Pairing: Michael Robinavitch x Reader
Summary: One accusation. One misunderstanding. One relationship flatlining in the middle of a shift.
Warnings: angst, misunderstanding trope, drug addiction, emotional confrontation.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
MASTERLIST
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“We need to talk. Now.”
With furrowed brows, I looked up just in time to see Robby snatch the iPad out of my hands and drop it onto the nurse’s station with more force than necessary.
“Hey, what the—”
He didn’t answer. Just rounded the desk and started toward the stairwell.
That was never a good sign.
Dana looked up at me above the rim of her glasses, trailing her eyes towards Robby who had already made it to the corridor. I shrugged at her before retreating in the direction he headed off to.
His long strides were already hard enough to keep up with on a normal day. Tonight he was practically storming down the corridor. I had to jog to keep up.
The department was chaotic. Stretchers lined the hallway, nurses shouting vitals across the room, the waiting room overflowing from the pile-up on the freeway. The air smelled like blood, antiseptic and adrenaline.
Robby shoved the stairwell door open and held it long enough for me to step inside before it slammed shut behind us. The muffled quiet of the concrete stairwell felt suffocating after the noise outside.
I watched as he dragged his hands down his face as if he had to physically gather his thoughts and keep his emotions in check. He was the depiction of a man on edge from a very stressful day and I wouldn’t doubt that it’s not only due to the fact it’s been a busy day but also that it’s the anniversary of his predecessor’s death.
“Robby?”
At the sound of his name he finally turned to face me.
Arms crossed.
Jaw tight.
Eyes furious.
“How long have you known?” there was no warmth to his tone like I grew accustomed to. They were cold and void of any emotion.
“Known what?”
Robby let out a short, humorless laugh.
“Don’t play dumb.”
“I’m not playing anything,” I said, irritation starting to spike. “I literally have no idea what you’re talking about. You okay? I know it’s–”
“Don’t change the subject.”
His voice cut like a scalpel.
“How long have you known about Frank and his benzo addiction?”
For a second the words didn’t even process. Clearly I misheard him.
“…What?”
Robby’s glare didn’t waver.
“Frank. Stealing benzos from his patient. Helping himself whenever he wants.” His voice dropped lower, tighter. “You two are practically glued at the hip. So I’ll ask again.”
The accusation landed like a punch to the chest.
“I didn’t know,” I said slowly.
“Bullshit.”
My head snapped up. “Excuse me?”
“You expect me to believe you’ve spent the last year covering shifts with him, grabbing drinks with him, hanging out with him outside the hospital and you never noticed?”
My stomach twisted at his accusations.
“Robby, I’m serious. I didn’t know anything about this.”
His eyes searched my face like he was looking for cracks.
For a lie.
“And you never thought anything was strange?” he asked. “No changes in his behaviour lately?”
“He’s been on edge lately but I chalked it up to him and Abby’s marital issues. I had no idea that he was getting high.”
The silence that followed was thick.
“Robby please…” I stepped closer. “If I had known that he was stealing meds I would’ve said something to you.”
His expression hardened instead of softening.
“Finding it hard to believe that.”
My chest tightened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I don’t believe that you had no idea about your close friend and his addiction.” His jaw clenched. He quietly added, “Did you help him?”
My irritation morphed through several other emotions in the span of sixty seconds. Hurt and betrayal were the leading top two right now.
“Don’t do that,” I snapped. “Don’t twist this into something it’s not.”
He ran a hand through his hair, pacing once across the narrow landing like a caged animal.
“You know what this looks like from my point of view?” he said.
“I’m listening. Though I assume you already have your conclusion.”
“It looks like my girlfriend knew one of my residents was stealing controlled meds from patients and kept her mouth shut.”
The word girlfriend hit differently coming out of his mouth like that.
Clinical.
Detached.
“Except I didn’t,” I shot back.
Robby stopped shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
For a moment something flickered across his face. Doubt, maybe.
Then it vanished.
“I can’t do this right now.”
A cold feeling spread through my chest.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I have a department falling apart through those doors and a resident spiraling into addiction.” His voice went flat. “And apparently another resident I can’t trust.”
My breath caught.
“Michael…”
“We’re done.”
The words echoed off the concrete walls.
Just like that.
“What?” My voice came out smaller than I meant it to.
“You heard me. I don’t know if I could trust you.”
The sentence felt worse than if he’d just called me a liar.
He grabbed the door handle.
“Don’t come over tonight,” he added without looking back. “You’re not staying at my place.”
Then he pushed the door open and walked back into the chaos of the ER.
Leaving me alone in the stairwell with my scrambled thoughts and broken heart.
My eyes burned with tears threatening to spill over. I was thankful for the empty stairwell as I sank down to sit on the steps.
How the hell did I not notice my friend was struggling? Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t Michael believe me?
The questions kept swirling in my head over and over as I sat there. My phone buzzed in my pocket, I fished it out to see Frank sent me a message.
I’m sorry.
Two words.
Two words that were supposedly an apology for his addiction or for the effect he knew this would have on my relationship with Robby.
I pocketed my device choosing to not respond to him right now, don’t think I could speak to him anytime soon.
Releasing a breath I pushed to my feet and returned to the ER to get back to my patients.
Perlah smiled at me as I walked past and I returned it despite the strong urge to go cry and scream in the nearest empty room.
Fake it till you make it.
For the rest of the shift I kept my head down and focused solely on the job. Robby avoided me at all costs but somehow every one of Frank’s patients somehow ended up on my list.
Another reason why I will not be messaging Frank anytime soon after this shift from fucking hell. I’m behind on charting and every time I think I’ve got a chance to sit down another fucking gurney is rolled in through those doors.
“Hey Superwoman, just who I was looking for.”
“Donnie, what can I do for you?” My eyes didn’t leave the screen as I updated one of my patient’s notes.
“A group of us are planning to grab some drinks afterwards, you in?”
“I’m swamped so no, I’ll join you guys next time though.”
Dr. Abbot furrowed his eyebrows at me from where he stood on the opposite side of the hub. It took everything in me to not bash my head into this monitor to put myself out of my misery.
Jack and Robby are close friends which also meant that he knew of our relationship and I’m positive Robby already filled him in on the whole situation.
The attending wrapped up his conversation with one of the student doctors before crossing the room towards me.
“If you’re coming to spew bullshit accusations at me too, don’t. I’ve had a very fucking long day.”
Jack grunted as he leaned against the trolley. “Just came to check on ya. I know you and Langdon were friends.”
My eyes finally trained on him.
“I’m fine, if I need a psych eval I’ll see Caleb.” My tone was snippy but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
His lips twitched as he fought a smirk. “You’re not fine.”
I was about to retort but I sensed Robby before I even heard his voice. He came to tell Jack he was headed out, didn’t even glance in my direction and it felt like a punch in the gut.
Jack quirked an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise?”
“How much trouble would I be in if I told an attending to go fuck himself?” He actually laughed at that.
“He’ll come around.”
I scoffed at that.
If only he had seen the look on Michael’s face earlier.
🫧 henderson reader, reader uses makeup, reader has bangs, height difference between steve and reader, swearing, kissing, billy hargroove mention, nancy wheeler mention, dustin being dustin.
🫧 ever since his messy breakup with nancy, steve never really thought he could be a good boyfriend. especially to you, dustins super cool and super pretty sister. that was until he finds out youre going on a date with the biggest douchebag ever.
🫧 fluff & some angst | 3.4k
It was a Friday night and you had plans. A date more specifically, so here you were dolling yourself up.
You looked in the mirror as you swiped the lip gloss applicator across your bottom lip, the shiny product tinting it just slightly, before rubbing it against your top lip to get a thin, even coat. After closing the tube, you move to fix a few pieces of your hair, making sure your bangs sit just right, then do a quick spray of hairspray to keep them from moving out of place too much.
Steve had just gotten to your house a minute ago, stopping by to pick up Dustin. He and Dustin had plans for the day with the rest of the party, taking them to the mall so he could basically be their wallet. He was going to call for him, announce his presence, and to hurry up so they could go, but when he saw you looking unreally pretty, he wanted to enjoy it for a minute longer.
He wasn't even sure if you knew he was there, coming by so often that you and Dustin told him to just start letting himself in. You had given him a key to the front door too, just in case it was locked.
You and Steve are friends, close friends for sure after he and Dustin became almost inseparable, but there were times when (Steve hoped he wasn’t imagining it) there was a certain tension between the two of you, like you both were waiting for the other to make a move. Steve wanted to, so so badly, but every time he got close to doing anything or saying anything, he could feel something in him closing up, backing away from the moment.
He still felt like the douche everyone said he was from high school, and his breakup with Nancy definitely still had a mark on his confidence after she called everything they had ‘bullshit’.
To put it simply, he felt as if he didn’t deserve you.
Dustin finally came out from down the hall, seeing that Steve was already there. Before Steve saw him, Dustin definitely noticed the hearts in his eyes as he stared somewhere across the room, following his gaze that led to you. It was already pretty obvious that Steve had a thing for you, but this was just the cherry on top of it all, confirming Dustin's hunch about it.
Dustin knew this was bound to happen, and if he was honest, he wasn't against it at all, actually. If anything, he had been rooting for you guys silently from the sidelines.
He looked up to Steve a lot, going to him when he needed any advice, man-to-man. He’s a good guy with good intentions, and if Dustin was going to trust anyone with his sister, it would be Steve. Plus, there were a few times Dustin caught you staring at him when you thought no one was looking, blushing when Steve would look back in your direction and look the opposite way.
He never asked you up front about it, but you were definitely different around Steve, different in a ‘she has a huge crush on him’ kind of way. Even when Dustin would bring him up when he wasn't around, you got a lot more interested and smiley in the conversation.
It was all too obvious, but of course, except to the two of you, too worried about your own feelings to realize the other’s.
“When did you get here?” Dustin asked, a smug look on his face after what he saw, his voice breaking Steve’s attention away from you.
Steve collected his thoughts after watching you in almost a daze, clearing his throat. You were now aware of Steve's presence, also, looking over from your reflection to see him standing by the kitchen counter.
You got a little too excited about seeing Steve, your glossed lips stretching into a wide smile, especially for someone who had a date with someone else later. “Oh, hey Steve, I didn't hear you come in.” You turned to face him fully, seeing Dustin just about ready to leave the house. “You guys got plans?”
Steve was so easy when it came to you, a stupid grin on his face from the smile you gave him. If his hair were long enough, he’d be twirling it around his finger like a high school girl with a crush. “Yeah, I just got here a minute ago. Takin’ the little shitheads out today.”
He saw Dustin roll his eyes jokingly from the corner of his eye at the name he called the party, shoving his cap over his curly hair and walking to the front door. “C’mon, man, everyone's waiting at Mike’s,” as if he wasn’t the one who kept them waiting.
Steve shot Dustin a glare, “Yeah, ‘cause you were taking forever.”
He looked over at you again, a soft smile on his face, “See you later...? If you're home when we come back,” he said hopefully, a little jealous of whoever you were going to hang out with all pretty like that.
You nodded, mirroring his expression. There was that unnameable tension again, that feeling that there was something being left unsaid or done. Before you both could think about it too much, Dustin cleared his throat, nudging Steve, “Dude, let’s go.”
Dustin saw what was going on crystal clear now, swinging the front door open to hurry and get Steve outside of it, pulling him out by the arm, “Bye Y/n! Tell Mom I went out!” Dustin calls to you before grabbing the knob and shutting the door.
“Geez, man, I didn't even get to say bye,” Steve muttered as he unlocked his BMW, he and Dustin hopping into the driver and passenger seats as always.
Dustin already had his hands on the radio, flipping through the channels to find one playing anything decent, before sitting back into his seat and looking over at Steve.
“So, how long have you liked my sister?”
What.
Steve coughed, not expecting the sudden question from Dustin as soon as they sat in the car. “Uh- uhm.., what?!” He stammered as he turned the key in the ignition, feeling nervous at the mention of you in a romantic sense from none other than your brother.
“Y/n. How long have you liked her?” Dustin asked again, saying it like it was the most casual thing in the world. What Steve wanted with you was anything but casual.
