“Oh, sweetheart,” the older woman says gently. “Try not to worry about that right now.”

You shake your head, breath hitching. “No, you don’t understand. He’s—fuck—he’s going to lose it.”

Because not even twenty minutes ago, you’d been driving just fine. Careful and hyper-aware, even, because it was Steve’s car. His stupid, perfect red BMW that he loved more than most people, the one he washed by hand and showed off whenever he got the chance to.

The road had been clear, that’s until a cat darted into your headlights, and your body reacted before your mind could, wrenching the wheel to avoid it—sending the car headfirst into the tree instead.

If it weren’t for the passing car that saw the whole thing, for the woman and her daughter pulling over without hesitation, you don’t know what you would’ve done.

Steve’s car, though, was completely fucked. And that thought keeps looping in your head, loud and relentless, drowning out everything else around you.

The woman —who’s name you learned to be Mrs. Dunne—sighs and gives your shoulder a careful squeeze before stepping away. “I’m going to call for help, all right? My daughter’s a nurse. She’ll look at you.”

She hurries across the road toward the phone box, sensible shoes crunching against gravel.

You’re still trying to slow your breathing when the car door opens again.

“I need a number,” she says gently, already leaning across the seat. “Who owns the car?”

Steve’s name sticks in your throat, except you can’t even pull the words out. You point instead. “Glove compartment.”

She finds it quickly — a worn little address book, containing numbers and details— and flips until she nods. “Got him.”

“Hey,” a voice says nearby. “I’m Vickie.”

You look up to find a girl. She can’t be much older than you, short hair pulled back, a canvas bag slung over one shoulder.

“Can I take a look at you?”

“I’m fine,” you say immediately, the lie automatic. Then your mouth trembles. “I mean—I’m not fine. But I don’t think I’m that injured.”

Vickie gives a small, understanding huff of a smile. “Okay,” she says gently. “Still gonna check you.”

She guides you toward the back seat of the car—which is much less damaged than the front, one hand hovering near your elbow like she’s afraid to startle you. The air smells like antiseptic and gasoline, sharp and overwhelming your senses.

“I swear I wasn’t speeding,” you blurt, words tumbling over each other. “The road was clear, and then there was a cat, it just ran out in front of me and I didn’t even think, I just—”

“Hey,” Vickie says softly, crouching in front of you. “Pause. Breathe first. Then talk, alright?”

You try. The breath stutters anyway.

“That’s okay,” she murmurs, already pulling gloves on. “We’ll take it slow.”

She tilts your chin carefully, eyes scanning your face. “You’ve got a split lip and a cut on your temple.” Her voice stays calm. “Any dizziness? Nausea?”

“I feel sick,” you admit. “But I think that’s just because of… everything.”

“That makes sense.” She presses gauze gently to your forehead.

You hiss despite yourself, tears spilling hot and fast. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she says quickly. “Glass scratches bleed a lot. It always looks worse than it is.”

“It is worse,” you choke. “Steve’s going to see this and he’s going to lose it. Oh, God—the car—”

She stills, eyes lifting to meet yours. “Steve’s your boyfriend?”

You nod, but it only makes the lump in your throat worse. The words spill out before you can stop them. “It’s his car. His brand new BMW—which he, by the way, saved up forever for it. He literally paid an insane amount of money for it and shows it off every chance he gets.”

A laugh slips out despite the fear and guilt coursing through you, and you hate it. “I’m dead. I’m actually so dead.”

Vickie gives a small, incredulous smile. “I don’t know your boyfriend, hon,” she says, smoothing the tape down with careful fingers, “but cars can be fixed. People can’t. I really don’t think he’s going to care about the car when he sees you like this.”

“He will,” you say immediately, shaking your head. “He’s gonna take one look at it and just—God. I shouldn’t have borrowed it. I shouldn’t have touched it at all. I should’ve just walked, I—fuck.”

“Well, my mom already called him,” Vickie says softly, not stopping her work. “And she called your friends too. He’s already on his way.”

Your chest tightens at that, panic blooming fresh and hot. “No. Oh my God.” You drag a hand under your nose, trying to breathe around the pressure. “You should go, both of you. You’ve done more than enough, and I really don’t want you here when he—when he sees it.”

The image won’t leave you alone: Steve’s face hardening, his furious rage leading him to probably— rightfully so— break up with you. Your stomach twists at the thought, nausea rolling up hard enough to make you swallow.

Vickie shakes her head before you’ve even finished. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

From across the road, her mom’s voice carries over, firm and unmistakable. “None of that, honey!”

Mrs. Dunne walks back toward you, arms folding like she means business. “We are not leaving you stranded and scared on the side of the road. Not for a second.” She softens just a touch as she looks at you. “We’ll stay right here until your boyfriend or one of your friends gets here. That’s that.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Dunne.” you smile warmly at her despite the worry churning in your guts.

Time stretches thin and horrible. Every passing car makes your heart jump. Your thoughts spiral tighter and tighter, replaying Steve handing you the keys earlier, the grin on his face, the way he’d said, Be careful, okay? like it was a joke, like nothing bad could ever happen to you—

A sharp screech of tires cuts through the air.

You flinch hard, breath catching painfully in your throat as a truck skids to a stop on the side of the road, door flying open before it’s even fully parked. Steve steps out, and the look on his face steals the air from your lungs completely.

You’ve never seen him look like that. Not angry, smug, or teasing.

Terrified.

His eyes scan the wrecked car, the tree, the road, wild and frantic, until they land on you. His face goes slack with shock and then he’s moving fast, running like the ground is on fire beneath his feet.

Vickie and her mom both straighten. “Well,” Mrs. Dunne says softly, already reaching for you. “That’ll be him.”

They each pull you into quick, careful hugs, murmuring reassurances you barely register.

Then they step back, giving you space, watching until Steve reaches the door and drops to his knees in front of you like his legs have given out.

“Oh my God,” he breathes, voice breaking. “Hey. Hey—look at me. Fuck—are you okay?”

The Dunnes’ car pulls away slowly, tires crunching over gravel, taillights glowing red before disappearing down the road. The quiet that follows is almost worse as you try to register Steve’s frantic words.

He keeps saying your name, softly at first, then a little louder, but it barely reaches you through the ringing in your ears.

“Hey. Hey—look at me, okay? Baby, c’mon.”

You can’t.

Your eyes stay glued to your shaking hands, to the dark flecks of blood dried beneath your nails. Your chest heaves in sharp, ugly bursts as the sobs finally tear loose, choking and uncontrollable.

“I’m sorry,” you manage, words tripping over each other. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to, I swear, it just happened so fast and I tried to stop and—and I know how much you love it and I shouldn’t have taken it and—”

“Hey.” His voice cuts through, “Hey. Stop.”

Your voice cracks completely. You hiccup on a breath as the words choke out, panic spiraling tighter.

“I know it was stupid,” you ramble, tears blurring everything. “I know it’s your car and it’s new and you worked so hard for it and I ruined it and I didn’t mean to, Steve, I swear it was an accident—”

“—look at me,” he says, low and steady.

Steve’s hands come up suddenly, firm and warm, cupping your face on both sides. His thumbs press just under your cheekbones, forcing your head up despite your instinct to pull away.

Your eyes flicker up at last, red and glassy, breath stuttering.

“Breathe, baby,” he says immediately, softer now. “Just breathe with me. In and out. Come on.”

You suck in a shaky breath.

“Good. Out. Yeah, that’s it. Again.”

You follow him, lungs burning as you inhale and exhale in uneven pulls, his thumbs brushing lightly under your eyes, grounding you.

“That’s it, good job,,” he murmurs. “You’re okay. I’m here.”

Your body trembles again as he studies your face, eyes moving fast, cataloging every mark and every scrape.

“Now,” he says, voice firmer, sharper, like he’s trying to anchor you to reality. “Are you hurt?”

You swallow hard, your throat tight, and the words come out all wrong, tripping over themselves. “No—but your car, it’s—”

Steve’s jaw snaps tight, his hands gripping your face just tight enough to make your skin tingle.

“Did I ask about the goddamn car?” His voice cuts through the trembling air, sharp enough to make your heart drop.

You freeze, the panic climbing higher, and he leans closer, pressing just slightly, like he’s trying to pin you in place—but it’s not dominance, it’s urgency.

“I asked if you’re hurt,” he says again, softer but no less intense. “not the car.”

You look up at him, and it hits you as your stomach drops. The expression on his face, the tension coiled in his body, the raw, frantic light in his eyes—it isn’t anger. It’s terror. Pure, unfiltered, all-consuming fear of losing you. 

His hands tremble as they cup your face, thumbs brushing away the tracks of your tears, and for a second, you see the world mirrored in his eyes—a world where nothing matters but you, and every fierce, frantic care he holds is yours alone.

You shake your head slowly, trembling. “No,” you whisper, voice barely audible over your racing heartbeat. “M’not.”

He exhales hard through his nose, “Does your head hurt? Your temple?” he says gently now.

You sniff, shaking your head again. “No. It stings, but—there was an old woman and her daughter. They saw the accident. The daughter’s a nurse. She helped me.”

Steve nods. “I know. She called me.”

Before you can say anything else, he pulls you into his chest suddenly. His arms wrap around you in a bone-crushing hug, one hand cradling the back of your head, the other pressing you so tight to his chest it knocks the air from your lungs.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he breathes into your hair. You cling to him, fingers twisting into his jacket as the last of the sobs shake out of you.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” he murmurs, voice thick. “You hear me? Don’t scare me like that. I thought something much worse happened to you.”

In truth, the moment he’d gotten that phone call, his heart had dropped straight through the floor. He hadn’t thought about the car. Not even for a second. He’d pictured you bleeding, broken, or worse; not breathing.

He’d borrowed a truck, hands shaking so badly he could barely turn the key, every worst-case scenario slamming into him one after another.

He pulls back just enough to look at you again, forehead pressing briefly to yours. Then he kisses you, quick and desperate, like he needs to feel you over and over again.

You blink up at him, voice small. “So… you’re not mad about your car?”

His expression softens instantly, the tension melting out of his features. “Mad?” he echoes. “No. God, no.”

He shakes his head, a small, breathless laugh escaping him. “I don’t give a damn about the car. I can replace it, sweetheart—hell, I can buy another one tomorrow if I wanted.”

You laugh against his chest, still sniffling. “I don’t think you’re that rich, Steve.”

He snorts, brushing a stray lock of hair from your face. “Oh, come on. I might not have a Scrooge McDuck vault full of coins, but I can definitely scrape together a replacement BMW. You? Not so lucky.”

You pull back a little, squinting at him through your tears. “Are you seriously laughing right now? I just totaled your baby!”

“I’m laughing at the ridiculousness of you panicking like this,” he says, voice shaking with relief and amusement. “You looked like someone had just told you the world was ending.” His hand slides to your cheek, thumb warm against your skin. “Besides. You’re my baby. Not that damn thing.”

Your throat tightens all over again, heart warming up at his sweet words.

“Now, come on,” he murmurs, shifting closer, careful as he helps you to your feet. “Let’s get you checked out at the hospital.”

You hesitate, glancing down at the gauze. “But Vickie already wrapped me up—”

“I know,” he says softly, squeezing your hand like he needs the contact as much as you do. “I just need to hear it from a doctor, alright? Humor me.”

You nod, letting him guide you toward the truck, his arm never leaving your back, like if he does you might disappear.

steve harrington masterlist

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐋

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎}

• Fresh Start (coming soon)

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟏

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏}

• The Vanishing of Will Byers

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐}

• The Weirdo on Maple Street

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑}

• Holly, Jolly

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒}

• The Body

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓}

• The Flea and the Acrobat

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔}

• The Monster

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕}

• The Bathtub

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖}

• The Upside Down

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟐

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗}

• Madmax

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎}

• Trick or Treat, Freak

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏}

• The Pollywog

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐}

• Will the Wise

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑}

• Dig Dug

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒}

• The Spy

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓}

• The Lost Sister

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔}

• The Mind Flayer

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟗 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕}

• The Gate

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟑

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖}

• Suzie, Do You Copy?

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗}

• The Mall Rats

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎}

• The Case of the Missing Lifeguard

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏}

• The Sauna Test

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐}

• The Flayed

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑}

• E Pluribus Unum

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒}

• The Bite

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓}

• The Battle of Starcourt

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟒

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔}

• The Hellfire Club

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕}

• Vecna's Curse

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖}

• The Monster and the Superhero

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗}

• Dear Billy

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎}

• The Nina Project

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟏}

• The Dive

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟐}

• The Massacre at Hawkins Lab

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟑}

• Papa

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟗 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟒}

• The Piggyback

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟓

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟓}

• The Crawl

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟔}

• The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟕}

• The Turnbow Trap

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟖}

• Sorcerer

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟗}

• Shock Jock

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟎}

• Escape from Camazotz

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟏}

• The Bridge

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟐}

• The Rightside Up

The boys had come to Steve desperate for his help and not the sort that required a drive down to the old range and a bat wedged with nails. It was the sort of help where they needed King Steve, the Steve that made Skull rock the place.

They needed his help with girls.

Steve dragged a chair from the kitchen island over, sitting himself down and leaning over to the boys. "Okay, so you like these girls. El and Max?"

Mike and Lucas nodded while Dustin cracked open his can of pringles he'd brought along for the ride.

"You want them to be your girlfriends, well, you've come to the right guy," Steve ran a hand through his hair, Mike and Lucas watching him do it. "I've got a few moves that can help you but you have to do exactly as I say. Got it?"

They nodded.

There was a crunch for Dustin that momentarily threw Steve off his game.

You had been painting your nails when the insistent knocking broke you from your careful task. It was a Saturday, the day where you weren't supposed to be bugged for anything- unless it was Steve but even then your boyfriend always called ahead.

You opened the door to find Max, El and Will.

"Hey?"

"Hi," they all greeted and promptly flooded in.

They took themselves to your family kitchen, sounding like they were making themselves at home. You were just thankful your family worked on weekends. You didn't want to have to explain why teenagers felt they were allowed to let themselves in.

