’t know.” But maybe now was the time to lay down arms.

“That’s right you didn’t know. You didn’t think. That’s the problem you think you’re invincible and you run headfirst into danger time and time again.”

“I can take care of myself.” 

“Except it’s not just you anymore, Rogers. There are people that care about you and how you act affects them. When you make a stupid move it’s not just you who suffers the consequences.” Her voice cracked under the weight of the words.

“I can’t just sit around when something goes bad. You can’t ask me to do that.” You had so much time, so many lives to make up for. And that came about by means of action.

“I thought that you were dead. Don’t you understand that?” Natasha’s eyes were full of sorrow and accusation. Your cheeks flushed and you stared into the icy waters. She had every right to be mad. “When they dragged you away I was sure they were going to execute you. Again.” 

The reference stung. When the Red Room found out you’d broken your programming they’d practically beaten you to death in front of Natasha before shipping you back to HYDRA. The scars still burned in your dreams.

An apology formed on your lips. “I know,” she said. The bitterness had burned itself out of her tone. What was left you couldn’t describe. A profound understanding, edges brightened by the hope of a fresh start.

An unspoken something lingered in the cool morning air. 

Natasha grabbed your gloved hand and intertwined her fingers with yours. She leaned over and rested her head on your shoulder. A warmth bloomed in your chest. 

You thought that, just maybe, you’d found where you were supposed to be.

[headkiss]

hurt/comfort with protective boxer!steve …. 😋

i like the way u think anon <3 steve is the one being comforted, hope that’s okay!! | 0.7k boxer!steve fluff

Steve’s fuming when he steps out of the ring, tossing his gloves aside and tugging at his hair. He doesn’t lose.

He’s not concerned about his bloody nose or the split in his eyebrow. No, he doesn’t care about that at all, he just wants to win. Especially when you’re in the audience.

Tonight was off and he has no idea why, but it’s enough to have him rushing off to the locker room after his match without accepting a word from anyone. He’s beating himself up—more than what’s already been done—and you can see it.

“I’m gonna go check on him,” you say to Robin, giving her shoulder a squeeze as you go.

She can see it, too, and she knows he won’t accept any visitors other than you right now. She nods and shoots you a smile.

You’ve made your way to the locker room time and time again. Usually to congratulate Steve on his win, to accept his sweaty hug and adrenaline-filled kiss. It’s different this time, but it doesn’t make you any less eager to see him.

You knock against the door before going in, letting him know you’re there.

Steve’s sitting with his elbows on his knees, his head bent and torso shining with sweat. He doesn’t even look up when you walk in. He doesn’t have to, he knows it’s you.

“Stevie.”

He’s a tough guy, has to be for what he does, but he can’t be so strong when you’re saying his name so sweetly, when you’re stepping between his legs and guiding his head to rest against you, your hands running through the damp strands.

“Was supposed to win.”

“I know, but you did really well, okay? I don’t know much about boxing, but I know you’re good at it.”

“Mmm,” his hands hold the back of your thighs, thumbs running back and forth over the fabric of your pants. The touch is more for him than it is for you. “My good luck charm. Should’ve won it for you, baby.”

Your hands don’t stop running through his hair, and it’s a comfort he needs even though he won’t ask for it.

“I don’t care if you win or not. Just want you to do your best and be safe.”

Steve’s tougher on himself than anyone else is, and he can’t stand feeling like he isn’t good enough at something. He got enough of that from his parents, and now, he just wants to prove that he can be the best at something.

He’s told you (and only you) all of this, which is why he’s so quick to let you in, to keep you close to him.

“I’ll win the next one,” he says. It’s his way of trying to move on from the loss.

“Yes, you will.” You move your hands to grasp his face, tilting it up so he’s looking at you, “let me clean you up?”

“Thanks, baby.”

You head over to the sink, grabbing some paper towel and wetting it, and finding the bandages in the cupboard behind the mirror.

Back in your place standing in front of him, you tilt his face up with one hand and wipe away the dried blood on his face with the other. Steve’s hands find their place at the back of your thighs easily.

This is what he needs; you, your hands, your kind voice. He’ll never understand how he managed to end up with someone like you, how he didn’t drive you away. He needs you, and he loves you, and you’re the only person he wants to see when he feels the way he does now.

Well, you’re the only person he wants to see most of the time.

Once his face is mostly clean, you grab a small band aid and place it over the cut in his eyebrow, smoothing the edges to make sure it sticks. He watches your face the entire time.

“All better,” you say, leaning down to place a peck over the band aid. “You should shower, all sweaty.”

“Yeah, okay.” He leans his face against your stomach from where he sits, just for a second, and pushes his lips against it. “You’ll stay in here?”

“‘Course I will, Stevie.”

He may have lost the match today, but he feels like a pretty big winner when he kisses you softly before heading to the showers.

[johnnycakesswitch]

Do you have any birthday headcanons for stevepop? - 🍀

Omg yes I was actually just thinking about this last night

Soda’s birthday

• everyone loves Soda’s birthday tbh not just him. It’s the perfect time of year, the weather is finally starting to cool down, everyone is always just happy to be together

• Steve wants to make Soda feel so special on his birthday so he always starts it off by having a Rare Vulnerable Moment ™️ and telling Soda how thankful he is for him and how lucky he feels to have Soda in his life :(

• if they have work which like realistically they probably do, they’re just being so silly the whole time like truly nothing can get Soda down on his birthday. The others will stop by and visit them and Steve will let Soda work on all the especially tuff cars that come by

• later on everyone goes to the Curtis house and Steve and Soda are up to their usual antics except Steve is letting Soda win all their arm wrestling matches and pretending not to notice that Soda is very obviously cheating at cards bc who is he to tell the birthday boy he can’t do whatever he wants

• after dinner and cake they play football outside for literal hours until everyone is exhausted. The others go back home but Steve and Soda stay at the field for a little longer and watch the sun go down and just talk to each other for a long time. Steve gives Soda his birthday present which isn’t anything crazy but would definitely be extremely heartfelt and thoughtful and Soda just hugs him for a long time because for once he doesn’t even know what to say to express how happy he is :’)

Steve’s birthday

• there is a years long tradition that they have for Steve’s birthday. At midnight, Soda and the gang will go sneak Steve out of his house at midnight and bring him back to the Curtis house for a little birthday celebration :’) it’s bittersweet because it was the Curtis parents that started the tradition because it broke their hearts when little Soda told them that Steve wasn’t looking forward to his birthday because his dad could be “real mean sometimes”. They always threw Steve a birthday party at their house and the sneaking out part just came to be as they got older, but it’s honestly one of their favorite parts of the whole ordeal now

• so that all happens and that part in itself is pretty short because it is late after all. Soda and Steve stay up after Darry and Pony go to bed though just talking on the couch and watching whatever is on tv. Soda always says something cheesy like how he’s real happy that Steve was born and became his best friend and Steve always tells him to shut up but he loves it

• Soda INSISTS on being the one to bake Steve’s cake every year, Darry is NOT allowed to help whatsoever, Soda must do this on his own. He will actually get extremely whiny and put up a big fuss if anyone tries to tell him otherwise

• speaking of cake, without fail every year, Soda always gets Steve at the end of singing happy birthday and smushing his cake onto his face after cutting the first slice. He goes to hand it to him and nope just right in his face. Steve does not learn, it comes at the same time every year and he always manages to be caught off guard

• they’ll usually spend the rest of the evening either playing football if the weather is nice or cards inside, Steve lovessss poker. The only day of the year that Soda plays honestly and does not cheat is on Steve’s birthday. No one else’s birthday is safe unfortunately

• sometimes for Steve’s birthday they’ll go out to a party later in the night but sometimes they opt to just stay home it depends on the vibe. It’s always the best day tho, Soda and everyone else always manage to make Steve feel so loved and cared about which he appreciates more than he’ll ever be able to say, especially since he doesn’t get that at home

Bonus for both of them, and everyone for that matter

• it’s tradition to get the camera out and take a group picture of everyone at the table whenever it’s someone’s birthday. The birthday boy gets to be the one holding the camera and everyone else squishes into the background. Another favorite part of everyone’s birthdays is pulling out the scrapbook and looking over the collection of birthday photos over the years, watching as everyone grows up together 🥺

[findafight]

Jonathan’s line about Steve in vol 2 was so…. I don’t know. I mean yeah it straight up confirms that Nancy and Jonathan make fun of Steve behind his back, and like I get that I have never been in Nancy’s situation so obviously it seems more mortifying to me, but I would have felt so guilty in her place. I can’t imagine not shutting Jonathan up if he started shit talking about Steve. Like Steve would have been straight up unmentionable if I was Nancy. Idk.

I get that Duffers don’t treat their characters emotional lives seriously, but like. That’s why Robin being kind to Nancy in s5 despite Nancy’s uh.. well frankly appalling attitude towards Robin, makes zero sense to me. I really wanted Nancy to struggle being in Steve’s group. Not in the “she deserves it bhahaha” way, but like… Steve dumped his friends for her (which was good for him), and her expecting to get the same treatment and meeting Robin instead? Who actively dislikes her and for a good reason? Who is smart and cool and kind? That’s way more interesting than people kissing Nancy’s ass the whole season, while she is actively putting Max’s life in danger. Like, yeah in high school she is the chief editor of the newspaper, and at home she is the eldest sister, and with Jon she makes fun of Steve, and now none of these people are here, but Steve is here and so is his bestie. And Steve is as kind as always, but Robin dislikes her, and it is not just prejudice

Nancy Wheeler you wild girl! She has no guilt lmao She's like yeah steve was dumb and annoying and didn't enable my investigation, and jon goes yep, what an idiot. All while Steve is just like. bumpin around making friends with little nerds haha. Minding his own business blaming himself for the end of their relationship. You're right, it's kinda bonkers because even if we take the stance that Nancy didn't cheat (which I believe she did) like. she still had him as her second choice and as soon as he pushed back a bit and didn't give her the kind of support she wasn't telling him she needed (until talking about exposing the lab in the library where anyone could hear) she jumped ship and ran to Jonathan. Why would she want to talk about Steve? Why wouldn't she want to try to forget he ever existed as anything other than Mike's friend Dustin's older friend? Is that not weird for her?

(i think you might mean s4? but i can work with s5 too haha) It's so much more compelling to me to have Nancy and Robin at odds with each other because Robin is like a little guard chihuahua holding a grudge for Steve. She holds grudges so well let her do it more!! like jesus give him someone in his corner! And also for herself! She got so nervous and tried to explain and defend herself, and Nancy only really started to listen once they got into the hospital. Nancy has a not great plan that puts one of the kids in danger, one of the kids Steve is close to. (Max wrote him a letter!!) I think Robin would really see Steve's people as her people, even if she wasn't personally close to them she'd still feel comfortable around the younger teens because Steve is? Let robin be critical of this plan. Let her call it out or something. Give Nancy someone to push against, it's no fun if there's no resistance! I want Nancy to be the one wanting friendship with Robin, and Robin not being receptive to it. Nancy not having a relationship handed to her would be refreshing and I want to see how she'd try to win Robin's friendship.

Let Robin not want to work with Nancy because she's heard the rumours about how her and Steve ended, even though he only mentioned that he wasn't a good boyfriend ans wasn't what she needed so it didn't work out. Robin saw that one week Steve and Nancy had a fight, and a day later she was ditching with Jonathan? yeah something is fishy there to even the most socially oblivious person. Let Robin know Steve well enough that she knew he at least thought he was telling the truth but that there must have been more. Let Robin decide she was going to do the most cliche best friend thing and not be very nice to the ex that broke her bestie's heart.

ooooh anon what you're saying is so interesting because, yeah. Steve dumped Tommy and Carol for Nancy, and that was good for him, and then Nancy got with Jonathan who doesn't really have any friends in Hawkins. So she's always been her boyfriend's main person of similar age they're close to. But now Steve's got Robin. Who is funny and kind and weird and loyal and smart and sarcastic. Who is obsessed with Steve and who Steve is also obsessed with. And that, from a s5 stancy pov, is so interesting because now Nancy is now competing (in her mind) for her boyfriend/potential bf's attention with his best friend. Like Jonathan was focused on his family, obviously (and this caused strain for them too) but it's not the same socially as a best friend taking priority. Steve would still hold those relationships, because they're good for him and good for the others, and there's zero reason for him to abandon them this time.

I think Nancy would hate it. Like Steve would obviously give her tonnes of attention, but with him having actual close friendships not just with Robin but Dustin and Max (at least) too, she'd still feel like she was bartering for time with him. That is suuuuch a fun potential dynamic between nancy and steve and also nancy and steve's friends.

[theladybarnes]

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ AND THEN I MET YOU

▸ summary:  Steve Harrington’s world is suddenly changed by your mysterious arrival. There’s something about you that he just can’t shake off. And damn it if he’s not going to try and figure out what that is. ▸ word count: 17.6k           ▸ warnings: angst, violence, semi-fluff, slight canon divergence 

STEVE HARRINGTON POV from SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

Steve Harrington always thought he had luck on his side. 

It was luck when he met Tommy, introducing him into the crowd of kids that’d eventually be his friends. It was luck when he made the winning shot in his first game, honoring him the MVP on his team. It was even luck again when he managed to make the right joke to make Nancy Wheeler laugh out loud during study hall.

So why did it feel like his luck ran out the moment he met you? 

The first time he meets you, you’re pointing out that he’s at the wrong place. Almost having left the note for the wrong person. And while he’s here to do something for his girlfriend, he can’t help but stare. 

With your clothes obviously high end, purchased someplace far away from the Hawkin’s strip mall. The makeup rimmed around your eyes is perfectly etched on in a way that it makes your eyes shine brighter. Were you actually a student? You looked out of place here in all the right ways.

“Do I have something on my face?” You mused, slapping the door shut. You’re almost mirroring his position and it’s enough to scramble his thoughts for a second.

“You’re new.”

Though your laugh is short, it’s pretty. He wants to hear it again. “I thought we established that?” 

 “Sorry, it’s just, we don’t usually get anyone new. Especially around the middle of the year.” 

“Must make me really special then.”

He can’t help but think you might be right. You give him your name and he finds it rolls off his tongue easily. But you’re ending the conversation quickly. The sound of his homeroom teacher is a big enough spark that he has the courage to follow you and offer to lead you to class. 

If you’re thrown off by his presence you don’t show it. And again, he finds himself letting out his charm. Trying to see how someone like you would react. And it intrigues him again to see how calm and collected you stay. It’s not until you both near the hall towards Ms. Click’s class that he fumbled a bit, earning a bit of a wary look from you. 

Too soon are you both parting ways, leaving him curious to find out more about you. But the excitement of meeting up with Nancy has him turning down the hall with a smile. 

He’s embarrassed the next time you see him, soaked and struggling to leave Nancy’s bedroom window. You’re amused, helping him up. It has his heart beat even faster than the fall from the window did. 

“You really gotta stop sneaking up on me.”

“It’s funny you think I’m the one sneaking up when you’re currently leaving this house out of a window.” you smirked, making Steve wonder how you’re always so cool. The umbrella in your hands moved to cover the both of you, bringing you both a little closer. “I assume you’re leaving more than just a note this time?”

He can’t help but laugh, feeling a little shy at your memory of him.

“It was a little late when I came to see my girlfriend, Nancy. Had to sneak out.”  

“Look at you continuing your streak of generosity.” 

 “What can I say? I’m a pretty great guy.”

You roll your eyes and he really hopes you’re not thinking he’s completely an ass. But you’re still there and still keeping him dry. “So, since you know the area well. Mind telling me where the Wheeler house is? I gotta pick up my cousin.”

He catches on to that last word. Cousin. So you’re here to be with family. He grinned a bit, pointing over to Nancy’s house. “This would be the place. Nancy’s brother and his friends were downstairs from what I could hear.” The two of you move towards the driveway, he can tell the conversation is wrapping up. Too soon in his opinion.

“You think you’ll be fine to make it over to your car?”

