All the Olives in the World. . .
Stancy x GNReader, Stancy x henderson!reader
You didn't really think anything of Steve Harrington until after he became a part of your life. You didn't hate him like some people who see someone so attractive do. You could see the appeal, but he hadn't been your type. No, your type has always been Nancy Wheeler. You and Barb had always talked about it at great lengths, but when she died, you had no one else to talk about it with. Not even Nancy, who had inadvertently pushed you away in favor of Steve. You could have easily hated him, but for whatever reason, you didn't. Instead, you found a friend in Robin Buckley. It changed again when you saw Steve protect Lucas and your brother from Billy Hargrove. It had shaken something inside of your head. Fast forward, and it had all changed again.
"Hey! Watch it!" You cursed as Dustin pushed past you into Family Video. "Butthead."
Nancy was leaning against the counter, obviously flirting with Steve. You smiled. It was good to see them together again, for you in particular. You should be jealous, right? No, instead, there was only longing for the both of them now. You just had to go and make things even more complicated.
"Dude! What did I say about running in here?" Steve asked.
"Okay, I just wanted to ask you one last time if you wanted to join Hellfire?" Dustin asked.
"Look, I told you I like watching you guys, but I don't think I'd be very helpful," Steve said.
"I think you'd be good at it," Nancy said.
"Yeah?" Steve asked.
"Yeah."
"I'll think about it," Steve said.
You snorted as Dustin threw up his hands, looking at them in disbelief. Steve and Nancy really had no right to be so cute.
"Robin in the break room?" You asked.
"Yeah," Steve said.
You had just opened the break room door when Steve called out your name. You whirled around so fast that you ended up running into the very door you had just opened.
"Oh my God! Are you okay?" Nancy asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," you groaned, clutching your forehead.
"You're bleeding!" Steve exclaimed.
"It's just a scratch, Steve," you said. "What's up?"
"Well, I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out this evening," Steve said.
"I probably would have said yes, but now I think I might have a headache later," you said. "Thanks."
You turned around, ready to enter the break room when your brother spoke up.
"You ever notice how they're always clumsy around the both of you?" Dustin said.
You groaned and walked into the room to find Robin listening to her Walkman with a book in her hand as she ate her lunch. She put down her book at the sight of you and pushed her headphones down around her neck.
"Jesus, what the hell happened to you?" Robin asked. "You look like shit."
"Thanks, Robin, you look pretty today, too," you said sarcastically.
Robin rolled her eyes and pulled out the first aid kit.
"Seriously, what happened?" Robin asked asked as she began tending to your wounds.
"I have a problem," you groaned.
"Like a code red situation?" Robin asked. "Because we just got closed the gates to hell, I am not up for anything else. I simply refuse. I am done! Finite!"
"No, it's nothing like that," you sigh. "You ever have a crush on two people at the same time?"
"Can't say that I have," Robin said. "Oh! This is a romantic situation! Oh, finally! I could never figure out what your deal is. I wasn't even sure if you were interested in all of that, which would have been totally fine with me if you weren't, you know, and I - "
"Robin, platonic love of my life, I get it," you laughed. "You support me no matter what."
Robin plopped down in the seat next to you after she got done bandaging your forehead.
"So, what's up?" Robin asked. "Who are these people you are so smitten with?"
"Okay, promise not to judge me?" you asked.
"Cross my hearts and hope to regenerate," Robin said.
"I keep telling you that you and Steve are not timelords, Robin," you said in amusement.
"You're just jealous of our regenerative abilities," Robin replied.
"Whatever," you said, letting out a breathy laugh. "Okay. . .it's Steve and Nancy."
"Steve and Nancy?!" Robin squeaked in surprised.
"Yeah, I just - I like them so much! At first, it was just Nancy, you know, and then Steve came a long. Suddenly, all the songs made sense. I mean, they're stubborn as hell and brave. They're willing to do whatever it takes to save the people they love. They're both so smart in their own ways, and it's just amazing how different but the same they are. I love that they fell in love again, and I know it's weird, but I want to be a part of that too," you rambled.
"You really are spending too much time with me," she said in amusement. "It really makes sense now, though. You have become terribly unbalanced around them."
"I know," you groaned. "I just want them to hold me and kiss me but also do other stuff to me. I just know that if I'm in their arms, I'd feel incredibly safe."
"Wow, holy shit, you're in love with them," Robin said.
"Crazy, right?" You asked.
"Yeah, but I find that the best things in life usually are," Robin said. "You going to tell them?"
"I don't know. . .I don't want to ruin our friendship," you said.
"Well, at this point, you're going to ruin your friendship by being so klutzy that you trip, break your neck, and die," she said.
"Jeeze, Robin, don't sugarcoat it," you snapped.
"You know that I'm right. Look, they're not going to judge you for it," Robin said. "If anything, they'd probably be flattered. There is nothing wrong with telling someone you love them."
"I can't do it," you shook your head. "I won't. After everything we've been through, I'm not going to do anything to risk ruining what we've got. It took us all a while for three of us just to be friends."
Robin stared at you, frustrated. You shrugged and looked away.
"Aren't you the one who convinced me that it was worth it to risk telling Vickie how I feel?" Robin asked. "And didn't it work out?"
"That's different," you mumbled.
"Fucking how?" Robin asked. "Because it's a couple you're in love with?"
"How do you even go about hitting on a couple?" You asked thoughtfully, and then you shook your head. "It doesn't matter. I like how it is now."
You made quick work of stealing Robin's Walkman and putting the headphones over your ears. You groaned when you heard Africa by Toto begin to play. It was Steve and Nancy's unofficial song. Along with Fire and Rain. You listened to it, though, with your arms crossed. Meanwhile, Robin was eating angrily in your direction. Every chomp was over exaggerated, with a glare on Robin's face as she chewed in frustration and confusion as though she were trying to figure out a complicated puzzle. Finally, she finished her lunch and stared at the table with a sigh. She pushed the headphones off of your ears.
"Okay, I won't push you," she said softly. "If you're not ready, then you're not ready."
"Thank you," you said gratefully.
"But you should get used to being around them without tripping over your feet," Robin said. "I'm hanging out with them this afternoon. Steve’s cooking, and he wants it to be a nice evening where we put on our nicest clothes. Unfortunately, Argyle and Jonathan couldn't make it. Vickie has to work. So, it's just going to be the four of us. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Yeah," you mutter.
That was how you ended up cursing Robin out later. Nosy bitch, you had thought affectionately. Here you were, in your nicest clothes that were the perfect mixture of your favorite material and your favorite colors. They fit quite nicely. You paused on Steve’s doorstep for a moment before taking a breath and knocking. Steve opened the door, looking good in his nicest blue sweater and tightest pair of pants. Did it suddenly get hot in here?
"Hey, you look nice," Steve said.
"Thanks, so do you," you said.
"Come in," Steve said stepping aside to let you in. "Oh, you should probably know something."
"What?" You asked as brushed by him.
"Uh, Robin can't make it. She forgot she had plans with Vickie," Steve shrugged as he closed the door.
You froze, looking at him. What? Didn't Robin say that Vickie was working? You stared at the closed door. There was no escape. You cursed Robin in your head. You were going to get her back for this.
"I, uh, I guess it's just the three of us," You said.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said, grinning. "Don't worry. Nancy and I will try not to make you feel like a third wheel. We can keep our hands to ourselves."
Please don't, you thought. You were led into the kitchen where Nancy was setting the table. God, she looked beautiful in her purple dress. You always thought she looked good in purple.
"Hey, you look great," Nancy said.
"So, do you," you said.
"Thanks," she said with a grateful smile.
They all settled down to eat and talked politely with them before Nancy started talking about Emerson. She really loved it there, but at the same time, she missed everyone here, especially you and Steve. You tried not to choke on a piece of food when she said that. It didn't mean anything, did it?
"I just can't believe Robin bailed on us after making us dress up," Nancy said.
Hold up. . .this was her idea? You should have known.
"She told me Vickie was working," you scowled. "And that Steve wanted us to dress up."
"Okay, I feel like we're being set up for something," Steve said.
"More like I'm being set up for something," you sighed.
"What does that mean?" Nancy asked.
You sighed again and put your fork down. It felt like butterflies were eating you from the inside out.
"I have to tell you guys something, and you have to like promise not to hate me," you said. "Or think differently of me."
"We never would," Nancy said softly.
"I, uh, kind of been in love with you both for a long time now," you swallowed nervously. "And I wish I could be a part of your relationship. I know that's probably weird, and you can process it however you want. I just thought you should know."
The silence was awkward. It's too awkward. You had to do something. You went back to eating even though you were no longer hungry. Steve and Nancy went back to eating as well. The silence grew more uncomfortable as time went by. Finally, Nancy cleared her throat, and you looked up hopefully.
"We just never really thought about you like that," Nancy said, and it was like a blow to your heart. "Right?"
"Uh, yeah, right," Steve asked, looking at Nancy doubtfully.
"Uh. Right, of course not," you sighed. "I'm sorry. This was a mistake. I'm just going to go."
You pushed yourself out of your chair and hurried out the door. You could heart Steve and Nancy calling your name, but you didn't want them to see you cry. It was hard to face them after that. You ignored their calls, didn't bother going into Family Video, and whenever you saw them out in the wild, you managed to run away successfully. You knew it was childish and cowardly, but you also knew that you couldn't face them without dealing with the hurt. You just needed it to fade along with the feelings, and then you could face them.
"You're going to have seen them eventually," Robin said, as she prawled out on your bed.
"Evetually, but not today," you said, as you laid next to her.
It was several weeks later, and so far, you had managed to keep hanging out with Robin. Although, you knew that'd probably change now that Eddie and Chrissy had rolled back into town.
"Well, your brother keeps pestering me about why you don't want to see them," Robin said. "It's quite frankly annoying."
"It's your fault for sticking your nose where it didn't belong," you huffed.
"And it's your fault for not sucking it up and just talking to them," Robin said, and then she sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I thought for sure they would feel the same."
"It's not your fault," you said with a sigh. "You were just trying to help."
Silence fell over the both of you. Suddenly, a loud knocking came from the front door. You both jumped. You heard Dustin open the door.
"Steve! Nancy!" Dustin exclaimed exclaimed.
"Is your sibling home?" Nancy asked.
"Oh, yeah, definitely! Are you here to fix whatever this because it's driving me crazy!" Dustin yelled.
"Yeah, we are," Steve said.
"Oh no!" You whispered to Robin. "Stall them."
"Why? What are you going to do?" Robin asked.
"Leg it out the window," you whispered.
"What? That's crazy. Besides, you left your keys in the living room," Robin said.
"Shit. I'll take my bike," you said.
You quickly shoved your feet into your shoes and grabbed your backpack before climbing out the window. Oh, the things you would do to avoid embarrassment. You crawled underneath the other windows and sprinted towards the garage. You took down demogorgons, demobats, and pseudo Freddy Krueger, but you couldn't face getting your heart broken by Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler. It was painfully funny. You snuck around the side of the garage and entered through the side door. You carefully grabbed your bike and pushed it out the door. You put your backpack on and rode off, enjoying the wind wipping through your hair. Freedom.
You rode your bike to the diner that opened up a few blocks away, locking it up on the bike rack out front. You walked in and ordered your favorite milkshake before sliding into a booth with your back to the door. You focused solely on the milkshake, just trying to forget what a fucking coward you were. You knew that Dustin and Robin were going to give you hell for this. Knowing Nancy and Steve, they were still going to be at the house when you got back. Maybe you shouldn't return. Just as you were about to mentally scold yourself, you felt a tap on your shoulder. You looked up to find Eddie and Chrissy looking down at you.
"Hey, I thought that was you. You here by your lonesome or are you waiting for someone?" Chrissy asked.
"I'm alone," you said somberly.
"It sounds someone's trying to drown their sorrows in a glass of milkshake," Eddie said.
"I am," you pouted.
You watched them as they slid into the sear across from you.
"And what are you running from?" Eddie asked, and you looked at him. "If anyone is an expert on running away, it's me."
"Heartbreak," you muttered.
"Heartbreak, huh?" He winced. "That sucks."
"Who broke your heart?" Chrissy asked.
"It's my own fault, really," you replied. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Oh! I know two people who walked right in who will cheer you right up!" Eddie exclaimed. "It's Steve and Nancy."
You quickly ducked down, heart racing your chest.
"Did they see me?" You ask.
"No," Chrissy said.
"Good," you said and dove completely under the table. "Fucking hide me."
"How?" Eddie asked.
"I don't know. . .put your jacket over me," you said.
"And explain the giant lump to them how?" He asked.
"I don't know. . .think of something," you said. "I can't let them see me. . .I did something embarrassing."
"Okay, as long as you promise to tell us what the hell you did," Eddie said.
"Promise!"
Just like that, Eddie's jacket was being pulled over you. You could hear Eddie finishing off your milkshake as Steve and Nancy slid into the booth. The bastard. You could hear them talk low and then mention your name.
"You haven't seen them, have you?" Steve asked.
"No, can't say that I have," Eddie said.
"We were hoping they had come here," Nancy sighed.
"By the way, what the hell is under here?" Steve asked.
"Oh, that's my overnight bag. I didn't want to leave it in the van," Eddie said. "I'm going to spend the night at Chrissy's."
"Oh, I'm sure her mom is going to love that," Steve said.
"Oh, yeah," Chrissy giggled.
"So, what are you looking for them for anyway?" Eddie asked.
"We sort of messed up," Nancy said. "They told us something important and we didn't handle it well."
"We're just trying to find them and apologize," Steve said.
"We've spent all this time trying to explain to them that we've never thought of what they told us in that way before," Nancy said.
"All we're doing now is thinking about what they said," Steve said.
"And we just can't get it out of our heads," she said. "It's like - I don't know what to compare it to."
"It's like olives. One day they're just olives to you, you don't want to eat them, but you don't have anything against them, either," Steve said.
"Then someone tells you that they like olives and that you should try them. . .suddenly, you want to but now you can't find the olives," Nancy said in excitement. "The olives are nowhere to be found!"
"Wow. . .," Eddie said, blinking at them. "I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about."
"We hurt their feelings, Eddie," Nancy said with a sigh.
"And we didn't mean to," Steve said.
You bit your lip, trying not to laugh. It was so utterly ridiculous. Were they saying what you thought they were saying? Okay, so you definitely couldn't hide anymore. You sighed and took off the jacket, tugging on Eddie's pants. You saw Eddie nudge Chrissy, and they moved out of the booth. You crawled out from under the table, looking sheepish.
"Hey," you said softly.
"You were under there the whole time?" Nancy asked.
"You're Eddie's bag?" Steve asked.
"Yes, I'm Eddie's bag," you snorted and turned to the other couple. "Thanks, guys, I've got it from here. And don't worry, Eddie, I'll tell you all about it later."
"I'm holding it to you, Henderson!" Eddie exclaimed.
Eddie and Chrissy moved to another table, leaving you alone with them. You looked at them, feeling guilty.
"I'm sorry for running away, I shouldn't have done that," you said, blushing.
"You were hurt, I totally get it," Nancy said.
"I'm sorry we didn't realize sooner how we felt about you," Steve said.
"You didn't know," you said. "And you guys really want me to be with you?"
"Yes," Nancy said.
"Why?" you asked, blinking rapidly at them.
"Because you're sweet and thoughtful. . .also very funny," Steve said. "Very cute too."
"And you've always been there for us whenever we needed you," Nancy said.
"And you never once complained when we were unable to be there for you," Steve said.
"We're here now, though, for whatever you need," Nancy said. "We want to see where this takes us."
"Well, you should know that I'm apparently a flight risk," you said.
"And apparently, we'll just chase after you," Steve said with mirth and love in his eyes.
"We love you," Nancy said.
"I love you, too," you said, your voice thick with emotion.
Nancy and Steve each took your hand, holding it tightly in yours. You looked into their eyes, and you knew that there wasn't a chance you were ever going to run away again. Now, you could run towards them, and they'd catch you if you fell. . .literally, they've already done it a few times. You laughed, maybe you were just a klutz. Suddenly, Eddie screamed from across the diner.
"THEY WEREN'T FUCKING TALKING ABOUT OLIVES AT ALL! CHRISSY, I'M A FUCKING IDIOT!"
"Eddie!"