#loving the eyeshaddow colour

[5sospicturesque]

Clearing out my camera roll 9433/?

[findafight]

Okay but. Now I am thinking of transfem Evie Harrington starbara canon au where Barb is like. Preeetty sure she only likes girls. Possibly. But she's willing to give Steve a try. He's charming and goofy and listens when she says to cut out all that mean talk and is also, shockingly, very interested in her.

So she thinks sure, she'll try dating a boy. Feel like a normal teenage girl for a bit. It's fun and Steve listens when she tells him to back off. And she really does like him. So maybe she just likes mostly girls usually, and sometimes a boy. Mostly Steve, though.

But then she gets taken by the demogorgon and survives the Upside Down and everything is awful. Steve is still there, and he's worried and protective and so so glad she's back mostly safe. She thinks she might be a little in love with him.

They date, and it's nice and good and normal and Steve lets her set the pace with how to talk about the Upside Down. She does talk about it, and he talks about what happened in the right side up, and they both cry. Barb knows she loves him, and that he loves her. It's nice and comfortable, they kiss and have sex and saying it's love is probably fast but they've survived monsters apart, so now they want to stick together.

One day, maybe the spring or summer after round one, Barb convinces him to lay back and let her get him dolled up. They've got a free afternoon and she wants to practice doing someone else's makeup just in case. Also, it's fun. It's silly and they deserve a little silly. She doesn't really wear a lot of make up but she's got mascara, a couple colours of lipstick, rouge, and a whopping four different eyeshaddows. While Barb prefers the dark red lipstick, she thinks the lighter, cherry shade would be better for Steve. She curls his lashes (borrowed the curler from Nancy and forgot to give it back) and adds just a little pink eyeshadow, then blush around his cheeks. She's admittedly not very skilled or practiced, but it's definitely passable application. The finishing touch, though, is that Steve lets her style his hair, parting it to the side because of all the cowlicks, and letting its waves curl slightly around his face. She climbs off him and stands, looking down at him.

"oh. You make a very pretty girl, Stevie. Or. Hm... Evie, maybe? Wanna see?"

He pauses for a moment before crawling off his bed to the bathroom, and when he faces the mirror Barb can hear him stop breathing. It's just a moment, before he turns to her and smiles. Kisses her cheek and likely smears lipstick on it (which does give Barb a bit of a thrill, and little jolt of pleasure and longing and she doesn't want to think about that because she loves Steve. She knows she does. If people can be a little gay sometimes Barb can be a little Straight with Steve. She doesn't need lipstick on her cheek or to watch a skirt brush the ground or anything else like that when Steve is beside her.)

It isn't until after the tunnels that Steve brings it up. A week after, he's barely gotten the go ahead to slowly get back to school (he's able to do half days until the headaches get too much), they're laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, holding hands and just breathing together.

"Barbie?" He starts, and stops.

She hums, encouraging.

He sighs. "Do you remember when you...when you did my makeup?"

"yeah, I do."

"you called me Evie. Like my great Aunt, my favourite Aunt, I would've been named after if I was a girl instead of my great Uncle."

She turns her head to look at him, still staring at the ceiling, squeezing her hand tighter now.

"I did..."

"I need you to know I love you. I do. I really, really do."

She almost sits up, but stops herself. Whatever Steve is talking about is important, he's clutching her hand tightly but not looking at her. Instead, she squeezes back. "I love you too."

Steve's breath hitches. "I really liked it when you called me Evie." It's a whisper, a breath.

Barb squeezes his hand again.

"Barbie. I really, really, liked it. I wish it was my name." Finally he turns to face her, and his eyes are glossy. She reaches up to brush her fingers against a yellowing bruise on his cheek. "I wish I was that little girl that was named after her Great Aunt Evelyn and I could wear makeup like you did for me whenever I wanted and that I was a pretty girl."

Barb leans in to kiss softly, a brush of lips. "Maybe you are?" She doesn't know. Just knows that Steve, Evie? Is upset. She doesn't want to see someone she loves upset, and it seems like saying that may help. She doesn't know.

Breath hitches. "You think I can be? Just like that?"

Combing her fingers through her...through her lover's hair, Barb shrugs as best she can lying on her side. "I've never wanted to be a boy. But you want to be a girl. I think. I think maybe that's what makes you one?"

"yeah?" It's a tiny, cracking, word and Barb wishes she could help fix whatever grief is causing it.

"well. I don't think any people who aren't girls want to be girls."

Her lover shifts, enough that their foreheads touch. "And...would that be okay? For you? For...for us?"

Barb leans closer, so their lips brush when she speaks. "Pretty sure you're it for me, Evelyn Harrington. Whoever you decide you are, I'll love."

"and if I want to be your girlfriend?"

She grins, can't help pressing into a kiss. "Then I guess I've got the prettiest girlfriend in town."

Evie presses in for another kiss. "Mmh. No. I think that's me." Barb can feel her smiling against her lips.