Maybe it was a normal thing to share who you like with your guy friends, but this was different. You're Dustin's sister, and Dustin's also a bit younger than Steve, so it felt weird...
Steve looked over at him for a second, trying to show a confused expression, but it looked more like the expression of someone who was just caught.
“I..- I don’t like y/n-?” He tried to play it off and deny it, hoping Dustin would just move on to a new topic, which of course he wouldn’t.
Dustin laughed incredulously, surprised Steve even tried to lie about it when it was so clear to anyone who had eyes. “Please, with the way you were just staring at her like she was an angel on earth says wayyy otherwise,” Dustin grinned mockingly, just waiting for Steve to admit the obvious.
Steve didn't realize Dustin saw him eyeing you earlier, watching in awe as you made final touches to your hair and makeup before going out as he waited for Dustin.
“Relax, I won't kill you. I've been waiting for this, actually,” he continued, trying to push Steve into admitting it.
Steve put his attention back to backing out of the driveway of the Henderson house, eyebrows furrowed at Dustin’s words as he slid the gearshift. “What? Henderson- what are you on about?” He ran a hand through the hair that curled in front of his forehead while the other held the steering wheel, looking over at Dustin for a second like he was crazy.
“I've always thought you and Y/n would be perfect for each other, yknow? You’re both single, I’m like ninety-five percent sure Y/n thinks you’re hot, and you also think Y/ns hot, and you’re a decent enough guy that I could trust with my sister,” Dustin explained. He may have held out a little when he said Steve was ‘decent’, but he would never tell him to his face how much he actually looked up to him.
Steve kept his face toward the road, giving Dustin a quick side eye, “Only ninety-five percent sure..?”
“Okay, maybe like ninety-nine percent sure, I just haven't fully asked her to confirm it, but back to the point. What I’m saying is I wouldn't be mad if you made a move,” he glanced at Steve, his eyebrows up, before shaking his head. “Actually, no, hurry up and make a move, man. It’s so obvious to everyone that you guys like each other. Just makeout with her already.”
Steve gave Dustin another side eye. As if it were so easy to just go up to someone and shove your tongue down their throat. But he knew he couldn't even try to deny it anymore, knowing Dustin saw right through him. He would've made a move months ago, believe him, but there was always that.. that feeling of self-pity, a little bit. Every time he got too close to you its like he could hear Nancy’s voice from that night.
“No, you, you’re bullshit.”
It rang in his ears any time he even considered getting closer to you. He was over Nancy, yeah, he had been for a while, but there was still a wound she left that reopened so easily sometimes.
Steve shifted uncomfortably in his seat, keeping his eyes to the road as he shrugged his shoulders, “I just..-“ he cut himself off, for a second before speaking again, it felt really embarrassing to tell Dustin what it was that held him back from you, “..What if I’m just not.. up to her standards..?” Steve’s voice got a little quieter towards the end of his words, feeling cringeworthy for actually saying these thoughts out loud, and to Dustin.
He scoffed, not even believing his lame excuse, “Right, okay,”
“No, I’m serious, man… I don’t think I could be good enough for her...”
“Geez, Nancy really did a number on you, huh?” Dustin glanced at Steve, a confused look on his face. How could the Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington think he wasn’t good enough? “You’re just being crazy, dude.”
Steve shook his head, “No, I don’t think I am,” he said, so sure of himself.
Dustin sat back in the passenger seat, sighing at the way Steve could be so stubborn sometimes, “Fine, but if you want a chance, you better make a move now. I’m pretty sure shes going on a date with Billy Hargroove tonight."
It took everything in Steve to not slam on the brakes in the middle of the road. Billy Hargroove? Billy Hargroove!?
He could already feel the jealousy burning in him, filling his stomach and making him feel sick at just the thought of Billy having his hands on you.
There's no way you could ever stoop so low. Billy’s such a dick, Steve couldn’t believe you even looked his way. A minute ago, he wasn’t feeling too hot about trying to make a move on you, but he knew he sure as hell would treat you better than Billy ever could.
“There's no way, man.” He didn’t want to believe it, especially when he thought about how pretty you looked as you got ready, just for it all to be for Billy...
“Yup, and not gonna lie, she didn’t sound too excited about it when she was telling me,” Dustin shrugged.
Steve gripped the steering wheel tightly, the jealousy only getting worse the more he thought about it. Yet he couldn’t get it out of his mind.
He couldn’t sit comfortably in his seat anymore. Something in him was urging him to stop the car and drive back to your house. It felt as if that was the only right reaction he could have.
Just as they arrived at Mike's, Dustin swung the car door open and hopped out. Steve stayed in the driver's seat, tossing Dustin a twenty-dollar bill. “I'll take you guys another day, something came up.”
Before Dustin could even protest about needing a ride to the mall, Steve was backing out of the Wheelers' driveway, driving back in the direction they came, straight to your house.
The rest of the party came outside upon hearing Dustin finally get there. Steve was already far down the road, leaving them confused. Not Dustin, though, he knew exactly why Steve needed to go back.
“Where’s Steve going? What about our ride?” Lucas looked to Dustin, a puzzled look on his face.
Dustin nodded in approvement on Steve’s actions, he also wanted you nowhere near Billy Hargroove. “Probably to go makeout with my sister.” He said it so simply.
Everyone else groaned and ‘eww’ed' as they turned to walk back inside, needing to think of something else to do now that there was no one driving them to the mall.
Meanwhile, with Steve, it felt as if this was a matter of life and death. It almost was. He didn’t realize how much not having you would hurt until he couldn’t get you and Billy together out of his mind. He tried for so long to ignore the feelings that were so obviously there for you, thinking he could never be up to your standards. In this moment, all that filled his head was you and how much he needed you.
He had to at least try to be enough for you.
In less than 5 minutes, he was back in your driveway, right as you were walking out of the house, car keys and purse in your hands. He let out a slightly relieved sigh, glad that he caught you in time, but now was the hard part.
You stopped when you saw Steve, confused as to why he was here and not with your brother, “Steve?”
He got out of the car as fast as he could, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. You gasped a bit when you saw him almost fall, going over to help him and make sure he didn't trip.
“Geez, Steve, what's wrong?” You asked a little worried, seeing the franticness in his movements as you steadied him by putting your hands on his shoulders.
As soon as Steve was standing straight, he couldn’t wait any longer to tell you what's been eating at him for god knows how long. Or at least stop you from seeing Billy.
"Please don't go on that date.”
You went stiff at his words, looking up a bit at him from the height difference between you both. You just now noticed how close you guys were, breath catching in your throat as your arms fell back to your side.
“Don't go on a date with Billy, please.” He sounded breathless as he spoke. He felt like a dog begging, but if that's what it took to persuade you not go, then that's what he would do.
“Steve-”
He cut you off before you could get another word out to try and explain himself, “Please, Y/n. Let me at least have a chance. I can treat you better than him, I know I can. Let me try, please,” He was definitely begging at this point, the last sentence almost sounding like a whine.
There was a short silence after Steve's words, already having him second-guessing even coming back here. That was until you broke it.
“I... I was only going on a date with Billy to try and get my mind off of you...” Your voice was quiet, your eyes flickering back and away from Steve's gaze, feeling shy under it all of a sudden, “I didn't think you felt the same way I did…”
You cringed at your words slightly, feeling stupid saying it out loud.
Steve scoffed playfully, relaxing a little when you made it clear that all of the tension you guys felt between one another wasn’t imagined. “Is it not painfully obvious how into you I am?” A sweet smile made its way onto his face, feeling relieved that what he was feeling for you was reciprocated.
“Not to me, no. Until now, I guess,” you shrugged jokingly, not being able to hold back the grin that was pulling on the corner of your lips.
Slowly, Steve’s hands found your waist, testing the waters before pulling you just slightly closer. Yours and Steve’s skin had made contact plenty of times before, of course, whether it was a hug, a hand on the other's back, or just a brush against each other in passing. Nothing ever like this, though. His simple hold on you already felt so much more intimate than you guys would ever allow yourselves to get with the other. It had you feeling warm and the butterflies alive in your stomach.
His eyes flickered over your face, feeling shy at how close he was to the prettiest girl he knew. He couldn't help it when his gaze dropped to your lips, lingering there for an extra few seconds, then meeting your eyes. He wanted so badly to close the distance between the two of you, having spent so many nights wondering what it must feel like to actually kiss you (on the nights when the scenarios in his head about you were more pure).
You caught the way he stared at your lips, hoping you weren't imagining it. You caught yourself doing what he did just now, gaze dropping down from his eyes to his pink lips.
Steve didn’t want to wait any longer, licking his lips before speaking. “Can I..? Can I kiss you?” The words came out quiet and shy, something Steve was only around you.
Oh, Steve. Such a gentleman.
Your cheeks tinted pink upon hearing him ask out loud for a kiss, your gaze catching his when he looked up from your lips.
You looked at him through your mascara-covered lashes, nodding at his question. You knew you couldn't trust your voice when Steve is this close to you, asking to kiss you. You were already leaning into him without realizing it, like it was on instinct.
With your confirmation, Steve didnt want to waste a second, mirroring the way you were leaning in. The seconds before his lips touched yours felt like hours, your lips parting as you anticipated the feel of his mouth against yours. His lips ghosted over your parted ones, just barely, almost featherlight, before his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned in fully, closing any distance between you two.
The kiss was clumsy at first, both of you hesitating for a second from this new territory with each other. Then it melted into something soft and sweet, your hands finding his cheeks to hold in the process. It wasn't exactly how you'd imagined it. It wasn't this firework-feeling kiss they show in movies, but it was so unbelievable Steve and you loved it.
Steve's hands on your waist pulled you closer against him, your chest now flush against his. Your hands slid from his face to his neck, pulling him down to deepen the kiss, having to make up for all the lost time.
It was all so perfect.
That was until you both heard a few pairs of feet running in your direction. Steve broke the kiss, his cheeks tinted with a soft pink and breathing a little heavier than usual as he looked up to see who interrupted his moment with you.
It was Dustin, of course, with all his friends behind him, all with their jaws dropped in a disgustingly shocked expression at catching you and Steve doing something that you definitely don't do with your friends. All of them except for Dustin, who saw this coming months ago.
You gave your brother an annoyed look, one that said you’d be getting him back for this later.
"Seriously, guys?” Steve groaned, rolling his eyes.
Dustin only grinned, looking back at his friends and then back to you and Steve.
“See? I told you he went to makeout with my sister.”
finally posted my first fic on here!! i worked rlly hard on this so i hope you guys like it!! my requests are open so if youre interested dont hesitate to leave one!
I finished watching season one of The Way Home on Netflix. OMG, this show is amazing. This show has closed loop time travel(my favorite type of time travel, and the realistic kind, great characters, especially Elliot, great dialogue, great acting, and a lot of heartwarming moments. A bunch of hugs and "I love you"s said in this show. Amazing character development too. Also, this is a family drama, and I love that genre.
And somehow this show even made me cry, not going to lie, and I NEVER cry because of fiction. I used to, but it doesn't happen much anymore.
Anyway, awesome show. And I can't wait to see seasons two and three. I'll be skipping that ouija board scene that I know is in S3, though.
that cold open where a cover of the scientist starts playing, and then you see a much beloved (dead) character watching scenes that you watched yourself in the beginning of the show, but from his pov this time, and now you know what he knows, and the realizations and understanding start exploding in your head while the lyric "TAKE ME BACK TO THE START" hits
sorry. sorry. if I start thinking about the actual Concept of The Way Home for more than 10 seconds it makes me tear up. the thought of getting to spend time with your family when they were your age or relatives that passed away before you ever came into this world is so heartbreakingly beautiful. imagine getting to spend time with your grandfather in his prime and getting to see him as a teenager. imagine watching your grandparents fall in love in real time. imagine knowing your mom before she ever became your mom. how magical that would be. how it would ease the ceaseless passage of time just slightly. the concept of the pond itself will always make me cry because it shows how important people are and how we are nothing without those who came before us.
synopsis: sneaking around with your brother’s best friend isn’t ideal, but it’s hard to stop when steve keeps showing up.
