movies; steve harrington

two

They had a love straight from some romantic comedy they indulged in on the weekends. They had the dancing in the dark and the kisses in the rain and the cuddling up during scary movies.

"Careful, Steve, it might get too scary." Jasmine teased, her arm coming over to wrap around Steve's shoulder in mock support.

"The doll with the red hair is very scary - I almost started crying."

"Awe, I know honey," Jasmine smiled as his head fell to her shoulder.

"Ah, you have ice cream on your uh -" she motioned to her upper lip where the purple ice cream resided. When Steve grabbed the small napkin from its place on the table and made the attempt to wipe it off, she laughed lightly.

"This funny to you?" He quipped with a small laugh.

"It very much is, yes," she laughed once more before leaning in and wiping the bit with the pad of her thumb.

"It feels like we're on a date in one of those cheesy rom coms and we're about to kiss for the first time."

"Well, we can't deny the tradition can we?"

"Mmmm, no, I don't think we can."

"What's for lunch? Do you know?" Jasmine came up behind Steve as he hadn't noticed her trying to catch up with him before. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder and the two were headed in the same direction for the same class. It was one of the few they actually shared and, because of such, tended to enjoy.

"I think somebody mentioned pizza," his arm wrapped around her shoulder as it usually did when they were walking side-by-side. Steve didn't notice as one of Jasmine's friends, Jordyn, came up beside her and started walking with the two. Her next class was only down the hall from Jasmine's and Steve's, so she made it appoint to catch them beforehand.

"You guys look so comfortable with each other now, it's almost....strange."

"Strange?" Jasmine questioned with a small laugh. This is when Steve tuned into their small conversation.

"I've never seen you that comfortable being in such close proximity. Well, until recently, of course."

"Wait," Steve started after he was sure Jordyn finished her sentence. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Jasmine here has never really liked physical touch. It took six months for her to be okay with hugging me."

"Correction, I didn't mind physical touch, I just had to get used to it."

"Six months for me and he managed to get affection from you at three. I'm offended."

"In complete fairness, I had just met you and Steve has been around since Junior High."

"Okay, fair. I'd love to continue this, but I just passed my class. Later, losers." Jasmine waved Jordyn goodbye with a smile and Steve, too, gave her a small wave.

"Is she going to do that forever?"

"What?"

"Call us losers."

"Oh yeah, your popularity doesn't matter. She'll always call you that."

"Good to know."

"You, me, library," Steve looked at the black watch on his wrist. "Ten minutes from now?" Jasmine was sitting at lunch - she had just gotten through the ridiculously long line and next period was her study hall. Steve knew that.

"Careful, Harrington, if your plan is to kill me in the library, there will be plenty of witnesses."

"Awe, damn, maybe after school?" He quipped with a small smile. "I'll see you then," he muttered after a second, placed a kiss to Jasmine's cheek, and left her to her thoughts and lunch.

She did, however, technically still have twenty minutes to each her lunch, just presumably half of it would be consumed in the library and not the cafeteria.

As it turns out, Steve was not planning to kill her in the library, because even if he did, there were indeed witnesses. Plenty of them. He just needed some help with his literature test coming up, one of Jasmine's best subjects. He had been given an essay question and time to prepare to answer it, but now, in the class, had to actually write the essay - and he had put zero thought into it until the last minute. Of course.

"How does your name represent who you are as a person? Pretty simple. All you have to point out are culture and religion, ancestry, the definition meaning behind your name, and point out nicknames people have given to you in the past."

"How did you get all that from one question?"

"Your name, Steve, is just pointing out who you are. It represents where you come from, beliefs your parents may have had, the idea of how you were gonna turn out to be that your parents saw - if that makes sense - and nicknames can represent how each person sees you. For example, everyone calls you Steve and we don't see you in the most formal way. Like a boss or parent may call you Steven - I don't know if they do, obviously, but it could. Like if I called you Stevie, it would represent that I see you in a casual light, nothing extremely serious."

"You are a lifesaver."

"I know I am."

"Thank you," Steve continued writing his notes on his index card. "Maybe tomorrow I can treat you to a movie and junk food?"

"Sounds amazing already."

"I know it does."

**