Perfect

I miss Hamilton's fanfics that I didn't read yet

Avoidance

summary: you’ve been friends with steve harrington since freshman year in highschool. and you’ve also been in love with him since then. but you realize he would never love you back, so you decide to put some distance between the two of you without explanation.

warnings: cursing, self esteem issues, attachment issues, abandonment issues, emotional angst to fluff !

A/N: ignore nancy in the gif 💔 this is not proofread cuz i’m tired and lazy. also it’s been quite awhile since i’ve written but i’m feeling extremely attached to steve still and also needed to get some of my own emotions out lol

word count: 3.3k exact :)

It was yet another sleepless night. Your brain too wrapped up in anxious thoughts to even let you think about closing your eyes for more than a few seconds. So you listen to the rain hitting your window and let the thoughts take over, deciding you needed to stop pushing them away. You weren’t sure how long you’d been staring at your ceiling for, but you were shaken out of your thoughts by the phone ringing. It’s one in the morning who the hell is calling? You thought as you went to answer the loud device.

“Hello?” You sounded drained.

“Couldn’t sleep either huh?” Steve sounded almost as drained.

“Nope. Why’d you call?” You hadn’t meant to sound so short but you’ve had quite a rough day at work and didn’t feel like talking. Usually Steve would make you feel better immediately but lately being around him, even hearing his voice, has just made your heart hurt.

“Figured if I was awake you probably would be too.”

“Okay… So why call? Just to test your theory?” You joked but there was hardly a joking tone present.

“I guess I just wanted to hear your voice. Helps me clear my thoughts sometimes,” he ignored your joke, “are you alright?”

“Yeah Steve. Just peachy.”

God why am i being so rude to him? He didn’t do anything?

“Was work bad today?” He knew better than to take your tone personally.

“Yeah. Nothing new though. Just being being assholes.” You didn’t feel like talking about how your day at the video store went. You’re pretty sure you even scared Robin with how irritated you were getting, considering Robin was silent half the shift and she always has something to say.

“I’m sorry princess. Anything specific-“

Princess… A name he initially used a joke, to call you dramatic or pretend like you were asking for so much as if you believed you were royalty, that he’s been using on a more regular basis lately. God you hate that name.

“Steve I’m really tired. I gotta go.” You felt bad for cutting him off but you couldn’t pretend to give a shit about work right now. Not when you knew that’s not what was really bothering you.

There was a beat of silence, Steve being surprised at you cutting him off and the tone you had, “okay. I hope you sleep well. I’m here if you need me.” He knew you weren’t sleeping soon.

“Yeah you too. Goodnight.”

When Steve hung up he couldn’t shake the awful feeling he had that he had done something wrong. Usually he doesn’t worry about that with you. You’re always so kind to him and reassuring, knowing he blames himself easily for really anything he can. But tonight just now, that was new. He hated it. He hated not being able to make you feel better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After falling asleep sometime around four in the morning, your alarm went off at six thirty for work. Needless to say you ended up flipping off your alarm clock and going back to bed. You woke up again to the phone ringing, but you decided to ignore it, completely forgetting why your alarm went off. About your shift at Family Video.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say Steve was anxious when he arrived at work to see Keith instead of you, was a huge understatement. Not even because he hated working with him, but because you were weird last night and now you didn’t show up to work. You haven’t missed a day since you started there.

“Hey Keith. Where’s y/n?”

“Thought you would know Harrington. She decided not to show up today.”

“She didn’t say why?”

Keith laughed, “she didn’t even call.”

Steve’s anxiety only grew. He immediately went to the phone in the back, calling you. If rang for what felt like an eternity. No answer. He called again. Okay, he called a few more times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your phone wouldn’t stop ringing. You looked to your clock, it was twelve pm. You reluctantly got up to answer.

“What?” You already knew it was Steve. He was the only one who would call that many times in a row.

“Y/n what the hell?” You could hear the panic and slight relief mixed with a hint of anger.

“Mind telling me what i’m being yelled at for?”

“Yelled at? I’m not-“ you heard him inhale, you knew he was pinching the bridge of his nose, “does your shift at work today ring a bell?” You couldn’t even tell which tone he had that time.

“Shit. Sorry. Slept in.”

“…That’s it? That’s all you got?”

“Jesus Steve I’m so sorry you had to work with Keith. I’ll get ready and head over there, calm do-“

“I don’t give a shit that I had to work with Keith, y/n. I thought- I was worried something happened.”

Shit. Now you were really being an asshole. You know how anxious he gets when someone isn’t where they’re supposed to be and don’t give a reason. Not after all the scary shit you’ve been through. He immediately assumes the worst. Even if it does seem slightly irrational, neither of you are sure what exactly is rational anymore.

“I’m sorry. Seriously I just went to bed so late and i stopped my alarm without thinking. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m really sorry.” You felt like crying. You know the panic he was feeling when he didn’t see you and when it took ten calls for you to answer. Steve could hear that through the phone.

“It’s okay. Sorry I got a bit too anxious over nothing. Take your time, yeah? I’ll be alright with Keith for a little longer.” His voice was much softer again.

“I get it Steve. Please don’t apologize, I think you’re allowed to feel that way after everything you’ve been through.” Steve felt himself relax a bit, your reassurance made him feel better after worrying all night about doing something that had pissed you off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You arrived at work thirty minutes later somehow. Steve smiled when he saw you and you tried to smile back but you knew it wasn’t very convincing.

“You’re lucky you’re good at knowing what movies customers would like. Otherwise you’d be kicked to the curb y/l/n.” Keith pointed at you, sounding surprisingly less angry than you’d expected.

“Sorry Keith. Won’t happen again I swear.”

“Better not.” He mumbled and walked through the back door to his car.

“Hey. Would you rather sort and restock or check out customers and rewind these?” Steve held up a handful of tapes.

“Doesn’t matter to me.” You shrugged. Steve knew you preferred to sit and rewind the tapes when you were tired and / or anxious. So he stood up and gestures towards the chair he was previously on.

“the rewinding is all your princess.” He did a funny bow and attempted to sound british. Though it was definitely Australian. It actually would’ve been really impressive if Australian is what he was going for.

“Do I get a koala too?” You smirked and it took Steve a second to realize the jab at his accent.

“Wow ok I see how it is I do something kind and you repay me with a snarky comment.” He put his hand over his heart and pretended to be offended. But his grin gave him away.

“Oh I’m sorry. Thank you Steve Harrington! My savior!” You put your hands together and pretended to fawn over him, laughing.

God Steve loved your smile and your laugh. He’d sell a kidney to see it 24/7.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Steve was away stocking the romance section, your thoughts came back. Your depressing mood resurfacing. You were trying to keep your distance a bit, but he kept pulling you back in with his warm smile and his stupid Harrington charm.

You joked every now and then for the rest of your shift, but Steve could tell your mood had changed again. You knew he knew by the look on his face. A weak smile that you knew was the same you were giving him.

“Try to get some better rest tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“No promises. And yeah.” You lied. You had already decided halfway through your shift that you wouldn’t come in to see him on your next days off, including tomorrow, like you usually did. You were going to make it four days without seeing him. You were going to try not to call him too, but you knew better than that. You knew he’d end up calling you. If not to talk then to check you’re alive.

You waved goodbye and drove home. Deciding to watch a comfort movie before falling asleep earlier than you thought you would. Probably from the lack of sleep from the previous night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve looked up every time the bell on the door rang, waiting to see you. The highlight of his day. Except every time he looked, it was never you. Robin noticed of course.

“Alright Steve. This is getting a little pathetic. Even for you.”

He gave her a confused look.

“I know you’re waiting for y/n to walk through the door. We have fifteen minutes till we’re closed. I don’t think she’s coming in today dingus.”

“She just- She usually comes in.”

“Steve you saw her yesterday. She’s probably busy. Maybe Eleven is making her build a fort with her again.”

Steve just shrugged and worked on rewinding the last few tapes. It was oddly a comforting thing for him to do when you weren’t there. It reminded him of you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Steve got home he called you just like you thought he would.

“Hey Steve. Sorry I didn’t stop in today. I am alive and I’m fine. Just had a lot of shopping to do.”

“No it’s okay. You have a life outside of that store.”

It was silent. Neither of you having much to say. Then you spoke up, “You okay?” You could hear something off with Steve.

“Yeah. I just hope you’re okay. You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know Steve. I’m okay. Just in a bit of a rut I guess.”

“If you need anything just call. Please.”

You swear your heart cracked at the way his voice sounded. You know he hates not being able to help, “I will. Promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The third day you didn’t show up to say hi to Steve and Robin, Steve decided to not call. He decided to leave you alone, assuming you needed distance or something. Even Robin was confused and a bit worried. Mostly worried for Steve.

“Steve?” He jumped a little when Robin put her hand on his shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah? Sorry, was thinking.”

“I can see that. What’s going on?”

“Y/n’s been… weird. She’s been quiet. Which is normal for other people who are around her, but not for me. She’s always making so many jokes when we work together and she always comes in on her days off just to mess with me and pick a new movie to watch. She always calls too. To tell me about whatever movie she watched. But she’s basically been ignoring me. Did I do something? Please tell me if I did something stupid Rob.”

Robin felt her heart sink when he looked up at her searching for answers. He looked like a kicked puppy. She couldn’t find it in herself to tease him.

“She hasn’t said anything to me bud. I’m sorry. I can talk to her though if you-“

“No!” He cleared his throat, “no, it’s okay. I don’t want her to think we’re talking about her when she’s not here.”

“But we are-“

“You know what I mean. Just… Maybe see if she’s okay. But don’t bring me up.”

“I’ll drop by her place tonight then I’ll call you. I’m sure she’s just stressed or something.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were surprised to hear a knock on your door at ten that night.

You opened the door to see Robin.

“Robin? What are you-“

She barged in.

“Okay just come on in then…” You mumbled confused.

“What’s wrong with you?” She didn’t sound angry, but she didn’t sound happy.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh come on. That shit doesn’t work on me. You know what I mean. Why are you avoiding Steve?”

“Avoiding Steve? I’m not-“

“Almost not showing up to work when you worked with him, making your phone conversations hours shorter than usual, not coming in to say hi,” she was listing evidence on her fingers.

“Okay, okay I get it.” You threw your hands up in surrender.

Robin raised an eyebrow waiting for your explanation.

“Look, you know I have feelings for him. I’ve just been… Thinking about it lately and how I need to move on.”

“Move on? Why?”

“He obviously doesn’t feel the same wa-“

You were cut off by Robin’s laughter.

“What is so funny to you?”

“You really think that dingus isn’t head over heels in love with you too?”

“Woah woah woah first off I never said I was-“

“Oh you don’t have to.”

“Can you please stop cutting me off?”

“Can you please stop being so oblivious? Steve has been sitting there for the past three days sitting there rewinding tapes and watching that front door line a goddamn hawk. He misses you y/n.” This was probably the softest you’ve ever heard Robin talk.

“I know he cares about me. I know we’re close. And I don’t wanna lose him. But I’m tired Robin. I’m tired of reading into every little thing he does and trying to make my feelings obvious to him when I know he doesn’t feel the same way!” You spoke softly at first, but then your voice betrayed you. Cracking at the end as you raised your voice unintentionally.

“I think you need to talk to him. Seriously.” Robin was still speaking softly but she was more stern this time.

“Fat chance.” You mumbled.

“Y/n, I love you, but if you hurt Steve I swear to god… He’s been through enough as it is and you of all people know that. Too many people have left him. I genuinely don’t know what would happen to him if you left him too. He trusts you more than anyone. More than me. More than any of the kids, even Dustin. Don’t fuck this up. Don’t fuck him up.”

And with that, she left. Left your house and left you to think.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On your fourth and final day off you were planning on how to talk to Steve when you worked with him tomorrow. Unfortunately you didn’t get too far when you heard an aggressive knock on your door. You opened it expecting to see Robin.

“Robin I get it I’m going to-“ You stopped as soon as you saw Steve. A very upset looking Steve.

“Y/n I didn’t wanna bother you but this is killing me. I can’t stand not being able to call you and rant about whatever Dustin or Robin did to piss me off that day. I can’t stand not listening to you rant about whatever movie you just watched. I can’t stand not being around you everyday. I don’t even know what I did and I’ve been trying so hard to figure it out but I can’t. I’m sure I did something really fucking stupid per usual, but please tell me what it was so I can fix it.”

“Stevie you didn’t do anything wrong.”

He looked so lost and confused. You gestures for him to come inside. Your parents weren’t home yet.

“Then what- What happened?”

“Fuck.” You muttered and Steve looked so anxious you just wanted to hug him and tell him everything is fine.

“Would you just trust me if I said it’s me and my brain and has nothing to do with anything you did?”

“Y/n that’s not a good enough reason and you know it. Why can’t you just talk to me-“

“I couldn’t stand being so close to you all the time knowing how strongly I’m in love with you okay! And knowing you don’t feel the same.” You didn’t mean to blurt it out like that. But there it was. And you couldn’t take it back.

“How would you know that i don’t feel the same?”

“Because why would you?” You laughed like he just offended you, “you could have any girl you want. Why on earth would you choose me?”

“Because you actually give a shit about me. You’ve been there for me when my so called friends weren’t. When my parents weren’t. Hell, you were there for me when Nancy wasn’t. You stuck with me even when I was a total asshole-“

“You were never an asshole Steve. Not to me. You know that.”

“And that’s what I love about you. You always see the good in people even when literally everyone else knows- thinks they’re an asshole.”

You couldn’t hold back the tears welling up at this point, “You know how much I hate everyone who made you feel like that right?” You weren’t even upset about exposing your feelings, you were upset over the fact that Steve still sees himself like that sometimes.

“I know. And if it weren’t for you I’d probably never forgive myself for how I was. But you showed me that I’m really not that guy. I’m not that “King Steve” everyone talked about in highschool. If you weren’t there for me throughout that time up until now, I’d still be such a mess.” He chuckled a little. You didn’t find it humorous however.

“Please don’t give me the credit for that. I just pointed out what you already knew was behind those walls. Fuck! I’m so sorry Steve. I know everything you’ve been through I know about all of the assholes who left you and here I am avoiding you for such selfish reasons!” You were fully crying at this point. How could you do what you hated so many others for doing?

Steve just quietly walked up to you and out your face in his hands, wiping the tears, “It’s okay y/n. I’m okay. I didn’t think you were abandoning me. I just thought I’d done something stupid to upset you.”

“I’m still sorry for making you anxious about it. For the record I don’t think you could ever upset me. at least not for more than ten minutes tops.” He laughed which made you smile.

“You know how much I look up to you yeah?”

“Y/n you don’t have to-“

“I know. But I need you to know. I mean I already blurted out that I love you, so I might as well keep going,” you paused to look into his beautiful dark eyes, making sure he absorbs your words, “you’re the most selfless person I know. You’ll do anything from letting someone rant to you for hours over something silly that upset them, throwing yourself into portals to hell. You pay such close attention to people you care about that you know every little tell-tale sign that somethings wrong. You know I get quiet when I’m anxious, you know what sings to play to help Max when she’s in a mood, I think you’re the only person Mike has ever gone to for advice. You’re so-“

Steve must’ve understood your point because suddenly he was cutting you off with a kiss that took you by surprise, but you quickly reciprocated.

“God I love you so much y/n.” He smiled against your lips.

“I love you so much too Steve.”

“Yeah you made that pretty clear.” He chuckled and you playfully slapped his arm.

ik everyone wanted to see helmetless Din when they were going to eat at the campfire scene

but i think there’s a reason as to why we don’t see him without his helmet and we kinda focus on Bo-Katan (also this a theory i have no clue if this is right lol)

They wanted the scene to focus on Bo-Katan and her adjustment from her previous clan to the Coverts ways

It’s possible that we haven’t seen Din without his helmet bc we usually don’t see him without it towards the end of the season (that’s the formula that i’ve noticed lol)

And the fact that at the time they were filming season 3, pedro was filming TLOU at the time so he couldn’t physically be there. (ik they did reshoots, but would they need to shoot a scene of din eating if it was that important to the plot?)

anyways that’s just my theory on it

(please take it with a grain of salt)

YEEEEEEES FINALLY!!!

THAT'S MY COUPLE!!

They're so cuuuute!!! And I wanna make a little home for them in a little jar and put them there and care for them!!!

And Benny being slow to understand everything 😂😂😂

Cariña- Part 5

Chapter Summary: Mornings with Frankie are easy, they always are. It’s easy to be around him. But maybe it’s so easy that something slips out…

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Reader 

Words: 1209

Chapter Warnings: fluff, nerves, domestic fluff

Series Masterlist Here!

Feedback fuels me!

Notice: I am aware that in Latin America, only Cariño is used. In Spain however, Cariña is catching on as a feminine version. I chose to use Cariña for this story, because I feel it works with the characters and plot. Any asks or messages addressing this fact and/or telling me that is wrong will be deleted and ignored. 

A/N: Thank you to everyone who helped and encouraged this series! Frankie has my whole heart, and I adore writing him. I hope you all like the finale for this series <3

You could feel someone rubbing your back, a soft humming reaching your ears as you slowly woke further. You kept your eyes closed, nestling further into the warm pillow wrapped around you.

Feeling Frankie chuckle under you, a smile grew on your lips of its own accord.

Continuar lendo

I didn't know that. Thanks for the information!

Folks, friends, y’all.... esk*mo is a slur. I understand a lot of people don’t know that, I don’t want to be a dick about it, but I’ve been seeing it in fics. Wanna write “esk*mo kisses”? Just say “nuzzled noses” or something.

I’m not here to call anybody out, it’s been in multiple fics, I’m not vague posting. This is just a psa. 👍🏻

I like to think that I got over the Lee Scoresby's death... I COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG!

I saw a post talking about his death like he didn't deserve it and I broke down.

I confess that I knew that Lee was gonna die. Lin's dad gave me spoiler of this, but it did hurt so much when I got to watch, I cried so much!

That was really necessary? To kill Lee, I mean

🥺🥺🥺

😍😍😍😍😍

I'm Not The Only One Part 2

Summary: The aftermath of your enemy Steve telling you that your boyfriend cheated on you.

Word Count: 2387

Note: Not revised. Part 1 here

As you walked up to Matt’s door, you were afraid of what might happen. You desperately wanted to speak to Robin about what happened but then Steve dropped a bomb on you. Instead of worrying about the Friday incident, you were not concerned your boyfriend was cheating on you. You really hoped that Steve was just being his usual asshole self, but the way he said it and the look in his eyes told you he was being sincere. So here you were, at Matt’s doorstep, knocking pathetically.

After a few moments that felt decades long, the door swung open to reveal your boyfriend. His smile grew when he saw you and you nearly melted at the sight. “Hi baby,” he reached out for you.

“Baby?” You shook yourself out of your trance. “I’ve been calling you all weekend. Where have you been?”

“I just thought maybe you needed some time to cool off from Friday.” He shrugged. “You were really mad at me.”

“I think I had the right to be mad.” You scoffed.

“I mean come on Y/n, we’ve been dating for a month and you still haven’t let me kiss you.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

“Is that why you were kissing another girl after I left your house?” You question. “And don’t lie to me.”

“Look, Annalise called me to hang out and yeah we kissed but we’re not getting back together or anything. We can just forget it ever happened.” Matt reached a hand out to you.

“Are you insane? It may seem like no big deal to you but it is to me. That’s cheating.” You slap his hand away. “You’re unbelievable really.” You turn, heading back down the path. “Oh, and Grease is overdue, idiot.” You slam your car door as you finish getting in.

The first thing you can think of is to go see Eddie. You know his weird antics and personality can cheer you up in a heartbeat. The drive to his trailer is filled with the noise of sad ballads and your sleeved hand constantly wiping your eyes. Why were you crying? Matt was definitely not worth it and you knew that but you couldn’t help feeling worthless and unwanted.

As you park outside Eddie’s trailer, you look into the mirror and sigh. Your eyes were red, your hair was a mess, and your skin was sticky with old and new tears. You see Uncle Wayne on the porch, “Eddie, your little friend is here!”

You chuckle at his words and grab your bag before stepping out. Eddie rushes down the three steps and opens his long arms to engulf you. “Hey, come ‘ere.” He says quietly. You immediately enter his embrace and wrap your arms around his waist. “He’s an idiot.”

“Yeah, I know.” You sighed and lean your cheek against his chest. 

“You staying for dinner kiddo?” Wayne asks and you nod. “I’ll be heading to the store for food them. Be back in a bit.” Wayne gives Eddie a look.

“Let’s get you inside.” Eddie smiles and pulls you inside. “I can show you the new guitar strap that Dustin got me.”

-

Steve had called Eddie as soon as you left the store. He had filled him in on the entire situation.

“Okay so we’re going to go kick his ass right?” Eddie had told Steve through the phone.

“Eddie, you’re her friend. You have to do it.”

“Okay but you’re…meatier. I’m skinny. You’ve seen me shirtless. I need backup.” Eddie states. “Plus, someone has to comfort Y/n and I know it is impossible for you to be nice to her.”

“Hey, I can be nice.” Steve whines. “I was nice today.”

“Only because you had too.” Eddie snorts. “Look, you go kick his ass and I’ll go comfort Y/n.”

“I’m not kicking his ass alone Eddie.” Steve rolls his eyes. 

“How about neither of you kick his ass and both of you just go check on Y/n.” Robin adds, holding a box of new tapes. “Y/n is plenty capable of kicking Matt’s ass by herself.” 

“That’s true.” Steve laughs. “Well, I don’t think she’ll want to see me so… Eddie just take care of her okay? Let me know if she needs anything.” He ends the call after a few more moments, saying goodbye to Eddie.

“Oh, you’ve got it bad.” Robin laughs. “So so bad.”

“Robin.” Steve scolds. “I’m just being nice because she’s going through a tough time.”

“This could be what you need to start dating her. Swoop in to be her knight in shining armor or whatever.” Robin’s eyes light up. 

“Alright, that’s enough out of you.” Steve shakes his head, “I’m going on break.”

-

“So what did you tell Steve when he told you?” Eddie asks, sitting on the floor, rummaging through an old storage bin. You look down at him as you lay on your stomach across his bed, flipping through a magazine. 

“I mean, not much really. I basically interrogated him on what he saw and tried to verify if it was the truth.” You shrugged. “I seriously thought he was playing a joke on me.”

“I know he’s mean to you but not that mean. I think he likes you honestly.” Eddie bites his lip. “Imagine you and Harrington.” He ponders, “actually I think I almost threw up.”

“Shut up.” You toss a pillow in his direction. “He doesn’t like me. He can barely be in my presence. He said I was the Wicked Witch of the West, ya know?”

“If you’re the bad witch then I must be Glinda the good witch, huh?” Eddie raises a brow.

“Absolutely not. You have the hair to be Dorothy though.” You laugh. 

“I would look good in red sparkly heels and we both know it.” Eddie flips his hair off his shoulder. “But seriously, Harrington’s got the hots for you. He was all like,” Eddie switches his voice to mimic Steve’s. “‘Take care of my beautiful, wonderful future wife Y/n’ and ‘let’s kick Matt’s ass to avenge Y/n’s sweet soul’ and the best one ‘let me know if Y/n needs anything. And I mean anything Eddie.’” Eddie wiggles his eyebrows.

“He did not say any of that, you weirdo.” You toss another pillow at him. 

“You’re going to be pillowless in the next five minutes.” Eddie stands up to hit you in the head with the pillows, then stands a seat on the bed in the most obnoxious way making the entire bed bounce. “Remember when I first introduced you to the group? You thought Steve was cute. You even asked if he was single.”

“Which he technically wasn’t with all the dates he was going on.” You roll over onto your back. “I don’t know Eddie. Steve is cute but the past two years of bickering kinda just made me not really find him attractive.”

“Yeah yeah, I bet you’ll be dating or fucking by the end of the year.” Eddie lays beside you. “There’s so much sexual tension between you guys.”

“I hate you sometimes.” You laugh. “Let’s go see if Wayne needs our help.” You sit up and climb over him.

-

You had decided it would be a good time to thank Steve for looking out for you. It was Friday, only four days since you found out about Matt from Steve and confronted Matt yourself. As you walked up to Steve’s door, you remembered the last time you were here and how Steve had yelled at you. Maybe this was a bad idea. As you reached the porch of his house, you thought better and decided to just give him a call instead of your original plan. You turn back and start racing back to your car when you hear the door open.

“Y/n?” You hear. Your body freezes and you really wish you could just disappear.

Without turning around you reply with a quiet “Hey Steve.”

“You okay?” Steve asks, stepping out onto the porch after grabbing a jacket hanging near his door. “Did you just get off of work?”

“Um yeah, I just wanted to stop by to thank you.” You slowly turn around, scolding yourself mentally for not changing out of your uniform before coming to his place.

“Are those flowers? For me?” He points to the small bouquet in your hand. “You got me flowers?”

“Um… yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to bring over. Robin said you were laying off the sweets so I didn’t bring any desserts over. I’m sorry this is stupid. I just wanted to say thank you for being so kind on Monday and throughout the week. I know you asked Eddie and Robin to keep you updated on me. I’m fine now. Really. So thank you.” You rush out, turning to leave. “Oh wait, here.” You turn back around and shove the flowers into his chest. “Bye. Thank you. I’m sorry. Bye.” You hug your body and run back to your car. He’s quicker than you, shutting the door just as you open it.

“Do you want to come in?” He searches for your eyes. “You look cold. I can make hot chocolate or something?” He offers, unsure. “Only if you want.”

“You sure?” You squint your eyes and meet his.

“Yeah, I wasn’t busy or anything. Just making some food.” He smiles softly. “There’s enough for two.” 

It’s his smile that has you immediately locking your car door and following him into his house. He waits for you to step inside his house before going in himself, like a gentleman. He shivers as he takes off his jacket. 

“I’m supposed to put the flowers in water right?” He sets the bouquet on the counter. You had momentarily forgotten about the flowers. Your cheeks flush with heat and somehow he senses your embarrassment. “You know, no one has ever gotten me flowers before? I don’t even think I have a vase.” He mumbles as he searches the cabinets. “You okay? You’re quiet. You know you can have a seat.” He looks up to see you still standing near the entryway to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be awkward.” You laugh.

“You’re not.” He assures. “We haven’t had a good relationship so it makes sense why this is weird.” He smiles again and holds a red tinted vase he found under the sink. “I found one.”

“Let me help you.” You offer, holding the vase as he runs the water. “So you’ve been on hundreds of dates and not one girl has given you flowers?”

“Surprisingly no. I guess it’s just the whole gender roles and norms. I hope I didn’t embarrass you, I was just surprised.” He turns the faucet off.

“Well, I’m glad I got them then. Robin wasn’t much help. She wanted me to get you a funny greeting card. There’s not really a card that says, ‘I know we hate each other but thanks for saving me from a potential shitty relationship.’” 

“I guess that’s true.” He shrugs. “You know I don’t hate you right? Slightly dislike but not hate.” He nudges your arm as he takes the vase and places it on the counter.  

“It sounded like you hated me when you told me to get out of Hawkins.” You start to unwrap the flowers. “I was never trying to replace you Steve. I just wanted to be part of the group. I hope you know that.”

“I still regret saying that to you. You looked so sad but instead of apologizing I just… I don’t know. I guess I thought it was better to be mean to you then accept the fact that the others liked you. I don’t know how much you know about me but I’m usually home alone and other than my friends, I don’t have anybody.” He says honestly, voice laced with sadness.

“You have me?” You offer. “Like moving forward? We could be friends. We can hang out without the mean comments and stealing my snacks.” 

“Even after everything I’ve done? You’d still want to be friends?” He looks down to his slippers. “I was a jerk.”

“Yeah you were. Especially by calling me a witch.” You laugh. He looks up at you and thinks it’s music to his ears. “I’m sorry for saying you have no heart and that you were a coward. Both of those aren’t true.”

“So I still have no brain?” He fakes being hurt. 

“I mean you can be pretty stupid.” You smile, “like that one time at the fair when you got the hot pickle and immediately spit it out because it was spicy.”

“I thought it was like, going to be hot in temperature.” He defends. 

“Who eats a warm pickle? Pickles are meant to be eaten cold.” You argue. 

“Yeah yeah, that was pretty stupid.” He rubs the back of his neck. “You know, I regret not taking up your offer to ride the ferris wheel that day.”

“I saw that you wanted to go but no one would go with you. You kept looking up at the wheel and the lights of the rides made your eyes look so pretty. I just had to ask you.” You scoot closer to him, your sides touching as you busied yourself with separating the flowers. “But then you rejected me!” You nudged him this time.

“I’m sorry!” He covers his face. “I’m really sorry. Not just about that but everything else.” He says more quietly. 

“I’ve already forgiven you, Steve.” You start rearranging the flowers into the vase. “We’re good now. Promise.”

“Good.” He smiles down at you. “You hungry?” 

“Starving.” You step back to look at your work. “They look so pretty.”

“Yeah, they do.” Steve agrees, though his eyes are on you not the flowers. You turn to look at him. 

“You’re pretty too, Steve.” You bite your lip and take a seat at the kitchen island to distract yourself from the butterflies erupting inside your stomach. What was happening? You thought. How’d you go from hating each other to flirting?

Steve knew once he told Robin about his night, he wouldn’t be hearing the end of it. Enemies to lovers? Maybe, he was a cliche. He really didn’t mind that idea.

Taglist: @yaskna

Steven is so cute 🥹 I loved it!

𝘼𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙡𝙡

𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨: 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮!𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺: 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭

𝘈𝘕: 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦!! 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘣𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴! 𝘈𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭, 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 :)

𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: 𝘍𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧, 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦

𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 2.2𝘬

“Hey, Dad. Just checking in.” Steven would recognize that voice anywhere. He heard it every morning when you would leave for work, exactly 7:30AM each and every day. You had lived in the flat right across from his for the better part of a year, and he’d never once had the pleasure of hearing that voice directed at him.

“Oh, no, everything’s fine. I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while.” You called your father every morning, asking him about work or his garden or to talk about whatever book you were reading that week. Steven knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but he loved hearing your hushed tone, the quiet laughs, as though you were afraid to wake everyone on the floor. He couldn’t help the smile it brought to his face.

One day, he told himself, he’d find the courage to step out of his flat while you were there, to say hello, to strike up a conversation. But each time his hand found the doorknob, you were already in the elevator. He would talk to you, one day. Just not today.

____________________________________________________________________________

You hummed quietly as you got ready for work. You had just taken a shower and threw on a pencil skirt you hadn’t even remembered buying. Even so, it was a nice change of pace from the slacks you typically wore. You searched through your closet for a decent blouse to match, finally opting for a navy blue button down. It was simple, sure, but you had no one to impress.

Gathering your things, you finally stepped out of your flat. Usually, you would give your father a call, but the sight of the man across the hall stopped you in your tracks. 

You had seen him before in passing, while checking the mail or rushing to catch the elevator, but never this close. Calling him stunning would be an understatement. He was taller than you, though not by much. His dark curls fell over his face in a messy pattern, nearly covering his deep brown eyes. You could definitely see yourself getting lost in them. Your eyes trailed down to his lips, plump and parted just slightly in surprise.

After a moment, you realized you had been ogling him. You cleared your throat slightly. “So sorry. I just wasn’t expecting to see anyone else out this early.” You flashed your teeth at him in a wide smile.

You waited for him to respond for a moment, or even to walk off, but there was nothing. He just stood, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. Eventually, you raised a brow at him. “Right, no, right. ‘S fine. Fine.” He nodded, curls sweeping over his forehead. 

You eyed him curiously, brows furrowed slightly. “Alright. Well. Good morning.” Your grin lowered into an amused smirk as you walked toward the elevator. You heard the footsteps of the man behind you, moving over to allow him room. “Are you going down?”

The look on his face had you biting back a laugh. “S-Sorry, am I what?” He coughed, like he had just choked on air.

“Going down. In the elevator? To the first floor?” You chuckled. He was quite strange, you thought, but there was something endearing about the man standing beside you.

Once again, he nodded. “Yeah, yeah. That’s me. Going down.” You watched as he readjusted his bag, rocking back and forth on his feet. He looked nervous, never quite meeting your gaze. You pushed the button for the first floor, watching as the man beside you toyed with the strap of his bag. You weren’t sure what it was, perhaps it was his structured jaw, or the warm brown of his eyes, or the innocence that lurked beneath them. You couldn’t stop staring.

“I’m Steven, by the way.” His quiet voice broke the silence. “Steven with a V, that’s me.” He nodded, almost like he was reassuring himself of the fact. “N-Not that you asked. I just thought… you know, neighbors and all that. Might be useful.” The last few words trailed off. He seemed nervous, you thought, though you couldn’t wrap your head around why. You weren’t particularly frightening, were you?

You chuckled quietly, holding out your hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Steven.” You offered your name as he took your hand. You were a bit taken aback by the roughness of his palms. He didn’t strike you as someone who was particularly active, given his physique was hidden behind a heavy jacket.

You broke your grasp on his hand as the elevator dinged, turning your attention to the doors as they opened. You sighed quietly as you stepped out. The way Steven followed you didn’t go unnoticed. You grinned over your shoulder at him. “Do you usually take the bus, Steven? I’m headed that way, maybe we could walk together.”

***********

Steven felt as though his heart would beat out of his chest. Here he was, talking to the girl he had dreamt about for weeks, and she was listening to every word he said like she was actually interested. Steven couldn’t help but stare as she threw her head back in a laugh at… whatever he had said. What did he say? Bollocks, he couldn’t remember.

She stood beside him on the bus, close enough that he could feel her arm bump his each time the vehicle stopped. He was sure the redness in his cheeks was painfully noticeable. All he could focus on was her presence. Her scent enveloped him, honey and vanilla, and he happily drowned in it.

Steven’s heart nearly stopped as the bus came to a screeching halt in front of the national gallery. “Right, well…” He cleared his throat. “This is me.” He wasn’t sure he’d ever sounded more melancholy.

He watched as your lips pulled downward in a soft frown. Oh, how badly he wanted to kiss it away. “Oh, that’s a shame. It was lovely meeting you, Steven. We’ll have to do this again some time.” Steven’s chest tightened as you placed your hand over his. He was sure this time that his heart had stopped, that you had killed him with one single touch.

Steven nodded vigorously, mouth dry as he searched his brain for something, anything, to say. “Bye,” was all he could come up with before he scurried off of the bus. The feeling of your skin on his would haunt him the entire day.

____________________________________________________________________________

You were in the middle of preparing dinner for yourself when the knock on your door made you jump out of your skin. You set the stirring spoon down on the stove, wiping your hands on a kitchen towel before opening your door. Steven stood on the other side, eyes widening as you came into view.

You smiled as he lifted a hand in greeting. “Hiya. I, um… I came to see if you maybe wanted… if you weren’t doing anything a-and didn’t have any plans…” You bit the inside of your cheek to keep from chuckling. You weren’t wanting to mock him, by any means, but he looked so cute as he twiddled his thumbs and stumbled over his words. “O-Oh, are you already making dinner? Smells lovely.”

You could tell he wanted to ask you out, but you weren’t sure he knew how. “Well, I am already making dinner.” Your heart sank as his gaze dropped to the floor. “But I’ve made quite a bit, and I’m not sure I can eat all of it myself. Would you like to join me?”

Immediately, the nervousness that you suspected was always a part of Steven returned. “Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly. I-I wouldn’t want to intrude, especially if you were looking for a quiet evening in. I wouldn’t feel right about ruining-”

“Relax.” You chuckled. “You’d hardly be ruining anything. Seriously. Come in.” You stepped aside, allowing him through the threshold of your flat. “It’s not quite ready, but soon enough.” You flashed him a grin before returning to stirring the contents of the pan. “Oh, I should have mentioned. It’s vegan. Hope that’s alright.”

Steven nodded, standing just inside your doorway. You watched as his eyes bounced around your flat. It wasn’t much, really. The rooms all sort of blended together, and your bed sat against the wall in lieu of a sofa. It was comfortable and affordable, which was its biggest appeal. “Vegan, yeah, yeah. ‘S good.” His brows furrowed as his attention settled on you. “Are you vegan, then?” He didn’t give you a chance to answer before he started speaking again. “Nothing wrong with it! I’m vegan, too. Just… curious.”

You shook your head, grinning. “Oh, no. My dad is, though. He made this for me all the time as a kid, and its still my absolute favorite pasta dish. Here, come taste.” You lifted the wooden spoon as you beckoned him over. You smiled patiently as he hesitated, then watched as his lips curled around the end of the spoon. 

Steven broke out into a pleased smile of his own. “That’s amazing! You made that from scratch?”

You giggled, nodding. “Well, everything apart from the actual pasta. I’m not that talented.” You hummed as you set out two bowls, filling both. “Here you are. Dining table’s just behind you.”

***************

Steven was convinced you were fake. This was all some strange dream his brain had crafted and any minute he would wake up, still strapped to the coldness of his bed. You were a talented cook, sweet as melted sugar, and were beautiful beyond belief.

Dinner with you had become a nightly routine. Somehow, he found himself in front of your door each and every night. He listened to your tales about work and you listened to his ramblings on ancient Egypt. You didn’t even seem to mind, he thought. Each time he looked at you, which was frequently, you were staring back at him with the same intrigued expression.

Tonight was no different. You sat across from him at your dining table, tracing the edge of your wine glass with the tip of your finger. The small movement had Steven completely entranced. His mind ran wild with thoughts of what your touch on him would be like. Would you be as gentle as you were with the glass? Would your fingers be as soft as they looked? Would you treat him with the same delicacy?

“Steven,” your voice broke him from his reverie. He hummed in response, eyes lifting to yours. His cheeks caught flame, as though he had just been caught in some act. Still, his nerves eased as you flashed a winning smile at him. “Would you like to stay over?” You must have noticed the panicked look in his eyes because you quickly added, “Nothing scary, I swear. I just thought we could watch a movie, lay in bed and veg. You know, good, old fashioned slumber party.” You shrugged, as though your words hadn’t forced an entirely new series of thoughts into his head.

As though he wasn’t imagining feeling your touch on an entirely new section of his skin.

Steven waited for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, alright.” Was he shaking? He was sure he was shaking. 

Then you grinned, and Steven wasn’t sure he would be able to focus on anything else. You had the most adorable smile. It was big enough that your eyes closed with the effort, your nose scrunching in response. It was brighter than any star in the sky. “Amazing! I’ll get this all cleaned up, then.

____________________________________________________________________________

The film had only been on for half an hour or so, and Steven could already feel his eyes getting heavy. Something about being in the same bed as you, your scent enveloping him and warmth radiating off of you, brought him some small amount of comfort. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this at ease.

You seemed to notice his exhausted state. Steven nearly jumped out of his skin as you set your hand on top of his. “You can lay down, if you’d like. I won’t be offended if you fall asleep.” The soft giggle that left your lips set him aflame. 

Steven wanted to protest. Truly, he did. As he opened his mouth to speak, a yawn left him instead. He turned to you, a soft pout on his lips. “I’m terrible company, I’m so sorry.”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Really, don’t worry about it.” You patted your lap twice, and Steven felt all the blood in his body rush anywhere that wasn’t his brain. “Here, come lay down. You deserve the rest.”

Steven wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion fogging his brain or something else, but he hardly hesitated to adjust his figure in the bed, letting his head rest in your lap. You hummed softly, and he was ready to jump up, afraid he’d done something wrong.

As your fingers swept a few curls away from his face, Steven could feel his eyes drifting closed. Every muscle in his body relaxed for what felt like the first time in years.

Steven was only awake long enough to hear you whisper, “I’m so glad to have met you, Steven Grant”, before he finally allowed the darkness of sleep take him. This time, in a realm where nightmares often consumed him, he saw only you.

Steven knew, in whatever capacity, he was glad to have met you, too.

I never saw In The Heights, but I love it by association. I want watch the movie so bad, I just can't wait for it.

(If someone have the In The Heights bootleg [with subtitles preferably] can you please send me it?)