Kazu

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welcome to my little corner of the world here you find a collection of the characters I've been writing about

𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 & 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝

Bucky Barnes

Steve Harrington

Robert Reynolds

Cameron Cassmore

Paul Atreides

Willy Wonka

Pairing: Steve Harrinton x female wheeler!reader

Summary: When you overhear a conversation about Steve cheating on you, you are devastated. Steve has no idea why you would act so cold all of a sudden ... until he finds out the reason.

Warnings: dating Steve. misunderstanding. hurt/comfort. hurt/angst. yearing Steve (this man is on his knees for you). no use of y/n.

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"You know they're practically dating now, right?"

You hadn't meant to eavesdrop...really. You were only trying to find somewhere quieter before Lucas' game started.

But the words stopped you cold. Two girls from school stood just around the corner and one of them laughed. "I saw Steve Harrington with her again yesterday."

"The blonde one?"

"No, Katie. The one from Family Video ."

Your heart skipped a beat.

"I heard they stay after work together all the time."

The other girl gasped, clearly amused. "Seriously?"

"Mhm."

"And what did they do yesterday?"

"They were laughing outside his car."

Another laugh from the first girl. "I'd be embarrassed if I were his girlfriend."

Your stomach turned and left you nauseous, because ... you are said girlfriend.

"He clearly moved on from her, duh."

You couldn't hear the rest. Because suddenly everything became too loud and too blurry.

Katie. You'd seen her a few times. She'd waved to Steve from across the mall once. You'd seen them walking out of the store together. She'd even laughed at something he'd said while you'd been waiting for him outside.

He'd introduced her so casually. She's new, he said.

You'd smiled and never questioned it. Until now.

Steve arrived just as the game ended. Still wearing his Family Video vest, hair messy from work, immediately searching the crowd.

There you are. His shoulders relaxed at the sight of you and he smiled just as he started walking toward you.

You looked at him. Then you looked away.

His smile faltered. "…Hey."

"Hi." You didn't meet his eyes.

"Everything okay?" He barely had time to finish the question before Dustin came sprinting across the parking lot.

"There you are!" His expression was panicked. "We've got a problem."

The demogorgon kept everyone busy. Long enough that Steve couldn't ask why you wouldn't even look at him. Long enough that he convinced himself maybe he'd imagined it.

But then it was over. The creature was dead. Everyone was exhausted.

Steve grabbed his keys. "C'mon." He smiled tiredly. "I'll take you home."

Normally you'd already be walking toward his car. Instead you stepped beside Nancy. "I'll ride with her."

Steve blinked. "What?"

"Nancy's going my way."

"…I always go your way."

"I know." Your voice was polite. Too polite. "I just…" You looked at Nancy instead. "…feel like talking."

Steve's chest tightened. "…Okay."

You still wouldn't look at him. He watched Nancy's car disappear. Something was very, very wrong.

"So…" Nancy glanced sideways as she drove. "…Are you going to tell me?"

You'd been crying silently for almost ten minutes. "I think Steve cheated on me."

Nancy slammed on the brakes. The car lurched to a stop. "…What?"

You stared down at your hands. "I heard these girls talking."

Nancy's face hardened immediately. "What girls?"

"They said…" Your voice cracked. "…they said he's been seeing someone from work."

Nancy was silent. Then very quietly… "What's her name?"

"Katie."

Nancy's jaw clenched. "I'll talk to him."

"Nancy, don't."

"I'm going to talk to him."

Steve had slept maybe three hours. He was shelving tapes the next afternoon when the bell above the door rang.

He smiled automatically. "Welcome to Family Vi—"

Nancy Wheeler marched straight toward him and she looked furious.

Steve's smile disappeared. "…Nancy?"

"You've got a lot of nerve."

"What?"

"Cheating on my sister."

Everything inside Steve stopped. "…I'm sorry?"

"Oh, you heard me."

"I…" He actually laughed out of pure confusion. "What are you talking about, Nance?"

"Katie."

Steve blinked. "…Katie?"

"The girl from work? Where is she? Are you hiding her from me?"

Steve stared. Then stared harder. "…Katie?"

Nancy folded her arms. "So it's true."

"What is true?!"

"You don't even deny it! You just play dumb."

"She works with me! And I`m not playing anything, Nance. You sound like a lunatic. What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

Nancy frowned. "…What?"

"She's sixteen for fucks sake! Do you really think that low of me?."

Silence.

Steve blinked. "I trained her."

Nancy's expression shifted just slightly.

Steve suddenly understood. He looked back at Nancy. "You are telling me ... she thinks I cheated on her? With Katie?"

Nancy suddenly got very pale. "I mean ... yeah she told me yesterday that you..."

"When…" His voice had gone thin. "…when did she think this started?"

Nancy's anger disappeared completely. "Steve…"

"Oh my God." He dropped the tapes he was holding. Plastic cases scattered across the floor. "She thinks…" He looked absolutely horrified. "She thinks I…"

Without another word ... he ran.

"Steve!" Nancy hurried after him. "Steve!"

He didn't stop.

Rain began halfway home but Steve barely noticed. His shoes splashed through puddles. His jacket soaked through. He just kept running.

Please. Please let her believe me. Please.

You jumped when someone pounded on your front door. Three frantic knocks.

You opened it and Steve stood there, absolutely drenched. Hair plastered to his forehead and his chest heaving. He'd clearly run the entire way.

"…Steve?"

"I didn't." Those were the first words out of his mouth. "I swear to you."

You stared.

"I didn't cheat on you."

Tears immediately welled in your eyes again. "You don't have to explain."

"But I do."

"No, please. I don`t wanna hear it."

"I really, really do."

You looked away. "I heard them, okay? You dont have to get into detail."

"I know you heard them, but it`s not true."

You wiped a few tears from your cheeks. "They sounded so sure."

"I know."

"You've been with her a lot."

"At work, yes. But I would never..."

"You laughed together." You knew how pathetic it sounded, but the image of him sharing these moment with her ... hurt so much.

"Because Robin accidentally dropped six stacks of tapes."

You frowned. "…What?"

Steve looked completely desperate. "Robin slipped."

You blinked. "She what?"

"She tripped over her own feet." He gestured wildly. "There was tapes everywhere and we laughed because Robin started cursing like a sailor."

You tried very hard not to smile.

"Katie laughed. I laughed. Robin laughed. The manager definitely didn't laugh."

Your lip trembled. "I don't…" Another tear escaped. "I want to believe you, but ... I can`t get the idea of you two out of my head."

Steve's face crumpled. Without thinking he stepped forward. Then stopped himself, not wanting to crowd you. "What can I do?"

You looked at him.

"I'll do anything."

Your tears came faster.

"I just…" He ran both hands through his soaking wet hair. "What do you need from me?"

You shrugged helplessly "I don't know."

"I'll prove it."

"How?"

"I don't know but I will find a way." He laughed helplessly. "I'll quit."

You looked up. "What?"

"If working with Katie hurts you…"

"Steve."

He shook his head. "I don't care."

"You can't quit your job."

"I don't care about the job." He looked at you like nothing else in the world mattered. "I only care about you."

Your breathing hitched.

"I can't lose you over something I didn't do." His voice cracked. "I can't."

You covered your mouth. Steve saw another tear fall. And something inside him broke.

Very slowly…he sank to his knees on your porch. Rain soaking straight through his jeans. His hair a wet mess and his eyes full of unspoken emotions.

"Steve!"

"I love you." His eyes never left yours. "I have never..." he shook his head fiercely. "Never looked at another girl and wished she was you."

His voice was trembling now. "I've never wanted anyone else. I've never even thought about it." He swallowed hard. "So please…" His hands shook as they reached for yours. "Believe me."

"I don't know how to make that feeling go away."

"I'll spend every day proving it. I can't lose you because of a rumor."

A car pulled into the driveway. Both of you turned around to see who was intruding this loaded moment. Nancy climbed out. Robin right behind her.

Robin took one look at Steve kneeling in the rain. "…Uh."

Nancy pointed. "Tell her. Now."

Robin looked between the two of you. "Oh." Realization dawned immediately. "Oh my God." She pointed toward Steve. "Katie?"

You nodded silently.

Robin stared for exactly two seconds. Then burst out laughing. Not meanly, just with complete disbelief.

"Oh honey." She walked straight over. "Katie has the biggest crush on our assistant manager."

You blinked. "…Who?"

"Dave. The guy with the mustache."

Steve nodded vigorously from the porch.

Robin continued. "The only reason Steve stayed late was because I couldn't figure out the new inventory sheets."

Steve looked almost offended. "You alphabetized horror under 'S.'"

"'For scary!'"

"That`s not how this works, Robin."

Robin looked back at you. "I have spent three weeks watching this dingus talk about you."

Steve groaned. "Robin."

"No." She folded her arms. "I'm finishing." She smiled kindly at you. "He buys your favorite candy every Tuesday."

Steve covered his face with one hand, while the other was still holding onto yours.

"He rewinds the tape of your favorite movie before you borrow it because he knows it annoys you when people don't."

"Robin…"

"He literally refuses extra shifts on Fridays because that's your movie night."

