[✦] [✿] you and i back at it again by @lighteyed | word count: 2.2k

　　summary: steve's left standing alone after starcourt, until you show up for him. 　　thoughts: my favourite genre of steve harrington fanfics as of lately has been very achy two people being there for each other when no one else has

[✿] i am? by @jxstsxgx | word count: 2.2k

　　summary: Steve drinks himself into a dramatic spiral over his unrequited love for his best friend, you. You’re absolutely no help. Mostly because you’re too busy laughing at his dramatic little love confession meltdown. 　　thoughts: this was fucking adorable and hilarious !! and truly the most light and funny steve fic almost ever ! alsoooo i just may or may not just really love funny drunk!confession fics ^0^

[✦] [✿] to be loved is to be seen by @lottevence | word count: N/A

　　summary: after accepting that he needed to focus on himself and stop with the constant dates, steve was forced to face some of the things he bruied inside with some drunken words by his favorite poet for the second time. 　　thoughts: erm reading this just amplified my want and need to be seen so much i actually started crying like full on sobbing. there's such a beauty about slow burn friends to lovers who just see each other—like truly see each other. this fic is just *chef's kiss*

[✦] [✿] shopping trip by @c4tluver02 | word count: 2.4k

　　summary: You asked your best friend Steve to help you pick out and outfit for your date. Being the amazing friend he is, he helps you in more ways than one! 　　thoughts: just a really fun short and sweet fic that i've read too many times for my own good me thinks

[✦] [✿] you deserve each other by @bimrwolf | word count: N/A | completed!series

　　summary: You and Steve have been together for five years. He's seemingly the perfect boyfriend, kisses on the cheek, knowing your orders at restaurant. A great lover. Too bad you've had enough can't stand him. 　　thoughts: OOOO this was sick af !! i really enjoyed that back and forth passive agressiveness and them over all just messing with each other ! like it's like if 'get him back' by olivia rodrigo went both ways. alsooo really love love love the title because it's true that they really deserve each other for the sake and safety of the general public :p

[★] [✦] [✿] don't call me baby by @katyswrites | word count: N/A | completed!series

　　summary: This wasn’t supposed to happen. That’s what you would both tell yourselves, later on. It had started with a bet. You were a cocktail waitress, studying abroad in Rome and working yourself to death to keep yourself afloat. Steve Harrington was a business executive for one of the biggest tech companies in the world, ten years your senior, and earnest enough that it intrigued you. But, there was only one problem - he doesn’t do relationships. Not now, perhaps not ever. So, a deal is struck - something mutually beneficial. No attachments, and you get to be his perpetual mistress, while he makes sure you want for nothing. But, what happens when the agreement becomes more than what either of you bargained for? 　　thoughts: is it bad that i binged the entirety of this instead of sleeping when i read it? :3 it's also not the kind of fanfic premise i click on usually... but lemme tell you i was really hooked on this. and really big bonus point it's set in italy and you have robin buckley as a roomie sooo what more could you possibly ask for?

[✿] romance is dead, isn't it? by @megxplryxb | word count: N/A

　　summary: N/A (but in a nutshell it's friends to lovers on valentines day + deceptive shenanigans) 　　thoughts: u don't know the amount of times i've read this !! it's just soooo ARUUFHAWDHH i want a steve harrington in my life i'm not even bluffing PLEAAASEE

[✿] sick fic !! by @lovebugism | word count: N/A

　　request summary: i don’t know if you do sickfics but! mayhaps steve and shy!reader where she doesn’t show up for school, steve goes to her house, and she’s utterly mortified because she feels like she’s nowhere near presentable 　　thoughts: this one was a really tiny pocket story that just makes me feel soft !!! probably stems for being depraved or something

