#Steve harrington x ofc

[ash5monster01]

Not Just The Books

Pairing: Steve Harrington x FemReader

Warnings: 18+, no use of Y/N, smut, nudity, language, fluff, friends to lovers, minors DNI.

Summary: Steve catches you reading a smutty book and before the embarrassment can settle in you realize he is more interested in doing the stuff in the book with you.

word count: 3.5k

Masterlist

It was not uncommon for you and Steve to be able to sit in silence comfortably. Sometimes having the presence of a friend while you did different things was so much better than being alone. So you both sat comfortably in his living room, you in the easy chair, lamp on to illuminate your book, and him in the center of the couch, slumped down, as he watched whatever was on TV. The sound didn’t bother you as you read, you normally were in another world, not noticing the things around you. So even though Steve had the TV blaring with the hearing of a Grandpa, you didn’t even mind, the TV could explode and you wouldn’t notice. Thing was Steve always noticed you, even if his favorite movie was on TV.

So when he spotted you uncrossing your legs it peaked his interest. You still hadn’t torn your eyes from the book to see he had noticed your movement. Steve had almost turned away until he saw you had pressed your legs together, your teeth capturing your bottom lip. His heart accelerated slightly because he knew that kind of movement. He had caused many of girls that kind of movement, so when you started to shift in your seat, your breaths coming out in smaller pants he realized there was something more to the book you had tightly gripped in your hands. You still didn’t even flinch as Steve stood and walked over to you, in fact you couldn’t even tear your eyes from the page as he quite literally did it for you.

“Steve!” you screeched and he quickly noticed how dilated your eyes were, how fast your chest rose with each breath. You looked like a woman starved.

“Since when do books make you act like that” Steve teased, eyebrows raised highly and you felt the embarrassment burn through you.

“Please give me my book back” you begged, hand out, waiting for him to hand it over.

“You know, normally I would” and the panic started to set in as he turned the book towards himself. Steve never attempted to read your books. Why now?

“Please Steve!” you we’re quick, lunging towards him, but he was quicker. Your voice was rough, all worked up, and no one had even touched you.

“It’s always Steve you need to read more, when was the last time you opened a book, and now you don’t want me too?” he knew he was getting under your skin and you just prayed he woundn't read the page you were on. If there was some higher power out there they would keep him from reading that page right now.

“Just not that book, I was enjoying it” even Steve could hear how uncomfortable you sounded as you said it. It was as if you were trying to get him to cough it up without knowing what was so interesting about it.

“Well, I want to see what’s so good” and just like that his eyes dipped down and you launched for him. Yet Steve escaped your grasp, running across the room, and leaping onto the couch where he stood. Book now face open and you got to watch him read it in real time, like he was on a stage.

Claire panted out heavy breaths, skin on fire everywhere he left a wet love bite and blew on it. She tried to steady her breathing but as his wet kisses trailed down her stomach, finishing on the waist band of her shorts, she couldn’t quite seem to stop the breaths that came out.

Slowly his fingers curled into her waistband and she lifted her hips to make it easier, a silent conformation that what he was doing was okay. As the cool air of the bedroom hit her dripping core she couldn’t help but whimper over the thought of him burying himself between her folds.

“So perfect” he spoke, his tongue darting out to take a small taste. “And sweet”

Then just like that he was devouring her completely. So fast her back arched without her knowledge, pressing into him as he deliciously lapped up everything he could. Eating her out better than anyone ever had, and as his nose nudged against her clit she couldn’t help but begin to feel the coil tighten in her stomach. He had barely done anything and she was already ready to cum.

“Holy shit” Steve muttered, dropping his arms that held the book as he looked down at you from the couch. Very much unable to meet his eyes as he realized exactly what you were reading.

“Can I have my book back now?” you nervously asked, arm rubbing up and down your other one. Steve jumped back down to the ground. Trying to regain your gaze.

“Want to explain this to me?” he asked, holding it over and you quickly snatched it back.

“Not particularly” you now hyper aware of exactly how alone the two of you were right now.

“You like to read dirty books” he chuckled like a little kid and finally you dared to glance up at him only to see a smug look on his face, like he obtained information he was going to hold over your head for years to come.

“Most girls do Steve” you hissed attempting to hit him with the book but he quickly stopped you, his head coming to a shake.

“Whatever you say, it just looked like you were really enjoying it. I’d never seen you so…” he paused, trying to think of a word, and your heart accelerated. Thumping quickly against your ribs and you prayed he couldn’t hear it. “Worked up”

You sucked in a sharp breath as he said it and the air around you turned heavy. This had gone from embarrassing to mortifying because not only did you get caught reading about sex but you got caught for it turning you on. Steve had noticed you were turned on and now you wished he didn’t notice you even existed. “Can we not talk about this, I was acting like I always do”

“That’s a lie, you wouldn’t move while reading even if a tornado came through here but you couldn’t even sit still. You were needy and I know it because I’ve seen it a hundred times” now you were red as a fire truck and Steve was enjoying this way too much. Yet he was also getting turned on which he shouldn’t have because it’s you. His longest and oldest friend, the one he can be completely comfortable with but now he wanted to know exactly how wet you were from that stupid book and he wanted to see if he could get you wetter.

“Ah yes, King Steve, ruler of sex. Can’t take a hint but knows when a girl is turned on” you told him sarcastically, annoyed he insisted on embarrassing you further.

“So you admit to being turned on?” he said with a smirk and you rolled your eyes with a groan.

“My God give it a break, yes I was turned on, is that what you want to hear?” you asked him and as you let out heavy breaths and waited for him to give a sarcastic answer it never came. Instead he stared you down, like you admitting this suddenly made you a four course meal. Steve had never looked at you like this and now you were nervous all over again but about an entirely different thing.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you nervously asked, attempting to back away from him because now the foot and half between you two was way too close.

“I’m not doing anything” he told you, stepping towards you to shorten the distance again and you wished he hadn’t of done it because now Steve was replacing the guy in the book for you.

“Yes you are, you’re looking at me like you want to kiss me” you said, trying to make it sound like a joke but even to you is sounded nervous. Steve just tilted his head, eyeing you up and down completely.

“It looks like that because I do want to kiss you” how was he so comfortable talking to you like this? You had never crossed this line before and now you wanted him to touch you and stay away all at the same time. “So can I kiss you?”

“I uh, I I..-“ you stammered, unsure how you went from peacefully ignoring each other to the edge of the line. If you say yes you would give him a reason to cross it and that was a lot of responsibility for a person.

“I need an answer sweetheart, because I really really want to kiss you” he spoke slowly and you swallowed hard, still turned on from the book and now a little turned on by him.

“Uh yeah, I-I guess” you told him and a grin cracked across his face and before you could say anything more his hands were on your face and drawing your lips near his own. He waited a minute before pressing them to yours, whether is was hesitant or savory you weren’t sure. But after a steady breath he pressed against you, mouth hot and slotting between your own lips perfectly. He was a good kisser but you already knew that.

It took only seconds for it to get heated, his hands tugging lightly at your hair and tongue grazing your lip. You parted in an instant, letting his tongue tangle with your own and then it was over. He had you backing up all the way to wall, your back thumping against it, and his knee wedging between your legs. Against your better judgement you started to grind against it, unable to stop your self considering how worked up you had been. “Getting yourself so turned on without any release, seems like torture sweetheart”

“There was going to be release, later, when I was alone” and your response had Steve’s head tipping back as he let out a groan.

“Still unfair, why don’t you let me take care of you?” Steve coaxed and you involuntarily ground down on his leg, knowing release was right around the corner if you just let him. Was it worth it though? To cross this line just for some sweet release? For a touch that could unwind you more than your own hands could? You knew Steve was a good lay, had been legend among the Hawkins High halls because of it. Should you even find out for yourself with risk of ruining the friendship? Fuck it.

You didn’t even have to answer based on the way your lips smashed back into his own. He met your pace in the blink of an eye and you couldn’t keep yourself from pulling at the hem of his shirt, trying to lift it above his head. Even needier at the sight of his bare torso you began to ride his leg like your life depended on it. A deep chuckle left his throat as his hands dug in the doughy flesh of your hips, slowing your movements against him. He wanted to take his sweet time with you and if he went any slower you were going to be a whining mess.

“What do you need baby?” he asked against your neck, sucking hard on the sensitive spot there and you were in no position to care that he probably gave you a crimson hickey.

“Take off my shirt” you told him with a groan, keening as he licked the sore spot of your neck. He obeyed, removing the baggy T-shirt you had worn over here just to be met with the sight that you had forgone a bra. You watched as his eyes turned almost black at the sight of you, swallowing thickly before cupping his hands around both your breasts. The minute he began to knead the flesh your head was hitting back against the wall, fighting from grinding on his leg again. Something about Steve needily groping your chest ignited a fire within you and you had been doing good until your nipple was sucked into his warm mouth and involuntarily you bucked your hips on his leg so hard you felt your hips bones hit his own.

"Such a needy girl" he teased before moving to suck on your other breast. As much as his words turned you on you still found yourself needing to feel more in control. Steve would be too cocky knowing he got you to so desperately fall apart like this. So in a moment of courage you took some intiative. With his eyes still closed, mouth littering your breast with hickeys, you dropped your hand down and grasped his hard on through his sweats. You felt the squeak from his throat on your breast as you began to stroke him through his pants and just as the girls had said in highschol, Steve was intimidatingly big.

“Looks like the book turned more than just me on” you teased, a sly smile on your face and Steve removed his mouth from your breast, tongue grazing up the skin of you neck till he was face to face.

“That’s not the book, that’s you” he told you and these words gave you the rush of confidence you needed for your fingers to slip below his waist band and grasp his cock right at the base. He hissed at the feeling of your cool fingers and the attention you were giving him.

“Stevie is needy too, what does he need?” you hummed, eyes wide and innocently looking up at him. He squeezed his own eyes shut as you slowly stroked him, prepared to ease him out of his pants.

“Baby this is about you” he told you, trying his best to back away but you had a grip on him that he was enjoying way too much.

“I know, that’s why I want to do this” and you were spinning both of you around, pressing him against the wall he previously had you caged in. He groaned as you dropped to your knees, breasts swinging as you finally pulled his sweat pants down. His length stared you down but he looked delicious as ever. If someone had ever suggested you’d be sucking your best friends cock tonight you would’ve told them they were lying but now here you were, taking him into your mouth. You hummed at the saltiness of his skin, tongue swirling around his swollen tip. He grabbed your hair without even realizing, trying to ease you to take more of him. Slacking your jaw you allowed him to glide in and out of your warm mouth, letting him hit the back of your throat, humming against him which made him writhe against the wall.

“Okay, stop I’m going to cum” he pulled you off of him, arms easing under your own and lifting you to your feet as if you weighed nothing. You smiled deviously at him, chin slick with spit and he didn’t waste two seconds before pulling you into a deep kiss. “It’s my turn to get a taste now”

He was mumbling against your lips, arms wrapped around you as he carried you over to the couch he had been watching TV on. Once he had you laid gently across it he was removing his own pants and dropping to his knees to remove yours. He made sure to take his sweet time, pulling the soft material down your legs, memorizing the cream color of the lace panties that had been soaked against your mound. You tried not to whine out as he touched you everywhere but there. You were on the verge of begging until he finally moved to pull the cream fabric off of you. You went to close your legs but his arm stopped you, keeping you wide open for him.

“So perfect” he said and you groaned out.

“Don’t tease” and Steve knew you meant both about the book and about how he was taking care of you. So he just grinned before dipping down and licking a long stripe through your folds.

“And sweet” and you didn’t have any time to yell at him because he was devouring you whole. Your stomach jumped as he sucked harshly at your clit, back arching and pressing your pussy straight into his face. His hands gripped the back of your thighs, more than likely leaving bruised finger prints but you hoped they did. You wanted to remember the mind numbing head Steve Harrington gave you. You almost didn’t expect him to be so good at eating you out. You should’ve thought because your heels were digging into his back, hands tugging harshly as his curls, and you were moaning unapologetically because he was just that good. You could feel the coil begin to tighten in your stomach and you were grinding against his tongue, movements getting faster indicating you were right there. It wasn’t until his lips wrapped around your clit did you find yourself begin to snap, shaking as your body seemed to leave earth and come back to you all at once.

“Hope you’ve got another one in you baby” he cooed, kissing up your stomach and breasts. He finally met your mouth and even though you were already half worn out you found yourself gripping his cock in your hand again. He winced due to holding his own orgasm off and your thumb gently rolled over his tip.

“Show me what you’ve got Harrington” you were telling him, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before sucking on his neck. Steve hoped you were leaving your mark and soon enough you were lining him up between your legs. You shuttered as he ran himself through your slick.

He couldn’t wait any longer and finally he was pushing himself in you, bottoming out in seconds as you fully sucked him in. He knew not to move as your mouth froze against his neck and he moved to kiss your lips, an apology and promise that it would stop hurting soon. He was in his own pain of needed relief until your hand was grazing down his bare back.

“Please move, I’m begging you” and he didn’t need to be told twice as he pulled back and slammed into you again. You moaned loudly and he quickly found his pace, moving in and out of you as best he could. Swiftly you grabbed his hands, placing them on your breasts which he didn’t hesitate to grip. He used them for balance as he slammed in and out you, massaging them and loving them as best he could. The way you were reacting made him realize this was what turned you on most, attention to your breasts. Needing to have his release soon he dipped down, removing one hand to suck at your nipple as hard as he could, hips still slamming into you. The wet heat of his mouth had you keening in seconds and you gasped out, trying your best not to yell.

“I’m coming Steve, fuck cum in me please” you begged and he almost came right there as he heard those words. In moments you were pulsating around him, clenching tightly and milking him for all he was worth. The tightness of you made him follow right after, thick ropes shooting into you. You panted heavily as you gripped his shoulders, indicating him not to move.

“I want you inside of me a little longer” you told him and he slowly eased down onto you, trying his best not to move and overstimulate you.

“Where the fuck did this behavior come from?” he asked, pressing gentle kisses to the hickeys he had littered your breasts with. He was trying his best not to get hard over the fact he was still inside of you.

“I’ve always been like this Steve” you told him, feeling him twitch inside you.

“This dirty, why haven’t we been fucking sooner?” he chuckled, mouth kissing your chin and you rolled your eyes.

“Because I don’t fuck around Steve, and I always told myself that if we did this it had to be real” and the weight of your words hit him with surprise. Yet it wasn’t the kind of surprise you had expected.

“You mean to tell me you liked me this whole time too? Then what the fuck have we been waiting for?” he groaned out and your eyes widened as you reached for him.

“You like me too?” you hopefully asked and he smiled, lifting to press his mouth to your own. You winced as he slipped out of you, no doubt a mess all over the couch that now had to be cleaned.

“Hell I love you, I’ve always loved you” he told you after a beat and you smiled up at him, realizing you should’ve read dirty books around him sooner.

“We’ll in that case, let’s do this again”

For you to enjoy <3: @jjmaybankswifes-blog @halflifejess

[werdlewrites]

masterlist - ao3 - twitter @ djomamma

summary: It’s a little silly just how happy it leaves him. Knowing he’s made it through the barricade and not pushed back out into the wastelands. Instead, he’s welcomed, and she finds ease in his presence. It’s more than just silly when he parks the car out front, feeling this brewing ache buried within his chest. It feels suffocating and dizzying and leaves him confused. Confused as to why he attempts to race around to open her door, though forcing himself to straighten as he finds she’s already standing in the snow, rubbing at sore eyes. wc: 3,140 warnings: STEVE FLUFF, blood

Time is a mere illusion out at the edge of Hawkins, Indiana. Children ran rampant, tiring themselves out until their clothes were soaked and their limbs had gone limp from the exhausting weight. Their parents change out their jackets and warm their skin with a hot drink, while others simply cave to the silence of their child and cart their sleepy bodies back to their cars. But the park remains busy—a constant blow of bodies as others sweep in for a taste of the thrill, easily filling the space of the ones who had left.

But the two teens have yet to give in—no matter how their legs ached from the repeated climb or the burn that scorched their lungs. Their laughter was wild and carefree. Her eyes sparkling for the first time since…well, longer than he can recall. And maybe that was his plan all along. To pull her out from the depths of sadness and into the light. There was no loss of family or the dread of fleeing from monsters and bad men. It was her birthday, and she deserved to smile.

So, they climb back up the hill. They slip and stumble, making the journey much longer, and the fits of laughter don’t help. They take breaks on the swings, locked in a trance as they people-watch, waiting to catch their breath and not saying a word to one another. It’s a comfortable silence with the occasional rumble of laughter as they take in the other’s winter-bitten cheeks.

However, peace is short-lived. Autumn is up on her feet once more, pulling at the handle of her sled as she trudged through the snow, casting a glance over her shoulder. “I’ll race you.”

It almost doesn’t register. The Autumn that stands before him is his—the one he’s always known. Her flaws are worn with pride, yet she refuses to drown in them and wither away. She breathes with new life, and he jumps at the chance to savor it before it fizzles out like a dying light.

They stand at the hill's peak together, carefully settling into their places with intense stares at one another. “Ready t’lose?”

The girl at his side scoffs, eyes rolling back before settling on the path ahead. They wait impatiently, watching as children scramble to stand at the bottom and make room for others. The second it became clear, there was no countdown or warning. A simple “Go!” shouted as she launched herself forward. Steve is only a second behind her, an aggravated shout heard as he chases her down, closing the gap all too quickly.

Autumn doesn’t see him there—he’s sure of it. With a smile on her face and a look of victory in her eyes, she believes she’s already won before they even reach the end. And it’s approaching faster than he expects. Maybe it’s the sun wearing down the layers of snow or the frequent use to flatten every fine crystal for less resistance. But there’s no time to question it or call out from concern before her sled catches the edge of the ice. She’s flipped into his paved lane in the blink of an eye, crashing into his body with desperate fingers reaching to grab for anything before the force pries them apart.

The pressure against his chest leaves him winded. His eyes are clamped shut and filled with flashes of stars for only a second, but the haze they leave behind lingers once he takes in the light again. Steve hardly gives himself time to recover when he sees her splayed out on her stomach, mouth hung agape as she also tries to catch her breath. Then she begins to laugh. It’s silent at first, with no air to fill her lungs as he scrambles toward her.

It’s a little contagious. Seeing the joy in her eyes works its way deep to pull out a weary smile of his own, though it’s unable to drown out the overwhelming worry. He helps the girl up onto her knees, ignoring the onlookers as they snicker from above at their collision. “Are you okay?”

She can only nod in response. Her body was overcome with snorts and laughter, struggling to recover. Steve almost joins, but something in the glistening white snow catches his eye. A brilliant red mixed throughout where she once lay, the area small but alarming enough that his eyes go wide. “Are you hurt?”

His voice is filled with panic. Shaken hands gripping her shoulders to keep her form still as he studies her face and any exposed skin. He finds a drop of blood fall from the tip of her finger, and he acts without thought, grabbing at her wrist to expose her palm to the gray sky. “Shit, Aut,” he grumbles.

A stray rock buried beneath the white had left a gash across her skin. A few scrapes surround the bleeding wound at the center, pooling slowly and trickling against his flesh. The boy is left in such a state of shock and worry that he doesn’t take notice of the sudden change of atmosphere. There’s no more laughter. No more light as darkness creeps in like the reaper, ready to take another victim. Autumn has gone eerily still with a sweet voice stripped from her chest, eyes now empty as they stare down at the crimson.

“Autumn?”

She’s elsewhere, and he knows it, but he can’t begin to understand where or how to meet her across the plain. Steve can only hope that she hears his call so that she can take the line and follow it back home.

He curls her fingers in with care to conceal the wound, using his hand to hide any sight of blood before leaning further into her view. “Come back, Aut.” He can feel crushing pressure in his chest. Something constricting and agonizingly slow, forced to watch as her face shifts to something more fearful. Her brow wrinkles and her lips quiver. Wherever she was, she needed saving. He can’t help but think of the diner. Looking not at him but through him to see unimaginable horror with tears in her eyes. Or the episode at the Byers, where she tore her fingers through his collar and the air out of pure panic, seeing what wasn’t there.

Right before she left them all in the bone-chilling silence, nearly dead in his arms.

“Hey!” It’s not the approach he would typically take, especially in such a public place. Eyes were already on them, but if she slipped away, more attention would come and the risk to her safety would only grow. He takes her face, cupped in bloodied palms, to force her eyes on the boy in front of her, begging in a whispered plea for her to wake up.

It’s evident Autumn can hear his cry by the tilt of her head. She’s lost in a heavy fog, and it all looks the same. Not knowing where she stands, but following his voice until the world becomes a little more clear. Realization hits, and a familiar light fills her eyes, ripping away from his touch with a bloodied hand coiled up to her chest.

Nothing else is said between the pair. They each carry their sled back up the steep hill, his one empty hand wrapped delicately around her wrist, not wanting to cause more damage but ready to tighten his hold should she slip in his shadow. He mutters to himself the whole way up. Complaining about the field and how everyone slacked in clearing the place of debris. “It’s a safety hazard. Ridiculous.”

The inflatables are returned without a word spoken. Practically tossed back into the line out of aggravation before he guides the girl back to his car. Ending her birthday in blood was not on the agenda. He almost blames himself for the accident, muttering insults to tear himself down. Something so second nature that he doesn’t realize what he’s said until he sees the look in her eyes.

Steve leaves his friend in the passenger seat, legs still swung out the side, while he digs through his duffle bag, filled with various things for basketball or swimming. In his hand, a gray Hawkins shirt meant to be worn for his games becomes rags within seconds. He’s tearing away strips until he finds one he likes, ignoring the disapproving comments from Autumn. “Shut up. I’ll just get another one.”

With a roll of her eyes, the bleeding hand is offered out to the boy who takes care of wrapping it. Gentle touches and glances to study her face for any signs of discomfort. She remains strong, though eyes avoidant as she looks elsewhere, mentally placing herself outside of the situation until the knot is tied. What happens next is undoubtedly the most “Steve” behavior she’s ever seen. A little oblivious, but kind and nurturing. Overly nurturing, she could say.

He buried the remnants of his shirt in the snow, letting water soak into the fabric until it was dark. He scrubs his hands until the blood becomes a mere memory, looking at her with unease. “Can I?”

A perplexed look fixates on him, unsure of what he means, until a simple wipe across her jaw reveals a dark crimson stain. Her lack of rejection spurs him on, though moving slowly, almost expecting her to lash out and bite at his hand like a wild animal. Once upon a time, she had always accepted his help. But walls had grown, and he was scaling them rather than chiseling away at the surface.

Maybe it was better this way. Maybe the girl was too impatient to wait for a savior. Her heart beating with excitement as someone braved the challenges she provided, unknowing he too could hardly catch his breath from a thunderous heart. He continues to clean her skin in silence, and she allows it.

The rags are tossed to the backseat; a frustrated groan is heard from the boy now standing off to the side, hands resting on his hips. He’s lost in thought going over how the day was meant to play out. The duo was meant to grow tired and hungry from all of the physical activity before finding a nice place to settle and eat.

“It was just an accident,” the girl suddenly states, flipping her hand back and forth to study his work and the few splotches of blood seeping through. “Shit happens. Don’t get so-”

“It’s not that, Aut” he interrupts. Soaked shoes kicking at the ground in embarrassment. “I had plans, right? Jus—just a nice day where things could be normal. And now we get to celebrate by planning my funeral because Hopper will definitely kill me.”

The boy was only joking—or maybe a fraction of it was all in fun. Hopper was overbearing and a different type of stern she wasn’t used to. He had given vague threats before out of fear of losing control of the situation. But certain things were beyond his control. Like, a little rock. Mother Nature reminded her guardian that he couldn’t keep her safe from everything. Autumn elects to fight against the tide of self-blame Steve piles onto himself. Her posture is straight, and her hands resting in a damp lap. “There’s more?”

A puzzled look fills his eyes as he looks back at her, shoulders less tense and his foot no longer tapping against the ground from nerves. “What?”

“You said you had plans. What else was there?”

His mind seems to blank. It’s visible in his expression as his mouth falls agape. Her words were running a marathon while he struggles to catch up to them. He had anticipated something more sarcastic—maybe even for her to say she had enough of him for one day. But she asks for more, and he provides almost too eagerly.

Steve taps at her knees until she’s swiveled in her seat, the door shut after her just before he runs to the very back of his car, the trunk hood blocking her view of what he was searching for. He rounds the car, purposefully holding the item up high enough for her not to see until he’s sat next to her, a proud smile on curved lips.

In his hand, he holds a plastic case with a decorated cake inside. It’s small, definitely not enough for a full party. But it’s enough for two or three people, at least. It’s chocolate with a cream frosting, filled with tiny cookie crumbles throughout, and a few Oreo chunks sprinkled over the top. It was simple, but the gesture is anything but.

It’s a treat they’ve had for multiple celebrations, and her chosen sweet treat during the summer or any season. Steve had asked her that night about her 17th birthday. The night he lay out across her floor, looking smug and leaving her irritable, as she only wanted a night of peace. A night to forget about all of the shit they had seen. The night when her life had changed.

When she doesn’t respond right away, a silent panic brews in the boy. He stumbles over what he wants to say before blurting out, “I thought it’d be colder in the trunk. So it doesn’t, uh, y’know, melt.”

He had gone too far. Steve had pushed his luck with Autumn by thinking—or hoping—things would be different for them. He ignored the line she laid out to separate the two, charging across until the boundaries were muddled and he was lost. The silence between them is deafening. Agonizing. But her lips tug into a smile, and relief soon washes in.

“What am I supposed t’eat with? My hands?”

Full of light once more, he sets the cake down at the center console to reach for the glove compartment, pulling out cheap silverware wrapped in plastic. Something he saved from one of his various fast-food trips. And that’s all it seems to take. He rips at the plastic and offers out the spoon, and together, they tear into the dessert. He doesn’t need to ask for approval of the choice—the smile she bears is enough to give him confidence, or the laughter they share as stories are told.

Tales from a previous time in their life. It’s a weary topic, almost waiting for the girl to shut down at the mention of a life she no longer had. Instead, she walks with him through memories. Laughing at little things or scolding one another for idiotic behavior from when they were younger. From when he stood up to bullies much older than him, or when they tried to sneak out, only to get busted by none other than the chief of police. Autumn says Steve is the only reason she ever got into trouble, and she stands by that years later. He calls it bad luck and waves away her accusation with a roll of his eyes.

The park becomes quiet as time passes. The children have grown tired, finally carted away by their parents for a hot shower and long nap. Even teenagers, like Steve and Autumn, have become sleepy-eyed from all of the activity. The girls' disrupted night doesn’t make it any easier, despite it only being sometime in the afternoon.

It’s a quiet drive back toward the cabin, though comfortable. Steve keeps his focus on the road ahead, only turning to check on Autumn every few moments to find her statuesque. Her cheek rests deep in her uninjured palm, her temple resting against the glass with a hazy look on her face. Her eyes threatened to close more than once. Finding peace in the drive, they begin to droop, though each time she forces them open. Using every ounce of strength to pull the curtains back and reveal the light of day.

It’s a little silly just how happy it leaves him. Knowing he’s made it through the barricade and not pushed back out into the wastelands. Instead, he’s welcomed, and she finds ease in his presence. It’s more than just silly when he parks the car out front, feeling this brewing ache buried within his chest. It feels suffocating and dizzying and leaves him confused. Confused as to why he attempts to race around to open her door, though forcing himself to straighten as he finds she’s already standing in the snow, rubbing at sore eyes.

A lazy smile shines in the dim sunlight, followed by a long yawn as she walks closer to the porch. “Thank you for today.”

“Oh!” he states, a little louder than he expects. “Oh, it was nothing.” Steve is suddenly hyper-aware of himself and how he sounds, only heightening the anxiety as it rises and spills out in ramblings. “I-I mean—it wasn’t nothing. I just meant, y’know, what’re friends for?”

If she’s noticed his sudden change in behavior—and he knows she has, it’s not mentioned. She can only smile and shake her head before turning her back on the boy, who is left frozen to watch helplessly.

But his lungs try to scream out the words he’s been conjuring up for weeks now. How to tell her that he’s sorry and that in this short time back together, he finds himself overwhelmed with remorse and guilt for leaving her behind. How he’d vow to never be that person again.

“Autumn, wait,” he calls out, shuffling through the small path she created. He stands within inches of her, his heart swelling until it feels on the verge of combustion. But there’s release as he speaks, the pressure fading yet his heart still racing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I’m a fuck-up, I know.” The girl's smile begins to fade until it’s fallen flat. Her eyes are full of hurt over what he believes is her younger self as she mourns the loss of him.

“I hurt you, and I can’t go back t’change that. But I want t’spend every day trying t’make-up for the time that I lost. And t’prove I’m not—that I’m not that person.” A breath of relief comes through, lightening the load he felt burdened by. The ache in his shoulders is now fading, feeling free though left unsure by her avoidant gaze. Autumn chews at her lip in thought, swallowing down every drop of sadness to remain stoic, no matter if a broken heart wishes to weep from reprieve.

“You’ve saved me, Steve. That doesn’t sound like a fuck-up t’me.”

He realizes then that her look of sorrow wasn’t for herself but rather for him. Just a boy who had gotten lost along the way, now found in more ways than one, trying to make sense of the world and who he truly was. Maybe they were both lost. Maybe they needed reassurance from one another to face it all.

[yelena-bellova]

UNLUCKY: A STRANGER THINGS STORY (OC) - CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Chapter Thirteen: Just Another Day

Series Masterlist l OC Profile

Plot: Nearing the one year anniversary of both Will’s disappearance and Christine’s arrival, life in Hawkins goes on (seemingly) as normal.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: child experimentation, child a*use, language

A/N: Well, it only took two years but here we are! Switching this story to OC is one of my favorite decisions I’ve ever made. I hope anyone who decides to read enjoys it <3

—————

1977 // Hawkins Laboratory

When raising children, every parenting book advises to keep consistency. In an ever changing word, kids thrive on knowing there are certain things they can depend on. Pizza for dinner every Wednesday night, their favorite cartoon playing on a Saturday morning, a bedtime ritual with their parents.

In the case of Martin Brenner, his children could always depend that when it came to their lessons, he was always on time.

Like an eager schoolboy, he waited, or sometimes even walked them to the training room. He’d never show his glee, but there was a joy underneath that only belonged to the sickest individuals. It took a true sociopath to revel in child experimentation.

On one occasion, it was Thirteen’s morning to spend with Papa. She sat at the metal table in the small room, hands nervously gripping the sides of her chair, knowing what he would ask her to do before he said it.

Brenner leaned down, “Okay, Thirteen. Let’s try this again.”

Thirteen glanced down at the picture in front of her. A man, tall and bearded. The same one as the day before.

She shut her eyes.

Breathe.

Focus.

Find him.

With all her strength, she tried to slip into the darkness and locate him. She could hear his thoughts, his voice, but she couldn’t see him.

Thirteen opened her eyes, tearful, and looked to her Papa.

“I can’t.”

“Try again,” he encouraged.

She was tired. Ever since Brenner had noticed she was unable to locate beings as well as the other children, he’d been working her harder. Pushing her to get the maximum results. It had been three straight weeks of individual sessions.

Thirteen gave a hiccuping little cry, “I can’t find him.”

“Try again, Thirteen,” Brenner pushed.

“I can’t-“

“Try-“

“I CAN’T!”

Brenner and the personnel behind the glass startled. The children were rarely ever so disobedient, particularly Thirteen.

“Alright then.”

A buzzer sounded and the door opened. Two orderlies came into the room and grabbed Thirteen by the arms.

“No,” she cried, her voice raising each time they didn’t listen, “No! No! No!”

They carried her out, lifting her into the air when she tried to drop her legs. She couldn’t go back there.

“Papa, please,” she screamed, “No!!”

Brenner did not watch as they dragged her away. It was for her own good.

Thrown into the room kept for when the children acted up, Thirteen scrambled to her feet. The door was about to close.

“Don’t leave me here,” she screamed as she ran, “PAPA!”

The lock clicked.

Thirteen fell to her knees and wept. She had tried, she had tried so hard. But she couldn’t force what wasn’t there. She could do other things, better than some of her brothers and sisters, but she couldn’t do this.

She curled into a ball on the floor, waiting an undeterminable amount of time for Brenner to let her out. The only condition of her release was the same each day: that she’d do better tomorrow.

—————————

October 30th, 1984 // Hawkins High

A sharp poke to my arm brought me back to reality.

I turned to see Jonathan nodding towards Mr. Davies. I’d completely zoned out. Luckily, our test had been last week and I could afford a moment or two of distraction.

It wasn’t often that I had flashbacks to the lab, but when they happened, they hit hard. It was going to take a lot of work the rest of the day to try and shake it off.

The bell finally rang and the class rose, descending into their own conversations.

“Where’s your head?” Jonathan smiled.

“Lunch,” I replied, trying to move on, “If you drive, I’ll pay.”

Nancy squeezed through the aisle to join us, “Are you guys going off campus for lunch?”

“It’s meatloaf day,” I settled my backpack on my shoulder, “That’s a no-brainer.”

The three of us filed out with the rest of our class. At the door, Tina was handing out bright orange fliers. Nancy and I each took one, but Jonathan swerved around her hand.

“Could I get one more?” Nancy asked, catching up with us and pushing the paper into Jonathan’s hand, “You’re coming to this.”

“‘Come and get sheet faced,’” he read aloud, “No, I’m not.”

“Oh, come on, it could be fun,” I said.

“We can’t let you sit all alone on Halloween,” Nancy went on, “That’s just not acceptable.”

“Well, you can relax,” Jonathan looked between us, “I’m not gonna be alone. I’m going trick-or-treating with Will.”

Nancy was unfazed, “All night?”

“Yeah.”

“No, no way,” Nancy shook her head, “You’re gonna be home by 8:00, listening to the Talking Heads and reading Vonnegut or something.”

Jonathan shrugged, “Sounds like a nice night.”

“Will you help me out here?” Nancy looked over to me.

As much as I wanted a night with both of them, I could never get in the way of Jonathan and Will. I had the same sense of duty, regardless of how secretive I had to keep it.

“I don’t even know if I can go yet,” I replied, earning a groan from Nancy, “Hopper might want me to stay in.”

We stopped at Nancy’s locker. “Okay, we’ll work on Hopper,” she said, “But Jonathan, just come. I mean, who knows, you might even, like, meet someone.”

Just then, a brown haired blur shout out from around the corner, picking Nancy up and spinning her around. I jumped back a little, Steve was anything if not subtle.

“Take those stupid things off,” Nancy playfully smacked Steve’s chest, referring to the sunglasses that were part of their couple’s costume.

“I missed you,” Steve gushed.

“Can you miss her and not give others a heart attack?” I sarcastically smiled. He waved me off.

“It’s been, like, an hour,” Nancy replied.

“Tell me about it,” Steve pulled her in for a deep, almost inappropriately affectionate kiss.

I turned around, ready to make a joke to Jonathan, but was met with empty space. Looking down the hall, I could see his silhouette moving fast. With Steve and Nancy occupied, I slipped away.

Balancing both friendships was tricky. Nancy, Steve and I could be around each other no problem, so could Jonathan and I. But there were all these invisible lines that couldn’t be crossed. I didn’t mention Jonathan much to Nancy or else she got quiet, and bringing Nancy up to Jonathan was just mean. In a perfect world, I could have all the people I cared about together, but there was too much history for it to be that simple.

I slipped my arm around Jonathan’s shoulder, saying more with silence than I could with my words.

As we walked through the parking lot, a car I didn’t recognize was parked close by Jonathan’s. Glancing through the open window, a long haired blonde guy was sitting in the driver’s seat. He was the kind of handsome that every girl but me seemed to find attractive. With a cigarette perched between his lips, he angled his head to examine me. There was something about him that set off every alarm in my body, like smoke before a fire. It didn’t help that he was running his eyes up and down my body. I felt exposed.

Nervously, I averted my gaze and got into Jonathan’s car.

—————————

I had a few minutes after lunch and decided to walk to the middle school. At least once a week, I checked in on Lucas, Dustin, Will and Mike. I felt a protectiveness over them that had only grown over the last year.

When I got up to the schoolyard, the four of them huddled around a trash can. Dustin was wrist deep in garbage, hanging out of the can.

“Hey,” I hesitated as I approached, there was a general chorus of my greetings. “What’s, uh, what’s going on?”

Lucas shrugged a little too casually, “Nothing.”

“Christine!” Dustin was still dangling, “Got it! There we go!”

He pulled himself out of the can, unrolled a ball of paper and the four of them read it aloud.

‘Stop spying on me CREEPS!’

“Well, shit,” Dustin exclaimed,

I picked up the paper and read it, “Do I want to know?”

“It’s, uh,” Dustin struggled, “It’s complicated.”

“Uh-huh,” I raised a brow. For as much as they told me, there was a lot they didn’t.

“William Byers,” we turned to see the principal coming around the corner, “Your mother’s here.”

Will swallowed and looked to us. There was a silent understanding of what was going on. Will attended therapy sessions to deal with the trauma of his ordeal last year. Joyce would pull him out of school on those days to take him the office. It was all going well and he was learning to cope with it all.

That was the version everybody else got.

Those of us who knew Will knew he was being accompanied by Joyce and Hopper to Hawkins Lab to undergo a series of tests. The doctors now inhabiting the place wanted to try and understand what Will had gone through in the Upside Down. The first time Hopper had told me about them, I freaked out. Will couldn’t be anywhere near there. Hopper had reassured me that with Brenner gone, this was an actual research team who wanted to try and help Will. Nevertheless, I’d never been onboard with it.

I smiled at Will, trying to appear encouraging. He’d begun to confide in me about feeling like an outsider. He’d also told me he hated the tests. I tried to be as there for him as I could without triggering my own memories.

I followed the boys around the side of the building. They paused at the front corner to watch Will and Joyce leave.

“You guys think he’s okay?” Dustin asked.

“He’s always weird when he has to go in,” Lucas answered.

“I don’t know,” Mike said, “He’s quiet today.”

“He’s always quiet,” Lucas turned to me, “Has he talked to you?”

I shook my head, “No more so than usual.”

Once their car had pulled away, I looked at my watch. Five minutes to make it back to class.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, okay?” I offered.

“It’d be a lot easier if Hopper bought you a Supercom,” Dustin dug into the syllables, “Or let anyone into your house.”

Hopper wasn’t the problem. Having any form of communication with the boys would be too tempting for El to resist and naturally, nobody could know where I lived. It was easier to let them think Hopper was just cheap and grouchy.

“Feel free to talk to him about it,” I replied.

Dustin debated internally, deciding going up against Hopper wasn’t worth it. “We’ll call you.”

I smiled before looking to Mike. Out of all of them, I knew him the best purely because I was at his house all the time. Lately, he’d been more reserved. “You good?”

He nodded, somewhere between glum and faking fine. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” I was forced to accept the answer. I now had four and a half minutes. “See you guys.”

“See you,” they all said, heading their own way back to school.

Once I was sat in English class, I felt a sense of dread building in my belly. The same one that had been there for weeks. It was only getting stronger as the days went by.

——————

Before knocking on the cabin door, I made sure the flier for Tina’s party was pushed to the bottom of my backpack. If Hopper saw it, he’d want me to go. I felt I owed it to El to stay in witn her on a day I knew she desperately wanted to be a part of.

I gave the secret knock and the door unlocked, “I’m home!”

El rose from her seat on the couch, leaving her seemingly unbreakable bond with the TV.

“How was your day?” I asked as I gave her a hug.

“Good,” she answered and looked up, “Your day?”

“Good,” I sighed. Her eyes drifted to my backpack. “I checked out a new one for us to read,” I pulled it out, “Little Women. It’s all about sisters.”

El weighed it in her hands and examined the cover. Hopper typically read to her at night but on weekends, the two of us would huddle on the couch with something from the school library.

“Cool,” she nodded and headed back to the TV.

“Hopper’s not back yet?” I went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass.

“No,” she answered.

Hopper and I made a point of not being late to get home. El depended on our routine more rigidly than we did. It was a rare occurrence he wasn’t on time.

“Something must’ve come up,” I filled the glass with tap water, coming over to the couch and flopping down next to El.

She looked across the cushions to me, “Mike?”

My visits to Hawkins Middle School were two-fold. I wanted to check on the boys, but I was also reporting back to El. She wanted to know they were okay, especially Mike.

“I saw him,” I nodded, “He’s fine.”

“Good?”

“Yeah,” I fibbed, “He’s good.”

That was enough for her. She turned back to the TV and watched the infomercial playing. With a closer look, I could see her eyes were glazed over.

“You’ll see him soon,” I reassured, “I promise.”

When I’d started that promise, she’d been wide eyed. Dreaming of reuniting with her friends. Sometime during summer, her responses had gotten tired. Lately, she had barely been acknowledging what I said. ‘Soon’ was starting to lose all meaning.

————

Unlucky Taglist: @lanadelray1989

[lady-morrigen]

Can you share anything of your Steve Harrington x OFC fall AU 🧐

alskdfhaksldfhalksjdfhas yes i can! thank you so much for asking!

so, while i don't wanna give everything away just yet, it's an au based on my favorite Nora Ephron movie and features my sweet baby angel OC, Charlie Myers!

instead of writing Charlie & Steve strictly within the roles of the titular characters, I sorta infused bits and pieces of each character into them both. it felt more natural that way and less like I was copying Nora's screenplay.

i'm a big ol slut for Nora Ephron movies. so, once this idea popped into my head (surely it's not original??), it just felt so right for the story I want to tell about Charlie and Steve.

also, here is Charlie in all of her glory:

[carinacassiopeiae]

STEVE HARRINGTON X READER FIC IDEAS

these are actually some of my fic ideas for steve harrington x reader and joe keery x reader and i would absolutely love it if you wonderful authors would give them a go. it's not specified because i did not want to seem redundant, but all of the fic ideas are sprinkled with lots of angst - well, those that can be written with angst that is.

just please tag me on everything that you write (and even if they aren't the fic ideas here but you write for steve, then please still tag me. i'd love to read and support your work! 💖)

1. soulmate au fic where it's steve finding out first about it. can be about feeling each other's pain, initials, same tattoo, etc. childhood friends to strangers to friends to lovers trope. she fell first but he fell harder that sort of thing.

2. soulmate au fic (yup, another one! :>) i've seen an idea about the first sentence they're going to say to you is written on you. maybe it will turn into gold when it's said to you with a tingling feeling so you know he's your soulmate. and as steve works at family video, for reader, it's a spoiler of a movie line about a character dying maybe, but she doesn't know that, so she says that that's what the death or dying part in her line said.

3. reader receives gifts or poems or little trinkets with the sender giving hints about his identity and feelings. the thing is, they're from steve - who is reader's best friend. she asks for his help to find out who this mystery sender is and he agrees. but what if there's like a mistaken identity and she thinks they're from billy (and like who isn't attracted to bad guys and stuff) and steve just goes all pouty (loljk i dunno but something along those lines)

4. king steve era where he makes reader fall in love with him as a dare and she finds out about it breaking her trust and all that. but like i also kinda want it to happen when steve knows about the upside down already and reader will be in danger (near death for more angst haha)

5. during his king steve era, he bullied reader and now, they're the babysitters of the kids. he regrets what he's done and tries to show her he's changed and all, but of course reader isn't buying any of it

6. what if what happened to max happened to reader and steve just feels helpless and afraid of losing reader

7. reader feels like steve has lingering feelings for nancy when she feels like he's putting or choosing nancy over her

8. reader confesses to steve, but he says he doesn't like her. then reader's all 'okay fine, i'm gonna move on' and when she actually does that, steve is 🥺

9. just steve being all jealous pls i wanna read that 😭

10. reader trying to bottle up her feelings about steve; and she's so good that no one knows. so even if she's hurting when steve flirts with other girls, she doesn't let it show. but like i dunno how it will work that the endgame is still steve x reader

11. reader just moved in hawkins so maybe a relative or something because she gets tangled up in the upside down. her relationship with steve is enemies to friends (begrudgingly) to lovers so like slowburn

12. steve teaching reader how to swim, bike and she's all scared and wraps herself all over steve

13. it's a joe keery x reader (i know, i know). but like reader is introduced in a new season and her relationship with steve is enemies to lovers. so like i dunno if it's interview style of fic where they're breaking that down (bonus with cast members teasing the two of them)

14. in connection with number 12 (as i love behind the scenes fics as well), maybe reader's character dies so what was their reaction to the scene and all that - a break down again if you will

[sheerfreesia007]

Fluffmas #5

Title: Fluffmas #5

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Steve Harrington x OFC!

Author: @sheerfreesia007​

Prompt: Send Christmas Cards

Words: 1,027

Warnings: None

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo, @athalien

Gif Credit: @keerysupremacy

Snowflakes swirled and floated in the air as Steve put the car in park before turning in his seat and glaring at the group of preteens in the back of his car. Robin huffed softly as her lips quirked up in a soft smirk as she waited for Steve to address the kids and why they were all here. The kids all looked at Steve with varying degrees of disgust and skepticism written on their faces.

“Listen up dipshits. We’re here to help with Christmas cards. It’s a tradition that she does every year and this year we’re going to help her so that it doesn’t take her hours to get them done.” Steve directed in a tone of voice that had them all biting their lips with mirth. Steve tried so hard to keep the kids on the right path and felt that it was his job to make sure that grew up right but after a year and half now of being their babysitter he was exhausted. He figured if having kids was anything like this he would be a pro, a tired pro but a pro nonetheless.

“Sure thing Dad.” Max responded causing the rest of the kids to all giggle and chuckle while Steve rolled his eyes at them. Steve lifted his index finger and pointed at Max who widened her eyes comically as she grinned at him.

“Zip the lip.” Steve scolded her and she chuckled softly at him before shaking her head.

“You just don’t want her doing the cards for hours so you can spend time with her.” Dustin grumbled out and Steve whipped his head to glare at him.

“And what if I do Henderson? Is that a crime?” Steve asked sarcastically and Robin bit her lip to keep from laughing at her best friend. “Now let’s go.” Steve said with finality as he climbed out of the car. Robin and the kids all piled out of the car and began following Steve up your front sidewalk to the front door in a solemn single file. When they got to the door Steve easily rang the doorbell and they all waited for you to come answer the door.

“Hey guys? What’s up?” you asked with a confused look on your face after you opened the front door to find them all standing on your stoop. Robin grinned at you before rushing forward and enveloping you in a tight hug that you eagerly returned.

“Steve has brought reinforcements for Christmas cards!” Robin said cheerily before she sidestepped you and walked into your house.

“What?” you asked bewildered as your face turned to follow her entrance before turning back to Steve and the kids. The kids quickly slipped into the house as you stood there bewildered by this new information and looked at Steve with sparkling wide eyes.

“I just wanted to lend some help to you. I know you love sending out Christmas cards and it normally takes you forever to do them so I figured a little bit of help would make it go by quicker.” Steve explained softly as he stepped closer to you, his hands resting on your hips gently as he tilted his head down towards you.

“You just wanted to spend time with me don’t you?” you asked him knowingly and Steve sighed as he nodded his head solemnly.

“Is that such a bad thing?!” he asked incredulously and you chuckled softly as your hand came up to cup his cheek.

“Not at all. I appreciate the help.” you answered him softly before leaning up on tiptoe to kiss him softly.

“C’mon guys! Let’s get this going!” called Dustin from inside the house and Steve sighed softly as you chuckled.

“He totally called me out too. Knew the exact reason for this mission.” Steve told you and you grinned widely at the news.

“Because he knows you so well.” you answered as you led Steve into the house. The kids were all sitting around the coffee table that you had been using to write out the Christmas cards. The coffee table was littered with envelopes, cards, stamps, Christmas stickers and tape. “Alright so most of the cards are already filled out. We just need to address the envelopes, put the cards in, put stamps and stickers on them and then seal the envelopes. Who’s got the best handwriting?” you instruct them all and Robin raises her hand causing you to nod your head before grabbing the stack of envelopes and handing them to her. “I’m going to need you to address the envelopes for me. This is my address book, I’ll hand you the cards and let you know who it’s going to.” you tell her as she nods her head at you. “Wheeler, you're on stamp duty. Dustin’s on putting the cards in the envelopes. Max you’ve got sticker duty and Lucas you’ve got tape duty.” you tell them all and soon they’re all settled in their spots as you move to go sit next to Robin to finish up the cards.

“And what about me?” Steve asks eagerly as he stops you from getting to the couch. You smile as you look up at him before cupping his cheek once more.

“You’re on pizza duty Steve. I need you to order three large pizza pies for everyone. Then I need you to find a Christmas movie on the TV for all of us to enjoy.” you tell him sweetly and he smiles down at you happily before nudging his cheek into your palm.

“I’m on it.” he said softly only to be interrupted by loud obnoxious gagging noises from the kids that made you laugh.

“Thanks Steve.” you said happily before pressing a kiss to his lips which made the kids gag even louder. When you finally did settle down in your spot and got to work you felt a warmth fill you as everyone quickly helped you get all of your Christmas cards ready to be sent out through the mail. You smiled happily to yourself as you felt that warmth consume you and fill you with joy for the holiday season.

[august-grey]

I don't need your closure | chapter 13

read on ao3

masterpost

July 1986

This was it. This was how Alice was going to die. Not at the hands of evil Russians miles below a shopping mall or torn to shreds by one of the multitude of monsters that plagued her little town. No, she was going to go out in the passenger seat of he mother’s Volvo, knuckles white around the handle on the door, foot punched down the invisible brake pedal. 

Fighting the urge to squeeze her eyes shut, Alice contemplated the choices that led her to this moment. How had she gone from taking Dustin to an orthodontist appointment to fearing for her mortal wellbeing in a mostly empty strip-mall parking lot with her 15-year-old brother behind the wheel of their mother’s car? 

Alice looked over at the boy in question, his eyes wide and laser-focused on the pavement, and reminded herself why she was doing this. 

“So, I’m taking driver’s ed next year.” Dustin piped up from the passenger seat, his lisp a little more pronounced after getting his braces tightened.

“Oh yeah?” Dustin gave a grunt of affirmation. “Mr. Paulson still teaching that?”

“Uh-huh, I heard he’s brutal.” Alice nodded emphatically. That was putting it lightly. Dustin continued, “Lots of kids…they’re getting practice over the summer…just to get a head start, y’know? Mike’s and Lucas’ dads have taken them out a bunch. Mike’s even been on a real road already.”

“That’s not a bad idea, extra practice would definitely help. Paulson flunked me twice before I finally got my license. Just never really got a chance to practice after dad left and everything. Has mom taken…” She trailed off, a sudden realization dawning on her. No. Of course mom hadn’t had the time to take Dustin out to drive. Their mother barely had time to take care of herself let alone teach her anxious children to maneuver a vehicle.

Not for the first time, Alice found herself cursing her father. Don’t get her wrong, Alice was glad that her parents were divorced. Michael was a piece of shit who didn’t deserve anything her mother had to offer. She’d always known that her mother was too good for that sorry excuse of a human. Alice just wished he had found a scrap of humanity before abandoning his family, leaving them with nothing but a forwarding address and a promise to see his children at Christmas.

Alice hadn’t been surprised in the slightest when Christmas came and went without even a phone call, but Dustin…Dustin had been heartbroken. For months afterward he waited for their father to simply return. To change his mind, realize that he had made a mistake and come home to his family. The brief phone calls from Michael yielded empty promises of going for ice cream or baseball games, leaving Dustin disappointed again and again as plans fell through. 

Anger festered inside Alice, finally bubbling over one day as she sat with her little brother as he watched the sky darken out their front window, waiting for their father’s car to pull into the driveway for a belated birthday visit. Dustin’s thirteenth birthday had been three weeks prior, and the bastard still couldn’t be bothered to even give his son this small gift.

Down the hall, Alice heard her mother leave yet another message for her ex-husband. He wasn’t coming, Alice had a feeling from the beginning. Knowing this didn’t make the situation any easier. A small shake of their mother’s head when she returned to the living room was all it took for Dustin’s resolve to crumple. Running into his mother’s arms, he buried his face into her chest, shoulders heaving with silent sobs. 

Alice needed to hit something. Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms. She wasn’t going to let her father get away with hurting her brother like that. Not again. While the rest of her family was distracted, Alice smuggled her mom’s car keys out of her purse and drove the three hours to their father’s new bachelor pad, stopping only to grab a birthday card from a random drug store. 

Michael could only stare at his daughter, open-mouthed, as she shoved the card into his hands, demanding he sign it for Dustin. He did so, hastily shoving a few twenties in the envelope for good measure. Then he had the gall to ask Alice how she was doing. Ignoring his question completely, Alice simply told her father to either make a real effort to have a relationship with his son or to leave them the hell alone. 

She couldn’t remember the half-excuse he had spluttered out as she left him in the doorway, but she did remember crying the entire ride home. She remembered the look on Dustin’s face as she pressed the card into his hands and being grounded for a week for disappearing with her mother’s car for seven hours on a school night. She remembered being the one to step up in her father’s place. Taking Dustin to school and to extracurriculars, helping her mother with home repairs, picking up extra chores around the house. 

And now, she supposed, she was going to have to teach her father’s youngest how to drive.

***

“Okay, now slowly—“ Dustin slammed the brakes at the edge of the lot, jolting Alice forward in her seat. She took a calming breath before gently correcting him as he turned the wheel, taking the car down the row of shopfronts. “Try to ease into the stops, Dusty. Gently press the brake as you’re coming up to the—oh Jesus.”

“Sorry, sorry!” He exclaimed, shifting the direction of the car after coming a little too close to the curb. “This is awful, how do you do this every day without feeling like you’re going do murder someone with this death-machine?”

“You just have to…I don’t know…give it time and you kinda become one with the death-machine?” Her brother shot her a quick, bewildered glance. “Does that make sense? It gets easier with practice, I promise. Just…try to relax.”

“That’s not going to happen.” He groaned miserably, braking a little too hard again in the back corner of the lot. Fumbling around the console in a panic, he flipped on the turn signal, then the windshield wipers. “At this rate I’ll never be comfortable behind the wheel and I’ll never get my license and...and— Alice, how do I put this stupid thing in park?!”

“Calm down, you’re fine.” She reached over, moving the shifter into park and turning off the ignition. As soon as he was able to release the brake, Dustin threw himself from the Volvo. Alice rolled her eyes at his dramatics and exited the vehicle herself. “You’re not going to be amazing right away, Dustin. It’s going to take time. We’ll go out more once I get my car back and you’ll be a pro by the end of the summer. Paulson won’t know what hit him.”

Dustin didn’t look convinced. He leaned against the hood of the yellow Volvo and buried his face in his hands. Alice felt a little out of her depth; she was usually the one freaking out in every situation. Her brother was normally overly confident in nearly everything he did. He’d thrown himself into countless dangerous situations without a second thought; seeing him freak out over driving of all things was disconcerting to say the least. 

“Are you hungry? We can stop for burgers or something?” Food. If there was anything that could distract Alice from an anxiety spiral, it was a good, greasy meal. Surely that would work on her brother, too.

He shook his head glumly, looking forlornly across the parking lot. “Nah, my mouth is still sore from the orthodontist.”

Alice sighed. She didn’t like it, but she had one last idea that could bring up his mood, even just for the moment. 

“You wanna stop in RadioShack before heading home?” That got his attention. Shooting Alice a Cheshire grin, Dustin took off across the pavement toward the electronics store.

She trailed behind him, shouting, “You have twenty minutes! Any longer and you’re walking home!”

***

RadioShack had been a mistake. Sweat dripped down her neck as Alice glanced down at her watch; Dustin had been in the shop for nearly 45 minutes and she was slowly losing her mind. By the time she popped into the shop, Dustin had already been neck deep in whatever gadget he needed for his project of the week. 

Deciding she didn’t want to get roped into a one-sided conversation she couldn’t keep up with (she wasn’t feeling that generous), Alice picked up a small pack of batteries for her Walkman and left her brother muttering to himself over a display of tiny voice recorders. 

Five minutes. She’d give Dustin five more minutes and then she’d go in there and physically drag him out if she needed to. The midday sun emerged from behind a cloud, shining through the windshield and effectively blinding Alice. Make that two minutes.

“Alice?” Jumping at the sound of her name, Alice scanned the parking lot for a familiar face. The lot had become considerably more full than it was during Dustin’s impromptu driving lesson, but it didn’t take long to find the source of the voice before they flung themselves halfway through Alice’s open window, obscuring her vision with a mop of messy brown hair.

“Jesus, Robin, back up would ya?” Alice grasped her assailant by the shoulders and gently shoved her out of her personal bubble. Robin dropped to a crouch next to the car, so she was level with the open window, eyes wide and panicked.

“Thank god you’re here. Wait…why are you here? Y’know what nevermind, I’m in a crisis and I need you to talk me down.” 

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Reaching for the handle of door, Alice gave the seemingly innocuous plaza a once over, searching for anything out of the ordinary or potentially dangerous. Robin rested a hand on her arm, drawing Alice’s attention back to her.

“No, no. Nothing like that.” Robin took a deep breath, opened her mouth to speak again, and…stopped. Alice furrowed her brow and waited for the girl to speak. After a few long moments of silence, Alice gestured impatiently for Robin to continue. 

“I’ve been invited to a party.” She finally blurted out, expectantly looking to Alice for advice. 

“Okay.”

“By a girl.”

“Okay?”

“A specific girl.”

“…okay?”

“…a specific redheaded clarinetist with incredible taste in movies.”

“Oh! Oh my god, okay! When did this happen?”

“Just now, in the Rite-Aid tampon isle.” Robin stated miserably, popping up from her position by the door to pace the pavement. “So you see my problem, now!”

“Uh no, am I missing something?” Taking her chances with the angry July sun, Alice exited the blessed cover of the car as she watched her friend frantically pace the length of the adjacent parking space. “You like Vickie. This is good news, Robin!”

“No, Alice, this is an absolute nightmare!”  Robin stopped to run both of her hands through her hair, making her bangs stick up in perfectly odd angles to add to the slightly manic aura she was giving off. “Before this moment, Vickie had been purely a hypothetical. I could daydream all I want, but now, now…this is real life. She asked me to a party. And what’s going to happen, huh? I’m going to make a fool of myself and word vomit all over her and she’ll be horrified and I’ll be arrested for…for something. I’m sure I’ll deserve it at that point.”

Alice shook her head in disbelief. What was up with everyone today? First Dustin with his driving lesson, now Robin was having a complete meltdown on her watch. It was only a matter of time, she supposed, seeing as both Robin and Dusin had dealt with their fair share of Alice’s neuroticism. The least she could do was return the favor.

“Well, we can’t let that happen, can we? You’re not cut out for prison, no offence.” Alice stepped forward, reaching up to smooth Robin’s hair back to its normal state of messiness. Once she was satisfied, Alice settled her hands on the taller girl’s shoulders. “You just need backup, a wingman. We can make it a group thing. You, me, and Vickie.”

“That’s not a group, that’s you getting drunk and awkwardly chaperoning me like some sort of messed up, regency-era courting ritual, all while I desperately try not to make a fool of myself in front of a cute girl.” Robin mumbled through pursed lips. Though Robin wasn’t wrong, Alice didn’t exactly enjoy being reduced to nothing more than a bumbling overseer. As much as she wanted to help Robin, third-wheeling all night wasn’t necessarily Alice’s idea of a good time. 

She had an idea; whether it was a good one or not was the nagging question in the back of her mind. Briefly, Alice considered the last disastrous party she’s attended in Hawkins. It had been the precursor to what was possibly the worst night of her life, if you don’t take all of the the literal horrors and death she’d experienced over the past few years into account.

The night she was sure she’d lost her best friend. For good.

It’s different now, she reasoned with herself. She and Steve were on good terms; well on their way to friendship again. And though she didn’t yet have the full story of what had happened that night…or what had led to it, Alice could at least hope it wouldn’t happen again. There was only one way to find out, she supposed.

“I can, uh, askstevetogo.” Alice mumbled, half-heartedly tossing out the thought before she could stop herself. It wasn’t as if she was looking for an excuse to see him or anything, it just made sense. They are all friends. Friends go to parties together. As friends. “Then it’ll be a real group. Make things less weird, y’know?”

Robin’s eyebrows disappeared into her bangs as she shimmied out of Alice’s grip. “Oh, no, no. You can’t just say something like that and not elaborate. Did you and Steve make up?”

“Kinda? We’re…talking. It’s not a big deal.”  Robin seemed unimpressed, to say the least. Alice knew the girl wasn’t going to let her get away with that bullshit answer, and with a sigh, launched into an abridged version of what had happened with Sudsy. How she and Steve had ended up babysitting together, how Alice had emotionally blown up and confronted him, and then the subsequent, tentative makeup.

Obviously, making up with Steve was, in fact, a big deal to Alice. The past week had been the happiest she’d felt in months, and as much as she hated to admit it, that had a lot to do with Steve Harrington. True to his word, Steve hadn’t pressured Alice into anything since their conversation the previous weekend. To no one’s surprise, especially Alice’s, it took less than a day before she found herself eager to see him again. 

So, after harassing Dustin for Steve’s new phone number, she called him. He sounded pleased, but genuinely surprised to hear from her so soon. The palpable fondness in his voice combined with the itch to be within arms reach of him again, was how she found herself inviting Steve to take a walk with her. 

For safety purposes, of course. 

You see, Alice had a new client. A big, goofy Great Dane, who needed to be walked while her human worked overnights. Normally Alice wouldn’t think twice before declining the job; she and the dark didn’t really get along after everything she had been through. But this particular client had offered double her regular fee just to feed the dog dinner and take her on a quick walk before bed.

Alice couldn’t refuse the easy money, but that still left the problem of having to be outside. In the dark. Alone. She sucked it up the first night, walked the half-mile to the clients house, took the pup around the block while her nerves spiked, and finally ended up sprinting home after making sure the dog was safely in bed, the plan to call Steve already on her mind.  

As she predicted, he eagerly agreed to accompany her the next night. And then the next, and the next…until they fell into an easy, somewhat familiar, routine. Steve would pick her up at 8:30 on the dot, they’d take care of the dog, and then just sit and talk until Steve had to get himself to bed for work the next day. Sometimes Dustin would join them, if he wasn’t off galavanting with his Dungeons and Dragons club or messing with machines in his bedroom. But, mostly, it was just the two of them.

He followed her lead at every turn. Never pushing for anything more than what Alice was comfortable with giving, keeping a respectable distance. Alice, on the other hand, was having an incredibly hard time sticking to her own boundaries. Despite her reservations, Alice physically couldn’t keep herself away from Steve. It was like that night babysitting Holly had broke open a dam in Alice’s brain. 

Steve Harrington loved her. 

Just the thought alone was hard for Alice to wrap her mind around. Truthfully, she was scared. Hell, Alice was terrified. And still justifiably angry on top of it all. Months of convincing herself to turn her hurt into hate couldn’t be washed away so easily. No matter how badly she wanted to believe that Steve was truly repentant and wanted to make things right with her, Alice couldn’t shake the feeling that although everything between them was going well now didn’t necessarily mean it wouldn’t go to shit just as quickly. 

But in spite of it all, it was just so easy to fall back into an familiar rapor with her former best friend. It was a more than little unnerving how effortlessly Steve had fit back into her life and, even moreso, how badly she wanted him to stay there.

***

“So, yeah. We’re talking. That’s it.”

“Oh my god.”

“I know.”

“Steve’s in love with you.”

“Apparently.”

“You’re in love with Steve?”

“I…yeah. I guess am.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea.”

“Shit, Alice.”

Alice couldn’t agree more; shit.

***

Alice’s mother dropped her off at Robin’s house a full two hours early, at the younger girl’s request. Well…it sounded more like a panicked demand over the phone than a polite request, but Alice was willing to overlook that tiny detail. Either way, she was grateful for an excuse after Claudia had offered to drive the girls to the party itself. As much as she loved and appreciated her mom, that simply wouldn’t do.

“No, seriously, it’s okay, Mom!” Alice attempted to dissuade her mother. “It’s only a ten minute walk from Robin’s. You don’t want to drive all the way back out here in just to drive us less than a mile up the road.”

Reluctantly, Claudia agreed that the girls could take care of themselves, and left Alice and her overnight bag at Robin’s. She waited until her daughter was safely inside before waving and backing out of the driveway. 

In the time it took for Alice to arrive, Robin’s bedroom had descended into absolute chaos. Ninety percent of the time they had before the party was spent digging through the chaos that was Robin’s wardrobe, piecing together the perfectly casual, but not too casual because “then what if Vickie thinks I’m a slob! Don’t give me that look, you’re just as much a mess as I am,” outfit.

The other ten percent was taken up by relentless, teasing back-and-forth from both girls. It had started off with Alice clearly having the upperhand; gently mocking her friend as she tried on article after article of clothing. Alice was quite enjoying herself. That is, until it came time to talk to Steve about the party.

 In the end, it had been Robin who had called to recruit Steve as a secondary wingman and a ride home. It was stupid. The phone had been in Alice’s hand, she had dialed his number. His new number. The one for his fancy, independent, adult apartment. The first ring in her ear sent her stomach fluttering and her heart pounding, resulting in the phone being flung into a bewildered Robin’s hands.

Cooly recovering from Alice’s sudden panic, Robin had managed to convince Steve to meet them at the party. Alice hovered over her shoulder, ears straining to hear the other side of the conversation and chewing her pinky nail down to the nub. 

What was wrong with her? Alice chastised herself. She’d spoken to Steve on the phone quite literally hundreds of times. At least thrice that week alone. 

Inviting him to a party, though, somehow felt too much like she was back in middle school asking Matthew Miller to the Snowball, only to spend the night sulking on the bleachers after being stood up.

So, in true middle school fashion, it only made sense that she make her friend ask Steve, instead. Not that she thought Steve would stand her up. Because it wasn’t like this was a date or anything. This was merely a group outing with a couple of pals.

She’d never hear the end of it from Robin. 

***

The party itself was a docile thing, despite being packed with a couple dozen band nerds. The music was decent and the drinks were surprisingly good for a questionable concoction thrown together by a teenager. 

Robin zeroed in on Vickie the second they stepped through the door. When the redhead greeted both girls with a hug, Alice was impressed by how quickly Robin recovered from the close contact. 

As the night went on, much to Alice’s delight, it seemed that Robin’s initial apprehensions about the party were proving to be completely unnecessary. And though she was having a good time and was always glad to spend time with Robin, it really seemed like Alice’s presence was barely needed. 

It may have been the effervescent lighting on the dance floor or maybe the faint buzz of alcohol in her system, but Alice could swear Robin practically radiating confidence as she danced with the girls she had been pining over for months. Ever the dutiful friend, Alice swayed to the music with them, overthinking about what the correct amount of respectable distance would be. Not so close to the couple that she was invading their bubble, but not too far away to be unable to participate in conversation or miss any distress signals from Robin. 

Luckily for her, after some subtle comments from Robin, followed by a not-so-subtle elbow to the ribs, Alice finally took the hint and excused herself. She counted this as a victory in staying firmly in wingman territory. There would be no outdated chaperoning tonight. 

Not quite sure what to do with herself after leaving the one person in the house she actually felt comfortable spending time with, Alice wandered through the festivities, stopping to chit chat with old classmates every so often. She certainly wasn’t looking for Steve. Not really. Was she disappointed he wasn’t there yet? Maybe, but mostly Alice just felt overwhelmed without someone to anchor her. 

In the end she parked herself on a couch in the den, only returning to the party proper to replenish her drink. It was quieter in there, and much less crowded than the main living areas. There were a few people playing scrabble at a card table in the middle of the room as movie played softly in the corner, a couple boys sprawled out on a rug in front of the the television, watching intently. This was definitely more her speed tonight. 

Unfortunately, despite being a refuge from the chaos, this was also how Alice found herself three and a half drinks deep, getting her ear talked off by goddamn Matthew Miller. Yes, that Matthew Miller. She had cursed herself by thinking of him earlier. It seemed Matthew had conveniently forgotten his eighth grade indiscretions. Sadly for him, Alice was excellent at holding a grudge, even through the pleasant, fuzzy haze of drunkenness. 

“Anyway, you’d be surprised by the kind of stuff you could get away with in college. No one cares, Henderson, you could do whatever you want.” Matthew had his arm stretched across the back of the couch, fingers lingering dangerously close to Alice’s shoulder. She clenched her plastic cup in her hand and stared straight ahead, willing someone, anyone, to save her from this conversation. Where the hell was Robin when she needed her? “And the girls, man. They’re nothing like high school chicks; everyone is just so open minded, y’know?”

“Mmhm.”

“Most of the them are just there looking for husbands, anyway, so it’s easier. That’s what Trevor says, anyway. You remember Trevor, right? He was french horn in high school, but we were roommates last semester, too. Anyway, it’s true though. These girls are just looking for someone to settle down and have babies with.”

Okay, that was quite enough of that. Alice threw the rest of her drink back, grimaced and finally turned toward Matthew with a withering scowl, preparing to lay into his insufferable, sexist ideas about women as a whole.

“First of all, you misogynistic prick, that’s—oh! ” Alice’s speech was slightly slurred, but not enough to hide the venom behind her words. Words that were all too suddenly cut off by the aforementioned prick making a bee-line for Alice’s lips, his eyes closed and mouth horrifyingly open. She threw herself backward into the arm of the couch at the last second, simultaneously pushing Matthew back into the cushions opposite her. “Oh, no thank you!”

The boy was clearly taken aback, or at the very least, not used to being turned down. “Are you sure? I thought we were having a moment!”

“What part of... of that ‘conversation’” Alice emphasized the word with some sloppy air quotes. “Made you think we were having a moment?! I might be drunk, but I’m not, like, random, regrettable hookup drunk, Trevor.”

“Matthew.” The boy corrected her with a glare. With practiced ease, he shifted his face into cool disinterest before plucking Alice’s empty cup from her hand. “I’m going to get us a refill. Maybe you’ll be a little nicer when I get back.”

Frowning deeply at his retreating back, Alice knew this was her chance to make a hasty departure. She just needed to get up. Which was easy, so easy. Or at least it would have been two drinks ago. The liquor had settled into her limbs, weighing her down like sandbags. It was fine, though. She just needed to flag down Robin to pull her out of the quicksand-like cushions that were sucking her deeper and deeper into the couch with every passing minute.

But where was Robin? Alice squinted her eyes, trying to find a familiar face in the crowd through the open doorway, but failed to spot either of the girls she’d been with earlier. This was also fine, surely someone had to know where they had disappeared off to. Triumph shot through Alice as she successfully caught the eye of a friendly face. She beaconed the familiar, fluffy-haired girl over.

“Kate. Kate listen, where is Robin?” 

“Hey Alice, you good?” Kate smiled down at her, amusement glinting in her eyes, before helpfully taking a quick look around the room. “I don’t really know, I’m sorry. I think she and Vickie were in the kitchen earlier, do you want me to go check?”

“You’re an angel, Kate, truly. A tumpeteer from the heavens.” The words tumbled from Alice’s mouth without filter. The lack of control should have mortified Alice, but she was well past the point of actually caring. Kate just chuckled, patted Alice on the head like a puppy, and made for the kitchen. 

No sooner did Alice’s ally disappear through one doorway, did her adversary emerge through another, a fresh plastic cup clutched in each hand. 

Shit. The time for games was over. Gathering every speck of willpower she possessed, Alice pushed herself up from the cavernous couch. Bad idea. Awful idea. She clutched the arm of the couch as the room moved around her, swaying and spinning like a carnival ride. Her stomach churned slightly. Don’t puke, don’t puke, don’t puke.

A hand appeared on her arm, steadying her. Instinctively, she swatted it away. Unfortunately, the sudden movement tipped Alice off balance just enough to send her falling back into the accursed couch. She glared up at her assailant, ready to lay into Matthew about touching her without consent. Oh. Not Matthew, then.

Steve, her knight in shining polo, loomed over her with bemusement etched into his features. A flash of annoyance coursed through her; where had he been an hour ago, before her night had started to go downhill? However, the feeling was quickly overshadowed by dread when she caught Matthew’s garish, caution-sign yellow t-shirt from the corner of her eye.

“Listen, I’m sorry I’m late, but you’re not going to believe the breakthrough I’ve had with Gladys—“

“Sit down,” she whispered to Steve, cutting him off as Matthew drew ever closer. Without a second thought, Steve slid into the seat next to Alice, side-eyeing the approaching figure. Alice clutched his arm, pulling him close like a human shield, as if she could camouflage herself with Steve’s considerably larger stature. “Pretend you’re talking to me.”

“Pretend to—we were talking, Alice. Until you rudely interrupted me.” Alice laughed loudly, tossing her head in the direction of where Matthew awkwardly hovered nearby, his shins bumping on the corner of the crowded coffee table. Steve snuck a peek, taking in the boy fumbling with the red cups in his hands, and nodded to signify he understood the situation. 

“Ah, I see. Okay, what angle are we going with here? The usual?” 

“Nuh uh, our moms work together. Dead grandma isn’t going to work.”

“What about my dead grandma?”

“Maybe. Can you even pull that off?”

“You underestimate me, Henderson.” Alice bit back a smirk as Steve took the challenge to heart. Without any sort of preamble he turned and pressed his forehead into her shoulder. Sliding his hand into hers, he gripped her fingers tightly and put in his best effort into looking the part of a grief-stricken man.

Alice froze.

For the first time, Alice was thankful for the alcohol that dulled her senses. Her heart fluttered as she tried not to think about the way his breath felt on her neck as he buried his face into her shoulder. Or the way the hard plane of his torso pressed into her own, or how it nearly took her breath away. 

Alice took a second to compose herself. You’re a goddamn professional, she scolded herself. This was a tried and true act, one that she and Steve had played out at least half a dozen times before to get out many an awkward encounter, though it was usually her amping up the dramatics. The proximity meant nothing, and Alice had better remember that. After all, it wasn’t as if they’d never been that close before. Closer, she recalled, heat pooling in her stomach. 

It had just been so long. 

But she could think about that later. Instead of lingering on feeling the heat of his skin on her body, she focused on the performance at hand. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Matthew finally piped up after what felt like an eternity of fake-comforting Steve as he fake-cried into the light cardigan she’d thrown over her tank top earlier in the evening. Alice glowered at him incredulously as she rubbed a comforting hand up and down Steves back. He was good, maybe too good. A wicked thought crossed her mind. Lets see how well he could do with this one.

“Shh, his guinea pig just died.” She hissed. Steve stiffened a bit, thrown off by Alice’s plot twist. She bit the inside of her cheek, keeping cool. “Show a little respect, Miller.”

“Damn, Harrington, I’m sorry man. Here,” Matthew deposited both cups of god-knows-what concoction, on the table before them.  “Have a drink for…for—“

“Henrietta.” Alice supplied, helpfully. 

“For Henrietta.” Matthew nodded and clapped Steve on the shoulder before hurrying away as quickly as his feet could take him. Once he was safely out of sight, Alice couldn’t hold back the peals of laughter. Steve took the moment to collect himself, smoothing back his hair and wiping the non-existent tears from his face. 

“Guinea pig?” Steve spluttered, shaking his head in disbelief. 

She shrugged helplessly. “You were so convincing, though, Steve! Why didn’t you ever try out for the school plays? We never had enough boys, they would have eaten you up.”

“Just another one of my many unrealized talents. Come on, lets go find the lovebirds. They’re around here somewhere.” He chuckled, rising from his seat. Offering a hand to Alice, he pulled her up with minimal effort. She felt steady enough on her feet to follow him through the house, but not before swiping her drink from the coffee table. 

 ***

“And then! After giving me all this bullshit about how these college girls are all so eager to throw themselves at him, he decides its a perfect time to go for it. Mouth. Wide. Open.”

“Please, tell me you’re kidding.” Robin and Vickie sat shoulder-to-shoulder on one of the few lounge chairs scattered across the backyard, twin expressions of disgust etched across their faces. Alice was sprawled across the foot of a shared lounge chair herself. Steve had somehow managed to fold himself onto a tight ball of limbs on the other half, leaving plenty of room for Alice to gesticulate wildly as she recounted every gory detail of her run-in with Matthew.

“I swear he like, unhinged his jaw or something.” Alice cackled, shifting her body to lean more of her weight onto Steve’s bent legs. At this point, she was sure he was the only thing keeping her upright. To his credit, he merely shifted to accommodate her, untangling himself slightly so that he could sprawl his legs out on either side of her. Alice took the opportunity to claim space of her own, scooting back to nestle her shoulder against his chest, while keeping her body angled to carry on her conversation. 

Sober Alice would have never, not in a million years. But drunk Alice was an entirely different story. She reveled in the easy way Steve slipped an arm around her waist, hooking his thumb through the belt loop on her hip. The action didn’t go unnoticed to the girl across from her, either. Robin caught Alice’s eye and gave a wink. Alice tried, and failed, to hide a grin. 

“Anyway, then Steve finally showed up, but Henrietta died and he started crying, which we all know is the ultimate boy repellent, so s’all good now.” 

“Wait, who’s Henrietta?” Vickie piped up, looking concerned by the mention of someone dying. 

“Steve’s guinea pig.” Alice yawned behind her hand, before resting her head on her folded knees. “But don’t worry, I’m not even a hundred percent sure she even existed.”

“She definitely never existed, you nerd.” Steve’s chest rumbled as he spoke, chuckling softly. 

The conversation drifted to movies and Alice’s altered state-of-mind had a hard time keeping up with titles and actors. Despite her lack of ability to make a mental contribution, Alice was overjoyed to see Robin so open and totally herself around Vickie. If anyone deserved to be in a happy relationship, it was Robin. Alice knew she couldn’t come close to understanding the nuances of being in Robin’s shoes, but she certainly knew the sting of unrequited love. 

Though, she supposed, her’s wasn’t really unrequited, now was it? Did it still count as unrequited if the feelings had actually been requited all along, but the other party had chosen to be an ass about them for the better part of a year instead of talking about said feelings? Either way, Alice felt a strong kinship with Robin in the whole romance department. 

Head swimming, Alice decided that last drink had been a bad idea. To her credit, she’d only drank half of it before a moment of clarity had her switching to bottled water, but it was enough to push her just a bit too far over her usual limit. Enough to completely disregard any and all inhibitions, but also, as it turned out, enough to make her very, very sleepy. 

The fourth time Alice’s head slipped from it’s perch, Steve let out a heavy sigh, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tighter into himself. Alice gave up trying to keep herself up and settled fully against his chest, letting her eyes drift shut. 

Everything about this was against Alice’s better judgement, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of how right it felt. The buttons of his shirt digging into her cheek, how his breath ruffled her hair as he dipped his head to whisper in her ear.

“Maybe it’s time to get you home, huh?” Alice’s eyes snapped open and forced herself upright. Absolutely not; there was no way she was about to cut Robin’s night short because she got a little too drunk and couldn’t keep her eyes open. 

“Nope, can’t go home.” She mumbled sleepily, pulling the front of her cardigan to wrap around her body a bit tighter to ward off the chilly night air.

“…why not?”

“Two reasons Stephen,” Alice held up a lazy finger, ticking off the first. “Number one; look at Robin.”

Steve grumbled but did as he was told, fixing his gaze on Robin, who was now visibly uncomfortable with the sudden attention Alice brought to her.

“When was the last time you saw Robin have a good time at a party?”

“I have tons of fun at parties all the time, Alice!” Robin protested from her chair. 

“Exactly. I’m not going to make her leave a nice time just so she could lay in bed listening to me snore all night.”

“I can take Robin home later.” Vickie nervously interjected, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “If that’s what you want, I mean. No pressure, it’s just…I’m having a nice time too.”

Robin visibly lit up at the prospect of actual Alone Time with her long-term crush. She nodded enthusiastically, a blush creeping up her neck. Alice flashed her what she hoped was a subtle thumbs up, which in hindsight was maybe a bit too subtle even for its intended recipient. Embarrassed, she tucked her hand back into her sweater.

“Oh, perfect. That problem was solved…quickly. Anyway, third of—“

“Second?”

“Second of all…I can’t go home drunk. My mom will cry and it’ll lead Dustin down a…a dark path of drugs and alcohol. You guys know the kid, there very impressionable at that age.” 

“That doesn’t seem likely.”

“You don’t know that. I just…I don’t like them seeing me like this. So I can…I’ll sleep it off on this lawn chair, I guess. If you don’t mind scooting…” She leaned forward as far as she could, giving Steve a chance to get up. He swung his long legs over the side of the lounge and hesitated, a brief flash of inner conflict crossed his face as he considered something.

“Or…”

“Or?”

“Or I can take you back to my place and you can sober up there.”

Alice clapped a hand over her speeding heart, face heating to what was sure sure to be a low-grade fever. What was this kid playing at? 

“Mr. Harrington, I think we’ve established I’m not that kind of girl!” She managed to choke out after her pulse calmed. 

“Jesus Christ, Alice, not like that!” He spluttered, taking a few steps back as though to put some distance between himself and Alice. Robin dissolved into a fit of mad laughter, completely ignoring the icy glare Steve shot in her direction. He placed his hands on his hips, looking absolutely exasperated by both girls. “I just figured my couch would be a hell of a lot more comfortable than a hard plastic chair, but if that’s what you’d prefer then by all means—“

“No, no! That’s…that’s actually super nice of you, Steve.” Alice tried to recover, feeling a small pang of guilt through the alcohol. She had misunderstood, of course Steve was just trying to help. That’s just what they did; they took care of each other. 

“Listen, don’t feel obligated or anything, it was just a suggestion. I can just as easily let you sleep right here, or take you to Robin’s, or to back to your house to corrupt Dustin. Just wanted you to have options, is all.” Steve rambled as Alice leant over to fish her purse from underneath the lounge. Stumbling clumsily to her feet, she looped her arm around Steve’s to regain some balance.

“Do you have snacks?”

“Ok, I’ve changed my mind. You’re not allowed in my home.” 

“Can we stop somewhere to get snacks?”

“Will you behave yourself if I say yes?”

“I can’t make any promises.”

[hoppers-babygirl]

Beat his ass

Author: Hoppers-babygirl

ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/hoppers_babygirl

Word count: 2316

There was still an awkward distance between Cassie and Steve but that didn’t stop her from riding along with Steve, Dustin and a couple of his friends. Everyone knew she had been seeing Billy once Steve and Nancy got together but no one ever quite spoke about it out loud. That was until Cassie asked Steve to drive her over to his house. Things had been uneasy between the unlikely couple but Cassie tried her best not to let it show. It had been two weeks since Billy last spoke to her, she was sick and tired of his silence so she took matters into her own hands. 

Steve stayed silent as he drove towards Billy’s house, his knee bounced anxiously on his free leg. It struck up a bit of anxiety in Cassie but she took a few deep breaths. After Steve dumped her for Nancy; Cassie and Billy started seeing one another, even though they were an unlikely couple, the pair enjoyed one another’s company. They dated six months before this air grew tense between them. Cassie never thought he would act this way toward her but she was wrong in the end. She assumed Billy heard that Nancy broke things off with Steve, maybe thinking that he would try to swoop in and take Cassie away from him but that wasn’t the case. 

The matter of the fact is that Cassie grew sick, some days worse than before. She assumed it was just a simple cold, nothing more than the flu. Only she was wrong, after taking a test the liquid in the tube turned blue. Her stomach knotted up at the sight, causing her to fall to her knees in front of the porcelain bowl as she grew sick. 

Eventually Steve pulled up to the all too familiar blue house, except he was pulled off on the side of the road, across from the house. Snapping from her thoughts she looked over, her brows pinched together. 

Steve spoke up. “I know you just wanted a ride but I don’t trust the guy. I’ll stay here for ten minutes and if you don’t come out then I’ll leave. Just for my sanity, okay?” He offered her a small smile. 

She took a shaky deep breath and nodded before slapping a fake smile on her lips. No one except Jonathan knew what was actually going on with Cass, which she was thankful for as she knew she could trust him with her life. Even now she felt guilty asking for this from Steve especially while her little brother rode shotgun but she had bigger worries to deal with right now and that’s what she was focused on. Taking another deep breath she actually opened the door and stepped out the car, her legs felt like jello but she couldn’t stop her movement. It was like she wasn’t even in control of her body as she walked up the little stairs and up to the door. 

Cassie knew Max was home as she could see her bike still outside. It helped her feel a little at ease but soon her knuckles rapped at the door. Moments later Billy opened the door, his usual smirk not prominent on his lips as he took in the sight before him. Steve's car in the distance, Cassie in front of him wringing her hands and the dark circles under her eyes. He snorted and walked back down to his room to which Cassie followed behind him. “Hello to you too, Billy. Do you know that I’ve tried calling you for the past two weeks only to have Max lie to me? Because I know it's a goddamn lie.” She started in on him soon after closing the front door. 

He began to puff on a cigarette and opened his bedroom door. “Listen little bird, it's over. Whatever you thought we had going on is over, you’re a waste of my time.” Cassie scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You think?” She sassed back. He turned and blew the smoke in her face, making her turn away and let out a quiet cough. “I didn’t fucking invite you here. You showed up, princess.” His voice dripped with venom but when the smoke cleared Cassie could see the mark crossing his cheekbone but with his attitude he wasn’t going to talk about it. “Yeah well maybe if you knew how to pick up the phone then I wouldn’t have had to come here and tell you.” Her voice began to hush. “Tell me what? That you’re not gonna be my whore of the week anymore?” He replied as he began to slip a shirt on. 

She shook her head, “I guess you just forgot the past six months then huh? That surely doesn’t add up to a week.” She replied just as harshly. Billy huffed out a breath almost like an annoyed bull would. “Get to your point or get the fuck out.” His voice had risen. Cassie assumed he and his father had a fight which only added to his annoyed attitude. “Look this isn’t the easiest to fucking say, okay?!” She raised her voice to match his. Anger and hurt welling up in her chest. Max must’ve heard their yelling and slammed her door shut which on some level helped Cassie calm down. One less set of ears to share the news with right now. 

“I know we’ve been pretty careful about things but uhm… well it seems that we weren’t as careful as we thought. I’m pregnant Billy. I’m fucking pregnant and you’ve been ignoring me.” She finally let it out. Billy was the first and only person to know. Billy began to shake his head and pace his room. “I knew you were just like the rest. Just a stupid whore.” He muttered under his breath. Her heart fell to the floor. Sure she didn’t expect to be spun around in his arms and given a big kiss but to be called such harsh words as if this was her fault? 

“I don’t give a fuck, Princess. Tell whoever else you’ve fucked that it’s their problem because you’re not going to make it my problem.”  His teeth grit as he speaks. Tears formed in her eyes and her lip began to wobble. This caused Billy to laugh. “It isn’t a problem I made by myself. You know damn well that I’ve only been with you so there’s no need to try and deny that. Just because your father treats you like a piece of shit doesn’t-” Just like that she was on the ground on her ass. Cassie sat in shock on the floor for just a moment before the pain in her jaw really hit her. Her hands shook as she stood up on jelly like legs, one hand protecting her stomach. “Fuck you Billy.” She spat at him before she turned and began to walk out the house, Billy hot on her ass, wiping his face from her spit. 

“You’re a stuck up little bitch. You opened your legs and got knocked up and now I’m supposed to care?!” He yelled as he followed after her, grabbing her wrist harshly. “Get the fuck off me!” Cassie screamed, tugging her wrist back to her body as tears now spilled down her cheeks freely. “I’m not the dumbass who bought cheap condoms!” She replied, still tugging her wrist from his grip which only tightened causing her to whimper. “Don’t think you’re getting a fucking thing from me. You laid on your back and took what I gave you.” He sneered. 

By now Max slipped out of her room and outside unbeknownst to Cassie and Billy. Finally she freed her arm from his grip causing her to stumble back and hit her hip into the table that was in the hallway. She yelped and began to move back to the front door. Only to tumble to which Billy used to his advantage, he pinned her hips down as he straddled her and grabbed both wrists to slam her down into the floor causing her to curse out. Her head rang, she hadn’t ever seen Billy act this way with her before but he figured that he wasn’t really fighting her but the things that angered him. She squirmed underneath him and tried to get out his hold but instead he was steadily screaming in her face, her head throbbed so badly that she wasn’t even sure what he was saying but she could hear the high pitched scream. Both Billy and Cassie looked up, Max stood in the front doorway screaming at the sight only to be replaced by Steve. 

There must’ve been blood as Cassie could see red streaks but they surprisingly hadn’t come from her head. Dustin helped her up with a devastated look on his sweet features. How the hell could he and Steve have known about the fight that was happening inside the house but she figured it was all due to Max’s scream.  

Meanwhile Max had gone out her window as Cassie and Billy had their scream fest. Max hadn’t realized that no one except Cassie and Billy knew about the baby. But everyone sat with a shocked expression. Steve gripped the steering wheel and questioned Max about what was going on inside but Cassie’s scream sounded through the house causing Max to run back to the house and the others to follow along. Upon opening the door and seeing Cassie on her back pinned under a screaming angry Billy, Max let out her screech alarming the rest of the group. Steve, Dustin and Lucas jumped from the car. 

Soon Steve had Billy by the shoulder pulling him off of Cassie. It was the first time Dustin had ever seen Cassie so scared, he ran over to her and helped her up off the ground. She looked sleepy but sad in a way. It scared Dustin to see his sister like this. Usually she was so sweet and funny, she had only ever seen her sad when they were younger. 

Cassie sat up and wiped her lip, it was split and she hadn’t even realized that the slap from earlier had caused her lip to split open. Dustin tugged her toward the kitchen to grab a rag to clean the blood. The house was loud as Billy and Steve wrestled together, Max yelling at BIlly to stop it and leave her friends alone and Lucas trying to calm her down. Cassie sighed and wiped her lip clean and gave Dustin a hug, her other cheek rested against his head. 

“I’m so sorry to have to see this bullshit.” She mumbled against his curls. 

“Why didn’t you tell me first?” He asked quietly. His question confused her at first but then the realization hit her. 

“Because he deserved to know. Or at least I thought he did.” She replied, his arms tightened around her as they hugged. 

“Come on, we gotta get Steve out of here before he and Billy get too fucked up.” She kissed his forehead and led him back out to where the guys were fighting. 

“Let's go Steve. It’s not even worth it. I just want to go home.” Steve shoved Billy away and threatened him which caused the other man to laugh. Max was in tears as Lucas ushered her out the door to which Cassie did the same with Dustin. 

Now stood Steve, Billy and Cassie. She sighed, “I’m sorry I ever met you and I’m glad our child never will.” Her lip quivered but she turned and walked out the door, Steve trailing behind her after a few moments. 

His hand on her back caused her to jump. “Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? Is the- is everything okay?” He asked shyly. Great so everyone knew, Max must’ve heard their fight. 

“I’ll be fine. Thank you for stepping in, if you hadn’t then who knows what could’ve happened. But I’ll probably make up some lies and go to the doctors just to make sure.” She shrugged and gently tapped her lip to check and make sure the blood stopped. 

“You know, if you ever need anything, I’ll be there to help you. It’s the least I can do.” He gave her a small smile to which she returned. 

“Thanks Steve, I’m sure I’ll need all the help I can get.” He pulled her into a careful hug. A much needed hug. 

Eventually Steve took Cassie and Dustin home, but when Cassie climbed out the car Max followed. Lucas shrugged at Steve but he waited for the redhead. 

“Hey Cassie… I know you’re never going to go around Billy anymore and I’m not really related to you like Dustin is but..” The young girl trailed off. 

Cassie smiled and nodded. “You’re gonna be the best aunt ever, Max.” Cassie finished the girl's sentence which caused her to smile. She gave Cassie a quick hug and ran back to the car and got back in with Lucas before they drove off. Cassie went inside and cleaned up, making lunch for herself and for Dustin. Afterwards the siblings sat and talked and even watched a bit of television to try and make the day feel any bit normal. 

A few weeks later Cassie went to the doctors, thankful her tussle with Billy hadn’t affected anything seriously. She would have a little scar on her lip but she didn’t care much about that. She was just glad to hear that her little boy was doing just fine. Even after getting bumped and shook around she was beyond relieved to hear everything was doing good. Even if she was doing it on her own. But she wasn’t really alone was she? No. She had a family that she was lucky enough to have as her support. 

[jeffgoldblumsmulletinthe90s]

Fic: Literal Legend

So @lurkinmerkin wrote this fantastic Stranger Things fic that you should absolutely read right now if you enjoy things like “Eddie Munson,” “fun,” and “reading about pussy eating.” It’s called Cuff It, like the Beyoncé song.

I was like, “Wow, this is amazing! I would love a fic like this about Steve Harrington eating a bunch of girls’ pussies.” And then Merkin gave me the OK, so I did write that fic.

It’s Literal Legend, like the Ayesha Erotica song. (Because Cuff It reminded me of lyrics “Here’s twenty dollars ... you know what? keep the change”)

[xblueriddlex]

So cuteeeeee

mine - steve harrington

summary you get separated from the love of your life after spending the best night together, would the universe bring you back to him? based on this request, thank you so much!

cw college!steve, college!reader. fluff, angst and more angst then more fluff. modern times!! allusions to sex. reader wears glasses sometimes.

w.c 9.2k

a/n created a playlist for this one (i struggled a little bit and the songs helped) thank you to @stveharringtn and @ihatepeanutss for reading the early chapter and motivating me to continue ily! NO PROOFREAD BECAUSE IM EXCITED

dividers by @saradika

I. Left a small town and never looked back.

Due to your parents' jobs, you had to move frequently, and the longest you stayed in one place was three years. You were so used to this, following the single rule for yourself: never get attached.

One problem, it was impossible not to fall for Steve Harrington. 

You met Steve in Hawkins, and the three years you spent together were magical. Talking late at night, going to the movies, and hanging out by the lake. Holidays were always spent with him, you invited him to your house, and your parents loved him. Even though your little brother was only 8 years old, he knew Steve was important to the family.  

The last year of high school was just around the corner. You’ve talked to Steve about graduating together, going to college, and spending the rest of your lives together. Watching each other through all the ups and downs of adulthood, you knew Steve was going to stay with you no matter what, he would be there for you, and you would be there for him. It was all a perfect dream, you’d have someone to celebrate your victories and cheer you up when the inevitable bad luck followed you around.

That dream was crushed when your parents told you they had to move again. You were heartbroken, and even more so because you were going to be separated from your favorite person. It was the first time you'd broken the rule, you got attached to Steve, and you fell in love with him.

The news broke him. He couldn’t sleep for the rest of the week, he wanted to be with you all the time, like you promised.

———

Before leaving Hawkins, you decided to confess your feelings for him. It felt wrong to pack that secret into your suitcase. Steve felt the same, he liked you too, but he didn’t want to admit he was in love with you yet. He decided to make your last day at Hawkins the best day you’ve ever had.

The first stop was the diner outside of town to eat burgers, fries, and milkshakes like you always do. At your favorite booth, this time it had a vase with flowers in the center of the table and a beanie babie.

“This is the one I saw in the magazine.” You take the white stuffed bear, it has a red ribbon around his neck and an embroidered red heart. 

“In case you need someone to hug,” he says, looking at the laces of his shoes and holding back his tears.

“Smells good! I’m so hungry.” You saw the way his smile faded, changing the subject was better than crying already. You had to enjoy the night.

While sipping from your freshly made milkshakes— stealing the cherry on top of his milkshake as usual—and watching Steve go over the old jukebox to play your favorite songs, the pocket of his jeans ended up empty from using all the coins he had.

“Get up! We have to dance.” Steve stands up, reaching for your hand.

He had to choose wisely for the next song, it was the last coin he had, so of course Be My Baby, by The Ronettes, was playing. He took your hand, squeezing it, and placed his free hand on your back to keep you closer. You rest one of your hands on his chest, feeling his heart beat fast for you.

Everyone in the diner was watching you, but you didn’t care. You were in the arms of your boy, your love, and it was the last night with him before a while. You had to dance like nobody was watching.

Leaving the checkered floor and the red booths, the second stop was the theater, cuddling while watching ‘Before Sunrise’ . It's one of your favorite movies, and it came back to the big screen for its anniversary.

Both of you get the feeling that it is the perfect movie to watch on a day like this. It was perfect because you don’t know what’s going to happen with you two in the future, just like Celine and Jesse. Your love for each other looks like that, it feels like that, and the best part is that it’s real, not something written for a movie. You aren’t acting or performing. You are feeling it.

You feel so lucky you didn’t meet him for just one night, you had spent so much time with Steve. The endless walks around the park and picking flowers in spring while he holds the basket and you place your favorites on it so you can take them home. The fun summers, hanging out by the pool, and eating a lot of ice cream—one of those years you had free ice cream thanks to Steve working at Scoops Ahoy. You spent the entire summer making fun of his tiny sailor suit, not wanting to admit he looked really good in it. 

Fall was always fun, dressing up for Halloween, and joining the kids to trick or treat, so at the end, you can steal some of their best candy bars. The adorable winter, playing in the snow and getting your nose red, drinking hot cocoa and marshmallows while watching Christmas movies.

Everything comes back to your mind like you were watching your movie. Feeling safe and loved with Steve’s arms around you. You never fought before, nothing went bad, but everything was over. For a while.

Steve holds your hand while you walk through the parking lot. The night sky is decorated with stars, so big and bright. He interlocks his fingers with yours, squeezing your hand as you walk to his BMW. 

The last stop is Lover’s Lake. He parks his car in the usual spot—your favorite spot. It’s the best place to feel the magic of the water mixed with the light of the moon. A reminder that you exist on the same planet, even if the miles come between you.

The radio starts to play ‘Don’t you forget about me’. The song was perfect. You take a deep breath. This is a moment you will remember forever.

Both sitting in the hood of his car, he hugs you, shielding you from the cold breeze, and kisses the top of your head while your back rests against his chest. The tears start to spill from your eyes, rolling down your cheeks. You can't hold the sobs, your chest is giving up.

“Hey, hey!” He turns you around, softly cupping your face between his hands and rubbing the tears away with his thumbs.

“Don’t you dare forget about me,” you whisper, as if the trees were going to be disturbed by your sobs.

“I won’t, I’ll call you every day. But I am going to miss you so much,” he whispers back. 

“I’m scared, Stevie,” you sob, tangling your arms around his neck. “What if we can’t make it?”

“We will, we got this. The love I have for you is stronger than anything else, we won’t let the distance break us.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise”

Pressing his thumbs against your cheeks, he gets close to you. Your lips touch, and it feels like thousands of fireworks light up inside you. You feel one of his hands slide down your arm, and it makes you shiver. His hand rests on your waist and gives it a little squeeze. You jump closer to him than before, and you can feel his lips turn into a grin.

It wasn’t your first kiss with him. You kissed sometimes while playing spin the bottle or when Steve wanted to teach you how to kiss better.

“We will get through this. I'll see you again, and we can live the rest of our lives together.”

He kisses you again, and you open your mouth as he pushes your face to the side with his thumb. He slides his tongue to join yours and get more of the way you taste, honey, strawberries and cherries. Steve is being patient, taking his time brushing his tongue against yours and humming at how good it feels.

This kiss felt more magical, it made your insides bubbly, and your cheeks got warmer. But inside you, the clock was ticking, you had to savor this moment in case the universe turned against you again.

He breaks the kiss, trying to slow his breath. You do the same, opening your eyes slowly.

“I won’t do anything, not tonight." His voice is soft, but the tone is deeper. He feels a knot in his throat. “But next time, I promise I will make you feel so good.”

“I know, next time and the others. There’s only a couple of months left for summer break, and we will see each other again.”

“We will, baby. Now kiss me before I fall to the floor, you look so pretty tonight as you always do.”

“You are beautiful, Stevie.”He kisses you again, not getting enough of you. He kissed you before you went inside the house and he would’ve kissed you a thousand times more if he knew it was going to be the last time.

II. Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts. 

You were disconnected and heartbroken by the time you spent the first week of your last year of high school at a different school. Steve picked a few shifts a week at the local coffee shop after school, always with Robin by his side.

Hawkins felt so empty without you. Every time he saw a happy couple smiling, kissing, or hugging, he felt nauseous and jealous. His friends knew how he felt, they missed you too, but they never stopped calling you. 

The only thing that kept him going were your calls, you called every single night. Tell him about your day, your new school, and your new friends. He tells you about school, work, Robin, and the kids. It was good, he loved hearing your voice and watching you through his screen.

“I can’t believe it! I told you! Steve Harrington’s first A+ essay, and without my help. I feel a little wounded, you don’t need me at all!”

He felt so proud of himself. You were the last one to know about it but you are the most excited one. Even more excited than him.

“You are a great tutor, all those tips and seeing my practice essays marked with a pink glittery pen helped me a lot”

“I'm so proud of you, you are capable of anything I know!”

“Honey…” Steve’s worried face makes your heart sink.

“Yes?”

“I’m always going to need you. I can’t live without you.”

You press both of your hands against your chest as if that were going to soothe your pain. The damage you caused him is evident, you shouldn’t have broken that stupid rule.

“I miss you, Stevie. I can’t do this without you.”

“I miss you too, honey. And you can, you have me here. Always”

Steve feels his head heavier each minute, the long hours at the coffee shop kill him. 

“We should go to sleep, yeah?” he says, noticing your sleepy face. 

“We should. Good night. Call me tomorrow!”

“Please, I don’t know if I can survive without hearing your voice”

You get closer to your camera, blowing him a kiss.

“I’ll annoy you with my voice every night, honey!”

“I’d love that baby. Good night,” he says, blowing a kiss back.

When you hang up, he tosses his laptop to the floor. It falls on the pile of unwashed clothes he has. 

“Weird,” he says to himself, looking at his laptop resting on the clothes. He takes a look around his room. It’s a mess, he makes a mental note to clean it, and he can’t stress over it right now.

Steve lays with his back against the mattress. He remembers the way you brought your hands up to your chest. He does the same, hoping to understand why you did it.

His warm palms rest against his chest, now he knows. He feels it. Steve applies a bit of pressure to his chest, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep.

So much for trying, it felt like maybe five minutes had passed, and when he glanced at his clock, it was six a.m. His alarm was about to go off, and he had to go downstairs, make breakfast, and get on his way to pick Robin up to go to school.

That’s when he lets out a sob. Time does pass without you, the world doesn’t stop, and he gets even more scared than before. 

Don’t you forget about me.

He grabbed his phone, clicking on his texts. You’ve already said good morning to him.

‘Good morning baby. I'll miss you forever. Have a nice day! Love you”

That’s when he takes a moment to reply. 

‘Good morning, hope you slept well. I love you too.”

And then he gets out of bed to spend another day without you by his side. Knowing you are slipping through his fingers already.

———

Three weeks later.

The calls stopped being frequent, sometimes you were too tired, or sometimes he was too tired. 

“I have to go, I'm exhausted. Can I call you tomorrow?” you ask him.

Steve had to ignore the arrow that just shot through his heart, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye. The more he talked to you, the more he missed you. When he knew you weren’t going to make it for the summer break he felt his heart break, every time he woke up he was already crying.

This broke your heart too, not being able to see him, or visit your friends. It felt like some strange and strong force was keeping you away and pushing you farther.

“Of course, honey. Sweet dreams”

“Sweet dreams, Stevie.”

He closes his laptop after you hang up, tossing it aside. The pile of clothes seems to be bigger. He swears to do it tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Whenever he feels like he is alive.

Four months later.

The rush hour at the coffee shop ends up killing Steve’s back, and his feet are burning. To his surprise, his parents are home.

Can this day get any worse? Yes, you haven’t texted him back since yesterday.

"Steve, are you still wasting your time at that damn coffee shop?” His dad shouts he doesn’t have time for this. “Steve?”

He hears his dad’s heavy steps behind him. He catches Steve at the first step of the stairs.

“Didn’t you hear me? Say something!”

“I’m not wasting my time, I'm saving up for college,” Steve whispers. He can feel his dad’s warm breath against his face, and he can smell the whiskey too. 

“College? You are going to work for me, right?”

“No?”

“Then why go to college in the first place?”

Steve pushes his dad away, and his mother joins them.

“It’s clear, John.” she says.

“Say it, Steve.”

“To get the fuck away from you, that’s why,” Steve spits out. His eyes were burning, and tears were threatening to fall.

He gets away from them, locking himself in his room. He doesn’t mind looking at his phone or picking up his laptop, he just wants to fall asleep and get this over with. It has been such a long day.

Six months later.

It’s been a long time since you’ve talked to each other.

“Are you tired?” You ask, and he has been rubbing his eyes for the third time now. “You don’t have to hang up, carry me to your bed.”

Steve leaned his head to the side, just as a confused puppy does. 

“C’mon, I’ll read you a story so you can fall asleep. Like old times.”

“Are you sleeping late?”

“I have assignments to finish, I need to catch up with a few classes because I fell behind.”

“You’ll do great, honey. You are the smartest person I know!”

“Steve Harrington, you are the smartest person I know. We are a couple of months away from college and i'm really excited”

“Me too honey, it sucks you couldn’t come here for summer break”

You will see each other, you will. 

Steve shakes his head with a smile plastered on his face, holding the laptop in his hands. He lets himself lie under his sheets, fixing his pillow and resting his head on it. 

"Are you ready?” you ask him, sitting on your desk and getting comfortable for a long night.

“Ready, no scary tales, please!"

“I promise! Close your eyes now!”

Steve takes the last glance at you, his fingers reaching to touch his screen as if he were touching your face. But he can’t, you are too far away now and it kills him.

“Goodnight”

The bubbly feeling in your chest goes away when you don’t hear a nickname. No honey, no baby. 

“Goodnight!” You wait until his eyes are closed. “And we begin, once upon a time."

Steve falls asleep before getting to know what the story is about, he was so tired and this is the first time he has slept more than three hours.

You close your laptop after watching him turn to the other side. You are trying to return your attention to your assignments, but the only thing you can feel is your heart breaking again. The hope you once had is now fading away. You are managing to live without him, but you don’t want to. 

Steve regrets it. He regrets falling asleep. This time he didn’t wake up seeing your face, he didn’t get to hear your bedtime story, and he didn’t get to tell you how much he loved you. And he regrets it so much because it was the last time he heard your voice.

III. And every time I look at you it’s like the first time

Two years later.

Steve had a hard time finishing high school, but he did. Later, he had to retake a year, but he saved up some money with Robin to move to college. After jumping up and down and celebrating with their friends their acceptance letters, they got into the college dorms for the first year, but that went very badly because they couldn’t be roommates and all the noise from the dorm building was constantly giving them a headache.

He saw Nancy and Jonathan when they all came back from college over the summer break, hanging up with them was the best. They helped him and Robin choose the best apartment outside of college, it was close to the new coffee shop they were working on and close to their buildings. He never saw you again, you were too busy to travel, and he was too. Mindlessly forgetting about each other and not meeting again hurt less. 

When he had to retake a year, he hesitated to call you. He was ashamed of himself, you were supposed to go to the same college in the same year. 

When he finally got his acceptance letter, he didn’t call you. Steve had a feeling you got into college and that your life was going well. He knew he was right.

But it had a good outcome, Steve retook his senior year and moved in with his best friend to start a new chapter in his life. A life that he wanted to enjoy, free from the pressure of his parents and the small town that made him feel so small.

Their first year wasn’t easy. Steve spent most of his time in his dorm, and Robin did too. They didn’t go to parties and didn’t seem too excited about meeting new people.

He felt like a total stranger like he didn’t belong there. He picked the same coffee shop he was working in to hang out, he picked the public library over the school library because it looked terrifying.

Steve spent most of his weekends and days off studying, he was at the top of his class. Whenever he wrote an essay, it reminded him of you, but not as a sign of hope, just a reminder of his small town years.

Robin spent most of her weekends traveling to Hawkins to meet her girlfriend, Chrissy. Taking Steve’s car and cleaning it for him as a thank you.

Steve didn’t meet anyone else, he didn’t want to get attached. If anyone leaves, what’s the point? He was only close to two of his classmates, that was enough for him.

———

“Do you know who’s moving in?” your roommate asks, Diana was always aware of every gossip around college. It was your second year being her roommate, she slowly became your best friend.

“No, who?” You ask, not really wanting to know but giving her satisfaction again.

“A new couple! I hope they aren’t as loud as the last ones.”

“Please, I need to buy new headphones just in case.”

Diana laughs, walking towards her room to place some of the new boxes she moved in. You asked if she wanted help, but she didn’t because her brand new date was going to join her.

You decided to head up to the public library, knowing you had never been there and wanting to explore a new world. It was a couple of blocks away so you had to take the bus.

———

Steve and Robin were driving around their new neighborhood, looking for their new apartment. They were singing the songs on the radio, even if Robin didn’t know most of them because her music taste was original. But Steve knew every one of the trendy songs.

They stopped at a red light. Robin got distracted by two dogs ‘kissing’ each other. Steve looked away with a face of disgust, and that’s when his eyes fell on you.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, were you really there? Was he hallucinating? Maybe the smell of coffee is doing some damage to his brain.

But it was you, wasn’t it? without the signature choker, without the thousands of bracelets, and without the red lipstick always staining his shirts. Then it wasn’t you. You had glasses now, a gold chain around your neck, and your hair was slightly lighter.

The bus blocks his view; he wants to scream at it to move, and when it does, you disappear—or the hallucination he had of you disappeared—the honk of the car behind him makes him jump, the green light is on, and he has to move.

“Steve! Are you okay?” Robin shouts, scanning Steve’s face. He looks pale, confused, and scared.

“I think I just saw a ghost,” he says, looking over Robin and then the road ahead.

“You are only nervous, the apartment will be good, don't worry. If they scam us, we have Chrissy to defend us in court.”

“Yeah, stop it lovebird. We are here.”

The apartment buildings look so tall, almost intimidating. Steve drives around looking for the parking lot, and when he finds it, he and Robin take a moment to process it.

"I'm scared too, but we should go in. The moving truck will be here, and we will have a lot to do,” Robin says, taking Steve’s hands and giving them a light squeeze. “We got this”

“Yeah, we should go in now.”

They go over to their apartment, meet their landlord, and get their keys. The moving truck comes a couple of hours earlier, and they move in their new stuff after cleaning the apartment.

A couple of empty boxes and a lot of wrapping paper later, they are done. They only need the heavy couch.

“Even if I help you, we won’t be able to do it”

“I know! I’m thinking”

Steve and Robin are stressed now. Steve’s hair is disheveled already, and Robin’s mascara is smudged around her eyes. They had a long drive, and now they are so tired of getting the apartment ready.

“We should just knock at our neighbors. Their screams stopped.”

“Yeah, I should buy new headphones for that.”

He points in the hallway. Robins walks out of the apartment and knocks on the door. After a few knocks, the door opens, and Steve joins them.

“Steve? You are Nick’s friend, right? I saw you with him the other day,” a guy asks, introducing himself as Eric.

“Uhh yes, Nick! Nice to meet  you."He shakes his hand. “This is Rob, my friend.”

“Nice to meet you!” Eric says, “This is my..."

“I’m Diana, nice to meet you guys,” she waves at them.

“So, we need help moving on our couch. Could you help us?” Robin asks.

“Please, we are a great team, but that couch is very heavy,” Steve says. “What if you help us, and we invite you to eat some pasta? I saw a new Italian restaurant a few blocks away.

“Sure, we can help!” Diana says.

The four of them carry the couch with ease into Steve and Robin’s apartment, they thank their new neighbors, and they all high five, looking proud of themselves. 

“Thank you again, guys, we should go. I'm starving!” Robin smiles at them, and they all nod but Diana.

“Can I invite my friend? She can meet us there,” Diana asks. They all nod, but Eric.

“No way! She hates me,” he says, shaking his head, taking Diana’s hand, and stopping her from going into their apartment. 

“I told you it would take time. She is protecting me,” she says, dragging Eric with her into her apartment. “We will see you guys in a minute.”

“Sure, take your time,” Steve says. Their neighbors leave and shut the door behind their backs.

When they are gone, he wraps his hands around Robin’s neck. He looks over the apartment and smiles.

“We made it,” he says.

“We made it!” She says back, hugging his waist and rubbing his back.

They break the hug after a few minutes, looking over the almost finished apartment. There’s some stuff left to unpack.

“Wait for Chrissy to see this, she is going to love it.”

“Is she coming? Tomorrow?” Steve asks, looking at his friend and her lovesick smile.

“Yes! I think I'll finally ask her the question"

“Already? Isn't it too soon?”

“Dingus, when you know, you know. Life is short, we can’t lose time stressing over everything,” she says, rubbing his shoulders. “You will find someone, maybe not, you know who, or maybe you will. Let time choose.”

He knew Robin was talking about you. Even if Steve moved on and got his shit together, he was still missing you and the part of him you took with you. No matter how many dates he had, how many times Hopper talked to him. He wanted you, something far from impossible. 

“You should write that on a note and put it in the fridge." They both laugh. "I'm very proud of you.”

“Don’t make fun of me, or you will lose your best man spot. I will give it to Eddie.” Robin gets a napkin out of a box and cleans her mascara.

“Hey! Who used to drive you everywhere and still does?”

“I'm joking!”

“I know,” he says, giving her a pat on the back. “Good luck with your proposal.”

“I still need a ring, not all of us carry our grandmother’s rings everywhere we go.”

“Shut up! I'll help you get a ring.”

“Yes!”

They high five again, and they hear knocks on the door. They see their neighbors again.

“My friend isn’t coming, I think she is with her boyfriend. But we can go now!”

“Yay! Sorry about your friend."Robin gets closer to Diana, leaving Steve behind with Eric.

“Aren’t you together?” he asks.

“No, we are friends. Platonic with a capital P!” Steve replies, walking to the door and joining the girls.

“Cool, maybe you can date Teddy and smooth the anger out of her,” Eric says.

“Teddy?” Steve asks, walking to the parking lot.

“Oh, Di’s best friend,” he says, pointing at Diana. “She has this weird ass white teddy bear, and since then, I call her Teddy.”

“Oh, funny,” Steve says. A weird white teddy bear? No, no, it can’t be. His heart pounds harder against his chest, and he gets back to that night. The diner, the flowers, the beanie baby, and then someone who looked like you at the bus stop.

This can’t be real, he won’t get his hopes high again.

“Are you okay, man? You look scared,” Eric asks Steve, stopping him after he puts the key on his BMW. “Can you drive?”

“Yeah, I can. Don’t worry,” Steve says, his free hand over his chest. “It’s just something that happens.”

“He sees ghosts!” Robin shouts, making everyone laugh.

“We should walk guys, it isn’t that far,” Diana adds.

“Yeah, we could use some fresh air,” Robin says.

They all walk to the restaurant, enjoying a fun night. All of them get the feeling they’ll be close, but tonight they treat each other as strangers. Not sharing all but funny stories and college adventures.

———

When Diana gets home, you are already there, she walks over to the couch to wake you up and help you get to bed.

“Did you talk to Jake?”

“He picked me up from the library, we didn't-"

“Another time will come."

You hum, walking with her to your room. She closes the door, and you walk towards your bed, put your pajamas on, and slip into bed. You try to sleep, trying to keep all the midnight-crushing thoughts away, with the BMW in the parking lot on your mind, it looks very familiar.

———

It’s only 8 a.m, and you sit at home, eating your oatmeal bowl with strawberries, bananas, and a cup of coffee you’ve made yourself. You point to the cup you made for Diana, it has been sitting there for a few minutes. Maybe she wanted a cold brew instead of a nice hot cup. 

“One is Rob, and the other... I don’t remember.”

“Di! You are really bad with names.”

“Are you sure you don’t want ice on your coffee?” you joke.

“No, and yeah, I was a little stoned too, that’s why I don’t remember well.”

“That’s always going to cost you, babe.”

“I know, but I can introduce them later! We are all going to a party, and Rob will pick us up after work because the girl had to see her girlfriend.” She chugs her cup of coffee and puts her jacket on.

“Are you sure his name is Robert?”

“No, it’s Rob!” She still looks unconvinced, but you leave it. “Anyway, is Jake picking you up?”

“I don’t know, we aren’t really on speaking terms.” 

Jake was your boyfriend a couple of weeks before he asked you for a break, and you haven’t “fixed it." He picked you up from the library yesterday, and the whole ride home was quiet and uncomfortable, but something tells you it isn't going to last.

“Call him! He is good for you.”

“I’m not sure about that, but I’ll see you later then.”

“I’ll see you later, babe!”

“Be careful!”

———

You finish washing the dishes and go back to your room to get ready for the party. Minutes later, Diana and Eric show up to drive you to the house. It’s the first party of the semester, and everyone seems pretty excited about it except you. You know if you see Jake again, he will probably break up with you, rip off the band-aid, and go to the girl who has been hanging out with him at the gym.

But you go, not wanting to miss out and excited to see some of your friends who arrived in town. It might not be the best night, but at least you’ll have a cup of cranberry juice with vodka to survive.

You arrive at the party early, not wanting to talk to anyone, yet you get closer to the table in the middle of the dining room and make yourself a cape cod. When it’s done, you get to the living room and sit on the couch, watching as people come over, and some of them wave at you and say hi before going for their drink.

Jake arrives with a girl by his side, He gets closer to her ear to whisper something, and she turns around as he walks to you.

“Can we talk?”

“You are going to break up with me, aren’t you?” You pinch your eyebrows together. 

“Let me explain.”

He sits on the arm of the couch you are sitting on, so close to you. You can already hear his words muffling and how sorry he is about all of it, making up excuses to let you know it’s not your fault he is doing this and the two of you should end your relationship now. Avoid telling the truth and spinning around the subject, reminding you of all the good moments but also all the fights and “breaks” you had.

You look at him through your eyelashes, your tears rolling down your cheeks. Your now ex-boyfriend pinches your chin with his fingers, not letting your gaze fall to your lap or the cup you hold in your hand. He whispers “I’m sorry” thousands of times more, and you refuse to move, feeling the warmth of his fingers against your face for the last time. Then he leaves you alone to find his date, and you wish the earth could swallow you whole.

———

When Steve gets to the party with Robin and Chrissy by his side, he lets the two of them look for a place while he gets their drinks. The house is so tiny that everyone is squeezing each other and bumping into each other on the way to other rooms. Everything smells like alcohol and weed, and even the floor is sticky, but after all, Steve manages to get to the dining room and look for the red solo cups. He takes one and pours tequila into it. He drinks it, feeling the burn down his throat as he keeps his eyes closed. He needs more of these to survive the night.

He looks around, recognizing some people he used to see around in his first year, some of them are customers in the coffee shop he works in. When his head looks over to the living room, he sees the girl from the bus stop, the one who looks like you. 

Steve gets even more confused as you chug your drink, the solo cup covering your face. He turns his head away from the view, even if it’s not you, his mind betrays him.

Where’s the real you? What are you doing right now? Do you have a boyfriend? A girlfriend? A child? A cat? Are you married? 

The question that hurts more is the one he used to think about almost every night. Would he see you again?

He tries to enjoy the party as soon as he sees the girl leave. He misses watching Diana run after you and try to comfort you. 

Your friend takes you home, and Steve stays until the party is over, and he is a bit more sober to take Robin and Chrissy back to their apartment.

———

“Robin? Why did you leave so soon?” Steve asks Robin over the phone, while he tosses empty boxes and bags around.

“We are getting you breakfast! Jesus, what’s your problem?”

“I’m hungover, and I forgot I have to send this email before twelve, but I can’t find my laptop charger, and I can’t find yours either!”

“Shit, I took mine because Chrissy needed my laptop, but I'm sure yours is in your room. We unpacked everything.”

“Fuck! I’ll call you back.”

“Ask Diana for one!”

Stressed out, Steve hangs up the phone before listening to Robin’s last words. Of course, he can ask his neighbor for a favor, and he knows Diana is nice. 

He gets out of his apartment, and a few steps later, he gets in front of the door. He knocks a lot of times to get Diana’s attention, or maybe Eric’s. Steve doesn’t remember if they got back here from the party, but it’s worth trying.

As the door opens, he takes a step forward. “Hey! My laptop charger broke, and I have to send this very important  email-" He takes a deep breath, not believing who is in front of them. “What-”

“It’s you,” he whispers, feeling a knot in his throat and rubbing his clammy hands together.

“It’s me” You rub your eyes one more time, getting rid of the blur on your eyes from being woken up. “Steve?” Your heart starts to beat against your chest so fast that you swear it’s hurting you.

Steve stares at you, it’s like the first time he saw you all those years ago. He didn’t believe in love at first sight until he felt his body giving up and just yearning for you. He feels it all again, you look even more beautiful than before, but with your signature heavy gaze. 

“I'm sorry if I’m interrupting, I can just...“

“No? no. Uh, come in, let me find my charger.”

This is not how you imagined seeing him again. The last time you dreamt about him, you were seeing him for the first time at the Hawkins airport, You ran to him, and he caught you in his arms, kissing every inch of your face. And now, with your heart beating faster than ever and your feet carrying you to your room, you can’t help but feel like you are having a nightmare.

You hurry up, find your charger, and run back to Steve.

“Here, you can keep it. I have two of them,” you say. He still looks at you with his mouth slightly open and his eyes studying every part of your face.

Keep it. He knows you are doing this because you are nice, but a part of you still recognizes all the love you once had for him. Or have, because it never faded away. It’s still your Steve, slightly older and with a confused expression on his face. 

He takes the charger from your hands, your fingers touching him for a couple of seconds. When you finally lock eyes with him, you can see his glassy eyes while yours look the same. He didn’t want to believe it was you, you were so close all this time.

“I thought i’d never see you again,” you whisper, almost inaudible, but he can hear it. As if its ears were trained to hear even the lowest tone of your voice. 

But the air feels tense, awkward. He doesn’t say anything, and you stand in front of him like before, frozen in your place as a wave of anxiety washes you over. You stare at each other, trying to avoid all these feelings rushing through your veins.

“I need to send this email, I’ll be right back.”

He goes back to his apartment, leaving you and your overwhelming feelings alone. You close the door to your apartment and take some time to process everything. Steve is here, your Steve. The boy you once called the love of your life, the only boy you’ve ever loved.

You weren’t sure you were going to see him again. You gave up on it a few months ago, knowing it would take a miracle to see him again. And he was so close to you all this time.

When you hear the knock on the door again, you open it faster this time. Steve stands up in front of you, watching your tears roll down your cheeks. He wraps his arms around your body, hugging you so tightly as if you were going to disappear. Your arms hug his torso, letting your head fall against his chest for a second before your sighs turn into sobs.

“I can’t believe it’s really you,” Steve whispers, convincing himself to not let you go. He fears the alarm will go off and he will have to wake up from his dream. 

“I know, it feels like a dream, please don’t let go,” you say, as if you were reading his mind all this time. 

“I won’t”

Steve rests his chin on your head, letting his own tears fall. You stay in the hug for a long time, feeling his warmth against your body, and his arms push you closer to him. You dig your fingers in his back, wanting to feel him more and wishing for this not to be some sick joke.

He places one of his hands on your head, kissing your forehead, before leaning back and searching for your face.

“Hi,” you say as you look at him, tears on his face just like yours.

“Hi,” he smiles, slightly. You do the same, looking at every inch of his face. Remembering all the moles your mind seemed to forget with the time.

You admire each other, letting your mind take you back to Hawkins and all those years you spent together.

“I missed you so much,” he says, slicing the awkward silence with a knife, now rubbing your back and trying to get you relaxed. As your sobs stop, you let go of him and invite him inside.

“I missed you too.” You smile again. The inches separating you are killing you, but there’s too much to say and feel.

“You stopped calling,” Steve says, with a sour tone in his voice you’ve never heard before.

“The phone works both ways.” You bite back, crossing your arms in front of your chest. Protecting you from what’s coming.

“I-” Steve mutters, avoiding your eyes and looking all over the room.

“You? What? Did you forget about me?” you ask. “We made a promise.”

The mix of feelings that sit right at the top of your chest starts to reveal themselves. It’s all so confusing, and you weren’t prepared for this. You want to blame him for the time lost, but you know it’s also your fault.

“Why are you bringing this up right now? I saw you for the first time at a fucking bus stop and thought I was going crazy. It’s too much!”

Steve feels relieved; his mind wasn’t betraying him, and he wasn’t going crazy. It was really you—the new you. 

“Just say the truth. You didn’t answer my call when I got into college or when I moved in.”

“You called?”

“I called your house since you didn’t reply to my texts or emails. No one answered.”

“I got into a fight with them, and I moved in with Hopper. I was having a hard time, I’m sorry.”

He confesses. You see the way his lips turn into a pout, his tears threatening to fall again.

“What happened?”

“I messed up, had to retake a year.”

"Oh,” it’s the only thing you can think of. Some things made sense, but you still had a lot of questions.

“I didn’t tell you because I was embarrassed and so disappointed in myself. No one heard about you, or your family, so I thought you didn’t want to see me, and I had the feeling you were fine without me.”

“We had to move again, two times. But this is the college of our dreams, I didn’t see you here the first year. I thought you chose a different one.”

“You know me, I don’t break promises.”

He looks back at you again, it takes everything in him not to walk to you and kiss you. It takes everything in you to not do the same.

“Listen, I have an interview today, but can we have dinner? I still have a lot of things to say, a lot of things to ask, and it’s been so long.” you blur out. 

“Sure, I have a shift at the coffee shop, so I’ll see you at seven?”

“Yeah, that’s okay, Where do you work?” you ask, suddenly shivering. It’s really him, this isn’t a dream.

“In a coffee shop that’s on Main,” he replies, “I know you never go there, I would’ve seen you.”

“I’ve been busy.”

Right. Diana mentioned a boyfriend. His heart suddenly stops, fearing that he is seeing you again just to lose you again.

“I know,” he says, resting his hands on his hips, looking around the room to avoid your eyes again. “Good luck on your interview.”

“Thank you, good luck on your shift." You can feel the awkwardness coming back, the uncomfortable silence threatening to come back. “I’ll see you at seven!”

“I’ll pick you up here,” he says, You can only nod before he turns his back on you. 

"Stevie,” you say. He is about to open his front door when he hears your voice again.

“Yes?” he says, turning his head slightly to see you. He missed that nickname, you are the only one who calls him like that. 

You want to keep talking and confessing your true feelings right now, but you have things to do. He is more important than everything else, you got him back, you don’t want to waste time. 

“Say hi to Robin for me.” 

He nods, then walks into his apartment. You close the door of yours once again.

Fear and excitement occupy most of your brain right now. You are praying for him to still want you, to love you back as much as you've loved him this whole time. Being his best friend would be a great start, but being back to be his love sounds even better.

IV. You are the best thing that's ever been mine.

Steve paces around his apartment, Robin and Chrissy are back, and they watch him mumble something under his breath. 

“Everything will be fine, you will talk to her and get back together,” Robin says.

“What if she has a boyfriend? What if she is in love with someone else?” 

“You can always steal her away, Robin did that to me." Chrissy joins the conversation. 

They have been talking about you for hours. Steve decided to exchange his shift and stay home while Robin was taking her day off. He was too distracted to go to work today. 

“Dingus. Stop it! You are making me dizzy." Robin gets up, reaching for Steve’s hands and making him look at her. “You’ll see her when she is back, you are going to take her to that restaurant and talk like the adult you are. Okay?”

"Hot,” Chrissy blurs out.

“Thank you, sweetheart." Robin looks at her and winks. 

“Gross, get a room, you two!”  Steve’s disgusted face makes both girls laugh. 

“You can do it, dingus. You’ll get her back.” 

“I’m not sure if she feels the same or if I feel the same.”

“Didn’t you say she hugged you so tight you almost ran out of breath? That’s a good sign.” Robin’s hands travel to Steve’s shoulders, shaking him up and trying to wake him up from whatever nightmare he is making up in his head. 

“And don’t start. You’ve been rejecting girls, having failed dates, and looking like a lost puppy whenever you see a girl that looks slightly like her. You two are still in love, from what you tell me and from what I feel.”

“You are right, I'm still in love with her. But it’s been a long time. I changed, she changed too.”

“Changes are good, I know it because it was hard for me to accept the real me, but I took that step because I wanted to be free,” Robin confesses, stopping Steve from giving up. “Talk. Try. You met again for a reason, don’t let that go to waste.” 

Steve nods. “What would I do without you?” He hugs Robin for a minute before hearing some voices in the hallway. He hears the front door open and close, which means you and Diana made it home. 

“You’ll be lost without me! Good luck, dingus.”

“Go get your girl, Steve!” 

Steve walks to your door and knocks, to his surprise, Diana opens the door. 

"Hi,” he says nervously. “Is she here?” 

“Yeah, she will be ready in five.”

"Alright,” Steve says, his hands clammy again, and he finds himself shaking. 

“So, you are the guy she has been talking about nonstop.” 

“I guess yes,” he replies, feeling his heart racing again. You’ve talked about him. 

“Good for you,” Diana says, before you step in. 

"Hi,” you say, looking at Steve again. You find this odd, but you are thanking whatever it was that brought him to you again. 

"Hi,” he replies, his gaze heavy on you as he takes everything in. Your soft voice, the sweet smell of your perfume. 

“Home by ten!” Diana jokes, making you laugh and shake off the anxiety that took over your body. 

You walk away from the apartments, with Steve by your side. He glances at him from time to time, and you do the same. 

“How was your shift?” you ask him, trying to get rid of the awkward feeling that washes over you again.

“I didn’t go. Too distracted for it,” he says, looking over at you as you walk to the parking lot. “How was your interview?”

"Good,” you sigh, not wanting to ramble about it at this moment. “I hope I get the job.”

“You will, you can do anything,” he says when you reach his car, noticing it looks the same way as before. 

Nothing has changed, just time. Everything feels the same, like it froze, letting time pass over it without a single consequence. 

Steve looks at you, his brows knit in a frown, and he is almost chewing his lip.

“If you want to ask something, just do it,” you say, making him shiver. “I know you, maybe not so well anymore, but I do.”

“What if your boyfriend sees us?” he asks.

A chuckle falls from your lips, shaking your head and pushing the hair out of your face.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,  he broke up with me yesterday, and I saw it coming. I’m over it.”

“Oh, do you want to talk about it? We can stay at home, i can leave you alone, and we can reschedule our dinner because i don’t want you to feel like you.”

“I’m still in love with you,” you interrupt, confessing. With a soft look in your eyes, Steve gets lost in them. “I’m sorry, I can't waste any more time. I need to get this out of me. I’ve been looking for you in everyone, everywhere. You are here, and you look the same, I know time has passed, but I believe my love for you has kept you exactly as I remember you.”

Steve doesn’t know what to do, the truth is, he has been waiting to hear those words for a long time. He has been waiting to see you, to hug you, and to kiss you.

“I’m still in love with you too,” he says, running his fingers through his hair, pushing his golden locks back. The sun is setting completely, and you can still see how it shines. “I never got over you, I was forced to move on because i felt like I didn’t deserve you. And I never wanted us to fall apart, I needed you all this time.”

He gets closer to you, his chest almost bumping into yours. He hesitates to kiss you in the moment, even to touch your hand. The setting reminds him of the last time he saw you, your last night at Hawkins.

“If you want, we can try to make up for the lost time and give it another try.”

“I’d love that.”

He gets closer now, with your confession turning into an invitation. Steve places both of his hands on your cheeks, rubbing the soft skin with his thumbs. It takes you back to that night, it feels like you are relieving that moment just to make it right this time.

“Baby-” he is so close to your lips, his words tingle your lips, and you never stop looking into his eyes. Those sweet brown eyes you missed so much.

“I’ve missed that, honey." He laughs at the nickname, but it still makes him shiver and smile like a little kid.

“And I’ve missed you, kiss, please?”

Steve nods, pressing his lips against yours. It’s a soft, slow kiss. You can feel the breeze of the cold night on your face as you flush when Steve leans his head to the side to trap your bottom lip between his lips to taste you. You close your eyes, savoring the moment. One thing you forgot and cried for every night was this.

His warm lips against yours, his taste. His hands squeeze your cheeks as you press your body against his.

It’s the first kiss since that night, two years have passed, and this still feels so familiar. So safe. The kiss is even sweeter thinking of all the time you’ve dreamed about this, of all the unspoken feelings you communicate to each other with everything your lips brush.

When air is needed, you lean your head back a bit. You giggle at the same time, and he places a kiss on your forehead. Happiness takes over you, it feels like floating.

“I still have that beanie baby, you know?”

“I do, Teddy.”

“Don’t call me that!” You hit his arm slightly, and he chuckles while rubbing his arm dramatically.

“It’s cute, it suits you,” he says, leaving a peck on your lips, resting his hands on your hips this time.

“It’s ridiculous!” You scrunch up your nose, and he leans in to smooth it off with a kiss. “Let’s go eat, I’m starving.”

“Only if my dessert is going to be this sweet girl, the universe got back to me,” he says, picking you up, his arms hugging your waist. You can feel your feet dangling in the air. You tangle your arms around his neck so you don’t fall when he spins you around.

“Yes, yes, I'll be your dessert!” You giggle as you feel his lips on your cheeks, and when he stops, you peck his soft cheeks back. “In which house?”

“Oh, I don’t know, it depends on how loud you are.”

“Stevie!” Your cheeks glow red, and he laughs at your sudden flushed face.

“I’m joking! we‘ll figure it out later." He doesn't stop hugging you, even when he puts you down, your feet are now touching the concrete of the parking lot.

“Which one?” you ask, teasingly. Trying to hold back the giggle that is about to escape your lips.

“Both!” Steve says.

You get back in his car, and he proposes the idea of repeating everything you did that last night but with a different ending. You find a nice diner, not as nice as the one outside Hawkins,but it does the job. The old jukebox is there to dance after you eat burgers and fries and you end up stealing his cherry again.

When he picks up the sun, you get up from the booth where you are sitting and run up to him. One of your arms rests around his neck, and the other hand is holding your hand. He interlocks his fingers with yours while his free hand sits on your waist. He pushes you to his chest, the closest he can get you to him, and you start to sway around the checkered floor of the diner. Dancing like nobody's watching, again.

“You are the best thing that’s ever been mine, baby." He sings along with the song before kissing you again.

“I’ve always been yours, honey”

This night is even more magical than the last one, and you’ll have tons of them.

tags: all @munsonology @emistrash @livsters @paybacksawitch @ali-r3n @keeksandgigz @babybatlover @fanfictionlover277353 / steve @stveharringtn @double-vision-in-a-rose-blush

please please reblog to support your creators! comments are appreciated !! my ask is always open if you have any feedback. thank you so much for reading ♡

[ash5monster01]

More Than You Know

Pairing: Steve Harrington x FemReader(Plus-size!)

Warnings: fat shaming, body image issues, swearing, angst, lots of yelling, fluff

Summary: You had liked Steve since the day you met but you never entertained the idea of being with him because you figured a popular guy like him would never date a girl your size. Coming to terms with this didn’t mean you’d stop defending him in a world full of ungrateful girls. So you reach your breaking point when you’re sick and tired of watching girls miss out on something that would be so good for them. Thing was, Steve heard everything you had to say.

word count: 2047

Masterlist

“Looking good today Lola” you could practically see the smirk on Steve’s face from the sound of his voice. Looking up you saw his eyes trained on the blonde beside you, who had yet to put returns you had finished rewinding back on the shelf, her nail file much to important.

Lola Grant was everything you were not. Blonde, primp, perfect. Steve loved her for all of those things including her tiny waist. You on the other hand hated her for all of those things. She wore dresses with flower patterns and you still wore the same tattered converse, ripped and worn in all the best ways. Your jeans and Motley Crue T-shirt didn’t compare. You were not the same.

“Thanks Stevie” you hated the nickname, especially how it brought a smile the shaggy haired boys face.

“I was wondering if you were free Friday night, I’m having a movie night with the kids and was wondering if you wanted to join?” you had lost count of all the attempts Steve had made to ask the girl out. There had to of been a billion by now.

“Sorry Steve but that sounds pathetic spending Friday night with underage kids” she sneered, meanness dripping from her tone. Steves smile faltered only slightly and despite how much you hated him for still trying he was still your friend.

“Then what’s your ideal date Lola?” your tone was sharp, accusatory, and just plain angry that she couldn’t see how great a guy he was. Not that she deserved him anyway.

“A fancy dinner, wine, making out in a movie theater, third base in the back of a BMW. Nothing to do with babysitting” she responded promptly. Steve hummed with satisfaction, a dopey grin on his face. The sentence immediately making him forget how rude she was in the first place. His mind now only in the backseat of a BMW.

“Classy” you quipped, and she offered a forced smile but knew you were judging her. Yet a girl like you didn’t really get under her skin. How could you when you guys weren’t even in the same league of girls.

“We could do something else, maybe a movie?” you didn’t hide the roll of your eyes as Steve tried again.

“Maybe another time Stevie, I’m busy this weekend” a lie and you knew it, and maybe he did too. Finally picking up the stack of tapes you rewinded she moved off to place them on shelves.

“Get real Steve” you snipped, the moment she was out of ear shot.

“What’s your deal?” he asked and you shook your head, amused he couldn’t see how shitty she was.

“My deal is that girl sucks, you’ve got so much more going for you” you said pushing a new tape into the machine and hitting rewind. Steve moved behind the counter, taking Lola’s previous spot.

“She doesn’t suck, she’s cool and hot. Hard to get but I don’t give up” he smirked as he crossed his arms and you groaned, annoyed that he was so blinded by her fake appearance. She was nothing more than a girl who peaked in high school and Steve was so much more.

“She’s not cool nor is she hot. Don’t you ever think? If she actually had anything going for her she wouldn’t still be stuck here working in a video store” your anger caused the words to rattle out and Steves face dropped.

“Wonder what you think of me then?” you instantly realized your mistake and began shaking your head. You wished Robin wasn’t at school and was here to defend you.

“That’s not what I meant Steve-” but he was already shaking his head in offense and pushing himself off the counter.

“It’s exactly what you meant Y/N” he spoke harshly, hurt by his friend and the words you had spoke as he walked into the back room. Sighing you dropped your head on the counter, upset you pissed him off.

“What’s wrong? Did he deny you?” Lola chuckled as she returned to the counter now free of VHS tapes. Lola viewed life as a social ladder. She was on the top, Steve right below her, which is why she never dated him, and you were all the way on the bottom. She was out of Steve’s reach but you were miles away.

“No Lola, thanks for having faith in me” sarcasm laced your tone as you lifted your head.

“How could I have faith in you, you’ve never had a date in your life” she chuckled, annoyed you gave her so much crap when she saw you as absolutely nothing. She didn’t even think Steve should be talking to you.

“Shut up Lola” you spoke, not wanting anymore shit, already angry enough.

“You want to know why you haven’t had a date Y/N?” Lola expression turned menacing as she moved towards you, mean girl genes firing through her bones. “Because you’re fat, and weird, and no guy is attracted to that”

“You know what?” normally Lola would get to you, break your heart and allow tears to pool in your eyes. But today was your breaking point. She could treat you as badly as she wanted but you were done with her treating Steve like that.

“What?” her amused expression didn’t falter as she waited for some lame comeback bound to fall from your mouth.

“You’re a bitch Lola. Nothing more than a washed up high school mean girl. You’re gonna spend the rest of your life in this God forsaken town, running though men like their a God damn marathon, until you end up stuck with some creepy old man who knocked you up, and you’ll never be anything more than that girl from high school absolutely everyone hated” Lola was shocked as you continued to raise your voice at her, alerting Steve from the back room.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about” Lola began to shake her head but you were beyond angry now, laughing as you approached her. Steve moved to the door, listening to everything you both said.

“Yes I do, because everyday you treat Steve like shit when he thinks you’re the best thing on earth. Do you know how crazy that is? Steve is the greatest guy I know. He cares for so many people when he doesn’t even have to, including me, he even drives Robin to school everyday even if he doesn’t have to be up for work, because he’s such a great guy. He’s the kind of guy who would treat you right and every day for no fucking reason you tell him no” Lola opened her mouth to speak but you quickly held up a hand, not done with your spiel.

“Not to say you deserve a guy like that because you don’t, and twenty years from now, while your holding your child on the porch of your trailer home, you’re gonna be wishing you said yes to him. Every day I hope he’s gonna walk through those doors and ask me out instead because I know what he’s worth. He may be way out of both our leagues but at least I appreciate him. The only reason he still asks you is because you are the skinny, pretty girl, and that fucking stings. Yet I guess that’s how this cruel world works. So leave us both the fuck alone from now on” heavy breaths left your mouth as you finished, Steve having heard the whole thing, shocked to hear such passion come from you.

“Okay, I’m sorry” Lola muttered, before rushing from behind the counter. “I’m gonna take off, my shift is up anyway”

“Bye” you snipped, and she wore a guilty expression as she quickly collected her things and fled the building. You dropped your head back on the counter, now worked up from the drama. Steve finally walked out the back room, knowing Lola was gone.

“You think I ask her out because she’s prettier than you?” your shoulders tensed at his voice, not realizing he heard the whole thing. “Because you’re way prettier than her”

“Don’t lie to me right now Steve, guys don’t date big girls like me” you looked up as you shook your head at him. Steve didn’t care the enthuse the idea.

“I never asked you out because I thought you were too good for me” you furrowed your eyebrows as he continued to talk anyway. Steve had always thought you were pretty and on top of that you were also the best person he knew.

“I’m nothing special and you’re kinda the coolest person I know. I ask Lola out because she’s the kinda girl I’m gonna end up with, not because of her looks compared to yours. I’m just not good enough for you” you scoffed, not believing a word because you truly had never heard kind words like this before. It was also hard to believe he could feel like same way you had all this time, used to people avoiding you because of your size.

“I’m not looking for the you’re not fat, you’re beautiful speech. You weren’t supposed to hear what I said. So can we just drop it” you said turning away from him, uninterested in this lame attempt at making you feel better. You had accepted your fate a long time ago.

“You are beautiful Y/N. Fuck, why can’t you see that? I never asked you out because you were the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen and I didn’t want to ruin that” tears pooled in your eyes because if you let yourself believe him and it wasn’t true you weren’t sure you’d ever recover.

“You’re a great guy Steve, you wouldn’t ruin anything. I would” Steve’s heart warmed because he heard how you had defended him like that. Not even he thought he was so great and apparently you noticed him more than he thought you did.

“Thank you for defending me, and it made me realize that I do deserve someone who would defend me like that. So go out with me Y/N, and not just because of this whole thing, because I’ve wanted to date you since the day we met” you shook your head, the tears now falling down your face.

“Steve if you hurt me, I just can’t. I wouldn’t be able to handle it” Steve felt his heart break as he looked at you. Really looked at you and he felt terrible he had never made you realize how amazing you were in the first place. He was selfish staying away because you deserved to be shown you were just as beautiful as any girl Steve had dated.

“Let me prove you wrong” he said gripping your arms and you looked up at him, tear filled eyes, and he felt the wind get knocked out of him from the look in your eyes. The fact he never realized you loved him back before was shocking because he could see it written all over your face.

“Okay” you muttered and before you could even react he tugged your lips against his. Arms gripping you for dear life and your eyes were wide as you realized what he had done. He had kissed you and you had never even expected it. Then you realized how soft his lips were, how he tasted like cherries, and his warm mouth soothed every ache in your heart. Your hands gripped his shirt as you settled into the kiss, relaxation taking over you, eyes fluttering shut as he moved to wrap his arms around you. If you had known yelling at Lola would make Steve Harrington kiss you like this you would’ve done it a lot sooner. You weren’t even fully sure you were supporting yourself anymore, knees weak from the fire he has ignited in your stomach.

“Holy shit” Steve panted as he pulled away, a dopey smile on his face, because he had never felt like that from kissing a girl before.

“I know” you panted right along side him and he let out a giddy chuckle, moving to pull you back into his arms.

“I may not deserve you but after that I’m not going down without a fight”

[werdlewrites]

masterlist - ao3 - twitter @ djomamma

summary: “Do you do that a lot?” Dr. Owens questions, briefly resting his chin in a curled fist. “Do what?” She says with the click of her tongue. Her stubborn attitude keeps a grin on the man's face. A look of genuine entertainment no matter the softened glare in her eye or bitterness in the tone. She knows what he’s asking, yet dives out of fire and deflects with sarcasm. A behavior Jim Hopper had warned him of. “Avoid a challenging situation with humor. We all know why you’re here–why you came back for another session. But you,” he takes a pause as his fingers flick through the air in gesture. “dance around the topic.” wc: 2,672 warnings: therapy, hallucination, denial

It’s December twenty-first, and the air has grown colder. The snowfall was heavier - collecting on the ground and piling up against the windows. There’s laughter in the air. It’s heard throughout the small town of Hawkins as she passes them by in the early morning. There’s a lack of empathy - but more so, envy. The teenage girl expects to find her burden lifted - space given up and freed for more joy, rather than sorrow. Yet, despite last night's confessions, there’s a shocking lack of relief. A soul that aches and pleas beneath the ticking of the clock. The race of an anxious heart as she stares out at the white expanse, searching for what she longed for.

A moment of peace.

His voice is buried by her thoughts. Muffled questions eventually come to a halt as he takes notice of her attention elsewhere. He even spares a glance toward that same window, finding nothing of importance. The doctor is patient and kind. Holding out a hand to stall the officer at the other end of the room, who was prepared to break the spell. Dr. Owens simply lets her be. Let her wallow in it until she’s ready to come out from hiding all on her own.

Like a wounded dog reaching out to a hand of kindness. It’s frightened expression finally fades as it pokes its head out from the comforting shadows. Timidly accepting the gift of love when trust was hard to find.

Or, a lost child. Standing on two weak legs with only the company of tall trees. Finding safety in their shade but moving further into nothingness as they wander in hopes of discovering someone to guide them home. Dr. Owens would act as her guide, should she need him.

The girl's statuesque form slowly melts in the passing seconds. A deep breath was seen with the rise of her chest as though she had been suffocating. A sudden blink of her eyes in sudden awareness before they fall on her therapist. “D’you say something?”

He could become frustrated by her drifting attention span, yet all he can do is smile kindly. “I was asking about the beginning.”

It's with those few words that her demeanor changes. She’s slumped in the seat with arms crossed over her chest, chewing at her bottom lip with a leg swaying back and forth. It’s a topic of discomfort - hell, this entire session and the ones to follow were nothing short of fearful. Addressing the already known and digging at the roots, hoping to bring light to an unknown darkness.“The beginning?”

He only nods in reply, still wearing that same grin while her focus veers off in thought. Her answer does nothing to sway him. Instead, the look of amusement grows. “Roughly four billion years ago. But, who’s t’say there was nothin’ before dinosaurs? Everyone has different opinions.”

The sheriff’s disappointed sigh is painfully audible as all falls into silence. Even without his presence, you could envision fingers pressed deep into tired eyes out of frustration. Teenagers - especially stubborn ones, were a challenge on an entirely new level. One neither man had experience with.

“Do you do that a lot?” Dr. Owens questions, briefly resting his chin in a curled fist.

“Do what?” She says with the click of her tongue.

Her stubborn attitude keeps a grin on the man's face. A look of genuine entertainment no matter the softened glare in her eye or bitterness in the tone. She knows what he’s asking, yet dives out of fire and deflects with sarcasm. A behavior Jim Hopper had warned him of. “Avoid a challenging situation with humor. We all know why you’re here–why you came back for another session. But you,” he takes a pause as his fingers flick through the air in gesture. “dance around the topic.”

Her gaze flickers between an opened notepad with its pen resting at the hinge, to the recorder just at the corner of his desk. She wonders about the emptiness. The long spans of silence she allows and if you could picture a cold stare matched with the response. “I don’t know when it really began. It’s all I’ve known.”

Blue eyes cast up toward the ceiling in thought. Lips pursed as a hum rattles within his chest. He’s thinking of where to go next - what to ask. How to keep her on this path without detour. And maybe, for a moment, she finds some sympathy for the man. Autumn had come here willingly, yet refused to chip away at her walls. Ignored the weak spots with purpose - to remain ignorant despite a yearning to know.

“Someone was in the mirror. In the walls.” Her admission is softened and almost shameful. Looking down at her bouncing knees as she feels his focus shift back toward her. “Every mirror. Every wall. I could hear them-”

“Them?” He interrupts. His arms now fallen to tangle together as his torso leans inward, invested. “Multiple voices?”

Again, dull eyes fall on the frosted glass and the snow carried by a gust of wind. “I don’t know,” the teen replies with a heavy sigh. “I can’t remember what it all sounded like. I just–I just remember-”

The faucet was left running. Steam building and rising to ghost along the surface of her reflection. She had lost track of time - gaining a lack of direction when so many fingers pointed back at her. Autumn had never been the ‘new girl’ until now. Unaware of childish behaviors and fears as they dodged her in the hallways. Or the opposite eagerness to steal the open seat at her side, like Steve had, ready to make a new friend.

Autumn simply went elsewhere. Entrapped in old familiarities of her home and the kind words her father gave, all left on repeat to give comfort. It isn’t until the scalding water splashes against her wrist that she’s pulled into the present, hastily turning the nozzle back until the water ceases.

At first, it’s soft. Murmurs that almost seemed like a hushed conversation at her back, hidden behind stall doors. When she looks, there are no small feet in the misty glass. No bookbags to suggest she wasn’t alone.

Then, a fingerprint. A young girl can see every ridge until it fully flattens. The spot is now clear of steam, leaving beads of water to drip and clear the way. There’s no more voice. Only the achingly loud beat of a racing heart echoed in her ears. It carves out a message at a slow pace. Line by tedious line until it reads a simple, “Hello.”

Figures of classmates fill her vision - small and talking with excitement as they enter the bathroom together. One takes notice of Autumn and the look of fright in her eyes, asking if she is okay in a sweet tone. The girl points to the mirror, talking excitedly about something unnatural. And while she sees every letter so clearly, they only see the dampened surface.

That’s when the fear began.

The fear of Autumn Reid.

“What happened?” The Doctor questions. His icy eyes cast downward to his paper, writing every small detail down of a girl's pitiful story as she spirals into psychosis. The way those few girls ran from the bathroom, terror in their eyes. How they confided in some random teacher, who then reported it to higher-ups, dragging the girl to the office so she could wait for her father and address concerns.

A doctor visits their home, though Autumn can’t recall him giving any attention to her ailments, speaking with Ian instead. What’s the worth of a child's word, anyway? Drowned out and small as they stand beneath the shadow of giants.

“I think my medication was increased. Things…sort of fizzled out, after. But never really stayed gone.” Her eyes look beyond the man - to the organized clutter spread out along the table just behind him. The still Newton’s Cradle, stacks of various books on mental health, and the sticky notes that spilled out between pages. And the tall plant that stood in the sunlight. Its plastic leaves shine but never need the life nature gives. For a moment, she sees her father's ugly-colored walls and dark furniture. The file cabinets and cases that lined the walls just before she destroyed it.

Ripped her home apart piece by piece to escape the monster wearing human flesh. Picturing the dirt beneath her nails as she climbed the steps, finding her room and beloved plants flipped and tattered with purpose. It brings about a sudden ache. A strike of lighting to the base of her skull radiates and burns through every nerve as it dances. Autumn suddenly feels too heavy. She allows her body to collapse forward with her palms opened for her head to rest.

“What’s happening?” the doctor questions. His face twisted with concern though it goes unnoticed by the girl as she rubs at her eyes. A pitiful attempt to wipe away the images stained within them. “Nothing,” she nearly spits out. Forcefully prying her head away to meet his eyes, while her arms hang loose between parted knees. Even without seeing the exhaustion in her eyes, by her mere tone he can tell it was a lie. The girl was haunted. You could feel the chill of ghosts that followed her wherever she went. Stuck to her ankles by shackles she had no strength to break free from.

“Are you sleeping well?”

She can’t help the genuine, huff of a laugh that escapes. Not at him - more, the reality of her life. Kids her age sleep soundly, tucked in their beds. Or maybe their insomnia takes hold and keeps them up for late hours - something easily explained. Unlike the horrors that crept through her nightmares. Unlike the demon that wore Steve’s face. A vessel used to incite fear and confusion. “I can’t remember the last time I slept through the night.”

Dr. Owens's chin rests in his palm. Pen tilts upward and dangerously close to marking his skin. But he seems entranced by this new path the pair have wandered down. “Is it because you can’t? Or don’t want to?” Her heavy sigh is all he needs to confirm what he already knows. Not bothering to make small notes as he holds their connection. Full of sincerity. “What are you avoiding? Is it…this feeling of vulnerability? Something you see, perhaps.”

Tired eyes narrow into a glare as she puts her guard back up. Her posture slouched as her back rests against the chair, arms crossed along with a once bouncing leg now laid out over the other. His assumption leaves the teen uncomfortable as it effortlessly hits all of the right notes. As if can see right through her. As if he knows her. “Nightmares?”

“They don’t feel like nightmares. Before, I could just wake up and leave it behind. Whatever I saw. But, I could be here. I could be right here,” her gaze moves down toward her lap. Counting every thread of denim for fear his face will begin to morph into something else, or someone. Her entire life a mere hallucination as reality breaks apart before her. “And then, I’m not. I’m somewhere else. I’m with someone else.”

Dr. Owens remains silent just across from her. Fingers now curled and pressed to his lips as he watches that wall finally crumble bit by bit. In every word, he can hear her dread. The anxiety of simply acknowledging her madness out loud, and what it did to her. What it did to others. He wants to reach for her and offer some comfort but fights back the impulse to stay seated out of fear she may close back up.

“It’s all so real, but at the same time, it isn’t. I–I can’t always tell if I’m really awake. But, the fear-”

“The fear you feel is real,” he interjects. Watching as his words slowly sink in and the way she hesitantly nods in agreement. The subtle movement of her finger as it pulls the sleeve aside to reveal clean skin, before concealing herself once more. He doesn’t question it but makes a quick note with frantic movement.

The clock ticks on and he finds himself taking fewer and fewer notes. Keeping his focus on the girl as she hesitantly carves out every demon to set free. But they linger. Stuck to her like glue and the moment she describes what she’s seen in the night or the light of day, they crawl back into their shell. Forever part of her and unwilling to let go.

Autumn brings up her father's behavior in their final days together. Irritable, and filled with lies. Confrontational and desperate to get a grip on something he was losing. How she doesn’t remember the words spoken in their fight, only of what came after. Almost as if she woke up in the parking lot of that grocery store. The girl says she knows what he was like. How he listened to her troubles with an openmindedness, giving the only advice he felt appropriate.

“Let them in.”

Or the way he pushed and guided her through these changes in her mind. Ways to cope and accept it, rather than shy away from the unfamiliar. He wanted this. So, why did he leave her in the end? When he saw what she could do? Why did he favor his project, while his daughter was achieving the unimaginable?

The session lasts for over an hour - it’s evident in the change of light and the purposeful cough from the officer just outside of the office, in the hallway. Hopper wants it all to move slowly. No pressure, and no overextended visits so her mental health could recover. And she caves to his call as her bag is slung across her shoulder.

“One moment,” Owens states, quick to stand from his seat behind the desk, leaving Autumn frozen in place, watching as he digs through a duffle bag. What emerges is a large box neatly concealed in wrapping paper. The closer it gets, the more she can make out Candy Canes and Christmas Stockings with kittens stuffed inside. And as she holds it, she can’t help but give him a puzzled look.

“I’m sorry about the paper,” he says with a sheepish laugh. “I couldn’t find anything else.” The girl remains quiet. Fingers locked around the smooth edges with a brow raised in his direction, waiting for some sort of explanation. “Tomorrow is your birthday, isn’t it?”

“W–well, yeah. But, this can’t be appropriate, right? You’re my therapist.” Her words seem to ignite something in the bored officer. The rustle of his pants is heard in the silence as he rounds the corner, standing just after the doorway to fully understand what was happening. The doctor merely offers up a hand of peace, smiling.

“It’s really nothing. Please, I insist. Take it as a sign of…trust? Friendship?”

Autumn casts a quick look over her shoulder for reassurance from her guardian, and he gives it with a small shrug of his shoulders. He’d inspect it first, most likely. Deem it safe enough to remain in her possession. No wires or ticks–just a simple gift.

“It’s a game,” he confesses. As if the secret had been bubbling up and he could no longer withstand the pressure of it. “All about strategy. A useful thing to practice, as everything here…can apply to your life. Be aware of your surroundings. Trust in your gut, and make the move. Don’t be held back by your fears.”

Confused, her focus shifts from the heavy box to his face multiple times. Unsure of what to do or say while he seemed so passionate about a gift to a girl he hardly knew. She forces a weary smile as the distance between them grows. His hands clasped before him with a prideful look in his eyes. “Happy Birthday, Ms. Reid.”

[allthesespoonsareknives]

this is what im looking like on day 23 of camp nanowrimo. Feeling pretty good about it. I'm only on, i think, chapter 5? might be 4. bc one chapter is 11k or so. 😅 i might cut it in half when I'm finished before i post but we'll see what happens.

i really really want to finish this. i also have a sequel planned but it's like angsty and bittersweet. but it would be so good.

[skittlesshelf]

I didn't reblog Warm because I was so hungry to get to this one, but I'm forcing myself to slow down long enough to share this one because you deserve it. This is so comfortable and cozy and lovely. Andy feels so real, and Steve's falling feels so natural. I just want to sink into a warm bath of this fic and live in it for the rest of the month.

It's been a long time since i've read OFC instead of reader inserts, but I honestly relate more to Andy than I have any reader in a long time

Maybe, probably, definitely

college!steve harrington x f!oc

A continuation of Warm. Steve and Andy are keeping things casual... or maybe not.

18+ 90s au in which I fuck with the timeline, smut, two scrungly idiots in love, Robin and Eddie being Robin and Eddie, generally a fun little silly little time okay? okay.

.................................................

“Nah, I don’t think so.”

“Please, it’s so obvious.”

“I just think it’s unlikely, is all. He had like, women losing their minds over him, still does.”

“Okay, and? Have you seen the videos of him and Clarence kissing?” Easy, easy, and warm in her little corner kitchen, something steaming and savory stirring in the pot on the stove, her hip bumping against his every time she steps away and back to add a pinch or a glug of something else to the soup, making his cheeks round and pinken every time she slides half a smile his way. He laughs, shakes his head, and she pulls a face at him, pointing her wooden spoon at his chest.

“What’s so unbelievable about Bruce being bisexual?” 

“Nothing, nothing, I just don’t think there’s enough evidence for or against your theory yet.”

“So you’re a Springsteen agnostic?” Two bowls and two spoons and one bowl and one spoon is for him, and how lovely, how lovely to have a place here with her, slipping into her spot in front of the stove to serve them both while she slices a few pieces of bread.

“Gonna have to see a little more evidence, honey.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep building my case. Robin agrees with me, you know.” He’s not sure what he makes of Andy and Robin being friends before they had even been introduced. It had caught him off guard, Andy coming with him to one of Eddie’s gigs, and her and Robin chatting with an easy familiarity. Robin had failed to mention that they’re both in some kind of feminist consciousness-raising group on campus, and have been for two years. 

“Well, Robin thinks everyone’s a little gay so, I’m still not convinced.” Darkness On the Edge of Town is crackling and crooning in her cassette deck, Springsteen walking Streets of Fire, sending them both into a little sway at the counter, the light turning blue and dim in the little square window above the sink, frost filaments and threads around the edges of the panes. And the bread she’s slicing is from some friend of a friend who’s gotten into sourdough, because Andy has friends who get into sourdough, though when she pulls the loaf apart it looks more like chewed gum than bread in the middle. They make do with a few tortillas fried and folded with a fistful of cheese in a pan instead, settling down around each other with steaming bowls on the couch. 

“Oh hey, Syl, hey, baby.” The baby in question is digging her claws into his pants leg and crawling up his thigh. Steve hadn’t met Sylvia until the third or fourth time he stayed over, woken up from a deep, warm sleep to something tugging at his scalp. He thought it had been Andy being a little mean in that way he likes, a halfway delirious smile spreading and bleary eyes opening and he had been very wrong, met with the sight of a creature curled up next to his face and chewing on the ends of his hair. Emphasis on the word creature, not cat, no. And when he returned to his own apartment that morning and told Robin he met Sylvia, she had promptly said oh, the ballsack cat, yeah. He was inclined to agree with her on that title, and is still inclined to agree now, watching the hairless animal’s wrinkles curl and fold as she climbs up his chest, bap, bap, bapping at his throat while Steve holds his bowl of soup overhead and out of her swiping range. Andy keeps telling him that Sylvia likes him, even as she curls her hand around the cat’s middle to peel her off him, her claws catching in his sweater and she really likes you, Stevie. Yeah, he’s not so sure about that. But Andy’s cooed Stevie softens him, just a little. 

“Are you playing this weekend?” 

“Yeah, just a round robin thing on Saturday with some other teams.”

“Can I come watch?

“If you want to, I don’t know if it’s gonna be that interesting though.” Andy had come to watch a few of his club basketball games last weekend, and yeah, maybe a little puff of pride in his chest, maybe hustling a little faster, maybe taking more shots. And afterward, when his team mates asked him if that was his girl cheering for him on the bleachers, he had sniffed, and pointedly informed them that she’s not a girl, she’s a woman. 

“On the contrary, I think those shorts you wear are very interesting.”

“Are you objectifying me right now?” Her thumb and forefinger pinch together, smile scrunching to the side as she tries to hold in a laugh. 

“What can I say, you have a very objectifiable ass.” 

“I knew it, knew you just wanted me for my body.” An easy shuffle, both of them dissolving in a breath of laughter and soup bowls being set aside and Andy’s aw poor baby, how’s it feel coming out breathless as she settles her thighs around his hips, making him bark a single high note when her hands creep down his back and down into his back pockets and squeezing as best she can with her hands squished between him and the couch.

“If you rip these tights I’m never kissing you again.” His hands wandering, bunching up the dark green fabric of her dress, pretty thing that he watched flutter around her shins on the walk from class to her apartment. He palms her ass, fingers pressing greedy into the fat covered by knit brown tights, little pinch, little pull of the fabric and snapped back, making her huff at him.

“I don’t think I could if I tried. They’re fucking thick, how am I gonna get you out of these, huh?”

“It’s cold out, Steven. I need them to stay warm.” And of course, of course, if she pitches one down the middle he’s gonna swing, his grin turning smarmy as he tilts his chin up to smack a kiss to her mouth that lands more on her cheek with the way she ducks him, him mouthing into her skin I’ll keep you warm, honey. 

Andy cut all her hair off recently, leaving a spiky bob that’s a little too short to be called a bob and he likes it. Before, he’d hide his face in the fan of her hair, tucking his nose into the juncture of her neck and breathing deeply. Now it’s wildly easy access to let his mouth drag up the column of her throat, making her squirm in his hands, little tug to his hair where her fingers are threaded through mean. And somewhere in the background the piano is spilling out a desperate tune and Clarence is breathing hard into his sax and Bruce is whining in that dark rasp about proving it all night, girl, I’ll prove it all night for your love and he’s humming the words into her sternum while they stumble and shrug off the couch, a small whirlwind of him rucking her dress up and up and off and she’s in nothing but that damn pair of tights, her spine curling beneath his hands when he ducks his head down and presses the open heat of his mouth over her nipple, long sigh, and another stumble up against the wall next to her bedroom door. 

He’s doomed, he knows it. How badly he wants her, and when he gets her, how needy, how greedy. Got up at seven this morning to walk across campus and shovel her stoop because she had complained about nearly slipping the other day, and it was worth it when she came down still in her robe and soft an sleepy and pulled him inside to press kisses to the already red tips of his ears and his cheeks and his nose, let him sit with a warm cup of coffee and watch her roll those tights up her legs while she told him about a paper she’s writing about Jane Ussher’s conception of critical realism. He did his best to listen, to hold onto the details even as his brain wandered to the soft drop of her breasts as she leaned over herself. And it’s extra terrible, he thinks, that she seems to want him just as much, or close to it, at least, her hands slipping up under his sweater, the light scratch of her nails against his stomach, swallowing the whine that loosens in his chest when her fingers dip under the waistband of his jeans. Hands and teeth and tongues and give and take and an indignant chirp from somewhere at their feet when he steps on what he’s pretty sure was a paw, a murmured sorry ball– sorry, Sylvia when he closes the bedroom door before the cat can slip inside with them because no, not making that mistake again. And when he turns back around, he finds her standing there devastatingly smug, because she knows, she knows how freakishly foolish she has turned him, her hands on her hips and still in her tights and that little spill of softness over the waist of them and he wants to put his mouth there, there, and bite down just a little. Normal want, right? Right. 

“Come here.” She says it again, quiet c’mere with her shoulder hiked up and her cheek dropped to the slope of it and he’s never saying no to that, bare feet padding and hands finding the soft spill of her waist, her hips, tugging down and down and down on his knees and he’s got her laughing with how he holds onto her ankle to help her step out of the rolled-down fabric of her tights, pressing a kiss to the notch of bone there for good measure. Being with her, around her, he finds himself doing things he would have scoffed at, things the king would have scoffed at. But she makes him feel young and dumb in that giddy, good way, new, makes him forget the rules he had made for himself to make things like this easier. There is nothing, he has realized, that has been quite like this. 

For all the teasing, all the little taunts, she’s gentle where it counts. Makes him feel like something good, something real beneath her hands and her mouth, gentle when she pulls off his sweater and smooths back his hair from his face, always doing that with a kiss pressed to a temple, his brow, the crinkle that pulls next to his eye because he’s always smiling like a fool around her. And when they’re both bare, a little breathless from all the little pets, little kisses, curled around each other with her duvet tugged down around their hips because sweat is starting to build and pool in the soft hollows of their skin, they hold onto each other through the soft shake of it, hips and bellies and that sweet, simple sate. He comes with his face pressed against her heart, sweat and salt stinging his eyes and her hands holding him steady and she hums his name as a high sound in her throat, and he thinks that this could maybe, probably, definitely be called love. 

“Hmm.”

“Hmm?” He can see the shadow of her smile, the streetlight outside casting a warm wash over the bed, shadows of snowfall speckled on her cheek.

“Should probably get a shower.”

“Probably.” Even as he says it he’s pulling her closer, her feet hooked around his ankles, bare chest to bare chest and her hands tucked under his arms, thumbs brushing down the rungs of his ribs, sweat cooling a little humid, the beat of their hearts lulling slow in the aftermath.

“I don’t have class in the morning, do you?”

“At eleven, macroeconomics.”

“How bleak, gonna solve the debt crisis?”

“For you, I’ll try.”

“Oh please, Steve, you can’t just say stuff like that.” Little shove to his chest, though he just holds her tighter.

“Why not?”

“You’re gross. We’re gross.” 

“The grossest, honey.” 

“I like that.”

“What, being gross?”

“No, you calling me honey, I like that. No one’s called me that before, it’s cute.” He likes the feeling of the soft, melting line of her body pressed snug against his, her words breathed out on a sigh somewhere between sleep and not. 

“Noted, honey.” 

“You’re such a dick, Do you wanna do breakfast in the morning?” A quiet mmhmm, mmhmm? mmhmm from both of them. Sleep, he finds, comes easily like this. 

And in the morning, they wake up in a different tangle, both on their stomachs, her arm slung between his shoulder blades and his hand curled around her hip. They move with half-opened eyes and hoarse voices, hot shower and cool bathroom tiles and he’ll just wear his clothes from yesterday to class, he doesn’t care. But she still offers him a clean sweatshirt from that co-op she said she worked at freshman year (don’t laugh, Steven, I had free produce for months) and he puts it on, leaves the hood up to smell more of her while he watches her move around her kitchen from the little table tucked into the corner of the room. Sylvia pads over, sniffs at his bare feet and licks his pinky toe before clawing up the leg of his jeans with her front paws, stretching out and peering up at him. He gives her a cursory pat between her ears, and she doesn’t seem to care for that, a low rumbling noise that sounds like a complaint as she pushes off of his leg and slinks over to settle on the arm of the couch. 

“I have this leftover pumpkin bread, do you want some?” Said over her shoulder while she stirs eggs in a pan, her jeans half-unbuttoned and the hem of her sweater rolled up to expose the bare round of her hip. And it’s a simple thought, but it’s true, he likes looking at her. 

“Is it from the friend who got into sourdough?” 

“Be nice, she just started. And no, it’s from that bakery we went to last weekend.” And so there’s scrambled eggs with sharp cheese, how he likes them, and chopped peppers, how she likes them, and strong coffee, how they both like it, and a heel of pumpkin bread just starting to go stale that they make easy work of, breaking off pieces and dipping it into their coffee, quiet and their knees brushing with how close they are on chairs tucked into her small table. 

He leaves her place with a warm stomach and a swimming mind and the kiss she pressed to his cheek still blooming heat even in the snap of snow and cold. And whatever the professor lectures about in his eleven o’clock class is lost to him, sorry, he’s there but not there. There but still in the doorway of her apartment, and her all but shooing him off because I made you breakfast, that’s enough domesticity for the day, mean but not meaning it. He’d linger in her doorway all day if she let him, he thinks, fail all his classes, be presumed dead to the world, and he’d probably enjoy doing it. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Robin in the kitchen when he gets back to their apartment, dipping a banana directly into the peanut butter jar, and he doesn’t have enough of a mind to scold her for it.

“Nothing’s wrong with me.”

“Where’d you get that sweatshirt? Is it new? I haven’t seen it before.” 

“It’s Andy’s.”

“Oh, that’s what’s wrong with you. Did you sleep over? I didn’t hear you come home last night. How is your lady friend?” A waggle of her eyebrows as she pockets her last bite of banana in her cheek. He tries to side step her, and she mimes his movement easy enough, blocking his exit from their kitchen, her grin spreading. 

“Rob, please, I have a paper I need to–” 

“Oh, oh, I know that look.” And before he can ask her what she means by that she’s already shouting down the hall for Eddie because emergency family meeting is needed in the kitchen, thank you very much.

“What’s going on?” Easier to ride this out, to let Robin tug him into the living room and sit him down, Eddie on her heels.

“Steve’s in love.” 

“What? Robin–”

“Wait, with cool girl? Fuck, what’s her name again?”

“This is seriously none of your business, and–”

“Andy, with the boots, you met her last week.”

“We’re both casual, it’s casual, it’s a casual–”

“That’s right. I like her. Good work, Steven, you somehow found someone normal and cool this time. Remember that last chick?” 

“Hey–”

“With the hair?”

“She was–”

“And that perfume, woof.”

“Andy isn’t–”

“I’m pretty sure she was eating my leftovers out of the fridge, you know.” 

“I’m not–”

“No, really? Wouldn’t put it past her, that girl was—”

“Are you two done yet?” Mercifully, it’s enough to get them to stop their little back and forth, mouths shutting and faces turning to look at him like twin imps. 

“You’re in love, Steve, and before you say something like ugh Robin, no I’m not, ugh Robin, how could you possibly know that, I know these things, okay?”

“I don’t talk like that.” Eddie taps in, Robin standing smug with her arms crossed over her chest.

“She’s right, man, you’ve been kinda, well, yeah.” 

“What does that mean?” And what follows is another volley between his wretched roommates, Steve somewhere in the middle, dumbstruck.

“Sighing around the apartment like a kicked dog.”

“Getting snitty when you’re about to leave for one of your dates.”

“You smile like a freak when she’s around. Like a creepy, beautiful, vaguely Germanic doll.”

“You talk about her all the time. Like, all the time.” 

“You’re in love, man.”

“Indubitably so.”

“Hey, I say congrats, I actually like this one. Rob?” 

“I concur, bring her for dinner, this family meeting is adjourned.” Just like that, Robin rubbing her hands together in one loud clap and Steve doesn't even have a chance to get a word in edgewise, both her and Eddie already in their coats and their shoes and out the door because they both have class in twenty and bye, loverboy. He’s left on the couch in something close to a stupor. 

Maybe, probably, definitely he thinks. Though he’s not going to admit that to Robin or Eddie. God forbid they get one right. 

[pencilscratchins]

i have reached the part of the steddie hyperfixation where i make them domesticated men in their 50s. having a blast! (twitter) [ID in ALT text]

[sheerfreesia007]

Fluffmas #11

Title: Fluffmas #11

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Steve Harrington x OFC!

Author: @sheerfreesia007​

Prompt: Pictures with Santa

Words: 1,080

Warnings: Fluff, kissing

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo, @athalien

Gif Credit: @misanderousmisfit

The chaotic atmosphere of the mall made Steve cringe as he stood in line for photos with Santa. The kids were all buzzing with excited energy as they bickered back and forth about who was going to stand where in the picture, rolling his eyes Steve huffed and looked over the Christmas shopping crowd to spot you rushing towards them with your hands full of bags.

“Stay here.” Steve told the kids before he ducked under the belt divider and began making his way over to you. You beamed up at him a little breathless and he smiled softly at you before shaking his head. “Couldn’t help yourself could you?” he asked teasingly as he easily took the bags from you and began guiding you back to the kids who all cheered when they spotted you.

“I love this time of year, you I can’t help but spoil you all.” you told him happily and Steve chuckled softly before nudging your hip with his. You smiled up at him and leant into his side as you watched the kids all begin bickering once again about where they would all be in the picture.

“Mom and Dad should obviously be on either side of Santa and we’d all fill in the rest of the space.” Dustin argued and Steve smiled softly as he felt you nodding your head against his chest. You and Steve had become the unofficial babysitters of the rambunctious group of kids about a year ago when the whole demodog situation happened. Steve was thankful to have a second person to help him corral the kids since it was such a full time job as it was. But the fact that you considered the two of you the Mom and Dad of the group made a warmth bloom in the pit of his stomach. About six months ago he had caught himself thinking about you in a more romantic way and had yet to gather the courage to tell you.

“What do you think Steve? You think we should be on either side of Santa?” you asked as you tilted your head upwards to stare at him. Steve felt his heart stutter in his chest when he looked down at you and saw your soft smile and sparkling eyes. He smiled gently and bent his head down to rest it against the top of yours.

“Whatever you want is fine with me.” he said fondly and you squealed softly and hugged his middle tightly.

“Then it’s settled.” you said warmly as you turned back to watch the line for photos with Santa grow smaller as your group moved forward.

Soon the line moved quickly and your group found themselves to be the next ones in line. Steve watched as the assistants who were dressed as elves from the North Pole moved people into place around Santa before taking the photo. He was impressed by how efficient they all were while dressed in their ridiculous outfits. But then Steve noticed how focused you were on them and how wide your smile was as you watched, you were completely taken in by the magic of it all.

One of the elves then began to gesture for everyone to come up for your photo. Steve set the bags down to the side of the photographer before moving to go stand on Santa’s opposite side when one of the elves lifted her hand to stop him. He frowned softly at the elf and she began to guide him over to the side that you were standing on as Dustin grinned at him widely from the other side of Santa.

“Stand next to your girlfriend. It’ll make a cute photo.” the elf said as she posed Steve right behind you.

“Oh but-” Steve began to say but then cut himself off when he saw the blush lighting up your face. He felt his heart stutter in his chest once more as Santa sat in his chair watching everything going on. Steve moved to stand behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist and took a step closer to you as his front came flush to your back.

“Alright everyone, say cheese!” called the photographer before there was a large flash of light. “Alright one more! Say cheese!” called the photographer once more and Steve took his chance and leant down and placed a kiss on your cheek. He felt you stiffen slightly in response but when he began to pull away you had turned and pressed your own lips to his causing him to falter. One of his hands came up around your waist while his other landed on the edge of Santa’s seat to catch the two of you from falling over. Cheers and wolf whistles rang through the air and Steve felt his face flush brightly just as your hands came up to cup his face as you smiled into the kiss. “Alright, to get your printed photos you just need to see the elf at the podium.” called the photographer and Steve jerked back at his words. He looked stunned at the photographer before his eyes landed on the group of kids standing at the podium staring at the printed photos before looking back down at you as you beamed up at him. You tapped his chest gently with your hand and he helped ease you back onto your feet. 

When the two of you walked over to the podium the kids were grinning at you as they handed the photos over to you and Steve. Looking down at the photos Steve could see that they printed small versions for everyone and then two large versions of the last photo that was taken. He smiled as he looked at the photo in his hand, it was perfect all the kids were beaming as he stood behind you with his lips pressing a kiss to your shocked but elated face. When he heard you giggle his eyes darted over to the photo that you held and it was quite a bit more chaotic than his. The two of you were kissing as Steve leaned on the edge of Santa’s chair while everyone including Santa stared at the two of you in various expressions of disgust and shock.

“I absolutely love it!” you said happily before leaning up on tiptoe and pressing a chaste kiss to Steve’s cheek causing him to blush furiously and the kids to all make gagging noises.