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You were having a bad day, honestly a bad week, but today was the icing on the cake. Sighing you grabbed your bags preparing to make your mopey trek home. You hoped you'd be able to get in contact with Hobie today, he hadn't been to the pub for a while or making himself known at your door, remembering your address after he'd walked you home a few times. He always knew how to cheer you up and the little crush you had on him was only 10 percent of why.
Shaking your head with a heavy sigh you waved goodbye to your coworkers. The walk to your apartment from the pub wasn't far but with how overcasted the sky was you weren't sure you'd make it home in time to beat the rain and of course, with it being the kind of week it was you had forgotten a jacket. With one last look up at the darkening sky you hurried home.
Hobie cursed as he watched as you took off, currently standing on the building across the pub you worked at. He’d meant to be there when you got off work, after being too busy this week between being spider-punk and band stuff to come see his favorite bartender. Hobie grabbed his bag of spare clothes as he shot a web out swinging in the direction of your apartment.
You didn't make it in time. Currently, standing about two buildings away from your apartment. You were drenched to the bone in rainwater. Luckily you had grabbed one of your heavier-duty bags, so your stuff was safe at least. You took the final steps toward your building before tossing the bag up on the entrance steps making sure it landed under the cover.
With a deep breath you turned your head up at the sky, eyes closed as raindrops raced down your face, before letting out a scream that turned quickly into laughter. You'd always loved the rain and yeah getting drenched in it wasn't normally how you showed your admiration but it felt like the heavy drops had washed away your stress. A childlike giddiness filled you as you took the chance to just let loose. You lived in a more secluded part of town anyway, not much traffic from people or cars and it was early enough in the evening that the golden orange rays of the setting sun were enough to keep the chill of your bones. Your laughter filled the street as you spun in place dancing to your own beat and jumping in puddles that formed.
Hobie watched from a few buildings down as you started to dance in the rain. He had taken the chance to change in the nearby alley before making his way to your place. He smiled, quickening his pace as an idea stuck with him.
“Evening, luv. Don't let me stop you!” He held up his guitar after calling out from about a building away, the setting sun shadowing him in a golden halo. His smile widened as he took in your awe-struck gaze. “ Was just wondering if you'd care for some music to go with your dancing?”
“Hobie…?” You blinked at him owlishly, rainwater burning your eyes before a big smile broke across your face. You took off in his direction, wincing a bit internally when he threw his guitar to the ground to catch you in his arms. You had one moment to ponder his ability to hold and catch you with such ease before he spun you. A startled gasp leaves your lips before you're laughing, throwing your head back letting the rain kiss your skin as hobie spin you.
“Hobie, we're gonna fall!” your tone is more amused than worried as you continue to laugh at his show of strength.
“Don’t worry I’ve got us, luv. If we do go down I'll make sure to…” His laughter mixes with yours just before he slips falling back onto the sidewalk with a grunt, arms never leaving you as makes sure to cushion your fall.
“Oof, famous last words I guess.” he laughed, onyx eyes shining with joy as he grinned up at you with that boyish charm of his. You laugh with him, smiling so hard your cheeks hurt. The rain has slowed to a drizzle and you're sure if you looked up there'd be at least a faint rainbow from the last few rays of sunlight, but instead you lift yourself up slightly, hands caging Hobie’s head as you both stare into each other’s eyes laughter fading to shaky breaths.
“Falling for me now Hobart? I knew you were a man of action but there are safer ways to show you love me.” You teased winking, mirth-filled gaze taking him in. Your smile had yet to drop as Hobie scoffed feigning offense at your jest.
“Of course. I'm a man of justice and equality after all, so its only fair i fall for you after catching the angel that fell from the heavens for me.” His grin is cheeky as your laughter fills his ears again.
“That..was..so..corny!” your shoulders shake as your laughter dies down into giggles. Hobie looks up at you like you hung the moon that currently cast you both in a dim light.
“You're gonna love the next part then…”
“You better not ask if it hurt when I fell from heaven” you interrupted him with a playful glare only causing his grin to grow.
“Of course not i caught you and broke your fall. I was going to ask if an angel like you gave blessed kisses. Been looking for a miracle lately” he winked as you shook your head in disbelief.
“You're such a dork!” your smile gave away your amusement and if your cheeks warmed from his cheesy flirting…there was no way to tell it wasn't from the constant smiling or the chill from the rain seeping in finally. You lower yourself down arms still caging his head in as your noses brush.
“A dork who’s getting a taste of the divine” he grins as he leans up lips brushing yours as he speaks.
“Just shut up and kiss me” You roll your eyes as you lean in closing the space between you two. Your lips meet in what starts as a soft kiss, questioning and exploring as both relax into each other. Hobie rolls the two of you over, one hand coming to rest under your head as he deepens the kiss, the smell of rain and Hobie, earth, and leather fills your senses. You pull him to you gripping wet leather as you let out a pleased hum. Hobie smiles against your lips pulling back before leaning in for another kiss, then another, and another, and another before you’re barely kissing just smiling against the other’s lips.
“Hobie cut it out!” you laugh turning your head away as he goes to kiss you again, only leading to him, kissing your cheek constantly instead. He puffs up his cheeks holding air as he goes to give one last kiss. Blowing it out and pretending to plant one last wet parting kiss.
“Oh to be separated so soon. When I'd just gotten my taste of heaven” he leans back, hand over his heart as he dramatically sighs.
“Oh shut up Romeo. Let's get inside before we end up sick together and I have to ask you to be my boyfriend over soup and snotty tissue flowers” You laugh as you push him off, standing up and grabbing the guitar he’d tossed aside to catch you earlier.
You sniffle as you hand it to him. His smile is blinding as he tosses an arm over your shoulder pulling you into his side to warm you up after putting the guitar over his shoulder.
“I didn't know angels could catch colds. Maybe I should have asked if you enchanted me with devilish charms instead. I am willing to give you whatever you need~” he wiggles his eyebrows with a mischievous smirk as you smack his chest playfully.
I never saw you coming and I'll never be the same - S.H
Steve falls for a pretty girl in a coffee shop after she finds the cat he was supposed to be looking after
Steve Harrington x female!reader
A/n: friends to lovers, autumn
Warnings: strong language, small injury detail, kissing
Word count: 3.3k
October 21st,
She suddenly felt something brushing up against her tights, something warm and not too small but also not too big. She looked down to find nothing but fluff and the sweetest eyes looking up at her. Cats wandering the streets of Hawkins wasn’t uncommon but it looked like it might rain and this one somehow seemed lost.
“Where did you come from huh?” She wasn’t expecting an answer but for some reason she still asked. She bent down, reaching out her hand to let the cat sniff her first before she started petting it. It rubbed its head against her hand. It was brown with a little blonde here and there.
It felt horrible to leave it but she had to get to work. She took about two steps down the street and then she found herself looking back, but it was gone. Well not gone but not where it once was. The cat was right behind her, softly meowing by her feet again. If it wanted to follow her to work that was fine, but it would be quicker if she picked it up and walked it herself. Then after work she could find out who it belonged to, it was a plan. A rather good one really.
The coffee shop was quiet, it was most days. Hawkins wasn’t a busy town, no one was even in that much of a rush. She left the cat in a chair by the door, it fell asleep rather fast but it was warmer inside than it was outside. Autumn was settling in and the air was getting colder so a soft seat and an oven warmed room was probably rather nice for the cat. The smell of cinnamon rolls and green tea even made her sleepy after late nights.
After a while the bell above the door went. “Hey Maple. I’ve been looking for you.” She looked up. There was a boy, bent down by the chair, scratching behind the cat's ear. She seemed to know him and he obviously knew her name. Maple was a sweet name for a cat. “How the hell did you get in here?”
She wanted to laugh, at least she wasn’t the only one who asked animals questions when they couldn’t answer.
“I didn’t want to leave her out in the street, she looked lost.”
The boy turned around and she quickly realised it was Steve Harrington. They had gone to school together but he was the year above so she didn't really know him. She just knew his name and where he lived.
“Yeah, she wandered off last night through an open window.” He walked over to the counter, Maple jumped off the chair and closely followed him. She wished it was busy today, because she suddenly felt rather flustered. And a good excuse for that would be a crowd of customers. Steve leant on the counter. “I’ve been looking for her all morning. Thanks for bringing her in.” He smiled and his eyes kind of downturned. It was cute.
“That’s okay.”
“She’s not even mine, I’m looking after her for a neighbour so you saved me from getting murdered by Mrs Henderson.” He picked Maple up. They had the same eyes, both brown and soft like hot chocolate but with a little green around the edges. She felt something twist in her chest. Just don’t look in his eyes, she told herself. She focused on the two freckles on his cheek instead.
“I’m glad you found her then.” She said softly, reaching out to pet Maple one last time. It had just started to rain outside, she had thought it might. Maybe it held off until Steve had found her and could take her home.
“Yeah.” He said, just a bit quieter than before. “Me too.”
Steve pulled his jacket around Maple as much as he could and whispered a little ‘come on then’ to her before walking out the door. The second he stepped out he was wet, his hair turned darker and she could see the rain drops turning patches of his blue jeans darker then before.
He looked back through the glass door and she smiled sympathetically. He didn’t look too happy but then who would be getting soaking wet. He put his hand on the door and opened it half way back up. He was letting the cold in but she liked how fresh the air smelt now. Like Fall.
“I know you, right?” He said, his hands were turning red and she wanted to tell him to just run home but instead she nodded. “I thought I did.” He whispered mostly to himself. Possibly forgetting she could hear him.
“Steve-”
“You remember my name.”
“You're both getting all wet.” She softly told him.
“Shit.” Steve looked down and saw Maples' wet fur and his own wet clothes. He let the door close on him and tugged his brown jacket tighter, then he did a little shake of his head, just like a dog would.
Steve Harrington was not at all like she remembered. He had a nickname she couldn’t recall right now but she did remember that it wasn’t something sweet and endearing, and the boy who had just retrieved a cat was exactly that, sweet and endearing.
She didn’t know it yet, but today was just the first time she would be left thinking about his damned eyes.
October 26th,
Steve had returned Maple with a slight hitch in his story, he left out the part about him losing her and finding her in Hawkin’s coffee shop. But that didn’t mean he had forgotten it. He still felt a strange chill on the back of his neck when he thought about it, like he was standing in the rain all over again, talking to her.
Sweet didn’t feel like a good enough word but that’s what she was, sweet. And now, days later, when it rained again on his way home, he smelt cupcakes and cinnamon swirled into hot chocolate. He also saw her clearly in his mind.
They weren’t friends but he did know her name, he did see her around town now and then but that might’ve been their first real conversation and it had somehow escaped him just how pretty she was. How nice her smile was and how kind her eyes were.
He pulled his blue jacket tighter around him. At least before having Maple was like having a hot water bottle pressed to his chest. Now he was all on his own, freezing cold in the rain.
Steve crossed the street, his house wasn’t far now but god did he miss his car. It hadn’t been this bad when he left and he harmlessly through an Autumn walk would be nice, how stupid of him.
He was cursing himself under his breath until he saw the broken umbrella and the girl it belonged to.
The umbrella in question was red, red and very broken and the girl in question was of course the same girl from the coffee shop, because seeing him soaking wet once wasn;t enough apparently. She held the umbrella at her side, letting the rain drown her, if he thought he was cold, she looked colder.
He called her name and ran a little to catch up with her. Him and his white trainers went straight through a puddle but he could worry about that later.
“You okay?” Steve asked, looking her up and down and thinking that all he wanted to do right down was get her dry. It was an odd feeling, he was as caring as he could be with everyone but this felt more than just his usual kindness, he felt like he had to make sure she was okay.
“It broke.” She shrugged and pouted a little. It was the kind of sad look that was ridiculously adorable. That made him want to smile and fix it for her. They started walking together, with Steve on the road side and her on the safer side.
“They um, they do that sometimes.”
Steve wasn’t sure what to say as foolish as that sounded, he was a bit thrown by seeing her, he had been before too, he hadn’t really known what he was saying that day either. There was just something about her that made him forget how to talk to a girl, that made him forget all his premeditated lines and just kind of fall through his sentences. It was new for him and he was partly enjoying it.
What he wasn’t enjoying was that the rain was getting worse now, he could feel it on his back and hear it on the cars that passed them by. If he was alone he would’ve started running home about now, but he didn’t want to leave her and if he was sick tomorrow then so be it.
“Did you get your neighbour's cat home safely?” A car rushed past them and so she stepped a little closer so he could hear her clearly. Was this a busy street? He couldn’t remember ever taking much notice before but right now he hoped it was.
“Maple?” She nodded. “Yeah, she’s fine, she’s probably curled up on a blanket right now. All warm and dry.” He sounded like he wanted to switch places with a cat and maybe he did. If Mrs Henderson had the fire blazing then he definitely did.
“Are you jealous?” She laughed so softly it made him smile. He was soaking wet, probably getting a cold, smiling as he walked home much slower then he should have.
Steve shrugged. “A little.” What he meant was, A lot. But he was playing it cool. At least he liked to think he was.
The girl beside him shivered, she was already hugging herself, and her clothes, just like his, were wet through. Steve didn’t even think as he started to take his jacket off. He didn’t even hesitate. “Here, do you want my-”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head and stepped away.
He missed the closeness. And he realised it was a strange thing to miss since she was almost a stranger to him. But how long would it take until she wasn’t one? And didn’t living in the same town make them more than that?
“You’ll get wetter than you already are and you’re already very wet Steve.” She was too cute for him. Looking him up and down like he had no idea it was raining and she had to be the one to tell him.
“It’s okay.” She wouldn’t take his jacket off him, he knew that now. But he had to do something. He removed it anyway, partly ignoring her, but then holding it just above his head with outstretched arms. “Here, try and get under.”
She didn’t protest this time, she just stepped right under his jacket. She was at his side now, and he could oddly feel the warmth coming off her, reminding him that she was in fact a living breathing person, not a figment of his imagination. It was quite a shock for him actually.
Steve walked her all the way home, she only lived one street from him so it was on his way. He kept his arms up even when they started to ache, it was a short walk but in his defence he hadn't worked out since summer and a wet jacket was heavier than a dry one.
“Thanks.” She ducked out from under their missmade shelter when they stopped at the end of her pathway. Steve had actually thought she lived at the next house but he would remember it better for next time.
“I owed you anyway. For keeping me out of trouble with Mrs Henderson.”
Her nose scrunched up in the cutest way. “You’re getting all wet.” She said, eyes trailing up and down him. He was holding his jacket at his side in his right hand now, he just didn’t see the point using it as a very bad replacement for an umbrella anymore.
“You said that last time.” He wasn’t sure if he said that out loud until he watched her smile at him. He could remember their last conversation better than most that he had. It had just kind of stuck in his head.
“Bye Steve.”
Steve started to back away from her house, his own stupid smile on his face as he hoped he didn’t trip. He liked the way she said his name. He liked it a lot.
October 30th,
Halloween time in Hawkins was always special. Pumpkins on every porch, orange lights strung everywhere. That chill in the air that hadn’t turned frosty yet. She could just about see her breath fogging up like white smoke in front of her.
It was later in the evening when she stepped back outside the town’s store and everything in front of her was covered in this starry glow, including Steve, who was standing just outside with his back to the glass windows with his breath fogging up too. Oh how she loved this time of year.
“Hi Steve.” He looked up at the sound of her voice, a cute slightly shocked but also not expression on his face. She looked down and saw that his hands were red and she wanted to give him her gloves that were somewhere in her coat pocket. She did owe him for the way he shared his jacket the other week.
“Hey. I waited if that’s okay. I saw you inside and thought you probably shouldn’t walk home alone when it’s dark.” Were all boys as sweet as Steve Harrington or was he just the exception. She thought she saw him at the check out inside but it was only the back of him and she wasn't sure until now that it actually had been him.
“No, you’re probably right.” He wasn’t, not really. Hawkins was the safest town she had ever known and she didn’t live far but Steve had waited. He had stood in the cold and waited for her, and the whole idea of that was making the blood rush to her cheeks. “Thanks for waiting.”
Steve took the bag from her hand, he looked inside, he was cute when he was being nosy. She had only brought chocolate. It was just heavy because there was a lot of it.
They crossed the street, it was much nicer walking with him without all that rain. Not that Steve didn’t look pretty all wet but the last two times she had seen him he had been wet and now seeing him, well, all dry, he was even prettier. How many times could she call a boy pretty in her head before she had to admit something to herself?
“It’s okay, I, um-” He paused and scratched the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t holding her shopping. “I was hoping to see you anyway.”
“Oh.” Was he trying to kill her? Who just said something like that? She felt her pulse beating in her wrist and her neck, thumping against her skin. She tried to concentrate on something like she had when he came into the shop, wasn’t it his freckles she focused on that day, or was it something else.
“Yeah I was just wondering if at the end of the week you wanted to get a coffee or something.” Steve ran his hand along the fences as they walked down the street. He had pretty hands. “I mean I know you work at the coffee shop but maybe we could go somewhere else or we could go a day you’re no working and- fuck.”
Steve suddenly stopped and flinched his hand away from the wooden fence. He held his palm half closed to his chest and grimaced. She looked at the fence, there was a broken latch with a piece of it sticking out and it looked sharp.
She delicately pulled his hand away from his chest by his wrist so she could see better in the street light they were standing under. There was a cut right on the edge of his hand stopping just before the centre of his palm.
“Oh Steve.” She pressed her brows together, it looked like it hurt. He didn’t say anything or pull his hand back, he just seemed to be staring at her, waiting to see what she would do next. So, she pulled her jacket sleeve over her hand and dabbed at the blood as carefully as she could, trying to see how deep the cut was.
“You don’t have to.” He finally said. Smiling weakly and avoiding her eyes. She felt this awful tight feeling in her ribs. She wanted to help him so she ignored what he said.
“Does it hurt?” She asked, still holding his hand in hers. The sleeve of her light brown jacket was now a little stained with blood but she didn’t mind.
Steve swallowed down hard and her eyes couldn’t help but follow his throat. “Only a little.” He smiled, like he knew she didn’t believe him and he needed to prove he wasn’t lying. It was a good thing because she liked his smile. She liked his- well, everything.
“I have plasters and stuff at home if you want I could-”
Neither of his hands were free so there wasn’t any touch to her cheek to warm her about what he was about to do. One second she was offering to take him home and find him something for his hand, and the next Steve was kissing her.
He completely cut her off. Interpreting her in the sweetest way possible. Her eyes closed and she kissed him back before her mind even knew what was happening, somehow her body just knew to relax into it. Into him.
Steve pulled away just as suddenly as he had kissed her.
“Sorry, I don’t know- no. that’s I lie I do know why I did that.” He took his hand from her and placed it on his hip but then he screwed up his face as he remembered he had cut it.
“Steve-”
“No I know, I shouldn’t have kissed you. You were just being nice and I got caught up in it.” He was staring at the ground, pressing his brows together and talking to the pavement.
