you've got the key to my heart.
It wasn't a matter of him being stubborn and not listening at this point, but a matter of him proving to you who he could be. He didn't understand why you would resist him, even with him being nice. You could send him a damn invoice for the whiplash you were getting.
Nonetheless, you recognized the bitchy tone he had, wondering where he was going to take it this time.
Third installment of Baby, No Attachment. Mean!Steve x reader.
cw: swearing, mean!Steve, toxic couples (what's not to love), confessions of love, angst, fluff at the end, no smut but always 18+, mdni (1.8k+ words)
Your hand was warm in his grasp, contrasting the icy wind that began to settle over the September sky. Fall was creeping in, leaves changing, wind getting more chilly with every blow, but at the same time that meant more intimate time with Steve, more cuddling, more kisses, more everything that involved his body heat.
You two had just left the theatre downtown, choosing to walk down to the burger joint a couple of streets away. Steve's jacket was draped over your shoulders, him opting to withstand the chill of the night.
It was routine at this point, Steve jumping over hoops to make sure you were comfortable no matter how persistent you were with the fact you were fine. It wasn't a matter of him being stubborn and not listening, but a matter of him proving to you who he could be. He didn't understand why you would resist him, even with him being nice. If he didn't understand the logic of something, he was going to make it known, you had learned this pretty early on.
"Steve, babe, I really am fine," you laughed quietly, beginning to lean into his rant that was to come.
Your clasped hands swung in between the two of you, his larger one completely encompassing your own.
"It's freezing out." Probably a few below 70 if you really thought about it. He was being dramatic. "You could get sic-"
"Steve?"
The shrill voice pulled the two of you out of your conversation, Steve absentmindedly turning his head in that direction. You were so intent on walking to get that burger you were craving, you nearly missed the way his body tensed up once he figured out who it belonged to.
Glancing behind him, the girl you had hoped you never saw again stood there.
"Nancy," his voice cracked slightly as she came out of a nearby camera place, chain of keys in her hand, a tall, meek boy on her heels.
For a moment, the four of you just stood there, awkwardly swallowing the silence, nothing but the sounds of the lessening crowds surrounding you, cars driving down the nearly barren streets. Steve's hand tightened in your grip, and your eyes flitted between staring at him and that boy behind Nancy, the mentioned girl in your peripheral. No matter how long it had been, you still couldn't bring yourself to make eye contact with her.
She spoke his name with a soft gasp, a sudden smile crossing her features as she came into your space, her hands briefly coming up to pull Steve in a hug. It lasted all of three seconds, him remaining frozen as he wasn't sure how to think about all of this.
"Hi, it's been, uhh, a while..." She trailed off, awkwardly throwing her hands to her side. She looked between the two of you, your clasped hands swaying slightly as the two of you loosened your grip slightly.
You could feel Steve's hesitation, his hands speaking for himself as he thought about how he could handle the situation. He attempted to resort to confidence, a facade he was all too familiar with.
"Nancy," he repeated, suddenly turning to look at you. His arm came up to drape around your shoulders, pulling you into his side. "You two have, uhh, met."
Her eyes darted in your direction, an indecipherable emotion behind them.
"I remember," she was short in her response.
That awkward tension still hung in the air, the tall boy behind her playing with the hem of his jacket, not sure how to process it. She suddenly remembered the boy behind her, her gasp loud as she reached out a hand to pull him closer to the three of you.
"This is Jonathan," Nancy smiled, her voice soft as she looked at him. In that brief look, you could tell that there were feelings involved, despite the awkward tension around you. "He's... we're together, after... y'know."
You winced at how still and stoic Steve remained through this, no emotion showing.
"I think we have a class together or something," you tried to get rid of that feeling in the air.
"I doubt it."
Eyes cutting towards your boyfriend, you immediately sensed which version of him you were going to get tonight. You could send him a damn invoice for the whiplash you were getting. His voice had a rough tone, bitterness dripping behind the words.
Nancy ignored the comment, bless her soul. It was awkward enough being in each other's presence, given the circumstances of Steve quite literally being dumped for you.
"We work together here at the shop," she continued to supply, pointing up at the sign.
"That's your camera?" Steve questioned, and even more warning bells sounded off in your mind. You recognized the bitchy tone he had, wondering where he was going to take it. Jonathan looked down at the piece of machinery he was holding, nodding as he turned it over in his grasp.
Jonathan cleared his throat, lifting it up slightly. "Yeah, it's what I use to-"
"Now that I think of it... weren't you that kid that got in trouble for, like... taking pictures of girls in the locker rooms?"
It was too far gone to save this conversation.
"Steve!"
You and Nancy had similar tones as his name left both of your mouths. Glancing at each other briefly, you placed a hand on him, beginning to guide him away from the others. Jonathan had immediately shut down, flushing red in the face as he looked away from the group, Nancy had a pissed off look on her face. Steve had a smug look, 'King Steve' returning for a long awaited cameo.
"I'm sorry," you rushed, grabbing his hand to begin to flee the scene. You couldn't come up with an excuse for his behavior, embarrassed that he would even bring up something like that. Angry that he would stoop that low even with the progress of character he had made, all that he had proven to you in the last couple of months.
The two of you began to head in the same direction that you were headed, you marching in front of the brown headed boy that seemed irritated for some reason. He was the last person who should be mad, embarrassed, whatever emotion he was feeling.
Your feet stopped in front of a random drug store along the way, a 24 hour sign illuminating the small crevice the two of you found yourself in. Steve stood a few feet away from you, looking down at his feet as he kicked a few loose scraps of gravel around him.
"I don't know why you're mad," he shrugged, moving his shoulders with his words.
"That was so uncalled for. It was mean."
