Steve Harrington x fem!reader
[1.7k] prompt: “Take my jacket, it’s cold.” Not quite enemies to something, late night walks, clothes sharing.
“Take my jacket,” you turned, arms crossed, eyes wary as you looked at the boy beside you. “It’s cold,” he insisted, pushing the soft denim into your hands.
No matter how bad you expected your night to go, you didn’t anticipate Steve Harrington to be walking you home.
The Spring Fling at the Hawkins country club was something your parents never missed and every year, they insisted on bringing you with them, showing you off to the highest members of society. The mayor, Doctor Stewart and his very single son, the Parsons - didn’t you know, they just bought a yacht?
It was the same every time but as you got older, your patience wore a little thinner and by nine o’clock, you’d ate as much as you could of your dinner, insisting that you were twenty years old now, so yes, you were certain you didn’t like fucking crab cakes.
The band had started playing, your parents leaving you at the table so they could mingle with the other guests and by the time you’d found a pay phone in the lobby, the only number you could remember was Steve fucking Harrington’s.
It wasn’t like you hated the boy, no. But you weren’t exactly friends either. The most you had in common was the fact that you seemed to share babysitting duties for Max and the Sinclairs, plus the fact that you both attended the same school.
You always seemed to collide on your worst days, when one of you was running late, when Dustin wanted a ride to the arcade, When Will and Mike just had to tell you about the new movie they’d seen. So you were usually both frazzled, missing your first hour at work and with no time for small talk.
You’d bump into Steve at the kids D&D meetings, Max insisting you had to watch the end of Will’s campaign but Steve would be there too and somehow, you both would end up bickering over Erica’s sugar intake or the fact that El wanted to join the swim team.
“I don’t think putting El in a giant tank of water would be good for her, Harrington, talk about bad connotations?”
“What’re you talkin’ about, it’s a pool! She floats like a fish, she'll be fine!”
Dustin always laughed, Max always smirked and Robin said it was repressed sexual tension.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t supposed to be this.
He’d sounded a little surprised when he answered your call but covered it up with something snarky and teasing, a comment that went a little like, “I always knew you’d end up needing me late at night, princess.”
You thought it was the end of the call when he told you his car was in the garage, a punctured tire that was getting fixed. But then he told you to wait where you were, sitting in the Club lobby, hands pulling nervously at the hem of your dress, and he’d come get you anyway.
He’d opened the front door, ignoring how the staff threw him disgruntled looks, his faded jeans and soft cotton T-shirt standing out against the sea of tuxedos and black ties in the worst way. The best way, you’d thought fleetingly. He’d tilted his head at you, as if it were the most natural thing, and then you were sneaking out, his hand on the small of your back as he guided you down the stairs in your heels and well, fuck.
Steve fucking Harrington.
You pulled the jacket over your shoulders, the collar smelling like mint and something woodsy, something you’d come to realise was just Steve. The sleeves were too big, the hem of the jacket falling to the same part of your thighs that your dress skimmed and you blew a breath out into the cool, night air.
The roads were empty and wet, the leftover scent of rain soaking into the sidewalks from the April shower that you must’ve missed during the mayor's speech. The air smelled like pine and the faintest hint of summer, a promise of warmer nights and longer days, coconut sunscreen and fresh lemonade.
You eyed the boy carefully, gazing from under your lashes to find him walking with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his state already set on you.
“Why’re you doing this?” You asked abruptly, your voice sounding too loud in the empty streets. The country club was a little out of town, the roads deserted and you both walked down the middle of it, footsteps balancing on the white lines that split each side.
“Why’d you call me?” Steve shot back. His words would’ve sounded harsh if there wasn’t a small smile on his face, the corner of his lips upturned into a smirk.
“You’re the only one with a car,” you retorted, cheeks warm because it was a lie and you both knew it. “Usually, anyway.”
That made him grin, your defiance, the flush on your face, the lie that tasted a little bittersweet on your tongue. He moved a little closer, made it seem casual, accidental, until your shoulders were brushing and he could smell the perfume that you were wearing, something fresh and soft, like apple.
“You didn’t have to, you know,” your voice was softer now and you were acutely aware of how close Steve was, how he was much taller than you remembered. “You didn’t have to come all the way over here just to walk me home.”
The boy simply shrugged, the light breeze messing at his hair and he chanced a gaze down at you, brown eyes warmer than you’d seen them before.
“I know,” he stated, voice sincere and without leaving much room for argument. “But I wanted to.”
The way he said it made your body buzz, an excitement rolling in your stomach at it, a feeling that led to what ifs and potential opportunities.
You twisted your lips, hiding the smile there and when you looked up at him, you raised your brows, tried your best to look intimidating. But your dress was pretty and a buttery yellow, soft like sunshine and his jacket was swallowing you whole.
“I thought you hated me,” you told him, nose scrunched.
Steve snorted, a laugh that sounded adorably cute and you hated the way you liked it. He nudged his side into yours, solid and warm and he shook his.
“Don’t hate you, princess,” his voice was softer than you’d heard before, “you’re just a pain in the ass.”
