Dec 13, 2025
oh well, we'll blame it on the genetics whatever
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Poland
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Russia
seen from Japan
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Yemen
oh well, we'll blame it on the genetics whatever
𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍! | 𝐒.𝐇.
𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓
౨ৎ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝑆𝑡𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑥 𝑓𝑒𝑚!𝐻𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛!𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟
౨ৎ 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: before Hawkins High crowned him “King Steve,” Steve Harrington was your best friend. the boy you biked home with after school, the boy who knew all your secrets, the boy who swore he’d never change. then freshman year happened. his new friends didn’t like that he hung around someone so “pathetic”, and Steve didn’t defend you when they cornered you. one stupid moment of betrayal was all it took to end years of friendship. You hardened yourself, dropped the girl he once knew, and built a life where Steve Harrington no longer existed. but when Will Byers goes missing and your little brother Dustin starts acting suspicious, Hawkins becomes anything but normal. you start noticing strange lights, weird noises in the woods, and a mysterious girl hiding in the Wheeler's basement, and suddenly, Steve is everywhere again. you don’t want anything to do with him, but the world is falling apart, Dustin is in danger, and Steve keeps proving he isn’t the same coward who let you down years ago. as monsters crawl out of the dark and secrets unravel, old wounds reopen and so does the possibility that maybe Steve Harrington was never meant to stay out of your life.
౨ৎ 𝐓𝐖: bullying, verbal harassment, language, violence, past betrayal, alcohol, parties, drugs, toxic relationships, abuse, manipulation, aggression, trauma, jealousy, possessive behavior, angst, canon character death, smut scenes (18+/skippable), normal stranger things stuff, (lmk if I missed anything!)
౨ৎ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 (𝐫𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧)
𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐋
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎}
• Fresh Start (coming soon)
𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟏
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏}
• The Vanishing of Will Byers
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐}
• The Weirdo on Maple Street
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑}
• Holly, Jolly
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒}
• The Body
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓}
• The Flea and the Acrobat
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔}
• The Monster
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕}
• The Bathtub
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟏 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖}
• The Upside Down
𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟐
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗}
• Madmax
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎}
• Trick or Treat, Freak
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏}
• The Pollywog
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐}
• Will the Wise
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑}
• Dig Dug
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒}
• The Spy
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓}
• The Lost Sister
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔}
• The Mind Flayer
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟐 𝐄𝟗 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕}
• The Gate
𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟑
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖}
• Suzie, Do You Copy?
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗}
• The Mall Rats
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎}
• The Case of the Missing Lifeguard
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏}
• The Sauna Test
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐}
• The Flayed
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑}
• E Pluribus Unum
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒}
• The Bite
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟑 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓}
• The Battle of Starcourt
𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟒
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔}
• The Hellfire Club
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕}
• Vecna's Curse
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖}
• The Monster and the Superhero
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗}
• Dear Billy
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎}
• The Nina Project
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟏}
• The Dive
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟐}
• The Massacre at Hawkins Lab
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟑}
• Papa
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟒 𝐄𝟗 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟒}
• The Piggyback
𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝟓
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟏 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟓}
• The Crawl
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟐 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟔}
• The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟑 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟕}
• The Turnbow Trap
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟒 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟖}
• Sorcerer
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟓 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟗}
• Shock Jock
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟔 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟎}
• Escape from Camazotz
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟕 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟏}
• The Bridge
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ 𝐒𝟓 𝐄𝟖 {𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟐}
• The Rightside Up
© sodapopwhlr 2025. all rights reserved.
born to marry him, forced to read fanfics about him
Forever
Steve Harrington X HendersonBFF!Reader
Summary: In which Steve doesn't realize that his way of coping with Nancy and his breakup is hurting Y/N in the process. He also doesn't notice that Billy Hargrove is not only trying to take his throne, but the girl he's loved forever too
Warning(s): Angst, mutual pining, Billy being bff material, smut, light choking if you squint, fluff, Steve being a dummy, riding, oral (f receiving), cockwarming if you squint
A/N: was listening to Forever by Jessie Murph while writing this
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹
She didn’t really understand how she got to where she was. How she wound up in this position. Truth be told, she somewhat did, cons of asking Steve for a ride to the party.
She would’ve expected him to wander off with Nancy, and do his own thing as usual while she would go join some of her friends for beer pong. She’d expect him to tell her when he and Nance were ready to head out, as she always made sure they got Y/N home okay. Y/N would also expect for him to let her know if he got her a backup ride in case they left before she wanted to.
What she didn’t expect was to watch him storm away, eyes glossed with tears as pure anger set throughout his entire face, pushing past the people in the crowd. Her gaze dropped and frowning as she gulped another sip of her beer. “Steve?” Y/N called out towards his direction.
She followed when he didn’t even so much as acknowledge her, setting her cup somewhere on some random table, the music going to a soft hum as she stepped outside. “Steve, where are you going? What happened?” she calls out, watching him unlock his car. He still said nothing as he clenched his jaw.
“Steve?” she says once more, rushing down the yard as he started up his engine. “Steve!” her voice rises as he begins to drive off without her. Y/N lets out a few curse words as she flips off his car while it sped down the street.
She tried searching for Nancy when she got back inside, only to find her being carried out by Jonathan, explaining she was drunk off of her ass. She nods, thanking him while letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. When Jonathan offered her a ride, she politely declined, saying she would ask one of her friends to bring her back. Explaining that he should worry about getting Nancy home safely.
Which now led her to where she stood on the porch, drink in hand as she let out a frustrated huff. Her friends had all been long gone by the time she tracked down one of their boyfriends, stating how they were all planning to stay put for the night. She usually would’ve stuck with that idea, but she had to be home to bring Dustin to Mike’s the next morning.
“The party’s inside, sweetheart,” a voice chuckles behind her, making her roll her eyes.
She didn’t have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. “Too overstimulating, and I’m trying to sober up enough to walk home.”
Billy Hargrove takes a seat next to her, cigarette in hand as he blows out a puff of smoke. “Thought King Steve was your chauffeur,” he snorted. “At least I see you following him like a lost puppy. How does Nancy not hate that?”
Y/N scoffs. “I do not follow him around like that. We’re best friends, and on top of that, they both want me to stay close by in case we need to leave. So don’t act all snarky, Hargrove.”
Billy lets out a loud laugh, taking in another drag. “I’m just saying,” he starts. “You’re a little obvious for how in love you are with Harrington. Maybe back off a bit, or better yet, leave the guy be.”
Y/N’s gaze snaps toward him, glaring hard. “What the fuck are you on, Hargrove?” she snaps, watching his eyebrows raise as his smirk widens.
“Struck a nerve, have I?”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
He purses his lips while shaking his head. “Not a bit,” he takes another drag. “But he’s gotta watch his own actions before Nancy realizes he loves you too.”
Y/N’s eyes widened at his words.
“What are you talking about?” she snips, and he shrugs as he stands up, blowing out the last of his cigarette.
He turns back to her, holding out his hands for her to take. “I’m gonna head home, I’ll drop you on the way.”
“I’d rather take another gulp of whatever is in Tommy’s mystery punch bowl than ride anywhere with you,” she scoffs, Billy rolling his eyes as he lets out a huff.
“It’s the least I can do for being an ass-”
“You’re always an ass-”
“Are you always this much of a fucking headache, Henderson?”
Y/N just stares up at him in shock at his tone, watching as he stands in front of her with his hands on his hips. She then sighs, crossing her arms. “You’ve been drinking, Billy.”
He purses his lips once more with a smirk, shaking his head lightly. “I can take more than you think, honey. I am sober enough to drive with my eyes closed if I wanted to.”
She eyes him once more before taking his hands he then offers her once more, Billy helping her stand upright as he leads her to his car. He even opened up the passenger side for her, closing it once she was inside.
The engine revved to life, Billy giving her a smug expression before he sped off into the night.
It was quiet for the first few moments, Y/N’s gaze looking out the window with her hands picking at one another in her lap.
“So what is it about King Steve that makes you so obsessed with him? Let alone every girl I’ve met at that shit school of yours?” he starts up, making her groan and shake her head. “He seems like he’s so up his own ass, you can see his head coming up his throat.”
“Oh fuck off, you’re just as cocky. I don’t even know what you’re talking about, just let it go.”
He tuts. “Nope, I’m driving you home so I deserve to know what it is. You owe me that.”
“I’d rather jump out of the moving car-”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Well you’re wrong.”
Billy grabs her jaw to make her look at him as they rolled up to a stoplight. “Am I? Because it seems like you can’t see how you stare at him like he hung the moon.”
His tone is a bit more serious, nothing playful whatsoever as he looks at her, her eyes deflating as she sighs. She takes his hand off of her when the light turns green, rubbing her face in exhaustion. “There’s a lot to it,” she admits. “But he’s just always been there. Even in the worst circumstances, I’ve never had to question if he would be there for me. Even for my brother, he’s there at the drop of a dime.”
“Seems like tonight was the opposite.”
She rolled her eyes before sending him a scowl. “Something happened, so he probably needed to be alone. I get that way too when things happen. I’m gonna give him his space if so,” she explains, Billy snickering at her words.
“Wow you really are down bad, sweetheart,” he jokes. “Here I thought I’d be able to woo you somehow.”
“Not like I’d give you the time of day, Hargrove. That dick of yours has been in every girl known at Hawkins high school,” she shot back with a chuckle, watching as his jaw dropped lightly at her words. He puts a hand to his chest as he acts hurt playfully.
“Well played, Henderson. I’ll give you that,” he laughs, making her smile at him in amusement. “I like you, you’ve got some spunk to you.”
“You think I do, you should hear half the things my brother says.”
“Ah yes, the famous Dustin Henderson. I know all about that kid and his little shits of a friendgroup.”
She narrows her eyes and smacks his arm, making him hiss. “They’re good kids. Don’t you dare start.”
“They cause my sister to get into trouble, which causes me to get into trouble with our parents.”
“Well from now on if she goes off, you can tell your parents she’s with Dustin at my house. Have them call me and I’ll happily help you out. That way you don’t have to cancel any hookups of yours,” she jokes. “Fair trade?”
He rolls his eyes. “Noted.”
He pulled into her driveway, Y/N opening the door to step out, only for him to say her name softly. She bends down to look at him in the low car.
“Don’t wait around for a guy that’ll make you his second choice.”
She bit her lip. “He’s not like that.”
Billy gives her a look. “If you need help with igniting the fire, give me a ring.”
She laughs before closing his car door, waving goodbye as she begins to walk back to her doorstep.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹
It was the next morning, and Y/N had been stressing at the fact that she knew Steve was coming to pick her up this morning. She didn’t really want to deal with the awkward tension right away in that car, especially if things went down between him and Nancy.
She hesitated picking up the phone in the kitchen, dialing the number written down on a piece of gum wrapper from the night before. Her fingers slowly dialed the numbers into the keypad, biting her bottom lip as she held the phoneline to her ear. It didn’t ring for long, someone picking up the landline after a couple rings. “Hargrove residence, who’s calling?” a smaller voice, that didn’t take long for Y/N to know it was Max. She smiles softly to herself.
“Hey Max, it’s Y/N. I know this is going to sound weird, but is Billy there? He gave me a ride home last night, and I had to ask him something.”
