Noah shifted uncomfortably, biting back a wince as you applied the antiseptic to a cut on his forehead. He had scrapes and bruises from only God knows what, and you were determined to get to the bottom of it.

"I fell," he tried, a sheepish smile spreading across his mouth. It vanished almost instantly as he hissed in pain. You refused to give him an apologetic smile for not giving him a warning, as you applied another dab of alcohol to a bruise on his chin.

"You're a terrible liar, Diaz," You said, rolling your eyes playfully before tossing the used cotton swabs into the trash. . You grabbed some gauze and began to wrap it gently around his bicep. "And you wonder why I refuse to ever be your girlfriend."

Lifting a brow, Noah chuckled. "I'm not lying --"

"Were you out stealing again?" You took extra measures to ensure the gauze was firmly around his superficial wound. Eyes remaining on the task, you pursed your lips.

"I ain't no thief. Not like that," Noah said, his voice wavering a bit. His gaze remained fixed on your face, but you refused to look at him. Sensing this, he used his free hand to tilt your chin upwards towards him, your fingers loosening on the bandage as you reluctantly looked into his eyes. "Besides...the only thing I'm stealing are kisses from you when your brother's not around."

Freckles littered his face like stars in the night sky as he smiled at you. It was moments like these when Noah Diaz had you hook, line, and sinker. It was moments like these that made you forget why your proximity was too complicated to explain with words. The details of your relationship were an explanation shoved under the couch, only to be dealt with later.

Just as he leaned forward to steal a kiss from your lips, you gently turned your head, his lips meeting your cheek instead. He groaned in playful disappointment.

"Speaking of Reek," you said, ignoring the bloom of heat that began to manifest where his lips were, "did he have anything to do with this...fall of yours?" You finished off the gauze and cinched it tightly so it wouldn't loosen.

"I mean, he was there...sort of," he said with a shrug and a slight roll of his eyes as if thinking about the event that transpired. "But it was all me," he said, guilt seeping into his features again.

"All you?"

"All me," he confirmed, before standing from the sink. He gently took your hand causing you to turn and face him. Instinctively, you took a step towards him, your faces inches apart again. "But, it's nothing for you to worry about, I promise."

Although you weren't fully convinced of his promise, you let him kiss you.

One of these days being stuck in neutral with Noah Diaz was going to be the death of you. You were apprehensive of driving off with him into the sunset, leaving your friendship in the dust to pursue something more serious. But Noah was persistent.

But just like Noah, you had your brother to think about. You didn't want to possibly ruin their friendship, or make things more awkward than they already were. Despite how understanding Reek could be, you just didn't want to risk it.

"I hope you're right," You whispered, as he pulled back and placed a kiss on your forehead. "Because if I'm going to be your girl, we can't have any secrets between us."

Noah brightened, a slow smirk rising to his lips. "I knew I'd wear you down eventually," he joked.

"I'm not saying I'm your girlfriend!" You said, quickly, the heat returning to your cheeks as he began to laugh. "I said if --"

The sound of laughter and the consistent thud of footsteps coming up the stairs made you groan. Although you'd much rather stick to your hermit agenda, you promised your parents you would keep the door to your room open, ensuring that your younger siblings and their friends didn't burn down the house without you knowing about it.

Hunched at your desk, you were busy with your nose in a book until a sudden incessant taping at your doorway got a little too annoying for comfort.

"Nice Van Halen poster."

"That's Bauhaus, idiot," you said, while your heart began to drum in your ears. You kept your back turned to him, eyes trained on the same sentence you had been reading ever since you heard Harrington's voice from downstairs. "What are you doing here, anyway? I don't remember Lucas inviting you over."

You heard him shuffle across your room —over to the poster with four Caucasian men clad in grey suits and dark sunglasses. You heard your bed creak, followed by an exaggerated sigh. You looked over your shoulder.

"Steve—"

"How come you don't have a picture of me on your wall?" He's lying in the center of your bed, legs hanging off the edge while his eyes are fixated on the Bauhaus poster above your headboard.

You sighed and shut your book before swiveling to face your boyfriend. "Because I'm not a psychopath...and last I checked, you can't carry a tune to save your life, Harrington." Abandoning your book, your walked over and grabbed his wrist, initiating a game of tug of war with a weak start.

Steve chuckled as he sat up, his body flopping forward like a limp noodle as he gave into your lack of strength. "Hey, hey. What's the rush? We're not going to get caught. Your parents aren't here."

"Yeah, but Erica and Lucas are. We'll be over before we've even started—"

You shook your head, a hot flash rising to your cheeks as the word 'dating' got stuck in your throat.

The word made you cringe. It made feel you like were in one of those lovesick romance movies whenever you said it. An unfamiliar queasiness rose in your stomach as Steve rose an eyebrow.

Crap.

You had been caught.

"What was that?" Steve stood up straight, towering over you, his features laced with an alert sense of curiosity. He had stepped forward now, nearly trapping you between him and the wall. You still had a hold on his wrist. "I didn't hear that last part, Sinclair. 'We'll be over before we've even started...?'"