“Steve.”
He looked at her the second time she said his name. He had this look in his eyes that was different than before, there was something there that she couldn’t pinpoint a word for but she was pretty sure it was reflecting in her own.
She took in a sharp breath and then she kissed him. With her hand on his neck and her fingertips only just reaching into his hair. She noticed now that he tasted like hot chocolate with cream and a dash of vanilla. Possibly her new favourite hot drink.
Steve muttered something against her lips that she didn’t catch. “What?” She asked, a little dizzy for breath.
“I was just thanking that damn cat for running away, ignore me.” He shook his head and smiled at her. He must’ve forgotten about his hand again because he was pulling her into him by her jacket.
“Steve your h-hand.” She tripped over her words as his nose nudged her cheek. God they were close to each other.
He dropped his voice to a whisper, and just before leaning in again he said, “Doesn’t matter anymore.”
Steve listening to you ramble on and on about your problems, but seeing how stressed you are, is making his chest hurt, so he moves in and grabs your face, and he kisses you deeply, and passionately, his lips moulding with yours in a warm and wet embrace, just to distract you from your negative thoughts. You kiss him back in shock and surprise. He pulls away, and see's you with eyes closed, and a small smile on your face, looking like you were just in heaven, cheeks red. Your eyes open and you find him admiring you, cheeks flushed, a shy yet very charming smile on his face. "Thanks..." You say in a daze. "No problem." He simply says.
summary: distancing yourself from Steve and Nancy was quite possibly the best decision of your life. but, doesn’t distance make the heart grow fonder?
pairing: steve harrington x reader (set end of s2 + s3)
word count: 8.7k!
a/n: it's finally here!! after like . two years of this rotting, untouched from its first very rough draft. well. hope u enjoy! (also, can u tell how much i hate writing the show scenes LOL)
part one / part one [remastered] / part two / masterlist
November came and went in a flash. Attempts at forgetting the month's events and living normally was starting to feel like a dream; always just out of reach.
This time, Steve had gotten wrapped up in everything because of your advice; flowers are the key to a girl's heart, you'd insisted. They also happened to be the key to near-death experiences, apparently.
It was a series of unfortunate events, really.
Jonathan had been spending an awful lot of time with Nancy; you'd be happy for him if it hadn't left Steve with no one but you to call.
Steve had made sure to keep you updated on everything that happened between him and Nancy. You knew he had no bad intentions, but listening to him talk about how much he loved Nancy was agonizing for your poor heart. Steve felt like he owed it to you, considering he'd shown up at your door without warning that Halloween night. You felt like it was the worst form of torture.
And so, he'd innocently walked up to Nancy's house with flowers at the same time Dustin Henderson walked up; his one-way ticket to danger.
The kids had recounted everything you missed out on afterwards, stars in their eyes. A majority of the good comments about Steve came from Dustin, which caught you by surprise. Dustin's defensive tone made you wonder about any information he hadn't relayed.
Hearing about Steve protect the kids you adored made all those nasty, wonderful feelings bubble in your chest. But the same heroic tales led you to the awful realization that underneath it all, you've led Steve down to danger from the very beginning; if Jonathan had answered the door two years ago, Steve would've been blissfully unaware of the Upside Down.
But it was too late to think about how things could've been different; maybe Steve would've gotten involved regardless of you. At the end of the day, both of you had gotten tangled up in another inter-dimensional predicament, pulling the two of you together in ways you'd hoped to avoid.
This new Steve, heroic and selfless, risking his life for teenagers he just met, definitely didn't align with the Steve you once knew.
And you so desperately wanted to learn everything about this new Steve.
The hopefulness made that familiar ache in your chest painfully present and the logical side of you knew you'd have to snap yourself back into reality at some point.
Or rather, Jonathan did.
⁂
Apologies and explanations were exchanged, though the both of you knew you couldn't stay mad at each other for long. A much-needed late night talk revealed the relationship that'd started between Nancy and Jonathan, a bright blush creeping up Jonathan's neck as he summarized what happened.
You'd confided in Jonathan about your very complicated feelings towards Steve, knowing Jonathan was quite possibly the only person in Hawkins who'd understand. He nodded as you spoke, letting you get everything off your chest; and what a relief it was.
"I just don't know what to do," you sighed dejectedly, Jonathan's silence worrying you as you wondered how he'd weigh in.
"He hurt you." Jonathan said factually, as if you had no idea.
"I know."
"I just want you to be careful."
You sighed. "I know," you mumbled quietly as Jonathan pulled you in for a hug.
He was right, as annoying as it was. There was no way you could ever go back to Steve with the way he treated you. Even if he changed, it didn't change what he did.
So, you went back to how you were before; distancing yourself from Steve. It was different this time; you were no longer fighting lingering feelings. You'd acknowledged them, now you'd have to let them pass over you.
⁂
It'd been around 7 months since El closed the gate and saved all your asses, and a week or two since you'd last seen Steve at Hawkins High.
You weren't exactly avoiding Steve - though you did duck your head anytime you saw him in the halls, pretending you were too deep in conversation with a friend to hear him call your name. Maybe you could be friends with him one day, but you needed time without him for a while.
Over half a year had gone by faster than you'd anticipated. Winter became spring which turned into summer, the chilly months fighting a losing battle to the warmer temperatures. The heat became unbearable in June, forcing most Hawkins residents to take shelter in their homes. Those who were brave enough to venture outside frequented the town’s only pool or the new Starcourt Mall with dozens of indoor shops or, perhaps most importantly, air conditioning.
The few weeks out of school had been vital to your journey of protecting your peace; getting to pick and choose who you spent your time with gave you a greater sense of control. You could finally, confidently say you were doing well; great, even. The gaping hole in your chest, kept open by unwanted interactions, had healed.
Steve wasn't on your mind on your third date with someone you'd met at the library a few weeks ago. Steve wasn't on your mind when the two of you entered the brand new Starcourt Mall. Steve wasn't on your mind when your date offered to buy ice cream, until Steve was right in front of you. A few awkward glances were passed as your date paid and took your ice creams, but Steve was no longer on your mind as the two of you walked out, hand in hand.
Things were good; bearable now.
"So..." your date began. "Who was that?"
A part of you pondered why your date wondered who Steve was. You'd made it clear that once summer was over, the two of you would be too.
You shrugged nonchalantly, swiping at your ice cream before answering. "Just an ex."
"Anyone I should be worried about?"
A small - albeit a little annoyed - smile crept onto your face.
"Not at all."
⁂
Jonathan had been a little distant this summer, busy balancing a new relationship and internship at the Hawkins Post. You didn't mind much; you recognized the opportunity he was given, and how lucky he was to share it with Nancy. And, the two of you always made time to catch each other up on the most important details.
Other than occupying yourself with summer flings, you spent time with your annoying kids that you loved dearly.
The kids were dying to visit the mall; and while they had their bikes, they also had a perfectly available chaperone who they knew they could plead into doing essentially anything for them.
It was partially your fault for always giving into the kids, but as mischievous as they were, you loved seeing them happy. Plus, it was summer; they were well deserving of a break after all they 'd been through.
However, they were a lot more resourceful than you'd anticipated. Somehow, the teens had roped Steve Harrington into their antics. The surprise on your face was evident when the kids led you into Scoops Ahoy, coercing Steve into letting them into the movies for free. You knew what Steve did for them, of course; how could you forget? But you hadn't anticipated the relationship to continue after the monsters were banished.
"Tiny assholes, all of them." Steve had his hands on his hips, looking a lot like an exasperated babysitter.
You laughed in agreement.
You planned on spending the next approximately 2 hours shopping for Dustin; he was coming home in a few weeks, you had yet to find a suitable welcome back gift for him. Those plans were trashed as the kids had circled back around, complaining about how they had to walk all over the mall searching for you. Surprise overcame you once again that day; conversation with Steve had come too easily, too natural. So much that two hours had passed in the blink of an eye.
You rolled your eyes at the kids, threatening to let them walk home before waving a goodbye to Steve, leading the teens out of the mall and into your car like ducklings.
It was adorable.
"What the hell was that about?" A voice from behind Steve demanded.
"Jesus, Robin! I thought you went home."
"No way. I just didn't want to interrupt whatever that was." Robin propped herself up to sit on the ledge connecting the break room and ice cream parlor, suddenly very intrigued in studying Steve's body language.
Steve huffed, crossing his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about." He turned his head, hoping Robin wouldn't spot the red hue creeping up his face.
"Seriously? That was the longest you've talked to a girl all summer. I'd give you a point if you'd at least gotten her number or something!"
Steve ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "Do you seriously not - ? I can't just -"
"What, did you break her heart in high school or something?" Robin laughed a little, only half joking until she saw how Steve's face dropped, suddenly very interested in wiping down the spotless counter.
Robin bit her bottom lip, hating how big her stupid mouth was. Whoever you were, you clearly meant a lot to Steve. Robin hadn't even thought that was possible, though she was realizing that maybe, there was a lot more to Steve than he let people see.
"Well, it seems like she forgave you? I mean, I wouldn't talk to someone I hated for two hours." Robin's voice softened, suddenly feeling the need to reassure Steve. Who would've thought?
"Yeah, I just... it's complicated, okay?"
That would've been the end of it; until you walked back into Scoops Ahoy, completely alone, a few days later.
Maybe it was out of boredom, maybe loneliness. Maybe you realized how embarrassing it was that the majority of your friend group consisted of kids that hadn't officially reached high school yet.
Whatever led you to Scoops didn't matter as you walked in, watching the surprise on Steve's face as you came up to the counter.
"Hey, you" Steve said automatically, wanting to punch himself in the face. "What brings you here?"
You shrugged, not even glancing down at the array of ice cream. "Guess I missed you."
The boldness of your words caught Steve off guard, a minute to recollect himself necessary.
"Sorry?" His voice came out at a higher pitch than usual, lips parted in confusion and eyes big.
"I want to be friends, Steve. I mean, if that's okay -"
"No, yeah! That's - that's more than okay," Steve quickly reassured you, glancing up at the few customers entering the store.
"Tell you what, if you want to sit in the back - I'll just take care of them and take my break?" Steve glanced at you nervously, as if he was asking for your permission; as if the slightest inconvenience would make you change your mind and walk away from him. Steve realized that he really didn't want you to leave.
You entered the back of Scoops Ahoy as instructed, glancing warily at the big, red EMPLOYEES ONLY. Perhaps the sign was warning you of things you couldn't see just yet; but how could you have known what such a simple action would lead to?
Always too stubborn to heed any warnings, you entered the break room of the parlor, eyes landing on a girl in a Scoops Ahoy uniform; she was sitting at the small metal table in the center of the room, well-loved sneakers propped up in front of her. Her name tag read Robin, and Robin had stopped eating her yogurt mid-bite to stare at you, a knowing smile growing on her face.
"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone was -" Your words faltered as your face warmed; you hadn't even realized Steve had a coworker.
"Oh, it's okay! You're waiting for Steve, right? He talks about you a ton." Robin smiled warmly, getting up from her spot to meet you, face-to-face.
"Really? I -"
"I'm Robin. I don't think we've properly met." Robin stuck her hand out, yogurt long forgotten.
You took Robin's hand gently, introducing yourself with a bright smile. You had a feeling the two of you would get along well.
Just as Robin finished talking about a super annoying customer that complained about her serving too much ice cream - who complains about that, anyway? Steve burst open into the break room, as if you ran away in the few minutes that'd passed from the last time he saw you.
"Hey," Steve breathed out, snatching the stupid sailor hat off his head, eyes glancing from you to Robin back to you.
"I see you've met Robin." Steve motioned to the girl standing next to you, her arm reaching up and over your abdomen.
"Yup," Robin said, squeezing your side as she headed for the door back into the parlor. "You're way out of his league, by the way!" Robin called as she shut the break room door behind her.
The sweet sound of your laughter dissolved the scowl right off Steve's face.
"She's - ignore her." Steve ran a hand through his hair, motioning towards the table.
"She's sweet." You took a seat as Steve slid into a chair across from you. "Seems like a good influence." You teased.
"What? I'm totally the good influence here. She's younger too, so I'm, like, basically her mentor or whatever." Steve smiled, voice tapering off as he glanced at you, unspoken questions lingering in his eyes.
"You know, I didn't realize you were... friends with the kids." You said the word carefully, as if the statement would offend Steve.
"Honestly, I didn't either. Gave Dustin some advice and I guess we bonded." Steve shrugged, smile a little sad as he remembered that day.
"Advice? Really?" You let out a small laugh. There was no bite to your words, yet you brought heat to Steve's face, an embarrassed hand coming up to his neck.
"Yeah, I mean..." Steve was a little apprehensive, but your eager gaze led the next words out of his mouth, almost unconsciously. Steve lowered his voice, as if Dustin could hear him from however many miles away. "Dustin had a crush."
Your reaction was priceless; the way your eyes widened in surprise, hand clapping over your mouth as if Steve had just revealed the most groundbreaking piece of news of your life.
"You know, I always suspected -" You began, recalling the way Dustin had described the new girl in Hawkins.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. You say that now." Steve interrupted, eyes crinkling with that award-winning smile.
"No, I did!" You insisted between bursts of laughter. "I swear!"
"Yeah, I guess you always had that kind of intuition," Steve smiled fondly at the memories he kept of you, stored neatly in a special part of his mind. "Remember when you swore John and... Christ, what was her name?"
"Melissa!" The excitement at such a simple recollection made Steve's heart flutter.
"Melissa," Steve snapped his fingers, pointing back at you. "John and Melissa. They looked at each other once in that class we all had."
"You know they're still together?" You reported, eyes gleaming with memories of your old classmates. A lot of them weren't terrible, for the most part.
"What? I swear they've broken up like, twenty times." Steve's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief, smile reappearing as he watched you laugh softly.
"Guess there's someone for everyone, right?"
Steve took a second too long to reply, watching the way the florescent lights of Scoops Ahoy illuminated the warm glow on your face, cheeks surely sore from all the smiling. Thoughts betrayed him as he glanced down to your lips; he'd kissed them plenty of times before, but he took all good things for granted back then. The corners of Steve's lips turned up at your suggestion of true love and soulmates; ideas that always entertained him, though he never was quite sure how much of it he bought into.
"Yeah," Steve was suddenly very interested in his hands, tracing figures on his palms. "I guess there is."
He prayed to any higher being out there you couldn't see the way his skin turned pink under your gaze.
⁂
Your trips to Scoops Ahoy quickly became routine, easier to settle into than you'd expected, or even planned.
You'd begun being the one who suggested the kids hang out at Starcourt, eventually drawing suspicion with each additional leap at the mention of the mall; it was strange how they no longer had to beg you to drive them there.
Visits to Scoops Ahoy were made during the week, at hours Steve assured you would be slow, anyway. The last thing you wanted was to get in the way of anyone's work. Though Steve was right for the most part, he couldn't fully control the stream of customers at any given time.
Robin always commented on how you might as well get a job at Scoops with how much time you spent there, but you always laughed the comment off.
"Really, I don't know why you choose to be here, especially when Steve Harrington works here." Robin half-joked as the two of you wiped down tables.
"He's not so bad." You said softly, playing along.
"Sure." Robin teased lightly, smiling growing on her face.
Maybe it would be too much, too serious if you got a job at the same place as Steve. Perhaps you worried of lines you'd cross if that step was taken.
So, you stuck to your little routine of visiting Scoops Ahoy - sometimes with the kids, but mostly alone.
⁂
The bell rings, and Steve turns quickly, throwing the rag he was using to shine the counter over his shoulder. His customer-appropriate smile falters when he sees the guy - the one you had come in with only a few weeks prior - with another girl.
Steve definitely didn't earn himself a tip with his service, but his annoyance (and perhaps jealousy) had sprung onto him out of nowhere. I mean, how did you even stand going out with the guy? Steve recognized him; he had been on the basketball team with him but had never even made it off the bench.
And although high school shouldn't be consuming so much of Steve's mind post-graduation, he can't help but reminisce as he wipes down the counters for the fourth time; no customers to serve - no distractions to keep him from thinking of you.
His thoughts hadn't initially started with you, but it seemed like you were seeping into every crevice of his brain. When you weren't around, he talked Robin's ear off about you, funny stories you had shared, or pointing out something he remembered you enjoyed. And, really, he wasn't sure he ever stopped being able to think about you.
But all those thoughts, all his memories of you, eventually led him back to the part were he ruined it all.
Maybe something about all the shit he's seen these past two years, the life-threatening situations he found himself in over and over again finally made Steve grow up. There were much more important things than whether the people he associated with were cool enough to be around; no value in things like his reputation. He was sure you'd been the only person, at least back then, to really care about him.
Even then, he was too afraid to let his persona down around you. He was always a gentleman, always suave; but never vulnerable. Not enough, anyway.
The way he acted back then makes Steve want to go back and help Jonathan get a few more punches in, really. And Steve, even after your tenth time visiting Scoops Ahoy, can't wrap his head around the idea that you're here, willing to even talk to him.
So, if friendship is all you have to offer Steve, that's what he'll take.
But it's beginning to eat away at him.
Steve turns his engine off once he pulls into your driveway, but it's as if you can sense he doesn't want you to go quite yet.
There's no tension, not like last time, but Steve's turned toward you and he has that habit of biting his lips when he's nervous and it's making you nervous.
"We never did, um... talk about-"
"Steve, we really don't have to-"
"Why? I mean, I can admit to all of it and I just want to-"
"Well, I don't want to, Steve!" You say exasperatedly. Perhaps it's because the strange form of friendship you have with him now is riding on the fact that you've managed to swallow all your pain and put it far behind you, to associate it with a version of Steve that didn't exist anymore. Maybe it was easier to believe that you had both had been playing pretend with each other, never really together. And, god, was Steve making it difficult for you.
"I care about you," Steve starts once the silence has become unbearable. "I mean, I did before, too, and I was really bad at showing it, but I did love you-" Shit. That's not what Steve had meant to say.
"Steve-"
"I didn't mean..." Steve sighs, tapping his fingers on his steering wheel.
"I don't think you do. Love me." Your voice is so soft, careful. "Maybe you thought you did. Maybe you think you do now. But I think... maybe you're just a little lonely, Steve."
You can't bring yourself to look at him. Not as you open the passenger car door, not as you make a quiet exit, not as you enter your home; leaving him as just as you did two years ago.
Once again, Steve's made all this so complicated.
⁂
You have the decency not to show up to Scoops Ahoy anymore, much to Steve's dismay. He wasn't trying to change anything. He had been more than content with just seeing you semi-regularly; maybe that's why he still searched for your face in the crowd.
But you didn't want Steve to stay in love with you, or stay confused, or whatever it was you thought Steve was feeling. He knew that. He also knew that your actions, however kind, were pointless. A piece of Steve would always be reserved for you.