“I can tough it out.” he said, dreading the idea of walking up the long driveway. He had to hide his car a bit down the block. But he’s not gonna make you escort him over just to stay dry. He suddenly remembered the plans he worked with Tommy earlier that night. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

The familiar teasing smile spread over your lips. He’s nervous for the quip you’re about to throw out at him. “Steve Harrington, are you really asking me out on a date just moments after fooling around with your girlfriend?”

“What!? No! That’s not what I was asking.” He said quickly, feeling foolish for not explaining further what he meant. But he can’t even do that because you’re laughing at him and he’s trying really hard not to look dumb. “Are you done?”

You hold back a smile, nodding for him to continue. 

“What I was trying to ask was if you wanted to come over to my house tomorrow. My parents are gonna be gone and I’ve decided to have a couple of cool people over.”

“I’ll have to check my plans.” You shrugged. How could you possibly have plans in a day? Who else could you have spoken with already? 

He reached out for your wrist, noting how soft the skin was there. “I promise it’ll be fun.”

“Fine.” you said, swatting at his hand. He found the childish reaction cute. “Better be worth the trip, your highness.” The nickname almost breaks his smile. He’s not sure if he’s too keen on it, but nicknames amongst each other seemed like a step into being friends. He took that as a small win as he dashed away up the driveway.

“See you then, newbie!” 

You’re at his house the next night and he’s disappointed to see that you look bored. Was there better ways to spend the night back where you’re from? He’s trying to keep all of you entertained. Especially Nancy, who while out of place, seemed to try and join in the festivities. But you, you’re aloof, scanning your eyes to everyone there. What he’d give to take a look inside your mind. 

He overhears Tommy throw a question at you. California. You’re a long way from any fun if that’s where you came from. 

 “Maybe I got tired of the place?”

You’re trying to sound nonchalant. But Steve feels there’s more to it than just that. 

“Really? You’d leave the sunny side of California to live here? In Indiana? In the middle of fall?” 

Tommy joined in on Steve’s teasing. Always ready to follow his lead. “Or maybe you were kicked out? You look a little rebellious.”

Their words don’t stump you though. “Actually, you’re pretty close.” You said, chugging the rest of your beer. Like a champ. Steve thought. “I’m really a scoundrel who’s been forced to live with her Aunt until she behaves better.”

He couldn’t help but think that seemed more likely. You were too good looking to be so innocent. If your sharp words were any indication on the type of action you get, he’s guessing you were here for a bigger reason. “That story is more believable.” he said, missing your weary look. 

Distracted by Nancy, he pushed any curiosity out of his mind to enjoy the girl’s company. Her smile had been on his mind so much lately, and the excitement of what tonight could bring was on his mind. 

But the nagging of Barb and the look of boredom on your face is eating at him a bit. 

The gang try shotgunning more beers after him. You declined because of some expensive jacket you had on. But Steve’s happily surprised to see Barb turn around and attempt. That is, until the poor girl is bleeding suddenly. 

He shyly escorts her to the bathroom in his house. Wondering why Nancy would make her friend endure such an awkward night when went back out to notice you and Nancy together. You’re both so entertained by Tommy and Carol in the water that you don’t see him sneak up behind you guys. 

Before either girl can react, he’s pushed you two in, quickly throwing himself in after. When he comes up for air, you’re trying to fight a smile, Nancy’s lost a shoe, and he doesn’t think he’ll stop grinning. It’s a weird bliss for Steve and he doesn’t want that high to end. 

But the party eventually dies down. And he’s mad at Tommy for him and Carol making it so everyone slowly heads inside. You’re able to read the vibes and press to leave early. Making Steve torn about pushing for the group to do something else and letting things go naturally. Nancy is gorgeous and he’d love some time alone. 

Following you out of the pool, he tells the others he’ll get towels as he went in after you. He barely passed you a towel when he noticed you already have that taunting smirk tugged at your lips. 

“You know, this is the second night in a row I see you completely soaked in water.”

He wants to whine about that but he can’t help the chuckle that builds up in his throat. “It’s not fair, I’m either getting soaked with water or embarrassing myself in front of you.”

He wrapped a towel around you. Suddenly feeling something in his chest when he noticed how your eyes looked in the dim lighting of the house. Were the lights making them shine like that? Or was it his imagination?

“Is there something on my face?” 

He panicked for a second, looking slightly downward from your face to your jacket. That’s when he noticed the color change. Shit. Did he just ruin your jacket?

“Your jacket changed colors.” He stupidly pointed out. 

The frown tugged on your face is slightly cute, but it’s also nerve wracking because now he’s made you upset. 

“Well that’s just great.”

 “Sorry, the pool guy must have added too much chlorine.”

You chuck your towel at him, walking away from his side to go back to the group. He felt a pout on his face as he followed after you, only feeling a bit better when he noticed how cute Nancy looked as she stepped in the room. 

“Oh noo!” Carol gasped, “Not the Chanel.”

 “Yeah, I’m planning on Steve’s demise as we speak.”

He can’t help but wonder for a second what that would be like.

But Nancy’s chucking so sweetly and he’s noticed now that she too looks beautiful under the lighting. “Hopefully one that’s not too soon.” she said, smiling at Steve. It has his heart hammering in his chest. He shyly helps wipe some of the water drops off her face.

“On that note, I’m off. You kids have some safe fun.” you called out, not even giving him the chance to say goodbye. Something in his chest ached at the idea of him dragging you here, ruining your jacket, and then making you possibly uncomfortable. 

A warmth engulfed his hand and he finds that it’s Nancy giving him a look he’s seen before. And he’s suddenly feeling a little bit better. 

“...You sure? Because unless Harrington is a three minute kinda guy, they might be busy for a while.”

Nancy and him both cough a bit at the jab. He notices that while your face stayed neutral, there was a bit of sparkle in your eyes at his expense. He shook his head no, trying to keep the mood civil here. 

“I’ll be fine.” Barb replied, looking wary at Nancy. Steve bit his lip, not sure what to say about her friend staying, but wasn’t gonna be the asshole to kick her out either.

 “And with that I’m off. Night kiddos!”

You didn’t spare them a glance back as you marched out his front door. The rest of you called out goodbye and Steve watched as your figure slowly left the crack of the two doors before it closed after you. There was always tomorrow to make up for tonight. He’d figure it out later.

Tonight? He had hopeful plans. And from Nancy’s face, it would seem she was thinking the same.

The next morning is tiresome but Steve finds that he’s still on a high from the previous night. He’s gotten even closer to Nancy, something he’s been keen on for a while. And while things were rocky with you, he thinks he can figure out a way to get on your good side again.

“Last night was wicked. Sorry we didn't’ stick around to clean up.” Tommy said early that morning. The two were meeting over at Steve’s locker and he was a bit annoyed at his friends bailing so fast. 

“Whatever,” he lied, trying to play it cool. “Glad you two had your usual fun.” he smirked, watching as his friends rolled their eyes. Carol pushed a curl behind her ear before leaning in towards the two.

“What about the new girl? Henderson? Do you think she had fun? She totally acted like she was cooler than us.” 

Steve wanted to roll his eyes. She was possibly a thousands times cooler than them. But with the jealous way Carol got, he knew saying that would make you a target. “She’s cool. Probably was nervous or something.”

“Nah, I don’t think she was nervous.” Tommy frowned, leaning against the locker beside Steve’s. “She was odd. Not to mention, she comes from California just to stay here? Maybe she’s a freak.”

“She’s not.” Steve said quickly, feeling the need to defend you suddenly. “I think she was just not sure how to act around me.”

“Or maybe she didn’t know how to act with us.” Carol countered sarcastically. 

“I don’t know. I have a hunch she might like me..”

He can’t help but think back to how you looked last night under the dim lights. Maybe you did like him..but he didn’t want to dive into why he liked that idea. Especially when last night brought him better memories.

The look on his two friends looked a little too interested in that and he felt like he quickly needed to make it less serious.

“Yeah.” Steve added sarcastically, stuffing his books inside the locker. “She’s so hot for me.” The two beside him slowly smirked at his response. “Maybe she’ll do me favors or some lame shit like that.”

“All right, we get it.” Tommy laughed, wrapping an arm around Carol. “Tell us what you really think.”

“You wanna know what I think?” Steve asked, closing up the metal door. “I think I’m gonna go off and see my girl.” With that, he turned on his heels and made his way over to Nancy’s. Finding her already gathering up her books for first period.

She’s a bit jumpy this morning, but he’s glad to see she doesn’t regret what happened last night. But with her nervous greeting, he can’t help but check in with her.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, totally.” she said, forcing a smile. “I just..I feel like everyone’s staring at me.”

He wanted to point out that they might be, but probably not for the reasons she thinks. Their night was special, and he felt the need to help keep that special for Nancy too. 

“Oh, I didn’t..I didn’t tell anyone.”

“I know!” she clarified, giving Steve relief. “I know. Of course not.” Again he’s relieved, until she goes on. “But what about, like, Tommy and Carol and the new girl?”

“You’re being paranoid.” he assured her. And thankfully Nancy relaxed a bit. 

“I’m sorry.”

“No. No, it’s cute.”

“What’s got you worried, Nancy Drew? Could it be the rumors of your sweet escapades with Harrington?”

Your sudden presence has him laughing and he hates how perfectly timed your quip is. Unfortunately, you’re using it on the wrong person at the moment. Nancy looked worried again, turning to look at the kids down the hall.

“Are people really talking about me?” she stuttered.

“She’s only kidding, right?” Steve urged, giving you a hopeful look to end this.

 “Yeah,” you said, looking a bit taken back by the girl’s worried reaction. “I barely just got here. No one but the people at the party figured that out.” You lean in towards her and give her a friendly pat on the arm. “I promise I’ll keep it to myself.”

Slipping back to your locker, Steve felt a small relief again when Nancy turned back to face him. Having a small bit of privacy again with you distracted by your books. 

“Hey, I had a good time..”

 “Yeah. Me too.”

Taking his chance, he met Nancy in the middle, giving her a sweet and gentle kiss. He’s hoping you’re not looking at the sweet moment, but he finds that maybe he wanted to gauge your reaction for it too. 

For some reason.

Nancy eventually parts ways, giving you two a kind goodbye before Steve was able to give his attention to you again. Pushing your locker shut, he leaned in towards you. “You have a knack for being tactful, did you know that?” Steve sighed.  “Now I’m afraid you’re gonna embarrass my girlfriend like you do with me.”

He’s only a little upset by your words, not really for himself but for Nancy’s sake. 

“I barely know either of you enough to purposely embarrass you guys.” You laughed. There’s a struggle with your large trapper keeper and Steve can’t help but take the trouble out of your hands. “If anything, you guys do it yourselves. Especially you.”

“Fine, I’ll give you that I’m a bit of a mess. But Nancy’s different. She’s sweet, considerate and-”

 “And someone I barely hung out with last night.” you cut him off. “I can’t help what comes out of my mouth sometimes. Maybe my jokes will toughen her up.”

He thinks maybe that he might need time to toughen up to your jokes, but doesn’t really mention that. Less power to you. Instead, he pointed in the direction of homeroom. Watching you from the side of his eye as you went on.

“Besides, if you’re upset about my light teasing. I’d remind you of the fact that your two other friends were there long enough to hear all the action that went on.”

 He could feel the creep of the blush on his face. A terrible reminder of what having people over can do. But he knows his friends, and more importantly, he knows how to distract them from doing things like that. “They’re not going to say anything either. I’ll tell them not to.”

 “Oh? So is that what this is? The royal king of Hawkins demanding for my silence?”

Though he smiled at the joke, he can’t help but find your jab about his status to be unsettling. Not quite sure if you mean it maliciously or not. “I’m just getting to know Nancy at the same time as I’m getting to know you. I’d think it’d be kinda cool if we all got along.” he said honestly. 

The two of you stop outside the classroom, needing the minute to wrap up the conversation.

“Steve..I really meant what I said about not saying anything. I just got here and want to make friends.”

It’s so honest and..almost sweet coming from you. And while Steve wanted to dive into that and reassure you that he too wants to be your friend. He has to put his girl first. But the longer he looked down at you, the more he struggled with saying anything against your eyes sparkling underneath the shitty school lighting.

Would they just do that everywhere?

“So you won’t say anything?” he asked finally, handing you back your keeper. 

 “Of course. It’s not like anyone is interested in what the new girl has to say anyway.”

He can hear the familiar sound of his teacher’s heels and doesn’t waste anymore time getting inside the class. Some kids give him the stink eye as he carefully jumped into his seat. A girl with light brown hair and blue eyes turned to openly glare at him before she turned back around. But he’s too worried about what you said to pay any real attention to that. 

How could you think that no one would be interested in what you had to say? Everything about you was so refreshing, cool, and completely more interesting than anything these dorks around the school had to say. Waiting for the right time, he couldn’t help but wait a second after the assignment was on the board before he leaned over to talk with you.

“You’re wrong by the way. About no one being interested in what you have to say.” 

The light from the window cast over your head, creating almost a halo effect around your head. Not to mention with your soft expression, you look beyond this world. He has to fight the smile that wants to spread on his face. Choosing to smirk instead to remain cool and collected.

 “I’m very interested.”

Turning back to face the board, he felt two emotions run through him. Proud for telling you the truth and worry. Because, why the hell did he need to tell you that?

“It’s totally frostbite.” whined Carol, making Steve roll his eyes. It’s been like this for five minutes now. And despite you and Nancy joining the lunch table, he felt like ditching early to avoid whatever mood Carol was in. 

“It’s a heated pool.” reasoned Tommy. Steve could only grow more frustrated at his friend’s gross behavior. Like the group would care at all about her leg.

“Well, it it’s not frostbite, then what is it?”

"Ugh, I don’t care what it is, it’s disgusting!” Steve exclaimed, breaking down finally. “Just get it off the table. We’re eating here.”

“Some of us.” you chimed in, offering your plate. Not one to pass on food, he joined Tommy in picking off the best bits from your plate. He hopes that you and Nancy aren’t too put off by his friends. 

“Hey, Tommy. When you left, did you see Barb?”

“What?”

“Barbara. She’s not here today.”

You poke your head out from the side, acknowledging Nancy for the first time. “She didn’t wait for you?” You sound genuinely concerned and Steve’s glad to see you taking this approach. 

Nancy shakes her head no and waits for an answer from Tommy. But from the careless look on his face, he knows his friend is gonna be an jerk about it.

“I seriously have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“Come on, don’t be an ass, man. Did you see her leave last night or not?” Steve asked, feeling bad for being right.

“No, she was gone when we left.” He answered finally. Steve noticed from the corner of his eyes that Carol had shifted. A look of amusement flickered onto her face.

“Probably couldn’t stand listening to all that moaning.” 

Steve nearly missed the smug expression on your face when he became distracted by the noises from his friends. He should be mad, especially since it wasn’t just him they were making fun of. But the ego boost is hard to ignore.

“Wow, you two must have had a really dull night to rehearse that.” There’s a teasing smirk on your face as you play around with your milk carton in your hand. “Is voyeurism something you two like doing as a couple?”

The two across from him instantly stopped laughing. Looking uncomfortable to have the joke be on them for once. Steve can’t believe you’re so quick with your remarks, making him wonder just how far and low you can go.

“Okay, chill.” Steve warned, noticing the familiar annoyed expression from Tommy.

“You could always call her house after school?” You said to Nancy next, making Steve thankful you’re keeping positive.  

He nodded his head, turning to look over at her. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably just, like, skipping or something.”

Though the two of you tried to keep things light and hopeful, he could tell by the look on Nancy’s face that there was still a lingering doubt. Still, she returned a smile to him, that is until something caught her eye.

Following her gaze, Steve noticed you beside him, only your attention was towards the lunchroom doorways. Just why on Earth would you be waving at Jonathan Byers?

“We’ve got a problem.”

Steve had his focus on the C minus mark he had just gotten on his English test when Carol came over to speak with him. He crumbled up the paper into a ball, aiming it for the trashcan by his seat. “Give it to me.” he said, tongue sticking out as he tossed the paper into the bin. Perfect shot. 