You looked at Steve. He looked everywhere except you and even through the rain you could see how his cheeks got flushed.

Robin smiled. "The only girl he's obsessed with…" She nodded toward the soaking wet disaster kneeling on your porch. "…is standing right in front of him."

You stepped slowly forward. Your hands found Steve's face. Still dripping with rain. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head immediately. "You don't have anything to apologize for."

You cupped his face in your hands. "I should've just asked you and believed you. That wasn`t fair"

"I should've told you more about her. I never thought…" He laughed quietly. "…I never imagined anyone would think…"

"You really are an idiot."

Steve smiled. "So I've been told."

You laughed through your tears. Then pulled him to his feet. The moment he was standing you wrapped your arms around him.

Steve hugged you back so tightly it almost stole your breath. Like he'd been afraid the rumor had already taken you away.

Behind you, Robin leaned toward Nancy. "…Worth driving over here."

Nancy smiled, watching Steve bury his face against your shoulder. "Yeah."

It really was.

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Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated 💙

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female wheeler!reader

Summary: You wake up at the hospital after being attacked by a Demogorgon. Panic claims your mind but Steve is there to comfort you, even if he is a mess himself.

Warnings: injuries. angst. hurt/comfort. crying. friends to lovers. confessions. no use of y/n.

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The first thing you noticed was the beeping. Slow and steady. Then came the smell. Antiseptic, the unmistakable sting of disinfectant.

Your eyelids felt impossibly heavy. When you finally managed to open them everything was blurry.

A dim lamp glowed in the corner of the room. Outside the window the sky was black.

Where… am I? Your heart began to pound.

The last thing you remembered ... Holly. The hallway ...the creature... so much blood. Steve.

Your hand flew to your side. You could feel bandages and the pain that woke up the rest of your sleepy braincells.

Panic surged through your chest. "No…"

The monitor beside you immediately sped up. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Your breathing caught. "I…" The room suddenly felt much too small. Much too quiet and your lungs refused to cooperate. "I can't…"

Every breath came shorter than the last. The monitor screamed faster. Beepbeepbeepbeep.

A chair scraped sharply across the floor. "Hey." A familiar voice.

Steve. You turned your head so quickly it hurt.

He had been asleep. Curled awkwardly in the chair beside your bed. Still wearing the same jacket. Only now it was wrinkled and coloured with old blood.

There were dark circles beneath his eyes. He looked… exhausted.

He was beside you before you could even think. "Look at me."

Your chest tightened painfully. "I…"

"I know." His voice was calm and so gentle. "You don't know where you are."

You shook your head desperately. "I can't…"

"You can." His hand found yours instantly. "I'm here."

You stared at him. Tears already blurring your vision. "Steve…"

He swallowed hard. "I've got you."

"I can't breathe."

"Yes, you can." His thumb brushed softly across your knuckles. "Not with your chest." He placed your joined hands gently against your stomach. "Try it from right here. Breathe with me."

You tried and failed. Tried again.

Steve never looked away. "In." He inhaled slowly. You copied him. "Good. And out."

Another breath. The panic didn't disappear all at once but it slowly loosened its grip. Until finally…you could breathe again.

The tears came instead. "What…" Your voice trembled. "…what happened?"

Steve looked at you. His own eyes immediately began to shine with tears too. "You…" He laughed softly, the sound cracked halfway through. "You woke up."

Another laugh and then suddenly ... he was crying. Actual tears rolling down his face. His shoulders shook once. "Oh my God."

He covered his mouth for a second. "I thought…" Another broken laugh. "For a second I thought I'd imagined this."

Your heart ached. "Steve…"

"You've been asleep." His voice barely worked. "For eight days."

The world stopped. "…Eight?"

He nodded. "You scared all of us."

Your eyes widened. "My family? Nancy and Holly? Where is Mike and ..."

"They are all alright. It`s over now so there is nothing to worry about. I promise all of them are alive."

One name still lingered. You whispered it anyway. "…You?"

Steve smiled. "I'm okay."

Relief hit so hard it made you cry all over again. You hadn't even realized how terrified you'd been until that moment.

Steve watched your face carefully. "You've got questions am I right?"

You laughed shakily. "I think…" You looked around the room. "…I have hundreds."

"I know."

"So…" You looked back at him. "…start talking."

He took a long breath. Then, very quietly…he told you everything.

About the Upside Down. About Eleven. About Demogorgons. About Vecna. About all the years you'd lived beside a war without ever knowing it existed.

You listened. Occasionally blinking and shaking your head in disbelieve.

"So…" You rubbed your forehead carefully. "My baby sister…"

"…has helped save the world." Steve smiled. "More than once."

"Nancy has been fighting these monsters?"

"Mhm."

You nodded carefully. "Mike?"

Steve chuckled. "He'd be offended you even asked."

You stared at him. Then your smile disappeared. "…You. You've been doing this…" Your voice grew quieter. "…for years."

He nodded with a crooked smile. "That`s why my hair already has some grey in it."

"You almost died."

"A few times."

"You never told me."

Steve shook his head. "We couldn't."

"You were hurt."

He looked away. But he didn`t had to confirm, because you remembered the bruises, the cuts and the excuses. Falling off bikes. Car accidents. Bad luck.

All lies. All to protect you.

Your eyes filled again. "I was worried about you."

"So was I."

"No." You shook your head. "You don't understand."

Your fingers tightened around his. "I almost lost you without even knowing it..." The sentence refused to finish itself.

Steve swallowed. "I know."

"You've been risking your life while I thought…" A tear slid down your cheek. "…I thought you were just fooling around."

He smiled sadly. "I was."

"No. You were protecting everybody. Including me." The realization settled heavily between you. "You are a hero, Steve."

He huffed a laugh. "Don`t say that. I was just trying not to die. There is nothing heroic about this."

You took his hand in yours and squeezed it tightly. "I was not there with you, but if there is one thing I know ... its that you would do everything in your power to protect the people you love. That sounds pretty heroic to me."

He sat on the edge of your hospital bed, you could feel his warmth through the thin blanket. "Still ... you got hurt. I wasn`t there to ..."

"Hey." Your eyes found his. "I'm here."

"You could've…" He choked on his own words, unable to swallow down the lump in his throat.

"But I didn't. Because you were there"

"I don't know what I would've done." The confession slipped out quietly.

"So don't."

Steve frowned. "What?"

"Don't make me imagine it."

His heart broke. "You know…" He smiled faintly. "When you were asleep…I talked to you."

"You did?"

"Every day."

"What did you say?"

He laughed. "A little bit of everything. I told you Robin kept stealing my fries."

You smiled through your tears.

"I complained about hospital coffee and I told you Dustin thinks he knows more than doctors."

You giggled. "He probably told them what to do."

"He absolutely did."

You both laughed and suddenly the room finally felt warm again. Then Steve looked down at your joined hands.

"There was one thing…" His voice softened. "…I kept saying every night."

"What was it?"

He looked up, straight into your eyes. "I told you…" His thumb stroked gently across yours. "…that if you woke up…I wasn't wasting another second."

Your breath caught. "Steve…"

"I love you." The words came out without hesitation, calm and steady. "I've loved you since before I knew what love even was."

His eyes shimmered. "I just…" He smiled sadly. "…picked a really bad time to tell you."

You laughed through your tears. "I think…" You reached up, your fingers rested gently against his cheek. "…it's perfect."

He leaned into your touch instinctively.

"I love you too."

His eyes closed, just for a second, as though he'd been waiting to hear those words for years. When he looked at you again he was smiling. The kind of smile that reached all the way to his eyes.

"You know…" You shifted carefully until you were sitting cross-legged despite the nurse absolutely disapproving somewhere in the hallways.

Steve laughed. "What?"

"I've wanted to kiss you…" You smiled shyly. "…for a very long time."

"Yeah?"

You nodded once. "Mhm."

"You've got terrible timing." He said, but instinctively moved even closer. You could feel his hand resting at the side of you hips and his breath on your lips.

"So do you."

He laughed again. "I guess we deserve each other."

"I think so, too."

Very slowly he leaned toward you. Giving you every chance to stop him, but you didn't move away. You leaned closer too. Until your foreheads touched. Both of you still smiling and crying a little.

Steve nudged the tip of your nose with his own. "I can't believe you're awake."

"I can't believe monsters are real."

"I know."

"You really fought all of that?"

Steve shrugged. "You would've done the same and you already did. You are braver than you think"

You looked at him with so much love it almost made him forget how to breathe.

"Steve..."

That was enough. He closed the last little bit of distance. His lips met yours in the gentlest kiss either of you had ever known.

No urgency or desperation, just relief. Years of unsaid feelings finally finding their way home.

When the kiss ended neither of you pulled very far away. Steve rested his forehead against yours, his hand cupping your cheek.

Outside the hospital window, dawn was just beginning to paint the sky. After everything Hawkins had survived…after everything the two of you had survived…

Morning had never looked so beautiful.

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Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated 💙

STEVE HARRINGTON MASTERLIST

by my side

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female!wheeler reader

Warnings: blood (like a lot). angst (big time). angst/comfort. hurt / comfort. friends to enemies to lovers. no use of y/n.

