SEASON TWO SPOILERS

We're gonna pretend Steve was sixteen in season two.

Summary: Telling one of the Stranger Things boys you like him.

QOTP: Who's your favorite character?

Word Count: 3870

Dustin -
"I hate her," Mike says.

You sigh, leaning back into the couch. "I mean... hate's a strong word. I strongly dislike her."

"Fine. But I hate her."

It's trick or treat, and Will's just gone home after an episode that freaked the both of you out. You're both still in your costumes - Mike in his jumpsuit and you in your green ghost costume. Dustin and Lucas are still out.

With Max.

"Why do you hate her?" you ask.

Mike looks at you like you're crazy. "Why wouldn't I? She's ruining everything! I mean, it's like Lucas and Dustin don't even care anymore."

"Tell me about it," you mutter.

"Why do you hate her?"

"The same reasons you do. She's got both of them wrapped around her finger. It's sickening. Dustin's all, 'Max, let's go trick or treating! Max, I love you.'"

Mike laughs at the stupid voice you used to imitate Dustin. "What about Lucas?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, he's the same way," you reply.

Mike stops for a second, then sighs. "You like Dustin, don't you?"

"What?! That's disgusting! Ew!"

"I know you do. You act the same way I did around El when you're around him."

"Speaking of El, have you tried to contact her again?"

And the subject of your totally existent crush on Dustin is dropped. That is, until Dustin calls for help with Dart.

You helped him try to find the others, then went with him when you found Steve. Finally, Lucas showed up and you figured out that he told Max everything. Then, you figured out that Dustin lied about Dart.

Needless to say, you're mad at both of them.

Now, it's dark and you're waiting for Dart to take the bait you laid out. Lucas and Max are on the roof of the bus you're in while you, Dustin, and Steve are inside.

You won't talk to anyone but Steve.

"So, how's your day been?" Dustin asks a little awkwardly, trying to break the silence. You move away from him and say nothing.

"What's wrong with you?!" he shouts. "I'm sorry, okay?! I should've told you about Dart."

You look over at him and shrug. He shakes his head. "I'm not the only one in the wrong here, okay?! I mean, Lucas told Max everything-"

"And?!" you interrupt. "I'm mad at him, too, that doesn't mean you're in the clear!"

He scoffs. "You've been a complete... jerk for a while now, you know that?! We can't change the fact that Will got stuck in the Upside Down, so you-"

"THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT THE STUPID UPSIDE DOWN!" you yell, causing everyone else to jump.

Steve holds his hands out, trying to calm the both of you down. "Okay, I think that's enough. We've got a demogorgon-thing to take care of, so we should probably-"

Dustin holds a hand up, his voice and expression softer now; you're on the verge of tears. "Then what's it about, Y/N/N?"

You wipe your eyes on your sleeves. "I... I like you, okay? And ever since Max came along, you and Lucas have been hanging out with her non-stop and-"

"It's here!" Lucas shouts. And you never talk about it. Not even when you get a moment to; you avoid him completely, knowing full and well that he doesn't feel the same way.

And then the dance rolls around. As soon as a slow song comes on, you disappear, not wanting to see Max with Dustin. A minute later, you see Lucas dancing with Max and Dustin with... Nancy?

Nancy sees you and smiles, then says something to Dustin. He turns, then starts walking towards you. For a reason you'll never understand, you decide to meet him halfway.

"Hi," he says.

You blush. "Hi."

It's silent for what feels like ages, then you finally say, "I like your hair."

"Thanks," he grins. You grin back.

He holds his hand out. "Shall I, uh, have this dance?"

You laugh and take his hand. "Sure."

Johnathan -
You've been in this since the beginning; you and Johnathan have been friends for as long as you can remember - before Will went missing. Eventually, you got wrapped up in all the Upside Down stuff. And you haven't talked since.

Which is why he's surprised to see your car pull in his driveway. He opens the door and you freeze, about to knock.

"Hi," he says after a few seconds.

You put your hand down. "Hi."

It goes silent, then he finally remembers to let you in. Once you're inside, you look around. The lights and the letters aren't on the wall anymore.

"So," he says, snapping you out of your thoughts, "what brings you here?"

"Well, I was driving home from work and I was thinking about Will. Wanted to see how he was doing after... you know."

"Oh," he says, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Well, um, he's not home right now; he's at the lab. They have to do routine check-ups on him now."

You nod. He runs a hand through his hair. "You can wait, if you want. They should be back soon."

"Okay," you reply. "I mean, I don't want to cause you any trouble-"

"No, it's fine. Uh... sit?" he asks, gesturing to the couch. You sit down gingerly. He sits next to you.

