#brotherly dustin henderson

[italiansteebie]

Secret relationship steddie getting through vecna without suspicions from the others until steve hasn’t left eddie’s bedside for a week and he somehow knows wayne munson's phone number from memory and even gets a hug from the man when he enters the room. And he gets to stay when the others are kicked out.

It’s only when eddie wakes up that everything comes out.

He cracks open his eyes, meeting the gazes of dustin, wayne, and robin, but no steve.

“Where’s my baby?” he murmurs, and from the outside it sounds like “where mah beebee.” He watches the faces in front of him turn into something of confusion. “My baby, my baby. I want him.” It comes out clearer, and unfortunately for them wayne understands immediately and unknowingly outs them. “Steve’s off gettin’ some food, he’ll be back in just a minute,” Wayne pats eddie’s hand gently, watching as the kid smiles, eyes drooping once again.

Dustin and robin share a look but they choose to ignore it, maybe wayne heard wrong or eddie is just on too many painkillers.

Until steve walks in, seeing eddie’s eyes, tired, but open. He drops the coffee he’d brought back for wayne and bolts to eddie’s side.

Eddie raises a hand and cups steve’s face, “hey baby.” and for the first time, dustin and robin see steve harrington cry. “I told you-” he pauses to sniffle, “I told you not to be a hero,” his voice cracks, holding back tears. Eddie grabs his hand “‘M still here, baby.” and the dam breaks. Steve is sobbing into eddies chest, while the metalhead runs a weak hand through his hair.

Wayne would deny it with all his heart if anyone asked, but he shed a tear at the display in front of him, he wasn’t sure about steve harrington the first time eddie brought him home, but damn, the kid weaseled his way into his heart. And as touching as the moment was, dustin and robin where still highly confused.

Steve’s tears slowed, and he lifted his head from eddies chest, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

“Uh. Excuse me?” robin broke the silence, and the little world steve had found himself in shattered.

Eddie smiled though, ever the brave. “Me nd stevie are datin’. He’s mah baby.” he ended the sentence by placing a sloppy kiss on steve’s cheek. Dustin was, surprisingly, satisfied with that answer, but robin was not.

“YOU MADE FUN OF ME OVER TAMMY WHEN YOU’RE HERE WITH… HIM?”

Steve blushed, “We had just met when i started at scoops okay! It was really new, i- i didn’t know how to tell you so…. I just decided to be overly supportive by bashing your taste in women.”

This set robin off, and she didn’t stop until a nurse came in and threatened to have her removed from the premises.

[solarmorrigan]

(Slight disclaimer: I haven't seen S2 in almost a year and parts of it are hazy, so if some details here seem repetitive/don't quite match up... don't worry about it, I love you <3)

cw: anxiety, mentions of past child abuse

-

Steve had not, for the record, wanted to spend his Saturday tromping around by the stream in the woods searching for tadpoles. He’d wanted to go to the movies, or maybe get lunch, or even just hang out, but Dustin had insisted, and now Steve is slopping through the muddy grass and trying to figure out if there’s any way he can get them home without getting the inside of his car filthy.

(Probably not.)

It’s not that he’s opposed to getting his hands dirty when he needs to, it’s just that hunting for baby frogs doesn’t seem like a need to Steve, no matter what Dustin says. He probably shouldn’t be such a pushover for the kid, but– Steve’s actually a little worried about him.

He’s been in a nasty mood for the last couple of weeks, alternating between snappish and sullen, throwing biting comments at Steve that go beyond his usual know-it-all lilt, or else going silent and only shrugging when Steve tries to ask him questions.

And Steve’s trying not to take it personally; they’d hung out a lot through the winter and on into the new spring, and he knows Dustin isn’t normally like this, and he doesn’t think it’s anything he’s done (Dustin keeps seeking him out, so it’s probably not him), but it’s definitely something. So when Dustin had actually suggested something for them to do, had actually seemed excited about it, Steve had been hard pressed to say no.

Even if it meant mud.

“Hey,” Steve calls as Dustin pulls ahead of him to start climbing down the embankment that pens in the stream. “Watch it, alright? It’s slippery.”

“I know what I’m doing, Steve,” Dustin snaps, and Steve can practically hear him rolling his eyes.

“Fine, sorry for giving a shit if you break your leg or something,” Steve mutters, beginning the precarious trip down the embankment himself. “You don’t have to bite my head off.”

Dustin sighs. “Whatever.”

Steve shakes his head. He really hopes this isn’t just the start of puberty, or something. He doesn’t think he can handle another four or five years of this attitude.

(He doesn’t even question it anymore, the assumption that he’ll be around as Dustin continues growing up; it just seems like kind of a given.)

“So what are we doing here, again?” Steve asks when they reach the stream.

“I told you: we’re looking for tadpoles.” Dustin tosses a glance at Steve. “Baby frogs.”

“Yeah, dude, I know what a tadpole is, I did actually pass second grade science,” Steve snarks back. “Why are we looking for them, though?”

“I need them for school. For a science project,” Dustin says, peeling off to start looking in the shallow edges of the stream.

“Right…” Steve moves off in the opposite direction, looking for the shape of a thing he remembers seeing in a science textbook probably too many years ago.

They search in silence for a little bit, nothing but the sound of the woods and babble of water between them, but Steve keeps half his attention on Dustin even as he looks. If the kid falls in the stream and drowns, Claudia will never forgive him. He twitches a little when he watches Dustin skid over a rocky patch on the bank, but he finds his footing quickly enough, so Steve keeps his mouth shut.

“You’re not gonna, like, experiment on these things, are you?” Steve asks idly, finally tiring of the silence.

“Of course not!” Dustin exclaims. “I’m just gonna study ‘em. I’ll give them a good home and everything!”

“Alright, alright.” Steve holds up his hands in surrender. “Just checking that it’s not going to end up like the last time you brought in something weird from outside.”

Dustin stops walking, going quiet for a long moment, and when he turns around Steve is startled to see that he looks pissed.

“I’m not actually an idiot, Steve!” he barks. “I can tell the difference between a frog and some kind of alien monster!”

“Okay, sorry, I didn’t–”

“It’s not like I saw D’art and thought he was anything from around here!” Dustin goes on, stalking back towards Steve. “I didn’t think he was just some kind of fucked up frog! I knew he was something different, there was scientific merit in wanting to study him, and I’m sick of everyone acting like it was just some stupid mistake!”

“I didn’t mean to– Careful!”

Steve has no time to do much more than shout a warning and throw out a useless hand as Dustin goes skidding back over the slick, rocky patch, then slips and goes down hard, catching himself on his hands and one knee.

