king of everything

you will, sits on the tip of his tongue but never makes the leap. dae-hyun watches as steve efforts to hold his hand once again, a pointed gesture to his feelings for him, he knows. he has known, or rather, surmised. it had been a subtle-not-so-subtle pursuit throughout the almost-year that had crept along quicker than either of them had clearly anticipated. the gesture brings a small sense of gratification to his lips, at the very least. he squeezes steve's hand in his own, acknowledging and hoping to placate any residual nerves. steve's or his own, he couldn't say. things had been so much simpler when they were just colleagues at family video.

the kiss that is planted on the back of steve's hand gives him butterflies he'd long since assumed were buried. just another thing dae-hyun had resurrected during their time together, along with steve's sense of confidence. he feels it strengthen tenfold now, affection poured into him by the one person he hasn't been able to get out of his head. every eye roll, every sarcastic remark meant to create distance; these things have never deterred steve from finding dae-hyun to be equal parts intriguing and lovable. he only wishes he could be better at convincing dae-hyun how serious he is about this sentiment without sounding like a full-blown cliché.

a kiss behind closed doors was one thing, one thing he had hoped would last a little longer than their first. however, he had hardly anticipated alerting the rest of his friends to what was budding between them so soon after. their fingers intertwined and for all to see, steve had ushered him out of the door with nary a goodbye to his friends. dae-hyun's own red jacket goes forgotten on one of the many chairs amidst the rush of them leaving. and he doesn't bother to bring it up. he could always go back.

the thought of dae-hyun breaking into his house shouldn't be as amusing as it is to steve right now, given the urgency of what's about to overtake hawkins should things go awry. but it is. he's so used to climbing through dae-hyun's window himself that he'd never considered the alternative. not that he'd need to do anything other than use the front door to the harrington house with how often steve's parents are absent.

oh, boy. steve has left a mark on her, more than any friend in her life thus far in her existence. she can feel the heat creeping up her neck so she's grateful that it's dark in her room. the only light seeming to leak into the room is from a street lamp outside her bedroom window.

it's like his inner monologue shuts down, unable to compute what is happening for a brief moment. steve.exe has stopped working. what an unexpected gift to be handed, no open channel for overthinking available when his senses are overloaded like this. steve rolls over to stare at the ceiling again.

as soon as he's enveloped, he can feel steve's distress. it seeps into him, even as he pulls back, the fear plastered across his face plain as day. it's jarring to see, foreign. gone was the light-hearted, blushing, silly, jovial steve harrington he had come to know. this was someone new he hadn't been privy to until now. some sadistic part of him was glad for it. whatever the hell that meant.

❛ okay ? ❜ steve echoes in confusion. dae-hyun's reaction is a far cry from what he'd expected, which was irritation with an assumption that steve was trying to pull some elaborate prank. their proximity is the only thread keeping steve whole in the moment, cheek leaning into the delicate touch that brushes over his skin. whatever tears had threatened to well up in his eyes retreat, steve trying his best to cling onto the last shred of hope he has for everyone to get through this.

perhaps she overdid it. a small laugh almost escapes her as she hears his assumption but it's stifled. robin shakes her head in the dark. "sorry.... you don't stink. i just.. i-" she pauses, and thinks for a second before continuing. "i'm scared that i'd get.. too comfortable.. with you." exhale. man, that might've been a little too real to say but it's out in the air now.

too comfortable. as if people being comfortable around him isn't the highest form of compliment to steve. he used to hate to admit it when he was younger, but he needs people more than he's ever let on. to have someone feel safe enough to let their guard down in his presence and not be self conscious is more than steve thinks he deserves, but he welcomes it with open arms each time it occurs.

having shit grades is something steve can relate to. junior year had been a mad dash and a half to get his grades up just so he could keep playing sports, the battle even worse during senior year when all things upside down had derailed any tentative plans he'd been hinging on. nothing ever goes the way you think it will, though. it's one of the universal truths steve has learned the hard way since becoming an adult. ❛ they've got tutors down at the library, you know. could try that. ❜ a sigh escapes his lips when he realizes one of the dvds isn't in its case. fuck. he rummages around the pile of other returns and rubs his temples in frustration. of course this shit would happen on his first shift alone in weeks.

it's a lot to take in, despite there being a glaringly obvious gap in detail. he had arrived here clearly smack bang in the middle of something, something that continued to elude him even with the whispers and dreams that tarried. steve was... he didn't know what steve was to him. important, as he phrased it. so much so, he couldn't just let this drop and be done with it.

forced to look into dark umber eyes again when dae-hyun cups his face, steve fights every urge to melt into the touch. he fails pretty spectacularly, eyes watering with all of the bottled up emotions he's been holding onto for months now. taking a deep, shuddered breath, steve leans forward to press their foreheads together. his arms wrap around dae-hyun's waist, pulling him closer into the temporary safety of his embrace. for a moment, all steve can do is focus on his breaths and try his best not to feel hopeless. when his breathing regulates, steve doesn't detach himself from dae-hyun, but rather just pulls back enough to look at him properly.

mikasa  could  stand  there  forever  and  give  steve  every  bit  of  the  affection  he  desires,  but  she  refuses  to  let  him  learn  how  to  weaponize  pouting  too  much  to  his  advantage.  ❝  okay,  now  you're  just  being  greedy.  ❞  she  kisses  his  cheek  anyways  before  pulling  away,  unable  to  resist—  having  someone  to  reciprocate  the  affection  she's  long  held  inside  and  starved  for herself  makes  the  world  feel  brighter.

the thing about steve is that he knows that his pouting can work to his advantage, but he's more than willing to follow mikasa's instruction anyway. if it means he gets to spend more time with her and not make her worry more than she already does, he'll do damn near anything to make her happy. ❛ you say greedy, i say deprived. it all depends on perspective... or whatever that word is. ❜

wide doe eyes staring down at her, steve crouches down and reaches another hand out to help victoria up. genuine concern is written all over his face, but he waits for her to sit up properly before attempting to assess the damage. the way he winces makes it clear that victoria is indeed bleeding, though it doesn't look as bad as it could be. nothing like what he's seen.

he's trying to rub off a piece of the gummy from his teeth as he walks back. "nah but it was dead at the cafe tonight. i was basically done cleaning before i clocked out."

the ice scraper goes hurtling into the sink, steve's reflexes not fast enough this time to save it. the loud sound echoes through the empty parlor and causes him to flinch. he's embarrassed at how the mere sound of robin's name has him so off his game.

mikasa  exhales  slowly  and  allows  steve's  fingers  combing  through  her  hair  ground  her  in  the  way  she  needs  as  the  racing  of  her  heart  falls  to  a  more  relaxed  cadence.  vulnerability  often  feels  like  a  thorn  in  her  side;  while  she  normally  prefers  to  keep  her  emotions  hidden  behind  carefully  mastered  stoicism,  the  loneliness  in  her  recognizes  the  neglect  steve  has  been  subjected  to.  and  it  was  when  she  first  began  to  let  him  in  slowly  yet  surely,  that  she  decided  he  wouldn't  have  to  experience  that  ever  again  as  long  as  she  could  help  it. 

mikasa relaxes in steve's arms and all is right with the world. moments like this satiate a part of his mind that was told over and over as a child he'd never amount to much. to be a safe haven for someone defies that very logic, proving that steve has something to offer. something worth loving. something worth cherishing. ❛ hey, whatever gets me in your good graces again, i'm doing it. i know how to pick my battles by now. ❜