"You know who you're with."
Your mouth dropped open in shock, the worst excuse he could've used. "Really Steve?"
He scoffed, a lopsided smile poking through. It was like you were in a time machine, those first few weeks of knowing him flashing before your eyes. He cleared his throat, "You act like I said I wanted to fuck her or something."
"Explain the attitude then, Steve," you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. You started at the neon sign, blinking on and off with a buzz. "You might as well take her back with the comments you were making."
He choked out a bitter laugh, shaking his head as he paced in front of you, hands shoved down deep into his front jean pockets. "Yeah okay."
"You know what Steve-"
He came into your space, stepping in front of you, broad shoulders on display. Staring down at you, his eyes were squinted low, mouth pressed tight. "No, what is it? I'm dying to know."
"You could be such a dick sometimes," you choked it out, rolling your eyes away from him. Every angry emotion you felt for him came out in the moment, warning bells sounding off as you realized this was your gut feeling you had been fighting off.
"Sometimes babe? Please, go on... tell me more."
Shaking your head, you pressed a hand to his chest, pushing him away from you. You couldn't be around him right now. He stumbled back slightly, biting his lip before turning his head away from you.
You swallowed heavily, shaking your head as you tapped your fingers against your arm. That familiar cigarette craving was inching in again, not feeling the heat of the tobacco since the day you two first got together.
"I don't even know why I'm doing this," you whispered, looking down the street. You could run right now.
He looked at you again, a heartbroken emotion written all over him. "Doing what?"
"Just... never mind, Steve." You tightened the jacket draped around your shoulders, really feeling the cold that began to settle in around you. Suddenly, the warmth that you once felt from Steve's jacket just wasn't doing it for you.
Beginning to walk away from him, to where you weren't sure, you could tell yourself that this might really be it. Maybe it was the end of whatever this was, maybe this was the extent to which Steve could be better for you.
He called after you, but you ignored it, making it a few yards down the sidewalk before you heard the heavy drag of him jogging up to you.
"I'm sorry, okay," he rushed, grabbing your shoulder to spin you around. Staring up at him, you tried to ignore the pang in your chest as how beautiful he looked under the streetlights. His mole dotted cheeks were flushed red, wind whipping at the skin, eyes prickling with tears as the wind blew through them.
His voice cracked as you remained stoic, "I'm sorry."
You didn't answer him, lips pressed in a tight line as you assessed the situation.
"Please don't leave," he whispered, pulling you into him. His arms wrapped around your shoulders, his forehead pressed to your head as you remained still.
"It's, like... I don't want to do that, I don't want to be a dick," he whispered, pressing a kiss to your temple. "I can't help it sometimes, like a knee jerk reaction to things I don't want to face."
You began to cave, his arms providing relief to the tension in your body. You hated your reaction to him. You repeated the one thing you had been saying over and over, the only thing that you could think of: "That was mean."
"I know," he whispered, pulling you even further into him. You slowly reached up to wrap your arms around him, ignoring that feeling in the pit of your stomach. The man in your arms was every red flag you were warned about, but everything you needed at the same time. "I don't want you to think differently of me."
You pushed your head into his chest, burying your face in his scent. Eyes squeezed shut, you spoke softly, "It's hard to even think when you're a dick to everyone except me. For now."
He suddenly pulled away, bringing his hands up to hold your face in his hands. He stared into your eyes, brows furrowed together as he shook his head.
"For now? No, no, absolutely not," he urged, pressing a kiss to your nose. You crinkled it up in response. "Not for now, not ever. I love you. So, so much."
You shook your head, your own face turning up at his words. He had said this before, but you didn't know whether or not to believe him.
"I love you, and you're perfect. Everything I've ever wanted."
"Steve, you're just making things up-"
Maybe it was how you were feeling that was protesting it, tales of your past failures even with him coming to surface. Maybe it was the fact that he was a short fuse, always ready to switch a flip and become a completely different person. Every instance of disappointment speaking out, trying to sabotage the moment before it truly got good.
"I do," he was even more firm in his speech. Steve leaned in, inches away from your face as he stared into your eyes, blinking slow as he took in your features. "I love you, and there's nothing you could do about it. I don't want to hear it."
He was truthful in all of his words, no deception behind it as he unfolded all of this on you. He pressed a kiss to the corner of your mouth, puppy dog eyes giving you a look that could bloom a million flowers.
"You're the only person I want to see. I want to be around," he continued, pressing another kiss to your nose. Others followed, your cheek, your temple, the space between your eyes, even a small nibble on the ear. "You make me feel like I could do anything. You make me feel like I want to run away from the world just to lay with you, be by your side all day, all night, just so I could be yours. Be a better person."
A tear pricked at the corner of your left eye, falling onto the side of your nose just for Steve to kiss the skin, soaking it up. His beauty outshined the moon that hung in the sky, a competition that was unfair for nature to handle.
"Okay, okay," you laughed, shaking your head at him. He smiled at the brightness on your face, nodding with you. "I believe you."
"Okay," he agreed, holding you close.
"We have to work on whatever just happened though," you said. "That was mean, and you have to apologize."
He rolled his eyes playfully, cringing as he thought of the past moment that had just occurred.
"Can we at least have sex first, and then, get back to it?"
And there he was. Your Steve.
"You're unbelievable," you laughed, shaking your head before walking off ahead of him. You had to remind yourself, progress wasn't linear, and Steve... he fell somewhere along that.
Aannddd.... my favorite toxic couple is back. As much as I love mean!Steve, idk how much longer I can take of him being the douchiest person ever. just kidding. I'd bend over backwards for him. Definitely making this into a series, so expect more, whether you like it or not babes.
part one. prev part.
Masterlist. <3
