steve harrington | imagines

| memories |

it's been a couple months since you and steve had broken up. you were finally in the healing stage. you were now able to look at some old photos of you two together without crying, occasionally being able to smile at memories. it had been a while since you felt like that. you hoped that steve felt the same. you hoped he had found someone else and that he was happy too.

the tv played as rain battered off the windows. you were home alone and were taking advantage of the available tv, flicking through channels and playing movies you wouldn't be allowed to watch if your parents were home.

the sound of the doorbell rang through your house, echoing in the empty halls. you furrowed your eyebrows. who would be at your door at this time? in this weather?

you ignored it, hoping whoever was at the door would give up and go home but you were wrong. they rang the doorbell multiple times in a row, knocking the door too. you groaned and stood up.

"okay! okay! i'm coming! geez." you yelled. you collected your keys and unlocked the door. you pulled the door open and looked at the person standing at the entrance. you realised who it was just by the brown eyes. steve.

"hey." he said, his hair flat from the rain with a few strand stuck to his forehead. "what're you doing here?" you asked. steve threw his hand up in defence. "i just wanna talk." he explained. you felt bad for him having to stand in the cold whilst it was raining and you couldn't turn away a wet dog.

steve looked at you expectantly with pleading eyes. you sighed and opened the door up wider, inviting him in out of the cold. he smiled gratefully at you as he walked in. he took off his shoes as not to drag water all through your house.

you stood at the door for a few seconds longer, the rain landing just inside the doorway now. you were shocked. why was he here? what did he want to talk about? why couldn't he just leave? a cool breeze snapped you out of your thoughts, also making you slam the door shut.

you walked back into your living room, expecting to see steve sitting on the couch but you were wrong. it was then that you heard rustling around in your kitchen. there was no way he was looking through cabinets. whatever he was doing, you just prayed that his visit wouldn't make it harder than it already is to get over him.

marching into the kitchen, you saw steve sitting with his back on the cabinet door, his knees to his chest and his head in his hands. you stood with your arms crossed and tapped your foot. "steve, why're you here?" you asked. no response. "steve." you said, more sternly this time but still, no response. "steve!" you yelled, this catching steve's attention.

he looked at you with puffy red eyes. you sighed. this definitely wasn't making it easier to get over him. you walked over to him and kneeled beside him, catching a strong whiff of alcohol as you did so. "i fucked up." he admired, his voice shaky.

"steve, are you drunk?" you asked. he completely dismissed your question. "i fucked up, y/n." his words were slurring together. "i really did." he slurred, pointing a finger at you. "steve, you can't be here. you need to go home." you tried to explain. steve shook his head. "god, i wish you had just stayed in my memories." you mumbled to yourself, not that steve would've heard or cared what you said anyway.

"'can't go home. i fucked up." he said for the third time. "y'know, we-we had a good thing together, didn't we?" he gave you a. lopsided smile. "i'm not doing this, steve." you said. he tilted his head to the side and looked at you like a confused puppy. "i am not going for a trip down memory lane." you scolded. "get up, i'm taking you home." he didn't budge.

"no, no, no. i can stay here, right?" "no." "why?" you ran a hand down your face. "because we broke up before and i let you stay over and then, surprise, we got back together. not this time." you explained. he still looked confused. "it's hard to find an end to something that you keep beginning, steve." you started. "but trust me, i promise you, the ending always stays the same." you added, trying to pull him up.

"there's no good reason to think that we, me and you together, could ever exist again." steve just stared at you the way a five year old stares when a parent tells them a bedtime story. "i can't be your friend, i can't be your lover and i can't be the reason we hold back each other from falling in love with someday else." your rant was finally over.

steve finally stood up on wobbly legs. he looked like bambi on ice. you helped him stand straight. you walked into the living room and sat him down on the couch as you thought of a way to get him home. he watched as you paced back and forth, back and forth, probably wearing out the old carpet even more.

"why're you pacing?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused. "sit down beside me and tell me what's wrong, gorgeous. we can figure it out together." he patted the empty space beside him. you closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose. "stop. i-i can't deal with this right now."

his presence completely broke the months of healing you had just went through. it felt like you had just gone through the pain, heartbreak and hurt you had to put up with for those few months in just a matter of minutes. "you're just," you took a deep breath. "you're just ruining everything i've worked for to feel like this about our breakup."

you shook your head. "no, you need to go. you need to go now." you marched out into the hall. steve followed you with his eyes. "where you going?" he yelled after you, his words still slurring. "i'm giving you as long as it takes to grab your shoes and your coat and to get out of my house." you yelled back.

steve was hurt. he stood up cautiously and walked out into the hall to see you standing at the door with crossed arms. "i-i just wanted to talk. about us. i-i miss you." he slurred as he walked towards you. "i don't care, steve, get out of my house." he sighed in defeat and threw on his shoes, putting them on the wrong feet at first and then refusing to tie them.

you opened the door and waited for him to go. "i still love you." he cried. you looked away from him. "go." was all you could manage to say. steve looked down and walked out of your house. you closed the door as soon as he stepped foot outside.

it wasn't long until you collapsed to the floor in tears, your hands immediately wiping the tears away. he has ruined everything. you were over him or at least you thought you were. you wanted to scream. scream until your lungs gave out. you threw your head back. why couldn't he just have stayed in your memories?

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1253 words