kaitie

let’s fucking dance

[redstonedust]

i need crossword puzzles to stop giving me sports clues. dont ask me about football stars and nba championships and baseball team names. im the kind of nerd who chooses to do crossword puzzles why would you expect this of me. cruel and unusual.

[what-even-is-thiss]

The upside to the adhd forgetting that you made yourself a drink thing is thinking to yourself “man I could go for a drink right now” and looking to your right and seeing a drink has appeared there. Thank you, past me. I lost you somewhere but you have still provided.

[what-even-is-thiss]

“Your pets only love you because you feed them”

Yeah well that’s also how your relationship with your parents starts out but more stuff happens after that doesn’t it

[whitepeopletwitter]

Daily grind

[wifegideonnav]

gonna be honest i don’t know how many more ‘enter the 6 digit code we sent to your phone’s i got left in me

[cyphir-spacerobot]

Victor Frankenstein after achieving the impossible and building a fucking person from scraps of the dead: Oh god, ew, ew it's ugly! Yucky! Yucky! Gross! Ew! Ew! Yucky! Yucky! Gross! Ew!

[koiagain]

[vixvigil]

it’s never a normal temperature anymore it’s always some fucking bullshit

[cocainesocialist]

lilith here making the iron clad case for free public transport

[my-dailydreams]

[russianblush]

#the shadow acting as bars of a prison cell forcing ilya to hide himself in russia vs the overflowing of light at shane's cottage that allows him a place to be free and completely himself

[ihatesnapchat]

listening to a song you've already heard 100000 times but this time you notice backing vocals you never heard before

[kosmogrl]

[seren-starlight]

There is literally no circumstance where I support age verification to access a website. As I've said before I'm very much the "there's nuance here" person on almost everything but on this issue there's no nuance for me, it's awful and horrible in and of itself and it also sets an awful and horrible precedent

[traycakes]

I'm fine with "click here to confirm you're an adult" because it keeps people from finding it by accident.

I do not give a shit if the people checking the box are actually adults, and oppose any effort to confirm that they are.

[limbel]

when youre reading smut and youre positive you have their entire geometry figured out but then someone grabs a knees that shouldn be there

[coelii]

reblog to give your headache to elon musk instead

[kinkykinard]

[berrytart]

I still like listening to we are young by fun.

[dustymerlin]

SCHOOL'S OUT || s.h.

PAIRING: Steve Harrington x fem!reader

SUMMARY: Where Steve Harrington celebrates his last day of high school with you, and a drive home turns into a summer afternoon spent in his pool, talking about the future.

WHAT TO EXPECT: fluff, established relationship, suggestive themes, emotional vulnerability, mild swearing, use of Y/n

A/N: a lil cheesy 🧀 but i couldn't help myself

WORD COUNT: 2.9k

Steve was already there when you pushed out of the Hawkins High School doors, leaning casually against his infamous red BMW, arms folded and one leg crossed over the other. The sun hit the polished paint just right, making the car glitter and gleam. He was trying to look calm and effortless, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from scanning the parking lot and his foot from kicking loose pavement around when he didn’t see you anywhere. Lifting his head one more time, he finally caught sight of you bursting through the stream of high schoolers trying to rush to their cars.

You lightly jogged toward him in quick strides, hair bouncing and fluttering in the wind with your backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder. Steve’s stomach did that stupid little summersault it always did when he looked at you. Despite making things official a couple months ago, his heart still thudded in a way that made his hands itch to reach out and touch you. Just to make sure you were real and not a dream. He watched the way your shoulders swished through the air, the easy sway of your hips, and the small graceful motions of your arms as you tucked your oh so precious books into your chest like you were cradling a baby. You were beautiful, and Steve wasn’t subtle about thinking it. 

Before he could even say a word, you dropped your backpack and books with a clatter to the asphalt and launched yourself at your boyfriend. Arms wrapped around his strong neck as your lips crashed into his in a kiss so unapologetically full of energy and affection that Steve’s knees threatened to buckle. He returned it with all the clumsy, fumbling enthusiasm he could muster, tangling his hands in your hair. He pulled back lightly, eliciting a soft moan from your throat. “Your books,” Steve mumbled against your lips, but you silenced him with another passionate kiss. His hands slid down to grip your waist then push against your lower back until there was no space in between you. “Baby,” he whispered as you trailed light kisses down his jaw. Steve bit back a groan. “Baby, your books.”

