Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader
Summary: When Steve thinks proposing fixes months of fighting and arguments, he couldn't be more wrong.
The fighting started small. A forgotten dinner reservation, a misplaced set of keys, the way Steve threw his jacket on the back of every chair instead of hanging it up. The way you sighed, that particular sigh, when he talked about his day. Small things that shouldn't have mattered, except they did. Except somewhere along the way, those small things became bigger with things neither of you knew how to name.
By month three, you were exhausted.
You'd wake up in the morning and feel the tension before you even opened your eyes, dreading the day before it even started. Steve's breathing beside you now somehow both familiar and foreign. You'd see him when he eventually made it to bed instead of the sofa, or when you told him dinners on the table, but not much else. This was the man who'd fought demogorgons and saved the world multiple times yet couldn't figure out how to fight fair with you. And you, who'd stood beside him through the end of everything couldn't figure out how to tell him you were drowning all alone.
"I'm trying" he'd say with his hands in his hair, pacing the kitchen after another argument about nothing.
"I know" you'd reply, and you did know. You could see it in the way his shoulders hunched, the way his eyes looked tired, "But I'm trying too".
But trying wasn't enough when neither of you knew what you were trying to fix.
You started thinking about it seriously in month four. Not breaking up, you couldn't even form those words in your mind, but maybe taking a break. Some space to breathe, think and figure out what the hell had gone wrong between I love you and I can't do this anymore.
You were going to suggest it. You'd planned the conversation in your head a dozen times, rehearsed the words until they felt almost right. We need to talk Steve, like really talk. Maybe we need some time apart to figure out what we actually need.
But Steve proposed first.
It was a Tuesday. You remember that detail with confidence, a Tuesday evening in October, the kind where the sun sets too early and everything feels unfinished before you'd achieved anything. You'd just gotten home from work, hadn't even taken off your jacket, when Steve appeared in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. He looked nervous and his hands were shaking.
"Hey" he said, and his voice cracked.
Something in your chest tightened, like he was announcing something bad, "Steve? What's wrong?".
"Nothing's wrong. Nothing, I just, I've been thinking about us, about everything"
Your heart started pounding. This was it, he was going to be the one to say it first. He was going to suggest the break, the space you needed but instead, Steve dropped to one knee.
"I know things have been hard" he said, the words tumbling out too fast. "I know we've been fighting and I hate it, I hate fighting with you, and I just, I thought maybe if we..." He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, hands trembling so badly he almost dropped it. "If we made it official, if we really committed. Maybe that would help us remember why we're doing this and why we're together".
The box opened. A ring caught the light from the ceiling, it was simple, beautiful and exactly what you would have chosen because he knew you so well. Your throat closed up entirely.
"Will you marry me?" Steve said, and he was smiling now, that hopeful smile that had gotten you through the end of the world. "Marry me and let's fix this, together. We can fix this".
The silence hung heavy between the two of you.
His smile faltered because he knew where this was going, "I know it's not perfect timing, but"
He stopped. The box stayed open in his hand, the ring looking up at you like a promise but you couldn't accept.
"You think a ring is going to fix us?" The words came out sharper than you intended, but you couldn't stop them. Months of exhaustion and hurt were rising up through you. "You think that's what we need? A wedding to plan while we can't even have dinner without fighting?".
"No, I, that's not" Steve's face crumpled. "I just thought if we had something to look forward to, something to work toward-".
"We need to work on us, Steve. Not a wedding. Not a ring. Us." Your voice broke. "And the fact that you don't see that, the fact that you think you can just slap a band aid on this and call it fixed-". You couldn't finish, you couldn't watch the hope drain from his eyes as he slowly closed the ring box and stood up.
"I'm trying to save us" he said quietly.
"I know you are baby" And that was the worst part. You could see it in every emotion and line of his body that he genuinely thought this would help. He'd probably been planning it for weeks thinking he'd found the solution, "But this isn't how you save us".
The ring box disappeared back into his pocket, "Then what do we do?" he asked.
You took a shaky breath, "I think we need a break".
Two weeks you agreed. Two weeks apart to clear your heads and figure out what you actually wanted.
Two weeks turned into three when neither of you could bring yourself to make the first call. Three turned into four. Four turned into five.
You stayed with your friend Sarah, sleeping on her couch and pretending you were fine when you were far from it. She didn't push, just made extra coffee in the mornings and gave you space when you needed it. Sometimes you'd catch her looking at you with that look, but she never asked questions you weren't ready to answer.
The house felt wrong everytime you entered it. You'd go back occasionally to pick up some fresh clothes or check the mail, and every time it hurt more and more. His jacket still on the back of the kitchen chair, the indent in the couch cushion where he always sat, your shoes still piled neatly next to the door.