She hears Max chuckle on the other line. “What in the world did you get yourself into last night?” she jokes, making Y/N run a hand over her face. “I swear it’s not what it sounds like. Steve ditched me, and Billy was nice to just give me a ride home.”
“If you say so,” Max snickered. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to lose you because my brother is an asshole.”
“It’s not like that, but I’ve got it.”
There’s some rummaging on the other side for a few moments, before it was just quiet for a small second. Bily’s voice booming through the phone softly. “Well if it isn't a little miss lovergirl. You change your mind?”
“Very funny,” she chuckles dryly, twisting the phoneline between her fingertips. “I really don’t want to be stuck in that awkward tension with him this morning. Are you able to pick me up?”
It’s quiet for a few seconds, Y/N shaking her head to herself before rubbing her forehead. “It’s fine if not,” she says quickly. “I will just walk if anything. I just cannot deal with all of that first thing in the morning.”
Billy hums for a second, leaning against the doorway with a smug look on his face. “Now what kind of gentleman would I be to let a girl walk to school, hm? Especially if it’s the one that’s going to cause Harrington a hard time?” he jokes back, making her roll her eyes.
“I’ll just walk at this point-”
“Okay, alright fine. Sorry. Yes I’ll be there in a few. Hang tight.”
With that the line clicks, and Y/N let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She finishes up her morning routine and eats breakfast with Dustin across from one another.
As she is finishing up putting her dish in the sink, a car honks outside and it makes her freeze. Dustin eyes her with a confused look. “That’s not Steve’s car,” he says matter of factly. Y/N shuts her eyes for a second before huffing.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Dustin smirks. “Oh I’m not worried,” he says slyly. “But Steve might.”
She shrugs. “Not my problem,” she mumbles before grabbing her bag, and going to give him a small hug. “Stay out of trouble today, please? Or at least wait till I’m home to go back into the woods.”
Dustin rolls his eyes, and nods. “No promises.”
With that she walks out the door, and looks up to see Billy’s car pulled up. Max is in the passenger seat, her smile widening at the sight of Y/N. Billy pushes Max’s arm, making her snap her head back at him with a glare. He nods to the backseat, making her huff and slide to the back.
Y/N smiles down at Max as she opens the car door to get inside. “Well good morning Maxine,” she chuckles.
Max smiles as Y/N hops into the passenger seat in front of her, squeezing her shoulders once she is inside. Once the door is shut, Billy sped off without warning, making both girls hold onto some part of the car while he laughs.
“Thank you,” Y/N says after a bit of driving. “For last night, and this morning. I mean.”
Billy shrugs. “Anything to make Harrington shake in his boots, I’m for it.”
She narrows her eyes while crossing her arms. “Is that all you’re keen on doing? To take some stupid title in the school that’s his?” she shoots, shaking her head. “If that’s your goal, you really have a low satisfaction line. Which is kind of sad.”
“That’s how he is,” Max sighs, making Billy glare at her through the rearview.
“Shut up, Max.”
“You’re not going to be an ass to her, not while I’m around. Especially if she’s right,” Y/N cuts in, making Billy roll his eyes.
“You sure have some spunk to you, don’t you princess?”
She grimaces at the nickname, smacking his arm. “Never that. Disgusting.”
“Okay fine,” he huffs. “No, I’m not just doing it to get on Harrington’s nerves. It is fun, yes, but I’m also doing it because I didn’t think you deserved to be ditched like that. I may be an asshole and go through girls like I do, but I’m not past letting a girl get left like that.”
Y/N raised her brows in shock at his words, but nodded slowly. “I don’t know how that really cancels out with how you treat women, but I guess that’s nice? Of you?” she trails off, not missing the way Max holds in a snort. Y/N trying to hide a smirk herself, and Billy eyes her.
“I’m half tempted to make you walk the rest of the way.”
“Do it, then. I said I was fine walking.”
Billy huffs out a laugh, turning down the street as the school comes to view slowly. “You really are a little shit like your brother.”
“If that’s what you think, then sure,” she shot back, not missing the way he coughs over a snort leaving his lips.
Y/N had a few side conversations with Billy after that throughout the schoolday, only when they walked past one another in the school’s hallways. Or if they were in the same class, he would come sit next to her instead, and just talk to her. Nothing more than platonic, Billy enjoying having a girl that didn’t want him just to say she had him, but because she actually wanted to be his friend.
The bell rang, signalling that second period was over. Y/N grabbing her books as she headed to her locker. She put away her history books and grabbed her things for physics, shutting her locker and jumped at the sight of Steve coming to view behind it. She held a hand up to her chest, letting out a breath. “Fuck, Steve,” she sighs. “You can’t just show up like that unannounced.”
Steve is looking at her with a hardened face, but his eyes are soft as he crosses his arms. “I showed up to your place this morning, Dustin said you were already gone. I was almost late to school. Where were you?” he asked her, making her eyes flick away from his. She tightened her grip on her books.
“I’m gonna be late for physics,” she mutters before trying to breeze past him. Steve grabs her arm and turns her back to him. Y/N’s eyebrows furrow, looking at where his hand was and then back up into his eyes. “Steve I have a test this period, I can’t be late-”
“Where were you this morning?”
Y/N sighs. “You now care? It seemed quite the opposite last night,” she shot, making his face drop.
“I was upset about the fight that happened between Nance and I. I just needed to get out of there,” he sighs, his voice getting quieter after each word he spoke. Y/N looked between his eyes. “I also just thought you’d be able to get a ride home from Tina or Rachel. So I didn’t really think about it after that.”
“Well then there you go. One of them picked me up this morning. End of story.”
Steve looks straight through her and frowns. “They’re not here today. Too hungover,” he shot back, Y/N snatching her arm away from his grip.
“Well either way I got home, okay? Just leave it alone.”
“Y/N-”
“I’ve gotta go Steve.”
She turns to walk away, only stuttering in her steps slightly when she sees Billy walking by. Based on the look on his face, he had seen the interaction and gave her a questioning look as if asking if she was okay. She nods curtly before breezing past him, taking a sharp turn down the hallway towards the labs.
Billy’s face turns back to Steve, he doesn’t miss the way Steve’s expression hardens at the small interaction he had with his best friend. Billy gave him a snide smirk before walking off, patting his chest when he passed. He was going to get under Steve’s skin if it was the last thing he did.
After Billy found out through Tommy and Carol that Steve and Nancy had gotten into a fight, pretty much breaking up at the party, he was going to get Steve to crack. He was going to make sure he pissed Steve off in every way possible, to the point he finally realized how much he wanted Y/N too.
At least, if Y/N wasn’t going to do it, Billy was going to do it. In the most menace way possible.
Especially when lunchtime came, he noticed Y/N was sitting at the familiar table that their entire group sat at, his eyes seeing Steve was still getting his food at the lunch line. Billy made his way over, sitting right next to her, leaning his elbow on the table causing her to jump at his sudden figure next to her.
She smacked his chest. “You cannot sneak up on a girl like that, Hargrove!” she hissed, wiping her mouth with a napkin. He smiles widely at her.
“When’s your free period?” he asked her, and she hummed while thinking and taking a bite of her food.
“Fifth, why?”
He leans toward her. “You should come sit in the gym for a bit. Watch me humble your little boyfriend for a change.”
She eyes him. “This again?”
He chuckles with a shrug. “I just want to push his buttons a little. I think you’d enjoy that after he ditched you after the Halloween party.”
“I already told you, he and Nance had a nasty fight. He apologized after that.”
Billy hums with a smug grin. “I think it still would be fun to watch, no? Come on,” he trails off, making her grimace.
“Fine. But only because I couldn’t reserve the study hall in the library.”
“Good,” he says before standing up, his eyes immediately meeting Steve’s, who was glaring straight through him as he watched the boy slowly stand from the spot next to her.
“Harrington,” Billy scoffs smugly. Steve’s eyes furrowed. “Wrong table, Hargrove.”
“It’s not if Henderson’s at it.”
Steve sets his tray down next to Y/N, the spot where Billy once sat, before standing over Billy
“Back. Off,” he says. “She’s not the next girl on your list, so move to the next will you?”
Y/N frowns, putting a hand on Steve's arm. “Steve, leave it be,” she says, only for him to still look at Billy. Billy’s smirk just widens as he eyes Steve up and down. He looks at Y/N, eyebrows raising.
She gives him a look as if telling him to knock it off as well, watching his eyes roll while he chuckles. He puts his hands up in defense, before pointing at her for a minute. “I’ll see you during fifth,” he chuckles. With that, he walks off, Steve huffing before slumping into the seat next to hers. She looks at him with an amused look, watching as he looks at her and rolls his eyes.
“Don’t start,” he says with a sigh, she snorts.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“He’s harmless. Just being nice, that’s all.”
Steve looks at her with a look. “He’s being nice out of the blue? Yeah, he wants you, honey. You’re one of the girls on that long list of his.”
“Okay, don’t be an ass,” she groans, rubbing her hand over her face. “I’m still pissed at you, so you have no right.”
He shook his head. “I’m not trying to be, I swear. I just,” he sighs. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You deserve someone better than that jackass.”
Y/N’s eyes still at his words. “Steve, I’m not interested in him. He’s really just being friendly, that’s all. Nothing more, I made sure to vocalize that.”
He eyes her before letting it go, nodding before taking a bite of his food. “How did you even cross paths?” he asks her, making her shrug. She hadn’t told him that Billy was the one who drove her home that night, knowing he was already having a hard time with what happened that night with Nance. The last thing she needed was for him to flip out on hearing she was seen leaving with Hargrove that night.
“Just one of the classes we have together. We were partners for something in Physics, so now we’re just friendly.”
He snorts. “I’ve never known that guy to be nice to a woman unless he wanted something else.”
“Steve.”
He eyes her, before huffing. “Okay fine, I’m sorry. I know I don't have the right to worry, but I do,” he says. “I’m also sorry. About last night. You didn’t do anything, and you would’ve just been there to let me rant about what happened.”
Y/N nods, her chest tightening at his words. “I get that you needed time, but you could’ve just said that as you were leaving. You left without a word as if I did something,” she explains. “I mean it’s not that big of a deal to me anymore, because I’ve literally been in those woods at night after being chased by those creature things, but it hurts because of how you left.”
Steve’s gaze softens as he stares into her eyes. “I didn’t think. I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you, okay?”
“You don’t need to make up for it. Just don’t shut me out,” she says, and he nods.
“So about Hargrove-”
“Steven.”
“Right, dropping it. Sorry.”
Fifth period came a lot quicker than she thought, not taking much time to grab her things to bring to the gymnasium. She saw that the guys were all already there, warming up for their game of Basketball, while she walked up to the bleachers to take a seat. She unpacks some of her homework, knowing it was better to get it done now rather than wait.
She nearly had to roll her eyes when she saw the giant smile on Billy’s face, seeing he wasn’t wearing his shirt, panting as they positioned themselves for the next ball drop. Steve’s eyes followed Billy’s, gaze hardening as he saw Y/N sitting in the stands, her face lightly red as she rolled her eyes at Billy. He turned back to eye Billy.
“You can’t just leave her be, can you, Hargrove?” he scoffs, panting as sweat rolls down his neck.
Billy shrugs, playing into it. “It’s fun when you want something you can’t have.”
Steve’s insides burn at his comment, zoning in as the game starts off not too long after.
