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Harrington and Byers. Steve and Jonathan. Two people that have always seemed to be in each other’s peripheral, for better or for worse. If you watch one, the other will inevitably show up.
At first, it was for any reason but a good one. Steve would stalk the halls during middle school and into high school, looking for his prey. It would be a regular occurrence for him to occasionally command his goons to torment the smaller boy or do it himself. It got to a point where the most recent conflict between Harrington and Byers wouldn’t be noteworthy, being the status quo instead.
The moment they stopped fighting caused more ripples than their entire last year of hostile interactions. For the first time since elementary school, when the boy’s gazes landed on each other, they were void of the old, smoldering anger and hatred. Their muscles weren’t tense, ready to strike or retaliate. Sure, they were only ever interacting if Nancy was there, but that’s still something.
In the span of a couple of months, the high school witnessed a metamorphosis where the boys became comfortable with each other, rarely being seen without the other, with or without Nancy.
Whispered threats and snarls at each other shifted to laughter and light conversation. They used to only touch when fists connected with faces, but they now lean on each other and bump shoulders casually.
It’s like there was never any conflict between the two of them, and if you didn’t see it happen, you wouldn’t think they could ever hate each other. This was all strange enough for the students at Hawkins High, but then it got weirder.
Whispers started, pointing out the odd moments between the two. Gazes that lingered a little too long and sitting a little too close when they had no reason to. Soft smiles were stuck on their faces whenever they were together, rain or shine.
It became something of a casual debate on whether or not they were just friends. Some thought they were just close friends, while others started to throw around the word ‘boyfriends.’ It was just a bit too friendly to be normal, but there was never proof of anything.
However, that talk started to die down as the pair got even closer, seeming to leave less room for debate.
Jonathan began to wait out by the locker rooms with the girlfriends of the other basketball players for practice to end. Steve was always touching Jonathan in some way, even resting his head on his shoulder while eating. Moments apart became even rarer, and it was jarring to just see one of them.
Of course, there was talk about this and a fair amount of scorn towards the pair. However, this talk stayed only in whispers. Most of it was from girls that wanted to be with Steve themselves and those that weren’t cool with two guys being together. To be frank, most people had better things to worry about, and it’s not like they were fighting or doing anything crazy.
This is where things are sitting now. Most people already acknowledged the strong, not very platonic bond between the boys.
Interestingly, this all happened before the closest people to Jonathan and Steve began to suspect something was up.
They had a unique understanding of the shared bonds and experience between all of them, so it took longer to realize that Jonathan and Steve may be overstepping the bounds of friendly comfort in each other.
~~~
The kids and families started to think during the winter season.
They have a general Christmas celebration at the Harrington house, donated by Steve because his parents were out. It isn’t actually Christmas, being a few days later, each of them having celebrated the actual holiday with their own families. However, with what happened, basically, everyone that took part in the incident had the urge to be together during the holiday season.
There are a few, not many, Christmas decorations around the house, and there’s a joy going around in spades as people mingle and chat and play games with each other.
For most of the celebration, Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve stick around each other. The three of them had taken over the couch when there was a sudden commotion with the kids.
“I could so beat you!” Mike shouts at Dustin, who just rolls his eyes, setting down his Uno hand. Eleven, who isn’t playing the game, watches idly.
“No way!” Dustin bites back, laying down a skip, making Will miss his turn, “I could so out muscle those spindly arms!” Mike gapes, purely scandalized.
“Not to brag,” Lucas jumps in, playing a blue 5 from his hand, “But I would have the best accuracy.” He smirks at his friends, and Will scoffs softly.
“What’s going on?” Steve finally asks, his curiosity burning him up. Jonathan and Nancy listen intently, too, with the former being pressed against Steve’s side.
“Dustin thinks he could win a snowball fight!” Mike accuses, pointing at the said boy.
“You think I can’t? Come on. Let’s prove it!” Dustin says, standing. The rest of the kids (minus Eleven) all shout their approval, looking to the older siblings for their consent. The teens glance at each other, having a silent conversation.
“Only if you get your coats,” Steve finally says, the other two teens nodding as well. The kids scramble up to grab their coats. The teens stand, too, already knowing that they’ll have to watch them.