Isn't that what being in love feels like?
⁂
Your shift in demeanor when the kids bring up Starcourt gives you away quickly.
It's subtle; a furrow of your brow, an avoidance of eye contact, an excuse, and a suggestion of a different place to visit.
Max catches on first, testing her theory with questions, eventually leading the topic back up to Steve.
"You like him, don't you?" Max smiles, thinking she's figured it out. "He obviously likes you, too, so there's nothing to worry about!"
You bite back a tart laugh. That was exactly the problem. "I promise you, I do not like Steve."
"Didn't you guys date before?" Mike pipes up, faintly recalling some type of history between the two of you.
"We did."
"So why'd you break up? Did he do something? I know with Nancy-"
"Mike!" Max scoffs. "Obviously she doesn't want to talk about it!"
"Guys, it's fine," you insist. "But I promise, there's nothing going on between Steve and I."
"Oh-kay," Mike raises his hand in surrender. "But do you really think we'd ever willingly just hang out with Steve Harrington?" Max frowns and smacks Mike's arm. "Ow! What? I'm just saying!"
⁂
"And then I told her I still loved her. But it was an accident!"
"Still love her? As in, did before?"
"We were together for a while junior year. It... didn't end very well."
Robin sits with this information, faintly recalling ignoring hushed whispers about a situation her sophomore year, Steve's name thrown around more than usual.
"Okay, so what'd she say?"
Steve goes quiet, suddenly very intrigued by his half-eaten banana. "That I didn't and I was just lonely."
Robin can at least acknowledge the pain in Steve's voice, no matter how he tries to hide it. "I really don't mean to be a downer, but... you've only been talking regularly for, what, a few weeks? And you just realized you've been in love for who knows how long after a few weeks?"
It doesn't sound rational. Not in Steve's head, or anyone else's. And maybe Steve didn't really know what love was. It wasn't like he'd ever been around a good example of it. Perhaps he was still too young, too deprived of love to recognize it.
But Steve's heart was trying so desperately to convince him otherwise, recalling all the moments you'd made him feel too much too quickly, dating back to sophomore year.
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Steve mutters, throwing the rest of his banana into the trash, his appetite suddenly lost.
⁂
It's been days since Steve last saw you.
It would've been unbearable if Dustin hadn't come home a few days after your last talk with Steve - and really, Steve couldn't be more grateful.
It was strange how much he missed Dustin. It was strange how their friendship continued past demonic dogs together, and even stranger how much normalcy Dustin was able to bring Steve - though there was no way it could've lasted long.
Dustin came in with a secret Russian code begging to be cracked. Of course, after Steve, the second person he wanted to loop in was you. And of course, you came running.
⁂
Your little mission has led you to an elevator - trapped, if you wanted to be completely accurate.
You knew this was a bad idea - but it was better to tag along and try to keep them as safe as possible than to leave them on their own. Right?
There's not much of a bright side, though. No way to push yourself into danger as long as it meant getting everyone else to safety - wherever you were going, you'd all be going together.
The idea didn't comfort you.
"I think you were right." Steve interrupts your useless brainstorming of ways to get out - something the rest of them had given up on a while ago.
"Hmm? About the door?"
"What? No," Steve laughs, arms crossed as he stands in a corner of the elevator, hoping for as much privacy as he could get with three other people. "No, I mean... me. Us. About what you said that day."
"Oh. That." Your chest tightens, and you're unable to distinguish if it's discomfort or hurt. It was confirmation. You were right. Steve had never really loved you.
"That," Steve repeats. "I didn't... I never wanted anything to change. You want to be friends, that's all we'll be. I'm happy with that. Just... I want you to stick around, alright? I mean, it's bad enough I dragged you into this-"
You scoff. "Steve, I'm the one who dragged you into this."
Steve's brows furrow as he gives you a look.
"Two years ago. If I hadn't opened that door..."
"Oh, you mean if you'd shot me?"
Both of you laugh. "I should've shot you! I think you would've been better off." Cause, god did it feel like you were a magnet, dragging Steve towards everything terrible that popped up in Hawkins.
"Nah," Steve shakes his head. "It's all taught me a lot. Made me think about things differently."
You'd almost be grateful for the whirring noise that picked up your attention - if it didn't hammer in the last nail in the we're so screwed coffin.
The sense of dread that sticks in the pit of your stomach doesn't go away, even as you all finally make it out of the elevator; it seems to intensify with each step taken down the abnormally long hallway.
Something wasn't right.
At least you weren't alone. Steve and Dustin slow their paces alongside you as the three of you begin to exchange looks and whispers.
"Look, it's just a theory, right?" Steve chirps. "We don't know for sure."
"Yeah, but if we are right..." Dustin trails off, eyes falling on you as you bite the inside of your cheek.
"Better start praying we're wrong," you mumble, quickening your pace before the three of you lag too far behind.
⁂
Your situation somehow worsens when you stumble upon the main hub, or whatever this place was, dozens of very heavily armed guards standing perfectly in between you and the room you wanted to break in to.
Somehow, slowly and sneakily, the five of you make it; and you would've been home free if it weren't for the soldier in the coms room, hand reaching for his gun before you can even react.
Luckily, Steve's faster. He has the soldier down in a surprising amount of time, considering his odds when it came to fights.
"You can shoot, right?" Dustin says, motioning to the knocked-out solider. "Take his gun!"
You consider it, but only for a few seconds. "No," you shake your head. "There's too many of them out there. If they see us with a gun, they'll shoot. At all of us."
There was no way you were putting everyone in that type of danger. The mood goes solemn with the thought, only snapping out of it when Robin's voice interrupts.
"Guys," she says breathlessly, motioning to the stairs behind her. "There's something up there."
Quietly, everyone makes their way up the stairs to a small room with windows that confirm your suspicions.
Whoever these people are, they're trying to reopen The Gate.
⁂
It's not long after you notice the missing guard that the alarms go off and god, you never should've let the kids get involved.
Your body moves quicker than your brain, breaking into a run while you try to navigate the facility and, simultaneously, lead everyone to somewhere safe.
There's an empty room and you shut the door as soon as the last person enters, immediately leaning yourself against the door to try and keep it shut. Steve's right beside you, bracing himself with his back against the door.
"Go!" Steve shouts and you think he's urging Dustin and Erica down the vent they've uncovered - but you turn your head and realize he's talking to you.
"What? No-"
"Please," Steve pleads, desperately. "Please go."
Robin acts quickly, urging you towards the kids as she places herself against the door. "I've got it," she assures.
Because, even if she hasn't known Steve for long, she knows he'll never forgive her if something Robin could've prevented happened to you.
There's not a lot of time; not as Dustin stands halfway in the vent, not as the soldiers group around the door, trying to force their way in.
So you go.
⁂
Your throat tightens as the space around you constricts drastically, but having to crawl through vents isn't your main concern.
The regret was instant, the urge to turn back strong. But where would that get you? No, where would that get the kids?
Steve had sent you to protect them. Yes, that was it. That was what you had to do now. Focus and get them out.
"Come on," you say, wiping the sweat off your brow as you all come to a fan blocking your passage. "Pass me the screwdriver."
⁂
"Oh, god."
Dustin works on Steve and Robin's restraints hastily as you stare down at the man you'd... electrocuted? killed?
You don't feel bad, not after seeing the damage on Steve's face. His uniform is stained with fresh blood still streaming from the gash near his mouth. His eye is almost swollen shut. Robin, at least, looks physically unscathed, but who knows what they did or said?
"Get ready to run," Dustin warns, finally pulling the restraints loose.
Though, it was a lot less running and a lot more dragging.
⁂
"Are they drunk?"
"No, no," you crouch next to Steve, pressing the back of your hand to his forehead. "I think they got drugged."
"What? I'm fine," Steve laughs, hands reaching for your face.
"Steve, let me see your eyes." You try to hold him still, pulling his eyelid up to check his pupils; his extremely dilated pupils.
"No, I wanna see your- ow- eyes," Steve mumbles.
You turn back to Dustin and Erica. "Definitely drugged."
The elevator comes to a stop and you're dragging Steve up. He almost knocks you over with the way he clings onto you, laughing about something you can't understand. You pull Robin up with your free hand, grip on them strong as you tug them out of the room.
"Shit!" Dustin cries as guards begin to run at you.
"Go, go," You motion towards the room to your left, dragging Steve and Robin along as quickly as you possibly can.
"Why are we running?" Robin groans, trying to worm herself out of your grasp.
Dustin takes the lead, navigating the hallways you're sure Steve has taught him how to sneak through. Thank god for their bribery.
Dustin finds the right door and sticks his head out. "All clear," he announces before opening it fully.
"Okay," you stop for a breath, letting Steve and Robin loose and turning towards Dustin and Erica. "My car's parked out front, we can get out through the side entrance and..." you reach into your back pocket for your keys but come up empty-handed.
Your heart drops.
"What?" Dustin asks, staring at your expression.
"My keys are gone," you say solemnly.
"What do you mean they're gone?"
You check your back pocket again. And your other one, and your front ones. "They're gone. They must've fallen out somewhere, shit!"
"Hey, guys?" Erica calls. "Where'd they go?"
Your head snaps; Erica's right. Robin and Steve are gone.
"We're gonna need backup," Dustin sighs.
⁂
"Okay, my turn," Robin giggles. "What really happened between you and... you know. I mean, I heard rumors but..."
Steve sighs from his stall, leaning his head against the wall.
"I cheated on her. With her best friend."
"Oh, wow. Yeah, it's definitely still in your system."
"Biggest mistake of my entire life. I don't even know why I did it. I guess I was so used to... pretending. I thought... that maybe she didn't actually think our relationship was real. I mean, looking back, I don't think I had any genuine relationships... with anyone, except her. I just... got caught up in all the lies and thought we were one, too."
Robin sits quietly, unsure of how to respond.
"You OD over there?"
She laughs. "No, no, I am still alive."
Steve slides under the stall, leaning back opposite of Robin. "I guess... I never expected her to forgive me, right? She said she did, but... I don't know. I guess I never forgave myself."
"She still cares about you, y'know?" Robin offers. "I mean, it's obvious."
That at least pulls out a laugh from Steve. "Yeah, I don't know. I mean, maybe you're right. Maybe it's time to move on. Meet new people."
Maybe the shit Robin got injected with is still messing with her head - or maybe the sad look in Steve's eyes is killing her. She doesn't know him as well as she thought she did, couldn't chalk up his character to rich, popular, white boy with no problems of his own.
But to do this, to be actual friends with Steve Harrington, there was something he needed to know.
"Do you... remember what I said about Click's class?"
⁂
The walkie-talkie only gets you so far without an extra eight double-a batteries. Seriously, did it really need that many?
You're getting exasperated in your search as you exit the theater and look at the unusually empty Starcourt walkways. That's right. It's the Fourth of July.
"Uh, okay, think," Dustin says. "If I were a drugged-up Steve, where would I be?"
"Maybe they went back to Scoops?" Erica suggests.
"No," you shake your head. "I think I know where they went."
Dustin bursts into the bathroom and you breathe an audible sigh of relief as you spot Steve and Robin in one of the stalls.
"Seriously, what the hell?" Dustin demands.
You stick out your hands immediately, helping Steve and Robin up once again. "Are you guys feeling better?"
"Yup, think we got must of it out of our systems," Steve confirms, suddenly incredibly self-conscious of the blood and vomit staining his uniform. God, he doesn't even want to see what he looks like right now.
But there's nothing but worry in your eyes as you check for any new damage since the last time you saw them. Now, though, in the florescent lights of the Starcourt bathroom, you can really see how Steve's face has been healing.
And by that, you mean it looks even worse.
"It probably looks worse than it is," Steve tries to assure, hands bringing yours that hold his face as you try to inspect it, down.
"Yeah, well, you look like shit," you mutter.
"I really hate to interrupt, but do we have a way out of here?" Robin pipes up.
You sigh. "Dustin tried to call the rest of the kids, but we don't know how much they heard. We have no idea where they are and... my keys are gone! So..."
"We're gonna have to go out there," Dustin says, cracking open the bathroom door.
The rest of you peer over his head, watching as crowds emerge out of the theater.
"And... blend."
⁂
"Abort, abort!"
"Go, go!" For the millionth time, you're rushing everyone along - this time, sliding down the space between the up and down escalators.
"Get behind that counter," you say. "Go!"
You and Steve help Dustin and Erica jump over the counter as each of you press your backs against the nooks made for the employees.
Someone's sneaker squeaks against the linoleum and you hold your breath as you hear a voice, not so far off, saying something you can't understand.
Your eyes fall to your lap, where you realize Steve's hand is clasped around yours. You're not sure who reached for who, but it doesn't matter; you squeeze.
The sound of a car alarm brings surprise to your face as you turn to look at an equally confused Steve. A loud crash has you spinning, hands on the counter as the five of you slowly peer over.
The guards are down, red pools of blood slowly forming under them. The shiny red car once sitting in the middle of the food court sits, smoking, in the side of one of the food stalls.
You all turn slowly, but you only know one person capable of this.
El stands, peering over from the second floor, with the rest of the party, along with Nancy and Jonathan, coming up behind her.
Dustin breaks into a jog to hug Mike and El and you can't deny your pace quickens once you spot Jonathan.
"Where the hell have you been? I've been trying your house for days," Jonathan says, pulling you into a hug.
"Sorry, I was stuck underneath Starcourt."
He doesn't even have time to ask what the hell you were talking about before you're pulling Nancy into an equally tight embrace.
The game of catch-up commences as you five try to explain how the Russians and the Gate are, in fact, connected until El collapses.
"El? El!"
"My... leg..." El manages out through painful breaths.
"Okay, okay, her leg..."
Nancy moves the gauze on her leg off as Mike carefully rolls up her pant leg, revealing a wound that most certainly does not look right. Something moves inside of it, earning sick groans from the group.
"Keep her talking," Jonathan starts, getting up. "Keep her awake!" He calls sprints off in the direction of the food court, and you help Mike sit El up, carefully.
"You know, it's, uh, not that bad. You know, the goalie on my soccer team, Beth Wildfire, this other girl slid into her leg and, like, the whole bone came out of her knee, six inches or something, it was insane-"
"Robin, please," you say lightly.
"You're not helping," Steve adds.
"I'm sorry." She runs a hand through her hair, clearly overwhelmed. You can't blame her, really. Not after all the informaton about monsters and superpowers you all just dumped on her.
"Okay," Jonathan says, returning with a few new tools. "All right, El? This is gonna hurt like hell, okay? Need you to stay real still."
You grab El's hand and squeeze, lightly.
"Here, you're gonna want to bite down on this, okay?"
Jonathan slices the wound with the knife and El screams through the wooden spoon in her mouth, squeezing your hand hard.
Her screams only intensify and a collective gasp is drawn as Jonathan sticks his gloved fingers into the wound.
The pain becomes unbearable for El, your fingers close to breaking, when she spits out the spoon.
"Stop! I can do it... I can do it."
All of you watch in terror as El screams, forcing whatever was in her leg out.
The shop window behind you shatters and you cover her head from the spray of glass, watching as the slimey, fleshy, thing makes it out of her leg and goes flying, crawling, smashed under a shoe.
There stands Hopper, Joyce, and a man you've never seen before.
Now the real game of catch-up commences.
⁂
"Hey," a voice comes up behind you.
"Hey." You turn to see Steve, face a few different shades now. It's too quiet between the two of you now, the world pushing you together harder in the last twenty-four hours than it ever had before. It might've been awkward if the threat of death wasn't looming over your head so consistently.
But there's no objective right now; no enemy to defeat, no facility to escape. No life-saving topics to discuss to distract from all the feelings you were trying to avoid.
"Why don't you let me clean that up?" You motion to his face; namely, his eye. "I'm sure there's a first aid kit somewhere." At the very least, there had to be ice.
Steve nods, unable to think of something cool and nonchalant to say. Robin catches his eye from a few feet away and shoots him a thumbs up - to which he makes a face at her.
There's a kit by the stove of whatever restaurant's counter Steve sits on, bouncing his knee nervously.
It's not the proximity that bothers him, he swears. But your touch has always been one he leans into, instinctively. Even when the alcohol you use to swipe at the dried blood stings when it touches his cuts, Steve doesn't do anything to break the contact between your fingers and his skin.
You're gentle, guiding Steve's head around carefully, even in places where he's uninjured. You apologize when he flinches, and he would shake his head at you if you hadn't insisted he stay still.
There's a look in your eyes, and for what feels like the first time ever, Steve doesn't know what you're feeling.
The corners of your lips pull down into a small frown as you press ice against Steve's swollen eye, apologies escaping you.
"'S fine," Steve insists, taking the responsibility of holding up the bag full of ice cubes from you.
"What... happened in there?" You ask, though you're not sure you really want to hear the answer.
"Oh, pfft. Got punched a few times, injected with a mystery drug. No biggie, really." There was no sarcasm in Steve's voice as he tried to downplay the situation, but his efforts to make you feel better were in vain.
"I should've stayed," you start.
"No-"
"No, I should've stayed, Steve! I had no idea what was happening to you down there and if... if something happened, if something worse had happened-!"
Your hands are in Steve's. Somehow, they've managed to work themselves in there again.
"I was going crazy imagining what they were doing to you. I think I would've preferred getting punched in the face as long as I knew... as long as I was with you."
It's all coming out now, all clicking in your head. You couldn't deny how worried you were about Steve, how panic had filled every crevice of your body when he wasn't in your line of sight; when he was in danger.
And what if he had gotten killed down there? What if one of you were to die fighting whatever fleshy monster you were bound to run into?
"This is a terrible time to say this, but I... I love you, Steve. I mean, as much as I don't want to, I do. It's fine if you're done with me, but you need to know, I mean, I have no idea what's going to happen after this, but almost losing you was the worst feeling of my entire life and we... we've been through some pretty bad shit!" You laugh because that's all you can do, nerves pooling in the pit of your stomach at Steve's silence.
But he's looking up at you with a glint in his good eye and lips parted - shock, maybe.
"Can, I uh... can I kiss you?" Steve asks, hoping you've wiped all the blood off the side of his mouth.
"Might just be your last chance," you smile, leaning in oh-so-carefully.
Steve's lips feel so familiar, but the way he kisses you is not. He's restrained, maybe because of the pain, maybe because of the disbelief. He holds you like he's always held you, carefully swiping a thumb across your cheek as you kiss.
You're careful as you pull away and Steve is starstruck.
"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
"No," Steve insists. "No, you didn't." Quite the opposite, really.
The worry won't wipe off your face so Steve takes your hands in his, thumbs tracing over your knuckles like he used to always do.
"Don't fuck up again, Harrington." Your voice comes out too soft, too vulnerable.
"I won't," Steve swears. "If I do, I fully give you permission to like... I don't know, chop off my dick or something."
"Hey," Robin calls, though she's unable to keep the grin off her face. "We just got put back on babysitting duty."