Each time Y/N pulled her eyes up to watch the boys, she noticed how Steve and Billy were always on each other. She watches as Steve runs up on Billy, ball in hand as Billy guards up against him.
She can see that they’re exchanging words, but not for long because Billy then snatches the ball from him, going down the court to score. Billy stuck his tongue out smugly, panting and sweating as he eyed Steve in amusement, before going to wink at Y/N. Before Steve can say another word, he hears his name, causing him to turn and see Nancy.
Y/N’s heart clenches just slightly, not missing how easy Steve followed after her, Y/N’s eyes following the pair. Billy’s eyes leave the pair that exit the gym, his eyes softening as he sees Y/N’s longing stare at where the couple once stood. He felt his anger burn for her, knowing she was so into Steve that it hurt her. No matter how much she denied it.
He continued to play, anger radiating off of him as he creamed their team without Steve. One of his teammates had to exit the gym to go grab Steve as they got dominated by Billy.
When Steve came back in, he looked more pissed off than he did before, putting everything into his game that he could. Y/N knew something bad must’ve happened, based on how hard he was pushing up against his opponents. He was panting so hard she was convinced he would pass out.
The whistle blew soon after the excruciating game, Y/N having to prevent herself from wincing at the scoreboard.
She began to pack up her stuff, zipping up her bag as she made her way down the bleachers. Her eyes caught Steve’s, frowning at his expression. He looked like he was trying to zone out, wiping a towel across his face as he breathed heavily. “Steve?” she called, walking over to him.
“What happened? You okay?” she asks, walking with him as he goes to grab his water bottle. He hums while squirting water into his mouth.
“I saw Nance walk in-”
“Please don’t. Not right now,” he says, walking off towards the locker rooms. She turns to him with her eyebrows furrowed. “Do you want to go for a drive after school to talk about it?” she asks, and he shakes his head turning to look at her.
“You’re going to have to find another ride home. I’ve gotta stay here for tutoring tonight.”
“Again? You’re shutting me out? We just talked about this,” she says, and Steve looks down at her as his figure towers over her. He kissed her forehead softly. With that, he heads into the locker room, making her chest tighten just slightly. Billy’s hand comes up to her arm, squeezing softly.
“You okay?” he asks, and she nods.
“I just hate how he does this. He shuts me out when things go wrong.”
He takes another gulp of his water. “You want a ride home?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll just walk. I’ve got to wait for Dustin anyways.”
He hesitates slightly, before nodding. She nods at him. “Besides I know how much you’ve been looking forward to this study date with Heather tonight. Just go, I’ll be fine,” she assures, making him purse his lips before squeezing her arm one last time and heading to the men' s locker rooms.
The walk home was nice for her, as she and Dustin talked about everything he figured out for what’s going on with Dart, his new animal friend he found in their trashcan. Saying how he’s going to take him to the school tomorrow to see if anyone can figure out what he is.
Once they had gotten home, Y/N had immediately set to the bathroom to take a shower, rinse off the last few days as she let her thoughts run.
She sighed as she dries off and throws on her pajamas, hanging up her towel. She hears a knock on the door, she opens it slightly. Dustin looks at her sheepishly.
“Mom’s going to sleep early tonight, and I need to get to Max’s. Can you drive me?” he asks her, she groans.
“Did she say I could take her car?” she asks, and he nods. “Yeah, just- give me a second.”
“If anything you can stop at Steve’s on the way back. I heard Mike say that he and Nance broke up. He’s taking it pretty hard.”
She froze slightly, but rolled her eyes while throwing on her sweats instead of her shorts. “You guys need to stay out of their business.”
He snickers. “You know about it all too, so you’re just as nosey.”
She shook her head as she grabbed the keys from his hand. “I actually didn't. Steve has shut me out since it happened,” she admits, walking out to the car. “That’s why I’ve been getting rides from someone else.”
“You mean Billy?” Dustin shot, making Y/N halt in her tracks. Her head snaps back at him, she lets her eyes shut with a groan.
“Max,” she says more to herself, Dustin nodding as he packs up his bag.
“You need to be careful with that douchebag. He’s not good company to keep,” he explains. “At least that’s what Max says. Has a new girl with him every second of the day.”
Y/N squints at him. “I don’t want Billy. Just because he’s nice to me, doesn’t mean he has my attention,” she explains. “Besides. I’m already stuck on someone else. I couldn’t get over them if I tried.”
“Steve wants you too, you know.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not this again-”
Dustin frowns as he opens his car door. “You’re his best friend, how has he not said anything?”
She shrugs. “He needs his space if it’s as bad as I think it is.”
“Or maybe he’s finally coming to the realization he’s in love with you.”
“Dustin!”
“What? It’s true!”
She rolls her eyes. “At least that’s what Nancy thinks. Said something about how he can’t fully commit. She thinks it’s because he’s obsessed with you.”
She palms her face. “Okay enough, stop eavesdropping on Nancy’s phone calls. I’ll tell her you’ve been listening next time.”
His eyes widened, only nodding before changing the subject about something Mr.Clark was teaching currently. Only, Y/N’s mind couldn’t focus as she thought about if that was really true. Her thoughts threw a million questions around her mind as her brother rambled.
Once she pulled into the driveway, she put the car in park and told Dustin to call her if he needed her to come get him. Knowing full well he would get back in one piece after everything that happened before El disappeared.
She pulled out of the driveway, beginning her trek home, her mind going to wander back to Steve. More so back to what her brother was saying earlier. He had to be wrong. Had to have heard the conversation wrong, right? Because she knew how in love he was with Nancy. He only told her more than one hundred times. Each time aching more than the last.
Y/N was sure he heard it wrong, not bothering to think much more about it as she drove back home quietly.
Once she got home, she could hear her mom’s wave machine going, meaning she was passed out. She set the keys on the table before trudging to her room, closing the door behind her.
She walked up to her phone, taking in a deep breath before raising the handle up to her face and dialing in Steve’s number. She wanted to check in, see if he was okay despite him shutting her out.
The line began to ring as she played with the cord, biting her lip as she waited. It seemed as though it rang forever, making her sigh. She knew he was home by now, but he was choosing to not answer. It went to the answering machine shortly after.
“Steve,” she says softly. “I know you’re hurting, and that you’re shutting down. But don’t shut me out, I want to help you. Whatever happened, I’m here to listen,” she says firmly. “But if you really want space, I'll give you your space. I just hope you’re okay.”
With that, she hung up the phone, and went to sit in her bed.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹
The next day wasn’t much better, as he was now avoiding her almost completely. Instead of prying, she chose to let it be, knowing he needed the space. She ended up walking to school that morning, only to get an earful from Billy, saying he would’ve happily stopped by to grab her again. She didn’t argue, as she was too exhausted to do so.
When lunchtime came, she saw him sitting at their table, making her eyes light up slightly. She began to walk over to him, going to sit in her normal spot. When she set her tray down, he immediately grabbed his own and began to walk away from her. She frowned at his behavior, her eyes burning slightly as tears lightly formed. She blinked them away.
Y/N didn’t notice how Billy had watched the encounter, how he had noticed them all morning. He walked over to sit with her, telling her to come sit in the gym once more during fifth period, in which she nodded.
She asked him how it went with Heather the night before, letting him ramble about it to distract her from the ache in her chest.
When fifth period came, the boys were playing much harder than they had the day before, Y/N was writing down her notes as she heard yelling. She looked up, watching Billy yell out King Steve as he dribbled the ball. She watched the banter. “I like it. Acting tough today,” he plays.
Steve rolls his eyes, guarding Billy. “Jeez, do you ever stop talking man? Come on,” he ushers back in a snippy tone. Billy just laughs as he dribbles the ball. “Why? You afraid coach is going to bench you now that I’m here, huh?” he pushes, watching the fire in Steve’s eyes ignite. With that, he pushes forward and checks Steve with ease, causing Steve to land on the ground with a loud thump and screech on the gym floor. She stood up like a reflex, shock written all over her face. She doesn’t miss the way he goes back over to Steve, lending down a hand.
Steve glares at Billy, but takes his hand. “Or are you more afraid I’m going to take the one girl you’re too afraid to admit you couldn’t commit to Wheeler for?” he taunts, watching as Steve’s eyes harden. “You’re moving your feet. Plant them next time. Draw a charge,” he growls, before slamming Steve back into the ground and walking away to cheer with his teammates.
He slowly straightens up, his eyes going over to the bleachers where he spots Y/N. She’s looking at him with both confusion and concern in her eyes, he doesn’t say anything, only looks away and gets back up to join his own team.
Y/N’s heart aches as he goes back to acting like she’s just another person in the gym, slowly going to sit back down.
Steve goes to guard Billy again, his eyes so harsh, they could’ve put Billy six feet under if looks could kill. “You’re not going to touch her. You’re gonna stay away from her,” he snaps, watching as Billy gets the ball passed to him.
Billy laughs at his words, expression smug. “Careful. You almost sound territorial,” he snickers. “Besides, if I wanted her. I’d have her already. But she’s too stuck on the only guy who takes her for granted.”
Steve charges after him at that, playing as hard as he can the rest of the class period.
When the whistle blows, Y/N is quick to grab her things and leave. Not wanting to stick around after what she witnessed, and knowing she also needed to get ready to take her test after school ended.
The boys headed to the locker rooms to shower, Steve letting the water wash away every ounce of anger he had towards Billy. Only to huff when he knew it wasn’t going to work.
“Don’t sweat it Harrington. Today’s just not your day, man,” Billy says in the stall next to him.
“Not your week, more so,” Tommy chuckles with a smug smirk on his face. “You and your princess break it off for one day, and she’s already running off with the freak’s brother,” he says, making Steve look at him with light confusion before looking away.
Tommy’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh shit,” he says. “You don’t know. Jonathan and the princess skipped yesterday, and still haven’t shown. That must just be a coincidence, right?” he cackles, Steve eyeing him, scrubbing the suds through his scalp.
“I don’t give a fuck about them. He can have her for all I care,” Steve snaps back, scrubbing his hands through his hair. Billy smirks with a hum.
“Oh I know,” he trails off. “You finally come to your senses over your Henderson girl, right? I hear she’s the reason you hate commitment. Because you want to commit to her, is that it?” Billy taunts, letting the water run down his chest.
Steve scoffs and shakes his head, paying no mind to what either man was saying. “You don’t know her like that.”
“Oh, yes I do. I know a lot more than you think.”
Steve froze in his spot, his head slowly turning over towards Billy. “The fuck did you say?”
Tommy laughs, giving Billy a look. “You better tell him before he finds out through someone else, Hargrove,” he says, before grabbing his towel and turning off the shower.
His words make Steve freeze. “What’re you talking about?”
Tommy wraps his towel around his waist. “Wow you really have been out of the loop,” he trails off, nodding his head at Billy. “She left with him after the Halloween party. Why do you think they’ve been so inseparable? Girl can’t get enough of him.”
Billy glares at Tommy. “Goodbye Tommy,” he snaps back, watching the guy walk away with a smug grin on his face. Steve’s jaw was clenched, his eyes darkening as he looked over at Billy.
“Relax, Harrington,” he chuckles. “Since some dick I know left her by herself that night, I was a gentleman and drove her home,” he admits, smirking happily. “You’re lucky she’s so obsessed with you, otherwise I definitely would’ve taken her back with me, and trust me,” he chuckles while turning off the shower, patting Steve on the shoulder. “I’m still debating.”
