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regrettablewritings · 6 years

Note

I'm not sure if you write for Stranger Things but if you do could you do Steve Harrington X reader for the ship meme?

Thank you so much for waiting!!!

How differently do they think of eachother now compared to when they first met?: First and foremost, there’s layers tohow you and Steve Harrington viewed one another both when you first met andfrom then on after. You knew of SteveHarrington because you didn’t have any other choice: He was the big man oncampus with his good looks and confident personality. (Plus, it helped that inthe small, sleepy town of Hawkins, everybody knew everybody.) You already kindof had your suspicions that that confidence was really just arrogance to somedegree but didn’t actually know him well enough to push it. But those verysuspicions were confirmed when the two of you landed in a class together.

Biology, while not the hardest subject for you, still took a bit of time andfocus to assure that you could move on to junior year. But all Steve Harringtonseemed to need to do was smile that admittedly dashing smile of his, andwhichever girl he picked for his lab partner would practically feed him hernotes. If he was saddled with another guy, he’d probably offer to hype them upto some girl who would probably only give them the time of day simply toimpress Steve with what a “good, open heart” she had. And if it was the teacherthat was concerned, he just needed to play up the All-American Boy act and hecould skirt by that semester with a solid C. C- at worst.

Passing biology with a C wasn’t anything to be ashamed of but when it wasearned by not actually earning it at all, it pissed you off. He never reallyhad to work his way through biology (or any class, you assumed). In fact, youwere pretty sure that the only time he actually had to make an effort was whenhe wound up getting grouped with you to study a colony of C. reinhardtii and take notes. You had observed him just longenough to know his typical tricks, so you sure as hell weren’t going to fallfor them. Steve found himself struggling to not look gobsmacked by yourresistance. (He fought even more to not appear confused about the subject matteronce he realized how little he actually knew due to his lack of effort inclass.)

From that exposure, Steve concluded with blunt simplicity that you were aboring bitch. Sorry, but it was true: Your avoidance of feeding his ego didn’tsit well with him, and he was all too quick and pleased to have as manymemories of the interactions fazed out of his mind. (In hindsight, he would’veacknowledged this with far better understanding but, hey, what did he know?Clearly not how to spell “reinhardtii.”)The fact that your hard work paid off and allowed you to skip junior yearstraight on into senior year made the ability to do so much easier.

There wasn’t much chance (thank God) or reason for you to interact with him.You weren’t looking to because he was irritating, and he wasn’t looking tobecause you were a passing face whose name he didn’t much care to remember onceyou were out of sight, out of mind. You two were like passing ships up untilthe metaphorical collision wherein he his friends threw water balloonsat your car on what happened to be your last day at Hawkins High. To be fair(more like generous), they weren’t specificallyaiming for you. But you sure as hell were pissed when your car found itself inthe “crosswater” of their artillery. And, just like your car, you left, drivingoff into the distance.

Well, as distant as the college of your choice could take you.

You would’ve been content to have the story end right then and there, butfate (and your mental state) had other plans. Apparently, college wasadditionally a time for existential crises and questioning if one has actuallychosen the right path for them. You wish you’d been told that before you wentand spent two and a half years drying your soul up in a well of academia. Youtried to take your decision to return home for a break in stride, however. Youtold yourself that you weren’t going to do any good if you yourself didn’t feelgood, which was true. Besides, it wasn’t as though you weren’t actually doinganything: In the time you’d spent away, apparently Hawkins had acquired a mall.And malls meant jobs. And jobs meant money, even if it meant plastering on asmile you didn’t feel up for.

To be fair, your first day at Claire’s hadn’t been too terribly bad. Butconsidering that this was the first mall in Hawkins and was still all the rage,it was constantly busy with tweens huddling in and out. By the end of yourshift, your feet were sore, you were not one step closer to deciding what to doabout your situation, and the energy acquired from your brief lunchbreak hadlong since worn off. These things alone were enough to convince you that you’dearned a treat. Ice cream, to be more specific. And la dee da, this mall hadcome with its very own Scoops Ahoy!

