#starol

Which makes it awfully convenient that hell keeps coming to Hawkins just after dark. It brings a lot less questions that he can’t answer, about nausea and terror that he can’t explain, that he wouldn’t know how to even if he could. 

It’s convenient. Gives Steve less people to worry about, less names to remember when things go bump in the night.

Hop drives past the end of Main street, the end of paved sidewalks and streetlights. He stops at a four-way to let another car turn, then takes a left down a darker road.

House lights take the place of street lamps, windows flaunting squares of lustrous orange light in every house they pass. The distance makes the light hazier, easier on the ache behind his eyes.

The street is familiar, more than just small-town same-roads familiar. It becomes depressingly familiar as the Perkins' house appears ahead, that feeling more of an indicator than the house’s appearance right now. Light fills almost every damn window, except for Carol’s bedroom upstairs.

Her powder blue convertible is missing from the driveway, too, and its absence leaves the whole house sickeningly monochrome.

It's probably in Tommy's driveway. He could check to be sure, they’ll pass by it in a block or two.

As quick as it appeared, Carol’s house disappears again, passing behind them just like every other house on the block.

Steve closes his eyes.

Keeps them closed, until the car slows drastically but doesn't feel the turn into the driveway.

Steve opens his eyes, glances towards Hopper and finds him looking out into the dark ahead, warily. Steve follows his gaze, and his stomach turns.

There’s a powder blue convertible stalling in front of his house—roof uncharacteristically up and hiding the interior—haphazardly parked half off the road. The people in the front seat are arguing, and there’s smoke billowing out the back still like they’re ready to take off at any second.

Hop rolls closer, headlights lighting up everything. Steve leans forward to get a better look, and Tommy’s face turns around in the driver’s seat to look back at them.

Tommy’s eyes pass over Steve, unseeing, then skipping by Hop too as he just sees a cop car and panics. He gets ready to drive off, only to be stopped by Carol’s hand from the passenger’s seat. 

It's uncomfortable just looking at them. Tommy is awkwardly crammed into Carol’s front seat like he’s too big for it—maybe because he is, maybe it's still adjusted for Carol—and Carol looks like she's fighting the seatbelt that's keeping her from jumping across the dash and taking the wheel herself. 

And what’s worse, they’re sticking with it. They’re parked on the side of the road and yet neither get out to switch seats and go back to what they're used to.

Hop shifts the car into park, and Steve glances over to find Hopper already looking at him, eyebrows raised and quietly asking. 

Steve turns back to the car in front of them for a second. Carol glances back from her spot in the passenger’s seat too, then turns to her real objective of saying something to Tommy. Something Tommy, apparently, doesn’t want to hear. Has already heard several times, if the overplayed frustration is anything to go by.

Steve sighs.

“I’ve got it.” Steve mutters, and ducks down to find his keys in his bag.

Hopper doesn’t say anything and goes back to eyeing Carol's car, but when Steve sits back up he shoots him another uncertain look.

“You’ll know if I change my mind.” Steve says, and gets out of the car.

The headlights sting his eyes even from behind so Steve squints and turns his head away from them, watches his step and shoves his keys into his pockets as he walks over. A car door in front of him opens, letting the tail end of a very annoyed “Carol!” slip out before it slams shut again and the familiar clacking of boots makes its way over to him. 

Steve looks up properly and Carol stops, squinting from the headlights, staring at the bruising on his face openly, shock softening a very reassuring grimace. Steve closes the last bit of distance so he doesn't have to be loud, doesn’t make this any bigger than it has to be.

“Can this happen at literally any other time?” 

Carol stares at the worst spots of his face for another second, trying to juggle new thoughts with whatever the hell she was planning to say, but a voice from the other side of her car beats her to it.

“Steve?”

He and Carol both look over at Tommy, standing from the driver's seat to get a better look over the hood of the car, equally taken aback, if only for a second.

Tommy jogs over—that slowed down jog to keep from looking too uncool—and stops, a little further away than Carol is, keeping a cold distance. It nicks an old nerve, one he's used to having hit, but now it’s fanning a bitter flame that he’s happy to indulge.

“What the hell happened to you?” Tommy says.

“Why do you care?”

“Steve.” Carol snaps at him.

“No, actually, what are either of you even doing here?”

“Looking for you, asshole.” Carol says, and takes barely a step forward. 

“Carol dragged me with her.” Tommy says, with that light, cocky tone he’d use in the hallways or on the court or in the locker room, where everythings a goddamn joke.

“Tommy.” Carol hisses, hitting Tommy’s arm and Tommy scowls at her.

“Well that makes this easy then.” Steve says, letting bored disdain leak out with every breath. He directs an extra bit of bitterness Tommy’s way, then turns back towards his house.

“Steve–” 

Tommy grabs his arm. Reaches out and grabs for him. 

Steve turns back and looks down at Tommy’s hand on his forearm, pointedly, then back up at Tommy. Challenging, to let Tommy know he’s doing it—reaching out and touching another boy—and waits for Tommy to let go or pretend it’s more aggressive than he meant it.

Tommy’s hand slips away and falls to the side.

“Look, man,” Tommy starts, “We heard about Wheeler–”

“Yeah, I know.” Steve says, and even though his voice wavers Steve tries to make it harsh, be cold and detached like he would be if they were in the halls right now. “You just know everything there is to know about Nancy Wheeler these days.”

Carol makes a face at him and Tommy scowls again, and it feels like so much, feels familiar and nauseating, soothing and insufferable.

“Man, I’m fucking trying, alri–”

“To do what?”

Tommy pauses, face still scowling but his eyes searching, confused.

“What are you trying to do?” Steve asks again.

Tommy looks away, shoves his hands into his jacket pocket. “Fucking talk, man, what…” Tommy smiles, shoots him a look of casual apathy, doing it on purpose now. “What does it look like I’m doin’.”

Steve tamps down a curled lip, keeping mostly neutral as he stares at Tommy. Making a show of listening even after he stopped talking, waiting for either another deflection or a real answer.

It takes Tommy a good few seconds to realize Steve isn’t planning on playing along. He connects the dots and drops the casual act, apathy hardening into irritation, and refuses to say anything.

Steve glances over to Carol, standing off to the side and mostly watching Tommy. She catches Steve’s eye, but with nothing written on her face. 

She looks at Tommy again but doesn’t try to intervene, doesn’t try to say anything.

Steve turns again quietly, away from the cars and headlights, and starts up his driveway. Gets a little ways away before Tommy does anything about it.

“Steve, fucking– hold on!” 

Steve turns before Tommy can reach him, catching him off guard, so instead of grabbing Steve’s arm Tommy gestures around with that energy, pointing to him and Carol and right at Steve’s chest.  

“We came out here because it was always the three of us, always! You, me, and Carol. And then you ran away, you keep fucking off to do your own thing like neither of us ever mattered.”

“So you came here to yell at me.” 

“I came here because you sure as hell weren’t coming back! You were getting off on ‘caring about other people’ but you don’t give two shits about us!”

Tommy lets the words hit, then loses steam with a loaded huff. He stares Steve down like Steve’s dragging the word out of him, like Steve’s the one forcing this conversation to happen.

“And you’re happier now.” 

Tommy looks sick with it, keeps channeling anger over the sickness and it’s working, he’s yelling, but Steve can’t stop seeing what’s under there. 

“But we still give a shit about you, and Carol dragged both our asses over here cause she’s the only one with enough balls to admit it.”

Tommy’s hand moves again, barely a reach that’s pulled back, a small reflex that Tommy probably doesn't notice, but Steve does, only because he’s looking for it.

A lump forms and clogs Steve’s throat—and Tommy sees it, something of it because he lets the anger melt out, smooths it down a little until–

“You tell me to fuck off and I’ll do it, but you’re going to let me fucking try first.”

–until he just looks like Tommy again.

Steve crashes forward and pulls Tommy in tight for a hug. Wraps his arms around him, ducks his face down into Tommy’s shoulder, half for himself, half as a final test, to see if Tommy would let him– let himself give as much of a shit as he used to.

Tommy jumps but grabs onto him with that reflex, wraps his arms around Steve's back and holds him just as tight, maybe tighter. Tears well up in Steve’s eyes, the treacherous kind that aren’t asking if or when they could fall, so Steve buries them in the collar of Tommy's shirt.

Tommy laughs a little, light with surprise and wonder and fucking joy, rumbling soothingly from his chest, from his throat right by Steve’s ear, and it makes Steve smile, too. Smiling so wide, even as tears fall freely and he silently chokes on his relief.

Tommy presses his face, too, into Steve’s shoulder, not quite tall enough to tuck his chin over. He presses his smile into the collar of Steve’s shirt and leans his head against Steve’s, so much softer, so much more confident, and more truly at ease than Steve’s seen him before.

Steve takes in a deep breath, slow and long so it feels like enough, and revels in the steadiness,  the warmth around him. And for the first time in a while, it’s easier to keep himself upright.

Another hand settles gently on his shoulder, light enough that it doesn’t hurt the bruises that have to be somewhere around there.

Steve pulls back, just enough to stand up straight and see Carol keeping her hand on Steve’s shoulder, looking slightly worried and only getting worse when he meets her eyes.

Steve shakes his head, wipes the wetness from his eyes, cringing when he presses against bruises, just making more tears fall.

Steve swallows hard and takes a deep breath again.

“I missed you guys, too.”

Carol moves fast, pulls him into her own tight hug immediately, squeezes a choked sob out of him instead of words. He hugs her back tightly, buries the lower half of his face in her hair, and gets a strong whiff of Farrah Fawcett hairspray.

Carol gives him one more squeeze before her grip mellows out into something gentler, decidedly gentle, and just as steady. And she stays there, face resting on his shirt, right over his heart like it's just as much for her as it is for him. His throat clogs up again, and Steve doesn't think he’s ever been happier.

After a moment or so, Carol mutters something that Steve doesn’t catch.

“What?” Tommy asks before Steve can.

Carol huffs with so much of her signature annoyance that Steve can't help but snort to himself too. She moves back but with an arm still tucked around Steve, shoots him a quick glare that doesn’t hide any of her fondness—if she was even trying to hide it—and turns to Tommy to enunciate everything at him.

“I said, it took you two long enough.”

 Tommy rolls his eyes immediately, like he’s heard something like this a million times before.

“Yeah, thanks for helping, by the way.” 

“You’re welcome.” Carol says, all over-innocent and cheery and it makes Tommy roll his eyes harder, “You two needed someone sensible around. All this emotional constipation really isn't a great look.”

Steve wrinkles his nose at the word choice while Tommy scoffs.

“Yeah, you’re real mature, like you didn’t bite Nichole Turner’s head off for finding that old swim team hoodie you won’t get rid of.”

“Tommy!”

Carol hits Tommy’s arm again, betrayed and annoyed but not trying to deny it.

“You kept that?”

Carol glances over before resolutely avoiding eye contact and shrugs, but doesn’t refute it.

“Awww Caroooool,” he says, drawing the words out comically, putting an arm around her, “You missed—” 

“It’s a sweatshirt.”

“You missed meeeee.” He sings and hugs her again, playing up the schmaltzy sweet flair.

“You two are such—” she starts, then sighs heavily before giving up, dropping her head to lean into Steve’s hug.

Steve smiles and looks back over to Tommy—to give Carol her moment to recover—and catches a soft smile on his face, too.

Tommy’s eyes flick up to meet Steve’s and he pauses like he knows he’s been caught.

“So…” Steve starts.

“Yeah.” Tommy says, landing a hand on his shoulder, casual except for how Tommy keeps it there, normal except for how it’s making Steve melt. “You gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it. I'm gonna head inside—”

“And find a bag of peas or something,” Carol interrupts, pulling away to give Steve another look, “I mean, like, in a nice way–”

“Don’t hurt yourself.” 

“You look like you’ve been hit by a car.”

“Yeah.” he laughs.

“Did you?”

“No, no…” Steve shakes his head. “No, it’s uh… long story.”

Carol raises an eyebrow, and when Steve turns to Tommy instead he finds him also giving Steve a searching look. Steve smiles a little, enjoying the care despite the context and the subjects he has to breach at some point—god especially when it comes to school again, basketball’s about to be a fucking mess—

“I’ll tell you guys later. Promise.” He says and he means it, even if he can only throw together some half baked explanation—maybe blame a little more on Hargrove than he really needs to—he wants them around enough to know. And also, maybe selfishly, wants them around enough to know when he’s lying, to know when there’s things he won’t say.

But for now, Tommy and Carol both accept the promise for later. And Steve nods over towards the front door.

Carol takes the silent invitation immediately, heads up the dark driveway and to the front of the house with Steve and Tommy not far behind her.

Carol waits by the steps for them as they catch up and lets Steve go ahead to the door, whispering something cheeky and teasing to Tommy that catches him off guard, makes him stutter for a second before muttering something snippy back.

Steve bites back a laugh and turns to the door. He finds his keys in his pocket and picks out the house key smoothly as Tommy and Carol linger behind him, their presence and their voices calming something in him, making the gaping void behind them feel less vast, less pressing.

He clicks the lock and opens the door wide and it’s somehow darker than what they’re already standing in.

Steve wanders in blindly, and Tommy and Carol follow right behind.

Thank you for reading!

ao3 | tumblr fic masterlist

Inspired by Our Sweetness (ao3) by @momotonescreaming (plus basically all her other Stommy/Stomarol fics)

Walking inside she found no one. However, on the other side she definitely saw signs of life, where the tv had been left on to some random movie and there were plates and cans on the table. Listening in she heard nothing, there didn't seem to be anyone downstairs.

Spitting out her gum in the kitchen trash can, she strutted up the stairs and she saw Steve's bedroom door open. In there she definitely heard someone in there, the loud moaning echoing down the hall. Making her way over, she leaned on the doorframe, crossing her arms as she stared at the two half naked boys currently on top of each other on the bed.

They were completely entranced with one another, not remotely noticing her presence in the slightest as they made out. Watching them, she let them go on for a moment, gazing at just how hard Tommy grinded down against Steve and how Steve bucked into the touch, or how Steve ran his hands over the expanse of Tommy's body, giving it a firm squeeze every once in awhile.

Deciding she finally had enough of just leering at them, she began forward, keeping her footsteps small and quiet in order to not attract their attention.

Putting on her best faux pouting tone and scoffed, "ough, you boys got started without me?" slightly jutting out her bottom lip for good measure.

Immediately both men jerked their head up to gawk at her, a string of spit still connecting Tommy's bitten cherry red lips to Steve's. They wore matching startled looks before realizing it was only Carol and gave a small sigh of relief that instantly turned into annoyance at the fact she scared them.

Grinning at them, she went over, sitting on the edge of the bed near them and flicking her gaze between the two of them. "Well don't let me interrupt you guys, go on," she encouraged, resting her hand on Tommy's back and lightly urging him back down.

Without another word, the pair went back to kissing, letting Carol watch from the sidelines. She gently stroked Tommy's back for a minute, bringing her other hand and shoved it down her jeans, flatly running her hand inbetween her lips.

Carol could feel herself becoming the barest amount wet and moved to circle two fingers around her clit. Biting her lip as she sped her hand up, she produced more and more slick until she could start to feel it building in her clothes. Once she was starting to thoroughly soak her underwear she took her hand back and gingerly stood up, careful not to disturb them.

Lifting her sweater up and over her head, she shuffled her jeans down, tossing both of them somewhere off to the side so all she was left in was her matching soft red panties and bra. Leaning over to Steve's dressed she opened it, taking out the lube he kept in there and situated herself next to them once more.

Squeezing the lube into her hand, she rubbed her fingers together to warm it up before slipping her hand under Tommy's briefs to tease his rim. The contact made him jump, surprisedly moaning into Steve's mouth who ate it up.

Running her finger back and forth, she circled the pad of her fingers along his hole, teasingly pressing in just slightly but never pushing through. Tommy pressed back against her, whining as she still kept teasing him.

"I'll give you what you want, don't worry," Carol whispered, keeping the ministration up and making him slowly become more desperate. Deciding to finally give him some relief, Carol finally pushed the tip of her finger inside until it was buried to the third knuckle.

Mewling, Tommy arched his back pushing her finger impossibly closer. Starting up an impossibly slow pace, Carol sluggishly dragged her finger in and out of him. Pulling away from Steve with a whimper, Tommy begged, "Care, c'mon."

"Shh, you wanna be good right?" Carol softly said, rubbing a soothing hand along his waist as she made no attempt to speed up her hand in the slightest. Stopping all together, she slid her finger out, instead moving to peel his briefs down until they were sitting just under his ass.

Slipping her finger back in, she thrusted it in and out quickly, soon adding a second finger. Changing the angle of her hand, she kept moving them until Tommy was lurching forward with a loud gargled moan. Grinning, she sped her hand up, aiming for that particular spot repeatedly.

Tommy let out a litany of mewls and whimpers, only getting louder once Steve grasped his cock and began stroking him off. Adding a third finger alongside the other two, she worked alongside Steve into bringing Tommy closer to coming.

"Care," Tommy panted, "Carol," he managed to get all the way out on a whine. And with that, Carol retracted her hand from him, instead moving to stand up slightly.

"Aww, were you getting close?" Carol mocked, pressing their cheeks together as Tommy pathetically nodded. She planted a kiss against him before taking his mouth into hers, sticking her tongue inside and sucking on his tongue.

Caressing the back of his head and leaning into the kiss, she used her free hand to pat Steve's side, silently asking him to move out and away from under Tommy. Helping Tommy get off him, Steve took up his spot behind him, watching as Carol dragged him down with her, never breaking the kiss once as she laid beneath him.

Shuffling down, she spread her legs and gripped the base of Tommy's cock, leading it to the edge of her pussy. Gently Steve ushered him forward, slowly entering Carol. He pushed him forward until he bottomed out, watching as Tommy grinded small thrusts into her.

Grabbing ahold of the lube himself, Steve squirted the liquid into his hand. Pulling down his boxers with one hand, he used the other lubed up one to rub his cock, getting it slicked up. Putting a hand against the small of Tommy's back, stilling him, he lined himself up with his ass, pressing inside.

Burying himself to the hilt, Steve mouthed at the side of Tommy's neck, wringing a shiver out of him. Steve gave him a few rolls of his hips, eliciting a whimper from Tommy's lips as he was pleasured from both sides.

Tommy dropped his hands on either side of Carol, closing his eyes as he got borderline overwhelmed. Holding Tommy's face, she pulled him down until their noses we're almost touching.

Peppering kisses along his skin she praised, "look at our pretty boy Tommy, doing so amazing for us already," lightly dragging her nails along his scalp.

"Why don't you get this show on the road already big boy," Carol called out to Steve, hooking an ankle behind waist.

And that was all it took to get them started. Holding a firm grip on Tommy's hips and dragging his cock out, Steve instantly snapped them forward, punching Tommy forward into Carol.

Starting up a fast and brutal place, he fucked out each little noise that slipped past Tommy's lips, every one greedily swallowed by Carol. Keening forward on a whimper, Tommy mouthed at Carol's neck as she pet his hair murmuring sweet nothings in his ear.

Reaching a hand down, Carol rubbed circles on her clit moaning, "fuck, you feel so good Tommy, fucking me so well."

Tugging his hair, she brought their lips together, saying in a hushed voice, "our good boy Tommy, taking us so wonderfully," biting and pulling his bottom lip as they parted.

Those words got a mewl from Tommy, spurring the other two on.

"Why don't you tell him how he feels Steve," Carol breathed out, peering up through her lashes at Steve.

Immediately he responded, "good, so fucking good," Steve started through broken gasps, "you feel amazing clenching around me like this," finishing his sentence with a few harsh grinds.

Resting his head on Carol's shoulder, Tommy bit down on flesh as a shudder flew through him. Biting down hard, he lapped at the red mark on her neck, nipping small bruises nearby.

"Care, Care I'm gonna, I'm gonna," Tommy began panting, nibbling at her skin.

"You gonna come Tommy?" Carol asked, getting a weak head nod from him in response. Moaning loudly, she rolled her hips against him as much as she could from her position while speeding up the hand on her clit, bringing them both closer to coming.

With a long groan, Tommy finally came inside, mouthing at her shoulder as Steve still fucked into him as he came. Just a second later Carol reached her own orgasm, clamping down on him.

"Good. Good boy," Carol purred, petting him through his overstimulation. Despite the two having just come, Steve didn't relent instead increasing the speed of his thrusts, chasing his own release.

Soon Steve's thrust began stuttering, moans becoming higher pitched signaling he was close. And with one, two, three more thrusts Steve stilled, coming inside him with a gasp. Everyone sat there for a moment panting, coming down from their highs before Steve pulled out, Tommy quickly following suite.