It's silent for a few minutes, then he suddenly speaks, almost in a whisper. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't," you reply in the same tone.

"I haven't seen you since we got Will back."

You start to chew on your lip, looking at the floor. "I was afraid. I mean, aren't you? The whole thing was just... madness. Half the time I'm not even sure if it happened."

"You and me both."

It silent again, but not for very long. You sigh. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I get it," he says. More silence, but it's more comfortable. And then you decide to take a risk.

I mean, you've been avoiding him for a year now. It's not like you couldn't keep doing that if he rejects you.

"I like you."

He doesn't say anything, so you look over at him. He's already looking at you. "Why?"

"Why not?"

"No, seriously. Why?"

"Well, you're cute, first of all. We have history, I guess. And... I don't know. I can't explain it. I get butterflies every time I'm around you, as cheesy as that sounds. I always did. And, coming here today, I've realized they've never stopped."

He smiles. "I like you, too."

"Why?" you ask, mimicking him.

He chuckles. "Well, you're cute, first of all. We have history, I guess. And... I don't know."

You lightly shove him. "I'm serious."

"So am I," he replies. "You're beautiful and funny. And interesting. And unlike anybody I have ever met before in my life."

You can feel the blush on your cheeks as he scoots closer to you. You both start to lean in.

This is it. I'm about to kiss Johnathan Byers. Does my breath smell? Oh, crap, I hope not-

The door opens and you jump apart so fast. "We're home!" Joyce Byers calls. "Oh, Y/N! I haven't seen you in a while."

You stand. "I just came to see how Will's doing."

"I'm fine," the boy in question says, heading straight to his room.

Johnathan laughs. "Well, that answers that question."

And before you leave, you both quietly make plans for Saturday night.

Lucas -
Do you like Max? Sort of. She's cool. And it's not her fault Lucas likes her so much.

The best part is, though, Dustin likes her, too.

"Don't be a jerk," you tell him, giving him advice on how to ask out Max. "Show her that you care - it doesn't have to be a big thing, just little things. Like listening to her when she's talking, because apparently some boys can't do that."

Lucas stands nearby, glowering, but still listening to what you're saying. Dustin looks over at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he says off-handedly, but you catch him rolling his eyes.

Every day, you help Dustin get closer to Max. Then, Lucas has enough and tells her everything - about Will, the Upside Down. And you, of course, get mad.

Well, he's mad at you, too.

Even after El closes the gate, he's mad. He won't talk to you, he barely even looks at you. Even when you're all at Mike's house before the dance and you walk downstairs looking more fly than usual because Nancy did your hair and makeup for you.

At the dance, you made sure that Dustin got to Max first. And, almost to your surprise, she said yes. Lucas sits down gloomily as Will gets asked to dance and El shows up, Mike running off to dance with her.

You sit down next to him and he half-heartedly glares at you. You sigh. "Why are you so mad at me?"

"Because all you've done since Max showed up is push her and Dustin together," he replies, the first words he's said to you in weeks.

"And?" you ask, knowing what he's gonna say.

"And I like her."

Okay, that stings. But you still push forward.

"Well... I like you."

He stops, looking over at you, the glare completely gone from his face. "Y-You what?"

"I like you. And, yeah, I helped Dustin with Max because of that. It was selfish, I know - I'm sorry-" All of the sudden, he grabs your hand and pulls you to the dance floor. "What are you doing?" you ask.

He looks at all the other guys and copies them, putting his hands on your waist. "Dancing with you. Is-Is that cool, or...?"

You laugh and put your hands on his shoulders. "Yeah. That's... totally tubular."

Mike -
Okay, let's just lay it out there: You have a huge crush on Mike Wheeler. The problem is, you're not even sure if he knows that girls exist. You thought he liked Eleven, but it turns out you were wrong.

Honestly, you weren't even sure if El knew what a guy was until you talked to her.

Once, when Will was still missing, you and El somehow ended up hanging out alone in Mike's basement. The boys ran off to do something and left you with her - like a babysitter of sorts.

For lack of a better topic, you decided to talk about the boys. "Do you like any of them?" you asked.

She became confused. "Yes... they are friends."

"No, I mean, not as friends. More than friends. Like... do you think any of them are cute?"

"Cute?"

"Yeah."

She paused. "Dustin. He is like a... puppy."

"A puppy?" you asked, laughing.

To your surprise, she laughed, too. "Yes. A puppy. Cute."

After a few seconds, she asked. "Do you think they are... cute?"

"Well... Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell him."

She nodded. "Promise."

"... Mike."

She laughed. "He is... strange."

"Well, yeah, but he's still cute," you replied, also laughing.

Flash forward a year and she's back. With a new look.