She doesn't miss how Steve doesn't let go of your hand all the way outside and she doesn't even mind squishing into the backseat with Dustin and Erica.
⁂
"Griswold Family, do you copy?!"
It's no use. They won't, or can't, pick up.
Your heart thuds in your chest at the thought of all the kids being so close to the danger. This wasn't the plan.
You catch Steve's eye and he nods, the two of you are up and off.
"Where are you going?" Erica demands.
"To get them the hell out of there! Stay here, contact the others!" Steve calls.
"Wait!" Dustin cries, throwing you a walkie. "Stay in touch."
You nod, carefully following Steve downhill as quickly as you can without tripping over yourself.
"Think we're gonna make it?" Steve asks as he manages to get back onto the road, slightly out of breath from the run.
"We're gonna make it," you assure, but you still let Steve's hand squeeze yours for just a second before returning to the wheel.
⁂
"Steve, he's not stopping!"
"Yeah, wouldn't expect that asshole to," Steve mutters. "Okay, hold on!"
You try not to scream as Steve presses the gas, aiming right for Billy. Steve puts his arm out in front of you upon impact, eyebrows drawn in worry.
"Are you okay?"
You nod, though you're not sure how honest you're being. "Come on," you hop out of the car, cramming into Nancy's backseat and shutting the door behind Steve, watching the giant spider flesh thing climb atop of Starcourt.
⁂
It would be comical, really. Dustin and the girlfriend you all thought was fake singing Never Ending Story while a monster chased you around. You'd be laughing if your lives weren't at stake.
"It's turning around," Steve warns and you press yourself closer to the window. Shit. He was right. "It's turning around!"
"Maybe we wore it out?"
"I don't think so!"
Jonathan makes a tight u-turn and, rather than driving the monster away, you're now following it.
Back to Starcourt, it is.
⁂
Your very own light show was right here in the middle of Starcourt, fireworks flung at the Mind Flayer evidently doing some damage. But you couldn't keep this up; the supply was running low and El was still down there with Billy.
All you could do was watch, horror-stricken, as the Mind Flayer got one final kill before the body was disconnected from the brain.
⁂
They put you in shock blankets as you sat in the ambulances. You weren't sure why, but maybe they were doing something. But it felt too constricting, too heavy on you. You had to stand, do something, check up on someone.
Someone beats you to it, bumping your knee with his as he takes a seat next to you.
There's no need for either of you to speak. There's not much to say, anyway.
Instead, you lean into Steve and he wraps his arms around you instantly, his own blanket slipping off as he slides his hands into yours.
There's a ghost of a kiss pressed against your forehead as you bury yourself further into Steve, away from everything horrible you'd seen today.
"Why don't you stay with me tonight?" Steve whispers carefully.
You nod, almost immediately. You don't want to be alone. Not tonight.
⁂
Goodbyes were tough.
Steve had come with you to say goodbye to Jonathan and Will. Despite his rocky relationship with the former and practically non-existant one with the latter, he'd show up anywhere you asked him to.
There were so many memories in the Byers home, some of them completely haunting - but so many of them wonderful.
"Remember when we burnt breakfast so bad it filled the whole house with smoke?" Jonathan reminisces from beside you, leaning against the door frame.
"We? You were supposed to keep an eye on it," you laugh. "Remember Christmas?"
"Yeah, when I had to beg you to stay over?"
"You just didn't want to drive me home."
"Untrue."
The two of you go silent, each of your minds replaying all the memories you had together here. In different orders, you were sure, but all the same memories.
Jonathan pulls you into a hug; tighter than any he's give you before.
"Don't start crying on me now," you joke, but your own throat is beginning to tighten.
"Yeah, you wish."
It's Will and El that almost break you, each of them receiving bone-crushing hugs that they don't complain about - how could they through their sobs?
You hold them until you've got to let go, watching with a heavy heart as all the kids say their final goodbyes.
Not final ones. Just goodbyes, for now.
None of you leave until the U-Haul is long gone, a piece of your little family driving off with them.
⁂
"Steve," you laugh, barely able to get a word in between all the kisses. "I am a forty minute drive away."
"It's almost an hour with traffic," Steve whines, trying to hold you still as he kisses your face.
"Then I'll meet you halfway," you compromise, taking advantage of your cheeks occupying his lips.
"No, no, I'll be here," Steve promises, attacking your lips again.
"Steve!" You laugh, pushing him away. "I'll be home on weekends. And on days I don't have class."
"What if I miss you before that?" Steve mutters, forehead pressed against yours, hands on your hips.
"Then you come visit me. I'm sure my roommate wouldn't mind an extra guest."
Steve groans as you laugh. His hands slide up to frame your face, your own hands resting atop of his.
"I'll see you in five days," you whisper with a smile.
"I'll be counting down the seconds."
Steve kisses you, as lovingly as he always does, until both your lips are puffy.
contents ౨ৎ ⋆ hawks x fem reader. fluff. slightly suggestive. you accidentally pick up the number two hero’s coffee so picks you up instead.
You take a sip of your morning coffee and almost spit it out on your dashboard.
This could not be your order. It was so… unusually sugary. Too sugary. Like someone liquified a whole candy store and shoved it into a venti cup.
Still reeling a little from the overly sweet aftertaste that lingers on your tongue, your eyes trail down to read:
Vt Crml Crnch Frap
5 Banana
Ex Caramel Drizzle
Extra Whip
Extra Ice
Ex Cinnamon
7 pumps Add Dk Crml Sauce
Ex Caramel Crunch
1 pump Honey Blend
Heavy Cream
Double Blended
What kind of pretentious asshole orders this garbage? Were their taste buds dead?
You mentally sent your condolences to the poor person that had to make this disgusting monstrosity of a drink. Please, you would’ve taken one look at the order and thrown it in the trash.
Your eyes searched the paper cup for who your local coffee shop transgressor was– catching sight of a scribble in blue marker reading “H-A.” You moved your hand a bit to reveal a “W-K-S.” A sense of dread creeps in as you numbly stare at the squiggly heart next to it.
It was like someone slipped an ice cube down the back of your shirt.
You had mistakenly picked up the wildly famous winged pro hero’s order and to make things even worse, put your mouth on where his was supposed to be.
Okay that sounded kind of dirty. But it’s not like you could drive back and return it now, what with your lip gloss already staining the lid.
Hey, um, I think I accidentally took a sip of the Hawks’s coffee? Oopsies? You guess you could pay for his order to be remade, but who’s to say he’ll even come back for it, much less accept it from some random stranger?
You were already running late to your desk job as is, and your coworkers were probably scratching their heads, wondering where you were since you always arrived at least half an hour before them. Should you just throw it away and pretend it never happened?
Oh god, would some person dig through the trash the moment you turned your back and extract your DNA from your lip gloss on the lid, thinking you were a deranged fan who stole his drink on purpose?
Or worse—that you were his secret girlfriend picking up his drink who had just wanted a little taste first before delivering it to him?
Your brain starts to wring itself dry of all the possibilities that could happen, shuddering despite each one being as unlikely as the next. An impressive mental workout for an un-caffeinated person at barely eight in the morning.
You wish you never even went to get your usual little treat today. That barista definitely looked right at you when you went to pick up your order, you swear they did.
But now that you’re thinking about it, maybe they were looking at the person standing behind you that you didn’t see as you rushed out of the shop? How do you even miss a man with wings that big?
Something gently knocks on the driver side window and you almost jump out of your seat.
As you roll it down with caution, your brain momentarily stops functioning as you’re met with a pair of striking golden eyes. Another inch of tinted glass down, a strong Grecian nose.
Forget work, the hell. You didn’t even know noses could be that pretty, and as your last bit of window disappears into the car so does your self-respect as you realize he’s abandoned his usual tan-colored jacket, standing before you in his black compression shirt with gold embossment.
Forget everything, actually.
You don't realize you’re holding your breath until he laughs at you, and you sheepishly close your slightly parted lips.
“Didn’t know coffee thieves came this cute.” Drinking in your appearance his keen eyes stray from yours, slowly trailing down to your trembling lips, a stark contrast to the growing smirk on his. “Or this nervous.”
His fingers drum absentmindedly on the side of your car door, clear amusement written across his handsome face as he waits for you to say something. You collect yourself and snap out of your thoughts, taking a deep breath.
“I’msososorryIdrankyourcoffee!” You squeeze your eyes shut in embarrassment as your words come out in a jumble. “I totally grabbed the wrong order and I can’t believe I didn’t see you waiting behind me, I swear I’m not a creep–”
“Hey, hey,” Hawks gently interrupts you, reassurance laced in his voice. “It’s all good, no harm done.” He taps the paper cup that somehow miraculously hasn’t slipped out of your fingers yet.
“Sooo was it good?”
You choke on air, not expecting that. “Your drink?”
“Yeah, my drink.” He shoots you a cheeky grin. That bastard. “Good or nah?” You pause, contemplating if you should lie–no. No, today you chose honesty.
“...Genuinely, I have no idea how you drink this shit.”
Hawks laughs at your bold answer. “Thanks for being my little taste tester anyways. Too sweet, huh?” The tip of his finger traces around the remnants of your lip gloss on the lid, the cup still in your now slightly shaky hand as you nod.
His touch seared against your skin, as his pretty fingers closed around yours to raise the drink up to his lips to take a slow sip, eyes never leaving your own.
With a gaze that was infuriatingly sultry as it was sweet, like a bird of prey beckoning a field mouse to be their next meal, he murmurs, “Just how I like it.”
You’re not really sure he was talking about the coffee anymore.
He hums, and your thighs involuntarily clench a bit as his soft-looking mouth closes around the opening of the lid to take another sip.
“I’d say you’re a villain that deserves their own special category.” He grins, eyes sparkling conspiratorially. “One that involves letting me take her out to dinner.”
If you weren’t sitting down you know your legs would have given out. “Like… like on a date?” You gape at him incredulously. Because there was no way. Hawks. Just asked you out.
“Now sweetheart, what else would it be?” Hawks smirks at your dazed expression, like you’re sure you misheard him. So cute. “I mean, unless you don’t want to–”
“No!” He blinks, and your hand flies to cover your mouth at your sudden outburst.
“I-I mean, I want to…” You shyly say at a much quieter volume, fidgeting with the rings on your fingers. He leans closer to you with a grin, languidly resting his folded arms over the open frame of your car door.
“It’s a date then. I know this really good sushi and ramen place down the block near my agency, my treat of course.”
“If I’m a villain is this your idea of rehabilitation?” You joke dryly. “Because it’s working.”
He tips your chin up. “Oh don’t worry pretty, I’m just getting started with turning you into a good girl.” A hot flush creeps up your neck to your cheeks, and you almost melt into a puddle right then and there at your steering wheel.
“I’d love to stay but I’m actually so late for work right now.” You utter weakly, chin still resting against his finger. Hawks tilts his head at that, unfolding his vibrant crimson wings as he wordlessly opens the front door of your car.
With little effort and an impressive flex of his biceps, plus a sharp intake of breath from you, one of his arms slips under your thighs and another firmly hugs you just under your shoulder blades as he lifts you up to his firm chest.
A smirk tugs at his lips as he feels your flustered arms hastily reach up to wrap around his neck. Honeyed eyes like molten gold meet yours as he gives a gentle squeeze to your thigh through your pencil skirt, and once again you find yourself needing a reminder to breathe.
“So, where to?”
“IS THAT FUCKING HAWKS OUTSIDE OUR COMPANY’S BUILDING?!”
say you can’t sleep, baby i know, that’s that me expresso~ ♪
summary: in which best friends, y/n henderson and steve harrington get caught up in their feelings while paranormal activities occur in the small town of hawkins, indiana
maybe eddie or steve and fem!single mom reader with a son who’s SUPER shy and doesn’t talk much around strangers…but they’re over at reader’s place one night recently after they’ve been introduced to your son making dinner and having a cozy night in…
you’re making dinner and you hear giggles and neither of your boys are anywhere to be found…so you go searching and find them playing with hot wheels or figurines together and it’s just too sweet
This is just such a cute idea I can't handle it. I picked Steve for this. I hope you like it! wc: 1.0k
The knock on your door stirred you from your focus.
“Shoot,” you muttered. “Shoot, shoot, shoot.” Boiling water threatened to wade over the pot’s rim, and the red sauce bubbled, spraying out onto the counters and your blouse.
A little hand tugged on the hem of your shirt. “Mom, a knock.”
“I know, baby. It’s Mr. Steve. Come greet him with me.” You set your stove to a simmer and headed for the door, your son following close behind.
Steve stood in the entryway with flowers in his hands and a trepidatious smile on his face. “Am I early?” he asked.
“No, no,” you sighed. “I’m late. These are lovely, thank you.”
Your son peeked out behind your leg, his eyes wide as he gazed up at Steve.
“Hey, big guy!” Steve said, crouching to his level. “Long time, no see.”
Your little boy stayed put, his eyes now on you.
“Say hi, Sammy.”
A small hi was all his little voice could muster up before sprinting away into the kitchen.
Steve stood back up and chuckled, shaking his head.
“Sorry,” you said.
“I’m not worried. We’ll get there.” Steve’s smile relaxed as he pulled you closer with his free arm. He placed a gentle kiss on your cheek, fleeting, but loving, nonetheless. “You’ve got sauce on your face,” he said as he used his thumb to wipe it off. “We having Italian?”
“A lame attempt,” you chuckled. “Come in. Come in before I burn something.”
Steve closed the door behind you and followed you into the kitchen.
“I can take those from you,” you said, hands out for the flowers.
“I got it, hon,” Steve said. “Sam can help me get these in water, right bud?”
Sam stood behind the table, barely peering over, and to your surprise, nodded.
“Come on, bud. Help me find a vase.”
You watched as Sam and Steve worked together to fill a vase with water. Steve cut the stems and handed them to Sam where he placed each flower carefully, one by one. They shared scrunched eyebrows as they focused on the task at hand. A warmth washed over you. Watching the boys distracted you from the food entirely until sauce splattered against your forearms.
“Ouch, ouch, shoot!” you grumbled. You wiped the sauce from your arms and sighed. As much as you didn’t want the cuteness overload to end, you had to finish dinner.
“Baby,” you called out. Both boys looked up from where they set the flowers. You laughed, your cheeks slightly rouging at the miscommunication.
“Sammy,” you corrected, “why don’t you show Mr. Steve your dinosaur drawings in your room?”
“No way, dino drawings?” Steve asked. “You’ve been holding out on me!”
Sam’s eyes brightened at Steve’s words. He remained silent but smiled up at Steve before zooming out of the kitchen and down the hall. He peeked around the corner of the hall and waved for Steve to follow him.
You felt as happy as Steve looked. Steve grinned ear to ear as if he couldn’t contain his excitement. “Alright, bud. Let’s see ‘em,” he called out as he all but jogged to catch up to your little boy. You turned back toward the stove, a smile refusing to leave your lips.
Thirty minutes later, the Chicken Parm was finally to temperature. You pulled the food from the oven. You grabbed three plates from the cabinet and set them down at the table. Seeing the third spot of your table filled pleased you to no end. You set out forks and napkins and dished out the spaghetti onto each plate. You relished in the silence, the lack of distractions. You finished setting the table and stood up straight. No distractions are a bad sign when you have children.
“Boys?” you called. No answer.
“Hmm,” you mumbled. You headed down the hall on your toes, sneaking around in your own home. Sam’s door had shut, but light peered through the crack, muffled ramblings permeating through.
You knocked and entered. Your boys looked up at you underneath a makeshift tent made of Sam’s comforter and a plastic hockey stick. Crayons of all colors and sizes rolled around over the construction paper that splayed across the floor in disarray.
“What do we have here?” you asked, hands on your hips.
“We’re drawing, Mom. Look! Mr. Steve said my drawings were cool, and that his favorite was the triceratops. I told him mine was the pterodactyl, and then I pulled out my crayons, and he said we should draw you one, and”
You couldn’t believe your ears. Your shy little boy going on and on in front of Steve, all thanks to Steve. Sam was comfortable. You kept your tears at bay as you watched your son be himself.
“This one we made for you,” Sam said. He held up a picture for you. In it was a long-necked dinosaur and three people standing next to it labeled Sam, Mom, and Mr. Steve. Above it, in different handwriting, were the words “I love Mom”.
“You made this for me?” you asked.
“You said the brontosaurus was your favorite, so I put us all with it,” Sam said smiling up at you.
“I love it, sweetie. Thank you. Now, go wash your hands, ok? Dinner is ready.”
Sam dashed out of his room, leaving you and Steve crouching under the tent. You rested your head on his. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Me?” Steve asked. “No, that’s all him.” He pressed his lips against your temple.
“He said it was your idea to draw something for me?”
“It was a collaboration.”
“Was it your idea to write ‘I love Mom’ then?”
Steve lifted his hand in surrender. “You caught me, there. But I made a mistake.” Steve leaned back to look at you. “I should have written ‘We love Mom’.”
Your heart fluttered in your chest. Your cheeks flushed pink, but you smiled, nonetheless. You leaned in and gave him a proper kiss on his lips for the first time tonight. “We love you, too, Mr. Steve. Now, let’s eat before it gets cold.”
Steve held you in your son’s makeshift tent for just a moment longer before following you into the kitchen.
Request: Hello! Could I possibly request an Eddie x reader fic where Eddie flirts with reader relentlessly, but she just doesn't catch on. And then one day he just asks her out and she is incredibly confused thinking it came out of nowhere and he's just like "I've been flirting with you for months????" Something cute and fluffy!
Word Count: 1.7k
Warnings: fluff, friends to lovers-ish, flirty!eddie, oblivious!reader
AN: This was an anonymous request! Again I am so, so sorry that it took me forever to get to this. I know the title sucks, but the fic itself is pretty good. I hope you enjoy it!
Eddie got out of his van and jogged up to the entrance of Family Video, ready to grab a couple of movies, but mostly ready to bug the living hell out of Steve. What he wasn’t ready for was meeting Steve and Robin’s new, very cute, co-worker, you.
“Hey, Eddie.” Steve greeted him.
“Hi,” he said quietly as he looked at you who was at the counter listening to Robin explain how to use the computer, “who’s that?”
“Oh, that’s Y/N. She just started working here a couple days ago.” Steve explained while he continued to restock tapes.
Eddie waltzed up to the counter and leaned against it, “Hey, Robin.”
Robin didn’t look up from the computer, “Yeah, hi, Eddie.”
“And who do we have here?” Eddie focused his attention on you.
Robin rolled her eyes, “Eddie this is Y/N, Y/N this is the most annoying man on the planet, second only to that dingus over there.”
“What the hell did I do?” Steve yelled from the sci-fi aisle.
“It’s nice to meet you, Eddie,” you gave him a kind smile that made Eddie’s heart feel like it skipped a beat, “are you a friend of Steve and Robin’s?”