“Shit, Henderson, are you okay?” Steve is kneeling in front of Dustin in a blink, already searching for visible injuries; he’s probably fine, it hadn’t looked like he’d hit anything vital on the way down, but it couldn’t hurt to just check.

Dustin doesn’t move, his head still hanging between his shoulders, his back so tense he’s almost trembling, and worry starts to bloom in the pit of Steve’s stomach.

“Henderson?” Steve tries again, and that’s when he hears it – the sniffle.

Shit.

“Hey. Dustin,” Steve says, slipping into the same calm, firm register he uses when he’s lifeguarding, without even realizing he’s done it (honestly, he’d had to deal with a lot more kids with scraped knees than he had potential drowning victims when he’d worked at the public pool); he cups his hand over the back of Dustin’s neck, squeezing gently to get his attention. “I need you to let me see. I need to make sure you’re alright.”

Slowly, Dustin shifts so that he’s sitting with both knees bent in front of him, though he keeps his head bent down – and that’s fine, Steve won’t make him look up just yet. Instead, he does a quick inspection of everything else; both of Dustin’s palms are a little scraped up, and one is bleeding a bit, but it’s his knee that got the worst of it. It looks like it caught and scraped on the sharp edge of a rock, leaving a bleeding strip of skin that curves across the surface of it.

(It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if Dustin hadn’t insisted on wearing shorts in March, but whatever. Now really isn’t the time to argue about practical fashion.)

“Okay, this looks like a pretty shallow scrape. I bet it stings like hell, but it’ll be a million times better once we get it cleaned up,” Steve says, framing the wound with gentle fingers, careful to avoid the drip of blood streaming down Dustin’s shin.

Still, Dustin says nothing. He’s practically trembling now, sniffling again, and Steve frowns.

“Did you hurt yourself anywhere else?” he asks.

Dustin shakes his head.

“Are you sure? Did you hit your head when you went down? You should let me–”

“I’m not hurt, Steve, Jesus fucking Christ!” Dustin snaps, finally looking up; his cheeks are red and his eyes are watery and he’s clearly trying hard to hold everything in, so Steve does his best not to rock the boat too hard.

“Okay,” he says, low and smooth, still stuck halfway in crisis management mode, “then can you tell me what’s wrong?”

“Everything!” Dustin chokes. “Fucking everything is wrong, okay? I keep – I keep having nightmares and I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks and I’m so tired.” He loses the fight with his tears and they finally spill over, running down his face. “And my mom was talking about Mews the other day, like, just stuff he used to do, and she misses him even though we have Tews, and sometimes I feel like I killed the stupid cat, and I just–”

“Shit, dude, I’m sorry.” Steve reaches up and cups his hand right at the juncture of Dustin’s shoulder and neck, giving him another gentle squeeze. “You didn’t kill your cat, okay?”

Dustin gives a congested snort that’s distinctly lacking in his usual derision. “Yeah, I know that about the same as I know there’s nothing coming to get me at night, but I still can’t sleep.” He sniffs again, reaching up and trying to smear his tears away with the back of his hand. “I’m so done with this, I just– I want it to be over. It’s supposed to be over.”

There’s a little tremor in Dustin’s voice, and Steve’s heart breaks a little bit, because he knows exactly what Dustin means – he knows what the nightmares are like, he knows the guilt over things you can’t change, he knows the feeling of jumping at shadows. And fuck, the kid’s still so young.

(Never mind that Steve’s not even scraping nineteen yet. Never mind that.)

He should probably talk to an actual professional, or something—get some real help—but Steve isn’t sure there’s anyone out there that Dustin can talk to about government coverups and literal monsters from a hell dimension beneath their town. He’s not sure if there’s anyone even qualified. And while Steve sure as hell doesn’t feel qualified to do anything, either, he’d been there with Dustin when it happened, and he’s here with Dustin now, so he’s going to do his best.

“Okay, c’mere,” Steve says, giving one of Dustin’s arms a tug.

Dustin doesn’t argue, doesn’t even question him, and that’s almost more alarming than anything else; he follows Steve a few feet over to a grassy patch at the foot of the embankment and leans heavily into Steve’s side when they sit down again. The grass is a little wet, but Steve doesn’t even feel it as he wraps an arm around Dustin’s back and pulls him closer.

They spend a minute with Dustin’s face half buried in Steve’s shoulder before Dustin gives a muffled grunt of annoyance and tries to pull away. “This is bullshit,” he mutters.

Steve quashes the way he wants to flinch at the declaration and looks down at Dustin instead. “What?”

“Sitting here crying my ass off. It’s stupid. I’m being a baby,” Dustin says, trying to wipe his face clean even as more tears replace the ones he’s just dried away.

“It’s not stupid. Crying is normal,” Steve says.

Dustin scoffs, still trying to pull out of Steve’s hold, but Steve keeps a hand in the middle of his back, unwilling to let him go far.

“I’m serious,” Steve insists. “It’s, like, a normal body reaction, or something. It happens. People cry.”

“You don’t,” Dustin shoots back, and Steve can’t help the instinctive huff of this-isn’t-actually-funny-at-all laughter.

“Yeah, man, because I’m kinda fucked up.”

It’s clearly not the reaction Dustin is expecting, and he stares up at Steve with furrowed brows. “What?”

And– well, fair’s fair, isn’t it? Dustin told Steve what’s bothering him, so Steve can open up a little bit in return, can’t he?

Besides, he can’t really think of any other way to convince Dustin that he’s not just pulling some cool, tough guy shit.

No, he doesn’t stop to cry, but it’s hardly even a choice anymore.

“I used to cry really easily, actually,” Steve says, looking away from Dustin and staring out at the stream instead. “Like, over everything. Literally cried over a glass of milk I spilled once.”

Dustin gives a wet huff of laughter, and Steve allows himself the tug of a quick smile.

“My dad fucking hated it. He was always telling me to stop whining, stop crying, stop acting like–” –a little bitch, Steven. Alright, maybe Dustin didn’t need to hear everything his dad had said to him. “He said I needed to toughen up, be a man. The last time I really cried, I was, like, nine, I think? I don’t even remember what it was over, I just remember that it pissed my dad off. And he said he’d give me something to cry about, and, uh–”

Steve can feel Dustin going tense under his palm, as if he’s afraid of what comes next, and that’s fine. Steve has no problem stopping there; it’s not a story he’d relish retelling in its entirety.

“Anyway, after that, I just kinda… made myself stop. Just like he wanted. And honestly?” Steve blows out a breath, still staring hard at the stream. “It just makes everything worse, holding that shit in. Makes you feel like shit.”