He turned to his friend only to be surprised that she wasn’t alone. A pale girl with bright red hair was timidly at her side, giving him a small greeting while Carol frowned over at Steve. “Uh hi?” he waved, unsure who this girl was.

“This is Nicole.” Carol said, rolling her eyes. 

“Hi, I’m Stev-

“Steve Harrington.” Nicole finished, flashing him a toothy smile. “I know. We’re in Biology together…and Algebra II..and Stud-”

“He gets it, Nicole.” Carol snapped. The girl looked scared before Carol changed her expression to rest a hand on her arm. “Tell him about your elective.” she added more sweetly.

“Oh right.” she coughed, smiling again. “I take photography with Jonathan Byers.” 

“Okay,” Steve nodded, keeping his face neutral to wait for the point of this conversation to come finally. “That’s, uh, cool?”

“Give her a second.” Carol sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“So I’m coming in this morning to check on a project that I had been working on. And I see Jonathan. Greet him and that’s when I saw it.”

Carol looked suddenly angry, like she was bracing for the worst answer and Steve couldn't help but feel nervous, looking between the two girls. “What did you see?”

“I saw a photo of Nancy Wheeler.”

Steve was surprised he was able to make it to the front of the school without exploding.

After everything had been explained in detail, Carol, Nicole, and later Tommy joined Steve on making his way to Jonathan’s car after the final bell had rung. They were supposed to wait out in the front for you and Nancy for tonight’s game. But now? Now things needed to be handled. 

It was his fault that you were all at his house. He had this stupid party where you guys thought you could relax and have fun, unaware that someone was watching and taking photos. The only thing stopping him from truly exploding was that he hadn’t seen the photos for himself. At least not yet.

The sight of Jonathan finally approaching the parking lot oddly brought out a calm and collected feeling over Steve. He knows what he needs to do. 

“Hey, man.” he said, getting off of the car.

“What’s going on?” Jonathan asked warily.

“Nicole here was, uh, telling us about your work.” 

“We’ve heard great things.” Carol added, Tommy chiming in just behind her. “Yeah, it sounds cool.”

Steve knew they were only going to instigate, make this whole situation a bigger deal. But he couldn’t help but join in on their sardonic approach. Feeling the anger creep into his words. “We’d just love to take a look. You know, as..connoisseurs of art.”

The glare that Jonathan was giving Steve only made his chest twist. How could he be the one who’s angry right now? Even if they were approaching this harshly, he was still wrong.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jonathan said quickly, trying to brush past them to get into his car. But Tommy was faster, quickly reaching onto his bag before Jonathan could even turn around to see. 

“Oh, no?”

“Hey. Please give me my bag.” Jonathan asked, reaching out to Tommy. But his friend passed the bag to him, giving Steve the final piece on the judgment he’s been waiting to place on Byers for a while.

“Man, he’s like totally trembling,” he pointed out. “He must really have something to hide.”

Turning around, he placed the bag on the trunk of the car, rummaging through until he felt the smooth surface of the photographs. “Ahh, here we go.” Steve said, fanning the photos. One look down and he’s already feeling his stomach turn.

“Oh, man.”

“Let me see.” Tommy asked, already eager to see. Steve splits the stack, handing some to his friend as he continues to look on. “Dude!”

“I was looking for my brother..” Tried Jonathan.

“NO. No, this is called stalking.” Steve said, unsure why he’d even lie.

A particular one catches Steve’s eye. It’s the two of you deep inside the house. Almost blurry from how distant it was, but there was something about your face..he couldn’t shake it off. He stuffed it into his pocket. Picking through the rest until he noticed the Nancy ones..that’s when he knew what he had to do.

“What’s going on?” 

It’s odd timing for you and Nancy to finally show up. But when you guys get close, he can see right away the worried and perplexed faces etched on both your faces. 

“Here’s the starring ladies.” Tommy scoffed.

“What?” You and Nancy asked at once. 

“This creep was spying on us last night.” Carol explained as she passed the photos to the two of you. He notices right away the crestfallen look on your face, looking between Jonathan and the photos. He thinks back to the cafeteria where you waved at him. Were you both friends? Were you maybe why he was there in the first place? But judging from the ones he took of Nancy, he was sure it wasn’t for just that.

“He was probably gonna save this one for later.”

“Shit, Jonathan.” you said in frustration as you flung the paper to the ground. A disapproving look on your face as you joined in on their disgusted emotions. Nancy remained silent, looking down at her photos in shock. It was then that Steve knew he had to make his move for you guys. For all of you.

With a click to his tongue, Steve stepped forward towards Jonathan, looking down at him. “See, you can tell that he knows it was wrong, but man, that’s the thing about perverts. It’s hardwired into them. You know, they just can’t help themselves.” His hands wrapped around the worn out shirt that Jonathan had worn well out of its best days.

Steve’s surprised when he sees you step forward. “Look, I think he gets it, Steve.”

This is your first week, he thinks. And despite your usual cool nature, he figured this isn’t something you’d want to be a part of. Unfortunately, because of the party, you are. So he pointed a finger at you, asking for silence before he went on tearing the photographs quickly. 

Tommy, who doesn’t take anything so serious, began to laugh behind him. The familiar wheezing laugh as he enjoyed watching Steve’s approach. “So,” Steve concluded. “We’ll have to take away his toy.”

Nancy is next to call out for him, making something in the pit of his stomach turn. But he went on with it anyway, needing to do something to make sure this wouldn’t happen again. Behind him Jonathan pleaded for his camera.

“Steve, let’s just leave. I think the public humiliation was enough, don’t you think?” you said, voice sounding just as desperate as the boy’s did. Again, Jonathan tried to reach out for the camera when Tommy stepped in. Ready for action. But Steve quickly called him back. Feeling different inside of him. Something..mean.

“It’s okay.” he smiled, holding the camera out for Jonathan. “Here you go, man.”

The boy’s brown eyes shifted between Steve and Tommy before he took a step over to grab the camera. But Steve was faster, and let the item fall quickly from his grip. All around the group gasped. Tommy’s taunting laugh being the only commentary from everyone else. 

Oddly, Steve did not feel the satisfaction that he had been hoping would come from that.

“Come on, let’s go. The game’s about to start.”

He turned on his heel, making a beeline over to you when he noticed the hard frown on your face. He didn’t know what exactly could make you look so cold and mad, but he didn’t take the chance to leave you there. Gripping at your shoulders as he pushed you down the hill to the school. 

“You didn’t have to do things like that, Steve.”

His hands gripped tighter around your shoulders. Confused by how you were upset with him in all this. When you two reached the bottom of the hill, he finally let you go, letting him see your glare once again.

“How would you have done it?” He asked, trying to control his temper. “Because I feel like you’re missing the fact that he took photographs of us!”

You rubbed your hands over your face and Steve can clearly see there’s an inner conflict going on. “You didn’t have to break his camera.” 

“The creep is lucky that’s all I did to him.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the photograph of the two of you, slapping it down on your hands for you to see. He needed you to understand the severity of all this. 

But the look on your face is almost disappointing. He’s not sure if it's him or the photo itself. But you’re turning to look back at Byers and he noticed just now that Nancy hasn’t joined them down the hill.

“I’m only looking out for you two. We’re friends now.”

Leaving it at that, he called out for Nancy. Ready to leave this parking lot and move on to better things than discuss these damn photos.

Like the party, he’s sensing the discomfort from the group. Well, from you and Nancy that is. Tommy and Carol are happily leaning over each other, talking about their day as if everything were normal. 

Steve wanted to pretend too. Even joining in on the conversation. But he can see the look on Nancy’s face as she gets more uncomfortable. It’s only five minutes before the game when Nancy suddenly pulled away from the locker she had been leaning on. 

Steve felt stunned, watching as she had begun to leave without a word to anyone else.

“Whoa, Nance, where you going?”

She thankfully stopped, turning a bit to face the group. “I totally forgot.” she stammered, unbelievably making an excuse on the spot. “I told my mom I would, um..I would do something with her.”

“Well, what do you mean?” Steve asked, getting up from the floor. “The game’s about to start.”

“I’m sorry!” she called, not sparing a glance as she quickly made her exit. Steve felt his heart sink a bit. Not sure if he should go after her or not. Just when he thinks he couldn’t feel any worse, you’re slowly edging your way past him.

“Not you too.” he frowned. Watching your usual collected expression only shifts a little to show a bit of discomfort again.

“Well, her little brother is friends with my cousin so I actually gotta head to her house and pick him up.” The smile that tugged on your lips seemed forced and Steve fought to try and fight against your excuse. “I’ll make sure she’s okay.” you said lowly to him before waving him off.

“What the hell is wrong with them?” Steve called out. Confused by how two girls he was getting close with could suddenly just freeze him out.

“Maybe they were freaked out when you went all psycho on the psycho.” Tommy suggested, a small smirk on his lips. 

“Oh give me a break.” he groaned back.

“What’d you expect, dating Miss Perfect? Not to mention this being one hell of a welcome wagon to the new girl.”

Steve stayed still looking down the hall again, hopeful that one of you might turn around. But the lingering thought couldn’t escape his head now. What was gonna happen next?

The next day doesn’t start off the way he had hoped it would. 

It was early in the morning when he came downstairs. A rare occasion of finding his parents both at the breakfast table. He mumbled a quick hello, reaching over for a banana in the fruit bowl while overhearing his parents talk about recent news. Apparently they discovered the body of Will Byers and there would be a funeral service for him soon. His Mother wasn’t taking it well, going as far as to deny that the body was his.

He can’t help but think about Jonathan Byers. He left the house that morning without eating.

Later on at school, Nancy had pulled him aside for a private conversation. She ended up going back to his house the night before while he was at the game. Desperate to try and see if Barb was still around. Which sounded insane, but not as insane as the man in the faceless mask. 

Eventually the conversation turned for the worst when he realized the police were going to be involved. Which meant everyone was going to be dragged in this. This party was supposed to just be a fun night! Now that the Hawkins Police department was going to investigate, his dad would surely murder him. 

Nancy didn’t seem to understand that. And while Steve knew that she was more worried about her friend, he couldn’t help but panic about his own situation first. Not when his asshole of Dad would take away everything from him. Not to mention he doesn’t even know what would happen if the cops find out about the beers. It wasn’t just his ass on the line. 

But Nancy’s focus is solely on Barb and a part of him understands. But god damn if he wasn’t a bit freaked out.

It’s hours later at lunch and he’s feeling a twist of emotions. He needed to apologize to Nancy, but also get a word in on what the hell these guys were gonna ask him. But since his girlfriend decided to disappear, he figured the next best person to ask would be you.

So he snatched you away from the lunch lines and dragged you behind the gym. No one would be there for another twenty minutes and he could get some information out of you. But ten minutes have passed now and Steve felt like he had to drag every answer out of you.

“And what did you say after that?”

“Steve, do we really have to do this?”

“They’re going to ask me questions next and I wanna know what I’m heading into.” You glanced back at him, expression hard and sort of sad if he were being honest.

“Trust me, they’re not going to grill into you.”

He can feel his temper rising up. An unusual feeling he had for you as of lately. “You can’t be serious. They know we drank! They’re going to give me the third degree and my ass is grass the moment the old man finds out.” Again you look off distantly and Steve can’t help as he pressed on again. “Carol said you looked pissed off by the time you came back into class. So obviously there’s something you’re not telling me.”

That only seemed to upset you, making you roll your eyes at him. “Are you having your friends report on me? Carol isn’t even in my class.”

Steve narrowed his eyes, trying not to admit that he did sort of have Carol keep an eye on things but also not want to tell you that.“Okay, so it was Nicole who reported to Carol who came and told me. But only because she’s freaked out too!”

You turned away from him and he immediately moved to stand in front of you, feeling a little pathetic at how desperate he had become right now. “What did you say? Please?”

The glare is hard on your face and he realized he might have pushed you a bit too far. “Look, it’s safe to say they’re aware of some of us drinking. I don’t know what Nancy told them but they know.” Picking up your bag, you pointed over at him. “If you blab to them about just who was drinking, be sure to leave me out of it!”

There was something in your voice. Something scared that had Steve pausing his panic to focus on you. Reaching out, he spun you to face him again. “Are you okay?”

“Okay? I’m peachy fucking keen.”

The sharpness of your voice has him letting go of you. Holding his hands out defensively. “Whoa, chill out there spitfire. I’m just checking if you’re alright.” He watched as different emotions flickered across your face before you sighed.

“I didn’t mean to get mad. It’s just hard dealing with people like the cops when you have them know your history.”

“Know your history?” he asked, curious to hear what could make you so worried.

And that’s when you told him everything. 

From your ex, the party, the accident. Steve couldn’t fully wrap his mind around the fact that a girl like you could have had so much trouble in just one year. A part of him felt slightly ashamed for momentarily judging you. Because the more you went on, the more he could hear the regret and sadness. 

Something that tugged heavy on his heart and when he heard how hard it was with Hawkin’s PD questioning you, he couldn’t help but move forward. Wrapping his arms around you in a hug. It’s awkward, and he hates that you might not have really wanted one, but he hopes that it gives away some sort of comfort to know that he does feel bad. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, remembering he was supposed to reply to you. “I didn’t know that any of this would happen.”

Your quietness makes him think he might’ve taken it too far. But when he slowly pulled away, he noticed that your eyes were back to that familiar spark. 

So they’d just always sparkle like that, huh.

“Why is it that when I’m around you a mess seems to follow?” 

“I wish I could say I knew.” he chuckled wondering how you managed to change the mood so easily to bring it back to normal. It was troubling. Almost fitting for a ‘scoundrel’ like you. “You’re trouble, that’s for sure.”

“Come on, that’s not fair. You literally just found out my story.”

“Sorry, if you get to tease me for embarrassing myself, I get to call you trouble.”

You’re teasingly punching him, making him have to bite down on his lip to stop himself from grinning at the simple affection. He nudged you back, having to find some sort of way to return the touch. But you’re soon after stopping him, slightly worried again.

“Promise me something.”

“What?”

“Please don’t tell anyone else my story? It’s..it’s not my finest moment. I just want to move past it.”

Oh God, she’s pouting. How the hell is she so cute while pouting?

He had to pinch the side of his thigh to keep his thoughts at bay. Remembering he’s supposed to be contributing to this conversation instead of gawking at you. Crossing an X over his chest, he nodded to your request. “Promise. As long as you don’t tell anyone just how freaked out I was about being questioned next.”

He held his pinky out, feeling a warmth spread inside his chest at your reaction to the childish gesture. 

“Can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually feel a little bit better after talking to you.”

He’s surprised, not really hearing that from people often. He hopes he’s able to do it again if he has to. 

“What did I tell you, trouble? I’m a pretty great guy.”

The two of you part ways after lunch and he thinks about how much he enjoyed the warmth he felt after hanging out with you. It reminded him of how he felt with Nancy. If he was able to fix things with you, maybe tomorrow he could figure out to fix things with Nancy and get everyone back on the same page again.

There was a funeral service for Will Byers, and he was a little bit shocked to find out the two of you were attending. Putting a slight detour on his plans. For a second, he remembered Jonathan Byers. The guy who not a day ago was stalking him and his friends. 

Despite the ick Steve felt from everything, he couldn’t help but feel bad. No one should have to endure a loss like this. Even creeps..

It’s around late noon that he made his way to Nancy’s house. Hopeful that she had returned home early from the funeral. 

He’s happy to see Nancy again, but there’s something off. Something that’s different about her and it’s not just her recent attempt to join the softball team. He’s smart enough to know when someone’s avoiding him, but was sure that Nancy really did accept his apology. So why did he have this sick feeling in his stomach?

There’s a chance that everyone could have hung out today and he’s annoyed that Tommy and Carol decided to have a date night, making plans with them to push farther into the night. He hoped that you’d be the only friend of his to come through. 

To his dismay, the phone call with you is just as much of a failure as his visit with Nancy. Not only did he leave with no plans, but you thought he only called as a last resort. Which wasn't the case, but he can see why you’d think that.

