Miss Americana and the heartbreak prince | Steve. H

epilogue

Dylan and Steve sat beside each other in painful silence.

Steve pulled the girl to a quiet corner of the hospital, where both teens sat in silence. Neither knew how to start this heavy conversation they had been avoiding for years.

"Are you okay?"

Dylan blinked, tilting her head to face the boy who had been staring at her gently.

"What?"

"I asked if you were okay," Steve repeated softly.

Dylan's heart ached funnily. The past few days had been so crazy, she couldn't remember the last time anyone had asked if she was okay, genuinely okay.

Sure people would fuss over them because they cared, but no one had asked if she was okay.

The question made her pause.

"I... im not sure," Dylan said thoughtfully, swallowing dryly.

"All this... all this wasn't what I thought at all how my year would turn out. This monster thing, getting Will back from the Upside Down, almost fucking dying I don't- I don't know how to deal with it all." Dylan shook her head, her voice wobbling slightly.

"I still see it in my head all the time. The monster. I saw it for the first time when Nancy, Jonathon and me were in the woods. I was by myself when it spotted me, I thought I was going to die. And all I could think about was maybe if I just let it kill me... he would give us back Will." Dylan confessed silently.

It was an ugly thought, one Dylan tried to push away all the time. Dylan had never told anyone, not Jonathon, not Dustin. But with Steve Harrington, she felt like she could.

Steve had to look away as he took in a painful breath. He couldn't believe Dylan had been thinking like that, that she had been keeping these things to herself.

"Don't ever say that again okay? Promise me." Steve said softly, Dylan nodded numbly.

The teens fell silent again, the tension thicker than before.

"Why did you do it?" Dylan whispered.

"Do what?"

"Ruin us."

Steve winced. Everything had been leading up to this but it didn't hurt any less to talk about it. He spared a look at Dylan as she watched him with betrayed eyes.

Steve's chest physically hurt.

"I think- I think it's because there was always a part of me that knew I didn't deserve you. Growing up you were always looking out for me even though I was older. You were there for me when I needed you, you never said anything when I crawled through your window needing someone to talk to about my parents, you helped me with school work, and you knew me better than anyone. " Steve said softly, his gaze trained on the wall in front of them

"You deserved someone so much better than me. Someone who could give you more than I ever could." his voice came out wobbly.

Dylan put all her power into trying not to cry. She never once realized Steve felt that way and now that she did... she had never hated herself more.

"I never felt that way about you," Dylan whispered, blinking away tears furiously. Steve chuckled humorlessly as he gazed at her.

"I know, but that's because that's who you are Dylan. You are so unbelievably kind and honest, you are the best person I know. When you reached high school I was so fucking happy, I couldn't wait to spend those years together. But I was young, childish, selfish and all I cared about was the whole school falling at my feet. " Steve smiled at her sadly, Dylan's heart was splintering.

"Being popular was all I cared about and when I became friends with those assholes Tommy and carol, they somehow wormed their way into my brain. Convincing me dropping you was the best option.

"And I think I used that as an excuse to make you realize that i- I didn't deserve you."

Dylan didn't care anymore, her hand reached for Steve's and she intertwined her fingers with his. Steve didn't let go, he just watched her with sad eyes that made Dylan want to sob.

"Steve you should've talked to me. I hate that you thought about yourself that way. Those things you said about me hurt Steve, god they hurt especially when they came from you." Dylan's voice broke, a tear escaping as she spoke. Steve shook his head, his hand reached up to cup her face, his thumb brushing away the tears.

"I know, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for doing that to you. I never wanted to hurt you and im gonna spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, if you let me that is. I never meant a thing I said, I know that might not mean anything now but I didn't. I would never. You're the best thing in my life."  Steve whispered tenderly, his own eyes pricking with hot tears.

Steve was never going to forgive himself for the past few years, he wasn't sure how he was ever going to look at Dylan without the splitting ache of guilt stabbing his heart. But what Steve knew was he never meant it, Steve loved her.

Just hadn't realised in what way.

Dylan watched him, her hand in his, his hand cupping her cheek as his thumb stroked her cheekbone softly.

Dylan had loved Steve Harrington ever since she was a little girl. She looked up to him, she would come up with different excuses on why she wasn't into him when she knew deep down it was all a lie.

Even after Steve had dropped her, she could never find it in herself to hate him. She couldn't, not when she knew that the Steve she knew and loved was still in there somewhere underneath all the cookies smirks, and crude words.

Dylan doesn't know what to say. She wants to forgive him, it would be so easy to. But how can she just erase all the hurt he had caused her all those years?

"I don't know how to get back to what we used to be," Dylan confessed, Steve could feel his heart plummet.

"Maybe we just start over?" Steve whispered, squeezing her hand tightly. Dylan bit her lip as her eyes roamed his face.

Even with a black eye, blood all over his shirt, and his usually flawless hair sticking up oddly, he was unbelievably handsome.

"I would like that. I would love to" Dylan smiled softly. Steve grinned, removing his hands from the girl as he stood up straight, extending his hand to her with a special grin he only used for her.

"hi, im Steve Harrington."

Dylan rolled her eyes, placing her hand in his as he brought it up to his lips with a soft kiss.

"Im Dylan Henderson, it's nice to meet you, Steve Harrington."

To be continued... Season 2 coming soon !