hi! can you do a steve x platonic! where they're either arguing, or steve gets really passionate about something he's telling her about and in the heat of the moment he moves too fast and she ends up thinking he might hit her? idrk if i explained that clearly lol. thanks <3
A/N: oh lordy. this is maximum angst and maximum comfort. steve feels so guilty bro.
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You stood by the fireplace, shivering despite the warmth. Your jacket was torn, a reminder of the branch you’d nearly impaled yourself on while sprinting away from a pack of screeching shadows. Since the day Steve had pulled you out of those tunnels under Hawkins, you’d lived for the moments you could breathe the air in his house—air that didn't smell like the stale beer and simmering resentment of your own home.
"I’m just saying, if we had actually stuck to the plan, we wouldn't have been cornered!" Mike’s voice cracked, sharp and accusing. He was pacing, pointing a finger at Lucas. "You got distracted!"
"Distracted?" Lucas snapped back, his face smudged with dirt. "I was trying to make sure we didn't get flanked!"
"Guys, come on," Dustin tried to intervene, his hands raised in a pathetic attempt at peace. "We’re all back. We’re safe."
"Safe? Max almost lost an eye!" Mike yelled.
Max stepped forward, her jaw set. "Don't use me as an excuse to be a prick, Mike. Lucas was doing his best."
You couldn't stay quiet. The adrenaline was still humming in your veins, making you feel jittery and defensive. "Leave him alone, Mike. We were all scrambled. It wasn't his fault."
Mike whirled on you, his frustration finding an easy target. "Oh, of course you’d say that. You’re the reason the line broke in the first place! You went off on your own, as usual!"
Your heart hammered against your ribs. "Really, Mike? So this is on me? I was the one who drew them away so you guys could get to the clearing!"
"You were being reckless!"
The voice didn't come from Mike. It came from the kitchen doorway. Steve was standing there, his face pale, his knuckles white as he gripped the doorframe.
You felt a sting of betrayal that hurt worse than the scratches on your arms. "So you agree with Mike? That this is my fault?"
"I agree that you don't think!" Steve shouted, stepping into the room. His voice was louder than you’d ever heard it. The Party went dead silent. "You went ahead, Y/N! I couldn't see you! I thought—" He choked on the words, his fear morphing into a hot, blinding anger. "You act like you're invincible, but you're just a kid who doesn't know when to stop!"
"I stop when the job is done!" you screamed back, the walls of the room feeling like they were closing in. "Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to control everyone, you'd see I'm the only one who actually takes the risks!"
"Because you don't care what happens to you!" Steve roared. "And I do! Is that so hard to understand?"
The air in the room vanished. The other kids were staring, wide-eyed and frozen. You had never yelled at Steve like this, and he had never looked so genuinely furious.
"Whatever, Steve," you spat, your voice trembling. "Go be a hero to someone else."
You turned and bolted up the stairs, your boots thudding against the carpet. You reached the guest room—your room, the one that Steve helped make your home—and tried to slam the door.
Steve shoved the door open, his chest heaving. "No, no, you don't walk away. You know I'm right, and you have to start listening to me!"
He followed you into the room, his presence large and overwhelming in the small space. Your brain, usually so sharp, began to fog. The shouting, the way he was looming, the sheer volume of his voice—it was triggering a different kind of memory. A memory of a house where yelling always led to a heavy silence, and then a heavy hand.
"I don't have to listen to anything!" you yelled, though your voice felt like it was coming from underwater. "You’re just another person trying to tell me what to do! Another person that doesn't trust me!"
"I am trying to keep you alive!" Steve threw his hands up in the air, a gesture of pure, exasperated frustration.
In your mind, the hand didn't just go up. It was coming down.
You flinched violently. Your entire body jerked backward, your heels hitting the edge of the bed as you stumbled. Your hands reached out in front of you ever so slightly as an instinct, as if to stop him.
The silence that followed was heavy. Steve froze. His hands stayed in the air for a second, then dropped as if they’d been burned. The dread that pooled in his gut was cold and sickening.
"Y/N—" his voice was a strangled whisper.
You opened your eyes, your breath coming in shallow, jagged gasps. You saw him standing there, his face reflecting the torment he was feeling. You tried to pull yourself together, lowering your hands and acting as if you weren't about to lose it.
"O-ok. Yea, sure," you stuttered, the words tumbling out in a frantic, high-pitched rush. "My f-fault. I'll listen. I’m sorry, ok?"
You turned away from him, your hands moving with a life of their own as you began to frantically smooth the wrinkles in the duvet. You couldn't stop the tears; they were streaming down your face, hot and humiliating. Your shoulders were hunched, your spine stiff, still waiting for the blow you were certain was coming.
"I got it, Steve," you interrupted, your voice breaking. "Just... it's fine."
"Hey, hey, hey," Steve’s voice was barely a murmur now, thick with a desperate tenderness.
He moved toward you, his movements slow and exaggeratedly gentle, like he was approaching a wounded animal. He reached out and placed a hand on your arm.
You flinched again. It was a small, sharp movement, but it nearly leveled him.
He didn't pull away this time. He kept his hand there, light as a feather, and used his other hand to gently guide you around to face him. He had to see you. He had to make you see him.
When you finally looked up, your face was a mask of terror and grief. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He had done this. He had let his fear turn into the very thing you spent every night running away from.
He kept one hand on your arm, and the other rose—slowly, so slowly—to cup your face. His thumb swept beneath your eye, catching a tear.
"Look at me, baby," he whispered.
You met his eyes, your breath still hitching in your chest.
"I would never, ever hurt you. You hear me?" his voice was steady, anchored by a fierce promise.
You nodded, but you couldn't catch your breath. The panic was still a physical weight on your lungs.
"Take a deep breath, baby girl," he urged, his thumb stroking your cheek. "In and out. Just with me."
He waited, holding your gaze, refusing to let go until he saw the tension in your jaw release.
"Never," he repeated, his voice cracking. "I would never put a hand on you. Not ever. No matter how mad I get, sweet girl. You're safe with me."
The dam finally broke. A sob tore out of your throat, a raw sound of relief and exhaustion. Your head dropped forward, landing heavily against his chest.
Steve’s arms wrapped around you instantly, pulling you in tight, shielding you from the rest of the world. He sank down onto the edge of the bed, pulling you onto his lap as if you weighed nothing. He began to rock you back and forth, his chin resting on the top of your head.
"You're safe with me. Always," he murmured, pressing a lingering, protective kiss to your hair. "I'm sorry I got mad, baby. I was jus' scared for you. I was so scared I was gonna lose you."
You sobbed harder, your fingers clutching the fabric of his polo shirt, finally letting yourself be small, finally letting yourself accept that he was still Steve, and he was safe.
"Shhhh, shhh, baby," he cooed, rubbing large, soothing circles into your back. "Just breathe, honey, I got you. I'm right here."
The house was quiet now. Downstairs, the kids had likely dispersed or were whispering in hushed tones, but up here, there was only the sound of your steadying breaths and Steve’s quiet promises.
"Never ever gonna get hurt with me," he whispered into the quiet room. "I promise. I got you."