Immediately, everyone runs over to her, excited to see her again. After a few minutes, you manage to get some time with her alone, but everyone else is still in the room.

You hug her, grinning. She grins, too. After some hellos and things of that nature, she loudly asks, "Have you told Mike he is cute yet?"

You freeze as the room goes quiet. Her eyes widen. Mike looks at you, and you can hear the confusion in his voice. "I'm what now?"

"I am so sorry," El says.

You shake your head. "No, it's fine. You didn't mean to-"

"I'm what?" Mike repeats, having now walked over to you. You sigh, grab his hand, and take him into the hallway, not even caring about the paper taped to the floor.

"I'm what?" he says for the third time after you turn to him.

You run a hand through your hair. "Okay, so, El and I were talking once about you guys. I asked her if she thought any of you were cute, then she asked me. And... I told her I thought you were cute."

He smirks. "So you think I'm cute."

"You have been spending too much time with Harrington," you reply, punching his arm.

He turns serious. "Do you... Do you still think that?"

"Yeah," you mumble. "I like you. A lot. Have for a long time."

"I like you, too."

Steve -
Alright, this is gonna be confusing, but stay with me.

You're Ten. El found you in the woods near the cabin. You can turn things invisible. That includes yourself, but it's very hard for you to do. Well, you managed it at fifteen and escaped from the lab. You lived on your own for the most part, taking money and food people would give you and then disappearing. Three years later and the money and food stopped coming. You figured your only option was to go back to the lab - back to Papa.

But, according to your sister, he's not there anymore.

Hopper has no choice but to take you in; the problem is, he doesn't know how to do this. You're seventeen and you know practically nothing. Basic words, yeah. Algebra? No. He can't just throw you into high school after he gets Dr. Owens to make you some papers.

Eleven? She'll be fine. He's been teaching her some stuff and the boys will always help her out where she needs it.

College, a job, all this stuff. You just can't do it.

I mean, you still act like you're six years old, through no fault of your own.

But he's not gonna give up on you. However, he has to work; he doesn't have time to teach you all the stuff you have to know.

So, he drives over to the school when it lets out and finds Steve Harrington. Who else can he ask? The only other people your age who know about all this stuff are Johnathan and Nancy, who are pretty busy most of the time. And not just with each other.

Steve's the only other option.

Long story short, Hopper asks him to teach you Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends. Start with elementary stuff to make sure you know it all, work your way up. He'll get paid to do it, of course. Steve says yes.

Hopper told you the next Monday that Steve would be coming that afternoon. So, you waited all day (Eleven - Jane - was at school).

Finally, he showed up, carrying a bunch of books in his arms. "Um... I'm Steve. Hopper told me your real name is Y/N, but I can call you Ten - if you want."

You shake your head. "Y/N."

He nods and puts the books on the table. "So... wanna get started?"

You go over the alphabet and the numbers, just to be sure, and then he starts into adding and subtraction, then multiplying and dividing. He's not sure why you're understanding everything so quickly; he's a horrible teacher.

As he tells you about the solar system, you suddenly get up and walk away from the table. "Where are you going?" he asks.

You open the freezer. "Break."

"Okay..."

You pull out a popsicle box and hold it out to him. "Cherry, grape, or orange?"

You sit on the couch, watching TV and eating popsicles. Suddenly, you turn to him. "Why is your hair so... fluffy?"

He laughs. "Well, I mean... it just is."

"Why are you so tall?"

He shrugs. "... I just am."

You stop. "Why am I... not tall? Like you?"

"Well... you just are," he replies.

You shake your head. "Don't say the same thing."

He laughs. "All those questions have the same answer. I mean, later we'll talk about biology and it'll be a different answer-"

"So you lied?"

"No-"

"Friends don't lie."

"I didn't lie. I'm just... giving you an easier answer until we get to biology."

"So you're lying?"

"No."

"I think you are," you say bluntly, turning back to the TV. He sighs, slightly amused at your argument. You're like... a child trapped in a teenager's body. He still sees you as a teenager, but your personality...

Sometimes - rarely - it gets annoying; you complain about having to do things, and you don't pay attention. Or, you get mad at him when you don't understand something.

On the flip side, it's like you see everything differently than he does. Everything is new to you. You ask questions he never would've thought to ask. And you're so... innocent. I mean, yeah, he knows you've been through some traumatizing stuff, but you sure don't act like it. It's like it's all sunshine, puppies, and rainbows.

Until you get mad.

And you do. Especially with math. A few months in, you've moved on to Algebra, and none of it is making sense. So, you turn the book invisible.

"Y/N-" Steve starts, gently.

You shake your head a little, concentrating on the book. "No."

"Y/N, stop," he says, harsher this time.

You shake your head again. "No."