“More like a nuisance.” Robin said under her breath.
Eddie ignored her and kept his eyes locked on you, “I am, in fact, I am Steve’s best friend. The guy would be lost without me.”
“Do either of you realize I can hear you?” Steve yelled again.
Eddie ignored him, “So, Hawkins is a pretty small town, and I can’t recall ever seeing you before.”
“I just moved here.”
“Well, I can say with certainty that the town just got a whole lot prettier.”
Robin looked at Eddie with disgust and rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, “Wow, way to be subtle.”
You smiled at him, “I should probably get back to work, but I guess I’ll see you around?”
“Definitely.” Eddie backed away from the counter and shot some finger guns at you which made Robin pinch the bridge of her nose and mutter something about not getting paid enough.
Eddie continued to back away until he reached the front of the store and bumped in Steve, “Dude, watch where you’re going.”
Eddie didn’t hear him, he just kept his eyes on you, a dopey little grin on his face.
“Eddie?” Steve nudged him on the shoulder, but he didn’t move, “Dude?” he waved a hand in front of Eddie’s face and then snapped his fingers before finally getting his attention, “What is up with you?”
“I think I just met the woman of my dreams, Steve.”
Steve let out an exasperated sigh, “Jesus Christ.”
-
Eddie started to go to Family Video several times a week just in the hopes of seeing you. He never grew tired of the bright smile that would spread across your face when you would look up and see him, always followed with a friendly, “Hi, Eddie.” It made his stomach fill with butterflies every time.
He would always waltz up to the counter and flirt with you. It was almost routine, first he would tell you that it was wonderful to see your beautiful face and how his day was so much better because of it. Second, he would compliment whatever outfit you were wearing under your Family Video vest, this always brought a smile to your face which in turn made Eddie compliment your smile. Third, he would walk around the store for a minute pretending to look for a movie while he would look at you with a longing expression. Fourth, he would walk back up to the counter and ask you if you had any suggestions for a movie, specifically calling upon your “movie expertise.” You would then come out from behind the counter and lead him to whatever movie was on your mind that day. Eddie would admire the way your hand would float alongside the shelves until you found the movie you were looking for. Fifth, when you handed the movie to him, he would always brush his fingers against your hand in the process. And finally, after he rented the movie, he would lean against the counter and say something along the lines of “See you later, don’t miss me too much,” followed by a wink.
The flirting had been getting on Robin and Steve’s nerves. They both would cringe whenever they witnessed it. How you hadn’t smacked Eddie upside the head, they didn’t know. However, Robin will never forget the time Eddie walked in and started up his usual flirting thinking you were the one crouched down behind the counter and the look of horror on his face when Steve popped up and said, “She’s not here today, Romeo.”
Three months had passed, and Eddie convinced himself to finally ask you out. He felt his palms grow clammy as he hopped out of the van and walked towards the store. He had no idea how this was going to pan out. You never flirted back with him, but you always had a smile on your face when he would come in.
Eddie opened the door and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw you at the counter. Even sorting tapes from the return bin, you looked beautiful. Each step he took towards the counter the worse his nerves got. He pulled at the collar of his T-shirt, suddenly finding it constricting.
You continued to sort the returns into piles by genre, unaware of Eddie approaching the counter.
“There’s the prettiest video rental store employee in all the land.” Eddie cringed slightly at his words, feeling like they were a little too dorky.
You looked up from the tapes with that bright smile that Eddie loved, “Hi, Eddie.”
A new wave of nerves surged through Eddie’s body, he decided to just rip the band-aid off and ask you out before he chickened out.
“So,” Eddie leaned against the counter, “I was thinking, maybe when your shift is over, we could hang out?”
“Oh, that would be fun!” the delight in your voice filled Eddie with reassurance, “Robin’s shift ends at the same time and Steve was swinging by to drive us home, maybe we could all go catch a movie or something.”
Eddie’s face fell slightly, “Actually, I was thinking we could hang out, you know just the two of us.”
“Just the two of us?”
“Yeah…like um,” Eddie cleared his throat, “like on a date.”
You stared at him for a solid minute and a half, completely silent. It felt like an eternity to Eddie as he waited for you to say something, anything.
“You’re asking me out?”
“Y-yeah?” another bout of silence came around and it started to drive Eddie insane, “You seem shocked.”
“I’m sorry, I just,” you let out a small chuckle, “it just feels like this is coming out of nowhere.”
That comment made Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up into his bangs, “What?”
“You asking me out, it feels out of the blue.” You chuckled again.
“You’re joking, right?”
“No, why?”
Eddie ran his hand through his hair, “I have been flirting with you for months.”
Now it was your turn to be shocked, “Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
“When did you flirt with me?”
“Literally every single moment I’ve been in the same room as you, constant, non-stop flirting.”
You had never been one to pick up on flirting, it was something your friends constantly teased you over. You thought about all your interactions with Eddie, you always thought he was just being nice, when his fingers brushed up against your hand you figured it wasn’t on purpose, even though it always sent a little spark straight to your heart. You felt like the most oblivious person in the world, because of course he had been flirting with you.
“I feel so stupid.”
“Don’t be,” Eddie waved his hand at you dismissively, “it’s okay, you didn’t pick up on it because you don’t feel the same way.”
“No, that’s the part that makes this all the more humiliating,” you leaned against the counter, burying your face in your hands, “I like you, Eddie.”
Eddie perked up instantly, “Really?”
You moved your hands under your chin and nodded, “I’ve had a crush on you since I first met you. Robin can even confirm.”
“Wait, Robin’s known that you’ve liked me since then?” Eddie placed his hands on his hips.
“Yeah, why?”
“Why didn’t she SAY anything then?!” Eddie said loud enough for Robin to hear who he assumed was somewhere in the store.
“Your love life is not my responsibility!” Robin yelled from the back.
“You could’ve at least helped out!”
“Why are you arguing with me when you should be asking her out right now?”
“I did ask her out!”
“Eddie?” You interrupted their little argument.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” you smiled, and Eddie could have melted. You walked out from behind the counter so you could stand right in front of him, “to answer your question, yes, I would love to hang out, just the two of us, like on a date.”
“Cool! Awesome! Metal!” He cringed again at his words.
You laughed and it sent butterflies through Eddie’s stomach, “My shift ends in about an hour, do you want to come back and pick me up?”
He nodded, “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Cool,” you kissed him on the cheek, “awesome,” the other cheek, “metal,” and a final kiss on the tip of his nose.
Eddie couldn’t look you in the eye, his cheeks were growing a furious red, and the butterflies in his stomach has increased tenfold, “I, uh…I guess I’ll see you in about an hour.”
“See you then.” You smiled once more before waltzing back to your spot behind the counter.
“Bye.” Eddie waved to you as he slowly backed out of the store, not wanting to turn away from you just yet.
“Bye.” You waved back to him.
Once he was outside, he started celebrating. He punched his fist in the air, jumped up and down, and shouted, “YES!” before he attempted to moon walk.
Robin emerged from the back and caught the end of Eddie celebratory dance, “Does seeing this make you want to reconsider?”
You watched as Eddie started doing something that resembled the running man and smiled, “I think it’s cute.”
Synopsis: you and Peter can’t seem to communicate effectively after the kiss
Part one
Masterlist
“Honey, can you get that? It’s Peter.” Tony asked you when FRIDAY alerted you that someone was waiting in the lobby.
“And you want me to bring him up? Why can’t you do it?” You panicked over the thought of being alone with Peter after your last conversation.
“Because I’m the belle of the ball and the belle does not bring her own guests up from the lobby. She has other people do it for her. Plus, I don’t want Peter to see my outfit until he’s up here.” Tony explained as he adjusted his tie.
“You’re such a diva. And why do you also make yourself a girl in these scenarios?” You asked as you went over to the elevator.
“Don’t call me that!” Tony called after you. You rolled your eyes and took the elevator down to the lobby. Peter had been nervously fiddling with his shirt and did a double take when you stepped off the elevator. You smiled weakly at him and smoothed down your dress.
“Oh. Hi.” Peter said as his face reddened.
“Hi. Sorry, my dad asked me to come get you.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“Oh. Right.” You smiled tightly. “Well, come on in. Dinners almost ready.”
“What did your dad make?” Peter asked as you stepped into the elevator.
“Well, my dad hasn’t “made” anything since he found out there weren’t real raspberries in raspberry toaster strudels. But our chef made gnocchi.”
“Fuck yes.” Peter whispered to himself.
“What was that?”
“I said that sounds delicious.” He lied. You rode up in silence for a minute as you watched him. He was keeping his eyes on the ground and you could tell he wasn’t thrilled that you were with him.
“Look, Peter, I know you’re upset about the way our conversation went the other day and I really want a chance to explain myself.” You said as you stepped in front of him.
“You don’t have to explain anything. I understand.” Peter said calmly.
“You do?”
“Yeah. The kiss was a heat of the moment thing and you just want to forget it happened. And I am totally okay with that.” Peter said and forced a smile. It wasn’t actually how he felt, just something he had told himself to say to avoid anymore crushing disappointment or awkwardness.
“You’re okay with that? With pretending it never happened?” You asked and felt the same level of disappointment Peter had felt.
“Yeah.” Peter lied. “Why wouldn’t I be? I won’t hold you to anything you did during a high pressure situation. I think we both want to move on and pretend it never happened. So let’s just forget about it.”
“If that’s what you want.” You nodded stiffly and stepped to the side so that you could hide how disappointed you felt over hearing him say that.
“If that’s what you want.” Peter shrugged and suddenly felt unsure of his plan. He was no longer confident that he correctly guessed how you wanted to proceed.
“Is that what you want?” Peter asked quietly after a beat of silence. Before you could answer, the elevator doors opened to the dinning room.
“Peter’s here!” Tony cheered. “Come in, come in. Sit down. I hope you’re hungry.”
“Always.” Peter’s smiled graciously as he sat in the seat beside Tony.
“Aw. I know, kid. Times are hard.” Tony said sympathetically and patted Peter’s hand.
“Oh, no, not like that. I eat enough food at home.” Peter assured him.
“Aw, yes you do.“ Tony cooed and patted his hand again. Meanwhile, you were about to take the seat next to Morgan when Pepper sat down. Now the only empty chair was the one next to Peter and you were not about to make this dinner anymore awkward than it already was. Peter made eye contact with you and gave you a sympathic smile.
“Oh. Sorry, mom. I was gonna sit next to Morgan and help her eat.” You said and gestured for her to move.
“I can use a fork all by myself now.” Morgan said proudly and held up a spoon.
“That’s a spoon. I should probably just pull up a chair next to her.” You said and went to go grab another chair.
“Honey, just sit next to Peter.” Pepper said and gestured to the only open seat.
“Okay. I will. But not because I want to.” You announced as you took the seat.
“Sweetheart. Manners.” Pepper whispered to you. You took the seat next to Peter and avoided eye contact.
“I’m not being rude.” You defended. “I’m just saying that I’m only sitting next to Peter because I have no other option.”
“Have you two been spending time together? Because that’s 100% something Peter would say.” Tony laughed in amusement as you and Peter panicked.
“What? Spending time together? That’s crazy. Why would we do that?” Peter sputtered out while you nodded in agreement.
“But you went to Peter’s apartment a few weeks ago, right Y/n? You told me that when I asked you why you kept changing your clothes.” Morgan asked you.
“So you remember that but can’t remember not to put both legs in the same pant leg?” You sassed her.
“Woah. The girls are fighting. It’s okay, Morgan. Pants are confusing.” Pepper assured her youngest daughter.
“Oh, so is that why you were bugging me for his address for days? You wanted to visit?” Tony asked you, making you hang your head in defeat.
“For days, huh? You must’ve really wanted to find me.“ Peter smiled in amusement as he looked over at you.
“Oh, yeah. It was all she could talk about after the earthquake. She was begging me to find your addresses but all I could remember about it was that it was an old brick building with a very strange doorman. And that describes most apartment buildings in your neck of the woods. She eventually gave up on me and had FRIDAY track your suit down. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was trying to find you so she could go kill you.” Tony shrugged and took a bite of his pasta.
“And you didn’t try to stop her?” Peter asked him.
“I like to let my daughters express themselves however they choose.” Tony answered. “But why did you need to go to his apartment, anyway, sweet pea?”
“Because I wanted to talk to him but we never exchanged numbers so I had to drop in like it was the 1950s.” You said and hoped that would stop the conversation there.
“You never exchanged numbers? That’s not good. What if you needed to contact each other for an emergency?” Pepper pointed out.
“Yeah. You should do that right now.” Tony agreed and gestured between the two of you.
“Dad, I’m not giving him my number. We’re eating dinner. We can do it later.” You grumbled. Peter couldn’t help but smirk at seeing the brattier side of you.
“What if we forget? Come on. Just exchange now. I’ll feel better knowing you guys can reach each other in case of an emergency.”
“Fine. Here.” You sighed and handed over your phone to Peter.
“What’s with the animosity?”Tony wondered. “I thought you guys finally liked each other after the earthquake?”
“Like each other? We do not like each other. That’s ridiculous.” You insisted as Peter turned bright red.
“You don’t?”Tony frowned. “But you went on and on about how Peter protected you during the earthquake. And Happy said that you asked him to tell you anytime Peter called with updates.”
“You asked Happy to tell you if I called?” Peter couldn’t help but smile as he asked you.
“I just wanted to know if you were okay.” You asked quietly.
“I’ve been fine.”Peter shrugged. “There hasn’t been another earthquake or anything.”
“Oh, no. She asked Happy for that long before the earthquake. It was a couple months ago, right princess?” Tony asked you. You glared at him and wondered if he was doing this on purpose.
“Why would you ask Happy for updates on me months ago?” Peter asked with genuine confusion now.
“I don’t know, Peter. I don’t have all the answers. I’m not Bing.”
“Ew. Who uses Bing?” Tony grimaced.
“I do. Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” You said and abruptly left the table. Everyone exchanged looks but shrugged it off and went back to eating. Peter pushed his food around with his fork for a minute before excusing himself and going after you. He found you in your room, a place he had never been in before. You were sitting on your bed and hugging a pillow to your chest as you stared at the ground. Peter knocked on the doorframe and you jumped.
“Hey. I thought you might want this.” Peter said and held up your phone.
“Oh. Thanks.” You said sheepishly and held out your hand for him to give it back.
“No problem. You got a text, by the way.” Peter said with a smirk. You looked at him curiously before reading the text on your screen.
“How are things going with lover boy?” You read out loud with zero amusement in your voice. You looked up at Peter with an annoyed look and he just shrugged.
“That’s not about you.” You scoffed.
“Oh, it’s not? Is there a different lover boy coming over that I should know about?” Peter asked sarcastically and pointed behind him.
“No. Because you don’t need to know anything about me.” You snapped and got off your bed.
“I don’t know why you’re pissed at me. I don’t think I did anything wrong here. You’re the one who kissed me.” Peter pointed out, growing angry now.
“I know I was. And I’m so sorry because I can tell how much you hated it.” You said sarcastically.
“I hated it?” Peter laughed in shock. “You’re the one who said it didn’t mean anything to you. But don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone about it. I know how much it meant to you that no one found out.”
“Peter, I don’t care if you told your weirdo little friend about our kiss.” You whined. “I only said that so you didn’t tell Happy or my dad or something.”
“Why would I tell your dad that we kissed?”
“You told my dad when your six piece chicken nugget had eight pieces.”
“But how would that have happened? They don’t sell eight piece nuggets. It’s either four, six, or ten. There is no eight nugget option.”
“Someone probably just put a few extra in your box on accident.”
“You sound just like your dad.” Peter mumbled.
“Can we please just get through this dinner and move on with our lives?” You sighed.
“Yes. That’s fine. I know how badly you want the dinner to end so that you never have to see me again.” Peter said with a roll of his eyes.
“When did I ever say I didn’t want to see you anymore?” You asked in exasperation.
“You’ve made it pretty clear.”
“Why are you so mad at me? What did I even do to you?” You genuinely asked him.
“You kissed me!” Peter shouted and pointed to himself. You fell silent for a moment at how desperate he sounded but then fired back.
“You kissed me back.” You pointed out.
“It’s not the same.” Peter shook his head and quieted down. “That’s not the same.”
“How is that not the same?” You shrugged and folded your arms.
“Because I liked you!” Peter raised his voice again. Your eyebrows went up in surprise as he retreated into himself.
“I liked you for years and you finally kissed me and then didn’t want to talk about it. You asked me to forget it ever happened.” Peter said quietly.
“But you’re the one who said it forget about it. You’re the one who said it was just a heat of the moment thing. You’re the one who said we should pretend it never happened. I never said any of that.” You said in a soft voice. Peter looked up at you and replayed the conversation in his head. When he realized you were absolutely right, he felt guilty for yelling at you.
“Well….yes.” He said weakly. You were both silent for a long time as neither of you knew what to say. You had been avoiding eye contact with each other until you stepped closer to him.
“You liked me?” You asked him.
“Yeah. I did.” Peter shrugged and looked into your eyes. He knew there was no point in taking it back now.
“Did?” You asked in a sad voice. “Did” meant that he no longer felt that way. Before Peter could answer you, Tony appeared in the doorway.
“Hey, are you guys gonna be eating dessert because Morgan’s been eying your cake and I honestly can’t promise it’ll be there when we go back. That girl is a beast.” Tony blew out a breath. You and Peter looked at each other for a split second before looking away.
“No. I’m gonna head out early.” Peter answered. “Thank you for the dinner, Mr. Stark. It was lovely.”
“Oh, I didn’t make it.” Tony laughed. “I haven’t made anything in months. Did you know that the raspberry in raspberry toaster strudels isn’t real?”
“Goodnight, Mr. Stark.” Peter smiled weakly at him and headed for the door.
“Night, kid. Tell your yummy aunt I said hi.” Tony called after him. You let out a sigh once Peter had left and sat back down on your bed.
“What do you think about Peter?” Tony asked now that Peter was gone.
“What? I don’t think about him.” You scoffed. “I wouldn’t care even if he broke all his legs and arms and had to wear a full body cast.”
Tony let out a little chuckle and shook his head when he heard this.
“What?” You wondered.
“Nothing. I just realized why I sought Peter out to add him to the team despite him having 0 experience and almost no discernible skills outside of being sticky.”
“Why?”
“He reminds me of my daughter.” Tony said with a fond smile. You couldn’t help but smile as well and nod your head.
“Daddy…” You began and trailed off. Tony took a seat beside you and patted your hand.
“I know, kid. I know.” Tony said with a sympathetic smile.
“Was it obvious?” You asked sheepishly.
“Yes. Neither of you are good at hiding things.” Tony replied. “Also, I watched the security footage in the lab from the day of the earthquake. I’m not sure how watching him wolf down baby carrots didn’t give you the ick.”