Today was beginning to feel shittier than ever. And he wasn’t sure if it’d turn around any time soon.

“I just don’t understand why we’re coming out here.” Carol said with the smack of her gum in her teeth. “She obviously doesn’t wanna talk to you.”

“That’s..that’s not it.” Steve defended, knowing Nancy wouldn’t even have kissed him if she wasn’t forgiving him.

“Oh, really? Because no girl would ever blow off King Steve.”

“She was acting weird. I mean, something was wrong.” Her whole demeanor was nervous now that he thought about it. He tried to play it off as her being on edge from coming from a funeral and Barb still missing. But something in his gut told him otherwise.

“So what? Like, you’re worried about her?”

“What?”

“Aw, you are.” cooed Carol. “Aw, Steve has a heart.”

“Would you just–STOP.”

Tommy finally chimed in with his own amusement. “Stevey’s in love!”

“Would you just shut up?” Steve said, growing irritated. “SHUT UP!”

The two awkwardly grew quiet from his outburst and it dawned on Steve that he’s never really acted this seriously about a girl before. But Nancy was special. She was worth the teasing from his friends because she was a nice girl. Whom Steve really needed to fix things with. So, he parked his car in front of the Wheeler house, and made his way down the hill to the familiar window side. 

He would just say that he was there to check up on her, offer a ride to get a milkshake or something, and maybe figure out how to prove that everything was–

Oh.

Through Nancy’s window, Steve caught sight of something he didn’t think he’d ever see. Nancy and Jonathan, sitting together on her bed.

He sat beside her, placing a sweater over her shoulders as he gently caressed her back. The sight nearly caused Steve to yell out. Ask what the hell they were even doing together alone in her room. But he couldn’t. All he could even hear right now was the heavy sound of his heart beat.

Not saying a word, he slowly pulled away from her window. Climbing quietly down from the roof top before he dashed over to his car. 

Carol and Tommy were whispering close together when Steve climbed into his seat.

“What’s the verdict?” Tommy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “We waiting for your girl to join us or what?”

The three of them were all sitting outside the liquor store. Steve, not even having touched his can of beer that Tommy managed to swipe for him, watched as the other two paced in front of his car.

“Can’t let her get away with this.” Tommy chuckled, angry for his friend. “That shit isn’t cool.”

“Seriously, you’ve put up with her dorky shit for how long and she does this?” 

He wanted to tell him they were wrong. He didn’t put up with anything from Nancy, he wanted to do the things she did because he was interested too. But every word about her kept dying at the end of his tongue. 

“You know what man? Screw that slut, we should just hang out anyway.” His friend returned to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s go get you Henderson. She’s a perfect spare chick to keep around and we all know she digs you.”

“Yeah, at least she’s more interesting than Wheeler.” Carol added. “At least with a fashion sense.”

“Stop.” Steve gritted. Not wanting either one of the girls to be spoken about like this. “It’s not like that with her.” He glanced over at Tommy with a glare before shaking his head. “Besides, she was busy tonight too.”

“What the hell can she even be up to? Who does she know?” Tommy frowned, unsure of anything about you.

“She’s got family here. Maybe she’s off with them.” Steve countered. “But really, she was sort of annoyed that I called her last minute. She could just be just avoiding me too.” His self loathing was getting the best of him, and he really wished he’d just shut up.

“You know it’s weird, I heard she doesn’t even have a car. She rides a bike to school.” Carol mused, picking at the ends of her nails. “All those expensive clothes and she can’t afford a car?”

“Maybe she steals expensive clothing.” Tommy smirked, looking over to his girlfriend. “It would explain why she’s forced to live here. Nothing good to grab at our stores.”

“Ooh a thief would make sense! Maybe that’s why she was trying to steal Stevey boy over here.” Carol laughed, pushing at Steve lightly. The two continued to spew out ludacris theories on why you were here, making the focus turn worse. Having enough, Steve bolt up from the hood of his car, chucking the beer can across the empty lot.

“She’s here because she got in trouble for drunk driving, you idiots.” he sighed, looking out and away from the two. What they were forming together was a lot worse than the truth and Steve was tired of it.

“Drunk driving? That’s it?” Tommy asked with a small chuckle. “What an absolute moron. Can’t even handle her liquor.” Carol joined in on laughing with him, making Steve’s anger rise enough to turn around on them.

“It wasn’t that! She was having a bad night. Okay? We all have shitty nights and sometimes it leads to us forgetting where we are and how we crashed our cars. I’ve been close to doing that and so have you, Tommy!” 

“Geez.” Tommy gaped, looking annoyed with Steve's sudden outburst. “Crashed a car too? God she’s a mess.”

“Yeah, well, everyone has their worst moments. It happens to be one of hers so maybe hold off on accusing her of other stupid shit.” He pushed Tommy a bit to get off his car, going over to the driver’s side to unlock it so the other two would follow the same. “Can we please stop talking about her? I honestly have so much shit going on in my head right now. I don’t need that either.”

“Worse than Wheeler?”

Steve ignored Tommy’s question to turn on the car, looking down at his steering wheel before he glanced at his friends. “No, Nancy is worse right now. No one gets to trick me like that.” he frowned, feeling something vile come up in his chest. 

“So what do you think we should do about it?” Carol asked, peeking her head over. But Steve didn’t have an answer for her. He was so upset that all he could think about was taking off and driving far away from Hawkins. Away from all the bullshit and pain he felt right now.

“Right now, I just want to get out of here.” he sighed. Missing the way his two friends shared a sinister look.

Steve really believed he had to be the world’s biggest idiot today. 

He had received a call from Tommy early that morning to meet him over at the Hawk. Something not quite out of the ordinary, but from the chuckling his friend had done on the other line, he should have known it was nothing good. 

A while later he approached the small group with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He had to work on figuring out what to do about Nancy. But the closer he approached the group, the more he noticed they seemed to figure what to do for him.

“Shit.” he whispered. Looking up at the vandalized marquee. The bright red words seemed to be taunting him. 

Nancy the Slut Wheeler.

“Like it?” Tommy chuckled, as he climbed down the ladder he had been on. He wrapped an arm around Steve and extended his hand out towards the sign. “Now they all know.” The two girls quickly pushed the ladder away, leaning it against the building before they joined the two boys again. 

Steve is honestly stunned at the sight. Not sure what could possess Tommy to go this far but also not quite sure if he felt it was right. All he knew was that even as the group led him away, he felt like a shell of a man.

Why the hell didn’t I stop him?

“You look sick.” Carol chuckled, giving Steve a slight shove. “It’s not like she didn’t deserve this.”

“Yeah, man.” Tommy said, throwing an arm over his girlfriend. “Think of it as you giving the town a public service announcement.” That caused Carol to burst into laughter, slapping Tommy playfully against the chest.

In the back, the timid Nicole joined in on their laughter. As if she had any other choice.

“Whatever.” Steve muttered. “What’s done is done.”

Tommy stepped up to one of the blocked off doors of the building next door, shaking his spray can a couple of times before he started to write out his next message. He barely finished his sentence when shit really hit the fan. 

Nancy found him shortly after the work had been done, and he’s shocked to find you trailing after down the alley. But all he can focus on is the hurt look on Nancy’s face. No, not hurt. Heart broken.

But Steve doesn’t stand down. Not when he didn’t do anything wrong. All he did was say a couple of wrong things and he still got cheated on. How could someone nice like Nancy Wheeler do that? 

The words between them feel useless. He’s already made up his mind. Nancy didn’t deserve to have sympathy. Not when she was this big a liar.

“Look, I don’t know what you think you saw, but it wasn’t like that.” 

“What, you just let him into your room to..study?”

Her stuttering response has his heart aching even more. How could he have fallen for her? How could he have felt sorry even for a second when she was just..using him.

“Go to hell, Nancy.” He’s about to turn around and leave the girl when you step forward. . 

“Are you seriously going to just say that and not even listen to her side of the story?”

“Not sure it’s a story worth listening to, trouble.” he scoffed, feeling even more disappointment. How could you side with her? You were smarter than that, you’d have to have realized. Unless.. “Why the hell are you with them? Were you in on that shit too?”

Seeing your reaction was almost as bad as Nancy’s. Because instead of the hurt he was expecting; there was anger.

Jonathan stepped in now, grabbing hold of you and Nancy in an attempt to get you guys away. “Come on, guys, let’s just leave.” The smart thing to do. But apparently Steve wasn’t going to play the smart guy today.

“You know what, Byers? I’m actually kind of impressed. I always took you for a queer, but I guess you’re just a little screw-up like your father.” 

The words felt like venom on his tongue. A type of taste in his mouth that he rarely felt. But seeing Jonathan be the reasonable one amongst everyone made him mad. Even jealous. It wasn’t fair. This whole thing wasn’t fair. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, that house is full of screw-ups. You know, I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised. A bunch of screw ups in your family.”

The boy in front of him stopped and Steve can’t stop himself from egging him on. Giving his shoulder a push with every word he threw at him. Before him, he could see you trying to tug at Jonathan’s arm, giving him a knowing look.

“I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you, but the Byers, their family, it’s a disgrace to the entire–”

That’s when shit in the fan. Again.

Never in Steve’s three years of school would he think that Jonathan Byers knew how to fight. But fuck if this kid knew how to hit hard. Of course, it made sense. He didn’t tell him off to get a slap like he did with Nancy. No, he wanted this fight to count.

So while Jonathan gave him his all, Steve would do that same.

But to his dismay, his all isn’t enough. Just like his relationship. Whatever he was giving wasn’t enough to win. He was on the floor, holding his arms up to help cover up some of the blows that Jonathan was pounding down on him. Various voices calling out for the fight to stop. From how he felt inside, he hoped Jonathan wouldn’t.

“Come on, dude. The cops!”

At one point, the two boys are pulled apart and Steve is able to pick himself back up from the floor. Tommy began to pull him away when he looked back to the chaos they were about to leave behind.

“Henderson!” called out Officer Callahan. “I knew you’d be in this mess.”

Nodding to Tommy, he went over to you, picking up at your arm while Tommy got the other and helped you up from the ground. While he knew you’d probably get pissed about leaving the other two behind, he couldn’t help but selfishly take you.

He had some questions of his own.

“What the hell was all that?!” 

You didn’t even hesitate to break apart from him the moment you guys made it to his car. Steve felt his anger swell up. Either that or it was his actual face swelling up from the beating he just took. 

“What the hell was all that? What the hell is with you? Why were you with Byers in the first place?!” He stepped forward, glaring down at you. “I thought you knew to stay away from him.”

“Excuse me for making my own decisions, your highness. I’m not exactly gonna stop talking to someone just because you said so!”

There was that damn nickname again. Now he knew it was used for nothing but disdain towards him. It was ridiculous. How could you be so biased towards the others when he met you first? 

“Oh cut the crap. Why are you bothering covering up for Nancy? I saw them with my own damn eyes. Stop covering for the girl you barely know!”

“It seems like I’m not the only one who barely knows her considering you didn’t even give her a chance to explain herself.”

“I didn’t exactly stop her from speaking. She did that on her own.”

He watched as your eyes scanned over towards his friends. “Not everyone wants to air out their stories for your voyeuristic friends, Harrington.” The three of them gasped at your reaction. Carol instantly pulled Tommy closer.

“My friends are just getting the truth out there. She’s a slut and a liar. And you’re a bitch for siding with her.”

Now, he knew wasn’t thinking entirely smart today. But he really regretted letting that slip out.

His back hit hard against the car door, making him wonder if you were strong enough to break the glass. But his blind stupid anger kept him feeling anything else at the moment. He could handle another beating at this point.

“You take that back! I have done nothing but be a god damn friend. In case you don’t remember, you even begged me to befriend her too. Now that I’m doing that I’m suddenly a bitch because it’s not what you want?”

“What I want is some god damn honesty around here!”

And boy was honesty what he got. Every word you said felt like some sick truth and he wanted to speak up and fight that not everything about him is like that. But Tommy decided to make it his turn at being the dumb one and opened up his mouth next.

“If he’s such a dick, why do you have such a big crush on him?”

“..What the hell did you say?”

God, he’s so completely fucked. The anger on your face is this beautiful rage that is unfortunately directed at him. He can’t even function properly as he threw out any excuse he could. 

He didn’t think you were pathetic. He thought you were cool. Not only that but you actually treated him like a normal friend. Something he didn’t even get with people that have known him for years. How can he properly explain that when he’s with his asshole friends he makes asshole jokes? 

Things just take a turn for the worse and he can’t help but panic as Tommy had that familiar glint in his eyes. He stepped towards you, giving Steve a quick wink before he spoke up again. 

“..He actually thought you were a lot worse. Especially after you told him about getting so drunk you didn’t even remember crashing into another car.” He watched in shock as Tommy moved to wrap an arm around your shoulder. “We didn’t take you for a forgetful drunk. Didn’t we, Stevie?”

“Promise me something.”

“What?”

“Please don’t tell anyone else my story? It’s..it’s not my finest moment. I just want to move past it.”

No no no. This was bad. This was so completely beyond bad. How could he have forgotten that slip up? His mind had been all over the place and he never..he never meant for that to get thrown back at you.

“Tommy, just back off, okay? I didn’t say it like that.” Steve said, trying to reach out for you. He needed to get you out of here. Away from the people that were only going to try and hurt you until you felt like complete and utter shit.

Just apologize. He thought.

“Then tell me, Steve. Just how did you say it?”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s not like it’s important anyway.”

It really doesn’t. He’d never think bad of you. Not about that. But his pathetic inner turmoil caused him to miss out on the look on your face. Because the next thing he knows, you’re back to being calm again. 

“You know what, you’re right Steve.” 

The group sobered up quickly at that, not thinking that would have been your reaction. “Right about what?” he asked. But from the cool and collected tone in your voice, Steve knew whatever answer he’d get right now was going to be something they were all unprepared for. 

He’d have thought he was living in a movie with how quick and calculated all your words were. Never had he seen his two friends look so taken back with someone’s insults. By the glare on Tommy’s face, he knew that he was beyond mad. But for once, they’re actually speechless.

“..and lastly, your royal highness.”

You approached him slowly. Like a lioness getting ready for her prey. Only this time, he’s the one in your line of attack.

“It’s actually hilarious to think that you would assume I liked you. You, a small town hick with barely a career in basketball. Who gets drunk on a Tuesday night because his absent parents leave him alone in the house. I mean really, is that someone you think I’d like?”

He can’t find it in himself to call your words cruel. They hurt like hell, but they were all true. But still, as much as Steve liked to think he wasn’t that much of a smart guy. The one thing he could always tell was when a girl liked him. And with you, he felt it there. Right from the start.

“You like me..I know you do.” He forced the words out, feeling how tense his whole body got.

“Perhaps that’s what you wished for, but unfortunately, I’m no longer interested in dating pathetic high school boys. I left that preference in California.” Your finger grazed at his jaw and he felt himself gulp at the fire your fingers left behind on his skin.“See, the next time I date a guy, he’s gonna have to be really special. And with you, I can’t get that. You’ll graduate high school, work for your dad, and be known only as the boy who used to be relevant.”

You stepped back finally and Steve could feel himself be able to breathe again. But too quickly are your parting words coming out and he felt his chest ache again. 

“Hate to break it to you, Harrington. But the only thing big about you, is your hideous head of hair.”

And with that you walked off leaving the entire group jaw slacked at your vicious verbal attack that he thinks he might not ever get over.

The group is left sort of in shambles by the time they finally leave the area. Nicole was even stunned enough that she left to go home early. Steve couldn’t help but wish he’d do the same. Especially after Tommy and Carol got back to talking. 

The only break he got from their spew of insults towards you was when he stopped over at the Fair Mart. Asking Tommy to get him something for his head without having to go inside and freak everyone out. 

“Here,” said his friend a few moments later. “You owe me a dollar-twenty.” 

Steve doesn’t even reply, he just cracked open the pain relief and shot back a couple of pills. Hopeful for the effects to kick in as soon as they could. Now that he was done fighting and getting yelled at, he was starting to feel the way his face looked.

