#userdjo

"It's not exactly a car, Steve. It's not exactly mine, but, uh... it'll do".

Summary: You take care of Steve Harrington after they come back from the Upside Down, fighting against Vecna. You never actually liked his girlfriend, Nancy, and realized it wasn't only because she didn't treat him like he deserved.

Contains: mentions of wounds/blood, fluff

Word count: 3.1k

They came back from the Upside Down looking like they had lost a war, like they've seen a ghost. You haven't been around them that much when it comes to beating the monsters and the enemy.

Steve was bleeding on his stomach and his face was dripping blood, he had strangled markings on his neck as well. It shocked you to see him that way, though. Robin and Eddie were holding him up and helped him sit in your couch.

Both of them weren't that as injured as he was, but were still looking like they could use a shower and a bed at that point. They told you Harrington was pulled under the water and brought to the Upside Down, into Vecna's lair. He was beaten up by a bunch of Demobats, getting choked out and bitten on his stomach.

That explained a lot why he was so lightheaded at your house, Robin offering a glass of water while he was trying to catch his breath. Eddie was looking out your window, checking on the house, and it brought you to finally ask them about why they were there.

"So you're going to lure this demon into my house?", you were trying to digest the whole situation. You learned about first aid before, so you prepared a whole kit to patch Steve, otherwise he would die on your couch.

"He's probably not coming now anyway", Munson said. Poor guy was still terrified as he had never been face to face with something like that. Neither were you.

"He's learned we were after him to get him killed before he opened the portals in Hawkins". It was hard for you to believe everything about this story. You've heard about Upside Down before, you knew about other people's deaths that were caused by the supernatural. It was just too much to gather.

You nodded as you sat on the couch closer to Steve, and Robin sat next to Eddie on the other side of the livingroom. His wounds were oozing, and he was panting from the pain. Harrington couldn't fight against the pounding pain against his ribs, either.

"Just try to breathe slowly, it can ease the pain", you said. He tried looking at you, but held his head back against the furniture. "This is going to sting a lot, but I'm going to use some analgesic for the injuries, so you can get comfortable".

You weren't that close to Steve, even though you were almost always together, considering you were too close to Robin. Despite that, you were madly annoyed over how his girlfriend, Nancy, who would be such a dumbass with him.

She wasn't that nice to the guy, she would bitch about him all the time saying he was too clingy, and would ditch him to keep her status at the parties. You always thought he was too nice to his closest friends and specially to her.

He was always nice to you as well and you would banter about nonsense stuff at some point, having fun with the way you'd respond to each other. But still, you didn't know about his secrets, about his private life.

You heard him groan as you started to stitch him up, making sure the anesthesia kicks in on the rest of his wounds. It makes you flinch at the way he holds back his screaming from the pain and how he squirms his body in response.

"Has... anybody talked to Nancy- about what happened..", he was trying his best to keep his sanity while you're working on the needle through his body. You let out a scoff and he noticed it.

"You barely died, your friends are all worried about you, and you only worry about the single person who didn't move a finger to look for you?", you asked. It obviously came out the wrong way, as you didn't mean to be rude. But Robin realized she wasn't the only one to be so incredibly against his relationship.

But the thing is, she had the right to, she was his best friend. You were only his friend for a while and even though you get along, you couldn't just barge into his life like that.

"She's my girlfriend, (Y/N). I care for her", he responded. His body started to rest as the analgesic and the anesthesia were working, giving him some comfort.

"Well, is she here right now?", you give him a smirk and he furrows his brows.

"Steve, she has a point", Robin states. "Look, we've talked about that before. Once, I told you I didn't like the way she acted around you, and I still don't. If she's not looking for you, maybe it's just not worth it".

She assured him she would be by his side, even if his relationship wouldn't work anymore. But he wasn't in the mood for that right now. He was dealing with a lot of pain and with the fact he almost died to Demobats. As you finished his stomach injuries, you started giving attention to his face, his right brow was split open.

"I'm sorry about that", your touch was light and he closed his eyes. He didn't have much of a choice but to let you do your work. It didn't hurt that much like before, either way.

"Nah, I've been beaten up before", he said, playfully. "Just this time, the pain is worse".

"I didn't mean the beating". You whispered as your hand stitched up his skin. You had this weird feeling in the pitch of your stomach, which made you confused by your response about his relationship with Nancy.

"Oh.. yeah, maybe you were right. It wasn't the first time I heard about it. I guess I'm just not good at reading between the lines". Harrington sounded really hurt by the way he talked about it. He had to deal with a lot lately, specially with Vecna trying to kill him and his friends.