Complete with (to your amusement and secondhand embarrassment) sailor-themeduniforms and the dead-eyed expressions they inspired, as evidenced by the youngman managing the counter at the time of your arrival. Talk about awkward. Itwas enough to make you want to place your order and get the heck out of there.

“Hello,” you said, forcing yourself to create and maintain eye contact outof courtesy. “I would like a – ”

Wait, you paused. You recognizedthat mane of hair; not even the dopey sailor’s cap could conceal it!

“Steve?” you asked aloud, brows raised to your hairline. “Steve Harrington?”Steve Harrington tensed. His eyes widened. “… Nnnnnnooooooo but unrelated,can you take this waffle cone and jab the pointed end into my temple? Totallyunrelated, I swear.”

But you did not stab him, let alone with the sugar cone he presented youwith. And while you did provide inevitable laughter and even a handful of jabs,it never went too far. After all, a job was a job, there was only so much thatcould be said about the getup. At the very least it certainly made you gratefulthat your job wasn’t nearly as humiliating. But you had to admit, it was quitenice to see how humbled it had made Steve… . At least, you’d thought that it was the costume thatmade the young man more grounded at first. But apparently, he’d been differenteven before then.

The more you dipped into the ice cream parlor (because let’s face it, for abusiness that embarrassed its employees, they sure knew what they were doingwith their frozen goods), the more you knew of this new Steve. And he wasnothing like he’d been when you both attended school together. He’s much more .. . dependable. And far less conceited. Sure, he still made an effort topromote this image of having dignity (it was the only thing keeping him alivein this sailor-themed icy hell), but it was nowhere near the extent of whichhad made him a colossal asshole. In fact, by the time you two had started tothink of one another in more romantic terms, you concluded that Steve was a bigsofty with a surprisingly dedicated heart who had the capacity to give a personhis absolute all. Hell, there were points where you suspected he’d give his ownlife up in a tight spot. It was weird. But also such a dramatic shift that youwondered what could’ve possibly have happened in the relatively short periodyou’d been gone. As for Steve, he’d be quick to admit that he didn’t really know you before. Butif he dug deep into the recesses of his mind, he could validate that becausefrom what he recalled, you were a lot shyerback then. More reserved and arguably even a doormat to some degree. And whileit was still true that you weren’t anything outlandish, time had certainly madeyou a bit bolder than before. Maybe it was time away in college, maybe it wasbeing away from the sleepy town that was Hawkins. Whatever the case, youcertainly conversed more and were a little quicker to speak your mind or act inways to assure the results you wanted. He had a newfound respect for your workethic, impressed that you could uphold it for such an extended period of timewhereas he was relatively recently just getting used to the practice. Plus,it’s pretty much canon that Steve holds whomever he dates in high regards, sohe ultimately just thinks you’re the best.

What do their friends/family think oftheir relationship?: Nobody saw it coming, least of all your own friends and family. When Stevefirst came to meet your parents, one of the first things that flew out of yourdad’s mouth was, “Wait, isn’t this the guy that sprayed your car with shavingcream?” (It took a bit to clarify and convince him that that was actually hisformer friends who had done it, not the young man himself.) Even still, yourparents had some hesitancy about the relationship. You dad even threatened toknock Steve out if he did anything to “break his little girl’s heart.”

Your friends were only somewhat better, having had more of a chance toobserve Steve’s progression as a person for themselves after a decent few ofthem stayed back in Hawkins for one reason or another. Still, they held theusual amount of concern as anyone would for a friend who’d suddenly begun todate someone with whom they’d had previous disdain. But once they’re assuredand have proven for themselves that Steve isn’t a threat, they warm up to himquickly and make light taunts aimed at him about “what a nice, little gentlemanhe’s become.” Steve’s parents, having had no idea about your previousrelationship with their son, had even fewer thoughts. You dare even say thatthey were predominately indifferent to the situation! Their son always seemedto be with a different girl for most of his dating life; there wasn’t much theycared to say about the situation besides being courteous whenever you werearound (which, as Steve made sure, wasn’t often). At most, they thought as muchof it as how a parent typically feels about their son dating.