Makes you want to make other people feel like shit, too, because at least it’s an outlet.

“So, whatever. ‘Be a man.’ That’s bullshit.” Steve has known for years that his dad is an asshole, that the things he says are shit, and maybe he’s never known what to do in the face of it, maybe he’s never reacted in a way that’s healthy or even safe, but that doesn’t mean he has to spread the disease around. “Don’t be like me, man, be like you. Cry if you have to.”

Slowly, Dustin wilts back into Steve’s side, curling up under his arm and burying his face half in Steve’s shoulder again.

“You’re actually really smart sometimes,” Dustin mumbles against Steve’s shirt, and Steve snorts.

“Yeah, once in a while I might have some shit worth listening to.”

Dustin’s shoulders start shaking again, so Steve slings his arm more tightly around his back, and Dustin wraps an arm around his middle and clutches at Steve’s sweatshirt. At this point, it’s probably beyond stained with mud and snot and the blood from Dustin’s palms, but Steve can’t really bring himself to care. It’s not like it’s his favorite.

It isn’t the most comfortable place for a breakdown; March in Indiana is still chilly, and the grass is still damp, and the ground is hard, and Dustin’s cap keeps jabbing Steve in the collarbone, but Steve isn’t going to move until Dustin is ready. So they stay a while.

(Steve does end up knocking Dustin’s cap off, because it really is annoying, but he can’t help the little trill of fondness that goes through his chest when he realizes that he can faintly smell the shampoo he’d recommended to him.)

Finally, Dustin pulls away with a heavy sigh, snatching his hat back up and placing it firmly on his head, and Steve takes that to mean that it’s time to go.

“Alright, I’ve got a first aid kit in the car, and I think we can at least tape you together long enough to get back to my house,” Steve says, heaving himself up off the ground.

“We didn’t find any tadpoles, though,” Dustin says, looking back at the stream. “I seriously do need some for my project.”

“We can come back tomorrow,” Steve says, even though he really doesn’t want to spend his Sunday tromping around by the stream in the woods searching for tadpoles.

“Yeah?” Dustin aims a hopeful little smile up at him. “Can I stay over?”

Steve shrugs. “If your mom says it’s fine, yeah.”

(They both know she will.)

“Awesome.” Dustin grins, but it’s a pale shadow of its usual intensity; the kid looks wrung out.

Steve glances up the embankment and then looks back at Dustin.

“Hey,” he says. “You want a lift?”

Dustin, who had been preparing to start the climb back up, looks over at him in confusion. “What?”

“Up the hill.” Steve jerks his head towards the incline.

“How?”

“Piggyback ride. One-time offer.”

“Dude, it’s steep as shit. And I just had a growth spurt,” Dustin scoffs. “There’s no way you can carry me up that thing.”

Steve smirks. “Wanna bet?”

“What do I win?” Dustin asks.

“You get to pick the movie when we get back to my house,” Steve offers.

Dustin chews it over for a moment, then nods. “Deal.”

“Deal.” Steve kneels down. “Hop on. And try not to choke me.”

When Steve stands up again, Dustin settled against his back, he realizes he may have slightly overestimated his own abilities; light, Dustin is not (the kid’s almost fourteen now, Jesus H. Christ), but Steve isn’t one to back down from a challenge.

He starts up the embankment.

“When I win, after you drop us both back down the hill,” Dustin says, “I’m gonna pick Ghostbusters.”

Steve groans. They’ve watched that movie a hundred times now, and he has his limits. “When we get to the top, and I win, I’m going to pick anything but Ghostbusters.”

“Dream on, Steve,” Dustin pats his chest, and Steve keeps climbing.

They’re about halfway up when Dustin laughs in his ear, clutching more tightly around Steve’s neck as the incline gets steeper. “Holy shit, you’re actually doing it!”

“Told you,” Steve says, proudly sounding only a little strained.

He does have to drop Dustin’s legs and use his hands to make sure he doesn’t lose his balance when they get near the top, which does result in Dustin choking him, but Steve gets his revenge by wiping the excess mud on his palms off on the front of Dustin’s shorts once they get over the edge of the embankment.

(“Dude, what the hell!”

“You were already muddy!”)

Still, Dustin laughs and chatters all the way back to the car, still a little more quietly than usual, but Steve doesn’t think he’s seen him smile this much in weeks, so the strain he can already feel setting up in his legs and back is probably worth it.

And they will not be watching Ghostbusters (again) when they get back to his house, but maybe he’ll pick one of the Star Wars movies instead.

He can’t fix everything for Dustin, but he can at least make sure they have a good night – and sometimes, that’s good enough.

[Prompt: Piggyback rides]

[shares-a-vest]

Steve looks up from his magazine, one of Keith’s many car subscriptions that he is gifted as leftovers, to find Dustin not not looking straight at him and fiddling with the same copy of Hello! Dolly he had picked up a solid ten minutes ago.

He is fairly certain he knows Dustin’s movie preferences. And they don’t include Barbara Streisand’s matchmaking through song and big hats.

Dustin turns away, revealing a backpack that now sports a gigantic Hellfire patch sewn onto the front pocket, courtesy of Robin and Eddie’s joint sewing endeavours.

“Henderson!” Steve calls, frowning.

Nothing. The kid might as well be twiddling his goddamn thumbs as he chances a glance over he shoulder, very obviously hearing him.

Steve snaps the magazine shut and rounds the counter to the musical section. But Dustin scampers away, setting a steady pace as he comically power walks down the split horror-comedy aisle in order to double back to the front of the store.

“Hey! What the hell, man?” Steve says, taking a few strides to get ahead of the kid so Dustin is blocked right between him and the front candy display, “What the hell is up with you?”

He probably sounds more accusatory than curious, judging by Dustin’s wide and panicked eyes. The boy shrugs and looks away.

Yeah, Dustin not talking and not blabbering away about anything, let alone whatever it is that’s up? Fucking weird.

Steve looks him over, examining his young friend’s movements as he shuffles on the spot and periodically scuffs his sneakers on the sun-faded green carpet.

“Um, uhhh...” Dustin hums after a long pause.

Still strangely incomprehensible for him – but it’s something, at least.

“What is it?” he asks, voice low as he searches for a shred of eye contact.

“Do you, I dunno... maybe...” Dustin trails off, gesturing in the air as a pair of nervous eyebrows disappear up under the Cubs cap Steve gifted him for Christmas 1984.

Not that Dustin cares about the Cubs – then or now.

Dustin slips his hands under his backpack straps and rocks on the spot as he continues prattling on.