“Screw my books.” You finally pulled back, breathless and giggling like you didn’t just make your boyfriend forget everything he ever knew from a single kiss. “Congrats, grad! You can officially say you peaked in high school.”

“Yeah, yeah.” A lopsided grin tugged at his lips and you jokingly pushed his head, surprised he was so chill about it. “But graduation’s still a few days away, so I technically didn’t graduate yet.”

“Pish posh!” You threw your head back and rolled your eyes, laughing as Steve instinctively tightened his grip around your waist so you didn’t tip too far back. His hands were warm and sure, like he knew exactly how to keep you steady without even thinking about it. When you straightened again, you poked him lightly in the chest, right over his heart. “Technically, today is your last day of school. That counts. In my eyes, you graduated.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Steve said easily, the corner of his mouth twitching as he finally loosened his hold. He crouched down to gather the small pile of textbooks and your backpack you’d abandoned on the pavement, scooping them up with one arm before turning and flinging them into the backseat of his car without a second thought.

“Hey, what the hell! My books are precious cargo, you can’t just toss them around like that,” you protested immediately, brows knitting together as you pointed accusingly at the backseat.

Steve froze mid-movement, panic flashing across his face as he straightened up too fast. “What? Wait—I—” He gestured helplessly between the car and the ground. “You literally just threw them onto the dirty asphalt before pouncing on me like a linebacker, I thought—” He cut himself off when he caught the way your lips were twitching, failing to contain a smile. His shoulders slumped as realization hit, and he let out a breathy laugh, dragging a hand down his face.

“God, you’re messing with me,” he muttered. “My heart dropped straight to my ass because of you,” your boyfriend stuck his finger in your, shaking his head as he opened the passenger door for you. “Thanks a lot, babe.”

You stepped closer instead of getting in right away, tilting your head to the side and looking up at him with exaggerated innocence. “Of course,” you said sweetly, voice light as you leaned in just a little. “Anytime…babe.”

Steve just stared at you for a second, stunned and smiling like an idiot in love.

Steve pulled out of the horrendous school parking lot for hopefully the last time, but he knew he’d be back to pick you up next year. One hand was on the wheel and the other was relaxed against the gear shift as he navigated to the main road with ease. You reached over when Steve inclined in speed and rolled the window down, letting warm summer air rush and the faint smell of manure in immediately. Both of you groaned at the scent but it soon passed as Steve sped by the farm. 

Your boyfriend glanced over at you, smiling, then turning on the radio to play your favorite song by the Talking Heads: This Must Be the Place. The familiar tune crackled through the speakers, reminding you of all the warm summer days and nights you would be spending with Steve. You stuck your hand out the window, palm slicing through the breeze and feeling the wind push back playfully against your fingers. A second later, your head followed, hair whipping freely as you leaned into the breeze. “SCHOOL’S OUT!” You yelled as loudly as you could. Eyes half-lidded and content, you exhaled out the last of your stress.

Steve glanced over at you, trying his best to keep his focus on the narrow road. His heart stuttered in his chest and he instinctively reached out to rest his hand on your thigh. It was light at first, then firmer as you leaned out of the passenger window even more. Part of him was terrified you’d lean too far that you’d slip or get hurt somehow. The other part of him couldn’t bear to take his eyes off of you, noting to himself how lucky he truly was. 

Steve should’ve felt as carefree as you, but the future sat heavy on his shoulders as an invisible weight he couldn’t shake. Not today, not even now. Graduation loomed and beyond it was a blank space where a plan was supposed to be. He didn’t have any college acceptance letters or a clear direction, just the unsettling awareness that he was stepping into something undefined. 