“I don’t know either. But it was just one kiss. It didn’t mean anything. And it’s never going to happen again. I’m pretty sure he hates me now.” You sighed and looked down at your hands.
“I don’t know about that. Did you know that every time he calls to update Happy about what he’s been up to, he asks about how you’re doing?” Tony asked you.
“He does?”
“Oh, yeah.” Tony nodded. “I wouldn’t worry about him hating you. But you do need to tell him how you feel. Annoying little nerds are all over this city, but ones like him are rare.”
“And you’ll be okay with it?” You asked skeptically.
“With you having a conversation with him, yes. But if a romance begins to bud and or blossom, I’m gonna have to have a word with him.” Tony informed you.
“Fair enough. I love you, dad.” You smiled and rested your head on his shoulder.
“Love you too, kid.” Tony replied. “Now let’s go eat some cake that someone else made.
A few days after the dinner, Peter returned to the tower and went straight to the robotics lab to continue working on something for his suit. He put his earbuds in and played his music so loudly that he never heard you come in. He only noticed you when you waved your hand in front of his face to get his attention. He burned bright pink as he pulled his earbuds out.
“Oh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. Here for another inspection?”
“No.” You said simply and Peter blushed a little at the implication that you were there to see him. You gave him an apologetic smile and he returned it to show that you weren’t there for another fight. You walked over to his side of the table and put one of his earbuds in your ears.
“What are you listening to?” You asked him.
“Oh, uh, just some indie song I found.” Peter shrugged. You pressed play on his phone and One Less Lonely Girl by Justin Bieber began to play in your ears.
“Oh. Yeah. Very indie.” You smirked and took the earbud out.
“His old stuff was really good.” Peter mumbled.
“Oh, I know. I still listen to “Somebody To Love” all the time.”
“Did you need something? Because I don’t think you came in here to talk about Justin Bieber.”
“I did, actually.”
“Oh.” Peter’s smiled dropped when he heard how serious you sounded.
“I’m kidding. Sorry. I meant to sound sarcastic but it came out really genuine.” You smiled in embarrassment.
“It’s okay. I hear thats a symptom of Bieber fever.” Peter said seriously, making you laugh.
“So, I wanted to talk about the other day. All three of ther days, actually. But it seems like you and I can’t have moments without getting interrupted.”
“Just like that girl in that Ben Afleck movie.” Peter said with a weak smile.
“What Ben Alfeck movie?”
“Girl, Interrupted.” Peter answered.
“Ben Afleck isn’t in that. Are you thinking of Gone Girl?”
“Are we gonna talk about the kiss or what?” Peter asked to change the subject.
“Yes.” You blew out a breath. “We are.”
Peter nodded and gestured to you to go first. You sighed and looked him in the eyes.
“When I came over the other day, I had a lot more to say then just asking you not to tell anyone. And the only reason I didn’t want you to tell anyone was because I didn’t want it getting back to my dad until we knew what we were. I didn’t know at that point if the kiss was a one time thing or if we were gonna be something more. I just wanted it to stay between us until I knew for sure where we stood. And I was going to tell you that I wanted to figure it out together and see where things went. But then I panicked and felt too embarrassed to explain all of that and then you looked so sad so I felt bad but then you made that joke about the seaplane and I could tell you onyl said it to make me feel better about making you feel bad so then I felt even worse and then your little friend came over and kept talking about TJ Maxx and I just had to get out of there.” You said all in one breath.
“Woah. That was the most amount of words you ever said to me at once.” Peter blinked in surprise.
“I know.”You laughed lightly. “And I’m not even done yet, believe it or not.”
“Go on. Before another natural disaster happens or a person walks in. And I honestly don’t know which would be worse.”
“Look, Peter, I never meant to make it seem like the kiss meant nothing to me. It did mean something. You mean something. I would not have kissed you if it didn’t mean anything to me.” You told him.
“So it wasn’t just a kiss just because you thought you were gonna die and needed some comfort and the only source around was your dad’s weird child friend?” He asked for reassurance.
“I did think I was gonna die.” You admitted. “I just didn’t want to die without ever getting the chance to kiss you. Which is something I had been wanting to do for a while.”
“It is?” Peter asked as you took a step closer to him and rested your hands on his chest.
“I don’t open up to people a lot. I don’t like letting my guard down. And I definitely don’t like having mushy feelings for some dumb boy that my dad found on YouTube a couple years ago.”
“Aw.” Peter said sarcastically.
“But I liked you. I have for a while.” You admitted. “And I didn’t think I could be the cool, collected, stoic bosses daughter if I had some schoolgirl crush. So I pushed it down and acted cold towards you while secretly wondering what your lips felt like.”
“And how did they feel?” Peter asked with a shy smile.
“Incredibly moisturized to the point they were almost slippery and I’m pretty sure whatever lipbalm you use has glitter in it because it was all over my face afterwards.”
“You’re welcome.” Peter smirked.
“And I’m sorry about the fight too. I had no idea how to act around you after the kiss and I kept making things worse.”
“No, the fight was my fault. I assumed you regretted the kiss and wanted to forget about it but never actually asked how you felt. I put words in your mouth and then got mad at you for them. I was just feeling emo that after all these years of pinning after you, we had a kiss that led to nothing.”
“It doesn’t have to lead to nothing.” You smiled coyly as you wrapped your arms around his torso. Peter took that as his cue to lean in and kiss you without the threat of a natural disaster looking over your heads. He couldn’t help but smile into the kiss as he put his hands on his face to pull you closer. When you pulled away, you rubbed your lips together to try to decipher the flavor of his lip balm.
“Cherry?” You asked him.
“Cherry Blossom Bliss.” He corrected. “The tube is pink and it’s shaped like lipstick.”
“I thought so.” You chuckled.
“So, what does this mean for us? Are we still keeping it a secret or should I call my seaplane guy back?” Peter asked you.
“I want to give us a try. I mean, we survived an earthquake together. I think we can survive telling my dad that we’re dating.”
“I think so too.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss you again.
“Wouldn’t it be funny if there was a tornado right now?” He asked once you pulled away. You threw your hands up in defeat and left the lab entirely.
“Come on.”Peter called after you. “It would be a little funny.”
Summary: It might be hard to discern feelings in between the ties of friendship but who if not Henderson and the gang know how to help Steve get the girl of his dreams? Not without embarrassment, of course.
Warnings: fluff, humour, a bit of swearing, typos, Billy’s alive but still a jerk
“Y/n.”
“Steve.ˮ
You nod with a light grin seeing his face come into view as the front door of the Harrington household opens. A flicker of surprise flitted his face before he shook his head lightly and gestured at you, his perfect hair slightly fluttering yet not much. Sprayed and set, as always.
“Something happened?ˮ
“The gangʼs going to watch a movie today, decided to invite you, too.ˮ
He huffed a light snort rolling his eyes.“Those rascals donʼt ever sit at home, do they? Whatʼs the movie?ˮ
“The Goonies.ˮ
“Ugh,ˮ he groans. “Compared to our fights with the abnormal, itʼs a comedy show for five-year-olds.ˮ He glanced at you swiftly before opening the door wider and stepping inside the house. “And, of course, Iʼm coming along. Make yourself at home, Iʼll grab the wallet.ˮ
You chuckle and follow him inside knowing that his pockets would take a strain if the kids will ask for snacks and double portions of popcorn.. which they definitely will.
Your footsteps are soft as you look around the hall before prodding into the main area. The furniture screams opulence unknown to most residents of the town. Then, you gaze settles on the framed pictures hanging on the wall. The matches, games and trips out of town, all of it mostly including Steve in the centre of the attention.
“Theyʼre just fo the show,ˮ Steve mutters behind you with a bit of bitterness covered by nonchalance. “To seem the picture perfect family weʼve never been.ˮ
It makes you grow quiet for a moment before pointing at one of the pictures with a light grin.
“You were a cute chubby kid.ˮ It makes him huff a chuckle as he approaches you standing by the wall, even if the compliment doesnʼt fail to stir something in him.
“I used to be a cute and gorgeous kid, now Iʼm just gorgeous.ˮ
You roll your eyes snorting, “and pretty modest for a mother hen.ˮ
“Excuse me, Iʼm not a mum and trust me, I was nothing but forced into babysitting.ˮ
“Whatever helps you sleep at night..ˮ Y/n chirps as they exit the house and he locks the front door; by the time he approaches his car parked on the driveway he catches her mischievous expression aimed at him, her frame leaning against the hood. “Let me drive your car. I just got my license, need a little practice.ˮ
“With the car that costs more than your house? You wish.ˮ He huffs shaking his head and moving to open the door to the driverʼs seat.
“Comʼon, I wonʼt crash on the road.ˮ
“Of course not, youʼll wreck it on a neighbourhood tree first.ˮ
“Steve.ˮ
“Y/n.ˮ He looked up at her as they still stood by the car and shook his head muttering, “No, donʼt think about it. No, no, no—ˮ and finally a glance in your direction with a begrudged huff. “Fine.ˮ
Y/n squeals and jumps into the driverʼs seat before revving up the engine, “Youʼre my favourite person, have I mentioned?ˮ
“Yes and every single time youʼre buttering me up,ˮ he sighs getting in the front passenger seat. “Goddamn, I turned into a babysitter and a do-gooder.ˮ
“Youʼd prefer the idiot jock Steve?ˮ
“Ouch.. and no, that Steve was a dingus.ˮ
“Moron, more like it.ˮ
“I swear to God, Y/n—!ˮ
* * *
The gang or more accurately a bunch of schoolers along with Robin stood by the ticket booth waiting for Steve and Y/n, buzzing about something excitedly before Steveʼs car halted in the parking lot.
Steve grew weirdly suspicious when all of them not so successfully cut off their talking at the sight of them approaching, his eyes instantaneously fixing on Henderson who tried to hold in his smile from widening almost too much.
He nodded in greeting and so did Camille as everyone replied back but suspicion didnʼt leave him entirely only intensifying as he was about to move to the ticket booth as Dustin spoke up chuckling in a way a disney villain would.
“Oh, we already got the tickets for everyone.ˮ
It made Steve quirk a brow and cross his arms incredulously, “Since when youʼre not abusing my money and buy things for me?ˮ
Little rascal simply shrugged grinning and showing off his pearls as Robin chimed in.
“Letʼs say he had a prick of conscience. You canʼt pay for everything, right? Guys, right?ˮ
Lucas, Mike and Will froze for a moment before Dustin stepped on Lucasʼs foot nodding gravely.
“Precisely, itʼs time we repayed you, man.ˮ
Lucas hissed clutching his foot but soon lowered it, Max and El didnʼt even notice the whole thing having been speaking to Y/n the whole time.
Steve grimaced in a bewildered frown gesturing at the boys and Robin. “Youʼre a bunch of weirdos. Today youʼre even weirder. Spill the beans, whatʼs going on?ˮ
“Cut it off, Mr. Monroe hair.ˮ Henderson rolled his eyes huffing unimpressed before unceremoniously walking inside the cinema theatre leaving others to trail after him.
Steve shook his head following. Theyʼd saved the world like —three times now and still acted like brats. Sometimes he wondered how in hell heʼd end up babysitting them and not being the perfect son his father so desperately wanted to see in college and with a proper job.. His chocolate eyes drifted over the group of laughing teens and no, he woudnʼt have ever changed this for—
“Row 9 seats 6 and 7.ˮ
Henderson nearly hammered those tickets into his chest before moving further, he hastily took them with a mutter, “Jesus, man.ˮ
And only after having taken the seat he stopped to think for a sec, his gaze drifting to the rows below that had a few other kids in anticipation and then up to the higher rows above him... Dustin, Robin and Lucas were sitting with cheshire-like cats on their faces, Mike arguing about something with Max as El and Will were sitting quietly glancing around the dark hall. Damn, why the hell did they buy him a separate ticke—?
“Hey.ˮ
He jumped slightly and shot a look to his right as Y/n flopped in her seat softly with a small nervous grin. Oh. Oh. Steveʼs eyes widened as his head snapped back to the higher rows — the kids made everything to ignore his glare busy with exploring the worn-down fabric of the seats and caramel popcorn theyʼd bought before coming in.
“Uh, I hope you donʼt mind that Iʼm sitting here?ˮ
Mind? Noooo, Steve was appalled. The little shits set him up like a schoolboy playing one hell of matchmakers.
He gulped trying not to get nervous even if his hands started to sweat. “No, no- of course not.ˮ
He sent her a forced tight-lipped smile before turning to the screen with bewildered eyes.
* * *
“Dingus. Heʼs such a dingus.ˮ Robin mutters as they trail behind Steve and Y/n after the cinema.
“Heʼs a dumb bastard! This was no silver plate, this was the whole damn spoon-feeding and he did nothing!ˮ Dustin raved in whispered yells. Harsh it may be, it was true as they had to observe the pair for the whole damn movie only to get.. nothing. No interaction, no hugging, no kissing, goddamit.
“Told you a moronic movie wouldnʼt set the mood.ˮ Max crooned huffing at their idiocy of choosing the Goonies. Really now, the Goonies for a romantic ambience? She didnʼt know who was dumber.
They shut up as the group stopped in the hall, Robin and Y/n going to the restroom, the rest of them waiting for them. The moment they vanished behind the door Steve turned to the boys.
“What on Earth—?!ˮ
“A brick,ˮ Dustin interrupted condescendingly. “A goddamn brick has more seductive potential than you.ˮ
It made Steve falter blinking a few times and grow embarrassed. “My seduction skills are pretty fine, thank you very much.ˮ
Lucas and Mike huffed beside him before the former spoke up. “Dude, Iʼd already get her head over heels in your place.ˮ
“You? Oh really now, Sinclair?ˮ Harrington folded his arms pursing his lips in annoyance.
Dustin spoke up again. “Dude, weʼve practically got you that chick—ˮ
“Sheʼs not a chick,ˮ Steve muttered tiredly.
“—the hell youʼre not doing shit?ˮ
“I—,ˮ Steve opened his mouth only to close it and bit his lip.
Elʼs tentative voice reached their ears as she looked up at him and glanced at the door of the restroom. “You donʼt like Y/n?ˮ
“What? I—..ˮ He faltered before sighing deeply and running a hand through his hair. “I-I do, of course I do.ˮ It made Max and El grin warmly as boys faked gagging sounds, Dustinʼs face just as excited. “But what if she doesnʼt want me? Ever thought of that, dumbasses? I donʼt want to ruin our friendship because of your braindead predicament if she doesnʼt feel the same.ˮ
Dustin patted his back nodding gravelly, “Man, you have all the chances. Youʼre not so hard on the eye.. not as handsome as me but definitely not ugly.ˮ
Steve quirked a brow as if saying ‘man, are you damn serious?ʼ
Lucas clapped his hands chiming in, “Yeah, dude. I mean youʼre hella rich. The dealʼs in the bag.ˮ
Mike crossed his arms with a frown. “It didnʼt stop Nance from dumping his ass.ˮ
Dustin groaned before speaking up more cheerfully.
“Yes, Nance dumped you for... Jonathan but hey, no broken hearts, remember? You got it, man. I mean, you must be her ideal type. She doesnʼt hang out with anyone but you out of guys.ˮ
Steve nodded slowly and totally uncertain, “Yeah, maybe you’re right..ˮ
“Actually,ˮ Will cleared his throat speaking up as rarely as always. “I saw her talk to Billy in the mall a few days ago.ˮ
…
Everyone froze staring at him for a long moment as Max rolled her eyes, “and what that moron forgot with her?ˮ
Steve shook his haid before uttering slowly as his panic rose, “Wait, kid. You saw Y/n and Billy together in the mall the other day?ˮ
“Uh, yeah..ˮ Byers muttered already regretting saying it as Steve groaned before throwing hands.
“Damn Hargrove.. I have to compete with that piece of shi—?ˮ
Max cut him off abruptly. “Hey, Iʼd know if they were a thing, pull yourself together. Weʼve still got another phase of the plan.ˮ
“...what phase?ˮ Steve furrowed his brows in confusion just right before Y/n and Robin joined them again.
Synopsis: Peter accidentally sends you mixed signals when he kisses you for the first time then stands you up
Masterlist
You and Peter laid opposite ways on his bed so you could face each other while doing some chemistry homework together. Peter had stopped paying attention to his homework around ten minutes ago and was now just doodling in between looking up to sneak glances at you.
“What did you get for number 9?”
“Um, I got 13.” Peter stopped doodling and read from his page.
“What? How? I got a negative 658.”
“How did you possibly get that?” Peter laughed and stretched his neck to see your work.
“I don’t know. I hate math.” You whined and drew your knees to your forehead. Peter couldn’t help but stare at your bare legs that stemmed from the little lounge shorts you had on. Peter was usually pretty good at keeping his feelings for you to himself, but when you wore things like that, it became significantly harder to contain himself.
“Stop staring at my legs, perv.” You said without looking up from the problem you were doing. Peter blushed a deep red and quickly looked away, panicking now that you had caught what he had been doing.
“I wasn’t.” He lied and pretended he was looking at his notebook the whole time.
“Yes you were.” You smirked and looked up. “Perv.”
“You’re the perv who keeps looking at my feet in these tight little socks.” Peter joked as he rubbed his foot on your leg, making you gag.
“Ew. Get that off of me. And what are you implying, mister?” You laughed and hit his foot with your notebook.
“That you have a foot fetish and everyone knows.” Peter shrugged.
“I do not. And even if I did, you think I’d be attracted to your nasty feet? You don’t even wash your legs in the shower.”
“How do you even remember that? I told you that in like eight grade.” Peter laughed and felt secretly pleased that you remembered such a random detail.
“Ninth grade.” You corrected. “And I remember everything, bitch.”
“Oh yeah? Then do you remember when you had a crush on our drivers Ed teacher that year?” Peter smiled teasingly and put his notebook down.
“Oh yeah.” You laughed. “Mr. Whiler. That dude was double handsome. His eyes were Spotify green and he smelled like sandalwood.”
“Remember that time he wore his shirt unbuttoned and you looked over at him so many times that you rear ended a priest?” Peter asked and rested his chin on your knees.
“It wasn’t a priest. It was a Eucharistic minister. And I barely tapped his car.” You scoffed and flicked his forehead.
“Barely tapped? His whole trunk opened and those little crackers fell on the ground.” Peter reminded you as he pushed your notebook down.
“They’re not crackers. They’re the Eucharist. Finish your work.” You playfully scolded him and nodded towards his notebook.
“Remember when you got scared during your first time driving and parked at a green light?” Peter kept going and pushed your notebook again.
“Do you remember that we’re supposed to be doing homework?” You mocked his tone and lightly smacked his head with your book.
“Homework is boring. I wanna talk to you.” Peter whined and rubbed his foot on your leg again.
“Get your dogs off of me. I’m allergic.”
“Fine. I’ll just rotate then.” Peter said as he scooted next to you.