- or alternatively; the (4) times you successfully hide your relationship from your brother and the (1) time dustin catches you with steve.
word count: 6.5k
warnings: secret relationship, almost getting caught, kissing, suggestive language, implied sex, angst, mention of blood injury, nightmares, slight ptsd, jealousy, hurt/comfort, protective steve harrington, long emotional talks, steve is whipped for reader, background byler, happy ending.
1.
Steve was not a good liar. He tried. He really, really tried. But for all the effort he put into hiding things, he still failed miserably at it.
His face gave him away every single time. Feelings lived on him like fingerprints, obvious and unavoidable, especially when romance was involved. Every girl he had ever dated became public knowledge within a week, sometimes even less.
Hawkins was small like that, and Steve was pretty much bad at keeping his love life private.
So yes, Steve sucked at keeping secrets. Making the fact that he was hiding something, something big, from Dustin Henderson of all people felt like a sick joke. Like the universe was daring him to fuck it up.
Because this wasn’t a fling. This wasn’t some temporary, easy thing he could shrug off when it got complicated. It was you.
Yet Steve couldn’t find it in himself to end whatever had started between you both, bcause dating you was somehow the easiest thing he had ever done and the hardest thing he had ever survived.
Easy, because being with you made everything lighter. You slipped into his life without force, without noise, and suddenly he wasn’t so tense all the time. He laughed without thinking. He breathed without bracing for impact. The constant knot in his chest loosened, replaced by something warm that stayed with him long after you walked away.
Yet, it was so hard because it had to stay hidden.
Steve did not entirely hate the secrecy, and that fact made him feel like a bit of an asshole. There was something selfishly intoxicating about it, about having you all to himself, about the way your smiles and touches belonged only to him in stolen moments and half-lit rooms. Still, the logistics were a nightmare.
Timing everything down to the minute, picking places that were quiet enough to be safe but not suspicious, constantly looking over his shoulder like he was doing something criminal instead of just falling in love.
All of that made it hard, yet the worst part of it all was Dustin.
Dustin was the one person Steve hadn’t lied to yet. Which was impressive, considering he was your brother and more than capable of beating the living shit out of him if he found out about your relationship.
So yes, in short, Steve hated lying about your relationship.
Though unlike Steve, you were an exceptional liar.
It was a talent you wielded effortlessly and oh so smoothly, never hesitating and never overexplaining. You could look someone dead in the eye and spin a perfectly believable story without your pulse so much as fluttering.
Steve did not value dishonesty as a character trait. He really didn’t. But you were devastatingly good at it, and watching you lie with that calm, confident ease was — if he was being honest with himself— a huge turn-on. Which probably said more about him than it did about you.
Which was how he ended up now knocking quietly on your bedroom window at 8:30 in the evening.
You opened the window almost immediately, already grinning like you had been waiting there the whole time. Steve barely had time to step inside before your hands were on him, fingers curling into his jacket as you kissed him.
He was about to say I missed you, baby, but it came out muffled and stupid as your mouth moved against his, sounding more like “I miffed you” than anything intelligible.
You pulled back just long enough to smile at him. “Missed you too, Stevie.”
He laughed under his breath, hands finding your waist automatically as he nudged you backward until the backs of your knees hit the bed. He pushed you down with gentle insistence. “You called me over like it was an emergency,” he said, brushing his nose against yours. “What’s going on?”
You pouted dramatically. “What, I can’t wanna spend time with my boyfriend?”
Steve rolled his eyes fondly. “You can, but you were very ominous about it.”
“It’s boring here,” you complained, propping yourself up on your elbows. “All Dustin does is run around with his friends doing weird shit. I swear, if I hear about another goddamn radio one more time—”
“Yeah,” Steve cut in, grinning, “exactly. Which is precisely why I should not be here right now.”
You waved him off, completely unbothered. “Relaaax. He’s across the hall and deeply invested in something grossly scientific. We’re fine.” you said, dragging out the words.
Steve glanced toward the door anyway, nerves prickling despite your confidence. “You say that, but I am one unexpected door opening away from ruining my entire relationship with your brother.”
“You’re dramatic,” you said, reaching out to tug him closer by the collar. “Sit.”
Steve leaned back against the headboard while you talked, filling him in on your day in a rambling, animated stream. He listened the way he always did, half-lidded and indulgent, kissing your neck like he had all the time in the world as you complained about something Stacey–or whatever her name was— from gym class did.
“She actually said it was my fault,” you scoffed, waving a hand. “Like I tripped her.”
“Mhm,” Steve hummed, lips brushing your skin again.
You snorted. “You’re not even listening.”
“I am,” He finally looked at you then, eyes hazed and heavy-lidded, that familiar warmth darkened into something lazier, hungrier. His hand slid from your waist to your hip, fingers curling just enough to pull you back against him.
Then, softer, almost amused against your skin, “You know… I don’t think you realize how unfair you’re being right now.”
You hummed, a quiet sound that made him smile into your neck. “Unfair how?”
“These shorts…” he said, kissing just beneath your ear, lingering there. “You look really good in them. Like distractingly good.”
You laughed softly, fingers curling into the collar of his jacket. “They’re literally just pajamas, Steve.”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling back just enough to look at you, eyes warm and amused, “and yet somehow they’re ruining my ability to think straight.”
You rolled your eyes, but you were smiling, cheeks warm as you leaned forward to kiss him properly this time. He kissed you back without hesitation, familiar and easy as his hands slowly started to trail lower until they slipped past the waistband of your shorts.
The room was quiet except for the soft rustle of sheets and the faint sounds of the house settling around you.
Then there was a loud thud from across the hall.
Steve stiffened instantly, hand pulling away from you as you pushed him away. You froze too, heart jumping straight into your throat.
Footsteps followed, quick and careless, moving closer.
“Oh shit, shit, shit!” Steve whispered, pulling back completely.
“Window,” you hissed.
He scrambled off the bed, movements suddenly frantic as he headed straight for it, fumbling with the latch. He had just shoved it open when the door flew inward.
“Hey, I was just gonna ask if you—”
Dustin cut himself off.
He stood there, a bunch of wires in his hand, staring like his brain had completely short-circuited.
“…Steve?” he said slowly. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Steve turned around, caught mid-motion, hair messy, nerves written all over his face. For half a second, he genuinely looked like he might faint. His mouth opened yet nothing came out.
You stepped in immediately.
“Oh,” you said easily, swinging your legs off the bed and standing up like this was the most normal thing in the world. “Steve’s fixing my window.”
Dustin blinked. “Your window?”
“Yup,” you said, nodding toward it. “It’s been rattling for days. You just don’t notice because you’re always blasting that weird static crap in your room.”
“It’s not static,” Dustin said automatically, then frowned. “Wait. Since when does Steve fix windows?”
You didn’t hesitate for a second, the lie slipping smoothly. “Since he fixed his car window last week. Remember? When it got stuck halfway down and he couldn’t roll it back up?”
Dustin glanced at Steve. “You fixed that yourself?”
Steve nodded quickly. “Yeah. I mean—car windows, house windows… glass goes up, glass goes down. It’s all the same at the end of the day..” he laughed nervously.
That seemed to satisfy him. Dustin stepped further into the room, peering at the window inspecting the damage. “Huh. That’s actually kinda cool. You should’ve told me you knew how to do this. We could use that at Cerebro. The latch keeps sticking.”
“Yeah,” Steve said, forcing a smile. “Totally. I can look at it sometime.”
“Does it really rattle?” Dustin asked you.
“All the time,” you dragged out the words. “Especially when it’s windy. It’s annoying as hell.”
Dustin nodded thoughtfully. “Weird. I’ve never noticed.”
“That’s because you’re never in here,” you shot back.
He shrugged. “Fair.”
You grabbed your hoodie from the chair and headed for the door. “I’m gonna get the screws from the garage. I think they’re in the toolbox by the washer.”
As you passed Steve, he glanced down briefly, then back up at you, eyes wide and desperate. His expression screamed that this situation had become deeply inconvenient in more ways than one—mostly thanks to the very obvious bulge in his pants from your previous activities.
“So how long is this gonna take? Mom said dinner’s in like twenty minutes and—”
Steve swallowed, shifting his weight carefully, eyes flicking once more toward the open window.
“Uh,” he said, voice strained as he tried to angle himself away, hiding his little (but apparently not-so-little) friend, “not long. Just gotta… make sure it’s secure.”
Thankfully, Dustin seemed convinced and retreated back to his room, not even slightly suspicious. Steve let out a huge sigh of relief, knowing he would have been absolutely fucked if Dustin had noticed he had a boner while fixing his sister’s window.
2.
“Honey, you want butter or salt on that popcorn?” Steve called from the counter, holding a bucket that looked way too big for what you asked for.
“Is there caramel?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course, I’ll get that,” he said, and you heard the familiar shuffle of his shoes on the tiles as he walked toward the popcorn dispenser.
You followed behind, pretending to look around but really just watching him—Steve, who somehow looked like the absolute model of a gentleman right now, carrying your purse and filling up two massive buckets of popcorn. You’d asked for a medium, but of course he insisted on spoiling you, like he hadn’t just ripped your dress off a few hours ago in his car. God, you really had it bad for that man.
“Two tickets for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ,” he said, grinning at the cashier. He added, just for good measure, “The best seats, please.”
After getting the tickets and ordering, yet again, two large slushies, Steve turned, and started walking toward you. He leaned in, presumably for a kiss until you both were interrupted by a round of laughter.
A very familiar, very annoying, very fucking loud laughter.
You both froze. Slowly, you turned.
Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike, Eleven, and Max were all marching into the theater like they owned the place. Max’s eyes locked on you two first as she saw you both standing right at the ticket counter.
“Steve… and Y/N??” she asked, voice rising in shock.
Steve sighed, a long defeated sigh. “Oh, for fuck’s sake…” he murmured, more to himself than anyone else, as he tried to figure out how the hell you’d all just become the center of attention without even knowing.
Dustin’s mouth hung open for a second, then he leaned forward, pointing a finger at Steve. “Why are you two…here?”
“Oh, hello everyone!” you laughed nervously and very much annoyed at the aspect of your date being ruined.
Steve gestured vaguely around the lobby. “Uh. We are here to watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
Dustin blinked. “Together?”
Steve laughed. “What, no. No, man. Jesus. We just came here because—”
Before Steve could finish his horrible half-assed excuse, Mike suddenly stepped forward, voice cracking just slightly as he blurted, “I invited them!”
Every head snapped toward him.
“You did?” Dustin asked.
Lucas frowned. “You did?”
Max raised an eyebrow. “Why didn't you tell us?”
Mike nodded nervously. “Ehm–yeah! Thought you guys would enjoy the movie. Y’know, fun group outing. No big deal.”
You shot Mike a look, half confused, half relieved.
Dustin let out a long, dramatic “Ooooh,” instantly forgetting his suspicions. “Well. I mean. If Mike invited you...”
“Then you’re welcome to join us! We are also watching E.T!” Will exclaimed after Dustin.
“Yeah,” El added. “You’re welcome!”
Steve exhaled through his nose as the tension eased and the kids started drifting toward the ticket counter, already arguing about seats. He leaned closer to you, lowering his voice. “Well, our date is ruined.”
You snorted, slurping your slushie. “Be thankful it’s only ruined. If Mike hadn’t jumped in, you’d be six feet under once Dustin put the pieces together.”
Steve grimaced. “Fair point.” He watched Mike for a second, still baffled. “But I don’t understand…why the hell did he do that?”
You took another slow sip as the sound of the slushie left a grrrrr sound, eyes following the group. “Let’s just say I caught him a few days ago in a… similar predicament to ours.”
Steve frowned. “With who?” He paused, then frowned harder. “El?”
You shook your head, nodding toward the counter instead.
Steve followed your gaze. Mike and Will were standing too close, shoulders brushing, heads bent together like the rest of the world didn’t exist. Something clicked behind Steve’s eyes.
“Oh my god,” he whispered. “He’s screwing Byers?”
You laughed, nearly choking on your slushie. “Lower your voice, Jesus.”
Steve stared, stunned, then let out a breathy laugh. “Holy shit. That explains everything.”
