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munsonomenon · 1 year ago

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⛧☾༺’Casual’༻☽⛧

Chapter 1v: All this time

⛧ pairing: steve harrington x alt! fem reader, rockstar! eddie x alt! fem reader

⛧ contains: angst, love triangle, fluff, comfort, fwb, alcohol, smoking, pining, implied friends to lovers, pet names, slow burn, asshole! eddie

⛧ word count: 2.9k+

⛧ previous chapter: here

⛧ warnings: allusion to smut ! mdni !

The contrast of the chilled breeze embracing your skin as you pull yourself through the door is a stubborn reminder of the cardigan you left resting on the couch back in the dressing room, but there was no way in hell you could bring yourself back into that room. You can’t stop hearing the unknowing roars of approval ringing in your ear. Feeling all of the nights spent with your fingernails digging in his back, wishing for once you could have more than just his skin as he strung you along.

Tasting the drop of blood pooling through your lip snaps you back, your jaw clenched tight enough to break the skin. Frustration boils over the edge causing a single wet drop to stream down your frigid skin. You’ve never felt quite this pitiful but it was nearly impossible not to with him making his intentions painfully obvious.

The rushed patter of footsteps on the pavement fills your ears and brings your attention behind you as you place a cigarette between your lips. Steve runs his fingers through his waves of hair scanning the parking lot, panting with his chest breathing heavily. His eyes wander finding yours and his expression of relief quickly droops to concern as he sees the wet black streak down your skin. He moves towards you cautiously, holding his hands out to cup your face as he studies your demeanor. His small gesture causes the floodgates you had put to a halt to come rushing back open, your cigarette falling to the ground with the twitching of your lips.

“Hey, hey- Slow down, you’re okay. What’s going on?” he whispers softly while he wipes your tears away. You’ve never explained the ends and outs of you and Eddie to anyone outside of Robin. The part of you afraid to admit to being his secret can’t bear to spill your embarrassment to him. Especially with the stubborn reminders of his voice reverberating through the walls.

“Did somebody do this to you?” his voice twists, eyes squint over the few people grouped in the surrounding area protectively, his hands on your cheeks keeping their tender hold. “No, it’s nothing I- mean, it wasn’t them.” you mumble wishing you could just tell him the truth. I think I- I just got too drunk.” You sniffle through your words slightly shivering.

“Well, clearly somethings up. Here-.” he cuts off his words by removing his signature gray members-only jacket, resting it around your shoulders. “You’re freezing!” he exclaims. “Steve, no-“ you protest forcing his coat away. “You’re gonna be cold now.” you whimper.

“Shh, I’m fine. We can go sit in my car, I’ll turn the heat on.” he moves to fully throw his jacket over you, completely engulfing you in the fabric. as he walks you to the passenger side of his car you can’t tell if the pink flush you see from the corner of your eye is brought on by the cold air or if his arm pressed against you to hold his jacket closer to your body.

Awkward silence flows through the air of Steve’s car as your head pounds from your racing thoughts in your drunken state. You felt guilty for feeling comfort in his presence, the strings of you still tied to Eddie telling you this was wrong. Steve’s infectious smile as he makes his way to the seat opposite of you takes away some of that doubt.

“We don’t have to talk about what happened earlier if you don’t want to.” he whispers starting up his car to crank the heat on. You shoot him a shy smile “I can tell you about this freaky ass movie Robin made me sit through the other night.” he chuckles and you can feel your heart swell. “I’d like that.” you say with your voice low. He scoots up in his seat and starts motioning with his hands as he explains the film’s plot.

“So, there’s these oddly large fucked up looking clowns with these guns that shoot out popcorn and shit like that.” he turns to you emphasizing how important this is to him when he sees your lost but curious smile. “Which might seem like a good time and all, except they’re like insane, evil, killer clowns that turn their victims into giant mounds of cotton candy or these fucking pies they have made out of acid they use to melt cops!.” he exclaims dramatically.

“Are you sure this is a movie you’ve seen and not some elaborate night terror you had after smoking too much before bed?” you shake your head skeptically. “I’m serious!” his eyes grow wide with his giggles. His elbow rests on the center console so he can have a better view of you.“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Harrington.” you reach in to playfully pinch the skin of his cheek making his head fall towards the floor, covering his flushed grin you wished he wouldn’t hide.

Lost in the scattered conversations neither of you realizes the time until you see the masses of fans piling through the small doors. “Shit uh- guess we should get going too then.” Steve says slowly like he’s disappointed in tonight ending here. You’re glad to know you aren’t alone in that. You’re drawn in like a moth to a flame in the warm glow that he has lit up around you. You’ve never spent much time alone with him before, in this moment you can’t comprehend all you’ve deprived yourself of. Checking the rearview mirror you toss your head back “Fuck, I am still way too drunk to go home right now.” you admit as you’re brought back down to the harsh reality that put you here to begin with. His face twists thinking hard about his words before he speaks them.