“Just like them damn rotisserie chickens.” You sighed and went back to your homework. Peter stayed quiet and watched you work for a few minutes until he got bored again.
“Do you ever wonder what Mr. Whiler is up to now?” Peter asked you.
“He’s a drivers Ed instructor. He’s probably up to absolutely nothing or whippits.”
“Probably.” Peter chuckled. “But hey, you’re over 18 now. Do you think if he asked you out, you’d say yes?”
“Ew, no. He knew me when I was 16. Anyone who knew me when I was 16 has to die.”
“I knew you when you were 16.” Peter reminded you as he took your notebook and tossed it into the bed. With your hands free, you got an idea and grabbed a pillow.
“Oh shit. You’re right.” You pretended to gasp before tackling Peter and smothering him with the pillow. He laughed and pushed the pillow out of your hands, leaving him lying on his bed with you hovering over him. You looked into each others eyes for a minute and shyly smiled at each other.
“You seriously wouldn’t date him if he came back into our lives?” Peter asked you in a soft voice.
“Gross. No he’s way too old. I don’t like him like that anymore.”
“Do you like anyone like that anymore?” He asked, making you gulp. Your eyes dropped down to Peters lips for a second before looking back into his eyes.
“I don’t know.” You lied. “Do you?”
Even though Peter should’ve seen that question coming, he didn’t. He didn’t know how to tell you that he had fallen in love with his best friend and only brought up your old crush because he had a recurring nightmare that he lost you to your old drivers Ed instructor. He felt his face turn bright red and quickly thought of a diversion. He gasped loudly, making your eyes widen.
“What?” You asked. With you being distracted, Peter seized the opportunity to flip you over so that he was the one pinning you to the bed.
“Hulkmania is running wild, brother.” He said in a deep voice.
“No.” You whined. “Don’t do your Hulk Hogan impression. You know it grosses me out.”
“I fear no man, no beast or evil, brother.” Peter continued in his deep voice.
“Get off of me.” You playfully groaned and tried to wriggle out of Peters grasp.
“No. Not until you tell me who you like.”
“I asked you first.”
“No you didn’t.” He laughed. “ I asked you first.”
“Well you weren’t supposed to fact check me.” You snapped before breaking out in a smile. Peter smiled back before getting an idea.
“Hey, can I body slam you with my entire body weight?” Peter asked in a casual tone.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t.”
“Okay. Incoming.” Peter announced before dropping himself onto you and knocking the wind out of your chest.
“Ow. Get off me, fat ass.” You laughed and tried to push him off.
“You love this fat ass.” He insisted and stayed on top of you. You laughed and looked into his eyes, unable to be mad at him.
“I do. I can’t help it but I do. It’s a sickness.” You laughed softly and pushed some hair off his forehead.
“It’s okay.” He smiled. “I love your fat ass too.”
“Peter?” You asked suddenly as your smile faded.
“Yeah?”
“Can we always be this close?” You asked him, taking him by surprise. Peter propped himself up on his elbows to look at you beneath him but found no words to say. He always wanted to be close to you, but he needed you to know that he wanted to be closer. Before Peter could overthink it, he dipped his head down and kissed you. He could feel your eyes slowly flutter shut, eyelashes tickling his face as the went down. Once you got over your initial shock, you kissed him back. The kiss was slow and soft and sweet until Peter realized what he had done. He quickly sat up and held his hands up.
“I’m sorry!” I don’t know why I just did that. I should’ve asked you first. I’m didn’t mean to-“
Peter was cut off by you grabbing his shirt and pulling him back down into a kiss. He didn’t know what was going on or what this meant for your relationship, but he went with it. He kissed you with more confidence this time as he slipped his fingers through yours to hold the hands he was pinning to his mattress. Time seemed to slip away as you kissed each other and the only thing that broke your bubble was the sound of May opening Peters door.
“Y/n, your moms-“
“AH.” You and Peter jumped away from each other and screamed at the unexpected interruption. You wiped your lips and grabbed your notebook in a failed attempt to make it look like nothing had been going on. May looked between you and Peter and held back a laugh when she realized what she walked in on.
“God, May! Don’t you knock?” Peter exclaimed and put his hand over his pounding heart.
“Oh, sorry. Didn’t realize I was interrupting something.” May said with a coy smile.
“May. Go away.” Peter whined and threw a pillow at the door. May shut the door a little so it wouldn’t hit her and laughed at Peters attempt.
“I just came to tell you Y/n’s mom is at the front door. She wants her home now.” May said. You and Peter stayed silent, refusing to look at each other or speak.
“If you can tear yourselves away from each other, that is.” May added with a cheeky smile.
“May.” Peter said through clenched teeth and chucked another pillow.
“Just teasing. Come on, Y/n. I’ll walk you out. Unless you wanted your mom to come in here?” May asked innocently.
“No!” You exclaimed and jumped off the bed. “Don’t bring my mom in. I’ll leave.”
Peter felt his disappointment sink in as he watched you gather your things and go towards the door. You looked at Peter before leaving and wished you could give him a proper goodbye but it was impossible with May standing right there. Instead, you gave him a soft smile and a wave that said you wished you could stay but had to go. Peter returned the wave and hoped it conveyed how much he wanted you to stay. You gave him one last look before disappearing out his door.
Peter could barely sleep that night in anticipation of seeing you the next day. He woke up groggy but with excitement I’m his chest as he got dressed. He put a little more effort into his appearance than usual and found himself checking himself in the mirror every few seconds. When he finally got to school, he was on high alert. He scanned the hallway in search of you but wasn’t able to spot you anywhere. He began to worry that you felt like you had made a mistake last night and were avoiding Peter because of it.
“Hey.” Your voice suddenly came from behind Peter, making him jump and scream.
“AHH.” He yelped and turned around.
“Sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t know how to approach you. Oh my God. I should go.” You tried to run away but Peter grabbed your backpack.
“No wait. Come back.” He chuckled and pulled you back towards him. Even though Peter had looked at you nearly everyday for the past 15 years, he felt like he was seeing you for the first time. Now that the line between friendship and relationship had been smudged, you looked different to Peter in a way that made his fondness for you grow.
“Hi.” You smiled sheepishly.
“Hi. Good morning. How did you sleep?” Peter asked as he moved a strand of hair off your forehead.
“Don’t do this to me.”
“Do what?”
“Act all sweet and normal after what happened last night. After what we did.” You whispered and looked around for who might be listening.
“Did we do something? I can’t remember.” Peter played dumb and made the gap between the two of you smaller.
“Peter.” You whined. “Don’t play games with me right now. I already feel awkward enough around you. Do you think we could talk?”
“Yeah. Come here.” Peter took your hand and brought you into the closest janitors closet before shutting the door.
“Why are we in a janitors closet?” You looked around and grimaced.
“For privacy.”
“We need privacy?” You looked at him with a coy smile.
“Yeah. I think so, at least.” Peter laughed shyly and suddenly felt nervous around you for the first time since the day you met.
“Oh. I think so too.” You replied with a timid smile. You looked at each other for a minute and uncomfortably swayed back and forth, neither sure what to say first.
“What did you want to talk about?” Peter asked after a beat of silence.
“I wanted to talk about last night. I just didn’t want to do it in a crowded hallway.”
“So did I. You left before we got a chance to discuss…” Peter trailed off and smiled sheepishly.
“Us?” You finished his sentence for him and took a step closer.
“Yeah. Us.” Peter grinned. “I would love to talk about us. Preferably not in this dark and smelly janitors closet.”
“The one you pulled us into.” You said out of the corner of your mouth.
“Yeah. My bad. What if we talk tonight? Maybe over some food?”
“Like a date?” You asked coyly.
“Yeah. I would like to take you on a date.” Peter said with confidence this time.
“Okay. Do you want to meet at Delmars or something?”
“Yeah. I’ll pick you up at 6 and can walk there together.”
“Okay. Perfect. But what do we do until then? I still feel a little awkward around you. I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to act.”
“I honestly don’t know either. So how about this? Until we talk everything out tonight, we’re just the same friends we’ve always been.” Peter suggested and took a step closer.
“Okay. Sure. Until tonight, just friends.” You nodded as you eyes fell to his lips. You looked back and forth between his lips and his eyes a few times before crashing your lips to his. You threw your arms around his neck to pull him closer as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You knocked things off the shelves as you made out in a flurry of teeth and kisses. Peter could barely believe his wildest dreams of being with you were coming true and in a damp and dingy janitors closet no less. He pushed that out of his mind and smiled into the kiss as he tried to memorize every groove of your lips. You could have stayed in there with him for hours but the bell ringing reminded you that you had somewhere to be.
“Okay, okay. I need to get to class.” You laughed against Peters lips. He put his hands on your face and kept kissing you.
“Shhhh. Class is for nerds. Stay in the smelly closet with your best friend.” He said between kisses.
“Peter. I have to go.” You laughed again and tried to push him off. He came right back and kept kissed you.
“You have to stay.” He whined against your lips. You caved and kissed him back for a few minutes before pushing him off again.
“We’re just friends, remember? Just friends don’t make out in closets.” You reminded him as you wiped your lipstick off his lips.
“But I’m feeling romantical. Kiss me on my hot mouth.” He said and went in for another kiss. You kissed him back for just a second before pushing him off.
“Peter.” You laughed and held him back with your hands. Peter let out a comically long sigh and stayed away from you.
“Fine. I’ll see you at 6?” He smiled and took both your hands.
“Uh huh. And a bunch of times before that because we have a majority of our classes together.”
“How lucky am I?” Peter sighed and leaned down to kiss you again. You couldn’t help but kiss him back until you heard the second bell ring.
“I’m leaving now. Try to calm down until tonight.” You teased him as you fixed your disheveled clothes.
“No promises.” He sighed happily as you left the closet. Once he was alone, he jumped into the air and pumped his fist before doing a little happy dance.
Peter did in fact see you many times throughout the day and could not focus on anything else. He rested his chin in his hand and stared at you for the third class period in a row before accepting that he was not going to be getting anything productive done today. When his last class finally ended, he rushed back to his apartment to start getting ready. He jumped in the shower and when he got out, he saw that someone had been blowing up his phone. He assumed the texts were from you and looked into the mirror before reading them.
“Okay Parker. Don’t blow this. All you have to do is tell your best friend you’re in love with her. How hard could it be?” Peter said to his reflection to hype himself up before reading the texts. Instead of the flirty messages he was expecting, he instead learned of an active crime scene that needed Spider-Man’s attention.
“Dammit. Active shooter at the bank?” Peter sighed and quickly read through the police report. He knew he had to put all other plans on pause until after the crime was dealt with.
“It’s only 3 pm. I have plenty of time to go there and make sure everyone is okay before our date.” Peter talked to himself as he swung to the crime scene.
A few hours later, Peter swung home and slipped into his apartment via an open window. He pulled his mask off with a heavy sigh and plopped down on his couch. He had managed to stop anybody from getting hurt, but doing so meant fighting off severely men much bigger than him for hours on end.
“Pete? Is that you?” May called from the kitchen. Peter rubbed his tired eyes before trudging into the kitchen to sit at the counter and watch May do the dishes.
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“How was it? I saw what happened on the news.”
“Luckily no one got hurt. Except me.” Peter winced as he rubbed one of his many injuries from the night.
“At least you can sleep tonight knowing you did the right thing. Oh, and did you talk to Y/n yet? She came by looking for you before.” May asked over her shoulder.
“She came by?” Peter perked up a little when he heard this.
“Yeah. She seemed pretty upset. Did you guys have a fight?” May asked, making all the blood drain from Peters face.
“Oh balls.” He whispered under his breath.
“Peter. Language.”
“May. May, this isn’t good.” Peter gulped and pulled out his phone. Sure enough, he had 3 missed calls and a bunch of texts asking where he was. His heart dropped to his stomach when he realized what he had unintentionally done.
“What happened? Was it a fight? Was I right?”
“It wasn’t a fight but it’s about to be.” Peters hands shook as he dialed your number but your immediately declined. He tried calling a few more time before sending you a text.
“Why? What did you do?” May stopped making dinner to focus on her nephew. Peter said his texts go from “delivered” to “read” with no response. He knew you were too angry to reply to him so he put his phone down with a sigh. He then looked at May, who was looking at him expectantly.
“We kissed yesterday.” He admitted. “And we made a plan to talk about what it meant and our relationship and-“
“And you were out on patrol?” May gasped when she realized what he was about to say.
“Yes.”
“Instead of with her?” May slammed her hand on the counter with anger.
“There was a bank robbery! I didn’t think it would take as long as it did. I didn’t mean to stand her up. I just…forgot about her.”
“Peter, believe it or not, girls don’t like being forgotten about.”
“What am I gonna do, May? I goofed. I goofed real bad.” Peter groaned and hung his head in his hands.
“No, Peter. This is much worse than a goof. You fucked up big time.”
“May! What happened to watching our language?”
“I made that rule before I realized my nephew was a fucking heartbreaker.” She said and pointed an accusatory finger at Peter.
“I didn’t mean to stand her up, May.” Peter whined. “I would never do that to her. I just got sidetracked by something more important.”
“Peter, this girl has been your best friend since pre school. She has been there for you every time you needed her. How do you think she feels after you kissed her and then stood her up?”
“Probably really bad.” Peter said quietly.
“Yeah. Really fucking bad, Peter.”
“I know. I really fucked it up this time.” Peter said as tears came to his eyes. He looked at his phone again to see if you texted him back but there was nothing.
“You need it make it up to her. Immediately.” May said with folded arms.
“How? She’s never gonna talk to me again.” Peter started to cry for what he had done. May sighed and felt guilty for making Peter feel worse than he already did. She went over to him and pulled him into a hug as he cried into her chest.
“She’s gonna talk to you again. She just needs some time. So what you’re gonna do is apologize to her and let her know that when she’s ready to speak to you, you’ll be there.”
“Okay.” Peter sniffled.
“And Peter?” May asked and cupped his chin.
“Yeah?”
“Be there.” She said sternly.
Peter nodded before going to his room to get changed. Once he was back in his regular clothes, he went across the hall to knock on your apartment door.
“Hi. Is Y/n home?” Peter asked hopefully once your mom answered.
“She went out a little while ago. She’s not with you?” Your mom asked.
“No, she’s not.” Peter sighed. “If she comes home, could you please tell her to call me? Tell her it’s important.”
“Okay. I will.”
“Thank you.” Peter smiled weakly before running off towards the elevator. He made his way out of the building as he could and ran to Delmars.
“Is Y/n here?” Peter asked as he burst through the door.
“I outta beat your ass. And you know what? I will.” Delmar said as he walked around the counter and grabbed Peter by the collar of his shirt.
“She told you?” Peter asked as he braced himself for a punch.
“Put him down, papi. Let her have her revenge on him first. Then you can beat him up.” Delmars daughter, Louisa, said without up from her magazine. Delmar looked at Peter angrily before dropping him on the ground.
“She didn’t have to tell me anything. I sent my daughter over to talk to her when I saw that she was crying.”
“She was crying?” Peter worried. “Did she say anything?”
“Yeah. She said her best friend stood her up. I’m assuming that’s you?” Delmar asked and folded his arms.
“It is me.” Peter admitted. “But it was an accident.”
“Y/n comes in here all the time. She’s a sweet girl. Always puts money in the tip jar and asks me how I am. Why would you hurt a sweet girl like that?” Delmar asked and took an angry step towards Peter.
“I didn’t mean to. I go caught up in something and missed our date. You know me, man. You know I’m not a bad guy. I just did a bad thing.” Peter said, making Delmar back off a little.
“You better make things right. She was very upset when she left here. And I don’t like seeing nice girls cry over idiot boys, okay?”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m gonna fix this. Can you just tell me what happened?”
“Like I said, I saw her crying so I sent my daughter over to check on her. She told my daughter that you stood her up so I gave her a free sandwich and let her pet my cat until she felt better.”
“Then where did she go?” Peter asked desperately.
“How should I know?” Delmar scoffed and went back behind the counter.
“Okay. Thank you anyway. I’m gonna try to find her.”
“You better. And don’t come back here unless you want an ass whooping. You little punk.” Delmar called as Peter ran out the door. Once Peter was gone, you came out from the back of the store with an empty cup of tea in your hands.
“Is he gone?” You asked in a weak voice.
“Yes, mi amor. He’s gone. Did you like the tea? My mother makes a homemade batch every day.”
“I liked the tea.” You said quietly as you stared into your empty cup.
“You can hide out here as long as you like, but we should at least call your mom. She’s probably wondering where you are.” Delmar said as he rubbed your shoulder to comfort you.
“That’s okay. My mom texted me a few mins ago and said Peter came by looking for me. I think it’s safe for me to go home now.” You said and smiled weakly in appreciation.
“Okay, mi vida. I’m sorry he let you down tonight. If you were my daughter, he’d be dead and in a shallow grave by now.” Delmar said, making you laugh a little.
“Thanks. Thank you both for cheering me up and letting me hide. I’m just not ready to talk to him.”
“I get it. I wouldn’t be ready either. Let me know how it goes. And if you need to hide out some more, you know where to find us.” Louisa said and pulled you into a tight hug. You had never spoken to her before today but felt grateful that she decided to help a stranger. You thanked them both again before leaving Delmars and walking home. Your mom told you Peter asked you to call him once you walked into your apartment but you lied and said you were too tired. It was too much to get into tonight and all you wanted to do was sleep.
The next day at school, Peter saw you by your locker and froze. You looked like you had gotten as much sleep as Peter, which was little to none. Peter took a deep breath before walking up to you.
“Hey.” Peter smiled weakly and braced himself for the worst possible reaction from you. Instead of screaming at him like he assumed, you just kept getting your stuff out of your locker.
“Okay. You’re not talking to me. I deserve that.” He nodded. You slammed your locker shut and started to walk away.
“Wait. Please just let me explain.” Peter begged as he ran in front of you. You didn’t make eye contact with him but he could see your lip beginning to tremble.
“I don’t understand.” You said in a weak voice.
“You don’t understand what?”
“You kissed me. You asked me on a date. I was perfectly fine with us being friends but you changed things. Why would you do all of that just to stand me up?”
“I didn’t stand you up. I got caught up in something really important and it took longer than I expected. That’s the only reason I didn’t show up. And I’m so, so, incredibly fucking sorry that I didn’t show up. You have no idea how much I wanted to be there and go on that date. Something just came up and I had no choice.”
“I get that. Shit comes up. But why didn’t you text or call?”
“To be perfectly honest, I completely forgot about the date until I finished with the other thing. I didn’t remember until May told me you had come by.”
“You forgot?” You asked as you finally looked at Peter. The sadness in your eyes was replaced with stone cold anger that sent a shiver down Peters spine.
“Yes.” He admitted. “But only because what I was doing was super important and needed my full attention.”
“What is this “super important” thing you had to do that made you forget about me?” You asked and folded your arms.
“I can’t tell you.” Peter grimaced as the words came out, knowing you’d never believe him.