“Exactly,” you said, smirking. “He owes me one for keeping his secret.”
Steve shook his head slowly, a grin creeping onto his face despite himself. “This town is insane.”
“Tell me about it.”
3.
Dustin knew Steve was hiding something.
It was obvious, painfully so, even to someone like him. Dustin liked to think of himself as reasonably perceptive, and even if he wasn’t some kind of psychic genius, his best friend was not subtle.
Although Steve had many talents. Secrecy was surely not one of them. The signs were everywhere. The constant disappearances, the excuses that made no sense if you thought about them for longer than five seconds, the sudden inability to hang out because he was “busy”. Everything was pointing at one obvious conclusion.
And then there was the glow.
Dustin usually didn’t buy into that whole love makes you glow bullshit. It sounded fake, like something Shakespeare would’ve thrown into a sonnet just to sound deep. But Steve had been walking around lately with this stupid look on his face, like his brain had short-circuited and decided to replace all higher functions with glitter and rainbows.
Which was really pathetic, if one asked Dustin.
He was smiling at nothing, laughing under his breath like an idiot, and generally acting like someone had slipped something into his morning coffee that Dustin was starting to reconsider his stance about the whole glow thing.
Dustin was currently slouched in the passenger seat of Steve’s car, watching through the windshield as Steve stood at the counter of the gas station’s grocery shop loading up on sodas.
The cashier rang everything up at a painfully slow pace, and Steve just stood there tapping his fingers against the counter, completely zoned out, grinning at absolutely nothing in particular.
“Jesus,” Dustin muttered under his breath. “Get a room with your own thoughts, man.”
Steve didn’t hear him, obviously, too busy living in whatever fantasy world had apparently taken up permanent residence in his head.
Yeah. No question about it. Steve was in love, and therefore, almost definitely dating someone.
The realization did not make Dustin mad. If anything, it made him weirdly relieved. Steve deserved good things, deserved someone who made him smile like that instead of wearing that tight, exhausted look Dustin had gotten used to over the year.
Still, there was a dull, uncomfortable tug in his chest that he could not quite ignore. Because Steve had not told him.
And Steve told Dustin everything. That had always been their thing, right? So why the hell was he suddenly holding something back now, of all times?
Steve was still inside, taking his time, so Dustin shifted in his seat. eyes drifting around the car. The car was a mess, as usual. Empty wrappers, crumpled receipts, a couple of cassette tapes shoved haphazardly into the compartment between the seats.
Dustin leaned forward, absently opening the little storage drawer built into the dash. He wasn’t snooping, not really. He was just bored, and that was a perfectly reasonable explanation to look around.
His fingers brushed against something small and solid in the drawer. He frowned, then pulled it out.
It was a box; red, neatly packaged, tied with a thin ribbon that had clearly been adjusted more than once. Dustin stared at it for a second, his curiosity getting the better of him. Slowly, he undid the ribbon and lifted the lid.
Inside was a golden, delicate necklace with a small heart pendant resting against the velvet lining. Definitely did not look cheap in any means.
“Ohhh” he murmured quietly.
That settled Dustin’s suspicions; Steve was definitely dating someone, and the idiot was clearly head over heels.
He closed the box immediately and retied the red ribbon, and slid it back into the drawer exactly where he’d found it.
Steve climbed in seconds later, arms full of junk food, that stupid, soft smile still firmly glued to his face. He dumped everything in the space between the seats and tossed a soda toward Dustin without looking, who caught it out of instinct.
“Got your favorite,” Steve said easily.
Dustin cracked the soda open but kept his eyes on Steve as he leaned back in the driver’s seat, humming quietly while he sorted through the bags. “You’re in a good mood,” he said, keeping his tone casual.
Steve glanced over. “Am I?”
“Yeah, man,” Dustin said flatly. “You’re glowing. It’s gross.”
Steve scoffed. “Must be the new face wash I’ve been using then. Glad to know it works ‘cause that shit cost me 20 bucks.”
Not that kind of glow, Dustin thought.
“You spent a good three minutes smiling at a bag of chips back there,” Dustin shot back. “So either you’re in love or you’ve finally snapped.”
Steve froze for half a second, his panic showing through. It was subtle, but Dustin caught it anyway.
Interesting.
“In love? Nah man. Where the hell did that come from.” he laughed nervously.
Dustin said slowly, eyes widening. “You have a girlfriend or somethin’?”
“What?” Steve laughed, and far too quickly. “No, I don’t.”
Dustin tilted his head, unimpressed. “Steve.”
“I don’t,” Steve insisted, shaking his head as he started the car. “I’m just, y’know, in a good mood.” he shrugged.
“Gosh,” Dustin said, rolling his eyes. “You suck at this. You’re actually terrible at lying.”
Steve opened his mouth, then closed it again. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Okay. Fine. Yes!”
Dustin grinned. “Yes, you have a girlfriend?”
“Yes,” Steve admitted. “I have a girlfriend.”
Dustin let out a loud, undignified noise, twisting in his seat so fast he nearly smacked his knee against the glove compartment. “Holy shit,” he said, grinning like he’d just been handed front-row tickets to something incredible. “That’s amazing. Seriously. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
Steve hesitated, his hands tightening on the steering wheel like it might give him guidance if he squeezed hard enough. “I just… I’m keepin’ it on the low right now, okay? It’s not a big deal.”
Dustin snorted. “You? Steve Harrington? The guy who once announced he had a crush to the entire video store after one date? You’re doin’ ‘low’ now?”
“Okay, shut up,” Steve shot back, but the words were undercut by the way his mouth curved into a smile anyway. “I mean it. I’m just… takin’ my time with this one.”
Dustin’s eyes lit up immediately. “Oh, this is serious then.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice like he was about to be let in on a state secret. “So who is she? Do I know her?”
Steve shook his head without missing a beat. “I’m not sayin’.”
“Oh, come on,” Dustin groaned, dropping back against the seat. “You can’t drop that on me and then clam up. I’m happy for you, Harrington. This is huge!”
“I know,” Steve said, quieter now, eyes fixed on the road. “I just need a little time, alright? That’s all I’m askin’ for.”
Dustin studied him for a moment, and whatever he saw there seemed to soften his hurt. He nodded once. “Alright. Fine.” Then his grin came back. “But for the record, I fully expect details eventually. Also, congrats on finally having consistent sex.”
Steve nearly swerved into the next lane. “Jesus Christ, Dustin!”
“What?” Dustin asked, it wasn’t like the topic of sex was taboo between them.
“You’re clearly happy. And besides, it’s kinda comforting to know you’re finally screwing someone on a regular basis. So honestly, you might as well spill some details.”
“Fuck no,” Steve said immediately, horrified. “Absolutely not. I would rather drive this car into a ditch than talk about that with you. And I’m pretty sure you don’t wanna hear it either.”
“Oh please,” Dustin shot back. “I have heard all the details about your hookups. Tammy Thompson, Carol Perkins, Emilia from—”
Steve winced. “Okay, first of all, you were not supposed to hear about half of those, and second of all,” he added quickly, “you really wouldn’t wanna know about this one.”
“Whatever, I’m just happy for you.” Dustin shrugged.
4.
There’s a saying that goes: even when life takes so much from you, it also gives a lot back. Time heals all wounds, but that was hard to believe when your nights were haunted by the things you’d seen in the Upside Down.
Even though it had been over a year since the painful experience, the monsters, the screams, there were nights—far too many nights—where the images came back, vivid and cruel.
Which is exactly how you found yourself lying on the cold kitchen floor at one in the morning, phone pressed to your ear, body curled slightly as though curling into yourself might make the world feel safer. That old wired phone—the one that belonged to your parents—was pressed just so, and your nose was red from quietly sniffing.
“No, Steve, it’s fine,” you whispered, voice tight. “You really don’t need to come over. I… I’ll be okay.”
There was a pause on the other end before Steve’s voice came, tight with worry. “Are you sure? You’re sure you’re okay? I don’t care about the time. It’s a ten minute drive, maybe less, and I can be there before you even blink.”
You sniffled again, blinking against the tears you didn’t want to admit were falling. “I… I just want to hear your voice,” you admitted softly. “That’s enough.”
“No, that’s not enough,” he said, frustration and concern threading through his words. “Y/N, you woke up from a horrible nightmare all shaken up and you’re telling me you’re fine? I don’t think so. I’m coming over. I can’t not.”
You let out a soft laugh, barely audible. “Steve…please. I don’t need you to drive over. Just—just talk to me for a minute. I’m too tired to deal with…everything else right now.”
There was a long pause, then the faint sound of him running a hand through his hair. “Okay, okay, fine. I’ll stay on the phone. But if you change your mind, I’m out the door in ten seconds.”
You shivered slightly, clutching the phone closer. “I’m… trying. I’m tired, Steve. I just… the nightmares won’t let me sleep.”
“I know, baby,” he murmured softly. “I know. And I’m sorry you have to deal with that. It’s not fair. You didn’t ask for any of this. You didn’t ask to see all that shit, to go through all of it. But I’m here. I’m right here. And you’re not alone, alright?”
You sniffled again. “Mhm. I just… sometimes it feels like it’s back, y’know? Like it’s all around me, and I can’t… breathe.”
Steve’s voice came soft, almost a whisper, like he was leaning over you even through the phone. “Hey… shhh, hey, it’s okay, baby. I know it feels heavy right now, I know it does. But you’re still here. You’re safe and I won’t let anything harm you. I’ve got you, alright? I’ll stay right here on the line as long as you need me.”
A quiet tear escaped, and you pressed the phone harder to your ear. “You really mean that?”
“Every word,” he said.
“I… I’m really tired,” you whispered, eyelids heavy. “But… thank you. For staying on the phone.”
“I’ll stay as long as you need,” he said. “You hear me? And tomorrow, if you want, we can hang out, eat some junk food, and watch some dumb movies, how’s that sound?”
A soft laugh broke past your exhaustion. “Okay,” you murmured. “Tomorrow sounds… good.”
“Good,” he said, smiling through the phone. “Now close your eyes. Try to rest and I’ll be right here. I promise.”
You yawned, the sound muffled against the phone, and whispered, “I’ll try.”
You were too drowsy to notice the quiet shift on the staircase. Dustin had stopped midway, listening to the faint conversation after he woke up from the sound of rustling downstairs only to find you on the phone.
His heart twisted hearing your soft, shaky voice. He couldn’t hear Steve's side of the conversation—only your side. But from the way you spoke, he could tell Steve was there comforting you and keeping you safe.
The alarm bells went off in his head, but he shoved them aside. If Steve was the one who could help you through the nightmares, then Dustin didn’t need to dig any deeper for answers or suspicions tonight.
With a quiet sigh, Dustin crept back upstairs, leaving you to your whispered reassurances and the fragile sense of peace settling over the kitchen floor.
He was, after all, too sleepy and exhausted to think too much of it.
+1
If there was one thing you hated more than anything, it was fighting with Steve.
And somehow, against all odds, he was currently sitting in the living room of your house with Dustin, like this was totally normal and not driving you completely insane.
Worse, there was nothing you could do about it. You couldn’t exactly kick your secret boyfriend out in front of your brother. You also couldn’t scream at him, or throw something at his head, or do any of the other deeply satisfying things you’d been imagining for the past two days.
Steve hadn’t even been subtle about it. He’d shown up under the excuse of “hanging out with Dustin,” which was bullshit, because Dustin was busy ranting about some new gadget and Steve hadn’t been listening to a word of it.
He kept glancing toward the kitchen like he was waiting for you to look back at him, like that would somehow fix everything.
It wouldn’t.
You were in the kitchen, cutting watermelon into uneven slices, jaw clenched so tight it ached. You told yourself you were being efficient, but really, you were being petty. Every slice you set aside for Steve had as many seeds as you could stuff in there—a small, vindictive way to get back at him for the kind of shit he’d pulled.
You didn’t even feel bad about it. He deserved to suffer a little after pulling the kind of shit he had.
You dragged the knife through the rind harder than necessary. And then it slipped.
“Shit,” you hissed as pain flared across your palm, sharp and immediate. The knife clattered onto the counter before you could even process what happened.
