#steve x fem | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zunniva · 1 year

Text

SCARRED

"HEY WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING LARDASS" Steve looked around, who the hell used language like that as an adult? He saw some of the guys from his economics class standing further down the hall snickering at a girl who hastily walked away from them. As she passed him he could see the tears on her face. Yes, she was large, no denying that. But what the hell kinda behaviour was that? He watched her go then he glared over at the guys down the hall. This wasn't Hawkins High, he was no king. He was just Steve Harrington, the dude that came from that place that got demolished by an earthquake a few years back. He had no say here, he looked at his shoes feeling the anger sear in him.

That was him now, angry. Like all the time. He stayed in Hawkins as long as his kids were still in high school, but they've all graduated now and moved to colleges around the country. He still calls in to check on them from time to time. Good kids!

Then there was the disaster that was The Upside down, he still talks to Robin. There's kinda no real way to avoid her, if he ghosts her calls too often she'll show up here. He knows, he tried...

He's also still in contact with Nancy of course, Jonathan not so much any more. Worst part of all that shit is missing Eddie every fucking day, and they hadn't been that close. He was the king of Hawkins, Eddie was the freak. They were like oil and water, did NOT mix. But turns out that if they have to, the to mix quite fucking well. He loved that guy by the end, he was funny and surprisingly insightful for a stoner freak. He'd been so in love with Nancy back then and Eddie helped him realise that he needed to try and get her back, they'd had a good talk about it trekking through the Upside down. Steve would have never taken Eddie for someone to notice things like that, but he was a real good dude. Well he waited patiently to see if Nancy and Jonathan seemed happier than ever when he returned from California, it seemed like it for a little while. Then she dumped Jonathan and Steve was soaring, this was his chance. Only...it wasn't. Apparently other things happened in the Upside down as well, like Robin and Nancy. So that's twice he'd lost a girl to Robin being a lesbian. First...well Robin herself, and then Nancy.

He lost his parents in the disaster, his father had been stubborn and refused to leave their house when they were asked to. It was in an area they couldn't guarantee the safety of, his dad being the way he was assured them HIS HOUSE was top of the notch in security no need to worry. Not really what they meant...the house inevitably collapsed in on itself trapping his parents inside. So there was that also... So there he was 20 years old, no parents, a lot of money and no future really.

There was a few shaky years where he acted a damn fool. The insurance money from both of his parents was enough to give him a good life, but there was also all the money his dad had himself. And the art and the other real estate they owned, or well HE now owned. He didn't care! He just wanted them all back...some days not dad that much, he'd been a bossy bully. But mum and Eddie, fuck if money could get them back he'd give it all up.

He left Hawkins about two and a half years ago. Moved to Indianapolis, still close enough to Hawkins to visit when Robin wanted him to. Which was mandatory on 4th of July and Christmas, no discussion. Other than that, drop in from time to time was suggested....no demanded. Ok, he didn't mind, he loves Robin and Nancy. Just, the anger...it's easier to be a nobody in the city than to come back home and be Steve again. He doesn't feel like Steve any more, he can't remember when he smiled last for instance. The Steve he remembered smiled a lot. He sighs deeply and snaps out of his thoughts, he's still standing in the hallway of the community college where he's taking a few classes at the moment. He looks at the time, fuck they'll be locking the doors soon he needs to leave. He gets his things and he leaves out of a side door. There on the stairs he sees the girl from earlier. She's been crying, he can tell by the muffled sniffles and the shaky breathing.

"Hey, you ok?" he's unsure if she even wants to talk to anyone

She looks up at him with scared eyes

"Sorry...I'll move" she starts to gather her stuff

"No, no...you don't have to go if you...ehmm...weren't done" he says

She looks at him, and his heart flutters. She's the most endearing sight he's seen in a while. So sad, eyes wide and scared. A bit red in the face from crying, but she's a beautiful girl.

"I was just leaving. Sorry I bothered you" he says and he walks past her on the stairs

"Bother me? I'm not in your way then?" her voice is low and timid. In his way? Why the hell would she think that?

"No, you're not. Take care, see you around. I'm Steve by the way" he says as he reaches the ground and can turn to look at her. She looks confused

"Oh, well likewise. I'm Victoria" she says looking down at her hands

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" he has no idea why he asks her, he doesn't know her. He doesn't know anyone here yet and he likes it that way.

"Huh? A ride? Oh...you wouldn't mind?" she's even more confused now

"Wouldn't have asked if I did" he mutters "sorry, didn't mean to sound like that. No I don't mind, you look...you look well upset. I thought you might not wanna walk, or take the bus or whatever in this state" he makes some kind of half smile at her

"Yes...thank you Steve, it's very kind of you to ask" she says and gathers her things and gets up

"Yeah, imagine that" he mumbles to himself "don't mention it" he says a bit louder to her

They walk quietly to his car and get in. She's not talkative at least, he doesn't know if he likes it this way or if he wants to talk to her. It's been too long since he interacted with someone outside of the necessary. Like for class or buying something somewhere.

"So...where to then?" he says as he starts the car. She tells him an address not far from where he lives "really? I live like around the corner from you then"

A deep sigh "yeah... I know" she's blushing

"You....know?" he's both a bot scared but also intrigued. How has he never seen her around?

"Yes, not like I follow you or anything. I'm no creep! You're just...easy to notice" she says in a hushed voice

"I'm sorry I'm easy to notice? What does that even mean?" he's actually smiling now

She's blushing even more intensely now "well...you're very handsome. But you always look so stern. I've seen you around, and at school of course" she hurries to tell him

"Wow, thank you! That brightened my day, you're very pretty yourself Victoria. But I'm sorry to say I've never seen you around. I'm a bit of a loner" he says with an apologetic look. She stares at him like he's told her he's Santa Clause or something

"I'm not pretty...no need to say that just because I told you I think you're handsome" she sounds annoyed

"Oook? I wasn't but...sorry?" Steve has no idea where that came from but the annoyance in her voice is clear. She looks at him then she turns her head and looks out the window again, there's silence once again. They get to the street where she lives and Steve stops the car at the curb. She opens the door

"Thank you for the ride Steve. Have a good night and I'll see you around school" she gets out of the car.

"Hey, wait" she leans down and looks in the window at him "you want a ride tomorrow also? I leave for school around 9. I'm sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean to" he says and gives her a smile he hopes looks ok

She sighs "No worries. Well ok, I'll be standing here a little before 9 then" she says and Steve nods then he drives around the corner and down that street. He parks his car and he heads in to his apartment. That was a weird fucking encounter he thinks to himself.

She was nice enough, a bit reserved. Also very pretty but apparently not open to compliments AT ALL. Which isn't what he's used to, he knows Robin calls him a player and/or a manwhore. He just doesn't care, if you don't keep 'em around you don't have to risk attachment. That's his motto, a better way of saying "hump 'em and dump 'em" basically. Not that he was imagining sleeping with this girl, there was just...something about her that tug at his heartstrings for a bit. Maybe it was the fact that he hates seeing people sad after Eddie's death. There was so much sadness back then...

He keeps busy that night doing assignments for class, he actually likes school now. Once he kind of got past the initial grief after his parents and the reckless spending that came with it he decided he wanted to know more about managing money. He started looking in to business classes back home but they were a waste of his time. When he came here he decided he wanted to try and get some kind of accountant work, that's where his dad had started his career back in the day. But he was so clueless when it came to all of that he decided the first thing he needed to do was apply to community college. Get a degree in economy or accounting, he's almost done now. Been in school for little over a year, top of the class. Apparently doing this runs in the family, if he'd only knew when he was in high school that he was good at this. Maybe he could have gone to college and he wouldn't have had to deal with all the shit. Maybe he would have still been happy Steve instead of the angry mess he is now. But all that is in the past, can't be changed. What he CAN change is the future. His therapist told him that, he'd seen that woman a few times after it all happened. But then he...well he fucked her and he couldn't be a client of hers any more. But some of the stuff she'd told him stuck with him, like that thing about changing the future. He finished his assignments and then he took a shower. He still flinches every time he touches the scars on his abdomen, the constant reminder that the Upside down was indeed very real. They're such a burden on his mind he never takes his shirt off around people, not even when having sex with anyone. He just fakes such an intense want that he can't be bothered taking all his clothes off. Or he picks someone up at a bar and gets lucky in a bathroom, no need to get more than the pants off then. Fuck his life is despicable...but to be fair it's been a while since the last random woman now. His hand touches the scars again and he shivers, hideous... "she wouldn't think I'm handsome if she saw these" what!? Where did she come from? Why did he think of her now? Must be that no ones called him handsome in quite some time, there's usually other words associated with him. Hot, sexy, eye-candy and so on. Sure, boosts the ego hearing someone saying that. But for some reason being called handsome by a shy stranger did more for him. He goes to bed that night actually thinking about the girl he dropped off not far from here and that he's picking up in the morning again. What was it about her, she was so far from his type. Looking back, they've all resembled Nancy, slim and intense. Robin was the same, slim and intense. When he'd pick girls up at clubs or bars...they're all the same. All slim, and all intense in one way or another. But along comes this girl... A very large girl, but extremely pretty. Not intense what so ever, or at least not that he noticed a hint of it today. Still here he is in his bed thinking about her. Such a polar opposite of his type

He falls asleep with those big sad eyes burned in to his mind.

In the morning she's there, waiting for him. He smiles as she opens the car door

"Morning, sleep well?" he asks

"Good morning Steve. Yes, or well ok I guess" she says then she's quiet again

"So, I never asked what you're studying" he tries to get her to talk to him

She glances over at him "Why are you talking to me? You don't have to" he almost runs a red light

"Excuse me? I mean... I was trying to be friendly... I..." he doesn't know how to handle the situation

"Oh...sorry" she looks down at her hands that are nervously fiddling with the strap on her bag "people aren't...nice to me usually" she draws a deep breath "I'm taking some cooking classes and also business. We were in the same accounting class last semester" she glances over at him

"We were? I'm sorry... I don't really pay attention to the people in class... I'm there to get my degree" he sighs

"No I got that, seeing as you didn't speak to anyone I at least knew it wasn't just me you ignored" he glances over at her, the slightest smile is playing on her lips and she's even prettier for it

"Why would I ignore only you? Nah I'm an angry asshole at everyone, no one needs to feel excluded" he chuckles

"That's just...all day every day" she says and looks out the window again

"Me being angry?" he says

"No the ignoring" her voice is about to break he can hear it

"I'm sorry but what are you talking about?"

"Don't worry, it's not as bad. I just didn't sleep well. Just...leave it. You said you want your degree, in what?" she changes the subject but Steve is good at reading people, he knows there is something that's very wrong here. He wants to help, all of his 'Mommy Steve' bits are kicking in to overdrive.

"We're not talking about me just at the moment are we? Why do you feel ignored?" Steve lowers his voice and glances over at the girl beside him

"Because I AM ignored...easy as that" she scoffs, trying so hard to sound tough but it's all a facade Steve can tell.

"Would you please talk to me, WHY are you feeling ignored? Is it really as bad as you think it is?"

She looks over at him, eyes sad and on the verge of tears "No one in my class knows my name, even the teacher called me 'Fat girl' a couple of days ago... I've never had a partner for any of the group assignments so I've got lower marks on it because 'it's not a solo show miss Cole' if I speak in class no one listens and then someone might answer the exact same thing 2 minutes later and THEY get the 'good job' from the teacher... So you tell me Steve, AM I imagining it?" there's anger in her voice now and Steve isn't sure if he wants to begin kicking asses in that class or hold her in his arms and make her feel better.

"Ok, here's what we're going to do. Next time things get rough...come find me ok? Even if you just need a hug or a pat on the back. I'll be there for you" Steve looks over at her and gives her a smile, she's looking at him with one eyebrow raised

"Why? What's in it for you?"

"Ok I get the feeling you don't trust anyone, and that's fair if that's how you've been treated. I know we've just met, but there's something about you that makes me like you. There isn't 'anything in it' for me, just... I can't stand people acting like that, we're supposed to be adults here"

"Oh fuck that, adults are no better than kids..." she sighs and Steve has to agree. They get to school and say their goodbyes and Steve feels like the day can't end soon enough

Schools is school to Steve, but now he has something to look forward to at the end of the day. That's new! The days turn in to a week, he picks Victoria up in the morning and drops her off in the afternoon. Some days she's chatty others not so much, but he likes her. More and more every day. She's got something, something that speaks to Steve. The evenings aren't what they used to be. Used to be schoolwork, talking to Robin and then maybe he hitting the gym or a bar. But now he feels like doing nothing of that, he just wants it to be morning again so he can see her. He doesn't know if he's going to be able to look her in the eyes though...had a bit of a wet dream about her. Had to get him self off when he woke up, and now he can't get the idea of sliding in between those thick thighs and grabbing the flesh of that ass and just fuck her senseless. Fuck he's getting hard just thinking about that dream, this girl is doing some good things to him. He's feeling a little less angry today. Good thing tomorrow's Monday Steve thinks to himself that night as he jacks off in the shower imagining having Victoria on her knees in front of him taking his load.

They get to school without Steve making a fool of himself, he could look her in the eye but he did feel a bit of a blush creeping up tinting his cheeks. They get out of the car and they part ways as usual, Steve is looking after her as she leaves in the opposite direction to where he's heading. He sees a couple of guys laughing at her and he hears them say something, he sees Victorias head slump down and her steps hasten. He thinks about it for just one second, he can skip one class. It won't do anything to his grade. He follows in her direction, so does the guys he saw laughing at her.

As he enters the building he sees her at her locker getting her things. The guys are almost at her side, they surround her and he hears them clearer now.

"Saw you got a ride today Fatso, think you might be better off walking don't you?" there's snickering in the group. They guy that spoke shoves her "Hey Lardass, I asked you a question" Steve's blood is boiling, but he know he's not gonna get far trying to take on 3 guys almost his own size. He opts for the cooler approach, he saunters over to them, putting his arm around Victoria. He's already got a 20 in his hand

"Hey babe, glad I caught you before class starts, I forgot to give you the money I owe you. Sorry" he takes the bill and he puts it down her jean pocket with his fingers, looking her deep in the eyes as he does. Then he leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek, just a small one but still effective enough. Lucky for him she's in on it right away, not tensing up but leaning in towards him.

"Oh, thanks. But you could have given that back later" she smiles at him

"Nah, if I had I wouldn't have had the chance to do that now would I?" he smiles at her then he turns and looks at the guys surrounding them "oh sorry man, am I standing in your way?" he shoots the guy that shoved her a sickly sweet smile

"Uhhh...nah man. It's all good" they scamper off looking confused

"Thanks" he hears a soft whisper

"I had a bad feeling seeing them follow you. I'm sorry if I overstepped here" he says softly

"No...no worries. But that's...pretty much every day so...want a job as a bodyguard?" she smiles

"Any time, I'll keep my eyes open for trouble I promise" he says "but unless you need me for anything else I should get to class"

"I...would you walk me to class? Before you leave? Maybe they'll leave me alone for a little while if they see me get there with you?" she can't even look at him Steve notices, she's really having a hard time asking this of him

"Victoria...listen. If you need me just let me know ok. I can walk you to class every day if you want me to. I'll even stand outside and wait for you when class is over, if I'm available" he says

"Vicky... That's what the few friends I have call me" she says and finally she's looking up at him again

"Vicky" he smiles "that suits you better. It's sweeter" he takes her hand and they walk the corridor to her class. He sees people in the room staring at them as he drops her off. Just as long as they don't give her shit about me he thinks when he leaves. He knows that there are few people that would mess with him, he's tall and seeing as the only form of anger management he's taking is the gym he's buff too. He's intimidating and he knows it, and for Vicky he's even going to take advantage of that fact.

He leaves for class, excusing himself for being late. But the teacher likes him enough to not care he's 15 minutes late. His head is not in it today, it's busy being worried about what might be happening in the building next door. As soon as his class is over he goes back, the class is still going so he sits down outside waiting for it to be over. He hears the teacher from inside So that's all for today, but remember tomorrow we... he stops listening. Class is over so Vicky ought to be out of there soon enough. The door swing open and people start coming out, no Vicky. He frowns, was this the wrong classroom? No he did see a couple of the people that were staring at them before. When everyone's scattered she finally shows up in the door. Looking sadder than before. She looks up when she notices him

"Steve? Have you been here the whole time?" she tries her best smiling at him but it's breaking apart

"No... my class was over before yours so I thought I'd come see if you had time for some coffee before your next class? Hey...are you ok?"

She stares at him, he sees the tears flood her eyes then spill over and she draws a deep shaky breath

"Would you believe me if I said yes?"

"What do you think silly? That these are happy tears from seeing me? C'mon, come sit down with me. Tell me what's wrong, who do I need to beat up?" he smiles at her, getting a timid smile back as she sits down next to him

"It's actually not someone doing something this time, it's a something... We have this presentation tomorrow...and I'm dreading it more than anything" she sighs tears falling down her pretty face. Steve puts his arm around her and pulls her in closer

"Hey, tell me about it, maybe I can help" he says giving her a warm side hug

"We're supposed to chose our favourite recipe. Then we're imagining that we're a TV chef on some big show. So we're supposed to stand in front of the class and give a kind of instructional speech on how to make the dish, and at the same time making it. I mean making the food is a piece of cake...it's the standing there. In front of all these fucking morons trying to get them to pay attention to me that's killing me. I don't even think the teacher will pay enough attention to grade me properly... I could be kicking ass in this class but as it is now I'm barely passing because I'm being overlooked so bad" the words flow out of her alongside the tears and Steve doesn't even know what to say. How is it possible to ignore this wonderful girl? And that teacher...what the actual hell is his issue? The anger is searing underneath threatening to escape, oh he almost wishes someone would mess with her so he's see it. He needs to vent his feelings ON someone right now. He draws a deep breath

"Would you like me to be there for you? Teachers in this school like me, I bet I can make something up that'll let me sit in" he says

"I...can't decide... But I would appreciate it if you'd walk me to class again. They weren't that vicious today" she says under her breath, quietly sniffling and drying her tears

"Of course, I'll pick you up again and I'll walk you to class no problem! When are you off today? Want a ride back home as well?" he says hugging her a little tighter for reassurance

"I only have 2 classes left today so I'm off at 1:30 I think" she says

"Mind waiting for me? I'm off at 2" Steve smiles at her

"No, that'll be fine. I can come sit outside your classroom then" she smiles back at him and he can't help himself. He raises his hand and he wipes the tears away with his thumb, her breath staggers a bit and her pupils dilate

"I...eeeeh...need to go to the toilet. Then I have class again" she gets up and hurries away from him. Steve's been around long enough to know he had an effect on her. That was a typical response to his touch...the running away...not so much. Also...he needs to fix himself in his jeans. This girl is doing things to him...and he wants to be doing things to her! This has him smiling, SHE'S making him smile. Imagine that

The rest of the day is much like any other. Steve can't wait for classes to be over for the day he's going to get to hang out with her again, maybe just maybe he can tell her he likes her? Might even puck up the nerve to ask her out. He's not even that invested in class this afternoon, only partly listening to the teacher. As the bell rings he glances out the window of the door, there she is! Waiting for him on the bench just outside. As he gets up to leave the teacher calls out to him

"Mr Harrington, might I have a quick word before you leave?"

Steve sighs quietly but he goes up to the front of the classroom sitting down in front of the teachers desk "Yes sir, what can I do for you?" he says

"I couldn't help but notice you weren't as involved in todays class as you usually are...is something wrong Mr Harrington?" the teachers is eyeing him up and down

"No sir, I've just had some...personal issues to deal with theses last few days. It'll hopefully resolve itself soon enough" he looks the teacher straight in the eyes giving him a small polite smile.

"Well, ok then Mr Harrington. If you say so, it's not that your grades are suffering or anything. I was just surprised you're usually one of my most active participants in class"

"I understand sir..." Steve hears commotion outside and instinctively turn his head to see the 2 guys from the day he found Vicky crying on the stairs pushing her off the bench and standing there hovering over her, one actually fucking kicked her in the back. He hears one of them laugh and say "what you thought you could come to this side of school and ruin our days with your fat fucking ugly face? The fuck you doing here? You better leave or I'll drag you outa here... that is if I can"

Steve turns to the teacher trying his best to sound calm "was that all sir? I have someone waiting for me"

"Yes, that was all. Have a good night"

"You to sir" Steve gets up, managing to not run out of the classroom. He closes the door then he takes 2 huge steps grabs one guy in each hand and slams them against the brick wall, noses first. There's an instant blood bath

"If I were the 2 of you right now I would apologize PROFUSELY to this girl right here. Then I would head straight to the principal and tell her what I'd done before someone else beats you to it. If not...well then... I. WILL. BREAK. EVERY. BONE. IN. YOUR. INCONSIDERATE. BODIES" Steve growls as he presses them harder against the wall, blood running down it like this is some bad slasher film.

"What the fuck dude, it's just a fat chick...why the hell do you care?" one of the guys must think he's brave. This just results in him being crushed even harder in to the wall

"Wanna say that again there buddy? She's just a WHAT? Hey man, is your friend here a moron?" Steve looks at the other guy hanging from his left hand, he lets him fall to the floor

"I...he's...no?" this guy seems to have at least one braincell still functional. He stops talking, the other one though...he's squirming in Steves hand

"The fuck dude, c'mon let me go. She's fucking not worth getting beaten up for"

"THAT, my dude is not your call, that's my call and I say she is. So either man up and apologize or I'll do the same to you as you did to her. Make myself clear?" he looks from one to the other. The guys look at each other and give a big sigh

"Sorry..." the one on the floor is the first to say something, he even gets up and offers Vicky his hand to help her up. She glares at it and shakes her head. The guy has the common decency to blush Steve thinks to him self. The other one, the one Steve is still holding a couple of inches off the ground is muttering to himself.

"So what's it gonna be? Your friend did the right thing...you?" Steve puts him down and locks eyes with him

"Fuck that, I didn't kick her hard and she fell over on her own. SO no, I'm not apologizing for shit to her" he puffs himself up to seem bigger in the presence of Steve who's almost a head taller than him.

"Fine, but just so you know this will be a police thing. If she doesn't report this I will so either way, if I were you I'd stay at home...you might get a visitor later" Steve gives the guy a menacing smile, a tap on the back and then he helps Vicky off the floor and they start walking away

"WAIT! Sorry for hurting you, Ok?" they hear, Steve looks at Vicky and smiles she sighs and turns around

"Fine" is all she says and then she keeps walking away

They get out to the parking lot before she breaks down in tears. Steve hurries to her side and pulls her in to his arms

"There, there... I'm here, you cry it out. Did they hurt you bad?" he whispers in to her hair as he holds her close to his chest

"Noooo....probably gonna bruuuiseeee bu-hu-hu-hut that's ok" she cries and Steve can feel his shirt getting wet from her tears "why-hy-hy are you so nice to meeeee" she's really sobbing now and Steve doesn't quite know how to deal with this. Tears is one thing, but this? The questioning of why he's being nice, what's he gonna say?

"C'mon, why wouldn't I be nice to you?" it's a lame response and he knows it

She's sniffling and drying her eyes on her sleeve. She looks up at him with the biggest eyes he thinks he's ever seen. That's it, he's hers...whether she wants him or not. He can't just ignore this any longer, she does things to him. Before he can stop himself he bends down and he gives her a kiss, not a chaste, friendly kiss... No of course not he has to be all in with his feelings. He vaguely realises she's stiff as a board in his arms, that makes him snap out of whatever spell that was

"Fuck...I'm sorry I wasn't thinking..." her eyes are even bigger, he didn't think that was possible. And she looks both terrified and slightly pissed. She looks down and that's when he notices...yeah...she does DO things to him. "fuuuuuck...kill me now" he sighs as he turns away from her to hide his raging boner....no need though...she saw it...clearly. Fucking bet she felt it to, the way he was pressing himself against her

"Why?" just a small word, barley audible comes from her lips

"Why what?" Steve is still standing turned away from her but he tries his best to look back at her

"The kiss...and....that" her face is flushed and she can't look directly at him

"I still...don't understand the question" Steve says, sincerely because he really doesn't

When she doesn't answer him instantly he can take a moment to breathe and try to get the embarrassment in his pants to calm the fuck down. "Wanna talk about this in the car instead of out here?" he says and she nods vigorously. They walk over to the car in complete silence. They get in and Steve sighs "Ok...first of all I am so sorry if that made you uncomfortable around me. I...I couldn't stop myself" Steve hears himself and wants to kick his own ass for being such a freak

"I...still don't get why" she says in a hushed voice

"Ok...I don't get what it is you're asking why about...call me an idiot but please tell me" Steve says trying to look at her with a neutral face

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Well...truth be told. Because I just wanted to SO bad in the moment"

"But..."

"Let me guess... Why?" he smiles at her and she nods again

"Because in that moment you were so fucking adorable and I couldn't stop it. I just had to kiss you, had to know what those lips would feel like against mine..." was that too much he thinks to himself. She finally looks at him, surprise written all over her face

"Oh...and the..." she nods towards his crotch

"Ehmm...that" it's Steves turn to blush now "well...I thought that might be self explanatory?" he says and glances over at her, Vicky is looking at him with a slight frown between her eyebrows

"Self explanatory? Sorry but...no" he looks straight at her now, is she kidding?

"Well... Ok so stop me if I'm waaay out of line here ok" he says "but like... I suppose you DO know the...you know how and the why... Like the basics?" he sounds like he's talking to a fucking kid trying to explain the birds and the bees... The look he gets back from her...OMG!

"Steve... I am not a kid and I did take sex ed you know... Not an idiot here" she sounds fed up with him

"Sorry, sorry... just... Why are you asking why then?"

"WHY DID YOU GET A FUCKING BONER FROM KISSING ME? Of all people" she adds quieter in the end

"Oh...wow... So I'm really an idiot" he laughs "well... I mean because...you're hot and I kinda wanna...you know" Steve keeps looking at the steering wheel in his car, nowhere else...this was it.

"Yeah right, try something else why don't ya... Do I look that gullible to you?" she sounds pissed and is about to open the car door and leave

"Wait? What?" Steve snaps out of his deep connection with his steering wheel, this did not go the way he thought. He could have accepted if she turned him down because she didn't feel like that about him, but calling him a moron and sounding like he was pulling some kind of prank on her? His arm shoots out before he can stop himself and he holds on to her jacket "Vicky...c'mon...why are you leaving? I know I'm not that hideous to look at" he tries a smile, she just shoots him a hurt glare

"That thing in there" she motions to the school building "that I'm used to. I know how to deal with that sort of shit, been doing that all my life. But this? Whatever fucking thing you're trying to do here I am not falling for it. Because why the actual HELL would some guy that looks like you wanna have anything to do with me? A week ago you didn't know I existed, you'd never seen me in that school and I've been here longer than you have Harrington. So either you tell me what the fuck this really is or you'll never see me again. I thought I'd finally made some kind of friend in this place but you're just another asshole with an agenda aren't you? What is it? You got some kind of fat girl fetish? Been through that, that's a no from me. Or am I a bet of some sort? Yeah guess what, been through that one as well" her eyes are shooting daggers at him and Steve doesn't know what to say to her, he's got a feeling she's not going to believe anything he says.

"I... I'm sorry if you feel this way. I just...like you" Steve can't think of anything else to say, it's lame and so underwhelming he's disappointed in himself even.

"You LIKE me? It's been a week Steve... Try again tough guy" she scoffs at him

"Can we talk about this when we've both had some time to think?" he wanted to say calm down but if he's learned anything from Nancy and Robin it was to never tell an upset girl to calm down in any way, shape or form. "I mean you're upset about that thing in there with all right, and it's also upsetting to me still so we might not be communicating at our best right now..."

Vicky sighs and looks him over, Steve can tell she's debating leaving him here or accepting his idea.

"Fine" she says and looks out the window away from him

Steve sighs quietly, thank god she accepted. He starts the car and drives home. He drops her of on the curb outside her building and as she's about to leave he has to speak his mind.

"I know you don't believe me, and I guess with all the shit you've apparently been through I can't blame you. But something about you has gotten under my skin, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind this past week. I thought about what kissing you would feel like, how it would feel having you naked in my arms. Having you use me as you'd see fit...being yours... All that invaded my mind, and the same thing that happened when I kissed you... Well that happened a couple of times this week. And I'm not a better man than I fantasised about you while I jacked off. That, mixed with actually feeling you in my arms today...that's the 'Why' to your question about my boner. It's just simple biology. I wanted you... Whether you trust me or not is all up to you, but I am not lying to you and I am not pranking you or anything like that. I'm just a lonely guy that got a little to excited about a beautiful girl, and I'm sorry" All the time Steve's been talking Vicky's been sitting in the car seat with her back turned against him, he thinks she might have been holding her breath as he spoke. He hears a deep sigh and then she gets out of the car, closes the door and leaves him. Not a word

Steve is distraught, why the fuck did he have to be such a creep? He's got better self control than that? Hasn't he? Tears are burning in his eyes, how did he fuck up the first good thing to happen since before the upside down...HOW!? He gets back to his place and he makes in inside before the anger takes over and he screams out his frustration and slams his hands in to the kitchen wall. It was all going SO well..or...it was going ok. Vicky is a hard person to read, but he thought they did have a moment there on the bench earlier. It seemed like she might have been attracted to him, he's usually not wrong about that...but apparently now he was. Now he was the biggest jerk ever and he might have lost a new friend in the process. Steve gives in to the tears, and he cries. Like he hasn't since Eddie... at least he hasn't lost her like he lost him. He will be able to see her though, perhaps not talk to her but she'll be there and maybe some day she'll accept his apology. He drags him self in to the living room and he slumps down on the couch and he takes the phone

"Hello"

"Hey..."

"What the fuck? Are you sick or are you crying?" Robins voice is concerned

"Crying...like I haven't since we lost him"

"I haven't talked to you in a week and now you've gone from angry ass to blubbering mess? What gives dude?"

Steve tells her, he tells her everything because him and Robin have swore to never keep anything from each other. He knows it helps to talk, but he still feels like crap. Robin is quiet, letting him finish before she gives him her hard to swallow opinion

"You know you're part asshole and part hero here right? I mean way to go standing up for her but what the hell...did you have to suck her face? Like a small peck to test the waters wouldn't have been enough you think? Or... I don't know A HUG!? Really you had to stick your tongue down her throat and push your boner up against her?"

"Way to make me feel...disgusting here Rob" Steve sighs "and no... I didn't have to... I wasn't fucking planning on doing that. I mean the body works the way it works...sometimes it just has bad timing" he tries to excuse himself with

"Bad timing? Yeah I'd say... But like how could you be so stupid Steve? After what she had been through just like minutes before and you think that a guy looking like you doing that would make her anything but suspicious? Like really? I mean I might be a raging lesbian here but even I see you're a hot piece of ass. And I was questioning you when you kinda said you liked me. Even I thought I was some kind of a bet, you're not the kind of guy to go for the not conventionally attractive girls. I'm just being real with you"

'But you are conventionally attractive Rob, what are you talking about?"

"Dude... Yeah I might LOOK like I am but I sure don't feel like I am. Then try to imagine how this girl feels? I know I sound like a bitch but people look at her and they do NOT see conventionally attractive no matter how pretty her face is. Trust me" Steve's a bit confused at first then he remembers meeting Robins best childhood friend a few years back, she was about Vickys size and had always been. She wouldn't even look at him, Robin told him later it was because of how guys who looked like him had been treating her since forever. He felt so fucking useless that day and that's when he decided to not let people close any more. That way he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone. Look at him now... Robin hears the silence "Yeah I know you're thinking of Kate right now. That's what I mean... I've seen first hand how big girls are treated. Can you blame, Vicky was it, if she thinks you're a no good piece of shit just like the rest of them?"

"No... I guess I can't. But I really do like her Rob. I can't fucking get her out of my mind" Steve sighs

"Give her some time, then I don't know send her a gift and an apology. A heartfelt one not just some lame 'I'm sorry' on a card. Grand gesture dude, like in the movies. Think Richard Gere at the end of Pretty Woman!"

"You know you're a rock star right Buckley?" he says

"Of course I know that... It's just obvious that I'm smarter than you, at pretty much everything. Now go to the gym and kick the shit out of something and then go home and sleep this off. Try to keep your cool tomorrow and for the love of god keep your distance. If she wants to talk to you she will" Robin says and he can't disagree with her...she IS smarter than him. But it will be hard to not just get on his knees and beg for forgiveness the second he sees Vicky tomorrow.

"Ok, thanks for listening to me. Even if I'm the bad guy here" Steve says

"Not the bad guy Steve... You're just a bit too impulsive sometimes. Didn't think you still were to be honest" Robin tells him

"Neither did I...but apparently there's still an impulsive mess of a dude in there. Well I'ma take you up on that suggestion and go kick the crap out of something at the gym. Bye wifey, tell Nancy I said hi" he says and they hang up. He sits in thoughts for a while then he gets up and he gets his gym stuff and he leaves to go give a punching bag hell until his body aches.

He gets back home a couple of hours later, feeling a little lighter at heart having taken out A LOT of aggression on the punching bags at his gym. He takes a shower and then he heads straight to bed, this day has been exhausting. He sleeps poorly, waking up sweating with his heart racing several times but not remembering what he'd been dreaming. If it was about Eddie or if it was about Vicky. The feeling was the same...

He gets ready to leave and when he drives off the first thing on his mind is to not forget about Vicky...then it hits him that she's most likely NOT going to be there waiting today. He slows down just in case as he turns the corner but as he suspected she's nowhere to be seen. He stops for a few minutes just to be sure, but no Vicky. His heart sinks and he drives off to school. He doesn't see her along the way, nor does he spot her when he arrives at campus. Maybe she took a bus and she was early he thinks to himself.

RIGHT that presentation she was dreading was today, and he did promise to be there for her if she needed him. He looks at the time, his first class doesn't start for another 30 minutes so he can go sit outside her classroom just in case. In his mind he hears Robin "This is NOT keeping your distance dufus" and he knows the little voice is right but he can't for the life of him stop his feet from walking in to her part of the school. He sits down on a bench not far from where he knows her class is held. He walked by just to check, and the room was still empty so she isn't in there yet. He waits, students arrive and the look at him. Probably recognising him from the other morning, they head in to the classroom. The guys from the day before arrive, both flinching when they see him, both bending their heads but Steve had seen the fancy purple-ish bruises on their faces. He can't help but feel a little proud. But still no Vicky, has he missed her? No there's no way, this is the only way to get to this classroom. The teacher arrives and he closes the door, no Vicky. Steve feels a ball in the pit of his stomach growing larger with concern, did something happen to her after he dropped her off yesterday? He sits there another 5 minutes but when he hasn't seen her at all he has to leave for his own class. His head is so far from the subject of the stock market and bonds right now he's having a hard time following the teachers lesson. When the class ends the teacher calls him over again

"Mr Harrington"

"Yes, sir"

"I saw what happened outside of this room yesterday and I want you to know that I reported the incident to the principal. I find it admirable of you to take that girls side like that. Is she a close friend of yours?"

"You...saw it sir? Well... I was hoping she'd become a good friend but I may have overstepped a bit after that incident so now we're not really on speaking terms. And she's not here today sir so I can not apologise either. But thank you for reporting it, I wanted to do so myself right after it happened but she was to upset'

"Oh I have no doubt she was, I've seen how they treat her. But as she is not a student of mine I have no say. I have taken it up with the other teachers but no one seems to know who I'm speaking of?" his teacher sounds confused about this

"Oh they don't because they don't care sir" Steve feels the anger searing in him again

"If you know more about this you need to take it to the principal Mr Harrington"

"Yes, sir I will. Right after classes end today I'll go to the principals office and leave a statement" Steve nods

"Good, because you're worrying me Mr Harrington. This is not like you to be this out of focus. If this persists it might impact your grades further down the line and I would hate to have to do that to you when you show such promise"

"I know sir, and thank you" Steve gives his teacher a polite smile gets up and leaves. He needs to check if she's still not here. He gets to her classroom and the presentation is about to wrap up, but he still can't see her in there. He waits until the it ends and all the students leave. Then he enters the classroom

"Excuse me Sir" he says to the teacher packing up the things used for the class

"Yes?" the man at the desk eyes him up and down "what can I do for you Mr?"

"Harrington sir, Steve Harrington"

"Oh so this is Mr Nolans top student? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Ehm, well... I'm not sure this is a pleasurable visit sir. Was miss Cole out sick today?"

"Miss Cole? I don't know anyone by that name I'm afraid"

"Yes you do sir, she's been right here every day since the term started. Victoria Cole, sir. Is she out sick or just absent?" Steve feels the annoyance creeping in his veins

"Are you sure you're in the right class Mr Harrington? If she's a student of mine I would know wouldn't I?" the teacher is sounding annoyed but so is Steve

"Ok, I wasn't going to point this out sir but she's kinda overlooked by you so I would not be surprised if you have no clue what her name is. So do you or do you not have a student out sick today?" Steve is talking through his teeth trying not to scream

"Overlooked? I will have you know I do not overlook any of my students! How dare you accuse me of that? If I say I have no miss Cole in my class I have no miss Cole is that understood Mr Harrington?"

"No?" Steve hates to do this he didn't want to put the words in his mouth "How about 'Fat Girl'...you have HER in your class then? Is SHE perhaps absent today?"

The color disappears from the teachers face and he clears his throat uncomfortably

"Well...ahem... I do have one student who I was told will not be returning to class. I just...thought it was someone new that didn't cut it"

"Not...returning? Like at all?" Steve feels a chill down his spine

'As I understood it no, they wouldn't return at all. To be honest I didn't pay much attention to it as I didn't....know who it was"

Steve takes a deep breath, fighting the urge to punch this idiot in the face. "Thank you" he says, voice filled with rage. Then he leaves before he does something that would really jeopardise his studies. He heads straight to the principals office where he leaves as detailed of an account of what's been happening to Vicky as he can. Then he heads out to his car and he drives to the nearest flower shop. He buys a big bouquet of roses and a blank card. He sits down at a table outside and he takes out a pen

"Vicky,

Please believe me when I say I never wanted to make you feel like you can't trust me. I was totally honest with you yesterday. I do in fact like you, I am very attracted to you. More than I probably should be considering, as you said, it's been a week. I know I look like all the other asses that have hurt you in the past, but I'm really not. I was yelled at by my best friend for 30 minutes last night because of what I did to you. She thought I should be more like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman with the grand gesture and all. So I was going to try that today, I showed up to be your supporter for the presentation. But you weren't there, please tell me you're ok?

Also, my economics teacher has reported what happened to the principal, and I've been there myself today and have given as full of a report as I can of what they've been putting you through. I kinda almost kicked your teachers ass to... He really is a jerk isn't he? I thought I needed to mention this in case someone from the school calls. If we were both out of line I'm sorry and I am sure Mr Nolan is as well, he's a good guy.

But please Vicky, I need you not to hate me. If you want nothing more from me than my friendship I offer that on a silver platter for you. Just know that I want more, even of that is something you have a hard time trusting. I just hope that maybe some day you'll let me show you just how... I'm sorry... But just how fucking sexy I think you are.

Call me or send me a note or something just to let me know they didn't put you in a hospital or something. I'm worried sick about you.

Yours if you'll have me

Steve 'the too impulsive ass-hat' Harrington"

He doesn't bother reading it through, he'll just try to change it and this was it straight from his mind on to paper as it should be. He puts the card in an envelope and puts it in with the flowers. Then he drives home, he stops outside her building. Puts the flowers by her door, rings the bell and hops in his car and leaves. Her name is on the envelope so if it isn't her answering the door at least they'll know who the flowers are for.

When he gets home he tries to keep himself busy so that he wont run back to her apartment and burst through the door making an even bigger fool of himself. He tries doing some assignments but the words and numbers make absolutely no sense to him. He cleans a bit, goes to the store to pick up some groceries. Makes himself some dinner but he just ends up sitting at the table staring in to space thinking instead of eating. So he puts the food away and tries to watch something on TV. He has no idea what he's watching, he can't keep his mind on it. It's just chaos in there right now. Is she ok? Why did she leave school? Will she actually call or send a note or something? He calls Robin, he needs some more hard hitting truth. But no one answers, then he remembers she has work on Tuesday nights. He could call Nancy, Robin has probably told her all about this screw up like she does everything else.

"Hello, this is Nancy speaking"

"Hey Nance"

"Oh hi Steve"

"You busy?"

"No, not at the moment. What's up?"

"Have Rob...you know told you?"

"Do cows say 'moo' and give milk?" she giggles

"Of course she has... Well... Vicky's gone, she's not in school any more. Apparently she left her classes. I have no idea why, or well I have an idea but like... It can't be ALL about me can it?"

"Steve... Why would it be about you in the first place? If they've been as foul to her as you told Robin I'm surprised she hasn't left that place sooner. Maybe you coming along showing her that there are nice people in the world made her finally make the decision?" sure...give Nancy a bone and she'll build you a dinosaur from it.

"You think? My economics teacher reported the incident from yesterday to the principal. And I've been there today and gave my report. I... was that the right thing to do Nance?"

"Of course that was the right thing to do? You're a very good guy Steve and I know you, you can't stand injustice of any kind. So I'm frankly surprised you didn't report it day one when she told you how they treated her. Great that it's been reported, awful she left before it happened. But what about the other stuff Steve? What about your feelings? Robin told me that as well"

"I...can't get rid of her. She's in my head, under my skin 24/7 Nancy. I know this sounds rude to you but it's even worse than when I fell for you. This is like some kind of fever in my blood, and she won't even give me a chance to prove I'm for real. I... please don't tell Rob or she'll yell at me again. But I bought her flowers today and I wrote her a card...left it on her doorstep"

"Awww Steve, you big romantic softie" he can hear that big Nancy smile "that was a nice gesture, I'm sure she loved them. But give her time, I know Robin reminded you of Kate. Think about her point of view. I mean here you come along. All tall, buff, great smile and handsome as hell saying you like her. With what you told Robin I can only assume she's not got the best confidence, also if she said she'd been through being someone's fetish AND someone's bet then I can safely say she guards her heart with the same fierceness we guarded the kids with Steve. Give that girl a shotgun and she'll turn in to me" Nancy lets out a laugh and Steve joins in, that was a sight he must admit. Seeing petit, nice girl Nancy Wheeler kicking ass with a sawed off shotgun.

"Well, I guess all I can do now is hope she'll give me call or send me a note back. I just wanna know she's ok Nancy, they did kick her in the back pretty hard from my viewpoint. Any way, thanks for listening. I just needed to went some thoughts and since Rob has work I thought you'd get to endure for one night"

"Steve, you know you can always come to me. I might not be as rough with my opinions as Robin but I do tell you my honest thoughts. You'll see that she's going to reach out to you when she feels ready. I mean who can resist the Hair?"

"Want me to answer that?" Steve chuckles

"Bite me Harrington, you lost me fair and square. Plus you KNOW what Robin has that you don't so" Nancy giggles and they hang up. Steve laughs a little at that comment, he does know. 'I mean I'd chose pussy to so I can't hold it against her' he thinks and shakes his head and laughs.

The rest of the night Steve spends in front of the TV, still not being able to concentrate on schoolwork. When he sees the time and it's past 10 he goes and takes a shower and is just about to go to bed when there's a knock on his door. He thinks he must have misheard, who'd be knocking at his door at 10:30 at night? He opens the door and all the blood in his body feels like it's leaving him along with any ounce of breath he has in his lungs. Outside his door is Vicky. Suddenly he's VERY aware he's standing there in just boxers, he blushes all over.

"Hi...you're here at my door...now?" he croaks at her

"Yeah...is this ok? I can leave" she's not looking at his face she's STARING at his body "Wow Steve... I'm sorry but...wow" she's eyeing him like he's a prized piece of steak. He feels very self-conscious right now, and what's killing him is that he has no shirt on. So she can see THEM...the scars. The bane of his existence.

"Yeah...it's ok. Why wouldn't it be...ummm...you wanna come in or?" he takes a step back so she can enter if she wants. She finally looks up at him and she steps in to his home and he's simultaneously scared and overjoyed. He looks around for something to put on, all he has here are jackets and that might look weird.

His mind is blank, why is she here? Now? To tell him to keep the fuck away from her? He doesn't see the flowers so she's not going to throw those in his face at least. He glances over at her as he leads her in to his living room.

"Please, have a seat while I go get a shirt" he says and motions at the couch

"No need to get dressed for me..." he can see she wasn't planning on saying that because she turns bright red in the face "fuck...sorry I mean...go a head I'll be sitting right here minding my own damn business" she sits down and stares at her feet. Steve hurries in to his bedroom to grab a shirt, he puts it on and goes back to her.

"So... my turn to ask why" he smiles at her

"To thank you for the flowers...and the card" she says

"Oh, so you got them. Wasn't sure anyone was home when I left them"

"Yeah, I got them. Saw the back of your car as you drove away. I just couldn't find the guts to come here...until now. I just said 'fuck your nerves Vicky, go thank the man' so here I am..." she's still staring at her feet

Steve has no idea what to say to her, he feels like anything that might come out of his mouth at this time might fuck everything up just like yesterday.

"And then, I get here and you open the door looking like that... I almost forgot why I was here...fucking rude being that hot" NOW she is looking at him and Steve has no idea where to look, he's blushing all over again which is not like him. He's used to women looking at him, praising his appearance but this just hit differently hearing HER say it.

"Ehmm...thanks... I mean, it's not like I'm trying or anything" WHAT!? Did he really say that...he can almost hear Robins sigh and Eddies laugh in his head. "I mean...wow that was cocky of me, I'm sorry. It came out a lot different than I wanted it to"

"It's ok, if I looked like you I'd be cocky to" she smiles "Look I'm never outspoken Steve so bare with me here. But I mean you're the sexiest man I've ever seen. Not that I've seen many in as much of the flesh as I just saw you but damn..." now she's blushing again, he can tell this is out of her comfort zone

"So the scars aren't repulsive to you?" he asks, he doesn't really want to ask but it just slipped out

"What scars?" she looks at him curiously

"What scars? You're kidding right?" it's Steves turn to sound annoyed, she doesn't need to lie to make him feel better about himself

"I...didn't see any scars? All I saw was this perfect man standing there wearing waaaay to little clothing for me to function properly" she gives him a smile

"You...didn't see any scars? Are you kidding me right now?" he's so locked in on this he's not taking in the compliments she's giving him

"I'm sorry...I mean no I didn't. Is that why you wanted to put on a shirt? You're scared I might dislike some scars on your body? Scars I didn't even notice?" she sounds both a little hurt and also confused

"You're the first person to see me without a shirt on since 86... I'm not sure I trust you, feels like you're just trying to be nice to me" Steve grunts

"Imagine that... WONDER WHAT THAT MIGHT FEEL LIKE" she raises her voice now and Steve quickly snaps out of his self pity...fuck he messed up again

"Wow...I really am as big of an idiot as I think I am. I'm sorry... I just, I hate those scars. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad...again. But I guess I did" he slumps down next to her and hides his face in his hands and sighs. There is silence for a few minutes, but to Steve it feels like hours. He's not going to ruin this by letting his big fat mouth run rampage again.

"Steve" she's almost whispering now and he looks over at her. She's sitting there looking so fucking cute it's hurting him trying to keep himself from jumping here right here on the couch "show me" she looks up at him

"Show you what?" the words are almost caught in his throat

"What you wrote in the card...show me" he can physically SEE her shivering now and his mind can't really process what she's saying

"What I wrote in the card..." he has to think and then the reality of the situation hits him like a ton of bricks dropped on his head. "Show you...how fucking sexy I think you are?" the last few words are nothing more than a whisper, this can't be what she was talking about? Can it? It's just his imagination getting it's hopes up...right?

"Yes...show me...that. If you want of course...but if I don't dive in to this now I will never have the guts to ask again" she says and Steve seems to be looking at this from outside his body, it feels to unreal. Yesterday she wouldn't talk to him and tonight...she's asking him to...fuck her?

"Ahem...do you mean that you want me to...what exactly?" he has to ask, he's sure as hell not going to be a jerk and just assume.

"What exactly were you thinking when you wrote that? What was it you imagined doing to show me?" her voice is a bit unsure

"I... well fuck it. I want so bad just to undress you and touch that body, dive in head first between those thighs and just make you scream my name...then I wanna fuck you until I can't stand it any longer and just cum all over or fuck even in you" he talks so fast he feels like he's losing his breath. There is a moment of silence where Steve thinks he's put his foot in it again.

"Right here or in the bedroom?" those were the magic words Steve was hoping for, he gets up and he pulls her off the couch almost tripping over himself trying to maneuver her towards the bedroom all the while kissing her desperately.

"Fuck you're beautiful" he breathes as he pushes her up against his bedroom wall letting his hands explore every inch of her body. She's just silent, looking at him like she's VERY sure this is a dream. He starts unbuttoning her jeans, he hears her draw a breath and hold it. "You gotta breathe princess, or you might pass out when I actually start touching you" he winks at her and she lets go of her breath and giggles a little

"Was trying to suck in my stomach...hold habits die hard?" she mumbles

"Don't do that, don't for a second think you're anything but perfect to me" his hands are inside her jeans now slowly peeling them down her hips. He kneels down and removes them along with her shoes and socks. She's got great legs...and those thighs OMG Steve's mouth is watering thinking about wrapping them around his head. He slowly gets to his feet, trailing kisses up her legs as he stands up again. He leads her towards the bed where he sits down "please...can you take of your top for me, I wanna watch you" he says with a thick voice. He sees that she's unsure about it so he decides to show her what just seeing her legs has done to him. He pulls down his boxers, freeing his rock hard cock "see... I REALLY like this so far, please..." he says smiling and stroking himself. Her eyes double in size, Steve knows he's big so that shocked look is nothing new to him. But her look is something extra, and it hits him...he hasn't even considered this might be her first time.

"I'll remove mine if you remove yours" she says coarsely as she's staring at his cock

"I...don't do that. It's a comfort thing, I feel too self-conscious without my shirt" Steve says

There's a spark in her eyes and her look switches from his cock to his face

"So me feeling bad about myself is just something I need to get over because you like what you see? But me asking the same favour in return...THAT'S A NO?"

Steve exhales loudly, she just hit the nail on the head. What was he thinking! Asking her to step far out of her comfort zone for him but he can't even be bothered to fight his own demons when he's asking her to sucker punch her own? Is he really that much of a douche?