He knew it was too early to be thinking like this. You were young and the summer before your senior year of high school was just getting started, and here he was imagining tomorrows that weren’t promised to anyone in Hawkins. Maybe it was the slimy demodogs that he’d seen and survived. You didn’t know about the horrors of the Upside Down that rewired his sense of time and safety. When he’d stared death in the face, the future didn’t feel like something he could take for granted. And Steve was strangely grateful that you were untouched by it, blissfully unaware of the darkness beneath Hawkins. Your laughter and your easy joy was the best distraction he could’ve asked for. 

His hand stayed firm on your thigh, grounding himself as much as he was grounding you, as if holding onto you could anchor him in this moment and keep the rest at bay. He didn’t want to burden you with his fears or his uncertainty. Not now. Not ever, if he could help it. He’d figure it out on his own and find a way forward. He wanted to be someone who could provide, someone dependable, someone worthy of the future he couldn’t help but picture with you in it. Or whenever you were ready for that kind of future.

You slid back into the passenger seat, breathless laughter still clinging to your lips as you pulled yourself inside the car. Steve glanced over at you once more before flicking his eyes back to the road. You had caught the way his gaze lingered just a second too long, the way his jaw tightened like he’d been thinking about something far heavier than the plans the both of you had made to kickoff the perfect summer.

You leaned over the console, studying him. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Steve hesitated for a heartbeat. You didn’t know it, but he was thinking about how you were only a year younger and you still had another year of finals and college acceptances ahead of you. How you’d get into some incredible school, leave Hawkins behind, and maybe even forget about him one day. His future was just as unclear as yours and he refused to add to your stress, so he shoved the thoughts aside and focused on the present. 

He smiled at you, soft and easy, like nothing had been bothering him. “Just thinkin’ how lucky I am,” he said, glancing over again. “And how unfair it is that my girlfriend is this gorgeous and still puts up with me.”

“You are so cheesy, Harrington,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes as heat crept up your neck. You kept your eyes on the road ahead and crossed your arms over your chest. Looking at him would only make the blushing worse. “And stop with all that self-doubt, I can hear it in your voice. You are the prettiest and silliest boy I know.”

“Hey, I’m serious,” he insisted, reaching over to push your shoulder. “You could literally be with anyone.”

“Yeah and I’m with you,” you snapped, which was rare. You just wanted your boyfriend to understand that you were still crushing on him hard like you did when you were first talking, how he was still King Steve in your eyes, and that he could do no wrong. A silence fell over the both of you as a new song began on the radio. 

“So…my parents are in Florida.” Steve reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, hoping it would ease the tension. Knowing you too well, Steve relished in the fact that you melted under just a small touch. “Like, fully gone. For weeks.”

That earned him a knowing look. “Wow, you didn’t even wait five minutes.”

He grinned, one hand tightening on the wheel while the other drummed against your thigh as he shrugged. “I’m just saying. Empty house. Pool. No one to tell us to keep it down.”

You swallowed, suddenly aware of how his large hand inched further up your thigh and how warm the car felt. “You are unbelievable,” you said, attempting a teasing tone but coming out breathy instead.

Steve chuckled, clearly pleased with your reaction. “Unbelievably temping. I know you love me, Y/n, don’t act like you don’t want it.”

“Steven Harrington, keep your eyes on the road or I’m going to strangle you.”

“I mean, I’ve never tried that before, but I wouldn’t mind—” Steve was cut off by you turning up the volume on a Tears for Fears song all the way to drown out his cockiness.

By the time Steve pulled into his driveway, you were already unbuckling your seatbelt, hopping out of the car like you’d done this a hundred times before. The front door barely had time to shut before you were bounding up the stairs, calling a quick, “I’ll be right back!” over your shoulder as if the house belonged to you too.

You changed in his bathroom, touching up your hair and lipgloss even though it would be absolutely ruined in a couple minutes. You tugged on the bikini he’d once offhandedly told you he liked best, not because it mattered, but because it made you smile to remember the way he’d said it, a little shy. A moment later, you padded back down the stairs and slipped out the back door, the late afternoon sun warming your skin.