"Do you have any ice cream?" asked Max.

"And any syrups?"

You found the three raiding the cupboards and the freezer, El pulling down bowls and getting spoons. "Why?"

Max pulled out the tubs you had. "Because we need your help."

"My help?" typically every time the kids came for help it wasn't an ice cream situation. It was a kill or be killed kind.

"It's the boys," Said Will.

El looked to you sheepishly but you sighed in relief and helped them find whatever they needed.

Because if the boys went to Steve Harrington, the master of dating then the girls went to you. The very one that retired Steve from his old 'playboy' ways and had him happily settled, besotted even.

"What do you need help with?"

"So you want to ask the girls out, okay, easy enough, right?" Steve asked them, having Mike and Lucas and Dustin in a line like they were army cadets.

"Yeah," said Lucas and Mike.

"No!" Steve snapped. "Wrong, not easy. One wrong move and they'll be laughing at you, friend-zoning you."

"Friend-zone?" Asked Lucas like even the Upside down was a preferable place to be then that dreaded zone.

"Yeah," said Steve, dramatically. "I've been there myself, not a good place to be."

They watched as he settled back on his stool, lost in some sort of memory.

He sighed to himself, shaking his head. "Alright look, I don't tell many people this story so if it gets out, I'll know it was one of you three and I'll make your lives hell, understand?"

They nodded.

Steve rested his hands on the tops of his thighs. "I too have been friend zoned, it's not a good look."

"You?" asked Lucas.

"What did you do? How did you get out of it?" asked Mike.

"Well, I pitied myself for an evening, I had to make these mistakes so you boys won't have to. But yeah. I moped. It hadn't gone how I planned but I knew y/n would be at a party that night-"

"Wait-" interrupted Dustin with a cheeky grin. "Y/N friend zoned you?"

Steve looked at him, not a trace of amusement on his face as he re-countered the faithful night. "Yeah, now do you want my help or not?"

Dustin blushed. "Sorry."

"Listen, I moped, I despaired but then it hit me, it didn't have to be that way. So I got in my car, drove to the party-"

"Who's?" asked Mike.

"Stacey's."

"Stacey M or Stacey V?"

Steve frowned at him. "Does it matter? Anyway- I marched in there, ignoring everyone that said hi, I only had my sights on her."

"Then what did you do?" asked Lucas.

Steve wet his lips as he remembered the night he first kissed you, telling you his earlier confession that you pinned down to just being 'great friends' wasn't what he was going for. He stood up, for effect. "I found her on the stairs, she looked miserable to be there but she clocked eyes on me the same moment I did. So I made my way up, pushing past everyone, wrapped my arm around her waist and I kissed her."

He was still proud himself for that kiss, and the ones that only got better along the way.

"Tongue?" asked Lucas.

Steve was surprised a second at his forwardness. "Yeah, duh. So my advice-" he levelled with them. "Take the lead, girls like it when you're in control. Have you guys tried anything yet? Like, asking them to go watch a film together or something?"

The three shared looks.

Mike spoke up first, swallowing back his nerves. "I asked El to the drive in cinema once, but then I remembered I don't have a car. Or drive."

Steve tried not to let his disappointment show. "Easy mistakes to make."

Lucas held up his hand like he was back in class. "I asked Max once if she was on her period?"

"Oh, Sinclair, tell me you didn't."

Lucas's face dropped, eyes widening in terror. "Is that bad?"

Steve threw his head into his hands. "Oh, Sinclair."

"Steve! Is it bad?!" he fell to his knees in front of him.

"It's bad," said Steve, nodding with a wince for his young friend and the misery he was going to face. "You're in the dog house. Not even the dog house, the kneel, the pound. You're being put down."

"How do I fix this?" asked Lucas, hands clutched up to Steve like begging to god. "Tell me Steve, how!"

"He didn't!" you gasped, dropping your spoon in the ice cream tub that laid between you all on your bed.

"Yeah!" said Max, re-counting the time Lucas had asked the dreaded- 'are you on your period or something?' "Has Steve ever asked you that?"

You chuckled at the very idea. "Oh no, no, no, no, Steve knows better."

"I wish Lucas did," grumbled Max.

"How'd you do it?" asked Will, speaking up.

You looked to him. "Do what?"

Will dropped his voice to a whisper like you were sharing a secret. "Get Steve to fall in love with you?"

You smiled to yourself, thinking about it.

All throughout high school Steve had been a tease but not just to you, to any and every girl in Hawkins High. It was like a test to him, how many could he have by the time he reached senior year. You were someone he could just never crack, you never gave into his ways and it started to catch his eye in the most infuriating ways.

By the time the both of you had been brought into this Upside down business Steve had changed, he cared in ways you hadn't thought possible for him. And when the King Steve persona was dropped you finally started giving into him and your own heart.

"Well it's easy really, to get a guy crazy about you," you said, leaning forward on your elbows, already lying down on your bed. "Give him a look, seem like your interested then look away. Drives guys nuts."

"Make them suffer," said Max.

You lifted your shoulder. "I guess, basically, yeah."

"What was your first kiss like?" asked El, eyes wide in wonder.

You grin broke into your cheeks, re-counting the awful party you'd gone to to make Steve jealous after shaming his pitiful attempt at asking you to be his girlfriend. After years of torture from playboy Harrington you needed him to see it wasn't going to be easy.

But he made it so when he turned up out of breath and hair damp from the rain outside. How his eyes were locked on yours as he pushed everyone out the way until he'd pulled you into a searing first kiss, a pull like magnets drawing you in together. It wasn't slow, it was a desperate plea, a last attempt.

By god, it worked.

"Woah," said El as you reencountered it all.

Will was grinning. "What do you even do after a kiss like that?"

"Oh c'mon," said Max with a playful roll of her eyes. "There's only one thing you can do after a kiss like that-"

"Max!" you lectured. "Don't be crude."

Only when El and Will were distracted over the chocolate ice cream did you catch her eyes and give her an approving nod that had her winking at you, a secret safe with her.

"So you chill out," said Lucas after more of Steve's teaching. "Hang out with the boys and act like you don't care."

Steve groaned, hands coming together in a loud clap. "Sinclair! Have you learnt nothing!"

Lucas gulped.

Steve took a calming breath and started again. "Okay, okay... you're not wrong. One way to drive girls crazy is to act like you don't care but more often then not it gets them angry and then they discard you. Learn from me, you take a chance, you tell them how you feel."

"How we feel?" asked Mike, confused by his own feelings.

"Yeah, you look her in the eyes and tell her how you feel," he said.

Dustin chuckled from where he sat watching, still with his pringles and a pillow in lap, getting himself cosy like he was watching his favourite disaster film. "Or get friendzoned."

Steve looked back to him with a pointed look. "I'll tell everyone about the Farrah Fawcett spray, huh, Henderson?"

Dustin's shoulders sank. "Sorry."

Steve returned his focus on Mike and Lucas. "Listen, El is a superhero but also she's new to this whole... life, thing, right?"

"Right," said Mike.

"So you want to be right with her, don't play mind games with someone who can literally see into your mind," he advised. He turned to Lucas. "And Max... well, Max is terrifying okay, she's had to grow up with Billy. She has to be terrifying, why mess her around. Give her something good."

Lucas clicked his fingers, understanding better. "Love."

"Sure, if you want, love," shrugged Steve. It was tough to remember sometimes these were a couple clueless fourteen year olds coming for his help.

Mike fell back onto the sofa, alerting them all. He didn't seem so sure of himself all of a sudden. "How do you know?" he mumbled.

"Know?"

Mike looked to Steve. "How do you know what Love is?"

Suddenly Steve remembered these were fourteen year olds, but maybe not so clueless. After all, they'd fought monsters, faced losing each other almost every day when they knew there was another dimension below their own. They lived fast when they knew they might not live at all.

"Well it's not always easy, but sometimes it is," said Steve, settling down next to Mike. "I knew I loved y/n when I had to go a day without her."

Mike looked up at him, the kind of way Steve imagined a little brother would look at him if he ever had one.

"She had to go out of town for a day, visiting some family and I genuinely didn't know what to do with myself," Steve laughed at the memory, of you calling him the night before saying you were heading out of town, your nana was sick. "All day I just waited for her to get back and it's not because I didn't have things to do. Heck, I had basketball practise, I had this barbeque my dad wanted me to go to. But I just wanted to tell her about it and I couldn't. That's when I realised I loved her. I'm pretty sure I'd loved her since I first met her, really but not being able to call or see her face, made it pretty obvious."

Mike listened and understood.

Love wasn't exactly pulsing in his house. Sure, he loved his family because he had to they were blood. But he'd never seen his dad offer to cook just because his mom said she was tired, but he could imagine Steve doing so for you without you even having to say the word.

"It's true you don't know what you have until you lose it," Steve added.

Mike knew then, just what love was.

"But Mike liked me in a dress," said El.

"Screw Mike!" said Max from where Will was painstakingly trying to paint her nails and to stop her moving.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Screw Mike."

You had been looking in your wardrobe and boxes at the bottom that you had meant to take to Goodwill but never got around to. The girls were insistent that they could also ask the boys out, but they wanted to look right, jaw-dropping. "When was this?"

"When I snuck into school," said El simply. "He said I looked pretty good in a dress."

"Pretty good?" you checked.

El nodded and looked down to the jeans she wore, rolled up several times at the ankle and the checked shirt that looked like it once belonged to Jonathan. "And with different hair."

"Okay," you ditched the boxes and carefully guided El to your bed, the two of you sitting on the edge. "El, it doesn't matter what Mike likes you wearing. It matters what you like."

"What I like?" she asked, a small amount of confusion furrowed in her brows.

"Yeah. What you feel comfortable in. What you like. Hey, if that's jeans and a baggy shirt, wear the jeans and baggy shirts."

El fidgeted with her small hands in yours. "But what if, I want Mike to, like me?"

You squeezed her hands. She said everything in such a same tone, so simple as if the world was made to be that way. "Mike'll like you just the way you are. If he doesn't then we get rid of him."

"Get rid of him," nodded El.

You had the sudden idea what that meant to El, remembering just who you were talking to. You shook away that idea. "Okay, how do you like your hair? What do you like to do with it?"

El looked at the bits of her hair she could just about see. The curls expanding down to waves at her shoulder. "I like it... like this."

"Then we leave it like that and I'm sure Mike will like that you like it," you tell her with a smile. "Tell you what, you and Max go look through the boxes, see if there's any clothes you like. Anything you do is yours."

Max and El shared a look of equal excitement. "Serious?"

You nodded.

The two girls jumped up from their places and grabbed armfuls of clothes, running to the bath room in fits of giggles.

It left Will alone with nail polish smudged on his fingers.

You smiled and dropped down next to him. "You know, painting nails doesn't just have to be for girls you know?"

Will nodded, but seemed shy. "I know."

"Have you seen Bowies nails? They're crazy."

You pulled out a magazine from somewhere littered on your bedroom floor, luckily finding one about Bowie and splaying it out on the bed. The two of you flicked through, smiling and pointing out the colours.

"What's your favourite colour?" you asked him, already lining out the polishes you had.

Will didn't hesitate in pointing out his favourite shade. "Blue."

You took the nail polish and grabbed his hand, laying it out but you hesitated before putting brush to canvas. "May I?"

Will took a deep breath, not a nervous one, not one that told you he was being forced into it. He just wanted to ready himself to remember the moment. "Yeah."

The movie theatre glowed with the latest pic.

Two care were pulled up on the side, a familiar BMW and your own. It had all been arranged, Steve calling at yours to hear the girls in the background and set the plan into action.

Steve found you helping the girls and Will out the car and smiled at you though you couldn't see the crease to his eyes that could only happen when one was as in love with someone as he was with you.

He turned around to face the three in the back. "Right, tell me again, what are you going to do? Go- Lucas."

Lucas straightened to attention, the flowers in his lap. "I am going to apologise to Max and say she looks beautiful. Then I'm gonna give her these flowers."

"Good, good, Wheeler?"

Mike cleared his throat. "I am not going to ignore my feelings and be true to myself, and let El know how I really feel."

"Yes!" Steve cheered. "Dustin? Your action?"

"Not to make fun of my friends or hold it against them if the girls laugh in their face," he recited. "I am going to watch the movie and buy snacks with the money you gave me."

"Yes!" Steve looked at all three of his prodigy's happy.

You settled the engine in your own car, looking at Max and El in the back while Will sat up front with you. "Ok, remember, be yourself, don't let the boys treat you like crap, and if they do, tell them."

"Got it!" said Max.

You held up a pointed finger. "But don't-"

"Purposely hurt their feelings, yeah we got it," said Max. "C'mon."

The four of you got out the car and you watched as Lucas and Mike waited outside the doors for them, Lucas holding a bouquet of flowers that you could tell were not from a gas station.

Will followed quietly after the girls, looking down to his painted nails and smiling at them every now and then.

You even noticed Mike seeing them to, saying how he liked them before he focused on El and Wil met Dustin inside.

Arms wrapped around your waist, tugging you into a familiar hard chest.

"Well hey beautiful," Steve mumbled into your ear, rocking you slightly.

You tilted back to see him. "Hey, yourself."

Steve smiled as he leant down and kissed you, slow and sweet, dragging his lips against yours to keep you in place just that little more longer. "Mmh, I missed you today."

You held onto his arms still wrapped around yours as you looked at where Mike held El's hands and Max was taking the flowers Lucas held up to her. "I was busy. It seems you were to?"

"Yeah. I taught them everything I know," he shrugged like it was nothing but you could feel the swell of his chest, telling you how proud he was.

"Well if they went to the Steve Harrington school of treating a girl I'm sure El and Max are in safe hands."

You turned in his arms, wrapping your own around his neck and bringing him down to you. Your bodies were flushed as his lips moved against yours, without daring to sweep his tongue in- not in front of the children at least.

Steve's arms slowly fell lover and lower until his hands gripped your hips bringing you closer. "Hey, so-" he mumbled against your lips, not wanting to part. "We've got a whole hour and thirty to kill before the kids want picking up. I know a spot, dark, secluded, perfect for us."

Sunday, December 21st, 1986

“C’mon, Max!” You yelled from the front door. It wasn’t that hard for her to hear you, given your current living situation. Ever since your asshole stepfather had skipped town and sold the house, you, your sister, and your mother (who was on the verge of becoming an alcoholic) were confined to this trailer house.

It could be worse, you reminded yourself whenever your anger dared to get the best of you, but you couldn’t help but yearn for the days when you had your own room. “The car is gonna run out of gas at this poin-” 

“I’m coming.” She groaned, pushing past you. “God.” 

“Bye, mom.” You waved at the woman, who was currently passed out on her La-Z-Boy. “I love you.” 

“Mhhhm.” She hummed, rolling over. 

You sighed, pulling the door shut and locking it before jumping into your XJ. “Are you excited at least?” 

“To go Christmas shopping on Main Street?” Max shrugged. “I guess so.” 

“We can go somewhere else-” 

“No, it’s fine.” She turned away from you, mumbling under her breath. “It’s not like we can afford much else anyway.” 

The stores were shockingly empty, save for the other poor souls who were last-minute shopping. If you were being honest, you’d already gotten everyone’s presents weeks ago, but it was fun to go out again. That, and Max had told you she hadn’t bought anything for her friends yet. “How about this, Maxie?” 

“That’s fine.” She took a step closer, and you smiled. At least she was showing an interest. “How much?” 

“Money is not an issue, I told you.” You held it away from her grasp. “I have some savings-” 

“I don’t want you spending your college money-” 

“Max.” You hissed. “Let me do this for you.” 

“I-” She frowned, realizing there was no way she was getting her way. You were stubborn, even more so than she was. “Fine.” 

“Good.” You huffed, carefully placing the item in your cart. “Now what else-” 

“Mayfield? Is that you?” 

Your body tensed, mentally cursing the hold that Steve Harrington had on you. Slowly turning around, you couldn't help but grin at the sight. Steve looked perfect, as usual. With his cream cable-knit sweater, Levi's, brown topcoat, and perfectly quaffed hair, he was like one of those love interests from the sappy sitcoms you and your mom love to watch. “Steve!” You hugged him quickly. “How are you?” 

“Good, good.” He looked over your shoulder, waving at your sister. “Hey, Max.” 

“Steven.” She sounded unenthused, but waved back anyway. “Stalker much?” 

“Max?” You laughed nervously. “She didn’t mean that-” 

“She’s not wrong.” His cheeks looked pink. Probably from the cold, you reasoned with yourself. “I saw you from Radio Shack-” You raised a brow. “I know, I know. I was trying to find this specific part that Henderson has been complaining about.” 

“Well…” You grinned. “I’m glad you caught us.” 

He nodded, swaying every so often. “Are you-” 

“You should-” 

You both laughed, stopping before your interaction became an even bigger train wreck. “Sorry.” 

“No worries.” His voice was breathy, goosebumps racing down your spine. “After you?” 

“I was just going to ask if you wanted to come along with us?” You spoke so quickly, you didn’t even know if he could understand. “Totally fine if not-” 

“I’d love to.” 

Once you and Steve had parted ways with a very awkward hug slash high five (you honestly couldn’t describe what had happened), you’d gotten back in your freezing car. Max wouldn’t stop smirking at you- you’d tried to ignore it, the little snickers every so often, but it began to irritate the shit out of you. “Alright, Maxine. Spit it out.” 

“Nothing.” She laughed. “It’s nothing, really.” 

“Yeah?” You scoffed. “Just say it. I know you want to.” 

“Fine.” She sat up in her seat, looking at you mischievously. “You and Steve seem to have some unaddressed tensio-” 

“Max!” You squawked. “I- He’s just a friend.” 

“Does he know that?” Her eyebrow quirked up. “Do you?” 

“I’m ignoring that.” You murmured, putting the car in park and turning it off. “Please don’t say anything to mom.”

“Why would I?” She stuck her tongue out, walking back inside. “There’s nothing to tell.” 

Monday, December 22nd, 1986

The diner door jingled as you walked through, the winter snow billowing in behind you. You pulled your coat closer to your body, waving at the woman behind the counter. “Hi, Miss Flo.” 

“Hi, sweetheart.” You sat at the bar, rubbing your hands together. “What’ll it be? The usual?” 

“Sounds perfect.” 

“Coming right up.” 

When you’d been in high school, you and Max would come here and eat dinner, too annoyed with Billy to go home, and too pissed off at your stepdad to listen to his bitching. You always sat in the corner booth, sharing a strawberry milkshake and unpacking everything about each other’s days, while simultaneously doing homework. 

You’d even come here once with Billy, when your stepdad had forced the three of you to hang out. It'd been nice, for about thirty seconds.

“Actually, Flo-” You called out, scrambling to your feet. “I’m gonna get going-” 

“Are you sure-” 

Your feet moved before you could even act, racing out of the diner before she could even finish her sentence. You drove and drove and drove until you hit the Family Video parking lot.

You slammed the door shut, the familiar scent of old carpet and horribly covered up body odor, oddly comforting. In a disgusting, nostalgic sort of way. 

You walked the aisles, trying to distract yourself from that horrible feeling (holiday-induced nostalgia) when a familiar voice filled the otherwise silent store. “It’s weird that we’re back here, isn’t it?” 

“Steve, please.” You laughed at how exasperated Robin sounded. “Kieth already didn’t like you, so who really cares?” 

“Good point.” 

“Anyways-” Robin trailed off. “You were saying-” 

“Yeah, yeah.” He huffed. “You’re so pushy.” 

“Get to the point, Harrington.” 

You ducked, listening in on their conversation. This was a whole new layer of weird, of odd freak behavior. If Max were here, she would never let you live this down. “It’s just- it’s hard.” 

“Elaborate.” 

“She’s so hard to read, y’know?” 

“Trust me, I do.” 

“You think she’s in love, and then the next moment, she’s avoiding-” Oh shit. Your eyes began to water. Eavesdropping never did anyone any good, and this was no exception. “Poor Byers. What is going on in her head, I’ll never kno-” 

You could barely see in front of yourself as you raced out of the store, head ducked down. Why did you do this to yourself? Why, time and time again, did you fall for men who could not be less interested in you? Your tires squealed as you raced out of the parking lot, tears streaming down your cheeks as you came to the realization that Steve Harrington was not at all in love with you, and never had been. 

Tuesday, December 23rd, 1986

You hadn’t moved for almost twelve hours, staring at the ceiling and contemplating life. You’d run out of tears about two hours in, your sobs muffled under the stuffed teddy that coincidentally, Steve had won for you at the county fair last fall. 

Stupid polar bear. 

“What’s wrong?” Max’s voice ripped you from your thoughts. “You seem- mopey.” 

“Thank you, Maxine.” You huffed, turning to face her. “I’m mourning.” 

“Aren’t we all.” She raised a brow, and you winced at your unfortunate choice of words. 

“I can’t go to the Christmas party anymore.” 

“Why not?” She sat down beside you, playing with your hair. Your eyes watered all over again. Max rarely played with your hair anymore, a habit she picked up when she was a little girl. “Did something happen?” 

“Steve Harrington happened.” 

“Elaborate.” 

“I overheard him- in the Family Video.” Your voice broke. “Talking to Robin about how he was still in love with Nancy.” A sob left your lips. “And I can’t face the humiliation of seeing him and crumbling like a fool under his attention, just for him to go in the other room and make googly eyes at Wheeler.” 

Max frowned, shaking her head. “He’s an idiot.” 

“No.” You shook your head. “I’m the idiot.” 

“Don’t say that.” Her voice was so gentle, so caring. “You liked a boy, and it didn’t work out. That doesn’t make you an idiot.” She lay down beside you, whispering. “That makes you human.” 

You grinned, tearily laughing. “Thank you.” 

“Are you going to leave our room now?” She smiled. “Mom is concerned. She said she heard wailing.” 

You gasped. “Wailing?” 

Max nodded, laughing lightly. “Said she thought we were being haunted.” 

“Now you’re making things up.” You glared, shoving her off the bed. “Taunting me in my time of need.” 

She rolled her eyes, pulling you with her. “So dramatic.” 

Also Tuesday, December 23th, 1986

“Mayfield is ignoring me.” 

Robin shook her head, hoping that she’d misheard him. They’d been watching Fast Times for the fiftieth time when Steve ruined their trace-like state. “What?” 

“I’ve called her four times.” 

“Well, no shit, she’s ignoring you, Harrington.” Robin laughed, pausing the tape. “She probably called the cops, you creep.”

“Shut up.” He glared. “I’m serious. I called her yesterday to confirm that she and Max were coming to the party, and I immediately got hung up on. Not one ring.” 

“Could be a coincidence.” 

“That’s what I told myself.” He nodded, eyes becoming more and more manic, like how his eyes looked when he was describing the plot of Back to the Future. “So then I called again.” 

“Let me guess?” Robin leaned forward in her chair. “Hung up on.” 

“So at this point, I’m confused. So I call again, and this time it rings.” 

“Okay?” 

“And it keeps ringing. So then, in a moment of desperation, I call one more time. This time, her mother picks up and says, Stop calling this number.” 

“Creeper.” 

“She’s upset. I can feel it.” 

“Oh, because you two have a mental connection that transcends modern technology.” 

“Yes, exactly.” 

“Good god, Harrington.” Robin laughed. “For your sake, and mine, I’m gonna fix this. Detective Buckley is on the case.” 

“Oh no.” Steve groaned, letting his face fall into his hands. “I’m screwed.” 

Wednesday, December 24th, 1986

“Your boy called again.” Your mother called out from the kitchen. 

“I’m sorry?” You tilted your head. “Which one of us are you talking to?” 

“Said his name was Steve-” 

Max giggled. “This has got to be good.” 

“Did you hang up?” Your voice grew in pitch. “Please tell me you hung up.” 

“I told him to stop calling this number.” She walked back over, handing you and Max your pancakes. “Although I do have to say he sounded distraught. And apologetic.”  

“Mom-” You groaned. “Drop it, please.” 

“He sounded apologetic.” Max teased. “There’s a start.” 

“Maxine, I will-” The phone rang, your eyes shooting toward the wall in fear. “I swear to god-” 

“I’ll get it.” Max sighed. “This is pathetic, though.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” You smiled. “I owe you one.” 

“Hello?” Max leaned against the wall, her hand toying with the phone's cord. “Hi, Robin.” 

A small twist of disappointment hit you in the stomach. You almost wished it was Steve, so that you could watch Max tease the living shit out of him and gain some sort of self-respect out of it. (Also, because it felt nice to have arguably the most attractive man in Hawkins worry over you.)

“Mhm. Mhm.” Your sister looked over at you quickly, smirking, before focusing back on the phone. “I see.” 

“What’s going on?” You hissed, but she waved you away. 

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Robin.” She hung up the phone, waltzing back over to her seat like nothing had happened. 

“Hello?” You crossed your arms. “Care to share with the class?” 

“She was just telling us Merry Christmas.” 

“Okay.” You scoffed. “If you say so.” 

Of course, you knew she was lying, and you knew that she would never tell you. She and Robin had devised a plan, and you honestly wished it could all happen right now rather than live in suspense.

That would not be the case.

Thursday, December 25th, 1986

“I know you aren’t going-” You groaned, shoving your face into your pillow. “But can you at least drive me?”

“Can’t Mrs.Sinclair pick you up?” 

“Lucas is already there.” 

“Let me guess, so is Dustin and Mike and-” Max nodded, and you jumped out of your seat. “Let’s go.” 

“Yes!” Max looked way too excited at the prospect of you simply driving her. “Let’s go!” 

“Well wait just a second-” 

“I already started your car-” Max yelled over her shoulder. “Just put your coat on!” 

“Fine, fine.” You waved bye to your mom, mumbling under your breath. “God, you’re pushy.”

You parked at the end of Steve’s driveway, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. Just the thought of seeing him turned your cheeks pink and your mind to mush. “I’ll see you in three hours.” 

“Okay.” Max smiled, kissing your cheek quickly. “Have fun at home. With Mom. By yourself.” 

“I get it, I get it.” You glared, pushing her away. “Get out.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come in?” Her tone was sickeningly sweet, like she was trying to cover up a secret. “You don’t need to stay long-” 

“If I go in, will you stop making fun of me for staying at home with Mom?” She nodded, and you smiled. “Alright, then.” You turned off the car and zipped up your coat, walking toward your death. The house was bustling with noise; you could hear them from outside.

Dustin’s voice carried over everyone’s as he explained his latest campaign. Lucas’s laughter, still high-pitched, rang out soon after his friend spoke. Max scoffed, ringing the doorbell. 

“One second!” A voice came from just the other side of the door, undoing the locks. “One second- Hi.” Robin grinned. “The Mayfields have arrived.” 

“I’m not staying long.” You lamented. “Just here to say a quick hello.” 

Robin laughed. “Have any big plans?” 

“Yeah.” Max nodded. “She has a romantic evening planned with our TV.” 

“Shut up.” You shoved your sister inside. “She’s kidding.” 

“Sure.” The older girl's voice dragged out. “Do you want a drink?” 

“I’m good, thanks though.” You rubbed your arms, teeth chattering. “I’m gonna take a look around.” 

“Make yourself at home,” Robin called after you. “You know where everything is.” 

The house was alive, but then again, it always was when the party was here. The kids made everything happier, with their loud personalities and lively debates, often ending in roughhousing that you and Steve would scold them for. 

Steve. 

God, what were you doing here? Being in his house, constantly reminded of him at every turn. It was a recipe for disaster. Here you were, in enemy territory.

Where was the host, anyway? A solid eight minutes in, and you’d yet to see him. No doubt, flirting with Nancy, Steve had better things to do than talk to you. 

“Mayfield?” Someone kill you now. “I thought you weren’t coming.” 

“I-” You gulped, turning around. “Hi, Steve.” 

“You didn’t answer my calls.” 

“You called?” You tilted your head. Perhaps playing dumb would get you out of this mess. “Funny.” 

“Yeah.” His eyebrows were furrowed. “Are you mad at me?” 

“What?” Your voice was much louder than you’d meant it to be. “What are you talking about?” 

“It’s just- I swear I saw you on Monday.” 

“Monday?” You were so screwed. 

“In Family Video?” He took a step closer. “You weren’t there?” 

“Nope.” Your lips popped. “Nope, I was home all day.” 

“Funny.” He scoffed. “You can tell me what I did. I’ll fix it, I swear.” 

“You didn’t do anything, Steve.” You sounded so weak, so unlike your normal self. It was pathetic. “I’m just not feeling well.” 

“Oh?” He reached out, feeling your forehead with the back of his palm. “You feel fine-” 

“It’s a stomach bug.” 

“Mayfield-”

“I should go.” You stepped around him. “Merry Christmas, Steve.” 

“Just wait a second-” He whipped around, racing after you. “I’ve done something, I know I have, and if you could just-” 

“Steve-” You yelled. “Please, drop it!” 

“Am I interrupting something?” Robin’s timid voice cut through the tension. 

“No.” You shook your head.

“Yes.” Steve’s eyes widened. “What do you mean no?” 

“This is probably a horrible time-” 

“It is.” Steve hissed.

“But you two are aware that you’re standing underneath mistletoe, right?” 

You looked up, heart dropping at the sight. “God dammit.” 

“You don’t have to-” Robin whispered. “I was just-” 

“Robin!” Steve’s voice was stern, cold. “Can we have a moment? Alone?”

“Sure.” She nodded quickly. “Yeah, take all the time you need.” 

Steve waited until Robin’s prying ears were far from reach. “I need to tell you something.”

“You really don’t need to do that.” Your voice broke. “I already know.” 

“You do?” He tilted his head. “Then why are you- why are you avoiding me?” 

“Why would I not?” You yelled back at him. “I don’t want to watch as you and Nancy fawn over each other. I can’t!” 

“Nancy?” His hands fell to his hips. “What the hell does Nancy have to do with this?” 

“She has everything to do with this.” You sobbed, eyes watering as you stared up at the boy you loved. “But I can’t do this.” 

“Sweetheart-” His voice wavered. 

You whispered, stumbling backwards. “Just- just leave me alone.” 

“Mayfield-” He sounded desperate, his voice calling after you as you weaved through the party’s attendees. “Just wait-” You pushed through, past Max, past Dustin, past the whole party. Whipping the door open, you ran towards your car. “Why can’t you just stop?” 

“Why can’t you?” You cried. “I don’t want to face this, I’d rather just never address this again.”

“Well, I do.” He jutted his hip out. “You have absolutely no idea.” 

“No idea of what?”

“How-” He huffed, waving his arms around. “How badly I want you!” 

“Me?” You shook your head. “I’m sorry?” 

“You heard me.” He walked closer. “I like you!” 

“But I-” 

“I like when you're sarcastic, I like your attitude, I like the way you jut your hip out before you scold the kids, I like the way you lick your lips when you're focused, I like everything.” 

“But you said that Nancy- I mean-” You slapped a hand over your mouth. “Shit.” 

“You should really stop eavesdropping, Mayfield.” He looked way too smug, and you couldn't even find it within you to care.

“You said-” 

“I said that she was hard to read.” He nodded.

“You said Poor Jonathan.” 

“I did, yeah.” Another step closer. “I was talking about Nancy-” 

“I knew it!” 

“I was talking about the fact that Nancy and Jonathan are apartment shopping.” Steve laughed. “They’re-” 

“Apartment shopping.” You nodded, closing the distance between the two of you. “I heard you. So you weren’t talking about how you were still in love with Nancy?” 

“Nope.” 

“This is ridiculous.” You laugh turned breathy as Steve’s hand wrapped around your waist. “Truly ridiculous.” 

“It is.” He leaned down, your lips inches apart. “I’m gonna kiss you now.” 

“Okay-” He dove down, your eyes rolling back as you fell into his touch. God, his kiss was addicting, you only wanted more. Your arms found their way around his neck, pulling him closer. “Steve-” 

“Yeah, sweetheart?” 

“You’re-” You gasped as he kissed down your neck. 

“Keep going.” You could hear his smirk.

“I-I think I love you.”

“I know I love you.” He murmured, finding his way back to your lips. “I love you.” 

 “I love you too.” 

“Do you think they can see us?” Steve whispered. 

“I don’t know-” You looked over, laughing. Each and every one of your friends were sticking their faces against the glass, trying to catch a glimpse of you two. “They’re never gonna let us forget this, are they?” 

“No, they will not.”

The window cracked open, and Dustin's voice yelled out. "The mistletoe's in here, guys!"

"Stuff it, Henderson!" Steve yelled back. "I'm trying to kiss my girl-"

"Your girl?" You laughed.

"Yeah." He nodded. "If you want-" You jumped up, kissing him sweetly. Steve would later retell the story dramatically to your children, saying that your kiss was 'sweeter than any hot chocolate'.

What a sap.

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She didn’t really understand how she got to where she was. How she wound up in this position. Truth be told, she somewhat did, cons of asking Steve for a ride to the party. 

She would’ve expected him to wander off with Nancy, and do his own thing as usual while she would go join some of her friends for beer pong. She’d expect him to tell her when he and Nance were ready to head out, as she always made sure they got Y/N home okay. Y/N would also expect for him to let her know if he got her a backup ride in case they left before she wanted to. 

What she didn’t expect was to watch him storm away, eyes glossed with tears as pure anger set throughout his entire face, pushing past the people in the crowd. Her gaze dropped and frowning as she gulped another sip of her beer. “Steve?” Y/N called out towards his direction. 

She followed when he didn’t even so much as acknowledge her, setting her cup somewhere on some random table, the music going to a soft hum as she stepped outside. “Steve, where are you going? What happened?” she calls out, watching him unlock his car. He still said nothing as he clenched his jaw. 

“Steve?” she says once more, rushing down the yard as he started up his engine. “Steve!” her voice rises as he begins to drive off without her. Y/N lets out a few curse words as she flips off his car while it sped down the street. 

She tried searching for Nancy when she got back inside, only to find her being carried out by Jonathan, explaining she was drunk off of her ass. She nods, thanking him while letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. When Jonathan offered her a ride, she politely declined, saying she would ask one of her friends to bring her back. Explaining that he should worry about getting Nancy home safely. 

Which now led her to where she stood on the porch, drink in hand as she let out a frustrated huff. Her friends had all been long gone by the time she tracked down one of their boyfriends, stating how they were all planning to stay put for the night. She usually would’ve stuck with that idea, but she had to be home to bring Dustin to Mike’s the next morning.

“The party’s inside, sweetheart,” a voice chuckles behind her, making her roll her eyes. 

She didn’t have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. “Too overstimulating, and I’m trying to sober up enough to walk home.”

Billy Hargrove takes a seat next to her, cigarette in hand as he blows out a puff of smoke. “Thought King Steve was your chauffeur,” he snorted. “At least I see you following him like a lost puppy. How does Nancy not hate that?”

Y/N scoffs. “I do not follow him around like that. We’re best friends, and on top of that, they both want me to stay close by in case we need to leave. So don’t act all snarky, Hargrove.”

Billy lets out a loud laugh, taking in another drag. “I’m just saying,” he starts. “You’re a little obvious for how in love you are with Harrington. Maybe back off a bit, or better yet, leave the guy be.”

Y/N’s gaze snaps toward him, glaring hard. “What the fuck are you on, Hargrove?” she snaps, watching his eyebrows raise as his smirk widens. 

“Struck a nerve, have I?” 

“You’re being ridiculous.”

He purses his lips while shaking his head. “Not a bit,” he takes another drag. “But he’s gotta watch his own actions before Nancy realizes he loves you too.”

Y/N’s eyes widened at his words. 

“What are you talking about?” she snips, and he shrugs as he stands up, blowing out the last of his cigarette. 

He turns back to her, holding out his hands for her to take. “I’m gonna head home, I’ll drop you on the way.”

“I’d rather take another gulp of whatever is in Tommy’s mystery punch bowl than ride anywhere with you,” she scoffs, Billy rolling his eyes as he lets out a huff. 

“It’s the least I can do for being an ass-”

“You’re always an ass-”

“Are you always this much of a fucking headache, Henderson?” 

Y/N just stares up at him in shock at his tone, watching as he stands in front of her with his hands on his hips. She then sighs, crossing her arms. “You’ve been drinking, Billy.”

He purses his lips once more with a smirk, shaking his head lightly. “I can take more than you think, honey. I am sober enough to drive with my eyes closed if I wanted to.”

She eyes him once more before taking his hands he then offers her once more, Billy helping her stand upright as he leads her to his car. He even opened up the passenger side for her, closing it once she was inside. 

The engine revved to life, Billy giving her a smug expression before he sped off into the night. 

It was quiet for the first few moments, Y/N’s gaze looking out the window with her hands picking at one another in her lap. 

“So what is it about King Steve that makes you so obsessed with him? Let alone every girl I’ve met at that shit school of yours?” he starts up, making her groan and shake her head. “He seems like he’s so up his own ass, you can see his head coming up his throat.”

“Oh fuck off, you’re just as cocky. I don’t even know what you’re talking about, just let it go.”

He tuts. “Nope, I’m driving you home so I deserve to know what it is. You owe me that.”

“I’d rather jump out of the moving car-”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Well you’re wrong.”

Billy grabs her jaw to make her look at him as they rolled up to a stoplight. “Am I? Because it seems like you can’t see how you stare at him like he hung the moon.”

His tone is a bit more serious, nothing playful whatsoever as he looks at her, her eyes deflating as she sighs. She takes his hand off of her when the light turns green, rubbing her face in exhaustion. “There’s a lot to it,” she admits. “But he’s just always been there. Even in the worst circumstances, I’ve never had to question if he would be there for me. Even for my brother, he’s there at the drop of a dime.”

“Seems like tonight was the opposite.”

She rolled her eyes before sending him a scowl. “Something happened, so he probably needed to be alone. I get that way too when things happen. I’m gonna give him his space if so,” she explains, Billy snickering at her words. 

“Wow you really are down bad, sweetheart,” he jokes. “Here I thought I’d be able to woo you somehow.”

“Not like I’d give you the time of day, Hargrove. That dick of yours has been in every girl known at Hawkins high school,” she shot back with a chuckle, watching as his jaw dropped lightly at her words. He puts a hand to his chest as he acts hurt playfully. 

“Well played, Henderson. I’ll give you that,” he laughs, making her smile at him in amusement. “I like you, you’ve got some spunk to you.”

“You think I do, you should hear half the things my brother says.”

“Ah yes, the famous Dustin Henderson. I know all about that kid and his little shits of a friendgroup.”

She narrows her eyes and smacks his arm, making him hiss. “They’re good kids. Don’t you dare start.”

“They cause my sister to get into trouble, which causes me to get into trouble with our parents.”

“Well from now on if she goes off, you can tell your parents she’s with Dustin at my house. Have them call me and I’ll happily help you out. That way you don’t have to cancel any hookups of yours,” she jokes. “Fair trade?”

He rolls his eyes. “Noted.”

He pulled into her driveway, Y/N opening the door to step out, only for him to say her name softly. She bends down to look at him in the low car. 

“Don’t wait around for a guy that’ll make you his second choice.”

She bit her lip. “He’s not like that.”

Billy gives her a look. “If you need help with igniting the fire, give me a ring.”

She laughs before closing his car door, waving goodbye as she begins to walk back to her doorstep. 

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It was the next morning, and Y/N had been stressing at the fact that she knew Steve was coming to pick her up this morning. She didn’t really want to deal with the awkward tension right away in that car, especially if things went down between him and Nancy. 

She hesitated picking up the phone in the kitchen, dialing the number written down on a piece of gum wrapper from the night before. Her fingers slowly dialed the numbers into the keypad, biting her bottom lip as she held the phoneline to her ear. It didn’t ring for long, someone picking up the landline after a couple rings. “Hargrove residence, who’s calling?” a smaller voice, that didn’t take long for Y/N to know it was Max. She smiles softly to herself. 

“Hey Max, it’s Y/N. I know this is going to sound weird, but is Billy there? He gave me a ride home last night, and I had to ask him something.”

She hears Max chuckle on the other line. “What in the world did you get yourself into last night?” she jokes, making Y/N run a hand over her face. “I swear it’s not what it sounds like. Steve ditched me, and Billy was nice to just give me a ride home.”

“If you say so,” Max snickered. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to lose you because my brother is an asshole.”

“It’s not like that, but I’ve got it.”

There’s some rummaging on the other side for a few moments, before it was just quiet for a small second. Bily’s voice booming through the phone softly. “Well if it isn't a little miss lovergirl. You change your mind?”

“Very funny,” she chuckles dryly, twisting the phoneline between her fingertips. “I really don’t want to be stuck in that awkward tension with him this morning. Are you able to pick me up?”

It’s quiet for a few seconds, Y/N shaking her head to herself before rubbing her forehead. “It’s fine if not,” she says quickly. “I will just walk if anything. I just cannot deal with all of that first thing in the morning.” 

Billy hums for a second, leaning against the doorway with a smug look on his face. “Now what kind of gentleman would I be to let a girl walk to school, hm? Especially if it’s the one that’s going to cause Harrington a hard time?” he jokes back, making her roll her eyes. 

“I’ll just walk at this point-”

“Okay, alright fine. Sorry. Yes I’ll be there in a few. Hang tight.”

With that the line clicks, and Y/N let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She finishes up her morning routine and eats breakfast with Dustin across from one another. 

As she is finishing up putting her dish in the sink, a car honks outside and it makes her freeze. Dustin eyes her with a confused look. “That’s not Steve’s car,” he says matter of factly. Y/N shuts her eyes for a second before huffing. 

“Don’t worry about it.”

Dustin smirks. “Oh I’m not worried,” he says slyly. “But Steve might.”

She shrugs. “Not my problem,” she mumbles before grabbing her bag, and going to give him a small hug. “Stay out of trouble today, please? Or at least wait till I’m home to go back into the woods.”

Dustin rolls his eyes, and nods. “No promises.”

With that she walks out the door, and looks up to see Billy’s car pulled up. Max is in the passenger seat, her smile widening at the sight of Y/N. Billy pushes Max’s arm, making her snap her head back at him with a glare. He nods to the backseat, making her huff and slide to the back. 

Y/N smiles down at Max as she opens the car door to get inside. “Well good morning Maxine,” she chuckles. 

Max smiles as Y/N hops into the passenger seat in front of her, squeezing her shoulders once she is inside. Once the door is shut, Billy sped off without warning, making both girls hold onto some part of the car while he laughs. 

“Thank you,” Y/N says after a bit of driving. “For last night, and this morning. I mean.”

Billy shrugs. “Anything to make Harrington shake in his boots, I’m for it.”

She narrows her eyes while crossing her arms. “Is that all you’re keen on doing? To take some stupid title in the school that’s his?” she shoots, shaking her head. “If that’s your goal, you really have a low satisfaction line. Which is kind of sad.”

“That’s how he is,” Max sighs, making Billy glare at her through the rearview. 

“Shut up, Max.”

“You’re not going to be an ass to her, not while I’m around. Especially if she’s right,” Y/N cuts in, making Billy roll his eyes. 

“You sure have some spunk to you, don’t you princess?”

She grimaces at the nickname, smacking his arm. “Never that. Disgusting.”

“Okay fine,” he huffs. “No, I’m not just doing it to get on Harrington’s nerves. It is fun, yes, but I’m also doing it because I didn’t think you deserved to be ditched like that. I may be an asshole and go through girls like I do, but I’m not past letting a girl get left like that.”

Y/N raised her brows in shock at his words, but nodded slowly. “I don’t know how that really cancels out with how you treat women, but I guess that’s nice? Of you?” she trails off, not missing the way Max holds in a snort. Y/N trying to hide a smirk herself, and Billy eyes her. 

“I’m half tempted to make you walk the rest of the way.”

“Do it, then. I said I was fine walking.”

Billy huffs out a laugh, turning down the street as the school comes to view slowly. “You really are a little shit like your brother.”

“If that’s what you think, then sure,” she shot back, not missing the way he coughs over a snort leaving his lips. 

Y/N had a few side conversations with Billy after that throughout the schoolday, only when they walked past one another in the school’s hallways. Or if they were in the same class, he would come sit next to her instead, and just talk to her. Nothing more than platonic, Billy enjoying having a girl that didn’t want him just to say she had him, but because she actually wanted to be his friend. 

The bell rang, signalling that second period was over. Y/N grabbing her books as she headed to her locker. She put away her history books and grabbed her things for physics, shutting her locker and jumped at the sight of Steve coming to view behind it. She held a hand up to her chest, letting out a breath. “Fuck, Steve,” she sighs. “You can’t just show up like that unannounced.”

Steve is looking at her with a hardened face, but his eyes are soft as he crosses his arms. “I showed up to your place this morning, Dustin said you were already gone. I was almost late to school. Where were you?” he asked her, making her eyes flick away from his. She tightened her grip on her books. 

“I’m gonna be late for physics,” she mutters before trying to breeze past him. Steve grabs her arm and turns her back to him. Y/N’s eyebrows furrow, looking at where his hand was and then back up into his eyes. “Steve I have a test this period, I can’t be late-”

“Where were you this morning?”

Y/N sighs. “You now care? It seemed quite the opposite last night,” she shot, making his face drop. 

“I was upset about the fight that happened between Nance and I. I just needed to get out of there,” he sighs, his voice getting quieter after each word he spoke. Y/N looked between his eyes. “I also just thought you’d be able to get a ride home from Tina or Rachel. So I didn’t really think about it after that.”

“Well then there you go. One of them picked me up this morning. End of story.”

Steve looks straight through her and frowns. “They’re not here today. Too hungover,” he shot back, Y/N snatching her arm away from his grip. 

“Well either way I got home, okay? Just leave it alone.”

“Y/N-”

“I’ve gotta go Steve.”

She turns to walk away, only stuttering in her steps slightly when she sees Billy walking by. Based on the look on his face, he had seen the interaction and gave her a questioning look as if asking if she was okay. She nods curtly before breezing past him, taking a sharp turn down the hallway towards the labs.

Billy’s face turns back to Steve, he doesn’t miss the way Steve’s expression hardens at the small interaction he had with his best friend. Billy gave him a snide smirk before walking off, patting his chest when he passed. He was going to get under Steve’s skin if it was the last thing he did. 

After Billy found out through Tommy and Carol that Steve and Nancy had gotten into a fight, pretty much breaking up at the party, he was going to get Steve to crack. He was going to make sure he pissed Steve off in every way possible, to the point he finally realized how much he wanted Y/N too. 

At least, if Y/N wasn’t going to do it, Billy was going to do it. In the most menace way possible. 

Especially when lunchtime came, he noticed Y/N was sitting at the familiar table that their entire group sat at, his eyes seeing Steve was still getting his food at the lunch line. Billy made his way over, sitting right next to her, leaning his elbow on the table causing her to jump at his sudden figure next to her. 

She smacked his chest. “You cannot sneak up on a girl like that, Hargrove!” she hissed, wiping her mouth with a napkin. He smiles widely at her. 

“When’s your free period?” he asked her, and she hummed while thinking and taking a bite of her food. 

“Fifth, why?”

He leans toward her. “You should come sit in the gym for a bit. Watch me humble your little boyfriend for a change.”

She eyes him. “This again?” 

He chuckles with a shrug. “I just want to push his buttons a little. I think you’d enjoy that after he ditched you after the Halloween party.”

“I already told you, he and Nance had a nasty fight. He apologized after that.”

Billy hums with a smug grin. “I think it still would be fun to watch, no? Come on,” he trails off, making her grimace. 

“Fine. But only because I couldn’t reserve the study hall in the library.”

“Good,” he says before standing up, his eyes immediately meeting Steve’s, who was glaring straight through him as he watched the boy slowly stand from the spot next to her. 

“Harrington,” Billy scoffs smugly. Steve’s eyes furrowed. “Wrong table, Hargrove.”

“It’s not if Henderson’s at it.”

Steve sets his tray down next to Y/N, the spot where Billy once sat, before standing over Billy 

“Back. Off,” he says. “She’s not the next girl on your list, so move to the next will you?”

Y/N frowns, putting a hand on Steve's arm. “Steve, leave it be,” she says, only for him to still look at Billy. Billy’s smirk just widens as he eyes Steve up and down. He looks at Y/N, eyebrows raising. 

She gives him a look as if telling him to knock it off as well, watching his eyes roll while he chuckles. He puts his hands up in defense, before pointing at her for a minute. “I’ll see you during fifth,” he chuckles. With that, he walks off, Steve huffing before slumping into the seat next to hers. She looks at him with an amused look, watching as he looks at her and rolls his eyes. 

“Don’t start,” he says with a sigh, she snorts. 

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“He’s harmless. Just being nice, that’s all.”

Steve looks at her with a look. “He’s being nice out of the blue? Yeah, he wants you, honey. You’re one of the girls on that long list of his.”

“Okay, don’t be an ass,” she groans, rubbing her hand over her face. “I’m still pissed at you, so you have no right.”

He shook his head. “I’m not trying to be, I swear. I just,” he sighs. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You deserve someone better than that jackass.”

Y/N’s eyes still at his words. “Steve, I’m not interested in him. He’s really just being friendly, that’s all. Nothing more, I made sure to vocalize that.”

He eyes her before letting it go, nodding before taking a bite of his food. “How did you even cross paths?” he asks her, making her shrug. She hadn’t told him that Billy was the one who drove her home that night, knowing he was already having a hard time with what happened that night with Nance. The last thing she needed was for him to flip out on hearing she was seen leaving with Hargrove that night. 

“Just one of the classes we have together. We were partners for something in Physics, so now we’re just friendly.”

He snorts. “I’ve never known that guy to be nice to a woman unless he wanted something else.”

“Steve.”

He eyes her, before huffing. “Okay fine, I’m sorry. I know I don't have the right to worry, but I do,” he says. “I’m also sorry. About last night. You didn’t do anything, and you would’ve just been there to let me rant about what happened.”

Y/N nods, her chest tightening at his words. “I get that you needed time, but you could’ve just said that as you were leaving. You left without a word as if I did something,” she explains. “I mean it’s not that big of a deal to me anymore, because I’ve literally been in those woods at night after being chased by those creature things, but it hurts because of how you left.”

Steve’s gaze softens as he stares into her eyes. “I didn’t think. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you, okay?”  

“You don’t need to make up for it. Just don’t shut me out,” she says, and he nods. 

“So about Hargrove-”

“Steven.”

“Right, dropping it. Sorry.”

Fifth period came a lot quicker than she thought, not taking much time to grab her things to bring to the gymnasium. She saw that the guys were all already there, warming up for their game of Basketball, while she walked up to the bleachers to take a seat. She unpacks some of her homework, knowing it was better to get it done now rather than wait. 

She nearly had to roll her eyes when she saw the giant smile on Billy’s face, seeing he wasn’t wearing his shirt, panting as they positioned themselves for the next ball drop. Steve’s eyes followed Billy’s, gaze hardening as he saw Y/N sitting in the stands, her face lightly red as she rolled her eyes at Billy. He turned back to eye Billy. 

“You can’t just leave her be, can you, Hargrove?” he scoffs, panting as sweat rolls down his neck. 

Billy shrugs, playing into it. “It’s fun when you want something you can’t have.”

Steve’s insides burn at his comment, zoning in as the game starts off not too long after. 

Each time Y/N pulled her eyes up to watch the boys, she noticed how Steve and Billy were always on each other. She watches as Steve runs up on Billy, ball in hand as Billy guards up against him. 

She can see that they’re exchanging words, but not for long because Billy then snatches the ball from him, going down the court to score. Billy stuck his tongue out smugly, panting and sweating as he eyed Steve in amusement, before going to wink at Y/N. Before Steve can say another word, he hears his name, causing him to turn and see Nancy. 

Y/N’s heart clenches just slightly, not missing how easy Steve followed after her, Y/N’s eyes following the pair. Billy’s eyes leave the pair that exit the gym, his eyes softening as he sees Y/N’s longing stare at where the couple once stood. He felt his anger burn for her, knowing she was so into Steve that it hurt her. No matter how much she denied it. 

He continued to play, anger radiating off of him as he creamed their team without Steve. One of his teammates had to exit the gym to go grab Steve as they got dominated by Billy.

When Steve came back in, he looked more pissed off than he did before, putting everything into his game that he could. Y/N knew something bad must’ve happened, based on how hard he was pushing up against his opponents. He was panting so hard she was convinced he would pass out.

The whistle blew soon after the excruciating game, Y/N having to prevent herself from wincing at the scoreboard. 

She began to pack up her stuff, zipping up her bag as she made her way down the bleachers. Her eyes caught Steve’s, frowning at his expression. He looked like he was trying to zone out, wiping a towel across his face as he breathed heavily. “Steve?” she called, walking over to him. 

“What happened? You okay?” she asks, walking with him as he goes to grab his water bottle. He hums while squirting water into his mouth. 

“I saw Nance walk in-”

“Please don’t. Not right now,” he says, walking off towards the locker rooms. She turns to him with her eyebrows furrowed. “Do you want to go for a drive after school to talk about it?” she asks, and he shakes his head turning to look at her. 

“You’re going to have to find another ride home. I’ve gotta stay here for tutoring tonight.”

“Again? You’re shutting me out? We just talked about this,” she says, and Steve looks down at her as his figure towers over her. He kissed her forehead softly. With that, he heads into the locker room, making her chest tighten just slightly. Billy’s hand comes up to her arm, squeezing softly. 

“You okay?” he asks, and she nods. 

“I just hate how he does this. He shuts me out when things go wrong.”

He takes another gulp of his water. “You want a ride home?” 

She shook her head. “No, I’ll just walk. I’ve got to wait for Dustin anyways.”

He hesitates slightly, before nodding. She nods at him. “Besides I know how much you’ve been looking forward to this study date with Heather tonight. Just go, I’ll be fine,” she assures, making him purse his lips before squeezing her arm one last time and heading to the men' s locker rooms.

The walk home was nice for her, as she and Dustin talked about everything he figured out for what’s going on with Dart, his new animal friend he found in their trashcan. Saying how he’s going to take him to the school tomorrow to see if anyone can figure out what he is. 

Once they had gotten home, Y/N had immediately set to the bathroom to take a shower, rinse off the last few days as she let her thoughts run. 

She sighed as she dries off and throws on her pajamas, hanging up her towel. She hears a knock on the door, she opens it slightly. Dustin looks at her sheepishly. 

“Mom’s going to sleep early tonight, and I need to get to Max’s. Can you drive me?” he asks her, she groans. 

“Did she say I could take her car?” she asks, and he nods. “Yeah, just- give me a second.”

“If anything you can stop at Steve’s on the way back. I heard Mike say that he and Nance broke up. He’s taking it pretty hard.”

She froze slightly, but rolled her eyes while throwing on her sweats instead of her shorts. “You guys need to stay out of their business.”

He snickers. “You know about it all too, so you’re just as nosey.”

She shook her head as she grabbed the keys from his hand. “I actually didn't. Steve has shut me out since it happened,” she admits, walking out to the car. “That’s why I’ve been getting rides from someone else.”

“You mean Billy?” Dustin shot, making Y/N halt in her tracks. Her head snaps back at him, she lets her eyes shut with a groan. 

“Max,” she says more to herself, Dustin nodding as he packs up his bag. 

“You need to be careful with that douchebag. He’s not good company to keep,” he explains. “At least that’s what Max says. Has a new girl with him every second of the day.”

Y/N squints at him. “I don’t want Billy. Just because he’s nice to me, doesn’t mean he has my attention,” she explains. “Besides. I’m already stuck on someone else. I couldn’t get over them if I tried.”

“Steve wants you too, you know.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not this again-”

Dustin frowns as he opens his car door. “You’re his best friend, how has he not said anything?”

She shrugs. “He needs his space if it’s as bad as I think it is.”

“Or maybe he’s finally coming to the realization he’s in love with you.”

“Dustin!” 

“What? It’s true!”

She rolls her eyes. “At least that’s what Nancy thinks. Said something about how he can’t fully commit. She thinks it’s because he’s obsessed with you.”

She palms her face. “Okay enough, stop eavesdropping on Nancy’s phone calls. I’ll tell her you’ve been listening next time.”

His eyes widened, only nodding before changing the subject about something Mr.Clark was teaching currently. Only, Y/N’s mind couldn’t focus as she thought about if that was really true. Her thoughts threw a million questions around her mind as her brother rambled. 

Once she pulled into the driveway, she put the car in park and told Dustin to call her if he needed her to come get him. Knowing full well he would get back in one piece after everything that happened before El disappeared. 

She pulled out of the driveway, beginning her trek home, her mind going to wander back to Steve. More so back to what her brother was saying earlier. He had to be wrong. Had to have heard the conversation wrong, right? Because she knew how in love he was with Nancy. He only told her more than one hundred times. Each time aching more than the last. 

Y/N was sure he heard it wrong, not bothering to think much more about it as she drove back home quietly. 

Once she got home, she could hear her mom’s wave machine going, meaning she was passed out. She set the keys on the table before trudging to her room, closing the door behind her. 

She walked up to her phone, taking in a deep breath before raising the handle up to her face and dialing in Steve’s number. She wanted to check in, see if he was okay despite him shutting her out. 

The line began to ring as she played with the cord, biting her lip as she waited. It seemed as though it rang forever, making her sigh. She knew he was home by now, but he was choosing to not answer. It went to the answering machine shortly after. 

“Steve,” she says softly. “I know you’re hurting, and that you’re shutting down. But don’t shut me out, I want to help you. Whatever happened, I’m here to listen,” she says firmly. “But if you really want space, I'll give you your space. I just hope you’re okay.”

With that, she hung up the phone, and went to sit in her bed. 

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The next day wasn’t much better, as he was now avoiding her almost completely. Instead of prying, she chose to let it be, knowing he needed the space. She ended up walking to school that morning, only to get an earful from Billy, saying he would’ve happily stopped by to grab her again. She didn’t argue, as she was too exhausted to do so. 

When lunchtime came, she saw him sitting at their table, making her eyes light up slightly. She began to walk over to him, going to sit in her normal spot. When she set her tray down, he immediately grabbed his own and began to walk away from her. She frowned at his behavior, her eyes burning slightly as tears lightly formed. She blinked them away. 

Y/N didn’t notice how Billy had watched the encounter, how he had noticed them all morning. He walked over to sit with her, telling her to come sit in the gym once more during fifth period, in which she nodded. 

She asked him how it went with Heather the night before, letting him ramble about it to distract her from the ache in her chest. 

When fifth period came, the boys were playing much harder than they had the day before, Y/N was writing down her notes as she heard yelling. She looked up, watching Billy yell out King Steve as he dribbled the ball. She watched the banter. “I like it. Acting tough today,” he plays. 

Steve rolls his eyes, guarding Billy. “Jeez, do you ever stop talking man? Come on,” he ushers back in a snippy tone. Billy just laughs as he dribbles the ball. “Why? You afraid coach is going to bench you now that I’m here, huh?” he pushes, watching the fire in Steve’s eyes ignite. With that, he pushes forward and checks Steve with ease, causing Steve to land on the ground with a loud thump and screech on the gym floor. She stood up like a reflex, shock written all over her face. She doesn’t miss the way he goes back over to Steve, lending down a hand. 

Steve glares at Billy, but takes his hand. “Or are you more afraid I’m going to take the one girl you’re too afraid to admit you couldn’t commit to Wheeler for?” he taunts, watching as Steve’s eyes harden. “You’re moving your feet. Plant them next time. Draw a charge,” he growls, before slamming Steve back into the ground and walking away to cheer with his teammates. 

He slowly straightens up, his eyes going over to the bleachers where he spots Y/N. She’s looking at him with both confusion and concern in her eyes, he doesn’t say anything, only looks away and gets back up to join his own team. 

Y/N’s heart aches as he goes back to acting like she’s just another person in the gym, slowly going to sit back down. 

Steve goes to guard Billy again, his eyes so harsh, they could’ve put Billy six feet under if looks could kill. “You’re not going to touch her. You’re gonna stay away from her,” he snaps, watching as Billy gets the ball passed to him. 

Billy laughs at his words, expression smug. “Careful. You almost sound territorial,” he snickers. “Besides, if I wanted her. I’d have her already. But she’s too stuck on the only guy who takes her for granted.”

Steve charges after him at that, playing as hard as he can the rest of the class period. 

When the whistle blows, Y/N is quick to grab her things and leave. Not wanting to stick around after what she witnessed, and knowing she also needed to get ready to take her test after school ended. 

The boys headed to the locker rooms to shower, Steve letting the water wash away every ounce of anger he had towards Billy. Only to huff when he knew it wasn’t going to work. 

“Don’t sweat it Harrington. Today’s just not your day, man,” Billy says in the stall next to him.

“Not your week, more so,” Tommy chuckles with a smug smirk on his face. “You and your princess break it off for one day, and she’s already running off with the freak’s brother,” he says, making Steve look at him with light confusion before looking away. 

Tommy’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh shit,” he says. “You don’t know. Jonathan and the princess skipped yesterday, and still haven’t shown. That must just be a coincidence, right?” he cackles, Steve eyeing him, scrubbing the suds through his scalp.

“I don’t give a fuck about them. He can have her for all I care,” Steve snaps back, scrubbing his hands through his hair. Billy smirks with a hum. 

“Oh I know,” he trails off. “You finally come to your senses over your Henderson girl, right? I hear she’s the reason you hate commitment. Because you want to commit to her, is that it?” Billy taunts, letting the water run down his chest. 

Steve scoffs and shakes his head, paying no mind to what either man was saying. “You don’t know her like that.”

“Oh, yes I do. I know a lot more than you think.”

Steve froze in his spot, his head slowly turning over towards Billy. “The fuck did you say?”

Tommy laughs, giving Billy a look. “You better tell him before he finds out through someone else, Hargrove,” he says, before grabbing his towel and turning off the shower. 

His words make Steve freeze. “What’re you talking about?”

Tommy wraps his towel around his waist. “Wow you really have been out of the loop,” he trails off, nodding his head at Billy. “She left with him after the Halloween party. Why do you think they’ve been so inseparable? Girl can’t get enough of him.” 

Billy glares at Tommy. “Goodbye Tommy,” he snaps back, watching the guy walk away with a smug grin on his face. Steve’s jaw was clenched, his eyes darkening as he looked over at Billy. 

“Relax, Harrington,” he chuckles. “Since some dick I know left her by herself that night, I was a gentleman and drove her home,” he admits, smirking happily. “You’re lucky she’s so obsessed with you, otherwise I definitely would’ve taken her back with me, and trust me,” he chuckles while turning off the shower, patting Steve on the shoulder. “I’m still debating.”

Steve eyed him hard as he left, whipping off his own shower head. 

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Y/N had finished up her test, smiling warmly at her teacher as she handed it in, bidding a goodnight as she left the classroom. The halls were now quiet as it was after school hours, the rain slowly beginning to dribble outside as she could hear the echoes of other students playing in the gyms. 

When she opened up the school doors, the breeze had gotten a little chillier, goosebumps arising on her skin as she walked down the sidewalk. The rain slowly picked up as she walked, making her put her hood up.

Her eyes squinted as she noticed Steve’s car was still there, making her frown. She then froze only slightly as he stood, leaning against the hood with his arms crossed. He looked more than upset. He looked livid. “Steve? Why are you still at school? I thought you didn’t have tutoring tonight.”

“Get in the car.”

She frowns at his cold tone the closer she got. She shook her head. 

“No. Not after how you’ve been treating me lately,” she shot back, walking up to him. He clenched his jaw as the rain began to get heavier. He towered her figure, eyes staring down into her own. “I have to wait for Dustin too.”

“He went home with Mike,” he answered quickly. “Get. In. The car,” he says once more. 

Instead of prying, she huffs and walks over to the passenger side where he goes to hold open the car door for her, letting her slide in. As he closes her door and rounds to his side, she sets her bag on the floor in the back. He slams his door shut before reversing out of the parking lot, and driving off. 

“Why are you so pissed off? What did I do to you to make you hate me so much in the span of seventy-two hours?” she finally breaks the silence, her arms crossing over her chest as the rain poured.

His jaw tightens at her words, hand rubbing over his jaw. “I don’t hate you.”

“Then why are you acting like a dick? All I’ve been trying to do is help you, and you act like I don’t exist,” she scoffs as she keeps her gaze on the window. “I don’t know what happened between you and Nance, but I’m just trying to be there for you.”

He stays silent for a few moments, and then speaks. “We broke up. Things were complicated and she said things between us weren’t going anywhere.” 

“You could’ve just talked to me, you didn’t have to shut me out. I would’ve listened,” she says in a softer manner. Still somewhat firm to show she was standing her ground.

“It seems you had your hands full with Hargrove anyways,” he says under his breath, but it was loud enough for her to hear. She snapped her head over to him. 

“What?”

“You really took a ride home from Billy Hargove? Of all people? Seriously?”

She scoffs. “I wouldn’t have needed to if you didn’t run off like you did! Besides, he offered and was actually nice to me the entire way,” she explains, running her hands through her hair. “You have no right to be upset. You’re the one ignoring me and acting all big macho whenever he’s around.”

“Is he the one who’s been picking you up too? Bringing you home even?” he shot, making her roll her eyes. 

“You’re a fucking ass. Why are you so obsessed with this guy?”

“Because he’s not good for you! He wants to fuck you, and then leave you for the streets! You’re nothing but a piece of pussy to that man!” he blows up, making her eyes harden and her eyebrows furrow. 

“Stop the car.”

“What-”

“Stop the fucking car, Harrington! I will not be scolded like I’m a fucking child by you! Stop the fucking car, so I can walk the rest of the way.”

Steve looks at her like she is crazy. “Are you kidding? It’s pouring-”

Y/N starts to unlock his car doors, going to pull open the lever as the car was still driving, causing Steve to slam on his brakes as she opened his car door. “Y/N seriously?” he screeches, getting out of the car to follow after her. “Get back in the car! You’re being ridiculous!”

“I’m not! You’re the one being an asshole, Harrington!” she yells back, not looking behind her. She hears him let out a frustrated groan before slamming his car doors shut, and his engine coming up to the side of her. He rolled down the window. 

“Get in the car, Y/N!”

She ignored his pleas, her body shivering as she was now drenched from the pouring rain. “Y/N M/N, get in the damn car before I make you,” he warns, letting out a low growl as she still looks forward and keeps walking. Steve brakes the car once again, opening his door and stomping up to her figure. 

Y/N feels arms wrap around her waist, despite her protests, she’s then thrown over Steve’s shoulder. “Put me the fuck down, Steve! What the fuck is your problem?” she screams out, punching at his lower back. 

“Seriously, let me down! I’m fuckign done with you and your bipolar fucking behavior-”

Her words die in her throat with a squeak as a loud smack is heard, a sting following on her ass a few moments after. She narrows her eyes. “Did you just-?” She trails off as he walks over to open his backseat doors. 

Steve softly places her figure into his back seats, ignoring her curses and shouts at him as he slams the door shut and gets back into the driver’s seat. He sped off after that, not missing the way she was sending daggers to the back of his head.

“I told you to get back in the car, and you didn’t listen.”

“Because you were treating me like shit, and started accusing me of sleeping with Billy. When all he’s been doing, is being a better friend than you. Nothing more than that.” she spat, crossing her arms over her shivering figure. Steve sighs, clenching his jaw at her words. Knowing deep down that she was right, he was being a total asshole to her. 

“Not when I feel how I feel about you. I can’t move on, even if I tried.”

He froze, his heart stopped for a split second at her words, realizing she had said it so quietly in hope he didn’t hear, but he heard her perfectly clear. 

All of his anger slowly washed away as her words repeated in his mind, realizing that Nancy was right. He couldn’t tell Nancy he loved her, not when Y/N had been here all along. No matter how hard he tried, he really tried to make things work with Nancy. But she knew it wasn’t meant to be.

Because he couldn’t control how strong his feelings were becoming towards Y/N. Nancy knew it too, she saw it when he didn’t. Which was why she couldn’t blame him. He did try. He couldn’t bring himself to admit it. Not after how things just ended with Nancy. He needed to see if what he felt for Y/N really was real, which was why he pushed away. Turns out it was more real than he ever knew or understood. Especially after hearing Billy’s words. 

“We’re going to mine,” is all he says, making her glare at him. 

“What? No, I’m drenched, I need to go home and-”

“I have stuff you can borrow, so stop whining. We need to actually talk,” he shot back, making her go quiet with her mouth open in shock. “No distractions, nothing. Because your brother will somehow bring us into the next adventure going on, and we need to figure our shit out.”

Y/N lets out a grumble, but doesn’t argue any further, the car was quiet the rest of the way to his place. 

Once he parked in his driveway, he grabbed both of their bags, then opened the door for her to get out. She whisks past him as he locks his car, the pair running up to take cover under the slight covering over his front doorstep. 

When they both got inside, the sound of the rain pattering hard over the roof was heard, as well as the light sounds of the occasional thunder booming. He sets down their stuff, huffing at his now drenched state, shrugging off his jacket. 