“Don’t worry, he’ll need more than aspirin when we’re done with him.” Tommy reassured him. 

“Yeah,” Carol scoffed. “If the creep ever gets out. The cops should just lock him up forever.” 

Steve brought the cool can of coke up to his eye, feeling the cold can take off some of the ache that was swelling up. Meanwhile Carol continued to mimic Jonathan beside him. Not even caring if Steve bothered to show interest or not.

“He probably had that same look whenever he killed his brother, right?” Tommy laughed. Something vile twisted in Steve’s stomach. And this time, he was sure it was vomit wanting to come up. Since when had his friends even thought this way? Sure, they could be jerks but this? This was just…cruel..

“Oh, God, I just got an image of him making that face while he and Nancy are screwing.”

Okay, that’s enough.

“Carol, for once in your life, shut your damn mouth!”

His two friends instantly stopped laughing, not at all ready for Steve’s outburst.

“..What?”

“Hey, what’s your problem, man?”

He finally turned to look at them, truly ashamed and disgusted that he’s included these people for so long in his life. He couldn’t do this anymore. Impressing them and pretending to be cool about everything was not worth it if he was left feeling this shitty.

“You’re both assholes.” he exclaimed. “That’s my problem.”

“Are you serious right now, man?” Tommy asked, not even aware if his own friend was being honest or not. But Steve had to stick this through. 

“Yeah, I’m serious.” he answered finally, giving his friend a shove as he made his way over to his car door. “You shouldn't have done that.”

“Done what?”

“You know what!”

“You mean call her out for what she really is?” Tommy asked, squaring up to Steve. “That’s funny, because I don’t remember you asking me to stop.”

“I should’ve put that spray paint right down your throat.” Steve said low, anger building up inside. 

“What the hell, Steve?” Carol frowned.

“You know, neither of you ever cared about her. You never even liked her, because she’s not miserable like you two. She actually cares about other people.”

“The slut with a heart of gold!” Carol retorted, obviously fed up with Steve’s insults. But he can’t help but feel more upset with Carol’s useless words. 

“I told you to watch your mouth!” he yelled, pointing a finger at the girl. Tommy was faster than that and quickly moved in to push Steve against the car. 

“Hey! I don’t know what’s gotten into you, man, but you don’t talk to her that way.”

“Get out of my face.” Steve warned with a shove back. But again, Tommy is fast to grip onto Steve’s jacket, getting close to Steve’s face. 

“Or what?” he grunted. “You gonna fight me now, too? Huh? Because you couldn’t take Jonathan Byers..so I wouldn’t recommend that.” 

In a way, Steve knew he was right. Today wouldn’t be the day he had a win and he knew when to back down. But that didn’t mean he was done talking just yet. “She was right, you know.” he sniffed, fixing his jacket once Tommy let go.

“Who was right?” Tommy said with a glare.

“Henderson. She was right. You guys are just pathetic assholes with nothing remotely intelligent to say.”

“Like we give a shit what that drunkie thinks.” Tommy frowned. 

“Come Monday the school’s gonna know all about her bender anyway.” Carol chimed in after him. 

Steve couldn’t even imagine how you’d react if that got to spreading around. For once, he didn’t mind playing the asshole one more time.

“Yeah? ‘Cause if that happens, I’ll be sure to let loose a couple of details about the two of you. Right? Stuff you guys wouldn’t want to get out.” 

“You don’t have anything, Steve.” Tommy said, crossing his arms. 

“No? So you’d be okay with the school finding out your Mom had to beg Coach Troy to let you on the team?” He turned to Carol and tapped his bloody nose lightly. “Or about your little freshman year glow up, Carol?” 

The girl paled a bit and Steve shook his head one last time at the sight of them before he turned to get in his car. Tommy made it a point to help shove Steve inside. “Here, let me get the door for you, buddy.” he hissed, slamming it shut. 

He started up his car, trying his best to ignore the last words his now ex best friend began to spew at him. But no matter how loud his car was or how fast he left. He still managed to hear one last few haunting words.

“Run away, Stevie boy! Run away! Just like you always do!”

Without even realizing it, Steve had found himself parking near the front of the Hawke again. One of the employees there had taken it on himself to begin trying to scrub off the words from the marquee. The younger one below held onto the ladder tightly. 

Steve took a few steps forward before their conversation perked in his ears. “Do you think that girl is really gonna sue us?” asked the younger man.

“God, I hope not. Her friend seemed hellbent on it though.”

Somehow he felt like he knew just who they were talking about. But his presence cut off their words and the older man stared down at Steve finally.

“Need a hand?”

“Did you have something to do with this?” asked the employee.

Yes. And I need to fix it now.

“I just..I wanna help.”

The man gave Steve a weary look before he slowly climbed down from the ladder. Making the boy thankful that there wasn’t any further questioning. He shed off his jacket and grabbed onto the rag before he climbed his way up.

The younger employee stared at Steve questioningly from below. But Steve ignored their gazes as he rolled up his sleeves and went to work on making things right.

After a good hour of scrubbing. The remnants of his mistake had finally been wiped off the marquee. And though Steve was sure his wrist was cramped, the weight that came off his chest from having the sign cleaned was worth it. 

He’s back in his car about to drive over and see if Nancy had made it back home from everything when he thought things over. There was no use in trying to fix anything up with her or even you for that matter until he got this green eyed monster off his back. 

The next thing he’d do is fix things with Jonathan Byers.

For some reason, he held importance to the both of you. Maybe it was something he hadn’t seen. Something he didn’t hear. But after everything that’s happened between all of you. The two of you were defending him.

If there was something there, he’d just have to find what it was on his own. 

So he drove down the unfamiliar road. Glancing now and then at the houses that were shabby and shadowed by large trees. They were aged homes. Ones that have possibly been in the town a lot longer than his own. But there was one heavy difference between the houses on his street and the ones here. 

These homes had families.

The warm glow of lights dimmed through each window. Reminding Steve that there was such a normal thing as a happy family. Ones that spent time together, and loved each other. Like Jonathan’s. No, they weren’t a usual family. But even with just the three of them, they were closer than anything Steve could ever have.

Pulling up to the Byers’ home, Steve thought hard about what he could even say to Jonathan. Sorry would be a good start. But how exactly could he even get to saying that? He’d have to figure it out now because he was done feeling this shitty. He just wanted to make things right again.

He raised up a fist against the wood door. Ready to face the music.

What he wasn’t ready for was coming across you, Nancy, and the giant faceless monster. 

He’d have been more shocked at the state of the home if not for the sight of the three of you geared up and ready to fight an otherworldly creature. Nancy had tried to get him to leave, a sign that she still cared about him. But you? He couldn’t quite place if you were worried for him or annoyed by his presence. 

Even after being forced down the hall into one of the bedrooms, he felt like he was only being a burden to the three of you. But you’re standing in front of him, almost protecting him. How the hell were you going to do that with a knife?

When nothing happened after entering the room, the three ahead ventured out in the hall. Leaving Steve with his mind falling apart as he scrambled after you. The group is acting like what they witnessed was normal and he can’t help but feel his reserve breaking.

Nancy is holding onto a gun, ready to shoot the thing. You’re wandering around with the knife ready for the next attack and Jonathan is behind adjusting his grip on the bat. Why the hell isn’t anyone calling for help?

“This is crazy. This is crazy. THIS IS CRAZY! THIS IS CRAZY!”

Bolting for the phone, Steve attempted to make a call to the police when Nancy rushed over behind him. Getting the phone out of his hands just in time to throw it to the ground. 

“What are you do- What are you doing? Are you insane?!”

“It’s going to come back!” she warned, glaring at the boy. “So you need to leave. RIGHT. NOW.”

Leave? How the hell can he be the only one to leave? Did you guys want to die? 

His eyes found their way to Jonathan in the living room. Eyes sad but watchful of his surroundings. He wasn’t going to leave this home. He turned around, finding his gaze to fall on you next. 

Even with the hard look on your face he could tell there was a hint of fear. You were too smart to put yourself in such a dangerous situation. You had to think differently. “Come on.” he whispered, silently pleading for you to change their minds. But you didn’t hesitate to shake your head no. Moving over to stand beside Nancy now.

“Leave now, Steve.”

Hearing that felt almost as hard as the words he heard earlier today. But he agreed. Moving out of the room and out the front door in a flash. His fear took over any instinct he might have as he ran out towards his car. 

He barely managed to get the door to his car open when he saw it. The warm lights in the house. Only this time, they were blinking. Going in and out in a berserk like way. The same way they did when the faceless monster had emerged into the home. 

There were so many things running through his mind. How the three of you were barely scrambling together to fight this thing. He’d be leaving Nancy, you, hell, even Jonathan. Running away to get himself to safety like always.

The blinking lights began to pulsate even faster until suddenly it stopped. That’s when he began to hear the two of you screaming out for your friend.

“Run away, Stevie boy! Run away! Just like you always do!”

Running to the front door of the house, Steve tore the door off the wall as he burst his way in. Jonathan was on the floor, screaming out for Nancy while she held up the gun to the creature. It wasn’t backing down. 

Well this time neither was he.

He grabbed the discarded bat from the floor and took a swing at the faceless creature. It’s strength was definitely strong, but it sure wasn’t smart on its defense. Each swing managed to cause the creature pain. Making Steve glad that he was on the baseball team for a hot minute. 

While his hits were strong, it had fast reflexes. Moving its arms quickly to try and make a swat at Steve. But he was just fast, dodging every attempt.

“To the hall!” you informed him, giving him an idea of where he needed to go. 

With a final swing he’s able to send it back into the bare trap in the hall. Making it screech out in pain. 

“He’s in the trap!” 

“He’s stuck!” 

“Jonathan, now!”

The rest of you joined him at the hall, watching as Jonathan threw over the lighter. Instantly the room is light in the bright orange flames. Almost engulfing you in its spark. Jonathan is quick to pull you behind him and Steve can’t help as he watched the boy almost protectively cover you.

You stole a glance over at him before quickly going to retrieve the fire extinguisher. Putting out the flames thankfully before it grew into more rooms of the house. All of you coughed while the air began to clear out of the smoke.

Jonathan went forward first, needing to see if the creature was dead or not.

“Where did it go?” Nancy asked as they followed closely with their weapons. 

“It has to be dead. It has to be.”

But there’s nothing in the trap but sizzling bits of flesh that managed to stick to the metal. The lights in the hall began to shift and you’re all a bit freaked out when you noticed the Christmas lights that adorned the ceilings began to lit up again.

The group followed down the path of lights until they reached over towards the front door. Something must have sparked inside of Jonathan because the next thing Steve heard was the boy calling out to his Mom. 

Continuing forward, the four of you moved out into the front porch. Watching as the lights flickered onward towards the street.

“Where’s it going?” Nancy asked.

“I don’t think that’s the monster.”

Despite having a few hours of waiting. Nothing really progressed within the group. The time was spent cleaning up around the place until some sort of local authorities showed up to gather everyone up. 

There’s a bit of back and forth between all of you but one thing was made clear enough that they knew where to go next. 

To see Will Byers. 

“I can’t believe you guys were dealing with this all by yourselves.” Steve said softly. He was following behind the car with the agent that would check them into the hospital. You had offered up to drive Jonathan in his car while Nancy moved into his. 

“It hasn’t been easy.” Nancy replied. 

“Wanna tell me about it?” He asked, glancing at her. “I think I’m ready to hear about it all now..” 

Her gaze had stayed on the road the whole time. It was noticeable that she wasn’t quite comfortable around him yet. But he was thankful for the explanation regardless.

It was sort of shocking to listen to her tell everything from the start. The night Barb went missing, the hunt you three did in the forest, Nancy’s first encounter with the monster, down to today. How could the three of you just take it upon yourselves to fight this thing? Going back had been scary but he’s glad he did. He didn’t think how he’d feel if anything had happened. 

“You came back.” Nancy added a second after her story. 

“I did.” 

“I’m thankful for it..but why?” 

He gripped on the steering wheel, unsure how to even fully explain himself. “Because I’m an idiot who is tired of always running away?” He turned to enter inside the parking lot of the hospital. “Because I couldn’t handle the idea of you, Henderson or even Byers getting hurt if I left you guys with no help?”

The car had barely come to a stop when he felt Nancy reach out to grab at his arm. Her big eyes looked over at him with a concern that had his heart racing. It’s been like days since he’s seen this kind of side of her. 

“I just really wanted to make things right..”

“You did.” Nancy reassured him. “You did..”

He couldn’t help himself as he pulled her into a hug. Feeling a little relief to know she felt like he did right. The girl is thankfully quick to embrace him back before murmuring for him to join her inside to wait and find out if Will was finally okay. 

There’s others there amongst the group of people that are waiting for the same thing. And it takes only a few seconds after he’s checked out by a nurse to realize that you’re one of the last few that are late in coming in. Nancy wondered the same thing until Jonathan burst through the doors and joined his Mother down the hall. The two began to question about your whereabouts when you joined in a minute later. The two of you stare at each other for a moment before you’re whisked away to be checked out. 

After that it was even more waiting. But Steve couldn’t help but watch you from afar. 

The look on your face grew even more tired and somewhat distant from the group. Was he allowed to ask if you were okay? Did you want to be there? Even when you came back after seeing the kid, who Steve didn’t even ask to meet. It didn’t feel right. But Jonathan still thanked him for coming before gathering his brother’s friends. It’s not until Nancy approached you with a cup of water that he slowly got up from his seat. Hearing the last bit of your guys’ conversation. 

“..I was actually going to talk to you about that. My mom called yours and spoke with the Sinclairs. Given what’s happened, we figure these guys aren’t gonna wanna leave Will any time soon. So when visiting hours are over, we’re gonna have them spend the night so they can see them in the morning.”

“Right, I guess if Aunt Claudia is okay with it. I should probably call her over to come pick me up.”

“Actually, I can give you a ride home.”

The two girls stopped when they heard the sound of Steve’s voice. He didn’t know why he was so keen to offer. But he figured it was the right thing to do. “I think I’m taking up too much space here. Should probably call it a night.”

Nancy shot him a small but warm smile at that. “You should ride with Steve. He's in the same direction as you so the drive shouldn’t be too bad.”

The look on your face is unfortunately noticeable with discomfort. Making Steve worried he might have done something bad again. But you still got up from your seat, much to Steve’s chagrin. 

“Whatever, let's go.” you mumbled, while you pulled your jacket on. 

The two of you are quick to say goodbyes. Barely the two that were needed there anyway. It’s silent for the most part after that. You two got in his car and headed towards the direction home. But like with Nancy, he wanted to see if there was any chance of mending, even if just a little bit, with you. 

“So what happened tonight was real, right? I’m not still dreaming?” he asked hesitantly.

You don’t glance at him but he can see from the side of his eye that you’re shrugging. “Do you usually dream about fighting faceless monsters with people you used to be friends with?”

“..No.”

“Then, this is real.”

The cold is harsh in your tone. And really, he should have figured someone like you wouldn’t warm up so quickly. He pressed his lips together. Trying to control his dumb mouth from making himself a fool again when you spoke up. 

What you did tonight..” you started, making him steal a glance.  “It was stupid..So incredibly idiotic and stupid.”

Here we go. He was ready for you to tear him a new one again. “I know, you’re right.” he sighed.

You waited for the car to stop before you reached out to touch his arm. It was eerily like how Nancy did. Making him stare a little bit in shock since this was coming from you of all people. “But very brave. And I’m thankful you decided to help us.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. You thought he was brave? Him? 

“Lights green.” you murmured a second later. 

“Right.”

The conversation died down at that. Leaving Steve’s rambling mind to try and think of a way to approach what happened to you in a way that you’d want to talk it out. Unfortunately, he’s fast at getting you home, leaving him seconds to ask you about it without the help of a mental filter.

“Do you think we could talk about today?”

“No.''

Damn it. 

You’re leaving his car so fast that he nearly forgot to turn it off as he went after you. 