You rolled your eyes. "Cut the crap, Harrington. You know what this is," you hissed under your breath, eyes darting to the open door that could expose your secret any minute.

"Yeah, but I don't think I've ever heard you say it out loud before," he said with an amused grin on his lips. A tendril of his hair loomed over the center of his forehead. You resisted the urge to brush it back into place. Now wasn't the right time for that.

Now wasn't the right time for whatever this was.

"If you don't get out of my room, you're not going to live to hear me say it."

With a small grunt, you pulled him by the wrist, guiding him to the threshold of your door. He's stumbling behind you, stifling a laugh and purposefully dragging his feet until they reach the creaky floorboards of the hallway. You then maneuver around him, taking your place in front of your door as you wait for your boyfriend to retreat back down the stairs.

But as smooth as a criminal, Steve turns around, arms braced against the doorway, feet locked into place. He has no intentions of moving until he gets what he wants.

"Harrington," you whisper, lowering your voice as you both were now in closer proximity to the stairs and Erica's room down the hall.

"Sinclair."

Seconds of silent staring pass before you sigh in defeat.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"But, I'm your idiot," Steve says, his face lingering close to yours. He's wearing a contagious smile that has somehow slid across the thin space between you and jumped on your face. "Now, are you going to repeat what you said earlier or am I going to have the privilege of properly introducing myself to my future in-laws?"

Crossing your arms, you lifted your chin and narrowed your eyes. He always found a way to have the upper hand, even if it made him look dangerously stupid. But as dangerously stupid as the thought of Steve introducing himself as your boyfriend to your parents and siblings was, you couldn't stop your lips from twitching upwards.

"I said," you started, your voice getting lower which each word, "If my brother or sister finds out that you're in my room, we'll be over before we've even started dating for a month."

You swallowed your embarrassment, your eyes falling to your shoes as the word tumbled out of your mouth. Steve had asked you officially to be his girlfriend only two weeks ago and you still couldn't admit out loud that you were dating him. Let alone in secret.

Having Lucas and Erica find out before your parents would be an never ending nightmare. Your parents had forbade you from dating until you had finished school. Thankfully, you only had a few more months and then —and only then—did you plan on making your relationship with Steve known to your parents.

"See?" Steve said, tilting your chin upwards. "Was that so hard?"

But before you could say 'yes' with gritted teeth, Steve had pecked your lips, leaving you speechless.

"I'll see at Family Video on Friday?" He whispered, already backing away from you as laughter came from the room right down the hall.

"Uh, yeah," you said, trying to keep your head straight. "Family Video. Friday," you confirmed long after he had vanished down the steps.

You leaned against your doorway, massaging your temples as you fought the smile on your lips.

Steve's laughter echoed against your eardrum as you snaked your arms around his neck.

He was loosely holding onto your waist with one hand, the other latching onto the wheel of the car for dear life. You could tell your impromptu display of affection had startled him, because he was chuckling nervously now, something he often did when he wasn't sure how to respond with words.

You both had just received good news. Well, Steve had.

Amid all the calamity - smoke, fire, and raging beasts - things had started to settle down in Hawkins. Albeit, to the ordinary, the news Steve had shared with you was much more anticlimactic than your reaction let on, but for you and Steve, it was a monumental occasion that was deserving of you crawling into his lap while he was behind the wheel of his 1983 BMW.

The car careened to the left and right as you settled backwards in his lap, as if you both were lounging on the couch and not in a vehicle that was now going 25 miles per hour.

Eyes wide with surprise, Steve tried sitting up further in his seat to look past you at the wide open road. There wasn't a car in sight for miles, yet even if there was, your reaction would've been the same.

"You trying to get us killed, y/n?"

"No," you mumbled against his ear as you readjusted yourself. His free arm was insistent upon returning you to the passenger's seat safely, but he couldn't complete the mission without removing both hands from the wheel. Sighing in defeat, with a smile lacing his lips and a quirked eyebrow to match, his tight hold on your waist loosened as both your arms rested around his neck.

"I'm just happy for you. I knew that job was yours," you said, embracing his neck as the car swerved a bit. The hand around your waist eventually found its way to your back in a thankful pat.

"Thanks, but maybe we can cuddle when I'm not driving?"

You could feel the smirk of arrogance lacing his mouth without even seeing it. He was loving this, but at the same time trying to get you both home in one piece. The adrenaline pumping through your veins suddenly found its way to your cheeks. Steve was normally the one to initiate any sort of hand holding or cuddling, and yet, when a sliver of happiness - a sliver of hope - seeped its way into your system, you couldn't hold back the joy that was demanding to be set free.

Steve getting hired for a real job - not one involving scooping ice-cream or stocking the latest VHS tapes onto rusting shelves - was the biggest good news you had heard in quite some time. Compared to watching the local news and waiting for you, your friends,' and boyfriend's demises as Hawkins slowly turned into a fiery furnace - normal news sounded like a miracle.

Normal news sounded like Heaven.