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The Wheeler front door was hanging open.

Nancy reached it first. "Holly!" Her voice echoed through the house but there was no answer.

Only silence.

Then a weak cry echoed from the walls. "Na… Nancy…"

It came from the hallway. Steve's head snapped toward the sound. His stomach dropped. You were lying on the hardwood floor, one hand clutched against your side. Blood had pooled beneath you, spreading slowly across the floorboards.

The fireplace poker was still lying a few feet away, bent as if you'd swung it hard enough to warp the metal.

For one horrifying second… Steve couldn't move. It was like his body refused to accept what his eyes were seeing. You bleeding and shaking. Trying so hard to stay awake.

"…No." The word escaped him before he even realized he'd spoken.

Nancy rushed toward you, dropping to her knees. "Oh my God."

Eleven was already scanning the house. "Holly is alive."

Nancy looked up. "Find her."

Eleven nodded once and disappeared upstairs.

Nancy looked at Steve. "We have to call the paramedics or she will bleed out."

Steve's eyes never left you. "I've got her."

Nancy hesitated. Then squeezed your shoulder. "I'm coming back."

And she was gone. Leaving the two of you alone. Steve crossed the room so quickly he almost slipped on the blood.

He landed on his knees beside you, immediately his hands hovered over the wound. "…Hey."

His voice shook. He hated that. He swallowed and tried again. "Hey."

You looked at him through unfocused eyes. "…Steve?"

"I'm here." His jacket was off before another second had passed. He folded it quickly, pressing it firmly against your side.

The second he applied pressure you cried out in agony. The sound cut straight through him.

"I know, I`m sorry." His voice cracked. "I know, sweetheart."

"... sorry."

"No." He shook his head immediately. "Don't apologize."

"It hurts," you said shutting your eyes in pain. "I can't…" Your breathing hitched. "I can't breathe."

"Yes, you can."

"I don't think I—"

"You can." His hand found yours and he squeezed it tightly. "Look at me."

Your eyes darted everywhere except his. The blood, the hallway, the ceiling. Anywhere but him.

"Look at me."

This time you did. "I cant ... cant"

His voice had become impossibly gentle. "I need you to stay with me."

"I'm trying."

"I know you are, sweetheart."

"I don't…" A tear rolled down your cheek. "…I don't know what that thing was."

Steve felt his own throat tighten. "It doesn't matter right now."

"It tried to…" Another shaky breath. "It tried to kill Holly." Your voice broke completely. "I couldn't let it hurt her... but it still took her."

"I know."

"I hit it."

"You did."

"It didn't…" Your eyes filled with fresh tears. "It didn't care."

Steve blinked hard. Not now. You need to hold it together now.

He pressed more firmly against the wound. You whimpered. "I'm sorry." He hated saying it. He hated hurting you. But he hated the blood even more. "You have to keep talking to me."

"I'm scared." You wrapped your numb fingers around his wrist. "I'm really scared."

Steve's heart broke. "I know."

"I don't want to die." The words were so quiet… He almost wished he hadn't heard them.

"No." His answer came immediately. "You won`t."

"What if—"

"No."

Your breathing grew faster. "What if I don't make it?"

"You will." Steve reached up with his free hand. Very carefully… He brushed your hair away from your damp forehead. Just like he used to when you were twelve. When scraped knees had been the biggest emergency either of you had ever known.

"Hey." Your eyes found his again. "I need you to listen to me."

You nodded weakly.

"I have fought monsters. I've survived things I shouldn't have." You blinked up at him. "I've been through hell." His thumb gently wiped away a tear from your cheek. "And I have never…" His own voice threatened to break. "…never met anyone as stubborn as you."

Despite everything… a tiny laugh escaped you.

Your fingers tightened desperately around his hand. "I thought…" You swallowed painfully. "…I thought you stopped."

Steve froze. "What?"

"When…" Your breathing trembled. "…when you changed."

High school. King Steve. The years between you.

"I thought…" Another tear. "…you forgot about me."

His face crumpled. "How could you think that? I never forgot you."

"You didn't?"

"I couldn't." His eyes burned. "I tried." A broken laugh. "I tried really hard to pretend I didn't care."

"Why?"

"Because…" He looked down at your joined hands. "…I knew I didn't deserve you. How could I?"

You stared at him.

"I hurt you and I hated myself for it." Another silence. "I still…" He laughed shakily. "…I still remember how you took my hand on the first day of kindergarten because I was crying."

You smiled faintly. "You cried because you missed your mom."

"I did."

"You had dinosaur shoes."

"They lit up."

"They did."

"You thought they made you run faster."

"They absolutely did."

You laughed again. Only a little. But it was enough. Enough to keep you here.

Steve looked toward the front door. Where are the paramedics? Come on. Please.

His eyes returned to you immediately. "Stay with me. Please."

Your eyelids fluttered.

"No, no." His grip tightened. "Don't close your eyes."

"I'm tired."

He sobbed. "I know."

"So tired."

"But you don't get to sleep yet."

You smiled weakly. "Bossy."

"I learned that from Dustin."

That earned him another tiny smile. Good. Keep talking. Keep smiling. Keep breathing.

You looked at him for a long moment. "…Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"If I…" You hesitated. "If this is really bad…"

His stomach dropped. "…don't."

"I just…"

"You don't get to say goodbye."

"I wasn't."

Steve shook his head almost violently. "You were about to."

"I just wanted to tell you—"

"No." His voice cracked so sharply it surprised both of you. "No, please." Tears spilled down his cheeks now. He didn't even try to hide them anymore. "You are not saying goodbye to me."

"Steve…"

"You hear me?" His forehead rested carefully against yours. "So don't you dare."

For just a second… Neither of you spoke. You could feel him shaking. He was terrified and trying so desperately not to let you see it.

Very gently… He lifted his head. His lips brushed your forehead. A soft, lingering kiss. The kind that carried years of words he'd never said.

"You are not leaving me." His whisper trembled against your skin. "I've already lost too much." His thumb stroked your hand once. "So stay." Another kiss to your forehead. "Please."

Sirens came in earshot. Faint at first. Then closer. Steve closed his eyes for one brief moment.

Thank God.

When he opened them again… You were still looking at him. Still awake. Still holding his hand.

And for now… That was enough.

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Thank you very much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated 💙

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female reader

Summary: This is a story about two idiots in love but being too shy to admit it.

Warnings: fluff. yearning. friends to lovers. love confession. kissing. no use of y/n.

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Steve had loved you for so long that he couldn't remember a version of himself that didn't.

It had started with sharing crayons in kindergarten and with scraped knees. With building blanket forts in your living room and with you insisting his dinosaur lunchbox was cooler than yours.

Somewhere between then and now… It had become impossible to imagine life without you in it.

You knew every version of him. The loud eleven-year-old. The painfully awkward middle-schooler. King Steve. The Steve who cried in your driveway after everything with Nancy fell apart. The Steve who came home from Starcourt bruised and exhausted but smiled the second you opened your front door.

You had seen every broken piece. And somehow you stayed anyway. Which only made him love you more.

Unfortunately… Steve Harrington was a complete coward.

Because every time he decided Today's the day to tell you how he really feels, you'd smile at him— and suddenly he'd think,

Don't ruin this.

So he never said anything.

You had loved Steve for exactly the same amount of time. Which was deeply inconvenient.

You'd watched girls fall for him since middle school. Watched him date and get his heart broken.

Watched him somehow become kinder every single year. He was still Steve. Still the boy who held your hand on the first day of kindergarten because you'd both been scared.

But now… Now he looked at people like they mattered. He remembered birthdays. Opened doors. Walked you home without ever making it seem like an obligation.

You loved him. And you were tired of pretending otherwise. Tonight you were finally going to tell him. If he didn't feel the same…at least you'd know.

And you could die from embarrassment, but hey at least know.

The party was busy enough that nobody noticed your hands shaking. Someone had hung strings of lights through the trees. Music drifted across the backyard. People laughed around bonfires.

Steve looked unfairly handsome standing by the drinks table. Sleeves rolled to his elbows. Laughing at something Dustin had apparently shouted from across the yard.

Your heart immediately betrayed you. Just tell him. You could do this.

You had survived monsters. Interdimensional nightmares. Vecna. Surely you could survive one conversation.

You started walking toward him. Halfway there, someone else reached him first. A girl... very pretty and very confident.

She laughed at something Steve said. Stepped closer. Too close.

Your feet stopped moving. Steve looked… confused. The girl smiled and said something you couldn't hear.

Then she reached up. One hand on his arm. And leaned in.

Your heart dropped.

Steve immediately took a step backward. Gentle and instinctive.

"I'm sorry," he said. He smiled apologetically and shook his head. Pointed vaguely across the yard. "I like somebody else."

You never saw it. Because by then… You were already gone.

Steve looked toward where you'd been standing, but all he saw was the empty spot. His stomach fell straight through the ground. "…No."

He scanned the crowd. Nothing. Then realization hit him like a truck.

She saw that. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Without another word, he was running. Ignoring whoever called his name. Ignoring Robin shouting, "Steve?!"