Before you could grab a towel, the knife was gone.
You looked up, heart jumping, and there was Steve, standing way too close behind you in the kitchen.
“What the hell are you doing,” you snapped, instinctively pulling your hand back. “Why are you following me in here? Isn’t it enough that I have to pretend we’re fine in front of Dustin?”
He didn’t argue or even joke. He just sighed, long and tired, like this had been weighing on him for days too.
“Let me see your hand,” he said quietly.
“No.”
“Don’t do that,” he replied, gentle but firm, already reaching for you. “You’re bleeding.”
You hesitated, then let him take your hand. His grip was careful, thumb brushing lightly against your skin. He grabbed gauze from the drawer without even thinking, muscle memory kicking in, and turned the faucet on low.
“This is exactly what I mean,” you muttered. “You act like this and then expect me not to be mad.”
Steve cleaned the cut slowly, eyes fixed on your palm. “I know. And I fucked up. I know I did.”
You stayed quiet, letting him talk. The kitchen felt smaller than usual, the sound of running water filling the space between you.
“I wasn’t trying to make you feel hidden,” he continued, voice low. “I just… every time I thought about telling him, I pictured his face. And the questions. And the way he never shuts up. And I panicked. That’s on me. Not you.”
He wrapped the gauze around your hand, careful not to pull too tight. “You don’t deserve that. You don’t deserve to feel like I’m ashamed of you, because I’m not at all. I’m just an idiot.”
You swallowed, throat tight, still not looking at him.
“I should’ve done better, but I—”
“What’s going on in here?”
Both of you froze up. You turned just in time to see Dustin standing in the doorway, eyes locked on your hand in Steve’s, on the gauze, on how close he was standing.
You both turned around quickly, trying to act casual. You held your hand up like nothing happened. “It’s fine,” you said, forcing a shrug. “I’m not, like… we’re not holding hands or anything. Steve was just helping me because I cut myself.”
Dustin raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
You rolled your eyes. “I mean it, Dustin. It’s not what it looks like.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about that,” he said with a shrug. Then, without warning, he held up a necklace in his hand. A delicate gold chain with a heart-shaped locket dangling from it.
Your stomach dropped. “Oh. Where—where did you find that?”
Dustin turned toward you, raising the locket so you could see it better. “I went to your room to look for that Indiana Jones DVD you mentioned,” he said casually, “and well… this was just sitting on your dresser.”
Your jaw went slack. “You went in my room?”
He ignored the mini-panic in your voice and glanced at Steve with a sigh that could’ve crushed the both of you. “And you, Harrington…”
Steve straightened, trying to look casual, and opened his mouth. “Listen, it’s not—”
“—so, this is not the same necklace I saw in your car a few weeks ago that was meant for your secret girlfriend?”
Steve froze for a second, hands halfway raising in defense. “Woah, okay. Uh, I don’t think we should be talking about this like that.” he said, voice cautious.
You jumped in, waving your hands. “Dustin, wait—you need to calm down, okay?”
“Calm down?” Dustin repeated, narrowing his eyes at Steve. “You mean the part where he's been screwing my sister and I find out by a fucking necklace?”
Steve threw his hands up. “Okay, okay, I get it! Look, I wasn’t trying to hide it, not exactly. I just… didn’t know how to tell you. I thought you’d get mad. And I didn’t wanna risk our friendship, man. I swear, I was gonna tell you soon, like really soon. It just… happened. And, things kinda happened.”
Dustin tilted his head, holding the necklace up again like it was evidence in a murder trial. “ Steve, you’ve been sneaky and going around hiding stuff, and I get it—you’re happy—but come on!”
The room felt too small all of a sudden. Steve opened his mouth again, clearly ready to keep apologizing and explaining himself, but Dustin didn’t even look at him this time.
His eyes flicked to you instead, sharp and searching in a way that made your chest tighten.
“Can we talk alone?” Dustin said, already turning toward the hallway. It wasn’t really a question.
Steve hesitated, glancing at you with eyes full of worry. You squeezed his fingers once before letting go, a quiet reassurance, and nodded. He stepped back, lingering near the counter.
Dustin led you out into the porch where you sat on your mom’s fluffed up garden couches. For a moment, neither of you spoke. He stared at the floor, the necklace looped around his fingers now instead of held up like a weapon.
“I’m not mad,” he said finally, voice lower than usual. “Okay, maybe a little mad. But that’s not what this is about.”
You waited. You knew better than to rush him.
He glanced at you then. “I just wanna know if you’re… happy. Like, actually happy.”
You leaned back into the couch, shoulders brushing his. “I am,” you said honestly. “Steve makes me happy. He makes me feel safe. He listens to me, even when I’m being stubborn or when we argue. And yeah, we fight sometimes—but I am happy.”
Dustin was quiet, picking at the chain in his hands. “He better,” he muttered. “Because I swear to God, if he ever—”
“I know,” you said softly, bumping your knee against his. “And I wouldn’t be with him if I thought he’d hurt me. I promise.”
That seemed to ease something in him. He let out a slow breath and leaned back, eyes on the ceiling. “So why hide it? I mean… I’m annoying, yeah, but I’m not, like gonna sabotage your relationship if you’re both happy.”
You huffed a small laugh. “I know. It wasn’t about not trusting you. It was just… complicated. You’re my younger brother. He’s your friend. And I didn’t know how to tell you without making it weird or feeling like I was crossing some invisible line. Plus, we wanted to keep it private for a while. Just… us.”
“I know,” you replied softly, voice a little tight. “And I’m sorry I didn’t. I didn’t want the first time you found out to be like this.”
He glanced at you, lips twitching despite himself, a reluctant little smile tugging at the corner. “Yeah… well. Finding out via incriminating jewelry isn’t exactly ideal,” he muttered, shaking his head.
You let out a small, rueful laugh, leaning your head against his shoulder for a moment. He didn’t pull away, and you let yourself stay there for a beat longer than you should have. “I’m really sorry, Dustin,” you whispered, tone earnest. “You’re my baby brother. I shouldn’t have kept this from you, especially since I know how much Steve means to you. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
Dustin’s fingers flexed around the necklace in his hand, and he let out a long, slow sigh, finally pushing himself to his feet. “It’s okay, Y/N,” he said quietly, voice calmer now. “I get it. I just… I wanted to make sure you’re actually happy. Not just saying it because I asked. I needed to know that he… that you’re good with him.”
You smiled, warm and a little tender, and stepped forward, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug.
He froze for half a second, then awkwardly hugged you back just as tightly.
“Awwww,” you teased softly, pulling back just enough to peek up at him. “My little baby brother, all protective and worried about me.”
Dustin groaned, rolling his eyes but smiling despite himself. “Shut up, Y/N,” he said. “I’m not your baby.”
“Sure you’re not,” you said, still smirking, giving him a playful squeeze before letting go. “Now go. Go tell Steve what’s what before he freaks out even more.”
Dustin muttered something under his breath, tugging the necklace off his fingers, then straightened and strode toward the door.
You couldn’t help laughing quietly to yourself, watching him go, knowing that underneath the eye-rolling and teasing, he really did care—and that you were lucky to have him in your corner.
Dustin slipped back inside. He found Steve standing near the couch, eyes unfocused, staring at nothing in particular. When Steve finally noticed him, his gaze sharpened, and it was full of regret and worry.
“Uh… hey,” Dustin said slowly, shifting from foot to foot. He swallowed, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. “Can I… can I ask you something?”
“Yeah,” Steve replied immediately. “Anything.”
Dustin swallowed. “Were you ever friends with me just because you wanted her?”
Steve’s stomach dropped at the question.
He straightened, brow furrowing. “What? No. Dustin—”
“Because if that’s the case,” Dustin rushed on, voice tightening despite himself, “I just wanna know. I can deal with it, I just— I don’t wanna be the idiot who thought this meant something if it didn’t.”
Steve took a step closer without thinking. “Hey. No. That’s not—” He scrubbed a hand over his face, searching for the right words. “Man, I didn’t even know she liked me when you and I started hanging out. You were just… you. And you mattered to me before anything else did, you were—are my best friend before anything else.”
“I just—” he hesitated. “I keep thinking maybe I was stupid. Like maybe you were always here for her and I just didn’t see it.”
Steve stepped closer, shaking his head. “You weren’t stupid. And I wasn’t using you. I swear.” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “What happened with her wasn’t planned. It wasn’t a thing I decided to do.”
“Then what was it?” Dustin asked.
Steve exhaled. “You know how people say you fall in love?”
Dustin nodded slowly.
“Sometimes it’s not like that,” Steve said, voice low, almost careful, like he was trying to measure every word. “Sometimes it’s not this lightning strike or a moment that hits you and knocks you off your feet. Sometimes…it’s more like…you walk into it.”
Dustin seemed stunned at Steve’s words, not expecting this amount of vulnerability.
“You walk into it slowly, one step at a time. And at first, you don’t even notice. You think it’s just…life. Just…routine. You don’t realize it until you’re already in the middle of it, completely surrounded, and there’s no going back without losing something you didn’t even know you had.”
Dustin’s voice dropped, small and uncertain. “You couldn’t…help it?”
Steve shook his head, a short, humorless laugh escaping. “No. I couldn’t. Not at all. I thought I could, you know? I tried. I tried to keep it at a distance. I told myself it was a really bad idea.” He stopped, his jaw tightening.
“But it wasn’t. It was everything. Little things. The way she laughed at the stupidest jokes, even when I was barely funny. The way she listened when I rambled about shit that didn’t matter. The way she could look at me and make me feel like I was enough, even when I wasn’t sure I deserved to feel that way. It’s all those moments, one after another, stacking up quietly until suddenly…it was overwhelming.”
He paused, and his hands flexed against the counter, knuckles white. “And I kept telling myself I was imagining it. That it would pass. That I could step back before it got too…real. And then one morning I woke up and looked at her, really looked at her, and I realized I had it so bad, Dustin. So completely, hopelessly bad. And by that point, it wasn’t a choice anymore. I didn’t even know how to stop. I didn’t want to stop. And I was terrified—terrified that if I stepped away, I’d lose both of you. I’d lose my best friend…your sister…everything.”
He swallowed, eyes glimmering. “And that’s when I understood that I couldn’t help it, Dustin. I didn’t want to.”
Dustin’s shoulders sagged a little. “You were scared.”
“Yeah, terrified.” Steve admitted. “I didn’t want to lose you. I didn’t want you thinking I crossed some line on purpose. I was just… trying to figure out how to be honest without blowing everything up.”
For a long second, Dustin didn’t say anything. Then he stepped forward suddenly and wrapped his arms around Steve’s middle, hugging him hard.
Steve froze, then hugged him back just as tight.
“I don’t like it,” Dustin muttered into his shirt. “But I get it.”
Steve let out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.”
“I know,” Dustin said, pulling back and wiping his face with his sleeve. “Just—don’t screw it up.”
“I won’t,” Steve promised. “I swear.”
Dustin dug into his pocket and pulled the necklace back out, the gold chain glinting under the kitchen light. He held it out to Steve, not like evidence this time, but like an offering.
“For the record,” he said, tone almost shy now, “it’s a really nice necklace.”
Steve blinked, then let out a breathy laugh as he took it. “Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thanks.”
There was a pause as Dustin leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, eyes flicking toward the front door.
“So,” he said casually. “Why were you guys arguing before I caught you?”
Steve’s stomach dropped.
“Oh. Shit.” He looked at the necklace in his hand as he realized he forgot about the argument you both had.
“Oh shit, I—fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair, panic setting in fast and unfiltered. “I gotta go. I really screwed it up. Fuck, man, fuck.”
And before Dustin could even respond, Steve was already moving, shoving the door open as he hurried outside.
Dustin watched him go, lips twitching. “I’d say get a pair of earrings this time!” he called after him, laughing when Steve shot him a frantic look over his shoulder and kept going.
He stayed where he was, drifting toward the window without really meaning to. Outside, Steve was already rambling, hands flying as he talked, apologizing in that messy, earnest way of his, clearly trying to fix whatever dumb thing he had managed to screw up.