And of the kids … Should they really care? Not really. Though it shouldbe noted that Dustin, being the nice kid that he is (and the one who looks upto Steve the most), has an awareness of the relationship. The result is lightjabs aimed at Steve every chance he gets. However, Steve takes them in strideand tried to use the relationship as an example of how to treat a partner anddevelop as a person, especially when regarding the way he used to be when you two first met.

How do their personalities/skills complement orcontrast with each other?: The most obvious (and thereby mostfrequent) contrast that most people associate you two with is how your academicprowess compares to his own. That is to say, they call you book smart whileSteve is … not. And while this is arguably true, you personally prefer notto put focus on that aspect (a stark contrast to how it was in high school).Instead, you prefer to note the other obvious way with which the two of youdiffer: How you’re a comparative introvert compared to his more outgoingcharacter. It’s this more extroverted nature of his that results in you slowlyand steadily going out more and “being young but, like, a good percentagecarefree” as Steve puts it. Because while he’s become far more responsible inrecent years, you still have the most experience when it comes to keepingmindful.

However, it arguablymakes for a cute sort of opposites-attract kind of thing with you making himrethink his decisions and him getting you to open up a bit more.

What is their favorite aspect of each other?: If you had told your 11th gradeself that Steve Harrington was capable of selflessness and willing to givesacrifice for the safety and happiness of others, you would’ve laughed yourselfto death. Then haunted the current timeline’s version of you for spreading suchlies. Up until the ghost of you learned that it was not only true, but itsuited the young hotshot surprisingly well. Indeed, while it was true that ittook some getting used to even for Steve himself, the truth was there: He hadthe makings of a truly kind and caring person. In fact, if you had to make noteof another aspect of him, you’d be quick to express delight over howsurprisingly dedicated he could actually be: Once he’s found something he’staken to, he becomes loyal to that something and is determined to put as mucheffort as he can into the circumstance. And you damn near questioned whetheryou were having a stroke when you saw him interacting with some local kids in away that actually wasn’t assholish. Sure,his consistent execution was a bit shaky but the fact that he was even makingan effort at all is impressive considering that just two years ago, he wasnothing more than a stereotypical pompous jock.

Or at least, that was theimage he’d created for himself. It was expected of him, after all, as the school’swinning basketball jock. Part of why he was never aware of hisown potential for kindness until recently was because the group he’d hung outwith before made no attempts to push him to look inside of himself. They neverattempted to know him through and through, only encouraging what was theabsolute worst of him. That’s why he’s so grateful over how patient you can bewhen concerning him. Sure, people hear him talk, but few actually ever listen, much less the way that he needsfor them to. Granted, he’d been warmed up a bit by the time you’d come back toHawkins, but he certainly still had a ways to go. It was by the grace of yourdecision to extend upon him your tolerance that he was able to better exerciseit because let’s be real: He needs somebody to bounce off of, or a figure tokeep a focus on in order to do his best. Whether it’s to protect, to care for,or to recognize that he needs to be a better person for his own growth.

Do either of them have pet peevesabout each other?: Steve isn’t very confrontational. To be fair, neither are you, but you’ve cometo accept that putting off issues and pretending like they’re not there justmakes things even worse. Eventually, you suck it up and push yourself throughthe issue. But Steve still relies on the mindset that if you smother asituation long enough, it’ll just die before it becomes an actual issue; aremnant from the days where he used this to slip out of predicaments.

Steve can be surprisingly patient when it comes with the person he loves,but he definitely has a breaking point. And it’s hit when that modest behaviorof yours evolves into uptightness. (Or rather, what he accuses of beinguptight.) He knows that sometimes he can still go too far about things, or thatnot everything is your cup of tea no matter how worldly you become. But that’sno reason to scold him let alone patronize him! Let loose for once, geez! If Nancy could do it, why can’t you?! …Oh … Oh, wait, no –

How would each reconcile with eachother after a fight?: Considering what happened the last time he was in a relationship and a fighttranspired, Steve honestly gets a little nervous when the two of you have yourfirst actual fight. Not an inevitable lover’s tiff, but an actual, voice-raising,angrily-talking-with-hands argument. This is the end, he thinks. He shouldn’tfeel this wound up about it considering that the two of you hadn’t been goingout for too, too long. But he can’t help it: the idea hurts as any prospect ofa break up would. And not to knock on you, but he believes you have very littlereason to get too tied up with him. He’s already on thin ice from those yearsof being a pig-headed jackass after all.