He knew you. You wouldn't stay. You'd walk straight home, busy overthinking. Because every time something would be messed up, you needed to move. Walk it out.

You walked whenever you needed to think.

Please. He thought. Please don't have gone far.

You'd almost made it home before you heard footsteps. "Wait!"

You wiped angrily at your eyes.

"Hey!"

No. If you turned around… You'd cry even harder. And you refused to do that in front of Steve right now.

Unfortunately… Steve had apparently decided that was no longer your choice.

He caught up with you, slightly out of breath. Stepping in front of you just enough to make you stop. "You left."

You looked anywhere but at him. "I was tired."

"You are crying."

"I have allergies."

"In October?"

"…Weird allergies."

Despite everything Steve almost smiled. Almost. Then he saw your face.

Red eyes and wet cheeks. Trying so hard to pretend you were okay. His heart cracked clean in half. "Hey." His voice became impossibly gentle. "Why are you running from me?"

You laughed. A broken sound. "You should probably ask that girl."

Steve blinked. "Fuck, I knew you saw that."

"She seemed nice."

"No. I mean I dont know and I dont care." Steve ran both hands through his hair. "You dont understand."

"I thought…"

Steve stepped closer.

"She kissed you."

"No she did not."

"I saw ..."

"You saw her try."

You frowned. "…Try?"

"I moved." Your eyes slowly found his. Steve looked almost desperate. "I told her no."

"You did?"

"I told her…" He smiled helplessly. "…that I liked somebody else."

The world seemed to stop. "Oh."

"Yeah. And then I saw that you were gone and that really scared the shit out of me, sweetheart."

The way the nickname sounded so soft from his lips almost made your legs give in. “What? Why?"

Steve looking at you like he was trying to memorize your face. "I thought…" he admitted quietly, "you left because you didn't feel the same."

You stared. "What?"

"I figured you saw me turn her down."

"I didn't."

"I know that now." He laughed softly. "I figured you realized who I meant."

Your heart began to pound. "…Who?"

Steve looked at you as if the answer had always been obvious. "You."

Your breath caught.

"You." He nodded. "It's always been you."

You couldn't speak. So Steve kept going. Because if he stopped now… He never would again.

"I've loved you since we were kids." He gently brushed his thumb over your jawline. "I tried telling you in eighth grade."

"You did?"

"You got excited because you found a frog."

You remembered. "I did find a frog."

"You made me hold it."

"It was a nice frog."

Steve laughed despite himself. "It peed on me."

"It was nervous."

"So was I."

Another laugh escaped you. God. This had to be his favorite sound.

"I tried again after graduation."

"What happened?"

"You hugged me."

"…That stopped you?"

"You have no idea what a hug from you does to me."

Your cheeks flushed. Steve smiled. "I've loved you through every selfmade haircut."

"Oh no."

"Even the bangs."

"I knew those were a mistake."

"They were."

You swatted his arm but he caught your hand. Without thinking. His smile softened. "I've loved every version of you."

The teasing faded from your expression.

"So…" He took one careful step closer. "If this is about me kissing somebody else…" He gently squeezed your hand. "I can't."

You looked up at him. "Why?"

"Because I'd spend the whole time wishing she was you."

A tear slipped down your cheek. This time… It wasn't from heartbreak. "I've been in love with you since kindergarten."

Steve blinked. "…Seriously?"

"I thought you only saw me as your friend."

"I thought you only saw me as yours."

You both stared. Then, at exactly the same moment— "You've got to be kidding me."

The words came out together. You laughed and so did Steve laughed. The kind of helpless laughter that only comes after realizing you've both spent years making the exact same mistake.

"You mean…" You smiled through happy tears. "We're both idiots?"

"The biggest." He stepped closer again. "So…"

"So?"

"Can I finally kiss the girl I've been in love with for practically my entire life?"

You pretended to think about it. "Hm." Steve waited dramatically. "I suppose…" You smiled. "…it's about damn time."

He didn't hesitate again. Not this time. His hands cupped your face so gently it made your heart ache. The kiss was soft. Warm and familiar somehow…

Like coming home after being away for far too long.

When you finally pulled apart, Steve rested his forehead against yours. "You know what?"

"Hm?"

"I really wish you'd told me sooner."

You laughed. "I was literally on my way to tell you back there."

"…Seriously?"

"Yep."

"What stopped you?"

You gave him the most unimpressed look imaginable. "Some blonde girl trying to kiss you."

Steve groaned. "Oh, I am never forgiving her."

You giggled. "I think everything worked out okay."

He looked at you. Really looked at you. The girl he'd loved since finger paints and playground swings. The girl he'd almost spent a lifetime believing he couldn't have.

Then he smiled the biggest smile you'd ever seen. "Yeah," he whispered. "It really did."

He slipped his fingers through yours as you turned toward home. This time neither of you had to wonder if the other one felt the same.

And Steve decided that, after all those years of waiting the walk home had never felt so short.

____________________________

Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated

Pairing: Steve Harrington x unexperienced / shy female reader

Summary: Steve has fallen hard for you. And he doesn`t hide his affection at all. But you are not used to this kind of attention ... yet.

Warnings: shy reader. unexperienced. friends to lovers. Steve has a huge crush. kissing. flirting. no use of y/n.

_______________

Steve wasn't trying to be smooth. He was trying to be…Well. Normal. Unfortunately, "normal" tended to disappear the second you smiled at him.

It started with your hair.

The two of you had volunteered to help decorate the community center for Hawkins' annual summer fair, which meant ladders, boxes of paper lanterns, and Robin loudly insisting that every ribbon was "slightly crooked."

You were standing beside Steve, trying to untangle a string of lights. When a breeze drifted through the open windows and a loose strand of your hair fell across your face.

Without thinking… Steve reached over. His fingers barely brushed your cheek as he tucked it gently behind your ear. "There." He smiled. "Thought you might want to actually see what you're doing."

Your entire body froze. "…Oh." Then, after the shortest silence imaginable you took one quick step backward.

Steve's smile faltered. "…Sorry."

"No!" The answer came too fast. "I mean—" Your gaze was suddenly glued to the floor.

"I just…" You laughed nervously. "I have to…" You pointed vaguely toward absolutely nothing. "…go."

Then you practically speed-walked away. Steve blinked, to stunned to even breathe. Robin watched the whole thing from across the room.

"…Well." Steve looked at her. "I messed that up."

The second incident happened three days later at the Family Video.

You reached for the same VHS tape at exactly the same time and your fingers brushed. Steve smiled instinctively. You looked at him and your heart did a complete somersault.

He smiled. Your brain promptly packed its bags and left.

You yanked your hand back so quickly you almost dropped the tape. "Sorry!"

Steve frowned. "It's okay."

"No, I—" You laughed waaay too loudly. "I should…" Another vague gesture. "…Alphabetize something."

You disappeared into the next aisle.

Steve stood there holding The Princess Bride. "…What just happened?"

Then came the fair.

You'd spent the afternoon helping Steve run one of the game booths. He kept making you laugh, while you kept trying not to stare at him.

Neither attempt was particularly successful.

Late in the afternoon, Steve leaned closer to hear you over the crowd. "You've got paint…" He smiled. "…right here." He pointed to the corner of your mouth.

"Oh!" Instinctively, you tried wiping it away.

"No, other side."

"This side?"

"No." He chuckled. "Here." Before he could think better of it, his thumb lightly brushed the tiny streak of blue paint from your cheek.

It lasted less than a second, but your heart nearly exploded.

"Oh." Your voice squeaked. You took two entire steps backward.

Steve's hand dropped immediately. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay."

"No…" His smile had disappeared now. "I shouldn't have…"

"No, really." You were blushing so hard you thought you might actually catch fire. "I just…" Words. Where had words gone?

"I have to go help Mrs. Henderson."

"…She's over there."

"I know." You pointed in the opposite direction. "…Exactly." Then you fled.

Steve watched you disappear into the crowd. His stomach sank and he felt like the worst person that had ever walked the earth.

By evening he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Three times. Three different days. Every time he'd gotten a little closer… You'd moved away.

Maybe Robin was right. Maybe he'd been too obvious. Maybe he'd made you uncomfortable.

The thought sat like a stone in his chest.

He hated it even more than rejection. More than embarrassment. The idea that you might not feel safe around him made him feel physically sick.

So… just after sunset… Steve knocked on your front door. You opened it wearing an oversized sweatshirt and socks.

You smiled when you saw him. Then immediately looked confused. "Steve?"

"Hey."

"Everything okay?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Can we…" He nodded toward the porch swing. "…Talk?"

A few minutes later you were sitting side by side in the warm evening air.

Steve couldn't look at you. "I owe you an apology."

You frowned. "For what?"

He laughed softly. "For apparently making you uncomfortable all week."

Your eyebrows shot up. "…What?"

He sighed. "I noticed how you moved away when I came too close to you and I`m so incredibly sorry."

Your stomach dropped.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or that you are not safe with me. I would never force myself on you like that ... well I guess I kinda did that ..."

He dragged a hand down his face. "God, I`m so so sorry."

"I know."

"I just…" His shoulders slumped. "I think I got carried away."

