#not steve friendly

[stardryad]

Beekeeper Steve spending some time chilling with nature and befriending these nice cows (under the loving watch of Eddie, his farmer friend and owner of the land) x (inprnt)

[absentlurker]

modern au where Chrissy and Eddie are besties and Chrissy has a YouTube channel with a modest following where she shows tutorials on how to take care of and style different kinds of hair (she’s a hair stylist). She’s always playing with Eddie’s messy hair so she asks (forces) Eddie to film a video with her turning Eddie’s crazy mess of hair into the most perfect silky, healthy, bouncy waves Eddie’s ever seen.

He’s obsessed. And so are her followers who, at first, think Eddie is her boyfriend but they’re quick to correct like haha no we’re gay as well but also platonic partners in life 😤.

And who happens upon Chrissy’s viral video with Eddie where she gives Eddie heart shaped pigtails? None other than Steve Harrington who has his own YouTube channel and he wants to join! Like please we compare hair care tips? Also, can I meet your friend, Eddie? For science? 👀 I need to get my hands in that hair.

[domsaysstuff]

I think the dynamic of Steve being so fucking stupidly gone on Eddie Munson and Eddie not noticing because he's trying to not think abt Steve like that "because Steve is straight and his friend and he can't go there (he goes there, he crushes so hard but he will deny)" is so underappreciated

Like so many fics paint Steve as this himbo and he is! He is our lovable himbo! But just

Let him look at the rat feral man that Eddie Munson is and be like "i want this man's dick in me ASAP" and being so obvious abt it

Confident in his sexuality and determined to get what he wants Steve Harrington just flirting with Eddie and, sure, being a cringe fail loser abt it, but like HE'S SO OBVIOUS

Everybody knows he wants that dick EXCEPT Eddie

Steve is in misery, in hell, by this point he thinks that either Eddie isn't into him or just is letting him down

And Eddie thinks he is the one in misery because Steve is just always there™ and trying to be his friend and is so hot™ and jOkIngLy flirting with him and he wants to kiss him so bad but "stevie is straight and totally not into him guys :(("

Robin is just laughing at them "this world is so lucky you two can't have biological children together, because let me tell you, these kids would be so dumb"

[anakindoodles]

Happy Pride month! Have a Steve

as usual plz click for better quality and reblog to help artists <3

[tootalltech]

the comments being off on this post really about says it all

[aryuunachigiri]

pleasepleaseplease tag your non-reader friendly posts correctly, I'm tired of thinking one post is an "x reader" but the mc is an oc 🥲🥲🥲🥲

yes we can just imagine ourselves in the oc's place but I'm telling y'all it doesn't hit as hard as reader-insert's 😓

actually this is kinda all applies under the not tagged correctly posts where they get tagged as "male" reader but the content in it is afab 😢 or the non gender-neutral ones getting tagged in a gendered post

[pretend-theres-a-name-here]

I love when Steddie future fics have the Pinterest White Woman and her husband who can operate a power saw and is devoted to making all of her saved decorations dynamic

like yesss Steve saw a new book shelf that would look really good in the family room but it’s expensive so he resigns to not have it, meanwhile Eddie has banned him from the garage for reasons unknown until he’s taking off a blindfold and the shelf of his dreams is sitting where the car used to be

Steve sees that Amy from across the street just made a post about her homemade Christmas wreaths and they’re really good but he’s determined to one up her so he drags Eddie to Micheal’s and they load up on fake plants and berries, string and even some little Christmas lights. He spends the rest of the day making sure his wreaths are absolutely perfect and hanging them outside before Amy’s morning jog so she knows.

He wants to redo the kitchen and doesn’t trust any remodeling teams to get his vision so for a month he’s tearing apart his kitchen, sending Eddie out to paint the cabinets while he adds tile to the walls under them. Who is Eddie to tell him to just hire somebody when he’s finally happy with it, standing back to admire his work

He hangs those cheesy signs like “home is temporary, family is forever” in the family room, he has a “live laugh love this zoo” welcome mat. Eddie can’t stand them, he doesn’t say anything, they make Steve happy, they buy three more.

Idk there’s just something about it that feels so them you know, tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this, tell me I’m not losing my mind

[musclesandhammering]

Friendly reminder that Wanda was a whole ass adult in Civil War (27), also an adult in Age of Ultron (26) & most likely even an adult when she signed up to work with Hydra (23-24 maybe).

Like not even college age, but full-on adult. Pushing 30.

The whole “she’s just a kid” argument is bullshit.

[2stepadmiral]

Imagine how confused Steve Rogers would be by youth slang in this day and age. Like, I’m hung up on the idea of Kate saying “No cap,” in the middle of one of Clint’s stories, and Steve getting confused and all like, “no cap? But I’m right here?”

[hainethehero]

So I made the mistake of stumbling onto the NOT STEVE ROGERS FRIENDLY tag today and..

You have to be a special type of delusional to be this obsessed with a character you don't like!??

Over 2k fics have the tag and are almost entirely Tony Stark-centered fics. I'm assuming these are the "fans" who totally buy into the MCU canon and don't know any other Captain America lore outside of what Feige and Whedon have done. Or, they're the "fans" who refuse to understand the politics behind Steve's character and how he was inherently undermined throughout the entire ten years of the MCU by the directors and writers for most of the films.

Because the arguments in most of these fics for being "not Steve rogers friendly" are really surface level shit like:

1) "Steve refused to sign the Accords and broke up the Avengers" (he was right & he didn't break them up, an overemotional Tony did when he refused to listen to Bucky's side of the story).

2) Steve fought Tony and almost killed him (yeah, like Tony didn't blast Bucky's arm off and shoot his repulsor rays directly at Steve).

3)Steve is homophobic (y'all are just making up reasons to hate this man atp)

4)Steve is racist (Steve hated racists & you'd know that if you read the comics, or you guys are just that deluded that you're making Steve racist & trying to project it as canon and therefore a "reasonable" explanation as to why you hate him)

5)Blaming Steve for Rhodey's accident (WHICH WAS TEAM TONY'S FAULT!)

6)YALL, THEY MADE STEVE THE BAD GUY IN A BROCK RUMLOW/BUCKY FIC! I stg I cannot make this shit up💀 Steve's bad for wanting Bucky to be Bucky again, but somehow Brock's the good guy for wanting Bucky to be the Soldier...

Steve left Bucky for Peggy (we'll get to this soon)

There's a hundred more irrational reasons for the Steve Rogers hate, but let me get to the WORST part.

THERE ARE BUCKY STANS WHO ARE ANTI-STEVE ROGERS.

And I'm sorry, no. I don't accept that you love Bucky Barnes but hate the one person he loves the most in the world.

They argued in a couple fics that "Bucky also went rogue after Siberia but he didn't want to associate with Steve, Nat & the rest of the team- WHO HELPED RESCUE BUCKY & EVENTUALLY EXONERATE HIM- but rather, he went off on his own & eventually Tony finds him, they hash it out and become friends to lovers."

Helppp???? Wdym Bucky isn't gonna stick with the one man he's been keeping diaries about to try and get back his memories? But he'll go to the one guy that re-traumatized him by blowing out his arm again?

Not only that, but Bucky absolutely hates Steve in some of these fics and the reason will be, "he left Bucky to go back to Peggy." Like, you cannot be a serious fan if you're still going with the Endgame canon. For a majority of us, we recognize Endgame as being nothing but terrible writing and mischaracterizations. Why are yall not analyzing and interpreting media critically? The MCU has never been on Steve's side and have always diminished his character in an attempt to make Tony the ultimate hero of the OG 6. Don't yall know the discourse? It's embarrassing atp.

And this is my stance on the entire thing: there's nothing wrong with writing fics about characters you don't necessarily like or aren't interested in. It's OKAY if you don't like Steve Rogers- but you've gotta be rational about him, instead of hateful. Most, if not all of these "anti-steve" fics are written in bad faith. Bad understanding of the character and pure, shameless mischaracterizations which just makes these types of fics fickle and weak- hilarious to read though cos that Brock one had me deadddd😭💀.

[mugloversonly]

A Long Time Coming

for my last entry of @softsteddieseptember

prompts: overheard conversations | buying them flowers | making dinner

Eddie checked his watch and swore under his breath. He knew Steve wouldn’t be upset if he was a little late, but Eddie cherished every minute they got to spend together since their schedules don’t overlap much anymore. He loved his job at the record store, but he hated that he couldn’t waltz into Family Video to spend time with his boyfriend.

He glanced over at his passenger seat; the bouquet of their favorite flowers sat carefully placed. Red roses and white calla lilies, an odd combination at first glance, but they paired nicely together. It wasn’t a special occasion or anything. He simply wanted to do something nice for his boyfriend.

As he finally pulled up to the house, Nancy’s car was in the driveway. Not totally unusual for a party member to be here, but he doesn’t ever remember seeing Nancy, and that had him a little on edge. Did something happen? Was the upside down back? He shook his head, spiraling wouldn’t help anyone. He went into the house, with the new key Steve cut for him for their three months last week with a giddy smile. He went to call out but heard loud voices from the kitchen. He didn’t mean to listen, really, but on his way to make himself known he heard his name. They were talking about him, he crept closer, and what he heard stopped his heart.

“Steve, you guys have only been together three months. Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” Nancy said.

“So, my feelings are bullshit again are they?” Steve replied coldly. Nancy sighed as if talking to an annoying child.

“That’s not what I’m saying.” She threw her hands up.

“So what are you saying?” Steve asked. There was silence for a moment until the soft click of Nancy’s heels sounded across the room.

“You don’t love him like you love me.” Nancy insisted. Love- present tense, Eddie’s heart stopped.

“What?” Steve asked softly.

“I’m saying, that you still love me, and I still love you” She whispered. Eddie’s heart dropped into the ground. He knew Steve liked him, but he also knew he couldn’t compete with a first love, and if March was anything to go by, Steve still held feelings for the girl. This was it. Steve was going to admit it and break up with Eddie. “I want to be together Steve, be a better girlfriend to you.” His heart shattered to pieces when he heard the unmistakable sound of lips pressing together.

Eddie felt sick, he needed to get out of here before he got hurt anymore. But then he heard the soft clicks of Nancy’s shoes as she stumbled back. “Seriously Nancy?” Steve asked, Eddie’s racing heart calmed at the sound. “How many times do we have to have this conversation?” Eddie frowned, they’ve talked about this before? Have they kissed before?

“Steve, you don’t understand,” she began but Steve interrupted.

“No, Nancy. I don’t think you understand.” He paused. A chair scrapped across the floor as Steve sat down. “How many times do I have to tell you? March was a mistake, brought upon by stress and fear. I did think about us like that at one point, but Nance, that was years ago. I don’t love you anymore, I haven’t for a while now, and you need to accept that.”

“But, I still love you.” Nancy whispered fruitlessly.

“I know, Nancy. But this isn’t fair. Not to me, not to you, but especially not to Eddie.” Steve insisted.

“Eddie” Nancy scoffed. “He can’t give you what I could.” Eddie frowned. She was right of course, Eddie couldn’t give Steve kids, or marriage, or a normal life. They’d have to hide their relationship for a while, if not forever. He couldn’t be brought home to his parents...or showed off at work events. Nancy would be better for Steve in those aspects, he had to admit.

“No, Eddie can’t give me what you could.” Eddie bit his lip, tears welled up in his eyes. “But he won’t give me what you did.” Steve said.

“What did I give you Steve?” Nancy demanded.

“You gave me a broken heart. You gave me the inability to trust my own feelings and feelings of those around me. You gave me the fear of my partner being unfaithful. All you gave me was pain Nancy. Eddie would never do that.” Steve confidently replied. Eddie’s heart swooped.

“Again, you’ve only been dating for three months. How could you know that?” Nancy was grasping at straws, Eddie could tell.

“Because he taught me how to trust again. He’s wonderful, beautiful, he listens to me talk, and doesn’t make me feel stupid. He never talks down to me, he holds me when I’m scared, but also when I’m not. He treats me like I’m precious but not like I’m fragile. He respects me and likes me for me. He doesn’t try to change me to fit his ideals.” Steve whispered. Eddie felt his cheeks heat up.

“Steve, it almost sounds like…” Nancy trailed off.

“I love him. With all of my heart and I know he loves me too.” Eddie muffled his gasp as best as he could. They haven’t said that yet. “And you, need to respect that. Back off, stop trying to get me to hurt Eddie. I won’t hurt him, especially not for you. Go home, Nance. And don’t come around here until you can accept that I will never want you back. Because I love Eddie so much my soul aches with it. The love I had for you was a tiny flame compared to the fire I feel for him. He’s the moon to my sun. The stars in my sky and the wind in my hair. The air in my lungs, I need him to breathe. We are never having this conversation again. Got it?” Steve said.

“Got it.” Eddie stood shocked as Nancy ran past with tears in her eyes. She bumped into his shoulder and stared at him for a moment before trying to run off. But Eddie had something to say, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close.

“He’s mine now. Get over it.” She yanked her arm out of his hold and took off. Eddie turned to the kitchen to see Steve staring at him.

“Eds? How long have you been standing there?” Steve asked as a blush crept onto his face. Eddie handed the flowers he was still holding to him and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

“Long enough. I love you, too.” Eddie whispered. “You’re quite the wordsmith.” Steve smiled softly and leaned in for a kiss, but Eddie pushed him away gently. “I’m not kissing you with that little homewrecker’s spit on your mouth.” Steve laughed and ran up the stairs to brush his teeth.

When he came back down, Eddie was in the kitchen starting to cook the dinner they had planned. He wrapped his arms around his waist, “I love you, Eds. So much.” He whispered. Eddie giggled and turned in his arms, planting a kiss on him that deepened quickly as Eddie sighed at the minty freshness of Steve’s mouth. He lifted Eddie up onto the counter and stepped between his legs, his hands on his hips. Eddie groaned softly into his mouth, thrust his hands into his hair, and pulled Steve closer.

Their impromptu make out session was interrupted by the sound of water boiling over. “Shit!” Eddie yelped as he pushed Steve back and jumped off the counter.

ao3

[the-cosmic-circus-collective]

I neeeeeed more girlblogger, Outsiders obsessed, or S.E. Hinton fan in general friends reblog if u wanna talkkkkkk!

[bulkyphrase]

Post-CACW Stony: a fic rec list

I've been on a Captain America: Civil War kick lately, and since I know that Steve-friendly CW Stony fic can be hard to find, I've put together a rec list!

I am thoroughly team cap, but these range from being anti-accords to just not getting into the issue, and all are Steve-friendly as long as you can accept a lot little loving Steve-whump.

Atlas by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) (Not Rated, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 11,505 words)

Summary: They don't hear each other.

Eigengrau by vorkosigan (@the-vorkosigan) (Teen And Up Audiences, 16,811 words)

Summary: Tony is captured; he doesn't know by whom, or why. He doesn't know how much time has passed since. What he knows is, he can now hear something in the adjacent cell, and that 'something' sounds a lot like Steve Rogers.

Nights When the Wolves Are Silent, and Only the Moon Howls by Cluegirl, Defiler_Wyrm (@cluegrrl) (Mature, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, 77,612 words)

Note: has a Stucky element too, but the relationship between Steve and Tony is the main focus.

Summary: “Could you drop all that stoic shit and be my freaking-the-hell-out wingman for just like, five seconds here?” Steve wasn’t sure he could think of anything he wanted less to do than to freak out about his wounds just then though, so he reached across his chest and gingerly patted Sam’s clenched knuckles. “It’ll be fine,” he promised, believing it. “Serum’s handled worse.” “You know, I actually believe you,” Sam allowed after a long second of glaring. “Which is deeply alarming, considering how much of your connective tissue I’ve touched in the last 4 hours. Now you wanna tell me what Russoff’s men did to you that made it look like you got mauled by a bear?” Steve flinched, then breathed the memory down to size. “Not a bear,” he murmured. “Wolves.”

More below the cut!

(trust me when i say) i'll get back to you by machi_kun (@machi-kun) (General Audiences, 1,549 words)

Summary: “Me and Rogers are not on speaking terms anymore.”

An Infinite Number Of Monkeys At Typewriters (Or, Steve and Tony Finally Get It Right) by JenTheSweetie (@jenthesweetie) (Mature, 18,864 words)

Summary: Tony blinked up at the face staring down at him. This was impossible. This was definitely 100% not possible, he had not just started giving a good morning handy to - “Steve?” After the events of Civil War, Tony and Steve wake up in bed next to each other in an alternate universe. It goes about as well as you'd expect it to.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep by Cluegirl (@cluegrrl) (Mature, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 152,765 words)

Summary: They all made mistakes. They all have regrets. They all have nightmares, suspicions, and questions they'd like to ask. And they all left business behind them that was never quite finished. This is the story of how the Avengers ask those questions, get their answers, and come together like fucking adults to make things right again.

Bring Him Home by seventymilestobabylon (@seventymilestobabylon) (Explicit, 13,769 words)

Summary: Tony misses Steve very badly after the Accords. Some days he deals with it better than other days. (a fic featuring the booty call flip phone, minor kidnappings, and time jumps between chapters because the election has been happening and my brain has been too mush to make a proper plot)

Conjugal Visits by xtricks (Explicit, 4,252 words)

Summary: AU: Steve Rogers gets captured fairly soon after Civil War and sent to the Raft. Tony discovers that trying to appease your enemies doesn’t work and ends up a prisoner too.

Down Came the Rain by captainoutoftime (@captain-outoftime) (Explicit, 75,274 words)

Summary: A mission goes badly for Natasha, who is discovered de-aged to three years old. She recognizes no one, but every kid knows Captain America. When Tony grudgingly makes a call, Steve makes good on his promise to answer. Steve has to work together with Tony to take care of a traumatized child and figure out how to turn their itsy bitsy spider back into a Black Widow. Neither of them really want to talk about what happened in Siberia, but living in close quarters, they have to come to some sort of peace - even if it means addressing some feelings they'd rather not admit to having. As they work together to solve the problem of a re-emerging Red Room, Steve uncovers something he never expected to find again: family.

Hating Steve Rogers by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) (Not Rated, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 16,243 words)

Summary: The thing about hating Steve Rogers is that it shouldn’t be easy - but it really, really is.

I Have Questions by YourFadedGlory (HisNameWasAce) (@yourfadedglory) (Not Rated, 2,808 words)

Summary: There is only so much that Steve can carry. His legs quiver and his heart aches, he looks skyward, and in a startling moment of clarity he lets the shield go. Gouged and battered, it rings like a bell when it hits the stone floor. He wonders for a split moment if it will weigh on Tony the way it has weighed on him.

The Crying Game by fohatic (@fohatic) (Explicit, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, 36,403 words)

Summary: Steve Rogers stared at the dimly glowing digital screen of the little burner phone, rereading the text message as if it might somehow give away something he missed the first dozen times he scrutinized it. His frown only deepened, though, brows drawing together with consternation as the 88 characters only left him with an even more ponderous sense of uncertainty. If you meant what you wrote, I'll be at the Swissotel Sarajevo, 4/18. Presidential Suite. 9pm. Come alone. ...Nearly a year after Steve and Tony's fallout—and only weeks after press rumors that Tony and Pepper's engagement was inexplicably called off—Steve gets a message on the dedicated burner phone. Despite his instinctive reservations, he's compelled to answer the mysterious call. An approximately canon-compliant story.

the hope that kills you by meidui (@meidui) (Mature, 1,227 words)

Summary: Steve used to go on so much about freedom and choice. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. Some of the freedom he loved was big, big enough for him to lay his life down for over and over, and some of the freedom he loved was small, like the wind in his hair when he took his motorcycle out, but now he has to sob and take it when Tony sucks a deep flowering bruise where his prison uniform couldn’t possibly cover and whispers in his ear, “Who’s gonna help you now? Where are you gonna run?”

live for the hope of it all by meidui (@meidui) (Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, 1,880 words)

Note: This is a sequel to the hope that kills you

Summary: “You can keep me here, can’t you?” Steve asks a little desperately as Tony kneels over him, spreading himself out all the better for Tony to take. He must have really hated his cell on the Raft, Tony thinks before he loses himself in Steve’s body, and for a little while, everything is the same as it has been for the past six months. It’s only after, in the dark and quiet of his own bedroom with Steve sprawled sleepy and heavy across his chest that Tony realises— This is their cell now.

The Phone by AvengersNewB (@avengersnewb) (Mature, 9,039 words)

Summary: Tony hates the flip phone Steve sends him, but he keeps it close at all times, and it never rings until it finally does and the news might help put things into perspective - Captain America : Civil War fix-it. or The phone can't take the place of your smile. [podfic added as chapter 2]

the things we invent when we are scared by nanasekei (@elcorhamletlive) (Not Rated, 18,305 words)

Summary: Steve is trapped in a dream machine, programmed to make him believe he's living his happiest fantasy. Tony goes inside to wake him up, but what he finds is a lot more complicated than he expected.

there's nothing but blue skies by Meatball42 (Mature, Major Character Death, 647 words)

Summary: “This isn’t good,” Steve said grimly.

[greasegotahold]

The thing abt Dar-Bit is that on the one hand it's an easy pair the spares of the greaser gang. You have johnnyboy/purly for pony, johnyboy/jally for Johnny, jally/tally for Dally, and obv stevepop for soda and Steve, so what's left but darbit for darry and two bit.

But also it's things like:

They're both oldest brothers

Two-Bit is the member of the gang not related to pony who actually seems to look out for him as an older brother figure

Darry trusts Two-Bit to spend the day watching Pony

Two-Bit told Darry abt hiding Pony's fever and it being his fault Pony got sick

Two-Bit was willing to leave the state to look for Pony (and Johnny) after they ran off and Dally fed the cops a fake story

Two-Bit makes a gentle attempt to push back on Pony's Darry shit talking while walking Cherry and Marcia home

That scene before the rumble where Darry runs out the door to show off some gymnastics right as Two-Bit shows up and Two-Bit compliments his physique with a cocked eyebrow

[queenie-ofthe-void]

The Babysitter Chronicles - Mayfield pt 1

Steve POV 5+1 (immediately follows s2) || wc: 1.9k || cws: check tags || full fic ao3

Henderson || Mayfield pt 1 / Mayfield pt 2 || Sinclair || Wheeler || Byers || +1 Hopper

~~~

Steve can’t believe he’s willingly knocking on the Hargroves’ door. As if his own anxiety wasn’t problem enough, the shrill sounds of two people arguing over the thrashing volume of metal music sets his teeth on edge. After a few seconds of waiting, he knocks harder. The arguing stops abruptly, and he hears a woman’s voice call out to wait a moment. 

He hopes the woman opens the door, assuming it’s Max’s mom. He doesn’t know her stepdad, but if the man is anything like his son, Steve wants to avoid him at all costs. Since Billy’s Camaro is missing from the driveway, hopefully he can avoid both of them.

To his relief, a woman with bright, copper hair and freckled skin opens the door. Her yellow cleaning gloves are almost dry, but there are still wet spots scattered on her pink t-shirt and jeans, as well as a few bleach stains. Large, blue circles halo her green, bloodshot eyes. Steve pretends not to notice the dried tear tracks striping her splotchy red cheeks.

“What can I help you with?”

“Hi, Mrs. Hargrove, I’m here to talk to you about–”

“Oh no, hun,” she interrupts him, “I’m sorry but we aren’t interested.” 

Steve looks down at himself, wearing a normal blue windbreaker and jeans, and wonders what she thinks he’s selling. Before she can shut the door, Steve catches the edge to hold it open. He sees her flinch at the force of his grip, the flash of fear behind her eyes reminding him of Max’s two weeks ago. He lets go, taking a step back to give her some space.

“No, ma’am, my name’s Steve Harrington and–”

“Susan,” the man screams from inside the house, loud and angry and too similar to the sound of his own father’s voice after a few drinks. They both flinch, Mrs. Hargrove faster to recover. Even though she’s standing straight, seemingly filled with confidence, Steve can still spot anxiety in the thin line of her mouth. “Who the hell is it?”

“It’s no one, Neil, just some boy selling magazine subscriptions,” she shouts, moving back inside. 

Steve turns to leave, hopes dashed, when he feels a hand wrap around his wrist.

She leans close, lowering her voice. “You’re Steve?” He nods. Mrs. Hargrove chances a glance over her shoulder, then looks back to him again, absentmindedly chewing on her bottom lip. “Wait around the side of the house, I shouldn’t be too long, ok?”

The door shuts in his face, almost grazing his nose. Steve wonders if he shouldn’t just leave, if she’s the kind of person to set him up and send Billy or Neil out to greet him instead. Except she seemed genuine, and this might be his only chance to win her approval. 

He waits for almost twenty minutes before she finds him leaned up against the siding underneath what he assumes is Max’s window, since he’s pretty sure Billy isn’t reading last month’s issue of Tiger Beat. She pulls out a pack of smokes from the pocket of her sweater, and he frowns when she doesn’t offer him one.

“So,” she says after a long exhale, “you’re the boy Billy and Max won’t stop talking about?” She ashes her cigarette, giving him enough time to school his stunned expression. “Can’t seem to shut up about you, surprised you’ve never been around before. Smart that you haven’t, though. Don’t blame you at all.”

“What do you mean?” Steve prods.

“Well Billy’s been bitching about you all year, practically. Saying you’re the reason he ain’t captain of the basketball team. Neil didn’t care too much for the excuses, though. Hasn’t let the poor boy forget it.” She takes a step closer to him and he watches as she looks over his split lip, the stitches, and his black eye. “Figured there was more to it than that.”

“He’s got the spot now,” he lets out a self-deprecating scoff, “can’t exactly play with a concussion.”

Her l brow creases as she frowns at him, tilting her head to the side. “You know, Max never really told me what happened that night two weeks ago. She got home almost an hour before Billy did, dropped off by God knows who–”

“The Sinclair’s, ma’am,” Steve interrupts. He second guesses whether or not he should bring up Lucas at all, realizing too late the problems that could cause, when Mrs. Hargrove smiles.

“Is that the young boy she’s been hanging around lately– him and his friends?” She ashes again. There’s a light in her eyes that’s been missing since he first met her, and she shines with it. 

“Yes, ma’am. Lucas Sinclair.”

Genuine concern laces her question when she asks “is he sweet to her?”. But her small smile tells him maybe she already knows the answer, just looking for confirmation.

Images of the worst day of Steve’s life flash through his mind, and in them he can spot the soft moments. Max and Lucas comforting each other, always searching the other out across a crowded room. Lucas’ poorly concealed admiration and Max’s fondness masked under a layer of sarcasm as thin as tissue paper.

“Yeah, he’s sweet to her,” Steve replies, answering her smile with his own. “Lucas is a great kid, Mrs. Hargrove. One of the best.”

Her eyes water and she smiles again, but it’s strained this time, as she looks towards the house where screaming music filters through the walls. Steve sees the weight on her shoulders, the burden of living with someone like Neil Hargrove. He feels sympathy on the fringes of his conscience when he thinks of being married to a man like that, or being raised by one. How that kind of anger could turn a kid into someone like Billy, or scare someone enough to stay in a bad situation.

The sympathy fades into a bitter aftertaste when he thinks of Max. He knows all too well what it’s like to live in a home with a scared mother and an angry father. How it feels to have a mother who will rock you in her arms and say everything’s ok, only to stand behind her husband when the belt comes off. 

He looks at Mrs. Hargrove and notices small bruises lining the inside of her right arm. The noise permeating from the house forces its way into Steve’s pores. All he can smell are stale cigarettes and motor oil. There’s empty beer cans sticking out underneath the bushes along the house and he kicks at one, harder than he should. He can’t help picture matching bruises on Max’s small, frail arms, and suddenly it’s all too much.

“Mrs. Hargrove, I came here to tell you I want to be Max’s babysitter.”

She frowns, clearly taken aback by the abrupt change of subject. “Oh, well it’s usually Billy’s job to–”

“Billy is the one who did this, ma’am.” He gestures to his face and attempts to reel in his frustration. “To be frank with you, Billy almost killed me and one of the kids I was with that night. He’s dangerous, especially to her. And you know that. You have to know that. Right?” 

Mrs. Hargrove sighs, dropping her cigarette into the grass to wipe the tears at the corners of her eyes. She pulls down the sleeves of her sweater, crossing her arms over her chest as she folds in on herself. Makes herself smaller.

She hesitates before saying, “Neil will be upset if Billy isn’t the one bringing her places. Says it gives him responsibility. Accountability.”

“Good thing Billy won’t have time now that he’s captain of the basketball team. And isn’t that what his dad wants?” Steve will counter every argument she has if he has to. He refuses to let another kid grow up in an angry home, scared and alone, even though Max’s is so much louder than his own. Somehow he thinks that might be worse than his own, empty, quiet home.

“We can’t pay you.”

“I’m not asking for any money. I’ll do it for free.”

She shakes her head, frustrated and out of objections. “You think you can keep her safe from them when I can’t, is that it?” Her voice cracks, and it cuts through him.

Steve tries to relax, opening up his stance and softening his voice. Hoping that she just hears him out. “I know you don’t know me, and that you and your family are new around here, but the Harrington’s are a big name in this town. My parents are well connected to lawyers and local politicians. I’m close with Jim Hopper, the police chief–”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” She snaps. He notices she’s shaking and he raises his open hands up higher.

“No, ma’am. It’s not a threat.” Steve looks her in the eyes, tries to convey everything he’s so bad at saying and everything he’s probably missed along the way. “It’s a promise that she’ll be safe with me, no matter what, and I’d do anything to keep that promise. Please, Mrs. Hargrove.”

He thinks it’s the please that gets her. Steve can see the moment she caves, heaves another great, heavy sigh as she wipes her sleeve across her eyes a final time before tucking it back under her arms. The quiet eventually settles between them. She pulls the pack of smokes out again, holding one out to him in offering. He takes it.

“She needs rides to and from school,” she starts, staring at him as she speaks. Steve doesn’t know what she’s hoping to see, but he feels himself light up inside, excitement beaming out through his wide smile and crinkled eyes. “Neil gets home first, usually around five. I work shifts, so sometimes the latest I get home is after nine.”

“Max can stay at my house as long as she wants,” Steve says, not bothering to keep the enthusiasm from his voice. “Even if it has to be overnight, I’ve got a spare bedroom that we never use. I’m also more than happy to bring her home after nine when you work late, so you don’t have to drive across town when you’re done.”

Steve knows his implications are obvious. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep Max out of the house when her mom isn’t home. He can’t help how desperate he feels at the idea of her being alone here anymore than she already has been, and how he’s so close to making sure that it never happens again. 

He can already picture Max’s muddy shoes in the entryway on a Friday afternoon, and hear her bitching about his cereal choices on a Sunday morning. She’ll wrestle with Dustin over the remote for Saturday morning cartoons. Steve’ll even learn how to cook for three, standing in the kitchen over a hot stove while the two kids do homework at the counter, posted up on the barstools that’ve never been used before.

He’s practically choking on the idea that he’s not just giving these kids a place to hang out, but that they’ll be hanging out with him. In his own house. For the first time in almost four years, Steve’s house will have people in it. People who like him and actually want him around. Kids for him to watch out for, and take care of when they need it.

“Alright,” Mrs. Hargrove sighs, “let me go grab a pen and paper, I’ll give you my schedule for the month.”

[findafight]

god i love when fics have steve experiencing insane things but being nonchalant about it bc he thinks it's normal when it absolutely is not. i like to think there have been multiple instances where other guys have been like psychosexually obsessed w steve so when billy starts acting like that steve's just like "ugh again?" like imagine if when he's dating eddie he's just casually like "god isn't it so annoying when other guys get like aggressively obsessed w you and stare at you all the time?" and eddie is sitting there chanting wtf in his head wondering how steve is a real human.

Ya I think it'd be very funny if kinda very strange things happen to Steve and he figures that it's just a normal thing. He'll be sitting around with people like hey y'all ever think about when you and your friends would dig a big hole and pretend to bury someone alive and hold a funeral for them and then they'd go home and tell your parents you died in the woods? When your mom ran into the forest she found you covered in flowers and dirt staring at the sky thinking about how cool it'd be to decompose into the ground she cried and it was probably the first time you saw a grown up cry? And every one is like uhhhhh no. Our friends did not actually fake our death semi successfully and scare our parents??? And he goes oh. Huh. Weird!

my HC is Robin is Steve first similar age friend that has not wanted to fuck him since eighth grade. This is funny because she has also never been normal about him. No one has ever been normal about Steve.

I think it's also very funny that Billy teamed up with Tommy, who you know has never been normal about Steve in his life. Like maybe when Steve was in middle school there was a guy who also was weirdly obsessed with Steve except he and Tommy viciously hated each other. Like straight up brawling and crying about it and Steve is there like what the fuck are you doing??? And Carol beside him just shaking her head going uhg Steve they're being gross let's leave.

But Tommy and Billy...They sniffed each other out or something idk how but they found each other and were obsessed with Steve together in a toxic positive feedback loop. And poor Steve is sitting here like "uhg 😑 Still? Another one? Why does this keep happening?" As though it's a completely regular occurrence. Bro. Buddy. What is your life actually.

Eddie finding out about this history and he's just like. No. Steve. I do not know what it's like to have men stare at me with thinly disguised lust?? But also keeping to himself that he was ALSO obsessed with Steve. He's like oooh my god. I'm not the only one?? The one thing I have in common with Tommy Hagan and Billy Hargrove is our weird obsession with Steve? What kinda world...

Except he's also immensely smug about it because yeah other guys have been obsessed with Steve. It seems to be a Hawkins right of passage for their age group. But Eddie actually got him. He fucking won.