By week five, you started dreaming about him. Not the fights, but the good parts. The way he'd pull you close in the morning when he made it to bed, still half asleep, and mumble something romantic into your hair. The way he'd dance with you in the kitchen while dinner cooked on the nights he was home and you wasn't arguing. You missed him. God, you missed him so much it physically hurt but you also remembered the fighting. The exhaustion of it all and the feeling of drowning while standing right next to each other.
Week six arrived with the first real snow of the season. December had crept up while you weren't paying attention, and suddenly Christmas was a week away. The thought of spending it apart from Steve made something in your chest crack open.
You picked up the phone before you could talk yourself out of it. When he answered, "Hey, it's me. Can we talk? Really talk this time?".
"Hey babe... Yeah, when's good for you?"
"Tomorrow? At the house?"
Steve was already there when you arrived, sitting on the front steps waiting for you despite the cold. He stood up when he saw you, shoving his hands in his pockets like he didn't know what else to do with them.
"Should we?" Steve gestured toward the door.
Inside, the house was clean. Cleaner than you'd ever seen it, actually. Steve had clearly been stress cleaning. You both gravitated toward the living room, but neither of you sat down right away. Standing felt safer.
"I don't know where to start" Steve admitted.
He laughed, but it was hollow. "We're really bad at this"
"Yeah" You wrapped your arms around yourself. "We are, not like it happens all the time".
Silence fell for a while before Steve spoke first. "I'm sorry. About the proposal, about thinking I could just fix everything with a ring. That was stupid of me".
"It wasn't stupid" you said quietly. "It was just... not what we needed right now"
"I was scared" The admission came. "I'm still scared. I didn't know how to fix us, and I thought if I could just make you see that I was serious, that I wanted forever with you, maybe that would be enough. But it wasn't about that, was it?"
You shook your head. "We stopped talking to each other, Steve. We were just... going through the motions and fighting about stupid shit instead of dealing with the real problems".
"What are the real problems?" He looked at you then, really looked at you, and you could see the fear in his eyes. "Because I still don't know. I don't know what I did wrong".
Your throat tightened. "You didn't do anything wrong. Neither of us did. We just, after everything that happened, I think we both expected things to just be... easy, like we'd earned our happy ending".
"But life doesn't work like that, not after what happened" Steve finished.
"No. It doesn't" You took a shaky breath. "And I think we both got scared when it wasn't perfect and we had to actually work at being together instead of just surviving together. We didn't know how to do that".
Steve was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper, "I don't want to lose you baby".
"I don't want to lose you either" The words came out choked. "But I can't go back to how things were. I can't keep fighting with you about nothing because we're too scared to fight about something".
You finally moved, standing directly in front of him. Close enough to touch, but not touching. "We talk" you said. "We actually talk to each other. About the hard stuff, about what we need and what we're scared of and what we want this to look like".
"Okay" Steve's eyes were bright. "Okay. I can do that. I want to do that".
"I need you to tell me when you're struggling" you continued. "Not just with us, but with everything. The nightmares, the memories, all of it. You shut me out, Steve. You stopped letting me in".
He flinched, "I didn't want to burden you".
"That's not how this works. We're supposed to carry things together" You reached out and took his hand. His fingers immediately laced through yours. "And I need to do better too. I need to stop expecting you to read my mind. I need to actually tell you when something's bothering me instead of letting it build up until I explode".
"I'd like that" Steve said softly. "I'd really like that".
You talked for hours after that. Really talked, the way you hadn't in months. About the nightmares that still woke you both up sometimes, the pressure Steve felt to be okay, to be the guy who had it all together, when inside he was still terrified. About your own fears too, of not being enough, of losing him. You talked about the small things too. The dishes and the jackets and the sighs.
By the time the sun started setting, you were both sitting on the couch, your legs tucked under you, Steve's arm around your shoulders. It felt right in a way nothing had felt right in months.
"I love you" Steve said into the growing darkness. "I never stopped loving you. Not for a second".
"I love you too" You turned to look at him, his hair was longer than he usually kept it, falling into his eyes and there were new lines around his mouth from stress. But he was still Steve. "I love you so much it scares me sometimes".
"Yeah?" His lips quirked up in a small smile.
"So we're doing this? We're trying again?"
You nodded. "We're trying again. For real this time".
Steve pulled you closer, pressing his forehead against yours. "I'm going to do better. I promise".
"We both are" you whispered, "Together".
You moved back in over the next two days, Sarah helping you pack up your things from her couch with a knowing smile. "He's good for you" she said, folding one of your sweaters. "You're good for each other. You just needed to remember that".
"Yeah" you agreed. "We did".
The house felt different when you came back with your belongings. Lighter somehow. Steve had put fresh sheets on the bed, bought your favourite coffee, fresh flowers for the kitchen and made your favourite dinner. The first night back, you laid in bed together, your head on his chest, his fingers tracing patterns on your shoulder. "I missed this" he murmured, "I missed you here".
