bunnyscr1bbles

you and steve were genuine soulmates. everyone in the town thought so. you pulled steve out of his dickhead ways, and steve brought you a sense of calm and stability, he always knew how to pull you out of your head and ease your worries.

the two of you were destined to be married, to spend the rest of your lives together, all until steve fucked up and you couldn’t take it anymore.

—

you have been friends with nancy wheeler and jonathan byers forever, no exaggeration. you have been in each other’s lives since the time you could crawl; your families were basically one and the same. 

nancy and jonathan’s brothers were best friends and they were now dating; you were added to the mix by association, and now you’re all connected, whether you liked it or not.

everything felt perfect up until will byers went missing, flipping everything on its head.

you, nancy, and jonathan were all diligently hanging missing posters on the bulletin boards around the school. it was heartbreaking, the mood was sour, uncertain. it seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

nancy handed you a poster, and just as you were about to push in the thumbtack, a rude voice interrupts the process.

“that kid is obviously dead,” tommy says, making carol laugh. steve is silent, ignoring tommy’s words, and instead he focuses his attention on you. seeing the worried expression on your face is enough to break his heart.

for as long as he can remember, steve harrington has had a hopeless crush on you, he cannot remember a time when he didn’t feel his heart flutter at the mention of your name.

he would forget how to breathe when he was around you, forget how to think straight. he always believed it was unrequited, something he would grow out of. boy, was he wrong.

you saw red, “tommy, if you don't shut the fuck up, i’m gonna shove my foot so far up your ass you’re gonna taste it.” you glare, tommy scoffs at you, “yeah right, bitch.” 

you laugh scarily, nancy and jonathan sigh. one thing about you, you’re a guard dog, you’ll go to any length to defend those you hold close to your heart. they know you’re about to go off. 

steve pushes tommy harshly, “dude, what the fuck? don’t call her that.” he’s pissed, getting all in his face, he looks somehow taller. you interrupt the fight that’s about to break out, standing in front of steve, right in tommy’s face. carol is standing beside him like an idiot. 

“listen here, buddy, i know you’re mad at the world cause you’re stupid, there’s no way you’re getting into college, and you probably have a dick so small that little carol here can’t even see it,” you have a scary smile on your face, steve’s eyes are so wide. tommy scoffs at you.

“some people have serious issues going on other than your miserable life,” you say calmly, though your voice is dripping with venom. 

“if you actually paid attention, you would notice will is missing, not dead, missing, and no one here cares about your stupid fucking commentary, right guys?” you glance at nancy and jonathan with a smile, they nod.

“so, i’m telling you, get out of my face, or my offer still stands,” tommy pushes past you, his shoulder bumping yours. carol follows along like a lost puppy.

you turn to look at steve with an analytical look, calculating his next move. he surprises you, his hand extending for some of the flyers. you, jonathan, and nancy all look at him in shock.

“let me help,” he says confidently. this wasn’t help out of pity, this is him helping out of the kindness of his heart. you hand steve some flyers with a grateful smile, and he returns a gentle one.

“that was really great, you know?” steve says to you quietly. nancy and jonathan move to another area to hang up flyers. you huff out a laugh, “thanks, harrington,” he grins despite the situation.

“can i ask you something?” you look to steve and back at your hands when you notice you’ve caught his attention. you push the thumbtack with your thumb into the top of the paper.

his gaze is focused on you, “yeah, of course,” he voiced gently, watching you arc up the confidence to say something that’s clearly eating you up inside. you let out a shaky breath, scared of his response, but you know what? fuck it. 

“why do you hang out with them?” you’re looking up at him now, a hurt expression evident on your features. “i don’t know,” he says earnestly, eyebrows pinching in the process; he really doesn’t know why he wastes his time with people like that. with people who don’t have any respect.

you turn your body to face him completely. “steve, i don’t want you to hang out with them,” you say quickly. steve gives you a surprised smile. you always know how to knock him off his feet.

“you don't want me to hang out with them,” he repeats, a teasing tone evident in his words. you roll your eyes at him, arms crossing over your chest.

“no, i don’t,” he grins at you, “and i wanna take you out on a date, sweetheart, but here we are,” his words land soft in the atmosphere, but god, they're undeniably smug. 

he cannot believe he said that. who does he think he is? he’s kicking himself for it. badly.

“okay,” you quip, not even registering what you’ve just agreed to. you and steve harrington. “oh,” he says simply, feeling his heart speed up like crazy. you swallow, quickly changing the subject.

“steve, i’ve known you since what? second grade? and i know you’re a good person, you wouldn’t be helping if you weren’t a good person.” your eyes are looking into his with confidence, steve is nervous under your gaze, you’re looking at him like you’re trying to figure him out. your eyes searching his to find out his each and every thought. and he’d let you.

“i'm serious, they’re bad people, steve, people like that don’t deserve to be around you.” his mouth is extremely dry now. he was never good at receiving compliments, especially from someone he’s been in love with forever. someone he has immense respect for.

he nods at your words, “i want what you want,” he utters, his eyes flickering between your own. “i won’t hang out with them,” he says truthfully. you smile at him, “good.”

he feels his confidence come back to him now that he’s seen that smile play at your lips. “i’ll just hang around you,” he proposes, half-joke, half-serious. you took it seriously. “if you’ll have me, of course,” he is smiling at you in a way that makes your chest warm.

you chuckle, your nerves simmering on the baseline of it, “of course, harrington.” he’s grinning now, only making your smile grow in return.

you see nancy and jonathan waving at you to come over, steve follows immediately, matching your steps with purpose.

“don’t think i’ve forgotten about that date, by the way,” he reminds you. your breath catches.

“after we find will,” you clutch the flyers to your chest. he sees the way you’re trembling slightly, so much worry and stress in your body language. he would do anything to help you.

he wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you to his side gently. his thumb slowly and comfortingly moves back and forth over the fabric of your jacket, the movement soothing you.

“after we find will,” he affirms, words following a gentle yet confident smile, you’re swooning. he speaks so softly with you, almost like he’s afraid you’re gonna break, afraid you’re some sort of fragment of his imagination.

he wants this. he wants this to be real, and he will do anything to keep it.

that was the starting point of your relationship. the beginning of it all.

—

you wish it could have stayed good. you really wish things could have stayed the way they were, but unfortunately for you and steve, things turned sour. 

it was the first week of summer, always yours and steve’s favourite time of the year. you were working as a teaching assistant while steve was working with robin at scoops ahoy. 

after the two of them were tortured by russians at starcourt mall, you noticed a difference in steve. he was cold and distant. the boy who used to come over to your house every day, pick you up from work without fail, and be basically attached to your hip barely saw you anymore.

he wouldn’t call.

he wouldn’t come over, and if he did, it was rare, short and extremely awkward.

he would barely touch you.

he couldn’t even look at you anymore.

he completely pushed you away.

he completely shut down; he made you feel like he wanted nothing to do with you. you thought he lost interest in you.

steve always found it so easy to talk to you, he told you anything and everything, and ditto with you. but now, he couldn’t even tell you what was wrong.

you knock on steve’s door, nerves rattling your entire body. you were shaking; you never thought you would have to do this. he opens the door with a confused look, face softening when he sees you, his heart was fluttering. steve always fell more in love with you when he saw you.

“hey” you say simply, “we need to talk”. he knew this was coming; he hoped for your sake that this would happen. he nodded, letting you in without a word.

“do you want something to drink?” he said awkwardly, looking at you like a nervous wreck. you shake your head, finding it difficult to look at him without crying.

“look i’ll just come out and say it, i can’t do this anymore.” he inhales sharply; he feels like he’s going to throw up.

“i’m sick and tired of waiting for you to come back to me, steve.” your eyes begin to well with tears, “my boyfriend won’t even look at me, he won’t talk to me,” you choke up, he can feel the tightness in his throat begin to win, the tears stream down his face.

you’re looking at him through your teary eyelashes, his heart is completely broken. he was the one who broke you, and he will never forgive himself for it. the tears are falling frantically. two years down the drain.

“i know something’s wrong and you won’t tell me, you’re shutting me out like i’m nothing, if you’ve lost interest, stop being a pussy and tell me,” you say tearily, hastily wiping your face with the sleeve of his hoodie that you’re wearing. 

he’s full-on crying with you now, shaking his head. he’s so disappointed in himself. he hates himself for making you feel like this.

“i haven’t lost interest,” he says earnestly. you narrow your eyes at him, “fucking bullshit,” you sneer, “you don’t treat your girlfriend like this, steve,” you let out a broken sound, and that’s when steve officially declares his heart ripped completely in two.

you move to sit on the couch in his living room, face in your hands, crying. “i don’t know what i’ve done, i have always been there for you.” he kneels in front of you, placing a hand on your knee, seeing you flinch at the contact, tears him apart.

he pulls his hand away from you. your eyes bore into his, “you have done nothing wrong, honey, i’m awful i know that,” he stammers, “you don’t get to call me that anymore.” he lets out a long exhale, looking down at your knees. 

“okay,” he nods, looking up at you again, you can’t help but notice how his eyebags are darker, he looks ruined. “i’m just figuring shit out, i don’t know, i just, need space,” you interrupt him quickly.

“you never want space, you always work it out with me, you always talk to me” you push the words past your trembling lips, you’re shaking.

“you have never pushed me away like this, you were the one who said we would be there for each other no matter what,” he swallows, voice breaking “this is just different, y/n, i don’t know what to say to you,” his body language is mirroring yours, this is easily the worst day of his life. 

you stand up from the couch, moving past him towards the door.

“we’re finished, steve, i’m done.” your hand is on the doorknob, you look back at him, “you need to figure your shit out, and don’t count on me coming back because i’m not,”

steve is about to sob, he wants to hold you to his chest, apologise for being a shitty boyfriend, tell you why he’s acting the way he is. he can’t. he needs to let you go. he loves you too much to drag you down with him.

“you can’t even say anything, you’re just letting me go. letting us go,” you laugh in disbelief, wet and heartbreaking to hear. you open the door, “whatever” you force out, slamming the door behind you.

steve falls to his knees and cries, he cried for hours, not even able to pick himself up off the floor. he couldn’t handle this; he thought this would help, would be the solution to the problem, but he just didn’t think it would hurt this bad.

after what happened at starcourt, being tortured and traumatised, steve shut down. you were there for him the entire time, tried to get him to open up, but he couldn’t. 

during the torture, all steve thought about was you. he thought the worst; he thought he and robin were going to die.

he thought about how he wouldn’t be able to come home to you, how you would act when you got told he was gone. he thought about how he couldn’t see you again, hold you, kiss you, just look at you. he thought about how you would be fucking broken if you never saw him again, knowing he was killed and you couldn’t help.

he didn’t want to put you through that. he feared seeing you broken; he feared he would leave you behind, his true love alone, no one to look out for you.

he was stupid; he thought if he made you hate him, you wouldn’t have to go through that. he wanted you to live your life to the fullest, and if that meant him not in it, that was something that would have to work, even though it fucking killed him.

he’s stupid, and he knows that. he just wants you to be happy. he loves you more than anything in this world and he’s determined to keep you safe.

—

robin hated nothing more than being in the middle of you and steve. she was your mutual best friend and it killed her just as much when the two of you broke up right after the russian drama.

sure, she complained about how annoying you two would be stealing kisses on breaks, coming in during your free time to visit, but in her heart, she loved it. seeing her friends happy gave her a fuzzy feeling. she loved to see the two of you in your little bubble, though you always included her in everything.

when the two of you broke up, the dynamics changed; she hardly ever saw you anymore. she called you often, and you would talk like old times, only making both of you miss what you had before. 

robin and steve were working a shift at family video. she was rambling about her love life while steve stocked the returns back in their places.

“i’m hopeless,” she breathes out, back landing on a display, steve follows suit, “eh, we both are.” robin knew why you broke up with him, she knew both sides of the story well. she hates that he wouldn’t open up to you, to let you put together the broken pieces. she wanted the two of you back.

you had accidentally heard about all the dates steve was going on through robin, accidentally spilling the news when you two were on a catch-up phone call. stupid ones where he tried to get his mind off you but it didn’t work. (she didn't mention that part)

you were crushed, how could he just move on so quickly, like it was nothing? so, you did the same, you started going on dates with random people, none of them bringing you anything but hey, tit for tat right?

—

you turned on the tv mindlessly in the breakroom of the teacher’s staffroom, hearing the news about the death of someone at the trailer park, your eyes widen, quickly thinking about max.

in parallel, steve and robin had just heard the same news, shit like this hadn't happened for a while, this wasn’t good.

you rush out when the bell rang, spotting dustin and max who waved you over quickly, “come with us now, please,” dustin breathes out, max nods frantically, you say yes immediately after seeing the expression on their faces. “okay let's, go.”

you follow behind them on their bikes in your car, swearing when you see the family video sign. you had been avoiding this place like the plague when robin told you about her new job.

this meant seeing steve. you’re ready to turn around but for the kids, you park the car and follow them to the door, fiddling with the skin around your nails.

“henderson, i swear to god,” you glare at him, dustin looks at you sympathetically, completely forgetting about how awkward this would be for you.

“shit, i’m so sorry,” dustin took it really hard when you guys broke up, you were the parents to all the kids but closer with him. when steve told him the situation, he called him an idiot for letting you go, everyone did.

“it’s okay” you sigh, max smiles at you, placing her arm around your waist comfortingly as dustin opened the door. “hey, steve” dustin rushes, max following quickly behind him, you trudge along, really dreading seeing your ex-boyfriend.

“you see this?” steve says worriedly looking down at the kids, his eyes snap to you when he spots you, breath catching in his throat, nervous expression increasing.

robin gasps when she sees you, giving you a tight squeeze, you laugh hugging her back, “hey, hun” you whisper.

you look over her shoulder to see steve looking at you, you give him a nod, a dismissive one. robin separates from you, “it's so good to see you,” she whispers, you smile in acknowledgement, bumping her shoulder with yours, “you too.”

“how many phones do you have?” dustin questions, “someone was murdered,” steve looks shocked.

“how many phones do you have?” dustin repeats, clearly frustrated. “uh, two why?” he replies, “technically three, if you count keith’s in the back,” robin adds, you look at dustin, the kid is seriously worried.

“yeah, three works,” max says to dustin, the younger boy throwing his backpack onto the counter, “what are you doing?” dustin pushes it right into steve.

“what are you-, HEY” he exclaims, “my pile!” robin gasps, dustin climbs over the counter wiping everything off with a crash, “no, no, no, my tapes! dude,” steve groans, you sigh loudly, moving to help robin clean up behind the counter. 

steve can smell you when you’re this close; it’s so hard for him not to acknowledge you right now. dustin goes to the computer on the counter, “what are you doing, man?” steve complains, looking at dustin with his eyebrows furrowed.

“setting up base of operations,” dustin says simply, fingers moving on the keys quickly, “get off of that,” steve says to the boy, “no, i need it,” typical dustin and steve bickering over everything.

“i’m looking up eddie’s friends' phone numbers,” you tilt your head while looking at robin, “isn’t that the kid that repeated? he’s our age?” robin nods at you.

“your new best friend you think is cooler because he plays your nerdy game,” steve sasses, dustin rolls his eyes, animatingly, “yes, i never said that,” he quips back. 

you shake your head, helping robin stack up her piles again, “seriously, guys, maybe on a monday you can play around like toddlers, but it’s saturday, it’s our busiest day” robin moves around quickly.

you pick up a left over tape on the floor just as a hand you know too well reaches for it, you both snatch your hands back like you’d burnt it on something, looking at each other, shocked.

“sorry” steve says, picking it up and standing. you stand up behind robin like a kid who’s afraid of talking.

“robin, i empathasie, but this cannot wait,” dustin says like a robot, scribbling numbers down furiously on his clipboard. “oh my god,” steve groans, hands running over his face.

“cause calling eddie’s friends is an emergency?” robin shakes her head, slamming papers on the counter, “correct” dustin exclaims. 

“who wants me to strangle him?” steve looks between you and robin, you can’t help the little smile that plays at your lips, you shake it off quickly.

“we could take turns,” robin smiles. she turns to look at you, eyes asking if you’re okay, you nod with hesitation, she gives your hand a quick squeeze.

“can you fill them in while i do this?” dustin looks to max, “fill us in on what?” you ask, max looks right at you, the keyboard clacking furiously in the back.

you all quickly start up with the phone calls, “have you seen eddie munson?” falling from all of your lips. you cross off the names while the kids and robin tell you the result, this was looking bad,

you see steve from the corner of your eye, flirting with a girl while recommending a movie. you glare at him like you never have before, he can feel the eyes on him on instinct. he can’t look at you, he’s fucking terrified.

thank goodness for max mayfield interrupting right now.

“hey guys, i may have a lead,” you all turn quickly, hopeful. “apparently, eddie gets his drugs from some guy named reefer rick, and sometimes eddie crashes there.” 

robin glances at you, “that sounds promising,” she says to max, dustin and you nod at her words, “where does his reefer rick live?” max closes her eyes for a moment.

“see that’s the thing, no one knows, he’s more of a..a legend than someone that people actually know,” you look at max in disbelief. 

“bet the cops know a last name,” steve mumbles, moving around tapes in a metal bin, “what?” max looks at him, “cops” steve says simply, your eyes stay trained on steve.

“listen if this reefer rick is actually a drug dealer, i guarantee you he’s been busted at some point, means he’s in the system,” steve turns, faltering his steps as he sees you looking at him. he leans on the counter, a little closer to you than he probably should be right now.

“the cops, really, steve? that’s your suggestion?” dustin snaps, you place a hand on the boy's shoulder, “hey, relax” you say softly, steve is surprised you're somewhat defending him right now, and so are you. 

you're blaming it on muscle memory. you clear your throat, suddenly becoming aware of the situation.

“i mean i just think they should be filled on what we know, what’s going on,” his hand waves in the air as he leans on the counter, you don’t look at him anymore, focusing on dustin with all your strength. 

“you think eddie’s guilty?” dustin says stiffly, you look over at max, giving her a reassuring smile, she seems just as distant as you.

“woah, i believe in innocent until proven guilty, all that constitutional shit, i just, you know,” he claps his hand, rubbing them together.

“don’t think we should rule it out,” he looks a little nervous as he says it, considering he’s getting quizical looks from all four of you behind the counter. 

“that’s precisely what we’re trying to do here, steve,” max concludes.

“and maybe we’d have a little bit more luck” dustin starts, “if you spent less time trying to find a girlfriend and more time trying to find eddie,” he says with sarcasm, you freeze, you look like someone shot you in the chest. 

“i um, i’m cold, i’ll just go get my jacket from the car,” you grit out, pushing past robin who was trying to stop you. “dude, why would you say that?” steve groans, watching you with sad eyes as you walk out hurriedly. 

dustin’s face dropped a little, “shit.” steve shakes his head, “don’t say that shit around her, man,” he tutts, robin looks at steve with a pained smile, following you out the door.

she finds you standing at your car with a mindless expression, “hey, you okay?” she asks softly, you’re a little startled when you see her, “oh, yeah, rob, i’m okay” you nod curtly, “it’s okay if you’re not, you know? steve’s an idiot” you puff out a laugh through your nose, “yeah”. 

you hate how much you miss him, you hate how you couldn’t stop loving him and you hate how much that comment affected you.

“let’s go inside, hm?” you nod, letting her drag you back to the video store.

the kids are arguing with steve about how he doesn’t treat the customers equally, and that’s when it clicks for robin, to search for his name in the rental log.

steve looks at you immediately when you come back in, he basically jumps at the jacket you’re wearing; it’s his.

he gave it to you back in high school after a date, and god, he forgot about it. his mouth is completely dry, he watches you stand next to robin as she searches for a name. 

you have this confused expression on your face that always made him wanna kiss you like crazy it was so cute. he can’t do that anymore, you’re not his.

you all share little laughs as robin cycles through the ricks, feeling a sense of normalcy. you see steve looking at you as you stand next to robin. you glance at him quickly, when your eyes meet, you both immediately drop eye contact, this is torture.

“he’s out by lover’s lake” dustin says, you swallow when you hear the name, you’ve had your fair share there with steve, and he knows that.

he refuses to look in your direction, his cheeks grow pink when he thinks about the shared kisses and hugs and..other things you both had at that lake, he wants it back. 

you all rush to steve’s car, you quickly go into the back next to max in the middle, sitting behind robin with a shaky breath. it’s been so long since you’ve been in this car, and you’re sitting behind the seat that used to belong to you.

you wonder if steve’s sunvisor still had the polaroid of you two stuck on it; it was taken on your birthday, a fond smile on your face as steve pressed a kiss to your cheek. you’re sat on his lap in front of a birthday cake. good times, you thought.

steve drove to the location, the sky now dark and eerie. your knee is bouncing up and down with nerves, you shouldn’t have come, this is becoming too much for you. steve looks at you worriedly through the rearview mirror, your expression is something he dreads seeing.

you all get out of the car, steve hands you a flashlight as you all go to approach the door, you look at him, surprised, offering a tight-lipped smile, “thanks” you say softly. 

your tone reminds him of your voice right before you drift to sleep, the gentle voice you would say in his ear as he held you close. it was always followed by your hands raking through his hair, telling him about your day.

he clears his throat, “yeah”. you both look at each other for a second later before dropping it, lighting the door as dustin rings the doorbell with determination.

“eddie, it's dustin!” he yells, “he’s not there,” steve mutters harshly, watching as you, max, and robin walk off to look around. max sees something, calling you all over, her torch lights up a metal shed. you look at robin in fear, “oh my god,” you whisper shout, steve feels that protectiveness bubble in his chest.

you all approach carefully, robin opens the door slowly, “hello, is anyone home?” she calls out, “be careful” you mutter, holding on to max’s arm. you all walk in, looking around the dump that people call a shed. 

you watch as steve grabs an oar off the walls, you raise your brow at him, he meets your gaze, shrugging as he holds it. he approaches a boat in the centre, he quickly stabs it towards some bags in the boat, “what are you doing?” dustin asks sharply.

“he might be in here” steve continues poking and prodding at the bags, “just take the tarp off” dustin shouts, “if you’re so brave, you take the tarp off” steve challenges, you roll your eyes at both of them.

“don’t worry, steve will get him with his oar” dustin says sarcastically.

steve huffs, “ah, i know you think you’re being funny, henderson, but considering the fact everyone in this room has nearly died a hundred times, personally, i don’t find it funny in the slight-” he pokes again, suddenly something moves from the tarp, attacking steve, you gasp as steve is slammed into the metal wall. eddies got a knife to his throat, you freeze.

“eddie this is steve, he’s not going to hurt you” dustin exclaims, steve looks at you, not at anyone else, he looks at you. he thinks about how you’re going to watch his neck get sliced, just what he was trying to avoid.

dustin makes steve drop the oar, you breathe heavily as you look at steve. dustin defuses the situation, making eddie lower his guard.

he introduces each of you, “you remember, y/n, you told me she was hot once,” dustin says slowly, you look at dustin in shock, steve had an expression of worry go straight into fury now.

eddie drops the knife as you all swear on dustin’s mother that you were on his side. you let out a sigh of relief to see steve is free from eddie’s grasp.

you watch as robin checks on steve, you’re staring at him now, you want to check up on him but that’s not your place anymore. you just look longingly, placing a hand on max’s shoulder. she looks up at you with a knowing look, placing her hand on yours comfortingly.

steve looks at you from his crouched position, breathing unsteadily as he takes in your appearance. this is too much for him to handle.

robin, dustin and max all encourage eddie to open up, you hang behind, looking between the four of them and steve occasionally. he’s okay, you’re relieved. eddie explains the situation tearfully, you all listen carefully, you all know what this means. 

—

you all go back the next morning, arms full of supplies. “delivery service,” dustin smiles, eddie exhales, seeing you all wave at him with smiles on your faces in the doorway of the shed.

you hand eddie some food, he looks at you with big eyes, “oh, y/l/n, you’re a vision,” he flirts.

you clear your throat, “okay,” moving back to stand next to dustin. steve is clenching his jaw, glaring at the boy with long hair like he could kill him.

steve’s always had a jealousy problem.

dustin tells him the plan, the good news and the bad news as eddie shoves his face with more food. “they’ve gone through this before,” robin reassures eddie.

“these one’s especially,” she waves her finger between you, dustin and steve. you all nod when eddie glances in your direction. you all cover eddie hurriedly when you hear the sirens. shit was going down.

—

you all drive up to see what was going on and spot nancy talking to the authorities. you all get out of the car carefully. when she sees you, she almost cries, her best friend in the whole world, she waves at you. her eyebrows immediately furrow when she sees you with your ex boyfriend. what the hell is going on?

you all go to the trailer park, telling her the situation, exchanging theories. nancy is upset, she’s honestly traumatised. you hug her to your side, comforting her, “it’s okay, nance,” you smile.

she spots steve looking at you, he just looks like he wants to jump over the table and pull you to him to offer you the comfort you were always giving to anyone other than yourself.

he spots her looking and looks around the trailer park. nancy looks at you, “come with me” you both begin to walk over to her car and steve follows immediately.

“where do you think you’re going?” he’s looking between the two of you. “it’s a shot in the dark, i thought y/n and i could check it out,” nancy shrugs, steve shakes his head quickly, “no, absolutely not, are you out of your mind?” he says to you, not nancy, you look at him offendedly. 

“you two are not flying solo with this vecna on the loose, no, it's too dangerous, you need someone to..” he trails off, you scoff, your arms folding over your chest. he’s only saying this to you, like this is your idea.

“we can take care of ourselves.” this is the first real sentence you’ve said to him since the breakup. “yeah” he says sarcastically,

“harrington, i’m not a baby, i’ve dealt with this shit the same as you,” you argue, you two were both as bad as each other. 

“y/n, it’s dangerous, that’s my final word,” you laugh in his face, “i’m not yours to worry about anymore, remember?”

that stings when he hears it. your voice sounds pained, his face drops. he shakes his head, throwing his keys to robin. “i’ll go with them”.

they fight about how she can't drive, she dumps the keys back into steve’s hands. “the ladies will stick together,” robin looks at him, “unless you think we need you to protect us,” she smiles at him, steve’s face hardens. 

he wants to be there for you. “whatever, just be careful” he says to robin, looking at you as you walk away without another word.

“just gonna stand there and gawk?” dustin teases when you’re out of earshot, “shut up and get in the car,” steve grumbles. your words are replaying in his head like your mixtape he plays every day on his way to work. you’ve clearly moved on from him. 

you all get in nancy’s car, she immediately grills into you, “are you okay? is it awkward? why are you with him? are you getting back together?” you snap.

“nancy, please i really don’t want to talk about this,” she looks at your surprised, you immediately apoligise, “i’m sorry it’s been really crazy for me,” you breathe out. nancy and robin both look at you, they know you well, this is killing you.

—

“so” dustin looks over at steve, “we gonna talk about, it?” he tries, steve shakes his head, “nope.”

dustin huffs, “we’re not gonna talk about your temporary insanity when you basically threw yourself at y/n,” your name alone makes steve shiver.

“that is not what happened,” steve shakes his head, “pretty sure that’s what happened,” dustin quips, steve looks at him challengingly. 

“are you implying i still want y/n?” steve rushes out, “i didn’t say that, you got there on your own.”

steve swallows, “i don’t want her to get hurt by this vecna creep” he says gently, dustin nods, “she won’t.”

steve knows you won’t, and he’s determined to make sure it doesn’t. 

—

you all went to the creel house, you helped steve bring down the board covering the door. you rattle the doorknob, “it’s locked”.

steve gently moves you away from the door, doing the same thing. you scoff, “it’s locked” he repeats, “i just said that, god, you think i can’t do anything,” you say to him, he sighs looking at you.

“i didn’t say that,” he’s frustrated, you feel a little relieved he’s finally arguing back with you like you used to, a vast difference from your breakup. robin, nancy, dustin, max, and lucas all look at each other with dread.

“should i knock, see if anybody’s home?” steve says, “don’t be a smartass,” you sneer, “don’t start,” he says, voice dropping low enough to make goosebumps form on your skin. your mouth is open to respond, but nothing comes out.

robin lifts a brick, “no need, i’ve got a key.” she smirks, chucking it through the window. you go to put your arm through the hole to open the door, steve stops you like clockwork.

“oh for fucks sake,” you groan, he holds his hands up at the look you’re giving him, backing off. you open the door, and everyone follows behind you. 

steve stands next to the doorway, hands on his hips as he studies you. you look at him, assessing him once over before you approach him.

“you look like you’re dying to say something, go ahead, harrington,” you sass.

there used to be a way he’d get this bratty attitude in check, but it’s highly inappropriate right now.

he stands taller, “you’re being reckless,” he says flatly, jaw clenched as your eyes meet. your eyes flicker between his, you say nothing and move away from him, catching up to walk with nancy.

he lets out a frustrated breath, hand passing through his hair once. it was something he always did when he was pissed.

max points out the clock that she saw in her visions, you let out a shaky breath, the adrenaline is really kicking in.

“why is this wizard obsessed with clocks, maybe he’s a clockmaker or something?” steve questions, your laugh comes out on its own, he whips his head towards you.

“what’s so funny?” he cuts in, you shrug, giving him your best look of innocence. he’s fucked.

“i’m getting really weird vibes here,” you say to nancy. steve is listening in on your conversation, he needs to keep an eye on you.

“everyone, stay in groups,” nancy calls out, she holds your arm and pulls you with her upstairs. steve and dustin are left downstairs.

“bet you wanted to be with y/n, huh?” dustin says cheekily. steve lets out a sigh and climbs the stairs.

steve and dustin explore upstairs, steve finds a jar of spiders, it sends a shiver up his spine. he sees a spider crawling on his shoulder, he gets up walking backwards into a spiderweb and lands right into you. 

you let out a little oof when the boy runs into you, “what’s wrong?” you ask him, he shakes his head, “there was a spider, a black widow,” you walk around him looking for any signs of one but you see none. 

he turns to look at you when you stand behind him, “don’t go in there,” he closes the door.

“you’ve got, um” you raise your hand to your hair, “what?” he asks softly, walking towards a mirror, you exhale sharply, “stop moving,” you hold onto his shoulders from behind.

he pauses, all his senses are clouded with you.

you reach your hand up, taking the spider webs out of his hair, “thank you” he mumbles, the sensation so familiar, like a dream he didn’t want to wake up from.

“i got it” you say softly, “so um, are you okay?” he says nervously while you're diligently taking the webs out.

you pause, “yeah uh, you?” steve feels a little smile play at his lips, he nods, humming a yes in response. “all done,” you step back, he turns, looking right at you, “great, thanks,” you nod, giving him a little smile. 

he swallows, his eyes flickering between yours, “guess we should, uh, get back to the investigation” your eyes are trained on him, examining him closely. it’s a look he knows well, you’re trying to get inside his head. 

his eyes look down to your lips for a second before he moves past you, leaving you there extremely flustered.

you all move downstairs, watching as the lights of the chandelier flickers. “it’s like the lights all over again,” you whisper to nancy, she nods, “they come to life, like when will was in the upside down” you look over at steve quickly, he looks scared.

you grab max’s headphones and put them on her ears when the lights turn off, “everyone turn off your flashlights and spread out” nancy says carefully. everyone goes, leaving you and steve standing there. he moves first, and you follow. 

“i got him,” you and steve look at each other, following the sound. suddenly steve’s light pulses, “he’s moving,” he exclaims, you all follow behind him.

it turns off at the top of the steps and you all sigh, “i lost him”, max steps forward, “no, you didn’t,” she opens a door and there’s the light.

you all carefully approach the door, slowly walking up the stairs. all your lights turn on when you approach the singular lightbulb, “okay, what’s happening?” steve says nervously.

—

you’re all in the car for a supply run to eddie, you’re sitting in front of steve and it really isn't doing him any favours. he’s staring like he wants to crawl in your skin and live there forever. 

everyone in the car is arguing about how to best break the news to eddie about vecna being in the upside down, whereas you, you’re just staring at the window. 

you never thought you would be in this position right now, you’re extremely overwhelmed. steve notices, he always notices.

when you get to the house and realise eddie isn't there, you all need to go to skull rock. everyone walked off so quickly, you’re left with steve and dustin.

dustin is twisting and turning looking for skull rock while staring at his compass. “dude, i’m telling you, you’re taking us the wrong way” steve says to the younger boy, you nod, you and steve know exactly where it is. 

“you know skull rock is like a super popular makeout spot because of us, right?” steve’s eyes scans your face as he says it, your cheeks are quick to fill with pink, this is so awkward. dustin groans, steve quickly reroutes, taking you all in the correct direction.

when steve finds it, he’s a smartass. “you can’t admit it, you can’t admit you’re wrong, you butthead,” you chuckle, quickly turning into a scream when you feel hands on your waist. steve springs into action, turning immediately, ready to fight whatever's got you. 

that’s when he sees eddie grabbing you, “dustin henderson you are a total butthead” he repeats. “god, get off me” you push eddie off, he laughs.

this is so uncomfortable to deal with in front of steve.

steve’s tongue prods the inside of his cheek, he’s fucking livid.

“hey, man, maybe don’t sneak up on people like that, you scared her,” steve stands in front of you, you roll your eyes, “steve, drop it,” you huff.

he turns to look at you unimpressed, “no,” he challenges, moving a little closer to you. you feel like he doesn’t trust you.

“you’re so fucking-” he’s quick to cut you off, lowering his voice, “i dare you to finish that sentence” his eyes burning into yours.

“finish,” you feel the word explode in your stomach as he repeats it. you swallowed the anger that was ready to lash out, choosing to drop it as you have an audience. 

he smiles when you do, making you roll your eyes and walk over to nancy when you see her. you all listen to eddie as he recounts what happened, your arms are crossed over your chest, still angry that steve has to get all ridiculous when you do anything.

he always found you hot when you got like that. 

—

you don't know how you managed to be convinced to get on a boat with eddie, steve, nancy and robin but here you were, looking for in robins words, the snack sized gate. 

nancy and robin get on, steve looks at you when you approach, his hand on instinct going to the small of your back while he helps you get on the boat, “thanks” you mumble, steve nods.

the kids are keeping watch on the shore as steve rows you further out into the lake. the compass begins to freak out. “slow down,” nancy breathes out, you all lean over to look at the compass with her.

steve begins to take off his shoes and socks, you look up at him immediately, “what are you doing?” you blurt out, “somebody’s gotta go down there and check this out,” he breathes out, you shake your head quickly.

“no” he looks at you, “yes” you feel like you could faint.

“unless any of you can top being a hawkin’s high swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years” you’re staring at him, he’s so brave but so fucking stupid.

“it’s gotta be me, no complaints, alright?” your hand moves on its own, grabbing his and squeezing, “steve, please no,” he let out a shaky breath, looking at you like he’s trying to memorise every detail. 

he squeezes your hand back before letting go to take off his shirt, robin and nancy exchange knowing smiles at each other when they catch you looking up at a shirtless steve harrington. 

you were both so obvious.

eddie hands him a flashlight covered in a plastic bag and wishes him good luck, you sit up on your knees, “steve” you choke out, you look extremely worried now.

he smiles at you, a private one you haven't seen for many months now. he’s telling you it's okay.

“be careful,” you say quietly, he nods at you, “i will” he says like a promise, jumping in without another word.

you bite your fingernails as he goes under, “he’s taking too long,” you say to the boat, he pops up and you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

he grabs onto the edge of the boat, your hands hold onto his arms, “i found it” he breathes out heavily. the feeling of your hands on his arms is driving him crazy, especially since he couldn’t do anything about it.

robin alerts the kids through the radio. steve’s looking at you relieved. his head suddenly goes under, you grip onto him tighter and he comes back up. suddenly he's completely gone. 

you scream, you were just holding him and now he’s gone.

”steve!” everyone yells, you didn’t know that steve was now in the upside down. you jump in before thinking, hearing the muffled yells of your name as you go down quickly, you need to find him.

you see the gate and go into it quickly, spotting steve being strangled and attacked by some sort of bats. you rush over, hitting them with an oar, the others are just behind you.

you hit the bats repeatedly, the others fending off the ones that were quickly approaching.

one grabs you, nancy tries to free you, you spot steve bite the tail of the one strangling him, nancy kills the one that’s on you with the help of robin.

it’s crazy and chaotic, you can’t even think straight.

steve swings a bat repeatedly on the ground, stepping on it’s stomach and ripping it in half, there’s blood dripping from his mouth, he spits, panting as he looks up at you.

“are you out of your goddamn mind?” he exclaims, charging over to you, “steve,” you start, “don't steve me, what the fuck are you doing down here?” he points at you.

“you’re always so stubborn, i told you i was doing this,” his eyes pierce right through you.

“i’m stubborn? don’t fucking start with me, steven,” you scoff, “uh guys, maybe fight about this later” robin says awkwardly.

steve looks at the rest of them, “that goes for all of you too, you shouldn’t have come down here” he’s pissed. he’s so angry.

“what was i supposed to do, let you die down here by yourself?” you yell, his eyes widened, “yes, you were,” he responds sharply.

you tune him out, looking down at his injury, gasping. he looks down with you, “oh my god,” you could cry right now. 

“it’s fine, they took out about a pound of flesh but i’m fine.” your eyes scan all over his injuries, your hand gently coming up to trace over his neck softly, shaking your head in disbelief.

“you’re not fine,” your eyebrows pinch, you're interrupted by the screech of bats flying menacingly above. “the woods, come on,” nancy yells, steve grabs your hand, making you run with everyone towards the trees.

you’re back at skull rock, only this time in the upside down. steve’s hand is still holding onto yours tightly.

he stands up, suddenly leaning too much on his left side, you slow down his fall, helping him rest up against the rock.

tears are falling and you don’t even know it, “you’re losing blood” you gasp, he groans as his hand presses into his wound, you grab it to move it, it’s pulsing and gorey.

you rip the bottom of your shirt quickly, robin’s going on a tangent about rabies until nancy pulls her away, you need to focus. 

you always do this for steve, put him back together again both mentally and physically. this is something you had to do.

you pull him forward gently and he grunts, “okay, steve, breathe,” you steady yourself, pressing the fabric of the shirt into his wound, he exhales in pain, there’s a wet squelch from the wound.

he lets out a stifled groan, hands on the back of his head, “i’m sorry, i’m so sorry” you whisper, your hands moving quickly to tie the fabric.

“it’s okay” he grunts when you pull it tight, “too tight?” you look up at him, he shakes his head, “no, baby, that’s good” he breathes out, not even registering what he’s saying.

he watches your hands as you tie the knot firmly, leaning back onto the rock, panting.

“okay” you swallow, he's looking at you now, eyes pinning you in place.

his hand moves, cradling your cheek in his hand, thumb wiping off a tear rolling on your cheek, “thanks” he whispers, the gesture so intimate. “i’m okay,” he reassures, reading your mind. he really did know you better than anyone.

you break the eye contact, grabbing his arm and placing it over your shoulder, helping him walk. he’s breathing heavier than before, you're so close to him he can’t think. 

you think the increased breathing is him in more pain, you look over at him worried, “painful?” he shakes his head, “no, it’s fine” standing up a little straighter, his arm hooking around your waist to hold you steady.

nancy warns eddie of the hive mind, answering all of his and robin’s questions about the upside down.

“we need weapons,” you say to nancy, she nods immediately at your words. steve pulls you slightly closer. eddie suddenly throws a denim vest to steve, you glare at him.

“don’t fucking throw shit at him, munson, he’s hurt” you grumble, helping steve dress slowly. steve is smiling, he doesn’t know it but he is. 

suddenly everything starts shaking, steve’s arm goes over your chest, bracing the two of you with his other hand on the rock, your hands are holding onto his arm tightly, you cannot let him slip out of your hands again.

when it stops, you all agree you need the guns from nancy’s bedroom, steve grabs your hand quickly as you all walk to the wheeler residence.

you can’t ignore the sour taste in your mouth. you love him. you love him so much it hurts. you wonder if this is him acting on fear or love. he’s acting on love, he’s acting on admiration, all of it.

—

you’re all walking slowly to the wheelers, almost there. steve pulls eddie aside as you catch up to nancy and robin.

“y/n, there, she jumped in so fast after you, she just dove right in, that’s an act of true love i’ve never seen before,” steve’s looking at you with that yearning expression. he fucked up big time letting you go. 

steve calls you over, you turn to look at him, spotting him wave his hand gesturing to come back to him. he holds his hand out to you and is oh so pleased you took it.

he looks over at you, “i’m sorry for yelling at you, thank you for helping me,” he says softly, just for you to hear. you look at him surprised, you really didnt care. “it’s okay” you match his volume, he smiles at you.

“you were pretty bad ass saving me back there” you smile back at him, “just keep walking, steven.”

he grins boysishly, giving your hand three squeezes as you fall into a comfortable silence. he always did that when you were together, it was a simple way of him saying ‘i love you’. your head is spinning.

—

you’re all looking around nancy’s room realising you were stuck in time. you hear steve suddenly yelling dustin’s name in the other room, you all follow the sound.

he’s flashing his light to the roof, “dustin, hello?” he’s screaming, you look at him worried, has he lost more blood?

you can hear him, calling out to dustin with steve. nancy has a lightbulb moment literally, “we can communicate through the light.” you desperately hope someone gets the sos signal.

—

you connect to the kids through holly’s toy, watching nancy write into the light. you’re all crouched around nancy, steve behind you, pressing his chest against your back, you’re even more nervous now.

“there’s a gate at every murder sight” you hear the faint voice of dustin.

you all ride on your bikes towards eddie’s trailer, and low and behold, a gate in the roof of eddie’s trailer.

you gasp when something pushes through the portal, steve is quick to grab you close to him. steve pulls you with him to look up at the opening, seeing erica, dustin, max and lucas smiling back at you laughing.

you let out a sigh of relief, forehead resting on steve’s shoulder for a moment, he grins.

—

you all tilt your heads at the stains on eddie’s mattress staring at you menacingly. this is the worst, but you need to get out of here. the kids pass through a makeshift rope, you cannot believe this is working.

you watch as robin climbs up with hopefull eyes, laughing as you see her pass through and hit the mattress. “thank god” she laughs. eddie goes next, followed by nancy.

steve looks at you, “go on, i’ll see you on the other side,” he nudges his head to the rope. 

you pull yourself up, feeling yourself fall into nothing. you’re slammed harshly to the floor, steve’s not here, the kids aren’t here. you’re still in the upside down. 

“y/n,” steve says to you worriedly, noticing your eyes have gone white, his hands are on your shoulders, frantically shaking you. you're in a trance, you can't wake up.

“stay with me, honey,” he yells. you see visions of horrible things, you feel your death coming to you quickly.

“come on, baby, come on,” steve begs, his hands cradling your face, trying to wake you up. “hurry up!” he calls out to the others. your eyes snap open, you fall backwards.

steve catches you, lowering you down slowly. “it’s okay, baby, i got you” he breathes out, his hands on your face, checking you over. you’re panting, panicking, looking up at him with wild eyes.

“steve, i saw him, i saw” you cry, he nods, “okay, okay, it’s okay” he shushes you. steve helps you climb up the rope quickly, holding you in his arms tightly.

you tell the group what you saw, the visions of hawkins, what was to come. steve is sat on the couch with you on his lap, your back lying on his chest as you hold onto his arms wrapped around your waist.

he’s whispering sweet words in your ear to calm you down. he’s extremely worried. “he’s just trying to scare you, y/n,” steve says softly. “it’s not real,” you shake your head, “you don’t know that,” you choke out, he holds onto you tighter.

“we have to go back there, to the upside down” nancy says looking out the window, everyone protests immediately, especially steve.

“absolutely not, no way” steve stands you both up from the couch, “we need to think this through, in case you forgot your best friend almost died” he says to nancy while pointing at you.

“we need to go back” you nod, steve looks at you with a bewildered gaze, “you’re not going back down there what if he grabs you again?” he stammers.

“we’ll be prepared this time, we’ll get weapons and protection,” nancy says, everyone looks stressed.

—

and that’s how you ended up sneaking into the trailer park, going to some place called ‘war zone’.

what is this life?

eddie fiddles with the wires of the caravan, “eddie, i’m not sure i love the idea of you driving.” robin says wearily.

“oh, i’m starting the sucker, harrington’s got her, don’t you big boy?” smiling as he teases steve, you laugh, plopping down into the passenger side seat. steve gives you a surprised smile.

“you sitting up here with me?” steve grins, you’re about to answer until the owners knock on the door and steve has to speed off quickly. 

as you drive off, you keep glancing at steve. “you’re pretty good at driving this thing, harrington” you smile, he gives you a cheeky smile.

“you know,” he starts, the radio playing faintly in the back, “i’ve actually always had this dream of having a big family, like a fool brood of harringtons” he smiles looking at the road.

“hm? how many?” you glance at him, he meets your gaze, “like 5 or 6 kids?” steve ponders, you laugh.

“and who on earth is going to push out 6 kids for you, steve?” he pauses, looking over at you with a longing gaze.

he knows it's you. you know he’s talking about you.

pink tinges your cheeks as you look at him, he smirks, “three girls, three boys, and then every summer, us harringtons could pack into something like this and just..see the country” he sighs, you’re nervous now.

“that sounds nice” you say quiety, he looks at you with a shit eating grin, “yeah? you’ll be there?” you roll your eyes.

“don’t push your luck,” you tease, he places a hand on his chest, “oh, i wont, honey” you both laugh.

“hey, steve,” you chuckle, he hums, looking over at you again. 

“i’m not having 6 kids” he laughs, nodding, “i can dream”.

there’s a beat of silence, “hey, when this is all over,” he says nervously, “i think we um, need to talk, i want to explain everything to you.”

he’s jittery, you nod, “okay,” he lets out a grateful breath. he knows what he wants, and that’s you. forever.

—

“this is nuts” you laugh, looking up at the warzone sign, steve laughs too, “this is nuts” he parrots, bumping your shoulder playfully with his to push you to the door.

“nance, this is your heaven” you say with wide eyes looking at the vast amounts of isles, she grins, “shut up and go find something,” you smile back at her, walking with steve and robin.

you laugh as steve puts on a leather jacket, “who are you trying to impress, harrington?” he chuckles at your words, “you, obviously,”

you chuckle, helping robin load the kerosene fuel into the cart.

you look concerned when nancy approaches you guys, “they’re here.” you all pay quickly and run to the caravan, steve drives away. 

after you get away, you all make weapons together, a really strange bonding moment.

you and steve hold empty bottles while robin pours fluid into them, both of you reassuring robin that she and vicky may still have a chance.

“not everything has a happy ending,” robin grabs another lighter fuel, “don’t say that, rob,” you place a gentle hand on her knee, steve smiles at both of you.

“i think it does,” steve says earnestly, smiling wider when your eyes meet his.

“okay you two, quit slacking” robin teases, making you and steve laugh.

—

you go through the plan with dustin, robin, nancy, steve and eddie. steve can’t help but look at you worriedly.

he pulls you aside for a quick moment, “listen, i don’t know what’s going to happen so i need to tell you this now” he says quietly to you, grabbing your hand, you nod, “okay.”

“i’m sorry for everything, i pushed you away because i’m an idiot and i thought it would make things easier but it didn’t, i can’t lose you, y/n, i can’t” he starts, tears begin to brim at your eyes.

“i love you, you have to know that, i always will” you nod, “i love you too, stevey, always” a tear rolls down his cheek and you’re quick to wipe it off. he’s relieved, he knows you understand him and he understands you. 

“let’s go beat this vecna guy's ass and have a proper talk about this hm?” he whispers, you smile, “let’s do it” he cradles your cheeks with his hands, leaning forward to rest his forehead on yours for a moment.

you all walk to the gate, steve pulls himself up first, you follow immediately after the mattress goes down.

he lets out a huge sigh of relief when you come down with no problem, “i gotcha, baby,” he helps you up, you smile, your faces close together for a moment.

he winks cause he knows it makes you laugh, he helps you to the side, looking up to see the rest coming down.

—

hawkins was ripped in half. eddie was gone, max was in a coma. it was bittersweet; it was hard to feel the victory when there was so much loss.

post blowing up vecna, steve drove you to his house that night, you talked from the night up until the late morning.

he explained everything, why he acted the way he did, and he opened up to you in a way he had never done before. he let you express how you felt, how you felt like he doesn’t trust you. you both listened to each other intently and reassured each other of all your worries and concerns.

you both knew this wouldn’t happen again, the shuting down and pushing away. after hours of talking, crying and laughing together, you and steve got back together again.

—

you and steve help load the car with all the donations, seeing max, el, a random guy with long hair, jonathan and will. everyone runs and exchanges hugs.

you hang behind with steve, smiling as everyone greets each other. he pulls you to his side, kissing the crown of your head affectionately.

everyone looks at you and steve with knowing smiles, “thank god” mike exclaims when he sees you loved up.

—

you grab a box out of steves car, you, steve, robin and dustin, making your way to the school with the donations. you all look around with bittersweet expressions, vecna was gone but look at all these people who suffered.

you all hand over the donations, “can we help?” robin asks melissa at the donation table.

you and steve move to take over the clothes station. as steve and you are folding, you look up to see vicky and robin smiling with each other, you bump steve’s hips with yours, you both smile seeing your friend happy.

“i told her about fast times,” steve smirks, you laugh when he presses happy kisses to your cheek. you both laugh, you kiss the tip of his nose affectionately. 

“i’m so happy i have you with me again,” you whisper to him, he smiles widely, “i’m more than happy i’ve got my sweetheart back” he dips his head to pull you into a kiss. your lips move against each other with that familiar feeling of love, love that you never lost, just merely put on hold.

for dustin henderson to say anyone was smart, let alone smarter than him, that is something that must be taken seriously.

steve genuinely thought he was having a stroke when dustin told him about you at family video.

“i’m telling you, steve! she’s smart, and so pretty it’s unfair she’s your age” dustin says with admiration evident in his tone, fiddling with the star wars tapes he has in his hands for the boy’s movie night. “she’s been helping us out with all my stupid questions”.

“and you’re saying she lives in hawkins, and i haven't seen her?” steve questions, moving around his desk fluidly, rewinding tapes with a frown and putting the correct tapes in the right cases.

dustin nods enthusiastically, “she can be a little quiet, and then you get to know her and she’s extremely feisty, it’s hot” dustin winks exaggeratingly.

steve narrows his eyes at the young boy, “ah..don’t do that” he says with a look of grimace on his face.

“so can i set you up?” dustin says hopefully, steve shakes his head immediately, “dustin, i can get girls on my own, okay?” he says confidently, adjusting his posture to stand up straighter, more confident. 

dustin laughs, that type of laugh where you feel left out if you don't hear the joke. “what’s so funny, henderson?” steve grumbles.

“nothing man, it’s just been a while since i’ve seen you land a successful date, unless the ladies are flocking to you in secret” he says cheekily, “ha ha, get out” steve says simply, sliding the tapes to dustin angrily, ushering him off with a dismissive hand. the tapes left on the counter.

“what was that about?” robin smirks, steve groans dramatically, “he’s telling me about this girl he wants me to be with”

robin’s eyebrows raise, “oh? do i know the unlucky lady?” steve gives her a glare, “y/n” he can’t help but think the name sounds so pretty rolling off his tongue. 

robin’s eyes widen a little, a pleasant smile on her face, “oh, dingus, she’s way too good for you” robin breathes out, a sympathetic pat on her friend’s shoulder.

“why do i not know this girl?” he rakes through his memory, the name sounds familiar but he can’t place your face. then again, he was a really big dick in high school sometimes.

“well she really cared about her studies, i know that. she is also so fucking pretty, man, like better than anyone you’re thinking and she’s super smart” she grins, “she didn’t really do the social events cause she was focused on the books.” steve nods, trying to place a memory.

and almost like a fucking sitcom, in walks a mysterious girl being dragged through the door with a cheeky dustin henderson.

steve and robin lift their gazes up to the sound of the bell attached to the door, steve’s mouth ran dry. he is fucked.

“dustin, i told you i’m on the way to work” you call out to the younger boy you’ve grown fond of. “come on, y/n, this won’t take long,” dustin gleams, dragging you further into the family video.

steve can genuinely feel himself freeze, how the fuck had he not seen easily the most beautiful girl in hawkins till now?

“henderson! you’re back” robin greets brightly, tapping the top of his hat teasingly, “yeah yeah, do you know, y/n?” dustin looks up at you beside him.

you're looking at the scene in front of you, a cheeky smile on both robin and dustin’s faces, and steve looking a little pale.

you smile at them kindly, “hey guys, how are you?” robin returns your smile “we’re great, right harrington?” she bumps his shoulder, steve snaps back to reality.

“uh, yeah, good thanks, how are you?” he stumbles, you nod smiling sheepishly, god this was awkward.

“so, y/n, what are you doing at the moment?” robin tries to ease the situation, “oh! well i’m currently a medical student so i just do some research assisting in the hospital and help out when they need me”

you feel so embarrassed for some reason, you’ve always had a little thing for steve, he’s gorgeous, you couldn’t help it. and you thought when you graduated, it would dissipate but you were so utterly fucked. 

steve gives you an impressed smile, admiration tickling at his lips as he looked at you. he takes in your appearance, your scrubs making you look like a model in his eyes.

“that’s really cool” he feels himself ushering out, he wasn't even aware the words had left his mouth until you looked at him, really looking at him, that gentle pink tinge on both of your cheeks.

“thank you” you say softly, robin whistles, “god, y/n, i remember you being really smart but holy shit, dude, you’re a doctor” she says with genuine interest.

dustin looks at steve with that ‘i told you so’ look, and he hated when that little fucker was right.

“i’m not a doctor yet” you roll your eyes jokingly, feeling a little more comfortable in the situation. “you’re as good as a doctor to me” dustin nods, arms crossing over his chest like he was some proud dad.

“so you go to school around here?” steve says, feeling a little braver, you look at him surprised, feeling yourself accidentally forget to answer, dustin giving you a gentle nudge.

“oh, sorry!” you chuckle, the sound music to steve’s ears, “yeah, i go to the college in town and i work at the hospital” steve smiles at you, “that’s really great, y/n” he says earnestly and it makes your heart swell.

“thank you, seriously” you fiddle with the ends of your scrub top, “so you guys work here together?” you ask, steve and robin both nod at you.

“yes, doctor, we do” robin says cheekily, you all share a laugh. “that’s actually really fun” you smile, a real one. dustin and robin look between you and steve, this looks promising.

steve swallows, adam’s apple bobbing in the process.

this is the first time someone from his high school comes into the video store without making him feel embarrassed.

the first person that’s come in and hasn’t made him feel like a complete loser for working at a video store instead of going to college.

“yeah, you should come in more often, y/n, steve is really good with recommendations” dustin grins at the older boy, winking at him.

steve’s eyes darken at his words, looking like he’s about to pounce over the table. “for sure” you grin at dustin, nudging his side with your arm.

steve’s gaze focuses on you, only you and it's driving you crazy. “oh uh, yeah anytime” you feel your breath catching in your throat, you need to do anything to avoid his gaze right now.

you look down at your watch, gasping. “fuck! i’m so sorry, this is so rude of me but i really have to go” your eyebrows furrow in worry, clutching at your bag. steve looks disappointed.

“no no, go save lives, doctor” robin salutes you teasingly, “research assistant, buckley” you sigh, shaking your head with a smile.

“it was so good to see you guys, i’m sure i’ll see you guys around” you wave at steve and robin, they both smile at you, “bye, dusty” you pinch his cheek softly, grinning at him as you move past.

“bye” steve calls out, you turn back when you reach the door, “see you” you wave again and steve’s hand lifts quickly to return the gesture. you rush out the door, borderline running to work. your cheeks are burning, you’re sure of it. you're so grateful for the cold crisp outside.

“bye” robin mocks his voice when she sees you leave, dustin follows suit making kissy faces at him. “i hate both of you”

–

the minute steve harrington got home from work, he rushed up the steps to his room, reaching under his bed to retrieve his high school memorabilia.

he immediately got his hands on his yearbooks, flipping through the pages quickly until he saw your photo, his inhales sharply, his finger gently tracing over your photo.

“jesus..” he murmurs, you are so fucking beautiful his heart couldn’t take it. he curses himself for being so wrapped up in his dickhead ways. his head is full of thoughts by you.

he wishes he knew you sooner.

he’s determined to know you now.

–

it’s been about a week since steve had seen you, and he feels like an idiot for missing you.

he can’t admit how much he’s been thinking about you.

your gentle yet intriguing aura.

the way your smile curls on your lips.

the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed.

he was truly fucked and he didn’t know what to do.

all of the kids, and the babysitter teens noticed the difference in steve, the way he would daze between conversations, the gentle blush on his cheeks evident when it would be pointed out.

you were just coming off your shift at the hospital, heavy steps following you after a long day. and like clockwork, you ran into dustin henderson.

“y/n, what a small world!” he greets, you grin at him, “smallest world ever, dustin” you match his energy, bumping the fist he raised to you with your own. 

“hey, i’m going to the video store, did you wanna come with me?” dustin proposes, you look at him a little surprised, stuttering with your words, the video easy meant steve. “uh, i don’t know, dustin” you scratch your arm, looking at him with a nervous expression. 

“come on, please! it’ll be super quick, it’s friday and i wanna watch a movie and don’t wanna go in by myself ” he pleads, giving you those signature puppy dog eyes that unfortunately, always gets you.

“okay fine” you huff, walking in step with him. you pull out a little compact mirror from your bag, quickly checking your appearance. dustin gives you a shit eating grin.

“trust me, you look great” you give him a plain faced look, ‘shut up, henderson, hurry up and walk” you shove the mirror into your bag, though secretly hoping steve would think the same about your appearance as dustin said.

the jingle of the bell had both steve and robin groaning, friday was always their busiest day, especially at this time. that groan quickly disappeared when they saw who walked through the door. 

“hey, bitches!” dustin basically yells, you wince at the volume suddenly feeling immensely embarrassed, why on earth were you here?

robin laughs, “hey, bitches!” she copies, making you chuckle lightly, letting dustin drag you by the arm up to the desk.

despite the laughter, robin receives a little slap on the arm from steve, “don’t call her a bitch” he hissed under his breath. robin gives him the cheekiest smile ever, “hello, henderson and miss doctor” she waves at you lightly.

you smile warmly, lifting your hand up, “hey robin,” your eyes flicker to steve, “hey, steve” you let out a slow breath taking in his appearance, how could he make that ugly green vest hot? steve smiles back at you, “hey, y/n” you smile back at him.

“y/n here wanted a recommendation for a movie” dustin says to steve, you whip your head to him.

“no, you wanted a movie” you correct, he shakes his head with a shrug, “i have no idea what you’re talking about” you could kill him. 

“i can help you out if you want?” steve says softly, softer than he intended. he clears his throat quickly when your eyes meet.

“oh, okay” you nod, he cocks his head towards the shelf, gesturing for you to come with him, you give dustin a glare when he turns, flipping him off.

of course that’s when steve turns, seeing you flip off dustin cheekily, steve lets out a boyish laugh, one that you knew was gonna send you into a spiral for the rest of your life.

“he’s such a little shit” steve shakes his head, looking at you sheepishly. you smile at him, “he’s so annoying” you say with affection, following steve through the isles.

“so, anything in particular that you’re looking for?” steve says slowly, voice so smooth you swear you could melt into the carpet of the store.

“um, anything really” you respond, you’re slightly brushing his as he walked next to you. you both look down at each other’s shoulders at the same time, “sorry” falling out of both of your lips simultaneously followed by a gentle exchange of laughter.

“i mean, this is always classic” he says, picking up the breakfast club, you give him a surprised smile. “i didn’t expect steve harrington to watch something like this” he rolls his eyes with a smile.

“i’m not the same person i was in high school, you know?” you respond quickly, “i know” saying it in a way that made his heart flutter.

you were seeing him for who he was now, not solely on his past that he knew you had knowledge on.

“and do you cry at the ending?” you smirk, dustin was right, fuck you were hot when you had that cheeky glint in your eye.

“i mean” he shrugs, “do you?” he quips back, you look at him challengingly. “i asked you first” he grins, “and i’m asking now” he says low, making you shudder, you really hope it wasn’t evident.

you let out an uneasy breath and he seems to do the same, “yeah, i do” you say confidently, “and so do i” he matches you.

“i think i’ll take your suggestion, harrington” you're driving him up a wall.

“well, good, still employee of the month” he jokes, “do you have a little plaque with your face on it?” you giggle, “yes ma’am, i do” he smiles at you from his side.

you let out a laugh, “sorry, that’s just cute” you break out your fit of giggle. he looks like you just told him you stopped all the supernatural shit happening in the town. “it’s okay” you’d both reached the counter. 

“soo, i had an idea” dustin said, “oh no” you gasp, steve laughs, you both look at each other, a sheepish glance.

“shut up, i was thinking you guys should come to mine and watch the movie you picked. all the kids are coming and i thought you guys should come too”

robin nods, “we’re in”, steve gives a look, “how do you know i don’t have plans, henderson?” steve scoffs, you smile at him and look to dustin.

“yeah dusty, i’ll come” steve’s eyes widen at your words, “okay fine, i’ll come” he looks at dustin too, dustin gives him the biggest smile you’ve ever seen from your time of knowing him. 

—

you went home to change into more comfortable clothes, driving yourself to the henderson household after. you knock nervously on the door, you can hear the kids yelling, and you can most definitely hear dustin pushing steve to answer the door. 

“this is your house, dickhead” steve says angrily behind the door, you can't help but laugh, steve opens the door and all that anger quickly disappears.

he gives you a private smile, one just for you to see. you smile back at him, “hi, y/n” dustin says cheerily, “hey” steve greets after, “hey, guys, long time no see” you joke, it had been about an hour since you last saw them.

they both chuckle at your words, steve steps aside to let you in, pushing dustin from blocking your path. 

“just letting you know, they’ve started with the sugar, they’re gonna be bouncing off the wall” he whispers to you softly, the butterflies swarm your stomach at the tone he uses with you. you sigh loudly.

“of course they did” looking at steve, he’s already looking at you, he’s completely caught off guard when you glance at him. you both pause in the entry way, breaking eye contact when robin and the rest of the kids greet you.

“hey, guys” you smile, taking a seat on the couch, next to robin. steve sits on the arm chair next to you, you both smile at each other before robin gets in conversation with you. steve’s eyes flicker to you often, the breakfast club filling up the light hearted atmosphere of the friday night.

you look so beautiful with the glow of the tv on your face, your features softened in the dark room. robin catches steve looking.

“steve, can we swap seats i can’t see” she looks at him, you follow her gaze, steve looks confused “you’re in front of the tv” she nods, “yeah, i know, dingus, you’re closer to the tv though” she points out like it’s obvious.

steve huffs, standing from his seat, he sits next to you, though still a little far from being at your side.

you smirk at him, “harrington, i don’t bite, you know?” you whisper, he glances at you with a smile, shuffling over on the couch until his arm is almost pressed against yours.

“i don’t know, you seem like a biter” he flirts, you choke on a laugh. you’re so fucked.

“w-whatever” you scoff, pulling your legs up on the couch, bumping his knee in the process. he looks down, breath hitched at the sensation. you let out a hushed apology, he shakes his head immediately assuring it's okay. 

you feel like you’re breathing loudly, you feel like you’re shaking, your head is completely hazy. steve however is convinced he’s not breathing, he can’t tell if he’s dreaming.

you’re sitting so close, your scent is deep in his lungs, every time he adjusts himself, your arms or knees brush against each other and it's driving him crazy.

you both watch the movie intently, and when the ending nears, you and steve both glance at each other knowingly, smiles exchanged knowing it was about to get sad. the kids are complaining about the movie choice, restless.

“shut up we’re finishing it” steve gives a look to the kids.

you and steve tear up at the ending, you wipe your tears quickly with your hand, steve using the collar of his shirt to wipe at his eyes. you both let out a quiet laugh, a comfortable feeling of intimacy washing over the moment.

he nudges your shoulder with his, urging you to look at him, when your eyes meet, he smiles softly, “you okay?” he’s so sweet.

you nod, “you?” he nods quickly, eyes flickering over your face in a way that literally made you flatline.

unknowingly, there was a left over tear on your chin, steve’s curled finger gently brushes the spare tear away before he has time to think about it, the gentle touch on your jaw making you slightly jump.

“sorry” he’s back to reality, you shake your head, “no no, that’s okay” you say quietly, his mouth is slightly agape, snapped out of his trance when dustin breaks the silence in the room.

“what a downer, i’m putting aliens on” the kids agree immediately. you roll your eyes, leaning close to steve to speak quietly.

“they have no taste,” you tutt, steve laughs, the sound going right to your heart. “agreed” he smiled, a real smile. a genuine one and to know it’s just for you makes you want to scream.

your moment was quickly interrupted because it was way too good to be true.

“i want watermelon” robin says, the kids agree, all looking to steve, “what?” his eyebrow raised, “go cut it” dustin quips.

steve groans, “why do i always have to do it?” you laugh, and steve follows the sound, he can’t fight the little grin playing at his lips. 

“because you do, go” robin smiles, steve throws his head back with exaggeration, head falling on the back of the couch leaving you with an extremely close up view of his neck. fuck. you feel hot.

steve gets up like he’s pissed, “well i’m not doing it alone, you’re my sacrifice” steve smirks at you, his hand extending to you.

you laugh, “alright, harrington, i’ll supervise you” you shot back with a smug smile, taking his hand gently as he helps you up. you hear some hushed whispers and giggles, you don’t miss the way robin winks at you.

he doesn’t let your hand drop until you reach the kitchen, you sit at the kitchen island, watching him move around the kitchen.

the domesticity of the situation is something the both of you could get used to.

“those kids, i swear to god” he laughs, beginning to slice the watermelon with diligence. you grin, “they’re cheeky” he chuckles, “more than cheeky, they’re little shits”

you laugh with him, “they can be like that, huh?” you rest your elbows on the island, your chin resting on your joined hands. he looks up at you, your face making him short circuit. the knife slips and he nicks his finger, gasping slightly. “ah” he hissed, shaking his finger as he drops the knife on the cutting board.

you sit up alert immediately, already moving the distance to stand in front of him, “shit, are you okay?” you ask concerned, grabbing a tea towel on the table and holding it around his bleeding finger, holding it up a little over his heart.

he nods, “i’m okay” he tries to reassure you, you shake your head, “no, you’re bleeding” your eyebrows are pinched, you’re basically pressed into him.

you look up at him worried. steve’s eyes meet yours, he’s stopped breathing.

“dustin, bring me your first aid kit” you yell out, your urgency in your voice made dustin bring it immediately.

“everyone okay?” dustin breathes, steve nods, you shake your head, pushing steve backwards to sit in the stool you were just on.

“i just have a small cut on my finger” steve laughs, you narrow your eyes at him, “he’s bleeding” grabbing the first aid from dustin’s hand.

dustin leaves the kitchen quietly after knowing steve was okay. oh steve was more than okay.

you gently clean steve’s cut, focused. steve’s focus however was on you, your soft touch, your slightly worried expression.

“hey” he says gently, you don’t look up right away, “hey” he repeats, even more softer than the first time.

you look up slowly, he smiles when your gaze meets his.

“i’m okay” you nod.

“i know” his smile only grows.

“it’s a tiny cut, sweetheart” you nod again.

“i know” you huff, wrapping a bandaid around the tip of his pointer finger.

“good as new” you smile, he returns it, “good practice for you hm?” he teases.

“oh yeah, best patient i’ve had” he gasps, hand on his chest, “what an honour!” you laugh.

“thanks for putting me back together” you pat his shoulder, “my pleasure” you know you were exaggerating, but hey, that was worth it in your opinion. 

“let me finish this up,” you wash your hands, moving to cut the watermelon.

“okay but don’t cut yourself, i’m not a doctor” he grins at you, resting his forearms on the island, giving you a clear view of his biceps. you shake your head, “don’t start with me, harrington”

–

when you went home that night, you couldn’t stop thinking about steve. there was genuinely no other thought in your brain it was worrying. 

as you lay on your bed, comfy in your pjs, freshly showered, the doorbell rang. you sit up confused, walking down the hallway to open the door, and there stood steve, not even an hour after he saw you. 

“hey” he smiles.

“are you stalking me, harrington?” you cross your arms with a surprised smile gracing your lips, he looks down embarrassed before meeting your gaze again.

“i asked dustin where you lived and he gave it up straight away, not very trustworthy” he utters, you smile shaking your head, typical dustin.

“do you wanna come in?” you smile, he nods, stepping into your house, looking around with a fond smile.

“you gonna give me the grand tour?” he smirks, you roll your eyes guiding around the house until you reach your room. he steps in, looking around. he feels at home, it was so you, he was smitten. 

you watch him from the doorway, “so what are you doing here?” you question, he looks at you, sucking in a breath.

“i don’t know, honestly” he shrugs, stepping a little closer to you, “i just..wanted to see you” he says earnestly, you look at him with an unreadable expression.

he moves closer, standing right in front of you. he’s breathing heavily, contemplation evident in his expression.

“y/n” he says simply, “tell me if i’m reading this wrong, please” his eyes bore into yours, you shake your head carefully. “no, you’re not” your breathing picks up.

you both just stand like that for a moment, feeling like it was hours just looking at each other. calculating the next move.

“can i?” he asks nervously, looking down at your lips, you chuckle, “yeah, stevey” he almost groans, his hand moving to the back of your head and the other completely wrapped around your waist, pressing himself into your body. 

the moment his lips touched yours, you were both gone.

it was languid, soft and passionate all at the same time. your hand rests on his arm, the other cupping his jaw, thumb affectionately rubbing back and forth on his stubble. he shudders against your lips, tongue licking into your mouth with purpose and intention.

“you’re so” he mumbles into your mouth, kissing you again, you hum against his mouth curiously.

“beautiful” kiss, “you’re so beautiful” he whispers against your lips.

you inhale sharply, lips still moving against his. you pull away for a second, he’s chasing your lips immediately, a peck pressed on your mouth.

you smile, “you’re so handsome, stevey honey” you whisper, each word hitting his lips, a cool sensation.

he grins so brightly, pulling you back in for another kiss. he walks back clumsily as you push him further into your room, lips never leaving each other.

—

“so how is y/n?” steve asks dustin, the younger boy choosing to pester him at work. you and steve hadn’t told anyone that you two were official.

you were both choosing to keep it private as it's new. well..you tried to at least.

dustin smiles, “she’s good, i keep catching her smiling randomly at nothing though, it’s weird” steve smiles immediately, scratching the back of his neck.

“oh really, wonder why” he mumbles, dustin gives him a weird look, “yeah..” he goes back to scribbling things he needs for an upcoming campaign. 

steve looks like an idiot, smiling a little too brightly while rewinding tapes, even though it's something that angers him immensely.

the bell on the door rings, and you walk in with a smile, steve knows its you before you even come closer.

you pause when you see dustin, “oh, dustin, hey!” dustin looks at you confused, “what are you doing here?” you shrug.

“wanted a movie” you smile at steve, he’s looking at you like you personally aligned each constellation with your bare hands.

“oh okay” he looks at you with intrigue, you clear your throat.

“hey, steve, mind recommending something?” steve nods way too eagerly. robin comes out of the break room, giving you both a look, you were both acting really weird.

steve walks ahead of you, ducking behind an isle. his hands cup your face and he pulls you into a kiss before you can say anything, you smile into it, your arms wrapping around his neck.

“i missed you” you mumble between kisses, he groans against your mouth, “oh, baby, you have no idea” he huffs, quieting your giggles with repeated kisses to your lips. 

what you didn't know is dustin and robin followed, and screamed when they saw you locking lips behind an isle, looking anything but pg13.

“oh my god” robin exclaims, dustin is completely shocked. steve pulls away, resting his forehead on your shoulder with a deep sigh leaving his lips.

you look at both of them sheepishly, “hey guys, stevey just helped me pick a movie” he chuckles into your skin, lips kissing your collarbone, making you ticklish.

“stevey?” dustin marvels, eyes looking like they're gonna pop out of his head, he never thought his plan with robin would work.

steve stands up confidently, “yes, stevey. she’s my girlfriend and i’m taking her home now” he looks at them, dragging you by the hand to his car outside.

“you owe us an explanation!” robin calls after you two, steve shakes his head, “nope” he calls out, opening the door for you.

“bye guys” you say quickly, being pushed out by steve by your hips.

nothing brought steve more happiness than his girlfriend, his perfect, gorgeous, most kind and intelligent girlfriend he had the privilege of being with ever since he was 19.

this boy loves you, more than he could ever describe. every fibre of his being had your name written all over it. you were his first thought in the morning and the last before he went to bed.

you were his everything, and he was yours.

—

your best friend, robin was someone that you cherished. she was there for you through thick and thin and vice versa. this naturally meant along the way, steve became one of your best friends too.

but, what you didn’t know was the serious plotting your two best friends have been conspiring about ever since the day he saw your pretty face walk into scoops ahoy. not only with lunch in hand for robin, but some for steve as well and you’d never even met.

“sooo, y/n’s really pretty or whatever” steve said that day after you had left, attempting to be as nonchalant as possible, suddenly wiping the same table at scoops ahoy is normal (he’s wiped it down 4 times and no one’s sat there).

robin couldn’t control the smile that came to her face, “dingus, are you telling me you think my best friend’s hot?” steve rolls his eyes, “so what if i am?”

he’s ready to argue with her, ready to hear the lectures about how he didn’t deserve her, and how he didn’t stand a chance. but he didn’t get any of that, instead he got robin’s approval and it just exploded from there.

“soooo, steve’s pretty cute” you say to robin later that night on your nightly calls, she genuinely laughs, this was going to be great.

your phone rang mysteriously after you hung up the call with robin.

“hello, y/n speaking” steve could hear your smile through the phone, his mouth went dry and god he forgot how to speak. “hellooo?” you say, “uh hi” steve mutters, you chuckle into the phone immediately knowing robin put him up to this.

“steve?” you smile, dangling the phone cord around your finger as you eagerly wait for a reply. “yeah?” steve is hopeless. “hi, steve” you grin, it’s taking everything for you not to squeal into the phone.

“hi, y/n” he says sheepishly, “i would have never thought king steve would be so shy on the phone” you giggle, he laughs with you, feeling the heat creep up to his cheeks.

“yeah well, it’s not everyday i get to talk to pretty girls on the phone” he flirts, there he is, the steve robin told you all about. she had told you about his flirty nature, but under it all he was just a big softie.

“to what to i owe the pleasure, steve?” his name sounds so good rolling off your tongue, he places a hand on his head and tips his head back, he’s losing it and it’s all your fault.

“well i uh, asked robin for your number because i had a great time speaking to you today” you nod along with him, “mhm?” you encourage, “and i think you’re really pretty” he’s punching himself, why was he such a loser all of a sudden.

“i think you’re really pretty too, steve” you grin teasing him, making him huff out a boyish laugh, one that made your knees buckle. “i had a great time speaking to you today as well” you say earnestly, and his heart swells.

“i just thought maybe we could hang out sometime?” he gains his composure, clearing his throat, you’re about to scream.

“sounds like a date, harrington” you flirt and steve is so happy you can catch a hint. “and if it is?” he’s so charming, “then i say pick me up tomorrow at 7 ” steve has never smiled this much in his life. he’s in trouble.

and that’s how steve ended up completely wrapped around your finger.

—

after the starcourt mall drama, everything seemed to settle down, you were officially with steve, all the supernatural shit was quiet and you had made a bunch of new friends through robin, it was perfect.

“steve” you breathe out, chuckling when yet another kiss was pressed against your jaw, you can feel his smile on your skin, his hands stationed right on your waist during his “quick 5” at the video store.

this was a pretty common situation for the two of you, whether it was your job or his. you both couldn’t help it, the joy of each others company feeling like a necessity rather than an opportunity.

“hold on,” he mutters, kisses not relenting as your hands made their way to his hair. he groans at the contact, dipping his head to catch your lips, his tongue licking into your mouth as he presses you into his chest, in turn making him pressed up further into the door of the break room.

“babe, it’s definitely been more than 5 minutes” you hum against his mouth and the vibrations alone he feels deep in his stomach. he chases your lips, grumbling against them as you tried to speak again.

you pull back, placing your hands on his chest, his lips are swollen, hair messy and pupils taking up the entirety of his eyes, and you’re certain you looked just as crazy. he pouts, looking at you like you told him a puppy died.

“stevey, honey i don’t wanna get you in trouble” you smooth down the wrinkles in his shirt and then reach up to put his hair back in its perfect place.

“honey, i love you but you need to stop talking i need to get in my scheduled y/n time” he says like it’s common knowledge, you roll your eyes playfully, looking up at him with so much affection in your eyes he’s flatlining.

“i love you too but you always say that and then you get in trouble with keith” you narrow your eyes at him.

“baby” he whines, “i’m not gonna see you for what? 3 hours? that’s fucking torture” he burries his face where your shoulder meets your neck, he nose nudging you playfully at your pulse point because he knows it makes you laugh.

“let me love my girlfriend, thank you” he scoffs.

“you can push through, stevey” you gently tap his back, soothing him immediately as you can feel him melt into you.

“nah, i don’t think so, sweetheart, i’m feeling faint you know” he jokes, you giggle as he grabs his hand to fan himself, you lean forward, kissing his cheek repeatedly as he lifts his head up to look at you.

you smile at him, resting your chin on his chest looking up at him with those big lovey dovey eyes and he’s done for. his strong arms envelope your body, gently rocking you side to side.

“you’re so handsome, you know?” you say affectionately, he can’t help the overwhelming emotions taking over he just squeezes you to him and kisses all over your face, saving your lips till last.

“you’re so beautiful, honey” he mumbles, shaking his head in disbelief that he is dating you. he gives you an exaggerated kiss, a big mwah bouncing off the tiny break room walls.

“can the lovebirds finish up their 5 that’s now turned into a 25?” robin calls out, a frustrated tone but the two of you both know there’s no bite in her words.

“see?” you smirk at him, “yeah yeah, smartass, let’s go” he says against your mouth, giving you one more kiss for good measure.

“oh hey, rob” you say as you emerge from the break room, giving her your signature smile. “hello” she smirks, wiggling her eyebrows as steve comes out after you.

“i love that when you come here, you don’t greet me first, you just grab steve and go back there” she nudges her head at the door, steve smiles proudly, his arm coming over your chest and pulling you back into his body.

you place your hand on the arm holding you, you smile at robin, “you know i love you, and i always attend our nightly phone calls” you reason, robin rolls her eyes, she couldn’t be mad at you two if she tried. seeing her two best friends this happy was her favourite feeling.

steve presses a kiss to your head, your scent driving him insane. “stay for a bit?” steve pleads, knowing you have work at the record store in about an hour. you nod, separating yourself and sitting behind the counter, curling your finger at steve teasingly.

he’s honestly like a dog with how quickly he came to you, standing between your legs and cradling your face immediately pressing a gentle kiss on your lips before his hands lay flat on your thighs, his thumbs rubbing comforting shapes over your exposed skin.

—

“you’re so warm” steve sighs out contemptly, his face smushed into the skin of your tummy, head under the shirt you were wearing ironically belonging to him.

you giggle, the little vibrations making you ticklish, he begins to kiss up your tummy, up your chest and somehow manages to squish his head into the collar of the shirt, his face pressed against yours completely.

you’re laughing and giggling like a schoolgirl, steve just knew how to make you smile. “steven! you’re stretching out the shirt” he giggles with you, his laughter through his kisses making you smile tenfold.

“baby, don’t deprive me of your body heat” he tutts, kissing your cheek affectionately as his lips are already smushed against you due to the proximity.

“steve, honey, you’re supposed to be watching the movie” you chuckle, your hand rubbing up and down his back soothingly as he lays basically on top of you.

“mhm, i am” kisses, “bullshit you are not” you laugh, giving him a playful pinch on his waist. “sweetheart, i am, the thingy just happened with the lady” he rambles, now focused on kissing you instead.

your head is spinning, steve kisses are always so sure, completely full with intent and so much love. obsession is an understatement, once he starts, it’s game over.

“uh huh,” you give up, chasing his lips as he pulled away for a moment. he’s grinning against you now, he knew you’d forget all about the conversation once his mouth was on yours.

—

“are you fucking joking?” you gasp, you’d just received a call from your adopted son dustin who told you steve got in a fight, a bad one.

steve winces, not even wanting to meet your eye as you stride through the wheeler’s house. a usual scene you see almost daily, your boyfriend beaten to a pulp, the kids around him worried and the teens conspiring about something.

“i told you not to call her” steve groans, hiding his face as much as possible. “i had to, have you seen yourself?” dustin holds up his hands, bracing for impact as you approach them on the couch.

“dustin, honey, do you mind if i take your seat so i can deal with my dumbass boyfriend?” you say so sickingly sweet steve felt hopeful. dustin quickly nods, allowing you to sit in his position and when you do, you gasp.

“steve, oh my god” you’re in shock, he was bloody all over, black eye and bruises all over him. “i know, sweetheart, i’m sorry” he sighs, his eyes trailing all over your face, his hand comes up on instinct, smoothing the wrinkle between your brow with the pad of his thumb.

“what were you thinking?” you start, feeling your heartbeat going extremely fast, “you’re bloody all over, steve”

“don’t be angry, honey, i’m okay” he grabs your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. you look like you’re about to cry, steve notices and moves closer.

“we need to clean you up, come on” you drag him to the bathroom, making him sit on the closed toilet seat as you take a good look at him.

“steve, what the fuck?” you shake your head, analysing his face in great detail, “dustin was being bullied, baby, i had to do something” he explains, his words tugging on your heartstrings. he really cherished that boy and it only made you fall for him more.

you nod, kissing the crown of his head gently as you take out the first aid kit. he taps his lap, guiding your waist to sit across his thighs. you hated how this was so natural for you two, you always having to put your boyfriend together.

“oh, honey” you sigh, beginning to gently clean his cuts and bruises with utmost diligence. he watches your every move, each touch filled with love and so much care, he loves when this happens secretly, he likes knowing you’re there for him.

“is it bad?” steve asks you softly, his hand resting on your thigh and the other pressed against your back to keep you in position.

“it’s a little bad, baby, but we can fix it” you admit, “but you’re still so handsome” you try to lighten the mood. he chuckles fondly, leaning forward to gently peck your lips, trying not to split his lip anymore than it was.

“don’t worry about me, sweetheart” he whispers, the intimacy of the moment making everything feel so fragile. “i can’t not worry about you, love” you whisper back at him, “i don’t like seeing you hurt” steve nods, he knows what you mean more than anyone.

“i know, baby, i know” he soothes, his thumb gently moving back and forth across your thigh, he leans his forehead against yours, both of you just sitting in a comfortable silence.

ever since steve was roped into the supernatural world of hawkins, he found himself an older brother figure to the kids, and that includes your little brother.

dustin was fond of steve but he was even more fond of you, his cool older sister who was beautiful, incredibly smart and the easiest person to talk to in the world. dustin loved having you both as his older sibling figures, so it was only a matter of time before his favourite sister met the stranger dustin considered to be a brother, and best friend.

you’ve known about steve forever, who didn’t know about king steve of hawkins? he was in the year above you, not sparing you the time of day because let’s face it, he used to be a dickhead. he stuck to his little minions up until will byers went missing, meaning everyone was forced together whether they liked it or not.

the first time steve saw you helping johnathan put up missing posters for will, he swore his heart stopped. everything felt like it was in slow motion and he swore he heard every love song streaming through his brain as he saw each and every blink, every breath and big smile you gave to the people around you.

at this point, he and nancy had poor communication and thus, led to their breakup. he thought it would be impossible for his head to turn, to find someone who compared, but there you were driving him insane.

a girl he’s never seemed to notice till now standing in the hallway hanging up posters, placing a consoling hand on johnathan’s shoulder, your gentle voice saying, “he’s out there johnathan, don’t lose hope, dustin and i will help you look after school, promise”.

he was fucked. majorly.

and when will was found and everything was simmering down, he kicked himself for not having the balls to ask you out.

you were easily the most beautiful person he’d ever seen, the way you carried yourself made his heart flutter and god, your kindness drove him up a wall. he felt like a boy who just hit puberty and saw a girl for the first time. steve harrington had to know you, and steve harrington always gets what he wants.

and who would have thought your relationship would be set off because of dart?

—

“y/n, please i’m BEGGING you” dustin rips of your headphones that you had just put in to ignore him, wiggling your arm for good measure. “dustin” you groan, looking at him with a glare, “look, i love you but i’m not helping you look for a big slug”.

dustin gasps, “excuse me?! he’s not a slug, it's dart, my dart, and i’m just asking my favourite sister to accompany me so i don’t die alone” he smiles at you while explaining, giving you that signature pout you could never say no to.

you let out a big sigh, “i’m your only sister, dusty” you sit up in your bed, reaching for one of your shoes, and of course this sets off dustin and he starts rushing you to hurry.

once you put on your shoes, you walk out into your living room, grabbing your keys “dustin, have you seen the cat anywhere?”, then you hear someone clearing their throat, you look up to see none other than steve harrington standing next to your little brother, mischievous smiles evident.

“harrington? dustin, what’s going on?” you cock your head, looking between the two of them confused. steve looks you up and down, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows, taking in your appearance. you’re unreal.

“well, steven here offered to come along and drive us out to the tracks to look for dart” dustin smiles looking up at steve, the older boy hits him on the head “woah woah, i didn’t offer you told me i had to come” he scoffs, looking at you with a look that just said ‘this kid’.

“you didn’t say no though so are you ready, sister?” dustin looks at you expectantly, a bag of jerky in his hand. you let out a little laugh, stuffing your keys into your pocket, “alright then, let’s go”. steve almost fell to his knees right there hearing your laugh.

“uh yeah, hendersons, let’s go” steve follows behind the two of you, and the proximity makes his senses hazy, he can smell your perfume and he thinks he may die any moment. and what a way to go.

dustin makes a beeline for the front seat, “henderson, absolutely not” steve shakes his head, “what? i always sit in the front!” dustin groans. “okay that was before your sister was coming so no, get in the back, shithead” steve shoos dustin.

you giggle at the interaction, “sorry, dusty, maybe on the way back, hm?” you smile, steve thinks: always kind, always thinking of others and so. pretty. he also thinks there’s no way dustin is sitting in this front seat.

hammer to fall by queen fills the silence of the car after dustin explained the situation. “wait a sec, how big?” steve looks in the rear view mirror at dustin, dustin demonstrates with his hands, “first it was like that. now it’s like this” his hands making a drastic difference in your opinion.

you gasp, turning to look at your brother, “dustin? that’s fucking giant dude”, steve follows, “i swear to god, man, it’s just some little lizard, okay?” steve tries to convince dustin.

“it’s not a lizard” dustin says firmly, “i thought it was a slug” you ponder only making dustin pissed.

“how do you know?” steve says, keeping an eye on dustin in the back, “how do i know if it’s not a lizard?” dustin asks, interrupted by steve “how do you know, if it’s not just a lizard?” his volume raised a little, clearly annoyed with the situation.

“or a slug” you mutter, “because his face opened up and he ate my cat” dustin says simply, you turn with wide eyes “WHAT, DUSTIN?” you yell slightly, dustin groans, “i know” ,a silent moment. “i loved that cat” you sigh.

“i’m sorry, y/n” dustin rambles, steve trying to diffuse the moment with some bullshit response, “hey at least he’s in cat heaven now?” he looks over at you, you can’t help but chuckle, “you’re something else, harrington”. you’ve just made his day.

once you arive, steve chucks his keys to dustin, grabbing out his hammer with nails, giving it a little spin. you can’t help but think it’s attractive, back to the point.

steve approaches the bunker wearily, bat and torch in hand, you stand next to him, curious, he looks over and uses his torch hand to push you slightly behind him, his arm brushing your hip slightly. you felt yourself shudder at his actions, he’s protecting you?

“i don’t hear shit?” steve says, you nod in agreement, “me too”. dustin shakes his head at both of you, “he’s in there”, steve looks over at him, then back at you, only to see you shrug at him.

he gives the metal bunker a tap with his bat, silence. he hits it harder, the chains rattling after the impact, silence. steve looks over at dustin again, flashing his torch right on his face, “alright, listen kid. i swear if this is some sort of halloween prank, you’re dead”,

“yeah, dustin, this is scaring me a little, dude” you admit, steve on instinct standing a little more in front of you. “it’s not,” dustin affirms, “alright?” steve nods, clearly worried about whatever’s in there. “it’s not a prank, get it out of my face” he squints at the brightness of the flashlight.

“you got a key for this thing?” steve tilts his head at the bunker, dustin nods and you immediately dread it when steve opens up the door.

you shine the light at the depth of the bunker, looking at dustin with a worried expression. “i’m not seeing anything, dusty” you whisper, “he must be further down there” dustin whispers back at you.

“i’ll stay up here in case he tries to escape” dustin says to steve, who’s looking at the bunker with a curious expression. steve upon dustin’s words, looked up at him slowly in complete disbelief. he shakes his head and sighs.

“i’ll come with you” you say to steve, he whips his head towards you quickly, “nuh uh, no way, stay here with the little shit” steve says firmly, leaving no room for debate. you can’t tell if this is just how he is or whether he’s protecting you, either way, you love it.

“i’ll go” he says to you, gently taking the torch out of your hand, his fingers brushing yours slightly sending shivers up your spine, not knowing that he felt the exact same sensation. you watch him decent down the stairs, “be careful, harrington” you blurt, dustin giving you a curious smile at your words.

steve nods cautiously as he slowly goes down, suddenly feeling a burst of energy. he disappears into what seems like a little room and you can’t help but feel anxious when he’s out of your eyeline.

“steve?” dustin calls out, “steve, what’s going on down there?” he calls out again, suddenly his little head pops up from the side, flashing the lights at both of you. “get down here”, you and dustin follow down slowly, steve gives you a look of concern, showing his bat with some sort of slime hanging down off it.

you look at him curiously, what the hell is that. “oh shit” dustin breathes out, you look over at him, “what, ‘oh shit’?” you asked worried, wondering if this was more than the three of you could handle.

steve points his bat at a hole that presumably dart left, “oh shit!” dustin exclaims. you throw your head back in frustration, steve looks at dustin like ‘what did you just get me into?’

you all cautiously approach the opening in the wall, steve making sure you’re standing behind him, “no way” dustin whispers, steve’s torch lighting up a massively long tunnel darts created.

—

the three of you haul out buckets of meat, the smell putrid but anything to find dart. suddenly the crackle of dustin’s radio can be heard.

“dustin, this is lucas, do you copy?”,

“well well well, look who it is” dustin says cheekily, you look at steve with a smile, making him laugh. you grab a bucket out of the trunk and steve takes it from you, not wanting you to carry anything. your heart is fluttering and so is his.

you hear dustin and lucas talking in the back, hearing the end of his sentence, “well while you were having sister problems, dart grew again, he escaped and i’m pretty sure he’s a baby demogorgon” dustin says flatly.

you think about how you could be running into a demogorgon again, shuddering at the thought. “just meet me, steve and my sister at the old junkyard?” dustin says.

“steve? y/n?, you’re still on about the plan with them?” lucas asks, you look at the back of dustin’s head, your eyebrows furrowed, you whisper to steve.

“what plan is he talking about?” steve just shrugs and shakes his head, “i’ve learned to ignore the nuggets, come on, henderson, you’ve dealt with them longer than i have you should know that by now,” he gives you a flirty smile followed by a wink, you could feel the heat envelope you, really hoping it’s not showing on your face.

“whatever, harrington” you stutter before nudging his shoulder with your own. “alright, let’s go” steve closes the trunk, leaving you completely empty handed while him and dustin carry everything, “you’re not helping, princess?” dustin gives you a glare, “shut up, henderson” steve calls out from in front.

the sound of squelching meat on the tracks was enough to make you wanna hurl, steve holds the bucket while you throw the meat with dustin, him walking a little up ahead. “this is gross” you say to steve, he nods in agreement, “fucking disgusting” he grimaces, waking next to you in complete sync.

“so let me get this straight, you kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who..you just met?” steve calls out to dustin, you giggle a little, your brother was so pure at heart.

“alright, that’s grossly oversimplifying it” dustin says like it’s obvious, you and steve look at each other with expectant smiles.

“why would a girl like some nasty slug anyways?” steve says to dustin, “an interdimensional slug? because it’s awesome” dustin chuckles.

you shake your head fondly, leaving the train of meat behind the three of you. “well even if she thought it was cool, which she didn’t, i just, i don’t know i feel like you’re trying to hard” steve shrugs.

“well not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?” dustin grumbles, you let out an affectionate laugh, “oh dustin, honey” you smile. “it’s not about the hair, man” steve consoles, “the key to girls is just, act like you don’t care”

you look at steve irreduculously, shaking your head “harrington, no” you laugh in disbelief, he looks down at you expectantly, “uh yes it is” he smiles at you.

“even if you do?” dustin says looking straight at him, “yeah drives them nuts” he smirks, you don’t know how to feel about learning steve’s little flirting advice. “then what?” dustin queries, “then you wait until uh,” he pauses, looking behind him and then looking at you, choosing to speak a little quieter, “until you feel it” you gasp at steve’s words, what is this?

“feel what?” dustin’s confused, “until you feel like it’s gonna storm, you know? you can’t see it but you feel it, like this uh” steve trails off, “electricity, you know?” steve looks at you to see you’re already looking at him, making him nervous and putting his eyes back on your brother.

“like an electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere-” dustin says innocently, making you smile at his youthful thoughts. steve interjects, “no no no, like a…” his eyes flicker over to you, “a sexual electricity” your heart skips a beat, is he trying to tell you something?

“oh” dustin blanks, “you feel that, and then you make your move” steve says proudly. “so that’s when you kiss her?” dustin questions, you groan loudly from behind them, “oh my god” you grumble.

“woah woah woah, slow down romeo, sure some girls, they want you to be aggressive” steve explains, he's internally thinking about what you’re into. “yeah like strong, hot and heavy like a, i don’t know, lion” steve continues, you’re genuinely shocked.

dustin nods along, “but others you gotta be slow” steve starts, glancing at you again, the next words being said straight to you while dustin focused on distributing the meat, “you gotta be stealthy like a ninja” he smiles at you, you can’t help the flicker of a grin tugging at the corners of your lips.

“what type are you, y/n?” dustin questions, your eyes somehow grew wider. “yeah, y/n, i would love to know this too” he says with a flirty smile, oh his game was evident now, and you hate that it was working.

“um, i don’t know, dustin” you say nervously, avoiding eye contact with both of them, feeling yourself becoming warm. “you seem different” steve smiles at you even though you’re not looking at him, “yeah she’s pretty special” dustin says proudly, your heart tugs at that, he loves you a lot.

“this girls special too, you know. it’s just, like, something about her” dustin says affectionately, you smile at that, “you’re not falling in love with this girl are you?” steve questions, all of you stopping the walking to look at dustin.

