Steve Harrington x reader part 6
Notes: longer chapter, final chapter is after this one. Enjoy!
You thought everything was fine, Steve giving you that kiss, being casual as ever. As if you two have known each other for years, heâs able to comfort you and give you what you need, warmth, kindness, loveâŚ
That was until all these things came to an end. Steve had been completely different, almost quieter? Like he different things on his mind or he was just flat out ignoring you.
Whatever it was, it didnât feel good. Seeing him get closer to the people you two were sure you didnât like, was it something you did? Maybe it was the new job he had at scoops ahoy. Heâs made so many new friends it felt like heâs forgotten about you.
You needed to tell him how you felt. You needed answers.
Steve hadnât talked to you in weeks.
Sure, there were passing glances in the hallway at school. A half-hearted âheyâ once, like muscle memory kicked in before he could stop it. But nothing like beforeâbefore Nancy, before the new group of kids he hovered around, before whatever it was that had pulled him away from you like a tide you couldnât fight.
You leaned against the kitchen counter, red cup in hand, untouched, you were at a party you swore a year ago youâd never go to, but since steve has been distant, you couldnt help but go to every single party hoping heâd show up.
Youâd gone over it a hundred times. A thousand. Every conversation, every joke, every moment. Nothing stood outânothing that explained why heâd just⌠disappeared from your life without explanation.
A lot more than you wanted to admit.
You stiffened slightly at the voiceâlow, smooth, unfamiliar in a way that instantly set you on edge. Turning, you found yourself face-to-face with Billy Hargrove.
Everyone knew Billy, Or at least, everyone knew of him. The kind of guy people warned you about without ever saying exactly why, but you knew why. He was anything but a âsweet guyâ. Far from anything steve is.
âYou look bored,â he continued, leaning casually against the counter beside you, too close. âThat a crime at a party like this?â
âIâm fine,â you said shortly, trying to keep your tone neutral.
He smirked, like he didnât believe you for a second.
âDonât think so,â he replied. âIâve been watching you. Youâve got that look.â
Your grip tightened slightly around the cup. âWhat look?â
âThe âIâd rather be anywhere elseâ look.â
You huffed out a quiet breath, glancing away. âMaybe I would be.â
âThen why arenât you? Whats a pretty girl like you doing alone at a party like this?â he asked, tilting his head, chewing his gum with a sly smile, like he knows hes got you.
The question hit harder than it should have.
Because you didnât have an answer.
Billy straightened, pushing off the counter. âCâmon,â he said, nodding toward the back door. âLetâs get some air.â
âRelax,â he cut in, grin widening. âItâs just outside. Unless youâre scared of me.â
âIâm not scared of you,â you shot back immediately.
âGood,â he said, already stepping toward the door. âThen prove it.â
And that second was enough.
Across the room, Steve noticed.
He hadnât meant to. He wasnt even supposed to be here, but he needed to know you were safe, it seemed like he was doing bad at that job.
God, heâd been trying not to notice you all night. Trying not to look for you, not to track where you were, not to care.
Nothing had been working since he made the decision to keep you out of it.
Out of the danger that seemed to follow him like a shadow he couldnât shake.
He thought he was doing the right thing.
Thought if he pulled away, if he stopped talking to you, if he let you hate him instead of stay closeâ
Saw the way Billy leaned in too close, the way you stiffened, the way you still followed him anyway.
Steveâs stomach dropped.
Robin, beside him, frowned. âWhat?â
âStay here,â Steve said quickly, already moving.
Outside, the air was colder than you expected.
The party noise dulled the second the door shut behind you, leaving an uneasy stillness in its wake.
Billy walked ahead of you, not toward the drivewayâbut toward the darker edge of the yard, where the trees began.
âWhere are we going?â
âRelax,â he said again, not even turning around this time. âTold you. Just getting some air.â
Something wasnât right.
âBilly,â you said, firmer now. âIâm not going into the woods.â
And for the first time, the smirk was gone.
âYou shouldâve stayed inside,â he said quietly.
But before he could answerâ
Steveâs voice cut through the night.
You turned so fast it made your head spin.
He was running toward you, breath uneven, eyes wide in a way youâd never seen beforeânot just angry, not just annoyedâ
âGet away from him!â Steve shouted.
âWell,â he muttered, âthere he is.â
You blinked between them, confusion crashing into fear. âSteve, whatââ
âCome here,â Steve said, reaching you, grabbing your arm gently but urgently. âWe need to go. Now.â
âWhat is going on?â you demanded, pulling slightly back.
Billy laughed, low and humorless.
âYou didnât tell her?â he asked Steve. âThatâs cold, Harrington.â
âShut up,â Steve snapped.