Slowly you peeled back, your hands dropping to his shoulders. The car was still careening at a solid speed of 25 in a 45. All four windows were down, making it feel like you were going faster.

Sensing your excitement temporarily diminish, Steve tightened his hold on your waist, his grip on the wheel temporarily loosening, though he kept his eyes forward.

"You should be as happy as I am," you mumbled, your arms going around his neck again as he refused to let you sulk back to your seat.

"I am," he assured you with a smile that didn't erase the panic in his features. Amid the constant teasing and the attempts to make you bashful, he was always worried about your safely. In this case, his worries were obviously valid. He glanced at you this time, his eyes playing tug of war between the road and you. "But if I don't make it out of this car alive, it'll all be for nothing."

Playfully, you hit his arm and he laughed all while trying to keep the car from crashing. He kissed your cheek as you settled your chin on his shoulder again, the action tickling his neck. The car dipped into the shoulder before settling in the center of the asphalt again.

You both were sitting on the floor of your dorm room eating cold pizza when he said this. It was a school night, but that didn't stop him from surprising you with flowers and a large box of pepperoni pizza to share. Despite your class starting the next day at the crack of dawn, you couldn't refuse the offer.

"A what?" You asked, leaning against the wall behind you, swearing you had heard him incorrectly. He was sitting next to you, the pizza box the only thing keeping you two apart.

"You heard me, Mrs. Harrington," he said with a smirk while closing the pizza box. He shoved it aside and took its place, his leg brushing up against yours as he squeezed himself next to you. "When all this is over and things are normal for a while...after you graduate, I'm going to buy you a ring."

He looked at you with determination and a hint of curiosity in eyes, stifling your laughter. In the midst of composing yourself, his hand had somehow found its way onto yours - the one resting on your propped knee - and he grasped it gently, his thumb sweeping over the back of it.

Your relationship - which happened to be the most normal thing in your life right now - was no match for the strange things going on around you both. You weren't privy to all that had transpired that last couple of months given that it was your choice to stay out of the loop for your own sanity.

But after hearing that your boyfriend was nearly mauled to death by demonic bats, you had decided that the eighteen credit hours you were taking seemed trivial.

Dreaming about a ring, a wedding, and a life with Steve seemed trivial.

Steve pressed a kiss to the back of your hand and squeezed it, bringing you back to the present. You smiled and rested your head against his shoulder.

You were standing in front of him, both arms clutching [your favorite 80's movie VHS tape] to your chest. You both had been spent hours after closing time searching for [your favorite movie]. You had been asking for it for weeks and when you told Steve about it, he promised to put it in a safe spot once it was back in stock. Unfortunately, when you came that afternoon, he had misplaced it and the both of you had spent time looking for it long past closing time.

The moment he had found it, you couldn't help but hug him out of excitement and relief, and Steve couldn't help but take that as an invitation to lean in for a kiss. His hand swept to your shoulder gently while he stepped forward in an attempt to close the space between the both of you. His eyes fluttered closed and for a fraction of a second yours did too...

Until you asked a question that had been on your mind for weeks.

"Steve...what are we?"

The nature of your relationship had never been spoken aloud. Even if you had said yes it wouldn't make a difference to the world - everyone already saw how close the two of you were. It wouldn't be a secret to hide, or a surprise that needed revealing. You two spent almost every passing day together - be it during each others breaks or when both you got off from work - your job being across the street at the local [insert your place of work].

Stunned, he opened his eyes to gaze into your curious ones. His hand fell from your shoulder and swept through his hair before resting on the back of his neck. His other hand, pressed against the wall beside your head, remained hesitantly still.

"I'd like to say were...friends?" He said, an embarrassed smile breaking through his expression as if he wasn't entirely sure what to call what you both had.

"Just...friends?" You tilted your head, clutching the VHS case to your chest. You figured you both were more than that, but you didn't have the guts to admit it out loud. You were only trying to see where his head was at.

"Good friends?" He tried again, flashing a wider grin that normally won you over. For a moment it did as you bit the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling. Relieved, Steve stepped forward, his hand resting on your shoulder again.

"But... friends don't kiss each other," you said quickly, your hand resting on his chest to keep him at bay. Your smile, now gone, had been replaced with quizzical pursed lips and a pair of raised eyebrows.

"Well...maybe we should be more than just friends," he said, reaching up to gently place his hand over yours, the one that had been resting on his chest still. He gave it a light squeeze. Naturally, you stepped forward.

"Is this your way of formally asking me to be your girlfriend, Harrington?"

He met you halfway, your intertwined hands now in the center gap that was starting to lessen between the two of you.

"Maybe," he replied.

"Maybe?"

"Yes," he confirmed with a nervous chuckle, his free hand sweeping through his hair. You always found it cute when he got flustered, given the fact that you were normally the one who was nervous all the time. "Will you, [your first and last name], be my girlfriend"?"

Your fears of destroying the friendship you both had vanished as he waited expectantly for your answer.

It took you seconds to murmur a quiet, 'yes'. At that, you both shared a relieved smile before his free hand swept around your waist carefully. He tugged you closer as you stepped forward.