“Please, I’m so sorry. I know what I said..what I did. It was unforgivable. But it’s not me. I’m not that guy-”

“Oh? You usually don’t go around pretending to be friends with girls because you like the attention? You don’t think I’m pathetic?” The harsh tone had him wincing back. “I’d hate to think about how you feel about people who actually like you.”

“No! And that wasn’t what I wanted with you. I swear!” He’d never use you like that. Nor anyone really. It was a stupid stupid joke and he wished he hadn’t said it at all. “Since you’ve moved here, you’ve been the only person who I feel wanted me as a friend because you actually wanted to be friends. And you’re definitely not pathetic, you’re the coolest person I know.”

“So you didn’t tell them that you thought I liked you enough that I would do things for you? What kind of bullshit was that, Harrington?”

“Look, that’s not what I said. I told them I had a hunch you liked me and in a way you’d do anything for me. It was a dumb joke said to make them laugh. And I’m wrong for that, I’m sorry! I never would want you to do anything for me, especially if you like me.”

“Stop making this about me liking you! Today I was thrown back with my own secret! The same secret I trusted you with!”

There’s a sparkle in your eyes right now and he’s disappointed to see it’s not the familiar look of stars he was getting used to. It was tears. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell them–”

“You don’t mean to do a lot, Steve. Just spill the one secret that I didn’t want the school’s worst two gossips to know about.” 

He hung his head. Not sure how he was going to be able to come back from this. But all he could do was apologize again and again. Promising to make things right. But no matter what he said, you were done with him. Moving to go inside your house. He barely managed to make it over before you could close the door. 

“You need to leave, Steve.”

“Things with us can’t end like this. I-..I like you too much just to lose you.”

“You’ll get over it.”

The answer truly stumped Steve. Because he knows the logical thing would be to let you go and count his losses. But there was always just something about you that made things different. And as cliche as it might sound to anyone else, you were different. 

“What exactly do you want with me, Steve? I’m not your girlfriend, I’m not your best friend. We were nothing to each other just a week ago.”

He thinks back about last week. There were no monsters, no fights, no ex friends, but importantly there was no you. Despite everything else he might have wanted to go back to, he didn’t know if he’d change anything. 

He just couldn’t explain why. 

“I don’t know what I want..but all I know is that even if I didn’t know you, I’d still miss you in my life.”

“You have Nancy to feel all that with.” you reminded him.

“I know.”

His impulses took over and he reached over to wrap his arms around your waist. Pulling you in as close as he could. Without any real thought behind the consequences that would come from that. Reaching out, he cupped the side of your face and leaned in close. Brushing his lips on yours while he waited a second to see if you’d push him away. 

You don’t. So he finally gave in. 

Kissing you was just as different as he expected. Your lips taste like the remnants of the lip gloss that’s always perfectly applied on your lips. Your body is soft and warm against his, like the perfect cover. All around him the world goes quiet and he can only feel you. 

Just you. 

The tips of your nails dug into the edge of his hair and he can’t help but moan softly at the sensation it gave him. He pulled back a beat just to feel you suck lightly at his bottom lip, making him gasp. He didn’t even know he liked until now. 

The kiss deepened after that and you pressed harder against him the more you were got excited. His hands wandered over the expanse of your body. Needing to feel everything on you. One of his hands barely crossed over the curve of your ass when he felt you pull back. 

A thousand thoughts run in his mind as he caught his breath. Was this a sign that maybe he should reconsider his feelings? Would things be different now between you? He liked Nancy, he knew this. But he never felt that way after a kiss either.

“Wow,” he breathed, falling forward to rest his face on your neck. The sweet scent of your perfume still lingered there. “That was..”

“A mistake.”

He thinks he might have misheard you at first. You couldn’t have not felt what he did. But from the way your hands were slowly pulling away from him, he could tell that you were trying to distance yourself. 

“You can’t tell me you haven’t been wanting to do that..” He said softly, needing your honesty once again.

Pulling back from your neck, he finally looked at your gaze. Trying to see if there was any trace of a lie on your face. But all he sees is the way your face is beautifully flushed from the heat of the kiss. From your eyes down to your swollen lips. 

“Tell me you felt it too..” 

It was pathetic how desperate he felt for it to be real for you too. Despite the complications that it would bring. He couldn’t shake the carnal desire to have you. Knowing that it had to be the basis of something between the two of you.

“Steve,” you smiled sweetly. The cold tone in your voice nearly sending a shiver up in his spine. It was the same tone he had heard earlier that day. “I still hate you, and I don’t want to be your friend. And most importantly I felt nothing.”

With that, you disappeared from his side. Entering your home without so much as a glance back at him and what could have been.

ONE MONTH LATER 

It wouldn’t be until winter break that he’d finally get to talk to you again. The aftermath of dealing with the monster and being sworn into secrecy really put a damper on everyone’s plans. The last surprise had been when Steve received a call from Nancy the following day. Things between them in the hospital felt iffy and after his rejection from you, he wasn’t sure what he wanted. 

But Nancy’s sincere interest in working on things was enough to mend the ache in his heart. And for the first time in days he felt himself actually smiling again. 

Though the group could probably use a break from things like school, the four of you still showed up to school that Monday.

You and Jonathan had arrived earlier that morning. Doing the most to get back into a normal school schedule. Even if that ended with you both avoiding the couple. Thankfully. Tommy and Carol weren’t brave enough to call out Steve on his bluff. Not a single word was spread about you. 

But that didn’t quite help the way he had hope it would. 

Because the moment your gaze found Nancy with Steve, you turned back into the cold and distant behavior. It made him sick. Not only because it wasn’t what he wanted. But because of him, you passed on the same treatment to Nancy.

“I just don’t get it.” Nancy said one day at lunch. The two of them had a table far off in the back of the cafeteria. Not quite back into the groove of their former cliques. They had just watched as you grabbed a bit of lunch. Smiling earnestly as you linked up your arm with Jonathan. Despite having made new friends with some of the other popular girls. You still made time to hang out with Jonathan on a few occasions. 

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, playing dumb.

“Things at the hospital seemed so good..like we were all going to start a new chapter. But now?” She picked at her lunch before dropping down her fork. “Now it’s like I’m being iced out and I don’t even know why..”

Steve’s stomach turned, he hated seeing Nancy so upset. The worst part being that he couldn’t even explain just why you hated him so much. Not without spilling the dark past that you wanted hidden. He messed that up once, he wouldn’t do it again.

“It’s me.” he sighed. “It’s because she’s still mad at me and since we’re together, she doesn’t want anything to do with us.”

Nancy frowned at the explanation. “But you apologized. You came back! It doesn’t make sense for her to still hate you. Not even Jonathan hates you.”

He shrugged his shoulders, glancing over his shoulder briefly to catch the two of you finally left the cafeteria. “People are going to react with how they think is right.” he frowned. Not really believing his own words. “Maybe she needs time to see that things are different.”

The girl sighed loudly. Sounding as defeated as he felt. “Time.” she said slowly. “Let’s hope it’s just that..”

The weeks passed after that day and he found that only a few things would change between the four of you. Jonathan, while still a bit of a loner, seemed to be okay extending his niceties to Steve on the occasion. Making Steve grateful for that bit of normalcy. 

Nancy had grown even closer to him. Making him genuinely feel like for once he was on the right track of things. He felt like maybe things could finally start to go back to how they first were when he fell for her. 

You, on the other hand, avoided the couple like the plague. Making it hard to progress on fixing that bond. Every attempt was thwarted by your cold dismissals. There was even one day when he offered you a ride home and you pretended to ignore his call to you.

When it was Christmas break, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of an idea of what he could do to maybe get the ball rolling. 

“Do you think they’ll like them?” 

The presents laid on the dinning room table of the Wheeler house. He felt a bit like an ass coming in with presents for no one actually within the household. But after telling Nancy the plan and noticing her eyes light up, he felt a little bit reassured it was a good idea. 

He glanced down at the plain white box holding your present. The jacket was actually the hardest thing to find. But he was happy to know that some places in this town still had some newer fashion trends in their stores. 

“I hope so.” Nancy mused, looking at the small box containing the camera for Jonathan. “If not, at least we know it was a nice gesture.”

The waiting game was the harder part. Whatever weird game that Mike and his friends played in the basement went on for an exaggerated amount of hours. But your cousin was there, and that was all the hope Steve needed to ensure he’d see you tonight. 

“..Won’t you both come inside, the boys sound like they’re just about done.” 

“Oh that’s okay, I’ll–”

“We’d love to come inside.”

Steve’s ears perked up to the sound of the new voices. Making him feel slightly panicked before he nodded over to Nancy. This had to work. But if he couldn’t get you to forgive him tonight, then maybe he’d at least work on getting you to talk to his girlfriend again.

He barely walked down the hall to the front door when he saw you. 

The red winter dress you were wearing practically made you look like an angel despite its dark colors.

“Hey, trouble..”

The stiffness that came over your body caused him to worry a bit. You almost looked like you were in pain and all he had done was greet you. 

“Harrington.” you nodded, keeping your attention to the photos that hung on the wall. It was the first time in weeks you’d actually addressed him. Making him feel slightly pathetic for enjoying the half assed greeting.

“You look nice tonight.” he commented softly, not able to contain himself. A small sparkle flashed over your eyes as you looked over your outfit. He always liked how you admired your style. 

“Thanks. You look..uh.”

He felt his face heat up. The Christmas sweater had been from Nancy. Mostly as a joke. But since he rarely got things like this, he cherished it anyway. “Yeah, it was a gift.” he explained. The tension is still thick in the air. He had to squash it before it got even worse. “I’m glad I ran into you tonight.”

Quickly dashing into the dinning where the gifts were, he grabbed onto the white box. Nearly dropping it due to his sudden sweaty hands. He managed to appear more collected when he returned to where you were.

“What’s this?” 

“It’s a gift, genius.”

You rolled your eyes to that, pushing the present back towards him. “I can see that, your highness. I’m asking why are you giving me this?”

“Because it’s Christmas and you give presents to people during this time.”

He really wanted to add that it’s to people you care about. But that wouldn’t do him good.

“Give it to Nancy. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it.” you muttered. Steve could have sworn he saw your walls actually come back up. Protecting yourself from any real feeling that might come to you. “I’m gonna wait outside for the guys.”

“Please don’t shut me out..I just want to fix things.” He glanced down at your hands, not even noticing that he reached out for you. Down the hall he could hear as Nancy called out for him, probably curious what was happening. He let go when he remembered his real motive. “At least for Nance’s sake. She doesn’t even know why you’re shutting her out.”

The look of disbelief washed over your face. 

“Do me a favor, Steve. Talk to me about fixing things, when you take back telling your friends about my personal life.”

The words felt like a nail in the coffin and Steve almost wanted to go back in time to punch himself out from the huge mistakes he had made. 

“..you know I can’t take it back.”

“Then I guess everyone will have to endure disappointment.”

And just like that you’re gone again. The sounds of voices coming up from down the hall being the thing that snapped him out of his daze. Your cousin and his friend were talking closely to each other, giggling at whatever joke they had just been talking about when they noticed Steve.

“Uh, hi.” he said lamely. The one with curly hair who he thinks might be named Rusty (Dusty?) waved awkwardly at him. 

“Hi, Steve.” he said, surprising him. He didn’t know the kid had any idea of who he was.

“So, I know it’s weird to ask..but do you guys think you could give this to your cousin for me? She stepped out and I didn’t get the chance to give it to her.” The lie felt all too easy, but he wasn’t going to exactly admit to these kids you rejected him once again.

The curly haired one stared skeptically at the box. Making him realize that while you two might not be related, you two acted oddly the same. It was his friend that actually reached out for it, giving Steve a quick wave before he assured him he’d give it to you. 

They call out a goodbye to Mike and Will before they turned to finally leave. Steve moved over to the window by the front door, watching as they trekked up the driveway over to the car that you were sitting in.

The view wasn’t the best, but he’s able to see your face just a bit as the two enter inside the car. There’s a bit of a back and forth and he’s almost disappointed to see you don’t get the box. The car started up and he nervously watched as you almost took off from his line of vision when you stopped. 

The jacket is pulled up from your lap. And just when he thought for a second you might throw it out of your car. But that’s when he sees it. The one thing he’s been dying to see from you.

A smile. 

Steve Harrington had lost his luck a long time ago. But for the first time in a while, he thinks he has a chance getting it back again.

A/N: SO this was a lot to write. 

Writing near 20k words was a lot. And while some scenes are sort of repeated, I ofc got super carried away and really wanted to build a version of Steve that hopefully made sense with canon but also fit my story. I know to a point he’s a bit ooc in certain choices or maybe even emotions. But this is a Steve/Reader fic and I felt it deserved to have some depth behind it. Even if it’s at the expense of canon continuity. If you guys enjoyed this please let me know! I’d love to know if you guys would like this for the other seasons. 

[jinxquickfoot]

@badthingshappenbingo Prompt: Grief/Mourning

Find the fic on Ao3!

Inspired by @16woodsequ's wonderful The Alternate End

Part I: Nebula

He’s put this off as long as he can.

Tony knows he should have done this much sooner. God knows how much pain Nebula’s been in while he’s been skulking in his hospital room, refusing to talk to anyone except Pepper. They’re probably all too occupied with their own pain to care. They probably think he’s angry over the Accords, the betrayal that still lingers there. He's still angry. He hadn’t realized until he was face-to-face with Steve Rogers in the home he’d decided wasn’t good enough for him anymore.

But that’s not why he’s avoiding everyone. He knows it makes no sense—after a long month in the cosmos, wondering who had lived and who hadn’t, he should just be relieved that they’re still here. Relief isn’t the word he’d use, though. It’s resentment.

He doesn’t care that he wasn’t strong enough to go after Thanos. He doesn’t care that the Mad Titan is dead. He doesn’t even care that the remaining Avengers hadn’t been able to win, not in the way that mattered. Tony had known it was hopeless long before they left the Compound. He knows because he’s been fighting this war longer than any of them. He’d known since he’d flown through the wormhole that this day would come if they didn’t pull out every weapon in their arsenal. Ultron, the Accords, scoping the planet for new talent like P—

Tony swallows back images of a dying planet and Mr Stark I don’t feel so good to focus on the project at hand. Nebula is already nervous enough without Tony’s mind being on a past he can't fix. There was never going to be a ‘fix’, this war always had to be won before it was fought, and no one had listened to him.

“We can wait another day,” Nebula bursts out. She’s been quiet since getting on Tony’s operating table, lying still and rigid as Tony tries to get a hold of himself enough to do this. She pushes herself up, swinging her legs over the side. “There is no urgency.”

Tony catches the flippant comment that comes to his lips. He’d gotten Nebula’s entire depressing backstory during their time slowly starving to death in space. He can’t imagine she associates body part replacement with fun and laughter. He nods at her damaged hand. “You can’t do anything with those fried wires. It has to be done sometime.”

“Some time does not have to be today.”

Tony pushes the rotating slideshow of Titan to the back of his mind, moving into her path as she attempts to leave. “Hey. You saved my life in space. I would have died of infection or, if I somehow survived, gone completely insane up there without our invigorating paper football tournament. Let me repay the favor.”

He forces himself to be patient as Nebula stares at her damaged hand. “You want to make us equal.”

That’s not Tony’s MO, but if it’s what gets this done, he’ll take it. “Yeah, sure. Equals” When she still looks nervous, he adds, “Besides, we don’t have to do the actual replacement today. I’m just mapping to get an extent of the damage before we take anything out or put anything in.”

It’s a straight-out lie as he’d been hoping to get this done all in one session, but Nebula’s shoulders finally relax. “Okay,” she allows. “We can do that. And you’ve done this before?”

Tony exhales, reaching for a holodisplay and moving it around so Nebula can see. He’d hoped to put this off until it was absolutely necessary. He doesn’t want to be reminded. He wants to take Pepper and find a cabin in the middle of nowhere and shut out the world forever. He shouldn’t have to fix things anymore. That’s what he’s been doing, for years, and he’s done it alone.

