Chapter Text
As the last Sunday of September drew to a close, Steve and Will savored every moment of the waning sunlight. Their time together had been limited since the start of their classes, and their jobs made it even harder to find time for each other. They had to come up with believable excuses to avoid hanging out with their friends and spend some alone time together.
As soon as Will knocked on Steve's door, any lingering guilt disappeared. Every minute apart had been unbearable. Ever since they had confessed their love for each other three months ago, their bond had only grown stronger, beyond their wildest dreams.
Steve had never known he could be this happy. Whenever he smiled like a fool, someone always pointed it out, wondering what could be making him feel so elated. Little did they know that Will Byers was the only one capable of lifting his mood with just a thought.
With Will, Steve didn't have to hide his vulnerability. He could be himself without any pretense, even when it came to emotional moments. He didn't have to pretend that he wasn't crying during a movie, because he knew Will would be there to hold him and offer comfort.
The only downside of their relationship was that they had to keep it a secret. Only Robin and Vickie knew about their love for each other, and sometimes it frustrated Steve, especially when he saw other couples holding hands in public.
But he refused to let that dampen his spirits. He always looked for the bright side of things. Being with Will was enough to make him forget about the trivialities of public displays of affection.
"Steve!" Will giggled as his boyfriend peppered his neck with kisses, tickling him.
Steve pulled back and looked at him innocently. "What?"
"You know exactly what you're doing," accused Will.
Steve huffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't," Will sighed. "I don't want to leave either, but it's getting late. I'd rather not have to come up with an excuse for my mom, or worse, Hopper, about why I'm late for dinner."
"I know," Steve complained, lying back on his bed and covering his eyes with his hand. "We haven't had much time together this week, and yesterday didn't work out either..."
"I had to work, I'm sorry," Will said, taking his hand off his eyes and sitting up to face his boyfriend.
"Hey, no apologies necessary," Steve said. "This isn't about that. I just want to spend every moment with you. Sometimes I forget that there's a world outside of us."
"You really do love me, don't you?" said Will, grinning. He rolled over until he was on top of Steve, his mouth just inches from Steve's.
"Of course I do."
"As I love you, my dear," Will said, kissing Steve slowly. Steve couldn't help but smile at the endearment. He eagerly returned the kiss, deepening it just enough to savor the moment before Will's impending departure. "I love you so much."
Steve grinned, then let out a heavy sigh. "Can I drop you off? Just close to your house, I know," he added before Will could respond.
"It wouldn't be forever, just let's wait a few months…"
"It's fine, I understand… c'mon, I'll drop you off, I need to work tonight. Eddie has been covering for me lately." Will nodded, and they got out of the car, put Will's bike in the back, and started to drive.
"Did I mention to you that Jane is helping me convince Mom to let me drive Jon's car to get my permit?"
"What about Hopper?"
"Oh, Jane already convinced him, but Mom is refusing because Jon didn't get his permit until he was older than me…"
"But he drove before that," pointed out Steve.
"That's what I told her… and I already know how to drive, and I've driven your car before."
"Please tell me you didn't tell her that I let you drive my car by yourself," said an anxious Steve.
Will snorted. "Of course not. I know you're trying to impress my mom and Hopper."
Steve let out a breath. "I told you it's not about impression, it's about…"
"Building a good foundation. I know. You've said that to me before."
"I just want them to be okay with us being together when the time comes," he said, pulling over a couple of streets away from Will's house.
"Steve, you're already an amazing boyfriend. You don't need to try any harder than just being yourself."
Steve smiled. "And that's why I love you so much." He leaned in to give his boyfriend a kiss.
"Just that? What about my looks or charming personality?" Will joked.
"It's definitely not your humility," Steve replied with a laugh. "Anyway, I have to go now. Love you."
"Love you too." Steve watched as Will got on his bike.
"Hey, I'm free on Wednesday if you want to come over," Steve called out the window.
"I can make that work," Will replied, already riding away. "Gotta go. See you later." Steve waited a few moments to make sure no one was around before driving away.
Will used his key to enter the house, and the smell of pizza hit him. He took off his shoes and checked himself in the mirror to see if his boyfriend had left any noticeable marks. Not noticing anything, he went straight to the kitchen.
There, he found his mom and Hopper embracing, and he smiled. He cleared his throat. "Hey!" he greeted, grinning. Hopper waved at him, and Joyce smiled.
"How was your day, honey?" asked his mom.
"Great, everything was cool… Where's Jane?"
"She's in her room talking with Mike. Tell her that dinner is ready, and it's Hawaiian," she replied.
He grinned and went to his sister's bedroom, where he knocked and the door opened. "Jane, pizza is here."
She smiled at him, still holding the phone "Mike, I gotta go… Yeah, that was Will. He was busy… I don't know. Well, I'm not his nanny. Bye, Mike… Yeah, love you too."
"What was that about?" he asked, waiting for her to put on her slippers.
"Mike being Mike. Don't worry about it. So, we have to tell them about you getting the car," said Jane, suspiciously.
Will put his arm around his sister's shoulder and grinned. They arrived in the kitchen and helped their parents with the food. After a few minutes of conversation about their days, Jane nudged her brother to continue the most recent discussion.
"So, Mom, about Jon's car..." Will start.
"Honey, we talked about it. Let's wait a little bit longer," replied his mom.
"But Mom, if I get my permit now, I can start the process..." Will began.
"Why do you want to accelerate things? Driving a car is a huge responsibility," his mom reminded him.
"But Will is responsible. He wouldn't have a job in the theater if he wasn't. And as teenagers, we need to start becoming more independent," Jane chimed in.
"She has a good point, Joyce," interjected Hopper, munching on his pizza.
"Okay, but that doesn't mean I'll let you drive wherever you want alone. Only when you have your license," his mom agreed.
"Fine by me," replied Will.
"So, you'll sign him up for driving school?" asked Jane.
"Yes, Jane," replied Joyce to her daughter.
"Thanks, Mom," said Will.
"Yeah, thanks, Mom," grinned Jane at her brother.
"Alright, now let's finish up dinner…" Joyce said. Hopper grinned at the siblings' bond as they finished their dinner.
Will was doodling in his sketchbook, amused by the discussion between Dustin and Max about extracurricular activities. Since the Hellfire Club debacle, they had all decided to pursue other activities inside the school.
However, they were struggling to find something that interested them all. Mike was trying to persuade Jane to join the science club with him and Dustin. Lucas had already joined the basketball team, and Max had recently decided to volunteer at the hospital after speaking with her foster mom and counselor.
Only Jane, Mike, and Dustin hadn't yet decided on an activity. Will had already made his choice weeks ago but hadn't mentioned it to his friends.
"Jeez, you're going to confuse her... let her decide, loser," said Max, adjusting her glasses.
"El could do great in the science club, besides she's getting better at it," said Mike.
"Yeah, it's not about being with your girlfriend," huffed Dustin, and everyone laughed.
"Hey, I thought you were on my side. We need more members of the party together, since those two ditched us," said the raven-haired boy, motioning to Lucas and Max.
"What about Will?" said Dustin.
"Art club, I guess," replied Mike, and Will noticed that everyone was looking at him.
Will closed his book and sighed. "Actually, I got into the art club and the track team," admitted the boy.
"What?!" said Dustin and Mike in unison.
"That's cool, Will," said Lucas.
"No, not cool," said Mike.
"Now two members of the party are going to be jocks," said Dustin.
Max rolled her eyes and Will laughed. "I don't think being on the track team qualifies me as a jock, Dustin."
"Maybe not, but if they give you a letterman jacket, you'd look like one... and even more so since you already look like one, with that awful thing," said Mike, motioning to the leather jacket beside Will.
"You only said that because Steve gave it to me, and I still don't understand what your problem is with him," huffed Will, trying to conceal his true feelings for Steve.
"That he's an idiot, who's already stolen two of my friends, and he's trying to recruit Max. Soon, it'll be just Jane, Lucas, and me," said Mike.
"You're so dramatic," said Max.
"Steve's not an idiot, he's my... my friend," he took a breath, then looked at his sister. "You should do debate club." Will avoided Mike's gaze.
"You think?" asked Jane, eyes shining with hopeful.
"I do. You're getting great with your words, and I wouldn't win any of my discussions with our parents without your arguments. You should try it," he said.
She smiled at her brother, then looked apologetic at her boyfriend. "Sorry, Mike, but science is not for me. I was thinking between that or theater, but debate club sounds much better," she declared.
Mike nodded, and Max kicked him under the table. "That's good, El."
"Then it's decided. Everyone has their club... and finally, this year, all of you come to see me play," said Lucas. Dustin and Mike groaned, knowing that Lucas would start with that theme again.
Steve looked at the time again, but the clock seemed to have frozen. There were still two minutes left before the class was over. The topic had been wrapped up a while ago, but the professor was still debating with another student about the implications of the nature vs. nurture experiment.
Steve rolled his eyes. In his experience, people who played God only brought things they couldn't hold onto, and whatever seemed like a solution at the moment could be their own downfall. He sighed when the clock finally hit 3:15.
"...review the guides and be prepared for an assessment next week," said the professor. Steve shook his head, took his notebook, and headed towards the door.
"Hey!" he heard someone calling, but he shrugged it off. He hadn't made any friends in class yet. "...he's fast. Hey, you in the blue sweater!" Yep, that was him.
He stopped and turned back to the voice, seeing two people looking at him. One was a petite girl with pixie hair and an oversized sweater with a flower pattern, and beside her was a boy with curly hair, a little taller than her, wearing a bright bomber jacket.
"Yes?" asked Steve, confused.
"Steve, right?" the boy asked. Steve nodded.
"I'm Julian, and this is Nickie," the boy said. The girl nodded.
"Pleasure…can I help you with something?" Steve asked.
The girl snorted and nudged her friend. "We were wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee with us?" she said.
Steve frowned and looked at his watch. He wasn't exactly running out of time, but he didn't have much to spare.
"Something quick," the girl added, noticing Steve's hesitation.
Steve smiled. "Sure, is it nearby or do we need to drive?" he asked, motioning to his notes and textbook.
"Oh, no, we can just walk around the corner... They give discounts to students, that's why we go there," Nickie explained.
"Sure," Steve followed them, and just as his classmates said, the cafeteria was only a couple of minutes away. As he entered Towne Dinner, he was immediately hit with the smell of ground coffee and greasy bacon. Since he only had a sandwich for lunch, everything on the menu sounded good.
"Are you hungry?" Julian asked, seeing Steve's focus on the plates displayed on the menu board.
"I could eat," he said.
"Great. You're going to taste the best sandwich here. I'll order for us. Go with Nickie," Julian said. Steve nodded and looked for the girl. He found her sitting in a booth in front of a window, and they smiled at each other.
Trying to make small talk, Steve asked, "Are you from around here?"
"Why? Don't I look American?" the girl asked, frowning.
Steve almost choked on his spit. "What?! No, I mean, if you're from Muncie... I didn't mean..."
"Nickie, what did you tell the poor guy?" Julian asked, sitting beside his friend.
"I was teasing him. Don't worry, I understand what you were asking, but I like to play with people," she replied. "But yeah, I was born and raised in Muncie. My parents came here because my dad is a history professor, and they arrived here from California in the '60s and never left."
"Best thing that happened to me. She's my best friend," Julian said, smiling at the girl. She rolled her eyes, and Steve snorted, saying they looked just like him and Robin.
"I'm from here if you're wondering. Nothing more to say. My parents came from a generation of Black people who liked Indiana," Steve said, laughing. "But obviously, you're not from here. So, what's your story?"
Steve cleared his throat. "I'm from Hawkins," he said, waiting for their reaction. He knew that even though the government had tried to keep it under wraps, news about the strange occurrences in Hawkins had spread.
"Oh, jeez. Two earthquakes in less than two months, right?" Julian asked.
"Yes," Steve confirmed.
"I've never been in an earthquake, but my dad said it was awful. Back in Toyooka, he was close to one," the girl said.
Julian nodded in agreement. "We heard there were some fatalities. I'm sorry if you lost any loved ones," he said.
"Thanks. My friends and I were lucky," Steve replied. Just as he finished speaking, the food arrived, providing a welcome distraction from the heavy topic. "You were right, this is delicious," he said after taking a bite of his sandwich.
His classmates grinned at him, and they all started talking about their favorite foods and plans for the weekend. Steve mentioned how he works at a video store, Julian talked about his part-time gig at his dad's car shop, and Nickie shared that she's a waiter at a nearby diner.
Once they were done chatting about their personal lives, they turned to their nursing program. They had just finished a tough lecture on patient care, and they discussed what they learned and how they could apply it to their upcoming clinical rotations. Steve said he found the lecture super interesting and threw in a few thoughts here and there. Meanwhile, he absentmindedly fiddled with the new keychain Will had given him a few weeks back.
He had found that touching the object calmed his mind, and it had become a habit since his boyfriend had gifted him the first one.
"Cute keychain," said Nickie, observing the heart-shaped keyring.
Steve smiled. "Yeah, it is," he replied. He hadn't even realized it was there until Will passed him his keys after driving his car. He had only raised his eyebrows at his boyfriend, who winked at him. That was it.
It wasn't uncommon; Will tended to do random things like that: putting keychains on his keys, drawing pictures on his receipts, and leaving random notes in his books.
"It's from a girlfriend?" asked Nickie. Steve smiled and shook his head, not wanting to discuss his relationship with anyone who would judge him. "A boyfriend?" Nickie whispered the last part.
Steve widened his eyes and looked around to see if anyone had overheard her. "I knew it!" said Nickie. "Pay up," she said to her friend. Julian rolled his eyes and put a dollar on the table, which Nickie took.
"I don't understand, how...?" asked Steve. Vickie and Robin had already told him that he and Will tended to look at each other deeply, and they didn't understand how no one else had found out about them.
"I'm sorry, I'm a gossip," said Nickie. "In anatomy last week, you were scribbling down a name in your book... Will," she said.
"That doesn't have to mean anything, it could be just a word," said Steve.
"With a lot of heart around it," said the girl.
Steve flushed because, yes, now he remembered that notebook. That was what Will was laughing about on Sunday when he said that he did the same thing.
"Man, don't worry. She's not going to tell anyone… I'm gay," said Julian.
"And I'm not... I mean, girls are nice but no thanks. Boys are my thing," said the girl, laughing and wiggling her eyebrows.
Steve exhaled. "I'm bisexual," said the boy.
"Oh, cool…" said Julian.
"And Will is...?" asked Julian.
Steve rolled his eyes. "My boyfriend…" he smiled. "Fuck, it feels so great telling someone about it."
"No one knows about you, I mean your friends," wondered Nickie.
"It's complicated. Only my best friend and her girlfriend know about us..." and Jennings, but he didn't want to explain that part to his classmates. "He is younger than me, and his best friend hates me, and his oldest brother hates me too."
"Why?" asked Julian.
"I used to date this girl who is the oldest sister of his best friend and now is the girlfriend of Will's brother, and let's say that I was an asshole towards all of them."
"Yeah, I get the complicated part."
"And how long have you been together?"
"Almost five months… best months of my life."
"Aww, he's in love," said Nickie. "You lost your opportunity, Jules," said the girl to her friend.
Julian rolled his eyes. "She's kidding. I mean, yeah, you're handsome, but I have my eyes fixed on another person."
Steve nodded. "That's cool," smiled Steve.
"So Will?" asked Nickie.
"Nick!" hissed Julian. "You have to excuse her because she's a little bit nosy."
"I'm not. It's just that I have to live my romance through other people. I'm single Jules, single! One more month, and I think I'll become a nun."
"That's fine. I like speaking about him," a smile tugged at his face.
"I bet the way you hold on to that keychain," said the girl.
"Oh, yeah. He does that kind of thing like leaving his stuff on my key or doodles in my car… wait," he opened his notebook and looked at the last page. He smiled and passed the notebook to his friends. "He draws and does these random things on my stuff. I think it's cute."
"And he's pretty good at it. I mean, they're just flowers, but they look cool," said Julian sincerely.
"Yeah, and finally he started to accept that he was good at it," said Steve.
"I'm going to ask because seeing your lovesick face, something tells me that you have a photo in your wallet… and I need to see it."
Steve flushed because it was true. He snorted but took off a little strip of photos that they took together back at the Fort Wayne fair. Fortunately, he got ahold of the one that showed Will's face and not the ones where they were kissing. His boyfriend had demanded to keep that one.
He passed the photo to his classmates, and Nickie grinned. "Yeah, this totally explains you writing down his name… he's cute."
"Yeah," he looked at his watch and glanced at his companion.
"You have to go, right?"
"Yeah, sorry… I need to work, and things have been difficult lately," explained Steve.
"I can imagine. We have it easy compared to you. I can't imagine traveling every day for this," said Julian.
"It's tough, but let's say I have good motivation," he smiled. "Anyway, I really need to go. It was nice meeting you both. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he paid for his lunch and waved goodbye.
He got in his car, took one last glance at his keys, let out a contented sigh, and started driving towards Hawkins, he still had some things to do but recently things felt more lightly.