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infitsovermisfits · 2 years

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Video Killed the Radio Star - Steve Harrington x GenderNeutral! reader

AN: yeah at this point I'll write for any stranger things character from the Fruity Four lmao i love them all and they deserve to be happy. sorry if this feels rushed/ fast it's like 4am here and i wanted to get this done asap so little to no editing (yikes) anyways. wooooooo

WARNINGS: gender-neutral reader, alternative/goth reader, reader in their 20's/out of school, bullying, parental issues, mentions of fire - the aftermath of Starcourt, spoilers for 'The Last Unicorn', Steve is alluded to bi/ openly bi to Robin, mentions of parental neglect, absent parent, alluded to dead parent, mentions of death, set before season 4

word count: 7673

Steve thought of himself as confident, self-taught through his high school years. He was also observant, noticing small details in himself and others. Changes that usually no one would see.

You had been here a few times before. You'd glance over the new releases and rivals but rarely something would catch your interest there. Then you'd move across the store to the horror section and stare at the covers until something piques your interest. You'll pick up a tape, look it over, run your fingers, decorated in chipping black nail polish and various rings over the artwork and study it for a moment. You take your time with the images on the front cover, curious eyes scanning over the work to deconstruct any clues as to what the film's about. If you've seen the movie, you're less curious, taking it and holding it in your hand as you pick out other films, then stand and look between the two tapes you're most interested in, silently weighing which one you'd rather see.

Sometimes, you go in and examine the tapes but don't rent any out. He wonders if it's because you don't have the money, or because you changed your mind. And where normally he'd stride up to you and ask if you need help, he always finds himself glued to the spot. If he's at the front desk, he makes himself busy by grabbing a sheet of paper and scribbling while sneaking careful glances up at you; if he's stacking the shelves, he'll make sure to be slow, pretending to lose his place in the alphabetical order or arranging and rearranging the tapes just to be near you longer. Always, though, he's stuck in an internal battle with his mind over saying anything.

You've charmed him, he guesses. Typically, it's the other way around- Steve doesn't just spend twenty minutes styling his hair to not get compliments from the girls on it. But you're there dressed in all black like it's someone's funeral, necklaces hanging loosely around your neck, shoes with platforms to make you taller... And he feels the heat rising on his neck, his heart pounding and his palms clamming up.

He doesn't usually do that,

"Are you gonna just keep staring or...?" Robin asks, nudging him in the side as she joins him at the counter, causing him to straighten, "C'mon Steve, you're usually stalking the person up the aisle-"

"I don't stalk people, what?" He turns to his closest friend with a frown,

"You do, dingus," He rolls his eyes at the nickname, involuntarily sneaking another glance at the only other person in the store, "All these poor people just trying to come and find a good movie to watch on a... Wonderful Thursday evening and you are being a huge weirdo," She smiles to herself as she runs a boxcutter over the tape holding the box of new deliveries closed,

"I am not a weirdo," He justifies, "Okay? What if they're looking to steal something, huh?" He doubts you would. He moves to the computer and pretends to click on a few things. He still hasn't figured out how it works entirely- Robin's the expert. He just skims over the text,

"Why would you just assume that though?" She looks at him with a frown, "They could just be looking- it's a video store that's what you do. You don't just randomly grab a movie off the shelf and go 'I wanna see this!'" She says, "You look at things- movies? They're moving pictures so we watch-"

"I'm not an idiot, Robin," He rolls his eyes and smiles when she laughs,

"Ok, but are you sure? Because it kinda-"

"Excuse me?" Your voice interrupts their bickering. Two sets of eyes land on you. Without him noticing, you moved toward the counter with a tape. He did find it odd today that you strayed from your usual spot at the horror section and moved over to the kid's section, placed lower so the little ones can see the selection better. Maybe you had a younger sibling, "Sorry- I'll just-"

"No, it's okay, we were just talking uh-" Steve straightens quickly, moving back to where he was at the counter near you. He tries hard to stop his hands from shaking, "What did you need?" He asks with a smile,

"I just wanted... It's kinda stupid. I've never seen this movie before and I was just wondering if... If you knew it was good?"

Perhaps Steve hadn't spoken to you before because he believed in all the rumours. That anyone who wore so much black and listened to music fit to summon the devil himself was clearly evil, or at least shouldn't be messed with. Because you were the new kid, starting school halfway through sophomore year after moving to Hawkins unexpectedly. Maybe because he faintly remembered how Tommy H had gotten his gum stuck in your hair in sixth period, and how your eyes had welled with tears and how you had run out of the math class.

And he didn't say anything then. Or do anything to stop his 'friend'. Once again, proving he was just the ignorant asshole everyone made him out to be.

But he was learning. Learning how to accept people for their strangeness and oddness of the people around him- and not letting guys like Tommy H be the real assholes. He hardly ever spoke to the guy anymore, though he kept calling and trying to make plans with Steve, he'd blow him off. He far preferred the company of Robin: who would sit and talk his ear off about grasshoppers and praying mantes she thought were cool; who would involuntarily spoil the plots of movies he mentioned he had never seen before; who would kick him in the foot and nod to the door whenever a girl she thought was pretty would come in, and blush and fluster and stutter under her gaze.

A weathered copy of 'The Last Unicorn' sits on the counter before him. His brows raise, and from his peripherals, he could see Robin's mouth open slightly in shock. It was certainly unexpected. After seeing you rent out the copy of 'Halloween' so much, he thought he had your type down cold but... Here you were. Surprising him,

"Oh, that..." he really doesn't know what to say. All he can do is blink at such an innocent-looking creature on the cover of the movie, then look back at 'scary', intimidating you. The words die on his tongue, as all he can do is stare into your eyes. He thinks they're the most beautiful he's ever seen,

"I mean I read the book and it was great- I loved it," You start saying, hand tracing the outline of the Unicorn on the front cover, "The design of it looks cool... I don't know if that's enough to convince me to rent it," You frown, twisting the tape around to look at it better, "Cause you know. What if it's not accurate to the book and I hate it? I'll only think about that when I want to reread it," You say, and your eyes meet his again,

"Yeah! I get that," Steve mentally kicks himself for not knowing what to say, "I mean, I honestly haven't watched, or uh... Read the book but you know," He shrugs, "Unicorns right?" He laughs. You blink slowly, a frown set on your lips. Your eyes no longer have an excited spark in them and he feels awful,

"Yeah," You say slowly, "Actually I think I'm gonna put this back-" he can't stand how sad you sound,

"No! It's uh-" He shakes his head, "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound so mean. I mean, you should see what some other people rent out," He says,

"Oh?" He's glad he has your attention again,

"I mean yeah," He shrugs, "You learn not to judge," He assures, "I've never seen this one before either but from the cover, it looks good. What's the book about?" And that's enough for the smile to return to your face,

"It's... Okay, I realise it sounds stupid-" You start,

"Well, there's plenty of other stupid movies out there," He smiles, nodding for you to go on,

"See this unicorn?" You tap the illustration on the front, "She goes on a journey in search of her family after finding out she's- well, the last of her kind," You smile fondly, "I like it because of the topics of mortality, you know? Like... She's this immortal and she's not human. Creatures like that- they don't experience emotions like you or me," He could listen to you speak about this forever,

"That's a lot for a kid's movie," His brows knit as he glances at the screen and taps the letters of your name one by one on the chunky keys of the keyboard, focusing hard to not mess it up and confuse the backspace with shift again,

"Book wasn't for kids," You say, "My uh... Mom would read it to me sometimes. It was her favourite so... Y'know. I admire her taste," He nods to you and says the total, taking the money and counting out your change, "Hey, uh... Thanks, Steve," His head perks up and he loses count of the quarters because you said his name,

"For...?" The cold metal of the coins inside soothes his warm skin as he clenches his fists a little tighter to stop them from shaking,

"Not judging me," You smile. It's not a big thing he's done. Simply asked you about a film you like. The absence of snarky comments about your age and genuine interest in what you liked- you weren't used to that. And certainly not from former King of Hawkins High, Steve 'The Hair' Harrington,

"Of course," He smiles, "Tell me how your movie went," He nods to you. And you give him this smile, this beautiful smile that warms his heart. He wishes that moment, where you're looking at him and just smiling, full of joy, he wishes it would last forever. He wishes he could commemorate it in his mind, because he swears your happiness could clear the very rain clouds from the grey sky.

The day is long. Customers come in and out occasionally, but nothing too busy. The sun is already setting by the time he and Robin close up and he feels exhausted, knowing there'll be a lot more folks tomorrow and the weekend. He drives Robin home, mostly quiet as he listens to her,

"But did you see the way she looked at me!?" She waves her hands in exasperation,

"Which one?"

"The red-head!"

"Uhh... No, was I on break?"

"You checked her out? She rented 'Baywatch'?"

"Can't remember," Steve mumbles as Robin groans, dragging her hands down her face and smudging her mascara,

"Are you still thinking about the 'Unicorn' person?" Where he hoped and prayed to God or anyone else above that you hadn't seen him blatantly staring at you anytime you came to the store, he should have guessed by now his equally observant best friend would have caught on, "Cause I haven't seen you so wide-eyed and shaky since that guy at-"

"Wh- I'm not thinking about them! Or Kyle, for that matter," Robin groans,

"Steve, you can do so much better than a guy called Kyle,"

"What's wrong with Kyle?"

"The fact that he's called, Kyle," Steve rolls his eyes, "Come on Steve- you gotta get better standards. That guy was sleazy as hell and definitely lying about his age!"

"Why'd you even take me to that bar if you were just gonna complain about all the guys I went and talked to?" Steve asks, sending her a small frown. She sighs,

"Because A, I don't want you getting hurt or heartbroken by some weirdo and B, you deserve someone who will actually like you for who you are!" And though she likely won't ever know it, those words mean the entire world to Steve. If he wasn't sure now, he was definitely, one hundred per cent sure that Robin loved him- platonically of course, only ever. But she clearly cared for him. Of course, she would ask him to take them both out to a gay bar two towns over in hopes that he'd find someone too,

"How's Cassie?" He asks, trying to somehow make the prickle of tears in his eyes go away by asking about someone she had met,

"She's nice," Robin smiles too, wide, "She introduced me to a friend of hers actually. Her name's Therese,"

"Sounds fancy,"

"She's from France," She makes joins her fingers and thumb together to make a point, waving her hand, "From ze great of Paris," He laughs at her poor attempt at an accent,

"Okay, that wasn't French,"

"How would you know French!" She shoots back,

"I might not know French but I know enough that that wasn't close- and what's this?" He makes the same gesture, "That's Italian-"

"No, it's French, Steve!" Their argument continues as it usually does, and though Steve eventually concedes, even though he knows it's one hundred per cent Italian, he still smiles brightly. Once he drops her off, he decides he needs to do something nice for Robin- show her how much she means to him.

Without her, he wouldn't be... This. Sure, he's been stripped of his title of King, and he hasn't gone on a meaningful date that hasn't ended in making out or sex in years, but that really doesn't bother him. Though, he does long for love. Robin certainly wasn't wrong about that. He does deserve someone to love him for who he is. He'd accept anyone's flaws if they accepted his.

A few years ago, he would have likely driven by the only bookstore open in town without so much as sparing it a glance. In fact, he has to turn back when he realises he missed the corner on which it stands, the parking spots in front of it empty and a 'closing down' sign plastered to the front, along with various sales of varying percentages. Now, he's getting out of his car, and he doesn't stop to look around the street to make sure anyone who knows him isn't around. Frankly, he doesn't care who sees him. He has nothing to fear- after all, social and public scrutiny are nothing compared to smashing creatures from the upside down to goop with a baseball bat, and fistfighting Russians beneath a mall. A small bell jingles to signify he's inside,

"Hey! I'm just in the back!" He recognises the voice that calls out as he stuffs his hands in his pockets, dropping his keys in the left. He glances around at the bookshelves all around- some are already vacant, with boxes labelled with different genres scrawled on the fronts, "Sorry- just moving some things back there ahead of time- Oh!" And it's you. And you're surprised to see him there, "Hi, Steve," There's a pleasant smile on his lips- not the one reserved to appear nice to customers, but one for friends, or someone you know,

"Hey!" He greets, "I didn't know you worked here," Of course, he didn't. This is his first time setting foot in this bookstore,

"Yeah, well," You shrug, "I got the job when I first came here... And now it's going out of business so, technically I won't be working here soon," There's a sad smile on your lips now as you glance around the cosy store, and let out an equally pained sigh,

"Sorry to hear that..." His gaze follows yours along the bookshelves, focusing on all the empty spaces left by the missing books, "It looks really cosy here though... Wish I'd stopped by here sooner," He grimaces,

"Yeah, well... No use dwelling on the past," You say, brushing your hands on your clothes. It's the same outfit you were in earlier that day, you just have your name on the name tag pinned to your shirt, "You're here now. Managed to catch me before I go," You smile as you walk to the counter,

"Before you go?" He tries not to sound too panicked at the thought that you were leaving just as he had started getting to know you,

"You know. Cause the store's closing down?" You tap a sign on the counter that reads 'Big Closing Down Sale! All Books Must Go!'. He relaxes, nodding and glancing around,

"Oh, right," He mumbles, "Well, in that case- do you have any books on bugs?" You blink at him, "Uh, not like... For kids- it's for a friend. She's really obsessed with them. Wants to be an uhm... Eto..? Etomologyst?"

"Entomologist?" You try,

"Yeah! That!" He smiles brightly, "You have any?"

"Mmmm... I think? I'll check in the zoology sections," He's thankful you motion with your hand for him to follow you through the bookshelves. You don't glance at them to even check you're going to the right place- though they're marked from A to Z as he reads on the small inscriptions. You turn and he follows you all the way to the end, stopping at the 'Z's, "We organise them by genre," You explain, "Alphabetically and according to genre,"

"Huh. We try organising like that too," You look from the books back to him. He forgets how to breathe for a moment,

"You do?"

"Yeah," He swallows, "Like uh... With Horror, we'll start the 'A's at the front and... Yeah," You nod,

"I've noticed. Sometimes they're out of place though," You mumble, attention going back to the books. You step a little closer to get a better look, "It bothers me so I fix them up," You say quietly,

"Thanks- makes my job easier," And you laugh pleasantly,

"I wish we had customers like you, Steve," You say through a tired sigh, folding your arms as you continue looking over the shelf, "Couple of months ago we had a few freshman run in here and start ripping up our books-"

"Holy shit, seriously?" He frowns as you nod,

"These kids have no respect for fine literature," Then you pause and your shoulders go slack, "I sound so old," You joke, and he laughs softly,

"You sound like Mr Adams," He says. Your attention snaps back to him,

"I do... Oh god," You say, putting a hand on your forehead, "Yeah, you were in that class with me," You nod, looking back at him, "I do sound like him," A look of disgust crosses your face and he laughs,

"Oh I guarantee you're far more interesting than that old guy," Steve says, watching as you crouch down and open a box, sliding your fingers over the spines of the books and reading the titles, "And far less creepy," You finger halts over a title he can't read, on the account that it's upside down, and you look up at him with wide eyes and parted lips. You look like you want to say something to him, but then you change your mind. Going back to the books. A silence falls over the two- Steve can hear faint music playing. A piano playing a vaguely familiar song. He listens intently to the melody though he can't entirely decipher it-

"There!" You stand quickly, brushing the dusty cover and sniffling a little at the dust that flies off it. You hand the book to him, 'Entomology- Cedric Gillott' printed on the front cover, "It's got the basics and information and that stuff in it. Good read, I think," You say. And as he reaches out to take the book from you, his fingers brush yours. Though he can't see them, covered under the book, he feels his skin tingle at your touch. Your hands are cold. Steve wants nothing more than to gently take them and hold them in his until your warm up,

"Thank you," He whispers as you give him a nod and close the box again,

"That's all we have- sorry! I thought I'd have more but I guess not," You say as you stand and move by him. And as you do, your elbow brushes his, sending more tingles running along his skin. He follows after you almost blindly, tripping over a box as he goes and snapping him back to reality. He feels like he's walking on clouds and his head is spinning. Jesus Christ- if he didn't do something about this crush soon-

"The movie!" He stutters out once he gets to the counter. You're tapping in his total but stop at his sudden outburst. Maybe some small, impatient part of himself finally won and took the reigns, tired of not talking to you and pining over you for so long. He blinks back at you, surprised himself, and feels the skin of his face heating, "You- you rented the movie. The uh... 'Last Unicorn', right?" You nod, "You watch it yet?"

"No, actually. I had to come into work- my co-worker called in sick so... I'm planning on watching it tonight though- the book'll cost you two dollars, by the way," You say with a slight smile,

"Only two dollars?" Steve asks as he pulls out his wallet,

"Well yeah. We're going out of business. I originally wanted to do a one-dollar sweepstakes situation but my manager told me he still wants to make money," You laugh softly as he hands you a ten. You blink, "I uh... I don't think I have change-" You open the register and frown as you rifle through coins,

"Keep it," He says, sliding the book of the counter, "I... Maybe you could buy some popcorn? For the movie?" You glance from the ten he placed on the counter then back to him, then you smile,

"Regular microwaveable popcorn's only like... A dollar, Steve," You say softly,

"Have you seen what they charge for a bucket at the Cinema?" You laugh at that, "And who says you need one pack when you could buy eight?"

"Right," You laugh again, taking the money uncertainly. There's a frown on your lips, and you glance back at him like you want to say something- hand it back to him and tell him to keep it and take the book for free. He opens his mouth, ready to urge you to keep it but you beat him to it, "Well if you're free tonight, maybe you can watch it with me?" Your voice goes quiet, like you're afraid someone else in this vacant building will hear. Steve's eyes widen at your proposition, and you must think that's a bad thing. Because next thing he knows, you're shaking your head and shuffling through the coins again, "Never mind- I don't know why I asked that," You chuckle nervously as the coins clink beneath your fingers as you count them out,

"Hey, no, no, you don't have to do that," It's fairly hard to contain himself with how happy he is you asked him out. No one had ever asked him out. It was always the other way around, "I'll watch the movie with you. I mean, I've never seen it before and I work in 'Family Video', I might as well be well versed in my movies," He tries to play it off cool, though the smile on his face stays put as you relax and smile back,

"That's... Nice," You say, looking at the coins in your hand, "But..." His heart sinks, "Won't you uhm... Be embarrassed?" You ask in a small voice, now frowning sceptically, "Or worried?"

"Worried- why would I be worried?" He asks confused,

"You know... To be seen with me?" You ask with a frown, "I mean, after all, I'm the 'terror of Hawkins', I've eaten a live snake before," You say in exaggeration, relaying rumours that had been spread about you from the moment you set foot in this town, "You're not... Scared people will... Talk?" You're quiet now, so full of self-doubt it breaks him, "The former King of High school with the New Town Freak?"

"How could I be worried about what other people think of me?" He says, "When I'm happy I get to... Spend time with you," He smiles at his own words. You can hear the genuineness behind his words because you smile wider and nod,

"Yeah," You say softly, "Uh, so... I get off in about... Oh! Ten minutes! I'll close up early and uh... Yeah," He almost can't wait, standing near the door and grinning, trying to make himself look busy by opening the book he bought and glancing through the page. Some words he remembers from Robin's rants but others just confuse him. Though he can't be entirely focused. All he knows is he's going to watch a movie with the person he's been crushing on for weeks.

You emerge soon, wearing a long black jacket, hiding your name tag and a bag on your shoulder. You pull a set of keys out as he walks out with you, waiting patiently as you lock the door and pull down the shutters. He even offers to help with the second one, seeing you struggling as it appeared to be jammed. He shows you the trick he learned through closing up 'Family Video' so many times, realising the two places got their shutters from the same place. You look at him with wide eyes as he shuts it smoothly- you thought about the months of you making a fool of yourself by yanking the metal down while it squeaked and groaned under your straining. It hardly made a sound when he did it. Naturally, you ask, and he's all too happy to tell you about working at 'Family Video'.

Talking with you is easy- where he doesn't think his time serving aboard the ocean of flavour at Scoops Ahoy last summer was that eventful, you ask him what his favourite flavour was. He'd love to tell you about the Russians and his adventures that led to the mall burning down, but that'd be a story for another time... Or never. He wouldn't want you exposed to that kind of danger. Maybe when you were a safe distance away from Hawkins he'd tell you, but for now, he was all too eager to tell you about how good of a combination of salted caramel and mint chocolate chip was.

You get popcorn and various snacks within the ten-dollar budget, though when it comes to paying, he does it for you. You don't mention anything at the store, but when you get to the car, you offer to buy the pizza to repay him. He's hesitant at first but eventually relents. You ask more about salted caramel and why on earth someone would eat ice cream with the flavour of toothpaste,

"I live just here," You point to the house. It's small, and all the lights are off, "My dad doesn't get home 'till late," You unbuckle your seatbelt and pick up the bags from the floor of the car. He offers to carry them for you. You slap his hands away, though relent when you comically struggle with the door.

It's small. That's never been a bad thing to Steve. As you take your shoes off, sitting on the steps to the second floor, he picks up the bag you set down and glances around. There are pictures of a happy family on the walls- real pictures. Men and women gathered around in a yard talking and laughing, around a campfire, one playing the guitar, children playing in the snow and on the playground. And once you motion for him to follow you to the living room he's stricken by a large painting hanging above the couch.

It depicts winter over a dark wooden cabin, with flowers of various reds and blues painted on the large white support beams around it, and decorating the window frames. The roof has a thick blanket of undisturbed white snow, around a foot deep, covering it, and the fields in the foreground don't look any different. To the right, half of a similar house, this time a more warm, orange tone in wood sits, a pathway trodded in the snow by footprints dragging mud from the frozen earth below and staining the pristine white. Beside the path, two long tracks run, indicating a cart of some kind had driven through there. As he stares more, he feels weight leaving his arms, and he spots a horse-drawn carriage with minute details off in the distance, disappearing just over a hill. A large building sits in the back, though it's such a dark shade of grey that it mixes with the deep ashen clouds, resembling a palace formed from clouds, or something akin to Dracula's castle. He had missed it before, but opposite the houses on the right, some deer walk through the snow. Just two- one with antlers, one without. They're so small yet so precisely painted. He can see the individual streaks of paint where the colours were married together. Then at the bottom, in swooping black- no, deep, rich grey, the colour of thunder clouds, is a name he doesn't know how to pronounce with '75 next to it,

"My mom painted that," He's pulled out of the winter by your warm voice. You're smiling fondly, standing beside him with two cans of Coca-Cola. He can faintly hear the popping of popcorn from your kitchen. He closes his mouth, wetting his lips and standing back a little to admire the painting as a whole,

"It's... It's really beautiful," He says, and you laugh softly,

"Thanks... It's my dad's favourite. He says it reminds him of home," You reach out to touch the name on the bottom, tracing a line with your fingernail under it, "I remember her painting it. I think I was ten? Or eleven? I can't remember," You offer one of the Cokes to him and he gladly takes it,

"She's really talented," You nod, "Where is she now?" He asks softly, as if that'd help soften the blow of the question. It never does,

"She's gone..." You say, "Left. Didn't come back home one night," It's all you say before the microwave dings and summons you away. You set the coke on the coffee table, covered in magazines and an open notepad. His eyes fix on multiple games of tic-tac-toe where 'x' mostly won with the occasional draw. There's a half-empty beer bottle and the can of coke, as well as a plate with crumbs littering the surface.

Your living room is cozy- nothing huge with needless statement pieces and excess furniture to fill the void. There's a couch, a worn armchair with an open crossword puzzle on the side and the remote balancing next to it. The television sits on a cabinet, and there are large shelves next to it- one shelf dedicated to books, another containing a bowl of sea-shells and framed pictures he can only see the colours of- soft beige and light blue- beach photo he guesses. Nearby are what appear to be handpainted figurines, mostly animals. Then an angel, a piece of its right-wing is chipped off at the tip. A clock ticks away on the wall and there's a calendar stuck on June next to the shelf. More paintings on smaller canvases hang up there, and from the browns and greens, Steve can't decipher what they are. He'd have to get closer,

"How did you convince me to buy this much popcorn?" You laugh. You pour the contents of a bag into a bowl half-full of popcorn already so it almost spills. You throw the bag in the direction of the trash and miss, before taking a kernel from the top and eating it. He finds it adorable when you yelp, fanning your mouth upon burning yourself,

"Yeah, you should be careful with that. It's hot," You give him a playful glare as you join him and set the bowl down,

"Thanks for the advice, Harrington," You tease, and he simply grins and winks at you as you move past him to shut the blinds, hiding various plants placed on the windowsill from view. The room is dark, given the slithers of light that remain outside, and you quickly turn on a large lamp that casts a warm yellow glow. Steve realises he had never felt more welcome and at home than he did in that moment. His cheeks hurt considering he can't stop smiling to himself. As you pick the VHS tape from your bag, delicately sliding the cover off and leaving it on the table, he takes a good look at you like this. Your home is comfortable and small, and you look relaxed and calm. With a small sigh, he sits on the couch, and finally shrugs off his jacket once you place the tape in. Before you walk over to him, you grab a book he hadn't seen near the dresser and smile as you hand it to him,

"'The Last Unicorn'," He reads, glancing up as you grab the remote from the armchair, nodding and placing another popcorn kernel in your mouth. And for one, horrifying moment, he thinks you'll sit away from him when you place a knee on the plush of the chair,

"Mhm," You hum, reaching for a cream-coloured blanket resting over the chair, "It's a good read- really," You assure as you, to Steve's relief, move off the chair and walk over to him, "I'm letting you borrow it once we finish the movie," You wink at him this time. His heart beats a little faster.

The couch is small, and when you sit down you curl your legs under you and pull the blanket over them. You then glance up at him, holding the blanket open and motioning closer to yourself. He sat further away, but this invitation to come closer warms his heart. He shuffles over until your legs touch his thigh just gently, and allows you to drape the blanket over him. You hand over the remote- he notes you paused the Tape on a commercial- and grab the underside of the coffee table to pull it closer. You easily reach for the popcorn, shifting around so the bowl can sit comfortably between you two,

"Ready?" He can hear the excitement in your voice; see it on your face. He set the book back on the table,

"Ready," He says, reaching for his can of coke and motioning for you to do the same. He holds it up, in a mock toast, and you laugh as you dink the cans together and drink a sip each.

Steve Harrington didn't expect a movie about Unicorns to make him so emotional- and neither did you. But here you both were, taking turns sniffling as the unicorns emerge from the water, safe from the bull, and run to chase their freedom. You only paused it halfway to pick up the pizza from the front door that he hadn't realised you must have ordered while he was busy admiring the decor. Over the course of the movie, you had moved from laying down, to sitting up, to clutching Steve's hand, and now you were leaning against his shoulder with his arm around you,

"Holy shit, man," You laugh wetly as the credits roll, sitting up to wipe the tears from your cheeks and stretch your arms above your head, and your legs out under the table, "She really found them,"

"Go Lady... Uh-"

"Amalthea," You smile, turning your head to him, "Were you crying too?" There's surprise in your voice,

"Wh- Yeah? Are you kidding me?" He sits up with a slight smile, setting his legs on the floor, "God- I understand why you like the book, with all the mortality stuff?"

"I know!" you say excitedly,

"I mean, her crying over being in a human body-"

"I know!!" You repeat excitedly, "God- that, the last scene and the first scene with Molly g-"

"Molly was the-"

"The lady with the funky hair," You say as he nods, "But yeah. That part got me. Molly- ugghh!! She deserved better!" You say, flopping back on the couch with a bright smile, "I really enjoyed that, Steve," You tell him softly, turning your head. It's music to his ears and has him smiling and blushing all over again,

"I'm glad," He said, "I'm glad you invited me over too," He says honestly,

"Yeah... I was kinda... Hah- sorry if this is rude, you know," You shrug, "But uh... I've never been on like... A date before?" The surprise must be clear on his face because you nod and look away bashfully. This was a date to you... "Yeah, hah... Guys like you would only ever ask me out on dates as a joke. To laugh at me," You say in sadness, "Invite me to dinner or a movie and never show, or they'd tell me to my face that it was a joke or a dare," You grimace,

"That's so shitty," Steve frowns, "I'm sorry they did that-"

"Hey, it's fine," You laugh weakly, "I mean, it was years ago, right? Guess times change once you leave school," You shrug, looking back at him, "But... You proved me wrong. Guess I can't judge a book by its cover- I mean," You gesture to yourself, "Look at me. I'm a walking contradiction," You smile, "I dress like this but look at my house. Looks like a grandma lives here," He laughs at that, "Well, it does!" You protest,

"I like your house," He says, "It's really... It's nice,"

"Heh- sorry it's no mansion, rich boy," You tease, setting an elbow on your knee and resting your hand,

"Hey, I mean... Your home at least looks like someone lives in it and not like it's a set ripped straight from Ikea," He grimaces. You laugh softly, to humour his joke, but give him a long look,

"Is that why you were staring so much?" You ask the question softly, "At the pictures and the painting?" You gesture loosely behind you as he nods slowly,

"My parents are busy people," He says softly, matching your gentle tone, "They don't have time for decorating. It's just whatever looks expensive or whatever works the best and there. No style or coordination or anything," He sighs, "I mean... There's so much empty space and nothing to fill it... I'd give anything to live in a place like this," He said honestly, your eyes never leaving his face, capturing his eyes once he finished speaking and holding his attention there,

"Well, Harrington," You say, reaching a hand out to touch his, "You're welcome to come over whenever you want to," He feels like you're about to lean in. Or say something else. He hardly has the strength to turn his head away from yours to look at the clock. He squints to read it but sees it's getting late- and some small, insecure part of him starts whispering he's outstayed his welcome,

"I should start heading home," He says, nodding to you as he stands and stretches his aching back, reaching for his grey jacket,

"Oh right," You hiss, standing too. And when he catches sight of your face, he doesn't miss the disappointment there,

"When are you free next?" He asks, shrugging the jacket on, shaking it a little to hear the jingle of his keys,

"Mmm... I start at eight and finish at two," You say, reaching down to grab your long empty coke and fiddle with the tab, "And if my co-worker isn't home then I finish at five like normal," You say, "But that's... Only tomorrow. Last day," You grimace,

"I see," He says as you remove the tab and grab his, removing it too. You stash them in your pockets, then grab the blanket, draping it over your shoulders like an oversized cape,

"Yeah... It's bittersweet you know- that old store closing means I have no job anymore but... Hey, at least I'm free more," You shrug, smiling,

"That's... Good?" He asks as you walk him to the door. You tilt your head, narrowing your eyes and giving him a look,

"Didn't you just ask me when I'm free next time Harrington?"

"Oh, right," You laugh again, sweetly. He puts his shoes back on, bending down to tie his laces, "Yeah, I mean... If you're looking for another job then-"

"I already have one," You assure him as he stands, tilting his head as if to say 'go on?', "At the library. Pays well and, well, I'm well equipped for the job," You say,

"That's good," He smiles, already mentally calculating the fastest route from the library to his workplace,

"Yeah- we'll be close by. It's like a five-minute walk," You say, as if reading his mind,

"Huh," He smiles, "I can always drop you off...?" He offers,

"I prefer walking," You tell him, "Thanks, though. And thanks for watching this with me," You say softly again, stepping closer, "Hey, if you wanted to do this again, next time, we could watch something you like? We'll make it fair," You say smiling, "One of us picks the movie, and the other buys the snacks?" You hold your hand out for him to shake,

"Sounds like a great deal to me," He says, "Can't wait,"

"Can't wait for you to scream like a little girl at 'Alien'," You laugh to yourself. Though he'd never seen it, he heard the more... Gorey bits from Robin explaining animatedly how some creature pops out of someone's chest,

"Eugh- I'd prefer watching the unicorn movie over that," He chuckles to himself and reaches for the front door,

"Hey, c'mon. Alien's classic!" You smile, "Fine... 'Jaws'," You suggest,

"Better. I always liked that one," He says,

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, because I bet you I could outswim the shark," He says, hearing you laugh loudly as he opens the door, "What? You've got that little faith in me? I was captain of the swim team for years! A lifeguard for two- I'd punch that shark right in the nose!" He makes a loose punching gesture and leans against the frame of the open door, watching as you laugh to yourself clutching your stomach,

"It'd bite your hand off!" You laugh out, and he shakes his head,

"I'm too fast. I'm like... A ninja," He shrugs, smiling as your laughter dies down and you're left beaming at him, face illuminated in the cool light of the moon outside, eyes sparkling as you look up at him,

"Sure you are," You say softly. For a moment, all you do is stare into his eyes, holding his gaze, unblinking. Your eyes flick over his face, his hair, and the freckles dotting his skin. Your eyes flick from his lips back to his eyes, where they already hold your gaze. He wants to reach out, touch your skin and feel its softness under his fingers as he brushes hair from your face. He wants to feel the touch of your lips against his. He wants you to know how he feels- how he doesn't want to leave and go back to that silent, frozen house. He wants to be here- in the warmth, your warmth, surrounded by family and love,

"Drive safe, okay?" Your voice is so quiet he almost doesn't make it out over the crickets chirping outside. And when he realises you're so close he can feel your breath mixing with his, he's almost startled,

"Okay," He whispers back, causing you to smile. Your eyes dart down once again, before you're moving a hand up to touch his cheek and closing the distance. He almost doesn't react at first, sure this is some dream. But he wakes up soon enough and realises you're kissing him, and this is the safest he's felt since he emerged from the fire. He reciprocates, lips moving against yours just gently, not intending on starting anything. Simply letting himself feel loved and... Happy. Like he wanted, he moves his hand up to touch your face, just holding you there as you kiss. He feels your hand move down his face, delicately sliding down his neck and resting on his shoulder, toying with the collar of his polo. In turn, his hand curls around your waist, and he's delighted to find you moving impossibly closer to him, so you're pressed close, safe in his hold.

When you get short of breath you pull away but don't stray too far, resting your forehead against his. You lifted yourself on your tiptoes to match his height and when you stand back down he follows you, tracing your gentle skin with his thumb, commemorating the touch to memory,

"Will you take me out tomorrow?" You ask softly, pulling back enough to see his face. His pupils have darkened slightly, yet he's looking at you with a look of pure adoration, setting the butterflies in your stomach and chest swarming, "We could go to the park? I could uh... Read you the book?" You offer,

"It's a date," he tells you softly, and your smile widens,

"A date..." You repeat, exhaling happily. With a grin, you stand back up on your tip toes, kissing his cheek and stepping back, "Oh- wait here!" You say quickly, momentarily ducking back to the living room and emerging with a pen. You take his hand, turn it over and scrawl a few digits on the back, "Call me when you get home, okay?" You ask. He takes your hand in his and squeezes it gently,

"Of course," He nods, "Goodnight," He adds, deciding to lean forward and plant his lips to your forehead. Reluctantly, he lets go of you, before turning and walking to his car. Though he hears the door close behind him, when he turns, he spots your face in the window. He grins, and you grin back, waving a hand as he goes to his car.

All Steve can think about as he drives home is the buzzing of his lips and the ache in his cheeks because he kissed you. Because he found someone who loves him back just as he is. No facade, no bravado. Just as Steve.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve hairrington #steve stranger things #steve x reader #stranger things #stranger things season four #stranger things season 4 #stranger things 4 spoilers #stranger things spoilers #st4 #stranger things 4 #steve harrington stranger things

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tooearlyforthis · 2 years

Text

The Book | Steve Harrington

Guess who's still on a Stranger Things kick! If anyone has any Steve stories they like please send them my way!

Pairing: Steve Harrington x reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Synopsis: Christmas, the best time of year to eat sweets, enjoy time with your family, and find out your best friend is in love with you.

(Slightly inspired by More Memories to Make by @hairrington - go check this one out it's great- also small moment inspired by the show Friends)

Warnings: little bit of fluff, friends to lovers, mutual pining

Click here to see my masterlist

Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. Slay bells ring, snow glistens, and y/n y/l has too many people in her home. She didn’t know why she volunteered to have the holiday party at her house this year, but, here she was, the house was packed with teenagers - plus the few newly-turned adults in their friend group.

She grabbed another tray of cookies from her kitchen. The room was already a mess, dishes stacking up in the sink, sprinkles all over the countertops. But that didn’t stop Robin Buckley, from taking a spoon and scooping up a wad of icing directly from the jar.

“Robin!” y/n explained.

Trying to swallow the icing to speak, she held up her hands. “I’m innocent!” Robin pleaded.

y/n rolled her eyes. “Come on, secret santa is about to start.”

A smile appeared on her friend's face as she walked over to take the cookies into the living room, stealing one for herself in the process. As they entered the grand living space, they saw the other guests light up at the restocking of their deserts.

y/n settled into the couch as she watched the younger kids dive forward for the cookies on the coffee table. Smiling, she felt the couch shift as someone sat down beside her.

“Did I miss the cookie refill?” asked Steve Harrington.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

He groaned in frustration. “Damn, your cookies are the best.”

y/n leaned close to his ear for only him to hear. “I may have hid a box of them away for us older kids for when the others go to sleep.”

Watching as his face lit up, he pulled her into a hug. “Yes! You really are the best, y/n.”

She felt her heart flutter at his words. Ever since she saw him back in high school, she felt herself swooning over him. At first, she hated herself for it. She didn’t even know the guy and if she was being honest, he was kind of a jerk.

And then the Upside Down happened and she was dragged along by her best friend, Jonathan Byers. Not too soon after shit started to go down did Steve enter the picture. She saved him from a demogorgon in the Byer’s house and that was the first time they had ever spoken.

y/n knew that from the moment he held out his hand and said, “Thanks for saving my life, I’m Steve Harrington,” her crush was not in vain. His warm smile, the soft shake of his hand…it was hard to stay away from.

She had kept a polite distance, knowing that he went after the girls he liked. If he was going to ask her out, he would have done it by now, so being just friends would have to do. But then those little moments would happen. The glance a second too long, the friendly smile in the hall. One look and y/n would find herself falling for him all over again.

She held in her breath as he continued to hug her, trying her best not to look into his eyes, when Nancy called out to silence the busy room.

“Okay everyone, let’s begin!” Nancy announced sitting down, next to her boyfriend.

Mike was the first to go, opening a new set of Dungeons and Dragons books from Will. He marveled over them, engulfing his friend in a huge hug.

Will got a new set of paints from Lucas who had recently learned of his friend's artistic skills, he was pretty proud of his present.

Lucas was shocked when he unwrapped a brand new basketball from Nancy. He didn’t even know how she knew he played but didn’t question it.

Nancy was next to open, getting a new set of journals from Robin. She smiled at her new writing books, happy since she had told Robin a few weeks prior she was almost out.

Robin was beyond ecstatic when she opened up a pack of language-learning cassette tapes. Dustin had given it to her, hoping that she would wanna learn Russian properly and not through some weird coded messages.

Dustin was also pleased with his gift from Max. As he opened up a new collection of hats, hugging his friend tightly, y/n felt a tug on her own shoulder. She turned to see that Steve had snaked his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

He didn’t even turn to look at her, staring out at Max who was opening a new skateboard from Eleven. He acted like this was normal, that putting his arm around her was a daily occurrence; it definitely was not.

The more he did these things, the harder it was getting to hide her true feelings. She hadn’t really told anyone about them, even though Jonathan had teased her about it in the past. Trying to forget about it and move on, she slowly untangled herself from him, seeing Eleven open a set of Wonder Woman comics from her older step-brother.

It was the perfect excuse to move away, watching as Jonathan opened his present from her. He smiled as he saw the new rolls of film she had gotten him packaged with some photos of their group she had taken with a disposable camera.

He smiled at her, getting up from his chair with Nancy hugging her. “Thanks, y/n, I love it.”

“Of course,” she said softly as they pulled away.

Quickly a voice sounded from beside her. “Okay, y/n why don’t you open your present?”

She turned with a raised eyebrow to see Steve with his arms crossed staring at them. Sitting back down next to him she grabbed her present. “I take it you got me for secret santa?”

He shrugged as she began to unwrap the present. “Maybe.”

Finally able to get all the wrapping off, she gaped at the present before her. It was a first edition copy of Anne of Green Gables, her favorite book growing up. The binding was fragile as she turned it in her hands, opening the first page gently.

“Oh my god Steve!” she exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug. She could feel his palm flat against her back. “Thank you so much, this is amazing!”

As they pulled away she could see him try to hide his smile. “It was nothing,” he said, trying to play it off cool.

Smiling she turned back to the book, not even paying attention to Steve opening a can of Farrah Fawcett spray and a fanny pack that said #1 Mom on it from Mike - he really thought it was a clever gift.

For the rest of the party, the book was all she could think about. After finishing the tray of cookies and another round of hot chocolate, after she left the room to go start cleaning the mountain of dishes, she thought about how it must of costed Steve a fortune to get the book.

“Need help?” said a voice. She looked up to see that Steve had already walked over, helping to start drying the dishes she was washing.

She smiled at him as they washed and dried, the debate over what music to play echoing in from the other room. “Thanks again for the gift,” she said. “You really didn’t have to.”

“It was nothing,” he brushed off, picking up another plate. “You used to reread that book every year. I figured it was important to you.”

“It is…” she trailed off, thinking of all the sappy memories from her childhood she had with that book, ones she didn’t need to be remembering at this moment. Changing the subject, she said, “We’re going to have to set up all the mattresses soon.”

He chuckled. “I still can’t believe you’re letting everyone sleep over. There’s like thirteen of us.”

“Ten,” she corrected him. “But still, we never get to have a normal day. I wanted all of us together.”

Looking up from the glass he was drying, Steve gave her a smile, it slowly fading as she watched him notice something from behind her. She turned her head to see Jonathan walking up, grabbing another plate to clean.

“Am I missing the party here?” he asked.

“No, no uh…” Steve stumbled out, putting his glass down. “I’m just gonna go check on everyone…” He gave a weak smile towards her before walking out of the room.

“That was weird,” y/n said, turning back to her dish.

“Hmm I think Steve is jealous,” Jonathan said, nudging her.

“Jealous? Why would he be jealous?” she laughed.

“Because you and I have always been close. And because no matter how close you get we’ll always be closer.”

“That’s stupid, he has nothing to be jealous over. Plus, no offense Jonathan, he could beat you up in a second if he wanted to.”

“I know, I know,” he responded, grabbing another dish to clean. “I think if you just told him he wouldn’t be jealous anymore.”

“Told him what?”

“That you like him.”

y/n set down her dish and stared at him shocked. “I do not like him.”

“You sure do, I saw, even when we were in school together.”

y/n snorted. “In school, I was dating Frank Butcher. Why would I date someone if I liked Steve?”

Jonathan shrugged. “A distraction?”

“Very funny Jonathan, but as I said, I don’t like him."

“Keep telling yourself that y/l. I see the way you look at him.”

“And how do I look at him?”

Jonathan set down his plate too, staring back. “With love.”

She knew her best friend was observant but she also thought she was being discreet. “This is stupid. Come on, we can finish the dishes later.”

Pulling him by the arm, the two teens made their way back into the giant living room. As the kids laughed on the floor, fighting over what record to play, she spotted Steve grabbing his coat.

Her smile faded as she approached him. “Hey, where are you going?”

Looking up at her, he stuttered over his words. “I-I forgot I have to do something before my parents get back in town…I’m sorry I have to go.”

“Wait-” Before she could finish her sentence the door slammed behind him.

She stared in disbelief. Why would he just walk out like that? It was so unlike him. Was he jealous? No, that was stupid. If he was jealous, he would have made it known; Steve wasn’t one to mask his emotions well.

Turning back around, she felt everyone’s eyes on her. “What are you guys doing?” she asked, slightly annoyed. “Put something on.”

Dustin was the first to move, finally selecting a Christmas album. The music filled the room as y/n sat down next to Robin on the couch.

“What was that about?” Robin asked her.

“I have no idea…” she responded.

The two girls sat in silence, watching as Jonathan pulled Nancy to her feet to dance with him. She blushed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“They are so annoyingly cute.”

“Tell me about it.”

Lucas was next to stand up, trying to pull Max up with him but she wouldn’t budge. He opted to just sit on the floor with her as they listened to the music. The rest of the kids huddled around them, setting up the new campaign that Mike got.

It was nice, all being together without some threat looming over them. The dancing and laughter, this was what growing up was supposed to feel like. She just wished that Steve had stayed to see it. She did not buy his excuse to leave for a second but could tell there was something going on with him. The boy had been through enough these past few years and y/n knew that letting him sort it out on his own was probably the best option.

The night went on and eventually, the kids helped bring down the mattresses. They all complained, wanting El to use her powers to levitate them down herself but y/n insisted some actual help would do them some good.

As the mattresses were set up for the younger kids and the guest rooms made up for the older kids, they all gathered back into the living room for a movie.

“I think we should watch Ghostbusters,” Dustin exclaimed.

Max groaned, “Dustin we watched that last week, no way.”

“Oh come on!”

“Max is right,” Mike agreed, “Let’s watch Empire Strikes Back instead.”

That launched a whole other debate that had all the kids divided. “Why don’t we just let y/n pick all right? It’s her house!” Will said. “y/n?” Too engrossed in her secret santa present, it took multiple tries to get her to listen.

“What? She finally asked being pulled out of the book. “I don’t care as long as everyone agrees.”

Robin furrowed her eyebrows next to her friend. “That must be some book you got there huh?” she asked.

“An expensive one,” Jonathan added, earning him a slap on the shoulder from Nancy.

“Is it really surprising?” Nancy asked. “Steve’s got money why not spend it?”

“Yeah,” Robing chimed in. “Remember when he fell in love with you, Nance? You told me how he bought you that ridiculously expensive necklace I mean-” The words hit her as she was saying them. “Nothing, I meant nothing, never mind.

y/n felt her brain falter for a moment. “Wait, Robin what did you just say?”

“Nothing! I said nothing!”

She leaned forward towards Robin. “Robin,” she persisted. “What did you just say?”

“I-I” Robin didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t supposed to say that, y/n wasn’t supposed to find out this way.

“Did you say he loves me?”

She looked around the room at all of her friends. They sat quietly, not wanting to make matters worse. It was Jonathan that finally confessed the truth.

“Yes, all right? He’s in love with you. But you clearly love him so what's the big deal?” he said.

“You knew?”

“We all knew,” Lucas said quietly. “He forced us not to say anything but if we’re being honest he’s pretty bad at hiding it.”

Max slapped his arm at that. “He wanted to tell you in his own time,” she said.

Jonathan jumped back in. “He told me that he was gonna tell you when he pulled your name for secret santa. I guess he thought you would understand with the book or he chickened out…”

The room was quiet as y/n tried to process what was happening. Why was she talking to them about this and not Steve himself? Without thinking, she stood up abruptly.

“I-I need to leave,” she said, grabbing the book Steve had gotten her and her keys that hung next to the front door.

“It’s your house!” Mike yelled out.

“I’ll be back later, Nancy’s in charge!” she yelled before slamming the door and running to her car.

Steve's house was only about ten minutes away which gave her less time that she had liked to think through it all. Everything about tonight somehow felt more clear with this new knowledge. She now realized how he wrapped her arm around her was definitely not in a friend's only kind of way. It probably made his heart flutter the same way it made hers.

Robin was right too, he did buy expensive things for the ones he loves. She remembered when Nancy showed her that necklace back when they first got together. Then, there was the kitchen “argument”if you could call it that. Maybe Jonathan was right, maybe he was jealous. Even if they did get together, both of them would know that she would always be closer to Jonathan and y/n understands why being reminded of that would make him upset.

But then again, it made her mad. Mad that she had been crushing on him forever only to find out he was doing the same. Why did he treat her differently than the other girls he liked? He would tell them right away, asking them to go on a date but with her? He stayed silent, only for her to find out through her other friends…

Finally, she pulled into his driveway, not even bothering to lock her car as she went up and knocked on his front door. The lights were on inside, and she could see a shadow step over the crack of light that shined from under the door.

Steve opened it, stepping back slightly when he saw her on the other side. “y/n what-” She shoved the book into his chest, not knowing what else to do. He took it, confused. “Did you not like it?”

“No,” she said, crossing her arms. “I like it, that’s the problem.” It was probably too aggressive but she didn’t care, he had to answer for what she had learned.

“I don’t understand-”

“How long have you known?” she interrupted him.

He tilted his head, still not getting what was going on. “Known what?”

“How long have you been in love with me?”

That hit him like a ton of bricks. His mouth fell open slightly as he staggered back until hitting the table that stood in the entrance of his home. y/n moved inside, shutting the door behind her before turning back to him.

“Who told you that?” he asked.

“How long, Steve?” she persisted.

His mouth was still open as he fiddled with the book in his hands. He looked down at it, running a finger along the spine. There was no point in denying now right?

“Since you saved me from that demogorgon in ‘83…” he confessed.

Now it was y/n who was shocked. That was way longer than she was expecting. “Three years, you’ve known for three years?”

“I’m sorry I should have told you but…” he trailed off, trying to take a deep breath to control his breathing. It was getting to him, keeping it a secret for all these years, too long for someone that didn't know.

“You were the first person that ever gave two shits about me,” he continued, “Yeah, I had Nancy but, it was clear from the start she knew I wouldn’t make it past high school graduation. You were the first person that believed in me and pushed me to be better. You make me laugh in ways I didn’t think possible just…how was I not supposed to fall in love with you?”

“You could have told me, Steve. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. Yeah, I developed feelings for you but what if you didn’t like me back? What if we dated and then broke up? I wouldn’t just be losing love, I would be losing my best friend…Jonathan try to get me to tell you when I pulled your name for secret santa but, I couldn’t go through with it.”

He looked up at y/n who was staring down at her feet, unable to meet his gaze. It hurt, knowing how much he screwed up but there was no turning back now.

“Are you mad I fell in love with you?” he asked.

y/n shook her head as she lifted her gaze. He could see her eyes begin to water as she held them back.

“No,” she finally said, “I’m not mad because…” she took a deep breath, “I’m mad because I have loved you since the moment I saw you in high school and neither of us had the fucking balls to admit it.”

He froze, not expecting those words to come out of her mouth. Standing up straight, he took a step towards her. “Y-you love me?” She nodded as he took another step, watching him set the book down on the table behind him. “But after we met- in high school. You went out with that guy Frank-”

“Frank was just a distraction,” she interrupted, taking a step towards him until he towered over her. She looked up to meet his eyes. “It’s always been you, Steve.”

She felt as his hands reached up to cup both of her cheeks. His eyes darted back and forth between hers and her lips. He took in a deep breath, one she could feel because of how close they were standing. She let her arms fall around his waist, pulling him closer to her.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he said softly, their lips almost brushing.

y/n leaned forward more. “I won’t stop you,” she managed to say before crashing her lips to his.

Immediately, her grip on him tightened. He cupped her face with one hand as he dropped the other to wrap around her back. They held each other close as they deepened the kiss, moving their heads in rhythm with each other.

She felt him start to move as they kissed, pulling her up to him. y/n wrapped her legs around his waist, leaning her full weight into him as he carried her into the living room. They didn’t break the kiss once as she felt herself be lowered onto the couch.

They must have got the distance wrong because as she was lowered down, she felt that half her body wasn’t on anything. Before she knew it, Steve came crashing down on top of her before they both rolled off the couch and onto the floor.

She fell onto his chest before rolling over to lay next to him. Trying to catch her breath, she looked up at him. A smile broke out on both of their faces when they made eye contact. y/n couldn’t help but giggle as she saw Steve chuckle, pulling her into him.

She leaned into his side, putting a hand on his chest as they lay on the ground and laughed. Forcing herself to sit up slightly, she leaned forward and planted another kiss on his lips.

This time she was slowly, delicate as their mouths moved together. She could feel his hand reach up and tangle in her hair as she pulled away. He smiled up at her, unsure that all of this had really happened.

“Please come back to the party?” she asked softly.

He pretended to debate it for a moment. “Only if I can tell people you’re my girlfriend,” he retorted.

She smile, leaning back down so her lips once again hovered over his. “That sounds like a fair trade.”

They connected once more for a quick peck that couldn’t have lasted more than three seconds. “And, if I can sleep in your bed tonight.”

y/n laughed, burying her head into his chest. “One step at a time, Harrington.”

“All right, all right. It was worth a shot.”

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