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Steve hated your boyfriend. If you were to ask him, he'd probably say the way he felt about him was something much deeper than hate. Steve despised him so much that he'd decided he’d hate the name Jason for life.
It didn't help that your brother, Dustin, hated him too. The only difference was that Dustin didn't mind telling you just how much he despised him— he'd even said so in front of Jason himself, which had caused a huge argument between the two of you later that night. But you never told Dustin that, of course. You didn't want to add more fuel to the fire.
Things with Jason were… complicated to say the least. He was sweet most of the time and you really liked him. The two of you had been dating for almost seven months now, and you were happy with him. But sometimes he could be distant, aggressive when he was pissed off. You quickly learned to read his moods and would tread lightly whenever you picked up on whatever version of him showed up that day.
You told yourself this was just what relationships were like sometimes. Nobody was perfect and Jason was so patient with your own baggage so you wanted to do the same for him.
So you smiled and laughed, keeping every argument and accidental bruise hidden from everyone around you. Besides, Jason never truly meant to hurt you. He was just stronger than you, and grabbing someone a little too rough in the heat of the moment didn't count as abuse.
Right?
You tapped your fingers against your thigh as you listened to Jason rant from the driver's seat. He'd had a shitty day and you'd been subjected to listening to him complain about it loudly the moment he picked you up from work.
“— and then I told him to get the fuck out of my face before I gave him something else to whine about. I mean, goddamn, how many times do I have to explain things to him before he fucking gets it. He's a dumbass. He's lucky I didn't kick his ass for ruining the whole afternoon.”
You nodded, throat already tight at his tone. You felt yourself thinking of an apology despite his anger not even being directed at you, this time.
“Sounds stressful, babe. I'm sorry your day has been so terrible,” you gave him a smile as you softened your voice. You didn't want to annoy him further and when he got like this anything was liable to send him over the edge.
Jason hummed, reaching forward and fiddling with the radio dial as he ignored your attempts to calm his irritation. You felt your anxiety rising as you prepared yourself to ask him to drive by Family Video so that you could drop off something for Dustin. He'd forgotten to grab his bag before he left for school that morning, and he'd called your house insisting you bring it by because he had to have it for later.
“Hey,” you started, fingers tightening in your jacket as you forced yourself to just ask it already. “Do you think we could stop by Family Video really quickly? I need to drop something off for Dustin. I promise to be quick.”
Jason sighed, turning his head and watching you with annoyed eyes.
“Seriously? Your brother isn't a baby anymore. You need to tell him you're done tending to him like this. He needs to get his shit together and if you keep coddling him he's going to grow up and be a little pussy.”
You bit your tongue at his words. You hated that he belittled Dustin this way, and you'd been sure to let him know this many times in the past. Which had ended in the way it always did: Jason furious that you would disagree with him and you in tears for the rest of the night.
So instead of telling him to shove his opinions up his ass, you stayed quiet, choosing to ignore him completely.
“I will be quick. It's something important, Jason, he really does need it. Please?” You fluttered your eyes at him, giving him a little smile as you tried to fake sweetness. This worked most of the time and you'd learned just when to use it.
“Fine, but we're not staying to hang out. In and out.”
You nodded, relieved that it hadn't turned into something more than this. It wouldn't take you long to reach the video store, everything in Hawkins was close together and Jason wasn't one to obey the speed limits anyways. That was another thing you'd had to get used to with him— reckless driving.
The familiar sign came into view and your stomach twisted. Hopefully Jason wouldn't say anything to upset Dustin, and vice versa. Things were already tense enough and you didn't think you could handle any more.
Part of you had hoped Jason would remain in the car. You only needed to run inside and hand your little brother his bag and then you'd leave. But the moment he'd put it in park, he reached down and loosened his seat belt and opened the door.
“Y-you don't have to get out if you don't want to. I won't be but a second,” you hoped you sounded casual instead of hopeful.
“Yeah right,” Jason laughed, slamming his door hard enough to make you flinch. “Doesn't Harrington work here? I'm not letting you go in by yourself so he can drool over you and shit.”
You couldn't help the blush that crept up your neck. Steve was Dustin's best friend, and the two of you were rather good friends. Jason had this crazy idea that Steve was after you and would get jealous anytime you were near him. You tried to explain to him that you were only friends, that Steve was practically family at this point, but Jason refused to listen.
“He doesn't drool over me, Jason,” you mumbled to him and he huffed in response, falling in step next to you and throwing his arm around your waist as you entered the store. Usually you liked being close to him, but right now he wasn't doing it out of love. He was doing it out of jealousy and ownership, and the truth of it made your cheeks redden in embarrassment.
“Welcome to Family Video,” Robin’s voice cut through the tension as you both stepped inside. “Oh, hey!” She smiled at you upon seeing you enter.
Her eyes drifted to Jason standing next to you and her smile fell slightly, but she nodded at him anyways. She turned to the back, peaking her head around the corner as she yelled for Dustin.
“Dustin, your sister is here!”
You laughed, Robin never failed to make you laugh. She was calming without even trying.
“Thanks, Robin.”
“Oh yeah, of course. He's back there somewhere. Him and Steve were searching for some movie Dustin wouldn't shut up about.”
Upon hearing Steve's name, Jason tensed beside you. His fingers tightened around your side, digging into your skin, painfully enough to make you flinch. Robin's eyes shot down to where his fingers pressed against you, but thankfully she said nothing.
Dustin's voice moved closer and you forced a smile onto your face again. His eyes lit up as he saw you and he bounced over to you, reaching for the bag you held out for him.
“Shit— Thanks! I owe you for this. I can't believe I forgot about it again.”
Jason rolled his eyes next to you.
“Maybe if you'd actually think you could remember something every once in a while.”
Your breath hitched, Dustin's eyes narrowed as he glared daggers at Jason now.
“What the hell did you just say to me, asshole?”
Jason stepped forward and you could practically feel the anger bubbling inside him. Your hand shot out, grabbing at his wrist to try and anchor him. You glanced at Dustin, eyes wide as you prayed he'd see just how desperate you were for him to drop it and say no more.
You were so caught up in trying to prevent them from fighting you failed to notice Steve had appeared behind Dustin, too.
“Hey,” his voice was calm, which somehow made things feel worse. “Don't talk to him like that.”
Of course Steve was standing up for Dustin. A pang of guilt hit you right in the chest as you stood there frozen. You wanted to defend him too, but you couldn't. You refused to start another argument.
“Whatever,” Jason laughed, running a hand down his face— something he always did when he was pissed.
“I don't know what it is about you Henderson’s. Your brother is a little punk and you,” he turned his attention to you now, eyes darker than usual. “You can be such a little bitch.”
The word bitch lingered around the now silent video store. The only sound being the low music playing through the speakers. You could feel panic rising, but nothing felt as heavy as the humiliation that settled around you. Jason had never called you something so vulgar in front of anyone before. Tears prickled your eyes and you tried to steady yourself.
Jason's hand tightened around your wrist—too tight—as he moved to turn you both towards the door, ready to leave and pull you out the door with him.
“Woah,” Dustin jumped forward, his face twisting in anger on your behalf. “What the fu—”
Steve moved fast, his hand shooting out and forcing Dustin to stop in his tracks. His eyes flickered from your face to Jason, and you held your breath.
“Hey, you don't get to talk to her like that, man. Show some respect.”
Jason let go, and your heart hammered in your chest. You didn't know what to do now, but you knew whatever was about to happen would not be good. Not for you, for Jason, and especially not for Steve. You didn't want Steve to get hurt, and when Jason felt cornered he reacted without thinking.
“N-no, it's fine! C'mon, Jason, we're gonna be late and I'm ready to go,” you tried to laugh, hoping that everyone would relax if they realized his words hadn't affected you.
“No, it's not fine. He shouldn't talk to you like that. You're his girlfriend and that's not okay,” Steve’s eyes found yours again and you could see just how much this was bothering him.
“That's right, Harrington. She is my girlfriend and how I talk to her is none of your goddamn business.”
“She's my sister and you will not disrespect her like that,” you'd never heard Dustin sound so angry before. He was practically shaking behind Steve's arm as he continued to hold him back.
Part of you was terrified for Dustin. He was your little brother, and you wanted to believe that Jason knew better than to actually hurt him, but another part of you wouldn't be surprised if he did.
“It's probably not my business but I don't tolerate assholes like you. I think you should go now. And don't bother showing back up here again.”
“Oh no, I can't come back to this shitty video store again. Whatever, Harrington. Fuck you both. Come on,” his hand found yours again but before he could pull you with him, Steve's fingers wrapped around your wrist lightly, barely there.
“She's not going with you, man,” Steve’s voice remained calm even now.
Jason's eyes found Steve's fingers around your wrist and he smirked.
“And you think you're going to stop her? Get your fingers off my fucking girlfriend or I'll beat your ass, Harrington.”
But Steve didn't move away. Instead, he stepped forward, tightening his hold on you enough to confirm he wasn't letting you walk out of the store with him.
“Listen, dickhead, you have ten seconds to walk out the door and get in your shitty little car and drive away before I call the police and have your ass arrested,” Robin spoke up from behind the counter, her hand already reaching for the phone on the wall.
“Ten, nine, eight…,” she trailed off, her eyes locking on Jason like she wanted to kill him. Jason looked around the room, and you could tell he was weighing his options. He was outnumbered and you knew he would rather die than have the police involved. He chuckled, shaking his head as he turned to glare at you.
“Seriously? You're going to do this to me?”
You said nothing, eyes falling to the ground because the weight of his gaze on you had your stomach aching.
“Fuck this bullshit,” Jason mumbled, shoving past you purposely, knocking his shoulders into your own as he stormed out the door. You stumbled, but Steve never let go of your wrist and steadied you quietly.
“I swear to God I'm going to kill that bastard,” Dustin fumed across from you, his eyes following Jason through the window as he slammed his door and sped away from the parking lot, not even sparing a second glance at the door.
“Hey… you okay?” Steve's voice pulled you back to the room and you blinked rapidly, trying to force the tears back so you didn't humiliate yourself further in front of everyone.
“Y-yeah, I'm fine. I didn't mean to cause issues—,” your voice wavered as you tried to calm yourself. “I was just trying to bring Dustin his things— I'm sorry.”
Steve's face softened as you stumbled over your words.
“Why are you sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for. The fact you even feel you should apologize proves he's the problem.”
Steve finally let go of your wrist, stepping back to give you space. Your eyes found Dustin's, and your heart broke at the look on his face.
“Are you okay, Dustin?”
He nodded once and walked towards you, wrapping you in a tight hug. Your arms wrapped around his back, letting him comfort you the same way you used to comfort him when he was little.
“You are never seeing him again. I'm serious. He's a terrible person and I won't let you be alone with him ever again.”
The idea of not seeing Jason again felt more relieving than disappointing, and you felt yourself relax for the first time in what felt like months.
“I won't see him anymore. I promise,” you whispered into his shoulder, feeling the anger slowly fade from him at your promise.
“You deserve better than that.”
You looked up, head turning to where Steve still stood nearby. Your eyes found his and you could see the anger simmering in him still. But unlike Jason, Steve seemed to have his anger under control instead of allowing it to control him.
“I know it really isn't my business but I'm going to say it anyway. That guy is a piece of shit and you deserve so much more than that. You're too much of a sweetheart to let someone that disgusting ruin you.”
A small blush settled in your cheeks at being called a sweetheart. The bell above the door rang out and everyone turned towards it to see who had entered.
Mike, Lucas and Will stood in the doorway, eyes flicking between the four of you as they took in the scene.
“What happened here?” Mike asked, eyes wide in curiosity.
“Nothing. Everything is fine,” Dustin answered quickly.
“Okay… Well, are you ready to go? We're gonna be late if we don't leave now.”
Dustin groaned, “Oh shit, I almost forgot.”
He glanced at you once, unsure whether he should leave or not considering everything that had just taken place. You smiled and stepped back.
“Go have fun with your friends. I'm fine,” you shoved him playfully with your arm.
“But how are you going to get home?”
Steve cleared his throat.
“I could take you home? I mean, if you want. No pressure.”
Dustin's eyes lit up, clearly pleased with the idea. He grinned at Steve, clapping him on the shoulder once before heading to the door to join his friends.
“Wonderful idea. I'll see you at home later then.” Dustin yelled over his shoulder, following behind the others as they pushed out the door.
“Let me grab my stuff and I can take you home. I'll just be a minute.”
You nodded, watching as Steve disappeared into the back of the store. Robin approached you slowly, offering you a small smile.
“Thanks for that. I— I was worried about what Jason was going to do. He gets really mad sometimes and just blacks out.”
Robin reached out, her hand squeezing your shoulder reassuringly.
“You didn't deserve that. I'm really sorry that you had to put up with him.”
Soft footsteps filled the room as Steve returned, his keys dangling from his hand and his jacket thrown over his shoulder. His eyes softened upon seeing Robin's hand on your shoulder, and he smiled at the two of you.
“You ready?” He asked, only moving when you nodded.
“I'll see you later,” he said his goodbyes to Robin as you headed towards the door and to his car.
He unlocked your door and held it open as you slid into the passenger seat. He closed the door gently before walking around the front and climbing into the driver's seat beside you. He didn't turn the radio on as he backed out, letting the silence sit between you comfortably.
“Are you cold?” He glanced over at you finally.
“I'm okay,” you whispered, eyes watching the houses pass by out the window as he drove.
You were only a few streets away from your house now, and you couldn't wait to climb into your bed and cry until you fell asleep. Today had been so horrible and you needed to let everything out in the safety of your bedroom before you could fully decompress.
Steve turned into your driveway and parked, but he made no attempt to turn off the engine.
“I hope I didn't overstep earlier but I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you or made you feel—”
You reached out, resting your hand against his arm as he gripped the gear stick.
“You didn't overstep. I'm grateful that you did that. I— I really appreciate it, Steve.”
Steve took a deep breath, his head falling back as if lost in thought. He looked nervous and you couldn't help but think how adorable he looked like this.
“Can I be honest?” He asked, turning his head just enough to catch your gaze. You nodded, wanting him to tell you whatever he was thinking.
“You really do deserve better than that, and I'm not just saying that because you're Dustin's sister. I'm saying that because—” he trailed off, eyes flicking out the window for a moment before finding yours again.
“I've liked you for a long time. Since we were stuck in Starcourt Mall in that Russian base and everything was falling apart. I'm not saying this to complicate things, but I had to tell you. After seeing the way he so easily disrespected you and how you were ready to laugh it off and downplay it to protect him, I just needed you to know.”
Steve's voice was low, and you could hear the uncertainty as he spoke. He was nervous and you could tell he was bracing himself for your reaction.
You didn't know what to think. Since when did Steve like you? You'd always assumed he treated you kindly because of Dustin, so this was completely unexpected.
“Steve—,” you started but he cut you off gently.
“You don't have to say anything, and please don't worry about hurting my feelings right now. You've been through enough shit today. I just— I thought if I told you then you'd realize you don't have to put up with assholes like Jason. You don't have to settle because there are good guys out there who don't want to dim your happiness and would never disrespect or hurt you.”
You couldn't help but smile. He was blushing and it was a rare thing to see Steve Harrington this flustered.
“Thank you,” you meant it. Steve was being so kind and it was almost overwhelming. He was so different from what you were used to from Jason.
“I'm not sure what happens now but I'm not letting Jason back into my life. I'm done with him and will never settle for someone like that ever again.”
You couldn't help the slow smirk pulling at your lips.
“And for the record, I was totally crushing on you way before Starcourt Mall. You're a little late to the party, Harrington. You were still caught up on Nancy to notice how much I liked you.”
You laughed as he groaned at the mention of his pining after Nancy. He threw his head back, dramatic as ever.
“Oh God, don't remind me of that time of my life. It was embarrassing enough to live through it. Please let's not talk about it.”
You giggled, the aching in your chest easing up for the first time all day. You sat there laughing together, parked in your driveway for what felt like hours as you talked and joked around. It was so easy, comfortable and most importantly Jason never crossed your mind.