Steve eyed him hard as he left, whipping off his own shower head.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹
Y/N had finished up her test, smiling warmly at her teacher as she handed it in, bidding a goodnight as she left the classroom. The halls were now quiet as it was after school hours, the rain slowly beginning to dribble outside as she could hear the echoes of other students playing in the gyms.
When she opened up the school doors, the breeze had gotten a little chillier, goosebumps arising on her skin as she walked down the sidewalk. The rain slowly picked up as she walked, making her put her hood up.
Her eyes squinted as she noticed Steve’s car was still there, making her frown. She then froze only slightly as he stood, leaning against the hood with his arms crossed. He looked more than upset. He looked livid. “Steve? Why are you still at school? I thought you didn’t have tutoring tonight.”
“Get in the car.”
She frowns at his cold tone the closer she got. She shook her head.
“No. Not after how you’ve been treating me lately,” she shot back, walking up to him. He clenched his jaw as the rain began to get heavier. He towered her figure, eyes staring down into her own. “I have to wait for Dustin too.”
“He went home with Mike,” he answered quickly. “Get. In. The car,” he says once more.
Instead of prying, she huffs and walks over to the passenger side where he goes to hold open the car door for her, letting her slide in. As he closes her door and rounds to his side, she sets her bag on the floor in the back. He slams his door shut before reversing out of the parking lot, and driving off.
“Why are you so pissed off? What did I do to you to make you hate me so much in the span of seventy-two hours?” she finally breaks the silence, her arms crossing over her chest as the rain poured.
His jaw tightens at her words, hand rubbing over his jaw. “I don’t hate you.”
“Then why are you acting like a dick? All I’ve been trying to do is help you, and you act like I don’t exist,” she scoffs as she keeps her gaze on the window. “I don’t know what happened between you and Nance, but I’m just trying to be there for you.”
He stays silent for a few moments, and then speaks. “We broke up. Things were complicated and she said things between us weren’t going anywhere.”
“You could’ve just talked to me, you didn’t have to shut me out. I would’ve listened,” she says in a softer manner. Still somewhat firm to show she was standing her ground.
“It seems you had your hands full with Hargrove anyways,” he says under his breath, but it was loud enough for her to hear. She snapped her head over to him.
“What?”
“You really took a ride home from Billy Hargove? Of all people? Seriously?”
She scoffs. “I wouldn’t have needed to if you didn’t run off like you did! Besides, he offered and was actually nice to me the entire way,” she explains, running her hands through her hair. “You have no right to be upset. You’re the one ignoring me and acting all big macho whenever he’s around.”
“Is he the one who’s been picking you up too? Bringing you home even?” he shot, making her roll her eyes.
“You’re a fucking ass. Why are you so obsessed with this guy?”
“Because he’s not good for you! He wants to fuck you, and then leave you for the streets! You’re nothing but a piece of pussy to that man!” he blows up, making her eyes harden and her eyebrows furrow.
“Stop the car.”
“What-”
“Stop the fucking car, Harrington! I will not be scolded like I’m a fucking child by you! Stop the fucking car, so I can walk the rest of the way.”
Steve looks at her like she is crazy. “Are you kidding? It’s pouring-”
Y/N starts to unlock his car doors, going to pull open the lever as the car was still driving, causing Steve to slam on his brakes as she opened his car door. “Y/N seriously?” he screeches, getting out of the car to follow after her. “Get back in the car! You’re being ridiculous!”
“I’m not! You’re the one being an asshole, Harrington!” she yells back, not looking behind her. She hears him let out a frustrated groan before slamming his car doors shut, and his engine coming up to the side of her. He rolled down the window.
“Get in the car, Y/N!”
She ignored his pleas, her body shivering as she was now drenched from the pouring rain. “Y/N M/N, get in the damn car before I make you,” he warns, letting out a low growl as she still looks forward and keeps walking. Steve brakes the car once again, opening his door and stomping up to her figure.
Y/N feels arms wrap around her waist, despite her protests, she’s then thrown over Steve’s shoulder. “Put me the fuck down, Steve! What the fuck is your problem?” she screams out, punching at his lower back.
“Seriously, let me down! I’m fuckign done with you and your bipolar fucking behavior-”
Her words die in her throat with a squeak as a loud smack is heard, a sting following on her ass a few moments after. She narrows her eyes. “Did you just-?” She trails off as he walks over to open his backseat doors.
Steve softly places her figure into his back seats, ignoring her curses and shouts at him as he slams the door shut and gets back into the driver’s seat. He sped off after that, not missing the way she was sending daggers to the back of his head.
“I told you to get back in the car, and you didn’t listen.”
“Because you were treating me like shit, and started accusing me of sleeping with Billy. When all he’s been doing, is being a better friend than you. Nothing more than that.” she spat, crossing her arms over her shivering figure. Steve sighs, clenching his jaw at her words. Knowing deep down that she was right, he was being a total asshole to her.
“Not when I feel how I feel about you. I can’t move on, even if I tried.”
He froze, his heart stopped for a split second at her words, realizing she had said it so quietly in hope he didn’t hear, but he heard her perfectly clear.
All of his anger slowly washed away as her words repeated in his mind, realizing that Nancy was right. He couldn’t tell Nancy he loved her, not when Y/N had been here all along. No matter how hard he tried, he really tried to make things work with Nancy. But she knew it wasn’t meant to be.
Because he couldn’t control how strong his feelings were becoming towards Y/N. Nancy knew it too, she saw it when he didn’t. Which was why she couldn’t blame him. He did try. He couldn’t bring himself to admit it. Not after how things just ended with Nancy. He needed to see if what he felt for Y/N really was real, which was why he pushed away. Turns out it was more real than he ever knew or understood. Especially after hearing Billy’s words.
“We’re going to mine,” is all he says, making her glare at him.
“What? No, I’m drenched, I need to go home and-”
“I have stuff you can borrow, so stop whining. We need to actually talk,” he shot back, making her go quiet with her mouth open in shock. “No distractions, nothing. Because your brother will somehow bring us into the next adventure going on, and we need to figure our shit out.”
Y/N lets out a grumble, but doesn’t argue any further, the car was quiet the rest of the way to his place.
Once he parked in his driveway, he grabbed both of their bags, then opened the door for her to get out. She whisks past him as he locks his car, the pair running up to take cover under the slight covering over his front doorstep.
When they both got inside, the sound of the rain pattering hard over the roof was heard, as well as the light sounds of the occasional thunder booming. He sets down their stuff, huffing at his now drenched state, shrugging off his jacket.
“You can shower in mine. I’ll use my parents.”
He leads them upstairs, grabbing her a towel and walking her into his room that she knew all too well. He hands her a pair of his sweats and a hoodie of his she always used to wear, before grabbing his own towel and heading towards his parents’ room without another word.
She goes into his bathroom, looking around as she sees it’s still the same. It’s been a while since she has been here. Her having the decision that maybe they shouldn’t hang out like they used to when he started dating Nancy. She didn’t want Nancy to think otherwise, and knew it wouldn’t look right.
Y/N let the shower run for a bit, letting it get warm as she stripped down her soaked clothes, a light shiver running down her spine.
Once the steam had filled the bathroom, she stepped into the shower, the warm water cascaded down her back, making her let out a small hum in content at how good the warmth felt. She rinsed and washed up quietly as she let her thoughts linger as she rinsed her hair.
She was too in her mind to hear the door open slowly, Steve closing it behind him as he saw her back turned away from his figure.
He couldn’t take it anymore. Not after hearing what she said. He was sick of dancing around it.
When he opened the glass door, Y/N jumped at the noise and turned towards him with eyes wide. “Steve? What’re you doing?” she asked softly, her voice sounding exhausted. Defeated. Steve said nothing, only closing it behind him and walking to her slowly. Y/N’s eyes followed his own as they took in her figure, then eyes softening as his eyes found her own.
He stopped just inches in front of her, the water running over them both, Steve towering over her as he looked down at her. Her eyes staring between his own as his hand came up to her jaw to make her fully look up at him.
He inched closer to her face with his own, their lips just millimeters away. Y/N’s hands stayed covering her chest, but slowly slid down in relaxation as their lips barely touched.
Their eyes looking between one another for what felt like forever, Y/N looked back at Steve with one final nod. That’s all it took, and his lips slammed down onto hers. It was hungry, needy, passionate. Fire ignited between them both as their lips moved in sync. Tongues fighting and teeth clashing as their pants filled the air.
Steve brought both of his hands to her hair, pulling her head back to let his lips openly trail from her lips, biting at the bottom one before going to her cheek, her jaw, and down her neck. Y/N’s eyes shut with absolute bliss at the feeling of his lips making contact with her hot skin. How his tongue poked out every so often, teeth biting at some spots.
Her arms came up to his forearms when he found a sweet spot behind her ear, making him hum in satisfaction. Y/N had grown greedy, and in dire need of his lips on hers once more, making her grab his face from the spot in her neck to slam their lips back together.
Steve’s hands trailed down from her hair, down her body, leaving sparks and fire in his trail as he touched her everywhere he could reach.
He never realized how much he craved her until now. Now, he couldn’t live without her. He couldn’t live with the fact that any guy could have her like this. Could’ve been in his spot. He especially couldn’t stand the fact that Billy almost could’ve been in his place if he waited any longer.
The thought alone made him grip her hips hard, making her whimper lightly in his mouth. He groaned as she bit his lip. They broke apart, just millimeters away from one another as he looked at her with a haze in his eyes.
“I’m never letting you go now,” he muttered softly, leaving one hand on her hip while the other trailed to her belly button. He watched her lips hitch in a gasp at his touch. Her eyes were big and hazy as they looked up at him. The rain poured hard outside, being heard even through the shower running around them. “Not when I’ve got you like this. This is all I’ve ever wanted. I’ve always wanted you. That was the problem, honey.”
His hand trailed down her navel, just above where she needed to feel him most. Her insides burn with desire and need for Steve.
“I couldn't stop thinking about you. Every second of every day,” he trails off, leaving soft kisses on her lips between his words. “You were always the one thing I came back to,” he hums, letting his hand finally cup her heat. He smirked lightly as he watched her eyes roll back as he let his fingers rub up and down her slit.
“Steve.”
“Hm?” he says, letting his hand figure out what she liked, how she wanted, needed, to be touched. Her face would contort when he rubbed or flicked certain spots, making him bite his lip as she watched her lose any ounce of control she had.
“Hargrove kept saying how he would take you like this. How he was debating on it,” he taunts, letting a finger slide in, Y/N let out a moan as her head fell onto his chest. He chuckled darkly as he felt her beginning to hump herself into his hand. “I kept thinking about that. Picturing. It pissed me off.”
She shook her head as her hand went to grasp at his wrist while he pumped his fingers in and out of her. “Never would’ve happened,” she moans. “I wouldn’t have let it happen.”
He takes his free hand from her hip and trails it up to her neck, causing her to look up at him. Her eyes are still lightly closed, light moans and whines leaving her lips.
“You sure? It seemed like you enjoyed getting pretty friendly with Hargrove.”
She shook her head. “Only wanted you. I only want you.”