"Felt like another dimension"
You tilted your head up to look at him, "No more dimensions. We're done with those".
He laughed, the sound was beautiful, "Deal".
You fell asleep tangled together, and for the first time in months neither of you had nightmares.
Christmas morning arrived soon after with fresh snow and the smell of coffee. You woke up to Steve already awake, watching you with a huge grin. "Merry Christmas baby" he said.
"Merry Christmas" You stretched, "What time is it?"
"Early, think around 7 but I couldn't sleep" He brushed a strand of hair from your face. "I kept thinking about last Christmas. How different things were".
Last Christmas, you'd been at the Wheelers' house with everyone, still riding the high of survival. It had been loud, chaotic and wonderful, but also overwhelming. This year you both agreed to keep it simple with just the two of you.
"Different good or different bad?" you asked.
"Different good" Steve leaned down and kissed you, "Definitely good".
You spent the morning in pyjamas, exchanging gifts by the tree Steve had insisted on getting, a slightly lopsided pine that leaned a little to the left but was perfect to you. He'd gotten you a first edition of your favourite book, something you'd mentioned wanting months ago, before everything fell apart. The fact that he'd remembered made your eyes fill with tears.
"I ordered it before" he admitted. "Before everything went to shit. I almost returned it, but I couldn't. I kept hoping I'd get to give it to you".
You kissed him and whispered "Thank you".
Your gift to him was simpler, a new watch to replace the one that had broken. You'd had it engraved on the back We have all the time in the world now.
Steve's eyes went bright when he read it, "Jesus" he muttered, voice thick and full of emotion. "You're trying to make me cry on purpose".
"Yeah" He pulled you into his lap, the watch clutched in one hand, "Yeah, it is".
You cooked together that afternoon, Steve's terrible singing filling the kitchen as you worked. He'd never been able to carry a tune, but he sang anyway, spinning you around between stirring the sauce and checking the roast. You danced in your socks on the kitchen floor, laughing when he dipped you dramatically and nearly dropped you.
"I'm out of practice okay?" he protested, pulling you back up. "You've been depriving me of my dance partner".
"You should be sorry" But he was grinning, that smile you'd fallen in love with, "I've got six weeks of dancing to make up for".
You opened a bottle of the good wine with dinner, the kind you saved for special occasions. The food was perfect, or maybe it just tasted perfect because you were eating it together, because you were both actually present and enjoying it.
"To us" Steve said, raising his glass.
"To us" you echoed, "To loving each other and figuring it out"
"To loving each other and figuring it out"
The wine made you both loose and giggly, and after dinner you ended up back in the living room, Christmas music playing softly while you laid on the couch together. Steve's hands were on your waist, your fingers in his hair, and when he kissed you it felt like the first time all over again.
"I love you so much" he murmured against your lips.
"No, I mean" He pulled back slightly, his eyes serious. "I really love you. Like, scary amounts. Like, I don't know what I'd do without you amounts".
Your heart melted, "Steve..."
"I know we're still figuring things out. I know we're still rebuilding but I need you to know that. I need you to know that you're it for me. You're everything and more".
You kissed him again, deeper this time, trying to pour everything you felt into it. All the love and hope you feel. When you finally broke apart, you were both breathing hard.
"Bedroom?" Steve asked, voice rough.
You made love that night like you were rediscovering each other all over again. It had been too long and you were both starving for it.
After, lying tangled in sheets that smelled like both of you, Steve pressed a kiss to your shoulder. "Best Christmas ever" he murmured, already half asleep.
You smiled into the darkness, "Yeah. It really is".
New Year's Eve came faster than you expected. Robin had insisted on hosting a party, A proper celebration of surviving another year and not dying horribly, as she'd put it, and you'd both agreed to go.
"You sure you're ready for this?" Steve asked as you got ready, watching you from where he sat on the bed.
"Are you? Bombarded with questions" you countered, applying lipstick in the mirror.
He stood up, coming to stand behind you, his hands settling on your hips, "We can leave whenever you want. Just say the word".
You leaned back against him, "I'll be asleep by 11pm likely".
The party was already in full swing when you arrived, music thumping through Robin's house, people spilling out of every room. You recognised some of them, but most were just neighbours her parents had invited.
"There they are!" Robin appeared out of nowhere, pulling you both into a hug. "The lovebirds return!"
"Hi Robin" you laughed, hugging her back.
"You guys look good" she said, pulling back to examine you both. "Like, actually good. Not that fake we're fine good you were doing before".
"We are good" Steve said, and he sounded like he meant it. "We're really good" pulling you closer to him by your waist.
Robin's smile softened. "Good, because I was about to stage an intervention. I had so much prepared to get this sorted".
"Of course you did" Steve rolled his eyes.
The night unfolded in a blur of conversation and laughter. You stayed close to Steve, his hand finding yours or settling on your lower back. You'd both agreed to only have one drink each, wanting to stay present, to remember every moment of ringing in the new year together.
"You having fun?" Steve asked at one point, pulling you close as someone turned up the music.
"Yeah" you said, and meant it for real. "I really am".
"Good" He kissed your temple. "Because I can't keep my hands off you and I need to know if that's okay or if I'm being too much".
You laughed. "You're not being too much. I can't seem to keep my hands off you either" as you pinched his bum, "Six weeks was too long".
"Way too long" he agreed, pulling you closer. "Never doing that again".
You danced together in Robin's living room, Steve's arms around you, swaying to music that was too fast for slow dancing but doing it anyway. Other people moved around you but you were in your own bubble.
As the night wore on, you found yourself checking the time more frequently. Not because you wanted to leave but because you were excited. Excited to ring in the new year with Steve and to start fresh properly.
At 11:55pm, Robin started herding everyone towards the garden where she'd set up a viewing area for the fireworks. "Five minutes!" she announced. "Everyone get your drinks! Get your people! Get ready to kiss someone at midnight or forever hold your peace!".
Steve's hand tightened on yours. "Hey" he said quietly, leaning down so only you could hear him. "Come with me for a second?".
You looked up at him, "Now? It's almost midnight".
He led you through the crowd moving towards the garden and down a hallway to a spare room at the back of the house. It was quieter here, away from the party noise, and when Steve opened the door, you saw why he'd chosen it. The room had a massive window overlooking the town, the perfect view of the fireworks. You could see the crowd gathered in the garden and hear the sound of music and celebration through the wall.
"Steve, why are we here and not there" you breathed.
"I wanted a minute" he said, closing the door behind you. "Just us before everything gets crazy. I want to ring in the new year, just us".
You turned to face him, "That's sweet of you".
Steve took a deep breath, his hands finding yours. "This year was really hard" he started. "Like, probably the hardest year of my life and that's saying something considering I've fought monsters".
"Let me finish" he said gently, "Please". So you nodded.
"This year was hard" he continued, "but we got through it. Together. Even when we were apart, even when we were fighting, we were still together in the ways that mattered. And I know I messed up before. I know I tried to fix things the wrong way but these past few weeks, getting to actually work on us, getting to rebuild what we have-" His voice cracked. "I wouldn't trade this life for anything. Not for an easier one, because this life has you in it".
Tears were streaming down your face now. "Steve..."
"I love you" he said. "I love you so much it terrifies me sometimes. I love your strength and your stubbornness and the way you call me out when I'm being an idiot. I love how you make me want to be better and I love that you didn't give up on us even when it would have been easier to walk away".
From outside, you could hear the crowd starting to count down. Steve let go of one of your hands to reach into his pocket. The same velvet box from months ago appeared in his hands.
"I know I asked you this before" he said, his voice shaking. "And I know I asked for the wrong reasons but I'm asking again now, and this time I'm asking because I know, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and working on us. Building with you, growing with you, fighting with you when we need to and making up after. All of it. Every messy, beautiful, terrifying part of it".
He opened the box. The same ring, but this time it looked different. This time it looked right.
"Marry me" Steve said. "Not because it'll fix anything but because I want to choose you every single day for the rest of my life. You're my home, my future, the mother of my children and my everything. Marry me because I love you and you love me and that's enough".
You sobbed, hard. "Yes, yes...yes!"
Steve's face broke into the biggest smile you'd ever seen. His hands were shaking as he pulled the ring from the box, sliding it onto your finger where it fit like a glove.
"Yes?" he asked, like he couldn't quite believe it.
"Yes you idiot" you laughed through your tears, "I'll marry you".
Steve pulled you into his arms, lifting you off your feet, spinning you around in the small room while you both laughed and cried. You could hear the countdown happening outside.
The words exploded from outside. Fireworks burst across the sky, lighting up the room you were in but you barely noticed. You were too busy kissing Steve, his hands cupped around your face and your fingers tangled in his hair.
When you finally broke apart, both breathless and grinning, Steve pressed his forehead against yours.
"Happy New Year to my fiancee" he whispered.
"Happy New Year fiance" you whispered back.
More fireworks exploded outside, the colours reflecting in Steve's eyes as he looked at you. From down the hall, you could hear people cheering, celebrating, ringing in the new year as they filtered between outside and inside. But in this room, it was just the two of you. Two people who'd fought monsters and each other, who'd fallen apart and found their way back together and who were choosing each other again and again and again.
Steve kissed you once more, full of promise. "I love you" he murmured against your lips.
"I love you" you said, "So much".
Outside, the fireworks continued, and inside you held each other close, starting a new year, a new chapter, a new life together. It felt like everything you wanted and more.
