The age old story of two best friends falling in love...
... Only, one's a lab experiment with an entire Upside Down hunting her down, and the other won't leave her side, no matter how hard she tries.
steve harrington x fem oc / season 2 o...
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chapter twenty-two hopelessly devoted
🖤
"HERE WE GO." THE RECORD PLAYER crackles a couple of times, as the sounds of Billy Joel fill the room. Steve's been picking the music the past hour, enjoying flicking through the new records Ruby got when she was away last. She's lying on her bed, peacefully watching him sort through them all, his fingers brushing against the top of each sleeve, before looking at the next one. It sounds weird of her to say, but sometimes, she loves watching Steve, and just seeing the way he interacts with the world. She has such a fascination when it comes to him, such an appreciation for everything he does. He could be doing the most boring task and she'd be obsessed.
"Dustin's back now," he tells her, as he shuffles through the records still. His brows are furrowed as if he's searching for one in particular, but she can't figure out what. She thought he'd be content with Billy Joel. "He dropped by just after you left, earlier."
"Oh, Steve, that's what I didn't tell you," she says, and she falls back on the bed, letting out a groan. "Guess who's a lifeguard now! Guess! My one safe haven in the summer, gone!"
"Uh, your safe haven is now the prestigious ice cream establishment, Scoops Ahoy?"
"Steven."
"OK, OK, who works there?"
"Billy."
"Dickhead," says Steve, and he truly means it. Ever since Billy won Snowflake King, he's been insufferable towards Steve... Even more insufferable, she means. Steve didn't even want Snowflake King, but since it was Ruby and Billy that won, Billy's seen it as a victory against him. The next victory would be winning Ruby back... Which would never happen. Steve thinks. Steve hopes.
Ruby snorts. "He's convinced he can win me back," she says, sounding irritated by it. Steve goes quiet for a moment, hoping she'll elaborate. "I just don't like the whole idea of winning someone, you know? I'm not an object. And anyway, what world is he living in? Why would I leave you for him?"
She looks up, because Steve is quiet, and sees that he's smiling to himself. Aw.
"I mean, I am pretty great," he says.
"The greatest," she says back.
Steve grins at her, and he extends his hand, gesturing for her to come to him. She jumps up, hugging him from behind. "Hang on, hang on, hang on," he tells her, and she watches him pick up an older single. The record slips out of its protective sleeve, and he replaces Billy Joel with the new vinyl. A familiar song begins to play.
It's Sandy's solo song from Grease, Hopelessly Devoted to You. Way back when, Ruby dragged Steve to the movies to watch it with her (she thought John Travolta was hot) and ever since, Hopelessly became their song. They had it on a mixtape at the library, where Ruby would stand on a car and jokingly serenade Steve. They'd force it to be played at parties, making their once-platonic love everyone's problem. Carol thought it was annoying, and Ruby thought it was the reason everyone thought her and Steve were fucking, but she didn't care, because it was fun, this unifying song between them. At the Winter Formal, Ruby bullied the band into playing it, and the two cleared the floor. It was their song!