You stood there with your arms crossed, weight shifted to one hip, expression unimpressed in a way Dustin knew very well. The bratty attitude of yours was all there.
Not even halfway through Steve’s frantic explanation, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him. Steve froze for half a second before melting into it, relief written all over him as he broke the hug to clasp the necklace around your neck, murmuring something Dustin couldn’t hear.
Then he leaned down and kissed you.
Dustin immediately turned away. “Gross,” he muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Still, he smiled.
Because even if he wasn’t ready to watch it, even if it was weird as hell seeing his best friend kiss his older sister, he knew it was right. He knew you were happy.
And he knew, deep down, that Steve Harrington had somehow managed to stumble into exactly the person he was meant to love.
steve harrington masterlist
a/n: for some reason this fic took me a whole 40 days to write, but nonetheless it was a very fun and cute experience <3 i enjoyed exploring more of steve and dustin's dynamic, so hopefully i did it all justice!!
reblogs, comments, and likes are so veryyy highly appreciated <3 <3
Please spread this around. Don't let ANYONE lie and say my community is anything but ASTONISHINGLY UNITED in rejection of ICE's behavior. This crosses generations, race lines, party lines, class lines. THAT is how bad ICE is. THAT is how bad we want them gone.
THAT is how loudly we are DEMANDING they leave!
Do you understand what a crowd like this means in a small city like Minneapolis??? In weather that hurts to breathe???
you turned into your worst fears and you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain, crossing out the good years!
summary: steve harrington used to be the person you'd go to for anything but after the events of 86', the invisible string between you has been severed beyond repair. after vecna cursed you and max, perhaps luck was on your side as she lay still in hawkins hospital; but was it really luck if you're stuck between dustin and steve at each others throats in the upside down, voicing opinions you thought you could repress for the rest of your life?
warnings: set in s5 but briefly covers previous seasons, angst, loneliness, cursing, mentions of death, steve's a little mean but we cover why in the next part, generally sad reader, angsty-ish ending (for now!), slight change in plot, we love nancy wheeler in this house, 1K word intro / exposure whaaaattt
(this is pure angst i'm sorry (not really) but there will be a part two! ...and maybe part three idk i'm improvising / also i'm pro-yapper so everything is super extended it's becoming an issue lol)
word count: 4.7K
part two,, part three,,
steve harrington x fem!reader
(STRANGER THINGS S5 VOLUME 2 SPOILERS)
𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 'good times' simply solidify the ideology that they’re never coming back. What was once the life you lived freely, unaware of the sheer jealousy your future self would feel, was now only a memory, something you wished you could live vicariously through.
But who could blame a girl for wanting the days where she wasn’t tormented by another being that she had failed, let down everyone she loved and the mere existence of her was at the expense of someone else, someone more innocent and had life behind her eyes.
You’d prefer to say that Hawkins was like living in hell than go down the wormhole of suppressed feelings. And the fact that you couldn’t leave this mess of a town due to the military quarantining you and everyone you wished to avoid, validates your statement that Hawkins had it out for you.
Everyone suffered in the spring of 1986, the group was severed and discovered that everything they thought they knew about the Upside Down was wrong; everything they had already fought was just the beginning.
Over time, everyone moved on. Distanced themselves from the reality they lived out 18 months ago and focused on the now, how they could save Hawkins after Vecna had fulfilled his promise.
But it’s harder to move on when it should’ve been you lying in Hawkins Hospital, heart monitor steady and face pale, your body still as the doctor insisted you were in a coma. You should’ve been sick of the stench of the hospital, annoying everyone that came to visit you as you showed no signs of waking up anytime soon.
It should’ve been your walkman resting on the bedside table, headphones draped loosely around your neck after everyone got fed up of hearing the same song on repeat, binning out the boombox and preferring to have the music reserved for your ears only.
But it wasn’t you. In some twisted reality you called normality, Max Mayfield was the one who suffered the fate that was designed for you.
You visited her often, not only because you babysitted her throughout her childhood and made it known to everyone that she was your favourite of the group, but because your endless guilt forced you to sit in the chair beside her bed, staring at the reminder that you had failed; and everyone around you was too nice to say it to your face.
In the time that you had held Max’s hand with your own clammy palm, you had grown accustomed to seeing Lucas almost every day and muttering the same mantra to his hopeless face: “I’m sorry. I did everything I could.”
And Lucas would interrupt you every time, “Don’t ever be sorry. I’m glad you’re here.”
At least someone could put a soft smile on your face as Hawkins crumbles around you.
You wished you could confide in him but he was still a kid battling with his own issues, high school still relevant as he tried to keep the town from falling apart, the love of his life was unconscious and his best friend had changed severely within the 18 months, much like the rest of you.
One name rang around your mind as you searched for an output, someone you wished you could let in and not feel so alone. But whatever friendship or connection you had with Steve Harrington was in the past, and it seemed adamant to stay there.
Oh, Steve Harrington. The man you would go to for anything, whether that was fighting inter-dimensional creatures or dragging someone along to the movie you had been dying to watch and knew you could convince him with the promise of paying for him; although he would never let you, he preferred to enjoy your company.
You remembered the way he refused to let go of your hand as you ventured below Starcourt Mall and how he promised he would keep you safe as you sat back to back, mind running a million thoughts as you dreaded what the Russians would do to you.
How could you forget when you sat on the bathroom floor, sandwiched in the stalls between Steve and Robin as their words were prompted by the ‘truth serum’. And how Steve admitted that he had fallen in love with someone else after Nancy Wheeler.
Of course, his admission was cut short by Dustin barging into the bathrooms, his posture reeking of stress and urgency, enough to get the three of you on your feet and any further words trapped behind the burning walls of Starcourt Mall.
Then as Vecna forced his way into your lives and targeted you and Max, you felt your sanity snatched out from under your feet and Steve’s hands to support you as you convinced yourself you were losing your mind.
He used to have your walkman and favourite song tucked into the backpack Dustin carried everywhere, refusing to let you leave the house or out of his sight without it in touching distance. You’d tell him that it was manifesting a bad outcome, but he’d scoff and say, “I don’t care. As long as you’re safe.”
To say you were fond of Steve Harrington was an understatement. You had been harbouring a crush on him for a while now, but who didn’t?
How could you not fall for Steve “The Hair” Harrington?
Steve with his perfect hair and handsome face, with a laugh you could recognise anywhere. Perhaps it was the way he looked at you that made it easy to become enamoured with him, how his eyes would soften whenever you spoke up and how even in the darkest times, he would cup your face and make sure the only thing you saw was him.
You could feel the ghost of his hand brush against the small of your back whenever you stood alone in the group as they discussed the crawls, reminding you of the man that now stood on the opposite side of the room to you and how he used to be your anchor back to reality.
You were told good things never last, but you never put Steve Harrington into the category of things you could lose.
You found yourself pushing him away the second Max closed her eyes and they never reopened. The last words Steve spoke directly to you were reassurances whispered into your hair, his arms wrapped around your frame as your body shook from hearing the final chime of the clock, confirming your fears that Max had been cursed one final time.
You shut yourself out from everyone. It was expected, but no one made the effort to drag your past self back to the surface, leaving her drowning in the sorrow that the spring of 86’ provided.
You understood that it shouldn’t be you standing here listening to the group relay ideas for the crawl, it should’ve been a redhead tucked under Lucas’ arm who mocked any stupid ideas that Mike would throw out.
To remove yourself from the equation was easier than accepting that the past cannot be changed.
If your lack of inclusion in the group was the closest you could reach to the fate that was written under your name, then it was what you would conform to. No matter how much it hurts to feel pitying eyes on your form.
"𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋, 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 really promising.” Steve sighed as his flashlight scaled the walls of the lab, falling behind Dustin’s hurried steps.
How you found yourself in the Upside Down’s version of Hawkins Lab with Steve, Nancy, Jonathan and Dustin and tensions high was a question you wished you could say was unanswered. But after driving Steve’s precious beamer into a wall and following Dustin’s throw-in-the-dark idea, your day had already decided to suck.
“We’re in the lobby.” Dustin huffed. If you thought you were outward with your uncomfortable situation with Steve, Dustin made sure he won that argument.
You walked beside Nancy as she furrowed her brows at the surroundings, “And… where are we going exactly?” She tilted her head.
“Right. Like, what is it we’re looking for?” Jonathan asked as he looked at Dustin. “You’ve all seen Return of the Jedi?” Dustin said.
You stumbled to a stop as your heart clenched uncomfortably. You were the one who introduced the franchise to Steve. When he secured his job at Family Video beside you and Robin, you made sure he knew some recent films and found yourselves brushing shoulders on movie nights and watching his brows screw up as he tried to understand the plot.
You felt a pair of eyes burning into the side of your face. “The one with the teddy bears?” Steve mumbled.
“Ewoks.” You and Dustin said in unison, “Yeah, it’s the best one.” Steve responded.
Nancy raised her eyebrows, “Is it?” Dustin scoffed, “No, but every child loves it, so tracks.” You pressed your lips together to prevent a small smile from appearing on your face. Nancy’s eyes flickered to you and noticed, her eyes softening as she watched a glimpse of your past self slip out.
“In the film, if you recall,” Dustin stepped forwards, “the rebels need to destroy a second Death Star, but it’s surrounded by a protective energy shield, which is created by a shield generator.”
“Yeah, cool. Thanks for the summary of a movie we’ve all seen.” Steve’s voice echoed around the lifeless lobby. Of course he remembered the film, despite watching it to satisfy you only, he understood the context to some extent.
“It could be relevant, Steve.” You cleared your throat, eyes glancing his way as he turned around to face you, his expression unreadable.
Dustin nodded in your direction, “Thank you!” He gestured to you before continuing his analogy, “Look, I think this circular flesh wall is Vecna’s version of an energy shield, except it’s not sci-fi.”
“It’s supernatural, created by Vecna’s dark magic. And this dark magic shield is what’s preventing us from reaching him and saving Holly.” You crossed your arms over your chest as the group huddled around Dustin. “But if my math is correct, the generator for the shield has to be in this lab.” He finished.
Jonathan stood between you and Steve, “So if we find this dark magic shield generator…” Even hearing the words come out of someone else’s mouth felt strange, you couldn’t believe you had been roped into this again.
Dustin nodded, “We destroy the wall.” You fiddled with your flashlight, “Find Vecna.”
“Save Holly.” Nancy finished your sentence, her sister being at the forefront of her mind.
“Medals for all.” You offered Dustin a tight smile as his sarcastic enthusiasm had you wanting to find this shield generator as soon as possible, needing to breathe after being suffocated in the uncomfortable tension.
Steve placed his hands on his hips, “And it looks like what?”
“How would you expect me to know that?” Dustin rolled his eyes and turned his back on the group. You let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed your face with your hands, squeezing your eyes shut and hoping that when they reopen, it’ll all be some sick illusion.
Steve scoffed as he watched the tension build in your shoulders, “If you’re gonna complain then you should just leave now. This wasn’t exactly our ideal location.”
You lifted your head and realised Steve’s annoyance was directed at you. Your face screwed up with confusion and your eyes darted between Nancy and Jonathan, “I’m not complaining. Where’d you get that from?”
Steve opened his mouth to retort but Nancy took a step forward to follow in Dustin’s trail, “We don’t have time for this.” She ordered and nodded for you to follow, not seeing her shoot Steve a disappointed gaze.
Jonathan cleared his throat to diffuse the tension, leaving Steve behind the pack and eyes trained on the back of the person he used to call his best friend.
Dustin shouldered the door open and you suppressed a groan when you made eye contact with two flights of stairs. “Up or down?” You asked.
“I say both. Search in two teams. Cover more ground.” Nancy concluded, keeping a tight grip on her bag thrown over her shoulder.
Steve nodded beside you, ignoring the way your shoulders touched in the tight space, “Yeah, that’s cool with me, but can we just switch the teams up?”
Your jaw clenched as you remembered all the times everyone would assume you and Steve were paired together in these situations. You suspected that he would want distance from you but to hear it out loud and under unfortunate circumstances made you want to bash your head into the wall.
“Nance, you and me to go up?” Nancy’s head snapped towards the brunette, her eyes wide, “Oh, I mean…” She shook her head.