“Why don’t you just come back to my place?” his chest swells with hope, “I mean you’d be coming over with Robin tomorrow to help set up anyway?”. It was hard to ignore the rush of pounding in your chest. “My house is the complete other direction from yours. I can just order a taxi or something.” you say trying not to inconvenience him. “Not happening, it’s way too cold for me just to ditch you here.” he grabs your face, pulling you to look in his direction. “Just come home with me, please?” begging softly, warmth radiating off his skin just inches from yours. “Fine, but just for tonight. ” you tease him, thinking back on how Robin had this whole thing right all along. The gleam in his puppy eyes blew his cover. “take a picture it’ll last longer!” you mock his prolonged glance, pushing his shoulder gently breaking your closeness. His expression remains the same. “Don’t worry, this is plenty.” he nearly drools.

“Can I ask you something? It’s really stupid?” you mutter through your hands covering your face as you rub your eyes. “Of course.” he mutters faintly. “Anything.” he pushes. You let out a deep breath mixed with a small laugh. “Could you uhm- maybe, grab my cig I dropped out in the parking lot earlier?” feeling slightly embarrassed by your desperation. “It’s the last in my pack and I really need it right now.” the passing cars lit up his face just enough for you to see his smirk. “I’m on it.” he says turning to open his door. “I’ll be right back, then we can get the hell out of here.” he states playfully as he leans down into the car once more before shutting his door.

You peer at his reflection in the mirrors as you watch him hunched over with his arm out searching the black pavement like a metal detector before he reaches down to find his treasure. He turns back to the car holding the found cigarette up like a trophy pumping his fists before performing a goofy victory dance in the empty street. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t admire his cockiness knowing your eyes would follow his every move. You laugh at him quietly from afar before seeing him turn around to the door opening ahead of him.

You tilt the mirror back to get a clear view of the figure. Eddie is standing in front of the last person he wants to see right now and it’s obvious from the sour expression on his face. You see his lips move, unable to hear his words as he motions in your direction. You grasp the door handle to pull it open, stepping into the chilling air. Your hand is perched on the car door as you prop yourself up to watch the scene unfolding before you.

“Is she seriously leaving? You can’t just let her leave like that- I mean she’s had way too fucking much to drink!” Eddie spits loudly at Steve, his voice laced with rage. You keep your distance, you are nowhere near the right headspace to talk to Eddie right now. “Not that it’s any of your concern, but I got it, man. I’m taking her home.” Steve replies calmly but is clearly bothered by the encounter keeping him from returning to you.

Eddie scoffs, crossing his arms unable to believe you’d blow him off tonight for someone like him. “And how sure are you of that?” Eddie questions him bitterly. “I mean, they were her words. Not mine.” Steve motions back to you standing a few spaces back. “Didn’t take much convincing.” his tongue rolls off his teeth with a vindictive smirk. “What the fuck ever dude. Here, she left it in my dressing room.” He hurls a thick ball of fabric at Steve’s chest that you can only assume is your cardigan from earlier. Eddie stops in his place searching for your eyes from across the parking lot, sending you a frail shrug of disappointment before turning on his heel to walk back into the bar, carelessly slamming the door behind him.

Water pools in your eyes as you tilt your head to the sky, exhaling deeply. An unwanted wave of guilt washes over you once more. It’s not like you’d be any better off if you ran back to his familiar comfort now anyway. You always told yourself that you could ‘stop’. Stop the tugging you felt in your chest that pulled you to him with every glance. You wished more than anything that you were someone else at that moment until you feel two arms hover over you before resting on your shoulders, pulling you into an embrace you’ve never yet felt. “Don’t you worry about any of that, alright? he says muffled into your hair. “Let’s get you out of here.” you smile into his neck in agreement. His large hands caress the side of your neck, squeezing you tighter.

He holds your door open as you slide back down to your seat, closing the door softly with both hands. Rubbing his hands together fighting off the cold weather as he maneuvers his way to the driver’s side. You’re hooked on his every manerism watching his arms flex as he jiggles his key in the ignition. His eyes quickly flick up to you. “Ah, almost forgot! The fruits of my labor.” he flicks the cigarette out of the pocket of his vintage shirt pocket presenting it to you. Your heart flutters reaching out to grab it. “Robin’s right. Dingus suits you.” giggles escape your mouth. “Great now you’re in on it too.” he rolls his eyes. “At least it sounds cute coming from your mouth.” he whispers, leaving you unsure of if you were even meant to hear him. His hand wraps around your knee in a swift motion as he turns his body to check behind him before reversing out of the lot.