"Fuck... I'm sorry. Like you said old habits die hard" he sighs "of course I will take my shirt off for you. I'll even go first" he says and he feels his entire body going 'ah heeeell no' in protest. But he needs to do this for her or this night will have an entirely different ending than the one he has in mind. She looks at him, nods and motions for him 'to take the stage' while she sits down on the bed. He stands there for second, fighting the urge to just hide as he usually does. But he looks at Vicky, her eyes following his tiniest movement. He takes one deep breath and he pulls the shirt over his head, then he stands there feeling a little sick with the shirt hanging from his hand by his side. He can feel her eyes on him, he's not able to open his own. He can't look at her, what if she's making a face in disgust at him. That would kill him, he can't deal with that. He hears the rustling of fabric and then he can feel her close to him from the heat radiating from her. Her hands are on his arms now, Steve has forgotten how to breathe.

"You gotta breath pretty boy I haven't even began to touch you yet" she whispers in his ear kinda repeating what he said to her before. Steve exhales loudly but he can feel his breathing is staggered, his fight or flight is on overdrive right now. "Good boy" she purrs at him and he feels her lips on his chest and her hands are travelling down his arms. He wants to scream at her to leave it but he has to fight it, what if she's the one for him? Is he never going to let her have all of him? And what about him asking her to expose herself despite her insecurities. 'Get a fucking grip Harrington!' he says to himself silently. And then...her hands are at his side, he flinches. SO hard there is no helping it. "Steve, it's just me. Don't worry..." her voice is calm and soothing but he still feels like he wants to be sick. She's kissing him again and her warm hands are touching the scars on his side. Caressing them, following the ridges and the destroyed skin. Steve still hasn't opened his eyes, but she's not pulling away so he's kind of relaxing a little. He draws a deep breath when he feels her kissing the scarred tissue, letting her lips and her tongue explore the area. Now he can't help it he needs to look at her. He opens his eyes and he looks down, there she is on her knees holding his hips with her hands kissing and licking the part of his body he hates with a burning passion. It all falls from him, feels like she's licking the shame away. Now his breathing staggers for a whole new reason, she's taken the rest of her clothes off... Now he notices she's completely naked kneeling in front of him and his cock that's been a bit sad looking while he was fighting his inner turmoil now almost knocks her over. She giggles "well hello there" she smiles and turns her attention to the erection wedged between her breasts. She sits down on her thighs and she takes him in her hand, stroking the shaft and this purring moan escapes her before she leans in and takes him in her mouth. So this is what heaven feels like? Maybe he did die from the shame of showing his scars and now he's gone to some kind of blow-job heaven? He lets out a deep moan, his hands find her hair and he grabs a handful and tugs it so her face is turned up at him

"Please stop that" he says with a thick voice. Her eyes fill with insecurity

"Am I bad at it?" she whispers

"Fuck no, you're amazing...but a few more seconds and I'm gonna come. Wanna do anything more with him right now you leave him for a bit" he moans

"Oh" she looks up at him gives him the most devilish smile sending a shiver down Steves spine and then she leans in and lets her pretty pink tongue slide all the way from the root to the tip before she devours him whole, shit this girl can't have a gag reflex is the last thing going through Steves mind before he's seeing stars and groaning out his pleasure. He squirts his load down her throat making her cough a little

"Fuuuuuck....oooooh....god damn that mouth fuuuuuuck" he just keeps coming, shooting white spurts all over her chest now. He's still holding her hair, mostly to stabilize himself or he might fall over. "I need... I need so sit down" he pants and falls over on the bed "fuck you're amazing babe" he mumbles. He's laid out on the bed with his arm over his eyes. He can't see her and he's not feeling her climbing in to bed with him either. He removes his arm and she's gone. What the fuck? Was he dreaming? Did he fall asleep after his shower? "Babe?" he says, no answer "Vicky?" he says a little louder

"Yeah just cleaning myself off, I'll be right there" he hears from the bathroom and his heart calms down again. Fuck he thought he was going insane there for a moment. She returns, still all naked and so fucking gorgeous Steve gets tears in his eyes

"You wanna have me believe I was doing good and yet here you are crying?" she crawls in to the bed next to him laying her head on his chest letting her fingers play in the hairs. Steve is looking up at the ceiling trying to stop the tears but they just keep coming but he's laughing at the same time

"You were fucking amazing babe, truly you were. But this is just years and years of self loathing escaping" he sniffles

"Awww...I'm a babe am I?" she's smiling against his chest kissing him softly letting her hand slowly wander down to his scar again and this time Steve doesn't flinch. "These" she says letting her fingers trail the scars "make you even sexier Steve, because they make you a little less picture perfect. I mean with clothes on you're fucking model type of handsome. But this makes you less intimidating, and I like them" she says and Steves tears keep flowing. He can't speak, there's just too much emotion right now. Years and years of hiding and hating himself all shattered because he found the nerve to fight to show her he's all hers.

"But they're so fucking hideous" he says

"You know, I think it's more in your head Steve. I mean, there is a reason I said I didn't see them when I came here. They're not that noticeable, I mean now that I know that they're there I see them, but they blend in to your skin, it just looks a little like a scrunched up piece of paper someone's tried to smooth out" she's softly stroking the skin as she talks "trust me I know what if feels like not being able to see what others see"

"But..." he sighs "you're probably right. I've lived with hem as a reminder of times passed for so long now I still see them as they looked in the beginning when they were all red and looked horrible" he shivers as his thoughts automatically goes to that day again

"What happened Steve?" Vicky looks up at him

"I will tell you, just not right now. I kinda become a mess just thinking about it...but I will tell you I promise" he smiles at her and he kisses her forehead

"Ok, that's fair" she says smiling back at him. She lays her head back down on his chest, kissing his skin and her hands move over his stomach in soft movements. Steve loses all focus on his scars, something else is awakening in his mind...and on his body. He hears her chuckle "oh well, would you look at that" her hands move further down, gripping his cock that's twitching against his belly. She starts stroking it and Steve forgets anything and everything else.

"Fuck you've got nice hands" he says as his hips move to meet her hands movements "God I wanna fuck you" he groans and he hears a giggle in response. She lets go of him and gets to her knees

"Think I'll crush you if I...?" she nods towards him

"Get on top? Oh hell no I'm a big strong guy I can take it" he winks at her "but in that case you're beginning with sitting on my face" she stares at him and Steve can see gets flustered

"But that...won't that smother you completely?" she blushes

"If it does I'll die a happy man" Steves hand has found it's way in between her thighs and began rubbing her on top of her panties. Her breathing is getting heavier and she moans "c'mon babe. Let's get you out of these and up on me" she just nods and stands up on her knees, pulling off her panties and throwing them behind her on the floor. She hesitantly looks at Steve

"You're sure?" she asks him

"Oh I've never been more fucking sure about anything in my life" Steve says

"Ok...so how...where do you want me?" she says

"Come up here. Grab the headboard, that way if you need to hold on to something" he gives her a smile she can feel down to her core. Steve moans as she gets up on her knees and moves to the top of the bed, she's standing knees wide apart on the bed hovering over him. His breath halters as he looks up at the sight of those thick thighs and that amazing, beautiful pussy above his face. He grabs her hips and pulls her down

"Sit" he says and since she's not prepared that's exactly what happens. She sits straight down on his face and Steve swears he's in heaven. It's like a soft, fleshy pillow surrounding his head. She freaks out a little thinking she's going to suffocate him and she tries to get back to hovering again. But now that Steve has her where he wants her he just hold on to her thighs and mumbles a "hell no" she looks down at him and as their eyes meet Steve lets his tongue find it's way in between her folds. She half screams out in pleasure and also he thinks a little bit surprise. He eats her pussy like it's his last meal, she's moving her hips and pressing her thighs tighter around his head, she's getting closer he can tell by the muffled sounds coming to him from above. He keeps going until he feels her tense up, lean forward grabbing the headboard and screaming his name, then she gushes all over his face and Steve's in shock. All these women over the years not one squirter, fuck she gave him a first. He feels so good about himself as he crawls out from under her as she's leaning against the headboard catching her breath. He takes the towel from the floor from before when he showered and he wipes his face with it. He leans in and start kissing her back and her neck "fuck Vicky, you were amazing, couldn't imagine you were a squirter" he mumbles as he wraps his arms around her from behind and grab her gorgeous breasts

"I...didn't know myself" she pants "s'that ok?" she's moaning as he's giving her nipples much needed attention

"Ok? That was fucking amazing! A first for me, and I loved it" he mumbles as he starts grinding against her ass. "babe...I know this might be a stupid question but...are you...have you...before?" he says. He needs to make sure, he wouldn't wanna hurt her.

"I'm no virgin...not exactly experienced but" she says coarsely moving her ass to meet his movements

"Good" he says and he grabs his cock and he sinks in to her from behind "fuuuuuck me that's so good" he groans as he hits bottom.

"Oh....fuck you're big" she moans and Steve has the presence of mind to stay still so her body can adjust to him, he knows he usually fills 'em up good. But after a little while he can't be still, he needs to feel her, needs to have her squeeze every last drop out of him. He starts thrusting, slowly and deeply at first. She leans forward and rests her upper body on the bed making her great ass point straight at Steve, the change in angle makes him go just a little deeper. He's amazed, she's made for him. There's been very few that's been able to take him fully but she... OMG she just swallows him whole, it's like her pussy sucks him in to the hilt and keeps trying to get more of him. This won't last, this is just to fucking good. The pace has quickened, Steve is fucking her like it's the last time he's ever going to. Holding on to the supple flesh of her hips and ass as he thrusts in to her faster and faster. She's moaning like she's possessed under him and Steve doesn't think he can take it much longer

"Play with yourself babe, I wanna feel you come on me...please" he grunts and he feels her hand slide in under her as she begins working her clit as he fucks her. It's not long before she's tightening up and Steve feels like he's stuck in a vice

"Fuuuuck Steeeeeve...oh fuck...oh fuck....aaaaaaahhhhhh" she screams out her pleasure and he feels her pussy fucking milking him

"Where can I...?" he says through gritted teeth

"I'm on the pill" she moans and that's it he lets go shooting his thick cum, filling her up until it's oozing out on the sides of his cock. Her cum mixed with his dripping out of her. Steve slumps down on her back, breathing heavily but never has he felt more satisfied after sex.

"You have any fucking idea how perfect you are?" he asks her when he can catch his breath

"Me? What about you?" she mumbles in to his pillows

"Ok, make a deal? We're perfect...together" he smiles as he falls on to his back next to her and she lays back on her side

"Perfect...together" she smiles "So...was this what you had in mind?" she asks

"When I wrote that I wanted to show you how sexy I think you are? Well...something like this, but not in a million years did I think it'd be this fucking awesome" he says taking her hand and kissing it

"Did you think I'd be bad in bed?" she roars at him

"Idiot" he laughs no but I thought there would be maybe a little more awkwardness...and I wasn't sure if you were...you know"

"You actually thought I was a virgin, didn't you? Well you ass, if it weren't for the mind blowing sex I'd be very offended right now" she laughs

"I didn't think you were... I just wasn't sure. You've never said anything about it..." Steve feels like he stepped in it again, why can't he just shut the hell up sometimes?

"Steve...like I said. It's been a week...you make a habit of talking about your past sexual encounters with people you've known for a week?" she smiles at him

"Of course I do...how else will they know they're in the presence of a legend?" he winks at her and she laughs so hard he thinks she might pass out "Thanks..." he laughs

"I admire how humble you are Harrington" she says when she finally manages to stop laughing

"I bet you do" he reaches out and slides one arm under her and pulls her in closer to him "so...round 2?"

"Yeah? Why not, you're quite talented with this" she says in a sultry voice grabbing his cock squeezing it making him moan "but I kinda wanna wash myself a bit before...or would you join me?" she asks as she rolls off his arm and gets out of the bed

"No need to ask me twice, I'm right behind you" Steve says and gets out of the bed himself.

There's some heavy touching and kissing in the shower but they finally finish and get out into the bedroom again. Steve can't help but stare at the naked woman standing at the end of his bed drying herself. He's struck with the sudden urge to cry, he thinks of Eddie...and how he would have loved Vicky. He thinks of all of his other friends back in Hawkins, would they like her? They're all so different from one another. Mrs Byers said it best once, "if these kids were a salad not one person would eat it. Nothing goes together, but then you try and it's a perfect match. Just gotta give it a go" Robin would probably like Vicky, she likes anyone as long as they're good to her and her friends. Nancy might be a little harder, Dustin would probably drive her insane with all his questions. Jonathan would piss Vicky off with his ability to always have his head in the clouds. He's not really aware of Vicky and that she's been watching him for a while now.

"Steve? What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?" she sounds concerned

He snaps out of his thoughts "Yeah, sorry I just... I was watching you. And I just started thinking I'd like to take you back home to meet my friends" he says

"Oook? That gave you that look and teary eyes? Should I be worried?"

"No just..." he gives a deep sigh and he goes up to her, wraps his arms around her and gives her a deep kiss. "I know we were planning on doing other stuff but I think I need to tell you about...this" he says and nods down towards his scars. She nods and gives his chest a kiss. They lay down on the bed, Steve covers them with a blanket and he starts telling her... The hours go by, he talks and she listens. "And there he died, in Dustins arms. He had to leave him there, it broke him he's never been the same since then. If I'd known what a great guy Eddie was I would have loved to have been his friend before all of that. But...well...we were kids. He was the freak I was the king. But I miss him so much sometimes it feels like my insides are tearing themselves apart. He would have loved you, and I think you would have liked him as well" he turns silent, tears slowly running down his face. Vicky's been quiet the whole time

"Well... I mean I've seen the scars I have no real reason to doubt your story. But you do realize how this sounds right?" she says hesitantly

"Oh I am very aware what it sounds like, why do you think I never talk about it? I'm just happy I still have the friends I had back then to talk to or this would probably end up killing me."

"What about your family?" Vicky asks. Steve looks at her and he continues the story from after Eddies death and up until present day. "So you lost a friend? Both your parents? Your home? All in one day? How the hell are you still sane?" she asks

"Who says I am" Steve smiles "all jokes aside, I haven't been the old Steve Harrington in many years. I've been so fucking angry...but you know what started changing all of that?" she shakes her head "I met this girl, she was sitting on the stairs outside my school crying"

"Oh shut up, I did not change anything about you" she snorts

"But you did, that was the first time since 86 I felt something for someone else, the first time I didn't think only about how awful MY life was. I mean...truth be told. My life looks like a fucking walk in the park compared to yours... Speaking of which, you're really not coming back to school?" there is an uncomfortable silence and then Vicky sighs

"No I'm not, and before you ask it has absolutely NOTHING to do with you and what happened the other day. I was just so fucking fed up with how I was treated that when the principal called me informing me of the reports she's been given I just told her I wasn't going to come back. She helped me arrange new classes at a culinary school on the other side of the city. It'll take me longer to get there and back every day but it's a fresh start and hopefully a new chance for me to show what I can do. So no, I am not coming back...EVER. Ok I might come to see you get your diploma though" she says smiling at him

"As sad as I'll be not to have you around I'm happy for you! I totally understand your decision sweetheart" Steve gives her head a kiss and hugs her tight. She lets out a big yawn and Steve notices how tired he is also, no wonder it's like 3 am. "Think we should get some sleep and I'll make you scream my name in the morning instead: he mumbles in to her hair and she giggles

"Sounds like a plan" she agrees. They crawl down under the covers and Steve pulls her close and before any of them know it they're asleep. Steve has nightmares every night, horrible ones. Always about the fucking bats and Eddie dying. This night is no different, except it is. In the worst part of his dreams he feels a warmth around him, calming him down. The warmth is killing the bats, it's saving them. Him AND Eddie, he feels loved. There's softness around him, not the harsh environment in the Upside down. He hears a humming sound, like someone's singing in the distance. He slowly comes to and he realises it's Vicky. She's quietly humming to him holding him close in her warm soft embrace. He smiles at her

"Thank you" he says and she looks down at his face

"Hey, you're awake. You had some real bad dreams didn't you?" she asks

"Yeah, they're horrible. But you changed them, saved me...saved Eddie. He dies, every night in my dreams...over and over for 7 years now. But this time he made it, because you came along and were all warm, soft and loving" he hugs her as tight as he can

"I...wow I didn't realise I helped. I just thought about what you told me about music helping that girl Max... So I just thought if you were dreaming about that place maybe singing wouldn't hurt..."

"It helped, it really did. Eased this troubled mind" Steve says still holding her tight not wanting to ever let her go

"Well in that case I'm glad I could help you ease some of it. But honestly I'm still kinda tired, would you mind trying to get some more sleep? I've been hugging you for the better part of an hour now" she yawns again and Steve looks at the time...it's only 5. They haven't even been asleep for 2 hours and she's been awake trying to calm him down for over an hour? He feels bad, but then again he has no control over his dreams.

"Sorry I kept you awake. You sleep as long as you need. I'm going to try and shut my eyes again also, I always have trouble getting back to sleep after the nightmares but who knows having you here with me might help" he says and they get comfortable under the covers again, Vicky falls asleep almost instantly and to his surprise Steve follows along shortly.

Steve wakes up from the sun hitting his face through the curtains. Which tells him it's past mid day at least, the spot next to him is empty. He looks around, Vicky's shirt is gone. He sits up rubbing his eyes and stretching.

"Vicky?" he says. There's no reply so she isn't in the bathroom. He gets up and puts on some sweatpants. He opens the door to the living room and he's met with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes. Yup, he's keeping her no doubt! He heads to the kitchen where she's dancing along to the radio as she's making food for them. "You do realise you're not allowed to leave now right? I'm keeping you!" he says and she gives a little yelp and spins around

"Fuck you scared me! I didn't hear you coming" she says

"You didn't? I thought I was kinda loud when I came" he grins at her

"Ha ha... THAT I did hear, you sounded hot as fuck... but I didn't hear you enter the kitchen...better?" she grins back

"Aaaah you meant that...no I can be very sneaky when I want to be" Steve sits down at the table watching her finish up the food. "Spoiling me already?" he says smiling at her

"Of course, and obviously it worked. You said you were keeping me" she smiles back at him putting a stack of pancakes in front of him and pouring coffee into his cup

"Oh I am, for as long as you'll have me" he says as he takes a big bite. He lets out a moan "daaaamn these are some good pancakes" he says with his mouth full. Knowing very well he's lucky Robin isn't here she'd have a fit if she saw him talking with food in his mouth even for a second. Vicky looks pleased and she sits down with a cup of coffee. "aren't you gonna eat?" he says

"I...you wouldn't mind?" she says

"Mind? Why would I mind you eating?" he's confused

"I never ate at school...I was told too many times growing up no one wants to watch a fat person stuff their face. It kinda stuck... I've got issues eating when people can see me" she's looking down at the cup in her hands and Steve drops his fork and gets up and kneels bedside her

"I'm not like them... I really really like you for who you are. I would feel bad if you weren't eating when we're around each other. I can't tell you enough how much I want you to be comfortable around me, in ALL aspects. But for now if you don't want to eat I wont bug you about it. But if this is going where I want it to go...well....let's just say you're gonna be fucking starving and that's no good" he smiles and squeezes her leg. She looks at him, then she gives him a smile

"Get me a plate please" she says and Steve gladly does. He puts it down and sits back down at his own plate. He continues eating, he tries SO hard not to watch her. But he can see in the corner of his eye she's put food on her plate and she's eating. He smiles a little to himself. He finishes before she does but he just grabs his coffee and turns to look out the window.

"This is probably the first time I'm ever going to say 'thank you for ignoring me' to anyone" he hears and he turns to look at Vicky. She's smiling at him

"No problem, I'll ignore you as long as you need me to. At least during meals" he leans over and strokes a strand of hair from her face "you're so fucking beautiful" he says spontaneously and Vicky blushes

"Shit... I'm not used to this...I don't know what to do with myself when you say things like that...but go on" she says giggling at the end and Steve has to laugh

"I'll keep showering you with compliments if you keep making me food like this and fucking me like you did last night" he gives her a wink

"Deal!" she says with a big grin "I mean I can throw you a compliment now and then as long as you promise to cook for me sometime"

"You do have a death wish don't you?: Steve laughs knowing very well his cooking have been the butt of a lot of jokes over the years. Robin SWEARS to this day that he tried to kill them all one year with a lasagna he...tried to make. He tells Vicky this and she has to sit down she's laughing too hard.

"Ok...fuck my stomach hurts from laughing... Fine I'll teach you to cook if you want, maybe we can surprise them with a Steve made lasagna when we go over there" she smiles

"Oh YES! If you think you have the patience it takes to teach me anything then I'm all yours"

"Patience? I thought you were at the top of your class? Shouldn't that mean you'd be easy to teach?" she tilts her head looking at him

"Nah... I mean apparently I'm good with numbers and that stuff. I get the stock market and how bonds work. What to go for and what to leave alone, I have a nose for that according to Mr Nolan. But other than that I'm a real moron..."

"Well... I'm up for the challenge! Just gotta get situated at the new school first. Would you come with me my first day? I mean not like go with me to class but like...drive me?" she says

"Of course I will, when's your first day? Just need to make sure I haven't got a test or something that morning"

"Monday at 8..." Vicky gets up and starts clearing the table

"Hey, you cooked I'll do the dishes missy!" Steve takes the plates from her and goes over to the sink and starts running the water. She smiles and comes to join him. She hops up and sits on the counter next to him.

"Can I ask you something?" she says and she looks flustered

"Sure" Steve looks at her, why the sudden blushing he wonders

"Well...last night. When I...squirted" Steve drops the plate he's holding...this he was NOT expecting "you said it was a first for you...was that true or just some kind of confidence boost?" she's kicking her legs and looking like she'd much rather sink through the counter than ask him this

Steve clears his throat "It was... I mean I'm not gonna lie to you. There's been a lot of women for a while...it was...sad as it might sound some sort of anger management to me. Rough sex, preferably in some sleazy bar where I was a nobody and she was even more anonymous" he sighs "I'm not the best out there when it comes to dealing with feelings, I have that from my dad. After Eddie...and this girl I thought I hurt but didn't I just didn't want to form attachment so I became... Robins words not mine, a manwhore" he glances over at her, was this a deal-breaker? Was she going to leave now? But turns out Vicky was only looking at him smiling

"I get that, I really do. As I said last night, I'm not very experienced but there's been a few guys. If you don't get attached...you can't get hurt right?" Steve stares at her

"Are you reading my mind? That's exactly it..." he says

"Nah, but I mean it makes sense. But what about this? You and me?" she says

"I don't know what you want this to be... I want this to be us, preferably for ever. I can't tell you what it was about you that struck such a nerve with me, because I don't know myself. But it was something so wonderful about the way you are, I think you somehow remind me of Eddie. Been through so much shit you can't really believe that someone would wanna be with you for you. Everyone has a motive, his was that he sold drugs. People wanted to get in his good graces to hopefully score drugs at a better price. So when all the shit went down and we all came looking he acted somewhat like you, tried to act out to get us to leave. I was ready to give up on him right away but Dustin persisted, insisted he was a great guy. He was right, and now I miss him every day. I wasn't going to let that happen once more...on the other hand I didn't stick my tongue down his throat and press a raging boner in to his stomach...so maybe he gave in to my charm a little faster than you did"

"Well...if were being honest here over dirty dishes... I liked the raging boner, and the kiss. I just...thought you'd be another fuck and bail kinda guy. And I liked you so much... I didn't want that. Also...as I've said, have you SEEN you? There was no chance in hell a guy like you would be for real. At least that was what I told myself, but then you left the flowers and the note and I told myself to at least give you a chance. Am I going to regret that Steve?" she locks her mesmerizing blue eyes with his. Steve feels like he could die for this girl, also he feels like his pants suddenly got a little too small in certain areas. He dries his hands on a towel and then he steps in between her legs where she's sitting perched on the counter. He grabs her ass and scoots her closer to the edge so their crotches align

"You tell me?" he says in a deep voice before leaning in and placing kisses on her neck. She wraps her arms around him and lets out a soft moan

"I sure hope I won't regret it" she whispers and then she kisses him and Steves legs feel like jello.

"Lean back a little and lift your ass" he says coarsely, she smiles at him and does as he asks. Lucky for him she's only wearing her underwear and a long shirt. He pulls down and drops her panties on the floor and then he grabs the smooth flesh of her inner thighs and with soft touches his fingers trails up them as she pulls her shirt off exposing her naked body to him. He moans and leans in and takes one of her nipples in his mouth just as his fingers reach her pussy. He slides one finger in to her folds. Fuck she's soaking already, how is she real? She lets out a feral sounding moan and her nails dig in to his shoulders. He lets his finger slide in to her as his thumb start making circular motions over her clit. "Fuck I wanna make you squirt again, that was just so sexy" he whispers in her ear

"Wanna..." her breathing is heavy "fuck wanna come on your cock Steve, please" she whines. Hell, Steve needn't be asked twice to come in that pussy again! He drops his pants and he lines up and slowly fills her up with his cock, they both let out a moan as he hits bottom.

"Fuuuuck you feel so good" he growls as he slowly starts thrusting in to her. He grabs her legs and holds them so her ass is almost out from the counter, he starts picking up the pace, thrusting harder and faster "rub your clit for me babe, wanna have you cum all over me, soak me" he moans and she reaches down and starts playing with herself and he thinks he's gonna come right that instant only from the sight of his big cock sliding in and out of her as she's rubbing herself. He can feel the walls of her pussy tightening around him, he picks up the pace a little more, shallower thrusts but faster. She's almost screaming now and then she releases. It's like his cock is being pushed out of her, she gushes all over him, the counter, the floor. She's moaning like crazy, her body letting go in spasms in his arms. He waits until her breathing calms down a little, then he shoves himself in her again, he needs to fill her up. "That was so fucking hot babe, so fucking hot" he murmurs in her ear. She's barely coherent, just a moaning mess in his arms. He fucks her like a mad man. Feeling his balls tightening he releases with a deep rumpling groan. As they descend from their high he pulls out, taking a stream of thick white cum with him dripping down and mixing with her juices. They're leaning on each other panting and trying to come back to reality. Steve helps her down from the counter, but they didn't think about the stuff on the floor. When Vickys feet land in their mixed fluids she slips, taking Steve with her. They land in a laughing pile on his kitchen floor

"Fuck...did you hurt yourself?" he chuckles

"No, I'm too padded to get hurt. You?" she laughs

"Nah, I'm good. Should have wiped that up before helping you down. Lets remember that next time" he says giving her a kiss

"So I passed this round to? There's gonna be a next time?" she grins

"Oh you're not getting away, you're mine now! I'll be fucking you 'til eternity" he mumbles in to the crease of her neck and he hears her sigh with pleasure

"Yours" she says softly

#steve x fem #steve harrington smut #steve harrington

16 notes · View notes

luveline · 2 months

Text

(𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞) 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 | 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

Steve hears you wrong, thinks he’s your boyfriend, and begins to act accordingly. You try your best to go along with it until you can’t anymore. 3k, fem. requested here ♡

cw shy(ish)!reader, misunderstandings, steve being a huge sweetheart, fluff, hurt/comfort, bonus fluff scene

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

The arcade is loud and brisk this evening, doors thrown open to allow for the constant ebb and flow of younglings, the machine music turned up to account for so many voices. You’re lost in a sea of rainbow flashing lights and the ticklish smell of sugar. Without Steve’s hand behind your shoulder, you’re pretty sure you would’ve gotten lost and trampled half an hour ago.

A candy necklace pinwheels past your heads like a torpedo, forcing you closer together, your shoulders tight with a flinch.

“We can leave,” Steve says immediately. He’s weirdly thoughtful. Before he asked you out you had no idea he thought so much about other people, but he’s always thinking about other people. You could argue he thinks a little too much, like you.

“I wanna see Max.”

“She has to be here somewhere.”

That theory proves less and less likely. Steve’s hand falls away from you, tugging through his hair in a marker of stress as you circle the Palace Arcade for the tenth time. “Maybe she quit?” you suggest.

Steve’s eyebrows pinch together as he gives the arcade another sweep. Max’s rough patch freaked him out, as it freaked you out, because ‘rough patch’ is a kind way to describe it. She could’ve got a whole lot worse; she was suffering, capital S. It’s nice to see her returning to society, but not if she isn’t actually settling in. That’s the whole reason you’re here.

Steve frowns at you worriedly.

“Who died?” asks a new voice.

You breathe out a sigh of relief. “Max!” Steve cheers.

“That’s me,” Max says, looking at you both sceptically. Her ginger hair is pulled into two tight braids either side of her face, her cheeks flushed red. Mascara paints her usually pale lashes a darker brown, and a rosy tinted chapstick shines on her lips.

“Hey, the uniform looks good on you,” he says affectionately. “You look like a valued member of society.”

“A society in need of better labour laws. I’m pretty sure this is child abuse.” She rolls her eyes.

“Is it awful?” you ask.

“It’s fine. Better when your stupid friends aren’t here making themselves sick on candy like they’re nine years old,” she says pointedly to Steve. “Are you going to throw up too? You look–” she grimaces in place of insult.

“Who’s throwing up?” you ask.

“Dustin. He’s outside.”

Steve sighs and gives your shoulder a kind squeeze. “I’ll be right back,” he says, squaring his expression. “Goddamn kids.”

He sounds like an old man, you think to yourself with a small smile. Disgruntled, he still goes to make sure everyone’s alright. He’s nice, even when that nice is begrudging and tiresome and plain gross sometimes.

“Why are you smiling at him like that?” Max asks.

You school your impression. “Like what?”

“Like you like him.”

You shake your head. “Tell me about work, Max. What’s it like here? Are they giving you your breaks?”

She drags you over to the counter to sit in the seat waiting behind. She glares at any kid who approaches, but besides that she seems in good spirits. The job isn’t hard, it’s just a job. She’d much rather be at home reading, but wouldn’t everyone? “And I get this sweet uniform,” she says, pointing at the embroidered icon on her shirt pocket. “What’s with you and Steve?”

“Nothing,” you say, though it’s something. You’re mortified to have been caught having feelings.

“Looks like something. Are you dating?”

“I mean, this is a date,” you say, almost whispering as heat floods your face. “But we’re not together.”

“He was touching you a lot.”

“Max, he’s really nice. He’s a really nice guy,” you say gently, “and we’re not together, but if he does ask me out eventually, maybe I’ll say yes.” You realise what you’re saying and attempt to backtrack —you do like Steve, but Max doesn’t need to know that. “It’s not like he’s my boyfriend,” you say strangely.

“Ew,” Max says with a laugh.

“Not ew,” you correct. You hadn’t meant it in a bad way, it’s—

“Not ew,” Steve says from behind you, his arm a heavy weight across your shoulder.

You look wide-eyed up at his face, surprised by his huge beaming smile, an intense loveliness about him as he gives you a half hug.

“What’s ew about that?” he asks you softly.

Oh, boy, you think.

As it turns out, being Steve’s girlfriend is kind of nice, but you aren’t ready.

From that afternoon at the Palace Arcade onward, he treats you like you’re made of gold. And it’s great, he’s so kind, he brings you flowers and takes you out for breakfast, where he pays the tab without any flourishes and talks to you as casually as always. You almost hope he hasn’t got it wrong at all, and that his soft tone a few days ago had been down to a brief overwhelming fondness. You’d get that. You have your moments with him, you’re falling for him, and it’s only a matter of time before you’re desperately in love, you’re sure, but then the waitress asks if you need anything else and he says, “Just a water for my girl,” and you realise you’re not getting off easy.

Dating is sort of like being good friends; you’d planned to spend the day together anyways. You enjoy his company. It’s clear he’s eager, optioning off the day’s agenda as you return to the car, the bottom of your face hidden in your bouquet.

“We could go to the movies,” he says, opening the passenger door, his smile seemingly permanent as you climb inside. “No science fiction, I promise.”

“I kind of like sci-fi.” Petals press fragrant to your top lip.

“Well, we don’t have to go to the Hawk. We could go into the city. I bet they’re playing any movie you wanna see.” He checks that your leg is properly inside the car before he closes the door, jogging around to the driver’s side and practically throwing himself inside. He’s giggling like a kid. “Shit, I’ll see anything you want to.”

“Steve.”

“Or we can go do nothing? Until dinner.”

“Steve,” you say again, thinking you’ll tell him. Nothing good ever comes from dishonesty.

“What?” he asks.

His eyes are so brown. Billions of people with brown eyes and you swear you’ve never seen anything like it before, their centres like hot honey, the sweetheart shape to them when he smiles

You sigh. His smile is contagious, even while your stomach hurts. “Nothing. Let’s go see a movie.”

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

“What do you mean, what? You sounded weird.”

“I sounded weird?”

“No!” He winces. “I mean, yeah, you sounded weird for you, like you… I don’t know. Sorry.”

You feel bad, then. His apology is earnest, his hand resting open on the console for you to take if you could manage the flustering heat of it.

“I wanna go to the movies,” you say, ‘cos you really do.

“Alright, good. It’s just, I think my last relationship, I– I didn’t pay enough attention, and I want to do that better this time around. So yeah. Sorry.”

Oh, Steve, you think. How are you supposed to tell him now? You’re gonna have to pretend to be ready for a relationship with him until you really are, it seems. He doesn’t deserve to have his heart played with twice.

“Don’t be sorry,” you say gently. “Let’s go watch a movie, okay? I want to go, with you, we’ll watch a shitty daytime flick and then get dinner after. It’ll be fun.”

You aren’t lying to him about what you want. It’s clear to everybody, Steve and his friends and especially you, that you like him, that you want to be around him and make him laugh. Maybe being his girlfriend won’t even be that different to being his something.

After all, what’s romantic about seeing a movie?

“You good?” he asks, half an hour later, your agony prolonged.

You’re at the back of the movies where the seats have the most leg room, more popcorn and candy than you could ever eat at your feet and a litre cup stuffed into the armrest between you. Steve is tucking his shirt back into his jeans, his head parting the light of the projector and leaving a silhouette in the previews.

“Steve,” you advise, gesturing for him to lean down out of the way.

He leans down, further and further, face to face with you with his hands on his hips. A flirtatious teasing makes its way onto his lips. “What?” he asks, amused.

“You were in the way of the light.”

“That what it was?”

“Seriously!” you whisper-shout, laughing despite yourself.

“You’re so cute,” he whispers back. “Want to take your jacket off?”

Your lips part at his good suggestion. You hold your arm out and start to peel from your jacket, but he takes your sleeve and helps you out of it before folding it and sitting in the seat next to you, your jacket on his thigh. “How’s that, babe?” he asks.

“It’s good.”

“Okay, perfect.” He beams at you. He’s always smiling when he’s with you, like you’re the best thing since sliced bread. Like he loves you. “Tell me if you need something, yeah? I know you’re kinda shy.”

He settles back in his seat with your jacket still in his lap and no indication that he might want to move it. Your knees touch as he relaxes, your knuckles as he puts his arm on the rest between you, a picture of contentedness as the movie begins and the opening credits play. “That’s us,” he says without looking at you.

Two people walk down the street holding hands as the title of the movie blazes in yellow font with thick red outlines. A Day In Paradise!

You bite down on a slither of the inside of your lip until it stings. You try to fight it off but the longer you sit there, the more your eyes burn, thinking about Steve and what he deserves and how unfortunate this whole thing is, and yeah, you’re overwhelmed, too. You aren’t ready for so much sweetness all at once. You don’t deserve it, he doesn’t deserve this.

You force the tears away. The movie goes on and on, the lights low, the chatter of moviegoers and the occasional popcorn crush not nearly loud enough to cover the sound of Steve’s breathing.

He pushes his hair out of his face. Somebody on screen makes a joke, his hand brushes against yours, and then takes it gently as he laughs.

You pull your hand away and tip your head down, a frantic tear flicking from your lashes.

“You okay?” he whispers.

You try to answer. You whimper instead, a terrible, sorry sound stuck to your throat —you can’t hold it in anymore. It’s too much.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble tearily, looking up, a tear rolling fast down the bump of your cheek.

Steve sits still in moderate horror. “Why are you crying?” he whispers.

The thing about Steve that people tend to forget is that, while he takes care of people the best that he can, he’s really young. He doesn’t always know what to do. He stares at you now like you’re a foreign object, hand tucked back into his abdomen.

A tear drips onto your lip. It tastes salty. “Sorry,” you say.

“Why?” he asks, dumbfounded.

“I really like you, Steve.”

He stares at you. “…But?”

“But I–” His frown hurts your heart. “I don’t know if I’m ready for all of this, I never– never had someone like me like this, I don’t know why I’m crying.” You say that last part to yourself rather than him, scrubbing your cheeks with your hands roughly before hiding your face completely. “It’s not you.”

“I thought…” And of course he did.

“I know,” you say. “I’m sorry, Steve. I thought it wouldn’t matter but everything’s going so fast.”

He touches your arm gently. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I thought you wanted this. You– you said I was your boyfriend, to Max? I thought you liked me.”

“I do like you,” you insist, meeting his eyes.

“Can I wipe your tears away? They’re everywhere,” he says. You struggle to read his expression, but there’s no resentment or anger there for you. He looks quite serious.

“Yeah.”

Steve bends in his seat to wipe your tears off of your face gently. They really are everywhere, on your cheeks, your top lip, your chin, even down the arc of your neck. “I don’t understand,” he says, going back to your cheek for a missed streak, “but you don’t have to be upset. Please. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do, I promise.”

“Steve, when I was talking to Max, I said,” —you wince— “that it’s not like you’re my boyfriend. She was asking me about you, and I got all panicky because I like you, but I’m too weird about this stuff, I’m panicking now–”

“Don’t.” His hand lingers on your face, before a sorry flash of dejection passes over him, and he drops your face altogether.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. Please believe me.”

“Of course I believe you.” He grimaces at you, and the heartbreak turns to something more manageable, like he’s brushing himself off. “I’m sorry. For getting the wrong idea.”

“I like you,” you whisper. Your voice is nearly lost to the rustle of popcorn and drinks.

“I like you too!” he says loudly.

A few seats down, somebody turns, an angry whirl of hair and clicky nails. “Can you guys shut up?”

You and Steve leave your mountain of snacks behind to stand in the theatre hallway, where the winter air is cool on your flushed skin, and the silence is stifling. You lean against a wood feature wall and try to calm down, because he’s the one who should be upset (or maybe he’s not that fussed about you). He stands a half foot away with his arms crossed, looking down at his shoes, though occasionally he glances at you for a split-second and looks away again.

“You okay?” he asks tightly.

“I’m sorry.”

He pokes his cheek with his tongue. “So you don’t want to be together?”

You don’t know. He deserves the truth, even if you barely understand it yourself, and it stings to say. “I do, I like you, but I… I want to take things slowly.”

He stands there without talking for a while. When he does talk again, he’s laughing, that achy awful sadness he’d worn a far off memory. “You’re this upset because you want us to take things slow?”

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“You haven’t,” he promises. “That would never hurt my feelings. I knew when I heard it that it was too good to be true.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I guess I gotta earn the title like everybody else does. Is that… cool?”

You nod vehemently.

Steve blows a relieved breath of air up his face, his hair ruffling off of his forehead. “I thought I was gonna lose you completely,” he says, smiling. “This is fine. I can work with slow. Slow’s my middle name.”

—♡—

The sun is a blistering heat today. “Can’t believe it’s only spring,” you murmur, eyes covered by the back of your arm.

A weight sits down on the blanket beside you, the sound of dry grass crushed underfoot. He brings the fresh scent of lemon slices with him, the zest sticking to his hands.

“I think I might melt.”

“I’d never let that happen,” Steve says, laying down beside you.

“You can be my parasol.”

“Your what?”

“It’s a sun umbrella.”

“Like this?” he asks, gently laying himself across your front, his face on the slip of your stomach that’s bare, his arms sneaking behind your thighs to hug them as you bring them up.

You reach down to stroke his hair, taking your fingers through the silky lengths of it, fingernails scratching ever so slightly at his scalp. “Thanks,” you say.

He kisses your naked leg. “You’re welcome, honey.”

If he’d done that at the beginning of your relationship, you’d have frozen up; not because he would’ve done it differently, not because he wasn't always your handsome sweetheart, but because being comfortable with someone this intimately takes time, and that’s okay.

“Your face is digging into my hip,” you murmur.

He shifts back, his ear above your belly button. “Is that better?”

“That’s perfect.”

“Are you falling asleep?” he asks softly.

“No… I’m thinking.”

“Nothing good ever comes of that.”

“I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“I love talking to you,” he says. He sounds as though he might fall asleep himself, his tongue heavy in his mouth.

You stroke his hair away from his face by touch alone. Long, warm minutes pass without conversation. You aren’t scared to tell him how you’re feeling. He’s proved to you over time that he’s someone you’ll always be able to trust, and that whatever you have to say will hold weight.

“It’s a question.”

He turns in your hold to face you. You raise your arm, greeted by the image of him sun-kissed and lazing, laid out across you without a care in the world.

“Don’t tell me then,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Jesus, you’re terrifying.”

“Would you wanna be my boyfriend?”

He narrows his eyes at you. A myriad of emotions pass between you both, until he’s smiling, and you know he’s sitting up for a kiss seconds before he actually does. He presses his lips to yours carefully. “Baby,” he says as he pulls away, voice as mild as his soft kiss, “I think we’ve passed that point.”

“I realised I’d never asked you, is all.”

His hair falls down into his eyes. You tuck it behind his ear. It’s pretty clear now you’re together, even after such a bumpy start.

“Can I get it in writing this time?” he asks, rubbing the tip of his nose against yours, your eyes fluttering closed in tandem.

“Give you anything you want if you kiss me,” you murmur.

His laugh fans over your lips. He cups your cheek, your heart a hummingbird drilling at your ribs as Steve moves in to kiss you properly. Your lips part under the pressure, your head tilting a touch to one side to accommodate him as he searches down for you, melty hot pleasure and nerves that never seem to fade arising as his thumb moves up your cheek, a semi-circle of touch. It promises undulating care whenever you want it.

You tip your head aside to catch your breath.

“Better late than never,” you joke.

Steve talks into the soft skin beside your mouth. “You weren’t late, babe. I was early, and I didn’t mind waiting.”

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

thank u for reading!! pretty please like/reblog or comment if you enjoyed cos it means so much to me and inspires me to write even more!!! but either way i hope u enjoyed❤️❤️❤️

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x fem #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fic #stranger things x reader #stranger things fic #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington drabble

4K notes · View notes

taintedcigs · 6 months

Text

˚ 　　　 . ✧ 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐄

vol 1; made to break your heart — king!steve harrington x fgirl!reader

summary: in which you see your ex making out with someone else leaving you with no choice but to fall right into the lap of his enemy, steve harrington. (wc: 5.2k+)

warnings: smut smut smut, minors DNI, or*l sx (receiving and giving oop), some good ol’ bj, drinking, drgs, weed basically, no use of ‘y/n’, degrading, praises, LOTS OF PRAISES, they are both switches but idk if that counts??, nicknames! reader is kinda heartless basically a maneater, steve is an arrogant bastard, and hes got a big BIG di–heart. some lil’ eddie mention that u might miss if u blink!

authors note: i am kinda thinking a pt.2 of this IM open to all ideas, but i kinda am thinking of making it like a mini-series? and maybe introduce eddie in the second part, and then make part 3 steddie? mmmhmm? what do we think? my asks r open for all and any ideass anyways not proofread bc of my lazy ass. ignore any mistakes.

please like + reblog + interact to support me ! thank u ily

read vol 2 here

Booming music filled your ears, sweaty bodies swaying away from you but you couldn't care less.

Whispers from your back, collected gasps, and all you could do was watch.

Fingertips clutched on your dress in fury, gaze unable to tear away from the scene playing out right in front of your eyes.

Tina’s lips were locked onto Billy’s, you thought it was pretty soon to be swapping salivas considering it had been barely two days since he broke up with you.

The red cup in your hand was almost smushed from the hardened impact of your fists, with a quick go, you downed it, ignoring Tommy and Carol’s cackles as they watched you.

With a roll of your eyes, you were quick to turn away from them, ignoring your friends calling out for your name—you didn’t need this, you didn’t need to be pampered. You just needed a generous amount of drinks, and maybe someone to keep yourself busy with.

Tina and her lame-ass party could go fuck themselves.

Billy was an asshole, no real surprise there. And you didn’t care, because the relationship had run its course, again. Tough shit. You were used to it. Another break up with him.

You didn’t care about it, the only thing you cared about was him crossing the line, making out with another girl in front of everyone.

Each break, the two of you fucked whoever you wanted to fuck, just to end up together again, drunkenly. But this time he made it everyone’s problem, and you couldn’t let him get away with that.

The whispers, and the collective giggles every time you passed by were making your blood boil.

You couldn’t let that dipshit ruin your reputation, you weren’t going to pathetically pine over someone who could barely make you cum. And you weren’t going to let any of those gossiping assholes think otherwise.

You stumble onto the porch with a string of curses leaving your pouty lips, quick to fish out a joint courtesy to that Munson kid, always providing you with the best weed, either free or cheap, depending on how much you adjusted your skirt or batted your lashes at him.

Maybe, you should pay him a visit. For fucks sake, you’ve seen him play, and he could roll a joint blindfolded, he knew how to put those fingers to use.

You could just imagine the scorching look on Billy’s face, his velvety lips scrunched together, a sickening feeling sinking into his stomach, knowing that you fucked Eddie Munson, the guy he always went to get his weed from.

The idea of it brings a delicious smirk to your lips. But it wouldn’t be enough, no. You needed something more, something bigger.

“Need a lighter, honey?” A coarse, smooth tone has your head cocking, the joint sitting on your lips rising with the impact.

Steve fucking Harrington.

Falling right into your lap.

Billy would’ve flipped the fuck out if he knew. He always warned you about him, telling you that Harrington was off limits, no matter what. Well, until now.

Your gaze locks with his, dangerous, filthy, and exactly where you want him. Before you can drag out the joint to answer him, he acts quicker, brushing his fingertips on your chin, almost tugging you closer to him, he licks his lips, wetting them with a chuckle.

With a gentle flicker of his lighter, the tip of the joint smolders, casting a warm glow to your face that accentuates the smirk curved on your lips.

Your dress rides up your thighs when you straighten up, taking an inhale from the joint, you blow the smoke in his face without a care. He eyes each of your movements, the stupid grin sitting on his lips growing wider the more his eyes move up and down your body. You almost want to chuckle at how easy this is.

But you also know Steve’s type, you have to make them chase you a little bit, give them a little thrill, before you finally give in. And you had already been doing that, for the longest time.

Always teasing him, but never giving in. Your hands always brushed past his bicep just enough to let him know you were interested, eyelashes always fluttered at him, teeth biting on your bottom lip as you checked him out.

The little game had been fun, but you never plucked up the courage to fully give in to him, Billy would’ve lost his shit. Besides, you knew his type, and you didn’t want to be one of his other trophies. And you didn’t have to be, you just had to use him to get yourself off, and piss Billy off. The second you walked into a room with him, you knew the party would be buzzing with the gossip.

You had the perfect excuse, the perfect excuse to finally divulge your fantasies, all the cheerleaders always blabbered about him, calling him an ass, but an ass who knew how to properly use his fingers and that dangerous mouth.

Exactly what you fucking need.

You had been pent up enough for the months you were with Billy.

This would be a little reward.

“All alone?” He was smug, he absolutely knew about the break-up and possibly saw Tina and Billy’s show, so he knew this was the perfect opportunity to have you in his palm. In a fucked up way, that made you want him more, the unspoken game grew more intense with that gaze of his, he had the same idea you did. The fucker was smooth.

You nod curtly, not wanting to just fall into his lap. No matter how good he looked in those Levi’s jeans that cupped his ass perfectly. Why was he so fucking interesting to you? Arms all toned, face adorned with tiny moles, he almost seemed mystical.

And oh god, his hair. That soft, perfectly layered chestnut brown locks, so effortlessly cool that you just wanted to run your hair through it, tugging at it the more his lips sucked on your clit.

God, the thought had your thighs pressing together uncomfortably.

“A pretty girl like you shouldn’t be all alone at a party,” he pouted mockingly. “Where’s that boy toy of yours?” He tutted, hand dangerously planted on your back, ghosting over your hips.

That elicited a giggle out of you, “Didn’t you hear all the rumors, pretty boy?” You leaned further, hand extending to offer him a huff. His attention was somewhere else though, eyes widening the more he admired you in that dress, showing off your curves in all the right way, tits almost busting out of your chest.

God, he had been waiting for this moment, an opportunity to have you, the second he fucking met you. But Billy got to you first.

“We broke up.” That brought his attention back to you, a smirk played on his lips when he leaned into your hand, lips wrapping around the tip of the joint, he sucked on it but his dark amber eyes remained on you.

With an inhale, “Good.” He mumbled, “knew that dipshit couldn’t handle someone like you.”

“You need someone better take care of you…” he hummed, nose dipping closer to your features, “someone who knows how to handle all of this.” His hands were placed on your waist, traveling all over your body.

Your breath was quick to get caught in your throat, a whine leaving your lips with how forward he was being.

And shit, you understood the appeal, you always did, but this time, you were sure your hunger for him grew faster than you intended to. You were in his palm, and you were more than okay with it.

“Yeah?” You teased with a giggle, head falling on his shoulder, brain getting fuzzier.

“I can make you forget him.” He’s bold, and it has your thighs rubbing together.

“By the time I’m done with you, you won’t even remember his name, or how to walk.” He’s so close to your ear, breath fanning against your breath as you almost shudder, but you play it off.

“You’re all talk, Harrington.” You licked your glossy lips, head slightly tilted to the side, teasing him just enough.

“Oh, sweetheart, I know you’ve heard the rumors, and I know you want this as much as you do.” The cocky bastard licks his lips, and you want nothing more than to bite them.

“Oh, yeah?”

“The way you press your thighs together, that little whine you just did when I barely touched you… Tells me all I need to fuckin’ know.” He whispers, and you almost whine out when a sloppy kiss is planted on your neck, harsh and needy.

“You’ll be screamin’ and beggin’ for me, angel.”

Your brows raise in interest. “That a promise?”

“Uh-huh.” He gives you a boyish grin.

“You’re on, King Steve.”

It didn’t take the two of you long enough to find an empty bedroom, lips, and teeth clashing as soon as the door closed.

The wandering eyes of the party had followed you up until that point, so you knew as soon as the two of you left the room with your sexed-up looks, everyone would know.

And you would finally have a sweet release after months of Billy’s selfishness.

A win-win.

