Stonathan ❤️

52

NOT MINE!!

all credits go to oerver on ao3

Halloween parties are not for Jonathan Byers. There are too many people who don't like him, he wasn't even invited, and it was far too loud for Jonathan's introverted liking. Plenty of people who are not him belong here. He stood around awkwardly, with not a single clue as to what he was doing. Jonathan didn't even know why he came to this stupid party in the first place. To forget about the horrible things that happened with his brother? To impress Nancy with his social skills that he totally had? Where even was Nancy? What was he doing here, in a place he so obviously didn't belong in? It's not like he was going to leave- if Jonathan wanted to fit in, he had to act like it. He decided to answer that question in a more confined, quiet space. Like the bathroom he was currently making a beeline towards. Perfect.

Until it wasn't.

Because when he walked in, closed and locked the door behind him, he turned around noticed someone was already there. Curled into a ball, resting their head in their arms, shoulders shaking. Jonathan stared in shock for a few seconds before it dawned on him who this person was. The iconic hairstyle gave it away instantly.

"Steve?"

Steve looked up from his arms. His face was red and puffy from all the crying he'd been doing, his mouth turned down into a pout. He sniffed and wiped his hand on his black sleeve. "Jonathan?" Steve's voice was weak and shaky. Whatever happened, it must've been real hard on him.

"Yea, it... it's me. What happened?" Jonathan walked over and slid down beside him. Sure, Steve had been a total asshole to him, but that was in the past. Jonathan was pretty sure that the old king Steve Harrington had been dethroned, and a more gentle, forgiving person had taken his place. It was also rude not to ask what was wrong. If nobody could be there for Jonathan during his worst times, at least somebody could be there for Steve.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it, man." Steve sniffed again, and started to stand up. Without thinking, Jonathan grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"I'm serious. What happened, Steve?"

The other boy looked at Jonathan with a pained expression. He almost said nothing. Almost shoved Jonathan away and ran out the door. Almost went back to partying and pretending everything was normal, because he was the famous Steve Harrington and that Steve didn't cry. That Steve would never look for comfort in Jonathan Byers.

That Steve was long gone.

The new Steve wrapped his arms around Jonathan's neck and sobbed into his shoulder. Jonathan, now sitting in pure shock, could do nothing but let it happen. Not that he didn't want it to, of course. At that moment, it dawned on Jonathan that Steve was too busy pretending that his life was perfect to actually address his feelings. How long had it been since Steve had cried last? This was obviously not the same Steve who called him queer and beat him up. This Steve needed someone to hold him in the bathroom of a party, just for a little. So instead of staying in shock, Jonathan brought his hand up to Steve's back and started rubbing it up and down. It didn't matter why Steve was crying anymore. All that mattered was bringing Steve to peace. Letting him cry until his tears drowned both boys in the locked bathroom.

"Why doesn't she love me? What did I do wrong?" Steve's words were muffled in Jonathan's shirt.

"Shh." Jonathan brought his free hand to Steve's head and ran his fingers through his hair. "She does." And for some reason, that last part stung. She does love you, and you love her, right? Because you're Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler, the cutest couple in school. And you don't need anyone else. You'd never love anyone else. Especially not someone like me.