“Do you wanna hang out on Sunday? I mean, if you don’t have a date or anything.”

The kid sticks out his bottom lip and rolls his eyes, not at all appearing as casual as he seems to want to be.

“Sure,” Steve shrugs, confused.

Jesus Christ, since when is this kid all nervous about hanging out?

“Steve,” Dustin sighs deeply, pinching his nose (good, back to his bratty, if a little exasperated, self), “Sunday is Father's Day.”

“Oh.”

He must have passed by the greeting card display at Melvad’s, over and over during every lunch break as he headed in for a can of soda and whatever non Family Video-sponsored candy Keith was craving.

It’s not like he had any reason to remember. His folks haven’t been home since the ‘earthquake’ and they almost never call. Hell, he has enough of a time conversing at any length when his mother does call, let alone asking her to put his father on the phone.

Not that he wants to talk to his non-college attending, barely-high school graduate son who works minimum wage retail and has no girlfriend, anyway.

Not that all of that matters much when Dustin is looking back at him with a rare sadness in his eyes.

“I mean, your dad isn’t home – obviously,” Dustin starts, though not quite as harsh as his usual barbs, “And Will spends the day with Hop now. Eddie and Wayne go fishing. And I would be going to visit my grandpa but he and Nanna went on a cruise. I think they went – ”

“Sure, buddy,” he blurts out, offering a pat on the shoulder to make up for inadvertently cutting the kid off. He pauses and frowns, “But what about your mom?”

Dustin shrugs, “She wants to have a girl’s day with Valerie.”

Ah, yes. Valerie Richardson, Claudia Henderson’s best friend and Hawkins’ biggest town gossip courtesy of her job as the receptionist at the doctor’s office. Steve can’t help but laugh – Valerie really knows her stuff.

“I’m assuming their girl’s day will involve a charcuterie board and wine?”

“Charcuterie,” Dustin mutters, beyond displeased at the thought of dips, fruit and water crackers – a far cry from his mother’s prized lasagne.

“Alright,” Steve announces, rubbing his hands together, “We’d better pick out some movies. I’m thinking we hit the arcade, then have a movie marathon over the cheesiest of pizzas...”

Dustin grins.

[hitlikehammers]

stupid superpower

rating: teen tags: humor, brotherly ribbing, Dustin has a ✨stupid superpower✨, Dustin continues to have issues with his tone ✨for @slashify at my BIRTHDAY MONTH PROMPT FEST for the prompt: Character Has Powers (requested to be Dustin)

“Look, see!” Dustin points at the mat he’s laid out on the coffee table in Steve’s living room. “This is why Dart was so easy, it makes so much sense now.”

He turns to them with the biggest grin that’s getting a little less gummy by the week, now, but…he looks so proud, is the thing.

And it is painful. The pride. What it’s for.

The way they’re gonna have to probably dash it.

“I,” Steve squints at the setup, start to finish, empty cans framing the perimeter before he sighs: “I am not seeing anything, man.”

“No,” Dustin’s voice goes pitchy, really, he should have outgrown that by now, s’looking like it’s a permanent trait, yeesh; “look.”

And he points with such…some superiority, such imperiousness, like…okay, so maybe it’s the least painful of the list, when they have to dash all that pride. Kid’s gotta fucking learn some humility, man. Like, sooner rather than later.

“I told you I could communicate with them!” Dustin pulls off his cap and throws it to the couch, triumphant. Steve watches the mat for a few more seconds before he straights up, cocks his hip and crosses his arms.

“You’re telling me,” he says slowly; “that you talk to slugs.”

Because that…that certainly appears to be what the argument has been. They’d kinda thought Dustin has been joking, in previous passing mention. Eddie, at least, definitely thought he was just being an annoying little prick for how many times he asked if either of them felt particularly chiropteran, muttering about traits from interactions, close encounters, bites would obviously count.

Like, it was Dustin, if they took all the crap he said to heart, weighed it seriously, they’d never do anything else.

Like: ever.

“Interspecial gastropodic extracommunicational phenomena,” Dustin rattles off, a little defensive, if Eddie’s gonna be honest; and it wasn’t exactly called for. Steve just asked a question.

Eddie, on the other hand…

“So slugs and snails,” Eddie confirms, droll as fuck by intention, because Eddie is actually very aware of his tone in most situations, thank you very much; “the shell doesn’t deter you.”

“No, I think it’s the whole at least the whole class, maybe the whole phylum,” and he’s so excited, but, he’s also being a fucking know-it-all about it and there is a part of Eddie that doesn’t want to squash Dustin’s enthusiasm but the bigger part of Eddie, but fucking far, knows for a goddamn fact no one could possible squash Dustin’s enthusiasm, or self-confidence, like, Dustin would happily go toe-to-toe with like, Stephen fucking Hawking, and brag afterward that the intellectual stimulation was lacking.

So Eddie doesn’t actually feel bad about any of this and Dustin rambles on.

“But I think if I got my hands on a limpet, or an abalone—“

And when he looks up he must catch something, like he must be able to tell, to read something despite Eddie being very fucking careful to keep a helluva poker face right now—and Eddie’s kinda proud, because maybe the little shithead can be taught.

“You’re joking,” Dustin concludes, dry as fuck and with the audacity to sound…disappointed? Like in a how-could-you-be-so-juvenile-as-to-stoop-to-this-level kind of way which. Which.

“Not at all,” Eddie clutches his non-existent pearls in mock offense, and Dustin’s eyes just narrow.

“I was right.”

“Might not want to say that too loud, Dusty-Buns,” Eddie shoots right back and Steve coughs unconvincingly to cover a laugh and Eddie bites his bottom lip to stop his own smile, less because of Dustin’s reaction and more just because…Stevie. Being adorable.

Steve being his Stevie.

“Yeah, that feels like slander,” Steve adds in thoughtfully, stroking his chin and everything before he turns to Eddie, considering.

“Can you slander yourself, if you’re embarrassing enough?”

And oh, oh: Eddie adores it when his boyfriend’s bitchy side comes out. He adores it so much.

“‘Course you can, big boy,” Eddie can’t help himself as he leans over and pecks at Steve’s cheek; Dustin scowls at them and Eddie can’t help himself, so he licks up Steve’s cheek for the disgusted grown from Dustin and the half-assed shove from Steve that doesn’t move him further away at all.

“You’re just jealous that I have a superpower,” Dustin ultimately shoots back which: okay, Eddie knows he’s capable of better than that, he’s kind of disappointed, that was so weak.

“It’s a stupid superpower,” Steve points out, plain and simple and Eddie wants to clap his hands. He. Loves. His. Bitchy. Boyfriend.