You let his curious hands wander around your body, quick to almost rip off your dress, he wants to savor this moment, wants the image of your body engraved in his mind, stuck into the back of it just so he can fish it out whenever he can.

But he’s impatient, he’s waited for this. Wanted you longer than ever, and finally, you’re putty at his hands, ready to take whatever he’s going to give—or at least that’s what he thinks— And he’s feeling greedy. His mouth is pressed onto yours, sucking on your tongue before he lowers you down on the bed, you giggle softly when you sink into it, and Steve has never felt like this before, the hunger in his eyes ignites a spark of pleasure within you, quick to dampen your thighs with need.

A shocked gasp escapes your lips once he unhooks your bra with his left hand. Oh, he’s good. “Pretty baby,” he murmurs before his mouth is latched onto your nipples. “Perfect fuckin’ tits,” He groans into your chest, hand toying with your lace panties, shaky breaths escape his lips as he earns more whines from you.

You look ethereal, with your mouth hung open, teeth biting on your glossed-up lips, head thrown back. Just like he knew you’d be.

The more he circles around your panties the more you feel that pent-up desire burning inside of you, all those orgasmless months with Billy, and Steve was going to elicit more with just a flick of his fingers than you ever had through the entire relationship.

Maybe that’s why he always called you a bitch.

“Steve,” your whines come out pathetically as he looks up at you, layered hair already disheveled and that goddamn smirk sitting on his pretty lips.

“Already beggin’, honey?” He mocks with a grin, tugging on your nipple, all teeth and no mercy. His tongue is making its way further down, soft, wet strokes tickle your body.

“Fuck off,” You spit at him, barely, words dying down your throat when he’s quick to rip away your lacy panties. His light honey eyes are so much darker now, head thrown back when he visually drinks in your glistening pussy.

You look so fucking perfect, thighs spread apart, him between them, mouth hung open and ready to take all of him. He makes a mental image of it, burning it to the back of his mind.

“C’mon sweetheart, let King Steve know what you want, what you really need.” His voice is smooth and coarse, fingertips circling around your clit harder the more you whine for him.

“Do you need my fingers, baby? My mouth?” You moan at that, audibly. It has him chuckling darkly once he realizes how depraved you really are, one touch from him and you’re already soaking his fingers, whining like a pretty little slut.

If he knew how much you’d be such a good girl for him, he would’ve done this much sooner. Would’ve ruined your pretty little pussy for anyone else, Billy would’ve had no chance over him.

“Has that asshole not been makin’ you cum?” It was more of a rhetorical question, but the way you shook your head with a pout, had him melting. He really had you and didn’t know how to take good care of you? What a fucking loser.

“Holy fuckin’ shit… not even with his mouth?” His eyes widened, he really didn’t think Billy would be that bad, everything was working to his advantage.

“He- uh- he never…” You stammered, getting uncharacteristically embarrassed because it was, truly embarrassing. All those months with him, and half the time you faked it. Selfish prick.

“Never? Oh, baby…” He coos with a dangerous smirk, lip all pouty and mocking, “No wonder you were so desperate for me. You really needed this, huh?” He almost gave a chuckle, caressing your pussy with his middle finger, getting you all ready.

“Jerk-” You want to curse out his cockiness, tell him you don’t need him. Keep him grounded, but the whines he’s pulling out of you are enough to make him grin like a Cheshire cat.

Your breath gets shakier when his finger easies into your walls. “Sshh, relax, baby.” He coos.

“I’ll make you feel so fuckin’ good, doll.” His fingers are slickly working their way in and out of you, filthy sounds mingling with your moans as his nose brushes over your clit, causing your hips to start rocking up to him.

“Had this pretty little thing, and didn’t even know how to take care of it, hmm? What a waste,” He hummed sweetly, index finger thrusting in and out of your sloppy walls.

“If I had known you’d be this fuckin’ soaked, I would’ve done this much sooner,” he taunts, fingers curling inside of you, enjoying the way you gasp out and buck your hips for more.

He dives in, pressing the flat of his tongue against your swollen lips, enjoying, fully tasting you. With a satisfied hum, he brings his eyes to meet yours, all fucked out, “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, had this sweet pussy but never even tasted it… What a fuckin’ dumbass… I’ll give you what you deserve, baby…”

He’s going to explode soon, if he doesn’t make you cum and then fuck you senseless. He can feel his balls draw up more and more, each time you whine, each time you plead for his name as a whisper.

He flicks the tip meticulously, giving you attention everywhere and anywhere, just like he knew you’d like it. “You know, I usually would never do this on a first date,” He mocks, grinning all mouthy and you attempt to dive his mouth further into you, to shut his arrogant ass up, and that fucker resists, “But god, you’re an exception… just begging to be fucked, you deserve this honey, can’t be selfish with you.”

His licks are heavenly, sucking on your clit like a man possessed, and his name falls from your lips in such a filthy way that you don’t even care how pathetic you look anymore. You accept it, you let him take full control, trashing beneath him.

“You like that, angel?” His words are muffled into your cunt, the pad of his thumb still circling around your entrance while he sucks on your clit. Your head sinks further into the softness of the bed, eyes squeezed shut, breaking apart with just his tongue. He moans into your soppy walls, sending a shock wave of pleasure to ripple through you.

He doesn’t even need your words, the visual of you squirming underneath him is enough to have him all bricked up, you taste like the sweetest sin. Velvety walls so tight that it has him bucking his hips into the bed, desperate for some friction, he needs you. And he’s sure he never wanted someone this badly before.

“So fuckin’ special, aren’t you? Such a desperate baby…” You can feel his bulge against your thigh, sitting prettily and throbbing against his boxers. You always heard how big he was, but fuck, you finally get to feel it, and it’s glorious.

And he twitched in his boxers just from eating you out? God, he was fucking perfect.

He dips his head just enough to muffle out a few more words, “I wanna taste you fully, angel. Want you to soak my tongue.” He dives in before you can reply, eliciting dirtier moans from you, alternating between his fingers and his tongue.

He doesn’t care about anything else but you, he wants you panting for him, cumming all over his tongue while you scream his name.

Your thighs start to shake once he pushes two fingers inside of you, gentle but rough enough to have you squirming and bucking your hips more into him, you’re at his mercy, and he loves how tight you are. Just the thought of your tight cunt milking his cock dry has his eyes rolling.

“S-steve,” you breathe out roughly, enjoying how his tongue is licking up that sweet spot. “I know baby,” he taunts all cockily, admiring the way your thighs shake with need. You’re going to cum soon and that prick can feel it.

“N-need to cum, please,” your pleading is unintentional, you just need a desperate release, and he’s so fucking good.

“Cum for me, angel, be a good girl for me, yeah?” Your eyes squeeze shut at the praise, and he takes note of that, admiring the way you tighten around his tongue and fingers at the praise.

His fingers are quick, making you scream out his name louder and louder. “That’s it pretty girl… cum for me.” Arrogant fuck, you wish to say, but the way he laps up your juices has you whining like a little slut. And his smirk grows wider, a wet patch forming on his boxers with how hard he’s straining them, pathetically needing to be inside of you.

You tremble, trash, squirm beneath him, his touches and stripes of licks finally enough to have your stomach twisting, with final screams of “Steve!” and “F-fuck!” the coil inside of you snaps, orgasm overtaking you with such force that your eyes are glued shut.

A gush of sweetness trickles along Steve’s tastebuds, you taste so fucking good that it drives him even crazier, lapping up at your juices and not stopping until he’s sure you’ve collapsed under him.

He’s grinning like crazy, lips all glossy with your juices, and he looks so fucking pretty like this. It makes you want to return the favor.

So badly. And the need to know if the title Big Daddy Steve really suits him or not stirs your stomach, your core pooling with need. If it’s true, your mouth waters with the desire to have him, he looks delicious, and you know he’ll look much more yummy while he’s fucking your mouth, pretty praises leaving his pale rosy lips.

The avoidant part of you screams at you to not do this, but your core is begging for more.

Maybe, just maybe, you could return the favor but still toy with him, take control, and mess with his mind.

Enough to have him begging, pleading for more from you.

As if he can hear your dilemma, he drags you back in, wrapping his fist around your hair as he pulls you toward him and draws your bottom lip into his mouth, all teeth, sucking with an exaggerated hum, “Do you like the way you taste on my tongue?” He mutters against your ear, licking a stripe of your neck.

Jesus, fuck. Now, you had to return the favor.

“Tastes so sweet,” you giggle, you are going to suck him off, but you are going to lead the way now. A smirk gleams on your lips. Teasingly, your hands trace the edge of his boxers, enough to earn a rude whine from him as you squeeze him through the harsh fabric.

You’re quick to yank his shirt off of him without a warning, and he’s quick to flaunt his well-muscled, heaving chest.

Asshole.

With a strong flip, you manage to straddle him, taking him by surprise while you grin at him, and to say Steve is intrigued would be an understatement, his cock twitches at your brow raise. “What are you doing, baby?” He still manages to be so cool that your thighs ache.

“Returning the favor,” you shrug with a smirk, eliciting low grumbles from him when you lower yourself on his chest, leaving sloppy kisses, mouth tracing a trail that leads to his delicious v-line.

You lift the elastic away from his waist, freeing his throbbing tip, the red tip slaps against his abdomen, and your brows pinch together in astonishment admiring it.

Jesus fucking Christ, he was not all talk.

King Steve, indeed.

You had to hand it down to those gossipy cheerleaders, they had described him to a t, perfect girth, slightly bent to the left, and big, really fucking big, you probably needed to use your hands along with your glossed lips to take all of him in.

He chuckled at your expression, basking in the glory of your widened eyes, “Like what you see, angel?” Another taunt, but you ignore it with a smirk this time. Pooling saliva in your mouth, you spit on the angry tip, Steve hisses at the impact and watches with a low grumble once you wrap your palm around his shaft.

He reveled in how perfectly your soft manicured fingers looked around his delicate bubblegum pink tip, attending to his every need.

Your warm fingers are working their way around his cock, coating his length with your spit as you tugged at it gently, causing his eyes to nearly roll back in his head.

He tries his best to swallow his groans, but his hips desperately jerk up at your hand, desperately fucking it, rendering you speechless.

“You like that, baby?” Your tone was teasing, and if he didn’t feel like he was about to explode he would’ve gripped your hair and fucked your mouth with such roughness that all that you would be thinking about would be his huge cock, punishing you for being such a tease, but he was the one wrapped around your finger now, literally.

“S’big, Stevie,” you coyly batted your lashes at him, and a shuddered breath left your parted lips as you looked up at him between his thighs.

He almost wept at the sight, shit shit shit, you were all of his dreams wrapped into one, and he could barely speak. Your palm easily glided down his length, saliva working as a lubricant as you teased him further.

Your other palm was quick to cup his balls, massaging them and giving them a gentle tug, while your other hand still glided down his length, enjoying the way he struggled not to let out loud groans in your hold.

Without any other word, your head tilted down, quick to mouth the tip of his intense tip, it was almost hot to touch, waiting to be attended to, so needy. Just like him.

You swipe his tip, collecting his pearl of pre-cum gently. “Jesus f-fuck!” Pathetic coarse whines leave his parted lips, he lets you take control, eyes clenched tightly.

You give his tip more kitten licks, trying to get your throat ready for his lengthy cock. “Just like that, honey,” He praises with his head thrown back, he avoids looking into your eyes, knowing that the fucked out look on your face as your pouty lips wrapped around his cock would be enough to have him spill down your throat in seconds.

And it would be a bit embarrassing for Steve, to lose his reputation to you in a matter of seconds.

“More…” He demands, but you ignore it while you continue your teasing sweet flicks on his tip, feeling him twitch around your tongue. “Pretty girl,” He whines and jolts his pelvis for more, desperate and needy. Just where you want him.

“Mhmm?” You whine with your mouth full, it sends a rush of pleasure through him, “Suck it, baby,” he whines again, this time pained with need. Your greedy eyes smile up at him and he’s sure you have done something to him.

Because he never wanted to cum this bad before. He wants to wipe that smirk off your face while you gag on his cum, struggling to swallow all of it as it spills down your cheeks, glistening your breasts, ruining that gloss forever, and instead, you walk around with his semen all over your face and lips.

It pulls a twisted groan out of him, you make him feel so perverted and he can’t fucking help himself. You finally accept his pleas, and with one glorious tug, you finally wrap your lips around his cock, fully, getting teary-eyed each time you try to take more of his flesh.

Steve can’t help himself, his head is dipped down, and he immediately feels his balls ache at the visual of you, crystal tears staining your cheeks, and even then, that lewd look did not leave your eyes.

“F-fucking slut, just like that,” His groans are uncontrollable, hips bucking further into your mouth. You don’t let him yank you by your hair, just yet. You let your mouth adjust to him, sucking him deep and tight.

“Such a good girl, suckin’ my cock with all she has, mmpf.” His praise has your core clenching, damn him.

He admires your pouty lips fully wrapped around his flesh, sucking and hollowing your cheeks as you wail for him, “Shit, shit, baby, l-look so pretty with my cock down your throat, mmhmm…” He coos, words incoherent.

“Will look even prettier with my cum shooting down that throat, isn’t that right, angel?” You hummed in agreement, looking up at him with your dark, hooded gaze, an unintentional grin playing on your lips.

He mumbled a string of curses, praising you, worshipping you. You continued your stroke on his base harshly, working the head with your tongue, a new angle that had him go absolutely insane.

“Mmmhmm, need your cum, Stevie.” You mumbled, momentarily letting your hand do all the work before you dove back in, taking his stiff cock deep in your throat, he had been struggling before, but your words were his last straw.

Because it was exactly what he fucking wanted, owning your mouth, and fucking it with ease.

His palm turned into a fist the second he held your hair, yanking it down as he pushed you further down on his cock, enjoying the way it hit the back of your throat, you gagged around it, all teary and Steve’s head fell back in pure ecstasy. “Y-yes, yes, fuck!”

“Gonna cum, baby, mmmpf, god-” He panted, his cock twitching more and more you sucked on him.

“Gonna fuckin’ s-shit-” He shuddered, thighs shaking while your throat continued to squeeze the tip of his cock, and once you gave his balls some more attention, he knew he was a goner.

“Fuckin’ give i-it to you,” He barely let out when his eyes glued shut together, almost rolling to the back of his head when you gagged around his cock, with a glorious groan of “Fuuuuuck!” Steve came in your mouth, hips still bucking into your throat as a spurt of his warm load spilled down your throat, coating it nicely.

You only let go of his softened cock with a ‘pop!’ sound once you made sure you sucked him dry, swallowing all of it while Steve watched you with such a dazzled look that it almost made you want to do more with him. But, no. This had been enough.

You enjoyed his salty taste in your mouth and the way his fingers and mouth worked inside of you. And that was enough for you. For now.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” He grumbled a chuckle that had you grinning and winking at him. God, men really were easy. One blowjob and Steve was already looking at you like you were the most precious thing in his life.

You had to go easy on him, tell him that you weren’t going to let him fuck you.

Because you got what you wanted, an orgasm, and the reputation of fucking “King Steve”, everyone would be gossiping about the two of you by now, it was a matter of time before that douchebag found out.

He tried to pull you in for a kiss, but you were quick to dodge it, getting up from the softness of the bed with a groan while Steve curiously eyed you.

His brows were quick to pinch together, watching the way you easily slipped your tight dress on your body while you admired yourself in the mirror. Rubbing your lips together to fix your gloss, fingertips cleaning over the smeared mascara running down your cheeks.

“W-what are you doing?” He inquired, his face quick to fall down.

You shrugged nonchalantly, “I want to go dance,” brows then raised in excitement “Ooohh! Maybe I could get some more weed, have you seen Munson around?” You questioned, that lustful look still dancing in your eyes.

“Uhhh…” he stammered, still confused on what the fuck just happened. “Y-yeah I think-”

“Thank fuckin’ god!” You hummed with a giggle, rushing over to his side, sloppily planting a kiss on his cheek, all shiny and smeared with his juices.

You were halfway through the door when Steve’s protests stopped you. “Wait, wait, wait!” He straightened up, softened cock and all, his glistening chest was begging to be touched, but as you decided, not today.

“What the fuck? I thought-”

“What?” You asked cluelessly, brows raised.

“We were just getting started, angel,” He tried, but his voice wasn’t as arrogant or confident as it was before, and it took you so much to not let your lips twitch into a smirk.

One orgasm and he was already broken? Steve was fun to play with it.

Your giggle at him would’ve felt mocking if you didn’t do it so prettily, Steve just watched in awe.

The poor boy.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, would you?” You tilted your head with a pout. Oh, you were good, he had to give you that.

Because once he literally got a taste of you, he wasn’t going to stop.

His lips kissed his teeth, it was surely hypocritical of him to think this was unfair since that’s what he always did to other girls.

“But–”

“See you around, pretty boy,” you cooed, throwing a wink toward his way, and shutting the door with that. Leaving Steve all alone.

He had never felt this way before. The way his cock twitched just the thought of you again had his mind flooding, you used him, gave him the best fucking head of his life, and then left.

Maybe this game would’ve pissed him off if someone else did it to him, if it was any other girl he would’ve lost interest, thinking she was trying too fucking hard, but it was you.

And all it did was drive Steve crazier, and make the chase all the more fun, and Steve was nothing, if not persuasive.

#steve harrington x reader #king!steve x reader #steve harrington smut #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington #king!steve harrington

5K notes · View notes

crappymixtape · 3 months

Text

because of you • part two

PART I • PART III • PART VI • PART V // REQUEST -> @sattlersquarry ❝ an enemies to lovers fic with Steve? 💙 maybe they have to put aside their differences to fight upside down stuff and realize they actually have a lot in common 👀 • 18+ | ( 3.3k – little bit of king!steve, mostly angst with a dash of fluff, enemies to idiots in love, steve x reader )

B E C A U S E O F Y O U • P A R T T W O 🎶 theatre, etta marcus

❝ IS IT EASIER WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE TO START AGAIN? WHEN YOU DON’T WANNA MAKE AMENDS? ❞

‘Stealing a Winnebago’ had been easier than you’d assumed, but the getaway execution went exactly like you thought it would. Absolute disorganized chaos and the way Steve peeled out of the trailer park dumped you into Robin’s lap for the first mile. Made you even more skeptical of whatever half-assed plan these people had frankensteined together and now? You found yourself browsing the clothing section of The War Zone.

What in the hell were they thinking coming here anyway? From Eddie’s retelling of what happened under Lover’s Lake it sounded like not one of them knew anything about hand-to-hand combat, let alone guns. Couldn’t even land a punch, but thought they could handle this? Walls of rifles on display, rounders full of bulletproof gear and cases upon cases of bullets and god, you wanted to leave.

“Hey,” Nancy’s voice pulled your attention away from the tactical vests you were staring at, her eyes wide and earnest as she looked over at you. “If I go over to the counter, you gonna be okay?”

“Oh, totally,” you lied. “Yeah, was gonna go look over here anyway,” and you thumbed over your shoulder at more vests.

“Okay, good.”

She gave you a small Nancy-Wheeler-smile and left you there alone in a sea of camouflage. In the middle of a store you’d never have set foot in before all this and making you second guess yourself. Second guess what was seemingly more and more a stupid decision to go along with all of this and you huffed a sigh in frustration.

“Should’ve stayed in the trailer,” you grumbled under your breath, fighting the urge to just walk out, but apparently you weren’t the only one wandering around all the puke green clothing.

“Huh, didn’t know you had good ideas.”

The sound of Steve’s voice made your hands ball into fists, nails pressing half moons into your palms.

“Do you ever have anything nice to say?” you sneered and he had the audacity to be so causal. Didn’t even look up from the tactical vests he was flipping through and tossed one into his cart.

“Not to you I don’t.”

Anger rose in your chest like a pot boiling over, so hot it made your cheeks burn as you glowered over at him.

“What’s your problem?”

“Don’t have one.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep,” and still he didn’t look at you. Picked a bomber jacket off the rack and piled it on top of his vest and it was the last straw.

Stalking over to his side of the rounder you got right up in his face, dug a finger into his chest and said, “Liar.”

His eyes flickered at your accusation, sardonic smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he looked down at you and warned, “Don’t say things you can’t prove, Princess.” And he leaned into your finger. Waited for you to fold. Tsked at your attitude and the sound of it triggered a memory so strong you felt like you’d been sucker punched.

Your second ever interaction with Steve Harrington happened the week before summer break.

You heard it while you were walking back to school from grabbing lunch at the diner. A high, sharp whistle followed by car horn and then—

“Owwww, damn baby!”

And you recognized the voice right away.

Tommy Hagan. Leaning out the passenger window of Steve’s BMW. Wolf-whistling at you and being a dick and you tried to ignore them, but then they were pulling up next to you and slowing way down.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Tommy purred at your back, your mouth twisting into a scowl at the sound of Eddie’s nickname on his tongue. “You need a rid–” he started to ask, but his question cut short when you turned around.

Mouth dropped open in shock for a split second as he realized who you were, Tommy quickly recovered and started to laugh. That obnoxious, hyena-like laugh that made you want to punch him and he smiled and whistled again.

“Shit, Stevie! Who knew the freak had an ass on her!”

“You kiss Carol with that mouth, Tommy?” you shot back, Steve stifling a snicker from the driver’s seat.

“Bet you could do for a kiss, baby,” Tommy tsked, pouted his lips at you and grinned, “Always so damn sour.”

“Yeah? Wanna find out why?” you threatened and it made Tommy grin even wider. Shark-like. Predatory.

“Park it, Stevie,” Tommy didn’t bother looking at his friend, eyes locked on you as he opened the passenger door and jumped out of the car while it was still moving. Walked right up and crowded over you, eyes narrowing as he leaned in, “And what if I do?”

Your stomach lurched, heart leaping into your throat as you stood your ground. You didn’t think he’d take the bait, but you also didn’t shy away. God, you wished Eddie was there. Tilting your chin up in defiance you glared him down.

“Tommy, c’mon man. Just leave it,” you heard Steve’s voice from over Tommy’s shoulder, tinged at the edges with desperation as he ran up on the two of you, but Tommy couldn’t have cared less.

“Well? What’re you gonna do about it, toots?” Tommy pushed again, toes of his shoes knocking against yours as he stepped even closer, towering over you and it hit you like a ton of bricks how in over your head you were.

“Tommy, just leave–”

“I didn’t ask you, Harrington!” Tommy snapped and you took the opportunity.

Grabbing a fistful of his shirt in your hands, you yanked Tommy down into you and drove your knee into his crotch as hard as you could.

“Oh, fuuuuck,” he choked out, folded in half and hands covering his junk as he dry heaved and you took a big step back.

“Coward,” you turned and hurled the word at Steve and watched it land heavy as his face shifted. Brows pinching together and mouth dropped open, but nothing came out as he struggled to say those two little words. I’m sorry. To tell you he wasn’t like his friend, but his silence betrayed him.

“You bitch,” Tommy grunted at you as he tried to straighten up, one hand still over his crotch.

“Don’t move! I’ll–I’ll get you expelled!” you threatened and it made him laugh. A mean, mirthless thing.

“No fuckin’ way. My mom’s on the school board, who’s gonna take your side?”

And you looked back at Steve for a split second, silently asking him to step in and do something, but he stood frozen in place. Still unable to go against his ‘best friend’ and what little belief you had left in him was shattered.

You were done with Steve Harrington.

Shaking your head, you fought back the tears burning at the corners of your eyes and ran up the path to the cafeteria doors. Disappeared behind them with a loud, metallic slam! and left Steve alone to drown in the deafening silence.

Don’t say things you can’t prove, Princess.

It was like no time had passed, like you were still there in that parking lot with Tommy towering over you and tsking at you just like Steve was doing now, but this time you didn't run away.

“Don’t call me that!” you shoved at his chest and he stumbled back a step.

“Don’t call me a liar!”

“All you do is lie, Harrington! Your entire life was built on lies,” you could see his pulse fluttering against his neck. Watched his jaw tick as he clenched down on the words he wanted so badly to throw at you, but you didn’t give him a chance. “Why are you even here? You don’t give a shit about Eddie. You don’t give a shit about anyone, you’re–”

“Enough!” you flinched as his shout drew the attention of a couple older guys looking at the hunting gear. “You don’t know anything about me, okay? Not a god damn thing,” and the second part was quieter, but they way he held your gaze after punctuated it heavy.

He turned away from you, hastily pushing his cart back toward the cashier counter and walked out the double doors, but you weren’t about to let him have the last word.

“Hey, I’m not done!” you shouted after him across the parking lot. Sharp and biting and it made him spin back around, arms flung out at his sides in exasperation.

“Oh, yeah? Fine. What else you got?”

“Well, for one, I’m not going to sit here while you lord around like King Steve. This isn’t high school. No one here gives a shit about any of that.”

He squeezed his eyes shut at his old nickname. Sucked in a breath and let it out slow to try and steady himself.

“I’m not like that anymore.”

“Seriously? Do you hear yourself? You’ve been a dick to me since I set foot in Max’s trailer! And honestly? I’m not surprised! You think I don’t remember all the shit you put me through, put us through in school?” you shot back and he opened his eyes to glare over at you.

“Like I said, Princess–”

“I said don’t call me that!”

“–you don’t have any idea what this is. What we’re up against. None. You’re in over your head.”

“Okay? And what, I’m supposed to sit here on my hands and say, ‘It’s fine! Steve Harrington and all his little friends will fix this’?? You’re out of your mind!”

“And you think you can?” he shot back and your heart rate thrummed heavy in your ears.

“You know, Eddie says he trusts you now, but hell if I will. No fucking way,” and as you turned and cut past him back to the Winnebago he had to jog to keep up.

“Hey! Eddie almost killed me! With a fucking beer bottle!”

You huffed a laugh and kept walking, shaking your head at the accusation and incredulous at the lengths he was going to prove his point.

“Why should I believe you?” you called over your shoulder, “You’re probably just gunning for a headline: Steve Harrington, Hero of Hawkins!”

“Headline?? I–are you kidding me? You think I’d do all this for a headline??”

And finally you stopped at the bottom step of the Winnebago and Steve seized his chance.

“You really think I’m that superficial?” he shot at your back, but you didn’t turn around. Didn’t even acknowledge him and he spent what little patience he had left. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

But you were already gone. Frozen in place with the world growing dark. Tree line ahead of you blurring. Unfocused and liquid like water and the ground swam under you as a voice echoed in your mind.

I see you.

The sound of Steve still talking behind you turned to fuzz, crackled like radio static and faded away into ear-splitting silence. Deafening and swallowing you whole and then you felt it. The ground falling out from underneath you and you were drowning in the dark and the voice that echoed in your mind pulled you even deeper.

Resisting will only make it worse.

❝ AND I NEVER HAD A TASTE FOR LIARS OR THE UNIQUELY UNINSPIRED ‘CAUSE I DON’T NEED TO BE DESIRED ❞

Steve glared daggers at your back. Anger hot and fuming and fueled by the fact that you had the nerve to ignore him and god, he wanted to prove you wrong.

“Are you trying to piss me off? Cos its work–” but the words died in his throat as he came around to face you. “Oh. Oh, shit,” with a quick glance over your shoulder he saw everyone else finally coming out of the store and he didn’t wait to call for help.

“Munson!! Eddie!” Steve yelled over your shoulder at your best friend before grabbing your shoulders in his hands and squeezed at them. Leaned down to try and meet your unfocused, far away gaze and when none of it worked he felt his chest grow tight.

Not again.

“Hey, hey! Look at me!" panic clawed its way up his throat as he shook your shoulders, "Stay with me! Munson–hurry up!”

Your eyes were glazed over, tears gathering at the corners as your whole body started to tremble. Breathing stuttered and caught in your throat. Lips parted and trying to pull air in, but it wasn’t enough and Steve felt his hand twitch. Wanted to press it to your cheek to try and ground you, reach you and bring you back, but then Eddie was finally at your side and shoving Steve out of the way.

“Sweetheart! Can you hear me? Shit, shit, shit. What happened?? Honey? Look at me!” Eddie cradled your face in his hands. Did what Steve couldn’t. Voice ratcheted up, his usual low timbre a high pitched thing driven by fear and hearing it doused any remaining anger that had settled into Steve’s chest and replaced it with something else.

With helplessness. Regret. Remorse.

With the slow realization that everything he’d just said to you wasn’t worth it. Remembered how Nancy had yelled at him, just like you, outside of the gym. You’re bullshit! And his throat squeezed with guilt for messing it all up again because he was bullshit. He was a liar and you were right. Had he learned nothing?

He looked at you, your face contorted with fear, and he felt something new flicker within him. A feeling blooming at the pit of his stomach. One he was so certain couldn’t possibly exist when it came to you, but as he stood there watching Eddie try to shake you back from the dark he wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Steve, help me!” tears cut down Eddie’s cheeks as he called to him and pulled him hurtling back to Earth. Desperate. Pleading. Begging him to do something and it shook Steve back into action.

Heart pounding in his chest, adrenaline coursed through Steve's body and fought off the fear that had threatened to trap him in choke hold.

“Max, gimme your Walkman!” he shouted over your shoulder.

The rest of the group had started running back to the Winnebago as soon as they’d heard yelling and when Steve asked for the cassette player, Max knew time was running out.

“Shit,” she hissed under her breath and broke into a sprint, scrambling to untangle the headphones from around her neck as she hurried to get to you. “Here! It’s still Kate Bush, is that–”

“Doesn’t matter–Munson get these on, hurry!” Steve, snatched the Walkman from Max and crammed it into Eddie’s outstretched hands.

“Please, please, please,” fell from Eddie’s lips, desperate, praying that this would work as he fitted the headphones on and pressed them against your ears, “Please.”

Blinking heavy, you strained your eyes against the black. Against the suffocating dark you suddenly found yourself in. The stand of vivid, green ash trees lining the parking lot replaced by gnarled branches, dark and leafless. Bright yellow buttercups snuffed out by thick, wet vines that snaked their way across the ground under your feet.

You weren’t in the parking lot of the War Zone anymore, not really, and as you breathed in the sickly, ashen air your heart stopped in your chest.

The Upside Down.

“Eddie? Eddie!” you shouted into the dark, red lightening cracking the sky in two, and when no one answered you knew you were utterly alone.

Panic gripped you like a vice as you thought of Chrissy. Of Fred and Patrick and dread filled your stomach. Utter hopelessness and grief and when you whipped around to run you felt something tangle around your leg. Wrapping up, up, up and pulling you down, down, down.

You braced for it, ready to break your fall with your hands, but you never hit and instead found yourself lifting into the air. Unhinged laughter filling your ears as more vines snaked around your arms and legs and you swore you were going to be sick.

It was

Him.

“Why isn’t it working?? God dammit, work!” Eddie was yelling at the Walkman, his composure unravelling as Chrissy’s last moments flooded his mind. “Is she gonna die? She can’t die!” he pleaded and his voice cracked, a sob caught in his throat, “Please don’t let her die!”

“Hey hey, hey! Get a hold of yourself. That’s not gonna happen, okay? It’s gonna work,” Steve gripped Eddie’s shoulders, looked him in the eye and tried to reassure him, but when he glanced over at you he knew he couldn’t make that promise. “Please work,” he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Where are you going? You can’t leave. Not yet.

Vecna’s voice was everywhere. Flooding every part of you and you feared you would never feel joy again. Would never escape this. Would be stuck here forever screaming into the void, hanging on Vecna’s every whim.

I would like very much to show you where I’m going. Please, take a seat.

And the vines yanked you down, squeezed tight around your wrists and legs and held you fast against the ground, rocks digging painfully into your back.

“Please, let me go!” you pleaded into the dark. “Please, I–” but your mouth went dry as a shadowy figure appeared through the ash. Coming closer and closer in the dark with each heavy step and when it finally stopped, feet at your head, your blood ran cold.

Wet, sinewy skin. Muscles exposed and stretched taut. Eyes that pierced your mind and knew every single one your thoughts. Knew all the dark things spiraling there and made them worse. Clawed at you with spindly, protruding hands and long, dagger-like claws and suffocated you with the smell of something rotten.

Of decay.

Of death.

Reaching a hand down, Vecna held it over your face, inches away from touching you as you struggled against your restraints, but they constricted tighter with your every move.

“Please,” you were crying openly now, tears cutting paths through the ash that had settled on your cheeks, but he ignored you.

I want you to tell your friends, I want you to tell them everything you see. Everything I show you.

“No, please!”

Tell them!

“No, I can’t–”

Tell them everything!

And then your head felt like was being cleaved in two. White hot light fracturing the black sky into thick shards and your screams were the only thing you could hear as Vecna pried open your mind and poured into you his vision for the future...

Hawkins in ruin.

Four gashes in the earth. Cavernous. Hot and angry and full of fire.

Your family. Lying scattered across your lawn. Motionless and still and limbs bent wrong.

Tell them!

Your friends hanging in the air just like Chrissy, Fred, Patrick.

Eyes empty, slack-jawed and lifeless, bones snapped like twigs.

Tell them!

Eddie and Robin and Nancy and Steve and–

“NO!” you screamed, the sound pulled painfully from your lungs as you felt your legs give way and collapsed into yourself.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa–”

Steve scrambled to grab hold of your shoulder and barely caught you before your bare knees hit the pavement.

You heard birds chirping. Sunlight filtering through the backs of your eyelids as you kept them squeezed shut, but the air was clean. Smelled fresh and as you slowly opened your eyes you realized you weren’t choking on ash anymore.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Steve was still holding onto you, your hands pressed into his thighs as you braced yourself, the feeling of nausea overwhelming.

“I saw him,” you whispered, only Steve could hear you and you started to cry.

“Him?” Steve asked unnecessarily, glancing up at Eddie. Hoping, no praying, if he asked maybe you’d give a different answer. One that wouldn’t involve death and the end of the world and everything hinging on this stupid fucking plan, but he knew.

Everyone knew.

Eyes glued on their feet. Arms folded over their chests and uneasy with the weight that had settled over the group.

“Vecna.”

[ NOTE: THIS IS PART TWO OF A – POSSIBLY – FIVE PART SERIES, PART FOUR AND FIVE TO COME SOON ]

crappymixtape™ • steve harrington masterlist // stranger things masterlist ♥️ reblogs and comments keep me going, friends! ily! ♥️

445 notes · View notes

munsonsreputation · 2 months

Text

I SHOULD HATE YOU

steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: [22.3k]

warnings: warnings: no use of y/n, enemies to lovers, reader and steve use foul language towards each other (bitch, asshole, ect). blood (one of them gets hurt...but not bcs of each other), eventual smut (oral: both m and f receiving, fingering, piv, multiple o's,) minors gtfo before i superkick you!!!

summary: You and Steve Harrington hate each other’s guts…or at least you should, that is until a camp outing reveals everything that you both have been trying to hide.

You desperately wanted to see what everyone else saw in Steve Harrington that you didn’t. All those words of how he changed so much and had this entire redemption arc when he decided to finally stop giving shit about stupid high school social orders and commit his life to be the esteemed and reliable babysitter.

Hell, even Robin Buckley, the one girl who really couldn’t stand him a few years ago, was now his best friend, and Nancy Wheeler, his ex-girlfriend, could actually stand to be in his presence without wanting to cringe and vomit because she actually dated him.

You just couldn’t see it in him no matter how hard you tried, not even the kids could convince you that Steve wasn’t all that bad anymore. If anything they gushed about how much they admired him. How he was the cool older brother figure that they all wanted and had wrapped around their fingers ready at their beck and call.

Everyone loved Steve, but to you it was just bullshit.

“Why the sad face, doll?”

Steve pouted feignedly, causing you to roll your eyes, slapping the flies away from your skin as you watched him pitch his stupid tent.

“I’m not sad. I’m more so annoyed.” You grunted out with a glare.

“I told you to bring bug spray.” He reminded shaking his head, clearly amused seeing you get angry at the innocent flies.

“I did, but it doesn’t fucking work and for your information, I’m annoyed because you’re here.” You said through gritted teeth, slapping your neck as another one landed but flew away before you could kill it.

Steve snapped the poles into place, engrossed with his task.

“Well if it makes you feel any better,” he chimed in, standing with a straight smirk across his face, “I’m not particularly happy with your presence either seeing as though you’re not doing shit besides standing there being a bitch.”

Your eyes widened, arms crossing over your chest as you stared at him in disbelief. But by this point it shouldn’t have been so surprising granted that you and Steve never stopped bickering, even when you both should have known to ignore each other.

“Oh, go fuck yourself, Harrington!” You shouted, turning on your heel and flipping him the bird as you walked away.

“Tell that to my right hand, sweet cheeks!” He called out with a whistle, reveling in the art of getting under your skin.

Nance and Jonathan exchanged amused glances, painfully familiar with how much you and Steve despised each other yet somehow got here alive without slitting each other's throats. But that didn’t seem like it was going to be lasting long seeing as though this was now the beginning to a very long night.

You plopped down onto the foldable chair, still wearing a scowl that didn’t seem to want to cease even with the distance you created between you and him.

“We barely got here and you’re already at each other's throats.”

Nancy shook her head not understanding why you both couldn’t be adults about this whole thing.

“He started it!” You insisted, pointing your finger in his direction.

Jonathan couldn’t help but jump in with a chuckle, feeling as if this was payback for all those times he and his brother Will gave his mom a hard time. Seriously, dealing with you both was identical to watching two toddlers tattle tale on each other for every little thing before toys and fists were thrown.

“So now you’re playing the blame game?” He suspected.

You clicked your tongue, sitting up straighter, shoulders pulled back as you crossed your legs and placed your hands on top of your knees, ready to mock Steve and his privileged life that he just had to leave behind for the day.

“Why couldn’t he just have stayed home in his stupid mansion, driving around in his stupid Beemer, where he could be stupid all by himself and leave us out of his stupid stupidity.”

You seriously looked like you could end him with your bare hands — and if they didn’t know better they’d let you have a go at it just to see how far you would get. Surely Steve would put up a good fight too, probably make it quick and easy so he didn’t have to hear your voice anymore, but you would definitely be taking your time with him.

“He’s the only one who’s ever been camping and if something happens then he’ll know what to do.”

Nancy attempted to reason with you, hoping you could see it through just this once, for just a couple hours.

You shrugged your shoulders, watching him in your peripheral vision.

“Whatever, as long as he stays away from me then I can make it through the next 24 hours.” You waved off.

But Jonathan lugged up a box, plopping it before your feet with a loud clatter coming from inside of it, staring at you with a smile.

“If you want to make it to at least tonight, I’d suggest you start getting to work.”

Cursing under your breath, you were beginning to rethink your choices of saying ‘yes’ to trip when you had not one outdoorsy bone in your body and surely no bone, not even a cell that could stand Steve Harrington.

But getting it pitched up yourself wasn’t all that bad considering the fact that the instructions were self explanatory and had images to make it easy to follow. It was that nagging, infuriating voice that belonged to Steve that was getting on your last nerve. Like a mosquito in your ear, he kept buzzing and buzzing and—

“Try again, you’re holding the pole backwards, smarty pants!” He called out, smirking to himself when you tried to ignore him by shutting him out and doing it at your own pace.

But ignoring him only fueled his determination to keep going, poking and prodding at your patience that was withering away by the second. Every snarky smartass remark was like nails on a chalkboard, causing your eye to twitch, teeth to grind, and self-restraint to grow weaker.

“Your tent is gonna fly away in the middle of the night if you don’t make use of those stakes!”

“You shoulda listened to me, I told you that pole was in the wrong slot!”

“How about you put a little elbow grease into it and stop trying to put it together like you’re the goddamn princess of the camp ground!”

Your blood was damn nearly boiling, knuckles going white as you shoved the stupid pole into the other side, trying to get the frame to stay together. But your anger and rushing only made it worse, the wobbling frame threatening to give out on itself if you tried to force it in anymore than you already had. His whiny voice and every taunt that came with it just made you want to take the pole and use it for something else — silencing him.

Nancy and Robin had scolded Steve multiple times, knowing that your fuse with him was ridiculously short. Eddie and Jonathan, well-acquainted with your dynamic, kept their distance, observing from the sidelines not wanting to be caught in the impending storm between you two.

Eddie watched you carefully, your jaw clenching, air pushing out of your nostrils and he was sure that if it was humanly possible there would be a hot steam coming from the top of your head.

“Knock it off, man, she’s getting pissed.” He warned his friend, taking a swig of his beer, while he darted between you both.

Steve however, wasn’t threatened in the slightest, continuing to provoke you with another snide comment.

“She won’t be pissed for long if a bear comes and mauls her in the middle of the night because she doesn’t know how to pitch a damn—”

That was the last straw.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” You screamed, ripping off the pole and storming towards Steve not caring how insane you looked.

Eddie quickly got on his feet, dropping his beverage and intervening just in time.

“Not so fast!” He lifted you off the ground holding you back as Jonathan managed to wrangle the pole out of your hands.

Steve was having a fit of laughter, hunching over himself and grabbing at his midsection.

“You’re so easy to piss off.” He cackled, shaking his head at you and giving himself an imaginary point for already getting under your skin in the first hour of being there.

“You’re such an asshole!” You fumed, continuing to struggle in Eddie's grasp.

He kept his hold tight knowing if there was any room left for you to get away, it would most likely end with warfare. And while he and your friends never liked to come in between your tumultuous relationship, they knew letting you both rip each other apart wouldn't do anyone good – even if it gave them some peace.

Nancy had had enough — the trip was supposed to be peaceful, getting to be one with nature and finally getting away from the kids for once, but of course, that wouldn’t happen seeing as though you and Steve acted like children possessed.

“Enough!” She shouted, bringing temporary silence as you both could feel the seriousness in her voice.

“You’re right, Steve is an asshole and because he feels so sorry, what he’s gonna do is finish pitching up your tent while we go to the lake to cool off. Got it?”

She turned towards him, her eyes widening, signaling Steve to comply for the sake of peace just this once.

But instead, he protested, standing up defiantly, “Hell no! I wouldn’t even pitch her tent if—”

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.” Nancy interrupted, not leaving any room for negotiation because at this point it was futile.

Robin gestured to the partially completed frame with a small shrug.

“It’s the least you can do, half of it is already done.” She said, hoping to lighten his mood about it.

Reluctantly Steve huffed, glaring as he made his way over to you, faces only inches apart as everyone began to sigh, seeing as though you’d both be starting again. Eddie gripped you tight, not even giving you any wiggle room to try anything.

“You’re lucky Robin’s staying in your tent because if she wasn’t, I wouldn’t even think about finishing it.” Steve rasped begrudgingly smirking because you were a prisoner in shackles.

But you jutted your neck forward as if you were about to headbutt him which caused him to flinch back, holding his arm out front of his body. That alone made you cackle, just a taste of what you could have done to get him to shut up.

“Get to work, boy scout.” You sneered.

Throwing Eddie’s arms off your midsection, you brushed right past him going towards your bag to get out a bikini to change into while the rest of them whispered their scoldings, particularly punctuating the importance of Steve not messing with you anymore because they couldn’t stand it.

Jonathan nudged Steve’s shoulder, a pleading expression on his face.

“Would it kill you to not be such a dickhead to her for one whole day?”

Steve dramatically gasped, wrapping his arms around his own neck pretending to suffocate, “Y-yes… I-I can’t breathe, no oxygen!”

His best friend rolled her eyes, unimpressed with his childish behavior “You’re such a dweeb, I swear.” she said, smacking the top of his head as she walked past him and followed you to the bathrooms.

“You heard her, get to work.”

Nance snapped her fingers, pointing sharply at the tent hoping that for once he’d listen.

Jonathan and Eddie decided to serve as watch guards knowing that if no one was here to watch him and make sure he did what he was told, he would probably let you sleep with a half assed tent while Robin stayed with him and Eddie.

Maybe all you needed was to get as far away as possible from him… for as long as you could.

Stepping into the lake, the water felt nice against your skin, cooling down the sizzling blood still rushing in your veins and easing your body to a state of relaxation. If you closed your eyes hard enough and let the sun bask down on your face, you could pretend as if he wasn’t just a few feet away from you, grumbling like a whiny child forced into time out to write a hundred sentences.

You honestly should’ve known better than to agree to come along the trip knowing Steve was going to infect it with his existence, but your friends had convinced you otherwise, selling it as an opportunity to get out of Hawkins for a weekend and just enjoy each other’s company.

If you had known that Steve was going to be even more of a pain in the ass than usual, you would have never even thought about getting into Eddie van and driving all the way here with no other means to leave.

“I just don’t understand how he’s nice to everyone but you.” Robin pondered aloud, trying to understand the mystery between your relationship.

“It’s because he wants me dead, Robin, simple as that.” You deadpanned, seeing no other explanation to it other than pure hatred.

“Don’t be ridiculous, he doesn’t want you dead.” Nancy laughed, brushing off your comment knowing that Steve didn’t hate you that much.

“Oh my bad, I meant that he wants me to suffer a long excruciating death by letting his ego take up all the space in the room.”

Your voice leaked of sarcasm, eliciting laughs from the girls who found humor in what you saw as the truth.

Robin and Nancy knew there was no way the both of you could really hate each other as much as you both liked to think you did. If you really did hate each other for real, then you wouldn’t even dare to tolerate each other's presence but you both did — and while sure most times it was for the sake of your friends, by now one of you should’ve been fed up enough to leave.

Their laughter faded, Robin staring at you with a mischievous smirk as you waded in the water, enjoying the temporary peace. Perhaps she could be out of line with the thoughts brewing up in her head, but it was just a theory — a possible reasoning for you and Steve’s differences.

“Did you ever stop and think that maybe you two might get along better if you liked each other in a different way?” She wiggled her brows before biting her lip.

And like that, the peace was gone.

“Absolutely fucking not!” You shouted, rejecting it with clear disgust as you began splashing her in retaliation.

She giggled some more, trying to shield herself from the large splashes as Nancy swam off to the side, happy that at least you were having some fun now, even if the conversation still revolved around Steve. Robin swam through the splashes, wrapping her hands around yours to make them stop before you both began laughing, letting her hug you as an apology for her words.

“You’re so lucky I love you.” You grumbled, leaning closer to her to rest your cheek against her shoulder.

“Opposites attract, you know.” She continued to tease and you poked at her side, glaring half jokingly.

“Not him and I.” You declared sternly, gaze moving back up to the shore where the men still gathered near your tent.

It was nice not having to watch you stick your nose up and complain about the flies as if it was the end of the world. Without you in his ear and sights, he could finally enjoy just a smidge of the day, even if it was pitching his mortal enemy’s tent. If he didn’t think about it too much, he’d forget that it would be keeping you safe and you’d wake up the next morning, living another day to make his life miserable.

Tugging the tarp into place, he zipped it up and down making sure it slid smoothly before dusting off his hands and taking a step back to examine your his work. He tilted his head, shrugging his shoulders not in the mood to fix the lousy frame.

“Besides the crooked roof, it’s not that bad.” He announced, more so glad that his punishment was over.

Jonathan grinned, patting him on the back with a hopeful look as if this was the turning point.

“Well you should tell her she didn’t do a bad job then! Say something nice to her for once.”

Steive chortled looking over to him in disbelief before wagging his finger mockingly.

“Over my dead body.”

Jonathan sighed, sliding away from him and going to grab another beer for himself. Slowly but surely he was giving up on the idea of trying to get you and Steve to get along for the weekend. At this point, he and Nance’s plan was failing terribly, seeing as though neither of you said one good thing to each other all day and it probably would never happen.

Eddie rolled his eyes, resting his back against the tree as he watched you and the girls spinning in the water enjoying yourselves.

“Why can’t you both just put your differences aside and get along?” He wondered, seeing as though you were both capable of being happy, just why not with each other.

Steve darted his eyes up to his obviously, “She’s had it out for me since day one. Never liked me and never even tried to.”

Walking over to your bags, he picked them up along with Robin’s placing them in the tent, but he more so threw yours in, not giving a damn if the tent shook with it.

Eddie sighed, going over to fix it nicely into a corner when Steve turned away.

“To be fair, you haven’t tried to like her either so the odds were never going to be in your favor to begin with.” Jonathan pointed out truthfully.

How were the both of you ever going to get along if you held so much against each other without trying to see it through?

“You sure you don’t have a thing for her deep down? They always say that people who hate each other really just have to settle their differences in bed so they can see eye to eye.” Eddie snickered, patting his back stiffly.

The thought alone made Steve sick. Kissing you? Hugging you? Actually enjoying your existence? That sounded like a nightmare from hell if he’d ever dreamt one. Eddie and Jonathan found it a bit comical, even taking notice of their friends silence, his mind thinking up all the dirty and—

A hard smack landed on Eddie’s arm.

“I don’t know where the hell you heard that from, but I wouldn’t even sleep with her if we were the last two people on Earth.” Steve sneered, nose sticking up with disgust.

Edide rubbed at the skin, he and Jonathan watched as Steve walked away, tugging his shirt off and beginning to make his way into the lake without another word. They knew it was inevitable, the hatred that was brewing in his bones for you, was just a ploy for something else — something you and him didn’t see quite but everyone else did.

“Twenty they finally kiss?” Jonathan challenged, turning to him with an open hand.

Eddie cackled, smirking smugly.

“Twenty-five they end up hooking up tonight,” he added to the wager and to the lines that you and him would cross.

“Deal.”

You rolled your eyes, detaching yourself from Robin catching the sight of Steve inching his way into the lake. Soon after Jonathan and Eddie followed suit, running in like chickens with their heads cut off and splashing all of you with their boy-ness.

It frustrated you more than the way it should have made you angry — the way all your friends could seamlessly get along with him as if he wasn't the worst person you ever met. He even embraced Jonathan in a bromance hug as if at one point in their lives they didn’t despise each other for the girl they both liked.

It was so… confusing?

You let them bask in the presence of Steve, knowing that while you didn’t enjoy time with him, you would never try to rob the rest of your friends from it. Instead you went off on your own, going in just a bit deeper for some privacy as they lingered a few feet behind you.

“Don’t go too far out!” Nancy called out to you knowing you weren’t the best swimmer.

“I know, mom!” You singsonged, looking up at the sky and taking it all in — random cloud shapes and the birds that flocked above.

The camp ground was two hours out from Hawkins, tucked away in a nicer part of town, of course, Steve was the one who suggested the place. Nevertheless it was actually breathtaking, a nice contrast to the small town that you all came from which didn’t have a lake that compared to this, just good ole’ Lover’s Lake and Sattler Quarry.