"Steve?"

"…Yeah?"

"Can you look at me?"

He finally did. You were trying very hard not to smile. "You thought…" You covered your mouth. "…that I was uncomfortable?"

He blinked. "Weren't you?"

For one long moment you simply stared at him. Then you laughed with complete disbelief. "Oh my God."

Steve looked even more worried. "Was I really that bad?"

"No!" You reached for his hand without even thinking. The contact made him stop talking instantly. "No, Steve."

You shook your head. "I wasn't uncomfortable."

"You weren't?"

"I was…" Your cheeks warmed immediately. "Oh man how should I put it?."

"What?"

"This is so embarrassing."

"You don't have to tell me."

"No." You smiled shyly. "I think I should."

Steve waited.

"I moved away because…" You laughed at yourself. "…I forgot how to function."

He stared. "What?"

"I've never…" You looked down at your joined hands. "…had someone flirt with me before."

Steve's heart skipped a beat. Yeah he flirted with you. Hard and with everything he got. And he couldn`t understand the fact that nobody did before.

"So when you tucked my hair behind my ear…" You hid your face for a second. "…my brain completely shut down."

His mouth fell open.

"And when our hands touched at Family Video…" A tiny smile. "…I spent the next ten minutes pretending to organize shelves because I couldn't remember the alphabet."

Steve actually laughed. "You couldn't…"

"I genuinely couldn't." He laughed harder. "I got to 'G' three times."

"Oh my God."

"And then…" You groaned. "…at the fair?"

Steve smiled. "You practically ran away from me. I felt like a deadly disease."

"I know." You looked at him through your fingers. "But you smiled at me first. As if that's a normal thing to do!"

"It is!"

"Not when you look like that!"

Steve blinked. "…Like what?"

"Like…" You took a deep breath. "Like I'm the only person you're looking at. And with those eyes? Give a girl a break!"

His expression softened.

"So every time you smiled…" Your voice became smaller. "…or accidentally brushed my hand…I felt like my heart was trying to climb out of my chest."

Steve had gone completely still.

"And I moved away because I was scared that if I stayed…" You looked up at him. "…you'd notice how hopelessly in love with you I am."

Silence. Complete silence. Steve's face turned the most spectacular shade of pink.

You blinked. "…Steve?"

He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

"…Steve?"

He laughed once. Very quietly. "I spent…" Another laugh. "…an entire week convincing myself I was the worst guy in Hawkins."

"Oh god. I`m so sorry."

"I thought I'd scared you."

"You absolutely did." His face fell. "No!" You quickly squeezed his hand. "Not like that."

A smile spread across your face. "You scared me because you kept doing incredibly sweet things…and I didn't know what to do with all the butterflies."

Steve looked at you as though the world had just tilted on its axis.

"So…" He smiled, almost shyly now. "…if I did this again…"

Very slowly, giving you every chance to move… He reached up. His fingertips gently tucked another loose strand of hair behind your ear.

This time you didn't step away, instead you leaned into his touch. Just a little.

Steve's smile grew. "That is the reaction I was hoping for."

You smiled back. "That was the reaction all along, I just needed a little longer to understand."

"I`m glad because I dont think I can stay away from you any longer after tonight." He laughed softly. "I love you too, sweetheart."

You reached up, your fingers finding his wrist. "So…"

"So?"

"You can keep flirting with me."

Steve's eyebrows lifted. "Yeah?"

You nodded. "I'll probably still get flustered."

"That's okay. I kinda love it actually."

"I might still forget how words work."

"I think that's kind of adorable."

You laughed. "Just…" You looked up at him with the sweetest, most bashful smile he'd ever seen. "…don't mistake butterflies for fear."

Steve's heart melted on the spot. "I won't."

And when he leaned in to kiss you, you didn't run away. You smiled into the kiss and afterwards Steve wondered how he'd ever mistaken that look for anything other than love.

___________________

Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated

1. something like phineas and Isabela where reader just loves steve for years, always being there for him all the time but he doesn’t notice. until the day she just give up and decide to move on, and that’s when he realizes how much he adores her

2. reader being like candace, super in love with steve (jeremy) and thinking he doesn’t like her back but he is absolutely obsessed with her

here is scenario one for you! i will put a link for number two in the post when i post it 💕

a little slow

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female reader

Warnings: none really. fluff. confessions. idiots in love. friends to lovers. no use of y/n.

_________________

If someone had asked Steve Harrington when he'd gotten used to you, he wouldn't have been able to answer. Because it hadn't happened all at once.

It had happened slowly. One movie night at a time, one drive home after work and one cup of coffee left on his car because you knew he'd had an early shift.

One day after another until your presence stopped feeling like something rare. It just…felt like life, because you were always there.

Waiting outside Family Video when his shift ended or saving him a seat.

Remembering the little things. The way he took his coffee or the songs he skipped on the radio. Even the anniversary of his grandmother's death.

The fact that thunderstorms still made him uneasy after everything Hawkins had become.

You remembered all of it. Steve loved you. He just hadn't realized that was what it was called.

Robin figured it out first. "You know she likes you, right?"

Steve looked up from rewinding a tape. "What?"

Robin blinked. "…Seriously?"

"As a friend?"

She stared at him for so long he became uncomfortable. "Oh my God."

"What?"

"You actually don't know."

"I don't know what?"

Robin laughed once. "Steve."

"What?"

"She looks at you like you hung the moon."

Steve rolled his eyes. "No, she doesn't."

"She absolutely does."

"Robin."

"I'm serious."

Steve shrugged. "She's just… nice."

Robin actually groaned. "I am surrounded by idiots."

You decided to stop loving Steve on a Tuesday. Not because you wanted to but because you had to.

You were tired. Tired of hoping. Tired of reading into every smile. Every lingering hug and every time his hand found yours without thinking.

Only for nothing to happen.

You couldn't keep waiting for a future Steve didn't even know you wanted.

So… You stopped. Not all at once. You still answered his calls. But you stopped reaching first. If he wanted your company…

He'd have to ask.

You told yourself it was healthier this way and maybe it was.

But it still hurt.

Steve noticed after two days. Because something was missing. He couldn't explain it. Family Video felt quieter. He reached for the phone three different nights before remembering…

You hadn't called. Huh. Weird.

A week later Steve walked out of work expecting to see you leaning against your car. You weren't there.

He checked his watch. Maybe you were late.

Robin watched him scan the parking lot. "…Looking for someone?"

"No."

"You've looked outside six times."

"I was…" He frowned. "I thought she'd be here."

Robin's expression softened. "She stopped waiting for you."

"…Why?"

Robin gave him a look. "You really don't get it, huh?."

Another week.

Steve bought Chinese takeout and automatically ordered your favorite. Only realizing when he got home. "…Huh."

He stared at the second carton for a long time. Then he ate alone.

The apartment felt… Wrong and way too quiet. He turned on the TV. Turned it off again.

He actually caught himself reaching for the phone but his fingers stopped over your number. He couldn't think of a good enough reason to call.

So he didn't.

Nancy noticed next. "You look miserable."

"I'm fine."

"You've been staring out that window for ten minutes."

Steve sighed. "I think…" He rubbed a hand across his face. "I think I miss my friend."

Nancy smiled sadly. "Just your friend?"

Steve opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "…Yeah?"

Nancy waited. He frowned. "…Maybe." She kept waiting. "I don't like that she doesn't call anymore."

Nancy nodded.

"I don't like eating dinner by myself." Another nod. "I don't like not knowing how her day went."

Steve's voice had become quieter. "I keep hearing songs she likes." He laughed once but without humor. "I almost bought that stupid strawberry candy yesterday because she always steals mine."

Nancy's smile became impossibly gentle. "And?"

Steve looked at her completely lost. "I just…" His eyes drifted toward the window. "…I miss her."

Nancy reached across the table. Covered his hand with hers. "I know."

"No." Steve swallowed. "I don't think you do." His voice cracked. "I miss…" He searched desperately for the right word. Not seeing you. Not talking to you. Not hanging out. It was bigger than that.

He missed… You. Your existence in his life.

The way everything felt lighter when you were around and the way he looked for you in every room without realizing. How every good story made him think, I have to tell her.

His heart sank. "Oh."

Nancy smiled softly. "There it is. He finally got it."

Steve looked up. Eyes wide. "Oh." Everything clicked into place. Every hug. Every inside joke. Every drive. Every lazy Sunday. Every time you'd fallen asleep on his shoulder during movie night. Every moment he'd unconsciously built his life around you.

He hadn't just gotten used to you. He loved you. Hopelessly.

He was just… Too stupid to notice before you gave up.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Nancy laughed. "Took you long enough."

Steve stood so quickly his chair nearly tipped over. "I have to go."

"Steve."

He was already halfway to the door.

"Don't waste any more time."

"I won't."

He found you at the park, sitting on your usual bench, reading. You looked up as he approached.

"Steve?"

He stopped in front of you. Completely out of breath. "I've been an idiot."

You blinked. "…Okay?"

"No." He shook his head. "I mean yes." Another shake. "I mean…" He laughed helplessly. "I had this whole speech."

"You did?"

"It was really good."

"What happened to it?"

"I saw you and forgot every word."

Despite yourself… You smiled. That smile. The one he'd somehow convinced himself was just friendly. How had he been so blind?

"I've missed you."

Your smile faded. "I've still been around."

"I know." His voice was quiet now. "But not really."

The truth settled between you. You looked down at your book. "I thought giving you some space might help."

"Help what?"

"Help me to ... let go." You looked up again. "You don't owe me anything, Steve."

His heart broke. "I know."

"I don't want you to feel guilty."

"I don't."

"No?"

"No." He stepped closer. "I feel terrified."

Your brows knit together. "Terrified?"

"Because…" He took a shaky breath. "I've spent the last two weeks trying to figure out why everything felt wrong." His eyes found yours. "And then I realized…" A small smile, the kind that trembled.

"It wasn't because you stopped calling or because we stopped hanging out. It was because…" His voice softened. "You stopped letting me love you the way I'd gotten used to."

A tear slipped down your cheek. "I don't understand."

Steve smiled through eyes that had started to sting. "I've loved you for a long time." You stared. He laughed quietly. "I was just the last person to figure it out."

Another tear escaped. "You don't have to say anything." He stepped close enough that your knees almost touched his. "I just ... I couldn't let you walk away thinking you weren't the most important person in my life."

Your face crumpled. "You idiot."

"I know."

"I spent months trying to get you to notice."

"I know."

"I finally gave up."

"I know."

"You picked a terrible time."

"I know."

A watery laugh escaped you. Steve smiled. Then, very carefully… He reached for your hand.

"I know I'm late." His thumb brushed gently across your knuckles. "But if there's even the tiniest part of you that hasn't completely given up on me…" His smile was so wonderfully, painfully Steve. Crooked and hopeful. "I'd really like the chance to spend the rest of my life making up for it."

You looked at his hand. Then at him. Then back at his hand and your fingers slipped between his. Like they had a hundred times before. Only this time neither of you had to pretend it meant nothing.

Steve smiled. The kind of smile that reached all the way to his eyes. The kind that said,

I almost lost the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm never making that mistake again.

__________________

Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated 💙

STEVE HARRINGTON MASTERLIST

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female reader

Summary: You know exactly how to tease your boyfriend and Steve got no problem with being used for your entertainment.

Warnings: dating Steve. teasing. yearning. kissing. implied nsfw (not graphic). heart-eyed Steve. boyfriend mode. no use of y/n.

______________

The July air was still warm long after the sun had disappeared.

Music drifted lazily from the speakers someone had set up on the porch. Fairy lights crisscrossed the backyard, glowing softly overhead, while half the neighborhood seemed to be squeezed into one garden.

Robin and Vicky were arguing over who had cheated at cards.

Jonathan had somehow become trapped in a conversation about cameras with a college sophomore.

Nancy was laughing at something Steve had said.

Steve, for once, wasn't thinking about monsters. Or Upside Down portals. Or saving the world.

He was thinking about how nice it felt to simply… exist and to laugh with his friends.

"…She's been gone a while," Robin said, glancing toward the house.

"Bathroom line," Nancy guessed.

Steve nodded absently. You'd slipped inside ten minutes ago after kicking off your shoes at the door.

His eyes drifted toward the back door every few seconds before he could stop them.

Robin noticed. Of course she did. "You know she's coming back, right?"

Steve looked offended. "I know."

"You've checked the door twelve times."

"I have not."

"You absolutely have."

"I was… observing the party."

Robin snorted. "You are so whipped."

"I am not."

Nancy smiled into her drink. "You kind of are."

Steve opened his mouth to defend himself. Then the back door opened and his argument disappeared immediately, because there you were.

Shoes dangling from one hand and your hair glowing because of the fairy lights.

Looking around until your eyes found his. Then you smiled and Steve felt his own smile appear before he even realized it.

There she is. My favorite person.

You made your way across the lawn, weaving between guests until you reached the group.

Then you frowned. "Huh."

Every seat was taken. Steve reacted instantly. "I can—" But before he could even stand ... You simply sat down.

Right in his lap.

Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Steve's brain stopped worked completely.

His hands hovered awkwardly in the air. His heart slammed against his ribs. His ears immediately turned bright red.

"…Hi," you said cheerfully.

"Hi." It came out considerably higher than he intended.

Robin bit the inside of her cheek. Nancy suddenly found the stars fascinating. Jonathan coughed into his drink. Vicky outright grinned.

You seemed blissfully unbothered. "So…" You balanced one foot over your knee. "I should probably put my shoes back on."

Steve nodded. Words had abandoned him entirely.

You shifted slightly to reach your shoes. Then shifted again. Trying to find a comfortable position.

Steve inhaled sharply. Oh. Oh no.

You didn't seem to notice or… Maybe you did. Because another tiny wiggle followed.

Steve's entire body tensed. She's going to kill me.

You were still focused on tying the laces. Or pretending to be. His hands found your waist almost instinctively.

He leaned in just enough for only you to hear. "…You're playing a very dangerous game."

His voice was low, careful even.

You turned your head slightly. Blinking up at him with the most innocent expression he'd ever seen. "Am I?"

"So innocent," he murmured.

"I was just trying to put my shoes on."

"Mhm."

"I needed to get comfortable."

"You absolutely did."

You tilted your head. "What do you mean?" The corner of your mouth twitched.

That tiny hint of mischief. Steve knew that look. He'd learned it months ago and it always meant trouble. "You know exactly what."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Liar."

"So rude."

"You are enjoying this." Your smile widened just enough to give yourself away. Steve couldn't help laughing under his breath. "This little attitude you've got…" His thumbs rested lightly against your sides. "…I see right through it."

You looked up at him with exaggerated innocence. "I think you're imagining things."

"Oh, am I?"

"You are."

Steve shook his head, smiling despite himself. "You've become way too confident."

"Maybe."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours." You said it so matter-of-factly that he almost laughed out loud, but instead, he leaned closer.

Just enough that his lips brushed softly beneath your ear. "So this was your plan?"

You shivered ever so slightly. "No…"

"You sure?"

"I just wanted somewhere to sit."

"Funny." His smile grew. "You walked past three perfectly good patches of grass."

"I like this seat better." Steve closed his eyes for half a second. She's unbelievable.

He pressed a quick kiss against the side of your neck. Nothing more than a fleeting brush of affection. "You are trouble."

You smiled without looking up from your laces. "So I've been told."

Across the bench, Robin made an exaggerated gagging noise. "Oh my God."

Vicky laughed. "They're adorable."

"They're exhausting," Robin corrected.

Nancy hid her smile behind her cup and Jonathan chuckled quietly.

Steve glanced over. "Something to say?"

Robin held up both hands. "Nothing."

"You were definitely about to say something."

"I value my life."

"You should."

Robin pointed at you. "She has him completely wrapped around her finger."

Steve didn't even argue. Because…Well. You do. He'd accepted that a long time ago.

You finished tying the second shoe and slipped off his lap with one smooth motion. The sudden absence of your weight made him strangely disappointed.

You stood in front of him, smoothing your dress before offering him your hand. "Ready to head home?"

Steve looked up at you. Then narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. A realization settled over him. This little devil planned the whole thing.

Steve slipped his hand into yours. Your fingers intertwined immediately. He stood, still smiling to himself.

"What?" you asked.

"You know exactly what."

"I really don't."

"You are impossible."

Your grin answered for you. Steve laughed, shaking his head as he laced his fingers more tightly through yours.

Maybe you had planned it. Maybe you hadn't. Either way… He had a feeling he'd happily let you steal his lap—and his heart—for the rest of his life.

The walk to Steve's car was quiet. The kind of quiet that only happened after everyone else had finally stopped teasing you.

Your fingers were still intertwined with his, swinging lazily between you as you crossed the nearly empty parking lot.

The muffled sound of music still drifting from the backyard. Steve stole a glance at you. You looked suspiciously pleased with yourself.

He narrowed his eyes. "…You know."

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking."

"That sounds dangerous."

He laughed. "Little bit."

Steve stopped beside the driver's door and you stopped with him.

He turned to face you, one eyebrow raised. His voice low and husky, like he had just run a mile. "I`ve been thinking about how to punish you for torturing me back there."

Your cheeks got rosy and you felt that twist low in your belly, the one that belonged to Steve alone. "I did not punish you. I just wanted to get my shoes.."

Before you could finish your sentence, Steve reached for your hand. With one gentle tug, he spun you around. A surprised laugh escaped you as your back came to rest lightly against the side of his car.

He stepped closer. Not trapping you. Just close enough that you couldn't help looking up at him.

One hand rested against the car beside your shoulder. The other mirrored it on your opposite side.

His face was inches from yours. Close enough that you could see the tiny smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

"There." He sounded entirely too pleased with himself. "Now…" His eyes searched yours. "Let's try this again."

You lifted an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"When," he asked softly, "did you decide you were going to spend the whole evening making me wanting to get you undressed as fast as possible?"

You bit back a smile. "I didn't."

"No?"

"No."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I do."

Steve leaned in just a fraction. Close enough that you could feel his breath when he laughed.