âTell me what?!â you raised your voice, heart pounding now.
And that hesitation was enough.
Faster than you expected.
One second he was a few feet awayâthe next, he had you by the wrist, yanking you back.
âBillyâwhat are you doing?!â
âShowing you,â he said, voice darkening, something wrong creeping into it. âWhat heâs been hiding.â
âLet her go!â Steve lunged forward.
Billy shoved you asideâhard enough that you hit the groundâand then it happened.
Too dark. Too empty. Like something else was looking through them.
Your breath caught in your throat.
Steve was already moving again, grabbing a broken piece of somethingâwood, maybe a batâfrom the ground.
âStay back!â he yelled at you.
Everything blurred after that.
Billy moving in ways that didnât make senseâtoo strong, too fast.
You scrambled backward, heart hammering, mind refusing to process what you were seeing.
But then Billy turned toward you again.
something very bad would happen.
âHey!â Steve shouted, throwing himself between you and Billy again.
âGo!â Steve yelled over his shoulder. âRun!â
âIâm not leaving you!â you shouted back.
âJustâlisten to me for once!â he snapped.
Something in his voice broke through your panic.
Just long enough for him to shove you behind him again, putting his entire body between you and Billy.
Steve got the upper hand.
And for a split second, something flickered in his faceâlike he wasnât fully there anymore.
You didnât stop until you were in Steveâs car.
And only thenâonly when the house was gone, the trees fading in the distanceâ
Steve noticed immediately.
âHeyâhey,â he said, softer now. âYouâre okay. Youâre okay.â
âIâm not okay!â you snapped, voice breaking. âWhat was that?! What is wrong with him?! What is wrong with you?!â
Long. Heavy. Like heâd been holding it in for weeks.
âEverything,â he said quietly. âEverything is wrong.â
Why he stopped talking to you.
âI thought if I kept you out of it,â he said, voice cracking slightly, âyouâd be safe. I thought⌠if you hated me, at least youâd be alive.â
The words hit like a punch.
âHate you?â you whispered. âSteve, I didnât hate youâI thought I lost you.â
âI know,â he said, gripping the steering wheel tighter. âI know, and Iâm sorry. I justâcouldnât let you see it. Couldnât let you get dragged into this.â
You let out a shaky breath.
âToo late,â you said quietly.
âYeah,â he murmured. âToo late.â
But it was different now.
You turned slightly toward him.
âYou donât get to decide that for me,â you said. âWhether Iâm in this or not.â
âI wasnât trying toââ
âYou were,â you cut in. âAnd it hurt.â
âI know,â he said again, softer.
The fear heâd been hiding.
âIâm not going anywhere,â you said finally.
âYeah,â you nodded. âSo if youâre in troubleâif this is your life nowâthen Iâm in it too.â
Steve let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh.
âGod,â he muttered. âYou really donât make things easy, do you?â
You gave a small, tired smile.
He looked at the road as he tried his best to lose billy. It was too dark. âPass me the walkie in the backseat.â he said quickly, you responded immediately with a nod, the danger in the situation hitting you again. You handed it to him and he flipped it right side up. âThis is a code red, billyâs gone i repeat, code redâ he then harshly parked his car in a small parking lot near a cliff. âLookâŚi love you, i want you to know that. I thought i loved nancyâŚfuck..â he curses under his breath. âMy love for you couldnât compare to that.â his hands where still on the steering wheel, eyes looking down at his lap. âI love you too steveâŚâ he finally looks over at you, like heâd just seen light at the end of a dark, dark tunnel.
Then thereâs a pause, and from the radio you hear that song âupside downâŚboy you turn meâ
Steve cringes at the radio and turns it off. You laugh. âI fucking hate that stupid song.â he groans but his smile is still there, a permanent smile thanks to you. âInside outâŚand round and roundâ you sing along the rest of the lyrics with a giggle. He sighs. âThis isnt gonna workâ he jokes but both of you know thats a lie.
Your expression softened as he leaned in. slowlyâŚuntil he reached a proximity close enough for you to feel his warmth. Then its there. His lips touch yours, and the two of you stay there for a second before deepening the kiss, he tilts his head and you cut the kiss short. He looks nervous.
âWhâ what happened? You okay?â he asks and you smile.
âI justâŚyouâre good.â you say and he smirks.
He holds your chin with his hand and pulls you into him again. You giggle and right before you can touch lips again, theres a static from the walkieâŚ
âSteve⌠starcourt. Now!â a kidâs distressed voice comes out of the radio in urgency.
You looked at steve as he quickly turned his car back on. âShit.â he curses and starts backing up.
Now you had a bigger problem to resolve, but at least now you had someone to fight it with.
Someone worth the fighting for.