“uh, no no”. steve nods, “okay good, don’t.”

your heart cracks at that, what was he implying, you felt some sadness prickle in your senses. “she’s only gonna break you’re heart and you’re way too young for that shit” steve continues to walk, “um i second that, dustin, just be careful, hun” you smile sweetly and steve feels butterflies erupt in his stomach.

silence comes over the duo.

“dustin, do not take his advice” you plead, “what have i always told you about girls huh?” you prompt him, dustin rolls his eyes, “be yourself and treat them with respect” you nod, “right right” you say proudly, “and to be a good listener” he adds on, “well done!” you smile at him, steve laughs at the interaction.

“oo i don’t know, henderson” he nudges you, “my method works out for me” he gives you the flirtiest expression you’ve ever seen and wow. you’re done.

dustin looks a little defeated and you both notice, you give steve a little encouraging nudge.

“fabergé” steve says suddenly, you look at him with a bright smile.

“it’s the fabergé organics. use the shampoo and conditioner and when your hair’s damp..not wet! when it’s damp..” steve begins his tangent, dustin is thoroughly listening “damp” he confirms, “you do four puffs of the farrah fawcett spray”

steve finishes, “the what?!” you look at him bewildered, not realising how close the two of you were standing, his scent suddenly becoming overwhelming, though you weren’t complaining.

steve rolls his eyes at you, a fond smile playing at his lips, “you heard me, sweetheart” he laughs at your shocked face, “steve harrington just told you his hair secret, dustin” you laugh.

“oh my god, best day of my life” your stomach hurts from laughing and steve doesn’t even care that you’re mocking him, that smile and laugh made it worth it.

“listen you two, you tell anyone i just told you that, your ass is grass, you’re dead hendersons. do you understand?” you simmer down your laughter, giving dustin a smile, “yup” dustin nods at steve’s warning.

“how funny we use the same things harrington, we should so have a sleepover and do each others hair!” you tease, “hey don’t threaten me with a good time” he flirts, winking at you. you’re not laughing anymore. in fact you think you need cpr. you break the eye contact, suddenly finding the bucket of meat really interesting. steve feels affection bubble in his chest, he’s got you.

“farrah fawcett really?” dustin questions, “i mean, she’s hot” steve starts, “but recently i’ve seen hotter” his eyes trails to yours when dustin’s not looking, oh you’re so done for.

—

you, steve and dustin walk up to the abandoned cars in the junkyard, steve now in ridiculous shades that unfortunately look so good on him. “this will do” steve nods, giving you a playful smile.

“good call dude,” steve praises dustin, only making him smile like crazy, looks like the hendersons are taking a liking to a certain older boy.

“come on, sweetheart, you forget we have to leave a trail” he teases you, he so needs a taste of his own medicine.

“relax, babe, i’m coming” you roll your eyes. babe. steve’s heart has officially stopped he’s sure of it. his smile falters and you catch it, giving him a flirty smile and a wink almost like a challenge. steve is speechless.

“okay, lovebirds back to work” dustin says without a second thought, you both look at him like he's crazy but god were you both hoping for it.

“i said medium well” someone calls out when steve dumps the bucket of meat, you all turn to see lucas and max approaching. you give him a wave and a smile and steve’s heart does a backflip.

you stand closer to steve, “is this the girl?” you whisper, dustin had told you about her but you’ve never seen her before, steve nods “i think so, well that’s you’re sister in law” he jokes, you give him a playful slap on his arm, laughing.

“hey guys, you approach them, you must be max? you're so pretty ” you ask the girl, she nods,

“dustin and the boys told me his sister was pretty but you’re like really pretty” max says to you, you roll your eyes, steve nods enthusiastically, “right?” you look over at him shocked, he shrugs when he catches your eye. you two were about to be insufferable.

“alright, come on, missy, let’s get to work” steve grabs your gloved hand with his own, both of you clearly aware of the other's intentions, but hey, the chase is always more fun.

you shake your head at steve words, he can’t help but give you that boyish smile that makes you forget about everything in the world. “yeah yeah, stevo” you tease.

steve bangs a chair on a car that lucas and dustin are conspiring behind, “hey! dickheads! how come the only one helping me out is your pretty sister and this random girl?” steve says like it’s nothing, “dustin, you did not drag me out here just to make me do your dirty work, right?” you add on, arms full of supplies as you stand next to steve.

“we lose light in 40 minutes. let’s go. let’s go i said” steve says confidently, something about his authoritative tone made your heart flutter, “alright, asshole! god!” dustin chases after him with lucas, leaving you there next to the car with heart palpitations.

—

you and steve usher the kids into the beat up bus, steve holds your arm firmly so you stay close by to him, “go in, dustin” you say nervously, steve pulls you aside.

“hey, you okay?” he says low, only for you to hear, his eyes were flickering between yours, pupils blown out and eyebrows furrowed with concern. you nod at him slowly, “and you?” steve nods, “i’m king steve, honey, that little slugs got nothing on me” he jokes.

you laugh at that, he knows just what to say to lighten the mood. “alright, big boy” you tease, squeezing his bicep as you look up at him with a smile. you can see the cogs in his head turning, and you’re sure he sees the same thing. a mutual attraction. and of course it’s in a life or death situation.

little did you both know, the kids were watching you through the window with knowing, cheeky smiles. “looks like the plan is working” lucas whispers to max and dustin, dustin nods enthusiastically, “they finally both caught on” max looks between both of them, “how did you know it would work?” dustin looks at her dismissively, “i saw her checking him out when she was a freshman” lucas laughs.

“we should probably go inside” steve says to you, you nod, subconsciously looking down at his lips and back to his eyes due to the proximity, steve’s in love. he knows it.

he places a hand on the small of your back guiding you up the stairs, why is it so nice? so familiar?

—

it’s dark, lucas takes the first watch, steve is sitting next to you while the kids are spread out around the bus.

he’s pressed up against your side playing with a lighter, “no other seats for you, steve?” you say quietly to him, he smiles, fiddling with the lighter and looking at you, “just keeping you warm, sweetheart”.

“so you’ve really fought one of these things before?” max asks, you and steve both look up at her and nod, “yeah, dustin dragged me into this a while ago, it’s pretty scary,” you shuffle in your seat, leaning more into steve in the process which he happily welcomed.

“and you're totally 100% sure it wasn’t a bear?” max questions, you huff out a laugh, “shit don’t be an idiot, okay? it wasn’t a bear” you look at dustin with pure confusion, why was he being so rude.

“hey” you call out to dustin, “don’t speak like that” you say, he rolls his eyes at you and you immediately nudge steve, this is his fault. “why are you even here if you don’t believe us? just go home. ” dustin says defensively, you’re looking straight at steve now, he places his hand on yours that’s resting on your leg, seeming to ground you.

“jeez, someone’s cranky, past your bedtime?” max retorts, climbing up the ladder, you and steve exchange smiles with each other before looking at dustin, “that’s good, just show her you don’t care” steve looks up at the ladder.

“steven, i swear to god” you close your eyes in frustration, “dustin, you can’t talk to girls like that,” you shake your head, leaning back further into your seat.

“i don’t” dustin says to steve, he winks at your brother, “why are you winking, steve? stop” dustin grimaces, “yes, please stop” you look at him.

steve looks at you from his side winking at you and raising his eyebrows, “time and place, harrington” you smile, “this is a pretty good time and place to me” he shrugs at you, nudging his knee into yours.

—

steve and dustin look out the grate windows out of the bus, “you see him” dustin asks, “no” steve shakes his head, you stand behind them nervously. “lucas, what’s going on?” dustin calls up to the duo on the top of the bus, “hold on!” he replies, “i’ve got eyes, ten o’clock” lucas yells. “fucking hell” you groan, holding onto dustin protectively.

“what’s he doing?” dustin asks, holding onto your hand that’s sitting on his shoulder, “i don’t know” steve replies, “he’s not taking the bait. why is he not taking the bait” steve says with a worried tone, you can feel the adrenaline inflow.

“maybe he’s not hungry?” dustin looks up at you, “maybe he’s not into the bait?” you reply, hands squeezing your little brother’s shoulders.

“maybe he’s sick of cow” steve looks up at you, he backs up from the window, walking towards the door. you let go of dustin, grabbing steve’s hand.

“what are you doing?” you look right into his eyes, anger and fear written all over your face. he stands close to you, pulling out the lighter, breathing heavily you can feel it brushing your cheeks.

“just get ready” he says to dustin, you squeeze his hand, “excuse me? no” you shake your head firmly, trying to drag him but he won’t budge. he throws the lighter to dustin, “steve, no” you beg, he looks at you, eyes trailing all over your face like he’s trying to memorise every detail.

he places a hand on your cheek, leaning in a little closer, “just trust me, okay?” he reassures you, squeezing your hand that’s holding his, “you’re an idiot” you feel like you’re about to cry, “i know, honey” he separates himself from you and you can feel the panic set it. you’re about to follow him and he gives you a very stern look, a don’t even try it look.

he steps out slowly, bat in hand, metal creaking. he approaches slowly, you can hear him whistling. “he’s awesome” dustin says in admiration, earning a slap on his arm from you, “sorry” he backs off, realising how distraught you look.

“steve watch out!” lucas calls out, you see another one and your blood pressure drops. shut. “a little busy here!” steve replies, “three o’clock”

you yell to steve, he turns. you open the door, “steve, come back, abort! please!” he gets chased behind a car, swinging at one of the demogorgons, the kids are yelling at him to run, you’re in complete shock.

he runs just in time and you shut the door when he comes back in, he’s heavy breathing. you stand up immediately, grabbing his face and checking him over for injuries, the kids block the door hurriedly.

steve looks down at you, he’s never seen this expression on your face. “i’m okay” he whispers, interrupted by the crash of the metal, he pulls you and the kids behind him, he hits the arm of the demogorgon repeatedly as the kids call out to mike and will.

“hey come here!” you yell at the kids, pulling them to the centre of the bus, the banging begins on the roof of the bus. you see the head peer over the opening on the roof, max screams.

you hold them close to you, pulling them away as steve is about to hit the thing, you’re holding all the kids in your arms, bracing for impact but it doesn’t happen. suddenly it stops and goes away.

steve looks over at you, chest rising and falling rapidly, “they’re gone?” you whisper, steve opens the door slowly, bat ready to swing, “what happened” lucas says, “steve scared them off?” dustin replies, “no, no way” steve shakes his head looking out at the junkyard.

he turns back and looks at all of you, “they’re going somewhere.”

the kids begin to walk away cautiously, steve hangs back waiting for you, scratching his head as he looks at you. you look up at him with an angry expression.

“you’re a fucking idiot” you raise your voice and he winces at you tone, “y/n” he starts only to be interrupted by you. “no, steve, you were reckless and stupid, what the hell were you thinking you almost died”

you get closer to him, your chests almost touching, you’re really angry, how could he put himself into danger like that. he shakes his head, “i know, sweetheart-” you interrupt again, “no you don’t know, harrington, you almost died, you get that? died” you drag out the last word.

he nods along with you, your tangent ongoing. he can’t take it anymore.

he places a hand on the back of your head, the other on your hip and pulls you closer, his lips pressing a kiss on yours, telling you everything you needed to know.

he’s sorry. he likes you a lot. he would do it again if it meant protecting you. he’s yours.

you gasp against his mouth and it only fuels him more, his tongue prodding your bottom lip prompting you to grant him access. it has you feeling dizzy, he’s holding you tight because your knees would give out at any moment. your hands immediately go into his hair.

every stolen glance, flirty exchange had nothing on steve harrington’s kisses. this had you in other dimension. he groans against you, murmuring into the kisses, “i’m sorry” he pulls away, your lips swollen and glistening.

he smiles at you, you couldn’t stay mad at that face, his thumb wipes your bottom lip gently, both of your pupils completely dilated at your breaths mixed together.

he rests his forehead against yours, “i’ve been waiting to do that” he whispers cheekily, “i’m still mad at you” you remind him, “i know, honey, i know” he grabs your hand, interlacing your fingers together as he tugs you along.

“your hair is a mess” you look at him, a reminder of what just happened. “leave it” he says quickly when you reach up to fix it, you shake your head fondly.

“you don’t want some farrah fawcett to fix you up, hun?” you say to him, he groans, pulling you in for a quick kiss as he walks backwards, chuckling when he almost bumps into a tree. “alright, henderson, speed it up” he teases you.

and that was the start of it all. the day steve harrington weasled into your life as your boyfriend.

—

*knock knock*

you knew that sound all to well, you were sat in bed in steve’s shirt waiting for that sound at almost midnight.

you walk over to the window, drawing back the curtains and seeing none other than your boyfriend on the other side.

you open it up, “hi, honey” he smiles, breathing out a sigh of relief when he sees you. the world goes quiet and time stops when he sees you and the feeling never gets old.

“hi, stevey baby” god you drive him insane.

he pulls himself in, his big hands immediately gripping your hips and pulling you to his chest. he dips his head to catch your lips in a kiss, each kiss even better than the last one.

“missed. you” he says in between kisses, you giggle against his mouth and the vibrations make him want to lose self control. “missed you too, babe” you whisper, he nuzzles his face into your neck, breathing in his favourite scent in the world.

you run your hands soothingly up and down his back, only making him sink further into your body. “you know you can use the front door, right? the whole house knows you come over every night” you laugh, your hand now gently scratching the back of his neck.

he shudders, “it’s more fun like this” he mumbles into your skin, picking you up quickly and tossing you on your bed, smiling brightly at the little squeal you let out when you hit your mattress.

he lays himself on top of you, kissing all over your face so he can hear that giggle he loves so much, he whispers sweet nothings into your ear, making you blush and pull him closer to you.