So. Much.

“Or is it a superpower for stupid?” Eddie asks, turning back to Steve like it’s a genuine question, a worthy debate.

“Naw,” Steve shakes his head, almost regretful; “he is pretty fuckin’ smart.”

“More than one kind of stupid, Stevie,” Eddie notes with due gravitas.

“Envy,” Dustin sniffs, so goddamn superior. “Green’s really not your fucking color,” and ooo, there’s a little snarl, a little sneer on his lips; “either of you.”

“I look good in green,” Steve points out, not even petulant, just factual.

“For example,” Eddie picks up and talks over Dustin’s comment like he never made one, leveling the little asshole with a pointed look:

“Some people are stupid about their tone.”

Steve doesn’t even try to cover his snort that time.

“You look good in everything, sweetheart,” Eddie takes the opportunity to comment, to sneak another kiss to the corner of Steve’s mouth as he purrs; “and out.”

“Disgusting,” Dustin gags and Eddie turns to glare as he bites out:

“Tone!”

Like, way to prove Eddie’s fucking point for him, wow, the lack of self-preservation is overwhelming here.

“I’m gonna go find El,” Dustin announces, like he thinks it’s an airport; “she will be thrilled to have someone like her around—“

“Remember what I said?” Eddie turns to Steve, exaggerates the knowing look he gives; “types of dumb,” then he turns again to Dustin, and knows his look is pitying, because he fucking means for it to be.

“Telekinesis and slug-speak aren’t even in the same universe, man,” and Jesus H., Dustin looks offended at the suggestion, which.

Which.

“The overlap of telepathic—“

“Slugs, Dustin,” Steve butts in, cuts him off; “I drown those fuckers in little bowls of beer in the yard. They go in willingly,” and oh. Oh, Eddie loves his boyfriend.

Eddie loves his boyfriend so goddamn much.

Because he hadn’t even noticed the set up, the slight of hand, because Steve had overturned the can of PBR he hadn’t finished, that had gone warm anyway, and dumped it into the shallow little bowl that used to have pretzel sticks inside, low enough to, to—

“Well they won’t anymore,” Dustin declares, fucking haughty with it; “because I will tell them—“

“Yet behold, special super slug-whisperer,” Eddie gasps and gestures wide to the mat where the slug demonstration had originally taken place: “whatever do we have here?”

What they have there is the little bowl of beer, set on the slug mat.

With slugs already drowned inside.

“Probably maybe you should be smarter about where you stick your attention if you really want to save your precious children from their hoppy graves,” Eddie shrugs, and infuses his words with as much fake fucking concern as he can fit into them because slug-whispering.

Fucking honestly.

Dustin only wastes a few seconds gaping at the scene, mouth working around something—comprehension, maybe, or just some degree of shock—before he turns his eyes up and glares at them both.

“You’re evil,” he says definitively, pointing; “both of you.”

“Go see El, Super Slug,” Eddie smiles indulgently; “she’s absolutely trembling with anticipation at the arrival of an equal, I’m sure of it.”

“After all, didn’t you say,” Steve shrugs and folds his arms over his chest, looks Dustin up and down before delivering the final blow:

“You were right.”

And Dustin scowls, and Eddie cackles, because that’s his brother, that’s their brother.

“Fucking assholes,” Dustin mutters, and leaves his slug mat and the beer-bowl behind as he stomps out the door: these children really need to learn about cleaning up after themselves, even if they leave in a stompy little huff like a goddamn toddler, fucking hell: but still.

Dustin’s their brother.

Like they were ever going to let him get away with bragging about slug powers.

permanent tag list (comment to be added/removed): @pearynice @hbyrde36 @slashify @finntheehumaneater @wxrmland @dreamwatch @perseus-notjackson @estrellami-1 @bookworm0690 

[biboomerangboi]

I love the fact that Dustin and Steve met their mean nerdy platonic soulmates at the same time and bonded through trying to survive a Russian base. Like they literally went SNAP!

[moon-daisie]

there should be a moment in season 5 where steve is upset and he walks off to compose himself so the kids don’t see and after a moment dustin follows him. steve tries to convince him he’s fine and to just go back to the others but dustin isn’t buying it obviously and says “you’ve always been there for us. but we’re not little anymore, we can be there for you too” and they hug

[steddilly]

Steve’s dad is disappointed in him for not getting into college juxtaposed by Dustin’s excitement for Steve getting the job at Scoops Ahoy.

[axellicious]

The duo ever, busting it down to some loud ass music after school 👍👍👍👍

[agent-darkbootie]

;-; I miss him

(He better fuckin come back I SWEAR. GIVE US VAMP EDDIE)

[i-miss-lotor]

Also... it wasn’t just me who looked at the scene where Eddie tells Dustin to never changed and asked myself "Are they about to kiss?", right?

[perrywings]

New Fics

Okay, so, I kinda forgot my tumblr is actually something I gotta update.

I’ve definitely transitioned into a Stranger Things hyperfixation, though I do plan on continuing my other current fics. But I have two ST fics to announce!

I completed a 30 chapter fic for NaNoWriMo 2022 (and won!) called A Distant Ship Smoke On The Horizon! It’s a Post-series AU and an Idiots-to-Lovers Steddie AU featuring Nanny!Steve, Rockstar!Eddie, and a plot line that actually considers implications of Season 3 of Stranger Things. I will not be writing a sequel, but I believe I left off at a satisfying ending.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42845847/chapters/107635425

My current in-progress fic is called Having The Time Of Your Life. This is not similar to the previous fic, and will not be Steddie. The premise is that it’s an Age Reversal and Role Reversal AU (with Eddie, Erica, and Holly as exceptions) where The Party are the older group and and the High Schoolers are the younger group. Although in the long-term, the focus of the fic will be on Steve and Dustin’s brotherly relationship, the fic has begun with Middle Schooler!Steve being taken to the Upside Down in Season 1 (in place of Barb, who lives) and the aftermath of surviving and coming back.

I have 5 Chapters out so far:

Chapter 1 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43433013/chapters/109187178

Chapter 1 Summary: 12-year-old Steve Harrington is taken to the Upside Down.

Chapter 2 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43433013/chapters/109274169#workskin

Chapter 2 Summary: Steve tries to get his bearings in the Upside Down.

Chapter 3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43433013/chapters/109327077#workskin

Chapter 3 Summary: After getting separated from Will, Steve figures out what to do.

Chapter 4 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43433013/chapters/109425852#workskin

Chapter 4 Summary: Steve wakes up in the hospital after his ordeal.

