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Steve Harrington did not know why he had suggested a game night at his house because not even half an hour into the first game of monopoly—he was already regretting it.
“Dustin—stop cheating or I swear to god, I’m going to beat you with my skateboard.”
“Max, I am not cheating—”
“Yes, you are! You keep stealing Lucas’ money when he’s not looking and you’ve landed on mine and El's property like three times without paying!”
“Because you weren’t looking. Not my fault you’re not paying attention—”
“Henderson—”
“Could you two quit it?” Steve finally snapped at Dustin and Max—who had been arguing about Dustin apparent (and definite) cheating for the past five minutes. “You two are giving me a migraine.”
You stifle a laugh behind your wad of monopoly cash and avoid eye contact with Steve—who seemed to be slowly losing the will to live over this game.
You could tell Steve wished that he had taken the opportunity of an empty house to just invite you over for the evening. You two had been together for six months now and being alone in his house was an opportunity you rarely had. But with his parents on a two day business trip to Seattle, you now had ample opportunity for alone time with your boyfriend. But instead Steve had allowed Dustin Henderson to convince him to host a games night for a bunch of teenagers who couldn't go more than five minutes without bickering about something.
“Maybe Monopoly isn’t the game for tonight,” Robin suggests gently as Max glares menacingly at Steve and Dustin looked as though he wanted to argue a little more. “How about that music trivia game?”
“Anything that means Dustin isn’t going to rob me,” mutters Lucas under his breath.
It's quickly decided then. Mike leaves the table in order to grab the small box of music trivia questions that lived in the cupboard full of untouched family board games in Steve's basement.
Steve leaned back in his chair, his hand finding yours beneath the table and squeezing gently. He couldn't wait until Hopper came to collect El. Until Nancy came for her brother and Will and then Steve could drop the remaining kids (and Robin) back at their houses. Couldn't wait until he could then finally be alone with you. Couldn't wait until he could put on some movie, put his arm around you on the couch and distract you with his lips on your neck. Couldn't wait until you would inevitably roll your eyes but turn your head to kiss him for real. Couldn't wait until the movie became background noise, forgotten as he would lay you back on the couch and—
"Robin, can we be a team?"
Steve's head whips around to look at you in surprise.
"Sure, (y/n)," Robin tells you with a smile before looking over at Steve with a wry smile. "Looks like I stole your girl."
"Baby, c'mon—"
"Sorry Steve," you say to him with a sheepish smile as you let go of his hand and move to the chair closest to Robin. "Robin's just better at music trivia."
Steve pouted—genuinely pouted—but he knew you were right. Robin's music knowledge was impeccable and his was...anything but. The last time you had played the music trivia game, Steve hadn't known the different between Cyndi Lauper and Bonnie Tyler. Plus Steve knew you were incredibly competitive, you wanted to win. So maybe he was not the best option as a teammate in this scenario but still—
There was a scraping of chairs as Dustin took your empty seat with a bright smile on his face.
"Looks like you're stuck with me, Stevie."
"No," Steve says instantly with a shake of his head. "No way, I'm not going to be paired with Henderson," Steve protests as he glances around the room at the other kids. "Mayfield? Wanna pair with—"
"—no," Max cuts across him blankly. "Absolutely not."
Steve sulks the entirety of the game. Watching as you and Robin win almost every round while Dustin scolds him for not knowing who the Talking Heads were.
When it approached ten o'clock and the sound of Hopper's truck outside makes Mike sit up a little straighter—Steve felt relieved. He waited until Nancy came to collect Will and Mike with Jonathan until he grabbed his car keys to take Robin, Dustin, Lucas and Max back home.
"I won't be long," he tells you, ducking down to press a kiss to your forehead as you clear up the various empty cans of coke that the kids had left.
You could tell by the fact he didn't press a second kiss to your lips like he usually did that he was annoyed.
When Steve was annoyed, he tended to shut down. It was something you knew came from having absent parents. Parents who were there sometimes but never there for Steve. Parents who gave him two hundred dollars for his birthday but never bothered with a cake. Parents who would casually slip into conversation that they would be going away for two weeks without him. Parents who never talked about issues—let them stew instead.
When Steve had raised issues in the past—that time they had been away for his birthday—his parents were quick to remind him how lucky he was. How they could take his car away if he continued to give them attitude. How they could kick him out the house. How they could cut him off without much remorse and leave him with only the clothes on his back.
And so, Steve Harrington had learnt to keep his mouth shut when he felt a little neglected.
But you—you refused to let him stew in his feelings.
And so, half an hour later when Steve does come back—mumbling something under his breath about Dustin Henderson being a walking contraceptive, you're waiting by the door.
"Oh, hi honey," Steve says with a small smile as he shuts the door behind him and tosses his car keys aside. "You want to pick a movie—"
"Stevie, I'm so sorry," you interrupt him, stepping towards him and taking his hand gently.
Steve blinks. His face warms. Ears turn a little red.
"For what?"
"For pairing with Robin instead of you," you say.
"Oh," Steve says with a small shrug. "It's fine. I don't mind really."
He insists he doesn't care because he knows it's silly. He knows that it doesn't really matter that you had teamed up with Robin instead of him. It was nothing. Just a silly game.
"No, it matters. If I upset you, even a little bit—it matters," you tell him gently, lacing your fingers through his. You lift your intertwined hands to you press a kiss to the back of his hand. Steve feels his heart beat a little faster. He had never been loved so tenderly before and it was the little things like that you did that made him feel wanted. Loved.
"You're already forgiven, baby," he tells you softly, lifting your hands to kiss your fingers gently—looking down at you with adoration in his eyes. "Just don't leave me with Henderson again. I love the kid but I also really want to sock him round the face sometimes."
You laugh and the sound feels like a soothing balm on his chest.
"Deal."
Steve smiles, dropping your hands so that he could cup your face between his hands and kiss you gently. No rush. No frenzy. Just Steve Harrington moving his lips against yours like he had all the time in the world.
"Now," he murmurs a few moments later, pulling away just enough to press a kiss to your cheek. "How about we go downstairs to the basement and play some twister?" He asks. Another kiss to the corner of your mouth. "Naked."
"Do you even have to ask?"