#Not Steve though Steve can’t let anyone win he just can’t | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

srslyblvck · 6 months ago

Text

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

#marvel #mcu #marvel mcu #marvel cinematic universe #the avengers #avengers x reader #avengers imagine #avengers x y/n #avengers x you #tony stark #steve rogers #bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #natasha romanoff #clint barton #bruce banner #sam wilson #bucky x reader

69 notes · View notes

nerdygeekypastrychef · 3 months ago

Text

February 22nd 1989

for the @steddiebingo kissing booth prompt: oh. OH.

Read on AO3 for full tags

a/n: tbh I can't believe that no one else has written an eddie POV for this totally real historical event. Youngins need an education. So after you read my silly little fic (please) head over to youtube and watch the video and imagine for yourself Eddie watching live. (Canon? Don't know her, never heard of her)

This prompt had a lot of versions but this was the one that demanded to be written once my (stupid, aging) body let me sit down to write.

Post Vecna-pocalypse, they needed time. Time to heal, time to bond. Time to be together. Steve’s house was the logical solution, since it was the only one big enough to fit everyone. The only one with multiple bathrooms and bedrooms, spaces to retreat when they needed time alone versus the time they spent together. And no parents.

The adults of the group, Jonathan, Nancy, Steve, Eddie, and Robin, hurting but needing all the same things that the kids needed, they gutted the house. They removed everything that Steve’s mom had decorated with before she and his dad left Hawkins years before. His parent’s master suite became the sleepover room. All furniture removed and the floor covered in mattresses, pillows, blankets, essentially a giant nest. His father’s home office was turned into a TV room, giant couch and recliners and the biggest tv that they could find.

Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan made the decision to wait on college, take a gap year or two and to stay in Hawkins with the kids until they graduated. Safety in numbers. Steve and Eddie had never planned on anything else, jokingly taking over the mantles of ‘mom and dad’ seamlessly as the kids flourished in their teens.

Sunday February 22nd, 1989 found everyone in the tv room Eddie in the center, control over the remote and the bucket of popcorn. The tv clicked over to CBS as the droning voice of the voice over person announced the 31st annual grammy awards.

“I thought awards were stupid and meaningless. Popularity contests.” Steve commented from the doorway, trying to figure out how he could steal one of the seats next to Eddie without anyone giving him shit for jostling everyone.

“Yeah, I mean, they totally are; it’s all bullshit. I stand by that. But the Grammys added a Heavy Metal category AND Metallica is gonna win and it’s history so we’re all watching. It’s like the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964.” Eddie announced, shoving Dustin away from the seat to his immediate right, and gesturing at Steve to come sit close.

“I dunno about comparing this to the Beatles on Ed Sullivan but we take your point. The Show already started, we don’t need another lecture.” The commercials are annoying and cheesy, but Billy Crystal is funny and the performances are really good. When Metallica is announced and one starts to play with the explosions and sounds of gunshots, Eddie stops breathing.

The kids are completely silent for the first time ever.

During the first guitar solo, Steve can’t stop himself from leaning over and whispering that the guitarist is kinda hot. Eddie doesn’t reply beyond placing a hand on Steve’s thigh and squeezing.

Even though the song is long, Steve finds himself enraptured. There’s something about the song that pulls him in. When it ends abruptly, and Billy Crystal is back on screen telling jokes and announcing Lita Ford and Alice Cooper, Steve finds himself pulled to the edge of his seat on the couch. Eddie’s excitement is infecting the whole group. He can’t help but glance over at Robin when Lita Ford appears on screen; Robin has a type and that woman is it. He laughs at the way her mouth hangs open at the sight of her.

Metallica

AcDc

Iggy Pop

Jethro Tull

Jane’s Addiction

It’s an odd grouping that’s nominated, that’s for sure. Sort of like the academy didn’t understand what heavy metal was and just threw a bunch of names together because they were popular.

Alice Cooper pulls a rubber snake from inside his jacket and hands it to Lita Ford before he finds the envelope. He opens the envelope and announces the winner. Steve thinks that even when his house was empty it had never been so silent.

“JETHRO TULL????!!!” the words echo through every room in the house, indeed right out the windows and into the neighbor’s houses. Birds settling on nearby roofs are disturbed and take off in flight. Some very conservative rich people were about to learn about one of the more interesting bands of the 1970’s and 80’s.