As you finished your work, you got up from the couch and started packing the first aid kit. "You guys should stay here for the night. You two can sleep in the guest bedroom", you smiled.

It's not just that it would be better for them, but you were kinda worried about the demon out there. Now that he knows they're out looking for him, it's just not good if they split up. In fact, staying at your house isn't even the best option, but you didn't want to be alone.

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You just couldn't sleep. You were thinking too much about Vecna and the portal thing Robin was talking about. She seemed to be sleeping very peacefully on your king-sized bed, lying comfortably on the mattress under your blankets.

Shouldn't she be careful and awake, hoping for something to happen? Maybe she shouldn't, but you were. You couldn't wrap your head around the fact that those things out there existed. You rolled over your bed and headed to the kitchen, maybe if you drink some water or even a medicine for your sleep you could actually rest.

All the lights were out except the one from your hallway, which was almost always on. You were wondering if Eddie and Steve were also asleep or just taking turns in case anything happened. Somehow, you felt helpless after realizing you were the only one awake. Or you thought so.

You almost had a stroke as you approached the kitchen and saw a shadow in the kitchen counter. Your gasp wasn't loud enough to wake the house, but it surprised him. Steve was standing there, also dumbfounded, holding a bread knife. You would've laughed if it wasn't for the jumpscare.

"Jesus Christ, you walk too quietly", he said, still holding the knife. Standing on his feet while resting his hand on the chair.

You scoff, it's not like you'd do that on purpose. "And you're holding a bread knife".

"Can't always be that prepared", he replied. You turned on the kitchen light and it slightly illuminated the place. You let out a small grin.

"I thought you and Eddie were both sleeping. Or at least taking turns", he shook his head.

"Well, he snores, and I can't sleep through this sharp pain on my body. So I figured I would at least stay away from him". He sounded exhausted, even though his tone was playful. "And you?".

"I can't sleep either. In fact, I think I'm too scared to", you revealed. It's like you were ashamed to admit it and he noticed it. You thought he would make fun of you at some point.

"It's going to be okay. We'll figure something out, we always do", he grabbed your hand, giving you some comfort. Harrington gave you a sincere smirk.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean to sound nosy or rude at all". He looked down on his foot and breathed through his mouth, like a sigh. "It's your relationship, I know. I just don't like her".

"You and Robin share the same feeling, honestly", Steve pointed out, running one of his hands through his hair. The other one was now resting on his hip. "I kinda get why if I think about that now. Of all the people who knew we were dragged there, she was the only one who didn't ask".

He was bitter, and you sensed this was a very tough topic for him to talk about. He was almost killed, he was beaten up several times, and she didn't have the time to ask about him? She didn't mind just calling him to see how he was after that.

You knew why you couldn't just not say anything about it, because he was one of the sweetest people you know, and it's annoying how he doesn't get the attention he deserves.

"Look, I know it's not a good situation. But you deserve a lot better than that", you said as you walked towards the fridge, grabbing a bowl of ice cream. Ice cream was always a good way of getting the pain numb.

You put the bowl on the counter and grabbed a pair of spoons, offering him one. You saw him give you a small smile.

"I don't know about you, but I like to use this as an excuse to avoid any emotion or pain. At least at the moment". You explained, and you grabbed a spoonful of the sweet.

He followed you and ate a huge amount of the ice cream, making him scrunch his nose, squinting his face. He could barely eat the whole thing as it was freezing his brain out, and you laughed softly.

"You can't inhale the food, Steve", you were still trying to hold back the bursting laugh that was threatening to leave your mouth, and promptly gave him a glass of water.

He chugged the whole liquid and held back his head, tears were streaming down his face as he tried to breathe.

"Fuck, this is like torture". You looked at him and snorted, he literally forgot he was almost killed. "What- oh, yeah, I take that back", he was grinning as he grabbed another spoonful.

For the next few minutes, you were just enjoying the sweetness of that dessert while listening to the clock in your living room. Steve didn't say another word after that, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

When you felt like you had enough of the ice cream, he grabbed the bowl to himself and started digging. You grabbed a water jar for both of you after eating so much, you just had to digest it.

It was almost 4 am when you decided to go back to bed, realizing you should be safe for now, specially knowing Steve was still there, and he would fight for his life as he always did.

"Thank you for... you know", he said, making a gesture to his whole body. "The painkillers will certainly be of help".

"Of course, I'm glad I could be supportive". You didn't mean to sound sarcastic, but when you realized what you said, it was already done. You knew he might take it to his heart because of Nancy, but you were being honest at least.

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After they left the next day to try and find their friend to kill Vecna, you only heard about what would happen through Robin. And it had been days since they were gone off the map to avoid the portals to open. You learned they never made it, you felt the earthquake under your feet as the city started shaking.

It was definitely the most traumatizing moment for you, as you weren't home when it happened, and you didn't know what you were supposed to do then. A few moments later, you finally got a call from Robin.

"Did you guys do it? What happened? Robin, everything is a mess here, Hawkins is in a mad shape", you said desperately, as soon as you picked up your phone.

"We didn't", she sighed. "Eddie is dead and-", you gasped under your breath as she paused. "Vecna didn't die, he's just wounded". She sounded really hurt about all that happened to them. Robin wasn't even in her normal state.

"How's Steve? Is he alive?", you asked too fast. You heard your heart thumping in your ears, your eyes burning from the tears that were almost escaping.

"Yes, he is. He's done with Nancy. It ended up in a non-conventional way though", she responded. "How are you, babe?".

You? You couldn't even describe how you were feeling. You just experienced an earthquake, you heard Eddie was dead, Vecna was still out there. The only good thing about that was that your friends were still alive, the kids were still alive.

You started to cry over the phone and didn't realize Robin was doing the same along with you, because she got you. She knew everything was still new for you, it was hard for you to understand all that. And the fact she had to experience all of that was also hard for her.

"We're coming back soon", she said after a while. "If your house is still in place, care to sort out your first aid kit? We're also going to need a few more rooms". You laughed at the way she asked you to host them at your place.

You went back home after that. Everything was still in place except for a few objects lying on the floor, a few broken things were splattered across the house, but you still had your place. You grabbed your first aid bag and left it in the living room.

You didn't know what to expect from them, you didn't know how hurt they were, but Robin didn't say anything, so you figured it wasn't a major injury anyway.

A few hours later, you heard a knock on the room and quickly ran to open it. Steve and Robin were facing you with a small grin, but behind them Lucas, Will, Dustin, Max and Evelen had that scared look on their faces. You let them in, looking behind you before closing the door.

They told you how most of the fight happened. Eddie died trying to save them after all. It hit you like a giant rock, you never expected that to happen too soon. And that was why you never tried to invest on helping them fight against all the monsters under Hawkins.

You just wanted to help them, giving them your house and patching them. Maybe trying to find out something, at most. But never going after those things. And hopefully they would never go after you either. But you were almost sure they would, one day.

They were all sitting downstairs while you were arranging your guest room with some pillows and blankets. You heard them talking and sometimes laughing off the pain and the trauma they just lived. It was relieving for you to actually have them by, which made you feel safer.

Steve knocked on the door even though it was still open, just so he would make his presence noticeable. You looked over your shoulder, and he was standing there, still looking beaten. He had a dark eye, a small split on his mouth and bruises all over his arms.

You shortened the space between both of you and hugged him. Not too tight to not squeeze him and his injuries, but also not too loose. He still smelled like his cologne, mixed with the dirt and the blood from his face that dripped on his neck.

He held you back, resting one of his hands on your hair, while cupping your waist with the other. You spent a good amount of time like that, and snapped out of your daydreaming when you heard Will laughing. When you looked at Harrington closely, you saw how his eyes were bright, he had this small redness around his cheeks and he held a side smile at you.

You didn't know why you had to be to be impulsive, but you crashed your lips on his. Just enough to feel the warmth of his skin in yours. But Steve opened his mouth, deepening the kiss, browsing for your tongue. It felt like heaven when you started exploring each other's tongues.

He squeezed your waist and pulled your hair gently when you gripped his lower lip with your teeth. You gasped when he started to fasten the kiss, this time it was feral, and it had a hint of second intentions. Which you realized things changed when he started to guide you through the room until the back of your knees hit the bed.

He was about to approach you with his swollen lips when you heard footsteps, but didn't have time to break the contact, just enough to stare at an amused Dustin standing at the door.

"Ohhhh, I'm so sorry. We're about to order dinner. Didn't mean to disturb the birdies", he said, laughing at how you were looking at him.

The little guy was really sweet and funny. "Close the door next time". He said louder as he left the bedroom.

You and Steve looked at each other and snorted, laughing at how he reacted to both of you almost having at it on the bed. He rested his forehead on yours before nuzzling your nose, rubbing your chin with one hand.

"We'll catch up later", he said before giving you a wet kiss, leaving the room. He came back right after and stood on the hallway. When you looked at him, he gave you a gentle wink and a smirk before going downstairs.

JOE KEERY as STEVE HARRINGTON