"You've got that look."

"What look?"

"The one that tells me you need me just as much as I need you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You never do."

His gaze dropped briefly to your lips before finding your eyes again. "You've been smiling at me all night."

"So have you." Your voice sounding a little breathless now.

"You reached for my hand every chance you got." His lips brushed slightly over yours, whispering a kiss but not actually kissing you.

"So did you," you whispered.

"You sat in my lap."

"I like your lap."

Steve laughed, shaking his head. "You are unbelievable."

"And yet…" Your voice softened. "…you haven't moved away."

He hadn't. Not even a little. "You know what I think?" he murmured.

"Hm?"

"I think…" He paused just long enough to make you impatient. "… you should get what you've asked for, sweetheart."

Your cheeks warmed and the only thing that came out of your mouth was a quiet sound of pleasure, when he pressed his body against yours. You could feel what you've done to him and Steve knew what he was doing to you right now.

The teasing smile faded from Steve's face.

Replaced by something much more intense ... something like hunger. Unable to resist any longer, Steve closed the remaining distance and kissed you.

It started slow. Gentle. The kind of kiss that made the rest of the world fade into the background.

You smiled against his lips, and he couldn't help smiling back.

A car rolled slowly past the parking lot. Someone leaned out the passenger window. "Hey, Harrington!"

The kiss broke. You both turned at the same time.

The voice called again, laughing. "Get a room!"

The car disappeared around the corner before either of you could answer.

Silence. Then you looked at Steve and he looked at you. A grin spread across both your faces at exactly the same moment.

"So…" you said, trying very hard to sound stable. "We should probably head home."

Steve laughed, reaching for your hand again. "I was just thinking the same thing."

He pressed one last quick kiss to your forehead before opening the passenger door for you. "Ladies first."

You smiled as you climbed in. "What a gentleman."

"Not for long." Steve closed the door with a fond shake of his head.

As he walked around to the driver's side, one thought echoed happily through his mind.

She's trouble. The sweetest kind I've ever known.

And if she planned to keep stealing his heart with little moments like tonight…

He had absolutely no intention of stopping her.

_______________

Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated 💙

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female reader

Summary: (S5 spoiler!) After the last fight you are being haunted by the image of Steve hanging on that ledge.

Warnings: hurt/angst. hurt/comfort. finale. near death experience. talking about death. anxiety. crying. no use of y/n.

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The radio station had never been this quiet, just the generators hummed somewhere below.

Someone shifted in a sleeping bag and the rain tapped softly against the windows. Everyone else had managed to fall asleep eventually.

You couldn't.

You waited until the room was filled with slow, even breathing before slipping outside. The ladder to the roof groaned beneath your weight. Cold night air met your face. The stars looked impossibly normal.

As if the world hadn't almost ended a few hours ago. As if Steve hadn't almost…

Your chest tightened. You wrapped your arms around yourself and sat on the edge of the roof. The tears came before you could stop them.

You pressed the heels of your hands against your eyes, trying to stay quiet. Trying not to wake anyone.

The roof hatch creaked open behind you. "…Knew I'd find you up here."

Steve. Of course.

You didn't turn around. "Go back inside."

His footsteps were careful. Unhurried. "I'm not really taking requests tonight."

"You should be sleeping."

"So should you." He stopped beside you. For a long moment, neither of you spoke. The silence between you felt different now. Not angry. Just… heavy.

Steve sat beside you. Close enough that your shoulders almost touched. "I thought you were mad at me."

You laughed. A small, broken sound. "I am."

He nodded. "…Yeah."

Another silence. Then he heard it. The tiny hitch in your breathing.

Steve turned. Your face was hidden behind your hands. Your shoulders were shaking. "Oh." His voice cracked. "Oh, sweetheart…"

The endearment slipped out before he could think. You broke. Completely. A sob escaped your lips as months of fear poured out all at once and Steve's heart shattered. Without thinking, he reached for you.

One hand settled gently against your back, pressing you against his chest.

"I'm sorry," you whispered between shaky breaths.

He frowned. "What are you apologizing for?"

"I yelled at you."

"You had every right."

"I said…" You swallowed hard. "I said I was tired of watching you throw yourself into danger like you didn't matter."

Steve closed his eyes. He remembered every word. It was the argument before the last mission.

You standing in front of him, furious.

"One day you're not going to come back."

And Steve being his stubborn self, telling you someone had to do it. That he'd be fine.

You laughed bitterly through your tears. "I was so angry." Your voice grew smaller. "So I told myself I wasn't talking to you until this was over."

Steve's stomach dropped.

"But then…" Your breathing faltered. "…you slipped." The words barely came out. "I saw your hand…"

Your own hand curled unconsciously around his shirt. "Steve…"

He'd never heard his name sound like that. Like it hurt.

"I thought…" You couldn't finish. Couldn't make yourself say it. "I thought that was it."

Steve felt something in his chest cave in. He had seen your face. Just for a second. When Jonathan grabbed him, he hadn't understood it then. But he did now.

You turned toward him. Eyes red and cheeks wet. "I've never been that scared." Another tear escaped despite your best efforts. "I couldn't breathe."

Your voice cracked. "I thought I was watching you die."

Steve looked away. Not because he didn't want to look at you. Because he couldn't bear what he was seeing.

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." The confession landed softly between you. "I really don't."

Steve's eyes burned, because the thought of you being all alone shattered his heart into a thousand pieces.

"You'd never even know how much I—" You stopped yourself, but it was too late. He'd heard it.

The silence stretched, then Steve moved. He turned toward you completely. Both hands gently finding yours. "I'm so sorry." His voice was barely above a whisper. "So, so sorry."

You shook your head immediately. "No—"

"I am." He squeezed your hands. "I never wanted…" He swallowed. "I never wanted to make you feel that."

You searched his face. "Weren't you scared?"

Steve smiled, just a little. Not because it was funny. Because the answer surprised even him. "I should've been."

"You almost died."

"I know and it should scare the shit out of me."

"You were hanging off a radio tower."

"I remember."

"So why are you acting like—"

"Because…" He stared down at your intertwined hands. "When I slipped…" His voice became distant. "It all happened really fast."

You waited.

"I remember thinking…" A small laugh escaped him. "…'Well, this is gonna hurt.'"

Despite everything, you smiled through your tears.

"Then…" His expression changed and suddenly softened. "I thought about you."

You blinked. "What?"

Steve nodded slowly. "I didn't think about dying, I didn't think about whether we'd win. I didn't think about anything except…" His thumb brushed across your knuckles. "You."

Your breath caught.

"I kept thinking…" His voice wavered. "She's going to blame herself."

You stared at him.

"She's going to think our fight was the last conversation we ever had." Tears welled in his eyes all over again. "She's going to be so mad at me or even hate me."

A tear escaped his eye and he didn't bother wiping it away. "And I hated myself for that."

His laugh broke halfway through. "I was hanging there thinking…" He looked at you with a tenderness that almost hurt. "Don't you dare leave her like this."

The words shattered whatever composure you had left. You threw your arms around him. This time he didn't hesitate. His arms wrapped tightly around you, holding you like he could somehow erase the memory of that ledge.

You buried your face against his neck. "I love you."

The words slipped out before you could stop them. You froze and so did Steve. For exactly one heartbeat. Then his arms somehow tightened even more.

You pulled back immediately. Mortified. "Oh my God, I didn't mean to just—"

"You don't have to take it back."

You looked at him. "I wasn't going to."

Steve smiled through watery eyes. "I love you too."

The words were so simple but so certain. "I think I've loved you for a long time."

Your forehead rested against his. The world below was still broken and the future was still uncertain.

Tomorrow would bring more questions than answers. But for the first time since he'd nearly fallen… Neither of you was carrying the weight alone.

Above you, the stars continued to shine. And Steve silently promised himself something.

He would always fight for the people he loved. But from now on he'd fight just as hard to come home to them.

To you.

________________

Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated 💙

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female reader

Summary: When a creepy guy approaches his new coworker Steve steps in to protect you.

Warnings: yearning. tension. protective Steve. damsel in distress. no use of y/n.

___________

Steve had exactly three thoughts when Robin introduced the new Scoops employee.

First: She's pretty.

Second: Really pretty.

And third: Oh no. I`m so fucked.

Because now he had to somehow survive entire shifts standing next to you without embarrassing himself. It wasn't going well.

"Steve?"

"Hm?"

"You handed that kid three spoons."

Steve looked down. The child was indeed holding three spoons. The kid looked delighted. Robin looked exhausted. You were trying very hard not to laugh.

"Right," Steve muttered. "One spoon. Usually."

Your smile appeared. And just like that, his day got significantly worse. Or better. Honestly, Steve couldn't tell anymore.

The first week was easy. You learned the menu and how to work the register. You learned that Robin talked approximately six hundred words per minute. And you that Steve got adorably flustered whenever you complimented him.

"Thanks for helping me with the machine."

"No problem."

"You explain things really well."

Steve nearly dropped a scoop of vanilla. Robin noticed. She spent the next ten minutes grinning like a maniac.

