wires, steve harrington

thirty-two.

"when hopper.. when he died, right, he got replaced with a new chief. and he's great, i'm sure, but he doesn't know shit about.. any of it. and i was just thinking, you know, this town never has anything interesting happen until now, and the people that are supposed to protect us don't know about it. i guess i was just thinking, if someone who.. who did know about it was one of them, then they could actually do something useful for a change, you know?"

steve scanned her eyes, but shook his head. "i'm still confused, what are you talking about?"

"i was thinking... i was thinking, what if i was a cop, you know?" meadow said. "i mean, it's crazy, and it won't happen, ever, but i like helping people, and i want to do something good, and-"

"no, no, that's not crazy!" steve replied. "no, i think.. i think that would be really cool for you, m. you're like.. the most badass person i know."

a smile spread on her lips as she looked back at her feet. "thanks."

"no, i'm serious!" he continued, grabbing her hands. "if you're genuinely interested in that, then i think you should do it."

meadow smiled. "thank you." she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "i know the system is absolute shit, you know, it's corrupt. but maybe if i'm in it, i can help.. make it.. not that way. from the inside. i don't know, it's not a.. a career goal, or anything, just.. something that i thought might be cool to consider. if nothing else works out." she pulled back to look into his eyes. "oh, and, for the record, no matter how cute you are jealous, you have nothing to worry about."

"huh?"

"whatever your thing is with eddie. it's fine."

he shook his head. "oh, pfft, no, no, i wasn't jealous. of eddie. no."

meadow raised a brow. "right."

"no, seriously, i-" he trailed off, knowing he wasn't convincing her. "i just, i.. i get nervous. when you talk to guys our age. because.. i know that, if i wasn't dating you- not that, that i wish i wasn't dating you, i want to date you, i just mean like.. if.. if i wasn't the one.. you were with, which i am, but if i wasn't, then if i saw someone.. you were with..i would.. want to be that person. you know? and so, when a guy talks to you i just assume that they.. also.. want to be that person, and it makes me nervous because i guess i don't know what keeps you with me all this time when-"

she cut him off by pressing her lips to his, feeling him relax. "what keeps me with you, steve, is that i love you. i don't care what guy.. looks at me, or what guy wishes.. whatever. you're the guy i want to be with. none of the other guys in the world matter to me, not when i'm with the guy that i love."

he smiled, taking in her words. "yeah? that.. that's how i feel about girls, too. it's like.. none of them exist. at all. it's just you." he brought her hands up to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "i guess i just.. i feel bad, because i don't want you to think that i don't trust you. i do, i trust you.. completely. i just.. don't always trust myself to be enough for you." his gaze remained on their hands. "but i guess.. you don't go through that, right. cause you.. you don't get jealous."

meadow's brows raised. "what? you think i don't get jealous?"

"yeah! i mean, you like.. you never once do anything like what i have been doing about eddie! and it makes me feel.. guilty, i guess, because it makes me feel like i'm overprotective, insecure, and like i don't trust you when you trust me and-"

"no, no, no, go back to that." she argued. "you think i don't get jealous? of anybody?" she laughed. "steve, i literally.. before we were together, i was so jealous of nancy, i just didn't know it yet."

"what?"

she nodded. "i was so.. i was so jealous because you would talk about her, and i wished it was me. and jealousy is.. a normal feeling, okay, and it doesn't mean that you don't trust me or that i don't trust you. we just need to get better at trusting ourselves to be enough for each other, if that makes sense."

"yeah. i think i know what you're saying."

"listen to me, steve." meadow pressed her nose to his to get his attention, making him smile. "i'm in this for the long haul, okay? i'm here until you get tired of me."

"never."

"okay, then you're stuck with me!"

"i'm okay with that!"

she laughed, which made him smile wider. "my point is, whenever you start to feel like you aren't enough.. please tell me. and i'll do my best to remind you of all of the reasons that you are more than enough."

steve leaned down to press his forehead to hers. "i love you."

"i love you, too."

the sound of someone clearing their throat made the two move away from each other, and a boy (a customer that had been forced to watch at least the last part of their conversation) with blonde hair awkwardly waved his hand at them. "hi? i just.. wanted to know if you had the gremlins?"

"oh, uh, yeah, sorry, my bad."