Chapter 5 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43433013/chapters/110290218#workskin

Chapter 5 Summary: Steve tries to get back to his life. This is complicated.

[italiansteebie]

People have started to aggressively care for Steve, and it's a little weird.

But, somehow it's endearing to watch, and it's actually working. Steve was used to corporal punishment, so having care that somehow translates into that is quite effective.

Dustin has started to take note of the best interactions he's happened to overhear.

First it's Robin.

"Okay, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"Go take a fucking nap."

"What?"

"You heard me Harrington, go take a nap or I'm going to knock you the fuck out."

And Steve actually listens! Maybe it's because he's a little afraid of Robin, and doesn't think she knows just how strong she is, but he listens, and he's finally catching up on some much needed sleep.

After that, it's Hopper. Which is interesting because last time Dustin checked, Hopper didn't like Steve all that much... Maybe the trauma bond of being tortured by Russians gave him a change of heart.

"Harrington, I swear to god. If you don't get your ass over here for dinner tonight, I am going to ticket you for all those parties you had in high school."

"I- Hopper? I can't just-"

"Yes, you can. Joyce and I had better see you tonight."

And of course, Dustin being Dustin, he has to put himself on the list.

"Steve, if you don't take me to my therapy appointment I am going to tell Robin you skipped a nap yesterday."

And when they get to Dr. Jonah's office, Steve finds that it's actually his appointment, and get some much needed help.

Dustin, personally, thinks his method is the best, but... Others may disagree. Not that anyone knows he's making this list but. Still.

Anyways, this system works.

And he thinks it may be the best method, until he sees how Eddie gets Steve to care for himself. And yeah, maybe it was weird at first to see his two best older male friends kiss, not in a homophobic way, but a "ew my parents are in love" way, but after he saw how good they are for each other, it stopped being so odd.

"Stevie, have you eaten yet?

"No..."

"Lets go on a picnic!"

"But,"

"No buts! Help me make some sandwiches."

And there's a soft smile on Steve's face.

Maybe Dustin's method isn't the best one.

[cartooncreature]

Would anyone be interested in reading a mostly unedited rough draft of a one shot Stranger Things “how it should’ve ended” type fanfiction about Eddie and Dustin?

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

Dustin Henderson and the Lovebirds

by pukner

Rating: General Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Dustin Henderson & Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Dustin Henderson, Robin Buckley, The Party (Stranger Things) Additional Tags: POV Outsider, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson Friendship, Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson in Love, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, Brotherly Steve Harrington, Soft Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson is Whipped, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Humor, Dungeons & Dragons References, like a lot of them, background ronance and byler Words: 9,748 Chapters: 1/1

Summary

"You look like you've been mauled, dude," says Lucas. Then, after a beat, "Oh, ew." "What the fuck," says Dustin, cottoning on, "What the fuck. This is hell, you didn't." "Oh, I did," says Eddie, with the air of someone who's won something. He looks like the proverbial cat who's got the canary, if the canary wore polos and listened to Blondie. "Shut up," Steve mutters, flushing as he seems to register what's happening, "Guys, it's not what you--uh, this isn't what it looks like--" Or, five times Dustin Henderson was subjected to Eddie Munson being gross and sappy and in love with Steve Harrington, and one time Steve didn't even have to be there.

[steddieunderdogfics]

hi :) i wanted to message to submit a fic for the time loops & travel weekend: Whatever It Takes by monochromevelyn, it's a time travel fix-it

Whatever It Takes by monochromevelyn

Rating: Mature

38,646 words, 7/7 chapters

Archive Warning: No Warnings

Tags: Canon Compliant, but only in the first chapter lol, post season 4 vol 2, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Brotherly Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Fluff, Gay Eddie Munson, Bisexual Steve Harrington, No bisexual crisis here, Steve Harrington Loves The Party, The Party Loves Steve Harrington, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Eventual Happy Ending, Platonic Stobin, Mild Hurt/Comfort, I'm Rewriting The Entire Season 4 At This Point, Steve Harrington-centric, Feral Steve Harrington, Steve's Nail Bat My Beloved, vivid fight scenes

Summary:

But he can’t seem to let go of Eddie’s death. To Steve, it’s unfair that he gets to survive demobats attack, while Eddie dies due to it. It’s unfair that Steve and all of his mindless bravery of charging ahead in every situation are still standing today, while Eddie…Eddie who hid behind his fearless bravado but twitched at a slight sound and shivered with his whole body, who promised Steve to not be a hero but made a bait out of himself to distract enemies away for their plan to work is gone. It’s unfair how unfortunate Eddie was, to die on his first encounter against the upside down, while Steve manages to escape it time and time again. OR: Steve time travels to save Eddie. He falls in love.

Thanks for the rec!

This rec is a part of Theme Weekend. The theme this weekend is Time Loops & Time Travel.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

To Be Loved

Summary; Steve loves Nancy, yn loves Steve. Then Billy comes along and feelings are shaken up.

Warnings; Angst, Jealousy, unrequited feelings or are they? Swearing. Fluff. Buckle up, this is a long fic.

This is my first story after my break, please be patient with me while I begin my writing journey once more 💕

I don't give permission for anyone to copy my work.

If you enjoyed this story then please consider leaving a wee like, comment or reblog. ❤️

Billy is alive so not s4 compliant.

When she was very young yn dreamed of a Prince Charming to whisk her away from Hawkins and to live a happy ever after.

Of course, as the years passed she grew disillusioned with the idea and thought them to be childish hopes, even if somewhere deep down she was still waiting for her charming man- she would never admit to it.

Then over a year ago, Steve Harrington came into her life unexpectedly, he was no longer King Steve, he was kinder and sweeter and he became her friend.

They met through Dustin Henderson, she was his babysitter even though he grumbled about being too old to need a babysitter he was a great kid.

The fact that Dustin and Steve became friends and had a brotherly bond warmed her heart.

Seeing him be so sweet with Dustin was one of the reasons she began to fall for Steve.

Not that it mattered because he was head over heels in love with Nancy Wheeler, Nancy who was perfect and could do no wrong, was badass and smart as a whip.

Then came his crush on Robin and then hookups with different girls than his feelings for Nancy came roaring back to the surface and they had started dating again.

That's when she realised that Steve would never notice her the way she wanted him to.

Over the last month, she had begun dating Billy Hargrove. The events over the summer had shown him in a different light, he was still arrogant at times, but he had finally started acting like a decent big brother to Max and apologised for his previous behaviour.

She believed in second chances and decided to give Billy one. If he ruined that chance then there wouldn't be another.

Max knew and she wasn't thrilled about it.