“Are you serious?” Jonathan scoffed. You almost laughed at being situated in the middle of Steve and Jonathan as they battled it out for who could be more ‘macho’, as you and Nancy liked to call it.
“Us three,” Steve gestured at you and Dustin, “We need some space.”
Jonathan shrugged, “Fine. How about me and you? Then her and Nance?” You raised your brows, suddenly on board with the pairing options.
“I think we need some space too.” Steve shut down your ideal groups rather quickly.
“So everyone but Nancy. That’s just… It’s convenient.” Jonathan’s voice dropped as he glanced over at you staring at the floor, “I don’t get it. What are you trying to prove to her?” He jutted his thumb out in your direction.
You widened your eyes, “Me?” Steve closed his eyes and shook his head, “This has nothing to do with her.”
“How about this?” You raised your voice, hand rubbing your temple as their bickering started to give you a headache, “I’ll go alone. Three groups will be more beneficial.”
You lifted your flashlight and went to take a step in the other direction, but Nancy’s hand tugging you on the back of your shirt sent you stumbling back and crashing into Steve’s chest.
“You’re not going alone.” Nancy said firmly, refusing to let you out of anyone's sight.
You readjusted your footing and brushed your clothing as you leaned out of Steve’s touch, “Of course you wanted to go alone.” You heard him mutter under his breath.
Before you could respond, Nancy cut you off. “Hey, we don’t have time for this. Let’s just keep it simple, stick to the usual teams.” She shot you an apologetic look.
“Nance, please--” You groaned as Steve and Dustin offered her the same pleas, “I can’t--”
“End of discussion.” She raised her voice, her feet taking her up the stairs and avoiding the three frustrated looks directed at her. Jonathan patted you on the shoulder and whispered an apology under his breath as he brushed past you and followed Nancy, leaving Steve and Dustin to sigh in the wake.
Steve sighed and looked over at Dustin, “Awesome.” He said sarcastically. Dustin raised his brows and dragged his feet down the extensive amount of steps.
Steve turned to you and you looked up at him. You could recall the days when his eyes would soften when they met your own, a smile gracing his flushed face and hands raised to fix his hair, desperate to constantly look his best whenever you saw him.
Now those eyes felt like a void, you couldn’t decipher what he was feeling. “Just awesome.” He repeated and barged your shoulder slightly as he passed you.
You took a deep breath and rolled your shoulders, easing the tension and headache that was brewing. You reminded yourself that this was for the greater of Hawkins because if it was up to you, you would have sprinted out of the lab at the first chance than explore with your ex-best friend and the kid that hates his guts.
With each step you took, you felt the throbbing pain in your head get worse. It wasn’t unusual to get migraines with the stress you found yourself under constantly, but this one felt different.
It felt familiar.
The pain caused you to feel lightheaded, tripping on the last step and forcing a hand out on the wall to catch your fall. You clenched your teeth together and pressed the heel of your hand against your temple.
Steve heard heavy footsteps behind him and turned around, the beam of his flashlight shining right in your face, “You alright?” He asked, voice teetering on edge of concern.
You nodded and stuck a hand out to block the light shining at you, “Yeah, I’m good.” You lied through your teeth, pushing through the ache to follow Dustin who led the pair of you.
Steve nodded slowly and retracted his flashlight, “Okay, that was too many stairs.” He joked weakly, trying to diffuse the worry that flooded his body.
Dustin, unaware of the torment you were experiencing behind him, quoted, “Treasures are always hidden in the deepest depths of the dungeon.”
“What is it, a treasure or a magic shield generator? Keep your metaphors straight, dude.” Steve said as he turned his back on you.
You sighed, “Analogy.” You whispered to yourself, correcting his statement but lacking the care to fight with him once again.
Steve and Dustin strode forward, pushing on the double doors to reveal a room designed for kids. Rainbows were painted on the floors and walls and games were scattered all over the floor.
“Did not expect to find a daycare in this hellhole.” Steve felt his heart rate pick up at the dystopian room, “That’s a perk.”
You entered the room and leaned your back against the wall, eyes squeezing shut as it felt like someone was toying with your brain, prodding at it until you cracked. You didn’t even notice begin to leave the room until his frustration boiled over.
“While I search the rest of the basement, why don’t you stay here and play with your balls?” He chucked the object back at Steve, “Perfect, yeah.” Steve clenched his jaw.
The pair bickered back and forth before Dustin left with a scowl on his face. You leaned over to watch his figure retreating and turned to Steve who hoisted himself up to sit on one of the desks.
You interrupted the silence, “So I take it you two don’t get along anymore.” You crossed your arms over your chest and pushed yourself to stand upright.
Steve scoffed, “What would you know? You haven’t been here.”
Your movement halted, “I’ve been here.” You squinted at him as he rested his elbows on his knees.
“You’ve been here,” Steve gestured to your figure, “But here,” He tapped the side of his head, tongue wedged between his teeth in frustration, “You’re somewhere else. And you have been for the last 18 months.”
Your breathing shallowed, “That’s called grief, Steve. We all go through it.”
“But what are you grieving? That’s what I don’t get.” He snapped, eyes meeting your own as you shrunk under his hard gaze.
“Max.” Her name felt wrong on the tip of her tongue. You refused to say it for months after she was admitted into hospital, the reminder of the redhead had you wanting to hurl on the floor of the lab.
Steve let out a loud laugh, “You’re grieving someone that’s not even dead! What are the chances that Max wakes up during all of this? Pretty damn high if you ask me.” He ran his hand through his hair and watched your face screw up in sheer disgust at his words.
Steve licked his lips, “You know, I think you secretly wanted this.”
You felt your heart stop in your chest, “What?”
You watched the brunette nod, “I think you’ve been spiralling for a while now and used this whole Max and Vecna situation as an excuse. You were barely affected during the curse and now you’ve decided to make it everyone else’s problem.”
The difference is, you were affected. And Steve knew it.
Who was the one who held you as you recalled your first vision, hands shaking and kisses peppered along your hairline. The same man who basically told you that you had it easy that spring, that you’re living off the thrill of being cursed a handful of times.
You turned your back on him, “I’m not doing this right now.” You heard him shout as you pushed the double doors open, “Shutting me out once again!”
You hurried out the room, not baring to stand the sight of his face again. You feel a bile rise in the back of your throat, the noises of the dormant lab suffocate you, and the throbbing pain between your skull intensifies.
You hadn’t noticed anything was wrong until you saw a drop of red stain your sweater. Your head snapped down and tugged at the material to gain a closer look.
Your eyes widened and you lifted your hand to touch under your nose. Retracting your hand, you saw that the tips of your fingers were painted red.
“Shit.” You cursed and tugged the sleeves of your sweater over your hands, wiping the blood that streamed from your nose onto the material.
You furrowed your brows as you racked your brain for the last time your nose decided to spontaneously bleed. It was so out of the ordinary that you couldn’t remember.
A light behind a door caught your eye. It looked out of place, like whatever was behind it was not meant to be there. Your feet carried you towards it before your brain comprehend what was going on.
Just as you placed the palm of your hand against the door, inches away from pushing it open, you heard a loud crash from the room you were previously in.
Your mind running a million different worst case scenarios, you sprinted towards the noise. As you got closer, you heard familiar yells and curses, the sound of items cluttering to the floor made your heart pick up.
Skidding around the corner, you stumbled into the room panting. Your eyes locked onto Steve as he sat up, groaning in pain, “You know what, man? I’m done.” He slowly clambered to his feet, ignoring your worried gaze.
“I’m done!” He shouted and barged against your shoulder as you stood in the doorway, eyes flickering between a beaten Dustin on the floor and Steve who had a fresh bruise forming on his cheek.
Putting two and two together, you tugged Steve back by gripping onto his jacket, “What the fuck just happened?” You raised your voice, on the heels of Steve as he tried to shake off your hold.
“None of your business.” His voice broke as he refused to spare Dustin a second glance, hearing his voice echo down the hallways, “You dumb, fake asshole!”
You let out an exasperated sigh and swallowed your nerves, “I think it’s my business when you scare the shit out of me!” You yanked him to a stop and he looked past you, “Is that a bruise?”
Your fingers gently brushed the underside of Steve’s jaw before he slapped your hand away, “No--” “Did you get in a fight?” You furrowed your brows.
Steve placed his hands on your shoulders, “Can you stop?” His eyes locked onto the blood staining the sleeve of your sweater, furrowing his brows as he wondered when you had gotten hurt.
Through your concern, you failed to hear him, “Tell me what the hell happened--”
“God! You’re so ungrateful!” Steve yelled and you flinched slightly at the tone of voice, one he had never used on you before.
You squinted up at him, “Ungrateful?” You voiced your offence as your hands dropped from tending to his recent wounds, and his own dropped off your shoulders, finding home in gripping his jeans.
Steve bit down on his bottom lip as if what was spewing out of his mouth was the filtered half, “You’re standing here and breathing just fine by yourself! But guess who isn’t?”
Your breath hitched as your mind went to Max who lay still, hooked up to anything the hospital could find to classify her condition to be a coma, “Where are you going with this?” Your voice wavered.
“I’m saying that Max would’ve been grateful.” Steve’s response was enough to sever any chance of redeeming what you had. You could barely recognise the man standing in front of you, the one so overcome with anger that he wouldn’t understand the severity of his words until moments later.
You took a deep breath, “And I’m saying that you’re being a dick.”
“You got lucky that spring and you know it.” You took a step back from him, “You’re being mean, Steve.”
Steve looked down and huffed out a laugh, “And we’ve been telling you this whole time, ‘It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have done anything.’” You felt tears prickle at your eyes, “In my opinion, I think you could’ve done more--”
“Shut up!” You shouted and shoved him in the chest. “And if you hadn't left Max alone that night…”
Tears blurred your vision, “Are you saying that it should’ve been me?”
The silence should’ve been your answer. You should’ve left the second Steve didn’t immediately shut down the ludicrous statement. But your heart yearned to know the truth, to know what he had really thought about you since that night; if everything between you was simply a wrinkle in time, something that was never meant to exist but would ultimately be crushed by the harsh reality.
“Your interpretation. Not mine.” Steve mumbled.
You felt like you had been doused with cold water. It turns out Steve Harrington was the same man he was all those years ago. And to confirm your worst fears, to admit that he’d been lying to you the entire time you thought you could be falling in love with him; this was definitely the worst moment in your entire life.
You nodded weakly, a forced smile etched across your face, “And I’m the one who’s changed, right?”
Your words hit Steve like a truck, and if you disappearing out of his sight with tears cascading down your cheeks didn’t hurt enough, then the realisation of his words did.
𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘, 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍, 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄 and Dustin had all found each other after. They were hunched over the book Dustin had found before he could warn Nancy to not shoot whatever force they located in the sky.
Nancy chewed on the skin around her thumb, “No sign of her?”
Dustin shook his head after peering around a corner, “I haven’t seen her since…” His voice trailed off as he remembered his fight with Steve, regret forming in the pit of his stomach as a bruise formed on his friend’s cheek.
Steve looked like he could throw up any second. His face was pale and his hair was matted. He hadn’t seen you since he had said the words he wished he could forget, the way he had spoken to you and the way your face crumbled.
He didn’t mean any of it. Not one word.
He wishes to never relive the feeling he felt when he watched you walk away from him, and how he rounded the corner to meet Nancy and Jonathan and you weren’t beside them.
You were alone in the lab. And it was all Steve’s fault.
His ever present guilt was cut off but a guttural scream outside the lab. Nancy rose to her feet immediately and gasped, “What was that?”
Jonathan copied her movement, “What was what?”
Silence fell over the group as they listened in, “Holly.” Nancy whispered and dropped the items in her hand, sprinting towards the door with Jonathan hot on her tail.
Dustin made a move to follow them but Steve grabbed him by the arm, “Holly. She’s out of Vecna’s reach.” His chest tightened.
Dustin furrowed his brows, “What do you mean?”
“There’s 12 kids. If Holly’s out…” Steve muttered and Dustin’s eyes widened in realisation.