“You can shower in mine. I’ll use my parents.”

He leads them upstairs, grabbing her a towel and walking her into his room that she knew all too well. He hands her a pair of his sweats and a hoodie of his she always used to wear, before grabbing his own towel and heading towards his parents’ room without another word. 

She goes into his bathroom, looking around as she sees it’s still the same. It’s been a while since she has been here. Her having the decision that maybe they shouldn’t hang out like they used to when he started dating Nancy. She didn’t want Nancy to think otherwise, and knew it wouldn’t look right. 

Y/N let the shower run for a bit, letting it get warm as she stripped down her soaked clothes, a light shiver running down her spine. 

Once the steam had filled the bathroom, she stepped into the shower, the warm water cascaded down her back, making her let out a small hum in content at how good the warmth felt. She rinsed and washed up quietly as she let her thoughts linger as she rinsed her hair. 

She was too in her mind to hear the door open slowly, Steve closing it behind him as he saw her back turned away from his figure. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. Not after hearing what she said. He was sick of dancing around it. 

When he opened the glass door, Y/N jumped at the noise and turned towards him with eyes wide. “Steve? What’re you doing?” she asked softly, her voice sounding exhausted. Defeated. Steve said nothing, only closing it behind him and walking to her slowly. Y/N’s eyes followed his own as they took in her figure, then eyes softening as his eyes found her own. 

He stopped just inches in front of her, the water running over them both, Steve towering over her as he looked down at her. Her eyes staring between his own as his hand came up to her jaw to make her fully look up at him. 

He inched closer to her face with his own, their lips just millimeters away. Y/N’s hands stayed covering her chest, but slowly slid down in relaxation as their lips barely touched. 

Their eyes looking between one another for what felt like forever, Y/N looked back at Steve with one final nod. That’s all it took, and his lips slammed down onto hers. It was hungry, needy, passionate. Fire ignited between them both as their lips moved in sync. Tongues fighting and teeth clashing as their pants filled the air. 

Steve brought both of his hands to her hair, pulling her head back to let his lips openly trail from her lips, biting at the bottom one before going to her cheek, her jaw, and down her neck. Y/N’s eyes shut with absolute bliss at the feeling of his lips making contact with her hot skin. How his tongue poked out every so often, teeth biting at some spots. 

Her arms came up to his forearms when he found a sweet spot behind her ear, making him hum in satisfaction. Y/N had grown greedy, and in dire need of his lips on hers once more, making her grab his face from the spot in her neck to slam their lips back together. 

Steve’s hands trailed down from her hair, down her body, leaving sparks and fire in his trail as he touched her everywhere he could reach. 

He never realized how much he craved her until now. Now, he couldn’t live without her. He couldn’t live with the fact that any guy could have her like this. Could’ve been in his spot. He especially couldn’t stand the fact that Billy almost could’ve been in his place if he waited any longer. 

The thought alone made him grip her hips hard, making her whimper lightly in his mouth. He groaned as she bit his lip. They broke apart, just millimeters away from one another as he looked at her with a haze in his eyes. 

“I’m never letting you go now,” he muttered softly, leaving one hand on her hip while the other trailed to her belly button. He watched her lips hitch in a gasp at his touch. Her eyes were big and hazy as they looked up at him. The rain poured hard outside, being heard even through the shower running around them. “Not when I’ve got you like this. This is all I’ve ever wanted. I’ve always wanted you. That was the problem, honey.”

His hand trailed down her navel, just above where she needed to feel him most. Her insides burn with desire and need for Steve. 

“I couldn't stop thinking about you. Every second of every day,” he trails off, leaving soft kisses on her lips between his words. “You were always the one thing I came back to,” he hums, letting his hand finally cup her heat. He smirked lightly as he watched her eyes roll back as he let his fingers rub up and down her slit. 

“Steve.”

“Hm?” he says, letting his hand figure out what she liked, how she wanted, needed, to be touched. Her face would contort when he rubbed or flicked certain spots, making him bite his lip as she watched her lose any ounce of control she had. 

“Hargrove kept saying how he would take you like this. How he was debating on it,” he taunts, letting a finger slide in, Y/N let out a moan as her head fell onto his chest. He chuckled darkly as he felt her beginning to hump herself into his hand. “I kept thinking about that. Picturing. It pissed me off.”

She shook her head as her hand went to grasp at his wrist while he pumped his fingers in and out of her. “Never would’ve happened,” she moans. “I wouldn’t have let it happen.”

He takes his free hand from her hip and trails it up to her neck, causing her to look up at him. Her eyes are still lightly closed, light moans and whines leaving her lips. 

“You sure? It seemed like you enjoyed getting pretty friendly with Hargrove.”

She shook her head. “Only wanted you. I only want you.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he says softly, taking his fingers out of her, causing her to groan at the sudden loss of contact. “I wish I believed that,” he says, shaking his head. She frowned at his words, still dazed and confused at the fact he left her high and dry. 

She decided to push right back at his smugness. 

“Maybe I should. If you’re only going to leave me high and dry. I’ll let him finish your job.”

Steve’s eyes darkened at her words, causing him to turn off the water behind her, then grabbing both of her thighs to wrap around his hips. He walked them out to his bedroom, slamming her body onto his bed as he towered over her figure. 

“You and that mouth of yours are going to get you in trouble, honey.”

He spread her legs open, biting his lip as he tried to muster his groan, but failing miserably. 

“And here I was going to be nice and give you my tongue,” he tuts, before grabbing his dick and sliding it through her folds. “But after that little stunt you pulled, I’m not feeling so nice anymore.”

With that, Steve slams all the way into her. The pair both let out moans at the feeling, Y/N grabbing his hair in one hand while the other scratched down his back. Steve began to pump in and out of her fast and hard, lips and tongue busying themselves with her breasts as they bounced with every thrust. 

“Steve, please,” she whimpers at his pace. He looks up at her through his lashes, seeing how she  is biting her lip to keep from moaning louder. He releases her left nipple with a pop and leans down to kiss her hard. 

“Maybe if you fix that attitude of yours, I’ll take my time,” he groans into her mouth, capturing her moans in his own. “Fuck you the way I’ve been dying to. Nice and slow to show you how in love I am with you. You’d love that wouldn’t you?”

Y/N’s hand grips his hair to pull his head back to make him fully look at her. “Please, baby,” she moans out breathlessly, causing Steve to groan. She clenches around him tight, causing him to stutter his movements. Steve soon begins to slow down slightly, still hitting that spot inside of her that she loved oh so much. Her grip loosened on his head, both hands going to grab the headboard behind her as her back arched. Steve looked down at her in amazement, mouth open as he moaned out her name. 

“So fucking pretty, fuck,” he pants, taking her slower as his gaze falls to where they’re connected. He sees her hips grinding up to meet his own, making him bite his lip and grab them to meet his own with each thrust. “You’re fucking mine. Not Hargrove’s. I don’t share. Especially not when it comes to you.”

Y/N can feel the tightness in her stomach getting closer and closer with every thrust, causing her to look back at Steve who is so focused on watching him thrust in and out of her. 

“Steve I’m-”

“I know, I can feel it. Let go whenever, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

It didn’t take much for her after that, clenching and sputtering around him with a loud moan that followed with his name. Steve came shortly after, placing his lips over her own as his hips stuttered against her pelvis. When their lips broke apart, Steve’s head immediately went into her neck, kissing at her collarbone a few times as they lay there breathless. 

Y/N’s hand trailed from his shoulders, up into his hair. She didn’t miss how his body broke out into goosebumps from her touch. His breathing slowed moments later, his now softened cock still inside of her. She could feel him twitching again, hardening as she clenched around him each time he twitched. “Steve,” she moans softly, gripping his hair as she feels his tongue and teeth biting at the skin along her chest. 

“I need more,” he groans out against her breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth. She arches into his mouth more at the feeling. His hands pushed down her hips as she started to nonchalantly grind up against his hips, letting his own hips slowly thrust and grind into her. “Gonna go all night. I might just need to have you like this forever,” he moans into her nipple, before pulling away with a pop. Y/N grabs his head and pulls his lips back down to hers, his thrusts hard but slow. Moans getting louder between them both as Steve hit that one spot inside her that made her toes curl. 

Before Steve could react, Y/N had tightened her grip on him with her legs, turning them over with him still inside of her. She took his hands from her thighs and laced them with hers, pressing them into the mattress beside his head. 

Her eyes looking into his with such adoration and want in them. She began to grind into him, moans leaving her mouth as she bit her lip from being too loud. Steve looked up at her mesmerized, mouth agape as he takes in everything about how she looked on top of him. 

“You look so fucking beautiful like this,” he sighs, watching her throw her head back she grinded and bounced on him. 

She let go of his hands, bringing hers to lean back on his thighs as she worked her way on him. Steve’s hands immediately went to the crevice where her hips and thighs met. He gripped them in a bruising hold, guiding her every move as he met his hips with hers. “Fuck Steve,” she moans out, not missing the way he hit that spot inside her once again. 

“Nobody will ever get to see you like this, Never again,” he moans as he lets one hand slithering up her front, going to grip her neck in a tight enough hold for it to go to her head. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head at the feeling. “Not even Hargrove. This is mine.”

“Always has been,” she sighs while looking back down into his eyes. Their highs were coming closer than they did the first time, Steve pulling her down by her neck to meet her with a sloppy kiss. 

Both of their movements became faster and faster as the pit in their stomachs got tighter and tighter. “Let go baby. I’m right behind you,” Steve breathes out against her lips, her nodding against him before her hips stutter and stilled as she reaches high. Steve took over and thrusted up into her through both of their highs as Y/N fell forward onto his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, nails running through his hair. His hands trailing up and down her back as they lay there breathlessly. “This is gonna sting a bit,” he said first, before slowly pulling out of her. They both let out a loud hiss, Y/N followed with a slight whimper at the emptiness as she gripped his hair lightly. 

“You okay?” he hums against her, and she nods lightly. He chuckles. “We should probably clean up soon.”

She hums. “Soon. Just not yet,” she breathes out softly against his chest. 

“Oh no, I’m basking in this as long as I can,” he chuckles softly. She smiles against his chest at his words. “I’ve got you, and I will not be letting you go anytime soon.”

“So you like me?” she jokes, making him grab her jaw softly to look up at him. He looked at her like she had two heads. 

“I think we both know I’m way past liking you,” he admits, making her eyes soften at his words. His thumb caressed her skin softly. “It only took me how many years to come to my senses.”

“It took me being friends with Hargrove for you to come to your senses,” she shot, making him roll his eyes. 

“Whatever,” he laughs, making her snort. “He’s not gonna let up on this, you know. He will be giving you shit till the end of time for taking so long.”

Steve eyes her. “He really knew before I did? Ouch.”

She smacked his chest softly. “He figured it out, I didn’t have to say a word.”

“Well, I still don’t like how flirty he is with you. So he better knock that off,” he says slowly. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“How will you do that?”  

“Oh, honey we’ve got all night. I’ll make sure he knows to keep his hands off.”

if anyone were to ask, steve harrington would say his love language was physical touch. really, he couldn’t help his insistent need to reach out and touch you, not that you complained most of the time anyways, because it was just how he expressed his feelings. sometimes words weren’t enough, and steve was raised on the saying that “actions speak louder than words.” so it came to no surprise that he’d always have a hand on you; whether it was his fingers laced with yours, an arm slung over your shoulder or his hand ghosting over the small of your back, steve was always touching you in some degree.

steve could recall nearly every time he’d notice someone glance at the pair of you, or hear an off-handed comment from someone he knew about how you two were glued to the hip, how they almost never saw one of you without the other. he took pride in it, despite the judgemental tone some of them had, because why wouldn’t he want to spend quality time with the love of his life? he never really understood the idea of being without someone for long periods of time, because in his mind: to be loved is to be present.

i.

there was nothing romantic about the cramped employee back room of family video. it was dusty, the air was stale and more often than not you’d walk in and find keith sitting at the desk with a game & watch under the pretence of “admin work”. yet, steve still had the nerve to convince you that he couldn’t be more than five steps away from you, rambling on about how it’d physically hurt him to separate his hand from yours, and that he’s offended you wouldn’t “walk to the ends of the earth with your boyfriend in hand.” to which you just roll your eyes.

“steve, you’re so dramatic sometimes..” he’s moping, complaining that you don’t love him, because if you did, you’d be in the store room with him right now instead of calling him names. “is it a crime to want to be with my girlfriend?” he’s got a hand clutching his heart, murmuring that he’s wounded and the only cure for his broken heart is just behind the door to the back office. “no, but unauthorised entry in an employee only area is..” you’re teasing him now, steve is opening wearing his heart on his sleeve and expressing his unwavering love for you and you’re teasing him.

“baby, you’ve literally been behind doors countless times, and last time i checked..” he’s making a show of looking around, knowing full well the two of you were alone; robin not due to start her shift for another hour or so. “.. there’s no one else here.” it has you rolling your eyes, and steve’s calling checkmate. he’s got you right where he wants, no more excuses lined up on your tongue and you just sigh, giving in easily like you always do. steve’s internally cheering, a smug smile on his face as he interlocks your fingers with his, tugging you towards the secluded area out back, and all you can do is follow.

before you’re even able to question his clingy behaviour, steve is slowly backing you towards the nearest wall, one hand laced with yours and the other is pressed against the cold surface beside you, and it all clicks. “baby, you did not just convince me to come back here just so we can make out..” steve just shrugs, feigning innocence even when his eyes are telling you everything. “mm, don’t know what you’re on about.” he leans in anyway, and you don’t fight back, his lips on yours in a matter of seconds. and as much as you had wanted to poke fun of how needy he was today, you realised you needed this too, needed him close enough to touch, and you think you’re becoming just as bad as him.

it was just supposed to be a few innocent kisses, a few unspoken words in the form of his lips interlocked with yours, and yet, you can’t help but have an arm strung around the back of his neck, your need to have him closer clouding your judgement. steve’s just as bad, both hands on your waist, bringing you in, chest to chest, and you’re both whining about being too far away, despite the lack of space left between you. “you’re a terrible liar.” you call out, and he’s ignoring it in favour of kissing your jaw, following a path down your neck, while you’ve got a hand bunched in his hair, tugging just hard enough to get a sound out of him. he’s grinning up at you now, from the junction of your throat you can feel his teasing smile, and you roll your eyes, pretending you’re not wrapped around his finger right now, like you’re not as equally eager to have him.

he’s sliding a hand underneath your shirt, drawing aimless shapes along your bare skin, lost in the feeling, before there’s the distinct sound of shuffling outside that halts his movements. you both freeze, eyes stuck on the door before flicking back to each other, and you’re looking at him in horror, too afraid at the idea of being caught. “i thought you said it was just us?” you whisper, you curse him out for being reckless, and dragging you along with him, before you push him off you in favour of smoothing out the wrinkles on your clothes. steve’s groaning out in irritation, muttering something along the lines of “last time i checked, it was.” before sticking his head outside to see what the commotion was all about.

“dingus, the fuck are you doing? there’s a customer.” it’s robin, and steve’s eyes shoot up to the clock, she’s early, and he’s wincing because really, out of all days. steve coughs awkwardly, some feeble excuse on his tongue dies when robin takes notice of his disheveled appearance and he can tell she’s grown suspicious, that she’s got questions he doesn’t really want to reveal the answers to. her suspicions quickly turn into disgust when she pieces the picture together, and she’s looking at the door as if she can already guess who’s behind there with him. “think you can see what they want? i’m a bit preoccupied.” and robin is feigning a gag, all while the customer just stands there, judging the both of them before making a comment about the lack of professionalism the youth have these day.

“i’m not even clocked in you idiot!” but it doesn’t matter, because steve’s quick to close the door on her and robin flips him off when she thinks the customer isn’t looking. they were, and it’s just another thing she has to deal with before her shift even begins.

ii.

steve thinks it’s entirely unfair that you’re ignoring him right now. he’s lying between your legs, breath tickling your thighs and practically yearning for your attention. yet you’re more engrossed in whatever it is that nancy is saying to you on the phone, than your amazing, perfect, and very bored boyfriend. sure, you’ve go one hand playing idly with his hair, and it’s enough to have him close his eyes, to enjoy the way you rake your fingers through it softly, but it’s not enough to ease the ache of not being the centre of your attention. if the role were reversed, there wouldn’t even be a phone call, steve would happily ignore all his responsibilities if it meant he got to laze around with you, the most important person in his life.

it’s quiet, and the only sound in the room is nancy’s small voice bleeding through the speaker. she’s gossiping, giggling about something jonathan said and the vibration of your laughter makes steve look up, and he hates that he’s jealous over nothing. he hates that your attention is split between two, especially when it was so rare for the two of you to have a joint day off like this. sure, you both technically worked at the radio station, and you guys did see each other everyday, but rarely did he get to have you to himself like this.

he’s bored, grumbling under his breath and it momentarily grabs your attention, nancy’s speaking, but you’re not particularly listening right now, eyes locked onto your pouting boyfriend, who’s rolling his eyes and moving out of your space. you’re raising an eyebrow, and he’s leaning over you, and a part of you is expecting him to cling on to you, to bridge the sudden space between you. he cranes his body over yours, and breathes out a quick “sorry nance.” before taking the phone out of your hand and hanging up, placing it back on the cradle, and you can hear her sigh before she’s cut off. “steve, i was using that.” and he hums, clearly not listening in favour of wrapping an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his side and focusing on the movie that played as background noise.

“oh sorry, i didn’t realise.” he’s being sarcastic, and you roll your eyes and hit his chest playfully, melting into his embrace nonetheless, because you were always so weak for your boyfriend despite his questionable intentions. “you’re lucky i love you.” and he can’t fight the smile on his face, he can’t play the role of the upset boyfriend anymore, because you always knew how to have him swoon with just a few words. “yeah? love you too.” there’s a lingering kiss to the edge of your mouth, and you’re turning your head, trying to catch his lips fully but he’s pulling away, teasing you like he always does.

“steve..” the roles feel reversed now, like you’re the one vowing for his attention and you realise just how easy you played into his hands. “you’re annoying.” he nods, ‘engrossed’ in the movie, and your fingers are grazing his jaw, pulling him back into your bubble so you can kiss him properly, so you can give him the attention you both were craving. “oh, hi baby.” steve is playing dumb, and you shake your head, bringing him even closer to the point where you have your legs thrown over his lap, perched on his thighs and blocking the view of the tv. “don’t ’hi baby’ me steve.” and the act drops, hands on your waist and he’s sighing into your mouth, both of you longing for the other.

“missed you.” he’s murmuring against your lips, breath mingling with yours and you can feel the way he pouts like he just can’t believe you would’ve rather spoken to nancy than to have him like this. “i’ve been here all day stevie..” and he’s shaking his head, pulling you closer because it’s different, yeah, you were here physically, but your attention wasn’t. steve just wanted to spend his day lying around idly with his girlfriend with no distractions, no interruptions.

“you were on the phone with nance for ages..” a sigh leaves your lips, cooing at his obvious bitterness and you’re quick to move both hands to the sides of his face, forcing him to look at you and you lean in for a chaste kiss. “it was for like ten minutes, you’re such a big baby..” steve rolls his eyes, but there’s a crack of a smile when he feels you stare at him, eyes shining with that familiar adoration and he doesn’t respond to your very true statement, because he’s aware that he was acting out, but really, who cares when he’s got you like this.

“yeah yeah, now can we please pay attention to your very handsome, doting boyfriend who wants to kiss his beautiful girlfriend right now.” and you just nod, breathing out a laugh and leaning forward once again.

iii.

dustin really wishes he missed this crawl, maybe then he wouldn’t have to deal with you and steve giggling in the front of the van like two lovesick teenagers. steve’s got a hand situated on your thigh, hearts in his eyes as you sit there, full focus on him whilst he explains the significance of the clutch pedal. you had made an offhanded comment on how you wish you learnt how to drive manual, and steve perked up, he felt like a petrolhead, eager to teach you all he knew.

dustin’s fiddling with a rubik’s cube he found lying around in the back, waiting for the signal from the others at the station, knowing it’d take awhile before they could finally hit the road. so he’s sighing, looking anywhere but the two of you, because he can already picture it, the way steve is gloating, priding himself on his extensive knowledge of shifting gears. he doesn’t need to look over to picture the way you’re batting your eyes, humming along to every word steve says, hyperaware of how steve’s hand is inching higher without him even realising it.

dustin wants to gag, you two were so disgustingly into each other that it’s suffocating, it’s got him flicking the antenna of his walkie and mumbling into the speaker, voicing a prayer and a cry for help. he can hear a snicker on the other side of the frequency, it’s robin, and she doesn’t even have the courtesy to act surprised, because it could be worse. “don’t bother henderson, it’s been like this all day.“ and he sighs, because he thought you two would’ve been tired of each other by now, really, he doesn’t understand how you find steve interesting enough to be infatuated by him at all waking hours of the day.

he thinks of steve like an older brother, his best friend, someone he looks up to but even he also knows just how annoying he can be. he admires your loyalty, because dustin might’ve clawed his hair out if he had to deal with steve the same way you do. steve was different before the two of you met, that cool, uncaring facade he carried with him only switched on when you were around and now that you two were together and grossly in love, it was like he was looking at a completely different person.

steve harrington, the same guy who beat the shit out some demodogs, who put up a fight against the russians is now the same steve who’s distracted by your every move, who misses his queues at the squawk because he’s too enamoured by you walking past while they’re on air. the same steve who keeps a polaroid of you two in his wallet, who insists that he can’t hang out with dustin on sunday’s because it’s date night, or because you two are seeing a movie. the same steve that’s looking at you like you’ve hung the stars, even in the cramped seats of the squawk van.

it’s best to ignore you two for now, because dustin knows that steve is too focused on you to even entertain his disappointed looks he keeps throwing at the pair of you. steve can’t help it though, he’s been dreaming for a girl like you, and now that you’re finally his, he wants to make sure that you know how much you mean to him, even at the cost of being teased by the entire party for being at your beck and call.

“..and that’s how you avoid a stall.” you’re nodding, and steve’s got that smug smile he always has when he’s showing off, and you couldn’t find him any more attractive as you do right now. you’re not even remotely interested in manual driving anymore, not when you’re distracted by how he hot he looks when he’s focused on something. you don’t even register the static of laughter in the back, the sound of a snicker coming through the speakers because steve’s looking at you in full earnest, soft smile tugged on his lips and it’s like the world around you goes mute.

“okay lovebirds, please don’t forget i’m here too.” a voice chimes in, and it’s like someone’s snapped their fingers, your attention drifting over from steve to dustin’s folded arms, he twitches when he can see you finally take off your rose tinted glasses and come back down to earth. you hear steve sigh beside you, annoyed that your time together is always cut short, and turns his head to greet his younger friend. “yes henderson?” but he’s distracted by the sound of your laughter, you’re clearing enjoying the exchange between the two and it just peeves dustin off more.

steve really can’t stay annoyed for long, not when you’re there; he has a soft spot for you always, and not even dustin’s glare can spoil his mood. “can’t you two hold it in until after the crawl?” dustin chimes in again, his hands emphasising the telemetry tracker beside him, and you nod, promising the two of you will behave, much to steve’s dismay. “baby..” you hold a hand out to stop steve from speaking out, and he pauses, eyes looking between you and dustin, and you can see the exact moment he gives up.

steve doesn’t remove his hand from your thigh though, instead he laces his fingers with yours and squeezes, because he still craves your touch even when he’s silently moping like this. you smile at him, squeezing back, and it’s then that they finally get the signal to drive, and dustin couldn’t be happier.

iv.

the kids had just graduated, and you soon find yourself situated with the others on the roof of the radio station. the nostalgia hitting and memories flood in of your time together at the squawk, and it feels like no time has changed, despite it being over a year since you all decided to pursue your seperate aspirations. there’s the lingering feeling of sentimentality, seeing your friends after months apart, and knowing it’ll be a long ways away until you’re all reunited again after this. it didn’t help that robin’s final goodbye on the radio had your heart feeling heavy for the past couple hours now, and sitting here, drink in tow, wasn’t doing it any favours.

jonathan and steve are bickering about the premise of jonathan’s film; capitalism, cannibalism? you weren’t really paying attention to the two, your eyes trailing around you, taking in the scenery, the sunset, the memories, and you’re thinking back to the first time you had discovered how to climb up to the roof. robin notices your silence, because she too is reminiscing all the time she took for granted with you guys, you two lock eyes, and there’s a silent agreement that you’d give anything to go back to how things were, minus the end of the world.

it’s then that robin speaks, roping nancy into spilling information about the “hot babes at emerson.” which has nancy rolling her eyes. she had dropped out, and that itself felt like a bombshell, but she had always known that maybe it wasn’t on the cards for her, that she was destined for other things, and you envy it a little. you hadn’t quite figured out what you wanted to do with your time, you felt a bit behind, and it was scary.

steve notices how quiet you’ve gotten, and the familiar feeling of his hand sliding into yours, fingers intertwined, is enough to silence that nagging voice in your head for the time being. you’re squeezing his hand back, grateful for the distraction before you notice the others around you fall quiet, it’s jarring how awkward it feels before robin’s clearing her throat, and she’s the one to address the elephant in the room.

“so is no one going to mention that huge rock on your hand?” and just like that, the air around you feels lighter and you can’t help but laugh at how blunt she’s being, and how shocked the others look when they finally take notice of the ring on your finger. “holy shit!” nancy exclaims, and she’s quick to move out of her chair, smacking steve’s hand out of yours; to which he groans in faux annoyance, in favour of checking the diamond attached to you.

it makes steve’s heart swell, the familiar feeling of pride that situates itself whenever he looks down at the engagement ring he had bought months ago. it’s a reminder of just how lucky he is, how he’s finally found the one, that he’s promised forever with you. “oh yeah, that..” you’re shy when people notice, but you can’t fight the grin that makes it’s way to your face every time, because steve harrington will always be your person, and now you have a physical reminder of that.

“spoiled her on a coach’s salary too.” you smack his shoulder, and steve pouts, knowing you can’t stay mad at him for long. there’s obvious heart eyes when you look up at him, that all too familiar feeling of yearning you don’t think will ever fade. it’s disgustingly cute, atleast that’s what robin says when she breaks the silence, and you can’t help but shy away from the eyes of the others, their gazes soft and it makes you feel extra vulnerable.

“took you long enough” robin’s calling out from beside you, and you furrow your eyebrows, because it still shocks you when you think back to his proposal, steve down on one knee with shining eyes and wobbly smile. he had this speech about how he couldn’t imagine a life without you, it was endearing how nervous he was, how sweaty his hand got whilst it was latched with yours, and you always tear up when you think back to that moment, how easy it was to say yes.

“now, what’re your thoughts about having six little nuggets?” jonathan jokes, and steve shoots him a glare, but you don’t fail to metion how easy it is to imagine a family with steve. “i mean, maybe not six, but definitely atleast two.” and it shuts steve up, you two had only really talked about kids a handful of times, nothing too serious, but he’s looking at you with stars in his eyes, there’s that familiar look of adoration, and you can see jonathan instantly regret bringing it up. “great, you’ve set him off again.” and steve doesn’t even care, because he’ll always be guilty of being in love with you, and god forbid a man is infatuated with his future wife.

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yeah i ain’t even got an excuse for this one i literally blinked and it became this big ass fic.

i sincerely hope you all enjoyed this :) & please lmk if this was ok!!

i think a part of myself will always have room for steve, especially over the last month or so since i started writing. it’s kinda scary releasing something, but seeing people reblog and comment that they like my writing is enough for me to continue !!