The kids scatter. No one wants to deal with what is sure to be an epic Eddie meltdown. Steve just turns so that the ear with the most hearing damage is facing Eddie’s handsome, but red with anger face.

“Jethro. Tull.” Eddie says again, blinking at the now dark tv screen. One of the smarter kids obviously turned it off as they ran for safety.

“The first ever heavy metal grammy was awarded to Jethro Tull by Lita Ford and Alice Cooper.” Steve nods but stays silent; Eddie doesn’t need anyone else in this conversation, he’s doing just fine on his own.

“Well, a flute is made of metal. Maybe that’s what they were thinking when they gave it to Jethro Tull.” Steve has to bite down hard on his tongue to keep his face neutral as Eddie’s deep brown eyes suddenly focus on his face. Steve blinks but betrays no emotion.

“Steve. Stevie. Steve.” Steve squints at Eddie’s face.

“You know, like how glam is just metal with lipstick? People get them confused.”

Eddie’s mouth drops open and Steve carefully doesn’t laugh.

“Steve Harrington I am not in the mood for a boner right now, I’m gonna need you to stop talking intelligibly about music for a second and let me be ridiculous about this.”

Steve shook his head and blinked at Eddie for a moment trying to pull some thoughts into his head. He watched as Eddie fully realized what he said and his adorable face turned pink and then red with embarrassment.

“You get boners about me?” Steve asked and then looked down at his hands. That was not what he’d planned to ask. He looked back up to see if Eddie was going to answer and saw Eddie hesitantly nod yes.

“Oh. OH. Me too!” Steve practically yelled and Eddie’s head tilted to the side in confusion.

“You… get boners about yourself?” Eddie asked and Steve’s enthusiasm calmed down so that he could explain himself.

“No, about you! I’ve wanted you forever. It’s been so hard to have you so close all the time but not, like, close enough.” Eddie snickered at the word ‘hard’ and Steve smiled back at him.

“Wait! If I want you and you want me then what the fuck are we doing talking in the tv room?” Eddie asked as he shoved himself up off the couch and all the way into Steve’s personal space. Steve brushed their lips together then asked, “What about the Grammys? Aren’t you still mad, or whatever?”

“Fuck the Grammys, Steve Harrington wants me.”

#k writes #steddie #feelings realization #getting together #based around true historical events #steddiebingo #steddiebingokissingbooth

30 notes · View notes

celestinedream · 3 months ago

Text

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, A Spy Thriller So Good It Ruins Lives (And Features Abs, Obviously)

Alright, let’s get one thing straight: The Winter Soldier isn’t just another Marvel movie. It’s the Marvel movie. The drama? Unmatched. The action? So intense you forget to breathe. The emotional damage? Immediate and lasting. Oh, and let’s not pretend we’re not all here for the same reason, Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan looking devastatingly good while being emotionally wrecked. Because if there’s one thing I love, it’s a man with a tragic backstory and an elite jawline and pretty eyes... and oily abs...

The Vibes: Superhero Spy Thriller Realness

This isn’t just “superheroes punching things” (although, let’s be honest, the punches in this movie? Cinematic perfection). It’s a full-blown political thriller with a side of existential crisis. Steve Rogers, formerly America’s golden retriever, goes feral when he finds out S.H.I.E.L.D. has been HYDRA this whole time. Like, imagine finding out your entire government job is actually run by the enemy? Girl, I would be on the floor. And just when Steve thinks it can’t get worse (surprise!) The deadliest assassin in the game is actually his presumed dead bestie, Bucky Barnes.

The paranoia? The betrayal? The “I can’t trust anyone” energy? Washington, D.C. isn’t just a backdrop, it adds to the whole ‘this is way too real’ vibe. And don’t even get me started on that highway fight. The tension. The raw aggression. The fact that you feel every punch? Iconic.

Spoiler alert: The only people Steve maybe trusts are Natasha (sometimes) and Sam (on a good day). Otherwise, it’s just him, his morals, and a very big shield.

The Emotional Gut Punch (a.k.a. Steve and Bucky Ruin My Life)

Let’s talk about pain.

Steve Rogers spends the entire movie trying to save Bucky, even though Bucky is now a brainwashed murder machine with a metal arm and a stare that could end me (in more ways than death). But does Steve give up? Absolutely not. He refuses to fight him. He refuses to let him go. And in the final battle, when Bucky has every reason to let Steve drown, he saves him anyway.

If that’s not the most gut-wrenching, soul-crushing display of loyalty, I don’t know what is.