[★] [✦] [✿] thank me later by @supernovafics | word count: 83.2k | completed!series

　　summary: in which a friendship is surprisingly born in an elevator, and a crush that feels hopeless is developed very soon after that. for what feels like forever, you debate whether or not you should be honest with eddie and see if he maybe feels the same way as you. but, you upsettingly miss your chance to say anything when he gets into a relationship with someone that’s not you. ultimately, you decide to push everything you feel to the side so that you don’t potentially ruin everything between you and him; because at the end of the day, he’s still your best friend. now, two years later, things have changed— there’s a break up, reignited feelings, and pining that feels worse and even more helpless this time around. a blind date leads to you fake dating some guy you barely even know with the hopes of finally getting eddie to see you as more than just a friend. at first, you’re hesitant and you honestly think that steve’s suggestion sounds a little insane. but, then you decide that perhaps it could actually, somehow, maybe work? you and steve haven’t even known each other for a full twenty-four hours before you two are shaking hands and agreeing to fake date for a month, and hoping that you both get what you want out of this abruptly thrown together arrangement. 　　thoughts: i don't even know where to start with this one... LIKE IT HAS EVERYTHING I LOVE !! my og fav trope has always been fake dating for some reason... also i just realised i confuse this fic with another one by the same author which is "i'll be there for you" which is by no exaggeration whatsoever is the best steve fic :3

　　　　𓂅 [★] [✦] [✿] this could last forever by @/supernovafics | word count: 15.9k　　　　　　　　𓂅 this could last forever pt. 2 | word count: 9.4k

　　　　　　　　summary: in which you hate him and he hates you— and that mutual disliking is perhaps the only thing you and him agree on. you make it your mission to avoid and ignore steve at all costs, and nothing more or less than withering stares and annoyed eye rolls are shared among you both whenever you have to see each other, which luckily isn’t that often. but when your son and his daughter end up in the same first-grade class and quickly become friends, it forces things to change between you two. it means that you and him also have to be friends, or, at the very least, tolerate each other’s presence. which is something that is much easier said than done 　　　　　　　　thoughts: i will read every kind dad!steve fic you give to me i will read and this is one of my most most favourite dad!steve fics ever so please read it you'll get major fomo if you don't :3

　　　　𓂅 [★] [✦] [✿] star of the show by @/supernovafics | word count: 41k | completed!series

　　　　　　　　summary: in which before you even meet him, you’ve already heard enough about him. steve harrington— a phenomenal award-winning actor who is known almost exclusively as an asshole. he’s also set to be the lead in the movie that you’re currently working on as a production coordinator. over the years, you’ve somehow found routine in the never-ending hecticness of your job; the abrupt issues you’d have to handle, or the problems that you were tasked to prevent from arising in the first place. all you cared about was doing your absolute best at your job and you always did. but barely a week before filming is scheduled to begin, things change for the worse when, due to extenuating circumstances, you have to also be steve’s assistant for the entire three months of filming. it’s an unexpected addition to your already full plate that completely changes the routine you’d become so accustomed to. and from your first interaction with him, it’s abundantly clear that everything that’s been said about him is true, so your mind is only stuck on one thought, how the hell would you survive three months of being his assistant?  　　　　　　　　thoughts: i read all of this in one go and that morning was spent well. I JUST LOVE THIS SOOO MUCH !! like i really enjoyed the stakes and stuff like how they were gonna balance their careers and each other, and also going from just assistant and assisted (wtf ik sorries i didn't know what to call it) to having a conncection as actual friends and then to eventually something else !! i just loved the gradual build up and not going from point a to lovers directly. alsooo i haven't read this one in a WHILEee SOOO what i'm saying might just be wrong memories HIH

　　　　𓂅 [★] [✦] [✿] star of the show by @/supernovafics | word count: 41k

　　　　　　　　summary: a year in the lives of you and your best friend steve harrington. you never thought that you would be living with this guy you’ve known since you were ten— although it was a hypothetical topic that was discussed at length during the many sleepovers you had over the years. but somehow on a hectic day in august, the stars managed to align, and the next thing you know a lease is being signed and the two of you are moving into a two-bedroom apartment. so far it’s been two months of countless late nights and too many really early mornings where you’re running late to class or steve’s rushing to get to his shift at family video. for the most part, though, it’s a perfect situation. until the lines that felt as if they were clearly drawn in the sand— and had been there from perhaps the moment you and him met— start getting blurrier and blurrier 　　　　　　　　thoughts: MWAHAHA after finishing this fic rec post i'm def rereading this for the millionth time. because i don't there's anything i can say to suffice to amount of love i have for this fic !! honestly with all the things that's happening in the world we just need that one mundane fanfic to run to ! because i cannot really explain the amount of warmth and comfort this fic gives me. and the plot itself is just every single trope i love and pine about over and over again. i kid you not this is the closest thing you can ever get to perfect if you're into just mundane fics. also again resenting the fact that this isn't my life :3