But Nebula shifts on the table, and Tony reminds himself that she wasn’t part of any of those fights, and it wouldn’t help to win the trust of a friend who comes without baggage. Bracing himself, he brings up the schematics for Vision.

Nebula’s breath catches as she takes in the holographic blueprints. “How much did you replace?”

“Replace?” Tony catches on and hurries to explain. “No, no, he was made like this from the start. He’s not a human we… Jesus, we don’t do that here.” He forces back images of a silver metal arm.

Nebula processes that. “He is all mechanics?”

“Was,” Tony murmurs. “Thanos…” He can’t bring himself to end the sentence. The death of half the universe chokes the Compound like a smog cloud, but the overwhelming nature of it has stayed in the abstract. Even now, weeks later, Tony cannot fathom just how huge a loss god knows how many planets have suffered. He can barely wrap his head around the death of four billion human beings.

But the knowledge that one of their own had been murdered in battle… That he can picture. That he can comprehend. Because one of his first ports of call when he could get out of bed without collapsing was Wakanda to retrieve Vision’s body.

He doesn’t know what to do with it. Vision had been very clear that in the case of his death, his parts were to be dismantled beyond repair. Tony knows he’s the best person left in the world for that job. It doesn’t mean he’s been able to bring himself to do it. He’s still not sure if the idea of keeping the corpse of a team member in the basement indefinitely is worse than the empty coffins they had buried on the Compound grounds.

“My father was a monster,” Nebula murmurs, staring at her toes. “I was never going to please him. And yet I tried to anyway. I would have done anything for him.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Tony scrubs at his eyes, zooming in on the blueprints for Vision’s arm that will become the basis for Nebula’s new one. “Here, you can follow along with everything I’m doing…”

He trails off when he hears a sob come from the operating table.

He freezes. Their entire time in space, he had not once seen Nebula cry. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen him cry, either. It hadn’t mattered up there, not in any way that counted. They didn’t know who was gone. All they knew was that they would be gone themselves in barely the space of a few weeks, and then their grief wouldn’t exist.

But they didn’t die. Their grief didn’t pass into oblivion. They returned here, to Earth, and learned exactly what Thanos had taken.

Tony still replays that moment of seeing Steve sprinting toward the spaceship. Of Pepper following close behind. Seeing Rhodey, calling Happy. Realizing that, by some impossible odds, all the original six members of his team had survived the Snap.

Nebula hadn’t had that. Her team had crumbled in front of her. More than her team.

Tony moves over to her bedside to take her undamaged hand. “Thanos wasn’t your family,” he assures her. “You found a much better one. One who actually loved you. I know the feeling.”

"My sister..." Nebula angrily wipes away a tear. "She should not have shown him the Soul Stone to save me. I was not worth that sacrifice."

Tony squeezes her hand. "I doubt she saw it that way."

He sits and lets her cry into his shoulder as long as she needs to. He could have it worse. He could have lost so much more. He could still lose so much more if he stays in this mindset. He can’t change the past but he can stop it from changing him into a shape he doesn’t want to be anymore. Resentment is corrosive. He can’t afford it to spread when the rest of his life will revolve around construction.

Tony mentally puts aside Nebula’s repairs for another day. He has other building to do, anyway.

Part II: Thor

Clint’s gone and even Natasha can’t find him. Bruce is on the other side of the world, helping rebuild where he can, making vague promises about return dates. Tony’s not ready to face Steve. That leaves one.

The Asgardian refugees have taken over the Compound grounds. They’ve provided what they can for them but Tony still feels ill when he can see how few of them are left. Thanos had slaughtered half of those he'd found on the Statesman and then killed another half in the Snap. Asgard was gone, torn to pieces by an apocalypse they were never going to escape. Living on Earth feels the same way. They’d always known it would end here. Or at least, Tony had known.

He wonders if that is why his grief feels a little more tempered than the others’. This wasn’t a sudden loss for him. It’s the result of slowly losing a war, piece by piece, over the span of years. He always knew that they would only get one shot at victory. He’ll never know the future Strange saw where they scraped a win. He just gets this one and he has to do what he can with it.

He doesn’t find Thor with the rest of the Asgardians. A few conversations are enough to guide him to a tent in the far, far back, stationed away from all the others. Already a bad sign. So is the fact that the tent is dark as he approaches. Tony awkwardly paws at the tent cover to announce his presence in lieu of knocking, then calls out for good measure. “Thor. It’s Tony.”

He doesn’t get an invitation to come inside. He doesn’t get a refusal either. Good enough.

Thor doesn’t move from his prone position as Tony unzips the tent and steps inside. There’s no blanket over him or mattress underneath him, with barely the base of the tent to protect him. “You have a room at this Compound, you know. I built one for you. Just in case.”

Thor doesn’t look at him. He just keeps staring at the roof of the tent. “I will be with my people. Least their king could do after my brother sacrificed half of them for me." He spits the name of king out like venom. "After I could have killed Thanos when it mattered." 

Tony still hasn't been able to wrap his mind around the image of Loki dying in a heroic attempt to kill Thanos. Whenever he thinks of the trickster god, the memory that tends to come to mind is Loki throwing him from a window or the mass of black clothing at Phil Coulson's funeral. If Bruce hadn't been the one who had told him the story, including Loki handing over the Space Stone to spare Thor's life, Tony wouldn't have been able to believe a word of it.

"I don't have siblings," he says. "And I know things between you and your brother were... complicated. But there were a lot of steps a lot of other people could have taken and didn't. It's not all on you." He's suddenly back on the spaceship again, listening to Strange lecture him about how he wouldn't give up the Time Stone even if Peter's life was on the line. Tony doesn't want to know what choice he would have made if it was up to him. "Guess it's easier to say you'll give everything up to save the world than to actually do it. You gave up more than most already."

Finding the Asgardians a more permanent new home is on Tony’s to-do list, but losing half a population apparently wreaks havoc on a planet’s infrastructure. There’s been so much to do, from getting hospitals up and running, to restarting supply chains for food, to getting entire cities’ electrical grids functioning again. After months of work, the world is somewhat physically functional again. Tony doesn’t know how many decades will pass before the human race emotionally recovers. He knows it will be a long, long time after his lifetime.

“Well. It won’t be tents forever. I can promise you that.”

“Promises,” Thor scoffs. Tony fights the sudden urge to bolt in the other direction. It isn’t right, seeing one of the strongest Avengers and one of the last to lay down in a fight so utterly void of spirit. Then again, none of them are themselves these days. “Wouldn’t make any promises. They just end up broken.”

“A lot of things have ended up broken.” Tony sits cross-legged in the tent, plucking at a stray thread in his jeans. “Luckily, I’m pretty good at fixing things.”

Thor’s next words are a whisper. “There’s no fixing this. It’s gone. It’s all gone, and it’s not coming back, and we’re all just going to have to live with that.”

Tony closes his eyes. He knows that’s true. He knows that they will never, ever get back to where they were. But they can take baby steps in the right direction. He reaches into his pocket. “I know you’ve lost a lot,” he says, the words so unbelievably inadequate that he almost quits then and there. He stays, though. He doesn’t get to quit. That’s not a luxury he’s had since Afghanistan. “More than most of us.”

Thor shifts slightly. “It does not help to compare losses.”

The guilt Tony’s been feeling since he returned to Earth swells, but now is not the time to voice it. “I can’t bring Asgard back,” he says. Even now, with half of Earth’s life lost, he can’t comprehend the magnitude of losing his entire planet. “Or anyone you’ve lost. But I’ve been thinking…” His mind trails to Nebula’s newly equipped arm, which he had put the final touches on that morning. “We have to focus now on what we can get back. Or find replacements for, at least.”

Thor finally looks at him. “Do not suggest that there is any replacement for…” He trails off, anger abating when he sees what Tony is holding. “Is… is that for me?”

“The talking raccoon told me the one you’re using… well, actually, you don’t want to know where it came from.” Tony holds out the mechanical eye he’s spent the past week perfecting. “Besides, I don’t think you’re really pulling off the whole heterochromia look. Thought you looked better in your classic blue.”

Thor gently takes the eye, marveling at it. “Thank you, Stark. And for letting us all stay here.”

“I’m not letting you do anything. I built this place for the Avengers. That includes you. Use this place as you see fit—hm, I could have used some warning there.” Tony barely has time to look away before Thor casually pops his fake eye out, tossing the brown iris aside. Tony waits until the squelching sounds have stopped before he risks looking back.

“How does it look?” Thor asks.

Tony takes in the two symmetrical eyes. To his trained gaze, the mechanical one is ever so slightly glassier. It’ll never live up to the original. But it’s a start. “You look great.”

“I doubt that is true.”

Tony hovers awkwardly, not sure what else to say. “Can I do anything else?” he tries.

Thor is quiet for a long moment before he speaks. “Perhaps…” He suddenly reaches out, grasping for Tony’s hand. Tony lets him take it. “Stay, for a while?”

A part of Tony rebels against the idea. He’s got so many things he’s supposed to be doing, to be building, to be fixing. Then he looks at his friend, sprawled and miserable on the ground, and realizes that fixing doesn’t always have to require tools and a workshop. “Sure. I’ll stay.”

Part III: Steve

Things don’t get better, but they do get easier.

The number of global catastrophes has reduced. Supply isn’t where it used to be, but at least most people have access to food, power and clean water. The daily body count of new Blip-related deaths reduces. Tony had provided whatever resources he could, but even his wealth couldn’t keep up with locating and identifying the bodies. There were those who had died on the roads after drivers had Blipped or had been on suddenly pilot-less planes that had tumbled from the air. There had been those who died in hospitals with drastically reduced numbers of doctors and nurses. And then, worst of all, the orphaned infants and small children who had perished from neglect.

A grateful universe, Thanos had called this. The Mad Titan title has never felt so fitting.

Tony finds Steve by Bucky’s grave.

They’d given each Dusted Avenger a tombstone: a place for the living to mourn the dead. Tony deliberately does not look at Peter’s as he approaches.

Steve must hear him coming but he doesn’t raise his head. He’s bent over a compass, holding it so tightly that Tony fears it might break. He figures that’s as good a place as any to start the conversation. “Careful. You remember you have super-soldier strength, right?”

Steve’s hold doesn’t loosen. “It hasn’t broken yet.”

Tony takes his place by Steve’s side. He wishes the pain of what happened in Siberia would dwarf in the magnitude of the Blip. It hasn’t. It’s just been buried, pushed aside until Tony’s heart has room to feel it again. “Rhodey says you spend all day out here.”

“There’s nowhere else to be. There’s nothing else I can do.”

Tony knows the feeling. “Still. It’s freezing out here.” It’s not, really. It’s just something to say to fill the silence.

Steve pulls the compass close to his chest. “Bucky gave this to me. Two weeks before he died. He was different after Azzano. Like he knew. And he followed me onto that train anyway. ”

Tony casts about for something to say to that. “Weren’t they already… doing stuff to him in Azzano? Winter Soldier stuff? That might be what he had been feeling. Not some kind of death premonition.”

Steve doesn’t react mollified by the words. He doesn’t react at all. “You know he had the offer to go home after Azzano? He could have. He didn’t. Because he chose to follow me. Then, in Wakanda, he was at peace. And I brought a war right to his doorstep.”

“I don’t think the narrative is that simple.”

“If I had—”

“What?” Tony interrupts him, a little harsher than he means to. “If you had made Wanda kill Vision earlier? It wouldn’t have mattered, Steve. We lost the second Thanos got his hands on the Time Stone.” He ghosts a hand over the scar disfiguring his abdomen. Why? he wants to scream at Strange. Why would you do it? I wasn’t worth it.

“Wanda could have killed Vision the second we knew Thanos was coming to Earth. It wouldn’t have mattered,” he continues. “And as for going to Wakanda—that wasn’t just your choice, Steve. All the Avengers with you chose to do that. T’Challa chose to open his borders to you. Everyone in that battle chose to fight. You didn’t pressgang them. In fact, I don’t think pressganging the Dora Milaje is humanly possible. Wakanda was the most prepared place on Earth to tackle an alien invasion of that magnitude and their technology probably prevented the pre-Snap damage from being even worse. Those aliens would have torn apart the Earth for Thanos.”

Steve is quiet as he absorbs all of that. “You’ve thought a lot about this.”

“Yeah. For six years.” One future where they win. Tony’s been ripping himself apart trying to imagine what it would have been, what step they didn’t take. Maybe there were more futures, earlier in the timeline. Roads not traveled that didn’t end with a line of empty graves.

“I know you tried to prevent this,” Steve says softly. “I have been thinking… Ultron, the Accords, if those had played out differently--”

“Don’t,” Tony cuts him off. He’s done dwelling on this. He can rage and storm and shout I told you so all he wants. It won’t fix anything. “It’s done. We’re here. We need to make what we can of it.”

Steve is still staring at Bucky’s tombstone in a way that’s becoming increasingly unnerving. “This is the second time I’ve buried an empty casket for him."

Tony swallows, all too aware that he nearly made that a full casket in 2016. If Bucky was still here, Tony would have apologized with an arm, like the one he had built for Nebula. But unlike with Nebula and Thor, there is nothing Tony can physically build here to offer comfort. At least, not anything he’s thought of yet. "I know I ruined things that day in Siberia," he manages. "That I made you choose between the two of us. That wasn't fair. That isn't who you are."

"Tony—"

"No, just let me say this. And fine, maybe, we could have made a few more sacrifice plays along the way and not ended up here." If Gamora had given up Nebula, it Loki havd given up Thor, if Strange had given up him. If Steve had given up Bucky, all those years ago, instead of fighting entire governments for his freedom. "None of us had the strength to do it. The only person who did was Wanda and then that didn't even matter. And maybe if we had... well, maybe we stop being the good guys the moment we start trading lives."

He's not sure how much of his own argument he believes. But, for the first time since he can remember, he has more goals than trying to prove that he's right. “I was relieved,” he finds himself saying. “When I stepped off the Benetar, and found out Pepper and Rhodey and Happy had all lived.” He doesn’t mention Peter. He hasn’t been able to put into words what exactly a teenager from Queens had meant to him. “I still feel relieved. And that feels awful. And it also feels awful that it doesn’t feel more awful.”

“I’m glad,” Steve murmurs. “I’m glad you got to keep them.”

Tony keeps an ear out for any bitterness in those words. He doesn’t hear it. Steve is being honest. Tony swallows past the stubborn lump in his throat. “I was relieved as well… when I saw you. When I got my feet back on land and saw you were there. I was relieved.” More than just relieved. In those first few minutes, none of their fighting had mattered. Tony had been grateful to tumble into the arms of a friend—someone else to hold him upright for a few moments.

Steve nods slowly. “I was too. I didn’t want to hope too much, not after weeks of not knowing, not after we’d lost so many. But I couldn’t kill the hope entirely. And then you were there, alive and…” There’s a small hitch in his voice. “God, Tony, if it had been Bucky and Sam and you, I don’t think I would have…”

Without letting himself think about it too much, Tony reaches out to grip Steve’s shoulder. “We’re still here. Still fighting. That’s something. That has to be something.”

Steve nods again. “We’ll make it something.” It’s the first time he’s sounded like himself in months.

“That we will.”

"Maybe..." Steve shifts his gaze, past Bucky's grave to Sam's. "Maybe fighting looks different now. Like... like what Sam did. At the VA." He straightens at little at the promise of a mission. "Maybe it would help."

"I have no doubt it would. God knows how many people out there need someone to talk to." Tony looks from the grave to Steve. “You know, I had the wild idea I might cook tonight. Want to make sure I don’t set the kitchen on fire?”

For a terrifying moment, he’s sure Steve is going to say no. Then, the man seems to pull some of his shattered pieces back together. “Well, we can’t have a fire, I guess. Been putting out enough of those already.”

It’s not a miracle cure. No one is magically better. But Tony gathers whoever is left and makes something hot and homemade with minimal kitchen damage, and for once the conversation is more than about the work they’ll have to do tomorrow.

He can’t fix the world. But he will fix what he can.

[evansbby]

That Ski ask is too cute 🥺🥺 I can imagine omega making hot chocolate and cookies for everyone.