“Oh sweetheart,” he says softly, taking his fingers out of her, causing her to groan at the sudden loss of contact. “I wish I believed that,” he says, shaking his head. She frowned at his words, still dazed and confused at the fact he left her high and dry.
She decided to push right back at his smugness.
“Maybe I should. If you’re only going to leave me high and dry. I’ll let him finish your job.”
Steve’s eyes darkened at her words, causing him to turn off the water behind her, then grabbing both of her thighs to wrap around his hips. He walked them out to his bedroom, slamming her body onto his bed as he towered over her figure.
“You and that mouth of yours are going to get you in trouble, honey.”
He spread her legs open, biting his lip as he tried to muster his groan, but failing miserably.
“And here I was going to be nice and give you my tongue,” he tuts, before grabbing his dick and sliding it through her folds. “But after that little stunt you pulled, I’m not feeling so nice anymore.”
With that, Steve slams all the way into her. The pair both let out moans at the feeling, Y/N grabbing his hair in one hand while the other scratched down his back. Steve began to pump in and out of her fast and hard, lips and tongue busying themselves with her breasts as they bounced with every thrust.
“Steve, please,” she whimpers at his pace. He looks up at her through his lashes, seeing how she is biting her lip to keep from moaning louder. He releases her left nipple with a pop and leans down to kiss her hard.
“Maybe if you fix that attitude of yours, I’ll take my time,” he groans into her mouth, capturing her moans in his own. “Fuck you the way I’ve been dying to. Nice and slow to show you how in love I am with you. You’d love that wouldn’t you?”
Y/N’s hand grips his hair to pull his head back to make him fully look at her. “Please, baby,” she moans out breathlessly, causing Steve to groan. She clenches around him tight, causing him to stutter his movements. Steve soon begins to slow down slightly, still hitting that spot inside of her that she loved oh so much. Her grip loosened on his head, both hands going to grab the headboard behind her as her back arched. Steve looked down at her in amazement, mouth open as he moaned out her name.
“So fucking pretty, fuck,” he pants, taking her slower as his gaze falls to where they’re connected. He sees her hips grinding up to meet his own, making him bite his lip and grab them to meet his own with each thrust. “You’re fucking mine. Not Hargrove’s. I don’t share. Especially not when it comes to you.”
Y/N can feel the tightness in her stomach getting closer and closer with every thrust, causing her to look back at Steve who is so focused on watching him thrust in and out of her.
“Steve I’m-”
“I know, I can feel it. Let go whenever, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
It didn’t take much for her after that, clenching and sputtering around him with a loud moan that followed with his name. Steve came shortly after, placing his lips over her own as his hips stuttered against her pelvis. When their lips broke apart, Steve’s head immediately went into her neck, kissing at her collarbone a few times as they lay there breathless.
Y/N’s hand trailed from his shoulders, up into his hair. She didn’t miss how his body broke out into goosebumps from her touch. His breathing slowed moments later, his now softened cock still inside of her. She could feel him twitching again, hardening as she clenched around him each time he twitched. “Steve,” she moans softly, gripping his hair as she feels his tongue and teeth biting at the skin along her chest.
“I need more,” he groans out against her breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth. She arches into his mouth more at the feeling. His hands pushed down her hips as she started to nonchalantly grind up against his hips, letting his own hips slowly thrust and grind into her. “Gonna go all night. I might just need to have you like this forever,” he moans into her nipple, before pulling away with a pop. Y/N grabs his head and pulls his lips back down to hers, his thrusts hard but slow. Moans getting louder between them both as Steve hit that one spot inside her that made her toes curl.
Before Steve could react, Y/N had tightened her grip on him with her legs, turning them over with him still inside of her. She took his hands from her thighs and laced them with hers, pressing them into the mattress beside his head.
Her eyes looking into his with such adoration and want in them. She began to grind into him, moans leaving her mouth as she bit her lip from being too loud. Steve looked up at her mesmerized, mouth agape as he takes in everything about how she looked on top of him.
“You look so fucking beautiful like this,” he sighs, watching her throw her head back she grinded and bounced on him.
She let go of his hands, bringing hers to lean back on his thighs as she worked her way on him. Steve’s hands immediately went to the crevice where her hips and thighs met. He gripped them in a bruising hold, guiding her every move as he met his hips with hers. “Fuck Steve,” she moans out, not missing the way he hit that spot inside her once again.
“Nobody will ever get to see you like this, Never again,” he moans as he lets one hand slithering up her front, going to grip her neck in a tight enough hold for it to go to her head. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head at the feeling. “Not even Hargrove. This is mine.”
“Always has been,” she sighs while looking back down into his eyes. Their highs were coming closer than they did the first time, Steve pulling her down by her neck to meet her with a sloppy kiss.
Both of their movements became faster and faster as the pit in their stomachs got tighter and tighter. “Let go baby. I’m right behind you,” Steve breathes out against her lips, her nodding against him before her hips stutter and stilled as she reaches high. Steve took over and thrusted up into her through both of their highs as Y/N fell forward onto his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, nails running through his hair. His hands trailing up and down her back as they lay there breathlessly. “This is gonna sting a bit,” he said first, before slowly pulling out of her. They both let out a loud hiss, Y/N followed with a slight whimper at the emptiness as she gripped his hair lightly.
“You okay?” he hums against her, and she nods lightly. He chuckles. “We should probably clean up soon.”
She hums. “Soon. Just not yet,” she breathes out softly against his chest.
“Oh no, I’m basking in this as long as I can,” he chuckles softly. She smiles against his chest at his words. “I’ve got you, and I will not be letting you go anytime soon.”
“So you like me?” she jokes, making him grab her jaw softly to look up at him. He looked at her like she had two heads.
“I think we both know I’m way past liking you,” he admits, making her eyes soften at his words. His thumb caressed her skin softly. “It only took me how many years to come to my senses.”
“It took me being friends with Hargrove for you to come to your senses,” she shot, making him roll his eyes.
“Whatever,” he laughs, making her snort. “He’s not gonna let up on this, you know. He will be giving you shit till the end of time for taking so long.”
Steve eyes her. “He really knew before I did? Ouch.”
She smacked his chest softly. “He figured it out, I didn’t have to say a word.”
“Well, I still don’t like how flirty he is with you. So he better knock that off,” he says slowly. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“How will you do that?”
“Oh, honey we’ve got all night. I’ll make sure he knows to keep his hands off.”
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹
GIRL TALK - BILLY HARGROVE X READER
word count: 3336 / masterlist | inbox (please request ! ) | WIP list
summary: max starts breaking out and needs to develop a skincare routine. billy's girlfriend y/n steps up to the role of older sister and walks her through each step. billy lingers by the bathroom doorway, putting himself in the position of the perfect model.
Contents/Warnings: afab!fem!reader
A/N:...sorry i haven't posted in like. years. i lowkey kinda fell off of stranger things!! i still liked it but I wasn't watching it and I found it hard to write without the inspiration. but I'm back! I can't guarantee it'll be for forever but I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth right now. And I can finally cross something off of my wip list YAYYYY :D send me some requests to kickstart my writing again!
reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! your feedback motivates me to write more, so thank you for your support :-)
Billy’s surprised, pleasantly so, when you show up at his door with a… big metal box? He’s not sure what’s in it, but it looks important, there’s a lock on it and you’re holding the key. The situation gets less pleasant when you remain stony faced, unreactive to his grin at your presence, and shoulder past him.
“Sorry Billy,” You march through the house, down the hallway and to the bathroom, “Urgent matters to attend to.”
He doesn’t even get to finish latching the door shut when the bathroom door starts to close, and he rushes after you to catch it.
“Hey!” He reaches you just in time, stopping it from slamming with a large, rough hand that thumps against the wood, “What the hell? Why are you holing up in my bathroom with a safe?”
“My bathroom, dickhead.” Max sneers, seated on the lid of the toilet, “You like to use the empty beer cans under your bed.”
“Someone’s bitchy today,” He gripes, leaning against the frame, “Period?”
“Billy,” You scold, unlocking the latch on the box and flipping it open, “Be nice! This is girl time, you’re intruding.”
His eyes widen, and he scoffs, “Unbelievable! So they put me in charge, then my girlfriend comes over into the house that I’m responsible for, storms off without even a hello, and tries locking herself away in the bathroom with the middle schooler, yet I’m the problem here!”
“Yes,” Max insists, eyes icy as she shoves down the lid of the box so that Billy can’t see the contents, “Just get out!”
“No.” He crosses his arms, glaring her down, “I wanna know what you’re doing.”
“I told you,” You try placating him, voice smooth and sweet, “Girl talk. It’s private.”
“What, is it about periods? I already know all that shit,” He scoffs, and you and Max share an amused, side-eyed grin, “I took health in freshman year. My girlfriend is here and I’m going to spend time with her while she is.”
His chest heaves slightly with the force of his insistence, and you sigh, glancing over at Max. You communicate silently, your eyes holding the words you can’t say in front of him, then you turn back to flash him a single pointer finger.
“One minute,” You promise, “C’mere, Max.”
She huddles closer to you, and you cup your hand over her ear, whispering into it. Billy doesn’t appreciate even more secrets, huffing and puffing at your display of dramatics. After a few nods, a smirk, and a giggle are released, you separate, and turn back to him with an eager smile.
“Okay, Billy,” You start, grin wicked, “We’re creating a skincare routine for Max. If you want to stay and be part of the fun, be my guest. But you’ll have to be our model.”
“Skincare?” He narrows his eyes, “Just wash your fucking face, Max.”
“That’s not how it works,” You groan, “She needs a multi-step routine, and that’s what we’re going to work out today, with this.” You pull up on the case’s latch, and Max doesn’t stop you this time. Inside are individual packages, what Billy identifies as face masks, bottles, tubes, wipes, cotton pads; he’s honestly surprised there’s not a beauty technician stored in there, too.
“If you’re so insistent on spending time with me,” You bargain, and there’s a sweet smile on your face as you say it that lets him know you’re not really as annoyed with him as you tease, “Then you’ll let me demonstrate on you.”
“No way.” He stands tall, shoulders stiff, “I’m not letting you put that shit on my face.”
“You could use it,” Max mumbles under her breath, and the only reason Billy doesn’t gripe back is because he thinks you’ll scold him for it. Instead, he watches as you take out a bottle, showcasing the greenish gel inside.
“Soap,” You inform him, “That’s all it is, Billy, is soap. Would you just wash your face for us?”
“Soap..” He narrows his eyes at the suspicious bottle, “That shit’s just soap?”
“Just soap,” You promise again, “Please?”
He doesn’t need to look into your eyes to know they’re shiny, and he won’t admit defeat because of them. So he succumbs on his own terms, sighing heavily and reaching for the bottle, “Gimme the damn soap.”
The tap water is cool, and he relishes the feeling against his burning cheeks. He can feel his hair getting wet, and some of the longer strands threaten to dip into the water and become completely soaked, ruining his curls. He’s not happy to be giving in so easily, but those damn eyes of yours, that sweet ‘please?’, and he’s a sucker. A sucker who smears green gel soap over his face, scrubbing extra hard at his cheeks like it’ll wash away the pink stains there.
“Okay, gentle,” You chide him, pulling at his elbows, “Max, don’t scrub this hard. You want to lather it in but you don’t want to damage your skin in the process.”
“Unbelievable,” Billy blubbers, bubbles encroaching on the gap of his lips, “I’m being your life sized beauty doll and you’re telling me I’m doing everything wrong.”
This time, you don’t hold back the unamused glare that you and Max share.
“No, Billy.” You placate him, smoothing a hand down his back while he rinses his face, biting back a smirk as Max lets one fall over her face, “We’re not telling you you’re doing everything wrong. I just want you to be nicer to your skin.”
“There,” Billy drawls, smoothing over his bubble-free face with a damp washcloth and staring down his nose at you, a few unfortunately drowned strands of hair sticking to his cheeks, “That it?”
“Uh,” You falter, eyeing the kit you brought, “Not quite. Just a few more steps.”
His face falls, “A few? I washed my face with soap, it’s clean. What more do I need?”
“Well, when you wash your hair with shampoo but you don’t condition it, it gets really dry, right?”
“Yeah,” Billy nods cautiously, eyes narrow, “So?”
“So your skin’s the same way,” You reach for a foil-lined packet in the case, hot pink silhouettes of Barbie littering its surface, “And you need to moisturize it.”
When you draw the package from the confines of the box, BIlly’s eyes go empty. It’s like he’s trying to fathom how he’s gotten there, how he’s in a bathroom with a freshly-washed face surrounded by people who want to stick Barbie all over his cheeks.
“It’s just a face mask,” You try calming him before he can even get started, “It helps moisturize your skin so that it’s not so dry after washing. It’s just a little sheet that you lay over your face, you’ve seen me wear them before.”
“Yeah, and you walk around looking like you fell asleep next to a toddler with a marker.”
“If you’re going to be antagonistic, you can leave,” You finally snap, brows lowering in a condemning glare, “This is supposed to be me pampering your sister because she’s struggling with being a teenager, I will not let you ruin this for her with your shitty attitude.”
Billy’s own brows, impeccably groomed and slit on one side, nearly reach his hairline, one now obscured by a damp curl that hangs down over his forehead.
“Okay, okay.” His gruff voice concedes, the wind successfully taken from his sails, “Barbie me, baby.”
The sheet mask leaves a thick, gelatinous layer of product on your fingers as you unfold it, and the chill of it nearly sends a shiver up your spine. Billy shrinks away from you as you hold it up towards his face, but true to his word he lets you stick it to his skin and smooth away the wrinkles.
The sheet mask intrudes on the seam of his lips so he can’t complain- at least not until you readjust it. You consider not doing so at all, and ensuring that you won’t be hearing any bitching and moaning out of him, but you take pity on him and tuck the mask into place around his mouth.
His stunted groans turn into a panted protest, “This shit feels disgusting.”
“Beauty is pain,” You recite, “Or in this case, mild discomfort for ten to fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes?”
“Fifteen minutes.” You tilt your head downwards, glaring through your eyelashes at him, “Got a problem with that, Barbie?”
“No.” Billy grumbles, “No problems.”
Max snickers, and now Billy has a problem.
“You don’t need to use one of these every day,” You peer at Max, “The more you do it the more you’ll understand your skin. If you need to do one every day, that’s one thing. But most people usually only use them once a week, or a few times a month. And that’s if you have them on hand. If your allowance runs out,” You watch Billy try and fail to itch a patch on his cheek by jabbing his nail into the gooey mask, “You can go without them. It’s an extra moisturizing step, but it’s not essential.”
“Then why the hell is it on my face?” Billy drawls, his voice grating and rough, “I thought you said it was just gonna be a few steps, not the whole tour.”
“This is the only extra step I’m adding,” You turn towards Max to roll your eyes, exaggerating the movement so that she snickers into the palm of her hand, “Just sit down and relax for fifteen minutes! Better yet-” You point towards the open doorway, “Go lay down. Take a little nap,” You suggest, “I can use the time to go over the rest of the process with Max.”
“Don’t get slime on your pillow,” Max grins wickedly at her step-brother, and you honestly think he might have complied were it not for the sibling rivalry. Instead, he plants his ass firmly on the lid of the toilet, resting his ankle on his opposite knee and subsequently kicking Max with the toe of his socked foot.
“Ew!” She jerks away, her back hitting the shower door and rattling it in place, “Y/N, he kicked me with his gross socks.”
“Billy,” You scold, reaching out to tug at a curl that hangs over his shoulder, “Be nice.”
He glares mutinously at you from the eye holes of the pink face mask, but it’s not as lethal as it would be if you weren’t his girlfriend. Although, you suppose, he wouldn’t have put the face mask on if you weren’t his girlfriend, so you drop your hand to his shoulder and rub comfortingly between the blades.
He grunts in response to the impromptu massage, apparently helpless to the comfort despite the mortifying situation he finds himself in. You keep your fingers working diligently against his clenched muscles until he loosens them, “It’ll dry out a bit in the air, but the serum is gonna soak in. After the timer is up, we’ll peel it off, and he’ll rub the rest of it into his skin. Then, toner,” You hold up the bottle, “And moisturizer. Eventually,” You sift through the rest of the bottles in your case, “You may need specific products like undereye serum, or additional creams that do one thing over another. But for right now, I think three steps will be perfect for you. And I’ll leave you with some of these,” You gesture to the numerous packs of face masks you’ve acquired over years of convenience store runs, “So that you don’t have to buy more for a while.”
“Thanks,” Max breathes, her expression breaking into a grin that bunches her cheeks up. It’s genuine, which is something you don’t always see from the oft-sarcastic girl, but it suits her beautifully, and you use your free hand to tug affectionately at one of her braids.
Fifteen minutes eventually passes, but you damn near have to restrain Billy for the amount of times he tries peeling it off before his timer is up. Once the kitchen clock buzzes on the counter his hands fly to his face, but he’s not accounted for the way that the mask has partially dried against his skin, still sticky and gooey but much less dripping.
“Ew,” He twitches, the pads of his fingers now glistening, “Get it off of me.”
“Say please.” You gripe, and you can hear his teeth clacking together in his mouth.
“Please get this shit off of me.”
You acquiesce instead of further tormenting the man, peeling the sheet mask off of him with practiced ease. He grimaces at the way that it clings to his face, but blinks when it’s off of him, like he hadn’t been able to see properly beneath it despite the eye holes.
“Finally.” He grunts, and you bring your hands to his face, gently smoothing the remaining substance into his skin. His eyes, previously scrunched shut, fly open when your hands meet his face, and he locks his gorgeous blue eyes with yours as you rub your fingers over his cheeks.
You share unashamedly back, briefly lost in the moment. He’s got such pretty eyes, and they’re framed by lashes that might be better than your own, resentfully. It’s easy to find yourself suspended in time, and you stroke along the ridges of his cheekbones with a reverence that your thumbs easily sway with. The solution is long gone, but you continue kneading your hands over his face the way you’d eased the sore muscles of his perpetually-tensed shoulders.
You’re not sure how long you stand there, pinned between his knees where you’re standing at the toilet. He’s completely relaxed despite all of his earlier grumblings, limbs loose and resting in his lap. Your fingers rove easily, adoringly over his features, and you honestly forget there’s anyone else there besides the two of you until Max clears her throat, and you glance backwards over your shoulder to see her leaning against the wall, legs and arms crossed. She’s got a flat, unimpressed expression on her face, and you try stepping out from between Billy’s legs until you realize he’s trapped you there.
“Do I have to stare longingly at myself in the mirror when I do it?” Max asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Or- should I get Lucas in here to do it for me? Do we have to stand like that,” She glances at Billy’s large hands now slung around your waist, “Like we’re trying to fit two people into a dressing room at JC Penny?”
“Okay, okay.” You wrestle your way out of Billy’s hold, fighting against his hands that try desperately to drag you back between his legs, “I get it. Sorry. I got distracted.”
Max’s lip curls into a sneer, clearly disbelieving that her step-brother is anything to be distracted by, “Whatever. So you rub it in, then what?”
“Toner.” You secure a cotton pad, dabbing the liquid onto it with two fingers pressed tight against the back, “Don’t use it if you’ve just popped a pimple. Don’t pop any pimples anyways,” You level a stern glare at her, “But if you do, don’t put this on broken skin. It stings.”
Billy’s eyes darken, and he jerks his head away when you try smearing the pad against his face.
“It’s fine.” You assure him, “It won’t hurt. You don’t have any cuts on your face, right?”
“I don’t think so,” Billy doesn’t look reassured, “It won’t hurt?”
“Baby,” Max snickers, and you have to redirect Billy’s chin towards you when he shoots Max a glare over your shoulder.
“It won’t hurt.” You repeat, taking his face in your hands again to begin smoothing it over his skin. It picks up any excess moisture you’d left behind while staring dreamily into his eyes, but it picks up a layer of dirt that he hadn’t managed to scrub away with the soap, and you show off the stained pad with pride.
“See? That’s why you need toner. It gets rid of everything, and it leaves your skin ready for the moisturizer.”
Max wrinkles her nose again at the sight of the dirtied cotton pad, but Billy doesn’t seem perturbed. He watches carelessly as you toss it into the bin, and pick up your bottle of moisturizer. You pump the nozzle once, twice, thrice until there’s a sizeable amount on your palm, showing Max the size of the portion.
“No more than this,” You tell her, “You’ll go through it too fast and it won’t absorb properly.”
She watches dutifully as you spread the moisturizer over your hands, then rub it into Billy’s face. It’s excessive, because the face mask has already soaked into his skin, but he’ll simply be extra moisturized tonight, and you’re looking forward to cupping his face under cover of darkness in his bedroom tonight. You can be the softest and sweetest when there’s no one else around, and even though Max was understandably uncomfortable witnessing it, you long to continue worshipping your boy.
“There.” You step back, admiring your handiwork, “That’s it. We’re done.”
“Finally,” Billy grumbles, but you know from his recent lack of fidgeting that he’s not as put out by the whole thing as he tries appearing. He stands, looming an impressive distance over you and Max. It’s awkward to edge between the two of you in the small space, but he manages to do so without knocking you over, though he does bump into Max harder than he needs to. He pairs it with a lazy, grating, “Now that you know what you’re doing, I’m gonna go ahead and take back my girlfriend. Enjoy your slime,” Billy grabs your hand, tugging you across the tiled floor so forcefully that your socks slide against it, “Don’t get it in your mouth because I’m not calling poison control.”
“I will!” You yelp, as Billy drags you down the hallway to his room, “But- just don’t eat it anyways!”
When Billy’s door shuts with a whoosh of air you whirl on him, almost getting lost in admiring the way that his skin glistens, “You’re mean to her.”
“She’s my sister,” He looks affronted, “I’m supposed to be.”
“You could be nicer.” You insist, your own face hardened into a frown, “She just wanted girl time.”
“I wanted girlfriend time,” He shrugs, “You came to my house, you really thought I wasn’t gonna steal you?”
“It’s good for her to have girl friends,” You hum, still lost in thoughts of Max who’s insanely deprived of a womanly figure in her life. Billy wastes no time getting you into his bed, his jeans stretching tight over his thighs as he pushes you down, then crawls over you. He flips you when you’re both laying down, settling your body weight over his so that you’re laying against his toned chest. You prop your chin up against his pec, peering down at him as he closes his eyes in bliss as your new napping arrangements, “Promise me you’ll let us have one-on-ones every once in a while?”
“Alright, I promise.” Billy grunts, his eyes still firmly shut, “But don’t act like you guys didn’t enjoy tormenting me in there.”
“Your face is so smooth,” You’re certain he can hear the grin in your voice, and you trace against the contours of his face again with your pointer finger. It’s slightly tacky from the excess moisturizer, but it’s smoother than it’s ever been, and you busy yourself with drawing lines down his nose and curves beneath his chin.
“Stop doing that,” He gripes after a few long moments of nothing but your finger against his skin, “I’m gonna fall asleep.”
“We were gonna nap anyways,” You reason, “Just let me admire my handiwork.”
A grunt is your only answer, and Billy’s lips don’t part again as he drops into a hazy, blissful sleep, though they do lazily pinch together to pucker against the pad of your pointer finger when you drag it against them.
reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! your feedback motivates me to write more, so thank you for your support :-)
honestly pour one out for tommy whoever the fuck from season one bc imagine putting in YEARS trying to set up a homoerotic tension situationship with king steve harrington and then spending the next several years watching an army of your classmates do what you could not. Billy’s one thing, but then eddie “super duper senior freak” munson pulls it off while on the run from murder charges???? then jonathan byers strolls his unkempt high ass back into town and somehow bags the prettiest boy in hawkins history? oh my god they’d have to put me on suicide watch
hi!! could i request a steve x reader, s1/s2. basically reader is like a girl version of steve, hanging out with tommy and carol as their group, very diva, yk. steve and reader have been bestfriends since forever but once he starts dating nancy they drift, and when billy comes in town they drift even more cause billy and reader date but he is toxic to reader & steve notices & confrontation happens at the byers house scene (s2 ep8?). sorry choppy explanation but thats it!! tysm!!
SOMEBODY ELSE
pairing. steve harrington x popular!reader
summary. what once was an unmovable friendship fizzles when you and steve get into relationships. but fate (or max mayfield) brings you two back together
warnings. reader is a little bit of a diva; breakups; billy hargrove being a MAJOR asshole to literally everyone; mention & descriptions of physical & emotional abuse (from billy); friends to enemies to lovers; set in season 2; NO nancy hate; canon levels of injuries/mention of blood.
word count. 4.7k | masterlist
There had once been a time when Steve Harrington wouldn't be spotted in town or in school without you close behind. Your names were once almost said at one, always following the other. Everything from your parking spots to your lockers had been beside each other.
Sometimes, it was hard to know where you stopped and Steve began. Like the universe had created you two by splitting apart a single star, you two had once seemed bound by forces beyond your own understanding.
You never thought that would change, but high school had a way of changing a lot of things. And while you and Steve began at Hawkins High already in high social standing, like you ruled the halls you hardly knew, something in the universe shifted near the end of your sophomore year.
Like a beautiful shooting star, Nancy Wheeler caught Steve's attention one day after school. The girl had been waiting to speak with Steve and your seventh-period teacher, lingering outside the door in her long skirt, bony elbows, and drowning in the textbooks she carried. And as Steve rushed out the door, eager to leave for the day, he crashed into her, spilling her books across the hall.
You stepped out into the hall a couple of students after him when the shift started. As Steve handed the books he had picked up off the ground back to a starry-eyed Nancy, he was already gone.
It wasn't until junior year that he actually asked her out. You rolled your eyes at his laments, complaining like some love-sick loser during lunch and when he drove you home. You thought you were just tired of listening to him drone on and on, so you told him to get over himself and ask her out. You thought that when he did, that weird feeling in your chest would go away. But it only grew worse.
You didn't mean to be mean. You really had nothing against Nancy Wheeler; how could you? She always smiled at you in the halls and complimented your outfits when she sat at the lunch table beside Steve. She was kind and quiet. You wanted her to be two-faced, say something mean to you about how she hated how close you and Steve were, or at least once were. You wanted her to give you a reason that validated the ache in your chest when you saw her laughing at some stupid joke Steve made, or when he bumped her knee under the table to make her blush.
But Nancy couldn't even do that.
She and Steve turned from a quiet whisper in the hall to a scream, a couple who held hands and kissed in the parking lot after school.
Places that had once been yours, the passenger seat of Steve's car and the right side of his bed, became hers.
And while Steve hardly noticed, a wedge was driven in between you two. Slowly at first, your after-school hangouts lessened in numbers, and weekends were divided into two.
Tommy H., of all people, noticed. He stood by your locker after school one day, a small smirk on his lips as he watched Steve head toward the parking lot to eat outside with Nancy instead of inside with you.
"I can't believe you let prissy Nancy Wheeler replace you," he said.
You closed your locker harder than necessary and shot him a glare. "No one replaced me," you snapped. "She's his girlfriend, not his friend."
Tommy H. laughed. "Right, and you two are still friends. He hasn't totally ditched you every weekend, right?"
Something hot split open inside your chest. You ignored the scratchy feeling in the back of your throat. "Fuck off."
"Someone sounds upset." You started to walk away, but Tommy H. had a way of pressing buttons.
"I'm not upset. I don't care what Steve does."
To make matters worse, Steve did try, but too long after you were stuck in a hole of annoyance at his flakiness and after you had the demoralizing realization that you were jealous, of all things.
You didn't get jealous. At least, you never had, because there had never been a time in which you weren't Steve's obvious first choice for everything. You two were connected at the hip; it had only made sense for you to be each other's go-to person. You didn't know anything else until it slapped you in the face.
The only person you told was Carol, and her advice was the art of distraction. It would be hard to focus on Steve and Nancy if your mind was occupied with your own relationship.
The universe decided to do you a solid, or so you thought. The next day, it sent Hawkins into a tizzy in the form of a California license plate.
What started as a game of cat and mouse between you and Billy Hargrove ended in not exactly a declaration of affection or even a proper asking out. No, Billy wasn't like that. He wasn't the kind who brought you flowers and asked you on dates to Enzos. Billy was the kind of boy who told you that you'd be attending Tina's Halloween Party together.
You were smug about it, in a costume you had to change into after leaving your house because your mother would probably kill you. Billy kept his hand on your lower back all night and kept your cup full of alcohol.
Through your buzz, you spotted Steve and Nancy arguing in the kitchen. You smirked, leaning into Billy's side as he was trying to be convinced to do a keg stand by Tommy H. There was something satisfying about seeing Steve and Nancy not be so perfect. But that was a fleeting feeling as you watched them disappear down the hall. Nancy had punch stains on her white sweater and what looked like tears in her eyes, and Steve looked...different.
Billy grabbed your wrist, not your hand, and tugged you through the crowd toward the front door so he could finish getting wasted with his friends in the driveway.
You stood on the sideline, sobering up with an empty cup in your hand.
The front door opened, and you recognized the person rushing out of the house. Maybe it was the one-to-many cups of punch in your system, but you took off after them without a second thought.
"Steve?"
He paused halfway across Tina's front yard. In the dim moonlight, you saw the tears that tracked down his cheeks, and your chest tightened.
For a second, it looked like Steve was going to say something to you. His lips parted before his eyes flickered to something behind you, and he clamped his mouth shut.
Then, you heard Billy call your name with a sharpness that made you flinch.
"What the hell are you doing?" Billy slurred as he came up behind you, his fingers digging into your hip as he grabbed you.
"I was just-" you started to say, before he shot a dirty look at Steve and started to pull you back toward his friends and the keg. You didn't stop him, not sure you even could. But you threw a look over your shoulder back at Steve. His brows were furrowed before he shook his head and continued on his way to his car parked along the curb.
"For someone who doesn't care, it sure looked like you were going to check up on your little Stevie," Tommy H. said, drunk and smirking like an idiot.
His words caused Billy to drag you right past the group and around to the side of the garage. "Since when do you talk to Harrington?" he asked with a bite.
You pulled your wrist out of his grasp and rubbed the sore spot with your opposite hand's thumb.
"Since long before you showed up," you replied. "We are...were friends."
Billy laughed dryly before stepping closer to you. There was a different kind of tightness in your chest that made you step back, only to bump into the side of the garage, stuck between it and Billy.
"Friends. I'm sure you were."
You narrowed your gaze, feeling hot with the alcohol in your blood but cold with the Halloween breeze that swirled through the air. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He looked you up and down, eyes hungry. That had been your goal when you first picked out your outfit, but you felt too exposed all of a sudden, somewhere between insecure and uncomfortable.
"Doesn't seem like Harrington cares much for you anymore."
Maybe he didn't. Maybe he hadn't longer than you were willing to admit, but you hated hearing that out of Billy's mouth.
"You don't know anything," you spat, and attempted to shove him back so you could go back inside to where Carol and Tina were. But as soon as you tried to push him, he pressed his hands hard against your shoulders, forcing your back against the siding with a slight sting, like he wanted to pin you in place.
Your breathing quickened, and your confidence vanished, carried away by the breeze.
Billy leaned in close, his breath reeking of beer and tobacco, and smiled. "You're not gonna talk to Harrington again, are 'ya?"
You swallowed thickly and muttered out a quiet, "No."
And you didn't because he had been more than flaky the next whole day at school, popping in and out and mind clearly somewhere far away. Rumor had it that Nancy had skipped school with Jonathan Byers, which would explain the glum expression Steve wore the few times you spotted him.
After school, Billy boasted that his dad would be out for the evening with his new step-mom. He didn't so much as invite you over as he assumed you wanted to by his statement alone. When you were around him, you started to carry a tenseness in your shoulders. Your memories from Halloween were tainted with a bit of drunk haze, but the parts with Billy were sharp, untouched, like your brain wanted you to keep them in mind each time Billy kissed you feverishly and droned on about how much he despises Indiana.
You sat on Billy's bed, unfocused until he brought up Steve, again. "Did you hear Wheeler dumped Harrington for that Briers-"
"Byers," you corrected, picking on a loose thread of his blanket.
Billy rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just means he's off his game and I'll take his spot, easy, on the basketball team."
"I thought you didn't want to join the team?"
"I don't," he said. "But my dad is on my ass about doing something in this shithole town. And if I get to humiliate Harrington even more by taking his spot after being here less than a month, then I'll join."
You really didn't understand the egos of boys, or why Billy picked Steve of all people at Hawkins High to compete with. You didn't understand a lot of things about Billy Hargrove. Maybe that was for the best.
"Have you ever been on a basketball team before? I think the word team is key," you said, sarcasm lacing your tone, even though you knew it was probably a bad idea.
Billy narrowed his gaze from where he was standing at his closet. "What?"
You rolled your eyes. "You don't seem like a team player."
His lips curled into a smirk. "I'm not."
"Steve is."
Billy's smirk vanished. "So, what? You think he's better than me?"
"God," you muttered under your breath and stood up. "What does it matter?"
He crossed the small space between you two, your body somehow tensing up even more. "I asked Tommy about you two. He told me how you and King Steve were inseparable before he left you for that Wheeler bitch."
You felt your own anger rising to meet his. "Don't call her that," you said. "And Steve and I were never together! We were friends. And now we're not. End of story. So whatever ego-stroking contest you've got going on with him, leave me out of it. I don't date losers more obsessed with themselves and another dude than m-"
You didn't get to finish your sentence before a seething Billy struck you across the face. The slap was sharp and sudden, knocking the wind out of you for a moment.
There was a stretch of silence before you bee-lined for the door, tears welling up in your eyes as you stumbled down the hall. Before you reached the end, someone else stepped around the corner. Your teary eyes widened in surprised a young girl looked at you with a similar expression. Her gaze was quick to dart between you, where your hand cupped your cheek, and Billy's open bedroom door.
She nodded her head toward the door and turned around, like she was leading the way out of the house. No words were said, but she opened the front door and locked it after you stepped through it, maybe to slow Billy down, you thought as you hurried down the quiet backroads of Cheery Street, clutching your stinging cheek and trying to wrap your head around what the hell you were doing.
You knew better, you really did. But when Billy called you to cancel your date that you had no intention of attending, wanting to just deal with whatever repercussions that meant when Monday rolled around, he mentioned his little step-sister, Max, and how she was missing, and his step-mom was freaking out.
The first thing your mind jumped to was Will Byers, when he vanished in Hawkins almost a year to the date, and a weird feeling replaced the anxiety of facing Billy again after he slapped you. He had said he was sorry over the phone, that he didn't mean it. And what if something bad happened to his step-sister? What if she had disappeared like Will had? Sure, he had come back, but you couldn't deny the oddness around it. The few times you saw him, he looked like a ghost wandering through town, and you started to question if he had ever been found at all.
It was so stupid. Why did you care about some kid who was probably hiding at the arcade from her temperamental household? You didn't, not really. But there was something about the look on the kid's face when she saw you and how you were holding your face, like she knew exactly what had happened. If Billy had the gall to strike you across the face, what would he do to someone like his step-sister, whom he seemed to loathe, alongside her mother?
Against every bone in your body and your better judgment, you offered to help him look for her.
You didn't think that would lead you to the Byers house of all places.
"I really doubt she's here," you said. There weren't any cars in the driveway or a slew of bikes that would give away the group of kids that Mrs. Wheeler said Max could be hanging out with.
Billy ignored you and turned off the engine of his car. You let out a breath and were about to open the passenger side door to follow him, but your actions were halted by someone stepping out of the house. You squinted your eyes to help your vision, and regretted it.
Standing there was Steve, his hands on his hips as he eyed Billy.
"Steve Harrington," Billy said, his voice loud as he plucked his cigarette from his lips and put it out under the toe of his boot.
"Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants."
You forced yourself out of the car, drawing Steve's attention. He furrowed his brows as he said your name.
Billy started asking Steve about Max, and Steve shrugged him off, telling him that no one else was there. But Billy's gaze flickered to the window that overlooked the porch, where four heads poked up from the back of the couch, watching the exchange.
"Then who's that?" asked Billy, pointing to the kids before they ducked down like maybe he hadn't seen them.
Steve let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. "Listen-"
He only got that out before Billy shoved him to the ground, hard, and took off toward the house. You cursed under your breath and rushed to Steve instead of following Billy inside, extending a hand to help him up.
Steve hesitated before he took it, groaning as you helped him back to his feet. "This fucking guy..."
You just nodded. "Come on."
The two of you hurried inside, only to find Billy towering over a kid two times smaller than he was, Lucas Sinclair. Max was yelling at her step-brother, but Billy wasn't listening.
"You're so dead," Billy said through gritted teeth. Steve stopped him before he could hurt Lucas, throwing the two boys into a full-on brawl inside the house that was already in complete disarray, but you had no idea where even begin to understand why.
You side-stepped the fight and looked between the wide-eyed kids. They looked at you, confused too, before they refocused on the fight.
You didn't know what to do, how to help. It looked like Steve would win, which was the only outcome that seemed like it wouldn't bring too much damage, aside from Billy's ego.
But then Billy snagged a plate from the kitchen counter that he leaned against to catch his breath. The plate was smashed against Steve's head, shattering upon impact and sending Steve stumbling away from Billy, clutching his head as the kids all erupted in screams.
Billy followed Steve closely, and when he was in range, he hit him hard again to send him to the ground. Steve lied there, hardly conscious, but that didn't stop Billy from straddling him and landing punch after punch to his face. There was so much blood it made you nauseous.
You frantically looked around the room before spotting a fire poker beside the fireplace. You raced to it, holding the end with the sharp part as your handle, and planned to use the heavier handle of it as your weapon; you didn't want to kill Billy, but you needed him to stop before he killed Steve.
From behind Billy, you raised the weapon and struck him hard in the back of the head. He threw a look over his shoulder, one of his hands flying up to meet the back of his head where you had hit. He looked like he was about to get up, but you hit him again in panic, knocking him out cold.
The Byers house fell into silence, nothing but your heavy breathing. Slowly, you turned around to meet the gazes of the gaggle of kids.
"You just knocked him the fuck out!" said the curly-haired kid, who was unmistakably a Henderson.
Max nodded slowly and took a couple of tentative steps toward you. "Thanks," she breathed out.
You tried to offer her a smile, but it came out more like a grimace before you let the poker fall to the floor.
Later that night, you found yourself at the Harrington's house. The kids had insisted that they needed to leave, dragging a groggy and beaten Steve with them for something that they couldn't discuss with you. And while you should have asked more questions, and have been way more concerned when you watched Billy's car keys get stolen by his step-sister before she offered to drive, you were stuck in a daze that probably wouldn't have made you much better at driving them wherever the hell they just had to go at that hour.
All you could do was ensure that Billy wasn't dead before you left and started to walk home. But the further you walked in the darkness of Hawkins, the more your mind was filled with the image of Steve on the ground and his blood on Billy's knuckles. Before you fully knew what you were doing, you found yourself at Steve's house. You sat down on his front stoop and buried your head in your hands for god only knew how long, before a car pulled up to the curb and Steve started stumbling up the driveway.
"Steve?" you called out, startling him.
"What are you doing here?" As he got closer, the worse his face looked. Fresh bruises blood across his cheeks and nose, and there was a nasty split in his lip and across his forehead.
"I...I don't really know," you admitted, hugging yourself tighter. "I wanted to see if you were okay."
He let out a sigh and dug his keys out of his pockets before beckoning you toward the front door.
You were sure it had been the longest stretch of your entire life of not being in Steve's home. You had once practically lived at the place. You once had a drawer in his bedroom and a mug in his cupboard. Did you still?
You managed to get Steve into the bathroom before you grabbed the first aid kit, like it was muscle memory from the times you had scraped your knees playing in his backyard, or when Steve once slipped running around the pool and busted his chin.
He sat on the edge of the tub, silent for several moments, which caused your nerves to gnaw down on you even harder.
"Dustin and Lucas tried their best to patch me up," he said as you approached him with a wet washcloth to clean up the remaining dried blood.
"The pink band aids are a nice touch." He smiled slightly before his lips settled back into a frown.
"I'm sorry," he said after a minute.
You froze, hand hovering over the cut on his forehead. "What?"
He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. For everything. I was scared of scaring Nancy off when I first started talking to her, that I thought...I thought if there was a little bit of distance between us, she wouldn't think there was anything going on between us. But I let it go too far. I didn't even realize you were so far out of reach until it was too late. And when I tried to get things to go back to normal, shit happened. A lot of shit. Shit that I can't talk about, which I know probably doesn't help anything. But I need you to know that I'm an idiot."
You dropped your hands back at your sides and retreated to the sink, a small smile playing on your lips. "I already knew that."
"Do you hate me?"
You shook your head almost too quickly as you rinsed the bloody washcloth off under hot water, watching the pink water swirling down the drain.
"I never hated you, Steve."
He let out a breath. "You should have. We were friends, and I threw that away for the chance to date somebody. We aren't supposed to do that shit."
"I'm the one who told you to go after Nancy," you reminded him, leaning against the sink to keep the space between you.
He shrugged. "Still, you didn't tell me to be a shitty friend to you in the process."
"You weren't the only shitty friend."
"I don't think that was your fault," Steve said. "I think it was Hargrove's."
You let out a heavy sigh and shifted to brace your hands against either side of the sink. Tears pricked your eyes, but you closed them in a lame attempt to stop them.
"No, it was mine. I only went after Billy because...because I thought it would take my mind off you and Nancy. And it did, kind of. Until..." you trailed off, feeling the ghost of tension in your shoulders and the sharp sting on your cheek. "Until I realized he was an asshole to everyone, especially me."
Steve furrowed his brows. "What'd you mean? He was mean to you?"
You almost laughed. Mean. It sounded so juvenile, like he pulled your ponytail at recess or something. You used the rinsed washcloth to wipe the makeup you had used to cover the bruise he had left on your cheek.
Steve nearly fell into the tub with how quickly he stood up. "Billy did that?" he said before he tried to close the short distance between you two. And while you knew it was Steve, not Billy, your body reacted with a flinch as he neared, stopping him dead in his tracks. "Sorry," he rushed out. "I'm sorry, I just...what is wrong with him?"
You relaxed your shoulders and took a step toward Steve. "A lot of things, I think."
Slowly, all too carefully, Steve lifted his hand and cupped the side of your face that had the bruise. His brows were knitted together in concern and concentration, like if he thought hard enough, he could will it away.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there," he said softly.
"I'm sorry I didn't stop you from pulling away; could have saved us both a lot of grief, huh?"
"You have no idea," he sighed, dropping his hand. "Nancy broke up with me." Your eyes widened in surprise, earning a nod from Steve. "Too much had happened. It wasn't...it wasn't going to work. I just didn't want to admit it. She found someone better for her, Byers."
"Byers?" you repeated. "Wow."
"And the worst part of this whole thing? Nancy was never jealous of you. She liked you! I was the idiot you thought it was better to put distance between us," said Steve. "She actually, um, told me I should talk to you, after she called it quits."
You swallowed thickly. "She did?"
Steve nodded. "Something about asking you why you went out with Billy? I don't remember exactly, my head is still a little fuzzy from the whole being knocked out thing," he said. "But you just said it was to take your mind off Nance and I-"
"It's because I was the jealous one, Steve," you blurted out before you could stop yourself.
"You were jealous that I was spending time with her." That much he understood, but it was bigger than that. You were fine sharing a friend.
"I was jealous that you were dating her," you said, earning an even more confused expression from Steve. "And not me."
His body stilled, like every muscle had been pulled tightly, and if he moved, he'd snap like a rubber band.
"You...you wanted to date me?"
You chuckled, but your eyes stung too. "It surprised me too," you joked. "I thought dating Billy would make me stop thinking about that, about you, but it just made it worse, I think. Because you're not like him."
A serious look overtook Steve's face, one you almost never saw him wear. "He doesn't deserve to date someone like you."
You weren't sure that was true. You weren't the best person; you got jealous and could be mean when you wanted. You had shitty friends who did even shitty things while you stood by and let it happen. Maybe Billy was what you deserved.
"I don't know about that," you said with a sigh. But Steve seemed to know.
"I do," he rushed out, bringing his hand up to yours, holding it like it was important to him. "I know. And he doesn't." His voice lowered into a whisper, and he stood close enough that you could see every mark Billy left behind in sad clarity.
"Then who does?" you asked, lost yourself.
Steve shrugged once more, his face inching closer to yours until his nose brushed against yours. "No one, probably," he whispered. "But maybe I can try?" He punctuated his sentence by ghosting his lips against yours, asking if it was okay. You answered him by pressing your lips to his, deepening it as his hands snaked around your waist, engulfing you in a warmth you had missed so much.