Steve was already outside, standing at the edge of the pool in his board shorts and dipping a toe into the water. You crept up behind him, quiet as you could manage, and slid your hands up his bare back, resting your forehead between his shoulder blades. He let out a soft sigh, the kind that came from being caught pleasantly off guard, and turned around to see the top of your head. Steve’s skin was smooth to the touch and freckled, still warm from the sun when he pulled you close. It was so comforting. He flexed his biceps as you unashamedly felt him up, drawing your nails over each defined muscle, scar, and mole. You slowly looked up to grin at your boyfriend, but before he could say a single word, you shoved him square in the chest.

Steve yelped as he toppled backward into the deep end of the turquoise water, disappearing beneath with a splash just as you took a running leap after him. Your cannonball combined with the ripples from his fall sent water flying over the edges. You surfaced first, pushing your hair back and blinking water from your eyes, laughing as you looked around for him. A second passed, then another. The water stilled just enough for a flicker of unease to spark in your chest. Steve?

Before you could call his name, strong arms wrapped around your waist from below, sure and solid, pulling you back against him. The grip wasn’t harsh, just unmistakably secure, like being caught mid-fall. “Steve, you’re crazy!” You gasped, laughter bursting out of you as he broke the surface behind you, pressing a kiss behind your ear to make you shiver.

“You were the one that pushed me in!” Steve said incredulously.

A little while later, the sun had begun its slow descent, the sky bleeding into soft shades of orange and pink, the light reflecting off the water in lazy ripples that shimmered like an eyeshadow pallet. Steve was stretched out on his back atop a pool float, arms folded behind his head, legs dangling into the water. He’d tried, unsuccessfully, to coax you onto it with him, but you’d only laughed and slipped away, choosing instead to keep swirling around in the warm water. You still had some energy you needed to swim out. 

You swam circles around him, letting the water drift past your shoulders. “I can’t believe that was your last day of high school. Who’s gonna drive me to and from school every week?”

“I still can,” Steve turned his head to look at you in the water. “I’m probably just going to end up working for my dad anyway.”

“You’re going to be working a big boy job, making big boy money. Don’t worry about me.” You flick some pool water up at him, grinning. “Plus, aren’t you babysitting some kids on the side or—”

“I am not babysitting anyone, for the record,” Steve cut in quickly. “And what do you mean ‘don’t worry about me’?” He shifted on the float, finally sitting up as he watched you. “I’m constantly thinking about you, what you’re doing, what you’re thinking.” Steve caught your hand, stopping you from swimming in circles around him. “And if I took the job, you know, I could be around for your senior year.”

“Steve…” you started, but he kept on going, words tumbling out like he’d been holding them in all day.

“I would just look out for you a little bit,” he added, tilting his face up toward the sky again like he was playing it off. “Make sure you don’t forget about this pretty face.” 

You giggled, shaking your head until he looked at you earnestly with his signature puppy dog eyes. 

“Y/n,” he said quietly, “I’m serious.”

Instead of answering, you leaned in and kissed him. He barely had time to react before you tugged his arm and sent him crashing into the water with a splash. He resurfaced almost immediately, pushing his hair back and laughing.

“Hey!” Steve protested, swimming toward you. “I want another kiss!”

“Then get over here,” you said, right before he reached you.

His hands found your waist easily, steady and familiar, and he kissed you again. Steve was slower this time, like he wasn’t in a rush anymore. He had all of summer with you. You melted into him, arms sliding up around his neck as the water lapped at your torso..

“Steve?” you murmured, resting your head against his chest.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Do you know how amazing you are?”

He scoffed lightly, one hand rubbing soothing circles at your back. “Yeah, I mean, I’ve been told once or twice—”

“No,” you cut in gently. You pulled back just enough to look at him, water dripping from your lashes. “I mean it. You always show up, even when you have other stuff going on. You care so deeply because your heart is so big. You don’t even realize how much you do for people, how much of an impact you’ve made on others and me.”

Steve stilled, looking down at you like he wasn’t sure what to say.

“I love you, Steve,” you finished simply, pressing your face back into his chest.

“I love you, too,” he said slowly and quietly, meaning every word. Any worries he had from earlier that day completely vanished with your simple words.