• X • || Steve Harrington

• It's too late •

| pairing: Steve Harrington (duh), x fem!reader.
| warnings: angst, romance.
| summary: Y/N turns out to be Vecna's next target.

A/N: All Characters are 18+

"This conversation is over." y/n said, walking into the messy bedroom, followed by Steve.

He frowned. "I– No, it's not." he replied, closing the door behind him. "We need to talk, Y/N."

"There's nothing to talk about." she said, looking away as she tried to remain as calm as possible. "We are–" she sighed, unable to say it out loud. "We are done..."

It couldn't be true, they both couldn't face it. After everything they've been through... Steve couldn't accept it, not at least without an explanation, a solid reason. She was everything to him; his past, his present, his future.

"I– I don't understand." he murmured, shaking. "What happened, Y/N?" she remained silent, tears emerging from the corner of her eyes. "Please, tell me. If there's anything–" he paused, sniffing. "I– I'll do anything to save us."

The situation felt like hell, to both of them. Steve's hands went through his hair as an intense pain emerged from his chest. He looked around in panic, breathing heavily as tears were rolling down Y/N's cheeks.

She didn't want to hurt him. In fact, she wanted nothing more than his happiness. Steve was the sweetest guy she had ever been with, and he was brave... A little too brave. She couldn't tell him the truth. Because he had no limits when it came to her. Which in some cases, scared Y/N.

"If I did something wrong–"

"No! God–" she said. "You– You didn't do anything wrong, Steve." She couldn't look at him, guilt overwhelming her. "It's all my fault, it has nothing to do with you."

The last sentence felt like a bullet coming straight to his heart. "I see..." he murmured, licking his lips as he looked down. "You don't love me anymore." 

As soon as she heard these words, she found the courage to look at the boy. "Wha– What?" she said, frowning. "Steve..."

He took a deep breath. "Don't bother, Y/N."  he said. "It makes total sense." he added with a smile on his face, a broken one. "I'll never be good enough for someone like you."

"What are you saying–" she approached him. "This is ridiculous! It has nothing to do with you. Please–"

"You– You're gonna leave this town and forget about me. If someone deserves better than all of this, it's certainly Y/N Y/L/N." She sighed. "You've always been out of my league." He sniffed at the thought.

She took the boy's head in her hands and held it firmly. "Listen to me!" she said, looking him straight in the eyes. "We've known each other for years. I've seen the best & the worst of you, Steve Harrington. Trust me, I've been there long enough to appreciate the man you're turning into. You have no idea... How incredible you are."

They looked at each other in silence, both breathing heavily as the tension in the room grew harder. "You're the love of my life, Y/N." he said. "I'm begging you..."

"Please–" she breathed, shaking her head as she walked to the door with determination. "Don't do this." she pleaded.

As soon as she opened the door, Steve lost it. "Y/N!" he screamed. "If you wanna leave– Fine." She turned around. "But first, you're gonna have to be honest with me. It has nothing to do with me, right? It's about Eddie, isn't it?"

Steve wasn't an idiot or in denial, he knew something was wrong. Truth is, Y/N had never lied to him before. She's always been a straightforward person. There were too many plot holes in this story, which seemed suspicious to him. Steve wanted to know the truth. Maybe she was in fact, no longer in love with him... Whatever it was, he needed to hear it, he needed her to say it.

"I can't believe it..." Y/N said. "This has nothing to do with him either. God–" she laughed. "You can't be serious. We already talked about this, we are friends, that's it!"

"I don't understand." he continued, coming closer to her. "Two days ago, we were making love in this room."

"Steve, come on..." she said, smiling awkwardly. "Don't–" She looked down at their feet.

His hands went straight to Y/N's waist. It sounded embarrassing, but as soon as Steve touched her... She melted. She wanted to hold him, to feel him one last time. Soon, she wouldn't be here anymore. "Look at me," he insisted. "Look at me, Y/N!"

"I love you, Steve Harrington." she murmured. "But we can't be together anymore. It's easier that way." Steve was somehow relieved to hear it. However, the last few words ruined the moment. "Trust me..."

He looked at her. "No." She frowned, a bit surprised. "You can't force me– You can't do this. I won't stop loving you, fighting for you, for us!"

"There's no reason to fight, it's already too late..." She admitted. Steve remained confused as she walked back inside and closed the door behind them, leaning against the wooden frame. "It's too late..." she repeated, quietly. "I saw it."

"What are you talking about, Y/N?" he asked, hands reaching for hers. "Tell me..." he begged. "I'm trying to understand–"

She looked up. "He's coming for me, Steve."

It took him a few seconds, his brain couldn't process it. He shook his head, laughing as they stared at each other. "No." Steve said. "No– Not you."

They both started to cry, they couldn't hold back. "I didn't know– I couldn't find the courage to tell you, to tell anyone. Because–" She sniffed. "Now, it's real."

"There's no way–" He paused, trying to calm down, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You should've told me, Y/N! Instead of–" He instantly felt guilty for screaming at her. "Don't try to leave me, ever again. Please." She nodded. "It's not too late. We– We'll find a solution, there's gonna be something."

"Steve–" she sobbed. He pulled her against him, holding her tightly against his chest. It felt so good, even if the circonstances weren't great. "I'm so sorry... I was scared. I don't wanna die."

"I won't let it happen." He promised. "I'll do anything to keep you safe. I– I'll find a solution." He pulled away, holding Y/N's face with both hands. "We're gonna get through this, alright?" He tried to be optimistic, since it seemed impossible for him to live without her.

"But–" She sniffed. "There's something we might have to do first." She grabbed him by the collar, closing the gap between them. The kiss was passionate but short, too short. She pulled back, which frustrated Steve. "This might the the last time..."

"Let's make it unforgettable." He replied.