Steve Harrington OneShots

Heartstring Mayhem

ex!Steve Harrington x fem!Reader // Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Request: you are in a relationship with Steve and he was still in love with his ex and your relationship falls apart but he still cares for you. So you decide to break up and one day you meet Eddie (more like an enemy to lovers relationship) and start falling in love
Warnings: feelings of doubt in relationship, breakup, name-calling, teasing, mentions of drinking beer, slight innuendo, normal teenage banter
WC: 7.3k
Note: wow I don't know how this happened but once I started I just kept going 🙈😂 it's a rollercoaster, so strap in. As always feedback- comments, reblogs, and asks are all welcome 💕

Originally posted at https://thisismynerdyself.tumblr.com/post/691700117685878784/heartstring-mayhem

*****
Just for once it would be nice to have a day go by without feeling like the world's biggest idiot.
If it's not the unwavering stares of classmates scrutinizing your every move for reasons unbeknownst to you, it's the overwhelming feeling that you were slowly losing grip on the relationship you fought so hard to build in the first place.
Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler were the talk of the school after their explosive breakup at the halloween party. And while you were careful to avoid the rebound attention, you fell harder and harder for the close-friend-turned-crush until it was clear that Steve felt something too.
Your other friends warned you that Steve was still pining after Nancy, just waiting for the moment when she would take him back. But when he was with you, you were certain that Steve cared for you more than others could see.
And he did.
Steve was enamored by your ability to make him laugh until his smile met his eyes and his cheeks ached. He was able to ignore the to-be-expected jabs of pain every time he was reminded of his ex, because when you became his girlfriend, he was happy again; he looked forward, not backward.
Others in the school, however, made it their mission to prove to you how pathetic it was to chase after Steve Harrington when it was so obvious he never stopped loving Nancy. People mocked Steve's influence upon graduating, claiming his reign over the school to be over and you, a year behind and still left to suffer through senior year, were resigned to being the jaded queen of Hawkins High, barely scraping by on the fading reputation of your boyfriend.
And then as if things weren't bad enough, life took another turn for the worst and the town of Hawkins seemed to constantly find itself in the pits of hell, tragedy befalling residents one after another
And as all good things seem to come to an end, you could feel Steve slowly slipping away from you. Another kink in the never ending chain of misfortune.
It started with his mysterious disappearances and absences from events peppered throughout the year. But it didn't take long to discover that Nancy, who you actually got along with just fine, was slowly becoming the center of Steve's attention again. Somehow the two of them managed to get themselves involved in something... strange... and you hated to be the one to point fingers. But Steve was growing more and more distant. His gaze lingered longer on Nancy in the background before finally meeting yours and giving you the time of day.
But when it was just the two of you, it was like his world revolved around you again. And you soaked it up no matter how unhealthy the dichotomy of his actions was.
Until it all spiraled out of control.
Steve had snuck into your room far beyond your curfew, and you knew something was up before his hand brushed your face and he pulled you in for a kiss. But you let him anyway.
You could smell the faintest traces of Nancy's infectiously sweet perfume - she had once recommended it to you, but it wasn't your style - and a lump caught in your throat.
"Steve," you pulled away slowly, letting logic take control for once. He moved back to look at you, sitting down on the edge of your bed where you were reclined back. "Where were you tonight?"
The sound of insecurity was sickening to your ears but you had to know.
Steve's eyes narrowed in thought, looking for meaning behind your question. "I was- okay, let me explain." Steve pulled his leg up to prop along the side of the bed so he could face you better.
You attempted to read his expression, to guard yourself from potential hurt. But his face was calm, his eyes held truth behind them. "I was at the Wheelers... dealing with something. The kids were there and they were all worked up and it was a whole thing." Steve was rambling and you couldn't help but grin softly at his nervousness. "But I wasn't with Nancy if that's what you think. I mean- Nancy was there, but that's not why I was there. I was there because those goddamn kids can't do anything without a goddamn babysitter and apparently I look the part." He shrugged his shoulders and a sarcastic laugh burst out of him. Then he settled himself and looked back at you.
A smile had cracked across your own face as you watched your boyfriend stumble over his words. "Oh so you're the official babysitter now? How'd you land that gig?"
Steve laid over onto his side lazily, arm supporting the weight of his head. His gaze drifted toward the ceiling as he shared his story. "Well, it all started last year after-" after Nancy and I broke up "-Henderson needed help with something... important, and I was the only one available. I was the backup plan. But as it turns out, Nancy says I'm actually pretty good at the whole babysitting thing." He looked proud of his accomplishment. A spark flashed in his eyes and then flickered out when he looked back down to you.
And that's when you began to piece things together and the lump in your throat returned. Your eyes clouded as you let your eyelids drift shut. "Nancy seems to think pretty highly of you." You couldn't stop yourself. You hid the hurt that threatened to expose itself, but you knew once the words were out there was no taking them back.
Steve was no fool, he immediately picked up on your tone and sat back up to face you head on. "I told you, I wasn't there to see Nancy. She was just... there. I didn't think it bothered you for me to at least be around her. I would never do anything to-"
You shook your head in response, "it doesn't bother me that you're around her. I trust you, Steve. I'm not worried about that." You took a deep breath, steeling yourself for what you had to say next. "But I am worried that you're still in love with her. I wouldn't blame you- she's smart, she's pretty, she's-"
"She's not you, Y/n." Steve reached out and took your hands into his. "You're my girlfriend, not her. I chose you, you chose me. And as long as we're together, that's all that matters." His eyes grew desperate as they watched you. But you were realizing that this had been building up for a long time.
You shifted in your seat. "Steve, be honest with me. If I weren't in the picture, would you want to be with Nancy?" Your voice was soft, almost a whisper, afraid to hear his answer.
"That's crazy, Y/n. You are in the picture so-"
"But if I wasn't..." you blinked away the moisture building in the corner of your eye. "I see the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you. I see the chemistry you've always had. And I know-" you put your hand up to dismiss the argument he was preparing to make "-I know you would never do anything to hurt me. And I don't want to hurt you either. Which is why I think we should break up."
"Y/n, what- why-"
"Because you're still in love with her. I won't be the thing standing in your way. And I- I won't be a second choice."
Steve hated that he was doing this to you- making you doubt, making you question everything. And yet, he couldn't help but understand why you did. He promised himself that you weren't a rebound from Nancy, and you weren't. Steve truly liked you, he even loved you. But not the way he had loved Nancy- and not the way he tried to deny that he still did.
When he didn't disagree with your observation, one lone tear tracked its way over your cheek and Steve reached up to wipe it away.
"Y/n, I don't know what to say. I don't- we don't have to break up. Nancy and I are just friends."
"I know that. But I don't think I'll ever be what she once was to you- and I suspect still is." Your gaze was downcast, despite your speaking with conviction. "Please, Steve. It's okay. I'm not-" you sucked in a deep breath, "-I'm not angry with you, I'm not even angry with Nancy. Except that she's practically perfect and I won't ever compare."
"Don't say that. Come on, don't be like that."
"No, it's the truth and I'm not afraid of the truth, Steve." You slowly swung your feet off of your bed and stood up, bringing Steve with you. His hands were still clutching tightly to yours, so you pulled him with you toward the window he had emerged from earlier. He followed without argument, but mostly because his head was swirling with all that had unfolded in the last few minutes. This was not how he expected the night to go.
When he realized you had led him to the window, he took it as his invitation to leave. But he hesitated. He didn't want to leave things like this. It was all happening so fast.
"Steve," your voice was gentle, yet strong. He admired your ability to hold yourself together so well when he felt himself crumbling. "I knew it was too good to be true. But thank you... for letting me be even a little part of your happiness. Now go get the rest of it. She's waiting for you."
Steve's jaw went slack at your words. He put his hand on the side frame of the window, but turned just before he pushed himself through. He looked back at you, the tears glistening in your eyes, but a forced smile just below. He stepped back until he was right in front of you. He placed his palms on your cheeks and spoke to you quietly, but firmly. "Y/n. You have to know that all of this- all of us, it was- is real. I really do care about you, and I always will." Then he leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to your forehead. You relished in the touch that you would likely never experience again. A faint smile - a genuine one - flitted across your lips.
Then Steve pulled away, swung his legs over the windowsill, and took one more sad glance at you before dropping his weight down to the tree branch hanging conveniently close to your room.
As soon as he was gone, a chill settled in and you retreated back to your bed, where the covers swallowed you and held you tight as the tears raced one after another.