[✿] the only tally mark by @the-case-book-of-fanfiction | word count: 7.2k

　　summary: The 'You Suck' tallies are getting pretty high, but there's a girl in Scoops Ahoy who knows Robin in wrong. If she can just get the courage to open her mouth, Steve's luck is about to change. 　　thoughts: this one is so so awww but also at the same time the sick feeling of this fanfic being my reality is very very apparent with this one

[✦] [✿] tides at moonrise by @limeletters | word count: 6k

　　summary: After being attacked by demobats in the Upside Down, Steve experiences some supernatural changes. 　　thoughts: honestly wish vampire!steve was canon because i erm would've loved to see those bats affect him in someway other than mental scarring and emotional trauma :3 it'd just be a really fun plot

　　　　𓂅 [★] [✦] [✿] the shape of family by @/limeletters | word count: N/A | wip!series

　　　　　　　　summary: As a single dad, Steve’s world revolves around school drop-offs, bedtime rituals, and tee-ball practices—and he's struggling to keep up. But you're always there, happily lending a hand when he needs it most. 　　　　　　　　thoughts: this is such a holy grail. i've read this over and over while waiting for the next chapters like a crazy ex and i just can't. this is the most adorable, warm, sweet and, tooth rotting dad!steve fanfic ever. i kid you not this lived rent free within my head for days after reading it and that's so crazy since the only time that happens is when devasting character deaths happen. it's just that good :( BUTTT the slowburn is truly very REAL with this one i kid you not.

[✦] [✿] so much for summer love by @forevermoreharrington | word count: 10k

　　summary: Steve starts falling for a girl, who’s been trying to get over him, when he definitely shouldn’t be since he’s already in love with someone else but now he’s starting to question whether that’s true or not. 　　thoughts: this has the best kind of torturous things. desperate pining. specially that one that you know has a happy ending anyway but still feel like when you're in the trenches during the yearning bits :p

　　　　𓂅 [✦] [✿] This path is reckless by @/forevermoreharrington | word count: N/A 　　　　　　　　summary: This path is reckless, Steve and his favourite girl get close to crossing the lines of their friendship 　　　　　　　　thoughts: i have not read this in the longest of times but GOD. this just captures my favourite thing ever as i erm... always talk about it :3 like JUST LOVE. that specific point where the lines of friendship and something else blurs and it's all so blissfully sweet or sometimes torturous pining. *chef's kiss*

[✿] here comes your man by @dearest-nell | word count: 2.1k

　　summary: you go to pick up your very drunk boyfriend from the bar after a well deserved night out. 　　thoughts: Silly drunk!fics are my favourites ever !! this was adorable i've read that too many times

[✿] four steps between (best) friends and lovers by @stevebabey | word count: 12k

　　summary: Long-time best friends, it's not a surprise that it's you Steve comes to when he needs a fake girlfriend. One little white lie, one perilous family dinner, one evening of pretending to be a couple. How hard could it be? 　　thoughts: one of the first steve fics i've read on this website and it's so aww :3 it's just such a classic friends to lovers fake dating fic, and the addition of steve having a brother just kind fits so so well !! especially the whole family dynamic they have i think stays true and is faithful to steve in canon HIHI i dunno i just like it's cohesive 　　　　𓂅 [✦] [✿] nine facts, one lie by @/stevebabey | word count: 16.5k

　　　　　　summary: It didn’t matter that your best friend Robin claims he’s changed, you do not like Steve Harrington. He used to be egotistical, a player, an asshole — and you’re not in any hurry to believe he’s changed his ways. 　　　　　　thoughts: ACKKKKK i love myself a really good and well paced slow burn :3 BUT THIS ONE. THIS ONE WAS JUST—IT JUST GOT ME.