The creepy guy showed up on your fourth shift. Steve noticed him before you did. Mid-forties. Always staring. Something about him made Steve's skin crawl.

The guy ordered a sundae and then spent ten minutes leaning on the counter trying to talk to you.

At first Steve ignored it. People were weird. The mall was full of weird people, right?

Then he noticed the look on your face. The smile you were forcing. The way your shoulders had tightened. The way your eyes kept flickering toward Steve.

Like you weren't sure what to do. Something immediately twisted in his chest.

"Hey." Steve appeared beside you.

The guy looked annoyed but Steve just smiled. The fake customer-service smile. The one Robin called his "serial killer smile." "Can I help you with something?"

The man frowned. "I was talking to her."

"Yeah." Steve nodded. "I noticed." The smile never left his face. "You've been here for about fifteen minutes."

The guy shifted uncomfortably. You looked relieved. Steve felt a tiny surge of satisfaction.

"Think it's time to enjoy your ice cream."

The man stared. Steve stared back. A beat passed and finally the man grabbed his sundae and walked away.

The second he was gone, Steve turned toward you. "You okay?"

You let out a breath. "Yeah." Then you hesitated. "Thank you for that. I was getting a little scared."

Something in your expression made Steve's stomach flip. "It's nothing, really. He was creeping me out too."

"It wasn't nothing." Your voice was soft. "Scoops Hero strikes again."

Steve groaned. "Please don't call me that."

You laughed. And before he could react you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him. For one second Steve forgot how reality worked.

Warm. That was his first coherent thought. His second thought was that you smelled nice. His third thought was that he was absolutely going to die.

"Thank you," you said quietly.

Steve's arms hovered awkwardly in the air for a moment before settling around you. "No problem." His voice came out embarrassingly hoarse.

You pulled away still smiling. Steve watched you walk back to the register, then immediately smacked his forehead against a freezer door to cool his thoughts down again.

Robin cackled so loudly a customer turned around.

After that, things changed. You started sharing shifts more often. Talking more. Laughing more. You learned Steve secretly loved bad movies. Steve learned you sang along to every song on the radio.

You learned he always gave nervous customers extra napkins and Steve learned your favorite ice cream flavor. After some time you learned he pretended not to care about people and unfortunately for him, Steve learned that was impossible for you to believe.

Somewhere along the way, becoming friends stopped feeling like enough but neither of you mentioned it.

One evening the mall was unusually quiet. Robin had gone on break. The food court was half-empty. You were wiping down tables while Steve organized cones behind the counter.

The bell above the entrance chimed. Steve glanced up and immediately felt his stomach drop.

The guy again.

Steve straightened. Across the room, you clearly recognized him too and your shoulders tensed.

The man approached, said something to you but Steve couldn't hear it. He saw your polite smile. Saw you try to move past him. Saw the man step closer.

Too close.

His hand reached toward your arm and everything inside Steve went cold. He was moving before he even realized it.

Three long strides then he was there between you and him. One hand lightly against your back to guide you behind him. Protecting you without even thinking about it.

"Hey." Steve's voice was calm. Dangerously calm.

The man's smile faltered. "I was just talking—"

"Cool." Steve nodded. "Now you're talking to me."

You could feel the tension radiating from him and feel how solidly he had placed himself between you and the customer. Like a human shield.

The man frowned. "I wanted to order."

"Great." Steve smiled that same terrifying customer-service smile. "What can I get you?"

Eventually the man took his order and left. Steve waited until he disappeared completely. Then another minute just to be sure.

Only then did he turn around. You were looking at him wide-eyed. "Steve."

"What?"

Your smile was small so soft and fond. "You know you were glaring at him the whole time, right?"

"I wasn't."

"You absolutely were."

"I was providing customer service."

You laughed. Steve's heart immediately betrayed him. Again. Then your fingers brushed his wrist just for a second.

"Thank you." The words came out quiet.

Steve looked down at your hand then back at you and something warm settled in his chest. The same feeling he always got around you. The one he hadn't figured out how to stop. Or hide. Or survive.

"You don't have to thank me."

"Yes, I do." Your smile softened. "I always feel safer when you're here."

Steve forgot every response he'd ever learned. Because you were looking at him like he mattered. Like he was someone worth relying on. And maybe that should have made him feel brave.

Instead it made him fall a little harder. Because all Steve could think was: I'd stand in front of every creepy guy in Indiana if it meant seeing you smile at me like that.

And judging by the way you were looking at him ... maybe he wasn't the only one falling.

Something was wrong with Steve after that night. You knew it. Robin knew it. Probably half the mall knew it.

The only person who seemed unaware of it was Steve himself. For two weeks he'd been acting strange. Not bad strange. Just… Steve strange.

Which was somehow worse. Lately he'd walk over, look like he wanted to say something and then immediately leave.

It was driving you insane.

"Okay." Robin appeared beside you. "Are we finally talking about it?"

You sighed. "Talking about what?"

"The giant lovesick sailor standing over there."

You nearly dropped a stack of cups. Across Scoops, Steve was reorganizing napkins. For the third time. There were already enough napkins to survive the apocalypse.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Robin laughed so hard she had to grab the counter. "Sure."

Three days later, things somehow got worse because Steve kept looking at you. Then looking away. Then looking at you again. Like a very confused golden retriever.

You finally cornered him during closing. The mall was mostly empty. Robin had already left and Steve was wiping down the counter with the concentration of a man defusing a bomb.

"Steve."

"Hm?"

"You've been weird."

"No I haven't."

"Steve."

"I haven't."

"Steve."

He sighed. Still refusing to look at you.

"You just spent thirty seconds arguing with a mop."

"It started it."

You stared. Steve stared back. Then immediately regretted making eye contact because you were close. Very close. And very pretty. Ridiculously pretty.

You crossed your arms. "Tell me what's going on."

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm really not."

You took a step closer. "Steve." Another step. "Seriously." Another. Until there was barely any space left between you.

"You've been staring at me. You've been avoiding me. You keep starting sentences and then stopping." You poked your finger against his chest. "And every time I ask what's wrong you look like you're about to throw yourself into traffic."

Steve dragged a hand down his face. This was a disaster.

You sighed a little bit sad. "Did I do something?"

His head snapped up. "What?"

"Did I upset you?"

"No!" The answer came so fast it almost echoed.

The silence stretched. "Then what is it?"

Steve opened his mouth but nothing came out. Closed it again. Tried once more. Nothing.

"Oh for fucks sake why is this so hard?" Steve blurted out and left you with a surprised look on your face.

Steve looked horrified. You looked exasperated. Neither of you noticed how close you'd gotten. How his hands flexed nervously at his sides and Steve thanked the universe that you couldn't read his mind in this moment. Because it nearly killed him to not touch you.

"Okay." He swallowed. "Okay." Another swallow. "You know that creepy guy the other day?"

You immediately tensed.

Steve noticed. "I know." His voice softened. "I know."

"So…"

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. Then looked everywhere except at you. His soul briefly left his body.

"So I didn't want—" His voice caught. "I didn't want you to think I was…" The words seemed difficult.

"I don't know." He laughed nervously. "Like him."

You frowned, now fully confused. "What do you mean?"

"I know that guy freaked you out and the last thing I wanted was for you to think I was pressuring you or making you uncomfortable or—"

"Steve."

"—or like I expected something because I helped you and—"

"Steve."

"—and then I kept trying to figure out how to say it normally but every version sounded stupid—"

You grabbed his hand and he immediately stopped rambling. Instead he looked at you with wide eyes and a soft layer of pink covered his cheeks.

"What war you saying... exactly?"

He sighed, but moved his thumb over the back of your hand like a reflex. It felt so ... familiar like he did it a thousand times and somehow it was as intimate as a first kiss.

"What I`m trying to say is ... I want to ask you to go out with me. On a date. But I was not sure when would be the right moment to do so, you know, after everything that has happened?"

He let go of you hand and you could feel his fingers wandering up your arm, towards your shoulder. You couldn't resist and leaned into his touch. Finally his hand settled on the side of your neck, his dark eyes searching yours for any sign of doubt or fear. He found none.

"You could never make me feel the way he did."

Something in his expression cracked. He looked so relieved, that you melted a little more into his frame.

A smile tugged at your lips. "And for the record?"

"Hm?"

"I've been waiting for you to ask."

Steve stared.

"Steve. Did you hear me?"

"No, I did."

"Then why do you look like that?"

"Because." He laughed once like he couldn't believe it. "You've been waiting?"

Your smile widened. "You're not exactly subtle."

"Robin told you?"

"Robin told everyone."

Steve groaned and you laughed. Then his thumb gently brushed your jaw and your laughter died in your throat. Instead a little breathless sound escaped your lips.

"So…"

You tilted your head. "So?"

"Would you maybe…" He took a breath. Gathered what little dignity he had left. "Would you maybe want to go out with me sometime?"

The smile you gave him could have powered every light in Starcourt Mall. "I'd love to."

Steve's answering grin was so bright it almost hurt to look at. And for the first time in weeks, he finally stopped overthinking. Mostly because you were still so close to him, he could feel your soft frame against his body.

And neither of you seemed interested in getting more distance.

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Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated