#vulnerable

Pairing: Steve Harrington x female reader

Summary: A tender moment between you and Steve.

Words: 900

Warnings: Steve being vulnerable and in love.

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It’s late.

Not the kind that feels unsettling - just the quiet kind, where the house has settled and the world feels far away. Steve sits on the edge of the couch, a half-empty mug cooling in his hands. There’s a small cut on his knuckles, nothing serious, but he keeps staring at it like he forgot it was there. 

„Hey“, you say softly. 

You are not loud. You never are. You are just there, like you know how much space to take without overwhelming him. 

He looks up. Smileys automatically. A tired one. 

„You okay?“, you ask. 

„Yeah“, he says, too fast. 

You don’t call him out. You just step closer, gently take the mug from his hands, sets it aside. Then you reach for his knuckles. 

„This might sting“, you murmur. 

Steve shrugs. „I’ve had worse.“ 

„I know“, you say. And there is no admiration in your voice - just care. 

Your fingers are warm. Steady. You clean the cut slowly, like there’s no rush in the world. Steve watches your lashes, the way you concentrate and something in his chest loosens. 

„You don’t always have to be the strong one“, you say quietly, like it’s a secret meant only for him.

He swallows. „Kinda feels like I do.“ 

You look up then and meet his eyes. „Not with me.“ 

That’s what does it. His shoulders sag, tension he didn’t realize he was holding finally letting go. He exhales, long and shaky. 

„Hey“, you say immediately, dropping the cotton pad. Your hands come up to his face, thumbs brushing his cheeks. „I’ve got you.“ 

Steve leans into your touch without thinking. No armor. No jokes. Just him being vulnerable. 

You press a kiss to his temple - soft, lingering, like you’re not afraid of breaking him. He closes his eyes, forehead resting against yours. 

„Thank you“, he whispers. Not just for this. For all of it. 

You smile, small and fond. „Anytime, Steve.“ 

He wraps his arms around you, careful at first, then tighter when you hug him back without hesitation. You smell like soap and warmth and something safe. 

For once Steve doesn’t have to watch the door. For once someone is watching him. 

And it feels like peace.

After that night everything shifted. Steve notices it in the smallest ways first. The way he starts listening for your footsteps without meaning to. Or the way his shoulders loosen when you’re in the room. And the way silence doesn’t feel awkward with you - it feels safe. 

And it scared the shit out of him. 

You’re sitting on the floor, backs against the couch. The TV is on, but neither of you is really watching. You are brushing through a stack of old photos made for a album that you wanted to make for a long time, humming softly under your breath. 

Steve pretends he’s focused on the screen. He isn’t. 

You laugh at a picture of the kids in their halloween costumes - quiet, unguarded - and his heart does this stupid, traitorous thing where it beats too fast, like it’s recognized something before he has. 

He swallows. This is bad. 

Because Steve knows what it feels like to want something too much. He knows what it costs to build dreams that don’t come true. He knows how fast the world can take people away. 

And there you are - gentle, steady, real - sitting beside him like you belong there. 

He shifts, restless. 

„You okay?“, you ask because of course you noticed it. You always do. 

„Yeah“, he says. Then, because lying feels harder with you, he adds, „Just … thinking.“ 

You set the photos aside and turn towards him, giving him your full attention like it’s easy. Like he’s worth it. That’s the moment his chest tightens. 

„I think I’m bad at this part,“ he admits quietly. 

„Which part?“ 

„The part where I start to care,“ he says. His voice drops. „Because when I do, I don’t know how to stop.“ 

You don’t interrupt him, you just gave him the opportunity to speak his mind without being rushed. 

He keeps going, eyes fixed on the floor. „Every time I let myself want something, it feels like I’m setting it up to be taken away.“ Steve exhales, shaky. „And I don’t know if I can do that again. I’m falling for you and I fear that it’s the beginning of the end.“ 

You reach for his hand. Not fast or hesitant, but sure. 

Your thumb brushes over his knuckles, soft and grounding. „Steve“, you murmur, „falling doesn’t mean losing.“ 

He laughs quietly, humorless. „Feels like it does.“ 

You lean closer until your shoulders touch, warm and solid. „It means you’re alive,“ you say. „It means you’re choosing to live instead of just surviving.“ 

You words hit him harder than anything else. He turns to look at you, really look at you, and the fear is still there - but so is something else. Hope. Gentle and terrifying. 

„I’m scared“, he admits.

You smile - not teasing, not sad. Just kind. „I know.“ 

Steve let himself lean into you, just a little, like testing the ground before stepping forward. You don’t pull away. Your head rests against his shoulder like it’s the most natural thing in the world. 

His heart slows. Maybe falling doesn’t have to mean crashing. Maybe, with you, it means being caught. 

And for the first time, that thought doesn’t terrify him quite as much. 

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Thank you so much for reading! All interactions are highly appreciated

(feel free to use <333 tag me when yall write!! my favs are 5!! 10, 3 )

"God, I need you."

"I've craved this more nights than I can remember." :'')

"Would it assure you if I say.. that I'd be honored to protect your vulnerability with me?"

when you both sleep together after a traumatic event, you holding them

^ they silently whisper, "I'm scared.. That you'll leave me once you see how much I need you. that this love will consume me, make me.. clingy, and you'll see I'm just.. broken"

"Can you hug me?" By a really vulnerable you and they still at the request before one hand moves to your back, holding you against them - perhaps more tightly than necessary.

They make a choked sound, half laugh, half sob, pressing their forehead against yours, "What would I be without you?"

"Would you... would you be okay if I put my arm around your shoulders? Like, hugging you from the side?"

^ "Would u want to?" you ask but they hadn't expected you to ask if they wanted to. your question implies that you care about their feelings too, and it touches something deep within them. "Yes," they admit softly. "I do."

Cuddling but its them on top resting their ear over ur heart and listening to its beatssssss