Unfortunately, because he spent all those years being a self-centered jerkwho put in very little effort, he doesn’t have any exact practice in perfectingthe art of fight reconciliation. He’s never actually had to apologize foranything before his relationship with Nancy, and it wasn’t as though that attempt to express remorse everactually came to fruition. But from that, what we do know is that he’s a traditionalist. Or maybe he just has solittle experience that this was the only thing he could think to do. Whateverthe case, Steve is the type to give you guys some time away from one another,however agonizing it may be for his poor, restless soul. After that actual dayor two of separation, expect him to come to your door toting the best bouquetthat money made at Scoops Ahoy could buy, accompanied with an apology. Becauseeven if he doesn’t necessarily feel at fault for the argument, he hates thefeeling of you being mad at him even more.

If you want to talk, he’ll sit and listen, but you need to not becondescending or act as though you’re explaining things to a child. If you talkto him with the same amount of respect he gives you and listen to him the wayhe needs to be listened to, he’ll make more of an effort to take your words tomind and do better about whatever had caused the argument in the first place.

For your end, however, be prepared to confront whatever faults you may havehad in the issue. The plain and short is that, like anyone, Steve disdains feeling as though the brunt endof the dispute falls on him. The difference is that most people typicallyunderstand their issues; Steve’s only just now getting the hang of it thanks tohis late bloomer position in terms of serious dating. Even if he was thecatalyst of the issue, the best way to go about it is to state something alongthe lines of, “I’m sorry that I didn’t confront you or the situation in a waythat would’ve produced a better outcome.” However, gently push him to be moremindful; he can’t act as though the fight is only ever one-sided. But remembernot to seem snooty about it or else the two of you are just going to fightagain.

(Additional tidbit: Also, once SayAnything comes out, expect for him to also attempt to do the boomboxoutside the window thing. You know the one. Don’t get too into it, though,because there’s a 75 – 85% chance that he dropped it after holding it above hishead for a little while because fellas, boomboxes are big and heavy.)

What would be their ideal vacationgetaway together?: Nearly anywhere else sounds amazing when compared toHawkins. But if he had to narrow it down, Martha’s Vineyard. He and his WASP-yfamily went one summer and it just tickled his little heart (probably becausethe other girls vacationing there enjoyed gawking at him as he strolled thebeach). Of course, being that the two of you are quite young and quite broke,you’re not going to be able to go any time soon. But he’d love to be able totake you there one day. Maybe collect some seashells and eat some damn goodchowder. …Maybesomesexonthebeachmaybe.

But if he had to pick some place more affordable, maybe Gatlinburg. It’s apretty big shift from the upper crust vibe of MV, but he can’t help it: There’ssomething delightfully kitschy about the place with all its rustic charm andfried foods and whatnot!

Think of a new way (AU, differentsituation, etc.) they could have met for the first time: Dustin was a goodkid. Sure, sometimes he let a dirty word slip. And maybe on occasion he stayed out too long at Mike Wheeler’s housefor a session of whatever game those kids were into. But as a whole, mostparents would give an arm, a leg, and an eyeball to have a kid like him!

These were the thoughts Steve Harrington repeated to himself over and overagain as he sat outside of the drama teacher’s classroom. Well, that, and alsosome not so pleasant gripes about the seating options. Apparently, HawkinsMiddle had no adult-sized chairs to spare, as evidenced by the only offersbeing small, plastic, navy blue chairs that obviously had been swiped from someclassroom elsewhere. If he could, Steve would’ve opted to just stand and wait. Unfortunately,the sensibility of his sensible shoes had worn away, leaving behind a pain inhis soles that threatened to fuck him up if he dared to stand any longer thanwhat was necessary. But then again, it didhave more dignity to it; there was something a bit humiliating aboutstruggling to fit one adult-sized butt cheek into the dip of the little stool.