"Y/N, don't be like this. I know it's hard, but turning the book invisible isn't going make it any better."

"No."

Your nose starts to bleed. Steve sighs. "Y/N, I'm serious. Stop."

"No," you repeat, on the verge of tears. "No. I hate it. I hate this. I don't want to do this anymore."

"Y/N, you have to," Steve says, reverting back to a gentler voice.

"No!" you shout, practically shaking because of how long you've been keeping the book invisible. "Just go away and take your stupid Algebra with you!"

"Y/N-"

"GO AWAY!"

The book appears again; you couldn't keep it invisible any longer. You just sit there, nose bleeding, glaring at the book.

Steve stands and gives you a paper towel, for some reason, feeling more hurt than irritated. Usually, when you do stuff like this - which isn't often - he'll tell you to stop a couple times, you'll fight with him, but you'll usually do what he asks and it'll be fine. He'll be annoyed for a few minutes, but it goes away.

You'd expect him to be mad when it gets this bad, but he's not. He's hurt.

And he can't, for the life of him, figure out why.

You wipe your nose and throw the towel away. Steve closes the book and you panic, running over to the table and grabbing the book from his hands. "I-I didn't mean it... Don't go."

And the hurt lessens. He gently takes the book from your hands and puts it on the table. "I wasn't going anywhere. I just thought we could take a break, okay?"

You nod and sit down on the couch, pulling your knees to your chest. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he replies, sitting down and cautiously putting his arm around you.

After a minute or so you say, "Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"What... What does it mean when... when you are with a person and-and you feel... happy? More happy than when they're gone? Like... Like you are... nervous. Does that make sense?"

He takes a second to respond. "I think what you mean is the feeling you get when you like someone. And it's not like how you like a friend. It's like... you want to be more than friends. Dating - boyfriend, girlfriend, yeah? Together. So, you're friends, but you kiss and stuff. You have a different connection. Does that make sense?"

"Yes."

A few seconds pass by, then you say. "I... like you."

"I like you, too," Steve replies, smiling.

You sit up and face him, grinning back. "What now? Are we more than friends, like you said? With the kissing and stuff? What's kissing?"

"Slow down," he replies, laughing. "You're asking me too many things too fast. One question at a time."

"Okay," you say, thinking about which question to ask first.

"... What is kissing?"

Steve smiles. "Well, that's an easy one. I can show you."

Will -
You've liked Will for a long time. Even before he went to the Upside Down. And after he came back, you liked him even more. You lost him, and it freaked you out. And, much like Joyce, you didn't want to loose him again.

So, when he starts having "episodes", you freak. Especially during trick or treat. You, Will, and Mike were together. You and Mike went up to the house, thinking Will was behind you. Then, you heard him screaming.

"Y/N! MIKE!"

You ran, dropping your pillowcase on the ground. As soon as you found him, you shook him a little to snap him out of it. You wouldn't even let Mike near him.

You always went to check on him after he had episodes or had to go in to the lab. Usually, Joyce would answer the door, tell you he's fine, then you'd go home.

Today seemed as if it was no different.

"Hello, Ms. Byers," you say when she opens the door.

She smiles at you, "Hello, Y/N. Will's just fine. He's in his room, he-"

And then Will walks into the living room. "Mom, who is- Y/N!"

His practically lights up when he sees you. You smile back at him. "Hey, Will."

You haven't seen him in a while; he's been missing school a lot. He pushes past his mom and hugs you, then grabs your hand and pulls you inside.

"Hey! How's Mike and Lucas and Dustin? And Max, I guess. What have I missed? Any tests?"

"Slow down, Byers. Everyone's fine. And, yeah, you missed a test. Pretty easy, though."

Without your knowledge, Joyce's boyfriend, Bob, leads her out of the room to give you two some privacy.

"I didn't expect you to be this excited to see me," you say, laughing.

He shrugs, blushing. "Well, I haven't seen you in a while. I missed you - all of you. Not just you - that sounded mean. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Will. Calm down," you laugh. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He nods. "I'm fine. Doing better, I guess. Haven't had an episode in a while." It goes quiet, though kind of a comfortable silence. Suddenly, he asks, "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure. I was thinking about telling you something, too."

"Great. Okay... You know what, I'm... Wow. This is hard. Okay. Let's just say whatever it is we need to say at the same time."

You cock an eyebrow. "Okay."

"Alright."

You count down. "1, 2, 3. Go."

"I like you."

Both of you stare at each other, shocked. Then, you start laughing. He shakes his head. "I can't believe this."

"Well, I've liked you for a long time. Since before... the Upside Down," you say sheepishly.

He smiles. "Me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, Johnathan appears from the kitchen, looking like he's going to cry. "That was adorable."