lockscreen – stonathan drabble
Pairing: Steve Harrington/Jonathan Byers (minor Nancy Wheeler/Kali Prasad)
Curiosity, of course, got the better of him. It was just an innocent look, truly. Jonathan peeked over his shoulder and that was all it was supposed to be. He was going to ask: ‘Hey, what’re you reading?’ or something of such equivalent. He did a double take after the peeking, utterly confused. Were his glasses dirty? Was he just daydreaming? Were the fluorescents fogging his vision?
Yes, his glasses were always dirty. He wouldn’t no if he was daydreaming; his mind would be busy with the daydreaming. No, the lights were fine – save for the odd flicker here and there.
They were slumped in the hallway beside the door to the STEM club, waiting for Nancy and Kali. They were early, only a few minutes early but it was enough so that Steve felt obligated to sit down against the wall – and Jonathan followed his lead.
The question left his mouth as soon as his eyes registered the image before him. “Is that me?” Steve, startled, jumped and gasped.
“What?” Eyes wide, he squeaked. “Jon, don’t spook me like that! You know how easily scared I get.”
“Jeez, sorry.” His vision directed on the other boy’s phone, screen held against Steve’s bumpy heart. “What was it?”
“Nothing,” Steve lied. “Anakin Skywalker. Jack from Titanic. Some hot white boy who needs to wash his hair. I don’t know.”
“Calling yourself hot now, huh?” Steve countered, eyebrows raised teasingly, but the leftover panic was still in his eyes. “I’m not disagreeing, just asking.” He added, with his hands held up.
The pair held each other’s gazes for another seven seconds, before Steve cracked. “Ugh, you weren’t supposed to see that,” he groaned, sticking his tongue out at him childishly. “Try to keep your wandering eyes in check, man.”
“Well, sorry, again.” Jonathan shrugged his shoulders. “I was just curious. Would you let me see?”
Steve deliberated, mouth and nose scrunching together in thought. Fuck, he looks like a cat – Jonathan through, though he held his tongue. “Fine.” The phone passed from one hand to the other’s. The home screen was clicked open and Jonathan looked at the screen.
As it was established, it was him. The image was blurred; probably because Steve had taken it in a secretive stance nearby. Screen Jonathan was dolled up in a tight sweater (Nancy’s, to be sure), snuggled against Steve’s couch, Kali’s slippered feet lounged across his lap, with his reading glasses pushed against his nose with a Dark Tower novel clutched in his hands. The image was taken last Chanukah, a peaceful time for all of them.
“I’m your lockscreen.” Was all he could say, really. “Huh.”
“Yep. Sure are.” Steve’s smile brought his dimples out, only slightly less distinctive because of his staggering blush. “It’s a cute look. Figured that I would be the one to photograph the occasion that time.”
“That’s really cute,” Jonathan commented. “I’ll make a photographer of you yet, Steve. Mark my words.”
“I’ll stick with dog-walking for now, thanks.”
And of course, their flirting was cut short. The interruption, though unwanted at first, quickly became a happy one; Kali was first out of the door – almost falling over the pair of them. Steve’s long legs were sprawled almost all the way to the neighbouring classroom door, while Jonathan’s were crossed.
“Fuck’s sake, Steve!” Kali exclaimed, catching herself on the wall.
“What’s up?” Her girlfriend inquired, two steps behind – as ever. “Ah, of course. Hey, boys!”
“Hi,” Jon greeted, stumbling to his feet. “We wanted to see if y’all wanted to catch a movie, so we came here.” The rush of words came pouring out, with him stammering over a few, hoping that they hadn’t noticed how hot his face felt. “You in?”
“Sounds cool. Detective Pikachu is playing at the Bijuu and Jon gets the employee discount. What about it, Kali?”
“I’d love to, as long as someone doesn’t almost trip me over again.”
Steve and Jonathan shared a look. Then they broke into a string of boyish giggles.