“Snowball fight?” Eleven asks as Jonathan helps her with her coat.
“It’s a game,” Jonathan explains, “You take some snow and press it together, then you throw it at someone.” He mimes the actions of packing a snowball together and throwing it as he talks. Eleven tilts her head.
“Does it hurt?” She asks cautiously.
“No, not really,” Jonathan is quick to reassure. “It’s just cold.” Eleven seems satisfied and goes out to the front of the house, where the chaos has already started to reign.
Eleven doesn’t take long to get into the swing of it, using her powers to create and sling snowballs. The shouts of it being unfair are ignored.
After a few minutes of watching from the porch, Nancy stretches and announces that she’s going to go inside.
“Why? Are you not having fun?” Steve asks in a heartbroken voice. Jonathan laughs softly, and Nancy rolls her eyes fondly.
“I want hot chocolate, and I know they’ll be hounding us for some when they come back inside,” She answers, motioning to the fight happening. Jonathan nods, and Steve smiles at her.
“Alright. You better make us some!” Steve calls out.
“I will!” Nancy shouts as she goes in the door. It slams behind her, leaving the boys standing there.
Steve’s gaze slowly drifts from the fight to Jonathan next to him. The shorter boy’s nose and ears are red from the cold, but he just smiles as he watches the kids play. Jonathan’s eyes flick over, briefly meeting Steve’s before he grins and looks at the floor. Steve’s full attention is on Jonathan, and Lucas sees an opportunity.
Lucas hurls a snowball towards the teens, and the perfectly aimed shot hits Steve directly in the chest, breaking on impact. The breath is slightly knocked out of Steve as he looks down at the smattering of snow on his coat. He glances back and forth between the shot and the kids.
“Who did that?!” Steve demands, stepping out into the lawn, scanning them, but the kids hunker down and run further away, giggling. A new source of laughter comes from behind him. Steve turns around and notices Jonathan, who had walked out with him. He has his hand in front of his mouth, muffling his laughter as his other hand is behind his back.
“What are you laughing at, Byers?” Steve asks, fighting the smile that’s attempting to get on his face.
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” Jonathan quickly says, laughing a little louder. He takes a step away, grinning at Steve.
“You think this is funny?” Steve says lowly, stalking slowly over to the other boy. Jonathan can’t contain himself anymore. His belly laughs are torn out of him even as he steps away from Steve. “You do think this is funny!” Steve accuses, gathering some of the snow off his chest and a bit off the ground, packing it together. “I’ll show you funny!”
He lunges at Jonathan, but he doesn’t realize that Jonathan has planned for this. The boy’s hidden hand comes into view, overflowing with snow, and he smashes the pile directly into Steve’s face.
As Steve tumbles to the ground, his face covered in the wet slush, Jonathan can barely breathe past his laughter. Steve sputters incoherently as he lands on the ground, but it’s mixed in with his own giggles at the ridiculousness.
“You little jerk!” Steve shouts, getting on all fours to lunge at Jonathan, wrapping his arms around his middle, pulling him down to the ground. Jonathan can’t even complain, still laughing.
“I’m gonna get you!” Steve warns, grabbing an armful of snow and turning back to the more petite boy who’s on his back, clutching his stomach.
“No, Steve, don’t!” Jonathan pleads, but Steve proceeds to dump the armful on the other’s face and chest. He grabs some more clumps of snow to smother Jonathan with, but Jonathan lurches up, knocking into Steve and shoving him onto his back.
The teens wrestle with each other, dumping snow on the other whenever they have the chance. Their mixed laughter echoes through the still night as they get more chilled and wet, but they don’t care. The world around them doesn’t seem to matter as they have fun.
They don’t even realize that the kids have stopped their snowball fight. Will and Dustin had already run inside to get their cocoa, barely acknowledging Jonathan and Steve with more than a glance. Lucas trailed behind them, giving the teens a curious look as they fought like children before going inside. This left Mike and Eleven.
Mike groans, rolling his eyes and mumbling about ‘love-struck idiots.’ Eleven just stares on curiously, a grin on her face. She doesn’t completely understand what’s happening, but she knows they’re happy, and that’s enough for her. They go in together, leaving the teens alone.
Steve and Jonathan still fight for another minute or two, but they soon become a little too tired, breathing heavily. They stare at each other for a long moment as they lay on the ground. Neither is sure what to say, so they don’t say anything, just there with the occasional chuckle.
“Hey, do you two want hot cocoa or not?!” Dustin suddenly shouts, having been sent by Nancy.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming,” Steve shouts back. Dustin, satisfied, steps back into the house, letting the door close behind him.
“We should go in,” Jonathan says softly, his face sore from laughing.
“I guess,” Steve says with a groan, sitting up and standing. He turns and offers a hand to Jonathan, who takes it gratefully. They’re both covered in snow with it on their skin, in their hair, and all over their clothes. They wander into the house side-by-side.
The kids have already put in a holiday movie, settling down in front of the T.V with their cocoa. Nancy gives Steve and Jonathan a slight glare as they take the last of the hot chocolate, and the pair goes over to the couch after getting out of their coats.
The melting snow leaves them soaking in cold water, causing the teens to shiver despite their drinks. Without saying a word, Steve gets up to fetch a fluffy white blanket out of one of his closets and returns with it, wrapping it around both himself and Jonathan. The smaller boy thanks him softly, sipping on his drink.
At one point, Steve has a bit of foam on his upper lip which Jonathan wipes away with his thumb gently. The kids send them the odd look every now and again, but the pair doesn’t notice. They’re too content snuggled under the blanket together.
Everything is going great as the night gets later, but it does have to end at some point. After Frosty the Snowman ends, it’s finally time for everyone to go home. People get up slowly, a sense of exhaustion hanging over them. However, there’s one more event to cap off the night.
A sole, forgotten, pitiful piece of mistletoe is taped weakly to the ceiling above the group. And it just so happens to be over Steve and Jonathan, the former of which was utterly unaware of it. Eleven points to it, her little bit of Christmas knowledge coming in handy.
“Kiss,” She says simply. Jonathan glances to the floor as Steve laughs nervously, but there’s no getting out of this. The rest of the kids gather around them, maybe to see if what they’re thinking is correct.
“I-It’s alright,” Steve attempts to say casually.
“Nope. It’s the rules,” Dustin says, motioning between the two of them.
“He’s right,” Will adds, smiling at his brother.
Jonathan opens his mouth to speak, but he’s cut off. A soft hand is placed under his chin, and Steve’s lips press against his cheek, kissing him tenderly. Steve pulls back, grinning.
“Happy?” Steve asks the kids. They seem satisfied and go back to getting ready to leave. The teen boys share a soft, wordless look that no one really knows what it means. The Byers leave first.
“See ya, Ellie,” Steve says to Eleven, “And you too, little Byers.” Will rolls his eyes. “And I’ll see you soon, sweetheart,” Steve says with a wink towards Jonathan. The said boy goes red, mumbling for him to shut up, but he’s not hostile about it.
The night ends with everyone having a warm, fuzzy feeling lodged in their chest and the odd thought about the new couple in their group in their minds.
~~~
Dustin finds it a little odd that Steve never says that Jonathan is his boyfriend. He had figured that Steve would be the person to shout it from the rooftops, but he supposes that it is a little different with them being guys, so he doesn’t really bring it up.
It’s not like he has to. Not when Steve is putting their Star Wars marathon on hold to get Dinner with Jonathan.
“Steeeeve,” Dustin whines, “You can’t do this to me!” Steve just laughs.
“I’m sorry, Dusty. I can’t cancel this,” Steve says back.
“It’s Return of the Jedi ! Only the greatest movie of all time!” Dustin continues to press as Steve fixes his button-up.
“We’ll watch it tomorrow.”
“I can’t believe that you don’t love me.” Steve chuckles to himself, getting his keys.
“Jonny and I always go out on Thursdays. You know this.”
“You can reschedule your date one time !” Dustin shouts, crossing his arms over his chest. Steve’s cheeks go a little pink, and he shakes his head.
“No, we can’t,” Steve says simply, “It’s the only day where we know we’ll be free.” Dustin sighs, refusing to respond.
“I’ll tell you what,” Steve says as he pats his pocket to make sure he has his wallet, “I’ll give you $15 to get all the candy you want for when we watch it tomorrow .” He fishes out a 10 and a 5 dollar bill, handing them to Dustin. The boy takes them quickly, but he still glares at Steve.
“You win this round, Harrington,” Dustin says lowly, pocketing the cash. Steve rolls his eyes, ushering the boy to his car to take him home.
However, Jonathan’s house is closer, so they stop there first. Jonathan is dressed a little nicer than usual in a flannel shirt, and he greets Dustin warmly. The boy proceeds to essentially tattle on Steve for ditching their movie, and Jonathan agrees with Dustin just to torment Steve.
Jonathan and Steve can’t help but laugh after Dustin is dropped off. The shorter boy observes that Dustin and Steve are perfectly similar and dramatic brothers.
The pair pull up to the local Italian place hidden away downtown. This is the place they come to more often than not because of its homey and comfortable atmosphere. The servers here know them by name, actually. Jonathan, in particular, is loved by the family that runs this place. He’s taken several pictures for them to put in the restaurant and even in the paper to advertise them.
The pair walk in together, and a young, tanned man named Lovino pokes his head out of the kitchen.
“Il timido fotografo e il suo ragazzo sono qui!” Lovino shouts into the kitchen. There’s always something like that said here, but neither really knows what it means. An older man they know well named Stefano, the family’s patriarch, emerges and walks towards them.
“Ah! Welcome, welcome!” The short man with white hair and a white beard greets warmly in his thick accent. “Come on, sit!” The man starts to lead them into the restaurant.
“How are you, Jonathan, my boy?” Stefano asks once they reach their table.
“Good, good,” Jonathan answers, “How are you?”
“It is great. Thank you again for the beautiful paper article!” The man hugs Jonathan, kissing both his cheeks.
“I didn’t write it. I just took the pictures,” Jonathan waves him off.
“Nonsense,” Stefano grumbles, patting his shoulder. “You were the one to get their attention.” Jonathan glances away bashfully, and Stefano just laughs boisterously. “The usual?” He asks after he calms down. Both Steve and Jonathan nod, but before he walks away, he turns to Steve. “You are a lucky man.” He squeezes Steve’s shoulder and walks away into the kitchen.
“Y’know, if you ever wanted a new family, I think they’d be happy to take you in here, sweetheart,” Steve remarks, attempting to disregard what the Italian man had said.
“True, but then I’d have to learn Italian, and I don’t know if I could.” Jonathan’s face is pink as he stares at the table cloth. Steve has taken to calling him ‘sweetheart’ more and more as a sort of in-joke, and it makes Jonathan blush every single time. However, he can’t bring himself to tell Steve to stop. Little does he know, Steve likes calling him that just as much as he likes hearing it.
They talk for a while as they get their appetizers that never seem to appear on their ticket by the end of the meal. Sometimes they also get a bit of something that the family is considering putting on their menu to try. Today is one of those days, as Lovino gives them two slices of Focaccia, an Italian bread with olive oil and rosemary in it they may have as an appetizer or side dish. It’s, of course, divine.
The pair eat like kings, with Steve having Minestrone soup and Jonathan having Tortellini with a bit of gelato for dessert. It’s a great night that flies by as they talk in the warm building, and they’re still in a light, airy mood when they leave after paying and tipping generously.
The staff says their goodbyes warmly, demanding they come back next week. Steve and Jonathan most definitely will.
~~~
Will doesn’t really know what to think about Jonathan and Steve. He really likes Steve, but he doesn’t know enough to really say if he and Jonathan are good for each other. He just cares that Jonathan is happy, and he seems to be.
Will’s only issue is that Jonathan hasn’t talked to him about it. They’re normally so open with each other, so Will doesn’t care much for the secrecy. However, he also doesn’t want to push his brother to talk about something he doesn’t want to, so he’s quiet. For now.
One night when Jonathan has Steve over for a movie night, Will wakes up in the early hours of the morning with the need for a drink and maybe a little snack. He crawls out of bed and starts to walk out to the living room.
Somewhat strangely, the T.V is playing softly, and the light from it creeps into the hallway, but there’s no other noise. Will slowly steps out into the room, and he’s taken aback by the sight before him.
On the couch are Steve and Jonathan, and they’re cuddled up, laying together asleep. Steve is lying back on the sofa with Jonathan lying on top of Steve’s chest. The more petite boy is nestled into the crook of Steve’s neck, holding on to his shoulders gently. Steve has his arms around Jonathan’s shoulders and mid-back. Their blanket has been pushed down to their legs, half hanging off the couch.
Will refrains from cooing out loud at the image, and he tries to move as quietly as he can to the kitchen. However, the old house has more old boards than new ones, so one wrong step is enough to make a shockingly loud creak.
Will freezes as Jonathan groans quietly, lifting his head. The older boy blinks and scans the room until his gaze lands on his brother. He smiles softly, waving a little at Will and pushing himself up just a little. However, Steve’s grip prevents him from getting very far.
“Hey,” Jonathan says, his voice thick from sleep. Will takes a step closer.
“Hey,” Will says back. “Sorry to wake you.”
“It’s fine. We should move anyway. Do you need something?” Jonathan’s casualness about his position is almost funny to Will.
“No. I was just going to get a drink and maybe a snack.”
“Okay, but don’t get anything big,” Jonathan says, and Will nods, stepping into the kitchen, but he’s still listening to the pair in the living room.
“Steve…” Jonathan says softly, pushing lightly on the other boy’s chest. Steve whines, pulling Jonathan even closer, burying his face in the boy’s chest. “Steve, you gotta wake up,” Jonathan says a little louder, shaking his shoulders some.
“What?” Steve whines.
“We got to get up.”
“Why?”
“We have to go to bed.”
“I’m fine here, sweetheart,” Steve increases his grip, pulling Jonathan closer. He purrs as he nuzzles into the front of Jonathan’s sleep shirt. Jonathan’s brain stutters at the nickname, but he shakes off his embarrassment.
“Won’t a bed be more comfortable?” Jonathan asks, mostly unfazed by Steve. He shakes Steve’s shoulders again, and the taller boy sighs.
“Okay. Let’s go.” Steve doesn’t move or release him at all.
“You have to let go of me,” Jonathan says with a slight chuckle. Steve sighs dramatically and releases him, allowing Jonathan to stand and turn off the T.V. He waits for Steve to stand before walking to his room, the taller boy following like a puppy.
Will smiles to himself as he gets a small bowl of chips. He’s glad his brother has someone that will give him this. He walks back down to his room a few minutes later, and he notices that Jonathan’s door is slightly ajar. He can’t help himself as he peaks in.
He nearly coos again. They’re both asleep again on their sides, and Steve has Jonathan pulled up to him as close as he possibly can, holding him against his chest. They have their arms over each other, and Jonathan is barely visibly being tucked under the blanket and into Steve.
Will shuts the door softly and goes back to his room, a small smile on his face.
~~~
The new developments between Steve and Jonathan infuriated Nancy when she first realized. Not because she was jealous or anything, but because she felt like such an idiot for not noticing it sooner. It’s so blindingly obvious, and she nearly slapped herself for not seeing until the most sickeningly sweet date ever.
She remembers the moment well.
Nancy had been a little late getting to their lunch table, but Steve and Jonathan still picked up a conversation just as quickly. Their full attention was on each other until Nancy was sitting down next to them.
The three of them started to talk about everything and nothing when the subject of plans for that evening came up.
“You know, tonight’s going to be a perfect night, sweetheart,” Steve had said casually, glancing at Jonathan several times.
“For what?” Jonathan asked softly, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing away.
“Stargazing.” Nancy nearly choked on her drink. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, the little moments made perfect sense, and she had nothing to say for herself.
“That’d be fun,” Jonathan said with a soft smile before glancing at Nancy. “Are you in?”
She was genuinely taken aback by the offer. Why would he want her on their date? But it seemed like a real offer with a broad, genuine smile on Steve’s face as they waited for her answer. Nancy swallowed before answering.
“N-No, I don’t think so,” Nancy said with a slight shake of her head. Both Steve and Jonathan’s faces fell a little. Nancy had a silent moment of satisfaction knowing that she wasn’t a third wheel.
“Why not?” Steve asked with a small whine.
“I’ve got a ton of homework that I need to get done,” Nancy lied. “You two should still do it. We can all do something this weekend.” Nancy waved her hand as she spoke.
“You sure?” Jonathan asked, and Nancy just nodded, a smile splitting her face. She found it adorable just how shy they were with each other, but she couldn’t think of a better couple in the school.
A few days later, Jonathan’s pictures in the darkroom became a starry night sky and a dark forest with several of them, including Steve and Jonathan, occasionally with them together. She even caught them play-fighting over which pictures they should keep and frame.
Nancy couldn’t really keep the smile off of her face.
~~~
Today shouldn’t be any different from any other. Today is a campaign day, and the brat pack is all stuffed in Mike’s basement. However, Ted and Karen Wheeler are out with Holly, forcing Nancy to watch over the preteens. The girl isn’t too pleased with this, and she calls her friends to help her through this.
Steve is quick to agree, especially after she tells him that Jonathan is going to be over after he finishes his shift at work. However, that still won’t be for a while after Steve gets there.
He ends up on a couch, idly watching the D&D campaign play out. Nancy is there with him, occasionally taunting Mike and chatting with Steve. However, this campaign is more subdued than expected, with only some screaming versus complete screaming.
There’s talk about a school dance that’s coming up to celebrate the nearing end of the school year at the middle school. Dustin is trying to strategize how he is going to ask a girl he knows, but his friends aren’t much help.
Conflicting advice is thrown at him. Lucas preaches ‘going with the flow’ and being as cool as physically possible, but Will claims that he should be nice and give her something like a flower. Mike, much to the amusement of the two teens watching, just tells him to shut up and do it. Eleven just nods along.
Eventually, Dustin becomes sick of this lack of consensus.
“You guys are not helping,” The curly-haired boy exclaims. His friends all have their own complaints about this, but Dustin keeps speaking. “None of you even have a girlfriend. And Mike, you don’t count because you and Eleven aren’t normal.” Mike scoffs and rolls his eyes, but Eleven agrees happily.
“I’m avoiding asking the real man here.” Dustin promptly turns to Steve. “Steve, how did you ask out your significant other?” Steve is jolted from his thoughts and hums to himself, fighting the amused smile from coming on his face. This is obviously very important to Dustin.
“Well, let’s see….” Steve says slowly, “One time I asked out Cindy F. by following her out to her car and asking there. That didn’t go well.” Memories of slapped cheeks and screaming flash through his mind. “A different time, I gave Luci L. some roses and asked her to prom. She went with me, but we never did anything after.” He’s pretty sure she only said yes to him out of spite for her ex. “What else was there?”
“Dude, this might be about me finding true love here!” Dustin cuts him off, waving his hands wildly,” Tell me about when you got with the person you actually love.” Nancy giggles into her hand as Steve collects himself.
“Okay, bossy,” Steve sasses, but he realizes that he’s not even sure exactly what Dustin means. “You mean Nancy?” He glances over to the said girl, with that making the most sense. She gives him an odd look but doesn’t tell him to stop. “That wasn’t that special. We were talking, and I just asked right then. I hadn’t planned it, and I don’t know why she said yes.”
Dustin groans, mumbling something under his breath.
“No, not her!” Steve just tilts his head. “I mean your current boyfriend. Who the hell else would I be talking about? How did you ask Jonathan out?” Steve’s brain freezes. His mouth moves, but no sound comes out. The rest of the table waits for his response curiously. There are no smirks or smiles on their faces letting him know it’s a joke or something. Even Nancy seems interested.
“Um…why…?” Steve manages to say quietly.
“You two are the sweetest couple ever. I want to know how you did it so I can find someone like that,” Dustin explains before being promptly teased by Mike and Lucas for being a weepy romantic. That was not the question Steve was asking, but he needs to say something so he can get the kid off his back.
“Well, it’s complicated….” Steve starts.
“Oh, did he ask you out?” Dustin asks, “Then what did he do?”
“How you ask someone isn’t the most important part,” Steve deflects, “The important part is asking out someone you like and know. Then simple is better. Just ask them or get them a flower or something.” Dustin nods, taking in this rare wisdom. He opens his mouth to say something else, but the doorbell rings upstairs.
“I’ll get it!” Steve shouts before Nancy can even put her feet on the floor. He shoots up and sprints up the stairs.
“Get us more popcorn!” Lucas shouts at Steve, who gives a quick affirmative.
Steve throws open the door, and everything gets a little lighter and brighter as he’s met with the tired but content Jonathan. The boy gives a small smile, and Steve grabs his wrist to pull him into the house.
“Hey, sorry I took so long,” Jonathan apologizes.
“Don’t worry about it,” Steve says quickly. Jonathan takes a step towards the basement stairs, but Steve doesn’t follow and doesn’t release his grip on the other.
“Wait,” Steve says softly, “We need to make the popcorn, and I want to talk to you about something.” He can’t quite meet Jonathan’s eyes.
“Okay…” Jonathan says in that soft, patient voice trademarked by him. The pair wanders into the kitchen, and Steve puts a bag of popcorn in the microwave before turning to Jonathan. He is leaning against the counter, burning Steve with his gaze.
“Are you okay, Steve?” Jonathan asks, his eyes full of concern.
“Yeah, it’s just….” Steve waves his hands uselessly, “Dustin was talking about asking some girl to a dance, and he asked me how I asked out people. I thought he meant Nancy, but he then said he was talking about us .” Jonathan’s eyebrows furrow, and he motions for Steve to continue.
“I’m pretty sure they all think we’re… boyfriends.” Jonathan’s eyes go wide, and a blush creeps down his neck and to his ears.
“Oh.” There’s a long moment when neither is sure what to say.
“W-What did you tell them?” Jonathan asks softly, staring at the floor. Steve takes a step forward, having the odd urge to make Jonathan look at him.
“That he should ask someone he likes. I didn’t say anything about that .” An inkling of disappointment slithers in Jonathan’s chest, and he squirms in his spot. Steve has somehow gotten even closer with neither realizing. The smaller boy is effectively trapped between him and the counter.
“Did they say why they think that?” Jonathan whispers, his eyes looking everywhere but Steve’s face. He follows the lines and creases on Steve’s forest green shirt.
“No. But we are pretty close.” Jonathan huffs out a laugh, and Steve understands his unintentional pun.
“I’ve, uh, heard some whispers at school,” Jonathan admits, “They think that there too.”
“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?” Steve asks, gently grabbing Jonathan’s upper arm stepping directly in front of him.
“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Speaking with anything more than a murmur would be too loud as their faces are inches apart.
“You could never make me uncomfortable.” Steve’s breath tickles Jonathan’s upper lip.
“Do you think… they could have been on to something?” Jonathan whispers, eyes flicking back and forth between Steve’s eyes and lips.
“I think they might have, don’t you, sweetheart?” Jonathan noticeably shivers at the nickname. It’s no longer a joke or a friendly gesture, and it never really was if they are honest with themselves. It means so much more, and Steve smiles, loving Jonathan’s reaction. The shorter boy nods shyly.
Steve closes the distance between them, gently pressing his lips to Jonathan’s. The smaller boy gasps slightly against him, but he soon pushes back shyly. The kiss is sweet and unrushed, but it’s everything they’ve ever wanted and more.
They split for just a few seconds to get some air before kissing again. This time, they’re more sure, being firmer. Steve’s hands go to hold Jonathan’s face before migrating to his waist and hair. Jonathan grasps at Steve’s side and the back of his neck, pulling him impossibly closer.
Things start to become a little more heated as Steve’s tongue flicks Jonathan’s lower lip, making the boy flinch slightly. However, just a second later, Jonathan makes the same motion to Steve. The taller boy presses his body against the shy boy, effectively pinning him against the counter. The whimper from the shorter boy from that action is going to haunt Steve’s dreams, and he wants nothing more than to get as many noises as possible from him.
However, they are broken out of their hazy love by an empty Gatorade bottle bonking Steve on the side of the head.
“Ow,” Steve mumbles, taking his hand from Jonathan’s hair to caress his own head. “What was that for?” Both teens turn and look to find Dustin and Nancy standing side by side. Dustin scowls at them, but Nancy rolls her eyes fondly.
“Can you two stop getting it on long enough to get our popcorn?” Dustin asks. One glance confirms that the popcorn is fully popped with it sitting in the microwave, which has probably been off for several minutes. Jonathan whines softly, going red and burying his face in Steve’s chest. The taller boy sighs, petting Jonathan’s hair.
“Get it yourself, shit head.”
“I wasn’t walking past that .”
Steve sighs dramatically, stepping away from the counter, but it seems that Jonathan doesn’t want to let go either. He gives the other a look, and Jonathan finally releases him. It only takes a few seconds to get the popcorn and put it in a bowl to give to Dustin.
The four of them start to make their way back down to the campaign.
“Sorry, that took so long,” Dustin starts, “Those two were too busy making out.” He jerks his thumb towards Steve and Jonathan. The former just grins with his swollen lips as the latter glances away. Nancy’s lazy gaze settles on the pair as they all sit down.
“You know,” She starts, “You never answered the question earlier. How did you ask each other out?” The kids turn to look at them, and Jonathan can see the gears turning in Steve’s head. He shakes his head fondly, already knowing what’s coming.
“It’s a great story,” Steve says, throwing his arm over Jonathan’s shoulders and pulling him close. “You see, I was minding my own business, sitting on a couch a lot like this one, when a weird kid asks me about asking people out.”
“Steve, really?” Nancy asks.
“But then!” Steve cuts her off, “He said this strange thing about me having a boyfriend that I didn’t know about. It was the weirdest thing. He thought my friend was my lover.”
“What?” Dustin asks, completely confused. Jonathan is struggling to contain his laughter.
“However, soon that guy was here! And I thought, Maybe I do want to kiss him! So I did. The rest is history.” Steve makes a slow sweeping motion with his hand as he finishes.
“Ha-Ha. Very funny,” Mike pipes up. “How did it actually happen?”
“Like that,” Jonathan supplies, “We’ve been together for a whopping,” He looks at his watch, “10 minutes.” The straight-faced conviction from both of them puts a stop to any further jokes.
“A-Are you being serious?” Will asks his brother. Jonathan nods, his face pink.
“Before tonight. We were just friends with nothing else going on,” Steve confirms.
A wave of sudden outcry barrels into the extremely new couple. It’s much more mighty than expected, and there are competing voices crying out about every couple thing they did together. Even Nancy yells at them for their stargazing date. Neither is sure how many times they’re called idiots.
However, neither Steve nor Jonathan can really bring themselves to mind. They can’t be down when they can hold hands and stare into each other’s eyes, which is what they are doing at the moment.
Slowly, the outrage calms, and the others go back to what they were doing with the occasional grumble about the pair. But they don’t even seem to notice, being too enraptured by each other.
Steve and Jonathan do eventually leave, allowing their respective brothers to stay over for the night.
“I’ve got to go. I got to get back to the house,” Jonathan explains, ruffling Will’s hair. The boy sighs, but he nods.
“Fine. See you tomorrow.” Will hugs his brother before letting him leave. Steve had already left. But not really.
Steve is leaning on his car, and he about jumps for joy when Jonathan exits the house. He runs over, grabbing and spinning the other boy around, bringing the most adorable giggles out of him. He then plants a big, wet kiss on Jonathan’s lips before letting him go.
“Oh, it’s such a shame you have to go,” Steve whines. Jonathan chuckles, raising an eyebrow at Steve.
“I’m not leaving you yet.”
“Huh? Don’t you have to get back?”
“My mom’s working late. I was thinking you could… come with me?” Jonathan asks shyly, not meeting his eyes. “We could hang out, or cuddle or… other things. If you want to come over, of course.”
“I’ll never say no to being with you, sweetheart.” Steve kisses him softly. “I also never thought I’d hear you suggest we do that .” Jonathan sputters, going red.
“It was just an idea.”
“I’d be happy hauling anvils if I was with you, sweetheart. I’ll do whatever you want me to.” Jonathan weakly swats at Steve, who just laughs.
They soon each get in their cars, already longing to touch and hold the other as they drive down to the Byers house.
Their relationship may have had a more recent start than anyone else would have guessed, but they’ll make up for it. They have all the time in the world.