Just Steve

E L E V E N

His eyes lit up and you couldn't help but return the smile he gave you as if Steve's joy was contagious. 

"Alright, what kind of rules?" He asked.

"Well I know you know how this whole thing with us started, but if I move in I need you to promise me that we can just be friends," you said carefully.

"What?" Steve said taken aback, the smile being replaced by confusion.

"It's just that we got off to a rocky start, and it's only been a few weeks since James and I broke up. I'm not ready for any kind of relationship right now, to be honest I'm not sure if I will ever be. If we were to... you know..." you paused awkwardly and he nodded in understanding urging you to continue, "things between us could end badly and any kind of drama would just end up hurting the baby. I've seen first hand what fighting parents can do to a child and I can't risk that. I won't risk that. So if you want me to move in, I need you to promise to stay platonic. No flirting, no pet names, I need you to be just Steve."

Finishing your rant, you caught your breath as you waited for his response. He sat there quietly staring at you, and you could tell he was deep in thought.

"Do you really think we can live in the same apartment and be just friends?" 

Sighing you broke your eye contact with Steve to stare out the window on the opposite wall. The streets were bustling, covered in people going about their day to day lives. They looked like tiny little ants from where you were, all running about and moving together. Everything was moving forward for them, nobody was standing still. Yet you sat here in the tower feeling as stuck as ever. 

You weren't sure if you could be just friends with Steve, but you knew you had to try. It was the only way to protect yourself from further harm and still give your baby a chance at knowing its father. Conflicted emotions swirled and your heart rate increased as your mind wandered to all the ways that Steve staying in your life in any capacity could go wrong. 

Steve had been waiting for your response but could tell you were lost in your own thoughts. He couldn't understand why you were so convinced that a relationship would inevitably lead to being hurt. Sure relationships sometimes ended painfully, he was no stranger to that. But heartbreak was what you had to go through to find the right person. The person that would never hurt you. The person you were meant to be with. Every relationship is a risk, but to Steve the possible reward outweighed any of the possible consequences. 

He wasn't sure if you were the girl he had been waiting for. All he knew was he felt more at home in your company than he had ever felt since coming out of the ice. He couldn't let that go. If you needed time to heal he could give that to her. After all, you had just told him that you were willing to uproot your life and move in with him.

His heart swelled with compassion for the caring girl sitting across from him, the sleep still in your eyes and your hair frazzled adorably. You may have a tough exterior but underneath you were kind-hearted and generous. You were willing to give him a chance and see the good in him in spite of all the bad you had seen in people. If you were willing to do all that, it was only fair of him to respect your decision. Besides, he knew the more time they spent together, the more their connection would grow. You could deny it for now, but it would catch up to you in the end. It was time to play the long game.

"Alright. We can try just being friends." 

(Y/N)'s head snapped from the window back to Steve.

"Really?" 

"Of course. You're giving me the chance to really be a father. I didn't know if I would ever get that chance and you're giving that to me. I want you to be comfortable and happy here, and if we have to be just friends for now for that to happen, it's the least I can do."

You smiled softly as you sat there together. You didn't know if you were ready for this particular obstacle life had thrown your way. All the walls you had put up since the fiasco with Amanda and James were still there, and it was hard to imagine a point in the future where they wouldn't be. Between your conversations with Steve and the sweet albeit slightly annoying brown-haired spider boy, your resolve to go it alone was being tested to the limits. As much as you wished you could fully let down your guard with them, you refused to let that happen. Whether it be from a trusted friend or a boyfriend, you knew one more heart break was all it would take to fully break you. You couldn't afford to be broken because your baby needed a mother who was whole. A mother who was unbroken.

In the past few months, you had wanted nothing more than to be alone. But in that moment you took solace in the fact that at least for now, maybe you didn't have to face the unknown completely on your own. 

You stuck out your hand for Steve to shake. 

"Friends?" 

He laughed but returned the motion, slipping his hand in yours. Doing the best you could to ignore the warmth from his fingers as they glazed over yours, you gave a firm handshake.

"Friends."