This movie isn’t just about superheroes fighting villains, it’s about who you are when everything is taken from you. It’s about friendship and identity and whether you can save someone who doesn’t even remember you. I’m not sobbing, you are.

The Villains: Because One Just Isn’t Enough

The bad guys in this movie? Terrifying.

The Winter Soldier – Brainwashed Bucky Barnes, aka the assassin of your dreams (or nightmares). He’s got the metal arm, the deadly precision, and the emotional devastation of a lost puppy who could also end you.

Alexander Pierce – The calm, collected, absolutely evil mastermind of HYDRA. Smiles in your face while planning your downfall.

HYDRA – Not just one villain, but an entire system that’s been pulling the strings this whole time. The fact that they were inside S.H.I.E.L.D. from the start? Unsettling.

It’s not just what they do, it’s how they do it. The slow build up, the realization that no one is who they say they are, it’s so real that it’s actually terrifying. And let’s not even talk about the Helicarriers and their whole pre-crime execution plan. Like, privacy? Who needs it?

The Action: Simply Unmatched

Marvel has great action sequences, but The Winter Soldier said we can do better. Every fight scene feels real, you feel the weight behind every hit, every struggle, every broken shield.

The Elevator Fight – Steve vs. a dozen dudes in a cramped space. He still wins. Because he’s that guy.

The Highway Fight – Bucky flipping knives like he’s doing a magic trick. Steve struggling because, well, it’s Bucky. (I would also struggle if I was there)

Every Other Fight – So raw. So intense. So illegal, emotionally speaking. The amount of destruction, hello?

This isn’t CGI chaos, this is choreographed excellence. The fact that half these stunts were done practically just makes it so much better.

The Visuals: A Whole Cinematic Aesthetic

This movie is beautiful. The cold, muted tones? The shaky camera work that makes you feel inside the action? The way even their costumes tell a story??

Steve’s stealth suit – Darker colors, because he’s not blindly following orders anymore.

Bucky’s black tactical gear – A ghost of his former self, lost in the machine.

The Helicarriers & S.H.I.E.L.D. buildings – Cold, sterile, and symbolizing the lack of trust and corruption within the system.

Every single shot means something, and I live for the details.

The Symbolism: Yes, We’re Analyzing This

If you love overthinking movies (hi, me), this one is stacked with meaning.

Steve dropping his shield – He’s literally choosing Bucky over everything he once believed in. (I'm crying.)

Bucky’s metal arm – Unlike Steve, he didn’t choose to be a super soldier. His arm is both his greatest weapon and his biggest curse.

HYDRA inside S.H.I.E.L.D. – A metaphor for how corruption can exist right under your nose. A little too real, bestie.

This movie isn’t just action-packed, it actually makes you think.

Why This Movie Is Just It.

The reason The Winter Soldier is the Marvel movie? It’s not just good vs. evil, it’s about questioning everything you thought you knew.

Can a system be trusted when it’s already corrupt?

Is it okay to sacrifice privacy for security?

Can you save someone who’s been completely broken?

And, let’s be real, the emotional devastation is a huge part of why we’re obsessed. Because what’s better than a superhero movie? A superhero movie that hurts.

Final Thoughts: Go Rewatch It Right Now. Like, Now.

If you haven’t seen The Winter Soldier in a while, what are you even doing? The more you watch, the more details you pick up, like how HYDRA symbols are everywhere before the reveal.

It’s got everything:

✔️ Next level action

✔️ A plot that ruins your life

✔️ Characters that emotionally destroy you

✔️ And most importantly… Bucky Barnes looking unfairly good while being an absolute mess.

10/10. Would sob over this movie again and watch purely for Bucky (he's just perfect and can do nothing wrong in my eyes).

#marvel #pop culture #popular culture #avengers #mcu #marvel movies #bucky barnes #the winter soldier #steve rogers #winter soldier

25 notes · View notes

steppin-on-the-last-train · 2 years ago

Text

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. “Мрамо��.”

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.

“Пя��ь.” 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.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanov x reader

321 notes · View notes

mrprettywhenhecries · 2 months ago

Text

promise me (oc x canon week 2025)

Steve Harrington ✗ Win Lewis

cowritten with @super-unpredictable98 for @theocxcanonweek 💚

➸ w.c. 1.5k ➸ prompt. "promise me." ➸ warnings/tags. mild violence, blood, dressing wounds

The tiny rowboat swayed precariously with each movement of its passengers, nearly too many to fit safely, and Win instinctively grasped Steve’s hand each time the boat rocked as they made their way out to the middle of the lake. “This is nuts,” she muttered under her breath, fighting to keep the fear from her voice.

“If there's a gate out here… that’s our way in. I need to go down there and check it out,” Steve murmured as the boat came to a stop and he glanced over the side at the dark water. "You all stay here, I’ll be right back,” he said, pulling his sweatshirt over his head and dropping it to the bottom of the boat. “Don’t follow me,” he added sternly, turning to Win.

"Whoa whoa, wait, no! I'm not just gunna let you go down there alone!" she exclaimed, her voice rising in alarm.

"Win, it'll be fine,” he insisted. “I can't have you going down there and getting yourself hurt. You can't, okay? Look at me" –Steve took her hands in his– "Promise me you'll stay on the boat."

"Steve..." Win breathed, her chest growing tight. "What if something happens to you down there? You can’t expect me to just sit here, do you?" she hissed.

"You have to. I'll be right back, I promise, but you have to promise you'll wait for me here," Steve insisted, pressing his forehead to hers.

Win bit the inside of her cheek before finally nodding. "Okay, I promise," she muttered reluctantly, though she had no intention of actually staying in the boat.

Steve let out a relieved breath before kissing her tenderly, holding her face between his large hands. “I’ll be right back,” he repeated, giving her a hopeful smile before diving into the water.

Steve was a strong swimmer and it didn’t take him long to reach the bottom, spotting a flickery red light emanating from a large crack in the lake floor. He was about to head back to the surface to let the others know what he’d found when he felt something wrap around his ankle, pulling him down through the portal despite his struggle to come up.

Win leaned forward, holding her breath as she stared at the water where Steve had disappeared, her fingers gripping the edge of the boat tight enough to whiten her knuckles as she waited for him to resurface.

"He should've been back by now–" she breathed, sharing a nervous look with Robin, her throat constricting with fear.

A large bubble broke the water's dark surface and Win made up her mind. "I'm going in," she exclaimed, not waiting for anyone to point out her promise to Steve. Diving into the lake after him, she focused on the eerie light filtering up from the bottom and swam toward it, only faintly registering that the others had jumped in after her.

Steve was already on the other side, pinned to the ground by several disgusting tentacles while a swarm of bat-like creatures with long tails attacked him. When he saw the others approach, however, he screamed even louder.

"WIN, ROBIN! GO BACK! GO BACK!" he shouted, struggling to break free, but the tentacle around his neck tightened, choking his cries.

Win swore under her breath, immediately running toward Steve and stomping on one of the bats that was tearing into his side until it let out a screech and collapsed.

The others grabbed the oars from the boat and began trying to keep more of the creatures from descending on Steve, but Win fell to her knees at his side, wrenching at the slimy tentacle at his neck, her pulse pounding loud in her ears.

“C’mon, c’mon–” she breathed, desperately looking around for something to use as a weapon. Spotting a hunk of broken concrete nearby, she scrambled for it, grabbing it and bringing it down against the tentacle again and again until it finally loosened, freeing Steve’s throat, and he gasped, pulling the rest of them off his body.

"You promised me!” he exclaimed, his voice hoarse. "You promised you wouldn't come!"

"As if you really expected me to stay put when you didn't come back!" Win countered, helping Steve to his feet and ducking as another small swarm of demobats swooped low. "I couldn't just let you die!" she cried, gasping sharply as she was nearly yanked off her feet, the bat’s long tail wrapping around her neck while it sank its sharp teeth into her shoulder.

"Shit–!” Steve growled, grabbing the bat by the tail. When it refused to let go of Win, he leaned in and bit its head off, spitting out a mouthful of its dark blood.

“Oh hell yeah, Harrington!” Eddie exclaimed, dusting off his hands, impressed by the Ozzy-esque move. “Should start calling you the Prince of Darkness,” he chuckled, but Steve wasn’t as amused.

“See, now you've been hurt too,” he huffed, checking Win’s wound. “This was why I didn’t want you to come.”

“Yeah, but if we hadn’t, those things would’ve killed you,” Win hissed.

"Do you think they have rabies?" Robin whispered, interrupting their argument, beginning to spiral. “One of my top five fears in the whole world is rabies!”

