Stranger Things - Imagines (Book 2)

Steve Harrington X Reader - Inner Smile

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Inner Smile by Texas. I hope you all enjoy it. 

You had started spending time with Steve entirely by accident. A heated debate at work about the best movies of all time had spilt over into total disbelief that he had never seen Alien and then you'd ended up at his house for an all-out movie night. He'd insisted that if you made him watch your movie of choice, you would have to watch one of his too. So, you'd settled in for an interesting combination of Alien and Teen Wolf. And then, during your first movie night, you'd uncovered that Steve had seen any of your favourite movies. And the rest had been history. 

Once a week, you'd trek over to his house with a couple of tapes and a selection of snacks, and you'd spend the entire evening hanging out, even if you did get a little frustrated when he would talk over the best parts of the films. 

"Who's that guy?"

You could barely hold back the eye roll, your head tipping to the side to shoot Steve a playful glare. "We're watching the same movie-"

"But, you've seen it before," he pressed on. "Is he a good guy or a bad guy?"

You released a soft tut, shaking your head slightly as you bit back a smile. "Watch the damn movie," you muttered, chuckling when grumbled something under his breath about how mean you were, his arm shifting a little around your shoulder. 

You weren't exactly sure when you'd slipped from coworker status to friends, but now, you were growing increasingly aware that you were maybe a little too close to be just friends. 

I mean, Steve was the sweetest guy you'd ever met. He looked out for you when guys at work were a bit creepy. He opened the car door for you when he drove you home and he insisted on waiting until you were safely inside the house with the door shut behind you before pulling away from the curb. On multiple occasions, he had offered up his jacket when you were cold. 

He made you feel safe and comfortable and you had never been as happy as you were when you were around him. Jesus, he was basically your boyfriend in everything but title. 

"Come on, for real, is this guy evil?" Steve murmured again, glancing down at you to find you already looking up at him, head tipped to the side and face a mask of concentration. "Hey," he hummed, tapping your shoulder with the hand wrapped around you. "You good?"

You blinked out of your haze, clearing your throat slightly as you turned your focus back to the TV on the other side of the room. "Yeah, sorry, just zoned out a little-"

"You sure you're alright?"

There was a moment of hesitation before you reached for the remote, paused the movie and moved out of Steve's hold. You turned around on the sofa, sitting facing him with your legs crossed, your expression so serious that it was already setting Steve on edge. 

"What's going on here?" you asked him quietly, forcing yourself to hold his eye contact despite the anxiety bubbling in your stomach. 

You watched as his brow furrowed slightly, glancing between you and the TV. "It's movie night," he uttered, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip as he searched for the real meaning behind your question. "We always do movie night on Fridays," he pressed on, watching your shoulders sag.

"Right," you murmured, swallowing down the lump that had formed in your throat. "Yeah, sorry, stupid question, huh?"

Steve caught your hand as you reached for the remote, stopping you before you could press play. "What's going on?" When you didn't answer, his grip softened, his thumb running over the back of your hand. "Come on, talk to me."

A soft sigh slipped out of you as you glanced down at your joined hands. "Are we friends?"

"Of course we are," he answered, looking a little hurt that you even felt the need to ask. He'd considered you a friend long before you'd ever started your movie nights. Spending time with you and Robin had been the only thing that had kept him sane working at Family Video. He loved getting to work with you on the daily. 

"Are we just friends?" you pressed on, watching as his expression shifted, softening as he realised exactly where your turmoil was coming from. 

He hesitated this time, searching for the best wording for what he was about to say. "I'd like to think we are, yeah," he answered quietly. "Unless you don't want that-"

"I do," you interjected, your hand turning over to catch his, squeezing it lightly. "I just didn't want to be that idiot who assumed that you liked her, you know?"

A small smile pulled at his lips and he nodded. "Well, I definitely like you," he hummed. "If that helps," he added, drawing a snort of laughter out of you. 

"It helps," you confirmed through your chuckle, shaking your head slightly. "I just need you to be a little patient, okay? I'm not used to this sort of thing-"

"Take your time," he interrupted. "Take as much time as you need as long as I end up getting to call you my girlfriend someday," he added, watching as you bit down on the inside of your cheek to hold back the smile that was fighting to break free. 

You nodded, looking down at your hands, playing absent-mindedly with his fingers. "You know, you make me feel-" you paused, shaking your head slightly as you searched for the right word. Happy. Safe. Calm. They were all technically true, but they didn't quite feel right. "Wild," you finally breathed, glancing up at him to find him already grinning down at you. 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," you confirmed quietly. "Like, when I'm with you I'm finally free to actually be me, you know?"

He nodded as you shifted closer to him, tucking yourself back into his side, his arm wrapping around your shoulders on mere muscle memory alone. "You make me feel more like me too," he confessed quietly, pressing a kiss to the side of your temple as you reached for the remote.

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