Who We Are - Steve Harrington (1)
Prologue | Steve 2 | Eddie | Billy | Ian
The two of them had been friends for twenty-two years now. They'd grown up right next to each other, casually holding hands for all their lives. What neither of them had ever considered, though, was that their relationship could ever be anything else. They were just them, Steve and her. Right?
Attention! - This is the second part of 'Grey Overalls and Rainy Days'. Please read that one first if you haven't yet!
Information you might need ⼠~
Word Count: 15.648
3rd Person (She/Her)
Flashbacks will be presented in completely cursive to better distinguish between now and then, since tumblr doesn't really have the best typesetting options.
In this chapter you will find:
Rain, cursing, a down in the dumps Steve, slow-burn childhood bestfriends to lovers, a lot of physical contact, canon tinkering, flashbacks and a fuck ton of spoilers for the 80s movie 'Beaches'.
There will be mentions of food and eating, blood, canon level violence, loss, grief, shock, death, sex, trauma, bad parenting, sexual harrassment (specifically at dates) alcohol and reader having her period so please remain careful, my children!
At one point reader will be loosely compared to Molly Ringwald, but to not alienate anyone I'll explicitly say that it is not because reader looks like her. It can be, if you want it to, but it's definitely not required. I point that out loud and clear and Steve will do so too, so please don't feel put out by that.
Enjoy âĽ
The days rain still lay in the air, although the drops themselves had stopped â for now. Petrichor was still wafting all around them, now with tiny hints of cool night air. Hawkins population was slowly but surely getting home for the night. Mothers ushered their kids ahead of them, teenage girls locked their bedroom doors but unlocked their windows and most of Hawkins general stores were flipping their signs from âOPENâ to âCLOSEDâ.
That was something she did as well.
Eddie held the door open and she skipped out into the night, glad she decided to not deal with the taxes for now. The metalhead himself was talking about a campaign he would love to throw for the party, but didnât really have the time to and she was reminded of how good a story teller he was. No wonder the boys still loved to invite him around as a dungeon master whenever they got the chance.
âSo, I was thinking Iâd add in this really messed up dragon hybrid and heâs g- hey isnât that Harringtons car?â Blinking at the rather rapid change of subject, she followed his pointing and damn straight. That was the red BMW sheâd spent all day cleaning.
âUhâŚyeah, actually. It is.â Her brows furrowed as she squinted into the night, trying to make out the familiar lines of Steveâs nose and hair.
And sure enough, there he was. Slumped behind the driverâs seat with his head down, one hand grabbing the steering wheel. âWhat theâŚUhm, Eddie, gimme a minute.â
âSure, go ahead. Iâll wait in the van?â
âYeah, thanks.â With one shimmy, she shouldered her bag properly and jogged on over to Steve. He didnât look up as she came closer, not giving her much choice but to knock at the window. Inside, Steve flinched, his hand letting go of the wheel and grabbing his chest. The shock didnât last long though, because just a moment later he was rolling the window down.
âJesus, donât do that to me. Youâll give me a heart attack.â
âYour fault for not noticing me.â Chuckling, she leaned down to peer into the car, trying to see the mysterious flower shop girl. Why would she be there? Well, it wasnât the first time Steve made a pit stop on one of his dates just to drive her home real quick. The red BMW, however, was completely empty aside from Steve. âSteve, what are you doing here? I thought you had a date.â The man in question just sighed and let his head fall back against the headrest. There was a slight pout to his face. âSteve?â
âListen. Wanna cash in those burgers now? We could grab some and then goâŚI dunno, somewhere.â
âUhmâŚI mean, yeah. Sure. Why not. Let me just tell Eddie, okay?â
âEddie?â
âYeah, he came by earlier and offered to drive me home.â
âOh. Okay, yeah, go ahead. Iâll wait.â
âBut Steve, what aboutâŚ?â
âJustâŚforget about that, okay?â The way he said it was more than pleading. Even if she didnât like it, she nodded and jogged on over to Eddieâs car. He was already inside, the van running and waiting. Unlike Steve, he immediately noticed her getting closer and rolled down the window.
âYouâre going with him, I take?â
âYeah, sorry Eddie. I thinkâŚI donât know, I think he needs some company.â
âItâs fine, Princess, you go check on him. But I demand full intel tomorrow!â She chuckled.
âIâll see what I can do âbout that. Thanks Eddie.â
âSee ya, princess!â The van roared to life with a deep growl and she stepped away from the window. It didnât take long for Eddie to leave the car park behind. She reached Steveâs car just as quickly. A simple pull on the door handle and she plopped into the seat with a content sigh.
Steveâs car just felt⌠right.
Over the years, sheâd spent so much time in that passenger seat that it felt more like home than the single wide she actually called home. Steve next to her watched her buckle herself in before wordlessly putting the car into gear. She didnât ask where they were going, he didnât offer any intel on the matter.
They didnât have to.
Neither of them spoke. Steve veered the car through what Hawkins called âevening rushâ with practiced ease while she gazed out of the window next to her. She could see Joyce Byers locking up the door to Melvaldâs General Store, still in her uniform. Next door in Radio Shack, there was still light burning. Maybe some last-minute repairs or something. Or maybe the guy working there had forgotten to turn them off. Who knew?
New, fresh rain was starting to dribble down the window, obscuring her view. Within moments, the world outside was turned into a blurry mess of colours and shapes. She could still vaguely tell where they were simply because it was the town sheâd lived in for all of her life, but it got harder and harder. Soon, she had to turn her eyes to the windshield, it being the only place that still offered a semi-clear view. The windshield wipers were going left and right in their own rhythm, as if something invisible spurred them on. Well, she knew how they worked. But where was the mystery in that?
Watching the wipers do their job wasâŚhypnotic. Without actively choosing to do so, her eyes were following their path left and right and left and right and she could feel herself get drowsy. Though that was probably less the wipers and more the fact that sheâd gotten up early and worked a lot more than expected. Her day was supposed to be mainly office stuff plus the cunninghams car, and yetâŚ
âTired?â Steve asked, his finger rhythmically tapping against the steering wheel, led by the indicators soft âclick click click clickâ. She sighed and sank back further into the seat.
âYeah.â
âYou couldâve said something. I can take you home.â
âItâs fine. Itâs just the drive.â Steve hummed lightly.
âOf course it is.â
The boy pulled into the car park of Rosemaryâs Diner with ease. If it werenât so dangerous and irresponsible, she wouldâve challenged him to do it with his eyes closed. Honestly, he might actually pull it off. Theyâd been here often enough. While most people preferred Bennyâs Diner, both Steve and her had always chosen Rosemaryâs whenever they got a chance. Mostly when it was just the two of them.
Sure, sheâd pestered Ian sometimes to go with her. And, far as she was aware, Steve had brought some dates here over the years. Both of them had dragged their little group of misfits with them more than once and while they rarely complained, they both knew that this place never clicked quite as well with the rest of them. Maybe it was the food, maybe it was the atmosphere and maybe it was just the fact that she and Steve had been coming here ever since they were old enough to go to a diner on their own.
Inside, the lights were bright and welcoming, just like always.
Steve held the door for her and she stepped inside, both manoeuvring the etablissement with well-practised ease. Down the checkered tiles to the second to last booth â second to last, never the one before or after that â where both of them dropped down into their favoured seats at the same time. Her back was facing the door, while Steve liked to be able to survey the entire room. Menus were pushed aside; they would order the usual thing anyway. Doreen, their favourite waitress, saw them from afar and nodded towards them. Not to indicate anything, just recognition.
The seats hissed familiarly with every move she made as she drew her legs under her in a position that should be uncomfortable but really wasnât. Steve was already slouched back into the burgundy leather of his booth, his faceâŚcomplicated.
That was probably the best thing to call it.
It wasnât an expression she knew from Steve, which should be impossible after over twenty years together. But then again, one was never done learning. That probably applied to people as well. Â
âHey you guys, nice to have you back!â She raised her head to meet the dark brown eyes of Doreen with a smile. The older waitress was grinning down at them, her braided hair pulled back into a ponytail that made her seem a lot younger than she was. There were some stains on her pale-yellow uniform, likely coffee, but other than that she looked at dewy as ever.
âHiya Doreen. Howâs it going?â She offered while Steve just nodded semi-friendly. Normally, she would have kicked his shins for that, but she accepted it for today. At least heâd greeted her at all. Doreen had noticed too, apparently, because she threw him a knowing glance but kept quiet.
âAh, you know. Same as always in this old thing. Enough guests to keep it running but never many.â She shrugged. âYouâre getting the usual?â
âSure, we are.â
âNeat-o! So thatâd be two cheeseburgers â one without onions â a large basket of fries with mayonnaise and ketchup and two shakes â strawberry and vanilla. Did I miss anything?â She couldnât help but grin at that.
âPerfect like always, Doreen. Thanks.â Doreen nodded and turned on her heels, and she remembered another thing. âOh hey, Doreen?â
âYeah?â
âAdd a coffee to that. As strong as you can legally brew it, yeah?â
âOooh, the order changed. Exciting!â Steve rolled his eyes and she grinned. âConsider it done, sweet thing. Wonât be long.â
âThanks!â Doreen strolled back over to the kitchen, leaving both her and Steve to themselves. The latter was still quietly staring into the void, his mind clearly somewhere else. Worry dipped her brows as she watched him. Sheâd seen Steve after bad dates often enough. Sometimes he was annoyed, sometimes he was angry. Sometimes he was sad but tried to act like he wasnât, fully knowing that she knew, and sometimes he was just plain sad. Those were the things she expected. A ranty, maybe whiny, Steve. A mopey, pouty Steve. Maybe even a sad one.
But he wasnât any of those things.
On the contrary, behind the complicatedness of it all, he lookedâŚdefeated? Reserved? Maybe both. Like a man that had failed. Or better: A man that had given up. Sheâd seen that face on someone else before, and it hadnât been a good thing. She didnât really like seeing it on Steve.
âIâm fine.â He said and she blinked in surprise.
âWhat?â
âIâm fine.â Steve sighed, kicking her dangling leg softly. âStop staring holes in my face. And unfurrow your brows, youâll get wrinkly, old girl.â She scoffed.
âI wouldnât need to furrow my brows if your soul stopped taking a smoke break, you know?â But her fingers rubbed over the space between her brows anyway. ââOld girlâ, really? Tsk.â Steve rolled his eyes and she turned towards the large window to her left. She couldnât see much with the outside being nearly pitch black and the inside brightly lit. So instead of seeing the car park, she saw her own sorry expression staring back at her.
âShit.â Edging closer to the window, she surveyed her own appearance with disdain.
She looked horrendous.
Since she came here directly from work, she was still clad in her stupid overalls. She should really start packing a change of clothesâŚShe didnât have too many nice clothes anyway but the grey work overalls must have been amongst the worst she owned. They were built for practicality and comfort, with a whole bunch of pockets and the loose fit. But they didnât look great. This one, the one she was wearing today, was especially bad since she hadnât gotten around to altering it. It was an ill fit in most places and it was stained. Fine for work, not so much for anything else.
And, of course, her hair was a mess as well. It stuck up in weird places and It was extremely greasy after a daysâ worth of work. She had a sweaty job, alright? And in front of her boys â and Steve â she didnât mind. Theyâd seen her look worse and sheâd seen them look worse. But she felt iffy sitting in a diner like that. God, she hadnât even wiped her face, had she? It was probably greasy as well.
âYou could have told me I look like crap.â She muttered, wiping her face with her sleeve before getting to work on her hair. She couldnât salvage much but she could damn well try.