“Who’s in?” Dustin’s voice wavered and watched Steve’s eyes dart around the room.
Steve knew who Vecna was targeting the second his suspicions were confirmed. He remembered the blood staining the sleeve of your sweater, the headaches that made you feel dizzy and the way you looked uncomfortable the second you found yourself in the Upside Down.
You were Vecna’s next target and Steve Harrington had no idea where you were.
four times you were oblivious to steve’s signs, and the one time you weren’t.
Son of a bitch | @lady-ashfade
Dustin planned for his group of friends to come over and play D&D. You decided to be a good sister and make his friends breakfast but then someone shows up you didn’t expect.
Henderson! Fem!Reader
Dreams | @moonlightsolo
Steve Harrington x Max's older sister
If I Only Could | @crazyk-imagine
Hargrove sister!reader
Instrument Of War | @divineecelestial
Steve Harrington is in love with you but is convinced you're out of his league and refuses to acknowledge his feelings. But when Dustin Henderson returns from summer camp with a secret Russian code, your lives change completely.
Jealous | @wannabeschyulersister
the backseat | @/wannabeschyulersister
Private Eyes | @kinghairington
You get a little protective (not jealous) when one of King Steve’s old friends keeps coming around Family Video.
Pretty Boy | @cosmicloki
steve is jealous of the apparent close friendship you had with eddie munson.
Gossip in town | @eddiemunsonw
You and Steve love a good gossip. There's some joy in talking about other people's misery to distract from yourself from your own miserable dating life, right? Besides, that's what friends do. Right? 'Cause that's what you are. Friends.
Original Sin | @robinsgfs
your new job at scoops ahoy was pretty much the cherry on top of your life getting back on track, there was just one tiny little problem that came along with it, you may or may not be in love with your co-worker - and your brother was determined to fix that for you.
henderson!reader
Cold and dark | @eunoiathewriter
The stress of that one person that seems to give you light disappearing, makes their return feel like you were just able to breath again.
I knew you’d linger like a tattoo kiss | @andvys
Steve was slipping through your fingers and you desperately held onto him not realizing that his heart wasn’t yours anymore. Dealing with the aftermath of your breakup turns out to be harder than you thought. Steve’s presence still lingers and while he keeps a hold of your heart, someone else sneaks their way into it too.
Can’t lose you | @harringtonstilinski
Henderson!Reader
Two Dumb Idiots In Love | @neverinadream
Russian spies had infiltrated Hawkins but even that couldn't make these two put their differences aside. Or could it?
Henderson!Reader
Don’t you want me | @once-upon-an-imagine
You Keep Me Hangin' On | @/once-upon-an-imagine
Kiss & touch | @parkersgarage
post-vecna nightmares | @dual1pa
Operation love me | @justburningdaylight
Reader has been with Steve for almost two years. Recently he’s been pulling away. She believes he’s fallen out of love, so she devises a plan to gain his love back.
Icarus and the Sun | @/justburningdaylight
Reader’s in love with her best friend. Considering she can’t tell him about this particular secret, she instead entrusts it to her diary, neglecting to remember Steve’s old habit of reading said diary.
Talking in your sleep | @kiwicider
you accidentally confess your feelings to steve during movie night—while being asleep.
Promise me nothing | @s1ater
steve and you cross paths, only for him to find out some bad news about you.
key to my heart. | @/s1ater
reader is tired of steve always being on her doorstep, ringing the doorbell in the late hours of the night.
Henderson!Reader
Attention | @iheartyouyou
Pretty boy | @thatonegirlwhowrites
Steve and you aren’t currently talking, but after he shows up on your door step after a rough night, emotions start flowing and apologizes are made.
Battle scars | @hawkins-losers
Steve opens up about being self conscious of his ‘new’ body
Pillow talk | @/hawkins-losers
You and Steve have sex, something feels different than the other times
Reminiscing | @mrsharrington83
Y/N is on deaths door after being attacked by Demobats. During what she thinks are her final moments, she’s stuck, thinking about happier times.
Stay awhile | @milkiane
meeting the one who could make your heart stop whilst simultaneously being the reason why your heart beats is rare, and steve just so happens to be one of the lucky ones who found them during a slow monday in family video.
All safe | @1nephthys
Your voice | @animalistic0
Reader is cursed and it’s up to Dustin and Steve to save them.
Steve Harrington x ReaderHenderson + little brother Dustin
Henderson’s Sister | @ghostcombustion
After a bad fight with her dad, Y/n is sent across the country to move in with her mom and little brother. When their mother can't make it to pick her up, her little brother takes it upon himself to do it himself.
Happier | @loove-persevering
Steve Harrington can't figure out why he's jealous you're going on a date.
Grand Gesture | @/loove-persevering
reader is seeing how close Nancy and Steve are and the looks they give. When the Reader goes to Eddie Steve gets confused and a little jealous because he actually has feelings for her.
Expecting | @imaginesrus
Hopper!Reader is pregnant and Steve starts to have doubts about his ability to be a great dad.
Idiot | @joaquinwhorres
Steve Harrington is an idiot. You know this. Your friends know this. Even your dad knows this. But that doesn’t make him any less cute.
Hopper!Reader
Stay | @ro-is-struggling
After discovering the truth about the Upside Down, Y/N Henderson joins his little brother in the final battle to close the portal and save Hawkins. In doing so, she finds herself teaming up with none other than Steve Harrington of all people and discovers a side of him she didn’t know he had. In the chaos of the battle he brings her comfort and makes her feel safe. That’s why when everything ends she doesn’t want to leave his side. So she does what everyone would do in her situation: invite him to spend the night at her place even though they are not friends.
Henderson Sister!Reader | @ali-r3n
Steve and Y/N have a moment after the events of Season 2.
Over and out | @writingdumpster
In the aftermath of Vecna’s demise Steve suggests the two of you start a new life somewhere else.
Henderson!reader
oh, you didn't know? | @stevie-petey
steve is pathetically in love with you and for some reason the universe hates him and continues to pray on his downfall. typical.
Heaven Is A Place On Earth | @la-fille-en-aiguilles
When Vecna rears his ugly head, you are quick to guess Steve’s favorite song…
Henderson!Reader
all the somedays. | @hopewritcs
Henderson!Reader
She’s Dreaming | @eddiemunching
Loving You is Easy | @finalgirleddiemunson
Steve sometimes needs to be reminded that real love comes without conditions.
The story of us | @scarlet-star-witch
How Steve fell in love with his best friend and found the love he deserved
Code Red | @/scarlet-star-witch
Dustin has the worst timing and stumbles on a secret relationship
hot for teacher | @handful0fteeth
you’re going on your first date with steve harrington, and hours before he’s due to pick you up your best friend gives you some rather unsavory information.
grumpy!steve with sunshine!reader | @steveharringtonat3am
Crushes, Chaos, and Confessions | @quin-ns
dustin knows how steve feels about you and he can’t stop himself from spilling his best friend’s biggest secret to you.
Go For It | @nervoushottee
Steve has been your “movie guy” at Family Video for a while now. Little does he know that the main reason you’ve been buying these movies is to flirt with him and just maybe ask him out…
give me a night, i'll make you | @upsidedownwithsteve
Steve teaching reader how to really kiss? Like she’s only ever had bad ones before?
grumpy steve x sunshine reader | @/upsidedownwithsteve
second chance | @astermath
steve decides to ask out the girl who he keeps seeing around hawkins with her nose in a book. he’s a little surprised when he gets brutally rejected, only to find out his “king steve” era is haunting him more than he expected. he attempts to make it up to you and show you he’s changed, even if it takes him a couple of tries.
Morning kisses | @pillow-titties
Steve interrupts your favourite morning ritual.
Beautiful | @lovefoolholland
Turns out that while the world is ending (and with world, you mean Hawkins), Steve Harrington has fallen in love. Luckily, so have you.
fine line | @witchwyfe
touch tank | @/witchwyfe
𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏 | @munsonson
Eddie breaks up with the reader for being boring, giving her the impression they just weren’t right for each other. Unfortunately for him, he realizes too late how big of a mistake this was.
more than just friends | @scoopsahoy
you and your best friend have gotten into the habit of making out, as long as there's no touching. but that's easier said than done
Byers Brews blurb | @starryeyedstories
Absolutely Smitten | @/starryeyedstories
There’s a new crew member at Scoops Ahoy and Steve might have a crush.
the fool | @skullrock
the fool behind the counter of Scoops Ahoy! is, unfortunately, the only one you have eyes for.
Secret’s Out | @tooearlyforthis
The kids have been telling Steve for months to start dating and that doesn’t change when a new girl walks into Family Video. Little do they know, he’s already dating her.
tell me you love me | @upsidedownmvnson
The Aftermath | @starcourtsteves
After the Battle of Starcourt, Steve and the Henderson siblings go back to the Henderson house for a sleepover so Steve and the reader are catching up/finally relaxing in bed (she was with the Kids and Steve in the Russian base). Dustin eventually crashes in his sister’s room for mutual comfort.
Henderson!reader
Sincerely, Yours: | @superblysubpar
a movie night, a confession, an offer, your Calvin's bunched up on the floor of your best friend's BMW...and other places
that guy | @appocalipse
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…
Romance is Dead, Isn’t it? | @megxplryxb
A Stranger Valentine | @fictionalthrill
Steve puts himself out there on Valentine's Day
Insecurity | @pretentious-blonde
after you become closer to a certain metalhead, steve can't stop the insecurities that stem from his previous relationship. when it all becomes too much, you are left to deal with his outrage.
You Are In Love | @lqveharrington
you and steve have been best friends forever, but overtime, you both realize that there's something more to your friendship than you both thought there was.
hopper!reader
That’s What I Like | @dixons-sunshine
Steve Harrington loved every part of you. There was no denying that. And he especially loved the part of you that he got to see at the end of the day.
A High Mind Speaks A Sober Heart | @/dixons-sunshine
After narrowly escaping the Russians, you and your friends were forced to hide in a movie theater. However, what you didn’t expect was for Steve, in his current state, to admit something that could make or break your friendship—or maybe relationship?
ice cream | @gf2bellamy
dustin catches steve staring at you
Sixth Times the Charm | @imsogonesposts
It seems like every time Steve tries to kiss you, something or someone interrupts him. (5 times Steve tries to kiss you for the first time, and the one time he finally got to.)
Daylight | @kimoralov3
steve has had a lot of trouble in his love life. but he’s also one of the biggest idiots known to man because the girl of his dreams is standing right in front of him
steve harrington x reader. | @elzswr
Heartstopper | @forever-rogue
fast times at skull rock | @astreamofcolors
favour for a favour | @yellowharrington
steve has a big ol' crush on the girl that trades him pastries for movies every week.
6 Times Steve Was Pining | @fandomtravels
Need your lips on mine | @lonelysatellites
Steve Harrington will hook up with you. So why won’t he kiss you?
because of you • part one | @crappymixtape
enemies to idiots in love
Paralyzed | @murdockparker
She walked in on a Friday afternoon. Steve needed nothing more than to get to know her--if only he could find it in himself to speak to her.
Pretty Girl | @hellfireclubmember
Dustin can't stop talking about the sub he got to fill in for Lucas, making Steve want to smash his head into a wall. That is, of course, until he sees you.
Whole | @freelancearsonist
handle with care | @thecreelhouse
Eddie and Robin think Steve needs to get out more, but he ends up in what he believes to be the wrong place at the wrong time, until he meets you.
Jealousy, Jealousy | @s-brant
Nancy and Y/N are best friends. The problem is, Y/N and Steve have been secretly hooking up for weeks, and when Nancy asks for advice about possibly getting back together with him, Y/N doesn’t know how to feel.
Bags | @goldustwomun
you'd loved steve since you were fifteen, followed him wherever he went. so when you were finally over him, stumbling home with another man clinging to your side, why was he waiting by your doorstep?
Golden Hour | @plainemmanem
do you want to be my valentine? | @certifiedlovergirlsstuff
Fast Times at Family Video | @thursdaygxrls
steve’s great a flirting. that is, until robin gets involved.
Henderson!reader | @familyvideostevie
passing out | @moonstruckme
loove-persevering @loove-persevering - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag