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Steve Harrington was an asshole.
At least, he used to be. He was knocked out of his simple, pretty boy mind quite literally after he took that beating from Jonathan Byers. Still had some light scars on his face to show for it. It didn’t take him long to clean up his act, and rush to apologize, despite getting into an even bigger mess than before. He felt like smacking the shit out of an otherworldly beast with a nail-bat was somewhat redeeming in its own respect. He still never had time to really say sorry.
With Will back and everything slowly fading into obscurity, Steve recollected himself. Him and Nancy grew apart over time, but their friendship stuck. She’d moved on to other things. Steve and her would still talk and hang out, call each other. Steve would even come over to “babysit” with her, even if the boys were fairly capable of taking care of themselves. When their nights were free, sometimes Steve would have a small party at his place, like he used to. Except they were less rambunctious, and they mostly just sat around the pool and wallowed in whatever beer Steve could find in the fridge.
Jonathan was elusive, and would never come. Not even Nancy could convince him to show. Steve couldn’t help but feel upset, subdued anger boiled his blood, but he never took it too seriously. He was fine bumming around with Nancy and all, but… he still just felt bad about it. Like he wasn’t coming on purpose— because of Steve. He brushed it off every time.
They’d agreed to meet up again, same time as always, and Nancy said she’d tried her best to convince him, and it had coaxed a “maybe” out of him rather than a reason he couldn’t go. That didn’t mean he would show, though. Steve could hope.
The phone rang, and Steve picked up the receiver, putting it on his ear and holding it with his shoulder. “Hello?” He spoke, trying to focus on opening a can of beer with his hands at the same time.
“Hey, bad news.” Nancy replied, clearly put out.
“What? Jonathan isn’t going to show again? I already—“
“No, something came up for me, ” Nancy cut him off, sighing. “I can’t make it.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Babysitting. Kind of. You know.”
“Yeah, yeah… you want me to come over there instead?”
“No, it’s fine. Maybe we can just reschedule?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever you need.” Steve finally popped the top of the can, and it fizzed over the top, dripping onto the floor and narrowly missing his shoes. “Uh… why don’t you call me tomorrow, okay?”
“Alright. Goodnight, Steve.”
“Goodnight Nance.” He sighed, taking the phone from his shoulder and putting it back onto the landline. “Guess I’m drinking alone tonight.” He mumbled, shaking off the wetness from his hand that had dribbled from the can. Going over to the sink to rinse it off of his skin, placing the can on the counter, he ran it under the cold water, taking in a deep breath. Lonely nights weren’t his favorite. He switched off the tap, silently accepting tonight’s fate as he used a towel to pat his hand dry.
A knock at the door startled him out of thoughts, and he looked over with a wary eye. He wasn’t sure who it would be if he wasn’t expecting anybody. It could have been Dustin with a late night query about girls or something. He did always seem to appear at the strangest times. He walked over to the door, towel still in hand, reaching out and cautiously opening it just a crack.
“Uh. Hi…?” Familiar eyes curtained by brown bangs were the only thing that Steve could see upon first glance. His eyes drifted down to see he was camera clad as he always was.
“Jonathan?” Steve‘s brows furrowed, confused but pleasantly surprised by the shorter boy’s appearance.
“Yeah, it’s me. Thought I m… maybe had the wrong house for a second.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes taking to the ground in embarrassment. The change of light made his eyes squint to readjust.
“Sorry, I just… didn’t think you were gonna show.” Steve opened the door all the way, now getting a good look at him. He was wearing a flannel shirt underneath a navy colored windbreaker, and some worn jeans with a hole in one of the knees— like he’d tripped and torn it open. “… Gonna take some pictures?”
“Yeah— uh… Nancy said she wanted a nice memory of all of us.”
Steve frowned slightly, sucking air through his teeth. “Nancy actually just called. She can’t make it.”
“Oh.”
Silence.
“… You can go home if you want.”
“No, uh… I came all this way. I might as well make the most of it.”
“Oh,” Steve was taken aback, gesturing for a moment with his hands, unsure of what to say. “Yeah, sure. That’s fine. You can still get some pictures if you want, just… no Nancy.” He chuckled, pursing his lips. Jonathan shot him a weird glance and Steve ran his free hand through his hair, turning his head away. I can see why he doesn’t want to visit now. “Can I get you a drink before we go out?”
“I’m… okay, I think. I’ll let you know. I still have to drive home.”
“Right.” Steve wrung the towel in his hands, hesitating for what felt like forever. He threw it over his shoulder. “Let me just put this away. One second.”
Jonathan nodded, and Steve quickly turned on his heel back into the kitchen where he tossed the towel on the counter, grabbing his sticky can of beer and speed walking back to the door. Maybe a drink would calm his nerves and make him feel less stupid.
“Come on, we can sit by the pool. It’s not too bad out right now. Just breezy.” Steve walked out onto the porch with him, closing the door behind himself. He stretched his shoulders out, the red sweater he was wearing riding up just enough to expose his stomach just above his jeans. He adjusted it over his belt, tugging it down and clearing his throat. “If it gets too cold, we can go inside.”
“Fine by me.” Jonathan shrugged, smiling faintly at him. Steve had rarely seen a smile out of him, he wasn’t sure if he was just doing it to be nice. He didn’t mind though.
He waved him along, circling around the outskirts of the lavish Harrington home, almost spotless, except for the stray leaves and branches that had been thrown about in the wind. He probably should have left the pool cover on for longer, but he was expecting Nancy to come sooner. Now she wasn’t coming at all. Jonathan followed close behind, watching the horizon far off as the sun was setting, sending them off into the dark.
“So, did Nancy blackmail you into coming or something?” Steve teased, taking a short swig from his can. The alcohol tasted bitter in the back of his throat.
“Huh? Oh, no.” Jonathan wasn’t looking at him, but had his hands on his camera instead, fiddling with it quietly. “I wanted to come.”
Steve pressed, “Why none of the other times?” While sauntering up to the poolside. It wasn’t quite dark enough yet, but the waters still lit up with that faint blue aura. It smelled strongly of various cleaners and chemicals that kept the water clean. The mixture of alcohol and that pool stench settled strangely in Steve’s stomach. Uneasy, he took a seat in one of the chairs with a grunt.
“My mom doesn’t like it when I go out too late.” He answered, following Steve and taking a seat in the closest chair. They weren’t right next to each other, but they were probably within arms reach if they both outstretched their hands. “I don’t blame her. She’s just worried something bad will happen.”
“Yeah. I get it.” Steve felt somewhat guilty for pushing it on him all those times without knowing why he wouldn’t show. It made sense. “Did she change her mind?”
Jonathan paused, his eyes focused on the gently waving water of the pool. “No. I just told her it was gonna be okay. That you were here.”
He laughed softly, raising his beer to his ajar lips and taking another sip. “I’m not exactly the best one to reference. Maybe Nancy, but…” He shrugged, a smirk resting on his lips. “Well, I’m glad you came, Byers.”
“Yeah.”
There was a long silence between them as the evening was soon to become night, the wind whistling through the trees and tousling Steve’s tidy hairdo. He drank his beer in silence until it was empty, placing the can onto the concrete beside his chair. The pool gave off a pleasing blue glow, basking the boys in an ethereal light. Steve glanced over at Jonathan, able to make out the features of his face, despite the darkness. His hair gently blowing in the breeze, his tired eyes fixated on the water— suddenly, away from the water and at Steve, who hurriedly looked away, trying to play it off.
“Hey, uh… look, I really wanted you to come because I wanted to clear up what happened before we fought that… thing , y’know?” Steve combed his fingers through his hair, pulling stray strands away from his eyes and into the curl that sat above his forehead. “Like, I think we kinda made up unanimously, but I never really got to tell you, I was busy freaking out and getting yelled at. And I’m sorry I was such a dick to you. I shouldn’t have been like that.”
“It’s fine, Steve.” Jonathan quickly replied once he was finished, shaking his head. “It’s over now. We’re friends, right?”
“… Right.” Steve locked eyes with him, their expressions both filled with this distinct tiredness. Maybe regret. “Yeah. We’re friends.”
“Right.” Jonathan averted his eyes again, that same little smile finding its way onto his face. “I forgive you.”
Steve blinked, feeling lighter yet somehow deeply hollow all the same. Has it really been that easy all along? He looked back to the pool, gnawing on his bottom lip in thought. Jonathan hadn’t been avoiding him on purpose. He wasn’t upset with him. He didn’t even realize that he considered them friends.
Nice one, Harrington. He thought, closing his eyes and trying to relax his thoughts. He bent his legs, slinging one of his hands up onto his knee, gently tapping his fingers.
“… This doesn’t really feel… fun. Is this what you and Nancy do?…”
“Huh? No, uh… we do stuff usually, I’m just… not used to hanging out with… you.” Steve hesitated. “I guess I’m nervous or something.”
“ You’re nervous?”
“Yeah! I dunno.” He rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging sheepishly. He didn’t think he would get this far, considering he had already said sorry.
“Well… why don’t we talk more, so you’re not as nervous?” Jonathan offered, looking at him once more.
Pondering for a moment, Steve slowly stood from his chair, grabbing one side with his hands and sliding it across the concrete just so he could be a little closer. Now there was only about a foot between them when he sat back down. “We could do that.”
Steve couldn’t tell if the beer had helped him out or not, but they started chatting. It was casual, and slow at first, and then they started becoming more comfortable with each other. There were some laughs exchanged between them, and Steve had gotten a smile or two out of Jonathan— he was proud, but he wouldn’t let it get to his head. Of course, Jonathan had gotten some chuckles and smiles out of him too. Even if he was more relaxed and not as loud as the other, he was still fun to talk to. Steve overcame his unusual shyness around Jonathan, and it felt like any other night by the pool— even if Nancy wasn’t here. He didn’t feel compelled to get any more drinks either. It just felt good to talk for a while.
Steve had wandered off in conversation, not paying attention to Jonathan and rambling about something school related. His mind was somewhere else, raising his hand to brush it through his hair again like he’d done dozens of times through the night. As he did it, he heard the shutter of Jonathan’s camera go off which made him freeze for a second, his hand still in his hair. “What was that?”
“Oh— sorry. I guess I should have asked first…” Jonathan lowered the camera, looking somewhat dejected. “Uh… is it okay if I take your picture?”
“Well… yeah, I don’t mind. I just wasn’t expecting you to take one then.” Steve dropped his hand, looking at him. “Is that even gonna turn out? I wasn’t doing anything special.”
“Casual photos are some of the best ones.” Jonathan murmured, avoiding Steve’s eyes. “Sometimes it’s better when they’re not forcing it, you know?”
“I think I get it.” He nodded, his eyes falling on the camera. He could see it glinting in the light coming off of the pool. “Do you ever get pictures taken of you?”
“Not usually. Why?”
“Well, that’s not fair to you, y’know?”
“I mean… I don’t really care.”
“Well I do.” Steve scoffed, shaking his head. “Why don’t you let me take a picture of you?”
“… I… don’t want you to.” Jonathan replied slowly, brushing a strand of hair away from his eyes. Steve stared at him a while longer, pondering his reply.
To think, Jonathan, the only person he knew of that basically wore a camera like an accessory, was camera shy. Steve hummed, scratching his head as if that would unearth the proper answer he was looking for in his brain. Somehow, it did come to him.
“Well, we could take a picture together.” He offered, rubbing his upper arms with his hands. The wind was piercing all the sudden, sneaking through the tight knitting of his sweater. “Like Nancy wanted, right?”
“… I was kind of hoping I didn’t have to be in them. I was just going to take pictures of you and her.” He shrugged.
“Oh.”
“… Yeah.” Jonathan looked to the lights that were still on in the house, the yellow glow mixing with the blue of the pool. “Just feels weird when Nancy isn’t here.”
“It is weird.” Steve sighed, biting the inside of his cheek. “You like her, don’t you?”
He looked at him from the corner of his eye, raising a brow. “… As friends?”
“… No. Like her.”
Jonathan paused, shaking his head. “No, not like that.”
“Really? Could have sworn you guys were basically already together.” Steve stood up from his chair, ambling slowly towards the edge of the pool. He could almost feel the water on his skin from the times he’d been jokingly pushed into the pool on a cold night. He figured Jonathan wouldn’t do that to him. “I mean, I don’t mind if you just don’t wanna tell me.”
“No, I’m serious. I don’t like her like that.” He replied softly, his voice barely audible over the wind.
“Man, I was way off.” Steve snickered, shuddering as a cold breeze enveloped his body, like an icy hug. He hugged himself, squeezing his upper arms, trying his best to ignore the chill. “Sorry. Don’t mean to assume, I just wanted to know.”
“It’s fine,” He shrugged, watching him carefully as he came very close to the edge of the waters, like he was going to jump in. It was much too cold to do it, even as a joke.
Jonathan could see Steve’s features even more clearly now, as he tried to keep the friction of his hands going to warm up the chill that swept through the air. He was biting his lower lip, his cheeks and nose tinted pink as they desperately tried to warm up. His beauty marks that dotted near his jaw and down his neck were faint, but he could still make them out from where he was sitting. Jonathan wanted to look somewhere else, but he’d already been staring off into space for so long, Steve felt like a sight for sore eyes. He’d heard people use pretty boy as some type of insult from time to time when he was around. It just didn’t seem that rude to him. He was a pretty boy, there was no denying that.
His features are definitely more graceful than most. His hair always seemed to settle in just the right places, even when he adjusted it with his hands. His skin was clear and flawless, only marred by the faint scars upon his face, which had been caused by Jonathan’s hand. Part of him still felt he’d deserved it, but outwardly he felt bad.
“How’s your, uh…” Jonathan started, pausing as Steve turned his head to look, his expression blank until the corner of his mouth upturned into a half-smile. Jonathan swallowed, running a finger over his cheek where Steve’s injuries had been. “This?”
Steve squinted, puzzled, but realized what he was asking after he mirrored his action, stroking his cheek. “Oh, my face!” He placed his palm over the scars, feeling the warmth of his skin burn against the cold. “It’s fine. Looks better than it used to.”
“Yeah.” Jonathan put his hand back into his lap, averting his eyes back to the turquoise waters. “I couldn’t even notice.”
“Nice.” Steve nodded slowly, his eyes remaining on Jonathan a little longer. “You’re not cold, right?”
“No.” He shook his head. “But you are, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“… Really?”
“Yes?”
“You’re shivering.”
Steve hadn’t even noticed, but he lifted his hand, fingers spread. He was indeed shivering, not terribly, but enough to be noticeable. He crossed his arms, tucking his hands underneath to cover them. Honestly, he didn’t feel all that freezing— not enough to be shaking. An anxious feeling settled in his stomach once again. Maybe it was the alcohol. “Am not.” He chiefly denied.
Jonathan’s mouth remained agape for a moment, staring at him incredulously. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that. “… Okay.” Was all he could manage, before he stood up from his chair and sidled up beside the slightly taller boy.
Harrington’s eyes were still on him, although relaxed, it was still somewhat unnerving in a way. Like a curious puppy, his eyes flicker over Jonathan’s face. Examining him like he’d never seen him before. He found himself doing the same thing.
The last time he had been this close was when he had him on the ground, punching him in the face. His adrenaline-addled brain never had time to really focus on his features. He was too busy making sure he was hurting after what he had said.
Steve Harrington was undeniably beautiful.
“Take a picture,” Steve joked, grinning. “It’ll last longer.”
“Uh… sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
“Hey, it’s fine. There’s nobody else here but us.” He shrugged, waving it off with his hand. “No need to be embarrassed.”
“… Doesn’t it feel weird?…”
“What, when you stare?” Steve outstretched his arm, wrapping it tightly around Jonathan’s shoulders and pulling him close. “No. But, maybe I’m just used to the attention.”
They were uncomfortably close. He could feel the heat coming off of Steve despite his cold skin. Jonathan hadn’t felt a kind touch like this from anybody else but his mother or brother in…
A really long time.
Trying to ignore the heat that settled in his cheeks, he looked up to the sky, seeing the moon glowing radiantly as the clouds encircled it. It wasn’t quite full, but it was still a pleasant sight.
Pretty, Jonathan thought, but then his eyes were back on Steve. He must have followed his glance because he was looking at the moon too. “Pretty boy.” He muttered under his breath, almost involuntarily. It was the only thing he could think of.
“Hm?” Steve looked at him quizzically, that same dumbfounded puppy-like expression settled into his face. “Did you say something?”
“Uh— no. Sorry. Talking to myself.”
“Oh,” He nodded, squeezing Jonathan’s shoulder with his hand. “Your face looks like it’s getting cold. It’s red.”
He didn’t reply, instead choosing to quickly look away. He felt Steve shift next to him.
“We can go inside…?”
“I should probably go home.” He said, pursing his lips tightly. “My mom is probably waiting for me. I don’t want her to stay up too long.”
The taller boy frowned, but he understood, even if it was somewhat a lie. He knew how Joyce was— honestly, everybody did. “Uh, yeah, that’s fine. I’ll take you to your car?”
“Sure.”
His hand slid off of his shoulder, leaving Jonathan feeling alone again, even if he was still right there. Walking back over to his chair briefly, he picked up his empty can of beer, shaking it to see if any liquid was still pooled at the bottom while he began to walk back around the house. “You should come again.” Was all Steve said, looking at him over his shoulder to make sure he was following.
“Yeah. Maybe earlier, though. So I can stay longer.” He shrugged, offering him a small smile. “Maybe Nancy will be able to come next time.”
“I almost forgot she was supposed to come. We’re gonna reschedule for some other time tomorrow.” He rolled his shoulders back, yawning. “Would you wanna come then?”
“… I’ll see what I can do.”
“Sweet.”
They approached his run down Ford Galaxie that was pulled up to the curb, Steve idling by the door to the driver’s seat. He leaned against it, hand on the roof of the car.
“Sure you don’t want to stick around?” He asked, moving aside so Jonathan could open the door. “Take some more pictures? Seems like you only got one.”
“I’ll save it for when Nancy can be here.” He hesitated on opening the door for a second, swallowing thickly. “But I had a good time.”
“Yeah? I’m glad.” He smiled at him, chuckling softly. “Don’t leave me hanging next time, alright?”
“Alright, I won’t.” His fingers ghosted over the handle, and he looked into Steve’s dark eyes again. He felt this strange feeling settle into his stomach when Steve stared back into his. It wasn’t bad, he just couldn’t describe it. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he leaned forward and kissed him fleetingly on the corner of his mouth. The other froze in shock, staring at Jonathan with wide eyes. When he didn’t say anything, Jonathan opened the door, slipping quietly into his seat. “… Goodnight, Steve.”
“Uh,” He snapped out of it, blinking quickly. “Goodnight, Jonathan.” He replied, getting off of his car so he could leave.
Jonathan slammed the door shut, gripping onto the steering wheel until his knuckles were white as he saw Steve walk away from the corner of his eye. He felt like an idiot. He shed his camera and put it aside in the empty passenger's seat, sighing deeply. His relaxed happiness flooded away to be replaced by remorse. He put his forehead to the wheel, shutting his eyes and allowing a shudder to run all the way down his body.
There was a tap at the window.
Startled, he bolted upright, looking back outside. It was Steve. He opened the door back up, standing up from his seat to confront him one more time. “Sorry, I was just leaving.”
“Yeah. Uh. One more thing?”
“… Yes?”
He watched Steve shuffle for a moment, but his hand found its way to Jonathan’s cheek, slipping to cradle his jaw in his palm, and he leaned forward to press his lips against his, just a little longer than Jonathan had. Now it was his turn to stare in shock once Steve backed away.
He stroked his cheek with his thumb, blinking slowly. “Drive safe.”
Jonathan swallowed again, nodding after some time. “I will.”
Steve let his hand fall, but Jonathan leaned in one more time to kiss him. It was less awkward this time around, now that both of them were expecting it. Kissing deeply next to the driver's seat of Jonathan’s car for quite some time. When they parted, they looked in each other’s eyes again, laughing softly at the situation.
“I should really get going.” Jonathan whispered, his nose brushing against his as he moved away.
“I know.” Steve pursed his lips, his hand hanging on the open door. “See you.”
“See you.” He smiled, starting up the car as Steve slowly took off towards the house. He watched as he went, shutting the door and feeling remorseful for a different reason this time. He didn’t want to go, but he really should. His mom was probably worried sick already.
Steve looked over his shoulder, watching his car pull away and go down the street. He smiled faintly, feeling satisfied at how the night had turned out, despite everything. Maybe it was a good thing Nancy didn’t come.
But he sure did have a hell of a story to tell her tomorrow.