âYou look like you always do.â
âŚOuch.
She send the boy a glare and let go of her hair. Not better, but at least differently messy. Oh well, it was what it was. Nothing she could do about it now, was there?
Steve was back to being zoned out. So much so, that he didnât even notice that Doreen brought their food until she kicked his shins. He flinched, blinked, and looked around confusedly. She rolled her eyes and grappled for his plate. Using just two fingers, sheâd picked out the pickles Steve so seemed to detest and replaced them with one of her tomatoes. Sure, he could just have ordered the burger without pickles and with extra tomatoes, but why bother?
Happy with her fixing job, she got to the fries, each one loaded up with mayonnaise, before tackling her burger. The smell alone caused her to feel extremely ravenous, to be perfectly honest, and she nearly melted when her teeth sunk into the goodness that was this burger.
With each bite, she felt the crispy softness of the bun, the crunch of fresh salad and tomatoes as well as the greasy cheese-patty combo. And in combination with the slight tang of Rosemaryâs mystery sauce? To die for. Really, in an apocalypse she would likely murder for this burger alone.
Steve didnât seem to agree, though. At least not today. Usually, the boy inhaled his food much faster than she ever could and she always had to battle him for the fries. Otherwise, heâd eat all of them and leave her high and dry for some oily potato sticks. Likely the reason why sheâd started to eat the fries first and her burger last, since Steve did it exactly the other way around.
But today, the Harrington boy picked apart his burger slowly and thoughtfully. Sauce and grease quickly covered his fingers, which he didnât seem to notice. Only a few bites made it into his mouth each time he looked conscious before he was right back to mindlessly playing with his food. He didnât say a thing while they ate - and sure, she was more than fine with just existing around him. The two of them were long over the need to always do something together. She couldnât count the days they had wasted away without talking, lounging around in the same bubble but each doing their own thing. They were masters at just existing in the same space.
In combination with his current mood, however, she felt her patience start to wear thin. It wasnât even really because of him or his mood, it was because she didnât know what was going on and thus didnât know what to do about it. She couldnât really help Steve if he didnât open his big gob.
After nearly fourty five minutes of complete silence, spent exclusively watching him pick apart the burger into goddamn atoms, she pulled out her wallet and threw some cash on the table. Enough to pay for the both of them. That, finally, got Steve out of his reverie.
âHey, we said itâs my treat.â
âYeah, fuck that, Harrington. You can pay me back later.â Sighing, she fished out some wet wipes from her handbag and wiped his hands. He just let it happen, watching her closely as she wiped remnants of grease and sauce of his phalanges. âCome on. Letâs go somewhere, I need to stretch my legs before I fall asleep sitting up.â He winced.
âSorry. I can take you home now.â
âWhy, trying to get rid of me now, are we?â
âYou know thatâs never it.â
âYeah, I know. Come on, up with you.â Not letting go of his hand, she rose from her seat and pulled him up with her. âBye Doreen!â
âBye guys!â The older woman waved them goodbye from behind the counter, not even checking if theyâd left money. Even if they did forget, theyâd be back before it could actually be missed. Not that that ever happened before.
Outside, Steve naturally tried to head towards the car, but her hand in his stopped him. Confused, he turned towards her, keys already in hand and pointing towards his car.
âThe car is over there.â
âSure is. But weâre not going to your car just yet.â
âHuh?â She rolled her eyes.
âI told you. I need to stretch my legs. The ten steps from our booth to your car donât really do the trick.â
âWait, what do you mean?â Groaning, she let go of his hand only to get behind him and push him along.
âI mean: Move your arse, Harrington, weâre taking a god damn walk.â
âUgh, but itâs raining.â
âCry me a river!â She scoffed and pushed on. âYou know, youâre no basketballer anymore. Some exercise might actually be good for you, dumbass.â
âI hate walks!â
âMove your god damn legs!â He did, reluctantly so.
At first, he was going annoyingly slow, obviously trying to not get too far away from the car in case she suddenly decided it was enough walking for a day. The more steps they took however, the more he picked up on speed. It took only a few minutes for them to reach a comfortable pace, easily falling into a rhythmic step beside each other.
The sky was still leaking above them, rain coating them in a fine spray of water that would feel incredibly wet the longer they left it there. But, in a way, it was a nice walk anyway. And what did her mum always say?
âLight exercise is the best way to sort out a muddled mind, pumpkin. And nothing helps more than walking. Back home, Iâd often walk the length of a town, just trying to get my brain in order!â
The memory had her throat tighten up for a moment.
One should really thing that four years would take care of grief, but in the end they didnât do shit. It still felt the same, whenever she thought about her family. That couldnât be normal, could it? Or maybe it was. Who knew.
Steveâs shoulder bumped against hers, pulling her attention back to him. Once again, he looked lost in thought. Less zoned out, but still not completely here. His brown eyes, nearly black with the absence of light, were pointedly focused on the ground below them and his hands were shoved into the pockets of his jean-jacket.
With another sigh, she looped her arm through his and looked up at him. He barely turned his face towards her, brows raised â a silent half-question. Which, she decided, wasnât enough right now. She slightly shook his arm, pushing him to give her his full attention. Thankfully, he did.
âOkay, pretty boy. This is where I stop asking and you start talking. Because Iâm slowly losing my mind here.â
âBoredom or worry?â
âHalf half.â A deep sigh and he looked around for nothing in particular.
âMe saying something like âshitty date, is allâ is probably not going to cut it, is it?â
âYeah, no. Try again.â
ââŚShitty date is probably still true.â
âOkay? Why was the date shitty, then?â Steve scoffed.
âProbably because I have shitty taste in girls. Women.â Immediately, she felt herself bristle.
âWhat did that bitch do?â He rolled his eyes.
âDonât call her that.â
âWhat did she do, Steven?â He sighed, using his free hand to ruffle his hair.
âOkay, so⌠When she asked me out, she was weirdly specific, right?â She nodded, not caring too much about the long story. But if thatâs how he wanted to tell it - fine. âShe was all like âDo you want to go to the cinema with me on Tuesday at seven fourty five?â and I thought it was kinda weird to ask like that, but hey maybe sheâs just one of thoseâŚthose OCD-types, right? What do I know? Maybe she just feels the need to specify everything or her dad was a vet or whatever. Donât know, donât care.â She didnât point out that seven fourty five wasnât military time. âSo, I agree, knowing Iâd likely have to pester Robin into switching with me, which wasnât easy because it was a Keith shift and who wants to do those? But who cares, it was flower shop girl, right?â
âRight.â
âYeah. So today, after I left, I got home, got ready and picked her up exactly on time. When she got in I noticed that she was, like, really nervous for some reason.â
âWhat, because of you?â
âThatâs what I wondered. I mean, I bought a gazillion flowers from her and she rents videos regularly, so itâs not like weâre total strangers. And Iâm not weird, right? Like, creepy weird. Rapey weird.â She nodded as he threw her a glance and he carried on. âRight, otherwise she probably wouldnât have asked me. So, Iâm, like, extremely confused as to why sheâs so skittish.â
âHow skittish are we talking?â
âHer voice was an octave or so higher the whole time.â
âJesus.â
âExactly.â Steve shook his head. âAnyway, I drive up to the theatre and try to get a conversation going, you know? Drop some funny lines, talk about work, anything. But she barely answers and is all evasive and weird and Iâm already like âOh great, this date is going to be fun.â.â Angrily, he kicked something out of the way. A pebble? âBut that isnât even the worst thing. I mean, sure, I reallyâŚI was really amped for that date. But bad dates happen, you know? You get annoyed and then you move on or something. I donât know.â
âI know what you mean, Steve. Carry on.â
âDude, Iâm on it.â He sighed shaking his head. âAnyway. Theatre. We get out of the car and I go to buy the tickets-â
âWhy the fuck did you-â
âI donât know, I just did.â
âShe asked you out, Steve! She can pay!â
âBut she didnât okay? Let me finish talking.â She grumbled something under her breath, but let him go on. âSo, I go to buy the tickets, sheâs waiting by the door. And then we go in and whoosh.â He mimed an explosion with his hands. âShe sticks to me like glue. Itâs like someone flipped a switch and she went from âwhy am I here?â to full on date mode. And sheâs, like, pulling all the stops. Sheâs flirting like a mad woman, batting her eyelids super often and talking about how nice I look and how nice it was that I agreed to this date and stuff. And sheâs super loud too, right?â Slowly, something dawned in her mind and she didnât like it one bit. âSo, I am like âUhmâŚwhat exactly is going on here?â but she just keeps talking. And then we get to the front of the popcorn line and some dude greets us and he keeps staring at her all wistfully and shit while she finds 87 ways to say the word âdateâ in a non-committal context.â He stopped, kicking at nothing at she watched him with furrowed brows.
âShe wanted to make that guy jealous. And she used you to do it.â He scoffed, his eyes focusing on nothing in particular.
âYeah. And I was stupid enough to say yes.â
âSteve.â
âShe probably noticed that I was literally buying her out of flowers and came to the conclusion that sure, Harrington is hare brained and will never realise what is going on. Why not use him like some sort of accessory, itâs not like heâs got much more going on!â
âSteve, stop that.â She pulled him to a stop, turning him towards her in the process. Steveâs brows were deeply furrowed, nearly touching in the middle, and there was a definite pout to his lips. âStop trash talking yourself. None of this is because of you.â He tsked.
âRight. Sure, who if not me, then?â She stared at him, incredulously.
âHer. It is because of her, Steve. She asked you out to make another guy jealous because she noticed that you liked her. She used your feelings against you, not the other way around.â
âAnd why did I have feelings? That her fault too or what?â
âWhat are you even talking about, Steve?â
âI mean, how often have I actually talked to her? I barely knew her, right? Weâre loose acquaintances at best. So why? Why like her so much that I buy a bunch of ugly fucking bouquets every other day? Those fucking things looked like shit because sheâs horrible at making them, but I still spend a fortune on them simply so I could watch her talk about flowers for ten minutes. Shit, Iâm not even a flower guy to begin with! Do I look like someone who cares that gardenias are considered deer resistant shrubs?â He really seemed to believe that he had any choice in the matter, which had her brows dip further.
âSteve, you canât actually believe the bullshit youâre spewing right now.â He shrugged, pushing the moist hair from his face.
âWell, I donât know anymore. I must be doingâ something wrong, seeing as every god damn girl I come close to liking just ends up treating me like shit.â Pinching his nose, he took a step back. âI mean, Iâm not exactly a catch. Right. I know that.â He gestured around, more angry than necessary. âI know what they see, okay? Har har Harrington, high school hasbeen that couldnât get into college and is still working a shitty job at fucking family video. Right, sure, I get it. Oh yeah, add the ugly ass scars I canât explain â not that anyone even gets close to seeing them lately. But why canât they just tell me? I mean, they could just tell me to fuck off and Iâd be gone.â Swallowing heavily, he quieted for a moment. âIâm soâŚIâm so sick of growing to like people who donât like me back. Who donât even want to get to know me, like actually me. Not âSteve Harrington, the family video looserâ, but me.â
Her throat felt tight as she watched him rant, rain slipping down his hair and face. Hearing what he thought about himself was always difficult, because, for some reason, Steve literally thought he was the worst person alive. No matter what she said, no matter what she did, his opinion never seemed to change.
Steve Harrington viewed himself as little more than trash.
âHow is that your fault, Steve? Any of that?â Hot anger rose in her chest, not at him but for him. âYou couldnât get into college â so what! Who gives a shit? And sure, you work at family video. But at least you work!â She shrugged. âThatâs miles better than anything any of them likely ever did. And liking someone isâŚWe canât choose who we like. You justâŚyou just like who you like.â
âThatâs a bullshit answer and you know it.â
âYeah? Well. Itâs yours.â
âWhat?â
âItâs what you told me. While I was crying over Ian and cursing myself over ever falling for him you said exactly that.â He scoffed, his head falling back.
âI give shit advise.â
âYeah, but you mean well.â Sighing, she grabbed his hand. âSteve, listen to me. Properly, okay?â
âFine.â
âThat stupid cunt used you. And that is not your fault.â
âBut-â
âNo, itâs not. You didnât do anything, Steve! I mean, what would you tell me? If the situation was reversed? Letâs say IâŚI donât know, letâs say Iâm on a date with, uh, withâŚJonathan.â
âByers?â
âYeah.â
âYikes.â
âStay focused.â She rolled her eyes. âSo, Iâm on a date with Byers and turns out he just wanted Nancy to get angry or jealous or whatever. And obviously Iâm heartbroken because wow, Iâm so in love with Byers-â Steve winced.
âIâm not in love.â
â- that I can barely contain myself. What would you tell me?â Steve looked down at her, his dark eyes raking her face as he thought.
ââŚProbably the same thing.â
âWhich is what?â
ââŚItâs not your fault. He used you, not the other way around.â
âRight. And?â
âIâd probably try to hit him with my car. Thatâs long overdue anyway.â
âYeah, I get it. Flower shop girl just got first place on my shit list. But thatâs not what I mean.â
âThen what?â
âIs it my fault that I fell in love with Jonathan Byers?â Steve turned his face towards her, looking just as wet and sorry as he did, and sighed.
ââŚNo.â
âBut I could have known better. Heâs obsessed with Nancy, so this was totally unavoidable, wasnât it?â Steveâs brows dipped.
âYeah, so? Itâs not like you wanted to fall in love with Byers, you just did. Maybe thatâs dumb, but you canât choose who-â he stopped short.
âYeah?â
ââŚYou canât choose who you like.â
âRight. You canât.â She sighed. âYou donât always need to hold yourself up to higher standards than everyone else, you know? YouâreâŚyouâre just human, like the rest of us.â
âI know.â
âDo you now? Because sometimes Iâm not so sure you do, Steve.â She vividly remembered many times where his perfectionism hat nearly driven him insane. âYou always blame yourself for things that arenât you fault. Always did, ever since we were kids.â It wasnât hard to guess where heâd got it from. His parents werenât ever shy about blaming their child for everything wrong with their life. His mum did it passively, with neglect and pejorative remarks while his dad just straight up told him why he was the shittest thing in their collective lives. Steve, apparently, had internalised that knowledge far too deep. Â And now it always came back to haunt him.
Like that one time.
It was a day she barely remembered. The memory was fuzzy, either with age or because her mind simply didnât want her to remember. What was it, a day after Starcourt? Two days? She didnât even really know. It could have been years or minutes; everything felt the same.
Hopeless.
Hopelessness was winding around her like thin wires, squeezing and pulling at the same time. Wherever the wires touched her, they would dig into her skin, painfully tearing the tender flesh of her body apart. Maybe she should just have done it, set her jaw and bear with it, just like sheâd been doing every time sheâd gotten hurt that day. Pain was nothing new to her, in the past three years sheâd learned how to deal with it but, for some reason she justâŚshe just couldnât.
When she looked down at her arms, she expected to see blood. And sure, there was blood. But that was old, already drying. She didnât see any new blood. Nothing was actually ripping her skin apart, and yet she could feel it. She could feel the lines on her skin, the places she was barely keeping together.
Every movement, every breath was painful. So, so painful that she wanted to scream. To her, moving meant pain. And a lot of pain meant that she was dying.
So, she just didnât move.
She sat there, on the floor in Steveâs bedroom, unmoving, with her legs pulled against her chest. Why Steveâs room or how sheâd even gotten there in the first place was something she couldnât answer. She just knew that she couldnât move away from that spot, not without falling apart completely. And in that moment, there was no one who couldâve stacked her back together again.
It was uncomfortable.
Her limbs were falling asleep in random moments and the heeled boots sheâd been wearing were likely ruining her feet for good. She herself was still bloody, sweaty and disgusting and she could feel the layers of grime on her skin. But she didnâtâŚcouldnât care.
It was uncomfortable, but it was safe.
As long as she didnât move, she could pretend it wasnât real. She could pretend that her dad and brother were at the shop, like always, bickering over the right way to tune up the Hillsonâs sedan. She could pretend that she hadnât seen the giant monster that her family had somehow become part of. Because every time she thought of it, she remembered what Nancy told them. She could hear Steve saying: âBut instead of, like, screws and metal, the Mind Flayer made its weapon with melted peopleâŚ?â
Melted people.
Her father, the kindest man sheâd ever known. The man whoâd tried his hardest to raise her, to give her anything a daughter could need. The man whoâd taught her how to ride a bike and how to replace a rotary arm. The man whoâd cooked her favourite food whenever she felt down.
And her brother.
The big brother, whoâd gone and beaten-up Tommy Hagan after he cheated on her. The brother whoâd read her stories as a kid, whoâd carry her around whenever she was too lazy to walk. The very brother whoâd told her, just the night before, that all he wanted was for her to be happy. Wherever that might be.
Those two were part of the people Steve and Nancy were talking about. And sheâd known, sheâd known something was weird with her dad ever since heâd been so moody and snappy. He was never like that, never that aggressive, and both her and her brother had been extremely confused and worried. And yet, with little to no argument, sheâd just packed her bag and left the minute her brother told her to.
Sheâd gone to stay with Steve, lounging around at Scoops Ahoy all day instead of justâŚjust going home. Home, where she actually couldâve done something. Where she couldâve helped them.
But she didnât. And now they were dead.
Those were the thoughts going through her mind on a loop. Every time she arrived at the conclusion it would go back to the start, like a record that spun endlessly. Nothing seemed to be able to turn it off. It just spun and spun and spun. Not even the blood that covered her shirt and skirt turning sticky and disgusting could change that. Nor could the knowledge that at least half the blood was not hers but Steveâs.
SteveâŚ
Steve, whoâd spent the past hours talking to her with endless patience. Heâd tried to get her to eat, to move. To just doâŚsomething. Anything. He never pushed her too hard, but he didnât ease up. He sat beside her, talked about anything. He turned on music whenever his voice turned weak and the silence became heavy.
He was always there, like a shadow glued to her side. Drifting along the lines of her periphery in hopes to get a rise out of her.
Looking back, she was surprised heâd kept it together that well. She didnât know if she couldâve done it. If she couldâve acted like she was okay for his sake.
Because Steve wasnât okay. Of course, he wasnât. And one day, she finally noticed it.
As always, heâd left his room. Claiming to go and order some dinner. He left, went downstairs and was gone for a good long while. Too long for a phone call. Maybe she was on her way out of her trance, maybe she was already on the threshold to being fully conscious. Or maybe it was the fact that Steve had forgotten to turn on the music. She didnât know.
But as she sat, still huddled against the dresser in Steveâs room, she heard somethingâŚweird. An odd noise she couldnât quite place. LikeâŚlike a sob. Or something. The Harringtons werenât home, of course, so it couldnât have been them. But that only left Steve. Steve who was gleefully making conversation up until a moment ago, seemingly completely unaware of how one sided it actually was.
That uncertainty was what finally caused her to get up and move.
Stiff as a board and with great difficulty she peeled herself off the floor, using the wall to prop herself up. Every step she took hurt like hell, her poor, battered feet burning like embers. But she hobbled on, slow but determined. Thank god everything was carpeted, because otherwise Steve might have heard her come down the steps. And knowing him, he wouldâve gone right back to acting.
But he didnât.
And as she entered the Harringtons kitchen, she didnât find the Steve sheâd seen upstairs. Instead, she found a barely eighteen-year-old boy, whoâd been tortured and drugged. A boy, whoâd spent too long high on adrenaline and was now watching his best friend wither away right there, in his room. A boy who didnât know what to do, how to help.
He was sitting below the phone, the receiver dangling carelessly somewhere next to him, and he was sobbing. Desperate, scared little noises that had her stop for a moment.
âSteve?â Sheâd said, her voice raw and broken by prolonged disuse. But the boy had heard her, flinching as his head snapped towards her. The moment his dark eyes landed on her, standing in the door way, heâd started to cry even harder. Violent sobs started to shake him, a sight that had her feel dizzy.
âItâs you.â Was all he managed to say between all the sobbing, his face buried in his hands. The sobs got louder too, his relieve mixing into the whole mess of emotions he was already facing. Watching that, watching as he broke down with fear, pain and relieve spurred something in her. With just two little steps she made it to his side, where she sank down to her knees. She didnât know what to do. This Steve was not one she knew, and right then she barely knew herself. Her hands fluttered about unsurely, touching his hair and his shoulders, trying to find a place to start.
âIâm sorry. Iâm so sorry.â Heâd muttered, repeating nothing but that again and again while sobs rattled through his body.
âSorryâŚ?â She didnât understand. Sorry for what? What had he done that he needed to be sorry for? Nothing came to mind.
âIâm so sorry, itâs all my fault.â Her eyes were shaking as she watched the boy sob on. Her brain was so incredibly slow already, exhausted from little sleep and heightened adrenaline, so she still didnât understand. She didnât understand. âEverything is always my fault.â
Everything.
She felt her eyes tear up, sobs clawing their way up her throat as she realised what he was on about.
Steve was blaming himself for this. He was blaming himself for what had happened down in the Russian base as well as what had happened up in the mall. He was blaming himself for her pain as well as his own. The way she knew him, heâd probably been blaming himself for ever becoming her friend, for ever being born.
Because that was Steve Harrington.
Everything was always his fault, even when it wasnât. He automatically deemed it so and no one, not a single person, ever thought to tell him he was wrong. They all called him âassâ and âmoronâ, called him out for his time as stupid âKing Steveâ, but no one ever took the time to remind him how great he really was.
If her heart hadnât already been broken, it would have been the moment she truly realised how lonely that boy was. And how scared he mustâve been of losing her, the last person to always be on his side.
âSteveâŚâ Sheâd sobbed, winding her arms around him to cry into his hair while she held him. Sheâd just been holding onto him until both their tears ran dry for the time being.
And she did the same thing now.
With one simple movement, sheâd wrapped her arms around his midriff and pressed her face into his shoulder. Steve didnât hesitate to hug her back. He never did. His arms wound around her waist, holding her close. Somewhere above her ear, she could feel his breath fan against her skin.
âYou need to stop blaming yourself so much, Steve.â Her voice was muffled by the fabric of his jacket, but she was sure he understood. She knew by the way his breath hitched, by the way is body started to shake. âIt isnât your fault, none of this.â She patted the back of his head comfortingly, carefully. âAnd Iâm sorry.â
âWhat are you sorry for? You didnât do anything.â His voice was weak and croaky, poorly repressed feelings seeping out of it with every word.
âNo, I didnât. But Iâm still sorry.â She sighed, patting on. âIâm sorry because she isnât. And Iâm sorry because she couldnât see you the way you did her. Iâm sorry that everyone always blames you, even you yourselfâŚâ His arms tightened around her waist and she heard him exhale a shaky breath. âIâm sorry for all of that, Steve.â
And just like that night four years ago, sheâd held the boy while he shed tears no one else knew about.
Because that was who Steve Harrington actually was.
***
âThere! There, do you see that?â Robin hissed, pressed close to her side. âNow that isnât normal. And at first I was all like âoh maybe heâs just confusedâ but itâs been week and heâs just been doing that all the time. Thatâs weird, right? Agh, of course itâs weird!â She blinked, ignoring Robinâs rambling as she watched Steve ring up a customer upfront. The rest of the store lay deserted, the day still too early for most people to think about renting anything.
It was Sunday, a couple of long, exhausting days after Steveâs date with the horticulture-cunt.
The week had been quite the mess so far, so she was thanking every available god that it was finally Sunday and she had the day off. And sure, lounging about Family Video with Steve and Robin was an excellent pastime. âSpyingâ on Steve from behind a shelf, though? Ugh.
âLook, heâs not flirting, nothing! Heâs just-just look!â The girl hissed, her hands clasping her shoulders. She could feel Robins nails scratch her skin, causing her to shiver slightly.
Robin had been calling the repair shop nearly every day, more than once, ranting about how Steve was behaving âweirdlyâ and how this couldnât be ânormalâ and âplease please come over, okay? Iâm losing my mind here!â, so here she was. Badly hidden behind the self-proclaimed chick flick shelf â ooh, was that âBeachesâ? â staring through a small window Robin had created by removing a couple of tapes.
It was not all too interesting.
Steve just did his job like anyone else would. The whole spiel - âHi thereâ âbeep beepâ âyour total isâŚâ. That was how this worked, right? Because, sure, sheâd never worked anywhere other than the shop, but this looked pretty standard to her. Next to her, Robin was still rambling â something about possession and brainwashing â and Steve was bagging up the tapes. The girl heâd just rung up thanked him overly sweetly â gag â and turned to leave the store. The wind chime above the door announced her exit.
Steve stayed where he was, leaning forward onto the counter, before looking in their direction.
âYou idiots do know that I can see you, right? Youâre not, like, invisible.â Robin stiffened and cursed under her breath and she patted her back comfortingly.
âYou tried, Robs.â Was all she said as she grabbed âBeachesâ from the shelf. Why not use this oh-so-golden opportunity to organise some Sunday night entertainment? And sheâd been waiting to see this one for forever. She even told Steve, the traitor, to let her know as soon as it was available. Of course, he âforgotâ to do that again.
âYeah, maybe leave some tapes next time so itâs less obvious.â Steve nodded towards the shelf and sure enough. Tapes were missing on both sides, making it pretty obvious that someone wanted to spy on him through the three- or four-inch gap the shelf offered.
âYou leave me no choice! And you!â Robin pointed at her, her black-nailed finger wafting accusingly in front of her face. âI called you so youâd side with me!â She chuckled, strolling over to where Steve was still lounging about. Steveâs eyes were on her as she hopped onto the counter next to him, offering up the tape, which he took in turn for a clean picked bag of gummy bears.
âOh, come on, âBeachesâ? Really? Ugh.â He shook his head as he started to check it out â under his name, obviously.
âItâs Bette Midler, Steve.â The boy just winced and she started to chow down on the gummy bears. Robin was still rambling.
âHello?! Are you listening to me!?â
âNo.â The two of them said and the girl grumbled, yet still accepting the peace offering of gummy bears. The younger girl glanced at her hand, spotting the exclusively white, orange and yellow variants of the sugary sweets.
âWhy do I never get any red or green ones? Those are the best.â Steve nodded while she just winced at the other girlâs statement.
âSteve is in charge of the red and green ones, so pester him about that.â
âWait, what? âIn chargeâ?â
âYeah. Havenât you noticed?â She cocked her head, shaking the bag. âHe eats all the red and green ones. I get the yellow, orange and white ones.â
âWhy would you do that?â
âShe doesnât like red and green. I donât like white.â Steve handed her the cassette in a small bag before turning and leaning his back against the counter. âSo, we eat the ones we like and then trade.â
âBut thereâs always more red and green, so youâre basically being ripped off!â Robin leaned against the counter next to her as she spoke, holding her hand out for more. She got them, of course.
âHey, she gets three colours and I only get two!â She could feel Steveâs fingers at the hem of her shirt as he spoke, the boy using the proximity to cover up a sliver of skin that had been exposed since earlier. Paying him no mind, she let him pull down her shirt properly and continued to stuff her face with gummy candy. Robin, however, was watching their interaction with raised eyebrows.
âYour relationship is disgusting, has anyone ever told you that?â Both she and Steve rolled their eyes at that. Because they had, in fact, heard that before. That and anything else people would offer about their relationship. For some reason, people just loved to make unsolicited comments about other peopleâs business. She couldnât even count the times, that people had asked her if she and Steve had ever had a âthingâ for or done âstuffâ with each other â big yikes.
Then there was the usual âoh your guys are disgustingâ, âget a room!â or âyouâre like an old married coupleâ. When they were younger, they used to argue back every time because it wasnât like that and they were just friends. At some point, though, both of them had gotten tired of the same reaction â eye rolls, amused chuckling and a meaningful âFor now!â â so they just rolled their eyes and ignored all the comments to the best of their abilities.
Well, except the âstuffâ one because that was a disgusting and invasive thing to ask. Steve took that one just as wordlessly, but she couldnât. The last guy whoâd dared to offer that question had earned himself a broken nose and she would happily pummel anyone who wished to follow in his footsteps.
âOnly every person in this goddamn town, Robin.â
âI think I heard a Demodog say it at one point.â Steve said, closing his eyes.
âYeah? Seems like them. They were a rather chatty bunch, werenât they?â
âTotally. Especially- uhâŚwait, what was his name?â His brows furrowed in thought. âHenderson named him after that chocolate bar.â
âAh, you mean Dart?â
âDart! Yes, right. Especially Dart.â The two of them grinned at that. It should be all unfortunate and uncomfortable, but honestly? One can only shed so many tears about something. At some point, joking will become easier than sobbing.
âDo I even want to know what youâre talking about?â Robin asked, snagging more gummy bears.
âJust the Demodog Dart and his little herd of friends that nearly mauled us to death.â
âCome on, Dart didnât. He let us pass, remember?â
âNot really. I was losing a ton of blood, Steve. I donât even really remember how we got out.â
âOh, right. You got blood all over my jacket. â
âSorry not sorry.â They had bled onto each other often enough, even before the whole upside down bullshit. Although thereâs a significant difference between âshit, I cut my finger while chopping onionsâ and âoh my god, that Demodog just rammed itâs claws into my torsoâ. The scars were really different, too.
âYou couldâve just said no, you know?â The girl flicked her forehead before going to doâŚsomething. Work. Slack off somewhere else. That left her and Steve behind at the counter. For a moment, they did nothing else. She was fiddling around with the bag in her hands and Steve was slowly flicking through a pamphlet or something. Leaning over, she noticed that it was a pamphlet aboutâŚ
âWait, is that for college?â Steve nodded, flicking to the next page. âI thought you gave up on college?â She grabbed the pamphlet from him, ignoring his protests as she read through as quickly as she could. That was made a lot harder by Steve trying to get the thing back. Her eyes were better than his though, so she held it barely out of his reach and read on âNo way, nursing? You want to become a nurse?â He scoffed and ripped the thing from her hands.
âJesus, ever heard of privacy? Youâre so nosy, do you know that?â He snapped, stuffing the pamphlet somewhere beneath the counter, effectively out of reach. Not that she cared, she knew all she needed to.
âWe donât do privacy, Steven.â Drawing her leg onto the counter, she turned towards him properly, grinning brightly. âNurse Steve?â The boy groaned, his shoulders slumping forwards.
âI donât know, okay? Itâs just, like, an idea. Nothing more. I just thought, you knowâŚIâm quite good with blood and all that and Iâve seen worse things than whatever the human body can produce. So why not try to make use of that?â He shrugged. âI researched a bit and heard about this nursing program and IâmâŚI probably wonât get in anyway, so itâs really not that big a deal, right? Itâs just- itâsâŚRobin will eventually get her degree and then sheâll leave and teach little shitâs their ABCâs or whatever the fuck she does and I canâtâŚItâsâŚAnything is better than being stuck here for the rest of my life, rewinding sticky copies of âKinky Businessâ and âToo good to be trueâ while Keith is breathing down my neck.â He finished, his formerly gesticulating arms falling down to his sides as he breathed heavily. She allowed a moment of silence to pass, giving him a second to catch his breath as she just stared at him. But eventually, she felt the corners of her mouth curl upwards.
âYou know, youâre saying all that but for some reason I just hear-â Steve raised his finger threateningly.
âI swear to god, your ass is grass if you sayâŚâ
â-Nurse Steve!â The boy groaned and let his head fall against her shoulder as she giggled and patted the back of his head.
âI hate you; you know that?â
âSure, I do. I love you too, Harrington.â She wiggled her shoulder to get him off. When she did, she leaned forwards to stare into his face. âNurse Steve, man. Honestly, I see it. Youâve got a nurse face.â
âWhat, in that hot nurse kinda way?â
âYikes. No.â She pretend-shivered. âBut you look kind and caring.â Steve rolled his eyes.
âAs I said: Itâs just an idea and I likely wonât get in anyway, soâŚâ
âNo, no you will.â
âHow do you know?â
âI just do, Steven! I can feel it in my bones. So let me predict your future now, young padawan.â With her thumb and index she squeezed his cheeks, effectively holding him in place â and making him look like stuff-cheeked hamster. âYou will apply for this course and you will get in. And within the next couple years, youâre out of this shit hole and can spend your days saving lives as âNurse Steve â Hero in scrubsâ.â He opened his mouth to stop her, but she talked onwards. âAnd who knows? Maybe youâll meet a pretty patient and youâll wrap her around those pretty fingers of yours in a heartbeat while helping her stay calm during a shot or whatever.â Steveâs brows drew together, enough to nearly touch in the middle.
âDid you just write fanfiction about me?â Thanks to her still squeezing his face, the words came out all squishy and muddled. He seemed to notice that too, pulling himself from her grasp to rub his cheeks. âDude, were you trying to bruise my cheek? Jeez, your grip is like iron.â
âThose are a handymanâs fingers, Steven.â Sad but true. She always wanted to have pretty, dainty hands like Nancy or Robin or Max. Colourful long-ish nails, pretty nailbeds, soft pink skinâŚbut that was not something sheâd ever have. Thanks to her line of work, her hands and fingers were often dry and rough, even stained by oil and grease. Her nails had to be short, otherwise theyâd break â they tended to do that anyway â and although she tried nail polish sometimes, it never lasted long enough to actually bother.
And sure, she took care of them. She used hand cream like a mad woman, lathering up every chance she got, and she tried to do hand masks regularly. In the end, however, her hands were a mirror of her craft. They were formed by work. And while they could get a car up and running, change a leaking pipe and a handful of other things, they would never look pretty.
It shouldnât bother her much, but it did, sadly. Generally, she liked how she looked. She was satisfied with what the mirror showed her and she knew she looked good. Great even! But every time she saw how pretty other girlsâ hands looked, she felt like aâŚlike a grizzly. Like a giant, weathered witch in front of dainty, little fairy princesses â however untrue that comparison may be.
Everyone had their little insecurities.
Suddenly, Steve grabbed her hands, pulling her fingers away from a patch of dry skin and her out of her own thoughts.
âStop picking your skin, idiot. You always say it hurts after you do that.â Shifting his hold a bit, both hands now clasped in one of his, he started to root around behind the counter, producing a small tube of hand cream. Without hesitation, he squeezed a good dollop of cream onto her hands and used his thumbs to spread it around. It was almost like a massage and she felt herself relax more and more with each stroke.
In lieu of anything else to do, she looked at him while he worked away all tension sheâd build over the last week.
Mouth slightly pursed and brows furrowed, he looked extremely focused right then. If she hadnât quite literally felt his hands on hers, she wouldâve wondered what he was thinking about. His hair did its usual thing, flopping into his face that was, and it gave him some sort ofâŚroguish allure.
Hereâs to hoping that heâd never find out that she thought something like that. Yikes.
But it was true nonetheless. She cocked her head as she watched him, raking her eyes over the lines of his face. They all looked the same as always, absolutely not different to the Steve sheâd seen yesterday and the day before that. And yetâŚ
Steve was handsome.
Sure, right, objectively sheâd known that. Sheâd seen the boy as a tween and damn, that couldnât be compared, like, at all. But sheâd never really thought about it much. Steve was always about as interesting as her right arm. There and definitely appreciated â in fact, she wouldnât want to live without it â but not something one thought about much. But right then, brows furrowed in concentration as he rubbed her hands, she really noticed how good looking he actually was.
âYouâre really pretty, did you know that?â Steve raised his brows and looked up at her, clearly surprised by her statement. But he caught himself rather quickly, the typical Steve reaction already kicking in.
âTwenty-two years and you only notice that now? Damn.â She rolled her eyes, pulling her hands from his grasp.
âYou mustâve been ugly for twenty-one of them, then.â
âThatâs still a year, which is a lot coming from you.â
âRight, whatever gets you through the night, pretty boy.â He grinned at that.
âYou know what? You can just tell me that my awesome hand rub won you over, sweetheart. Thereâs no shame in that.â
âOh, riiiight.â She nodded, a smile curling her lips as she leaned back onto the counter. âTotally. You just stole my heart, Harrington.â
âDonât I know it.â He leaned against the counter next to her. She hummed under her breath, using two fingers to gently guide his hair out of his face. His eyes fluttered shut at her touch, a habit Steve had always had. In one feather light touch, she let her knuckles ghost over the lines of his cheek, causing his honeyed eyes to open up once more.
âI bet you do that to all the girls, donât you?â He tipped his head back, eyes focused on her face, and hummed softly.
âHmmh. Works every time.â
âAm IâŚinterrupting something?â A voice intervened, causing both her and Steve to turn. Robin was standing next to the shelf she and the other girl had just been hiding behind. âBecause I can, like, totally take my break right now. You know, if you guys want to finish whatever that was.â She popped a cheese puff into her mouth, the bag in her hands crinkling uncomfortably loud.
âRobinâŚâ Steve sounded all annoyed, clearly ready to âbicker with Buckleyâ, so she intervened.
âNot necessary. Join us, Steve was just telling me all about how he uses roofied hand cream to drug poor, unsuspecting girls into liking him.â
âAaah. That must be why you were gazing up at him like he was made of light, hm? Because of the hand cream. Totally, I believe you.â Robin shrugged as she hopped closer and she felt her brows dip.
âWhat am I, a moth?â
âI donât know, you tell me?â She hopped behind Steve, using her hands to turn his face towards her, to which he protested loudly.
âCome on, your fingers are all cheesy!â
âTake it like a man, dingus.â Robin just said, holding on and nodding at her. âAnd? Do you think sparkly boy is the hottest thing in town?â She rolled her eyes and Steve ducked out of Robins hold.
âMan, you got cheese dust all over me. Disgusting, go clean your hands.â He shoved her off towards the break room while rubbing his cheeks against his uniform. âAnd the question is rigged, because I totally am the hottest thing in town and we all know it.â
âRight, Dingus, whatever you want to believe. You know, that scene felt oddly familiar. Did I see it in a movie before? God, what was it called again? Maybe-â
âBuckley! Sink! Now!â At his famed babysitter tone, Robin instinctively hopped on off without another word. The two who stayed behind, sighed in unison. âI hate her sometimes.â
âNo, you donât.â
âNo, I donât.â
Another shared sigh and Steve was back to fiddling with the tube of hand cream and she watched him for a minute, before choosing to plunge forwards with their conversation. A normal one, duh, not the one Robin had interrupted.
âWanna watch âBeachesâ with me?â
âNo.â He said, tossing the hand cream aside and leaning against the counter, further away from her this time. âIâll come âround after work. Chinese or Pizza?â She smiled.
âPizza for sure.â
***
Early evening had befallen Hawkins by the time Steve made it to her house. The sky outside was quickly darkening, regretfully announcing the end of her day off. She wished she had something to turn back time. Not even a lot, just a day or so. Tiny day. Go plink plink on that little, uh, time turner, and have another Sunday right after her first one. And that one she would spend right here, on the couch, in a pad so huge it could count as diapers and simply not move. Didnât that sound glorious? Damn. Next time, Buckley could beg all she wanted. She would spend her Sunday hermited and wrapped up like a burrito.
When his knock finally came, she was already lounging on her sofa, braless and clad in only her finest pair of sweats and a giant t-shirt that came from god knows where. The void, probably. Maybe even the upside down. Didnât know, didnât care.
It was comfy anyway.
 âCome it, the door is open!â She called, too lazy to move to open the door for him. Honestly, she didnât really need to and he didnât need to knock, he had a key anyway. The door opened and she raised her head, just enough to make sure it was actually Steve that entered and not a crazy serial killer. Well, those probably wouldnât knock but it didnât hurt to make sure, right?
But nope, it was Steve in all his hang-night glory.
Her head plopped back down after she analysed his choice of clothes â very similar to hers, in fact â and he tsked at the sight.
âI told you not to leave your door unlocked, idiot.â
âYeah, yeah, whatever.â
âNot whatever. Dude, you already live in a paper fucking house. At least try to make it hard for someone to murder you, okay?â Not that again. She rolled her eyes at his usual nagging as he kicked off his shoes and hug up his jacket.
âSteve, itâs not that bad, you know? I mean, itâs a house and itâs actually quite spacious since itâs just Tut and me.â Tut was her, very bad tempered, sphinx cat. Well, bad tempered was a stretch. He wasnât that bad. Tut, actually named Tutanchmeow, just didnât like strangers all too much. He liked her, he tolerated Steve and that was far more than enough. Right now, for example, he was hogging her one arm chair, snoring loudly and cutely.
âSpacious. Sure. Iâm kinda scared Iâll bonk my head if I flinch too hard, but youâre absolutely right.â As if to demonstrate, he stretched out his arms, not leaving too much space on either side. âItâs extremely spacious in this thing.â Steve sighed, dropping a pizza carton on the couch table. âI got us the usual stuff.â
âPerfect.â She sighed, drawing her legs up slowly and carefully. âWhat do you want to drink?â
âStay, Iâll get it.â Steve sauntered over into the kitchen and she heard him open up the fridge. He came back with two beers which was fine by her. Heâd already opened them and just dropped them onto the table right next to the Pizza before plunking down onto the sofa into the place sheâd previously freed for him. Her legs fell right back into place on his lap, which Steve accepted wordlessly. Sighing, she covered her stomach with both hands and looked at him.
âHow was the rest of your shift?â Steve just grumbled. âThat bad, huh.â
âYeah.â
âRobin?â
âObviously.â
âDo I wanna know?â
âDefinitely not.â She hummed slightly, taking her time to properly look at him. He looked tired, his eyes drooping already despite him barely sitting down. She poked his side with her foot and he grumbled again.
âPeople are tiring.â She sighed.
âDamn straight.â He shot back. âAnd you know I love Robin, I really do. But god, sometimes I wish she would justâŚstop talking. Just for a minute. I swear, you left the store and her mouth started flapping. I think she was still talking when I went home and itâs justâŚdoes she even breathe?â Steve deflated with a sigh, his head falling back to rest against the wall. âIâm a dick for saying, I know, but I wish Robin came with an off-button.â
âYouâre not a dick for saying that.â
âYes, I am.â
âThen I am too. Because every day I wish that my boys would just keep their damn traps shut. And I love the lot of them, but god, theyâre dicks sometimes.â She shrugged. âThat doesnât make me a dick, though. That makes meâŚNormal. Iâm just a normal person who gets annoyed by other people.â Steve just sighed, saying nothing for a moment.
âSpeaking of.â He said instead, obviously trying to change the subject. âHowâs Eddie first week been going?â She groaned and closed her eyes.
âGod, donât make me think about that.â It had been a whole mess. A complete and utter mess, and terrifyingly large scale. âHow can one guy be so clumsy? I mean, at this point Iâm surprised he can walk in a straight line without falling over. Please, remind me to never ever get in his car, no matter what. Iâm telling you. On Thursday, he literally tripped over his own feet, tumbled through half the shop, bonked against one of the tire stacks and unleashed this, like, chain reaction that nearly send Riley flying into the popped hood of Hagans car. In under a minute, the whole shop was a mess and he just stood there, clenching his hands like a first grader that did something stupid and knows heâll get in trouble. And you know my boys are really good natured â well, except Billy â but even they had really reached the end of their tether by Saturday. Riley even started to dub him Eddie âStumblebumâ Munson.â She was wringing her hands, trying to calm herself down. âI hired him to replace Marvin, but at this point Iâll have to hire someone else to replace Marvin and someone tokeep Eddie in check. I feel instead of lessen he just tripled my workload, because not only do I have to do my job, no Iâm doing his as well as clean up after him.â Steve sighed and patted her leg comfortingly.
And then the two of them sat up properly, she started the movie and he propped open the pizza carton. It was a thing the two of them always did. Steve couldnât really eat when he was annoyed or upset, while she tended to overeat when she was. So, every time they got together to eat, they vented first and dined right after.
Well, unless someone asked for a delay just like Steve had done after his âdateâ. Then they just went about the meal as proficiently as they could.
âLike, what is that movie even about?â Steve asked, chowing down on the pizza and she snorted.
âObviously you would try to keep this movie from me without even knowing what it was about. Thatâs just so you, Steven.â
âWhat the fuck is up with all that âStevenâ lately?â The words came out all wonky, pushed past a giant bite of pizza. âYou sound like my mum, jeez.â
âWell, duh. I am your mum.â Straightening up in her seat, she did a mock-hair flip, and eyed Steve. âOh Stevie, how wonderful to have you back home tonight, baby. But then again, youâre always here, arenât you? Hohohoho.â She didnât even have to concentrate to copy his mum, her strangely sing-songy intonation branded into her brain after too many sleepovers at the Harrington House. âI see you came from-â here she scrunched her nose in distaste â-work. Or, whatever it is you callâŚthat. Oh, Steven isnât that your friend Raven?â Steve was even mouthing that part with her, his mum seemingly not able to remember that Robin was, in fact, called Robin. But hey, they were both birds at least. âMy my, itâs a pleasure to have you back. I hope youâre staying for dinner, darling, because we just love helping the less fortunate members of our quaint town, donât we? Richard, darling! Iâm getting a headache, letâs go to the Maldives!â Steve flicked her forehead the moment she finished, shaking his head.
âI hated that. And it was scarily accurate, so donât do that again.â
âIâm your mum, I told you.â He rolled his eyes once more, getting started on his third slice of pizza while she was only just done with her first. That, ladies and gentlemen, was how Steve usually ate - for all those that have been wondering. He was a total boy when it came to food, finishing copious amounts of it in little to no time. âOh, and the movie is about these two friends. Iâm not sure either, because - thanks to someone - I havenât seen it yet but apparently itâs like an overview over their lives and their friendship throughout.â
âUgh, who wants to see something like that?â He gestured towards the TV. âI mean, come on. Thereâs these middle-aged ladies thinking about their friendship and people go crazy over it? Because that movie has been in and out so often, Iâm surprised you even managed to get your hands on it.â He shook his head. âWho cares about other peopleâs friendships, really?â
âSooo, if someone wanted to make a movie about you and me and our friendship â you wouldnât watch it?â Steve spluttered, nearly choking on his beer.
âWhat? About you and me?â She giggled, leaning forward to wipe some beer off his cheek with the back of her hands.
âI mean, sure. We have a lot to tell, havenât we?â
âYeah, butâŚWhy would I want to watch that? I was there for all of that.â
âHmmh, thatâs true.â
âAnd honestly, Hollywood would fuck it up and turn it into one of those fucking rom-com bullshit movies.â He scoffed, taking another sip of his beer. âYouâd be played by Molly Ringwald â donât hit me!â He caught her hand before she could. âItâs not even because you look alike or whatever, itâs because she gets all the chicks into the theatre!â She grumbled under her breath. Molly Ringwald, fuck that. âAnyway, I would totally be played by Tom Cruise. Obviously.â
âWhy do you get Tom Cruise but I have to be Molly Ringwald!â
âI donât make the rules, dude. Molly Ringwald is in every chick flick on this god damn planet.â She scoffed and stuffed her face with more Pizza. âI mean, damn, I wouldnât be surprised to see her play an African desert princess at this point, simply because itâs her. She would obviously go up in flames because ginger plus sun equals yikes, but you know. Let SPF50 handle that, as long as the entire female teenage population of the united states runs into the cinema because Molly Ringwald!â He rolled his eyes and she scoffed.
âDo not throw all of us into the same pot, Harrington.â
âAh, so you didnât drag me into âSixteen Candlesâ like a mad woman, huh?â She scoffed.
âYeah, but that was- it was- Michael Schoeffling, Steve!â The boy just snorted in that annoying âyeah rightâ kind of way. âTsk. You know what, Steve? You keep your Tom Cruise, because you know who they would cast as Billy and Ian?â
âWhy would they be in that movie?â
âWell, Ian is my ex and Billy beat the shit out of you. That seems kinda important.â
âOnce again: Itâs been six years. Let it rest.â
âNever.â She shrugged, sipping on her beer. âAnyway. Billy would be Rob Lowe, definitely. And Ian would one hundred percent be John Stamos.â
âRob Lowe and John Stamos? Didnât you have, like, posters of them in your old room?â
âYeah, so?â
âYou were obsessed with them.â How could she not? Like, General Hospital was a good show but damn. John Stamos made it so much better and he wasnât even the main event. And Rob Lowe? Man. Those eyes? The thought alone made her want to purr happily. Truth be told, she wasnât mad that Billy and Ian were both working for her. Not that she was superficial, but a lady was allowed to enjoy someoneâs appearance just a little, right? A tiny, selfish glance every now and again should be alright, yes?
âYour point?â
âAre you trying to tell me that Billy and Ian, of all people, are better looking than me?â At that, she could only shrug.
âYou said it, not me.â Not that Steve wasnât handsome â sheâd just told him he was earlier today, hadnât she? But nothing could beat John Stamos or Rob Lowe. Oooh, wait. Maybe that guy from â21-Jumpstreetâ. What was his name again? The guy that played Tom Hanson. That guy was great too.
âWow. You are a horrible person.â
âAm not.â
âYes, you areâŚoh my god.â
âWhat now?â
âYou didnât date Ian because he looks like John Stamos, did you?â She grinned.
âI did not. But, letâs just sayâŚit definitely didnât deter me.â
âTsk. You know, maybe I shouldâŚâ On screen, Bette Midler was suddenly in quite the hurry. âWoah, whatâs she going on about?â
âI think itâs because of that note she just found. See?â
âWell, what does it say?â
âI donât know, dumbass. Someone kept distracting me by talking all over the movie.â
âHuhâŚâ He leaned back, long done with his Pizza, and eyed the television with furrowed brows. She couldnât help but smile.
Who would have thought. âBeachesâ â the chick flick Steve really didnât want to see â actually managed to snag his attention â oh wait. She wouldâve thought. That was pretty much always the case, by the way. He was all pissing and moaning until the movie actually played. Within the first ten minutes, Steve would always be absolutely invested. Heâd be yelling at the screen when the guys fucked up, and get annoyed at every bout of miscommunication.
Because that was who Steve actually was.
A big softie that knew how to enjoy chick flicks.
And very vocally so, too.
âNo way. No way are they fucking on the opening night of her musical thing. Like, dude, who does that!? Thatâs such a bullshit move.â Steve threw a balled-up handkerchief at the TV. âLike, she saw that C.C. liked him. A blind guy could see that. Isnât there something like a⌠girl code or whatever? Who needs friends like that! Shit.â
Realistically, couldnât disagree with that one. It was a shitty move, truly. Who slept with the guy his best friend was into? That was just shitty. Like, technically speaking that would be like her sleeping with Nancy back when Steve was head over heels for the Wheeler princess. God, she wouldâve felt horrible. No, no she absolutely agreed with Steve here.
âYeah, such a dick move, Hillary.â Steve nodded; eyes still trained at the TV.
A better one came later somewhere in the movie. And god, this one would totally make it into her âThings to tease Steve withâ treasure chest â because that one? Pure gold.
âOh my god, why do all the guys in this movie suck?!â Heâd suddenly yelled, making her flinch. âLike, one fucks the one friend and then marries the other, only to divorce her couple years later - because boohoo selfish - and the other cheats on his wife! What is the moral of the story here, guys? All men suck? Is that what theyâre trying to tell me here?â He finished another beer with a noisy sip before falling back into a more comfortable position. âShit, I hate men, really, I absolutely fucking hate men.â
That one did it. She burst out laughing, a croaky, choked up laugh that started to hurt her sides really quickly. And Steve, slapping her thigh and glaring at her, really didnât help much. But oh my god, what the hell â Steve Harrington, recently turned advocate for the âanti menâ fraction because someone fake-cheated on Barbara Hershey. Fuck, she needed to tell Robin about that.
The end of the movie, however, quickly beat the laughter out of both of them.
As the credits started to roll, neither of them really said anything. Both of them hanging low in their seats, shoulder to shoulder, trying to stomach the heartbreak the movie threw at them.
ââŚWell that ending was shit.â
âYupp.â She nodded, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand.
âI mean, why did she have to die? Bullshit.â Steve pushed back his hair, clearly not agreeing with what he just saw. âWho makes a movie about friendship just to kill one of them off?â
âRight? I mean, was that necessary? God, they could just have hinted at it, but why show it?â At the thought, new tears blurred her sight. âAnd, I mean, the whole thing with the âHiâ at the end, why make it so casual? Fuck.â
âYeah, man. I mean, who walks into the hospital, sees their dying friend, and just says âHiâ!? What the fuck.â Silence settled once again, both of them staring at the names flying by on the screen.
Honestly, maybe they were just the wrong people for that movie.
Maybe someone else could have seen beauty or love in it. And sure, there certainly was love between those two, maybe even in its purest of forms. C.C. had driven her car through the night, leaving everything behind because of a simple note and spent the entire time reminiscing about her best friend. Sheâd raced to another town, because her friend was dying and she wanted to be there for her. So yes, there was love, there was beauty in everything.
But it didnât register with her.
Not with her, not with Steve.
The problem with her and Steve was likely the fact that theyâd both feared for each otherâs lives before - more than once. It wasnât a feeling she ever wanted to have to face again, and it wasnât something she liked to talk or even think about. Because to her it was neither love nor beauty â it was just pain. She could imagine how Steve had felt when that Demodog jumped her in â84. That fucking beast had tackled her down, burrowing itâs claws into her sides, and tried to bite her head off or whatever those shitâs do. A well-placed hit with Steveâs bat had saved her, but damn. Itâd been dangerously close. And then, back in â86, when Steve was dragged into loversâ lake...god. She felt his hand slip out of hers, she saw the panic in his eyes as he was dragged out of sight and for a moment her mind when silent, nothing but one thought prevailing.
Steve was dying.
Needless to say, sheâd short circuited and dove into the water â which she absolutely hated â to save him. A tiny part of her wished she wouldnât have, because hearing his screams and seeing those monsters maul him wasâŚyeah, letâs just say it was the main setting of many of her nightmares. He knew, of course, because sheâd told him. Just as he told her about his dreams. How he often dreamed about running towards the trailer she, Dustin and Eddie were supposed to be hiding in only to find the scene changed. Instead of her, hurt and screaming for help while dragging a bleeding, half conscious Eddie Munson towards the trailer he came back to silence. He came to find her lying right next to Eddie, bloody and disfigured. Or maybe he came back to screams all the same, but instead of hers it was Dustin or Eddie screaming while dragging her unmoving body.
âHey.â Steve used his elbow to snap her out of her mind. As always, he just waited for her eyes to focus on him and for her mind to come back to the here and now. He didnât ask questions, because he knew what the answers would be.
Once she was fully present again, he nodded towards her midriff. âYou keep massaging your stomach. You okay?â Confused, she looked down at her hands. And sure enough, there she was, massaging away.
âAh, no. I mean, yeah, Iâm fine. Just one of those hissy tummy days.â Steve looked less than amused.
âPeriod or stomach bug?â Stifling a sigh, she let herself fall sideways on the sofa.
âOh, the woes of womanhood.â Steve winced.
âPeriod, alright.â Sighing he patted her thigh. âPoor girl. How about, like, a heating pad or something? That helps, right?â He didnât even wait for her to nod, he just got up and wandered on. âWhere do you keep those?â
âIâm out, but Iâve got a hot water bottle in the wardrobe.â
âShouldnât you, you know, stock up on that sorta stuff?â Steve wandered into her bedroom like he owned the place, rooting through her drawers without an inkling of hesitation.
âI usually do, but I havenât gotten around to it yet. This whole weekâs been a mess and a half.â The boy just hummed his answer, wandering back into the kitchen to heat up some water.
âDo you need pain meds or something?â She watched him bustle around the kitchen from where she lay, frowning. âHello?â
âWhat?â
âDo you need pain meds? Tylenol? Wait, do you take Tylenol for that?â She chuckled softly.
âI usually take Midol, but Tylenol works. But I donât need any right now, itâs not that bad.â He did that cute thing he sometimes did, where he silently repeated things to himself in order to commit them to memory. She could clearly read his lips, read the word âMidolâ and just had to grin.
The kettle was done boiling and Steve went back into the kitchen for a few moments. It didnât take him long to fill the hot water bottle, let some steam out, squeeze it and carry it over to her. Carefully, he dropped it onto her achy stomach, sending her an analytic glance.
âIâm fine, Steve. I do this every month, remember?â He winced again.
âYeah, all the more reason someone should spoil you a bit.â He wandered over to the TV, rooting through her meagre collection of tapes. Picking one up, he removed âBeachesâ from the player with a disgusted face and changed it for something else. Then he got up, dropped himself back onto the sofa and nodded at the remote. âOn with it, sweet girl. Molly Ringwald is waiting for us.â
***
âThe Breakfast Clubâ kept running, both of them not really paying attention. Sometimes theyâd talk but mostly, they just both got lost in their own thoughts. It was nice, though. Sitting quietly with Steve, not talking and not really doing anything was strangely comforting. The TV filled the quiet with useless chatter and provided them with light in her now entirely dark living room. Tut had at some point left the chair behind to curl himself up on Steveâs lap, where he was now purring away while the boy tiredly ran his fingers over the catâs skin.
But not only that.
No, his other hand kept rubbing circles into her calf and she felt like purring herself. The gentle stroking was so rhythmical and comforting that she could feel herself drift in and out of sleep, barely able to focus on any coherent thought.
Until Steve started talking, that is.
âHey, are you awake?â He suddenly asked, quietly and yet way too loudly. A non-committal hum was all she could offer. âCan I ask you something?â Steveâs voice sounded thick with exhaustion, indicating he was likely just as tired as she felt.
ââŚShoot.â She mumbled back, the warm, sleepy atmosphere weighing on her heavily. Seriously, sheâd probably stopped him from saying anything, had she had half a mind to. Sleepy Steve was a dangerous version of him. He was often too honest and too curious for his own good.
âSo, uhmâŚwe were talking about Ian earlier and it got me thinking.â
ââŚIan?â
âYeah.â Steve looked at her, his head tipped back against the couch. âYou never really told me why you guys broke up. I mean, one day you guys were all in love and the next youâre crying in front of my door talking about how you needed a place to stay until Ian was gone.â
âHmmhâŚâ She sighed at the memory. Sheâd cried so much that night. Poor Steve was likely absolutely overwhelmed, but heâd taken it like a champ. He didnât ask any questions, he didnât cuss Ian out, he didnât do anything but pat her back and let her cry. âIanâŚâ she started, her voice barely more than a whisper ââŚyou know, heâs a good guy.â He really was. Ian looked like a douchebag with that pretty face of his and those broad shoulders, but he was actually one of the kindest souls she knew. He was caring, warm and soft. Loving. âAnd because of that, I had to tell him to leave.â Steve frowned.
âOkay, you lost me already. Iâm tired, please go easy on me.â She grumbled, getting up only to plop down the other way around, her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her, accepting her tired form into a loose embrace, while using the other to secure the hot water bottle back against her torso.
âI have nightmares. As you know.â Heâd been there for many of them. âI mean, theyâre not as bad now but...â Steve nodded, saving her the need of more explanation. âThe worst, most frequent ones started back in â85. AndâŚwell, Ian could deal with those. He kinda understood why they were happening, with Starcourt and my dad and brother and everythingâŚor he thought he understood, at least.â She hugged the lukewarm water bottle closer against herself. âThey got better the more time passed⌠which he noticed. And that wouldâve been fine, I guess, had it not been for all that â86 crap.â She focused on the TV in front where Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson were bickering on. Blegh. âWhen they got worse again, he started to ask questions.â So many damn questions. âI didnât want to lie to him⌠but I could obviously not tell him the truth.â If she closed her eyes, she could clearly remember the hurt on his face, the way his blue eyes turned hard whenever she shot him down. IanâŚwas an extremely kind man. But he was also someone who hated being shut out. She sighed. âA relationship filled with secrets and lies canât work. I saw how he stopped trusting me every time I told him that it would be fine. That he didnât need to know.â She bit her lips at the memory. âAnd every time he would ask more and more questions. Heâd ask about my scars, about my dreams, my fear of dogs and tight spaces and why I wouldnât just talk to himâŚAnd every time I could just look at him and say âItâs fine, Ian. Itâs okay nowâ.â Tiredly, she wiped some stray tears from her cheeks. It was so dumb to keep crying about that â it had been a year now and both she and Ian had moved on. That didnât make it any easier, though. âIt hurt him; I know it did. And hurting him hurt me, so I justâŚâ
âLet him go.â She nodded, closing her eyes against the new tears threatening to form. Steve sighed, stroking her arm with gentle fingers. âI know, whatâs done is done. But couldnât you just have⌠told him the truth?â
âWould you? If it wasâŚI donât know, anyone really.â Steve sighed again, placing his chin on her hair.
ââŚProbably not, no.â
âSee?â She sighed. âHeâs better off without all this. Without me.â
âDonât say that. Thatâs not true. Nobody is better off without you, youâre great.â She snorted.
âYeahâŚthanks, Steve.â
âYou know I really mean that.â
âI doâŚâ But believing it was another thing. Honestly, could she even rant about Steve never listening to her when she told him to stop blaming himself? She wasnât any better. She hid away from everyone and everything, shut out anyone that wasnât already involved simply because she feared she would make their lives worse by just existing next to them.
âIs that the reason you stopped dating too? The whole âquestions you canât answerâ thing?â She sighed against his neck, shrugging slightly.
âI donât knowâŚMaybe. Or maybe it was justâŚâ
âHm?â He looked down at her and she shrugged again.
âI really⌠really loved Ian. A lot.â If it werenât so cheesy, sheâd go as far as call him her first love. âI did try to move on. I went on dates and I tried really hard to get to know people. And sure, sometimes it was about getting laid, but others were genuine attempts at meeting someone I want to be with. But it justâŚit wasnât the same.â He nodded, because that he knew. Sheâd told him every time, ranting about how the people sheâd met were weird or rude. How they commented on her âworkers handsâ or her body, how they tried to kiss her when she clearly said no. And even if she said yes, they somehow found a way to make her uncomfortable by getting all grabby and forward. Those were the worst kind of dates, the kind that made her feel dirty and used. The ones, where all she wanted to do was take a long, hot shower and forget about it.
Of course, not every date was like that.
There were many decent people around Hawkins if one cared to look for them. But even if it wasnât thatâŚthey just never seemed right. Some dates were objectively nice, especially those that her friends had helped her set up. Steve and the others knew her, they knew who she might click with. Those were the dates where people would hold doors, ask questions and be friendly and polite. They wore nice clothes and the conversations flowed easily and continuously. And yet, even after those dates, the best part was the drive home.
âIt just neverâŚâ she took a deep breath ââŚnever felt right with anyone else.â
ââŚYeah, I get it.â Steve said, shifting his arm to hold her a tiny bit closer. âI keep looking for something special, but itâsâŚitâs just never there. Maybe I should just, you know, wait and see. Give up the active hunt. Relax moreâŚâ Steve ran his fingers over her hair absentmindedly. âI donât even know what exactly I want, what exactly Iâm expecting to find. I just always know that this, whatever this may be, isnât it.â They sighed in unison at that. âWeâre a mess.â
âFuck yeah we are.â
The two of them chuckled tiredly, huddled together on her small couch in the tiny single wide she called home, while âBreakfast Clubâ slowly but surely reached its conclusion. Tut was happily snoring away on Steveâs lap, the sound mixing with the chatter of the TV, blending into a calming sea of noise. With every chuckle she felt Steveâs body vibrate softly against hers, a warm pressure, soft but firm at the same time. She could feel his breath against her hairline, he felt her against his neck â soft puffs of warm air that left way to soon.
The whole situation should have been uncomfortable or emotional. It would have been with anyone else. It wouldâve been too much skinship, a blatant invasion of personal space. Every word would have been a dance along the lines of too honest and not honest enough, trying to toe around the dreaded overshare but keeping the whole talk genuine and open. Lies would have been told, truths wouldâve been omitted in favour of not seeming too weak or too pathetic.
This conversation shouldâve been so difficult, admitting their feelings and hopes shouldâve been⌠and yet it wasnât.
Instead, it was warm and soft, honest and quiet. A mere whisper in the dark. An ear that listened to the soft words of another, not questioning what was shared. It was the two of them, sharing everything while leaving each other room to breathe, to just be. Accepting the things that were said without judgement, without forcing the other person to act like something they werenât.
It was comfort and ease, the routine of a long, close friendship. A friendship that had been through highs and lows, that had seen the worst parts of each person. A friendship, that persevered when one abandoned the other, when the wrong words were yelled at the wrong time, when promises were broken and forgotten. Time had tested it with girlfriends, mistakes and the supernatural.
Through that, it became a friendship that survived all the hurt thrown at it. It survived, because the two of them knew that, in the end, they would always choose each other again.
It was a friendship, that was like breathing.
Easy and thoughtless.
Because that was what the two of them truly were.
41 notes
¡
View notes
Interview with Till about his life: he fought with his father, killed his beloved dog, swam on a wild river and worked on suffering. How Till Lindemann's mind works
"I will finish you off" and why you fought for the German army.
Werner Lindemann wanders around the room, interrupting the silence with strange questions, writing something down. His motive is to get to know his son and make him a friend. But it's complicated. Generational conflict.
"My island of tranquility is shaken every day. The day before yesterday, a guy pulled on my socks because his were torn. Yesterday he didn't put out a single lamp in the house. Now, with voluptuous delight, he spits cherry pits into the cat's fur. Is this grown boy really an adult?"
The apprenticeship in Rostock, where you have to do window production after graduation, is the limit of boredom. Till Lindemann moved to his father in the countryside so that he could forget about the hustle and bustle of the city and not fall under the article for anti-social attitudes. He thought of a new life, in which there was no pointless work, and arranged an attic in his father's house.
In the mornings over coffee, he scolded life that everything went according to schedule. And listened very loudly to music - electronics and metal. My father didn't understand and grumbled: âI matured late. Naturally, I wanted to listen to the music I liked, but I could not get my hands on these records. For example, my father did not understand when I bought the Alice Cooper record for a month's salary.
Werner Lindemann was a children's writer who went through the war.
At the height of his career he disappeared for weeks on literary tours - his fame spread to teachers and librarians across the country. His father pecked at Lindemann for refusing to work and promised to turn him in:
"My willful child. What doesn't fit his standards is rejected as nonsense or crap." So he took a job as a carpenter, where he made shovel cuttings and cart wheels. The head foreman constantly drank vodka during the day, didn't want to be annoyed with questions and addressed the long-haired Lindemann with the nickname: "Mozart!" This suited him.
Werner Lindemann talked about war, hard existence and limitations. For example, about a grenade splinter that remained in his body. Lindemann did not believe in all these stories - but categorically did not accept service, war and murder:
âAfter that I objected: âI would hide, I would not go to war. Why did you even let yourself be dragged into this? You could have hidden."
And he said: âIt didn't work out. They searched for it and it took away."
Then I said: âI would rather go under arrest. Never in my life, I would go to the front line to shoot people. It's against my nature. It would be better if I went to jail."
Much of the time father and son were simply silent, even while watching television.
"He regularly made me feel guilty, to say the least, he placed himself on a pedestal towards me: I shouldn't complain. At your age, I ran barefoot through the stubble, and in my stomach - a potato in a uniform."
The only acceptance is Mike Oldfield's music: "One day my father came to grumble again. At that moment I was listening to Mike Oldfield, and he sat down and said: "That sounds interesting."
For me it was like a quantum leap: my father sits in my room, listens to my music and thinks it was good. Probably because of melancholy. He was sitting in a rocking chair that I made myself - at the time I was working as a carpenter on a farm. I, too, always sat in an armchair, immersed myself in music and smoked hand-rolled cigarettes."
The conflict was intensified by a fight. Lindemann bought a Trabant car, installed speakers in it and tested the sound - loud as usual. âThen my father came and I had to turn off this fucking music. It was kind of loud for him. He was then fiddling around his cases of flowers, and then suddenly the situation escalated. I think he slapped me while I was still in the car.
He leaned toward me and hit me with the back of his hand. I made some bullshit remarks like, "Leave me alone," something like that. That was a provocation to him, and he said: "If you do that again, I'll hit you for real." And I said, "Then you'll get it back. Because you're crazy. Don't you dare to hit me anymore."
And then he hit me with his palm again. He wasn't controlling himself.
He was exalting himself. Instantly he introduced himself as a boxer - he had boxed in the Hitler Youth - and I just... I thought I didn't hit him, I just pushed him away. And then he stood in front of me again, "Come on, I'll finish you, you haven't got a chance!" Somehow. After that, he went up to the attic and threw all my stuff out the window.
It happened over the weekend, my sister was there, a lot of screaming, serious drama. Then I packed my things, put them in the car, went to a friend's house and never went into his house again. At first I lived with this friend, and a week later I bought myself a house in the village."