You huffed out a laugh, sharp and unexpected, because Steve Harrington had never made you laugh before. He seemed to like the sound, eyes shining, smile wide, cheeks a little rosy.
“Charming,” you murmured but your smile was still there, gaze on the ground as you tried to pull yourself together. You felt like a teenager again, first crush, first date, first kiss on the horizon as you let a boy walk you home in the dark. “You’re not exactly a peach either, Harrington.”
“Hey now,” he tutted, faux offence tinting his words and it made you want to laugh again, it made you wanna walk the length of Hawkins just to spend more time with him. “I have my moments.”
You were coming closer to your street, and you felt disappointment colour your words when you said as much, pointing to your front door as if you didn’t wanna go in.
“This is me,” you said, suddenly feeling shy. You were never shy, not with Steve, your usual sharp words and petty arguing the only way you knew how to communicate with him. You didn’t know what to do with this soft boy, who smelled nice and looked at you like you were something new to discover. “Thanks, really. You didn’t have to.”
Steve nodded, foot kicking at an invisible pebble on the sidewalk as if he were nervous. “Like I said,” he told you, voice soft and quiet in the dark, “I wanted to.”
You moved to shrug his jacket off, cool air nipping at your bare arms as you did but Steve stopped you, a hand on the collar as he pulled it back over your chest. You stared.
“Keep it,” he said, all faux nonchalance as he tried not to grin at you, dimple pressing into one cheek and eyes turning honey. “You can give it back to me next time.”
“Next time?” You repeated, brows knitted together in confusion but you were pulling the denim back up your arms, revelling in the way Steve looked at you as you did so. “When’s next time?”
But Steve was already backing away, feet a little clumsy as he stumbled backwards so he could look at you, smile wide and a spark of something new there. He shrugged, hands back in his pockets.
“I dunno,” he told you, “maybe you should give me a call again.”
Your lips parted in surprise, wondering if he was hinting at what you thought he was. “You wanna take another walk with me, Harrington?”
He grinned, a flash of bright and warmth in the dark street. He tilted his head back a little to look at you from under his lashes, eyes hooded and full of that Steve Harrington charm you’d heard so much about.
“A walk, dinner, maybe a movie, who’s to say?” He answered and you hate that you giggled, a soft laugh that made his eyes widen.
“Sounds a lot like a date,” you mused, voice full of delight and maybe it was just because it was dark, but you felt braver than you had before with the boy.
Steve crossed his arms, his head tilted to the side as if he were taking the time to think it over. He leant against a lamppost, eyes still on you, taking you in.
“It does, doesn’t it?” He grinned. “Weird.”
You laughed again, spinning on your heel as you started to walk the path to your front door, body warm as you felt his gaze on you as the hem of your dress danced around your thighs, shifting as you moved.
“Goodnight, Harrington,” your hand was on the door, face turned to look over your shoulder at him, expression suddenly coy. You had absolutely no idea what had just transpired.
“Talk soon, princess,” he answered and when he spoke, the nickname suddenly didn’t sound like an insult, like a curse on his lips like it used to.
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Happy Storyteller Saturday!
If you had to choose who your favorite character is from all of your works, who would it be? Why?
As a writer, what are the kinds of things that you find most easy to write about, and what are the things you avoid (+ Is there anything you'd like to improve)?
Let's say your main cast of characters find themselves trapped in a life-threatening situation. How would each one of them react? Who would be the most selfish and who would likely be the most selfless?
ALL of my works? Dating back to kindergarten lol? Let's see! I think I have to choose Micah, the hero of my YA romantic thriller, a rebellious teenage rock star who manages to get himself whumped an awful lot (and then murdered -- or DOES HE?) I love him because he's partially based on my favorite real-life musician, the late Gram Parsons, so there's some major personal significance (actually he's my favorite of THREE characters I've based off Gram, I'm kind of obsessed lol). Considering that book's earlier (adult) incarnation originated when I was in college, he's a character I've probably been writing about in various permutations for a decade or more now (and I may never stop).
2. Fight scenes or anything action-oriented have definitely never been specialties of mine, even though they seem to pop up in almost everything I write, anyway. I've actually had to watch YouTube videos of street fights to figure out how they work, and it's still hard. 🤣 Easiest to write? Dialogue. If stories could be just two talking heads going back and forth at each other with nothing in between, writing would be so much easier.
3. Okay, this brings us back to GSNBTR, my current WIP. I'd say [Name redacted] would be very selfless, purely because of his protective instincts. If a plane lost cabin pressure, he'd be the one putting on others' oxygen masks before his own. 🤣 Louisa is also extremely compassionate, but she also has anxiety, so she'd have to get that under control first before doing anything. Of the secondary characters, Erica is devoted to her cause, so she's very selfless, too. Selfish? If we're including villains, Corey, of course. If his oxygen mask wasn't working, he'd steal one from the little kid next to him. 🤣
Happy STS! Sorry the answer is 2 days late! And I know I still have another ask from you I haven't gotten to! I'll save it for next WBW!)
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