This would probably be your first and last time camping, so you were trying to make the most of it, not letting the little scuffle totally ruin your experience. You had wished you brought your polaroid along, wanting to snap photos of the view to remember it by but in hindsight it was better to live in the moment.

“Let’s play sharks and minnows!” Robin announced cheerfully, wanting to seize the moment and do something fun she remembered from childhood.

You didn’t pay them any mind, your silence serving as an answer that you’d be sitting that game out and enjoying watching them instead.

Steve cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting loudly, “I call shark!”

They erupted in shrieks, splashing their way farthest from Steve, getting a head start since he was a skilled swimmer.

Eddie, who was a distance away yelled out, “Ready, set, go!”

Steve didn’t even bother mapping out everyone else, they weren’t his prey, you were.

“Better get moving, princess!”

Steve wore an irritatingly smug look, catching your eyes before he dove under the water and made his way towards you.

Your eyes widened, flaring your arms back as you attempted to doggy paddle away from him but it was obvious that he had the upper hand with his skill set. The tips of your toes started to slip from the ground, water pushed up to your collarbones as you still tried to get away from him without drowning.

It was futile trying to lose him, you didn’t even dare to inch further back knowing by then the water would submerge you fully. Instead you opted to sweep the water against him the closer he got to you, though he was unaffected by it still swimming with ease.

“Steve, stop! Go away!” You shouted, kicking your legs trying to get him back.

“Gotcha!” He grinned, popping his head out of the water to stand up straight and wrap his arms around your midsection

You pushed at his chest, trying to get away. “You dickwad! I wasn’t even playing!”

“Too bad!” He stuck his tongue out at you, gripping your skin just a tad tighter and hoisting your legs around his hips.

“Steve put me down, I swear to fucking…oh my god!” You exclaimed, quickly moving your arms around his neck when you felt the woosh of water against your back when he moved you both deeper into the water.

You watched your friends over his shoulder become smaller and smaller, until they were little specks on the shore waving with shit eating grins on their faces knowing that Steve wouldn’t actually do anything to hurt you.

Despite how disgusted you were being so close to him, you had no choice but to hang on for dear life. Steve gave you a bit of height with you over his hips, and had it not been for that, you’d be drowning by now.

“S-Steve, please I can’t swim!” You begged, eyes finally daring to meet him and for once you weren’t looking at him with such disgust but with desperation.

His face contorted with surprise, eyebrows raised and mouth held wide open before tugging up into a lopsided smirk.

“Never thought I’d ever hear that word come out of your mouth… let me hear it one more time?”

His grip barely went slack as you whimpered, using your legs to jerk him back to you before you slapped his chest, fingers gripping his biceps under the water and letting your nails dig painfully into his skin.

“Get me back to the shallow! Right now!” You growled, watching as he winced a bit hissing in a sharp breath feeling the sting.

Seriously, if you were a better swimmer, you’d be out of his grasp by now and holding his head underwater until he floated like dead weight. He had the advantage over you, but you’d be damned if you didn’t at least put up a fight.

“What’s the magic word?” He teased, exhaling as your nails eased out of his skin yet somehow you still held on to him not wanting to take a risk no matter how revolting he was.

“I. hate. you!” You screamed, starting to thrash around in his arms hoping that your struggle would annoy him so much that he’d bring you back to the shallow just so he wouldn’t have to deal with you.

But instead, he loosened his grip again, using it against you because just as he suspected, you seized your movements immediately, looped your hands around his neck, clinging to him like a koala.

“Still waiting on that magic word.” He singsoned, not being too cruel this time around, wrapping his arms securely around your frame, not actually thinking he’d ever let you go.

You hoped your friends couldn’t read your lips from there or else you wouldn’t hear the end of it.

“Please.” You gave in, whispering it against his neck.

The hair on the back of his neck stood tall, shivers creeping up his spine feeling a twinge of sympathy for you, but not too much to spare, when you cursed his name right after the fact. Satisfied, he spun around, guiding the two of you back to the bank where you were more comfortable.

Letting out a breath of relief, you relaxed your arms and slightly loosened your legs from around his waist, a little surprised at yourself for being able to stand his skin sticking to yours for so long. This was the most contact you and Steve had ever endured with each other. All of the previous encounters consisted of you smacking him and him chasing you with something gross like a dead roach.

“You didn’t think I’d actually let you drown, did you?” Steve asked, looking down at you.

You rolled your eyes, staring up at him past your lashes. “I don’t know, you’re quite the asshole so I thought so.”

He ran his tongue over the inside of his cheek, tsking disapprovingly.

“Such a shame you think so lowly of me,” he said acting hurt as rolled your eyes yet again, “here’s payback for earlier.”

His arms abruptly left your body, letting you actually slip out of his hold watching as you went down with a screech that quickly died. You shut your eyes tightly, arms pushing yourself up to the surface where you coughed roughly, his stupid laughter filling your ears when you came to.

“I still hate you!”

You huffed, splashing him once more before trudging towards your friends who watched with glee, thankful for the five minutes of free entertainment that didn’t involve them.

Steve stood where he was, arms crossed, face dripping with lake water, but still wearing a wide smile, more than happy with his little stunt and the fact that he got your blood pressure rising. Something about riling you up, filled him up with a sort of satisfaction, yet he wouldn’t ever admit that you were the only person who could get under his skin the same way he did you.

Surprisingly enough, he stayed away from you during the rest of the time in the lake. Instead, he bothered Eddie and Robin with his stupid ideas to race across the lake and find the biggest pebble to see who could skip it the farthest.

Thankfully for you, you got the bathe in the sunlight, enjoying conversation with Jonathan and Nancy who at first bothered you about the whole you in his arms thing, but eventually gave up when you gave them the death stare. You obviously were holding back something considering you never missed a beat to berate Steve, but this time around, you didn’t even want to get into it — they wondered why?

As the sun slowly began to tumble, casting oranges and pinks in the sky, you felt your fingertips becoming overly pruney, cueing your desire to get out and get freshened up for the evening.

“I’m gonna go wash up.” You announced raising a hand over your forehead to block the light as you stared out at them in the water.

“We’ll be out in a bit!” Robin called through her laughter, continuing her fun in chasing Eddie and Jonathan around in the water with a stick she had found.

You carefully tiptoed through the rocks, making your way up to the camp ground. The tent wasn’t half bad, and to your surprise Steve had actually followed through on his task of finishing it. You’d guess that if he wasn’t so intimidated by Nancy and her threats, he wouldn’t even think about doing it, nevertheless at least now you could say Steve did something useful for you for once, even if it was against his will.

Your bag was already conveniently placed in your tent, so you grabbed your toiletries, a clean towel, and your change of clothes before you walked over to the communal bathrooms where the showers were also located. Thankfully it was just you and your friends on the grounds, so it was fairly clean and had more privacy than usual which was always nice.

You pulled the curtains to one of the stalls back, assessing the area before putting your things down on the shelf and hanging your towel on the railing, stepping in and pulling the curtains closed. Stripping off your swimwear, you wringed out the excess water and hung them on the adjacent wall letting them air dry for the time being.

Cranking the lever, the shower head spritzed alive, letting semi-warm water sprinkle across your skin, rinsing you free of the lake water. You hummed to yourself, raking your fingers through the knots and tangles of your hair, doing your best to get them out before rubbing the skin over your neck and chest.

“You really should have picked the stall away from the sunlight.”

Steve’s voice echoed, halting his footsteps in the doorway as he stared at the figure behind the curtain, the only other person in here was you and he could definitely tell by your pedicured toes peeking under the gap of the shower.

Clenching your jaw, your hands stopped its movements over your body, turning your head over your shoulder as you were met with Steve’s shadow staring right on the other side. If you squinted hard enough you could make out the smirking features on his face, but to your obvious surprise all you could do was shriek.

“Oh my god!” You shielded yourself with your arms as if that would help, seeing as though the curtain alone wasn’t doing its job of saving you your dignity.

He held his hands up, gesturing his arm up and down at the curtain.

“Relax, I can only see your shadow because of the sun.” He explained nonchalantly, walking into the stall beside yours and switching the water on.

You swallowed, still not trusting him completely as you stepped forward, peeling back the curtain a bit to see if anyone else was coming that way.

“Are the rest of them coming? I need to save myself the embarrassment and move to another stall if they are.” You asked rapidly, really hoping that neither of your friends or any visitors would be greeted with your naked silhouette the second they stepped in there.

“They’re playing chicken in the lake so no, they won’t be coming any time soon.” He responded, sounding actually sincere for once, because while he enjoyed messing with you, he still respected your privacy enough to know setting you up like that wasn’t cool.

See… there were boundaries between your hatred, probably ones so low the bar was on the floor...but they were boundaries.

“Thank god.” You sighed, tugging the portion of the curtain closed and walking back into the stream of the water, squeezing some shampoo into your hands as you began lathering it through your scalp.

“By the way, are your tits pierced or were you just excited to see me?”

Your eyes widened, a gasp leaving your mouth while your fingers stopped. His incessant laughter bounced off the walls and rang in your ears like the worst kind of pain, wishing you had taken your chances earlier and at least tried to drown him.

“You’re such a pig!” You said, banging your hands on his side of the wall until his laughter died down scoffing.

He grunted, tapping your wall back harder. “Learn how to take a joke and stop getting your panties in a twist.”

“What’s a joke is that rumor about you being so largely endowed.” You began pretending to gag.

“I heard Stacy Burnham asked you if it was even in and when you said yes she was so disappointed.” You sassed sharply, hoping it would embarrass him enough to shut up.

“I didn’t even hook up with Stacy Burnham!” He retorted ridiculously, knowing that rumor was so absurd and untrue.

You rolled your eyes and wished he could see you, “Not surprised, it probably didn’t feel like much for you either when you’re packing less than three inches.”

Steve scoffed loudly, knowing that was definitely not true and it wasn’t just his ego talking.

“Oh trust me, you wouldn’t even be able to take half of what I’m packing.”

“A half inch? Yeah, cause I’d be too busy crying with disappointment.” You faked sobbed, flipping him off though he couldn’t even see you.

He didn’t have a comeback, clearly not in the mood to argue about what he was packing because truly you’d only believe him if you saw it for yourself. And trust him, he’d burn himself alive before ever thinking about seeing you naked or letting you see him naked.

That was just totally out of the question… and like he told Eddie, it would never happen even if you both were the last people on Earth.

“Let me borrow some soap.” Steve muttered knocking on your wall, hand dangling above your stall waiting for you to pass it over.

“No.” You chuckled, smacking his hand before you grabbed your body wash and rubbed it against your palms to create bubbles.

“Why not?” He coaxed, not putting his hand back down into his stall as you sighed and went on about washing your body.

“You tried to kill me earlier and let me drown.” You reminded him.

“And what would you call that little stunt back there when you tried to stab me to death?” He retorted.

You were quiet, rolling your eyes knowing that he wouldn’t let this go any time soon, so in order to save both of your energies, you simply picked up the bottle of shampoo, thrusting it up into his hand as he chuckled to himself and grabbed it.

“See! Sharing is caring, now, if you need to borrow some brains you know where to find me.”

“Shut the fuck up.” You snapped, trying to enjoy the rest of your shower despite knowing that the only thing that separated you both was a wall.

You showered in complete silence, only Steve knocking on your wall to give you back the products, fingers tapping against his palm to silently ask you for the next. After a few minutes you had finished, finally shutting the water off as you dried down.

You slipped your legs through a fresh pair of underwear, letting it snap against your skin as you worked the fitted cami over your torso and then slipped on the shorts that you rolled over your hips to stop them from falling.

Whipping the curtain back, you didn’t wait for Steve to finish, simply leaving him as you went back towards the tents to hang your still wet swimsuit over a tree branch and stuffing your things back into your bag.

After a few minutes he came out, walking over with his towel around his neck, sporting a loose t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

“Well you’re definitely getting eaten alive by mosquitoes tonight.” He shook his head at your rookie mistake, laughing along with it.

You looked down at yourself, much of your skin left exposed for the same flies that badgered you earlier to feast upon.

“Give me a break, I didn’t know there would be so many flies.”

He walked over to his stuff, plucking out the aerosol can and tossing it over to you, “Here.”

You caught it, looking over the bottle label as he spoke, “It’s the only brand of bug spray that actually works.”

“Thanks.” You mumbled, twisting the bottle open and misting it over your arms and legs, letting the product coat every inch with a light sheen.

You tossed it back, working it into your skin as Steve took his turn to spray it on his exposed arms and neck knowing from experience that waking up to a hundred fly bites was the most uncomfortable itchy pain to be in.

“How were the showers?” Eddie huffed, water dripped off his body as he made his way up to you both, the rest of them following behind.

“Fine, just don’t pick the stall directly at the entrance. Wouldn’t want anyone getting an eye full.”

Steve smirked as you turned beet red, tucking your face into your chest and walking to your bag to pretend to search for something.

Nancy wrapped her arms around herself, biting back the cool air that was coming in from the day winding down.

“Why don’t you guys get started on the fire so that way we can have dinner soon.”

Sunset was just nearly finishing up, only about a half hour of sunlight left before darkness would set in. Steve knew from experience that keeping the fire overnight would be the best bet at having means to some light and warmth.

He nodded, looking around for the items to get it going, “Yeah, sure, where’s the charcoal?”

“Charcoal?” Jonthan asked, confused, scratching the temple of his head, not remembering seeing it when you were all loading Eddie’s van that morning.

Steve nodded his head obviously, looking around at the group. “For the fire? I told you guys to pick it up.”

You sighed, standing up to face them with your hands on your hips. “Don’t tell me you guys forgot it.”

“Are we doomed if we say we did?” Eddie spoke, a guilty inflection in his voice, because he was totally in charge of that but it had slipped his mind.

Steve shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “Just means that now we have to find some sticks and leaves. Do it the old fashioned way.”

Robin the ever so considerate one, starting snapping her fingers, pointing between you and Steve biting back her sneaky smile.

“So stop standing around and start searching! We don’t want to lose daylight before then.”

Taking a deep breath in you held back your comments of how you didn’t want to go anywhere alone with Steve since he obviously had a death wish for you. However it was obvious that this was going to be a group effort, and if you wanted to make it out of here alive, you would just have to suck it up and follow Steve’s lead.

He stared down at your bare feet, pointing at your tent.

“Put some shoes on and let’s go.” He said, before the others smiled contently, running off to the showers and leaving you both alone again.

“This is the last time I’m ever camping.” You grumbled sliding on a fresh pair of socks and slipping your shoes on, bending to tie them up.

Steve tapped his foot against the grass, shaking his head at you and your ability to nit-pick every little thing.

“You know, it would be more enjoyable if you’d stop making every minor inconvenience a big deal.”

You finished off the ties with a tug, walking over to him and glaring at his hypocrisy with an instance you were all too familiar with.

“Are you really one to be talking Mr. I got mad at Dustin Henderson for using up all my hairspray even when my date flaked on me?”

He hated that you remembered that even when it had been months ago since it happened. Neither you nor Dustin let him live it down because it was the first time he let a girl get in between his extraordinary ability to be the charming babysitter he made himself out to be. Dustin, so annoyed with his attitude, didn’t ask Steve for any rides to the arcade nor did he visit him at Scoops for a whole two weeks.

Instead, you took on the babysitting role, driving him to the arcade, dropping him off to school, and even picking the kid up at Star Court when all his friends caught a ride with Steve to be dropped off back at their place. Steve thought Dustin was being ridiculous about the whole thing until you pulled up in your car, wearing the biggest smile as you rolled down your window and sent him a cold smirk.

“Not such a great babysitter anymore, huh?” You laughed, watching as his face fell and Dustin got into the passenger of your car, waving goodbye to his friends while you sped off.

Safe to say, Steve apologized to the kid, terribly sorry and embarrassed by his behavior and even throwing in a bottle of hairspray and a free banana split every time he came into Scoops as an apology gift.

The two of you followed the trail a few feet out from the campground, trucking through an uneven rocky path and outgrown bushes. He was clearly more familiar with the area given his experience, knowing exactly where to go, taking a shortcut that passed cut through the bumpy trail and led you to a small area of dirt and trees.

“We’re looking for sticks about this size, but really any twig or stick will do.” He spoke, reaching down to pick up a large stick and show it to you.

You looked around, eyes peeled out for the sticks that were scattered in the area.

“And what about leaves?” you asked.

“Those too, but they’ve gotta be dry, almost crumbly.” He specified, walking off to start the collection process.

“Got it.”

You and Steve worked the best when there was no talking involved, perhaps that's why your friends always suggested going out to see a movie at the theaters instead of at each other's homes where you both would clearly not give a damn about causing a disturbance. But despite that, right then you both were going a whole ten minutes without insulting one another or making threats to see the other dead.

When you picked up the wrong stick of a leaf that wasn’t crumbly enough, he just grunted, shaking his head until you dropped it and found another that would suffice. That system was working well so far, so maybe that was the key: limited talking.

“Go drop that pile off and come back for more, we’re gonna need a whole bunch to last until morning.” Steve instructed, noticing that you had already gathered quite a bit in your arms.

You peered into his arms, his pile about the same size as yours, maybe a little smaller.

“Want me to take some of yours?” You suggested, wanting to save you both a few more trips up there.

He nodded, carefully stacking them on top of what you already had, steadying the pile and removing the bigger ones to ensure it didn’t tumble over while you were walking down. When you got all that you could carry, Steve gave you a cautious look.

“Be careful and walk slowly, the path gets rocky when you get closer to the camp. If you fall, just scream and I’ll hear you.” He was so serious about it, like a true camp counselor, or as you liked to call him...

“Heard you loud and clear, boy scout.” You hummed, turning around and making your way carefully down the trail.

For once you actually listened to what he said, taking your time and not rushing your way down knowing it wouldn’t do you or him any good if you ended up taking a spill and losing all the fire starter then scratching yourself up in the process. You remembered the shortcut he took, a right turn that he conveniently marked with a X in the dirt. Just a little more walking before the campsite came back into view and still no signs of your friends being done yet.

You dumped the sticks and leaves near the outside of the fire pit that was in the center of the camp. Dusting your hands off and taking a deep breath, you looked back up the hilly trail where Steve was somewhere up there waiting for you to come back.

“C’mon, princess.” You muttered to yourself, feet taking you back there with fast steps trying to beat the sunlight.

Clearly the outdoors just wasn’t your thing, easily becoming winded despite the fact that the trail wasn’t that steep. But you were trying to cut yourself some slack because for a rookie, you kinda got the hang of keeping your balance and not getting lost through the unknown woods.

“H-how many more piles do we need? I can’t do this five more times.” You huffed, hands on your hips as you caught your breath watching Steve dump a few more sticks in a pile on the ground.

He peered over at you, wiping the sweat that beaded on his forehead with the back of his hand.

“Probably one more, will do.” He answered, strolling further up, just to grab a bit more in case.

You honestly didn’t know how a small town city boy like him was so good at things like this — usually he was only good at picking up girls and making a doofus out of himself when he didn’t know how to talk about anything else beside him.

Maybe it was those annual Harrington trips he took when he was a little boy or maybe he really was secretly a boy scout and been hiding it all along, either way, thank god it was him doing most of the dirty work and not you.

“Should I bring these down or do you want me to wait?” You shouted loud enough for him to hear glancing over at the piles he made while you picked a few more sticks up.

“You can— fuck!” He winced, clutching his palm in his other hand, starting to feel a sharp pain shoot in around the area.

Hastily you dropped the sticks, abandoning the pile and racing to where he was while trying not to fall so that you could see what exactly was going on. There was a pained look on his face, teeth biting into his bottom lip as he turned away and tried to shake it off. But alas you reached for his wrist, bringing his hand towards you to access.

“Shit, you’re bleeding.” You whispered, bringing the injured hand closer to see if the gash was deep or not, but you couldn’t quite tell with the small pooling of blood in the way.

Steve jutted his chin downwards, showing you the jagged stone responsible.

“I didn’t see it when I went for the stick.” He explained.

You nodded, releasing his wrist gently. “C’mon, we need to get it cleaned and bandaged before it gets infected.”

“I gotta grab the—”

“No!” You yelped, pulling him up by the collar of his shirt when he attempted to bend down for more sticks despite his injury.

He stopped, visibly stunned at your sudden attentiveness that was usually never present when it came to him.

“I’ll carry those, but you don’t pick up or hold anything else. If a splinter gets in there I’ll be the one needing to dig it out and it'll only hurt more.” You said sternly, shaking your head at him like he should have known better.

“I thought you liked seeing me in pain.” Steve smirked somehow still able to be a little shit even with a fucked up hand.

“I do,” You tilted your head, but sighed, “But I really don’t need the one person who actually knows what they’re doing to be the first one dead.”

“Fine by me.” Steve shrugged, forced to watch you pick up all the sticks and leaves by yourself, he followed behind you as you occasionally looked behind your shoulder to see if he was okay.

When you both finally made it back to the tents, you dropped the pile, pointing at the foldable chairs a few feet from the pit.

“Go over there.” You instructed, brushing past him with vigor as you went to your tent to retrieve the first aid kit you packed for emergencies like this, though you were really hoping you didn’t have to use it.

You flipped the case open, taking a look at all the materials it contained while you walked over to him, kneeling in front of him and deciding what you were going to do. Grabbing an alcohol wipe, you disinfected your hands before you tapped his knee.

“Show me.” You demanded, holding your hand out, until he reluctantly placed it in yours giving you a closer look at the gash.

The blood had stopped so you knew it wasn’t that deep of a cut that would require stitches or staples, but it most definitely needed to be wrapped up to prevent an infection and trip to the emergency room.

You reached into the kit for a fresh alcohol pad, ripping it open with your teeth as you steadied his hand in yours.

“Just get it over with already.” He muttered, head turning away anticipating the sting that was going to be worse than your nails digging into him.

“Don’t be a wimp.” You joked, swiping it gently over the area to get it clear from the drying blood and any outside contaminants. He didn’t pull back, only sucking in a deep breath from the mild burn but after a few seconds the worst part was done.

“See, not so bad, right, big boy?” You laughed, patting his knee again before throwing aside the bloodied napkin as he swallowed thickly, waiting for your next steps.

He watched you carefully, grabbing some sort of ointment, squeezing a small dollop onto your finger before you dabbed it over the cut making sure to coat it evenly. Then you placed two pieces of gauze over the top to keep it extra clean and enclosed.

You repositioned his arm, letting his elbow rest upright on his knee.

“I’m gonna tape you up now, so try not to get it wet, but if you do I can always rewrap it.” You told him, getting the tape ready.

Steve was surprised by your skill, expertly maneuvering the tape through his fingers, across his palm and over his wrist, repeating it a few times to ensure that the gauze wouldn’t budge and would keep the cut sealed tight.

“Where’d you learn how to do this?” He asked curiously, watching as you smoothed out the creases as you went.

You shrugged, doing one last wrap around for good measure, “I had a phase where I thought I wanted to be a nurse.” You grinned, teeth wrapping around the excess tape to rip it off before you flattened the remainder over his wrist.

He nodded slowly, stammering out,“T-thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” You brushed it off, cleaning up the bloody wipes and putting the first aid kit back in your bag after disinfecting your hands once more.

The sun was nearly covered by the clouds, painting the sky a darker orange shade as nightfall threatened to spill over soon. At this point, the fire needed to be started, now — no more distractions and no more arguing.

“So?” You shot Steve a look, then back down at the fire pit, “Wanna tell me what I need to do to get this thing started or what?”

Steve was more than capable of getting it done himself with one good hand, but seeing as though you were pretty stern in his efforts to not carry a single stick, not even a paper light leaf, he knew this would be no different. Instead he moved to stay beside you, acting as supervisor just so he could make sure you were doing the right thing.

“You’re gonna wanna start by making a bed with the leaves.” He instructed, watching as you dropped down on your hands and knees to get low enough into the pit as you threw them in, trying your best to make it as leveled as possible.

“It looks good,” He praised, giving you a tight smile when you looked up at him waiting for the next steps.

“You want to do it the old fashioned way or do you want to use Eddie’s lighter?” He chuckled, knowing he’d pick the easy way just like you were going to.

“Fuck that, I’m not a cave woman, where the hell is the lighter?” You strided towards his and Eddie’s tent, rummaging through the metal heads duffle bag until you felt the familiar body of the lighter.

You went back into place, flicked it on and looked at Steve cautiously until he nodded, granting you permission to set the bed of leaves on fire. Blindlessly you passed the lighter up to him, watching as the flames slowly engulfed the leaves and began to crackle.

“Now start adding a few sticks. We’re gonna need to add more throughout the night to feed the fire.” He said watching as you carefully threw some in, doing your best to cover the bed beneath it until only a little of the fire was exposed.

“Alright, that’s good enough.” He bent down patting your shoulder and feeling the warmth of the fire starting to get hotter.

“Well that wasn’t so hard.” You grinned to yourself dusting off your hands and knees, happy with your outdoor accomplishments thus far.

“Technically the lighter made the fire.” He shot back, flicking it between you both as you rolled your eyes and blew the flame out.

“Oh shut it.” You muttered, going to busy yourself with something else while Steve put the lighter back where it came from.

You propped open the rest of the chairs, randomly placing them around everyones tents and two extra ones right in front of the fire pit. Steve was watching the fire, making sure it didn’t get too big or burned too slowly — so far the bed of leaves you built were holding up and it didn’t seem like it’d be going out until morning tomorrow.

After a few minutes the voices of your friends came tumbling out of the bathrooms, seeing them all dressed in their PJ’s that somehow showed they were more prepared than you. All of them decked out in long sleeves, hoodies, and sweatpants — god, you wished you got the memo.

“Damn this is cool! I’ve only ever seen a campfire in movies!” Eddie enthusiastically ran closer, peering into the bright orange pit.

You looked over at all of them, dramatically holding your arms wide open.

“Were you guys having a foursome or something?! Steve and I did all the work and he even got banged up in the process.” You said, walking over to him to lift and show them his injured hand.

Robin gasped, running up to his side to check up on him, obviously worried for her best friend, “What the heck happened.”

Steve shrugged looking over at you with a somewhat grateful look, “Grazed a sharp rock, but it’s fine. She wrapped it up and we’re all good to go now.”

“Well shit, sorry we took so long,” Jonathan apologized half-heartedly, while his mind was celebrating that you both actually seemed to work well together when it was needed.

“Eddie and Robin thought they saw a spider in the showers so we all had to take turns using one stall.” Nancy rolled her eyes, giving you an apologetic look, the both of you knowing Robin and Eddie were a tad bit dramatic at times.

“It’s fine, but you can make it up to us by cooking.” You grinned, you and Steve giving each other a sly look before you pointed at the icebox of food waiting to be cooked.

So you and Steve finally got to kick back… in silence of course.

You both sat in the foldable chairs, watching as the four worked diligently over the fire — Nancy holding skewers of hot dogs over the flame, Robin prodding at the potatoes wrapped in foil with a pair of tongs, Jonathan toasting the hot dog buns one by one, and Eddie feeding the fire with a few more smaller sticks.

He peered over at your silent figure, watching the way you zoned off into your own world, somehow right beside him yet a world away. You were probably thinking about something else, either all the remarks you wanted to snap his way yet were held back or maybe you were making a list of new ones to call him tomorrow.

But he cleared his throat, attempting to get you back here with him, “Do you uhh, want a drink?” Steve asked, breaking the silence.

You blinked, turning to watch him flip open the cooler to grab himself a beer while he looked back at you waiting for your request.

“Water, please.” You said, watching as he dug his non injured hand into the ice box to pull you out an ice cold water bottle, shutting the box closed.

“Thank you.” You said softly twisting it open to take a sip.

While doing so, you furrowed your brows, noticing the way that Steve struggled with the twist off since he was using his non-dominant hand. He almost went to put the bottle in his mouth to use his pearly whites as an opener before you quickly capped off your drink and stepped in.

“Give it here.” You said, taking the glass from his hand, and tucking the lid under your shirt to stop it from pinching your skin as you effortlessly twisted it open.

“Thank you.” Steve nodded with a small smile, taking it from you as you shook your head with a grin and went back to watching your friends.

Steve couldn’t wrap his head around how you could be so selfless but at the same time so selfish. You’d do anything your friends asked of you at the drop of a hat, maybe even without them asking to begin with — you’d just jump in and do it. But when it came to him, half the time you didn’t give a damn, ignoring every warning or piece of unwarranted advice he’d thrown your way.

It was utterly confusing, considering that you were the most selfless person to him today than you’d ever been before. You could’ve left him to deal with the cut by himself seeing as though he still had one good hand left, and honestly you could’ve left him to do the stick and leaf collecting all by himself… but you didn’t.

On a regular day if he even dared to ask for your help, the answer would be “no,” with no explanation other than the fact that you just didn’t want to have anything to do with him. So it struck a chord in his mind, wondering why now? It couldn’t just be because you both were in the middle of nowhere, he knew that much.

Why all of a sudden was there this shift, the one where you helped him without receiving anything back?

“How is the food coming along?” You whistled towards your friends.

Nancy smiled widely, holding one of the skewers up, “It’s almost done! Maybe two more minutes!”

Robin pouted, snapping the metal tongs to get your attention, “The potatoes need a bit more time, they’re still hard as rocks.” she huffed, resting her chin on her knees.

“Did you poke them with holes?” You wondered as she frowned and shook her head.

“Was I supposed to? I didn’t know, I’m sorry.” She apologized ridiculously for something that wasn’t a big deal.

You shook your head shooting her a reassuring smile.

“S’okay! They’re gonna cook through, but sometimes poking holes just speeds it up a bit… It's okay! If anything, we can have them for breakfast.”

“Okie dokie!” She smiled, happy that she didn’t entirely sit there for nothing.

He hated himself for watching you so carefully, taking notice of the bright smile you flashed against the moonlight and how your voice was so syrupy sweet. He never took notice of it before, but you had a radiance about you, something that everyone seemed to catch except him.

Maybe it was because half the time you were shooting daggers through him and screaming your lungs off, but now, for the first time, he felt like he was seeing a different side of you — the one he tried to fight off knowing for so long.

“Are you okay?” You furrowed your brows, waving your hand in front of Steve’s face.

He shook his head, snapping out of it and nodding awkwardly, “Y-yeah, I’m fine… you?”

“I’m okay.” You told him, turning your attention back to your friends.

Maybe it was your tiredness that was preventing you from being the bitch that you usually were to him or maybe you felt a little bad for him because of his injuries, but whatever it was filled the air with some sort of calmness that usually wasn’t around when he was in your vicinity.

Really, on most days, if you’d caught Steve staring at you, which most times he wasn’t unless it was full of revulsion, you would have snapped and told him to take a lap, but it was almost as if you could feel what his eyes were doing.

His gaze drinking you in slowly like the beer in his hands and trying to understand your craft. He didn’t stare through you, nor at you, but to you… trying to get under your skin in a way he hadn’t done before.

It felt…weird, so awkwardly weird. On a regular day the both of you could barely go two minutes without cursing each other out the second either of you spoke a word to each other. Now all of a sudden you both had your P’s and Q’s ready for each other along with genuine concerns about the other’s wellbeing?

God, you both couldn’t wait for it to go back to normal.

“Food’s ready!” Eddie called out, slicing through the unspoken tension.

You and Steve stood up, heading towards the food knowing you were both dying to have something in your systems after a long day. Beating him to it, you plated him a hot dog swiftly moving on as if the little gesture meant nothing.

“Condiments?” You asked, picking up the ketchup bottle, giving it a good shake before squeezing a dollop on your plate.

“Huh?” He asked confused, too wound up about your niceness.

“Do you want any condiments on your hot dog?” You clarified once more, raising your brow up at him.

He needed to stop reading into things so much.

“Oh, y-yeah” He nodded, watching as you squeezed some for him, “and mustard please,” he said, and you nodded, reaching for the yellow bottle and doing the same before you capped it off and left him in the dust when you went to sit with the girls.

Eddie snuck up from behind him, just nearly whispering into his ear lowly, “Aren’t you two being friendly for once?”

He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows when Steve looked back at him a bit startled. He rolled his eyes, walking over to the chairs near their tent and plopping down.

“She’s pitying me because of my hand.”

“Or she just genuinely wants to help you out?” Jonathan chimed in taking a seat beside him.

Steve shook his head, picking up his food, “I doubt that. She’s probably gonna use this against me for the rest of eternity.” He replied before taking a bite.

“I don’t think so man, I think she actually cares, and I think you like that she cares.” Eddie waved his finger in the air before poking at his cheek.

Steve snapped his teeth, pretending to bite the finger that Eddie quickly pulled away. Jonathan laughed at the banter because of course Eddie had to be the one to stir the pot when things were staring to cool and settle.

“She doesn’t give a damn about me….”

Steve started, trailing his eyes to where you were, watching you share whispers to the girls before you met his eyes for a split second.

“She still hates my guts.” He said as you snapped your eyes back to Nancy and Robin.

“Did we miss something while you guys were gone?” Nancy raised her brows, glancing back at Steve and the boys who were engrossed in their own conversations whilst they ate.

You shook your head towards her, swallowing your food before speaking.

“Nope, why do you say that?” You buzzed, wondering why all of a sudden she thought something had happened.

Robin chimed in swiftly, nudging your arm with a weak punch, shooting you a more than obvious look.

“Cause you guys haven’t tried to kill each other for the past hour and a half and you actually could stand to sit beside him without arguing.”

You tilted your head at her incredulously.

“I thought you guys wanted us to get along?”

“Oh, we do…” Nancy nodded enthusiastically, “we’re just wondering what made it happen considering you both tried to kill each other a few hours ago.”

Letting out a deep breath, you tried to give your best irritated look under your tiredness.

“We’re just tired that’s all. We’ve run out of insults and to be quite honest, I need to recharge my battery with some sleep before attempting to murder him tomorrow. Before you know it we’ll be at each other’s throats again.” You explained hoping they would drop it.

But of course they didn’t.

“Would it kill you to, I don’t know, be a little more positive on the outlook of you and Steve’s relationship.” Robin beamed hopefully.

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head as you glanced over at Steve’s figure.

“He still hates me,” you said, meeting his orbs split, “I know it,” you muttered, tearing your eyes away.

Neither Nancy, nor Eddie, or Jonathan, and Robin didn’t believe a goddamn word that came out of your mouths when it came to each other. Clearly things were starting to unfold and whatever it was that happened when they weren’t around to see it was obviously just the catalyst.

So many things that went unspoken for way too long were lingering in the air and they all knew you needed the space to confront it.After a while of eating, Nancy dramatically yawned, gesturing her boyfriend over to her with wide eyes silently telling him to go along with what she was doing, without you or Steve taking notice.

“We’re gonna head to bed now.” She announced, tiredly clinging to her boyfriend's side.

Jonathan nodded, wrapping his arms over her shoulders.

“Yeah, we’ll see you guys in the morning.” He said, the two of them beginning to get into their tents while calling out their goodnights to you all.

“Wake us up if you need anything.” You called out as they both hummed and zipped up their tarp for the night.

You were going to turn in too, really you were more than tired, just needing a good night's rest so that you’d be ready to go in the morning. Throwing out your plate, you walked over to your tent to grab your toothbrush and other nighttime necessities.

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth.” You said, walking towards the bathrooms.

“Wait up,” Steve called out, grabbing his own brush and jogging towards where you waited so you guys could go together.

Robin tilted her head towards your tent, as Eddie nodded, swiftly grabbing his lighter and pre rolls from his duffle bag and joining Robin inside the structure. That honestly wasn’t a part of the plan, seeing as though he was going to keep the blunt to himself, but now it was just convenient and would make the perfect excuse.

Steve didn’t bother to settle to the empty sink beside yours, instead he switched the water on letting you run your brush under the faucet first before he did his. You squeezed a strip of toothpaste over your bristles before doing the same to his guessing he forgot to pack his own which he totally did.

The both of you stood in front of the mirror, brushing in silence with the water trickling weakly. Your eyes drifted from his face to his hand that rested at his side stiffly. You knew it was probably still a little sore, but by tomorrow morning the pain should subside enough for him to move it a little more freely.

“Do you want me to rewrap your hand?” You offered, mouth still full of toothpaste as you spoke mumbly.

He met your eyes in the mirror, lifting his hand towards you, trusting your opinion rather than his own.

“What do you think?”

You stopped your brushing for just a second, leaving the brush between your cheek and teeth as you picked up his hand and gave it a good look to see if there was any oozing blood or loose tape — which there was neither.

Putting his arm down gently, you shook your head. “Looks fine, I’ll just clean it and change the gauze in the morning.”

“Okay.” He mumbled, smiling softly.

Steve let you rinse first, leaning up against the wall as he watched you spit out the residue and wipe your mouth clean. You stepped away, letting him have his go while you reached into your small toiletry bag, placing your brush back inside and twisting open your lip balm to smooth over your lips.

“Want some?” You raised your brow, seeing him watch you while he swigged some water in his mouth.

He spat, turning off the water and looking at the tube, “Birthday cake?” He questioned the flavor on the label.

“Tastes like vanilla and strawberries.” You said as he shrugged, puckering his lips towards you as you applied a thin layer before capping it off and throwing it back into your bag.

He smacked his lips together, a bit of his tongue coming out to lick at it, “I can’t taste it?”

“You’re not actually supposed to eat it, Steve.” You chided, shaking your head as you both walked to the tents.

“Then why would they advertise it as birthday cake if I can’t taste the cake?” He retorted, still trying to lick at his slimy lips to taste it.

You didn’t want to get into with him over some stupid lip balm flavor so instead you held back, listening to his lips smacking, persistent on getting to try the artificial taste while you tried not to laugh. As you got closer to the tents, a different smell lingered in the air along with the smokey aroma of the fire.

“Do you smell that?” You sniffed the air, turning to Steve seeing him do the same.

He sniffled in a few times, deciphering the smell and after a few seconds, he knew exactly what it was, an unmistakable likeness to the back of Eddie’s van.

“It’s weed.”

You looked around, realizing the absence of Eddie and Robin who were just sitting near the campfire before you went to the bathroom. Now, you noticed your tent that was half unzipped was completely sealed and if you listened close enough you could hear the whispers being spoken from inside.

You stomped over to them, unzipping the tarp, pulling it roughly.

“Are you guys insane?” You hissed, tossing in your toiletry bag while staring at them in annoyance.

“Insanely hiiiigh.” Robin hiccuped with a giggle joined by Eddie’s snorts while he took another hit.

Steve peered in from behind you, his expression stern.

“You’re not even supposed to bring that stuff onto the camp ground, you’re gonna get us kicked out, dumbass.” Steve scolded, ripping the joint from Eddie and putting it out against the ground.

“Hey! That was a special strain!” Eddie argued, attempting to reach for it but Steve pulled it behind his back, not letting up.

“I don’t care.” You said dryly, “you need to get out and go to your tent so I can sleep.”

You attempted to pull him out by the arm but he didn’t budge as easily as you thought he would.

“No, wait! Ten more minutes!” Robin whined, smacking your arm away from her friend, “You guys are letting all the good stuff out!”

Zipping up the tent, you and Steve backed away defeatedly. You ran your hands through your hair, closing your eyes briefly trying not to let their little antics tick you off despite your exhaustion.

“Ten minutes and I’m counting!” You warned, thumping the top of the tent before you flopped down onto the chairs hoping time would fly faster.

Steve looked at you apologetically, holding back his joking comment about how it didn’t matter that he built your tent, seeing as though you were locked out, but he didn’t want to make you more irritated than you already were… surprising right?

“Night?” He said, shooting you a remorseful smile when he stopped in front of your chair.

“Goodnight, Steve.” You yawned, waving him off as you hugged yourself to bear the cold clad in nothing but your tank and shorts.

He nodded walking to his tent a few feet away, toeing off his shoes before giving you one last look until he zipped his tent closed. He reached for the small flashlight he packed, putting it on its lowest setting so that Eddie could see when he came in. Giving his pillow a pat, he laid back pulling his blanket over himself and attempting to close his eyes and rest.

Sleep should have come easy seeing as though he had been up since seven in the morning, yet he still couldn’t fall into slumber no matter how hard he tried. He knew it wasn’t the fact that he wasn’t in his bedroom because he’d been camping times before and sleep naturally came easy but tonight it just wasn’t budging.

He shifted uncomfortably, aware of the passing minutes that stretched beyond ten, and Eddie still hadn't joined him. He was totally sure he didn’t even hear you give them another warning from the outside, meaning that you were definitely asleep on that chair.

Sitting up to peek through the small gap he left open, there you were — head tilted back, eyes closed, arms hugging your body, seemingly oblivious to the bitter cold that was going to leave you with hypothermia. If he was really feeling like being an asshole to you, he would’ve left you out there to suffer the consequences of your actions, but he couldn’t.

Quietly stepping outside, Steve approached, bending down to gently nudge you awake.

“Psttt, wake up," he whispered, cautious not to disturb Nancy and Jonathan nearby who were dead asleep by now.

You responded with a sleepy mumble, lips curling up as you somehow shifted deeper into the chair that was not designed to sleep in like that no matter how tired someone could be.

He tried again, this time more rigid in his efforts by grabbing your hand and squeezing it, “Wake up.”

Feeling his toasty hand in yours, you groggily opened your eyes, dazed orbs looking into his.

“What?” You grumbled, eyes opening to be met with Steve’s filled with confusion.

Without much explaining, he squeezed your hand again, pulling you up, “You’re crashing in my tent tonight.”

You had no choice but to let him pull you along, stumbling behind him as sleep still clouded your senses.

“Why?” You groaned, rubbing at your eyes while he guided you to his tent where he widened the tarp, gesturing for you to enter.

“Because that special strain Eddie was talking about was for sleep. Neither of them are gonna budge till morning.” He informed you, resting a gentle hand on the small of your back to keep you up right as you lazily toed your shoes off.

“Well fuck me.” You muttered under your breath crouching when you stepped into the small space.

He snorted behind you, “In your dreams.” He said before zipping it up.

“Shut up,” you groaned, crawling towards the empty space beside him.

Now it was starting to feel like things were going back to normal.

You settled into what would have been Eddie’s side, a half fluffed pillow under your head and nothing else. Though their overall set up was way more comfortable than what you and Robin had going on in yours. Steve had layered a sleeping mat beneath the comforter, making the surface a little more plush that way no rocks or gravel could be felt under the tarp — plus it added an extra layer of warmth, something you desperately needed right now.

Laying on your back, you left a good distance between you both, wrapping your arms around yourself once again hoping that now you’d be able to sleep comfortably even if it was beside Steve. Closing your eyes, you focused on breathing trying to not think so hard about the shivers in your bones knowing you wouldn’t be able to feel them once you fell asleep.

“I can hear your teeth clattering.” Steve sighed, casting a glance towards you where you laid beside him, starting to rub your hands up and down your arms in an attempt to generate warmth.

“I obviously wasn’t prepared for this, and my blanket is in my tent.” You muttered, eyes still closed and tucking your knees into yourself to find some semblance of comfort.

He made a thoughtful noise, lifting up his blanket and turning his body towards you. You could feel the space tighten, the fuzzy material of his blanket skimming your bare skin.

“Get under here.” He whispered, nodding his head when you finally opened your eyes looking at him with uncertainty and confusion.

You didn’t know what to make of it, if this was some kind of cruel joke he was playing on you, where he was actually going to hog it for himself and let you spend the rest of the night with your teeth clattering.

But deep down he wasn’t all that bad, sure he poked fun at you and made your blood boil like no other, but when it came down to morals, he had some saved for you… at least for now it seemed like.

Steve raised his brow at your hesitance, lifting the blanket up higher.

“What’re you waiting for? Do you want to freeze to death because by all means let me know.” He challenged pretending as if he wouldn’t care.

You swallowed thickly, turning your back towards him as you cautiously scooted under the blanket, feeling its comforting weight draped over your body. His fingers funneled you over more of the material, letting you have most of it as you quietly thanked him, tucking the throw under your neck where your fingers held it tight.

This was totally out of character coming from Steve knowing it would’ve hurt his ego a lot less if he’d just given you the blanket for yourself and spent the night with no covering. But for some reason you couldn’t place the gesture, not knowing why he would go out of his way for you or if this was some ulterior motive to hold against you in the future.

“I thought you wouldn’t mind me dead.” You said, trying to find a way to ease the awkwardness that you felt in your mind when he was just inches behind you.

“I don’t,” he laughed, his breath grazing the back of your neck. “But I don’t want to haul your frozen body in the back of Eddie’s van.” He added with a playful glint.

There was your old Steve, back.

“C-can we just go to bed?” You stuttered, clearing your throat as you rested your head deeper into the pillow just wanting to dream off somewhere, anywhere but right there in reality.

“Sure.” He agreed, shifting slightly before settling down and closing his eyes.

Silence enveloped you both, just the sounds of crickets from the outside and gentle crackling of the fire that burned slow in the air.

Part of you wished he maybe would have left you out there to fend for yourself or maybe just threw his blanket over you for good measure, but somehow, being in here with him, tucked away from the rest of the world made you feel even more awake than before. It was obvious, neither of you were going to be falling asleep so easily, the tension so thick you could barely breathe through it.

Steve at least tried to fall asleep, focusing on something to dream about but you were overwhelming his senses making his nerves go into overdrive. Sure he already reeked of all of your products that he had borrowed in the shower, but now it was a combination of their scents attached to your skin and hair that was filling his nostrils. It didn’t help that you unconsciously let out those soft noises, as your body shook, not fully taking in the warmth just yet.

Shifting slightly, your back unintentionally met his forearms that rested behind you. His eyes snapped open, feeling the coolness against his skin, shifting up slightly just enough to see your face.

“How are you still freezing?” Steve yelped, pulling his arm back from your frosty skin.

You sighed heavily, repositioning your body to face him with a grunt, throwing all caution to the wind and not caring about how intimate this was. Both of you had already crossed so many lines that defined your hate fueled relationship… one more thing couldn’t hurt.

“I’m a-always cold.” You whispered, jaw wobbling through the shivers taking deep breaths to try to relax yourself.

Steve raised his eyebrows and stared at you worriedly, “So you dying is just inevitable tonight, that’s what you’re saying?”

It came out a bit too sarcastic than he meant it to be since he was just genuinely curious to know if you were going to make it out alive tonight or if you needed to get into Eddie’s van and crank up the heater.

You rolled your eyes, whispering in frustration.

“I can’t help it alright! Had I been in my tent, I’d be fine!”

Steve brushed your irritation off, instead moving his arms under the blanket, hovering his hands over your waist.

“Well you’re not, so I’m gonna swallow my pride and do something about it alright?” He said slowly letting his hands slide over your cold skin, watching as your face twisted with confusion.

“What are you… oh god.” You groaned realizing exactly where this was going – a mirror to earlier in the lake, but this time you weren’t so disgusted.

He was practically a human furnace, pulling you closer into him barely leaving inches while the warmth from his body cascaded onto yours. You tried not to tense or move abruptly, aware that his bad hand was weakly grasping your back and the last thing you wanted was to make it worse.

Instead you froze, breathing stopped for a second as you searched his face trying to see how he was feeling about this whole thing. He didn’t look displeased or annoyed that he was doing this for you, instead he was calm, cool, and collected as if he wasn’t holding the girl who tried to stab him a few hours ago.

“Do you have a better idea?” Steve suggested, looking down at you awaiting to see your next moves: either telling him to fuck off or staying silent for the rest of the night.

To his surprise, you eased into his hold, hooking your own arms under his and closing the rest of the space between you. Your chest was pressed up against his, one of your legs fastened over his hip, while the other knocked against his thigh. It was a definite contrast to the hours earlier where he practically lugged you through the lake, if only you knew things would be so different now.

“We are not to speak about this after tonight. Not even a peep.” You warned, squirming impossibly closer to him before shooting him a serious look.

He nodded, eyes shutting tightly like he was trying to dream it away.

“I’m erasing this from my memory as we speak.”

“Goodnight.” You whispered, closing your eyes, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Night.” He muttered back.

Third times a charm… or maybe not.

In this position you could feel everything and there was no way to escape it.

His warm breath fanning over your face, his chest rising and falling against yours, the soft thumpthump of his heart echoing beneath your ear, and the hair on his arms delicately brushing against your exposed skin — everything was him wrapped up in your arms. Literally.

Steve could feel it, the way you tried to control your breathing by taking a breath in when he breathed out. But you were trying too hard to time it perfectly, overthinking and making sure he didn’t notice when it’s all he could really do, your back heaving against his hands was all it took for him to speak up.

“Relax,” Steve murmured gingerly digging his fingertips into your skin with his eyes still closed

“H-huh?” You opened your eyes watching his serene features that showed he wasn’t as edgy as you.

“I can feel you…” He started, voice low and silky as he spoke, “you’re nervous.”

You shook your head as if he could see you, swallowing the lump in your throat.

“I…I’m not nervous, it’s just—this is different, we don’t do this.” You explained only partially truthfully considering you were more than just nervous.

“It’s just for tonight.” He said trying to iron out your worries the best that he could.

“No, I know, it’s just that—”

“I can feel your eyes on me, you know?”

Steve chuckled, peeking one of his eyes open, catching you in the act of trying to pinch them closed before he noticed.

You crumbled, letting out a weak laugh as you just opened them, finding him doing the same. The two of you staring at each other, the only sliver of light from the small beam in the corner of the tent, accompanied with the moonlight seeping weakly past the tarp.

Steve lifted his head just a bit, gesturing back to his bag just a few feet away from where you both were in the middle of the area.

“Do you just want to take the blanket? I have a hoodie I can use in my—” His arms ever so slightly loosed and you stopped him.

Your fingertips squeezed tenderly into back, your leg pushing down on his hip to stop him from moving any further.

“No, its fine, this is fine. I don’t mind sharing.”

“You sure?” He laughed quietly, resting his head back down on the pillow.

“Cause you don’t have to pretend you want to share? We hate each other so I’m very familiar with our dislike when we’re forced to be around one another.” He reminded you, his tone light hearted not exuding any malice this time around.

You swallowed, nodding your head reassuringly as you let up your tense hold on him.

“I know…I-I still hate you, but I can deal with this for one night.”

“And you’re okay with this? Us… cuddling?” He asked, just wanting to be extra sure because cuddling didn’t have to be a part of it if you didn’t want it.

“Positive.” You hummed, giving him one last look before you fluttered your eyes closed.

“Okay… good, good.” He hushed, nodding more so to himself content that you seemed to relax a bit more.

He should’ve closed eyes and went off to sleep, but now it seemed like all he wanted to do was watch you. Make sure that you were comfortable enough in his arms and warm enough to brave the night until morning and then you’d never have to be this close to him again.

He never took his eyes off your face, taking all of you in at once — long lashes kissing the skin under your eyes, cheek cozily pressed into the fluff of the pillow, lips relaxing in a straight smile and under his touch your breathing was stable, synchronized with his. He couldn’t believe he was holding you right now, getting the chance to see you like this — it was his biggest privilege.

You could feel his eyes, he obviously sucked at taking his own advice and he was clearly proving your point that he was a hypocrite… but you already knew that.

You knew a lot of things about Steve, mostly all of the bad and annoying parts about him, but you also knew the good parts. The ones you blocked off and stored way back in your head because you never wanted to associate them with him.

The fact that he wasn’t all that bad under those preppy button ups and head of hair.

He loved your friends, just as much as you did, treated them with kindness and savored every moment he spent with them. He knew how to take care of six rascals all by himself while also being the one they ran to when it came to all their teenage problems. He never showed up empty handed to any hangouts, always doing his best to bring anything whether it was a plain bag of chips or the camping equipment he had hidden in his garage.

Steve knew how to push your buttons, and perhaps that was the very thing that frustrated you the most — the realization that he had an undeniable effect on you. And at the same time, it was the very thing you were terrified of knowing — that if things would have been different, maybe the irritation you both had felt for each other could have just been affection from the get go.

The thick and imposing walls of animosity you’d built up for each other, was just a defensive mechanism. A weak hollow barrier that tried to disguise what you really felt, something so strong that only now broke through the bounds and unleashed a flood of emotions.

What was one more line crossed, when you both already jumped bridges?

“Steve?” You called out to him, hoping he wasn’t pretending to be asleep.

“Yeah?” His reply came swiftly, and his eyes flickered to watch your lips form the next set of words.

“You still hate me right?” You suspected, running your tongue over the bottom of your lip as you waited.

He nodded his head obviously though you couldn’t see him.

“Y-yeah. Why?” He furrowed his brows puzzled by the sudden question.

“What do you hate about me?” You pressed on.

A deep breath fanned across your face, followed by the tsking of his tongue, “I don’t think we should—”

“Tell me, Steve… please?” Your hands pressed firmly against his back, a silent plea echoing through the touch, not because you wanted to hear the words coming from him, but because you needed them.

He swallowed thickly, watching as you waited with your brows raised up yet eyes still closed. He didn’t understand why you wanted this from him all of the sudden. Why now when all his mind could do was fill up with the parts of you that he wanted to forget? The parts of you he silently spent hyperfixating on because you thought more about the people around you rather than yourself and he wished he could be half the person you were.

He liked to joke that you were his competition, his rival of sorts, but in actuality, he could never measure up to your level of compassion and he was more than fine with that. Settling for watching on the sidelines with a convincing snarkiness on his face, while on the inside his bones weakened and his brain went haywire wondering how you could ever exist in the same lifetime as him.

There was nothing he truly hated about you, he didn’t think there ever could be.

Mindlessly his fingers moved along your back, rubbing small circles and sweeping across your soft skin before he cleared his throat from the roughness and finally spoke into the millimeters between you.

“I umm, I hate the way you never forget about something I did.” He started, mind wandering to the afternoon where you reminded him of such instances with Dustin.

“Hmmm.” You hummed, nodding your head along and relaxing your features now that he was working with you.

“I hate the way you always remind me to slow down when I’m driving around with the kids.” He admitted, guiltily confessing to his occasional speeding when they were running late and so was he.

You grunted, snickering weakly, “I need them all in one piece.”

He agreed, a faint smile tugging at his lips, acknowledging your concern.

His fingers stalled against your back, taking a sharp breath in, letting the words rest on the tip of his tongue whilst he gave himself a moment. A moment to take you in, to see you as such, to give himself a little longer with the mystery hanging in the air wondering if you could feel what he felt and understand what he was about to say.

“And I hate the way you look at everyone except me.” He said it so quietly that if you weren’t listening close enough you would have missed it.

But how could you ever let something like that float away so easily?

You flickered your eyes open, looking up at him past your lashes, staring into his orbs for all he was worth. Like he was the only thing to ever exist before your eyes and all you wanted to do was memorize him.

“Like what?” You whispered, never breaking eye contact.

“Like this…” He proclaimed, pulling his injured hand away from your back and bringing it forward to cradle your face ever so gently.

His thumb traced your cheek, your breath catching in your throat, letting him gaze at you in a way he never had before. It was concerning how quickly you established that from this moment on, Steve was the only person who would ever have the privilege of seeing like this. Stripped down in the confines of a stupid tent, that somehow felt like its own little oasis away from the rest of the scary world right outside.

It was just you and him and your own world.

“You look at everyone with these eyes, so eager and happy.” He said, trailing down to the corner of your lips, brushing his thumb across delicate skin.

“You smile at them like they’re everything to you.” he said, nearly letting his hand slip away as if he was unworthy of such a feeling.

But before he could, you brought your hands up, wrapping gently around his wrists to keep him there like your life depended on it. Wanting nothing more than to show him that he could — he was willing and able, and had all the permission from you to stay here, as long as you could get him to.

“I hate that you don’t look at me like that.” He swallowed, shaking his head more so himself, because all he ever wanted was this and for so long he pushed it away.

“I am right now.” You finally spoke, almost breathlessly, trying to reassure his anxieties about the past, the same ones you were feeling.

“Hate that it took this long.” He confessed with a weak laugh.

You smiled half apologetically. “Me too.”

It was all the confirmation you both needed.

No more lines.

No more bridges burnt.

Nothing keeping you both from the truth.

He had bit the bullet and you had jumped into the deep end and there was no going back from here. Time wasn’t stopping for either of you despite the intensity of the moment. There was clearly a beginning, you and him having a rough one, but that didn’t mean that your ending had to be so treacherous.

The gentle gesture of him pushing the strands of hair that fell over your face, sent shivers down your spine, a sort of electric touch that should have had you running away but all you felt was the need for more. He didn’t miss the way your eyes shot down to his lips, staring at them wondering his next moves before you met his again.

“I’m gonna kiss you now, if that’s okay.” He whispered the words ever so quietly, leaving them to linger in the space as a delicate invitation hoping it was one you’d accept.

“More than okay.” You nodded, closing your eyes, feeling his face inch closer to yours.

The first touch of his lips upon yours felt like sparks flying, holy ground beneath you both as you took your time, exploring everything in between — what you imagined it would be like and the unexpected that had you both going down the twists and turns just trying to familiarize yourself with each other.

His lips moved against yours unhurried, gentle but deliberate, not daring to miss even an inch of you. You felt as if he was taking your breath away, leaving you to succumb to a sort of poise that usually never came this easily. With every press and swipe across your lips, you were jumping and falling into somewhere you never wanted to leave.

You nearly wanted to cry when he pulled away, leaving you only to catch your breath, his chest moving up and down deeply, while you were ready to go again and again and–

“W-was that okay?” He asked, fighting the urge to kiss you again and make you go dizzy.

You smiled like an idiot, lips blushing with a pink as bright as your cheeks.

“Perfect. Can we do it again.”

“Yeah.” He beamed, moving to hover up on his elbows with his face above yours, giving you the access to wrap your arms around his neck and pull him into you.

The second kiss was filled with hunger, the both of you trying to make up for the lost time you had spent at each other's throats when you could've been glued to each other's mouths. But you were positive you would both be able to make up for it eventually, and tonight felt like it was going to be the first of many.

His teeth barely grazed over your bottom lip, prompting a moan to rip through your throat before you pulled away breathlessly.

“I—I want you.” You spoke, voice full teetering between desperation and confidence.

Steve wasn’t expecting it at all despite the circumstances that just took place with the kiss. He’d be fine if all you wanted to do was spend the rest of the night making out like depraved teenagers or if you wanted to cuddle until you fell asleep.

He swallowed, looking into your eyes searching for any hesitancy on your features but you were positive that there wasn’t anything you wanted more than Steve.

“Are you sure?” He implored, desperately wanting to hear the words fall from your lips.

“With everything inside of me.” You nodded with a smile bringing your lips back to his once more, not being able to help yourself.

You could feel his grin against yours, a self indulgent one that still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he was kissing you with every fiber of his being hoping that with each press and slide it would compensate for how much of an asshole he’d been to you.

He moved his lips, creating a trail of kisses over your jaw and down your neck, gently sucking the skin to pepper you in love bites.

“P-please, Steve,” You moaned, moving your head to give him more access to the sweet spot on your neck, “Need more.”

He licked over the hickey, pressing a quick kiss to the developing bruise before he unwrapped your arms from his neck, placing them on your sides. Nudging your shoulder a bit, you laid fully on your back while he moved onto his knees, staring at you with a look so promising and true.

“You don’t have to beg, at least not for tonight. I swear.”

His fingers smoothed over your sides feeling the warmth coming to you quicker now.

“I want you…so so bad.” You pouted, reaching for his hands to intertwine in yours.

“You have me.”

He brought yours up, placing a chaste kiss on the back of your hand before he let go and hovered above the waistband of your shorts.

“Can I?”

You nodded, lifting your hips slightly as he glided them off your legs, stripping away one layer of clothing yet revealing another — a black, lacy, number that definitely wasn’t planned for tonight, but he wasn’t complaining, in fact he found it a little humorous taking into the account the occasion.

“You packed a thong for camping?”

Steve snorted lightly, kissing the inside of your thigh as you blushed, tucking your cheek into your shoulder.

“I…I was rushing and packed it accidentally.” You told him, silently thanking the universe and your horrible planning that somehow got this perfectly.

“Lucky me.” He rasped, toying with the lace around your hip bone, peppering kisses across your thighs, not making any move to strip you free of them yet as he wanted to worship all of you first.

You sat up slightly, running your hand over his covered shoulder blade.

“C-could you take your shirt off?”

“Course I can.” He nodded quickly, sitting up just enough to work his arms through the shirt.

The garment was quickly pulled off his body, thrown off the side wherever he had flung your shorts.

“I can take mine off, too—” You started, moving up a bit more as you pulled at the bottom of your cami but before you could get any farther, he stopped you, squeezing your wrist gently.

“Only if you want to, s’okay if you don’t.” He assured you, wanting to know this was all about you being comfortable.

You smiled warmly and shook your head at his politeness, still trying to take all of him in, not just for the body before you, but for how attentive he had been towards you.

“No, I do… I just—just wanted to feel more of you, that’s why I asked.” You explained with a light laugh.

“You’re cute.” He chuckled, rubbing his hands up and down your thighs as you pulled the material over your head discarding it.

Absentmindedly your arms wrapped around yourself, bashfully trying to hide away as if that would make Steve forget that you were topless in front of him. Finally he got to see what the slivers of skin that was hidden away beneath clothing or in this case, made an appearance just hours ago.

“Don’t hide. You’re so beautiful.” Steve spoke softly, reassuring you of whatever nervousness you were feeling, slowly lowering your arms down letting him see you completely.

You could see and hear it in the way his breath hitched in his throat, eyes stuck on your chest before a smirk played on his features and he finally trailed them back up to your eyes.

“So you’re always excited to see me, then?” He teased, reaching up to run his hands along your ribcage, feeling your laughter rumble beneath his skin.

“Shut up.” You chided, pushing playfully at his shoulder.

“You got just the thing for me to do just that.” He tilted his head down and you nodded, giving him the green light to do what he pleased.

His lips wrapped around your sensitive skin, peak hardening in this mouth while the other was met with the flick and roll of his fingers. You were sure by the end of it, your chest would be littered with love bites of all shapes and sizes. Steve made the extra effort to glide across your chest, showing both breasts the attention they so rightfully deserved with his mark left behind.

“Mmm, S-steve.” You moaned, arching up into him and nails grazing at the nape of his neck.

“Gotta make up for lost time.” He mumbled against your, sucking another hickey but this time right above your sternum, completing the other half to make a lopsided heart that you’d see in the morning.

“I want more.” You begged, finally getting the courage to pull him away, eyes peering down at him.

He smacked his lips, nodding as he leaned up and pecked your lips, murmuring against them.

“I got you, princess.”

His kisses trailed down your body, taking his sweet time leaving your skin with a plethora of hickies, some small and subtle, and others that would settle darker by morning. Something about it, the possessiveness of it all added to the longing, knowing he was marking you as his — and he was the only person you wanted to belong to right now… forever even.

Placing a final kiss above the waistband of your intimates, he looked up at you, toying with the fabric.

“Let me get these off you, yeah?”

You hummed, letting your feet sit flat on the comforter, slightly lifting your hips up to help him. His fingers slipped under the lace, tugging them away from your core and off your legs, putting them off to the side.

“So fucking pretty.” He murmured, gently pulling your knees wider apart enough for him to slot himself between them and lay on his stomach.

His eyes were fixated on your core, taking you in with such hunger but at the same time awe, as if he was admiring the most beautiful work of art just before he would dig his claws into it. No ones had ever looked at you like that, taking their time and drinking you in, it almost made you want to shoo him away with all the attention he was giving you.

“Steveeee.” You whined, laughing behind your hands that covered your face.

“Why’re you hiding?” He puffed out a short laugh, splaying his hands over your stomach rubbing gently.

You pulled fingers apart, staring at him timidly. “I—I don’t know, I just never thought that we’d… you know.”

Stop pretending like we hated each other and confessed our feeling then deciding to fuck in a dingy tent in the middle of nowhere? Yeah he totally knew what you meant.

“I know what you mean,” He placed a reassuring kiss on the inside of your knee.

“We can stop whenever you want okay? No questions asked, you say the word and I’ll stop and we’ll put our clothes back on and—”

“I don’t want to stop. Promise, just a little nervous.” You assured him, sitting up slightly to bring your hand to his cheek, thumbing the freckles peppering his skin.

“Don’t be, I’m gonna make you feel so good. I promise.” He smiled, leaning into your touch and kissing the pulse point on your wrist.

Steve nodded, silently telling you to lie back and let him fulfill his promise which you were sure he was going to over deliver on. And god were you right.

His tongue swiped between your folds, shuddering beneath him you couldn’t help pinch your eyes closed trying to bottle up the feeling and keep it in your memory forever.

“F-fuck,” You moaned, relished in the feeling of each pass and kiss, “Feels so good, Steve.”

His thumb swiped over your clit, breath fanning over your skin as he watched your back arch with a smirk on his face.

“Told you so, princess.”

He dove back in, tongue flicking over your sensitive button while he worked two fingers into you slowly. The stretch of his thick digits and the mixture of his warm tongue sent your hands flying, in search of something to grab and immediately you went for Steve’s hand.

Somehow through the pleasure you didn’t feel the tape on his hand, that is until you squeezed and felt the layer blocking the contact of skin on his. The tape slightly crumpled in your hold causing your eyes to fly open, staring down at him.

“S-shit, I’m so sorry!” You whispered, quickly letting go of his hand nearly backing away from Steve thinking that you hurt him.

His fingers abruptly left your core, quickly slinging his arm over your hips stopping you from moving away from him. The bad hand immediately reached out for yours, intertwining your fingers together despite your uncertainty that didn’t want to immediately hook between his.

“S’okay, I’m okay, promise.” He assured you, kissing your mound before shooting you a wink as he squeezed yours.

“You can grab my hand, squeeze as tight as you want. The nurse who wrapped it up did a hell of a job, thing isn’t gonna hurt me.”

It made you giggle, kissing his knuckles, murmuring against them, “Hmm, still, I’m sorry.”

He shook his head, lips brushing against your center as he got back to work.

“Shhh it’s okay.”

Steve was always more of a giver, something he usually bragged about and you thought was absolute bullshit, but now you understood seeing as though he was definitely giving you something to come back for, in more ways than one.

His tongue dipped lower, dragged up from your aching hole to your sensitive clit.

“You like that?” his voice vibrated across your sensitive skin, sending your body into squirms.

“Yes…p-please, right there,” You moaned, gripping his hand tightly as he repeated the action. “Just like that, baby.”

“Say it again.” He demanded though it more so came out as a desperate plea.

“Baby?”

He let out a groan, nipping at the inside of your thigh, “I love hearing it from you…c’mon, let me get you there, baby.”

It was the end of the beginning from then on out with one goal in his head. Feasting on you like you were his last meal trying to savor your sweetness and all at once engrain the image of your blissful face in his mind and those addicting moans that dared to get louder with every second that passed.

“I’m so close.” You whispered, trying to keep your voice down, “I—I, Steve, baby, please.”

Your thighs began shaking around his head, stomach heaving in deeper and twisting tightly, teeth digging into your lip trying to muffle the sounds of pleasure that wanted to escape, and your hand clutching onto his for dear life – the only thing grounding you while his mouth sent you into ecstasy.

“Cum for me.” He vibrated against you, lips wrapped around your bud as he sucked and watched you explode.

“Baby, f-fuck.” You gasped, looking down to meet his eyes before it was too much for you to handle.

Euphoria washed over you, similarly to the colors of the sunset. Bright oranges and pinks flashed across your vision, painting your skin with the feverish warmth before it fizzled out into darkness, specks of white making their appearance as your body buzzed.

Steve didn’t pull away until you stopped moving your hips into and away from him, trying to chase and escape the pleasure all at once until you came down. Even then he didn’t dare to leave you just yet, taking his time to wait until you came down from your high. He pressed gentle kisses over your inner thighs, making his way up to your midsection, resting his chin there, your chest moving beneath him as you caught your breath.

“Hey pretty.” He murmured, your eyes peeking open to see him — lips and chin coated with a sheen of you in the best way possible.

You swallowed, giving his hand three squeezes and you cleared your throat from the hoarseness, “H-hi Stevie.”

Stevie. It was a stupid nickname you used against him all the time because he hated it, but right now it seemed to have the same effect on him as you calling him baby just a little while ago.

Using his elbows as leverage, he scooted up to you chuckling as you pulled him down bringing his lips to yours as you tasted your essences on him. Your legs hiked up around his hips, bringing his clothed crotch down to your core, just a piece of fabric separating you both, but even then the tent in his pants wasn’t hard to pick up on.

“Lay down for me, please.” You mumbled against his lips, poorly attempting to roll him on his back despite his sheer strength.

He pulled away only slightly, furrowing his brows at you. “Baby, baby, we don’t have to if you—”

“I want to, so bad,” You pressed your hips up into him, inducing a moan to rip from his mouth, though still he didn’t roll over just yet.

You frowned, loosening your legs, hoping you didn’t cross the line, “Do you not want to?”

Quickly he shook his head, moving to hold your face in his hands. “I do, sweetheart, you don’t know how badly I want to have you. But I kinda feel horrible here,” He grimaced, face twisting with embarrassment.

“W-was hoping to have our first time together in a bed, preferably mine but yours could work too, but–”

“Wait!” You cut him off with surprise, lips curling up.

“You thought about this?” You suspected with a grin, teasing him with a poke on the cheek.

He tried to play it off with an unconvincing scoff that didn’t cover the croak in his voice, “M-maybe?”

You beamed, running your thumb along his bottom lip, batting your eyes up at him. “Well if you’re okay with it, we can totally use your bed the next time, and the next, and then the—”

“Of course.” He agreed quickly, making you laugh as you pushed his chest away

“Lay down for me, baby.”

He did as you said, taking your spot as you sat up on your knees pulling at the waistband of his sweats, working them off his ankles. His cock sprung up, the tip blushing with a bright read, aching and throbbing to be inside of you.

“Commando? And you want to call me naughty?” You teased, licking the palm of your hand and wrapping it around his length, pumping slowly.

He let out a shaky laugh, cursing at himself, “Kinda was regretting it earlier.”

“Why’s that?” You began shifting to lay flat on your stomach.

“Was worried you’d notice.” He mumbled.

His hands reach out to run up and down your back, soothing your skin desperately wanting to touch you despite the closeness already.

“Notice what?” You hummed gazing up at him.

“How hard I got when y-you wrapped me up.” He admitted, shuddering when you licked a stripe from the base to his glistening tip.

“Me serving you do it for you?” You half-joked, pepping kisses back down.

“Fuck no, that wasn’t it…” He shook his head, sitting up slightly to watch you.

“You just—f-fuck, you knew what you were doing and you took control and you…you fucking called me big boy and t-the way you bit the tape off.”

Clearly you wounded him up so much, something you never thought was capable, but alas the hate you both supposedly shared for each other had no bounds when it came to this sort of tension.

“Make a mess for me big boy, and I’ll clean it up, yeah?” You winked, finally giving him what he wanted, wrapping your mouth around him.

“S-shit, baby.” He hissed moving your hair towards one side to see you clearly.

“Making me feel so good, princess.” His hips resisted the want to thrust up into your mouth, controlling himself knowing that good things always took time and you were already making him feel great.

“So big.” You murmured, messily kissing the tip of his cock, giggling at the way his hips stuttered up knocking closer to your lips.

“Just right for you though right? Only yours baby.” He groaned, throwing his head back onto the pillows.

“Mhmm,” you hummed, wrapping your lips around the tip, sending vibrations up his sensitive length.

“Pretty too.” You whispered, pulling away teasingly.

He let out a hoarse laugh, shaking his head ridiculously. “Can’t be when I’ve got the prettiest sight right here.”

The compliment went straight to your core, the need to make him feel good was the motivation in your movements. Your wrist moved over the part that you couldn’t quite fit in your mouth.

“That's it baby, taking me so well,” He praised lowly trying to keep his voice quiet enough for just you to hear.

His fingers threaded through the roots of your hair, neither pulling or pushing, just holding you there and letting you go at your own pace.

“Shit, babe, y’gotta stop.” He hissed, tugging you off his length as you moaned, pouting up at him.

“Want to taste you…please Stevie?” You begged, mouth trailing down to his heavy sack, taking one of them in your mouth, before popping off only to mumble against them, “Let me taste you, please baby.”

How was he going to deny you, then?

“F-fucking shit, yeah, okay doll, I’ll give it to you.” He moaned, nodding more so at himself, trying to starve off the orgasm as long as he could knowing he was going to burst any second now.

You grinned, releasing his balls with a pop, quickly taking him into your mouth again.

“I’m c-cumming, fuck—”

He let the rest die in his throat, knowing that if he went any longer he’d wake up your friends and cause an even bigger mess that he nor you wanted to clean up right now.

“How was that?” You grinned, swiping your thumbs over the inner corners of your mouth, sucking off the remnants of him.

The act alone made his cock twitch, somehow springing back up ready for you.

“C’mere, you minx.” He whispered with a smirk, threading his hands towards the back of your head to gently tug you up to his face.

“Hmmm, Steve.” You giggled, letting it get cut short with his lips pressing deeply onto yours.

“You’re making it very hard for me to hate you.” He accused, pulling away from you with a playful smirk.

“You or your dick?” You wiggled your brows, eyes lowering between the both of you where his hardness rested against his thigh.

“I’m kidding… about the me hating you thing, not you making me hard.” He clarified, holding your chin between his forefingers.

It was clear that the both of you couldn’t really hate each other.

“You wanna be on top? I think it’ll be easier for you to control it at your pace.” He suggested, giving your hips a squeeze before letting his hands roam across your bottom.

“Okay.” You whispered, forehead resting against his as he snuck a hand between you both, pumping his length one, two, three times before slowly lowering yourself on him.

Taking in a deep breath, your eyes pinched closed, a gasp leaving your mouth feeling his breach your walls.

“S’okay, baby, take your time.” He murmured, kissing the tip of your noses while his hands rubbed comforting circles over your hip.

“Y-you’re so deep already.” You whined, chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath, overwhelmed by the stretch.

His bottom lip jutted out, pouting at you with his eyes so soft, though his mouth spoke a tune so condescending and downright filthy.

“Aww baby, I know, but you’re taking it so well right?” He went a step further, resting his palm over your cheek, prompting you to look him in the eyes as you nodded quickly, wanting nothing more than to feel all of him.

Your fingers wrapped around his wrist, pulling it away from your cheek, “Touch me, please? I-I just need a little—”

He understood immediately, dropping the cocky facade for just a moment to make you feel the most comfortable knowing the first time was always the most intense.

“Shhh, I got you, I’m right here.” He swiped his tongue over two digits, working them between your bodies until he found your clit, rubbing gentle circles over the bud, just enough to help distract you from the initial stretch.

“O-oh, fuck, Steve.” You keened, focusing on the pleasure and stretch jumbled all in one.

“That’s a good girl.” He praised lowly.

You tightened around his girth, eyes shutting blissfully at the overwhelming feeling and the praise that spilled past his lips. He noticed it right away, chuckling more so at himself because all of the times he had called you pet names for fun, perhaps you liked it more than you let on.

“You like being called a good girl?” He challenged, his free hand tightening around your hips to stop you from rocking against him.

You whined through a nod, opening your eyes and pleading for him to let you keep up the movements.

“Words.” He urged, still not giving into you until he heard what he needed to hear.

You swallowed thickly, lips parting as you whispered softly. “Y–yeah, like when you call me that.”

He smirked, leaning up just enough to peck your lips, mumbling against them as his arm loosened from your hips and he settled comfortably on his back. Slowly but surely your hips proceeded where they left off, moving experimentally taking the time to adjust to his sheer size.

“Atta girl, gotta tell me what you like so I can make you feel good baby.”

“L-like it when you talk to me.”

“You do?’

You hummed quickly, nodding your head, “So much.”

Growing needier you lifted your hips up slightly before fucking yourself back down onto him. Your lips parted with a pleasurable moan while he growled, throwing his head back against the pillows.

“Oh, there you go sweet girl. Fuck, already taking me so good.” He said, digging his fingertips into your hip bone.

“F-full, m’so full of you.” You sighed, slowly repeating your movements trying to make it last as long as you could.

“But you love it right?” He murmured, words soothing and arousing at the same time.

You nodded admittingly, “Please don’t stop…S-steve please,”

The shake of your thighs and the uneven grinding told him all he needed to know, and he was more than happy to let you sit back and give you your second fix of the night.

He pressed himself off his back, arms wrapping around your body and hugging you close. Your limbs enveloping his neck while you rested your forehead against his, breathy moans leaving your lips as the new position pushed him deeper within you if that was even possible.

Steve’s lips brushed yours, an oath tumbling past them, “I won’t baby, promise. Just wanna make you feel good okay? Be a good girl.”

It was all you needed to hear before the waves of pleasure came crashing down with no breaks. You were practically putty in his hands, your hips moving against him the way he wanted you to. He set the pace and found the rhythm that had you nearly slumping against him.

“So fucking tight, your pussy’s squeezing me baby,” He muttered, lifting your hips higher as his own thrusted deeper from below.

“Making me feel so good, princess. Does it feel good for you too? Just what you need right?”

If you weren’t so blissed out with pleasure, perhaps you would have the ability to actually give him the words he wanted to hear, but you felt an entire universe away, so caught up in Steve and everything he was making you feel. His words were only taking you higher, adding to pleasure and bringing you closer to the end.

You managed to take a sharp breath in, jaw shaking as your teary eyes blinked at him, “J-just need you now…only want you.”

He moaned darkly, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he tried to starve off his own orgasm that was teetering the edge. The only thing keeping him from letting go was making sure that you got there first, just so he could watch you unravel and hear the sweet sounds that could never be erased from his memory.

“C’mere, sweetheart,”

His thrusts slowed just enough for one of his hands to snake up towards the back of your neck, pulling you in for a kiss before guiding your head into the juncture of his neck.

“It’ll go deeper this way,” He murmured, placing a quick peck to your cheek before continuing the onslaught of ecstasy.

“Oh God…Steve….” You whimpered, nails digging into his skin.

“You’re mine now.” He said through gritted teeth, fingertips practically bruising your back, “no one’s gonna get you like this except me, got that?”

All you could do was nod against him, humming out an agreement as you tried to keep your voice down, finally aware that your friends would be able to hear you both if you didn’t try to get a semblance of control.

“Fuck, shit babe, so perfect, just taking all of me inside you huh? You’re the only one who ever made me feel this— shit, so good.”

He was just making it harder for you to keep quiet at that point.

“O–only want you…I–I only want you like this.” You murmured, pulling your face away from his neck just enough for his eyes to catch yours.

Steve couldn’t help himself, thrusting up into you with a slow yet deep vigor, bringing his lips to yours and stealing your breath away. He never quite imagined that this was the way you both would be confessing your feelings and begging to finally be each others’ but he wasn’t complaining — he just wanted to seal the deal and show you how real it was to him.

“Cum for me, baby. Be a good girl and do it for me…just me.” He mumbled against you, feeling the tightening around his shaft, the convulsing of your walls signaling your release.

“F-fuck! Oh my god, Steve.”

Your body shook, eyes shutting tightly as your hips rutted against his stilled ones letting you ride out your orgasm as he held your tight and shushed your moans soothingly.

You slowly opened your eyes, staring at him dazingly, “Wanna feel you cum, give it to me, please.”

He nodded, letting your face untuck itself from his neck and instead grabbing his cheeks to keep his eyes on yours. Eyes silently begging for his release while your lips parted with shallow moans still feeling the aftershocks of your orgasm followed by a small ripple of pleasure that came again.

His thrusts became frantic, nose flaring with a deep breath taken, pushing his hips as far as they could go forcing you to collapse against him as he filled you.

“That’s it, baby…hmm, so deep.” You smiled lazily into his chest, nails raking down gently across his shoulders and down his arms as he came down.

His heartbeat rang through your ears along with the uneven breathing the both of you were sharing, letting the

“Well,” He huffed, staring down at you, smoothing your tousled hair down, “That’s one way to warm up.”

You rolled your eyes playfully, smacking his cheek with a soft pat, “Hypothermia wasn’t gonna kill me. You almost did.”

“Did I really fuck you that good?” He smirked smugly.

“Don’t make me start hating you, again.” You threatened with a yawn, eyes fluttering shut and relaxing into him.

“Kidding babe,” He said, kissing the top of your head before patting the small of your back, “Let me get some clothes on you.”

He pulled out of you, quietly apologizing for the emptiness before cleaning you and himself up. His t-shirt covered your body and he managed to slip your underwear back over your legs. Steve settled for his sweatpants, no shirt, just letting the blanket and your body heat keep him warm throughout the night.

“We’ll talk about this more…in the morning? O–or when we get back home?” You proposed sleepily, snuggling deeper into his body, weakly throwing one of your legs over his hips.

His big hands came down under the blanket, caressing your skin with soft passes as he hummed pulling you closer, “Yeah baby, we’ll talk about it, then.”

There you and Steve Harrington were, spending your first night together but not as mortal enemies — you guys had practically fucked the hatred out of each other, but really... it never existed in the first place.

BONUS SCENE:

You did a one over at the trunk of the van, mentally ticking off every item and looking back at the campsite to make sure you all didn’t leave anything behind. Steve was busy checking the tires making sure they all had enough air for the drive back that way there would be no issues. You shut the trunk closed, making your way over to the passenger door that was kicked open with Eddie smoking a cigarette.

“You’re in my seat.” You cross your arms over your chest, foot tapping against the asphalt as Eddie stared at you confused.

“You’re mistaken…this is my seat.” He retorted with a chuckle, gesturing to himself before blowing out a puff of smoke into the air.

“Not anymore.”

“It’s literally my van.”

You rolled your eyes, lamely gesturing back to the site where the tents were once set up, “And you literally kicked me out of my tent to almost freeze to death, therefore you owe me. Now get out of my seat.”

“I’m not moving.” He said, standing his ground.

“Move.” You commanded, reaching to tug him by the arm though he didn’t budge.

“Nope.”

“Fine,” You huffed, dropping his arm before calling out, “Steve!”

He came around the front of the van, dusting his hands off and jutting his chin towards the both of you.

“What’s going on?”

You pouted deeply, eyes sulking towards your friend who tsked and rolled his eyes at your feigned innocence. “Eddie won’t let me sit in the passenger seat.”

“My van, my rules.” Eddie smirked, tapping the hood of the car.

Steve stared at you both, shaking his head in amusement before turning to his friend, “Dude, c’mon, just let her sit up front this once.”

Eddie’s face twisted in betrayal, obviously Steve was already wrapped around your pinky and he just couldn’t believe he was this easy. “You’re shitting me right? I thought I was your right hand man Harrington?”

You snorted, eyes glancing up at Steve with a blush coating your cheeks, “Oh trust me he doesn’t need a right hand anything when he has me—”

Eddie faked a gag, finally relenting and stepping out of the seat. He stubbed out his cigarette on the gravel and waved his hands in surrender.

“Take it for all I care! Just keep your goddamn hands to yourself, and I mean it Steve, both hands on the wheel!” He shouted, whipping the back door open and cramming himself between the rest of your friends who laughed at him for thinking that Steve was going to save his ass.

“You must be proud of yourself, huh?” Steve chuckled, giving you a hand as you stepped up the siding and slid into the seat comfortably.

“Very.” You responded, bending out an inch to peck his lips not caring that your friends saw the act.

Steve smiled against your lips, hands coming to rest over your waist, practically lurching himself across your body as you whispered quietly for only him to hear.

“Now come on… you promised we would use your bed the next right, remember.”

His eyes widened, cheeks turning red as he swallowed and finally pulled himself away from you, “Oh I remember.” He smiled, tapping your knee before he shut your door, “Buckle up, princess.”

💌 reblogs, tags, comments, + likes are greatly appreciated! leave a comment and let me know if want to be added to my taglist!! 💌

a/n: so this is my very first enemies to lover fics...(at least i think it is????), this was actutally supposed to be very short and brief, almost a one shot/blurb kinda thing but it turned into a feature length fic...is anyone surprised hahaha. anyways, i hope you guys like this!!! i don't usually write smut because I feel like i suck at writing it and describing it but i hope i was able to do this fic justice -- let me know what you guys think and thank you so much for sticking around <;3

taglist: @translatemunson @kennedy-brooke @manda-panda-monium @tvserie-s-world @givemeth @steveharringtonswife @the-alchemys @loving-and-dreaming @awkotaco24 @engenelxver @elfiaaaa @pbs-theundeadmaggot @johnricharddeacy @gaysludge @keerysfolklore @micheledawn1975 @ihatepeanutss @bakugouswh0r3

2K notes · View notes

appocalipse · 1 month

Text

that guy ⊹ steve harrington

summary: After he's been to yet another failed date with yet another random pretty girl, Steve Harrington, your best friend, stops by at the diner your family owns for a late-night chat, same as he'd done a thousand times before. Steve is totally unaware of how much he's hurting you with his endless parade of dates, because after all — the two of you are only friends and nothing more, right? It's not like you have any secret feelings for him… | 2.6k words

── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──

The moment Steve steps through the glass doors of the diner, you wonder, for about the millionth time that month alone, what is it that you've done so wrong to deserve this kind of punishment.

It's Friday night, and on Friday nights, Steve Harrington goes on dates. It's just like clockwork, really: he meets a pretty girl, thinks she's the one, takes her out on a date, realizes quickly enough that she isn't quite what he was looking for, then comes here after having dropped her back home to sulk with you, in the diner that your family runs, still clad in the outfit he'd chosen especially for his failed date.

To be honest, he never looks sad, per se — more like disappointed. Frustrated, maybe.

You watch as he weaves around tables occupied by laughing friends, past booths filled with couples sharing desserts, then slides into a seat in front of you at the bar. Steve sits down with an exhausted sigh, ruffling up his hair before shooting you a tired smile.

"Hi."

You don't look up from where you're polishing the counter. "Bad date again?"

"Not even close. She talked about horses non-stop."

A quiet laugh slips past your lips despite yourself, and finally, you tear your gaze off the dark wooden surface of the counter to look up at him; he's got this pleased little smile on his face, the corners of his eyes crinkled ever so slightly in the way they always do whenever he succeeds at making you laugh, even if just a little.

How are you supposed to keep acting like nothing's wrong when he looks at you like that?

You clear your throat awkwardly and make yourself busy stacking clean glasses next to the coffee machine.

"So...not the one, I take it?"

Steve leans forward against the counter and props his head up with his hand, sighing deeply.

"I'm starting to think she won't ever show up," he says quietly, running his other hand through his hair. You chance another glance at him and note how genuinely worried he looks. It breaks your heart almost as much as it annoys you. "What is it that's wrong with me, huh? I just don't get it."

"Nothing is wrong with you."

"You don't need to be nice to me. We've been friends since forever, remember?"

The word 'friends' makes you wince a little bit inside, but you hide the reaction behind a neutral frown. "Do you think there's something wrong with me? Because I haven't found the one yet either, you know."

Steve's expression softens as he looks at you, and once again you feel that horrible twinge in your stomach that you wish would just stop already.

"It's different. I mean—you're not actively trying to find someone." He reaches out to pull one of the half-melted mints out from the glass bowl on the counter and pops it into his mouth with a shrug. "I go out looking for her and she just doesn't come. If she even exists, that is."

"She does."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I wouldn't hold my breath. God, why am I such an idiot, y'know?" Steve slumps over the counter with a groan, burying his face into his crossed arms. "My love life is a trainwreck."

"At least you have one."

He glances up at you curiously and lifts an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Do you want some pie?"

You're not about to tell him what you've only admitted to yourself mere months ago — that you're actually hopelessly, madly, stupidly in love with him, and that you have been ever since the two of you were just dumb kids racing around your parents' diner.

What makes it even worse is that you had no idea your feelings went that deep until Steve started going on these dates of his again. Before then, everything was normal — you met up every weekend and binged on candy, watched bad movies on your couch, drove around town together blasting The Clash on his BMW's speakers...it was good.

Until it wasn't.

"Wait, c'mon, you can't just leave me hanging like that," Steve presses. He shifts a little on his stool to better face you, then gestures at you with his hands. "You've clearly got something you wanna say, so, like—hit me. Lay it on me."

"Nothing. I'm just saying...at least you're trying, you know," you say carefully, measuring each word before speaking them. "And at least you're the one doing the rejecting. Could be worse."

Steve's eyebrows rise high up on his forehead and he looks at you incredulously. "Whoa, wait—are you trying to tell me you've been rejected?"

You busy yourself by filling two tall glasses with soda, then slide one to his side of the counter and keep the other for yourself. "Uh...kind of, yeah. But it's fine."

"But who the hell would even do that?" he blurts out. There's anger in his voice all of a sudden, a defensive fire in his eyes that makes you feel as if someone has punched you in the gut. "To you? You're like, the nicest person on the planet, and super pretty to boot. That's just—that's crazy!"

Your heart gives a violent little jump in your chest. He thinks you're pretty. Steve Harrington thinks you're pretty.

Pretty as a friend, you correct yourself immediately, and sigh as you sip your drink. Of course, it's nothing more than that — just meaningless words spoken in a moment of unthinking kindness.

"Seriously, who?" he presses on. "Give me a name. I'll fight him."

"You mean like you fought Jonathan Byers?" you smile behind your glass, looking at him from over its rim.

Steve looks embarrassed at the memory and drops his gaze for a second or two before meeting your eyes again with a playful little smile of his own. "Different situation, okay, but that's not the point. So? Who's the guy?"

"You...don't know him," you hedge.

"It's Hawkins. I know the stray cats here by name."

"Fine, well, even if you did know him, it doesn't matter. He didn't reject me, exactly...not really."

Steve frowns a little. "Okay, you're gonna have to start making sense now. This is hurting my head."

The funny thing is, he actually looks confused, as if he can't possibly fathom the idea of someone rejecting you. It's sweet, really — way too sweet for your liking, especially when you know fully well he doesn't see you in the way you'd want him to.

You lower your gaze to avoid his and instead focus on drawing random shapes on the counter with your index finger, where tiny droplets of condensation from your glass have pooled up on the dark wood. "I mean, I never really told him how I felt. Not directly. It just…never happened."

"Oh. Well, then how do you even know if he feels the same way?" he asks you, looking rather doubtful.

You steal another glance at him and almost regret it instantly. His eyes are trained on your face, patient and attentive like you're the only thing worth watching in the world. It makes you feel horribly small and selfish and guilty, because after all, what right do you have to want him when he so clearly wants someone else?

You feel like you could cry. You might, if you don't distract yourself with something fast enough.

"I just know. Do you want some pie? I'll go get you some pie."

Without waiting for a response, you rush off to the kitchen even though there's plenty of pies sitting on the display counter at the bar, and you make a beeline straight for the back exit.

The alley behind the diner is blissfully empty as usual, just a lonely dumpster and a handful of sad-looking shrubs and weeds peeking out from under the concrete.

No, you aren't going to cry.

This is stupid.

You press your back against the rough brick wall of the diner and breathe in deep the warm night air, then exhale slowly as you count to ten in your head.

When the door opens behind you and the diner's familiar chatter and clatter of cutlery spill into the alley, you wince, mentally cursing yourself for being so goddamn weak. You should have known better.

You don't have to look up to know that it's him.

"Are you hiding from me?" Steve's voice comes, quiet and curious and maybe just a little bit hurt, even.

"I got...suddenly nauseous," you explain weakly, still refusing to look up and meet his eyes.

There's a long stretch of silence, and you feel Steve move closer to you until he's leaning against the wall by your side. You finally look up and find him smiling, this gentle, amused little thing that makes your traitorous heart skip a beat.

"You look just fine to me."

You stare up at the sky, head against the wall. "I thought I was gonna throw up."

He's still watching you, you can tell; you're keenly aware of his eyes on you, so much so that your skin prickles at the attention. "No, you didn't."

"No, I didn't," you admit with a sigh, and turn your head to finally look at him. He's got this little half-smile on his lips, the very same one you fell for years ago, and you curse yourself silently for never learning how to let him go. Really let him go.

"Hey. Listen. You don't have to tell me, okay?" Steve says gently, pushing himself off the wall to step closer to you. He brings his hand up to your face and tucks a loose lock of hair behind your ear, letting his fingertips linger on the edge of your jaw for the briefest of moments, just long enough for you to wonder whether he knows what he's doing to you.

You don't dare to move. You're afraid of breaking whatever spell has seemingly come over him.

"I should've never asked. That was selfish."

"Forget it," you say.

He's standing close now, close enough that you have to tilt your chin up to be able to look up at him properly. There's a strange kind of tension in his eyes, something dark and unsure and tentative, and his gaze darts down to your lips just the slightest bit.

You're fairly sure you're just seeing what you want to see, your foolish heart playing tricks on you. But you panic nonetheless, feeling a sudden, irrational fear that if he moves any closer, he'll realize the truth — that you're a liar and a coward, that you've been harboring these feelings of yours for him for years.

"I should—I should go. Back inside," you mutter, pointing vaguely at the door with your thumb. "In there."

"Sure, yeah. Okay. In there," he echoes, not making a single move to leave. "Not out here."

"Yup. Exactly. In there."

"So you said."

"Yep."

The wall of the diner is digging into your spine uncomfortably, and your mouth is dry, and your knees feel weak, and your stomach is doing somersaults, and the longer he stares at you with those eyes of his the more you feel like you're burning from the inside out and—

He's not moving. All he does is look at you, really look at you, as if it's the first time he's really looked, as if he's seeing something that wasn't there before.

"Okay, so—"

You try to push past him towards the door, but Steve grabs your arm, making you stop dead in your tracks. He lets go as soon as you look up at him, lifting his hand in front of him in an apologetic gesture.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," he says. He swallows hard and rubs his palm on the front of his jeans, a nervous little habit you think he's always had. He runs his hand through his hair, mussing up the carefully gelled strands, and it's probably the first time you've ever seen him look so flustered.

He laughs nervously and gestures at the ground with his hands as he speaks. "Look, this is just—this is just crazy, okay, but I think I, uh, maybe sort of realized something."

You blink at him, not quite certain you're hearing him correctly.

"Realized what?" you ask, the words barely more than a whisper.

Steve clears his throat and nods at you, seemingly pleased that you've finally spoken. "Yeah, well, this is stupid, but you know how you're always telling me to listen to my gut?"

"You're not making a whole lot of sense right now, Steve."

"Just bear with me for a sec, okay? This is like, totally new to me." He holds his palms up, and you notice his hands are shaking a little. "I just need a minute, alright?"

He breathes in deep and exhales slowly, then shoots you an apologetic look.

"Sorry, this is just...really weird," he confesses. "Weirdly real."

"You're freaking me out," you tell him, but Steve only smiles at you.

"Maybe I should just show you. Because, I mean, what if I'm wrong? That'd be terrible, obviously."

"Steve."

"Yeah, I know, but hear me out, okay?" he says quickly, and takes another step closer. You stand your ground this time, if only because you don't trust yourself to actually move without your legs giving out. "So, look. Here's the thing. You're, like—you're one of the most important people in my life. You've been there for me when nobody else was, and I...you mean a lot to me."

"Steve—"

"Shut up, you're ruining the moment."

He takes another step forward until he's crowding you against the wall, hand coming to rest next to your head on the brick. He's close, so close that you can smell the scent of his cologne and shampoo and laundry detergent, and if you were to lean in even the slightest bit, your faces would bump.

Steve is a little out of breath, his lips parted ever so slightly. And he's still looking at you with that strange, searching expression of his.

"Is this okay?" he whispers.

"I don't—what?"

Your voice catches in your throat. There's no room for doubt in his eyes now, not even the tiniest, slightest sliver of uncertainty left.

"This," Steve murmurs.

He tilts his head to the side a little and leans in until you're sure your noses are touching, and you feel your eyes slip closed in anticipation.

"Is this okay?" he repeats in a whisper. "Please tell me I'm not crazy."

"I think I am."

His lips brush yours. It feels like an accident, doesn't last long enough to be anything but a dream. You can still taste the faint, sweet trace of sugar and mint on your tongue when he pulls away, though.

"Just to be clear," Steve whispers, his fingers brushing lightly over the skin of your neck, tracing invisible lines that make you shiver, "am I the guy from earlier? The one you like?"

You don't have it in you to deny it anymore.

"Yes. It's you."

A wide grin breaks out across his face, and suddenly he's everywhere; he cups your face in his hands, pressing eager, fervent kisses along the line of your jaw, trailing hot and open-mouthed down the side of your neck.

You giggle helplessly, grabbing Steve by his collar to pull him away from you and up to your eye level. He's breathing just as heavily as you are, his hair messy and his eyes bright.

"How do you do this to me, huh?" he pants, kissing your forehead, the tip of your nose, the corner of your mouth. "You just—you just completely knock me out."

A pleasant little thrill rushes up your spine at that.

"Oh yeah?"

"Completely."

You kiss him this time.

1K notes · View notes

upsidedownmvnson · 8 months

Text

tell me you love me | steve harrington

warnings: fluff (warning lol) friends to lovers, idiots to lovers,

a/n: i actually really loved this <3 i hope you do too

tell me you love me vol 2

Steve Harrington had already tried twice in his life to confess his love for you.

The first time, you two were in the tenth grade and you had just accepted stupid Jack Warren's invitation to prom, so Steve didn't bother. That was back when he was settling into popularity anyway, so he got over it pretty quickly. He was dating Cathy Bartlett the next week.

The second time, Robin had made him pinky promise not to date you. She had held him down, sat on his back and twisted his arm until he pinky swore that he wouldn't do anything to destroy the delicate ecosystem of the friend group. There was already one awkward ex-situation in there.

But Robin was right, you were not like the girls he normally dated. If things went wrong he wouldn't be able to just sweep it under the rug, it could have painful ramifications for all his friends. Although... he didn't actually think it would go that bad. Steve would find his mind wandering on the idea often. He pictured the two of you in the kitchen, side by side cooking dinner and talking about your day. When he thought of you, it felt like home. It felt like somewhere he could build a house and live forever.

If he could only get the words out, he'd realize how quickly you'd accept him. He'd realize he wasn't the only one of you that was stupid in love.

You had been in love with Steve since you could remember. But never once thought he'd shared your interest, not with all the girls around him all the time. The way he shines in their attention and basks in their praise, it's enough to make you sure he's happy with how it is. Or he probably wouldn't have told you all about his date with Debbie Dabbenthorn, right?

Tonight, you, Nancy and Robin were at a party. Something Steve desperately tried to make not happen. But he was working, so there was no one to stop you girls from coaxing each other into drink after drink, which you always did. The three of you always drank too much, and Steve always got stuck trying to coral you and Robin into his car.

At the party, Nancy was handing you another red cup filled to the brim, sloshing over the side and coating your fingers. You hadn't noticed.

"I love when we ditch the boys," Nancy said, smiling as she sipped out of her own solo cup. "It's so fun!"

"Same," Robin said, slinging her arm around Nancy's shoulers, making the two of them sway and laugh. They caught their balance and cheered drinks. "Hey, help me find the bathroom!"

It wasn't hard to find, but it was hard for all three of you to get there without knocking into each other, but it didn't matter. The three of you giggled the whole way, laughing too hard over barely anything. Enjoying the simple joy of being with your friends on a party.

The line for the bathroom was short, only a few people deep. Nancy was grilling Robin on her love life while Robin evaded every question with a vague answer, soon, she turned it onto you, focusing Nancy on the other singler girl in the group.

"Do you not think anyone is cute at least?" Nancy said, not quite believing you when you say you didn't have a crush on anyone at the moment. You shrugged, trying to avoid admitting that it was her ex boyfriend that really turned your head. Robin chuckled, and slid into the bathroom.

You started sipping your drink when Nancy asked, "Not even Steve?" and you nearly choked, but you coughed once and composed yourself. You stared at her, confused as to why she would bring him up.

"You don't have to say anything," she said, and you looked into your cup, noting that you'd need a replacement after this trip. "But it would be okay with me."

Robin opened the bathroom door again, reassembling the trio be throwing her arms around both of your shoulders. "New drinks!" she cheered, steering you all in the direction of the kitchen.

"Drink up," Nancy giggled, "and then let's dance!"

So that's what you did, you guys drank and danced and had a great time. Until Jonathan came to pick up Nancy. That's when you saw that it was after nine, so Steve should've been on the way to come collect you and Robin from your drunken outing. You told Robin again how nice it was for Steve to come get you.

"But c'mon, you love him right?" Robin asked, laughing at your shock.

"I do not love him," you argued, but you did. Robin shrugged, but didn't look convinced. "He just is beautiful, that's all."

"Nah," she said, brushing off the idea with a wave of her hand. "You just love him."

"Do not," you mumbled. But Robin already leaned the other way when Vicki walked up to talk to her. You leaned further into the couch, the ugly thing was very comfortable. Steve should be there any minute.

"Hey," Robin whispered, "Vicki invited me to go with her friends to the lake... Are you gunna be okay here? You're not too drunk are you? Because if you think you can't stay awake, I'll stay of course..."

"Robin, go! I'll be fine for like two minutes..." you slurred, you were pretty drunk but Steve really was going to be there any second.

"Okay!" she didn't have to be told twice before she was scrambling after Vicki in her love-drunk haze. Or maybe just regular drunk, but Robin was feeling giddy anyway.

Steve was running behind because he lost the address that Robin had given him. She'd just ripped off a corner of a piece of paper, and Steve had lost it at some point in his shift. When he finally found the place he was thirty minutes behind.

When he got inside you were curled up on the couch alone, snoozing while some couple made out next to you in the spot Robin had vacated. He smiled when he saw you, and took a knee next to you, trying to wake you up nicely. He stroked your cheek, and tucked some hair behind ear, making you stir softly in your slumber.

"Time to get up," Steve said, "Where's Robin?"

"Went with Vicki," you whispered, rubbing your eyes, smudging whatever makeup wasn't already ruined from the dancing.

"Well, how mean of her to leave you here all alone," he said, running his thumb along your cheek again. "Can't trust you guys alone now though, she did leave you to fall asleep at a house party. That's like really bad, I'm mad at her."

You made a soft noise in response, his stern voice was, not so stern. He smiled at you, and you couldn't help but notice how beautiful he was. Leaning close to you, rubbing your cheek, hair falling perfectly on his forehead and you just wanted to reach up and brush it away like he did. But your hands were wedged under your head, and you were afraid that if you stirred even an inch, he would leave, and this moment would be over.

"Guess you'll just have to make sure you come with us next time," you whispered, eyes bloodshot and glossy from all the alcohol. He thought you were the most beautiful girl in the room. The party was still raging around him, and he easily could've found a place within the girls, but he was content in this moment with you. Your eyes started feeling heavy, and you couldn't stop them from constantly fluttering shut.

“C'mon let me help you up babe,” Steve said, aiding your drunk figure. The nickname made your stomach flip. You were dead weight, giggling as he took care of you and grabbed your things and still found the patience to be kind to you, musing like he was interested in all your drunk babble.

“You're just so pretty, Stevie, it's stupid,” you cooed, finding a place beside him with his arms around you for balance as he lead you, slowly, to his car.

"D-Don't say that stuff," Steve said, voice cracking at the beginning. You were drunk, and it was dark, but you still noticed the blush on Steve's cheeks, and you smiled.

He opened the door for you, and you commented, "so romantic," while holding your hand over your heart, and Steve's heart raced. He went around the trunk of his car to get another second of fresh air, if you saw him in the light you were sure to see the heat he felt in his neck and cheeks. You were flirting with him, and he couldn't contain his excitement every time you complimented him, looking up at him with those beautiful eyes.

The entire trip was like that. From the moment he was in the car you were just a loose cannon of compliments and praises. This combination of him sober and you drunk has never happened while alone before. Were you this flirty with him when he was drunk too?

The answer was yes. The real reason Nancy knew you really wanted Steve was because whenever you two are drunk and together you look like you're in love... because you are. Holding hands, head on shoulder, legs across laps, big bright smiles that made everyone think you were truly, madly, deeply in love. Everything that's just a little too friendly, but never crossing that silly little line that kept you both under the umbrella of just friends.

You were a delight in his passenger seat. He only wished you spoke like this when you were sober, because then maybe he'd know for sure you love him too.

"Hey Steve?" you asked, voice coming out as almost a purr in your sleepy state. Steve's heart melted. "Can I hold your hand?"

"Yeah," he answered, clearing his throat and moving his hand over to your lap, intertwining your fingers. Your hands were cold to the touch, but all you felt was the comforting warmth of him. You were both smiling, goofy grins to match the butterflies in your stomach. "You can hold my hand whenever you like."

You made another happy hum, but said nothing else. The ride was short. No words exchanged, just the quiet songs on the radio, turned low to let you drift off in the passenger seat.

When you got to his house, he parked the car, looking at you. He didn't want to wake you. And he didn't want to let go of your hand. Maybe he should just stay in the car all night.

Of course he didn't do that. Steve weaseled his way out of your grip, not bothering to hide how pleased he was that you whined at the loss of his touch. he helped you out of the car, encouraging you to climb on his back for "an express ride to the VIP bathroom," and he delivered, carrying you, all dead weight and giggling, to the bathroom where he left you to clean up. You put on the clothes he delivered, Plaid pajama pants and a big grey shirt. Well, you put the shirt on, the pajama pants were thrown into the tub, because you couldn't be forced to wear pants.

"Steeeeeve," you slurred, leaving the bathroom, giggling and bumping into the doorframe.

Steve was standing in the doorway to his room, wearing only blue plaid pj pants. His torso on glorious display, while he stood frozen at the sight of you. You stretched your arms over your head, and the shirt rose, exposing your panties to him. He nearly choked looking at you.

"Can I sleep in your room?" you asked, smiling at the effect you had on him. "Look how cute I am," you said, turning around and lifting the shirt while bending over slightly, giving him a perfect view of your ass, with the panties laying deliciously over your cheeks.

"Jesus," he muttered, unable to look away but trying to force himself to. He shouldn't be sneaking a peak while you were this drunk, but in his defence you were the one showing him. "Come to bed, just put your shirt down."

"It's your shirt," you teased, obeying him anyway. You danced behind him into the room, and crawled into bed. It smelled so good, it smelled like him. You could've stayed by Steve's side under these blankets forever.

You lay facing Steve, in his overly big, overly comfortable bed, too tired and drunk to keep your eyes open, but you still try. Steve smiles at your determination to stay awake, he watches your eyes blink quickly, trying to shake the sleep away.

You want to reach over and intertwine your hands, you don’t. He wants to reach out and brush the hair off your forehead and behind your ear, he doesn’t.

“Are we in love, Steve?”

The sharpness of your question cuts him, wounding him in a way he didn’t know was possible. He wanted to speak, but there were no words. No charismatic come back, and no way to avoid the lingering question in the air. Steve holds his tears back. He really did love you.

When your eyes peak open, he’s nodding. His eyes filled with tears that he refuses to let you see, but you see. "Yeah, I think so."

“Why is it so sad?”

“Because we're best friends," he said, "and I can't lose you."

"Tell me you love me," you whispered, silly mood replaced with a tight feeling in your throat, like you were going to cry. But you held it back.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

He wanted to cry. He wanted to kiss you. But instead, he just sighed, and found your hand under the sheets, and held it tightly. He was frozen. This was his dream come true, so why did it feel like a nightmare? Like you were right there, but he couldn't have you. Like he was doomed to stay in love with you, and never actually get to be with you.

“I will still love you in the morning whether I say it or not, Stevie.” Your eyes finally started winning the battle, and they stayed closed more than they stayed open, too heavy too fight.

"I know babe," he said, watching as you breathing changed and your eyes didn't open again. "I will too."

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington angst #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines

4K notes · View notes

sugarsblurbs · 1 year

Text

Steve LOVES kissing you. He just can’t stop. Every part of you is just so soft. He just loves kisses.

Your lips so soft they taste like cherries

Your cheeks so plushy

Your hair silly smooth with a hint of vanilla

Your shoulder so intimate

The corner of your lips so mysterious

He loves kisses 💋 💋💋💋💋💋💋💋

He is touched starved GIVE HIM KISSES 😘

102 notes · View notes

aphrogeneias · 8 months

Text

more than seven minutes — one-shot

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

summary: after you spend nearly a week completely avoiding your best friend, he takes matters into his own hands. and if that means locking you into a room with him until he makes you talk, then so be it.

word count: 2.6k

warnings: smut (+18), fluff, friends to lovers, forced proximity, love confessions, mentions of a sex dream, dry humping, oral sex (f receiving), hand job, dirty talk

author's note: another reupload! this is the only steve fic i've ever written, or rather, the only one i started and finished. not sure if i really write steve that well, but i tried <3 this has a part two and will be uploaded soon too.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Don't you trust us?"

From your left, Robin's faux exasperated tone had you throwing her a mean side-eye. Her girlfriend, Vickie, on your right, giggled, "I don't think she does, Rob."

It wasn't that you didn't trust them. On a normal day, you would trust those two with your life, but given the circumstance you recently put yourself into, you couldn't help but be suspicious.

They'd found you hiding — or trying to, at least — at the back porch during another one of Tina's house parties, which were getting more and more boring to you, but you needed an escape, and cheap beer with some questionable company would have to do it.

You were sitting with another one of your friends when Robin and Vickie, appearing seemingly out of nowhere — confusing you immensely because they'd be two people you wouldn't expect to find at Tina's on a Friday night — took your plastic cup from your hand and pulled you by the arms to follow them.

Dragging you along, each one linked to your arms from both sides, passing in between the crowd of bodies gathered in the living room, occasionally having to push a drunk jock out of the way, and guiding you up the stairs, into the upstairs hallway. They moved fast, the people around you passing by like a sea of blurred faces.

You were thrust forward when you reached one of the doors, and were pushed inside by Robin, who flashed you an apologetic smile, shrugging, "I'm sorry!"

"Robin!" Yelling over the loud music that bled through the walls, you could hear giggling from the outside, as well as the sound of a key being turned in doorknob. Your heart raced as you slowly realized what was happening, "Vickie! What the fuck?"

You knew who was behind you without even having to turn around.

Taking in your surroundings, you could tell it was a guest room, untouched by the madness going on downstairs and in the hallway. Sitting on the neatly made bed, above the soft pastel bedding, Steve Harrington looked like a kicked puppy, brown eyes following your every move from where you stood, still at the bedroom door, unsure of what to do.

He was the first to break the silence, "So… now I have to resort to kidnapping you in order to have a conversation with my best friend?"

Leaning back into the cold wooden surface of the door, you tried to sound as unbothered as possible, knowing very well you were about to crack. "I wouldn't call that much of a kidnapping. Your henchwomen are a little too clumsy for that."

When Steve didn't answer you, merely raising an eyebrow, unamused, you tried again. "So, uh… what is this, exactly? Seven minutes in heaven? You know this isn't seventh grade anymore, right?"

"No, if it was seventh grade you would still be talking to me and not acting all weird for a whole damn week and not telling me why!"

"I'm not acting weird…"

"Bullshit! You are avoiding me like the plague and I need to know why."

You weren't avoiding Steve.

At least, that's what you had told him the first time he confronted you about it, almost a week ago. He had showed up at your house, unannounced as always, with a new film he knew you'd love and a bag of popcorn and candy, walking in as if it was own place — and it was, in a way, more of a home than his own has ever been. You made up an excuse about how you were sick and didn't want to get him sick as well, ushering him out of the house with an apology and the promise of a raincheck on your movie night.

After that, he'd been calling you, asking what was wrong and why were you avoiding him, and you couldn't bring yourself to tell him the truth. You'd told him it was nothing, you were sick that day, then you were busy, and then… you were running out of excuses.

The truth was that you couldn't look your best friend in the eyes anymore.

Sighing, you looked down at your feet, shuffling in place, "It's nothing, Steve. I'm just confused about… something, but I promise it has nothing to do with you. You did nothing wrong, it's just, just a thing that happened." You stuttered.

There was a shift in the air, the tension dropping in the atmosphere as Steve's expression lightened, suddenly focusing entirely on you. He rose from his place on the bed and walked over to you, his body crowding your personal space.

"Hey…" You felt a hand gently hold your chin, forcing you to look at him, warm brown eyes searching for yours. "I'm not mad at you, okay? I'm just worried. We used to tell each other everything and now you're acting like this and I don't know what to think."

Overwhelmed by Steve's closeness, his smell and the heat of his body invading your senses, and his hand moving to cradle your cheek, distracting you from gathering your thoughts, you close your eyes as you lean into his touch. "If I tell you, do you promise you'll stay not mad at me?"

"I don't think I could ever be mad at you, Y/N."

With a deep breath, you walked away from him. The nearness, the feeling of his hand on your skin brought you vivid memories of the exact reason you were pushing him away.

"Ihadasexdreamaboutyou."

"A what?"

"A sex dream! I had a sex dream about you and I'm embarassed enough as it is, okay? I know it's weird, but we can't really help what we dream of, you know? It's like our brains produce images using the faces of people we know but it doesn't necessarily mean anything…"

"I get it! I get it, you don't need to explain yourself, I promise." Steve interrupts your rambling, you're still avoiding making eye contact with him, but you notice a light shade of pink take over his face. Silence fell over the room, both of you still trying to come to terms with what you'd just confessed.

"What was your dream like?"

He was closer now, you realized. There was something different in his eyes, a look you'd never seen before — far more intense, pupils blown wide. An electric current grows between you, like a live wire, ready to explode. It didn't help you stop thinking about the Steve in your dream, looking up at you with those same eyes, hands hungrily exploring your naked body.

It was all you could think about in the past few days — and then, there he was, warm and real, right in front of you, your Steve.

"Steve…"

"Please? I'm curious. It can't be that bad."

Turning around, you stared at the wall instead of having to look at him, feeling flustered all over. "I don't remember a lot of the details, but, uh… I think we were on my couch and we were… I was riding you, I think." Letting out a nervous laugh, you gathered the courage to turn again, pretending to not be affected, "Crazy, right?"

"Not that crazy. Coming from you, I was expecting something a little more shocking."

You laughed earnestly then, feeling some of the tension leave your body. "Yeah. Screw you, Harrington."

Steve started taking a few tentative steps forward, and instinctively, you took some backwards, until your back hit the wall behind you. Leaning in, those same dark, hungry eyes lowered to your lips, and down to your cleavage — you felt vulnerable under his gaze, but not uncomfortable. It felt right, even though it made your skin prickle. "Can I ask you one more question?"

"Yeah." You breathed out.

One of his hands trailed along your waist, keeping you still as the other rested beside your head, on the wall. This was a line you'd definitely never crossed, even with Steve being as affectionate as he was, always keeping at least one hand on you. Not even in the many times you'd shared a bed and woke up tangled in each other. This was different, heavy with anticipation.

"Did you… touch yourself… thinking about this dream of yours?"

It felt like your head was spinning. Despite yourself, you drew in a sharp inhale, "Do you really need to know that?"

"Only if you want to tell me." His voice was gentle, much more restrained than the wild look in his eyes, barely keeping himself together. "But something tells me you do."

Steve wasn't blind to the effect he had on you, especially up close, where he could feel your heavy breathing, watching the way your body responded to his. Throwing every caution you had out of the metaphoric window, you finally looked him in the eyes, bringing him closer, and resting your hands on his broad shoulders.

"What if I told you that I did? What if I told you that I had my fingers inside of me thinking about how good it would feel if I was bouncing on your cock instead? How would it feel to have you run your hands all over me while I do it? Is that what you want to hear?"

Like the cat who got the cream — or the guy who got his best friend to confess how badly she wants to fuck him — he smirked, now holding you with both hands around your waist.

"Any chance you want to make that dream come true, baby?"

"If King Steve is offering, who am I to refuse?"

"Shut up."

Snaking a hand up your back, raising a chill up your spine, and holding the back of your neck, his mouth descended on yours with a deep kiss. It started clumsy, all teeth and uncoordinated hands, two friends who dared cross a line they'd never return from. Steve took control, then, leading you towards the bed, and laying you on top of it, his hands never leaving your body as he climbed on top of you.

"You should have told me about this earlier. Could've helped you out, you know." He said, in between kisses, descending his mouth to your jaw, and down to your neck, his tongue eliciting tiny gasps from your gaping lips, "You were driving me insane."

His hands travelled under your shirt, after yanking it from under your skirt, finding your covered breasts. Too eager to feel you, he felt you up over your bra, squeezing and caressing his thumb over your nipples. Between Steve's hands and his kisses, you were left breathless under him, seeking whatever release you could get, grinding your hips against his thigh, which was resting between yours. You could feel your cotton panties cling to your wet folds, slick with desire.

"I think you're the one driving me insane here." You whined, biting his lower lip and dragging it just slightly. Steve's eyes darkened above you, and you felt his hands lower, slowly, to the hem of your already bunched up skirt. You watched as he sat up on his knees and removed his polo shirt, revealing his broad chest, and feeling the sudden urge to run your hands over the tuft hair and the smattering of freckles covering it.

"Consider it payback, baby."

They stopped at the waistband of your underwear, and stilled, as he asked, brown eyes as gentle as ever, almost whispering, "This okay?"

"Yeah. Please."

Lowering his head, he left kisses over your thighs as he brought the fabric down your legs and off your body, his hot mouth leaving a trail of small teeth marks and spit that warmed you to your core. There was an underlying devotion in Steve's touch, a reverence he always treated you with — like you were something precious, something worthy of praise. It set you alight under his expert fingers, running over the soft skin of your parted thighs.

Wasting no more time, Steve licked a long stripe over your weeping slit, flattening his tongue. You dropped your head to the pillow beneath you, not being able to stop the moan that rose on your throat. One of your hands reached to grab his hair as he alternated between flicking his tongue over your clit and sucking on it, groaning into your pussy like he was enjoying it just as much as you were. His strong hands grabbed your thighs and pulled you further into him, burying himself into you, his nose touching your clit as he delved his tongue into your hole, fucking you with it.

A litany of moans filled the room, along with the filthy, sloppy sounds of his mouth devouring your pussy. You felt delirious, skin burning and grinding yourself shamelessly into his mouth, meeting his movements.

"Isn't that better, honey?" He teased, bringing a finger down to your entrance and into you, stroking your walls in a torturingly slow pace, making you pout as you kept moving your hips, "Better than fucking yourself with your tiny, little fingers? You could have had this instead of hiding from me."

Mumbling something incoherent, you could barely keep your thoughts together as you felt him add a second finger into you, pumping them faster this time.

"Louder. Let me hear you."

"So much better. You feel so good, Stevie, so fucking good. Please don't stop."

At that point, you didn't care how whiny you sounded. Steve didn't seem to care either, shifting between your legs to wrap his lips around your clit again, matching his languid thrusts as he curled his fingers inside of you, building up the tension in your core, your pleas of "faster, please!" rising from your lips.

He obliged, looking at you with hooded eyes. You meet his gaze as you cry out, feeling your orgasm hit you like a wave, crashing into you slowly, and then all at once. He keeps his fingers moving as you ride it out, breathing heavily, and running your hand over his messed up hair, much gentler this time.

"C'mere, baby." You called, voice a little weak from exhaustion. Steve leaned over and you met him halfway, supporting your upper body into your elbows, and kissed him. Deep and slow, savoring the taste of his tongue, still stained with your juices, making you dizzy with uncontained lust, and, quite frankly, an overwhelming feeling of possessiveness, as if you had just marked him as yours.

After spending years watching him pine over Nancy Wheeler, and throw himself into date after meaningless date, it felt only fair.

Not you'd ever admit this to him out loud.

Distracting him with your kisses, you manage to take control, flipping him over, and mounting him, straddling his hips. Steve doesn't stop missing you, however, bringing his hands to rest over your hips and guide you to grind your exposed pussy over the tent on his jeans. You could almost feel him pulsing under you, bringing a new jolt of pleasure through your body, making you run your nails over his chest.

Quickly undoing his belt, and his zipper, you bring his pants down, just enough to free him from his boxers, feeling his length warm and heavy in your hand. He pants under you, his eyes rolling back as you tease him with your fingers, lightly, before running your thumb over the delicious vein on the underside of him, all the way to his already weeping head.

Before you could do much else, you heard a hard knock on the door, followed by barely hushed giggles.

"Are you still alive in there? Do we need to call the police?"

"Go away, Buckley! Jesus."

Steve groaned at Robin's interruption, running his hands over his face, flushed with frustration. You release him from your hold, chuckling a little at his outburst. Leaving a kiss to his nose, driving his attention back to you, you ask "Your house isn't too far from here, right?"

"Yeah. Your point being…"

"I think we should take this party somewhere a little less crowded."

Humming deep inside his chest, Steve leans up, pecking you on the lips, "Now you're speaking my language."

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington smut

4K notes · View notes

zunniva · 1 year

Text

Heartbroken Love pt. 3

I'm totally new to tumblr and I can't for the life of me figure out how to link to the other 2 parts... Sorry :)

Heartbreak and Love

In this part I freely imagine the aftermath of Vecna's rampage. It's also he part where Emma and Steve really find each other, eventually. All is good in the end though!

The darkness... it's taken over. Dad tells me I graduated, I have no memories of this. I apparently went up on that stage, got my diploma, refused to leave until principal Higgins gave me Eddies diploma too. I have a faint memory of the Hellfire club standing up cheering, alongside Steve and the gang. All cheering and screaming Eddies name. People booing, Steve throwing something at them. But this is just like a memory of a dream... you're not quite sure it's real. Dad says it is, he was standing up cheering for Eddie as well.

It's been 3 months now, 3 agonizing months without him. The trailer park was demolished in the “earthquake” so Wayne had to leave. He came by to say good bye, and he left me Eddies guitar. Told me that if I ever found myself in whatever part of the country he ended up in I needed to look him up. I think I promised him that. I sleep with the guitar in my bed, or sleep. I stay in some kind of dormancy, not asleep not awake. Just... shut off. Then dad comes and makes me get out of bed, every morning without fail. He makes sure I take a shower and then I just sit there in my chair, holding the guitar looking out the window.

The town is slowly coming back from the disaster that was “the earthquake” dad tells me. They're rebuilding and fixing what they're able to. I don't care... What's to care about? A town that celebrated the dead like heroes of war but ignored one of the only real heroes it had? Not one mention about him in the eulogies, even AFTER they came out and said he was falsely accused of the murder of Chrissy. Not even then was he mentioned as anything but “that freak Munson boy” I understand why Wayne felt he needed to leave.

Dad's been asking me if we should leave too, maybe head back to Sweden so I can apply for university next semester. I cry silent tears when he says this, so he doesn't push. The therapist that comes here once a week told him not to push. Just give me time, I'll come out of this eventually, it'll be easy once I get over the initial pain. Fucking moron, I hope someone he loves dies and he can come tell me how easy it is to “come out of it”. I feel angry, all the time. Then sad, and I cry. I don't know where the tears come from, you'd think I would have run out by now. But that's my life now, anger, tears and pain. But no actions, I don't have it in me to DO anything but stare into nothingness and...exist.

I miss him so much, sometimes I just wish I had it in me to... you know join him. But I can't do that to dad. He loved Eddie too, I know this but I have no energy to be there for him and that also makes me miserable.

The guys have been around to visit. In the beginning almost every day. Now school's started again and Nancy, Steve and Robin have all got new jobs. So I'm alone all day. Dad got a promotion following the death of Jason, his dad had a mental breakdown and couldn't keep working. The board asked dad to step in and manage the whole company. I'm sure I'm proud somewhere inside, I might even be able to show it some day.

I have absolutely no idea what happened to them in the Upside down, after finding Dustin in that parking lot I've lost track of everything. Steve is the one that comes over the most, he sits beside me holding my hand. Not speaking, I can't take in what people tell me any ways. He just sits there. It feels good having him there, comforting.

Another month passes, I think it's getting a bit easier to exist. Not a lot but I manage to remember things dad tells me for more than 10 minutes. I get out of bed on my own, I've even been down stairs a few times. I can tell dad is tentatively hopeful, maybe I am to. But at the same time I'm terrified. What if I get better and I forget him? What if everyone moves on and he's just passed in to oblivion? When these thoughts hit I panic. The only thing calming me down is to sit in bed strumming Eddie's guitar humming to myself. That's also the only use of my voice since that day I graduated. I haven't spoken, not one word. I nod and I shake my head.

On this particular day the intrusive thoughts are really bad and I decide to do something I haven't done in 4 months. I pick up the phone after making sure it's a Saturday and not a weekday.

“Hello?”

“Please come over...” my voice is low and sounds more like a croak from a frog than an actual person

“Emma?”

“Please... I need you”

“I'll be right there”

10 minutes later I hear the door bell. My dad opens the door

“Oh hey Steve, good to see you. I don't know if she's up yet”

“She is... Martin she called me... she actually spoke” I hear the happiness in Steve's voice.

“Are you sure? You're not joking are you?” I hear from the tone on dads voice that he doesn't quite trust Steve

“I thought for a moment myself that I was dreaming, but then I pinched myself and I was awake. She called Martin...and she called ME!” I have no clue what he meant by that

I hear his footsteps in the hallway then a soft knock on the door. It opens and his smiling face looks at me

“Hey” he looks at me

“Hey” I croak and he starts sobbing

“Oh god I missed your voice Em, so much you have no idea” he comes up to me taking my hand “you mind if I give you a hug?”

“Nah, that's why I wanted you here... I need one” I whisper

He wraps me in his arms and he hugs me tight.

“I missed you” he says in to the crease of my neck

“I understand that, can't promise I'm gonna be here all the time but I'm getting closer...maybe” I say and I wrap my arms around him as well. If feels so good having someone close. I forgot how good it feels. We part from the hug “Hey, Steve. Maybe weird to ask after this long. But would you mind laying down on the bed with me. This position isn't comfortable and I can't stand up for that long” I look up at him

“I'd let you lie on top of me on the floor if it made you more comfortable Em. Not weird at all, c'mon lets get you in to bed” he smiles and takes my hand.

We lay down on the bed and he wraps his arms around me and I put my head on his chest so I can hear his heart beating. His hands slowly rubbing my arms up and down. I begin to cry softly into his shirt. He coos at me

“There, there you cry. Can't promise it'll make you better right away but maybe in a while. And I'm here for you all the way” he keeps stroking my arms and kissing my head. I can feel how excruciatingly tired I really am. I yawn “You take a nap I'll be right here” he says. I wiggle a little to get more comfortable and I put one arm around him. Then I sleep, like I haven't slept in months. I wake up thinking I just had a short nap, someone's put a blanket over us. Steve has slumped down on the bed so he's lying face to face with me still holding me. He's sleeping to, how long was I out I think. I try to move and Steve's eyes fly open.

“Hey...did I wake you?” he says looking worried

“No I think I woke you up, how long have I been sleeping?”

He looks at his watch “Well... should I lie to you or tell you the truth?” he smiles

“What? Truth...always truth” I say

“23 hours and 45 minutes...” he looks at me

“Excuse me? But... what about you? Have you been here the whole time?” He can't be serious

“You needed me, so I stayed. Of course I stayed” he says stroking my back

“For almost a whole 24 hours? But what about food... toilet...”

“Your dad's been in with food and for the short time it takes me to pee I left you. Hope you don't mind, you didn't even stir when I crawled back down beside you” he kisses my forehead

“Mind... Steve, this is beyond what I can ask of you. Don't put your life on hold for me...” I can't believe this

“Sweetheart, there are two people in this world right now that everyone's lives are on hold for. Yours and Max's. Ok? We all care” he says “maybe some more than others” he finishes with a whisper

“Max? What's wrong with Max?” I feel like I should know but there are no memories only fog

Steve looks at the time “Would you be up for a little trip outside today?” he asks

“Outside?” I think about it “well ok but you need to help me, I have no real strength left to walk”

“No problem!”

“And I need to get some clothes that aren't pyjama” I say tugging at my shirt. I smile, just a little smile but it's the first one in 4 months. Steve looks at me and tears fall down his face

“A smile? Oh God I missed your smile” and then he does something I didn't expect he leans in and he kisses me, just a quick kiss but I can feel it all over. “Oh I'm sorry... I couldn't help myself” he looks so ashamed like he violated me

“It's ok Steve I didn't mind. Made me feel almost like a person again” I say and I take his hand

“You sure?” he looks at me all apologetic

“100% now help me find clothes” I say as I manage to sit up in the bed. Ok so sleeping for almost 24 hours straight feel something like being drunk. The room spins when you sit up, and DAMN I need to pee. I try to get up but the rooms spins even more and I almost fall over.

“What are you doing, sit down please. I don't want you to hurt yourself” he says

“I really, and I can't stress this enough, fucking need to pee” I manage a small giggle and he lights up

“Wow even a giggle, this is a good day. Ok hold on to me and I'll help you to the bathroom”

We manage to get to the bathroom in time and he waits outside the door until I'm done. Then he follows me to the bed again and sits me down.

“Ok so clothes, any ideas?” he says

“Well...” I look down at my body even I can see I lost more weight following Eddie's death “whatever stills fits... So I'm guessing a dress is the best option” I shrug

“Ok, dress it is” he walks up to my closet looking through it. He turns to me and he has a big smile on his face “well I am partial to this one” he says and pulls out the dark green dress I've only worn once and that was when we had our thing at the lake. I blush

“I think that'll be a bit big but I can try it on at least” I say and he hands me the dress “would you please turn around” I say

“Of course” he does so right away. In my mind I go back to that night I last wore this dress, the conversation with Eddie when he was so hellbent on hearing what me and Steve had done he wasn't going to close his eyes while I changed. Tears trickle down the dress as I take off the clothes I have on and pull it over my head. It's big but not as awful as I thought it would be “Ok you can turn around now” I say. He turns and looks at me

“Beautiful, just like last time... But what's wrong?” he wipes the tears from my face

“Last time anyone saw me in this was after you and I... It was Eddie” I say

“Oh... I'm so sorry I had no idea... I just thought about the you and me part” he looks sad and he wraps me in his arms “You wanna change?”

“No, it looks ok and it's comfortable. I'll wear it as an homage” I say “where are we going by the way?”

“You'll see” he says and takes my hand, helping me down the stairs. We go in to the kitchen. Dad looks up

“Honey...you're...” tears start falling down his face

“Hey dad” I say and I hug him and he hugs me back so tight.

“Thank you” he says and I know he's looking at Steve when he says it

“Ehm... I'm taking Emma to the hospital to you know... see her” Steve says

“Her?” I'm confused

“Yeah sweetie, after you... collapsed with Dustin, well a lot more happened. You said you heard someone talking about Jason...and the kid found with him” dad says and I nod “Yeah that was Max...she's still in a coma”

“Max? In a coma? What...” I look at Steve

“We don't really know but I'll tell you what little we do know on the ride there if you still wanna come?” he says

“Yeah, of course I wanna come” I say and I mean it. For the first time in what feels like forever I care about someone, about something. I want to see Max.

“Great I'll bring the car up as far as I can” Steve says and heads out the door

“I'm so happy your feeling a little better today sweetheart. But don't stay out too long, you don't have all your energy you know.” dad looks at me with a hopeful smile

“I know, but I've been in that room for 4 months now. And I know there will be dark days ahead where I won't leave so for today I'm going to see my friends” I say

“Good for you honey, I'm all for it. Steve will take good care of you I know that. Send my love to whoever you see today.” dad kisses my forehead and squeezes my hand. Steve comes in and holds his hand out to me

“Your chariot awaits princess” he smiles and I can't help but smile back and I hear dad sob

“Yes, I do still remember how to smile. I'll try to do it from time to time” I say to him as I take Steve's hand and we head out to the car. At first the outside is an assault to my senses. Smells, sounds and the chill in the air. It's almost knocking me out. As Steve shuts the car door it all gets better. He gets in the drivers seat and he looks at me

“You ok?”

“Yeah, just a lot there after 4 months isolated in one room.” I say

“Oh, sorry didn't think about that. Then maybe I should take the tape out of the stereo” he smiles “don't wanna give you a heart attack”

“A heart attack? With what... Wham?” Steve was more of a mainstream kinda guy

“Well... I kinda changed it up a bit... Got some gifts from Wayne” he mumbles

“What? Wayne... did you... did you get Eddies tapes?” I ask “You? Who hate rock just as much as Eddie hated pop?” I almost laugh out loud at this

“I asked for them... I wanted something so I'd never forget him” he says in a hushed voice

“So you'd never...” my voice fails me and tears start falling again “but I thought you didn't” I manage to get out

“What? Like him...nah not at first. Guy kinda grew on you fast, didn't he” he smiles but I can see he's tearing up to

“He sure did... So you have the tapes... Can you bring them over some time? I want to copy them” I sob

“Of course I can, any time. Shall we go? Or do you want to stay home?”

“Go, this was just a temporary interruption. Feels sort of okish to mention him... not gonna say good. Don't think I'll ever get to good” I say

“Ok go it is” he says and starts the car making sure the tape isn't in.

We talk on the way to the hospital, about his new job. They offered him the basketball coaching position at the high school and he accepted, gladly he tells me. I tell him I'm happy for him, I am even though it might not show on the outside. He tells me what little they know about what happened to Max. Lucas was with her and Jason as Vecna assaulted her mind almost killing her like he did the others. But he was interrupted and Max ended up in a coma instead. Jason was killed in the rupture, he was torn in half apparently. I can't process this fully. So I go back to telling Steve I am happy for him, needing time to get the Max thing in my mind.

“I know you are sweetheart” he says and takes my hand holding it the entire car ride, he's slowly rubbing his thumb along the top of my hand. It's comforting, having someone touch me. We get to the hospital

“I have no idea how many of the guys are here today, but it's the weekend so there might be a few of them. Would that be ok?” he asks

“Yeah, I think it would. You visit her often?” I say

“When I'm not with you I come here for an hour or so. I tell her what's new, don't know if she can hear me but I hope so” he says

“I'm sure some of it comes through to her.” I say, squeezing Steve's hand. I'm thinking back to my past few months, I was awake but not reachable. I have some clue what the mind takes in even if you're not all there for it.

We go in to the hospital and we head up to the ward where Max is. Steve goes in in front of me, I hear some familiar voices. I sneak in after him and the silence is deafening

“Em? You're... you're here? Steve you got her to come out?” Dustin is smiling widely at me running up to hug me.

“Yeah...he helped” I say and they draw a collective breath and Nancy starts crying

“God I missed your voice Em” she comes up and wraps her arms around both me and Dustin. Not caring she crushes him between us “how are you feeling?” she asks as she lets go

“I...don't know. Today kinda ok. Yesterday was bad, tomorrow might be bad again. I think this is a one day at a time deal. But I...” I look over to the bed and my heart drops. A pale shadow of the beautiful girl I knew is laying there. She looks like she's sleeping, nothing more “never mind me, some day I'll be ok. But what about Max? Maybe you told me maybe you didn't but my mind didn't register until Steve told me today” I say and I go up to the bed. I sit down in the chair Nancy was sitting on and I lean over and I begin stroking Max's hair. “Hey Max, it's Em. Sorry it took me so long to come see you...I've been struggling. I guess they told you huh? So you know what...happened to Eddie. I kinda need you to wake up, take your time but just you know...wake up” I whisper. Lucas is sitting across from me holding Max's hand tears falling from his face

“Thank you for talking to her like she's here” he says “the doctors don't... We seem to be the only ones thinking she's coming back from this”

“What? You and me?” I look around

“No we, as in everyone in here” he says with a sad smile “Eleven's been trying to find her... But she says it's like she's hiding. She isn't sure it's safe”

I keep stroking her hair looking at her “So is it? Safe I mean...”

“We did finish him, after Eddie...and Max we got our revenge. Eleven found her powers... maxed them out even and popped his head like a zit... unfortunately we had to use Will as bait, turned out it was him he wanted all along. He's ok just...you know traumatized” Steve says from the corner

“So Vecna is no more? What about the upside down? Is it gone?” I ask dreading the answer

“We have no idea” Nancy says

I look up and I meet Dustin's eyes, I see he's thinking what I'm thinking. I need to find an opportunity to talk to him alone. If there is a chance... I'll risk everything. We stay with Max and the guys for about an hour or so, then I feel my head is about to explode from too many impressions and too many sounds after months of basically only silence. I look at Steve with pleading eyes

“Oh, I think I need to get Emma home, you're beat aren't you?” he says and smiles at me

“Yeah... I'm sorry guys but I am. I'll try to some back the next good day I have, ok?” making no promises because I have no idea what the next day will be like. They all nod and tell me to feel better and that they'll come visit. Steve and I head to the car and he pulls me in close and kisses my head

“You did good today sweetie, but I'll take you home now and get you in to bed ok?”

“Thank you Steve, this was...healthy. Made me get some perspective on my situation seeing Max like that” I say

“Hey, don't belittle your struggle. No one is thinking you're not having a hard time. We've all seen you through the months. Dustin told me about that day, he said the scream coming from you was the single most heartbreaking sound he'd ever heard. Even worse than...his last breath” he looks at me

“You never told me this before...” I say with a hushed voice

“I didn't think you were...susceptible to that kind of information before. I'm sorry”

“No don't be, and you're probably right. I remember some things people told me. Like Wayne telling me I need to look him up at some point, you heard anything from him?” I ask

“Yeah, he called like 2 months ago, he's in Nebraska working at a power plant. He sent me his address, I'll give it to you.” he smiles and hugs me again “ok lets go home now” we drive off and I keep looking out the window, letting my mind wander to what was hatched in my mind at the hospital. We come home to an empty house, a note from dad on the counter.

“Hey honey, they needed me at the office. I might be late. I made dinner, it's in the fridge. Enough for both you and Steve. Love you -Dad”

“Will you stay, please?” I ask Steve

“Of course I'll stay. If you need me I'm here I've told you many times during these months, maybe it hasn't registered but I have. I might not be him, and I will never try to take his place. But I want to be here for you, just like he would have” he looks at me and I wrap my arms around him taking in his smell and his warmth

“Thank you Steve” I can feel the tingle is still there, just like a lonely butterfly at the moment. But he's still Steve, the handsome, sexy, strong guy that not that long ago was naked in my arms writhing beneath me. I blush

“Hey what's this? What's on that mind of yours?” he smiles

“I just had a flashback... From the cabin” I whisper

“Oh...yeah, that. That was a good night wasn't it” he's rubbing my back and I feel so safe for the first time in what feels like forever

“It was... I wish we could have had another chance, another go at it” I keep whispering like I don't want to risk anyone hearing even though we're completely alone in the house.

“You and me both sweetie” he kisses the top of my head, I look up at him. My eyes lock on his lips I can feel his heart beating faster and I hear his breath shiver as he looks down at me. “I don't want to take advantage of you” he says in a coarse voice

“I'm not asking you to fuck me against the counter... That's too soon, but I wouldn't mind a kiss...” I blush. His hands move to the side of my face and he leans down and kisses me softly. My knees feel weak and I sigh against his lips

“I'm sorry but this is all I'm able to give you right now” he whispers and I nod

“All I needed right now, would you stay the night though. Not for this...for sleep?” I say in to his chest

“Any time you need me. But what about we heat up that food your dad left us and then we make ourselves comfy on the couch and we watcha movie or something. Or just talk?”

We eat, then I feel how very tired this day has made me so we opt for my bed instead of the couch. We crawl down under the covers and I once again lay there, head on Steve's chest listening to his heartbeat, feeling safe.

“So what have the doctors said about Max really?” I ask

“Well, she might wake up. They don't know. She responds to what they call stimuli, I guess that means she's still in there. So that apparently gives hope. But it might just go the other way to, if she stops responding then her brain has shut down and then they can't do anything more for her. We're all hoping Eleven's gonna find her and get her to come out of hiding”

“Can you explain that to me? I don't get...that part” I say. I remember when I met them all in Eddie's trailer the last time I saw him. They told me Eleven was like some superhero girl with awesome powers. I didn't fully understand then and I understand even less now

“Eleven is... special you know that right, he told you didn't he?” I nod “Ok, well so she can go in to I guess some kind of in-between and find people's minds. Like find them where ever they are, she found Will when he was lost in the Upside down 4 years ago. But when she tries to find Max now...it's just darkness. She can feel her but not see her. That's why she says it's like she's hiding herself. She tries for like 10 minutes every day. But then she needs to rest. It apparently takes a lot out of her finding people like that. She won't give up, she's been at her side every day for 4 months now and she'll be there every day until she either finds her or we lose her.” Steve explains, my mind is working frantically. Steve looks at me “No she wouldn't look for him, we asked. She didn't want to see it. Apparently when she looks for people that passed she only finds their dead bodies and that is too much for her. She would find him like he is at that moment, and God knows what she would find. We didn't want to ask her again, please respect that” he says, like he read my mind

“I'm sorry... I just...” I start to cry

“I get it sweetheart, I get it. We all wanted to but we had to respect her, Dustin was pestering her a bit at the beginning. But Mike had a conversation with him and he backed off.”

“Do you ever think about trying to get back there and retrieve his body? Give him the funeral he deserves?” I sob

“We did have a funeral sweetheart, don't you remember? It was beautiful”

“We did? I was there?” I have NO recollection of this

“Yes, you held my hand so tight I thought it might fall off. I had to hold you when they lowered the coffin in to the ground. I was afraid you'd fall in with it” he hugs me tight

“I... I can't remember” I cry even harder now

“Sweetie, no one can blame you. It was just weeks after. You we're barely responsive at all back then. Me and Martin carried you in to the service and we carried you out again. We just thought you needed to be there even if we weren't sure you were there with us mentally”

“So he has a grave? I can go see him?” I say between sobs

“Yes he does, I'll take you there as soon as you have a stronger day again. Ok, just let me know when you feel you have the energy to deal with it and I'll take you there” he says softly

“Thank you, but what about... what was in the coffin?” I don't wan to think about it but my mind can't let it go

“Photos of him, his leather jacket and his Hellfire shirt. And we all wrote him a letter and dropped it in there to” he says and I hear he's tearing up

“I'm sorry Steve I didn't want to drag you down with me” I sob

“Sweetheart, I liked him too you know. We became good friends before the end. I miss him a lot, he was a good guy. And apparently a really good confidant to you...”

“What do you mean?” I sniffle

“Well... when we were out to get supplies we stole this RV from the trailer park”

“That was YOU driving that thing through town!” I say

“You saw us?” he chuckles a little “well anyway as he was hot-wiring it Robin said something a long the lines of her not loving the idea of him driving. He looked at her and he said, and I quote 'Oh I'm just starting the sucker, Harrington's got her, don't ya big-boy' no one but you have ever called me that” he winks at me and I do have to blush

“Yeah... he was a nosy one. Needed all the dirt” I say smiling at the memory of Eddie sitting on this bed bouncing waiting for me to tell him how my night with Steve had been. “I'm sorry I told him that part” I say smiling up at him

“Hey, I loved it when you called me that. I didn't mind if he knew. We talked about you, him and me. I think that's where we really bonded” he says and he kisses the top of my head.

I'm so tired I'm feeling dizzy, I lay my head down on Steve's chest again and I fall asleep.

I dream that night. But it's a weird dream. I dream of Eddies funeral, I dream of the songs they played, who was there, what was said. I dream about people waiting outside to call him a freak and a murderer. I wake up while it's still dark outside. I have to ask Steve about some of these details, maybe I just relived something my mind couldn't handle at the time it really happened. I look up at Steve, he's sound asleep arms still around me. He's growing on me... I think to myself, I don't want him to. But I can't help it I am falling for him, or well I fell a long time ago. Eddie knew it, I was just in denial. “Damn you Munson” I mutter under my breath, always knowing me better than I knew myself. I lay back down and I actually fall back to sleep hugging Steve.

I'm woken up by dads voice in the morning. I stretch and I feel that the bed is empty and I feel that surge of panic in the pit of my stomach. I look at dad

“He had to go to work honey. It's Monday you know. He promised to be back tonight if you wanted him to. You want something to eat?” he smiles at me

“I... can I think about it? I don't feel hungry right now. I need the bathroom and then I'll come down stairs” I say and he nods

“Of course honey, you come down when you feel like it. I'm working from home today since I had to be there all night on a Sunday” he walks out and I hear him head down the stairs. I sit up on the edge of the bed, it's so painful being alone again. I didn't think I'd ever cherish someone's presence like this after Eddie. But I need Steve, I need him to be here with me. I try to get out of bed but my legs don't want to cooperate today...

“DAD!” I cry out and I hear him come running

“What honey? Something wrong?” he looks worried

“My legs won't hold today... I think yesterday was too much too soon.” I cry feeling so bad he has to help me again. But he just helps me up, letting me lean on him in to the bathroom.

“Ok sweetheart, call for me when you're done and I'll help you dress ok?” he says

“I think I wanna stay in bed again dad” my tears falling again

“Whatever you need honey, I'm just happy to have you talk to me again. Anything else is just a bonus.” he closes the door and I do what I needed to come in here for then I call for him to help me back to bed.

“Dad, could you please close the blinds. I can't with the sun today” I whisper

“Sure honey, you rest. I'll be up with something to eat in a bit.” he kisses my forehead and leaves

The rest of the day is darkness again, relentless darkness threatening to take over. My mind can't deal so it shut me off. I hear dad, but for some reason my voice gets caught in my throat and I can once again only nod or shake my head. It seems apparent I need Steve around.

“Ok, sweetheart. I won't bother you more today. I see yesterday really did wear you out. You'll be better tomorrow you'll see. You want me to tell Steve to come over when he calls?” he asks and I nod, I manage to whisper a thank you to him. I have no idea if I've slept or not. I think I was back in my shut-off mode again. But the day turns to evening and suddenly I feel someone getting in to the bed beside me holding me close

“Hey there, bad day today huh? I'm sorry I made you go yesterday, didn't think it would effect you this bad” Steve's back. I sigh

“Thank you for coming back” I whisper

“Sweetie, I told you. I'll be here as often as you need me to. Well ok I need to work but other than that. If you want me to move in here with you until you feel ok on your own I'll do that” he's stroking my back hugging me tight

“You'd do that?” I ask

“Yeah me and Martin talked about that now before I came up here. Martin thinks my presence calms you. You've slept with me here, you didn't before. It was him asking me if I would do it if you wanted me to.”

I think about if, having Steve here all the time when he's not working. Did I want that? The honest truth was I couldn't think of a single reason that I didn't want that.

“Steve” I look up at him “would you please be here all the time? Until I feel better?” I say

“Of course I will. I'll go get some stuff at home tomorrow after work and then I'm all yours for as long as you need me” he smiles “But what is this I hear about you not eating anything all day? Could you please come down stairs and have dinner with us. You can't recover if you don't have any energy sweetheart” his voice is soft but stern at the same time

“Ok, but you'll have to help me. My legs won't hold me today” I say

“I'll carry you if I have to you know that” he smiles

“No need to strain your back there old man I can walk if I have someone to lean on”

“Oh old man huh? So there's that tease I've missed so much. I'll show you how much of an old man I am” he says and he lifts me up and puts me over his shoulder like I'm just a fucking towel he draped over himself. He carries me like this all the way to the kitchen, making me actually laugh for the first time in months. He puts me down at the kitchen table and tells me to sit. Dad looks at me

“That was the best sound I've heard in months now honey. Thank you Steve”

“No problem Martin, this one here called me an old man...needed to show her how young and spry I still am” he chuckles

“Oh God, if he's an old man sweetie what the hell does that make me?” dad laughs and I can't not laugh with him.

“Hey dad” I say as the laughter dies down “Steve's gonna be here for a while...like all the time”

“Yeah? Ok that's good honey I can tell you need him. I know you try with me but I can't fill that spot like Steve can.” he takes my hand “so dinner? I made a carbonara like your mum used to make it”

“Oh, mums carbonara” I say and I can feel that I am actually hungry “sounds amazing dad”

We have dinner, Steve tells us about the team and how he's seen lamp posts that are more coordinated than some of these kids. Dad is very amused

“Don't be mean to the uncoordinated, we do the best we can” he chuckles

“The only descent kid I have is Lucas, and he's not even fully there. He's in his own mind most of the time. Mike tried out, did I tell you?” he asks and we both shake our heads “Yeah that was probably the saddest attempt at basketball I have ever witnessed. He's doesn't have two left feet...hell if I didn't see 'em I'd sworn he has NO feet. Disaster from beginning to end” he says and dad roars with laughter

“Poor Mike” I say but I can't help but giggle

When dinner is over Steve helps me in to the living room. He turns on the TV for me as he goes back to help dad clean up. The news is on

“We're live from the sleepy town of Hawkins, Indiana. Where only a few months ago disaster struck. An earthquake demolished this small town, leaving it almost entirely in ruins. But now 4 months down the road the town is back. Rebuilt and coming back from the horrors leading up to disaster. The weeks before the earthquake this small town was shaken to it's core as three high school students were brutally murdered. Chrissy Cunningham, Fred Benson and Patrick McKinney all slaughtered viciously by an unknown attacker. At first thought to be the work of a fellow student Edward Munson” and the they showed his picture, plastered all over the TV. I can't hear anything else I just whimper when I'm face to face with him. Even if it's just his picture. I feel like I'm falling, falling into an abyss of darkness. I hear dad and Steve, like they're miles away but still close

“What happened sweetheart? Hey honey? Emma?” I feel him shake me, but it doesn't feel real somehow

“Fuck... Martin look at the TV”

“Oh no... I knew they were shooting some kind of special they called me and asked me if I would say a few words about Eddie. I told them to fuck off”

“Here let me take her upstairs” I feel I'm being lifted off the couch and carried to my bed. Then nothing else, just darkness again.

I come to, the veils in my mind lift as suddenly as they fell. I feel better, more awake. This is when I realize Steve's arms around me. He's spooning me close and I can feel he's been dreaming. The pit of my stomach does a flip. Even in the state I'm in my body has a mind of it's own. I want him, I really do. I move a little, I just want to feel it against me. I hear from his breathing Steve's waking up. He presses his hard-on against my ass, his hands grip my tits. My breathing is getting heavier. Fuck I want this, I want him THAT close to me. I start grinding my ass against his dick feeling it getting even harder. Steve moans then I hear a gasp, he moves away from me

“Sorry... I need to...ehmmm... pee” he says and gets up and goes in to the bathroom. He's gone about 5 minutes. That pit in my stomach...yeah it falls out through my feet, down through the floor and doesn't stop until it fucking hits dirt under the house. So ok, I've become undesirable to him now? That's just great, I fall for him and he loses interest. Just like I thought it would be, “didn't I fucking tell you Munson?” I mutter out into the empty room.

“Did you say something?” Steve's back and he gets in tot he bed again.

“Nah, nothing important” I mumble

“You're feeling better?” he hugs me and I just want to tell him to fuck off but at the same time I know I need him.

“Well... I don't know how I'm feeling right this instant. I mean he was on the fucking TV last night Steve.”

“Ehmmm... Sweetheart that was a week ago, it's Sunday” I hear him say, I turn to him staring in to his eyes. He's got to be kidding?

“A week? I've been...shut off again for a week?” Steve just nods at me with a sad smile

“I've been here as soon as I got off from work, your dad's been taking time off to be here during the day. This was almost worse than before, we haven't even gotten you out of bed this time. I've carried you to the bathroom every evening and given you a bath. We've tried to get you to take fluids at least. Sweetheart I need you to talk to me, talk to someone this can't go on.” he's crying now

He's been giving me a bath every evening? No wonder he's put off by me... That would kill any flame that might have been flickering in him. I hang my head, I know he's right. I need to try to get through this. I will see his photo again, I will hear his name. I can't keep shutting down every time. It will kill me and I can't do that to dad, I just can't.

“Ok... I'll talk to someone. Not the ass that was here before though...find me someone else please” I say and Steve smiles through his tears.

“I'll find you as many people as I can until you find the right one. I promise” he pulls me in close to his chest and I draw a deep breath taking in the scent that is Steve. God this is so bad but yet feels so good. So a long as I keep it friendly I get to have him close. I'll learn to live with it, I've done it before. The one sided love is my thing...

“What time is it?”

“It's 10 am, why?” he says stroking my back

“I want to visit him”

“Are you sure that's a good idea, I mean this close to an...episode?” he's worried and I get that

“I don't think there will ever be a good time Steve, please”

“Fine...” he sighs “We'll get you up and in some clothes, get something to eat and then we''ll see how you feel. Ok?”

“Steve?”

“Yeah?” he says

“You really are the greatest you know that right? I know I haven't said it much and I sure don't show it but I do think you are” I look at him as he helps me get up in to a sitting position on the edge of the bed

“I... thank you Em. I would do anything for you, anything to make you feel better” he leans in and gives me a soft kiss. I want to cry, why does he have to do this. I know he didn't use the bathroom to pee before... it took too long. He was...helping himself deal with the situation in his pants. The thing he apparently doesn't want me to do for him. I draw a deep breath and I pull away from him

“Ok so clothes please” he looks like I hurt his feelings but he says nothing

“Sweats and a t-shirt ok?” he asks and I nod

“Comfy is the key here Steve” I say and he has to give me a quick smile. He helps me get dressed and get me down to the kitchen. “Where's dad?” I ask

“I think he had to go in to the office today, seeing as I'm here now and he can leave” Steve says as he makes me a sandwich and a cup of tea. I eat half the sandwich promising Steve to finish it when we get back. He gets me my jacket and my shoes and we go out to the car. It's a short drive from our house to the cemetery. Steve helps me out of the car and we walk towards the newer graves in the area. I see it before he can point it out. Someone's scribbled “FREAK” on the back of it with red paint.

“Still?” I say my voice a low growl

“Yeah... Some people will never change. We removed it in the beginning, now we just leave it.” he says and sighs

We round the headstone and I read

Here lies

EDDIE MUNSON

Beloved friend and son

*1966 +1986

Graduated with honour

I stare at the words as tears start falling quietly down my face

“Steve, could you please leave me for a while. I'll wave for you when you can come back?”

“Of course” he says puts a hand on the stone and I hear him whisper “I told you I'd get her to come visit man” then he walks over to a bench a bit away from me leaving me in front of Eddies grave. I manage to sit down on the ground in front of the stone. I put my hand on it

“Hey Ed, sorry it took so long. But you leaving me like that fucked me up, like real bad. I miss you so much sometimes I shut down. I've had one of those weeks now. Been completely out. No contact. Why the hell did you have to be a hero huh? I told you to not try and be one... but you never did listen to me did you? Feels so weird sitting here talking to you like this, I mean I know you're not down there. You're stuck in some alternate reality, probably waiting for someone to find you and bring you home. I'm going to try Ed, I promise. I think I can get Dustin to help, he looked like he thought of the same thing. We're going to find you Ed, find you and give you your actual final resting place, not that crappy piece of dirt in front of that trailer where Dustin had to leave you. I promise!

Then there's Steve... I know I told you I wouldn't, but I did fall for him. Just like you said I would if I gave him a chance, but I was right to you know. I fell for him and now he has no interest in me any more. Guess I finally won an argument with you freak. Fucking hell man, I miss your voice and your smile. There's this ache inside of me all the time. I saw you on the news a week ago, that's what triggered me shutting down. Steve thinks I need to talk to someone about you, but you know what. This, sitting here talking to you makes me feel better. Maybe you can be my therapist? I'll come here once a week and spill my mind to you? I know for a fact you won't tell anyone...” I sit there talking to him like he's still with me, pouring my heart out to a headstone in a cemetery. When I feel like I have nothing more to tell Eddie I turn and I wave to Steve. He comes up to me

“You feel ok? You've been sitting here touching his stone for quite a while now” he sounds so concerned

“You know what Steve, I needed this. I've been talking to him, telling him all the things that's been going on. I feel better Steve. I promise I do. Thank you for agreeing to take me here. Please help me up” I say and I hold out my hand. Steve takes it and carefully helps me to my feet. I wrap my arms around him and I kiss him. His fucking feelings be damned I think. At first he's just tense like a string on a guitar, then he relaxes and I actually feel him kissing me back. His hand sliding up my back to my neck. It's a long kiss and as we finally pull apart I whisper “well...if Eddie's somewhere looking down right now you better believe the fucker's cheering” Steve chuckles

“I bet... If that's what I get for taking you here I think we need to go at least once a day” he smirks. He takes my hand “you ready to leave, it's getting a bit chilly” I nod. As we walk past the stone he places a hand on it “see you later man, I'll be back. Like always” he fist bumps the stone and we walk to the car

“As always?”

“I stop by every day... Telling him how you're doing” he looks at me and my heart fills to the brim with undeniable love for this man

“I... you do that? Why?” I want to tell him right now how I feel, but I can't bring myself to ruin this

“Well... you haven't been able to. Someone needs to keep him in the loop, he loved you you know. Very much and he'd want to know how you're doing”

“I loved him I mean I still do, I think maybe a little too much even. Steve... I...”

“It's ok, he was my friend too you know. I never thought I'd like Munson, he was so different from me. But he was the sweetest soul I think I've ever met. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about you, sometimes it sounded like a sales pitch” he chuckles “and sometimes just the purest love”

“Don't you ever want to go back and try to find him and bring him home?” I need to ask

“Go back there? I mean for him, if I knew we could find him, and that there was anything to actually bring home. Maybe I might... But I don't think there is a way back now we killed Vecna. There's been no sign of the upside down since then, and Will's always been hyper sensitive to anything coming out of there. But since that day nothing, not even a tingle he says” Steve looks at me “NO! No fucking way Em, I can see what you're thinking. We're NOT trying to find a way in, especially not you in this state, you'd be the first to perish in there if something's still around” he stares me down

“Fine, I wouldn't know where to even begin looking so... I just can't deal with the thought of him all alone there.” I tear up Steve takes me in his arms

“I know sweetheart, I get that none of us want to think of that. But he isn't alone really. All the other's Vecna took are in there with him. Max saw them all. I know that's no comfort, not even a little bit. But still his body isn't the only one buried in there” Steve hugs me tight

“You suck at this” I smirk “but I didn't know that. It makes him seem a little less alone. Can we go home now? Get in to bed and hug for a bit?” I say

“Of course we can. You really do seem like you feel better Em. I didn't think talking to Eddie this way would do you any good. I'm sorry” he opens the car door for me and I get in, he walks around the car getting in the drivers seat

“Yeah, I didn't think talking to that stone would make any difference either. But... I felt like he was there listening to me. Sounds delusional I know but hey...if it helps right?” I say

“Absolutely, anything helping you I'm all for. Even if it's driving you to the cemetery to talk to a grave once a week or once a day. I'm here for you” he takes my hand and gives it a kiss as he drives us back home again. At this moment I feel like I could tell him and maybe, just maybe he'd feel the same. Then I think of this morning and my mind goes full stop, no point telling him he'd just walk away. Keep him close as a friend and love him regardless.

We snuggle down in bed after Steve gets me to eat the other half of the sandwich like I promised. He wraps his arms around me and I nuzzle into his chest. I drift off almost immediately, dreaming of the funeral again. I see myself writing on a piece of paper

“You LIED to me you fucking asshole. You said you'd be back. I HATE YOU!” and then I see myself throwing that piece of paper in the coffin alongside a whole bunch of similar papers. I wake up to my own sobs Steve worried sick trying to wake me up

“Emma, God what's wrong? What happened, we dozed off and I wake up to find you like this?”

“Steve... Did I write a letter to Eddie and put in his coffin? DID I?” I raise my voice in the end

“Yes, we didn't think you'd be able to or if you even took in what we asked you. But you scribbled something on a piece of paper and put it in. Why?”

“Did they play 'Master of puppets' at the service? Was his dad allowed time from jail so he could attend?” I ask

“Yeah... you remember the funeral?” he sounds confused

“I didn't before... I dreamt of it after you told me that it happened. Like my brain kept it from me until it felt safe to remember it. I know what I wrote Steve and I feel fucking awful” I cry again

“What sweetie, what did you write?” he's rubbing my arms kissing my head repeatedly

“I wrote that he lied to me, that he was an asshole and that I hated him... Steve I don't hate him how could I write that?” I sob

“You were so angry in the beginning. You don't remember? You had your calm days where all you did was strum on the guitar and look out the window. Other days you destroyed anything in your path. Haven't you noticed the mirror in here is gone, and all your breakable things?” I look around and I realize he's right

“I...broke them?” I ask

“Yeah... you threw them at me, at your dad, at Nancy, Dustin anyone daring to even try to mention his name. We thought for sure you'd trash the funeral home at the service. But you just shut off and barley existed during that whole time. That's why we were surprised you tried to write anything at all to him”

“How did you all tolerate me? How are you all even still around? How can you be...this good to me if I was like that to you?”

“Eddie wasn't the only one who loved you and calls you their friend Emma. We're all still around because we care about you. We even had Eleven try to get through to you once but you told her to fuck off and she didn't dare try again” he chuckles

“I did that? She was in my head and I told her to fuck off... oh my god I need to apologize to her. I like her... I didn't mean to” I feel like I'm about to panic, this is too much. I thought I was just...existing not doing anything. Seems I was wrong, it makes it so much more obvious why Steve wouldn't want anything to do with me like that any more. “I must have been a grade A bitch to you all?”

“Well... sometimes yeah. But you never insulted us at least. Probably because you never ever said a word to anyone. You just stared us down and threw things at us” he gives me a smile

“I can never take it back, and I can never make it right. But I am so sorry Steve. More than you'll ever know”

“Sweetheart, you were in so much pain, none of us could ever understand how much really. I didn't take it as an attack on me, I took it as a way to deal with the pain. I'm still here aren't I? If I took it to heart I'd be long gone, I think we all would.” he kisses my forehead and looks me deep in the eyes “I promise you I am not hurt ok?” then he kisses me for real, a deep emotional kiss “OK?”

“Ok... I believe you. But I still want to apologize to the rest of them” I say with a small voice

“Sure, we can go see Max if you want? I bet the majority of them are there. It's still kind of early. The visiting hours aren't over until 7.” Steve looks at me

“I would like that. Do I need to change maybe?” I say and Steve gives a small laugh

“Well considering you have some of the Hawkins cemetery plastered to your ass I'd say it's up to you”

“I what?” I pull my sweats off turning them over. On the ass I have a big dirt stain from sitting on the ground for 30 minutes talking to Eddie. “Aha... well ok then new pants it is” I say and I crawl over Steve making me straddle him for a second. I hear him moan and whisper under his breath

“Em... please what are you doing?” his hands have stopped me moving away by grabbing a hold on my hips pulling me in close to him.

“I was getting out of bed Steve... what are you doing?” I feel breathless

“I... I don't know...”

“Then don't think, just do Steve...” I whisper and I kiss him. His hands move on their own now, grabbing my ass pressing me in to his jeans. I moan and I sit up pulling my shirt over my head freeing my tits “please Steve... touch me” I whimper

“You sure? I mean... I don't want to make you feel bad in any way”

“Steve...we've done this before there's no way you can make me feel bad” he grabs my waist and spins me around on the bed so I end up on my back. He's all over me kissing me touching me. With almost a desperate side to him. His kisses trail down my body until they reach my inner thighs, then he sits up slightly grabs the waistband of my panties and rips them apart. I gasp, so forceful? He looks down at me

“So god damn perfect...” he growls and he plunges his face in between my thighs letting his tongue slide from my entrance all the way up my folds to my clit. He licks and sucks so desperately. Like he thinks he's never going to get the chance again. I feel him slide a finger in me finding the soft spongy part inside of me that makes my world spin.

“Fuck Steve... I'ma cum...” I groan, fuck I forgot how good this feels, how good he is at this. He hums his approval at my clit making such awesome vibrations sending me straight over the edge. I scream as the orgasm hits me like ton of bricks. As I'm panting trying to get my head back on straight Steve undresses faster than my brain can register. He's SO ready to go, pumping his massive dick with his hand

“I don't have a rubber Em... can I come on your tits?” he purrs at me

“Right now?” I ask feeling a little snubbed

“No... need to fuck you first” he murmurs staring at my pussy

“Then come on my tits all you want” I say and I raise my legs and put them on his shoulders. He lets out a deep growl as he positions the tip of his cock at my entrance and slides in through the wetness.

“Fuuuuuck Em, I've been dreaming of this ever since last time” he makes long deep thrusts after staying still for a moment letting me adjust to his size

“What the hell took you so long getting back in there then” I pant

“I'm a fucking moron” he growls as he picks up the pace holding my legs high kissing my ankles as he fucks me “fuuuuck close now...wanna sit up for me” he groans and pulls out rapidly. I let my legs fall to his sides and I sit up pressing my tits up against his balls. He moans a deep coarse sound as he paints my chest with his warm seed. Squirt after squirt hits my tits and I just stare at this amazingly handsome man towering over me dick in hand making the most delicious sounds ever. As he descends from his high he looks down at me

“Hey...” he smiles a warm smile at me

“Well hey yourself” I say as I drop my tits down to their natural place. “Cum here often?” I giggle

“Not as often as I would have liked to” he says leans down and kisses me. “Shower? Then hospital?” he mumbles into the kiss

“Well... I don't think I should go there trying to apologize covered in your cum. Might give the wrong impression” I smile

“Very true, so go a head ladies first” he says

“I think the ladies legs might need a minute, so you go first and I'll try to wake myself up so I don't fall over” I say and he nods and gets out of bed. I feel... happy... haven't felt that feeling in a long time. Granted it's “just” an orgasm happy but still, small wins I think. Steve comes out of the shower, looking like a million bucks only wearing towel around his waist.

“How are the legs? Up for the challenge or do you need help?” he holds out his hand. I take it and stand up, feeling a little wobbly but not too bad. He eyes my naked body “wow” he sighs “sorry 'bout the panties” he smiles

“No worries, I have more than one pair. Don't do it every time though then I might need to start shopping” I giggle and he turns quiet and serious

“Not sure this was a good idea Em... I mean I really liked don't get me wrong but”

“Sure... I get it. Occasional hook-up, don't mention it. I take back that joke, apparently not appropriate” I say and head in to the bathroom locking the door behind me. I step in to the shower and I let the warm water wash away the shame and the tears burning a hole on the inside. When will I ever learn? I get out, feeling somewhat better. I look in the mirror... Get a fucking grip you knew this was coming, you knew it a year ago. Don't be a fool. I lecture my reflection and I curse Eddie for putting ideas in my head about Steve maybe liking me back. I look up at the ceiling “See you freak... I was fucking right all along” I take a deep breath and I unlock the door. Steve's gone, I hear him down in the kitchen. Probably heating up some food for us before we leave for the hospital. I get dressed, and I try to make my way down on my own. I get halfway down the stairs and I have to sit down. The room is spinning. I sit there when Steve comes out probably to check if I'm done in the shower

“What the hell Em, you should have called for me. You ok?” he hurries up to me

“Yeah I'm fine, besides I might need to learn to do this on my own at some point right? You're not gonna be around forever” I can hear my voice sounding a bit more frosty than I meant it to.

“Oh... Well I guess not. But I am here now you know” he takes my hand and it feels like it's burning my skin. I can't help my reaction I flinch slightly as he touches me. His eyes look sad and he takes a deep breath “Ok, up” he says to me and helps me to my feet “I've made some food. Thought we might need some energy before heading out again” he glances over at my face and I nod

“You're probably right. Thanks” I say. We eat in silence, I don't know what to say to him that's not going to trigger another bad or weird reaction. I thank him for dinner and I go to get my shoes and jacket on as he clears the plates. We head over to the hospital, also in silence. We get there and this time there's more of them here. I see Eleven first thing as I enter. I go straight up to her and give her a long hug

“I'm so sorry El, I never meant to say that to you. Not in my mind or any other time” she smiles at me

“I know that Emma... But you're a scary girl when you're angry and I've blown up Vecna” she giggles I smile at her then I turn to the rest of them

“I want to apologize to all of you. Steve told me I was...angry in the beginning. I had no idea. I think my mind has hidden things from me it doesn't think I need to deal with just yet. Just trust me when I say I didn't mean any of the angry looks or the throwing things at you”

“We know Em, we know. Anger is a part of it, you don't think I've been furious with myself for letting him go alone? I've been drowning in self loathing, but it doesn't change a thing. He's not coming back and there is no good in hating myself, he made his decision. He was fully intent on coming back to you I know that. He just... wanted to help them” Dustin motions towards Steve, Robin and Nancy who are huddled in the corner watching me

“I went to see his grave... It's beautiful, I talked to him. Made me feel better, I got to tell him off for leaving me. Thank you for not giving up on me... on us” I look over at Max “for not giving up on us” I hug Dustin and I whisper in his ear “meet me tomorrow at the cemetery please” He hugs me back and I feel him give a little nod.

I sit there next to Max's bed talking to her for a while, telling her about the conversation I had with Eddie. I know all the others are listening to me but I don't care. I'm talking to Max, not them. As I get up to leave I feel the whole room spin and I pass out.

When I come back again there's full chaos. They're all trying to help, there's a nurse and a doctor hovering over me. I'm lifted up by Steve and put on a bed that's been rolled in to the room. Everyone is talking over each other. I try to take Steve's hand, he looks down at me tears in his eyes

“Hey...you're awake...”

“Can you...make them quieter?” I whisper

“HEY!” the room falls quiet “she's awake. Keep it down please” he says in a low voice

The doctor looks at me

“Ms Lundberg, I'm Doctor Williams. Can I ask you, has the room been spinning lately? You feel like you might pass out?”

I nod “Yeah, a couple of times.” I admit

“Well, your blood pressure is dangerously low. And your blood sugar levels are also lower than I would like to see. You need to start getting out moving your body on a more regular basis. And you need to start eating, proper meals. Begin with maybe 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day. This isn't good for your recovery. Your friends have told me about the resent struggles in your life.” he says “I would like to give you the number of a friend of mine that's a good therapist, specializing in trauma. Also I will be filling a prescription for a low dose anti anxiety medication, it might help getting you out of bed and moving around more. Take short walks around the house. Are you ok with this Ms Lundberg?”

“Ehm, yes sir I am. Thank you” I say, not knowing what else to say. He seems friendly and willing to help me. I need, if not for anything else but for dad, try to accept help given to me. I know this and somewhere inside of me Eddie's voice is telling me to get his weirdo back in shape. Steve's standing next to me holding my hand listening to the doctor, nodding along to the information.

“Maybe you can get your boyfriend here to help you take one longer walk a week” the doctor says looking at Steve

“I'm not...” “He's not” we say in chorus

“Oh, I'm sorry. You just seemed so close” the doctor gives us an apologetic smile

“It's ok doc. It's just not the case” Steve says without so much as a look at me and my heart drops. He can't be making things any more clear can he? I make up my mind here and now. I need to talk to Dustin tomorrow and get the ball rolling. The doctor gives me some further instructions, tells me that I can get my prescription by tomorrow morning, then him and the nurse leaves.

“Can you drive me home now Steve?” I say

“Of course Em.” he smiles at me “I'll go get the car closer to the entrance then I'll be back to get you , ok?”

“Sounds like a good idea.” I smile back at him but the smile isn't reaching my eyes I can tell by the way Robin and Nancy look at me. I sit up in the bed and I look at Steve's back as he leaves. The two girls come up to me and sit down on either side of me

“Ok, what is this? Something's happening with the two of you. C'mon spill” Robin says

“I...” I contemplate lying to them just to be left alone, then I change my mind “I fucking love him ok... But like I told Eddie last year as soon as I develop feelings I become uninteresting to the other part. So now I'm...nothing to him”

“You're not nothing to him Emma, do you think he'd stay with you like he does if you were?” Nancy looks at me

“Ok, maybe not nothing. But I'm not what I want to be to him ok. I'll be fine being his friend if he could keep it friendly ALL the time. But then he goes and does that crap he did this afternoon and everything's worse again...” I sigh

“What? What did he do? Do I need to kick his ass? Because I will!” Robin says

“Nah, that sounded worse than it was. We... you know...” I blush “this afternoon after I visited Ed and before we came here. I thought that maybe... maybe I meant more to him than just a friend. But as soon as we were done he regretted it and said it was a bad idea. So, yeah... I'm fucked. In the bad way” tears threaten to spill over. I can tell the two girls are looking at each other over my head

“You sure he doesn't feel the same? Have you actually asked him Emma? Talked about this with HIM?” Nancy takes my hand

“I can't deal Nance, my mind can't handle the actual rejection ok. This afternoon threw me for a loop and almost made me spiral again. I don't wanna dig deeper into it. I just need to find a level ground with him. But then he does or says these wonderful things and my heart melts for him.” I give them a smile “Eddie did tell me I would fall in love with Steve if I gave him a chance. I hate that he was right... but then again I was right to when I told him that by the time I would love Steve he'd lose interest in me. I never won an argument with him when he lived...guess I had to wait for him to...” I can't form the word “before I could win one” Robin hugs me tight

“Don't give up on Steve, that dingus has always been slow” she giggles

“I think there are things in this he isn't sharing with you Emma. I'll do some discrete digging in this. See if I'm right in my suspicions. But I agree with Rob, don't give up on him” Nancy smiles at me

“Ok, I guess. I'm just...so broken. I can't handle this crap” I sigh and they tell me they understand. We sit there in silence until Steve gets back and helps me down to the car. He drives me home and helps me inside.

“So living room or bed?” he asks

“Been a long day Steve, I think bed” I say. He helps me up the stairs in to the bathroom where I get ready for bed. I go out and I crawl down under the covers. Fully expecting him to come join me like every night. He stands there looking at me

“Ehmmm... I need to go Em” he sighs

“What? You're not...staying with me?” my voice is barely there

“I'm sorry... I can't tonight. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise.” he looks uncomfortable where he's standing looking at the floor not me

“Steve... Do you have a date or what?” I ask not really wanting to know the answer. He just looks up at me with a sad expression on his face “Oh... Ok say no more. I'll be alright then. Have fun, close the door when you leave” I say and I turn to face the window.

“I'm... sorry” I hear him whisper then the door closes and he's gone. So fucking much for being here for me as long as I needed him I think. Feeling both angry, heartbroken and sad I start crying, heart wrenching sobs that I can't control. I feel the darkness creeping in around me, threatening to make me spiral out of reality again. NO! Hell no, I'm not going to let another guy push me in to that place. It was bad enough Eddie had to be a fucking hero and destroy me in the process. I am not going to let Steve destroy me as well. I take a deep breath and I sit up in the bed. I look around, what can I do to keep my mind occupied? I see Eddies guitar leaning against the wall. I get out of bed and I sit in my chair in front of the window and I take the guitar and I play. I play every cheesy love song I can think of and I sing. I sing to myself, I sing to Steve and I sing to Eddie. The last song I play is the one slow song I know Eddie secretly loved. “Forever Young” by Alphaville. I know he loved it because every time it came on the radio I could see him singing along to the lyrics, he'd never admit it though.

“Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while

Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies

Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst

Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?

Let us die young or let us live forever

We don't have the power, but we never say never

Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip

The music's for the sad man

Can you imagine when this race is won?

Turn our golden the faces into the sun

Praising our leaders, we're getting in tune

The music's played by the, the madman

Forever young

I want to be forever young

Do you really want to live forever?

Forever, and ever”

Tears falling down my face I sing and play his guitar, thinking back at all the times I teased him for knowing every word to this song

“Eddie... I Love you so much” I say out loud into the darkness outside my window. The guitar falls out of my hands and hit the floor as I cry for Eddie, I cry for Max and most of all I cry for the love I have for Steve that's never going to happen. I don't know how long I've been crying when I hear dad come in to my room, kneeling beside me

“Honey? What's wrong? What happened today?” he's stroking my back trying to get me to answer but I can't I just cry and cry. He picks me up and sits down in the chair putting me in his lap like he did when I was little, rocking me stroking my hair telling me all will be ok at some point. We sit there for I don't know how long. The crying won't stop until there are no more tears left in me I feel completely drained. Dad gets up and puts me down on my bed, pulling the covers over me. He kisses my forehead and whispers “please try to rest honey, we can talk in the morning” I manage a small nod at him then I close my eyes and drift off into a deep dreamless sleep, my body and my mind too exhausted to care if I'm alone or not.

When I wake up it's 7 am. I feel...different. Like I'm ok, or well ok-ish. Like that last night was the breaking point. I sit up and I decide that today is the day I start dealing with this shit that is life. If he can move on that easily so can I. Why love a man that won't ever love me back? I try to get out of bed, it's working today. I get to bathroom all on my own. I shower and I get dressed. I need to go shopping, this won't do. I look down at myself. Every piece of clothing I own is ill fitted these days, everything is baggy. I take a deep breath and I begin to tackle the stairs, I feel like such a rock star when I manage to get downstairs without having to call for help. Dad's in the kitchen reading the newspaper, he looks up when I enter

“Honey? Did you get ready and get down here all on your own or has Steve come in without me noticing?” he says

“All on my very own, I don't think Steve will be here until later, if at all” I say and he looks at me confused

“What? I thought he came back after I went to sleep... He said he had to go home for a bit before I came up to your room last night” dad says and now I'm the one confused

“He left long before that dad” I say

“No, we sat on the stairs listening to you sing up there. Then when you stopped and...well told Eddie you love him, that's when Steve said he needed to go home but that he'd be back” I came up maybe 10 minutes later

“But I was singing for like what an hour? It was like 30 minutes from him leaving until I began singing. You mean to tell me he sat on the stairs... all that time?” my mind isn't getting this

“Well I guess, I came home maybe 10 minutes before we heard you start to sing. He was still here then at least. Why...what happened sweetheart?” dad says

“Did he tell you what happened at the hospital?”

“Yes he did, good that it happened there and not anywhere else. I mean not good...you know. So? Are you going to call that therapist or?” dad looks at me

“Yeah I actually think I will. I promised Steve I'd talk to someone, so I guess I'll begin by giving this one a go first” I say and I feel I mean it. I am going to call

“That's good sweetheart, but talking of Steve...honey...”

“I don't know dad. I thought he might feel about me the way I feel about him... but no he doesn't. He had a date last night...or so he told me. That's what happened last night. It all came crumbling down. But that crying dad, it... helped. I feel more sane and put together today than I have since before Eddie died” this was the first time I said the word out loud and it didn't make me sick to my stomach uttering them. Dad knows this and he looks at me waiting for the break

“I'm ok dad, he died...and I need to be able to say that and accept it. Step one is to call that therapist. But first I also needed to start eating the doc told me. 5 or 6 small meals a day. But real food not like sandwiches and things like that. So... does oatmeal count as food you think? I actually feel like eating that”

Dad is just staring at me, I get it. The difference between yesterday and today is so apparent a blind person could see it.

“Yeah I mean oatmeal is most likely considered food. At least a breakfast food. I can make you some if you'd like?” dad says

“Thanks that would be great, I'm going to find the note with the telephone number on it and make that call before I change my mind” I say and I go look for my jacket. I find the card with the number on it and I head in to dads office to have some privacy. I dial the number

“This is Doctor Carter” a very warm female voice answers

“Hello, my name is Emma Lundberg. I got this number yesterday from Doctor Williams at Hawkins memorial. I had a bit of an incident there yesterday and he thought I might want to talk to you” I say thinking this is the only way I could explain it

“Yes, hello Emma. He did call me yesterday telling me he met you. He gave me a short backstory to see if I thought I might be able to help. But that is not the way I would put it, I would like to know if YOU think coming to talk to me would help you” she's already 100 times better than the ass they sent here before.

“I think I am ready to try and accept help yes.” I say

“That sounds good Emma, I like that you put it that way. I have an appointment available tomorrow at 2, would that work for you? Better start as soon as possible I say” she sounds very calm and friendly

“Tomorrow at 2? Ok, that works for me. What's the address?” she tells me where to go and we hang up. I get back to the kitchen dad's setting the table for us

“Mind if I eat with you? I'm heading in to the office in about 20 minutes.” he says as he serves the oatmeal he made in a small bowl for me

“Sure dad, of course why would you need to ask?” I smile “So I have an appointment with doctor Carter tomorrow at 2. I'll see if Nancy might be able to drive me, I think she said she only has work until 1 on Tuesdays.” I tell dad and he smiles

“Wow that was fast, so how did he or she sound?”

“She... she sounded calm and friendly. Understanding, I think she might be a good pick” I say as I eat

“Amazing sweetheart! Well if Nancy can't drive you then I can take a late lunch and come home to drive you there if someone might be able to come pick you up when you're done. You can tell me tonight what arrangements you make. But sorry I have to leave now, I'll deal with cleaning up when I get home. Just remember to eat more today. Steve told me about the food thing last night so I made 4 smaller containers with food that are in the fridge for you to heat up during the day. Then we'll have dinner when I get home tonight. Sound ok?” he kisses my cheek

“Awesome dad, thank you” I say. Dad leaves and I sit there thinking for a while. Then I get up from the table and I clean up after us. Why would he have to do that when he gets home, I can do it. So what else was there? I think. Small walks around the house, use my body more. I put my shoes on and I take my jacket. I know the doctor might have meant me walking inside, like around the living room but I want fresh air. I make it two times around the house before I feel I need to sit down for a bit. It's sunny and quite warm out today so I sit down on the stairs looking out over the street. So much time has passed but it still feels like no time passed. I'm just waiting to hear that god-awful sound Eddies beat up old van made as he took the last bend in the road up here. I laugh, fuck I hated that van, but he loved it. If I knew I could make it I would walk to the cemetery to talk to him. I feel like I'm about to cry, but I think I ran out of tears all I can manage is a dry sob. I look up at the sun.

“Yeah... If I knew where that old hunk of junk was now I'd buy it and get that damn license so I could fix her up and keep the spirit going Ed” I say up to the clouds. I hear a car honk and I look out in to the street. I see a car pull in, I don't recognise it. But I do know the guy in it!

“Gareth! Oh my god HI!” I get up from the stairs and head over to the car. He gets out and we hug “How are you man? How's school?”

“Hey Em, schools...empty without you guys” he says

“Yeah I always was the light of that place wasn't I?” I smile “You wanna come in? I've just been out for a walk”

“Nah, I was heading back to school and I saw you. Thought I'd stop and say hello. Maybe some other day?” he says and I have an idea

“Could I get a ride to the cemetery please? I was just sitting here thinking I'd like to go see Eddie... But I can't really walk that far yet” I say, I assume everyone knows how bad off I'd been

“Yeah... sure. I was there yesterday, I tell him my ideas for campaigns.” he gives me a sad smile

“I bet he loves that wherever he is. He probably as a lot of opinions too” I smile back at him

“Probably” he chuckles

“I'll just get my keys and I need to leave a note. Be right back” I say and I head inside. I write a note and leave on the table right as you enter.

“Hey, got a ride with Gareth to see Ed, please come pick me up -Em”

I know Steve might check in on me at lunch. That's like 2,5 hours from now. Otherwise I'll just ask someone I see at the cemetery for a ride home. I lock the door and join Gareth in the car.

“Thanks for this man, I need to sort out my own license. But you know...been a bit off lately” I say

“Yeah...we've all heard. We're so sorry Em, you feeling better now or is it like a day by day thing?” he asks as we drive off

“I feel better actually. I think I hit a breaking point yesterday evening. Woke up today and decided that I need to start dealing with this shitty existence. Me being crappy isn't helping anyone. So... Hellfire still up and running then I guess? Since you said to talk to Ed about campaigns.” I look at him

“Yeah... We're still going...well not strong but we're ok. If you feel like it we still play in the same place every Thursday at 6.” he says

“You know what Gareth, I think I might actually join you some time. I miss you guys” when I say it I feel that it's true. I do miss Hellfire and I do miss the guys in it. “So who's in it besides you? I guess Mike, Dustin and Lucas are still in?”

“Yeah, I took dm when you guys...weren't around any more. So it's us 4 then Will joined when they moved back, also Erica is a member now. Then there's this kid called Elias that Erica brought. He's decent. But we do miss you guys” he says

He stops the car at the gates to the cemetery, I get out and thank him for the ride. Promising him to come to a Hellfire game soon. I start walking the path towards Eddies grave. Someone's there already, I look at the time. But? It's a school day it can't be...

“Hey Dustin, why aren't you in school?” I say as I get there

“Oh, hey. Free period. I come here when I have 'em. Hoped I'd see you here today, since you said that thing at the hospital yesterday” he says “wanna sit?” he has a blanket on the ground and he moves over making room for me

“Thanks... Hey Ed” I say and I pet the stone in front of me

“So... am I right in thinking you wanna try to find him?” I hear Dustin say the second I sit down

“Right to the point Henderson I appreciate that. Yeah... I can't fucking stand the idea of him spending eternity stuck there. I just can't, but Steve won't help me, I'm guessing neither will Rob or Nance. So either I do this alone or...”

“Hell no, I'll help. Can't stand that I had to leave him... I owe it to him to get him out” a tear falls from his eyes

“So how do we do this? Have you got any clue if there are any gates still around?” I sit and look at the headstone with his name in bold letters

“The lake one isn't an option, neither is the one under the lab. Don't think that one even exists any more. The best thing would be if the one where the trailer park was is still around. We'd be coming in at the right spot. He...died right there” Dustin struggles getting the word out just like I did.

“Dustin... Can you tell me his last words? I've been wanting to ask but I couldn't get myself to do it” I say. Dustin's eyes fill with tears and he stares at the headstone in front of us for a minute or so before he starts talking

“I sat there holding him, he was bleeding so bad Emma. You could barely make out the words. But he said 'I didn't run away this time right?' I told him no he didn't. Then he told me I had to look after the little sheep for him. Then he said 'I think I'm actually gonna graduate, I think this is my year Henderson, it's finally my year. I love you man' then he stopped breathing” Dustin is crying now

“That's beautiful Dustin... So he died being him at least” I say

“Yeah he died smiling at me” he sobs

I sit there holding Dustin as he cries out his pain “I'm sorry I asked you to tell me...” I whisper feeling bad I made his day so much worse

“No, it's ok. I need to let it out is what mum tells me. But I want to get him Emma...he can't stay there he just can't” he looks at me

“I couldn't agree more Henderson, I couldn't agree more” I say. I look at my watch “I like sitting here with you but I think you might need to get back to school am I right?” I say

“Yeah you're right. Can I come over this weekend? We can...make plans” he asks as he gets up

“Sure, I'll be there. Wait you'll need your blanket” I say and attempt to get up

“Nah, I'll get it this weekend. You stay here with him a while” he says and walks away

I watch him go and then I turn my attention to the stone

“Hear that Ed, you're so loved. Bet you didn't expect that huh? Not bad for the resident freak. So we're coming to get you, you heard that right? I don't know when but soon I hope. I'll start taking this walking thing real serious and train more and more every day so I'll have the strength when the day comes. Can't really ask Steve or any of the other s to drive us... Sorry I'm yelling at you about Steve... But I DID tell you this would happen, fucker's gone and started dating. Yeah...so we did it again after we visited you last time. Then he was real quick with the regret...but I love him man. Can't help it... If you're around somehow...would you help me? Send me someone else to obsess about or I don't know make me forget Steve.” as I'm talking I'm stroking the cold stone “and I never ever meant what I wrote on that note you know that right? I was just so hurt you left me like this. We we're moving to Sweden together for fucks sake... Now what am I going to do? Can't bring you with me like this...” the tears I thought were all dried up start trickling down my face “Why the hell did you have to go and get yourself killed Ed? What was the point? How am I going to do any of this shit without my freak?” I hear footsteps in the gravel behind me then someone sits down next to me and puts their arm around me. I needn't look I can tell by the scent it's Steve. I take a deep breath and enjoy his smell, there's no denying it I'm screwed.

“Hey” I say

“Hey Em... Eddie man” he fist bumps the stone “saw the note, how's the talk been today?”

“Good...it's been good. He's a better listener dead...” I say and I hear Steve gasp

“Yeah...decided I need to start saying it out loud. Hit a breaking point last night. Called that therapist this morning, meeting her at 2 tomorrow. Promised Gareth I'd come join Hellfire some night. Been walking, two laps around the house.” I catch him up

“Wow, Em. That's great... What changed?” he asks and I just look at him

“Seriously Steve?”

“What?” he's silent for a second then “Oh...that...me” he looks down at his hands

“Have a good night? After you and dad took in my concert? He told me you didn't leave when you said you did... What the fuck Steve?” I'm getting angry now

“I'm so sorry, I don't know how to talk about some things with you. I...have issues of my own” he says

“Yeah, we all have issues man. But promising me to always be there if I need you and then just leave without an explanation. Really Steve? Why pester me about needing to talk when you're not going to do that yourself? I mean stop with the god damn mood swings Steve. You're giving me whiplash. Be there for me or leave me alone. If you met someone just tell me instead of telling me us fucking was a bad idea, that shit hurt bad Steve” I feel myself giving up now, the ball is in his court I'm done

“I AM here for you, just...with all you've been through now, how do I tell you stuff like that? I couldn't deal with everything that happened yesterday so I chickened out and I left you. I felt so fucking bad I stayed on the stairs trying to get the nerve to go back up to you. Then your dad came home and you began to sing. I couldn't ruin that so we listened to you and then I needed to clear my head so I went home. I'm a piece of shit for doing that when I did promise to always be there for you.”

“Well... It's up to you from now on. I have no energy left, I want you to be there with me, but I can't have you doing that to me. So what's it gonna be Steve? Are you going to talk to me when things get to be too much or are we ending this friendship right now?”

“I don't want to lose you Em, can we start over? Can we please try to find a way to talk about everything? I feel like there are things you're not telling me either” he says and I stay quiet. Do I tell him and risk him just going against everything he just said or do I set him free...

“We can try Steve. I mean I love...this friendship” I say “Ok, so... Drive me home? I guess you need to be back at work soon? Will you be back tonight or?” I say

“I'll be there, as soon as I'm off work. Here I'll help you up, hey smart move bringing a blanket this time” he says smiling at me as he takes my hand and helps me up from the ground

“Nah that's Henderson's. He was here when I arrived. He's coming over this weekend so he told me to just keep it until then” I say

“Ah, ok. How was he? I haven't seen him around school today”

“He was sad...or well I kinda made him sad” I say and I feel bad “I asked him what Eddie said to him before he died. He told me, I shouldn't have asked...I feel rotten for making him cry” I look at Steve

Steve hugs me “Don't feel bad, crying is good. But I understand you feeling bad for asking if it made him cry”

“Yeah, but I feel a little better knowing he was Eddie all the way to the end. The last thing he said to Dustin besides that he loved him was that it was finally his year. So this line right here” I point at the last thing written on the stone “this is so fitting and it makes me happy for him somehow” I say

We both say our good byes to Eddie and we leave the cemetery.

“Hey you're walking a lot better today sweetheart. Did you eat though?” Steve says as we reach the car

“I had oatmeal with dad this morning, I'm late eating lunch now. I didn't plan this trip today. I would have made a snack to bring but it slipped my mind when Gareth said he was leaving. But I have meals ready at home so I'll eat first thing I promise” I say as I get in the car

“Good girl!” Steve says and those two words send a shiver down my spine... why the hell was that so hot?

“Uhmm... thanks” I actually blush, fucking hell...why can't I act normal? Luckily as soon as he said it Steve turned around and went around the car to the drivers seat so he didn't notice me blushing over those two little words.

We head home and I do as I promised and I heat up one of the meals dad left me and I sit down in front of the TV. Steve goes back to work and I'm alone again. I watch some game show as I eat my food. I clean up after myself in the kitchen and I decide to make some tea and go out and sit on the porch again. It was nice getting fresh air. I sit there until it's starting to get chilly. I go inside again and I heat up another meal. I figured out that if I eat now there's another 3 hours until dad gets home, I'll have dinner with him then and I can eat one more of these before bed. Then I would have eaten 5 times today. “Hey Ed, high five freak” I say out loud chuckling feeling kinda good about myself.

Around five I hear a car door close and I assume it's dad coming home early but it's actually Steve.

“Oh, hey didn't think I'd see you until later” I say from the couch as he comes in the door

“Hey, I told you I'd be back when I was off work.” he sounds a little hurt

“Sorry, just thought you might have other things to do... not just keep a weirdo company. I mean I would very much appreciate if you'd be here for sleep...but I can't ask you to spend every minute here other than that. You need to have a life Steve” I say as he comes in and sits down with me

“Hey... I want to be here with you. Now shut up and come here” he holds out his arm for me to lean in against him. I take a deep breath and I move over and cuddle up against him on the couch. He smells so good it makes me want to cry. I lean in close and put my head on his chest. Instant comfort, and I fall asleep to the sound of the TV and Steve's heartbeats. I'm woken up by Steve softly shaking me

“Hey, no more nap now. You'll want to sleep tonight to” he smiles at me

“Wow... Didn't even feel that tired. How long was I out?” I ask

“Just about 30 minutes” he's very smiley

“What's so funny?” I say

“What? Nothing...you're just very cute...and you talk in your sleep by the way” he chuckles but something in his eyes makes me think he's sad

“I do not... do I?” I dread what I might have said

“You do, don't worry you were only talking about...or perhaps to Ed. You really do love him” he says

“Oh, well yeah I do. He was the best thing to ever happen to me” I say and I notice that sad look in his eyes again

“He was lucky he found you” Steve says and gets up “I need to pee and then I think it's time to make dinner. Should we surprise Martin? He's home in about 20 minutes”

“Yes let's do that! I'll go look what we can make” I say and get off the couch

“Look at you all spry again. What am I going to do with you now if I don't have carrying you around as a job any more?” he laughs as he goes in to the bathroom

“Oh I can think of something” I say under my breath as I go in to the kitchen

We decide to make chicken and rice with vegetables. Making enough so that we all get lunch in the morning as well. We laugh and talk as we cook. Like there was no weird tension between us earlier. When dad comes home we're sitting at the table, Steve winks at me and when he hears dad call

“Hey honey, you awake?” Steve calls back to him

“Welcome home sweetheart, dinner's ready” and we laugh

Dad comes in to the kitchen sees us laughing, food ready on the table and he just stares

“Wow, this is amazing. That episode last night really did make something change didn't it sweetheart. You look like a whole different person today” he kisses my head and I look over at Steve who's frowning

“Episode last night?” he says

“You haven't told him? Honey...” dad sounds surprised

“I'll tell you later, ok. Lets just eat before it gets cold” I say feeling bad for not telling Steve about my meltdown the night before

“Ok, please do” he says and I can hear he's a bit annoyed considering our conversation at the cemetery

Dinner is pleasant with good food and good conversation. Dad asks if Nancy could give me a ride and I panic

“God I forgot to call her, Gareth stopped by and I caught a ride with him to the cemetery” I explain “then I fell asleep for a little while when Steve came from work” I'll go call her now hold on. I go to the office and I sit down and call Nancy

“Wheeler residence”

“Hello Mrs Wheeler it's Emma. Is Nancy available?”

“Emma, oh sweetheart how good to hear your voice. Yes she's right here hold on”

“Hey Em, what's up” I hear Nancy say

“Hey, so did I get it right that you're off work at 1 on Tuesdays?” I ask

“Yeah, why?”

“Could I bother you for a ride tomorrow? I need to be at my new therapist's office at 2” I say

“Of course, I'll come pick you up straight from work no problem. How long is your appointment?”

“I think 1 hour” I say

“Ok then I'll run some errands and wait for you.”

“Thank you! You're the best.” I smile

“Oh I know, would you tell my boss though. Might make him pay me enough so I can move out soon” she giggles and I hear Mrs Wheeler mutter something in the background about ungrateful kids

“Yeah give me his number and I'll give him one kick-ass sales pitch” I laugh “See you tomorrow then Nance. Night”

“Night Em” we hang up and I go back to the kitchen

“So Nancy is picking me up when she's off work and then she said she'd wait for me to finish and drive me home as well” dad smiles

“She's so kind. I was having some issues getting time off to drive you myself. I would have made it work but this is much better” he says

“So what? I'm just here because I'm pretty to look at” Steve chuckles

“You work sweetie, remember the uncoordinated lamp posts?” I say and pet his arm

“Riiiight...them...” he smiles

That night was I crawl in to bed waiting for Steve to come upstairs I dread the conversation we're about to have. What am I going to tell him? That I cried my eyes out until I had no more tears for 3 hours straight because he left me... I decide I might as well tell him part of the truth at least. He comes up about 20 minutes after me, I'm almost asleep already

“Hey, move over you're hogging the bed” he says and gets in under the covers next to me

“Mmmmm...warm...sleepy” I say as he lies down behind me and wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer

“Cute girl” he whispers “but we need to talk just a little before we sleep, ok?”

“Ok...sorry... ok awake now” I shake my head

“So, don't hate me but I asked Martin what happened last night. Why did you cry so hard for 3 hours and not call me?”

“Because I cried over you leaving in the first place” I say quietly

“You...cried over me? Emma, turn around please” I turn so that I'm facing him “but why? And for the record I did not TELL you I had a date...you assumed because I didn't say anything”

“Over you, Max...Eddie... But that silence spoke louder than words Steve, I'm not saying you can't have a life. I just want to know... You said there was a lot for you to deal with yesterday, well news flash genius... it was the same for me. The fact that you so obviously regretted what we did before leaving to go see Max, well it did nothing to help an already bruised mind.”

“Regret... You think I regret us having sex?” he's staring at me

“Well... Telling me it was nice BUT and also that it was a bad idea... Steve c'mon” I say

“That wasn't regret...”

“Then what the hell was it?”

“Call it self preservation... But Emma, I don't regret it for a second. Please believe that, I just need more time before I can fully talk to you about this. Will you give me that?” I look at him, study that face that I love so deeply. He's as withdrawn as me I think. Well I can't ask him to tell me every single thought when I can't even admit my feelings to him

“Ok, I'll give you all the time you need. If you do me the same favour” I say. He looks deep into my eyes and he leans in and kisses my forehead

“Thank you” he whispers “regret having sex with you” he huffs “I'd be a fuckin idiot if that'd be true”

I smile, ok so that at least sounded true. But there is something he isn't telling me and I have a feeling it's something very important. But I just promised to give him time so I'd better hold my self to that. I turn over again and Steve puts his arm around me and pulls me in to his chest and we fall asleep.

I get woken up by Steve kissing my head

“Good luck today, I hope this therapist is good. Tell me all about it tonight, ok?”

“I hope so too, thank you Steve. Have a good one with the lamp posts” I smile at him and I stretch

“Fuck me you look so good when you do that” Steve grunts and then he leaves before I can say anything.

As I get up and take a shower my nerves start to get to me, what will today be like? How hard is this woman going to push me? What is she expecting me to tell her? These thoughts simmer in my brain until right before me and Nancy reach the therapist's office at 10 to 1.

“Ok, good luck. I'll be back here at 3. Then I'll wait if you're not done yet.” Nancy says and gives my arm a rub

“Thank you Nance... See you later”

At 3:15 I come out from the office feeling lighter in my own mind. I see Nancy's car and I go over to it and get in

“So? I'm curious, sorry” she smiles at me “wanna go grab a coffee and talk?” she asks

“Sure, that's be nice” I smile back at her

We head for one of the cafés in town. Sitting down outside, it's still quite warm outside.

“Ok, so. This woman is amazing. She listens to you as you speak, and she didn't once say that it'll get easier with time. She says grief MUST take it's own time, you can't try to hurry it. That will come back to haunt you later on. 'If it takes you 1 year or 50 years to feel ok about Eddie dying, then that is the time you needed it to take' that's what she said Nance. I am the one who has to feel when I'm ok with this no one else. But she thought it was nice that I go to his grave and talk to him, but also that I shouldn't shut you guys out. You lost him to, not just me I need to keep that in mind. So I'm sorry if I've been selfish Nance, I don't mean to be I hope you get that?” I look at her

“Sweetie, we know you don't mean to be selfish, we'd never assume anything like it. We all know the two of you had something we'd never even get close to. We all learned to love Eddie before he died. Hell, I mean even Steve liked him in the end.” she smiles

“Yeah I know he did. Did he tell you he stopped by the grave every day to talk to him?” I say and Nancy's eyebrows fly up

“He does? What for...I'm sorry but he seems the least likely”

“I know, but he says someone had to keep Eddie in the loop about how I was doing so he went over there every day and told him.”

“Wow, he's even worse off than I thought” she whispers to herself, I don't think I was meant to hear her

“What?” I say

“Nothing... Just that's so nice of him.” Nancy says smiling

We sit there for a little longer, talking about her and Jonathan now that they've moved back. And the fucking weirdest ever, Hopper being alive but captured by the Russians for almost a year. I heard this and I thought it was some kind of a dream. But no, apparently Steve had told me. My brain just kept that on the back burner also. Nancy drives me home around 4:30 and I slump down in the couch feeling like mush entered my brain. A lot of new impressions to deal with again today.

Steve comes back from work and he wants to hear all about what we'd talked about today. I tell him what I told Nancy and he says pretty much the same thing she did. That mine and Eddies love was something so much more than any of them had with Eddie. So no none thought of me as selfish. I hug him tight and thank him, he kisses me on the top of my head and mumbles “No worries sweetheart, love is a difficult thing”

We once again make dinner until dad comes home. And once again I have to tell the story of the amazing doctor Carter and her insightful thoughts. We all agree I seem to have found a good therapist. We have dinner, then we watch TV before I start yawning so bad both dad and Steve has to laugh at me

“Damn, if you didn't have ears your head would split in half” dad says with a laugh “better get to bed sweetheart before we'll have to carry you again” he pets my arm

“Yeah, I think I will. Night dad” I say then I look at Steve “You coming or leaving?”

“I'll be there soon, I wanna watch this til it ends. That ok?” he smiles at me

“Of course...why wouldn't it be” I say smiling back at him. I make my way up stairs. I decide I need a quick shower before bed, I feel a bit cold. I undress and get in the shower letting the hot water warm me up. I get out and I dry off. Not expecting Steve up just yet I go out into my bedroom butt naked to get a fresh pyjama out of the dresser. As I enter the room I feel myself getting a bit dizzy, I have skipped some of my meals today. Apparently I need to be more meticulous with that. I slump down on the floor by the dresser. There I sit when Steve comes up to go to bed

“Emma, God what happened?” he runs over and lifts me off the floor

“Just...dizzy. Been neglecting my meals today. Apparently a bad idea” I say and I blush

“Oh, sorry but, thank god it wasn't anything worse.” he says. We're just standing there. Him with me in his arms and me with my arms around his neck “Uhm... Em, this is a dangerous game we're playing. Think you can stand if I put you down? So I can get you some clothes...it's really effecting me feeling you like this” he says coarsely

Oh fuck I didn't manage to get dressed before I had to sit down, I'm still completely naked.

I look up at him, meeting his intense gaze

“I...well you could just put me down on the bed” I whisper

Steve walks over to the bed and leans forward putting me down on the bed carefully. As he stands up again he lets his hand slide up my body. He sighs deeply and turns away from me walking up to the dresser and gets a pyjama out for me. He hands it to me and stands with his back to me as I get dressed and crawl in under the covers

“Ok I'm done” I say feeling sad he didn't do anything more than that light touch. He changes to his pyjama bottoms and gets in with me. I lay my head on his chest as I've done now for as many nights as I can remember. How will I ever live without this heartbeat to fall asleep to? What happens when he can't be here any more? There is a feeling of panic inside of me fighting to get out and cause havoc. I won't let it... I don't need panic over Steve when I have to gather strength for mine and Dustin's plan. I'm going to need my all for that.

“So what's on the agenda for tomorrow then? Should I come back here for lunch? Or do you want to be alone?” Steve asks

“I never really WANT to be alone Steve, so please if you have the possibility I'd love it. I was thinking I might venture a little bit of a longer walk tomorrow. I felt real good walking today, so I thought seeing as it isn't too far I might go see Ed tomorrow around 10:30 and maybe you can pick me up when you come home for lunch?” I look up at him

“You sure you're up for it? I mean of course I'll pick you up there. That would probably be around 12:15 or something, that ok?” he smiles at me

“That sounds perfect Steve, well I'll decide when I wake up how I feel. I'll make sure to eat before I go and to bring something with me as well. I think I can do it. If not I'll call the school and leave a message for you” I say

“Sounds good sweetheart, but I think we should try for sleep now. Night Em” he hugs me tight kisses my head and gently starts stroking my back.

“Night Steve, thank you for being you” I say and I kiss his chest hearing him let out a small gasp

“Yeah...ummm...you too” he squirms a bit and I think to myself that I made him uncomfortable and my heart sinks. I lay there listening to his heart beating until I fall asleep. I wake up realizing during our sleep we've changed positions. I'm now on my back and Steve is laying on my chest. My boob in a firm grip and his leg over my hips. He's slowly grinding against my leg in his sleep. Again I feel he's probably dreaming something very nice. He's hard and ready against my hip, rubbing himself against me. I moan quietly, why is he doing this to me. I know it's not doing me any good, and I feel bad for wanting him so bad. But I wiggle out of my pyjama bottoms and I unbutton my top. I turn on my side so my backside is flush against Steve's body. His hand now grabbing my bare chest. He's starting to wake up I can tell by his breathing. I feel him tensing

“No Steve, we both apparently need this. Don't go all chivalrous on me, just please” I say felling so bad for begging like this. Takes him like a second to realize I'm completely naked from the waist down. He lets out a long deep breath and he tugs at his bottoms pulling then down. He taps my leg, I lift it and he slides in to me without hesitation. It feels so good being filled by him. I lean back and I grab his hair as he plays with my nipples and kisses my neck. He's breathing heavy in to my ear, groaning quietly

“Fuck you feel so good” the pace is slow and so good. Deep thrusts hitting just the right spot inside of me. Steve moves his hand down and starts circling my clit as he fucks me. “Come on me babe, please come on me I wanna feel you squeeze every last drop out of me” he growls in my ear. I grab his hair tighter, hos other hand coming up underneath me grabbing my boos again pinching my nipples, teasing them. He keeps kissing my neck, letting hos tongue play down it. I feel myself closing in to the inevitable “That's it babe, I can feel you're getting closer. God you feel so amazing, please let go now. I'm so close I wanna come with you babe” he purrs sending me straight to heaven

“Fuuuuuck Steeeeeve... Oh my gooood yes yes yes” I groan as the orgasm takes me and I feel him pushing in one last time before he releases his warm seed into me.

“Fuck Em... Fuuuuuck” he growls as he finishes.

There's full silence except our combined breathing. Until...

“Why does this keep happening?” Steve's voice breaks the silence

“Keep happening? I would have assumed because we want it to? Otherwise you need to win an Oscar for your excellent acting” I say feeling anger bubbling to the surface

“But do we though? Or is it just a carnal need?” Steve says quietly

“I think you need to leave now Steve” I can't any more... I just can't and I do not want to become angry with him over this. I want to keep this friendship but at this very moment I can't have him near me. He just breaks me apart

“What? Emma... I”

“Leave... please” I say back still turned to him “I'll get by without you. Go have your own life back. We'll talk”

“But... why?”

“STEVE!” I raise my voice enough for him to realize I am in fact serious. He gets out of bed and I hear him get dressed.

“I'll come pick my stuff up later tonight then? Do you still need a ride at lunch?” he says

“I'll let you know.” I can't look at him, my heart it shattered into a million tiny pieces. If I look I'll cry and then I might not be able to stop without begging him to be with me even if he doesn't want to. I hear him leave and I begin to shed silent tears until I fall back asleep.

I wake up around 10, feeling like I'm going to be sick. I take a few deeps breaths telling myself it's only because of Steve. It'll pass, just like every other time this has happened to me. Unrequited love sucks. I get out of bed and I get dressed. Go down in to the kitchen and make myself something to eat. I pack a bag with a sandwich and some fruit and I put my shoes and jacket on. Oh right I need to think if I want Steve to pick me up... If I make it there on my own I will be tired I know this. I go in to the office and I call the school. Letting the woman on the other end know that I want her to tell Steve he's to pick me up on his lunch break. I go to the kitchen and I make another sandwich and bring that along for Steve. I might be upset with him but I'm still going to make sure he eats something for lunch. I go outside, the weather is getting chillier now that October's come. It's been 5 months now, nothing is easier, and still everything is. I still miss Eddie every second of every day. But I can at least manage to exist now. The walk to the cemetery isn't long and it's not as strenuous as I thought. I get there and I sit down after stroking the headstone.

“Hey Freak, what's up... Remember me asking you to help me with the whole Steve crap... Yeah you suck!” I smile “that went to hell, did it again with him this morning. He fucking broke my heart so I kicked him out. Eddie...for fucks sake why am I so unlovable? What is it with me?” I'm crying now “and then on top of all this you're not here to make me feel better. Telling me your lame ass stories and bad jokes. I love him so fucking much Eddie and I can't tell him. I mean what was that? Asking why that kept happening? And when I said it was because we wanted to he said it was carnal need not want... I mean could he BE more uninterested? Well... on a brighter note though, me and Dustin are coming for you soon. We're meeting up this weekend to plan. But I feel ok now, if I can convince him we'll go on Saturday. You can't stay in that hellhole any longer...that's also breaking my heart”

I sit there and let my tears flow for a while until I hear footsteps on the gravel behind me. I look up and wipe my tears.

“”Hey man” Steve fist-bumps the stone and looks down at me “Hey Em” he says in a hushed voice

“Hey, thanks for this. The walk here was ok but I feel tired now.” I say not really able to look at him

“No problem you know that sweetie... I would do anything for you”

“Yeah, ok” I say and I get up “I made you a sandwich you wanna eat it here with Ed or you wanna take it to work?” I ask

“Uhmm... well If I eat it here I get your company so... wanna sit on the bench over there?” he says and points over to the bench not far from Eddies grave. I head over there and I sit down, taking out the packed sandwiches. I start eating, still not able to look at Steve because it hurts too bad. I give him the other one

“Thank you... Emma, why won't you look at me?” he sounds so small

“I can't... You just keep shitting all over me Steve. I can't have you around if you're going to be this way. The fact that you once again show such regret after having sex with me is fucking breaking my heart Steve. And since I want it and you're only fulfilling a carnal need then I want us to be apart. I can't have you that close if this is what I get, ok?” I look up and he's staring at his feet

“I... I promise I don't regret it I told you that”

“Fuck you Steve if that shit you said this morning isn't regret then what the fuck is it? I know I'm not the side chick here because you've basically lived with me for two months now. I think you might have been missed if there was someone else in the picture”

“There isn't anyone else... I just...”

“Yeah you have issues, don't we all. Well figure them out and come talk to me. Until then stay away. I can get home on my own” I say not entirely sure I can but I can't beg for a ride after that speech

“I'll drive you home, don't be silly. What if you're to exhausted along the way. C'mon... then I'll leave you alone, but promise you'll call if you need me. I am still here for you even if you don't think so” he says with a sad voice

“Good to know but the ball is in your court now. Deal with your issues Steve. But I will accept the ride home now” I say and I get up

“I will... and thanks for lunch it was good” he says and we go to the car and he drives me home. “Can I come over and get my stuff later?”

“Sure, I won't tell dad what happened. I'll just tell him I decided I needed to try being alone so you could have your life back.” I say

“Ok, well that's nice of you. But you don't have to lie for me. I know I screwed up...”

“Well... Thanks see you later” I say and I close the door and head inside. I hear him drive off and I break in to tears again. My dark thoughts are coming back, hovering in the back of my mind. Just one bad thing away from taking over again. I go in to the office and I call doctor Carters office. She answers and I ask if I can just talk for a few minutes, she agrees and I tell her everything that's happened during the last day. She asks me if I've told Steve how I feel? I tell her no, she tells me that the best thing is to do that. Even of that means a break it's better than this, this is too consuming and feeds the dark thoughts. She then proceeds to ask me if I've ever thought this might just be Steve thinking I don't want him so he's trying to keep me away the same way I'm now keeping him away. That we're both just being unsure what the other one feels and therefore making everything more confusing. She asks me to think about this until next weeks session and we'll talk about it more then. We hang up and I get stuck thinking about this. Steve feeling the same but not knowing how to say it so that's the reason he's acting a fool? Nah...doubtful. He's never seemed the guy to keep his feelings showed down and suppressed so why now?

I look at the time... I need to eat, I heat up food and sit down at the TV. But I can't keep my mind on the program. I just keep coming back to doctor Carters suggestion. Should I tell him or should I just leave it? What scares me the most is that if I tell him and he takes it badly and keeps his distance. Then I would have lost another friend in less than 6 months, THAT I can't handle. I'd rather be heartbroken but his friend than heartbroken and alone.

Dad comes home and we make dinner. He asks when Steve's going to be back and I tell him what I told Steve I was going to. He asks if I'm sure.

“Dad, I can't ask him to keep his life on hold like this. He needs to be able to do something other than work and hang around here. I promised I'd call if I needed him. So it's not like he's gone for good. But he just won't be here all the time. I need to learn how to sleep on my own. It is time dad”

“Yeah I guess you're right sweetheart. I just know how calm and happy you've seemed with Steve around. I have a good memory of what happened last time he left” he says

“Yeah me to dad, but then HE left without warning. This time I asked him to, there is a difference” he agrees to this. We have dinner the two of us and then he goes to watch TV. I decide to call Dustin. I go in to the office and sit down ant the desk dialling his number

“Hello, Henderson”

“Hey Mrs Henderson, it's Emma. Is Dustin around?”

“Hey Emma, yeah he's right here”

“Hey Em, what's up?” he says as he takes the phone from his mother

“Wanna come over Friday? We need to get this ball rolling.”

“Sure I can be there at like 6”

“Perfect, see you then”

“Yup, see ya”

We hang up, wish all phone calls could be that efficient I think to myself and smile. Good, now we're getting somewhere. I go out and join dad in front of the TV for while. There's a knock at the door around 8. Steve comes in looking kinda worse for wear

“Hey, am I disturbing you?”

“No not at all, we're just watching some TV” I say and this time I can look at him, still feels like someone is piercing my heart but I'll live

“You wanna join us or are you in a hurry?” dad asks and glances over at me I give him a small nod

“Well... I was actually thinking I'd get my stuff then I need to get back home. I have an extra early day tomorrow, the team's having a game out of town tomorrow night. I need to prepare for it before the actual school day starts” he says

“Oh, well good luck Steve. Kick their asses all the way into next week” dad says

“Want help with your things?” I ask

“Nah I'll be right down, I didn't bring that much to begin with” he says and heads up the stairs. My stomach churns, I feel like I want to be sick. Dad sees it

“Are you SURE about this honey? You don't look like you ever want him to leave, can't you just talk to him? I am sure he feels the same way about you...”

“No dad... he doesn't. That's part of why I asked him to leave, I can't have him be so close and not be able to...be with him. Just please dad I can't talk about this now. It hurts” I say

“Ok... I'm sorry sweetheart. I really am” dad squeezes my hand. Steve appears in the door carrying a bag of stuff.

“There, it's like I've never been there taking up space” he says trying to sound light and smiling. But I can see I did hurt his feelings asking him to leave. But what was I to do?

“You weren't taking up space Steve, you know that.” I say and I get up to give him a hug

“No, Em... Please don't, not right now” he says and he leaves out the door. I sit back down and I let out a deep sigh.

I can see dad in the corner of my eye wanting to say something but keeps him self from doing it. There's silence for maybe 10 minutes then dad clears his throat

“So, you want some tea or coffee or something sweetheart?” I know he asks only because he can't stand silences like this one.

“Sure dad, some tea would be nice. I think I'll head off to bed soon enough, it's been a long day” I say and smile at him

He comes back with a cup of tea each and we watch TV, making small talk about the program. Then I head up to bed. It's cold and empty without Steve in it. But I will have to learn to deal with this loneliness. Some time around 4 in the morning I finally doze off to sleep.

The following days are pretty much the same, I wake up, prepare my foos for the day. I walk to see Eddie. Walking is getting easier and by Thursday I make the trip back and forth from the cemetery without having to stop to catch my breath. Yes, I can do this on Saturday. I can go find Eddie and bring him home. Friday rolls around and I can't wait for evening. Just around 6 there's a knock at the door and Dustin comes in. I hear him as dad opens the door

“Hey Mr Lundberg, nice to see you”

“Hey Dustin, good to see you to. Emma's in the living room.” I know dad is planning on doing some work in his office tonight so he won't bother us.

“Emma! How's everything?” Dustin smiles at me

“Hey, well... Ok I guess. Hopefully a lot better by tomorrow...” I smile at him

“Yeah, we doin' this then? You're sure you can handle it? I mean if we can find a way in, and IF we find him there's really no way of knowing what we'll find. I can't have you disappearing on me in there” he sounds concerned

“Yeah, I mean I understand that whatever we find might be...gruesome. But I'd rather find what's left of him and being able to bring that back to his grave than living with the idea of him in there forever... That's what I can't deal with.” I say

“Then that makes two of us. I mean...not to rude or anything. I mean I love that you want me to help, but shouldn't we have someone else along as well... someone but me that's been in there before. Like Nancy or Robin...or Steve” he asks cautiously

“No! Steve has no interest in trying to find a way in again, Nancy and Robin will just try to stop me. I came to you because that first day in the hospital I could see it in your eyes that you want this as much as I do. Tell me I'm wrong?” I say

“Nope, absolutely correct. I want to do this, just that they've all experienced...the things in there that might wanna eat us. I've just beaten off some bats with a spear...” he says

“You're doubting yourself man, please don't do that. I would have never asked you if I didn't have complete faith that you could handle yourself Dustin” I say and I smile at him giving his knee a reassuring pat

“Thanks Em, well... ok so. You wanna do this tomorrow I guess? Should we leave first thing in the morning? I mean we'd have to get to what's left of the trailer park first of all.” he says

“Yeah I think first thing is good....then we'll have all day. I'm going to have dad drive me there, pretence that I need to see it to help with the demons. Therapist's suggestion. Then I'll say I've asked Steve to come pick me up later. It's easier to say I'm sorry later on than tell him what I'm doing before I do it.”

“Sure, sure... I can take my bike there. So meet at like what 9? Seems like a reasonable hour for you to be there? Any earlier might seem strange?” he says

“Yeah 9 is good. I'll pack something for us to eat.”

We sit there planning for a good 2 hours before we hear dad heading towards us and we have to change the subject. But it feels good, feels like we've covered all our bases. Dustin stays for a little longer then he heads home and I tell dad about my plans

“So I had another talk with doctor Carter today, she feels I need to start dealing with the places I've been avoiding due to memories. Like g there and tell Eddie what I feel in that moment. So tomorrow morning I would like to have a ride dad.”

“Ok, I guess I can manage” he smiles “where to?”

“The trailer park” I say and he stares at me

“But there's nothing left of it sweetheart...wouldn't that upset you?”

“It might but it might also help me. The doc thinks that me avoiding the places I associate most with Eddie is stopping me from reaching my goals. I need to face the fear of seeing what happened to his home. I've already spoken to Steve, if you drive me there say at 9 he's picking me up at 12 and we're having lunch.” I look over at dad, he's thinking this through I can see it

“Ok...well it sounds like a good idea. And if this woman thinks it might help I guess I have no reason to say no. But why that early?” he asks

“Well... I found out they're doing some digging out there next week so come Sunday they'll be fencing it off. And I don't want to risk them starting early and beginning the fencing tomorrow. So if I go early and they come there I might have had a small amount of time to myself where I can yell at Eddie for leaving me” I smile

“Oh... well ok then. And Steve is for sure picking you up then?” he asks

“Yes dad, he is. I think I need to talk to him so it's perfect. Well I'm going to bed then, see you in the morning. Love you, night” I say and kiss his cheek

“Love you to honey, sleep tight” he says and I head off to bed. I look out the window as I lay there missing Steve's body next to mine. I have slept these 2 nights without him but I haven't slept well. I hope this night will be better ´, I need to be rested for the trek tomorrow.

“Ed, my best freak... I'll be there tomorrow, hang on one more night ok?” I say out loud to the dark skies outside. I try to get comfortable, but my mind is racing. I turn and I pick up the phone

“What...ehmm...hello?” oh fuck I woke him up

“Hey”

“Emma? Did something happen?” Steve is wide awake now

“Nah...just... I'm sorry Steve, I'm just so sorry I hurt your feelings. I couldn't sleep because I hadn't said that to you. And...you know if something happens to either one of us and I never said it... Well that's all. Go back to sleep we can talk some other day. I just needed to calm my mind...and hear your voice” I say

“Emma... What are you talking about, something happening? And I'm sorry to, for being the way I was with you. I am trying to get my mind straight about this so I can finally talk to you. But...are you ok? Or do you need me to come over?” he asks sleepily

“No Steve, I'm ok. Feels better just hearing your voice. Good night sweetie” I say and I hang up. It actually calmed my mind, I didn't tell him straight out what I was doing but I kind of did hint at it. Hopefully he won''t ever have to worry about it. We'll get in, find Eddies body and get back out. Then it's too late to be angry with me... I try to justify lying to dad like I did with this logic. I fall asleep eventually.

The next day I wake up early, I head down stairs and I male some sandwiches before dad comes down and starts asking why I'm bringing that much food. I pack it in my backpack along with a blanket, a flash light, one of dads big hunting knives he got from his dad when he died and I sneak in to dads office and take the gun I know he keeps in his desk. There I should be set if there's anything left in there wanting to hurt us.

I make coffee and I sit down at the table just in time for dad to come downstairs.

“Oh hey honey you're up early” he kisses my forehead

“Yeah I couldn't sleep, guess I'm a little nervous seeing the place” I say which isn't a lie, just didn't specify WHAT place I was talking about.

“Yeah...are you 100% sure you wanna do this today?” he asks

“Yeah it has to be today, you know with the digging later on I have no idea when I'll get the chance again. And I'll be careful I know it's a crater there now. Nancy told me” I say

“Ok, lets have coffee then and I'll drive you there.” he sighs

We finish the coffee talking a bit about what I wanna say to Eddie once I get there. We head out to the car and we leave for Forest Hills, or what's left of it. Dad drops me off where the road leads in to the remains of the trailer park. I wave at him and I start walking. There is a silence in the area that doesn't feel natural. No birds, no trees blowing in the wind. Nothing like that. I go around the bend and it appears in front of me. A big crater, debris from trailers all over. But there is one trailer still standing...only one. And it's the one I was most hoping to see. But it will be very difficult getting to it I can see that. But I am hellbent on doing this so fuck that I'll get to it if I have to crawl all the way on my hands and knees. I'm a little early so I sit down on a rock facing the area and I wait for Dustin to arrive.

Steve's pov

There is something Emma isn't telling me. I have my suspicions, but I pray that I'm wrong. She wouldn't be that stupid, would she? Ever since she called me last night I've had this nagging feeling in my gut telling me I have to go over there and see if she's ok.

I get in the car and I drive over there, might be early but Martin is usually up at this time. I knock on the door, it opens I see Martin staring at me

“Steve? What are you doing here?”

“Hey Martin, is Emma up yet?”

“No, she had a thing she was doing for therapy, I dropped her off like 30 minutes ago, and she said you were picking her up there at 12 and you guys we're having lunch after. Steve? What's going on?” he's worried now and so am I

“Where did you drop her off?” I know the answer before he says it

“At the trailer park, her doctor thought she needed to face the places she associated most with Eddie. That it would help. Steve was she lying to me?”

“I'm afraid so... But I'll get her. I think this has a lot to do with my behaviour not just Eddie's death. I'll bring her back safe Martin. But in case she's changed her mind, and I pray to god she does, and she comes home you better stay put.” I tell him

“Ok... what do you think she's really doing Steve?” Martin is pale now

“I think she's stupid enough to go look for Eddies remains. She know where he died, Dustin told her that” Why lie to the poor man

“Dustin was here last night, I overheard them talking about something... I don't know something was upside down... I didn't catch it all.” he says and my heart sinks, fuck Dustin is in on this to? Then there is a slight possibility they'll get in there if the gate is still there. I need to go to Dustin's and see if he's at home. He might have just told her about the gate never imagining her actually going. While I'm standing there thinking Martin has gone in to his office, but now he's running out looking terrified

“My gun and my hunting knife, they're both gone... Steve what is she up to?” he's panicking

“Ok... Martin I need you to really listen to me now ok. I haven't much time I need to go to Dustin and see if he's gone with her. Ok, so everything I'm about to tell you is true ok how ever unbelievable it may sound. I will give Nancy a call and she can come tell you in detail ok?”

“Ok?” Martin is staring at me. We sit down in the kitchen and I tell him in short what happened that day Eddie died. I show him my scars from the bats. “So she's gotten it in her head to go in there to this place to find what might be left of Eddie? And she's gotten Dustin to come? Is this what you're telling me?” Martin sighs

“Yeah, Dustin has this guilt for leaving Eddie there. We all know it. He's been trying to get us to go ever since it happened. I think now that Emma brought the idea to him he had no one to stop him. I need to go now, but first I'm going to call Nancy and get her here.” I say and I pick up the phone. Nancy answers and I give her a quick explanation “She'll be right here, she can tell you all you need or want to know about this. She's been dealing with it since the beginning just like me” I say to Martin and I rush out the door and in to the car. I drive off to Dustin's house hoping he'll be there and that Emma was actually telling Martin the truth. I see Dustin's mum outside looking worried

“Hey Mrs Henderson, is Dustin home?” I say

“Oh Steve, I think he's going to do something stupid... He came home last night from visiting Emma, he packed a bag with a flash light, ropes, his knife and I saw him take out that spear thing he made. And now he's gone. Is he going where I think he's going Steve?” she's borderline hysterical

“I'm afraid so, and he's got Emma with him. I'm gonna go and try to reach them before they do something truly stupid, ok? I'll get him home safe, I promise” I say and she's nodding her head crying. I get in the car again and I break every speed limit there is getting to the trailer park. I have to get there in time, I HAVE TO! Turn in to what's left of the trailer park and I see them, half way across the crater headed to... what the hell it's still standing? I run out of the car getting up on to the edge and I scream

“EMMA! PLEASE WAIT!” I try to get down there as fast as I can without falling and hurting myself. I jump, I run, I climb just to get to them

“Steve? What are you doing here? How did you know?” She sounds both surprised and angry at the same time.

“Martin... I came over, had a feeling you needed me... Please, don't do this...for the love of god don't. AND YOU!” I lash out at Dustin “What the fuck were you thinking? Your mum's hysterical because you packed that stuff and took that fucking spear out. What were you hoping to achieve here?”

“I have to get him back Steve, I should have never left him ok... I shouldn't have. I can't fucking sleep Steve, the guilt is eating me up from the inside. And since none of you guys wanna do this I had to take who ever I could, luckily Emma needs this as much as I do. So go home Steve, leave us to this.” Dustin glares at me

“Steve listen to him, leave... If you can't support us then leave. I can barley fucking exist knowing he's in there, that his grave is empty. I can't it's all consuming every day. The only time I didn't think of this was when I was with you and when you made it so abundantly clear that that was a mistake to you , well this is it then. I need peace of mind Steve... or I won't make it. The darkness is there...all the time threatening to take over. I have to do this... There isn't one reason for me not to.” I look at Emma... what the fuck have I done

“What if you get hurt? Huh? Killed...stuck in there unable to escape? What then? What about all the people you'd be hurting? What about your mum Dustin? What about Mike, Will and Lucas? And Emma... please... Em what about Martin... What about me?” I plead with them

“What about you Steve? What about YOU? Twice you've fucked me then thrown me away like garbage, breaking my heart in to a million little pieces. It's not helping Steve... I need to do this for ME. If this is it for me, if I don't make it back, yeah dad will be sad for a while. I know you'll tell him I died for something I believed in if that's the case. It breaks my heart saying this Steve, I don't want to hurt dad like that. But I can't go on without at least trying. I can't for Eddie I can't. So I ask you again Steve... WHAT ABOUT YOU?” she's angry now, angry I'm trying to stop her. Angry that I can't understand her reasoning. But all I can feel now is fear, the fear that I am losing her, I can't be a considerate chicken any longer

“BECAUSE I FUCKING LOVE YOU! OK? Because I've loved you for years...YEARS Emma. But I couldn't compete with Eddie, I still can't compete with Eddie. All I ever wanted was to be yours all the time, wanted to love you in every sense of the word. But he's always there between us, I can't compete with the love you have for him. So I tried sooo fucking hard to stay away, to not let myself be blinded by you and how amazing you are. But I got caught in my feelings for you, twice these last months we've been together and both times has been been as a direct result of you dealing with losing Ed. I... I don't have the strength to be around you and not love you but I can never be him however much I try I just can't and it's killing me. That's the weirdness, that's the thing you took for regret... ok? It's just me not knowing how to compete with a dead man. I want you, I need you... I love you so much. Fuck I fell for you that first day you came in to Scoops, you were so weird and cute and you weren't intimidated by me. You were just being you...and then that day when I came over when you were hurt...that was it you had me. From that moment I was yours, but you were Eddies... I just wasn't him.” there, I did it. I told her

Back to Emma

Is this reality? Did he just say what I thought he said... I stare, I can't speak. My mind is racing, a thousand different things fighting to take centre stage.

“You think you had to COMPETE with Eddie over me? Eddie? My best friend? I never ever loved him like anything but a brother. I... why the fuck would you feel a need to compete with that? He was my person, my ride or die, my rotten soldier. But he could never be what I wanted you to be. I never ever had those feeling for him, do I love him yes. But as you'd love a brother or a best friend. I mean it's like you, you love Robin. She's you person am I right?” he nods “Yeah...you get it now? Eddie is my Robin.” I can't make this any clearer for him. My heart is absolutely singing but I can't take my mind off how close we are to finding out if the gate is still there. Steve is right next to me now, just looking at me tears in his eyes. I reach up and I kiss him with every bit of the emotions I have for him “Steve Harrington... I love you too ok? But I still need to do this, so either you find a way to be ok with it or you need to leave.” I kiss him again and again

“Fucking hell this took you two an unnecessary long time...” we hear Dustin sigh

“You knew?” Steve sounds surprised

“Dude... We've all known for years. You can't hide a feeling any better than I could hide an elephant in my kitchen. None of us understood why nothing ever seemed to happen between you two though... But I agree with her, be ok with it or leave Steve. We're wasting time.” he points towards Eddies trailer on the ledge above us

Steve looks down at me “You love me? That for real?” he asks me

“Steve I'd be a cruel person if I said that to you without meaning it. You think of me as cruel?” I smile

“No, not at all... Ok... I'll go with Dustin and you wait here. I WILL NOT argue this with you. We enter that trailer and you sit your pretty perfect ass down and you wait. I've been in there I know what we might find, Dustin has some idea of what's in there. You, not a clue and I need to keep it that way.” he looks at me with a stern look. I want to argue with him, but he does have a point. “Once we're in there and we see if that gate's still there. We go in you give us a maximum of three hours. If we're not back you take my car and you get Nancy and Robin and you tell them to gear up. Ok?” he says as we begin to make out way towards the slope leading up the last bit to the lonely trailer

“Take your car? But I can't drive” I say that's where I got stuck

“I know you can, Martin told me you've been driving a little with him and that you were good. I know you can do it. 3 hours Emma, ok?”

“Ok, 3 hours then go get Robin and Nancy. I got it” I say

As we climb the last little bit I feel my stomach churn again, I haven't been here for 5 months, last time was the last time I saw him. We carefully open the door making sure the trailer is on solid ground. Steve enters first, then Dustin and lastly me. Every fibre in my body wants me to not go in there, not make myself relive the memories if this place and all the happy times I've spent here with the Munson men. I pull myself together and I step over the threshold, Steve and Dustin are standing in the middle of what was the living room staring up in to the ceiling.

“Fucking hell Henderson...it's still here” Steve is pale as a ghost as he's staring at the hole in the ceiling showing a dark twisted copy of the room we're standing in.

“Fuck man, I actually had my doubts after we killed Vecna it would be here. But I'm glad it is, gives us a fighting chance right” Dustin is also looking up in to the twisted world. I'm just having a hard time gripping all of this still. “I have a rope...we're gonna need a rope to get in and out” Dustin starts rummaging through his backpack. He finds the rope and he ties one end to the inside of the trailer door the other he ties to his jeans “Ok Steve hoist me up there” he says

“Why you first?” Steve asks

“You're taller than me, I can't get you up there. Once I'm in I'll tie the rope to that end and you can use it to get through.” Dustin says

“Hey you're not as dumb as I look” I say and I smile as I get the same confused look from them as I did from Eddie when I said that to him.

“Is it bad I don't know if she's insulting me or complimenting me?” Dustin says to Steve who just chuckles

“Just go with thank you dude. Think that's your safest option. But actually, smart idea Henderson. You ready?” he says

“Wait... take these... In case it takes time” I say and hand them the sandwiches I made

“Thank you babe” Steve smiles at me and leans in for a kiss. I purr against his lips, I like it when he calls me babe.

“Ok... I've said it before. You can make out with her later, lets go” Steve smiles at me and then he grabs Dustin by the waist and lifts him up towards the ceiling. I sit down on the floor next to the mattress. I watch Dustin disappear into the hole in the ceiling then falling down on the floor on the other side. He ties the rope to the kitchen counter then motions to Steve to climb through. He's not speaking seeing as they don't know who or what might be listening. Steve falls down on the other side and I stand up looking at them

“Remember, 3 hours from now. Love you” he says

“3 hours, and love you right back”

They disappear from my sight and my stomach forms a hard pit, I sit down on the mattress again. Looking at my watch and then at the ceiling. The wait has begun...

It doesn't take long. Maybe 20 minutes and I hear their voices again. They're getting attacked I think...or there's nothing left to bring back. I stand up and look in to the other world. Suddenly Steve appears

“Hey babe, miss me?” he smiles at me and the pit in my stomach disappears as fast as it appeared.

“Hi, of course I missed you. Did you find...anything?” I ask

“Could you move please, I'm sending Dustin through” Steve says and I move to the side. Dustin falls through the hole. He stands up and brushes himself off. He's been crying, gibe his back a stroke.

“You ok?” I ask

“Yeah, I'm ok...but you're gonna want to help me now. They say don't disrespect the dead so I guess just dropping him through would be bad?” he says looking up

“Dropping him?” I look up and I let out a cry. Standing there is Steve holding a body in his arms.

“I know, I know sweetheart. But please don't lose it now. I need you to help Dustin catch him ok?” Steve is looking right at me, I nod. I take a deep breath and me and Dustin position ourselves under the gate ready to catch the body as Steve climbs on a dresser to reach trough easier. The full weight of Eddies body hits us as he falls when he passes through the gate. We manage to not drop him and we move him over to the couch so that Steve won't fall on him when he comes back. Dustin goes back to make sure Steve gets back ok. I'm just sitting there staring at the face in front of me. He hasn't changed...not one bit. He's got dried up blood all over but other than that he looks like when I saw him last, a little paler maybe. I reach out and I put my hand on his cheek, he looks so peaceful.

“Steve...” I say in a hushed voice “Steve” a little louder “STEVE!”

“Sorry, yes what's wrong” he comes up to me

“Why isn't he cold Steve... He should be cold” I'm vibrating now

“We don't know how time works in the upside down babe. Maybe it's just been a day or something in there” he says

“No, no... Steve...” I let my shaking hand move to the side of his jaw, pressing my fingers in to the skin. I scream “HE FUCKING HAS A PULSE STEVE” then I pass out.

When I come to there's full chaos. Steve's trying to make sure I'm ok, Dustin is freaking out and I can't get up fast enough

“Steve for fucks sake he had a pulse I felt it” I groan

“Yeah, yeah we both felt it... He's...I think he's alive Em. But like Max in some kind of a coma”

“Yeah he's alive... And you wanted me to NOT go get him...” I feel so many things right now. I know none of them would have even had the slightest tiniest ounce of hope this could happen. I mean I know I didn't, I was fully set on finding maybe a body, maybe parts of him. Something to put in that grave. But not this, never ever this.

“I... I never expected. I'm sorry” Steve's crying now, Dustin is crying. Fuck now I'm crying

“I know Steve I know, god I didn't mean to sound so angry. Just...the shock Steve. We need to get going, we need to get him to the hospital” I tug at them both making them stand up. With joined effort we get Eddie out of the trailer. The old table is still half standing outside. We tip it over, put Eddie on it an then we use it as some kind of makeshift sled to get him over to the other side of the crater. We manage to get him in to Steves car and I sit down in the back with his head in my lap just stroking his hair in disbelief. I don't know how many speed limits Steve broke getting us to the hospital but I bet it was as Eddie wouls have said “All of them” We run inside, Steve carrying Eddie in his arms. The staff had seen us coming they meet us and then they take over. We give some bull story about being curious about the crater and finding him under the trailer like this. They ask if we know who he is

“His name is Edwars Munson” I say and they all look at me

“The boy who...they thought”

“Yeah him, we thought he died in the earthquake but apparently...” I motion at Eddie “not”

They rush him off to an examination room, telling us to stay put and they'll come get us when he was in a room. It takes about an hour then a nurse comes and tells us he's in a room if we wan to see him. We all hold hands as we go in to the room. He's on the bed looking like he''s asleep. They've cleaned him off and he looks like Eddie again. Dustin falls down on the floor. I sit down with him, I know exactly what's bothering him.

“Hey Dustin, c'mon. I would have left him for dead to you know.”

“But he died Em, I was there I held him and I saw him die” he's sobbing so bad

“Maybe he...kinda restarted when you left. Maybe his body came back for whatever reason. You couldn't have known Dustin. Please don't do this to yourself. He's here now, he has a chance. And if he doesn't make it, he's atleast home again.” I hug the bot on the floor tight as he sobs uncontrollably in my arms. Steve comes in

“I've called them all, told them to come to the hospital. That we needed them here. I think I might have scared them in to thinking one of you got hurt but it'll be worth it.” he says

“You called dad to?”

“He's with Nancy so I guess she won't be leaving without him” he's standing at the end of the bed looking at Eddie “Fuck man, welcome home” he puts a hand on Eddies foot and he smiles.

“Dustin, please come dit on the chair” I say and we help him off the floor. He sits in the chair next to Eddie, just staring at him crying.

“I'm sorry man, I'm sorry” he keeps whispering

We hear voices outside and we hurry out there. We see Robin, Nancy and dad coming down one side of the corridor from the other way Mike, Will and El. El is smiling widely

“Oh she knows” Steve whispers

“WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?” Robin is furious, I guess Nancy filled her in on the way

“Before the namecalling a hitting begins can we just calm ourselves and gather round please” Steve says in a calm voice

“Calm? CALM? Where the fuck is Dustin? What happened to him?”

“Robin, please. He's in there but not for the reason you think.” I say and Robin looks at me then at Steve. Down at our hands which we're holding tight

“Ok... So he's ok and you two finally figured out you're made for eachother? That's why we're here? Seriously?” she scoffs

“Not just that... Ok so this might be a bit much to handle, just remember to breath thruogh the shock. Not like this one, she fainted” Steve says and kisses the top of my head

“Fainted? What happened to you?” dad sounds worried

“Not a thing, or well. You'll se” I say

We open the door and we go in first. The others gather in the room and the silence can be cut with a knife.

“That's why I couldn't see him, he's also hiding” El's voice breaks the silence

Then chaos, crying and also... Mike passing out. I'm glad I wasn't the only one I think. Dad is the color of ash, he's staring at the bed.

“Is he? For five months? That's impossible...” he sits down on the other chair in the room. Nancy and Robin are crying, Will tries to wake Mike up and El has sat down next to Eddie with closed eyes

“I can feel him stronger now, he's more like Max now. When he was there...he was just like a shadow” she says in a weird hollow voice

“She's looking for him” Steve whispers

“I thought you said she refused to look for him?” I whisper back

“Apparently she did once at least” he takes my hand “Come with me? Let them say hello on their own” he says.

We go out in to the corridore and sit down at the very end.

“So... We've been stupid, haven't we?” Steve smiles at me

“Yeah” I smile back “we have. One might even suspect us of being stubborn or someting” I say with a giggle

“Right? But it's out there now... I love you, very very much Emma. I never wanted to hurt you but I just wasn't sure if the dude in there would always outshine me and make me second. I'm so sorry I didn't just talk to you”

“Hey, I didn't 'fess up either so. Both Nance and Rob have been telling me a long time to tell you how I felt. Before them, Eddie told me. I was scared you only saw me as a casual hook-up and not someone you'd actually wanna be seen with. One of the last things Eddie told me back in the trailer before you left was that I should give you a chance when you guys came back, because he thought I'd fall in love with you if I gave you a chance. I tried so hard not to Steve, I've been hurt so bad in the past. But he was right, didn't take long for me to relaize you were infect the guy for me. Fuck it hurt believing you didn't like me back. Hurt even more thinking you regretted being with me” I have to be honest with him

“I have no words that can tell you how bad that made me feel, but I just wasn't ready to tell you that I felt like a second choice for you. But I guess I'm going to have to start showing you how much I never regretted the sex. Like every day from now on” he smiles and leans in for a kiss “because THAT babe is something you're amazing at and I won't leave you alone now that I know you're all mine”

We see a doctor coming up towards us, we straighten ourselves and greet him

“Hello, I suppose you two are the ones to talk to about Edward Munson seeing as you're the ones who brought him in?” he says

“Yes, I guess. We couldn't reach his uncle right now, I think he might be at work. I'll try calling him again later” Steve says

"Well, I can say I've never seen something like this myself nor have I heard of it and I've been a doctor for 40 years now. But you're telling me Mr Munson supposedly died in the earthquake and now you came to the remains of the trailer park and you found him underneath the only trailer still standing? Well... I can tell you this much, he couldn't have died. You don't come back from that on your own. But I could possibly believe he slipped in to a very deep coma. To the untrained eye he looks dead still. But how the hell, excuse my language, he survived for five months I can not understand OR explain. He might wake up or he might not. His situation is pretty much the same as Ms Mayfield's. From now on I suppose it's all just a waiting game for you all." he shakes his head in disbelief and walks away

"You know what the worst part is?" I look at Steve

"No, what?" he says stroking my back gently

"I don't think we should tell Wayne, not until we know the outcome of this... It's like a sudden realisation to me, we could end up losing Eddie again. I couldn't stand doing that to Wayne." I say

"Not tell him we found Eddie now you mean?" Steve ponders this for a minute "you know babe, I think you're right. But... I have to ask...will YOU be ok if we lose him again?"

"I've spent every day now for five, very soon six months grieving Eddie, I've dealt with every emotion under the sun. I think... if he doesn't make it, this time I will have the chance to say good bye to him and that would help me. And now I have you, I really have you" I put my hands on Steve's face and I look him deep in the eyes. "I love you...and I will keep loving youfor as long as you'll have me. Maybe I'll be in a dark place some days but I know you can get me out of it. Why were we so stupid Steve?"

"That is a fucking good question... Pair of stubborn asses the both of ya... Guess you finally caved? You told him and he told you? I've HATED having to keep both your secrets for this long... I know Nancy feels the same" Robin is standing a few feet away looking at us with a smirk on her lips

"OUR secrets? You've known all along that she loved me? For fucks sake Rob, you could have spared me a lot of heartache" Steve mutters at her

"Yeah? Think it was my thing to tell? Why didn't I just tell her you loved HER instead then? Could have just as easily done that huh? Would you have been happy with me if I broke your confidence?" she's staring him down "STUBBORN" she practically yells at us and stomps off

"Wow... Ok...so we've learned that we're stubborn asses today. I'm sorry I didn't tell you Steve. But I just thought you had no interest in me other than as maybe a friend with benefits. I didn't want to risk the heartbreak, been through that too many times to be a fan... Eddie said I was too hard on myself, that if you didn't like me back you we're a fucking idiot and not worth my time anyway. Guess he was right...fuck... I didn't get to win an argument with him after all" I chuckle

Steve beams at me and leans in and gives me a kiss

"You know... Never thought Munson was that good at telling peoples feelings. I heard him mumble to himself once, while we were wandering the woods in the Upside down 'I knew it, I was right. She won't have her heart broken this time' I didn't pay enough attention then to figure out who he was talking about. But I guess he figured out I loved you." Steve looks at me my heart sings I'm so happy.

Days turn in to weeks and Steve is practically living with me and dad. We're all just waiting to see if one or both of our friends will ever wake up. We take turns staying by their side at the hospital. A couple of weeks before Christmas the phone rings

"Hello this is Emma" all I hear at the other end is a squeal "hello?"

"You gotta come here" it's Lucas

"Be there as soon as I can" I throw the receiver down and I run in to the living room "We gotta get to the hospital NOW" Steve and dad look at me shocked "that was Lucas...he squealed...can't say if it's a good one or a bad one but we gotta GO" they both fly off the couch and we head for the car. I think dad almost killed the car going to the hospital. We run up to the ward and in to Max's room. There she is, leaning against her pillows...awake! There's tears and laughter all around.

"Max...girlie what an amazing Christmas present! Fuck I've missed you!" Steve is crying tears of joy hugging her so I think he might crush her. I have to pull him away reminding him she's fragile after this long in a coma "Sorry" he blushesMax smiles softly "He'll be here soon. You should go to him" she looks at me and takes my hand

"He? What are you..." I stare at her, holding my breath until Steve pokes me "he's... coming?" I turn and look out the open door to the room on the other side of the corridor.

"Yes, I've seen him all along. We hid together" her voice is strained as she looks at me "go now" she says and I think I make the distance between her room and Eddies in one jump. I throw myself down on the chair next to the bed and I take his hand and I wait, tears streaming down my cheeks. Steve comes in and stands behind me leaning down kissing my head. I look up at him and I kiss him

"Well...see weirdo why do you doubt me all the time" a hushed voice from the bed says

We pull apart and stare at the bed. Eddie's eyes are barely open but his smile is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I scream and I throw myself up into the bed holding him for dear life. I cry and I cry and I cry

"What the fuck's her problem? You mean to her already Harrington, I'll kick your ass you know that right?"

Steve's just laughing through his tears "Fuck we've missed you man!"

"Missed me? Wait... what happened? The last thing I remember is fighting those fucking bats, they bit me bad. I think I passed out? Did I?" Eddie sounds confused

Dad comes in and he puts a hand on Eddies head "Good to have you back son, I'd say you should sit down for this but I guess you're fine where you are. Ok so Eddie... There's no real easy way to say this so I'm just going to rip the band aid ok?"

"Ok Martin, do it..." Eddie holds me while I keep crying

"It's Christmas Eddie... Dustin had to leave you because you we're so badly injured you slipped in to a coma in his arms and he thought you died. We had a funeral for you. Emma's been a wreck for several months trying to deal with you leaving her. So this is...well this is happy tears Eddie, just a lot of them" dad looks at the boy in the bed who's staring at him like he's grown five heads

"Christmas? But it was May when we... I was there...how did I make it? MAX! Where's Max she was there with me...is she?" he tries to get up but with me on top of him and Steve holding him back he can't

"She's ok, she just woke up as well. Vecna broke her...but she found her way back. She said you've been hiding together" Steve sniffles and wipes his tears. Dad smiles and says he's going to check on the others.

The doctor comes in and stares at Eddie, and me of course.

"Ahem...Ms Lundberg would you please get off my patient so I can examine him" he says "Mr Munson, I have to tell you I'd almost given up hope of the two of you ever waking up. I thought Mr Henderson was trying to prank me when he came barging in my office yelling for me to come because the both of you woke up. But here you are." he smiles at Eddie as Steve helps me off the bed. He examines Eddie thoroughly saying he's going to need x-rays to make sure all is ok on the inside as well. A nurse comes in and takes his blood pressure, temperature and draws blood. Eddie is quiet the whole time until they all leave.

"So Dustin's ok?" he says quietly "must have been hard on the kid" he looks at Steve

"Yeah...it's thanks to him and this moron right here you're even back here. They went to find a gate so they could bring your body back. Had to forcibly make her stay as I came with Dustin in to find you. Didn't think she needed that after the ordeal she'd been through" Steve holds me and kisses my head

"Good thinking there Harrington, so you've grown a brain while I was gone?" Eddie smiles, still a tease through and through I think and I crawl up in the bed again. I still haven't said a word to Eddie. It's like my brain is back in that mute phase I had in the beginning when I thought he was dead. Eddie wraps his arms around me and looks at Steve.

"Since when doesn't she speak?" he sounds worried

"Well...the first 4 months after you were...gone she didn't speak, not one word after graduation... I think it's shock right now. She'll speak soon I guess. Tell you all about how stupid I've been" Steve smiles at me and Eddie beams

"So you guys DID end up together after all. I was right? Congrats man, you've found yourself a prize here" he hugs me tight "and you...yeah you found that one, you could do better but I'll let it slide since you've been temporary insane from missing me" he whispers at me. Steve chuckles

"Yeah we did end up together, took time though. I was being a moron thinking I couldn't compete with you so I pulled away from her"

"You can't compete with me Steve, there's only ever gonna be one freak in her life and that's me. But you can have her for everything else" Eddie holds out his fist "put it here man"

Steve tears up "I've been to your grave every day giving you a fist-bump. Fuck you can have as many as you want! Missed you so much man" he bumps his fist in to Eddies and then he leans over the bed and gives him a hug

Dad comes in again carrying a phone with him. He plugs it in to the wall and then he says "Ok, Steve should you or I call him?" Steve sighs

"Martin I don't know if I'll be able to hold it together telling him"

"Ehmm...call who?" Eddie looks from one to another

"Wayne" I whimper "I want to call Wayne" I sit up next to Eddie and I smile at him "Fuck you freak for doing this to me" then I give him a wet kiss right in the middle of his forehead

"There's my weirdo, I know you love me and all but save the slobbering for Harrington ok" he dramatically wipes his forehead "but Wayne? He...doesn't know? Where is he, at work?" fuck we'd forgotten Eddie doesn't know about he rest

"Dad, Steve could you...tell him while I call please" they nod and they sit down next to the bed and start telling Eddie everything that's been going on since he disappeared. Eddie's eye fill with tears as he hears about it all

I dial the number on the piece of paper in front of me

"Munson"

"Hey Wayne, it's Emma" there is a long silence on the other end "hello? Wayne, you there?"

"Sweetheart, it's really you? Oh my god how lovely to hear from you. How you been?"

"Well... I've not been ok. I guess you saw that in the beginning, took me about five months to snap out of it. Ehm... Wayne are you sitting down?" I say and my voice is shaking

"No...why? Is something wrong?"

"Would you please sit down, I have something to tell you" I say

"Ok...sitting down now. You're making me worried here sweetie"

"It's not worrying news Wayne... it's really the best Christmas present any of us will ever get... Uhmm... so 2 months ago me and Dustin set our minds on something..." I begin

"No...Emma. You didn't, please tell me you didn't try to get in there to find him"

"We...did...and Wayne... we found him" I say and there's muffled crying on the other end "Wayne... listen to me now ok?"

"Ok" he sniffles

"He was alive Wayne, in a deep coma but alive" I think that the silence could probably be cut with a knife it's so dense "Wayne? Breath sweetie so I know you're still with me"

"Emma...please don't make sick jokes like this. It's cruel" he cries I look over at the bed and I get up and I hand Eddie the phone

"Wayne... Hey man" we can all hear the scream from the other end. Eddies shocked face says it all as he hands the phone back to me

"Wayne...it isn't a joke. He woke up today, him and Max both woke up today. I think you need to take some time off work and come back here for Christmas don't you?" there's loud sobbing on the other end. I wait for it to subside a bit "Wayne sweetie, you know I would have never called and told you something like this if it weren't true"

"Put him back on" Wayne sobs and I hand Eddie the phone and motion to the other's that we should leave and give them their privacy.

If someone would have told me at the beginning of June that by Christmas I would be in a perfect relationship with Steve, Max would have woken up AND that we'd find Eddie alive I would have probably thrown a massive fit and died on the spot from getting to angry with them I'd have a heart attack...

But you know what, miracles do happen. Even to weirdos and freaks

Authors note!

Hey guys... I know this ended a bit over the top happy, but hey we all whished for Eddie to survive. This is me trying to manifest for season 5 😉

Thanks for reading

#steve harrington smut #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x fem #stranger things

2 notes · View notes