Thank you so much for your patience @nemesis729! I'm so sorry this took so long. I hope you like it!
Rating T for swearing.
There’s a knock on the door.
When it doesn’t stop, she puts down the book she’s reading and goes to get it. Of course, no one else is home. They never are.
It isn’t a surprise to see Steve Harrington there, holding her cat in his arms. “What was it this time?” she asks with a resignation that she can’t hide.
“Got into my mom's perfume.”
“Oh shit,” she winces. “I’m so sorry. I’ll pay damages.” It was the least she could do considering the menace kept escaping and breaking into Harrington’s house.
“It’s fine,” he waves it off. “Not like she was using it. She takes her favourites with her when she follows my dad.”
“Ok,” she says, unsure about how to respond to that information. “Still, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry,” he says, giving her a smile. “It’s fine. He’s…part of the family now,” he gives a small laugh before he runs his hand through his hair, pushing it back. “I just mean, I’m used to him. He’s welcome over whenever he wants.”
“Even when he breaks stuff?”
“Yeah,” Steve grins. “Keeps things interesting. Besides, it’s nice to have company. Place is kind of big...” he trails off and she sees him wince. He must not have wanted to reveal that. She thinks back on Steve and who he hangs out with. He doesn’t have parties anymore. She never sees him with the crowd he used to hang out with.
“You want to come in?” she offers without thinking. “I was just reading but if you’re not doing anything…”
“Uh, sure.”
She steps back to let him in. Steve walks in, looking around in curiosity. They’re not friends, haven’t really talked outside of the interactions of dragging her cat back home, and this is the first time she’s ever actually invited him in. “You want a drink?”
“Yeah. What do you have?”
“Uh…” she’s not exactly sure. She drops the cat gently on his favourite perch once she closes the door and heads for the kitchen. “Water? Coke?” She opens the fridge and peers into it. “I think I see some apple juice in the back but I don’t know how old it is.”
“Coke, thanks.”
“Sure.” You grab a bottle out of the fridge and hand it over. Once he takes it, you head back to the living room. The menace is sprawled on the back of the couch, looking far more innocent than she knows he is.
Steve sits in the armchair by the couch and awkwardly sips at the coke. “Nice place.”
“Thanks,” she sits down on the couch.
“Where’s your…” he cuts himself off but she knows what he’s going to ask.
“They’re not really around much,” she shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t really ask.”
“Oh, yeah. Me either.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You uh…ever get lonely?”
She snorts, and Steve’s eyes widen as he realizes what he said.
“Not like that! I just meant…”
“Normally?” she asks, giving him a bit of a break. It was the least she could do, especially since the menace kept breaking into his house. “Sometimes. I mean…there’s school but it’s not really the same. I guess I’m just used to it.”
“Me too,” he admits. Silence sits heavily between them. It was strange to realize how much she seemed to have in common with him. At least when it came to their home lives. They just reacted differently.
“You know, I never asked…what’s your cat's name?”
“Oh, cookie.”
He chokes slightly on his drink and she can’t help but grin. “Cookie?” he asks when he finally has his breath back.
“Yup. I named him when I was like 5? Apparently, I thought he was cute enough to eat.”
“I think he’d rather eat you.” Steve pauses, realizing what he just said. He groans and drops his head into the palm of one hand. She laughs hysterically because Steve Harringont had always seemed so put together and here he was, making unintentional innuendos and apparently embarrassing himself in her living room.
“Can we forget I said that?” he asks.
“Absolutely not. I’m going to start keeping score.”
He rolls his eyes. “Great. Remind me not to introduce you to Robin.”
She just laughs.
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