"Robin, I think we probably have worse things to worry about right now. Let's find somewhere to hide, before more of them come," Steve grumbled, running a hand over his face.

Win swallowed, taking a deep breath. Wrapping an arm around Steve, she urged him to lean against her as they hurried away, toward Skull Rock. Every so often, she threw a worried glance at him out of the corner of her eye. The sight of his mangled skin and the amount of blood he’d lost made her stomach turn.

As soon as the large rock formation was in sight, Win led him under it, catching him as he nearly collapsed.

"We need to dress your wound," she murmured, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Yeah... I think you're right. But what about you? Are you okay?" Steve asked, leaning against the rock as she ripped a strip of fabric from her shirt to use as a bandage.

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you," Win murmured, shaking her head as she knelt before him, preparing to wrap the makeshift bandage around his waist. "This may hurt a little," she warned, her eyes flicking up to his, and Steve nodded in understanding.

“I’m ready,” he breathed and Win tied the fabric tight, wincing as Steve hissed in pain, gritting his teeth as he threw his head back. Threading his hands behind his head, he endured it until his wounds were covered and the bleeding was controlled.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at his waist, lowering his arms. “Thanks,” he murmured, helping Win to her feet. "Now we gotta find a way back, that lake portal is guarded by those things..."

Win nodded, but before she could follow him, she swayed on her feet, nearly losing her balance.

"Whoa!" Steve gasped, catching her in his arms. "What's wrong? You sure you feel okay?" he asked, helping her to sit, still a little unsteady himself.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Win insisted, though she didn't look okay, her face had gone pale and the bite at her neck didn't look so good.

"Let's have a seat, just take a deep breath," Steve murmured, ripping another strip of fabric from her shirt to wrap around her shoulder. "It'll stop bleeding, just give it a moment."

Win nodded, wincing at the sudden pressure on her wound. "I'm sorry," she whispered, not quite meeting his eyes. "I didn't wanna lose you..."

"I know,” Steve replied, “but I didn't wanna lose you and now you're hurt... I can't let anything bad happen to the most important person in the world to me," he insisted, catching her chin to turn her face toward him.

“This is nothing compared to the pound of flesh they ripped from you,” Win protested, gently touching the angry mark around his neck.

"I'm a big guy, you're a tiny girl, it's not the same," Steve chuckled softly. "I'm gonna be fine, I'm worried about you."

“We’re both gunna be fine,” Win insisted, taking a shuddering breath. “As long as we have each other’s backs,” she murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"Right," Steve smiled, seeing the color slowly return to her face. "I love you so much."

“I love you too, Steve,” Win replied, stroking his cheek.

“Uh, this is touching and all, but can we get going?” Eddie exclaimed impatiently, flinching as another vermilion fork of lightning lit up the sickly sky.

"Will you shut up?" Steve groaned. Not only was Eddie stealing his best friend, now he wanted to ruin the romantic moment?

"We should probably find a way out, I don't like how many spores are flying around," Robin said nervously, glancing around. "What if it's like some giant fungus that's gonna set in our lungs and kill us from the inside?" she exclaimed. "Fine, let's go..." Steve sighed, sharing an apologetic look with Win.

“Let’s go,” she agreed, taking his hand. “Careful not to step on the tentacles.”

➸ taglist. @batterycityghoul @sailorskunk @heartbreak-sandwich @thecreelhouse

#steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #oc x canon week #oc x canon week 2025 #oc: win lewis #otp: lewington #stranger things #joz.fic #joz.collab

19 notes · View notes

johnnycakesswitch · 7 months ago

Note

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 🥺

#the outsiders #the outsiders headcanons #steve randle #sodapop curtis #stevepop #asks #🍀 anon

25 notes · View notes

findafight · 2 years ago

Note

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.

#findaanswers #Anonymous #I think an interesting thing about Nancy is she absolutely HATES when her romo partner doesn't back up her crazy schemes #we see it in s2 and s3 it's so interesting to me but I don't really see it talked about.#Nancy wheeler I wanna study you like a bug #stranger things #stranger things meta #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #robin buckley #stobin #sorta? yeah I talk about them enough it counts #stancy #I guess. more fail stancy than not but also just potential dynamic #finda's rambles

197 notes · View notes

theladybarnes · 2 years ago

Photo

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ 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.

#steve harrington fic #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x female reader #stranger things fic #sisosig #i hope you guys enjoy this! just wanted to do something fun and new

159 notes · View notes