"Billy will break your heart, you know that right? Just because he's stopped being a shithead, for now, doesn't mean it will last forever"

"I know that Max. I'll be careful okay?" this appeased the redhead only slightly.

"Have you told Steve and Robin about Billy? can't wait to be there for that conversation"

Max had her there because no she hadn't told Robin or Steve, especially not Steve. After all, he hated Billy (with very good reason) and vice versa.

"No but I will alright?" Max huffs then eyes her scrutinizingly.

"This has nothing to do with Steve and Nancy, right? The fact that you spent a whole weekend crying in your room when you found out they got back together?"

How did she know... Dustin told her! That little shit!

"It's nothing to do with Steve" she murmurs and looks away from Max. Was her crush that obvious that everyone knew of it?

💕💕

Her shift with Robin was peaceful that night but guilt weighed on her that she hadn't told Robin about Billy.

It turns out that the decision was taken out of her hands that night when Billy picked her up after work for their date.

Robin gaped between the two of them as Billy's arm slipped around her waist.

"Omg Billy is your new boyfriend. I was so sure it was Eddie Munson or someone like that...

"Steve is gonna freak when he finds out, I'm kinda hurt you never told me but woah! Steve is gonna be mad" she said in such a rush that yn told her to take a breath.

Billy rolls his eyes and stamps out a cigarette he was smoking.

"Steve her keeper or something? She doesn't need permission on who to date. Like Steve can talk when he's dating Little Miss priss, Nancy Wheeler" she frowns at Billy who shrugs.

"You coming or not babe?" she nods quickly talking to Robin.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you okay? I was nervous about how you would react. I promise I'll tell Steve" Robin nods but still looks anxious.

"I have a bad feeling about this" Robin grimaces and that warning hangs in the air as she gets in the car with Billy.

❤️❤️

Back to the future was playing at the local cinema but Billy was persuading her to see a Evil Dead.

"Come on babe. I've not seen it yet, kinda had more shit to deal with in the summer" she softens a bit, wishing he would open up about what he went through due to the Mindflayer, was he still having nightmares?

She touches his shoulder and doesn't see Nancy behind them. Nancy's eyes widen and she tries to school her features into a blank expression as Steve joins her with their tickets.

"You okay?" Nancy nods but can't help but sneak another glance at Billy with yn. When did that happen? Steve never mentioned it and she is sure he would considering the fact he hated Billy.

Now one of his best friends was dating the guy... awkward.

It turns out that Steve doesn't know about them dating because the minute he sees Billy and yn together, Billy with his arms around the girl's waist, Steve marches over to them both.

❤️

"What the fuck? You're dating him" as soon as she hears Steves's enraged voice she feels her stomach drop. Shit!

Billy doesn't look fussed one bit.

"Nice to see you too Steve" Steve glares at Billy and looks at her wounded.

"Out of all the guys you could date. You choose him!" Steve's eyes flash at Billy, she is concentrated on Steve and doesn't see the smirk on Billy's face.

"I resent that Harrington. I have plenty to offer a woman, plenty to keep her pleased" she doesn't miss the innuendo in his tone.

"Not helping Billy" she snaps and Nancy tugs Steve's shoulder.

"Let's go, Steve" Steve swallows and looks to her sadly.

"Why didn't you tell me" Billy snorts at this and shrugs.

"Gee man maybe because you act like this?" he motions sarcastically to Steve glaring at him.

"Would you shut the fuck up, Hargrove? I bet you're loving this huh?" Billy smirks.

"She's not yours Steve. She can do what she pleases" The tension grows thicker and she steps in.

"Enough okay. Steve, I'm sorry I didn't tell you okay? I know you hate Billy, and I know he's been an asshole but he's been through shit we can't even imagine" she pauses.

"He needs someone to listen and be there for him". Steve grits his teeth and takes her arm guiding her away from Billy and Nancy.

"He wants to get you into bed yn" she sighs.

"Why can't you trust me, Steve? I know what I'm doing" Steve scowls.

"He's going to hurt you. You don't even see it. You're so naive" she takes a step back and Steve runs his hand through his hair.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that but..." she cuts him off.

"I'm naive. What about you Steve?" he looks confused and she shakes her head.

"You get back with Nancy again! She will hurt you again because she can never decide between you and Jonathan and she will break your heart" his eyes flash annoyed.

"Don't put this on me or bring Nancy into this! We're fine. Nance and I are fine, this is about you and him" he jerks a thumb at Billy, you're blind to his faults"

"Like you aren't with Nancy! She's so perfect to you and the ideal that you never gave anyone else a chance" she blurts out and he scowls.

"I gave other girls a chance but it's Nancy who I belong with".

"Because no one else could compare right?" tears blur her vision and she wipes them away hastily. It's always been the truth but it still makes her heart hurt.

"What's this all about? I'm happy with Nancy so what's the problem?" she stays quiet and buries her feelings away. Like always.

Steve turns the conversation back to Billy.

"You're making a mistake with him yn and you're too stubborn to admit it! Don't come crying to me when he breaks your heart alright!" she glares at him.

"Ditto" she huffs and storms away, Billy chuckles.

"King Steve, you really have a way with women huh?" she tugs on Billy's shirt just wanting to go.

Steve flips him off and goes with Nancy in the opposite direction.

❤️

It had been over a week since her blowout argument with Steve and the silence between the two of them hurt her heart.

She wants to apologise but doesn't know how.

Because it turns out Steve was right, she was naive and she did get hurt by Billy.

Billy who assumed their relationship was casual and they could date other people but not before he spent the days before that rubbing their relationship in Steve's face.

Kissing her whenever Steve was looking, showing up to pick her up from school when Steve was picking up Nancy and Robin.

Flirting with the other senior girls in her class when she wasn't looking...

Shit, she was such a fool.

Steve was on shift with her at Family Video and she tried not to notice the shouting before he came in, the fact him and Nancy were fighting.

Something that was hard to ignore when she saw the devastated look on his face. All she wanted to do was give him a big hug and tell him everything would be okay.

He catches her looking over and slams the VHS tapes into the shelves.

"You can say I told you so" he grumbles and she bites her lip, she doesn't want to fight again.

"I'm not going to say that, you would have to say the same to me anyway," she tells him and shrugs weakly.

Steves eyes flash.

"Did that asshole hurt you?" she shakes her head.

"No, I was stupid to trust him. You were right about that" he moves closer to her and pulls her into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I was a jerk" she relaxes, feeling better than she had been in days.

"I'm sorry too" he rests his head on top of hers.

"God, am I a loser in love or what?" he jokes and she kisses his cheek.

"You and Nancy will work it out" she assures him and he looks unsure.

"You were right. About her and Jonathan. There's always going to be feelings there and I just... It's frustrating you know?" she feels her heart ache for him.

"Steve, you deserve better than constantly feeling like you're not good enough"

"It gets to me. Why am I not enough, it fucking sucks" he closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Steve" she takes his hand and he squeezes it. "You're such a good guy, you're sweet and caring and handsome. You deserve to be loved fully, not by half"

He smiles.

"Yeah, know someone who loves me that much?" he teases and she feels flustered and looks away from him.

The truth is threatening to burst out. Steve softens seeing her agonized face.

"Hey. You okay?" she nods and he keeps looking at her with a concerned expression.

"You can tell me" he murmurs and she feels tears spill down her cheek, he wipes the tears away.

"Woah, hey, hey it's okay. Don't cry. What's wrong?" she wipes her eyes hastily.

"I can't... Please drop it, Steve" he keeps staring at her with that sweet expression and it makes her want to spill how she feels so badly but she can't.

"Is this about what I said? About you knowing someone who is in love with me? It's just a silly joke, I know there is no one" he asks confused.

"Yes there is" she whispers and his eyes widen.

"Wait who?" she cringes and wishes a customer, Robin, anyone would come in right now.

"Yn?" he inquires curiously.

"I do" she admits and he stills. Robin does come in at that point and looks between the two of them.

"Oh shit, did you make her upset you dingus" Steve looks to Robin and back at her still stunned.

"You love me?" he whispers and Robin's eyes widen. Embarrassed she rushes out of the store and into her car.

Why the hell did she tell him? What an idiot!

❤️💕

She didn't know what to say to Steve. How could she take back what she said? It was out in the open now and she was cursing herself for saying anything.

He loved Nancy, not her. This would lead to nothing but a broken heart for her.

When she heads into Family Video she notices Nancy is there with Steve, she's trying to talk to him but he refuses to speak to her.

"We broke up for a reason Nance. Just leave me alone alright?"

They broke up? Guilt churns in her stomach that she admitted she loved him. Was that part of the reason?

Not wanting to disturb them she heads into the back and is stunned to see the back door open and Billy sprawled on the floor nursing a beer.

"Uh, does Steve know your here?" Billy snorts.

"When would he notice? he's spent half an hour arguing with Wheeler." she eyes the beer and his tired eyes and feels a tug on her heart.

"I can drive you home if you like?" he swallows and nods.

"Thanks, don't know why I ended up here. Just kinda stumbled in a daze. Woke up from a nap that was full of fucking nightmares and just wanted to forget shit" she rubs his arm soothingly.

"You need a friend, someone to speak to about this who will help you, a therapist" he glares at her then loses the harsh look.

"Would you go with me?" he asks quietly and she nods squeezing his hand.

He gets up and is unsteady on his feet. His eyes are wet and she hugs him.

"What the hell is he doing here?" she hears Steve's voice call out and turns to find him staring at her and Billy.

"He's drunk Steve, I'm going to take him home".

"You lay a finger on her" Steve warns Billy who flips him off.

"Fuck off" she steps between the two of them sensing danger.

"Steve, I'll be fine. Billy, come on" she takes his hand and Steve's eyes darken a little or maybe she was imagining that?

Billy follows her out and sprawls in the backseat.

"Thank you for doing this," he says after a moment and she nods. She couldn't leave him like that.

"It's okay" he groans as he sits up and rubs his head.

"Steve wasn't happy" he comments and she nods, yup. She knows that.

"I couldn't leave you like that, Steve will understand. He's just protective" Billy grins and his blue eye shine mischievously.

"Aw honey. He's out of his mind with jealousy" she gapes then laughs.

"He is not jealous, he'll be back with Nancy sooner or later no doubt" Billy rolls his eyes.

"Like that will last. They aren't meant to be together babe. Anyone can see that"

There's no way she was entertaining that idea. Steve wasn't jealous, there was no way.

"You didn't see his face when we were together babe. Granted he hates me as much as I hate him but this was different. He loves you, even if he doesn't realise it yet"

Her heart is racing but she refuses to let herself hope and concentrates on getting Billy home and in bed which takes a lot longer than planned as Max gives him an earful when they head in.

After calling Robin to explain on the landline, and Robin offering to cover her shift (which she's very grateful for) she helps Billy get into bed where he falls into a deep sleep.

By the end of it, she's exhausted but makes sure Max is okay.

When that is finally done it's past eleven and she heads home.

❤️❤️

There's a light tapping at her window and she wakes in a daze. Someone is outside and she nearly screams out loud until she realises that its Steve.

Sleepily she gets up and opens the window bracing against the chilly air.

"Steve. What are you doing here?" he sits on her bed.

"I got worried when you didn't show up for your shift and wanted to check on you"

"That's sweet. It could have waited until morning though. You could have frozen out there. How did you even get on my roof?"

"Stealthy like a ninja" he teases and it makes her giggle. He bites his lip.

"I wanted to talk about what you said. You told me you loved me" shit. This was the crux of the situation.

Tonight she would be brave and tell him what he wanted to know. Brace for his inevitable rejection.

"I meant it. I know you don't feel the same though, I'm not Nancy" he stands up and reaches out to stroke her cheek.

"We broke up, she still loves Jonathan. I was tired of feeling second best. We are over for good" she gently strokes his hand with her fingers.

"I'm sorry about you and Nancy" he nods.

"About what you said"... oh boy, she was dreading this.

''Look, Steve even if you did feel the same I would just worry I was some sort of second choice or a rebound" he softens.

"You could never ever be a second choice or a rebound sweetheart" she peers up at him.

"You know Billy had some silly idea last night that you were out of your mind with jealousy about me and him"

He moves closer to her and it makes her heart race.

"Doesn't sound silly to me" Wait... what? Steve gazes at her, expression full of tenderness.

"God, you're beautiful and I am an idiot who should have noticed what has been in front of him this whole time" okay she was dreaming right now wasn't she? She pinches herself lightly to be sure.

Okay, not dreaming. Fuck. This was really happening.

"Tell me," he asks her softly and she feels tingles run up and down her body as he takes her hand and presses a delicate kiss on her palm.

"Steve" she can barely breathe as he presses another kiss there.

Their eyes lock and she grins.

"I love you" his lips meet hers and it feels incredible, everything she has ever dreamed about. He presses feather light kisses t her hair.

"I love you, sweetheart. Im sorry I took so long to realise but I plan to make it up to you, show you how much I love you every single day" she beams.

"Every day huh?" he nods and pulls her closer to him, so her body is flush against his.

"Starting right now"

❤️