The moment Steve’s tires hit the pavement you feel a vibration through the floorboards peeking down to see a vibrant glow from your bag. You ruffle through flipping the screen over exposing the depiction of Eddies ring-scattered fingers squeezing your ass cheek that he had sneakily set as his contact image in your phone earlier. Your eyes forcibly squint closed praying Steve didn’t happen to lower his eyes to the display. Nervously you tap the screen declining his call. “Everything okay over there?” Steve chuckles at your frantic movements. “Yeah, just uhm- looking for my lighter” which wasn’t completely a lie.

The sparkling flickers from your lighter catch his eyes as an orange haze fills the enclosed space. His fingers immediately flick over the button to his side lightly cracking your window. “What a gentleman.” you say through pursed lips as you blow out your first drag. “Let me get a hit.” tilting his head out toward you before facing the road again. You can’t help but laugh at his confidence gasping dramatically. “Going out to a metal show and now smoking? These things aren’t good for you, you know?”. you act appalled. “Yeah, and neither is me watching how pretty you look smoking them.” he says matter-of-factly. “and with the amount of effort I went through to retrieve that fucking thing, I think I’ve earned it.”.

Your eyes almost roll into the back of your head with his words, You’ve never heard him speak like this before and his boldness leaves you reeling for more. Your fingers reach to push his loose strands of hair behind his ear as he keeps his eyes ahead. “Fine, but if you vomit at least turn the other way.” holding the lit cigarette up to his plush lips with your index and pointer fingers. His head makes a quick maneuver before wrapping his lips around the end, lightly kissing the skin on your knuckles before a harsh cough rings through the air. His face wrinkled in disgust as he waves his hand back and forth over his face to clear the smoke.

“Jesus Christ!” he loudly exclaims still halfway choking in the fog. “I can’t believe you sent me off all alone, into the cold night for that shit.” forcing out a laugh as he wipes tears out of his eyes, causing you to erupt in laughter at the sight making him smile like an idiot. Ashing your cigarette through the cracked window you tell him you’re surprised he handled it as well as he did, which he credits to the lone cigarette he stole from his mom’s purse in the eighth grade preparing him for this very moment.

You know, I feel pretty stupid about it now but uh-“ Steve breaks the silence with a chuckle full of nerves. “I never really tried to talk to you much because I figured Robin had filled your head up with ideas about me.” feeling the sincerity in his words fueling the rapid thumping in your chest. “Quite the opposite actually, she spent years trying to convince me to put up with you.” you admit. “Fuck off.” he scoffs at your response like you’re playing some cruel joke on him. It’s not a wild assumption to make. Robin would spend hours talking your ear off about every single detail of what’s happening around her since the last time she’s seen you so he knew a few rough stories had to have slipped through the cracks.

“I mean it! You used to be a real shithead, you know. I guess I just never fully adjusted to the fact that you had changed until now…” you say sheepishly. The last two words played over in his head on repeat, fueling his ego. “Until now? So you’re like totally into me, right?” he mocks in his best trying-to-be serious voice. “In your dreams, Harrington.” you reply slyly but to him, he feels like he’s already in one. He can’t fathom the idea of someone not wanting to attach themselves to you.

His hair bouncing off of the side of his neck to the beat of the tune he’s tapping out on the steering wheel has you stuck in a trance, his perfectly carved jaw bone mixed with your buzz filling your brain with filthy ideas. Your thoughts are cut short by the rhythmic ticking signaling you are turning down his street. Steve lives in a remarkably nice house for his age. He landed some cushy work-from-home position at some local finance startup that just so happened to take off, earning him a decently sized salary which you only know about because of Robin’s gossip.

The end of Steve’s driveway brings you a sense of restlessness anticipating his next move as the space grows dark after the rays from the headlights die down. His veiny hands reach for the door handle swinging it open before his slender legs branch out. He quickens his pace in a light jog making his way to you before you get the chance to let yourself out. “Slow down there sweetheart, what kind of gentleman would I be if I left you to open your own door?” he coos, as if you are the most fragile thing on earth before extending his hand out for you to grab onto.

His arm immediately moves to rest over the dip in your back once you’re standing, sending shocks over your skin and you are utterly content with just staying like this the rest of the night. He motions out widely with both of his arms with his waist still pressed snuggly against yours, displaying the surroundings to you. “Welcome home.” he grins sliding his key in the door.

༺ the end.

chapter v: ‘like nothing matters’

coming: soon!

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