The Babysitters: Steve Harrington x Reader

Chapter 32

"Whatever you want," He shrugged. I bit my cheek as I dipped the room into almost complete darkness, leaving the light on its lowest setting.

I crawled into bed first, slowly and gently, saving my sore muscles. I pulled back the sheets to let him in, and he stared down at me with a fond smile on his face. I can feel myself melting under his stare. Steve lays down gingerly, like he's afraid of getting anything on my sheets, lays on his right side. There's a noticeable gap between us, at least a foot wide. I take it as a sign he doesn't want to be touched right now. The bed felt colder, somehow.

"Better?" I asked him.

"Much," He whispered.

I press a kiss to his forehead. "Goodnight, Stevie. Wake me if you need anything."

He hummed in response.
He looks so sleepy. Eyes droopy, the sheets pulled all the way up to his neck as he folds in on himself. I'm overwhelmed by the rush of emotions flooding my senses when I look at this sleepy boy in my sheets.

Love, for one. I love the way he slowly blinks until his eyes completely slide shut. The way his breath slows in time with mine. The gap that he keeps between us out of timid respect. So gentle.

Also, anger. At god, or the universe, or the Mind Flayer, or those goddamn Russians. For making him this afraid and bruised. Afraid to close the gap between us.

I fell asleep in two blinks. That's all it took for my eyes to glue shut, and if felt like I would stay asleep forever.

Except I woke up around 4. My body ached in places I didn't know existed. I rolled over to look at Steve, laying on his back. His arms were crossed over his chest.

I studied the crease in his eyebrows- there even when he was sleeping- and noticed it was deepening still. His mouth was screwed up, and it looked like he was in pain.

His chest started rising and falling faster and faster, taking quick shallow breaths.

"Steve?" I asked into the almost-darkness.

His head jerked to the side ever so slightly at the sound of my voice.

"Hey, Steve?"

Steve began to twitch, similar to the way I've seen him before. But it seems worse this time. He mumbled something. Something like "please".

The next noise out of Steve's mouth is nothing short of a whimper. His forehead looks damp, and so do his eyes. I reached my hand up to his forehead-

"SCOOPS! PLEASE I WORK AT SCOOPS AHOY!"

With a jolt, Steve sits straight up, holding on to my wrist with an iron grip that I had never seen him use before.

"Fuck!" I winced, and peeled my eyes open slowly. 

He looks up at me, and he looks broken. His left eye is still swollen, but at least most of the blood is gone. The cut beneath his lip still shines with red. All that's left is a bruised looking boy.

"Oh god, Y/N," He whispered, releasing my arm immediately and scooting away from me completely. "It was an accident, did I hurt you? I'm so sorry, I-"

I grabbed him and just held him to me.

And he melts. Slowly at first, then like a waterfall, he released the tension in his body. I scratched his scalp slowly, and rubbed slow circles into his back, and just let him cry.

"Breathe with me, Steve," I whispered. "In and out," I guided, until he was able to control his breathing. He pulled out of my arms.

"I didn't mean to scare you," He said quickly, wiping at his damp cheeks in the darkness.