Imagine she gets dragged up to the mountain though because they can’t recognize her under the suit and Steve throws a fit when he realizes she’s up there and the only way down is on the slopes 😭😭

Or maybe he allows her to go on the kiddy doughnuts down the tiny slopes 😭😭

Or Bucky trying to impress omega by racing Steve down the slopes.

Omg yes, omega making hot chocolate for the whole poyt group 🥺🥺 and Bucky’s sitting closest to the door so when she enters, she hands him his hot chocolate first and for a split second, he thinks he’s special and she made it especially just for him and only for him 💀💀 but then he realises she’s handing one to every single person. And Steve’s hot chocolate has more whipped cream on it than anyone else’s, plus two marshmallows instead of one. She hands Steve his drink and then sits on his lap and they both act all cute and cuddly and touchy and Bucky is just like 😒😒

And omg the skiing 🥺🥺🥺 omega would get dragged up the slopes and when Steve sees, he’d be sooo mad that he’d literally escort her back down on the ski lift bahahaha. He’d let her do the easy slopes tho.

And Steve and Bucky are both very competitive skiers and they’d both be trying to impress omega and they’d race over and over again and Bucky would win three races and Steve would win four races!

[ihni]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Ooooh, how fun! <3 Thank you! I've gone through my fics and I'm gonna do 5+1, because why not, right? Seems fic approporiate, in a way. So, here goes:

Over the edge, 16K. (Because it's a scenario I've wanted to write for YEARS and I finally did, and I had a blast writing it! Muahaha!) “You’re still on probation. But if you behave this weekend, we might –“ “‘Behave’?” Billy snorted. “I’m not a dog, Henderson. What do you want me to do? Sit? Roll around? Be a good boy?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm, making Steve snort beside him. Dustin drew himself up to his very unimpressive height in the back seat, puffing out his chest. “Well you can start by not killing anyone!” “Ki– Jesus Christ, kid, I’m not gonna kill anyone!” “Well you almost killed Steve before –“ Here, Billy glanced over guiltily at Steve, who shook his head slightly as if to say it wasn’t a big deal, “– and you have a history of violence. You can’t fault us for making sure!” “Whatever.” “You promise?” “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Yes, kid, I promise I won’t kill anyone.”

Birthday boy, 8K. (Because I've never had so many people telling me a fic made them cry ... don't worry though, there are happier follow-ups!) Neil gives Max a benevolent nod. “You can go.” Max shoots up from her chair, a big smile on her face. “Really? Thank you, I –“ “You can go to the party, but not the sleepover. I want you home at eleven, at the latest.” Trying not to grimace, Max nods. It’s better than nothing. “And of course, Billy will go with you.” “What?”

At least an assist, 8K. (Because it's an alternate first meeting between our boys, and it was fun to imagine an opposite to a meet-cute - also Billy's tied up for most of it, which is always a plus!) “Dude,” he said, more baffled than angry. “Did you just try to bite me?” “I’ll do worse than that if you untie me,” Hargrove growled, as if making threats from the position he was in was somehow normal. “Yeah, because that makes me want to untie you,” Steve snarked back without thinking. Then he sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. He didn’t sign up for this shit. “Listen, yes this sucks, but it’s only for a couple of hours. Why don’t you just chill?” “I’ve been fucking kidnapped, you fuck! I’m supposed to play the finals right now, not kick back and relax while being fucking tied to a chair!” or Steve's teammates kidnap the opposing team's star player to secure a win in the finals. The star player in question is not impressed.

Fast and Frightening, 20K. (This whole fic was born from a chat about possessed cars, and because both me and DearDMVZ quite agreed that Billy would look very fetching tied to the hood of his Camaro while it's racing through the roads outside of Hawkins at night.) There's some seriously fucked-up shit going on. Billy crashed his car, was attacked by some kind of monster, escaped, ran into someone who looked just like him, punched that guy in the face, escaped again, and ended up on a random road somewhere outside of town. And now his own car has turned against him. In short, Billy's not having a good time.

Sleeping Beauty Retold, 8K. (Because I went to town on a fairytale AU and I really fucking like it, still.) Once upon a time, there was an evil king. The king married a woman who had magic, and used her to stay young and strong. To attain true immortality, though, he would have to sacrifice their child on the child's eighteenth birthday. Only, the queen thwarted the king's plans - she stoles the child away in the middle of the night and sent him away, to be raised far from the castle, so that he would be safe. The king never stopped looking. And one day, the child - who had grown up into a young man - was found.

Again and again and again and again, 4K. (Bonus fic, because if I'd had time I would have written 80K of this, I love the concept a LOT. Basically the boys being stuck in a time loop together.) It is Sunday, November 4th 1984, and it’s been Sunday, November 4th 1984 like, fifty-two times now. Fifty-four? Over fifty, at least. Billy’s lost count, which is depressing in itself.

[sunflowerharrington]

try

wc: 1617

written for the stwg prompt (23/2/24): dustin

warnings: the s3 russian storyline, mention of an almost-death (sort of canon but not really, i just wanted to add some angst because it’s not a real fic written by me if there isn’t any at this point)

left open ended because i’m thinking of writing a part 2 if anyone’s interested? i probably will anyway. low-key made myself cry lol and i just want stobin back together as best friends again

—————

Dustin hasn’t seen Robin around much lately apart from at school, and she won’t even look at him. It’s almost like she’s a stranger now after she started hanging around the popular group in school because Vickie’s boyfriend is on the basketball team apparently. He doesn’t bother going to the games because D&D is more fun, and the only reason he’d go is for Lucas and he’s usually on the bench even after his big win back in March.

What a waste of an amazing player.

It also feels like Steve would rather talk about anything but her. He even talks about his parents more than Robin now. His parents. Something must have happened between them for everything to start falling apart. Maybe there were cracks in their friendship nobody noticed until now. But they were perfect, the textbook definition of soulmates, but now it just feels like those souls were never meant to be friends to begin with and Dustin’s the one trying to pick up the pieces and save Robin and Steve’s friendship.

She’s only spoken to him on the phone once, and hasn’t been returning any of Steve’s calls. If he even makes them. Dustin’s never thought to check because he knows Steve won’t lie to him about something as little as a few phone calls. Or, attempts at a phone call, since Robin never picks up.

In the call she never said anything about Steve, not even an acknowledgement of his existence when Dustin tried to ask about what happened between them. She shrugged it off, made a quick excuse and hung up, leaving the end of the conversation to ring in his ears. She’s a completely different person now, so short with her answers and never wants to hear anything about the group anymore. It’s all about her and Vickie since they’re the bestest friends in the entire world apparently. But no, that was Steve and Robin!

Was.

Was…

He never knew where she lived until he asked Eddie to ask Chrissy to ask Vickie, and Vickie, bless her soul, gave Chrissy the address immediately. And Chrissy gave it to Dustin. So that’s where he is now, with one hand curled into a fist, ready to knock on Robin’s door. And he does, because there’s no point in him just standing there and doing nothing about it.

She almost slams the door in his face when she sees him, but he stops the door from shutting with his foot. And even though it hurts like hell, it has to be done. He has to get to the bottom of this before it’s too late.

“If this is about your friends—”

Your friends. Your friends. Not hers. His friends. It’s like she doesn’t even want to try to save anything.

“It’s not. It’s about you,” he says, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible. He loves Robin, he does, but sometimes when she acts like this he wants to take Steve’s nail bat and take a swing at her with it. And it’s not about her, but if he says that he knows she’ll send him on his way and never speak to him again.

But one way or another he has to get them to talk. Why waste this opportunity when a friendship that was once so perfect can potentially be fixed?

“What about me?” She asks, and he can’t help but let the shock show on his face when she lets him in. Not just into her home, but she’s relaxed a little, which is the most surprising part. But not for long. “Make it quick, everyone’s gonna be here in ten minutes.”

As if “everyone” will show up on time. This is almost worse than her slamming the door in his face. She used to always have time for him, and for everyone, for that matter. And seeing the couch that looks almost untouched in the living room makes him question something. She said on the phone she has everyone over all the time and they hang out in the living room, but there’s almost nothing in there. The place looks empty. Almost as empty as the Byers’ old house and they don’t even live there anymore.

Is she lying to him?

“Okay, fine,” he snaps, and he can no longer hide his frustration. “What the hell happened to you? What’s wrong with you?”

“Excuse me?” She raises her eyebrows as she sits down next to him on the couch, still keeping her distance. There’s a wall between them. An invisible one at that, but it’s still there.

“Did your new ‘friends’…” he begins with air quotes. Maybe it’s a little bit dramatic but he couldn’t care less right now. “…make you hate all of us? You can’t have forgotten about us that easily, Robin. I mean, seriously, what the hell did they do to you?”

“Get out.”

“No, I’m not leaving. I need to know now. Why do you hate us?”

“I don’t hate any of you,” she says, but the sour look on her face says otherwise. However, she has a glass of apple juice on the side. Her ‘talking juice,’ Dustin calls it. Whenever she used to have it she’d never shut up. “I just can’t keep risking my life over and over and other new scarier things get thrown at me left and right and I just have no idea whether I’ll wake up after I fall asleep at night. I couldn’t do it anymore!”

Bingo. Apple juice strikes again.

“As soon as I became friends with you and… other people, I was thrown in the deep end and almost killed by Russians. Russians, Dustin! And I know you guys saved me but that was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me and I didn’t know it could get worse. I almost had a person die in my arms for fuck sake!”

A person. She can’t even say Steve’s name anymore.

“But he didn’t die because you saved him. You did! Because you love him!” He raises his voice to match hers. “You told me nothing in this world could ever make you stop being friends with Steve, you promised me you’d be friends forever and you even made a blood pact! So what changed?”

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

“I…” She trails off, taking another sip of her juice. “Fine.”

He doesn’t say anything back to that. How can he? It’s not a question, not even a rhetorical one, so he sits in silence, waiting for her to continue. Even though he’s eyeing that pillow on the armchair and wants to suffocate her with it, he stops himself. Violence is not the answer to get people talking.

He learned that from the Russians.

“He loves Nancy.”

Wait so… She’s jealous? Is that really all this is? She’s jealous because Steve loves someone that isn’t her? Is it because he loves Nancy more than he loves Robin? And even after whatever happened between them, at least Steve still tried to keep in contact with Robin, so he does love her but not the way she wants him to. Maybe.

“And before you say anything, I’m not in love with Steve. Boys are gross.” Oh wow, she said his name. Well done. Dustin stops himself from rolling his eyes. He’s just about ready to leave, he wants to, but he’d rather fix this or at least find the reason why they fell out than just leave it.

“It’s my fault, sort of,” she continues. “I pushed him to get back with her or at least try. I wanted him to find someone, but then I found out about Nancy cheating on him a few years ago with Jonathan and then I realized she might cheat on Steve with someone else again and I got mad at him for listening to me. Did they get back together?”

“No,” Dustin says, looking at anything but her. “They almost did, but Steve said he couldn’t do that to Jonathan.”

“Oh… That’s… That’s good, I guess.”

“Yeah.” How did this get so awkward so fast. Think of something to say! For two people who can never ever stop talking, this is even worse than awkward. “I know you might say no, but…”

“Never start a sentence with that. It’ll make me want to say ‘no’ even more.”

“Shut up,” he says, his voice breaking into a chuckle, until he realizes they’re not friends anymore and mutters a quick apology. But what surprises him is Robin bursting out into laughter next to him.

“Okay, what is it?”

“Talk to him. Please. I’m not asking, I’m begging.”

“Can I tell you something?” Her head drops to her hands, before she curls her arms around her knees and brings them up to her chest, making herself small. After a small ‘yes’ from Dustin, she takes a deep breath. “Nobody’s coming over today. I only said that because I didn’t want to talk about Steve.”

“You know friends shouldn’t lie, right?”

“You know that’s a bunch of bullshit, right?” She says, almost mirroring him. “I lied to Steve all the time about little things.”

“Ha!” Dustin replies, smiling at a bewildered Robin. “You called Steve your friend!”

“I—”

“That means you have to talk to him now! I won’t accept ‘no’ for an answer.”

Robin sits in silence for a moment. “Fine. But only if you buy me more coffee. I’m running out.”

Why the hell would Robin need coffee? She’s a ball of energy as-is. He shrugs his shoulders. No point in saying no. The least they can do is try, after all.

“Done. I’ll get you two boxes.”

[smeddiemunson]

Ok so when Eddie slams Steve and the music industry, has he not met him yet, or are they already together? Like do you see this as an enemies-to-lovers fic or a secret dating one? 🤔

so to me it was very much an enemies-to-lovers thing, like they don't even know each other when Eddie is slamming Steve's music, they just know of each other.

i think it could be funny as a they're already dating thing. but i specifically imagined it as an enemies-to-lovers.

and just because i'm realising this now, neither one of them are the ones that leak the sex tape. it's more of a their icloud was hacked type deal.

anyway... here's a snippet under the cut.

“Okay,” Steve acquiesced. “Maybe I was a little bored when I agreed to it.”

Eddie crowed in victory. “I fucking knew it. No one makes music like that because they want to.”

Steve ground his teeth together. He didn’t want to argue with someone who had just cum down his throat. 

“Talentless though?” He asked. 

Eddie smirked. “Not completely talentless, it seems.” He pushed a thumb over Steve’s bottom lip. “This mouth on you seems very well trained.”

Steve felt his face flush red with embarrassment. He slapped Eddie’s hand away from his face. “Fuck you.”

“Give me ten minutes and I’d love to see just how that talent translates to other holes.”

Steve scoffed. “You can leave, actually.”

“Don’t be like that, baby,” Eddie crooned as he flopped down into the pillows. “I just said you were talented.”

“But I can’t sing?” Steve snapped back. He bit down on his cheek to stop himself from snapping more when he saw Eddie smile gleefully at the reaction he got from him. 

Eddie wrapped a hand around his bicep, tugging until Steve was falling back into the pillows to face him. He rolled his eyes as Steve made sure to put distance between them, even if he stayed with his head on the pillows. 

“I’m sure you could sing if it wasn’t so covered up by autotune and–”

Steve glared. “I didn’t use autotune.”

Eddie laughed again. “You think you didn’t use autotune. To anyone with any knowledge of music and recording, it’s quite obvious that someone tuned you.”

Steve huffed. He’d been quite clear when he was recording the album that he didn’t want his voice changing, and the technicians had promised he wouldn’t. The thought that someone might have done that anyway didn’t sit right with him. 

“Whatever.” He wasn’t going to let Eddie win so easily. He still had his pride. “I’m not arguing with you about this.”

“No? You wanna go for round two? I’m dying to see this attitude in a different setting.”

“I don’t have any attitude,” Steve hissed in response.

He stood up quickly from the bed to wrap his mustard-coloured, silk robe around himself and tossed Eddie’s discarded shirt at his face so he wouldn’t be tempted to look at his tattooed chest anymore. 

Eddie pulled the shirt over his head slowly, watching Steve carefully for any opening. 

But Steve had been in the public eye before Eddie could even develop the superior attitude, he knew exactly how to keep his face blank and not let anything slip.

They kept silent as Eddie pulled on his jeans and shoved his feet back into his boots, slowly looping the laces over every D-ring, watching Steve from the corner of his eye. 

“You know where to find me if you want to do this again,” Eddie said as he got up to leave. 

Steve curled his lip, deliberately looking down his nose at Eddie, though only metaphorically as Eddie’s boots added a good couple of inches to his height. “I won’t.” 

Eddie snorted. “Sure thing, sweetheart,” he agreed sarcastically. “See you around.”

“You won’t.” 

Eddie's laughter followed him all the way through the door and didn’t really disappear until the elevator doors closed behind him.

Steve groaned as he threw himself onto the bed, burying his face into the pillow Eddie had vacated and smelling the musky cologne he’d been wearing as it lingered on the silk cover. He groaned and pulled the pillow from under his head to throw it across the room. 

Something crashed to the floor. He didn’t care, his father could pay for the damages.