“You can’t tell me?” You raised an eyebrow.
“No, I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”
You stared at Peter for a long time as the anger you felt inside doubled. You balled your hands into fists and wanted to punch him right in his face but instead, you just walked away.
“Wait.” Peter called after you and ran up to you again. You didn’t look at him as you walked to your next class.
“Can we please reschedule to tonight? We still really need to talk about us.” He said as he struggled to keep up with you.
“No.”
“No? But we never got a chance-“
“Let me make this perfectly clear, Peter.” You cut him off. Any chance of “us” happening ended last night when you decided not to show up. I got no call, no text, and now some half assed excuse that doesn’t even come with an explanation as to where you were? And to top it all off, you had the nerve, the absolute fucking audacity, to tell me that you forgot about me. You forgot about me? Was that seriously supposed to make this all better?”
“No. I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Peter rubbed his eyes in frustration. “I know I fucked up. But please, I really really like you. I want to give us a chance. I screwed up last night but don’t let that ruin what we have.”
“I can’t ruin it. You already did.” Your voice cracked as you walked away again. This time, he let you go.
As much as you wanted to avoid Peter and let him suffer, you had an hour long lab period with him after your first period class. You walked in and went towards your usual lab table out of muscle memory. When you saw that Peter was already sitting there, you froze.
“Hey.” Peter smiled brightly when you made eye contact. You immediately looked away and stopped at the closest lab table.
“Can I please sit here?” You asked without even looking at who was already sitting there.
“You can sit that pretty little thang anywhere you like.” Flash smirked and patted the seat beside him.
“Thanks.” You mumbled and took a seat. Peter watched you sit beside Flash and felt a bubble of jealousy in his stomach. He wanted to listen to what you were saying but didn’t want to invade your privacy.
“I’m not sure if you noticed, but no one ever sits with me for labs. And that’s because of my horrific personality and general off putting vibe. I’m also really bad at biology-“
“This is chemistry.” You cut in.
“Really? Oh shit, I’m even worse at that.” Flash laughed. “Anyway, how would you feel about doing all the work and letting me copy?”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” You mumbled and started doing the lab work. Flash noticed you weren’t dishing back with your usual insults and frowned.
“You okay?” He asked in a kinder tone. You had one of those moments where you were fine until someone asked you if you were okay, prompting you to break down.
“I’m fine.” You said in a shaky voice and quickly wiped your face. Flash noticed your tears and looked over his shoulder to see Peter staring at you with all the guilt in the world on his face.
“How come you’re not sitting with Parker?” Flash asked you. You blinked back a few tears and tried to focus on your work.
“We had a falling out.”
“Oh shit. Really?” Flash snorted and looked over his shoulder again at Peter, who was looking back this time. Peter could tell you had said something to Flash about what happened and his curiosity was killing him.
“What did he do?” Flash nudged you when you didn’t answer.
“Why do you just assume he did something?”
“Because you’re the one who changed seats.” Flash said, making you shrug in agreement.
“And because Parker’s an idiot.” He added after a beat. You couldn’t help but smile and nod your head.
“Yeah. He is.” You chuckled and looked over at Flash. Peter clenched his fist in jealousy over Flash getting you to laugh and smile but kept quiet.
“So come on. Tell me what he did.” Flash urged now that he had cheered you up a little.
“No. Here’s the answers to the first page.” You said and slid your work over to him.
“Thanks.” Flash replied and copied your work down. Peter watched this with tight eyes and felt his jealousy worsen. Lab days were usually spent giggling and flirting with each other as you shared answers and now he had to watch you do that with Flash.
“Here’s page two.” Flash handed you his work after a couple minutes of silence.
“You finished? I thought you were gonna copy me?”
“I was. But I’ll let you copy me if you tell me what Parker did.”
“I’m not gonna tell you. And these are all wrong.” You laughed and handed the page back to him.
“That’s because I just wrote down random numbers. I didn’t realize you were going to actually look at them.” Flash scoffed and snatched his page back. You threw your head back laughing at his erratic behavior, catching Peters attention in the process. Peter couldn’t imagine what Flash could’ve possibly said to make you laugh like that but it made white hot jealousy course through his body.
“He’s staring at us, you know. With those beady little rat eyes of his.” Flash leaned over to whisper in your ear.
“Flash.” You laughed in surprise and checked behind you to see if Peter had heard that. You accidentally made eye contact with Peter and quickly looked away.
“What? Haven’t you ever noticed that he kind of looks like he always has a frog in his mouth? And he’s trying to keep it from jumping out?” Flash asked you in a genuine tone.
“Shut up. You’re so mean.” You laughed and playfully shoved him away from you. Peter just about fell over when he saw this and loudly cleared his throat to get your attention. You looked over your shoulder and made eye contact for just a second before looking away.
“Can I at least know what he did?” Flash whispered again. You let out a sigh and decided that since he had made you feel better, you’d give him what he wanted.
“He said he’d take me on a date and he didn’t. I waited all night for him and he never came.” You said simply and went back to your work. Flash was quiet for a long time and when he didn’t respond, you looked at him in confusion.
“He’s a loser. You deserved better.” Flash said with a sympathetic smile.
“Oh. Thanks.” You smiled in surprise at his chivalry after expecting a crude response.
“Let me take you on a real date to make up for it.” Flash said at full volume, making Peters stomach drop. Before you could answer, the bell rang and the period ended. Peter ran out of the classroom as quickly as he could before he could hear you after to go on a date with another boy. You gave Flash your answer as you collected your things.
“Thanks for letting me sit with you.” You said to Flash as you walked out of the class together.
“Anything to mess with Parker.” Flash smiled and held his fist out. You fist bumped him and felt lighter then you had since last night.
You continued to avoid Peter for the rest of the day, not an easy task considering you had almost every class together. He knew the one place you couldn’t avoid him was your locker, which was conveniently right next to his. He got his stuff that he needed for the night and waited until you showed up. You soon showed up and saw Peter standing by his locker, making you want to walk right out of the building. You knew you couldn’t leave without getting your books so you held your chin up and went to get your books. You could feel Peter staring at you with his puppy dog eyes and couldn’t help but roll your eyes to the ceiling.
“Hey.” He said in a quiet voice. You didn’t answer and pretended to take interest in one of your textbooks.
“I miss you.” He tried again, making you pause a little to internally admit that you missed him too.
“I heard you’re going on a date with Flash.” He added, catching you off guard.
“What? Did Flash tell you that?” You frowned confusion. You hadn’t meant to respond, but that came out of nowhere and you wanted to know more.
“No. I heard you guys talking during lab today.” Peter admitted, gaining the slightest inch of hope now that you had spoken to him. You were about to tell Peter that you turned Flash down, but you decided to let him suffer a little after the way he had made you feel.
“Yeah, well, I bet you have a lot to say about that.” You said with a roll of your eyes.
“I do.” Peter replied, making you sigh and look at him.
“Go ahead. Tell me he’s an idiot and a womanizer and that I’m stupid for going out with him and-“
“I hope you have a nice time.” Peter cut you off. “I hope he picks a place you like and pulls your chair out for you and drives you home in his expensive car. And I hope you fall asleep that night with a smile on your face because you had a nice time. That’s all I was gonna say.”
“Why would you hope for that?” You asked with suspicion.
“Because you’re my best friend and that means I want you to have a great date.” Peter said sincerely. You eyed him skeptically but heard him out.
“Even if it’s not with me.” He added and held his breath in fear of your response. You looked Peter up and down and felt your heart ache in your chest. You hated being mad at him because the only person you wanted to confide in about your heartbreak was him. All you wanted was to talk to your best friend and let him make you feel better.
“I’m not going on the date with him. I said no.” You admitted and avoided eye contact with Peter.
“You did? Why?”
“I told him it wouldn’t be fair to him to go out with him because even though you’re a total butt munch who sucks major balls and I hate with all my heart, I still have feelings for you.” You confessed as you slowly looked into Peters eyes.
“You have feelings for me?” Peter asked in a soft voice and took a step closer to you.
“I have for a while. That’s what I was gonna tell you last night but you never showed up.” You felt angry again and took a step back.
“Can we please have our date tonight? I swear, I will show up this time. Nothing could keep me away.”
“I don’t know. Are you gonna tell me what super important thing kept you from showing up last time?” You asked and folded your arms.
“Yes. Tonight I’ll explain everything.” Peter promised you. You were too curious about what caused him to stand you up to stay no, so you reluctantly nodded your head.
“Fine. I’ll give you a second chance.”
“That’s my first favorite kind of chance.” Peter smiled in relief.
“But if you blow it tonight, I’m never speaking to you again. I mean it.”
“I won’t blow it. I swear.” Peter promised you. “Can you meet me on the Brooklyn bridge tonight?”
You were silent for a long time as you stared at Peter until you finally found the words.
“Why the fuck would we have this relationship changing discussion on the Brooklyn bridge?” You asked after a beat of silence. Peter paused, realizing that that was a valid question, before responding.
“Just please try to trust me. I know I’ve given you plenty of reasons not to. But everything will make sense after tonight. I promise.”
“Fine. It better.”
“I’ll see you then?” Peter asked hopefully.
That night, Peter put on his Spiderman suit and swung to the Brooklyn bridge. He felt so anxious that his hands shook as he grabbed the next web so he tried to push everything from his mind. When he landed on top of the bridge, he scanned the street below until he found you. He let out a nervous breath before jumping down and landing near you.
“Hey.” Peter said to get your attention.
“Oh my God. Hi.” You laughed in surprise when you saw who was talking to you.
“Can I show you something?” Peter asked through his mask, catching you off guard. You looked behind you to make sure Spiderman was talking to you and not someone else but found no one there.
“Sorry, Spiderman. As intriguing and random as that offer is, I’m kinda waiting for somebody. It’s really important.”
“I know. It’ll just take a sec.”
“Okay, fine.” You agreed. “As long as you bring me right back.”
“I will.” Peter promised as he slipped a secure arm around your waist. You let out a nervous breath and wrapped your arms around his neck for more support.
“I’ve always wanted to do this.” Peter grinned under his mask before shooting a web and swinging away. You let out a thrilled scream and held on tight as Peter swung you up to a building that stood opposite the Brooklyn bridge. You opened your eyes once you felt your feet on the ground and gasped when you saw what he had wanted to show you.
“I love you” had been written in webs on the bridge in giant letters. The lights of the cityscape behind it lit it up a soft yellow that made you feel a warm feeling inside.
“Aw, that’s beautiful, Spiderman. Who did you do that for?” You turned to him to ask.
“I did it for you.” Peter said and took a step closer to you. Your fondness for it turned to fear as you took a step back.
“Why me? You don’t know me.” You laughed nervously and wondered if Spiderman had been stalking you without your knowledge.
“Yes I do. You’re my best friend. I know you better than anyone.”
“Okay. I’m officially creeped out now.” You laughed nervously and stepped dither away from him. “This is on me for letting a stranger swing me up to a place I cannot escape from.”
“I’m not a stranger.” Peter tried to tell you as he walked towards you.
“You may be Spiderman but you are still a stranger and I am feeling in danger.” You said as you peered over the side of the building, only to confirm you had no escape.
“What? No, you’re not in danger. Look. It’s just me.” Peter laughed and went to take his mask off. He found himself freezing for a moment, knowing that this would be the moment before absolutely everything changed.
“You said “it’s just me” and then didn’t take your mask off.” You pointed out.
“I know. Just give me a second. I’m shy.” Peter said and went for the edge of his mask again. You looked at him expectingly and felt your heart pounding over being seconds away from finding out who Spiderman was under his mask. Peters heart was pounding for the same reason.
“Okay. No going back now.” Peter said to himself before pulling his mask off. He watched your eyebrows go up in an initial surprise before your face settled in a fond smile.
“You know, so many things just made sense.” You said with a gentle laugh.
“Right? Didn’t I tell you it would all make sense after tonight?” Peter smiled now that he had gotten an good reaction. You stepped closer to him and held his hands, just trying to feel the suit in order to convince yourself that this was really happening.
“So this is why you missed the dance last year? And the decathlon?”
“And why I didn’t show up last night. There was a robbery-“
“On 5th avenue.” You realized. “I saw that. You were there?”
“I had to be there. I have this great power and with that comes with a great responsibility.”
You were quite for a minute, then made a face and laughed.
“Peter. A catchphrase? Do you seriously have a catch phrase?” You covered your mouth as you laughed.
“No.” He whined. “That wasn’t a catchphrase. It was more like my tag line if I was a comic book.”
“You’re making it so hard to be attracted to you right now.” You continued to laugh but never let go of his hand.
“What? I just swept you off your feet -literally- after telling the entire world I loved you with my webs.” Peter said as he pointed to the bride. You looked at the bridge again with a whole new perspective now that you knew it was you best friend telling you he loved you. You then looked at Peter and couldn’t contain your smile.
“Yeah, but then you said something that gave me the ick.”
“Are you kidding me? I should be ick free after giving you the grandest of grand gestures.” Peter said and gestured to the bridge again with both arms. You laughed at how worked up he was getting before wrapping your arms around his neck to look at him. Peter settled his hands on your waist and gulped a little as he anxiously anticipated what you were gonna say.
“I love you too. I was gonna tell you that yesterday but then some bitch ass had to rob a bank and keep you from me.” You told him, making him laugh in both surprise and relief.
“Wait, nobody died right? Or was that super insensitive?” You asked him.
“Nobody died. I got punched in the nuts though.” He said though a laugh.
“Aw. Poor baby.” You pouted sarcastically and stroked his cheek. He laughed again before resting his forehead against your to look into your eyes. You stayed that way in comfortable silence for a moment before Peter felt your body freeze in fear.
“Oh my God.” You whispered.
“What’s wrong?”
“It just occurred to me that I’m standing on top of a random building with nothing but your noodle arms anchoring me to the floor. I’m gonna pass out. Take me to the ground, please. I beg you.”
“Hang tight.” Peter chuckled and safely swung you to the ground. Once he set you down, he crawled up the wall behind you and slipped his mask back over his face so that no one would accidentally see him.
“Peter?” You asked and looked around. He slid down on a web the way a spider would and stopped once he was at face level with you.
“I should probably be going now, little lady. Crime doesn’t take a night off.” He said in a his Hulk Hogan voice.
“Oh no. Do you have to go use your great power to take care of your great responsibilities?” You teased him and held your hands over your heart.
“I get the sense you’re teasing me.” Peter said in his usual voice.
“What gave you that idea?” You smiled sweetly and rested your hands on his upside down face.
“My spider senses tell me everything.” He returned to his funny voice to mask how nervous he was to be this close to you. You laughed at his joke and stroked his cheek under the mask.
“Will I see you again, Spiderman?” You asked in an exaggerated swooning voice.
“Only if you commit a crime.” He played along.
“Then I simply have to give you something to remember me by.”
“Your handkerchief?”
“Something better.” You laughed softly as you rolled his mask down to just under his nose. With just his lips exposed, you brought his face closer and kissed him, upside down in that alley way. Peter kissed you back and felt his heart explode in his chest as everything felt right again. It felt just as perfect as the first kiss and both of you knew that something big had just begun. When you pulled away, you rolled his mask back down over his face and smiled to yourself.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Peter.” You whispered in his ear so no one passing by could overhear his name. Peter felt his face blush beneath his mask and felt grateful you couldn’t see him.
The next day, Peter didn’t see you at your locker before his first class but saw you sitting at your usual lab table when he walked in. He smiled at the sight of you and felt relived that not only was you relationship back to normal, it was elevated. He sat beside you and you exchanged timid smiles. You still felt a degree of awkwardness around Peter as you didn’t know how things were going to be from now on. There was a substitute teacher today instead of your usual professor and when she passed around a work sheet for everyone to do, she accidentally skipped you. When Peter noticed this, he put his hand in the air.
“Could we please get another worksheet? My girlfriend didn’t get one.” Peter said once he was called on. The substitute had no idea why several people turned around to look at you and Peter with surprised faces, or why you looked like you’d just been asked for your hand in marriage.
“Oh, sorry. Here you go.” The sub said and handed you a sheet.
“Thank you.” You said before sneaking a glance at Peter. He was quietly doing his work, not making a big deal out of what he had just called you. You, on the other hand, were internally flipping out over the label.
“You just called me your girlfriend.” You leaned over to tell him.
“Did I?” He smiled cheekily but kept doing his work. You grinned at how nonchalant he was being and went back to doing your work.
“I’m sorta seeing someone.” You said without looking up.
“What? Who?” Peter dropped his pencil ad his attention whipped to you.
“Spiderman.” You causally shrugged and kept doing your work. Peter chuckled in relief and picked his pencil back up.
“Oh. Well I wouldn’t want to come between the two of you.”
“Thanks. We can still be friends though, right?” You asked and looked over at him.
“Yeah, totally. Just friends.” He nodded in agreement as he leaned in. You leaned the rest of the way and kissed him for just a moment before pulling away. You were both smiling and blushing messes as you went back to your work.
“What did you get for number 6?” You asked after a beat of comfortable silence.
congrats on your 1k! could you “do do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?” with Steven Grant? thank you 💓
Thank you so much, anon!! Enjoy some Steven fluff 🥰
Being the neighbor of Steven Grant had always been strange. He was strange, but then again, so were you to a point. He was always nervous, until one day you accidentally talked for ten minutes about the moon in Greek Mythology, before apologizing. He had simply smiled back, before asking you a clarifying question.
That led to a friendship. Other people in the apartment building called it strange, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Your connection with him was honest, kind, true, and you enjoyed every minute with him.
Especially moments like now.
You were wrapped in a blanket, sitting beside Steven on the roof of the building, both of you staring up at the full moon. You were taking turns exchanging stories, listening to the other and asking questions.
Eventually, you both had fallen into silence, just looking up at the sky.
Steven shifted then, taking a deep breath. You glanced at him, asking, “Everything alright?”
“Yes, yes,” he said, nodding as he glanced back at you. “It’s just…” He looked away then, and you swore his cheeks were tinted darker. “I have a question…”
“I’ll answer it if I can,” you stated softly, keeping your eyes locked on him.
Slowly, Steven looked back to you, whispering, just loud enough to be heard over the wind, “Do…do you think the moon is ever jealous of how pretty you are?”
You blushed and looked down at your hands. “…I’m…I’m not-”
“Don’t you dare say not pretty,” he interrupted. You glanced at him, seeing him shake his head. “Because that is more wrong than any of the little museum gift shop trinkets I have to try and sell.”
You giggled, feeling the blush darken. “Okay, okay.” He looked back to you then, hope sparkling in his eyes. “I won't say I’m not pretty.”
If you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to recently, check it out! Here’s my piece for the amazing LIGHTS ON! LIGHTS OFF! Fanzine!
It was seriously amazing to be able to contribute to a zine of my new recent obsessions!
Here’s looking forward to more art in the future!
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