“Couldn’t bring out some goddamn …” he muttered, just barely avoidingkneeing himself in the chin. There was just way too much multitasking going onfor his liking: Sitting in this damn chair, trying not to hurt himself whilealso trying not to panic at the fact that he’d been called in by his son’steacher.

Dustin had existed for years without coming home with a teacher’s noterequesting a meeting. But then, Dustin had also existed for years as a child ina two-parent household. And duringall that time, he hadn’t acted out or anything … But things were differentnow. The signs were all there and even though Steve had made himself open toconversation, he simply trusted Dustin to come to him when he was ready.Unfortunately, the teacher’s note came first and that was all Steve needed tobe on the cusp of panic that his son was suffering far more than he knew and hehad, by default, failed at being a good parent on his own. Cue Steve rapidlyrelaying the aforementioned declarations to himself once more with double theaggression. It had been both a godsend and a gut-squeezer when the sound of theoffice door clicking open disrupted his umpteenth run of the mantra. The voicecame first.

“Sorry for the wait,” it flowed out. It was sweet, almost melodious, yetseemed to contain a sort of power laying just beneath the surface, giving everysyllable a hint of strength. Just what one ought to expect from somebody whosecareer surrounded conquering the stage.

But what Steve hadn’t expected was the form to whom the voice belonged. Thedoor creaked as it was opened further, followed by the soft tap of a heeledfoot stepping forward outside of the threshold.

“But thank you so much for doing so patiently.” A pair of perfectly coloredlips smiled at him. And suddenly, for the first time since he’d gotten theletter three days ago, Steve’s rapid heartbeat couldn’t be chalked up toanxiety.

++++++++++

Well, you thought, observing theman before you. At least now I know whereDustin got his hair from. Was it weird to be taking in the father of one ofyour students? Probably. Maybe. Yes. But you tried to ease off the weirdness byreminding yourself that you’d never actually met the man before. You weresimply taking in the features was all. As a teacher for an elective class (anda new one at that), Mr. Harrington had been under no obligation to meet youduring open house. Furthermore, you were essentially an outsider to the Hawkinseducational circuit: After years of performances at theater companies in acouple of states, you thought it might be time to quiet down in a quiet townwhich you could proceed to introduce some theatrical zest to. And while Hawkinswas definitely a place in need of such vigor, there still was apparently a bitof a culture clash even on your end (well, besides the dramatic shift from citylife to whatever the heck this hamlet could be considered).

Specifically, how so many of the people here grew up here and therefore knewone another. Especially when it concerned Steve Harrington. Apparently back inhigh school, he was The Man™ and had since been established as somewhat of asmall-town legend of sorts as a result. And while the man before you wasn’tnecessarily the maverick the women around the water cooler had had youenvisioning, you had to admit: He certainly was nice to look at. Especially for a dad. Most fathers you’dmet during your short time here were schlubby or indifferent at best. But Mr.Harrington held a sort of boyish handsomeness to him, as though time had onlydone him justice rather than the expected harm. And considering that you’dworked alongside some pretty handsome people during your stint as an actress,that was saying something.

You offered your hand out to him.

“Hi, I’m Dustin’s drama instructor, Ms. (L/N),” you grinned. It requiredyour skills in acting to avoid acting like the giddy schoolgirl you feltyourself threatening to revert to. It was a façade that nearly cracked when theman, grunting as he stood himself to his full, lanky height, accepted it intohis own with a firm handshake.

For a former basketball player, his hands were surprisingly soft.

++++++++

Well, Steve thought, following you into your office. They didn’t make teachers like that when I was growing up. Or maybe they did, just not in Hawkins.Frankly, you didn’t look like you belonged in the sleepy town: You could’vebeen a star with a face and voice like that. And with a body like that … an invasive thought commented,forcing his eyes to watch the sway of your hips as you rounded yourself aboutyour desk.

Oh, shut up, you creep, the morelogical part of his mind scolded. We’renot here to gawk, we’re here to find out what the heck the kid did.

“Once again, thanks for agreeing to meet with me,” you said, taking your ownseat opposite to him. (Steve couldn’t fathom how somebody could actually makethe process of sitting down look graceful but you did it.) “I understand that itwas a bit last minute, so trust me when I say that it’s greatly appreciated.”

“Oh, no, it was no trouble at all,” Steve found himself insisting. He threwin a smile for good measure, though deep down he knew it was for more than justthat. He almost wanted to kick his own ass for it. This was no time to harkenback to his playboy days – he had a kid now, and that whom this meeting wasabout. His poor, sweet kid of whom probably drove this poor woman to drink froma desk flask; this was no time to be focusing on such foolishness as making hisavailability shamelessly known.

“Well, Mr. Harrington, I’ll just cut to the chase,” you sighed. The puff ofair, gentle as it may have been, was more than enough to cause Steve’s ownbreathing to still.

Oh, god, he grieved, this is it. The moment of truth, whereinSteve would have to confront the fact that he’d fucked up as a father and nowhis kid was paying the price.

You went on, “You see, Dustin’s –"

“I’m sorry,” Steve blurted. For all the acting you had been doing up to thatpoint that evening, even you couldn’t stop yourself from hiding the confusionthat interruption had caused. Your rapid blinking went unnoticed by the manbefore you, however, as evidence by the fact that you’d made an effort to speakfurther only to be cut off once more.

“I get it if it means nothing, like if it doesn’t fix any of this but I just– ” It all came tumbling down from the inside out. It started as that all toofamiliar ball of anxiety that dwelled within the man’s stomach, tremblingupward into his lungs. It didn’t take long at all before it manifested on hisface as an expression of regret and disappointment – all directed at himself.His eyes scrunched closed. All you could do was sit there quietly, watching ashe squeezed the bridge of his nose in a failing effort to alleviate thediscomfort.

“Dustin,” Steve sighed finally, “he’s a good kid, I swear. But I get it ifhe hasn’t been acting right lately; that’s myfault. I know I should be more attentive to him but just … You know howkids are, they never wanna talk to you even when you wanna talk to them but it’s just all so hard – ” Hiseyes flew open, revealing hazel hues encased with worry. He opened his hand indefeat, shaking it for emphasis.

“But it’s just like? You don’t wanna forcethem or anything because shit’s – I mean, stuff is tough. I feel like he hasn’t been the same since – ” Hewaved a hand in random directions “—since that.But it’s also like he’s hiding things from me. A kid needs his mother but she’snot around anymore so it’s all I can do to at least try to take on that role in some way, I guess. And I’m trying to bea good parent in all this but … But it’s hard. Really hard. I’m on my own,nobody taught me how to do this, let alone on my own all of a sudden so it’slike I’m relearning everything from scratch and I’m trying to get our craptogether but – And I feel like … Like I’m failing him.” He paused,uncertain of where the newly budded feeling of horror within him was sourcingfrom: That he was really vomiting his emotions out in such away-too-informative manner, or that he could swear his eyes were beginning tosting with the threat of tears.

Being that the courses you taught were electives (and therefore had littlebearing on a student’s report card in most regards), most parents who’d visitedyou in your brief time at Hawkins Middle didn’t care enough to shed any tears.If there was ever a problem that needed addressing, the typical response fromthe parents was to get on your case or passive aggressively suggest thatperhaps you weren’t cut out for teaching or that theater wasn’t even thatimportant to begin with. It certainly stung and made you feel discomfort onyour own part, but it wasn’t anything you weren’t prepared to handle or atleast hadn’t experienced in some way, shape, or form before during yourprofessional stint. But honestly, you’d never considered the possibility thatone parent would cry. Much less that it would not only be a father, but the legendarySteve Harrington on top of it. And dispensing such information, no less!

Even in all your confusion, you felt deep for the man. And as therealization of the depth of his words settled in, so did a weight inside of you.And yet, in all your uncertainty, you couldn’t think of anything more to offerthan, “I’m sorry, Mr. Harrington. I didn’t know …” You awkwardly ushered asmall box of tissues towards him. While Steve did accept it, he didn’t make useof it. In fact, he seemed to be making an effort of sorts to do damage control.Of course, there’s only so much controlling that can be done when one dispensesso much baggage in such a scenario.