His father's book is about his son, which the son will only open up after the death of the father.
Lindemann is a late child. He was born when his father was 36. The gap in their relationship was felt in everyday life and perception of the world. Werner Lindemann woke up early in the morning, worked with the circular saw under the windows and did not understand when his son slept until noon after a working week.
Lindemann's parents then lived separately, but kept in touch. Mom worked as a journalist and discussed her texts with his father. "She still lived in Rostock and always came to see him only on weekends. Mostly on Sundays she came back quite early, because she couldn't stand the stress of being with him, either."
In 1988, the book âMike Oldfield im Schaukelstuhl Notizen eines Vaters" In this book, Lindemann Senior describes the relationship with his son (whom he calls Timm in the book), who settled with him at the age of 18. The book was written in the 80s and laid on the table until the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany were reunited.
Werner Lindemann wanted his son to take up writing too. But this only amused him, although as a child he wrote poetry. At the age of 13, little Till Lindemann and his father were returning home along the bumpy road to Mecklenburg. They talked about career self-determination:
"You should already have thoughts about what you want to become, boy." My answer: "I don't know yet, maybe a fisherman on the high seas."
But immediately, no matter what I said, objections arose: âBut then you have to get a certificate of maturity. But then you will be away all the time. But then you won't be able to start a relationship."
There was always a âbutâ.
At some point it got on my nerves, as usual. And I said: "Worst case scenario, I'll just become a writer.
I still remember how alienated his face became. "And what do you think then, what do I do! It's a very hard job! In fact, it's not even a job, it's a passion. And it's a job that's supposed to be enjoyable."
I said, "I don't know anybody who works with pleasure."
"Yeah, that's the problem. You have to look for a job that gives you pleasure." Then I say again, "But some people never get to choose..." This gigantic discussion happened because I didn't take his profession seriously. At the same time, he was completely lost, funny!"
Lindemann thoughtfully read his father's book, in which he comprehends their relationship, after his death. Faked for hidden anger and indecision. For example, in a situation where their dog Kurt was bitten by a fox. The father was frightened because of rabies: âAt the same time, we did not even know whether he was bitten by a fox or not. The father immediately called the huntsman. But I said: no one will enter this courtyard and shoot the dog. I'll do it myself if I really need it. At some point I really had to kill the dog."
Lindemann is not a monster. The animals he fiddled with are an important attribute of childhood. He had an aquarium and hamsters, brought mice and rats home, and was friends with dogs. âLike many children of new buildings, he felt the need for someone alive, in need of love,â said Werner Lindemann. Sometimes the appearance of an animal in the house was surprising:
âThis guy will never say what he's up to. He appears on the doorstep at the same time as me. He gets out from his vehicle, throws his coat open and puts a young black shepherd in my hands. "Your Christmas present!"
Till's father is speechless. My son stands before me like the sun's little brother. Touchingly concerned, he directs me into the house, working out a plan for the animal husbandry, accommodation and diet of our new pet housemate.
With confusion, a question flies from my lips, "Wheredid you get the dog from?" "Timm" is gibbering, "Imagine, the mason in the barnyard wanted to hang him, simply wanted to strangle him with a rope, said he was a worthless eater..."
Werner Lindemann died of stomach cancer in 1993, when his son was 30. They didn't finally reconcile, but Till visited him in his last days and was there for him with his mother: "They couldn't be without each other, even though they lived apart. Unreal, but my mother never had another man afterwards. To this day she can't let go of him."
- Not going to the Olympics in Moscow and ending up in the German ghetto
Lindemann had the knowledge and the potential to be a swimmer. And a shyness that pounded harder three days before the competition than concerts in front of crowds of thousands. "I know how difficult it is to develop willpower and stamina and instill those attributes. In the GDR this was instilled in us by coaches and so-called functionaries."
Lindemann came to swimming at the age of eight and devoted his entire youth to the sport. He would get up for training at five in the morning and pass out in the evening. His grandmother watched him from the stands. At a competition in Leipzig she shouted at the coach, who told Lindemann off for a poor result. The grandmother took the coach by the ear and said: "How do you talk to my grandson?"
Sports tightened up his upbringing and developed self-discipline. âDrilling - probably the boy has already received this experience as a swimmer,â Lindemann's father wrote. - Once he had to take second place in a competition, but by no means first place. Of course, he got carried away, forgot about it, became the first, thanks to which he received a shouting for indiscipline. And whenever he lost in the future, his coach would torture him at practice for a long time and yelled at him: "Even if you win, you're not a winner yet!"
Lindemann swam the 1.5 km freestyle and could have gone to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Everything was ruined when he left the hotel without permission during a competition in Florence: "I didn't want to run, but just wanted to look at the city. Cars, bikes, girls. I was caught and kicked out of the team, but then I didn't give the required results either."
Lindemann competed at the European Junior Championships, but did not go any higher. After the story in Florence, his career in sport slipped away. Perhaps an abdominal injury influenced his departure. Lindemann is gone, but he doesn't yearn: "I was relatively young. There were no good [memories] left. I was glad it was over."
"The hardest part was getting back to normal. I fell into a real hole. My home was no longer a sports school, but a ghetto in Rostock. Now I stood out through drinking and fighting. I used to be surrounded only by beautiful ladies who were interested in swimming. Now I had fierce women standing in front of me asking, "How come you don't drink?" When I was shy about approaching a girl, it was interpreted as: "Are you gay?"
Lindemann now works with a coach and swims a few kilometers before his tours to get in shape: "When I exercise, I feel a certain lightness - not only physically, but also mentally. I just feel better. The main problem is staying in shape. That's where self-discipline comes into play. Teeth grinding is important."
- Three weeks in the wild and loneliness as a creative tool
Emotionally, concerts = sports:
"How do I go on tour? Hungry. And happy. It is good to compare concerts with sport. You don't want to do both at first. You don't want to go on stage. You don't want to go to the pool. You don't want to go to the boxing ring. It all happens with reluctance. It has to be accepted somehow, that's life: spring, summer, fall, winter.
When it's done, winter's gone, the blooming begins, greenery appears, it gets bright, and you start to get a taste for it. When it's over, you feel happy. Then the body produces a sea of chemistry, a lot of happiness hormones. I think the body rewards itself."
The stage, like sports, is an embarrassment, but a necessity. Lindemann wore dark glasses in order to collect fewer views from the audience. Therefore, a couple of steps before the water, he looked at the pool with a shiver. You need to cope with yourself in order to open up to new emotions.
Lindemann's gut requires solitude and moderate solitude. This is the point:
âLoneliness is always good for a creative push - you drink a glass of wine and you feel even shitier. Art is not complete without suffering; art exists to compensate for suffering."
With his friend Joey Kelly, Lindemann spent three weeks on the Yukon River. They paddled through the wilderness in a kayak for eight to 10 hours each and lived in a tent. Lindemann didn't take a tape recorder with him, so he transferred the lyrics wandering in his head on paper.
They were catching inspiration and atmosphere:
"There were times when we wouldn't say a word for hours, but then: look there, look there! It was breathtakingly beautiful. These relatively fast-changing panoramas and skies, layers of clouds, the colors.
Except for a few bears and wolves, it's hard to see anyone else out there, it's exhilarating. Along the way we saw two hunters setting traps. No one else.
I grew up in the countryside, and I have a very strong connection to nature. I love fishing, hunting. It's an archaic experience that I like to revisit over and over again. When I'm in the city for too long, I start to miss it."
To recreate situations in the Yukon, Lindemann and Kelly trained for nine months on the Rhine river in Germany because of its liveliness.
"We went down the Rhine to where the transport ships create huge bow waves. If we hadn't had a coach with us, we probably would have been sunk by the side wave impact already during our first attempt," Lindemann said.
Together with Kelly, he had four sessions with two coaches and swam from Cologne to Koblenz [more than 100 kilometers by car]. Lindemann trained separately each week on the lakes in Mecklenburg. It's both physically challenging and savage identical to being natural.
In 2015, Till started his solo project Lindemann. On the album Skills In Pills, the song Yukon was released, in which the lyrics appeared first, and then the music.
- "My lyrics come from pain rather than desire."
The country boy is big and not much of a talker. That's how the Rammstein members saw him at the start, when they were hanging out at home. "He looked cool, like a big peasant talking one sentence an hour," keyboard player Christian "Flake" Lorenz recalled. - He always had food and vodka. He'd just steal a couple of ducks somewhere and cook them on a tray. And then, frozen like in Sleeping Beauty, there were people lying in corners and on trunks in his house."
Lindemann loves and appreciates home gatherings. This came from my father, who always had guests. âIn my opinion, this is the little bit that I inherited from him. Throwing parties and gathering people. Throwing parties and getting people together. He just enjoyed being a good host. The house was always full of guests from Leipzig, from Rostock, foreign guests, even from Kazakhstan.
It was always exciting for him. He stood at the stove, cooked, bought an abundance of wine, and there was always a fire in the garden. At some point he stopped drinking, then he left the party at 21:00 and the whole company continued to feast. And in the morning he got up at four, cleaned and tidied up."
Till Lindemann is about self-digging, overcoming and childish shyness, which is covered by a pumped-up figure of a swimmer. This is how Lindemann decrypts himself:
⢠âAnd I really am like a big child - ill-mannered, but harmless. People think that I am always strong, explosive. This is not true. I am sensitive and easily hurt, but in love I am romantic and passionate."
⢠âAt the very beginning, you sit somewhere in a dark room, open a bottle of wine and figure out how to make the lyrics popular with the music. At first you only have a vague idea of ââwhat it could be.
And when, three years after recording, mixing, and more mixing, developing the artwork, all this nonsense, then you stand on stage, and what you came up with then really works, when you manage to get 20 thousand people to raise their hands, then you experience incredible sensations."
⢠âArt is a kind of therapy.
When I feel that something is arising inside me, domineering and is most often dark, I need to give it a way out, otherwise it will simply crush me. So destruction and self-destruction are the two pillars on which my creativity is based.
But everyone chooses this for himself.
⢠âMy lyrics arise from feelings and dreams, but still more from pain than by desire. I often have nightmares, and I wake up at night sweating, as I see terrible bloody scenes in my dreams. My lyrics are a kind of valve for the lava of feelings in my soul.
We are all struggling to hide behind good manners and outward decency, but in fact we are governed by instincts and feelings: hunger, thirst, horror, hatred, the desire for power and sex. Of course, there is also additional energy in us - this is love. Without it, all human feelings would fade away."
- "When you're constantly living someone else's life, it's very hard to get back into your own skin. I like that in principle, but sometimes you start to get confused - are you out of a role or not yet. You're already Till, or you're still a homicidal maniac."
- "I hate the noise. I hate the chatter. I expose myself to it, which is pure masochism. And then I have to protect myself from it. Noise makes you crazy. You die in it."
⢠âI think there is no God. And if he is and actually allows all the misfortunes on this earth, then he must punish me along with other sufferings. I will not pray to such a god."
This is how the members of Rammstein see Till - flexible and with a split personality:
Guitarist Paul Landers: "Till is so good that when you let him know that his lyrics should go in a different direction, the very next day he brings a new version of the song."
Guitarist Richard Kruspe: âHe's a hell of an extreme man. He dives very deeply into situations where I cannot follow him. Everything he does is very extreme; I don't know anyone who does it. "
Drummer Christoph Schneider: "I would not want to be in Till's shoes: his soul is tormented by doubts and contradictions, he is equally a moralist and a monster."
June 1, 2021 - Translate by Lindemann Belgium
187 notes
¡
View notes