[✿] fall right into me by @headkiss | word count: 12k

　　summary: when something happens to your apartment and you need a place to stay, steve, your best friend, is quick to provide it for you. your prolonged proximity forces you both to realize some things. 　　thoughts: ROOMIES TO LOVERS I LOVE YOU. ik i say this a lot but this fanfic really struck my heart strings it's just everything i love in a thirteen thousand word fanfic and i would read this to my future kids for bed time

[✿] you said you were gonna grow up (then you were gonna come find me) by @andvys | word count: 10k

　　summary: You and Steve used to be inseparable, best friends since childhood, you shared something special, something rare. You promised each other forever but... promises are never to keep... right? 　　thoughts: hurt/comfort always feels like being punched a lot of times and then given a hello kitty bandaid and i love it.

[✦] [✿] i'll put us back together again at heart by @sanguineterrain | word count: 8.8k

　　summary: It's 1987. You haven't spoken to Steve Harrington in nearly five years. Then Dustin Henderson tells you about a sweet deal he has at Family Video, where he can rent any movie he wants. 　　thoughts: second chance friendships give me the reason to live and wake up everyday. i cried reading this but my tears were compensated with the ending :3 #I'mToSoftForThis

　　　　𓂅 [✦] [✿] a feeling that's fine by @/sanguineterrain | word count: 10.6k 　　　　　　summary: You accidentally climb the wrong fence on the hottest day of May. It turns out to be the best thing that's ever happened to you. 　　　　　　thoughts: ACKKKKK i haven't read this one quite a long while but GOLLYYYY i just love it so much !! i remember thinking like, what if she didn't go to the wrong house what then? then i spiraled about certain unexpected things that happened that branched out to be one of the greatest experiences you've ever had. and ACKKK i just love their dynamic even from the start and how steve immediately showed actual care and concern despite her being this stranger that just showed up at his house unexpectedly EEEEKK!!! the dialogue just feels so natural and the build up !! *chef's kiss* and i just feel very protective of the reader HIHI she just reminds me so much of erm me it's kind of really scary... also debbie u bitch.

　　　　𓂅 [✦] [✿] redemancy by @/sanguineterrain | word count: 5.2k 　　　　　　summary: the act of loving someone who loves you back; a love returned in full // or, four times you kissed Steve Harrington, and one time he finally kissed you back. 　　　　　　thoughts: oh the 5+1 format my beloved !! again this is really such a good fic !!! this made me giggle and kick my feet so hard i nearly fell of my bed actually :3 LIKE BRO A MARRIAGE PACT?? The way they said it with actual sureness and certainty?? like you don't know how much that affected me and that was only the first bit of the fic ! again it's so very heavy on that thing where they unknowingly stand in the line between frienship and something more. IT JUST GETS ME GOOD !! ALSOO like the uncertainty that came in later on. I'M IN BITS. i love how that shows so much vulnerability and how much that pact actually meant, and how it shows it's not just one of those on a whim things that were only meaningful during that time. AND THE GUM. HER REMEMBERED THE GUM.

[✦] [✿] come home by @steveypetey | word count: N/A | complete!series

　　summary: a stranger things rewrite. "come home to me, okay?" "always," steve promises. in between saving will, then hawkins, then somehow the world, you fall in love with steve harrington. 　　thoughts: THIS ONE IS JUST WOAH. just might give the duffers a run for their money. anddd ik ST5 hasn't come out yet but i'm really excited for the ST5 rewrite so so bad

[✿] chalkboard hearts by @stevesgother | word count: N/A | complete!series

　　summary: Single parenthood is no easy feat, but you and your daughter Abbey seem to be making it by just fine. That is, until the morning that you drop your daughter off for her very first day of elementary school and meet her teacher for the year: Mr. Harrington. 　　thoughts: kindergarten teacher steve harrington fully wholly has my heart. this fic and 'the shape of family' by @/limeletters just fully captivated me so much i couldn't stop thinking about these fics !! especially because of the circumstances i had growing up this fic feels extra special to me :3 and it really just makes my heart feel so warm and nice. but also the slowburn was *chef's kiss* i just love this fic with all my heart anddd thank you so much writing it :3 <3

Masterlist recs !!

　　・┈・┈・ sanguineterrains's masterlist by @/sanguineterrain

　　・┈・┈・ supernovafic's masterlist by @/supernovafics