“No, no,” he sniffed insistently, “it’s not your fault. You couldn’t haveknown, it’s not your job to.” You bit your lip. You wondered if it was appropriateto state that, to an extent, it was.At the very least, if you wanted to be aware of a certain child’s well-beingbut …

Steve cleared his throat, his expression becoming manageable once more. “Butwhatever it was that he did, I’ll be sure to have a talk with him when I gethome.” It’s been long enough, heinwardly sighed with defeat. Painful to acknowledge but necessary.

“Well, actually …” You pressedthe tips of your fingers together, awkwardly trying to pull the nearly one-sidedconversation down a more comprehensible and survivable path.

“I’ve had a chance to see that for myself: Dustin is a good kid.”

Wait … What? At the sound ofthat statement, Steve perked with interest and his own brand of confusion. Morespecifically one that dared to be hopeful.

“In fact,” you went on, happy to notice the subtle change, “he’s more thanjust good; he’s a wonderful student. That’s actually why I called you in today.”

Brown brows furrowed over widening hazel eyes.

“I … What?” he questioned dully. You offered him a small smile andnodded.

“I’ll be honest, sir, I haven’t been teaching for very long at all. But I’vebeen in the theater business long enough to know a true performer when I seeand hear one.”

Steve only nodded. It was all he could do, really. He couldn’t find thewords, let alone finish piecing thought after thought with ever word youdelivered.

“Soooo …” you said in a sing-song voice (one that, in spite of hiscurrent state, Steve could still compute as lovely and sweet). “I was wonderingif it would be appropriate to possibly discuss taking it a step further.” Atthis point, Steve’s thoughtful state broke with the fluttering of his lashed.

“Pardon?” he asked. “ ‘A step further’ how? Exactly?”

You pursed your lips. “Well,” you lowered your hand to a desk drawer andretrieved a slip of paper. “I thought that perhaps this may be a start. At thevery least, it’s something to consider.” Steve accepted it, quick to notice avery familiar image in the header: Two masks, one smiling and one frowning.

“I’ve recently gotten involved with the Hawkins Playhouse,” you explained,allowing Steve the time to read over the information. In grainy but stillrelatively comprehensible images, he could make out people in whimsical costumesposing and grinning at the camera. Below them, in slightly bulky font, were thewords, “Fun! Expressive! Cultured!”

“Normally, kid parts wind up being played by adults because we can’t getenough children interested or involved, let alone dedicated enough to actuallystick to it. But Dustin?” You flashed Steve Harrington a grin. “I’ve seen thatcharacter of his; I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit too big for just a classroomelective. I’ve seen people like that. They have the potential to go far, if Ido say so myself!”

“Hm,” Steve hummed, bringing his eyes back up to you. At the sight of yoursmile, he couldn’t help but force his eyes back down to the sheet before him.He also may have attempted to lift it closer to his face to hide the blush hefeared was beginning to develop. “S-so you’re saying that Dustin … mighthave a chance at this?” That dare to hope had grown, becoming all the moreevident in his voice. It made a warmth begin to dwell inside of you, a completecontrast from the mood just moments before.

You nodded. “Pretty much. Of course, it’s all up to Dustin and yourself. Andhe would still need to audition for shows. But I just wanted to bring this toyour attention, if just for thought. Your son has a lot of potential, Mr.Harrington.” You heard a slight huff from behind the paper; maybe oneaccompanied by a smile, but who knew?

“You should be proud.”

Unfortunately, you weren’t entirely certain if he was or if he wasn’t. Notwith that paper still in the way. It was in that break of silence that youobserved the man’s trembling ever so slightly.

Uh-oh. Your smile faltered. Whilethe slight breakdown from earlier had been unexpected, you had certainly beenprepared for what you assumed was about to happen. The abundance of parents(especially dads) who were against their sons becoming more and more involvedin the theater world was near endless. You’d seen far too many disgruntled andintolerant assholes criticize their sons, calling them absolutely horrid names.Sure, Steve Harrington did something most of them would not do (that is, cryand basically vomit up his anxieties), but you of all people knew by now:Tolerance had the weirdest limitations. If one thing was fine to one person,there was no for certain guarantee that something possibly linked was just asacceptable.

You had wanted to believe that maybe Steve would be different, that he wouldactually be excited to hear that his child was thriving. It certainly beat thealternative that he’d worried about before. But as the silence went on, themore that hope of yours dwindled. After what had felt like an eternity ofawkwardness, you couldn’t take any more of it. You just wanted him out of your officeif he was going to be like this.

“Mr. Harrington,” you said. Your voice no longer carried the honeyed tonesfrom before. “Are you alright?”

“Mm,” came the hum once more. But this time, you could actually see the facebeing made as it was produced. The paper lowered to reveal Steve’s face, slightlyunfocused but completely awash with something that made the tenseness almostimmediately evaporate: Relief.

“I am,” he said quietly, eyes still trained on the piece of paper he held. Henodded. “I am. It’s just … Wow.” For the first time since he’d even satdown, he slumped against the chair. His spine was grateful for the relief, butnot nearly so much as his nerves were.

“Wow,” he whispered once more. “This … This is incredible.” As he deliveredthat proclamation, you heard a hint of a giggle. “No, really, you don’t get howmuch this means to me.” In his growing joy, Steve forgot his nerves for asecond, allowing his eyes to flicker up back to your face.

“My kid … My kid is thriving?Like, he’s not screwing around or anything?” he questioned.

You bit your lip. Perhaps in an attempt to keep from laughing, but youmanaged to disguise it well enough to pass off as a habit of thought.

“Well, I can’t say if that’s the case with his other classes,” you admitted.“But considering that I’ve never heard anything around the water cooler about Dustin,I’d say that your child’s doing just fine, all things considered.”

A sigh rippled from the smile that was beginning to ease onto Steve’s lips. “Oh,thank God,” he said. He poised his hands apart, gently shaking them as iftrying to grab for the right words. “It’s just great to see him thriving. It’sthe best thing I could ask for, really. I feel like I should be thanking you,actually.”

At that, it was your turn to feel blush threaten your face. You tensed,waving your hands as if to ward off the suggestion. “Oh, nonononono! It’s notrouble at all, seriously! Dustin is a delight in class and I’m just so used toseeing people waste their potential – I just thought I could do my part and seeif that could be avoided in his case.” All the while, Steve nodded. Had thisbeen last week, he would’ve been in too much of a funk to have progressed anyfurther. It wouldn’t be true to call it a complete opposition to how he hadbeen when he was a teenager, but it certainly wouldn’t be much of anexaggeration either.

But in this moment, right now? He was invigorated. He was like a hot rodwith a fresh coat of paint and a new engine. It had felt like an eternity sincehe’d experienced good news but tonight, he felt like he’d hit a triple whammy: Hewasn’t failing as a father, Dustin was doing okay, and, most uplifting of all, Dustin had a shot at something that made himhappy. It was too much; it needed to be expressed in the most SteveHarrington-way possible.

“Maybe … Buuuuttt … I think this still calls for a celebration of sorts.”He flashed you a smirk that had had many years of practice and perfecting, a grinthat had been his moneymaker back in high school. And judging by your body language,it still worked.

“I …” You stammered. You had to be honest with yourself: While you’dseen many a handsome smile, what with all the actors you’d run into, they hadnothing on Steve’s smile. “I wouldn’t say a ‘celebration,’” you said, avertingyour eyes. But only for a moment. When you returned them to him, they had beenrenewed with confidence. “But maybe perhaps to discuss looking into the HawkinsPlayhouse? A piece of paper can only explain so much, and I’m sure Dustin wouldlike to be in on it as soon as possible.”

“Oh, most definitely,” Steve agreed, that smile and steadied stare neverwavering once. “Sounds like a date to me.”

“Indeed, it does,” you said through a smile that threatened to wobble into apile of goo. You could feel your heart throbbing, but not quite in the same wayas it did whenever you got nervous before a performance. That was because youcouldn’t act anymore; you were most certainly reverting back to the schoolgirl whofreaked out after catching the eye of the school’s heartthrob.

You no longer had any doubts in your mind that Steve Harrington was TheMan™ that your peers had talked about.

#i forgot how to write is it evident #or maybe i'm just tired...#either way!! thank so sosososo much for being patient!!!#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington imagines #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #regrettablewritings #ship memes

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