Tumgik
#stranger things s
two-red-lungs · 2 years
Note
i have perv!eddie brain rot please give me more
YES YES I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS
Perv!Eddie Headcanons/Stuff:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I say firstly, Eddie is a perv in a NICE way. He’s not a creep. He doesn’t look inside any windows, or violate any personal space stuff.
But OH MAN does he think about it, all the time. Especially when it comes to you.
Eddie’s passive nature of being a 19-20 year old man and thus horny by default PLUS his touched starved nature???? This man is constantly thinking about sex.
Eddie Munson is always in a state of having some sort of inappropriate or lewd thought rattling around his noggin and it literally tortures him.
Example. You’re getting burgers together. You lick the burger sauce off your lips with your tongue and hhhhhhHHH Eddie is looking down at his burger very intensely because those lips, and that tongue?
Oh man he thinks about them ALL THE TIME. How they’d feel on his lips. How warm your mouth would be. That tongue on the underside of his dick.
And when Eddie hangs out with the object of his affections he is SO jumpy and on his toes and bad at hiding that sometimes his skin literally feels on fire with hormones.
Anyways.
He’s got a thing for panties. And bras. He will keep them, if he can get away with it: but often feels wracked with guilt by it. Still, something about the lace…. It will turn him on immediately.
He jerks off with panties wrapped around his hand. It makes him insane, every time.
Perv!Eddie gets a boner when you brush his upper thigh with yours while watching a movie on the couch. He shoves a pillow onto his lap and wonders why god likes to torture him.
He literally can’t help but track your hips and waist, sometimes. Like, his eyes move of their own accord and he’s just hnnnnngg
And GOD FORBID you get high with him. If you get snuggly under the influence? He’s being tortured. This is torture. Especially since he can feel the wire of your bra as you’re laid up against him in the back of his van, reading comics.
Perv!Eddie jerks off ALL THE TIME HELLO???? Like an insane amount. His poor dick. School bathroom. Back of his van. Bedroom. He’s literally just desperate for it.
He also has a lot of dick twitches. You bite your lower lip? Dick twitch. You grab his upper arm as you pass him? Dick twitch.
Eddie has an insane collection of porno mags. Like he could open a library.
And when he jerks it to them, he talks; he’s loud because his uncle is always out by evening when he gets home. He talks to the girls, about how beautiful her tits are, about how good she’s feel, about how he wishes she was you and fuck he’s cumming on his dirty comforter
Perv!Eddie knows your bedroom is on the first floor and you’re his friend and it would be so fucking easy to just LOOK IN between those blinds while you change, but he’s biting the skin of his knuckles in his van and swearing to himself he won’t.
Instead he just blasts metal to cover up the noises and furiously jerks one out while waiting for you to change and come back to the car.
Perv!Eddie nearly dies in gym because there are pretties prancing around in short shorts and he’s so hungry for any sort of touch or stimulation that watching them prance around gives him a boner, so he bails and runs to the woods to smoke
He has sex toys: they’re hidden in a box in the closet. Mostly for masturbation. But he did splurge on one magic wand when he was prospectively hoping to get some pussy. Poor Eddie.
TL:DR He’s basically a mess. A horny, horny mess who feels so gross about himself getting all riled up by cheerleader skirts and lip gloss but he just can’t fucking help it. 
Tumblr media
2K notes · View notes
Photo
Tumblr media
Stranger Things // Fully Restored 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Stranger Things VHS Covers Pt. 3
please do not repost
49 notes · View notes
mardyart · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
actual deleted footage of stranger things season 4 trust me guys
55K notes · View notes
kitchen-spoon · 3 months
Text
Steddie strangers to lovers. They meet because they commute on the same train everyday. Eddie has the NYT crossword and he does it everyday. One day after 2 months of them riding together he asks steve for his help.
Eddie’s like ‘u look smart what do u think?’ And Steve who has been told he is an idiot or stupid or dumb every day of his life is like “its just the suit I’m not good at smart stuff like that.”
And Eddie is like ‘no way I bet you can help with the sports section at least. I mean look at me, if we’re going off stereotypes I’m hopeless.” It get’s Steve to blush and he cracks and helps.
Everyday after that they do the puzzle together, Steve eventually helping outside of just the sports section so Eddie can prove to him just how smart he knows he is.
1K notes · View notes
rottenaero · 1 year
Text
What if Steve got kicked out of his parent’s house after season 2?
He was already on thin ice after s1, with the beers and his fight with Jonathan, but after he got into ANOTHER fight with Billy they’re just kinda like, ‘pack your shit and leave’
And after a few weeks of living out of his car in the school parking lot, Eddie notices him after Hellfire and just kinda like, offers his house as a place to stay.
Of course Steve is like, ‘nah, ill be fine’ because he doesn’t want to freeload, but Eddie is absolutely not having it and convinces him that he wouldn’t be, and that he can pay him and do chores and shit if he really feels that bad about it.
Then Steve just starts living with him, of course there are rules, don’t invite people over, don’t talk about Eddie’s business, and don’t talk about the shit in his room.
The rest is the standard criteria, don’t bring animals in, don’t burn the house down, blah blah blah.
Course Wayne is a bit mad about this random guy with the last name Harrington at first, but the guy makes him coffee before he leaves for work, and is willing to put on a goddamn sailor costume to pay help pay the rent, so eventually they become acquaintances.
Eventually turning into the two watching sports on the tv and laughing at Eddies antics.
Thing is, during this whole thing, no one knows they live together. Dustin and the party don’t get much more than i moved out with a friend after the first time they ask to hang out at his house, and Hellfire just knows he has a roommate, not that its Steve, because all his shit is in the living room and hes always working when they’re over.
One day, mid-lunch, they decide to hang out at Eddie’s after school and he's all cool with it but is like ‘wait, my roommates off, let me go ask them if its okay’ and they're like ‘sure, okay, I wonder who it is?’
Then he waltzes straight up to Steve Harrington, who’s sitting by Nancy and Jonathan, and asks.
“Hellfires coming over afterschool, you good with that?”
“Yeah sure, do whatever, its your damn house, I can get out your hair if you want?”
“Nah nah, its all good, want you to meet ‘em anyway. Hey hey, wanna sit with us today?”
“Sure.”
Then Eddie heads back to the now silent Hellfire table (actually the whole cafeteria is a little silent) and sits down in his seat, Steve sitting in the empty one next to him.
Hellfire is absolutely confused, not just because Steve lives with him, but because of the very talked upon rumors about Eddie being gay, and how very true they were, and the fact that as a former-king, Steve should know that.
Steve however, seems very unconcerned with those rumors because for as close as Eddie keeps getting to him, even holding his bicep at some point, he acts very chill and relaxed, even leaning into him at some points.
Hellfire eventually calm down, and go to his house after school, and around 10 they decide to just stay the night. Eddie gives them a thumbs up, and turns to Steve.
“You’re bunking with me tonight.”
“Cool.”
Gareth starts panicking because there is a very obvious pride flag above one of his posters and he may not have seen it before and Eddie is so getting beaten up.
Except none of that happens. They wake up early that morning and Steve starts getting ready for work, and is about to leave when he turns to Eddie with a smirk.
“What, no goodbye kiss? Too dorky to do in-front of you friends?” And Eddie strolls right past the flabbergasted Hellfire and plants one on his temple.
“Goodbye o-great-king-of-assholery!”
Gareth quite literally chokes.
(What makes this even better? They’re not even dating, thats just Steve-being-Steve)
Part 2
Ao3
4K notes · View notes
silverliing · 8 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
high-ler
1K notes · View notes
artiststarme · 10 months
Text
The first (and only) tattoo that Steve ever gets is a small letter “E” on the inside of his right wrist. Whenever anyone asks what it stands for, he just shrugs his shoulders.
“It obviously stands for “everyone”. It’s an E, what else would it mean?”
He says this so many times, the Party believes him. As ridiculous as E for everyone sounds, Steve can be very convincing when he wants to be and they all believe him eventually.
But when an “S” shows up on Eddie’s wrist a few weeks later, the reasoning behind the E doesn’t sound so believable anymore. Especially when the Party finds out that Steve and Eddie have been dating in secret for months without letting anyone but Robin know.
2K notes · View notes
ladylannisterxo · 2 years
Text
Flannel and Lace
Tumblr media
Pairings; Eddie Munson x fem!Reader
Words; 1.9k
Warnings; S M U T (18+ only), unprotected sex, fingering, oral sex (f!receiving), spanking, dirty talk, basically just porn without plot
Summary; Eddie comes home to find you wearing one of his flannel shirts, wearing only his flannel shirt.
A/N; Listen. I am obsessed with the photos going around of Joseph Quinn's costume tests but am also distraught that they put this man in a flannel and then didn't even use it! Now, I'm just absolutely feral over it - this is the end result! I am a sucker for a good flannel, especially on a very attractive man. This is just shameless smut, enjoy!
{ masterlist }
You were early; Eddie could hear you shuffling around in his room as soon as he waltzed in the front door. He had hoped he could have some time to get settled before you arrived but then again, it’s not as if he really minded, he had given you a key weeks ago for this very reason. Queen was playing, muffled behind the closed bedroom door and he smirks, knowing you’re in his room swaying your hips to the beat and pretending to be a rockstar when you think no one is looking.
He slips down the hallway quietly, sliding off his leather jacket and denim vest as he goes, hoping to catch you in the act of rocking out. He loved how you felt the music throughout your whole body, how free you always looked. But more importantly, he loved how absolutely adorable you got when you realize you’ve been caught; how your hands cover your face and you shy away from him in pure embarrassment. Because he’s the rockstar, not you. Or, at least, that’s what you always say when he catches you. Eddie desperately wants to bring you to a gig one of these days, see how you lose your inhibitions when he begins to play.
But, of course, this is not what he sees when he pushes open the door. His closet door is hanging wide open and you’re standing in the middle of the room with one of his red flannels draped over your body. And from his vantage point, this single red flannel is the only thing you’re wearing. He groans at the sight, how can he not, and you look over your shoulder with a soft smirk and a teasing glint in your eye.
“You never wear this,” you muse, turning around to fully face him.
Eddie grips the doorknob tighter for stability, licks his lips because fuck, he was somewhat right. That blessed red flannel falls across your frame like a waterfall, a little long in the sleeves but stopping just at the tops of your thighs. It’s also unbuttoned, completely, exposing your supple skin to his searching eyes. No bra, the garment just barely conceals you and to him, you might as well not even be wearing panties because the thin lace leaves nothing to the imagination. He can feel himself growing hard just looking at you and he shifts in place, a poor attempt in controlling his lust.
“It’s, uh, it’s too hot to wear,” he chokes out, brain scrambling to formulate coherent sentences.
That’s when you finally look at him, eyes sparkling in the midday sun and Eddie wants to melt into a puddle on the floor because if you looked at him just like this every single moment of every single day, he’s sure he’d die a happy man.
“But that leather jacket you don every day is breezy as can be,” you chuckle, eyebrow arching. “I don’t know, Eds, this feels nice to me. It’s real soft.”
“It looks good on you too,” he responds automatically.
“Yeah?” You sway from side to side, the flannel moving with you like a lover keeping you close.
“Sweetheart, all my clothes look good on you.” It’s honest and Eddie didn’t realize how true that statement actually was until you kept trying on his clothes. He’s wrapped you up in his leather jacket more times than he can count and don’t get him started on the things he wants to do to you when you wear his Hellfire Club shirt.
You smile, biting your lip softly. Then you’re crawling onto his bed, granting him a full view of your ass before placing yourself on your knees, hands resting against your thighs. Your hair is a disheveled mess and the flannel has fallen open a bit more, exposing a teasing amount of your tits to him. Eddie thinks you belong on the cover of a magazine or a poster he could tack onto his wall and jack off to when you’re not with him.
“Let me guess,” you say, pulling the garment off your shoulders, “you still think it would look better on the floor.”
Eddie finally kicks his ass into high gear, crossing the room to stand directly in front of you. His fingers tug at the flannel to bring it back up over your shoulders and then his lips are on yours, soft and gentle but insistent. His hands trail down to cup your breasts and you push up into him, wrapping your arms around his neck and deepening the kiss.
“Fuck, Eddie,” you gasp when he tweaks your nipples between his fingers.
“I like when you wear my clothes, sweetheart,” he mumbles against your skin, “makes me feel closer to you.”
“Sweet talker.”
“I’m serious,” he chuckles, “but you sitting here posed on my bed makes you look like something out of a magazine.”
“Oh yeah?” You ask, trailing your tongue along his jaw. “Like one of those dirty mags I found underneath your bed?”
“Well,” he begins, pulling back to meet your eyes, “you would make a great centerfold.”
Then he’s cupping your pussy in his hand and your breath stutters in your chest. He smirks before kissing you again, fingers working diligently against your clothed heat.
“Eddie, please, please,” you whine, fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt.
His hands make their way to the backs of your thighs and he pulls, your legs coming out from under you as you drop unceremoniously onto your ass. He pulls on you again and you’re brought to the edge of the bed where he’s already waiting, down on his knees. Your heart flutters with anticipation.
Eddie’s breath is hot against your still clothed pussy and you shift your hips closer, silently begging for what you want most from him. His dark eyes flick up to meet yours as he teases a single finger across the lace. You let yourself drop to lay flat on your back with a sigh, deciding to let him do whatever the hell he wants to you.
“So wet,” he murmurs when he pushes your panties out of the way, “is this all for me?”
“Yes,” you sigh, “all for you, baby, I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
“Is that right?”
He doesn’t wait for an answer; he flattens his tongue against your cunt and licks a firm stripe from your entrance to your clit. You moan loudly, hands immediately flying to tangle in his hair. His tongue circles your clit before latching on to suck fervently against the bundle of nerves. You arch your back, fingers tightening, keeping him right fucking there. Two of his fingers slip inside of you without warning, setting a steady pace as he pulls every single sigh and moan he can from you.
“Oh fuck,” you whimper, his name falling from your lips like a prayer.
His mouth pulls off your clit with a resounding pop and then he’s moving up your body to capture your lips in a heated kiss, fingers still working inside you, bringing you closer and closer to your release. He rests his forehead against yours, eyes wide as he watches you come undone beneath him. Rolling your hips in a frenzied pace, you take his fingers deeper and deeper until your orgasm pitches through you like gasoline being poured over an already blazing fire. Eddie works you through it, he always does, and once your hips come to a stop and the spasms have subsided, he slips his fingers out of you and brings them to your awaiting mouth.
“That’s my good girl,” he muses when you wrap your lips around his fingers, “see how good you taste?”
You hum in agreement, swirling your tongue around his digits. He groans at the sensation before pulling his fingers from your mouth abruptly and bringing that same hand down to smack your ass sharply. You jolt, pushing your body further into him and he wraps his arms around you and rolls, bringing you up to straddle his hips.
“Think you can give me one more?” He asks, shifting his hips for you to feel his hard cock against your thigh.
You waste no time in helping rid him of his clothes. Your fingers start at the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head before latching your lips onto his collarbone and licking and sucking your way down to your prize. When you reach the denim of his jeans, you slide off the bed long enough to unfasten them and pull them and his boxers down in one fluid motion. You straddle his waist again, rolling your hips across his cock. His hands find your hips, squeezing and kneading the flesh tightly in his fingers and you bring the flannel back down off your shoulders. Turns out Eddie was right, it does get a bit too hot.
Grasping his cock in hand, you line him up at your entrance and sink down onto him slowly, enjoying the ache of him stretching you out. Eddie groans at the feeling of you already clenching around him, his hands bunching the fabric of his flannel around your waist to grip your hips tighter, to help you move against him.
Your hands fall flat on his chest for stability, his tattoos peaking out at you from in between your fingers. Fuck going slow and steady, you set a rapid pace, bouncing on his cock with what could only be described as pent up aggression, taking him fast and hard and deep.
“Fuck, yes,” you mewl, throwing your head back with an elongated moan.
“That’s it, baby,” he praises, smacking your ass again. “Ride my cock until you cum.”
His thumb presses against your clit, rubbing firm and tight circles, taking you higher and higher. You can feel your orgasm building inside of you, coursing through your veins like a tidal wave. You bite your lip with a whimper, one hand smacking against the wall in front of you to find purchase. Eddie has leaned up to capture a nipple in his mouth, tongue swirling around the hardened peak, and the onslaught of these added sensations has your orgasm crashing over you.
Crying out Eddie’s name as pleasure overtakes you, he wraps one arm around you and flips you until you're flat on your back. He hikes your leg up on his hip and fucks you hard through your high, chasing his own release. Your nails rake down his chest, leaving wild and red scratches in their wake, as you roll your hips against him meeting him thrust for thrust for thrust.
“Eddie, please, cum inside me,” you whine, “I want to feel it.”
“Fuck,” he grunts and with two more hard thrusts, he’s exploding inside of you, warming you up from the inside.
Eddie pulls out of you gently and pulls your panties back in place, keeping all of him inside you. He kisses you then, all tongue and teeth, pulling you close, so close, you could meld into one single being. He interlocks his fingers with yours, lips pressing gentle kisses along your knuckles as you brush his hair away from his eyes.
“That was - shit, you really went for it,” he says after a moment, a teasing gleam in his eyes.
“I did say I’ve been thinking about you all day,” you remind him, “although I wasn’t expecting you to get this hot and bothered over me in your clothes.”
“Fuck, sweetheart, you could be completely naked or covered from head to toe and I’ll always get hot and bothered over you,” he says, capturing your lips in another kiss. “But I’m pretty sure this flannel is yours now.”
“Good,” you whisper, pecking his lips again, “I wasn’t going to give it back anyway.”
8K notes · View notes
Text
Info About the 80's As Provided By My Dad, Who Graduated High School in 1987:
No boxers, no briefs, ONLY tighty-whiteys.
The Satanic Panic was something discussed primarily by adults to try and sway more voters toward Reagan.
EVERYONE had their ears pierced. Men, women, everyone. My Dad still wears his little diamond stud sometimes.
Crop tops and tube socks were a popular combo for high school and college guys.
Long hair was masculine and having decent hygiene was a big deal.
You took a girl to the roller rink on the first date to show off and then to the drive-in on the second date if she wanted to make out.
Here are some good metal bands to include in your fics: Judas Priest, Queensryche, Slayer, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Saxon, Scorpions, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Joan Jett, Pat Benetar, and Alice Cooper.
Vinyl cost between $1 and $4 on average.
Minimum wage was around $3.50.
Jorts for men. Good fuckin' lord the cutoff jorts for men...
The stoners knew everyone and everything.
If you're writing a fic or making art and have any questions for Mark about your Historical Accuracy, please feel free to send me an ask and I'll text him.
He thinks this is fun.
14K notes · View notes
doriandrifting · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
Fun fact about Will Byers is that he’s always down for a labor strike.
2K notes · View notes
rafescurtainbangz · 21 days
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Dacre Montgomery - Politix Fall 2024
328 notes · View notes
doverstar · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
hi I just noticed in S4 episode 1, Eddie drew one of those faces on his hand, the kind you draw when you want to make your hand talk. he's my favorite
8K notes · View notes
lazylittledragon · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
local man breaks cryptid boyfriend’s nose
4K notes · View notes
rottenaero · 1 year
Text
Ao3
Part 1
Part 3
Part two to the roommates idea
Whenever the mall ‘burns down’, Eddie is just chilling at home; not doing anything special.
Actually, thats a complete lie. He hadn't seen Steve since he left for his shift the day before, and currently has his band+Wayne scattered in the living room as he paces.
“He may as well be dead, he always calls before staying the night somewhere, and he totally despises that place, so why would he stay after hours?” He comes to a halt infront of Jeff who looks considering. “What?!"
“Maybe, consider, he just forgot to call you." Eddie scoffed, “ ‘Maybe he just forgot’, except you don't know him, Jeff. Steve doesn't forget, tell ‘em Wayne."
Wayne nods from his spot on the lazyboy, “ ‘S true, he'd rather call at 2am than have us worrying.”
Gareth rolls his eyes, “Look Edmund, I get your worried about you boyfriend and all but why did we have to get dragged into this?" He complained, and Eddie began pacing again.
“ Not,my boyfriend, yet, and you’re getting-”
A ringing interrupts him.
The pacing stopped almost as soon as it began, and he darts to the phone. “ Y’hello, it's Eddie talking.” A sharp breath drew from the other end of the line.
“Hey Eds."
Eddie smiled, “Holy shit, Stevie. I thought you died. Wayne and the guys are literally gathered in the living room.” Upon hearing the name, Wayne visibly relaxed, going from hunched over to leaning backwards in seconds.
“Yeah I'm- Well shit not okay but I'm not dead.”In the background there was a noise, barely noticeable but-
“Wait, what? Are those sirens? Are you hurt? What the hell-” Wayne leaned forward again.
“I'm at the mall, there's been, uh, an accident? I don't- they took my keys, I need a ride back home.”
“Who took your keys? Steve you can't just be all ominous and-” The phone line shut off. "Fuck!”
Grant, who hasn't been helpful at all, stood up. "What did he do?”
Eddie groans, running a hand through his greasy hair, “Needs us to pick him up, might be hurt. He's such a- Wayne we're taking my van, you guys coming?”
Turns out the answer is yes.
-
They arrive at the mall five minutes later, mostly because Eddie was driving like a bat outta hell, to every emergency vehicle you can think of, plus thirty more, surrounding the place.
Eddie roles his window down when a cop signals him. “What are you doing over here?"
The metalhead bites his lip, what the hell, “Uh, I'm here to pick up Steve Harrington? He got involved in whatever's happening.”
The cops nods, "Alright, park your vehicle over there, and go get him.”
He does as he's told, a surprising feat showing just how scared he was, because Steve being hurt could mean so many things.
They get out the car, Wayne being the leading man, and head to where the commotion is.
The mall was totally destroyed, a couple kids he didn't know were sitting around, surrounded by their parents, there's a couple teens too, Nancy Wheeler, Johnny Byers, a girl in a sailor costume, and-
Eddie’s heart stopped and he fucking sped forward. “ Holy shit, what the fuck man." Steve looked like hell, understatement of the century but-
His face was bruised and bloody, his hands wrapped in casts, his hair was flat and gross and he was still in his damn sailor costume.
“Hey Munsons, Gareth, Jeff, Grant. It's the whole Scooby gang, or Smurfs, whoever you prefer.” Eddie grabbed his shoulders, and stared him dead in the eye. “ What. The. Fuck. Are you high too?!”
“Just what the hell did you get yourself into. " Wayne said more than asked, shaking his head.
Steve buzzed his lips, his eyebrows furrowed and he brought a hand to them and-
God they were split, and bleeding now. He looked back up at the long haired man infront of him, ignoring Wayne's question-not-question.
“Nah, just recovering from being drugged. Hey this is rivveting conversation and shit, but like, I wanna go home and sleep in your bed, man. Or the couch, or the floor.”
He let out a loud laugh, “Fuck I am not picky right now, I'll even take the back of the van.”
“Christ."
-
They don't talk about it, not after Hellfire goes home, not the next morning, not after Steve heals. They just don't, because the news told them all they need to know, that there was a fire. Eddie just assumed when they said he was drugged, that he meant medically.
(He didn't)
3K notes · View notes
bangaveragewhitewine · 5 months
Text
feel the magic
Tumblr media
Steve Harrington x Reader 
Seven days before Christmas, you find yourself stuck in a snowstorm in the middle of a city you're still finding your place in. You wait out the weather with a handsome stranger.
This prompt is from @allthingsjoeq & @bettyfrommars ❄️ Holiday Prompt Party ❄️ which was so fun! Thank you ladies for sharing these ♥️
You both rush to find shelter in a bookstore or bar during a snowstorm
Word Count: 6.6k
Contents: Set in 90’s Chicago, reader & Steve are both mid-late twenties. Nothing explicit, some kisses and mentions of arousal. Some talk of Steve’s shitty parents. No physical descriptions of reader. Steve Harrington’s charm comes with its own warning.
Note: Thank you @specialagentmonkey for proofreading and being my hype woman as always ♥️
Tumblr media
Chicago in December was cold. Very fucking cold.
A million miles from the hot and heavy city you moved to in the summer, there was something about that bitter chill of the air, the frosted pavements and the warm glow of the Christmas lights decked across the city that made it feel like something right out of a movie. You never felt like you could relate to those leading ladies in the romantic comedies and the coming-of-age romances you grew up watching, more like some side-friend character who faded into the background, inconsequential to the plot and action.
It was your first winter in the city, your first Christmas too, and it wasn’t long before you realised that your grandma had been right - investing in a good winter coat was a must for the Windy City. Despite the cold, the shininess of your new adventure in a new city still held up, feeling like the city girl you had always dared to dream of being.  
With the holidays too close for comfort - just seven days before you caught a cab to O’Hare to make the journey home - you cashed in some of your overtime and finished work early to hit the city to get the last few presents for friends and family. 
The snow had started just before you left the office, a light dusting that made your shopping trip feel even more magical. You had carefully stowed your camera in your bag to snap shots of the big tree at Civic Centre and the lights around City Hall to show your Mom and friends at home. When the snow started to come down heavier and heavier, the fluffy fat flakes falling in the shot made it feel more magical. 
As you looked around, soaked in the festivity of it all, you thought that maybe for one day you could play pretend and let yourself feel like the glossy, confident main character of the movie in your head. 
By six o’clock the magic of it all had well worn off and you were ready to go home. Your wool winter coat kept you warm-cheeked and overheating as you waited in line in Macy’s to pay for a scarf and fancy hand cream that your Aunt would fake-smile at before tossing it to the side. It felt like years since you had stepped inside the huge store, some sort of liminal purgatory where time didn’t exist and it was far too easy to get lost amongst the shiny Christmas displays and the disorienting overstimulation of the cosmetics and fragrances department. 
Your head was surely going to explode if you heard some poor impression of Bing Crosby crooning another Christmassy jingle over the store’s speakers. You were feeling distinctly less festive and fun now - less merry and bright, more murderous and bad-tempered. 
Over the tinny muzak and the scratch of your scarf on your too-warm neck, you tuned into the conversation going on behind you.
“That snow is really coming down, huh?”
“Didn’t you hear? It’s some sorta weather-bomb - only going to get heavier.” 
You and every other shopper within earshot looked toward the windows, seeing the white flurry instead of the warm glow of Christmas lights. 
You became all too aware of the sheer number of bags you were carrying, weighed down with books and gifts and trinkets, the heft of your camera and the bottle of wine you had bought to sip when you got home. The overheated parts of you longed to be cool again, but this felt like some sort of karmic mockery. The tad-too-short-for-work skirt you had chanced and got away with that day felt minuscule beneath your coat as you imagined how cold a weather-bomb was going to be.
By the time you paid and politely refused gift-wrapping for your purchase, the snowstorm had thrown the city into chaos. Traffic was at a near standstill when you reached the front door on State Street, the sidewalks packed with shoppers and commuters battling through the snow and each other to find a way home. 
The subway entrance was one street away but seeing the pushing and shoving crowd cramming themselves underground made you feel claustrophobic, twisting hot panic in your gut. Maybe the stop before might be less crazy, you thought, hoping for a better chance of getting home sometime before midnight, so you squeezed away from the crowd and braved the worsening blizzard. 
The magic of Christmas had almost fully waned now, despite the snowball fights starting up amongst the gridlocked traffic. You just wanted to get home, feel your fingers and toes again perhaps. You picked your steps through the icy streets, trying not to slip or whack other flustered pedestrians with your bags; they didn’t have the same courtesy or kindness. Patience and Christmas cheer had worn thin, battered by heavy snow.
“Watch it!” one sharp-elbowed woman hissed over her furry coat collar as she shouldered past you, sending you off-balance just as a rogue snowball hit your shoulder. 
Had your feet not been aching so badly, you would have stamped like a toddler.
“Bitch.” Your frustrated whisper went unheard as you continued down the block, squinting to pick out a landmark to orient yourself in the snowy city. 
You tucked yourself into a side street to regroup and take a breath, attempting to condense your too-many shopping bags to protect the preciously picked-out presents inside. The welcoming glow of a bar sign caught your eye, a blinking beacon through the fluster of snow. 
Tucked away down the side street, The Snug appeared like a mirage. Twinkling Christmas lights blurred by the steamed-up windows winked at you, inviting you inside. It was fate.
Surely the snow will stop soon, you thought as you gathered yourself again. One drink and some fries would be plenty of time to let the streets and subways settle.
The cold air made your nose and lungs feel spikey-sore after a few deep steadying breaths. With your bags clutched safely in your hands, you picked your steps toward the almost-hidden bar, dodging patches of ice to get to the door. 
Inside was cosy-calm, with clusters of friends and a few fellow solo drinkers hiding from the heavy snow and chaos. It was quieter than the streets and packed subways, their chatter backed by songs queued up from a jukebox glowing in the corner. 
You squeezed yourself and your bags into a free booth, taking a load off with a sigh that pulled the tension all the way up from the tips of your toes.
Daringly, you chanced a look in your compact to assess the damage of a day of shopping and going head-to-head with the bitter cold front. Mascara smudged beneath your eyes, hair a riot. 
“Shit,” you murmured, pulling the attention from the man at the next table.
He smiled, sympathetic when he saw your flustered state. “You look like you’re in the right place.” 
After blowing hair from your face you returned a tight smile. “Thanks, I think.” 
His brown eyes widened. “Oh no, no... I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, horrified that he had offended you. 
You shook your head, “No, I get it. I look insane. It’s been a day.” Handbag in hand, you looked at him again, smiling a little softer at the flustered stranger. “Could you keep an eye on my bags for a sec? I’m just going to the ladies' room. And the bar.”
The man nodded, sitting back in his chair. “Sure, go for it. I’ll guard them with my life.” 
You didn’t miss his charming smile, or the pink tint of embarrassment that lingered on his cheeks after accidentally telling you the truth about just how crazy you looked. You caught the subtle once-over he gave you after your coat was removed and hoped that your sixty-denier tights hadn’t laddered. Your cheeks felt warm again as you made your way to the ladies' room, purse in hand to wrangle your messy hat-hair and fix your face. 
As you patted rose-tinted balm onto your lips, you quietly hoped that first impressions could be overwritten.
Armed with a glass of red wine and your receipt for a basket of fries,  you returned to your table and tried not to sigh too obnoxiously (or moan) at the relief of sitting down. At the next table, the brown-eyed man was looking over a piece of paper and tapping his pen against his full lower lip. 
“Thanks, Stranger,” you said, looking and feeling at least ten times better.
“Oh. You’re welcome,” he said, smiling distractedly before raising his half-drunk beer to you. 
You raised your glass in return, sharing that little smile with the stranger before plucking one of the new books from your cluster of bags to distract your busy mind.
Wine and a book in a cosy bar? Maybe the day had not entirely gone to shit.
The stranger went back to his list, and you tried not to let your gaze linger too long on his broad shoulders or his sharp jaw. He looked like he had just finished work, a few shirt buttons undone beneath his navy blazer, his coat and scarf bundled on the chair opposite him with one lonely Macy’s bag on top. You watched him push his honeyed hair back, raking his fingers through the strands falling over his forehead. It was easy to forget to even open your book to start reading in favour of being distracted by him.
There was no denying he was attractive. And there was no denying that you were caught looking when his brown eyes met yours and his lips twitched with a charming smile. 
“Steve.” 
“Huh?” Wide-eyed, and flushed-hot with embarrassment, you could not find a quick way to explain away your gazing. 
“You called me ‘stranger’ before. My name’s Steve.”
“Oh. Of course. Steve.” You gave him your name, watching how he smiled when you said it before repeating it as you had done with his.
“Pretty name. Guess we’re not strangers anymore.” 
“I guess not.” 
His mouth curved up as he lifted his glass again, taking a slow sip. Your eyes drifted to two perfect moles on his neck as he swallowed; they matched the twin set on his cheek.
Some sort of alarm started to scream in your head; you had forgotten the feeling of being flirted with. If that’s what this was. 
“Christmas shopping?” he asked, nodding to your bags. 
“Yeah, just about have everything,” you said, “Now I have to wrap it all.” After a steadying sip of wine as your fries arrived, you watched how he twirled his pen between thick fingers, names left uncrossed on the paper in front of him. “Are you stuck?”
Steve slumped back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head before running his fingers through his hair again, making it messy in the most artfully effortless way.   “Yeah, a little.” He rubbed his face before looking at you again. “Um, can I pick your brains? I don’t wanna impose…” 
This was never how your day was supposed to go. As the snowstorm raged on outside, inside the cosiness of the bar felt like a whole other world miles from your planned evening of gift-wrapping and most of a bottle of wine. Instead, surrounded by soggy shopping bags, you found yourself with the attention of an Adonis-like stranger. You felt like it was some sort of fair deal from the universe.
When you made the move to the city, started afresh with this new chapter, you made yourself promise to take life as it came and not be too uptight. Maybe this was all part of the flow you had vowed to go with…
Smiling at Steve, you pushed your unopened book to the side and leaned forward on your arms, “Sure. Go for it.”
Tumblr media
Steve relocated to your booth after a few minutes of chatting. An hour and a half later, he had made himself at home opposite you with his bright smile and dreamy dark eyes. 
The bar had become a refuge to a few more bodies seeking shelter from the bitter cold front raging outside. He didn’t need much convincing to share your booth, freeing up the table for a couple huddled together over hot whiskies.
You had insisted on sharing your fries with Steve as you gave suggestions on what he could buy for the last few names on his list. A second basket and another round of drinks had been ordered on his tab when you realised that neither of you would be going home any time soon.
With a greasy-hot fry between your fingers, you tried not to drool over his thick forearms as he rolled up his shirtsleeves, and went back to navigating Steve’s complex network of friends-turned-family.
“So he’s your ex-girlfriend’s little brother? And you stayed friends… because he’s friends with Dustin…? Who’s like your brother?” 
As you figured out who the hell ‘Mike’ was, Steve nodded encouragingly and chewed another fry.
“You got it.” His straight white teeth glinted in the warm light of the bar.
“And his sister - Mike’s sister, your ex-girlfriend, Nancy… Is Robin’s girlfriend now? Robin, your best friend?” 
“Yep. See, told you you’d wrap your head around it eventually.” His smile was proud as he nudged the fries your way again. 
You took two more fries as your reward before nudging the basket back to Steve. You tried not to focus on the way the fries had left his lips shiny, or the pink glow on his cheeks when he caught you staring. Again. 
When you realised that this serendipitous stranger who gave you butterflies wasn’t someone else’s boyfriend, you dropped your shoulders and your guard and relaxed into the booth more. You willed yourself to relax, to go with the flow. It was not difficult to let yourself sink deeper into those warm brown eyes of Steve’s as he slowly upped his flirtations and snuck his own barely subtle glances at your lips. 
He was smooth.
Steve tapped the paper list with his finger, transferring more salt and oil from the fries to the now annotated and doodled-on list. 
“So, any suggestions? He’s the hardest one to buy for, so of course I got him for Secret Santa. Again.” He leaned his head back against the booth. “He’s a little dweeb. Big dweeb now. Taller than me.”
He spoke with such fondness of the kid he swore didn’t like him. It wasn’t difficult to figure out that Steve was maybe one of the most thoughtful people you had ever met. Most of what you had learned about him had been through what he told you about his friends - where he grew up, his collection of poorly paid jobs after high school before going to college in Indianapolis, then onto Chicago. His best friends were never far behind. He would be spending the Holidays with friends and their families instead of his own, which he seemed perfectly fine about. 
He was funny too, heavy-handed with charm and kindness. You were definitely done for.
Steve Harrington seemed like an enigma, one you would happily devote hours and hours to figuring out.
The basket fries were pushed back and forth and you wracked your brains to think of a gift for this random college kid you didn’t know. The barman announced that the snow was still coming down heavily, and to make yourselves at home. You had lost all track of time, cosy in the bubble of the booth with your new friend.
His brown eyes fixed on you as he rested his chin in his hand. “All you wanted was a quiet drink and a place to hide from the snow, and now you’re helping some dork with his shopping list. M’sorry, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart. The butterflies in your gut swooped.
Warm-cheeked, you shrugged, “I don’t mind. It’s distracting me from panicking about how I’ll get home, or if I’ll ever get home. I’m still figuring out the subways.” Picking at the crisp ends of the fries, you tried not to get lost looking into his shiny amber eyes. “I was only going home to wrap presents anyway.” 
Steve smiled when you mirrored him, cheek resting on your hand. 
“I think this isn’t such a bad way to spend the evening, Steve.”
A pink glow - not entirely from his beer - warmed Steve’s face and he looked down at his almost empty glass. You would think he was being bashful had there not been a grin spreading on his handsome face. 
“Oh, you’re trouble.” 
You shrugged, attempting to play coy. “What were you supposed to be doing tonight? What are you missing to be here with some strange girl?”
Steve shrugged. “Well, I was Christmas shopping, like you. Killing time. I was supposed to meet my buddy for dinner and drinks, came in to use the phone to cancel when the snow got bad. I’ll catch up with him tomorrow.”
“A buddy on your list?” You asked, nodding to the piece of paper.
“Mhm. Eddie. He didn’t mind too much, I’ll make it up to him.” He sipped his drink again.  “He has a gig tomorrow night, so I’ll see if I can help with lifting amps and shit.”
“He’s the heavy metal guy?” you asked, remembering back to Steve labelling him as so easy to buy for.
Steve had not smiled so much in weeks, maybe months. With you, tucked away in The Snug, he basked in the ache in his cheeks, the way you laughed, how you remembered little things about him and his friends. 
“I hope these friends of yours realise how much you love them, Steve.”
He liked that blunt edge of your delivery too. 
You watched him fluster a little for the second time that evening.
“I do mean that. You’re putting so much of yourself into these presents, not just… I don’t know, throwing money at stuff. There’s so much thought in all of these.” You tapped the paper for emphasis, recognising a little of yourself in the way Steve put thought into his gifts for the ones he loved. 
You knew the sting of that thoughtfulness not being returned, or even noticed. 
Watching Steve flounder, seeing him resonate with your assessment, you felt a sinking stone in your chest. Too much. Too far. He was still a stranger, a stranger you were practically snowed in with and had probably developed some sort of cabin-fever-bond with, and you had to push it. 
“Sorry. Shit. Steve, I should just shut up. I don’t know you, or your friends. I would be so mad if some stranger just-”
His hand, his much bigger, warmer hand, reached for yours and squeezed. 
“Stop. It’s okay.” Steve squeezed again, his palm warm as it curved around your hand. “What you said, it’s true. I.. Shit.” He smiled, a sadness in his eyes you had not seen and blamed yourself for, “Here I am dumping my baggage on you.” 
Steve sighed but didn’t let your hand go. You didn’t mind; you didn’t want him to.
“My parents just threw money at gifts for me. Totally impersonal shit I didn’t need, or want. They didn’t know me or what I liked, all for appearances and shit like that.” You watched soft fondness pull at the corner of his mouth. “So I put thought into stuff for my friends. They’re my family now. They annoy the hell out of me some days, but I want them to know… I dunno, that I listen. That I hear them. And see them, what they like…”
He trailed off when you turned your hand beneath his and squeezed.
“That’s the sweetest, Steve. They’re very lucky to have you.” Your voice was a gentle murmur, loud enough for him to hear.
He shrugged, playing smooth again despite the reality check he had been dealt. “M’the lucky one. They’re buttheads, but they have my back too. Promise.” 
You nodded and tried not to flush when you looked at your joined hands. 
“Tell me something about you then, Steve… I don’t even know your last name. What’s your favourite colour?” 
He smiled again, back on some new track now after that detour to the trauma dump. “I like yellow. I usually say blue, because when I say yellow people look at me like I’m crazy or somethin’. Yellow. Definitely.”
It clicked then, the warmth of his smile and his presence glowed like yellow sunshine and the golden bulbs of Christmas lights that could warm up the most frigid places. Warm like melted butter on toast and the glow of the lamp beside your bed for reading late into the night. It made you feel warm despite the winter cold.  
“And it’s Harrington. Steve Harrington.”
“Yellow suits you, Steve Harrington.” 
Tumblr media
You and Steve moved on to clove-heavy hot whiskies as you traded questions back and forth, learning about each other little by little. You found it hard not to fall a little bit in love with him as he became less of a stranger to you. 
He played basketball in school and swam competitively. His favourite films were Top Gun and Dirty Dancing. He preferred pancakes over waffles and didn’t like bacon on his burgers. You spoke briefly about what you did for work and focused instead on trivial things that showed each other the real you, the real Steve Harrington. 
What’s your middle name? 
Best Halloween costume? 
Most important question ever, crunchy or smooth?
He was as close to perfect as you had ever dreamed someone could be. 
Two middle names, Henry Michael. 
Maverick, or Sandy from Grease - don’t ask, I’m not drunk enough. 
Crunchy, duh. Have you tried it with honey instead of jelly?
A tiny cynical part of you waited for something about him to dislike. You could have kept waiting, kept wondering, but instead you decided to relent to the simple serendipity of it all. Maybe there was nothing to dislike about Steve (Henry Michael) Harrington, and that was perfectly okay.  
You sat alone at the table, watching Steve’s broad back as he leaned against the bar to get change for the jukebox. That golden glow of his made him like the North Star in the business of the bar; simultaneously exciting you and making you deliciously nervous. 
The first couple of people left the bar to bravely trek home through the mean cold streets a little after nine, promising to call to let the bar staff know they got back safe and advise whether others should stay or chance the journey home. Everyone had agreed to a lock-in until morning if the snow didn’t stop or if the conditions got too dangerous. 
You all waited on a collective breath for the phone to ring; drinks flowed, and conversations continued and deepened over strong drinks. Feeling comfortably blurred around the edges, the spirits stayed high despite the less-than-perfect circumstances.
The shrill ringing of the phone behind the bar pulled the air from the room, silence fell. 
Home safe. The barman gave a thumbs up and relayed the message that the streets were walkable, a few taxis were running if you were lucky to catch one. 
Steve’s searching gaze found yours as everyone else cheered. The bubble had burst. 
His smile was a little sad, matching yours despite the good news that you could actually go home. He held up a finger, ‘one sec’, and darted to the jukebox with his handful of change to queue up some songs before you had to say goodbye. 
Goodbye. 
You didn’t want to say goodbye to Steve Harrington. 
A heavy weight settled in your chest as you took stock of your bags, distracting yourself until Steve settled himself across from you again. His hand patted the smooth table top twice, head tilted to look at your face. 
“Y’okay?” he asked. “Guess it’s good that we don’t need to sleep here tonight..?”
“Mhm. Definitely. Just… trying to figure out how long it’s going to take me to get home,” you said, not totally a lie. Your smile didn’t meet your eyes, even though you looked forward to getting into your cosy bed with the brushed cotton bedsheets and your fuzzy flannel pyjamas.
“Me too. What way are you headed?” Steve said, an innocent glimmer of hopefulness in his eyes. 
When you told him where you lived he nodded. “M’not far from there. I’d… really like to walk you home, if that’s okay? Or try to find a cab…We could share?” Steve rambled a little,  his smooth exterior cracking. “Fuck it. I want to make sure you get home safe, and I like talking to you. A little part of me was hoping we’d get snowed in or something so stupid so I could spend more time with you.” 
You looked at him across the table, wide-eyed as your heart hammered in your chest. 
“Is that crazy of me? I’m coming on way too strong, aren’t I?” 
“Steve.”
You smiled, taking his hand. “That would be really great. I kinda hoped the same. I’d like it if you walked me home.”
His smile was blinding as he took your hand between both of his, warm and large. “Okay, great. Cool.” 
“Cool,” you echoed, placing your other hand on top of his like a stack as you tried not to giggle or kick your feet.
The familiar opening chords of Old Time Rock and Roll played from the jukebox, making you both grin wider at each other. 
“It’s a classic, I couldn’t not put it on,” he said.
You threw your head back, laughing happily as Steve murmur-sang along with Bob Seger, bobbing his head as he crooned quietly for you. You knew about the scar on his arm from when he recreated that scene at a party; slid too hard, right into his mother’s second-favourite vase as his friends cheered him on (then drove him to the ER).
“Don’t tell me you put something from Dirty Dancing on next, Steve,” you teased, seeing his eyes sparkle with a sly sweetness. “Steve!”
Your laugh made him feel tingly-warm all over.
“It’s not Time of My Life or She’s Like the Wind, promise,” he said, smirking as he kept his cards close to his chest. “Promise. We can go when it’s over.  If you’re ready to head out?”
You nodded, squeezing his hands before rooting in your bag for your gloves. Knowing that you didn’t have to part ways just yet made the idea of being out in the cold a little more tolerable.
“You been taking photos of the lights?” Steve asked, picking up your camera from the table after taking it out of your bag. 
He remembered that ‘new in town’ excitement, still had the photos of him with Robin in front of the tree at Civic Centre (fresh-faced and pink-cheeked after too much mulled wine). The big tree had been nothing on their own lovably wonky tree in their tiny apartment, decorated with cheap baubles and coloured lights and tinsel that shed so much . 
“Yeah, to show my Mom. Super cheesy, I know,” you rolled your eyes and watched as Steve turned it so carefully in his hands. “Might get some snaps of the snow, to remember tonight.”
As Steve nodded, an idea bobbed to the surface of your mind. 
“Steve? Feel free to say no but… Could I get one of us? To remember…”
As if you would ever forget the night you met Steve Harrington. 
Steve watched your teeth sink into your lower lip, let his eyes linger before catching your eyes. You saw the whiskey-brown disappear, swallowed by deep black pupils. 
“Only if you get me a copy of it.”
His voice was low, smooth, and made your thighs squeeze - not for the first time that evening either. Without saying as much, you knew it meant he would like to see you again, that he didn’t want to forget you either.
You kept your voice remarkably cool and calm, despite the urge to squeal and kick your feet. “Yeah. Of course…” 
He winked before leaning over to catch the attention of the woman at the next table, checking with you before he passed your camera to her with that bright charming smile of his.
The woman directed you both to lean in a little across the small booth table, taking her task very seriously. “You two look great! So cute!” she said, beaming behind the camera.
The opening bars of Hungry Eyes started up as she counted down. 
It made the perfect picture; Steve grinning as he watched a giggle burst from your smiling lips. Your head was spinning, your heart beating hard in your chest - when you looked at that photo in years to come, you would never forget that feeling.
He thanked the woman and took the camera back as you soaked the lyrics in, thinking of Steve instead of Swayze. As you tucked the camera away, you realised that the song said more than either of you were brave enough to say out loud.
I feel the magic between you and I…
When your glasses were empty, when the butterflies had settled again, you began to wrap yourselves in your scarves and coats, hats and gloves, and gather your bags and belongings before braving the cold together. 
The warmth in your bones from the bar was quickly extinguished by the bitter air outside, though you couldn’t pretend that the snow was not beautiful. A little post-apocalyptic perhaps, but beautiful nonetheless. 
“Fuck, that’s cold,” Steve hissed, his words turning to vapour as you set off together, leaving footprints side by side in the crunchy snow. 
“No shit,” you teased, giggling at Steve’s scowl.
The combination of frigid air and the alcohol in your blood made you feel delightfully dizzy. Steve’s hair was crushed beneath his beanie hat, the longer ends peeking out beneath between his turned-up coat collar and scarf. Something about how much hair he could squeeze under that fine (expensive) knit hat made you feel terribly fond and giddy about it. 
“Okay, smartass. You were such a nice girl in the bar,” he tutted, teasing you back. 
“Tricked you,” you shrugged, “I was never nice.” Your chattering teeth make your playful quips much less believable - as if Steve couldn’t see right through you. 
“C’mere. Stick by me, we’ll either stay warm or freeze together.” Hooking a hand around your arm, Steve pulled you close to share body heat. Closer than you had been in the bar, body to body, you found that you fit nicely under his arm. Spicy-warm notes of his cologne mixed with whispers of cigarette smoke buried deep in the wool of his coat.
You smiled up at him, a shiver of nervousness down your spine as you realised you were alone together - actually alone now - for the first time.
“This okay?” he asked, pink nose matching his cheeks as he steered you both through the snow. 
“Yeah,” you said, smiling back. With your arm wrapped around the thickness of his torso, you squeezed gently and hoped he could feel it through the winter layers. His grin told you he did. 
You walked in silence for a while, carrying the weight of ‘when can I see you again?’ and ‘please tell me you feel that spark too?’ with all of your shopping bags. 
“Hey, Steve?”
“Yeah?” His eyes shone, sparkled with something when he looked down at you.
“We still haven’t figured out a present for Mike…”
Steve hung his head, eyes squeezed shut as your feet slowed down. “This fuckin’ kid.”
He lifted his head after sighing so hard you swore he was going to turn inside out. 
“Mike Wheeler is going to be the death of me, I swear to god,” he said, speaking up to the sky. “He’s getting a Sam Goody gift card. Done. I don’t care anymore.” 
“Steve Harrington, you can’t pussy-out and get him a gift card,” you tutted, leaning your weight against him to make him swerve.
The way Steve’s laugh echoed through the empty snow-capped streets made your heart flutter. “You did not just accuse me of being a pussy. You’re breaking my heart here, baby.”
When he looked down at you, eyes sparkling with mirth rather than genuine hurt from your playful betrayal, you could not miss how his tongue darted out to wet his pretty pink lips. 
Baby echoed in your ears, warming you from the inside.
“You cannot get him a gift card.” Voice quiet and insistent, you squeezed him again, “Think, Steve.”
“I am.” Played-up-pathetic, Steve’s whiney voice made you double-take and giggle at him. “He’s impossible.” 
“No one is impossible. Tell me what he likes again. Don’t say ‘nerd shit’, Steve.”
Steve rolled his eyes and you poked his ribs, far too cosy and familiar with the man who was a stranger just a few hours ago.
“Dungeons and Dragons, weed,” he listed, “He writes stuff sometimes, films, uh… Taco Bell?” 
“He likes films too?”
“Mm. Studying film. Wants to be a screenwriter or somethin’...”
You hummed and looked up at the clear sky for an answer. “How about… a framed film poster?”
“Say more.” Steve looked down at you, prettier than the stars ever could be. 
You forced yourself not to look at his lips, knowing you were a weak tipsy woman at heart. “Well, what’s his favourite film? Posters are pretty easy to find, a nice-ish frame. Slap a bow on it, Merry Christmas, Mike.” 
Padded fingers tapped your upper arm as Steve thought, wracking his brains. “When they were kids, they dressed up as Ghostbusters for Halloween. Recreated it this year. Oh, you’re a fuckin’ genius!” 
Steve squeezed you tight against his side, and with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, scooped you up with admirable ease to spin around in the snow. 
“Steve!” your voice was an undignified yelp, cracked with laughter. 
“You’ve saved Christmas!” Steve’s smiling face was brighter than any Christmas lights guiding your path home. Still turning with you, slower now and more careful, he rested his forehead against yours and murmured, “You’re some kinda miracle, baby.” 
Steve’s warm whiskey-tinted words whispered over your mouth. Your breath was caught, choked in a gasp in your throat, as he slowed down his spinning to ease you down onto the snowy empty road. Arms still wrapped around each other, shopping bags crushed and be-damned, you stood toe to toe just looking at each other. 
“Can I..?” Quietly smooth and charming, Steve’s eyes dipped to your lips. 
Instead of giving him an answer, using your words like a big girl, you grabbed a handful of his coat to bring your mouths together in a kiss. 
Christmas lights twinkled above you, like movie magic or fairy dust. Lips pressed and lingered, kisses slow and sweet. It was everything you dreamed it would be, better even as Steve hauled you closer still and traced his nose against yours. 
Smiling, breaths warming each other’s faces, you let Steve lead the next kiss - after all he had asked so nicely. One gloved hand on your cheek, his lips slotted with yours before he deepened the kiss with a tenderness that made your bones ache. Had he not been holding you so close, had you not been moored safely in the circle of his arms, you would have surely swooned.
His kisses warmed you, sending sparks through your limbs as his tongue grazed yours with a promise of more. You felt his lips tug and smile in response to the tiny gasping noise that escaped from your throat. Slowly, so sweetly, he kissed the side of your mouth and up to the warm apple of your cheek. 
“Wanted to do that all night,” he murmured, making sure you were steady to stand before peeling away slightly. 
“Me too.” You grinned, a giggle barely held behind your teeth. “Knew you were looking at my lips.”
“Oh yeah? Should’ve kissed you sooner then.” A smiling peck pressed to your lips as your reward, your gold star for being so observant, before you righted and reoriented yourselves for the rest of the walk home.
With most of your bags in Steve’s steady hand (the one that was not keeping you close to his side), you trekked together toward home as more frosty flakes fell from the dark night sky. 
The heat of your kiss had melted something more between you, both relieved that you weren’t the delusional one, that you both felt that same something. 
Without much traffic, meeting only a few other pedestrians trekking home in the snow, it felt like the journey was about to end far too soon. You passed and pointed out the place where you got your photo-film developed, your favourite diner, Steve’s favourite coffee place which happened to be by the bookstore you liked. 
“I don’t wanna be presumptuous,” Steve said, “But I’d love to see you again.” He looked down at your face, feeling his heart beat harder. “I’ve never met someone like you… Y’know, when you click right away?”
“I’d like that, Steve. I’d like that so much.” Butterfly wings fluttered hard in your chest as you watched his smile melt onto his handsome face. “Anyway, I want to know how that Secret Santa goes down.” 
His grin was brighter than the snow. “You have full credit for that, honey.” Smiling lips kissed your forehead, just where your hat ended. He had scribbled his number on a clean napkin back at the bar, tucked it in his pocket to slip to you if (when) you said yes to seeing him again. 
You let yourself lean into him, nuzzling his cologne-and-smoke-spiced arm before sighing. With your door in sight, you took a breath and made yourself be brave. 
“This is me, just up here.” 
You spotted the recognition on Steve’s face. This was goodnight - at least it wasn’t goodbye.
“We’re not so far from each other. I’m like.. Five blocks that way.” He pointed off to the left, somewhere you did not bother to follow in favour of looking up at Steve. 
Now or never. This didn’t have to be goodnight… 
“Hey, so I don't love the idea of you out here on your own in the snow. What if you freeze into an ice cube, or slip and crack your head?” 
As your teeth grazed your lower lip, you watched his cheek pulse as he tried not to smile at your dreamed-up worries. Your own smile was barely hidden, ducked briefly behind your thick scarf. 
“Huh. I didn’t think of that.” Steve bobbed his head, faux-thoughtful as he considered his next steps. “Pretty perilous…”
“Christmas would be cancelled…” You bit the inside of your cheek. 
“Oh shit, you think?” his brows raised beneath his beanie, a knowing smile gave him away. You couldn’t possibly match Steve’s smooth charm. 
You took a little breath in before asking the question you both knew the answer to.
“So, you might… You could stay the night? With me. If you want to.”
Steve measured himself and tried not to be too eager at the thought of more time with you, more kisses. “You sure?” he asked, glancing up at your building before looking right back at you. 
You nodded slowly, smiling when you spotted the fresh snowflakes on his lashes, dusted over his broad shoulders too. “Mmhm. I’m sure.” 
Steve smiled, closing the gap between you to kiss you again as the snow fell. “Then I’ll stay.” 
Tumblr media
Thank you for reading💙 Likes, reblogs and comments are loved, cherished and stored in a little locket 💙
332 notes · View notes
whelle · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
they’re so bestfriends
5K notes · View notes